#you can't con a conman

[lindseymcdonaldseyelashes]

Leverage 4x8- "The Boiler Room Job"

[lisbonsteresa]

m'kay

[ichiwashername-o]

Hi there. I know you're a fan of wicked, and your scarecrow comics are amazing, but, how do you feel about the wizard's? I know the wizard was a conman, but he wasn't the monster portrayed in the musical or film, he was trying to help Oz, something like Oz the Great and Powerful, and the quote "He was a good man, just a terrible wizard". To me, it feels weird making him worse than he was in the source material, and how accepting everyone is of that. But what about you, you prefer him "wicked"?

Oh, this is such an interesting question, because like everything, it's not so black and white, is it?

I believe that The Wizard, whose real name is Oscar, never intended to be a bad man. He was just some simple podunk hick (his own admission) thrown into a position of power and quickly found himself way over his head. He was admired, practically worshipped, and an entire country turned to him to save them from what we can only imagine was some truly desperate times. There was a famine. People were starving and hurting and when you're starving and hurting you become angry, so what do you do when you have such a volatile population looking to you for guidance?

Oscar's approach was undoubtedly wrong, let's get that straight. Blaming the people's plight on the Animals was objectively the wrong thing to do, but I think the song Wonderful illustrates Oscar's thinking brilliantly.

There are few at ease with moral ambiguity-- people don't want nuance. Nuance is hard. Isn't life so much easier when everything is black and white? Bad People cause Bad Things to happen, so blame them. Oscar's a con man through and through--he has experience working in a traveling circus and his whole gig was putting on a show and making people happy. And I genuinely believe he wanted to make the people of Oz happy.

But life is hard and complicated and there are no easy answers. Oscar knows this. And if he can't make the people happy and magically solve all their problems, they'll turn on him and eat him alive. So . . . he does the only thing he can think of, the only thing he can do.

He lies.

He's a performer. He's a con man. He knows how to lie. And he's really, really good at it.

He had good intentions, but you know what they say about good intentions. He wanted to help but did it in the worst way possible--uniting the people with a common enemy. A very effective strategy--just look at what's going on in the political atmosphere today--and I really hope the movie leans into that nuance more. Can you really call yourself a good person if all you do is lie and manipulate people, even if your goals are in the service of "good" and "making people happy?"

Wicked is very clear on that--no. No you can't be. But of course, everyone's a hero in their own story, so Oscar is the hero who saved Oz in her time of need. Even in the original Wizard of Oz, I don't think Oscar was meant to be a genuinely good person, either. Of course Oscar thinks he's a good man--everyone thinks they're a good person because they'll always find a reason to justify their own actions. Oscar still lied to everyone--he lied to Dorothy and her friends, he lied to all of Oz. He doesn't even really give the quartet what they want--he lies about that, too. He gives them meaningless trinkets and sells them the belief that they're real.

And fun fact, the Scarecrow's incorrect reciting of Pythagoras's Theorem was intentionally written wrong to further drive home the point that the Wizard's gifts were bullshit.

In my opinion, Wicked is just leaning harder into the story of the everyman who was corrupted by power and did terrible things, despite his original intentions. It's a much more interesting take, and I really hope they don't make it so simple as him being outright evil. I don't think they will. Because Oscar can be seen as a very effective cautionary tale about how our actions, no matter their intentions, can lead to serious harm if we're not careful.

[junebugdunes]

alright listen. it is 3 in the morning and I have a cold but listen to me. I feel like one of the biggest reasons I'm so enthralled with Ramsey and Percy's dynamic is because it subverts the typical cop/con buddy duo-

Usually in buddy cop shows the dynamic play out as the smug or playful conman and the straight man cop

But what I'm really into is Ramsey is actually the "straight man" in their dynamic because Percy is so strange but completely able to roll with basically anything that happens, and she takes everything on the same serious level that she would normally

Which I think a lot of characters mistake as her taking everything at face value, but she doesn't do that either- Ramsey takes advantage of the situation by lying to her about his epithet and trying to play off how big of a criminal he is, and she does believe him, but you can see as the episodes move along she has her suspicions- but she's not accusatory. [Ep 6 "All's Well That Ends Well" 15:15]

She won't make any moves until she has solid evidence, which is a really good quality considering her line of work. She's smart, but she's not unfair. (Added to the fact that even once she recognized Ramsey, she made sure to negotiate something nice for him because of how much help he was. [Ep 7 "Winner Takes All" 23:20])

I've read a lot of fan stuff where people have completely misread her character and they make her so... robotic? And like, unemotional. Which she completely isn't.

She's very emotional. Although a lot of her more emotional scenes are read as comedic, she's not cold or robotic. Some of my favorite scenes from her are the crayon debauchery scene:

[Ep 6 "All's Well That Ends Well" 6:55] Along the same lines as when Zora broke her peashooter (the Oh Danny Boy scene)

When the Well Watcher was promoted to Sky Watcher and she was very supportive :) [Ep 6 16:50]

And when Ramsey used his epithet for the first time in front of her [Ep 7 19:15]

I feel like the comedy of these bits are really through Ramsey's reactions as he kind of just... doesn't know how to handle the situation or his brain literally won't process it [Ep 6 7:40]

Yes, Percy for the most part is a joke character but the whole point is the joke plays off of her being the silly one and Ramsey being the straight man, not vice versa.

I'm really tired so I can't exactly remember how I was going to wrap this up but

TL;DR: I really like Ramsey & Percy's dynamic and I feel like a lot of misreadings of it are due to a lack of understanding Percy's character

[kyehwas]

tell me pretty lies ft. choi seungcheol

-> or, the guy who tries scamming your family has a soft spot for you.

||wc + warnings || 1.2k / conman!s.coups, based off of a dream i had last night, y/ns parents are hella gullible, men crying (😻), bittersweet ending

Seungcheol was used to this stuff. He was used to scamming people out of their money, no matter what technique he used. He wasn't new to romance either, he's used that as a way to con money from gullible people.

What he wasn't used to, however, was real love.

Not the love he used to con people, but actual heart-thumping-out-of-chest love. 

Worst of them all, he definitely, most certainly wasn't used to falling in love with one of his (almost) victims.

Somewhere else in the world, you put your earbuds on, no matter how much it happened, your ears would never get used to hearing your family yell. When they offered to go to the little beach house your uncle owns for vacation, you were excited to spend some time away from them.

You kept the earbuds on until you made it to the beach, where your cousins pushed you out of the car to enter the water first. You, on the other hand, laid your beach towel on the floor and sat, hoping to get some rest and quiet time.

If you had gotten at least one more minute of zero interruptions, you would've fallen asleep under the warm sun. Alas, nothing good lasts forever. The shadow over your head threw you off, and you slowly got up. There was a tall man, explaining something to your parents. 

“Pleasure doing business with you two,” You heard him say, crouching down to shake their hands. "Expect results soon."

“Huh..? Mom, dad, who is he? ‘Pleasure doing business with you?’ What did you guys do?” The questions kept coming out of your mouth; you could feel your parents' eyes on you.

Seungcheol would be lying if he said his world stopped turning only by looking at you. “Come walk with me, y/n, right? I'll explain to you.”

“How do you know my name?!” You exclaim, eyes darting between him and your parents.

“They told me, now come.” He has an air of cockiness that you can't help but scoff at, but you follow him anyway.

“Enjoying your vacation?” He inquires once the two of you are far away from your family. He walks close to you, close enough to get you flustered. He smiles when you nod. “My name is Seungcheol, by the way. I thought you should know.”

“Hm, Seungcheol,” You stop walking, waiting for him to do the same, “What were you doing with my parents?”

“You and your pretty mouth can keep a secret can you?” He leans closer, whispering, “I'm a conman.”

“What the fuck?” You push Seungcheol away from you, and he steps back. “You asshole, you're trying to scam my parents? Are you going to get me next?”

“Don't worry, I'd never do that to you. Let me take you out, and maybe I'll spare your family.” He offers, his shift in tone so slight, yet still evident.

“Fine.” You agree, and he takes you to the burger place right across the beach.“Order as much as you want, I'll pay.”

“Mr. Conman, you don't have to do that, I'll pay for it myself.” You can't even take your wallet out of your bag before Seungcheol already pays for your food.

“I already said to call me Seungcheol, or just Cheol is fine. Or whatever pet name you like,” He teases. Your attempt at convincing yourself to not fall for a man who tried taking your parents’ money was not working very well.

“Thanks for this, Seungcheol.” You mumble after you finish your food.

“My pleasure y/n, can I have your number?” He asks, and you hesitantly type it in. “I don't usually give my number out to people, for your concern.”

“Am I special?”

“To me you are.”

“We just met?”

“I know, but I've never felt this way about anyone before.” You believed that love at first sight is a lie, that you can't like anyone from when you first meet them. It felt different with Seungcheol though. He wasn't someone you could trust, not in the slightest, but you still felt your heart skip a beat whenever he got close to you.

“Where were you, y/n? You were with that kind businessman, right?” Your mom asks once you arrive.

“Yeah, we talked a little about business and stuff. He gave me advice.” A blatant lie, but your mom didn't have to know the truth.

“That's great! Spend more time with him, I want you to make lots of money!” She responds, and you laugh.

You could only hope that nothing happens.

“I'm leaving for China tonight.” He blurts, completely catching you off-guard. 

“Really? Why?” You gasp. You haven't noticed that even in a few days' time, you have gotten much closer to Seungcheol than expected. You and him weren't exactly lovers, but you surely were more than friends.

“I can't explain it, long story short, I almost got caught and was threatened with a lawsuit, so I just have to go.” He frowns, hugging you.

“Cheol… We should at least do some final thing, you know?” You suggest, pulling away from the hug.

“Such as..?”

You pointed to the beach. “Hopefully you have a swimsuit.”

Splashing around in the water until sunset with him almost made you forget he was leaving. Key word: almost.

“It's getting late, about time for me to leave. Do you want to drive to the airport with me?” He leaves the water, and you get a final look at his built body. 

Stop ogling him, y/n. This is a serious matter. You think to yourself. “Yeah, of course.”

The car ride there is practically silent, with only some soft music coming from the car radio. Once he enters the airport with you trailing behind, he realizes how much you two are going to miss each other.

“Cheol,” You take his hand, and he turns around, “Can I kiss you?” 

His eyebrow quirks up and it hits you that the most affectionate you'd been with him was when he hugged you earlier today. “Please no. I don't want to get more attached.”

You kiss him anyways, hands planted on either side of his face as you do so. He gives into the kiss, holding your waist as he matches your steady rhythm.

Though barely noticeable, Seungcheol feels a tear roll down, and after barely a minute, the both of you are sobbing in each other's arms.

“Good evening passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 13S to Shanghai…” The intercom announces.

“I gotta go, y/n. I'll call you daily.” He says, squeezing you one last time.

“I won't forget you, Cheol,” You mutter, “I love you.” With that, he's gone, as if he was just a dream.

“Y/n, you alright?” Your cousin pokes your cheek repeatedly. A couple days passed since he left, but you couldn't get your mind off of him.

“Ah, I'm fine, trust me!” You smile at your cousin.

“Y/n, you got a letter?” Your uncle holds up a cherry red envelope. Confused, you take the envelope from your uncle. You open it, and along with a letter, there's a necklace with his initials on it. You begin to read the letter in it.

y/n,

I know it's only been a few days without you, but I seriously can't stop thinking about you. I got you this from a souvenir store, please consider visiting soon

~ Your Mr. Conman

[themsource]

A thought I had on Stan's Job

It's funny if you think about it. The Mystery Shack isn't even a scam really, people literally pay just to enjoy his creativity and made up stories similar to going to a circus or something.

They want a show.

That's why in ATOTS when given something real and cool they were like 'eh', even if they didn't understand it you would have thought the mystery of it would've gotten their attention, but no. They only had fun when they watched Stan assemble that skeleton and make up that 'out alive' bit on the spot. I feel tourists and the townspeople aren't as dumb as we think they are. 

As for his prices, while seemingly outrageous, are all for handmade items. We watch him literally put stuff together throughout the show. Like painting the 'golden nuggets'. It's basically buying from an arts and crafts artist, one of a kind items you can't get anywhere else except from him. So it is in a way reasonable if you've ever looked at indie creators online and have seen the effort and time they put into their stuff. Small 'creature' creators for example make really adorable fantasy dolls that can go for thousands!

Stan may have been a conman, but he did go into sales for honest work and only became a swindler when it didn't work out in order to get by and to try and earn his way back home so he'd be accepted by his father and therefore the rest of his family again. Because honestly he's not truly that stingy, it's all about 'having money and being able to provide equals being loved' mentality to him. There's a reason he gives Ford crap by saying 'selfishly hoarding your college money because you only care about yourself' during their argument and even goes so far to instantly check if he has the funds when Mabel asks about pizza after losing the shack.

By going to Gravity Falls and attempting to rescue Ford he managed to get himself out of the con game and inadvertently find himself honest work. Even if he does still regularly commit other crimes like shoplifting and tax fraud, his day job is legit.

[pyromaniacbibliophile]

Oh. My. Gods.

WICKED AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

First: This man is a bisexual icon i will take no criticism on this fact

Dancing through Life is THE most amazing song I know what's going to be on loop in my mind for the next month at least

These two? gay. gay as hell. There is no denying it.

(why is that the only gif tumblr has of her? why?)

My gods Loathing or whatever it's called AAAAAAAAAAA literally i was screaming

I want to be him-

i literally want to be him

THE ENDING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GLINDA GAVE HER THE CAPE HELP- ALSO WOWWOWOWOWOWOWOW DEFYING GRAVITY HITS SO HARD AAAAAA

Fiyero at the end riding off to find his gfs i cant i honestly cant

Also. They are a 'menage a trois' to use the french- they are. There is literally no alternative. I can't do diagrams rn but it's simple.

Glinda==Elphaba

|| ||

\\ //

Fiyero

simple as that

Loathing= gelphie

Dancing through Life= fiyeroxglinda (what is their ship name?)

I'm not that girl= fiyeraba

THEY ARE A THREESOME YOUR HONOUR

also stupidly stupidly oblivious

this scene i was mentally yelling at them

gelphie is well and good (and amazing) but i'm sorry gliyeraba is superior here

elphie and glinda are 100 percent switches

fiyero- well.

Admittedly you could well find justification for shipping him with literally anyone in the cast bc have you watched dancing through life? aaaaa

gelphie are in love. they are. they are so in love. the scene at the dance? aaaaaaa. they are in love ladies and gentlemen of the jury they are in love.

'i see that, once again, it falls to me to corrupt my fellow students' ICON. THIS MAN IS AN ICON. AN ABSOLUTE FUCKING ICON. MADRE DE LOS DIOS-

although him kicking the book did physically pain me but MINOR DETAILS

CON MAN. THIS MAN HERE, LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND THOSE WHO ARE YET TO MAKE UP YOUR MINDS- THIS MAN IS A CONMAN. A SWINDLER, IF YOU WILL. A LIAR, A FRAUD, A ONE-TRUNK OWNING KNAVE, AND A CON-MAN.

THENARDIER HAS NOTHING ON HIM. IAGO MAYBE- BUT I WOULD ARGUE HE IS EVEN MORE OF A CONMAN THAN EVEN THAT ESTEEMED GENT

TO BE CONTINUED???? TO BE GODSDAMMED CONTINUED???? WHAT SORT OF AN ENDING IS THAT MY HELS-

anyway i am so normal about this movie can you tell?

[bum-tan]

Okay, but hear me out.

An alternative universe where Bill discovers that someone broke the shaman's curse and has the ability to make a portal for his plans. So he goes on earth to find said person (only knowing their face), and he somehow mistakes Stan for Ford.

But wait ! There's more. He manages to enter the dimension, but unfortunately, his powers couldn't transition with him, so he is just a normal triangle who can occasionally float now.

At first, he tries to trick Stan to make a deal with him using his usual tactics, but you can't con a conman, so Stan is completely unaffected to Bill's utter dismay.

Therefore, in a desperate attempt to somehow convince Stan to make the portal for him and having no other choice if he wants to regain his powers, Bill stays with him.

Shenanigans ensues, and they end up going on adventures together. Slowly starting to get along well with each other due to their similarities.

What started off as dislike of Stan's guts on Bill's end because how could a pathetic human be this infuriating ? And annoyance on Stan's end who didn't care much about this weird one-eyed triangle, turned to tolerance, then mutual understanding and bonding.

They develop a sort of friendship to the point where Bill even grows attached to Stan only to later realise the one he was looking for was actually his twin brother, Ford.

[matt-murdockk]

Stuck in my head

pairing: neal caffrey x fem!reader

words: 3.2k

summary: Neal Caffrey, Ward of the state, CI by circumstance, Conman by choice, has taken a particular liking to the fence he's actively trying to get arrested while undercover, much to his chagrin.

timeline: this is fanfiction land. time stands still and we dance on canon's remains

warnings: baby this is fluff, no surprises, I swear. maybe a small one somewhere but it's good, I promise

ps: (Y/f/n) is (your/fake/name), (y/n) is (your/name)

"Peter I am telling you, we can't arrest her."

"Because we have no evidence yet? Yeah, I got that."

"No, I'm saying we shouldn't even be pursuing this case in the first place. I don't think she's a fence."

Peter rolled his eyes at Neal's protests and proceeded to ignore the rest of his rant, much like he had since the beginning of the case. For some reason Peter cannot quite understand, Neal has been opposed to working this case ever since the first time he went undercover as George Devore, art collector, to set up a meeting with (Y/f/n).

To the residents of the stakeout van, the meeting was normal and went swimmingly, meaning the next meeting, where the handoff would be discussed, would be enough to put the nail in the coffin and close the case, essentially arresting (Y/f/n) and finally getting the name of the buyer they have been tracking. But to Neal, or rather, George Devore, this seemed like the worst thing in the world at the moment.

Back home, Neal decided to pour his heart out to the only other person who he thought would lend a happy ear. But instead, he was met with merciless judgment from Mozzie.

"Neal, you have a problem when it comes to beautiful women. I say this from a place of love. And perfect recall"

Neal feigned being hurt, even though he knew damn well his only problem with (Y/f/n) was that she was stuck in his head ever since they first met. He had no solid reason, but he was sure she was not just a regular fence for stolen art. She did not carry herself with that shifty cunningness one might find in a con artist, but rather with an air of authority. She seemed honest and sure of herself, which was the first clue he noticed that she may not be a con artist. Her textbook knowledge of Degas was not helping her case, and her being gorgeous was only making things worse.

He remembered the time he showed her the Degas. As she leaned forward to examine the painting he’d brought as bait, he caught a faint hint of her perfume—something light, maybe jasmine? Neal told himself it was just an observation, but even Peter had once told him he had a way of letting the little details trip him up.

Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day.

______________________________________________________________

"Your work is simple. You need to discuss a time and place for the handoff, get her buyer's name to confirm we have the right guy, and have her admit on the record that she’s knowingly trafficking stolen art," Peter said, his tone clipped and businesslike. "Once we have her on tape saying anything that implicates herself or her buyer, we can move in. So keep it casual, stay in character, and—" Peter shot Neal a warning look. "—don’t get any ideas."

Neal managed a tight smile. "You’re really worried I’ll blow it?"

Peter raised an eyebrow. "No, I’m worried you’ll fall for it. There’s a difference."

"Peter, I’ve got this," Neal replied, a bit too quickly. "She’s just another suspect."

Peter crossed his arms, unconvinced. "Good. Keep it that way."

Neal exited the surveillance van to the restaurant where he was meeting (Y/f/n), mentally cursing himself for picking the most romantic spot in town. Although it was George Devore who was meeting her, Neal Caffrey wished it was him instead.

As Neal entered the restaurant, the low lighting and soft jazz in the background felt more intimate than he’d intended. The tables were spaced just far enough apart for privacy, and the scent of roses mixed with fresh bread filled the air. It was a perfect place for a date—not a takedown. He adjusted his cufflinks, reminding himself that George Devore was here to discuss business, but Neal Caffrey couldn't shake the feeling he was here for something else entirely.

The moment he saw her seated at their table, he could feel time slow down around him. His heart, pounding so loud, threatening to give himself away, and his feet were reluctant to move forward. Reminding himself yet another time what he was here for, Neal took the other seat at the table and was greeted by a warm smile.

As he took his seat, the soft lighting cast a warm glow on her face, and Neal couldn't help but notice the way her eyes caught the light, just for a second. Her warm smile and the skip of his own heartbeat threatened to unravel him. He swallowed, hoping she couldn't see how tightly he was gripping the edge of the table under his hand.

“Mr. Devore, you’ve picked quite the place, I must say.” She glanced around, taking in the candlelight and cozy atmosphere with an approving smile.

Neal cleared his throat, managing a relaxed grin. “Please, call me George,” he replied, leaning back slightly, trying to match her casual tone. “I figured someone with your refined taste would appreciate a little ambiance.”

Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “Ambiance and art—my weaknesses.” She tilted her head, studying him for a moment longer than was comfortable. “So, George, what’s next on our agenda?”

Neal felt his pulse quicken. The way she looked at him, with a blend of curiosity and confidence, made it difficult to remember that this was just business. “I thought we’d finalize the details,” he said smoothly, though his mind was racing. “Make sure we’re all on the same page… especially about your buyer.”

She had this way of tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear just before she spoke as if gathering her thoughts in a gesture as practiced as her knowledge of art. For someone supposedly in the business of deception, she was oddly composed, almost serene. And that calm was getting to him.

"Well, my buyer is a man who really values his privacy, you know how it is." Neal could feel his focus shifting away from their conversation and was almost sure he'd stutter if he said another word. He knew that to get anything from her, he'd have to give up something as well, as a show of trust. Or you know, he could tank the entire investigation by naming the buyer himself and spooking the poor fence.

"Really? Because word on the street is, you've got Orwell Anders lined up for the Deg-" She casually reached for his wrist, her fingers grazing over the watch. In a swift motion, she turned it off—he'd almost missed it. Neal's breath caught as he realized she knew exactly what it was.

"How did you know—Who are you?"

"How long until your agents move in?"

"A couple minutes, if I don’t respond."

"In that case, I’ll get straight to the point. Neal, my name’s (Y/n). I’m with the FBI—Homicide Division, specifically. And yes, I know exactly who you are. I’m undercover to take down Orwell Anders. Part of my operation involves meeting him as a fence, which is why I’m here. I thought we were on the same side, but it’s clear you’re investigating me, and that’s a problem. I can't let you derail this case, especially since we need him for murder. I turned off your watch because your van is compromised. I’m sure you can figure out who’s responsible for that. If they've heard any of this from the van, it's over."

Neal blinked, trying to absorb everything she’d just dropped on him. His mind raced, but he kept his face neutral. “So, let me get this straight,” he said slowly, his voice steady despite the chaos inside. “You’re working for the FBI… and you’ve been undercover, posing as a fence to get close to Anders? But now you want me to back off, or what? Help you catch him for murder?”

She didn’t flinch at his disbelief. Instead, she leaned in slightly, her voice low and urgent. “I didn’t want to pull you in, Neal. But now that your team’s involved, I need you to understand—we can’t afford to lose him. We need solid evidence to tie him to the murder. If you keep investigating me, it’ll ruin everything.”

Neal studied her, trying to find a crack in her story, but there was nothing. Just the same calm, controlled demeanor he’d seen in her earlier, only now there was something sharper, more desperate underneath it.

“You’re telling me that all this—” He waved a hand, gesturing to their whole encounter, the charade, the tension between them—“is a setup. And you knew all along who I was?”

Her expression softened just a fraction. “I had to, Neal. But this isn’t about you. It’s about stopping a killer.”

He leaned back in his chair, trying to make sense of the sudden shift in dynamics. This wasn’t how he’d imagined things would play out. She wasn’t just another suspect. She was part of the game. The rules had just changed.

“So, what now?” Neal asked, the hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were sharp, focused. “You want me to help you take down Anders, but you need me to play nice? Or should I just keep pretending I’m the clueless art dealer you think I am?”

She paused, eyes narrowing slightly, but there was an unreadable intensity behind them. “I don’t need you to pretend, Neal. I need you to trust me.”

"You could've gone to Peter or Hughes with this. You knew I'm a CI. You knew I was on a case. Why go with the charade?"

"I guess I thought I was helping with your investigation? I hadn't realized you were looking into me at that point." She almost looked guilty for having to have put him through that.

Neal’s mind spun with everything she had just revealed. The weight of her words hung between them, a fragile thread of trust that could snap at any moment. He wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. The lines were blurring in a way he hadn’t expected, and as much as he wanted to shut this down, something about her calm confidence made him hesitate.

She watched him, waiting for him to make a decision. Finally, Neal took a deep breath, trying to push aside the growing unease in his gut.

“Okay,” he said, his voice steady, but with an edge of suspicion. “Let’s say I believe you for a second. What now?”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she reached over and placed her hand gently on his wrist, the same place she’d turned off the watch earlier. Her fingers lingered for a moment, before she spoke in a low, urgent tone. “Turn it back on, Neal. I need you to stay in character, to help me take him down. If we’re going to get Anders for both the murder and the stolen art, we need him to make a move—one he can’t deny. And right now, I need your help to make that happen.”

Neal’s chest tightened at the request. He didn’t want to help her. He didn’t want to become a pawn in whatever dangerous game she was playing. But he had no choice. The mission was bigger than just the art, and from the way she was looking at him, he knew this was their best shot.

He let out a frustrated sigh, but reached for his wrist with a reluctant motion. Slowly, he turned the watch back on, the familiar hum buzzing against his skin.

“Fine,” he muttered, looking up at her. “But you owe me one.”

She gave him a brief, almost imperceptible smile. “You’ll get more than you think.”

Neal watched her as she leaned back in her chair, her posture shifting from casual to calculating, her eyes never leaving his. She was in full control now, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she always had been. All he knew was that he liked it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, they were back in the briefing room. Peter was already in his usual spot, running the meeting as he always did. Neal couldn’t help but notice (Y/n) walking in, though. She was a stark contrast to the playful, teasing woman he'd met the night before. Today, she was all business.

In her pantsuit, with her badge and gun, she looked right at home. The transition was seamless, and for a second, Neal wondered just how much of that was the real her. The woman who had handled the dinner situation with such ease had just stepped into her role without missing a beat.

She offered Peter a quick smile, then took her seat, her posture shifting from relaxed to focused in an instant. There was no sign of the laid-back charm she had shown before. She was more chipper and excited than the nervously calm person he had seen yesterday.

"Morning," she said, her voice warm but professional. It was clear this was her zone, and Neal respected that. But a part of him couldn’t help but notice the contrast from last night—the way her eyes seemed to soften just before she turned away like she was still adjusting to the change.

Peter began the briefing, detailing the next steps with his usual focus. Neal stayed quiet, letting Peter run through the plan. But his attention kept drifting to (Y/n). There was a quiet energy between them, something unspoken that he couldn’t quite shake.

“Alright, team,” Peter said as the briefing wrapped up. “Neal, (Y/n), you’ll be tailing Anders. We need to get something concrete, so keep your eyes open.”

Neal nodded, but he was still processing everything. Working with (Y/n) felt… different. She had a way about her, an energy that made it hard to stay entirely focused. She wasn’t acting like someone undercover, yet Neal couldn’t help but feel there was more to her than what was on the surface.

As the team started to shuffle out, Neal lingered for a moment. He caught (Y/n)’s eye again as she packed her things. Her gaze softened just a little before she turned back to her bag, though Neal was certain she hadn’t meant to let it show.

“You good?” he asked, trying to keep things light, though his voice had a slight edge to it. He wasn’t sure if it was the case or the connection that was making him second-guess himself.

“Yeah,” she replied, meeting his gaze with an easy smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You?”

“Never better,” Neal said with a shrug, though he didn’t really believe it. His pulse was still a little too quick, and he couldn’t figure out why.

Peter called from the door. “Neal, (Y/n), let’s go.”

Neal and (Y/n) fell into step, heading toward the door. Neal could feel her presence beside him, just a little too close for comfort in a way that was making it harder to concentrate. He glanced at her quickly, catching the faintest blush on her cheeks. It could’ve been nothing, but something told him it wasn’t.

They walked in silence for a moment before Neal broke it, his voice low, as if testing the waters. “You ever do anything like this before?”

She gave him a sideways glance. “Yeah, but it's always more fun when you’re with someone who’s as good as me.”

Neal chuckled, his usual charm slipping back into place. “So you’re saying you’ve never worked with a partner as handsome as me?”

(Y/n) rolled her eyes, but there was a smile tugging at her lips, something soft in her expression. She didn’t answer immediately, her attention focused on the task ahead, but Neal noticed her glancing at him again, just for a moment too long. And this time, it wasn’t just the mission that was on his mind.

Something was starting to shift—between them. And though Neal tried to push it away, he knew it would only be a matter of time before everything between them came to a head.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bust went down as smooth as they could’ve hoped. Anders didn’t stand a chance, caught entirely off-guard by (Y/n)’s meticulous planning. Neal watched her in action, directing her team with precision, her voice steady and unyielding. She was completely in her element, and for a moment, he was genuinely impressed—maybe a bit more than he wanted to admit.

Once Anders was cuffed and led away, Peter nodded toward her, clearly impressed himself. “You know, we could use an agent like you at White Collar,” he said, half-serious, but the glint in his eye suggested it was more than a passing thought.

She let out a small laugh, a hint of sadness mingled with amusement. “Funny you’d say that,” she replied, hands on her hips. “This is actually my last case with Homicide. I’ve just been transferred.”

Neal’s eyebrow arched, intrigue sparking in his eyes. “Transferred?” He leaned in, his voice dropping a touch lower. “Guess that means I’ll be seeing more of you.”

(Y/n) smirked, tilting her head as she met his gaze, unflinching. “Maybe. Though, from what I hear, it’s hard to keep up with you, Caffrey.”

“Oh, I think you’d manage,” he shot back, eyes glinting as he stepped just a bit closer, their shoulders nearly touching. “After all, I wouldn’t mind a little… competition.”

She held his gaze, her smile widening just a fraction. “Competition? Careful, Neal. I don’t play nice when I’m winning.”

Peter watched the exchange, clearly amused, before clearing his throat and muttering, “Alright, save the flirting for the office.” His words hung in the air, casual but with enough weight to make both of them suddenly feel exposed.

Neal’s easy grin faltered, his usual charm suddenly thrown off-balance. He looked away quickly, shoving his hands in his pockets and adjusting his stance, trying to seem nonchalant. “Flirting?” he echoed, a hint of forced laughter creeping in. “I wouldn’t call it… flirting.”

(Y/n)’s expression tightened, and she crossed her arms, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “Yeah, I mean—it’s not like that,” she muttered, glancing at Neal and then away, her tone coming out sharper than she intended. “This is just professional courtesy, right?”

Neal chuckled, a little too loudly. “Exactly. I mean, you know me, Peter. I’m just… courteous.”

Peter raised an eyebrow, watching the two of them stumble over their words, clearly enjoying the unexpected reaction. “Uh-huh. Just professional courtesy,” he repeated, the skepticism obvious in his voice.

(Y/n) looked at Neal, a slight flush creeping up her neck as she tried to regain her composure. “Exactly. Nothing else to it.”

Neal opened his mouth, as if to agree again, but no words came out. Instead, he gave a stiff nod, forcing his usual confidence back into his posture. “Right. So… I’ll see you around, Agent,” he added, voice slightly strained, and he quickly looked away, almost as if he couldn’t stand meeting her eyes.

(Y/n) nodded curtly, avoiding his gaze as she muttered, “Yeah, see you, Caffrey.”

As she turned to leave, Peter stifled a laugh, and Neal, sensing Peter’s amusement, shot him a defensive look. “What? I wasn’t… it’s not…” But he knew there was no winning this one.

Peter simply shook his head, chuckling as he clapped Neal on the shoulder. “Sure, Neal. Whatever you say.”

[lillygamine]

𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓁 𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓌

♡ Warning:Female!Reader x Male!Yandere, Male!Demon, Mention of non-consensual relationship, Mention of Ritual, Mention of non-con body touches, Being Haunted, Threats, Mention of non-relationship, Short Imagine. ♡ Note: I tried to write something about it, but I admit it was night and I ended up getting a little scared because I imagined too much, but I hope you like it ^^' ♡ Note 2: I don't speak English so I'm sorry for any mistakes in writing.

You shouldn't have gone to that party, you should have accepted that stupid challenge…

You were always afraid of messing with the supernatural, Ouija board, Bloody Mary or anything like that didn't seem like a good idea, but you still accepted the challenge of doing a supposed ritual to summon demons! Where were you thinking?!

The environment was all prepared, just like horror movies, the supposed ritual written on a folded sheet of paper with weird drawings, that would certainly lead to nothing, right?

Big mistake, things started the next day… Voices, Bizarre dreams, you no longer had a single second of peace.

You started to become paranoid, feeling like you were being watched all the time, you tried to convince yourself that it was nothing, but you couldn't ignore it anymore after bruise marks started to appear on your body after your bizarre dreams.

You can't deny it anymore, that challenge really summoned something…

You tried going to a psychic, but he was just a conman trying to take every penny from you.

You tried turning to religion, seeking some kind of exorcism or some protection, but that seems to have made everything worse!

Before, the supernatural phenomena seemed distant from you, but now the voices seemed to be whispered in your ear, making it possible to feel a kind of heat on your neck, and the entity that previously only watched you from afar are now always extremely close to you, enough to reach out and touch you!

In a desperate attempt, you try to contact this being, you redo the ritual and ask who is here, and what they want from you, deep down you didn't believe it would work and it really didn't seem to have any effect…

But, when you lay down on your bed, overwhelmed by the accumulated tiredness, you felt your bed sink next to you, but your body didn't seem to respond to your commands! Then a hand turned you over, leaving you face to face with completely red eyes, which were fixed on you. Your body had goose bumps and your breathing faltered, you were terrified.

-You're a silly little creature, aren't you?

The entity said in a sarcastic tone, his voice seemed distorted and deep, full of amusement, which did nothing to improve your panicked state.

-You summoned me to a pact, and when you got one you're trying to get rid of me? That's very audacious!

You feel a hand grab your neck, squeezing it, and you feel your breathing become more difficult.

-Too audacious… But

The hand loosens, and you take a deep breath, trying to fill your lungs as much as possible.

-I admit that your soul interests me now, I have already accepted your request and we have a pact now, so don't try to get rid of me…

The entity approaches your ear, speaking in a dark tone

-You are mine now, forever!Your soul is mine now! And if I have to kill everyone you love for you to understand that you belong to me, I will do it.

[couldpolyamorysavethem]

ELIZABETH BURKE, PETER BURKE, and NEAL CAFFREY from WHITE COLLAR

Justification:

"okay listen this might already be in the queue but i sincerely believe the last three seasons of the show would've gone in a completely different direction if peter got that last little push away from his bullshit cop behaviour by neal pulling some grand romantic gesture for him + el. like, come on man, you've already come to peace with legality not being the same as morality after you ran all those cons and let neal cut and run, but he's so convinced the ONLY way to do good in the world is being an fbi agent that he like, actively makes things worse for neal (AND HIMSELF? AND ELIZABETH?) over and over again just so he can preserve the status quo of neal being his CI + while peter's an active field agent. would kissing about his devotion to their dynamic and neal's rehabilitation and peter's complicity in neal's dehumanisation by the state solve that? maybe not! but considering the alternative is neal fucking dying (he got better) about it i think we should give it a shot!

that previous paragraph was more or less me preaching to the choir wrt this relationship but still here's my pitch:

neal is essentially already the third in elizabeth + peter's marriage, with how much he lives in peter's brain during pre-series sequences, how INVESTED he is in their relationship (reminding peter of anniversaries), and then IN the actual series that only increases when he's coming around to their place all the time

each pair within this trio have supporting but distinct relationships w one another that they all benefit from (and they often need the support of all three dynamics to get through Issues™)

that one episode where peter ends up on the run w another fbi agent and neal gets paired up with that guy's CI, and there's just an unbelievable amount of parallels between the two pairs and their relationship, even after its established that those two are in a romantic relationship and peter and neal 'aren't'. like peter says he'd go to neal first if he was ever in trouble LIKEEE

fucking everything about the run up to the finale of season 2 where we hear over and over again that the only two ways conmen end up are with 'one last score' (which inevitably leads to the next, because they can't help themselves), or going to prison. OR, the 'true love' option, where an ex-conman is able to genuinely settle down and go straight (more or less). this 'secret third option' is literally even spelled out to us IN an episode about a trio of thieves (byron june and ford) who meant the world to each other!

neal uses the engagement ring he was GOING to give to his TEXTUAL 'true love' in order to pay for peter's ransom that one time and isn't even cut up about it??

also like the episode before that neal and peter switch identities (very well) and neal acts like elizabeth's wife, and the only issue peter (or anyone) has with it is that he's also committing the crime of impersonating a federal agent.

season three finale where peter asks why neal didn't run when he just got the score of his life and the first thing he says is 'you, elizabeth', before listing literally anything else. INCLUDING HIS CURRENT ROMANTIC INTEREST?

also the scene before that where neal immediately folds from his season long cat and mouse game with peter and hiding the treasure because elizabeth's in danger! and peter only believes he's not lying abt any of it bc it's elizabeth!

that one shot in the pilot where neal and elizabeth look up at peter and you can so clearly see he has a type.

literally everything about elizabeth + neal's interactions in s1. get you a girl who sneaks you into her house past dozens of fbi agents so you can talk to your handler personally about being framed for a crime that she has no reason to suspect you didn't do other than believe in your and her husband's relationship!

im losing track of my argument at this point. anyway can someone please knock peter upside the head with some kind of bi awakening for the love of god this homoerotic 'partners' situation has an unbelievably high body count not to mention all the violation of civil liberties and frankly you could've all moved to paris and started a detective agency YEARS ago and this show would become slice of life" - @time-is-restored

[gabessquishytum]

Time and Night Endless have a problem. Their darling son Dream has been dating a man completely not of their class, a shameless and uncouth ruffian, by the name of Hob Gadling. While they did make their disapproval known, they were inclined to leave it at that, as surely this was merely a rebellious phase on Dream’s part; at some point he would come to his senses, end the relationship, and settle down with someone more suitable.

Except they have heard through the family grapevine that not only has Dream not come to his senses, but he is in fact planning on proposing to the dreadful man. That he has in fact purchased a ring already! Clearly something must be done.

They arrange a private meeting with Hob and offer him fifty-thousand pounds to break up with their son before the proposal, preferably publicly enough that they can be sure he did it, and so it decreases the likelihood of reconciliation.

Hob only hesitates for a moment before agreeing.

Time and Night walk away from the meeting feeling incredibly smug that they’ve saved their dear son from an inappropriate relationship with a blatant gold digger.

Hob walks away from the meeting pulling out his phone to call Dream. “Hey love, how would you like to con your parents out of a shit ton of money?”

Three days later, Dream and Hob have a giant blow-up fight in the middle of a friendly gathering—Desire was there filming the whole thing and had gleefully uploaded it to every social media platform they have, so the Endless parents can see for themselves. It’s pretty ugly: there’s accusations of cheating, loud negative allusions to their sex life, Dream even throws in a “my mother was right about you” for good measure. It’s a goddamn disaster of a shouting match that ends in the world's messiest breakup.

Time and Night would be horrified by the scandal if they weren’t so pleased with the results. Hob Gadling may not be an acceptable partner for one of their children, but at least he certainly does deliver. They wire the money to him with absolutely no remorse, considering it money well-spent.

A week later, a new video is uploaded to Hob and Dream’s social media accounts: the two of them side-by-side, leaning into each other's touch like love-drunk teenagers, fingers entwined and sporting beautiful engagement rings, as they announce their reconciliation and engagement.

“Communication has always been the key to a successful relationship, and all we really needed to do was sit down and talk to each other like adults. Any issues we may have had have been resolved, and if it weren't for the people close to us who didn't want to see us fall apart, we might not be here today,” Hob says, grinning ear to ear. 

“I would particularly like to offer my greatest, most heartfelt thanks for our upcoming marriage to my parents,” Dream says with an evil glint in his eye. “They not only engineered our reconciliation, they selflessly gave fifty-thousand pounds of their own money to help pay for the wedding and honeymoon. We can't thank them for their kindness and support enough.”

Hob then grabs his fiance and dips him before kissing the life out of him, and that’s where the video ends.

Night faints and Time breaks a priceless vase.

(Desire also gleefully shares this video on the same platforms as the first one, and helpfully tags their parents with it to boot. It was actually fun scheming with their brother for the first time in a long time, and they may or may not be planning to stitch the two videos together into a small tasteful movie as a wedding present (and perhaps providing a copy to their parents as well))

-🪽anon

I love the "evil parent offers main character a lot of money to break up with love interest" vibe. Whatever happens you just KNOW its going to end badly for the parents!

And really, they should have known better. Hob is a shameless ruffian and an experienced conman, OF COURSE he was going to pull some kind of trick. He's actually really pleased because he was worried that Dream wouldn't get his perfect wedding, because Hob’s meagre salary won't stretch to a big budget. With the "generous contribution" from mum and dad, Dream can make his gorgeous goth wedding fantasies a reality.

Dream has an amazing time at the fittings for all the wedding outfits, and Desire even has a hand in designing the most gorgeous jumpsuit for Dream to wear at the reception. They're totally invested in this wedding and keep feeding Dream and Hob information about their parents latest plans to sabotage the big day. This leads to Dream getting in touch with their estranged younger brother, who is thrilled to a) be invited to the wedding and b) provide security on the big day! He's built like a brick wall so no attempted shenanigans will get past him.

There won't be any trouble at the wedding, anyway. Hob has a few of his old pals on the job, and they will make sure that the Endless parents are tragically prevented from reaching the venue on time. So sad. Its okay though, because Desire will be putting together a beautiful wedding movie for everyone to watch after the honeymoon!

When asked by their society friends about their new son in law, Night and Time will grit their teeth and smile. He's a very... resourceful man. Not what they'd imagined for Dream, but he seems happy enough. And there was a prenup, so it can't be that bad if (hopefully when) they get a divorce.

Yeah.......they're never getting a divorce!

[ddagent]

"A Bond Tested"

Matching March Day 03

The Guardian [October 7th 2003] The body of a woman who was found in the Thames two days ago has been identified as Russian national Irina Morozova. Enquiries are still ongoing, although the Metropolitan Police have said that they are considering her death as suspicious.

Transcript of interview with Margo Madison and Met Police, October 8th 2003. Present at Margo Madison, CEO of Midnight Aerospace, her solicitor Ellen Waverly, and Detective Sergeant Eric Bradley.

Detective Sergeant Bradley: Ms Madison, thank you for coming in to talk to us today.

Margo Madison: I don't know how much I'll be able to help you.

DSB: I think you'll be more help than you realise. Do you know this woman? For the tape, I am presenting Ms Madison with a photograph.

MM: Her name is Irina Morozova. I met her a few months ago in St. James' Park. We were...friends.

DSB: Were?

MM: Well, she's dead, Detective. At least that's what the newspapers say.

DSB: Of course. And what did your friendship involve?

MM: Normal things. We met up for coffee. She came by the house once or twice. She worked at an auction house; she found me some jazz albums I had wanted to add to my collection. [EW clears her throat] I'm sorry that she's dead. We weren't...close but it was still a shock to hear.

DSB: Let's talk about your husband. Did he know Ms Morozova?

MM: No.

DSB: Are you sure about that?

MM: I am. He was never at the house when she came by. We never went out as a group.

DSB: Are you sure they didn't know each other? They're both Russian nationals.

MM: Russia is a big country, DS Bradley.

DSB: I see. So, you met your husband in '83, correct?

MM: I did.

DSB: Quite the romance. For the tape, I am showing Ms Madison a few headlines from 1983. Forbes, Time. National Enquirer. Margo Madison, CEO of Midnight Aerospace. The Virgin CEO. A little harsh, don't you think?

EW: Is there a point to this? What does this even have to do with Irina Morozova?

MM: I was called a lot of things by my competitors because I didn't want to fuck them, DS Bradley. I didn't take it personally and neither should you.

DSB: Sure. And, Ms Waverly, I'll get to my point very soon. You met your husband in London, right? At a gala, correct? That's you two there?

MM: It is.

DSB: Midnight Aerospace CEO Margo Madison with engineer Sergei Bezukhov. Nice. Only his name isn't Bezukhov. It's Nikulov. But you knew that already.

MM: My husband's name is Sergei Bezukhov. Your information is...incorrect.

DSB: It's not, Ms Madison. Your husband is not an engineer. He's a conman. He was hired by Ms Morozova to seduce you. To steal your fortune and then run off into the night.

EW: Jesus Christ.

MM: [laughs] Do you write fiction, DS Bradley? Because that is one hell of a story.

DSB: I don't. But it is quite a story. A lonely American CEO attends a gala in London and meets a handsome man who says he's an engineer. She hires him and they spend a few years flirting until he proposes. Now, the plan is to get her to sign over all her money. Run off with the cash. Maybe even kill her. But your lawyers are good. And Sergei Nikulov can't get the payout he wants. You married in, what, 1992?

MM: [long pause] Yes.

DSB: At that point you're worth twice as much as you were in 1983. What's a Russian conman to do? He fucks over his partner. Leaves Morozova in the dust. And he takes the stipend you give him in exchange for fucking you on the first of every month—

EW: —I'm sorry, are you insane? Is this bullshit why you dragged my client down here in the middle of the night?

MM: It's fine, Ellen.

EW: No, it's not. My client came here to assist your investigation with what little she knows, not to be insulted and have her sex life speculated upon.

DSB: I intend to do more than speculate on Ms Madison's sex life. I'm even going to go as far as accuse her of murder.

EW: Oh my God.

DSB: You found out, didn't you, Ms Madison? That you'd been married to a con man. Irina told you. Not the first time. Maybe not even the second or third. But she wanted her cut. And you were angry. Angry at being manipulated. Angry at being lied to. Angry at being used. And so you snapped.

MM: I didn't kill Irina Morozova.

DSB: That's not what your husband says.

MM: [laughs] I'm sorry?

DSB: We've got Nikulov next door. He's told us everything. How he lied. How he fucked you for a nice car and a nice watch and an even nicer house. How Irina came to him first and he told her to fuck off. How she came to you and you snapped. [pause] Nikulov sold you out for a reduced sentence on his fraud charges. So you might as well admit it.

MM: [a long pause. the a laugh.] Did you honestly expect that to work?

EW: We are done here. My client will not be answering any further questions. She's made it clear that she had nothing to do with Irina Morozova's death. And if you had anything other than some 80s cop show bullshit, you would be charging her. So, until you do, we'll be leaving.

[Interview terminated at 11:59 pm]

Margo went home, after the police interview. Went back to their house in Greenwich and up to their study, where she looked through their telescope at the Moon and the stars and where Mars should be until she heard the front door open. This was supposed to be a new life for them, in London. New offices, leaving Aleida to run the flagship in Houston. An opportunity for them to start winding down as they thought about retirement. That had been the plan, of course, until Irina Morozova had shared her newspaper with Margo in St. James Park.

"Are you alright?"

Her gaze fell from the telescope as she turned towards her husband. Sergei Nikulov seemed even older than his years as he took his familiar seat on the other side of their study. He shrugged. "They accused me of being a conman. Of whoring myself out to my rich wife. They accused me of planning to kill you. They accused me of actually killing Irina." He sighed. "They said you had told them everything. That you were angry; that you had discovered the truth and wanted me to suffer."

Margo stared at him. "Did you believe it?"

"Not for a moment. If you had wanted to do that, you would not have paid the ransom money all those years ago."

"No. I wouldn't have."

It was the hardest decision she had ever made. Ellen and Molly had argued with her, saying it was ridiculous to fork over that amount of cash to the Russian mob or the KGB or some con artist – to save a man who, admittedly, had been lying to her for the nine years of their acquaintance. But Margo had known three things. Sergei Nikulov loved her. He was brilliant at math. And he was a terrible liar. He had never been a conman. Just a sweet Russian engineer offered a job in America with strings he had never realised were there until they wrapped around his throat and pulled.

"They pulled the same stunt with me. Saying that you'd thrown me under the bus for a reduced sentence."

Sergei shook his head, chuckling darkly. "And you knew, yes? Knew I would never tell them this?"

"I did. I do." Margo smiled at her husband. Her husband of eleven years. It fell, slightly, as she thought of the woman who had tried to ruin that. Who had come into this house having earned Margo's friendship, her trust, and had tried to manipulate them against each other. The lies. The missing items. The cameras. Margo suddenly crossed the room and took Sergei's hand in hers. "But I need you to promise me something, Sergei. If it comes down to it. If the cops get their heads out of their asses and actually find some evidence, you will tell them it was me. Promise?" She squeezed his hand. "Promise me you won't tell them a damn thing about Aleida.

His grip on her hands tightened. "Not a word."

[kremy-lecroux]

What did you actually plan to do with your life, you know as a kid? I can't imagine it was "to be a conman"

That's a real heavy question to ask a fella... and a real heavy accusation! I don't con people, I do business with 'em! It isn't my fault if the average person can't read the fine print.

Anyways, I... don't much recall what I had planned for myself as a child. I mean, I've always liked cookin', and I've always been pretty good at talkin' myself out of trouble, but... I dunno.

[weareallgonnaliveforawhile]

I NEED! THIS AU!!! (Sk and mob one)

No, seriously, your work is amazing, i am waiting happily for it!

Quick questions!

1. Will Saiki or any other Psychics from SK be integrated on the AU?

2. Does Kokomi meet Ritsu at some point?

3. Will Saiki meet our favorite conman? What would their interactions be like??

Thanks for the attention! I really like your writing btw!!

1. Will Saiki or any other Psychics from SK be integrated on the AU?

Absolutely. They have a much smaller role since the focus is more on Teruhashi being put into the Mob Psycho Universe, but they certainly exist and have met some of the Mob Psycho cast by pure coincidence. (Kokomi is very secretive of what she does for work).

They attempt to be like mentors to the psychics in mp100 but quickly find out that a majority of their advice is bad and also that they're so much weaker than literally all of them.

Also, it's really hard for any of their advice to beat Reigen's. Aiura tries to teach Teruki about the wonders of tax evasion, but he has to break it to her that not only has Reigen given a much better lecture but also gave him a detailed pamphlet on the pros and cons of dodging your taxes.

As for Saiki himself? He plays much less of a physical role, but he's still very much there. After all, who do you think makes sure that none of Teruhashi's stalkers even know that she's ever been to Condiment City? Or purposefully makes Makoto get lost while trying to go to Kokomi's job after hearing about the incident?

Plus, Mob is a very big part of Saiki's character development, though Saiki is a very minor part of Mob's life.

2. Does Kokomi meet Ritsu at some point?

She does! He goes to Spirits and Stuff to pick up Mob for some reason and is immediately dazed by Teruhashi's beauty. Once the initial reaction wears off, his first thought is that Reigen kidnapped a woman to work for him.

She introduces herself and insults Reigen in the same sentence. The two immediately begin bickering leaving Ritsu to weigh the possible theory that this is Reigen secret love child who he had with a woman that was much better than him in every way possible.

He leaves and attempts to gather evidence to prove one of the two theories. He only finds out what her actual relation to him is after the 7th division infiltration arc.

3. Will Saiki meet our favorite conman? What would their interactions be like??

Alright so imagine Ritsu and Reigen's relationship. Except Saiki can't be openly hostile to Reigen because he's too naturally polite and he can't use his powers to fuck with him because it'd fuck with Kokomi by extension and that'd be too bothersome (he really doesn't wanna upset her).

But Saiki doesn't trust this man a fucking bit. Even if he mentally gives our favorite con-man points for punching Makoto, literally anyone with a brain would do that if the opportunity arose.

It isn't until he hears Reigen's famous speech on how psychic powers don't make someone special, that he begins to let himself see parts of Reigen that aren't skewed with distrust.

He still won't let himself fully trust Reigen, but he respects Kokomi's decision to do so. He owes Teruhashi that at least.

-

EEEEE! THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENTS!! Also thank you for the attention as well, I thrive off people acknowledging me.

[izloveshorses]

I saw a post complaining about musical Dimitri so I want to know what is your favourite things about him in the musical?

sigh... musical dmitry... giggling kicking my feet twirling my hair thinking about him. i'm always daydreaming about him. if you saw me on the street irl i almost guarantee you'd catch me lost in some variation of musical dmitry thoughts.

there are so many things i could say here, anon. his redemption arc™ from a selfish liar to the most noble and self-sacrificing slavic sadboy i've ever seen? his angsty daddy issues backstory? his bewitching silly goose ways? how he lets One Woman completely change the trajectory of his life? how he falls into an emotional spiral about it? the way he Knows Who He Is and is very self assured in his identity, and helps anya do the same? how his identity is so intertwined with his home? his role as a Storyteller™? etc????

but for this ask today i'm going to focus on how gentle he is. i don't think gentleness is something that comes very easy to this dmitry. he lost his father at a young age, as we know. he was alone on the streets and had to fight to stay alive. he cons people for a living. by the time we meet him he's very cynical about the world and doesn't really trust anyone, other than vlad. mostly he just relies on himself and can't really count on anyone else. when he meets anya, a cryptic girl who is a bit off but in need of help, his first response is to scoff and send her away, since unstable people are too risky to deal with. he's capable of being charming, but he uses this skill to get what he wants.

a lesser character with an identical backstory would be gruff and unfeeling, but... this dmitry isn't. in spite of it all, he's so hopeful, though he buries it deep. his most treasured story is about a girl he met at a parade. he is known as the 'prince of petersburg,' has a relationship with everyone on the streets. in the hartford production he calls an older woman in the ensemble 'little mother.' he rescues vlad, a complete stranger, from a firing squad. and though he turns her down at first, he agrees to get anya to paris. he protects what's his own.

you can tell it takes him a while to learn gentleness. whether it's physical or verbal, especially around anya, he is still always on the defensive for a while. fight first, think later. she's really jumpy and skittish but he doesn't start changing his behavior until they fight the ruffians together. he flags all of his movements around her, making sure she knows his intentions first. he talks about his father. he gives her a music box because he thinks it'll make her smile. because she 'earned it.' when she's crying after a nightmare he tells her a sweet, simple story from his childhood.

the train scene is the best example of this shift-- when she cowers after the gunshot goes off, he is completely lost about what to do. 'calm her down,' vlad tells him, but how is he supposed to do that? she's sobbing into his shoulder and he's frozen, panicking, because what is he supposed to do here??? but he shushes her and holds her anyway. he does his best. and it works. in such a tense situation where they very well could be shot next he is so so gentle and patient with her. and by the time we reach iacot in paris, he knows exactly how to comfort her. he learned how to hold her gently and speak in a soft voice. how softness can ground someone in need.

to summarize: musical dmitry is... really soft? and softness/gentleness isn't really something you see in the conman archetype very often. he is so special.