#But the mask is probably my favorite mask I’ve made so far!!!
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would you? | luke castellan.
pairing: luke castellan x fem!reader
summary: luke slowly starts to lose himself but that won’t stop you from reminding him of what truly matters.
wc: 2.6k
warnings: some manipulating and gaslighting if you squint and probably spoilers for the first book but they’re not explicitly mentioned.
a/n: HAPPY HOLIDAYS !! here’s luke as a gift <33 i’ve never written for luke before but he’s my favorite pjo character bc hes such an interesting and complex character aghh. sorry if this isnt as fluffy as you would all want, i promise i’m working on some real luke fluff.
The rays of the rising sun made the lake look far more beautiful than it always does. Sure, you were used to the warm tones that always engulfed Camp Half-Blood and it’s not like the weather ever really changed, at least not unless the gods willed it to, but the colors of the sun reflecting on the lake, the low hum of the wood nymphs singing, and the distant sounds of laughter coming from campers playing volleyball were strangely comforting.
Well, as comforting as it can be when you’re trying to find some quiet in the neverending fight that was the demigod life. It gets tiring, it always does. The fighting, the studying, the adoration of gods who didn’t even bother to give their children a sign of them caring. It was all so exhausting.
But there was peace in this small moment. You were sat in front of the lake, your legs crossed as you closed your eyes, trying to enjoy the tranquility of it all. The calm moment didn’t dare to stop your hand from finding a home in the clay beads of your camp necklace and twirling them around, a seemingly normal act to anyone who saw you, that actually was a sign of you being aware of your surroundings, a small sign of the fear you carried around, a fear that had you always prepared to draw your sword in any given moment. Not ever fully in peace. Not unless Luke was there.
“So you decided to start your morning without me? Ouch,” You turned your head at the sound of your boyfriend’s voice, “A knock on my cabin’s door would’ve been enough, you know?”.
“Yeah? And risk waking the million campers that sleep in there? No, thank you. I would like to stay alive for a few more years, please.” You replied with a small smile, looking up to meet Luke’s eyes, his scar being more prominent in the morning, a red color adorning the edges of it.
He snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes before taking a seat next to you. He was silent for a moment until he muttered softly, “This is a nice view.”
“Oh, definitely. The lake always looks beautiful when the sun hits it the right way. I need to give the Apollo cabin their congratulations and some flowers for having a talented father.” You answered, your hand moving away from your necklace to hold Luke’s.
“Of course, you make my pick-up line about the gods. Can you give me a win over here? I’m trying my best.” He said with a smirk before pressing a kiss to the back of your hand. It was a strange sort of thing he always did, even before you two started dating, he’d always find an excuse to hold your hand and give it a quick kiss.
“I wasn’t going to let you get away with using a corny pick-up line on me, Castellan. At least be original with it.” A giggle escaped your lips, “Also, everything is about the gods, I thought you’d be used to it by this point.”
His face fell for a fleeting second, but he was quick to mask it with a small smile. “Right, everything always is about the gods.” Luke’s eyes moved away from your face, nervously glancing at the lake after his statement.
You frowned when you heard the tone he used, he sounded almost.. bitter? You couldn’t even explain it. Luke had been acting weird ever since the camp came back from their annual visit to Mount Olympus on the winter solstice. At first, you thought it had something to do with Hermes being a total dick and ignoring him the entire night, not even bothering to give his son a pat on the back or a nod. But you’ve known Luke long enough to know he was past caring about what his father did, he was indifferent to what Hermes did–to what any of the gods did.
The two of you were silent, sitting side by side in front of the lake in deep thought. He was thinking about gods know what, and you were busy trying to understand what was going on inside his mind. You decided to break the silence first, “You okay?”.
“I’m fine, baby. Don’t worry about it.”
He was quick to answer. It was almost as if he had rehearsed it and had it scripted beforehand. It was almost as if someone else had told him what to answer. As if he was under someone else's guidance. Under someone else's control.
“Are you sure? Because it feels like you’re.. I don't know, keeping something from me?”
“I’m not keeping anything from you. I’m not keeping a single thing.”
“Right. Sorry for asking.”
Luke closed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. He ran a hand through his hair and took some deep breaths, his chest moving up and down in a nonexistent rhythm, it was urgent and angry. He took a few more breaths, trying to calm himself before finally meeting your eyes again.
“I’ve told you countless times to never apologize to me if you haven’t done anything wrong,” He reminded you of the conversation you’ve had millions of times, “Don’t ever apologize to me if you haven’t physically hurt me or something, alright? You’re fine. We’re fine.”
He continued, “I’d trust you with my life given the chance. I’m not keeping anything from you, angel. You have to trust me.”
“I do.”
You didn’t see your boyfriend at all the following days. He always brushed you off by being busy with training or helping Annabeth plan for this week’s capture the flag. You weren’t the only one to notice his slight change of temper and personality, some campers from the Hermes cabin noticed it too.
He kept pushing harder on his siblings, always insisting on them doing better. He was more violent than usual during capture the flag, not thinking about it twice before proving why he is the most talented swordsman in the last 300 years.
There was also this one time he volunteered to spar with a new camper.. it didn’t go well. He kept doing new maneuvers and techniques most campers didn’t even recognize, refusing to go easy on the poor thirteen year old girl. When you asked him about it, confused at the way he went too hard on the newbie, he answered with a dry “Where’s the glory in that? She needs to be prepared for what’s about to come.” It sounded as if he knew some kind of danger was approaching. As if it was a matter of life and death for the camper to learn how to fight against him.
You decided it was enough when you saw him skipping his daily chat with Annabeth, deciding he would rather sit by himself on the steps of the Big House for a little while.
The walk from your cabin to the Big House was filled with self-doubt and twirling the beads of your necklace, you were nervous to face your boyfriend, which was stupid because he was the last person you’d ever expect to feel nervous with. When you arrived to the steps of the Big House and saw him sitting there, your mind went completely blank.
You sat next to him and asked the first thing that came to your mind, “Would you rather fight 3000 ant-sized chimeras or a chimera-sized ant?”.
An amused laugh bubbled up from Luke’s chest before he turned his head to face you, a smile taking over his handsome face. “I’ll take the 3000 chimeras, no doubt.”
You smiled back at him, ready to ask him the question you spent the last thirty minutes planning, but before you could open your mouth he said, “Would you rather not be able to consume ambrosia and nectar for the rest of your life or.. see Mr. D without a shirt?”
You threw your head back with laughter, your face going red thanks to the lack of air in your lungs due to the laughs coming out of you, “I’d rather bleed to death without ambrosia than see Mr. D with a shirt.”
“Ditto.”
You decided to indulge in this back-and-forth game, after all, you hadn’t been able to have a real conversation with your boyfriend in days... you’ll take what you can get, “Would you rather not be able to leave camp ever again or turn against the gods?”
“It would be boring to spend the rest of my life capturing a flag and growing strawberries… so I guess my answer is pretty obvious.” He answered while fidgeting with his fingers.
“You’d choose to turn against the gods?”
“Yup.”
“Huh, I guess capture the flag would be pretty hard when you’re pushing 90.”
Luke was silent, running his eyes through your face before asking, “Would you?”
“Would I what?”
He took a deep breath before replying, “Turn against the gods.”
You were silent for a few seconds, biting your lip and staring into Luke’s eyes, wondering if there was a right answer to this metaphorical question. You decided to give him an answer he’d like but also an answer you meant, “I’d go wherever you go. It doesn’t matter if it is a farm in the middle of nowhere or to the pits of Tartarus. If you’re there... count me in.”
Luke cleared his throat and a serious look took over his face, “Sure, but if the time to make a choice came… would you go against them?”.
His persistence to try and get you to answer his question was making you nervous. The more he asked you about it, the more it looked like he was genuinely considering it.
A nervous laugh escaped your lips as you nervously played with one of the beads on your camp necklace. He took notice of it. Of course he did, he knew more about you than anyone, probably even more than you know yourself.
Luke stayed silent at that, a somber look taking over his features, you could tell there was a turmoil happening inside his head. It was almost as if he wanted to let you in on a secret, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“I... um. Well, I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon—at least not in our lifetime. But like I said, I’d go wherever you go, to Tartarus and back.”
That brought a smile to Luke’s face, he looked into your eyes, probably looking for signs of you lying but finding none, and took your hand away from your necklace, lacing your fingers with his and pressing a kiss to the back of your hand. “To Tartarus and back, baby.”
He brought your hands down before leaning in to kiss you on the lips. There was a sense of necessity to feel your lips against his, he kissed you like the feeling of your lips was his only shot at salvation. He raised his hand to cup your cheek and deepen the kiss, craving the heat he only got whenever he kissed you.
You stopped him before he could take the kiss any further, “Luke, we’re in the middle of camp. There are children around us, if you want to make out at least take me to our spot behind the stables. Holy shit.”
Luke took a second to steady his breathing, “Sorry, angel. I’ll make sure to keep your suggestion in mind for later, though.”
“Shut the hell up, Castellan.”
The two of you spent the rest of your day being busy working on your own stuff. Luke was still sparring with some campers who were brave enough to go against him, and you were hanging out with the Dionysus cabin while they helped grow more strawberries.
You found Chris sitting in the amphitheater and asked him if he had seen your boyfriend, he replied with an annoyed, “He’s probably in bed or something, I don’t know.” You decided to not ask Chris if he was okay and walked straight to the Hermes cabin.
A knock on the wooden door was enough to wake your boyfriend up, you were aware of it when you heard a muffled, “Come in”. You found Luke sitting on his bed, his sword in hand while he sharpened it.
So he wasn’t asleep at all, you thought.
“Careful with the sharp part of the blade.” He looked up from his sword when he heard your melodic voice, your words snapping him out of the trance he was in.
“Oh, hi.” Luke put the sword down next to his bunk and moved to lie down, leaving a space next to him for you to join him. He hummed when you laid down next to him, giving a kiss to his shoulder blade and wrapping your arms around his torso.
He turned to face you, pressing his lips to your forehead with a soft sigh. His eyes closed at the sensation while his hands traveled to your back, looking for ways to hold you closer. His features relaxing when he finally touched your skin.
You couldn’t keep this weird tension going on between you two, so you decided to bite first, “Do you want to talk about it?”
Once again, he replied in an almost scripted and mechanical way, “Talk about what?”
“The winter solstice visit, you’ve been acting.. different ever since we came back to camp.”
Luke stiffened next to you, it made your heart drop. You’ve been dating him for a year now, and he had never been this cold—this uncomfortable around you.
“I just... I think things are about to change.” He replied in a low murmur, his eyes closing again when you brought your hand up to caress his face, softly tracing his scar with your thumb in a delicate and loving way. Luke let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding when he felt your fingers on his skin.
A smirk made its way to your face, “Change? yeah, in your dreams, Castellan. Campers will keep arriving and only 5 percent of them will get claimed, and the others will get thrown into your cabin.. like things always are and always will be. That’s not changing anytime soon.”
Luke’s hand traced up and down your back in a soothing manner, “Yeah, maybe they won’t. Forget I even said that.”
“Just because they won’t change, it doesn’t mean we have to accept it, you know?”Luke's eyes snapped up from your hands to meet your gaze, his brows furrowed in confusion.
“I’m sorry?”
“We’re all on the same team here. Sure, the gods will never claim most of the campers and we will all probably die before we’re old enough to have children of our own... but is that really all that matters? We have each other. We don’t need them as long as we have the people we love with us.”
Luke tilted his head to the right to press a kiss to the palm of your hand that was caressing his cheek, “I don’t need the gods as long as I have you.”
“Good to know we’re on the same page, Castellan.”
The two of you went out for a small walk by the lake and sat together in the dining pavilion at night. Your small conversation probably made Luke feel better because he was quick to go back to being himself, he kept greeting every camper he saw and holding your hand, not forgetting to kiss the back of it whenever he had the chance.
Maybe it was you reassuring him about the love you had for him or maybe it was him being aware of you being willing to drop the gods at any time just to be with him, but he was completely normal during the following days, weeks, and months.
You were sure of it when you saw him walking around with the new arrival five months later, Luke seemed so excited to be showing him around. You greeted the new camper with a small smile when he introduced himself with a “Hi, I’m Percy Jackson.”
#luke castellan x reader#luke castellan x y/n#luke castellan x you#luke castellan#percy jackson and the olympians#percy jackson#magnolia’s fics!
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nonsense — 12. i despise you
five years ago still,,
“quit whispering in my ear, people are starting to stare,” you whisper to oikawa who was sitting next to you, arm lazily placed around the back of your chair. maybe they weren’t just staring at the both of you because of the whispering. you were already standing out being the only one in black in the midst of the white aoba johsai uniform.
“hm?” he hummed directly in your ear, which made you shiver involuntarily, you only hoped he didn’t notice, but of course he did. you see the teasing smile he held, something you were oh so familiar to.
the both of you were currently in his school, because that’s where the joint assembly was held, you had the choice to come here by classroom assignments or by club, you chose to come by club because then there would be less people crammed in the bus.
“i despise you,” you say to him when he starts playing with your hair. the amount of staring got worse. he was popular! did he forget about that? it’s like you could feel the harsh glares of the jealous girls wishing they could be in your position. they could take it! gladly!
but then you don’t really mean that, do you? shut up mind!
“okay, [name]-chan,” he says, eyes at the front as if he was listening to whatever the speaker was saying, honestly, you weren’t too, maybe you’ll ask your classmates tomorrow or something.
you’ve known of oikawa tooru since junior high, he was already popular since then (has this man ever lived when he wasn’t popular?). he was that cool and attractive senior everyone had a crush on, even you were enraptured, he was just so charming, but then you quickly realized that most of his smiles were fake the day you confessed to him, sorta.
it was the last day before his batch's graduation, he was surrounded by people like usual while you were anxiously carrying out a gift (it was milk bread, since you learned from a senior that it was his favorite food) to confess to him with. you tried to find a moment where you could be alone with him, it was difficult, since people kept approaching him left and right and you weren’t about to just walk over and hand him a gift, how embarrassing that would be, you didn’t even think he knew who you were.
but eventually, he was left alone, and you were there from afar watching how his cheery smile fell from his face and what’s left was a tired expression. you were taken aback since you never saw your senior look so gloomy. you hesitantly stepped closer, not saying a word and handing him a gift.
he looked up at you at first, confused, then you watched his mask slip on again as he gave you a smile, “oh? what’s this?” he took the gift gratefully as you froze in his presence.
“i-i’m your number one supporter,” you bowed, face heating up because you stuttered. a lot of people have probably said that to him.
“you’re… [name], right?” the way he spoke your name made your heart beat obnoxiously faster. he knew your name! oh my god he knew your name! how did he know your name? “you’re from the journalism club, i see you around our games documenting it, thank you for the praises for our club!”
“you’re welcome,” was the only thing you could say as you stood up straight again. “i’ve also seen some of the shows you’ve been in so far, i think you’re really talented,” your face was impossibly redder. “t-that’s all, thank you, goodbye,” you say and run away, you hear him call out another thanks but you didn’t have the courage to look back.
you thought that was the last you’ll see of him, since you didn’t end up in the same highschool anyways, and your tiny little crush on him had faded. that was until you showed up at the house of the little boy named takeru you were supposed to be tutoring and jumped when you saw his figure sprawled on the couch. you continued tutoring takeru peacefully and ignored oikawa tooru. the last time you saw him was embarrassing, you think he’s forgotten about you already, you hoped he has.
but when you were on your way to leave he waved a complacent goodbye, “have a safe walk back home, [name]!”
and all of that lead you here to this moment, the assembly had ended and you were being dragged around by oikawa tooru to his classroom because he forgot something in there and decided you should come with him. now you were sitting on one of the classroom chairs— it was a really nice desk, why couldn’t karasuno get a clean not-carved by students' desk.
you watched as oikawa pokes his hand inside his desk among the countless school supplies he left there.
“what are you trying to find?” you ask, head laying on the desk.
“my pen! the one you gave me,” he said, “here it is,” he says triumphantly, showing you the pen with a crow design on it, yes you gave the captain of aoba johsai karasuno merch, what about it?
oikawa leans back on his chair, stretching, “god, i’m tired.”
“has your schedule been packed this week too?” you ask, face scrunched up, you were worried of course, for the past year, you’ve been exposed to oikawa’s rather hectic life, you try to remind him all the time to watch his health.
“yeah, glad i have the weekend off though,” he sighs, he then stood up from where he sat, walking in front of you, blocking your view of the board, “do you want to go eat out?”
you pause, looking up at him, “are you asking me out?” your face heated up at the thought, you just blurted that out without thinking, you were just supposed to ask that in your head.
oikawa notices again, of course he does, he notices everything. he leaned down a little, a hand on the back of your chair, the other on the desk, "[name]-chan, it seems like you're starting to fall for me," he smirks, he was teasing you like usual.
you try to give him a deadpan face as you curl your hand around his tie, tugging him down close to your face, you felt his breath hitch, now he knows how it feels, "and what if I am?” you say boldly. inside you were a complete mess, because why were you confessing, why were you confessing.
alone in this big classroom with just him and you, the warm hues of the sun filtering from the glass windows, from this angle, oikawa’s face was just so close, you realize you were still holding onto his tie so you let go of it abruptly.
you watch as oikawa gulps, “i like you too, [name],” he says it softly. it wasn’t teasing anymore, and now the two of you were incredibly red.
masterlist — previous | next
✦ fun facts !
[name] meets the other boys shortly after this
oikawa and [name] dated for a year and a half!
[name] is a tsundere, if it isn’t obvious enough lol
nonsense ! an oikawa tooru social media au
synopsis. you were oikawa tooru’s #1 fan, until you became his #1 hater. you hated him so much you went viral on twitter (accidentally) and literally became known as “the oikawa tooru hater”, doesn’t help that he keeps fueling the fire by subtweeting you. everyone is all in for this new drama. what isn’t known to the public, is that this particular drama’s been on hold for three years (him being your ex and all).
a/n — god i love writing fluff
taglist is open ! + @kawaii-angelanne @ceneridiankaa @kittycasie @rukia-uchiha-98 @polish-cereal @kellesvt @rockleeisbaeeee @kashxyou @imsoluvly @jjulliette @tooruchiiscribs @littlefreakjulia @gomjohs @qualitygiantshoepsychic @mellowknightcolorfarm @konzumeken @migosple @kuroogguk @sangwooooo @katsu-shi @wolffmaiden @rijhi @2baddies-1porsche @yeehawcity @aishkaaa @crueldinasty @rintarousprincess @yyuiz @epeec28 @llamakenma @penguinlovestowrite
#haikyuu smau#haikyuu#haikyuu x reader#hq x reader#oikawa tooru x reader#celebrity au#celebrity smau#actor au#model au#college au#haikyuu smau series#oikawa tooru x you#haikyuu oikawa tooru#exes to lovers#— nonsense.#— smaus.#haikyuu fluff#hq#oikawa tooru#haikyuu x you#hq smau
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How to create custom photoset/gifset templates from scratch in photoshop
Hey all! I’ve seen many tutorials about how to use pre-made templates, but I never seen an actual tutorial on what to do if you want to create your own templates in case everything you find doesn’t fit your needs, here is one of the cases in which it can be used (no offense to the people that made these kind of tutorials, that simply means that I’m blind lol). I hope it’ll be useful and feel free to write me if you have any questions. Let’s get started!
Pick your scenes. That’s simple. Just decide how many gifs you want to include in your template and pick your favorite scenes.
Create a new document. In my case, I created 540x540 document.
Time to create the grid. That’ll probably sound dumb af (and it is dumb af 💀), but I never made grid gifs before bc I always thought that it's like.. manually measuring the gaps between each gif, then figuring out what size you actually want the gifs to be, making a new layer, filling it with a shape of the required size (and man am I bad at math), blah-blah-blah.. guess what? WRONG! All you have to do is go to view > new grid layout and you’ll see this window:
Here you can enter your number of rows, columns, and gutter (the number of space between each gif in pixels). Margin can evenly divide your whole document, we’ll get to that later. For this tutorial, I’ll keep things simple. I made my basic 4 gifs layout, gutter between each gif is set to 3 px for both rows and columns. After I click ok, my canvas looks like this
Pretty neat for a couple of clicks right? Now, let’s insert some gifs. Before doing that, go to view and make sure overall snapping and snapping to guides, grids, layers and document bounds is check bc we’ll need that. Now take your regular selection tool, and drag it across one part of the document until it snaps to the guides we created
Here's my finished template (i just duplicated the same layer 3 more times and positioned it accordingly)
the actual size of the gifs doesn't really matter because we'll use clipping mask and resize them to fit our shapes better
How to use "Margin" section
That section is useful when you already have something in your template, and want to fill the left off space. For example:
I made this
But it's completely empty on the right side, so i go to view > new grid layout, and here's what i do
it adds a divider between gifs that are ready so i don't have to measure anything again and guessing how far or close these new gifs should be to/from each other. If i want, i can also change the top, bottom or left number to split this part of the document in half and add another gif. So i end up having 7 gifs on my canvas in total.
New guide from shape function
This function tries to follow whatever shapes you have on your canvas and create new guides according to those shapes (not very good with complex shapes tho, usually you'll end up with many guides chaoticly placed all over your document, so it's all trial and error). Here's another example of custom layout i made (still epirimenting with these).
And that's it folks! That was pretty short huh. Feel free to write me any questions of ypu have them and happy creating :)
#ps help#photoshop tutorial#usergif#completeresources#userlarri#usermorgan#allresources#userdanni#evansyhelp
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“ In Every Universe ”
🌙Summary: Everything about your situationship with Yeonjun seemed perfect. There were no rules, no romantic feelings, and you stayed friends. But when jealousy leads to a falling out between the two of you, Yeonjun is forced to look inward and reevaluate his feeling for you as well was what kind of relationship he wants with you. The question is, are his feeling more powerful then fate?
genre: NSFW, FLUFF, ANGST
pairing: yeonjun × fem!reader × Soobin
Warnings: talks of sex and possibly Virginity
Chapter 5
“I…um I really appreciate you meeting me here.” You and Soobin sat next to each other a small distance apart. Your crossbody bag being the only thing separating you.
“Yeah of course, no problem.” He gave a soft smile, meeting your eyes for a second and then looked away at something, anything probably. This was more awkward than you anticipated. It's not that you haven't met Soobin before. You've interacted with him plenty of times. But you would mostly have small conversions in passing at the dorms. Or at an event. Now that you think of it, the two states he’s seen you in are drastically different from one another. On the one hand, in a professional setting, your hair done up perfectly, dresses and outfits chosen for you by a stylist whether you like them or not, make-up done meticulously. Compared to you at the dorms in casual clothes, casual hair and make-up. Or on the off chance you pass each in the wee hours of the morning. Him with bed head and glasses and you in one of Yeonjun’s shirts and no pants, skin flushed and sweaty with fresh bruises and hickeys adorning your skin, depending on the direction the night took you. Now looking back, it's a bit embarrassing he saw you in such a state. Not to mention the times he’d probably heard you! Even going as far to tell you two to keep it down! The embarrassing memories come flooding back and you release a slight gasp in real time, catching his attention as your hands fly and cover your mouth. His head whips around to look at you.
“Oh did you say something?” He said voice was a bit muffled with the black mask covering his face.
“Huh.. oh no i was just …breathing.” he nodded his head. It was so evident he was hoping you'd speak first. But with thoughts bouncing around your mind you don't know if you could face him without blushing and feeling uncomfortable. Like Jesus, were you really so comfortable and oblivious to the way you pranced around that dorm with the knowledge that other people live there? Other MEN no less. And how uncomfortable you probably made them. Should you apologize or would that be–
“So do you like this park?” Soobin finally asked not to face you directly. You blanked for a moment, and turned to look at him, shocked that he started up the conversation. His eyes avoided looking at you.
“Yeah. It's my favorite one… the way the trees are set up with the playground it just reminds me so much of home. Plus the leaves changing makes it even better. I don't love the cold but if it means I can sit here and see the leaves change I'm happy, ya know.” You turned to see he was already looking at you, listening attentively. “I'm really sorry for asking you here. You’re so busy and you took time to meet up with me and– If I'm being honest I don't even know what to ask or where to start. I think I am just.” you inhale deeply through your nose. “I just want to know what he's thinking and what's going through his mind. Because you think you know someone but then you fight and it feels like all the words you want to say are unproductive, and petty, and hurtful. And suddenly the person you trusted most is just… I don't know. Not them anymore.” You exhale again seeing Soobin listening in your peripheral. You straighten up to speak again. “And yeah here we are. Sitting in a park I’ve selfishly asked you to meet me at for some hope to better understand a relationship that was kinda doomed from the start I'm realizing…” there's a small moment of silence between you like words are just hanging there.
“You know he really does care for you. He’s said so many times. Whether that was in a friendship way or more then… I mean I've never had– or I guess I should say been with someone in that way.” Your head quickly turns to his, eyes wide at the admission of him possibly being a virgin. The words don't hit right away but when they sink his eyes go big– finally full facing you, waving his largest hands in such a cute way it makes you giggle a bit.
“NO NO NO I only meant that I've never liked... I haven’t ever had a girlfriend… I had… Or I mean I– I’ve been like with like– I'm not like, you know I–” It was pretty adorable seeing this 6’1 man panic like this. Trying your hardest to hold back a chuckle.
“Soobin it's fine you don't have to explain yourself. I believe you.” You chuckle a little more. “I mean, you're the leader of a famous Boy Group. You're tall and handsome. You probably have people falling at your feet.” Your laughter starts to die out as you think back to what he said. Meanwhile Soobin’s neck and ears are red. He’s barely focused both from the embarrassment and the compliments “But that's just it we weren’t dating. We're just sleeping together… and I thought he had an understanding about that and then he blows up at me getting all jealous and possessive. And if it had been me doing something like that… and the things we said to each other… and the way he reacted…” You both jump at the feeling of a phone ringing.
Soobin quickly realized it was his and rushed to find it.
“I'm so sorry I just gotta take this.”
“No, of course.” he stood up and walked a few steps aways. After a minute or two he came back.
“I'm so sorry, I have to go, I didn't even realize the time.” he started to collect his stuff and you stood up as well.
“No, no it's fine, I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time.” he stopped rummaging around and turned to look at you.
“You really didn’t and I think we should meet again and talk. This will give me time to think and stuff… I– I really do want to help if I can.” he gave a soft smile.
#choi soobin#choi yeonjun#fwb#fwb couple#jealous yeonjun#perv!soobin#soobin#soobin smut#soobin x reader#tomorrow by together smut#txt x black reader#black reader#soobin x y/n#txt smut#🌙. ieu mastlerlist
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Chapter 4: Two Truths and a Lie
Characters: Commander Fox, Commander Thorn, OC Keeda Ionza
Summary: Fox could not look away. She wore a perfect, congenial smile like a mask and carried herself with the grace of a queen, but her closed-off, stiff body language made Fox want to throw himself between her and the rest of the room—if only to shield her for a moment to let her breathe.
Rating: Chapter is rated G (Series is rated Explicit 18+)
Warnings: Language, political references, political negotiation
Word Count: 6.7k
Ao3 link
A/N: Welcome to Chapter 4!! It’s been a long time coming, but this is the last of the reworked chapters. It’s probably one of my favorite things I’ve ever written, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.
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Two Truths and a Lie
Fox sighed as the steaming water coursed down his body, ducking his head under the spray and scrubbing the last suds of shampoo out of his thick curls. The heat leeched the strain from his muscles, and a few of his joints released deep, satisfying pops. He wished he had a few extra minutes, feeling the heaviness of his perpetual exhaustion weighing him down again, but he knew he would never get out if he lingered. Reluctantly, he turned the water to cold and let it reinvigorate him.
Two of the very few benefits of being a marshal commander permanently stationed on Triple Zero were private quarters and hot showers. It hardly made up for the multitudes of other issues he dealt with daily, but it was far better than the communal sonic showers his millions of brothers were forced to use in the field and on starships.
Tucking his towel low around his hips, he wiped the steam from his mirror and pulled his razor out from his refresher cabinet. He wished he did not have to shave so soon, rather liking how his slightly greying stubble made him look more distinguished and always set him apart from his brothers, but he had no choice. He had to be as presentable as possible for the gala in a few hours, and he mentally cursed whichever senator had stolen Thire from his post.
Pushing his dripping curls away from his face, Fox slathered his cheeks and jaw in shaving cream and began methodically scraping away his stubble, careful not to nick himself. As he shaved, he mulled over his resentment toward the many senators who seemed to think the Corries were their personal bodyguards instead of elite shock troopers.
The clone troopers were constantly called upon, day and night, to escort senators and other public officials to wherever they wanted to go, regardless of the private security forces that many politicians were already provided with. Even their underpaid aides were not called upon as often as the Corries were for menial tasks—the moment a senator needed to travel off-world or needed a kriffing lightbulb changed, they rang a squad of guardsmen.
The dark circles under Fox’s eyes were partially a result of this constant mismanagement, but they were not as prominent now as he had finally managed to get a few hours of solid sleep after his workout. He had also taken Thorn’s advice about dabbing some dermabacta under his eyes, which seemed to help, too.
Not only was he glad for the dreamless sleep he had gotten, but grateful that he had woken up in his bunk at all. It had only happened a few times–even once being too many for his liking–where he had woken in a different part of the base or deep in the bowels of Coruscant only to realize that he had done something he could not remember doing.
He tried his best not to dwell on it as he rinsed his razor, focusing instead on how he somehow looked a bit younger as his skin became smooth. However, it was a sore reminder of how young he technically was. Physically, he was only about twenty-five, but he felt like he was nearly a hundred on most days because of the mental strain of the blackouts.
Each blackout required him to rewatch the footage from his helmet to see whom he had spoken with, where he had traveled, and what orders he had given, and they all secretly terrified him. He would take the knowledge of what he had done, and what he was capable of, to his grave.
Shaking himself from the dark thoughts, Fox eased a clean undershirt over his head, careful not to muss his freshly faded hair that he had slicked back into smooth waves. The ever-present greys in his once jet-black hair had ceased to bother him, especially because they seemed to be a date magnet on the incredibly rare occasions he took to venture out to 79’s. Absently, he wondered how Thorn’s night had gone with the Zeltron woman.
He smiled to himself as he pulled on his dress greys, fondly remembering a different night when Cody and Wolffe had dragged him to the bar with every intention of getting him laid. At the time, they had no idea their youngest batchmate had spent the past year carefully observing the very politicians he loathed, watching their formal, charming interactions, and quietly putting them into practice. Fox had a woman’s attention within twenty minutes that night, and Cody’s and Wolffe’s jaws had been on the deck.
Part of his charm, he had learned, came with his expression of intention. Fox had never once led anyone on, making sure an unattached night was all a lady was to expect from him. It was not that he wanted to sleep around or that he did not have feelings, but he knew he had no time for a committed relationship—even if it never stopped him from wondering how nice one would be.
He rolled his muscular shoulders in the stiff, heavy fabric of his dress uniform and checked his appearance over one last time, pulling his mind back to the present.
All right, time to focus. Just another big fancy dinner. he thought to himself, tucking his cover under his arm and echoing Thorn’s words from a few days prior.
“You’re fidgeting,” Sareel whispered concernedly as her daughter exited the speeder after her.
“Just nerves,” Keeda muttered in excuse, shivering slightly and smoothing out her flowing, dark green dress. She was glad she had chosen something with a loose skirt that she could both walk and breathe in, as the latter felt rather difficult.
“It’s nothing you haven’t done before. I have all faith in you.”
Despite her mother’s comforting words, Keeda gnawed at the inside of her cheek as she glanced around. The opulently dressed guests were arriving in droves, making introductions and greeting those they recognized with both genuine and faux smiles, la bise kisses, and graceful bows.
Maybe they’re secretly competing with each other to see who can be more generous tonight. she thought, mildly amused.
She detested the number of galas and other extravagant parties she had been forced to attend over the years. In her learned opinion, they were nothing more than expensive excuses to rub elbows with other influential and affluent people. Keeda much preferred to hold private meetings and dinners in order to discuss business or charitable donations, but she knew the one thing the exorbitantly wealthy loved to do more with their money than spend it was to show it off.
Although she herself had never required such grandiose persuasion to donate her own wealth or to work with other various charities, her mother’s tactic was flawless in that regard. Somehow, inviting celebrities and politicians to come for a night of food, drink, and dancing—and dressed in all their best finery—convinced them to loosen their purse strings for those less fortunate in a galaxy at war.
Silently, Keeda resigned herself to participating in high-class society, and she was sure the gooseflesh breaking out over her skin had nothing to do with the chill in the air.
As the daughter of the gala’s host, she started to feel the pressure as eyes were beginning to turn toward her and her mother. The sickening clench of her stomach was hard to ignore as she slapped a practiced smile on her face.
Beneath her long, stylishly curled and plaited hair, she felt Sareel’s silk-gloved hand subtly adjust one of the X-crossed straps on her backless gown before looping their arms.
“You are so much like your father. He hated this, too, but you’ve nothing to worry about tonight, dearest. Just try to relax and enjoy yourself,” she said soothingly, ushering Keeda inside and out of the chilly air.
As they made their way closer to the grand doors of the hall, Keeda spied a few clones in their distinct red and white armor cleverly stationed in the shadows, and her nerves calmed a bit.
Whereas many of Coruscant’s citizens had come to loathe the ever-present shock troopers, she found their presence to be a comfort, more so now than ever before. She wondered if the commander was among them, but before she could dwell on the thought, her mother was pulling her into the venue.
Sareel’s slender fingers patted her daughter’s bare forearm reassuringly as they made their way into the dazzling hall, and the sight stole Keeda’s breath away.
The hall was massive, and the cavernous, arching glass ceiling reflected thousands of fairy lights woven into the garlands and wreaths June had no doubt spent hours setting up. The air was fragrant from the candles on each dining table, and from the same little peace blossoms that were nestled in her fashionably twisted hair. The tiny, softly twinkling lights and candles created a tranquil ambiance that seemed to warm even the darkest corners of the hall, giving Keeda a much-needed sense of calm.
While she looked around, she noticed a familiar, friendly face illuminated by the glow.
“Oh, my dear, Keeda,” Henya greeted compassionately, coming around a large, ornately set dining table.
Keeda grinned happily for the first time that evening as the tall Twi’lek woman embraced her, and the soft fur of her shawl tickled her nose.
“Hello, Auntie,” she replied.
“You look positively divine tonight. That dress does wonders for your eyes,” Henya complimented, but her own striking yellow eyes held a trace of guilt as she pulled away. “May I steal her for a moment, Sareel?”
“Of course, of course. I will find you later, Keeda,” Sareel answered, giving her daughter a quick peck on the cheek and moving to graciously greet the other guests.
As Henya took Keeda’s hands in hers, she could practically feel the emotion rippling off her beloved aunt. Even her long violet lekku were twitching restlessly as she searched for her words.
“You don’t need to apologize for anything, Auntie,” Keeda said, already having some conjecture as to what her aunt was trying to say. “What happened the other night, that’s not your fault.”
Henya sighed heavily, “I am still terribly sorry, my dear. You shouldn’t have had to endure that.” She paused for a moment, looking around before her eyes settled on a rather severe-looking couple taking flutes of dark blue, bubbling wine from a passing server. “I’m even more sorry to say that Governor Gargeli would like to speak with you before the evening’s festivities begin.”
The pit in Keeda’s stomach immediately gave way to a dull numbness that flooded through her limbs. She would recognize Governor Baylo Gargeli anywhere, even without having gone on a horrific date with his son—whose name she irritatingly still could not recall.
Thankful that there seemed to be no sign of their son, she breathed deeply and unlocked her knees to help her head clear. Might as well get this unpleasantry out of the way.
Striding forward with purpose, her father’s voice whispered in the back of her mind. Opportunity lies in the most unlikely places.
When he had spoken those words to her so long ago, Keeda had not fully grasped their true meaning. But now, as Henya led her across the room, her sharp mind understood that the governor was about to ask something of her.
“Governor and Missus Gargeli, may I present Miss Keeda Ionza,” Henya said diplomatically.
While Gargeli might have looked unyielding on the outside, his blue eyes were benevolent. His son had inherited his looks from his father, but Keeda refused to let it unnerve her.
“Miss Ionza, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he said authentically as he extended his hand.
“The pleasure is mine, Governor.” She shook his large hand firmly, conveying her directness.
“It is an esteemed honor to be invited this evening,” he remarked, releasing her to allow her to shake hands with his wife. “Although, I do wish the circumstances of our meeting would have been… less precarious,” Gargeli added softly and opened his arm. “May I?”
Keeda fought the urge to huff in frustration as she was passed to yet another arm. Did people think she was unable to walk on her own?
Despite being on his arm, she steered the governor to a quieter corner of the hall and waited until she was sure the sharp click of her heels on the tiles was no longer audible to the other guests. She paused beside one of the massive bouquets that matched her hair, releasing herself from the escorting grip and stepping in front of the much taller man.
The governor, for all his formal appearance, looked ashamed. “I can see we don’t have much time, so I won’t waste it. I want you to know that my wife and I do not condone our son’s actions,” Gargeli whispered gravely. “Pettri was brought up to be better than that, and I sincerely apologize for any harm that has befallen you.”
Keeda’s jaw tensed as she finally remembered. Pettri Gargeli. That was the fucker’s name, but how does the governor know what happened that night? she thought pensively. Surely Pettri would’ve lied?
The governor’s Coruscanti accent was much thicker than her own, and she had to strain a bit to hear him over the growing hum of the other guests and the gentle classical music that was beginning to play. But he had her full attention as he continued.
“I also wanted to inform you personally that Pettri is no longer living on Coruscant, and he will not be returning. I’ve consigned him to my family’s homeworld, where he will be chastened in a manner befitting his actions.”
Keeda hid the wave of her relief well, only shifting her weight from one hip to the other as she took in the revelation and continued her nonchalant surveying of the incoming guests. It would have been a lie if she had said that she was not secretly dreading seeing Pettri again, even in passing. But now, the weight of that fear dissipated from her shoulders.
“I am grateful for the measures you have taken in resolving the situation, Governor,” she replied with a slight nod of thanks, “but I sense you have more to say.”
Gargeli tapped a finger on his glass rather anxiously as he scanned the room blankly. “I’m afraid I do have another motive for speaking to you privately this evening, Miss Ionza,” he confessed. He swiftly acquired another flute of bubbling blue wine from a passing attendant and offered it to her as a gesture.
Here we go. Keeda thought. There’s always an ulterior motive.
She was far too accustomed to being sought out and patronized for her connections or funding, especially at large gatherings, and she already had an inkling of what the governor wanted. Nonetheless, she accepted the drink to let him know she was listening, bracing herself for his request.
“As you may know, the local elections in my district are not far off.” He paused to clear his throat to emphasize the point he was about to make. “If rumors were to spread, a scandal such as this involving a member of my immediate family would potentially—”
“—Potentially negatively impact your reelection,” Keeda interrupted gracefully, briefly meeting the governor’s eyes again.
Although the smile she wore was practiced and demure, Keeda’s green eyes shone with her perceptivity. The game of negotiation was set with their pieces on the board. All she had to do was make the first move.
He wanted a guarantee of her silence. It would mean Pettri would never be prosecuted, but she could still hope his familial punishment would be befitting of his crime. Keeda was willing to pay that price, but the question was, was the governor willing to pay his side of the cost?
“If I were to ensure no such rumors were circulated, perhaps our agreement could be mutually beneficial,” she suggested.
An intrigued look crossed Gargeli’s aristocratic face, his thick mustache twitching up in interest. “Name your terms, Miss Ionza.”
Taking a long sip from her glass, Keeda glanced back out across the room, trying to look as casual as possible. “The Terreg Ionza Medical Foundation could do more work in your district if you would consider opening more public spaces to our volunteer clinics and providing security,” she said in a low, firm tone—her throat tightening a fraction as her father’s name passed her carmine red lips. “In the past, our volunteers have encountered significant resistance in underprivileged areas, largely due to threats of local gang violence. Not only would it guarantee my silence, but it would also benefit your constituents.”
With her demands on the table, the governor nodded pensively. “I assure you, my campaign already supports the increased street surveillance in my district.”
A half-truth. Keeda noted. The wheels turned in her mind quickly. If he was going to view her as an asset, he was going to have to earn it. She could not recall Gargeli’s previous campaigns being largely focused on the medical welfare of his constituents, but he seemed to be conceding already. Perhaps a gradual sway of his opinions through the polls would get him to see just how powerful an ally she could be. In any case, she could hear the quiet desperation he held in wanting to appease her, so she decided to use it.
“I see the Coruscant Guard are here tonight,” Gargeli observed as he skimmed over the room, trying to find a convincing argument. “They have been immensely helpful in training new local security forces, so any volunteers and supplies would be well protected.”
Keeda hummed absently as she sipped her drink, allowing the governor one more unspoken chance to enhance his offer. He seemed to take the hint.
“Perhaps my wife and I will become more regular contributors to your charitable foundation as well, to ensure their success, of course,” he added, turning toward her fully.
A wave of triumph surged through Keeda’s heart as she met the governor’s eyes once more, signaling she was satisfied with his overture. Despite how much she hated playing politics, she was rather reluctantly good at it, and she raised her wine flute in a small toast.
“To mutually beneficial work.”
“Hear, hear,” Gargeli replied, a formal smile full of admiration and respect for the sharp young woman before him working its way onto his chiseled face.
With a clink of their glasses, the deal was sealed. Gargeli would open his district more fully to the charity’s work, thousands of citizens would benefit from increased medical aid, and the charity would receive yet another new source of funds–bought and paid for with Keeda’s silence.
“Please, Governor, enjoy the evening,” she said, sweeping her hand with an elegant motion and effectively excusing herself.
Gargeli gave her a refined bow before returning to his wife’s side. Even though Pettri had been a conceited, repugnant individual, Keeda was not going to blame the father for the son’s sins. The deal had been more than fair on her part, considering what she had endured, and she had a confident feeling that the governor would not go back on his word.
Now, she had another detestable task; mingling with the upper classes. She took another long sip from her drink, hoping it would help soothe the new set of nerves making their home in her stomach, and set off into the crowd.
Several people whom she had worked with in the past caught her attention or stopped to chat with her, each offering their views on the latest cooperations with the GAR. Some approved, some did not, and some expressed their admiration for Keeda’s willingness to volunteer, but each tedious conversation seemed to draw on her energy reserves.
Even after dinner had been served—Keeda was eternally grateful her mother had not chosen that awful seafood dish to be an option—and the dancing had begun, she was finding the evening rather repetitious. She did her best to conceal it; however, there was only so much she could take.
Over the unceasing sounds of clinking glasses and light laughter filling the air, blending with the lilting music now echoing across the hall, she huffed out a weary sigh. She wished she had someone other than politicians and socialites to converse with—just someone who did not want anything from her. From the moment she stepped out of the speeder, tonight had felt more like work than the enjoyable evening she had hoped for.
Fox’s heart stuttered against his ribs as his blood seemed to freeze in his veins.
He knew from the moment he saw her that it was her. Blinking away his sudden lightheadedness, his eyes followed her every move as she wove between people, conversing briefly before moving on. They all parted for her, as though she were a goddess among mortals—even more beautiful than he remembered.
“The hell are you looking at, Vod?” Thorn asked, noting Fox’s sudden change. His older brother’s heavy brows were nearly knit together, and his scarred lips were parted in an awestruck expression. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
With Thorn’s voice pulling him out of his stupor, Fox nodded in the young woman’s direction. “She’s here,” he whispered, almost disbelieving his own words.
Thorn studied the crowd from their secluded spot—a doorway to a large, covered veranda—trying to follow Fox’s eye line. “You’re gonna have to be more specific than that.”
“From th-the other night. She’s… uh… Long, dark hair, with little flowers. In the green dress. It’s her,” Fox stammered quietly as his golden-haired brother looked back out to the crowd a second time.
“Oh, wow,” Thorn breathed. He knew Fox had not lied about her appearance a few days prior, but seeing her for himself, he finally understood why Fox had been so taken with her.
He snickered to himself because the Marshal Commander of the Coruscant Guard was currently staring at a beautiful woman like a love-struck shiny after their first night at 79s. “You’re sure that’s her?”
“Positive.”
Fox could not look away. She wore a perfect, congenial smile like a mask and carried herself with the grace of a queen, but her closed-off, stiff body language made Fox want to throw himself between her and the rest of the room—if only to shield her for a moment to let her breathe.
“Well, go talk to her, di’kut!” Thorn laughed, nudging his ori’vod with a sharp elbow. “She looks like she could use better company than these stuffy nat-borns.” Fox opened his mouth to protest, but Thorn stopped him. “Go. You’d be shocked to know the boys and I can survive without your constant vigilance.”
Seeing her stealthily step out another door on the opposite side of the hall and onto the wrap-around veranda, Fox nearly sprinted out the door beside him—with no thanks to a playful swat on the ass from Thorn. It felt like his heart was about to jump through his nose as he quickly strode to where she had withdrawn.
Okay… okay… What am I gonna say to her? he rambled internally. Just ask her how she is, yeah? Ask her if she’s all right. No, why would she be all right? It’s only been a few days since… No, don’t bring that up unless she does. Just tell her… tell her she looks nice. She’d like to hear that. Right? Fuck. Fuck, I am an idiot. I did not think this through!
Nevertheless, his feet propelled him forward. He paused and pressed his back against the cool alabaster wall just before turning the final corner of the building. Fox had never had any issues talking to women before, so why was he so unexpectedly flustered now? Straightening his spotless uniform, he blew out a long sigh, puffing his cheeks and clenching his fists.
Pull yourself together, Fox. You’re a kriffing Marshal Commander. You can do this.
The muffled silence was a welcome relief as Keeda stepped out of the hall. Taking a heady gulp of the chilly night air, she did not mind the goosebumps that broke out over her exposed skin as she rested her hands against the sleek metal railing. It was too cold for anyone else to want to follow her, and she needed a moment to recollect herself.
The crowds had begun gathering around to watch those waltzing about on the dance floor, and stronger liquor had begun flowing as a medley of desserts was served, but Keeda had opted to let Coruscant’s skyline dazzle her for the thousandth time instead.
Letting her eyes drift shut, she tried to savor the quiet moment and soak up the soft warmth radiating from the outdoor heater beside her. She could still see the twinkling fairy lights all around her from behind her eyelids, and she watched as they played across her blinded vision. If she had a blanket, she would have been content to stay right there until the sun rose.
Tomorrow, there would be no skyline–only the swirling blue and silver streaks of hyperspace, whisking her off to a war-torn world to deliver medical relief supplies, and she was eager for it. Like she had told June, Coruscant would always be home, but she needed to get away for a while.
She mentally grumbled as her moment was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps that ceased a few yards behind her. She half expected to find yet another aristocrat asking her to dance when she opened her eyes, but she was shocked to her very core when she looked over her shoulder.
Him. It was him. The clone commander that had come to her aid.
Keeda felt her eyes widen in surprise as he gazed at her. He was clean-shaven now, and his tussled, greying curls had been elegantly styled back, but his umber eyes still glimmered in the lights with the same care and warmth he had shown her just a few nights ago.
“You,” she breathed without thinking. Immediately, she cursed her impropriety and stumbled over her words. “I’m s-sorry. I-I meant—”
“It’s you,” he echoed softly, stepping closer. The commander cracked a roguish, bright smile—his mouth pulling a touch more to the right because of the scar on his bottom lip. “You look lovely tonight.”
“Thank you,” she replied, and she was powerless to stop the blush creeping up her cheeks. She could tell he was trying to put her at ease, and she could not help the little grin that broke over her painted lips.
“I never expected to see you here,” he chuckled. His voice was low and gravelly, and his eyes never left hers. “I’m glad to see you.”
“You’re too kind, Commander. If I’m being truthful, though, up till now, I’d have rather been elsewhere.”
“Really?” he asked curiously, crooking an eyebrow and tossing his gaze back into the hall for a moment. “Even with all these fine, upstanding, utterly boring people here?”
There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, and Keeda instantly relaxed despite the draft blowing across the veranda. She surprised herself with the giggle that bubbled up in her chest at his comment, and she realized it was the first time she had genuinely laughed all evening.
“May I join you?” he asked, motioning to her opposite side. At Keeda’s permitting nod, he came to stand beside her, blocking the breeze and looking out over the ecumenopolis.
Even while leaning down on the railing and without his signature armor, he was still so very tall and broad. His hard muscles filled out his uniform, pulling at the fabric and defining his figure, and it made Keeda wonder just how strong he was.
“Are you cold?” he asked thoughtfully.
Keeda shook her head faintly as she pulled out of her thoughts. She felt wholly safe beside him, as though he were an immovable wall protecting her from the cold and from the prying eyes of anyone who dared to look at her the wrong way.
That inkling of guilt she had felt as she was whisked away in the extravagant transport suddenly came crawling back. The last time she had seen this man, he had protected her, but she had spoken so harshly to him. She had feared she would never get the chance to apologize, and she was not about to let that chance slip away.
“Commander, I… I never thanked you properly… for the other night,” she said rather sheepishly.
He gave her a slightly puzzled look and shook his head almost imperceptibly, his eyes immediately coming to rest on her face again. “There’s no need to thank me.”
“Yes, there is,” Keeda insisted, gripping the railing and fighting the urge to shudder as she recalled the past for the dozenth time. “You and your men helped me. Something much worse might’ve happened if you hadn’t been there, and I shouldn’t have been so coarse.”
The gentlest look crossed his handsome, rounded features–one of both complete understanding and consideration.
“You had every right to be,” he assured. “I have no doubt you could’ve taken care of yourself, but I’m glad I was there to help you.”
Keeda toyed nervously with a silver ring on her index finger as she carried on, “In any case, it’s no excuse for my behavior. I hope you’ll accept my apology, Commander.”
He turned to face her fully, leaning casually on one elbow and eyeing her charmingly. “I will, on one condition.”
How can he still look so powerful when he’s relaxed like that? Keeda asked herself, waiting for his request. He had somehow changed the very air around her so quickly that she found herself letting go of the ache in her chest.
“Will you tell me your name?”
Whatever he was doing to make her feel so calm was mesmerizing, but she could also detect a more playful tone in his question.
“The name of someone from a crowd so upstanding and boring?” she teased, and he chuckled so heartily that Keeda swore she could feel it in her chest, prompting another laugh of her own.
“You are anything but boring.”
She pursed her lips for a moment but gave him a cheeky grin. “Ah, but you don’t know that for sure, and I’d hate for you to think I am. So, I propose we play a little game to ensure I’m not. Have you ever played two truths and a lie?”
“Two truths and a lie?” he asked inquisitively.
Keeda nodded, fidgeting with her ring again. “I’ll tell you three things about myself. If you guess the lie, I have to tell you the truth about the lie. If you guess wrong, it’s your turn.”
The intrigued commander cocked a brow at her and smirked. “Very well, ladies first.”
She chewed her lip for a moment in thought, before settling on her lie. “My mother is the chairwoman of the foundation hosting this gala, I had a pet tooka when I was a child, and my name is Alana. Which is the lie?”
The weight of the commander’s gaze was encapsulating. As he analyzed her, she felt drawn into the depths of those dark, stunning eyes, where the twinkling lights shone off little flecks of gold.
“Your name isn’t Alana,” he said finally.
“You’re right,” she conceded with a giggle. “My name is Keeda.”
The commander did not say anything for a moment, but his expression noticeably softened. Keeda was not sure he was going to say anything until he muttered a single strange word, one she suspected was not Basic.
“Sorry?” she inquired.
“Mesh’la,” he repeated, a little louder the second time, as his cheeks darkened. “It’s Mando’a. It means ‘beautiful’.”
Keeda was certain her cheeks matched her lips with how hard she was blushing. His lips barely moved whenever he spoke, but his clear words had an impact on her so deep that she could practically feel the resonance of them in her bones, even despite how softly they were uttered.
Unlike so many others tonight that had tried to woo her attention with overly-enunciated accents and pretty words, the true sincerity in his tone rang clear. His voice was so rich, like a lovely bass note—deep, smooth, matching the dark brown of his irises, and she suddenly craved to hear it again.
“Y-your turn, Commander,” Keeda whispered, trying to feel for the floor beneath her feet.
He must have had his answers ready because he spoke without hesitation. “My favorite color is red, my name is Fox, and I’m a particularly good dancer.”
Keeda’s conscience came drifting back to reality as she mulled that over. Would he lie about his name, too? she wondered. It seemed logical, and she was normally very accurate when it came to noticing lies, but he could also have been trying to throw her off. He had never looked her in the eye at all, though, choosing to focus on the little flowers woven through her hair.
Sighing as she gave up trying to guess, Keeda settled on his name. “I… I don’t think your name is Fox.”
He flashed that white smile again. It contrasted so beautifully against his bronzed skin, and for the first time, she realized that she was more dazzled by the handsome man in front of her than the skyline she had come out to observe. His mere presence was brighter than any of the lights twinkling around them, and he exuded an affection that quieted any troubles in her mind.
“My name is Fox,” he said truthfully.
“Fox,” she repeated, bowing her head in mock defeat. “You’ve bested me. Where’d you learn to lie so well?”
“You pick up a thing or two when you’re around politicians all—”
As if on cue, he was interrupted as a group of guests came out onto the veranda, laughing boisterously and talking amongst themselves, trying to ward off the buzz they had going with the cool night air.
Keeda silently glared at them for having dared interrupt the peace, but they took no notice. They took their time wandering away, but the door they had opened let a new melody waft outside. It was a slower tune, but just as grand and orchestral as the others that had been playing all evening.
Distracted, Keeda swayed her weight from one foot to the other to the music, feeling the skirt of her dress fluttering around her legs. It had been so long since she danced, and her thoughts drifted back to the last time her father had taught her the steps of several common waltzes in the middle of their living room.
She heard Fox shift and clear his throat softly beside her to get her attention, and as she turned back, she found the commander smiling kindly and holding out his hand to her.
“Will you do me the honor?” he asked, tucking his gloves into his pocket.
“Another truth?” she asked, resting her hand in his palm. His hand was calloused and strong, but his fingers were long and warm as they closed around hers ever so tenderly, leading her to the middle of the veranda.
The crowd had thinned a bit for the evening, and Keeda suspected this would be one of the last dances of the night, but she was glad to share it with Fox. They had the whole space to themselves, and she was no longer aware of any other eyes on her apart from his.
Her breath caught in her throat when she felt his other hand settle around her bare lower back beneath her hair. His fingertips left trails of fire in their wake as they gently grazed her air-cooled skin, but she eased into his hold as he began guiding her down the length of the veranda. The steps he chose were uncomplicated, but she was impressed with the natural skill he seemed to possess as he swept her down the length of the open space.
“You were definitely telling the truth,” she laughed giddily, enjoying how easily they moved together.
He arched his left arm and twirled her out beneath it before stepping in and sweeping her back into his grasp. “Don’t tell anyone, but I have my brother to thank for that,” Fox admitted, slowing a fraction with the timing of the music.
“Don’t you have a million brothers?” Keeda asked lightheartedly.
The man she was dancing with now looked so different from the stoic commander she had first met. A single stray curl had fallen loose on his forehead as he spun her around himself, and he practically beamed at her.
“This one is special. He somehow inherited all the natural dancing talent, so we just copied him. He’s the commander of the 104th battalion.”
Keeda stumbled in surprise, gripping Fox’s burly shoulder for support, but he was quicker and gathered her into a graceful spin to let her recover, bringing her body flush to his as the music crescendoed.
A star could have exploded between them with the heat of their bodies pressed together, and Keeda would have happily melted into it. The unexpected rush of adrenaline clouded her peripheral vision as Fox effortlessly lifted her off her feet, but his arm secured around her waist kept her grounded.
After gently resting her back on her feet, Fox was the first to break the contact—although he seemed incredibly reluctant to do so–to continue leading her through the dance. He could feel the strength of her lean muscles beneath his touch, and he had no doubt of just how capable she was, but here she seemed so precious in his hold as if she were his to safeguard. Her smile, the blooming trust in her sparkling eyes, and the surety of her grasp on him made him feel lighter than he had in years.
“I’m assigned to the 104th as their official volunteer,” Keeda said quickly, remembering why she had misstepped in the first place.
Fox chuckled, remembering himself and spinning her out again just to show her off to anyone who might be watching. “You’ll like Wolffe. We grew up together as batchmates. He’s very stubborn and gruff, but he has a good heart.”
They stepped together again as the music ceased and the hall beside them burst into applause. The other dancers and guests began to say their goodbyes, but Fox and Keeda simply stood there under the twinkling lights, panting together from the exertion of the dance.
As Fox continued to hold her, Keeda drank in the woodsy, slightly spicy scent of him mixed with the fragrance of the flowers in her hair. She could not bring herself to put any more distance between herself and the commander, and she actively fought the urge to lean back into his embrace.
He gently brushed the back of her hand with his calloused thumb and would have been content to stay as long as she liked, but the commlink on his wrist beeped. Still holding her hand, Fox released her slender waist and turned his right wrist over to silence the beeping.
“Ah, forgive me. Duty calls.”
As his fingers brushed over the device, Keeda noticed the knuckles on his right hand were slightly blotched with fresh bruises.
“I… I hope I’ll see you again, Fox.”
He grinned down at her and gave her fingers a delicate squeeze. “Me too. Be safe, Keeda. I’d trust him with my life, so do whatever Wolffe tells you to do.”
She felt a pang of longing as his hand left hers, and he turned to join the other guardsmen waiting in the shadows at the other end of the veranda. How long have they been standing there? she wondered, the heat lighting up her cheeks.
It did not truly matter, though, because her heart stuttered as a deep ache crept into her chest with the blush, and she yearned to be near him just one more time.
“Fox, wait!” she called, and he was immediately before her again with a questioning look on his face. “Please, before you go… what’s your favorite color?”
Although he virtually towered over her, Fox took her hand again and bowed slightly, capturing her gaze once more. His lips were warm and delicate as he pressed an impossibly soft kiss against the smooth, thin skin of Keeda’s knuckles, and a mixture of shock and delight flooded through her body.
Smiling brilliantly at her, he replied, “Green.”
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Stained Red - Chapter Three
Chapter Three: Mask
The Vigilante
Matthew Murdock is a lawyer, Catholic, and vigilante.
By day, he’s a lawyer at Nelson and Murdock. But by night - he is the masked vigilante. Some may know him as Daredevil.
Despite meeting today, Matt has known about you for a couple of months. One night, there was a disturbance near your apartment. After scoping it out and a few cuts later, he smells a sweet, innocent scent. Marshmallows, vanilla, and a hint of bergamot. Immediately, he was addicted.
He could feel your heartbeat as he stood in the alleyway next to your place - it was calm, steady, and quiet.
For the next two months, he would check on you from afar. Never to be seen by you, but to make sure you were always safe.
As fate would have it, Matt got to meet you face to face today.
After hearing your door close and lock, Matt made his way to the alley he was almost too familiar with.
Matt’s apartment isn’t too far away from yours. On his walk him, he can’t help but think about your soft skin and irresistible scent. He needed to see you again.
“Foggy. Foggy. Foggy.” Matt’s phone sang, letting him know that Foggy was calling him.
“Hey, Fog.” Matt sighed, unbuttoning his shirt.
“Matt! Josie’s tonight? Marcie and Karen wanna go.”
Matt pondered the idea for a moment, biting his bottom lip softly. “Ok, I’m gonna bring someone.”
“Which hookup is it this time?”
“Its not. Can you have some faith in me, please? I’m not some slut.”
“You are Hell’s Kitchen’s community dick. Anyways, see you at 10!” Foggy swiftly hung up the phone. Matt rolled his eyes, tapping the sides of his phone before deciding if he should call you or not.
La Reina
While you’re flipping through pages of one of the books on your TBR, you feel your phone vibrate.
UNKNOWN NUMBER - 222-222-222
You raised an eyebrow, thinking it could be your ex boyfriend. But then you remembered you gave Matt your number earlier.
“It’s not healthy to have coffee at 8PM.” You smiled into your phone.
“I’m not calling for coffee - yet. I wanted to know if you wanted to go to a bar with my friends and I. It’s called Josie’s, I-“
“I know Josie’s. I’ve been there for a few dates. What time?” You pressed the phone to your shoulder, sifting through your closet. You were currently in a hoodie and biker shorts, obviously not appropriate for evening New York weather.
“10.” Matt cleared his throat, his eyebrows raised - awaiting a response.
“Okay, I’ll meet you there. Probably will be late. Nope, definitely will be late.” You looked at your clothing options, sighing.
“No. I’ll be at your place at 10, if you’re not ready you can just let me in. You’re not walking there alone.” That was a demand. Not a question.
Your core already felt hot.
“Okay, let me start getting ready. See you soon, Matt.”
“See you.” Click.
Your entire closet was on your floor. Finally, you settled on a black, lacy, strapless corset bodysuit that made your tits look amazing. You paired it with denim straight leg jeans, and some ankle booties. Typical bar outfit for every woman from 20-30.
You love getting ready to go out and vibing out at a good bar. Josie’s was good - a lot of locals and Josie herself is super sweet.
10PM on the dot, your phone was vibrating.
“So punctual Matthew.” You looked out your window to see him below, smiling at your statement. “I’ll buzz you in.”
Bzzzz.
You heard Matt’s footsteps going up the stairs to your apartment. Looking in the mirror quickly, you made sure you didn’t look crazy.
Lipgloss. Fuck.
You opened the door to let him in. “Almost ready. I forgot lipgloss.” You smile, turning around to your purse on your couch.
Matt made himself at home, dragging his fingers up and down your couch cushions.
You applied your favorite clear lipgloss and sealed it with a ‘pop’. You ran your fingers through your curls, watching them fall to your mid back in the mirror.
“Ready! And it’s only 10:05. Not too late.” You smiled, grabbing your coat before Matt could. “So, who are your friends?”
“It’s Foggy, Karen, and Marci. Marci is Foggy’s girlfriend, and Karen is… well Karen. I think she’s inviting someone too.”
The cold New York air hit you hard, your skin bubbling with goosebumps. Matt noticed, and rubbed his thumb along your forearm gently.
God, he is so sweet in the most subtle way.
Josie’s was always loud, but not the kind of loud where you can’t have a conversation. Matt took the lead walking in, seemingly knowing where his friends are.
“Murdock! Who is this beautiful woman?” The blonde said from her seat, sipping her drink.
Matt told them your name, smiling as he said it.
“Hi everyone.” You wave, taking a seat next to the blonde.
“I’m Karen, this is Marci. And that’s Foggy Nelson.” Karen pointed.
“Nice to meet you all.” You feel Matt’s hands on your shoulders, subtly pulling at your coat so he can take it off.
“What do you want to drink?” Matt leaned into your ear, sending shivers down your spine. You could smell the mint he definitely just chewed on his way to your house.
“I’ll just take a Corona, please.” You put your hand on his shoulder, talking in his ear. Two can play at this game.
“Matt, I’ll go with ya. Do you guys want another round?” Foggy asked.
While the boys were getting drinks, Karen and Marci wanted to get to know you as fast as possible.
“So you’re an author?! That’s amazing! You have to send me a list of your books. I’ve been in a reading rut.” Karen handed me her phone. Marci did the same, immediately starting a group chat with us 3.
I have plenty of friends, but true girl friends are hard to come by these days. The future looks bright with these 2.
“So, how do you know Matt?” Karen asked, sipping the last of her first drink of the night.
“I actually rent an office space above their law office. I bumped into him this morning and felt bad so I bought him a coffee.”
“That’s why he wouldn’t drink the coffee I got him. Funny, I got it from his favorite spot too.” Karen shrugged, looking around. “I wonder where Adam is.”
You assumed Adam was the man she invited to this little… outing? Triple date?
Soon Matt was back with your beer, along with Foggy and all the other drinks.
Matt’s fingertips brushed along yours as he handed you your drink, smirking. This man loves sexual tension.
As the night went on, so did the drinks. You had one, then two, then 5. Then 3 past your limit. The group was so fun, you didn’t notice until you tried to stand up to go to the bathroom.
“Woah, you okay?” Matt steadied your body in front of him.
“Yeah, I need to pee.” You pull away from him. He didn’t like that.
“Let me help you.”
“No, I’m a big girl and I can do it myself.” You walked away from him towards the bathroom. The ground felt uneven, or your legs did. Something was uneven.
Once you reached the bathroom, a rather tall figure was blocking the door.
“Excuse me, I need to pee.” You poked the man’s shoulder.
“Sorry beautiful, you have to kiss me to get in.” The man slurred his words, leaning down to you.
You felt a strong hand pull you back, hitting a muscular chest.
“I’ll kiss you.” Matt said lowly. The man shook his head and backed away from the door, stumbling back to the crowd near the bar.
“Matthew, I said I’m a big girl.”
“You’re not kissing a random man to piss.” He opened the door for you, motioning his hand inside.
“Why not?” Your liquid courage was talking. “Maybe I wanted to be kissed.”
Matt inched closer to your face, his breath blanketing your skin.
“Kiss me then.”
#matt murdock#matt murdock x reader#daredevil x reader#daredevil#charlie cox#charlie cox x reader#marvel#mcu#karen page#daredevil born again#foggy nelson#matt murdock fanfic
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Yandere Eddie Munson (11/13)
Word count ; 4.1k
*Edited.
Eddie slammed down the telephone book, all of us hovered around the table. Dustin and I were hugging one another comfortingly. “Check this out. The War Zone. I’ve been there once. It’s huge. They have everything you need for, uh, well, killing things, basically.”
“You think fake Rambo has enough guns there?” Robin asked. “Is that a grenade? I mean, how is any of this legal?”
“Well, lucky for us it is, so…” Eddie answered sarcastically. “This… this place is just far enough outside of Hawkins. As long as we steer clear of main roads, we ought to be able to avoid cops and, uh, angry hicks.”
Erica, snarky, commented,” If we’re trying to avoid angry hicks, maybe we shouldn’t go to some store called War Zone.”
Nancy sighed. “Normally, I’d agree, but we need the weapons. So-o-o, I think it’s worth the risk.”
“Me too!” Dusti exclaimed excitedly with a toothy grin.
“But it’ll probably take a while to bike there,” I squeaked.
Eddie quirked a brow. “Who said anything about bikes?”
“You got some car we don’t know about?” Steve snorted incredulously.
Eddie rose to his feet, hands still flat against the telephone book. He turned to the man, boring his eyes into him, almost insulted. “It’s not exactly a car, Steve. And it’s not exactly mine, but, uh… it’ll do.” He couldn’t look anyone in the eyes as he said that, and it made me concerned.
He turned to Max, who was glaring daggers into the empty space. She had developed deep darkness under her eyes and I doubted she’d gotten much sleep in the past week or however long it’s been. Eddie popped his lips. “Hey, red, uh, you got a ski mask or a bandanna, something like that?”
And then, not even a few minutes later, Eddie, adorning a Michael Meyers Halloween mask, popped out from behind his trailer. I was following suit, and the amusement of it all was enough to distract me from my general aches of walking. I was crouched, along with everyone else.
He motioned us forward, more so, and we began scrambling across the open area. We dodged and dived around buildings until we passed a family of two and ended up hovering right behind a large trailer. I felt guilty in the pit of my stomach, but we were saving humanity, so I’m sure they’d thank us later.
Eddie patted the outside of it in a panic until he reached for a window. He threw his items in before tugging on my arm and pulling me over. I almost released an awkward squawk as he grabbed at my thighs and hoisted me off the ground. I grabbed the window desperately.
Steve, in disbelief, muttered,” The favoritism. I swear. And he’s going to go next like the gentleman he is.”
The comment fell on deaf ears because I was attempting to toss myself into the trailer. Which, in my defense, was especially difficult, when Eddie’s hands were pushing on my ass. Painfully so. I managed, though, and fell into the passenger seat. I ended up crawling onto the floor and Eddie clambered in with ease. I thought he’d at least help the others, but instead, he helped me to my feet and watched as the others struggled.
He tore the mask off the moment he entered. I bit back a completely separate comment because I knew he might actually put it back on and suffocate himself if I told him he looked better that way.
“You’re quite the catch, Munson,” I quipped. “Not only are you a drug dealer, you’re a seasoned car thief. There is nothing more attractive than that.”
“Yes, well, at least I wouldn’t hit the love of my life,” he chirped, feigning innocent with a grin.
I sent him a glare and a pout. Steve did the honorable thing of helping the small children in, one at a time, and eventually everyone was in. Eddie and I stayed at the front of our escape vehicle while the rest piled in and locked the door while getting comfortable.
With everyone in, Eddie plopped into the driver’s seat. He pulled from his brown - hopefully - fake leather bag. He pulled out such odd tools and I didn’t care to question it. He started clipping at various wires while my eyes widened, just as impressed as I was worried.
“Where’d you learn how to do this?” I slurred carefully.
Eddie sounded almost angry with his reply. “Well, when the other dads were teaching their kids how to fish or play ball, my old man was teaching me how to hot wire.” He broke some of the wires and tied them. “Now, I swore to myself I wouldn’t wind up like he did, but now I’m wanted for murder, and soon, grand theft auto.” He sent me a strained grin. “So, uh, I’m really living up to the Munson name.”
Robin suddenly came up from behind, pressing herself over my shoulder, which was pressed against Eddie’s. “Eddie, I’m not sure I love the idea of you driving.”
“Oh, uh, I’m just starting this sucker. Harrington’s got her.” Steve, who was leaning on a wall nearby, perked his head up in annoyance. Eddie, with a wide, mocking grin, continued,” Don’t ya, big boy?”
The engine suddenly sparked and sputtered and everything lit up. I let out a gasp as Eddie removed himself from the driver’s seat and sauntered to the back of the trailer, taking me with him. Steve, in a panic, hopped into the seat and Robin the one beside him for the time being. I plopped into the small dining booth. Across from me sat Dustin, who was as chipper as always.
And, despite the clammer of the people attempting to steal their trailer back, Steve took to the wheel and we were off. We took their entire camp with us and Robin, being the comedy genius she was, hollered,” It’s not every day you lose your home and car in one fell swoop.”
“Hey there, sweet heart,” Eddie suddenly spoke, sliding his arm around my shoulder and sending me a wink. “Come here often?”
I didn’t even get the chance to retort, because Steve while screaming at the top of his lungs, suddenly took a very sharp turn. I squealed, and everyone who was standing was flung into the wall or into the floor. I ended up colliding further into Eddie while Dustin’s head met the plastic window. I grabbed at Eddie out of surprise, but even when we evaded the trailer park, I clung to him with the expectation that Steve was a bad driver.
I let out a gasp when Steve called from the front,” All clear!”
“By clear, do you mean the coast or my vision?” Dustin groaned, pushing himself to sit up straight.
Everyone, from then on, knew to rest up and delve into their own conversations. Lucas was with Max in the back, Nancy traded places with Robin, and Robin zonked out on a small pull-out bed that was once a couch. I was tired to say the least. I pulled away from Eddie and leaned on the small table, elbows propped up. Dustin was still pawing at his head in annoyance.
“Oh - uh - put these on,” Eddie suddenly said. He withdrew from his pocket the cassette and music player and I took it.
“I’m fine for now, but thanks,” I strained, yawning. “I’ll put it on when I pass out. I just… don’t want it to get old or anything.”
Dustin snickered knowingly. “You’re going to pass out now, sis.”
“And uh,” Eddie tittered,” you’re more than welcome to use my shoulder —“
“Ah, but of course,” I mused. “Actually, now that you’re here, Dustin, I have to know. How many times have you let Eddie in my room when he’s been over?”
Eddie’s face morphed into that of horror and he paled, even more than I thought was possible. Dustin and Eddie made prolonged eye contact, and I could tell Dustin’s brain was churning for an answer. There was an awkward silence as Eddie physically clasped his hands together to indicate a plea.
Dustin frowned, leaning against the table. Eddie shook his hands vigorously and it was like if he wasn’t trapped in the booth, he’d be on his hands and knees. Dustin’s expression became more and more disturbed as he wracked his brain and the more time that passed, the more scared I became.
“Uh, sis, Eddie’s never been over before…”
My mind blanked and my immediate reaction was to scoot farther away. However, I had a heart attack when there was no longer a cushion beneath me, and instead, I fell onto the floor. Everyone looked in dismay, and Robin scrambled to sit up straight. Eddie was quick to slide over and panic, but Dustin was still in a jumbled daze.
“Woah, hey, hey, there’s an explanation for this —“
“You’ve broken into our house, creep —!”
“Woah, guys,” Dustin intervened, waving his hands. “Eddie, what is she talking about —!”
“Nothing, man!”
During the spat, Eddie was continuously reaching for me to ‘help me up,’ but I slid back against the wall and kicked him in the face. Eddie fell back, letting out a yelp as he clutched at his face. By now, even Steve and Nancy were shouting to ask what happened, but they had yet to pull over. Full chaos ensued, and although I knew I was supposed to be, I was creeped out but not scared.
“Children!” Robin suddenly bellowed as I scooted back into her now towering form. “Eddie! What the hell have you done this time? Down, boy, down!”
“Is everything okay?” Lucas exclaimed.
“What is going on back there?” Nancy chimed in.
Eddie had some blood dribbling from his nose and it was like he blanked out. His entire face was riddled with shame and fear and he had to stand, stumbling and leaning against the side of the booth. Robin helped me to my feet and I sent a passionate, fiery glare at him as the truth settled in.
“I - it’s fine!” Eddie squealed. “It’s uh, just a misunderstanding —“
“A misunderstanding? A misunderstanding! You’re a total creep —!”
“Woah, hey, what? Do we need to pull over?” Steve shouted from the front.
“Yeah, uh, I thought Eddie being a creep was already established,” Robin commented, eyes flooded with concern. “Just, uh, it’s okay, Y/n. Care to elaborate?”
Eddie shook his head, also waving his hands. “Please, can’t we just talk about this alone?”
Dustin sent him a suspicious glare. “Why would she ask that in the first place, Eddie? You’ve never been to my house before, uh, right?”
It’s like Eddie completely blanked. Everyone was exchanging glances between me and him. I sent him an accusatory glare because I knew the truth. He was just some creep. How hypocritical of him to talk poorly of my boyfriend when he was… a stalker. And yet…
“Well, I mean, u - uh… I’m sorry?”
The silence was deafening and I felt angry tears stinging at my eyes. Everyone else was too stunned or either - mostly Steve - had no idea what was going on in the first place. I felt incredibly embarrassed. However, knowing what Eddie was up to in his day to day life made me scared. The guy seemed completely harmless. I thought it was a stupid crush. But he’d broken into my house before.
“Y/n, sweetheart, please don’t think too —“
Max’s jaw dropped. “You, like, actually stalk her? That’s pathetic, dude. You really are just some hopeless freak.”
Eddie’s face fell when he realized everyone was either furious or disappointed. Dustin looked crestfallen and concerned, inching away from the revealed stalker. It was awkward and tense and stressful. Robin was almost shielding me from him, and I saw that Eddie finally shrunk away in fear as he slid into the booth and cleared his throat.
“Hey, are you okay?” Robin inquired carefully, furrowing her brows.
Eddie was slumped in deafening silence, head buried in his arms. I gulped, my mouth dry and frightened. I nodded just enough, gaze glued to his form. “I think… I’ll just hang out in the bathroom until further notice if that’s okay,” I grumbled.
People were still unsure, but they returned to their seats. Dustin moved away from Eddie entirely. That left me to reach for the cassette and music player. Eddie’s head shot up with a mean glare until he saw it was me, and I pulled away, flinching instantly. Eddie scanned my body and we made long, difficult eye contact. I noticed that his eyes were red and watery.
He was crying. I knew he didn’t have the right to be pitied, but I couldn’t help like I did something wrong. I mean it’s not like he ever did anything harmful, right? He was just… admiring from a distance. But I also knew it was wrong for me to justify his behavior just because I was biased and used to have a large crush on me and he was a friend and… Well, I got the idea. I was stupid.
I left and went to the bathroom. I just plopped on the small floor and shut the door, popping on my headphones. The music played, instantly distracting me from the bland situation I was in. I hummed quietly, letting me fall into an uncomfortable sleep.
~~~
Knock, knock, knock.
My eyes shot open. The headphones had fallen off and I sat up straight again, sliding the door open. Dustin was there, and people were gearing up. I assumed that meant we were at War Zone and that they were heading inside. Dustin offered me a hand and pulled me to my feet.
“Are you okay?” he inquired carefully.
I nodded and strained a smile. “I’m assuming the invitation to go in doesn’t extend to me, right?”
“Y - yeah, but I can stay behind if you want —“
“No, Dustin, the more we can get the better. Eddie’s pretty much harmless except for being a total, uh, creep.”
He nodded pulling away. I left the bathroom and hovered in the hallway, greeting everyone as they went on their merry way to buy murders of mass destruction. I was parched and my body ached and everything bad so I knew it was better to risk an awkward interaction with Eddie than risk more cramps and dehydration.
The silence in the trailer was deafening. When I emerged, though, Eddie was still in the same spot as before. He was slumped against the table but when he heard me, his head shot up. My heart started up erratically and I decided it was best to ignore him weaving around to the packet of plastic water bottles. I stole one and sat on the couch.
“Y/n…”
My gaze flitted to the man in suspicion. He looked so sad.
“I’m sorry. I - I just, there’s, uh, no real excuse that could make up for what I’ve done, but it’s always been out of, uh, love. I love you, sweetheart, I just… I knew it was wrong the first time I was tested to follow you, uh, h - home, but I couldn’t help it. I just… you’re all I think about about and all I want to be around, a - and just being in the same room as you just fulfills me.”
My heart was still beating, although I prayed it was for the same reason as before. Fear, and not the fact I used to harbor feelings for him. My eyes softened and I was forced to look away. My mouth opened and shut, but I wasn’t sure what to say. That is until I mustered,” I guess Vecna was right.”
Eddie, with furrowed brows, slid out from the booth. Without permission, he plopped next to me eagerly, and I didn’t have anywhere else to scoot to. I was too emotionally and physically drained. I took a sip of my water as his eyes bore into me in worry.
“About what, sweetheart?”
“O - oh, just something about how I’ll always be trapped, and if not by him, then someone else,” I chortled dryly. “I’m starting to think he meant you and not Chance, because… I seriously shouldn’t be giving you any pity right now.”
Eddie reluctantly reached over with shaky hands. He placed them on my thigh and I tensed, not because I didn’t want him to touch me, but because I didn’t mind if he did. It was stupid that I still thought so highly of him when the red flags were there all along. Eddie’s curls fell defeatedly in front of his mourning expression and he hid his face in shame.
“I’m sorry. It’s out of love, I - I just… Who is ‘he’?”
I gulped and blinked expectantly. Even just thinking to dad made me think of Vecna and what I saw. And what I Saw was terrifying, not because it was a weird shadow vine monster, but because it used to be the reality of my life. And it was also something that plagued me in my dreams, even to this day.
“Dustin…” Somehow, my mouth opened and words came out, even if I didn’t want them to. Eddie just had that friendly, charming effect, even now. “…I always made sure to protect him from the majority of what he did. Plus he was always off playing DND with Will and others, and…either way, I let me kind of get the worst of it…”
“Who?”
“U - um, just my dad. It’s a normal sob story. I’ve gathered that you’ve been dealt worse, so it’s nothing to care about, Ed.”
His eyes softened drastically. I felt tears well up in my eyes unwillingly and Eddie scooted even closer. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, almost reluctant to do so. I didn’t move, though. All I could think about what how familiar it was to have beer bottles thrown at me and to have curses and slurs directed my way.
I thought I was over it. And then Vecna had to happen.
His hand rubbed circles along my back. I buried my face into the crook of his neck as hot tears finally spilled. My trembling hands had to reach out and grasp at his shirt, which I only just noticed was a different one. It was for a band he liked. And it smelled like him His hair was soft and Eddie was a coward and creep but he…
“Y - you didn’t deserve any of what happened, sweetheart. You don’t deserve to be hurt or whatever he did to you. You, uh, deserve to be loved, okay?”
I desperately needed to hear that. He told me before but I never believed it because he was biased. But… if he loved me, isn’t love itself a form of bias?
I was being so stupid.
“God, Munson, why do you have to be like this?”
He pushed me back gently, just enough to meet my tear-stained expression. He immediately let out some fussy grunts, stroking my cheeks to wipe the wetness away. I mustered what doe eyes I could, and I was scared to admit it. Because, if I said the truth out loud, it meant it wasn’t just the truth in the back of my head. It was real.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I know what I did was, uh, wrong. I promise after a few times, I tried my best to stop. I haven’t been in there for months. That isn’t an excuse, but…”
I shook my head, sniffling quietly. “I shouldn’t forgive you in good conscious.”
His face Gell and he glanced away anxiously. “No, you shouldn’t. And, uh, I’d respect your decision, but… I don’t think I could, uh, ever live without you, Y/n.”
“And that’s the problem,” I choked. “I’m an idiot, Eddie. A masochist, maybe. But oh my god… I have a boyfriend, and you’re a creep, and it’s been years, and you’re you. I - I shouldn’t still like you so much. You suck. I should hate your guts. I should be scared because you’re just that awful. But instead…I’m stuck in a limbo always because god, you’re you and I…”
The words slipped out unwillingly, and by the time they had, it was too late. I burst into tears again because it was true. Of course, Eddie doted on me again. Because he was Eddie and I knew with every fibre of my being that he really did like me. It was just a question of how he expressed it.
But so did Chance. One mistake shouldn’t dictate the end of a relationship. And yet, was it even fair of me to be in a two-year, committed relationship when he was more into it than I could ever dream of?
Maybe Eddie and I deserved each other.
A low chuckle emitted from Eddie as he rubbed circles on my cheeks. “You’re, uh right. You really should hate my guts. And I would give you a whole speech about how we’re soulmates, but… That’s creepy. I’m a fucking creep and I’m sorry. You shouldn’t even be allowing me in a five foot radius of you. You are an idiot.”
I couldn’t help but laugh even if it just ended up being a series of strained coughs. I was still crying, but not as much. Because Eddie just had that effect. I could remember, every time Chance and I had even the slightest disagreement, all my head thought about was Eddie. Even more so than usual. And I thought about Eddie more than I should as someone in a committed relationship.
“Just… promise you won’t forgive me so easily, sweetheart?” he muttered, pressing his forehead against mine and nuzzling our noses against one another.
“I can’t, Eddie. I think I already have. I’m an idiot.”
“Yeah, uh, but you’re the cutest idiot I’ve ever met, so…”
“You’re just glad my stupidness works in your favor.”
For a while, we just stayed like that. I knew we weren’t going to kiss. Eddie was a creep, but a gentleman none the less. And he wasn’t that desperate when he knew how I felt about him. I guess that’s why he never gave up. It was because he knew and was willing to wait. Even though someone sweet like Chrissy or literally anyone else on earth was better for him than I was.
“Hey, sweetheart…”
“Yes?”
“When we finish, uh, saving the world and everything, can we —“
The trailer door burst open, and Steve birth in. Everyone had weapons strapped on and they were seemingly panicked. Immediately, the question released,” What happened?”
“Gotta go!” Steve exclaimed, plopping the weapons in a pile and sliding into the front seat.
“Your boyfriend and company are here!” Erica explained.
And then the reality of it all came crashing back down on me and I jerked away from Eddie. Dustin knew, too, though. Luckily there were bigger problems on hand and I didn’t pull away fro Eddie entirely. Chance was here, though. And then I felt guilty. I was a terrible person. Why did I ever fall for Chance in the first place if clearly I wasn’t capable of committing to him?
“Shit,” Eddie hissed.
Steve started up at top speed and we ended up back on the desert back road. By then, as everyone calmed, they noticed. Eddie and I had made up, and in more ways than one. Because, no matter what, I couldn’t help but intertwine our fingers and rest tiredly against his shoulder. They looked peeved. But, at the end of the day, there was nothing to say. I was helplessly crushing on Eddie Munson and there was nothing that could stop me.
#yandere#x reader#x y/n#self insert#yandere slashers#yandere x reader#eddie stranger things#eddie x reader#eddie munson#yandere eddie munson#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson st4#yandere stranger things#stranger things#stranger things s4#netflixs#show
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Last night I wrote a fanfic for the first time, figured I might as well post it here (fanfic under cut)
Midnight Pie
Bandee sat on his bed, staring out the window at the night sky beyond. “Another sleepless night . . .” He mumbled to himself. They’d become more frequent lately, ever since the Jambadrans defeat. It’s been weeks now, but there was one thing he still couldn’t get out of his mind: the grinning, hollow face of void, a mockery of Kirby, his dearest friend. Speaking of . . .
Bandee glanced at the phone sitting on his side table. ”Maybe talking to him would clear my mind” he thought as he started to reach for the phone before stopping. “No, he’s probably asleep” he let his nub fall back to his side, and turned his gaze back to the sky outside. His thoughts swirled round in long worn paths, trying already used keys on a locked door, before a sudden recollection stopped them. “Wasn’t there still apple pie leftover from dinner?” A smile flitted across the young dee’s face at the thought of his favorite food. “Might as well” he said to himself as he hopped off his bed and headed to the door.
“The castle always feels lonely at night”, the dee thought as he walked down the dim corridors down to the kitchen. He far preferred it at day, with all the other dees bustling about. The dark made him anxious, bringing up bad memories. He shuddered, and tried to push those thoughts away. “No need to think about that” he told himself, before coming to a stop as he noticed someone walking down the hallway ahead. “It can’t be his majesty, it’s too small,” Bandee thought as he observed the figure “and it’s the wrong shape for a dee. Could it be . . .” “Sir Meta Knight?” he called down the corridor. The figure stopped, and the glowing yellow eyes as he turned to face the dee confirmed his identity. “What are you doing here so late?” The dee said, hurriedly walking to join the knight. “I could say the same for you” Meta Knight replied “I’d expect you to be sleeping”. “I was just getting a snack” Bandee said, not wanting to mention the real reason he was awake, “Do you want to come with?” The swordsman seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then nodded. “I don’t see the harm.” The dee gave a small smile as way of reply, then started again on to the kitchen, Meta Knight following close.
Bandee squinted against the light as he opened the refrigerator door. His eyes searched the shelves, before coming to rest on the pie tin he was looking for. “Do you want some?” he asked the knight sitting at the nearby table “there’s enough for both of us”. Meta Knight paused for a moment, as if considering the offer. “Don’t tell anyone” He told the dee “but yes”. Bandee held back a giggle as he pulled a pair of plates out of a cupboard “Why would I want to tell anyone? It’s not like I’d get anything from it”. “Can’t be too careful” the knight replied stiffly as he watched the dee cut two slices of the pie and carefully place them on the plates. “I’ll go get some forks” Bandee said as he started toward a drawer. “No” Meta Knight replied, “I’ll get them. You go ahead and take a seat”. He fished out two forks at random and walked back to the table. Passing one to the dee, the knight pulled up his mask and started to eat. Bandee followed suit, enjoying the sweet taste of each bite. But . . . “Sir Meta Knight?” the swordsman paused mid bite, and turned to look at him. “I . . wasn’t entirely honest about why I was up earlier” Bandee whispered, staring at his plate. “Oh?” the knight blinked. Bandee wasn’t prone to discretion. “I’ve . . . I’ve been having a lot of sleepless nights recently. Ever since what happened . . . in there. Inside Void Termina” the young dee’s voice started to waver, “I can’t seem to get it’s face out of my head”. “Oh . . . I see” Meta Knight whispered. Why was he taken back? It had been unsettling for everyone, seeing that . . . thing mimicking Kirby’s face. “I understand,” he told the dee, extending a wing comfortingly around him, “It shook me too”. “Really?” Bandee looked at the swordsman in surprise. “Really” Meta Knight nodded, “But while I can’t tell you why it chose to mimick Kirby, I do know it’s gone now”. “Let’s hope” Bandee replied quietly, and took another bite of pie. Meta Knight gave a small smile, and turned his attention back to his piece.
“You know you don’t have to walk me back to my room, sir Meta Knight” Bandee whispered as the two walked again down the castle’s quiet corridors. “Perhaps,” the swordsman replied, face once again covered by his mask “But I’ll do so anyways”. The dee began to reply, but whatever it was was interrupted by a yawn. “Excuse me,” he laughed, rubbing at an eye “I guess my exhaustion’s catching up to me”. Meta Knight nodded in agreement “Try and get some sleep tonight”. “I’ll try.” Bandee said, before stopping outside of his door. The knight started to turn back, but then “Sir Meta Knight?” “Hmm?” the swordsman turned back to the dee standing in the doorway. “Thank you for keeping me company” Bandee whispered, before turning and stepping back into his room. The knight stood there as the door closed, before smiling under his mask, “It was my pleasure, Bandee”. Then he turned and walked back down the dark corridor, hoping that maybe now, Bandee will sleep a little more peacefully.
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Thanks for reading <3
#feel free to give constructive criticism#'it fucking sucks' is not constructive criticism#kirby#kirby of the stars#bandee#bandana dee#bandana dee kirby#meta knight#meta knight kirby#kirby fanfic#fanfic#fluff#oneshot#kinda sorta metadad
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I CANT STOP THINKIGN ABOUT THEM RAHHH anyway here’s Kiryn coming out (in two ways) to Taliesin and Taliesin realizing ‘oh no he’s kinda cute wtf do I like him like that?’
somewhat based on my own coming out experience
maybe ooc Taliesin??? I'm so bad at writing characters that aren't my own LMAO
Kiryn: Taliesin? I have something for you. (Kiryn holds out a small wooden fox painted orange and white.)
Taliesin: A gift? (Taliesin accepts the gift. It fits perfectly in the palm of his hand.)
Kiryn: It may seem a bit childish but in my family, we give handmade gifts to show our appreciation. It’s like gifts for a birthday.
Taliesin: (Taliesin studies the gift and smiles. It’s adorable.) Thank you. Would you mind telling me more about this family tradition?
Kiryn: (Kiryn sits near the fire and crosses his legs.) There isn’t much to tell about it other than the fact that it’s been a family tradition since the Second Era. (He smiles as he remembers a story his father told him.) It’s actually how my dad proposed to my mom. He made her a necklace and a ring out of her favorite flowers and took her to the river near our home to propose. He gave her the necklace first as a birthday gift and when she was distracted with that he pulled out the ring.
Taliesin: (Taliesin listens intently as Kiryn talks. The Bosmer spends most of his time with a closed mouth and only ever talks if he absolutely needs to.)
Kiryn: He taught me how to make the ring when I was young so I could propose the same way.
Taliesin: Will you?
Kiryn: (Kiryn is thankful for the wooden dragon priest mask that hides his expression.) I’m unsure. I’ve yet to have my first kiss so marriage hasn’t been on my mind. Even then it wouldn’t be a traditional wedding. (Kiryn wraps his arms around his legs and shifts closer to the fire.)
Taliesin: Why is that? (Kiryn stays silent for what feels like hours and Taliesin feels he may have overstepped a boundary.) I’m sorry if I’ve—
Kiryn: No, no it’s okay. I suppose it’s time I tell you anyway. (Kiryn takes a deep breath and clears his throat.) I enjoy the company of men far more than women.
Taliesin: When did you realize? (Kiryn relaxes as he realizes Taliesin isn’t like his ‘friends’ back home.)
Kiryn: When I was around fourteen. My mom kept going on and on about how pretty all the girls were in the city but I never felt any attraction towards them no matter how hard I tried. I even tried dating a girl that was just the tiniest bit attractive to me but I couldn’t bring myself to. It felt like I was lying to her and she was so sweet. It felt wrong and I still feel horrible about it. (Kiryn starts to tear up and looks away from Taliesin.)
Taliesin: (Taliesin notices the way Kiryn looks away and moves to sit beside him.) You shouldn’t feel bad about it. Does she?
Kiryn: No, I don’t think so. We stopped talking years ago. (Kiryn’s voice is softer than usual and breaks slightly.)
Taliesin: Then she probably doesn’t remember. And you shouldn’t either. You were young and wanted to fit in to what you thought was normal.
Kiryn: (The walls Kiryn had built over the years start crumbling and he grabs the chin of his mask. He hesitates for a moment before pulling it off. He was a little pale for a Bosmer and had slightly freckled skin. His eyes were a dark red and a small but noticeable scar crossed over the bridge of his nose. He pushes his blond hair back, mindful of his antlers. He sets the mask down and bites the inside of his cheek as he turns to Taliesin. The taller elf, with about a million thoughts running through his mind, simply smiles.)
Taliesin: Has anyone ever told you that you look divine? (Kiryn’s face flushes and the urge to put his mask back on starts growing.)
Kiryn: That’s…I-I don’t think— (Kiryn looks away and closes his mouth before he can say anything that will likely embarrass him. Taliesin ignores the way his heart starts to race and keeps his smile up. He has always seen his relationship with Kiryn as friendly and nothing more. He waits for Kiryn to respond but he never does. Taliesin's smile wavers for just a moment and he stands. Kiryn quickly grabs his wrist and stands with him. Tears stain Kiryn’s cheeks and he hugs the Altmer tight, almost afraid to let go.)
(abrupt ending, completely forgot this in my drafts and it's been at least two weeks since I thought about this lol!! anyway this is supposed to be like the night before they confessed their feelings and got all soft on each other)
I'm never doing this again
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Another Faceless Mask
I can’t find the original post, but uhhhhhh this one is based off of a post by/conversation I had with @lindendragon
Darius knew his mentor, he knew him so well, surely he'd be able to recognize him no matter the form he was in, right?
Right?
“This is getting incredibly old,” Darius grumbled, stumbling over the same section of the “owl house” that he had just five minutes ago, a kitchen.
I’m getting nowhere, and I haven’t seen a single sign of Eber, Raine, or Eda.
Everything had happened so fast, the head had seemed to erupt, and then this monstrosity had sprouted up around the sigil, trapping everyone inside. Walls had separated him from the rest of the rebellion, and he could probably assume they’d been separated from each other as well.
At least the children are far away, rescuing the Blight girl.
Darius wondered if they’d seen this thing form, if they even knew what was going on. If they had any brains between them, they’d stay far, far away from the huge mock owl house and the creepy child running it.
They were probably already sniffing around outside.
One more reason to get the hell out of here.
An axe swung down from the ceiling, and Darius twisted to dodge it.
Let’s play Owl House!
That had been what the creepy child had said. So this was a game? What were the rules? How did he win and leave? Make it out of the maze? He’d kept his hand on the left wall, if this maze were normal, he wouldn’t be here for the third time.
A game.
A child.
Darius sat down crisscross on the floor, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands.
“This game isn’t any fun,” he announced loudly.
Another axe swung down from the ceiling, but he shifted to his abomination form, letting it pass through him. He yawned, big and loud.
“I’m bored.”
More axes. Spikes jutting from the walls. Blasts of fire. Darius dodged all of them without getting up, breathing a little more heavily than he would have liked to show.
“Ugh. This game is too easy.”
He heard a grumble, and then the star child appeared, Eda’s kid clutched in his arms.
For the first time, a bolt of panic shot through Darius.
If he’s here, then…
“They’re safe!” King yelped, “They’re all safe!”
They’re safe.
Where though?!
“BORING?!” The star child yelled, “You’re boring, everyone said that the owl house was their favorite game, so you’re probably just a grouchy old guy, who doesn’t like having fun at all! Like Belos! Maybe you should join him.”
“Here, now,” Darius said quickly, “I just think the way we’re playing is boring, I’m sure it could be made more fun with a few adjustments.” He didn’t know what had happened to Belos, but based on King’s face, it hadn’t been good, and he wasn’t in a hurry to find out.
The child tilted their head. “Oh, yeah? How?”
“Return me to my comrades. And the dog, too. I’m sure this would be MUCH more interesting as a team sport. You don’t like playing games alone, do you?”
The kid thought about that, arms still wrapped tightly around King. “Mmmmmmmmmmm… Nah, you’re mean, insulting King’s game, you should have to play alone, so you don’t infect anyone else with your grouchiness.” He bobbed up and down in the air. “Oh! I’ve got it! I know how I can make it more interesting!”
He snapped his fingers, and a skull appeared, dropping into Darius. He caught it, fumbling. “What the…?”
The kid giggled. “There’s a mask to match it! I don’t know, though, there are a lot of masks and skulls around here.”
A lot… of…
Oh, titan.
“How many?” Darius whispered, fingers trembling on the skull.
This one isn’t him.
I’d be able to tell.
It’s not him.
“Oh, I don’t know, like fifty or something. Hey. Tell you what. If you can find all of them, and all of the masks, I’ll put you and all of your friends together! Not King, though.” He gave King a little squeeze. “He’s my friend, and he plays with me. But I’ll put the rest of you together. Okay? Okay!”
He disappeared again, and Darius gently set the skull down on the kitchen table. “I’m sorry,” he murmured to it. He opened all of the cabinets, and the doors of all the fridges and ovens and microwaves, finally finding a mask behind the spice rack. He set it next to the skull.
“Titan,” he muttered, swaying on his feet. Of course he’d always known deep down that his mentor wasn’t coming back. But…
How many of them were there?!
Darius opened the door into the next room. Ugh, this one was a storage room, filled to the brim with junk. Of course this was just a representation of Eda’s house, but he didn’t doubt that her real home was just as messy.
The skull was set in the base of a lamp, and he found another mask embedded in the walls. Darius pried it out, and it cracked in the process, collapsing into pieces in his hands.
“Sorry! Sorry.” Darius gathered up the pieces, taking a deep breath. “Keep it together.” He sealed the pieces back together with abomination, then used a fire spell to weld them shut. They went back to the kitchen, and then he turned back to the mountain of boxes, shifting through them one at a time.
Another skull.
Two more masks.
“If Belos isn’t already dead, then I’m going to kill him,” he muttered, opening the last box in the junk room and finding another couple of skulls. He moved on to the next room, and the next, and the next. Skull after skull, stacked as respectfully as he could in a terrifying monument of Belos’ crimes. Glinting mask after glinting mask, their identical surfaces gleaming mockingly at him.
Did you really know him that well? Or are they all just faceless to you, as faceless as the kid you almost dismissed without a second thought?
Darius picked up another skull—this would bring him even with the masks, he thought, dragging a hand across his face. He stacked it at the top in place, then heaved a huge sigh, turning to go out the door again.
“Dun-dun-duhhhhh!” The Collector reappeared, a huge grin on his face. “You did it! You got them all!”
Darius blinked. “What? No, I haven’t.”
What am I doing, if they think I’ve got them all, I should just agree!
The Collector counted. “Nnnnnope, that’s all fifty of them!”
“But I… but I haven’t found…” I haven’t found him yet. Darius’ heart started to pound in his chest. Does that mean…
“Nope! You got every single Golden Guard skull and mask! Even your mentor’s!”
Darius’ legs wobbled, and he fell to the ground, knocking over the pile of skulls. His trembling fingers wrapped around one of the skulls, and he turned it over and over again in his hands.
I would have… I should have known… I should have been able to tell…
Xxx
“GUS?! CAPTAIN?! LUZ?! BLIGHT?!”
Hunter spun in a circle, looking for any sign of his friends, but they were nowhere to be seen. So much for sticking together once we got back to the demon realm. He took a deep breath. Focus. Take stock.
They’d come here to find the adults they’d left behind. He may have been separated from the group, but he should still attempt to carry out the mission. In fact, now that they were split up, they could cover more ground, and then hopefully… they…
“Darius!” Hunter skidded to a stop in an eerie kitchen, filled to the brim with skulls and…
“Darius?” he asked in a whisper, “What’s going on?”
The bigger man was sifting through the skulls, lining them up, picking them up and then discarding them. “I can’t tell,” he murmured, “I can’t…”
Hunter knelt down next to him, taking the skull out of his hand with a shudder and placing it with the others. “Darius?”
Darius’s head whipped around, and the coven head stared at him with hopeless, desperate eyes, shadows deep around them. “I don’t know which one is him,” he whispered, eyes flicking back and forth as he looked into Hunter’s, as if begging him to understand. “I can’t tell…”
“Darius, I—how long have you been here?!”
Darius shrugged, turning back towards the skulls. Hunter caught his wrist, tugging him back. “No, do—”
Darius turned with a snarl, lunging, his hand transforming into a scythe. Hunter flinched backwards with a cry, throwing his arms up to protect himself.
The blow didn’t come, and Hunter looked up to see tears rolling down Darius’ face, the scythe trembling in the air. “I can’t just leave him!” he half-snarled, half-whispered, “Not again!”
Hunter slowly got up, gingerly pulling Darius’ arm down. It transformed back into his regular arm. “We won’t just abandon them,” he promised, “We’ll come back for them, we’ll—we’ll give them a proper funeral. I promise. But we have to go for now. We have to find the others.” Hunter bit his lip for a moment. “He’d understand,” he said finally.
Darius stared bleakly at him, then nodded, slowly getting to his feet. Hunter stood up, too, his hand hovering just above Darius’ arm as he guided him out of the tomb. He looked back one more time at the pile of gold and the pile of white, a pit yawning in his stomach.
We’ll come back for you.
They might have meant nothing to Belos, but… Hunter led Darius away, shaking his head.
They meant something to someone.
Even if it’s just me.
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Oh my God, someone who writes about my current fixation, I love it (and you, you're awesome)
May I please, please, request a Doc Ock (either TSSM or 2004 movie) X fem!reader that's his lab partner, and while they work the have this Playlist going, and there's one specific song they have to take a break from working and dance with each other? (You know, get the blood flowing again, talk to another person, human contact, pine over the other, the like) (I'm thinking they either tango or waltz together, not alone)
They both obviously like each other, but too either shy or stubborn to say anything. So the dancing gives them both an outlet, a way to fantasize the life they would have together.
(Probably better suited for a Doctor Octavius than a Doc Ock)
(If you can't work with this, feel free to delete, no pressure, I get it)
(Again, you're awesome, ily)
(Also, where did you get your DILF hunting license? I've been doing it under the table for years, would love to go legit)
stoppppp you're too kind~~~~ i love you too anon <33 i gave you some mutual pining with TSSM otto for this bad boy. and i know you didn't ask for it, buttttttt...... i made the playlist for you on spotify!! it helped me write ngl. and about my dilf hunting license, you have to be at least 16 to take the test and get a permit and you have to get a psych eval done issued by the state to ensure that it isn’t just daddy/mommy issues, but if you pass then you’re good to go ;)
Soft Rock Mix ||tssm otto octavius x fem.reader
word count: 1232
summary: Work breaks are healthy. It's important to get up and stretch every so often! Dancing with someone could be a good way to get your blood flowing again... especially if you've been crushing on them for years.
trigger warnings: none :)
“Don’t worry about Osborn.” She frowned. “He’s just… rude.” A reassuring hand rest itself on his shoulder. Otto looked up at her and sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. “I-It’s nothing. I’ve dealt with it for nearly 20 years. A-After all, I’m getting paid, aren’t I?” He slowly let a smile hint at his lips, causing her to guiltily smile in response and look back ahead of her. “You do a pretty darn good job here, Doctor. I just wish you were treated with the respect you deserve.” Taking open strides to the radio sitting on an open desk not far away, she plucked a CD from the sleeve book. It had “soft rock mix!” written neatly in sharpie on one side. Otto turned back to the work table, a now-lifeless actuator layed in a straight line in front of him. He heard the first chords of Bennie and the Jets begin to hum inside the lab and he couldn’t help but smile to himself, his cheeks warming.
The Soft Rock Mix was Otto’s favorite. It was one that he always found himself nodding his head to no matter how he was feeling. His assistant knew him well, though, that was to be expected after nearly five years of working at his hand. Otto pulled a welding mask over his face and burned the connectors together inside of the arms. Yn shuffled back to the table of her own and continued working. Osborn typically left a negative wake after any visits to the laboratory, but ever since Yn began to work with Otto… each time became a bit more bearable. A soft hum playing at her lips (she’d heard this mixtape many times now), she let her head nod in rhythm with Elton John’s keyboard. Her fingers danced across her own, less musical keyboard, typing out the progress report that Osborn had so desperately desired.
“. . . The work shown by Doctor Octavius and Doctor Ln -”
no, no… that’s not right. Click click click click click…
“. . . by Doctor Octavius will be listed here in full detail, as follows.”
Her back ached, as did most Oscorp scientists’, but with a deadline to be met for a full report that very night, there wasn’t much else she could do other than slump over and get it done. It always eased her, however, to look up and see her superior gently swaying to the mixtape he somehow never seemed to grow old of. If it hadn’t meant so much to him, she probably wouldn’t ever bother with it. He tapped his foot following the beat as another song she’d memorized faded out, and the gentle synth signaling the beginning of Billy Idol’s Eyes Without a Face poured in. Catching her attention, Otto swiftly walked to the radio and turned the volume up a bit. When he turned back around, he was grinning from ear to ear until he caught her humored gaze. He quickly flushed red and shrunk down a bit. “No, no! Don’t back down now.” She giggled, standing up from her computer chair and popping her back. “Here, may I?” She approached him gingerly and took his hands. “Wh-What??” His cheeks burned a bright crimson and she led him to an open spot in the laboratory.
She intertwined her fingers with his own and began breathing her breaths a bit quicker. Otto was at a complete loss, only able to follow her lead as the two of them ambled along into a sort of waltzing position. “Know how to dance?” She asked him, beginning to sway before giving him the chance to answer her. Luckily for her, he did! A gushing stuttering mess, he gently moved his feet in time with hers as the spun around the floor, labcoats flowing like expensive tailcoats and ballgowns. Otto couldn’t help but look at her hands which graced his own with their touch. Her skin was cold and soft, fingers slipping between his with delightful comfort and simplicity; though the feelings shared were anything but simple.
“You’re pretty smooth, Doctor!” She giggled, him revelling in her praises. “O-Oh, stop that.” He murmured, shying his gaze to the floor with a bashful grin. She pulled him a bit closer and softly nudged his chin up to look at her, and when he looked up once again he could have sworn he had seen the most genuine, loving glint in her eye. Maybe it was just the lights from the tanks full of acid or the flashing of buttons from panels on the wall, but the colors melted together into a visual cacophony that filled his heart so full he couldn’t help but let it spill back out; in the form of a soft gasp. “Everything okay?” She asked him, startled. “Y-Yes…! I-I’m… Everything’s perfect.” He stumbled in his words trying to piece together fragments of what he truly wanted to say. Her lips curled into a soft unconvinced smile, but she shook her head and dropped it. “A-Are you a fan of Billy Idol, too?�� Otto asked her, desperately scrambling to fill the silence his catastrophic slip-up had left behind.
“I only know him thanks to you.” She replied, moving her hand down to his shoulder. She wondered, fruitlessly, if he liked to dance at home as well. Would they dance together like this if they lived together? Able to take him by the hands and waltz around the kitchen whenever they wanted, wearing whatever they wanted. They wouldn’t be confined by labcoats and nametags and button-ups and slacks. There would be no need for closed-toe shoes or long socks. Only pajama pants and t-shirts and maybe some house shoes if the tile felt particularly chilly that evening. The idea of living with Doctor Octavius made her face grow red and her smile reach her teeth in a shy recoil. “W-What are you smiling about?” He allowed himself to laugh with her as they swayed, meeting her gaze in the dim light of the buzzing LEDs. “You’re just a lot of fun to be around. Did you know that?” She quickly responded, completely avoiding the topic of her thoughts. The two had much in common. Otto’s eyes felt half-lidded after the compliment. “F-Fun? I-I wouldn’t say that. I’ve n-never been very fun. Y-Y-You, h-however…” Unable to complete his sentence, he trailed off in hopes she could connect the dots herself.
“Fun is ambiguous. I think you’re fun just the way you are.” She said, smirking down at him. “W-Why are you so insistent on flustering me…?” He said breathily, hardly able to stand on his own two feet. She spun around under his arm and grinned. “Because it’s fun.” She let her hands slip from his and she returned to her desk as the song faded away in a dwindling murmur of synth chords. Otto watched her as she took the same, long strides back to her chair and he couldn’t help but look upon her with the most fervent of admiration. Being honest with himself, it was more than that. There wasn’t one word he could think of to really explain how he felt about her, and so he stuck to what he typically did. He shuffled bashfully back to his workbench and picked up his torch again. Late nights were late nights, of course; but with Yn around? Like Osborn, they became a bit more bearable each time.
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chapter 2: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/ybkayley/691215016131706880?source=share
#doctor octopus x reader#x reader#doc ock x reader#doc ock#doctor octopus#otto octavius#marvel x reader#otto octavius x reader#tssm x reader#the spectacular spider man#tssm doc ock#tssm doctor octopus
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Okay, TC moving ranking update when
arc you know your wish is my command
disclaimer 1: the below ranking is not at all based on movie quality. It's based on aspects like "personal enjoyment," "personal investment," "TC hotness levels," etc. proceed at your own risk
disclaimer 2: the below ranking is very, very long. proceed at your own risk
bottom to top, babey!
21. Eyes Wide Shut
This movie’s one of the ones I definitely expected to like way more than I did. I’d never seen a Kubrick film before and I think I didn’t get the points it was trying to make—I kept getting torn out of the story by the way the camera treated women and female bodies. And the very slow-moving style of the movie, with lines delivered slowly, long still shots, etc., really didn’t work for me. I also just couldn’t help but feel like the movie’s general relationship with sex and sexuality was coming from a very specific perspective that I just don’t share or understand. TC is good in this, it’s not my favorite of his roles but his acting was by far my favorite part of the movie so naturally they put him in a mask and made him stand completely still. Favorite bits of the movie were 1) that shot in the beginning where he curls up on the couch in jeans and Ugg boots (amanda marisatomay gets it) and 2) the scene in the bedroom where he’s in his boxers and he looks really cute. To specify i didn’t like these scenes for plot reasons or character reasons I just liked seeing him look comfy. I do think that in terms of the movie’s discussions on sex and sexuality TC’s character probably has the most interesting and complicated relationship with sex and I think somebody with tastes in media more suited to a movie like this would probably be able to find some pretty interesting ideas. I had a hard time with this movie, but I can understand why somebody else might love it.
20. Jack Reacher
I have to be perfectly honest here. I didn’t finish this movie. I got up to the part where the young woman, I forget her name, is about to die, and I decided i didn’t want to watch anymore. So there is a chance that this movie gets really good after like the hour mark and I just don’t know that. The opening sequence of this film is fucking dynamite. I just really deeply hated this movie’s politics and I was willing to be patient with it for a while cause I wanted to see if there was anything redeeming in it, but my frustration won out. The movie in general spends a lot of time dealing with issues of criminality and the justice system, and imo it does it really clumsily. It also has a really weird treatment of women and female characters. TC’s performance of Jack Reacher is the only thing i liked about the character—I thought he did some really cool stuff with a lack of expressiveness, making the character really reserved, it went a long way towards likeability in a movie where the writing made him very unlikeable. The movie had a very action-hero-movie focus on making its protagonist badass and invulnerable, which was annoying to me and something that I’ve been spoiled in TC movies to not expect. To me even though I honestly didn’t like it much at all and couldn’t finish it I rank it above EWS because it’s entertaining, it’s a basically fun movie that’s well made, well acted, moves along at a nice clip and makes basic sense.
19. Oblivion
I had a strong emotional reaction to this movie when i watched it, anybody who was following me at that time probably remembers. This is another case of a quality film, well made, well acted, very entertaining, but it pissed me off. I felt like there was a ton of wasted potential in the concept, and in fact for the first third or so of the movie I was very invested and excited. To me Tom Cruise is not the emotional heart of the movie, that belongs to Vika, played by Andrea Riseborough, who has a deeply fucked up and compelling dynamic with TC’s Jack. Unfortunately (spoilers) the movie kills her, and that’s really the beginning of the end of my enjoyment of it. Meanwhile, TC’s other co-star Olga Kurylenko (Julia) is acting her heart out, but the script really gives her nothing to do. This film could have been a top pick for me, but it’s so thematically inconsistent and completely average in places it becomes almost unwatchable.
18. The Firm
The main sin of this movie to me is that I don’t have much to say about it. I think it didn’t totally mesh with me personally for some reason. Some just excellent acting all around, another kinda sucky TC guile hero protagonist which I always love, a conspiracy and emotional manipulation and plotting and suspense—but it just didn’t really do it for me. There were moments I loved. Some interesting compelling emotional beats. I could see why someone would really adore this movie. But it left me a bit cold.
17. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
I’ve talked before about my complex feelings on this movie and why I rank it lowest of the Mission Impossibles. This movie like all the MIs is very close to my heart. Ghost protocol ethan is one of my favorite ethans—his hair is my favorite of the ethan haircuts, which if you are an MI fan you know is significant. I love so much about this movie. It has some cool interesting twists on the classic action formula, I think it’s a significant point in Ethan’s arc, I think it’s a fun entertaining film. That being said ethan doesn’t feel like the heart of this movie in the way he normally does, and as much as I enjoy the team members I don’t feel that anyone steps up to take his place. The movie ends up feeling empty to me because of that, outside of the jailbreak opening where I feel ethan’s story and his character strongly. Anyway I do love this film, I just think this film and I have different priorities. And that’s why it’s not ranked very high
16. Top Gun
In retrospect I probably shouldn’t have had high hopes going into Top Gun but because of the fame of the movie I kinda did. I didn’t like the way the plane sequences were filmed in this movie—don’t get me wrong I’m sure that stuff was very difficult to capture well, but I always felt either too close to or completely disconnected from the action, and it was hard to tell what was going on. I expected to enjoy Val Kilmer as Iceman more than I did, I overall didn’t feel like the script gave him much to work with, although there were a couple excellent emotional beats and overall his acting is superb. The heart and soul of the movie was of course Goose, who completely outshone TC as mav in my opinion, which made his death hit really hard and mav’s grief feel very earned. Another main weak point of the movie was Charlie for me, I didn’t like her, I didn’t trust her, I didn’t connect with her. Overall I can see why the film is a classic, I enjoyed it but I didn’t love it
15. Mission Impossible 3
This movie is deeply special to me…it’s very frustrating in a lot of ways. Ethan’s relationship with violence here is almost entirely incoherent. This movie’s take on the IMF is deeply frustrating. That being said every moment between Ethan and Julia is lodged so deeply in my heart…and I’m obsessed with the way this movie kills its protagonist for 5 minutes and for those five minutes Julia is the star of the movie. I think action movies should do this more often. Julia and Ethan are what makes this movie for me, also Benji and Luther are fantastic here, specifically thinking of Benji’s scene at the end on the phone with Ethan, not the anti-God bullshit. Good movie, important moment in Ethan’s arc, feels like it inherently misunderstands MI in some ways and particularly Ethan. But good movie.
14. Jack Reacher Never Go Back
I think this movie is generally seen as worse than the first which I don’t understand. I actually really enjoyed it. I absolutely adored Danika Yarosh as Samantha, and her relationship with TC’s Reacher was far and away the heart of the movie. I’ve seen the “grizzled emotionally stunted action hero accidentally adopts a kid” thing a lot, and sometimes it works for me but sometimes it doesn’t. This time it really worked. Their relationship felt believable, complicated, earned. I loved every second they were on screen together. His other co-star of the movie was good (I think of her as Maria Hill always from my Marvel days) and had some solid moments, but IMO was overshadowed. Mostly I appreciated that this movie was thematically coherent and interesting, there was a solid arc, and TC’s acting was fantastic, taking the expressionlessness of the first film and holding onto that while using his microexpressions to their fullest potential. Really excellent work from him in this film.
13. Mission Impossible 2
I love this movie. I think it’s fun, I think it’s campy, I think it’s boring in places and deeply entertaining in others. I think it’s a well done action film that brings new and interesting ideas to MI and was crucial in MI becoming the franchise it is today. TC is standout in it, Thandie Newton is incredible in it. I like what it does for Ethan as a character, it pushes him down the action hero path while keeping this inherent understanding of his weirdness, his intensity, his almost dorky charm. I think there’s a lot of vulnerability for both Ethan and Nyah in this movie, and I really like that the very classic action movie style doesn’t take that away. It’s by no means a perfect film, and I understand a lot of the criticism of it (and have plenty of my own), but personally I think it’s a really important and fun part of the MI franchise and the TC filmography.
12. Interview with the Vampire
I really enjoyed…certain aspects of this movie. Tom Cruise as Lestat is an absolute unmitigated delight. My favorite TC roles in general (this is one of them, we’re going to start to get into them at this point) are usually his campiest, specifically because he brings a realness to them that makes them way more compelling even than pure camp, without sacrificing the campiness at all. His Lestat is a great example of that. It never feels as if TC is putting distance between himself and the role—Lestat is ridiculous and funny, but TC is always right there with him, never laughing at him if that makes sense. And there’s an emotional vulnerability and petty mundanity to Lestat that I just love. Antonio Banderas is also standout in this movie, as well as Kristen Dunst, both of whom commit 100% and have fantastic charisma on screen, while taking a kind of darker and more serious approach to the roles than TC’s Lestat. Brad Pitt is—brad what are you doing here. It’s so obvious he is not enjoying himself in this film. Go back to fight club my dude. The parts of the movie where we were following him only for long periods of time were honestly quite boring to me. Another issue I had with this movie was the way all the slavery elements were handled. Just very clumsy and racist handling of that stuff.
11. Knight and Day
I really really enjoyed this movie both times I watched it. It’s so fun, it’s so campy, it’s clever and interesting and compelling. TC is just magnificent as Roy Miller, and his chemistry with Cameron Diaz is fabulous—she’s also excellent in this movie, all of the meat of June’s character comes from her fantastic acting. Paul Dano is also standout as Simon Feck. Those core three characters are very well done, although I have some frustration with the way the movie consistently cuts June off from a substantial character arc and agency. There are hints of substance in her plotline that never fully materialize and mostly get pushed aside in favor of focus on her dynamic with Roy, which is admittedly dynamite. Anyway really good film, not perfect but would highly recommend
10. American Made
Anybody looking at my posts this morning already knows probably most of my feelings on this movie. This movie really sucked me in, I really loved it, it felt immersive and interesting and nuanced and heartfelt. It completely devastated me at the end. Barry Seal is another one of my favorite TC roles, there’s again a (more subtle) camp that’s portrayed very genuinely and feels human and real. He’s so deeply endearing in this role. I love his hair. I love his style. I think TC should wear that style of clothing more often if he so desires cause god he looks great in this movie. Barry’s dynamic with his wife Lucy, played by Sarah Wright, was the unexpected heart of the movie. This film also features one of the only times I have ever felt catharsis from a character’s self-sacrifice, mostly because this is one of the only times I’ve ever seen that plotline with a character who I genuinely believe would do pretty much anything to survive (I see it alllll the time with characters who already have a death wish). My main issue with this film is that…I don’t know what I’m talking about, to preface. But the portrayal of South America felt stereotyped to me. It didn’t sit right. I would be interested in the perspective of someone who knows more.
9. Jerry Maguire
I watched this movie on an airplane when I was younger and I didn’t connect with it. Then I watched it again and I got bored and I stopped. Then I started Again, 30 minutes in, and watched the rest of it and absolutely loved it. I think my placing of this even in the upper middle is probably controversial, since from what I’ve heard this movie is broadly considered to be TC’s best role. Personally I disagree. I think he’s very good in this, but it isn’t one of my favorite TC roles, and not just because he has short hair in it lol. I think his particular brand of earnest comedy works great in this film. I think TC does manic energy better than any actor I’ve ever seen, and his natural emotional vulnerability works really well too. I can see why people really adore this film. I really loved this film. I guess to me the ultimate message and sentiment of the movie feels…this is a personal taste thing, but I guess the bottom line is this movie isn’t subversive enough for me LOL. The message being “having a life and a family that you love is more important than being wildly successful” is a great message! It just isn’t something I totally connect with, it doesn’t feel like an end goal that satisfies all the (to me more interesting) emotional pain and dysregulation beforehand. I am an angsty bitch though, and very queer, so that’s probably influencing my perspective on this movie. It’s a very well done film, the thematic arc is well built and coherent and interesting, the emotional beats land, I teared up at the end, I loved all the characters and felt like they were all treated well by the movie and given interesting, great journeys. Very good film, I can see why it’s so beloved, it’s very good but not special to me in the same way as some others.
8. Edge of Tomorrow
Ugh I adore this movie. I watched it, wrote a fic the same day, thought about it for a few months, watched it again, and immediately started on a second fic (which I might not finish, but still—the sheer fic-generating power of this movie…) I love this movie for many reasons, one of them is Rita Vrataski, who is so fucking excellent, Emily Blunt does a masterful job. Another one is Bill Cage, who is another favorite TC role even though he breaks the “favorite role” mold a bit, simply because he is Also kind of ridiculous and campy in a way that underlies all of his action-hero-ness and makes him constantly so much more interesting than he should by all rights be allowed to be. His arc is incredibly excellent because it doesn’t allow him to grow a moral backbone, it just forces him into the hero mold without one, which makes for a much more fascinating movie-watching experience. TC is so good at (this is a repetition, but it deserves repetition) playing characters who are kind of not great people, or kind of ridiculous, without ever putting distance between his acting and the lived experience of the character—he’s never poking fun at his own role, he lets us laugh at him. Anyway I really love this movie, I think it’s a gem of a film and a credit to the action genre.
7. Top Gun: Maverick
Another really excellent older TC film. To be perfectly honest despite my deep and enduring love of young TC my tastes generally tend to TC’s later work, with a few notable exceptions. I love this movie, it’s sweet and honest and earnest, and TC’s Mav is endlessly endearing. It’s the kind of movie that I would really like to see one day if/when I grow much older, because I think it has such meaningful emotion behind it about age and legacy. To me a weak point of this movie was that I didn’t totally connect with the young pilots, and I didn’t connect with Jennifer Connelly’s Penny. I think that was a personal thing, I know a lot of other people really loved those characters, but I didn’t connect. For me, I was watching the movie entirely for Mav, and in one scene for Ice, and I still really loved it. So that says something about the film, I think. This is also a slightly difficult film for me because I know at least one kid who decided he wanted to be a fighter pilot because of this movie, and I have complicated feelings about that. Also this is off topic and i hate to even write this down but for some reason mav looks like my ex boyfriend’s dad in a way that is VERY off putting. Still, a very good movie.
6. Fallout
This is one of my favorite MIs, and MI in general is precious to me so you’re going to see a lot of them in the upper echelons of my ranking. I love so much about this movie, I don’t feel like I need to talk much about it here cause I’ve gotten into the intricacies of my feelings about it before. Fallout Ethan is probably my favorite Ethan, I love the place he arrives at in his arc in this movie, I love what this movie does to him and for him. I adore TC’s acting in this film it’s remarkable. The end of this movie is my favorite ending of the MI films, maybe one of my favorite film endings ever. I love all the characters in this movie and I love how much care they’re given by the script, by the actors, by the film. Just excellent. I don’t like Walker, I don’t personally find him hot or interesting, maybe if I did this would be ranked higher.
5. Rogue Nation
RN is just a really fucking excellent movie. Another MI, because I love them. I love Ilsa so dearly, I love Benji and Ethan’s arc in this movie. Again, I’ve talked about this movie more in depth elsewhere, so I’ll keep it brief here. I just think this movie is great cinema, it’s deeply compelling and entertaining, it’s well written, it’s well acted, it has some really interesting elements, it has the opera sequence which is just one of the most excellently constructed sequences I’ve ever seen in a movie featuring music that I adore. Anyway I love this movie
4. Dead Reckoning, Part 1
I saw this movie in theaters—it’s the only one of all these movies that I saw in theaters. That necessarily influences the ranking. I think this movie is just masterful. It’s so cinematic, it’s so thoughtful, it’s so well acted, it’s so well made. It drives Ethan’s arc in a compelling direction that feels significant and new despite also being something that’s been building for six prior films. I love the new characters it introduces, I love the thoughtful and careful treatment of the returning characters. I love Ethan’s sexy lawyer fit. This is just a really excellent movie that I feel like is a masterclass in Pure Cinema.
3. Rock of Ages
On the one hand I’m aware this is my most controversial ranking. On the other hand I don’t actually think anyone who knows me and my tastes is surprised by this. Stacee Jaxx is far and away my favorite TC role I’ve seen so far. I just can’t say enough great things about TC’s acting in this movie, it’s literally spellbinding. Not only the thorough commitment to camp, but the commitment to something way deeper than camp, to bringing out depth and genuine emotion through camp, and on top of all of that to stand on stage and perform a full song (training his voice to do so!) with all the panache and physicality and weird professional joy and manic eyes of a rock star, it boggles the mind. This movie is absolutely terrible in my opinion. But it’s just weird enough that it gives this backing of deep subversiveness to TC’s performance and to the ideas behind his Stacee. There are so many haunting moments in this movie and so many moments that made me laugh hysterically while also feeling deeply impacted. The ideas TC is conveying are weird, and dramatic, and not simple at all, and he manages to convey them honestly, dramatically, and with so much nuance, and so much fucking gravitas, and he does all of that without sacrificing comedy—in fact he elevates it, he heightens it. I think his work in this movie is absolutely masterful. I also love his romantic interest in this movie, Constance, played by Malin Akerman, who is a delight. Her scenes with TC are so dynamic and interesting and fun. Also I just love everything about TC’s look in this movie, from the particular build (which feels interesting to me, it’s a very specific build, muscled but not washboard, and solid but showy instead of tank-y, I know this is something he thinks about so I’d be interested in how he prepared physically for the role) to the hair to the tattoos to the leather pants to the trailing hankies, it’s all striking and fun while feeling somehow honest. Despite objectively being a caricature, and having all the flamboyance and drama of a caricature, TC’s Stacee never actually feels like one. He feels like someone who’s trying to become one, and I know several people like that, and he just…nails it.
2. Risky Business
Unlike Rock of Ages, this is an absolutely incredible movie. It’s weird, it’s complex, it’s sad, it’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s really fucking good. TC’s acting here is just fabulous, this is another favorite TC role for completely different reasons—Joel can’t be described as camp, although he is a bit ridiculous, but TC brings so much vulnerability to the role that it feels painful to watch in a very good way. This is an unusually special movie. All the acting is fabulous, TC is standout.
1. Mission: Impossible
What can I say about this movie that hasn’t already been said by my 10 times watching it and my countless textposts and rambling essays? This is my favorite movie of all time. MI1 Ethan and his arc in this movie is fascinating, unusual, grounded, arresting. He’s an unusual action hero, this is an unusual action movie, it’s creepy and compelling. The Jim/Ethan/Claire trio has captured my mind ever since I saw it—as well as the Ethan/Max interactions—Luther is also fucking standout in this movie he’s everything. I just adore this film, it’s incredibly close to my heart, I can’t watch it without losing my mind about 30 times and ranting about the same scenes on tumblr for the fifth time. Anyway. MI1, number one, least surprising ranking to anyone who knows me or follows me.
This has been the Tom Cruise Ranking So Far! I’ve got somewhere in the realm of…fifteen? Twenty? of his films left to watch. I started on Legend today and I think it’s going to land on the bottom. Overall I’ve learned so much about storytelling and performance and character from TC, every movie feels like a masterclass, especially the later films. Anyway I love thoughts and reactions, please feel free to disagree loudly. Thank you for attending my TC Ted Talk
#tc posting#cecil rankings#<-for blocking and sorting purposes#mission impossible#knight and day#iwtv#rock of ages#risky business#tgm#edge of tomorrow#jerry maguire#american made#eyes wide shut#jack reacher#top gun#oblivion#the firm#tom cruise#long post
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lonnie for the character ask thing :)
always. always.
Sexuality Headcanon: i bounce back and forth between whether i think lonnie wouldn’t label his sexuality or whether the act of labeling his sexuality (+ gender for that matter) would be something that feels good for him, but i’d say what either describes it best or IS it is bi. im also fond of aromantic lonnie and both at the same time.
Gender Headcanon: transfem + genderfluid (i tend to use she/he interchangeably for her). and i read it into her narrative too. the way that she always felt a disconnect from her peers that tied into her apologizing to her parents that they weren’t able to bring up the “all-american boy” and the way that her parents emphasize that she’s different from other boys, how the anarky costume has a mask that reflects the faces of the people that look into it back outward + how i feel that through giving so much of her life to being anarky she’d get used to being this entity that’s referred to by terms other than just he and him and man and boy etc. until she unmasks and it defaults back. i think after a while there’d be a disconnect and it wouldn’t really hit until after red robin when she has to deal with just Being Lonnie (and Moneyspider) for longer than she’s ever had to after taking up her mission. and i think that gender fluidity of anarky, despite if she sticks with the identity or not, would be something she decides to embrace for herself as a person. i’ll stop there. but basically its real.
A ship I have with said character: i’ve already been over timlonnie on my tim post so i’ll make my stance clear right here, right now: i like stephlonnie but in my own “their characterizations align with how they were pre-flashpoint and rebirth never happened” way. i think the base concept of lonnie falling for steph is soooo cute and having it be her of all other gothamites would be very fitting. i think he and steph could also bond over quite a lot from the way they approach vigilantism to their complicated relationship with the bats and the joker paternity debacle vs. having the cluemaster as a chromosome donor.
A BROTP I have with said character: lonnie does not have many friends and that is a purposeful thing. i already mentioned tim on my tim post so instead of saying he + mia dearden, which is entirely made up in my own mind but nonetheless has me in a chokehold, i’ll say he and oliver queen, which is one of my favorite out of the… 3 big dynamics he has with other vigilantes. oliver is the one older person who, despite distrusting him at first, came to approach lonnie’s way of doing things with an open mind and actually teamed up with her twice. partnering with lonnie reminded ollie of the ideals he holds dear and of his younger self in a way that prompted good introspection. i think having someone like ollie around, who is an experienced leftist vigilante willing to see things her way while also providing a bit of natural guidance and even potentially a community would be good for lonnie… and i forever mourn the team-up comic that was proposed but never got made. hard traveling heroes 2 forever.
A NOTP I have with said character: ummmm. rebirth stephlonnie? born of horrid characterization. there are not many people he’s interacted with enough to ship him with. i guess i’ve seen people ship he and bruce in the far dark corners of earlier bat fandom which should go without saying but fucking sucks ❤️
A random headcanon: aside from her 12-year-old self’s job as a paperboy, she likes biking. being active in general too but she should probably slow down because there is no way 9+ hours of exercise a day is healthy
General Opinion over said character: my favorite comic book character and i can’t see that changing soon. lonnie means the absolute world to me and more. getting a little personal, i’ve met some of my best friends through liking and talking about anarky, and for that i’m forever thankful. digging into the history behind his creation and his use in the bat narrative revealed just how much passion was put into him as a character which makes him even better and more meaningful to me even if he went in a direction i wasn’t the biggest fan of. despite less than 100 appearances, she’s a complex character with some of my favorite comics under her belt and an unforgettable debut appearance. what she means when put up against bruce and the potential that held is something i never tire of discussing. i wish every single day that dc would stop marketing her as a batman villain. i think she should’ve been disabled and had what happened to her during Red Robin centered around her because i think it would’ve been an excellent way to both give her more prominence and develop her along more after such a period of being so isolated + putting her whole identity into her mission. i never get bored of reading through her comics over again, it makes me genuinely so happy to do so. machin nation forever and im serious.
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What I Watched This Week – 1/7 – 1/13
The Quintessential Quintuplets S1 – Last year, I went a bit outside my usual groove to try some ecchi anime, with moderate success, so I figured I’d do harem anime this year. I often see this series about a broke boy hired to tutor five sisters from a wealthy family talked about as the pinnacle of the genre, making it a good place to start. There was a fair amount I enjoyed. The character designs were colorful and distinctive, most of the characters had likeable personalities, and the conflict was kind of fun. However, a lot of the fanservice felt really contrived, the MC was borderline verbally abusive sometimes, and the way the girls’ large breasts were drawn and animated just made me roll my eyes. I didn’t hate it, and I’m a little curious to see how it plays out, so I’ll probably watch the rest of the series, since it’s only 12 more episodes and a movie. If this is the best of the genre, though, it’s probably not for me. 6/10
Mask Danshi: This Shouldn’t Lead to Love – I really enjoy this BL manga about a boy who hides behind a surgical mask at school catching the eye of a slightly sadistic popular boy, so I finally got around to watching the 24-minute OVA they released for it in the fall. It adapts the first volume of the manga, compressing it quite a bit, as well as rearranging events a little. I can’t say how well it would work for an anime only viewer, and it’s too full of dubious consent for to recommend to anyone unfamiliar with the genre, but I enjoyed seeing what amounted to a highlights reel for one of my favorite opening volumes for a BL series. I was surprised to hear Yuusuke Kobayashi and Takuya Eguchi coming out of the characters’ mouths, and they did an excellent job. 7/10
Suzume – Makoto Shinkai movies are extremely hit or miss for me, but this adventure story centered on a teenage girl travelling the length of Japan to close interdimensional doors to prevent natural disasters was a hit for me. It was an incredibly bold move to introduce a handsome university student only to turn him into a chair shortly after, but it worked somehow, and it just felt right watching Suzume carry this chair with her on her quest. I thought the doors were an interesting framing device to explore the twin anxieties of the dwindling population outside Tokyo and the aftermath of disasters changing the landscape and leaving whole neighborhoods abandoned. The various characters Suzume meets along the way were all a delight, especially the convertible-driving university student her middle-aged aunt seemed to be vibing with. Like every other Shinkai movie, the backgrounds are gorgeous, the art is colored perfectly, and the characters are animated well, with lifelike movements. 8/10
Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac Ep. 1-20 – I’ve been trying to watch more classic shounen, but it’s been a bit of a rocky road so far. I’m a little surprised to see how many glowing reviews this has, as it was a definite struggle for me to get through twenty episodes. I can certainly see how this inspired an earlier generation of fujoshi shippers, as the cast of male characters run the gamut from macho, to flamboyant, to little brother and so on, have distinctive, campy costumes, and carry on at length about friendship and sacrificing themselves for each other. However, the story and plot takes a back seat to the action, and it was incredibly boring to sit through fight after fight after fight that were neither choreographed nor animated well. Pretty sure this is going to sit on my “On Hold” list with a bunch of other 100+ episode shounens indefinitely. I do have to note, though, that the opening song is awesome.
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My favorite thing about The New Employee so far is the way Jong Chan looks at Seung Hyun. And grabs his wrist or takes his hand. Or leans his head on Seung Hyun’s shoulder. Or can’t stop touching him as he shows him off to their advertising clients. Plus I love his soft morning casual look with his hair down. Overall, I don’t think the show is quite for me, for a variety of reasons, but WOW can Kwon Hyuk convey desire. The pure want dripping off of him when he allows himself to let his mask drop. (And there are no dead fish kisses here, no sirree! I think we were worried suspicious last week because it looked like they were using fancy camera angles to hide bad kisses, but, uh, they do not need to do that.)
I am excited about the new complications introduced at the end though! Was the logo on the pen a connection to Seung Hyun’s college crush, Yoo Seong? (Would I recognize it if I’d been paying more attention?) What is Jong Chan’s relationship with Yoo Seung’s anyway? And who is the mysterious person Yoo Seung is in love with? (You can see I have a bit of second lead syndrome going on. He’s just so pretty.)
Needless to say, I’m going to keep watching despite my reservations, because I want to find out all the answers! And because I suspect that Seung Hyun and Jong Chan will change quite a bit over the course of the story, and I’m curious to see who they become.
My other favorite thing is continues to be how explicitly queer this show is, as @heretherebedork says here (and other places).
I had decided to keep this post positive, but I can’t resist complaining. Or at least talking about the parts that aren’t working for me. Besides my general struggles with the ad agency office setting, which I’ve complained about anytime anything like it comes up, I’m just not that into a smiley eager puppy of a protagonist. It’s why I didn’t connect as much with Choco/Jungwoo in Choco Milk Shake, it’s probably part of the reason PayuRain never worked for me. And Seung Hyun is more complex than just an eager intern, but I’m still not really connecting with him. And part of that is that it feels like his eagerness and shyness compounds the already sizable power difference between the two. Which, given the ending, I suspect that dynamic will be upended soon, but it did make watching this episode less interesting to me because I wasn’t really feeling their connection. Which I realize is a me thing, and other people enjoy that kind of power dynamic much more. I felt Jong Chan’s physical attraction for sure, and Seung Hyun’s admiration (hero worship perhaps?) but I’m not really sure what they like about each other. I guess it just feels like they don’t actually know each other yet. Which I suppose might be the point, at this moment of their arc. Lee Boem even said basically as much, that this awkward getting to know each other stage is fun. So I think I’ve talked myself around to appreciating how their courtship is being depicted, at least intellectually. If this is just the calm before the storm, if it’s actually setting them up for a crisis that deepens their relationship, then it works.
Perhaps the problem is that everything about their date seemed stressful to me. Watching them sitting alone in a dark, cold (it looked like the kind of place that would be over air conditioned) fancy restaurant, too nervous to have a real conversation, made me want to walk out of there on Seung Hyun’s behalf. Not that he wanted to leave, I was just projecting. And if we count the ad pitch as a second date, which I think we can since it was clearly part of their courting, well, that seems even more miserable. But again, very much a me thing, the characters were clearly thrilled by it.
The other thing I struggle with is the interjections in of the manwha comic that’s telling Seung Hyun’s story as he’s living it? I don’t understand the purpose of these fourth wall breaks, or fantasy elements, or whatever it’s supposed to be, and so I just find them annoying. Like, it doesn’t feel so far like it’s connected to anything else in the story, or helping Seung Hyun learn something, or otherwise is meaningful, just like they’re trying to be cute. It doesn’t help that I don’t like most manwha/comic/manga drawing styles, including thus one, and I’d rather spend the time on the actors’ faces.
And, like many Korean BL, the run time is just too short for the story they’re trying to tell, so it leaves things feeling rushed and unfinished. Alas.
Despite all my criticisms, I am very curious to see where this goes, so I will keep watching. And, as I said above, there are many things I like, I just needed to get my complaints off my chest.
(oh, and the sound effects! (one last complaint and then I'll stop for real.) I continue to not be a fan of comedic sound effects, although these at least are well matched and timed. I think its part of the same issue as the vaguely supernatural manwha; the show is going for a comedic slapstick one when I want a bit more seriousness from it. I'm very particular about slapstick, I love it when well executed, but it annoys me when not, and I have a high threshold for well executed. Kabe Koji is the only thing I can remember recently succeeding for me in that regard.)
#the new employee#the new employee the series#tne ep 3#some kvetching below the cut#gillianthecat reacts to bl#office settting ql
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For the ask game you reblogged I’m going for ivy, taro, orchid and edelweiss (you don’t have to do all of them if you don’t want to). Besides that, I hope life has been kind to you and that you are doing well! 💖
Ooo these are tough and under a cut because I like to talk a lot
Ivy: what are your ‘tells’ for your emotions and moods? how can someone tell you’re happy, annoyed, upset or tired?
When I talk i use my hands a lot so I know that when I’m excited I like. just go EVERYWHERE. I have hit multiple people and I feel so bad about it. when I’m happy about something I have caught myself hand stimming a few times/jumping up and down.
Usually when I’m tired/done in a conversation I just completely tune out and space so far I reach the andromeda galaxy lol. If it’s way too much I’ll put in earbuds because a solid consistent bass/beat gives me a kind of undertone to focus on.
Taro: if someone called you right now to catch up, what’re the things you’d tell them about?
I really hate to say this but I probably wouldn’t respond. I am uh. Very Not Social. Phone calls/texting/emails kinda freak me out because I can’t read the conversation as well.
If someone came up to me in person though, I’d definitely respond. Probably just say like hi, how’s it going, still working at [place], how’s [university] is it fun, etc.
Orchid: what’s a song you consider to be perfect?
Bear with me because I’m about to show my whole soul here. Ik it’s like cringe or whatever but I’m cringe and I am free. Imagine dragons Amsterdam. I listened to it when I was like 15 and cried. Very personal song to me.
I’ve also gotta say some weathers songs of course. Rehab, Umbrella company, sucker, casual mondays, shallow water. Not in any particular order but I did make about 36 gifs from the rehab music video so I think you’ll know which one if my favorite. I wish wish wish I could add carsick because I SCREAM it whenever it comes on my playlist but there’s one. single. line. That I just don’t like. Yes it’s the words cut like a knife line.
Everything else about that song is stunning though. 10/10 would destroy my vocal chords
Edelweiss: how’d you think of your url/username? what’s it associated with to you?
So uh. Bear with me again here. As a kid my username for EVERYTHING was preppycat. It is still saved somehow in my phone’s autocorrect (even though I didn’t have a phone at the time) and I think my early early days roblox account still exists. It was taken from this. I’m so sorry that you had to listen to that.
We travel a few years after that and holy shit the original marvel avengers is everywhere. My friends and I decide to draw each other that cat avengers. Catvengers if you will. We made fun little portmanteaus of our names with avengers characters and/or words related to cats. (I.e. Lokitty. Adorable.)
All that to say it’s like 3 generations of changes from my name with an avenger and a cat, now completely unrecognizable to what it once was. I love it.
Now it’s definitely associated with the semi-persona that goes with it for me. I think “lica” And I don’t think of me watching avengers, I think of some funky little [gender] with a mask and some suspenders.
Thanks for asking because I had a great time completely exposing myself to the world lmao. Hope you’re doing well also and be sure to drink water and have some snacks!!
✿ ask game here ✿
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