Ruby Stokes and Cameron Chapman as Lucy Carlyle and Anthony Lockwood in Lockwood & Co (2023)

rereading my FO4 fanfics, realizing I really suck at finishing them >.<.

that said, the one I really want to throw at the greyspace is... well complicated. Do I post as I wrote it, with the long intro that sets things up or... And the themes in some of this is a bit.. well it could def be called triggery. I'm so out of the loop. is anyone even activly sharing falllout fanfic anymore? Not that it matters honestly but still. I hate this wishy-washy me. It's been too long since I've shared my writing in any capacity. then there's the whole... I gotta finish the damn thing too... ANYWAYS... *goes back to tidying up a not as messy as I thought WIP*

Edited to add: I wish my drawing skills were better, one little scene in that fanfic I would love to draw (maxson getting teased about a hickey, I mean come on that would be epic) but alas, I've neglected my drawing skills and I think even stick figures might be beyond my abilities atm. XD

phantom thoughts:

julia udine was a fantastic christine. really strong vocally, a courageous and compassionate and really solid leading lady. she starts out clueless and scared and grows into a capable and resolute person, even though she’s clearly damaged and still scared. i loved how her ‘wishing you were somehow here again’ came across as a rallying point for the character instead of just a lament. (hoped we would get to see emilie kouatchou in the role, since she was on the posters and promotional material, but alas)

ben crawford’s phantom was good, but unusual. he has weird diction where he tightens his vowels (instead of loosening them like most singers) which was a little distracting, but it wasn’t bad by any means. he played the role more like a straight-up villain which was exciting, considering my favorite and most-watched versions of the phantom are the softer/childish/sympathetic portrayals (we are hugh panaro stans first and people second) the only downside to this bad-guy take is that his change of heart during the final lair seems somewhat abrupt because of his prior villainy, but it was a fun change of pace to have an a-hole phantom. i wish he would have gone with a softer portrayal at times though because he was really really good in the quiet and tender moments!

he also did that thing where he doesnt know what to do with his hands any time he’s around christine, like he wants to touch her but isnt allowed to, ESPECIALLY when she kisses him (and i love it)

let me talk about my favorite ben crawford phantom moment now: the first high note in ‘music of the night’ (the high A♭ on soar). i was in shock bc i always hear vocalists go into falsetto or head voice on just that note and i was fully expecting to hear that little break/switch in the voice on soar but he sang it in full chest voice, and it still sounded gentle and floaty and ethereal.

as an aside, assuming ben stays on until february, i love that the role is bookended by two crawfords

paul adam schaefer was a solid raoul, no complaints. it sounds dismissive when i say it, but i mean it in the best way possible since raoul isnt as nuanced of a role compared to the phantom and christine. there wasnt anything that stood out as particularly different or extraordinary about his performance, nor anything negative. he was good and i liked him 👍

im just in awe of the sheer magnitude of the production. no expense spared. entire setpieces and props used only for five minutes and never seen again. the ensemble is massive and the costumes sumptuous and there’s always something else happening on stage (ballet chorus practicing during angel of music, stagehands running around ‘backstage’, etc) it’s so immersive. not to mention the chandelier 👁️👄👁️. and the pyrotechnics. and the hanging angel sculpture. and th

jaw on the mf floor when the curtain came up on the masquerade. the giant staircase, the entire ensemble in these insane costumes, the fake people on the ends of the rows. i could watch it twelve times and notice something new every time. they really dont make theatre like they used to

the two opera managers (nehal joshi as andre and craig bennett as firmin) almost stole the show. their comedic timing was impeccable and they both were able to inject humor into lines that i’ve seen otherwise played straight by other actors. & one of them is big and tall and the other is shorter and small, so theyve got that big/small comedy duo thing to add to the humor

emma thought meg sang a little flat when she wasn’t in harmony, but i didn’t hear it (emma is a much better vocalist than i am though, so i’ll just take her word for it)

raquel suarez groen as carlotta was just *chef kiss* she’s one of my favorite roles in the musical for the sheer skill required for such an underrated role

i still have no idea how he disappears through that chair at the end.

and finally, here’s me at da majestic, 9 years in the making :3

edit: i also bought this cool pin

The Making of: The Perfect Tree

You know...my memories of how The Perfect Tree came to be aren't as clear as I wish they were. It was a haze of shippy delight and holiday spirit. It was a rush of endorphins. It was the magnetic draw to my keyboard.

It was...NaNoWriMo 2020.

Neville/Percy is a rare pair I genuinely need more of. My first experience of this ship was in faint indirections. I was definitely drawn in by the Snarry tag, but stayed for the Perceville! Their sweet, awkward romance spoke to me.

Alas: they are super rare. I tore through all I could find. I reread the ones I loved most. I pouted in the lack. I screamed into my pillow because why doesn't anyone else love them as much as I do????

It wasn't right away that I decided to write it. Come on. Who wants to do the work themselves? I wanted it provided to me!

Besides: I have enough to write, don't I??

Then: NaNoWriMo 2020. I went "rogue" again that year, opting to throw 50k into various projects. I wrote Romantic Notions that month (a Neville centric fic) and...maybe that's where it began. It wasn't a direct jump from Romantic Notions to The Perfect Tree, but some bit of Neville-love remained lodged in my brain.

I still had words to write. Days left in November to go. Neville was on my noggin'. And I did have a great love for Neville/Percy. Maybe I should write one, after all! Even better because writing different ships means other opportunities to push my background Snarry agenda! And...with the holidays coming up...and my great love of the holidays...

I really love Christmas trees. Neville loves plants. I religiously hate-watch Hallmark movies. (No offense to Hallmark lovers, but it's mega fun to watch them and text my Bestie about how trash they are, while also secretly enjoying them. But just a smidgeon.) It all sort of fell together. Easy as pie!

Neville having a tree lot? How fun! Holiday in Hogsmeade? What a dream! Sweet awkward romance? Sign me up! Background Snarry? Hallelujah!

Truly, it was such a joy to write. Work was slow (this was 2020, after all.) (We were essential, but our workload dropped a lot.) I typed this baby up in Google Docs on my work computer. Copy-pasted into Scrivener at the end of the day. (The opposite of how that usually goes!) All 9k words written in only a few days, I believe.

I have so much love for Neville and for Percy. I love Neville being a bit shy and insecure. I love Percy being so strict and pompous. I love how skilled they both are, and how they can respect one another. And the more lighthearted vibe was a nice change of pace from my usual angsting! I threw in all of my headcanons and feelings about both characters, and their relationship, into this story. And I indulged a bit with my background Snarry! A special holiday treat, just for me!

And I loved it so much, I played around in the same world some more: The Christmas Prince (fleshing out the Snarry side of the story) and Holidate (less direct involvement, but still related! Dron + Ginsy in this one!) I wrote them all back to back, that's how attached to this little universe I was! I even edited and posted The first two before NaNoWriMo was even done! (Perfectly good writing days wasted on edits! Tsk tsk, self.)

Anyway, it's a bit odd to realize that my ultimate Perceville fic is a holiday fic, and part of a series. Don't ask why, my Brain is just weird. But recently I was thinking of how Contempt is my ultimate Snarry feels fic, and Collateral Damage is my ultimate Dron feels fic. And thinking of how I needed to write more "perfect fics" for each of my ships. And eventually realizing I'd already done one for Perceville. (Also kinda funny how it is related to Snarry and Dron fics, just not the big Snarry and Dron fics!)

Okay enough babbling. I don't have a good way to wrap this one up so GOODBYE I LOVE YOU GUYS THANKS FOR READING MY SILLY THOUGHTS.

i am down in the pjsekai rabbit hole hhhhh BUT HELP LOOK tsukasas va dancing 😭 its cute sobs and also i see ur other post abt ningguang,,,, WHAT WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN 😠😠🤨🤨

anyway to satiate ur,,, whatever ur feeling for this woman 😇😇 here are tiktok edits (?) i found which are like really old because no recent/new edits are appearing in my fyp

here here and,here

ALSO I SEE THAT!!!!! i was scrolling through my friendslist and saw this in ur profile?! #) 2)#9#

i would play the game if it was available in mobile bUT ITS NOT 🤬🤬🤬

THE LIL CUTE MOVEMENTS...... THE JUMP ......... thank you so much for that video tbh it made my vv good day even better 😭💖 he fits being tsukasa's va sm LMAO <333 ( pls also do not perceive my posts abt ningguang 💔haha kidding ofc pls DO actually. i love her so much and she shld be loved by everyone too ... <3 )

AND THE TIKTOK EDITS OMG ... editors are so skilled PLS ?!?!?!? 🥺✨ ningguang beloved my light my hope my soul my everything my all, my ningguang <33 and the 2nd oh god. beidou. beidou............ 💗 third link is empty though ?? 4th omg beidou yes <3 i wish it were ningguang but. alas. WHBAJHABHBFH

& OMG YES MY PROFILE !! 💪💕 play ffxiv so true B) <3 I CLDN'T RESIST ADVERTISING WHAHABFJHDB </3 <3 but. YEAH ... it's def a pc/console game for sure, doubt they'd ever put it on mobile sobs T^T the best next thing tho wld be to watch the cutscenes online, maybe... haha... hahaha >< BUT FR experiencing it yourself is best & it's really long so. BUT /NF PLS HELP yeah tho MAN ☹️👊

☆ﾐ 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚊𝚢 “𝚘𝚑”

PART 10: BIG DICK IS BACK IN TOWN

y/n is back in brooklyn for the holidays. thinking that a stream will make her feel less homesick for cali, she starts working on her famously titled hentai.free.srv. what was supposed to be a relaxing stream turns into a special delivery about two hours in.

─── corpse husband x reader ─── soc. media + written fiction! ─── word count: 2.2k ─── ❥ req: Here's one... You know those apps for delivery like Domino's or whatnot... What if reader is streaming Among Us with Corpse, and reader mentions they're hungry and Corpse offers to order them food, and readers like no no it's fine... Then there's delivery at the door (Corpse ordered beforehand) 

author’s note: fucky format is also back in town baby!!! also if you find any mistakes - no u didnt <3 thank u everyone for enjoying this story sm i literally cant believe how feral yall going strawberry cow was a nuclear explosion im still recovering tbh. got an ask a while ago and decided to incorporate it into myso. happy holidays everyone! myso will continue on monday!

ultimate masterlist.  ҉  myso masterlist   ҉   previous.  ҉   next.

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Indeed, being soft on any social media platform was the biggest disgrace and needed to be eliminated post haste. Moreover, it was a slippery slope - once you start flooding your timeline with cute imagery and heart emojis, what will stop you from posting inspirational Facebook quotes? Disgusting. If Rae were here, she would chide you (not you thinking about her as if she’s dead or something). For once in your life, you feel like you deserve it. 

Alas, you hope this little chaos you’ve caused is enough to throw everyone off. The stans, especially. You know the hashtags, you’ve seen ARMY scourging for info online with the same fervor and ruthlessness 1 Direction fans hacked airport security cameras just to spy on the boys. If you had any dirty secrets online, they are out to the public now - thankfully, besides the Harry Styles stan account (with edits and all), you have nothing. Though, now that you think about it, exposed nudes would have been better than your Punk!Harry edit receiving almost a million views. God, your life’s a fucking mess.

Your fans aren’t the only ones out for info - you, too, are trying to decipher Rae’s message. Code: Barbecue Sauce. The two of you had come up with it roughly two years ago, around the same time when you promised that if you didn’t find significant others by the time you’re 40, you’ll just marry each other. It was one of the many rules found in your friendship codex. Barbecue Sauce signifies information - an exchange of information. And depending on how it ends or begins (”So I’m sitting there” alludes to Rae, “On my titties” alludes to you), secret data on that person is given away, usually free of charge. 

But why? And to whom did Rae give away what? You had pestered her mercilessly and even sent some voice messages where you were crying. You were only crying because of a video of a grandpa smiling you saw on TikTok, but you are a snake, and so you put those tears to good use. If streaming doesn’t work out, you’ll just become an actress. Hollywood would love you. Your PR firm sure as fuck wouldn’t, though.

Rae was having none of it. She said you’ll figure it out eventually. Told you to channel your superior puzzle skills. You were quick to remind her that you can barely count to ten without having an aneurysm. Oddly serious, she admitted that she worries for you sometimes. Why only sometimes?! you demanded. She merely sighed. uttering under her breath something that sounded closely to “Boke.”

You leave her for barely a week and she’s already neck deep in the gay volleyball anime, hoodie and cardboard cutout and everything. Your life is falling apart.

But Brooklyn is nice. It had snowed when you stepped off of the plane. Thousands of snowflakes sprinkling into your hair, dotting your cheeks and nose. You missed this sight back in Cali. You missed your parents, too. 

Home cooked meals, old sweaters, your old room and about 40GB worth of old high school pictures on your computer. You went through them all one night. Some were stomach churning, cringe inducing nightmares. You were especially fond of those. Texted some of your friends that were still in Brooklyn, met up, decided to bake. Bad idea, Rae was the resident chef back in Cali. Besides laughing till your stomach hurt, and almost burning down your kitchen, nothing all that significant happened. Somewhere down the line, at about 3 am, half-way through a cheesy rom-com you had the overwhelming urge to text Corpse.

That’s where the problems really started. God, you missed California, missed being in the same timezone with a guy you hadn’t even met yet, how embarrassing is that?! You missed skating around and taking pictures of the beach in the setting sun, sending it to him, silently wishing he was with you to admire the view. 

You really want to call him. And to hang out with him. But for some reason, the thought of that springs up immediate anxiety and you shy away from asking. Him sending you cute good morning texts doesn’t help, either. Maybe it’s better he doesn’t know that you’re a blushing, stuttering mess each time you read “baby”. 

Late evening. Your stream is already set up, people are slowly trickling in and you greet them with a grin and a soft “Hello! Hi hi!”. You did your best to make your room a perfectly chaotic backdrop - led lights, an embarrassing amount of anime merch and plushies. You always try to balance out your weeb side by dressing hot as fuck for your streams - today’s inspiration just so happens to be egirls. Mostly because you watched one too many egirl make-up tutorials on TikTok, and also because you’ve been listening to Corpse’s song all day.

Yeah, no, who are you kidding, you dressed up this way because you were hoping Corpse was watching your stream. You didn’t forget your cat headphones, either. You know he likes them. You want to make him suffer. Perhaps then, finally, he will ask you out, so you wouldn’t have to.

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“I feel like,” You start when you put away your phone, staring idly at the chat, “I feel like I need a new name for you guys. Calling you guys after two years of streaming is just... weird, no? I also don’t respect men so I don’t want to call you guys. Like, so many creator’s have, like, a name for their fans. Uhm, Cody Ko has the chodesters, Kurtis Conner has, uh, folks? Kurtis Town? Citizens! Markiplier has mommy issues--” You can’t help snorting, “So, I’ve been, like, thinking - I know, shocking! - so I was thinking I’m gonna name you cockroaches. Because you’re grimy little shits impossible to kill. And also then I can use the legendary Minaj meme ROACHES!”

Your stream enthusiastically echoes ROACHES, making the chat swim. Yes, if anyone would enjoy such a name, it would be your audience. You’re as equally proud as you are disturbed.

“Well, anyway.” Leaning back into your chair, you throw your arms out with a bright grin, “Big dick is back in town, baby! If you noticed the backdrops different, it’s cuz I’m in Brooklyn now. Don’t ask me when I will return to Always Sunny, I don’t plan that far ahead.”

While Minecraft boots up, you decide to answer a few questions.

r u dating sykkuno?

You want to smack your head into the keyboard, but as it is, you can’t exactly afford a new one, so you refrain, “No, Sykkuno and I are not dating, we are just good friends. Uhm, I’m not sure how much I’ll have to repeat this, but, we really aren’t, so if the roaches could chill - Oh my God, that sounds so stupid, I love it - uh, yeah, if the roaches could chill that’d be great.”

the roaches lmao sounds like we’re a sports team

“Oh shit, yeah it does, uh-- maybe I can make like, jerseys or something. That’d be cool, I think.”

how disappointed are your parents with the way your life turned out?

“My parents are actually not disappointed at all!” You say with a cute little smile, “Uhm, they’re both really proud, actually. They’re glad I found something I love doing and made a job outta it. Dad finds my Youtube videos endearing. Yes, they watch pretty much all of my videos, unless I explicitly tell them not to. And yeah, with all the fucks and thirsting for anime characters. Uhm, it was very embarrassing at first, but I mean, after a while, shame just...doesn’t exist anymore, I guess? Funny thing about my parents, actually, when they watch my videos-” You eye catches a comment, “Oh! No, they only watch my Youtube videos. They don’t know how to use Twitter, thank God. Uhm, anyway-- when they hear a name they don’t know, like, I dunno, Dabi, or something, they google--” You’re grinning by now, eyes crinkling, giggling softly, “--who that is, and buy me like, merch and stuff. It’s really cute. 

can i be adopted by ur parents plz

will you and corpse ever collab?!

You were about to answer, though the man of the hour himself decides to do it for you.

Corpse_Husband: yes.

Okay, not to say your heart skipped a beat, but it totally did. With a pleased smile, you nod, like one of those bobble head toys sold at the dollar store. The motion is oddly reminiscent of Sykkuno’s own nod. Perhaps you had picked it up from him. The chat seems to notice.

pack it up, sykkuno

More questions pile about this mysterious collab you and Corpse are planning. Yeah, you’d like to hear more about it, too, since he single highhandedly decided one was happening right now. Corpse remains silent. Fine, keep your secrets. 

“Okay, guys, oh, I mean, roaches, Oh my God--” You’re covering your mouth, giggling, “-calling all roaches, calling all roaches, calm down. Everyone grab a snack and a blanket I’m turning up the music volume so we can all chill. Entering chill zone. Entering chill zone. Roaches, prepare.”

we are prepared

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An hour or so passes and you grow hungry. It shows with the amount of cakes you had baked in your server. Currently, you find yourself throwing eggs at the wall of one of the renovated houses, your face scrunched in concentration and slight frustration. 24 of the 50 eggs have been wasted. “What’s a girl gotta do to get some chicks around here?” you had uttered under your breath, until, finally, a screech - the egg finally spawns a mob. Your mouth falls open, “Aww, look!” You approach it, so small, walking in zigzags beside you, “It’s a baby chicken! Die, bitch.” The baby chicken is no more as you swing your bedazzled (you have mods) diamond sword. You’re cackling by the time the dust settles.

y/n is a child murderer

“Roaches,” You address your fan-base, spurring another fit of laughter - you can’t get over the name, “I think I’m like, forgetting that eating in Minecraft won’t actually make less hungry in real life.”

take a break and go eat queen <3

“Fuck no, we starve and die like men. Now I actually really need another chicken.”

Another twenty minutes trickle by and you’re trying to lure back a panda from the jungle when there’s a knock on your bedroom’s door. Whipping your head to the side, you slide down your headphones. At the same time, your mom pokes her head through the ajar door, “MOM!” You scream, “Get OUT of my room I’m playing Minecraft!” But your yell has no actual bite to it, as you don’t manage to hide your smile. Your mom laughs, doing some sort of sign language and motioning for you to follow her with her head. That or it’s some sort of performative dance. 

“I’m live right now,” You tell her, pointing at your screen. She knows this already, though, “do you want to say hi?” 

The roaches spam the chat with friendly hellos. You mom, quite impatient now, waves you over. 

“Sorry, roaches, mom needs something. Be back in a bit!”

Stopping the stream, you rush out of your seat and pleased she slinks into the hallway. “What’s this about?”

“Your pizza came.”

“My what now?” You echo, confused.

“Domino’s. You ordered pizza?”

“What? No? I was busy with the stream, I never--”

Thankfully, you had managed to grab your phone from your room before you exited. You almost choke on spit once you read the messages.

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You decide that it’ll be impossible to stream after experiencing what you had just experienced. You tweet out a quick apology to the roaches (God, that fucking name) and say that you had a breakdown but you’re okay. That is as a close to the truth as you managed to muster. It’s a sad sight, chewing and crying; your mom winced when she saw your state - disheveled hair and rundown eyeliner and everything. “D’aww,” She had muttered, caressing the top of your head, “don’t cry my little raccoon.”

If anyone was ever to ask you where did your chaotic nature come from, you’d answer with my mom. To make yourself feel better, you took a selfie - duck face and peace sign and the horrible 2000′s angle. Sent it to Rae. 

looking hot, her message read. 

thanks, was all you replied with.

You couldn’t just leave things as they were. Once you calmed down, you wanted to text Corpse, but how would you follow up the ungodly caps lock and screeching? Impossible. An idea sprung to mind, one that was brave. Taking the first step.

Instead of sending a text, you sent a voice memo.

“Thank you for the pizza, it was delicious.”

You voice still sounded a bit raspy. His reply was instant. Your heart skipped a beat. He sent a voice memo back.

“Glad you liked it, baby.”

He was going to be the death of you.

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tags (in italics is those i couldn’t tag! make sure all’s ok w your settings!) : @littlebabysandboxburritos - @fairywriter-oracle - @tsukishimawh0re - @ofstarsanddreams - @bbecc-a - @annshit - @leahh19 - @letsloveimagines - @bellomi-clarke - @wineandionysus - @guiltydols - @onephootinfrontoftheother - @liamakorn - @thirstyfangirl - @lilysdaydreams - @pan-ini - @mxqicshxp - @tanchosanke - @yoshinorecommends - @flightsandfantasy - @liljennyx3 - @slashersdream - @unknown-and-invisible - @sinister-sleep - @fivedicksinatrenchcoat - @mercury–moon - @peterparkerspjsuit - @unstableye - @simonsbluee - @shinyshimaagain - @ppopty - @siriuslystupid - @crapimahuman - @ofthedewthesunlight - @mythicalamphitrite - @artsyally - @corpsesimpp - @corpsewhitetee - @corpse-husbandsimp - @hyp-oh-critical - @roses-and-grasses - @rhyrhy462 - @sparklylandflaplawyer - @charbkgo - @airwaveee - @creativedogs - @kaitlyn2907 - @loxbbg - @afuckingunicornn - @fleurmoon - @yeolliedokai - @truly-dionysus - @multi-fandom-central707

more tags are in the comments bcs tumblr only allows me to tag 50 people max 💙

Fashionable Discharge

Part 2 - Yandere Vil x Chubby Reader x ???

Warning: Strong Verbal Abuse

Proofread and Edited By (Discord) spyratical

Part 1 - Part 3

When Mr. Χάος proposed these "hangouts" (if you can even call them that), you did not imagine that each time you were invited over, the majority of the time would be spent in an awkward dead silence between the both of you. You sincerely make multiple attempts to make friendly conversation with the man, but with your lack of social skills and Vil's blunt answers, it made for poor exchanges. Whenever the hour was up, Vil would dismiss you, and you would call Mr. Χάος shortly after, whom would always be ready to pick you up at a moment's notice; it seemed that out all of your supposed guardians, Mr. Χάος is the one whom cares about you the most. As you would relay the events of said hour, he could tell that you're crestfallen with yourself.

Shortly after each session, Χάος would treat you to your favorite snack, and spend time with you afterwards; from taking you out to a new place to explore to simply making dinner at your place whilst you wallow in your emotions within the comfort of your own space, you simply said the word and Mr. Χάος would do his best to accommodate to your wishes. As professional as his job required him to be, especially as one of your parents' best advisers and legal consultants, Χάος always made time and put effort into caring for you, only with the best intentions in mind. He understood that with you coming of age, you would want to explore more of the outside world rather than the confined limitations of the studies your parents would allow your tutors to teach. With your inept social skills, he also understood that you needed a way to practice how to mingle with others who are not from the small circle of people your parents trust with the secrecy of your existence. Hence, how he came up with his offer for Vil; Vil, being your age, could serve as a familiar to converse with, and afterwards you could also go on small expeditions in the outside world, if you wished.

The only thing Χάος wished could go better would be Schoenheit's behavior towards the temporary arrangement. He expected this conduct to happen within the first two meetings but seeing the fifth meeting bear the same results as the previous ones, he couldn't help but feel weary.

Alas, today is a new day, and with that, the sixth meeting with Vil; you hold hope for a fresh start with your acquaintance. In all sincerity, with the given circumstances, you still could not care if the deal fell through, you just wish you will at least make a friend out of Schoenheit. To have a friendship outside of your limited circle, much less your age, would mean a lot to you, an amazing stride forward towards progress of becoming your own independent being. Much like Χάος, you too wished Vil would be more kind, you wish you could confide in someone from an outside perspective of your caged life and provide some words of comfort. However, with Vil still only giving you short responses and long silences, at this point the only thing that provided you with any sort of warmth was the tea you sipped.

That is until Vil finally was the first to break the silence, with a slip of venom.

"Why do you come here?"

Unprepared for the question, you ask him to repeat himself.

"Why do you come here?"

"I'm sorry, I don't think I understand-"

"Why do you keep coming over? The past five meetings have all been reticent and a complete waste of time; yet here we are again, and nothing has changed."

The man is starting to become heated, and you know little to calm him down, "I'm sorry, Schoenheit, I don't mean to upset you. It's just that in the agreement-"

"To hell with that thing!" You jump, startled by Vil's fist coming down on the table at his interjection. "I never want to hear about that contract ever again, not when every other adult in my life is constantly nagging at me about the bloody thing!"

Your heart is in your throat, and you don't know what to say. "I-I'm sorry, Schoenheit, I didn't know that-"

"Did you ask your parents to make this arrangement?"

"What?"

"Don't think I didn't notice how you never spoke up against the engagement in the meeting!"

Your brain is pounding within your skull, and you don't know what to think. This isn't how this day was supposed to go.

"N-No, it's not-"

Yet the man still addresses you in disgust.

"Fucking Pervert. Wasting my time with what could be some semblance of peace and quiet for myself."

"..."

"Do you always do whatever your mommy and daddy tell you to do?"

Tears start to cascade down your cheeks freely, and your vision starts to blur. You couldn't argue against him at that moment, after all, that is what you have been doing with your life up to that point. "Please... stop."

"Of course, you still keep up formalities, even with a man whose face you still refuse to even look at and insults you to your fatty cheeks. Pathetic."

"Please... please..." Your pleads grow weaker as you fists clench tighter onto your being, hugging yourself; you feel helpless and weak. A small reminder goes off on Vil's phone, telling him to check the time. After leaving money for a toll phone in front of you, he stood up from his chair and begun to walk away.

"Times up… I'm done... Like I would ever want to marry the likes of you. Go call your lawyer, fat pig."

Once the clicking of shoes disappeared, you finally stood up and slowly started to step away from the scene. Steps turned into a walk, from walk to a jog, and naturally, jog turned into a run. None of this was supposed to happen, you were not supposed to be crying, you shouldn't be running away, Vil was not supposed to be so cruel. Yet it did happen, he was that cruel, and you're crying and running through the nearby forest as though your life depended on it. Perhaps your life did depend on it, seeing as you allowed thorns, twigs, and branches to scratch and claw at both your skin and clothes, all while running away from your current reality. It's only when you had tripped over an unearthed root that you came to a halt, crashing down onto the forest floor, whimpering for the putrid shame that overwhelmed you for your very being.

If only the ground could just break open and swallow you whole, then you wouldn't be in the predicament that was about to occur. If only you had called Mr. Χάος, like Schoenheit had told you to, then he wouldn't have heard the soft and distant thump of you hitting the ground. If only you could stop whimpering to yourself in self-hatred, then he wouldn't be able to follow the sounds of your soft weeps. If only you had obeyed direct orders one last time, then he wouldn't have found you.

"Oh goodness! Are you okay?" Through your blurred vision, you see the vague shape of a man with splashes of yellow and blue rushing over to you.

Trying your best to wipe away any tears, dirt, and grime, with a raspy voice and a heavy heart, you answer with, "I'm sorry... yes, I'm fine." Though with tattered clothes, bleeding scratches, and puffy wet eyes, it would be hard to convince anyone that it was true. Slowly helping you up to your feet, the stranger puts your arm around his shoulder and allows you to lean onto him for support as he leads you out of the forest and into safety.

As he begins to aid you at his place of residency, he questions as to what events occurred that led to him finding you so far away from the closest town. As he continued to press for reasons, the floodgates reopened and you recounted that day's events, though you did make sure to not bring up Vil by name, not wanting to tarnish his reputation even now. After the retelling of events, the stranger comforted you with genuine kindness, consoling you with lighthearted banter, getting you to feel mirth and relief, allowing you to welcome the distraction. Whilst exchanging pleasantries, you briefly brought up your desire for a friend, but just before you could move onto a different subject, the stranger asked, "How about we become friends?"

A twinge of guilt courses through you, afraid that you may have put him in a tight spot; you're quick to answer with, "No, you don't have to-"

"Sweetheart, please, I want to, truly!" Pulling out his phone, he's quick to unlock it and pop open an app. "C'mon, let me just add you on-"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I don't have a social media presence."

"Well in that case, we can just start off by texting each other."

"I apologize, but I also don't own a phone."

"I guess I don't have any other choice..."

Feeling defeated once again, you lowered your head to hide revived tears, making themselves present at the brink of cascading, having already lost your first friend.

"I'm sorry-"

"We'll just have to visit one another as often as possible!"

"What-? I mean, you really don't-"

"Too late~ it's already set-in stone! Instead of going to meet that other man every two weeks, from now on, you'll visit me! In turn, whenever I get a chance, I'll go visit you, Chipmunk~!"

"Chipmunk?"

"Lots of people like to come up with nicknames for their friends as their bonds bring them closer. Since I'm going to be your first real friend, I figured that you would like to already have that kind of bond with me. Start out early so we can grow even closer as time moves on; plus, Chipmunk sounds like a cute and fitting nickname for you, doesn't it?"

Not willing to bite the only hand offering you any semblance of friendship, you nod in agreement instead of offering your discomfort on the matter. Was it normal for people in your generation to advance friendships so quickly?

"Great! Now, to commemorate our first milestone, let's take a picture together~!"

Quickly remembering your parents' rules regarding the public's knowledge of your existence being limited to what they would allow, you try to shut down the action, "I don't think that would be a good idea. I'm not really comfortable with putting myself out there all that much."

"Oh, don't worry! I won't share it with anyone, you can trust me, Chipmunk."

After some personal deliberation, with a light sigh, you situate yourself next to your new friend as he brings you closer with his hand on your shoulder. As the little timer starts to count down, he retorts a clever little joke that makes you genuinely laugh just at the nick of time of the photograph being taken.

"Thank you for becoming my friend-... I'm sorry, I don't think you ever told me your name."

"Oh right, where are my manners, I'm Neige LeBlanche."

Happy Haikyuu Day! 

Sorry for the bad quality first off T^T I keep having to resize these so that they’re smaller for Tumblr and it ruins the quality. But more importantly, happy Haikyuu day! (at least it is Japan already!) This edit embodies some of my favorite moments within the series and below, I’ve written some of the thoughts that went into this piece/my feelings on these moments! Manga spoilers ahead (I'm pretty sure I’ve kept them to a minimum but just to be sure, please proceed with caution!), and I hope you enjoy this edit! (Overlays: accio-glow, aulia-chan on dA; PSDs: hurtears, hallyumi, yangyanggg on dA) 1. “Today might finally be the day we get the chance to let our talents bloom… it could be tomorrow. Or maybe next year. Or maybe it’ll finally come when we’re 30. I’m not sure if physique has anything to do with it but I do know for sure that if you don’t believe that day will come, it never will.” This quote is a testament to Oikawa’s growth and is a symbolic representation of Oikawa freeing himself from the shackles of “geniuses” and “prodigies.” So what if your opponent is a genius? So what if they possess more innate talent? As his mentor and inspiration Jose Blanco states, “Are you saying you know what the limits of your abilities are already? Even though you aren’t yet finished growing physically or mentally? Even though you haven’t mastered all the skills you can master? If you’re going to complain that someone with more talent than you will always be better than you… no matter how hard you work, how many tricks you learn and how many great teammates you have… do that only after you’ve given everything the very best effort you have.” There will always be someone better in the world. But to claim that you cannot hope to compare to the likes of them is to resign yourself to a predetermined defeat as well as dismiss both your own efforts and theirs.    There’s no guarantee when your efforts will pay off. As Oikawa declares, it may be today, tomorrow, or even when we’re 30.  But if you don’t believe in yourself first, if you don’t believe that you will bloom in your own time, “that day will never come.”  The flower in the background is the iris. It is known to represent trust, faith, and hope amongst many other ideals. I chose this particular flower because of the manga cap used in this panel. I cannot emphasize how much I love the bond between Oikawa and Iwaizumi, especially this particular moment when Oikawa points at Iwaizumi with such authority and determination as if saying, “This ball, this moment, is meant for you.” Not to mention the pairing with the iconic “Talent is something you make bloom, instinct is something you hone” quote. An absolutely masterful sequence of scenes that always gets my blood rushing. 

2. “Don’t look down! Volleyball is a sport where you’re always looking up!” This moment gives me chills every time. It’s something so fundamental and simple and yet, when Ukai yells this,  it instills that feeling of “You can do it.” It makes my heart flutter and I feel so excited because it’s such a beautiful way of saying “Don’t give up, it’s not over yet.” And even if the ball has dropped for the last time or you have lost this match, there’s always tomorrow. There’s always the next match where you’ll have to look up. This quote gives me the same feeling as when Takeda-sensei says, “For the rest of your lives, you can do anything you set your mind to!” You only truly lose when you stop trying or you give up.  3. “It hurts. I’m tired. This is painful. I don’t want this to ever end.” / “The ball hasn’t dropped yet!” Whenever Haikyuu characters say “Just one more!” or “The ball hasn’t dropped yet!”, the tension and desperation is almost palpable. It’s so incredibly moving to see them strive to save that ball just one more time, to focus purely on what is in front of them. Even if they don’t all pursue volleyball as a professional career, the passion they all have for the sport is real. That sort of passion is beautiful to watch and admire, and I wish I could have that kind of passion for something in my life.  4. “The underhand only uses two hands. The overhand uses 10 fingers. That’s all the more to support your spikers with, which is what it means to be a setter.” / “To cut through the wall that looms before your spikers, that is the purpose of a setter.”  This particular panel depicts the two ideologies of Atsumu and Kageyama respectively, two of my favorite setters and characters in general. Atsumu “may be pretty cocky at times, and overwhelm his teammates with his thirst for victory, but he treats his spikers with more sincerity and selflessness than anyone else.” He may be overbearing and an asshole at times, but his love for the sport and the art of being a setter is second to none. On the other hand, there’s Kageyama who’s so damn cool with his one-liners. Kageyama’s passion and drive to win may blind him to his surroundings and teammates but he truly believes that the setter is the one who clears the path for their spikers. When their spikers feel cornered and the walls are closing in, it is the setter who “cuts through the wall that looms” ahead. The old Kageyama who was a prisoner to speed is no longer, and his growth as a player brings me to tears every time.  5. “Someone once asked me, ‘Do you ever feel bitter over the fact that you’re not a regular on the team, and amongst your juniors there’s a genius to boot?’ I never understood the exact definition of what it was to be a genius to begin with, but upon hearing the question, I understood the general gist of what they were getting at.  Every so often there will be someone who thinks that ‘people like Atsumu’ were ‘good’ from the get-go. But the thing is, if I practiced something from 1-10 every day, then people like Atsumu would have done it from 1-20. Or, they would have done the same 10 but in a more efficient or concentrated manner. They might also ask ‘Instead of doing it 1-10, how about I tried it from A-Z, what would happen then? Now doesn’t that sound interesting?’  They’re the kind of people who think about stuff like that. Even if they fail, even if they are hated and get ostracised by others, no matter whether they’re right or they’re wrong, even if they subvert something the rest of us hold in high regard, they’re the kind of people who can’t sit still without giving it a go. Even if they start coughing up blood from their lungs, they’re the kind of people who want to keep on running, no matter what.  There’s going to be a lot of people in this world who make you go ‘Wow, I’ll never be able to defeat them,’ and it’s only natural that you think they’re amazing people. I think that to be able to keep charging ahead is a talent in and of itself. You can call people like them whatever you like, the term ‘genius’ isn’t exactly an insult. That said, to think they were ‘good from the get go’ is to condemn yourself to a predetermined defeat without even playing a match against them, and I also think it’s very rude.”  This quote, hands down, is one of my favorite quotes of all time. It is not genius or natural talent that makes individuals truly great, but it is grit. Without a doubt, people are not born equal. There will always be someone with more innate talent or latent capabilities. We all begin at different starting lines. But those who truly stand out are those who go the extra mile, like those dubbed to be the Monster Generation (Kageyama, Atsumu, Hinata, Bokuto, Ushijima, Oikawa, etc.). To others they may seem like natural prodigies but behind their flawless technique and precise ball control lies countless hours of training. They trained harder than anyone else, sacrificed in order to hone their abilities, and ran farther than the rest of the pack. They’re the type to fixate on what lies before them without much regard to anything else.They eat, sleep, breathe, and live volleyball with every waking second. They’re always trying new things (Atsumu pulling off the freak duo quick in the middle of the Inarizaki match) and continually looking for ways to improve (“But the thing is, if I practiced something from 1-10 every day, then people like Atsumu would have done it from 1-20. Or, they would have done the same 10 but in a more efficient or concentrated manner. They might also ask ‘Instead of doing it 1-10, how about I tried it from A-Z, what would happen then? Now doesn’t that sound interesting?’ They’re the kind of people who think about stuff like that”; Kageyama keeping a volleyball journal). It is not what they were born with that makes them great; it is their overwhelming desire to win.  6. “‘Yesterday’ has already disappeared behind us. Many, many yesterdays have become a part of our muscles. What shall we do, today?” This quote, chills. There’s no point ruminating about the past or what has already passed; you can’t change it. (In retrospect, I wish I included another quote from Inarizaki in this panel: “One time is enough. We rise to the challenges of today.”) You learn from the mistakes of yesterday and use them as stepping stones for tomorrow. I wish I could eloquently phrase how much I love this quote or my interpretation of it but alas, my writing is fancy Garbage.  7. “But if… just if… that moment comes for you, that will be the moment you really get hooked on volleyball.” If you didn’t get chills when Tsukishima blocks Ushijima, I have no words for you. Tsukishima-it’s-just-a-club Kei, Tsukishima-I’m-the-normal-guy Kei — Tsukishima Kei, who always underestimates his own capabilities and relies on what he can see in front of him, blocking the Ushijima Wakatoshi, one of the top three high school aces nationally. The character development from someone who did the bare minimum (as noted by other players/coaches at one of the training camps) to someone who finally had their moment to get hooked on volleyball is one of my favorite progressions of all time. Seeing him fall in love with volleyball gradually and then all at once is truly heartwarming and beautiful to witness.  8. “No matter what other people may say, we are the protagonists of the world.” This quote is incredibly empowering to me. Even if your days consist of mundane activities, you are the protagonist of your own story every day. You may not be the main character in a shounen manga or an adolescent seeking to usurp the government in a dystopian novel, but this is your story. No one can tell it like you do and no one can replicate your story. It is yours and yours only.  And that concludes my Haikyuu word vomit! I really do wish I could have properly conveyed my pure adoration and love for this series better. I truly do love Haikyuu so very, very much. It will always have a special place in my heart and I will never forget the memories and lessons it has taught me! Thank you, Furudate-sensei, for such a beautiful story. And thank you Haikyuu, for everything. For all the losses and victories we shared. For all the smiles and laughter, and for all the tears we shed. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. 

“Who are you to judge me, Gaius!? Do you remember the names of the tens of thousands of men, women, and children killed for the sake of your conquests?”

“I do not deny the blood spilled at my behest. Nor will I run from my past. That is why I fight. To prevent the wrongs I committed from being repeated.”

OK, so I actually DO like this climactic scene at the end of Diamond Weapon. More on this and my own take on Gaius below the cut.

The horrific truth of Diamond Weapon, the Overmind, and just how Allie survived is revealed--what’s become of Alfonse is horrifying but honestly not too surprising, given the prototypes Estinien found in the palace labs in the 5.1 flashback duty, nor the previous experiments into Oversoul itself. This also explains the voice we hear through the fight and the things he says, which since I was able to pay more attention on later attempts, seems very obvious.

Gaius says what he’s always said here, since the beginning of the chain: he’s realized he made a lot of mistakes in fighting for the Empire, and now that he knows what a sham it all was, he seeks to clean up the messes he made to prevent more damage. He doesn’t expect forgiveness; he’s simply doing what ought to be done, and it’s in character for a man with his convictions (which were what made him an interesting and popular antagonist in 1.0 and ARR).

No one’s told Valens he should look up the boss strats before pulling; even Mizzteq can’t help you then, buddy, and the edits I’ve seen for that section are glorious. Sure Valens knows all Gaius’ combat data as a Legatus--but Gaius has been the Shadowhunter for the last *cough* years, and has learned a few new tricks, and the body language as he empties his clip, loads his new ammo, and sets off his newest attack in Valens’ face was fantastic.

And that’s the main thing about Werlyt I do give it credit for; the expressions and movements of the characters to convey their thoughts and feelings, new rigging and animations used, blocking of scenes, lighting, camera angles, music--it’s all been really great. In some cases too good, like the ends of Sapphire and Emerald and those terribly uncomfortable scenes. Here, it even induces a “yeah finally!” response as Valens gets what he deserves, from the characters he’s set up to be the foil for and antagonistic with (unlike certain Trolley Duties in MSQ).

Diamond’s awakening is again very mech anime; since the Ruby fight there’s been a very Neon Genesis Evangelion feel to the series, and this continues it, as Alfonse’s mind controls the machine he’s been made part of and takes his revenge on Valens, alongside the memories of all the other victims of the Legatus’ ambition. The sound of a popping balloon is genuinely hilarious and yet fitting.

I really have little else to say about Valens. He exists solely as an over the top prop, trying to make Gaius look better by Valens being so awful. He has no personality or goals beyond that. I don’t care my characters never had to sully their hands with him, Alfonse deserved that kill. Good riddance.

The rain falling as father and son say goodbye is again very tropey but works for the scene, so again I don’t mind. It’s evocative and suits the mood as Gaius puts Alfonse out of his torment and removes the memory core to return to Allie.

I just wish we’d had more focus and time to be made to care about Alfonse and his siblings as more than indoctrinated sacrifices for Gaius’ pain and to shoehorn in a traditional redemption for a man who is otherwise taking responsibility for his past errors by cleaning up his messes and aiding the people of Werlyt until he’s needed for 6.0 MSQ. I still fully expect Gaius to be one of the folks who has a hand in rebuilding Garlemald, perhaps returning it to a Republic as imperialism was a Bad Idea. I don’t think this story was necessary to get him there, but luckily it’s optional content.

This story overall isn’t the best redemption arc; not enough time and focus, and it felt like they had the resolution determined but not the means to get there. Also it bears pointing out that aside from Allie, no one, not even the Werlyt Resistance, has necessarily forgiven Gaius for his past actions--nor do they have to, in order for him to change himself and work toward fixing his errors. There’s a lot of folks hung up on that (honestly very Western Christian idea with its tendency to permeate everything about our culture) notion of forgiveness being necessary in a redemption arc, and it’s Not, as was already stated in 4.1 with the Ala Mhigans and Fordola.

I actually think Gaius would agree with most of the criticisms about him. He’s aware of what he’s done--moreso maybe than the writers of this particular storyarc--and that not everyone will accept him, even if his skills in fixing his mistakes are useful. And he’s fine with that, as others’ acceptance and forgiveness isn’t necessary for him to keep working on cleaning up his messes.

So I can buy Gaius’ reactions and motivations, and his anger at Valens--there are aspects of it that are about patriotism, as Gaius hasn’t entirely shaken off his homeland and the indoctrination and what he feels was “right” about it--and am glad the writers/execs did let him have the kill here, and that the climax scene was the genre homage it was meant to be and worked from that angle. It’s just about the only part of this story that did for me.

Samaritan

✂ Pairing: Yandere! Ghost! Kirishima Eijirou x Reader

✂ Word Count: 1,7k+

✂ Trigger Warning: Obsessiveness, mention of murder, death, blood, injury

[Edited]

***

I always get brilliant ideas whenever I'm sleepy it's almost inconvenient. There's not much yandere in this one, just an introduction and all. Maybe I'll try to fit the hard stuff later. Meanwhile, enjoy puppy Kirishima!

If you like my writing, please support me on ko-fi!

“Don’t leave me. I believe, I reach out to you. No ending, you are my hope. Even if I’m struck by rain, even if I’m erased by darkness, feel it without closing your eyes. You are not alone.” - Don’t Leave [Bangtan Seonyeondan]

For the longest time, Kirishima had been lonely. Every day, he roamed the house in search of a company from the little animals that resided there. Mosquitoes rung on his ears like a persistent alarm as he examined the familiar dust coating the furniture. They were his loyal companions. Friends, almost. He wasn’t crazy, but every living thing was better than nothing. Even if the said living thing was cockroaches, who he had the misfortune to encounter occasionally. He didn’t despise them, per se. And yet, there was something utterly distasteful about seeing them skittered from one place to another. He almost wished he was still alive and healthy, just so he could get rid of them immediately.

But, alas, it remained wishful thinking on his part. And nothing pained him more than seeing his reflection in the mirror; translucent pale skin, spiky red hair that used to be reminiscent of flame due to its vibrant color, sharp teeth, and crimson eyes obscured by the agony of being unable to move on. Because he couldn’t, for some unknown reasons. Perhaps, this had something to do with the house.

This was his resting place, after all. A killer had somehow broken in when he was waiting for his girlfriend, Mina, to come. The next thing he knew, he was knocked out of the chair and wheezed on the floor while the murderer watched derisively. He couldn’t recognize their face due to the mask that concealed it almost entirely, but he could see their eyes. They were wide as if they were engrossed in some sick entertainment and refused to look away. It wasn’t until they heard a footfall on the front door did they finally escaped through the window, and by the time Mina found him, it was already too late. The wound on his stomach was too wide to cover, and the blood that poured was too much to handle.

That was years ago, though. He didn’t know if the killer was already found or not since Mina had moved out to live with her roommate and couldn’t bear to visit anymore. But he did know that the injustice of his death was the reason why he was stuck here, floating aimlessly while his friends continued with their lives, unable to peacefully ascend to the next realm because he couldn’t accept it. He couldn’t accept that he was already dead. He couldn’t accept that he was no longer able to chat and meet with his friends and colleagues anymore. He couldn’t accept the fact that this house was his eternal home now if it could be called one.

It was unfair. Life was unfair to him. He was supposed to live long. He was supposed to marry the love of his life. He was supposed to see his future children playing in the yard. He was supposed to die quietly from old age, cradled by his frail wife, not gurgling on his own blood and listened to her wails and frantic shouts.

Except… there was nothing he could do to change his fate, was there? Maybe he’d always been destined to this way, the same way he was destined to be born from his mother’s stomach. He didn’t know. He just… wished it hadn’t come so soon. He wished it hadn’t been so abrupt. He wished he could put up a fight instead of freezing in shock.

Sighing, Kirishima put a hand against the brittle glass and stared outside. The familiar yard greeted him for the hundred times, untended and soaked from last night’s rain. Petrichor wafted through the vents and easily soothed his high-strung nerves, his favorite scent when the musty smell of old wood became too much for him to bear. Lightning flashed sporadically in the bleak sky and thunder resounded somewhere distant, but the rain had yet to fall again.

Lost in his musing, Kirishima failed to notice a strange car parked in the driveway. He blinked and immediately focused on the silhouette of a person who was fumbling with something through the tinted window. Who were they? What were they doing in here? Were they planning to investigate his murder? But the case had been closed a long time ago, and the car didn’t look like it belonged to the police or something. An investigator, then?

Or, maybe, a new occupant?

The prospect of having a stranger lived in his house perked him up considerably. It’d been a long time since he saw someone unrelated to the police visiting him – well, not really. Still, Kirishima wouldn’t let the thought discouraged him from attempting to befriend them. He didn’t know if they were the type to believe in the supernatural, but he hoped they could accept his existence here. Better yet, be his friend. It’d be nice to have someone whom he could talk to freely without screaming or flinching every second.

Kirishima nodded to himself and looked out, curious eyes widening when he saw you stepping out of your car. A girl! That was rather unexpected, but he guessed it was better than nothing. Though, with every step you took towards the house, Kirishima began to worry about his social skills. It’d been a long time since he interacted with anyone, after all. Nobody could blame him if he got rusty, especially around the opposite sex.

Regardless, it wouldn’t hinder him from trying. He prayed you wouldn’t be so jumpy around him.

Beaming, Kirishima moved to the doorstep like an overeager dog waiting for its owner and watched you unloading bags after bags from your car. His brows creased when he saw the fatigue that eclipsed your face and looked down as though disappointed by his unhelpful self. First time seeing someone in so many years and he already let you carry all the baggage alone. What kind of a friend was he?

For the next hours, he hovered over you and tried to assist you by arranging the little things neatly. He wasn’t a clean freak, but a touch of the order was something that he very much welcomed. It was the only thing he could do to alleviate your exhaustion, and as a ‘thank you’ gift for accompanying him despite all the rumors that surrounded the house. Though, he wasn’t sure if you’d heard them.

When you noticed the result, you’d glanced around bewilderedly before shrugging. You didn’t thank him, and yet, the fact that you thought nothing of his ‘work’ strangely gratified him. Perhaps, it was because you weren’t being paranoid like he’d expected you to. Nevertheless, it felt as if you’d patted him on the head or something.

This small help extended to the following days of your stay. From rushing to the kitchen and placed a clean glass on the table when he spotted you rising from the couch to drink, preparing a toothbrush and toothpaste before you slept, to covering you in blanket whenever you shivered in your slumber, he’d eagerly did it all. Sometimes, he’d linger on the bedside and gaze down at your tranquil face.

During those intimate moments, he’d silently thank the stars above for blessing him with such an agreeable companion and caressed the hair away from your eyes. He never got tired of marveling at your visage – sleep wasn’t a necessity for him, and even if it did, how could he reject the chance to admire you from up close? – and he wondered how would you react once you see him. Would you be scared of him? He hoped not. He’d spent so much time with you he couldn’t bear the thought of you actively avoiding him. Not that you could, though. Would you admire him the same way he’d done to you every single day? His cheeks bloomed at the idea as he shyly looked away.

Kirishima had been thinking about revealing his existence, but never once did he realize it. The fear of your judgment was the strongest among many inhibitions, and he found himself unconsciously prolonging the inevitable moment. However, Kirishima knew that he needed to do it sooner or later.

And he finally found the right opportunity to do it when you sat down on the dressing chair one night and stared at the mirror.

“This is stupid, I know, talking to my reflection like this. But…” you sighed. “hear me out. I’ve been noticing strange things, lately. They’re small, but disturbing nonetheless.”

Disturbing? Did that mean you hated his efforts?

“I don’t really believe in supernatural things like that, but if you can show your face to me, I’ll be grateful. Anything to let me know that I’m not going crazy within my first week here.”

Kirishima bit his bottom lip, wondering if he should come clean to you. He knew that he was striving for your approval, for your happiness, because he feared that you’d leave him someday. And he didn’t want that; he refused to be alone anymore. Forgotten by anyone and anything that used to stick with him and merely drifted through periods. He wanted to mean something to you, he wanted to leave a mark on your mind. Anything to make you know that he existed, and yet, he lacked the courage to do so.

However, he didn’t have much time to mull over before you stood up.

“Ah, forget it,” you grumbled. “Maybe I am crazy.”

“No!” Your eyes bulged when you felt a pair of sturdy arms wrapped around your stomach and pulled you to a hard chest. Strands of carmine hair caressed your jaw as Kirishima buried his head on the crook of your neck, desperate to delay you just a bit longer. “Please, don’t go. Don’t leave me alone, [Name]-chan.”

Brickclub 1.2.4 ‘Some account of the diaries [sic] of Pontarlier’ + 1.2.5 ‘Tranquility’

I think I’ve mentioned before how typo-ridden my copy of Wilbour is? The above is par for the course. It’s also got the old “Field of the Lake” (instead of “Lark”) chapter title, it misspells the first appearance of Grantaire’s name (”Grataire”), and I had to write a line about Prouvaire back in because it was missing. I have no idea how much it gets wrong on passages I haven’t basically memorized.

(This isn’t a Wilbour thing, I checked. It’s this edition.)

I tried to do FMA because of this, but it didn’t take

ANYWAY. Back to brickclub with some catchup!

1.2.4

The bishop’s cheese-lecture is very sweet. It’s one of the Character Decides To Ramble sections that have practical value and are thinking about the person listening, which is a very different feel from the rambles where someone just spills out everything in their head in a three-page paragraph.

And as Pilf said about this chapter, it’s fascinating that Valjean doesn’t follow his advice.

I suppose his errand in Pontarlier must have been official (rather than personal, because what is there personal that’s left to him?) and involved giving his name. After Myriel, he was done with his name, and as I’m thinking about it, he probably never goes to Pontarlier at all.

But also, why Montreuil-sur-Mer? It’s absurdly far. On modern highways (I just checked) it’s over 600 miles from Digne.

Possible thoughts:

He wanted to check Faverolles for his family, just in case, and when they weren’t there he just kept walking.

Paris would be a sensible place (the most sensible place!) to disappear in, and on the scale of distances we’re talking about, it’s not far from Faverolles. But the only big city of his life so far is Toulon, and maybe he couldn’t. Or maybe he thought his skills were more suited to more agricultural areas.

He’s also going to be less conspicuous in the north because of his accent.

But also... I wonder if he just wanted the farthest place from Toulon he could possibly get to. Montreuil really is about as far as he could have gotten, bar leaving France, for which he’d need a passport, or somewhere like Calais or other port cities, which--I would think--check passports more often. So instead he did a 600+ mile version of all his previous escapes from the Bagne.

1.2.5

It really struck me seeing Myriel actually use one of the candlesticks like it was a candlestick to light himself and Valjean to bed. This might be its last performance as a functional object rather than a Holy Symbol.

It feels like there’s something fundamental about Valjean’s character in this: of separating himself from Good Things that need to be held away from himself and worshiped. It’s fine when it’s a couple of candlestick or a trunk of clothes, I just wish he’d stop doing it to Cosette.

There’s also something about class here, I feel like: for Myriel and Baptistine, nice things are a pleasantly familiar indulgence that they’re running out of (like Baptistine’s note about the very nice goatskin from the Black Forest that ends with something like “pity it’s lost all its hair,” oh my heart.)

But for Valjean, these aren’t everyday objects, because he’s never handled anything like them. He’s alienated by these marks of wealth and always will be, even as he fills his houses with them for Cosette’s sake. I almost think it’s not just that he “doesn’t deserve” nice things--it’s that he’s uncomfortable and alienated around objects this expensive.

And goddammit, if he’d just accept that and raise his kid among furnishings that make him comfortable, everything would be better. But no, he’s just going to be Jean Valjean about it, see above about the unhealthy worship and placing Cosette on a pedestal.

Alas.

But it does begin to raise some of the ways he processes the bishop’s good deed in ways Myriel never intended, and that some of those were about class issues Myriel wasn’t fully cognizant of.

November Roundup

Some writing success this month - I finished and posted a new chapter for Against the Dying of the Light, and made progress on The Lady of the Lake and Turn Your Face to the Sun. I didn’t work much on my novel, but I did do some editing on the first third so that’s progress.

Words written this month: 6647

Total this year: 67,514

November books

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo - joint winner of the 2019 Booker Prize (with The Testaments by Margaret Atwood) this was an engrossing and interesting read. Stylistically unusual formatting and scant use of punctuation that is a bit jarring at first, but you quickly adapt as you read. There’s no plot as such - instead the story is formed by vignettes of twelve black women and their disparate yet interconnected lives. We have mothers and daughters, close friends, teachers and students, although the connections aren’t always obvious at first - we can be exposed to a character briefly in the story of another with no idea that she will be a focus later on. It’s very skillfully done, to the point whereupon finishing I wanted immediately to re-read (but alas, it was already overdue back to the library). There is so much ground covered that we are really only given a glimpse into the characters lives, but there is a diversity of intergenerational perspectives of the African diaspora in the UK, and I highly recommend.

The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett - after finishing The Pillars of the Earth I had intended to read the sequel, but this was available on the library shelf and I had to place a hold on World Without End, so the prequel came first. Set sixty years before the Conquest (150 before Pillars) it primarily addresses the growth of the hamlet of Dreng’s Ferry into the town of Kingsbridge, through the lives of a monk with a strong moral code, a clever and beautiful noblewoman, and a skilled builder, working against the machinations of an evil bishop. Sound familiar? This is Follet’s most recent work, and I do wonder if he’s running out of ideas as this covers very similar thematic ground.

Ragna is a compelling female character, but once again the romance-that-cannot-be with Edgar is tepid, Aldred is a very watered down version of Prior Philip, and there’s no grand framing device such as building the cathedral to really tie to all together (although things do Get Built, and it’s interesting but not on the level of Pillars). This is the tail end of the Dark Ages and it shows - Viking raids, slavery, infanticide - and while it seems Follett’s style is to put his characters through much tragedy and tribulation before their happy ending, I wish writers would stop going to the rape well so readily. But at least the sexual violence isn’t as...lasciviously written as in Pillars? Scant praise, I know. But Follett’s strength in drawing the reader into the world and time period is on display, made even more interesting in this era about which we know very little.

Women and Leadership by Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala - I have a great deal of respect for Julia Gillard, Australia’s first female Prime Minister who was treated utterly shamefully during her tenure and never got the credit she deserved, perhaps excepting the reaction to her iconic “misogny speech” whichyou can enjoy in full here:

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was the first woman to be Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs in Nigeria, was also the former Managing Director of the World Bank, and currently a candidate for Director-General of the WTO.

This is an interesting examination of women in leadership roles, comparing and contrasting the lives and experiences of a select few including (those I found the most interesting) Ellen Sirleaf, the first female President of Liberia, Joyce Banda, the first female President of Malawi, New Zealand’s current Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and of course, Gillard and Okonjo-Iweala themselves.

November shows/movies

The Vow and Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult - I’ve been following the NXIVM case for a while now, when the news broke in 2017 I was surprised and intrigued that it involved actresses from some of my fandom interests - Alison Mack (Smallville), Grace Park and Nikki Clyne (Battlestar Galactica), and Bonnie Piasse (Star Wars). Uncovered: Escaping NXIVM is an excellent podcast from that point in time that’s well worth a listen. There’s been a lot of discussion comparing these two documentaries and which one is better, but I feel they’re both worthwhile.

The Vow gives a primer of NXIVM as a predatory “self improvement” pyramid scheme/cult run by human garbage Keith Reniere, from the perspective of former members turned whistleblowers Bonnie Piasse, who first suspected things were wrong, her husband Mark Vicente who was high up in the organisation, and Sarah Edmondson who was a member of DOS, the secret group within NXIVM that involved branding and sex trafficking. Seduced gives more insight into the depravity and criminality of DOS from the pov of India Oxenburg, just 19 when she joined the group and who became Alison Mack’s “slave” in DOS - she was required to give monthly “collateral” in the form of explicit photographs or incriminating information about herself or her family, had to ask Mack’s permission before eating anything (only 500 calories allowed per day), was ordered to have sex with Reniere, and other horrific treatment - Mack herself was slave to Reniere (as was Nikki Clyne) and there were even more horrific crimes including rape and imprisonments of underage girls.

Of course each show has an interest in portraying its subjects as less culpable than perhaps they were (there were people above and below them all in the pyramid after all) - Vicente and Edmondson in The Vow and Oxenburg in Seduced, but what I did appreciate about Seduced was the multiple experts to explain how and why people were indoctrinated into this cult, and why it was so difficult to break free from it. This is a story of victims who were also victimisers and all the complications that come along with that, although I’m not sure any of these people are in the place yet to really reckon with what happened and all need a lot of therapy.

Focusing on individual journeys also narrows the scope - there are other NXIVM members interviewed I would have liked to have heard a lot more from. There is also a lot of jumping back and forth in time in both docos so the timeline is never quite clear unless you do further research. I would actually like to see another documentary one day a bit further removed from events dealing with the whole thing from start to finish from a neutral perspective. The good news is that Reniere was recently sentenced to 120 years in prison so he can rot.

I saw value in both, but you’re only going to watch one of these, I would say go for Seduced - if you’re interested in as much information as possible, watch The Vow first to get a primer on all the main players and then Seduced for the full(er) story.

The Crown (season 4) - While I love absolutely everything Olivia Coleman does, I thought it took a while for her to settle in as the Queen last season and it’s almost sad that she really nailed it this season, just in time for the next cast changeover (but I also love everything Imelda Staunton does so...) This may be an unpopular opinion, but I wasn’t completely sold on Gillian Anderson as Thatcher - yes I know she sounded somewhat Like That, but for me the performance was a little too...affected? (and someone get her a cough drop, please!) 

It is also an almost sympathetic portrayal of Thatcher - even though it does demonstrate her classism and internalised misogyny, it doesn’t really explore the full impact of Thatcherism, why she was such a polarising figure to the extent that some would react like this to her death:

But I suppose it’s called The Crown, not The PM.

Emma Corrin is wonderful as Diana, and boy do they take no prisoners with Charles (or the other male spawn). I was actually surprised at how terrible they made Charles seem rather than both sidesing it as I had expected (but perhaps that’s being saved for season 5). It does hammer home just how young Diana was when they were married (19 to Charles’ 32), how incompatible they were and the toxicity of their marriage (standard disclaimer yes it’s all fictionalised blah blah). The performances are exceptional across the board - Tobias Menzies and Josh O’Conner were also standouts and it’s a shame to see them go.

I was however disappointed to see that the episode covering Charles and Di’s tour of Australia was not only called “Terra Nullius” but the term was used as a very tone deaf metephor that modern Australia was no longer “nobody’s land/country”. For those who aren’t aware, terra nullius was the disgraceful legal justification for British invasion/colonisation of Australia despite the fact that the Indigenous people had inhabited the continent for 50,000 years or more. While the tour was pre-Mabo (the decision that overturned the doctrine of terra nullius and acknowledged native title), there was no need to use this to make the point, especially when there was no mention at all of the true meaning/implication of the term.

The Spanish Princess (season 2, episodes 4-8)- Sigh. I guess I’m more annoyed at the squandered potential of this show, since the purpose ostensibly was to focus on the time before The Great Matter and give Katherine “her due” - and instead they went and made her the most unsympathetic, unlikeable character in the whole damn show. (Spoilers) She literally rips Bessie Blount’s baby from her body and, heedless to a mother’s pleas to hold her child, runs off to Henry so she can present him with “a son”. I mean, what the actual fuck?

I’m not a stickler for historical accuracy so long as it’s accurate to the spirit of history (The Tudors had its flaws, but it threaded this needle most of the time), but this Katherine isn’t even a shadow of her historical figure - she’s not a troubled heroine, she’s cruel and vindictive, Margaret Pole is a sanctimonious prig, and Margaret Tudor does little but sneer and shout - the only one who comes out unscathed is Mary Tudor (the elder), and it’s only because she’s barely in it at all. It’s a shame because I like all of these actresses (especially Georgie Henley and Laura Carmichael) but they are just given dreck to work with.

This is not an issue with flawed characters, it’s the bizarre presentation of these characters that seems to want to be girl power rah rah, and yet at the same time feels utterly misogynistic by pitting the women against each other or making them spiteful, stupid, or crazy for The Drama. I realise this is based on Gregory so par for the course, but it feels particularly egregious here. (Spoilers) At one point Margaret Pole is banished from court by Henry, and because Katherine won’t help her (because she cant!) she decides to spill the beans about Katherine’s non-virginity. Yes, her revenge against the hated Tudors is...to give Henry exactly what he wants? Even though it will result in young Mary, who she loves and cares for, being disinherited? Girlboss!

This season also missed the opportunity to build on its predecessors The White Queen/Princess and show why it was so important to Henry to have a male heir - the Tudor reign wasn’t built on the firmest foundations and so needed uncontested transfer of power, at the time there was historic precedent that passing the throne to a daughter led to Anarchy, and wars of succession were very recent in everyone’s memory. At least no one was bleating about The Curse this time, which is actually kind of surprising, because the point of the stupid curse is the Tudor dynasty drama.

But it’s not all terrible. Lina and Oviedo are the best part of the show, and (spoilers) thankfully make it out alive. Both are a delight to watch and I wish the show had been just about them.

Oh well. One day maybe we’ll get the Katherine of Aragon show we deserve - at least I can say that the costumes were pretty, small consolation though it is.

The Angel Among Us (Cordelia X reader) Part 1

(This chapter has been rewritten/ edited since original post)

General Notice: I’m trying to get more works out during this time that is rough for all of us. That being said I am trying to keep it’s quality up.

This is technically a prequel to Fallen Angel (Work in progress), however it can be read as a stand alone series.

Summary:

If your reading as a stand alone: A witch heads back to Miss Robichaux's 20 years after she left in hopes of being a teacher there. The only problem is she hasn’t aged a day.

If your from Fallen Angel: The event’s leading up to Y/N joining Michael and the Cooperative. 

Warnings: N/A

Parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 , Part 4(will be added when done)

It had been years since you left Miss Robichaux's academy or spoken to your best friend from that place. How long it had been exactly was something you were unsure of. It felt like days, but it could have been decades. The school's exterior hadn't aged a day since you first stepped into that academy for extraordinary young ladies. To be fair, neither had you.

The two-story building towered over you as it did at 18. You tried to move on from those days alas your memory of the place remained in your stagnant life. You had ambitions once, now unsure of what they were. You weren't necessarily from New Orleans, but your ancestry was from Salem or at least from what the letter your mother sent you explaining your oddities.

Years on and you stood in front of the cast iron gates just as petrified as you were on your first day. You had nothing to lose except your old way of thinking. Now, there was her. You wouldn't expect someone to accept you as you are. There was no way to explain what has become of you because nothing has, you were the same person you were when you exited her life.

The chuckles of girls playing in the yard filled your ears on the fine summer's day. Break time, you thought to yourself as you tugged your cardigan closer to her frame. You used to spend all your free time in the greenhouse with your friend. Potions weren't your forte, but she loved it so acted like you did...for her. It wasn't until recently that you learned to appreciate the natural science of it.

Your friend was your main reason for your resurgence into the world of magic. Her passion to teach the next generation of witches fuelled your pilgrimage of discovery of the world. To teach the wonderous world of extraordinary beings to the youth of today. You excelled in the history of Salem witches and your passion extended across other magical beings. The two of you used to joke that after years you would be the only two to remain behind. You wished for nothing more than to be with her for all eternity. Some dreams never go as they're planned. Namely, her husband, Hank Foxx. It could have been because you spent years surrounded by women, but that man didn't sit right with you. Nor did he to your friends Mother, one of the few things you got on with that woman about.

Her mother was a vile woman, the supreme witch since she was 18. She rarely took interest in the coven unless it was for self-benefit. She was a distant mother to her daughter, shipping her off to the school at the early age of 7. Your friend sought out a mother figure elsewhere, finding it in Myrtle Snow who ended up working for the council and doing the work the supreme refused to do. Her mother, Fiona, was long since dead, four years to be exact. Her title ironically passed down to her daughter. The worlds changed since your school days. You'd heard the news from your local sources, discovering Fiona's death when news of witches was broadcasted to the world. There was no way in hell Fiona would allow that. You were tempted to go to the opening, say hello to your old friend. But what would you say? It's been years. You left her all alone for years. How were you going to forgive yourself?

With a flick of the wrist, the gates were open. Your heart pounded to the beat of your footsteps. Your breath stilled when you knocked on the door. Maybe this was a mistake, you contemplated leaving. No one was answering. It was probably for the best.

The truth was years ago you had the chance to return but you refused. The only reason you were here now was for purely selfish reasons. The balance of good and bad had shifted and in your trail to correct the scale, you wound up in a lot of trouble. You had nowhere to go. Your home was no longer your own and you were on were on the run.

You sighed, turning around, and heading down the concrete path. The iron gate closed before you could leave. Your ears register a voice a second later. You spun around to be greeted by a young woman. She was short (but compared to you most women where) with long straight brown hair.

"Good, I got your attention, I thought you were going to escape," the woman joked. You chuckled awkwardly in response. Now that you were leaving, you did not really want to be there. "You knocked on the school's door?"

"-Yeah." You didn't even imagine the possibility of it not being- of course, it wouldn't be her. She was supreme now, she had better things to do than answering the school's door. "Yeah, sorry. I'm slighting out of it, nerves and all."

"It's alright. Most girls are nervous when they first arrive."

You chuckled once again, awkwardly, "I bet."

The woman let you inside telling you she would lead you to the Headmistress to fill out all the paperwork.

"Crap, I forgot she's in a meeting right now," the young woman said. "And I have to teach a class in a minute."

"You're a teacher?" The woman was used to the question from how young she was. "What age range are you teaching?"

"Right now, Pre-teen years. They're usually the worst to deal with."

"I bet. I could sit in and watch you teach them while we wait for Cordelia. Hell, you might be able to teach me something." Zoe hadn't mentioned the Supreme's name, so she assumed you knew it from the television segment a while back.

"If it doesn't bother you."

"It's no problem at all."

The woman led you to the kitchen dining room where a bunch of restless girls were mucking about. They all stilled, taking their seats, a few still mucking about as they did so. All the girls stared at you, one asking why you were so tall. You laughed, saying "Platforms" showing your four-inch platforms that were hidden by your floor-length skirt before you stole one of the free seats moving it out of the way so the woman could teach.

As the lesson when on you noticed one of the girls was struggling with her work. You noticed how she seemed to be too shy to ask for help. The girl beside her flying head and boasting about her skills, most likely bringing the girl down (unintentionally), in the process. You stood up and quietly as to not disturb the class and moved over to the girl.

"Hi, my name's Y/N. What's yours?" You asked her quietly.

"Emily," she whispered.

"Nice to meet you, Emily. Do you need any help with your work?" She shook her head. "Can I help you with your work?" She looked at you hesitantly then up to Ms who was too busy to notice you had moved over to the girl.

"If you want."

"How about you tell me what you're learning?" You started with. She shrugged. "What's the title of your worksheet?"

"Types of Magic?"

"Yes, that's correct. Now, what are the two main types of magic?" She remained quiet. "Clue: what's above you?"

"A roof?"

You chuckled, "Technically, that is right, but I meant that-" you point to the light globe.

"Oh, a light. Light and dark!" She got excited, raising her voice from a whisper. This caught the attention of the teacher.

"Yes, that's correct. All magic users fall into one of those two. Us witches fall into the light magic, even the darkest, most evil witch still uses light magic. There are others who would also fall into this side such as angels."

"Angels exist?"

"Supposedly. I've never met one," You said. "Even though there is light and dark magic, the purpose a person uses it for can differ. You know who I mentioned a witch using her light magic for evil?" Emily nodded. "She would be using-"

You went on explaining to Emily. A few of the girls around her joined in listening to you explain the course to her. You added pointers their teacher hadn't mentioned and some you picked up from your years of living a magic-filled life. You only noticed you had stolen the attention of all the girls when the others began asking you questions. The teacher was gone from where you last saw her. You asked the girl what the teacher's name was. You had forgotten to ask earlier.

"I'm so sorry Zoe, I didn't mean to take over your class," you said when you finally spotted her. "I was only trying to help Em with her work."

"Em?" Emily repeated.

"I give all my friends and family nicknames. I didn't think-" She leapt up and gave your waist a hug before you got another word in. She repeated the word friend back to you excited by the prospect of gaining a new friend. You gathered she was new or had a hard time with people since she found the idea of you being her friend exciting. You chuckled, rustling her hair with your hand. "Okay, enough hugging. I better let you get back to class. I stole enough of your time."

"Actually, class is over," Zoe said.

"Oh~ I'm so-" You went to apologise when the woman cut you off.

"No, it's fine. It's better they understand the work then rushing ahead and then not knowing it correctly." She silently conferred that what you had said to them was correct. She would have interrupted, adding her two sense if something seemed off. The teacher found your allegory's to be helpful in explaining the content as well as refreshing.

"Zoe's right, it's better that they understand the work. One wrong preformed spell and it could be disastrous." You knew that voice anywhere. "I was informed that we had a new student, so I came down as soon as I-"

Your head perked up to look at the woman that owned your body and soul. Your eyes begged for her to recognise you, to pull you into her embrace. You smiled sweetly at her in the way only you could. She returned the gesture. Her face was warm and welcoming as ever but as she got a better look at you, you noticed the change in her expression. The shift was slight but noticeable solely because you sought it out. You pulled yourself away from Emily carefully. As soon as you were detached, you headed over to the headmistress offering your gloved hand to her.

"L/N." She accepted your offer of a handshake. Her grip was strong excuding confidence dissimilar to the woman you left behind years prior. You kept a natural level of eye contact to not seem suspicious. Giving your last name was a test. You didn't want to scare her off immediately nor face the slap she will most likely give you when she puts the pieces together. "I was actually here to offer to be a teacher if you needed one," you said. "I know you had a large incline of students recently as well as limited staff. I don't know if that has since changed. Even if you just need someone to mark homework or assessments, I don't mind. I have all the credentials I would need for a normal teaching job along with working with children's card. Everything's in my satchel." You didn't find in necessary to mention the repercussions of not being accepted. Stating your problems wasn't your way. They were yours, there was no need to share.

"We can discuss this further in my office." Cordelia gestured into the hallway. You waved bye to the girls and said goodbye to Zoe.

Before Cordelia left Zoe pulled her aside. She noticed the facial expression shift too.

"You alright Cordelia?"

"Yeah," She whispered back to her friend. "She looks like a friend, I had years back."

"She could be a relative. Sister, daughter, cousin-"

"She had no living family," Cordelia told Zoe. "The girl's too old to be a daughter." She sighed, "It's fine, it's a freaky coincidence."

"You don't need to hire her."

"It would be helpful to have some extra help around here. She seemed to be great with the younger ones and we know how much of a feat that is." They both chuckled. "I shouldn't keep her waiting."

Cordelia kept eyeing you occasionally when talking to Zoe. You gathered she was talking about you, but it wasn't your place to listen. It's not nice to eavesdrop.

You remained quiet, listening for her to talk as the two of you headed to her office. Upstairs, first room on the right, just as you remembered. "As you know, that is Zoe. We had another teacher but unfortunately, we lost her. You will occasionally see an older woman here named Myrtle; she doesn't teach the students, but she helps me with council work." You smiled knowing Myrtle was here and still a part of the council.

Cordelia opened her office allowing you to walk in first. You noticed the familiar redhead in the corner of Cordelia's office drinking. Cordelia told you to take a seat at her desk while she got the paperwork ready. You pulled out your documentation placing it on the table before drawing your attention to the older woman behind you. Myrtle was talking to Cordelia about something irrelevant to you when she stopped mid-sentence, something you had never seen her do.

Cordelia cleared her throat, earning your attention. You spun around slowly. Cordelia told you that your documentation would not be relevant since they had an unorthodox away of job selecting. The past isn't relevant to her as long as you weren't her to bring harm to her girls. You insisted she took a look to ease your mind and to make her away of your qualifications.

"Now Y/N-" She wasn't meant to say that. She quickly went to cover it up, "Sorry I mean-" She picked up your papers searching your name on them.

"No, you were right." You adjusted the wire framed glasses on your face. One of the few new things about you. "Y/N M/N L/N."

"Is Y/N a family name?" Cordelia asked. "Like how some men name their son's the same name but call them junior."

"I don't believe so," You said, acting oblivious. You already came off strong demanding a job. "I don't have much of a family."

Cordelia's eyes widened. It couldn't be?

"Can I see your ID?"

"Sure." You fish through your bag pulling out a worn-down purse that she gifted to you years ago. Cordelia went to say something but held herself back, instead looking over to Myrtle with a questioning look. The oldest woman in the room shared the same level of confusion. "I should warn you; I apparently look a lot younger than my age."

You handed over your card to Cordelia.

"Y/n, what had you want to become a teacher?"

"Well, that's a tough question. I mean, where to begin?" You laughed. "I've always had a knack for the history of the Salem coven and it transformed into a fascination with magic in general. I guess I want to put my knowledge to good use. There's no point allowing it to waste away up here and recording it down in a book never sounded as appealing as verbally communicating it." Cordelia nodded along keeping a hold of your identification. "One of my friends used to joke that we'd both be here teaching together. Things didn't go as planned."

"They never do." Cordelia said. "I hope you don't mind but I need a secondary opinion on your resume." She ushered over Myrtle and the two had a quick conversation. She didn't believe you, she had to be asking about if it was possible, Myrtle would probably suggested plastic surgery as a possibility as to your appearance or some other thing you couldn't do.

"Could she have done Tempus Infinituum or something similar? It would explain why I- we haven't heard anything from her." The two look at you sat there twiddling your thumbs.

You always assumed your ageless appearance was some genetic thing or something to do with your magic. You're still trying to figure that out and was hoping she could help you out with that, or someone here could. Obviously, that wasn't your purpose for coming back.

"Is it really you Y/N?"

You nodded. Her eyes teared up and a smile formed on her face. She shook her head not wanting to jump the gun or overstep her boundary. It had been years and she had no clue what you had been through. It would have to be hell in order for you to leave. The two of you were inseparable before you vanished.

"I can prove it. Ask me anything only I would know."

Your words were enough, the tale you told of your friend and how much of a history buff you were.

"I can do one better, give me your hand." She laid her hand out for you to grab. You didn't understand. "A lot has happened since you left, one being I got The Sight."

As soon as you heard that you grabbed her hand allowing the skin to skin contact to explain away everything it had to. It hit you a second later, you shouldn't have rushed it. There were things she didn't need to know that she may now have access too. She tore your glove from your hand allowing her fingers to slip between yours. She gasped watching your earlier twenties up until now flash through her mind.

She retracted from you, allowing herself a moment to get air in her lungs. "Y-y-you-" she stuttered. Her eyes flicked from you to her aunt. Shock covered her face. Her eyes settled on you and you expected her to say something about how this was unbelievable. "Why are your hands so cold?"

"What?" Not what you were expecting.

"You're freezing, I'm going to find you a blanket."

"You don't need to, I'm fine-" Her glare at you urged you to shut you up quickly. She used to do the same thing back in the day. "I'm serious, I'm always this cold. Why do you think I dress like this?"

You got up, following her down the corridor and up the stairs to a bedroom. You attempted to reason with her that you were fine, you were always ice cold which concerned her more. "That's not normal Y/N/N" 'Y/N/N?' You smiled upon hearing your nickname from long ago.

"You'll learn not a lot about me is-" You kidded.

"Sit down on the bed, I'm getting out the winter blankets."

"But it's summer-"

"And your freezing."

She headed into her closet only returning a few minutes later with the thickest blanket she owned. You were already dressed inappropriately for the weather, cloaked in long sleeved maxi length dress, thick woollen stockings, below the knee boots that were hidden by your dress. You also had a cardigan you removed upon entering the school grounds. Cordelia wrapped the blanket around before forcing you to lay down. You whined, using that you were wearing shoes as an excuse. She removed them, seeing how much big the sole was she asked, "How do you walk in these?"

"How do you walk in heels?"

"Touche."

The two of you started cackling. Soon you were swaddled up in a blanket, lying on what you assumed was Cordelia's bed telling stories and laughing at each other's misfortune like it was old times. You had learned the unfortunate events that led to her ex-husbands death. A witch hunter, you should have guessed.

"I missed you," Cordelia admitted. You remained quiet, wanting to say it back but not having the courage. Like the last time, you had seen her, her wedding. You, the maid of honour, left early. You knew you would have to explain it to her, but you couldn't. You didn't want to force your feelings onto her, that's why you never told her then and that's why you can't tell her you missed her now. You missed her more than she could ever believe. "I saw- I mean... I know. I know you miss me too." She moved closer to you, resting her head onto your shoulder. "I know you missed me too."

RadioDust day 4!!!

I know I’m late and I’m so sorry!!! I’ve been sick so I had to take my time off my electronic devices and use my phone instead of my computer for writting. Today I’m feeling better so I managed to end the edition of this chapter and I’m working on the edition of day 5.

I hope you like it! I made it only fluffy things and feelings to be honest, wanted to give you a bit of  a rest after that chapter full of Angst.

link to Ao3

Alastor paced around his room, his heart beating fast, his thoughts on a certain spider demon, and his smile much less maniac and more genuine recalling the past few hours.

Earlier that same afternoon he had spent time talking with Angel on the lobby. It was one of those rare free days the spider had, so the both of them had drank and talked.

It had been, quite pleasant, surprising Alastor when the clock hit midnight.

He had just stopped to amuse the spider demon but instead, Angel had surprised him by asking if he would like to have a drink with him and his appearance. The usual flashy and bright clothes were gone replaces by some jeans, a soft gray sweatshirt, his high-heel boots were gone too replaced by simple pink shoes with small heels, he wasn’t even wearing his usual gloves letting his hands free for all to see and showing off his pink claws.

Piqued by his curiosity Alastor agreed, getting ready to remind the spider to sprout out something about if he wanted another of his services, but the jive never came. Instead Angel had respected his space, didn’t make any offers about his services, and they even started a joke war.

It was one of the best afternoons Alastor had in, well, all of his afterlife.

But by the time Angel had decided to retire himself claiming how he didn’t want to bother him more with his presence Alastor found himself taking Angel’s hand with his own to stop him.

It was for a feeble moment but when he took notice of what he had done and looked at Angel’s face adorned with a soft dark pink blush over his fur, he took his hand away.

Alastor said to Angel he didn’t mind repeating that another day and wished him a pleasant night as he left with as much dignity as he could.

Once in his room, he started pacing, thinking about how he had acted.

Why did he liked watching Angel’s blush? Why did he like the way Angel’s hand felt on his own? Why did he want to spend more time with Angel and watch him smile?

Alastor didn’t know, but it was the first time he felt like this.

The curious part is, he didn’t want it to end and he was curious about this new development.

Before falling asleep he barely recalled a distant memory of when he was alive. When a little boy rested in his mother’s arms as she talked about how it felt when you fell in love with someone. Her soft voice making him relax and start to fall asleep on her arms.

“…and you will want to know more about them, even if you’re just together doing nothing more than listening to music enjoying each other’s company…”

 _______________________________________________________________

­­­­

As the days kept passing by Alastor found himself seeking the company of Angel, slowly but after many interactions at the bar or just lounging on the lobby together they started to notice how both were drawn to each other. Any time Angel was on the hotel Alastor was always near.

After a particularly tiring day at the studio for Angel, Alastor decided to do something for the spider as he watched Angel drag himself to his room hiding pain behind his fake smile. He looked exhausted, a faint limping hidden between his steps and a faint bruising barely visible thanks to his smeared makeup on his cheek.

Alastor could only stare as Angel tried his best and fooled everyone else, but not him.

No, he knew every single quirk the spider had. It had been days of observing how many times Angel returned and favored one side, or how he seemed to use even more makeup than usual that was a tone brighter than the real color of his fur, how his actual smile was less sharp than the smirk he often used with them when hiding something.

That made Alastor stop his train of thoughts.

Had he been watching Angel that much? When had this become a common occurrence? Why was he thinking about sending his shadow to check upon Angel just to make sure he had arrived at his room safe and didn’t need medical assistance?

The memories of what his mother had once described how falling in love felt, about how you knew you liked someone more than a friend or an acquaintance coming back in a blur.

Shaking his head, he realized that he could notice things about Angel better than the most because now he was somehow developed feelings for him.

“…I like him” Alastor said to no one as he walked through the hallway.

With the corner of his eyes he noticed his shadow making movements that seemed to say “finally!”. Alastor just batted his shadow away as he realized that, for the first time in his life. He liked someone romantically.

His ears picked up some sobs coming from Angel’s room, distracting him from his new revelation.

Shaking his head and suppressing his feelings he decided to wait by Angel’s door as he heard him cry, take a bath, and then change into his favorite comfy clothes before knocking on his door.

He needed time to process things, but that didn’t mean he had to cut his interaction with Angel. Especially if he needed someone to distract him about what had happened before.

 _______________________________________________________________

Two weeks later Alastor decided to make a move, he might be a good liar but he didn’t like lying to himself. Somehow, he had taken a fancy to Angel and developed feelings for said demon. So, when he heard everyone was going to go out for groceries, a date and just because he wanted a day off Alastor decided to approach the spider demon.

He truly believed it was a foolproof plan. Especially taking count that it seemed normal for two friends to spend more time together. Besides it was another of those strange days off that Angel had. He wouldn’t have another opportunity like this.

So, after talking with Angel after everyone left, he managed to convince him to cook something from his vast repertoire of Italian recipes.

Now in the kitchen Alastor smiled softly looking at Angel sing and cook at the same time, his movements precise and he looked at ease while cooking. All of his hands showing off a level of concentration and skill that Alastor couldn’t help but stare as the soft music of Jazz came from Angel’s Hellphone.

“So…” Angel started talking after he finished the sauce and moved to measure the ingredients for the dessert “What made ya change yer mind about trying my cooking Smiles?”

Alastor just looked at what Angel was making and cleared his throat, trying not to sound suspicious or as nervous as he felt.

“Just wanted to try something new” Alastor claimed almost careless his usual smile in place “and you said you liked to cook so I decided to give your cooking a try!”

Angel hummed in affirmation hearing Alastor’s answer and then started making the dessert.

“So…is this a date?” Angel ventured to ask Alastor as if it was a joke.

However, what came next surprised him.

Alastor made a scratching record noise without meaning to, it was as clear as an answer for Angel who stopped kneading. He had noticed how nervous Alastor had been and how much he had tried to hide it. Angel didn’t want to get his hopes up so he decided to ignore it, he had noticed the slight gestures with his hands, the smile wider than usual, and how he had tried to act all collected and calm but his static betrayed him.

“Al?” Angel turned to Alastor a bit worried since he had not answered his question.

Alastor coughed clearing his throat and looked away, he had been found out and there was no way he could deny it.

“I didn’t…” Alastor started “want to be presumptuous, Angel”

Angel took a breath and left the dough alone, gathering up some courage he walked up to Alastor. Yes, he had developed feelings for the radio demon, but he didn’t want to act because he didn’t think Alastor could feel the same.

“Al, are…you serious?” Angel asked, disbelief apparent on his tone.

Alastor smiled and took a chance to look at the spider.

Angel was blushing, his fur a bright pink a beautiful color, and his cheeks were colored a soft red. He was nervous and that showed but for Alastor it was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. For a moment Alastor forgot how to breathe, he could only stare at Angel.

This probably was their first date, for the both of them. Gathering up his courage and taking a deep breath Alastor decided to make it official.

Alastor took Angel’s hand on his own as he looked at him straight in the eyes.

“Angel, I would be honored to court you, if you’d let me” with that Alastor manifested in his hands a bouquet of white roses with pink-tinted ends.

Angel looked at Alastor the roses and then took them slowly as he nodded.

“I’d love to date ya Al” Angel smiled “and, thanks for the roses”

Alastor smiled softly as he committed this image of Angel to memory.

Angel holding that bouquet of roses and smiling, he looked like his namesake. The more Alastor looked at him, the more in love he fell with him.

Both of them lost looking at each other until the smell of something burning took them out of their trance.

In the end, they decided to order something to eat before spending the night together, talking about everything and stating rules about what they were comfortable or uncomfortable. In Alastor's case he told Angel he would like to go slow, maybe let him take the initiative but let him know if Angel would like to do something so the both of them could talk about it and come to an agreement until he warmed up more to this kind of relationship. Angel knew Alastor wasn’t a fan of sex but he decided that he was worth the wait and Alastor accepted in turn Angel’s profession, even if he didn’t like it so much.

“well I guess this is the end of the night…” Angel said as Alastor escorted him to his room “thanks Al”

Alastor smiled kissing Angel’s hand before stopping in front of his room door.

“It was my pleasure, cher” Alastor smiled “Have a good night Angel”

Angel smiled at Alastor, a blush present on both of their faces. On a whim, Angel took a chance and kissed Alastor on the cheek.

“Goodnight Al” Angel said before disappearing in his room closing the door.

Alastor stood there, he didn’t know why but the place Angel had kissed was tingling. Smiling he turned to his room and started humming a song from an artist that he had learned Angel liked to listen to. A prominent blush on his cheeks as his shadow still stared longingly at Angel’s room with hearts around its head.

“…Shall I stay… Would it be a sin… If I can't help… Falling in love with you...”

________________________________________________________________

It had been two months since their first date and a month ago they decided to make their relationship official. Alastor couldn’t be happier. Angel was shining and both of them enjoyed their time together whenever they could, but this was his favorite time of day.

Angel had a habit of letting Fat Nuggets run all over the garden. The piggy would run and play with Angel for an hour and after that they both would sit in the lobby or the library of the Hotel.

Angel would usually just answer messages, take photos of Fat Nuggets and read something or play on his phone when they were alone, but when Alastor was with them both of them would dance together one or two songs until Angel had to return to get ready for work.

But today Angel seemed on edge, which was strange. He kept staring at his phone, scrolling through his messages, playing whatever game he had, he even let Fat Nuggets munch on his sweated as long as he didn’t move. He tapped his feet against the floor creating a rhythmical sound with his heels that was driving Alastor mad with worry.

Alastor wanted to ask Angel what was wrong but he knew he would talk when he was ready. Both of them sitting on the couch in the middle of the library as Alastor decided to help Angel by letting soft jazz music sound all over the lobby, especially Angel’s favorite songs.

“Hey, Al” Angel finally broke the silence he had created

“yes Angel, dear?” surprised by this, Alastor looked up from his book and stared at the demon spider.

“I..uh…” Angel fidgeted on his place as he avoided Alastor’s gaze.

Alastor looked at him, he looked scared, his fur flushing a light pink, his body guarded as if he was expecting a lashing out.

“Can…we dance?” Angel asked as he let Fat Nuggets on the ground with one of his munching toys.

Alastor frowned at the nervous tint Angel’s voice had while talking with him. It was quite out of character from him but Alastor nodded and stood up, changing to a waltz. If Angel noticed the shift, he didn’t comment on it as they took positions and started dancing around the place. Fat Nuggets too preoccupied with his toy to bother them.

“Al” Angel started “I…need to confess something and…it’s kinda important”

Alastor nodded as he kept guiding Angel around the place. He could feel the slight shaking of Angel’s hands and how he seemed more stiff than usual.

“What’s wrong Angel?” Alastor asked softly making a nervous laugh scape Angel’s lips.

“Nothing is wrong smiles” Angel smiled at Alastor “I just…this is our first real anniversary as a couple and I, well, I never thought I would be with you like this. I mean it was a surprise when we had that first date and I’ve never been so happy. I just wanted to say…Thank you, Al”

Alastor smiled, he felt the same being with Angel. He was quite surprised how this relationship had bloomed.

“Thanks for coping with me, mon cher” Alastor smiled “I’m quite lucky to have found you”

Angel blushed more and then took a deep breath and looked directly into Alastor’s eyes.

“I love you, Alastor” Angel smiled “I know it’s rushed and I know you might think it’s too early but I needed to tell you this.”

Alastor stopped moving, processing the words Angel had just said to him. At his lack of response Angel got nervous and started retreating from Alastor’s embrace.

“Al, it’s ok if you don’t feel the same” Angel started making gestures with his hands nervously “I get it, totally I know it came from nowhere but I wanted to tell you before, but I thought that today could be something special…and I can wait for you and if you want me to go until you..”

Angel’s prattle was silenced when he was interrupted by Alastor pulling him down for a kiss.

A sweet but chase kiss on the lips.

Alastor had kissed him and he didn’t seem to want to break the contact.

Angel closed his eyes and answered the kiss softly, leaning his head to make it a bit deeper.

After an eternity had passed Alastor broke the kiss and looked lovingly at Angel.

“I love you too, mon ange” Alastor said softly as he leaned in for another kiss.

Angel happily answered until it became a small make-out session, and Alastor couldn’t help but think that if kissing Angel felt so heaven-like he wouldn’t mind doing it again.

Both of them sat on the couch and Angel shifted his posture so he was leaning against Alastor’s shoulder, his head resting over it.

“I guess…you liked it?” Angel smiled

“I did, “Alastor answered “It was…quite enjoyable, for my first kiss”

Angel chuckled noticing the light blush on Alastor’s cheeks. The radio demon just rolled his eyes before kissing Angel’s forehead. Both of them just relaxing until it was time to return to their respective rooms.

Alastor couldn’t help but smile recalling everything he had come to discover about himself. First, it was the surprise of having developed an attraction to someone for the first time in his life and afterlife, how those feelings changed and suddenly he had been aware of how he had fell in love for the first time, his first date and now his first formal confession of love and first kiss.

He couldn’t wait for what was coming next, but as long as Angel was by his side, he knew he would be happy. And he would make damn sure Angel was happy and safe too.

Maybe for their next day he could take Angel hunting, a certain overlord coming to mind. Who knows, it might be fun for the both of them.

business (yandere x reader) 1

warnings: swearing, ageplaying, obsession, unhealthy relationships

word count: 2.9 

A/N: still not completely my best writing oof but here we go

taglist: (none as of yet since i’m keeping the taglist for the ben solo blurb separate from this one)

  You know how like in some novels things happen right away one after another? Like the very next day or something?  Well that didn't happen with you.  The day after the whole fiasco with Romeo and Juliette... things were pretty chill. Boss of course seemed just a little agitated, but that was normal in your opinion since well... she always had a resting bitch face. Always. And then it was two days after it.  Still nothing. You somehow got hit in the head with a paper ball that was thrown so badly it flew over the small wall that separated the cubicles instead of the trashcan. Yeah. That person's aim was horrible, but eh. They offered you chocolate once so you were cool.  Three days after everything still was kind of cool. Someone's phone kept buzzing the Backstreet Boy's song I Want It That Way and of course any reasonable person would sing along with it which of course was you.  Then four- well that was Saturday. And that was your glorious dayoff of going to the store and getting facial masks.  And fifth was Sunday and with that you mostly chilled while working on editing your paper.  Six was... Monday to say the least.  No comment.  And then what do you know? A whole week went by the incident and it seemed that no one even remembered or cared or just... were even awake to see it.    Tuesday started out kind of nice. You didn't do that annoying thing of where you wake up like ten minutes before your alarm and then you try to go back to sleep because hey it's way too early but then you can't because anxiety and you spent like seven minutes inwardly arguing with your anxiety and before you know it- it's time to get up.  But that didn't happen. That happened on Monday, yes, but Tuesday? Nah you woke up to the beautiful bliss of birds using their vocal cords and like some violins playing in the background. Over all it was nice.  And you got a cheese bagel at your nearby bagel shop because they're everywhere.    You greeted the security man that stood by the door with a 'good morning' on your way into the large building that also housed other companies like some kind of shoe company and like maybe one of Jojo's bowties? You really didn't know and didn't really wanna know. You walked out of the elevator of the floor you were on and proceeded to make your way to your cubicle. You sat down with the rolling chair moving backwards a tad before you reached out and got out your laptop from the beach bag. You were just typing in the password and going to your documents when you heard a soft, "Good morning," from your left and you look over to the opening to see Ben standing there. A small grin came onto your face at seeing the dark skinned male.  "It is this time." You mused while thinking back on your grumpy mood yesterday. He chuckled while flashing that pearly white grin of his.  "And am I not glad for that?"  "Oh shut up." You said playfully towards the male as you brought up your latest project on your computer.  He just chuckled and shook his head as if he just knew that you wouldn't pull through on your threat. And well he was right.  "Uh huh. Anyways since you're in a better mood, I was thinking we could like go out for lunch?" He suggested with a shrug as you looked back up at him. He always liked to wear bright colors since he could always pull them off so well, so today he was wearing a neon yellow t-shirt and washed-out jeans. You weren't really wearing anything special. Just blue jeans, (f/c) shirt, and some converse so eh. Nothing special or extraordinary. Just the way you liked it.  But somehow Ben always looked nice in everything he wore.  You decided to just shove your writing abilities to the back of your mind as you pretended to think about it.  "Hmmmm. I don't know. I don't really know if I like you or not." You said while stroking your chin as if there was a beard there. He chuckled and shook his head.  "Awww. Come on, (N/n). I know you do and you know you love me." He practically whined to you with a childish pout making you giggle.  "Of course I love you. You're one of the few people that are tolerable here." You told him with a grin and a shake of my head.  'You know you love me' was that one inside joke between the two of you. Whenever one just wasn't budging on something for whatever reason the other would always play that card. And usually it worked.  He was probably about to say something about being offended by that statement, but your little bicker was irrupted.  "(L/n)! My office!" You heard your last name being called out causing you to sit up right in your chair. And there standing at her office was Boss. Now Boss... was an interesting woman. One, she was born and raised in Liberia until her family moved here causing her to have a very strong accent. Two, she was very... well... blunt. She was like the Simon Cowell or Gordon Ramsey of writing. And three, even though her natural hair was black, she had dyed it a sort of burgundy red that stuck out like on a traffic light.  But you've never been called to her office before. Not unless it was for another project. But... you were working on a project. So why did she call you?    You forced yourself to rise from the rolling chair before you took in a deep breath. Just... don't jump around conclusions. You and Ben shared a look of mutual look of worry and confusion before you forced yourself to walk out and into the hallway. Others had already stopped typing to give you the look of 'uh oh' as you walked. Honestly you felt like you were going to your own funeral at these somber looks. But alas you reached the glass down of Boss's office. It was that type of office from Superman of where the walls were glass. You had to admit, you liked it.  But at the moment you kinda wished the walls were concrete so no one could see you get fired. Wait.  Fired? Now that started the anxiety ball rolling.  But before you could turn away and maybe act like you were too sick to come to her office, she saw you and simply waved you in. Those glass walls. Traitors.   You took in a deep breath and entered into the carpeted office room. Besides being all fancy with her name on the door in a sort of Instagram font, Boss had a reddish, dark brown wooden desk with four small drawers on each side at the top, and two large drawers at the bottom. The desk was definitely an expensive one since the handles for the drawers had designs on them. Overall Boss just causally flexed with the desk.  And the carpet was like really comfy too as you shifted on it sort of nervously. Boss just looked at you before she picked up a Rubik Cube and just twirled it in her hand. She looked down at the multiple colors as she mixed the cube up.  And finally easing the growing of your anxiety- she spoke.  "Sit down, (L/n)." Obediently you sat down in the brown, leather chair that actually fit very well with the desk. She waited a few moments as if she was waiting to see if you were comfortable before she spoke again. "Do you remember what happened last week?" What? What happened? What week? Last week?  What happened last week?  You had no fucking idea.  But were you gonna admit that? Hell no.  "Yes, I do." You told her with a nod to make it seem like you weren't an idiot.  "Well, today... I got the phone call from Stevie saying that she and Issac have gone back to his home town to get married."  Wait... who? Then... ohhh yeeaaaah.  Last week... those two. Right.  "Wow. They didn't waste any time, huh?" You said while acting like you had an excellent memory of all things at all time. Yup.  No dummy here.  But that kinda brought up a question... why was she telling you this?  "No, they did not." She said with a shake of her head before she leaned forward in her seat. "But.. I'm sure you're wondering why I am telling you this." You nodded at her words and she took this as a cue to continue. "Well... I assigned Stevie to an assignment that I thought that she was ready for, but now that she's getting married... well... I will need someone else for it."  Huh. Why was she telling you this?  Then... wait... oh. Oh.  "You... want me for the assignment?" You asked as you couldn't hide the surprise that leaked into your voice.  Huh. So obviously you weren't the first choice, but at least you were the second. Better than none, right?  "If you will take it." Boss responded with a shrug as she looked down at the Rubik Cube while simultaneously solving it and speaking. Woah.  "Well I mean uh- I would love too, Boss. But..." You briefly trailed off as you shifted in the leather seat.  "Just what is the assignment?"  "It's actually an interview." An interview? Now... that is something you did not have that much experience on. Who would you be interviewing? Harry Styles?  Oh now that would be great. (But sadly this isn't a 1D fanfic) "Well uh... I don't really have that much experience with like journalism and like interviews." You awkwardly confessed as you scratched your head. "But... who is it?"  Boss paused as she stopped almost... completing the Rubik Cube. What. How did she that so fast? But your confessed and amazed eyes moved back up to Boss whenever she answered your question with, "Edward Gimmens." Then... wait.  Edward Gimmens… as in... that really rich guy?  That Edward Gimmens? You just stared at your Boss in amazement as she finished the Rubik Cube. But you weren't amazed by her skill- okay yes you were actually- but more with the fact as... "How... did you get an interview slot with him?"  As far as you knew the philanthropist, billionaire, and whatever he had on his resume didn't do interviews for magazines that centered around Millenniums and Gen-Zs. He did it for those really big and out there magazines, you know?  "Well, believe it or not, he came to us. But that is not important. You'll have to come up with your questions and such, but you can use Stevie's notes." She said as she set the cube down and pulled out a folder out from her desk.  You blinked a few times at her rapid explanation as just.. woah. "But of course that's if you are taking the job."  That... was the million dollar question, wasn't it? Or the billion in this case. Ha, ha, ha.  "I... well... I... what makes you think I can do this?" You found the words coming out of your mouth before you could stop them. Uh- uh- uh- "Of course I am grateful you offered it to me, but umm... why?" You quickly added as to not seem rude.  "Well... Stevie was my first choice since she's done work like this before." Boss began with a shrug as she leaned back against the chair. "But when she had to go... well... you just popped into my head as the next capable person to do this."  You? Capable? You still got anxiety with ordering your own meal. "You... think I can do this?" You asked hesitantly and in an unsure way as your (e/c) eyes met Boss's. She smiled just a tad before she leaned forward.  "(L/n)… I see potential in you. You're a good writer and you know how to set a pace right in whatever you write. You're just... how do I put this? Not confident in your abilities. So... I'm giving you the old... shove-you-out-of-the-airplane thing."  That... did not sound ideal. Not at all. But still you slowly nodded your head.  "All right. Thanks, Boss, I'm honored you think so highly of me, but umm... can I have some time to think about it?"  "Ah yes. Of course, of course. Take as much time as you need." She said while waving her hand in the air and with her accent sort of slurring her words together making the 'course' sound like 'close.'  "But just not too much time. This does need to be written, you know."  You nodded before you stood up from the comfy chair.  "I'll... let you know by Friday." You decided on that day while your anxiety told you in one ear that you won't be able to decide by then and your self worth was whispering how she would find someone else in that time period. Fun times.  "That is good, (L/n). I'll be awaiting for your answer." She said with a nod as she stood up as well. You couldn't help, but slightly smile at the way she worded things. "And ah! Just in case you do decide to take the job, here is the notes Stevie had." She said while picking up the folder she had brought onto her desk previously. She handed it to you and you took it from her dark and freckled hands.  "Just read it over and see what you think."  "I will Boss. Thanks." 

  With one final goodbye and wave to Boss, you exited out of the office and back down the hall to your cubicle.

So... you weren't getting fired? You actually kind of got promoted in a way? I mean, if you did this interview right... others would be put on your desk. 

But this was Edward Gimmens, the CEO of Gimmens Incorporated. This was a man who's spent nearly three decades in making his name known in whatever way.

He was a well known and looked up to man in whatever he did. Whether it be taking mankind steps closer to having flying cars or what he was most known for, and you found it a little humorous, cosmetics. 

Yes that's right.

The philanthropist, inventor, and very rich guy was famous for his makeup. Somehow he had figured out a way to have any foundation or concealer or blush fit exactly to your skin tone. Instead of having to make a formula for each different skin tone, he was somehow able to make one for all. Needless to say, the product instantly became a favorite around the world. Even you had tried it once, and contrary to what you expected, it somehow blended perfectly. 

He was like the Willy Wonka of makeup. And you were suppose to interview him. 

  You sat back down on your rolling chair with a huff. But should you take it? It was a great- like really great- opportunity for you and the magazine. Of course Boss can always get somebody else, but still. 

It was great and big and perfect, but... also stressing. You were going to have to come up with questions... but Stevie did leave behind notes for you. And thinking of the notes- you had the folder. 

You set it on your desk before you opened it up to see the Instagram font that was Stevie's handwriting. 

Man. You'd probably kill someone for being able to write that elegantly.

You read over what she had so far in her notes and you had to admit that she had some pretty good ideas of what she wants to ask. You bit your lip and decided to close the folder for now. 

Hmm. Maybe... just maybe, this won't be so bad.

But of course- you needed another person's opinion on this. 

"Hey, Ben?" You decided to speak up over the clicking keyboards to your cubicle mate. 

"Yeah?" Came his one worded reply.

"I would love to go to lunch with you."

And even though you couldn't see it, you knew he was smiling.

Wen Wuxian Au

So I have about 60 pages. Still editing and finding out some characters literally write themselves (glares at Madam Yu) Not done but I just can't help myself and want to post this to see how other’s feel.

I still ended up editing some parts to make it coherent, so if you have questions, feel free to ask. 

In the meantime, I’m writing!

Extra note: I realized that I have no title for this, so the hardest part for me now is actually the title (。_。)(。_。)(。_。)

I wrote almost a good half of the story and I still have no title. Great job self lol

They met in Cloud Recess or near Cloud Recess. 

Wen Xu merely traveled around the path alone to get intel on the Lan’s. Sad to say, he could not enter Gusu yet as his brother was late bringing in Wen Qing and Ning, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t take a leisure walk. It was dark with only the moon as a guide, but the trees were still shrouded in shadow. It was good that his eyes could adjust to it. 

It may have been for this reason he caught the youth that tripped.  

He was running, and it was dark, so there was no way for him to see the root that was poking out. In fact, he could barely make out the youth if it wasn’t for the red trims in his clothes. He almost thought it was one of his own if he hadn't caught him. He was handsome, twin bangs adorned his face and grey eyes with a hint of playfulness.

“Ah, thank you for catching me!” The junior, holding three containers of wine, greeted him as customary. Not a proper one, but there was no reason for him to know. But his smile was enough to show how grateful he was.

“Not a problem,” he smiles back. “Tell me where are you going? Is your camp nearby?”

“Eh, well to be honest, I’m sneaking in to Gusu.” His mouth showed his surprise. “My party went inside already, but I was left out. So now I’m trying to get back in.”

“Now that’s rude since they left you.” He remarked.

“Not really, I accidently left our invite to Gusu and had to go back to get it. And along the way I picked up some ‘Emperor’s Smile’.” He lifts the drinks, proud that he is about to sneak in to such a venerated place such as Cloud Recess with wine. It is funny, though. To have a student attempt to break the rules on their first day. Wen Xu can’t help but smile at the mischievousness. 

So shameless. He liked it.

Quickly the youth gasps.

“Ah sorry to leave, here take this extra bottle for catching me. Thank you and bye!”  As he runs Xu catches sight of a red ribbon tying his hair in a half ponytail, as if waving goodbye. It was only later that he realized that they never exchanged their names.

‘What a shame,’ he thought. He would have like to have gotten to know him better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wei Wuxian grinned as he carefully attempted to sneak in to Gusu. It was a shame he didn’t have the third bottle, but the traveler he met on the way was kind enough to catch him and he could not stay to make small talk. It was no problem, though. What became a problem though was when he met the patrolman. Someone he met earlier in the day.

Really, dressing in near white made them look like they were mourning. However, that’s not what he said as he recognized who caught him. Especially when he recited the rules.

“Well, I only want to make sure Jiang Yanli and Cheng are okay. How about it let me take a peek and I’ll leave, eh?” Immediately Wei Wuxian makes a run for it, hoping that Lan Wangji would not stop him.  He had to when the blade and hilt appeared right in front of him and the one that caught him staring him down. Wei Wuxian laughs, a bit nervously but with a backup plan in mind.

“It’s Emperor’s Smile! I’ll give you a jar, can you pretend that you never saw me?” He asked with a full-blown grin. Ah, how sad. He started off with three and now it looked like he was going down to one.

“Attempting to bribe a law enforcer. Doubly guilty.”

“Second young master, are you that inflexible? When we were at the gate, you placed a Silence Spell for no reason,” he places the blade back to it sheathe. “You are somehow responsible for that case, right?” He tries to make a quick run, only for Lan Wangji to stop him with his blade fully out. This time Wei Wuxian was ready as he pulled out Suibian and sparred with the handsome cultivator.  

It was quite fun. Running across the tiles in the dark with only the moon being its light, his heart light and happy as adrenaline rushed through his veins. It felt addictive as he laughed in the night sky. His skill was no exaggeration

Their blades would clash here and there as he tried to escape but never could since his opponent would stop him. Sadly, Lan Wangji cut off the string that held both of the ‘Emperor’s Smile’ bottles. He tried to save both as he jumps off the roof with his hands outstretched, but alas, he was now down to one! He takes it back; it wasn’t fun sparring with Lan Zhan! He was he a fuddy duddy, an uptight inflexible fuddy duddy! Upset, he turns.

“Lan Zhan! You owe me a bottle of Emperor’s Smile!” Lan Wangji lands next to him.

“Turn around.” Confused, Wei Wuxian looks around and catches sight of the stone tablet.

“What’s this?”

“These are the Principles of the Lan Clan of Gusu. Put that down and let’s count how many you have broken.”

‘These many rules!’

“Well, I’m so fortunate that I wasn’t born in this clan.” Responded Wei Wuxian as he jumped to leave the courtyard and sat on the roof towards the outside of the compound and took off the seal from the Emperor’s Smile.

“Since Liquor is forbidden in Cloud Recess, well then, I will sit here. I’m not inside and I can drink my Emperor’s Smile!” He barely had a mouthful when Lan Wangji called him disobedient. In retaliation, he berated the fuddy duddy. In hindsight, he should have remembered the spell.

He would weep for the broken bottle and how Lan Zhan sealed his mouth with that stupid silence spell.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Wuxian was enjoying himself well in Cloud Recess. Yes, they were quite fuddy duddy’s for their sacred sect rules. He would not deny that there were things that he enjoyed such as spending time with his brother and friend with wine and peanuts as he went over Nie Huaisang’s handpicked literature, and Jiang Cheng chastised him for something that happened in class.

What he found most enjoyable was Lan Wangji, Lan Zhan, Second Young Master Lan. He would do what he could to just push his limits of patience. Not that he was trying to be vicious, it was just funny to see him upset. His favorites where there was a slight lift to his lips, that’s when he knew that he had his attention on him. It was marvelous, and it made him feel-

Feel what?

Wei Wuxian didn’t know the answer, to be honest. All he knew that his favorite moments were when he felt that Lan Wangji finally relaxed. It wasn’t often, but he was happy that he could steal a few of those moments.

This was not one of those moments. A few days into classes' Wei Wuxian was once again caught playing around. It was because of this he was arguing, really debating, with their teacher Lan Qiren.

“Spiritual energy is still energy. Resentful energy is still energy. Spiritual energy is in our dantian. It can split mountains and fill oceans for human use. So why can’t resentful energy also be used by humans?” He was quick to evade the scroll that Lan Qiren threw as the rest of the class tried to shush him. Really, he was only answering honestly.

“Then let me ask you again! How can you make sure that the resentful energy will only listen to you and not harm others?”

“I haven’t thought of it yet!” Lan Qiren throws another scroll at him as he held back a laugh. It was then that someone- no, not someone the Wen Sect entered the room.

The room quiets, including Lan Qiren, who was just chastising Wei Wuxian.

“Surprised to hear a teacher berating a student for stating a unique way of cultivating.” The class watched in silence as the man in red and black, standing tall with pride, came with disciples behind him.

“It is a teacher’s job to guide the student to not deviate the path. Now may I ask why you are here?” Directs Lan Qiren to leave no room to argue over the previous subject. He smirks and greets him as customary.

“Qisha Wen Sect heir Wen Xu. I’m merely here to bring a few of my family members to your classes. They expressed special interest, and I merely wished to apologize for their late arrival to your prestigious classes.”  

“Since they are interested, they may take part. However, I must insist that they go over their studies for the next few days as they are behind.”

“Of course.” He nods to the woman behind who introduced herself as Wen Qing and her brother Wen Ning. They present the tribute which is accepted by Lan Wangji, who stood up under his uncle's order.  

“I hope it’s not too much of a hassle, but my disciples have traveled far and would love to have a few days' rest.” Lan Qiren was forced to accept. It would have been poor form to send them off after they had traveled to bring in more students who were ‘eager’ to learn.

“We will have the rooms ready.” He sends one disciple to take the box from his nephew as he went back to his seat. The class knew better than to interrupt. In the entire time Wei Wuxian realized that he didn’t even sit. Just stood still as if that would protect him from being noticed, which was silly. Why should he hide? He is the head disciple of the Jiang Sect, the mischievous older brother of Jiang Cheng. Still, he sat down slowly, hoping at least that Lan Qiren would not bring up any punishment, and trying to ignore the Wens.

As he sat down, Wei Wuxian felt a shiver down his back. With a quick side look, he noticed Wen Xu’s eyes on him. It was unnerving as he felt something dark in those eyes. He looked away, catching Lan Wangji’s eyes for a second.  

Mentally shaking those thoughts away, Wei Wuxian resolved to listen to Lan Qiren and quit his mischief for today. Something told him he may want to stay in the class versus playing outside like he planned to.