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emberfrostlovesloki · 7 months

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A for Effort [Hotch x Reader]

Photo credits: Left (Google) (Center (@hotch-girl) Right (@archaic-stranger)

Prompt: A meet-cute of how Aaron met the non-BAU reader at Penelope’s theater improv group show. And how Aaron accompanies the reader to host her Halloween extra-credit horror movie watch and discussion for her students.

Pairing: Hotch x fem presenting reader. The reader uses she/her pronouns.

Category: Angst/fluff/comfort

Word Count: 8.2K

Content Warnings: Canon typical violence (unsub drugs and beats teenagers, Hotch takes a beating, awkwardness, mention of being cheated on (reader’s boyfriend cheats on her with a best friend), mention of separation, light drinking, unwanted touch (a guy is handsy with the reader), vomit is mentioned (in the context of the film The Exorcist), religious themes, mention of intimacy (sexual touch over the clothes) If I missed any, please let me know.

A/N: This one is just me having fun. I did give my students extra credit where we watched a horror movie and discussed the elements of the film. I couldn’t help but picture Aaron there with me, so I wrote this. I teach English but I’ve made this story that there could be a plethora of subjects. I really like the meet-cute element of this story. It was fun to write. If you like this story, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated. Below I have included some cultural definitions for my international readers. If you’re from the States, especially the South and you know what dance halls and cotilion are, then feel free to skip this. I just want to make sure my readers feel included. Please know I am not good at line dancing or swing dancing - I do ballet to this is not my personal dance style. Lastly, before I sign off, you can vote for the next Aaron story you want from me at this post (linked). I hope you have a great night - Love Levi

Definitions

Dance Hall: An enclosed space with a dance floor, a stage for live music, and a bar (normally). The space is pretty age-inclusive and most music is country. Couples and singles come and often mix and match partners. Some people go to show off their skills here. The dances are normally line dances or swing dancing which relies a lot on improv. The lighting is normally dimmed, though not as much as at a nightclub.

Cotillion: Essentially manners class. These can be after school or on the weekends. It’s associated with the debutant circle and court.

List with all stories

_y/n_ = your name

_l/n_ = your last name

_y/l/g/s_ = your local grocery store

_y/e/c_ = your eye color.

_y/f/a(s)/s_ = your favorite art (or science) subject - aka English, film, art, psychology, etc.

_y/u_ = your university

_y/s’s/d’s/b_ = your subject’s department’s building

Aaron sat down in the second to last folding chair with a very small grunt. The sound was so quiet that Spencer, who was on his right side, didn’t even notice that he had made it. The last case had seen Hotch tracking down a stalker who was preying on teenage girls, drugging and beating them severely before dumping their bodies on the steps of their parent's houses to be found the next morning. Aaron had experienced the strength of the forty-seven-year-old unsub as they had sprinted down an alleyway. The team had gotten to the fifth victim just in time. With Rossi, Spencer, and Emily taking care of the teen, Aaron and Morgan gave chase on foot. When both met a crossroads, each took a path. Aaron took the sidewalk to the left. Using all of his strength, Hotch had been able to catch up to the unsub. When they reached a dead end, the power balance changed. The unsub, Kevin Leery, realized his only means of escape was fighting his way out. The man quickly turned before Aaron, who was now pretty winded from all the running, could pull his sidearm. Hotch had been victorious, though, by the state of his aching body, he might not say so. Rossi had called the paramedics for him. The medics assured Rossi and the team, more than himself, that he would be fine in a few days. That there were no broken bones, just some bruised ribs, and a pretty battered left hand. Aaron’s attention shifted as there seemed to be movement behind the small curtain that was waiting to be raised. Hotch was glad for this distraction. He needed his mind on other things than his body. When Garcia had taken up improv as a hobby, the whole team was on board. Especially Morgan. Derek, at least twice a week would say, “Now Babygirl, when do we get to see a performance?” Penelope would blush and say, “When we’re ready. You can’t rush talent, and the whole troupe is still getting everyone else's vibe.” Aaron would give a small smile that he tried to hide when he overheard these conversations. Improv felt like the perfect art for his technical analyst. When the first performance was announced, Garcia printed fliers and invited the whole team to come and watch the show and then grab dinner afterward. Everyone had joyfully agreed. Aaron had marked the date on his personal calendar over a month out. He ensured that Jack could be at Hailey’s that day. The anticipation grew as the one-night performance loomed. Garcia had said a few things about breaking the fourth wall and audience participation. Hotch was sure that whoever was picked wouldn’t be him. Garcia knew him too well to let that happen. Part of him wanted whoever was making that choice pick to Derek. He thought it would be fun to see his friend on stage attempting to play an act. And Aaron knew that Morgan was easy-going enough to play along with whatever the group had him do.

Aaron’s thoughts were pulled from the curtain and any movement that may or may not be going on behind it as someone tapped his shoulder and asked, “Sorry is this seat taken?” Hotch’s eyes snapped to the woman who was standing in the small aisle of the tiny theater the improv group had rented out for the evening. Aaron’s gaze looked into the inquisitive face of the stranger, and he said, “Yes, I mean no, No it’s not. Feel free to sit here. Sorry.” Hotch wasn’t sure why he was being stuttery all of a sudden. Most of it was probably because the woman who was now settling into the chair very close to his was incredibly beautiful. However, what Hotch told himself was that this mystery woman was holding flowers and he wasn’t. Hotch stopped himself from face-palming. He had forgotten to bring flowers for Penelope. He would profusely apologize after and then pay whatever amount he needed to get a florist to drop off an arraignment when he got back home. The woman next to him with some trepidation given his recent slip. She made one final shift, as she set her purse and the flowers on the ground in front of her and pulled out the program for the two-act play. While doing this, she inadvertently brushed her thigh up against his. Aaron felt a rush through his body at the contact. Very quietly the woman said, “Sorry.” Hotch looked over, and she was looking at him as if she was making sure he was alright for the unintended contact. Hotch gave a small nod and said, “Don’t worry about it.” After the contact, the person sitting next to him seemed to be the only thing he could focus on. She had pulled her legs and body tight into the chair, to not touch him again. The light scent of her perfume washed over him with her body heat. They were just an inch or two apart, and Hotch couldn’t help but observe her as she flipped through the program with an interest. To not seem weird or be caught staring, Aaron looked to his right at the team. If Spencer had noticed his odd behavior, the boy-wonder wasn’t letting on. But when Hotch’s eyes moved one chair over, Rossi looked at him with eyebrows raised. This time Aaron couldn't stifle the sigh that he let out at seeing Dave’s expression. His best friend on the team was always on to him about lighting up. About living a little. Aaron always rebuffed these comments. He thought he lived plenty -- and nearly died in the field more than that. All of these conversations, stated or unstated, had started a respectful time after Hailey had left him. Hotch was sure Rossi, and the whole team had seen that his marriage had been crumbling as much as he did. Maybe they saw it before he did. If they had, they didn’t say anything about it apart from Dave, and one very kind comment from Emily. Prentiss had asked him one day late in the office, “Are you alright, Aaron?” It was a hypothetical question, and he replied, “I think I am. Thank you for asking, Em.” They had left it at that. Aaron still thought about that comment sometimes. There was a small movement from the companion to his left like they had heard his sigh and stilled their movements because of it. Aaron willed himself to not look back at the woman. Thankfully the lights dimmed and the curtain raised.

The play was about a man who worked at an office and was slowly losing his mind. The program said the idea was loosely based on the short story, “Bartleby the Scrivener” by Melville. Garcia played the perky secretary who was always badgering the lead about this private life. The play was funny. The dynamic between the actors was natural as they riffed off each other and the confines of the small narrative being built between them. As the first act ramped to conflict with the lead, a youthful-looking man with a mustache broke the fourth wall and said, “But Maddison," which was Penelope’s character’s name, "there’s something I haven’t told you. I have a fiance! And they’re in the room with us” The small crowd in the room all took an intake of breath at the revelation. Suddenly everyone in the small assembled crowd looked at each other. Penelope said, “Well get her up here this instant! I’ve got to meet her. She must be mental if she’s in love with you.” There was a second that with bated horror, that Aaron thought the lead was going to point at him. But the man’s pointer finger pointed at the woman sitting next to him. All eyes turned to her. Aaron could see her deflate a tiny bit. As the man on stage said, “Come up here, beloved. Come and meet the source of my madness.” The woman got up and as she moved toward the stage, he guessed that the protagonist hadn’t informed her beforehand that this would be happening. In the back of his mind, Aaron thought, “What a dick move.” The man helped the woman up onto the stage. She was wearing a skirt, and she was more careful that she didn’t flash anyone as she was hoisted up on the stage than the man helping her upward. At seeing this, something small in Aaron twitched up comfortably. When the woman was on stage, Penelope rushed forward and hugged the woman. Aaron could see that Pen had also seen what he had. Hotch could see in Garcia’s embrace both an act and a real gesture of comfort. Garcia pulled back and asked, “So, you’re cooped up with this old bat all hours of the day and night? How are you coping with that?” There was a tense silence while the audience waited for the woman to respond. The lead moved toward the woman, and his right hand found purchase on her lower back. The woman seemed to lean into the touch. Aaron immediately assumed that the two were a couple. It would make sense if the mustache man had picked her. The silence persisted. It lay heavy over the crowd. It became awkward as the woman looked at the man and the audience. Her eyes shone with anxiety. Finally, the man said, “Have nothing to say about me, darling?” At this, finally, the woman said, looking directly, intently at the man, “Oh sweetness, I could go on and on, and on about you. I just don’t think your friend would like what I have to say.” As soon as that line was uttered, the curtain fell, signaling the short intermission.

The crowd cheered and applauded as the cast and the woman were veiled. Aaron could hear Emily and JJ, and Derek and Rossi’s conversations about the show so far. They sounded so happy. As Hotch offered a comment to Spencer about the intricacies of Melville’s writing and how it related to the performance, he couldn’t help but think how the woman, when giving her one line had been acting as well. But some small part of her tone had indicated that it wasn’t all an act. That fact gnawed at Aaron like a dog on a bone. The intermission was short, only about fifteen minutes long. As the minutes ticked by, Hotch waited for the woman to return to her seat. After what felt like an eternally long ten minutes, she reappeared and moved down the row to her seat. Hotch offered her a hand as she steeped with high heels around her purse, program, and flowers to take her seat. Aaron looked at her closely as she sat. It was clear to Aaron that she was less joyful than she had been before the show had started. The woman’s makeup was smudged a bit, and he wondered if she had been crying during the brief break. When she was seated, Hotch removed his hand and the woman, very quietly said, ‘Thank you.” Aaron nodded and replied, “Of course.” The man had mentioned engagement on stage, and he couldn’t help himself from looking for a ring on her left hand. He found none. His wedding ring sat heavy in a box on his bedside table, reminding him of his personal shortcomings. For one tiny moment, his heart ached for his woman. Whatever it was she was going through. Aaron rarely allowed himself to have these extraneous emotions, but in the here and now, he couldn’t seem to stop them. The repetition of the lights dimming and the curtain raising once more stopped any further thoughts on the matter. The second half of the play was as funny as the first as the lead slowly lost his sanity and refused to leave the office, even under the direct order of his boss. Subliminally, Aaron felt called out at that element of the storyline. When the play ended there was thunderous applause and a standing ovation was given to the cast. Everyone slowly filtered out of the room and Hotch noticed as the woman moved to the front of the stage and kissed the lead on the mouth, handing her flowers over to him. Aaron turned his head away at the moment of intimacy between the couple. Something about what had happened during the play didn’t sit right with him, but who was he to comment on relationships?

At the dinner after the show, Pen was showered with the praise she deserved. When things had quieted down, Aaron had over-apologized about not bringing flowers, and Garcia had wholly forgiven him. He asked in a more subdued voice, “So the lead, Richard, he chose who in the audience got called up on stage?” Hotch tried to sound nonchalant but wasn’t sure if he was being convincing. Garcia didn’t seem to notice, and replied, “Yeah. He called his girlfriend, obviously. I’ve had a few conversations with _y/n_ before and after rehearsals. She’s really sweet, and too good for Rich if I’m being honest. I don’t think she appreciated being called out like that.” Aaron nodded as a few more pieces seemed to click into place in his mind. The night wound down, and Hotch managed to get some flowers to Penelope around midnight. It might have cost him $83.75, but it was worth it to get Pen’s text, with a picture attached of the bouquet thanking him profusely. Pen included every flower emoji available in the message. As Aaron got ready to sleep, his thoughts shifted to the woman. He thought back to Garcia’s comments and remembered her name: _y/n_. As he drifted into sleep, he hoped that she was alright. She was happy.

Neither _y/n_or Aaron expected to see the other ever again. But they did a month later. Hotch was doing his weekly grocery shopping at _y/l/g/s_. The person in front of him in line for the check-out had a scant four items on the conveyor belt. The items were a bottle of wine, some strawberries, a bar of 75% dark chocolate, and a dozen pink roses. Hotch sighed softly and thought, ‘At least someone’s having a good time tonight.’ As the woman who looked oddly familiar to him got to the cashier, they rifled through her purse to find their credit card. She softly said, “Shit.” The cashier told her her total of $25.47. The woman said, “I’m sorry I forgot my wallet in my office. Please just put everything back. Sorry for the inconvenience.” At hearing the woman speak, Aaron recognized the voice of the woman who had sat next to him at Penelope’s performance. The woman seemed to be ready to leave, but Aaron stopped her and said, “I’ve got it.” The woman looked over at him and recognized him immediately. _y/n_, “Oh, No. You don’t have to do that.” Hotch gave her a reassuring smile and replied, “Really, it’s no problem.” He added, “You did very good while onstage by the way. You handled it with grace.” The woman flushed. She said a soft, “Thanks.” After a second, she extended her hand and said, “y/n_, _l/n_.” Aaron took her hand and replied, “Aaron, Hotchner.” _y/n_’s palm was warm in his hand. Lost in the moment, and the woman’s eyes. Hotch asked, “Date night?” At hearing this, _y/n_ seemed to cringe a little bit, and he wondered what he had said wrong. From the small assortment of things _y/n_ was attempting to buy, date night seemed to check out. Date night with Rich, as Pen had said last month. Hotch stopped from sighing at the idea. The woman replied a beat later, “It’s a pity party, actually.” Hearing this, Aaron’s eyes furrowed. _y/n_ quickly clarified, “Let me reframe that in a more positive light. I am taking myself on a date.” There was an awkward silence after that statement and a more awkward cough from the cashier. Aaron stepped up and pulled his card from his wallet in the back left pocket of his jeans. Once he had paid for _y/n_’s groceries, the cashier started scanning his items. The young employee had started to put his groceries in the same bag as _y/n_’s items. Aaron thought about saying something, but he stopped himself. The young man working the till seemed flustered, and he didn’t want to add to the man’s distress. It would be okay if he paid for both groceries and their groceries, and then he could separate _y/n_’s items from his own. _y/n_ stood nearby, tentatively. Once Aaron had paid for his things he grabbed another plastic bag. He shifted through his own items to find _y/n_’s. As he put the four products into the new bag, he had to ask, “‘Pity party?’” Hotch missed the large flush and look of shame on _y/n_’s face as she said candidly, “My boyfriend, ex-boyfriend.. Rich. He kinda cheated on me with my best friend. It’s a whole thing.” Hotch couldn’t help himself from cringing at her honesty. At how painful that must have been for _y/n_. All that Aaron’s brain could supply was a soft, “I’m sorry? I didn’t mean to pry into your personal life.” _y/n_ shrugged her shoulders and said, “I mean, all of my friends and colleagues know. I don’t know why it would be much worse with you in the loop too. Plus you bought me my stuff and I appreciate that.” Aaron flushed again saying, “It’s really nothing given the circumstances.” He held his tongue after that. He had already said too much. Hotch couldn’t figure out where his brain went when he was near _y/n_, but it wasn’t his normal calm and composed self, that’s for sure.

Aaron let _y/n_ go to her car to not hold her up from her ‘date night.’ The recesses of Hotch’s brain wished he could get in the car with _y/n_ and join her in whatever activities she had planned for herself that evening. Hotch reprimanded himself for the thought. _y/n_ had just experienced a real pain, a hurt to the soul, and here he was longing after her like a puppy looking for some attention. For a pat on the back. Using more effort than he wished he had to, Aaron let the moment, the feelings for _y/n_ go. He had to for his well-being. He was certain that it was just fate that he and _y/n_ had bumped into each other twice. As Aaron drove back to his place and unloaded his groceries into his fridge, he found the receipt from the store. The four items from _y/n_ stood out at the top of the waxy paper. Again, he let all of those emotions, which he refused to address, go. Aaron fiddled with the buttons on his shirt and then took off his pants, as he moved into his bedroom. He decided to take a shower to clear his thoughts. Maybe to get another kind of relief that he had been missing since Hailey’s departure. Under the cascade of warm water, Aaron let go with his body and, as he began to dry his form with a warm towel, he cleansed his mind of impure thoughts. He wanted to sleep with an empty mind. One that wouldn’t make him feel guilty. As he drifted off, Hotch hoped _y/n_ had also found some kind of release that night.

Another month and a half passed before they had their third meeting. It had been the worst team bonding training of all time. The presenter had cheery slides and made high-school-level references to trust and honesty between team members and cohorts. JJ, Rossi, and Morgan had all looked at him with clear disbelief at what they were being subjected to in the hour-long training. When the presenter mentioned something about a trust fall, Aaron almost lost his cool. He could deal with many things, the long hours, the gore he saw weekly, the stress of leading the team, and his eyestrain, but he drew the line at being forced to endure this. He looked over his team with eyebrows drawn taught. When he looked at Garcia she was laughing unabashedly. The presenter was looking at Penelope unsure of himself. Aaron shot Garcia a look that said, “Please, stop now,” even though he wanted to join in on the hilarity of the situation. Once the team had been released from the presenter’s lecture, Hotch gathered the team and said, “Well I promise you all, that…” He gesticulated with his hands, demonstrating, that training, “will never happen again. If you want some real team bonding let's go to that dance hall Emily keeps trying to get us to go to tonight.” Hearing this Prentiss flushed, but she had been saying that it was a really good time and it was. Emily had had a few great evenings at the new dance hall. After a moment of silence, Rossi said, “Here, here. I for one need a stiff drink after whatever that was.” The whole team seemed to relax after this. At eight-thirty, the team arrived at the venue. The space was large and the lot was full for a Tuesday evening. Everyone had changed except Aaron, who had come straight from the office. He had ditched his jacket in the trunk of his car. His suggestion had been an attempt to take Rossi’s advice to lighten up. As soon as he entered the crowded space, he realized that he had miscalculated. Everyone on the floor, those seated at the benches and tables on the sidelines, and those getting drinks at the bar were dressed very casually. His slacks and loafers didn’t belong here. As a way to deflect from making him the odd man out, Aaron offered to get the first round of drinks. As he got the orders from the team, he moved to the bar, and some of the BAU members, Emily, JJ, and Morgan, found partners and moved to the wooden dance floor. With a slew of drinks in tow. Hotch moved back to his friends and colleagues. Rossi, Penelope, and Spencer took a few sips, as they watched the dancers move to the country music. Aaron knew that this was mostly a Southern culture thing, but he understood that dancing was a universal pleasure, even if he wasn’t particularly good at it. His mother had signed him up for cotillion classes in high school and he reluctantly went every week for a month. His mom had wanted him to grow up the perfect gentleman, and even though he maybe hadn’t picked up all the dance moves, he thought he succeeded pretty well at the rest of it.

As the songs changed there seemed to be some excitement at the center of the floor. A couple was dancing with skill and the other dancers gave them room to improvise their steps and tricks. It was showing off for showing off’s sake. As Aaron looked over the pair on the floor he recognized the woman as _y/n_ from the play and the store. His eyes widened and Hotch looked at Penelope who was also watching _y/n_ with rapt wonder. Aaron turned his eyes back to the floor and the woman was pushed, pulled, dipped, and raised in a multitude of ways and speeds. As _y/n_ was raised in the air, supported by strong arms on her hips, a few cheers came from the crowd and fellow dancers. The woman even waved her hand in acknowledgment of the praise. Uplifted and in the spinning lights, she looked so happy, like she didn’t have a care in the world. Unlike her time on stage, she looked like she belonged up there, floating on air. Hotch felt himself flush all over and he looked away for a second. Rossi watched Aaron’s reaction with more than a little interest. After the song was over there was a small bit of applause at the skill put on display for the crowd. The talented man that had been dancing with _y/n_ kissed her on the cheek chastely. From what Aaron could see, the two were just friends or maybe dance partners, but not much more. Of course, he couldn’t hear what _y/n_ said to him, but as she turned toward Hotch’s group, there were no signs of arousal in her face or body, just unabated joy. Aaron hadn’t seen her this happy before, and he flushed again. Aaron internally told himself to ‘get a grip.' _y/n_ walked toward their table, not noticing them yet.

As she got closer Penelope called out for her saying, “Hey _y/n_, what a surprise to see you here!” The woman looked up and spotted Garcia and beamed. _y/n_ quickly moved over to the huddle of FBI agents and said, “Heya, Pen. What are you doing here?” _y/n_ looked over Rossi, Spencer, and then at Hotch. Her eyes grew a bit wider at seeing him and she said, “And you…” It took her a moment to remember Aaron’s name. When it came to her, she continued, “Aaron.” _y/n_ looked between Garcia and Hotch and asked, “Y’all know each other?” Penelope, ever the enthusiastic conversationalist said, “We all work together. This is my team.” Garica pointed to each of them saying their names. Spencer smiled at _y/n_ when his name was mentioned and Rossi shook her hand warmly. As Aaron’s name came up, _y/n_ gave a soft smile and she said, “It’s nice to see you again, Aaron.” He swallowed and said, “It’s nice to see you too.” And it was nice. To see her so radiant made him feel good. _y/n_, Garcia, and Rossi talked a bit about her dancing abilities and she seemed to shy away from her talent. Garcia couldn’t help herself and asked, “Did you ever take Richard here?” Hotch froze for a moment, unsure if Garcia was aware of the breakup. _y/n_’s soft snort made him feel better as she said, “Are you kidding me? He refused to come because I was better than him at dancing and other people wanted to interact with me. All four pairs of eyes were on her as _y/n_ shared some of her personal life with them. For a team of highly skilled profilers, having someone be so open was a bit strange. Penelope helped cut the feeling and said, “Of course he wouldn’t. The man really needs to get over his own ego. He complained about you and whined for a mouth at least during practice. He still talks about it. Honestly, he’s pathetic.” Garcia saying this had _y/n_ laughing and replied, “Tell me about it. I wished I’d seen it sooner, but c’est la vie I guess.” Penelope nodded along, and after a moment _y/n_ said, “Well I’m going to grab a drink at the bar, but I’ll swing by later if you’re still around. It was nice to see some of you again, and to meet you, Dr. Reid and Dave.” The team all said some form of “see you later,” as she moved away from them. As she passed Hotch, he gave her one of his rare smiles, or more like she had drawn the smile from him. Again Rossi noticed.

Three songs later _y/n_ was back on the dance floor with a much less skilled dancer. The man had his hands all over _y/n_ after the first minute of music and _y/n_ was constantly moving his hands up, or stopping them from moving lower. She had said twice and to “cut it out” but the man was not listening to her. Hotch and Rossi watched as it happened. Both men felt uncomfortable with what was happening. After another minute, _y/n_ pulled back and away from the man, telling him off. Her face was set in a more sour look as she moved to the sidelines and away from her temporary partner. The man sought to follow her, but Hotch was out of his seat as he watched the situation unfold before him. Rossi breathed a sigh of relief as his friend did this because he was about to do the same and he felt that _y/n_ might be a bit more comfortable with Aaron than himself. Hotch cut the man off from moving any closer to _y/n_ and said with a clear, firm, and determined voice, “Out. Now.” The man didn’t argue and Aaron wasn’t sure if it was his fancy dress or the look on his face, but either way, the man left. Hotch followed him with a searing glare until he left the establishment. Once the guy was gone, he turned to _y/n_ she looked at him with half awe half admiration. He couldn’t pinpoint the second emotion, but it wasn’t negative and that’s what mattered to him. He took two steps closer, getting close to her. He leaned down a bit and asked, “_y/n_, are you alright?” When he looked at her this closely he could see a warmth in her _y/e/c_ eyes. She nodded and said, “I’ll be fine. Unfortunately, that kind of behavior can be par for the course here. Asking total strangers for a dance means not all of them are fantastic people.” Hotch nodded, saying, “Well it still doesn’t make it right.” _y/n_ felt her breath hitch a bit as he said this. He said it with sincerity like he really meant it. _y/n_ had seen plenty of guys try to defend her honor or other cliches like that just to go and disrespect her themselves. She didn’t sense that at all in the tall man standing in front of her. _y/n_ was also impressed with his commanding presence. It had only taken two words to make the man flee the scene. Two. Words. She wondered what else he could do with his voice alone. _y/n_ flushed and looked to the floor for a second. The fact didn’t pass Aaron by. After a second, _y/n_ looked up at him and said, “Can I pay you back for your help with a drink or a dance? I haven’t seen you out on the floor yet. I’d be happy to partner with you if you like?” Hotch shifted a little, suddenly a bit embarrassed. He didn’t feel like another drink. He normally stuck to one or two, and he’d already had a second beer. He wanted to dance with _y/n_ but his two left feet didn’t seem too convinced that he could cut it with someone as skilled as _y/n_. _y/n_ could see his hesitation and said, “I can lead if you like. We can do just real easy steps.” Aaron looked at her and saw that she wouldn’t be embarrassed with him. She genuinely wanted to be with him like that. Hotch flushed again, more lightly this time, and he said, “Alright, I’ll do my best to not trip over my own feet.” _y/n_ chuckled as they took his hand and led him to a quieter part of the floor. A bit away from the team, which Hotch was grateful for; though he was sure the team was probably watching him. He didn’t blame them, he’d watch too if he could.

The dance went well. _y/n_ turned out to be a skilled instructor for him. He did try very hard to follow the steps and let _y/n_ improv off his lacking moves. At one point _y/n_ even let him do a little spin, which was very awkward given how much taller he was than her. He had to let go of her hand to make the 360-degree rotation. They had both laughed good-naturedly at how silly it was. When he was being treated like this, Aaron didn’t mind not having control. After another song, the music took a sudden change from country and swing to slow sensual music. _y/n_ let his hands go and took a step back. Aaron looked around, not sure why there had been such a dramatic change. People were slow dancing now and he looked to _y/n_ for clarity. _y/n_ gave him a gentle smile and said, “The last hour is always slow music so those who don’t like swing dancing or line dancing get a turn. I think it’s nice. Inclusive in a way. Aaron nodded and said, “Oh.” He stood still for a moment. He looked to the ground for an instant wondering how he was going to ask if she wanted to continue to dance. Because he did want to keep dancing with her. When he looked up, she was looking at him. _y/n_ was biting down lightly on the inside of her cheek. She couldn’t see that her pupils were blown wide with desire. Her fingers were tapping against her leg lightly. _y/n_ wanted Aaron’s hands back in hers. Or behind her back while her arms rested on his shoulders. She wanted to be inexplicably close to him at that moment. Hotch didn’t say anything, didn’t need to say anything as he bridged the gap between them. His hands found purchase on her hips and _y/n_’s hand moved up to his shoulders. His hands glided over his chest softly. Aaron closed his eyes, and they both moved on instinct. With what was comfortable for them. _y/n_ melted into his touch, and his large hands gently landed on her body. They were warm and held her firmly like he was afraid that she might slip away if he let go. _y/n_ would be happy to reassure him that she would likely follow him to the ends of the earth even though she had only met him three times before. Aaron’s cologne smelled of rye and spruce, but it wasn’t the overpowering stuff teens and insecure men used with a heavy hand. This was refined. Elevated. It took a lot of what she had in her to not rest her head on his chest and take a deep breath. After two more songs, Aaron looked down at her and she seemed so at peace with him holding her close. And for the first time in a very long time, he leaped before he looked, as he leaned down further. He was slow, giving _y/n_ time to stop him, but she didn’t. Instead, she tipped her head up to meet his lips. The kiss was soft, respectful of how new and potentially strange this was, but neither could deny that the feeling was blissful. Hotch didn’t even care that JJ, Garcia, and Emily all had their mouths open in pure shock at his actions.

_y/n_ and Aaron’s relationship moved at a normal pace. As much as they had both been drawn to each other the night they had first kissed, both parties wanted to give the other space. To make sure things were comfortable and natural. _y/n_ wasn’t the type to commit to anything without fulling thinking and feeling it out. Aaron was the same for obvious reasons. But they had found a love and care between them, along with a passion that _y/n_ and Hotch had pretty much expected given the events the night at the dance hall. They both learned about each other, their jobs, and the intricacies of their lives. And after all that _y/n_ still wanted him, and Aaron was amazed at how nice it was to have someone steady to lean on. To care for while he wasn’t working. Someone had loved him back as intensely. As it turned out _y/n_ lectured _y/f/a(s)/s_ at _y/u_. And because of this, he was driving toward the university campus in _y/n_’s car with her in the passenger seat. They were chatting about his day in the office. Aaron was recounting some stories of Reid’s and _y/n_ listened with rapt attention. Hotch was being careful with his driving as it was near the college, which meant freshman with cars they hardly needed, and those partying a little too hard on Halloween night. They got onto campus proper and _y/n_ directed him to the parking lot. He had asked her if she wanted to take his car and she had reminded him that she had the faculty sticker on her windshield and he didn’t. She teased, “I don’t even think your FBI ID would persuade parking services. They are relentless in their mission.” Hotch had laughed at this and she warmed at hearing it. Aaron’s laugh sounded like a river running over smooth stones to her. It was gentle and mellow. Once they had parked, the pair moved to the _y/s’s/d’s/b_. The doors were still open given that some grad classes were still being held.

Three weeks ago Aaron had asked her if she was doing anything on Halloween and if she wanted to spend the evening with him. As _y/n_ listened to his question, she sighed and said, “I’m holding an extra credit opportunity for my students. We’re watching The Exorcist and then discussing it, but being with you sounds so nice. You could sit with me while we watch it and then hang out at my place after? That is if you don’t have Jack of course. Let’s not terrorize him so early on.” Hotch let out a breathy laugh and said, “Jack’s going to be with Hailey at some school trunk or treat event and he’s staying at her place to sleep off the sugar high. You’d let me sit in with you? In front of your students?” _y/n_ let out a little breath. She hadn’t expected him to say yes. She replied quickly, happily, “Of course I would! I mean most of my students know I have a partner, they might as well see you. And you can tell off students trying to canoodle while Regan gets possessed as have my eyes tightly shut.” Hotch chuckled and said, “Well I’ll leave the disciplining up to you, but I’m happy to be moral support and to calm your fear.” So they made the plans now they were walking the mostly empty hallways and up to the third floor. _y/n_ beeped into the faculty work room to print out the sign-in sheet and a guide for the most scary parts of the film for those who were like her; a scardey cat. As she moved into the small space and logged in to the computer, Aaron leaned against the door frame, filling the space. As the copies printed, she looked up at him and said, “I wish you’d follow me around all the time when I work. You could be a ghost haunting me.” Aaron smiled and said, “If I followed you around you’d soon learn that I’d fail your class. And we can’t have that, now can we?” The copies finished and _y/n_ grabbed them saying, “I’ve seen your writing, Aaron you are more than competent.” Hotch moved out of the way and his hand found hers as they moved to the lecture hall. _y/n_ had reserved the space because she expected a good turnout, the screen was large, and the audio system was reliable. _y/n_ asked Hotch to prop open the door with a chair. While he did this, she moved to the technology at the front of the room to the left of the lectern. _y/n_ signed into her Amazon and pulled up the film, checking the audio levels and turning on the closed captions for those who might need them. Aaron moved to _y/n_ and offered to take her purse for her. She smiled and nodded and he moved to the back of the room. He sat down near the center of the row. He called out across the space, “This good?” _y/n_ nodded and said back in a clear voice that carried in the space, “Perfect sweetheart.”

_y/n_ continued to stand at the front of the room and after another minute or so some students started to ramble in. _y/n_ instructed them to sign in on the sheet near the door. Many of the students had brought friends, roommates, boyfriends, or girlfriends along for moral support, or to laugh at the scary bits. _y/n_ had some casual conversations with some of the students and Aaron watched on with admiration. It was clear to him that _y/n_ had a connection with these young adults trying to figure life out for the first time. A few of the students noticed Aaron sitting at the back of the room, but none of them said anything to him or sat near him. It finally hit 7:30 p.m., and _y/n_ said, “Alright everyone, thanks for coming out. Let’s get going with the movie so you can all go out to the square or you’re older friends’s parties I’m not going to hear about on Thursday. Remember we’re paying attention so we can answer questions after.” Hearing this, the kids let out some laughs and chuckles. _y/n_ nearly forgot about the guides and said quickly, “Does anyone want a sheet with timestamps for the scares? Any other wimps out there like me?” There was silence and _y/n_ laughed at herself and said, “Alright guys, but don’t blame me when you have bad dreams tonight.” With that, _y/n_ started the film and moved to the door. She removed the chair and switched off the lights so the only light remaining was the two glowing exit signs on either side of the room. _y/n_ moved back to him and took a seat on his left side. It was dark and they were in the back, so she slipped her hand into his He gave it a gentle squeeze. True to her word, _y/n_ did close her eyes during some of the more difficult points of the movie. Now and then there would be some quiet chatter from the students. Some got up and opened the door to use the restroom. One student made it back to them to say they wanted to leave early to “go to their dorm.” _y/n_ smiled at the girl and said, “Okay, just make sure you’re signed in.” The teen nodded and said, “Thanks. See you Thursday.” At the end of the film, as Father Karras passes away, Hotch looks over _y/n_’s face. Her eyes were a bit misty. She had warned him that she got emotional at the end. She had looped him in because she didn’t want him to worry that she was so scared that she was crying, or crying for some other unknown reasons. As the credit started rolling, _y/n_ wiped her eyes and she moved to the front of the room.

She paused the movie and said, “Alright everyone, shield your eyes, the lights are coming back on.” Once the lights were on and everyone could see again, _y/n_ moved to the side of the lectern and leaned against it. She started by saying, “I’m going to make this quick because I’m sure there are places you want to be that aren’t here, and because I’m tired.” Hotch half knew that she wanted to be with him too, and it made him smile. _y/n_ asked, “So, what’s the tone of the film?” There was a brief silence, but then a young man said, “It’s camp.” That got a laugh from everyone and then opened the door for the class to bounce some ideas off each other. They spoke about theme and religion, and whether Regan or Chris acted as the final girl. They talked about Father Karra’s characterization and story arc. _y/n_ helped lead the conversation, but let her students talk and express their views. She asked, “So we’ve read the novel and seen the film and talked about the religious symbolism and overtones. So tell me what in the film is transubstantiated?” At this, there was a lingering silence. One girl offered, “Regan’s vomit?” _y/n_ chuckled and said, “Close, anyone else?” Aaron couldn’t help himself, because he also wanted to know the answer, so he said, “Is it Regan herself?” His comment reverberated to the front and twenty-one pairs of eyes turned to him. Hotch felt called out, but _y/n_ pulled the the student’s attention back to her by saying, “Yes very good. Now I can’t claim anything about authorial intent, but in my opinion, Regan is transubstantiation a literal transformation of her body and blood.”

_y/n_ quickly wrapped up the extra credit after that. A few minutes later Hotch and _y/n_ were back outside and headed to her car. They had stopped her her office for her to pick up a stack of papers that needed to be graded. Aaron smiled when he saw a picture of him and Jack pinned to the wall next to her degree. He leaned down and kissed her gently. As they pulled back, he said, “I love you, _y/n_.” _y/n_ hummed happily back at him. In the cold night, they moved across the campus grounds. It was dark and Aaron wrapped an arm around _y/n_’s waist, pulling her close to him. They passed by one of the emergency stations which looked to be broken. He looked down to _y/n_ and asked, “You keep a taser on you when you’re here at night, right?” _y/n_ looked up at him and said, “I carry pepper spray. I haven’t gotten a taser yet, but I will.” Hotch nodded as they walked into the parking garage. Aaron had done loads of research about the safety of the university once _y/n_ had told him where they worked. He had seen too many cases on college campuses to not be concerned for _y/n_’s safety. When they got back to the car, Aaron opened the door for _y/n_. She settled in and he moved to his seat. He turned on the heater and they cruised out onto the street. They talked a bit about the film, and Aaron asked why she cried at the end. What it meant to her. _y/n_ did her best to explain the real love and sacrifice Karras made to save Regan. How seeing Pazuzu restored his faith. _y/n_ made sure to clarify, “Even if a person doesn’t have faith, or that type of faith, I think pretty much anyone can see that he was finally at peace at the end.” Aaron nodded along, listening to her intently. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Hotch asked, “So, how did I do Prof? Was my answer to your question actually right?” _y/n_ chuckled and said “I think you were right. Regan’s transformation was literal and it was the answer I was hoping for.” She looked over Aaron, his face lit by the streetlamps and dashboard. He was so beautiful to her and she added, “I give you an A for effort.” Hotch smiled at her comments, saying, “I’m happy to help. And hey, an A. You’ll make a good student of me yet.”

When they got to her place, they moved to the front door and _y/n_ pulled her keys from her purse and let them in. The bowl she had left out that had been filled with candy was now running low, and even though it was late, there weren’t going to be many more kids. _y/n_ moved to the counter and dumped more candy into the container. With that done, she locked the door behind her. Aaron and _y/n_ moved to her room and kicked off their shoes and socks. They changed into comfy clothes before crawling into bed. Three months into their relationship, they both kept a few pairs of clothes in the other’s space. In the bed, they were next to each other, the back of _y/n_’s head resting on his chest, her body positioned between his opened legs. Hotch’s hands moved over her chest and torso before moving lower slowly. He watched _y/n_ in the soft light of her lamps. Seeing her like this, seeing her care for her students, and for him made him nuzzle his face in her hair. It smelled of vanilla. As Aaron’s hand moved to a more intimate place, _y/n_’s intake of breath told him that she enjoyed what he was doing. She had told him many, many times that he was skilled in that area. The thought of her praise had him excited in his pants. Hotch asked in a low voice, full of desire, “Do you think I can get something more for my insightful comments than a hypothetic A?” _y/n_ squirmed a bit with pleasure before moving out between his legs. She moved to face him and kneeled in front of him. As her hand started moving over him and he let out a groan, she said, “For you Aaron, I’d do anything.”

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mushroom-witch-writes · 2 years

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Act Like You Forgot

Eddie Munson x fem!Reader 18+

pt.1

Warnings: smut, swearing, fwb, angst(?)

Genre: smut, enemies to lovers, fwb

Summary: you and Eddie hated each other's guts, being the sub in their D&D session helped you talk about something that's been bugging you for a long time.

a/n: I have to start posting more, this is a start. Hope you like <3 also FIRST SMUUUUT WOOO

Word count : 2.046

Eddie Munson. You could swear this kid’s life purpose was to make your days insufferable, but things weren’t always this way. Most of the time you and Eddie would ignore each other’s existence in school. You both had the same style , same movies and music preferences ,but found yourselves in different groups. All was fine until that god forsaken day. The cafeteria incident as you and your friends called it. Eddie had made another one of his famous speeches and you couldn’t help but talk back. “right, so whoever doesn’t enjoy the same things as you is lame, right Munson? Yea I’m sure you’ll get much more acceptance now.” You had said and Eddie felt threatened by his own ‘kind’ at that moment or whatever. He would make comments when he saw you on the hallway , always making sure you heard and you would snap back immediately, never missing the opportunity to shut him up.

You worked at the family video in the afternoons so you ,Steve and Robin had gotten pretty close which of course meant that you had befriended the kids that followed them everywhere as well. Once you walked in for your shift that afternoon your friends gave each other a knowing look as you stormed around the place looking like a crazy person. “okay what did he say this ti-“ Steve started ,but you cut him off “ He called ME, ME of all people, a fucking POSER. Like , what the fuck Munson, look at yourself, with your long ass hair and all the band patches. Wonder if he even listens to them.” They both laughed at you “don’t laugh he’s fucking annoying as shit” “his long curly hair and soft smile and ringed fingers ,that Munson?” Robin said half laughing. You had said those things, but you were drunk and it was before he became THIS annoying. “yea yea Robin, that one. And by the way I don’t stand by those words anymore” Steve then chimed in “is that why you keep looking at him in awe every time?” you shot him a glare “shut up Harrington”. They started laughing again. Some time passed and suddenly the two shits burst into the store. “ y/n!” Dustin yelled “ I’m not here, fuck off ,no “ “ y/n please he will kill us, we just need a sub” you came out of the counter and folded your arms “ What’s in it for me?” he smiled “You’ll get to play after a long time and if we win you’ll have something to tease him about , please pleeeease” you looked at mike and he gave you a smile “fine”. You hated the fact that you accepted ,but what else could you do. Dustin was right, it would be fun beating Munson at his own game.

Friday came and you got ready. Picked the too shits from their places and headed to school. You regret saying yes the moment you walked in the hall. They opened the door and motioned you in. “what’s this?” Eddie said half laughing when you walked in “she’s the sub” Dusting smiled and Munson started laughing “absolutely not ,forget it” you sighted “what’s up Munson? Afraid you’ll lose?” he came closer. You could smell cheap cologne and cigarettes on him “no no my dearest y/n. I’m just scared that you’ll spoil our night” he said smirking and bending down to your level “look , I’m doing this for the kids, if you want me to go I will ,just make something up so they won’t be too disappointed. I don’t want to deal with this today.” You whispered and his face softened. “ Let’s see if you can even get close to beating me. Welcome to Hellfire” he smiled and gave you his hand to shake. The session went on for about one hour and ended with success. Everyone cheered for you and hugged each other “ told you we’d beat him” Dustin yelled excited. “yea yea it was fun. Now, time to head back yea?” you said and they frowned “I can take them” Jeff said “oh , uh sure yea, thanks” you replied and started organizing your stuff in your backpack while they left “you actually care about the shits huh?” Eddie said behind you in a low voice. “why wouldn’t I ? besides, you should have seen their pouty faces. Not even you would be able to refuse.” He looked at you puzzled “ not even me?” “oh you know heartless and mean and basically a major asshole” he touched his chest as if he got hurt by your words “how could you say something like that about me y/n?” truth is , you and Eddie had history, even if you both pretended you forgot. You and him had been in a party once ,one thing led to the other and before you knew you were bent over the bathroom sink looking at yourself getting absolutely destroyed by him. You blamed it on the drinks and the weed and never really talked about it. Well , you tried talking about it , but he pretended to be clueless so you dropped it. You zoned out while looking at him because of the image that popped in your head.” y/n, hellooo” he waved his hand in your face “sorry, yea , it’s pretty easy to say such things about you Munson, given the fact that they’re true” now he looked actually hurt. “oh, y/n all these days I was just playing along, I don’t actually hate you” you huffed and looked at your feet “ no I know, but I should hate you. I’m going, it was fun” you said leaving the class and walking in the empty school to your car. How could he not remember. Sure you were tipsy ,but you drank just as much as he did. Steve and Robin had told you not to pay too much attention to it. You couldn’t. It’s been almost a month and you couldn’t get his image out of your head or the way he made you feel that night. That was maybe what made you turn around and walk back into the class. “hey, I can’t keep this inside anymore ,we need to talk” you said when you walked in and he just dropped his things and sat on the table facing you “ we can talk” you walked closer “ I know you said you don’t remember anything about that night at Rick’s, but I do and I can’t seem to get it off my mind no matter how hard I try” he looked down ,he knew you’d bring it up again. “ why can’t you just leave things be? We were drunk and we fucked” this man had a talent pissing you off “ so that was it, you just got horny and thought I look desperate enough so why not ?” he got up and walked around not looking at you “ y/n we just fucked, I don’t like you and I know for a fact that you don’t like me. We both needed a warm body, that’s all” you stared at him with tears threatening to spill. You were tough, not tough enough to just stand there and hear him talk about you like you were nothing but a way to blow off steam. “ I was too drunk and made a mistake” he said.

A couple of tears slid down your face “so I was just a warm body to you. You know what my mistake was Eddie? My mistake was not being drunk enough. If I was maybe I wouldn’t remember and it would be best for both of us. Also fuck you Munson because you are an asshole, the biggest one of them all. Congrats !” you said fully crying now and wishing you never told him anything. You stormed off not caring about the fact that he just saw you cry for him.

The whole ride home all you could think about was how much you hated your self for not hating him. Once you got to your place you dropped your bag on the floor next to your door and headed upstairs to your room. You’d normally lock your door so your family wouldn’t burst in , but they weren’t home. You got undressed and curled up in a little ball on your bed ,crying your eyes out and feeling embarrassed for even thinking he would ever care. Time passed and you had fallen asleep naked. A soft knock on your window woke you. For your own sake your curtains were closed and behind them you could make out a long haired figure with a leather jacket. ‘is that man serious?’ you shot up and wrapped a sheet around your bare figure before drawing the curtains and opening the window “ what the fuck do you want psycho?” you asked looking at him wide eyed. “ I fucked up, I – we need to talk ,for real this time” he said and you sat away form the window letting him in. he jumped on your bed after taking his boots off and throwing them on your floor. Why would you even give him a chance to speak after everything he’s said? Oh yea, because you couldn’t resist this boy and the effect his eyes and words had on you “what is it Eddie?” you asked rubbing your eyes and yawing. He wasn’t talking , he couldn’t talk. He had just realised that you were standing on your bed with him with just sheets covering your naked body, the one he had tattooed in his mind, the one that he would see every time he closed his eyes, trying to find some peace. “hey!” you spoke again getting him out of his thoughts “yea sorry , I , uh , I remember everything that happened and I know that I’ve been acting stupid for a month saying I didn’t.” you folded your hands on your chest and looked at him with the most disgusted look you could muster. “also, the only thing I regret about that night was being too drunk and high and not being able to last longer” he joked leaning his head to the side and smiling “ that doesn’t make up for the fact that you used me because you were horny” you replied bitterly and truth is, he didn’t. Every time he saw or even thought about you he would go crazy, even before you and him got intimate. He couldn’t tell you that, he wasn’t the kind of guy to confess his utter admiration and love for you right there and then and get rejected. Still he wanted to be close, he wanted to be able to talk to you and piss you of , make you smile, worship you, use your beautiful body in any way imaginable and make you come all over him like no guy ever had. “ I know, I also know that you couldn’t keep it in your pants either, well, your torn up fishnet tights or whatever.” He felt himself trailing off in the thought of him tearing up your tights and bending you over. God Eddie felt as if he could listen to the desperate little sounds you made one more time , he would die happy and complete. “my point is , dear y/n , the sex was great and I personally would do it again, no strings attached, no labels and shit. Pure, filthy fucking here and there. What do you say?” your mouth fell slightly open at his words. Not because they socked you or anything ,but because the way he talked about it gave your entire body goosebumps. “no strings no labels?” you asked again and his smile grew “exactly sweetheart” you grinned and rolled your eyes “ I’m afraid you won’t be able to live up to that term Munson, but yea fuck it” he smiled and gave you his hand to shake. He held it for a little longer and you could feel this simple touch do things to your mind, things you had promised your self you wouldn’t allow to feel for him again.

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Pt2 coming soon <3

Feel free to request anything via message or ask box✨

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arikihalloween · 1 month

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Welcome Home × Soul Eater AU ramble

I had announced it, I shall now share it !

Behold, WH SE AU

Context :

In the world of Soul Eater, there are people who can transform into weapons (called demonic weapons), a genetic trait coming from some witch experimenting on humans centuries before. To avoid having those "weapons" go out of control, Shinigami, a god of death, created a school called Shibusen, where those weapons could learn how to control their powers. There are also people who come to this school to partner with the weapons and wield them, those are called meisters.

In this AU, our colorful cast of Welcome Home characters are students at this school in their last few years of studies (18-23 years old) and decided to create a race to the top before their graduation. The goal ? Get their weapon partner to the "death scythe" level by getting as much evil souls as they can. Who will win ? Who knows 👀

Let's present our six duos !

Julie Joyful and Frank Frankly (butterfly net)

Barnaby b. Beagle and Wally Darling (big apple hammer)

Howdy Pillar and Poppy Partridge (scythe)

Sally Starlet and Lucero Starlley (guitar axe)

Suave Moonwatcher and Eddie Dear (shield, later on a giant pair of scissor)

Nyxie Moonwatcher and Calypso O Octave (musical saw/violin)

And of course we can't forget out dear silliest, Home as Shinigami !!

Full page :

Lucero and Calypso belong to @kokoiep

Ramble :

Okay so this AU is actually over a year old, I had old designs and dynamics I wasn't 100% happy with because this AU was co created

Idk how the other creator is doing, I haven't talked to them in a loooong while, so I decided to rebrand the AU a little

Now, I'll explain my choices and lore

For one, I believe in keeping the canon personalities. So, when deciding who's a weapon and who is a meister, I tried to go along how the characters would act and what alligns with their silly selves. The characters that ended up as weapons needed to be weapons, otherwise it doesn't fit their personality to come to Shibusen to become a meister (reminder, meister can choose to go to Shibusen, weapons are kinda obligated to)

For the clothing, I just had fun with the "school uniform" concept as given in the Soul Eater and Soul Eater Not manga series.

And for the pairing, I included a lot of ocs, ik, but I wanted the pairs to truly match in energy and personality, and also I love my and Koko's oc and it's my AU I do what I want !

Joking side, here are some more funfact on how they ended up there

Julie followed in her siblings footsteps

Barnaby came to partner with Wally, the two are childhood best friends

Sally and Howdy came for fame and opportunities that come with being a meister

Nyxie and Suave where raised in Shibusen for lore reasons 👀

Julie and Wally are dating !

Frank and Eddie are a bit more on and off, because Eddie is an anxious mess and Frank doesn't like competion

But at the same time, the shipping in this AU is "yes" because : Julie and Wally are a thing, but Julie is very close to Frank, who is on and off with Eddie, and Eddie is quite close to Howdy, and Sally likes to flirt with Eddie and Poppy, but Lucero has a crush on Sally, who might have a lil crush on Julie, but Nyxie has a crush on Lucero, and Barnaby and Wally are reaaallly close

Good luck, may the ships all sail at once like it's the Vendée Globe :D

Other funfacts

Nyxie and Suave are actually weapons too, Nyxie is a frying pan (because what else would she be) and Suave is undetermined. Both are very unstable and thus can't really be weapons full time, hence why they meister others

Everyone has part time jobs !

Nyxie and Suave work at a bar, Eddie works at the post office, Sally works at a theater, Lucero works with Caly at a music shop, Frank works at a library, Julie in a hairdresser salon, Poppy and Howdy work at a little retail shop, Wally and Barnaby work in a clothing store.

They all live in the same appartement complex, all neighbors and they visit eachother all the time ! Each pair live together too, platonically.

I think that's about all I can say

This AU is a lil special to me because I love Soul Eater and the lore and ik there is probably already some other SE Wh aus but I wanted to get this out anyway and see if people enjoy my silly rambling

I posted it on tiktok already and people ate this up lol, I'm kinda hoping they would too here as well ? We'll see.

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shiraishi--kanade · 1 month

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;; i wanna hear about some of your 30+ proseka ocs!! if you wanna talk about them 👀

I'm hesitant, because I barely have any accurate artwork of them (and what I do have isn't drawn by me, actually), but it would be kind of hypocritical and silly for me to shy away from the question after that post, so...

In total I have about 30 proseka ocs and they keep on multiplying, but here's my focus for the time being.

[ yeah, I don't have a fancy logo or anything like this. I'm not at all a visual artist, unfortunately ]

Kawaakari Orchestra, or KWKO for stort, is a unit of 6 classical musicians that participate in chamber music/classical music competition on a national level in Japan; however, there's a twist - the competition is specifically designed to modernize and revolutionise the approach to how classical music is presented to the general public, so there's a lot of non-traditional elements both during performances and in between them.

In short, this is not what they signed up for (with some of the members even being picked up somewhat involuntarily), and the competition is fierce and nobody is having fun on the journey to victory - but also self-exploration, healing and mending their relationship with their lives and each other.

More info under the cut!

Their sekai is Conservatory Sekai, which is similar to Leo/need's school set up but instead of empty classrooms there are empty lecture halls and practice rooms; one main practice room which is very spacious and open and several smaller, more private ones. All the Virtual Singers are the same as in canon and all play the same instruments the cast does.

There are also two new schools for all OCs to attend because I wanted more creative freedom over that!

Meeting the sillies!

[surname - name. Keep in mind that picrew designs can be inaccurate to various degrees. All follow proseka wiki template!]

Unit leader/2nd Violin: Saitsu Maki

Gender: Female

Birthday: June 1st (♊)

School: Miyaji Girls Academy (1-A)

Committee: Library

Club: Undecided

Part-time job: None

Hobbies: Travelling, Meeting new People, Reading

Speciality: Photographic memory; English

Favourite food: Soba noodles

Least favourite food: Anything spicy

Dislikes: Insects

1st Violin: Kozaki Karin

Gender: Female

Birthday: August 4th (♌)

School: Miyaji Girls Academy (1-A)

Committee: Class Representative

Club: Go

Part-time job: Bookshop

Hobbies: Strategy games

Speciality: Time management

Favourite food: Shiitake fried rice

Least favourite food: Eggs

Dislikes: Idleness

Piano: Shimizu Kairi

Gender: Male

Birthday: March 11 (♓)

School: Hakkei High School (1-C)

Committee: Disciplinary

Club: Chamber Music

Part-time job: None

Hobbies: Collecting Stationery, Journaling

Speciality: Aesthetic Notetaking

Favourite food: White tayaki

Least favourite food: Prawns

Dislikes: Crowded places

Cello: Ekuro Suzuka

Gender: Female

Birthday: November 21 (♏)

School: Miyaji Girls Academy (1-B)

Committee: Health

Club: Photography

Part-time job: Freelance photographer

Hobbies: Arts & Crafts; Baking

Speciality: First Aid & Nursing

Favourite food: Panna cotta, Blueberry sauce

Least favourite food: Salads

Dislikes: Hospitals

[sorry for the very bad quality for the next two ones, I can't afford making a neka.cc account right now. Maybe Someday!]

Viola: Kaedehara Akari

Gender: Female

Birthday: September 30 (♎)

School: Hakkei High School (2-D)

Committee: Greening

Club: Gardening

Part-time job: None

Hobbies: Going on morning walks, Tending to her potted plants

Speciality: Flower language

Favourite food: Pizza

Least favourite food: Tomatoes

Dislikes: Viola

Flute: Fujisaki Reishi

Gender: Male

Birthday: December 28 (♑)

School: Hakkei High School (2-A)

Committee: Beauticarion

Club: None

Part-time job: None

Hobbies: Composing music, Shopping

Speciality: Music theory; Calligraphy

Favourite food: French fries, Instant noodles

Least favourite food: Pickled foods

Dislikes: Criticism

~~~

Some very important infographics to understand the dynamics of the group (4koma cutouts courtesy of @the-one-that-weeps):

They have a lot stuff going on, and so far I've planned a series for the that goes over from the main story up to their World Link event; but a lot of this is still Subject To Change and WIP, of course. So this is all I'm going to say so far in order to keep things interesting if I do happen to write about them at some point.

Hope you all like them, even if they're surface level, they mean the world to me. If you have proseka fan oc, this is the cue for you to talk about them as well. Let's re-populate the tag. Cringe culture is dead. Fan Units is where it's at.

#jay rambles.txt #jay gets asks.txt #project sekai #project sekai oc #pjsk oc #pjsk #I kept going back and forth on whether I wanted to talk about them or not an then decided oh fuck it let's do it #if this encourages someone to post their stuff as well then it was worth the inherent embarrassment of being known

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idleglowingpixels · 8 months

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I kinda realised that Mr Komos' song, True Monster Heart follows the same beat as the Monster High Fright song, but the lyrics are like the corrupted version of the original.

Monster High Fright is about accepting

True Monster Heart is about rejecting

Kinda interesting when you think about it

AHHHHHH WHEN I SAW I GOT AN ASK RELATED TO THIS I FREAKED OUT DFGHNBGVFDSF TY FOR GIVING ME SOMETHING TO RAMBLE SOME MORE ABOUT ANON FOR REAL! (Also sorry for the late response, this post has been developing in my drafts for like at least a week now dfgfhng)

I absolutely agree with the conflicting messages between the two songs! I know the song focuses on the story of this universe's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the main verses, but the main focus of the song is that message of rejection of anything and everything human.

Also, because of the Jekyll/Hyde bits, it could represent the duality of where the story starts and ends in its interpretation of a "true monster heart." Instead of Mr. Hyde's human-ness making his heart "untrue," it was his utter rejection of & research into ridding himself of his Jekyll, as well as his hiding of the truth in the first place that caused him to be found out and exiled.

His heart being "untrue" had nothing to do with the fact he was half-human, because if it were, then Clawdeen and Komos's presence in and of itself within the school would've triggered its self-destruction. That was proven as a false interpretation by the story in the movie, so it's self-explanatory. A true monster heart is one of self-acceptance, despite one's flaws or differences. That's what Mr. Hyde, and Mr. Komos thereafter, had neglected to realize before Clawdeen proved the point.

Though, I've listened to both True Monster Heart and Fright Song a few times back-to-back, to try and get where you're thinking as far as the beat, but I don't hear it unfortunately (unless you meant the tempo of the song, then yes they do follow the same 120 beats per minute!).

The closest thing I can think of as far as melodic parallels between the songs is the chanting sections. The Fright Song chant is much quicker in the way it's sung compared to the chant in True Monster Heart, however. The whole of Fright Song's chant goes in 16 beats/4 measures, whereas True Monster Heart's chant takes twice as long at 32 beats/8 measures (I was a band/choir kid lol). It's mainly due to how the song kinda drags out the point, and it definitely feels like a nod to Fright Song for sure. Fright Song's chant is only there because 4/5 of the main ghouls were fearleaders, so it was sort of characterizing the cast before actually showing their characters in the webisodes.

---

Fun little headcanon/ramble that I forget if I ever mentioned about Fright Song, but with Holt Hyde being released in the 1st Signature wave with the rest of the the main ghouls and all, I think it was because he's intended to be the singer of the rap section before any subsequent content with the character was released (No offense but I don't think Holt DJs because he's a good singer sdfgbfds). This would line up with his current crush in canon with Frankie, as well as his former crush on Draculaura from either the diaries or books, maybe both? I forget. :'D Also I feel like Holt wouldn't hesitate to call Cleo vile immediately after saying she's charming either, he's very direct with his words. (I also interpret Jackson/Holt as bisexual because Deuce is included in the rap I DON'T CARE Y'ALL IT MAKES SENSE!)

Also I always interpreted the howl-like sound at the end of the rap as "Holt ran outta time/battery power for his music and transforms back to Jackson as it transitions to the rest of the song." It kinda works with how the beat kinda drops down with the howl, like a TV being shut off or something idk.

Ghoulia also debuted with Signature Wave 1 but she's only in like a second of the music video in the background, I figure it could've been budgetary reasons for the animation, to save on animating an extra character. Also I imagine flame-y hair wouldn't be very fun to animate in 2D, and Deuce's snakes moving on their own were bad enough I imagine to animate, so it begrudgingly checks out as to why Holt isn't in the animated bits with everyone else.

BUT I JUST WATCHED THE MUSIC VIDEO BECAUSE I WANTED TO FOR THE SAKE OF THIS POST AND THE GUY SINGING THE RAPPING BIT HAS, YOU GUESSED IT, A BRIGHT FRICKIN NEON RED LEATHER JACKET. He doesn't have the dual-toned shirt BUT IT'S WHITE AND THIS IS CLOSE ENOUGH FOR ME Y'ALL! XD

If any straws for these dumbasses can be found I SHALL GRASP THEM fr they're my blorbos :'D

#linposts #monster high: the movie #monster high #true monster heart #fright song #mr. komos #clawdeen wolf #g3 clawdeen #featuring a headcanon ramble for #jackson jekyll #holt hyde

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blysse-and-blunder · 7 months

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in lieu of a halloween party

~ 10pm, sunday, oct 29, 2023

if i listen really closely i can hear the quiet snoozy breathing of the sweet black cat who now lives in my room! oh, now she is purring.

(contains minor mention of the study of death/dead bodies, but also cat pictures, classical music, and minor spoilers for the end of the most recent season of star trek: strange new worlds)

reading more victoria goddard (blackcurrant fool is somehow *even* *more* for medievalist academics, they visit fantasy university and then the main character saves the day through the power of his dissertation research for crying out loud), some assorted libby holds from jenny odell and amitav ghosh, some kj charles inspired by the medieval mlm romance i finished a few weeks ago (which was great but i was so taken with the idea of posting a whole historical assessment that i scared myself out of talking about it, so maybe next time).

but the book that's been the biggest presence in my life lately has been the audio book version of mary roach's stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers, which i picked up because it had a little Moment back when it came out and i remember thinking that an approachable, sympathetic look at this kind of medical history would be fascinating. and it is! it is just as full of interesting information and humorous, humanizing turns of phrase as you'd like! roach doesn't hesitate to ask, like, intense questions of the people she interviews, nor does she ignore or downplay various gruesome topics, but the audiobook narrator has a hint of a southern accent and gets the mix of tones of voice (from ironic to earnest and back) really nicely. and also, sometimes i'm glad i'm listening to it as an audio book so i don't have to consciously continue turning pages, it'll keep playing even if i stop listening or need to disengage, because there's no shortage of actually quite challenging material. not for the faint of heart, but also, i can't regret reading it.

watching the new season of ghosts from the bbc! the second season of ofmd of course, both because it was fun and because i had to out of self-defense; uhhhh what else this month has been so long and also so fast! the musical episode of strange new worlds which was GREAT. how good were some of those songs!! like on their own, i would listen to nyota and christine and la'an's songs-- reminded me of the mix CD a friend made me for a birthday one year that mixed, like, barenaked ladies with some songs from the buffy musical episode. then the finale of this season which (minor spoilers here) i found actually so compelling, like, i've been mildly ehh about a lot of the gorn stuff (not la'an, but the concept of the gorn always feels very old-school scifi and the more serious they try to play it, the worse that effect usually) but then the monster design and movement when they finally appear on screen? excellent.

though to be entirely honest, the thing i've come back to and watched/listened to most consistently has been the new series of dimension 20, burrow's end. i managed to tune in as a campaign was starting, and actually more or less keep up! huge for me. the bear in ep 2 was all-to-close to some of the body horror i'd just been reading about with stiff, so this month has been 'so you'd like to get better about dealing with body horror?' for me in a way. unintentionally. i think i am appreciating this series more than i would have if i hadn't read and enjoyed watership down a few years back, but the added edge of, like, for-real magic from the d&d elements makes it even more fun. i love the new (to me) players, i love seeing the old ones in their new roles, i love that while the conceit seems to be 'humans are like eldritch horrors to woodland creatures' on the surface, there's also clearly something (or things?) else going on.

listening checking in on my spotify daylist lately to see what moods i've been assigned (soul-crushing once, which was wild to see as a genre, but goblincore also so. whatever i guess!) paper writing lockdown included more autoheart, more yws gwynedd, and like a 24-hour lockdown on @lessthansix's 'deferring panic' playlist, from which i share the following track as a thank-you:

playing tuned into dnd as a virtual player tonight so that i could stay home and supervise the NEW BABY aka this little (large) black dumpling of a cat who i cannot quite believe is my very own. playing such classics as 'ribbon on a string' and 'this is a ball that makes food come out when you play with it, ooooooh' and 'i hope my eyes feel normal again after i stop putting my face directly on you so much and i have not somehow developed an allergy to cat dander in the six weeks since we last had a cat come visit'. playing the classic game, 'so you think you can be responsible for another life form! and are you willing to risk an increase in your experience for loss in order to gain an increase in your experience of love?' (also while we're here: why is naming the hardest part of any endeavor. naming wifi networks, naming pokemon, and now this, a real live creature! who i want to treat with love and also humor, while showing wit and personality at the same time. hell.)

making fixed up a sweater my housemate was going to get rid of. i am not, habitually, a fibercrafter (though not for want of opportunity or, even, interest sometimes), but this made me want to find other easy and quick things to do with yarn.

before: big fuck off hole between the cowl and neck line

after: used some yarn of a similar weight /softness that i already had, so it doesn't match but it's not like you see it. hidden little necklace of pearls.

working on writing a paper for my first ever 30-min conference presentation, which is also going to be the first time i submit a paper ahead of time for someone (a professor i do not usually work with, but whose work and career and writing i admire) to read and give real comments on. this is fine. i am simultaneously trying to use this as an opportunity to squish an entire chapter's worth of notes and observations and ideas into a single presentation, and trying to not do that. but i want her take on all of it! i also...do need to write all of it. but getting a chance to slow down and take a bit of extra time with it was also very welcome. gave a guest lecture this week on a subject only vaguely related to my own work, which required a lot of extra reading (not even to know what to say, but just to be confident that i wasn't missing anything massive), and also did organize my department's halloween party, so. it's been a busy last ten days, and i'm excited to wrap some of this up.

bonus: cat pictures! thank you for reading this far, i think we will be going with luna? her grace, lunette st. cat, first marquise of dumplingdom. something.

#in lieu of a commonplace book #ilcb #weekly roundup #monthly really #Spotify

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an-honest-puck · 7 months

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Prompocalypse (Ep. 16) highlights and viewing notes because I don’t have the time to liveblog while watching but I do have thoughts that I will complete some other time lol

spoilers ahoy!!!

nothing like the power of a teen girl/tiefling's catty sarcasm to completely undermine a villain's monologue (shoutout to the d20 sound crew for the perfect music and timing on that one!!)

Gorgug learns about a new way of disarming people: kissing them

"Stop outing students!"

"I'M GAY NOW WOO"

Lou turning his adding-up-dice-humming into the first notes of 'Amazing Grace' that Zac immediately picks up on and starts swaying along

Brennan's gentle "yeah" when Siobhan admits to having a question that will be bad for the party, but also that she wants to play the game right

even more spoilery spoilers below!

Lou giving Siobhan a thumbs up after the above question

the fact that Goldenrod finds the need to justify to a bunch of teenagers that he's attacking this student because he's just an evil demon and not because said student is gay

Riz yelling "HOMOPHOBE!" at an honest-to-goodness dragon

"To be clear, I am very socially liberal; I am fiscally conservative!" + everyone's reaction to that (shoutout to Zac's very judgemental head tilt XD)

Brennan saying "I am a libertarian!" in Goldenrod's 'teacher' voice and then growling it again straight afterwards, as if Goldenrod just remembered he was a big-ass dragon XD

not Beardsley's "So convenient for you!" lmaoooo

Goldenrod: What? Everyone should be free to do what they want. I should be free to collect gold and destroy, and you should be free to try and run away! This is a cultured political philosophy!

Ally/Kristen: I'm down from hearing that [and not from his actual attack XD]

Brennan: *describing the gnarly metal music Gorgug's listening to*

Zac: *drops his dice*

"Ooh, beignets!"

the little grin on Brennan's face when he rolls the dice and then A WILD JAWBONE APPEARS!!!!!!!!!!

Jawbone hugs!!!!!! 😭

Jawbone: Y'understand me?

Adaine: No!

Jawbone's monologue about panic attacks which is too much to unpack here and is basically a whole post in and of itself

Brennan: *mentions Tracker*

Ally/Kristen: Tracker!

Jawbone: I CAME HERE TO FUCK SHIT UP and help children

"Jawbone rules! I'm so glad we helped get his life together"

Introducing, Jawbone: Not a Healer, but a healer of the mind and the soul uwu

Adaine (but mostly Siobhan lol): I would love to do an arcana check... on this absolute fucking unit

Adaine just double flipping off an honest-to-goodness dragon

Kalvaxus: Aren't you supposed to be some kind of high-falutin' elf?

Adaine: I'm a child. You are attacking a bunch of children, you coward.

Fig: Be careful, Adaine; he has a taste for the young ones

Adaine: I have a mental illness and that's fine!

Kalvaxus: Alright, let's not turn this into a fucking PSA after-school special bullshit

Emily's big brain idea to seal Kalvaxus to be the next lunchlad and promote Gilear to be the new VP

Lou's sick-of-Brennan's-shit "Is it [Kalvaxus's] turn?"

Kalvaxus, an honest-to-goodness dragon and the Emperor of the Red Waste: Teens are so mean!

Kristen, mockingly: "Stop making fun of me!"

Adaine: Yeah well at least we're not ugly!

Adaine's happy bobbing!!!!! :DD

"This medicine is great! :D"

Gorgug's Nat 20 (!!!) to summon GORTHOLAX!!!!!

"IT'S TIME TO SHRED, BABY!!!"

Penelope, dying: All I wanted to be- was queen :'((

Kristen: We know!!

Beardsley trying to figure out how to flip someone the middle finger when they only have 4 digits

Riz/Murph, despondent that he can't roll anything higher than a ten. Everyone else: "You can!"

"Should've gotten silver fillings, bitch!!"

"Man, when I grow up, I wanna be a guidance counsellor!" - Adaine

Fabian's "a-HA!"

the strangest bit of improv when the tables are turned and Siobhan makes Brennan improv something coming out of her character's Jacket of Useful Things ("I open up my Jacket of Useful Things and I say 'I need something that will beat Kalvaxus' and I put my hand in a pocket and I pull out...?) only for Brennan to pull out the whole goddamn lore for the jacket XD

Ally: Can I roll for a nat 20 and then be alive?

Brennan's famous last words: Uh, sure, go for it.

Ally/Kristen: This is to the corn god. I know I left for a while but-

[Brennan.exe has stopped functioning]

Brennan: *flabbergasted and now rapidly figuring out how the fuck to figure this out*

Riz/Murph: Praise be to Helio!!!

Fabian/Lou: He-li-o! He-li-o!

BONUS EPISODE UNLOCKED, BABYYYYYY

#fantasy high #there were so many good bits that i didn't include lolol #maybe i'll come back to this post one day and reblog more fun things from this ep!#until then: enjoy these lil bits!#d20 #dimension 20 #d20 fantasy high #d20 spoilers #d20 fantasy high spoilers #day says hey #d20 with day

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mimastuff · 11 months

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If you can could you write headcanons on miles x masc reader and like the reader being in his schools band and miles going to his concerts if that makes sense :3

Yess omg I LOVE this one :D thank you for the request ! I kinda made it gender neutral, I hope that’s ok :)

Miles with a s/o in his schools band

Tw: fluff , physical affection

Contains: literally all just flufff 🤷‍♀️😭

Pairings: miles x masc!band!reader

——————————————————————————

- omgg he is totally your biggest supporter

- He definitely listens to all your music and posts about it on social media

- He pre saves all your albums as soon as he can

- When you get him tickets to your concerts , he is in shock

- Literally just :0

- He gives you a huge hug 🤗

- Ngl he would totally brag about you to anyone who will listen

- “That would be $2.70 please” “hey have I told you about this awesome band my partner is in ? They’re amazing you should” “cash or card?” “Oh right .. yeah cash . Any way it’s super cool!”

- If you asked him to watch you guys rehears he is over the moon

- Like a proud mom after a foot ball game

- Claps after every single song

- Every.single . Time

- Let him do it please

- He just wants to show you how much he cares, I promise you he means no harm

- All he wears is your merch

- that man is basically a model for your work now so do with that what you will

- Also , defo promotes you when he is spider man as well

- Like would be mid apology on live stream and go into talking about your music

- “I’m so sorry , but have you guys heard of this band there are totally… sorry got off topic there”

- He hugs you all the time while praising you

- *hug from behind* “im so proud of you 🥰”

- If you don’t like physical affection then he would pipe down a bit

- OMG that man’s whole sketch book is just you

- It’s just you rocking out in your band , or you in a piece of your merch

- Oh ! And he would definitely draw you some ideas for merch as well

- Like he would just shove it in your face proud as ever

- And if you MADE IT

- Crying.

- No because he literally tears up when he sees a bill board with HIS creation on it with you rocking the clothing

- Oh and when you guys end up on a bill board for the first time

- Pray for your ears cuz he about to hype the hell out of you

- “OMG IM SO PROUD OF YOU HOW DID I SCORE THIS ATTRACTIVE PARTNER WHAT?!???”

- He is your hype man

- No doubt about it

- Your first concert he is there

- You got him vip front row tickets and depending on how you view it it could be a bad or good idea

- Like he will be so happy

- a HUGE grin on his face

- Or he at some bits (the whole time) sings louder than you guys are

- So yeah you as a band gonna have a talk lol

- But all around so cute with it

——————————————————————————

I really hope you enjoyed this one I had so much fun writing it 😭👍🏻

#miles morales x reader #miles x reader #spiderverse spoilers #spiderman #miles molares #across the spiderverse

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gwynndolin · 16 days

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Kitschke recs, D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L by Panchiko

I'm skipping around here for a few reasons, mainly that I couldn't really get into Liz Phair (sorry if you love her!), Sludgefest is fun and interesting as an art piece that I've already listened to, but I don't have much to say about it other than that, and 69 love songs is such a daunting task that I don't have time for AT THE MOMENT.... So I will reserve it for a later date, when I finally feel like I have the fortitude to spend enough time with that album. That being said, I've already listened to DEATH METAL quite a bit before now!

So, my main understanding of this album is that it was initially speculated to have been dropped as a part of sort of an ARG; something about it being a lost media album from the early 2000's that had been found and posted online, but it seems like they were actually a real band? Seems like the jury is still out on the matter, but I can totally understand why it feels like it would be a faked period piece.

It feels remarkably out of place for being an early 2000s album, very ahead of its time in a lot of places, though there are notes of some of the late 90's grunge and early 2000's production sensibilities, in the song "Stabilisers For Big Boys" for instance, the chorus with the blown out vocals over nothing but a simple drum machine and a almost imperceptible bass synth tremolo underneath feels very much like a Savage Garden track with just a touch of some early 2000s alternative grunge, thinking like, Finger Eleven or something like that.

That being said though, I think a decent comparison, maybe not necessarily tonally, but in similar "difference" to the time period would be Of Montreal, mainly in songs like "Laputa" (one of my personal faves from this album, though every time it starts playing I think its Bear by The Antlers for just a moment); the track is a little slower, has a good mix of physical and digital instrumentation and production, just a little bit strange lyrically... Definitely lump it together mentally with Cherry Peel. I also taste some hints of The Bends/ OK Computer on this album too, particularly in "Sodium Chloride", the outro especially reminding me of the outro to "No Surprises". Also, to go back to an earlier review, there's also some Portishead (or, generally, triphop) vibes in some of the songs that opt to use a drum machine, e.g. "Kicking Cars".

My first go around with this record was probably a year or two ago, I think probably around the time I started dipping out of my punk phase to start listening to some more alternative stuff; and started to dip into the 90's a bit more. It actually took me a while to get around to want to listen to 90's and early 2000's; as I was born in '96, a lot of the music from this time is just completely out of my purview for the most part, until about 2007 or so. And, around that time, when I had become conscious about music, I had remarkably insular tastes, I refused to enjoy anything on the radio. My Ipod had like, Linkin Park, one or two Queen songs, and I think an entire Jim Gaffigan comedy special. This kinda sensibility continued into my middle school years as well; I had gotten really obsessed with Motion City Soundtrack and the British Pop Rock quartet, Mcfly and refused to listen to just about anything else.

I think, even into my early 20's, even as I had really allowed my horizons to broaden, I had really held on to this notion that the early 2000's and 90's were an overall Bad Time for music, and just never bothered to really engage with anything from the era. Of course, that's totally not true! Although I will admit, some of the radio hits from then are still absolutely grating, it will be too soon if I hear a Five For Fighting song ever again.

Anyway, where I was going when I started listening to this album, I actually really didn't like it at all when I started listening to it. The point I was trying to make with how long it took me to listen to this era of music was that I had to start allowing myself to appreciate this particular genre, I was coming out of a different phase that was much faster paced and raw, and so the mellow nature of this album was kind of lost on me.

But now that I've had the chance to let it sit with me... I actually really kind of love this album. I wouldn't put it as a personal All Timer necessarily, I think it's lacking some of my particular sensibilities that really make me obsess over an album or a band, but it absolutely has a certain pull to it that kept me coming back, even after I had decided I didn't like it! Which is certainly a hallmark of a Good Album. And at the very least, it deserves to be placed along side the accolades of many of the other excellent albums from this era.

It seems like the digital/streaming releases of the album released with a few versions of the songs originally uploaded to /mu/ with the significant CD rot, which is a fun inclusion for sure, I'm a big fan of things like this. Brings to mind Brian Eno's quote from his book A Year With Swollen Appendices, "Whatever you now find weird, ugly, uncomfortable and nasty about a new medium will surely become its signature. CD distortion, the jitteriness of digital video, the crap sound of 8-bit - all of these will be cherished and emulated as soon as they can be avoided. It’s the sound of failure: so much modern art is the sound of things going out of control, of a medium pushing to its limits and breaking apart." though, I don't think I've ever heard any examples of this kind of degradation. Perhaps something to look forward to once CD's fall even further out of the public consciousness, and right back in when the 30 year cycle loops around again.

Fave Tracks: "Laputa", "The Eyes of Ibad", "Sodium Chloride", "Kicking Cars"

Pretty solid 8/10 for D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L. I really expect this album to grow on me as time goes on. Sorry that this review was mostly just a digression on reminiscing about my experience with music in general and not any especially deep analysis! And I thank you for giving me the chance to really engage with it, as opposed to me just listening to it every now and again when my algorithm decides to show it to me again.

#music asks #kitschke #this is probably the single most fun i've had writing these reviews so far!#Spotify

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geminigengar · 2 years

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Eddie with a reader who was labeled a “loser” but slowly works her way in with the popular vicious girl group, and sees shes slowly changing her looks but also her dialogue. Kinda like Cady from Mean Girls?

Mean Girl

eddie munson x popular!reader

you and eddie fell out of touch a long time ago. it's not until you're grouped together for a history assignment he realises he may hate what you've become but that doesn't mean you ever stopped looking out for him.

warnings: misunderstandings, mild angst, fluff, happy ending, & stupid long bit about a history assignment

A/N: anon, ur galaxy brain fr i LOVE this concept. the mean girls are my shit. & sorry it took so long this is my first request ever (ty!✨) so i wanted it to be perfect🙏🏽. it's a bit short but this is actually the middle of a much longer plot i wrote out but knew it'd take forever and wanted to get this posted sooner. i still have it in the drafts if you like this story just lmk! • and as always reader is bipoc-coded

you starred at him dumbfounded and a little offended. "nuh-huh."

"yeah-huh."

you snatched them once again, taking a brief glance before shoving them in your backpack. "nope! looks fun but i don't know shit about d&d." you stood, linking your arm with his as you picked up a second bag from the floor. "and we're up first, sunshine."

eddie was seething, frown seemingly stuck gracing his features as you settled at the front of the classroom. this was one of the few times he put any effore into an assignment; probably more than was necessary. he knew you had great grades and as much as he claimed to hate you he couldn't be the reason you got a failing grade, researching one of the few things he knew enough to write about. but apparently all that was for nothing.

it had been years since you'd spoken to eachother. sure, it was his fault you'd drifted apart. he'd blamed your newfound popularity in middle school for the wedge between you, at least that's what he'd told himself. no, he'd never admit he had been and still was jealous. of you and your ability to make meshing in with the it kids at school look so easy or others your attenion was now split with he wasn't sure.

eddie went to speak but you shushed him as you swat his chest with your hand still around his bicep. he played off the lingering chill left behind in his skin as you detached from him with a scoff. you slapped the hefty pink bag into his arms as you out your essay from it, "hold this."

before he could cuss you out your teacher called the class to attention. you grinned as he asked you both what your project was on.

you couldn't keep the smirk off your face as you answered. "our project is on the history and influence of metal music."

eddie's head whipped down to stare at you, a flip of hair over your shoulder being the only acknowledgment of the questions you could feel in his stare.

you heard a sigh from your teacher, "Y/N did you participate in this project at all?"

"duh," you scoffed "obviously i wrote it down. his handwriting is shit," you added, waving the stapled papers for emphasis.

he rolled his eyes, taking the assignment from you, but waved you to continue on nontheless.

clearing your throat you began clearly, having perfected your public speaking to keep all eyes on you years prior. your body language, well placed smiles, and velvet voice were captivating.

even after all these years eddie still knew you inside and out. he wondered how often you had to pretend not to be yourself around others to make your performance of ease so convincing.

"nowadays," you began. "the creation of metal music is debatable. some historians say it can solely be credited to black sabbath," on your tiptoes, you dug in the bag eddie held. you pulled out a vinyl record. "with the creation of their self titled album released in february of 1970."

eddie starred at it wide eyed as you held the record up for the class. the same he had given you for your birthday one year when you were kids. it still had the wear and tear from you both as you had played the album over and over, day after day until the record sleeve was torn and frayed. neither of you had a care in the world back then- only each other. for him there had only been you.

"others however, say it can be credited to what's been dubbed the 'unholy trinity.'" you said, taking out two more records. "the unholy trinity consisted of, along with black sabbath, led zepplin and deep purple. whatever the case may be, clearly black sabbath had a heavy influence in the creation of heavy metal."

eddie snorted as you continued. posture perfect and voice even even when cracking lame jokes. you went over the beginnings of rock music, how it laid the foundation for metal. explained the metal's rise in popularity and record sales. he was surprised you even mentioned the rise in false accusations of occultism in those associated with the genre; causing half the class to stare at him.

you'd pulled out albums, tapes, and posters; all of them worn. eddie remembered most of them from when you were kids. he registered some were newer, meaning you were still keeping up with them. he assumed you'd given up metal entirely. he figured you and the other cheerleaders listened to whatever top 40 bullshit was put out that week. the realisation that you clearly still loved the genre made him feel warm inside for reasons he couldn't figure out and din't think he wanted to know

he listened intently as you went over the importance of every album, interjecting his thoughts every now and then that you were grateful for. his favourite album of yours being the agents of fortune album tape by blue öyster cult that you proudly admitted to the class was the first item you ever shoplifted, to your teachers chargrin.

you finished up your speech by dumping all the albums into the bag eddie still held, earning an 'oof' from the metalhead.

as the next presenters took your places, you both returned to your seats.

to be completely honest you were nervous. you were nervous. you, one of the most carefree people to ever walk the halls of hawkins high; never caring what anyone thought, never embarrassed by anyone or anything. but this was different. you could care less about some brain dead jock and whatever few thoughts he was capable of concerning you but this wasn't just anyone, this was eddie. sure he was still your eddie, at least to you, but you knew you had both changed. what if he thought you were a loser, desperate to impress him? or worse- a poseur.

you had mastered your poker face a long time ago. you worked at your nails with a nail file you had pulled from your backpack; face neutral as if you hadn't a care in the world. you could only keep it up so long as you felt eddie's stare on you. he never was very good at subtly.

the second the bell rang you were out of your seat on the way to your car despite it only being the middle of the school day.

eddie didn't follow you or come after you which had you both relieved and disappointed. you dropped both bags onto the passenger seat. releasing a shaky breath, you felt your façade crumble. popping one of the tapes in and blasting the speakers. you peeled out of the parking lot.

•

later that night there estood eddie, in the middle of your room having climbed in your window. why you had opened it you didn't know. you should've kept it locked, told him to take his sorry ass home but you didn't. even after all these years of the cold shoulder and jabs and insults from him and hell raisers club you knew you'd always open the door if he knocked.

you were visibly upset, mostly confused, hoping he wasn't here to yell at you about his d&d essay. "why are you here, munson?"

eddie winced. he'd been called by his last name tons in his life. various tones and emotions behind it every time, but never from you. not like this. you couldn't help it, you were'nt mad just scared. he'd never explicitly said you weren't friends anymore or that he hated you but you didn't want to here him say now exactly that.

he struggled to find the words, cradling his backpack as his mouth opened and closed.

you rolled your eyes, already tired from having been woken up abruptly to the rocks hitting your window. reaching in to pull out your popular facade, the one never affected by anynes words spoke for you, "i dunno what you want eddie but just go-."

he stopped you in your tracks, begging him to wait. he took your raised eyebrow as momentary acceptance. he sat on the edge in your bed as he opened his backpack taking out a book and a d&d game box.

you didn't speak, waiting for him to wade through whatever storm was raging in him brain. he finally bit his lip, letting out a quiet "lemme show you?"

you stilled, entirely confused as to why eddie munson had crawled into your bedroom in the middle of the night just to ask you to play dungeond and dragons with him. your confusion must've shown on your face - that or eddie still knew how to read you better than you could yourself, as he answered your unasked question. "in class earlier you said it looked fun. i can show you, if you want?"

this was far cry from the conversation you knew you should, but the blush on his cheeks and with his eyes boring into yours, desperate and longing, you caved.

you rolled your eyes again as you made your way to the head of the bed leaning against the pile of pillows placed there as youtook off your bonnet bonnet to set on your nightstand. you pat the spot next to you, beckoning him closer. "start with the basics."

he grinned, relaxing now that he was forgiven for the tim ebeing, and scrambled to take his place by your side. a place he'd missed and wanted to be again, as long as you'll have him.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x black!reader #eddie munson x poc!reader #eddie munson x popular!reader #stranger things x reader #eddie munson imagines #stranger things imagines #anon post #gengar request tag #request tag

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starr-fall-knight-rise · 1 year

Text

The End

https://www.patreon.com/empyreaniris?fan_landing=true

https://starr-fall-knight-rise.tumblr.com/post/182501791735/master-post

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jzEIdDAB4omdO2JcQVMObfrhLJ5kX4ONmSsLypM1ks0/edit?usp=sharing

Warm sunlight streamed into the room spilling onto the floor in a golden cascade. As the sun moved, the golden pool crept its way across the floor and up the side of the untidy bed. Sometime during the night sheets and pillows had been thrown to the floor by the rows of a restless sleeper, and now the occupant lay face down atop a small mound of pillows face partially obscured. The light continued its creeping trail upwards, sliding onto the bed and across the occupant’s face.

It was only a little at first, but it wasn’t long before light was spilling down with full force, and the occupant of the bed groaned and turned his head inward. At the far end of the room the door opened a crack allowing two furry forms access to the room. The first dog was large, with glowing blue eyes and a coat as black as tar. The second was no more than a puppy, still trying to wrangle in its huge paws and oversized ears. Its fur was as silver as gunmetal, almost blue in the light and unusually uniform. Together they trotted across the room, tongues lolling and leaped onto the bed.

Their mission was clear.

The first dog proceeded to step onto the bed’s occupant with some amount of gusto, while the other just went straight for the face, pink tongue lolling and flapping with excitement, tail sweeping back and forth with enthusiasm as it licked the occupant from hairline to chin.

With a muffled shout of protest, the figure flailed, grabbing a dog with each set of arms to try and force them away, but the enthusiasm was simply too much to contain. The younger of the two dogs lunged forward, the thick skin at the scruff of its neck affording it just enough wiggle room to lick the bed’s occupant across the eye socket.

“HEY Pancake! Doughnut!!” The shout was not one of anger, but laughter, the dog’s tails wagged even harder, “Alright I’m up I’m up.”

Ka’Leen sat up, shaking himself and shooed the dogs off the bed eyeing them both reproachfully, “Did dad let you in here? I bet he did” The dogs didn’t answer, but danced around his feet looking for ear scratches, which Kay happily gave to them. There was no better reason to have two sets of arms, than being fully able to pet two dogs with equal gusto at the same time. Eventually they grew tired of him, and he let them out into the hall, going back into his room to get dressed.

Kay was Sixteen almost seventeen and didn’t remember Armageddon though it was the one greatest defining moment of their generation.

He hopped into the shower, music on in the background singing loudly without fear of anyone being bothered, he was usually the last to get up anyway.

As far as most things went, he was mostly average for his age…. Well maybe that wasn’t quite right.

He was anything but average, but he mostly blamed his parents for that.

Kay was nearly six two at sixteen, his father was a human and his mother was a Drev. What resulted was a tall, lanky teenage boy with four arms instead of two, or at least he had been lanky. Arcadia offered an endless supply of weapons training in its public schools, and what Resulted was hours of physical training and discipline taught by the most brutal of Neospartains and Drev warriors.

Over the past year or so he had finally started packing on the pounds, and fancied himself a little in the mirror as he looked.

Not bad.

Not bad at all.

He stepped out of the shower and flexed at his reflection glad that the door was locked so no one could catch and make fun of him. Again, Kay was tall, a trait he got more from his father than his mother, and short cropped golden hair that he kept in a way that he personally thought was artfully messy. His skin glowed gold, and his mother said he looked a bit like his grandfather. His eyes were green just like his father. He didn’t look much like his mother, but he had a couple octaves of human vocal range others would kill for. He could sing anything from bass to soprano without batting an eye: both the men and women’s parts.

Puberty had been a real bitch.

After messing with his hair to give it that intentionally unintentionally messy look, he hurried into the other room and pulled on some pants, grabbing his weapon before heading out the door and into the hallway. He ran into Nyx on his way out walking down the hallway. She had her head bent low over her handheld arms tucked tight into her sides.

Nyx, like mom, had never gotten that tall. At only around five five she was the shortest one in the family and the shyest. She looked more like their grandmother, a fact that Nyx hated, its not exactly easy to be told your whole life that you kind of resemble space Hitler, because that’s what Kazna was.

She had even tried to kill Kay on one or two occasions at least though he didn’t remember that.

Nyx didn’t actually look much like Kazna, just her coloring, a carapace that was a sort of cosmic looking purple shot through with tones of deep blue and red. She also had only two arms, one of which had been missing the hand since she was a baby, though she had a whole wall full of cool attachments courtesy of their mother.

Walking past his younger sister Kay plucked the handheld from her hands and then held it high over her head as she protested.

“Give it back”

“Sure, go on, take it.” He stopped trying to keep it away from her but instead stood still holding it high over her head where she couldn’t reach leaning back when she tried to jump for it.

“Kayyyy, give it back!” She jumped for it again, but she was simply too short.

He tossed it from one hand to the other, slipping it behind his back when she tried to reach for it, “Go on take it.”

Nyx was just starting to get mad, to kay’s amusement, when something hard and fast drove itself into his stomach, doubling him over and causing him to drop the handheld. A hand darted from nowhere plucking the game from the air, mid fall with contemptuous ease. Kay grunted and looked up to find his other sister Astra standing in front of him with a smirk on her face.

She was tall, pearly white where he was gold. She had short spiky hair, less hair and more like chitin in some places. She wore black tactical pants and a men’s black T shirt, an ensemble that lended her a rather androgynous appearance, one that she intentionally cultivated. At nearly five eight and still growing, she was on her way to being very tall.

“Here Nyx, I think kay dropped this.”

“Hey, you three, what did I say about non consensual violence.”

The three of them turned abruptly to find their father looming at the end of the hall, hand resting on one hip, the other currently occupied holding their six year old baby brother, still sleepy in the early morning. Despite the fact that he was holding a baby, Adam Vir could cut a rather intimidating figure. Kay and he were about the same height, but their father had years of physical training behind him. a fact well documented through the simple cotton t-shirt. Not only that but he had the look of a grizzled space pirate with his messy snow white hair, eyepatch, scars, and visible prosthetic leg.

He claimed that he HAD been a space pirate for a time, though none of his kids believed him.

He had plenty of stories that were just too good not to be made up.

“Astra started it.” Kay protested

“I did not start it, but I definitely finished it.” She pronounced

Their father raised an eyebrow, “Uh huh, ill be living in an igloo in hell before I believe that. Anyway, breakfast is almost ready.” he walked into the other room, gently depositing Tana on the couch with a cup of juice before heading into the kitchen.

His three other children followed, sitting down at the table just as their mother swept into the room. She was wearing her Saint’s armor and carried a massive spear in the palm of one hand. It looked like she had just come back from training, golden light rolling off the electric surface of her chitin. Their father turned to look at her, a small smirk crossing his face.

Kay sighed, “Oh here we go.”

Their dad frowned at him, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You guys are about to get all weird, aren’t you.” Nyx mumbled.

“My apologies for appreciating the aesthetic appeal of my wife.” he said, brandishing the spatula like it was a weapon.

Their mother walked across the room, sliding both sets of arms around him, and resting her chin atop his head humming softly as she did.

Kay rolled his eyes.

“Be glad your parents like each other.” Their mother commented, “Not everyone is that lucky.”

The three of them mumbled incoherently, but perked up as soon as dinner was served.

The three of them ate with gusto, finished, put their dishes away and were halfway to the door when Sunny called over, “Hey, where are you three going.”

Kay turned to look at her, “We were going to hang out with the triplets.”

“Okay just don’t forget to bring a weapon, and call me if you need help with a body-” She said, like she always did though kay was never sure if she was being facetious or not.

Just as they were about to leave, the front door was thrown wide, and a small crowd of people burst into the room, headed by Uncle Ramirez who threw his hands wide, “¡Buenos días, mis sobrinas y sobrinos favoritos!”

“Buenos días tío Ramírez” They chorused

He grinned at them stepping aside to allow Aunt Maverick in through the door. Despite how small she was, Kay had always thought she looked a bit like a viking. She raised an eyebrow at him and he raised an eyebrow back by way of greeting, breaking into a grin just as Uncle Conn sailed through the door, “Oh Honey, I’m home!”

Their father sighed, “Honey is a term reserved only for people who are allowed to kiss me on the lips.”

Conn tilted his head, pitch dark eyes glimmering, “Well in that case-” He lifted his pale arms and began to chase their father around the room making kissy noises as he did. Adam brandished the spatula and swatted t him.

“Back foul demon.”

Following them was uncle Celex in all his technicolor glory. Kay was surprised he didn’t have a new lady friend on his arm as he seemed to have a new one every other week. He ruffled Kay’s hair despite being shorter than him, which he only ever did to Astra and kay but never Nyx, “You three don’t cause any more trouble than I would.” he said with a wink.

Astra smirked.

“And don’t forget the first rule.” Ramirez said.

Kay frowned, “Don’t try to use your heelies on the stairs.”

Their father winced visibly

Ramirez shook his head, “Not that one.”

“Don’t add to the population and don’t subtract from the population?” Nyx offered.

“No, not that one either. By the way, your dad was actually terrible with that roll back in the day.”

Adam frowned again, “half of that is not my fault.”

Ramirez just shook his head, “no no,, the BIG rule.”

They had to pause for a minute before, “Oh, don’t chuck Marshmallows at neutron stars/” Nyx finished.

Ramirez grinned, “Alright, out of here you crazy kids-”

They would have if Riss and krill hadn’t showed up just then, scuttling through the door mid argument. It didn’t seem to be about anything important, specifically the correct way to put toilet paper on the toilet paper roller which was an odd argument to have for two people who didn’t need toilet paper.

Uncle Krill frowned at them suppling his best grouchy expression from a creature that was always grumpy, “Rule number one-”

“Don’t chuck marshmallows at-”

“No! Don’t stick anything in any body cavity that doesn’t have a flared base.” Nyx blushed while Astra and Kay howled with laughter, stepping out the door and into the hallway. Nyx was just like their father like that, she got embarrassed at almost everything which was hilarious for everyone else.

They made their way down, and out into the cool morning air, scrubbed clean by the scents of the forest, which had been integrated seamlessly into the Noxumber metropolitan landscape. All around them water features, flower beds, and small huddles of trees clustered in the main square below the spiral tower.

Dr Katie, waved at them, holding hands with her partner on the way up Accompanied by Narobi and her husband and wife.

Massive billboards played 24 hour GA news reels showing plenty of footage of their quarter sister Eris, who had been chairwoman of the GA for over a decade now.

Grandpa and Grandma Vir waved at them from across the square on their morning walk.

They stopped in the central square, in the shade of the Armageddon memorial.

Kay craned his neck back staring solemnly up at their family legacy.

The memorial was large, a tall landscape of rock and moss, around which were placed several strategic statues all with their own plaques. He had read them all, had read them multiple times since his childhood. At the base, old and wise, but wise in her weathered stone, Hijan, motherly and thoughtful.

To the other side Dzara, raising the weak from the ashes.

Above her Kanan, the stalwart poet soldier.

On the other side, a black statue sat in cross legged repose, deep in mediation, Naktan keeper of the mountain, and at the very pinnacle, a massive statue reaching towards the sky in triumph, his spear brandished, his cape billowing behind him, Lanus, the saint of light, the saint of gold.

The savior of the universe.

A figure that in the past decade had been nearly deified.

Their grandfather.

A man none of them had ever met but one Kay personally, deeply respected, and whose loss he mourned.

He stared at it for a long while feeling a lump come into his throat, and was glad to look away when someone called his name, and he turned to see the triplets, and the rest of their little bad hurrying up the square, an eclectic group of alien and hybrids, they were they were the perfect mix to make trouble.

And so they made their way from the square, out from under the watchful eye of Lanus’s statue, standing vigil high above.

The End

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