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#still upset that we never got to see their romance :(
forcedhesitation · 10 days
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tonight. I complete the balding gay boyfriend collection. I will right the wrong to which I was made to bear witness to. I've three of four men romanced already. all that remains is kissing that sad little wizard...and moonrise towers is just on the horizon.
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daylighteclipsed · 2 years
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The stuff with Will could’ve been handled a little better and I really don’t care about the stancy vs jancy nonsense, but aside from that I think vol 2 was good
#i cried like 4 times#season 4 altogether was way better than 3#Ik ppl are upset about will and robin but nothing about how they were handled felt malicious#we were supposed to feel for them in those sad scenes#and it ended hopeful. i mean robin’s hitting it off with vickie and#well honestly idk about will and mike#but i feel like the fact that will’s the one who painted that painting for mike and sees mike as the heart could come up again#the fact that it’s will who feels that way not eleven#i mean. there’s still a whole other season. it’s not over til it’s over#both will and mike were sidelined this season so hopefully they’ll get some character attention in the next one#but really I’ve never cared for the romance in this show#it’s the friendship and family relationships that get me grinning and sobbing#I’m also so so glad max did not die. was eleven bringing her back somehow a little cheesy? yeah. but if max had died#after this whole season about her healing from her trauma and wanting to live again#i would’ve been crushed. would’ve soured the whole ending for me tbh#but she’s alive and I’m interested to see what they do with her in a coma#since eleven is trying to lead max out of that coma using her powers#ik ppl got real attached to eddie too but i thought his death was good and the private scene between dustin and mr munson was so much more#effective than if everyone had mourned/there’d been a funeral#it was so good i broke down crying#anyway. yeah i had a pretty great time watching this season
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lunarblue21 · 2 years
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man, even just writing about the ending of IA1 from an outsider's perspective - in this case my OC Theo from my Cruel Intentions series for a L22 side-story - makes me tear up.
That ending, man. That ending! It's so beautiful and bittersweet and emotional and amazing. :')
Edit: and yay, "Peace Child" and/or "Written in Eternity" is complete! And it stands at 22 23 pgs and 6, 629 780 656 words so a longish one-shot for me... again... as usual...
#Ice Age#Ice Age feels#Original movie love#man I love IA1 so much aflkgjdlgjkglafl dkldfgdaf#CI musings#also still forever disappointed/upset that Manny and Diego and Sid never got to see Roshan again#or that DIEGO was never allowed canonically to make a Peekaboo/'Where's the Baby' call-back but Sid and *Scrat* got to#even though Diego originated it. Ugh :/#but yeah can we talk about IA1's ending more becos imo I think it deserves it#especially when compared to the storyboarded ending we /almost/ got and that Blue Sky is very hush-hush about and acts like it didn't exist#dunno if it's kept so under wraps becos of embarrassment or awkwardness becos that original ending wouldn't have gotten any sequels that's#for sure...#not to mention the Lost Dark Ending craps all over the 'what you do in a herd' message making it meaningless and irrelevant so maybe#it's a good idea how forgotten they made it becos that ending is comparable to the Trollhunters: RoTT ending in that it's atrocious#doubly so becos that Lost Dark Ending ends with the herd separated either by death (Diego) or shoehorned into romance plots at the end#instead of being ya know a 'weird herd' bonded together by the baby...#and given that in the Lost Dark Ending Manny and Sid fall apart without Diego that just makes Sid's IA2 claims of 'making' the herd#and Diego saying Sid is the 'glue' nonsensical becos apparently the Lost Dark ending - and IA3 too - seems to indicate/imply that DIEGO#is the glue of the herd since in IA3 the herd splinters once he says he wants to leave. hmm
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thranduel · 8 months
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some facts about astarion that i find very cute/meaningful :)
i wanted to share this so more people can learn about him and appreciate who he is deep down, behind the mask he wears. before cazador turned him, he was just like any other person; he had hobbies, passions and emotions. those things are still there, but they’re just hidden amidst all the darkness. he was so young when he first turned that he barely had a chance to enjoy life or figure himself out. so many people miss out on the complexity of his character due to only focusing on his physical appearance or labelling him as a cruel villain, but in order to see that he’s so much more than that and he’s capable of growing as a person, all you need to do is show him a bit of love!
- he loves embroidery and poetry
- he approves when you pet the owlbear cub because most people view it as a monster (the same way people have always viewed him). it’s like he finds comfort in the fact that you can love and care for something that most people are afraid of, and it gives him hope that you may feel the same way about him too
- if you put a flower on his grave, he smiles and says "cute"
- he comes up to you in camp just to thank you and tell you how grateful he is that you allowed him to make his own decision (after you defend him and don't force him to drink the drow's blood) because he is so used to being told what to do and he was forced to use his body for so many years
- in that same scene, he will hold your hand whether you choose to stay in a romance with him or be friends instead, because he loves and appreciates you no matter what, and any sort of relationship with you is so important and meaningful to him
- if you try to romance karlach and astarion at the same time, he tells you to choose karlach over him, even if he loves you and it hurts him to do so, because he can see that karlach loves you too. he says that normally an arrangement would work for him, but after everything karlach has been through and how fragile her heart is already, he doesn’t want to get in the way or see her hurt
- if you try to romance halsin and astarion at the same time, he just wants you to do what makes you happy, even though you can tell it hurts him if you choose halsin. he’s also worried that you’re unhappy because he hasn’t slept with you (he should never have to worry about that ☹️), so he doesn’t want to stop you from enjoying yourself. in this situation and the one with karlach, you can see that there are moments where he puts others before himself and thinks about their feelings more than his own
- if you’re playing as the dark urge and you’re trying to resist it, he is so incredibly comforting and tries to give you strength and encouragement. one of my favourite astarion lines is this: “you’re not alone in this, none of us are.”
some more lines that i love:
“i don’t hate you. because this is not you. but whatever it is, you’ll get through it. and i’ll be here to make sure you do.”
“whatever it is that’s controlling you, we can fight it. i know that better than anyone.”
“this thing won’t have you. it won’t win.”
“easy now, darling. you’ve got this. and i’ve got you.”
- when you try to break up with him because you’re transforming into a mindflayer and you tell him you’re becoming something horrible, he gets so upset that you would even think that way and tells you that you’re wonderful and he doesn’t care about what you look like. then he says he would get more stares walking down a street than you to try and make you feel better
- if you love and care for him and remind him that there is still good out there, he genuinely wants to grow, be a better person and break the cycle of power and terror that started centuries ago
- he approves when you help people that are considered outcasts or "freaks" because he has felt that way too
- he risked his life and got punished for letting a man go instead of luring him back to cazador because it’s implied he cared about him in some way and he couldn't hurt him (not entirely sure about this one, this is just how i interpreted it based on his voice and mannerisms when he was talking about him)
- he approves when you give an orphaned child food (act 3)
- he becomes vulnerable, honest and more gentle with you once you start treating him like a person, because for the first time in his life, he actually feels safe with someone
- he's extremely insecure despite the mask he wears at the beginning of the game and he doesn't believe he is capable of being genuinely loved for who he is as a person. when you get close to him and tell him you care for him and give him a hug, he is taken aback at first, but then he believes you and hugs you back. also, when you're playing as the dark urge, you get this line: "you like him for more than his looks, but he will never believe that." this is proof that astarion is so used to being reduced to his physical appearance after what he was forced to do for so many years, and he thinks that's the only reason why people like him. he struggles with intimacy and forming strong emotional bonds, so that's why it makes your relationship with him even more meaningful when he realises that you truly do love him for who he is, not just for his looks and body
- when the drow you met at moonrise shows up in act 3 and tries to make you drink something, astarion tells you to say no, because the only thing she's offering is pain and he doesn't want to see you hurt
- if you romance him, stop him from doing the ritual and help him defeat cazador, he tells you that you are the only person he's ever truly cared for
- if you defeat cazador without him and tell him you just wanted to protect him, he gets upset at first because you left him behind without telling him and he wanted to take revenge himself, but then he becomes understanding and says “maybe this is what’s best? the kind of power that ritual offered could ruin a person. even me.” this shows how much he’s grown and matured as a person and he’s aware of the consequences of too much power. the scene also ends with him telling you that he’s grateful for something that you did to help him (again).
- he becomes more self-aware, straightforward and honest over time and he doesn’t pretend like he’s perfect. he tells you that you were by his side through all the bloodlust and pain and misery, despite all of his flaws and mistakes. you remained patient with him and trusted him even though it was an objectively stupid thing to do, but he is so grateful for it because you believed he could become a better person (and he did)
- this is sad but he remembers some of the names of the people he had to lure back to cazador and even the memories he shared with them. you can see this during the scene with sebastian, and it’s clear that he actually cared about him (not sure how many situations were like this, but there was definitely more than one)
- if you say “i’m sorry we couldn’t save the other vampire spawn”, he says:
“we could have tried. we could have given them the same chance i had. i was able to go out into the world and make better choices. to go against my nature and become more than a blood-sucking monster. maybe they would have done the same. or maybe not - but did we have the right to take that choice away from them?”
this scene shows how much astarion has grown and how compassionate and empathetic he can be towards others. he understood what it felt like to have his own freedom taken away while cazador made all his decisions for him, so he didn’t want to put the other vampire spawn through that too (especially because he still feels so guilty for luring them there in the first place)
- if you romance him and he stays as a vampire spawn and you choose to help him look for a cure so he can stand in the sun again, this is revealed during the epilogue scene:
“one night, he tells you that these last six months of happy memories are the counterweight to two hundred years of misery.”
he’s finally truly happy and free, and the short time he’s spent with you is already so incredibly powerful and important to him. being with you has positively impacted his life in such a massive way that it makes all those centuries of pain and misery feel so much smaller
- another sweet line from astarion during the epilogue scene after he tells you to go catch up with your other friends and see how they’re doing:
“i’ll be here when you’re ready. i’ll always be here, my love.”
THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH 😭🫶🏼 he’s become so kind, loving, respectful, genuine and sincere. i’m so proud of him 🥹
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bonny-kookoo · 2 months
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Jungkook
Green | Part 2
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"I don't jump around like that!"
Tags/Warnings: Bunny hybrid! Single dad!Jungkook, Fox hybrid!Reader, strangers to lovers, Fluff, romance, major fluff, crayons and frogs
Length: 2.5k Words
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“Is it bad timing?” You ask over the phone, whine Jungkook can be heard fighting a fierce battle against his little toddler, who’s clearly currently winning.
“No- Minji-“ he starts, before he addresses you. “Not- not No towards you, you never call during a bad time, I promise, I always want to talk to yo- Minji come on now!” He sighs, little girl having escaped his lap again- refusing to bend to her father’s only wish. “I promise I want to talk to you. Minji is just..”
“Having one of those days?” You giggle, and he smiles to himself.
“I guess so.” He admits. “She wants to go out and play, but I can’t get her into her outdoor clothes.” He sighs, before he runs a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, you called because you wanted to chat and all I do is complain-“
“no, no no its fine, really.” You dismiss, truly not offended at all. “I uh.. I’ll let you battle your daughter for now. You can.. uhm, we can.. I don’t know. Talk later maybe.” You offer, and he looks at the phone a bit upset.
“I..” Well, there’s nothing there to apologize for. He’s not sorry he’s in his situation, neither is he sorry who he is or what his daughter is- it’s just an unfortunate situation you’re both in. “..yeah. let’s talk later.” He agrees, and you quietly say your goodbyes, making his heart hurt quite a bit.
Just because he’s not sorry, doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel guilty.
Minji seems to notice his shift in emotions quite quickly, quietly reaching for her outdoor pants again that he’s been trying to put on her these past twenty minutes or so- now obediently trying to put them on herself, though she does reach for his hands to get him to help her quite quickly. And even while dressing her, jungkook can’t help but think.
Will you ever be able to accompany him and his daughter out like that? Push the swing she sits on, hold her hand when he’s got his full? Maybe.
Maybe not.
All he knows is that once he’s at the playground, sitting on the bench alone again to watch the little toddler play in the sand with another prey hybrid kid, he feels as if he could be the one to throw a tantrum any second now.
Crying out, begging for the world to just let him have you.
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Minji is happily walking through the mall with her dad, holding his hand tightly as to not get lost, when suddenly, as Jungkook has stopped to look at an interesting discounted product in the shelf, he can feel her tug a little as she seems interested in something as well now. “Hm?” Jungkook wonders without taking his eyes off the value pack of baby wipes, before he looks down at his daughter, who’s staring somewhere, one hand prodding at her mouth absentmindedly. “What’re you looking at, hm?” He wonders, looking into the direction she does, when he spots it.
Or rather, you.
You’re wearing simple clothes, clearly not out to impress anyone but just to get what you need, but he can’t deny that you’re still appealing like this, even though you’re not even wearing makeup from what he can see. Your fluffy tail is slightly swaying from side to side as you put something into your shopping cart, unaware of being watched.
Jungkook is curious. It seems like you must’ve made an impression on his daughter- because she appears to recognize you, most likely by your striking features. And while she’s still clinging to him, her interest in you is obvious.
As if you can feel eyes on you, you turn a little to lock eyes with Jungkook- who waves a little, before urging Minji to do the same- but at the obvious sign of being spotted, she instead hides behind his legs, as if that would protect her from the danger of you- even though there is nothing to fear. You wave back, and Jungkook can see that you’re masking your disappointment over the little girl still clearly feeling some form of natural fear.
“Come, let’s go say hi.” Jungkook tells his daughter, who looks visibly troubled by that proposal, torn between natural fearful instincts, and her inner curiosity. Suddenly however, it seems that her decision has been made- as she makes a sound of protest, slipping around his legs to attempt to walk off, if it wasn’t for Jungkook grabbing the back of her wintercoat in the last second. But she’s eager, whining in complaint- and only now does he realize, you’ve walked off, probably thinking that would be for the best.
But not for Minji.
Remembering the dinner, Jungkook has an idea on how to maybe solve this clearly frustrating issue for his daughter- picking her up easily, to walk after you as you’re now standing in front of a large collection of different tubs of ice cream. “One might think you’re the prey trying to escape.” Jungkook jokes, and the second you look at him, clearly worried, he feels his heart jump.
Because his plan is working.
The fact that Minji is now in close contact with her father gives her an intense boost of confidence- hands reaching out for you now, curious eyes fixated on your actual face now, no longer avoiding eye contact. It makes you both a bit intimidated but also hopeful that maybe, this is a sign that with a bit more work at familiarizing yourself with her, there might be a chance.
“Hello.” You greet, careful not to move too quickly, though the little hybrid girl is clearly not that jumpy anymore, giggling happily when she notices your tail wag behind you, hitting the metal shopping cart- pointing to it to show her father, who’s smiling just as much about it. “I didn’t mean to run off- just.. Thought, I don’t know.” You stumble over your words a little, but Jungkook reassures you.
“It’s fine, really. I don’t wanna.. Stall your shopping trip either. Just.. We both wanted to just.. See you, I guess.” He says, while his daughter becomes a bit fidgety, wanting to get down again. “Minji baby if I put you down you gotta stay close though.” He gently scolds her, simply receiving a sound of protest.
You’ve noticed this as well- the fact that she pretty much doesn’t talk, whenever she’s aware that people are watching. She only ever babbles with her father, but that’s to be expected. Most prey hybrids are very withdrawn and shy, so its already surprising she appears to be very much okay with you so close already. And the second he puts her down, she’s already running off-
Though not very far, as she instead happily holds onto your tail, even laughing when you look at her with eyes wide open, completely surprised.
“I’m so sorry-” Jungkook starts, but you shake your head, smiling, and waving him off.
“No, no-” You reassure. “I’m.. Happy.” You nod, carefully looking at Minji who’s running her hands through the fur of your tail, shyly grinning up at you before she lifts your tail to hide herself, making both you and Jungkook laugh.
Maybe she’s just not that scared of predators?
But that suspicion is instantly debunked as two wolf hybrids casually walk past you both to get to pay for their things, making the little bunny hybrid instantly jump back to her father, clinging to the fabric of his pants.
So why is she alright with you?
“Would you.. Like to come over sometime?” You ask Jungkook, fidgeting with your hands a little nervously. “I.. You know. Just for some.. Casual chatting. Maybe cake? I can bake pretty well.” You rant, and Jungkook looks at Minji.
“You wanna visit Dad’s friend with him?” He asks her, and she looks at you, thinking- before she nods, reaching for something in Jungkook’s shopping basket, before she drops it in your cart- and on closer inspection, it’s a small pack of frog-themed hairclips. “Oh? You don’t want them anymore?” He wonders, but his daughter shakes her head.
“..for me?” You ask, and she nods, smiling before she runs behind her father again, curiously poking her head around his body as if to play hide and seek with you. “Well.. Not what I’d usually go for, but they might look nice. What do you think?” You ask Jungkook, who’s caught off guard for a second, having to look away a bit bashful, nodding.
“Y-yeah! I mean, anything would suit you, since you’re really pretty..” He rants, nervously licking his lips before his tongue plays with the piercings of his bottom lip, unsure how to act. This isn’t exactly what he expected- but it’s also a surprising turn of events that makes him happy.
“..thank you..” You respond, before you wave at the little girl, moving to do the same towards her father-
But Jungkook instead hugs you goodbye, unable to help himself in that moment.
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When you open the door to your apartment, Minji is very wary.
It’s to be expected- it's not just a new environment, but it also smells entirely of you- a predator hybrid, her natural enemy of sorts, at least in instinct. So it doesn’t shock him, and neither you, that she’s clinging to her father, stuffed animal in her arm while the other one clings to her father’s pantleg. But one look at you does seem to make her perk up- ears suddenly standing tall and turned towards you, shy smile on her lips while she grins into her dark green frog-plushy. “Hey. We’re a bit late-” Jungkook apologizes, but you just wave him off, letting them both inside with a smile.
“No bother, you texted me after all, so I was prepared.” You tell him, inviting them both into your living space that’s fairly small, but clearly yours. It’s vibrant, a bit chaotic, but overall a home, and not just a place you exist in. The little girl looks around already, most likely having her attention caught by all the decoration, pictures on the walls and colorful interior design you have. Jungkook also notices two awards hung up on the wall near the TV in the living room- and he’s reminded of your profession again, giving him an idea on how to coax his little girl out of her shell again.
“Hey, do you wanna know something cool?” Jungkook asks, squatting down in front of his daughter who looks at him, ears pointing towards him in curiosity. “Dad’s friend can draw really well. Maybe if you ask her nicely, she can show you?” He proposes, and at that, Minji looks over at you, who seems caught off guard- but you instantly walk to open a small room- an office that looks pretty chaotic, obviously the place where you work.
The shelves are full of books of all sizes and colors, but what seems to catch Minji’s attention the most, is a familiar bookcover- the same she has had for quite a while now, green frog family something she remembers very easily.
“Wait- you’re the author?” Jungkook wonders, holding one of the multiple little picture-books in his hands, the specific one Minji is looking at a new one she’s not seen before.
You nod. “I didn’t know she read that one.” You giggle. “This uh.. It's the new one that’ll be published next month. You can look at it if you like.” you tell her, well aware that she most likely can’t read it yet, but probably enjoys looking at the pictures anyways.
“Well, she doesn’t read, really..” jungkook chuckles, watching his daughter carefully stare you down while she picks up the book, something brewing in her brain with the way her ears move so distinctively. “she mostly looks at the pictures, and makes up her own story.” He explains.
“it trains her creativity.” You tell him, as you walk out the room with her hot on your heels, eyes still burning Luke little lasers on the back of your head. “which is important, you know? Many parents.. just leave their kids with the TV or something and call it a day.” You sigh, closing the door behind you before you watch Minji jump on your couch, eager to look at the little book.
“minji, don’t jump like that!” Jungkook scolds, and you can’t help but smile to yourself at the almost challenging glimmer in his daughter’s eyes, as if she’s quietly sending a message- one that’s so obvious, even you receive the signal clear as day.
“But Dad does it!” she suddenly chirps at you. “All’the time!” she mumbles into the backrest of the couch. Jungkook gasps at both the sheer audacity of his daughter airing out his bad habits like this- and the fact that she actually spoke directly towards you.
“Well, I’d love for you both to feel right at home.” You say gently. “So I don’t mind if you jump a little, bunny.” You tell her- and at the nickname she grows shy, hiding away to instead bury her head into her book.
Jungkook smiles at the interaction, and follows you into your kitchen to make some tea, enjoying the moment with you to its fullest. “…I really don’t jump around like that, by the way.” He suddenly tells you with such a serious tone that you can’t help but laugh at him. “Hey, I’m serious!”
“serious? Maybe, but not honest!” You giggle, making him smile as well, unable to really do anything else but. This whole situation feels like a dream really, with you at his side and his daughter warming up to you. He’s sure there will be hurdles, it won’t be a smooth ride just because right now things are looking up- but he also has found a new unique feeling.
A feeling that this might actually work.
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Back home, Jungkook has busied his daughter with her coloring book and favorite crayons, while he himself prepares some dinner in the kitchen. And all is calm and well, until his daughter calls out to him from her room, a whine in her tone signaling that she needs his help urgently.
“What’s up?” He wonders towards her, before she holds out two crayons she’s never used- one red, and one orange. “What’s with them?” He asks, while she pouts to herself, thinking seriously about something.
“which is dad’s friend?” she asks, and Jungkook laughs.
“I don’t know? Maybe both of them, hm?” He wonders, and she nods- suddenly determined as she runs back to her coloring book, occupying herself again while he smiles and shakes his head, directing his attention back to the pan on the stove.
It’s only later, when he cleans up the table and finishes putting away the dishes, that she stands in front of him again, this time with a neatly ripped out page of her coloring book. “Wanna put that on the fridge?” He asks, and his daughter nods.
The picture showing three frogs, two green and one thats colored in orange and red.
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cobragardens · 7 months
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CORRECTED & UPDATED Clothes + Equivocation = Romance: The Husbands in 1793 (Part 2)
From Part 1:
Crowley and Aziraphale share clothes as a common interest. They don't have the same style, but they're both aware of current fashions, and Heaven and Hell aren't. You can't tell me Hastur or Uriel would recognize the significance of Crowley saying "Dressed like that, he's asking for trouble" about someone else while wearing black stockings and cravat and waistcoat himself. And that means Anything the husbands communicate to each other through clothing choices goes undetected by their masters.
SO. With all this in mind, let's go through the 1793 scene again and look at what the husbands communicate to each other without using words or actions to do it, and how their clothing choices help them do that.
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Hello. I'm here and I know you're in a spot of trouble. I like you.
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It's you! I'm so happy you're here!
Sheen's voice and face when Aziraphale says Crowley's name in this moment makes me think that Aziraphale is in love with Crowley--the demon Crowley, not the angel who became Crowley--long before he consciously realizes it in 1941. The way Sheen has Aziraphale say Crowley's name is so soft.
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The way you're he way you're lounging there and what you're wearing are uncomfortably sexy and also incredibly inappropriate for the Bastille at this moment in history. I suppose this is very on-brand for you.
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Crowley: I listen when you talk about your interests and goals and keep track of your general whereabouts and pursuits.
Either they've spoken with each other recently or Crowley has been keeping tabs on Aziraphale. Aziraphale isn't upset that Crowley knows what he's been up to, which suggests the former, which in turn suggests they're in semi-regular (every few years or decades) contact at this point.
Also we've now got a general idea for when Aziraphale opens his bookshop.
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Okay, brief tangent while I point out two things here.
One, my favorite thing about Aziraphale is that he is a sensualist. This is libertine behavior, y'all. He 'popped across the Channel' during the Reign of Terror because he wanted a specific carnal experience of a specific really lovely food.
And two, even when Aziraphale does weird, frivolous, silly, ill-advised things like this, things that clearly baffle Crowley...Crowley never makes fun of him. He never laughs at him. He always has this look of disbelief on his face, like Am I hearing this?--
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--but Crowley never, not once, shuts Aziraphale down.
Until Aziraphale asks him to go back to Heaven.
Anyway. Back to our scene.
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Aziraphale: I am unwilling to abandon my sartorial sensibilities even when it threatens my corporation, and I am insane, so I think this is reasonable. At least I'm not wearing a Slutty Monarchist outfit.
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You're happy to see me, aren't you. You're relieved to see a demon. Go on, say it.
Tennant's delivery of this line cracks me up. It is so gloating and flirtatious and smarmy and indulgent of Aziraphale.
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I am very happy to see you and lucky you're here, and I am willing to say so sincerely even though you are gloating about it.
And then there's the exchange where Crowley very carefully doesn't answer Aziraphale's question about why Crowley's in the area but also reassures him that he didn't cause the French Revolution and Aziraphale can still like him.
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We can't speak openly about this. It's dangerous for me.
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Message received: I won't mention what you did again. But I want to show my gratitude and spend time with you; is it safe for us to get lunch together?
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Yes, but one of us is going to have to change so we can walk the streets of Paris without getting arrested again, and I'm the one doing the rescuing here so it's not going to be me. Your 'standards' will have to take the hit.
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Fine, you've got me over a barrel. But hey, if I have to wear the silly hat anyway I might as well go all the way and wear your colors. Except not monarchist. And not slutty.
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Oh, I don't know, I thought you looked pretty slutty too. (Meaning 2) I'm having this guy killed for touching you, btw. I will kill anyone who tries to hurt you. Immediately. I see you are having the guy who assaulted you killed in a copy of the clothes he would have killed you for wearing. I wholeheartedly approve of this (Meaning 3), your sexiness in those clothes notwithstanding. The utter insouciance of Crowley's little sniff and the inquiry about what they'll have for lunch drive home hard that Crowley could not be more unbothered by Aziraphale having the man who tried to harm him beheaded.
What really tickles me about this line is not only that Crowley's joke has three distinct meanings, but that Meaning 1 (the meaning that exists without reference to Crowley's clothes) is the opposite of Meaning 3--Anybody wearing clothes like that deserves what they get (Meaning 1) versus It rocks how you just killed someone who tried to kill you for wearing those clothes (Meaning 3)--and yet because of the clothes he's wearing, both meanings come through with perfect clarity, dependent only on whether the listener(s) can see his clothing and know its significance. Aziraphale can, and does, so he receives Crowley's real meaning. Hell/Heaven can't, and don't, so they just hear Meaning 1.
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And then we get Aziraphale's pleased little smile and look of tranquil interest as he watches Jean-Claude dragged off to his death. Its such an interesting facial expression for an angel watching a demon have someone killed having someone killed, isn't it?
Crowley has just told him they're probably being listened to by Hell. That means Aziraphale, Crowley, and the audience all know this is the most Aziraphale can safely react. Aziraphale can't show any overt approval of anything an agent of Hell does, because by definition anything a demon does is demonic and angels must be against That Sort of Thing. In light of the fact that Aziraphale is the one who causes Jean-Claude's death, I now argue that this responsibility not to react too positively to something the other side has done falls on Crowley, and that the reason he makes this joke is primarily to tell Aziraphale I see what you've just done, and I like it without identifying aloud what exactly has just happened for their presumed eavesdroppers because an angel arranging a human's murder is the sort of thing in which head offices might take undue interest.
The awareness that their conversation is not private means the audience and Aziraphale know they need to be watching and listening for multiple meanings from Crowley, and it also means the audience and Crowley know we need to be watching Aziraphale's face closely right now. And that little smile shows us that Aziraphale has received Meanings 2 and 3 of "he was asking for trouble."
Or, at minimum, Meaning 3; even if Aziraphale picks up on Meaning 2--You looked really sexy in your vintage clothes, you crazy weirdo--that's not a message he can afford to react to at all. But he does react to the other coded communication Crowley is sending when he says "Dressed like that, he was asking for trouble" while dressed for trouble himself: I will kill anyone who tries to hurt you. Immediately. People who think your clothes give them the right to hurt you can go to Hell, and I am delighted you just sent one of them there.
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You just had someone beheaded for assaulting me, I acknowledge and am pleased by your delight at my cleverness. and I could not be happier. Would you like to come enjoy one of my very favorite sensual pleasures with me?
***
EDIT: To be honest I like this reading better than my original, incorrect understanding of the story despite the fact that it is slightly less romantic, both because I love the idea of Crowley as a thirsty witness to Aziraphale quietly being a vengeful badass, because it gives us a glimpse of something important about Aziraphale's character that we don't get to see elsewhere: Aziraphale doesn't have a problem with killing per se.
We learn from the business with the Antichrist that, like Crowley, Az. can't bring himself to kill children. We learn from his perturbation at the Flood and the Crucifixion that he doesn't hold with killing innocents. He gave away his flaming sword. But this scene establishes that Aziraphale will actively cause someone's death if he feels they deserve it. That seems like an important character note for him that may become relevant in Season 3 (feathers crossed that it happens).
And I think there's something else in there too, something about how Aziraphale kills Jean-Claude, not with outright violence but with a trick. One party thinks he's in control of the situation; with a wave of his hand, suddenly a turnip has turned into an inkwell an executioner has turned into the condemned--or at least it seems that way long enough to get the job done. It's a bait-and-switch, like stage magic, and it slots right in to the motif in Good Omens of sleight-of-hand, of characters wearing other characters' appearances (for more on this, see fan theories re: Maggie is possessed), of supplying false meanings to an audience to disguise the true actions going on behind the scenes.
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chaethewriter · 1 year
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Ghost of you
Jack Champion x reader
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In which you have to keep your relationship a secret, not knowing the consequences.
Word count: 3,6k
Warning: hurt to comfort, angst, I'm so embarrassed to post this, english isn't my first language, not proofread.
tagged: @viivvriv @genesis4545 @norrisgf @darkcrusadestrawberry @drxwstxrkxy
A/N: this one for my poopsies! <3
"I'd settle for the ghost of you."
When Jack had asked you if he could be your boyfriend, you were over the moon. The two of you had met during one of his press tours, and while you thought he was the most handsome and funniest guy you have ever met, you knew you didn't have a chance. Or so you thought. The two of you got closer after he had asked for your number, and now you could proudly call him yours. Well, your relationship wasn't known publicly. His manager and mother recommended him to keep your relationship a secret. You were okay with it at first since you liked your privacy, but now you had wished that you could flaunt him all over your social media.
"Baby? Are you okay with it?" Jack took your hands in his as he stared into your eyes with the softest expression ever. Jack was an incredible boyfriend. He treated you like a queen. It was your first relationship, and you were glad that he was your first. You bit your lip as you considered all the points. You see, Jack recently got a job offered for a romance movie as the main character. Even though he had said he wanted to focus on action and thriller stuff, he saw this as a great opportunity to try something new. Acting was his passion, you couldn't take this away from him. And you trusted him, of course you did. He was so loyal and loving and didn't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable. "Baby?", Jack had called you again as you zoned out, his lips against your skin as he looked down at you with concern. You wanted to be the supportive girlfriend, no matter what. Even if it meant overstepping your own boundaries. "No, I don't mind no. I'm so proud of you!" you put on your brightest smile as you took him in his arms, your arms wrapped around his chest. Jack sighed in relief, "I would never want to make you sad, you know? I love you so much, baby." His grip on you tightened as he praised you with loving words, but deep inside you knew now you truly felt.
Soon enough, to your dismay, the recordings started. His manager thought that it would be best that you wouldn't come along for the sake of not getting into rumors. So you had stayed back at your hometown without Jack. The two of you were facetiming right now as you watched him get ready, "you look handsome, big boy." You grinned as you buried your face into your blanket. Jack was wearing a half buttoned blouse and some brown pants, and you couldn't help but swoon over your handsome boyfriend. He grinned in return as he took his phone back in his hands, bringing it closer to his face, "I showed myself, so why won't you reveal your pretty face, pretty girl?"
You chuckled as you dropped the blanket to reveal yourself to him. The notification you got on your phone told you that he had taken a screenshot, "hey!" Jack's grin widened as he put his phone back on its stand, "can't help but have my camera roll filled with my pretty girlfriend, you know?" He was incredibly cheesy, but it's what you liked about him after all. "How's recording going?" You honestly dreaded to know the details, you didn't want to know. You didn't want to know how he treated someone else as his. It was acting, it was his job. It wasn't real, but why did you still feel upset about this? You didn't want to be a selfish girlfriend, you didn't want an argument to break out, so you kept quiet and bottled all these emotions up. "It's going great! Anne is so comfortable to act around, you know? It's like we have known each other for a long time! She's so kind and we get along so well?" Jack rambled on as he referred to his co-star. You pursed your lips as you forced yourself to smile, "That's great! I'm so glad it's going well f-"
Your sentence got cut off by girl's voice on the other side of the line, "Jackie!!" Your heart fell to your stomach as you saw the door of his trailer open, and there she stood. Ann, Jack's co-star. "Jackie, we should totally practice our lines for today. It's the car scene where you pick me up after the summer party!" You saw the way Anne was dressed: a pretty dress that stopped just above her knees. Her makeup was done as well as her hair. Jack looked behind him as he gave his co-star a smile, "hey A, yes I'll be there soon," he then turned back to you, "I got to go baby, but I will call you soon okay? I love you!"
"I lo-" before you could reply, Jack hung up on the call.
You watched the television as news got out of the new romance movie starring Jack and Ann. The two were posing for the photographers as Jack's arm was around her waist, with her hands on his chest. The two wore matching outfits for the interview that would come right after. You had sent him a message wishing him good luck with a heart, but he didn't read it yet. Jack had been incredibly busy these past few weeks. Starting promotions and all while still recording, he didn't have much time on his hands. Yet, he never forgot to send you a paragraph of telling about his day and asking you how your day had been and if you were taking care of yourself. Your heart always melted whenever he sent those messages.
"Jack, Ann, welcome!"
"Yes, thank you for having us!" Jack smiled as he exchanged a look with Ann, who gave him a loving glance. Your brows furrowed as you buried yourself in your blanket. You sat there in your bed as you watched the interview. At first, you were excited to watch it: he was your boyfriend and who wouldn't want to watch their boyfriend on tv? But now, now you wanted to click away.
Ann leaned closer to Jack as she shared some points of the movie, "So Jack plays a character called Justin. He's the best friend of my character, Aimee, and they go through a rollercoaster of emotions as they fall in love with each other."
"It's like a best friends to lovers movie." Jack added on as he nodded with a smile. Ann smiled as he added something to her explanation, their bond clear as they were in sync.
"So it's a romance movie. Do you have a special person in your life?"
Jack immediately shook his head at that question. He wanted to flaunt you so badly, but for the sake of your feelings he had to do this, "Not me, no. I am still looking for my person."
Ann didn't answer the question. Instead, she teased Jack as she bumped her elbow in his arm, "Could I be that person?" Jack answered by shaking his head with a laugh. They looked so comfortable around one another.
Your heart broke in pieces at the sight of Ann shamelessly flirting with your boyfriend, who you couldn't even announce was your boyfriend. You turned your television off as you took your phone. Not to communicate and tell him how you felt, instead you had sent
Jack. <3
Me: You were amazing, so proud of you
Your relationship had been rocky lately. You had been feeling so down and insecure in your relationship. Ever since the photoshoot and the interview, social media had been in an uproar. About how good they looked together, how Ann looked at him, the rumors that Jack and Anne were dating. 'Rising star Jack Champion and Ann spotted having dinner together?' You had scrolled through instagram, twitter and tiktok every moment of the day, watching how everyone supported the rumored relationship between Jack and Ann. You cried as you did so, angry and upset with yourself. They were a match and it was obvious everyone would support Jack with being with a beautiful girl like Ann. And while you were feeling like this, he didn't know anything about that. Instead, he was left confused while looking at your contact name, wondering why you weren't responding.
Hers. <3
Me: baby?
Me: did you receive my flowers?
Me: are you okay?
Me: babeeee
Me: :(((
Me: helloooo
Me: babe
Me: are
Me: you
Me: okay
Me: question
Me: mark
Me: ?
Me: if u don't answer I will come to u
Me: baby?
Me: answer my calls pls
Me: my love, are you mad at me?
Me: did I do something wrong?
Me: please.
Me: I'm sorry.
"Flowers? For me?" You had opened the door in your oversized hoodie with your bloodshot eyes, only to be met with a deliverer with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. They were your favorites. There was only one person who knew you this well. "Yes, you're (y/n) (l/n) right?" You nodded at his question and he pushed the flowers in your arms. You thanked him before closing the door. You looked terrible, honestly. Bloodshot red eyes, tear stains, wearing the same clothes from a week ago. You felt horrible, yet you didn't want to do anything about it. Jack was so happy with being a rising star, you didn't want to fuck that up for him. But did you know how much Jack actually depended on your feelings?
You stared at the flowers as you stood in the middle of the living room, ready the little card attached to the bouqet.
'I love you. Pls call me so that we can talk?'
You pursed your lips. It hurt feeling like this, it hurt so bad. You were so insecure and unsure of everything, meanwhile Jack already made a name of himself. Jack definitely deserved better, someone as passionate as him. After weeks of pondering what you should do, you finally knew.
Let him go.
You picked your phone up and stared at your wallpaper. A picture of the two of you from your prom. You would miss him so much. All the memories, how happy he made you feel. How secure he made you feel. You shook your head and looked for his archived contact. You knew you were running away from all the problems, but this was the best for him. You had to take this initiative in order for him to be able to rise. You would be content enough to watch him be happy from the sidelines. That would be enough for you, to settle for the ghost of him.
The first rang didn't even have to go for him to pick up, you pursed your lips as you tried to contain your sobbing, walking up to the walls of pictures in the living room that mostly contained the two of you. "Baby? Are you okay?" Jack had already spoken up before you could. He was calling you from his trailer in between scenes. A sob left your lips at the nickname. You took a deep breath as you tried to gather the words you wanted to say.
"Jack, I think we should end it."
A nervous laugh escaped his lips, "baby, end what?" The realization hadn't set in yet. He didn't want to believe it.
"Let's break up."
Jack collapsed on his chair as his eyes widened, "what? You're joking, aren't you? (y/n)?" He waited for your laugh, your voice as you tried to lie to him, anything. Anything that could give him a hint that you were fucking around. Instead, he was met with your sobs. "Let's break up, Jack."
"Did I do something? Did you fall out of love with me?" Without noticing, the tears had flowed down his cheeks as his he gripped his hair with his free hand, trying to pull his strands out as he expected to wake up from this nightmare. But he didn't. This was real. "Please answer me! I can fix this, I can fix us!" He was desperate now, his screams booming through his trailer. He couldn't accept this. He just couldn't. He saw his future in you. When he looked at you, he already imagined you as a pretty pride as you told your vows.
"Jack, please don't do this."
"No! No! Please don't leave me, please tell me! (y/n)!" His throat burned as he screamed, as well as the tears that burned his face— like lava was burning through his skin.
"I love you, Jack."
Call ended.
He stood up from his seat as he screamed your name, waiting for an answer on the other side of the line, but nothing. The chair had fallen with a loud smack, gaining the attention of certain people close to his trailer. He sat on the floor as he cried, phone in his hands as he tried to call you back. A ton of gibberish left his lips as he desperately wished for you. Clothes disheveled, hair all messed up, makeup gone as the tears washed it away— which all prepared him for the next scene. Yet he couldn't care less about acting, about his job, about the money. You were all he needed, and you were gone. The door to his trailer had slammed open as his mother stood in the opening, "Jack?"
"Mama, mama," he stumbled over his words as he hiccuped due to the amount of emotions he felt, "she left me." At the moment, the person before her wasn't Jack Champion the rising actor, or Jack the Champ. He was Jack, just Jack, Jack who got his heart broken. Jack, her teenage son who had broken down.
"Oh, Jack.." she had ran up to him as she took her son in her arms, "It's okay sweet boy."
Out of frustration, he had screamed at his mother. He didn't mean it, his breathing exaggerated as he shook in her arms. Anxiety. "Mama.." he felt dizzy as he spoke. His mother told him to stop speaking, as it would only make him feel worse. But Jack couldn't stop himself, he had to talk to someone. And who not to trust more than his mother? "Mama, what did I do wrong? Mama please." His grip in her arms tightened as he choked on his own tears. His hair was stroked as he tried to speak. She had decided to not speak further, he needed to get this out of his system. He needed a listener. "She told me she loved me, but she broke up with me. I don't know what happened mama?" He pursed his lips as he stopped talking, allowing the tears to flow as he awaited an answer from her.
Her tone was soft as she spoke, careful with her words to not cause him a further breakdown, "did you talk to her about the rumors?" He looked up at her in confusion. Rumors? What rumors? "What rumors?" His mom looked down at him with a sad expression, realizing she played huge part in their break up. She wanted to protect both you and Jack, but in the end it caused further heartbreak. "You and Ann?"
Him and Ann? What was she talking about? When her son looked at her with bloodshot big eyes, she continued speaking, "Everyone thinks the two of you are dating. The touches she gives you, the flirting." Jack widened his eyes as his breathing exaggerated again, "No! There is nothing with Ann! My heart is (y/n)'s! I'm hers!" His expression faltered yet again.
"But no one else knows about you and (y/n), I'm so sorry Jack. It's my fault."
Jack had begged his mom to leave set. He couldn't stay here, not when he was feeling like this and not while Ann was here to escalate the rumors. He should've known, he's so stupid. He wanted to stay respectful in front of Anne, not knowing that by doing so, everything would go downhill. He regretted not doing more to keep you secure, he regretted not finding out about it and talking to you. He regretted not figuring your feelings out sooner. Of course, you would feel upset after Anne did all those things. Why couldn't he be better? Why couldn't he do better? But he's not letting you go so easily. Not now, not when he still had time. 
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jackchampion
I haven't been telling the truth. I should have been truthful. I have a special person. I had a special person. And I lost her. I'm sorry for not fighting harder for us, I'm sorry for not noticing how you felt. It has always been you. And it will always be. I hope for my future to be with you and only you. Let us fix this and communicate better. Let me fix this. Please, I love you (y/n).
jackchampion has followed you.
Your phone was blowing up like crazy, yet you couldn't bother to look. You had been watching tv in your bed as you munched on your chocolates with tear stained cheeks. You felt even more miserable now that you had broken up with him. You switched channels, looking for something to watch as the tv show you were watching only made you even sadder. "Now on to celebrity news. Rising star Jack Champion's instagram post surely stirred up the emotions under fans. He is known for his roles as Avatar's Spider and Scream's Ethan Landry." The screen switched to instagram as a post under Jack's name popped up. Your hand moved towards your mouth as he posted your go-to song with the caption. This had to be for you. "Rumored is that Jack Champion left the set as he was spotted on the airport. A picture was taken by paparazzi of who is rumored to be Jack Champion." A picture was shown on the screen and you knew that postured and the clothing like nobody else. Jack in his pink hoodie and sweatpants as the hood was on his head, with a pair of sunglasses on his face (to hide his expression).
Was he coming your way?
You got up from your bed, feeling all dizzy from standing after so long. You took your phone and ran downstairs to get to the nearest airport. With your phone in your hands, you tried to put your shoes on as you called for an Uber. If he was spotted all those hours ago, he should be there soon. You can't miss him. Not when he publicly announced how he felt about you.
On your way to the airport, you had scrolled through instagram. Notifications flooded your screen as you got DMs, mentions and followers. But one thing stuck out to you.
jackchampion has followed you.
You pursed your lips as you tried your best not to cry again. Was him following you telling you that he wanted to go public? He was told not to follow you back to stay discreet. You felt so many emotions flooding through your body that you didn't notice that you had already arrived. You thanked the Uber driver with his payment and ran inside. The airport was filled with teenage girls.
"Jack Champion is here!!!" You heard a girl scream as everyone pushed one another. You tried to make your way through, but to no avail. You couldn't get through, not with so many girls pushing all at once.
"Wait, are you (y/n)? The girl from Jack's post?" One of the girls closest to you stared at your features. Of course, she had caught on to the drama. Your instagram was figured out and she had followed you. She was a fan of Jack and if Jack loved you, she loved you too. You nodded your head slowly, unsure of what to do as many faces turned to you.
"You bitch, stay away from him!!"
"Fuck off, nobody. As if you had a chance with him. Everyone make way!!" A girl retorted back as she punched the girl that disrespected you.
Jack Champion caught onto the crowd of girls that slowly made a path. He cocked his head to the side. Was it you? Or was this wishful thinking? He shook his head. It couldn't be you. Why would it be you? Or so he thought. He continued walking towards the exit as he fixed his sunglasses, protected by security.
"Jack!" Out of all the girls that screamed his name, this one felt all too familiar. His heart was beating in his throat as he quickly turned around. His eyes widened as he layed his eyes on you. Sweet you. He pushed the security out of the way as he made his way towards you. "(y/n)? Let her through, don't hurt her!" He had raises his voice at the security that had tried to push you to the ground. As you were let through, you ran towards him to wrap your arms around him.
"I'm so sorry for not communicating."
He shook his head as his face was buried in your hair, inhaling your scent. "I love you so much." His arms were wrapped so tightly around you, it almost felt like you were about to break a few bones. But you didn't care. You were together now and from here on, you would figure everything out.
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silly(y/n)_
the privilege to be the first one to post this picture of him, for he is my special person. <3
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rogueddie · 2 years
Text
There's something... off about Steve. Eddie can't quite put his finger on it, but he started noticing it a long time ago. Long before they actually met. Back at the tail end of his King Steve days.
He'd gotten glimpses, like he was seeing behind a mask. The way Steve usual smirk and swagger would drop, just for a moment. But he didn't look upset about losing friends... he looked haunted. Something so empty and lost about him. The moment would be over as fast as Eddie saw it, the whole King Steve persona slipping back on just as easily as it slipped off.
The look on Steves face stuck with him though. There was something so unsettling about it. Something so wrong. Because Steve was the spoilt, rich, popular kid. He had distant parents, everyone knows that, but... Eddie didn't want to think about what could've shaken up Steve Harrington so much, what could leave him looking so traumatized. He doesn't want to know.
But, of course, Eddie never got so lucky.
He's surprised, yet not at all, when he finds out that Steve has been dealing with the alternate dimension bullshit for years. It makes so many little things make sense. Makes the sudden loss of social status, the complete 180 in his attitude, seem reasonable.
And that should've been it. As nice as it was, saving the world with Steve Harrington, Eddie understands how things are. Even with his reputation shredded, hanging out with the town freak- now town 'we still think he's a murderer no matter how much they clear his name' level freak- is far, far below Steve.
But Steve keeps seeking him out. He keeps knocking on the trailer door. Ringing him up. Turning up to D&D sessions early so he can talk his way into coming back to hang out with Eddie.
Sometimes the King Steve mask makes a return, more often a mutation of it. But, for some reason, there's no masks on when it's just the two of them. Steve is freely and openly weird. He admits to things that Eddie knows he wouldn't usually share without pressure. But he shares them with Eddie.
Eddie asks him. But Steve just... smiles. Changes the subject with such ease that it isn't until later that Eddie even realizes that he never answered. He's kind of impressed.
Eddie learns to love it. He's got such deep insights into Steves psyche now that he can read him better than Robin can. He makes a point of correcting Robin too, enjoying the confusion and frustration he causes. Especially with how often she jokingly threatens him for stealing her soulmate.
And he is. It takes him a while to realize that he is... but he is. He's essentially stealing Steve.
He doesn't like groups. Not a lot. He likes having quiet moments with a couple people, he likes spending alone time with people, and it's no different with Steve. He likes knowing that he definitely has all of the attention and that the other person has all of his.
So maybe he feels a little possessive over their alone time, over the way Steve is so open with him specifically. With him exclusively. But it's not getting in the way of anything, it's not a problem.
Until, one day, Eddie notices Steve slipping away behind a mask. It's not the usual King Steve or variant. That throws Eddie off. It makes him too curious to ask, to look too close as to why. He wants to know more about the mask Steve is creating.
It's suave. Confident. It gives Steve an air of romance, something about it making him seem so much more slick. Like the persona of an old romcom movies male lead. It makes him stand a little straighter, it has his eyes wondering so freely. It makes Eddie blush.
Eddie stops him one day. He has to make sure Steve understands that, whatever he's doing with this new mask, Eddie isn't feeling friendship things about it.
Steve gives him that smile again, the one that makes it clear that Steve has figured something out that Eddie hasn't. He doesn't change the subject this time. He pointedly steps closer, grabs Eddies hand.
"Maybe I don't want you to feel friendship things about me," Steve says. He doesn't have the usual slick tone of his new mask. He looks a little nervous. "Maybe I only wear this mask with you."
Steve doesn't let him kiss him, ducks to the side far too smoothly. He still has Eddies hand in his. Eddie can't help but narrow his eyes, suspicious of the playful grin he's getting.
"Let me take you on a date first. A nice dinner, some expensive red wine..."
"Fuck you," Eddie is grinning though. Revels in the way his bluntness makes the mask slip again, this time because Steve is too amused to hide it- something that is more and more common.
It's more rare, these days, to see Steves masks slip because of whatever horrors he's remembering. It's almost always because of Eddie, making him smile, making him laugh. Not even his King Steve mask can hold up against Eddies odd, feral charm.
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heeology · 8 months
Text
for old times' sake | s.jy
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synopsis → after breaking up before going off to college, seeing your ex boyfriend at your friend's birthday dinner four years later was the last thing you anticipated…on second thought, you didn’t really anticipate hooking up with him in his car either. 
feat. → isa (stayc)
genre → ex highschool lovers, romance, smut
pairing → nonidol!jake x fem!reader
warnings → MDNI
w.c. → 2k
!!DO NOT COPY OR REPOST!!
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“Happy birthday!” you exclaim, hugging Isa from behind.
“Oh my god-” she says with a smile as she turns around to properly hug you. You unwrap your arms and hold out your present to her. She gasps and playfully pushes your shoulder. “And you brought me a gift, you shouldn’t have.”
You roll your eyes as you link arms with each other before she brings you over to the table where the others were gathered. You greet some of the people that you know as Isa goes to set down the present with the other ones she's received. She comes back to you, dragging you over to an empty seat by hers, which you take. 
“So, how does it feel to officially be old?” you tease.
She fake laughs, “Jeez, you sound like a dad.”
You chuckle, shrugging your shoulders. The waitress comes over to the table and smiles, “Is everyone ready for me to take their orders?”
“Oh, uh,” Isa starts. She glances at you nervously before looking back at the waitress, “not everyone is here yet.”
“Sure, no problem, I’ll be back to check in.” the waitress says before walking away.
You raise an eyebrow, turning to Isa, but she avoids looking back at you. 
“Isa…” you say, skeptical. You look around the table and although you don’t know everyone there, you can’t quite figure out who is missing. “Who are we waiting for?” you turn back to her.
“Oh, you know…” she says, trying to avoid the question.
“Isa.” you say, wanting her to tell you the truth.
She smiles at you, guilty. “Okay, so don’t be upset-”
“Sorry I’m late.” you hear someone say.
Your gaze shifts from a clearly guilty Isa over to the man you honestly thought you would never see again. Your mouth falls agape a little as you see him smile, greeting the people he knew, before he takes the seat (conveniently) in front of you. He chuckles at something one of the other people says to him, licking his lips before he looks over to you. His expression matches yours as you two look at each other in shock.
“You remember Jake, right?” Isa asks nervously, trying to at least get one of you to say something.
Of course you remember Jake and of course he remembers you. Although some may say you both were too young to even know what love really is, you felt it with him and he felt it with you. Four years is a long time and when you both had to make the heartbreaking decision to split up before you went your separate ways to college, it felt like you literally were going to die. It wasn’t easy for him, either, and as he sits in front of you, the feeling of regret he had back then from not fighting for you was beginning to settle within him once again.
As you both are familiar with, just like how so much can develop within four years, the four years you spent apart eventually meant the heartache dissipated, but damn, you didn’t think you missed him this much. How can you help it when he is sitting in front of you looking so good in his all black attire? He could say the same for you, except he is fully aware that he is still madly in love with you; he never got over you. 
“Yeah…” you end up saying after staring at each other for a moment.
Isa looks between the two of you, smirking as she sees the way you two are practically gawking at each other. Jake’s eyes travel up and down your figure, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He meets your eyes, “Hey…” he says quietly, like he only wants you to hear it.
“Hey…” you say the same way.
“Are you guys ready to order?” the waitress from earlier asks as she clicks her pen.
-
“So, how have you been?” Jake asks as the waitress finishes setting down everyone's food.
You smile, biting your bottom lip momentarily before answering him. He smiles to himself, recalling how you did that all the time, finding it cute that you still do.
“Really good, actually. I’m just working at this store temporarily until I actually land the job that I want.”
He hums, following along with what you are saying as you both eat, “Was university okay for you? I know you were a little worried about moving far.”
Truthfully, he was more nervous than you were because once you told him where you wanted to go, he knew what was going to come next. That’s when you guys had your first big fight, him not wanting you to go far because he knew that meant you would break up and you saying that it’s your future and you have to do what is best for yourself in the end.
“Does that mean you don’t see me as a part of your future?” you recall him asking, his heart breaking once the words left his mouth. You still remember his face when he said it, he was so hurt, eyes glossy with tears. 
“It was wonderful,” you say, beaming. He smiled sadly at that, it stinging a little, but most of him does feel really happy that you are really happy. “I made a lot of friends and there was this convenience store near my dorm that sold the best cookies that were freshly baked.” He laughs lightly, nodding his head. He looks at you quickly to see your proud smile, which he loves so much; he loves hearing you talk about things passionately. “What about for you?” you ask, snapping him out of his daze. 
“Hm?” he asks, looking down at his food hoping you didn’t catch him staring. He takes another bite before answering, “Oh, um, nothing really exciting happened to me. Although, I did really like a lot of my professors.”
“I figured.” you joke, earning a smile from him. “Have you found work yet?” 
He nods his head. “It’s just a starting position, but it’s at the company I’ve always wanted to work at.”
You gasp and smile. He chuckles shyly, “Wow…” you say, making him even more shy, “you really are a big shot now.”
He bites his bottom lip, becoming shy from your praise. “No, it’s nothing big…”
“Yet.” you say, pointing your fork at him before continuing to eat.
He smiles and nods his head.
-
“So, you two pretty much talked the whole time.” Isa says as others begin to gather their things before leaving. “Shame that you left the birthday girl practically all by herself.” she says, pretending to be upset.
“I’m sorry,” you say, wrapping your arms around her, “I honestly didn’t expect to talk to him for that long.”
“You mean the entire time?” she asks casually while pointing a finger at you. You take your arms off of her and shove her lightly, making her laugh.
Isa goes to say goodbye to other people and you and Jake look at each other before exchanging awkward smiles. Although you spent the majority–okay, more like the whole–evening catching up, you didn’t really know how to process the fact that you are still very much in love with him. Love might be a bit strong, perhaps extremely attracted is more appropriate. Either way, you knew you still had feelings for him, but you weren’t sure if he felt the same way. Afterall, it’s been four years.
Everyone begins to walk out together and once again, you end up next to Jake as everyone simultaneously says their last goodbyes, leaving you with just Jake and Isa. 
“Do you need a ride home?” they both ask at the same time, looking at each other after posing the question.
You look between them and Isa widens her eyes at you. “You know what,” she starts, clapping her hands together as she looks between the two of you, “you should just go with him, I’m sure you miss each other.”
“Isa…” you say, your eyes wide as Jake tries to hide his smile. She just smiles at you innocently before whispering that she will see you tomorrow and walking off to her car. 
You and Jake look at each other before awkwardly smiling again.
“Do you mind if I take you home?” he asks, every part of his being hoping that you will say that you don’t mind.
“Not at all.” you say before giving a small smile and walking closer to him. Even better of a response than he anticipated. He smiles shyly before leading you over to his car, unlocking it and opening the passenger door for you to get in. You laugh lightly, “Such a gentleman.”
“Like always.” he replies before closing the door once you get in. He walks over and gets into the driver's seat, locking the doors once he is inside. You both sit there for a moment, not exactly sure what to say. Sure, you could give him the directions to your place, but neither of you are ready to leave the other again. You begin to pick at the sides of your nails as he looks at you from the corner of his eyes, looking away whenever you look up to glance at him, and then back at you when you look down again. “I’ve missed you.” he finally blurts out.
You look up and slowly turn your head towards him and he slowly turns his head to look at you, holding his breath as he waits for your answer. You smile softly, “I’ve missed you too.” 
He sighs in relief and smiles, licking his lips as he looks down before looking back at you. “And thanks,” you raise an eyebrow, “for still being one of my biggest supporters.” he says a little more quietly.
You smile sweetly, reaching over to hold his hand. He feels his breath get caught in his throat. “I’ll always support you.”
It falls silent, simply just basking in each other's gaze, holding hands as he rubs his thumb along the back of your hand. He uses his free hand to push some of your hair delicately out of your face, his fingertips barely grazing your skin, giving you goosebumps. His hand lands on your cheek, him giving you one last glance before leaning in and kissing you. 
God, did he miss your lips and god did you miss his. He moans a little into the kiss, only making you release your hand from his to hold the back of his neck, attempting to deepen the kiss. The kiss becomes sloppier the more desperate you become for each other, breathing quickly, grunts and moans escaping both of your lips as you both try to pour the love you still have for each other into it. 
He moves his hand from your cheek to your waist, prompting you to switch from sitting in the passenger seat to straddling him instead. He begins to kiss you from your jaw to your neck as he swiftly reaches down to push his seat back from the steering wheel, giving you more room. You laugh a little, but moan as he begins to leave hickies along your collarbone. 
You push him back in his seat, him smirking at you in your position; testing you. He runs his hands up and down the sides of your thighs as he practically eye fucks you.
“Just how much have you missed me?” he whispers, teasing you. He bites the corner of his bottom lip, his eyes no longer looking into yours, but your waist as he traces his fingers lightly over your stomach before rubbing moving them to rub your clit. The mini skirt you were wearing was driving him crazy, practically flashing your panites in front of him. You hiss at the sudden friction from his fingers and your underwear, him not bothering to move it out of the way. “Must’ve missed me a lot since you’re already so wet.” he teases, looking back at you.
Your hands grip his shoulders, fingernails digging into them, making him grimace, as you let out little moans. He is moving his fingers slowly, he wants you to answer, and you know that. You meet his gaze and decide to tease him back. You smile, letting out a breathy moan, moving one of your hands to push his hand away before grinding on his cock. He chuckles lowly while leaning his head back, eyes fluttering closed. You smile in satisfaction as he grips your hips, making you pick up your pace, his erection growing harder and harder. As much fun as it is to see him like this, trying to hold back the moans and whines he so clearly wants to vocalize, you decide this isn’t enough for you.
You lean close to his ear, “Would you rather cum in your pants or would you rather cum in me?”
He opens his eyes as you smile innocently, slowing down your pace. He scoffs, poking his tongue in the side of his cheek, gripping your hips making you stop your movements all together. “You haven’t changed very much, have you?”
You shrug your shoulders, “Clearly.”
He scoffs again, clenching his jaw as he keeps eye contact with you. He slips one of his hands off of your waist, undoing his belt as you continue to look at each other. He removes his other hand, undoing his pants, and you lift yourself up a bit as he raises his hips to lower his pants and boxers. He slings one of his arms around your waist, pulling you in for a sloppy kiss, using his other hand to position you over his cock, then taking his cock and using the tip to push your underwear to the side, smothering his precum along your folds. 
You gasp a little as he moves his hand back to your waist, pushing you slowly onto his length. You both pull away from your kiss, letting out sighs of pleasure and stifled breaths. Once you fully settle onto his cock, he begins to rock your hips back and forth, not waiting for you to adjust because he already knows you’re used to his size.
“Fuck, you’re made for me, huh?” he asks, flashing a cocky smile as he tries to hold back his moans.
You just let out a moan in response, making him pick up his pace. You nestle your face in the crook of his neck, letting out your moans just loud enough for him to hear, only riling him up more. He grips your hips harder, feeling your arousal already dripping down his cock. He lets out little whines as he clenches his eyes shut, feeling close to his release. You pull yourself away from his neck, leaning away as your head falls back slightly. He opens his eyes, watching as your tits jiggle from his movements. He bites the inside cheek as his cock twitches inside of you.
“Fuck, Jake, right there.” you plead, adjusting yourself slightly as you feel him fucking you in the right spot. You take over moving your hips as he moves one of his hands to start rubbing your clit with no remorse. “Jake-” you moan, digging your nails into the side of his arm. 
You feel yourself clenching around him and your legs begin to shake. You gasp loudly as you cum, making him bite his lip as he groans, cumming with you. You stop moving your hips, but he uses his hands to rock you back and forth a little as he rides out his high, no longer biting his lip as he tries to catch his breath, both of your cum mixed now dripping down his cock and a little in between your legs and his onto his thighs. 
You rest your forehead on his, out of breath, and he laughs shyly, making you open your eyes to meet his. He runs his fingers lightly up and down the sides of your hips, “Will you be my girlfriend?” he asks quietly. You smile and he kisses you quickly on the lips, “For old times’ sake?”
553 notes · View notes
thelordofgifs · 4 months
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Ranking all the Kings of Gondor
Based on what, you may ask? Vibes. Let's go.
Eldacar. Twenty-first King. THE bestest boy in the legendarium. The hero of the Kin-strife, the archetype of immigrant child trauma, the exiled king, the vengeful father... we love him so so so much ok!!
Aragorn. First High King of the Reunited Kingdom. Yes I know your list would put him at the top but this is my list and I do what I want. Anyway he's wise and kind and "the hands of the king are the hands of a healer" and he's brave and clever and has an excellent fairy-tale romance going on and I am very much not immune to Viggo Mortensen covered in blood with unwashed hair.
Elendil. First High King. He's brave he's cool he's wise he DEFEATED SAURON. Love him.
Isildur. Second High King (co-ruler). Justice for my boy the movies did him so so dirty!! Anyway he saved the line of the White Tree and fought so so bravely and he did his best. I will not countenance Isildur slander actually.
Valacar. Twentieth King. Ranks this highly mostly because he's my blorbo Eldacar's father, but Valacar is cool! His father sent him to the Northmen to build an alliance and Valacar promptly fell in love with their chief's daughter instead. And then Vidumavi died long before he ever even became King and you have to wonder if Valacar feared he would outlive his children too :(
Aldamir. Twenty-third King. Also ranking highly mostly because of genetic proximity to my guy, but Aldamir is sooo tragic actually. He's a second son who never should have become King except his older brother was MURDERED and maybe he spent the rest of his life trying to live up to him!! Also he was also killed in battle which I am sad about. This family cannot catch a break.
Eärnur. Thirty-third and last King. This is the idiot who challenged the Witch-king of Angmar to single combat and was never seen again, but I have a soft spot for him on account of. that was really sexy.
Eldarion. Second High King of the Reunited Kingdom. We don't know much about Aragorn and Arwen's son, but movie!Eldarion is very cute which is enough to earn him a high rank.
Rómendacil II. Nineteenth King. An all-round competent guy who ruled as regent for years for first his lazy uncle and then his lazy father. Built the Argonath!! Also he's Eldacar's grandfather which again earns him points.
Eärnil II. Thirty-second King. Ended up with the crown after his predecessor and both his sons were killed in battle (although NOT his daughter. JUSTICE FOR FÍRIEL). Anyway Eärnil strikes me as a decent guy who was doing his best. Props to him for taking pains not to alienate the Dúnedain of Arthedain.
Ondoher. Thirty-first King. The aforementioned predecessor, who is mostly ranked highly because I feel bad that he died :( and he tried to ensure Gondor would still have an heir to the throne if he and his eldest son were killed! But his youngest son joined the battle in disguise and got killed anyway!
Minardil. Twenty-fifth King. Another tragic one, he was Eldacar's great-grandson and was slain in battle by the descendants of Castamir. I am upset about this.
Meneldil. Third King. We don't know much about him, but he was the first solo ruler of Gondor and also the last child born in Númenor before the Downfall, which is cool.
Telumehtar. Twenty-eighth King. Finally got rid of the last descendants of Castamir, excellent work.
Calimehtar. Thirtieth King. Defeated the Wainriders attacking Gondor in a great alliance with the Northmen, which we love to see. Also he built the White Tower of Minas Anor! Good for him.
Anárion. Second High King (co-ruler). He was initally a lot higher on the list because I feel for him always being overshadowed by his father and brother, but then I learned he was killed by a THROWN ROCK which is kind of pathetic ngl. Sorry, Anárion.
Tarondor. Twenty-seventh King. Had the unenviable task of rebuilding the realm after it was ravaged by the Great Plague, but unfortunately he moved out of Osgiliath for good (which makes me unreasonably sad. I love Osgiliath) and also allowed the watch on Mordor to lapse for good.
Eärendil. Fifth King. We don't know much about him, but his name is nice.
Anardil. Sixth King. We don't know much about him, but his name is also nice.
Telemnar. Twenty-sixth King. Died in the Great Plague, sad for him I guess.
Narmacil II. Twenty-ninth King. Slain in battle with Wainriders, made no impression on me at all.
Siriondil. Eleventh King. We know very little about him, but that's a good name.
Cemendur. Fourth King. Boring and doesn't even have a good name.
Turambar. Ninth King. Mainly this low down because THAT'S A TERRIBLE NAME WHAT ARE YOU THINKING.
Hyarmendacil II. Twenty-fourth King. Defeated the Haradrim in battle, good for him I guess.
Atanatar I. Tenth King. No personality. I don't like his name either.
Rómendacil I. Eighth King. Defeated some Easterlings in battle, but apparently not very well because they later killed him. Oh well.
Ciryandil. Fourtheenth King. A Ship-king, and I don't like Ship-kings (mostly because Castamir tried to be a Ship-king).
Ostoher. Seventh King. Didn't do much, although he started the practice of the King spending his summer in Minas Anor. Good for him? I guess?
Eärnil I. Another Ship-king. Died in a great storm, which is one of the perils associated with being a Ship-king!
Calmacil. Eighteenth King. Generally incompetent. Gains a couple of points for being Eldacar's great-grandfather.
Narmacil I. Seventeenth King. Also pretty incompetent. He let his nephew do all the work of ruling for him.
Atanatar II. Sixteenth King. Lived in indolence and splendour, and neglected the watch on Mordor which was not very wise of him!
Hyarmendacil I. Fifteenth King. Ok he actually sucks. The King who defeated the Haradrim and instituted the practice of taking their sons as hostages to live in the court of Gondor.
Tarannon. Twelfth King. The first of the Ship-kings, also known for his loveless marriage to his wife Berúthiel who gets blamed for everything for some reason.
Castamir the Usurper. (Technically) twenty-second King. Should not be on this list and is here purely so that I can say. FUCK. THIS. GUY.
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bomber-grl · 6 months
Text
Damian Wayne relationship head-canons ♡
Pairing(s): Damian Wayne x Gn!reader (no specific pronouns)
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I’m sure we’re all aware of how cold and indifferent Damian usually is
So he was definitely… something when you two first met
Ofc he begins to soften up and w/o being cringe, he’s definitely a tsundere
Like he feels love towards you but he refuses to admit it at times
Now, many people around you definitely were surprised when the two of you guys got together
No one expected Damian to actually love someone
Like???
Anyway
He’s not really into PDA
I’m sure we would’ve all came to the conclusion of this
He’s not very physically affectionate, at least not when he’s in the right state of mind
You see,
Giving Dhar Mann
He’s always on guard
Even with you
Sure, he loves and cares about you but he can’t help but have some sort of guard up
However, when you see sleepy Damian and try helping him into his room, he began spouting nonsense and cuddling into you
You were surprised by this but also the fact that Damian even let his guard down so much??
You totally mention it the morning after 😇
Anyway
You think Damian is a huge annoyance?
Yea well he becomes even more annoying after you begin dating
He’s just a silly little guy 🤷‍♀️
But yea, you think he’s a know it all now? 100x worse after
Poor you, man
Bro won’t even shut up until I threaten to reveal sum u heard him say during the time he was sleepy
Even then he threatens you and advises you keep your lights on at night 😔
Aside from him being a significant annoyance and being very aggressive, he’s also really sweet
It honestly surprised you since he was raised to be an assassin and is pretty emotionally constipated
He’s always gifting you stuff
They’re usually small stuff in the moment
Like little notes, origami, and just little candies or snacks that he has
If you mention how “cute” it is he‘lol ignore you for the rest of the week
But yea, and bro is rich too
So best believe he’ll be like those grandparents that but a shit ton of whatever you said you liked 5 years ago
You like hot Cheetos? Best believe he’ll buy them for you and throw them at your head then walk away
You’re like??? I told you I liked them last year and you’re still buying them for me?
Plus, as I said, he rich rich
So he probs buys u rich people shit
Idk what examples, I’m poor
So 😍😍 am I right?
And here you are with your lil notes and origami roses
Like damn
He claims he likes them but still
U gotta get rich bestie
Pretty much it
Honestly considering he’s a billionaire Bruce Wayne’s son, ima go ahead and guess theres a bunch of paparazzi and it’s all over headlines of your relationship once it’s revealed (by u or on accident)
And there’s obviously different reactions from different crowds
There’s fans who are upset that you “stole” their “man”
And then there’s the rest who don’t rlly care but are shocked depending on who you are and just cuz Damian never expressed interest in romance
You just love getting dragged online 😍
But he’s not their man he’s yours sooo🤭🤭
Extra- when you announced your relationship Tim rlly doubted it’s legitimacy
——————————————————————————
Authors note: hope u liked :))
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rentumblsstuff · 2 months
Text
Random Hatchetfield Headcanons
The first time Alice Woodward ever smoked weed was when (after much inner turmoil) she asked Deb to shotgun it with her.
Max has two snaggletoothed incisors which is why people swear to god he has fangs.
Deb also has a snaggletooth which is what inspired the vampire part of Alice’s vampiric sapphic play. Alice also thinks it’s ironic she made a vampire character when Deb is a vegan.
Ruth as a Sophmore hit on Senior Alice a lot. Alice thought it was funny and she and Deb “adopted” her. Max and Steph also put the PANIC in bi panic for Ruth.
Max would find it weirdly hot that Grace wears bathing suits under her clothes because of the idea that he gets to see what her body looks like before even she does.
The hospital is downtown, so Becky Barnes definitely got infected in TGWDLM. Despite never wanting to do it again, Becky climbs the tree as someone calls the HFPD to save Kathy’s cat because she’s still infinitely compassionate even under Pokey’s control. Plus, Pokey knows she wants to get over the trauma associated with climbing trees, so he makes her do it to give her a big number about finally overcoming her past. She accidentally flings the cat as soon as the song starts, which is why in Show Me Your Hands, the cat dies so quickly even though it JUST got called in.
Peter infected Steph who infected Deb who infected Alice in TGWDLM. Pete and Steph would have been Sophomores and Deb and Alice were Seniors, but I always imagine Steph and Deb knowing eachother because MRFC said Steph is in the Smoke Club on Twitter at some point. Assuming Steph’s been a little punk for a while, she’s been in the smoke club since at least Sophomore year, and probably a new inductee the same year as TGWDLM (2018).
Alice and one of her parents (maybe Bill) were also raised in purity culture because we know the Woodwards and the Chastitys go to the same church. The Woodwards probably take it with a grain of salt though (Alice has expressed dislike over Grace’s prudishness)- either that or one of her parents (probably her mom) wasn’t originally from said church and also raised Alice with “this is what you’re learning here, but here’s also what I learned at my church at your age.” Bill was likely the one raised in purity culture because he does NOT LIKE DEB and thinks that if she HAS TO date a girl, she should date someone like Grace Chastity, implying she’s an exemplary teen girl. Ms. Woodward lets Deb sleep over and probably knows she smokes and likes her anyways; three points for Alice’s mom not being the puritanical one.
Ted reads romance novels. He’s a former geek turned sleazeball- you know he reads the smuttiest novels ever and calls them “his research”. He refuses to read any book with the friends to lovers trope because it’s too upsetting to think about. (Side note Time Bastard gave us a definite date that timelines don’t branch/reset before depending on whichever theory you believe because the homeless man is in every timeline, meaning that Jenny’s death is fixed in time and never changes: October 7th 2004, so the timelines change anywhere between October 8th 2004 and 2018.)
In whatever timeline Emma finally gets to have her weed farm, she meets Paul when he tells her he was prescribed that marajamij for his anxiety and he was too scared to try Xanax. She thinks he’s kind of cute for a wet cat of a corporate slave. “Fuck the patriarchy? Yes please.” (Side note Paul seems so uptight and unfuckable like bro gotta be blank down there like a Ken doll and has no discernible kinks from what I remember while Emma is laid back and chill asf and like… normal in comparison so yeah sure Paulkins canonically fucks but does Emma enjoy it?? Like dude even Pete’s more fuckable than him come on.)
Pete and Steph don’t kiss when they admit their feelings for eachother even though one of them would die before ever getting to kiss each other because they both think it’ll only make it that much harder to go through with sacrificing the other. One of the reasons Pete also chooses to be the one to take the bullet because he doesn’t think he even COULD pull the trigger on her. Like it’d be physically impossible for him, in his mind.
TGWDLM was originally meant to be an allegory for the institution brainwashing us. Show Me Your Hands and America’s Great Again: examples of people in power working for and fulfilling the evil wishes of some almighty, otherworldly, inhuman THING (be it aliens, be it those in power). It’s clearly meant to satirize the way that power corrupts and tries to convince you its way is better. Even Hidgens, THE FUCKING TEACHER, tries to teach his student that it will be better for everyone to join in that corruption and give in to the hive mind. This reminds me of how the school system in America tries to paint our history as something glamorous; manifest destiny instead of genocide of the indigenous populations. The people in power convincing those under them that the deaths of countless lives is a good thing and it will pave the way to a better future. Cool motive, still murder. Which is why Emma “Fuck the Patriarchy” Perkins is the last one to be infected. She was incapable of being brainwashed , and even when she was the last one left, she saw that the people watching didn’t care, and the all-consuming threat of corrupted power closes in on her until the very last moment.
The Lords in Black were going to try to convince whoever sacrificed their most treasured something to do more work for them, but Grace required very little convincing. Like Wiggly spoke into her mind like “Gracy-Wace! You forgot my booky-wook! Look in it, see any thing you like? Wanna kill all the pervy-wervys?” And she’s like “holy cow I can kill all the pervy-wervys with this book?” Pete would have needed the most convincing because he’s just lost the only girl who will ever love him (in his mind) and so he’d think these things took away his one chance at true love and NEVER want to deal with them again. Even if they offered him a way to get her back, he’s too smart to know that won’t come without an even bigger price AND too paranoid to think she won’t come back wrong like Max did.
If the Green-Foster family ever did get to move to California and Lex got to be an actress, her interview attitude would be a lot like Reneé Rapp and if she ever got asked about why she’ll openly shit talk people in an interview, she’s like “I used to work retail I learned pretty fast that nothing gets done if you keep your mouth shut.”
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respectthepetty · 3 months
Note
How does it feel to stay winning Petty? Also who would've guessed that baby Barcode would be the one of the BOC boys to collect kisses from all the homies!?
Anon, I appreciate you sending this because, right now, I feel like an elite status female rapper. Like CL from 2NE1 rapped in their 2011 hit, "I am the best", Be On Cloud owns me, and y'all can't tell me shit about this show.
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I know I have some Wild Ass Theories and I'm always clownin' in these BL streets, but I love when my theories actually hit their target like . . .
When I knew Teacher Chadok was in a relationship with Teacher Dika since the first episode of The Eclipse.
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When I knew Kanghan's house was going to be robbed and his dad would be shot since the third episode of Dangerous Romance, even though I thought Saifah would do it.
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When I knew Pat was working with Joke to win over Zo since the first episode of Hidden Agenda.
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I love making Wild Ass Theories no matter how crazy they are, like my belief that the twins' dad is involved in this whole murder and sex work plot in Playboyy. No matter what happened in this past episode, I still believe it and am eagerly awaiting the upcoming chaos to see how hard I clowned.
Which is why I LOVE Dead Friend Forever.
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I want the record to state that no matter what happens after episode seven, that at this exact moment in time, I love this show. It makes me happy to be alive at the same time this is airing, and I'm not joking. I want to remember that at one point, this show was everything to me, and even if it goes down hill, it had all my attention in the first seven episodes. I want to appreciate it right now because regardless of what happens, it did everything right in the first half.
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With the way some shows keep losing their footing in the end, sometimes we forget how good they were in the beginning, and the emo in me doesn't want to forget this feeling. Some of my favorite movies are Scream, Heathers, and Jawbreaker so this show has been giving me the explicitly queer version of kill your frenemies since the very first episode, and I love it.
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My internal alarm went off the second Tee got upset that Phi was speaking to White in episode one, then the dark hand touched him making him enemy #1. I didn't like the way he told White he needed to obey him, and I feel like the dark hand wasn't too pleased with it either. It was a vibe.
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And now Non has a hurt hand in the past from falling off the bike . . .
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Then, Jin was the main character of the previous film, so he was either the killer or the biggest baddie.
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But Phi was just so sus, that I clocked him as a killer.
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Which meant Phi and Jin were the killers, but Tan has no backstory and people with no history are intentionally hiding it, so they can kill everyone and peace out.
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So in my mind, Tan and Phi were regulated to the killers, Tee was the second to last to die, which I'm hoping it's by his boyfriend White who he thinks disobeys him, and the rest of the squad would die as needed. Which left Jin to be the baddie.
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All of my theories could blow up at any second because we don't know if Jin actually sent that video or if his computer fizzled out before it finished uploading, so he could still be a killer avenging Non instead of a baddie who wronged Non (but he took the video and that is messed up regardless of what he planned to do with it).
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But either way, I'm hoping it comes down to Phi and Jin in that forest because the show started with them.
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And I don't think Jin realizes who Phi is to Non since Jin never got a good look at Phi's face in the past.
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The Twitter folks spotted that Phi's dad was the police chief from the letters the boys got calling them in for interrogation in episode six.
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And now the knife from episode two is showing up in the past in Non's backpack.
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Up until this point, I feel the show has laid out a solid story with a good cast, and I think Be On Cloud relied on their KinnPorsche casting to throw people off in this show because who expected Us to be doomed in the first episode? That was like Drew Barrymore dying at the beginning of Scream.
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People have felt off about JJ's character, but the show wouldn't really have JJ do anything bad to sweet Barcode, right?
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And Barcode and Ta being paired together was a pipe dream for the Macau x Porchay shippers, so it could never happen here!
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Especially because Ta and Copper won The Hidden Character, which meant they were going to be the main pair of this show, right?
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WRONG!
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Barcode is gonna be involved in some fucked up shit, and according to those MDL comments, people are realizing they messed up making any assumptions before this show started based on what the actors previously did.
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I truly feel like BOC looked at its lineup and said "Baby Barcode was babygirled so hard for the past two years that the audience won't even think his character is capable of such things"
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and I love that for us.
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BOC gave these youngsters (19-23 in age) a script from Dr. Sammon and the Pit Babe writers and said "go HAM, bitches"
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And the audience stays winning.
This isn't about my Wild Ass Theories coming true. This is an appreciation post for what this show has given to me up until this point - a good mystery.
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Every week I have more questions and none of them feel like they will go unanswered. Is Non dead? Did Jin actually upload the video? Is Tan a killer? Why did Phi hook up with Jin? Will White finally snap, crackle, and pop like a bag of Rice Krispies treats for the mere fact that he simply wanted a nice weekend getaway with his boyfriend and now has to deal with all this bullshit?
But most importantly, when did Phi realize he was going to kill all of them after making them run around scared for their lives?
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Because by time the show makes it back to the present day, I'm sure we're all going to want to watch these kids suffer in the worst ways possible.
Manipulate, Murder, Mayhem
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fairydustblossom · 11 months
Text
losing control {part 3}
azriel x reader
summary: you and azriel have been best friends for decades. giving romance a chance takes some time to figure out.
category: angst, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers (kinda)
word count: 1.8k
warnings: nudity
notes: yayy here’s part three! FINALLY i’m so sorry for the wait life got super busy,,, but grab your popcorn and get comfy cause this got angsty and dramatic real quick. let me know what you think ;) hope y’all enjoy!
{part 1} | {part 2} | {part 4} | {part 5}
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Later that night, naked limbs tangled together and shadows settled around you both, you felt calm, sated, and full again. Your chest was pressed up against Azriel’s, your body laying half on top of his, and your head tucked into the crook of his neck. One of his arms was wrapped around you, his hand resting in the intersection of your lower back, hip, and ass. His other hand was playing with the hand that was resting on his chest. Playing with the ring on your thumb and every few minutes he would give you a kiss, alternating between hand, forehead, and lips. 
Once your breaths evened out, falling into rhythm with one another, you heard a sigh come out of him. Azriel was fighting an internal battle on whether to bring up his remaining concerns from earlier. It seemed like the Gwyn situation had been worked through, and he felt reassured of your feelings for him, but he still felt like you had been holding back. You had clearly been upset about something other than Gwyn, he didn’t need his spymaster abilities to figure that out. He knew you. Could read the look in your eyes, your facial expressions, your body language. He was sure of it but he did not want to break the, what felt like, fragile peace that had settled around you. 
You lifted your head and stared at him. Noticing that he was thinking about something, on the verge of speaking. You waited and when nothing came from him you asked, “What's wrong?” 
A few more seconds of silence before he pulled your head back down to lay on him, tangling his hand in your hair. He sighed again before saying in a soft, low voice, “I still feel like you’re holding something back... what happened with Gwyn was this morning... and I think you've been avoiding me since yesterday.. Cassian said you skipped training too, which you never do… I know you said we are okay… but you weren't okay earlier.” 
The vulnerability in his voice made your resolve crumble within seconds. You always felt like you could tell Azriel everything, why would this be any different? You took a deep breath in to prepare yourself. You were ready to tell him what you wanted out of your relationship. If he didn’t want the same… well… you just didn’t know what you would do.
To avoid any form of eye contact, you scooted further into his neck and tightened your hold on him. “I guess… I guess I haven’t been okay.” His body tensed up and his grip on your waist tightened, remaining silent to give you the time needed to prepare your words.  
You were finding it hard to continue voicing your feelings. You knew Azriel would feel hurt, and maybe a little scared, but you needed to be honest. You just hoped he didn’t shut you out.
“I think I need more.” Azriel pulled away to look down at your face with furrowed brows.
“What do you mean you need more?” He asked, his voice already losing its softness reserved for you and being replaced with the hardness associated with the shadowsinger.
His tone made you feel slightly panicked. You were struggling with expressing yourself and already you felt that it was coming out wrong.
“That came out wrong,” you quickly replied, skepticism filling his eyes. “I mean I just need more from us.”
At that, he sat up putting distance between the two of you. You felt exposed as his shadows left your naked body and went over to their master. Buzzing around him and starting to hide him from you, his stony face the only part of him you could see clearly. 
“Y/N,” he said “What. does. that. mean?” 
Azriel felt sick once again. He felt fear running through his body, an icy feeling spreading. What did you mean by that? Earlier you had reassured him that everything was okay and now you wanted, no, needed more. Were you bored? Was he not enough anymore? How could you even say that after the night you just had. He knew he didn’t deserve you, and had battled a long time with that thought, but he had convinced himself he could be enough for you. He felt like a dagger had pierced his heart, a rushing noise filling his ears. Internally, he prayed to the gods that you weren’t about to end the two of you, but worked to hide every emotion on his face, falling back to his impenetrable spymaster seriousness.
He could read the panic in your eyes. Eyes wide, mouth tightly shut as you tried breathing deeply through your nose, cheeks tinted, hair disheveled. Gods, every muscle in his body itched, begged him to move closer to you, to wrap you up in his arms and caress you until you calmed down again. But he couldn’t, he wouldn’t. 
“I don’t want to be a secret anymore Az '' you finally said gaze drifting down to your hands. “It’s  hard just standing there when others are flirting with you, it’s hard feeling like I’m hiding such a big part of my life from our friends, our family,  it's hard to pretend we aren’t together when all I want is for everyone to know.” 
His body relaxed slightly at your admission but his unease did not fully subside.
He stayed silent, unable to think of what to say. He thought you wanted the same thing he did. He wasn’t ready to share your relationship with everyone else. He didn’t fully have an answer as to why, but he felt that things would change if everyone knew. You could be used against him, he was a hated male in many lands after all. Your friends would tease the both of you. Maybe they would try convincing you of why dating him was a bad idea. He wasn’t ready. He didn’t even know how to be in a proper relationship, not after spending all his life pinning after the wrong people. The only real romantic connections he had ever shared had been secret affairs that ended before they could even properly begin. Nothing had ever blossomed the way your romance had. 
The secrecy of your relationship was also a way to protect himself. He didn’t think he could survive a break up after having told all your friends. He doesn’t know how he would be able to carry on like normal after having lost the best thing to have ever happened to him in his 500 years. Keeping your relationship secret helped him keep these two realities separate. If you were to end, he could pretend nothing from his professional or social life had truly changed. 
Goosebumps rose along your arms at his silence. You had been scared of Azriel’s reaction, but  part of you didn’t really believe that he would reject the idea. You believed he cared for you and he reassured you with his actions everyday. So why wasn’t he responding? Did he truly not want to publicly be associated with you in a romantic way? 
“Azriel?” you asked in an attempt to get an answer out of him. His unrelenting stare making you feel small and vulnerable. You wrapped your arms around yourself to cover your bare body from him. 
A muscle in his jaw moved before he said “I don’t want that.” 
All the different scenarios of how wrong it could go were consuming his thoughts, making him unaware of the cold and distant way in which he had just spoken to you.
Your eyes welled up with tears. “But why? Why is it so bad for our friends to know? Why don’t you want to claim me the way I want to claim you?” You were becoming more agitated with every question, his refusal to meet your eyes now as he stared at the wall behind you filling you with pain and anger.
“I’m not ready for that yet” Azriel replied, hoping that would be enough of an answer for you to understand. He wasn’t ready to have this conversation with you yet. Of course, he wanted everyone to know you were his, and only his. He didn’t enjoy watching males around Velaris trying to catch your attention, but he cherished the bubble of love and happiness you were in right now. He didn’t mind putting up with other males if it meant keeping your relationship just as it was. 
“Is that all you can really say, Az?” you asked, your voice sounding weak to your ears as you tried to keep the tremble out of it.
“It should be enough of an answer” his response came with no hesitation.
The speed of his answer made the warmth that had settled around you both from earlier fully disappeared. Cold seeped into your body but before it could settle in you, you shot up out of bed, glaring at Azriel . How dare he treat you with such little regard after asking you to be honest.
“It’s not, Azriel. Not for me. Not anymore” you spat out, hoping he would put up a fight, give you a real reason as to why you were hiding from everyone. The silence you were met with made the tightness around your throat worsen. The realization that Azriel wasn’t fighting for you, or even attempting to explain himself left you feeling numb. You could see him, feel him, retreating from you. Part of you wanted to take it back, soothe him, but you wouldn’t allow yourself to. You would not let any male treat you less than what you deserved. 
Azriel calmly stood up, back facing you, wings flaring in all their majesty, shadows swarming around him to cover his exposed body. He turned his head slightly to look at you.
“Then you want more than I can give you” he murmured before winnowing away. 
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Back in his room, Azriels knees finally gave out. What the fuck had he just done? He couldn’t believe how he had treated you. He felt like a coward. Had he just ended things? How had he manage to fuck this up. How did his fear of losing you turn into a reality?
He didn’t know whether to scream or cry, angry tears welling in his eyes. He wanted to be enough for you. Gods, he wanted that more than anything but he knew you deserved better and he couldn’t help but think that this was for the best. 
He bit his inner cheeks to keep his emotions in check. To feel any other pain than the one he felt in his chest right now. He let his shadows comfort him as he forced himself to go numb, to block all his emotions. He carried himself over to bed, and fell asleep into a deep slumber, not wanting to feel or think anymore. 
taglist: @acotarxx @fall-myriad @moonlwghts @fictionalmenloversblog@kennedy-brooke@starswholistenanddreamsanswered @rebs2210
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dckweed · 4 months
Text
NEXT THING YOU KNOW, gator tillman
in which gator tillman and his arranged bride figure out life and each other and what a real relationship means to them.
warnings: mentions and depictions of abuse, mentions of bruises, arranged marriages, romance, humor, dead parents, slow burn relationship (not completely but not not), basically we know the tillman men are asswipes so i 100% see Roy forcing gator into this kind of situation for money for his militia, eventual smut with kinks such as thigh riding, gun play, choking, spanking, lots of marking and possible spit play.
series masterlist here, series playlist here.
special mention to my girly @xxbookdrunkdemigodxx for listening to my rambles and helping me out with the playlist!
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PART TWO: the ride
True to his word, Gator had become your friend. The first couple days of the week passed with the two of you holed up in the house together, pretending to work on the wedding planning even though neither of you knew what the hell you were doing. You kept to the upstairs living room, wanting to stay as far away from Boyd as you possibly could, still angry at him for the whole situation and not wanting to cross paths with him again for as long as you could, your stomach still hurting under the fabric of your shirt from the lashing you had been given from Boyd’s belt as soon as the Tillman’s had left the morning of their first visit. Three times he had hit you, the leather of the belt welting your skin through the thin fabric of the dress you had been wearing. That was typical Boyd, always harsh and quick, and always on parts of your body that were easily hidden by clothes. It had been that way since your mother had married him, though you had kept it a secret from her due to the fear he had built in your brain about what he would do to her if you told her. You didn’t dare tell Gator either, not sure if you really trusted him with that secret quite yet, and definitely not sure of what would happen if Boyd found out. You didn’t want anymore drama than there already was in this god forsaken house. 
You liked Gator well enough, he was easy conversation, a little dense in some areas but what he lacked in that he made up for in humor and the willingness to at least listen to you explain. The two of you talked about plenty of things but mostly school and whether or not either of you had been seeing anyone before you had been forced into your godawful situation. You weren’t sure if you were reading his face right, but for some reason you thought that he looked rather pleased when you said that you hadn’t ever exclusively dated anyone, strictly forbidden by Boyd. You learned that he had only ever had one serious girlfriend in his life, in the last years of highschool, though she had taken off to some fancy school on the east coast when they had graduated and he never heard from her again. You could see the swirl of emotions in his big brown eyes, and the way his mouth tensed as he spoke. He shook his head and changed the topic a moment later, picking up one of the magazines laid out on the ornate coffee table in front of the two you and asking what the hell the difference between Ivory and White was and why did it matter so much which shade your dress was. 
Those first two days were rather pleasant, you found yourself awfully comfortable in his presence, relaxed even, and the next day when he didn’t show up just after breakfast, you had to admit you were a little disappointed, but you got about your business none the less, trying not to dwell on it. He’s a Sheriff’s Deputy, you reminded yourself, he wont have time to talk to you twenty four seven..and then you kicked yourself for even feeling upset about not having his attention for the day. You’d known him for four whole days, what the hell was wrong with you? 
He texted you around lunch time. 
Gator: sorry for not being able to help today, even though i know im not much help to begin with..i’m on duty for 24hrs
You were slightly giddy and that made you slightly disgusted with yourself, you barely knew this dude and you were being essentially coerced into marrying him, what the hell is wrong with you?
You: you wont miss much, promise! Be safe out there..
You felt like that was the stupidest response you could have possibly sent, but oh well. You weren’t wrong though, he wouldn’t miss much. The day was mostly spent in the upstairs living room, sprawled on the couch as you called the bakery in town to schedule a tasting for next weekend, and the local bridal boutique to schedule a showing for this weekend..afterwards you spent the next few hours sorting through different styles of wedding dresses you thought you would like, sparing no expense on designers because if you were being forced to do this damn thing, then Boyd was certainly going to pay the fucking price one way or another. And then after you had spent as long as you could doing that, you begrudgingly made your way down the stairs, you had dragged your feet long enough on the girls’ dresses for the wedding, and if you picked them out without their fathers input, you feared you would face another lashing. 
You hesitated outside of his office door, taking a deep breath before raising your fist, knocking once, twice, before he gave you the okay to come in. He’s seated at his annoyingly large desk and just barely glances up at you from whatever paperwork he’s doing as you step into the room, closing the door behind you like he liked. “Ah, i was just about to send for you,” He says, setting down his pen as you step closer and closer to his desk, your magazines heavy in your hands. “Sheriff Tillman has requested that the ride with you be moved up to tomorrow morning, his wife has to go out of town this weekend and he’s decided to go with her.” You hum in acknowledgement and he notices your laden arms. “Whatever do you have there?” 
How could he speak to you so calmly? As if you weren’t sporting the markings of his rage on your skin? “I’m going to the bridal boutique this weekend, and I want to get the girls' dresses while I'm there, I thought maybe you’d like to help pick them out..” You say gingerly, he seemed to be in a good mood but you could never be too sure with him. 
He nods once, pushing whatever he was working on to the side. “Alright, let's see it.” 
You give a small smile, slightly relieved as you start setting some of the magazines in front of him. “These are some that I liked, but there’s a few more that I wasn’t sure about. Gator and I decided on a purple and green theme, pastel, summer colors..” You prattel nervously, leaning over to show him the styles that you particularly thought were pretty. He hums, glancing up at you over the rim of his glasses as you settle the magazines in front of them. 
“And how are things going with the boy?” He asks, inspecting the pages you had dog eared. 
You were rather taken aback by the question, you hadn’t really known him long enough to know how things were going, let alone marry the poor dude, but yet, here you were, planning a wedding. “They’re okay..he’s funny..” You shrug, not quite sure how to proceed. “He’s working today, but he was here the past couple of days to help..” You weren’t sure why you were telling the man, it's not like he didn’t already know who came and went in his house. 
Boyd hums and the office falls silent for nearly an hour. You’re about to excuse yourself, let him look at them alone so you can get the hell out of there and go eat some lunch or tack up Bubbles for a ride when he speaks up. “I like these ones best, i’m sure the girls will look lovely..” He says, handing you one of the first magazines you had handed him. You have a quiet breath of relief, but roll your eyes subconsciously, annoyed that he had taken that long. You start grabbing things as quickly as you can, itching to get away from him. “I’ll open up the limit on your credit card, spare no expense.” Are the last words he says, you hum in response and walk out of the office quickly, leaning against the door as you close it behind you. 
You’re up before the sun the following morning, your alarm clock bleating around four. You were awake well before it though, your thoughts on a never ending loop. You honestly weren’t even sure if you slept and sighed in annoyance when you trudged your way to your bathroom and noticed the dark bags under your eyes. How were you supposed to sleep? Your life was about to be tethered to someone else’s in a few short weeks, two months wasn’t that much time and you didn’t know this boy for shit. Sure, you guys were on friendly terms at the very least but..marriage? Why had you signed those damned papers? Why did you let him talk you into it? 
Shaking the thought from your head you turn the handle on your sink, letting the water run as you went about your skincare business. You’re dressed in less than half an hour, spending a few minutes at your vanity table to swipe some makeup under your eyes, an old habit you had picked up when you lived here full time before boarding school. You figured it wouldn’t take long before the sleepless nights would start again, and you couldn’t help but to wonder if they would be any better when you were with Gator. 
Gator..
He had never texted you again yesterday, though you had sent him a few messages throughout the day, and even late in the night just to keep your own sanity. Telling him how much Boyd irritated you, telling him that he needed the next weekend free for cake tasting because you didn’t want to choose something he didn’t like, telling him you were bored..sending him a pouty faced selfie when you noticed he had opened but not responded to any of your messages (that he had also opened and never responded to). 
You realized your fiance was a horrible texter and you were going to have to fix that, if you were going to be friends then he needed to at least respond to one of your messages, even if they were annoying. 
By four-forty-five you’ve pulled out of the driveway and are off down the main entrance of Boyd’s ranch, your jeep pulling the horse trailer with Bubbles inside of it with ease. Thankfully one of the ranch hands had woken up earlier than you (he had always been friendly towards you, and it was deeply appreciated because most of Boyds employees treated you like shit too) and attached the trailer to your car and loaded up your horde for you. You even found your saddle and other things in the back of the Jeep when you peeked in to look, surprised that your horse had even been loaded for you. 
You made a mental note to thank the man when you got home. 
The drive to the Tillman Ranch isn’t too long, hell, they were practically your fucking neighbors. You were so focused on survival when you were on the ranch that you had never paid attention to lands that surrounded you. When you arrive at the gate, your headlights shining on the metal and the dirt beyond it, two ranch hands are already there, pulling open the heavy iron for you. 
“Thank you!” You half shout, rolling down your window. The one on your drivers side nods once, tipping his hat at you and proceeds to tell you to follow the road towards the house and barn, he would be right behind you to help you unload. You’re surprised when the Sheriff is already waiting for you when you pull up near the barn. You see him on the porch of his house, arms crossed over his chest and hat perched low on his head and your stomach tightens, your hands shake. If you’re late and he tells Boyd, you’re done for, is all you can think as you slide your key out of the ignition and hop down from your seat, your boots kicking up dust.  
“Mornin’ Miss Augastine!” His voice carries out from the porch, the sun is only just now starting to rise, a dark glow low in the horizon. You breathe in and walk around your car, up to the porch. “Wasn’t expecting you for another hour or so..” You breathe out. “Interest you in some coffee? Breakfast? Karen just put away my breakfast but I’m sure she’d be more than happy to get something going for you.” 
You paint the smile on your face, your morning having been ruined by your brief panic attack. “No, Sir..thank you for the offer, but I was thinking I would go get breakfast with Gator this morning, or an early lunch..” You knew he was probably on his way home by now, and you had the sense that he would probably only sleep for a few hours. 
He hums as he meets you at the foot of the porch, staring down at you from the bottom step. Your cheeks flush and you look anywhere but at him as his eyes rake over your body. You hear him mutter something akin to ‘pretty little thing’ under his breath, but you knew you weren’t supposed to hear it so you pretend not to. You were dressed for a casual ride, blue jeans that fit tight in all the right places but loose on your legs, draped over your brown and pink leather boots, and you wore a pink short sleeved polo shirt, the buttons undone enough to show just the hint of cleavage that was sexy enough to keep men entertained but innocent enough to not get you in trouble. You had your own cowboy hat pulled down over your hair, resting comfortably on your head. 
“He’s not home yet.” Is all he says when you mention his son, his tone cool and slightly unfriendly. You furrow your brow, wondering why there was the sudden change in demeanor when it came to his boy. “That your show horse?” He steps down off the porch, and you look up to him still, the man being much taller than you even on even ground. 
“She’s for more than just show, Sir..” You say playfully, a smile on your face as you happily lead him over to the trailer. He helps you lead her out of the trailer, admiring her with you and then leads you on a slow walk to the barn. 
He seems kind, but you know its more for show than anything. You soak it up though, letting him open the barn doors for you even though you’re more than capable of doing it yourself, and you let him lead you into a stall near the back of the barn so you can leave Bubbles and go get the rest of your stuff to tack up. After a few more minutes of talking the two of you separate, you going off to your jeep, and he going off towards his horse to tack up. 
As you step out of the barn the sun has risen just a little bit more, and you hear a car pulling up next to yours. “What are you doin’ here?” His voice holds a tinge of familiar nervousness to it, and you can’t help but to soften up for it. He’d gotten out of his squad car before he’d even turned the damn thing off, the radio still on. Your breath caught as your eyes took in his uniform, he sure is somethin to fuckin’ look at, you said to yourself, swallowing back wicked thoughts. “Thought you weren’t doin’ this til the weekend?” 
“Plans changed.” You shrug, not really sure what else to say. You figured he of all people would have known that his dad was going out of town this weekend. “He’s in the barn.” Brown eyes dart behind you and then back to you, looking you over. “Want to go get lunch or somethin’ later?” 
He sighs, running  a hand down his face, shoulders relaxing. “Yeah..yeah lets get lunch later..”He says, turning on his heel. You shake your head, going to grab your saddle out of your car, just as you’re stepping around the front of it you hear him again. “I got it, Pearlie..” You sigh, but not from annoyance as he lifts it out of your grasp. You liked the way your name sounded when he said it, like it meant something and nothing all at the same time. You shake your head, feeling silly for the thought and follow him. 
Roy is headed out of the other side of the barn just as you follow Gator in. “Mornin’ dad.” He says, voice a hard and cold tone. 
The older man already mounted in his saddle merely tips his hat at his son, but gives you a friendly smile. “Miss Pearl, I’ll be outside when you’re ready.” He says as if there’s no rush, but you know from his sons body language that there most likely is. 
Gator’s shoulders are tense and you know it’s not from the weight of the heavy leather saddle he’s carrying. You rush in front of him to open the stall door, trying to be helpful, and you can see the pinched look on his face, the coldness in his big brown eyes. He lifts the saddle up and sets over Bubbles, who stands perfectly for him. He turns his hat backwards and you just about melt into the hay strewn floor, who knew that stupid things like a man you’re engaged to turning his hat backwards could be so damn hot? He doesn’t say a word as he starts fastening the gear in place, like he’s done it a thousand times before. 
It only hits you just then that he probably has done it a thousand times before, his father clearly loved the animals, why wouldn’t he teach his son how to tack up and mount? 
“You didn’t have to do that for me, Gator..” You say softly as he finishes. He only shrugs and straightens up, patting Bubbles on the belly gently as he does. “Thank you..” You whisper as you walk past him, grabbing the horn of her saddle so you could pull yourself up. 
Just as you’re about to put a boot in the stirrups you feel his chest against your back, the smell of whatever it is he smokes encompassing you as he grabs your hips firmly and lifts with ease. “Good?” He asks, watching you settle into the saddle. You nod once, hoping your hair and hat are doing a good enough job of hiding the flush on your cheeks and neck, not having expected such a display of obvious strength. “Good..off you go then..” He holds the stall open for you and you ease Bubbles out of it, just as you start to walk past him you feel his hand on your calf. He’s looking up at you with an expression you’re not familiar with on his face, and it makes you worry. “Be careful with him.” It comes out as more of a statement, but you can hear the pleading behind it, and it makes you worry even more, a slurry of questions forming in your mind. “..please?” 
“Okay..” You say. He lets you go and you don’t question farther, spurring Bubbles to follow out the way you had seen Roy going with his own horse. “Hey Gator?” You look over your shoulder at him, he has his hands on his hips. “Go take a nap the bags under your eyes are bigger than the ones in my closet!” You laugh as you leave him behind you, and you swear you can hear him chuckling too. 
The ride starts off in silence, you and Roy side by side as he took you on the scenic route through the ranch. You had to say that you really didn’t know much about the Tillman’s, you wouldn’t know how to start off the conversation even if you had wanted to, and you truly didn’t want to, not with Gator’s pleading words lingering in the back of your mind. 
The ranch really is beautiful, especially in the early starts of the summer, the rolling hills are green, and you can see where they have more cattle off in the distance. It’s a calming atmosphere, more relaxed than life was on the Augastine ranch. 
“How’s my son been?” His voice is deep and rough, startles you for a moment. You turn to look at him, adjusting your hat in the glare of the sun. “He bein’ nice?” Nice didn’t sound like a word that was normally in Sheriff Tillman’s vocabulary, you wanted to point it out, the smart mouthed bitch in you raring at the thought but you thought of what Gator had said, and then you thought of Boyd and your still aching ribs and thought better of it. 
“He’s been sweet.” You say, offering a small smile, the warmth of the sun hitting the skin of your face. “Real helpful with the wedding plans..he’s taking me to lunch after this too..” You say, rambling nervously. “Oh, before I forget, did he ever ask you about the twins being in the wedding?” 
Roy shakes his head at you, pursing his lips. “I don’t recall a conversation..Karen would have mentioned it to me i’m sure..” You notice his hands tighten on his reins and you furrow your brows at it. 
“Oh, he probably just forgot is all.” You chuckle, wanting it to stay light hearted. Truly, you had never even asked him to ask anything about the girls and you hoped you weren’t about to get him in trouble because of your small fib..you just wanted to change the topic to something more neutral. “I’m going to the bridal shop this weekend to look for my dress, and I already have dresses picked out for my sisters but I was wondering if you’d like me to pick out dresses for the twins as well? I would absolutely love to have them in the ceremony..they could be my flower girls, or hold my train…” Your sisters were already taking the spots as your bridesmaids, you didn’t have a choice in that matter. Gator had three of his best friends stepping in as groomsmen and you only had one friend coming to the wedding, and she was going to be your maid of honor. 
“I think that’s a lovely idea, Miss Pearl.” He says and for a moment, everything is silent again as he hums a tune you’re not familiar. “Matter of fact..” You glance over at him again. “Karen and I are leaving to go out of town tonight, we’ll be gone through the weekend..we were planning to take the girls with us, but I’m wondering if you want to take them with to the Bridal shop if you want them fitted for dresses? Karen and I would love the alone time, of course if you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on them with Gator for the weekend?” You wanted to protest, but, you realized that it was probably a good excuse to get yourself out of Boyd’s house for a few days, and just the thought sounded heavenly, even if it meant carting around your fiance’s sisters and playing house with him. 
“You know what, Sheriff Tillman,” You say, giving him your dazzling, people pleasing smile, the kind that had man many a guy weak in the knees back at boarding school. “That sounds like a fantastic weekend, i’d love to get to know my new little sisters better, you and Karen go have fun on your little trip! Me and Gator can handle things!” 
He gives you an easy smile in return. “Well alright then.” He says, and then nudges you with his knee from his horse. “And please, little lady, call me Roy.” He gives you a wink that sends unpleasant shivers down your spine and you giggle politely in return. 
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meanbossart · 3 months
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Alright, I am like 90% sure there is ONE line in A Novel Experience touching on Gale GTFOing rapidly, so I don't think there are answers in there for me. So I come to you and ask-WTF went on between Gale and Drow???
Alright, so
There are two versions to what happened to Gale in my first campaign (the OG DU drow campaign that this whole universe is based around), lets begin with the technical version. As I've only somewhat recently come to understand, my Gale was bugged. I had 1 interaction early in the game that slightly veered into romance which didn't go anywhere, and first chance I had I clarified that I was not interested in him that way (the whole reason why It happened in the first place was because i misunderstood his dialogue). Despite this, and despite me turning him down in every romantic interaction following, I kept getting them and my interactions with him were as if we were romantically involved. I even got one exchange (the one about muscles glistening and cheeks flushed) twice, and rejected him both times.
So, later in the game once DU drow and Astarion sucessfully 5d chess-ed their way into falling In love, I was surprised to still be informed i had to "break things off" with Gale if I wanted to get with him. Which I did. And he gave me a whole spiel about it.
Now it's crucial you understand this was early in the game's release, I went into it completely blind and I had never played a game like Baldur's Gate before, so I was not familiar with the mechanics at all, which... Kind of led me to believe Gale was just like that normally.
From that point on I was highly amused, but for roleplaying purposes I decided my drow would have been highly annoyed and a little creeped out. And so I proceeded to be extremely rude to the guy at every chance I got. This eventually resulted In him pursuing the crown of Karsus despite me (rudely) telling him that was a very dumb idea.
The second version of what happened, as I already touched on above a little bit, Is the Narrative one. As I mentioned I had no clue what was and wasn't supposed to happen, so I just... Went along with it within the role-play.
So our beloved DU drow gets worms. He goes on a grand adventure with this weird possy of people to find a cure. When the tiefling party comes everybody except Astarion wants to get into his pants (because I left him on the beach for like a week and then proceeded to be The Rudest to him, sorry babe, I didn't see your pale ass and the asshole dialogue options were Really funny).
Someone else who Didn't seem to wanna fuck him was the wizard. He said he just wanted to show him a magic trick and he (and, I'll admit, me) really thought that was just that. The scene unfolds, Gale tries to teach DU Drow to cast a spell but his 9 intelligence says No. The unsolicited date ends abruptly because Gale is upset that a champion fighter without a single cantrip makes for a shitty wizard. DU Drow thinks thats the end of that - It's Not.
Then what proceeds to happen is a long, annoying, somewhat unsettling dynamic where Gale continually tries to pursue him throughout the game, coming to the point where the guy I'm Actually interested in thinks we are together - and when DU drow tells him verbatim that he had no idea they were even a thing in Gale's mind, he has to hear him whine about it. Add to that the fact that all Gale talks about is his ex-girlfriend, DU drow is (kind of justifiably) led to believe he must be a Profound weirdo to whom he cannot ever say even a Neutral word to again lest he becomes any more infatuated with him - 0r whatever the hell is going on.
Whether it be DU drow's own inflated ego or the actual truth, when Gale begins to pursue the crown he also assumes he's just doing it to spite him - so he isn't the kindest to him about that either.
And within this narrative that I concocted around a simple bug that didn't let me end a romance, I cannot imagine Anyone getting on particularly well with Gale within my main party. Drow thinks he's madly in love with him, Shadowheart is probably a little confused but she trusts DU Drow's word on the matter more than the Wizard's, Astarion thinks... What Astarion thinks.
So, no, they didn't part on the best of terms.
Before anyone gets mad, I assure you - I've completed the game again since then, I realize this is Not the intended Gale experience. He's a hysterical and deeply interesting character and only Slightly clingy and weird.
But, you gotta admit, this is way funnier.
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