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#I like being as accurate as I can when it comes to timelines don’t look at me
iicarused · 2 months
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aaa i LOVED ur Alastor/Vox x reader post! they were both SPOT ON so in character, plus i appreciate both of their pet names being accurate to their personalities/era!!!
i've seen so many ppl have Al say "baby" or Vox say "dear" and it feels sooo ooc lol
anywho, i have a rq!! could you make a yandere!Vox post where he uses his hypnosis on a male reader? ty for reading!
HHAHA i absolutely HATE that petname “babe/baby” like i cannot i’m sorry😭 i will put something obscure just to avoid it omg but i do genuinely feel like alastor uses petnames more than vox!! also no matter the gender, vox will call you doll.
beware: hypnosis, manipulation, vox just being vox
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no matter what and no matter in which timeline — yandere vox would use his hypnosis on you because that’s his brand. he often excuses it by telling people he’s helping you take away your frequent migraines/headaches, you poor thing!
he uses it when you’re not playing the set role he imagined for you in the public eye. sometimes pulls you aside or into a private place to “help you out” and set you straight. a few kisses and a couple of compliments later, then you’re back to normal.
“thank you, i was starting to get dizzy out there.” “don’t you worry about a thing, doll — we can go straight home after a few more question.”
when you have doubts of your relationship, the moments when you’re thinking about the healthiness and what you actually want, or when you just simply chat with a certain demon that lives right across town — vox will use it again and that comes around more often than you think
though, he does use it for silly stuff like getting ready for interviews or going out in public. to give you a boost of course!! he cares so so much about your health. (just ignore how he gets frustrated with you so often) you’re his husband after all, who wouldn’t take care of their own lover?
hypnosis became such a normal aspect of your relationship, and for most of it you don’t even remember. what you do remember is getting dizzy spells, a migraine, alastor asking an ol’ friend if you’re okay. vox takes great care of you, as a husband should.
“you piece of —!! doll face, it looks like you’re having a migraine, let me help you out.”
“im not having a stupid, fucking, migra —“
arguments ensure between the both of you more often than it should, and that’s something only valentino knows. he watched his friend heave, almost tired from the doubts and desires you seem to want but it’s never what you both need. that need is fame, and vox will get it no matter how hard it is to keep you in line.
tender hands came to your face, his thumbs brushing against your jaw. “are you okay, y/n?” vox asked in a whisper.
you blinked. “yeah, it’s just,” stuttering how your words, you let out a slow sigh, “thank you, my vision was going fuzzy.”
“your migraines are starting to happen too often, i think we should stay indoors for a few days, yeah?”
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samaraannhan20 · 2 months
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Spencer Reid Imagine: You Have an Audience
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A/N: I tried to make this timeline accurate, but after a while I realized it wasn’t and I didn’t want to change it, so just know that this does not necessarily fit the timeline of the show. In my head I was envisioning season 8 Spencer. 
“Hey hun?” I call out from the bathroom where I am standing in the bathroom getting ready for bed. Spencer is right out the door in the bedroom, and I hear him close his book and get up to come walk to where I am. When he reaches the doorway he stops.
“Yeah sweetheart?”
“I don’t have work on Friday. I could bring you lunch that day,” I tell him, turning to him as I put moisturizer on.  
“You want to risk your dad finding out if you come in?” he asks, with concern written on his face.
“I swear he said something about not being at work the other day,” I say, pausing and grabbing my tooth brush while thinking back on my conversations with my dad the last few days. He kisses the top of my head and then goes back to the bed to lay down and read his book. As I stand there scrubbing my teeth I realize what he had said. 
“Mhe faid bhe las la pate hat ay!” I exclaim, rushing into the bedroom with my toothbrush hanging from my mouth. Spencer drops his book and laughs as he looks at me standing there looking like a madman. 
“What?” he asks when he stops laughing. I hold my finger up and walk into the bathroom, rinse my mouth out, shut off the light, and go lay down in the bed. I curl up next to Spencer before repeating my sentence. 
“He said he has a date with Krystall that day at lunch, so he shouldn’t be in the office when I bring you lunch. But I can call Penny tomorrow to double check,” I say, before closing his book and taking it from him, tossing it onto my night stand. “Let’s go to bed though. I have a full day tomorrow, after having parent-teacher conferences at the beginning of the week.”
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I shove a bite of leftovers in my mouth as I pick up the phone and call Penny
“Hey Pen!” I say as Penny picks up the call. 
“Hey little Rossi! What’s up?” 
“Do you know if my dad is going to be at the BAU during lunch tomorrow? I was wanting to bring Spence lunch because I don’t have school, but I want to make sure my dad won’t be there.”
“Y/N! You guys still haven’t told him?” she questions. 
“No. We decided the other day that we were going to tell him after our six months next week. We never doubted that we would stay together, but we wanted to be able to show it was serious before we told him. Because if we had just gotten together when we told him… well,.”
“He’d lose his cool and make you break up. Right,” she replies with a small chuckle. 
“Yeah. So, he told me he would be on a date at lunch tomorrow, but before I commit to bringing Spence lunch I want to make sure he will actually be gone. And not only do you know everything, but I know he has to fill out a thing saying he’s going to be out. Which I still think is weird since it’s just lunch, but I guess it makes sense if there’s a chance he won’t be back before his lunch break is over.”
“Y/N you just rambled so hard. Let me look real quick sweet pea,” she says, and I hear her start typing away. “Yep,” she says after a second. “Looks like he will be gone for lunch tomorrow. You should be good to go.”
“Awesome, thanks Pen! Do you want a dessert or anything when I come in?” 
“You know I do. Just bring me something from wherever you wind up getting takeout. I’m not picky about my desserts,” she says with a small laugh. 
“Great. Thanks again Penny! I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
“Okay! I’ll send an email downstairs warning them that you are coming. Bye!” she responds, and I say thanks and bye and then hang up the phone. 
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“I overheard your dad asking Penny why you were coming in at lunch tomorrow,” Spencer says to me as we sit at my kitchen table eating dinner later that night. 
“Oh crap,” I say around my bite of crab rangoon. “What did she say?” I respond after finishing chewing. 
“She said you were bringing her lunch and hanging out for a bit. At which point he told her to keep you there until he got back from lunch with Krystall because he hasn’t seen you in a few weeks,” he says, shooting me a look that says more than his words did.
“I know. It is bad for me to not see him for so long, but I knew that if I saw him in person he would ask me why I seem so happy and I would immediately spill about our entire relationship because I have no backbone,” I tell him, standing up and taking my half full plate over to the counter and grabbing the saran wrap , wrapping my leftovers up. 
“You’re done already?” he asks from where I left him at the table, and I don’t say anything, just nodding and then walking over to the couch and sitting down, grabbing my kindle and turning it on. I sit there silently, not even reading, just staring off into space with tears slowly falling down my face. 
I hear Spencer stand up and push his chair in a few minutes later, and then I hear him walk over to me. He leans down and presses a kiss to the top of my head. He walks around the couch, setting something down on the side table before lifting my feet up and resting them on his lap as he sits down. 
“What’s wrong?” he asks, taking my kindle out of my hands and setting it next to whatever he had placed on the table, and then pulling me even closer to him by my legs. 
“I feel so guilty for keeping so many secrets from him. I mean he didn’t even really know my half sister, and yet they’ve formed a relationship like ours is. Or I guess used to be. When I was a kid and my mom decided she didn’t want me around anymore and sent me to live with him we built such a great relationship. And throughout high school it stayed great. And then I moved out for college and we spent less time together, and he got back together with Krystall, and I had moments where I felt her daughter and Joy were replacing me. 
“Which I told him about and we fixed it and things were great again. I graduated, got a teaching job nearby, and we were great. I would spend so many nights having dinner with him, or with him and Krystall. I would go with him to visit Joy. He knew everything there was to know about me, I told him everything,” I say, wiping a tear off my face as I finish my speech. 
“And then you got together with me,” Spencer says quietly. I nod, allowing another tear to fall down my face, wiping it off and then I reach out and grab Spencer’s hand.
“I don’t want you to think I regret you. Because that is the last thing I am thinking or feeling. However, I am having extended amounts of anxiety about him finding out before we tell him. I don’t think that he won’t approve, because he knows how amazing you are, you’ve been friends for so long. He sees you as a son already, and not just because you’re with his kid and probably going to be family one day,” I say, the last sentence slipping out of my mouth so easily. I knew the comment wouldn’t bother Spencer, because even though we have only been together for a little less than six months we have had the conversation already, and we both feel that we are it for each other. “But the reality we have to think about is the fact that we do have a sizable age difference, which he is not going to just let go. And he’s not going to be happy we kept it a secret for three months. And he probably won’t be happy about…” and before I can finish the last sentence Spencer cuts me off. 
“Okay listen. First of all, in the long run, I’m only eight years older than you. Which isn’t bad. It just seems longer because I graduated from everything so early. And because when we met I was working with your dad and you were still in college. Yes, I’m 32 to your 24, but you have more dating experience than I do, because you went to college in your late teens and early twenties, not when you were 12. And as for the keeping it a secret for three months, I think over time he will understand why we did that. I mean he kept getting back together with Krystall from you for a good amount of time. How long was it again?”
“Like almost a year,” I say with a small laugh. 
“Exactly my point. He’ll get over it,” he says, and takes my hand, pressing a small kiss to the top of it. “Now, if you’re done freaking out, I brought your food over for you. I know you weren’t actually done, that you were just anxious,” he says, reaching over to the side table, grabbing the plate and handing it to me. As I take the plate from him I lean forward pressing a kiss to his lips. 
“I love you. And I appreciate you so much. I wouldn’t want anyone else to know me so well,” I tell him, before pulling away and immediately popping a bite of food into my mouth.
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“Y/N, I didn’t realize you were coming in for lunch today,” Aaron says as I carry the to-go bag full of food over to the kitchenette in the BAU. 
“Yeah, I had the day off,” I say with a small smile as I put things down. 
“Well, I’m assuming it’s for Penny, since your dad is out for lunch with Krystall today,” he says with a knowing smile on his face. 
“Oh man. You know everything don’t you,” I say with a groan, sitting down at the table in the small kitchen area. 
“Yeah. Turns out I am pretty good at my job,” he responds with a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell your dad anything until you and Spencer decide to. Also, I know my opinion isn’t really the one that matters, but I think you and Spencer are a good match,” he says, patting my shoulder before walking away. I put my face in my hands and groan, before getting up and walking over to Spencer’s desk. I sit down in his chair and spin around in it, glancing around the rest of the room. Before too long I hear voices begin to drift into the room. 
“Wow it smells good in here,” I hear Derek say as he walks in the room. He spots me before Spencer does, and I watch as a mischievous smile comes over his face. “Hey baby, come to bring me lunch?” he says, walking over to me and picking me up from Spencer’s chair, spinning me around before setting me on the floor and placing a loud kiss on my cheek. 
“In your dreams Morgan,” I say with a laugh, walking around him to Spencer. I fling myself at him as soon as I get close enough. “Hey babe,” I say, stretching my face up to his for a quick kiss. He mumbles a hello, and I unwrap myself from him and take his hand, dragging him over to the table. “I got Italian. I was craving some chicken alfredo,” I tell him as I sit down next to him and start pulling the food out of the bag. He chuckles and helps me unload the bag, before sitting down next to me. 
We sit and eat our food together, making small talk, and talking to his coworkers everytime they come up to the table we’re sitting at. 
“Hey teacher lady,” Penny says to me as she sits down next to me with her lunch in her hands. 
“Hey Pen,” I say, leaning over and giving her a hug. “So you told my dad I was bringing you lunch?” I ask with a small smile.
“It seemed like the best answer. Unless you wanted me to out your relationship,” she says with a shrug and a sly smile. 
“Thanks Pen. Always thinking on the fly.” She shrugs again and digs into her lunch. I hand her the dessert I got her and she thanks me with a small smile.  “Did he tell you when he would be back?” I ask her after a minute or two of the three of us eating in silence. 
“No. Sometimes it's a longer lunch and sometimes it’s shorter. Depends on when Krystall has plans next.” I nod in understanding, and then turn my attention to Spencer. 
“Do we have plans for dinner tonight?” 
“Not any specific ones. It’s Friday though so I thought I could order some type of take-out for us and we could watch a movie,” he says and I nod.
“Ooh can we rent that new rom-com? I know they aren’t your favorite but I’m in the mood for one. We can watch that and then a foreign film for you,” I say, hoping the foreign film will get him to say yes. 
“We don’t also have to watch a foreign film,” he says with a small laugh and shake of his head. “We can watch that new movie. I don’t have a problem with it,” he says, leaning over and kissing the top of my head. I look up at him and smile, before pulling him closer and placing a kiss on his lips.
“Aww, you guys sicken me,” Penny says in a baby voice, and I laugh, flipping her the bird and then kissing Spencer again. “Um, Y/N,” she says when I pull away from Spencer again, and I turn and look at her, not even registering the nervousness on her face.  
“What Penny?” I ask with a small smile on my face, my smile growing bigger when Spencer pulls my chair closer to his and wraps his arm around me. “You have an audience,” she says in a whisper, pointing behind us. I sit up straight and glance at Spencer, grabbing his hand in mine, before hearing the tell-tale clearing of my father’s throat. 
“I am not turning around,” I whisper, my hands starting to shake as I realize who exactly is standing in the doorway of the BAU. “He can’t do anything if I don’t even turn and look at him,” I say even quieter than before. Spencer squeezes my hand, looking down at his food, and Penny’s eyes keep darting from him to me and then back again, with a dart of her eyes to my dad every few seconds. We sit there in awkward silence, me refusing to move, for what feels like a century. 
“There’s no case today, and my paperwork is all done. We could do this stand off all day long,” I hear from my father after probably a minute has passed. “Or, you could stand up and walk with me to my office.” I flinch, looking over at Spencer, and then at Penny. Penny scrambles to gather her food, and walks with her head down past my father, mumbling a small good luck to me as she leaves. Spencer squeezes my hand, and I nod my head in defeat, standing up. Spencer stands up with me, pulling me into a hug.
“Nothing he says matters,” he whispers to me as we hug. “I love you and you love me and that is what matters. Nothing else,” he says, and then places a kiss on the top of my head and lets me go. I nod again, and then turn my body and stiffly begin to walk to my father’s office. I hear him begin to follow me, but not before I hear what he says to Spencer.
“You’re next. My office in twenty minutes,” he says, and I can’t even bring myself to look over my shoulder at Spencer, instead choosing to continue walking to my father’s office. 
As I enter my father’s office I immediately sink into the couch he has sitting on one wall, covering my face with my hands. It isn’t long before he walks in, and I hear him turn one of the chairs sitting at his desk to look at me. He sits down silently, not saying a word for at least two minutes. After what feels like a century of sitting in silence, he finally speaks up. 
“I’m not mad. I know you think I am, but I’m not,” he says, and I let my hands drop from my face, looking at him. 
“What?” I ask, shock evident in my voice. 
“I mean I was mad a month ago when I figured it out, but I’m not mad anymore,” he says, a small smile coming across his face. 
“A month?” I whisper, confusion written across my face as I try to figure out how he knew a month ago.
“You aren’t as sneaky as you think. A little over a month ago I drove over to your apartment because it had been awhile since we spent any time together, so I wanted to see if you wanted to get dinner together. When I pulled up to your building, I saw Spencer’s car outside. At first I thought it was a coincidence, that maybe he was seeing someone else in your building, so I parked and headed in. Your doorman let me in because he knew I was your dad,” he said, and I immediately remembered which night he was talking about, because Mark had told me he had sent my dad up, but because I never heard him knock I chalked it up to Mark getting mixed up over which tenant’s dad went up.
“So I went up to your apartment. When I got there, I knocked, but I guess you didn’t hear me. I stood in the hallway and waited, but I could hear you talking to someone. Being the profiler that I am, I leaned on your door and listened to the voices, trying to make sure you weren’t in trouble, because you hadn’t told me you were dating any one person, or even that you were going on dates. And then I heard him,” he says, and I immediately remember what he had heard. 
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Flashback:
“What are you going to tell your dad when you’re out of town next weekend?” Spencer asked me as I stood in the kitchen chopping vegetables. I pause my cutting, thinking I heard a knock at the door, but then determine it was just my knife hitting the cutting board and start up again.  
“That I’m going on a trip with a few of my fellow teachers at work. But I also will only have to tell him if you guys don’t get called on a case. If you do it won’t matter because I won’t be going anywhere,” I tell him with a shrug. 
“I mean you could still go,” Spencer says, and I stop what I’m doing to turn and look at him. 
“For one, I’m not going on a couples trip to a spa without you. And for two, you’re a profiler. You should know how dangerous it is for women to travel on their own,” I tell him, crossing over to him. 
“I know, but I still think you deserve a weekend away. I know the stress of not telling your dad has been weighing on you. You need a weekend at a spa.”
“Yeah, but it wouldn’t be fun without the man I love,” I say, and stretch up to place a kiss on his lips. 
“I love you,” he says in response, and then pulls me in again. When we pull away again he smirks at me. “How hungry are you?” he asks, and I laugh and take his hand, dragging him into my bedroom. Neither of us noticed the shadow of feet under the door as we walked by it. 
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“You heard us talking about the spa trip,” I whisper looking at the ceiling as I calculate just how much he may have heard. 
“Yeah. I finally decided it was time to stop eavesdropping when I heard you walk towards your room. I went down to the lobby, waved bye to your doorman, and left. I was pretty angry so I didn’t text you or call you to let you know I had been by. I went home, and told Krystall everything that I had heard. I wanted to get right back in my car and go over to your apartment and yell at you, but she talked me out of it. She reminded me that you would tell me when you were ready. I expected it to be within the next week, but then you still didn’t, and before I knew it it was past the time where it would be acceptable for me to bring up the fact that I knew. So I decided to wait until you were ready to let me know,” he says, and the way he sits back after he finishes shows me that he’s done. 
“We were going to tell you next week. Next week is our six month anniversary, and we were waiting to tell you until after that,” I say, looking at him to see his reaction to knowing just how long we had been hiding this from him. He doesn’t show much of one, so I continue. “I wanted to be able to prove that we were serious about each other before I told you. I knew you would wind up thinking it was just a fling and it would change your work relationship with him if you knew before it had been a while.” 
“Honey, from the moment I realized something had changed about you, I knew whatever it was was either a forever kind of thing or something that was going to put you in the hospital if it ended. I never would have thought it was just a fling between the two of you,” he says, standing up and coming to sit next to me on the couch. I scoot over and wrap my arms around him. 
“I just didn’t want you to be disappointed,” I tell him, tears welling up in my eyes as he wraps his arms around me. 
“I never would be,” he whispers, placing a kiss on my forehead.  We sit together in silence for a few minutes, before a knock comes from the door, and the door pushes open less than ten seconds later. 
“Sir, I love your daughter,” Spencer says as he steps foot in the room and closes the door behind him, not looking at the two of us as he does so. I laugh a watery laugh, and my dad kisses me on the forehead once more before pulling back and standing up. 
“I know you do,” he says as he walks over to where Spencer is standing. Spencer looks at him confused, and then looks at me and sees the tears falling down my face. He moves to walk over to me, but I hold my hand up and motion towards my dad. 
“Rossi, I don’t know what she has told you so far, but I want you to know that I love her more than anything, and I plan to one day marry her,” Spencer says, looking at my dad. My dad chuckles at Spencer and holds out his hand.
“Welcome to the family then Reid.”
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nburkhardt · 10 months
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Somebody Loves You, You Got a Friend (part 5)
Other parts: one, two, three, four.
I know I said in the last part we’re meeting the CC boys, but I forgot about this. So we get a bit of what’s happening outside of Steddie’s bubble! (We’re fast forwarding a bit, Steve’s like five-six months along. Also if anything doesn’t seem accurate to real life, pls ignore that oh and the show timeline…don’t look too closely pls 🫡)
Being in a small town is still sometimes stupid, Steve will always say this. Because of how fucking true it is.
It wasn’t too long ago when all the town could talk about was “poor Joyce Byers, her youngest is dead” and then found alive it switched immediately to “poor Barbra Holland, just so young” and now? Now it’s his family.
Thankfully the rumors and gossip is about his father leaving suddenly and not about him being pregnant at sixteen.
Currently he’s hiding his tiny baby bump, because according to the doctors, he’s thirteen weeks along and the other day he noticed his stomach rounding out. So, he’s taken up to wearing a bit bigger shirts and sweaters. Since the doctors and his mom told him scent blockers can be harmful, he’s had to stop taking them.
Instead, he helps mask his scent with Eddie’s scent.
“How you feeling today?” Eddie whispers to him, as he subtly scents him.
He shrugs and notices Nancy and Jonathan staring at him, turning away, “the nausea is better today, I think. Right now I’m really wanting a cheese pizza oh, and a chocolate brownie”
Eddie laughs and pushes him just enough to start walking, “good thing it’s lunch, then?”
They make their way out of the school, Steve hearing multiple people whispering about them but ignoring it. It’s not new that he’s friends with Eddie, plus he isn’t really ‘King Steve’ anymore either. If anything, being popular was a huge disappointment.
As they reach his car, they hear someone shouting Steve’s name. Confused, and not finding anyone immediately, Steve’s a little surprised to see that Nancy and Jonathan followed them.
“Um, what’s up?”
Nancy looks between him and Eddie then narrows her eyes, like she’s trying to figure something out. “We wanted to talk to you about something”
Confused even more, he looks between the other couple before glancing at Eddie, who’s just as confused. “Ok? Can’t you say it in front of Eddie?”
Jonathan shook his head, “uh, we can’t- probably shouldn’t. It’s- it’s about my brother”
That’s when it clicks, it’s about the stupid Upside Down.
Again.
Shaking his head, he hopes they can’t tell his scent is spiking with anxiety. Eddie immediately picks up on it though, “Stevie, we should leave before our lunch break is over, yeah?”
Thank god for Eddie.
“He’s right and I really want some pizza, maybe another time?” He’s lying, there’s not going to be a next time for as long as he can ignore them. He can’t be involved with them anymore, especially with the tiny life growing inside of him. “Come on, Eds”
Eddie gives the other two a blinding manic smile before climbing inside the car and Steve just smiles and then they’re gone.
They drive to the closest diner that serves pizza and brownies.
They’re in the furthest corner of the whole place and hidden behind a wall, giving them the privacy they’ve been wanting. Steve’s not at all hiding the fact that he’s scenting Eddie and Eddie has a hand on his stomach underneath the sweatshirt.
“You know, I was told you can’t feel anything yet. There’s like a few more weeks, then apparently you’ll be able to feel them moving and kicking” he whispers against Eddie’s neck, “have I told you I love your scent?”
The alpha chuckled, “yeah? Your scent is better, it’s even sweeter now”
Shaking his head, he sits up and looks at Eddie, “it changed?”
Before Eddie can answer, the pizza is there. Along with two brownies, which Steve immediately grabs a slice. “Uh yep, I never realized how good this was” he nearly moans at the pizza, then he eyes the brownie and grabs a piece.
“You aren’t-“
Nodding, he puts part of the brownie on top of his pizza and takes a bite. An overly satisfied smile on his face, causing Eddie to laugh and shake his head. They eat mostly in silence, especially since the omega is happily eating the pizza with the brownie on top.
It’s only once they’re back in Steve’s car heading back, when he remembers. “Hey, you said my scent changed. What does it smell like now?”
Eddie lets out a hum, leaning over and taking in his scent before answering, “there’s a hint of I think cinnamon? It’s really faint, I only notice it when we’re scenting each other”
“I’ll ask my mom about it, this is still all outta my knowledge. I knew some of it but there’s things I didn’t know. Like, your scent is overly calming to me? It’s weird, I mean, before even back when you shoved me in my car at that party, I really liked it but it didn’t calm me down.” He explained as he parked but didn’t move to get out, instead turned to face Eddie, “I already knew the basics for pregnancy and all that. But apparently the baby will be able to hear both of us? It’s so weird. This is weird”
Eddie laughed, reaching over to grab his hand, “it’s metal as fuck, pretty boy. You’re growing a human, like right now. I know it’s not what we wanted but, I’ll be honest, I’m so damn lucky it’s you.”
Almost immediately, his eyes start to sting as tears well up, rubbing at his eyes, he laughs before shaking his head. “Please don’t make me cry, you sappy alpha.”
Eddie grins, “Your sappy alpha, princess.”
A Week Later
The Harrington house is quiet and all three people are currently asleep. It’s only eight in the morning on a Sunday anyway.
Steve has his face shoved by Eddie’s neck, arms wrapped around the alpha and their legs tangled together, peacefully sleeping. Eddie’s just as peaceful, with one arm holding Steve close and the other is thrown over his eyes.
Steve’s mom, Janet, is waking up only because of their annoying doorbell going off. She huffs, pulling on a robe and stopping by Steve’s room to see the boys still asleep.
The bell rings again and she sighs, pulling their door shut before making her way to the front door to be met with Nancy Wheeler.
“Hello, can I help you?” She never formally met Steve’s ex-girlfriend. She was too busy helping her ex-husband.
The teen is shocked to see her, clearly and she doesn’t know how to school her emotions yet, because the girl looks disappointed that she answered the door, “uh- yes, i’m here to talk to Steve?”
Frowning, “I’m sorry but Steve is asleep right now, is this important?”
She can tell Nancy’s an alpha that hasn’t figured out a way to control her emotions, because the girl is still disappointed and it seems frustrated, “I just need to talk to Steve, you’re his mom, right?”
“I am, and I won’t be waking him up just for a chat. You can come back later or wait until school tomorrow” she’s just as frustrated, if not more. This is the girl that called her son ‘bullshit’ and she doesn’t ever want to see that sadness and that self-doubt in Steve again.
She watches as Nancy clench’s her jaw before trying and failing to school her face and straighten up, “I’m sorry ma’am, but this is important enough to wake him up. It- it’s about Will Byers and-“
Janet shakes her head and gives a sharp smile, “My son isn’t the police or involved with what happened to Will Byers and I won’t be waking him up just to see his ex-girlfriend.” And promptly shuts the door before Nancy can say anything else.
If she listens closely, she can hear Nancy let out a frustrated huff and walking away.
Shaking her head she doesn’t bother going back to sleep, goes into the kitchen to start on breakfast since the night before Steve mentioned craving pancakes.
The smell of bacon and pancakes is what helps wake Steve up, the other thing is the light kiss on his forehead.
Blinking away the sleep from his eyes, his lips curl into a smile at Eddie, the alpha is smiling at him and he can suddenly feel a hand rubbing at his waist and stomach, “good morning, Stevie”
“Morning Eds” he sighs and leans into him for a few seconds and then he’s bolting out of the bed and into the bathroom, throwing up last night’s dinner. Groaning he feels a hand start to rub up and down his back, “Eddie, I swear I’m never going through this again”
The alpha laughs then helps him up. After brushing teeth and putting on decent clothes, they find his mom humming softly to the radio and busy flipping pancakes. Despite the fact that he was just nauseous and didn’t want food, he wants nothing more than the food his mom is making.
“Oh! Good morning boys” she smiles and turns the burner off before pulling him into a hug with a kiss to his forehead, “how are you feeling, sweetie?”
Shrugging, “just weird, I guess?”
“Yeah, that won’t be changing much” she smiles, “come on, I have enough pancakes and bacon. Would either of you like eggs?”
As they’re eating and having small talk, it isn’t until Steve’s finished his food that his mom looks at him with a pinched look, “mom?”
She sighs and looks at him, “Sweetie, before you woke up someone came over looking for you. She was pretty determined to talk, but I told her no. I just wanted to let you know incase she shows up again”
Confused, he sees Eddie equally confused and before he can open his mouth to ask who, his mom says it, “it was your ex, Nancy, I don’t know what was so important. She said it was about Joyce’s son, but you aren’t involved with them.”
For a quick moment he panics at the thought of Nancy pulling him back in, but he’s been better at standing up for himself other than just relying on others.
He doesn’t bother waiting, he’s determined to stay out of their mess. He has more important things in life.
Eddie’s waiting in the car while he’s standing on the Wheeler’s porch. He takes a quick moment to control his breathing and then knocks on the door.
It’s thrown open by Mike, who immediately glared at him, “what are you doing here?”
Rolling his eyes, “your sister wanted to talk to me and so I’m here”
Mike rolls his own eyes before turning and yelling for Nancy, then he just stands there waiting and honestly just glares at him. It doesn’t bother him, it makes sense. Then before he knows it, Mike’s being pulled away and there’s Nancy.
“You can’t keep avoiding this, Steve. You’re in this now” is the first thing out of her mouth, “are you going to help? The kids almost got hurt without any help and I thought-“
“I went over to that house just to apologize to Jonathan, Nancy. Not to throw my life away fighting monsters, did you forget we’re also kids? I’m sixteen. You’re sixteen!” He’s never been ashamed to fight dirty, “I thought that the supergirl closed that stupid gate, anyway?”
He watches as Nancy’s frustration grows, and he suddenly realizes how much they wouldn’t work at all. Ever.
“It doesn’t matter! We need help and you’re in!”
Shaking his head, he decides it’s not worth fighting and just says, “it does matter and I’m out. I’m not your boyfriend, I’m not even your friend. Leave me alone and I’ll stay out of your way”
And he simply walks away.
That’s it for now! I’m sorry for making Nancy into this pushy person but I mean…she kinda is that way in canon? She’s an older sister with younger siblings so of course she doesn’t see that she’s still only a kid too. She’s pretty much like this throughout the whole fic btw 🫣
NEXT TIME for sure the CC boys make an appearance 😌 (just a heads up, the unnamed member is named Grant in this) 
 Taglist: @spectrum-spectre @itsfreakingbats @mysticcrownshipper @artiststarme @thereindeerlady @justforthedead89 @ronniescontinuum @freyaforestafay @littlewildflowerkitten @zerokrox-blog @callme-keys @maya-custodios-dionach @rajumat @yellowdevilkitten @munsonfamilyband @steddierthings @tartarusfairy @mx-jinxous @zombiethingy @lunaticmarunatic @izzy2210 @carlyv @thelittleclare @estrellami-1 @sierra-violet @grtwdsmwhr @epiclazershark @bookworm0690 @forest-fogg (if you would like to be added to this or the permanent tag list, let me know!!)
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theflagscene · 1 month
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Wait! How!? When!? Where!? How is White suddenly there!? How did Tee meet White!? You can’t just play upbeat music and have the boys running around to show the passage of time and not explain how the fucking villain of the story got the most adorably innocent lil princess boyfriend on the planet!
Phee, bringing Jin on a date to the same place you and Non liked to go is just weird. I hate people who use the same ‘date’ spots for their new partners that they used with their past partners and no, this isn’t me projecting, why do you ask!? Lmao 😂 shut up it’s still tacky af
‘Friend’ the dreaded word.
What is with the ass slapping and window sex!? I mean, I get that they’re supposed to 18 year old boys, who are by definition perverted, but that was some porn level shit. Also, again, no prep. Phee wasn’t even the one blown so it’s not like they were even using spit for lube, or an already lubed condom. What is this, another ABO show? Just having the dudes slick and sliding all over one another apparently.
Ta’s got a decent ass at least, good for him.
“Did you cheat on my brother?” Nah, pretty sure they broke up when Phee saw him being raw dogged by the teacher and then told him to go die, but whatever helps you sleep at night Tan.
“Don’t fall in love with him.” Yeah, I think it’s too late for that.
Oh, mom is not looking so great. Hmm, something tells me that video isn’t real. Mom knows what’s up, it’s finally hit her, her baby’s dead. The actress did a fantastic job of a mother realizing the truth of the death of her child, it’s a startling realization that does take your legs out from under you. Your mind blanks, you can’t think about anything but the last time you saw them, the last terrible thing you said, all you can do is try not to scream. - That got a little too dark and real, sorry.
news.boc.com Cute BoC, very cute.
How long were Phee and Jin supposed to have been fucking by now? Weeks? Months? Because Jin has gotten very emotionally invested very quickly, which is appropriate for teenagers I suppose.
Two years, so they’d be in their what, second year of uni? Tan has gone full mad scientist I see.
Wait, he called to tell Tan that his mom was dead and it was her funeral that day and he just showed tf up! When his dad thought he was still in England!? Lmao, that’s fricking hilarious. I know, I know, wrong reaction to this scene but I’m weird, what can I say.
Oops, bye bye daddy. No wonder Tan is so fucking nuts! That would drive anyone insane. He literally needs Non to be alive otherwise he’s lost everything for nothing.
Is Tan his own guinea pig for his drugs!? Jesus dude, get some help.
Question, were Phee and Jin fucking during their time at university too? Or are you telling me all this ‘I love him’ crap was from one night of decent dick and a few ‘best friend dates’? Like the math ain’t mathing, establish a better timeline here for me when it comes to their relationship because in the first episode it made it seem like they were screwing around for a really long time, months at the very least. But now it seems like they fucked around a couple times in one 12 hour period, Jin decided that was enough to wanna date, caught Phee in a mood because of the fake news report and then they just… what? Kept fucking? Stopped? Jin carried a torch for him for over two years after one night together? Acted like a scorned lover for years because of a single teenaged tryst? Not to be that guy, but girl, you’re coming off a little desperate. I need a more accurate timeline!!!
“This won’t kill them.” Tan, could you try and be a tad more convincing when saying that?
That was a fantastic look from Tan to end on, ngl. Although someone needs to save baby White!
Next episode, we’re back in the present for the most part it seems. Jin somehow still trusts Phee, Fluke somehow gets the gun back and oh look, he holds White hostage, poor bb did nothing, leave him alone! And Tee clearly does know what happened to both Non and Keng as he runs up onto the roof where his uncle is to see the pair… unconscious? Dead? One of each?
I want some backstory about how White fits into all of this next time as well, that would be great. Although considering how little the timeline of events during grade 12 are fully explained, I doubt knowing more about White would make very much sense at this point.
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crazyk-imagine · 7 months
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Life of the Party
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Pairing: Sirius Black x Fem!reader
Characters: Sirius Black, Fem!reader, James Potter, Lily Potter nee Evans, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadows, Nymphadora Tonks (briefly mentioned), Harry Potter (briefly mentioned)
Warnings: Angst, this is random, during the first war, has bits of the sceond war involved, this probably doesn't track with the timeline, but certainly kept me entertained, not all information is accurate but that's to be expected, I had no idea where this was going, the last line makes me cry on the inside
Word Count: 2,601
A/N: Was I watching "Only Murders in the building" while writing this, giving it the murder mystery vibe, I feel it has? Maybe. No regrets though.
James took his time proposing
Voldemort slowly started getting stronger and then Peter joined him.
There are no known reactions to the bloodroot poison... I made up my own, hence the murder mystery vibe.
This is partially inspired by "Life of the Party" by Shawn Mendes
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“I’m telling you to take your shot, it might be scary.” You shrug, "maybe she's ready for you two to take the next step." You're just hoping that if you push him a little more, they can be even happier.
And maybe, James can finally shut up about wanting to have the same last name, whatever comes first.
James nods, taking in every word you’re saying.
“We don’t have the time to be sorry," you tell him.
The faint whispers of evil lurking around every corner are slowly becoming louder in your mind.
You hold your breath for a second.
“She’s right,” Marlene shrugs.
Dorcas shakes her head, not liking it when the two of you agree with one another.
The blonde shares a look with the girl closest to her. “Why doesn’t he just man up and ask her?”
The dark-haired woman shrugs, “I don’t know. You’re asking the wrong person.”
Sirius leans against you with his arm wrapped around your shoulder, "am I hearing that Prongs is going to be an idiot again? Still don't know how to pop the question, do you?"
James rolls his eyes. "Thank you," he says to you before running off. "Look at that, we're alone now."
“Are we invisible to you, you dolt?” Dorcas grabs Marlene’s wrist and hauls her out of your home.
“I think he's going to do it now.”
“He’s not.”
“You want to bet?”
The blonde nods, “I do. Ten pounds.”
“And a butter beer.”
Marlene scowls, “fine.”
They shake hands.
“You’re on.”
-
He sneaks around your home, making sure no one can see him. You shake your head. "Nice try, Sirius."
"What?" He pouts, following you after you brush him away from you.
"Don't push me away. I know you love me." He flutters his lashes as if that will further prove his case.
"I would love some peace and quiet. Besides, shouldn't you be checking on Remus right now? It's almost his time."
He sighs, "yeah. I just... wanted to see you before."
"Well, you did and now it's time to say goodbye."
"Fine, fine," he lets out a deep sigh, as if you've done something to him. "Promise me one thing?"
You stare into his eyes.
“You’ll tell me if you’ve been seeing things when I get back.”
You nod, gulping because you know what’s going to happen before then.
The corner of his lips curls upwards, thinking about being alone with you and hopefully asking you something he should have had a long time ago. "I'll be off now, little miss “life of the party”. I'll see you later?"
You rest your hands against the counter, preventing yourself from falling. You nod, "of course, Pads."
He smirks, shaking his head to rid him of his thoughts although he’s always fond when you call him by his nickname. "Alright, I'm off."
"Bye," you whisper, listening to his motorbike get farther from your home. You groan, raising one hand to your head. It's worse.
'The whispers get louder when the ticking stops.'
You want to forget it, but you can't.
His screams haunt you; you can't see his face, you don’t know who it is but it's more than enough to ruin your sleep, invading your mind at the most inconvenient times.
Your family's large grandfather clock chimes.
Nothing's going to work now, you know it. You don't know why you’re going in here but it’s the one place you believe to be in your best interest to reside in during this time.
You grab your wand from your boot and wave it.
The bookshelf moves out of the way.
A heavy breath escapes you.
No one but you know of your meek at home potions room. It's better this way, none of them will ask any questions or throw themselves into research.
By the time your clock chimes again, James and Lily will be the next future couple followed by a sweet little baby boy who will help carry on their family line.
Remus will be trying to finish his potion for the upcoming full moon.
Sirius will be the last of his siblings but not of his family's pureblood status.
And Peter-
“Come out tonight. Come out tonight,” you mutter, closing your eyes for a moment, waiting. "You found me."
"I never wanted this to happen."
"If you didn't want it to happen, you wouldn't have joined him. You wouldn’t have cowered into his grasp because you think he’s getting stronger."
"I- I'm sorry."
"Are you? Because I think you don’t have the time to be sorry. Or are you just saying that because of the bloodroot poison you put in my drink last week?"
Peter pauses in the doorway. "When did you know?"
"It's obvious when somethings not right with your body and you're stupid to think I wouldn't notice."
"You really want to fight with the person who could kill you?"
"You already have."
"It wasn't my choice."
"You didn't know whether you should have stayed on this side and when they found you, you chose to put that damned mark on your arm. You made a decision long ago. I'm just," you hold your breath, finding it hard to take a simple breath now. "Wondering what made you change?"
"Nothing," he mumbles.
"That's such a lie and you know it!"
His head snaps in your direction. "Everyone made me this way!"
You struggle to gulp down the saliva that filled your mouth.
"I was tired of being the joke of it all," he sniffs.
You don't know whether to feel bad for him or help him.
"I wanted the jokes to stop. I thought they would when we grew up, but they barely did."
"What jokes?" You whisper, now losing your voice.
"It doesn't matter now, what's done is done."
"Soon to be done. You're here to report to him that I'm dead, right?"
"N- no."
"You're distracting me, waiting until the end."
"Stop it."
"I hope you feel better."
"Better?"
"Thinking you chose the right side-" You take a step closer towards the table, your hand reaching out for it until you lose your balance and begin tumbling forward.
Peter reaches for you and holds you.
This is the last time he'll ever see you. And it hits him, what he's done to his friend.
There are no changing things now.
He adjusts you, cradling you in his arms as he sits behind you; the way a friend should comfort another one in need.
"Are you happy?"
He glances at you from the corner of his eye, staring at your side profile. "What?"
There's no more fight left in you and there's one thing you want someone to know, your last fighting words were something that will haunt your murderer. "Knowing you chose the wrong side."
"I-"
You close your eyes, not wanting your last sight to be of the secret you kept from your friends.
The grandfather clocks chimes once more and the whispers of his mind fill the silence.
Peter throws his head back, tears trickling down the sides of his face.
Nothing will ever be the same and no one will ever know what he's done.
Not until the end of the first war.
He carefully moves away from you and places you against the desk making it look as if you were sitting against the desk when you pass.
He kept it quiet of how you passed until the night he purposefully let Sirius take the blame for everything.
No one was able to truly move on after, most of all he and-
“She called herself the “life of the party” forever making a fool of herself,” he chuckles to himself.
"Pads, are you telling Harry the same story?"
The man in question turned around with his precious godson bundled in his arms. "No."
"Why lie when we all know it, Sirius?" Lily asks, holding her son's bottle as she tries to take the boy from him. "It's time for his bottle, Sirius."
"I can do it."
"No."
"Come on," he whines, with his bottom lip quivering.
It takes her back to every time when he would beg for your attention. She purses her lips, adjusting Harry in her arms. "It's almost nap time."
"Fine. James, sleep fort?"
"Of course, how else does one take a nap?"
She shakes her head at the two, knowing you would have something to say about it. "James."
"Coming, dear."
"I'll be here while you go help the man of the house."
"Hey."
Sirius raises his arms, "I'm kidding. I'm kidding."
He's left alone with his thoughts, something that's become more dangerous than before.
He thinks back to the story he was telling his godson, which was the night before your guys' seventh year when you decided to do some digging and found the bottle of fire whisky he had hidden, saving for a special occasion and ended up giving yourself a nickname.
You were so, so... drunk.
-
You smile and raise your hands, not at all careful to hide the bottle of fire whiskey. “It's time to be the life of the party.”
Everyone was confused as to why you did this, why you’d lost yourself.
"Someone needs to get her down from that table before she trips and breaks something," Lily hisses.
"We can use magic to heal her."
"Now is not the time to sass me, Sirius."
"Uh- nope, that one was me," Remus raises his hands.
"Someone please, help me get her down."
The three boys take a step forward at the same time.
"Come on, darling. It's time to come down."
You pout, holding the bottle close to your chest. "I don't wanna."
James snorts. "Can it, Prongs."
"I didn't say anything, Padfoot."
"Boys, please. Let's just get close to the table and then Pads can try and ease her down while we help?" The werewolf adds.
"Siri, come up and join me."
"Join you?"
"Become the life of the party with me."
“Sweetheart, I already am.” He holds his hand out for you to take. “Come and party with me down here.”
“No,” you tell him.
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Prongs, Moony,” he jerks his head to the side. “Over here.”
They follow, leaving the red head to deal with you.
“Alright, boys. Moons, you grab the bottle while Prongs my boy,” he smacks the bespectacled boy’s shoulder. “You distract, pull her in with that odd charm that drew your rosy, red head in.”
“I feel like I should be offended.”
Sirius raises a brow, “are you?”
“No.”
“Then you’re fine. Ready boys. On three.”
“Please don’t try to use sports analogies,” Remus interrupts.
“Rude.”
“Hey,” James calls out for you. “Look at me.”
This gives Remus enough time to remove the bottle from your hands and for Sirius to pull you down.
“What made you want to get up on a table?” He asked, holding you in his arms.
“I wanted to get away.”
He glances up, knowing you probably don’t want the others to hear. “Get away from what?”
“The images in my mind.”
“Do you-”
“She needs to have something other than that damned whiskey in her system. Bring her over to the couch,” Lily tells him.
-
He never knew what you saw before that night and didn’t ask when you didn’t remember anything that happened.
This was one of the first few sights that haunted his mind, followed by his best friend and his wife a year after.
That’s why when he saw you for the first time, he was going through so many emotions.
His voice calling out to you wasn’t out of the norm but seeing him when you turned around after the light taps on your shoulder was certainly a surprise.
Your eyes widen at the sight of him. “Sirius?”
He throws himself forward, almost squeezing you with his might. “It’s been too long, darling.��
Your hands shake as you fist handfuls of his shirt tightly, wrinkling his shirt in the process. “I- you,” you push him back. “You shouldn’t be here. You- you- Sirius you can’t be here,” you whisper.
“You shouldn’t be either but here we are. Just focus on this.” He cups your cheek.
“What?”
His thumb brushes across your cheek. “We’re together again.”
“You should be out there, living your life and- and teaching Harry so much more.”
“I am right where I need to be.” He smiles at you, staring into your eyes. “I’m back with you.”
You gulp, “you’re still an idiot.”
“No, I’m Sirius.”
You shake your head and pull him in for another hug… until an echoing voice causes you to furrow your brows.
“Pads! Pads!”
“Oh no,” you mumble.
“What?”
“Pads turn your stupid head around.”
“Who’s calling me stupid?”
You’re happy you let go of him when you did otherwise, you’d be on the ground with the two idiots you find yourself lucky enough to call friends.
“I didn’t want to interrupt the two of you.”
“I know,” you assure Lily. “It’s okay. I’m just happy to see you guys again.”
She wraps an arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer. “Me too.”
“Don’t forget about us,” Marlene calls out.
You two spin around, finding her and Dorcas running towards you guys.
“Took him long enough.”
“Marlene,” you hiss.
“What? I can’t pretend like you haven’t been depressed since that night. Everyone missed you and then when the first war came and we came here, you were so relieved that he wasn’t here but longing for him to come to you and you know it. You can’t hide it.”
You roll your eyes.
“So, you did miss me?” He says, staring up at you with a stargazed look in his eyes.
You turn away, avoiding his gaze. “No.”
“Someone’s lying, and it isn’t Sirius,” he says, attempting to egg you on.
“Come on, girls.”
“Wait- no.” He chases after you.
-
All of you stop, staring around the cemetery.
“What do we do now?”
“We wander around in true spirit fashion.”
“I vote we leave James behind,” you say, raising your hand.
“I second that vote,” Lily and Marlene add.
“Lily pad,” James gasps.
“Dorcas, come on. Don’t do this to me.”
“I’m with the side that doesn’t whine and complain.”
“But I’m nothing without whining and complaining. I was the only male here till Pads decided to join us.”
“I can see why they didn’t want you around.”
“Pads! I’m offended now!”
“Oh, well.” Sirius shrugs.
“You two haven’t changed a bit,” you comment. “It’s nice. I’ve missed seeing all of us being like this.”
“Like what?” Lily asks.
“Being young, not worried about a war coming our way.”
“I think we can all agree on that.”
“Did you all hear Moons has begun to pursue Tonks?” Sirius says.
“No."
"No way.”
-
You lead the others towards Diagon’s Alley, feeling a butter beer kind of night is something you all need.
“Don’t give her any fire whiskey. Otherwise, her “life of the party” personality will come out.” Marlene teases.
“That was one time,” you defend yourself.
“Lies,” Dorcas says, coughing into her hand.
“You all suck.” You pout.
Sirius leans in, “how’s it feel?”
“Don’t be like that, Sirius.”
“What? So, Sirius? I can’t, that’s who I am.”
“I hate you.”
“You love me.”
You stare into his eyes. ‘I missed you more than anything, Siri.’
“I do.”
His smile widens, “I knew it.”
You close your eyes, wanting this to fill the blocks you made in your memory.
Everyone needs a little happy scene they can think back to.
-
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wystericwoes · 6 months
Text
Doomed pt.4
Warnings: cursing, slight smut, mild descriptions of violence, lore accurate Gojo and Sukuna, Sukuna's domain so blood and bones n shit, psychoanalyzing Gojo, emotions, mild implications to toxic relationships, relatively tame as far as warnings go for this series.
Pt.1 Pt.2 Pt.3
Wc: 9.5k
Join the taglist!
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"ℑ 𝔡𝔬𝔫𝔱 𝔫𝔢𝔢𝔡 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔲𝔭 𝔪𝔶 𝔩𝔦𝔣𝔢, 𝔧𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔰𝔦𝔱 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔞𝔯𝔨 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔪𝔢."
If Sukunas timeline was a road, you were a deer that ran through it. 
You weren’t meant to run across it, and now he’s stuck remembering the dead animal that he was responsible for killing. 
Guilt, shame, the unmistakable feeling of dread. But also, an inconvenience. 
He’s changed, and you don’t even remember him. 
You brought out the best in him. Or at least the best he could be, But that was a long time ago. 
So he had to make a decision. 
You tapped on the windows of his soul, and he couldn’t help but open it. Little did he know that you would manage to vortex your soul and come powering through as a seemingly unstoppable force.
The second he came back in the body of yuuji, his soul awakened. 
Something was off. Something was missing. Something wasn’t right 
And all the questions and all the answers had you standing in the center. 
He comes back, and you gain powers, He gets close to you and he feels weaker, but you become stronger. And vice versa.
Luckily, he had a personal drone that he could manifest an eye on and begin to keep it on you like a hawk. 
And un/fortunately for him, you keep getting stuck with Yuuji. 
What he doesn’t like however, is your innate curiosity. 
You shouldn’t want to be near him, and yet, any chance you get you keep naively wanting to talk to him. 
Do you not know by now?
Do you not know who you were to him? And what he did to you? 
“I’m going to tell you this once.” 
You stared at him, wide eyed and attentive.
“Don’t talk to me anymore.” 
You were shocked.
“Why not?” 
“Because I can kill you. Is that not reason enough?” 
“But you haven’t!” 
He tched. 
“Stupid.” 
Your heart was pounding. White spots in the corner of your vision. 
“I just have some questions.” 
“I don’t have to answer them.” 
“Then don’t.”
Fuck. You haven’t changed. You were still dumb and wide-eyed as ever, always so stubborn.
You didn’t know how to ask him what you wanted to ask. If he didn’t know what you were talking about, you would seem crazier than you already were. 
“Do- do you know anything about…” 
He looked at you. A blank expression. 
You gulped at his stare. 
“About me. About us?” 
He was completely unreadable. And that terrified you. 
He simply stared at you like you were stupid and remained silent.
You started to sweat, how much time did you have left? 
“Okay… sorry. Ignore that.” 
You could feel the adrenaline being pumped through your veins. 
“You’re the king of curses, so do you know why everything is happening so suddenly with curses and my powers and whatever?” 
“That’s a title given to me by sorcerers. I have no way of knowing that.” 
He looked annoyed. 
“Shit… sorry.” 
You really were the same. Always apologizing when you were nervous, even when you had no reason to. 
“I can buy us 2 minutes. Make it quick.” 
“Shit shit yeah. Um, what happened last time we met?” 
He raised a brow, confused. 
“Do you not remember?” 
“No. I forgot… I think I passed out.” 
“I can’t answer that, but I will tell you one thing out of respect for you.” 
You perked up. Respect? 
“Don’t trust Gojo Satoru.” 
“What? Why?” 
“You’ll have to figure it out. I don’t know much about it myself.” 
He spoke so properly, whenever you talked after you felt like a child in comparison. 
“Okay one last one.” 
Your breath was heavy, and hands were shaking. 
“Why haven’t you hurt me?” 
He looked you up and down. His gaze was penetrating, you felt like you had nothing against him, nothing protecting you in this moment right now. 
“Do you want me to?” 
“No! I’m just- im confused- you’re not as bad as everyone says you are and I don’t know what to do! Nothing makes sense right now, and no one’s telling me anything!” 
“Why should I?” 
He said in a dismissive tone. 
“Because you’re the only person who I feel like isn’t lying to me.” 
Stupid. Too trusting. 
He stayed silent. His gaze unmoving, you shifted uncomfortably. 
“I can’t stall any longer. Don’t reach me again. If anyone finds out they might kill you, I might kill you. You wear down my patience and your voice annoys me.” 
“I…-“ 
You cut yourself off, watching as his eyes closed and he shifted back into Yuuji. 
He blinked his eyes a few times before looking at you. 
“What happened?” 
You didn’t know what you looked like. But you quickly realized it wasn’t normal, and took a deep breath, fixing yourself. 
“Nothing. What I thought was gonna happen.”
Luckily, he wasn’t interested in asking questions. And kept his curiosity to himself.  He could see that you were upset, so he left it at that. 
“So… what movie do you wanna watch next?” 
You softly smiled. He was a good person. A nice change of pace from all the uncertainty in your life. 
And after your talk with Sukuna, you never heard the rabbit scream bloody murder again. 
Have you ever been so mad that your vision was blurry, and your thoughts just ceased?  
Well, you weren't there yet, but you were really fucking close.  
And what caused your knuckles to turn white, and your blood pressure to rise beyond earth's atmosphere rhymed with Sojo Gatoru. 
You were so frustrated that someone who you thought was the only stability right now was the one who was thoroughly fucking you over. 
You didn’t even want to go over to his place, but his shower is nice and if what he means is true about people wanting you dead- then you can stay another couple of nights mad at him. 
It beats being in the dorms anyway. 
But you didn’t know what to believe now, was he lying about that too? The fact that your uncertainty had led you to believe what Sukuna said over the supposed “good guys”.
Luckily Gojo wasn’t a total idiot, and didn’t show up that night. So he had some self awareness after all. 
You had just gotten out of the shower and into a change of clothes, when you heard to doorbell ring. 
Your blood was boiling, he really had the balls to show up after he knew how upset you were? You stomped over to the door and slung it open only to be met with… food. 
You were a little less upset now. But still upset! 
Why would he have rung the doorbell on his own house anyway? You mentally face-palmed yourself realizing. Your mind had been on the fritz ever since your conversation with Sukuna.
"Don't trust Gojo Satoru." 
Was this the truth? Or a manipulative ploy?
You shook your head and dispersed the thoughts. Shoving stressful moments into the back of your head and instead focusing on something you could trust, free food. 
In your anger, you settled on abusing the ever-living shit out of Gojo's house. Not literally, just in the disregard for how his electrical and water bills are affected. 
You drank the expensive wines and binged the endless stream of TV subscriptions, surrounded yourself in fluffy blankets and supple silks. 
As much as you hate him right now, you loved how annoyingly good his bathroom was. The whole house really. A modernized rustic home with Japanese influence. You were surprised he didn't live in some penthouse, but there's also a lot of evidence that he's hardly here. 
His fridge is mostly empty with the exception of a variety of drinks and some organic snacks like fancy dips and cheeses. No meals, no produce. The same goes for his pantry- which had some non-perishable goods like rice, chips, and sweets. That must've been why he was sending you so much food, because he was aware of how sad his stash was. 
It's amazing that he could ever bring anyone over here. What does he do for dinner? Wait for take-out? Not necessarily romantic. Or most likely he's more of a 'haste and baste' kind of guy. Bring them over, fuck, then repeat. 
You almost shuddered at the thought. 
Once you were done eating, you went to the bathroom. Paper doors slid open to reveal an at-home spa and sauna. The marble countertops perfectly contrasted with the hardwood floors. But the most beautiful part was the deep onyx tiles that coated the inside of the shower and bath. 
The bathtub was modern, and the handles fit perfectly in your palms. 
You have no idea how Satoru doesn't spend much time here, it's absolutely stunning. 
The long bath was what you needed, the hot water kneading your muscles and soothing the tension that your body carried. Nearly orgasmic quality in the way it made you feel, the steam opening your pores and relaxing you to your core. 
You lolled your head back against the tub and closed your eyes. 
He held your hand as he guided you into the Onsen. 
The steam spread across your body, welcoming you inside, its tendrils dancing around you both in a messy waltz. 
You had to put your hair up, as you stepped in, he made you grow it out longer than it had ever been before- because he liked it that way. 
He ogled you shamelessly as the water enveloped you like a womb. 
With one drawn-out sigh, you threw your head back. The newest spring added to the estate, overlooking the sunset. Painted skies, delicate leaves, and welcoming waters were your favorite kind of nights. 
He dedicated at least one night a week to you and alone time. When he wasn't out conquering lands and dominating dictators. 
You were his special little secret. His Achilles heel, and above all else, his exception. 
This was before he had killed thousands, before he had grown four arms and was donned "King of curses."
When he maybe still had a chance. 
You were his first true love, right before power. which he had recently been on an ever-increasing and concerning pursuit of. But for now, you let yourself live in willful ignorance. 
A mistake that you would end up soon regretting. 
You blinked the sleep out of your eyes, you had dozed off. The water was now lukewarm, your fingers pruned and neck sore. 
"Well, that was a waste of a good bath..." you sighed and got out with a strained grunt. 
Pulling the nearest towel over to you and drying yourself off, you decided you should go to bed. 
You started to hate that bed. If not for its silky smoothness and cloud-like mattress, you would sleep on the couch. 
It was unnecessarily huge- a king maybe. And sleeping in alone served as the cruelest reminder that you were more alone than ever when sleeping over as an esteemed guest. 
When you finally sunk into bed, it smelled like him. Which was both relaxing and distressing. 
You had thrown on one of his shirts to feel a little closer to him. But even being in his bed you never felt farther away, and you couldn't stand it. 
Maybe sleep would be more welcoming, so you succumbed to it. 
Your eyes gently opened, but the bed was a lot harder, and colder. 
You noticed the kink in your neck was gone, but so was the bed. instead, you rested upon a ground of crimson, rippling beneath you from every movement. 
It was more than a dream, but it wasn't quite real either. 
You sat up, the first thing you noticed was a chain on your ankle. 
Then the second, bones. You were inside a ribcage. 
This would usually be the moment when you would scream, but you remained quiet- in more of a silent shock, your mouth agape and heart beating more and more rapidly. 
That was when you followed your eyes down the chain, to a pile of throne-shaped human skeletal remains. You let out a sharp gasp, bringing a hand up to your hand upon seeing the last person you would've expected. 
Sukuna. 
He was donned in godly white robes, eyes closed. A sleeping beast, and you had fallen straight into the den. 
You didn't make a peep. Frantically looking around for any escape. 
As you were shifting, you moved the chain. You cringed as you turned around to see that he was now awake. He had felt the chain move because it was attached to his ankle as well. 
He looked at you with the most emotion you had seen in his face so far, and that emotion was pure shock. 
So at least you weren't the only one who was confused here.
"What did I tell you?" His voice was low and guttural, and absolutely terrifying. 
Panic creeped its way through you from the ground up as you looked him in the eyes. 
"I-I don't know how I got here this wasn't me I promise!"
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of you. And he looked pissed.
"I do not care if it was an accident. I said what I said." Each word was laced with venom. 
His hand met your throat, and you were abruptly slammed into the ground. 
His hands are warm.
You let out a strained sound of pain. The ground was fluid but still solid- somehow. 
"This... Isn't my fault!"
You fought back. And with a surprising strength, pushed him off of you, you dug one knee into the ground and yanked onto the chain as hard as you could, knocking him off his feet. 
"So don't attack me asshole!"
You were so mad. And for some reason, you weren't scared.
He let out a scoff and extended his legs to swipe underneath you, causing you to also fall. 
"Shit!" You fell hard on your ass and the pain shot through you. 
He had gotten back up and dusted off his robe. 
"What a brat."
He said with pure annoyance. 
"Before you start attacking me, tell me how to get back and I will. I don't want to fucking be here."
You were panting and sweating, the adrenaline settling in fully. Slowly bringing yourself up while straining from your bruised body.
He was looking at you frustrated. Before he went back up to his sadistic and creepy throne. 
"I don't have time for this."
He closed his eyes again. 
You yanked on your shared chain, jerking him out of his attempt at sleep, angering him more. 
He grit his teeth. As much as you didn't like pissing him off, it was better than him ignoring you completely. 
You two argued like children. 
"Stop it." He growled
"Make me!"
"You don't want me to do that. Trust me little mouse."
"I have questions! If we're stuck together, I'm at least getting answers."
"And what makes you think you have that authority over me? You're in my domain."
"Yeah, break this chain then!"
He just scoffed at you. 
"I don't have to."
"Then I guess you're just stuck with me." You were going to sit down but remembered it's all blood. and opted to just cross your arms instead.
"Why are you chained to me anyway?"
He opted to ignore you. 
"Don't do that petty crap." 
He still paid you no mind. 
You just huffed in defeat and walked over to lean against a wall. 
You tried closing your eyes, maybe going to sleep is how you wake up? Some movie double inception bullshit. 
"You breathe loud."
He muttered out of nowhere. 
You simply scoffed. 
"Do you have any idea why this is happening? You're the sorcerer after all."
He re-opened his eyes and looked at you. 
He let out a strained sigh. 
"I might. But there's nothing that can be done about it now."
"Have you tried?"
He looked at you like you were stupid. 
"Why dont you try angel?" He said in a condescending voice. Angel.
With a wave of newfound dedication, you went to your anklet, trying to pry it open only to be shocked by what felt like electricity. You knew you couldn't bend metal with your bare hands, but you weren't expecting that. 
"Look closer at it idiot."
That's when you realized it wasn't metal, it was energy. Cursed energy. 
"You can't do anything about that?"
"It's a binding vow. No sorcerer can break it."
You looked at him perplexed.
He tched. Too annoyed. 
"A pact with jujutsu."
"That doesn't help."
"It doesn't need to. All you need to know is that we're both in a bad spot."
You contemplated his words. 
It all still made no sense, you furrowed your brow and rubbed a finger on your temple. 
"Only you can take yourself out of here."
“What do you mean by that? I didn’t even try to come here in the first place.” 
“You came to me, brat.” 
“I doubt that. Look around you, does this look like a place I would try to be in?” 
“You’re the one who showed up at my feet, you tell me.” 
“Try killing me then, maybe I’ll return back to my plane or whatever.” 
“You can’t kill a soul.” 
You looked at him dumbfounded. 
He rolled his eyes.
“These aren’t our physical bodies. You’re inside my soul.” 
“Well I’d like to be out.” 
“The feeling is mutual. But you’re too weak to know how to manipulate your cursed energy yet.” 
Your ego was a little bruised at his insult, but you knew he was right. 
In an act of rebellion, you tried to escape. You pawed at the chain, clawed the walls, punched them, kicked them, frustration overtook you. 
But being stuck with him was not the source of it. 
It was knowing nothing but being apart of everything, it was being ghosted and controlled, it was Gojos smug fucking face and pretentious attitude. 
Sukuna was actually one of the only things you weren’t entirely upset about. But you were feeling your emotions, and it happened to be right here. So you still cursed at the meaty fleshy walls of his “domain.” 
You thought maybe fighting him would do it, but anytime you looked over at him it’s like he knew- and he quickly gave you a glare that shut that idea down. 
“You could at least try to help.” 
“With what? You brought yourself to me.” 
“Right because I clearly wanted that. Look at how much I’m enjoying being here.” 
He wasn’t telling the whole truth. Since it was his domain, he could usually send people out when he wanted, but because of the chain, he was stuck with you. 
You let out a muffled scream in frustration. Sliding down the wall, you didn’t care if the floor was blood. It didn’t stain your clothes. 
Your clothes. 
Why was it for the first time you had just now realized your clothes weren’t the ones you went to sleep with- I guess shock does that to you. 
You looked down and you were wearing red silky robes. 
“Red is your favorite color…” 
You mumbled, everything clicked into place. 
You were hit with a resurgence of emotion, your heart felt like it stopped. 
You weren’t going crazy. 
His hands are warm.
Angel. 
Red robes.
You had felt like you were hit by a freight train, everything quickly became disoriented and you felt your sense of reality splitting with a painful migraine. Your five senses all became dulled, and you nearly tripped on your own feet. 
He was simply looking down at you when you went to meet his gaze. 
Panic creeped into you, seeping into your pores and overtaking you cell by cell. You felt like you were being ripped apart in slow agonizing pieces by the strain that your body was putting on itself. 
“You do know something…”
Your hands went up to your head, fingers gripping your hair. 
“Everyone knows something but me!” 
You shouted, but no one heard. 
You choked a quiet sob. Not allowing the tears to run down your face, but feeling them threaten to fall. 
You were slammed with emotions that weren’t yours. 
He betrayed you. 
As fast as they left came memories flooding in your head. All in the third person as a helpless spectator. But they were all in flashes, none of them clear. Something was trying to force its way into your brain, something that wasn’t you. 
“Did you finally figure it out yet?” 
Your neck hurts. But it wasn’t the kink from the tub, it was a sharp pain, a searing one that resonated like a cruel blade. 
He stepped down his throne and made his way in front of you with slow and carefree movements. 
“You’ve always been slow.” 
He bent down and with a firm grip squeezed either side of your face, bringing it up to meet him. 
“Now I just have to figure out how to get what I need without killing you.” 
Your eyes shot open, your body was covered in a cold sweat and you slowly sat up.
Your head throbbed. 
“What the hell…?” 
You looked out and it was still dark out. 
You had only been asleep a couple hours. 
There was no more chain on your ankle, no more pain. 
You didn’t know if it was a dream, and you didn’t want to know. It wasn’t quite real, but something was off about it too. A lucid dream maybe? 
You pressed a hand to your hot face to feel wet spots on your cheeks, you had been crying in your sleep. 
You picked up your phone. 
You didn’t know what else to do. 
He didn’t know what else to do. 
He had been out clubbing the past two days every second he wasn’t at work. 
He had officially been awake a full 42 hours. 
He was losing control. Of his sanity, of you. 
The only thing that he did have control over, was who he hooked up with. So that’s what he was doing- or- who he was doing. 
Until he got a buzz in his back pocket, he had been receiving some pretty okay head- anything to distract him until he saw your name pop up. 
He thought about it, thumb hovering over the hang up button.
He sighed, and petted the person's head between his legs a couple times before smiling at them and getting up. 
“Maybe another time, kay?” 
Before they even had a chance to say anything he was already outside, buttoning his pants and fixing his fly.
He didn’t answer. 
That asshole! First you felt rage, but it quickly warped back into what could only be described as fear. 
“Dammit Satoru!!” 
You threw your phone across the bed. You were upset, but not break your phone by throwing it on the floor upset. 
You flopped onto your back, 
Until you heard it buzz again. 
You were tempted not to answer; why was he awake at this time anyway? But Maybe you woke him. 
You reached across the bed and picked it up. 
There was a brief second of silence before you both said “hello?” At the same time 
“Sorry. You go first.” 
“You called me babe.” 
“Not this time technically…” 
You heard him chuckle into the receiver. 
Another moment of silence. 
“Can you… can you come home?” 
“Why? Did something happen? You didn’t burn anything down did you?” 
“It’s your house asshole, you should be here!” 
“You miss me. That’s it isn’t it?” 
You could hear his smug smile. 
“I’m just… I don’t know.” 
You needed someone, just not him. You wanted company, just not his. You were scared. 
And he was strong. 
“Something did happen… I haven’t told you everything because I feel like you haven’t been telling me everything either.” 
Silence. 
As big of a dick as Gojo Satoru was, he knew when he was in the wrong. He just wasn’t very often (according to him.) 
“Can you just do your freaky teleporting shit and get over here? I’ve been alone too long.” 
“That’s not really how it works- but, sure.” 
There was a rasp to his voice. And not the sexy tired kind, the dry throated, tipsy, sick rasp. Like when the lining of your throat is burned from throwing up. Acidic and toxic. 
You waited for him to appear in the room for a minute but he never did. You thought he forgot about you until you heard the sound of stumbling in the kitchen and some cursing. 
You left the bed and got up to be met by Gojo fumbling around and his feet almost going out, leaning one hand against the counter and his shoulders and head slumped. 
“Jesus Gojo, are you drunk?” 
“My name is Satoru.” 
He had a different tone than when he was on the phone with you just a moment ago. 
“Sorry… Satoru.” 
You walked over and slid his tall ass arm over your shoulder and walked him over to the closest seat. 
You finally were up close enough to see his face, his glasses were halfway slid down his nose, and deep grey bags adorned themselves beneath his eyes. 
He smelled like a bar, and his clothes were dirty too. 
“Long night?” 
“Nights.” He put an emphasis on the s.
“When was the last time you slept…” 
“Uhhh…” 
He looked upwards as if trying to remember. 
You sighed. Calling him for comfort was clearly a bad idea, but you can’t send him out like this. 
“You smell like a fart took a shit. Where’ve you been?” 
“You’re not my mom.” 
He quipped. 
You just rolled your eyes. 
“Do you want to get some sleep?” 
“Not particularly.” 
He had thrown his head back and you watched as his adams apple bobbed. 
“Why not?” 
“Can’t.” 
“Well yeah that tends to happen when you go out drinking.” 
“Correlation isn’t causation sweetheart.” 
You put a hand on your hip. 
“You’re not in a place to be a smartass, Satoru. Come on.” 
You put your hand on his shoulder and shook him gently, hinting at him to pay attention and help as you attempted to pull his arm over you, and get him up. You both almost collapsed except you managed to plant a hand against the nearest hardest surface and ground yourself. 
“You’re heavier than you look. Lay off the sweets.”you said with a grunt.
You tried joking to ease up the tension, As funny as it may seem to haul a sick Satoru around- you could tell something was wrong. 
You didn’t want to be an adult right now, but you were left without a choice. 
He barely helped you, his feet shuffling beneath him as he leaned most of his weight against you. 
You managed to haul his lanky ass to the bed where you threw him on it, feeling little sympathy. 
“Okay, goodnight now.” 
You were just about to turn the light off and go over to the couch, before you heard him mutter something under his breath, stopping you in your steps.
“Stay…” 
You turned your head around. 
“Really, now you want to be with me?” You couldn’t hold back your sassiness. 
He was staring up at the ceiling, his hand on his face. 
You sighed. You couldn’t leave him like this, his shoes were still on. 
“Can you change yourself?” 
He nodded. 
“Okay, go do that. Then I’ll come back.” 
You walked out to the kitchen and ran him some water, reminiscing on your first day here. 
You walked back slowly, staring down at the glass. Feeling it against your skin. 
When you came back into the room, he was laying exactly where he had been before except he was in nothing but his boxers. 
“That’s not what I meant by changing.” 
“Close enough.” 
You sighed again, placing the water on his nightstand. 
“You forgot your glasses…”
You turned over to him, and leaning over his face, Revealing his eyes, those fucking eyes. Which were focused right on you as he watched you delicately take them off and place them aside. 
And for the first time he truly admired you. You weren’t conventional. You weren’t like the other people he had ever been with, you were genuine. 
You turned on the lamp, then went across the room to turn off the light. 
You walked back over to the bed and slid into the sheets a safe distance from him, and scrolled through your phone. 
You had spent a second like that, but were distracted by the feeling of your hand being picked up by his. 
He lifted it above his face, and just… looked at it. Inspecting each finger with his own. 
You looked at him interested, mostly confused. 
“I like your hands.” 
He said out of nowhere. 
“Thanks?” 
Then he placed your hand against his chest and closed his eyes. 
Your breath hitched, he was so cold. You spoke to hide your flustered-ness. 
“Take a blanket, Satoru! Jesus.” 
You reached down and grabbed a loose one at the foot of the bed and slung it over his legs haphazardly. 
He then sat upright, and pushed the blanket off of him. You were about to protest before he pulled his legs up and then under the sheets with you. 
“How drunk are you?” 
You said as a genuine question. 
“About a 9/10.” 
He looked over at you. 
“Is that bad?” 
“Not good.” He chuckled. 
He was different. You chalked it up to the alcohol, but this Satoru was entirely different than the one you had seen before. 
He wore no fake smile, he faked no compliments, he didn’t act with an air of cockiness. 
“Why are you partying and drinking so much anyway?” 
His smile dropped. 
“You.” 
So no filter while he’s drunk? Cool. 
“Oh, sorry?” 
“It’s not your fault though.” 
He was staring at the ceiling again. 
“How am I the reason but it’s not my fault?” 
“You’re different.” 
“So you say.” 
You joked it off. 
You looked over at him and he was just looking at you. Intrinsically eyeing every detail of your face, as if he was trying to get to something. 
“You don’t make sense.” 
“I don’t make sense?! You teleported here!” 
“That’s true.”
He had a small smile again. 
“I just mean you don’t… work the same way everyone else does.” 
“You could say that about anyone though. No one’s the same.” 
“Yeah but you especially.” 
You laid down next to him, both of you on your backs looking up. 
“Everything’s been so weird recently.”
You admitted. Looking back over to him. 
“Do you know the reason why I called you?” 
“You were lonely?” 
You almost punched him, But gave him a pass because he was drunk. 
“Because I’m scared.”
He paid his full attention to you.
“I can’t pretend like it isn’t happening anymore. I keep having these- dreams and visions or something of myself and of…” 
You almost didn’t want to say it. But he probably wouldn’t remember this anyway, and you needed to get it off your chest. 
“..Sukuna.” 
You said with a shaky breath. 
Gojos eyes widened. 
The image was beginning to really take shape in his mind now, almost sobering him up as the realization was hitting him. The familiar visual of a cork board with images and blank spaces, and you and sukuna closely tied together. 
It started to fall into place. He simply stared at you while you spoke.
“And I’m chained to him… and he keeps telling me all these things and I keep wanting to see him even though I know I shouldn’t, and ever since this all started my memory has been defective, and anytime I’m alone with my thoughts I just think about him.” 
You closed your eyes and put your hands over your face. 
“I don’t know what’s scarier… how terrifying he is, or the fact that I still want to be near him…” 
You said shakily. You hadn’t even admitted that to yourself yet. 
You reopened your eyes, rubbing them sheepishly. Sleep wanting to overtake you again. 
“I’m sorry…” 
You realized you may have over shared with the way he stared at you. 
“Why are you sorry?” 
“I feel like that was too much.” 
“You shouldn’t feel bad.” 
He reached over for your hand again, instinctively, as if it were second nature. 
“I appreciate it but I don’t think that’s true.” 
He let out a sigh of defeat. 
“I kinda knew.” 
You whipped your head around to him. 
“What?!?!” 
“I traced it back to that first day when we trained, the energy you used wasn’t regular cursed energy.” 
You looked at him with a confused expression. 
“It was something a lot more complicated that not many sorcerers can ever do.” 
“It could’ve just been luck?” 
“It’s something that takes skill. That’s something you don’t have yet.” 
Ouch. 
“And I traced it back to Sukuna.” 
“You know about this?!” 
“Don’t get mad at me!” He whined 
“It’s not easy for me to get any angrier at you than I already am.” 
You squeezed his hand with a bruising force without even realizing.
“Let me explain at least-“ 
“Fine…” 
You glared at him. 
“I don’t ‘know’ about it- I just have been… investigating in my spare time.” 
You raised a brow, still glaring. 
“Thin ice. Why wouldn’t you tell me?” 
“I didn’t want to overwhelm you with everything you had going on.” 
“Right so that’s where you draw the line but making me leave my job and ditching me after sleeping with me is fine.”
He winced. He had never thought of it like that. 
“You’re a prick y’know that?” 
“You’re not the first person to tell me.” 
“You should really fucking listen.” 
You snarked at him. 
“Do you wanna know something I’ve noticed about you?” 
He looked you in the eyes, curious. 
“You don’t know who you are.”
He raised a brow and smiled at you. 
“Oh yeah? How so.” 
“You can smile but I’m right. Tell me one original thing about yourself that doesn’t have to do with anything you were born with.” 
“I can use reversed cursed energy.” 
“Right, would you be able to if you were born as someone different?” 
“Probably.” 
“That’s what I mean! You’re in this bubble of your own strength and unless someone beat you maybe you would finally come out of it.“
“Well it’s too bad no one can beat me.” 
“In a fight maybe, but what else you got?” 
He opened his mouth. 
“Sex doesn’t count either!” 
He closed his mouth. 
“I’ll let you think about it. I also know that you probably don’t open up easily.” 
“Can’t argue with that one.” 
Your eyes fell down to his hand holding yours. 
“But I bet you want to.” 
“I don’t appreciate this therapy session.” 
“No one is ready to hear what they don’t want to hear.” 
“And maybe I’d like it to stay that way.” He joked 
You rolled your eyes, and then yawned. 
“You need sleep.” 
“You’re probably right.” 
He blinked his eyes slowly. 
“Remember that you said that.” 
He chuckled. 
You released his hand and turned the light off, 
“Night ‘Toru.” You scooted over next to him and put your head on his chest, 
He was already knocked out. 
You smiled to yourself and drifted off soon after. 
When you woke up, you weren’t alone. Which was an incredibly nice change of pace. 
You had barely moved from last night, head still on him. You slowly craned your neck up to see that he was still asleep. 
You reached around and eventually felt where your phone was, checking the time. 
It was well into the afternoon. 
“Oh shit!” 
Your sudden remark woke up the man beneath you. 
“Huh?” 
“Wake up! It’s past 3!” 
“Oh shit!” 
“I know!” 
You two looked at each other for a moment, and started breaking out laughing. 
“I can’t believe I missed the whole day…” 
“That’s what you get for not sleeping for two fucking days!” 
You said angrily but were smiling. 
“I blame you.” 
“Why?!”
“I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t call me.” 
“Yeah because you probably would’ve stayed up another night.” 
You reached for a pillow and went to hit him, but he caught it. 
“That’s because someone’s taking up my room.” 
“This was your idea!” 
You reached for another pillow, only to be met with the Same result. 
With both his hands holding pillows, you attempted to hit him with a blanket, but he just trapped you instead with his pillow-hands and held you up against him. 
“Lehfme goh!” 
Your words were muffled. 
“Sorry, I can't hear you.” 
You desperately tried to escape, but he was strong.
Annoyingly so. 
“Hwhy arh you sho buff?” 
He simply laughed at you. 
“Okah I woh hit you anhmoe!” 
He loosened his grip and you rolled out of bed before he could hit you with another sneak attack. 
“I’m gonna go and be productive now.” 
“Aww, you’re gonna leave me here?” 
“Yes.” 
You said shamelessly as you left to the kitchen. 
The sunlight was boldly peeking in through all the windows, there wasn’t even a need for lights as you strolled through, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. 
He followed behind, pulling up some pants as he walked. 
“Are you wearing my shirt?” 
“Yeah and what about it?” 
“I knew you liked me.” 
He said cockily. 
“It’s just because it’s soft, don’t get the wrong idea.” 
He was back to his normal self, that sliver of vulnerability and genuineness was gone now.
“That’s what they always say.” 
“Can you order some breakfast, you don’t have shit in this house.” 
You felt that all too familiar sensation of an empty stomach's rage as you rummaged through his pathetic pantry. 
“You don’t even have cereal in here! What’s wrong with you?” 
“According to you a lot.” 
“I stand by that!” 
You shouted from inside the cabinets.
“There probably aren't any places offering breakfast.” He sat on a chair and began looking through his phone. 
Shit. You realized he was probably right. 
“But you’re rich? Can’t you hire a private chef or something? I want some waffles.” 
“Someone’s becoming needy.” 
“Blame yourself for taking me out so much.” 
“How are you gonna live without me?” 
That sentence made you think. What were you gonna do after you left?
“Speaking of which, am I allowed to go back to my place?” 
“With me, yeah.” 
“Just you?” 
He nodded his head smugly. 
“Are you sure it’s not an excuse to go steal my underwear or something?” 
“If I wanted to do that I would’ve already.” 
“How do I know you haven’t?” 
He put a hand under his chin with a crossed leg and propped an elbow on the table smiling at you. 
“You don’t.” 
“Gross.” 
You dismissed him. 
“What are you planning on telling your job?” 
“An important business trip maybe, somewhere far.” 
“How are you gonna lie to your own bosses about being on a business trip?” 
“Oh I’m not, I’ll lie to my students and co-workers though.” 
That sounded familiar…
That’s what he told you when you were sent on that mission. 
“How often do you go on those…?” 
“Rarely. But it makes for an excellent excuse.” 
“Don’t trust Gojo Satoru.” 
“Right…” 
“So, where do you wanna go to eat?” He beamed at you. 
The energy between you two has just shifted. And you felt that all too natural feeling of your walls rising, brick by brick. 
You two spent the day together, perusing shops and laughing, just genuinely enjoying each other's company. 
Maybe a little too much. 
You couldn’t help but notice your infatuation to anger ratio with Satoru was never steady, and always tipped in one direction. Right now it was a perfect medium, but slowly began to favor him every time he cracked a joke or ran his fingers through his hair, or when he rejected people’s numbers. 
You two were sitting on a bench and watching the scenery. A park setting, one of the quieter parts of the bustling city. 
“I noticed something today.” 
You were smiling contently staring at the trees and people walking through the paths.
“Oh no. Gonna psychoanalyze me again?” 
He had one arm behind you resting against the top of the bench, an ankle crossed over his knee as he lowered his face down to you. 
You ignored him and continued talking. 
“You’ve turned down all the people that have come up to you.” 
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, but it’s a new thing.” 
“I really just do it to humor them.” 
“I don’t believe you.” 
“You never do!” 
He smiled at you. 
“Yeah because you’re full of bullshit, respectfully.” 
“What evidence do you have to support your claim, sweetheart?” 
You scoffed at his nickname. 
“You have a used box of condoms in your nightstand, sweetheart.” 
“Most people do.You’re jealous.” 
He was giving you a cocky grin. 
“Please. Don’t flatter yourself.” 
“Oh yeah? Prove it.” 
“I don’t have to prove anything to you, you just want an excuse to cuck me.” 
“I’m not that into it, but if you’re open I’m open.” 
“What’s your body count then?” 
“That is incredibly private and I’m quite upset you would ask!” 
He feigned offense. 
“I bet it’s more than both our ages combined.” 
“You’re probably right.”
You didn’t want to admit you were jealous, because you weren’t exclusive- But you were. The idea that everytime he told you that you’re special was something he said before, that his bed isn’t cold when you’re gone. His shirt you wore earlier could’ve been on someone else. 
You went quiet. You weren’t sure why you were so upset over him, but you felt it. 
“Didn’t peg you for the covetous type.” 
He went back to looking forward, admiring the same view as you. 
“And I didn’t peg you as a sappy drunk.” 
“Subjective.” 
“Sure.” 
You liked your little banters. But you all too cruelly reminded yourself that it was temporary. 
You were unknowingly pouting, or as you would prefer to say- brooding. 
He slung an arm over your shoulder and brought his mouth to your ear. 
“Someone’s maddd…” He cooed. 
“Ugh.” You rolled your eyes and tried pushing him away, but he wouldn’t budge. 
“C’mon, let’s go home sassy.” He pulled you into him. 
Time flies. Well not actually, for you it was. 
But for Satoru, it was moving at an agonizing pace. 
His whole world currently  revolves around you. The mystery with Sukuna, you living with him, your developing friendship? If that’s what normal people would call it. 
But what was really kicking his ass was he was changing. 
It started off as 
“I’m just not in the mood too tonight.” 
To 
“None of these people are doing it for me.” 
And the next thing he knew he was sitting on the velvet couches of bright and vivid nightclubs. Bass, boobs, butt, and boisterous music were beginning to become boring. Instead of scouting out the nearest hot piece of meat he was gonna fuck or make out with he was thinking about how annoyed he felt. 
Predictable, and mundane. At first he just thought that the club itself was the problem- and he tried doing rounds around the city to varying places. 
But he kept circling past his house and keeping track of when the lights would be on or off. 
Thursday- 
lights on at 9:00pm, 
off at 11.
Friday-
Lights stayed on until midnight, then went off at around 1. 
Then they came back on. 
Did you wake up again? 
Then they were off the next hour. 
Maybe just a midnight snack. 
Saturday-
The lights stayed off all night. 
Went to bed early. 
One night He “broke into” his own home and peeked. He simply put his head in the door and leered in to see you asleep. Then he went out again. Every little thing you did he was becoming obsessed with. Obsessed with knowing, understanding, figuring out. 
You had been using the spare key but honestly you were in and out so much he had just made you a copy, and he saw that it was gone. 
As well as your shoes, phone, but not your wallet. 
This started to become his favorite game. 
You were the central focus on that chapter in his life, and you were a challenge. 
He started to narrow down all the places you could be. Phasing through the nighttime of Tokyo and disappearing into the skylines. 
You wouldn’t be clubbing, you’d need your ID. 
Restaurant? But money. Unless, someone was paying for you. 
Dating? Hookups? Secret underground fighting ring?
He was perplexed. Every step of the way he just couldn’t predict you. 
He thought about not doing it, not following you. But he just couldn’t help himself, you were just too damn interesting. 
He found out later that you had gone on a walk. How something so simple had managed to stump him drew him closer into you. Just a walk- The simplest answer led to the most complicated of thinking. 
Why were you such an enigma? One answer leads to two questions. At first he couldn’t stand not knowing anything, but he realized that having you in his life was difficult. And he fucking loved it. 
One week had passed since the night where he stumbled home drunk, and each day became part of a bigger puzzle. 
He had seen the shift in you. 
The training was getting to you, after some time you were finally becoming less mad at him- but you wouldn’t admit that. Even though he could tell. 
He may not have been able to use his cursed technique on you, but he still did his best to figure you out. 
You were growing tired, and each night he heard the same thing in different ways several times. 
“Who knew learning magic required so much working out?” 
You groaned as you stretched your sore muscles. 
“You say that every night.” 
He was reading a book sitting on the couch as you watched a movie and did yoga. 
“Sorry we can’t all be born with the body of Zeus Asstoru.” 
Your newest nickname for him. He didn’t necessarily mind, finding your frustration cute. 
You had eventually pushed past the borders of sleeping in separate places. After that night when he came home shit faced you both had a silent agreement that it was nicer to sleep next to each other than alone. 
And this was the beginning of a beautifully complicated relationship. Situationship, if you will. 
You refused to sleep with him again to avoid further ruining yourself. Thinking that if you avoided that, everything would stay simple. 
Naive as always. 
You were both too caught up in the flow of life to realize how domestic you both looked. 
During week one you convinced him to go grocery shopping, and you two stood side by side in the kitchen as he blasted pop songs and splashed water on you while doing the dishes, eliciting a scream and then chaos ensuing. Which always led to you two having to do more cleaning- you yelled at him how counterintuitive it was and he laughed it off like always.
Week two you had both made allotted chores to share. Gojo had the dishes, food, and the floors. You covered laundry, surfaces, and anything else. But you shared making the bed. 
He usually liked to take up at least ⅔ of it with his lanky ass body, and so You eventually started rolling over and hitting him in the face until he moved. In the cases where you took up the bed, he just laid on you. Leaving you totally helpless as you clawed at him and tried pushing your huge lap dog off. 
“Toru’!” Git!” You grunted as he refused to budge. Just mumbling something into your shoulder.
“Fuckin’ ridiculous.” You sighed, but ultimately accepted defeat this time.
By week three you had an allotted movie night- Tuesdays. You weren't sure how your arguing had led to that compromise but it did. And any night you picked dinner he picked dessert, And vice versa. Invisible systems and structures were being built in this now shared home.
And, it was the first time you slipped in the shower with him. “To save water.” you said- even though you both knew it was a big fat lie. You were horny. 
“I think you just want an excuse to see me naked.” He leaned an arm on the black tiles, his milky white skin contrasting the night black shower. 
“And you’re complaining?”
“Didn’t say that now.”
He ogled you undauntedly. You both knew what you wanted, and so you went for it. 
The coy game is what you called it, who could pretend like nothing was happening the longest?
The last article of clothing hit the floor, steam nearly blurring your features. He usually took his showers cold, but heated it up for you. 
You simply walked past him ignoring him completely, reaching for the bottle of expensive soap. You moved in to be in front of him so he had a perfect view of your bare shoulders and neck, Some of his favorite parts.
He bit the inside of his lip, leaning back and watching intently. 
You turned around to face him, but simply disregarded his presence and instead pushed him aside to reach the flowing water.  A small moan leaves your lips as the welcoming warmth enveloped you. 
You lathered up the soap in your hands, letting the suds fall down your body, tracing over every sweet dip. 
“What's wrong?” You asked sarcastically. 
“Nothing.”
“Really?” You looked him in the eyes. 
“Need some help?” You gave him your best ‘fuck me’ eyes. 
He was grinning at you. 
“Sure.” 
You reached for the soap again, with one hand you started working your way down the curves of his shoulders, and down the dip of his spine.
He pressed a firm hand against the wall balancing himself as your fingers left ghost traces down his skin. The tantalizing and torturous teasing of yours was driving him fucking insane. But he was persistent. 
Then you moved your hands around to his abs, tracing the outline. You gripped onto his waist and put your face against his broad back and shoulders. Letting your hand roam farther and farther down until you reached his v-line. 
The sensitive and thin skin being suddenly intruded on made his breath hitch. You traced little shapes along it, grazing his happy trail with your pinky- managing to keep your hand just high enough so it didn't touch where he needed you most. You snuck in writing your own name in gentle letters down it. You felt him tense up under you, grinning into his back.
Then, you left. 
“Good shower. Man I needed that!” you stretched your arms as wrapped a towel around yourself, walking out in quick paces before he had the chance to react. 
“Tease!” 
You heard him shout from the echoed chambers of the bathroom, as you victoriously (and evilly) laughed.
Your shared work life was growing more intense. As your situationship with Satoru increased, as did what he put on you. 
You were expected to become a professional Jujutsu sorcerer by the end of this year's graduation. You had managed to master a constant stream and management of your emotions- and Satoru at home made your little Sukuna problem much more manageable. You had hardly even thought of him since that night. 
Gojo eventually laid it all out for you, after week two when you had too many questions that he was too tired to keep avoiding. 
The higher ups wanted you dead, or at least gone. 
Your soul had residual energy of a special grade, low level curses were scared of you, and Sukuna had acted strange upon your arrival. But what they especially didn't like- was your potential, and aura. Something about your energy threatened them, something about your soul. And above all else, they didn’t hav the answer. They just messily connected the dots with crayon and saw the worst of whatever shape was made-
You also hadn't figured out your cursed technique yet, but whatever it was had the ability to possibly hurt them if put in the wrong hands.  
“That can be said about anyone!” You huffed to him. 
Gojo was attempting to keep you alive under the guise that you could eventually help them instead, but there was something that they knew that he didn't. Which is what he was trying to figure out. For whatever reason, you were a threat to them. And with the arrival of Sukuna at the same time, they were especially on guard. Which is why he was rushing you into training this hard, to show that you can be useful. 
You were mostly confused. What harm were you to anyone?
“It's not about what you can do right now, it's what you could do.”
Gojo said to you. 
“You’re unhelpful.” 
“How?!” he shouted
“You always answer me in riddles! I don't know what these cryptic ass responses mean.”
“You're impossible.” 
“You like it.” You blatantly flirted.
“No comment.”
He crossed his arms and turned away from you, you punched him in the shoulder jokingly. 
By week three, you had partially moved in. 
Your clothes occupied space in his closet, your shared meals were plated and foiled in the fridge. 
You both had an unspoken agreement not to mention the outside world while you were both home together, because as much as you both hated to admit it- you grew fond of each other's company. 
Satoru was home more, you were starting to adapt into this new lifestyle. And he was an amazing distraction from the hardships of your life. 
You two started to find familiarity in each other. His flaws, your quirks. 
He wasn’t as big and bad as he paints himself out to be, he’s still just a man after all. And you had something that no one had ever had before, you didn’t view him any differently because of it. 
And you- where did he even begin with you. Somehow tied to the king of curses, mystery cursed technique and hidden abilities? You perplexed him- which at first he saw as a curse, but now, a blessing. If he can figure you out he can figure anything out. 
You stripped him bare and pierced his soul with your gaze, when the world offered him everything you weren’t included. Instead he has to work for it, earn it after you stripped him from the very thing that makes him Gojo Satoru. 
You are the last step to his true strength. 
He is the last step to your sanity breaking.
You tried to deny yourself, you really fucking did. But then he bought this expensive wine and chocolates to celebrate one month of you living with him and things shifted. 
It was that goddamn white button up and saccharine voice. The way he said your name like a prayer, the way he made you feel as if you deserved to be worshiped with his gifts. 
By week four, things got complicated. 
Do you know how they say chocolate is an aphrodisiac? That’s probably just an excuse. 
It melted between your tongues as they danced around in a disheveled waltz. 
You moved to sit on his lap as his hands found comfort on your hips. The sound of the film long buzzed out, fine wine pumping through you coursing warmth across your bodies. 
“We shouldn’t..” you let out a husky whisper pulling away with great reluctance. 
“Why not love?” 
That new fucking nickname. He knew what it did to you. 
He ran a thumb across your top lip, wiping some chocolate off and licking it off seductively. 
You were absolutely unraveled for him. 
“Fuck ‘Toru…” 
You arched your back into him and he stabilized your hips with a painfully delicate grip. 
“What do you want?” 
You groaned in frustration and grabbed him by the collar slamming his face into yours. Tired of the teasing, of the sentimentality. 
You weren’t gonna convince yourself he cared. 
That any of them cared, not Satoru, not Sukuna. 
He pulled away from you in a feverish heat, breaths hot and heavy lids. 
“Someone’s eager…” 
You saw Sukuna in his eyes. You wanted to touch him, to be held by him, but that wasn’t a possibility for you. 
“Shut up.” 
You suddenly were overcome with a deep and passionate lust, the man beneath you wasn’t who was making it. You remembered the feeling of Sukunas warm and calloused hands against your throat, it was firm but you knew he wasn’t trying to actually hurt you. 
You missed it. 
What the fuck was wrong with you? You shook your head and cleared your thoughts. 
“Satoru?” 
You leaned your forehead against his and closed your eyes. 
“Yeah?” 
“Stay broken with me.” You muttered beneath your breath. 
He chuckled at you.
“Whatever you say, babe.”
@akumakitsune21 @NoodleJitsu @sunshinesetsstuff @96jnie @idk-bro-gay @heahuhahah
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nota1eks · 5 months
Note
If/when they create a phm movie, what changes (if any) would you like to see them make to the story?
Jesus that’s a hard question…wow…! In a perfect world, they’d change nothing. It’d be a TV show with lots of room to portray everything. But we don’t live in a perfect world. I, therefore, want to keep as much of the original book as possible. My only immediate want is that it might be cool for them to use “they” for Rocky instead of “he”. Maybe some toning down of the Crazy Russians stereotyping, though if they do it right, that can be great. Nothing else comes to mind that I want changed -- it's a very good book.
But with that out of the way, let's talk about stuff that will very likely be cut. Because I think that's very interesting...
I think, as with Pathfinder getting fried and the dust storm in the Martian (2015) (wherein, both times, a huge plot event in the movie was gotten rid of for time purposes, with little impact on the overall plot, but a devastating-ish loss to the dedicated novel-enjoyers), some stuff will get cut out. Let's go one by one through the timeline of events:
The flashbacks will be there. Maybe not in flashback form (maybe they come before the rest like in the Martian...though those aren't flashbacks it's just backstory), but nonetheless there. Not everything will be there, though. Stratt barging in on Grace's class will be there; him doing the first experiments on astrophage will likely be there; meeting the crew will be there along with some of him training them so as to explain how he learned so much about being an astronaut; the explosion at Baikonur and the proceeding chaos will be there, trailer meetings included; but I think that'd be roughly it. They'll add some; they'll take away a lot. No Steve Hatch; no Lamai; probably very little Lokken (which is very sad); no frenchscientistwhosenameicantrememberimnotevenarealphm fanomllllll, either. They'll have their stories be explained via Grace talking to Rocky. Lots will be explained via Grace talking to Rocky.
Now, they'll have to have Grace waking up and seeing his dead crewmates. They'll have to have Ryan Gosling wandering about this spaceship scratching his head. That's a big part of the story. But I think after a certain point, after enough clues are gathered together, they'll infodump on us. It will be done well, of course, I mean just look at who's making the movie, but it wil lhaev to be like that. Maybe the nannybot will give him information. Maybe there will be a "Here to save Earth from imminent apocalypse? Click here ->" type of thing, but it won't be Grace turning to the camera and saying "Hey guys! I'm here at Tau Ceti to save Earth from astrophage! There's this weird ship out there. Keep you updated! Like and subscribe!"; nor will it be a voiceover. I had a Media Arts teacher in school and he told us that, more than anything, we were to avoid having to use voice-overs to explain out movies. At all costs. So I doubt they'll use that here -- maybe later, though. More talking-head with visuals than voiceover explaining the story.
Now. With Grace meeting Rocky there will either be nothing cut or everything cut: Maybe Rocky wil have a Magic Language Machine. Maybe Grace has a Magic Language Machine. Maybe they do everything how they did it in the book. Either way, it'll have to likely be one or the other. I'm very excited to see how they do Rocky's voice. An adaptation of the Audible Audiobook's version would be ideal, as I and many others think. There aren't many other good options... With the rest, I'm genuinely not sure. I can see them going both ways with this: cutting everything and rewriting it or keeping it pretty book-accurate. By any measure, they won't cut it all out. That'd be stupid.
With the in between between the Blip-A-Hail Mary disconnection and them arriving at Adrian, much will be cut out. It'll be rewritten. For better or for worse. Since it's just that theoretical, I'm not sure what changes I'd even want to see. Maybe some more back story on Rocky's crewmates? On Adrian (the eridian)? I mean Grace asking Rocky about Adrian would be a great opportunity to get some backstory in, btu the movie will already be so chock-full of it that I don't know if they'll be able to fit it in amongst everything else.
The Adrian Incident will likely still be very, very similar. It's the emotional peak of the movie. Rocky will nearly die. I will watch my friends weep, crying about how I should have warned them, and I will tell them they should have read the book. With Grace trying to save Rocky...eeh...it might be there; it might not. Flip of the dice with the landscape of the table being what the rest of the plot looks like, if that makes sense.
Now......The Great Taumeoba Escape. It's a lot like Pathfinder and the Dust Storm. It's just not all that relevant! SO MUCH is happening in the book at this point that -- I don't think -- they would be able to fit this in, even with a TV show with half a dozen hours to show the story in. I'd much rather lose this than lose backstory or silly goofy Rocky details.
The journey back, though, along with the breeding of Taumeoba was so boring it was cut out in the book. No way they'll have it in the movie. Probably even more will be cut out. Maybe one single Eureka! scene where Grace and Rocky drink vodka and wear crystals, respectively, but no more.
Now...The Great Taumeoba Escape 2: Radiation Exposure Boogaloo will NOT be cut out. Lest I stomp out of that movie theatre shouting insults at the directors etc. I kid, but not by a lot. They have to have this in order for Grace to turn around. I also bet they'll delay Grace learning he was a coward until here. It'd work so well there, yeah!? So he does his little thing, then turns around. From here, I think everything will be to-the-book. But let's talk about the ending.
Grace being a teacher is fundamental to the story. He can't not be, or the book/movie just won't work. Now, in The Martian (2015) they changed the ending. But that's not big, really. Mark becomes a recluse who gets looped back into being an astronaut training people who will then work on Artemis versus him being a teacher -- there's not that big of a plotline difference there. And we can pretend that in the interim he was a recluse. BUT IF THEY DON'T MAKE GRACE A TEACHER I SWEAR TO GOD--! calm. be calm. Anyways, him teaching again is a huge end for his character arc. And Rocky wil come in, no doubt, and tell Grace Earth's back to normal. Sending him back off to Earth just doesn't work, plot-wise or logic-wise.
Here's my last want: Earth. I want to see Earth back in shape. I want to see Stratt looking happy in her jail cell, etc.
Christ, I just wrote a lot. Um. I hope that answers your question...? And if it doesn't, feel free to ask me! I can -- and gladly will -- talk about this book all the livelong day!
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perfectprettypisces · 2 years
Text
In Between a Rock and a Rooster • B.R.B • Part 1 
Pairing: Rooster x Fem!Mitchell!OC
Synopsis: Ever since Charlotte’s father, Maverick, pulled Bradley’s papers to the naval academy and set him back four years, Charlotte’s been caught between the two most important men in her life. And when they all suddenly find themselves back in Miramar, a lot has changed, but the one thing that hasn’t: Rooster’s resentment towards Maverick. With all three of them being together for the first time in years, who knows what will happen?
Warnings: angst, swearing, completely made up my own timeline (like fr pretty sure none of it is accurate in terms of real life but oh well)
WC: 3.6k
Series Masterlist • Top Gun Masterlist
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“Bradley? I’m home!” Charlotte calls out, walking into the door of their Virginia home. It was Saturday and both of them were off of work, Rooster electing to stay back and prepare lunch for the two of them while she ran errands.
“In here!” he calls from the direction of the kitchen.
She tosses her keys in the dish by the door and moves to make her way to the kitchen when a buzz from her phone halts her. She fishes for her phone in her purse, finally getting a hold of it and tapping the screen to see one notification. A text from her father.
Dad: They’ve called me back to TOPGUN.
She tosses her purse on the couch and continues further into the house. She’s still staring down at the text when she enters the kitchen. 
Why?
She fires off her response before pocketing her phone, attempting to shake the ominous text from her dad. “Did you check the mail? It was supposed to come today,” she asks.
Her question is answered when she finds Rooster hunched over the bar with a stack of mail next to him and a letter clutched in his hands.
“How do you feel about taking a trip to San Diego?” he says, a playful glint in his eyes.
Charlotte freezes, hoping Rooster doesn’t notice when her eyes widen slightly. The torn envelope next to him looks official, and with a closer look she can see the words Navy Department printed on the top left corner. 
This has to be a coincidence. “Why?” she chances, hoping he won’t say what he thinks he’ll say.
“They want me back at TOPGUN,” he says, confusion mixed with a twinge of pride evident on his face. It takes everything in her to not let her breath hitch at his admission. There’s no way this was a coincidence.
“Wow,” she says, blowing out a puff of air from her lips. Her shock is genuine but Bradley thinks it’s just because of the unexpected news. “What for?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugs.
Another buzz from her phone snaps her out of her dazed state. She takes it out of the pocket of her jeans, hoping her dad can offer her more context.
Dad: I don’t know.
Fuck.
“You want me to come with you?” she clarifies, finding it odd that he’d invite her to come. This was essentially a deployment and she’d never gone with him on any of his past ones. Did he know Maverick was going to be there and wanted her to run interference? By his calm and borderline excited attitude, she doubts it.
“Yeah, why not? It’s perfect,” he states. He turns on the barstool, beckoning her over to stand between his legs. He squeezes her hips, her heart nearly melting at the dopey grin he has painted across his lips.
“I have a job, y’know,” she says, rubbing her hands over his shoulders. It’s a lame excuse and she knows it. Her job wasn’t her dream job by any means, but that didn’t mean she could just up and leave for however long Rooster’s deployment would last.
“A job that you’re miserable at. Baby, you’ve been wanting to take a sabbatical for a while, no better time than the present,” he reasons. “And what better place to take it than the place we fell in love not once, but twice?”
Charlotte could swoon at his words, momentarily forgetting about the elephant in the room named Maverick.
Despite growing up together in Miramar, they were years out of contact when Bradley was called to TOPGUN for the first time. Bradley had been stationed in Virginia while Charlotte remained in California. She’d finished her own schooling and was working under a man named Jimmy as a bartender. Bradley will never forget walking into a random bar he was meeting the other pilots at, only to be met with his first love.
“Y’know, I’m starting to think you want me to be a housewife, Bradshaw,” Charlotte smirks, wrapping her arms around his neck and pecking him on the lips. “Always trying to get me away from my job to go gallivanting with you.”
“As much as I think you’d be the sexiest housewife there ever was, the only thing I want you to be is happy,” Rooster says sincerely, running his thumb back and forth on the exposed skin from where her shirt was riding up.
“I am happy.”
“Are you?” he asks, not out of spite but genuine curiosity.
Charlotte’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, unsure of where the sudden shift in the conversation had come from. “Where’s this coming from?” she asks worriedly.
“Baby, I’m not blind. Your job, being away from home and living in Virginia; it’s weighing on you and I can’t help but think it’s my fault,” he says. “I just don’t want you to have any regrets.”
She’d be lying if what he said wasn’t partially true. Her job at a law firm near base was anything but great. The hours were shitty, the people were catty and rude and the higher-ups were constantly on her ass. Rooster knew all about her lousy job and had been urging Charlotte to quit but it paid well enough to where she was able to suck it up and go with it. Means to an end, she would always say.
“You are home to me, Bradley, and I chose to be here,” Charlotte insists, resting her hands on either side of his neck. “I don’t regret my decision and I sure as hell don’t regret the last three years. If I didn’t want to be here with you, I wouldn’t have said yes.”
Rooster brings his right hand up to stroke along her ring finger, the diamond ring he placed there a month ago cool to the touch.
“But if you want me to, I’d love to come with you,” she beams. “A trip back to California might do me some good. See some old friends, spend a little time at the beach.”
“I do and it will,’ he confirms. “Plus, I wouldn’t be opposed to reintroducing you to everyone as Mrs. Bradshaw,” he says, bringing her in for a kiss.
“Mmm, not quite yet, Mr. Bradshaw,” she teases. “We still got a wedding to plan.”
“Minor details,” Rooster scoffs, kissing her again before letting her go.
It’s like her blissful little bubble popped as soon as she was away from Rooster’s touch, suddenly remembering that her father would also be returning back to North Island with him. She debates telling him but decides against it, not wanting to ruin the little moment they just had.
“Any idea who else is going back with you?” she asks, trying to appear nonchalant as she opens the fridge.
“No idea,” he says. “Guess we’ll find out all the details when we get there.”
“Guess so,” she agrees, the one detail she knows that he doesn’t burning a hole in her brain.
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The next couple of days pass in a whirlwind. Rooster needed to report to North Island as soon as possible and Charlotte needed to request for an immediate sabbatical. Her managers gave her hell for it, like they did for everything else she did, but begrudgingly accepted her request anyway. Before the two of them knew it, they were packed and on the next flight to San Diego. Charlotte was simultaneously nervous and excited. The only new information she was able to get out of her dad was that Admiral Kazansky was the one who requested for him to be brought back and he was teaching a group of pilots. She figured Ice hadn’t told Maverick that Rooster would be returning to North Island with him or that he was one of the pilots he was training. It made her feel less guilty for keeping it from both of them knowing Ice was in the same boat as her.
Any nervousness she was feeling temporarily dissipated the second her and Rooster landed. Driving from the airport to base housing in his Bronco, which he had been keeping safehoused in Miramar for the past couple of years, was by far the happiest Charlotte’s felt in a while. The wind loosened strands of hair from her ponytail, but she was too distracted by the smell of salt in the air to care. Rooster would occasionally look over at her with love in his eyes, happy to see the love of his life so content.
They settled in pretty quickly, not really bothering to unpack anything before hopping in the shower together to wash off the plane smell. Rooster was getting ready to go to The Hard Deck where the rest of the returning pilots were and Charlotte was making a mental list of groceries they would need to survive the next couple of weeks.
“You sure you don’t want me to wait for you? Pretty sure Phoenix is here and I think she’d rather see you than me,” he jokes. He was already dressed and ready to go, an open Hawaiian shirt and jeans donning his frame.
“For the third time, I’m positive. Go see everyone. I’m just gonna unpack a little and then I’ll drive over to the bar later.” Rooster had gotten a rental car delivered to the house for her to use, wanting her to have the freedom to come and go as she pleases rather than waiting for him all day. 
“Alright,” he agrees reluctantly. “Don’t be too long. Can’t wait to show you off.”
She promises she won’t and rolls her eyes when he doesn’t budge. “Go,” she laughs, placing his aviators on his face. He only leaves after a few kisses and an I love you.
It’s only about 45 minutes before Charlotte’s phone buzzes with a text.
Bradley: I was right.
About?
Bradley: Phoenix nailed me in the stomach with a pool cue for not bringing you with me.
Tell her I’m leaving soon.
And to aim a little lower next time.
Bradley: Will do, drive safe <3 
Bradley: You know that spot’s only reserved for you ;) 
Charlotte guffaws, rolling her eyes once again at a flirty remark of his. She goes to close the message thread when another one comes through, this time from someone else.
Dad: So, I don’t get a warning from you or Ice?
She figures he must’ve found out that Rooster was in Miramar. Probably from another admiral or Ice himself. She grabs the keys to the rental car that were left on the kitchen counter, holding them in one hand while she types with the other.
Wasn’t my place to tell.
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one.
Dad: I’m assuming he doesn’t know either.
Nope.
I didn’t know whether or not it would be a good thing if he did.
I can tell him tonight if you want me to.
Charlotte wasn’t really prepared to have that conversation with Rooster just yet. She knew he would find out tomorrow when they had their first meeting, but at least then she wouldn’t have to tell him directly. She’s just locking the front door when he responds.
Dad: No, he looks like he’s having a good time. Don’t want to ruin it.
Dad: Promise you won’t tell him until I’ve had the chance to talk to him?
She rereads his first message a couple of times to check if she was reading it right. How has Maverick seen Rooster? How has Rooster not seen Maverick? Has Maverick seen Penny yet?
You’re at The Hard Deck? You do know that’s Penny’s bar, right?
And I promise.
Dad: Yes, I was made aware. Charlotte snorts. She didn’t know whether that was a good thing either.
Dad: How’d you know where I was?
I’m meeting him there now.
Dad: You’re here? His last message goes unanswered as she drives over to The Hard Deck, unsure of what exactly she was walking into.
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Rooster’s Bronco is the first thing Charlotte sees when she arrives at The Hard Deck and upon taking a closer look, she sees Maverick’s bike parked a little ways away. The noise of patrons is traveling out of the building indicating a busy night. The door to the bar is wide open, showing her just how crowded it really was. The sound of a bell fills the air and the crowd suddenly starts chanting the word overboard. Charlotte peaks her head over the crowd just enough to see three men in khaki uniforms hauling her father out of the bar. She bites back a laugh knowing that what she just saw was 100% Penny’s doing.
Instead of walking through the main entrance, Charlotte decides to walk around to the back where she hopes to intercept her father before he leaves. She just makes it in time to see him get tossed to the sand by the three pilots, all of whom she recognizes.
“Thanks for the beers! Come back anytime,” the blonde pilot, Hangman, calls out as he mock-salutes him.
Still the same old Hangman, she thinks.
Charlotte watches as he gets up to leave but freezes at the sound of the beginning notes of “Great Balls of Fire”. Rooster was definitely the one playing. She’d heard it enough times over the past three years to know it was his go-to song (for obvious reasons).
She lets him go for a few moments before deciding to put him out of his misery. “Those pilots that threw you out?” Her voice startles Maverick, the mournful look on his face shifting into a fond one at the sight of her. “Definitely going to regret that tomorrow morning.”
Maverick wastes no time in walking over to her, Charlotte meeting him in the middle for a bone-crushing hug.
“How you been, kiddo?” he says as he pulls away. “It’s good to hear your voice not through a phone.”
“It’s good to see you too, dad.” She goes to say more when she’s interrupted as the crowd erupts in a loud cheer, her fiancé in the center of it all dancing like a lunatic. She doesn’t even realize she was staring until her dad nudges her.
“Go,” he insists. “We’ll catch up later.”
Charlotte hesitates, hating to leave him by himself but the look on his face says he understands. She leaves her father with a kiss to his cheek and a promise to talk soon (in person, not through a screen). She has one foot in the door when her father’s voice stops her.
“He looks just like him.”
She doesn’t need him to say it for her to know who he’s talking about. Her memory of Goose was extremely hazy but one thing she knew for sure was that Rooster was practically his twin.
“He really does,” she says, flashing her dad a warm smile. “Goodnight, dad.”
Navigating through the crowd wasn’t as difficult as she thought it would be, only having to say excuse me a couple of times. She spots Rooster and Phoenix at the pool table by the window with more uniformed pilots, including the three who threw Maverick out, surrounding them.
This must be some hell of an assignment, she thinks.
“Oh no, not you too.” Charlotte’s head whips towards the bar where Penny is looking at her with a smirk. “I just threw the other one out.”
“I saw,” she says, walking over to the counter she’s standing behind. “Figured you had something to do with it.”
Charlotte had always loved Penny despite her tumultuous, on-again-off-again relationship with Maverick. She was the one practically pushing her out the door three years ago with the comment: “There’s always something about first loves”.
Penny reaches over the bar to hug Charlotte, squeezing her extra tight before pulling away. She rests her hands on the younger girl’s shoulders, taking her in. “You look good, sweetie. Guess Virginia life is treating you well.”
“You could say that,” she considers. “Can’t say I haven’t missed this place like crazy though.”
“Well since you’re here, I could always use some help at the bar. Like old times, right?” Penny proposes.
The idea of working at the bar again sounded oddly nice in Charlotte’s mind. “Actually, yeah. I might take you up on that,” she nods, a small smile pulling at her lips. “Might be a good distraction while Bradley’s working.”
“Oh, that’s right. I did see him walk in here earlier while I was talking to your father. Pete didn’t seem too keen on seeing him, though.”
Charlotte sighs. “It’s a long story.” Too long.
“Boyfriend vs. dad? Trust me, hon, I get it.”
“Fiancé.”
“What?”
She lifts her left hand, flashing the engagement ring at her. “Fiancé.”
Penny’s jaw drops, grasping her hand to examine the ring. “Well, would you look at that? Navy does pay,” she says, impressed.
Charlotte hears Rooster call out to her, turning her head to see him waving her over to the pool table. She holds up one finger, silently asking for a moment. “I guess I should thank you for giving me the push.”
“Oh, please. Your heart was already in the right place.” Penny makes a shooing motion with her hand, waving her in the direction of Rooster. “Now, go be with your man. And if you’re ever feeling lonely while you’re here, just give me a call. You, me and Amelia can have a girls day.”
“You sure you won’t be too busy with Maverick?” she teases, earning her a smack of a dish towel from Penny. “In all seriousness, I’d really like that, Penny, thank you.”
The older woman squeezes her hand. “I’m really happy for you, sweetie.”
“Well, you know what they say, there’s always something about first loves.” Charlotte winks at Penny as she walks away, casting one more look back to see her blushing.
“Well, if it isn’t Rooster’s hen,” Hangman declares as she sidles up next to Rooster, grasping his face in her hand to give him a kiss. “Still as beautiful as ever, Charlotte.”
“Baby, you remember Hangman,” Rooster says flatly, shooting a glare in his direction. He wraps a possessive arm around her waist, bringing her back to perch herself on his thigh.
“Of course she does, Bradshaw. I’m hard to forget,” he says with a flirty smile. Charlotte was all too familiar with Hangman’s tactics from her days as a bartender. Hangman’s flirting started off simply because he thought Charlotte was hot but when he saw how irked Rooster would get because of it, his flirting increased tenfold. She would never return his advances, all too caught up in Rooster to even spare a second glance at his counterpart.
“Hangman,” she addresses him with a nod. “Wish I could say it was nice to see you, but I don’t really like to lie.”
Her comment earns a chorus of chuckles from the pilots around them, Rooster kissing the back of Charlotte’s shoulder in adoration.
“God, I missed you,” Phoenix says, slinging an arm around her. “It’s about time you showed up, any longer and Rooster would’ve sent out a search team.” 
Rooster pushes Phoenix’s arm off in annoyance. “I have a right to be worried, y’know.”
“‘Course you do, baby,” Charlotte says, holding the side of his face as she pats his cheek. “Just saw some old friends and got to talking, no reason to be worried.” She technically wasn’t lying. Penny was an old friend and she did end up talking to her. Her dad was her friend too.
“And you could always give me a private show later,” she winks, causing Phoenix to scrunch her face in disgust. 
Rooster doesn’t seem to notice anything sketchy with her excuse, only smirking at her comment before continuing to introduce her to the rest of the pilots. Normally, she would feel intimidated being the only civilian in a group of Navy personnel but most of them she remembers, if not very vaguely, from her time as a bartender. The only one she doesn’t recognize is “Bob” (which she finds out is his callsign and not his actual name) and learns that he graduated from TOPGUN the year after she and Rooster left for Virginia. Charlotte’s having a conversation with him when she hears Phoenix gasp, drawing the attention of the other pilots.
“What the hell, Rooster?” Phoenix exclaims, knocking Rooster’s leg with a pool cue.
“Ow, what’re you hittin’ me for?”
“We’ve been here almost two hours and you failed to mention you’re engaged,” she huffs, gesturing towards the ring on Charlotte’s finger.
Chaos ensues as everyone calls out their congratulations, Fanboy insisting that everyone do shots to celebrate. Hangman just rolls his eyes but downs his shot anyway. Phoenix and Halo gush over the ring, even Bob pops his head over their shoulders to sneak a peek. 
“Damn, Bradshaw,” Phoenix says, admiring the ring much like Penny did earlier. “Didn’t know you had style.”
“Yeah, what Navy are you workin’ for to afford a ring like that ‘cause it sure as hell ain’t the same one I’m in,” Payback jokes, slapping Rooster on the shoulder.
Rooster smiles and squeezes Charlotte on the hip. He doesn’t bother telling them the story behind it, they wouldn’t understand.
“Only the best for my girl,” he says, smiling up at her.
Phoenix and Halo coo at the couple as Hangman sticks his finger in his mouth like heʻs gagging, the rest of the guys making whipping noises with their mouths. Suddenly, the unknown reason why they were there was all but forgotten, the nostalgia of being together again pushing it out of their minds. And with Rooster’s arms wrapped around her, Charlotte’s the most at home she’s felt in years.
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janwixler · 1 year
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Neil with his fans? yes please!
I know very much of the sports fandom and it’s craze. I know most people, middle aged men in particular, don’t want extra info of the players except their skills. (my dad lol)
But teen girls and Boys??!! Oh, they’re The Heart of making sports personalities into literal Celebrities! (I actually idolised many Brazilian football player and actually had a shrine!)
As for the aftg universe, we know that Exy is a relatively new but gradually popular sports. If we fix the timeline correctly, then it’s in the mid 80s when Neil was obsessed with the sports. it's very clear with Neil's own Kevin and Riko shrine, he's much like a fanboy himself too!
so turns out, Exy fandom do exist there on full blast. Judging by Kevin's popularity and Neil's super rise to the fame with pure talent, it would be only a matter of time when Neil becomes as popular as him.
Coming to the main point, How would he react to his fans?!!
At first, he wouldn't even believe he might have some fans. He's always too busy with dealing with reporters as a captain, his first reaction to someone screaming 'JOSTEN!! WE LOVE YOU!!' is like a rabbit hearing a gunshot (Nicky's words!)
The fans often mail him gifts and Postcards and chocolates. Neil give the chocolates to Andrew and keep the postcards in a wardrobe drawer dedicated to these.
When the fans of the front row seats call him to sign a autograph after a game, he's always to worn out to even hold a pen. But when he's in a good mood, being benched for the last half of the game and his team winning, he tells the security to grab a bunch of notes to sign them off. (oh and the girls scream!!! that can surely be heard from outside of the stadium)
oh, the girls, fangirls yes. Neil isn't (obviously) like Nicky; out, loud and proud. He keeps his intimate relationship with Andrew a very secret. in one of the sports banquet, Some girls were crying and screaming at the the audience side of the red carpet as he and Kevin arrived. Kevin told him to keep things professional as he gently smiled at the camera's and the fangirls. Neil scoffed. a few girls were literally sobbing with a notebook in hands and calling out Neil. Kevin told him to sign a few fans as he went to his fan-group. Neil hesitated for a bit and then tried a smile as he reached the fangirls. their screeching noises were deafening. as was almost finished with a third one, a girl blurted out, "Please marry me Neil!! I love you!". Neil finished the fourth one and looked at the direction where the confession came. Flustered by being noticed, the girl who said that still asked a tone higher, "please, Neil?!" upon noticing the girl right this time, Neil gently smiled, "I'm sorry, but I'm already someone else's!" the girls exclaimed shrikes that time were manageable, But Kevin's roaring remarks of the next morning's headlines were not.
paparazzi never really seem to get tired of him. in a store buying stuff with pyjamas on? check. Having occasional convo with Andrew outside the game (a lot)? check. Coming out of a LGBTQ friendly club once in two weeks? check (bonus if Andrew is on sight). Neil meeting up with his former team-mates once a while? check, check and check.
Neil does get celebrity treatment but he refuses to admit. A good looking player with a no-filter comments about opposed team, he is a total banger for the sports drama.
He often asks some fans if there is something he should focus on more. The fanboys just burst out every theory they have. They might not be accurate sometimes but Neil does love a constructive criticism.
Neil is often seen with Andrew but surprisingly nobody questions them and he doesn't mind about it.
the fan accounts of Neil are a absolute disaster. Nicky found about it first. Neil was way too cringed at the contents some middle school girls make and none of these focused on Exy. Neil never once looked him up on the fansites again.
Neil never fails to feel goosebumps when the fans roar their pro team fight song when he goes pro. For the first few years, he and Andrew been playing on different team. So in small match breaks when he goes to Andrew to say how good he was playing, the fans roared in cheers cause they assumed these two were warning each other off. That's when the famous 'Josten-Minyard; formidable foe?' headline started a trend. Neil's freshmen years foxes team made this like a common family joke whenever they see two of them together!
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sophietv · 8 months
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What’s your thought about “Kaylor: The timeline”
I’ve just ended it and I’m pretty positive that’s something fishy with that. I mean there are literally the lyrics of songs from Reputation and Lover, the concepts of both of these albums and also everything seems to fall into the right place and the insights are so accurate.
I don’t know if it’s just me and I’m clowning around or it’s obvious to you too (?)
It's funny that you ask me this question because my group chat made me read this fanfic at the start of the year to see what I would think about this.
For those who don't know what we are talking about. Here's the link (X).
It's a fanfic that people heavily speculate is written by Taylor. As there's many Koincidences and references to albums that were not released when it came out.
The fanfic was started in February 1st 2015 and the last chapter was posted on May 27th 2016.
At first I was VERY skeptic. Because when you read it with that lense and go to the comments and it's full of people saying things like: Look! She talked about grass it's a reference to Invisible String!!
Well, it was not very convincing. 😅
But then I got the the part where Karlie and her are going to the restaurant and Taylor compares her life to being in a fishbowl...
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Then, there's so many tiny details that are, well really precise.
Like at some point in the Timeline they are talking about a moment Taylor was very jetlaggued and wrote an email to Scott Borchetta telling him that she does what she wants.
Well, there was a tweet that Taylor made, with this exact caption.
And the date on the Timeline is the exact same as the tweet.
But those can all be just a very dedicated fan that did their research.
It's been a long time since I read it so I don't remember all the details.
But then....
There is a scene that is exactly : "I'm laughing with my lover, making fort undercover, trust him like a brother, yeah you know I did one thing right".
I repeat that the last chapter was written in May 2016...
That's references to Call It What You Want.
Her song about the Love Blackout and running away with Karlie...
And in that chapter (or really not long after), she's EXACTLY talking about the love blackout....well running away with Karlie.
Not only that.
She's talking about taking a break from big releases after 1989, to be just with Karlie and not release another album like planned. 🤨
She's asking Karlie to run away with her. Somewhere they can just be them. And Karlie says yes.
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To tell you my jaw dropped when I read that....
Go read my Love Blackout post if you haven't to have the full 🤯 effect (X)
And read the last part of that chapter... (X)
They talked about coming out together if everything went well until Decembre 2014....Karma....
Now. You know that I tried to dig a little to see if I could find something.
Sadly I've found nothing.
The author have a Tumblr and A LOT of posts. Taylor would have had to create a whole other personna before creating that fanfic. (X)
The author also have other fanfics.
So is it really odd all the references to album that were not released yet? Definilty.
Is it impossible to be Taylor that wrote that? I guess not.
But I really can't tell honnestly.
But the Love Blackout plan and delaying album release to run away with Karlie is jarring. As well as the Call It What You Want reference and Lover fishbowl.
There's more, but those three are the ones that stuck with me.
Things that makes less sense though: Dianna earasure, Haylor being real. Joshlie being real.
Although. If we want to clown... this could have been a way to protect all those people and create a believable storyline that would have given them the chance to come out together....
So yeah... One of Gaylors/Kaylors greatest mystery.
That and The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo...
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dangermousie · 11 months
Text
More 2ha reread
It’s so interesting to see Mo Ran’s understanding in the past life try to work around the edges of the curse - not noticing inconsistencies in his own views which are blatant but the curse does not allow him to notice - for example, Mo Ran 1.0 remembers how TXJ even wondered at the contrast of how CWN was good to strangers and random people but so cold to his students; and the curse prevented him from thinking about this seeming inconsistency (even more inconsistent since the only two people MR would have thought he was bad to was him and Shi Mei since he knew (rightly) that CWN cared for Xue Meng.) The curse literally prevented someone as quick as he is to even wonder about why and how this was. It’s like his remembering thinking CWN was the last piece of warmth in his cold world when he was TXJ and he does not think why he thinks that of his enemy, why he thinks that his greatest joys and strongest emotions in past life were from CWN and not Shi Mei or conquest or whatever. You can tell he is beginning to snap out of it when he is wondering how he can lust after someone he hates so much - that’s because you don’t hate him!
Perhaps the most telling inconsistency is his thinking that he did three unforgivable things towards CWN in the original timeline and one of them was marriage (tho we don’t know that yet if we are reading for the first time) and he thinks of marrying CWN as the most gratifying thing in his life- marrying not defeating or fucking. (And he also feels guilt  for this and that the price was too high for making CWN kneel - once again, because he is waking up.)
One of the joys of a reread is watching the curse slowly lose its potency and Mo Ran regain not just more and more of himself in terms of feelings, but ability to reason. It’s like he’s waking up. He wants to make CWN angry and he does not know why (I know - because he wants attention!), his first reaction on seeing CWN asleep in a pile of his inventions is pity (and only later he remembers to gloat). He is “wow cool!” when CWN shatters a cursed tablet and a little later finds himself thinking CWN’s voice is pleasant to listen to now that he���s not filled with rage at the thought of him. It’s like watching someone detox! At one point, when MR watches the sniveling merchant family without feeling moved, the Russian translation says that the reason he is not moved is “Mo Ran was deprived of the feeling of pity” and that is basically a Russian phrase to say someone is lacking in that feeling but it struck me how accurate it actually is - because Mo Ran WAS deprived of the feeling of pity or any other warm and good feeling and only now they are slowly coming on line. 
But also, as a rereader, the cracks in Shi Mei’s perfect facade appear so clearly. For example, look at Shi Mei bringing wontons to MR after the whipping. If he truly was caring and wanted to reconcile, he’d tell Mo Ran who made the wontons instead of not only keeping it quiet but also trying to cause more trouble “oh teacher was too harsh on you” SHUT UP DUDE!
Speaking of Shi Mei - I still remember being so sad at the wonton revelation and thinking “if only Mo Ran knew in the beginning, things would be different” but the real tragedy is due to the curse it wouldn’t have made a damn lick of difference. If he knew, the curse would just have made him forget it. (Also, in your face Shi Mei, who constantly keeps prodding whether MR prefers the wontons or other stuff Shi Mei actually makes himself and MR always says wontons. Even MR’s tastebuds are devoted (Side note - did you notice that when MR is cleaning CWN’s library, he notices two cookbooks and they are both about Sechuan cooking - so spicy spicy spicy not what CWN himself likes - I nearly screamed because he clearly has them so he’d know how to cook wontons!) Btw, so grimly amused at SM trying to come up with excuses as to why he can’t randomly make wontons for MR, that’s because you don’t make them, liar!) 
It’s like the kiss in the mist - Mo Ran devours “Shi Mei” only to discover it’s CWN and you know, his body knew even when his soul didn’t because it’s clear only CWN evokes this mad desire in him. At one point, MR thinks that he does not feel desire for Shi Mei because he’s such a pure person but that’s the thing - MR is not asexual, he’s a strongly physical person so he cannot really love someone without desiring them and this is a huge red flag of how this is all fake.
So much of it reads so differently - Mo Ran thinking he is so grateful to Shi Mei for being the only one who does not despise his rough manners and habits and past when we know that Shi Mei loathes him and looks down on him and CWN is the one who truly does not care about any of it but cares about MR deeply. So much of this story is about seeming vs reality - even the seemingly random side quests deal with this - the seemingly respectable merchant family who are murderers and thieves, the seemingly perfect Rufeng sect that is anything but, the seemingly weak and gentle Shi Mei who is neither, etc etc etc. What people present themselves as and what they actually are is quite different. In a way, Mo Ran 1.0′s whole persona plays into this. Meatbun is so skillful about it - when you first read the book, between the continuous mentions that he used to be evil tyrant TXJ and Mo Ran’s own gonzo thoughts, what ends up hidden in plain sight is that except for Mo Ran robbing the hooker in the very beginning (when he is most under influence of the curse and just got TXJ memories to boot), he does not do anything whatsoever that is outside the realm of a slightly acting out teenager. I mean, drawling x-rated sketches in CWN’s unused books? Not being cuddling to crying strangers? (But still continuing with the mission to help.) LIKE THE KID DOES NOTHING BAD A GRUMPY TEEN WOULDN’T DO!
Not related, but the scene near the beginning where CWN eats alone and MR either is smug about that or one time he eats with him annoys him on purpose is so different from the latter scene where he sits and eats with him every day but also makes sure he eats well (one of my favorite sequences tbh).
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away-ward · 9 months
Text
Note: I think this is "The Will Post" people reference sometimes, but I'm not sure. Here and Here are the links to the original Anon messages.
This was the first time I'd received a message like this and I didn't know how to response. Eventually, it became the norm for people leave me ranty messages about this series and it's characters. I usually got a kick out of them because you guys are hilarious, and then I'd tried to answer seriously because I like discussion and discourse. So, I developed the method of answering that is seen on other posts. I just wanted to make clear why this one looks different. I wasn't trying to single them out or make an entire post about Will. Anyway.
On to the response!
Original response below, edited for grammar, spelling, and word choice. Some rephrasing, but essentially the same thoughts.
I think, first and foremost, it’s essential to get out of the way that to enjoy this series, you can’t look at any of the characters too closely. Because once you do, you’ll realize almost everybody here sucks in some way or another.  
That being said, let’s look at the characters way too closely.  
Anon, I organized your thoughts by character/relationships to make it easier to manage my thoughts and form a response. So, I'll take it individually instead of responding to each part directly as you wrote it. I don’t think I or anyone else can say anything that will change your mind, but as regards to how I approach the characters when writing them, these are my thoughts.
But thank you so much for reading my fics! The fact that people spend their time doing so is always such a big compliment, even if some of the things I wrote...didn't quite sit right with you.
Disclaimer: these are my thoughts and opinions and are in no way meant to be asserted as fact or canon. Thank you.
FYI, this is a long one, folks. Grab a drink before you start.
First up:   
Will and Alex  
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You’re absolutely right that Will and Alex only knew each other for about five years when we got to Nightfall. I messed up when I wrote Reality and said seven years. I realized it about two to three weeks after posting it and never went back to fix it. Good catch.  
I see that you have a problem with Alex. That’s valid. I’m not entirely sure if it’s how I portray Alex and her relationship with Will or Alex from the source material that you have a bigger issue with. Still, I’ll try to explain my feelings about her beyond what I’ve said in other posts.   
Feel free to correct me if I get anything wrong because, honestly, I have disregarded most of what Alex has said and done. After all, it hardly ever matters to the plot. Like you, I have the viewpoint that Alex’s involvement in the story doesn’t affect anything and, more often than not, makes a scene worse. I can’t think of a single time when Alex did something one of the other characters couldn’t do.   
I think the timeline is that Will was arrested at 19 and released at 21/22. He would have met Alex soon after his release. It would be just a few months before the beginning of Corrupt. We first meet Alex through Michael. She comes off as confident and self-assured, in complete control of herself. She doesn’t hesitate to let Rika know she’s an escort when the opportunity arises. Her boldness gives off the feeling that she’s world-wise, with years of experience.   
The reality is that she’s the same age as Rika. Given this, she would have only been in this line of work for a few months to a year, if we consider her account of events to be accurate. It tracks that Alex would be reeling from losing her friends and scholarship. She didn’t just lose Aydin when her roommate betrayed her. Alex lost her entire support system, and her plans for the future. Maybe she did figure out how to land on her feet through sex work, but I don’t think she was completely content with it – at least not as much as she tries to appear to be. She always said it was temporary, not a forever job, and she planned on doing more once she graduated.   
Towards the beginning of their relationship, Will and Alex had a more casual approach to each other. While they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company, they weren’t close. But a year passes between Corrupt and Hideaway, and that is plenty of time to get to know someone and develop an intimate relationship. Their friendship deepens over time, but because of how the story is told with the reader only viewing this very narrow window of the character's lives during October every year, we don’t see much of that progress. We don’t know what significant moments these two have shared, what they’ve revealed to each other when it was four in the morning and no one else was around. I believe Will and Alex found solace in each other; peace they couldn’t find with anyone else available to them.  
We can see their progression over the years in small moments
In Corrupt, when Damon is being aggressive with Alex, Will laughs and leaves it alone. I think his feelings are that this is her job and she can handle herself. Damon is his friend. Will sides with Damon.
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In Hideaway a year later, Will supports Alex in the shopping scene. His comment to Banks is pretty neutral but more positive than before.
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Yet, in the third year of their friendship or relationship (whatever you want to call it), we see Will defending Alex against Damon.
Damon's petty words are nothing compared to the way Damon physically treated her just two years prior. Some might argue that Will is acting out of his anger towards Damon, and using Alex as a prop to do it. That's fair. Will isn't the most emotionally intelligent person at this point of the story.
I think it's a mixture of both. Will wants to hurt Damon by replacing him (with a girl nonetheless. The horror), but it's also that his relationship with Alex has changed. He cares for her more now than he did even a year ago. He won't tolerate Damon saying spiteful things to Alex.
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In Kill Switch, when Damon is threatening war, Will is the one who brings up Alex. He sees value in her being at his side.
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Anon, you asked how their friendship could be that deep if she didn’t know that Will was missing. I don’t have Conclave on me, so I could be wrong, but weren’t Will’s parents lying for him? First, he was actually globetrotting – posting pictures on social media from various locations. Then the lie was he was with some program to help in third-world countries? Either way, it’s entirely believable that it would take a while to figure out something wasn’t quite right with the story. Should they have figured it out earlier? Sure. It shouldn’t have taken his younger cousin to make his three closest friends aware that Will was missing.   
But in the Horsemen’s defense, they’re married with children and running businesses. And it’s not like they weren’t trying to reach him. 
At the end of Kill Switch, Damon talks about how they got him clean from drugs, but alcohol was a bigger issue. He also mentions that he's been leaving messages often, waiting for a response. Damon was mad that Will missed the birth of his son, and it's not like Damon wasn't trying to make Will aware that it was happening.
Damon tried. Will made the decision to leave without telling anyone and go to a location they wouldn't be able to find him, and then he arranged for his family to lie about his whereabouts. I think the boys have an excuse for not knowing something was up right away, and then for acting when they did.
The way Conclave focuses on other issues is not the character's fault; it's what the author wanted to focus on. But there's nothing to say that the characters didn't eventually get down to business and figure out what needed to be done to get to Will. I agree that that portion of events would have been a more interesting story and would have set us up beautifully for Nightfall, but I've digressed enough.
Getting back to Alex. I find that she tends to lean towards putting her pleasure above all else, unless the situation is dire, or she's been given a direct instruction by one of the other characters. She has moments where she takes things seriously, but for the most part she seems to flounce around with a childish air. And Will does most of the time as well, and maybe that’s why they gravitated towards each other. While Kai, Michael and the others are growing, Will is stuck and Alex is on a similar level. They leaned into each other, and this worked for a while. But then Will was ready to grow, and he knew he couldn't let them carry his weight any longer, Alex included. 
The bottom line, I don’t like Alex. I’ve never liked Alex. I was indifferent to her for a while, but Nightfall did her no favors in my eyes. In reviewing the series, I’ve come to dislike her even more. To use what you’ve said, Alex gives me the "ick." The way she naturally falls into coercing and manipulating people doesn't rub me the right away and never has. I'm not saying she's ever forced someone to do something they didn't want to do, but possibly things they'd rather not?
For instance, in Hideaway, we have this thought from Banks about how Alex coerced her into drinking during the sleepover scene. Banks, while wanting to enjoy a "normal" life, also felt it was important to keep her wits about her when around Kai. So Alex "coercing" her to drink feels like she ignores what people want so that she can have a good time.
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Again, in Hideaway, Alex as pulled Lev, I believe, away from his post so that she can try to sleep with him. Same as before, Lev wasn't opposed to the idea of sleeping with Alex, but he had a job to do, and that moment was not the time. Alex ignored that because wanted what she wanted. And like a child, she wanted it there and then.
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(I mean, I guess the argument could be made that Alex was the only one who could have helped Banks tap into her femininity because Banks hated everyone else, especially Rika but still. I don’t like the way she behaves in general.)
But when I’m writing about these characters – especially when the setting for a fic is in the canon universe – I don't want to ignore PD intended for their relationship. They wanted Will and Alex to have a deep connection different from what he shared with the others. I’m not convinced it was ever meant to be romantic, but it was meant to be deep.  
I think you’re also correct in saying that Will used his friendship with Alex to soothe and distract from the pain of what happened between him and Damon.   
Which brings us to our next part.   
Will and Damon  
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I think it’s a bit harsh to say Damon was always a tool to distract Will from reality. I believe Will quite liked his reality in high school. He was privileged, wealthy, attractive, athletic, popular, and had a good home life. The only thing missing was the girl of his dreams, and he was delusional enough to think it was only a matter of time before she came to him. There was nothing to distract from. Will enjoyed every second of it. He loved the drinking, the partying, the sex, and the camaraderie between his friends and teammates. He lived for it. 
He never wanted to leave it.  
And I think Damon loved Will. He wanted to keep Will “safe” inside this little bubble where nothing could hurt him or take away his joy. Damon wanted Will to be happy, as long as Will's happiness didn't take him away.   
The second Will started talking about Emory like she was different from the other girls was the second Damon began to hate her. Because Emory had the ability no one else had: she could either take Will away from him or destroy Will. And Will would let it happen because he’s full of love, and he's soft.   
And that’s precisely what happened when Emory and Will did finally connect, as Damon knew it would.   
Damon did know Will. He knew what he liked, what he wanted, how he thought. He probably understood Will better than Will understood himself. Which is how he knew exactly what to say and what do to hurt Will.    
That's why Damon was sick at the thought of losing him, completely out of his mind with grief at what he’d done. That's why when Damon thought of leaving, all he wanted was to take was Winter, Banks, and Will.
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I’d dare to say it’s Michael and Kai that Damon doesn’t care about all that much. Not that he hates them. He’d kill for them. Walk through fire for them. Go to prison rather than rat them out for a lighter sentence. But there’s something in Will that Damon wanted to protect and keep.  
The problem was Damon's a little control freak in the worst way. This means he goes way too far in doing anything. His whole redemption arc is learning how not to do that with literally everything and still be okay. The little weirdo.  
I’m not a Damon apologist, if there is such a thing. Damon’s trauma and redemption arc doesn’t do anything for me. I also don’t think it's any excuse for his actions before then. I won’t deny that he does add to the series for me. Most of the time, if Damon was there, I was paying attention, whether I liked him or not.   
I’ve said it elsewhere, but I would have loved for his redemption arc to be the last part of the series because it makes more sense as a conclusion. To read Nightfall, not knowing if he was going to be a real villain by the end of the series, would have made his scenes with Emory and the other characters all the more chilling,  
But the story is what it is, and again, I don't want to ignore what PD was trying to do with Damon and Will, so when I write about the two of them, where one is, the other follows.   
On a side note, PD did an excellent job of introducing the potential bond that Damon and Emory would eventually share. They can relate to each other on multiple levels: 
The abuse. 
The love for Will. 
Their artistic visions. 
The way they covered for each other when they didn’t need to. 
Their bond would be much stronger than Em’s with Alex, and I wish the fandom focused on it more.   
Besides
Moving on.
Will   
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You’re right when you say that Will was doing all those things before he went to prison, before he almost died, and before Damon left him.   
The main difference is that he was doing it for fun before all of that. He didn’t need to do it; his life didn’t revolve around it. It wasn’t an everyday occurrence but more of an occasional thing. Once Emory broke his heart and his friends left for college, we see him start to spiral just a little   
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And that was after only losing Emory.
He needed his life at TBP to stabilize, and once his support system was gone, he couldn’t cope. And I like to focus on that aspect of Will. He was weak and soft before because he’d never faced a real challenge. His privilege, and later Damon, prevented him from experiencing any difficulties, doing him a disservice. When change was on the horizon, Will didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know who he was outside of being a rich teenager. And had things gone along without interruption, he probably would have continued down that path, either never growing up completely or eventually OD’ing.   
Going to prison might have saved his life, and if Damon hadn’t betrayed him, he might have been okay.  
Except Damon did betray him. So, he started spiraling again, this time worse than before, because now he didn’t even have his friends to fall back on. He couldn't go a day without getting drunk or high. As Banks said, he was only sober long enough to get to his fridge. Nothing was good. His two remaining friends didn’t like how he was acting, and they were moving on without him. The girl of his dreams didn’t care that he went to prison for her – she didn’t even call! (Note: I'm not made about this; it's just Will's feelings on the subject). Rika wasn’t the revenge he was hoping for, and now he didn’t even have that to look forward to. All he really had going for him was the approval he received from Alex.   
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I haven’t considered how much Alex had a hand in things. I want to think that since they were new friends, she took an “it’s not my place to tell him what to do; his friends will step in if it goes too far” position. At the same time, I can see her encouraging him because it’s what she wanted to do to cover her own pain and fear. Again, because we don’t get moments outside these high-intensity situations, we don’t really know how their friendship works.   
But even so, a person’s early twenties are turbulent, to begin with, and Will had to learn how to cope with losing Emory, going to prison, nearly dying, and losing his best friend all within a matter of a few years.   
The fandom talks a lot about Damon’s trauma, but we ignore entirely that between the four boys, Will comes in a close second for the most traumatized. All his trauma is fresh, and in a short period of time.    
He was an active participant in his own downward spiral. He hid his pain behind a mask of smiles and good times, which carried him through until it didn't work anymore. Furthermore, he knew when Damon came back, he had no more excuses. The thing about relationships is that they require good communication and mutual respect, neither of which Will had. Mainly because he didn’t respect himself. With his friends' help, Will kicked his drug habit. It’s possible that with the clarity that came with it, he saw himself dragging his friends down. His friends were starting families and business, but he was still stuck. Kai said it best when he said Will never did anything on his own, and that was true until Will decided to go to Blackchurch.
So, they would have no reason to suspect that Will was doing anything other than what he said – traveling the world and figuring things out. But Michael, Kai, and Damon hadn't abandoned him. They were trying. Will was the one who left them hanging.   
To expect his friends to respect and trust him, and to develop some respect and trust in himself, he had to grow up. But his friends cut him a lot of slack. They let his stupid mistakes go unchecked and unpunished because it’s Will. I think in their eyes, he never meant any harm, or he was young and dumb, or he was hurting. They gave him a million excuses because they loved him. They weren’t strong enough to be the firm hand and give him the tough love he needed. Before anyone else, Will realized what he needed, and knew he couldn’t get it from his friends. Beyond that, he was too embarrassed to ask for it, to be seen as weak to them. Because everyone looked at their group and saw Will as the weak link, Will began to see himself that way too. And he was right. 
The Will before Emory and the Will after prison are two different people. I guess it’s up to the reader to decide who is more authentic. I choose to see Will before Emory as the real him, Will after prison, a mask he wears to keep from being hurt again, and Will during Blackchurch as someone stripped down to their barest form. He’s lost before Emory shows up, not knowing whether he can return to the real world and start again. It takes some prompting from Emory to get him moving and feeling like himself. And after Blackchurch, we see the Will from high school begin to resurface. 
I’m not sure where I’m going with this thought. But I think all the things you’ve complained about regarding Will are why he went to Blackchurch. He wanted to quit the drugs and drinking permanently, so he could grow up and be the person his friends needed. Then they wouldn’t have to pull his weight. I hated Will through most of the series because of his actions, the way he treated Banks and Winter specifically. Once I realized he was hiding all that heartbreak and pain, his motives and actions became more obvious. Again, pain is not an excuse to hurt anyone, but we are reading about imperfect characters who make mistakes and rarely, if ever, take the high road.
I’d say that part of the story is that when others hit low, they go lower. They’ll go to hell if it means getting one over on anyone who's pissed them off.  
They’re petty.  
All of them.  
The Horsemen   
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I love friendships. Especially strong ones. Ones that don’t make sense on the surface. The kind of friendships where you know if it weren’t for unconditional love and loyalty, these people would probably stab each other multiple times, but instead they'll stab anyone who hurts them.
The problem with the Horsemen is that because they are supposed to focus on the four romances, we don’t get much of their friendship. PD gives us small glimpses here and there, and then says, “Just trust me, they’re brothers.” However, that leaves a lot to be desired when the entire plot hinges on them practically dying for each other every other year. 
But I’ve read other books about solid relationships. I’ve watched shows with the same dynamic. The idea of a unique foursome with an unparalleled bond isn’t unheard of by any means. It's an old trope. So, I can fill in the gaps.  It’s sometimes irritating to have to do that when I shouldn't have to. For instance, I have no idea what would happen if I put Emory and Michael alone in a room together. None. They stand in separate corners and don’t talk to each other, and this is because their relationship receives zero development. If you’re going to tell me that this group is a close, chosen family, willing to die for each other; that they loves and need each other, and that each member of the family (everyone from Michael their leader, to Emory the most recent addition) provides something critical to make the family work, then I need to see it. I need to feel it. But if I can't determine how two people in this family would interact, then something is missing.
But I have the ability to add what isn’t there, and to pull inspiration from other sources to fill-in what PD clearly intended. (If there's one thing about Devil's Night, is the potential for Head Canons galore!)
As you said, Anon, there were many times when their problems could have been solved by communication. However, I don’t think communication was a skill any of these men developed. Especially when admitting they were wrong, or talking about their feelings, or showing any sign of weakness in front of each other. Pride is a cruel master; it will trip you up if you give it a chance. But I don’t think their faults were a lack of love for each other.   
Michael was overly cautious where Will was reckless, which often caused disagreements. Michael acknowledged this in Corrupt. I still think there is plenty of evidence that they cared about each other and knew each other on a deeper level. I get why you’d say they didn’t care about Will, but if we only look at the one time Will jagged left when he usually goes right, it’s understandable that they’d be a little slow to react.
I mean, think about them being on a team in high school. If Will always preferred to shoot from a certain position, then Michael and the others would work to put him in that position. They’d get the ball to him. But what if he suddenly decided to be on the other side of the court? Then they’d be throwing the ball to an empty spot, because that’s where Will always was before. Just because Will did something he’s never done before doesn’t mean they don’t know him.
They didn’t expect Will to pull the Blackchurch maneuver for the same reasons I mentioned above:  
Will never did anything on his own.  
He went traveling first, either because he needed to or with the purpose of disappearing. After that, he quickly switched gears without telling anyone.
He had his family lie about it. It was probably his grandfather dispensing information, and who's going to call Senator A.P. Grayson out? 
As I said before, if you look at these characters too closely, you’ll find that nothing is redeeming about any of them. But they sure are fun.
I think?  
I don’t know anymore. Are we having fun? ARE YOU???  
Emory... versus the world?
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Emory learned to think on her feet through trial and error with Martin. Unlike Will, she had to learn to survive, which made her think things through before making a decision. Of course, it made her too wary and overly defensive at times. One wrong step and she could have lost her life to Martin losing control.  
Emory had a plan to survive, to eventually escape. It didn't include falling for a pretty boy with pretty words. She knew, as good as it sounded and as much as she wanted it, any plan that Will came up with to save her and her grandma could have gone sideways real fast. She made the decision that had the best chance of succeeding, because it relied on her alone. She made the decision out of fear, but I don’t think that fear was misplaced. Hating her because she was forced to make that decision is dumb.
I will say she gave Will mixed signals. But...she was young and emotional and he was the one good thing in her life outside her grandma. I can't blame her for being human and needing him, but it's not wrong to hold her accountable for that.
Just like it's not wrong to hold Will accountable to the fact that he didn't listen for the three years she tried to warn him to stay away. Just like it's not wrong to hold him accountable for pushing her when she had previously said no.
I believe I’ve said this elsewhere, but I don’t know where. I don’t understand Alex and Emory’s relationship. I don’t get why Alex was so friendly with Emory when they first met and then judged her for not being around when Will was hurt. Either she understood Emory’s struggle, or she didn’t. Either way, one of these scenarios doesn’t make sense.  
As for Aydin - I don’t care about Aydin. I hated him. I still hate him. I hate that he’s barely three years older than Emory, kidnapped her, messed with her mind, forcibly kissed her to make Will and Alex jealous (which is still considered a form of sexual assault, by the way), and she still wanted to consider him a mentor. I don’t care that he was more valuable as an ally. I thought their bond was too strong after a week to be taken that seriously.
I mean, Anon, you’re criticizing the bond between the Horsemen even though they’ve known each other for over a decade, but Emory's known Aydin for all of five days, and that’s all it takes for her to need him and understand him? Because she realized he’d be better as their ally against the families? Because she's smart? I call BS on this entire thing. This was one of the weakest storylines in my opinion and I mentioned on another post how I think it could have been helped just a little bit if Aydin had been older. It wouldn't have fixed it! But I could have tolerated it more. I stand by that.
I still don’t know what Aydin brought to the table that Micah or Rory didn’t. He's there because of only because of Alex, so to favor him while despising her also doesn't make sense to me. They're literally the same.
Anon, are you talking about how other fans treat Emory like she’s the worst character because she hurt Will? When literally all of these characters have hurt each other—all of them. The only characters we don't see taking actions that hurt another are Emory toward any other character that isn't Will, and that's because there isn't time. The series ended before we could see Emory interact with any of them, and all their major problems were over. There was no opportunity, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't have if the series had been ordered differently. So, if people are hating on Emory for hurting Will alone, then they're probably biased toward one of the other girls (probably Alex). Not saying that readers can't dislike Emory for other reasons. She won't be for everyone and I'm sure there are valid reasons to dislike her. For me, she was the one I could relate to the most out of the main four, and I really felt for her struggles. She had the most realistic character arc, and her finding her way back to Will made the most sense over Rika, Banks, Winter, and even Alex with Aydin.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on everything you said. Somewhere along the way, I lost track of what I was actually attempting to say. Regarding my way of writing specifically, since I'm filling in voids and holes that I felt were too unanswered, I tried to remain as close to canon as I could. Not necessarily what was there, but what was intended. I don't always keep them in character as PD wrote them, but I try to get the same vibe.   
This means, even though I don’t like Alex, I know Will likes her. So when I write about Will, she’s sometimes there too, and it's sometimes positive.
***
Anyone is welcomed to share their thoughts...if you're brain's not numb by now. If it is, I understand. Thanks for making it this far and listening to my rambling.
-KO
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lindszeppelin · 9 months
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Okay here are my thoughts on what just recently dropped. I will not subject anyone on my timeline to reading it if you don’t want, so I’m not tagging anything and I’m putting it behind a read more so you can scroll on. But since people want to keep gaslighting us about what’s going on, then I’m gonna stand up for Austin and speak my mind.
So, photos of Austin and Kaia in Paris dropped early this morning. People are claiming they were from today. The earliest known account that posted those pics on Instagram were from 9 hours ago at 2am my time. France is 6 hours ahead, which would have made that morning time around 8am when the sun is up. Clearly these pap pics were not taken in the morning hours and they are not from today. You can’t refute the weather and the sun not being up lol.
But diving deeper. Let’s start with this. Kaia posted to her story a few days ago a vid of her backstage at a Ben Harper concert. Clearly it was not from that night because from what I recall, she posted that story early in the morning. Looking at Ben Harpers current tour dates, he was in Germany on the 1st and Paris in the 3rd.
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So from this it would make the most sense she was at the show in Germany. Since everyone was up in arms about her being there like it was 100% fact.
And speaking about Germany, let’s dive into that little nugget. People are suggesting that based off of some Instagram location feature that if you look at Austin’s Instagram, it says he was in Germany. I’m debunking this one right now as not being a valid piece of evidence to throw at the wall. Because if this were accurate, then why does it say that Kaia is still in the US when clearly she’s in Europe?
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If people are saying this is 100% accurate then why does it still say she’s in the US when she’s not? Looks like that piece of the puzzle has been written out from the narrative, I wonder why.
Moving on from that and getting back to these recent pictures, Kaia appears to be brunette. We can all see this. It’s not magic and it’s not rocket science, we can all clearly see that she is not blonde. Let me explain something to you guys, as a professional hairdresser that has worked in the industry for years. She dyed her hair all over honey blonde back in the 18th. She posted a selfie to her story yesterday still looking very much so honey blonde. When you bleach hair, it will not darken, the brassy undertones get revealed. When you bleach hair, you always tone your clients hair to the desired undertone of blonde they wanna be. As Kaia is a natural brunette, like level 5, her hair would have yellowish-orange undertones. Her hairstylist then toned her hair with a honey golden gloss. Toner is Demi permanent and usually will start to show signs of fading after a few weeks, and by fading I mean that those yellow-orange brassy pigments of the hair shaft will start to show itself again. Therefore, at that point you’d need to touch up with another toner at the salon.
In these pictures, her hair is brown. It’s not blonde. It’s not brassy. It’s not bleached except for her ends, which is the old hairstyle she used to rock while she was growing out her bleach job from the pandemic times. You cannot refute something as factual as science and chemistry when it comes to hairdressing. You wanna say that she just slapped some brown dye over her hair? That’s not how that works. A corrective coloring service takes a lot of time. Going from blonde to brown is a delicate process and it often times takes more than one session to get the desired effect. This is her natural hair color in these picture. This does not have the flat appearance that boxed dye gives, and does not reflect a Demi permanent brown put over bleach blonde hair. This is her natural brown hair.
This honey blonde looks the exact same tone, and it is not dark nor is it brassy. The lighting may deceive your eyes, but my trained hairdresser eyes can tell you it is the same blonde tone. Also, her baby hairs are not the same between the blonde pics and the brunette pics.
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I will not have people acting a fool and saying she dyed her hair back to brown. People can have impulses and dye their hair and then do it all over again, but her hair in these paris pictures is not peofessional demi permanent color (because no sane hairdresser would use permanent. its more damaging) and this is not box color.
Now, let's talk about the timeline here. People are suggesting these pictures came from today, wednesday the 5th. I already debunked that earlier on with the weather. But let me give you guys some more concrete proof that you cannot refute.
A fan FROM paris, who lives there, saw these pictures and commented that the Gucci store they were walking infront of said that the Gucci store was coming soon. As someone who is familiar with the area, she commented that store had already opened in the winter time...in 2022...in December. and with a simple google search she is right.
I blocked out her name and other users for privacy. pappiaustin doesn't really need the privacy as she puts herself out there lol.
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and here is the proof. this is just one article of many i saw that spoke about it. apparently it was massive news in France. This specific shop is the same one where apparently Kaia and Austin were suposedly near, the Costes Restaurant on Saint Honore.
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I think i made my point that these pictures are NOT from today. So if that Gucci store wasn't even opened until December 20th 2022, then lets go with the theory these pictures of them are from that time.
Austin had wrapped Bikeriders early December. He was back in LA for the runway show at The Wiltern on the 8th. And then he wasn't seen again since he flew to NYC for SNL around December 13th.
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So that gives us a window of a few days to work with when they could have flown from LA to Paris. It wouldn't be that far of a stretch considering I also heard a rumor that Lisa from Blackpink and Peter, a guy who works for Celene (i think hes the creative director) was also supposedly with Austin and Kaia around these Paris pics, although there are no pics to even confirm that anyway.
So this timeframe makes sense to me. If we wanna run with the notion that some members of Celene were supposed to be at this dinner with Austin and Kaia in Paris then it makes sense since they were just at his fashion show on the 8th of December. And it was around this time that Austin would have shaved his facial hair for SNL. So it checks out to me.
Here are some of the pics in question for those that have not seen them.
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Now I wanna add one last tidbit before I end this post. Because i've made myself and these points very clear. Remember, Kaia posted that selfie of her showing off her celene necklace yesterday. then these pap pictures came out. This is not the first time that Kaia has posted selfies like this before a batch of pap pics get released to make it seem like everything is copacetic.
remember back in may, when Austin had some bikeriders tattoos on his arms as they were seen walking the dog. people were confused why he had the tats on, as he was supposed to be in New York for something that we still cannot confirm with 100% certainty what that business was for. but people were saying those dog walking pictures were not recent at all, mostly for the simple fact that his tattoos were gone very quickly the next time he was papped after these pictures were dropped.
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So she has now a history of doing this not once but twice. we have to take people for who they are when they show us their patterns. and this is clearly her pattern.
IN CONCLUSION: they are not in paris, they were but back in december 2022, kaia seems to be in germany, and austin still is nowhere to be seen officially from any real source. last we saw was that flight attendant picture from a lufthansa flight but i said my peace on that.
please use your brains. and do not keep drinking the kool aid. do your own research.
PS. I ALSO wanted to post THIS, from a kaia news account, that clearly has some kind of information to prove that austin is NOT interested in marrying kaia. so to all you idiots that were saying austin proposed to kaia in germany, blah blah blah, no.
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/RANT
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lavenoon · 1 year
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Mom said it is my turn to spark a timeline fkdjhgjkhd
Very curious about what you have planned hehe XD
(also no need to answer this today since it's almost sleepy times for you I just saw your tags and had to share my first thought about it fkjghkjldh)
So for context, yesterday dear Chaotik tagged me in this post, and, well...
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What if they did know each other sooner?
First of all I want to lead with the disclaimer that this was just a pre-bedtime idea I’m kind of fleshing out, no promises I’ll do anything with it. I don’t even have a solid name for this timeline (yet) (kicks “Nestlings AU” under the couch where no one can see)
For this, I’m jumbling the circumstances a good bunch again - Sun, Moon, and Eclipse live in the same city as Y/N. Also there’s more but I’m not telling you yet (: 
Eclipse gets Sun and Moon a job at the agency - and they begin their training period, hesitantly hopeful that maybe this job will be more fun than the others they’ve had. Maybe this will be something they can settle for. I’ve mentioned it before, but these two used to job hop a lot - staying at most a year at any given place before they become dissatisfied and look for something more. 
The agent job only feels different because it’s something so out there - good luck finding that job listing online! And perhaps it’s something the brothers can use to connect to each other, in this very rough phase where none of them dare to address deeper issues because they don’t know how to even breach much less vulnerable topics. If they could come home and gossip about the same workplace and people, well… That would be nice, wouldn’t it? They could feel like a family. 
So the two start their training, pick out their code names, and… and it’s not terrible. It’s not quite what they had hoped for, still missing something, and yet they can’t say just what it is they would need to truly accept the job. It’s even kind of fun, whenever they forget that strange restlessness spurring them on. 
Dawn excels quickly at the more social aspects of agent work - pleasant smiles, polite conversations, he’s got one of those faces, you know? He starts leaning into it, dressing up and giving off the best “Me? A secret agent? Surely you jest” vibes known to man. That’s just Dawn, the nice, sunny animatronic, who likes to dress fancy! As far as agents (in training) go, he’s eccentric, but effective.
Dusk hates that kind of stuff, but no one tops his speed when it’s about training courses within and outside of the building, and handicaps like the trainer deciding to change the light/ sight conditions barely bother him with his access to night and thermal vision. He’s somewhat quiet, but everyone else already clocks him as a menace as soon as he grins like a Cheshire Cat upon completion of a parkour. 
Eclipse meanwhile continues to work his way up the ranks, no longer an assistant by the time Sun and Moon start their training, but he’s eyeing that lead researcher position and there’s very little that could deter him from trying to get there. 
As for the family vibes… It works, a little. Eclipse gets a huge kick out of asking “So, how was training?” in the most parental tone he can muster. Sun and Moon pretend to be bothered, but deep down they don’t begrudge him a bit of teasing. They may grumble a bit, and then eventually sigh and lean into it too. Shrug and a “Well, training, y’know?” They can all squabble a bit, with Eclipse nudging them more because they’re all laughing and yeah maybe it’s silly and all just jokes, but at last he feels like part of the circus after being trapped in the audience for too long. Do I say this to make a jesters reference or because it’s accurate to how ridiculous they are? Yes. 
They still have bad days, and fights - and the transfer they were already “threatened” with looms in the distance. That’s when they start thinking maybe that’ll help, actually - they can call, and text, and just stick to the fun bits and not lash out at each other anymore. That’s where in canon, too, their relationship starts freezing. 
In this timeline though? 
One day there’s a commotion - something about HQ being “infiltrated” by a civilian. 
The next night, a new recruit starts training, and suddenly things become actually interesting. The newbie is a bit wide-eyed, and seems to not quite know what to make of things. They chat up a couple people and seem not very impressed, which only earns them a few stink eyes. 
Dusk suddenly can’t slack off anymore. He had that perfect balance between staying on top of everyone while putting in as little effort as he can get away with. But then suddenly there’s someone keeping up with him, and starting up a casual conversation. 
“Hey, uh, is everyone here a stick in the mud?” 
He nearly trips when he starts cackling. 
The newbie slows with him in concern, but he just grins at them like the menace he is. 
“You’ll want to use that head start. I’ll catch up.” 
“Oh, bet.” 
To his absolute delight, they win. 
They shrug off an introduction, saying they haven’t picked a code name yet. Dusk proceeds to call them random words as “code name suggestions”, but it’s all things like “Hey, Broom!” “Carpet, watch out!” and the newbie swears up and down if they weren’t faster than him and couldn’t outrun his stupidity they’d have to kill him. 
And then the idiots race again.
And again - a good bunch over time. Moon comes home after that first time and seems unusually eager to talk about work, though Eclipse doesn’t complain. Sun just jokes how he’s curious if he’ll meet them too.
And he does! But unlike their already trained talent in parkour, their acting skills are a bit lacking. He watches them fumble for a bit before he approaches them, introduces himself as Dusk’s partner, and then asks them if they’re alright - those new job jitters sure are something! And they sigh, ignoring the out he’s giving them, and explain that no, they just really don’t know how to act in these scenarios.
Well, don’t mind if he does, then. 
“Well, who are you right now?” 
“Huh?” 
“What role are you playing? Any character needs to be crafted first, then you can start thinking of what script you’re working with.” 
There’s a small pause as they look at him (perfect poker face - well, at least they got that down), and he starts to fidget. But then they huff, and crack a smile. 
“That’s the cheesiest way anyone’s ever successfully explained something to me. Got any other pointers?” 
And boy, does he! 
Eclipse hears a lot of stories about the newbie, then. He’s drawing his own conclusions <3 
(And he’s not really wrong)
Robin first introduces themself to Dusk, who immediately has to be funny about it.
“Like the bird?” 
“No, you imbecile. Robin Hood.”
“Imbecile yourself. Why him?”
“Dude lives in the woods with his friends and steals from the rich, what’s not to admire?” 
“You’re thinking of corvids, little bird.” 
“I’m going to kill you.” (They don’t <3)
Dawn at the very least respects their namesake, though he earns himself a withering glare when he declares that their pickpocketing skills are a sight to be seen, and they’d make for an adorable little thief. That sticks, too <3 
“But Luce,” you say, “Where’s the fun in this timeline if they all know each other from the start?”
We still get a reveal, some time down the road, after enough of the early stage shenanigans. 
Eclipse likes to shop around, buying things he can reasonably acquire in local stores to then dissect them and figure out how they work. Little pet projects for improvements, and to practice and keep himself sharp in those phases when he’s stuck only doing paperwork at work.
Y/N meanwhile starts frequenting some stores selling home security and other “spy gadgets”, always looking for novelty items and thus forcefully learning how to deal with disappointment. 
One day they grab a little pen camera - only to hear someone cheerfully suggest they pick another one, that one really isn’t worth the money. 
After they startle, they turn, and blink - another celestial animatronic. Huh. Who would’ve thought those are so common? 
He introduces himself, and then explains he dissected one of them before, and the camera is unfortunately functionally useless. The wiring’s too fickle, he had to fix up quite a lot to get his in working order - 
“But you got it? In working order?” 
“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure!” 
“Do you take commissions? Or, uh, actually, would you teach me?” 
He never really had to think about that - but boy is he on board! Sure, he’d love to walk them through it! 
They buy two then, one for him to demonstrate and one for them to follow along with. If they mess up, they have the one he worked on, and if they manage, well, guess they have - … friendship spy pens?
Eclipse loves the idea of friendship spy pens. 
Y/N doesn’t mention that they know two other (or, well, one other?) celestial animatronics, because they do take the secrecy seriously now that they have a civilian friend - they feel all cool and mysterious about it, dork. 
Eclipse usually visits them - he’s eager to go out, and really enjoys finding new routes to their place. Workshop hangouts often stretch into movie hangouts and, after Y/N insists on buying a charging cord for him after his first crash at their place, sometimes sleepovers. 
He gets to brag about his friend now, too - and this is where all brothers are idiots, and no one connects the dots. 
For a while! And we’re keeping up with the trend that Eclipse makes any reveal a speedrun - he finds out first. 
He visits them at home so often,  gets to casually talk to them all the time, and hears so many stories from Sun and Moon, he just starts becoming more and more suspicious as time goes on. 
And when one day Moon bemoans his little bird stealing his hat, just for said hat to lie on Y/N’s couch? Eclipse blinks, and then nearly gives them a heart attack. 
“So you are Robin. My brothers simply cannot shut up about you.” 
He makes quick work of quelling any panic though - it’s fine, really, after all, if they didn’t know that just means that Sun and Moon are doing their job right! 
Then there’s the prompt invitation to mess with the two, and frame it as an accident to HQ. Eclipse simply invites his friend home, whom he couldn’t have known is also an agent, because both Y/N and Sun and Moon took the secrecy so seriously! (: 
Sun/ Moon get the shock of a lifetime and, for a moment, have no clue how to feel about it - but then Y/N exaggerates an innocent shrug before breaking into a grin, and suddenly they feel a little calmer. Still grumble and shoot Eclipse a glare, but it’s on the same level as their usual bit.
HQ lets them get away with it, but Agent River already feels like these new recruits are going to test her nerves. 
She’s right.
By the time Sun and Moon are done with their training and thus supposed to be shipped off, Dusk, Dawn, and Robin have already become a set, “do not separate.” The higher ups begrudgingly indefinitely postpone the transfer after Robin makes it clear they aren’t leaving their home any time soon, even after they finish their training.
HQ, at some point, demands one of them at least move. 
Sun/ Moon, Eclipse, and Y/N, Looking At Each Other: … We can do that
HQ is tired. River feels like she needs three baby leashes, and one of them isn’t even under her command. She just gets another coffee in her “World’s best Mom Supervisor” mug.
It’s the fast burn timeline (as far as I will ever be able to write anything “fast” relationship wise), because they have the least walls up, and are all very eager to fix things/ enjoy things as they come <3
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Do you ever think about how the watchers, as they are defined by Grian, would be the most powerful force in the universe?
I mean, watchers are.. us. We are watchers. Which is Duh, of course we are but its a bit more complex than that. Watchers would be classified as Gods which exist OUTSIDE of the universe: you know the end poem that’s basically ‘you are the universe and the universe is you’ basically watchers are disconnected. Because when we watch a video we aren’t IN the video thus making us, not apart of the universe.
How does this make watchers the most powerful forces of all? Well, in a traditional sense it wouldn’t.
They don’t have very much affect on the world as people inside it do, thus watching it unfold and only being able to give warnings through forms of voices, comments, chats etc. If this were the case this would make Technos voices and Phils crows to be watchers in disguise and this would actually be very plausible.
I mean when we join a minecraft world we look.. as regular as a player can be: no robes or wings as the statues depict them in Evo. We just look.. like a regular player. Like watchers visiting as guests taking on human forms to blend in such as that subscriber who visited Evo because they won a contest. A watcher in disguise.
Grians appearance changes after becoming a watcher if you go by Evo timeline terms, becoming more plain looking and less evo looking. More like a human to hide his less than human godlike origins.
If you think about it Watchers would be more powerful than the Goddess of Death Kristin almost. I mean, we as watchers basically made her god, she wasn’t apart of the SMP naturally we just decided it. We has watchers gave her that power the same way we gift godhood to other characters in the form of headcanons: but its rare these actually come into affect.
Its like a story of ancient gods being shut off from everything to avoid abusing their power. I mean, in EVO watchers for the first time ever seen actually interacted with the world in the form of signs, riddles, games, puzzles, punishments and even sending an asteroid flying into a building in the main spawn area. If thats not proof enough that if watchers were given the power of free control over their main worlds they would be the most powerful force in the multiverse.
Honestly if the watchers sent an asteroid into a building who’s to say they didn’t make moon big happen. Just a thought. I mean the moon falling? Grians old skin being Link? Watchers being directly connected by the recent Last Life with Martyns lore who also conveniently had moon lore. It was all a coincidence but y’know. Still plausible.
What we make in the form of AUS just proves this fact, we mess with the timeline but we can never rewrite or alter the original. Evo is unique BECAUSE its altered by the watchers actions and their decisions: taking Grian away from Evo to become a watcher, whether of his own free will or kidnapped, could’ve caused the original fate of Evo to shift. Altering the future events in a sense.
Watchers would be more powerful than Kristin, DreamXD, Aeor and Exor. They exist in a universe and have to abide by its rules. Watchers however, dont.
The watching quality of it is also very accurate because they really do see everything but they can pick and choose. Watchers know about Tommys Exile but others don't, if they so choose to know everyone they can.
The ability to rewatch old videos and storylines also implies the watchers really can Time travel and thats were they get their ability to send the Evolutionists further into versions, we time travel with watching content all the time. Screw Watchers living in the End or the Void put them in the Aether or Outerspace those would be better fits for these anomalies, since once doesn’t exist and the other is replaced by the void meaning that outerspace the way we know it doesn’t exist. Maybe because we know it though, thats why is DOES exist. See what I mean by complex now?
What are listeners then? What would that mean for Grian if he were still a watcher as Last Life seems to imply. Its all so interesting I’d love to see discussion on this; sorry if any of this repeated or if my grammar is awful I am very sleep deprived and am thinking very self existentially.
Just thought that watchers are associated with time travel and sight of everything. Grian was admin of a time travelling server, he owned a time machine that could to back to Alpha which is conveniently where Evo was before, he has a rift in S9 that literally bends worlds and has a very similar aura and feel to the old portals to travel through updates, with clues as well like the watchers would do. Woah.
TL;DR: We are watchers, were fucking stacked because we can see fucking everything if we choose, if Grian is a watcher he'd be the BAMF-est bitch ever and would be stronger than the Goddess of Death and DreamXD and Aeor and such since he can interact with the world unlike other watchers.
Man, I got carried away. Discussion anyone?
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docholligay · 5 months
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The House in Fata Morgana: Door Four -- 1099
I have never reviewed a visual novel before, but iscahwynn made me a very generous offer and a long line of patience, knowing that we are trying something very new. To that end: Please don’t spoil me for the game at all! If you are reading this, I have only gotten through the part written above, and I don’t want to be corrected, even if I’m wrong, even if I’ve missed something, i don’t want to have anything confirmed or denied, and I don’t need any trigger warnings or extraneous explanation. Iscah would like my pure, naive experience of the game. Thank you!
Non-spoilery: There’s a lot to like about this story for me, even before we get into the more…for the sake of not being spoilery i’ll call it “creative elements”. I think I would like the story even if it were simply the face story, but the creative elements allow us to play even more with what is happening outside of the text itself, and it gives a very different element to what has already been an interesting game
SPOILERS BELOW
So the fun about this door is that it’s bullshit, but you have to try and figure out how much of it is bullshit and how much of it isn’t bullshit, and boy would you think that’s easier than it  actually is. It IS a temptingly neat story, full of love, some key beauty and the beast elements, learning to love each other, a promise that can obviously only end in tragedy, dying in your lover’s arms, a horrible bargain, blood in rivers. It’s got it all. I see what the painting was saying about not wanting to accept anything that makes it all just a little too pretty.
Because you would think, ‘Oh no it ends in death and such, it’s not pretty.” Wrong, the story is gorgeous and it provides such a beautiful justification for everything that has happened to the white haired girl, and also, in a way, made it her own fault. It’s also the stuff of fairy tales. Never in any other timeline do we see real magic, or curses, or anything like that. Remember, Yukimasa SAW himself as a beast, but he never was one, he always looked like a reasonably handsome young man. There hasn’t been magic in the story other than in THIS time, and I’m not 100% sure I believe that in 1099 curses were real and the shitty Dark Ages version of Pushing Daisies was coming about. 
I do believe in the witch though, only because I’ve been thinking about her from day one, and this mansion that exists out of time, IS her fata morgana. 
So now we’re left trying to untangle this story, and where is it real, and where is it a lie? The story does a really fun thing with the backlog here, where sometimes the witch communicates through that.
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And there are glitches in the visuals, plenty of things for us to be told that parts of this story simply aren’t accurate. They aren’t the reality of what happened in that house. 
I love the spot in the backlog where the witch tells us she’s going to rewrite the woman we loved. What does that mean, to rewrite someone? Are we creating Giselle, which may or may not be the White Haired Girl’s name--he says her name is Giselle, but it’s often xxx’d in the backlog, and the screen still says “White Haired Girl”--out of thin air? Was there ever a Giselle, or, for that matter, a Michel? It’s been hinted at that I may be the White Haired Girl, and if I am the White Haired Girl, is this all being written for me so i can feel sorry for myself? So that I’m the poor little meow meow of my own tale? Because she’s a fucking angel and doormat, and I would love if it turns out that’s all horseshit and this is all being written as something to further fool me into believing myself an innocent. 
And we don’t…see the White haired girl, until we get up into the observation tower. That same tower that we saw in door one when the White haired Girl was telling Mell the story about the girl and the letters on a pigeon. That’s a very interesting choice to me, and it’s a very deliberate choice. See, for a moment there I thought we also might be Michel, because there’s this glorious screenshot:   
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Where we deal with the whole idea that we are trying, reaching, begging for our memories here, but those memories are being replaced by the images that are being put in front of us. We don’t know what’s real and what’s not. 
I mean, to this moment, I have no idea if Michel ever existed, if there was ever a curse, if any of it was ever real. The game seems to be telling me the maid is Morgana, but that doesn’t make sense to me given that in door two, it felt like she and the house were two different entities, or is that yet more bullshit, and if it is bullshit, i think i should have been able to see some clue of that on the backlogs, which I couldn’t, or at least not in a way i noticed when I was talking about other chapters. I don’t know what I think about any of this at all! I feel terrible writing my impressions of this door when my impressions of this door were mostly “Fuck man?? I don’t know??” 
But in trying to winnow out what’s true and isn’t, there were a few things that struck me: 
1) I do not for a second believe that the story is just handwaving her survival, i believe the MAID/maybe Morgana is doing that, because we are being actively lied to. If the story were handwaving it, they wouldn’t be so obvious about it, because they would know it was a big problem narratively. Instead, the maid basically goes “Why was she actually alive when we were saying how dead she was, tenderly in his arms like a crushed rose petal. Beats the fuck out me!” They draw ATTENTION to that, that she is telling a story badly. That’s not a mistake, i don’t think. 
2) We of course have all the backlog stuff going on, which is the really obvious thing, but it was so interesting to me when things were xxx’d and when they weren’t, as well as the fact that in the observation tower we had that direct conversation Morgana, trying to remember who we are, trying to remember who SHE is, and, its only in that room. So that room HAS to mean something. 
Anyway, it’s so interesting because it feels so unfinished because it is despite being the whole door. The maid is staring at me right now telling me I’m the white haired girl and she’s morgana and I just can’t bring myself to believe any of it! It feels so fake! But like I need to keep going, not like, that’s the end, it’s a door, but it’s not the end of the tale the way the others were. 
I love how Michel goes on about how unusual her red eyes and white hair are like he doesn’t fucking have them himself. Amazing. 
I did roll my eyes hilariously at “i’m not going to hold your hand because then you’ll die hideous” okay i know we need to make allowances for the tragic ending, but how ridiculous was that? 
On that note, I know this isn’t real, but even if it’s well-trodden road i love the inevitable tragedy of a curse like that. The blood he shed saving her comes to take her away? Beautiful. Love it. I am a simple woman. 
At first i was thinking, ‘Oh so he’s a vampire” and I was wrong, but actually only kinda wrong!
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