#anyway slay love the girl fail of all time

[aulerean]

Me, aimlessly scribbling

My brain, every time without fail: hey what if you drew Catra again remember when we used to draw Catra-

#who am i to deny it #catra fanart #spop catra #spop fanart #I don’t care if this fandom is dead this show came out when I was having my highschool queer heartbreak and it’s a mOMent in time for me ok #anyway slay love the girl fail of all time #what’s that you say? your narrative has ​tragedy and self destructive characters? I am at your house I am eating your soup #my art #artists on tumblr #art #digital art #illustration #artistsontumblr #catrafanart #catradora #catra shera #sheranetflix #shera and the princesses of power #oh? your antagonist/deuteragonist has abandonment issues and copes with it by pushing everyone away and pretending everything is fine? #can’t handle emotions? Catra is the he’s not used to positive feedback megamind meme #anyway I love

[iateyourparents]

could you please do a jake imagine where the reader is in a band but is really timid on camera please ? <3

pretty girl | j.w.

pairing: jake webber x fem!reader

summary: you’re nervous before recording a music video and your boyfriend is there to help you.

warnings: bad writing and grammar(i’m sorry, english isn’t my first language), not proofread

an: thank you! hope you like it <33

pictures are from pinterest:)

You were nervous. Only thing stopping you from walking out of this room was Jake holding you in his arms.

You weren’t a shy person, not in real life anyway. But something about cameras was making you unsure. What if you won’t have any good takes? Or what if you mess up, nobody will notice and people will see you doing something weird?

Just thinking about all possible fails made you want to cry.

“Calm down love. I can hear a river of your thoughts in your head from here.” Jake whispered into your ear.

You were together with Jake since before you and your three close friends decided to give being a band shot, so they all knew Jake and knew he wouldn’t disturb or distract anyone while you all would be recording your music video.

They also knew, if he wouldn’t be here, you probably would walk out of the room the minute you saw the set and all the cameras there. He was like your emotional support dog.

He was your emotional support boyfriend.

“What if…” you wanted to list all of the possibilities how you could mess up but Jake shushed you with a kiss.

“No what if. You’re great, beautiful and you will do better than just fine. It will come out like a one big slay.” he assured you “You’re my pretty girl, there’s no other possibility than you being just perfect.”

You sighed but felt nice warm and butterflies in your stomach. His words actually helped and his tight hug made you feel so much better.

“Alright, are we ready to start?” the producer walked into the room clapping his hands. You looked nervously in your boyfriend’s eyes but he only smiled encouragingly and left a quick kiss on your nose before lightly pushing you towards your bandmates.

You actually felt calmer than before and with steady footsteps you walked onto the set and you took your place on the set. Some workers gave you a diary and a pen so you could pretend to be writing something.

In some other parts of music video you were all in a ‘garage’ practicing. You were a lead singer so you were standing in front of everyone and that made you kinda nervous but Jake sitting in the back of the room with big proud smile, looking at you like you were some wonder, made you feel brave.

You continued recording and it wasn’t that bad. Few times you had to ask for a break so you could go to Jake for more kisses end encouragement but other than that it all went smooth and you were quickly done with recording.

“Alright guys, you did amazing.” producer smiled at all four of you “Remember to be here tomorrow 12 am straight. We have to record the song so we can add it to the video!” he reminded and after saying your goodbyes you all went to the dressing room where Jake was already waiting with your jacket.

“You did so good baby!” he looked like an excited kid getting his dream toy and you could feel a blush tinting your cheeks.

“You think so?”

“Absolutely!” he nodded vigorously “And you looked so hot.” You laughed but thanked him and then you pulled him into a kiss.

“Thank you for being here and being my emotional support boy.”

“I can be your emotional support boy whenever you want, pretty girl.” he kissed the side of your head “Ready to go eat something?”

#jake webber x reader #jake webber #jake #johnnie guilbert #tarayummy #tara yummy #sam and colby #snc #sam golbach #colby brock #music #band

[nunyabznsbabes]

I'm sure people have said this about twelve quintillion times before but the thing about Buffy and Faith's relationship that just KILLS me is how Faith sees Buffy. Like. I'm watching Season 3 right now and it's just so...

Okay, we as an audience know that Buffy is imperfect. She's brave and compassionate and selfless, yes, she's a deeply good person, but she's also a person! She's seventeen, and she's scared all the time, and she can be self-centered and cutting and messy. She just spent a summer taking care of herself, all alone in a dingy little apartment in a lonely, dirty city. We know this!! Buffy knows this about herself!! She fails and falls sometimes, and it's genuinely difficult for her to get up again. She's flawed. She makes mistakes.

But Faith. Faith comes to town running from the monsters that killed her Watcher, the monsters that Buffy is brave enough to face. Buffy understands Faith's paralysis - she's run from things, too! She's frozen up before, too! But all Faith can see is this hero, the original slayer, who has more experience and more courage. Buffy has friends and family, and Faith doesn't really know what she looks like alone - hardly even knows that she's been alone. Buffy is responsible and reliable, and Faith doesn't know that she really isn't, for a Slayer. Buffy is the good one, and Faith is the bad one, and that's all that Faith can see.

It just. It kills me every time. Because Buffy understands Faith! She reaches out to her and has hope for her and tries to help her, as much as she can at seventeen years old and faced with her shadow self. She worries about Faith because she's been Faith, or at least been on the brink of being Faith. "Slaying's a rough gig," and "Stuff gets pent up," and she GETS that.

But Faith just doesn't know that they're sharing the same struggles. To her, Buffy is this good golden girl, who has people that love her and always does the right thing and doesn't know what it's like to feel lonely or terrified or twisted. So she's so wrapped up in her own self-loathing and insecurity that she can't accept the extended hand, and she distances them more and more. ARGH. Anyway.

#bvts #faith lehane #buffy summers #bvts season 3 #fuffy #yes this is a fuffy post lol #but it's true even without the romance

[chiiyuuvv]

BESTIEEE

I FINALLY PASSED MY HISTORY EXAM💃💃💃💃

I failed this exam A LOT OMG

BUT guess what...I PASSED IT WITH 100/100

Girl I can't believe it🥹🥹

SAUR how do you think xikers will react to you passing an exam/important test that you were working on for a long time/stressing over a lot?

You can write it whenever you can cuz I think your requests are closed, BUT I CAN WAIT. I want YOUR thoughts because you are the best writer on this app frfr. So take your time

Anyways take care bestie, don't skip your meals, love youu🤍

-🌵 anon<3

• PAIRING — bf!xikers x gn!reader

• GENRE — proud xikerss :DD, slight kissing, almost wrote a whole fic for hunter-

• WORD COUNT — 782

• AUTHOR'S NOTE — sorry this is so late!! And good job on your tests :O

• TAGLIST — @lil-elle , @hyunukitty , @cake1box , @mars101 , @nenede , @soul-is-a-strange-kid , @the-lemon-boy , @yuniniverse

MASTERLIST! – JOIN THE TAGLIST!

MINJAE ☆

Hes not even surprised atp, he knows how smart you are

But boy does he pretend to be shocked, his hand covering his mouth as he takes in another gasp

But his other hand is hiding behind his back

You seem to notice and the only thing he can do is giggle, revealing an neatly folded box

Turns out there was a very pretty necklace inside, minjae spinning you around to put it on you, whispering in your ear how pretty you look and how proud he is ♡

JUNMIN ☆

Makes sure you do nothing for the rest of the week

So what if its monday?? He'll do anything for his precious baby since you worked so hardd

Will make your meals and clean the kitchen, your room, your study area

Even gives you a bath

And he wont stop either, that is, if you want cuddles ♡

SUMIN ☆

Sumin knew how stressed out you'd get with your exams so he prepared you a little smth!!

(And also some tissues)

Finally uncovering your eyes, you find a self portrait of yourself studying

And lemme just say how beautiful you look

The lines sketched with such care and patients, now you know why sumin had been smiling so much lately ♡

JINSIK ☆

I think this calls for pizza!! 🗣🗣‼‼

Also makes sure you do nothing. All you gotta do is just there and look pretty and that was already took no effort

Also a movie night because why not, and you've been meaning to catch up on some movies, also why not??

His arm wrapped your shoulder at all times, and will whine if you try to move around

Plus random cheek kisses, yeah, thats about it ♡

HYUNWOO ☆

Decides to buy tickets last minute and takes you to the fair!!

Lots of hand holding and pda, wiping some off the cinnamon off of your lips caused by your churros

Will attempt to get you those huge teddy bears, but sulks when he cant so you just gotta give him some kisses

Also the ferris wheel!!

Makes sure youre at the tippy top then he processed to tell you how proud his is and how special you mean to him, sealing it with a kiss ♡

JUNGHOON ☆

Yall know junghoon isnt that big on physical affection

But when he hears the news hes a changed man

His eyes shot open and his hands moving faster than his brain, picking you up and spinning you around when he gives you the biggest kiss on your cheek

Wait whaat??

Wdym he did that no he didnt stop being so delusional he didnt kiss your cheek and secretly enjoyed it but not enjoying your teasings rn shut up 🙄 ♡

SEEUN ☆

"Really?! I thought you failed!!"

His response earned him a huge punch

But hes only joking, ruffling your hair before dialing his phone, calling everyone and their mom to tell the news

Man does more than just spill the tea, he makes it from scratch

Hes overally dramatic when he tells your adventure, saying how you had to cross 7 seas just to find the right answer.. but you love him anyways 🤷‍♀️ ♡

YUJUN ☆

Hes wants to hear all about it, so spill the tea 😠😠

Another one to think you taking a test was so dramatic, having to slay a dragon just to get the right answer to a question

And boy is he listening!! (He listens to you more than minjae)

He'd be so awestruck when youre done, his jaw lefted open and hes looking at you with sparkly eyes

Hes so proud of you too :(( ♡

HUNTER ☆

Also think hes like minjae with the gift giving, pulling out this beautiful bracelet he bought months ahead of time because he knew you'd do well

But unlike minjae, he takes you out to dinner!!

Yes, a big, fancy dinner. And hes paying for it all by himself <3

Hunters prince agenda omgomg

No bc he'd drop down on his knees to kiss the back of your hand, making sure to look up at you in the process, opens every. Since. Door in sight and also pushes you into your chair. Andd he also leans against the table to wipe something off the corner of your lips, giggling to himself bc youre just so adorable. i could write a whole fic honestly... ♡

YECHAN ☆

You passed your exam? Give him a hug

You got an A?? Give him a hug

You thought you were going to fail? Frowns at you, before hugging you tightly

Spends the rest of the day giving you so much love, youre only allowed to be in his arms

And is the boy so soft??? The most gentle hes ever been ♡

#xikers #kpop #xikers fluff #xikers drabbles #xikers imagines #xikers fanfic #xikers fanfiction #xikers au #🌵 anon ♡ #minjae xikers #xikers minjae #junmin xikers #xikers junmin #sumin xikers #xikers sumin #jinsik xikers #xikers jinsik #hyunwoo xikers #xikers hyunwoo #xikers junghoon #junghoon xikers #seeun xikers #xikers seeun #xikers yujun #yujun xikers #hunter xikers #xikers hunter #yechan xikers #xikers yechan #xikers headcanons

[six-eyed-samurai]

O IS FOR ONE

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This relationship should not be condoned and was only written for entertainment purposes. Dark content like murder, gaslighting, cutting up and cannibalism is in here, so don't read if it makes you uncomfortable. Minors, scat and shoo and scram!

Obviously, he's obsessing over his one and only!

I put a lil tracker on your phone, just to make sure you’re all alone - and I crept into your room, lying next to you, saying I love every part of you, blood and skin and bone.

Walking down the corridor casually and oh so ordinarily he pretends to trip and makes you fall down with him, slipping a tiny little tracker into your pocket, hidden amongst overbearing, obscure, obsequious apologies and a flash of that open smile for the cherry on top. Oblivious little you didn’t even feel the extra weight in your jacket, occupied with trying to hide your giggles.

Anyone who might try and catch your love, sweetheart, might not survive for long, because I've got a knife and a big crush on you, you, you!

He expresses concern over the ogling boys and so called friends who hadn't shown up to school while throwing away the offending bottle of poison he had dripped into their food, pleasing him with the appeased look on your face and twisting his heart at the same time - how dare your concern be given those odious others? Very well, soon the obstacles will have to obey his orders and leave you if they value their organs!

Lies, cheats, fools...how many of them could possible be at school? Backstabbed by friends who haven't read the rules on how to survive without incurring terrible consequences...well, sinners who stained your name had to repent, and repent they will.

Of course he’s heard those onerous, opprobrious snakes of gossip girls oppugn your very Olympian-god worthy self and ostracized you out of their friend groups, essentially abandoning you, so what sort of knight would he be if he didn’t slay the dragons for his princess? He stalked their social media, then sabotaged every project, homework, relationship, posts, family ties and things they've done in their oppugnant existence that he could lay his hands on. How dare they cause you such ordeals.

You're my muse in every poem that I write, every song that I sing, every romance story you star - it's all just to be with you, don't you see? Or rather, dream? 

He hopes nobody will ever check under his desk, because he’s got a whole outrageous file dedicated to papers upon papers of crossed out, failed love letters, poems that could barely do your open-hearted, optimistic presence and scribbled fantasies he's determined to have with you one day...even if you are going to have to be unconscious, so be it! You’re never going to remember it anyway in the end, and he’s not afraid to admit that’s the part that drives him mad. 

Aren't I your friend, show you anything you want and need once you get to know me? Are they your friends, wreck your life, make you cry, laugh behind your back?

But you know what drives him even more insane? Over everyone who can freely talk to you, have your obligation to touch and hold hands and hug, LOOK AT YOU AS IF THEY COULD EVER OWN YOU - aaaah, why can't he do that? WHY CAN'T HE BE THE ONLY ONE TO DO THAT? It's alright, it's fine, you can't talk without a tongue! Overzealous they may call him and overprotective he might be, but he’ll do anything for a love just as obsessive from you. 

Sure, I know it hurts honey but you've got to grin and bear it, just a little slice, 'cause when it's all done you and I can never leave.

Can you really blame him? He just desperately wants to hear you promise you'll be with him forever and ever and ever, and what better way to do that than to extract a blood oath? Oops, guess he cut off your hand! It's fine, now you'll have to depend on him even more - he swears he'll be good to you, oh so good! Anything you want and need will be offered!

I'm the better alter ego when I'm down on my knees for you, so I'll take a hammer to their heads, but to her I just reek of love, so if I go down it's only because it's over!

He’s known for being calm and cool and...alright, and a crazy killer too who has never been more triggered than when he sees you being the target of horny comments by his traitorous pals. They'll find out just how strong he really is soon enough! Funny way of answering their questions, huh?

Gore is what I carve up and what I'll serve in gourmet, and of course my gorgeous, you can join the soiree.

His friends constantly ask him what's in his secret meat soup recipe - pork? Chicken? Seafood? - as they talk about their missing friend at the same time...oh, idiots that they were. He slyly glances at you - ah, thank the stars for you too had no idea of where he was. His suggestion of “in a better place now” was widely accepted, although he doubted that being digested by stomach acid applied. 

The world says I'm depraved, but your love's just what I crave, and I know you feel it as well, so they can all go burn and rot and die in hell. 

He can't take it if anyone says otherwise about the both of your love or disagree with your compliments, no, no, no! Duct tape won't work, so he'll break their jaws! You're his one and only, only he can break and take and snap you, the same way only he can be affectionate and shower his only true love with worship!

Now tell me that you love me or everything blows, you have to reciprocate, you have to love me! I'll burn this fxxking house down and hide them all six feet underground, only for you, you know? It can't be all for nothing!

He threatens to jump off the balcony if you don't return his crazed affections, especially when you're pressed against the wall and strangled by his hands - he’s done all this for you and for the “us”, atrocious crimes and horrendous killing…but he honestly doesn’t want to force a confession out of you, so why won’t you be an obedient little darling?

#sanzuyaps #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere x y/n #yandere x darling #yandere fics #yandere x gn reader #male yandere #yandere alphabet

[starseneyes]

Chenford - Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 5 - Ep 19

"A Hole in the World" AKA Clothes Call Back Night

Folks, when that first sneak peek came out, I dissolved into laughter in the dining room, and my husband had to momentarily question my sanity (just like every Sunday afternoon). It hit on practically every discussion point from the Chenford Twitterverse over the past few weeks.

I had to sit here and give the world's smallest round-of-applause-by-one to the team behind The Rookie for putting that out there. Genius way to get a lot covered in a short amount of time.

SPOILER ALERT: If you want a spoiler-free take on what's going on in Chenfordland, I'm sorry, you're in the wrong place. Come back when you're ready to be spoiled. Or don't come back at all! You're welcome to do as you choose.

For those about to rock, I salute you! So, let's dive in.

Lucy studying with note cards, written notes, and likely a practice test is just so on-brand, and I kinda love that we start the scene with her in her element.

The domesticity of Chenford never fails. It's insane to remember that as of their first kisses in the midst of undercover preparation (and under covers, of course) was only Tim's third time in that apartment, and first time there out-of-uniform.

Less than a season later, he's practically living at her place (while I head-canon Kojo is doing a great job helping his nephews with the transition to Los Angeles and playing in their yard).

And is Tim wearing the 4x01 almost-sleepover (heh) hoodie!? It might be the same bottoms, too! If they dug those up (and God bless whoever either saved them or bought duplicates), that's just amazing. I had a mini-geek out, and I bet I'm not the only one!

And for whatever reason, Tim's wearing shoes with this outfit, and I can't tell if that's because he instinctively put them on, or someone thought we wouldn't be seeing his feet in the shot. But, it made me chuckle because I'm hoping it's the former.

And is Lucy's hair being held up by a pen!? Okay, I'm officially jealous. I'm of the "chopsticks in hair" generation, and I always needed two. My friends could stick a good ole Number 2 in their hair and be good for the day. My hair's so fine and straight that I just couldn't do it. Rock it, Lucy Chen!

"Hey." "Hey." "When did you get in?" "Uh, depends. What day is it?" "That bad, huh?"

We're getting the first-blush look at these long hours we heard so much about. Remember, Tim's predecessor was dead on his feet. Yes, he had triplets at home, but that was on top of the brutal Metro hours.

"Look, I'm 80% sure it's, it's Thursday." "It's Tuesday."

Yes, it is! And we're all cozied up to our couches, beds, floors, recliners, and dining room tables to soak up the Chenford goodness. And mmmm, does it go down smooth!

"I stayed up anyways. Thought maybe I'd get lucky and he'd turn himself in."

Girlfriend. Girl. Friend! Did you really just use an undercover Tim/Lucy-ism? Throwing me straight back to 5x01 and Lucy/Juicy wondering if they could get lucky three times in the same day.

Lucy definitely wants to get lucky. But Metro hours aren't the best for getting busy, it seems.

"Oh, babe."

And there we've got the long-awaited pet name!! We still don't know what Tim calls Lucy (could also be Babe), but I saw the Twitterverse start to spin in the opposite direction at this particular name-drop.

Lucy Chen, how can you slay an entire population with a single word? You so don't know your power.

Tim sits next to the love of his life at her dining area smiling. He spent so much time last week trying to prove to the camera crews that he wasn't a softie. But we all know the truth. Tim Bradford is soft for those he loves—especially the love of his life.

His eyes trail to the notes spread atop the counter as his hand trails to her thigh.

Can we completely see it? No. But there's enough anecdotal evidence based on the placement of Tim's arm in the two-shot to conjecture, so I'm rolling with it.

Last time I didn't roll with the evidence, y'all crowded into my comments to remind me I was very wrong. It was a fun time.

"What's all this?" "What?" *arm smack*

Y'all, Lucy is so me in this moment. And I only say that because I'm older and she's fictional. To say I'm Lucy would mean I'm fictional, right? And (as far as I know) I'm real. Unless it's a Deckard in Blade Runner situation... in which case... I'm already Rachel.

But the affectionate arm smack is a total Rachel move (as my husband would confirm).

"I'm studying for the Detective's Exam." "Since when?" "I didn't tell you?"

I've seen folks jumping all over Lucy for "not telling Tim about something life-changing", but it'd be great if that could stop. Have you ever loved someone so much that you shared everything with them? I have. I tell Matthew everything.

And, yet, there are still times I'm convinced I've told him everything only to find I imagined the conversation because our lives are just too busy.

Look, Lucy and Tim already have demanding jobs with demanding hours. Yes, her going Detective would constrict their off-time more, but they're already grappling with the realities of cops-in-love juggling duty to a profession they earnestly adore and investing in a still-fairly-new romance.

It's not a choice of omission on her part. It's the overwhelm of juggling combined with the fact that she does tell him everything, so she assumed he already knew.

Communication issue? Clearly! Completely normal? Absolutely!

For goodness sake, Tim didn't even know what day it was. Living in a constant state of exhaustion and somehow functioning is my normal, so I can tell you that try as you might, something might slip through the cracks.

"If I'm gonna work undercover, the best move is to become a detective in some division like intelligence or narcotics, right?" "Right."

First off, Lucy Chen promotion-time, baby! I know a lot of us have been waiting for the moment when she'd get to move up. Heck, Aaron made P2 before she got to move up, and it's driven me nuts.

Look, I have no idea what a realistic timeline is in the real world. But Nolan's Golden Ticket allowed him to move up. Nyla moved up. Angela moved up. Tim's moved up. It's about damn time my fictional bestie got her turn.

Second, Supportive Tim Supremacy for the Win! Like, once he's on the right page, he doesn't skip a beat. Since I am married to the most supportive man in the world, I'm grateful Lucy's gonna marry the most supportive man in The Rookie world.

"So you got the tap." "Harper and Lopez are backing me."

Look at the glee on our girl's face! And that little chuckle from Tim? Oh, swoon!! Yes, I am a sucker for a supportive partner.

If you knew the number of times over the last near-20 years that this man has had my back, you'd shake your head and wonder why he's stuck around with how many times I've leaned on that support. Supportive partners make my weary heart happy.

"All I have to do is score in the top 12, which-" "Which you will."

BAM! Because Lucy Chen can do anything. Tim once held her hand (yes, it was a handshake, go with me here...) and told her to never let anyone tell her she couldn't do something.

Translation: Lucy Chen can do anything and Tim Bradford earnestly believes that.

And Lucy feels that support. In all of her relationships—friendship, romantic, familial—she has yearned for support. Sadly, the most supportive of her friends is gone. Her parents are dead to me (I hope the Mother's Day flowers Lucy sent were dried and shriveled like her mother's heart).

And her last boyfriend tried to persuade her to walk away from her dreams. Contrast that with Tim Bradford who was willing to push her towards them, even when that meant pushing her away from him. And now, as they're together, Tim is still supporting her without question.

My husband is that way. I often ask him about things. Not because he rules me (nope. I'd never survive a relationship like that), but because I believe in communication. So, I'll talk things out with him, and before I offer him my reasoning he says, "Do it." That's been his general answer to me for nearly two decades.

So, seeing Tim mirror my beloved plastered a grin on my face so wide I was approached on the street to be in the sequel to SMILE.

Lucy's got a smile on her face, too, as she hums out her appreciation and leans in for the kiss.

Special Shout Out to the DP and Director for giving us that two-shot with push-in of the kiss with the loud LIPSMACK to counterbalance Chenford's last apartment kiss/near-kiss that left me wondering if coffee tumblers made kissy sounds as the hot liquid settled.

I feel like someone on the decision-making team was like, "They want to see lip locks? No fucking way they'll miss this one! This'll shut them up."

No way to miss Tim leaning on the counter with one arm (bringing him closer to Lucy's height, because this man is taller than her in both legs and torso). And we actually see lips-meeting-lips.

Though it's a simple-enough kiss, there's suction there, which helps imply action and intention rather than passivity. Wow, I'm a weirdo analyzing a kiss this deeply, but whatever. It's my Meta, I'll over-analyze if I want to. It's square-kissing versus Tim's top-lip-sucking action he reserves for more passionate moments.

And that's beautiful. Because not every kiss is about undressing. Some kisses are about being beautifully exposed and fully accepted and loved. That's Tim and Lucy in this moment.

Tim is the supportive lover of her dreams. Lucy is the supportive lover of his dreams.

In a world where both of them grew up feeling unloved and unsupported for one reason or another, they have found more than a safety net in one another—they've found home.

Tim's affectionately rubbing her arm, and she is completely relaxed in his love.

"Well, I guess we should get used to not seeing each other so much."

The Metro move afforded them more time together than Lucy switching stations would have. But this latest move for her will add to her hours.

It's not a reason not to make this move. But... there's another move these two could make together. *hint hint* The kind that involves one set of keys for two lives? *hint hint*

Lucy deserves this. Hands down. And Tim knows that. But he also has a lot of trauma where UC and working long hours with someone he loves. It ended in heartbreak.

Now, Tim doesn't believe that's where he and Lucy are headed... but I think a small part of him in the back of his mind fears it. And that's something the two of them need to talk out.

Also, can we note the interesting choice to use the kiss as an opportunity to change angles? We went from being behind the counter aimed toward the windows to being in front of the windows aimed at the kitchen.

I'm not sure of the motivation for the move, but the film minor in me made note of it. Fairly classic technique.

"Mm, right. Yeah. Between Detective Hours and Metro Hours..." "Well, it's okay. We'll figure it out."

Tim winks to her as he departs, echoing Lucy's words to Tamara when they were first confronted with the difficulties of navigating work and love.

"Is that the sign up list for the Detectives exam?" "Two weeks to go." "I'll be ready." "I have no doubt about that."

Nyla has been a champion for Lucy for a long time. She was the first one to see Lucy's aptitude for undercover, and she's the one who prepped and primed her for her first solo op.

Love seeing women supporting women. There are too many shows that pit woman-against-woman in the name of drama.

Yes, it happens. I had a coworker once who was the most backstabbing person you could ever meet. I once told my boss that I thought she was coming for my job. My boss, of course, told me I was overthinking.

Two weeks later my boss called me into her office to tell me that I was right. Yeah, I knew I was right.

But there were also really amazing women who I worked with—women who uplifted you, who helped you when things were tough, who excelled at the give-and-take of being coworkers.

It's nice to see that type of relationship amplified on a show like this.

"No way you make Top 12. One of the detectives has it out for you. No matter how well you do on the written, they're going to sink you on the Oral."

Smitty might be the unreliable narrator 90% off the time, but that 10% can be crucial, and Lucy's smart enough to be aware of that.

"So you won't be making detective. But, um, there's other career paths, right?"

Aaron can be direct, and that music cue made it seem like we needed to smile and laugh, but it felt pretty final, actually.

I don't want to see anything taken away from Lucy. She's put in so much work and watched as Nolan was promoted ahead of her. As her best friend was taken from her. She helped Tim get promoted.

But now it feels as if her own career is standing still, and I selfishly want more for Lucy than just Chenford.

I am not of the opinion that a relationship can fulfill your every need. In fact, I encourage my husband to go out with his friends and do things without me. I think it's healthy for us to have different interests, even though many overlap. He supports the fact that I love working and abhor the idea of being a stay-at-home mother.

Our relationship works for us. Everyone wants something different in their relationship. But I feel like Lucy really wants to do something more and move forward in her career. And if that's what she wants, I want it for her.

Ball Camera

Anyone else having a BB-8 geek out moment? Or is that just me? Also, we've come a long way from Tim pushing his chest camera into a room with his baton.

"Hey, Harper. Uh, Tim is still in with IA." "Look the Officer Involved Shooting Interview is very thorough. Tim's fine."

Tim is not fine, and his girlfriend wife knows it. Maybe he'll be fine career-wise, but Lucy's worried about more than that. She's worried about his state of mind.

"Hey, Chen. I've got news for you." "It's not a great time Smitty." "It's about the Detective exam. The detective blocking you is Prim."

Ohhhh, that name. I remember that name. From the five-player trade. Lucy tried so hard to be discrete, but as soon as it got out there, it was only a matter of time for the Cop Gossip of this bizarre High School extension to take over.

"I did warn you." "I know."

And we all knew that it was going to come back around, at some point. Is it wrong that I wish Lucy didn't have to deal with this fall out?

And much as this is Nyla's "I told you so" moment, she takes no pride in it. That's why we don't hate her in this moment. She is right and she doesn't like it any more than Lucy does.

"Hey. Let him talk to Grey first." "Yeah."

Lucy wants so much to go to his side. Her Tim Sense is tingling as soon as he walks by, but his brain is on the next thing that needs to be done. He's on autopilot, and she can see it.

Look, Tim's no stranger to having to pull the trigger. That doesn't make it any easier. Tim values human life, so ending one is never going to be a light matter.

And pulling the trigger on someone who wears the uniform? For Tim, that's gotta be even harder.

Remember, this is the guy who stayed inside the lines for years and stood by while racism ran rampant. He rationalized it away, right? But, then he started to really face and confront the darker elements and systemic injustices inherent to the Force.

This is another extension of that—a truly awful cop who used their influence, position, and authority to kidnap and murder little girls. Yes, Tim pulled the trigger because he was about to be the one buried if he didn't. But it doesn't make it any easier.

"Hey, you know you had to take the shot." "I know." "Just because he wanted to die doesn't mean he wasn't dangerous." "I know."

Even Grey can see that Tim's veil is slipping. He is a human being, damnit, and he feels this shit.

Grey stands, trying to make a connection, to get closer to Tim, to approach him man-to-man. But the words coming out of his mouth echo typical talking points of the Badge.

Grey sighs, dropping the list of "reasons". He tries another tactic. My favorite tactic—asking.

I worked for a humanitarian non-profit for almost a decade, and my favorite part of the work was our policy of "Ask, Don't Tell". We never walked into a disaster zone with a game plan. Too many organizations do that, and it doesn't address the immediate needs of the community.

Instead, we would ask what was needed. And I think in life that's also a damn good strategy.

"Is there anything I can do?" "Can I get back to you on that?" "Take your time."

This I love. Two men meeting in the middle. Acknowledging that sometimes shit just sucks and nothing you can say will change that.

But, also, Grey's abandoning the "just throw things at it until something sticks" tactic to earnestly ask what Tim would have him do. And that's so much deeper than empty words.

And the fact that Tim Bradford, who never asks for help, leaves it open ended? That's growth.

Yes, it's important that he lets Lucy in more and more. But it's also important that he lets others in. This isn't just about growing in a romantic relationship, but growing as a person.

Yes, I know I harp on this a lot. But I've seen too many good people backslide horribly because they invested all their growth in a relationship rather than in themselves.

Relationships are great. I'm in one. I'm in a damn good one. But my healing and growth are mine and have to be separate from Matthew. If he dies tomorrow, suddenly, my progress can't die with him. I have to be able to stand on my own.

And that's what I wish for Lucy and Tim. The standing on their own part, I mean.

"You're a badass. And I'm no slouch."

I need to do Wopez next. I keep saying that when I catch up on Chenford, I need to go back and do Wopez. And lines like this really make me wanna.

"How are you doing with everything?" "I'll be okay."

It's taken a while, but Tim and Lucy have worked their way up to light PDA in the workplace, and I love it for them. Likely, they aren't seeing as much of each other at home, so it's natural that it might leak out more when they're in public.

I love how Lucy briefly has both her hands on his arm. There's something resembling a hug, there, that I love.

She know Tim well enough to know he doesn't want to hug it out at the station. But she's still trying to find her own ways to let him know that she's there for him.

Also: Is this the episode of the comeback clothes!? Because that jacket is totally the one from Season 4, Episode 3 when Tim and Lucy were discussing how people might get the wrong idea about them if she became his aide, right?!

I know one of y'all will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm leaving it in, because I'm fairly convinced.

Also, Tim and Lucy, y'all didn't need to worry about people getting the wrong idea. We all got the right idea, and y'all are adorable together.

"I want to be helpful." "I know. Thank you."

Her little hand on his chest (right over his heart) is so sweet, but also a little sad. Because she knows that's the part of him that's really hurting right now.

Also, I love Tim thanking her. We're a long cry from all the times when Tim would tell Lucy she was overstepping in the past. Because, they're partners in life, now, and this is her place.

And his little arm tap? It's so cute to get to see them start to be more tactile.

Remember, this wasn't a typical transition. They went from being best friends—the most important relationship in each other's lives—to one-and-only. They had to transition everything over from a very intimate point, already, and add in the layers and figure out what felt right for them as a couple.

But, selfishly I'm loving the light PDA. Feels just about right for them.

Plus, it's more than either of them typically displays at the station with past love interests. Yes, I know there was one kiss way back with an ex of Tim's, but he wanted out of that, so it doesn't count.

"You need help studying? There's no way I would have have scored as well on the Sergeant's exam without you."

Oh, how I love a good call-back. This is going back to Season 2, y'all, and TO Tim era. And I adore the surprise on Lucy's face. She really wasn't expecting him to offer, and it's damn adorable that he did.

Lucy isn't giving up. She knows that Prim's got it out for her, but she's still going after this. And I'm damn proud of her.

"That's right. You owe me." "I don't owe you."

Ah, and there's Tim's bull-headedness coming back to remind us that he's not all warm and fuzzy. And, y'know, it made me chuckle. Because Tim didn't magically change over the course of the show.

Has he healed a lot? Yes. But at the core he was always a tough-outside, smoothie-inside... at least for his people. His trauma and pain caused him to wear that toughness as a roughly-patched-together armor.

And Look. At. Our. Babies. FLIRTING! Lucy even got the finger point in there!

"You owe me." "Okay."

Lucy gets a hand on his open shirt (wow, she has a thing for tugging at his clothing that's unexpected and yet totally in-character), and he's gone. Boy is gone for his girl.

Because Lucy probably wants to spend a little time studying up on other things before they get to the books. And Tim's totally onboard.

And has Lucy been wearing the Valentine's Day necklace most of the episode? It's so small that it's hard to tell, but I think she has. So, we're really owing some love to the Costuming Department this week. Thanks, y'all. We love you.

And I love you! Thank you for reading and taking this ride with me. It's been a really tough few weeks with illness and broken down cars (and bumped into cars) and juggling too many things. So, Chenford night is a nice respite for which I'm thankful.

Did it take Tim and Lucy a while to get comfortable? Sure. I posit this was the first episode written after we got a taste of post-coitus Chenford and folks started vocalizing what they wanted to see out of the duo, because I feel like about 12 boxes were ticked in that first scene alone.

I'm not going to get worked up about the promo for the next episode. If TPTB want to rip my heart out and stomp it, they wouldn't be the first. Actually, the wouldn't be in the first two dozen TPTB to do that.

No, I'm not kidding. When you dream of someday working in television, you watch a lot of television. Inevitably, I ship someone in every show.

But The Rookie's track record with core ships does give me some hope. A little. A microscopic amount. And that's enough, for now.

Stay kind, beautiful humans. I hope to see you on the next.

#Chenford #Lucy Chen #Tim Bradford #Melissa O'Neil #Eric Winter #Lucy x Tim #Tim x Lucy #The Rookie #Meta

[fightertown-usa]

as it was. (ii) ( bradley bradshaw "rooster" x reader )

( gif not mine )

bradley “rooster” bradshaw x fem!reader

synopsis: in which things just aren’t the same, and it takes a life threatening accident to make rooster come to his senses and true feelings; in this part we get hangman singing abba so slay

word count: 2.3k

warnings: angst/fluff

note: song that was inspo was angel eyes bc abba slays, and bc i love angeleyes so yea. also head empty, just hangman jamming to abba completes me thank you. Also i was lazy and copy and pasted th lyrics forgive me pls. ALSO ATTN: this also features winter, my hangman x reader callsign. Does that make any sense? like for my hangman x reader, like for the dont keep me hanging the call sign for reader will be winter, and im bringing her in bc shes gonna be y/n’s rio. 

part one. part three - coming soon!

also i didnt check this for errors so bare w me pls

—

“you ready for some abba, hangman,” you said with a smirk on your face, to which hangman sighed, chuckling as he shook his head. little did most of your peers know that you and hangman had attended the naval academy around the same time, although he was a grade above you, you two had bumped into each other at a karaoke bar, and you were shocked to discover hangman had a weak spot for anything abba.

hangman looked up at you and grinned before heading over to where rooster sat at the piano. he brought his hands down on rooster’s shoulders, surprising him. “okay rooster, it’s time for some real music, he said with a shit eating grin before he shoved rooster aside, and scooted over on the piano bench, and patted the space next to him, to which you smugly walked over and sat down. you cracked your knuckles, as you looked over the ivory keys, before you heard phoenix shout over the crowd, “you gonna sing bagman?” she said mockingly, but simply shrugged before shoving your shoulder a little. “let’s put on a show dash,” he said, and even though you didn’t notice, rooster, who stood a little way from the piano, felt a burning coal of jealousy lodged in his stomach when he saw hangman call you by his nickname. not that you were his anyways. even if that’s all he’d thought about for the past few years, he knew you would never be his, and that you belonged to more important causes than his want and need for you. 

your fingers graciously began to start playing an all too familiar song to you and hangman, and you started. 

“last night, i was taking a walk along the–”

“river, and i saw him together–”

“with a young girl, and the look that he gave her made her–,”

“shiver, because he always used to look at me that way,”

“then I thought maybe I should walk right up to her and say

Ah-ha-ha, it's a game he likes to play,”

The two of you sang, initially trading off before heading into the chorus together, as the rest of the bar, recognizing the amazing abba song, joined in, as you all sang the chorus of angeleyes together, some of the other aviators recording, in awe that you actually got hangman to join you at the piano, and let alone, sing. even rooster, who was still burning with jealousy, was quietly humming along, bopping his head to the sound of your graceful voice blessing his ears. the two of you failed to notice a woman who walked into the bar, as soon as the two of you and the crowd began chanting, “i keep thinking about his angel eyes, i keep thinking, ah-ah-ah.”

“sometimes when I'm lonely, I sit and think about him

and it hurts to remember all the good times

when I thought I could never live without him

wnd I wonder does it have to be the same

Every time when I see him, will it bring back all the pain

Ah-ha-ha, how can I forget that name?”

you sang out, taking your solo diva moment, as you sang out the words. and for some reason, they resonated with you a little more than usual, as it took everything in you to focus on your hands playing the keys as you sang out. the truth was, you were scared that if you locked eyes with him, all the pain would flood back from before, and that you’d fall back into him. just as you and hangman were about to go back into the chorus with the rest of the bar, the woman who walked over, and slung both her arms around the two of you, joining in with you. you’d recognize that voice anywhere, as your voice sung out in glee as you realized winter was behind you. she had originally been a flier, like you and hangman before deciding to be an rio instead. you failed to notice that beside you, hangman had paused ever so slightly at the touch of the rio, but soon covered it up as he joined back in with the two of you, pushing the sensation of her fingers on his shoulders down, as he pretended like he wasn’t flustered by her touch. the three of you, along with the rest of the bar, kept shouting out the lyrics, until you all finished the song, which was followed by lots of cheers and pats on the back. 

you instantly jumped up from the bench as you turned to hug winter, who also happened to be your best friend. you guys pulled back from each other, before screaming in delight again, and embracing each other tightly. “guess who you’re looking at!” winter exclaimed, before adding on, “you’re new rio!!!” she screamed with joy, as the two of you screamed, jumping up and down like two teenage girls at a one direction concert, making your friends laugh at you. when the two of you finally separated, winter was grabbed by none other than hangman, as she made rounds with old colleagues and friends. you smiled warmly as you watched her, before you felt a pair of burning eyes on you. against your best judgement, you looked up, as you made eye contact with bradley bradshaw. your bradley bradshaw. or, what used to be of your bradley. 

“dash,” he called out, as he made his way over to you. 

“rooster,” you responded curtly, with a nod. 

before rooster could say anything to you, even if he’d wanted to, your attention was quickly grabbed by winter and phoenix, as they dragged you to play against hangman in another pool game. 

- - - - - - - - 

“we’re fucked,” winter said, causing the both of you to break out into laughter, as soon as the two of you made your way over to your plane, preparing yourselves for the worst of maverick’s training. “ye of so little faith winter! you really think i’ll let us get taken out by maverick, there’s no way. no way in hell you’ll catch me doing 200 pushups,” you said, little did you know you’d be cursing yourself in less than an hour. the two of you walked past rooster on the ground, as he was slightly into his 200 pushups. as soon as the two of you were out of earshot of him, winter poked you. 

“so, still holding back your undying love for rooster i see,” she said cooly, and you smacked her arm lightly, shaking your head. “no, im just fed up for him being a bitch to me,” you responded, trying not to flush by the fact she’d actually brought him up. you knew she was going to but part of you was on your knees begging her not to. “so, still head over heels for him,” she asked, 9a smirk on her face, but you were prepared this time. “hm, i’m pretty sure that’s you and hangman, but you know, say what you wanna say,” you said innocently, and this time it was winter’s turn to smack your arm, as the two of you reached your plane. “i have no idea what you’re talking about dasher,” winter replied, and you chuckled. “please, whenever he walks into the room, suddenly you’re all quiet and shy, which is very unlike you,” dasher said. 

“get in the damn plane,” winter replied, and you obliged. “still don’t get what you see in him, i bet he’ll abandon us as soon as the damn excercise starts, fuckin’ bagman,” you said, rolling your eyes as the two of you lined up to get off the ship. 

“so ladies, y’all ready to hand maverick’s ass to him?” hangman spoke up, and you chuckled. “you gonna leave us out to dry bagman?” you snarkily shot back, and you just knew he had a shit-eating grin on his face. “enough chatter, show me what you’re made of,” maverick came in, and you immediately attached your oxygen mask, before taking off. 

“talk to me winter,” you spoke, as you floated next to hangman. winter looked around, and soon she heard a beeping on her radar. “he’s close, but, he’s not above us,” “then he must be below us!” you exclaimed, as suddenly maverick whipped past the two jets, and you rolled your eyes as you watched hangman take off to the sky. 

“leaving your wingman, that’s a strategy i haven’t seen in a long time,” maverick commented. “typical bagman, you muttered, as you flew from maverick. “he called you a man, you girls gonna take that?” hangman inquired and you scoffed, “considering im gonna chop your balls off if we get off first, that would make us the men in this pair,” you retorted. “dasher on your six!” winter cried out, and you quickly flipped as maverick tried to close in on you. “shit, hangman this would be a really good time to save two damsels in distress!” you called out, “sorry ladies, it’s every man for himself out here,” he called out as maverick lasered the two of you. “fuck you hangman,” you called out, exhausted, as you ripped off your mask, shaking your head. “what a fucking douche,” was all you said, as winter sighed, before the both of you headed back to base. 

“dasher where is he,” hangman suddenly called out frantically. “i’m sorry, dasher can’t come to the phone right now, why? cause she’s fucking dead dipshit,” was all you said. “see you in the afterlife,” winter said quietly, and you laughed. “winter, grow a pair,” was all you said, as the two of you landed. she scoffed, as the two of you exited your plane, before you headed over to begin your 200 pushups. 

— 

you and winter sat, watching the screen as the two of you watched your plane get killed off by a sam. “why are you dead,” maverick asks, and you sigh. “someone couldn’t keep up,” hangman said cooly, a grin on his face, toothpick in between his teeth. “there goes my white picket fence dreams, you mutter,” and winter stifles a laugh beside you. suddenly, rooster butts in, much to your chagrin, as the two begin to banter, and you watch as maverick just stands there. whatever his beef with rooster was, he really needed to get over it. you groaned as soon as you heard hangman bring up rooster’s dad, and chaos naturally ensued. you and winter rushed over, as you both helped pull the boys away from each other. “winter, keep your boyfriend in check,” you said, as you pushed rooster away from him. you noticed how hangman had pushed everyone away but winter, as he allowed her hand on his chest to remain there, as he looked down at her, listening to her attempting to reprimand him. she shook her hand before she felt rooster move away from her, as he stormed out. phoenix gave you a look, and you raised your hands in surrender. “okay, i’ll do damage control,” was all you said as you quickly jogged after rooster. 

“rooster,” you called out, as you quickly caught up to him, but he didn’t turn. not again, you thought to yourself, as your heart quickly felt pinned down, so you tried again. “bradshaw,” you tried, no response. “god dammit bradley bradshaw i swear stop this instant,” you spat out, and he stopped in surprise, as he turned around, a look of fake fear and a glint of anger rimmed his eyes. “look, as much as i currently resent and as mad as it makes me that i have to be the one saying this to you, you can’t let him get to you,” you spoke, as you stepped up to face him, looking him straight in the eye. “don’t leave me flying with hangman, bradley. we need you. i need you,” you spoke softly, looking him straight in the eye as you watched the gears turn in his head. you reached out to grab his forearm, your eyes never leaving him. “you were the best in our class rooster, even better than little old me over here,” you said, offering him a smile, to which he returned with a ghost of a smile on his face. “you’ve always been better than me,” he muttered under his breath, but you still caught the words he said. “i think i’d remember being first in my class,” you said, before rooster suddenly shook your grip off of him, as he spoke so softly you barely caught what he said, before he stormed off again. “can’t believe after all these years i still want you to ask me to stay,” you said softly, as your eyes softened as you watched him walk off. you wished you could just cave and tell him you still had so much love in your heart for him, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to do it. 

but all things aside, it wouldn’t be a plane crash that killed you. oh no, bradley bradshaw would be the death of you.

—

taglist link here

taglist: 

@n3ssm0nique @alluringshawn

#rooster x reader #hangman x reader #top gun x reader #topgun x reader #maverick x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #jake seresin x reader #top gun imagine #bob floyd x reader

[kadavernagh]

Brokenspine Hill || Regan & Jade

TIMING: Current LOCATION: Eternal Light Cemetery PARTIES: Jade and Regan SUMMARY: Begrudgingly, Jade agrees to show Regan these vampires she goes to out to slay. She slays. CONTENT: It gets spicy, surprise. Happy holidays!

After an agonizingly long car ride through switchbacks and mountain passes, Regan trying to keep her focus on the road as much as possible and almost losing that battle, she and Jade finally made it, and the ornate, elegant gates of Eternal Light Cemetery stood tall in front of them. It felt like a reward for the trek here, and for not accidentally driving the car right off the mountain just so she could see batting eyelashes. Blue mist seeped from between the vertical barring like long fingers beckoning them in, and mushrooms were dotted around the gate. Her belly swam with the death of it all, or maybe that was something else. Regan turned to Jade, expecting her to be a lot further away than she actually was. Oh. Her breath snagged. Again. How many times was that? “I’ve, uh, never been up here, you know. Probably the only cemetery in town I haven’t visited. It’s…” The word lingered on her tongue as she looked at Jade, and she decided to speak it after a moment’s hesitation. “It’s beautiful. Shining like moonlight on fresh viscera.”

She was going to see Jade’s “vampires”. And in her bones and in her heart, she wanted Jade to be right – wanted them to be monsters. Not human. Not people. Not Metzli. And not cadavers. Creatures she could kill that wouldn’t make Regan fly into a frenzy about homicide. Jade wanted to be a protector, not a killer. Regan wanted that for her too. She wasn’t sure why. She wasn’t sure why she cared enough to do any of this. She could try to convince herself it wasn’t about Jade at all, that she just needed to see these “undead,” understand what they really were, and continue on with her life – all two months or so of it before she was dragged back in front of her grandmother and her life would practically start anew again anyway. But Jade, not knowledge, was at the center of this. 

As they tracked through the gates, it was not the “vampires” she was thinking about.  

Winter winds mixed with mountain air and the cold made her flesh prickle. Or maybe that was the blanket of death over the cemetery, with little but the glow of mushrooms and twinkling of fireflies able to shine through it. And Jade, glowing in her own right. Every once in a while, the mushrooms caught the glint in her eyes or the sheen of her hair and made her look almost ethereal. But Regan kept her admiration close to the chest, stealing glances that could have just as easily been admiration for the mushrooms. Not obvious at all. Hopefully the blue glow would counteract however inflamed her cheeks were. 

“How does this work?” Regan tilted her head, and death wrapped itself around her, practically stroked her cheek. “Can you feel it? The death. Does it pull you toward it, show you where to go?” Her eyes were wide with curiosity and more excitement than she’d allowed herself in some time. Jade obviously wasn’t thrilled about the purpose of their outing, but Regan thought she might jump at the opportunity to teach, to show off, potentially.

How exactly did she want the night to go? To quote one of the greatest poets of their generation: She was indecisive. She couldn’t decide. (Sean Kingston, a lyrical genius. Misunderstood like all the greats) (Herself included). It would be ridiculous to pretend Jade didn’t love a good ‘I told you so’ moment. Please, it was one of her favorite feelings in the world. And to do it to Regan? Yup. She didn’t care how childish it sounded, she loved being right. Well, she knew she would be, of course. Vampires flocked to cemeteries like girls flocked to Claire’s to get their ears pierced back in the day (or still did? She wasn’t sure). They would find something without fail. 

So why was it then, that she was clenching her jaw and grinding her teeth like a divorced middle-aged father of three working inhumane hours at two jobs just to afford his kid's braces? She was like, one second away from pulling out a cigarette she didn’t have to begin with. No joke. And… fine. Maybe, maybe she could handle… being wrong (this once). She could handle looking like a crazy person if vampires didn’t show up. Cause being wrong meant Regan was safe. And Jade was really digging the idea of keeping her safe over being right. (A momentary lapse, surely). In the end, it wasn’t her choice one way or the other. Vampires would be there or they wouldn’t, and what Jade felt about it didn’t matter (it hardly ever did). 

She decided to engage with whatever was bubbling inside her while they were in the car, going up the mountain. She intended on getting it out of her system before they reached the top and she had to be what she was trained to be. She couldn’t be the girl who made mistakes this time. Top of her game only, or Regan could pay the price. Speaking of Regan, boy was she a lousy driver, by the way. Jade was a little concerned about the amount of fleeting glances she kept throwing her way. Did she… not drive often? Did she need advice or something? Like, she almost considered asking if she wanted to swap seats at some point, but nope… she kept quiet, wringing her hands a little more as she took in the scenery. They couldn’t start bickering now. Which she was certain they would, if she brought up her poor driving skills. (She was totally teasing her about it after, though).

After one last painful curve, they arrived at the gates of Eternal Light. There was a good reason Jade had chosen this place and unfortunately, it had nothing to do with how romantic the stroll was. Not this time, at least. If Regan wanted to see vampires, she’d let her see one… maybe two, tops. Meaning, a few of Jade’s usual spots were absolutely out of contention for this little research trip. Even the idea of bringing Regan to infested places like Gallow’s Grove or Eluria had her spiraling a little bit. (Just a smidge) (She was a chill gal, she didn’t spiral). The isolated nature of this cemetery was what pushed it to the top of the list. And… All the time spent thinking (yuck) and planning (ew) should better pay off.  

But of course, Regan noticed how stunning the ground was. She had eyes. (Except when it came to Jade, apparently) (It was totally fine, though. So extremely okay). She was surprised by Regan’s sudden turn, but her reflexes were sharp enough to stop before they bumped each other. She huffed a humorless laugh at the observation, biting her tongue not to say something inappropriate like ‘you’re beautiful’ and nodded. “Yup! Took the words… right out of my mouth!” It was a poor attempt at sounding chipper, cause at this point she didn’t care if Regan saw right through her. She had expressed several times that she wasn’t happy about any of this. (Grumbling in the car totally counted too)

So she did not let Regan sway her mood despite the excitement in her voice, which would’ve been adorable if… nope, stop it. Not going there. Geez. It was so easy to slip, but Jade was getting better at catching herself in time. Vampires. It was the only thing that should be running through her mind. “How it works is that I go first, and you stay close behind” She asserted her position with quick strides, leading the way. She no longer felt conflicted, as soon as they walked through the gates she was thinking and moving like a slayer. The crossbow slid off her shoulder, smoothly into her hands. The quiver was loaded, but just in case (Ruby would’ve said), she always remembered to check twice. All good. She made a mental rundown of every other weapon she was carrying: The two knives on her belt; the secret one, strapped to her ankle. The small satchel with her stakes and extra bolts. 

Jade stepped with caution as they wandered inside the cemetery, just a faint thrum running through her arm at the moment. Nothing to worry about yet. Except, the hair on the back of her head stood on end for no freaking reason. She surveilled the area, but her spidey sense didn’t tingle. And actually… She wasn’t sure if she was on edge cause of potential vampires nearby or cause she was acutely aware of Regan trailing close behind. Maybe trying to ignore Regan was backfiring. Cause she felt even more…receptive to her presence. Which, apparently, was possible. Perfect. It would’ve been an exciting discovery had she not been trying to be good and focus on the task at hand. Focus. “I sense their presence, I know they’re here already…somewhere. Not close, it’s not… strong enough.” A small smile pulled at her lips, feeling more like herself than she had during the car drive. She turned to Regan, just barely. Evading her gaze as she had done all evening. “Maybe the service up here isn’t so great. Get it? The… like phone reception but… ” Jade sighed, not bothering to laugh at her own (amazing) joke. She shifted her gaze, back to the path, musing on spidey senses and death radars. She knew how hers worked, but Regan hadn’t explained her banshee abilities in depth. Maybe they could complement each other (it was nice to think that maybe a part of them would, at least) (Cause…nope. No, no, back on track) “You…feel it too. Not butterflies like I do, so what exactly?”

This was the most controlled and reserved Jade had ever acted around her, and Regan didn’t have to wonder why. She was surprised they had managed to come to an agreement on this at all, and half-expected it to be rescinded before they reached the peak of Mount Ime. Jade was barely even willing to appreciate the scenery, instead marching through the gates like a debriefed soldier – one who had done this a great many times. This was a different Jade – not the breezy flirt Regan had met first, not the one she’d met later whose fingers Regan still felt curling around her cheek at times – it was a persona she’d only had glimpses of. The one who spoke of monsters, and duty, and had unapologetically, unflinchingly described murder dressed up as possible delusion. The one who Metzli was surely familiar with. But hearing about it was different than seeing it. 

Jade’s gait was tight, serious, and the crossbow didn’t even bob in her hands. Expert fingers knew exactly where to go. Regan recognized the familiar ease of it; her own tools belonged in her hands the exact same way. It was a strange weapon to choose, however, and not the only one in her arsenal. She didn’t know what the bag slung over her shoulder contained. And the way Jade’s hands drifted to her waist like she was taking inventory told Regan there were others on her person. Regan watched silently, her head tilted, and a cloud of questions forming in her mind. Better to ask them now than later, right? Her understanding of what was going to happen tonight was shaky, but she suspected nothing would happen if loud conversation permeated the cemetery. “I have never seen anyone use a crossbow before.” Which was somewhat of a relief, actually. Jade hadn’t fired crossbow bolts into any of her decedents. “Why choose it? And do we – I mean, do you – do anything to draw them out? The, uh, vampires.” Fearg an chinniúint, just what was Jade going to show her? “You’ve made yourself clear. I’ll follow. Closely.” Regan loped after Jade. Specks of blue spores dotted the night air as they pushed a path through them. 

She hadn’t expected a surge of adrenaline at the mention of vampires being present. Regan had gone on hunts before. Her dad never would have allowed it, would have had a fit if he’d found out, but Liam offered her the escapism. And wearing an orange safety vest that was too large for her small body, alone in the Maine woods with only her brother, a shotgun, and wild animals, she remembered the spark of excitement when he would announce the bird. She could never watch. She was a child; she hated the violence, hated the noise of the blast echoing in her skull, but there was also that moment, that rush. And then a new death would dot her horizon, and the animal’s purpose made sense. When she learned that her brother couldn’t feel that, hunting, and the reason for it, made less sense. But in hindsight, the shotgun seemed like a kindness compared to the animals that–  

Regan blinked at Jade’s question. She had been lost in her thoughts – the memories of someone else, really – which might have been for the best considering Jade’s evasiveness and strange behavior. The absence of Jade’s eyes looking into hers was stark. “Right. I… not butterflies for me, no.” It was a feeling banshee poets (of which there were surprisingly many) had attempted to capture for centuries, but it made clear the limitations of language. She didn’t want to leave Jade without a sufficient answer. She could aim for sufficient even if not perfect, couldn’t she? For once she’d allow it. “It’s… like it’s the only thing there. It’s familiar. A comfort that goes deeper than the dermis, deeper than the bones. It’s warm and cool at the same time. It demands everything, but it gives itself to me in its entirety.” Regan’s body relaxed at the thought, and she stopped, breathing in the earthy cemetery air. “I used to find it overwhelming. Couldn’t go near graveyards, and certainly not morgues. Now it’s easy. Is it easy for you? Can you tell how many there are? How far?”

Regan was about to start following again, but she nearly stepped on a bouquet of flowers that had rolled away from the grave they’d been left by. Dried out by the elevation and weather, but carefully chosen and cherished. Some of Conor’s, maybe. She picked it up, tidied it, and set it down in its proper, intended spot with a small nod of self-satisfaction. She wasn’t sure if it was the atmosphere, the death, or even the mushrooms, but it was like some of her pent up tenseness deflated out of her. That wasn’t right. This was an expedition, a business venture, and she needed to be as sharp and ready as Jade. Not distracted.  

“Nope. It’s not super popular these days,” Jade replied without looking back, too busy scanning the field for creepy shadows amid the stones or silhouettes beyond the treeline. There was nothing drawing her attention, except for the mushrooms and their trippy glow. “I dig the aesthetic…” she added after a beat. Cause really, that was what slayers were lacking these days. Where was the flair anymore? The swag? And yeah, fine, on a more serious note, her marksmanship compensated for her less-than-perfect combat skills, and was maybe (possibly) the real reason behind her preference for ranged weaponry. But admitting she wasn’t a good fighter when they were about to encounter supernaturally strong creatures wouldn’t go over very well, would it? Nope. She needed Regan to believe she was nothing but an expert at this. 

The two of them lapsed into more silence, but Jade wasn’t unsettled by it like she would any other time. Talking while hunting was hard, okay? (There was a valid reason why it was the one thing she’d rather do alone). “My training was…um, a little unconventional,” Regan didn’t know what the standards for that were, anyway. Her imagination could run wild, ‘cause Jade wasn’t sure she could ever breach that conversation without her stomach turning. Though, if she crammed ten jokes per sentence she could totally make it work. Another question led to another quick answer. “Blood draws them out, babe. A beating heart is a good start”. 

With no apparent threats ahead of them, Jade lowered the crossbow and moved with more ease down the path, mulling over Regan’s words. Her skin crawled, there was no doubt about it, but with the entire field of vision at her disposal, she could confidently say there was no risk of being ambushed, for now. So… where were they? Right, words. The whole death sense sounded super beautiful, actually. Romantic, even. Like, did Regan realize it wasn’t too far from what humans wrote about devotion… or love. Her heart clenched. (Unknown reasons). She bit back a joke about Regan making it as a writer if medicine ever failed her. And yeah, it was a bummer not to share one of her wonderful quips, but it would’ve spoiled the moment, anyway. How many times had she asked Regan to talk about herself and her duty? Yup, she better listen when it happened. 

Jade had already gathered a few pieces of the puzzle that was Regan’s life, but she couldn’t put them together yet. She was missing a few of those annoying, single-colored pieces that literally connected everything. And she seemed to be close to snatching one. “How…um, how did you get better?” Jade hesitated over her own question. There was an inkling. A gut feeling more like, by the way something soured in her belly. If banshee training paralleled slayer training in any shape or form, it couldn’t have been easy peasy lemon squeezy to hone those skills. (Not that she was like, complaining though! Hunting was the best job in the world.) “I didn’t struggle. I could just feel it…” And though she wasn’t the quickest to develop her undead sense (that was Ruby, obviously), it had come pretty naturally for her too. “But it did totally freak me out when I was at the park and the nice lady letting me pet her dog made me all tingly”. 

Regan's bajillion questions were far from overwhelming. If she were to follow through with her list of reasons why the two were actually a good fit, their matching curiosity would’ve been close to the top. (And yeah, it was more like… they were both super nosy, whatever) (She would twist anything to make it sound romantic, alright?). The only problem was, it wasn’t the time to answer questions. Not when her spidey sense intensified with each step they took toward the second section of the graveyard, walking past a tiny pond to reach a row of well-kept headstones. She had to focus on the monsters. “I’ll answer anything you want when…” Regan was gone. Jade didn’t have to look to feel her absence. She simply knew, her muscles instantly relaxed, and her lungs were finally able to take a full breath when the woman vanished from her side (or well, back). She whipped around quickly, a wave of concern crashing over her and ebbing as soon as she spotted Regan, not only safe, but also standing there fixing a bouquet like… they were taking a leisure stroll. What?

A huff, equal parts shudder and laughter escaped her lips, caught off guard by the sight of Regan in her own little world. Happily arranging some flowers, as all those… uncaring people did. And like, what was Jade supposed to do? Not notice how the woman was perfectly framed by the blue glow. And the flowers. And the night sky? Even the pathetic little branch from the nearest tree was putting in the work. It was a freaking masterpiece and she was supposed to what, ignore it? She had never seen Regan like that, unconcerned with her presence or her surroundings, tension barely weighing on her shoulders and… Come on! Jade had restrained herself from looking all evening. She could indulge for a moment, she deserved it. She wasn’t at a kissing distance, it was totally chill. So she stole a tiny glance, then another, eyes setting gently over her favorite face, brushing over pale skin, and then she was locked in.

Jade was no banshee (duh), but boy if that death-sense description from before wasn't resonating super hard with her now. For… whatever reason. The warmth spreading in her chest could’ve heated the entire ground. (Which was actually? pretty nice cause it was super chilly and she didn’t bring a jacket). Her heart pounded a little angry, and a lot sad. Why would this feeling be wrong? She couldn’t (shouldn’t) question it, but it was as tempting, it really was. That door kept opening and she didn’t know if closing it was possible anymore.

Regan was done with tidying up the bouquet, which meant she could lift her gaze and notice her any time. Jade made no effort to look away, instead bracing herself for that moment she’d denied herself all evening. Something new came alight between them the second their eyes met. Her belly swooped, her knees wobbled a little. But that was like, 'cause the ground must’ve been uneven. (Lazy groundskeeper). Had she trusted her legs a little more, (or had the field been firmer), Jade would’ve closed the distance and crashed their lips together right there, put an end to the agonizing will-they/won’t-they dance they were currently stuck in. Yet she stayed, taking in Regan a little longer. Giving her some time to gather herself as well. 

Whatever notion of control she’d been holding onto couldn’t stop her eyes from twinkling, and not even attempting to bite the side of her lip helped conceal her smile. “What were you doing?” it came out in a bated breath, words wrapped around a layer of tenderness instead of frustration, which she should’ve aimed for. ‘Cause monsters and vampires and… why did the splash of color on Regan’s cheek have to look so soft, and why did her eyes have to shine so intensely blue at night? (Stupid mushrooms). Jade was once again, betrayed by impossible desire. But maybe the sweetness in her voice wouldn’t carry all the way to Regan’s ears. Of course! She was counting on her years-long dry spell to work in Jade’s favor. Maybe Regan had no memory of what smitten sounded like. Wishful thinking. 

Plus, there was still time to rectify and steer the ship away from dangerously homoerotic waters. Jade could stand her ground against Regan’s adorable hijinks (which these days involved just existing, really). She was no lovesick fool. She broke their reverie, her entire being still shaky. “I have something for you” she tried, more cooly this time as she drilled the word vampire into her skull. She moved her crossbow to the side, her right hand reaching inside her bag and pulling out Niall. She waved the wooden stake between them, gaze darting around to find a safe spot on Regan’s face. Not her eyes and definitely not her lips. She settled for her right eyebrow. Yup, so unsexy. (If her fingertips burned to trace the arch, it was neither here nor there). “It’s this or a knife. I’m not negotiating”. She had never spoken like that to Regan. There was no anger behind her words, no teasing, no affection not… any of the registers usually reserved for the woman. Just assertiveness. She was in charge here. “You know better than I do where the chest is, so. A little stab there and they’re dust,” she inhaled at the same time Regan opened her mouth to protest, and she got ahead of her apprehension. “I’m not telling you to use it, but if… If. At least keep it in your pocket, please” She had a lot of those in that annoying winter coat of hers.  

“Of course you were a natural.” A hint of warmth softened Regan’s face. “Bloodworth. It’s no surprise. Even among your siblings, I bet.” That nice-lady-tingling could have meant something else, but she kept that thought to herself. And what atypical training had been layered on top of Jade’s innate proficiency? It was a threadbare description, really not one at all, and Regan didn’t need to be a banshee to feel its ghost lingering across Jade’s face. The downtick of her eyes, the way her words came out just a couple miles-per-hour less than usual. We’re more alike than you want to admit, Jade had said, and as Regan had formulated her own mental bullet points for that statement, there was one on the very edge of her mind that she refused to humor. But as Jade turned to Regan’s own preparation and training, that thought plummeted from her mind and gnawed at the lining of her stomach. “Another time, maybe.” Regan said noncommittally, thinking decades ahead.

With the flowers placed where they belonged (all in a night’s work, Linda Marshfield, beloved mother and grandmother, 1962-2022), she glanced up, expecting to need to trot back to Jade, who probably went on ahead without her. She could slip in, and Jade wouldn’t even know she’d lost pace. Except, that was wrong, and Jade was standing right there, watching like a sentry, with the moon behind her like she commanded it, and an expression on her face that Regan couldn’t quite place. Bemusement, maybe, if it were stifled under a layer of barely-managed self-restraint. Regan knew that one pretty well.

And it wasn’t until Jade’s question – light, almost playful, despite technically being accusatory – batted at her cheeks like a cat’s paw, that she realized this was even something she wanted to hide. Not that she could. She raised her palms. “Nothing.” She had been caught, like when her father clenched her backpack by the straps and shook out all of the forbidden bones; her stomach seared at the lie even though no true effort had gone into it. Fine. “Okay, something. I –” She wanted to look down to the bouquet, now carefully placed by the headstone, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away from Jade. Her silhouette practically glowed. Regan cleared her throat, breaking the charged silence. “They were displaced, and I thought they deserved to be where they were meant to be. They held significance to someone, their memories of the deceased. That’s all.” Her voice was soft, but tinged with something that was most certainly not nervousness. Not her. “You know… somebody came all this way to leave them. Even the smallest expressions of remembrance should be treated with dignity.” 

Her slow heart pounded as she felt the weight of Jade’s eyes still on her. She tried to read them but the moment ignited an indescribable something within her that went beyond the simple mechanics of her body. Which was also failing her. The temperature inside her coat soared and she felt slickness in more than just her palms. A mad thought gripped her brain right through the dura mater. Not even a thought. An instinct, one that even the sharpest tools and most vicious drownings had not completely disintegrated. It would be both incredibly easy and incredibly stupid to approach, lean in, and dispel this torture in a simple, daring kiss. It would also mean eight years toppling to nothing, because she hadn’t been entirely scraped out of herself, and Jade knew it.

Unfair. There was that word again, permeating her thoughts, spoken aloud last time they had grazed this close to intimacy. She wanted to breathe Jade in, to run her fingers through her mushroom-lit waves, to feel Jade’s warm skin against her lips. But she didn’t want any of that, because she couldn’t. So her useless chest ached, and she wondered how something so hollow could feel so full.  

I have something for you. That statement delivered in that tone – strange, abrupt, all business – was jarring, and Regan didn’t quite know what to make of it. She toed closer to Jade, tragically without intent, and tilted her head. Then realized that was a mistake as something hot poured through her. No head tilt. Too close. She righted herself. That’s right. The gift. Focus. And why was Jade looking at – Regan’s fingers went up and quickly brushed across her eyebrow, and she gave Jade a quizzical look. A bug? Spores stuck to her skin? “Did I get it?” She could smell something fruity, maybe gum. Mixed with the scent of freshly-turned cemetery soil, she couldn’t resist a deep inhalation. And missed what Jade had said (had she said something?), because apparently she couldn’t focus on breathing and listening at the same time this close to her face. The full-body buzz of the air around her didn’t help. Was it too late, now? To reel that moment back in, to act on it?

Speak, òinseach. Her tongue hesitated. Then sputtered to life. “Oh, um, sure. What is it?” Jade’s hand darted into her bag and suddenly a stake of wood was being waved like a windshield wiper across her vision, and her eyes widened as they were wrenched away from Jade’s. Her face probably would have gushed disappointment if she wasn’t so confused. What was the wood for? How was that an alternative to a knife – which she’d brought at Jade’s urging, thank you very much? The atmosphere had shifted, Jade had shifted, and when she mentioned stabbing a “vampire” in the chest, it clicked. Stake to the heart. Jade didn’t expect her to actually use it, right? “But–” A step ahead as always. 

“I’m not going to use that.” But her hand still curled around the wood, fingertips brushing against Jade’s, and now it was her turn to cut in because if she didn’t reject it now she was pretty sure they’d both stand there holding a piece of screadaíl wood together for an hour, and would that really be so bad? “It’s a piece of wood, and I don’t need – look. I listened when you told me to be prepared, okay? I did. Even though it’s not necessary. I’m capable of listening. Excellent at it, really.” Nevermind her inability to do so 30 seconds earlier. Regan reached into her pocket – one of too many – and pulled out a small, sleek dagger from its concealed sheath. The glint of steel caught the ambient glow. It was a favorite, with etchings of twisting vines carved into it and a double-edged blade. “It’s real, in case you’re about to ask. I didn’t make it out of cardboard. But I don’t intend to ever use it on anyone.” Only on animals. Only on things. “I know where to aim,” Regan said, meeting Jade with an equally resolute gaze.

And then silence. Regan breathed out a sigh, and became acutely aware that their breath was mingling in the small pocket of cold air between them. Again. She pushed her palm to her forehead and closed her eyes. It was the cemetery, she decided. They didn’t have this problem in the car. Except for that time Regan almost drove off the – no, it was the cemetery. Above, the clouds pulled back, revealing bright stars. And Regan thought she might scream. 

She could fix this, bury this agony right here with all of the dead. Her words rushed into each other, frantic. “You know, I’ve delayed us. We should go find some of the, uh, the vampires. Right? It’s getting late, and I’m sure they need to, uh, sleep.” Her eyes were hopeful as she looked between Jade and the path ahead. Mostly at Jade.

Whether it was a delightful pun with her last name (Regan made a pun, hopefully on purpose), or the sudden care for messy bouquets, Regan had zero intentions of making this easy for Jade. She just didn’t. Wasn’t this supposed to be a joint effort? A collaboration, if you will. “Something,” it didn’t escape her how two months ago, that one word would’ve been twisted to tease the other woman. A trademark: The mocking tone, the eyebrow wiggle, and bam! Someone was riled up. But she was gentle now, patient. All she wanted was for Regan to share the mushy bits of that jumbo-sized heart she was still adamant didn't exist, of course. Vulnerability wasn’t a weakness, not with her. Another breath squeezed past her lips when Regan conceded. And Jade hung onto every word in a way she couldn’t when they met. Back when the only obstacle to this was their night and day styles of communicating. Her smile stretched, wondering if Regan’s ultimate goal was to ensure no air was left in her lungs. Or if she needed it all to herself. Whatever the intention, she was killing it (her). “That’s very sweet of you,” she whispered, a knowing look crossing her face. She left it at that, rather than running the moment with out-of-pocket commentary.

Having successfully maneuvered her way out of another highly charged exchange with more finesse than Regan had as she took on the curves up Mount Ime (‘cause seriously, what was that about?), Jade put all her efforts into doing her job. Or so she thought. Any time she tried, Regan derailed her (let the record show, it took great strength not to joke about railings). But really, what was this freaky Friday thing going on? Eyebrows pinched together, she watched as Regan fussed over something on the right side of her face. What was she doing? The hand rummaging through her bag to find Niall almost redirected toward Regan. Almost brushed the hair off her face, and whatever else was bothering her. It would’ve been mistake number two. Alas, vampires. “Stop it, you’re perfect,” she let out a chuckle, nose crinkling in confusion, unaware she was responsible for the odd behavior. 

With the invisible threat gone, another attempt at getting things on track followed. Regan wasn’t thrilled with the stake (duh). Jade had the rebuttal on the tip of her tongue, but what followed was possibly the biggest plot twist of the night and the century. Regan… listened? (Cut the cameras!) Her eyebrows rose in slow motion, all bets off as to where this was heading. She fixated on Regan’s eyebrow for as long as she could, but the ruffling of the coat got to her. What was that about? Well, she had to peek now, it was like, calling to her. And she did, ever so slowly, conscious of the way their fingers met on the stake (there was no need for it, except… yup) (Neither of them made any effort to acknowledge it) but she had to keep it moving, to the other hand, the one pulling out… a blade? “You…” Jade swallowed, the heat in her chest traveling south. When she dragged her eyes back up, she didn’t know about rules or restraint (duty registered, but faintly) as she held Regan’s gaze. “You brought a…” Well, if Regan holding a dagger wasn’t the hottest thing she’d ever witnessed, it was totally up there. 

Crap. Time and place. A time and place for everything, right? Wrong. Jade wasn’t sure she’d ever wanted Regan this badly before. (There had to be a ceiling for that) (Pretty please? She couldn’t take this torture two extra months). It was unnerving how effortlessly the woman pushed the right buttons. And, like… what other buttons could she… nope. Keeping PG. (For Linda). There was nothing PG about the sudden rise and fall of her chest, or the glint behind her eyes as they flickered unabashedly to Regan’s lips, zero pretense vampires mattered anymore. It wasn’t the first time she’d been… in the mood at a cemetery (she and Owen had a lot of fun with that). It wasn’t the first time she felt this with Regan either. Booty calls were booty calls for a reason (except for Regan, of course). This was so different, so intoxicating. It had stopped being a purely physical affair some time ago. Which made every little movement, every scent, every intake so heightened it would be glorious, if only they could act on it. Her lips parted and her eyes climbed back to Regan’s, hoping to confirm they were finally on the same wavelength. 

Oh. Yup. Linda was about to witness unspeakable things. Things that might bring her back to life. (If only to ask them to please not do it in front of her headstone). And when Regan asserted her hypothetical stabbing competence? Her eyes glazed with need. (This totally counted as dirty talk in her book). Her brain misfired, overcome by... every emotion. All of the ones in Animal Crossing, at least. And like the idiot she was when her brain was no longer behind the wheel, she took a step forward, pushing the stake into her bag. Even if that meant losing touch, ‘cause she needed a free hand for… 

Shoot, the vampires! The shiver running down her spine had nothing to do with the way Regan’s breath trembled against hers and everything to do with her skin screaming danger. Her hand made it to Regan’s waist, original intent scraped as she pulled her down to crouch. Jade cowered behind Linda’s headstone. And okay, it barely hid them, but it was something. And no. it wasn’t super girlbossy of her, alright? But no one could accuse her of being rash. Rash was for when she wasn’t next to… ugh, she didn’t know what to call Regan at this point. It was a testament to how scrambled her brain was after that moment, that she couldn’t think of words. Hazel eyes inspected the field, finding nothing of interest in the headstones, but the mushrooms glowing in different corners of the ground helped her catch a beastly creature amid the trees. 

“Spawn” Jade whispered in the shakiest voice. The mood was clearly ruined, but her body was still reeling from the kiss that wasn’t. Struggling to cool down. She couldn’t ignore the way her nose almost brushed against Regan’s cheek as she spoke. “It happens when a vampire lets their blood thirst override them. They lose all human capacity, so it’s like…It’s just a beast” she squinted, trying to make out its movement, crossbow perched atop Linda’s stone. “I think… it's got a meal” she hummed, pushing away the worries of what a fresh body could mean for other creatures lurking. “I can hurt it from here. Seal the deal up close”.

The way Jade jolted at the dagger had Regan thinking she might have done something wrong. That thought winked in and out of existence faster than a blowfly finding a fresh cadaver. No, that was not it. That definitely wasn’t it. She wasn’t even sure kissing was the plan here. The space between them had become excruciating and Regan wasn’t going to question Jade’s sudden distractibility, the way she no longer cared about the stake, or the vampires, or, apparently, the duty they’d discussed into the ground. She met Jade’s eyes – the green flecks practically glowing, matching the spores peppering her hair; she was the brightest thing in the cemetery even with the moon behind her – and heat flushed inside Regan from stem to sternum. Regan’s hand moved without her permission, tentative at first, then certain. More certain than of anything in recent memory.

When she returned to Saol Eile, her grandmother might just kill her. She would know. Because it was obvious, wasn’t it? So obvious… a rib-cracking scream was easier to keep at bay than Jade, and rocked her heart less, too.

“Bás glac chugam,” Regan breathed, the last of her resolve turning to dust like the piles of bones beneath her feet. She could feel Jade’s wonderfully soft skin against her fingertips as she traced them slowly along her mandible, creeping up right behind her ear. She was so warm in every way, a glorious little pit of heat like a maggot mass in the winter, and even Regan’s lungs made no objections. Her wings might have fluttered if they could. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d even tried to touch someone like this, with this tenderness. Physical contact of any kind was typically reserved for handshakes and the dead (which, to be fair, was there anything more intimate than an autopsy?), but all the death in the cemetery was inconsequential noise as she closed in on Jade. 

Regan inched closer, could feel Jade’s hand by her waist, gentle, compelling. Apparently this was more important than a stake or a crossbow. Regan wasn’t going to ask. No, didn’t even wish to think about it… as if she could think right now. Jade’s eyes were pleading, checking with her, sweeping her away. Regan could feel Jade’s breath against her skin as she closed her eyes, Jade’s hair curled around her fingers, and –

Something was wrong. A ripple ran through Jade’s body and Regan’s eyes shot open, suspicious that she had not been the cause. There was something else, too – a drop of wrongness soaking into this place of perfect death, a fray in the tapestry. She was on the ground before she could process what that was, what was happening, what was not happening. Regan tamped her mouth shut to keep a sharp whine from escaping. And there was something else there, beyond that twisted, almost unrecognizable death in the distance – a flare of something raw and exposed. And large. It almost drowned out the perversion of the other presence, and Regan latched onto it. There was a body. She blinked at Jade’s lips. Then Jade’s eyes. It was good they were crouched because she was dizzy enough to fall over. How had Jade reacted so quickly? Did she live in a perpetual state of ready-for-anything-ness? Probably.

Vampire. Of course. The reason they were here, and what Regan had requested to see, and what Jade was only somewhat willingly showing her, and nothing to do with what they had been about to collaborate on. “Yeah, I think I get it,” Regan said breathlessly, feeling pretty absent of capacity herself. She tried to follow Jade’s line of sight (once it had moved off of her) into the trees, but she couldn’t make anything out, seemingly unlike Jade. Slowly, she was able to pull shapes from the shadows as her eyes adjusted. A big creature moved, and as it turned, spores revealed what she hadn’t been able to see. The grotesque, upturned nose, the huge, fanned ears, the leathery wings. The glistening teeth. It was monstrous, looked as though it couldn’t be real, but the impact of it was lessened by the fact it was also familiar.

Understanding flashed through Regan. “I’ve – I’ve seen them before.” Her voice tightened. “Not here. I mean, not – forget that.” She hadn’t explained her asfís bháis to Jade yet, and right now, cowering behind a headstone (thank you, Linda, for returning the kindness), was not the time. Her fingers curled around the top of the grave as she peeked at the creature, the spawn. It was moving closer, dragging something with it. And Regan knew exactly what it was. The nose of the crossbow was inches away, readied, and though Jade seemed to be reeling, too, she was expertly focused. How quickly she could change. Regan stayed hushed, but her voice wavered with the realization. “They’ve killed my decedents, put dozens in the morgue. It has one now.” Something danced too close to anger inside of her. “I will not allow this. Either it dug someone up and is parading the body around, or it killed someone who had come here to mourn. It has what is mine.” Regan shifted, ready to spring up. Even after the whole display of the dagger, Regan had no intention of reaching for it. An unnatural weapon, as far as she was concerned. She gave Jade a desperate look. There was a plan forming behind Jade’s eyes. Ranged weapon strike. And then what? She’d tackle the huge creature? These things had killed people. But Regan had made a promise to Jade, and… Jade understood, right? The cadaver was important, more important than anything. So Regan stayed low, resisting what her body wanted to do, hoping her trust would not shame her. 

The word focus had never played so many times in her head before. (And she like, had a whole Ariana Grande phase, so that was saying something). But it was a must to keep that word in heavy rotation, cause Jade kept seeing Regan’s face inches away from hers every time she blinked. It was basically ingrained behind her eyelids. She was cold (colder) now too, with no hand tracing her face or tangling in her hair. So cold. And…Did that truly happen? She never would’ve expected Regan to indulge in something like that. The walls were crumbling. (They were). She needed to like, rewind that moment, and confirm it had been real, not some fluke of her desperate imagination. She had to know if Regan was ready to give this a chance for real. Except, nope. Cause… UGH. Wait, what did she say? She stared at Regan, eyes wide at the revelation. (She focused on her mouth. Nope, crap. The eyebrow, she had to look at her eyebrow. Her shoulder maybe. Yup) (Better). “You have?” She frowned, confusion etched in her features even as Regan made a poor attempt to brush off her comment. What? Where? A knot formed in her belly at the possibility of Regan existing close to any of these monsters in the past. And yup, this confirmed this was a bad, no good, terrible idea. She couldn’t back down though. She never backed down, ever. Why would Regan do this to her? (Making her cautious or whatever?) (How dare she?) 

Regan. Who looked about… two seconds away from going to square up with the spawn herself. And Jade? Having a terrible time. Seriously, was this Freaky Friday? Her hand squeezed Regan’s waist like a warning, hoping to snuff out the fire in her eyes. She trailed gently up her back, pushing against her shoulder. “And we’ll get him.” At least, judging by the height and the build, the dead body on the ground was a man. It was probably irrelevant to Regan, but if Jade kept her busy with words, and the flutter of her eyelashes, then there were no hands being thrown (Regan wouldn’t like that very much anyway). “I’ll take care of it,” she looked into desperate eyes, unable to stop her hand from moving higher. Her knuckles brushed tenderly against a cold cheek: An unspoken promise. (Definitely better that way… all things considered). When her mind was a little sharper, she reached for the crossbow. She was focused. Finally. The sooner she disposed of the spawn, the sooner Regan was safe. (And free to like, hold her face again, if she wished). 

Jade had a clear goal. She raised her index finger, signaling ‘one second’. The grip on her crossbow tightened, eyes narrowed to aim. The first bolt flew straight to the spawn’s knee, destabilizing it. The second followed a second later, directed at the beast’s ankle. She always loved the exhilarating moment when the bolt pierced through the tendon and the spawn tumbled. Jade knew it wasn’t enough to incapacitate them, but it was good enough to weaken them. Experience had shown, it was her most solid strategy so far. Jade shot a third and final bolt to the neck, and she jolted off the headstone, dropping her weapon to the ground, swiftly replaced with Niall and one of her blades. It was her window to pounce. Except, she wasn’t pouncing just yet. She turned to Regan first… ‘Cause she’s ever-present in her mind. “Only follow once I’m at a safe distance. I have this, trust me.” Her heart pounded in her chest, knowing there was no need to invoke the promise. And boy, did she want to kiss her right then, too. (Just in case, Ruby would’ve said). But her legs understood the assignment far better than her heart, picking up the pace toward the trees. 

Her window began closing once the spawn figured out where the bolts came from. Its feral gaze zeroed in on Jade. (Good) (Linda better be hiding Regan). She ran, hoping for a strong collision, one that would send them both tumbling to the ground. And yup, it went exactly like that. She was even a little winded as she maneuvered herself on top of the monster. It was so much easier while it was recovering, though. While it pawed its bloodied neck desperately, screeching in pain. This was going to be an easy one. Maybe she could try and look a little hotter in front of Regan. Show off. Niall twirled in her fingers, taunting the spawn underneath her, but sharp claws swung at her face, slicing in retaliation (so rude). Jade braced her full weight forward, plunging the stake straight into its chest, catching herself with one hand against the ground. Dust coated the night air, mixing with the glowing spores. Whew, that almost got away from her. For like, a tiny moment. She was still in control though. She scrambled to her feet and glanced back, a smug grin playing on her lips. Her worries vanished (they have been totally mild anyway) (worrying was for losers). Regan didn’t look like, super entertained… but she assumed it was down to the ‘creature turning to dust’ of it all. “Okay, you can come and get it” she panted, gaze dropping to the cadaver. 

Entrusting the protection of the body to Jade made Regan’s lungs grow with protest, but she wouldn’t scream it. If anyone understood how precious that cadaver was to her, it was Jade. Jade who rolled into action like a gurney being rushed through the ED, leaving Regan to wonder if she’d felt her hand against her back at all, leaving just the ghost of fingers against her lumbar and a dab of warmth on her cheek. The only thing worse than the asphyxiating amount of tension in the air between them was the pulling away when someone finally managed to take a gasp. Croí ag cur fola, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could do this. Saol Eile would set that limit for her, but firm as her mind was on the matter (will of iron, she reminded herself), it still felt abstract, faraway. And Jade was solid, here. 

Regan’s nails scratched against the headstone as her grip tightened. Jade had signaled that it was about to begin – whatever it was. The sound of the crossbow firing made her flinch, but the sound that followed was even more unsettling: a bolt sinking into flesh, and a roar of pain. When Regan killed, it was near instant. She couldn’t tolerate things being in pain. Even Liam shot to kill, always to kill, on those trips into the woods. This was no bird in the crosshairs or deer tethered outside of her cabin, though, and before the thing could seemingly even comprehend what had happened, a second bolt secured itself in the Achilles… assuming this creature’s anatomy was even somewhat familiar. Another roar. Regan shrank back, but Jade was drunk with life. The crossbow clicked to reload so quickly she barely registered it, and there was an immediate third third bolt fired in the trapezius. The thing staggered and stumbled, dragging its injured leg behind itself as it flailed its remaining limbs, narrowed eyes scanning for whatever had made it suffer. As it finally turned toward Jade, its upturned nose huffing, Regan saw how bright and red its eyes were. 

Jade turned to her, and the unknown felt a little more known. She wasn’t frightened. She had expected this, all of it – to her, it was probably just another night out. A protest died in Regan’s mouth; Jade’s reassurance sounded almost believable. She had this, right? Regan thought of the body, how vulnerable it was out there, still within grabbing distance of the monster. But it was Jade making her stomach clench with concern. “I am stepping in if things go south. I don’t care what I promised.” Her voice was quiet, and Jade had already turned away, claimed by a duty that was becoming slightly less opaque by the second.

So Regan did what she said she would, and listened, watched. Jade moved so fluidly, possessing the kind of beauty Regan so scarcely admired in a live human, and usually appreciated only when they were dead and open on an autopsy table. She had perfect command over her body – was that really a surprise? – and Regan watched with a mixture of apprehension and awe at her practiced agility and focus. Jade was incredible, close to pushing the bounds of what Regan thought was even possible outside of Olympic events. It was too easy to forget about the target. The monster, the spawn. As Jade closed in on it, Regan’s visibility suffered. They became a tumbling mass, both hitting the ground in a manner that looked painful enough that Regan shot up to her feet from where she was concealed, trying to get a better look, itching to run over. But gravity reminded her of the promise she made, and she was pulled back into place. She could fight it if she had to. But when she looked up from her traitorous feet, back at Jade, she got a surprise – Jade was on top. “Winning,” if that could be said. How was that possible? She was so small, and that beast was a brute, yet Jade was fully in control of the situation.

Or, she was. What was she doing? Why was she spinning the – Regan winced as the creature slashed at Jade’s face. She couldn’t see well enough to spot any blood, but Jade’s body shuddered and she had a feeling the claws made impact. It didn’t stop her for long. Actually, it kind of looked like it pissed Jade off, and she made it the last thing the monster would ever do. There was an explosion of fine powder, of dust, and it took on a blue glow as it dispersed into the night. Regan stared at where the remains should have been. Her brain halted, froze over like the freezers in the morgue. “The math was not mathing,” as Jade liked to say. There was nothing but a dark, empty space, and Jade propping herself off the ground like she’d seen this hundreds of times before. There was a look on her face, a cheeky one. Pleased with herself, Regan realized; this had been fun for her in some way. Something about that made her stomach churn, but that was to be addressed later, or never. Besides, Jade’s safety and the invitation to approach gave her more than enough to think about – the body, Jade had saved the body. Well, one of them. The other was dust.

Regan was able to charge over with the ivy of a promise bind pulling her back, and despite the circumstances, she was reeling a little less now that she was closer to Jade. Still reeling plenty, though. Her voice wobbled when she was able to speak, and the droplets of blood on Jade’s cheek only shook her more. “That – the – that was a vampire? Where did it – how? How?” Okay, try that again. “It was huge. And you tackled it. And then you used the wood, and it vanished. Or… the dust. And the spores. What was that? Explain how that’s possible. How can there be no remains? How many times have you done this? How much did that thing weigh? What happened to the bolts? Why wood? Why did you twirl the stake around? Was that part of it? How much preparation did you need in order to learn this? Actually, forget all of that. Just let me see your face.” Too many questions. They came out in a flurry. She doubted she would have absorbed anything. She didn’t have a clue what else to say about the spawn and the lack of evidence it was ever there to begin with, save for the claw marks on Jade. But she did know injuries. She could do injuries.

It wasn’t deep, but cuts and scrapes on the cheeks always stung, always swelled. The crystal clear goal of examining the wound made Regan bold. There wasn’t a second of hesitation this time. She slipped her fingers back behind Jade’s ear and gently steered Jade’s gaze toward hers. She had intended for her eyes to jump to the scratches, to get a better look at them. She really had. But they wouldn’t budge from Jade’s eyes, until they so foolishly fell to her lips, and then Regan was gone, the cemetery was gone, and there was only Jade. Well, and the cadaver – she could feel that, too, mixed in with the buzz against her skin as she inhaled Jade’s breath and pushed closer.

Her lips were so warm, Regan thought her own might just melt. Or maybe her whole body would just dissolve into the ground and she’d rest here with all the bones. Jade seemed fired up, too, her breathing fast, her heart pounding enough for both of them. Regan’s hand wound itself back into Jade’s hair and that iron will of hers instantly corroded. She leaned in further, soaking in as much of Jade as she possibly could, and when she gasped this time, that tension was no longer asphyxiating, but exhilarating. Her body remembered this, somehow. The rest clicked into place like a bone popping back into its socket. Her breath hitched. What was this? That lightness in her chest, in her lungs? She needed to force the corners of her mouth to stay where they were, not curl upward, as they brushed against Jade’s skin. Losing battle.

When her lungs burned, she pulled away, and her face felt strange in a way she didn’t recognize, especially when her eyes opened to find Jade’s, spore-bright and… surprised, maybe.

There was a silence she didn’t know how to fill. She counted breaths. All audible. Close, warm, filling her like death. Finally, Regan couldn’t stand it anymore. “I – I forgot about your scratch,” she admitted, clearing her throat a little. Can I forget about it again? She had nearly asked it. And then, reality came barreling in, and she thought of the future. And Ireland. And her heart sank like the stone she wished it was. She looked down, the implications of what had just happened tearing through her like an aortic dissection, that lightness being snatched away by a cold fist. The chilly air of the cemetery seemed to snap around her again. I should not have done that. It was a cruel thought, maybe crueler than what she had actually done, and she refused to speak it to Jade. It was a hollow thought, too, more out of necessity than her own mind – she wasn’t sure she actually regretted anything. 

Regan flicked her eyes back to Jade, and then toward the cadaver, who was waiting so patiently for anyone to inform the police. “I should… you know, call my office. So they can get him.” Her voice knotted. “Thank you for that. For showing me, and helping him, and –” Regan bit the inside of her lip, stopping an apology in its tracks. She fished into her pocket for her Blackberry, couldn’t locate it, and then realized it was in the other one. “I’ll make that call.” 

Jade pushed the knife back into its sheath, slipped Niall inside her bag, and waited for Regan to make her way over to them. Her mischievous grin was perfectly in place (as always). She could almost see the wheels turning inside Regan’s head, maybe a little smoke coming out of her ears too, like a cartoon character. It was a lot to process, to be fair. But she was not prepared for so many things to come out of her mouth all at once. “Spawn, technically yes, but…” she rushed, and it was all she got out before Regan charged with a number of questions that gave her own word-per-minute rate a run for its money. Geez. Could she rewind a little? Or slow down, or, actually, scratch that. Jade totally would’ve asked Regan to pick one question to answer first, but then gentle hands cradled her face, blue eyes demanded her full attention and well, her brain got scrambled, alright? Like, badly. So scrambled she couldn’t grasp why Regan would have such interest in a simple scratch. 

‘Cause wait, had anyone ever worried over her wounds before? Um.

Like… Onyx loved to hype her up, make her feel proud of them (battle scars, duh). It meant next time she could endure more, she would be tougher to break. And her big bro trained her to be tougher than the rest. On the other hand, Ruby rolled her eyes, even when she always took on the chore of mending her. A sign of sloppiness, she’d call it. Sloppiness that made her a nuisance on the field, a risk to her siblings' lives (which were far more important than hers was unsaid, but understood). Jasper had no nuance, he was always blunt. He downright questioned her skills, whether she had any real talent to call herself a Bloodworth (the answer was no, according to him). And Amber watched in silence, always stoic and resigned to the fact that duty equaled brutality. But at least she’d always check on her after, offer to bring her to TacoBell or something (It was one of the reasons she was her fave). And Regan? 

Jade’s eyebrows pinched together in confusion, trying to decipher her look. Oh. Of course: Medical concern. Regan was a doctor, she was like… doctoring and stuff. Yup. Did she give the same thirsty look to all her patients though? (She hoped not, ‘cause they were like… dead and all) (Not ‘cause she’d be jealous. Nope). “You like what you see, huh?” A teasing smile stretched her lips, ready to deflect now that she connected the dots. The scratch barely stung anyway, and it’d heal in no time. It didn’t mean she couldn’t delight in the attention, though. “It hurts so much, doc. Can you kiss it better?” She mocked with a pout, trying to step away from Regan’s scrutiny despite how daring words were. 

And… So. About that… (Plot twist). 

Jade was ready for it. Her. Only ‘cause years of experience made it easy to spot that glint behind blue eyes, that switch flipping when the decision was made, either consciously or unconsciously. Jade’s hand slid smoothly to the small of Regan’s back, bringing their bodies together, gasping at the contact. Nothing about herself felt composed or smooth, though. She was a mess as soon their lips brushed, all her pent-up tension released in a whimper. Her fingers dug into Regan’s lower back, the only sign of how desperate she was for it. Feening for closeness when there was no more space between them. Regan was so soft, it was a little unfair. Her lips were a little cold, but the warm, shallow breath against her more than made up for it. Jade breathed her in, mouth seeking more of her, but almost pulled away when she felt the smile against her lips. Her heart skipped a few beats, the flutter in her belly was incessant. Regan was smiling and she couldn’t see it. 

She was also, gone too soon, and Jade tried chasing her lips, extend the moment just a little (or a lot) longer, but all she felt around her was the cold night air. Cruel. How was she supposed to settle for boring Reganless air now? Her eyebrows were still stuck a little high, the only proof Regan had taken her by surprise. But she schooled her expression, gaze setting on Regan. Post kiss Regan. Which had now catapulted to the hottest Regan had ever looked. (And like, she had seen her hold a knife moments ago). She was all flushed cheeks and parted lips, chest still heaving, eyes darker than usual as black melted over blue. Not so different from the Regan she initially met. The one who had totally wanted her but chose the ulcers instead. 

That brief trip down memory lane gave Jade a reality check, slowly deflating her spirit. Crap. They shouldn’t have done that. She stayed quiet, all the jokes she had already lined up for this moment, if it ever happened, taking several seats. Instead, she tried deciphering what was going on with Regan. If the first thing she’d blurt out would be: ‘This was a mistake’. If she’d claim she thought Jade’s scratch needed assisted breathing or some other insane rationalization. Or if she would never address where her mouth had been the moment before at all. And then Jade wondered what that meant. Why now? What about Regan’s duty? What about all the things she insisted could never happen between them? Her freaking… Iron will! Was she fine making mistakes then, failing? Was it even a failure, technically? It so wasn’t. But for the sake of… science, maybe they should give it another go and confirm her suspicions. (Science was great, Regan would agree). And wow, she really hated having to second-guess a kiss. Especially that kiss. How did people live with so many questions inside, by the way? It was super scary.

Regan suddenly spoke, pulling Jade out of the daze. Thanking her for… the kiss? Oh, nope, the vampire, right. Yup. Totes. ‘Cause that was why they came to this place. That made a whole lotta sense. Not that it would’ve been the first time someone thanked her for kissing them. She was nothing if not a pro at her craft. Jade waited patiently for Regan to cave again, she even asked silently, her eyes hopeful. But Regan wanted to go back to the body, apparently. “What?” Jade didn’t bother hiding her disappointment. And actually? Nope, screw that, she was having none of it. Like, the body was already dead anyway, why did he have to cockblock them? Regan fumbled in search of her phone at least, which told Jade her mind might be elsewhere too. That she didn’t want to sweep this under a rug. Right? She moved into her space again, testing the waters. (Good, no pushback). Her hand grasped Regan’s wrist firmly, preventing her from pulling the phone. She hoped Regan saw the intention behind her piercing gaze, hoped she’d stop her if this wasn’t what she wanted. But all she saw was her own intensity shining back at her. Jade felt like she was inside Regan’s head for a second, nothing standing between them. No commitments, or soul-crushing duties, or unattainable expectations or…  Just them, seeing each other completely in that moment. Yes. 

Normally impulse would’ve taken over. In fact, the only reason it hadn’t yet was ‘cause she was still a little ‘shook’. (Regan kissed her?). But her body hummed, warmth spreading in her chest, down her abdomen as Regan’s stuttered exhales brushed against her skin again, so keen for more. If this was the only chance Jade got to do this, she wanted to get it right. Be memorable. Give Regan a little something to remember her by while she played with her dumb sheep and… whatever else she was gonna do back in Ireland. (It was whatever, she didn’t even care). She closed the small distance Regan had put between them, taking her time. Building up that glorious tension again. She was good at this after all, even if she was almost caught off guard the first time. Her nose brushed against Regan’s, savoring the proximity even if all their lips did was skim over each other. She held off a little longer, ready to reward Regan for her patience. Jade let go of the wrist she’d been grasping, gently redirecting the hand to her waist, inviting her to touch. She let out a pleased sigh against Regan’s skin when fingers curved around her body. And wasn’t her body so much nicer to hold than a Blackberry anyway?

Jade reached for Regan’s face this time, pulling her into the warmth of her mouth. They fell into a different rhythm, slow, blissful. And so sweet. It was wandering fingers, teasing fingertips that had no goal other than to trace delicate patterns along Regan’s jaw, down her neck. Learning, exploring. Her heart softened at the sweet, small puffs of air that hit her lips. Too loving, too tender. She took her time, encouraging Regan’s impatient bouts of boldness with tiny sighs, her body bowing toward Regan’s every time she squeezed her waist just right, shivering under the attention. (But also ‘cause it was like, super chilly and she didn’t bring a jacket, so). It came to a natural end, until there was nothing but the lovely sensation of their lips barely grazing, extending the moment, unwilling to break the magic. 

She pulled away, though not entirely. She couldn’t. Her forehead touched Regan’s, nose pressed to her cheek, and she felt the faint flutter of eyelashes against her. A pause. She couldn’t breathe. Not ‘cause… well, yeah ‘cause of the kiss, but mostly ‘cause it was overwhelming to be so completely surrounded by Regan. Her hair, her smell, her touch. This was so, so, bad for them. But like, so, so good for everyone who already thought they were lovers anyway. They were really onto something. (And she was vindicated too, knowing she called their chemistry from day one). It should’ve been over. They should’ve stopped and Jade would’ve been fine with it (well, eh). Correction: She would’ve accepted it. ‘Cause two incredible kisses were far more than she ever expected. Except… neither of them was succeeding at the whole cooling down thing or made any effort to actually let go. If anything, the way they were trying to catch their breath against each other was kinda sorta doing something to her. She wasn’t sure who made the move, if anyone did at all, or if they simply melted into each other. When their lips found each other again, it was urgent. This was her speed. Heated. As if she’d been given permission to be fully herself. No holding back. The dam broke, and she couldn't stop desire from spilling. She poured it all into the kiss. No thoughts, (head empty), only what her body wanted. No, no. There's been enough want already, this was pure need. And it was so nice to finally understand the difference. A throbbing that settled so deep and reached so far within her, she questioned how many times she had even felt something like it.

Her hands, so well-behaved before, started roaming. They touched like they had been tied down, deprived. Jade dragged them along Regan’s arms, to her ribcage. Waist to hips. Everywhere her lips couldn’t be. ‘Cause she was too busy kissing like she’d been starved. She was ravenous. Mouth opening wider, desperate to be closer, to taste more. Regan’s touch changed too. Was she aware? Was it unintentional? The weight. Almost like she was trying to hold on to her. It wasn’t exactly discouraging her advances. Jade answered with a hum at the back of her throat, her stomach coiling tighter. All she could hear was the blood pumping in her ears, and sighs that didn’t come from her mouth, bringing another swell of affection in her chest and a delicious pulse she felt building in her lower abdomen. Building fast and so, so good that… 

She should pump the breaks. Soon. Cause Regan’s iron will? Bending under her touch. Pliant against her mouth. And it sure didn’t take Jade too much to get worked up, definitely not with the woman she’d craved for months kissing her like that. But this was a cemetery. A super nice one, mind you. She was positive there were like… beautiful private places, but that was so not the vision (And, yikes. She should NOT be entertaining the vision if the plan was to stop). Oh, and there was a body too, or something. Yup. A dead body they were standing above. Right! Having to break the kiss was definitely the worst thing she'd done since she fell victim to that weird mustache trend during her teenage years. (Possibly even the worst ever). But maybe she didn’t, maybe it was Regan who stopped them. The point was, that they were no longer kissing, and everything felt meaningless and empty. Oh, and her hand still fisted one of the collars of the coat, fingertips inches away from the zipper. (When did she get there?). She released it, smoothing out the fabric. Regan loved the stupid coat, she couldn’t ruin it. 

“Body” Jade agreed, not even a little embarrassed by how affected her voice sounded. Like, Regan was right there too, she knew exactly what they got up to. It was her fault anyway. She closed her eyes, and it was so unhelpful, ‘cause all she saw and smelled and tasted was Regan. “The dead one. Mhm,” she was so good with words all the time. She licked her lips, fighting to muster a smidge of composure. Her brain was still vacationing elsewhere. She was so right, she called it so long ago. Not kissing Regan was going to be so much harder now that she knew what it felt like. And, was her heart ever going to stop thundering in her chest? Her gaze was fixed on Regan’s mouth. Still parted, inviting her to…nope. That was over. Done. Poor guy needed to go to the morgue. Yup. “Do your… thingy. I should um. I had a crossbow?” She nodded, intending to go over to Linda’s to pick it up. When her legs like, started working again. Boy, that ride back was going to be absolute torture, wasn’t it?

Regan grappled for her other pocket but the abruptness to Jade’s voice made her pause. What? “Jade, I – I really do need to –” The words came out low, breathy, and her stomach was already clenching with the lie about her priorities. Jade apparently did not want Regan to follow a kiss up with a phone call to the morgue, which was reasonable in an emotional, subjective sort of way, but just about all Regan could do to keep from kissing her again. And she couldn’t kiss Jade again because… because… her hand went limp as soon as Jade had her wrist. Her eyes snapped to Jade’s, which were shining, glowing – and insistent in a way Regan also felt all the way down to her knees. There were so many Jades – the bombastic, in-your-face flirt; the seasoned slayer; the little sister trying to keep up; the one who compartmentalized like she was born for it while Regan denied herself of the whole – but this was her Jade, the one who brought all of the others together and the one who seemed to see right into her, every time. Jade’s intention was clear. And Regan’s attempt to do something else was just too damn flimsy; if her willpower crumbled in such a landslide before, this feeble attempt to make a phone call never stood a chance. “I guess he can wait a few minutes. It’s cold out. His rate of decomp is–”

She barely got the words out before swooping right back to Jade like they were re-articulating bones. Death’s fingers raked through her, too, and Regan’s stomach grew hot with need. Or bile. That had to be bile. Tangy citrus tickled her nose and Jade was so close, right up against her, booping (right?), and Regan knew they had reached some point of no return. Chinniúint, this was just like in Brokenspine Hill, except they were hovering over a human instead of a dead cow, and Jade smoldered in comparison to Regan’s old neighbor, Mildew, who played –

Oh. Regan’s hand was guided around Jade’s waist and perched itself there – uneasy at first, but then more confident as her lips grew bolder, too. They met Jade’s again, warm and ready, and this time with less surprise, which made way for her curiosity. And she had plenty. Jade was surprisingly soft and gentle, letting Regan set the pace – a kindness for how long it had been. Probing turned to exploration and soon she was urging Jade for more. More softness, more sweetness – more than Regan had ever expected from her – and more of what she knew Jade was holding back. One hand dipped behind Jade’s ear, her thumb tracing over the perfect scar above her eyebrow, learning it by touch. Had that been from a – later. As if she could formulate a question right now, with Jade shivering and sighing against her. She had also wanted to ask if Jade was cold – either as a consequence of her own fashion choices or Regan’s lips – but that was impossible, too. It would have meant pulling herself away. And that thought made her grip on Jade’s waist tighten, as Jade’s warm fingers peppered and stroked her chin, her jaw. The only complaint from Regan’s lungs was a mechanical need for more oxygen, but suffocation didn’t seem so bad, when the alternative was parting.

But flesh had its limits. She needed to catch her breath. Her lungs were behaving now, but they could be temperamental. Achingly, agonizingly, Regan broke the kiss, but her hands remained where they were, one hooked around Jade’s waist, the other tangled up near her temple, and her eyes only fluttered open long enough to appreciate the spores glowing across Jade’s rosy cheeks… and the spark in her eyes like she had something to prove. Hadn’t she already proved it? Evidence was collected. Major deviations were committed (did each kiss need to be filed separately, in this hypothetical?). No, Jade always had something more to prove. 

Regan could picture her own death certificate. Cause of death: asphyxiation due to obstruction. Manner… well, she wasn’t sure this would be homicide. This was her fault. She started it. Mechanism: abandonment of duty. Her thoughts started to spin more, caught between sheer exhilaration, the right-there-ness of Jade in her hands, and the lingering, nagging responsibilities that tethered her to reality. There were implications to this, consequences. So many they could pile up and asphyxiate her all on their own. But her gaze rested on Jade, tracing the outline of her lips, still tingling from the contact, and regret was so far away – across the sea, even, in Ireland. 

“Finally,” Regan breathed into Jade’s cheek, staying close, “I thought death might take one of us first. Not that I wouldn’t cherish your bones.” She hadn’t yet gathered three heartbeats before she dove back into Jade. There were no objections. Jade practically exploded in her direction, months of tension spilling over, and Regan could just barely contain it. No one had ever kissed her like this before – or at least, no one had ever been this good at it. Jade was greedy with her touch and Regan allowed it, relished in it, leaning into the warmth of her palms, even as they dipped below her lumbar, cupping her for insurance, but never staying in one place for long.

There should have been something in her lungs, vibrating her breath, clawing up her throat. The scream was always waiting for moments like this. Weakness. Aneurysms ready to burst. But there was nothing. Where she expected a rattling in her skull there was only the rush of her own blood pushing past her ears and pitiful sounds trying to escape out of her body. How was that possible? Her control wasn’t that good, was it? Jade’s hand slipped down around her back, mingling with the vibrations gifted by death itself, and Regan whimpered into her mouth. No. Not that good. Cliodhna always told her that – no, not right now. She should have cared more, puzzled through what it meant. Her mind was doing anything but thinking, though. Her train of thought crashed and her hand disappeared underneath Jade’s jacket, fingers bunching around her shirt as she reeled her in. Jade had moved so swiftly before, vaulting herself over headstones, sprinting across the cemetery, and Regan needed to feel those muscles against her own. She pressed herself close, closer, her breath more frantic, knuckles curling into cloth, then hand roving up still, underneath, fingers trailing the lace of Jade’s bra. Was the musty earth of a cemetery really so hard, so objectionable? Would Jade let her – 

Her eyes rolled back in her skull, closed, and she was pretty sure at some point she’d given them up to the asfís bháis, since she could hear the dead pulsing between Jade’s breaths. Or maybe that was the tattered remains of her conscience reminding herself about the cadaver at their feet. The one Jade saved like a knightess in leather armor and shining spores. Down, where she wanted the both of them. Well, not right next to – Jade’s hands circled around her back again, her shoulders, exactly where – 

A shudder ran through Regan, common sense pouring in but riding on a wave of what was surely pleasure, however little she recognized it now. She righted her eyes, her senses. Fuck. Her fingers jumped – cruelly – from Jade’s breasts to her necklace, as if checking it was still there, secured. Of course it was. Regan swallowed her own panting breath, gulping it back like she could deny it existed, deny that it tasted like Jade. Her shoulders heaved and, oriented to time and place now, she watched Jade’s hand flick to her coat. For a second, she thought Jade might have been about to rip the coat right off her body (please)… but she gave it a pat instead, straightening it out, like puffer jackets could even show creases. She hated that stupid coat.

And then quiet, stillness. Regan’s eyes grew wide at Jade’s, which looked so incredibly, deeply pleased, but not content. Jade’s moonlit lips were also still slightly parted, a question or perhaps an invitation waiting to be answered. She had obviously been suppressing rational thought, too, and now they both waited for something to be said that could make any of what just happened okay. Neither of them moved away from each other, but some hold had been broken. Regan’s heart raced alongside her increasingly frenetic thoughts, breaths still heavy, with the chill of the cemetery air starting to settle in around her now that she wasn’t wrapped around Jade… and so many questions. What had they done? With each breath, it sunk in a little more, and she backed away from Jade like a ghost.

The buzz of Jade on her skin slowly faded, and what remained was from the body. Doubt clawed at her mind, uncertainty flickering behind her usual steeliness. It wasn’t about the kiss, not really. That had been – no, the act itself was not the mistake. She would never tell Jade she was a mistake. It was the admission that came with it. Wanting, feeling, and acknowledging something that she had worked so hard to snuff out. “I—” Regan started, her voice small and uncertain, grappling for some edge that wasn’t there. She hesitated, the weight of the implications pressing down on her chest. “Chinniúint, I was not supposed to do that,” she finally said, the words escaping. And then, “I did that.” And then, “What am I going to do? What do I – what are we going to – oh no, bás glac chugam, I can’t – I don’t know what this means. What was this? I should know. I was the one who – damn it.” The pleading look she gave Jade died with the realization that there was no clear path forward.

So much for Jade relying on her to push back any advances. Finally, she had said, realizing the moment had betrayed her thoughts. Too late to pretend this hadn’t crossed her mind once or a dozen times. Leaving it to her had been a terrible plan to begin with. Regan usually failed. Maybe she hadn’t been clear enough to Jade that she was, in fact, not especially good at any of this – she was like forgotten meat that had already thawed out and needed to be crammed back into the freezer; it would never be as good as what had not been left out to begin with, half-rotten and infested. For years, she'd sheared away emotion and grafted herself into a tool devoid of feeling anything, wanting anything. Her duty demanded that she shed all vestiges of sentiment no matter how deeply under the skin they scurried, burying any inkling of warmth. Banshees were cold. Death chose her, and she was supposed to meet it with a heart chillier than the morgue’s storage. What was it all for, then? The asceticism, the pain, the self-annihilation? Primum non nocere was in jeopardy. Regan wanted Jade. She wanted to stay here. She wanted friends. She wanted to be a person. She wanted. 

The very thought of it made her stomach swirl, nausea creeping up. What was she going to say to her grandmother? Nothing. She’d say nothing. But Cliodhna would know. And with a heart so full as hers, how long would it take to bleed it out again? How many incisions must there be? If it took not even a year to unspool 7 years of training, how many more years would be necessary to cauterize her mistakes? Her breathing picked up again, this time spiked with raw, exposed panic. She didn’t know what to say to Jade; she didn’t even know what to say to herself. So she defaulted to what she did know, really clung to it – the concrete, her duty, what needed to be done.

Regan’s hand twitched, almost reaching out to touch Jade’s arm from what now seemed like a great distance, before she stopped herself. She swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the situation bear down on her – and still tasting Jade. “I should… I need to call the office,” she stammered, breaking the uncomfortable silence, her voice strained. “Your crossbow. Right, of course. It’s, uh, somewhere. Over near Linda. Somewhere over there.” Except she didn’t want Jade to go anywhere. But – “I will be a minute.” Regan fumbled for her phone again, but her fingers were stiff and the air was so heavy it was like being buried down below the graves. And her hair was in her eyes. She couldn’t see the number pad. Why was – stupid. 

Dialing the number felt like a futile attempt to regain some semblance of normalcy. It also took too long to ring. Finally, Marcy’s sweet voice offered salvation. Or it was sweet, until Marcy so helpfully pointed out that Regan’s voice was trembling. Poor reception, Regan explained. “Yes, I know it’s a long drive up here. They need to come quickly.” How quick? Regan grew testy. “Immediately. Twenty minutes ago. What? Two hours? No. Absolutely not. There is a body… um, emergency.” She could hear Marcy smile from over the phone, miles away, and she hated it. She knew. She probably knew as soon as it happened. Regan made a mental note to check herself for tracking devices. Jade, of course, was back as soon as the words “body emergency” had left Regan’s mouth, and the knowingness that bled across her face was worthy of a frame on her desk, along with the ulcers.

Well, that didn’t help smooth out any tension. Regan hung up with a groan and the phone slipped from her hands. It arced right between her feet and into the decedent’s face, resulting in a squelching noise. Regan’s jaw fell open. Again. Different reason this time, though. She lowered herself concussion-fast and snatched the phone out of the dead man’s face, where it had made a rectangular dent in his delicate flesh. Some of the keys left imprints. “I’m sorry,” She yelped, though of course, a corpse could not hear her. Fates, what was wrong with her? How could she let this happen? How could she let any of this happen? Failure burned inside of her but somehow, when she looked at Jade again, it crackled into something that was so painful it circled right back around, her deficiencies becoming defiance.  

“Two hours,” she told the dead man, wincing down at the way his skin puckered around the fresh injury. “And don’t give me that look. She saved you, you know.”

#writing #c jade #wrspice

[prototypelq]

What are you favorite DMC character dynamics? (outside of Dante and Patty) Which ones would you want to see more of?

Hi, dear anon, thank you for sending the asks! It`s pretty fun to write them and I hope it is entertaining for you to read the replies

Sooo, the answer should be fairly obvious here hehe. DMC is a series that is literally built around the Loser Sparda Twins, much more than any other game series that comes to my mind. Dante is the heart and soul of the games - he is the living impersonation of the family theme, which is the underlying main theme of the games, underneath all the fun demon slaying; Dante is the core of the games, so that makes Vergil the living impersonation of all the struggles that come with family bonds, and at the same time he is the main advocate and victim of the 'fun violence' the series is known for. I don`t think you can like the series without falling heels over for these two blockheaded idiots and their family drama.

Actually, the family drama is how I ended up in the DMC. I saw the trailer for definitive 5 (the one that goes 'Hes your brother?; Hes your father; Nero is my son?'), the one that shamelessly spoils the plot, and hell yeah I`m down for that. So I checked some videos, bought 5 and Vergil, and here I am, in this very deep and sticky swamp known as DMC.

As you can probably tell, I adore Dante&Vergil trying, failing, and trying again to restore their brotherly bond. I have all the angst/hurt/comfort gen fics bookmarked in their respective tag on ao3, and I mean ALL of them.

Their duality and the way twins embody the principle of complementarity towards each other is fascinating to me. It is also why I adore the ending of 5, and have no idea where to take the series in a possible next game, since the conflict that the series was built upon since the beginning has been solved.

You`ve asked about the relationships other than Dante&Patty, but its like my second favorite in the franchise, I have to write some words about it. I adore them because I believe Patty came into Dante`s life at a very low place, and he really needed someone to be there for him, even if he himself out loud said he wanted to be left alone. Patty was persistent and sweet in a way a small girl can be, and her constant pestering was a good distraction and a helpful nudge for Dante. Also, her backstory is way too close to home for him (an orphan on the run from demons) and I think that protecting her (like covering her eyes to hide the bloodshed) did give him some closure with his own childhood trauma.

Other relationships... and mostly fanon-made. DMC is extremely character-centric, yet not character-centric at all because most of the emotional stuff about anyone fans have to guess or make up. Sooo this is just headcanons below mostly.

Dante&Nero! I think Dante is the Uncle material, if post-twins-return he will start actually trying to be an uncle he would win the Worlds Best Uncle Award for sure. However, first he would have to explain a lot to Nero and that would be...interesting to see. Weve seen that Nero can hold his grudges for a long time (just like his dad), so fixing their relationship is gonna be a big task for Dante, but I also think Nero can come to understand why Dante acted the way he did and forgive him. Nero also very slightly partially to blame because, kid have you looked in a mirror? Ever? But its probably just...a writing loophole. Anyway, back to the uncle and nephew - I`d love to see them share interests! These two obviously have a lot in common, so it`d be fun if they tried to rock jam sometime, have an arms practice, talked guns, etc. It feels like Dante would be up for pretty much any activity together. Also, the noogies. Nero gets ALL the noogies for the 20+ years they should have known each other. There is no escape.

Vergil&Nero are great, of course! I`m sure they can work out their relationship together. Vergil is good father material, he`ll do just fine.

I`d love to see the sparda trio do something together! My personal headcanon is that they would all enjoy a symphonic rock orchestra show (because orchestra makes the classic rock songs sound almost better than the original, and I`m projecting very much here)

I really want to see more Nero/Kyrie! They had very little time to show their relationship and they are very sweet) And Kyrie herself really needs more screentime, her only character trait is pretty much 'neros girlfriend' and she needs more than that. Her concept art in armor is GREAT actually, and it should`ve been the one in-game. There is a fic on fanfiction The Emptiness is so Real by Night Companion where I think the author capture the Kyrie we should have gotten. The Kyrie that has grown around church, but also very close to military men and she should know the consequences of their lifestyle, as well as be able to help them. Her kindness should not be unassuming and naive, but firm and deliberate.

The undercharacterisation issue goes the same for Lady, Trish and Lucia. All of them need actual arcs and development and badly. Lady had a very tiny little bitty hint at having her own emotional struggle with family drama in 5, but that`s just not enough. All of them are almost identical to their first appearance in the series, and while, understandable as they are side-characters, this becomes a huge problem when they are returning side-characters, in every game entry. The ladies need their own stories.

(sidenote: I don`t ship Dante with anyone, mostly because I feel like he has had quite enough problems on his own and a relationship on top of that would only drag him, and the person down. But if I were to ship Dante with someone I`d go with Lucia)

Other characters that I wish had more character are the Devil Arms! They were very sentient and talktative in 3 and we had Balrog in 5 ('Ignite the flame NOW' gives me freakin chills every time), so I hope we get a little bit more of that. There is a headcanon that Yamato is 'she', and I fully support it and want other Devil Arms to have some character traits of their own! (King Cerberus, my beloved, gimme more of the elemental doggo)

Thank you for the ask! Have a great May day)

#ooh tagging this one is gonna be fun #thank you for the ask really #its been my pleasure #dmc #dante sparda #vergil sparda #nero sparda #patty lowell #dmc trish #dmc kyrie #dmc lady #king cerberus #dmc lucia #there is very little patty propaganda here #see i held myself back as long as i could

[passiveagressivepoet]

hi this is @castielafflicted PLEASE get started on why you love matt murdock (i was going to @ you in the replies but couldn't rip)

HIIIIIIII

this is my short and thrown together list and pls message me if you want to talk about matt/daredevil s2g i love him so much

reasons why i love matt murdock:

disaster bi

excellent representation for catholic guilt

chronic illness/pain slaying queen

for everything he’s been through??? honestly he’s well adjusted

he just loves and cares so deeply about his people

avocados at law <3

charming, funny, handsome, smart as fuck, hates injustice? all green flags

he deserves to have a cat give that man a pet and some physical affection

holds it together so well for being so broken all the time

he’s a cutie pie but will also kill you and i just love that

IS A MESS in relationships did i say disaster bi he’s a disaster bi

constantly serving in his outfits

people idolize him and hold him up as this pillar and he’s literally like besties no??? i kill people pls don’t make me mentor anyone (even if i’m mentoring an assassin)

his ass always looks amazing in his suit

BADASS STUNT FLIPPING MAN MY DUDE

cool little red sunglasses like there’s no reason he needs to look that cunty but i love it so much

loyal to a fault, often a big fault - devoted to his loyalty

he lives in nyc in a dope ass place so honestly slay for him being able to afford that rent

he’s someone in the marvel universe that i think makes sense paired with ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE. matt could have chemistry and fight crime with a rock. seriously give that man a team to lead (besides a team of lawyers i fully believe his law firm is constantly on the verge of failing)

multi job queen??? why is he holding down a full time job and also a full time vigilante girl you need to SLEEEEEEEP

anyways i could go on and on (and i’m sure i will as i rewatch) but these are all off the top of my head LOL

always here to talk about my favs 🫡🩷

#matt murdock #daredevil #literally this is insane but thank you for letting my brain vomit #answered asks <3

[st4rry-sh4rkz]

Modern MMU Headcanons

Ok let’s start with Daisy:

she plays electric guitar but doesn’t rlly tell anybody so when Hazel went over her house she just pulled out an electric guitar, did a kickass riff and Hazel was just like:    what.

defo listens to rlly loud thrash music that would break her eardrums 

but is also a clairo stan 

she relates to class of 2013 on a PERSONAL LEVEL 

her style is either light academia or like cottagecore lesbian??

her room is messy but she knows where everything is and refuses to clean it because “it helps her work”

it doesn’t 

has posters over every inch of her walls but they don’t make any sense because there will be like an ominous detective poster right next to a saiki k poster 

she defo watches saiki k as a comfort anime

refuses to wear AirPods or wire headphones and will only wear a rlly chunky pair of classic headphones 

a major procrastinator 

wears SO MANY RINGS omfg 

is actually a rlly talented artist but doesn’t tell many ppl and Bertie is one of the only ones who knows so he hangs up her drawings in his bedroom

Bertie also def bought her a pride flag to put in her room bc ✨supportive older brother✨

keysmashes (Hazel doesn’t understand them at all)

she became the cool mum friend because she didn’t have a mother figure

but then realised nobody else in the friend group had one either 😭

Hazel nowww:

a bake off stan (I saw it on somebody else’s post idk who)

def got daisy into watching k dramas and now they binge them together

plays piano

listens to romantic music from the 60s-80s 

especially Good Old-Fashioned Loverboy by Queen bc it reminds her of Alexander 

also a Beatles stan 

I think she would either dress comfy and oversized OR be light/dark academia

her room is so clean omfg 

she tried to help daisy clean but it didn’t end well

bakes CONSTANTLY

if there is a party in the friend group Hazel WILL be bringing the home cooked food 

Pinterest addict (you know I’m right)

is supposed to wear glasses but doesn’t most of the time

her room is just COVERED in bake off merch

prolly started a homework club 

but now everyone just goes to hang out

will never swear and hasn’t at all 

won’t admit it but is actually rlly good at painting her nails

and everybody in the dorm convinces her to paint theirs 

Kitty:

is the girlboss guru of the friend group

does everybody’s winged eyeliner 

tries to do group therapy sessions but everybody just ends up venting 

she’s GIVING pansexual energy and I can’t explain it 

def listens to doja cat and nicki minaj 

the kind of person to impulsively dye her hair when something goes wrong

like she’ll walk into the room with neon green hair and everybody will be like OMFG WHATS WRONG DO U NEED A THERAPY SESSION

her style is prolly streetwear 

sneaks out all the time

but daisy always catches her and lets her go anyways 

her room is messy and she always attempts to clean it and fails miserably 

uses slay and girlboss ironically and her and daisy talk fluently in gen z 

this confuses Hazel and annoys Lavinia

would rock up to a party in a suit

but the next day wear a dress

gives relationship advice to everybody who will listen

is a sarcastic gay

istg she will have ALL the rainbow merch

she loves reading but doesn’t tell anybody

she usually reads by torchlight but everybody has caught her doing it by now

Beanie:

dyslexic af

when she texts with horrible spelling the others just have to deal with it

the only person in the homework club to actually do work 

idk why but she seems like a trans girl???

kitty does her makeup 

she def listens to cavetown with alexander 

it helps her sleep

her style is probably comfy clothes with cute animals on them and stuff 

she also started wearing beanies as a joke but now has a whole collection

attempted to sneak out with kitty but they ended up just lying on the grass watching the stars

relationship goals 

unironically uses lol in conversations 

the most innocent of the friendgroup

binges Saiki K with daisy while they do each other’s nails 

is a cat person and wants to own at least 4 in the future 

has a rlly neat room to everybody’s surprise

but it turns out she invites Hazel over regularly to help her clean it and so they can watch bake off together 

she knows about daisy being rlly good at art so sometimes they go over each other’s house and just draw the whole time 

is terrified of dogs 

Lavinia:

allergic to cats 

it’s an inside joke that she starts pretending to sneeze when near kitty 

paints her nails black 

pretends to listen to rlly loud rock music and will blast it in the room

but secretly listens to the Beatles with Hazel because it helps her sleep 

plays the drums (this is a FACT)

tried to make a band with daisy and Hazel and Alexander 

it didn’t work out 

her style is prolly streetwear and she wears SO MANY NECKLACES 

her rooms messy af but nobody’s been over her house cuz they know about her family issues 

watches demon slayer 

Hazel is terrified of her cuz she thinks that it’s way too gory 

this is one of the reasons why she watches it 

she actually has a soft spot for little kids 

and decided to become a babysitter but instantly regretted it 

sneaks George into the dorms CONSTANTLY 

the girls aren’t surprised anymore when they wake up and Lavinia and George are sitting cross legged on the floor debating communism 

this is a regular thing

worked at Starbucks but is rlly bad at customer service 

Swears SO MUCH and Hazel is just like:

“LANGUAGE!”

ok so now Alexander:

trans boy?? I think so

he def struggled with toxic masculinity but George and Hazel and kitty helped him out 

now he paints his nails with Lavinia n Hazel 

started listening to Taylor swift as a joke but now is lowkey obsessed and debates with George about the best era (obviously reputation)

also listens to cavetown w beanie

his style is def oversized jumpers and dark academia 

Hazel also helps him clean his room so it’s usually neat af

he has cavetown posters everywhere 

I mean EVERYWHERE 

his comfort song is This is Home

him and George helped the girls write a petition to start the Deepdean GSA

it was successful 

him and Hazel spend so much time planning their life together it’s rlly wholesome 

the girls have heard it so much they are willing to disagree 

he plays bass guitar and was in the band (he also sang alongside daisy)

they broke up cuz he argued w Daisy SO MUCH 

he wears contacts most of the time but Hazel thinks he looks cute w glasses so he’s started wearing them more often

He enjoys scrapbooking but nobody knows except Hazel 

George:

plays the trumpet 

only to annoy Lavinia because whenever he sees her he’ll start playing Careless Whisper 

is a major Taylor Swift stan 

he thinks reputation is the best era AND HE IS RIGHT 

didn’t want to be a part of the band because he already knew how it was gonna end 

a master at sneaking into the girls dorm

or so he says (he actually just wakes everybody up)

his style is just whatever he’s feeling at the moment which leads to some questionable fashion choices 

he’s the kind of guy to wear a nirvana band shirt and then when asked if he can name songs (he’s a major nirvana fan) he’ll start naming ac/dc songs just to piss ppl off

he says he won’t get political and then starts ranting about the corrupt government 

it doesn’t help that Lavinia encourages him

Amina:

actually enjoys baking and will go over hazels house to bake stuff w her 

because daisy is a terrible chef 

her style is rlly confusing cuz she’ll dress fem one day and then be masc the next 

her and daisy need to get a room, according to the ENTIRE FRIEND GROUP

listens to girl in red unironically 

also sneaks into the girls dorm room

it’s just normal in there to wake up and Amina, George and Alexander will already be there

she plays acoustic guitar but just doesn’t tell anybody except daisy n Hazel 

actually a rlly talented singer 

her room is so tidy but nothing makes sense 

she keeps rats as pets especially the ones w red eyes 

this terrifies daisy (and everybody else) on so many levels 

also wears SO MANY RINGS

her and kitty are rlly good friends 

even if she’s also allergic to cats

She doodles on herself when she’s bored and started drawing daisies up her arms 

She is def a theatre kid

OK RELATIONSHIP HEADCANONS CUZ I HAVE NO SELF CONTROL:

Daisy & Amina:

They go to feminist marches and pride parades together

they sneak out together ALL THE TIME

they have cute lil picnics in the flower fields n they make daisy chains together 

Amina’s big spoon (you know I’m right)

daisy tried to teach her gf how to dance but they ended up just falling over each other in a pile of laughter 

Amina calls daisy flowergirl as a pet name 

the others place bets on how many times flowergirl is gonna be said 

Kitty always wins

they’ve been to a girl in red concert together 

Bertie was def the first person to know they were dating 

they do each other’s makeup 

they decorated the dorm rooftop with fairy lights and blankets so they could sneak out there and fall asleep under the stars

they always know exactly what to get each other for valentines 

so daisy and Amina both individually give advice to the other couples 

except daisy charges money 😭

They braid each other’s hair and doodle on each other when they’re bored

Hazel and Alexander:

Hazel constantly steals Alexander’s jumpers 

they have a scrapbook together 

Alexander worked as a florist for a short period of time and sent Hazel flowers everyday with poems

They always try to outdo daisy and Amina in couples competitions 

daisy and Amina always win tho cuz they’re super competitive 

they insist on going into photo booths  together whenever possible so they can get pics for the scrapbook 

Alexander is big spoon obv 

They adopted a cat together but still can’t decide on the name

daisy thinks they should name it after her 

they’re def not doing that 

Hazel bakes cakes every year for her bfs birthday 

Daisy attempted to do it for Amina one year but miserably failed 

Alexander tries to carry Hazel but almost drop her every time

They have rlly complex secret handshakes

Kitty and Beanie:

Beanie used to go to Kitty for relationship advice even tho it was Kitty she was crushing on

the first time they kissed was when beanie was in the middle of confessing to her 

Beanie has night terrors and trouble sleeping so Kitty sings to help her fall asleep

they didn’t have to tell anybody they were dating

they just randomly started kissing each other and nobody questioned it 

Kitty’s big spoon 

Lavinia did start wondering why Kitty stopped sleeping in her own bed and would wake up in Beanies 

she never asked tho 

They go on shopping sprees together 

Kitty def does beanies makeup and teaches her how to do rlly intricate hair styles 

George and Lavinia:

Lavinia gets a lot of shit for dating a non white man obvs 

they get through it tho 

they stay up rlly late debating their existence in the universe and politics 

This annoys everybody except Hazel and Alexander who think it’s pretty cute 

When Lavinia worked at Starbucks George would order a drink everybody but she would make sure to pronounce his name wrong every time

“Can… Jorge? … collect his order please?”

George loved her for that

They’re annoying at road trips cuz if you pass them the aux you better prepare for horrible renditions of Taylor swift songs 

They once turned up to the school dance with George wearing a dress and Lavinia wearing a suit

they enjoy breaking gender norms cuz who doesn’t 

they paint each other’s nails 

George leaves random post it notes for Lavinia to find when he stays over at the dorm

If the other girls or Alexander find them they get so confused 

Alexander would find one and be like:

“George why are you confessing your love to me? I have a girlfriend??”

“Ohhhh this is for Lavinia. Got it.”

OK THATS IT :)

#mmu #daisy wells #hazel wong #murder most unladylike #headcanon #amina el magrahbi #beanie martineau #kitty freebody #lavinia #george mukherjee #modern headcanons

[hardestgrove]

#1 Crush | Buffy Summers x Eddie Munson

rating: G warnings: swearing words: 1,176 pairing: Buffy Summers x Eddie Munson, yes you have read this and the title correctly.

A/N: no one wanted this. no one asked for this. i wrote this anyway. I just think it’d be cute and i can’t stop thinking about btvs/st crossover ideas. are we in hawkins or sunnydale? yes. taglist (you know why): @emeraldwitches​ @polaris-talks-fandom​

“He’s cute.” Buffy pouted.

Xander looked at her like she was insane. “Buffy, he’s a drug dealer and he’s failed to graduate twice.”

Willow looked between them. “Oh well, I mean— the graduation thing isn’t that big a deal! I mean Oz didn’t graduate on time either and he’s not you know, stupid or bad or anything just um, kinda lazy?”

She winced and looked over apologetically at Buffy.

“Also there’s the whole you know, older than you thing.” Xander very so helpfully included.

Buffy gave him a look. “I dated a 400 year old vampire, a 20 year old is like, whatever. And I’m 18.”

“And I will say again— drug dealer.”

Buffy pouted harder. “So? It’s only like, weed. I set fire to the school gym at my old school and was wanted for murder and everything last year. I think we’re pretty even. In fact he’s probably got a leg up on me, I mean no arrest record and you know, has a future and all that.”

“Oh Buffy you have a future too!” Willow said.

Buffy pushed her food around her plate. “Not really. I mean I’m the slayer until I die. Not a lot of time with that in mix for a 9 to 5 and 2.5 kids you know?” She dropped her fork. “You know what I’m just gonna get over to next period early.” She picked up her tray and aborted the mess of a conversation.

--------------------------------------------

Next period was English where Eddie Munson was sitting by the window fidgeting constantly.

Buffy tried to be covert in her staring at him. He was tall, though not as tall as Angel had been, and handsome in a scruffy way. His hair was long and looked surprising good on him, she wanted to run her hands through it— and get some conditioner in there, seriously. He was always wearing this denim vest with all these patches and things on it from what she assumed where metal bands over a leather jacket. He was slim with long legs that always seemed to go everywhere and the prettiest biggest brown eyes she’d ever seen.

And she was so totally hopeless mooning over him.

Faith was already making fun of her over it and telling her the horror stories of her time dating a drummer. But Eddie wasn’t a drummer he was a guitarist. Totally different. Oz was a guitarist and he wasn’t a loser boyfriend! Eddie and his band Corroded Coffin even played at the Bronze and he was like good. She wasn’t exactly revving to go all metal girl anytime soon but she knew enough about music to know he was talented. Oz had even commented on it a couple times when they were hanging out there and Eddie’s band was playing.

It was Thursday so they’d be playing tonight. It was probably why he was even more squirmy than usual. She smiled a little as she tried to focus back on the lesson but only really managed to get herself to look at the teacher while daydreaming about her outfit for tonight. She might be a little gun-shy now on trying to date while slaying after her many botched attempts but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get all dolled up and moon at him the whole time he was up there on stage looking sexy. Like, wasn’t that the whole purpose for him being up there in the first place?

---------------------------------------------------

Another Thursday, another night spent mooning at Eddie hoping he’d notice her in the crowd and just magically fall in love with her, then casing the Bronze for vampires when he didn’t and getting ready to head out to do the rest of her patrol before going home.

She’d made it into the back alley just in time. Eddie’s van was still there, half packed, while Eddie himself was being forcefully shoved against the brick wall.

“Dude what the fuck!”

Buffy sprinted over, slayer power and instinct taking out the vamp before it even had time to register what had happened. Eddie stared at her bewildered.

Oh shit.

“Um…” You would think after like, 4 years of doing this she’d be better about the excuses but no. She just kind of stared at him, her brain short circuiting from being so close to her crush. He smelled like cigarettes and musk. Guh.

“Uh, what the fuck was that?” Eddie looked from her to the stake in her hand still poised to strike. “Was that a vampire?”

Buffy shoved the stake behind her. “Um… if I said it was literally anything else that was more normal would you believe me?”

He gave her a Look. “Absolutely not.”

She made a face. “Yeah. Vampire. The whole town is kinda lousy with em.”

Eddie came off the wall, closing the space between them rapidly before Buffy’s brain kicked in and she remembered she could like, take a step back and probably should have when he did. He was just so…yummy and she liked the angle he was at looking at her with from there.

“Wait… those rumors are totally shit! You’re not in a gang or anything! This is why you’re all —“ he pantomimed boxing, grinning. “—you’re a god damn vampire slayer aren’t you?”

“The Slayer, actually. Kind of a chosen one. There’s only one— well two at the moment. It’s kinda complicated.”

“This is why there was that whole murder charge thing last year right? I always thought that sounded insane. No way little miss Cali Cutie Buffy Summers took someone out in library. It was a vampire or something like that right?”

Oh my god he said I was a cutie. “Yeah it was um, work related. Though I didn’t do it. It was another slayer, she was killed by vampires and I just got there at the wrong time. I have killed stuff in there though.”

He pumped his fist in the air. “I knew something was fucked up with this town! Guess I’m lucky you’re such a big fan huh? Otherwise I’d be vamp chow.”

Buffy felt her whole face flush. “You noticed I was there?”

Eddie grinned his wicked Cheshire grin. “Hard not to notice when one of the prettiest girls in school starts to show up at all your gigs like she’s dressed for date and just watches you the whole time.”

She toyed with her stake, unable to halt the slow spread of her smile across her face. She looked up at him through her lashes.

“You think I’m pretty?”

“Buffy I think you’re gorgeous.” His face and tone were so matter of fact her heart skipped a happy beat.

Buffy grinned. “Well I think you’re pretty gorgeous yourself.”

Eddie grinned back and motioned back to the Bronze with his head. “Can I buy you a drink or something?”

“Maybe another time? I do kind have to finish my patrol… Sacred duty and all that...”

“Then how about this —“ Eddie offered her his arm. “— You patrol, I go with you and while we’re doing that you can explain to me in what ways exactly is this town completely fucked up?”

Buffy linked her arm with his. “I think that sounds wonderful.”

#btvs fanfic #stranger things fanfic #buffy the vampire slayer #eddie munson #buffy summers #buffy summers x eddie munson #writing.doc #DON'T ASK ME WHY MY BRAIN CURSED ME W/ THIS CONCEPT AND I HAD TO RELEASE THE DEMONS IN MY SKULL #it IS very cute tho so i stand by it lol

[blackbutlerbitch23]

💖Now that I have some followers who cannot escape my feed and are forced to listen to me, I will rank my top 5 ships from Black Bulter from Worst to Best and explain why I placed them there. BTW my opinion is 100% correct, AND no, I do not take criticism. Buckle up your seat belts because this will be a long ride, and no, we're not gonna stop; you should have gone to the bathroom before we left. Now sit back, relax and HAVE FUN, EVERYONE!!!! 💖

5. Vincent & Madam Red

Aesthetically this couple is fantastic. Betrayal, drama, jealousy, and forbidden love. There's a reason why blue and red are often paired together. PRIME COLOURS, BABY. That's what the kids call colour theory 😎. ANWAY, this is the Angelica Schuyler (work, work) and Alexander Hamilton (lol, you defiantly threw away your shot) ship of the Black Butler community. Even the name Angelina looks and sounds similar to Angelica. They are a bisexual dream of "may I have a side of step on me" 👞👡. They would have been that couple. Yet, I gotta rate them at number five because even though they would be slaying it together (literally and figuratively *very clever jack the ripper and watchdog joke*🔪), it does reduce the intelligent and independent Madam Red into an "uwu notice me sempai" girl. She gets turned from girl boss (affectionate) into girl boss (unaffectionate). Like GURL, I know he is bad, but you are a Miranda in a world full of Nates. The Devil wears Prada because he has taste👠. He's not worth trying to stab an eye-patched child over.

7/10 - if I was Angelina, I would have poured red wine over Rachel's wedding dress because I'm petty like that👰🍷.

4. Mey-Rin & Ronald Knox

I KNOW WHAT YOU ALL ARE THINKING🧠. That's right, I'm telepathic AF. Call me Anya 2.0. "Didn't they only interact once?" Yes, and your point? I could sense the chemistry and potential oozing like a warhead from that singular interaction. When Mey-Rin said that was the first time she ever got hit on, I was shocked and appalled because that girl is a hot warrior queen 👑like some Victorian Hippolyta. If I was shot by Mey-Rin, I would thank her because that meant she noticed little ol' me. Ronald (lol nerd) may *technically* be a dead sociopathic playboy, but underneath all that, he is also a clumsy idiot with some pretty snazzy fighting skills like a certain maid ;)). They both rock the sexy geeky🤓 look, AND Mey-Rin deserves to be swept away by a man who understands the struggle of trying to impress your superior (and failing horribly) while cleaning out blood stains🩸. They are number four because I vaguely get some The Mister by E.L James vibes, which makes me break out in a cold sweat 😷🤢if I think about it for too long. Plus, they did only interact once. God, imagine having Grell as a mother-in-law.

7.5/10 - Call me captain because Imma go down with the ship like the Campania that brought these virgins together⚓.

3. Ciel & Sieglinde

Bubala, I want to get this out of the way before we proceed. I'm no Humbert Humbert. Miss me with that ❌Lolita❌ shit (although it's a fantastic book, shout out to my lad Nabokov). When I ship kids, it's in an "it would be cute in the future" way. I don't expect a thirteen-year-old and ten-year-old actually to date. Kapeesh? Anyway, this is also not a reflection of Elizabeth as a character. We can all agree that their relationship was doomed the minute Lizzy discovered that OCiel wasn't RCiel and proceeded to have one of the worst reactions possible™. She tried to kill Sebastian, ran away from home, and let a TEENAGER get arrested because she got Parent Trapped. Girl, you even knew he was innocent but go off sis🙄💅. You know, ✨everyday rich girl things✨. Sieglinde, our little green witch, adores Ciel for who is truly is, not the broken-down actor carrying around his brother's ghost. Our scientist saw OCeil at his lowest point and still came to respect him. She also was tricked by him but didn't try to get him arrested, so...🙄💅. I'm more of an On the grind 💪 appreciator than a girl boss, manipulate gaslight type. Gotta love a spider leg, girl.

Unlike Elizabeth, who has dealt with tragedy from a distance (and don't get me wrong, she hasn't had an easy ride. It's just more psychological/self-inflicted), Ciel and Sieglinde, these two pipsqueaks have been through hell and back but came out stronger. In short, they can relate to each other's pain more than others their age. Plus, she's super adorable and a genius who can keep up (and outsmart) Ciel and is unafraid to be herself. They might not win in a leg race, but they will destroy you on a chessboard♟️. The best girl in town deserves the worst boy in London 😈.

8/10- Don't witches 🧙‍♀️ love the devil or whatever? Hocus Pocus girl and contract boy can fangirl over the same demon together. Fandom goals

2. Diedrich & Vincent

Ah, Hello again, Vincent. You have shown up on this list more than the actual Manga. Anyway, WHEN I SAW THE PANEL, THE ONE WITH "THE DAYS SPENT WITH YOU ARE BURNED INTO A MEMORY," I WANTED TO CRY. OMFG. I LOVE IT SO MUCH 😭😭😭😭💖💖💖💖. They look so sweet together there🥺. I'm a bitch for dark English academia shit because I am basic AF. Like, don't come at me. I know dark academia has a somewhat problematic history, but Imma keep shoving it down my throat like how Diedrich shoves down those sandwiches😏. The relationship between Vincent and Diedrich is so angsty that I need some rain boots because it's pouring tears out here. Even years after Vincent dies, Diedrich remains loyal to him and tries to save his child (in his "I hate you but I serectly love you" way).

Now I can hear you exclaim, "well, Vincent basically enslaved German boy as his brother-servent thing," but let me tell you, if he wanted out, he could have just stayed in Germany, but that Guten Tag man kept visiting that fine British ass until the day that fine Britsh ass was burnt to a crisp. Vincent was hot until the day he died🔥. Diedrich even keeps a picture of their time together and thinks of it fondly, despite Vicent treating him like a lapdog. THIS MAN DIDN'T EVEN GET MARRIED!!!! WAS IT BECAUSE HE WAS TOO BUSY WITH VINCENT🤔🤔🤔???? Probably not, but for my sake, I will say yes. If Lana Del Ray's music was a couple, it would be this one. They are at number two because as much I love them, there is one ship I adore a bit more. Plus, Vincent has so many side pieces that I don't trust him to stay in a monogamous relationship.

8.5/10 - I wish I knew WHY Vincent chose Rachel over these icons. Like girl, we have no beef, but I need to understand how you collared Vincent🐕‍🦺.

1. Sebastian & Agni

HAHAHA, YOU MUST OF ALL KNOWN MY (DE)MAN WOULD HAVE TO BE A PART OF MY NUMBER ONE PAIR!!!! Oooooh, the scene where Sebastian said that Agni was the first person to ever call him a friend👌👌👌. Sebastian's first friend. Think about that. The AMOUNT OF ADMIRATION they had for one another. This is Sebastian "lol, humans are bugs I like to burn with my magnifying glass" Michaelis, who respects nothing but himself (and cats). Yet, he believed Agni to be an "exemplary butler" who lived up to his ~asethics~ and Agni, the literal right hand of Kali, reached out (no pun instead) to a DEMON and saw something worth appreciating. 

Sebastian even listened to his advice over Ciel's. His master and meal ticket. The guy he signed the bloody contract with. That's like if your lawyer turned to the opposition and said, "they make a fair point, and I agree my client is in the wrong." Like WHAT???? Seb values Agni's advice. A human. In Yana's own words, a species he views as nothing more than a cluster of pests. At best, they're amusing, like how a kid keeps an ant farm. Yet, Agni is different. Here the grasshopper has become the master🙇.

Their potential stepdad AUs were just up my ally. FOUND FAMILY ADMIRES UNITE! But I gotta admit, as much I love Soma, I would give him up for adoption if he was my kid. I can't deal with that level of extra. At the very least, he would go to theatre camp for the entire summer and boarding school, as is tradition for most rich British families. See, I'm not totally heartless😘! Talking about heartlessness, don't even get me started on Agni's death scene because I will ugly cry. When Sebastian dirtied himself with Agni's blood, even tho we all know that prissy bitch is more protective over his clothes than a runway model😔✊. That was the most upset we had ever seen him (outside of almost losing his son Ciel), and he seemed at least happy Agni died in peace. I doubt Sebastian can genuinely mourn, but now at least, he has double reason to hate Undertaker. 

In Conclusion, I just think they are neat.

9.5/10- YASS KING, WHISPER YOUR DEMON SHIT WHILE HE PRAYS TO KALI!!! However, I can't give this a perfect score because one half is dead, and I do not support necrophilia💀. I hope we get Ciel and Sebastian explaining to Soma that they did not kill his daddy and, in fact, were planning a family vacay🏖️. I swear to god, if they have Soma work with RCiel, Imma flip my lid like a fucking kettle. Overall, they would have been couple goals💏.

#LONG POST BITCHES #Black butler ships #🛳️🛳️🛳️ #kuroshitsuji #black butler #text post #sebastian michaelis #ciel phantomhive #elizabeth midford #mey rin #agni #agniseb #vincent phantomhive #madam red

[sankyeom]

aaaa hi belle it's caelin again i hope u remember me 😼 kinda late because i had to go on an impromptu trip and the internet was so whack, i was barely able to open tumblr </3 here to rant about anti-romantic bcz i absolutely loved it ☝☝

ok first of all you're so ?? good at writing 🤞 ?? like i knew the direction the plot was proceeding in— and i don't mean this in a bad way yk, predictable plots are fun to read since the anticipation is over the roof— what i mean is that the way you present makes everything like 5-10 times engaging, doesn't matter how common or unique the plot is

coming to the plot, you ate it, ma'am. devoured. slayed. left no crumbs. getting your best of the net and flannery o'connor as we speak

im loving the ynhoon dynamics ?!?!?! they're so adorable. everything is so healthy and they're such a green flags fr im glad they tried to get to know each other instead of simply believing the rumours spinning around ( heavy on this from yn's pov like she knows hoon's a fuckboy but my girl knows how to pick hints and join the dots, she's down to genuinely know the 'real' him instead of the fuckboy sunghoon, i love that for her )

and sunoo, jungwon and niki scheming ( and failing ) help that was adorable. we love protective best friends. the reverse psychology going down the drain got me in tears please, they can't outsmart yn me thinks </3 as for heeseung, jake and jay . . . bestie . . . they're stupidly smart or smartly stupid, there's no in between lmao. loving how jake is absolutely definitely certainly ready to climb up yn's bestie list ( tbh same, jake ) only to get her drunk bye

besides, i really like how there's no third-grade-high school antagonist with unrequited love ( saerom ?? saerim ?? serum. serum is an exception that man is problematic but not really i'm glad he stayed out of their business most of the time ) it's literally just sunghoon and yn and their miscommunication but also a lot of communication because yn is straightforward and talks it out ( except that one time. well i can't blame her i'd get the same idea if someone i just kissed ran away )

always supporting the un-fuckboy sunghoon agenda he's too pretty and cool to have chick flings, he deserves a permanant solution 😍👊 anyway i'm running out of things so say </3 but glad you wrote anti-romantic !! it was fun to read. hoping you're having a good day / evening ^_^

hi caelin!! yes i definitely remember you, we talked about my gamer wonwoo au last time 🥰

first of all, thank you omg you’re literally so sweet i’m blushing !! i’m pretty proud of how my writing has improved, especially in terms of smaus, so i’m very grateful that you are enjoying my fics so much 😌💛

i always think that it’s important to write about open communication and happy, healthy relationships because we see so little of it in media?? like i feel like the conflict for tv shows and movies is always so toxic for couples and just super unnecessary. thank you for recognising and loving that part of sorry, i’m and anti-romantic 🥹

i almost didn’t put serim in the story as a conflict, but i kind of wanted a tangible example of the mc being afraid of commitment and thought the story could use someone who has known her and hooked up with her, if that makes sense? like i wanted someone who wasn’t a closer friend of the mc’s to be surprised by her dating someone but i didn’t want him to have too much power in the overall fic lmao 😂

you are a literal angel and i am so grateful that you took the time to write this, thank you again caelin!! you are an absolute sweetheart and i am always here for a quick chat about anything that’s on your mind 💞💞

#shoyotime #💌 : open me! #fic: sorry i’m an anti-romantic

[moonjxsung]

hi hi angel!!! how are you?

it’s been sorta insane for me in the worst way (things are kinda better rn). long story short, i have two classes with the same professor and we had the final project (that i clutched super insanely and got a 98!! yay we love that) but i don’t have the best grades in the other class. so the thing is that since i don’t have the best grade in that one i obsessively check for her feedback on assignments and to see if there’s new assignments posted. and i randomly check yesterday and there’s two assignments that i had never seen (but she mentioned them at the start of the semester). i click on them and the assignments were overdue by like 2 months and i start having a full blown panic attack in the class. and i wait for it to finish and i ask to talk to her and i literally start bawling bc i thought that i hadn’t sent them. and she’s just like “take a breath, don’t worry, nobody sent them. idk what happened to the platform but it seems that they were never visible to anyone.” so yeah, i had a panic attack for nothing. but i told her about how overwhelmed and anxious ive been and that im back on pills and it’s been super hard too. and, she’s very strict but she was very nice about it and told me that she was always there if i needed to talk. and reassured that i wasn’t failing.

so yeah, i need my emotional support barbie/bratz too!! let’s make them happen. i looooove barbie and bratz movies soooo much but i hadn’t found anywhere to watch them until now :((( but i shall continue this weekend!!

for my mom’s bday we ate mofongo! idk if you’ve ever tried it but it’s soooo yum.

ateez, skz and shinee comebacks are literally insane, neither my wallet or my mental health can process it. i’m so excited!!!

tattoo update: im getting it done on monday!! i’m so excited!! i rlly want a piercing too but i rlly rlly want a skzoo </3

the fact that you’ve been having shinee dreams is sooo slay!! i’ve only had one shinee dream ever and it was literally the day i first saw the ring ding dong video like in 2012. (i beg you my unconscious or wherever dreams come from, give me some minho dreams🙏🏻). and im still soooo traumatized from my hyunjin dream, i will never be able to take a nude without thinking about that </3.

(i almost forgottt!!! i had never read the tv girl felix fic!! i’ve been getting into tv girl lately bc i saw that you really liked them and i love every playlist you’ve done for your fics so i trust ur judgment. anyways, not allowed felix is my new roman empire <3)

i missed u bb! i had two frozen mochas in ur honor with my classmates <3 i hope you’re well! and that ur weekend goes sooo well and that you can give everyone hickeys <3

-🐈‍⬛

Hi baby!!!!!!! I’m so sorry to hear this week has been so stressful :((

I’m so glad your professor was so understanding about it! I looooove when professors take the time to hear you out and give you a second chance at doing an assignment. I had something really similar happen in my freshman year of college where we had these textbook quizzes that were optional, but you had to at least open it to get credit and I didn’t know they had due dates bc they were optional so I realized like halfway through the semester I was missing a good HALF of them and I cried my eyes out so hard when I found out. I talked to my professor and she was super understanding about it because I’d gotten good grades on her tests so far and I never skipped any lectures so she reopened all the assignments for me and let me resubmit them 🥹 like all it takes it some communication!! Thankful for good professors and especially ones who understand when you’re going through a rough time. I hope things get easier and I’m always here for you if you need anything at all bby 🫶💘💓💗

I’m planning on bedrotting all weekend so catch me watching bratz & Barbie movies too LMAO I need to heal my inner child 🧘‍♀️🕯️🕯️🕯️

I have never heard of mofongo but I just looked it up and it looks AMAZINGGGG oh my god I need to try it so bad

PLEASE I need to be saving so badly I am NAWTTTT ready for skz/shinee/Ateez comebacks at all!!!! I want to go to 2 cities for Ateez if I can but the prices are so much higher than I thought they would be so I think I might just try for VIP in my city and hopefully get send-off! I need to be face to face with Yeosang at least once in my life 😔🫶

SOOOOOO EXCITED FOR YOUR TATTOOOOOO BABY AHHHHHH I CANT WAIT TO SEE IT !!

Onew dreams fulfill me so much I swear I wake up with the biggest wave of SADNESSSS bc I’m so sad we’re not married irl 💔💔 he also smells vvvv good I love him so much

PLEASE not allowed Felix fic is making its rounds again since I linked it to that anon and I still hate it just as much as I used to lfmfnkdemdnmsjjfjf it’s coming up on its year anniversary so I won’t shit on it tooooo much since it was the start of this blog (but realistically WTRS was the start) but oh goddd I hate it 😭 still love TV girl tho TV GIRL MY BELOVEDDDD 😔🫶🫶🫶🫶

I missed you so much bby I’m gonna have some good coffee tomorrow in your honor and bring a cute pc!!!! Have the bestest rest of your week I love you so so so much 🫶💓💖💞💘💗💕💓👼

#🐈‍⬛ anon #ask

[chuuyascumsock]

OH MY GOD I JUST GOT BACK FROM MY EXAM(did horribly and want to commit a little double sui with our bandage boi)

BUT HOLY CHEESEBITS

DENIAL CHAN REALLY THOUGHT THEY DID SOMETHING WITH THAT HISTORY LESSON AND SET OFF BELOW AVERAGE INSULTS??? Like bro calling someone a monkey in a not jokey way is jot a flex????

Being mean to someone who acts younger than their age isn’t cool?????

You need therapy,denial chan

Anyway,you handled that so gracefully (and hilariously) chuuya would be proud ngl

Also the bugs life jokes got meeeee

Also also

Denial chan i super duper double dare you to come off anon! Because sooner or later, the consequences of your dumbassery will catch up with you,why not get it out of the way🥰

(I saw a thing on insta saying something like ,the strap of consequences rarely comes lubed…felt like adding that🙃)

And just like that anon said,your blog is absolutely amazing and your writing is *chef’s kiss*!

(Also YOUR DRAFTS YOUR DRAFTSS HOLY SHITE YOUR DRAFTS)

Sorry i left a rant and i hope youre okay!

Stay safe,slay safe and stay nourished ma’am 😌💅🏻

-🧀

I WAS WONDERING WHERE YOU WERE AT 😭

I’m sorry you did dookie on your exams, hopefully next time Chuuya won’t be clogging your brain juices so you can fuck those tests up like I do fictional men with my strap 😋

Ik Denial-Chan still lurks cause I got another message in the inbox, but they’re all getting deleted unless they come off anonymous because they’re just a coward and that really kind of jumbles my girl balls a lil 🥰

I love your little rants lol it’s ok.

You better give yourself some good snacks for trying at your exams at least! Don’t be like me and cheat on your exam and still get a C. It’s better to try and fail than to google the answers and still suck. My girlfriend was ALMOST proud of me, and then I told her the REAL reason I even got a somewhat mid grade 😭

Stay safe and hydrated 🫶☺️

#casual asks