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teatreeoilll · 5 months

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|| Selfish (Gojo Satoru X Reader) ||

(Reposted from my old blog which I don't have access to anymore (thanks Tumblr), if you liked it reblogs or likes would be appreciated to get me back on track since I've lost all my followers and half my work :(

In which Gojo is so protective over reader she's sure he hates her. Couldn't be further from the truth, but how would you know it without some good old-fashioned over dramatic angst?

TW: mentions of smoking and blood.

Nobara sits beside you, her look shifts to your shoes, "Where'd you get those? I never saw them in this color before."

"Kugisaki!" You plea, "I'm serious, please. Gojo hates me. How does it make sense that I'm stuck in damn Grade 2 for the past year and half?"

"Maybe," She takes her phone out to take a picture of your shoes, "You're just not as good as you think?"

"Oi, Kugisaki, don't talk to your elders like that!" Yuji's voice butts in, he sits with a thump on the stairs next to you. "But I can't imagine Gojo-Sensei hating anyone. Especially a teaching assistant. It makes no sense."

Disheartened, you've reduced to sharing your feelings with first-years before training. "Alright, pair up. We haven't got all day!" You get up from the steps, trying to pick up the remains of your self-esteem.

Dusk crept over the surrounding trees. You've been watching the students for hours now, noticing how through each change in their pairings they've gotten better and faster. Familiar feelings loomed over you. That's it. That has to be it. Another day of watching these kids surpass their own limits so simply will surely be the end of the line.

You marched straight into Gojo's office, not even making an effort to change to something not drenched with sweat.

"We will not have that conversation again," the white haired man didn't even bother to look up from his phone. It's true, you've had this conversation every couple of months - and you've always received the same unsatisfying answers.

"You're right," you found yourself standing straight across from him, the palms of your hands hitting the desk in between you a little too hard.

"Careful with that, it's expensive." He says. You stare at him in silence. How is it, that with all the anger you hoped he'd notice you've directed at him, he wouldn't even avert his gaze from his phone for one minute?

"Saturo, I've -"

"First name basis, are we now?" Another smug smirk sent your way, your cheeks began to burn.

"I think first name basis may be appropriate, since I've decided to transfer to Kyoto." Oh god, when was that decision made? You've always liked Tokyo, the proximity from the city made all your futile efforts here worthwhile. But it was too late to back down. Gojo's hand reached to his blindfold, one blue eye peeks at you.

"Alright, good luck then." The blindfold snapped back on, his attention returned quickly to his phone.

"Good luck then," you mutter to yourself, walking back through the darkening corridors to your room, "Good luck then, huh?" It's been over five years now since you've first arrived in Jujutsu High, was good luck then all that he could say? What a fucking -"

"Emergency!" A voice rang through the building. Oh god, what now? You think, with your eyes set on your room to wallow the evening in your newly made terrible decision.

"Someone! Please!" Your legs carried you before your reasoning did. Through the curves of the hallways, straight to the first-year's rooms.

"It's Yuji," Kugisaki looked at you, panting, "He tried to pet Megumi's divine dog. I don't think the dog liked it."

Yuji held out his arm. After a thorough inspection, it was just a scary looking graze on his forearm. He muttered to Nobara it wasn't much to fuss about, the blood smearing on the sleeve of his uniform. "It's nothing bad, we'll tend to it any way to avoid an infection," you prompted him to get up from his seat, "I think Shoko's still in the infirmary."

She lit her cigarette, the smell of smoke suffocating the small room. "That's nice, when will you be back?" She asked, huffing smoke in the direction of the open window.

"I don't think I'll be back for a while. Or at all, actually." She dragged a chair to the side of the bed, watching your fingers tap on the fabric.

"I wondered when you'll finally do that. You spoke to Satoru again, didn't you?" A sigh escaped her lips. She'd rarely admit to liking spending time with anyone, but the occasion seemed to call for it. "I'll miss you. That prick always thinks he's doing the right thing."

"It's because he'd never tell you how scared he is for something to happen to you. It's still selfish, don't get me wrong there - but I think he's far too afraid of something happening that it has become easier for him to sabotage you. I told him repeatedly to stop but he just -" Her words cut off by a knock on the door.

"Ieri! You there?" Gojo's impatient knocking had turned frantic. "The lights are on, Shoko. Open up!" Your eyes shot up at Shoko, speak of the devil. The handle turned lightly.

Gojo entered the room, turning straight to Shoko, not even looking at your direction. You'd managed to quickly find an excuse to leave, struggling to believe that's the same man who'd do anything out of concern for you. You closed the door, fingers lingering on the round handle, thinking how wrong it would be to eavesdrop while pressing your ear to the door.

"You know she's really leaving, right?" Shoko's distant voice lectured. "That's on you for acting selfish, Gojo." As you thought, he said nothing. Quickly diverting the conversation to something relating to a mission, another one you weren't supposed to be a part of. Perhaps it was wrong to eavesdrop. You stepped away from the door to turn to the direction of your room. Finally, some good wallowing time.

With your bags half packed, you were almost ready to say the sudden goodbyes to the students. The nostalgic look on every part of your room had already taken over, the final time of staring at that crack on the ceiling, the final time of covering that old coffee stain on the nightstand with a small glass whale statuette Gojo brought from one of his trips. Perhaps it's better to leave it there.

His pacing slowed, he took a step towards you, you gulped at the narrowing distance between your bodies. "I - spoke to Shoko. I think I got carried away, you don't have to leave on my account." The words felt empty as he said them, Shoko must have chewed him out well yesterday.

"You know Go-," You inhaled, "Satoru, not everything happens because of you." He dropped his sunglasses further down on the bridge of his nose, his blue eyes piercing through you. You hardly ever saw him without his blindfold, his stare sending shivers down your spine.

"Shoko was quite adamant it's all my fault, So I thought I better -"

You laughed, "Shoko was also quite adamant that all this time you just cared about me, so I guess even smart people can be wrong sometimes."

"But I do." His hand brushes through his hair, just for it to fall over his eyes again.

"Funny," you snarl, he studies your expression silently. You've taken advantage of that silence to continue, "So all these years you were just protecting me from dying? I thought sorcerers had accepted that fate when walking in here."

"Some things are worse than death," A solemn look takes hold of his face, you could have sworn the color of his eyes darkened.

"Do you take me for such a weakling?" Your tone of voice already deeming the conversation as pointless.

"I never said that. I think you care, perhaps too much. I would never want to see you sacrifice yourself over anything." The joyless tone of voice was far from his usual demeanor.

"You're not listening to me, (Y/N)" He could hardly cover how irritated he was, his hand gripped your forearm, pushing you towards him. His breath stroked your face, "I would never want something to happen to you, but you seem to be pushing towards it all the time. Aren't you happy with the students? Why do all of you have to go running around searching for burdens to carry when you don't have to?" His fist contracts tighter around your arm. His teeth clench to stop another flow of words he'd regret later on.

"Aren't you happy?" he questions you again, you wiggle your arm as a sign of pain, even as he lets it go you still feel the marks that his fingers left there.

"I am, It's just that -" He couldn't let you go on for a second longer, his lips pressing firmly against yours, your breath sucked away by his tongue. A long minute passed, your hand had found a happy place inside his hair, his arms had restricted your movement and emitted safety all together.

Just as he'd stopped for a breath, you'd decided it'd be far too hard to continue the conversation if this went on.

"I'd like to not be hindered, Satoru," you wiped the wetness of your lips with your sleeve, "Nobody comes to Jujutsu-High to be protected, they come to protect. If I can't do it when you're there, I'll go." You watched his face change, his mind racing behind the sunglasses.

"You can do it here," A piece of sadness was left in an otherwise tranquil voice.

"Good." Your smile had reminded him to breathe, "Now," you mused, "Would you mind kissing me like you're angry again?" His laughter lifted the tension from your body,

"Oh - Dirty," The familiar smirk had settled down the final waves of emotion.

"Not a word, Shoko." You pleaded to her again.

"If you don't want the school talking about it, then don't have your arguments in the hall." She took a long drag from her smoke, "Would you mind kissing me like you're angry again?" She imitates you silently, chuckling under her breath.

"Shoko, I'm begging you!"

#jjk #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen #gojo X reader #gojo satoru x reader #jjk gojo #gojo x y/n #jjk x you #gojo satoru #jujutsu gojo #satoru x reader #gojou satoru x reader #gojo X you

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haikyu-mp4 · 20 days

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I’d say it’s destiny

word count; 1605 – f!reader, implied age gap

Osamu and Atsumu weren’t completely identical, as some might know. Most notably, they decided to dye their hair differently in high school and it made the contrast of their eye colours stand out more.

However, one scenario it always worked for was substitute teachers. Osamu really didn’t mind stepping in for Atsumu today, because it meant he owed him later, but he totally forgot he was stepping in at all when he saw you.

Fresh out of university and first-time substitute teacher.

And you were crazy good-looking.

So when you were taking attendance and asked for Miya Atsumu, it went something like this…

“Here!”

“Hello, Miya,” you said, just like you did with all the other students because some teacher you once had said it made the pupils feel seen. Perhaps they weren’t considering high school students though.

“Call me Osamu,” he said with that trademark smirk he borrowed from his twin as if he was acting his part despite saying the complete opposite.

“…Atsumu?” you read off the paper, with no intention of using his given name but still curious about the name change. Suna already had his phone out in his lap, camera peeping just over the edge of his desk to film this.

“No, that’s my stupid brother.”

“So why are you… here then?”

Osamu slowly deflated, not looking as confident as he did a few seconds ago. Right, he’s not actually in this class. “I’d say it’s destiny?”

You blinked for a moment. This was not what you expected on your first day, and you weren’t quite sure what to do. Do you send him to the principal’s office? At least he’s getting an extra lesson, his apparent twin is the one who missed his. “Come to my desk after class, Miya,” you said strictly before moving on to the rest of the list, not missing the way some brunette kid snorted in the corner as Osamu agreed like you asked him out for dinner.

“You wanted to see me?” Osamu said, a cocky smirk back on his face and bag slung over his shoulder. You frowned, trying your best not to find it funny.

“Not like that, but you know it’s not okay to attend in someone else’s place?” you started, still not decided on how to lecture him properly. Fortunately, you had the number of another teacher that gave you some help.

He sat down on the chair on the other side of your desk. “I’m sorry my brother gave you trouble. What did you say your name was?” he asked, earning another squinted glare from you.

You ignored the comment and question, sighing and looking at the post-it note stuck to your schedule, scribbled with a name. “I was told I should talk to Kita Shinsuke about this, so unless you have something better to say, I think we should move along to find him and your brother.”

Osamu felt like the colour might have drained from his face, thinking of facing both his idiot brother’s complaints and Kita’s cold lecture at the same time. “Oh, uhh…”

You gave him a small smile, standing up already. “They should all be in the gym, right? Please show me the way there, I still get lost.”

Osamu would be damned if you kept smiling at him like that, making him stand right up with a sigh and hold the door open for you before leading you there. “Right this way, my lady.” At least he got to ask you about your favourite foods and other basic stuff that you didn’t mind answering on the way there.

Once again, he opened the door for you when you got to the gym, eyes quickly scanning around to see Suna already showing Atsumu the video. “Kita Shinsuke?” you asked loudly, looking around until you made eye contact with someone who seemed to respond to that name. The grey-haired boy came over, calmly asking you how he could help you while Osamu avoided eye contact but still didn’t want to leave your side. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, but another teacher told me you’re familiar with the problem. I had this Miya in my class while it should have been the other one,” you informed him, almost letting their given names slip off your tongue. Osamu was tuned into your voice, but it was difficult to ignore the agitating voice of his brother, which he heard in the background.

Kita nodded with a confirming sound, dark in his throat as he glared to the side at Osamu. “My apologies, I will make sure they receive the proper consequences,” he said and bowed to you.

Osamu looked at you with a sheepish smile. “Thank you for following me here, I’ll see you around?” he asked, using his possibly last moment alive to look at you one more time with every ounce of charm he had left.

You huffed a small laugh, nodding and turning around to find your way back. “Sure, have fun at practice, Miya.”

Kita and Atsumu were both angry, but who cares?

Osamu Miya was in love.

You saw Osamu around a couple more times while substituting for other teachers, even stepping in for the volleyball coach once. Now that, was something.

“What’d ya think, coach?” Osamu asked you, quite frankly looking like a puppy after spiking and turning to you. You sighed, once again trying to act indifferent and ignore him while also treating him like any other student.

“That was great!” you said with some enthusiasm, also leaning a bit to the side to look at his twin. “And a great set as well!” So now you had two flustered Miya twins.

“Let’s try the soul swap, ‘Samu!” Atsumu roared with newfound vigour, and you could see Kita about to protest.

“Here we go, I should film this,” Suna snickered from somewhere beside you, and you couldn’t help but agree.

After a year, you were offered a permanent position at another school in the prefecture, meaning you didn’t really see any students from Inarizaki again. You had almost forgotten them by the time you walked past a sign that said Onigiri Miya after going to an interview for a higher position in another school.

You tilted your head, squinting at the sign as you tried to remember where you heard that before, and then you looked down and through the window. Jaw slack, you were looking at a much more grown version of your biggest fan, Miya Osamu.

Walking in, you were overwhelmed with the delicious smell, your chest filling with air as you took in a long breath. Then you walked over to the short line, standing behind a rather burly man, meaning Osamu probably hadn’t seen you yet. You got a bit nervous, almost wondering if he would actually remember you or not.

Finally, the line moved along and you were face to face with a mouth-watering man. Mouth-watering food! He was even taller than in high school, shoulders broader and body a bit beefier from choosing this line of work but probably still maintaining some workouts.

You had to shake your head a bit when you realised you were just staring, plastering on a smile and then realising he was staring too, looking pleasantly surprised. Perhaps it was inappropriate to suddenly be interested in him, but while an awkward age difference stopped you from looking at him like this before, he was now an adult and you suddenly saw him in a new light.

“Hi!” he said cheerfully before huffing when he accidentally knocked over a cup of pens, scrambling to pick them all up again and shuffle them back into the cup. He glanced up at you with that familiar sheepish smile. “What can I get you today, teach?” he asked, applying the nickname to further emphasise that he remembered you.

You could feel your ears turning red as you pursed your lips, and you were about as beautiful as he remembered. “I’d like two tuna mayo onigiris, please,” you requested, pulling your card out to pay while he was watching your every move. He was glad he already had a lot of food prepared at this time of day so he wouldn’t have to leave this station to make them for you.

“I thought you liked salmon, want to try one on the house?” he asked, somehow remembering your conversations back in high school. You were shocked for a moment before nodding.

“If you insist.”

He smirked, and it was so familiar yet the feeling it gave you was so new and exciting. “I sure do,” he confirmed and then put one on a plate to hand it over. No one had come in after you yet, luckily. “I haven’t seen ya in a long time, do ya live close by?” he asked hopefully, trying to sound nonchalant.

“I’m out on a job interview actually,” you said, taking a bite of the onigiri and sighing with appreciation at how delicious it was. Truly made with love. “So who knows, maybe I’ll be around here more.”

“Then you’re more than welcome to stop by again.”

You smiled at him, and it was warmer than the ones he had received from you before. “I’d love that. It’s a bit far from where I live, though.” Your voice drifted off, unsure if you were oversharing because you were nervous.

“Oh? How did ya end up applying for a job here, then?” he asked, moving around to grab some fresh onigiri in a box for you and taking an extra breath to calm his heartbeat.

“I’d say it’s destiny.”

masterlist

#haikyu x reader #haikyu #haikyuu #hq x reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fluff #hq #fanfiction #haikyuu x you #haikyu fluff #miya osamu x reader #osamu x reader #miya osamu #inarizaki x reader #inarizaki #atsumu #miya atsumu #osamu miya #osamu

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teatreeoill · 7 months

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|| Selfish (Gojo Satoru X Reader) ||

In which Gojo is so protective over reader she's sure he hates her. Couldn't be further from the truth, but how would you know it without some good old-fashioned over dramatic angst?

TW: mentions of smoking and blood.

"He hates me. I swear, I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating..." You catch yourself muttering on the steps leading to the training field. The breeze tickles your skin, you cast your shoes aside to change them to trainers. "I didn't even have time to go back to my room and change. All day it's do this, go get that… I swear, Kyoto sounds like a great idea these days." Nobara's look shifts to your shoes, "Where'd you get those? I never saw them in this color before." "Kugisaki!" You plea to her, "I'm serious, please. Gojo hates me. How does it make sense that I'm stuck in damn Grade 2 for the past year and half?" "Maybe," She takes her phone out to take a picture of your shoes, "You're just not as good as you think?" "Oi, Kugisaki, don't talk to your elders like that!" Yuji's voice butts in, he sits with a thump on the stairs next to you. "But I can't imagine Gojo-Sensei hating anyone. Especially a teaching assistant. It makes no sense."

It really does make no sense, you drowned your face in your palms. How are all these kids supposed to take you seriously when they see you humiliated daily? Rejected from missions. Stuck on the same Jujutsu-Grade as the second year students for so long you've lost all hopes of ever advancing anywhere. Forever a teaching assistant, a mere substitute teacher for the times when the truly powerful had more important things to do. Disheartened, you've reduced to sharing your feelings with first-years before training. "Alright, pair up. We haven't got all day!" You get up from the steps, trying to pick up the remains of your self-esteem.

You've marched straight into Gojo's office, not even making an effort to change to something not drenched with sweat. "We will not have that conversation again," the white haired man didn't even bother to look up from his phone. It's true, you've had this conversation every couple of months - and you've always received the same unsatisfying answers. "You're right," you found yourself standing straight across from him, the palms of your hands hitting the desk in between you a little too hard. "Careful with that, it's expensive." He says. You stare at him in silence. How is it, that with all the anger you hoped he'd notice you've directed at him, he wouldn't even avert his gaze from his phone for one minute? "Saturo, I've -" "First name basis, are we now?" Another smug smirk sent your way, your cheeks began to burn. "I think first name basis may be appropriate, since I've decided to transfer to Kyoto." Oh god, when was that decision made? You've always liked Tokyo, the proximity from the city made all your futile efforts here worthwhile. But it was too late to back down. Gojo's hand reached to his blindfold, one blue eye peeks at you. "Alright, good luck then." The blindfold snapped back on, his attention returned quickly to his phone.

"Emergency!" A voice rang through the building. Oh god, what now? With your eyes set on your room to wallow the evening in your newly made terrible decision. "Someone! Please!" Your legs carried you before your reasoning did. Through the curves of the hallways, straight to the first-year's rooms. "It's Yuji," Kugisaki looked at you, panting, "He tried to pet Megumi's divine dog. I don't think the dog liked it." Yuji held out his arm. After a thorough inspection, it was just a scary looking graze on his forearm. He muttered to Nobara it wasn't much to fuss about, the blood smearing on the sleeve of his uniform. "It's nothing bad, we'll tend to it any way to avoid an infection," you prompted him to get up from his seat, "I think Shoko's still in the infirmary."

You sat on the infermary bed, with Yuji already on his way back to his room you'd found the time to share your troubles. Shoko sighed, fumbling for a lighter through the things on the tray next to her. "Shoko, I'm going to Kyoto." She lit her cigarette, the smell of smoke suffocating the small room. "That's nice, when will you be back?" She asked, huffing smoke in the direction of the open window. "I don't think I'll be back for a while. Or at all, actually." She dragged a chair to the side of the bed, watching your fingers tap on the fabric.

"I hardly think it's right to deny promotions from anyone for so long. He made sure I was so busy that I could hardly find the time to go on missions." Shoko weighed her words carefully, tapping carefully on the ashtray, removing the ash residue from her cigarette. "It's because he'd never tell you how scared he is for something to happen to you. It's still selfish, don't get me wrong there - but I think he's far too afraid of something happening that it has become easier for him to sabotage you. I told him repeatedly to stop but he just -" Her words cut off by a knock on the door.

"Ieri! You there?" Gojo's impatient knocking had turned frantic. "The lights are on, Shoko. Open up!" Your eyes shot up at Shoko, speak of the devil. The handle turned lightly. Gojo entered the room, turning straight to Shoko, not even looking at your direction. You'd managed to quickly find an excuse to leave, struggling to believe that's the same man who'd do anything out of concern for you. You closed the door, fingers lingering on the round handle, thinking how wrong it would be to eavesdrop while pressing your ear to the door.

By the next morning, you've already made all the necessary calls. Wishing somehow it would be harder to convince the higher-ups of your sudden move, but it seemed that help was welcome anywhere, and work always needed to be done. Your bags half packed, you were almost ready to say the sudden goodbyes to the students. The nostalgic look on every part of your room had already taken over, the final time of staring at that crack on the ceiling, the final time of covering that old coffee stain on the nightstand with a small glass whale statuette Gojo brought from one of his trips. Perhaps it's better to leave it there.

You gathered your nerves, opening the door, just to watch the tall white haired man pace from side to side in the hallway. "Did I forget something?" Your hand held the door open. He jumped up a bit from the sudden voice. His pacing slowed, he took a step towards you, you gulped at the narrowing distance between your bodies. "I - spoke to Shoko. I think I got carried away, you don't have to leave on my account." The words felt empty as he said them, Shoko must have chewed him out well yesterday. "You know Go-," You inhaled, "Satoru, not everything happens because of you." His dropped his sunglasses further down on the bridge of his nose, his blue eyes piercing through you. You hardly ever saw him without his blindfold, his stare sending shivers down your spine. "Shoko was quite adamant it's all my fault, So I thought I better -"

You laughed, "Shoko was also quite adamant that all this time you just cared about me, so I guess even smart people can be wrong sometimes." He puzzled over your answer. "But I do." His hand brushes through his hair, just for it to fall over his eyes again. "Funny," you snarl, he studies your expression silently. You've taken advantage of that silence to continue, "So all these years you were just protecting me from dying? I thought sorcerers had accepted that fate when walking in here." "Some things are worse than death," A solemn look takes hold of his face, you could have sworn the color of his eyes darkened. "Do you take me for such a weakling?" Your tone of voice already deeming the conversation as pointless. "I never said that. I think you care, perhaps too much. I would never want to see you sacrifice yourself over anything." The joyless tone of voice was far from his usual demeanor.

"Well, now you wouldn't have to see me at all." Your nerves had gotten the best of you. You hardly meant to say it, but as the words were spat out of our mouth, it seemed inappropriate to back off this course of action. "You're not listening to me, (Y/N)" He could hardly cover how irritated he was, his hand gripped your forearm, pushing you towards him. His breath stroked your face, "I would never want something to happen to you, but you seem to be pushing towards it all the time. Aren't you happy with the students? Why do all of you have to go running around searching for burdens to carry when you don't have to?" His fist contracts tighter around your arm. His teeth clench to stop another flow of words he'd regret later on.

"Satoru, who's all of us?" In your voice a sense of shame, an empty pit has formed down at the bottom of your stomach, his eyes still fixed upon you. The same feeling of being scorned as a child, a tough love you'd thought would pass you by at this age. "Are you not happy?" he questions you again, you wiggle your arm as a sign of pain, even as he lets it go you still feel the marks that his fingers left there. "I am, It's just that -" He couldn't let you go on for a second longer, his lips pressing firmly against yours, your breath sucked away by his tongue. A long minute passed, your hand had found a happy place inside his hair, his arms had restricted your movement and emitted safety all together.

Just as he'd stopped for a breath, you'd decided it'd be far too hard to continue the conversation if this went on. "I'd like to not be hindered, Satoru," you wiped the wetness of your lips with your sleeve, "Nobody comes to Jujutsu-High to be protected, they come to protect. If I can't do it when you're there, I'll go." You watched his face change, his mind racing behind the sunglasses. "You can do it here," A piece of sadness was left in an otherwise tranquil voice. "Good." Your smile had reminded him to breathe. "Now," you mused, "Would you mind kissing me like you're angry again?" His laughter lifted the tension from your body,

"Oh - Dirty," The familiar smirk had settled down the final waves of emotion.

"Not a word, Shoko." you pleaded to her again. "If you don't want the school talking about it, then don't have your arguments in the hall." She took a long drag from her smoke, "Would you mind kissing me like you're angry again?" She imitates you silently, chuckling under her breath. "Shoko, I'm begging you!"

#jjk fanfic #jjk x reader #gojo satoru x y/n #gojo satoru x you #gojo x reader #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru

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marvel-ous-m · 1 year

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Been thinking about modern AU Elementary School Librarian!Eddie and Substitute Teacher!Steve.

Eddie, who doesn’t really know how he ended up working at the school. A series of events that made him luck out, he supposed. He had always loved books, and practically lived at the public library in between working at the shop and sleeping. He had gotten to know the librarians there over time, had familiarized himself with the Dewey Decimal System from browsing the aisles, and had begun to explore different genres of books after finishing his sci-fi/fantasy bucket list. One evening, while he was curled up on one of the couches in the corner, re-reading The Hobbit for the hundredth time, a little girl with fire-red hair and her front two teeth missing ran up to him and begged him to read to her. He had glanced around the room for a moment, searching for the girl’s parent, but came up with nothing. At a loss, he decided he might as well read to her.

They got through three books that the girl- Max, she had said her name was- had picked out. By the end of his time reading to her, a small group of kids had crowded around him, and a couple of parents were on the outskirts of the makeshift circle smiling at him, clearly pleased that their kids were enjoying “story time”. One of the librarians noticed too, apparently. As Eddie was leaving to walk back to his apartment that night, he was slid a printed-out job posting for the librarian at the elementary school. Eddie never really saw himself as a ‘kids’ guy, but reading to them had been the highlight of his day, and they had all said he’d done the voices well… maybe this would be a good thing. Certainly better than the muscle strain he had almost daily from fixing cars.

So he submitted a resume. He got a letter of recommendation from the librarian who slid him the job posting, and somehow, even without having any certification past his High School Diploma, he landed an interview. They had been desperate, apparently. It was a tiny school in their tiny town and they needed someone to fill in. After only fifteen minutes, he got offered the job- pending results of a four week job shadow with the retiring librarian they were trying to replace and background checks. Two months later and he had become a well-established faculty member at the school, ‘Mr. M’, who did the best monster voices (according to the kids), decorated the library to make it look like it was out of a fairytale (with the help of the art teacher and his now-best-friend Robin Buckley), and even filled in for the music teacher on occasion. It was the best thing to ever happen to him.

Roughly three years after he was hired, he finds one of his lunch breaks being interrupted by Mrs. Harrington’s 3rd grade class. She had always been a bit of a bitch, but she never operated off-schedule. Eddie put his lunch away and observed as the kids flooded into the library and ran around, all finding a book to read or an activity to quietly play with. Will Byers (one of his favorite kids- not that he had favorites, but he totally did) ran up to him, holding watercolor markers and giving him puppy dog eyes. Eddie sighed and rolled up his sleeve, then helped Will sit on his desk so he could reach Eddie’s arm better. Will had asked about Eddie’s tattoos at the beginning of the year, wondering why there wasn’t any color on some of them, and then had been determined to color them in. And Eddie? Well, he couldn’t say no to the kid. Plus it was pretty adorable to have his ‘metal’ tattoos covered in washable marker.

“Will! Did he say you could do that?” Eddie looked up at the exclamation, surprised to come face-to-face with somebody who was definitely not Mrs. Harrington.

“Wait- who are you? Do I need to get the security guard?”

“What? No- no, I’m Mrs. Harrington’s substitute. They sent an email out about me I think? I’m- her son, actually. But you can just call me Steve. Or- probably Mr. Steve in front of the kids? I’m still kind of new at this- my mom called me last week and said she needed to stop teaching for a while because she needed to go on my dad’s business trips with him, she’s always been a bit suspicious of what he really does on the trip, and since I just got my teaching certification she figured it would be best for me too be her substitute- and shi-oot, shoot, I’m totally over sharing right now- it’s just the kids begged me to come here and they weren’t doing our math activity so I kinda panicked-“

“Whoa, alright, slow down big boy.” Eddie chuckled under his breath, then grabbed a sticky note and a pen with his free hand and scrawled out his number. Once he was done he handed it to Steve with a smirk. “I’m absolutely terrible at checking my email. So there ya go- the first number is for my cell- teaching these rascals can be a handful, especially with Henderson and Mayfield in your class, so feel free to text me anytime. We can talk about school or… other things.” Eddie let his eyes take in the man in front of him- and damn, this guy was hot.

Steve blushed, stuttering as he spoke. “A-and the second?” Oh shit, he wasn’t just hot, he was cute too. Eddie suddenly wanted to make Steve this flustered all the time.

“Second number is my extension for the phones here, if the kids get to be too much I can come down the hall for a visit and get them focused while you take a break. They have library time on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1pm to 2:30pm.” Eddie smiled at him, softer this time. “I’m sure you’re doing a great job. They’re just antsy because of the change- but I think they’d like anybody more than your mom- um, no offense.”

“None taken, she’s a bitc- um, a not super nice lady.” Steve coughed, smiling nervously. “Still getting used to kid-friendly language.”

Eddie shook his head fondly. This was certainly the start of something very interesting.

#steddie #stranger things #my writing #elementary school steddie au #I picture Eddie’s library being covered in paper vines and castles and stuff #steve harrington #eddie munson #modern steddie au #stranger things au #fic

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saintarmand · 2 months

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a stray cat from a toy shop

while i'd noted it before, this post by @iwtvfanevents gave me a title for the cat painting in claudia's room: The Kitten's Art Lesson by Henriëtte Ronner-Knip. (if you enjoy being insane like me go read the artist's biography at the link, but keep in mind that just because you CAN draw parallels doesn't mean they were necessarily intentional. but they ARE delightful.)

let's take a look at the kitten's art lesson!

the kittens are studying under the watchful eye of the adult cat, who seems disappointed by the lack of decorum. the kittens are in a playful mood! one of them has torn through a painting. another is clinging to the art board with tooth and nail... just playing or trying to hold on after nearly falling? a couple are in a half closed drawer—almost like they could be trapped inside at any moment. one has actually found a paint brush but doesn't seem to know what to do with it. the teacher is not impressed.

i can't help but note the one staring towards us from the drawer looks awfully familiar:

the art teacher and students aren't the only cats in claudia's room; there's also a cat statuette on the mantle (click to see the closeups in full.)

above the cat painting, there's a blurry painting of what looks like some women sitting, and one of them looks she might have a cat in her lap, though that might be wishful thinking on my part. the bottom of the painting blends in so well with the wallpaper that at first glance i actually thought the painting had been cut into, which sent me on a wild train of thought but yeah that's not actually true lol. but the effect is interesting regardless. the cat on the mantle definitely evokes the idea that it escaped from the painting nearby, and could flee at any moment—and in episode 6, it's no longer on the mantle or anywhere else that i can see.

i wonder if it broke along with so much else in the house at the end of episode 5, or if claudia moved it somewhere. fellow insane people keep an eye out, a kitty's gone loose!

so... why cats?

there aren't many cat references in iwtv compared to other animals, but the ones that are there speak volumes. in episode 3, we see louis bite into a black cat as a substitute for the human blood he craves. later in the evening lestat says he "fears for the feline population of new orleans" (after comparing louis to fish and birds). when louis reaches a breaking point, "rats, cats, dogs, would no longer suffice." so what he really wants or needs is something else?

in the next episode, claudia delivers the punchline:

“I used to [live around here] too. I remember there used to be a toy shop a few doors down by there. They used to keep stray cats in boxes for people to take.”

claudia sees herself as a cat. louis took her in like a stray—a helpless little kitten in need of rescue—and he took her (took for free because no one else wanted her) from a box at a toy shop—a place where you find things to play with.

but cats love to play and they love sleeping in boxes so this is fine actually!

...right?

claudia knows herself much better than anyone else in this show. she is a cat in a kitten's body.

the thing you always have to keep in mind about cats is that they are not docile and subservient by nature. they don't do things because they are told but because they choose to. a cat's fur may be pretty and soft to touch, but don't forget those sharp teeth and claws! it's not that they don't like to be pet at all, you just have to get permission first. and even if you do, they might just change their mind, as is their right.

cats do like good company but they also like their independence. they prefer to come and go as they please; not to be locked up inside, and not to be kept on leashes. they like boxes because they feel safe in there, but they also like to jump out for play time: hunt! catch! kill!

they may be small and cute and soft but they're still predators, and brutal ones. if they don't get to hunt for their food in your care, you better find them another outlet or they'll go for your ankles. they developed that instinct to survive, but hunting also happens to be fun! cats love to play with their food.

if you manage to earn their trust, they'll make for wonderful companions—but do not make the mistake of assuming you can ever own them... or you'll have to sleep with one eye open like they do. they're quick and clever but also patient, and they know how to move without a sound. let them out of your sight for even a second, and you won't know what hit you until it's too late. and they'll relish the kill!

no matter how others may speak of her, claudia is not a lap dog, nor a bird in a feathered nest. lestat is not a beauceron herding sheep, and his last name does not make him a lion. the three of them are not fellow dogs either. from the very beginning, claudia knows she's a cat. and by the end, she realizes what lestat let slip in the pilot: he's just an overgrown fucking rat. and while “a cat and a rat” rhymes, that does not mean they're the same thing.

#spark in the dark #interview with the vampire #hopefully this inspires me to finally make that pig reference compilation soon that's another great motif #also there's some fish stuff which i don't really have a great handle on yet. i should probably make the compilation just to figure it out #iwtv #claudia #s #iwtv animals #vampterview #vampyyrit

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june-julie · 11 months

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i request you write the wookiee bunks or zombie Benny fanfiction please

Bunks.

Zombie!Benny weir x fem!reader

— A/N; I’m so sorry I neglected this request for so long when it’s SO plotful!! My main reasoning was I tried to find the website where you can watch bunks in English but I didn’t find it however that will not stop me from writing my oneshot, it’s just who ever has understood the dialogue will know it’s not 100% accurate.

— summary: something horrible happened at your summer camp that somehow turned into something good.

From as far as you got to know about Benny weir before what had yet to happen you could tell he was a confident kind yet charming soul who volunteered on the summer camp job for an extra few bucks and hey no hate in game, you were actually quite happy seeing a friendly face around.

You didn’t have much friends other than Rory, but you did have your occasional encounters with Benny but still not enough that you two would consider each other friends. Just polite greetings.

So, from what you thought was gonna be an awkward and boring summer was ultimately brightened up a bit knowing he came, it surprised you he even got the job in the first place where you were so sure the substitute teacher was so detriment to apply for help there and suddenly he for a sick day.

His loss your gain.

“Hey! Benny isn’t it? I didn’t think I’d see you here I thought your grandmother said you couldn’t come on the trip?”

Benny nodded having smiled back at you his rather charming smile once he was met with your familiar face. “That was before she knew there was money involved. Said I was applying for a job to help with my future college plans and bam! Benny boy is off the hook.”

“It isn’t entirely a lie tho, nice job.” You replied, “I hope to see you around more often. things are actually starting to look up now that I know your here.” You tilted your head to side as you confessed your true feelings about the matter.

“They are?” You nodded “mmhm, I was kinda bummed when you told me you couldn’t make it, glad things turned around tho.” You smiled pulling at your yet to be packed in backpack “well in that case I’m glad they did Y/N,” Benny chimed “after your finished with your stuff how about I show you around later?”

“I’d like that.” You replied happy you were making a new friend already first day of summer camp. with that his was back to finishing his job and you were back to smiling in thought,

You had always found Benny rather attractive though some may argue different, but you never really did anything about your silly little crush always saying there were more important things like your grades to keep on track than swooning over some Brunette Green eyed boy.

I guess what you didn’t know was he was gonna be a distraction for a long while from many of those things.

That was a 3 weeks ago.

Your favourite blonde haired best friend had offered you to sit around the vampire with the rest of the gang that night but you had politely declined his offer, apparently they were all going around telling scary stories but you were particularly feeling perky enough to socialise some more after your social battery just about drained and you opted to just hitting the pillow instead, you heard the chatter and the music from a ukulele outside tho, I bet they were having fun..’ eh I’ll figure it out from Rory in the morning’ you figured.

It was around 6 o’clock in the morning when you woke again, obviously not voluntarily it was the abrutive banging on your cabin door that had did it for you, so groggily you shrugged on your shoes and whilst mentally cursing Rory for intrusively interrupting your dilfism dream you opened the door but not to be faced by Rory.

Oddly enough it was a sickly pale Benny weir. But what was he doing at your cabin door step this early?!

“Benny? Are you alright?” Was all you spoke out in concern through your groggy morning voice as you watched the boy struggle to form any coherent word at all never mind a sentence.

His hair was disheveled and his clothes were immensely dirty showing signs of struggle as you eyed his deathly pale complexion.

“M-mm I- I-“

you eyed Benny wearily as you saw him frustrated as he tried to fumble through his words at your door step, you had thought you were dreaming at this Rate and maybe this was all too early.

But that wasn’t the case as he desperately tried to figure out how to communicate what was wrong with him looking a little more frightened by the minute because what if his state is permanent, and you had no idea what happened at the camp fire last night

“What happened to you? Come inside please sit down you don’t look too well.”

Benny shook his head frantically as he fought back his impulsive urge to barge in and do something he would most definitely regret his mind is not in the right place. This was a mistake, it was wrong he shouldn’t have came to your door. He stumbled back and started to walk away

“Benny ? Where are you going!” You ran out from your cabins door as you eyed Benny running to the middle of the woods, is he out of his mind?! No way after that encounter were you gonna let him leave without a explanation.

Something had seriously gone wrong last night.

Unfortunately you didn’t find him immediately much to your dismay. “Y/N? what are you doing up so early? It’s not safe out here.” Said one of the workers to you confused which snapped you out of your worried trance “what are you talking about?” It was your turn to be confused as you looked her way “last night? You weren’t here were you? One of our volunteers were murdered there was this creepy asylum escapee who ran through here and Benny Weir had the bad luck of stumbling into him.”

“What are you saying? Do you know where he is now?” You asked “he’s uh,” a beat. “Y/N, we found him last night in the woods. We found him dead.” They had finally answered cautiously. But that’s not possible he was at your doorstep this morning. Did Rory do this to him?! But from as far as you knew about your best friend he wouldn’t hurt another person so it couldn’t have been. It couldn’t have been Rory’s friends Erica or Sarah either.

“Miss Y/N I’m gonna need you to go back to your cabin until further notice alright?” All you did was nod before heading back.

You couldn’t wrap your head around things were you hallucinating this morning? Or that whole conversation all together?

Opening the door to your cabin that was already unlocked, it was a stupid decision really even if they weren’t some kind of killer or (your own hunch) creature running about but desperate time came for desperate measure and when following a announced dead boy into the woods you don’t think of things like that.

You also wouldn’t think you’d find him inside your cabin fumbling through your stuff.

“Benny? Oh my god Benny!” You came over to him after finally closing your door, he turned to you frightened as if he didn’t know who you were as if he wasn’t banging down your door just an hour ago at 4 o’clock. So you walked gingerly slow near him as if he was a deer in head lights he stared at you with a look you couldn’t quite decipher.

Here you were trying not to scare off a dead guy in your cabin. Nice start to a Tuesday.

Then suddenly he went back to what he was doing and groaned angry with himself as he knocked over something and ultimately broke it. It’s like he didn’t know who you were or how to speak he just knew.. here. This place, Your cabin.

“I know you know somethings wrong Benny and I also know this is hard for anyone to hear but Benny… you died. I have no idea how you came back but you you’re back somehow! There was this murder who escaped and did horrible.. horrible things to you.”

As you went on to explain his current situation with tears brimming at your eyes he went into a frenzy like he definitely shouldn’t be here right now and he didn’t know how to act or why he was doing things at all but all he knew was he was aggressive, and your cabin had to show for it as he rushed to the bathroom before you could stop him.

“Benny what are you doing?” You asked Concerned and that’s when you rushed in right behind him, hearing him banging his head at the toilet seat frantically as he groaned. “BENNY! BENNY STOP!” You urged grabbing his head in your eyes and he did that confusing look again and he looked into your eyes like an innocent soul with those mesmerising Green eyes of his.

You grabbed a hand towel and was quick to dampen it at the new wound Benny had created and wiped away the blood as Benny winced at the touch and cold whilst eyeing the towel in both a confused and curious matter. You took the curtesy of wiping the wound that got him here in the first place as you lifted his bloodied up shirt revealing a nasty bite mark and slash, how vulgar.

He sat there absentmindedly as he looked daze yet kept his focus on you but not really paying attention. You wiped the bite where the chunk of skin and where the blade was slashed and lathered it with the only ointment your over cautious mother thankfully had made you bring.

You’d have to thank her later for that.

Once you were sure all blood was gone you put the stuff away. “Benny I’m just going to get you a clean shirt alright? “ you told the zombie boy in a clear tone so he’d understand, if he couldn’t speak you weren’t so sure he’d understand so you motioned to his shirt as he looked puzzled and then you walked away to get a shirt for him, Rory wasn’t in his cabin much but his stuff sure was! And by the looks of Benny he’d manage to squeeze into one of Rory’s T-Shirts.

Shortly enough you returned with a graphic tee nothing too special out of Rory’s pile so you know he won’t miss it gone but it’ll do Benny.

Thankfully Benny didn’t move from the position he was in when you returned. “Benny I’m gonna take off your bloodied shirt and change for a clean one okay?”

He grunts struggling with words, it’s like he has a hazy memory of what things are but he just needs help remembering things and you could tell, that’s where you’d come in to help of course.“

Raise your arms for me, love.” You showed with actions and a beat past he copied your motions, raising his own arms you gingerly removed his shirt and replaced it with the clean one.

Benny looked down at the new shirt he was now sporting and tugged at the fabric looking at you with a curved lip of what seemed like a ghost of a smile.

“Okay Benny I need to you to learn what you want to say when you need something alright?” It had been a few days since you took Benny in seeing he was at his most vunrable state, 2 other people fell the victims of whatever psycho killer turned Benny into whatever he was now but they didn’t have the same affect as Benny did.

Your roommate Rory has assumed it was because maybe he was a witch or something but you laughed at the idea, having said that he was a vampire so anything’s possible. Which was another problem you found a fix for,

Rory who was supposed your roommate in this cabin could definitely not find out about Benny yet when everyone was grieving the boy just days ago, and Rory was absolutely no good with secrets so you couldn’t tell him just yet so made up excuses.

So here you were now teaching Benny words yet again, he was getting better at showing his emotion and affection! A few times now he had hugged you randomly when you returned to the cabin in the afternoon.

You held up an image on your phone that had the word food underneath “so when you’re hungry I want you to say food? Can you say food?” You worded out ‘food’ clear and slow so he could get it, being patient with him.

“Fffff… oood.” He stuttered out but he said it nonethless, you grinned.

“Great Job! Okay now when you’re tired say this,” you scrolled to another image which underneath said bed.

“Can you say Bed?”

“B… b..” his brows furrowed in frustration and he groaned after a while of trying and went nowhere. “sss-stu-“

“No Benny you’re not stupid.” You placed a hand on his pale cheek as you gently positioned his head to meet your eyes instead of looking down in shame.

“You have all the memories of things in here I know you do, you just need someone help you remember them which is what I’m helping you with.” You smiled kindly to Benny who averting his gaze for a moment before looking back at you and holding up his hand,

This is something Benny had done to show affection lately you noticed. You laced your fingers with his as he watched your two interlaced hands “Y-yyy-y/n.. nnno more.”

“It’s okay you did such a good job.” You assured “you wanna know what I do when I’m frustrated?” Benny tilted his head.

You got up from your position on the bed as Benny watched you in Curiousity wondering what you were doing, you rummaged through your draw to pull out headphones and giddily went back into the same position.

“This is called music okay? You used to show me a bunch a songs before, but this one was your favourite.” You played said song on your iPod and watched Bennys face intently as the song played through the headphones.

Immediately Benny began looking around for the sound being played in his ears as he hummed, you stood up to clean to place as a smile tugged on your lips.

you bent down to retrieve your dirty clothes and place on your nightstand once folded so at least it wasn’t in the way Benny came behind you humming the rhythm of the song playing through the device. When suddenly he hugged you from behind,

Your smiled grew as your turned so you were facing his, brushing some stray brown hairs away from his face as you eyed his beautiful features Benny smiled. You pecked his nose and his smile grew along with his blush as he nuzzled his face into your shoulder in a shy manner which you found so cute.

You pulled his face away from your shoulder after a moment and shared a sweet kiss with him and pulled away to hug him further.

“Cc… c-cuddles, y/n.”

“Yeah okay Benny.”

OH MY GOD YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM WITH THIS I MIGHT MAKE WAY MORE !! Again sorry it took so long but im so thankful you encouraged me to make this your love is very much appreciated @iloverosesforever but man did this take long. I hope you like it as much as I do after all this wait time my lovely ! <33

Taglist; @iloverosesforever @redc4ts

#my babysitters a vampire #benny weir #mbav #mbav benny #mbav rory #fanfic #ff #covenahs #coven #Kyle Spencer #zombie!benny weir #zombie!benny #zombie #💌#atticus mitchell #bunks

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takashi-tuesday · 14 days

Text

takashi-tuesday #6 (2/2) | The Moon's Farthest Point [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

They were about 12 minutes into a pointless conversation about astronauts when Curtis asked randomly. “Would you ever want to go to space?” The question wasn’t out of nowhere, it’d been the topic of their conversation, but it still caught him off guard. Curtis was idly staring at a book of photographs of one of the first space expeditions.

He wasn’t paying attention so Shiro allowed himself a glance that might’ve lasted a little too long. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for but he noticed more things the longer he looked. He must’ve been staring longer than he thought because Curtis looked up with a questioning look. Shiro dropped his gaze to the book, he wasn’t sure what was up with him today. Curtis didn’t seem to mind the odd silence. “I don’t think I would, I think I like it here on the ground.” Shiro hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t know, maybe? I feel like I’d only go if something really cool was discovered, or if I had something to prove.” He shrugged.

That must’ve been a good answer considering the way Curtis reacted. “Something to prove? Sounds like a line from the book-” He was reaching to his side, clearly trying to get something from his bag.

“What?” Shiro raised a brow, confused by Curtis’ nervous expression. “Really random question.” He brought his fingertips together and made a strange face.

“How mad would you be if I, hypothetically, left my bag in the classroom.” Silence fell over the two.

“You mean the classroom that’s probably locked by now because we had a substitute today and they don't stay after school. You mean that one?” –

“Curtis, this is a bad idea. We should just call a teacher-” Curtis quickly shushed him. “You’re breaking my concentration.” Shiro was unamused. “Seriously, I’m pretty sure this is considered breaking and entering, which is illegal.”

“Yeah, if it’s private property.” Shiro’s headache was a lot more present now. “This is private property, do you even know what you’re talking about!?” He whisper-shouted.

The lock clicked, much to Shiro’s surprise. “Holy sh-.” He quickly covered his mouth and Curtis just grinned and waltzed in. Shiro stood stiff in the doorway. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Curtis only snorted as he made his way over to his seat. “You sound like a cartoon character.” He paused, and did a circle around his desk. Shiro felt his stomach drop. “No..” Curtis turned to him with a sheepish smile. “I forgot they check the classrooms at the end of the day.”

“Curtis.” The boy leaned against his desk. “..It’s probably in the lost and found.”

Shiro swore he felt a blood vessel in his eye pop. “You’re telling me, you made me an accomplice to your crime just for it to not even be here, you didn’t think; maybe I should check lost and found, not even once!?”

“In my defense, you didn’t think about checking it either.” He replied, way too smooth for someone who should be panicking right about now. “We’re leaving, we could get written up for this!” All whispering was abandoned in Shiro’s stress.

Finally, Curtis made a face of worry, paling as he realized the gravity of the situation. Or so Shiro thought.

A very familiar, an equally exasperated voice came from behind him. “Boys.”

This felt like an appropriate time to go; Oh shit. - After a few minor difficulties, I was able to get this to save, so please forgive any formatting errors. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this week. Until next week, Happy Takashi Tuesday.

#takashi shirogane #vld curtis #pre slash curtashi #voltron #takashi tuesday

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seidenbros · 2 years

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hi, how are You? I really like your writting, i'm new here and this is My first request ever and i think you're the right person to ask this to lol. I can't stop thinking about cheeky Eddie Munson having a crush on his substitute teacher who graduated back in 84' (i think he was supossed to graduate that year too) and listening to Van Halen's "hot for teacher" and thinking about her or he sings it to her in front of everyone when she goes to the hideout idk have fun with i trust You. Thanks<3

Hello my love 💚 I feel flatteres that you're sending me your first request, that's also why I wrote it today to not let you wait any longer (I'm slower with requests at the moment due to a new job and now being sick). I loved this the moment I read it, and this has so much potential! For more parts, but I tried to put as much in this as I could for now. I really hope you like it and thanks for trusting me with this 💚

Requests are open | prompt lists for inspiration | Stranger Things Masterlist

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Female!Reader (Substitute Teacher) Word count: 5278 Warning/Tags: mutual pining, fluff, maybe a little angst, teacher-student-realtionship (not completely), first kiss, Jane Austen and The Hobbit references (let me know if I missed anything)

Read on AO3

Hot for Teacher

Coming back to Hawkins High was strange. Strange in a good way, because you weren’t back here because of something you’d done or because you had to go back to school. No, you were here because you were going to work here as a substitute teacher. You’d finished your courses for the semester, had handed your essays in, and had gone home for Christmas - and now you were staying for the rest of the school year. Your work at school counted for that semester, because you needed to get some experience actually working as a teacher. That meant that you’d be working alongside some of your old teachers, but you’d also chip in in case someone got sick - and you were watching over the students in detention.

Setting foot back into your old school after one and a half years was exhilarating. You knew most of the teachers, and some of the students as well, since you’d tutored them, so you were excited to see them, see how they were doing. What you didn’t expect to see, though, was a familiar face that had sat next to you in English, one of the courses he actually had attended, because books were something Eddie Munson loved. Maybe not exactly the ones you’d had to read in school, but some of them at least, and you distinctly remembered him reciting something from Hamlet standing on top of the table in the cafeteria.God, you’d had the biggest crush on him, but had never said a word to anyone. Because as much as he was a sweetheart towards you, always greeting you with a smile, he was also intimidating in a way you couldn’t describe. Not scary or anything, just… a little unapproachable. You’d talked about stuff during class, had shared some book recommendations, but he’d still always seemed so in his own world, that you hadn’t thought you’d fit into this world. You’d taken what you’d been able to get, the casual conversations, the books you’d swapped before the last summer you’d spent at home. You still had that book, had kept it as a memory and also as a lucky charm. It was an edition of Tolkien’s The Hobbit with notes and thoughts Eddie had written on the pages. He’d gotten your copy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with notes as well, because he hadn’t wanted to read it at first. But you’d made a deal, that you’d read The Hobbit if he gave Austen a chance. It had just been a funny little deal you’d made, but it still made you smile. Before the summer was over, you’d met again for a brief moment, and when you’d wanted to give the book back to him, he’d told you to keep it. Something to remember him by.

You could still feel the butterflies when you remembered the look on his face. That had been that moment, the time when you could have been able to tell him just how you’d felt about him, but to what avail? You were just leaving for university and he was still staying in Hawkins, because he had to repeat the year. You’d always thought that it must have been for the best, but you’d never forgotten about him.

And now, he sat in your English class at the back of the room, scribbling something down, and all the butterflies you’d thought had vanished in that time, were back suddenly, making your head spin. Having him around would make working here a lot more difficult.

~~~

School had just started again after Christmas break, so Eddie thought that he could at least try to attend every class. After all, he wanted to finally graduate this year, and even though he’d been through the courses twice, there were still some alterations here and there, especially when it came to English. Last year, they’d read pretty much the same books as the year before, just one had been different, but this year, it had already started out differently, and it was intriguing for Eddie. That’s why he was here, because he wanted to know what they would continue with.

“Alright, some of you might remember her, because she was a student here up until two years ago when she graduated. She’s gonna work with me a little bit, and she’ll work here as a substitute teacher. Please welcome Miss Y/L/N.”

“Hi! It’s nice to be back, and I do remember some faces!”

When Eddie heard your voice, he immediately looked up, because he knew that voice, remembered it, because it had appeared in his dreams more often than he’d like to admit. And there you were, all smiles just like he remembered you. Your hair looked different, but apart from that, you were still the same beautiful girl he remembered - or should he say woman?

God, he’d had the biggest crush on you, but had never really said anything, because he’d been too shy. Sure, he’d talked to you, and he’d probably had the opportunity when you’d talked about your favourite books, but he hadn’t gotten the words out. By now, he was a bit more confident than he’d been two years ago. But he still remembered everything - and he still kept your book on his nightstand to read a few pages now and then. And while he wondered, if you still had his book, you held exactly that one up to the class. His mind was reeling. This almost felt like a dream, but he was pretty sure that he’d gotten out of bed this morning. He pinched his own thigh beneath the table, the slight pain all too real, so he knew that he hadn’t conjured you up in his dreams once again.

“I know what you’re thinking… The Hobbit is a children’s book and it is. At least, it was written for children, and you can see that very clearly in the onomatopoeia Tolkien uses.” Confused noises were heard through the room, but Eddie just had to smirk. You’d really chosen the book he’d given you as the one to work on with the class, and you’d clearly gotten to the bottom of said book, otherwise you wouldn’t have said what you’d just said.

“What’s that mean?” One of the other students asked.

“It means that he describes sounds, so instead of writing that the doorbell rang or something, he writes that it made dingdongelingdang.” Eddie was surprised with himself that he’d spoken up, when he usually tried to lay low and just make it through the day. The others seemed surprised as well, but you smiled. Because you knew that he’d get what you were talking about.

“Mr Munson is right.” Eddie cringed a little, you calling him that so foreign to his ears that it sounded rather strange, but he’d probably have to get used to that. “That’s what we’ll be looking at. Recurring themes as well as the quest plot. I won’t say anything more about this, maybe you can find out what I mean until next time.”

Oh, Eddie already knew what you were talking about, but then again, he was more than familiar with the book. But he was pretty certain that he’d have a hard time concentrating with you in the room, because he already felt the longing he’d pushed down years ago return.

When the lesson was over and everyone filed out of the room, Eddie stayed back. You saw him out of the corner of your eyes, had to bite your lip when he approached the teacher’s desk, your supervisor already gone, so you two were alone.

“So… you’re back at Hawkins High,” Eddie said, pushing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. He looked so much like a little school boy when he stood like that, that it was almost comical.

“Yeah, and you’re still here.” There was no accusation in your words, just curiosity. You knew how clever he was, he just lost focus sometimes way too quickly. It had been like that two years ago, and was probably the same now.

“Yeah…” Eddie didn’t really want to talk about it, because there was not a lot to say. “I see you kept the book.” That was a much safer topic for him, for both of you.

“Of course I did!” Had he really thought that you’d get rid of it? Maybe even throw it away? You couldn’t tell him how much that book meant to you, especially not considering that you were his teacher now. “It’s inspired me a lot, otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen it for the class.”

“I’ve still got yours as well.”

“You did?” You hated the way your heart picked up its pace at his words, because a tiny part of you believed that he’d kept it to remember you by, just like you’d done with his book.

“Sure did. Still read it every now and then. I never told you, but I actually really enjoyed it, and all your little notes.”

“Miss Y/L/N?”

Glad for the interruption because it kept you from giggling like a teenager, you looked up at your supervisor and nodded. They were waiting for you, you knew that, but… with Eddie around, you kind of forgot about that.

“I’ll be right there.”

He nodded and turned back around to leave. Your eyes landed on Eddie again, on the smile on his lips, on the curls that framed his face perfectly, but you made the mistake of looking into his deep brown eyes that you could get lost in. Quickly, you shook your head.

“I hope I’ll see you around in my class then,” you said with a smile as you took your bag and headed for the door.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Eddie called after you, his words turning that smile into a big grin.

~~~

“Have you seen the new substitute teacher?” Gareth asked once they were sitting at their table in the cafeteria. Of course that had to be the topic. They’d already talked about how their holidays had been, but your arrival at the school was their topic number one.

“Yeah, she used to be my tutor.” Jeff took a bite from his sandwich as he leaned back.

“Heard she’s talking about the Hobbit in your class?” Dustin asked, his eyes set on Eddie, because that was a topic they both obsessed over. Lord of the Rings even more, but The Hobbit was always worth talking about as well.

“Yeah…” Eddie leaned back, grabbing a handful of pretzels to shove them in his mouth. “Guess who gave her that book.”

“No way!” Dustin’s eyes widened, curiosity shining in them. “Were you two…” He made a gesture with his hands that made the others chuckle.

“No!” The finality in his words made their chuckles die down, but Eddie sighed. “Well… I’d say we bonded over books but nothing ever happened. Once I’d nearly worked up the courage… she was gone. Or as good as gone. Whatever.” He sighed once more, because he still wondered what could have happened if he’d only had the courage to ask you out, even before you’d graduated. But it didn’t change anything, did it? In the end, he wouldn’t have wanted to hold you back anyway.

“But you did like her…?” Gareth inquired, because now, he was curious.

“I guess.” It wasn’t exactly something Eddie wanted to talk about. He’d already said enough, and he knew that some of the guys would probably tease him about it, so it was better to not get into more detail. He diverted the topic to the next Dungeons and Dragons campaign, because he knew that they would all get excited about this and probably forget all about you in the meantime.

All of them did, except for Dustin, who stayed back for a moment when everyone else left for class.

“Just so you know… Miss Y/L/N ist also watching over detention.” The grin on Dustin’s lips told its own story, and Eddie couldn’t deny that his words made him get a couple of ideas. Not that he wanted to get stuck in detention, but with you there… it was probably worth it.

~~~

Your first days passed by rather pleasantly, and you were enjoying yourself. Most of the students were eager to learn, were participating in your classes, or they at least had the decency to not disturb you. Maybe, because you’d been one of them not long ago. It didn’t matter in the end because you were just glad that it was like this. And so far, you hadn’t had to watch over detention. Today was the first day, but you could use that time to get some reading of your own done, or look through the tests you’d been given.

What you didn’t expect, was one Eddie Munson sitting on top of the table when you entered the classroom. Your steps faltered, but you caught yourself again. It was one thing to see him in class with other people around, but a different one when you were here alone for a whole hour. Because you knew that it was just one student. Eddie Munson. Next time, you should make them give you a list so that you were prepared for what was to come.

“Mr Munson! What brings you here?” You put down your bag on the desk, busying yourself with a bunch of papers.

“I’ll never get used to you calling me that,” Eddie said with a chuckle before he leaned against the desk. “Do you really wanna know?”

“Probably not.” You couldn’t help but laugh. There were a couple of reasons you could think of, but in the end, it didn’t really matter.

“Anything I can help you with?” He leaned over the desk to get a glimpse at what you were getting out of your bag. When you looked up, your faces were so close that you could feel his breath tickle your cheek, and you suddenly straightened up.

“No, I… I think I’ll just do all that later and read a little bit. Do you have any homework you need to get done? Could use the time right now.” You took a step back from the desk, smoothed your plaid skirt down and quickly took the book out of your bag.

“Nope. No homework. Maybe you could read to me?” Eddie kept his eyes on you but walked over to one of the chairs and sat down. He enjoyed seeing you get so flustered, because it meant that he definitely had some kind of effect on you. He was a little bolder now than he’d been back then, but he needed to find out what you thought, how you felt, before he came right out and told you what he was thinking about, how he’d been feeling for you, because these feelings had come back with a bang.

“You want me to read Persuasion to you?” A look of surprise crossed your face as you turned the book over to show it to him. Another Austen book, you’d read it a couple of times before, but you wanted to start your year with a re-read of her books

“You know, I’m normally the storyteller, so it’s nice for a change. Totally fine if you don’t want to.” Eddie leaned back, his eyes still fixed on you. You remembered that he played D&D, that he was the Dungeon Master and came up with the campaigns, and while you weren’t into that game yourself, you certainly knew what it was about.

“No, it’s alright. I just haven’t read out loud in a while.” And it made you nervous to read to him. The whole class? No problem. But just to Eddie? That was different, even though you didn’t like to admit it to yourself. But he still had the same effect on you that he’d had back then, could still make you nervous when he winked at you or even just looked at you a moment too long. But you were his teacher now, so that was a completely different situation.

You sat down in your chair and opened the book. Another look at Eddie before you started reading it out loud. Your heartbeat slowed down the longer you read, and you began to enjoy yourself. Eddie just sat there, watching you, listening to you. It was the best thing he’d experienced this week. Sure, Wayne had read to him a couple of times when he’d been younger, but nobody did that anymore when you were an adult. So it was extremely soothing for him to listen to you.

“A man does not recover-” you started only to be interrupted by Eddie.

“- From such devotion of the heart to such a woman! He ought not; he does not.” Eddie sighed as he got up from his chair and walked over to you again.

“You… You’ve read Persuasion?” Genuinely surprised, you got up from your chair as well and put the book down.

“Not only Persuasion. After I was finished with Pride and Prejudice, you had me intrigued, so I read Austen’s other books as well. Find out what makes you tick, because I always saw you with an Austen book around.” Eddie stopped right in front of you.

“You did?” You hated how high pitched your voice sounded, but you couldn’t deny the way he made your heart race, his mere presence made your skin tingle. You knew that you should step back, but you were frozen in place.

“Mhm… Always wanted to ask you out, but I was always too nervous. Too shy.”

“You? Shy?”

His fingertips danced across your cheek, your eyes fluttered shut, and you leaned into that touch.

“Worked past that as it seems.” Eddie’s chuckle made you open your eyes again, and when you saw him leaning in, you finally snapped back. Taking a step back, you ran both of your hands over your face and through your hair.

“This is not a good idea,” you said weakly, reaching for the book to put it back in your bag. You had to get away from here, away from him. Technically, you were the same age, but you were still in a position of power as his teacher - even if you weren’t a real teacher yet, you were still the one teaching him.

“Why not? I mean… nobody had to know about this. It’s not like we could have had something before you started here as a teacher.” He was right, yes, but you didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. Eddie wanted to graduate this year, and you were not going to fuck this up for him.

“Eddie, this could get you expelled and I could lose this job.”

“Then tell me that you don’t feel the same way I do, and I’ll leave you alone.” His words were soft, his hand reaching out for yours. He was asking the impossible from you, because you couldn’t lie to him.

“Go home Eddie. Detention is over.” You pulled your hand free from his, took your bag, and practically ran out of the room and out of the building, finding it hard to breathe all of a sudden. You should have lied to him, should have told him that you didn’t have any feelings for him, but one look in his honest eyes and you hadn’t been able to tell a lie.

~~~

The next few days were rather uneventful, but you couldn’t help looking at Eddie - and found him staring back most of the time. You exchanged looks all of the time, but he didn’t show up in detention anymore, so that was good for you. With someone else around, it was always alright, you just couldn’t be trusted when you were around him alone.

Tonight, you wanted a little relief, so you went to the Hideout with one of your old friends. Sandy was still living in Hawkins, and you’d met up during the holidays, and even now, you were spending your time together. You’d told her about what had happened - or nearly happened - with Eddie. She’d known about your crush even back when you’d still been in school, so that story had gotten her all giddy. She’d told you back then to tell him, to go out with him, do something at least, but even her words hadn’t changed anything in your behaviour. Known now that Eddie had the hots for you made her want to lock you two up in a room together.

“Sandy, we can’t do anything about this!” you said to her once again while getting ready to go out.

“I know, I know, it’s inappropriate, but you’re not even a real teacher!”

“Thank you…” You rolled your eyes before you applied some lipstick and fluffed up your hair a bit more.

“You know what I mean. And Eddie is technically not a student anymore. Only on paper.”

“Yeah, and that’s the problem!” You squeezed your eyes shut, taking a deep breath. You had no idea how you were supposed to get through the rest of the year with him constantly there - because unlike two years ago, it almost seemed like he went to every class now.

“You could keep it a secret!”

“Yeah, but then you know, the Hellfire Boys will know as well, and only one has to spill the beans and everything’s screwed. Who will trust me with their children when they know that I had something going on with a student?” A question you didn’t need an answer for, so you kept on talking. “Let’s just… forget about it for tonight, okay? I just want to have a drink, enjoy some music, and then get some well deserved sleep.”

“Alright.” Sandy squeezed your shoulder. She never meant any harm, only wanted what was best for you, but sometimes that wasn’t exactly the very best thing.

The Hideout wasn’t exactly packed, but there were still enough people, so that it took some time for you to get your drinks, but once you had them, you could find a spot from where you could see the stage. When you saw the band’s banner on stage, though, you nearly choked on your drink.

“Are you kidding me?” You turned to Sandy, a look of bewilderment on your face.

“What? What’s the matter?”

“Corroded Coffin are playing tonight! You could have told me that!”

“So?” She looked at you until something in her brain clicked. “Oh fuck! Y/N, I really didn’t think about that! Shit!”

“Fancy seeing you here!” His voice send shivers down your spine immediately, you didn’t even have to see him. Now, it was too late to just turn around and leave, because he knew that you were here.

“Hey Eddie…” You turned around to face him, trying your best to smile at him.

“Oh, so it’s Eddie now?”

“Want me to call you Mr Munson?”

“Ahh that hurts me.” He put a hand over his heart and stumbled back a little, making you chuckle. Always the drama-king.

“You remember Sandy?” You tried to divert his attention to your friend, but they just nodded at each other.

“Sure so, she comes here quite often.”

“There’s not exactly a lot of places to go in Hawkins.”

“You got a point.” Eddie laughed before he looked at you again. He reached for your hand and you let him take it, didn’t pull back this time. “Got a special song for you, so I hope you’re staying?”

“Of course we are!” Sandy said over your shoulder winking at Eddie, while you held your breath. You couldn’t answer, didn’t even have to right now.

“Good. You’ll know the song when you hear it.” He raised your joined hands to his lips to brush a kiss across your knuckles, before he turned around to get back to the stage to finish setting up.

“So… and you’re telling me you want to resist that charme?”

“I have to try at least.” You heaved a sigh before you raised your glass to your lips, and drained it in one go. You had to, though you knew that he really made it hard for you to resist him.

~~~

Eddie was nervous because of you. They’d been practising Van Halen’s Hot for Teacher pretty much ever since you’d appeared at the school, they’d pretty much perfected it, but you being here made him nervous as fuck. He knew what he was doing, they all did, but he still missed the first note of their first song because his eyes were glued to you.

Somehow, he made it through their show, and even managed to look at other people apart from you, but in the end, his eyes always found you again. Your smile encouraged him, so when they started the last song, his eyes never wavered from your figure.

“I’ve got it bad, so bad, I’m hot for teacher,” he sang, and he could swear that he saw your eyes widening at that. You knew the song, of course you did, but Eddie singing this song for you made you tingle in all the right places. For a moment, you were able to forget that this could not happen, too blissed out on the feeling he gave you by singing this song for you.

Still, once it was over, you felt your chest tighten, all of it suddenly too much, the room too hot, and so you turned to Sandy.

“I’m gonna get some fresh air. Need to clear my head a little.”

“Want me to come with you?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll be back in a minute.” You gave her a smile before you headed out the back door. The cold January air hitting your face, making you aware that you’d forgotten your jacket inside. It didn’t really matter because you were just out here for a moment. There were some other people around the corner talking loudly, so you weren’t completely alone, but you were still able to clear your head. At least until you heard the door behind you and saw Eddie walk up to you when you turned around.

“You okay?” He asked, brows drawn together, because he was worried about you.

“Yeah, don’t worry. Just a little hot in there.”

“And now you’re freezing out here?” He couldn’t help but smile as he ran his fingertips along your arm, making you aware of the goosebumps that were there due to the low temperatures, but were only getting worse when he was touching you like this.

“Here…” Eddie shrugged out of his leather jacket and draped it over your shoulders, leaving him in a black shirt. His hair was damp with sweat, the curls clinging to his forehead.

“No, Eddie… What about you?” You looked at him through your lashed, already feeling your heart begin to race again, the butterflies turning into a whole tornado in your stomach by being so close to him.

“Oh, I know a way or two to get warm.” His voice dropped to a low rumble in his chest, and you could feel his eyes on your lips. That was the moment when you should pull back, put some distance between you, but you couldn’t. You were frozen in place, stuck in this moment with him, and you couldn’t tear yourself away from him - because you didn’t want to. Instead, when he pinched your chin between his thumb and pointer finger, you leaned into him to meet him halfway. Still, when his lips met yours, it felt like electricity suddenly ran through your whole body, down to your toes, into every fibre of your body.

Your fingers curled against his chest, grabbing a handful of his shirt when he angled his head to deepen the kiss. His hand slipped from your chin to the back of your neck, tilting your head to his pleasing so that your lips opened up beneath him and he could slip his tongue past them to taste your mouth. He wrapped his free arm around you to pull you closer.

You couldn’t stop yourself from moaning into his mouth, because it felt so good, he felt so good and tasted even sweeter. When he eventually pulled back, he left you breathless, longing for more, and your head felt almost empty. It was perfect.

You blinked your eyes open, slowly letting go of his shirt. You could feel his heartbeat beneath your hands, that was beating as fast as your own.

“You believe me now that I’m serious about this? About you?” Eddie cupped your cheek, running his thumb over your cheekbone, eyes fixed on yours, trying to convey that he was absolutely sincere in his intentions.

“That’s not it, Eds…” The fog in your head slowly cleared, and you started to realise what had just happened. Panic started rising in your chest and you quickly broke the embrace, took a step back from him.

“Here we go..” Eddie mumbled, cursing himself for believing just for a moment that this could have a good ending, that you could commit to him. In a way, he understood you, but his longing for you overshadowed all his rational thinking.

“We can’t do this! This…” You shook your head, licking your slightly swollen lips that bore witness to what had just happened. “We cannot happen. We have to forget about this.”

“So, you’re not even giving this a chance?”

“That’s not it, Eddie, I already told you!” Oh, you wanted to give it a chance, give him a chance, because that kiss had already sent you to heaven. “But we can’t! This cannot happen again. Not as long as I’m your teacher!”

At that, Eddie’s ears perked up. “So… once you’re not my teacher anymore… we do have a chance, right?” “What?”

“That’s what you said, didn’t you?”

“I mean… yes. But I’ll be here for the rest of the year.”

“And I’ll graduate then. So I won’t be your student no matter what happens.”

“Well… that might be true, but…”

“Alright. Just can’t promise you that I won’t try now and then.” The way Eddie smirked at you made you press your legs together. He really had an effect on you that nobody else ever had.

“Just… this cannot happen again.”

“Okay.”

“Do you hear me, Mr Munson?”

“I do.” But the grin on his face told you that he wasn’t exactly listening to what you were saying. This wasn’t going to be easy at all.

“Good.” There was no use in trying to talk to him right now. Not when his eyes roamed your body again and his hands reached for yours. But this time, your head was clear enough to pull back from him, put some distance between you. “Thank you for this.” You took off his jacket and handed it back to him, before you slowly back up towards the door again. “I’ll see you in class.”

“Have a good night Miss Y/L/N.” Eddie said with a wink, arms crossed over his chest, while his eyes dropped to the swell of your butt when you turned around to open the door.

That was really going to be a long couple of months until the school year was over, and as much as you just wanted to forget about it, you knew that what had just happened would fuel a lot of dreams. At least, you could talk to Sandy about it, because she knew what had happened the moment she saw you come back through the door. Eddie would be your downfall, you were sure of that.

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beantothemax · 10 months

Note

"I could teach them."

Clearbrook's meeting hall fell silent the moment Therion raised his voice. Every pair of eyes glued to him in shock, Alfyn's included, though his expression was less one of disbelief and more simple surprise. Which, Therion supposed, was fair. He was hardly the kind of person who volunteered himself for things, much less for being the town's schoolteacher while the usual scholar fought her illness.

"...You?" Some incredulous villager asked, managing to pick their jaw up off the floor.

"Sure." The thief - well, those days were mostly behind him now even if he'd still had a heist or two since then, though he had a hard time thinking of himself as anything else - shrugged. "I know reading, writing, arithmetic, and a few more things besides. I had a pretty good teacher of my own, and I like kids. I'm not doing much around town besides supporting Alfyn, anyway. Don't see why not." The murmurs of discomfort through the room were easy to ignore when Alfyn smiled, his face taken over by that full-force grin with a radiance to rival the sun.

"Theri!" The apothecary wrapped an arm around his shoulder, barely contained but at least aware that flinging himself into his arms wasn't appropriate in this setting. "Shucks, that's a great idea! Those kids already love ya, you'd be a great teacher!"

"Wait, hold on." One of the elders shook their head. "We hardly know you, how can we trust our children with you? Alfyn himself would be a perfectly good substitute-"

"WOULD be," Alfyn interrupted, "except I'm already Miss Honeysuckle's attending physician. Don't see none of you lining up to fill her spot, either."

"But he's practically a stranger!" Another woman shot up in her seat. "And we're supposed to trust him just because he's your husband?"

Therion took a deep breath and clenched his hand. No threats, no threats. Handle this like an adult. "You can trust me because, whether you know me or not, your kids already do. I play ball with them, I tell them stories, I catch frogs in the creek with them. I've started teaching one or two to read already. Not a single one of you wondered why they all suddenly knew how to perfectly peel an apple one day?"

"Dunno why you folks keep bringin' me into this, either." Alfyn shook his head. "He's only been here a few years, but he's hardly a stranger to y'all at this point."

"Well, we trust YOU, Alfyn!" A desperate father pleaded. "But we just don't know him half as well, and he's..."

"I'm what, exactly?" Therion combed his fingers through his hair, brushing his bangs out of the way of his eyepatch. No longer a shameful reminder to him, the scar on full display. "Go ahead, I'm listening." No direct answer came, only the murmuring of the in-group. A familiar scene, one that reminded him of his own childhood. Of his own mother. Whispers of how he was an 'outsider'. ("She's not from here, and she's always speaking in some weird language.") Rumblings of his past, his lifestyle ("I heard her husband was a killer." "I heard the kid's father was hung for treason."). His unusual appearance, his otherness ("Do you really want a foreigner teaching your kids? They always smell like their strange food and talk strangely."). His patience waned, his clenched fist trembled as his knuckles whitened. He felt a retort building in his chest, the hurtful words he'd been holding back beginning to bubble to the surface.

"What the hells is all this about, huh?" Alfyn shot to his feet so fast the chair clattered behind him. The room stared at him in shock, Therion included, though less with disbelief and more with surprise. "You got a man with more life experience than half of this room combined offerin' to teach your kids, and you get cold feet because you don't like how he looks? Because you haven't made the time to get to know him? Forget reading writing and arithmetic, what kinda gods-damned lesson is THAT to teach your kids? If you guys are gonna wring your hands about the one guy in town that's qualified and willing because he's got a couple scars, you'd lose your minds at some of the nicest people I've ever met outside of Clearbrook."

The room was silent.

"I believe...we will adjourn this meeting for now." The village elder stood up. "As for what's been discussed here today, we...have much to consider. Therion." The thief, if he could still call himself that, perked up in his seat. "If this is truly something you want to do...then we will continue this discussion next time with fresh minds. The both of you have made...rather salient points. Until next week."

As the meeting dispersed, Alfyn let out a breath and hung his head. "Damn." He sighed. "I just...I can't believe they'd do that to ya. You'd think they'd know better by know, but..."

"Hm." Therion hummed. Being treated with suspicion was nothing new to him, though it still stung a bit when it was his new home. "Hey. Uh...thanks for saying something. I don't know that I would've been nearly that nice about it. Might've just made things worse."

"Aw, shucks. I just couldn't stand listening to them say all that right in front of ya." Alfyn smiled again and pulled him close. "And for the record, I really do think you'd make a great teacher."

"Let's hope you're right." Therion laid his face on his chest, smiling contentedly, and wrapping his arms around Alfyn's waist.

"What, you don't trust me?"

"I do."

The thief (or perhaps not) felt his Alfyn nuzzle the top of his head and sigh happily, as he always did whenever he told his husband he trusted him. And that was all he needed, whether or not anyone else approved.

!!!!!!!!! I like this!!!!!!

the part with parenthesis ear the middle of the fic… how theri’s always been an outsider in some sense…. augh. he’s gone through so much the last thing he needs is this. the part where alfyn actually confronted all the people at the meeting was very cathartic (I think that’s the right word) to read. like hell yeah alf get their asses

also!!!! therion being good with kids!!!!! blaze you share my vision!!!!!!! he absolutely would

also the part at the end was very sweet but all I can think of is that drawing you made where theri’s pushing his head into alfyn’s tits and thinking ‘booba’ while smiling mischievously. it lives in my brain at all times

#asks #spitblaze #inbox fic

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solibrie · 7 months

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ask game: 🤡 + 🤲

i'll give you TWO bits from unposted 22c stuff B)

🤡 - what's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

“There’s a thought in my brain,” Luke begins. “That’s new,” Alex quips. Reggie offers him a fist pump, which the drummer returns easily. Luke throws his pencil at Alex, pulling a second one from a different pocket. The pencil hits Alex right in the forehead, so Reggie offers Luke a fist pump, too.

🤲 - would you please share a snippet of a wip?

It was easy to pretend, sometimes, that time didn’t pass their families by. Beyond warping to their old family homes, Alex and Reggie haven’t tried looking. The Peters house was torn down in favor of a bike shack, and Alex tried to visit the Mercer house but panicked when a family he didn’t recognize and definitely wasn’t his were the people living there. But Luke’s parents are the same, just… older. The house is exactly the same, just with more pictures on the walls, a relic lost in time. Sure, Bobby looks like a substitute teacher now, but everything familiar is gone or changed. It makes it easy, then, to pretend they live in a bubble where Julie is their only door to the outside world. That they’re just in a different part of the city where their broke asses could never have hung out in 1995. Their only stake in the present. The only accessible “proof” that anything’s really changed. But… Mandy had a daughter. Mandy grew up. Mandy… Mandy is, what, forty? Last Luke remembers, she was fifteen. Oh, Luke’s gonna hurl. Twenty-five fucking years.

my range... ♡

#messages #anonymous #ask game

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hawkeyedflame · 1 year

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i just got helped by a guy at Lowe's who saw the high school track t-shirt i'm wearing and started asking me about it and regaling me about how he coached track for 30 years in the neighboring town, asked if i knew [my hs guidance counselor] because he coached her when she was in school, talking about the coach from my school who coached me, etc.

the whole time i was thinking, damn this guy looks REALLY familiar and my gut immediately flung me back to like 2008 but i couldn't put my finger on it until he stapled his business card to the receipt and i realized he was a long term substitute teacher for my 8th grade history class and i was a complete *dick* to him the entire time because i thought he was an annoying idiot. like i mean, my brain was on fire and i was fucked up bad in 8th grade but i was very solidly a "cause problems on purpose" student towards him for the entire 6 months he was subbing.

man. the embarrassment i just felt. he was so kind to me just now too and i can't help but wonder if he remembers me or remembers how much of a total douchebag i was. yikes

#the hawk speaks #mortal shame!!!

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edgeofn1ght · 2 years

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a couple of lovesick padawans

My lovely friend, Rosie (@pathetic-lifeform) sent me the following prompt:

A lazy morning + "It doesn't work that way." (Bonus points for one of them (or both) wearing the other's clothing) And extra bonus points for white hairs mention 🤭

And it also happened to fill a square on my @obikin-events bingo card!

----

established relationship • obikin • 1.2k words • read on ao3 instead

Vaguely aware that he wasn't in his own bed, in his own room, in his own apartment, Anakin awoke searching for the warmth he'd gone to sleep with. He reached out with his flesh hand, finding only cold, empty sheets. And cold meant Anakin had been alone for a while. Anakin pouted at no one in particular. Why couldn't Obi-Wan ever just have a lazy morning with him? Couldn't the galaxy wait one single day? The war was over. They'd won and saved the Republic, as well as each other along the way.

Didn't they deserve one morning?

Anakin's stomach growled.

Coruscant's sun was well up, meaning it was probably fairly late. No wonder Obi-Wan was gone. He'd probably got hungry himself and couldn't wait any longer. Or else, someone needed him for Council business. Or perhaps he was called on to substitute teach for some youngling class.

Obi-Wan could never resist the call. He was the consummate Jedi.

Anakin still wasn't. But he was trying to be with Obi-Wan’s help. Always his teacher even though Anakin had not been his padawan for some time now.

He closed his eyes and reached out with the Force in an attempt to locate Obi-Wan. There, somewhere far off, almost too far off, was Obi-Wan – a single, golden thread of calm in the raging sea that was the Force to Anakin.

And yet… He still felt very close. He was probably not off-world. Perhaps at least even still in the Temple.

Well, Anakin could work with that.

He stretched and turned over, eyes widening when he found just the man he'd been searching for.

Obi-Wan was sitting cross-legged in the middle of his bedroom floor, eyes closed, hands resting on his knees, face calm – the perfect picture of serenity.

The morning sun's rays came in through the slats in the blinds illuminating his former master, casting him in a yellow-gold light. Anakin's breath caught in his throat.

He was, of course, older now – they all were – but still just as beautiful. Perhaps even more so. The morning light made his hair look redder than usual, as well as drawing more attention to the white hair at his temples which had become more pronounced near the end of the war. The laugh lines and eye crinkles that Anakin loved to kiss were longer and deeper now, but they spoke of a life well-lived.

But more than those things, perhaps in his haste to throw on some clothes in the dark, Obi-Wan had inadvertently grabbed Anakin’s tunic instead. It was only just slightly larger than Obi-Wan’s own, but Anakin was broader across the shoulders, so the left side had slipped to open the neckline into a slightly wider V, showing a bit of collarbone and greying chest hair. There was also a light red mark right above his heart that Anakin remembered putting there two nights before.

There was just something about Obi-Wan in darker colors that made Anakin's stomach flip. Especially his own darker colors.

That old familiar insatiable heat pooled low in his gut. It took everything ounce of restraint Anakin owned to not jump Obi-Wan then and there.

So instead he tucked his hands under his head on the pillow and continued to watch, hoping Obi-Wan would be done soon.

His old master must have been quite deep into his meditation for Anakin not to sense him so close by. It was something Obi-Wan had only been able to achieve since the war's end when the darkness surrounding them all had dissipated. And he'd been trying to teach Anakin, with no success. So far, anyway.

Twenty more minutes went by and Anakin's patience was really wearing thin. His stomach continued to rumble, but he didn't want to get up and eat on the off chance that Obi-Wan would maybe actually get back in bed with him. He wanted that more than anything.

Finally, finally Obi-Wan’s eyes opened.

He blinked slowly, blue eyes shining as they landed on Anakin. The corner of his mouth turned up in a delicious little smirk.

"Good morning, Anakin," he said, his voice low and rough from disuse that morning. "I didn't think you'd ever wake up."

Anakin scowled and pushed himself up on his elbow, "I've been lying here for almost half an hour waiting on you, thank you very much!"

Obi-Wan chuckled as he shifted to his knees, remaining in a kneeling position. Anakin wanted to be annoyed but when Obi-Wan pulled his hands above his head and stretched his arms slowly from side to side, his tunic rode up revealing more of his muscular thighs. Anakin couldn't even think of why he would be mad in the first place. His mouth was suddenly dry.

"Are you just going to stare all morning? Or are you going to get up and get us some breakfast?"

"How about the third option where you get back in bed and we make out like a couple of lovesick padawans?"

Obi-Wan laughed brightly, mouth open showing all his teeth. He stood and twisted from side to side, continuing his morning stretches.

"You know there are even more stretches you can do over here… with me," Anakin tried again, waggling his eyebrows.

Obi-Wan huffed a laugh, "You know it doesn't work that way."

"Who says? This is your apartment, you make your own rules. And anyway, do you have somewhere better to be?"

Surprisingly, Obi-Wan walked back over towards the bed. But even more surprisingly, he lifted Anakin’s tunic up and over his head and dropped it to the floor, revealing the slightly softer but still lithe form beneath. Turned out he had been wearing only the tunic. Anakin was also now completely speechless.

Obi-Wan stood beside the bed, placed his hands on his hips and looked down at Anakin. "Well, move over then."

Anakin's eyebrows shot into his hairline – he could hardly believe it actually worked. He scrambled towards his side of the bed as he pulled back the covers quickly, making way for Obi-Wan to jump back into bed. As soon as he did, he wasted no time reaching out to grab Anakin and pull him close into a tight embrace. Anakin couldn't help but laugh.

"Is this what you wanted?" Obi-Wan growled into his ear as he began to tickle Anakin’s sides. Anakin laughed and kicked his feet as he tried to extricate himself from Obi-Wan’s very firm grasp. The man had always been very deceptively strong.

"Obi-Wan! Stop! This is not what I meant!" Anakin whined as he laughed. Obi-Wan was also relentless when he learned how ticklish Anakin was.

It went on like this for a few more minutes until Obi-Wan finally stopped, pinning Anakin to the mattress.

"Yield, Anakin," Obi-Wan panted as he smiled down at the younger man.

"Never!" Anakin replied as he used his last bit of strength to surge up and kiss Obi-Wan. He then used the element of surprise to flip them over and straddle his hips, holding Obi-Wan’s hands down at his sides. "Do you yield, old man?"

Obi-Wan sighed, "Only ever to you."

Anakin smiled brightly as he leaned down to give him a soft kiss this time. Then his stomach growled again. Obi-Wan chuckled under his breath, breaking their kiss.

"How about breakfast then making out like a couple of lovesick padawans?"

Anakin huffed a laugh, "A brilliant compromise from a famed negotiator."

#obikinbingo23 #my writing #obikin #obikin bingo #obi-wan x anakin #alternate universe #spicy fluff lol #ficlet

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rosamelancholica · 2 years

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Tolkien Tag 2022

I'm here yet another year for a new wonderful Tolkien Blog Party at The Edge of the Precipice. It is the tenth anniversary of this blog event, which promises to be magnificent and isn't disappointing so far so here I am giving my answers to the tag questions once again. This year they are taken from questions of previous years.

1. Who first introduced you to Middle Earth?

Well, it was technically a substitute teacher I had in eighth grade who, at the suggestion of a couple of classmates chose The Hobbit as our reading for our first term ten years ago, partly because the first film in The Hobbit trilogy, An Unexpected Journey, was going to be released shortly. This was what got me to read The Hobbit for the first time, I remember I enjoyed it a lot (and was surprised to see Gollum was in it too, I used to think he only appeared in The Lord of the Rings though I had briefly seen him in a trailer for An Unexpected Journey earlier that very summer when I went to watch Pixar's Brave to theaters) but it didn't really get me into Middle-earth in a strong way. I liked it, did well in the exam and that was all. So I guess the ones who really got me into Middle-earth were my brother and my sister's boyfriend. I first watched An Unexpected Journey at the latter's house with my sister and some of their friends, it was an amazing experience I will never forget. Shortly afterwards, I watched the rest of The Hobbit trilogy and The Lord of the Rings trilogy with my brother, I absolutely loved the movies and my obsession with Middle-earth began.

2. Has your love of Middle-earth affected your life?

Very much so. For one, it has me participating in this blog party and celebrating Tolkien every year, which is an absolute delight. Pretty much everyone who knows me knows I love Tolkien and his works and since most of them don't know anyone else who loves it this much, I have sort of become an authority when it comes to him even though I'm not an expert by any means. My end of degree project for my English Studies degree was about The Hobbit, particularly about how much it has in common with the Bildungsroman. I knew from the beginning I wanted my project to be about one of Tolkien's works. I would've preferred The Lord of the Rings but it was harder to make it about the Bildungsroman if I chose it as the pattern is less evident than in The Hobbit and I couldn't choose another aspect of the novel to analyze that would fit the scope of the project. Not sure this counts too but my love for Middle-earth has also got me to get some related merch, I have a Sting keychain given to me by my siblings as a gift I'm very proud of. It might have affected my life in more ways but these are the ones I can think of now. I wish I had the time to reread The Lord of the Rings and rewatch the films every year as some fans do.

3. Have you ever dressed up like a Tolkien character?

No but I've wanted to dress like a hobbit lady for about as long as I've been part of the fandom. Now I think maybe an elven cosplay would suit me a bit better since my siblings say I look more like an elf (though I love hobbits better). A Galadriel cosplay would be amazing. ♥

4. What people in your real life would you want in your company if you had to take the ring to Mordor?

I remember this question from earlier. Definitely my siblings (what would I do without them?), my cousins and my best online friends.

5. What Middle-earth location would you most like to visit?

This one looks familiar too. The Shire!!! I've wanted to visit it ever since I first laid eyes on it! It's just so gorgeous. 😍 I love other locations well enough too (like Rivendell) but nothing beats the beautiful Shire for me.

6. Are there any secondary characters you think deserve more attention?

Lord Celeborn please! I have always found him to be a great character but he won't get any attention at all. I mean, he is Galadriel's husband for a reason and I wish we got to see more of their relationship and his personality. Éomer's wife, Lothíriel of Dol Amroth, comes to mind too, I wish we got to know more about her. Oh and I can't forget my darlings Estella Bolger and Diamond of Long Cleeve. And Pippin's sisters! I want to know what each of them are like. And Sam's children! We only really know a tiny bit about Elanor and that's all. It makes sense since she's the eldest and their lives and personalities are not important to the plot but still!

7. Would you rather attend Faramir's wedding or Samwise's wedding?

Both really, but if I have to choose, I'd rather attend Samwise's! I love hobbit weddings, they suit my style the most.

8. How many books by J.R.R. Tolkien have you read?

The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and The Father Christmas Letters. Looking forward to adding more to the list.

9. Are there any books about Middle-earth or Professor Tolkien (but not written by him) that you recommend?

The Complete Guide to Middle-earth by Robert Foster is amazing. I didn't read it in full but it's a very complete and useful glossary of Middle-earth terms. I haven't read this one but it looks promising: Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues: Exploring the Spiritual Themes of the Lord of the Rings by Mark Eddy Smith.

Oh and I used Bilbo's Journey: Discovering the Hidden Meaning in The Hobbit by Joseph Pierce as reference for my project though I didn't read all of it. I'm looking forward to it as well as to reading his companion book about The Lord of the Rings: Frodo's Journey: Discover the Hidden Meaning of The Lord of the Rings.

10. List up to ten of your favorite lines/quotations from the Middle-earth books and/or movies.

I have quoted it before in my answers to these questions but here's my favorite quote from the movies and one of the main reasons why I could never hate The Hobbit trilogy as some fans do:

“Mithrandir, why the halfling?”

“I don’t know. Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I found. I found that it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keeps the darkness at bay… Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps it is because I am afraid and he gives me courage”.

Other favorites from The Hobbit trilogy include:

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit, not a nasty dirty wet hole full of worms and oozy smells. This was a hobbit hole and that means good food, a warm hearth and all the comforts of home".

"He doesn’t approve of being late. Not that I ever was, in those days I was always on time, I was entirely respectable and nothing unexpected ever happened".

My favorites from The Lord of the Rings trilogy:

"I wonder if we’ll ever be put into songs or tales. What? I wonder if people’ll ever say “Let’s hear about Frodo and the Ring”, and they’ll say, “Yes, it’s one of my favourite stories. Frodo was really courageous, wasn’t he, dad?” “Yes, my boy, the most famousest of hobbits and that’s saying a lot“. You left out one of the chief characters, Samwise the Brave, I want to hear more about Sam. Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam. Now, Mr. Frodo, you shouldn’t make fun, I was being serious. So was I. Samwise the Brave".

"It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered, full of darkness and danger they were and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come and when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those are the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand, I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding on to something. What are we holding on to, Sam? That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo and it’s worth fighting for”.

"Courage, Merry. Courage for our friends".

"Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"

From The Hobbit:

"There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something (or so Thorin said to the young dwarves). You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after".

"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!"

From The Lord of the Rings:

"Then Bilbo woke up and opened his eyes. ‘Hullo, Frodo!’ he said. ‘Well, I have passed the Old Took today! So that’s settled. And now I think I am quite ready to go on another journey. Are you coming?’

‘Yes, I am coming,’ said Frodo. ‘The Ring-bearers should go together.’

‘Where are you going, Master?’ cried Sam, though at last he understood what was happening.

‘To the Havens, Sam,’ said Frodo.

‘And I can’t come.’

‘No, Sam. Not yet anyway, not further than the Havens. Though you too were a Ring-bearer, if only for a little while.

Your time may come. Do not be too sad, Sam. You cannot be always torn in two. You will have to be one and whole, for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be, and to do.’

‘But,’ said Sam, and tears started in his eyes, ‘I thought you were going to enjoy the Shire, too, for years and years, after all you have done.’

‘So I thought too, once. But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them. But you are my heir: all that I had and might have had I leave to you. And also you have Rose, and Elanor; and Frodo-lad will come, and Rosie-lass, and Merry, and Goldilocks, and Pippin; and perhaps more that I cannot see. Your hands and your wits will be needed everywhere. You will be the Mayor, of course, as long as you want to be, and the most famous gardener in history; and you will read things out of the Red Book, and keep alive the memory of the age that is gone, so that people will remember the Great Danger and so love their beloved land all the more. And that will keep you as busy and as happy as anyone can be, as long as your part of the Story goes on".

Wow, I listed ten? I didn't think I would come up with this many!

These questions were a lot of fun to answer as always. I want to thank our host, Hamlette, once more for this beautiful party. I'm already looking forward to next year's!

#tolkien tag #tolkien blog party #tolkien party 2022 #tolkien #hobbit day #my post

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hospitalterrorizer · 9 months

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diary10

this is definitely a kind of milestone. 10 of these. that's nice. over a week of my life documented. it makes me happy i think. anyways. listening to poison hands by shearing pinx right now.

today i heard some fucked up stuff. a friend who is a substitute teacher had to deal with some kids showing some other kids stuff they should not, and no one on earth should be seeing.

i feel bad about knowing this kind of thing happens. i won't really go into the thing itself, but it gives me a sense that right now being a child is basically impossible. it was already impossible when i was a kid, i think. it was impossible for me at least, cuz at 10 i basically became familiar with how people could desire me, and even if only over webcams it's basically been a thing that's been inside me since forever. i don't think there's anything we can do. because of this sense that things are inhospitable and abuse is happening in ways we can't really understand, fags (e.g. me) will be blamed for creating some kind of modern gomorrah. everyone knows it's straight people and basically mostly, if not always (and it isn't always) men.

today i did record 1 more song, super screechy, and went into current single i'm trying to get out to redo some parts. i think it's basically 97% there for real now. i meant 98% but 97% seems maybe a little better.

i also wrote a new super short thing. exciting and fun, that one's probably going to go on the album. i wrote it while my gf was on the phone with her very annoying brother who i mostly feel bad for and i'm sure i'll talk about more. he's obsessed with christmas and having kids right now and i don't want him to have kids. he wants a son, his fantasy is to take his son to the bar when he turns 21. he doesn't think he'll live past 50. i think his life is going to be longer than he wants or expects.

when i was in highschool i thought i'd be dead by now.

i vced with my friends today. we talked about alien conspiracy and galactic federation shit. very sad people a lot of the time i think. i guess. i dunno. i want to write but i feel exhausted.

i really hate but am fascinated by all this content about how the internet right now is a pit full of groomers. it feels basically and profoundly reactionary, basically about how there's things happening right now at such a scale that we cannot know, and therefore, it's prevalent everywhere. but it probably isn't. a lot of people are basically normal. normal meaning a lot i guess.

it's too complex to put here and i just want to write it in fictions and poems (lyrics (i should get closer to thinking of them as poems, they sort of are because i just sort of write whatever and try to make it fit for the short songs)) where i can eviscerate and look at remains. here it's too. i dunno. i want to feel it in my teeth. i want to write. i am spent and tired. tomorrow i want to write but i will probably record.

i love my girlfriend of course. today i was thinking about how lucky i am to have met her. she has basically saved my life. that's insane to reflect on. without her i would be trapped at home still. we need other people, to motivate us towards something, people materially around us, to hold us by our hands, enough of us around one another, we can do anything i think.

i wrote something good that i am going to stick somewhere else. you won't see it unless it gets put somewhere you can see. sorry.

i wrote more, i think i'm happier now. i'm listening to the shame by the blood brothers. the writing is at least useful, it situates something for the 2nd part and makes the 3rd part easier maybe.

i love the blood brothers. i think they're a perfect band, every band after their first is perfect i think, excluding the last which is maybe just suffering from a couple songs with weak parts but not wholly weak. i love them so much. i love so much music.

i was thinking a lot today about how in highschool, discovering a lot of this kind of post-hardcore and hardcore, with high screams and less masculine voices, stranger music and stuff, really gave me something to attach to, it's like, real androgyne music to me. i dunno. the heat and flashing of these instants of pain, the screeching boys rendered into, i dunno, whatevers, ecstatic and sprinting from ideas, it's so perfect.

i keep saying that, sorry.

i need to read more soon. so much i need to do. oh, i cooked tonight, that was nice, and it was fun but i burnt the vegetables a little and my gf finished dinner which she usually doesn't do, actually, she's usually not that hungry ever so i get it but it does hurt my feelings because it makes me think it's me and nothing else. i'm a baby i guess. i'm too sensitive. everyone said that to me since i was a kid. honestly i wish i were more sensitive.

my friend saw that cover art i was making him finally, he likes it, that makes me really happy. my friend is me and my kidney, he makes cool dance music, this new record he's working on he's trying to go in a ymo direction sort of, as well as a bit of a weird midi-(ish) fusion thing. it doesn't really sound like midi, it's beefed up and has other samples, he wants something really organic but not actually like, really performed. not for conceptual reasons, he just loves synths, you know. we all do. or he and i do, and that's part of why we became friends in hs, cuz we liked weird synth stuff. i'm excited about what he is doing right now.

anyways i should try to relax now before sleeping. my face is washed and i did all my working out. #swaggy

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whatwarehouse · 1 year

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The Monarch

This was an architectural response to the “Fairy Tales” competition by Blank Space. It was an exploration of an alternate future that was hopeful rather than the post-apocalyptic views often portrayed in media. The full story that pears with the images above is here: “I’m so hungry” “You’re always hungry.” Nero grumbled, trying to ignore Bea. She had that look in her eye, which was never a good thing. “Today I’m going to do it. I really am.” Bea leaned in, whispering loudly. Nero glanced at the holo-screen to see if the teacher had noticed but the image only continued to drone. ‘...living in the wake of the world on the brink. As a society facing mass starvation, resources depleted, the Silverwing Accords brought the dissolution of the northern armies.’ “My Gran-poppo says things were harder when he was a kid.” Nero tried to change the subject hoping Bea would focus on their lesson. History was his favorite. ‘…after the meat wars, the underground movement began as an attempt to rebalance the ecosystem.’ “My Gran-poppo says the same. They all do. That's why I'm going to discover The Monarch’s secret once and for all. Tonight!” Nero trembled at the mention of the enigmatic guardian of Sky-Hex 13. He was the stuff of nightmares. Both kids looked out the small classroom window, towards the peaks of the Comb. It wasn’t visible now, but when the sun slipped below the horizon, the skyline would glow with a sickly pallor, casting an eerie haze over The Monarch’s domain. “You can’t actually be thinking of going there. It’s not worth it just for food. You’ll never make it back in one piece.” Bea’s stomach grumbled again as she looked at the lush rooftops bursting with green, deceptively inviting, calling to her like a beacon. Night would bring a different truth, hauntingly tempting. With summer nearly gone, finding the secret hidden within The Monarch’s mysterious lights became more important than ever. “My mom will kill me if I skip class.” He protested weakly “The substitute holo will never notice. Think about what we could eat if we find the secret source.” Bea leaned in closer. “We'll be legends!” “You think too much with your stomach” Nero groaned as he considered her scheme. It was their first year in Hex 6 Elementary. Nero wanted more than anything to fit in. One peek at The Monarch's domain would make them heroes. “Fine.” He pouted. “But we are just going to look. That’s it!” They slipped out the back of the classroom, traveling through the murky void beneath the waterfall before spilling into the bright market plaza buzzing with activity. Above them, the quilted faces of the Comb cascaded down the hillside in a riot of colors and ordered chaos. Easily navigating along the base of the Comb, they arrived beneath the familiar awning of ‘Mama’s Grub’, a favorite food stall of Nero’s. When Bea ignored the delicious aromas wafting from inside to pull him around the back, his shoulders sagged in disappointment. Bea wasted no time snatching a pole from her hiding spot before steering them toward the hyper-hex station. At Nero’s questioning gaze Bea merely shrugged. “I’ll need a weapon. Trema said this was my best bet.” Nero hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He already regretted his decision to tag along. When they finally reached the surface, Bea practically dragged her reluctant friend off the hyper-hex train. Emptied long before their stop, no one questioned their destination as they emerged from the station. The vivid colors of the sunset washed the skies with a cheerfulness Bea found hard to muster. Grass so thick and green you could wrap yourself in it like a blanket spread across endless hills. “I love being grounded.” Visiting the surface was her favorite. However, she’d never been on this side of the Comb. Nero, one step behind, hesitated to leave the safety of the tunnel’s entrance. “Look, I can see the trees. They’re beginning to glow.” A long fence wrapped its way down the hill along a perfectly ordered forest. They followed the path with cautious steps, alert and uneasy. Reaching the fence, Bea climbed the splintered wood to see above the tall grasses. Just then a shadow passed among the trees. “What was that?” Bea jumped, dragging Nero down behind the post. “What if it’s The Monarch?” Nero whispered back. Her heart raced as she clutched her weapon tightly to her chest. “We shouldn’t be here. We really shouldn’t be here.” Nero had already caught a glimpse of the lights, and that was enough for him. “I want to go back.” He whined, tugging on her sleeve. “We’re so close to the secret. We just have to wait until it gets dark” Bea ignored Nero’s protests and stared intently into the forest, trying to work up her own courage. When she looked back at the road, she was alone. Bea wasn’t ready to give up, even if Nero was. Tentatively, she took her first steps beneath the intimidating canopy dripping with a scattering of faint lights. The forest felt alive, as if the ground were crawling and shifting beneath her feet. The urge to run pressed heavily against her heart, but she persisted. Her weapon tight between sticky palms, Bea approached the glowing orbs with silent vigilance. It was now or never. Taking a deep breath, she pulled back and with as much strength as she could manage, swung her weapon in a wide arc releasing all her fear and apprehension into the offending light. The orb exploded and darkness poured out. Shadows fluttered around her, rising, sinking, and twisting into menacing clouds and monstrous shapes. Overwhelmed with the cacophony that followed, Bea plummeted to the ground, her hand landing on the sharp edge of the shattered orb. She dislodged it from the dense ivy and stumbled back onto the path, carrying her prize as she raced for the fence. Encumbered by its weight, Bea lost her balance and faltered in the grass. When she looked up, she wasn’t alone. A dark silhouette loomed above. Her breath caught in a scream. “You’re… You’re The Monarch!” The silence hung ominously between them as Bea fought to regain her senses. When he finally stepped into the light, he looked more confused than fearsome. His moth-eaten clothes matched a weathered frown as he leaned on his cane to get a better look at her. “I’m certainly not a Monarch” He laughed. “But this is a monarch farm, if that’s what you mean. This particular forest is our moth harvest. What are they teaching you kids these days?” He reached for her fallen backpack and picked off a large moth, extending his hand into the air and releasing it. “A farm?” Bea squealed, as she watched the moth drift into the trees, merging with thousands of wings overhead. “But the Elders told us not to come here.” She exclaimed. The farmer chuckled softly at her words, shaking his head. “No wonder they don’t want you up here, these are delicacies best kept for holidays.” He picked up her weapon, handing it back to her with a wink. “You’ll need this. Go ahead and catch a few for your family. They taste great in a pie.” Bea clutched the pole of her net pulling herself to her feet. “But this is the great secret? The ultimate source?” She almost felt disappointed before realizing that taking a few of these treasures would be more than enough proof to show all the kids at school. This was way better than bringing back a piece of the light. “You’ve heard it called the great source eh? It’s because bugs like these that we harvest and eat keep our land fertile and unspoiled.” The old farmer shuffled towards one of the glowing orbs, running his gnarled fingers along its edge with pride. “Efficient and resourceful” He mused to himself. “This here is the good stuff.” Bea followed him down the path, her eyes wide with wonder at the fluttering spectacle above. When they reached the edge of the farm, he stopped to gesture at the vast horizon, the radiant honeycomb cities lit up like lanterns submerged within the undulating landscape. Bea remembered something her teacher had mentioned, beginning to understand. “I can’t imagine a world where people would eat animals instead. I love bugs.” “That’s right.” He encouraged. “Who knew all the big problems could be solved with something so small?”

#WHATware #TheMonarch #WHATwork

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