#versus his relationship with them when he gets back to the ground

[fxrmuladaydreams]

use me (mv33)

max x reader

summary: max needs a way to take his frustrations out, you offer yourself to him

notes: !! contains smut minors dni !! i have other stories in the works but as a max girlie this took precedent, it had to be done after watching the singapore quali

You were on the edge of your seat watching the remaining 15 cars zoom around the track. Both the Red Bulls had been having issues during the weekend, not driving as fast as they had been in previous races.

You watched as your boyfriend, the reining world champion, made his final lap in Q2, scoring fairly low, and just falling further down the list as other drivers crossed the line. Liam Lawson of all people was the one to push Max down to 11th. You had to admit the kid was talented, but you knew Max was going to be very unhappy with the results.

You knew you were right when you saw Max get out of his car before they had even pulled it into his garage. He stormed away, pulling his helmet off his head as someone practically had to chase after him.

“He’s going to be pleasant.” A voice pulled your attention away from the scene in front of you.

Christian stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his headset now resting around his neck.

“He’ll be fine.” You tell him, however you know just how explosive Max can get when he doesn’t do well.

“You should go see him, calm him down. He won’t kill you.”

You snort. “Right.”

“Think you can calm him down in the next 30 minutes?” He asks.

“I can try.” You stand up to start heading in the direction Max walked off in.

You find him sitting in a corner, drinking from his water bottle, his eyes trained on the ground ahead of him.

You stand next to him and run a hand through his hair. While he would usually lean into you, craving more of your touch, he doesn’t react now, unmoving from his current position.

“How are you?” You ask, in an attempt to tread safely.

He scoffs, shaking his head. “I’m great, how are you?” He doesn’t hide the sarcasm in his tone.

You tilt his chin up so that he’s looking you in the eyes. You can practically see the anger swimming around in the blue eyes you fell in love with.

“You know the press are going to eat you alive if you walk in with that attitude.” You tell him.

He rolls his eyes, and looks back down ahead of him. “They’ll be cheering, dancing on my grave.”

You glance down at your watch. 25 minutes until Max will be needed for press. 25 minutes to bring back your happy Max.

“C’mon.” You take his hand, and slowly pull him up.

“Where are we going?” He asks, following you.

You lead him back to Red Bull hospitality, taking him up to his driver’s room. It’s small, a massage table sits in the corner, a shelf against the wall with more race suits and fireproofs.

“You need to get your anger out before you go do press.” You tell him as you lock the door.

“What, do you want me to throw things around the room?” He asks with his hands on his hips.

“I want you to fuck me.” You tell him, your voice completely serious.

He looks shocked for a moment. The two of you were always pretty private in your relationship, never showing too much PDA, and never having sex anywhere outside of your home. His shock soon dissipates, and turns into thoughtfulness, as if he’s thinking about the risk versus the reward.

You walk towards him in the center of the room. Your hands lift to his shoulders, softly massaging them before your arms wrap around his neck. You lean your head towards his, softly nudging your nose against his. He already looks like he’s losing his self control, his eyes watch your lips as you whisper to him.

“Use me, Max.”

He dives down to kiss you, his lips firm against yours. There’s no asking for permission for his tongue to enter your mouth, it pushes past your lips and tangles with yours.

You grip onto his hair as he hoists you up on the massage table. He stands between your legs, trailing his lips down your neck, leaving a trail of teeth marks on any skin he can find.

He tugs your shirt and bra off, flinging them to some corner of the room, desperate to have access to more of you. He travels down your chest, his lips wrapping around one of your nipples, teeth softly biting at it while his fingers find the other, pinching at it. After he’s satisfied he switches to the other, continuing his work.

Your pants and underwear are the next to come off as Max trails his fingers along your center. He smirks when he feels your hips move to meet his hand.

He pulls a whimper from you when his thumb brushes against your clit. He kneels down, pulling you to the edge of the table and lifting your legs over his shoulders. His hands press down on your abdomen to keep you still as his tongue laps over you.

His nose brushes against your clit, send a jolt to your hips. His hands press down harder on you as his eyes look up to meet yours. They’re a stormy blue now, his pupils enlarged and eyelids hooded.

“Stay still.” He says, his voice low and rough.

His tongue is quick to continue prodding against you, slowly pushing inside you as you let you a long moan. One of your hands flies to his hair, tangling itself in his light brown locks, as your other keeps yourself propped up.

Your taste is sweet, one of his favorite flavors really.

“You taste so good mijn liefje.” He softly moans against you as he eats you out, his nose now bumping your clit over and over until you cry out his name, cumming on his tongue.

This only encourages him, as he takes everything you give him. Your body is tired, exhausted from keeping yourself upright, ready to collapse on the table.

Max stands up and it’s only then you realize that he’s still in his clothes, his race suit still hanging off his hips, while you’re completely bare in front of him.

“I’m not finished with you yet schat.” He shakes his head as he pulls you upright to kiss you.

You can taste yourself on him, but it doesn’t matter to you, not when he’s kissing you the way he is. It’s all tongue and teeth and it’s messy, but still so good.

He pulls you off the table, your legs slightly wobbling beneath you. You’re surprised when he turns you around, keeping your body trapped between his and the table. You hear his clothes move around some more, the thick fabric of his race suit rustling around, then you feel him softly kick your ankle with his leg.

You spread your legs for him, wide enough to allow him room, but still close enough that you can stand comfortably.

He reaches a hand around you to feel between your legs.

“Think you’re wet enough to take me?” He asks. Max has always been a caring lover, even in his dominant moods he still checks in with you.

“Yes Max, please fuck me.” You lean forward against the table and push your ass back against him. You can feel his cock press against you as he grabs onto your hips.

He fists himself a few times before lining himself up with you then pushing in.

The stretch is a lot but feels so good. Max stills for a moment, leaning down to press a kiss against the flushed skin on your back.

His sweet demeanor quickly turns back to his dominant one though, slowly pulling out, then giving a harsh thrust back into you. You try to grip onto the table for dear life as Max pounds into you from behind.

Your moans aren’t quiet, yet neither are his grunts. The door being the only thing blocking you from the rest of the Red Bull team is the farthest thing in your minds at the moment.

He wraps an arm around your middle pulling you up so that your back is pressed against his chest. He’s still wearing his fireproofs, only having pulled the pants down far enough so that he’d be able to bury himself inside you.

The new angle causes him to sink even deeper in you. You feel so full, so consumed by Max.

He grins when he feels you clench around him. His right hand travels over your body, squeezing your breasts before stopping over your neck. He wraps his hand around it, putting a slight pressure on it as his other drops back down to where the two of you meet. He finds your clit, and rubs quick harsh circles into it.

He lets out a low laugh as you clamp down even tighter around him. He leans his head down, his lips brushing against your ear as he teases you. “You like that? Does that feel good?”

Your mind is so clouded over that you can only moan in response.

“Oh, you can’t use your words? You’re just dumb for my cock huh? It’s a good thing you’re so pretty.” He bites down on your neck, sucking a dark hickey onto it. “Are you going to be a good girl and cum for me again?”

You nod your head, feeling something tighten in your core for the second time tonight.

It only takes a few more rough thrusts before he’s got you cumming again, his name falling out of your mouth like a prayer.

The hand on your clit moves to your hip so that he can control his movements. His release follows as his thrusts become sloppy and erratic. You feel his warm cum fill you up as he holds himself inside you. He keeps himself there as you both come down from your highs. He softly presses kisses to your back as you catch your breath.

You hiss when he slowly pulls himself out. His hand falls away from your neck as he uses both to make sure you don’t collapse to the floor. He turns you back around and lifts you back up onto the table.

He finds a towel and spreads your legs to help clean you up. The sight in front of him causes his cock to stir with interest again, his cum is seeping out of you, trailing down your thighs. Your skin shines with the layer of sweat that’s coated your body. Your chest rises and falls with every deep breath you take. Your neck has several marks along it, fresh hickeys to show what you’ve been up to.

“I wasn’t too rough, was I?” He asks, throwing the towel away to a corner of the room.

You give him a lazy smile. “Not at all. I really enjoyed that.”

“I love you.” He says, helping you back down from the table.

“I love you too.”

You’re both quiet at you get dressed again. You still feel a little wobbly on your feet, but are beginning to regain your balance.

“So do you think you can handle the press without chewing anyone’s head off?” You ask him as you both head to the door.

“Oh definitely.” He grins.

He wraps an arm around your waist as you leave his driver’s room and head back to the main area of the paddock.

Max gives you a quick kiss before he separates from you to do his post qualifying interviews, leaving you with the rest of the team.

When Christian spots you he sighs. “Y/n… no…” he says as he looks at the marks along your neck and the way your legs shake if you stand in one spot for too long.

You shrug. “What? You told me to calm him down.”

Needless to say everyone was surprised when Max was calm cool and collected during his interviews.

#max verstappen x reader #max verstappen smut #max verstappen #formula one #formula one x reader #mv33

[yourheart-inmyhands]

Hiya! So I saw your request box is open again. In that case, I Hope you don't mind me requesting something.

You know how in pretty much all the Archon Fics it's said that Reader is much weaker than the Archon obsessed with them? Well what if that wasn't the case, and by some miracle reader is actually more powerfull than the Archons?

Sorry if it didn't make much sense, you have the right to ignore this Ask if you don't want to write for it.

- 🐶 anon

i love this idea so much! i can't really see a case where they would be stronger than the Archons unless it was a situation much like travelor but i didn't wanna copy that so i hope you enjoy! :D

Warning: this post contains yandere-themes, including delusional behaviors, obsessive behaviors, mentions of violence against reader, and other potential topics. Please read at your own risk!

Yandere!Venti doesn’t care how much stronger you think you are then him, he’s got the real power here. He’s fought in wars, raised hell like no other before him. He may not have been the first Anemo Archon, but there’s a reason he’s the one everyone talks about versus Decarabian, the original Anemo Archon. He’ll use any dirty trick or tactic to get you back under his control, disorienting you with wings so strong you can’t breathe, intense dreams that have you waking up in a cold sweat, even resorting to gaslighting you so intensely you could never imagine standing up to him.

“Oh dear, don’t you see it? You aren’t that strong. You’d have been worshiped like the beloved Archons if you were anyone with true power.” Venti smiles at you sweetly, a faint bitterness to his tone as he tries to calm you down. You had gone a little stir crazy after being locked in the apartment with him for so long, and he couldn’t blame you for it. But now he needed you to calm down, while he could use all the dirty tricks in the books to slow you down, he knew that if you caught on to his schemes and realized that you really did hold the power, him and everything he’d worked so hard for in this relationship would be over.

Yandere!Zhongli would be indifferent to your strength. Be as strong as you want, you’ll never be strong enough to break his shield. He’ll simply stand there, shield standing as strong and firm as it has been as you slowly tire yourself out, beating yourself black and blue against his impenetrable wall. He doesn’t need to fight you, you fight yourself enough every day trying to get away from him, but he’ll never let you leave.

“You really ought to stop this my sweet, you’re only making yourself look pathetic.” Zhongli’s soft, monotone voice reaches your ears as you slump to your knees in exhaustion. Your hands were bloody from all the fighting you had done, the vital fluid making a gently dripping noise as it hit the ground every so often. When Zhongli was certain you weren’t going to continue, your determination having worn down with your mortal flesh, he’ll disperse his shield, beginning on your medical care. “There we go my sweet, just relax, and remember. Humans bruise a lot easier than real gods.”

Yandere!Raiden has far too much battle experience under her belt to be so easily overpowered. Regardless of how much power you wield, it isn’t always about the strength but rather how you use it. She’ll continue to beat you in every battle, breaking down your pride and hope little by little as she knocks you off your feet, slashes against your skin, sends you flying across rooms, whatever it takes to show you who is superior here.

“You should give up already, you will never beat me. When you can slay beasts the size of islands perhaps then we can consider a real battle. You claim to hold so much power but what good is it if you cannot even utilize it?” Raiden’s voice has that same, eerie calmness to it as it always does. The way she carries herself as she walks slowly across the Plane of Euthymia, the chosen battlefield, holds that same, strange calmness to it. It’s almost as if she doesn’t find any threat in your attacks, not only dodging and deflecting them with ease, but also counter-attacking with the kind of expertise only someone centuries old could have. She didn’t secure her land in the Archon War by just swinging her sword about wildly, no, she fought like a proper expert should.

Yandere!Furina would be distraught internally. She may be the Hydro Archon but she has never fought in any grand wars or had any grand display of power to boast about. Her predecessor, Egeria, was the grandiose one, she was merely the replacement. She isn’t entirely sure how to keep you from leaving, oftentimes having to resort to getting help from Neuvillette to keep you contained.

“Neuvillette!” A shrill scream echoed through said dragon’s office, the doors slamming open as Furian waltzed in. “They got out again, I need your help.” A common occurrence as of late, with Furina being unwilling to fight her beloved head-on, she often resorted to pestering the long-haired male for help. Of course, once she got you home and secured again she’d flip her lid on you, but for now, her main focus was getting you there. The strategy as of late, one you hadn’t seemed to recognize yet, was that she would distract you with some petty argument, one that is often what resulted in you leaving in the first place, while Neuvillette sneaks up and knocks you out from behind. While this works for now, she knows she’ll eventually have to change it up, you are unfortunately smart.

#genshin x reader #genshin x male reader #yandere genshin x reader #yandere genshin x male reader #venti x reader #venti x male reader #yandere venti x male reader #yandere venti x reader #zhongli x reader #zhongli x male reader #yandere zhongli x reader #yandere zhongli x male reader #raiden x reader #raiden x male reader #yandere raiden x reader #yandere raiden x male reader #furina x reader #furina x male reader #yandere furina x reader #yandere furina x male reader #yandere genshin #yadere venti #yandere zhongli #yandere riaden #yandere robin.

[mikami]

I know you don’t think Light had personality disorders but I can’t stop thinking about this:

I know you don’t think Light had personality disorders but I can’t stop thinking about this:

People matching the diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder use black and white thinking, called splitting, as a central defense mechanism; they separate mental concepts into good versus evil, say, as an attempt to stabilize the sense of self in order to preserve self-esteem. Throughout the series Light certainly does show clear indications of perceiving himself as purely upright or admirable and others who do not conform to his will or values as purely wicked or contemptible.

Light has a grandiose sense of self-importance, viewing himself as special and unique (chosen to rid the world of evil), as someone who will become the God of the New World. Going on with this, he frequently indulges in fantasies of unlimited success and power (Godhood).

Light is extremely interpersonally exploitative: he takes advantage of people to achieve his own ends, and feels entitled to their admiration and compliance. Look at his relationships with Misa Amane, Kiyomi Takada, and Teru Mikami in particular: he enlists them to help him avoid capture and achieve his goals and leaves them when convenient for himself. He is floored with Mikami does not obey his instructions to the letter, and he actually calls out to Takada and Misa for help at the end, even though Takada is dead and he has effectively abandoned Misa.

You are thinking about Mikami. Light demonstrates an understanding of gradation time and time again throughout the series. His decisions to look down on people are not compulsive or out of his control. He's not splitting, he's just an ass.

Light literally does not think of himself as chosen, you are thinking about Mikami again.

Light's sense of self-importance is backed up by accomplishment and consistently echoed by everyone around him. Narcissism means inflated self-worth that runs COUNTER to factual reality - Light being accomplished and revered in his personal life is literaly just what is happening. He is not delusional about it. The godhood thing is a bit more complex and would fit your argument better, but like… is it fantasies if he's literally doing it? Like, a lot of these criteria are for real people to whom these things do not apply. They are criteria for distorted thought because they are not grounded in reality. Light is pretty firmly grounded in the reality he lives in, man.

Yeah, Light is an asshole. We know this.

Look, I know people are obsessed with mental health as this Deep Fascinating Topic, but at some point I am going to need you all to unpack why you absolutely need to believe that mental illness is the root cause of all violence in the world.

"Light cannot be evil without being mentally ill"? Come on.

The thing about mental illness is that the person suffering the most is the person afflicted by the illness. That is why it's an illness.

The fact of the matter is that Light is NOT actually struggling in any way to maintain his successful daily life before he gets a magical notebook. He is not functionally impaired.

The only reason people want to slam him with the personality disorder label is because they think personality disorders are scary.

#answers

[acourtofthought]

I decided to rewatch Pride and Prejudice and the similarities to Elain's current situation continue jumping out to me.

First Elain (aka Elizabeth) was not the sister expected to find the best match in marriage. In P&P, Jane was the "most beautiful" one (in ACOTAR that's technically Elain) but the fact that Jane (aka Nesta) was almost guaranteed to secure a wealthy husband is similar to how Mother Archeron raised Nesta on the belief that she was their hope for an advantageous marriage. Neither Mrs. Bennett nor Mother Archeron believed Elizabeth (or Elain) to be their "meal ticket", so to speak.

In the end, while Jane (Nesta) did marry someone with an impressive pedigree, it was Elizabeth who ended up marrying someone of an even higher station. Just like Elain is mated to someone who (unknown to them at this time) is set up to become a High Lord.

But before Elizabeth ended up with Darcy, she showed an interest in Wickham, having washed her hands of Darcy after their first meeting (and a few thereafter). It's clear that though she was still drawn to Darcy on some level (talking about him even if it was just to complain, paying close attention to his conversation with Caroline Bingley, showing surprise / confusion after he helps her into the carriage), we see her continually remind herself and others that she has "sworn to loath him for all of eternity" because of the initial impression she had of him.

I always find it strange when people compare Az / Elain to Darcy and Elizabeth because Darcy and Elizabeth's romantic tension is born from their initial disdain which is what makes their later glances and lingering touches so memorable. Her thinking that he has hated her from the start and then being surprised when his actions suggest otherwise (in that way, Lucien would be more like Elizabeth's character, thinking that Elain has no interest in him).

But Az and Elain are completely lacking in the enemies to lovers department.

To me, Az would be more like Wickham in the story.

Elizabeth has convinced herself she has no interest in Darcy and instead turns her eye to Wickham who begins showing her attention. She's convinced that he's a good man and that Darcy is further proven in the wrong until we later find out Wickham is the one who kept truths from Elizabeth (which is line with Az telling the reader that Elain had no idea the things he had done meaning he hides parts of himself from her). And just as Elizabeth's favor of Wickhams fell once she learned of his true colors, it seems Elain's favor of Az has fallen after he called her a mistake. After the truth became known in P & P, there was no real confrontation between Elizabeth and Wickham because their relationship never really got off the ground and I imagine the same will be said for E/riel.

Even though Elizabeth eventually realizes that Darcy is a great man, she's still stubborn and unwilling to admit it until the end (hence why her father, mother and Jane are shocked to find she wants to marry him, they were convinced she hated him - sounds a lot like Az's line of "she has no interest in him anyway").

P & P ranks as one of the greatest love stories of all time and it doesn't make it to the top of those charts because she had a sweet and gentle romance with Wickham, who looked like the "healthier" of the two possible love interests at first glance. Were Elizabeth and Wickham not at first friendly and agreeable towards one another, like E/riel, versus how Darcy and Elizabeth initially got along?

When Darcy first refuses to dance with Elizabeth then later does dance with her but barely makes conversation, is that not similar to Elain's refusal to get to know Lucien?

When Elizabeth begins to soften a bit towards Darcy then completely withdraws and refuses his proposal after she learns of the part he played in separating Jane and Mr. Bingley, is that not reminiscint of Elain walking with Lucien, inviting him back to Velaris at the end of ACOWAR only to do a complete 180 in the novella and SF where she all but ignores him?

The odds being stacked against two people because of misunderstandings and miscommunications since their first meeting, yet the couple still finding their way to one another is why the HEA feels so hard fought yet well earned for Elizabeth and Darcy and there's is no setup more similar to that than Elucien.

#elucien #pro elucien #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #anti e/riel #pro lucien vanserra #elain x lucien #lucien and elain #acotar mates

[iamafictionfreak]

TIS THE SEASON TO BE MERTHUR!

Just... Look at them!

I miss everything about this show. Even the very bad CGI and the weak-ass plot points/armour/conveniences/contrivances.

One Christmas Eve, almost 11 years ago, the entire Merlin fandom was butchered into tiny little distraught pieces. It didn’t matter if your favourite character was Merlin or Morgana, Gaius or Gwen. The showrunners held no qualms in destroying your dreams for Gwaine or Perce. The writers did not hold back in their aim to crucify the smile on your face, to forever turn it upside down. No ship was spared. All hopes for the show to finally commit to their original intent, to bring peace between peoples, to save Albion, to allow Merlin his freedom and Arthur the truth, was brought to a bitter, fatalistic end.

Not that I need to repeat this to you, you know what happened, but it’s worth reiterating that this travesty occurred… on Christmas Eve.

CHRISTMAS. EVE.

Christmas Eve.

The night before Christmas, the night before the day where all rules are broken and we can frolic like children around a decorated tree filled with twinkling lights, our collective hearts were shredded.

This event (once we recovered a tiny bit from the shock) gave birth to a plethora of astonishingly well written, poignant, devastating, hilarious fanfictions that had helped nurse our wounds, for nothing could TRULY heal (except a follow-up season with the original characters, come ON BBC) us.

After nearly 11 years of watching these brilliant entries grow, I never thought I’d jump on this bandwagon and write my own fic.

But I've had a few very shit years, as have many people around the world, and I started to wonder as we do when we want to prove magic can still happen.

My brain decided that it wanted my hands to write the most indulgent, likely over done fic in existence for the fandom. This thought stuck with me throughout the year – I was being STALKED by myself – and wouldn’t leave me the hell alone. This hasn’t happened in a long while.

Still… you’ll eyeroll at the idea. It's so OBVIOUS, I'm embarrassed by myself.

What if Arthur discovered Merlin’s magic from the get-go, from episode 1?

WAIT. Hear me out…

So, Merlin saves Arthur for the first time and Arthur SEES. He sees his eyes glow.

He knows he should tell his father, but his instincts are screaming at him. Honour is at stake. This stranger saved his life. How could he reward it with an execution? So, a chance needs to be given, doesn’t it? A chance for Merlin to give up magic forever and live a life of goodness, to turn away from evil and serve Arthur…

Except Arthur can’t help but wonder. About Magic, about Merlin and magic, about the law and all the whys attached and his place within this chain.

But he also can’t trust this peasant who cavorts with the devil, practices wickedness but smiles like a child and offers compassion to everyone. Someone so duplicitous must be dangerous… except Merlin’s an actual idiot! And it’s getting really difficult to keep his guard up.

But isn’t that how sorcerers work? They twist the mind with pleasing ideas, they tempt and coerce, they manipulate.

And slowly, Arthur finds himself being manipulated too. For how could he ever want to trust this man- but he does. He does.

And we’ve never been allowed to see Merlin deal with a S1 Arthur who’s in the ‘know’. Who’s forcing him to keep it secret, who’s threatening him with trial by fire, a young Arthur who’s ignorant, arrogant and so desperate to understand what he cannot trust.

Then there's the layers, royalty versus peasantry, friendship versus alliances, goals versus ideals.

I want to write a fic where this trust is built from the ground up. One of the things about the show that made it impossible for me to let it go is that the ‘relationship’ between Arthur and Merlin fits exactly zero categories, yet all of them.

Master and servant.

Friends

Family

Allies

Enemies

Romantic ideals

Platonic soulmates

Absolute Soulmates

I could go on. And it's one of those rare shows where the writing would be given more oomph if the males leads had dared cross a line or two.

Realistically, they weren't even friends. They were master and servant who'd become a little co-dependant. Arthur could never admit to anything more because of his station, but would he have been able to being completely himself around Merlin if he'd known the truth? We never see Arthur truly be himself. He wasn't allowed to be, not even with his wife. There was always a wall - it was how he was raised and any attempt to develop was killed by plot.

We never saw Merlin completely free, not with a single person. He started happy and healthy and innocent. A liar. He ended up bitter and terrified and angry and alone. Still a liar.

What would he have become if there'd been one person he could truly trust- not Gaius. Not a man already broken and brainwashed by his own self. A victim of the system just as much as he perpetuated the hate and completely unaware of the trap he lived in.

Many of the characters in the show have the versatility and potential to be written a trillion different ways, is it any wonder that fics continue to be written?

Well, I wanted to explore a slow burn development of trust, with Arthur learning how wrong he was, how much he’s trampled on, and all about the seemingly normal peasant boy who meant more to the world than Arthur could possibly understand. What would they have become if they’d been given the time, hm?

When they were young - yes, I'm going there - wild and free.

What of Morgana, what if she could have trusted? What if she could have understood? Would it have turned out differently? Would she have still become the other side of Uther's coin?

Would Merlin still have ended up alone?

There’s lots more I wanted to touch upon, it’s a big what if, but that’ll have to wait for another post.

I’m writing a 5 part prologue that occurs between episode 1 and 2. I’m hoping to release it for Christmas and then take the time to write the rest of the season.

Unless… you guys think it’s a waste of time? Let me know.

In the meantime, I’m STILL SUFFERING (fucking show) and it's making me write, write, write!

(gifs not mine)

#merlin #arthur pendragon #merlin bbc #merlin emrys #guinevere #morgana #Gaius #uther pendragon #fuck uther #potential #merthur #merlin fanfic #merlin fandom

[bangtangalicious]

placebo (m) | part 1

⇒ pairing: jimin x reader, jungkook x reader ft ot7

⇒ genre: 18+ romance, smut, soulmate!au, academia!au, vigilante/gang!au, strangers to enemies to lovers, forbidden attraction, romeo-juliet typa shit, opposites attract, hurt/comfort, fate versus destiny, kinda dystopian, bikergang!jimin, biochemistry-student!reader, neuroscience-student!jungkook

⇒ warnings: sexual tension, making out, kissing, cuddling, just a whole lot of kissing--they just met okay lol they'll get down and dirty soon enough bear with me ;) pet names, teasing, flirting (i mean cmon its jimin), motorcycles, jungkook being fresh out of a kdrama lmfaooo, betrayal, people being judgey

⇒ premise: a scientific compatibility test matches you with your soulmate, except he's everything you hate and you're everything he stands against.

⇒ wc: 6k, short and sweet

⇒ taglist: @tornparts @loona15 @mini-euphoria @effielumiere @agustdreamsblog @jnghs @dragons-flare @xiusmarshmallow @ratherbefangirling @infires-imagines @aretha170 @dvalitaes @kookiejeonie @ddaeng-angmoh @idk123906 @medievalpink5

series masterlist | part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

Delicate. The way the crystal snow glided through the crisp winter air. It wasn’t cold—not yet. But enough to make your breath fog into a sweet sigh. Deep in the heart of campus, you took a moment to do just that—breathe. The sunlight was polarizing against the stunning white layer on the ground. You hugged your large coat closer to your body, basking in your own warmth. After staring at the sky for another moment you stepped forward. Crossing the street.

A car whizzed past. Quicker than light you were pulled back by the shoulders. Until you suddenly found yourself in the arms of a familiar face.

“What the fuck” His words were worried, but a smile painted over them. Exhaling softly, his hand cupped the back of your neck. He towered over you, shielding you from the strong sunrays. His silhouette breathtaking, but his face mimicking the light you could no longer see. “Be careful”

His glasses were thin rimmed. Turtleneck doing its best to hide his thick muscular build. His large wool coat fitting nicely across his broad shoulders.

You blushed. Your lab partner of three years never failed to make your heart skip a beat. Jeon Jungkook had been a friend. A colleague, and nothing more. Yet the more hours you spent grueling away in the tiny, musky lab—the later nights redoing experiments and writing up reports, you had become closer.

Despite your intuition, you began to feel hope. The moment spinning in your mind unparalleled as you arrived in lab, him not leaving your hand in case you may decide to absentmindedly wander off again. You were notoriously clumsy—you couldn’t help it. You had a lot on your mind. The cold air made you crave the warmth and safety of touch. It made you crave the day you would find your soulmate.

A sharp pain stung in the back of your neck, where a bioregulatory chip had been inserted when you were 16 years old. Everyone had them. The pain was a telltale sign that the cognitive-sexual threshold had been achieved, and you could now be matched with a soulmate. A brilliant formula that you had spent all of your early college years studying—infamous Dr. Kim Namjoon developed a way for people to recognize others who qualified for peak compatibility. The hope was to promote healthier relationships, happy families, and improved social function through strong support systems.

The pain had been recurring frequently over the last week. It was only a matter of time. They say you’ll just know when you see them. The chip is programmed to signal once it registers an ideal partner based on the compatibility test that runs whenever you look in anyone’s eyes. You hoped it would be Jungkook. That one day, you’d look in his eyes and you’d know for sure—that the sweet, soft, nerdy and beautiful neuroscience student Jeon Jungkook was yours. And you, his.

The age that soulmate’s got assigned varied, as each formula was unique to the individual. However, there were telltale signs that you would find out soon—including heat spikes in your biochip. You know for sure when the unique code of your iris meets that of your soulmate—your biochip then signals to your brain.

Hours spent together in silence, you adjusted your focus to work. The work that made you get up in the morning—that excited you about life. Carefully pipetting, time would move in a blink of an eye, until you felt a tap on your shoulder. He was leaning over your shoulder. That big, goofy smile on his face.

“Hey, I’m going to head down to the autoclave” His fingers ran through his neatly combed black hair nervously. “Do you want me to take anything down?”

Scanning your workspace, which was royally cluttered in a way with would have biohazard authorities throwing a fit—you shook your head. “No,” You smiled, “Thanks though…” Jungkook nodded, loading his cart with equipment. “Are you going to leave after?”

Taking off his thin-framed glasses, he wiped them against the pocket of his lab coat. He wore the coat so well, you swear nothing suited him more. “Yeah, I was getting hungry. Do you wanna join me for some jjajangmyeon?”

Heat rose to your face, tickling the corners of your lips into a smile. In an effort to not be too eager, you reached for your cellphone. “Sure let me just make sure I don’t have any more meetings”

“Great” Jungkook chuckled shyly, hands shifting in his pocket. His eyes glazed over you, head to toe before he gave you a nod and turned away. You watched him leave, allowing your smile to grow even more. He was so freaking adorable. God what would you have to do to get a soulmate like him? Yours would be a romance of the ages. Two scientists working in the Department of Biochemical Affection at the most prestigious science institute in the world, being each other’s most compatible. It would be amazing.

Jungkook was perfect for you. He understood what you were passionate about. Who else would listen to your geek rants about hormone interaction experiments? Or patiently wait while you fangirled over Dr. Kim Namjoon, the mastermind behind the entire field who authored the fool-proof, innovative compatibility experiment that had allowed for the government Soulmate initiative? And it didn’t hurt that he was drop dead gorgeous.

Urgently you began to clean up your workspace, grabbing your things and shoving them aimlessly into your bag—until you heard sirens outside. Brows furrowed, you headed to the windows to see what the commotion was all about.

The sun was just setting, a sweet peach hue glazing the sky, hiding the deep navy edges of the night. In the golden light, you could see two police cars surrounding two motorcycles. They were parked, one of the supposed owners talking intensely to the officers while another simply sat on his bike, a cigarette tucked in between his lips.

Your lips scowled at the man who was smoking. You hated smokers. The man held his cigarette in one hand, pushing his sunglasses up with the other. He looked to the sky—eyes bored, searching for something.

His hair was jet black. Pin straight. Leather jacket tight around his slim frame.

His eyes met yours. They were brown. Round, beautiful eyes.

“Ouch” Your hand flew to your neck. A pain burning into your skin. Hands trembling as your heart rate quickened. Blinking you realized he was still looking. Hadn’t flinched, not even once. Your lungs grasped for air—breathing out, you suddenly felt a wave of comfort. Of ease.

It was like a warm hug had overtaken your senses. You felt safe. This stranger was in your proximity and every wall you had up came tumbling down.

They say you will just know.

The man abruptly got up from his bike, his eyes not leaving yours. You watched, stunned as he tossed out his cigarette and went running towards your building. Once he was out of your vision, you gasped—suddenly aware of how long you had been holding your breath.

The safety was replaced with a sense of dread. Something bitter in your throat. You were nauseous. You didn’t want to believe it. You hoped—prayed it wasn’t true.

“Ready to go, Y/n?” Behind you, Jungkook had returned. Backpack in hand, he handed you yours. Taking it from him sheepishly, you couldn’t hide the shock on your face. “Everything okay?”

“I..I just” You were at a loss for words. Your gut told you that the man—your soulmate—was coming up to see you. You had to wait. You had to know for sure. Maybe it wasn’t true. There was still a chance that—

The lab door flew open.

“You”

Your backpack fell to the floor.

Jungkook exchanged a confused look with you as the man shamelessly entered the lab, strutting past highly classified experiments and notes all to reach you. You saw him closer now. Inches away from you. He was shorter than Jungkook, but his eyes fascinated you like nothing else. He was wearing earrings, necklaces, rings on his small fingers. His lips were thick, lush and seemed incredibly soft. He smelled like smoke. Unhinged and raw. Expect you didn’t hate it. Not on him.

He cupped your face, his hands were cold against your burning skin. He searched your eyes. So familiar, so incredibly sweet, and yet you didn’t even know his name.

Time seemed to slow. Your heart was racing. He stood there, taking you in as if he was memorizing every detail of your face. You forgot about everything—the world around him seemed to fade. A blur in your vision except he was clear as day. He was real as anything. Dizzy—your head spun with questions—with doubt. You were nervous. Suddenly feeling vulnerable in the palm of this stranger.

His touch, while aggressive, was strangely soft. His demeanor was intimidating and yet you were confident you were in no danger.

He leaned in closer. Eyes widening as though he was asking a question. You had no answers. You had no thoughts. Your mind was completely blank, senses overwhelmed until you blinked

And his lips were on yours.

He kissed you. Tender. Gentle. Quick—but long enough for you to really feel him. The way his lips fit perfectly against yours. He tasted disgusting. Tobacco on his breath. You wanted more, but he pulled away.

“Hi” His face was serious, but his eyes seemed to be laughing. “Name’s Park Jimin”

Swallowing thickly, you parted your lips to speak but he kissed you again before you could. Not realizing your hands were bunched up against his shoulders, grabbing the collar of his jacket—pulling him to you. You sighed.

Jungkook cleared his throat in discomfort. You had completely forgotten he was waiting for you. You pushed Jimin away slightly, gathering yourself before looking at him again.

“Hi J..Jimin” You extended your hand awkwardly. He raised his eyebrows, amused at your behavior, “I’m Y/n L/n” He took your hand, turning it over before he placed a fleeting kiss on your wrist. You shivered—the gesture so intimate. “I’m so sorry I have to go I uh—” you motioned towards Jungkook. “Have plans”

Jimin let your hand go, turning to Jungkook. “Hey man” He nodded his head, “Nice glasses” He winked. Jungkook looked flustered but said nothing. Turning back to you, Jimin waved. “Great meeting you, soulmate”

Your heart sank. He said it. Which meant, he felt it too. Your fate was sealed. And as you watched him leave, you couldn’t help but question where the hell this man came from—who he was—and how in the world was he your soul mate?

-

“Park Jimin?”

The steaming bowl of noodles in front of you did little to distract your mind from the overwhelming encounter you had just minutes before. Jungkook sat in front of you, seemingly more bothered by the whole episode than you had expected. Jealously was not a great look on him. You watched dully as he typed away at his tablet.

“I was so surprised. I always thought you’d get matched with someone more…you know…” He paused, searching for the right words. You knew what he meant. Exactly what he was insinuating. You felt a glow in your chest knowing that Jungkook had probably thought the same of you as you did of him. However, you found it difficult to care. Jimin may not have been what you expected, but you knew what you felt. Without a doubt.

“Like you?” You picked at your food, poking your chopsticks against your noodles aimlessly.

Jungkook took a big bite, wiping his face before scrolling down the screen, “I feel obligated to look into this guy. He seemed sketchy. And you said he was in the middle of being arrested? And rode a motorcycle—I mean do people still even do that?”

You felt guilty about judging him. Guilty that you were trying to fit him into a predesignated category in your mind before you even got to know him. You didn’t want to look him up, although you knew everything would be available. Privacy was not something valued in the state anymore. Information was completely open source. Accessible.

“He’s a student, so that’s good at least” Jungkook muttered, chewing his food.

After a few moments of silence, he stroked his jaw in confliction. Eyes glued to the screen, he had clearly found something. “Oh, this makes absolutely no sense”

“What?” You tried to reach for his device but he pulled it out of your reach.

“Park Jimin is part of an anti-science vigilante group that believes the government is using the institution of science as a way to regulate the population as per their agenda”

“Okay,” You swallowed thickly, slightly taken aback by the news. “So he has beliefs that are different than mine. That’s okay”

Jungkook raised his eyebrows, “Anti-science? Y/n, this guy is the total opposite of you. And not in an, opposites attract, cute kind of way. In an inherent personal values kind of way. You’re a scientist for heaven’s sake!”

You exhaled steadily, setting down your chopsticks. “I know the compatibility formula inside and out. It’s never wrong. Our chips know us better than we know ourselves. I must trust it, Jungkook. It feels strange to me too, okay. I mean, Jimin smokes and I hate smoking. But if he’s my soulmate—I have to try. I have to make it work”

Defeated, Jungkook put away his tablet. “Just be careful okay. I know you believe in this, but science isn’t perfect. I’m just a little worried” His voice was quiet. “I had sort of always though you would be mine. So, I’m sorry if I’m being a little much today” His eyes diverted, looking hurt.

Your heart sank. People often dated before finding their soulmates. It wasn’t abnormal at all. A part of you wished you had never seen Jimin just so you could have had more time. More time in ignorant bliss. Admiring Jungkook for a while longer, even if it didn’t amount to anything.

“I understand. Trust me, I do. But I have a duty to my soulmate. I need to find him, and get to know him” You sighed, “The science is right. Dr. Kim Namjoon is right. I’ve seen it myself”

Jungkook nodded, shifting his weight. A bought of energy overtook him—ever reluctant to give up. “Will you just do me a favor? It’s for your own good, Y/n. You’re going to meet Dr. Kim at the conference in a few weeks, right? If you can, ask him to send the compatibility test results to you—just so you can know for sure. It can’t hurt”

-

“Where the hell did you run off to?”

Steadily making his way back to his bike, Jimin could make out Seokjin’s annoyed face in the dim light. He had roughly a few seconds to come up with an excuse. Jimin surely couldn’t tell him that he found his soulmate. Not unless he wanted an earful of Jin ranting about how fucked up the compatibility formula was, and how corrupt it is for people to be force matched into relationships against their free will.

Free will. All he had left to hold onto and yet, he didn’t feel in control lately. He felt numb. Lost in the haze of a double life where the secrets drowned him out into nothing. Law student by day, his nights were spent carrying out orders from the ambiguous resistance core. Fighting for justice through a system where he still had no say. Fighting corruption through a sense of servitude. It seemed all but ironic to him.

Frankly, the state had done him no ill. The death of his brother had forced him into the company of the resistance by association. His brother was an active member. He had surgically removed his bioregulatory chip and insisted Jimin do the same. “Don’t be a pawn in someone else’s game” He had said.

Jimin didn’t listen.

Surely being a pawn was better than being a king. Walking around with a target on your back. Jimin had no one else. The resistance took him in, offered to pay for school, so there he was. Seokjin by his side since it happened. 

For the first time since the death of his brother, Jimin felt something. Sure it had been years, and maybe he had moved on. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but feel curious. Exited even. Who were you? Why was it you? Whether the compatibility test—whether the concept of true love was real or not, he wanted to know you.

“I uh, had to talk to one of my professors” The lie came easy to him. In a way he was protecting you already. If they knew he had been matched with a citizen, you’d be on their radar. Who knows what they might do to you? To make matters worse, you were a scientist. The resistance didn’t believe in science. Science was simply a tool to further the state’s agenda.

Which made you the enemy.

Jimin didn’t trust the resistance the least bit more than the state. Caught between two flawed systems, Jimin was barely staying afloat.

Seokjin eyed him skeptically. “I still think you should consider dropping out, Jimin. Seriously, all they will do here is plague your mind with a false history of thought. You can learn anything you need through the resistance”

Jimin rolled his eyes, kicking his leg over his bike. Shaking his head, he lifted his helmet on, glancing back up towards the window where he wondered if you still were. He wondered if you were a key. Something that would save him from his mess of influence he was in. His mother had only ever wanted one thing—that he finish college. He hated school, but he did it for her.

“Say, what does the resistance think about compatibility science?”

-

Eyes dry, drained from a day of emotions, you stared at your computer. The clock hit midnight. Tucked in bed, you were robbed of sleep, wanting nothing more than to find the mysterious Park Jimin. To know him, truly, before you let Jungkook’s words create ideas in your head.

His profile wide on your screen, school picture staring back at you. He was hopelessly handsome. Almost ethereal with those pretty eyes. You recalled how his lips felt against your, tracing your own at the thought. You craved the smokey taste of him—the taste you thought you would loathe.

The video call button under your cursor. You wouldn’t dare—you were too nervous. Nervous that Jungkook may be right, and you would find out that this man stands against everything you do. Everything you work for.

But you simply had to know.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you took a deep breath, clicking the call button. The soft ringing tone made you jump—as you waited for him to answer or ignore your call.

The ringing stopped.

Your heart with it.

And there he was. Tired, makeup off, revealing the dark circles under his troubled eyes. His room was dimly lit. He appeared to be sitting at a desk, in nothing but a white T-shirt. His muscles prominent even through the screen.

“Hi you” He grinned lazily. An easy, teasing smile. The type of smile that made you want to kiss him long and hard. “Miss me already?”

Throat tight, you were suddenly at a loss for words. A million questions in your mind, now knowing where to begin.

“Jimin—hi” You waved sheepishly at the camera, “I hope I’m not bothering you, I know it’s late”

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair, “Whatever,” You noticed that he kicked his legs up on the desk. Something inside of you felt queasy. It drove you crazy when people behaved like that—disrespecting their workspace. “Just doing some homework”

You exhaled in relief. “Right, so you’re a student?” He rolled his eyes.

“Duh. I met you on campus didn’t I?” Sighing, he reached for something. You watched as he brought a bottle to his lips. Energy drinks. Your hands curled into fists. Doesn’t he realize how unhealthy those are? “I study law”

“That’s cool” You couldn’t hide the disinterest in your voice. You had never really resonated with social sciences, being a science lover from as early as you can remember. The most reading you did was the romance novels that were hidden in your closet. You dreaded conversations about politics. Ethics. Law.

“No,” He chuckled, “It’s not. But aren’t you little miss impressive, doctor Y/n?”

You blushed, “I’m not a doctor.” Pausing, you added, “Yet”

“Biochemistry” Jimin took out his phone, clearly reading off your profile. You hated the way your ego inflated with the way Jimin sounded genuinely impressed.

“So you’re really familiar with all this soulmate crap huh?”

The feeling was short-lived. Your lips pursed. Soulmate crap. “Yeah, I guess”

“Do you think it’s real?” Tossing his phone aside, he suddenly leaned very close to the camera. Voice dropping to a low, teasing whisper, “The soulmate stuff—is it really love?”

“I do think it’s real” Your voice wavered slightly, but you were determined to stand your ground. You had been trained to deal with skeptics and if this man was your soulmate you were determined to make sure he believed it too. “I realize that it can be complicated to understand, but it’s a way to ensure high quality of life in the long run”

“Being told who to love is high quality?” Jimin taunted.

You frowned. A part of you recognize he was egging you on. You were determined not to let him get to you. “You don’t even know me. Don’t decide I’m not worth it without at least doing that”

Satisfied with your response, you relished at how Jimin’s face hardened. It wasn’t entirely uncommon for people to doubt the system. In fact, you always felt it helped hold scientists like yourself accountable to the general good. But Jimin’s doubts almost hurt. His reluctance to believe in what you dedicated your life to. Maybe Jungkook was right. Maybe this really couldn’t work.

“It isn’t personal. I just don’t buy into a chip in my back telling me what to think”

Surely, it was personal. Surely Jimin felt the same as you—that you weren’t what he wanted. He seemed unwilling to compromise, unwilling to budge. Exhaustion flooded your senses. You wanted to scream.

“Then forget it!” You snapped suddenly, slamming your computer shut. A tear rolled down your cheek, which you quickly wiped away. After a few deep breaths, you opened your screen back up. Jimin had tried calling you back.

I’m sorry

I do wanna know you, Y/n

Why don’t we try hanging out? I’ll come to your lab tomorrow after your shift.

That night, you dreamt of Jungkook. What it might have been like, being the soulmate of someone so handsome, smart, and sweet. Instead of someone who was bound to drive you crazy.

-

“Y/n” The voice of your PI, Jung Hoseok, boomed through the lab. It had been a busy day, with the important conference coming up, Hoseok was insistent that the first series of trials be complete before then. You and Jungkook had been working to the bone. “You need to redo these samples. Stay after tonight and get them done”

You groaned, setting your pipet down. Jungkook gave you a sympathetic look.

“I can’t tonight,” You spoke up, which was unlike you. But things were different now—you had a soulmate. You had to spend time with him. “I have plans”

Hoseok stomped over, towering over you. “Excuse me?”

You and Jungkook would sometimes gossip about whether you thought Hoseok had passed the cognitive-sexual threshold yet. Whether he had been matched to a soulmate, or if perhaps he would be one of the few who would never be matched.

He was so uptight, the two of you liked to joke that he’d end up alone. You always did wonder what happened to those people.

“I said, I can’t. I’ll come in early tomorrow and get them done, I promise. But I have to be somewhere tonight”

Hoseok’s jaw tightened. “Since when do you have a social life, Y/n? Ever heard of priorities? If you don’t stay back tonight and finish, you’re not coming to the conference. It’s as simple as that”

You sighed in defeat. You needed to go to that conference. Dr. Kim Namjoon, your idol and inspiration, was going to be giving a presentation. It was a great opportunity to network and see if you might be able to go work for him after you finish your degree. And Hoseok knew how bad you wanted to go.

Not to mention, you wanted a copy of your compatibility results.

“Fine”

He grinned in satisfaction, “Good”

Groaning, you returned to your pipetting. Jungkook nudged you lightly with his elbow.

“That was so manipulative” He commented, “You okay?”

Nodding, you rolled your eyes, “Yeah, I just had plans to meet Jimin tonight. But he’ll understand”

“Will he?” Jungkook muttered. You gave him a look. You had told him all about the previous night, which only affirmed his preconceived notions that Jimin was no good. That your soulmate was a doomed case. In a way you were grateful he was continuing to be your friend despite not being a viable soulmate for him. You needed support. You had a feeling this new relationship was going to be rough. “If you want me to stay back and help you, I’m happy to”

You shook your head, “No, don’t worry I got it.”

-

Jimin paced around the lobby nervously, watching as the whitecoats scurried about. He felt extremely out of place, his skinny jeans, chains and leather jacket contrasting the plain and simple dressed around him. He seriously wondered if these people had personalities, or if they were truly robotic like Seokjin liked to try to convince him they were.  

If he recalled correctly, you should have been leaving around sundown, and it was almost dark. Jimin had half a mind to go up and see where you were, but he didn’t want to deal with your big nerdy glasses-wearing, jealous friend.

Fuck it. An alarm in his chest went off. What if you were in some kind of trouble? You didn’t seem like the type of person who would be flaky and forget a date. He rushed to the elevators.

“Text me if you need anything okay Y/n!” The nerdy guy’s voice echoed as the doors of the elevator opened. Jimin stared him down as he crossed him in the hall.

“Hey glasses boy” He called. “Is Y/n in there?”

The boy gave him an unimpressed look, folding his arms over his chest. Jimin bit back a laugh.

“My name is Jungkook, I’m her lab partner. She had to work late today. Don’t bother her”

Jimin raised his eyebrows, “Jealous much?”

Jungkook pouted. “Look, she knows who you are Park Jimin. She knows about the vigilante group”

Jimin scoffed, “Vigilante group? God you’re all such fucking geeks. It’s called the resistance”

“Whatever it is, she knows. You’re dangerous, and I’m onto you—got it?” Jungkook peered at Jimin, making sure to emphasize their height difference. Jimin backed away, hands up in defeat.

“Yeah alright glasses, I got you”

Jungkook huffed, entering the elevator. Jimin watched him leave before rolling his eyes. Jealously looked so pathetic on some people, it was honestly laughable. He made his way to your lab, knocking lightly on the door. He watched as you were immersed in focus, carefully pipetting something.

“Hey you”

You looked up, eyes widening when you saw him. “Oh my god” You glanced at your watch, “Oh no! I totally lost track of time—my PI said I had to redo a whole set and stay after but I was trying to work quickly so I could still make it but—” Jimin walked over to you, resting his hand on your shoulder.

“Relax doctor. You’re so tense”

“Y-you cannot be in here without PPE”

Jimin tilted his head in confusion, “I already peed earlier?”

You blinked at him incredulously. “No—gosh, no, you need to wear a lab coat. Goggles. Gloves.”

He shrugged, taking a seat next to you. “I won’t touch anything. I’m just watching”

You pursed your lips. You tended to be a bit uptight about certain protocols. A generally unorganized individual, you had experienced one too many accidents in the lab to not take safety seriously. “It’s not just about you contaminating the samples, it’s also about your safety. If a solution were to spill you could get burned or infected or—”

“Alright!” Jimin laughed, pinching your cheek. He gazed into your stressed eyes. “I’ll wear your stupid PPE”

He wandered over to the storage closet, grabbing the materials. You watched him, the coat was far too big for him, and the goggles looked almost silly on his face. Returning to your side, he pulled the chair up close so that he could rest his head on your shoulder as you worked.

“You mind if I just stay and watch?”

“N-no. That’s fine”

Jimin smiled. You became increasingly aware of his breath tickling your cheek as you worked. Hands trembling ever so slightly. His proximity made you dizzy. Today he didn’t smell like cigarettes. He smelt addictive. Dark. Like the wild.

You glanced over at him, wanting to see if he was finding your work interesting but were started when you realized he was looking at you. Flinching, you backed away from him.

He hummed, a light laugh. “You’re cute”

You looked down, unable to meet his eyes. “Thanks, I guess” He watched as you returned to your work, unphased by his words. Your dedication was admirable, he couldn’t deny that. He also couldn’t deny he was bored out of his mind. He supposed he could talk to you in the meanwhile.

“Your lab partner. How long has that been going on? Clearly likes you”

“Jungkook? He doesn’t like me, we’re just very close” He could hear you lying through your teeth. The speed of your voice picked up ever so slightly, and your fingers tightened.

“Sure, okay.” Jimin moved closer to your face, whispering against your ear, “He told me you think I’m dangerous…Do you?”

“I don’t know you at all, so it’s hard to tell. But considering you’re in a gang, I suppose it’s a reasonable hypothesis”

Jimin grinned, “Well if you have any questions about it, I’m an open book baby”

You set down your pipet, peeling off your gloves. “I’m done” You announced, shrugging off your lab coat. “Give me your lab coat” Turning to him, you waited expectantly.

“Help me take it off” He teased. You rolled your eyes, grabbing the sleeve of his coat and tugging it down. Once you managed to get it off of him, he pulled you into his lap.

“Jimin” You exhaled. The bunched-up fabric separating you from his chest. His eyes spoke to you. Beckoned you—tempted you. As if they were daring to see what you would do.

He grabbed the coats from your hands, tossing them aside. Hands on the small of your back he pulled you in closer until your hips were locked against his. Gently he slid your goggles off and then his own, tracing your cheek with his thumb.

“Do I scare you, doctor?”

You turned your face away. “No, of course not” He pulled you face back towards him, lips melting against yours. This time, longer. Less fireworks and more comfort. You realize he was trying to give you a sense of ease. 

“I don’t hurt people. At least not people who don’t deserve it”

“How would you know who deserves to get hurt?”

Jimin’s eyes flashed. He enjoyed being challenged. “How would some scientists know who we love?”

“I don’t know if I can get past this” You whispered, “You hate what I do”

“I don’t”

“And I hate what you do”

Jimin sighed, caressing your hips. “If you don’t want to see me, you don’t have to Y/n. We still have free will. They haven’t taken that from us. Yet, anyway”

You shook your head. “It’s not wrong. If you’re my soulmate, I believe with every fiber of my body that it’s true. So yeah, we’re clearly different. And it might be hard but, I’m going to find a way to love you. I have to”

“And how exactly do you plan on doing that when you’ve already decided who I am”

The words weighed heavy in the tense air. He watched as you considered his statement, that genius little head of yours whirring at what to say next. You looked at him with such earnest guilt, Jimin wanted to kiss you again just for that. His fingers trailed up and down you back. He was warm today. You felt incredibly safe in his hold.

You let your arms slide around him, hugging him to you. Your face against his neck, lips pressed against his jugular. It was so incredibly intimate. Such a delicate moment. For a second you almost began to believe you could fall in love this man.

You rose to look at him. His lips grazed over yours, breathing you in. Pressing against yours, pushing and pulling ever so sweetly. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Heat enveloped your body, like every sense in you came to life all at once.

His fingers wrapping around the back of your neck, pulling you impossibly close. “You taste so fucking sweet doctor” His voice was raspy, breathless. You trembled realizing just how taken he was by you.

“Jimin—wait” You inhaled sharply, pulling away before Jimin could swallow you into another kiss. Jimin steadied himself, tracing your lips while he caught his breath.

“This has been fun, doctor” He winked, nipping at your cheek one last time. Pushing you off him, he stood up, “Would you like a ride home?”

You stared at him in disbelief. “O-on your bike? I don’t know if that would be very safe—I’m not exactly comfortable with—” Jimin grabbed your wrist, pulling you chest to chest.

“I’m not gonna let you fall” You believed the words when he said them. “You wanna know me right? Well that bike is a part of who I am. Don’t knock it till you try it”

The next thing you knew he was placing a helmet over your head. Guiding you to sit on the bike before he sat behind you. His arms hovering over yours, caging you in as he gripped the handles. His chest to your back, thighs keeping you steady.

“Ready doc?”

You stared at the road ahead. It was pitch black. Anxiety danced in your gut.

“Okay” You had to trust him. He was your soulmate after all.

He took off, the engine whirring. Suddenly you were flying through the horizon. Heart beating fast as your surroundings blurred past you. In fear your hands gripped Jimin’s over the handle, steadying yourself.

You couldn’t hear anything but swore you could feel him laugh. He kissed the back of your shoulder before speeding up even more. You focused on the sensation of him—the fact that he was there, he was in control—therefore you would be okay.

You felt like laughing. A big smile on your face as you began to enjoy the rush of adrenaline as Jimin raced through the winding roads. It was exciting, the start of a new adventure. A new person who you had all the time in the world to explore. To understand his quirks, his persona, his story.

It wasn’t love, yet.

But it sure as hell could be.

When you woke up the next morning, your phone was blowing up. Hoseok had left you many messages.

Y/n—what the fuck happened

All of our data is gone—the classified trials, everything

Call me ASAP

full masterlist || ask box || series masterlist | part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

a/n: thank you for reading <3 this is new territory for me so please let me know your thoughts! if you'd like to be added to the tag list, you can reply, send an ask or dm me :) have a beautiful day you beautiful human <3

#jimin x reader #bts jimin fic #park jimin #jimin fic recs #park jimin x reader #park jimin smut #jimin scenarios #jimin smut #jungkook x reader #jungkook fic recs #jungkook fics #bts soulmate au #jeon jungkook x reader #bts fanfic #bts fic recs #jeon jungkook #jimin fics #bts scenarios #jungkook scenarios #bts gang au #jimin fluff #jungkook fluff #jimin angst #jimin fanfic #jimin fic #jimin fic rec #jungkook fic rec #jimin masterlist #bts fanfiction #jungkook smut

[zstraps]

i love the parallel between the halting way that izzy says “i have….love. for you” and the same way auntie says “good….job”. words that feel unfamiliar in their mouths, but necessary enough that they force them out through the discomfort.

AND. and. how different a response they get. ed’s “oh, come on” vs. zheng’s wide-eyed “thank you”. zheng looks so young in that moment, while ed has never looked more bitter and world-weary. and there’s a whole host of reasons that’s the case, there’s so much to dig into with the parallels between these two relationships, but the one that feels most important to me here is that auntie has no impetus to say it besides olu’s gentle encouragement. meanwhile izzy resists softness until he can’t anymore, until ed is at his lowest point or at least close to it. he tries softness when he’s backed into a corner and nothing else he’s tried has worked—is it any wonder it feels insincere to ed?

it’s the difference between need and want, between acting out of fear and acting out of love. holding out a hand because you need to, because you feel the relationship disintegrating under your feet and you’re trying desperately to grab onto something in order to keep it as it was; versus standing on stable ground and reaching out because you see the chance to build the relationship into something better.

#ofmd #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd meta #z.op

[ronearoundblindly]

best friend Ari and Reader! I LOVE THEM.😌❤️

But I wonder why reader is single most of the time😢 it's hard NOT to like her...

and I'm thinking, is it because of Ari? Maybe a couple of weeks after they get together, ari went to a bar with her (a real date as bf and gf?)and someone reader used to date came up to chat with her and said something like "I'm glad you are finally together" "I knew it was the two of you when you see him and your eyes light up and vice versa"

*sing-songs* I have no chill.... (see series)

Ah, the blorbo-force is too strong with this one and I think you've created a whole new series! Whoopsy 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm gonna do this as a history and then after you two are together, so it's a bit disjointed (smut will be separate). Just a bit of angst (mild language) and more fluff. WC 1.8k (what is there like a magic range of stuff I write fast?? weird.)

Ten years ago, you met Philip through a mutual friend. He was a nice, military-minded (and enlisted), simple man who shyly asked you out. He had long-term goals similar to yours. It seemed like a good match, but there was always deployment looming over both of your heads.

Over the couple of months you dated before he first went overseas, Philip took you out with some of his service buddies, and you met Ari.

Ari was a flirt and a bit of a douche at that time, a big bear of a man with a huge heart and an even bigger libido. It was pretty amusing to watch, actually, because you had the outsider's view of knowing he was perfectly respectful to you--his friend's girl--versus his playboy behavior toward others.

Philip got deployed a few weeks after you first met Ari.

You were all nerves and no ground wire, grasping for a rational answer to 'what happens next' without a chance of knowing, so you went to familiar places like Philip's regular bar. All the guys who hadn't been deployed were still there, and so was Ari.

Again, even without Philip there, Ari was friendly and totally respectful of you. You were basically one of the guys. You rubbed Ari's back when he puked in the parking lot after a shot contest one night. He regularly spoke about his 'relationships,' if that many one-ish-night stands count, and you'd politely give your perspective. Ari seemed to appreciate that.

He invited you out to group things every so often and drove you around--like Philip offered when he was around. Ari's not a very patient man, so he complained the entire time, asking why you didn't have a car. You were honest that you wanted certain things in life and that they would require saving as much money as possible. You don't mind the time spent on public transport because the cost of your own vehicle would be too high. Ari's version of that same concept was to spend as close to zero dollars on housing as possible because, just like all the boys, deployment was always right on the horizon.

Philip returned a different man.

You knew it. Ari knew it. No one really said a damn thing.

Philip just slowly evaporated from your life, transferring to a different base another few months after his homecoming, and it ended up being Ari who told you he was gone.

Because Ari kept up with you. He was your best friend as well as the lifeline to the future you thought you'd have.

Then Ari was deployed.

You wrote some letters with as much detail as you could think of--down to the stupidest little changes at your local bar and about any potential boyfriends you'd met--until Ari came back.

He was gone again within a week, and he could never tell you where he was.

So you see, Ari changed a lot over the ten years you've known him, but he never became a different person. Some of his more ridiculous qualities were weeded out or simply lessened like he's still a flirt but he's not a fuckboi anymore; and you've changed, too.

You used to be so desperate to align that perfect future that you stayed in shitty relationships even after you could tell it wasn't right. Now you refuse to settle. Having a family is only worth having with the right man, and it becomes crystal clear pretty quickly when a guy is not the right man.

By the time you might have considered Ari a romantic option, he was gone, and then you always expected he might return like Philip. Only after he retired from the military could you tell how his personality had truly changed. He'd always be your best friend though, and you would always be there as his. Beyond that, why rock the boat? It was too important to hold on to the steady relationship you had. You simply didn't see anything but a friend.

It's hot as hell on the roof.

Ari fleetingly misses the desert compared to this stovetop beneath him, but he keeps going, only listening to pieces of the other men's conversation.

They're yammering on about what's great about so-and-so's wife and why whoever's latest girl walked out.

Ari's just sweating and trying to finish the day. Each day working construction convinces him that that first, cold beer afterward is the closest he'll get to heaven.

The guy beside him starts describing his perfect woman, and Ari absently says, "sounds like my friend."

"Really?" The hammering pauses. "Think you could introduce me."

He has no idea why, but Ari shakes his head, hard hat slipping a fraction of an inch against his slick forehead.

"Taken," he mutters.

"Shame," the guy grumbles.

But you're not. Ari knows you aren't seeing anyone, and he still said no. If he considers it, his coworker is not someone he'd set you up with anyway. He didn't have that thought before answering though.

You're in a great mood on the drive to the bar.

The music's turned up so loud that Ari is physically leaning toward the cracked open window to dampen the sound, but you're drumming on his dashboard and unabashedly singing at the top of your lungs.

He hated this song when it first debuted, but you've whittled him down. He doesn't like it; he just tolerates it and thinks of you whenever it plays in public somewhere else. His radio station would never play this.

Today though, today you got a promotion, a promotion which Ari had to argue with you to apply for--"I'm not leaving until you see sense, woman," he'd shrieked, holding your front door shut so you couldn't kick him out--and as a bonus, you get control of the music plus your first two drinks on him.

Right before the last refrain, you scoot across the bench seat of his truck and move the drumming to the steering and his outstretched arm, and...and...

Ari smiles just like he normally would, but his usual amusement snowballs into something overwhelming. The pressure pushes against the inside of his chest and makes him feel heavy.

It's hard to breathe even while the wind whips his face, and even though he's watching the road again he just sees your face. He struggles for the few minutes it takes to pull into his usual spot in the dirt lot, and only when he too harshly slams on the break to park does it hit him.

Ari's in love with his best friend.

Fuck.

About two weeks later, Ari drives by a house, and he's hit with this thought. It's so clear to him, this life he suddenly considers having with you, that he has to pull over and stare from the sidewalk.

He does not have the balls to tell you how he feels. Too much could change. Too much could go wrong. One thing he does know, however, is that you've always wanted the life he never truly considered before, so you should see this.

He knows you. You'll want this house. Somewhere swirling in that pressure rooted in his chest is also the hope that you'll want that life with him.

Um. So this isn't the house he thought you'd go for originally, but he meant it when he promised to help. This isn't the time he thought would be right to tell you either, but there's something so stupidly domestic about working on the house together, and something so frustratingly intimate about your hands on him--even in a perfectly reasonable, friendly way--that makes Ari crack open and lunge for you.

In Ari's defense...ahhh, screw it, he just wants you.

It's all still new. Between you working, and him working, and the both of you working on your house, this is actually the first time back at your usual haunt since...something changed.

Ari's taking it easy on affection, indirectly touching you by draping his arm over the back of your chair, angling toward you to listen whenever you say something. It's possible that for anyone else, you two still look like best friends having a drink.

In fact, it's obvious that nobody notices because the other two men sitting around the table haven't said a thing, and they are not subtle dudes.

Randomly, José leans across the table and crooks a finger to make you come closer.

"Hey, if you're interested," he whispers very loudly, "my cousin moved back into town recently, and I think you two would have fun."

"Um," you say at the speed of molasses, settling back into your seat so that Ari's forearm lays clear across your shoulder blades. You glance at him, not knowing whether it's okay to tell the others what's happened.

His face is blank, perfectly schooled with military precision, but Ari's eyes are brilliant blue and sincere. You feel his thumb lift from the chair to your arm.

It's up to you. It's your call. Always so respectful.

"So...I don't think..." You glance at Ari again and hold his gaze this time. The rest of his hand wraps around your arm before he slides it over to the base of your neck.

He shuffles nearer and plants a kiss on your temple, muttering, "here it comes."

José and Dimitri explode.

"Fucking FINALLY!"

"You have got to be kidding me!"

You're confused and a little defensive. "What?!"

"I fucking knew it. Bro, I told you."

Ari straightens slightly and holds up his free hand. "Wait a minute, Dim-tree. That was like five years ago."

And he'd meant it then; you were just friends. You aren't even the same people as five years ago, not entirely.

Dimitri punches José's shoulder. "Drinks are on you, loser." He's cackling, exaggerating a laugh directly in his buddy's ear.

Your hand slaps the table to get their attention. "Did you two bet on this?"

The idiots look stunned for a split second.

"To be fair, the over-under was on three months," José says.

"And we just assumed we both lost," Dimitri adds, grinning, "until NOW!"

Ari's chuckling, too, focused down at his nearly empty beer glass, letting his hand sweep back and forth across the strap of your tank top.

While the other two bicker more about the agreed prize, Ari leans back over to your cheek again.

"I'm glad though." He pecks right beside your ear. "I'd rather it be right than have screwed this up back then."

He's right. You waited and you're both better for it, better for yourselves and better for each other.

You do sorta wish the two idiots hadn't seen it before you though. That stings.

Oh well.

You turn your head and kiss your boyfriend in public for the first time, but the most wonderful part--the thing that hasn't changed--is that you're still seated by your best friend.

Tell me why I cried at the end of this? What the hell? What have I started???

[Next Part; Bedrock and Blueprints Masterlist]

The two blurbs that I have written so far are linked in their chronological order, but you can also find them under Ari on my Masterlist.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you're enjoying this so far!

#ari levinson fanfiction #ari levison x reader #ari levinson x you #ari levinson angst #ari levinson imagine #ari levinson x female reader #ari levinson fluff #fluff and feels #fluff and romance

[dangermousie]

Some musings on Minglan families

I don’t know why this came to mind but I guess I am always ready to talk about the Story of Minglan. I was just thinking about how the (differing but believable) awfulness of the families of the three main characters - Minglan, Gu Tingye, Qi Heng - has shaped them and the whole damage can be overcome but it permanently affects who you and there is never a clear moment of catharsis that would be narratively satisfying but unlikely in real life.

Out of the three, Gu Tingye’s family is definitely the most textbook abusive. I still remember the scene where the Dowager Empress is angry at something and orders Tingye beaten and he removes his shirt and the old lady, tough as nails and not a fan of Tingye, freaks at the sight of his horrifically scarred back and withdraws her punishment. The thing that really strikes me about that whole set up is how realistic it is that the old Marquis has spent his whole life angry that he was cowardly/greedy and put aside the wife he liked to marry Tingye’s rich but socially inferior mother and unable to cope with what this makes him has instead chosen to displace all his rage on the visible product of that union. The thing that is so maddening watching the scenes early on is not the beatings; it’s the constant gaslighting of Tingye - a supremely competent and functional and decent person that he deserves to be constantly abused that he is constantly in the wrong; anything he does however normal and even praiseworthy is somehow twisted as deserving punishment. The sheer frustration of no rational argument being possible is suffocating. The golden child (with Tingye’s half brother) versus scapegoat (with Tingye himself) dynamic is a little too on the nose - the scene where the old man solicitously fusses over his oldest son as Tingye is getting beaten in the background is something else. 

And there is never any “I am sorry I was wrong” moment from the old man. Tingye wants understanding and some hint, however small, that the old man actually cares and he never gets it. The old man dies, everything unresolved and his family drives him out. But in a way, that is his liberation - with his father dead and the rest of the family making clear how they loathe him and always will - he is free to make his own way and he does. Even when he comes back years later and has to put up with the clan for appearances’ sake, emotionally he is utterly free from them. His emotional investment died with the old man, and he is too powerful for them to torment him now. Oh, they try to sneakily cause trouble, but he is in clearsighted position of power so they can’t do much. And significantly, Tingye’s happy ending is almost utterly bereft of his birth family - a large chunk of them are dead or exiled. The amazing symbolism when his horrific stepmother (herself in so many ways a victim of that shark pit) sets that House of Horrors on fire and Tingye’s ancestral hall burns down to the ground is stark. They rebuild but now it’s free of all the shadows of past abuse; it’s rebuilt by Tingye who now has the family he chose himself - Minglan, their baby, Tingye’s daughter, his one normal half-brother and his niece. I love so much there is no grand familial reconciliation as there is nothing to salvage. 

It’s actually a mirror to Minglan’s happy ending, isn’t it? Because for Minglan, the happy ending is similar. Her happiness is found in the family she’s made with Tingye and in a relationship with her grandma and decent siblings - Changbai and Rulan. You see her chummy with her father (about who more below) and you realize that the reason she can be like this with him because she has not only ceased to expect anything from him (she ceased long ago) but also because she has filled the lack of love from him by love she has made in her new family. The Shens are not textbook abusive the way Gus were but in a way they damaged Minglan even more than his house of horrors damaged Tingye. (side note - they are based on novels by the same author; but in terms of adaptations I much prefer how Minglan handled abusive families than LLTG did where with the mom they wanted to have their cake and eat it too.) Papa Shen never used Minglan as a scapegoat and her “official” mother while not fond of her, didn’t particularly hunt her. But Minglan is so scarred because she grew up realizing that the whole world as far as she is concerned (because as a woman, the household is her whole world) is controlled by a man who can never be relied on, who puts his own comfort above anything, who can never truly love or protect. In the first episode, we see her mother dying in childbirth and the only person who tries to help is Tingye, who is not only himself a child at the time, but a stranger. Papa Shen is so realistic - all he wants is his comfort, he is incapable of love (monster Marquis Gu loved his oldest son at least, I do not think Papa Shen can love anyone at all.) Look how he has his supposed beloved concubine beaten and taken out and not for anything but making him be humiliated and because he realized she never cared for him. (The reason he has an excellent relationship with Minglan at the end is because this is exactly the kind of relationship he craves - his daughter is successfully married to the emperor’s favorite and does not ask anything from him to boot. He does not even realize there can be anything more.) What it does to a child, especially a girl child in that society, to grow up with this as a parent is so apparent in Minglan.

She is incredibly self-sufficient, incredibly good at masking and acting the way her companions want to, and her emotions are so completely locked up. In a way, their different reactions to trauma have to do with gender - Tingye reacts to the appalling lack of love from those who should love him by going out in the wide world and looking desperately for someone, anyone to love him. That is why he gets involved with Manniang after all - he wants a family to replace the one he does not in any meaningful way have. But Minglan is a woman, she cannot do that. She cannot go looking for love or to leave home and make her own to her liking or anything. She is like a plant - stuck where she is, incapable of moving by herself. Since she cannot go looking for love (the one time she sort of tried, with Qi Heng, we saw how it ended), all she can do is make herself believe and feel she does not need love. 

Gu Tingye tries so hard and so long to win her love and her trust and she fights him so hard but the reason he feels free to do so, to throw his heart at her feet is not just his own reaction to his trauma versus her reaction to hers - it’s because he’s a man, he’s also socially higher. He can do so. He can do so and choose wrongly and survive (see Manniang.) She cannot, this is her very life. One of the things I love so much is that the more she is with Tingye, the more she feels free to show her sharp edges because it means she feels not just loved/love (that is cheap in her world), but safe and accepted. She does not have to be a perfect patterncard, a living doll, making others’ comfort her number one priority. When at the end, she reunites with Tingye and she is cursing him, spitting at him, hugging him, and kissing him all at once, that is the freest she’s ever been and it’s the biggest testament to how much he’s earned not just her love but her true self. 

But OK, where does Qi Heng come in all of this? He’s a man, he’s the only son of a Duke, he’s pampered. What is wrong with his family, you may ask. Some. His mother (his father does whatever his mother wants) is the one who murders his servant (his close confidant), who has set out a path for Qi Heng to follow. It’s not abuse, not really, but it’s not really seeing him as a person either, is it? But the thing that really strikes him about him is not his birth family. It’s his first marriage family. Because with Qi Heng, The Story of Minglan touches on something that is rarely seen in dramas or other period narratives, how class trumps gender. Qi Heng is placed in a position we almost never see male characters placed in, the role beautiful women are usually placed. A powerful prince’s daughter sees him and wants him. Qi Heng is a man and an aristocrat and a scholar. But he has no power in this situation - he’s a pretty toy a spoiled woman wants and a spoiled woman gets because in that society, what matters is power. He is placed exactly in a situation we see beautiful women placed in these stories - he does not want to marry her, he refuses, but he has no choice. He threatens suicide (once again, a female-coded action) but cannot even be allowed that as his family is threatened. So he’s taken in marriage against his volition and under threat solely for his looks and treated as a thing to play with and to be humiliated by his position and by his wife who looks down on him and controls him. I find it so interesting and telling that in a lengthy 73 episode drama we get not a single shot of his reaction to the fact that his wife and his in-laws get massacred in a coup. None. In fact, we never ever get a single reference by him to that marriage EVER for the whole subsequent runtime, he just stuffs it in a corner in his mind and that’s that. Which is actually in itself a trauma response. But the thing that is noteworthy that he is a character who started with essays that lack strength of character, a person who loses Minglan because he cannot steel himself to do outrageous things the way Tingye can, but he ends the story a man who will face down the emperor for Tingye, a man he doesn’t even like by then (see Minglan situation.) Trauma made him grow up because as with Minglan and Tingye, if it will not break you, it will make you willing to fight because you’ve already faced down horrors and survived. (And that is why I am happy he gets his own happy ending with his own wife - this drama is ultimately very kind.)

#cdrama #meta #the story of minglan

[bigskydreaming]

Re: Alfred, does he think of HIMSELF as family/parent? I find it interesting because it reminds me of nanny dynamics where the employers/rich family THINK they have a super intimate and “like family” relationship, but really they ignore/downplay the fact that it’s a job for the employee. Which isn’t to say that it isn’t inherently intimate to do that type of caregiving, but I wonder for Alfred if he always has to remind Bruce/Dick/himself that he’s collecting a paycheck at the end of the month.

It depends on the writer. Like he definitely HAS expressed - explicitly - that he sees himself as Dick's other parent, even to the point of making Dick the recipient of his own will, but I hesitate to play into that one too much as pretty much the only one to go to that level of explicitness was Taylor, A Known Panderer, and like. The sincerity/genuineness wasn't there for me. On the writing's part, not Alfred's.

But for the most part I DO fall on the side of Alfred does seem himself as family more than employee - I think there is a degree of, hmm, not wish fulfillment per se but willfullness perhaps, in writers writing the most famous employee in comics as part of the billionaire family rather than examine the optics of the very different positions Alfred operates from versus the members of the Wayne family. I think there are extenuating elements, such as the fact that Alfred was written from pretty early on as having been friends with Thomas Wayne to the extent that he was made the executor of Thomas' estate....so even as he raised Bruce, who was Thomas' actual heir, he had a great deal of control and influence over the Wayne resources rather than being subject to them as would be the case in most real world parallels....

So ultimately, I do think it would be disingenuous to look at what we have in the text in most cases and interpret it as Alfred having more distance from the family than the family has from him, and ultimately just perceiving his position as a job. What distance Alfred admittedly DOES put between himself and Bruce and his children has more to do with just his personality and his adherence to a certain degree of aloofness as a way of maintaining some control in the chaos of his life and the general....Waynes Being Waynes of it all.

His influence within the family is pretty much unmatched though, and you can see hallmarks of how he raised Bruce in how Bruce interacts with his own children, even as we can also see in a lot of instances how Alfred regrets elements of how he raised Bruce and so makes a point to be different with the kids. But I think both Bruce and Alfred have such complicated relationships with their honest emotions and each other that Alfred never figured out how to express to Bruce that he regretted how he raised him for fear it would come across as Alfred saying he regretted raising him, full stop.

Its interesting though - there have definitely been times when Bruce has leaned on Alfred's 'employee nature' to get him to back off when Bruce feels particularly threatened by points Alfred is making and the emotional influence they're both aware of him wielding over Bruce - which always made it a possibility that Bruce would cave on any of these points - so there have been various not awesome story beats where BRUCE is the one to express some idea that Alfred is just the help and should know his place.....but Alfred usually is written as only backing down there when he wants to. As in, there are times when all he has to do is raise an artfully British eyebrow to evoke to Bruce that he knows exactly what Bruce is doing there, and he is Not Impressed and simply will NOT be backing down, thanks ever so much.

But then there are other times when its like Alfred 'takes the hint' or whatever and does cede to Bruce's man of the house bullshit - BUT in almost all those cases, I would argue that its not because Alfred really fears repercussions of standing his ground with Bruce, its more that Bruce going this route enables Alfred to back down and not push things more than he wanted to begin with.....like I mentioned in that other post's tags, unfortunately we don't talk enough about how Alfred likes to pull the ripcord out of especially tenuous situations within the Wayne family dynamic. Because ultimately I think he's just not really comfortable picking a side other than the son he directly raised all on his own - the one who is pretty much solely a product of his own upbringing and his direct responsibility, whereas the kids are all majority raised by Bruce even if you see Alfred as a second parent to them - but at the same time, he's still keenly aware of when Bruce is in the wrong and not willing to back him on a lot of these moments either. So he takes the out, and in the process, enables Bruce in many of his worst moments even though ultimately I'd argue that's more about Alfred than it is about Bruce.

[luffyvace]

can i request romantic hairo kineshi hcs?

yes you mayyy~ lovely anonymous~

I’ve never seen anyone request him before! What a fascinating request 😋

gn since no gender or pronouns mentions ;}

Hairo’s personality is very intense and hype yet kind and helpful 💪

his good nature can help cheer you up if your a negative person

your feel upset about a wardrobe malfunction/bad hair day?

“NO, (name), you look great! Every day you get up you look great! Is the rivers gonna stop flowing because your outfit isn’t perfect??! No! Is the sun gonna stop shining because your hair is out of place?? No! You. Look. Great!”

absolute awesome motivator.

I cannot express that enough

Always there when you need him

He manages to cheer you up every time too!

Let’s address the pants situation..😭

that dude doesn’t even get embarrassed when his behind his out 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😭

you probably do for him…

thank goodness no one makes fun of him for it-

except for like- nendo- who keeps pointing it out every time it happens..😀

but anyway (SEE WHAT I DID THERE??)

Alr fine I’ll stop..

his reputation (or yours) doesn’t go down because of it and your truly grateful

You know.. your pretty lucky now that I think about it

People love your boyfriend so much that even if he gets pantsed they won’t trash him for it

💓💓

that’s how you know he’s a real sweetie

This dude is raring to participate in any form of sports

and you dote on that so much!!

you support him in anyway you can

“GO HAIRO!!”

”YOU GOT THIS HAI-KUN!!”

you almost hype him up as much as he does you when your supporting him!

if you want he’ll offer for you to join when he’s training for his tennis matches

He do be getting pretty hard core but you know he means well by it 😅

its also a bonus that he’s disinterested in kokomi

because now you don’t have to worry about disloyalty

of course he, himself isn’t disloyal

just in genera, versus, if you were to date another guy who could possibly still be charmed by her which could lead to problems in the relationship..

again! You don’t have those worries 😊

it actually makes you feel really special to know he chooses you over teruhashi—who everyone thinks is perfect

to him, your perfect for him 🥺

lol he would totally say something cheesy like that and genuinely mean it 💖

gotta love a guy like that amirite? (Am I right?)

speaking of which it’s canon he doesn’t think about love

until you of course 🤗😵‍💫

he’s more so cheesy romantic with his words

so your dates are either more casual or fun and heart racing

which to be frank, it’s usually both

like working out for example :)

if you like to-

if not then a jog in the park is manageable

Your man is also certainly open to trying your hobbies as well!

but one that you could probably both agree on would be a theme park/carnival

if you don’t like the big, scary rides? the fast tea cups (that are safe on the ground) are just as thrilling to him! 💗

Random :) but you make sure to bring him back down to earth when he goes over the top

like when he gets too excited or into things

For example, that time he literally went and chopped down trees by his OWN HAND instead of buying already chopped wood 😀😅💖

you break it to him gently of course..

his strength is probably attractive if not admirable to you

especially his muscles 😍

no matter your weight or height he can pick you up guaranteed ♡

he often takes you to the gym or park when he works out—if your up for it

if you join him all the better!

although he probably has a gym in his house somewhere- at least weights

i can’t see otherwise

his dad might work out too

Him and famous tennis players likely inspired him when he was young

his strength comes in handy too!

now you have a no-struggle jar/can opener!! 😚

If you don’t he will definitely encourage you to work out

Or if you already do (i feel like if he did have a type they’d be a sporty person like him) you two will be the sweat duet or smth bc 😂😂

honestly? he’s too hot for cuddles in the summer but is great for them in the winter!

until he’s not.. 😀

it gets so bad it be feeling like SUMMER in your room while cuddling since he’s emitting heat 😗🤦‍♀️

his rivalry with nendo low key concerns you bc you know he’ll overexert himself 😭💞

he canonly knocks out at 8pm on the dot

(LOL)

so if you ever have sleepover don’t expect to pull all nighters

and you better scarf down dinner (i feel his mom would make dinner at around 6:30 ish)

so you can have a hour and a half to play some video games or smth

Something tells me he’d also be into reading manga

probably sports manga-

pretty obvious why-

if not then some sort of action

gets the blood pumpin ya know??

so at least that’s something you could do together if you yourself aren’t into sports

if I had to pick a fav sports anime for him it’d be free or aihru no sora (this except I’ve never watched either :3 <3)

his black belt in Judo is a very cool feat. to you

if you wanna learn (especially if your not strong so you can defend yourself) he leaps to teach you

he’s a great teacher and has patience but he does get really fired up about it ❤️‍🔥

And even if you don’t wanna learn it anymore or it’s taking awhile- don’t worry this guy will always protect you <3

coming to his tennis games is another way you support him

your right there next to his friends and family as well as your own

Practically the whole school shows up for this guy

everyone loves him 💓💓

he reminds you to do your homework and will help you with it or motivate you to finish it if you need it

his. parents. love. you.

whenever you come over for dinner or a sleepover his mom always goes “ohh, one more hug” like- A THOUSAND TIMES before you can actually leave 😭❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

she loves you like your her own

She trusts you not to break Hairo’s heart either

and those two have a real close bond so that says something <3

She kisses you atop the head sometimes (specifically when your leaving or when you say goodnight before bed during sleepovers)

the dad is always like “your a good kid yknow?” “Take care of yourself”

LOL TYPICAL DAD TALK

for the record he loves your parents too <3

and they love him as well 🤗

and with that..!

y’all future together is practically already sealed 💞

10/10 boyfriend no flaws 100% green flag- go go go!

Hairo seems like such a sweet boyfriend!

it’s sad that he’s underrated but at the same time at least only the good ones can have him

☝️😙

#anime #anime and manga #luffyvace #anime headcanons #fluff headcanons #fluff #saiki k fandom #saiki k #tdlosk #hairo kineshi #fluffy #fluffy prompts #fluff prompts #gn reader #x gn reader #gn <3 #gn guys #gn s/o #gn yall #gender neutral reader #anon message #dear anon #anonymous #anon ask #answered #ask #enjoy <3 #enjoy #hope you enjoy

[skylarstark4826]

It was dark.

It was loud. Deafening, almost.

Querl Dox couldn’t see Kara Danvers.

Strobe lights blinded him, and Alex had just gotten shot mere feet away from him.

Brainy had pulled the trigger.

Alex cursed as she stood back up and ran to hide until her vest lit up again.

It had been Kara’s idea to go laser tagging.

Brainy had been confused when she had initially explained the concept, in the all the time he’d known his friends, and all the time he and Kara had been in their relationship, this game had never been brought up. But Kara had put on her puppy dog eyes and he had agreed after a quick rundown of how the game worked. And because of those sweet eyes behind her glasses.

He would do anything for her.

But they were on opposite teams: Kara, Alex, and Lena versus Brainy, J’onn, and James.

Since this was a completely new experience for Brainy, he wanted to be on the same team as Kara to have a guide, but she thought the women against the men would be the most fun. Brainy didn’t agree, but again, he would do anything for her. 

Brainy’s team was ahead by a few shots. His aim was excellent, of course. Alex had gotten him twice in the first few minutes, but he had adjusted quickly to the loud, dark environment, seeing this game as a relatively efficient target practice in case he ever needed to fire anything more serious in the future. But he could definitely see the fun in this, too. Hitting his opponents was enjoyable. He wasn’t going easy on the opposing team, but he hadn’t seen Kara since the beginning of the round when they ran into the arena. He knew she wasn’t using her powers, none of them were, so, where was she?

Brainy stayed low, ducking behind blockades and half walls. He took his turns quickly and stealthily as he swept the neon paint splattered room. He spotted Lena and shot her quickly before he ran up a ramp that led to a second level to get higher ground. He checked his corners and turned when he thought it was clear.

He was wrong.

He was finally face to face with Kara. He smiled at her, happy to finally see her in here, but was met with a raised eyebrow and a devious smirk. Kara’s eyes were light behind her glasses. Her gun was hanging by her side, so he lowered his too.

“Brainy.”

“Hello Kara, I’ve been-”

His words were cut off by Kara grabbing Brainy by his vest and pushing him against the wall. She was careful, but there was still an audible thud when his body made contact with it.

That threw him for a loop, but he didn’t make a sound. He wasn’t sure how to react. His eyes were wide with surprise but grew even wider when Kara’s lips forcefully met his.

It was a deep, urgent, almost rough kiss. It was harder than she had ever kissed him before. His gun dropped out of his hands and they found their way behind her neck and in her hair as he kissed her back. She kept him securely in place as they kissed for a few more toe-curling moments before she abruptly pushed away from him.

Brainy’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her behavior before she raised her gun and shot him right in the center of his chest. The color drained from his vest and he was out.

Kara gave Brainy a real smile then and placed another kiss on his lips. This one much sweeter, and she smiled as she placed it. “Sorry Brainy,” she laughed and ran off down to the first level.

The timer ran out right as she disappeared out of his sight and Kara’s team officially won. Brainy could hear James and J’onn each groan from different places in the arena as they realized the final score

Brainy shook his head, a little in disbelief at what just happened, but also in amusement at the stunt his girlfriend just pulled. “Kara, dear heart, that was cheating! I’m surprised at you!” he called after her playfully but was drowned out by Alex and Lena cheering their victory with Kara down below.

Of course, thanks to super hearing, Kara was still able to hear him. She turned to look up at where Brainy was leaning against the bannister on the second level, beaming at her. She blew him a kiss, winked at him, and shouted “I love you” up at him.

His smile grew and he shook his head again, completely in awe of this woman he was fortunate enough to call a partner in more ways than one. “And I love you,” he whispered down to her.

“Who’s up for round two?” Alex asked the two teams loud enough so they all could hear.

Everyone’s voices rang out in agreement and they made their way to the exit so they could get set up again for another game. Kara waited for Brainy to walk back down to the first level, her hand outstretched ready for him to grasp. He brought her hand up to rest against his lips before he quickly kissed her temple.

“I never expected you to play that dirty, Kara Danvers. It was an unforeseen tactic to say the least,” Brainy chided playfully as they walked together.

Kara’s cheeks turned pink and she shrugged. “I wanted to win, simple as that.” She pointed at him. “You didn’t seem to mind though, mister.”

“I…,” He began, but his words floundered. He cleared his throat. “That is not the point. It was still unfair.”

“Mmhmm,” Kara giggled as they walked out the door into the waiting room. “Let’s switch the teams up, yeah?” she offered as the group reset. Murmurs of agreement resonated around the room and they switched vests around. “I want to be with Brainy.”

He smiled at her. “Always,” Brainy reassured and squeezed her hand before they walked back into the black lit arena.

They were together this time.

And they always would be, no matter what.

#kara danvers #querl dox #brainiac 5 #Supergirl #karadox #XLC (brainiac daughter) #Kara and Querl #Brainiac 5 and Supergirl

[irlcats-bracket]

BRACKET 2 FINALS 2: THE THIRD PLACE BATTLE

CASPER versus MR CRINKLES

CASPER

The definition of "The lights are on but nobody's home" this is in fact an extremely pretty boy and likely a subcategory of himbo. He is so friendly and yet so intimidating to strangers. A big ol baby. Bastard son of a Maine Coon, a Siamese, and a Mountain Lion. Thinks of nothing but snacks and snuggles.

PROPAGANDA

Behold! My son! Much like his father, a grumpy old man since birth despite not looking a day over 10 (What do u mean he's almost 12?!)

Big old baby who much enjoys snuggles, snacks, and escaping out onto the front patio to sit frozen on the steps until someone realizes he escaped and saves him from the big scary outside

He has also learned v well that if he tucks himself under an arm he gets to watch his dad knit/crochet

. . . . ngl I didn't expect to get this far so

more photos for the wonderful folks who voted for my dear boy

he's had a tendency to make that particular face since dental work means he had to get his top fangs removed and I find it hysterical

One last bit of propaganda just to sweeten the pot

MR CRINKLES

He is very large by genetics but also hes fat. Hes got black fur but in certain lights its brown. Hes got yellow eyes that are very large (like him). He loves cuddling and bullying submitter's other cat (sometimes and she bullies him back so its even) Hes scared of people who he doesn't know well and somehow fits himself into the tiniest of spaces. He just goes limp when submitter picks him up. He likes to play but he does it with as little effort as possible. He likes to sit by the window and make noises at the birds.

PROPAGANDA

We got him from an animal shelter, and he used to be a scrawny little thing. He loved food and would go as far as to Dive Under the legs of our other cat to get to the bowl. He used to chase birds into the house when he was younger, but as he's gotten older, he makes fewer attempts at hunting. Now he just lays around and watches the birds from the window. Hes very cuddly. He'll storm into my room (often in the middle of the night) demanding to be cuddled and pet. Hes a big cat and very fluffy. He goes limp if you pick him up and often "melts" off of furniture :3

Hiii more pawpaganda for my boy Mr. Crinkles

Today we will be highlighting his silly little relationship with his "sister" Frankie :3

We got Frankie after we got Crinkles. She was old and would hiss at him whenever he passed her, for apparently no reason. Later though, we found that he would hide behind things, and Jump Out At Her just to scare her. They fought a lot at the beginning but now they're on more stable grounds. Sometimes youll catch them sleeping on the couch together (though i dont think they want us to know they like each other)

Theyll still chase eachother around the house and frankie still hisses at his for no reason sometimes. But I think its more of a sibling thing then a real dislike :3

- Crinkles has many nicknames !! Such as, chub chub, crinky butt, stinker, meow meow, crinkle maninkle (we love making up words), handsome and so many more its stupid

-If you meow at him, he will meow back! If you meow at him enough, he will run up to you and body slam your legs

-He doesnt mind getting his nails trimmed. He will lay on his back with his head dangling over your legs and you can cut away

-He can be a bit of a stinker sometimes, sometimes biting us for no reason (softly but still, ouch!) But, if you tell him not to, or my personal favorite, "thats not nice. we dont do that", he will simply glare at you and sulk away

-If our dog walks up to him, he will groom her. Its very cute

-We have bird feeders in our windows, when he sees the birds, hell sit by the window and make little clicking noises

-Hes also just very cute and a little dumb and so you should vote for him :3

Lots more photos of him:

#polls #cat #cats #catfight two #catfight two finals!!

[majesty-madness]

A Past Encounter - Bucky Barnes x reader (nsfw)

Summary: Being in a relationship with Bucky, Y/N prided herself on knowing him quite well but when she’s accidentally teleported back to 1940, Y/N discovers that there is a whole other Bucky that she has yet to meet. The sweet flirt that had everything going for him before his unfortunate capture by HYDRA.

Word Count: 3300+

Warnings: 40’s Bucky & Steve, flirty 40’s Bucky, small 40’s Steve, angst, kind of fluffy?, Y/N being surprised by 40’s stuff, domestic life??

a/n: not proofread.

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Chapter Five

Even now he was too sweet for his own good. 

Not that she didn’t appreciate that about him, she most certainly did, but as far as he was concerned they just met. And here he was going store to store, buying everything Y/N needed in order to start over. 

At least that’s how Bucky put it. 

Every little thing that Bucky put into the store basket caused Y/N to grimace like she was in pain. She didn’t have a vast knowledge of how much inflation impacted the prices back home, but she knew that the cost of living in the 40’s versus the 2000’s had to be vastly different. 

Probably much more than she realized. 

Though she tried not to make it known that she was fussing over every single thing Bucky bought for her because he was going out of his way to do it for her when he had no obligation to do so. 

They spent the majority of the day walking along the shops compacted next to each other in the city, so close together they could be one and the same. 

Stepping out of the last shop in the line of them, all three individual’s hands were full of different kinds of branded shopping bags. 

“I know I keep asking, but Bucky, are you absolutely sure you want to get all this? It all feels so expensive…” 

Without missing a beat he responded. “Like I said before, we promised we’d help you out so here we are. Besides, this stuff wasn’t as expensive as you seem to think.” 

“Well I just don’t want to be the one who sinks you two in a hole of debt.” Y/N worriedly admitted, her arm starting to hurt from the bag’s cheap strap. 

This time Steve replied. “I wouldn’t worry, we have jobs so we can just earn the money back.” 

She suddenly became curious. “Oh, what do you guys do?” 

Steve started off. “It’s nothing fancy, but I work at a furniture outlet.”

“And I work at the local mechanic shop, a couple blocks from the apartment.” Bucky answered immediately after. 

Y/N could see Bucky’s car down a bit of the road, parked next to the sidewalk. “Oh, I didn’t realize you two worked.”

“The pay is good too, so for what we get in working is decent enough to keep the apartment.” Bucky continued as the three crossed the street over to his car. 

Once they did, Bucky rested the bags into the ground for a moment before popping the trunk. Steve and Y/N made quick work of the bags and set them inside, followed shortly by Bucky himself. 

“Alright, that takes care of that.” Bucky mused as he slammed the trunk closed. 

Y/N rubbed her arms where the bags had irritated her skin, and asked. “So now what?”

The men turned to her, thinking on it.

“We should probably get some food, last we combed through the kitchen was this morning and I could tell we were nearly empty.” Steve piped up first. 

“Yeah, I realized that when I made breakfast.” Bucky said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Okay, after that we’ll head back to the apartment and get you settled in.” 

He gestured to Y/N and she nodded in agreement, shortly therefore following Bucky and Steve inside the car. 

Bucky pulled out from the sidewalk parking and drove down the road. 

“I’m guessing you have to go further down?” Y/N observantly assumed. 

“Not really. We could walk it, it's just easier to park the car nearby so we don’t needlessly carry the groceries over a distance when I could just park right by it.” The brunette reasoned, quickly pulling into another parking lot like at the restaurant last night. 

“That makes sense.” Y/N agreed. 

Bucky pulled the car forward a bit further than the parking space then turned his body to peer out the back window, hand planted on the shoulder of Steve’s seat. 

Y/N stared at Bucky as he focused on backing up, taking note of how his blue eyes shined in the morning sun. 

She hadn’t meant to watch him for so long and was slightly surprised when Bucky looked down at her. He couldn’t resist the smile gracing his face or the wink he sent her way before continuing to adjust his car. 

The action made Y/N bashfully giggle while tilting her head down as her face grew hot. 

Finally, Bucky parked and took the keys from the ignition. They all headed inside the store, grabbing a cart this time. 

As soon as they were inside, the sound of light chattering amongst the people already there reverberated through the building. Y/N took her place next to Bucky’s left and Steve walked ahead of the cart. 

Y/N couldn’t help the way her eyes trailed over every item stacked on the shelves, taking in all the significantly different designs of food brands than from her time. The designs themselves were pretty simple actually, using bright (possibly too bright) colors to draw you in. 

The simplicity seemed quite appropriate for this day and age. 

That was a weird thing to think about considering Y/N was born in the late 90’s, a good five or so decades from the current time. 

“Any ideas what we should make for dinner tonight?” Bucky asked casually, looking at Y/N expectantly. 

“Whatever you and Steve want is fine with me. I’m not very picky.” Y/N admitted honestly. 

The brunette hummed to himself, his gaze shifted up toward Steve who’d already put a couple of food items in the cart. “What do you want for dinner, Steve?” 

“I was thinking spaghetti, then if we have any leftovers we could save some of it for tomorrow.” 

“That’s a good idea.” Bucky agreed, then grabbed a metallic can of coffee grounds on the shelf beside him and set it in the cart. 

“Do you guys go shopping like this a lot?” Y/N asked curiously. 

Bucky shook his head. “Uh..not really, I mean we usually go food shopping at least once a week but otherwise, not so much.” 

Y/N cocked a brow upward, “Oh? Do you go through food quickly then?”

“Two young guys with an apartment all to themselves, would you expect anything less?” 

She snickered. “I suppose not.” 

Bucky then reached over to one of the shelves again, grabbing a jar of marinara sauce to put inside the metal basket. He had reached across Y/N, arm just a couple of inches in front of her and that’s when she got a good look at his forearm. 

It was quite a bit muscular, more than she originally noticed with his loose button up shirt. Then she noticed that instead of the shining silver material she expected, she saw the familiar texture of skin. 

Which only made sense, that’s how it was supposed to be, what it was supposed to look like.

However, in some weird way, it made her suddenly feel…uncomfortable. Not because she wished that somehow he’d lose his arm right here, that’s ridiculous, but because it reminded her of the fact that this version of Bucky was a man she did not yet know and she was not a woman that he knew either. 

Her eyes started from his fingertips trailing all the way to his shoulder, taking in every detail that he had to offer, eventually landing on the sharp curve of his jaw up to his face. She didn’t find the usual stubble that occupied his cheeks and chin, his face was completely smooth; she was even half tempted to reach out and touch him. 

But she resisted instead keeping her hands clasped together so as to not act spontaneously. 

Nor were there the crows feet at the corners of his eyes to show his age, though not old, her Bucky looked tired, exhausted from the fact of what he’d been through. This Bucky still had a shine in his eyes, an excitement for the world he lived in and the chance to decide his future. 

“Is something the matter?”

Y/N knew then that as she had been so memorized by the differences in his facial features, she had done it for several seconds straight causing him to notice. 

She whipped her face away from his, eyes darting around to find some kind of excuse. “Um…no, I was just-” she stumbled upon a case of apples sitting in a line of other fruits. “Just wondering if you guys like apple pie.”

“Why?” He smirked, repressing the urge to grin at her random inquiry. 

“Well, since you and Steve have gone out of your way to buy me clothes and whatnot, and even letting me stay at your apartment, I thought baking a pie might be a good starting point in making it up to you.” Y/N explained a bit frazzled from him catching her staring like a deer in headlights. 

To be fair, that’s quite literally how they met. 

She heard him click his tongue. “You don’t have to make it up to us, it was just the right thing to do. Help someone in need, I mean.” 

Y/N tugged on Bucky’s arm forcing him to stop pushing the cart and look at her. “It’s because you don’t expect anything from me that I want to start paying you back, do the right thing in return.” 

Bucky was startled by the sudden sincerity coating her voice, the sound sending a flutter into his chest. “O-okay, yeah, apple pie sounds good.”

Y/N nodded without a word, quickly letting go of his arm once she realized she had grabbed it. “Sorry..”

“No, that’s alright. Let’s gather up what we need and get outta here; takes a while to bake a pie.” 

“Yeah.”

Steve had been secretly listening in on the conversation, pretending to be encapsulated by the section of orange juice a few feet away. He smirked, knowing that his best friend (a bit of a lady’s man) had been flustered. 

Fifteen minutes later, the group of individuals had put what they needed in the cart and approached the front counter. Since Bucky was the one pushing the cart around, he took the liberty of setting the food items on the counter while the cashier input the prices into a bulky, typewriter looking machine. 

Y/N’s lips tugged upward at the thought that something that was so easy in her time, took several minutes to accomplish now. Amazing how technology could advance so much in a couple of decades. 

“Could you hand me the stuff on the bottom?” Bucky asked as he briefly glance over his shoulder to Y/N. 

“Of course.” She immediately reached down and grabbed the bread, standing upright as soon as he had it then handed it to him. He smiled at her in a silent thanks then proceeded to set it on the counter. 

In the midst of retracting her arms, she noticed the newspaper setting nearly folded out of the way of the groceries. At the top read in small print, June 14, 1941.

It was the beginning of summer just as she predicted when they’d gone out to eat last night. And now she had the exact date. 

With that information in mind, maybe she could find some way to tell her friends where she-

“Did you want a newspaper?” Steve asked, standing to Y/N’s right. 

She flinched from his voice interrupting her thoughts, but she cleared her throat and shook her head. “Oh no, I was curious what the headline said.” 

Steve slowly nodded, not thinking much else about it as he handed Bucky more of the groceries. 

It didn’t take much longer when Bucky paid for the food, and the three of them carried the brown paper bags out to the car. 

When they loaded the bags in the trunk, and Y/N got a look at all the brand bags in there already on top of the groceries, she was glad that Bucky had decided to park next to the store. There were already too many to carry. 

Another ten minutes, and they were back at the apartment. They’d barely walked through the front door when the older lady behind the lobby desk called out to the trio. 

“Oh Steve, dear. Your mail just arrived.” 

Steve walked over, albeit a little clumsily with the bags filling his arms. “Thank you, Ms. Greene.” She simply smiled as he took the couple of envelopes and stuffed them inside his back pocket. 

Like the night before, the three of them took the elevator up and Y/N felt relieved as soon as she saw the semi-familiar door of the apartment as one of the flimsy bags in her arms were starting to slip. 

Bucky struggled to get the key of his pocket but once he had, he opened the door so quickly that it barely had time to swing open as he pushed right past it. 

At the same time, all three of them hurried to the kitchen table and plopped the bags onto the surface, all sighing as they could finally relax their aching arms. And when they noticed the collective sigh, they laughed. 

“I guess we did buy a bit much.” Bucky sighed again, readjusting his shirt that had been crinkled by the groceries. 

Steve huffed. “You think?” 

Y/N let out another airy laugh, shortly thereafter grabbing the food bags and taking them into the boys’ kitchen. 

Bucky also grabbed one and followed Y/N to the kitchen, shortly before Steve joined them. With the three of them inside the compact kitchen, it left little room to move around freely, causing Y/N to apologize when she kept bumping into the boys. Though they seemed to make due switching spots when they needed to put different items away. 

Once finished, Bucky took the paper bags and stuffed them in one of the drawers. Y/N looked down at him inquisitively to which Bucky responded, “We save these in case we need a quick fix to carry something or when we need to cover the counter when we cook.” 

She hummed then stepped to the side to let Bucky stand up again. 

“So do you want to make the pie before or after dinner?” Bucky asked, leaning the fresh apples against the back wall of the counter instead of putting them away. 

“Um..” She thought on it, biting her bottom lip as she did so. “How about after? That way we can give our stomachs some time to digest dinner before dessert.” 

“Sounds good to me.”

Y/N turned around to face Steve who’d been leaning at the wall beside them. “Is that okay with you, Steve?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” 

“Great, when do you two usually eat dinner?” Y/N turned back to look at Bucky, who was already walking around her into the living. 

She followed him out seeing he was staring at the wall clock, Steve too moving from his spot to see what Bucky was doing. 

“We usually eat around 6, it’s 5:30 now so we should probably get started on the spaghetti.” 

Steve silently agreed as he stepped into the kitchen and Bucky walked back inside too. Y/N watched as Bucky rummaged through one the cabinets and pulled out a metal pan, and Steve who was opening a box of dry pasta. 

Suddenly, she felt in the way. 

“Do you need any help?” 

Bucky shook his head, setting the pan on the stovetop. “We should be alright, it’s pasta so it won’t take very long.” 

“Okay, well I’m gonna wash up then.” Y/N said then walked away and headed into the bathroom. 

She didn’t bother closing the door as she was only washing her hands so she reached out to turn the knob of the hot water, her eyes flickering up to the mirror. Seeing her reflection caused her to pause, hand stuck on the four pronged knob of the sink. 

Her iris’ danced about the features of her face, taking note of the familiar outline she was obviously familiar with and then abruptly stopped. She tilted her head to the side and that’s when it clicked. 

On her temple, there was the scratch that Tallis had given her when they fought. Replacing the fresh blood that oozed out from her skin the previous day was now a dark crusted over layer that kept her skin together. 

Y/N’s mind searched back to the entirety of their fight, remembering the way the ache that accompanied each of his hits. She had to admit though, she was quite proud that she landed just as many on him. 

Wait…

A gasp left her lips, eyes growing wide as she gaped at her reflection. 

During the struggle, when Y/N had tackled Tallis, he dropped something. She remembered out of the corner of her eye, whatever had been in his hands slid from his grasp across the alley floor. 

A sense of urgency shot through her like lightning, and without even thinking, she rushed out the front door; ignoring the loud boom it made as she slammed it shut. 

Y/N ran down the numerous flights of stairs with a speed she didn’t know she had that somehow didn’t seem fast enough. 

She burst out of the exit and sped past the woman in the lobby right out the front door. She heard the metal frame scrap against the brick wall, thinking for a split second that she broke the glass. However, her feet kept her running across the concrete ground, not stopping even when she nearly ran to at least five different people, racing down several blocks on the sidewalk. 

At first the area wasn’t familiar, not that any of it should, but soon the sensation of nearing her destination made her heart thunder even harder against her sternum. 

Her head was on a swivel, peering down any alley she sprinted past, knowing that none of them were the same as the one she remembered. 

She was running out of breath despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins, and contemplated stopping but then she slid to a stop right at the alley to her left, the grinding of the concrete against her shoes making it to her ears. 

There was no doubt, this was the same alley. She could see the kicked up dirt and footprints of her combat boots embedded in the ground. 

Y/N stepped into the alley, wasting no time as she scanned the area. In her rushed state, she thought maybe she had imagined it as she didn’t see it right away so she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. 

It must have worked because the moment she relaxed, she gazed at a black, cylindrical device a few feet from where she currently stood. 

She bent down to pick up the device, one knee planted to the ground. 

It looked to be about the size of a tube of lipstick, maybe a little longer and thicker. It also had three dials implanted along the length of the device. The first dial read months of the year, the second dial were the days of the month, and the last dial had the year. 

It had been set to June 13, 1941. 

Y/N continued to eye the device, finding a knob on the bottom of it after a minute. She tried to push it; nothing happened, so she turned it counter clockwise. A flurry of blue-orange sparks appeared from the tip of the device then disappeared before anything else happened. 

A lightbulb went off in Y/N’s head as the information fell into place like a missing puzzle piece. 

Tallis hadn’t been using powers, he had created a device that allowed him to time travel.  

At the very beginning, Y/N had been worried that Tallis may be using his own abilities to travel through time making the idea of getting home more or less impossible but with the evidence of time travel right in her hands gave her hope. 

If she could figure out how the device worked, then she could fix it. 

She could go home. 

#marvel #bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x female reader #female reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes series #winter soldier #winter soldier x reader

[sunwukongssuccessor]

You have a very good understanding of Sun Wukong and Macaque, I can tell by how amazing your writing is! Have your ever thought about doing a character analysis of those two? I’m asking because I have ideas for LMK fics and wanted to try and keep them as in character as possible and something like that would help me and a lot of other writers out there!

Anonymous asked: Sorry for not being specific! If my request is too intimidating please don’t push yourself to do it! As for specifics in the character analysis of the monkeys I guess maybe a dive into their surface level personality versus true personalities, their relationship with each other and MK, and their moral compasses? I hope that helps! You can take those as you will. If you don’t want to do all of that just do what you do want to do. Thank you!

It's no problem, I'm sorry that I took so long to answer and even then it still feels kind of vague.

I think the first way of getting to understand a character is getting a grasp of how they speak, both Wukong and Macaque speak pretty casually (one of the first things that Macaque says is "Your staff kind of gives you away, dude."), as well as clear and confident. I think it helps that I can memorize and hear voices in my head so that helps in me finding a way for them to stay in character and pick what sounds most accurate, but I know that doesn't apply to everyone.

Wukong, despite how he tries to play the role of retired goofball in the beginning, being somewhat indifferent about stuff like MK's training, but he actually cares to the point it's almost self-destructive. He doesn't want MK to worry about the Lady Bone Demon, so he lies about searching for a way to defeat her as a vacation of all things. He doesn't want people to get hurt from his mistakes and such so he wants to take the brunt of it but because he didn't try asking for help/support it kind of blows up in his face and makes it worse in the long run.

Macaque is opportunistic, something of a snark about it too. ("Also, side-note: How did you not know it was me? Shadows, kinda my gimmick isn't it?") He's not just dramatic, he's downright theatrical given the shadow play episode, he didn't have to keep doing more than one show after capturing MK's friends and even points out that MK went to multiple shows with saying "Ah, you again. You must be my biggest fan." but he still took it as a chance for the attention as well as be heard in his past as indirectly as he tried to play it off before the reveal. He craves the acknowledgement and probably more.

An interesting thing I noticed with Wukong in his interactions with MK is that he's the one usually initiating physical contact with him. (Sure, some of it is a bit of invading his space but that's just kind of how he is considering he's a monkey.)

Anyone else is kind of unwelcomed(?) in the space if he doesn't really like them or know them that well, he's even surprised by the affection from MK in the episode "Destiny Fulfilled" for a hot second until it settles.

With Macaque and his interactions with people from conversation to touch, something I noticed in the split second he meets MK, he sees him up close with admiration of all things as is shocked by it for before settle back. After agreeing to mentor MK, he's starts initiating physical contact as a way to seem all buddy-buddy with him, almost like they're on equal ground despite the newly formed mentorship.

After what's probably a few weeks into the training, the physical contact is less soft, almost holding MK down instead of being a support to pushing MK into a losing battle until literally punching the Monkey King's powers out of him. Physical touch was used on his terms and for his gain.

When he does a similar arm hold on Tang in "Benched" when trying to appeal to Tang in giving up and letting him get a Ring of Samadhi, he even projects his relationship with Wukong onto the whole group before acting out when it doesn't work.

Their moral compasses are pretty different, Wukong trying hard in helping MK as well as the world with it, Macaque being that he looks out for himself since that's all he has. Wukong has many enemies but that doesn't mean the world is and tries to act sweet with Ao Guang like he's a bud and totally didn't steal the pillar to his palace and made it a staff.

Macaque has to look out for himself, sees himself as the only one he can trust, all others be damned. ("Look out for number one, because if you don't, no one will.") Even if Macaque has a soft spot for someone (see MK) ("This is the thanks I get for checking in on my favorite student?" and "Hey kiddo, ya miss me?") he doesn't even see him as a potential ally, closer to amusement at best and enemy at worst. Macaque has far more enemies than allies (probably since he doesn't have any) and that reflects in how he practically hisses at the Mayor for giving him off vibes before even getting caught in the Lady Bone Demon's lackey's hold then taken hostage.

I'm sorry if this isn't the best analysis since it feels kind of all over the place but I hope it helps you in someway.

#LEGO Monkie Kid #Monkie Kid #Monkeying Around #Analysis #Asks

[amazon85centaur]

My most recent thought from my Titans thoughts that I saved in my notes:

I like comparing Dickkory to Dick and Barbara, because I see most of his old interests as being plot devices that explain Dick Grayson and move the story forward by giving us insight into his past because he is a main character. It honestly gave me jock and cheerleader do drugs together for the first time vibes, y'know? Like, golden boy and golden girl. Daughter of the police commissioner and adopted son of a billionaire.

No one would be surprised if they got together but also because of their societal position it may at times feel good to be bad. To rebel. And honestly no one would ever suspect them which makes it even more exciting. They were rebelling against what others wanted them to be or be like. For her it was her father's position but for Dick it was finding his own identity outside of Batman/Bruce Wayne. The adrenaline of a heist mixed with the possibility of a Bonnie and Clyde life led to the excitement of a first love between the two of them but when they meet again, they struggle with their working relationship, they constantly butt heads and not in the way that leads to talking things through and finding clarity but in the way that opens up old wounds and old feelings that are better off buried than reincarnated.

He only tried to fix things with Barbara because Kory asked him to. He snaps at Barbara for the Oracle debacle but somehow remains calm when Kory mentions working with gangsters. Although there is more discussion between Dick and Barbara in S3, there is more trust between Dick and Kory.

Maybe that could be because of age and the time in their lives mixed with the circumstances. Dick and Barbara were young and rebellious working to steal and screw people over believing that it was love while Dick and Kory, though a bit lost in knowing who they are and who they will become have a common purpose in protecting and nurturing a child who is struggling with something that could mean damnation for the whole world. They find not only trust but comfort in one another. They discover a support system and someone that they can depend on.

When Dick thinks Kory came back to his door in episode 5 and seems like he's about to apologize which means he knew he upset her or was about to truly explain his behavior which shows growth. When Kory goes to fight Deathstroke with Dick, which shows understanding and partnership. When Dick talks to her about Garth and possibly told her about Jericho before anyone else, which shows trust. It's the difference between a relationship built on adult circumstances versus teenage ones. The teenage issues eventually fade and then there is nothing left to be angsty about except the past. But when you're older, you're more likely to want to nurture and foster what you have, because you know that if you don't, that's it. You don't get as many chances so you can't be as reckless. It was 'young and reckless' Dick Grayson versus 'grounded in trust and family' Dick Grayson, not Barbara versus Kory.

#titans tv #titans hbo #dickkory #dickbabs #titans s3 #titans season 1 #titans season 2 #shipping wars #dick grayson #dick and kory #kory anders #koriand'r #nightwing #starfire #trust #barbara gordon #batgirl #gotham #hbo max #dc titans