#And this own is especially dear to me because it's a not so friendly reminder that Inuyash and Kagome are from different worlds

[tarotwithlove]

PICK A CARD 🪞ೕ how would your fans describe you if you were famous

in today’s pac we will be answering the following questions regarding your life as a famous person:

- why are you famous?

- what kind of fans would you have?

- how would your fans describe you?

reminder that this is a general reading and messages found here may not apply to everyone. take what resonates, leave what doesn't, and don't force anything if it does not fit.

BOOK A READING WITH ME · LINKTREE · SUGGEST A PAC TOPIC · TIPS ♡ tips and feedback are highly appreciated!

GROUP ONE

cards · high priestess, judgement (reversed), knight of cups, seven of pentacles, nine of wands, four of pentacles, ten of cups, high priestess. 

songs · deserve by lucky daye. levanter by stray kids. slide by øzi. amnesia by kai. amazing by mary j blige. 

my dear group one ♡ you are famous for the character or characters that you create - characters in a video game in particular. you may be credited with creating a character that fans of a franchise quickly latch onto or are especially horny over.

i specificy “horny over” because pyramid head and lady dimitrescu are the two characters that come to mind and i think that most of us are aware of how the fans react to the two of them.

your fans will honestly adore and admire you. you may be far less known than your creation, and so the group of people who interact directly with you may be smaller and more devout than the people who just interact with your creation. the hardcore fans who interact directly with you online will send you art, headcanons, and questions in the hopes that you will acknowledge them - or because you often interact with your fans in that way so they know there is a high chance that you will acknowledge them. your community of fans will be a creative and artistic one. this will be a more practical form of creative and artistic expression, with your fans going out of their way to create cosplay that is as close to the source as possible. 

many of your fans will describe you as the person who inspired them again - inspired them to create again, to get into a hobby or get into a hobby again, to go after a goal again. some may start posting their art or may apply to art institutions/for art related jobs, crediting you as their biggest influence behind this decision. your fans will cling onto you and describe you as someone that “must be protected at all cost” - especially whenever your tweets or posts go viral or your friendly interactions with fans start to get a lot of attention.

they may also describe you as someone who must be wise with their money, because you seem to live a good and well paid for life despite only putting out a small amount of work. they may also realise that you put out a small amount of work because you get paid a good salary for it - especially after this other character or game gained so much attention and renown - and because your main focus is family above all else. even if you do not post or talk about your family often (likely to protect yours and their anonymity as much as possible) your fans will often describe you as a “family man/woman first, game dev second” - or as someone they wish was their parent or close friend or family member. 

GROUP TWO

cards · ten of pentacles, four of pentacles, seven of pentacles (reversed), ten of cups (reversed), three of cups (reversed), death, ten of cups, nine of pentacles (reversed), ten of swords. 

songs · better by ama lou. unsteady by x ambassadors. video games by lana del rey. dear dream by nct dream. 

my dear group two ♡ you are more famous for being famous, than for any of your talents. though this, too, is a skill all of its own. you may be famous because of someone you know or date, or because someone shares their platform with you and subsequently rockets you to fame (think, a popular tiktoker collaborating with you, a popular youtuber mentioning you in one of their videos, a popular twitter account retweeting you).

you may experience an emma chamberlain turn of events where you transcend from internet fame into real life fame - similarly, too, where people will look at you and wonder, “how is this person famous again?”. you may garner more fame for being an influencer and sharing your personal life stories publicly. 

honestly, dear, it is quite upsetting to see the kind of fans you would have if you were famous. your fans may have a strong parasocial relationship with you, especially because of the way you became famous and because of your strong online presence. many of them will get a kick out of rooting for an underdog, and so, they may start to turn on you when you start to become more succesful and more well-known. one particular scenario may be common amongst your fans, where a tweet of them calling you mid, boring, mediocre (or anything to that regard) goes viral, only for people to reply and quote with this you’s of this person praising you months prior. you won’t even have done anything wrong, they’ll just start to feel bitter, jealous, and entitled. many of them will just start to randomly hate you. once you notice this shift, you’ll stop caring what other people say about you. you’ll continue being your authentic self and will start to consciously appeal to a different demographic of people. 

your fans will describe you as someone who was able to make a name for yourself despite how oversaturated the influencer market is. they will describe you as someone who rose above and became real world succesful not just internet succesful, despite it all. there will definitely be a split between fans who genuinely support you and “fans” who will find every reason to hate on you. some may say things like “you don’t understand them” or “you’re just jealous and looking for reasons to hate them” - especially when people mask hatred of you behind criticism of meaningless things.

what’s coming to mind is the incident with madison beer that happened a few months ago, where people were “calling out” madison beer for dancing in a bikini on tiktok. people, of course, rightfully came to her defense and rightfully presupposed that the people who were saying negative things about her were likely jealous and insecure. similar things will happen to you. you’re attractive, talented, and lucky - your fans will describe you as such and rub it in the face’s of people who dislike you just for the sake of disliking you.

your fans will also describe you as someone who gets hated on unnecessarily. they would use that “i came into the house and everybody was like, oh, pretty girl, lets hate on her” meme a lot. 

GROUP THREE

cards · six of cups, ten of cups, nine of cups, nine of pentacles, ace of swords, death (reversed), the devil, knight of wands, the world. 

songs · cry by chester lockhart. poetic justice by kendrick lamar. coming home - interlude by kali uchis. fulton street i by la dispute. 

my dear group three ♡ you are famous for doing something you enjoy or for doing something you have wanted to do since you were a child - and while that is incredibly broad, this is most true with regard to a field that has a high focus on restoration, the body, and physical performance. some of you are famous for being a part of a sport that asks you to push your body to the extremes - such as ballet or bodybuilding. while others of you are famous for your work as a coach (life coach or online fitness coach, just as two examples) or for using your platform to influence people to live a healthier, more active life. a lot of your fame comes from your ability to make yourself or your content stand out, especially in such saturated markets.

even if you are not the best, you are creative, refreshing, and relatable and know how to not only draw positive attention but keep it on you. 

your fans are people who feel as if they are at the end of the road. they may have tried everything to feel better about themselves and happy in their lives, to little or no avail. that is, until they chance upon you. your story touches them, the way you carry yourself welcomes them, and the way you live your own life motivates them.

a lot of your fans may have bought countless self-help books before, tried countless diets or exercise plans, paid for countless talks, subscribed to countless accounts and channels, but could not fix anything that they see as needing to be fixed. again, until they come across you. in a way, you help your fans break their own toxic cycles. 

your fans would describe you as someone with somewhat of a “no nonsense attitude”. you are honest about your own challenges and failings, and are always open to share the most difficult things you have experienced in life - however, you are also adamant in the fact that you have never let these things keep you down or stop you from achieving whatever you set your mind to achieving. something which is evident to your fans, even just from watching you from afar. your fans will say that this motivates them to work harder, to not give up on their goals, and to go after the life they want to lead. because if you can do it, why can’t they? if you kept persisting and saw your persistence pay off, why can’t it happen for them too? especially if you are a coach or offering one-on-one sessions, your fans will appreciate that you never ask them for more than you are also willing to give or you never expect them to do something that you yourself wouldn’t do or have not in the past down.

there’s an air of transparency here that your fans appreciate. they would recommend you to other people based on this. saying things like, “it’s not always easy, but it’s worth it,” and telling others that you are someone who can be trusted. i feel as if many of your fans will be grateful, above all else describing you as someone who helped them get their life back. 

GROUP FOUR

cards · the tower, the magician, the world, knight of pentacles, ten of pentacles, ace of swords, six of cups, the tower, six of swords (reversed). 

songs · tokyo drift by teriyaki boyz. advice by taemin. just look up by ariana grande & kid cudi. take me to church by hozier. 

my dear group four ♡ you may be famous on an incredibly small scale - more of a niche celebrity with a cult following than a household name or anything similar. you may dabble in music, acting, writing, and social media and stay somewhat unknown for a long period of time. this level of fame may suit you most, too, because you have both your real life responsibilities and your artistic hobbies - both which give you a stable enough income and allow you to live your life to the fullest. you may just be a private person by nature, keeping a lot of your art for yourself and your loved ones.

however, greater fame may come to you suddenly and unexpectedly, with something you put out there or participate in suddenly blowing up and garnering a lot of attention. it may even be something you shared or were a part of a long time ago - such as a movie or song that suddenly becomes popular on tiktok. 

your fanbase will start off as a chill, laidback one. they are a small to moderately sized group for the majority of your fame and, thus, quickly become familiar with you as well as with fellow fans. they may be people who gave up on their own artistic pursuits for the traditional 9-5 and family, and find solace in your own continued pursuit of art for art’s sake.

i feel like you would attract a lot of people older than you, around middle-aged. regardless of age, your fans would use your music (or whatever art you put out, though it may mostly be music) as a means to relax and unwind. they would also respect you a great deal and make sure to send you direct financial support even though you likely may never ask. 

your fans will describe you as an old soul, and as someone who is humble and down to earth. this may be why you attract a lot of older fans, because the way that you approach art and evoke emotion is of someone far beyond your years. they may share your art with people close to them, such as with their families, and so you may have a reach far beyond your knowledge -  i’m thinking of a pair of young friends hanging out when your song comes on shuffle, one asks the other who it is and the replies, “oh, this is someone my dad likes”.

your fans describe your art more than they describe you, which is something that you may also like. because your art is your art and should exist outside and apart from you as a person. when you become unexpectedly popular, your fans will be proud of you and happy for you (especially because many of them are living vicariously through you and have wanted this to happen for you for years), but will also wonder if you can handle all the pressure that comes with this kind of fame. when talking about you with others, they may say you feel like the kind of person who would just disappear once you became too famous. if they see other people interacting with your art, they may talk about how they knew you before you were so famous - reminiscing about the days when your fanbase was smaller and more intimate.

#** #tarot #pac #pick a card #pick a picture #pick a photo #pick a pile #pick an image #tarotonline #tarotblr #tarotcommunity #tarotcreator #daily tarot #free tarot reading #tarot reading #tarot readings #channelled message #channeled message #spirituality #spiritualism

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The Fallen Lovers

Alastor x GN! Reader

TW: Established relationship! Murder and talks of cannibalism. ANGST BUT THEN FLUFF, I PROMISE. Paranoia and anxiety, crying

A/N:The long awaited prequel of my latest work ‘The Monster That Lurked’! I left what you look like very ambiguous but did describe them as having claws. You do use a cane in this. Rosie is the best wingwoman.

Word Count: 5k

When you had arrived in hell, you were very surprised to see that it wasn’t the fire and brimstone that people had talked about. Well..there was fire but the lack of brimstone confused you greatly. Instead there were buildings lining the walls as random looking demons walked past you like this was the normal thing to do. You guess it was for them, slowly standing up you watched a few demons further down the block kill a weaker looking demon before running off with money and valuables in their pockets.

You turned the other way and started to walk down the street, a limp in your walk, it still hurts to put a lot of pressure down onto your leg. You stopped near a shop and looked into the large window, it was selling different kinds of products and was that…fingers? Your heart dropped and your stomach twisted painfully, where were you at? Hell obviously..that was a stupid question on your own part. Blinking, you watched a very tall woman with a very beautiful maroon dress and a large sun hat as she worked. It couldn’t hurt to ask her right? She seemed quite friendly despite being in hell, you had to try. Walking over to the doors the best you could with the constant limp bothering you, you shyly walked in ignoring the dreading feeling that you had just walked into a lion's den.

As soon as you got close but still kept your distance if you needed to run, you rubbed your palm onto your shirt. “Excuse me ma’am?” You called out to the much taller lady, she immediately turned around smiling. Your undead heart jumped seeing her black eyes and smile that was full of sharp teeth. “Yes? Oh! A new face, I’ve never seen you around here before, Darling!” She called out, putting the box of more fingers down on the counter. “I-I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am..truly sorry I just..arrived here and I’m quite confused.” You reply trying to calm your nerves as she stared at you, the fact you were dead and in hell of all places is just something you couldn’t wrap your mind around. All you could remember is just wanting to surprise your husband after his rough day.

“Oh of course! Come in, come in. Let’s get you relaxed and I’ll answer any questions you have.” The woman had said, guiding you towards a table near the back, you sat down and looked around the store seeing the different types of clothes, medicines and treats that lined the shelves. It was comforting on some level, it reminded you about a shop not too far from your own home that a friend of yours worked at. Well..get rid of the ever lingering smell of blood and flesh then it would’ve been perfect. Leaning back in the chair as the tall lady had walked back in holding a tray with a teapot and some cups on it. Sitting the tray down, she quickly took her place across from you and served you some tea. You were thankful as it had calmed your nerves greatly.

“So dear, how can I help you?” Her voice was soft, almost motherly to an extent as you slowly drank the tea. “I know I’m in hell and I know why or at least I know why..Hell seems different than what the priests have described it..it’s not so fire and brimstone-y with an eternal lake of fire.” You explained placing the cup down before frowning, staring at your own hands. Your nails had morphed into sharp claws as it looked like your hands up to your elbow were dipped into black tar. “It’s hard to wrap my head around and..I don’t want to say I’m scared because I’m truly not…I’m sorry, I ran off on a tangent.” You mumbled out sitting up to stare at the lady before you, a soft smile on her lips.

“No no it’s okay, get it off your chest. This…Is a lot especially to someone who has recently just got down here. Well, as you know Hell is not just one place. 7 rings of hell to represent the 7 deadly sins,” She hummed, waving her hand much like Alastor did when he was about to go off on a tangent and you let out a breath you didn’t know you had been holding. “We are on the Pride Ring, where sinners much like yourself stay. I can’t say much about the other rings but sinners can’t go to the other rings, only hellborn demons and imps can.” You slowly nodded and looked down, listening to her talk. You soon found out her name was Rosie, she was the Overlord of Cannibal Town and you were now even more confused cause what the fuck is an overlord?

The questions in your head swirled as you held the tea cup as the conversation lulled for a little bit, “How do I..in a lack of better words, live? I don’t know where to start and I’d rather not be out on the streets if I’m just going to get killed again.” You replied as Rosie hummed before her grin widened. Gosh, she really did remind you of Alastor at the best of times..you missed him so much. “Why don’t you work with me so I can help you get settled into this new way of living your afterlife?” She hummed and you perked up nodding too stunned to actually question her intentions if she had any. You didn’t speak much after that, only nodding your head if she had asked you a question.

You felt incomplete knowing you were gonna wake up without hearing Alastor’s broadcast and going to bed without the latest gossip from around town. You’d manage right? It’s not like there aren’t other radio stations out there for you to listen in on. A soft hand on yours snaps you out of your own thoughts as Rosie smiles at you, “Is everything okay? You have that far away look on you.” You blinked at the question, you could trust her couldn’t you? She’s been helpful so far..she doesn’t seem like the one who would betray you so easily. “I..I just miss my husband is all..” you whispered out watching as she smiled softly nodding, “I’m sorry, Dear..” She whispered, causing you to smile.

The conversation picked up once more as you both sat there for hours, talking about everything and nothing all at once. 

~~~

It’s been about 2 years now or you’d hope so, time is weird when you are dead. You were currently locked up in your apartment with the windows and curtains drawn, your dresser blocking the door just in case as you heard screams echo from outside. You sat in the darkness of your own bathroom, a bottle of whiskey sitting on the edge of the tub that you were currently laying in, thank Satan you didn’t take a bath this morning. Rosie had warned you about the yearly extermination that takes place to get rid of the overpopulation problem, the first year it had happened you almost got killed (again) and it left you with a pretty nasty scar on your leg that still throbbed in pain every now and then, it sucked now that you still had that damn limp but add the extra burning pain and some days you could barely even stand. Thankfully, Rosie was super understanding about the whole thing.

You yawned and played with the cup in your hands as you patiently awaited for the extermination to be over. You closed your eyes keeping the cup close to your chest as you leaned your head back, you wished you had grabbed a book and a candle, you didn’t want to drink yourself stupid as you waited out this extermination. Your mind drifted back to Alastor, in your final moments the smell of his cologne stuck in your mind and how his bloody and shaking hands held your head to his chest. Tears that weren’t your own hit your cheek as your vision slowly blacked out, you missed him oh so dearly. You don’t think he would love you now, the more demonic looking you..how scars decorated your body to remind you of your gruesome death and even more fatal almost second death. Tears pricked at your eyes at the thought of your beloved Beau and how he would react.

Now you weren’t a fool when it came to Alastor, you knew exactly why he had constantly disappeared for days on end. Why would he point out the latest death to you in the papers? Was he constantly trying to keep you away from him or was he just telling you outright that he was the rampant serial killer around New Orleans? 

A loud horn echoed through the now silent Hellscape, the exterminators retreating back to Heaven. You let out a sigh downing the rest of the whiskey that was in your cup before slowly moving to get out of the tub so you wouldn’t put too much strain on your leg. Your back popped uncomfortably as you stretched, grabbing the whiskey bottle as you slowly walked out of your bathroom as fireworks sounded out, it was officially over and now you had a whole year to wait to do it again. You turned on the lights in your bathroom watching as the golden light spilled out into the darkness as if someone had left a piece of heaven behind. The light illuminated the darkness and showed how you left your room as you rushed to push the heavy dresser in front of your door, how your bed sheets were in disarray and your clothes laid on the ground from how you tried to make the dresser less heavy. It didn’t work and you basically had to strain yourself to get it over there in the first place. You looked at the bottle in your hand, unscrewing the cap off to take a swig to give you the strength (and stupidity) to move that damned dresser back over to where it usually sat.

It had been an hour at best into you slowly cleaning up your apartment when the old radio on the counter had started to turn on by itself. That wasn’t a problem usually, this is hell and weird things do tend to happen but what caught your eye is that the dials started to move by themselves as if it was trying to tune itself to a certain radio station. Now it never did that before and it scared you a little bit, in a matter of seconds green electricity erupted from the speaker as screams- horrid screams echoed throughout the apartment making you drop the bottle of whiskey on the ground to cover your own ears. Your head felt dizzy and you practically busted your own ass as you tried to take a step back as the screams suddenly disappeared and left the room silent except for a few gruesome sounds of bones cracking. You uncovered your ears as you blinked allowing your vision to fix itself as you let out a deep breath.

“Salutations Dear Listener’s!” His voice rang out causing you to freeze as you glanced down at the now shattered bottle on the ground. Was this some sick fucking joke? Whoever was using your husband’s voice to play on the radio? Who would do such a fucking thing? You couldn’t move from your spot on the floor as your breathing came shorter with every word from the radio, you felt your throat close uncomfortably as tears cascaded down your cheeks. Who was using his voice? If he was down here as well, he shouldn’t be. Not yet. 

You sat like that for hours even after you stopped crying, too scared to move in case the radio turned itself on again. You had only just begun getting used to your afterlife.

~~

It had been a few weeks now from the extermination and you were helping Rosie with folding some of the clothes in the shop, as she dealt with the customers. The first few days working with her was quite a scary sight as she had to hold back some of the cannibals from devouring you, that was a mental breakdown you weren’t expecting to happen. Now, no one really tried to eat you and happily greeted you as you walked by, you try to stay away from Susan.

You tried to leave Rosie alone when she was working, she was such a busy woman and Overlord, which you finally found out what that meant and to say you were unsurprised was an understatement. Focusing back on folding the clothes in front of you, you tried to listen into anything really as it got boring some days and you just wished to listen to some juicy gossip. You could always ask Rosie..she would gladly sit down and unload some of it onto your shoulders. She was always open for some “girl talk” with you no matter what, hell you could be a literal cat and she’d talk your ear off if you’d let her. So it surprised you when she had called you over to help her, you didn’t disdain being around the other cannibals but they did scare you a little bit..especially that butcher..but you swallowed any nerves you had as you walked over to her.

“Yes, Rosie?” You asked as you watched her help the seemingly last customer of the day. You waved the lady off as Rosie guided you to her favorite spot to gossip after work, “Wait here for a moment,” She hummed quickly, leaving to close up shop and possibly going to get some tea. You looked back at the table in front of you as your fingers tapped away to some tune you couldn’t quite remember, did you hear it from the radio after hearing your husband’s voice broadcast all over hell or was it just some tune some poor fool was destined to play, maybe it was that tune you heard from that mysterious red jacketed man that always disappeared when you got closer to him? Why did that jacket seem so familiar to you? Why did his presence enrapture you so much? Blinking your eyes as Rosie sat in front of you happily pouring you both some tea, “I’m guessing you’ve heard about a new overlord rising up recently,” She hummed out placing the kettle back in the middle of the table. You nodded, “Yes ma’am, I’ve heard whispers about it.” 

She smiled and took a sip of her drink, the conversation lulling into a comfortable silence once more. You watched her for a moment, she had a glint in her eyes, “You had a husband before..what can you tell me about him?” She asked looking back at you, placing her cup down. The thought of just gushing about Alastor to someone made your undead heart flutter and something akin to butterflies in your stomach. You never dared talk about him when you were alive, in fear of accidentally starting a whole snowball effect. You didn’t want him to get caught so easily.  Your face heated up as a small smile graced your lips, “Are you sure you want to hear me talk about that?” You asked hands nervously cupping the warm cup as she nodded her smile much more soft. “What drew you towards him or what was he like in life?”

You looked down and cleared your throat, “Well..His presence was always one of a man filled with confidence and his smile was so gorgeous. But he was a very..how do I say this..private man and organized man. He’d like everything where it needed to be and I’ve only heard parts of conversations where someone pried too deeply and he got upset. So I never really asked a lot of questions, and didn't feel like I needed to at the time.” You explained waving your hand as if his little quirks rubbed off on you. “Funnily enough, that’s how we met..I was walking by with a drink and some poor fool had hit the drink out of my hand onto his new suit.” You explained with a slight chuckle, “I didn’t bat an eye when his anger had redirected towards me..but I paid for a new suit with the money I had saved up and seemingly all was forgiven. I somehow wormed my way into his presence after.” You looked up at Rosie and sighed, “His eyes were the most expressive parts of him, if you knew what you were looking for. He had such pretty dark brown eyes and paired with that smile it’d make anyone look twice. But he was such a gentleman and he had a lot of secrets to keep but he allowed me in and allowed me to keep those secrets safe.” You looked down once more fiddling with the cup, tears brimming your eyes but never falling as you quickly blinked them away. “I miss him, miss waking up at the early hours to hear his voice on the radio and our late night adventures across town going from speakeasy’s to the local jazz show..we would always end up at the park. A middle ground for our hectic lives and we would just talk..there was no judgment or anything of that nature. Just us..” As you finished a warm hand covering your own fidgeting one, Rosie’s soft smile had reached over. “He seems like a dream,” She hummed out, causing you to smile and nodded.

But dreams never last.

~~~

Rosie softly hummed as she walked arm in arm with you, you had started to walk her towards her meetings ever since you had landed her a couple years ago. At first it was mostly so you could see what Pentagram City had looked like. The soft taps of her heels hitting the pavement and the occasional tap of the cane she had gotten you so long ago had soothed her nerves a little bit. The first time you had accompanied her your leg had given out on you due to the stress of constantly putting pressure on it, scared her. Her favorite little Sinner had just collapsed on the sidewalk with a loud thump but you didn’t fret, which scared her more as surely that had hurt. You waved off her concern but happily took her arm as she helped you back up.

Now here you both were walking towards the Overlord Meetings, you wouldn’t be welcomed in as you weren’t an Overlord yourself but you happily walked all the way with her there and then came back to walk her towards Cannibal Town. You usually didn’t speak much even when working, you were as silent as a mouse at times. “Is the cane helping?” She asked, watching as you smile and nodded, “Yes ma’am, I can pay you back if needed.” That made her almost stop in her tracks but she simply waved your words off. “No, no, no need my dear!” She hummed as you continued to walk. Your smile had dropped and you had that faraway look in your eyes when she glanced back at you once more, what made you go into your head so much? Was it a bad home life when you were alive? She was curious but knew better than to pry, she’s seen you rip someone apart with just your words, how venom laced your tongue as you showed your fangs waiting for the chance to attack. Someone or something made you feel voiceless.

After you had left, she waltzed into the meeting greeted by Carmilla and Zestial amongst other Overlords there. She sat next to Alastor who politely nodded and helped her sit down. “You know Alastor, I have this Darling little helper at my shop, you should come by sometime and see how they live up to your expectations.” She whispered watching as his ears swiveled around to listen to her but he hummed, his smile growing a little bit more. “I suppose I should, is there something special about this helper?” He asked glancing at her, “Maybe so~” She hummed her attention going back towards Carmilla. The conversation stopped right there as Alastor sent her a quick glance, what was she up to? He hoped she wasn’t trying to set him up again, he was a busy man and didn’t have time for such things..unless she found his little mouse, his darling spouse that he killed for after their death.

Nonsense, they shouldn’t even be down here in this cesspool of filthy degenerates. You couldn’t be down here, he didn’t want to believe it. Even if you had murdered your ex husband, he happily took the blame and fell for the kill, he wouldn’t let your reputation be tarnished as something as dirty as murder. But he must admit, the color of red looked great on you. He only wished to see it more, he only wished to see you more. After you died he had lost himself, he didn’t know another person would affect his ways much like you did. Your smile, your laugh, the way you looked over at him as someone did something insanely stupid. His Mama absolutely outright adored you.

After the meeting had ended, Alastor walked Rosie outside listening to her speak before quickly saying her goodbyes. He looked over to see a familiar figure..one that haunted his dreams when he was alive. But of course you looked different, his smile dropped to a frown as you didn’t even notice him. But the way you happily guide Rosie back to Cannibal Town, using a cane to help you walk. He could see the way you put weight on the foot that got snagged by the trap years ago, had caused you to flinch and put more weight onto the cane. He frowned, he wished he could take that pain away from you.

~~~ 

It had been too long since he had seen you, much too long that he almost forgot the sound of your laughter and the way you smiled. Yet he didn’t forget your face, the same stone cold look you had when you were far into your head or just simply elsewhere, physically next to him but mentally gone. The years he’s known you, the amount of times he has prodded at you to just know what was going on in that mind, he never did find out. He stopped trying after a while especially when you got married to your first husband, he didn’t want that buffoon to find all your weak spots he had found. He didn’t want to share his knowledge of how if he pressed just right he’d get you to crack open that shell and get your blood boiling, he’d occasionally do it when you were alive. Set that thought into motion and allow you to show people how truly venomous you were.

But now, seeing you through the glass of Rosie’s Emporium with that same look on your face made his heart race, that hope he had lost so long ago ran back to the forefront of his mind. He’d get to see that smile again, get to hear you laugh once more. Everytime in the last few months he’d miss you by arriving too late or you were simply not working that day. It had infuriated him to no end, it was like you were trying to ignore him. He’d been looking for you since he had got down here and he was starting to think that you must’ve gotten into Heaven, you deserved it even if you took a life.

But from what Rosie had told him he had been a fool to think you’d forget about him. You talked about him all the time, even going so far as to listen to his radio broadcasts around. Hell..she even told him about the time when he had first done his broadcast, how you were so terrified. He felt horrible for sending his little mouse into a frenzy like that, he’d have to make it up to you instead. So without a second thought, he had waltzed into the shop happily greeted by Rosie and motioned to sit down at the table, as he watched you from the corner of his eye, his crimson gaze upon your form as you fixed up a display from across the room, seemingly in your own world. He didn’t know how to approach you after all these years, he was..if he dared say it, he was scared to see how you would react to him. But all of his thoughts were interrupted when a loud crash was heard making his ears stand up and swivel towards you, you who was standing stock still as a wall staring him down in fear? Or was it disbelief? Your legs trembled as you stood, it was him. Alastor was here, oh fuck..you looked stupid just standing there, say something to him. You opened your mouth but nothing came out before you made yourself look down, quickly cleaning up despite the strain in your leg making pain shoot up. Shaking hands cleaning up the mess as you bit down on your tongue, ignoring the tears that had collected in your eyes. He couldn’t be here, it was way too early for him..he had a career ahead of him. He was THE famous radio host, but he was also a killer and a good one at that, maybe the cops found out or maybe your ex husbands family found out and ratted him out. You shouldn’t have gotten twisted in the game, it was his eventual downfall. It was your downfall but he wasn’t the ruthless killer in your eyes, he was just Alastor the radio host and good friend you’ve known for years. You hated how your jaw clenched and throat closed up uncomfortably, you didn’t like allowing him to see you so vulnerable.

When you finished cleaning up the broken glass and ignored how your throat hurt, you realized that you couldn’t stand back up. Your muscles had locked up from the pain and now you were simply sitting on the ground. That is until gloved hands had slowly helped you stand up, your injured leg curling up like a fawn trying to stand for the first time, a familiar cologne clogging your senses. You missed him so much but you caused this to happen, one arm wrapped around your waist as the other held your arm with a softness unbeknownst to most, the broken glass disappearing in a matter of black and green smoke. “Let’s go sit, Darling.” His voice broke through the ringing in your ears and interrupted the thoughts racing in your head. Slowly moving towards the seats, he helped you sit down allowing your muscles to slowly start to ease up. Alastor watched you, he saw how your jaw clenched and how you seemingly struggled to get a breath in, he wished he knew how to help you properly. He brought your hand up and kissed your knuckles, “What’s on your mind?” he asked softly. 

The simple question races through your head before snapping you back into reality, you took a deep breath and shook your head trying to stop the tears. Your voice was nothing but useless to you right now but all you wanted was him- his arms around you as he hummed his tunes. The way it was before you were killed, but nothing could go back to the way it was. Things change and if you don't change with it, you’d be left in the dust awaiting a slow and agonizing death. Laughter intertwined with each sob as you looked up at your husband, “I’m pathetic, surely. I couldn’t even fight off my own murderer.” You hissed out but you weren’t directing it towards him, no..you could never direct the venomous and toxic anger you held in for so long towards him. “I’m the reason you're down here.” Your gaze returned towards the table wiping your own tears away from your eyes. 

Alastor reached over grabbing your hands, watching your gaze shift from the table to him in a flash. “You are not pathetic, Dear. You are a wolf amongst sheep, waiting for the moment to strike. You are stronger than most of these buffoons down here, I should know. I’ve seen you make a grown man cry.” He slowly pulled you closer to his body allowing you to lay your head on his chest, “I’d kill for you over and over, you never were the reason I am down here. Toss that thought out of your head, it would be the other way around.” He whispered out rubbing your cheek with his thumb, “I missed you, Alastor..” You whispered out your voice breaking, his smile softened. “And I missed you, Dear. Even death couldn’t keep us apart.” He hummed, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head. 

Alastor never believed in fairytales or ‘love at first sight’..but yet again, he was proven wrong. 

~~~

Extra:

You huffed, allowing your husband to carefully pull you down the street, “Dearest, are you sure you want me there to help at the Hotel?” Alastor looked over and slowed down his pace, “Of course! I can’t have my darling spouse sitting at home all by their lonesome!” His chest puffed out as you rolled your eyes playfully, “It’s not like I’m bored, Al!” You hummed and leaned your head against his shoulder, his smile softening as the arm that was holding yours moved to wrap around your waist as he chuckled allowing the conversation to fall into the comfortable silence he was so used to by now. After decades of being together and the seven years he went missing made this hotel seem like a good idea after all. 

After a couple of moments you had stopped at the door, allowing your husband to pick up his pace to open the doors. You walked in and were immediately greeted by a run down looking Hotel, you grimaced a little before Alastor had appeared beside you. “Holy shit, Smiles! Who did you lure over here?” A voice called out to look over to see a tall spider smirking at him, a soft growl escaped your husband’s smile allowing everyone to look over except Husk, who had met you a while back. “I didn’t lure them over here,” he snarled out before he carefully pulled you closer as his arm wrapped around your waist once more. “This is my spouse.” He finished allowing you to wave at everyone, ignoring the laugh that came from The King of Hell which sent your husband into a frenzy, it hadn’t been a minute yet and you were pulling him away from possibly murdering or being murdered by the King.

Calmly turning him towards you, you carefully smoothed out his suit and smiled up at him, his radio dials switched back to normal as he softly gazed at you. “No killing the King for my honor, Dearest. You’ve been talking to me all day about this Hotel, show me around?” You asked as he kissed your knuckles, “Of course, Darling.” He hummed gently, taking your arm and walking off down the hallway to show you around. 

You’d get used to this. After all you had Alastor by your side and nothing could stop you both now.

Taglist:@fairyv-ice, @kurosstuff

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Just want to say, I really love your yandere family! They all seem so sweet lajdkal

Ah! Thank you! I'm so glad!

I've been meaning to make more content for them

So here's a little something

🖤🖤🖤

How Sweet They Are | Yandere Family

Remalda

To Everyone else: Is as sweet as she needs to be. How can she be anything other than that when she’s going for mayor? But what’s underneath the sweet smiles and friendly disposition is a spiteful woman with a violent string of thoughts.

“Miss Remalda! If you weren’t married I’d propose to you!”

“Awww that’s so sweet! But I’m very happy in my marriage!”

‘If you had found me 14 years earlier I would have skinned you for even thinking you could replace my love with yourself. Disgusting Pig!’

To You: She’s sweeter than sugar. Anything you ask for you can have even if it comes with detriment to someone else. She just can’t resist it when you look up at her with those adorable (e/c) eyes. It's just too much! Too perfect! That’s her beloved baby alright!

“Awww you reached so nicely for it, you can have all the cake you want!”

“Mom! They can’t even digest solid food!”

“But they asked so adorably how can i refuse?*Mwah*”

Spencer 

To Everyone else: He’s as cordial as he needs to be. He’s been keeping people at a distance for quite a long time so this is nothing new. He doesn’t often waste any time thinking about those he meets or what he can do for them because he’s too busy thinking about his own family. 

“Thank you for your patronage.”

“You’re really pretty for a man in your work!”

“Hmmm.”

‘Did I leave the dishwasher running? If I did (Y/n)’s sippy cup should be in there. That’ll be good. Oh, and Yulia has a skating competition this week…’

He’s so disconnected sometimes he forgets the...consequences that spring from his own actions or lack thereof.

“So darling who was that tramp?”

“What tramp?”

To You: He tries to be as sweet as any parent should be. Your chubby body, your gleeful squeals, and your tiny grip on him–are always reminders to him about how much he cherishes you. He’s aware that Remalda is inclined to spoil you and he doubts that will ever change so he has to take initiative and be the adult. But he didn’t have to worry about it now, not when you were so young and it was normal anyway to act on your whims. You have no other way to communicate so it's okay!

“Baby, be careful waving that toy in the air! You might hit a bird!”

You’ll babble and ultimately end up flinging the toy in the air wacking a bird off its perch.

“Oh s-dear! Okay okay, you can have it back just don’t do that again. Okay?”

Michael 

To Everyone Else: Only if you pay for it. He’s a businessman after all and he doesn’t get the results he does by being “sweet.” He’ll make his peers pay a fee if they want to see his pearly whites and even then it's never the real thing. It’s safe to say he takes after his Mother and Father when it comes to being sweet…it covers his real thoughts that are either completely unrelated or especially violent.

“Geez Michael you could’ve at least acted like you care! I’m paying for the experience, right?”

“You right, I don’t care. But if you want the experience with a friendly disposition you’ll have to pay the fee.” 

“What!? Seriously this is a lot more than I imagined…”

‘Of course I do I need to have enough to support my baby and little sister…I wonder if I would get more if I just stabbed him.’

To You: He’s sweet t in the way that he always holds you with care and reprimands your wrong-doings. While he’s not too different from his father he still feels like it's his duty to ‘properly raise you’. He thinks-no he knows you're the precious baby that needs his loving hand to guide you in this messed up family. And since you're his sweet baby he will be the sweetest to you and Yulia.

“Alright (Y/n)...give me your hand.”

“(Y/n). (Y/n), listen to big brother. Give me your hand.”

He’s trying his hardest to be sweet with you, it's not typically in his nature to choose kindness over violence but he tries. He loves you after all so he’s willing to try anything to see your gummy smile and hear the bells of your laughter.

“Good job, (Y/n). Next, you’ll have to learn to give me one of your toys.”

Yulia

To Everyone Else: Of course, she is sweet to everyone! Why not be? Everyone’s usually so nice to her–always complimenting her ice skating and how good of a big sister she is. Sometimes when she talks to those who know her brother they seemed surprised she is so nice. 

“Huh, Michael? Oh well, he’s quite curt but I wouldn’t say he’s mean.”

So where her beloved brother slips up she carries the weight, hoping to dissuade others from building too much aggression towards him. Because she knows him and he’s the kindest big brother; yes, he may mysteriously be ridding her of any and all problems she speaks about.

“Threatened you? He’s just…doing his own thing. Yeah, sorry about that…”

To You: Yes! Why wouldn’t she?! Her darling baby sibling is just so cute and when Michael’s busy and the parents are fighting+ you always seem to reach out for her. Always seem to remember her. So she gives you kisses and risks her mother’s wrath to sneak into your nursery for a sleepover.

“Come on (Y/n), how about we stay up and I tell you all about everything1”

#yandere family #yandere family headcannons #yandere x reader #yandere x you #lovelyyandereaddictionpoint #yanderexrea #yandere #yanderes #yandere harem #yandere platonic #platonic yandere #platonic yandere x reader #yandere oc family #yandere ocs #Remalda oc #spencer oc #Michael oc

[zoethespiritwolf]

Sweater weather - Jack frost x female! reader

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

Ship: Jack Frost x reader

Warnings: None? Maybe a bit of deprecating thoughts and bad writing, but other than that, nothing more

Genre: Enemies to lovers (kinda)

Fic type: Scenario

A/n: Based on this request. Am I a little obsessed with the trope 'morally grey character turns from villain to hero', especially if it's about ROTG? Absolutely!

Also, this is a relatively short oneshot. Please forgive me, I just got back from a major writer's block so I'm a bit out of practice.

But regardless of that, I truly hope you have a wonderful day and have a friendly dog or cat come up to you to share some love! <3

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

I never had the heart to tell him that he didn't help when my hands got cold.

Even before all of this mess, he would see my hands freezing and offer to warm them up by placing them in the large front pocket of his hoodie. If it were anyone else, it probably would've helped.

But this was Jack Frost we are talking about. The boy who nips your nose in the winter and brings winter and ice wherever he goes. Who's body is just as cold as snow itself.

And yet I still let him put my freezing hands near his body. Because despite my mind screaming at me not to get attached to him, I still managed to fall for him.

Even now, as we both lay in the deep ravine, both being betrayed and abandoned by Pitch with no way of escaping, he still takes his slightly frost-covered hands and brings them to his pocket.

"Come on," he tiredly sighs, bringing me closer to his body, one of his hands still holding mine in his pocket, "your hands are cold."

"It's too cold for us here," I shifted around a bit, in an attempt to look like the position was uncomfortable, rather than give away that I was nearly freezing to death, "I doubt this will do much."

The boy didn't say anything, just leaned back against the side of the ravine, holding me close, the cold slowly seeping into our bones.

And as the silence enveloped us, I started to wonder - why, after everything that I had done, after betraying you, do you still offer to warm my hands?

That after I made you believe that I was your friend who shared your beliefs, after joining Pitch Black the very second I was offered power, recognition, and the possibility to finally be seen, after helping Pitch bring down and destroy everything that was dear to his new friends, the Guardians, after deliberately betraying him for my own selfish gain... he still tried to warm my cold hands with his body.

Just like none of this happened before.

What do you see in me to offer me such kindness?

"You stole my heart," Jack's words made me jump, startling out of my thoughts as I jerked away from him, "And even after everything you did, after ...."

I could see his beautiful blue eyes darken, they reminded me of black eyes - dangerous, if you were not careful. And just as they darkened and the momentary pause stretched on, I could feel the heaviness in my chest become tighter, my guilt rs=ising up my throat like bile.

"After siding with him, I still can't find it within myself to hate you."

"Because I know you were fooled like I was. And most importantly," Jack continued on, slowly tracing patterns on my cold hands with his thumb before looking up, "Because I still love you."

#fanfiction #x reader #jack frost x reader #jack frost #rotg #xreader #rise of the guardians #rotg jack frost

[agentgumsh0e]

yandere love letters from cypher, sova, phoenix, and yoru

summary: what if these 4 valorant agents grew restless of watching their darlings rubbing shoulders with other agents and decided to take matters into their own hands? what would it look like?

word count: 550+

warnings: yandere behavior + mentions of stalking, kidnapping, unhealthy relationships, manipulation (guilt-tripping, blackmail, etc.), and harm. please do not read if you are sensitive to any of these topics. the behavior below is not condoned.

cypher

method: anonymous email

details: it's scarily thorough.

subject line: to my rose

i've been watching you for a while… everything you do entrances me. delights me. drives my obsession with you. even what you do behind closed doors. i’ve always wanted to pry my way into your room… and i've left some gifts behind. your room is very cozy, by the way.

it's quite uncharacteristic of me to be stepping out of the shadows to contact you. but see, eventually, you get tired of the screens, the stalking… you want action. anyways, i’m sure you’ll eventually figure out who i am. and when you do find out, i recommend that you keep quiet about my actions. i'm not above using some underhanded tactics, if you will. when i say i know everything about you, i do mean everything.

and let me remind you, no one is safe here. especially the people that you let get so close to you. they're not as innocent as you think, darling. we've all got skeletons in our closet, but i don't think i need to remind you of that, hmm? 

all i want is to protect you, love, so do me a favor and don't put yourself in more trouble than you're already in. you can start by rejecting that agent’s advances. you know who so spare yourself some dignity by not playing dumb. as for me, i'll be watching, as i always do. but this time, you’ll know. 

sova

method: pen and paper

details: in a neat envelope. it's noticeably concise. 

to (y/n), 

my dear, you concern me with all of the “people” that you associate yourself with. you're too pure for them. they'll take advantage of your innocence and eat you alive. you won't be safe with them.

come into my open arms, away from the beasts that surround you.

meet me at the shooting range. or i'll have to take you there myself. 

be good and obey, won't you?

from, your protector.

yoru

method: pencil and paper

details: the lead breaks and smudges at times. it seems rushed. there's no ‘to’ or ‘from', yet it still got delivered to you.

you've been pissing me off lately. you know, i've seen the way you've been speaking to your “friends”. you better fucking get away from them. they're getting too friendly with what's mine.

you just love messing around, don't you? messing around with them like this is some fucking joke? like my feelings mean jackshit to you?

no more games. i'd hate to have to hurt someone because of you. 

phoenix

method: pencil and paper

details: seems like it was calmly written. there are no eraser marks. 

dear (y/n), 

bruv, guess who? i've been pretty upset at how you blew me off recently for your friends, but it's cool. i'm used to that kind of treatment from you. it's not like we're that close, yeah? 

if i'm gonna be honest here, i kind of like you. wellll, ‘kind of’ is an understatement. i really like you. but how you've been treating me makes me scared that you don't feel the same, and that…really hurts.

sorry for the downer. anyways, we should meet up at the training room! just you and me, like it should be. 

hey, if you reject me, we’ll still be chill, fam. no sweat, yeah?

#valorant x reader #cypher x reader #valorant phoenix x reader #yoru x reader #sova x reader #valorant #valorant headcanons #valorant scenarios #valorant imagines #valorant fanfiction #cypher #valorant cypher #phoenix #valorant phoenix #valorant cypher x reader #phoenix x reader #yoru #valorant yoru x reader #sova #valorant sova #valorant sova x reader #cypher valorant #cypher valorant x reader #phoenix valorant #phoenix valorant x reader #sova valorant #sova valorant x reader #yoru valorant #yoru valorant x reader #valorant yoru

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids,

A lot of my letters start with "Here's a hug for" - so here's a high-five for the ones who do not want hugs!

Please feel free to replace all the virtual hugs I offer you with your preferred way of receiving positive, comforting, friendly attention (Is it a high-five? A cheerful wave? A smile? A thumbs up? A polite nod from a safe distance? Whatever it is, just think of the word "hug" as a placeholder for that).

This may seem like a silly post and in some ways it is. After all, all of those gestures are purely virtual and aimed at a wide audience, they are not actually happening between you and me. I can openly and happily give out all the hugs on here because that fits in with the aesthetic choice of my letters coming from a "virtual parent" - in real life, that would obviously be weird and uncomfortable (for both sides) since we are complete strangers.

But even in a "parasocial relationship" (or especially in them?), boundaries matter. I hope this letter serves as a reminder to only engage with my letters in a way that is beneficial to you. Replace the virtual hugs with virtual fistbumps. Replace the picture of a supportive dad with the picture of a kind elderly neighbor who isn't related to you. Ignore the whole framing as a letter and just read the actual posts. You get to curate your own experience here.

With all my love,

Your Tumblr Dad

[ezlebe]

Tomgreg prison era?

4-11

Dear Thomas Wambsgans –

Tom blinks at the flowy script and formal address, then reaches out and grabs the envelope… Yeah, it says it’s from Greg. He unfolds out the rest of the paper and it says Sincerely, Gregory Hirsch too.

He furrows his brow, wondering if this is something weird spear phishing scam by letter. It’s really bizarre, if so, but clearly it is working.

Dear Thomas Wambsgans,

The food here is dreadful. I finally understand your concerns, and have now had them realized, from our visit to the diner in Washington DC. It is worse than –

Okay, so it’s probably Greg, but is he… roleplaying? Did he dictate this aloud for some crook secretary to apply pen to paper, too?

 – when we went, I fear, as it seems to be entirely processed and I had forgotten the odd rubber texture to powder egg. It is even worse than the MREs that I once found on my grandfather’s ranch and sustained myself with for a week. Is the food for you also of subpar quality? I have been curious to know if mine is worse due to being in the state of Florida, where it is very hot and damp.

The other occupants here are surprisingly cordial, though there have been some friendly joshes toward my height, but it is no worse than any of the family. I do think I may have to learn Spanish. I have found a single fellow inmate who speaks French, but it is in an incomprehensible dialect called Cajun, which I previously believed only to be a type of food. I have struck up something of an acquaintanceship with this man, if only to irk those around us.

Sincerely, Gregory Hirsch

“Oh, buddy,” Tom mutters, covering a smile with a tight palm and exhaling a broken laugh into it. He drops the letter to cover his eyes with that hand, mortified at the burn behind them. It’s a nothing letter – it’s just… Greg sounding sort of like Greg, complaining about eggs, and third languages, and… and very deliberately reaching out to him.

Fuck. He’s so fucking happy thatit’s really just disgusting.

Tom reaches out and grabs the envelope, again, scanning his eyes across the address. He has no idea what he’s going to write back, except maybe to tell Greg that his French is fake, too.

~

Greg,

We’re not in a period drama. You’re okay to write to me like a real person.

The food here sucks, too. I would’ve taken you out to more dives, but let’s be real your affection for crappy chain food prepared you better than I ever could for it. If you repeat this, I’ll kill you, but I actually don’t mind powder eggs. They remind me of camping with the scouts.

My only real stumble here so far is this guy in for corporate fraud talking to me like he knows Connor. It’s bonkers. He doesn’t actually know him, right, because he thinks knowing him makes him more respectable in here. It does not. You would think him seeing me in here would make it plain as day that being in the Roy circle is meaningless, and yet.

How you doing, otherwise? I know you need a precise measure of water and shade like a delicate, fussy flower.

–Tom

~~

It takes about a week and a half to get a reply to a letter, which is maybe quick for moving a physical object a thousand or so miles, but is just horrific on Tom’s anxiety. He feels like a wartime widow, attending the mail drop and regularly disappointed, wondering if the last letter was the last. It’s just about the time he starts thinking he’s said something wrong, too, Greg has finally realized he shouldn’t be writing Tom, a new one shows up, easing his worries in a way almost like its own clockwork.

6-05

Dear Thomas,

I do not believe I was ever meant to take residence in Florida. It is very hot and humid, which is very manageable for visits, but I recall believing New York was too much, and this is far, far worse. I am beginning to feel like a slug. It is not allowed to simply stay in bed, but I fear that I will one day wake stuck to it.

I’ve been trying to do exercise since I arrived, but I dislike it, especially now that my body seems to be attempting to melt, so I’ve moved on to other pursuits. A good number of other inmates do not hold any regard for the less physical activities available to us –

Tom nearly covers his face, but settles for pinching the bridge of his nose; good lord, Greg is really playing at being such a dandy. Is it a psychological thing? He’s claimed it isn’t, but Tom really has no way to know, a whole country away.

– at all. I enjoy them, though. It is much better to be assigned an indoor detail, as well, than to be stuck outside toiling with a bunch of rude oafs who think height equals shares of physical labor.

Tom gives up and breaks into a laugh, dropping the letter to cover his mouth with both hands in attempt to muffle it.

A clear of a throat, which Tom had been avoiding, comes from behind him. “You good, Tom?”

“I think…” Tom sighs, dragging his hands down his face with a forceful swallow. “My only friend in the world has been driven insane by coke withdrawal.”

“…That can happen?”

“I don’t fucking know,” Tom says, as he picks the letter back up with a careful straightening of the paper. “But he’s weirder than ever.”

I have been unable to get any concrete answers about disease prevention to answer your question about the mosquitos. I was, however, informed that only twenty percent of people show outward symptoms of West Nile, so I may, in fact, have already had it?

How are your call out duties and activities among other inmates? I know that was something you were exceedingly worried about, and my experience so far in that is the warning was some measure exaggerated. It is not an amazing experience, nor one I would ever welcome, but now approaching my third month I have suffered the most of boredom. Your letters have bolstered me greatly, in that respect, as I keep them to reread when the impulse strikes me, which is often.

I also hope you’re doing well.

Sincerely, Gregory Hirsch

Tom furrows his brow, as a flush streaks across his nose. He presses his thumb against the word reread, covering and uncovering it, and tries not to think too much about the small, if growing stack of letters now well memorized on his own time.

~

Greg,

I hate to say it buddy but I’m not surprised you’re an indoors activity guy. I can actually see you running around with a little moleskine and a pen, though if it’s for secrets or pictures, who’s really to know?

I’ve been running and working out a lot, actually, so maybe it’s better we were separated by a spiteful, nasty old man of your blood relation. I’d have made you tag along to my free time whenever I get too cooped up and antsy, which is all the time, Greg. It is literally every day. I wish the unit staff here would assign me go out and do something awful and back-breaking outside, but I think they think I’m too soft and old, which is obviously its own insult.

I’m saving your letters for my tell-all book, so I hope you don’t expect anything to be forgotten. The world is going to know about the oatmeal thing and how you don’t know the capital of any US states, as well as the fact that you write to me like a lunatic in immaculate cursive. You’re going to get nothing but fountain pens and calligraphy sets, as gifts, from now on.

They better have bug spray in that commissary. I do not want you getting a brain disease and croaking out there on me. I would hate to have the entire state of Florida ruined for me by a mosquito.

– Tom

~~

“You got two from your lovely lady friend.”

Tom eyes Carter shuffling the letters like cards. “I know it says Greg.”

Carter demonstratively sniffing at the edges, pretending to look inside, generally just fondling Greg’s fucking letter, which is a bold move for a forger built like Roger Rabbit. “Don’t smell any perfume on it…”

“I know it also says FPC Pensacola,” Tom says, injecting every ounce of deliberate pleasantness that he can spare.

Carter pulls back and looks at the front of the envelope. He grunts and throws both at Tom. “Shit, so it does. I didn’t think that was allowed?”

Tom narrows his eyes, then glances down to the letters, as Carter fucks off to the next person in line. He turns them over in his hands by the corners, waiting until the unit is let loose, and decides forcefully not to ask. He doesn’t want to know if he’s got strings pulled without him knowing, until it matters; ignorance, at this point, is bliss.

Tom pulls out the first postmarked with a tense tug. He’s not sure why Greg would send two so close – he usually waits for a reply.

Tom! I saw an alligator!! It was like both bigger and smaller than assumed!

Tom raises an eyebrow, then flips over the page to a blank back.

Alright.

He reaches out for the next envelope, more careful at the twice over sealed seam.

8-16

Dear Thomas,

Okay, that’s more familiar. Evidently, the alligator was just exciting enough Greg forgot he’s pretending to be a Victorian.

It’s been a day and I have seen to send a formal letter.

I have weathered a small actual hurricane, but I just believed it a bad storm at the time. The water level rose high, but, thankfully, it did not outright flood. It was less intimidating an experience than I had assumed it would be after watching films on the subject. The hurricanes, evidently, do not get quite so bad in general and are most often a lot of rain and wind.

The alligator was roughly two meters in length and hissed quite loudly when it was woken, but did not make any other move. My fellow inmate Lou told me that the creature was simply sunning itself after the storm. He also informed me that they are cocodrie in his French and they can get much larger, but that they’re lazy. In return, I told him about orignal and that I would not have approached one so closely to the fence.

Are you still well? I do not know what August is like in Minnesota.

I have recently been considering the end of my stay here. I know you are sentenced for nearly twice as long, but do you think that I might see you before then? Our lawyer has said that it may be easiest to find out by trying to put my name on the list after my release in November.

Yours, Gregory Hirsch

Tom reads the last paragraph twice before he believes his eyes, sure he’s misreading something in Greg’s flowy, perfect cursive script. He curls against his dinky desk, into his elbow, and folds the letter up while swallowing thickly against emotion balling up at the base of his throat. He sets both letters with the others, then closes the drawer, ignoring impulse to take it back out to read a third time.

He wants to see Greg so much that it sits behind his sternum with all the comfort of the head of a morning star, but… it’s hard to believe that the sentiment might be returned, let alone enough to ask about it. He might just be being polite – it’s far more likely that their lawyer floated the idea out of bias.

~

Greg,

I can’t believe you saw a dinosaur when I haven’t even seen a deer. I’m relieved you were okay during the hurricane, though, and every other storm. It sounds like a lot of water to be dealing with and I don’t envy it. Stay safe. You can probably survive any flooding by standing up, but I don’t think we want to test it.

The worst August weather up here is just a little rain. I haven’t even had to deal with it much. The winter is in a couple months and that’s going to really suck the energy out of everything. I can’t wait to feel like I’m in fifth grade and forced to go outside for recess again. I bet you’re familiar with the feeling, though I’ve never thought to ask where you went to school? The one I went to was private and still made us do it, but maybe Canada doesn’t allow that shit.

It’s no problem to try to get you on the list, but check in before you actually make any detour on your welcome home tour. I’d really love to see you, but you’ll have spent enough time in a prison, Greg, to ever walk willingly into another one.

What the flying fuck is an orignal?

 – Tom

~~

10-23

My Dearest Thomas,

Tom flips the upper third of the letter down and sets a flat look out the window. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times that he tells Greg to write like he was born in 1988, not 1788, he just won’t because he thinks it’s fun, the nut, and now it is just getting ridiculous.

All Hallows’ Eve approaches! I am most excited. I don’t believe that the camp will do anything monumental for the holiday, but I have sketched some decorations for the letter. The seasons are most odd in Florida, as well; I have been put on a garden detail and, because they do not have winter, they are still growing food. I enjoy it! It is a much better experience doing this under the direction of the faculty here than my grandfather, who had much patience for plants and little to spare elsewhere.

Tom didn’t actually need any confirmation that Ewan was basically a warden, but good to know he’s worse. He wonders, as well, if Greg is predisposed to entire conversations with plants; he seems the type. The little thinking pumpkins in the letter margins just sort of support the idea.

I have also sketched out one of the blossoms on the back from a zucchini. I find they are quite pretty. I was informed by a CO that they can be stuffed with ricotta and fried to be eaten, and I told him that sounded like something you might enjoy more than me. He said then that I must make them, but I believe that would be better left to you, as well.

I only have a month left, as of today! I cannot wait for the opportunity to see you. The letters are sustaining, but hardly satisfying enough compared to actual company.

Our lawyer has urged me that I should prepare for the cold and I was forced to remind her that I am from Canada; however, she then informed me that Toronto is, in all fact, south of both Twin Cities and Duluth. I never thought to look. I doubt still that it is all that bad.

Ever Yours, Gregory Hirsch

Tom stares at the closing for a beat, a reluctant grin twisting his mouth while he huffs through his nose. He flips the page over and studies the drawn flower, wilted and certainly somewhat lifelike, featuring faint lines and shading, and realizes Greg must be practicing a lot. He probably won’t be sending many more letters, tripping back into real life, but Tom hopes that Greg continues the artsy hobby. He’s not half bad at it. He’s like a little amateur naturist; a burgeoning, trapped Monet.

~

Greg,

Your cartoon pumpkins are very dark, thinking about being carved into pieces. I’m surprised the administration let the letter through at all, hah. Duluth isn’t doing Halloween, either, but there is a CO who started wearing cat eye contact lenses and it just comes off as a painfully dorky rebellion. It reminds me of Tyler the assistant with the Felix clock on his cubicle.

It’s now getting a bit colder and the leaves are turning, too. I expect meals are only going to get worse, from here, so I’m happy someone is going to be getting vitamin c even if it isn’t me. I hear a lot of rumor about hydroponics around here, but I don’t believe anyone is relating it to food. If you like the gardening, though, you should keep it up, so you’ll be prepared for when the world ends and we’re reduced to agrarian pursuits. I’ll do the hunting part.

I’ve noticed you’re collecting hobbies. A quick learner with a curse. What I’m saying is the flower is really well drawn, buddy, as in actually lifelike. I didn’t know you were such an artist.

I have heard of frying them, some Italian thing, but never tried it. It’s probably really crispy and greasy, so I wouldn’t dismiss to so quick for yourself. In a similar weird Italian thing, they do their own songbird, but from what I’ve seen, it is a bit too much even for me.

I miss you, too. I admit I asked about you and our lawyer said to my face she only uses you as an excuse to visit Florida. She doesn’t even It’s just rude.

– Tom

++++

“Wambsgans, visitor,” the CO says, jerking his head toward the visitor building with a flat expression. “Greg Hirsch.”

“What – Really?” Tom says, shocked that – well, Greg is even in the state so soon, since he was scheduled to be released only something like three days ago, but also that he got through the visitor screening process. It seems whoever is signing off on those is either a moron, letting in his accomplice, or the opposite of one, and knows Greg and he can’t exactly duplicate or plan any other version of their crime. …Or, more likely, his lawyer pulled strings. “Oh, I – ” he looks down at his rumpled uniform, suddenly feeling almost naked in it. “Okay.”

He enters the visitors room at the behest of another, more familiar, CO called Maria, and promptly forgets her and the rest of the bland room at the sight of Greg hovering near one of the bolted, tacky tables. His hair is longer, maybe having gone entirely uncut since the day they got stuck in their respective camps, and he’s hunched as ever, big round eyes staring back at Tom.

It’s tempting to do the crazy thing and piledrive Greg into the ground and never let him go, but Tom takes the sensible and sane choice to simply speedwalk to the table. He gets close enough and Greg jumps him, anyway, squeezing the life from him while Tom clumsily, hurriedly grabs back.

“Tom,” Greg murmurs in his ear.

“Hey, buddy,” Tom answers, softly, bracing his hands on Greg’s back with a hard swallow. He closes his eyes for a brief pair of moments, holding his breath and pretending they’re anywhere else. “Long time no see.”

Greg hums a vague response, a petulant grumble escaping his lips when Tom gently pulls away before a CO can come peel him off. It’s a whiny, spoiled little noise that Tom missed so much.

“You were really that eager to get back into another prison, huh?” Tom asks, settling across the table from Greg and ignoring another plain stupid idea to reach out for Greg’s hands to make themselves a summoning circle of two. It’s not like a hug; he’s never held Greg’s hand.

Greg sweeps some overlong hair behind his ear, leaning into the table with a shrug.

Tom is just struck dumb by the fact Greg is sitting in front of him. He’s solid and real and here, and Tom needs to do more than just stare at him. “Florida for eight months and not even a tan?”

Greg grins and stretches out his arms to look at the pale backs of them. “I guess not?”

“You doing okay?” Tom asks, glancing over Greg from his bulky sweater to his obviously new jeans, ankles exposed to the air with a shock of white socks underneath. “No yawning distress, or whatever? I assume you got the benefits coming in.”

“Yeah, your, uh – your mom is really nice? Like still. She said she would help me find a place.”

“A place? Oh.” Tom swallows hard in shock, because it almost sounds like Greg plans to… to stay in Minnesota? “Huh… You might want to watch that. Her taste leans toward art deco – Oh no, wait… that’s you.”

Greg breaks into a laugh, shaking his head and suddenly ducking it into his chest. His long-fingered hands flex against each other on the table, making it more tempting than ever to reach out and take them.

“There’s this… Frank Lloyd Wright service station, not far from here,” Tom says, unsure where he’s really pointing when he flicks his fingers toward the wall across from them, but it could be close to Cloquet. “It’s based on that sort of thing. You should go gawk.”

“Or, maybe, we do that when you get out?” Greg says, quietly, looking up under his brows with a small shrug. “It’ll like… you know, be better. You could tell me about it.”

“Yeah?” Tom swallows hard against a swell in his throat, heat blazing across the back of his neck. “I haven’t actually been there.”

“I bet it’s pretty cool,” Greg says, smiling back, flicking his fingers in a similar direction. “For like a – a gas station.”

“A service station, Greg, which goes the extra mile,” Tom says, raising his brows while leaning across the table with a hum. “Full service.”

“No, yeah,” Greg laughs, again, smiling wide, as he nods his head. “Sure.”

Tom takes another few seconds to stare, rudely indulging himself and prepared to blame his circumstances. It’s the prison that’s doing it – he’s just lost all his social graces. “So is… Mommy’s just dragging you around the Twin Cities?”

“Kind of?” Greg says, narrowing his eyes a bit with a wincing sort of smile. “She had me help do some shredding at her office yesterday, after we flew up? I think as, like, a joke?”

“Oh my god,” Tom mutters, rolling his eyes toward the windows and more than a bit exasperated, but not that all that surprised. “Don’t tell me that.”

“She said she’d pay me, actually,” Greg says, outright overeager, as he relays this baffling bit of news. “If I wanted a job? But I couldn’t tell if she was serious. She reminds me sort of, uh, of you, when she’s not like being my lawyer.”

“Embarrassing, right,” Tom says, scoffing through his nose with a weak laugh. “I’m glad you’re getting along.”

Greg sweeps his hair out of his face, again, smiling somewhat under his fingers. “Yeah, like… I’m glad, too.”

The conversation drifts, almost awkwardly, but not uncomfortably, like neither of them know what to say, but don’t want to leave. It goes on like that, anyway, until a CO breaks in with an announcement and Greg does straighten with a glance at the clock. It suddenly feels like it hasn’t been any time at all.

“So, I was looking – um, at the rules?” Greg says, lifting his head with a nod at the station behind Tom, though there isn’t any sign to that effect behind him. “And you get like unlimited time but only like eight total, right? Per month. So like I could split it with your family, or whatever, but that could be, like… two visits a week?”

“That is math, buddy,” Tom says, forcing himself to look up into Greg’s eyes while he raises his brows high up his forehead with forced levity. “You want to stick it out here that long?”

“Yeah, I – I mean if that’s okay?”

“Of course, Greg, I would love it, if you stayed, it’s just – ” Tom lowers his voice, making sure to put a taunting pull at his lips. “This is Minnesota. It’s dead boring.”

“I like lived in New Brunswick as a kid in the summers, you know?” Greg says, though Tom had certainly not known, but that’ll be an explanation asked for later. “It’s like way more boring.”

“But…” Tom rises out of his chair slower than Greg; no matter what Greg thinks he’s going to do, there’s a chance this is the last time Tom sees him. “…No hard feelings if you run back to New York, alright?”

“You totally would have a lot of them, Tom,” Greg disagrees, as a grin pulls somewhat mocking at his lips. “But I’m, like – I’m not going to. That’s why I’m here.”

“Sure,” Tom says, offering a shrug that he’s sure would look less stiff on a Buckingham Palace guard. “If you say so.”

“Like, it’s like… like how you wrote you’d have to go down to Florida?” Greg says, while his hands swing to briefly tap at either edge of his now-vacant chair. “If I ended up doing something that got me stuck down there longer. Remember? When I stole oatmeal. It was something like… you’d go down to Pensacola to give me a reason to keep on-target?”

Tom feels his eyes go wide, startled at the baldfaced mention of a, until now, gone unmentioned lack of subtlety on Tom’s part that should’ve been left that way out of politeness. “So what, Greg? You know that’s not just…” He reaches up and scratches at the heat bursting across his jaw, heart thumping heavily in his chest. “It’s not the same. That coming from me.”

“Or, uh…” Greg shrugs smally into a shoulder with another nod. “Maybe it is.”

Tom only barely manages a punched out breath: “Oh.”

“Uh… uh… anyway, I’ll be back Saturday,” Greg says, taking a hasty backward step and nodding, then looking down with a hitch when he nearly flattens someone’s kid. “With y-your mom, maybe?”

“Okay, buddy,” Tom says, lifting a hand to wave by rote. He drops it slowly back to his side, as Greg slips out the door behind some group of other visitors. He sighs hard through his nose, biting at the inside of his lip and muttering against it. “Fuck.”

“Hey, man,” Neal says, stage whispering from two tables over. He’s an insider trader with a rumored few hundred mil stashed away somewhere that everyone knows about, because he won’t shut up about it. “Was that rumor true about you two bumping uglies the whole damned time?”

“No,” Tom says, annoyed to hear his voice lift, as he keeps staring at the door and shoving down hard on the impulse to do something really stupid, like try to follow. “I was married.”

“Huh. You think I don’t hear that ‘was’?” Neal says, with a hum that leads into a quiet click of his tongue. “I will say this, man? He did not look that tall on the TV.”

“No?” Tom says, looking over with a sneer building across his lips.

“You two make each other look normal size,” Neal says, offering an unkind gesture with a back and forth sweep of his hand at two evident levels. “You have my endorsement. You got to be with someone who makes you look less like a freak.”

“Golly gee, thank you,” Tom says, flatly, rolling his eyes back to the door. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

A sharp clear of the throat comes from behind Tom. “Are we conspiring, gentleman?”

“With this guy? Our resumes don’t line up,” Neal scoffs, which is… insulting but sort of true, since he actually made money off trade schemes, while Tom fell on a sword and jammed another person on top of himself and it for good measure. “But did you see his boy? He could play for the Knicks.”

“I did see that,” Maria says, tilting her head in the same direction. “He didn’t look that tall on PGN.”

Neal raises his brows. “That’s what I’m saying.”

+

Tom folds the Funyuns bag, half and half over again, empty now after Greg offered it as the standard fare. “So you really like the work – are you looking into becoming the worlds largest paralegal?”

“The whole job is, you know, interesting, seeing it from the other side, but –” Greg leans forward, as his eyes go wide with a marked sparkle of excitement. “The – like, the best part is reading all the horrible things people did.”

Tom rolls his eyes. “Oh god, your insatiable snoop monster is finally being sated.”

“I guess?” Greg says, sweeping his ever-growing hair behind both his ears with his hands. “The worst so far is this guy who admitted to your mom he totally burned up a company car, but she had to convince everyone it got stolen.”

“Wow,” Tom says, lowering his voice with a glance toward the observing CO utterly ignoring them. “Burned it?”

“I guess he was super unhappy at his job?” Greg says, with a small shrug of a single shoulder up against his ear. “I never would’ve done that – I like having stuff too much.”

Tom snorts hard, as he leans back away, grudgingly putting some space between them for his next question. “I know you do. Speaking of… How was your New Years thing? Aside for your scheduling issues.”

It probably didn’t go great, because no Roy function ever does, but there has to be some reason Greg came back to Minnesota, afterward, rather than sending Tom some Dear John about sticking it with them a second time. In fact, Tom had thought that was exactly what he was going to get until he got called up today, since Greg missed Saturday, so he’s just… more curious than ever.

“Oh, uh…” Greg sighs hard through his nose, slumping back in his seat. “It was… bad. I’ve never really seen my mom with them all, as like an adult? It – like, it was really uncomfortable. But Grandpa Ewan at one point, uh – He actually yelled at Uncle Logan for calling her a pill head, so that was, like. It was nice of him? But my mom still kind of cried.”

Tom presses his mouth together in a grimace; that sounds par for the course. “That sucks, bud.”

“I got some champagne, though, and brought it home,” Greg says, eyes flicking back to make contact with Tom, then a laugh breaks through his lips. “Your dad is funny – he thought like I’d get in trouble? But it wasn’t even like the most expensive stuff.”

Tom stares back for a beat, then slowly cocks his brows. “…You got my parents champagne?”

“I-I can get you some later,” Greg says, eager, wiggling forward on his seat and leaning into his elbows on the table with a wide look. “It’s like not until September. Or like, you can pick it out – I just took this off the table.”

“You’re such a delinquent, Greg,” Tom says, then swallows hard, as he realizes for the nth time, in a way that still feels just absolutely impossible, Greg seems to really be in Minnesota just for him. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Like, the same as usual? Hey, like,” Greg says, scratching up against the side of his nose with a thumb. “Do you think the champagne is like a heavier offense than the papers?”

Tom drops his head in a deep nod. “I think it would be to your family,” he says, affectedly flat and joyless.

“My mom like brought this extra big purse with a bunch of plastic baggies,” Greg says, waving down at his side with a gesture like he’s brought his own bag. “And she took like a bunch of food. She said it was for her book club.”

Tom tilts his head to a wide angle, then scoffs hard through his nose while lifting it back up. “I’ve never met your mother, but I like her, Greg.”

“The book club is more like a wine club,” Greg adds, looking up when the CO starts to make the announcement for the end of visiting hours. He rises from his chair with a stretch, back cracking like a broken zipper. “I used to have to pick her up? But now she uses like Uber and sometimes her friend, Brian.”

“That’s so funny,” Tom says, wrapping a hand around Greg’s nape, as he leans down for his now-customary hug. “You have a good week, okay?”

“I’m sorry I missed Saturday,” Greg says, his pout unambiguous against Tom’s neck while he speaks into it. “The stupid plane –”

Tom hums loud to interrupt, squeezing one last time before reluctantly letting go. “Hey, you were here today.”

+

Tom isn’t sure if he’s more anxious or less with Greg around, as his release date approaches with the quick passing of summer. He feels weight against his back, excited but crawling with uncertainty, as easily hundreds of good, bad, or ugly ways it could go build in the back of his head and he… He wants to know where he stands with Greg, but also he doesn’t want to know; the thing that makes him nearly lean up at every perfectly appropriate hug, sitting as it’s been so long under his ribs, almost scarier than any of the rest of it.

He never expected Greg to do more than uncomfortably put up with it, let alone start to… regularly imply some similar sentiment. The ambiguity of zero privacy spares him any real denial or confession. He can pretend forever that Greg really forgives him, or at least the actions, and will stand with him at the gate at the end of all this, if he never, ever asks.

“Yeah, but it’s like… we made it?” Greg says, sweeping his hand through his hair, then he offers the other to make a jazzy gesture. “Or, I did. You’ve got two months? It was – it sucked, a lot, and everything, but the, like… I think the working yourself up before it the first time was actually the worst part? To me. When you thought you’d end up in, like… Alcatraz.”

“Alcatraz is closed, first off, Gregory, and second, I’ve read it was mostly the island part that sucked. Whatever, yes, it’s done. …But I wish you’d had something to run off with, anyway,” Tom says, rolling his voice around the word with a low grumble. He gestures toward the decidedly denominational symbol hanging around the curtain rod at the window, smuggled in by some past visitor. “I’m not a Catholic, but there’s still some part of me that feels like I should have taken all this guilt upon myself like I promised to.”

“If it helps, I – I maybe did?” Greg says, wetting his lips, then dropping his shoulders with a shrug. “Have… something. But I decided not to use it.”

Tom stares for a few beats, mouth twisting downward, and when Greg doesn’t crack and admit to some terrible joke, he feels his hands curl into fists across the top of the table. “…You what?”

“Yeah, uh,” Greg shrugs, again, blinking rapidly and looking down, plainly not having expected to get this sort of response for his confession of heinous idiocy. “Um. You remember when we – We were at your like house – penthouse…? I… I recorded it on my phone.”

“Greg,” Tom says, hearing his voice bark, then forcing it back down into something lower like a hiss. “Why the fuck wouldn’t you use that?”

“Your mom said it probably wouldn’t matter? She might’ve – probably was lying, but –” Greg suddenly reaches across the table and sets his hand on top of Tom’s wound fist. “Now it – I think… I don’t know. I’d rather just be happy that I’m here like this an-and with you now, than… wonder if I had used it? If I wouldn’t be.”

Tom stares for a few beats, suffering a brief, horrible wash of anger at his mother. “Greg –”

Greg shakes his head, fingertips scrambling at the edge of Tom’s turned-down hand. “I dunno, Tom, shit sorta happens?” He continues, his voice lowering, almost breaking, “Like… like how none of this would’ve happened, at all, if I hadn’t told Gerri ab-about your press conference plan an-and then lied to you about it.”

Tom stares and feels his eyes narrow, then widen, as his whole expression threatens to collapse; he’s angry, so angry, but it wanes almost all at once when he sees Greg is… trying so hard to blame himself for some reason. He shakes his head and looks down, pulling his hand from underneath Greg’s by widely spreading his fingers.

Greg makes a tight, pained noise, almost soundless.

Tom finishes the action to wind their fingers together, palm to palm, to put himself in a more active grip. He’s… upset, yeah, but he’s suspected this for a while; he suspected Greg telling a lot of people about a lot of things that were just too convenient, but he was just as bad. “Okay, Greg, don’t… get so worked up. You’re not that big of a snake. That’s why I’m so mad you didn’t slither out of this – you’re usually smarter.”

Greg takes a wet breath. “But I –”

Tom tightens both his hands around Greg’s one, squeezing around the knuckles. “Don’t start. You’d been working in the corporate environment not even a month, baby, and I can’t remember giving you a single reason to trust me.”

Greg takes a sharp breath, lifting his eyes and mouth dropping open, but he still doesn’t speak until seconds later: “Ne-neither did Gerri.”

“She was the closest thing you knew to a lawyer,” Tom says, tilting his head with a flat, sarcastic smile. “Too bad she’s probably even more biased and self-serving than the rest of us.”

“Maybe… yeah. Like, with Roman, she – ” Greg looks up with a start, as a shadow falls somehow indifferently over their table.

“I want to preface this by saying none of the comments by Officer Carlos were homophobic,” Maria says, pointing over her shoulder at the markedly ducking CO that’s been shadowing her for a few weeks. “He had me concerned because you look like you’re fighting, but now I’m here and it’s more a crying situation. Are we having a problem, gentlemen?”

“No, ma’am,” Greg says, ducking his head with evident mortification. “No-not at all. I can’t really cry with witnesses, actually.”

Tom flattens his lips with a shake of his head at Greg, then up at Maria, who’s now giving Greg the hairy eyeball. He squeezes Greg’s hand one last time before letting it go. “We’re just praying for our sins.”

“Inmate Wambsgans,” Maria says, turning her condescending look toward toward him with a bizarrely uncanny rock of her head. “Do you even know where chapel is?”

Tom stares Maria down for a solid beat, then lifts his hand with a point and a crooked smirk. “It’s the same place where I meet my counselor.”

Maria raises an unamused brow. “You got me there.” She nods down at the table. “The time ends in twenty minutes. You better apologize quick, eh?”

“Ten-four,” Tom says, sunnily, dropping his arm to smack at the table with an exaggerated gesture and very light tap.

Later, once the announcement officially goes out to part ways that afternoon, Tom presses his lips lightly across Greg’s jaw, hiding it inside the hug; it earns him a tight squeeze almost to the point of asphyxia.

====

Greg cranes his head up at the station, leaning against the hood of the car behind him. He looks like he’s actually judging it, which is pretty funny, since his amateur interest began with a Parducci documentary he watched on a flight to Scotland. He’d gotten Minneapolis and Detroit confused, then been irked when Tom didn’t know about all the buildings in this city that he’d visited once on a hockey trip.

“You don’t have to write an essay on it,” Tom says, flatly, keeping one eye on Greg and the other on the mechanic in the open bay. It would be just his luck to get a trespassing call an hour after his release. “You’re not going to be graded on if you like a tacky gas station in a town that’s only other claim to fame is Jessica Lange.”

“It’s got a – ” Greg takes a breath, gesturing back and forth with flailing, turning palms. “A lot of angles.” He looks over at Tom, raising his brows with a short lean inward. “Did you know they built this – uh, fake one sort of the same in Buffalo, recently?”

Tom stares for a beat, taking in Greg’s eager, bright face, then leans up and kisses him across the mouth. He figures if Greg shoves him, he can just blame the surprise that way, in his own head, rather than the much slimmer, but very present, chance of disgust. He ends up being the one surprised, when Greg hums deeply, all of a sudden weighing heavy on Tom’s shoulder with an arm wrapping around his neck. It even makes him forget the mechanic, who’s hopefully not a total dick.

“I, um – ” Greg stutters, moments later, a smile cutting across his face while he goes on to shake his head. “It’s maybe not that great, Tom? The one in – uh, in the museum is all copper.”

Tom yanks at Greg gently by the coat lapels, listening to a resulting sputtered laugh, and tightens his voice up somewhat more cartoonish, maybe like how he’d scold a baby. “You just prove over and over you can’t appreciate these nice things I give you.”

#tomgreg #this is probably one of the longest of these ive done lol #long distance prison era

[ooorangy]

18 Fic Recs for the Discerning Kaebedo/Albekae Enjoyer

Nobody asked so I shall deliver. All of these are completed stories; every WIP in the ao3 tag is very special to me and welcome to continue haunting my brain in private.

nawa - no archive warnings apply ccntw - creator chose not to warn

✨[G, nawa] - A Courting Dance by gh0strobin for Alienu Oneshot. Royalty AU and a fun take on the formal courtship trope. Prince Albedo and Knight Captain Kaeya. For fans of Albedo puzzling Kaeya out and Kaeya being too cunning for his own good. Delicious worldbuilding and efficient pacing. Really freaking good.

✨[G, nawa] - spare truths by izabellwit Oneshot. Kaeya walks Klee and Albedo home. Just two guys being dudes walking home together like good and friendly coworkers because they're both totally cool and not keeping any secrets. This author's take on Kaeya is like keeping a particularly tricky cat on a leash, and I love it.

✨[T, ccntw] The Stars Do Shine by Hertz 21 Chapters. Prince Kaeya and Homunculus Albedo, Childhood friends to lovers AU. The king of childhood friends to lovers kaebedo fic. Beautiful. Amazing. Perfect. Showstopping. Teenagers being teenaged. A banger every time I reread.

✨[T nawa] Tidal Locking by slippers (SassySugawara) 4 Chapters. The Knights of Favonius test a love potion. It works on everyone except Kaeya. Cue: completely reasonable shenanigans.

✨[T, nawa] Cascading (In a good way) by Hubbleablubble Oneshot. The holy grail. The og. This is it, the fic that opened my genshin-impact playing eyeballs to this ship. Kaeya is especially lovable here. I am a sucker for Albedo being silly by accident.

✨[T, nawa] little maker, little man by imaginarypasta Oneshot. My fandom north star for a well-written Kaeya. Antagonizing coworkers to friends to lovers. The good kind of agony.

✨[T, nawa] Outlines of New Eyes and Visions of You by indigoblue_readsalot Oneshot. Pining, jealousy, oceans, and alcohol.

🍊[T, nawa] roundabout by starlander (EmpiricBias) for awkward_archangel Oneshot. Established Relationship. Kaeya and Albedo have an argument but very quietly and privately. Nothing gets solved and then they kiss and hug. I wrote this :]

[T, nawa] stale by noon by cherotonin Oneshot. Character study of all of the following: Kaeya, Albedo, and Subject Two.

[T, nawa] hand in unlovable hand by clumsycrow Oneshot. Dialogue-heavy, one-scene, deep dive dual character study of Kaeya and Albedo that reminds me of a stage play. Riveting.

[T, nawa] Heat Lightning by gh0strobin for evesbeve Oneshot. Kaeya's Vision behaving erratically. Albedo helps Kaeya because Kaeya refuses to ask for help.

✨[T, nawa] klee's (new and improved) favonius survival rulebook by pyrochords Oneshot. Short but sweet Albedo PoV of the aftermath of Klee blowing up the Good Hunter stove under Kaeya's watch and not being allowed to go to the Chasm.

[T, nawa] Dear Fellow Monster by dazeful Oneshot. Fae AU. Kaeya and Albedo go on a date. Kaeya and Albedo discover each other's secret.

[T, nawa] Secrets Soar on Speckled Wings by dazeful Oneshot. A slightly different fae AU; Kaeya is the Owl of Dragonspine and Albedo his slightly terrified man-shaped object of interest.

✨[M, nawa] Chalk White and Raven Black by Laylah for greygerbil Oneshot. Wing AU, in that only Kaeya has wings and they are a secret until the events of this fic.

✨[E, nawa, ccntw] Verglas & Fireflies by Schemilix Series. 3 fics adding up to a whopping 335k words. Featuring NB Albedo, polyamory (Albedo/Lumine and Kaeya/Rosaria), BDSM, and monsterfucking.

✨[E, nawa] if i’m being honest by Hymn Oneshot. The quintessential fwb with hopeful ending + fwf/pwf. More like ftcf (fucking to convey feelings) here though. And it's great.

[E, nawa] you go down just like holy mary (mary on a, mary on a cross) by saffroncassis Oneshot. Rosaria/Kaeya/Albedo. A lot of fun. In the wise words of the author: "fanon can eat my dick i’m oscar wilde-ifying albedo".

Perennial reminder to comment on and download the fics you enjoy most. :]

#kaebedo #albekae #genshin impact #misc #text #fanfiction #fanfic #ok this gets the mature community flag because E rated fic recs

[angel-dust-bitch]

(Long Post Ahead!)

ABOUT THIS ANGEL DUST

This Rp Side Blog Portrays Angel Dust as (Mostly) Canon. There are some added in Little musings to make him more personal to me.  When speaking or interacting with Alternates Angel here likes to answer to Anjay (Pronounced AHN-JAY). He is over all more wholesome than some other Angels, But he is indeed very vain.  He is very much obsessed with himself and will shamelessy flirt with pretty much everyone, and especially has NO SHAME WHAT_SO_EVER about flirting with “himself”. He is impetuous and loves to fuck with people, especially his alternates,-- He likes to play Dumb or Oblivious with them just to piss them off at times. He is  even more so “playful” if they are friends/people he holds dear-- Friendships/relationships with Ange beware~ Aside from these, Angel is Canonly gay, And Canonly genderfluid. This Muse Is Multi-Ship, but do not expect him to break character. Sorry ladies, But He will not “Catch feelings” for you in that manner--- BUT-- So long as you’re paying him (extra)  Bedroom Play is not out of the question, DO note though-- it is not his most favorite thing in the world so Don’t expect him to be “fully present”

Rules To Follow

*Muse is sassy-- but generally friendly and Mun is DEFINITELY Friendly So Don’t be afraid to drop a line!

1) NO NSFW (if under 18.) (Admin is 29) --He cusses, he fucks. Enough Said. So if you are going to interact with this muse I do expect you to be mature about it. The Hazbin Fandom IS Adult Oriented-- If you are under the age of 18 DO NOT attempt smut or NSFW with this Muse. --This Rule Will be The Same for ALL of My RP Side Blogs. 2) DO NOT REBLOG MY THREADS OR ASKS UNLESS YOU ARE THE ONE IT IS MEANT FOR --Sorry it’s just when multiple people reblog threads of mine that aren’t theirs it causes a whole mess of confusion for me and my partner I am trying to respond with-- It blows up both of our notifications and we don’t know who we are responding to at that point. I Have indeed lost many RP partners from people crashing in on my threads, so I would appreciate it you just didn’t do it please.

3) THIS MUSE WILL MENTION ABUSE, ALCHOL CONSUMPTION, AND DRUG USE

Dark themes will arise from this blog, so please do warn me of any triggers or discomfort ahead of time so that I can be careful when we interact together. I want nothing more than for us to have fun and be comfortable. 4) DMs Are For OOC Interactions. I do not RP in my DMs. Those are for OOC things such as plotting or just simply chatting.

COMMON TAGS YOU WILL SEE

#~I’m A God Damned STAR Bitch!~ (Angel Dust) 

-- Anjay’s personal Tag line

#~I’m Comin’ Out So Ya Betta Get Dis Party Started~ 

-- An Open Interaction/Invitation To Interact #~Family Matters~ (This will be used by my Arackniss too)

--Will be used when interacting with members of the family. #~Sister, Sister~ (Molly) --Used in interactions with Molly Specifically #~Brotherly Banter~ --used when interacting With Arackniss Specifically #Strictly Commentary --This will be used by ALL my muses. It is my form of “Dash Commentary” *These are OKAY to reblog and respond to!

Shipping Tags

--Reminder that Personally Established/Pre established Ships Will also have their own Ship Names--

#~I Just Need To Fuckin’ Love M’self!~ (when shipping/Interacting  with Alternates) #~Video Birthed The Porn Star!~ (When Shipping/Interacting with Vox) #~Trap Of “Love”~ (When Interacting with Valentino) --I don’t count them as a Ship and I certainly Don’t support it as one, But I Do Welcome Interactions With Valentino For Obvious and Canon reasons and Yes these can get on the Saucy/NSFW side --Because OBVIOUS--

#Musings! #Rules and Guidelines!

[tsunderedoctor]

Alr, I would say I'm an ESFP, I try my hardest to solve problems and break up arguments, getting both people's views of the argument first. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I succeed. I worry about how people feel about me and I am so focused on how people feel about me I don't really take care of myself. I am very protective of my friends and tend to ignore people who are not nice to them, but if they go to far I do step in. I can be strategic sometimes, but it's usually not in serious things, I usually am strategic like in video games and such, but they do tend to help me in real life situations. I will cheer up my friends, and when they are sad, I get sad. I like getting to learn what they are into, finding our differences and similarities. I tend to dislike people who are very distracting, especially when they are doing it on purpose. I know sometimes they do it by joking, but I tend to find them not also distracting but disrespectful. Im not good in very bad situations but try to get better at breaking them up. I am very sensitive and take a lot of things to heart, but I know the difference between a joking voice and a serious one. I am very playful and like playing with others, I used to cheat but I play fairly now. I try not to hold grudges and I try to be very friendly to people. There are some people who I can't forgive, but there aren't many of them. I don't forgive people who hurt my friends or someone I hold dearly to me. I love nature and love looking for animals, it is really peaceful and I used to birdwatch. I get worried a lot, and I have ADHD, so I am extremely hyper and I do a lot of I forget to take my pills, when that happens I tend to be moving around and making random noises and such. Sorry if this was too long and I hope this is good enough

Hello, love!!! No need to apologize, it's what I asked for lol!!

Koby

This baby understands wanting to solve arguments and be the middle man for people! He joined the marines in hope of being there for others and he admires your ability to do the same! He can be a bit cowardly at times, but he does his best to not let his fears win over. 

He’s very calm and peaceful most times, so he will be great to counteract your ADHD! He would also like to try bird watching or play video games with you, anything to better understand you and spend time with you! He will also do his best to keep a memo pad of things you need to remember, that way you both can look back on it together.

Koby is very similar when it comes to forgiving people and being there for his friends. he doesn’t hold grudges either, but he doesn’t forget what that person has done, he’s the type to believe in second chances and that’s it. 

Killer

Killer is another good match for you, he’s used to putting up with Kid who is a mess all on his own, so he can keep up with your more hyper times and also equal it out with his own quiet demeanor. 

I can see him being the type who likes to watch video games rather than play them, if he does play, he will usually let the other win just because he doesn’t particularly care. I do think he would find bird watching to be interesting however, and has a little collection of different birds you two have spotted together! 

Since he is used to taking care of Kid, he will make sure you take care of yourself too! Makes sure you eat actual food and drink lots of water, also reminds you to take your medicine! He’s a good boy who would wear an apron while cooking!

Penguin

Pengiun is just as hyper as you, the two of you together is havoc, if you happen to include Shachi, dear lord. He LOVES video games and has no problem winning or losing, will also make bets on who he thinks will win if he is watching from the sidelines. 

He doesn’t hold grudges, but he is also the type to be wearing of someone who wronged him or a loved one. He will be more cordial, not letting that person inside again. It takes a while for him to accept them, but like he was given a second chance, he will do the same after time. 

A very loyal baby! He will make sure you feel the most confident you can be with him around! he is your personal cheerleader and will always praise your hard work. With him around never doubt yourself, it it not allowed! 

#tsunderedoctor #op matchup #op matchups #matchups #koby op #koby #massacre soldier killer #killer op #killer #penguin op #penguin #one piece #one piece x reader

[boba-beom]

ahhh thank you so much, that really means a lot🥺 i hope i have a safe flight too, weather's been a little crazy over here, but hopefully it'll all clear out by next week❤️

oooh, i didn't know you do yoga, that's so cool! i don't think i've ever tried yoga personally, is it fun? aww no, i'm sorry, period pains suck so much. i hope you feel better soon🥺❤️ well yk whether it be a few days before or during your period, your body needs to rest, because it's working extra hard❤️ the title does sound really interesting, i might add it to my tbr - let me know your thoughts on it once you're finished. i was reading 2 books, but i've put them on hold for now. the first one is The Girl in Red by Christina Henry and the second one is Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig. the girl in red is a retelling of little red riding hood set in an apocalyptic world where there's this airborne disease that destroys most of the population. while the second book is a non-fiction one that talks about several aspects of the modern world and just how easily they can overwhelm us and cause anxiety within us. the author also shares some of his own experiences, which i find pretty cool.

the 2D1N series is so memorable to me. i just love how they were joking and laughing around with the boys as well as fangirling over them🥺

mine too omg the amount of times i've rewatched that performance and when they all also covered yeonjun's artist of the month WOW, that really did something to me. HE'S JUST SO FINE. finest man alive honestly.

hype boy is such a great song and the dance was just *chef's kiss*, but my favorite would have to be attention hehe. i also really like omg and ditto, they're both so good.

whenever i read something, it stays with me and i can't help but associate things to it. for example whenever i listen to jump the line i think back to your yeonjun drabble where mc was in the kitchen alone at night and he found her moving to that song🥺 but omg, don't worry about it!! it's completely fine, i know writing isn't an easy process and it can take time, besides there are so many things that can get in the way of it such as life. so please take your time and i'll patiently be waiting for future updates hehe <3

beomgyu of the day

so sorry for this late reply!! but i hope the weather hasn't been too bad for you, dear. hopefully the flight will go smoothly <3

it was actually my first time trying out yoga! i loved it! the instructor was so kind and everyone at the session was so friendly, there were a few who went before but there were also a few who were new to it so i felt like i eased into it nicely! the yoga itself was new, i think i prefer yoga that high intensity workouts!!

i shall note those book recommendations down, however, the girl in red sounds very familiar to me so unless i've come across it before or heard of it by passing, i'll give those a read 🤭

PLS you just mentioning yeonjun's artist of the month performance reminded me how hard i was manifesting a beomgyu artist of the month :< i love his dance style especially when it comes to hip-hop songs like that one predebut vid. but i also think beomgyu dancing something like this also needs to be a thing!! it suits his vibes a lot :') OMG wait even the choreo for rollercoaster, something about that beomgyu hit different

also good song choices!! i feel like there's no miss with newjeans, for me personally. i just love the nostalgic vibes they give, very much y2k

you and i are so alike!! i love reading fics with songs accompanied with it because those tend to stick to me better, but also giving off those specific vibes :') literally appreciate how supportive you've been with me, thank you so much :>

#ᥫ᭡ : asks. #[ 🧸 ] — mutuals. #april ♡ #aprilisque ♡

[fodlansbestmom]

Anonymous asked:

"Of course! If I can find my way to your heart, I can find anything." Nod nod. He won't say that he still can't find his way to the dining hall. That's because he's new here, okay? It's normal.

"I used to have a cat. They're very good at keeping out mice." And they're just soft and they purr and she really reminds him of one. That's good enough for him. Besides, a bird and cat would not go well together.

"Small steps at a time. You're doing great." Remembering things from a thousand years ago is a monumental task for anyone. Add you dying on top of that, and… Yeah. You gotta be patient.

A small gasp leaves him at the suggestion. You have activated the fisherman braincell. "Oh, I could teach them how to fish and swim and sing little songs on the deck and-" He's blabbering on with no end in sight now.

They're approaching the marketplace by now. People might recognize him if he walks in while carrying Sothis. They might even get worried and call for help again.

she wrinkled her nose playfully at him. How cliche! But also sweet. May e a bit too sweet but luckily for him, she liked sweet things. He always fed her sweet tooth in all the right ways. “I don’t think my heart is too hard unlike some. You’ve taken all the right steps, love.”

a cat! She had a love hate relationship with them. They run around the monastery, along with dogs which is nice. Always a friendly companion whenever you need one. But she never actually owned one, or considered one of the strays as a pet. They’re nice creatures but they weren’t for her. Least she didn’t consider herself a cat person. Hm.

A soft look crossed her face as he babbled. Oh dear. Seems like she triggered something. But she enjoyed hearing him speak. Especially something he’s so passionate about. “Was your family a fishermen before you took the role or was it something you decided on doing yourself?” Either way. She needed to see him in action. Dragons loved fish (especially Flayn). “You have a lot to look forward to, don’t you?” She wondered how young he’d start their children out on the sea life. When they first learn to crawl? As a toddler? Or wait a bit older? “You know Nabateans age differently than humans? Even demigods like our children will be will age a bit differently.” Which wasnt too drastic but maybe something to think of.

Sothis didn’t Share tbe same thought. She’s more worried about finding the clothing shoppe and getting him new clothes. The pirate getup certainly was getting to her. Will he be in dark colors or something light? Take the role of a captain or a simple pirate? Guess theylll have to see what’s in stock! “One of the seamstresses there makes me custom dresses. She’s wonderful! I know she can make you something to your liking as well.”

#answered prayers; #time bending in progress: ic #the nameless gladiator;

[princessmia-tarot]

Hi dear. Can I please have a love reading for me and my crush G? We are in no contact and never have been talking, we just simply know each other. Whatever I need to know, thank you! 🤍🖤 AM ✨

Hello AM ✨,

Thank you for your request for a love reading regarding you and your crush, G. Let's explore the Ace of Cups reversed to gain insight into your situation.

The Ace of Cups reversed can indicate that there might be some emotional obstacles or challenges in your connection with G, particularly because you haven't had any direct contact or communication. Here's what this card may suggest:

Emotional Blockages: The reversed Ace of Cups suggests that there may be emotional barriers or hesitations preventing the two of you from connecting more deeply. It could be related to fears, past experiences, or uncertainties.

Timing Matters: The timing for a potential connection with G might not be ideal at the moment. It could be that both of you have other priorities or personal growth to focus on before a romantic connection can develop.

Self-Love and Self-Care: This card encourages you to focus on self-love and self-care. Take this time to nurture your own emotional well-being and happiness. When you feel more emotionally fulfilled within yourself, it can positively impact your interactions with others, including G.

Communication is Key: While you haven't been in contact with G, consider taking a small step toward initiating communication in a friendly and non-intrusive way. A simple hello or a friendly message can be a gentle way to break the ice and see how G responds.

Be Patient: The Ace of Cups reversed reminds you to be patient with the unfolding of this potential connection. Sometimes, relationships take time to develop, especially when there hasn't been prior communication.

In summary, the reversed Ace of Cups suggests that there may be some emotional barriers or timing issues in your connection with G. Focus on self-care and consider initiating a friendly conversation when the time feels right. Patience and understanding are key as you navigate this situation.

If you have more questions or need further guidance, please feel free to ask. I wish you the best of luck in your connection with G! 🤍🖤

xx

Mia💗

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#tarot #tarot cards #tarot readings #cartomancy #card reading #major arcana #minor arcana #intuitive #witchcraft #witchcore #real witches #tumblr witches #witches of tumblr #divination #australian witches #witchblr #oracle card #oracle cards #oracle reading #free reading #free tarot reading #small business #etsy #etsy shop #australian #australian business #australian witch

[living-in-the-state-of-dreaming]

Mini PSA.

Friendly reminder and a small tidbit of advice to you sad, little anons and people out there. You know who you are. Having an opinion is not 'vitriol', especially when the opinion is also one shared by numerous other people who have also said something similar online whether it be reviews or otherwise. And flaming that person for having an opinion just because you get worked up and defensive and feel your buttcheeks clench, only makes you a bias asshat who really isn't doing anything other then harming the community you're in, be it for a particular game or otherwise, with your toxicity.

Oh and also, one more thing, to you anons and sad, sad people out there. Yes. I am one of those people who agree with their opinions. And yes I am talking about Engage. I haven't even played FE, I hope and plan to at some point, but I also think Engage and the mc looks absolutely wretched and a major step down from the other older games, aside from the combat which I have heard good things about and so I'm never going to touch Engage even with a 50 foot pole. And no I am not afraid to admit it or of you sad, little anons and people out there on the internet because it's my own opinion; that isn't harming a single hair on anyone's head. Well, maybe it is when it comes to the hair between you anons ass cheeks. Your toxic opinions, harassment and borderline gate keeping when it comes to what someone is and isn't aloud to think however, is.

It is also my dear friends @bubblegum-snowdrop opinion. Leave her alone and don't fuck with my friends. Feel free to come spout your meaningless hate in my inbox though; I'll delete every single one of your drivel because I have been called far worse. ^~^ The most I'll do is correct your grammar since poor grammar seems to be a thing that's common with you lot. You've been warned.~

Anyway.~ Don't be like these anons or people. ^~^

Oo, that actually has a nice ring to it, maybe I'll make that into segment or tag when I make my Nav and about me on here. Could be fun.

#thoughts of a dreamer #living in the state of dreaming #Ah I love the smell of roasted toxic anon's in the morning. ^~^

[seelestia]

ehe~ it's great having you back my dear author !! 🥺

Hope you're doing great with those school works! I know first hand how much school could beat our ass :''D especially since you mentioned exams, i know fr exam weeks are one of the most stressful moments a human can go through :(

if i can, I'd send u a little doodle i can draw as me being in ur pocket lmao

but since I'm an anon I can't :''D (tho i feel like u know who i am already, considering i always like your posts whenever you answer my asks :P)

since i can't send images or gifs, here's an emoticon instead

ヽ(｡ゝω・｡)ﾉ 💕💕

Also! I can't wait for requests to come back hehe, tho no pressure for you to open them immediately, remember to take ur time and rest~

🕯️🕯️🕯️🙏manifesting for Lia to get the grades she wants and less assignments in the future 🙏🕯️🕯️🕯️

But yeah! that's all lil old me has got to sayyy- apart from our question of the day: Any opinions on how the sumeru characters treat the traveler? I've noticed some players say how sumeru seems more wary and not as friendly as the past nations :D - Ever so sincerely yours, 👹✨ anon <3

hehe, it's good to see you too! and ty, i'm holding up alright, i'm just trying to juggle between my wips and assignments here and there <3

aww, i just know that doodle would be super adorbs! but yes, tumblr doesn't allow pics on anon, so we have to settle for emoticons for now <//3 i do have an inkling as to who you might be! if you want to come off of anon, i'd love to be moots with you (and to see whether my intuition is right or not fjwkfkkesd) but if you want to stay as an anon, that's still cool ofc !! as long as you're comfy >:)

ty, ty! <3 i only have a few requests left to complete and i also have a milestone event planned, so we'll see when i can properly open writing requests in the future~ but i appreciate the reminder! don't forget to take care of yourself too, alright??? ;D

as for the question: yes, i did notice! i think most people of sumeru (especially students or researchers in sumeru city where the akademiya is) are more focused on their studies instead of tourism or socializing, in general. i also feel like that the people there are more individualistic and private because everyone just does their own business in a self-reliant way. so, i suppose that is why they seem so wary and less friendly??? like the cousin at a gathering who sits in the corner because they just want to go home and study (/j)

#shooting a cute emoticon right back at you! (ﾉ>ヮ<)ﾉ*.♡ #and i'm about to get to your second ask! #i love it sm when you drop by :( <3 #ask box! 📬 #visitor: dearest 👹✨ anon!

[shinidamachu]

Hi ma’am who works at Wendy’s!!! Can you write meta on inukag moments in ep 19 🥺

Here at Wendy's your wish is our command.

The episode and Inuyasha is (you guessed it) in serious trouble. Sesshomaru has got a brand new human arm (courtesy of Naraku), has finally taken hold of Tessaiga and is about to kill Inuyasha with it. Enters Kagome.

“Sesshomaru! I’ve got you now. I’ll shoot your left arm off!”

And I know she is referring to the jewel shard holding his arm in place. I know this moment is small compared to the scenes we’re all aware are about to come. But it’s also Kagome protecting Inuyasha from someone who has tried to hurt him in the past and intends to do it again. 

She is, once again, defying one of the most powerful demons they’ve ever encountered, to put herself right there on the battle field alongside Inuyasha. Because he doesn’t know about the jewel shard. He’s in danger. He needs her. And this isn’t all. I also love Inuyasha’s reaction to her line:

[to himself] why his arm?

Kagome is literally threatening to mutilate a daiyoukai. Inuyasha is not questioning her ability to do it. He is not questioning the success probabilities of that reckless plan. He questions “why his arm,” because he trusts Kagome’s judgement and strength.

It’s only when Kagome shoots and Sesshomaru finally percieves her as a real threat, going for her with the intention to kill, that Inuyasha interferes, jumping after Sesshomaru and putting a cut to his cheeks in order to turn his attention back to himself and away from Kagome.

“No, you don't! Leave her out of this! I'm the one you really want.”

And this, of course, results on Inuyasha assuming his usual protective instance, letting Kagome stay behind him so he can take the blow for her.

Notice how fluid their dynamic is, how it shifts so easily. Yes, Inuyasha is more often than not the one throwing and taking the punches, but Kagome is there to watch his back as well. It’s always one protecting the other. Inuyasha leading and Kagome following then Kagome leading and Inuyasha following. Back and forth. Balanced. Perfectly in sync.

Sesshomaru himself realized he struck a nerve. And his evil little smile tells us that he has every intention to use this against Inuyasha.

“Most amusing. You seem so interested for her safety.”

Then we’re graced with this absolute jam of Inuyasha and Kagome exchange:

Kagome: let me at him! There’s a shard of the sacred jewel embedded in his left arm. I’m sure I can hit it!” Inuyasha: forget it, Kagome. Kagome: eh? Inuyasha: Sesshomaru has never been the kind of opponent who’s easy to strike down. Stay here and care for Miroku. The remedies from your era seem powerful. Maybe you’ll be able to save him. Kagome: I’m on it!

This right here? This is a well oiled fighting machine. Working together as if they were one, as if they have been doing it their whole lives. And this time they didn’t even need to combine their respective attacks for that to be noticeable. You can see it in their dialogue.

Kagome is trying to change the dynamic again. She knows Inuyasha is on protective mode and she’s explaining her reasons for him to move over, let her take the lead. In return, he tells her his reasons for her to stay behind, where she can help their friend out and let Inuyasha handle it. They listened to each other, trusted and respected each other’s judgement, then came to the right conclusion. Together. And that’s not all.

Inuyasha: Kagome? Kagome: yeah? Inuyasha: thanks for your help. With your arrow, you reversed Tessaiga’s transformation. Now I can defeat him. Kagome: [in her mind] he is thanking me? That can’t be good.

Inuyasha’s acknowledgement of Kagome’s crucial help is the defintive proof of how well they work in battle, why their partnership clicks. They are opposites that keep on complementing each other. That’s one of the many, many reasons as to why they are so dangerous and invincible opponents.

It’s also worth noticing that Inuyasha thanked her for her efforts. And even Kagome is taken by surprise. This is a defining moment because he is far from being the “thank you” type. He is turning into one. Because she is slowly bringing it out of him.

“Miroku has enough energy to joke around, so I know he is okay for the time being. But he might be in serious danger if Inuyasha’s battle drags on much longer.”

Kagome does what she told Inuyasha she would. Miroku is now in possession of the medicine and Shippo can keep one eye on him, so he is mostly out of the woods. What Kagome does next? She turns her attention back to Inuyasha, ready to strike and come to his aid if worst comes to worst. 

And it did. So she fired.

His expression here says a lot. He was annoyed, yes. But I think he was surprised, too. By her power. Because after that, he asks Inuyasha to make her stop, claiming that he should be proud of the demon blood running through his veins and therefore, refuse any human help. Funny how Inuyasha’s demon blood is important to Sesshomaru, all of a sudden.

“Don’t try anything, Kagome! Sesshomaru is totally ruthless.”

“I can handle it. I’ll hit him.”

Even so, that’s not exactly what makes Inuyasha ask Kagome to stand back. Sesshomaru is totally ruthless. That’s his justification. He isn’t worried about his blood or his honor. He is worry about her safety. She shoots again, but Sesshomaru catches her arrow and strikes back. Against Kagome. It was a miscalculation from her part. But Inuyasha doesn’t hesitate. He runs to her and shields her body with his own.

From the blow...

And from the fall.

“You’re alright? Kagome!”

And after they land, even though he took most of the hit, it’s with Kagome he is worried about, before he had as much as found out that she was unconcious. The look on his face, the intimacy of their proximity, the way he strokes her cheek so gently, as if she was the most precious thing in the world says it all.

It took Inuyasha 24 seconds (I counted) to even remember Sesshomaru was still there. From the moment he got up to the moment he addresses his opponent again, he spent 24 seconds with his back turned to him. Because his focus was in Kagome.

“You’ll regtret that, Sesshomaru. She doesn’t deserve it.”

Miroku comes along and offers to use the Wind Tunnel, but he’s still poisoned and Naraku’s bees are still around, so Inuyasha declines.

Inuyasha: take Kagome and get out of here. Fast. Get as far away as you can. Shippo: are you sure? Inuyasha: get Kagome out of here! Guard her with your life.

He is walking alone to what could have been certain death to give his friends a head start. And yet, his priorities are cristal clear. Kagome’s life. Kagome’s well being. Kagome.

“Hey! What are you waiting? Run!”

He can face anything as long as he knows she’s safe. With renewed motivation, he stays to fight Sesshomaru, who opens a hole through his stomach as Miroku and Shippo flee with a still unconcious Kagome. She wakes up just in time to see he is in serious danger and immediately tries to get away from Miroku and reach to him.

Kagome: Inuyasha! Miroku: stop! Kagome: let go of me! Miroku: he wants to deal with this on his own. That’s why he told us to run to safety. Kagome: [worried] Inuyasha...

She had literally just come to her senses. It only took seing him there, standing hurt and all on his own, to make her want to go back to the very situation that had knocked her out without thinking twice. And if it wasn’t for Miroku’s intervention she would have done it.

Inuyasha manages to cut Sesshomaru’s borrowed hand off, getting Tessaiga back in the process. He is gravely wounded, but the sword is protecting him, providing Sesshomaru to get any closer. Defeated, he leaves.

Finally on the clear, Kagome runs to Inuyasha, who was still holding on.

“Kagome... [in his mind] you’re alright.”

It’s then and only then that he allows himself to collapse. It’s like he refuses to rest, refuses to let his guard down, until the realization that she is okay hits him.

And her reaction to his current state is nothing short from heartbreaking. They have been gone through a lot already, but the stakes keep getting higher and higher and I don’t think Kagome has ever seen Inuyasha that injured until now.

“Inuyasha!”

Hachi then gives the gang a ride home and as soon as he can, Inuyasha asks Kagome to follow him and takes her to the Bone Eater’s Well.

Inuyasha: Kagome. Kagome: huh? Inuyasha: follow me. Kagome: you shouldn’t be up! Look, I know you’re stronger than humans, but that’s a serious injury. Is still too early for you to be moving around. Inuyasha: [groans] Kagome: see? What did I tell ya?

Kagome’s support of Inuyasha here is both physical and symbolic. For a while now, she has become his north, his anchor. Sure, a few episodes ago he would pull the “I’m stronger than humans” card to dismiss her worries, just like Kagome anticipated. And he would probably not let her be all touchy with him, at least not around other people. This time is different, though. Because he has decided this time is gonna be the last.

I love these shots, not only because Inuyasha and Kagome look positively good together, but because it’s like they’re a married couple who decided to enjoy the sunny day to take a walk on the park. They carry on and Kagome spots a herb that can help Inuyasha’s recovery.

This is the herb that Kaede told me it was the best antidote for all kinds of poison. I’ll brew some up for you later. And this herb makes a good antiseptic. It really works but boy does it sting!

He is always on her mind. Always. It doesn’t matter that he heals faster, it doesn’t matter that he tells her time and time again he doesn’t need medicine. She’s still gonna see a medical herb and immediately think of him, of his wounds. She starts rambling, something Inuyasha might have found annoying in the past. Now h he looks at her with the fondest, softest expression on his face.

Inuyasha: you learned a lot. Kagome: I guess. Inuyasha: Kagome, you’ve grown stronger.

Well, you’ve finally noticed! How can I not get stronger running from demons day after day? I’ve learned a lot more than your average teenager if I do say so myself. And my archery is not too shabby either.

We’re always talking about how Kagome helped Inuyasha smile, make friends, rely on other people and so on and so forth. But we don’t talk enough about Inuyasha helping Kagome to be confident, to be tough, to see that there’s more to the world than just school. Inuyasha pushes her out of her comfort zone. And because of it, she was able to find new passions, to learn things she never would learn otherwise. He changed her life as much as she changed his.

Kagome, I haven’t asked how are you feeling. You’re hurt too.

It’s just a little lump on the head. I’m sorry, Inuyasha. You told me to stay away from Sesshomaru but I didn’t listen and only made things worse. If I had ran away like you told me, you wouldn’t have been so seriously injured.

No, in the end it was you who saved me with your arrow. I’m grateful, Kagome.

[in her mind] he is grateful? Okay, now he is officially freaking me out.  [out loud] You’re acting totally weird now. Do you have a fever?

Again taking turns into worrying about each other’s well being. What stands out is that Kagome apologizes for her miscalculation earlier. It’s very important to recognize when you’re at fault, make things right and talk it out so it won’t be a problem next time. On the other hand, Inuyasha assures her that, without her help, he might not have been standing there anymore. For the second time, Inuyasha expresses his gratitude. For the second time, Kagome notices that something is off. She knows him too well not to.

Inuyasha: you heard the story about how Naraku decieved me fifty years ago. He is the one pulling the strings behind Sesshomaru. I’ve made a decision. Things are getting more dangerous by the day. Kagome: yeah, you’re probably right. Inuyasha: what does that mean? Aren’t you scared? We’re in serious danger! This time we were lucky, but who knows about next time? Kagome: well, I’m not afraid! Naraku is a terrible demon. We’ve got to do what we can to destroy him!

Kagome: [in her head] what's going on? [out loud] Inuyasha, what are you doing? Inuyasha: I was afraid. I thought I was going to lose you. I was terrified.

Inuyasha doesn’t want to lose Kagome the same way he lost ᴋɪᴋʏᴏ. He refuses to let history repeat itself. He had a taste of what Naraku is capable of and he is not risking Kagome’s life any longer. Even if that means he won’t get to see her anymore. It’s the wrong move, because they are better together, but there is value behind his decision. If you truly love someone, you let her go, you put her well being above your own selfish needs. That’s what he did.

The hug caught her so off guard, that Kagome, who is usually very warm and affectionate, it’s too in shock to reciprocrate. Especially because Inuyasha is definitely not the affectionate type. It was their first hug. And he was the one to iniciate it. Usually Kagome is the one more comfortable with starting physical contact. Inuyasha is doing it because he knows it’s a goodbye.

He closes his eyes, holds her tight and says something else inedited: that he was afraid. The guy who had faced demon after demon head on, who always bragged about how strong he was, confesses that he was terrified. The reason? He thought he was going to lose her.

And the hug happens exactly when Kagome is making her big speech about not being afraid. I really think this a weak spot he has for her. It began when he told her to stay behind because going to his father’s grave might be dangerou, but Kagome was already half way through the portal and it was solidified when her powers were sealed by Naraku and he suggested she should stay on her era where was safe, when she graciously asked if he had a fever. He loves her fierceness, how ride or die she is, her sense of justice and hunger for adventure. He loves her. And it’s because he loves her, that he can’t risk her life...

“Kagome... go back to your own era!”

...Even if it kills him.

Miroku: Inuyasha, what have you done? Kagome is gone! What have you done? Inuyasha: I’ve sent her back home. To her own time, on the other side of the Well.

Also worth noticing: without further explanation, he threw her to the ground, stole the jewel away and pushed her down the Well himself. 

Never once did she think he had betrayed her.

#Also can I just say I love this episode's title? #Kagome episodes are so sexy #And this own is especially dear to me because it's a not so friendly reminder that Inuyash and Kagome are from different worlds #Anyway #Here it is Kat #It only took me one infinity and a half #But there you have it #I hope it was worth the wait #You picked up one of my favorite episodes #YOUR TASTE IS IMMACULATE #Sidmailing #Kagome #Inuyasha #Inukag #Kagome Higurashi