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otsanda · 8 months

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So @sayuri-of-the-valley and I were talking about the music in Good Omens 2 and particularly the similarities and differences in the music that happens 'Before the Beginning' (that's the song title) and at The Kiss (that's not the song title) and I have accidentally developed Theories and had Thoughts, so I’m gonna share them in case anyone else wants to weigh in.

First of all, the general musical structure is similar. They are both dramatic moments that start quietly, grow to a powerful crescendo at the Big Moment, and then resolve more quietly again, but with subtle changes that make them feel very different. Without actually going through and checking it, they sound to be at roughly the same tempo (around 140 BPM) and comparable time signatures.

Now, I'm treating these two dramatic moments and the surrounding music as two songs, although in the soundtrack the music surrounding The Kiss is actually divided into two songs itself: I Forgive You and Don't Bother, so that's. Fine. I'm normal about that. I'm sure dividing that in half doesn't Mean Anything at all. I'm NORMAL about it!!! Ah... anyways.

The instrumentation for both Before the Beginning and The Kiss is also very similar. Both songs start with orchestral winds and strings and add a powerful choral part (on the same pure round vowel sound, no less!) on the big crescendo. Both add orchestral chimes (bells) for that epic religious feel. Both the nebula creation and the kiss were a revelation. Something like a religious experience.

And then both songs resolve featuring wind and strings again, among other instruments. The "after" part of both songs also features more pitched percussion (harp, maybe a celesta, glockenspiel, possibly a dulcimer or some other fun, ethereal pitched percussion in Before the Beginning, but interestingly a piano in Don't Bother). Ouch. That hurts.

Now, to me: the piano is possibly representing the nightingale, Crowley and Aziraphale's love of Earth and humanity, whereas the glockenspiel and etc. may be more representative of heaven. Just a guess. I would have to do more careful listening for a more solid theory.

I don’t have perfect pitch so it’s hard to tell without getting out my instruments or transcribing the piece, but I’m willing to bet ‘I Forgive You’ is in the relative minor key to Before the Beginning’s mostly major key (I *think* ‘Before the Beginning’ might be mostly in the key of C major and ‘I Forgive You’ in A minor, but I could be wrong). Regardless, the former is major and the latter is more minor, but otherwise a lot of the chord structures, especially at the big moment, sound very similar.

More on instrumentation: ‘Before the Beginning’ uses more (ethereal?) flutes in the wind sections and The Kiss uses more reed-based, (earthy?) winds like clarinet, bassoon, oboe, etc. Different feel, but the same kind of structure. Both moments heavily feature a big string section for the nice full orchestral sound.

Before the Beginning has a lot going on musically before the crescendo and it intentionally feels kind of chaotic and unformed bc each instrument family is doing something a little different, building anticipation, etc. and then at the big crescendo, they all come together. Very powerful. Then after the crescendo, we get a subtle, playful reprise/variation of the Good Omens Main Theme. The strings and the winds are no longer entirely together at this point. They’re sort of playing off one another, leaving space. Having a conversation.

By comparison, in ‘I Forgive You’ the wind/strings start off playing together, in a sad version of unison before the crescendo (they both knew the conversation they were having wasn’t going to end well but they fundamentally *understand* one another now; they’ve been talking for millions of years). And AFTER the crescendo of The Kiss, the song ‘Don’t Bother’ DROPS the majority of the string section and gives the melody to a solo violin (alone!!!!). Even worse (better) the strings and the woodwinds and pitched percussion are no longer playing together. This time, they aren’t even having a conversation. They’re musically doing a separate lines. It feels extremely lonely (because it is). The violin is very exposed. The piano is very exposed. Even the chorus sounds exposed (smaller group of singers?). This ALSO includes a reprise/variation on the main GO theme, but instead of being playful it’s extremely sad (as though you didn't notice). The rest of the orchestra is still there, providing background, but it's not the same.

The Biggest Decision (the song after Don't Bother) has a lot more of those ethereally coded instruments again. Harp, pitched percussion. Full string section. Angelic chorus. Aziraphale is making the hardest/worst decision to return to heaven.

And to round it out, once we get to "The End?" we are back to piano. Our duo is separated. Now in place of the solo violin we have solo cello and piano. Gutting. We get notes of the ethereal celesta (I think). The piano keeps us grounded, but cello is a big focus. We also get more of that haunting chorus and violin runs. And then we end with solo piano playing the same 5-note run three times. Alone. After every other instrument has dropped out. Very lonely.

Just for fun, (and to end on a slightly more positive note), I went back and listened to the ox rib music as well, which was surprisingly consistent with some of my theories from up above and also not on the soundtrack so although I'm sure it has a name, I certainly don't know it.

In the ox rib section, there are more instruments before the first big moment (when Aziraphale tries the food) that are going back and forth. Again it sounds to me like they’re having a conversation… tempting and being tempted. Winds and strings (strings are tremoloing like at the kiss for that sweet, sweet tension), but also brass instruments. We have some more ethereal sounding pitched percussion, especially *before* he tries the food but afterwards it... switches to piano! Like I said: Earth!!!

The choir is on a different vowel altogether for this part (more aggressive and ominous, a taller Ah instead of a round Oh/Aw like the first two musical moments). The choir is also much more rhythmic. Again, increasing tension. And, of course, after he tries the food the music supports the tension of the scene by gradually building, getting louder and bigger after the key moment has already passed. It's super interesting that Aziraphale trying the food is actually quite quiet, but the music grows quickly afterwards. Sort of the inverse of how the other two scenes play out musically! Fascinating!!

Anyways, let me know what you think I got wrong and what I missed and if I thought something was a celesta when it was actually a glockenspiel or something. I am thrilled and devastated by this incredible music.

#Good Omens #Good Omens 2 #Good Omens Soundtrack #Good Omens music #David Arnold #Neil Gaiman #Good Omens meta #I have so much more I could say #but believe it or not this was the condensed version #also the strings used two types of tremolo which is neat #did I detect some col legno in there as well?#god I love orchestral music #Also I think there was mandolin or some other kind of picked tremolo in Before the Beginning #I love to see it... or hear it I guess

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andreafmn · 5 months

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12 Days of Ficmas ❅ Day 1

Word Count: 4.8K Paring: Stiles Stilinski x Fem!Reader Prompt @alloftheprompts: Character A and Character B broke up but now they meet at a Christmas party.

Summary: In unpredictable Beacon Hills, Stiles and (Y/N) being together was one of the only things that made sense. But sometimes the smallest of changes can create the biggest of chaos. And a simple college admission letter can do just that. Maybe all it takes is the right Christmas gift to make things better.

A/N: yup, that's right, I'm doing 12 Days of Ficmas again (even if I haven't finished Kinktober 🫣🫣 but I am nothing if not a masochist (and a slight procrastinator) But enjoy!! This story actually made me tear up, honestly. But it wouldn't be one of my stories if there wasn't an insane amount of angst 😅 Also, disclaimer, I have not seen the last two seasons of Teen Wolf or the movie so, sorry for any inconsistencies.

Next ->

“Let’s just get this over with,” (Y/N) sighed as she fixed the Santa hat on top of her head. “They don’t have to know yet.”

“Yeah,” Stiles grimaced. “It’s better to wait until after the holidays, I guess.”

It was the first time Stiles and (Y/N) had ever been terrified to enter Scott’s house and face all of their friends. Even worse, they had to pretend everything was fine between them.

Since they were little, the pair had been inseparable. Being next-door neighbors allowed them to grow close at a rapid pace. It was in her that he found solace on the nights his mother’s illness would take the best of her mind. He would run over to her house and climb the lattice that ran all the way up to her room.

And she wouldn’t ask questions. (Y/N) would simply let him in through her window and distract him until he eventually drifted off to sleep. She did not need any explanations or reasons to comfort Stiles. She simply knew he needed her, and so she was there for him. Because if there was anything she knew of, it was the pain of slowly losing a parent.

They shared a bond that no one could break. Even as Scott entered their duo and they became the perfect trio, Stiles and (Y/N) shared a connection like no other. So, it came as no surprise to anyone when they got together. Even after Stiles had continuously professed his love for Lydia. Even after (Y/N) and Boyd had a quick fling. Everyone knew that it would be the two of them at the end of the day.

What no one expected was that one day, they wouldn’t be Stiles and (Y/N) anymore. Hell, not even they had seen it coming.

Their downfall had begun the second week of December. For some reason, the couple had not spoken about what happened after high school. In their senior year, they were focusing on the present, leaving the future where it was. Because what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them.

(Y/N) had applied under early action to various colleges, thinking nothing of it. But there was one college that had been her dream since her father had passed, and that was her only early decision application. She had worked every day since to make sure she was at least close to being accepted. But it was never a sure thing.

She had promised herself to put it in the back of her mind. Stressing over that envelope would only drive her into madness. As much as she wanted it to be true, she knew the reality of the situation. The chances she could ever get in, much less with a full ride, were slim to none. And hoping only made things worse.

Still, that hadn’t stopped her from applying; it hadn’t stopped her from wishing.

“Honey,” her mother had said one afternoon after she got home from school. “Look what came in the mail.”

In her hands, there was a white manila envelope with blue lettering that clearly read: University of Oxford.

(Y/N) could have sworn she could feel her heart in her throat, beating at an unnatural pace and threatening to leap out of her body. She crossed the distance between her front door to the kitchen faster than she had ever done before, needing to feel the paper in her hands. Only seeing it was not proof enough that it was real.

“I don’t think I can open it,” the girl worried. “What if it’s bad, mom?”

“You won’t know unless you see, my darling,” she smiled softly. “But no matter what, you will still be the most impressive young lady I have known. And any college would be lucky to have you.”

With trembling hands, she broke open the envelope and pulled out a beautiful and crisp piece of white paper. “Dear (Y/N) (Y/L/N),” she read before taking a steadying breath. “It is with greatest pleasure that we inform you that the Admissions Comittee has decided to offer you admission to Oxford University through our binding Early Decision (ED) option on a full scholarship.”

As (Y/N) read those words, tears spilled from her eyes, and the papers fell from her hands. Her mother wrapped her arms tightly around her, showering her with words of love and encouragement. It had been everything she had worked for. Something not even the supernaturals of the world could take from her.

“You’re going to Oxford, baby girl,” her mother cooed. “I knew you could. Your dad would have been just as proud as I am.”

That moment should have been the happiest in her life so far. But there was a dark cloud that lingered over her as she celebrated. She had not told anyone she was applying to a college so far away, much less the reason she would be doing so. Mostly because she was terrified she wouldn’t get in. But part of her knew it was because she was leaving all her friends behind, leaving Stiles behind. And that was the hardest part.

For the rest of the week, as she celebrated internally, she hid the biggest news of her life from all of her friends and the boy she had deemed the love of her life. Anyone would have thought she was the one harboring a secret supernatural life with the way she was guarding her secret. And, maybe it shouldn’t have been something she kept to herself. Maybe they would have all been excited for her and understood the reason for the distance. But something deep in her stopped her every single time.

If her friends had noticed there was anything different from her demeanor, they didn’t say a thing. In the midst of final exams and the Christmas holidays soon approaching, everyone seemed to be stuck in their own heads. So, if they were in their heads, they couldn’t know there was something happening in hers.

But that Friday night, at the same hour Stiles would always sneak in, (Y/N) knew there was no way she could continue to hide her secret any longer.

“Come on,” he chuckled as he jumped onto her bed, holding his arms open. “Tell me what’s going on with you.”

“What do you mean?” she said, forcing a smile. “Why do you say that?”

“You know you can’t lie to me. I may not have super hearing, but I can tell, (Y/N).”

“Yeah,” she chuckled softly. “You know me too well.”

“Of course I do,” he smiled as he crossed the distance between them and caressed the softness of her cheek. “Now, please, tell me what’s wrong?”

That was it. That was the moment that had changed them, the moment that had broken them.

(Y/N) took a steadying breath and took his hands in hers, focusing on the veins on his hands rather than his worried eyes. “I got a letter last week,” she started with a sigh. “I told you about all the colleges I had applied to as early action.”

“Of course, you bright mind, you,” he said. “Did you already start getting the acceptance letters?”

“Uh, there’s another college I actually applied to. Early decision.”

“Like binding early decision?”

“Yeah, exactly,” she said, her voice trembling as she spoke. “I, uh, I applied to the University of Oxford. And I got in.”

Instead of embracing her, Stiles dropped her hands, taking a step away from her. “In England?” he asked as though he was offended. “Why would you wanna go that far?”

“It’s not about the distance,” she grimaced, finally meeting his hurt eyes. “It’s about what that school means. That’s where my dad went to school. That’s the place my parents met. That was the school that started my entire life, Stiles.”

“So, why didn’t you tell me about it? If it was so damn important, why did you never mention it?” Stiles seethed, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “You wanna start a new life, is that it? Follow in your parents’ footsteps and meet the love of your life there? Great, (Y/N). And you made sure you did it in a way you couldn’t back out.”

“Stiles, that’s not…”

“So, what? Were you gonna wait until graduation to tell me that you were moving halfway across the world to get away from us? From me?” the boy cried. “Or were you simply going to disappear and start a new life without telling anyone? But I guess that’s your thing now, huh? Keeping big shit like this until you can’t anymore.”

“That’s not fair, Stiles,” she frowned, hugging her arms tightly across her torso. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up, so I didn’t say anything. That doesn’t mean that I would have never told you about it. I’m not looking to escape. I’m looking to start my future.”

“And it looks like you were starting it without me then,” he croaked. “What does that mean for us, (Y/N)? We ride it out until graduation, and then you leave for the rest of your life?”

“I don’t… you wanna b-break up?”

“It’s inevitable now, isn’t it?” Stiles said in a tone that broke her more than the words he was speaking. “You’re gonna be in England, and I’m gonna be god knows where. It’s better just to do it now.”

That night was nothing like she had imagined it would be. She had hoped Stiles would have been excited for her and promised her everything would be alright. That somehow he would have the answers to how they could withstand so much distance because they had to make it. Out of everyone in their friend group, those two had to make it.

Instead, it had taken a turn for the worse. One second, Stiles was standing before her with a smile on his face, and the next, he was leaving through her window with tears streaming down his face. What she had most been dreading was that scenario to play out, and a week before their friend’s holiday party, it had. They had gone through life-threatening and mind-boggling situations, but it was a college acceptance letter that broke them apart.

The coming days (Y/N) spent buried in bed. Although she should have been celebrating one of her biggest achievements –other than saving lives and defeating many, many creatures– she had wasted more tears during that time than she had done the past years of her life. She was distraught and defeated, and she had no idea how she would make it through the last semester of high school, much less how she would have made it through a Christmas party.

Somehow, they had arrived at Scott’s house at the same time, even after she had made sure she left twenty minutes after Stiles. The universe liked to play its mean tricks, but that one was almost unforgivable.

“Let’s just try to stay out of each other’s way,” he grimaced. “The less we are near each other, the harder it’ll be for them to find out.”

“Harder to find out what?” Scott asked as he swung the front door open, his signature goofy grin stretched across his mouth. Instinctively, Stiles draped his arm around (Y/N)’s shoulders and smiled brightly. “Ooh, did you bring your brownies, (Y/N)?”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “Still warm from the oven.”

“Wouldn’t be a party without them,” Stiles commented. “Now, let us in. It’s kinda cold out tonight.”

The second they were inside, Stiles broke for the living room while (Y/N) moved to the kitchen with Scott. She set the tray on the overfilled kitchen island, noticing to the side that the dinner table was perfectly set up. “Oh, the table looks nice,” she commented. “But I thought we’d be doing something more low-key.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled awkwardly. “Lydia thought it’d be fun to do a more grown-up dinner party.”

“Yeah. Place settings and everything.”

“We were waiting for you guys to start eating,” he said. “We’re doing gifts after.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Slowly, the rest of the group trickled into the kitchen, greeting and hugging (Y/N) as they looked over all the food and served themselves their plates. And, of course, her seat was right next to Stiles’. Even if she had wanted to sit anywhere else, the rest had already taken their assigned seats, and the only open spot was the one that had her name.

She gave her ex-boyfriend a small smile, looking anywhere but into the brown of his eyes. Her heart beat against her chest, threatening to jump out of her body. It made her fidgety as everyone ate, thinking any of the wereanimals around her would be able to tell how she was feeling.

But Scott was laughing with Stiles, Malia was talking to Lydia, and Hayden, Liam, and Mason had their own conversation running. (Y/N) was all by herself. She was surrounded by all the people she loved, but it was the loneliest she had felt in a long time. Without the usual comforting words from Stiles, she couldn’t help but feel so out of place. It was the happiest time of the year, but the girl was miserable, and it hurt that it didn’t seem like the boy she loved was sad as well.

“Alright,” Lydia spoke up as everyone ignored their mostly empty plates. “Now that our bellies are full, I think it’s time for Secret Santa! And I truly hope you all kept it a secret this time.”

“Not that it’d matter anyway,” Liam chuckled. “We all know we ask for help every time.”

“Anyways,” she said, ignoring the soft laughter that erupted from the group. “Let’s go to the living room, and (Y/N) you’ll go first.”

“Oh, uh, sure,” she smiled as she followed the group into the living room. She crouched under the decorated Christmas tree, pulling out the gift that had been there for almost two weeks. “I got Lydia.”

“How wonderful!” the redhead mused, quick to hug her friend and rip away the wrapping paper. Inside the gift box was a mosaic picture of Lydia, Allison, and (Y/N), the first time they had finally considered each other friends. “Oh, it’s beautiful! I wish I could take it with me everywhere.”

“It was hard to get it just right, but I loved how it turned out.”

“It’s perfect, (Y/N),” she beamed. “Thank you.”

“Of course. I love you, Lids.”

“Love you too,” the girl said as she wrapped her friend in a tighter hug. “My turn!”

Lydia had gifted Liam nine books out of his TBR list —nine because of his lacrosse number. Then, Liam gifted Scott a new leather jacket so he could “actually look cool when riding his motorcycle,” Liam snickered. Scott then gifted Malia a light blue hoodie to add to her ever-growing collection, while Malia gifted Hayden a journal and pen set, saying it was for when her mind felt too busy. After a warm smile and a hug, she announced her gift was for Mason, laughing as he pulled out an ugly cat sweater. Once the loud laughter subsided, Mason gifted Stiles a massage mat for his Jeep.

“For when you’re taking really long drives,” the boy smiled, clearly proud of himself. “There’s quite some distance between here and D.C. It’ll come in handy.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled as he hugged Mason. “Thanks, man. It’s great.”

“Don’t mention it.”

As Mason sat back down, Stiles cleared his throat as he pulled the last gift. Everyone knew by then who it was for. There was no one else left. “Well, I guess you all know who this is for,” he said. “I hope you like it, (Y/N).”

The girl received the bag with a soft smile, trying her best to swallow the tears that were threatening to spill. She had forgotten for a second how cruel the universe could be. She pulled out the white tissue paper first before finding a beautiful brown bear dressed in a blue knit sweater. Around its neck, there was a necklace with something she could only assume was a soundwave. With curiosity washing over her, she looked to Stiles for an explanation.

“Uh, so, it’ll make a lot more sense if you press the bear’s hand,” he stammered. Once she died as told, the sound broke her. From deep in the belly of the teddy bear, her father’s voice rang out, singing the words of “You Are My Sunshine.” There was not a single night when she was little that her father didn’t sing that to her, and even as she grew old for the lullaby, he would call her sunshine. “I got a recording from your mom of your dad singing the song when you were a baby,” Stiles spoke over the music. “And the necklace is the image of the soundwave of your dad calling you sunshine.”

Tears had long since fallen down her cheeks, clutching the bear in her arms as though it was her own father. With her eyes closed, it was almost as though he was right there, singing to her. But it was what came after the song that shattered her. “You’re gonna do great things, (Y/N),” her father said through the bear. “I love you forever, my little sunshine.”

At that moment, all she wanted to do was hug Stiles and kiss him like she had done a million times before. That was the boy she had fallen in love with. The one that cared and listened. The one that had made her heart race and her stomach turn into butterflies. She wanted to tell him she loved him and never let him go, but she couldn’t. Just like she could never do with her father.

“I, uh,” she said as she stood from the couch, feeling as though she would faint in the crowded room. “I need some air.”

(Y/N) stammered her way out of the living room and through the front door, only allowing herself to break down when she was at the end of the driveway. She fell to her knees and hugged the bear to her chest as she cried, letting the hurt that had accumulated over the years spill onto the pavement. In less than six months, she was going to walk into a new life halfway across the globe without the support of her father and now, without the support of Stiles. All alone.

She should have been celebrating. She knew that. She should have been crying tears of joy and jumping into her love’s arms. Instead, it was the bear’s arms that she could feel. The softness of its fur, the sound of her father’s voice.

Without even realizing it, she had begun singing along to the lullaby, sniffling between words as the tears didn’t relent. “You’re gonna do great things, (Y/N),” her father said once more through the bear. “I love you forever, my little sunshine.”

“I love you too, dad,” she cried.

“Hey,” his voice startled her. Through teary eyes, she looked up to find Stiles draping a jacket over her shoulders. He slid to the ground next to her, facing the house before them as she was now. “I’m sorry. I bought the gift weeks ago, and I wasn’t sure if I was still allowed to give it to you.”

“No, it was… i-it was perfect,” she stammered, running her hand over the bear’s fur. “It’s just everything rushed over me. Like the breakup, the fact that I won’t be here next year, the fact that my dad won’t even see me gradua…”

Another string of sobs ransacked (Y/N)’s body, but that time it wasn’t the bear she was hugging. Stiles had wrapped his arms around her, pressing her into his chest. She could smell his cologne and feel his warmth, a feeling she had missed for the past seven days. All she wanted was to melt into his touch and profess to him all that she felt. But she couldn’t. Not anymore. Because he didn’t want it.

“I didn’t want things to be this way,” she cried into his chest. “I didn’t want everything to fall apart.”

Stiles remained quiet as she cried, a hard feat for someone like him. But he let her cry and cry until only quiet sniffles filled the air. Because he hadn’t wanted things to be that way either.

He knew he had overreacted. When he had told (Y/N) his plans of enrolling in George Washington University all the way across the county, she had told him they could make it work. Especially if she got into any of the ivy leagues she had applied to on the East Coast. It had been fine. Hell, it had been perfect.

But when she told him that she wouldn’t just be a couple of states away but that she would be on another continent, he couldn’t help but let his abandonment issues take control.

He knew she was brilliant. He knew she deserved to do and be all that she had dreamed. But he feared that once she achieved all of her goals, he would just not fit into her life anymore.

“You’re gonna go on to do great things, (Y/N),” he sighed sadly as her tears stopped. “You’re gonna go to Oxford, just like your parents, and you’re gonna probably graduate at the top of your class on your way. And I’ll be here —well, in Washington, technically—cheering you on.”

“But why couldn’t we be great together, Stiles? We couldn’t we both go on to do great things, together?”

“Come on, (Y/N). Once you’re there, you’re gonna meet so many people, and you’ll have guys falling on their knees for you,” he chuckled dryly. “I won’t fit into your new world. I mean, you said it yourself: that’s where your parents met and your life began. And now, maybe you’ll have a new beginning. And years from today, we’ll run into each other, and you’ll tell me about your job and your husband and your kids, and I’ll be so happy for you. Because you serve all the love and happiness in the world, even if it’s without me.”

“Have you even asked yourself if that’s what I want?” (Y/N) asked as she left his warm embrace, her red eyes boring into his. “I’m not leaving because I’m searching for a new life. I want to go to Oxford because it’s one of the last things I can share with my dad. I can walk down the same halls he did, I can take classes in the same classrooms, and eat at the same places he did. But I was always going to come back, Stiles. Because my friends are here, my mom is here, because you are here. I don’t want to run into you and talk about another man or the kids I would have with him. I don’t want to run into you at all. I want to walk beside you, Stiles. If I ever have kids, it’s only if they’re a part of you too,” she cried, fresh tears falling down her already-stained cheeks. “If you don’t love me anymore, then fine. I can understand that, and I can walk away. But don’t you dare say that you wouldn’t fit into my life because you’ve been there longer than anyone I know, and I need you to be there until the end. Because I already lost someone important to me and I can’t lose you too. Not you.”

“(Y/N), I don’t want to lose you either,” he sobbed. “But how can we fight with the distance? How could we ever withstand the fact that we’ll be an ocean away?”

“We have gone through worse battles than a plane ride, Stiles. We have been on the brink of death more times this past year than any person would in their lifetime. Do you really think being in a different time zone is the limit to our relationship? I know the future isn’t promised but you were the one person I always knew would be there.”

“I’m scared, okay?! I’m scared that you’ll meet someone better than me, (Y/N). I’m terrified that you’ll realize that maybe I’m not the guy that can give you your happy ever after,” he finally confessed. His voice croaked, and his chest heaved as the words fell out of his mouth faster than he could ever stop them. “This week has been torture without you. But it’s made me realize that Beacon Hills has always been too small for you. After May, you’re gonna go out there and find your place. And this town will be nothing but a memory you’ll come back to.”

“There is no one better for me than you, Stiles, and Beacon Hills will always be my home,” she replied softly. Her cold hand found his cheek, and she wiped away his tears with her thumb. “I don’t want to know a life where you’re not there. You can’t give up on us without even trying, Stiles. You just can’t.”

Without thinking twice, (Y/N) crashed her lips onto his, sinking into the warmth of his mouth. After a week, kissing him felt like the very first time. It was desperate and filled with need —the need for closeness and passion, the need for love. Instinctively, Stiles’ hands found her waist and pulled her closer to him, wondering how he ever thought he could live without her touch.

“I love you, Stiles, and I don’t even want to think about ever having to love someone else,” she whispered as she parted from him. “My heart belongs to you. And if this is the end, it’ll still remain in your hands.”

“I couldn’t love anyone else like I love you, (Y/N),” he replied with a soft smile. “But I just can’t help the thoughts that flood my brain sometimes.”

“Then don’t listen to them and listen to me when I say that since the moment I met you, I’ve known you were it for me. There is no other man waiting for me in Oxford. It’s you, and it will always be you,” (Y/N) said before kissing him softly once more. “You’re the best thing that has happened to me, Stiles Stilinski, and you’re the only thing that I want to keep happening to me.”

“I can’t believe I ever broke up with you. Especially during Christmas,” Stiles chuckled as he rested his forehead against hers, flicking the tip of her nose with his own. “It was honestly the worst week of my life.”

“Including being possessed?” Scott’s voice startled them as he came into view. “Although, I get it because this was completely avoidable.”

(Y/N) chuckled as she took Scott’s extended hand and got on her feet, wiping away any tears that still remained. “Did you hear that whole thing?”

“More or less,” he chuckled. “It’s a bit hard not to when I was coming to see if you guys were okay.”

“We’re good now, Scotty,” Stiles grinned. “Just had some unresolved feelings to work, though.”

“Can you not mention the whole thing about the breakup? I don’t wanna make it a whole thing.”

“That’s a bit hard, (Y/N),” Malia called from the open front door. “We all kind of already know.”

“Oh, cool, great,” she said as she hid in Stile’s embrace. “That’s not embarrassing at all.”

“Eh, at least our parents are back together,” Liam commented. “Best Christmas present.”

“It really is, huh?” Stiles whispered as he kissed the top of her head.

“Yes. Very cute and adorable,” Lydia added in a desperate tone. “Now, can we go back inside before Hayden and Mason finish all the brownies?”

As the group walked back into the house, Stiles and (Y/N) shared one more moment together on the front porch. “Hey, look up,” Stiles said with a smile. “Mistletoe.”

“Funny that they’d hang that at a werewolf's home,” she chuckled. “Although, I’m pretty sure that one’s plastic.”

“And I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to kiss me.”

“Maybe I’m waiting for another guy to kiss under the plant.” Stiles frowned at her words, and all she could do was laugh. “Too soon?”

“Much,” he said. “Now, come here.”

He snaked his hands on either side of her face and kissed her passionately. He kissed her for every day they had spent apart. He kissed her for every hurtful word he had spewed. He kissed her as a promise of his love for her. Stiles kissed her like she was his future.

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classic80sand90smovieloves2 · 11 months

Text

Change

(Not my gif)(Somewhat requested by two anonymous')

D-Fighting and somewhat making up with a shit ton of angst. Apologies in advance. Also, this isn't as edited as most of my other work so sorry for that lol.

True love is supposed to transcend every other thing within a persons life. Regardless of how much a person may grow, their feelings for their loved ones should never wither away: it should remain in place, fluctuating but strong, always lingering even when times get tough or circumstances change. Charlie Dalton had been the love of your life for years, a permanent fixture of your adolescent years, and no matter how many phases you'd been through or how many interests had run their course, your feelings for him had never died, they'd merely grown alongside you.

The problem was, it wasn't you who was changing this time, it was Charlie: and the more he changed, the more he seemed to drift away; the distance between you growing greater and greater the less he seemed to resemble the boy you'd come to know. Had he shown you that he loved you just as fiercely as the day you got together, the changes wouldn't have mattered. Hell, they barely even mattered now, you still wanted him; still loved him, it just seemed like he didn't love you. You were willing to accept a decline, a little wedge between the two of you, but this wedge seemed more like a canyon that kept you apart, one that only you were still trying to traverse.

You were doing everything in your power to hold onto him and not let go, fearing that if you did, he wouldn't bother stopping to pick you back up. That he'd leave you in the dust, that he'd go off and find someone new, someone who he'd grow to love just as much as he'd once loved you; just as much as you still loved him.

Therein lied the issue. You'd held onto him too tight, tried too hard, pushed too much. In trying to keep up with him and stay within his life, you'd wound up suffocating him when all he'd thought he'd wanted was space. He wasn't even sure what he'd wanted, he just knew that he was experiencing things he'd never thought of experiencing before, living his life like he was suddenly reborn, going out into the world and keeping himself busy, too busy to be held down by someone who couldn't understand, someone who didn't feel the same things he was feeling in that pivotal, life changing point in time.

The argument had been quick; a fact that you weren't sure made things better or worse. You fought over him cancelling too many dates, over him barely paying attention to you even when you did hang out, about how nowadays, it only ever seemed to be you who was trying to make an effort and keep the two of you as close as you once were. He'd told you that that was too close; and the comment had made you sick. He'd called you clingy and told you that he had other things on his mind than making time just to be with you, that his world didn't revolve around you any more and that that was the reason you were so upset.

And maybe part of that was true. Maybe you did hate that his world didn't revolve around you but that was only because yours had still revolved around him. That no matter how many friends you had, or how much school work, or how much money you'd intended on making at your part time job, you'd always made time for him. You'd done it because he was what mattered most to you, and that was the revelation that made you feel the worst. That he was the most important thing in your life and that these feelings of yours were nothing but unwanted and seemingly pathetic. That was what made you walk out the door.

A part of Charlie hadn't even realized what he'd said, and maybe that was why your sudden silence had came as such a shock. Why, when he sighed and turned around to try and reason with you, the sight of you just ...gone was so jarring. You'd simply walked out of the room without a word and he'd immediately wondered if he'd gone too far, if, in his own mix of confusing emotions, he'd said something he didn't realize the depths of.

No, that couldn't be it. He was changing, you both were changing, and you both were growing and getting busier. You should be more understanding, that was it. This was on you, he'd reasoned, and you were just being dramatic, dramatic enough that he shouldn't entertain the idea of following you out the door; even if he had a uneasy feeling in his stomach that was urging him to do so. He didn't have time to fight, he'd give you space and you'd talk later, the same way you always did when you had a little spat: you'd come to see things his way, you always did....

Except you didn't. Ring. He was calm when he'd called you after classes, expectant and ready to smooth things over with the same ease he always did. Ring. Waiting. He wasn't concerned, sometimes it took you a minute to reach the phone, move across the room or shove things off your lap, etc. Ring. Now he was a little confused, a bubbling feeling of anxiety rising in his chest against his will. You rarely ever took very long to get to the phone, especially at this time of day when you were usually just getting home from your own school. Ring. Were you still mad at him? Ignoring him? It wasn't like you to not want to work thing out as soon as possible or at least give him the time of day; even if it was just to tell him you didn't want to talk. Ring.

He knew you were home and perhaps that was what made the distance feel so much larger in that moment. You were miles apart at any given moment and yet it had never felt as far away as it did right now. Perhaps it was because at a certain point in your relationship, he'd forgotten that you'd lived a life outside of his own. That you were not just a fixture in his life that was always just a single phone call away like you had been for so long. You'd made it so easy to forget and that's part of what makes him feel so terrible. It was your actions that made the distance so bearable, it was your willingness to always be there for him, and while he dialed the phone for a second and then a third time, he stood to wonder if you'd actually, finally, given up. And because of that, he was scared.

He was scared because he couldn't remember the last time he did something that would warrant him being called your boyfriend. You'd hardly seen each other in the past few months, hardly even kissed or had an exceptionally fun time on one of your dates.

You'd planned the last few hangouts, made the journey out to the town Welton was in because you knew that there was only so much he could do in one night. You'd held his hand first, made the conversations; ones he could barely remember due to how little he'd paid attention, expressed how much you'd missed him. You'd brought the blanket, the snacks, the gift for him; a book that was still sat unopened on his desk. He opened it now and it was perfect for him: a collection of jazz poetry, the exact thing he'd told you about getting into the last time the two of you were together and he'd wondered then and there how often you listened more than he did.

He wondered how long there'd been this divide between the two of you, how long things had been this bad, how long he'd been this bad. He'd never intended for it to happen; no one ever does, he'd always envisioned you by his side, beside every version of himself regardless of what it looked like, and yet, he'd chased you away in order to find himself.

Now, all he found was how much he missed you, how much of himself was cradled in your hands, your heart; lovingly crafted in your image and the image he'd wanted to become for you. You'd held him tightly yet carefully in gentle hands for so very long and now it feels as though you've dropped him, sending his body crashing to the floor and leaving him shattered in sharp, broken fragments, fragments that belonged to a once whole and foolish person.

The days go by and you continue to ignore his calls. Your mother takes some of them for you and he has half a mind to call you childish but he knows that he fits the bill better than anyone else. He cast you aside like a child who gets a new toy and forgets about his old ones, the ones who once meant the world to him. And the toys still do, they never lose their value, it's just that they have to be taken away for the child to remember them again, to remember how much they meant to them and to show them that things are not permanent, that they won't always be sitting on their bed, waiting for them to come back and pick them up when they please.

He calls your best friend in a last ditch effort to reach you before he loses the last of his resolve and just plain travels to your town to confront you in person. You're there beside her when he calls and your friend scoffs when he confirms who he is. He hears her tell you that it's him and he doesn't catch what you say but he hears your friend let out a giddy noise before saying that you don't want to talk with him. He's certain that you told her everything when she seems to pointedly adlib the words "she wants some space." before telling him to stop calling and leave you alone, hanging up before he can even begin to respond. He supposes he deserves that.

What he doesn't deserve, what he'll never deserve, is to lose his best friend; especially while they're still so young. You were close enough with Neil to warrant your attendance at his funeral, and it's there that he sees you in person for the first time in weeks. He hates to admit that the first thing he thinks of when he sees you is how you're still just as beautiful as he last remembered, even as you're dressed in black and obviously distraught, eyes rimmed in red the same way his are.

Your eyes meet only once: they catch for a minute, locked together with dark swirling emotion, and it takes everything in him not to crumble; everything inside him shattering in noisy collisions as he does his best to stay silent and strong. He feels sick, genuinely sick, and he's not sure which grief is which as he stands there motionless yet trembling, half expecting to pass out or puke; whichever comes first.

He watches you hug your acquaintances, exchanging mournful phrases and prayers and condolences and he watches with baited breath as you near the boys. He hears you and the boy both apologizing, you for their loss, them for the fact that this how you'll see Neil for the final time; without the cushion of recent happy memories.

You reach him in a matter of minutes, the wait both too long and too short, and though you stand closely in front of him, there's still an unbearable distance between the two of you. He feels the tension, the hesitance, as though you don't remember how to be near him and the thought of that breaks his heart for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

You're at a loss for words the same way he is, even when he wants to scream apology after apology at the top of his lungs. You're unsure what to do and there's only one thing his mind can manage to conjure up, roaring at him to act out the same way it's been roaring at him to see you for the past few weeks. He closes the distance and latches onto you, pulling you into him with a muffled sob, the tension in his body easing just barely as your arms wind around him, tightening enough to nearly steal his breath away.

Its a hug that suffocates him, and he happily lets you. He'll be the next to join the dead out of all the society member if it means you'll never let him go again.

#charlie dalton imagines #charlie dalton imagine #charlie dalton x reader #dead poets society imagine #dead poets society imagines #80s movie imagine #80s movie imagines

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iciclesses · 5 months

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We all know and love ex boyfriend Simon who just can't accept that you're broken up, now hear me out- that trope but the reader is just as toxic.

cw sadistic/mean reader, cheating, reader/nameless character smut but no reader/Ghost smut, brief mention of violence against Ghost but its like two lines

Maybe you're a military member yourself in a different squad, traveling about the world and kicking ass on your own. Love yourself a good fling here and there, you hate being tied down. Nothing worse than someone clingy, attached, at home expecting something from you after a long day when all you want to do during leave is drink and sleep and take long hot showers.

But something about Simon wriggled itself in the back of your mind long ago, growing worse ever since he had the nerve to deny your break up speech. You can't get him out of there, as much as you try. Makes you fucking hate him, makes anger roll in your stomach at the mere thought of him. Smelling someone smoking the same brand of cigarettes as him alone has you on edge.

You want to beat the audacity out of him, get him on the ground and make him fucking apologize for living inside your head like he belonged there. You touch yourself thinking about him sobbing, speech slurred by how swollen his bleeding lips are as he begs for you. You cum thinking about using him as a toy- he is a toy, nothing more, he couldn't be anything more, you dumped him after all--

You decide to punish him. Every hookup you have, you start showing Simon proof- the only texts you ever send to him, his normal polite messages ignored. He decides you're still dating? Bet seeing you cheat would rile him up then, maybe make him finally get sick of you and fuck off- both in your head and in real life. It started off simple, bite marks and hickeys right where Simon knows you like it, courtesy of a gentleman in Tokyo. Next, just a sliver of skin around your hips, nothing explicit he could get off to but enough for Simon to see the finger shaped bruises in your soft skin, left by a gorgeous woman who's perfume permeated your hotel for days after. Next time you're less kind, a photo taken in the mirror of your legs spread open, pussy glistening and dripping with some stranger's cum. That one had Simon trying to call you seconds after the little 'read' notification popped up and you couldn't help but laugh as you let it ring. Even when you were together you had never let Simon do that to you.

When even the photos got boring to you, and they still didn't stop Simon from sending you sappy photos and texts (who still sends good morning texts? Are we in high school? Grow up,) you decided to escalate again. Your newest hookup was enthusiastic about the idea when you presented it to him, and he proudly took a video from his point of view while fucking you from the back. You didn't force any noises, this guy was good enough to have you sounding like a whore on his own. You wouldn't remember his name to save your life, but you'd never forget his dick.

"F-f-fuck, that's it baby, so much better than-" Your own moan cut off your line, you'd planned to say it specifically because you wanted it to hurt but just the thought of how it would really tear Simon open had you clenching down harder on your partner's cock. Fucking thing was splitting you open, wet slapping noises echoing in the hotel room you'd booked for the night.

Surprise overtook you as your partner grabbed you by the throat with his spare hand, his thumb forcing you to crane your neck awkwardly to the side. Better view for the camera, sick bastard.

"Better than who, doll? C'mon, say it nice and loud for the camera now."

"Christ, fuck, so much better than Simon! Fucking l-loser can't even get it through his head I dumped him six months ago- ohh don't stop I'm so fuckin close--"

-and your partner cuts the video off there, dropping your phone to the mattress in favor of gripping both hands on your hips, fingertips digging in for purchase as he picks up his pace. You gleefully snatch the phone, your text to Simon undoubtedly filled with typos from how hard you were being pounded.

"Can't even wait to send it? Fucking slut."

A keening sound came from your throat as you watched the video's upload progression bar. "Just shut up and keep going, ahh- still so close--"

#noel.txt #cw cheating #not really cheating if u already broke up but just in case ig #cw brief violence against Ghost #ghost x reader #this might read as a cuck ghost but i need u to know hes devastated each time #but hes sooo delusional that you're meant to be together and sooner or later youll come around #part two would be ghost killing the guy in the video and then fucking you back into admitting hes better #lols #sadistic reader

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ghostchems · 7 months

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hello my dumbass was up watching horror media before bed even though i know it gives me HORRIBLE anxiety so could we maybe get a drabble or something of terzo comforting a fem!reader having a mini anxiety attack before bed, maybe with cuddling involved? thank you so much :,)

love love this prompt! tw anxiety. about 700 words.

“Oh my god, why did I do this to myself?” You squeak out in a hushed whisper as you pull your knees up to your chest. Blankets and pillows surround you and the only light in your room coming from your dimly light cell phone screen which is now laying face up on your bed. It’s just you in your room. You feel your chest start to tighten and your heart starts to thud. Your phone screen times out and goes black, a jolt of terror striking through you so you quickly unlock your phone.

It was one of those nights where you didn’t have much to do and you went down a YouTube rabbit hole. It didn’t take long until you found yourself deep into unsettling videos that you could have just scrolled past but your curiosity had gotten the better of you. You told yourself you wouldn’t be scared, that they weren’t real and that you’ve seen and researched far worse things while being a member of the church of Satan but… here you are.

You try to distract yourself but the thoughts have already taken hold. The thought to text a few of your friends crossed your mind but who would be awake at this hour?

Shit.

You know someone who would be.

Within seconds, he is at your door with somehow perfectly ruffled hair and a sleepy grin. His t-shirt is a bit wrinkly and his sweatpants make it painfully obvious that he is not wearing any briefs. He leans in close to you, his grin only growing.

“Thinking about me, eh, sibling?” Terzo’s voice is deep and husky but at the moment, you couldn’t care less about him being the over the top flirt he is. The two of you had connected recently and the last time you were together things got a bit hot and heavy.

“I-I’m sorry, Terzo. I’m not in the mood for that.” You whisper, holding your pillow to your chest and clutching your phone. “I’m a little spooked tonight.” A wave of embarrassment washes over you as your cheeks turn bright red. His expression immediately changes to concern and he is quick to loop one of his arms around you and pull you close.

“Why didn’t you say so, tesoro?” He hums into your ear then starts to usher you back to your bed. The light of your phone helps guide the two of you until Terzo flips the switch to your desk lamp to allow a warm, dim yellow light to flood the room. He is so close behind you, his strong nose nuzzling against your hair and neck as the two of you waddle to your bed. You slip into it and he is right there beside you, the warmth of his body pressing into you and his arms wrapping securely around your chest.

When you hooked up, there was no snuggling or after care, so you’re pleasantly surprised by how comfortable he makes you. In all honesty, you weren’t expecting him to react in such a way to you being frightened but it makes the crush on him you already have blossom and the butterflies in your stomach flutter.

“Will you stay the night?” You pipe up once you are comfortably nestled underneath the covers and in his arms. The tightness in your chest is already gone and you still feel a little bit like a baby for having to have someone come comfort you.

“Si, si, of course I will. I would not be able to live with myself if you have a nightmare after I’ve left.” He teases, his soft lips brushing against your cheek, You snuggle in close to him and manage a soft giggle as he gives you a squeeze. “Rest now, puffetta. I will fight off the monsters for you.”

Terzo starts to gently stroke your arms and presses his nose against your temple. You focus on his breathing, his chest rising and falling against you and you start to match the pattern until your eyes start to grow heavy and your mind starts to drift.

Soft breaths puff through your lips as you fall asleep soundly in his strong arms.

#terzo x reader #papa emeritus iii x reader #terzo #papa emeritus iii #papa emeritus x reader #terzo request #tw anxiety #spooky prompt

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sqeyungs · 1 year

Text

hunter, ft. ranpo edogawa cw. horror themes, cursing, mentions of blood & wounds a/n. been getting back into idv recently and i have ranpo's skin and ideas came to mind☝️

the weather was cold, yet somehow humid at the same time. maybe it was just the fact that you had been working your ass off trying to get those damn generators to run. with more than a couple zaps from misplaced wiring keeping you on your toes- not even to mention the one out for you two. the hunter.

the one that managed to rip both atsushi and dazai away from your grasps. it had been hours. hours of evading the entity that ranpo had felt so stumped on- and that wasn't exactly the most helpful place for the detective to be in this scenario.

with sweat dripping down your temple, you had only hoped the male was somewhere safe and far away from that monster right now. you weren't sure when you'd been separated from him, yet it happened, and it couldn't have been less than an hour at this point. luckily this would only be the second to last generator to finish. neither of you could help the fact that at sometimes hiding seemed better than running away from your foe. how you had even got yourself stuck in this situation; you weren't sure.

the only thing keeping your exhausted, not so clean body moving was finding ranpo and getting the hell out of this shit show. the ding went off when you finally finished up the current generator and as soon as it did you found yourself running far. you weren't in the best state, with more than just a couple cuts and bruises, but you couldn't stop now. not when you were so close.

it was when you approached a new, hardly touched generator that you heard twigs snap in the distance which made you flinch worse than you would rather admit. you cowered, crouching in a corner created by the space between the generator and the brick wall behind it, covering your mouth and closing your eyes tight as you could. you bit on your lip so hard you think you may be tasting blood now. you wouldn't be surprised. the weather along with how filthy you felt would be the explanation for your already chapped lips.

you couldn't die here... no. not when you don't know where your black-haired ally was or if he was safe. though, you couldn't manage to open your eyes or even move. you swore you almost yelled out a lung when you felt a hand cusp around your wrist, but that second hand was quick to keep your hands in a position where you couldn't open your mouth.

"don't make a sound," the voice whispered. the voice was one of familiarity, one that even at these times was able to calm your still growing nerves. your eyes opened with slight hesitation to see the one you've been so worried about. his eyes scanned over your features, and you swore you saw something welling up in his brown eyes which usually were closed or at least a little more enthusiastic than at the moment. "i'll fix everything. i always do, right?" he spoke, a fake chuckle following after his rhetorical question.

he looked around the surroundings before helping you off the muddy ground to gesture you to follow him as quietly as possible. as you walked more you soon heard the clanking of a nearby generator, one that was already halfway done! you would let out a sigh of relief if your teeth hadn't been so harshly clamped together. though you now felt more relieved, it soon dissipated due to the overwhelming pain all over your body. maybe it had been your adrenaline keeping you going, not your will.

without a sound from either of you, you two began to work on the last generator. you'd become much more paranoid yet much more careful in the process. not nearly as many misplaced cords or mess ups as before. not when you had ranpo at your side once more. where atsushi and dazai had went... you had only hoped they managed to find their way out. though you hadn't explicitly seen their demises you could only assume so from the sounds of terror you heard from the man-tiger earlier.

yet, you had a newfound hope. maybe it was just your reunion with the man but you wouldn't question it. you noticed your heartbeat suddenly increasing and it caused you to pause in your tracks. it was near.

"come on, we're almost done then we'll be safe, y/n," the boy tried to ease your nerves and coerce you back into working on the sparking generator. he knew why you paused in your tracks, in fact, he'd realized it was getting closer moments before you. he didn't let it stop him. you both needed to finish so you could get out and he couldn't let anything get in the way of safety.

you spotted it, out in the distance. your eyes began to well up in fear. no, no, no, no.. it couldn't happen again. you had already been locked up in that damn chair once which you were lucky enough to have atsushi at your service then but you couldn't go back. it could not happen again.

your heartbeat steadily increased as well as your rapid breathing and ranpo knew he wouldn't be able to snap you out of your trance while he was so focused on the generator. he took a deep breath, realizing just how close you two were. only ten more percent left to go and you were home free. he couldn't just ignore your rising panic though. "y/n."

you didn't even flinch at his call, not a single reaction. you were too focused on watching the hunter's every move since it would be after you at any second now. what then? what would you do? what if it-

"y/n," the detective repeated, now separated from the generator and pulling you to crouch down in front of him, hiding behind some barrel. "we're so close. i told you i would fix it, but you can't give up now. not when we're so close," he said. typically, he wasn't the type to give out free pep talks but for the first time he felt truly threatened in a life-or-death scenario and he wouldn't let said scenario take you away from him.

"i won't let it get to you again, but you have to help me."

#sqeyungs #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd #bungo stray dogs x reader #bungou stray dogs x reader #bsd x reader #ranpo #ranpo edogawa #ranpo x reader #ranpo edogawa x reader #identity v #idv #identity v x reader #idv x reader #idv x bsd #idv ranpo #ranpo idv

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allyricas · 7 months

Text

a part 2 of sorts to this

i've been pondering what sort of misunderstanding/fight could actually end a best friendship.

i'm imagining little steve and eddie about two years apart in age. they first meet as little kids at the playground and instantly decide they are best friends. it doesn't matter that steve is 5 and eddie is 7. they play pretend and tag. they both have shitty home lives in very different ways and neither want to be home. they spend all their free time exploring the woods and riding their bikes all over town.

pre-middle school, steve is just a goofy, adorable kid. no interest in girls, no interest in being popular. he's happy to have eddie and the few things he likes to do like basketball and swimming. eddie is sweet even if he's a little rough around the edges. he isn't a metalhead loner yet, just a kid who likes fantasy worlds and to make people laugh.

i think middle school is where things start going wrong. it's not so bad that first year when steve starts the sixth grade. eddie has his band at that point and yeah, he's not very popular but he's not considered a freak. they get to see each other in the hallway and they ride their bikes home together.

then, steve goes from cute little kid to teenager with naturally great hair and a killer smile over the summer between six and seventh grade. girls are noticing him, giggling as he walks by. he gets tall and fills out a bit. joins the swim team and basketball team officially and he's really good at both. being apart of a team means he's making more friends. it means tommy h and tommy t hanging around.

eddie hates it. he hates the way steve looks different. hates that everyone is noticing him now. fucking loathes all the girls that blush and makes eyes at steve while he walks down the hallway. he would rather eat dirt than sit and listen to the way steve's new friends encourage him to be a bit of an asshole even if steve doesn't partake in it. he has all these feelings bubbling up in him that he just cannot understand.

it's the following year that things go fully bad. the distance growing between them is inevitable with steve in middle school and eddie over at the highschool. he's a freshman and he can feel how much he doesn't fit in. that he isn't like most of the other teens. when he stumbles across the dungeons and dragons club and the leader explains it's a fantasy game, eddie's hooked. he doesn't give a shit about the reputation the club has. ignores the whispers of freak and satan worshiper that gets thrown towards the people in the club.

i think the huge falling out would be over steve's first girlfriend. he is caught up with it all and starts to spend less and less time with eddie despite having no intention to do so. she's a cheerleader, blonde and pretty. she hangs all over steve all the time even the few times eddie is around as well. it makes eddie's blood boil. he cannot even put into words how much he hates seeing them together.

he's already having a hard time since he moved in with uncle wayne even if he knows it's better. the transition from his little house on the outskirts of town with his parents to the trailer park with his uncle unrattles him. eddie doesn't like change, so add in his best friend getting a girlfriend and eddie is a mess.

the jealousy that he doesn't even realize is jealousy leads him to being a dick. he says something really horrible about steve to his friends that steve overhears. maybe, something about what a stupid, annoying jock he is. how he doesn't even really want to hang around him anymore. or worse, that he can't stand the person steve's become.

and he is spewing vitriol he does not mean. it's confusion and jealousy and fear all wrapped up in the desperate feeling of everything falling apart. because everything he feels about steve is so jumbled up, he can't even attempt to try and figure out it.

and when steve confronts him and eddie just scoffs. refuses to talk it out. refuses to say sorry, that he didn't really mean it. steve lets his inner mean girl out and hurts him right back because they are teenagers and everything seems so big and painful.

spews out the words freak and eddie feels it imprint on his heart and into his skin like a brand.

"well fuck you then. i didn't do anything to you. why do you always have to act like such a freak, munson."

other people hear steve harrington calling eddie munson a freak and the name sticks. eddie is known as the freak who lives in the trailer park. the satanist drug dealer. the guy who flunks senior year.

steve regrets the fight right away, but refuses to try and fix it. Eddie lets himself believe all the hate, convinced that he meant every word he said about steve.

embraces his outcast status with enthusiasm. it's all speeches on tables about how shitty jocks are. it's throwing up devil horns at people and tattoos and his battle vest. he solidifies the munson doctrine. lets himself thrive on the way people skitter away from him.

popular kids suck, especially that 'king steve'. what a prick, he lets himself think until it really sinks in.

the friendship is over. years of affection between these two boys lost over such nonsense. in a few years, no one even remembers the way eddie and steve used to go everywhere together. that they orbited each other as if pulled in by gravity.

it takes middle schoolers, death and monsters for them to finally get their shit together.

#steddie #friends to enemies to lovers #friends to enemies #angst

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gennyanydots · 1 year

Text

Here in Your Arms

masterlist

Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd x f!reader

Best friends to dating

High school au

It’s gonna hurt a little but then it gets better. I promise.

Written for @roosterforme ‘s Love is in the air TGM playlist challenge

Based off the song “Here (in Your Arms)” by Hellogoodbye

You miss Bobby.

You miss seeing him every day before first period. He’d always meet you at your locker then walk to class with you with an arm sling over your shoulders.

You knew this would happen eventually. It was inevitable that things would come between the two of you. So when Bobby started dating Leanna, you knew your relationship with him would change.

You had grown up together. Your moms were best friends, lived next to each other and everything, so when they were going to have babies within six months of each other, they were so excited for you two to grow up together. Your moms had you do everything together. Coordinating Halloween costumes every single year with a million pictures taken. You started preschool together in the same class. Every vacation your family went on so did Bobby’s. Pretty much every big memory you have from your childhood Bobby was there. The bestest friend you could ever have.

When middle school came, it was a little rough for the two of you. The separation between boys and girls became more and more apparent but Bobby never let that come between you both even making sure to set a specific time for you every single week, best friend Fridays when you would watch a movie together. You told him quite a few times over the years that if he wanted to hang out with his guy friends some Fridays that it would be okay. He stared at you like you grew two heads and told you he would never do something like that. So Bobby would still come over every Friday night for best friend Fridays and that was that.

Sadly high school had put an end to best friend Fridays during football season. Everyone went to the football games in town so it would be weird if you and Bobby didn’t go, so for a couple months every year you’ve had to put best friend movie nights on hold but you still spent the night with some other friends added to the mix.

But now…. now you seem to have to put them on hold again. Leanna signed her and Bobby up for some sort of class on Friday nights for the next 8 weeks. You’re almost positive she did it on purpose. Jealous that you get one night of her boyfriend’s attention all to yourself like he doesn’t make sure to text her back immediately every time.

You knew Bobby felt bad when he told you he couldn’t make best friend Fridays for a while. You’re sure he felt even worse when he saw your face. He tried to backtrack and tell you he could find another night to hang out with you but you told him it was fine. It wasn’t his fault. You felt bad watching him walk home dejectedly but whatever he felt you knew you felt worse. This was much harder on you than him.

Leanna’s taken every bit of Bobby’s attention. No more walking to first period together. No more eating lunch together. No best friend Fridays. Soon no more best friend time at all. Graduation seemed to be coming up so quickly. You only have 67 more days of school. Not that you were counting. You know Bobby wants to head to the Naval Academy as soon as he can. 6 hours away. The farthest you’ve ever been away from each other.

Maybe you should thank Leanna, if anything she’s making it easier to let Bobby go. Sort of like a trial separation.

You spent time with other friends to make the Friday nights feel less lonely. Your mom let you know that first Friday of Bobby and Leanna’s cooking class that Bobby stopped over to see you but you were out at a movie with a group of your close girl friends. Your mom told him he could come back Saturday morning but he never showed. You’re not sure if you’re surprised or not.

It’s weird to see a friendship dying in real time. There wasn’t anything you could do about it but let go. You’d see him every once in a while, he still lived next door to you after all, but you just never talked. His girlfriend was always there. You’d give a half hearted wave and that was that.

After 6 weeks of missed best friend Fridays you’re pretty sure even after this class thing ends you won’t see Bobby anymore, so when week 7 came along you were pretty shocked to see Bobby at your front door almost immediately after school.

“Hey princess,” Bobby says with a smile, calling you the nickname he gave you when you were both five and your mothers decided you would be a prince and princess for Halloween. He has both hands shoved deep in his pockets.

“Hey Bobby,” you say moving out of the way for him to come in.

“Oh my goodness gracious! Do my eyes deceive me or is that Robert Floyd back in our house?!” You mother says dramatically.

Bobby blushes and laughs, “Yeah, sorry, I was in some cooking class but I don’t want to do that anymore.” He looks over at you for your reaction and you just look at him questioningly then he mouths, “Later” to you and you nod.

“Not sure what you need some cooking class for, your mothers been teaching you since you were little. The both of you,” you mom says with a huff then gestures to the stairs, “Alright you two head on up and I’ll call you when the pizza is here. You know where the soda and snacks are.”

“Thanks,” Bobby says as he heads upstairs.

Your mom shoots you a look once Bobby is out of her sight and you shrug, “I don’t know.” You follow after him up the stairs and find him already laying on your bed with his hands behind his head and eyes closed, like this is normal. Like he hadn’t missed the last six Fridays together.

You lean against your door frame, “Well don’t you look comfy.”

“I have told you time and time again that your bed is superior to mine,” he opens one eye and makes grabby hands towards you.

“Yeah, I’m not laying down there with you. Pretty sure your girlfriend already hates me,” you say with a huff and sit in the saucer chair that’s in the corner of your room.

Bobby shrugs, “Don’t know who you’re talking about. I don’t have a girlfriend.”

You grab the pillow from behind your back that sits on the chair and throw it at him, “Explain yourself, Robert!”

He laughs and sits up holding his hands out in front of him, “Okay, okay! Don’t throw things at me!”

You pick up a shirt from your floor and ball it up then throw it at him, “Then tell me what happened!”

“We broke up,” Bobby says with a shrug.

“Okay,” you say looking at him with your head slighting cocked to the side. “Can I ask why?”

“It’s a free country,” Bobby says as he lays back down on your bed.

You get up and lay down on your back next to him, like you’d been doing since you were children, and turn your head to face him, “Why did you and Leanna break up?”

“I didn’t like her as much anymore,” Bobby says after sighing.

“You’re the worst at explaining anything,” you say rolling your eyes.

He laughs and sits up enough to lean on his elbow facing you, “We were fighting over something stupid and she said something and I realized she was right and I couldn’t be with her anymore.”

“What did she say?” You ask looking up at him.

“She said I didn’t have enough room in my heart for anyone else. She was right,” he says with a small smile.

“Because it’s full of love for your mama?” You ask with a laugh.

He chuckles, “Yeah princess, love for my mama.”

You beam at him, “So, what movie are we gonna watch?”

“We’re watching as many as we can before we pass out,” he says with a grin. “I have to make up for all the ones I missed.”

After four movies, a pizza, sodas, and two bags of popcorn you both fell asleep on your bed. Your mom chuckled when she checked on you both, seeing you wrapped up in each other’s arms with snacks strewn about. She cleaned the ones off the bed and threw a blanket over the both of you before kissing each of your foreheads and heading to bed with your father.

You wake up to the feeling of someone nuzzling into your hair and you try to swat them away. The chest you were pressed against chuckles a few times and the arms wrapped around you hold you tighter.

“Morning princess,” you hear a voice say aloud. You reply back with a grumble and bury your face in the warm chest.

“I’ve missed you. Quite terribly,” Bobby whispers to you. “I knew it but I didn’t realize the extent until I woke up with you in my arms.”

“I like when you sleep here,” you say, or at least try to, while you yawn.

“Do you want to know a secret?” Bobby whispers to you.

You nod and Bobby nudges your chin up with a finger so you look at him.

“Leanna said my heart was too full of love for you. It hadn’t even occurred to me that I loved you like that but it’s true. It hit me so suddenly and I don’t think I’ll ever be the same,” he says with that soft smile of his.

It takes you a second to process, you just woke up after all. You reach up and brush your fingers against his cheek.

You go to sit up but Bobby stops you with a hand on your arm, “Don’t go. Please.”

You smile at him and wiggle your body up so you’re eye to eye with him, “There’s no place else I could be but here in your arms.” You lean down and press your lips against his and he wraps a hand around the back of your neck to hold you to him.

“Finally!” You hear from the door to your room and you both break away quickly and look to see both of your mothers in the doorway.

You both groan and they laugh.

“We were just coming to wake you up. Pancakes are ready,” your mom says with a smile as Bobby’s mom giggles.

“We’ll just be going now. Definitely not to get out the scrapbooks we’ve been making for your wedding since you were both four,” Bobby’s mom says and they both turn and practically run away, giddy with excitement.

Bobby laughs and turns your face back to him and pulls you down for another kiss.

After a few minutes you pull away, “I want to revisit this but I’m hungry and I’m not positive they haven’t started calling venues.”

Bobby laughs, “Would it be so bad to be married to me?”

You shake your head, “No, it wouldn’t.”

Bobby smiles, “At least we have four years before we can get married, per the Naval Academy. Plenty of time to reel them back in and plan the wedding we want.”

You kiss him chastely and smile, “Can’t wait, Bobby.”

#robert ‘Bob’ Floyd x f!reader #bob floyd x female reader #Bob x reader #Spotify

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ivycorp · 1 year

Text

Day 2: Affection | Over Time

Continuity: Transformers Bayverse - post ROTF

Relationship: Mikaela Banes/Decepticons (multiple)

Warning: attempted assault, mention of drinking, swearing

Mikaela Banes knew from a young age that her life would not give her a fairy-tale ending - her father's 'career' made sure of that - as she grew to understand a few things about the world:

One, there were things people were going to expect of her, and which she could use to her advantage.

Two, there were things people would not expect, and disclosing these was to be done after a careful consideration.

And lastly, three, the paths of the ‘good’ and the ‘necessary’ rarely meet.

When she returned from Egypt, the young woman was already questioning her feelings towards Sam - she might have professed her love, but as the flight took them back to the States, she could sense the words escaped them in a moment of stress. She liked him a lot, they were a couple long enough to attest to that, but she wondered if maybe it was something connected to him that made her so attached to the young Witwicky.

The high from the battlefield was leaving her body, filling her with exhaustion, when she joked to herself that maybe what got them together and then made her confess was what really called out to her in their relationship: the alien robots.

A few months later, she knew her hunch was correct.

Sam was struggling with living a life without playing the hero - as a man who helped save the world twice by then, he ached against the secrecy he was sworn into. The idea of having to get a job after all of this excitement fell flat in comparison. Nobody knew him, nor his sacrifices - he was just another face in the crowd, and it was making him more irritable with each failed interview.

Mikaela didn't have the same problem - she was used to hiding others' secrets, after all. She had the garage, a dog, and a father to care for; it mattered little what she wanted aside from that, so she didn't crave for the recognition her boyfriend longed for. After growing up knowing people were going to always have their own opinions of her, it didn't matter that she was anonymous again.

Their relationship fell into a lull, as they saw each other occasionally. On better days they would watch a movie and laugh. On worse… Mikaela did not want to admit Sam's anger made her tense up, even if it was not directed at her.

On those days, she kept clear of her father too, even though he had not touched a bottle in years.

When the first new bots arrived, she was initially hopeful - maybe this would be enough to rekindle their connection, as they both would need to help the survivors acclimatize themselves to life on Earth. It would give Sam a mission, and her a bit of variety in life.

It quickly became apparent it was not going to unfold this way at all.

Instead of calming the man down, he grew short-tempered and resentful; his own replacement car was just a pale comparison to Bumblebee, so seeing the bots of different sizes come into their lives and leave after a period of time as brand new cars was like a wound dug open every time.

Mikaela couldn't let it continue - it was not good for her or the bots, as they could not comprehend the constant tension in Sam's demeanor.

So again, she did what was necessary.

They broke up.

*****

She wasn't surprised that the military decided to cut her off - her criminal record was against her from the start, and no matter how much she helped, they saw her as an add-on for Sam. They swore her into secrecy again, threatening with consequences she could care less about, more concerned about having to throw out any signs of her now ex-boyfriend from her home.

She was a bit disappointed that the separation did not cause her to cry even a bit; but then again, she knew this was coming for a while.

Mikaela stared around the garage, her mind free to think about what she could do now that she didn't have to worry about Sam's moods; when only jumbled thoughts came, she shrugged and got to work on one of the custom bikes which she needed to return in a few days anyways. Working with her hands helped, as familiar routines took over, leaving her mind clear.

For a while, life was completely normal.

The custom bikes provided a good income, but she also offered mechanical repairs to other vehicles if need be - her customers knew of her skill and would recommend her to others, making her name gain respect in the relevant circles. She didn't ask many questions, her prices were fair, and she never lied about the details of the job.

Which was why when someone called asking for a repair of a 'found car' she just told the guy to leave it in the yard, as she was out to get groceries.

Seeing an oddly familiar, if very banged up, police car on her return nearly made her drop the bags, which would have ruined the eggs she planned to use for dinner.

"Yeah, no," she declared loudly, walking to the side and putting the package on the desk in the workshop, before she returned back to the yard.

The car was still there.

"You couldn’t have the decency to leave when my back was turned, could you," she approached the vehicle, as she flicked the familiar badge with obvious annoyance.

"Come on, Decepticon, you can stop pretending not to hear me, I know what you are," she huffed, expecting the car to shift and threaten her with violence.

Instead, a hologram of a man shimmered into existence right by the dented door.

"I did not come here with an intent to harm you, miss Banes," a deep voice spoke, in time with the movement of the lips of what she suspected was the mech's avatar of sorts. She leveled both him and the car with a doubting look, but as nothing was happening, she decided to bite:

"Then please explain why someone ended up leaving you here for repairs, of all the damn workshops in this city?" Mikaela demanded, finding this exchange oddly funny, with the way the hologram blushed and twisted his hands nervously.

"It was a coincidence," he finally admitted, looking anywhere but at her face; when she tutted angrily, he rushed to add:

"And there is nobody that will come look for me - the human that called you thought I was the driver and towed me here, since I'm running on fumes," he rubbed his neck in embarrassment, "I overheard them saying they had a good mechanic and well… I do need repairs, as you can see," the hologram gestured towards the alt form his body was in.

"Let me guess - you were hoping they would fix you just so you can disappear in the middle of the night, hmm?" Mikaela asked, looking at him unimpressed. He nodded, and added wearily:

"Should I assume you and your boyfriend will be calling the Autobots to take me in?"

"Sam and I aren't together anymore," she replied at once, out of habit, and grew silent, watching the Decepticon in deep thought. She should probably inform someone she has an evil robot in her yard, but that would mean a lot of attention brought on her and her establishment. All the credibility she had would go up in smoke.

Plus she would have to call Sam's parents to reach him, so they could call NEST…

She groaned.

This was all too much hassle to follow the ‘good’ path here – so she bowed to the circumstance.

"You are in luck, I can't be bothered to bring the entire army into my workshop today," she replied, finally approaching the Con. The hologram stepped away in surprise, letting her pass by towards the front of the car.

"Any clue as to what I should look for?" she questioned, allowing professionalism to take the lead. The less she thought now, the better.

Fix a car. That she could do.

"I don't know what precisely went wrong - after I transformed last time I got stuck, and couldn't change modes since," the bot admitted sheepishly, but she could see the mech's hologram was shifting, looking at her with the entire pose screaming of vulnerability.

He was afraid of what she would do. Smart, but misplaced worry - as far as things were, he was another job to deal with.

And she was not a bully.

"Barricade, was it?" Mikaela inquired, tapping the hood twice; she learned quickly that Cybertronians valued consent in what was going on with their frames in any mode. She understood that well, so when the panel popped up obediently, she mumbled a soft "thank you" on reflex.

"Yes, you are correct, ma'am, " the voice confirmed her guess, as she looked around for some more obvious damage. Seeing a few possible leads, she started taking notes; it would be a riddle, not knowing precisely which part would be responsible for actual shape change (it never came up in the patch-ups she sometimes offered to the bots) - but if it was a machine, she would be able to deal with whatever problem there was.

"I need to look at the undercarriage - you think you could help me roll you over the inspection pit?" Mikaela asked again, even if she knew she would be able to do it alone; the mech was already terrified from her having access to his internals - her moving him would probably cause yet another issue to find and fix.

After an affirmative noise, together they pulled the vehicle inside the workshop, where she could get onto the last piece missing from her review. She tried to be as quick as possible, but there was little that could be hurried.

In the end, she finished the check when it already got dark outside, dismissing her father taking the groceries with a distracted wave in the meantime. He returned later with a simple egg-fried rice, but she was so hungry it tasted heavenly.

"This human… is he your partner?" Barricade asked when she was eating her dinner, causing her to spit out some of it, coughing loudly.

"Partner? No, he's my father - he is usually out during the day, but lately whenever I forget to cook, he does it for me," she supplied as a clarification, resuming eating the rice at a slower pace.

"So you are his… offspring?" the Decepticon sounded a bit puzzled, but at her hum of agreement, he happily added:

"Like a hatchling then!"

Mikaela put down the plate, one hand clasped over mouth filled with food to prevent it from escaping. She gulped it down, forcing herself to remain calm.

"What 'hatchling'? Do you guys reproduce via hatching?" she tentatively questioned, curiosity getting the better of her. Barricade's avatar nodded, turning pensive.

"There were lots of them before Egypt, but we couldn't feed them all - I can only hope Lord Megatron managed to save some from early deactivation…" he mumbled, and she decided to keep silent until the mech got a grip on himself again.

If she understood, they had starving robot children somewhere out there. The idea that there could be more Decepticons did not bode well for humanity.

She frowned, feeling an odd concern grow in her - for the Cons it was way worse: their future dwindled on a planet rich with resources.

When the hologram seemed to shake out of the sadness, she coughed politely and got back to work. The sooner she fixes the mech, the sooner he would go away, and so would the entire alien robot issue with it.

Including the hatchlings.

Starving hatchlings.

*****

The repairs lasted for another day, into the dark hours before the morning sun breached the horizon - by then she ran out of things to fix, and poured fuel into the tank to help kick-start the shift between forms. She slapped the roof gently as Barricade drove onto the open yard.

"Okay, I think it's now or never - let's see if it worked," she prompted, already hearing the bot prepare to transform, getting the Earth's fuel running through his body after a long period of driving on empty.

Mikaela saw the hologram blink out, and the familiar sounds of Cybertronian mode change filled the silence, barely distinguishable with the sounds of the city raging in the background.

"It… worked," Barricade sounded amazed, mostly hidden in the darkness, before he turned towards her.

"Thank you, ma'am," he said clearly, the gratitude dripping from his vocalizer.

"Don't mention it," she replied tiredly, before she added:

"And don't call me ma'am, Barricade, it's Mikaela," hearing how corny it sounded, she finished with a lighter tone:

"Now, off you go - if you need me, you know where to find me," she meant as a joke to keep the situation from going into an unpleasant direction.

The mech stood for a moment, before he changed back and drove away.

She sagged in relief.

That was the end of it. It is over, and she can get back to her usual life. Tired, but happy, she went to sleep.

*****

When the next day she walked out to see a black car stand at the side of the yard, she stopped.

There should not be anything there. It was an empty space yesterday. She clearly recalled not having any pure black cars in her care.

Mikaela saw the Decepticon badge and let out a noise of frustration.

"Barricade, is this you?"

A familiar hologram of a man appeared, waving awkwardly. She glared at him, hands on hips, and a prompt:

"What are you doing here?"

The avatar had the common sense to look abashed, but it took a moment for him to gather himself up, open his mouth…

… and deflate visibly.

"I don't have anywhere else to go - I can't get a hold of anyone," came the answer, which put out the anger gathering in the woman, replacing it with pure consternation.

"And you decided that the best option was to return to one of the only few people who know about you, instead of doing literally anything else," she surmised, gesturing wide to emphasize her point further.

When he nodded again, she exhaled loudly, glad that no customers were supposed to come in today.

Apparently, she had a stray on her hands.

“I guess I did say you know where to find me if you need me, so that one’s on me,” she muttered, before straightening up.

“If you try anything funny, I don’t care if this brings entire NEST here, I will make sure it’s the last thing you do,” she felt the threat was necessary, but there was no heat behind her words. The way the hologram perked up and smiled, promising to not cause any trouble, was already melting her heart.

“Some ground rules then,” she began, hand up, as she started listing things out on her fingers:

“One, no violence or war-related shit is to be done in here. Two, no talking or shifting into root mode when customers are around. Three, my father and my dog are around, so no territorial spats, understood? It’s my place and I am letting you crash here for a while, so don’t make me regret this.”

“Yes, ma’am!” was exclaimed in her direction with a sharp salute, when she cringed, popping another finger up:

“Four, again, no calling me ‘ma’am’ – there is no need for it, just use my name,” she added, knowing it would come up at least a few more times, if the confused look on the avatar’s face was any indication.

Mentally, she could already see the increased fuel expenditure she would need to calculate into the workshop’s budget. At least it was not that unexpected, so hopefully nobody will pay too much attention.

*****

Mikaela would have liked to be able to say that it was hard, getting used to the presence of Barricade in her life, but it would have been a blatant lie.

It was laughably easy.

The mech was a pleasant company, talking with her in an avatar form during the day, and sometimes shifting to root mode in the night, helping with whatever heavy lifting he could do, after she jokingly teased him about being a free-loader. He would often take a ride outside, returning late with a suspiciously full tank and a blank look upon any questioning about that.

She tried to keep him at a distance, but soon enough she would find them laughing at some odd joke, discussing a reality show playing in the background as she worked, or catch the way he looked for her when he would return from a joyride; at first tentatively, as if he expected her to leave him behind to be trapped by NEST, then with relief, in the end to become a full blown comfortable excitement.

Curse the way humans could pack bond with anything – she was growing attached to the slagger.

*****

When he returned one day after dark, she went out to greet him as usual, and was surprised to see a tow truck follow him with a load on the back, concealed by a tarp.

“Barricade, care to explain what’s going on?” she asked, approaching the driver’s side of the black car, seeing the hologram look up at her in panic, rolling the window down.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t leave them back there - Soundwave would know and kill me later!” he rushed in, pointing towards the back of the truck.

“Didn’t I say ‘no war shit in here’? Let me guess, I need to pay for the tow too, don’t I?” she bit out; when the hologram froze, looking guilty, she swore under her breath. She turned around, keeping the truck in sight, as she asked loudly:

“Or is it another of your friends?”

He looked around, trying to deny the inevitable, but nodded.

“Onslaught. Somehow he got lucky to bump into a transport that was carrying parts from Egypt, and managed to get Ravage out. He’s barely alive, but not for long,” he explained, as he got out of the driver’s seat and knelt down, pleading:

“Please, can you help him?”

“Pathetic,” came from the side, a new avatar popping up from the inside of the truck. He was slightly taller than Barricade’s hologram, and carried himself with an air of arrogance.

Mikaela was familiar with that type, so she stood her ground, looking flatly at the newcomer.

“You – shut up! Unless you can fix Ravage, you don’t get to talk here,” Barricade threatened, shooting up, looking ready to fight at a slightest notice.

“You can’t be serious, there’s no way she can help here, and seeing you grovel in front of a human makes me want to purge all of my fuel,” Onslaught retorted, but did not move to stop her when she reached out to peek under the cloth covering whatever was left of Ravage.

There wasn’t much left, to her dismay, but the pieces seemed to be mostly there. It would be more intricate than Barricade’s case, for sure, and yet she could already see how things were piecing together, what tools she could use…

She huffed, stepping away, and waved at the familiar avatar to catch his attention, where the he was currently engaged in a staring contest with the other Decepticon.

“Get him into the workshop, this will take time and I can’t let anyone see him during the day – and you owe me, big time,” she ordered, feeling a pang of satisfaction when the mech obeyed hastily, ignoring the bewildered look of his companion. Onslaught moved to park his form in the street, as he went back in to see Mikaela get to work.

At first, he was offering crude commentary of the futility of her actions and insults, but when Barricade started ignoring him and only talking to the woman, he seemed to catch up on the dynamic between them, and shut up. In the next few days, with small breaks to work on the paying customers’ requests, she started making visible progress – this, in turn, made the new mech more cordial, as he started to speak to them both with less acid in his words.

Mikaela was vaguely aware about this, her brain focused on a way less familiar work than she was used to, as she tried to fix the delicate spine back onto the remaining pieces; shuddering in sympathy whenever the form below her would thrash weakly. She would mutter soft noises of reassurance, and the other avatars joined in on calming the injured bot down.

All in all, things were looking up for Ravage.

*****

When the repairs progressed considerably, she decided to take a break – her body was exhausted, and she could feel her focus slipping. She collapsed on the cot in the workshop, and before she even had a chance to re-arrange herself, she was already asleep.

A loud noise of broken glass woke her up.

She got up, trying to blink away the drowsiness, as her workshop came around her – and a hand with a gun popped into focus, other gloved hand cutting off her scream for help. Alarmed, she backed away, as an unknown assailant was smiling mockingly.

“What a pretty thing you are, I bet you will sound just as pretty when I take you – the money I expect to take will be just petty change compared to that, I’m sure,” he gloated, shivering in anticipation. She cursed her exhaustion for not grabbing a weapon she had nearby faster, as she tried to find a way to get away alive.

“Na-ah, don’t think so,” the gun pressed into her rib painfully when he noticed her looking around. The muted sound of her distress sounded unfamiliar to her ears, but then she realized someone else was emitting the same tune deeper in the room.

A large, Cybertronian servo appeared from behind the man, startling him into losing grip of the weapon. He got pulled harshly across the floor, before the pain registered and he started to scream in fear.

She heard a sound of a car door opening, the scream abruptly stopping, and familiar noise of Onslaught’s alt mode pulling away from the yard.

“Mikaela, are you okay?” Barricade queried with alarm, crawling into the workshop.

She returned a short affirmative, before she got up and approached him on legs that felt like lead. Ravage emitted a short string of beeps, and she petted his side affectionally.

“Thank you – both of you,” she offered with gratitude, before the mech looked her over and grinned, satisfied in her lack of injuries.

“Rule one, no violence here,” he reminded, and cheekily added, “but outside of here, it’s another story – Onslaught will take care of this in a fitting fashion, I promise you.”

Mikaela was unsure what did it say about her, but she found herself smiling at those words.

She fell asleep inside Barricade’s alt mode that night, feeling safe.

*****

Decepticons started appearing a few days after Ravage was fixed.

Some were in need of repairs, others in need of company. Most of them were quick to assimilate, as she was already vouched for by three separate mechs, and those that were disrespectful were very quickly corrected, should their host decide to kick them all out.

They still could not reach their commanding officers, and thus leave, which made the woman’s yard start to feel crowded. She complained about it one time, saying she probably needs to rent a warehouse or something, hell, why stop there, get the damn aircraft hangar – she was already a goddamn shelter for misplaced Cons, so why stop at ground forces only?

When the next day she received a confirmation of ownership of a hangar, paid in by a mysterious benefactor, she stared in herself in the mirror for an hour.

She pointed at the reflection accusingly.

“You need to get your shit together and stop giving them ideas.”

Resigned to her fate, she arranged for the workshop to be open at prior phone contact only, and left off to explore the new space she now owned.

*****

The hangar was large and empty, with a small office space she decided she might as well use for sleepovers – she knew they will become a new norm. She looked from the window at the floor below, and smiled fondly at the surrealness of the image.

The Decepticons started to re-arrange the space to fit their needs, quipping at each other – yet they were keeping things peaceful. She could see they were happy to be able to move without worry about being spotted. Mikaela suspected they had no idea what to do with themselves, but being together was preferred to being alone – and with her in the mix, they were finding a new purpose:

Being absolute idiots.

After yet another day of having to listen to someone complain that the fliers that showed up were hogging the remote of the TV they managed to rig up, she threw her arms up and decided to take a short break in the night’s air to calm down.

“I am surrounded by old alien robots from space, each of which experienced in combat in a war that spanned over millennia – why does it feel like keeping them from punching each other is the most complex issue I ever had to deal with? What am I, a babysitter?” she growled, shaking in rage.

“I believe it makes you a Decepticon officer, miss Banes.”

Head shooting up, she staggered a step back. Megatron was looking at her, braced on the sides by Starscream and Soundwave.

“You! What are you doing here?!” Mikaela gritted through her teeth, when a familiar form of Ravage came outside, rushing towards the communication officer.

Behind him, Barricade came barreling down, and stood stupefied seeing the Decepticon command; the dramatic exit prompted others to join into checking things out, and now the dim lights of the night illuminated a crowd of Cybertronians shifting on their pedes, as the command trio watched them with interest.

When Megatron moved closer, Barricade raised his weapon with a conflicted expression, mirrored on Onslaught, who did the same on the other side of the woman. Ravage uncoiled himself from Soundwave, circling his form around Mikaela protectively.

The Decepticon leader stared for a few seconds, then let out a laugh.

“I came to retrieve my army, but it seems you have left a lasting impression on the troops, miss Banes,” he said, putting a servo up in a pacifying gesture. Motioning towards the entrance of the hanger, he inquired:

“Could we possibly have this conversation inside? We couldn’t leave the hatchlings behind, and they might get noisy if we stay outside.”

The loud negative she wanted to reply with died in her throat. The other soldiers shuffled excitedly, and Megatron revealed the concealed container in which something was moving tiredly, judging from the noise.

She let out a noise of frustration, and waved them all inside.

“Of course you had to use kids as a bargaining strategy,” she spew out angrily, watching as the hatchlings were transported inside and tended by some of the crew.

Dear heavens, they were chirping!

The remaining Decepticons were keeping some distance, but Mikaela was not feeling concerned for her safety. The previous showdown outside already revealed the soldiers were conflicted between their loyalty to their commander and the arrangement they had with her; and when she was threatened, they did not abandon her.

Humans pack bond with anything and everything – apparently, the same was true for Cybertronians.

She crossed her arms, standing confidently in the middle of the crowd, and challenged:

“So, Megatron, what is the deal? What sort of master plan are you cooking up, and should I already write my last will and testimony?”

The mech bristled at that, ignoring the murmur of alarm among the others, and he instead extended his servo for her to climb. She eyed it critically, but acquiesced with only mild complaining, as it removed the strain from having to look up at him the entire time. He put her up on the optic level, and when she stopped swaying, started speaking:

“Miss Banes, your faith in my organization skills is truly inspiring – and most likely, had you not appropriated my crew from me, I would have taken to reaching out to another desperate solution for keeping the hatchlings alive.”

She was astonished at the matter-of-fact way the mech had admitted to having yet another plan up his sleeve – and deciding to abandon that.

Because of her.

“You have taken care of multiple of my soldiers when you had no gain from it,” he began, looking around, seeing the general improved health of his forces, and continued with “You have brought Ravage back from the brink of death, for which you have gathered Soundwave’s sympathy – which is not an easy thing to accomplish by anyone, I can assure you,” he praised her, as she could not fight a stray blush creeping up on her from these words.

“You have given them shelter and did not turn them over to the authorities. For all of this, you have my eternal gratitude,” he finished, inclining his helm in a respectful bow.

“No harm shall befall you from me and my soldiers, and you would be granted whatever boon I can offer in return that lies within my power – name it, and we shall procure it for you, before we leave you to your devices.”

Mikaela realized she was again facing a choice:

name a price, leave them be, and come back to her workshop alone.

deny it, and stay with the rest of the bots for the foreseeable future.

She heard the hatchlings beep happily at the nourishment, and she knew her answer.

“I’d rather keep an eye on you all, if that’s all the same with you, Megatron – you guys are a magnet for trouble, and I just got used to wrangling these bastards,” she replied steadily, relaxing into the hold, getting a surprised look back from both Megatron and the other Decepticons.

“Dangerous choice, miss Banes,” the mech chuckled, and she stopped him right there:

“And enough with the ‘miss Banes’ – it’s Mikaela, plain and simple.”

Megatron nodded at that, and the atmosphere around the hangar lost most of the tension.

“As you wish,” he acquiesced, and looked around the room, as he said:

“Welcome to the Decepticon Cause, Mikaela.”

*****

The way she saw it, working with the Cons’ officers was slightly less challenging than the other soldiers. After a short discussion, she managed to coerce Megatron into allowing her to patch up his injuries, and to let her take a look at the hatchlings.

Starscream was actually helpful in that regard, offering information readily as they were cooperating towards keeping the kids alive and well. To their relief, it turned out to be easier than expected – with the numbers they operated in now, it was less difficult to maintain acceptable fueling rate for both them and the crew.

She mused sometimes that her life was not going in the way anyone would have expected, least of all her – when she broke up with Sam, she expected to never meet another Cybertronian again.

And here she was, surrounded by Decepticons, at ease.

“You are an interesting human, Mikaela,” she heard as she sat outside, admiring the stars in the warm, summer night.

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing, Megatron,” she replied insolently, offering a small smile. The mech sat down by her, and also looked up.

“I did not expect to find allies on this planet, and here you are – a living proof that an organic can sway course of Cybertron’s history,” he remarked, optics taking in the clear sky stretching above them. When she let out an inquisitive noise for him to elaborate, he cleared his vocalizer, and stated:

“The hatchlings are growing strong. My Decepticons are healthy. We are not hunted, nor do we need to risk injury against Autobots and their human allies. We can focus on rebuilding our race and home.”

Then, he lowered his helm, looking at her directly.

“All because you took the risk and helped one of us.”

She wasn’t sure what to say, so she simply shrugged, and took a sip of the drink she had with her.

“Guess it’s good I got a thing for strays, then,” she uttered teasingly, and Megatron tittered at that.

“Guess it is,” he agreed, shaking his helm fondly, as he started getting back up. At her questioning look, he provided an explanation:

“I need to check on the crew - it’s gotten suspiciously silent and I do not like it.”

She snorted, waving at him, as she allowed herself another moment of peace before she returns to see what sort of problem the Decepticons managed to brew up this time around.

The ‘good’ and the ‘necessary’ paths rarely meet.

And yet, right there, right then, Mickaela knew she managed to find one that was both.

******************************

Second entry for @heartsandsparksshipweek

#heartsandsparksshipsweek #transformers #maccadam #bayverse #mikaela banes #barricade #onslaught #ravage #megatron #i died writing this IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SHORTER #my_writing_sfw

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gingerbreadmonsters · 1 year

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here we are in heaven

or: for you are mine, at last.

gn!reader, no content warnings, fluff fluff fluff (with only a tiny bit of heart-wrenching in the middle, i promise!). the blessed hala day is upon us! happy birthday beloved @daveyistheloml 🥳🥳🥳 i hope you're having a wonderful day!! i’m… not great at david, so don’t look too closely - but for our girlie hala?? i can always make an exception hehe 💕💕💕 oh, and, uh - do forgive me. i couldn't resist. inspired by ‘at last’ by etta james, which i insist you listen to while you read. david falling in love at terminal velocity in 1000 words or less.

update: this now has a (much less fluffy) companion, wrapped up in clover 💕💕

Why are you following me?

To tell the truth, David Shaw has never really thought of himself as lucky.

He’s been fortunate, you could say. Blessed with good sense, good looks, good grace. Fire in his soul, wolf’s blood and the call of the moon. Growing up in Dahlia as normal as his dad could get him, a serious sort of boy who became a lonely sort of man. Magic doesn’t change that much, when you really think about it - people are still people, for better or worse, and six of one is still half a dozen of the other. Ups and downs, to be sure, but not exactly a charmed life.

(That being said, some of those downsides have been quite… significant, you might say. Never mind. Best not to dwell. Today’s a happy day, for happy things. There can be time for that later.)

In any case, David Shaw has never really been one to try his luck, or what little there is of it. Rolling the dice doesn’t come naturally to him - he’d much rather the reliability, the certainty of a fixed outcome. Safe and dependable and predictable. It’s much more reassuring to know, don’t you think? Bullets weren’t made to be bitten. The unknown is a scary, scary thing, especially for someone who was never meant to be alone.

Constancy, unfortunately, is hard to come by. To be fair, it’s not helped by the fact that most of the people in his life can turn into wolves. That does tend to complicate things. Luck doesn’t really seem to enter into it, though - growing up doesn’t just happen overnight, and there are preparations to be made. He’s never been afraid of hard work, and there’s more to life than random chance. Hope for the best, plan for the worst, and somewhere in the middle will have to be good enough. You might call it resigned. Forewarned is forearmed. He’d rather call it ready.

It works, for a little while. You know what they say about best laid plans. Nobody knows where luck comes from, but somehow, it never comes to David Shaw’s door. What does come is a phone call, and a tearful Marie, and the realisation that nothing will ever be right again.

(I know, I know, I said we weren’t going to dwell on it. Sorry.)

These things happen every day, apparently. Very common. He’s not alone.

Yeah. Easy for you to say.

A house for three, then two, now one. Fortune doesn’t smile upon him. Nowadays, he doesn’t smile either. It’s hard to grow up in freefall, and yet it’s the time you have to grow up the fastest of all. Eight minutes, and the world he knows freezes solid as the sun is snatched away. Days, months, years - it’s all the same out there, nerves shredded with ice, turning slowly into stone. David Shaw is adrift, tumbling through the stars into the blackness below, lost in space and running out of air.

Pick a colour. The chatterbox opens and closes, opens and closes. This is not the first time you and I have spun coins together. A losing streak can’t last forever, and the wheel has to stop at some point. Somewhere, in the dark glow of a world that shouldn’t exist, a thousand dice hit the table - and every single one comes up six.

The odds of bumping into a stranger in a fast-food restaurant are not exactly one in a million. What happens next, however, might be.

What is it about you, that makes him feel like… like this? How is it that you find him, over and over, sunshine in his moonbound soul? Maybe it’s gravity, that force that brings him ever into your orbit, that catches him out of the crumbling sky and leaves him lightly at your feet. Maybe it’s karma, some grand scale that decides enough is enough, shoves him gently in the right direction and repays its debt a hundredfold. Or maybe it’s something else, some fate or chance or fortune - and it isn’t his to question why. You come crashing into his life with all the dazzle of a shooting star, the meteor flame in his heart, and David Shaw learns that some questions, perhaps, don’t really need answers.

Once in a lifetime, you might say. Made for you, destined for you, soulmates. Fortune favours the bold, and there’s few bolder than you - if anyone could fight fate, it would be you. If anyone could defy the laws of the universe, it would be his mate, waiting for him in the living room that he bought with you, curled up on the sofa that you chose together. Was he made for you? No way of knowing, but he’s not sure it matters. You find him anyway. Nothing as inconsequential as destiny could ever stand in your way and make it out unscathed.

His other half. Marie calls you that, and he can’t help but smile every time, because it’s true. Astronomical odds, that his path might cross with yours, that he might walk together with you towards the unknowable future, and that you might let him. Isn’t that a miracle? The blue moon calls to him, wolf’s blood and all, and he finds you hanging it in the sky for him, right next to the mirror in the hallway.

See you around, troublemaker.

masterlist

So it's true - luck has never really been on his side. Whatever. Call it what you will, it doesn't matter. Let fate try its hand - don't you know who you're talking to? All roads lead him home, in every world, in every universe, and his heart is weightless in the joyful gravity of you. When it comes to chance, David Shaw has never been a lucky sort of man. But here, in your arms, he has never been anything less than blessed.

take a trip to the other side of the mirror?

this is an original work by @gingerbreadmonsters - please do not repost or misattribute

#redacted asmr #redacted audio #redacted david #redacted angel #redacted fluff #ginger writes #gingerbreadmonsters

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thenightshiftcomic · 2 months

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if you were to pair up lmk characters and the Nightshift who would you pair with who?

Disclaimer that these are character perceptions and not like, the reality of their situations. Also I need to re-watch LMK because my memory is a little rusty lol.

Ash & MK, two guys that are supposed to protect their families and keep making shit worse <3

Talia & Red Son, they have the same chaos vibes to me. Plus I think Red Son would love to help Talia screw around with making knives for some reason. Just, vibes?? Either way, they're gonna go burn down a village <3 /hj

Leo & Sandy, tanks with a heart of gold. Come on, you had to see that coming. But, I think it'd be good because I think Sandy would help try to walk Leo through his guilt a bit

Keef & Wukong. You know how much guilt these two have over little mistakes? Avoiding mentioning things until the last second because how do they mention it?? It's just going to be so many negative emotions and then by the time they're forced to confront it, it's too late. Delicious.

Ink & Mei, just because chaos gremlins that adopt their enemies. They will prank everyone. Talia & Red Son specifically.

Kody & Wukong, but for different reasons. Whenever someone gets close they both run like hell and distance themselves again (even if it's too late, and people have gotten attached/they've gotten attached to people already).

On some less "similarity" notes and things I think would just be interesting:

Ash & Pigsy: The adopters. Ash takes the full responsibility for everything his group does and for protecting them in any way possible, Pigsy protects his kids but I could also see him recognizing that he can't protect them from everything. A nice cooking session with a talk over the differences in how they approach their teams running into danger would be interesting, I think.

Talia & Red Son: Okay okay okay, it's the same duo but for less gremlin-y reasons this time. They both had shitty parents, and I see Talia simply not understanding how Red Son is still willing to connect with them. I think she'd be incredibly confused and it could be an interesting discussion in Red Son's approach with his parents vs hers. (That is to say, Red Son's parents making a genuine effort to get better and growing a bond, where Talia's were only interested in getting worse and forced Talia away in such a way they can never recover from.)

Keef & Lady Bone Demon: I'm not sure if you'd count villains under this ask, but okay. So, Keef grew up in an environment where perfection was expected, and she always fell just short. She prefers the chaos of the world and the freedom of creativity, but also understands the appeal of constantly looking put-together and perfect, especially to other people. She still puts pressure on herself to do that, after all, even if she won't admit it. Furthering that, she's one of the few in the Nightshift who doesn't see her life as better after the inciting incident that led to her eventually joining. Maybe the same, but not better. She fully understands the appeal of a perfect world where she wouldn't have had the opportunity to make such a mistake that led her down this road, and feels the pressure to conform to something closer to LBD's version of the world, and I think that would make for a very interesting conversation.

Leo & Wukong: Two very different approaches to the same issue. Leo is worried he can't protect the people he loves, and believes (if unconsciously, to some degree) that he's at fault for his siblings' deaths. He's determined to not let the same fate befall his new family, and so becomes incredibly protective and even overbearing. On the flip side of this, Wukong took to distancing himself so he wouldn't hurt people any more than he has (and before they can leave him first). I think the drastic differences in approaches would be really interesting to pick out, especially since I think Wukong would see a degree of himself in Leo - the determination to protect the people he loves no matter what, but before Wukong lost vision of his previous goal for more power. Maybe he'd try to serve as a kind of warning tale to Leo, before Leo has the chance to make the same mistakes.

Ink & MK: Ink and MK would be really interesting to me to flip sides of a kinda screwed up coin. Someone who trusts and connects with everyone blindly (MK) and someone who picks and chooses who to trust carefully, because everyone's out to get you if push comes to shove hard to enough (Ink). They both love their family deeply, but Ink is more subtle about it so it won't be used/taken advantage of while MK is proudly loving of everyone he cares about. MK is crushed with guilt in how he thinks he hurts the people around him and, to some degree, fails to help people, while Ink genuinely has done irreparable damage to others and failed to save lives it was put in charge of, and learned to live with that reality. I think it'd be interesting because I think Ink would see MK, how MK keeps getting tricked and taken advantage of, how MK thinks he hurts the people he loves and fails to save those he tries to help, and the only way Ink would know how to help is through its own worldview: trust nobody, make connections but stay on your toes, yes you've hurt people and yes you've failed but the reality of life is you can't avoid that to some degree and here's some ways I learned to live with myself. Maybe they'll help you too. I think it would be interesting because Ink also doesn't see another side to this: that MK has never tried to actively hurt someone, that everything he blames himself for isn't necessarily his fault, and that MK's ability to see the good in people has genuinely helped them - not just in the sense of having connections, but believing in others (Macaque) in a way that Ink's more pessimistic worldview does not allow.

Kody & Macaque: I think this would be fun for their similarities leading to severe whiplash between them. Kody's been betrayed, used, tricked and manipulated more times than he can count, and they both follow a very similar "Look out for number one. Because if you don't, no one will." mentality, and while Macaque's "Wukong only values people by how useful they are to him" mentality might be more individual-specific, it's still something Kody can easily apply to everyone that's taken him in then discarded him once his use was up. They handle their respective betrayals extremely differently, with Kody content to just avoid the hell out of anyone that hurt them and Macaque hunting down Wukong and even using his student for revenge (which, would definitely piss Kody off, by the way), but at their roots they can see a lot of themselves in each other, down to Kody's more tricky nature even if he doesn't see it. I definitely don't think a conversation with them would go well, per say, because Kody would not hesitate to question why the hell Macaque went back to fighting for/with Wukong when he could easily be using him again (Kody pushes the world away so they don't get hurt again, and Macaque is willing to run right back to Wukong's side when he's called?), and would get extremely pissed off that Macaque took advantage of MK that way (in a very similar way they were in the past), but I think the similarities in root that bleed out into extremely different responses would be kind of interesting. I rewrote this last one like three times though, I'm not sure, it's harder to draw a connection with Kody than it is the others.

Honorable mention goes to:

Keef & Mei - Pressure to conform to what they should be while ignoring who they are.

Sorry for the ramble, I wasn't intending it to get this long lol! Anyway, there's your gremlin stuff and then you're deep-rooted trauma angsty stuff XD

#nightshift ash #nightshift talia #nightshift keef #nightshift leo #nightshift ink #nightshift kody

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malewife-yoomyeongwoo · 2 years

Text

Had an idea for an tsctir au where dungeons never happened, but the magic and mana within born s classes still lingers. The fact that theyre different and that people have skill aptitudes that affect their surroundings is still present, but no ones really aware of it (the born s classes Feel it but cant do anything about it)

So HYH is still Like That and HYJ still has the effects of the “caregiver” title, just- kinda watered down?

So the fic idea that i had that takes place in this au would be centered around the fact that HYH still has to deal with the feelings and things he feels in the manhwa/LN with his nature being (spoilers) that of a flame. He still wants to fight and grow stronger; he still wants to consume that which is precious to him (HYJ); he still gets unusually protective and jealous with HYJ.

And, HYH is getting increasingly frustrated cause he wants HYJ all for himself and cant explain why and, while his hyung is confused about it, he mostly indulges his dongsaeng but, because HYJ doesnt really understand what it is HYH needs to be happy, he keeps pushing HYH away and telling him to hit milestones that are relevant for human beings (like getting a spouse or getting a good job)

But all HYH really wants is to just be with HYJ and the conflict is centered around HYH not really understanding why hes Like That and trying to conform for HYJs sake and HYJ just wanting HYH to be happy and live a good life, but failing to really understand HYH enough to be okay with the actions HYH takes in order to live a happy and good life

Of course, the conflict within HYH would only get worse as HYJ continues to meet people and make connections and have less and less time to spend with HYH

And HYH cant help but feel guilty for being how he is cause his hyung is happy! Hes finally getting to live his life now that HYH can help with the finances! But HYH has to fight the urge to sabotage everything in order to have his hyung focus on him again cause he still wants his hyung to be happy

So hes simmering in frustration and self loathing and, because its hard for him to continuously keep getting brushed off by his hyung, he starts limiting contact because he Cant Take the small and fleeting interactions he has without feeling a sense of deep yearning for the way things used to be (just the two of them)

Maybe it reaches a boiling point for HYH when its his birthday or something?? And HYJ has a bunch of people over to celebrate with him and hed brought over a girl that he thought HYH would be interested in (and the icing on the cake is how everyones being touchy and HYHs already in a bad mood but now it’s worse) and all HYH had wanted for his birthday was for it to be just him and his hyung spending time together and now theres all these people and he, of course, acts cold and petulant and HYJ is like dude wth and HYH cant explain himself in a way that makes sense so he just storms out and leaves HYJ dealing with an awkward atmosphere but HYJ ultimately asks everyone to go and apologizes to them so that he can hang out with HYH and see whats going on

And thats where theyd start to re-assess their dynamic and try to understand each other better so they can co exist in a healthier way. HYJ would learn that HYH doesnt want a relationship or to be great or anything like that, he just wants to live comfortably with his hyung. And HYH would learn that he doesnt need to repress his nature and conform for HYJs sake cause what HYJ wanted all along was for HYH to be happy (and if that means theres a lot more hugs and quiet leisure time spent between the two just enjoying each other’s presence then so be it)

HYJ gets to go out and be the extroverted single dad he is and HYH gets to be the kid who gets doted on extra from HYJ

I imagine that HYH would be in college during this time and would probably be a doing some kind of fighting related martial art (taking out his frustration on his opponents a little too much during tournaments or something); hes gotta be at least a little violent and intimidating to be around cause its HYH; he may have been an angel around HYJ growing up but i like to think that he was the worst to deal with for any other person who had to deal with being in a position of authority over him; the most petulant child ever; never did enough to warrant his hyung getting notified (and if he did he was too intimidating to actually do anything against)

#tsctir #the s classes that i raised #tsctir au #no dungeon au #fic ideas #han yoojin #han yoohyun #character study #han bro dynamics

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lipstickchainsaw · 2 years

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Since there was some discussion about Brian and Taylor’s relationship going around, I want to give my own two cents.

Taylor and Brian were a much better fit when they met than they were when they actually got together.

Brian is a young man who’s really struggling with his masculinity. He doesn’t want to be his dad, a man who’s lost all the warmth in his heart and doesn’t really know how to engage with people, and Aisha has already warned him that he’s starting to act like the abusive asshat that terrorised them both and got Brian to trigger. He’s tried to conceptualise his masculinity into his leadership of the Undersiders to some degree, but, well, that’s not really working.

Alec is a little shit who has to be dragged kicking and screaming into taking any kind of responsibility, and he’s perfected a social strategy where he makes every one of these interactions too tedious to bother with. Lisa is obviously not a follower type either, and I don’t think Brian’s ever under any illusion that he can really tell her what to do. Hell, she’s the only one in contact with their boss, which obviously influences their dynamic regardless. They’re partners at best.

Rachel is even worse. To get her to even listen to him he feels like he has to become the exact kind of asshole he hates and he’s actively trying to get away from, but he doesn’t see any other options for dealing with her, because he doesn’t understand her and doesn’t know where to start. This inability to understand someone else’s point-of-view also plays a part in his attempt at getting custody over Aisha, simply because he doesn’t seem to have taken her wants into account when putting together their living space.

Then in comes this competent, thoughtful newbie, and by god she looks up to him. She treats him like the leader he wants to be, she actually listens to him when he’s sharing his insights and perspective. She basically validates the fuck out of him and the image of positive masculinity he wants to project. She might not be very attractive, really, but by god she feels a deep need inside him.

On Taylor’s part, she’s been horribly isolated and her self-esteem has been beaten into a million pieces. She’s still trying very hard to take seriously everything she gets involved with, but it’s leading to nothing but frustration every time because her bullies find some way to ruin things for her. Her cape life is her last ditch attempt to have something that actually works out for her.

And in steps this professional, capable, engaged (and also very handsome) guy who instantly praises her for her foresight in taking a first aid class, who works with her, and, on their third meeting, tells her he wants her on the team over one of his current teammates. It’s like crack to her socially isolated mind, so naturally she’s absolutely smitten with him.

Now, would this relationship have worked out long-term? Probably not, they’re teenagers in their first relationship, meeting a very basic need in each other that they would eventually grow out of. But who knows! Maybe they’d find a way to have their relationship grow along with them!

Of course, Taylor then messes this up by forcing a kiss on him, and Brian kind of messes it up by not quite understanding his own feelings on the matter, because, in part, he doesn’t know what liking someone is, and he also kind of wishes Aisha would look to him the way Taylor does, so naturally he puts Taylor in the sister zone.

By the time they get together, though, things have changed a lot for both of them.

Brian has obviously gone through something horribly traumatic, and he’s even less able to be the man he wants to be. Other people are now needing to take care of him, and he’s not sure how to behave in that kind of situation. He feels helpless and useless, and this isn’t helped by Taylor going so deep into the cape life that he simply can’t keep up anymore.

He tries to advise her to slow down, to take her time, but he’s constantly ignored (if there’s one issue I have with @incorrect-wormquotes it’s that those quotes often give the ‘common sense’ lines to Lisa - the enabler in chief who criticises Taylor exactly once at the start of arc 30 - instead of Brian, who’s canonically the always-ignored straight man), and simply isn’t really taken seriously anymore.

He clings to Taylor because she’s there, and willing to help him out, but it’s far removed from what he wanted.

And on Taylor’s part, well, her priorities have shifted. She’s fully committed to the cape life, and she’s dealing with both her territory and her big Dinah rescue mission. Her boyfriend doesn’t end up even close to the top of the list. Brian needs serious psychological help and she just... doesn’t really get to it, which is a shame, especially when contrasted with the help she gave to Rachel before, helping her turn from basically feral into the core of a marginalised community that lasts all the way through Ward.

And Taylor just... doesn’t respect him anymore. She blows off all his advise and criticism, and whenever she needs emotional help, Brian literally only beats Alec on the list of people she’d go to for help. She trusts Rachel and Lisa more with this than she trusts Brian (there’s a reason those ships are so popular!) Brian ends up by the wayside, almost more of a trophy than an actual boyfriend to her girlboss lifestyle.

Thankfully they actually break up before she abandons them to go save the world or whatever.

#worm #parahumans #wildbow #taylor hebert #brian laborn #taylor is a bad girlfriend

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aimwigs · 3 months

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DADWIG!!!!!

another dadwig snippet from earlier in the timeline except this one is slightly less wholesome and also about parents splitting up... being a parent is not aways easy i fear

Lucy is only three, but Ludwig is pretty sure that she hates him.

Honestly, in some ways he gets it. It has to be confusing, to have your dad living at home one day and then halfway across Los Angeles the next, but he had kind of figured that she would be too young to be super affected by it. If anything, he was worried about Ryan, who’s more than halfway through kindergarten and definitely old enough to kind of understand the talk that they gave the girls about how the two of them aren’t in love anymore, which is the best oversimplification they can muster of what really happened between them.

Ryan is seemingly fine, though. She’s always been a smart, quiet kid. She seems sort of sad, which makes him feel like a horrible fucking person, but she also seems to get it— apparently, one of her friends has parents who don’t live together.

But Lucy fucking freaks out. According to QT, her behavior gets worse after he leaves, including hitting her sister over something as stupid as her putting a different show on the TV and upending her plate onto the ground because QT had the gall to put broccoli on it. This type of stuff was something they anticipated could happen; this is a huge change and they knew it might be something that the girls don’t really know how to process. Even though they both firmly believe it’ll be better for the two of them in the long run, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s difficult now.

What he doesn’t anticipate, though, is Lucy not even talking to him the first time that he has the girls over at Slime’s, where he’s staying until he can find a suitable place. She barely even looks at him.

The weird thing is, she doesn’t even seem that upset. She’s happy to run around and play with Ryan or chat away with Slime all fucking day— seriously, he’s pretty sure that kid loved him more than she loved Ludwig even before all this— but she won’t even acknowledge him.

“It’s a big fucking change. You just need to give her time,” Slime tells him. “Like did having divorced parents fucking blow sometimes? Yeah. Did I love my parents completely until the very end? Also yes. She’s a little kid. She’ll bounce back.”

It should be reassuring— QT said something similar, after all, and both of them actually are children of divorce— but he worries that maybe this will be different. What if she resents him forever? Sure, she’s too young to understand what’s really going on now but it’s not like that erases the fact that she’s going to have to grow up split between two different homes.

He figures that maybe a zoo trip will win her over. Part of Lucy’s idolization of Slime stems from their mutual love of monkeys and even though he’s busy today, she’ll surely still have a good time seeing all the animals. Plus, it’s a fun little day trip and he knows Nick and Aiden would probably both be down to go.

And maybe Lucy doesn’t seem any more focused on him than before, opting to ride around on Aiden’s shoulders all day as they zip from exhibit to exhibit but at least she’s having fun.

Things still seem off, though, and he can’t really shake that.

Ludwig decides to ask Nick who, despite only having a kid for a little over a year now, is like a superdad which is extra impressive given his equally awesome wife. It shouldn’t be surprising seeing as Nick is just someone who is generally competent in a lot of things, but he’s definitely a great fucking dad with everything you could ever need packed away in the diaper bag shoved in the bottom of the stroller he pushes around the zoo. His son sleeps inside, having worn himself out by the time they saw the dolphins.

“I wouldn��t sweat it, man. If she’s actually mad at you, I’m sure she’ll just get over it. Kids don’t hold grudges.” he tells him when he brings it up, both of them watching Aiden reading off the sign that they have posted next to the lions about their pack structure and eating habits to the girls. God, Aiden seriously needs to shave that stupid fucking mustache he’s been sporting recently.

“It’s been two weeks,” he reminds him because he’s pretty sure that’s a long fucking time for a three-year-old to hold a grudge.

Nick shrugs. “Yeah, and you fucking love her, bro. That’s what’s going to shine through in the end. She’s not even going to remember this shit when she’s older.”

It temporarily instills some confidence in him, up until he asks her what she wants for dinner in the car on the way home and she leans over to whisper into Ryan’s ear instead of replying to him directly. He didn’t know kids that young could be this fucking petty.

And then she gets into a fight at preschool the next week and QT calls him to pick her up since she has a meeting this afternoon and his schedule is generally more flexible.

He finds out when he gets there that she bit another girl because she was playing with a toy she wanted, which is usually grounds for a week's suspension but since her teachers are generally aware of her circumstances, they’re only sending her home for today. That doesn’t stop them from giving Ludwig dirty looks when he picks her up, though.

“You can’t be biting people,” he tells her with a sigh as he drives back towards Slime’s place. “Imagine if someone bit you. That would make you sad, wouldn’t it?”

When he looks in the rearview mirror, she’s looking out the car window with a quivering lip.

He tries again. “Did you really bite her just because she wouldn’t share with you?”

Lucy erupts into tears, wailing and sniffling in an instant. The only thing he can make out is, “I want Mom!”

Ludwig makes a show of taking a deep breath, gesturing with his hand to encourage her to take one too. She doesn’t.

“Mom is working right now. You get Dad instead.” He pulls off into a parking lot and parks so that he can turn around and face her. When he reaches over to wipe her tears away with his sleeve, she lets him even though she doesn’t stop crying.

“I want Mom,” she says again in a trembling voice, quieter this time. “Wanna go home.”

“I’m sorry,” he tells her, digging around for a tissue and handing it to her. She poorly attempts to wipe away the boogers under her nose. “Sometimes it’s gonna be Dad that picks you up and takes you to his house instead. Soon I’ll get a new house and you’ll get to pick out a brand new room. Isn’t that cool?”

She doesn’t look impressed. “Wanna go home.”

Fuck, this isn’t going to work. He’s always believed kids are much smarter than people give them credit for, but this conversation is beyond the scope of a three-year-old.

“Do you want to get ice cream?” he asks, knowing that it’s probably the worst thing you can do after your kid gets kicked out of school. He figures that it’s special circumstances. “This isn’t a reward. Biting is still bad,” he adds for good measure.

She lights up a little. “Strawberry?”

He nods, very seriously. “Strawberry.”

Lucy smiles at him for the first time since he moved out. “Strawberry!” she starts to chant.

Ludwig lets out a laugh as he pulls back onto the road and drives toward the ice cream shop. Maybe things will all be okay, just like his friends said. Maybe some one-on-one time was really all that they needed after all.

“I love you so so much, Lucy,” he tells her.

“I love strawberry,” she replies, and he takes it as a win.

#'ficlet' 'snippet' and then i continue to write stuff that i could probably just post on ao3 except this way i dont have to title it #dadwig #ludwig #my fic #answered #anonymous

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