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lolahasmoxie · 6 months

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Conversations at 3 AM (E.M.)

PAIRING: Eddie Munson x Reader

WORD: 1.3k

WARNING: nudity, language, casual intimacy, established relationship, friends to lovers, mentions of getting pregnant, mentions of sexy times, heart-to-heart talks (Eddie & reader are 25)

CONCEPT: You and Eddie aren't used to people sticking around.

DIVIDER FROM @firefly-graphics

Even though you were born at 6 a.m. on the dot, you were a night owl through and through.

During high school and college, summer meant you became a nocturnal creature, much to the annoyance of your family. There was one person it never annoyed, though.

You had met Eddie in elementary school after he moved into the trailer across from yours. From the day you met, you had been thick as thieves. For years, your friends watched as you skirted the line of will they won't they, watching the other traverse dating and relationships with an envious eye. It wasn't until a year ago, when Eddie kissed you during the middle of a movie night, that you had finally become more.

Tonight, you'd had dinner at Steve's house with the whole gang, seeing as Mike, Dustin, and Lucas were all in town for a long weekend from college. The boys had planned a one-off campaign at your shared apartment the following night, and by midnight, you and Eddie were in your home.

Side by side, you brushed your teeth, trying not to laugh as Eddie made faces at you in the mirror. Once in your Queen bed, Eddie's hands began mapping your body, and in a practiced routine that felt like breathing, you let him love you until sleep came for you both.

However, this time, sleep only came for Eddie.

You had tried everything to fall back asleep: counting sheep, listing Metallica songs followed by Black Sabbath, breathing in time with Eddie. Nothing worked. So, as carefully as you could, you crawled out of his hold, placing your pillow closer to Eddie when he started to stir. As his gangly arms wound around the object, you entered your kitchen.

You had been at the table for a while when you heard soft footsteps coming down the hallway. Turning your head, you watch as your tall metalhead boy walks into the kitchen naked as a jaybird, cock dangling freely as his hands wipe at his eyes like a little boy.

"What time issit." he mumbles as Eddie comes up behind you. He wraps his arms around you, placing a kiss on your hairline. "Why are you still up?"

"Almost 3 a.m. and I tried to go to sleep, but no dice," you say. He nods in understanding before sitting next to you at the table.

"I was having this great dream; you were wearing that black number you wore to our last show at the Hideout? Anyway, you were letting me drag you to the bathroom to do unspeakable things to you when I woke up, and instead of rubbing against my pretty girlfriend, I was humping your pillow. By the way, I'm pretty sure there's a stain, and I'm sorry in advance." You can't help but smile as you dip a carrot into the hummus.

"Didn't want to wake you up. You know how I toss and turn when I can't sleep."

"So there's no reason you're up at almost 3 a.m. eating," he paused as he reached for the container of hummus. "Jalapeno hummus? Holy fuck, you're not pregnant, are you?"

"No, you asshole," you playfully slap Eddie's arm as he tries to play off his terrified expression. "Nice to know how you feel about the topic, though."

"I'm just warning you, we could be on a babymaking schedule to get knocked up; I will still probably freak the fuck out when it does happen, so just a heads up for when we get there."

"Duly noted." you chuckle. Eddie laces his hand into yours and brings them to his lips. You can feel his eyes on you; you know Eddie will give you your space to work out whatever is going on in your brain. But he's also a persistent asshole who won't stop until he finds out why you left him alone in bed. "Does this ever feel too good, Eds?"

"What do you mean?"

"Us. I mean, we disagree on things, but we never really fight. Being together with you has always just felt scarily easy; I've never had that with other boyfriends." You sigh as you look at your joined hands. "Feels like I'm waiting for something, but I don't know for what."

"Easy, I know what it is," Eddie says as he gives your hand a squeeze. "You're waiting for the other shoe to drop." When you meet his gaze, those cow-brown eyes study you, looking at you with more love than you think you can handle.

"Elaborate, please."

"You and I have always been alike," he begins. "our dating histories are littered with people telling us we were too much. Too loud, too needy, or too whatever. But here's the good part, babe. You will never be too much for me. Ever."

"You mean it?" You're impressed that he could sum up your feelings so succinctly. He grins at you, a beautiful smile spreading from ear to ear.

"Of course I mean it. I had to watch you date assholes for ten years; you really think I'm gonna let you go now that I'm lucky enough to call you mine? Not a chance, sweetheart." You reach out a hand and cup his cheek, and you can't help but smile when Eddie leans into your touch.

"Thank you, Eddie."

"No problem; you know, I had resigned myself to loving you from afar a long time ago. Sometimes, when I wake up next to you, I feel like I gotta pinch myself to make sure it's real."

"You're such a cheeseball," you tease. "Why don't you head back to bed? I'm gonna clean up and join you in a minute." You stand from your chair, but Eddie stops you with a tug of your hand. In a flash, you're on his lap. Your hands hold onto his shoulders, although you're in no danger of falling. Edde's grip is secure as he gives you a look you are all too familiar with. You speak his name, and he raises a hand to push the hair from your face.

"You know, it was very mean to leave me in that big bed all by myself," he begins, his hand cupping your cheek. You feel your body warm as his thumb caresses your cheek. "Why don't you let me take you back to bed and help quiet that big brain of yours. Sound good, sweetheart?"

You lean in to kiss your man, his arms wrapping tight around you as he fists your shirt in his hands. When his tongue runs along the seam of your lips, you happily grant him access, tangling your hands in his hair while you slowly start to grind against him. When you feel him hard and warm underneath you, you think you may never want to sleep again.

You both enjoy the kiss, neither of you rushing things. You pull back when you need air, and while Eddie's face is happy, there's something else. You raise an eyebrow as he licks his lips.

"You taste like salsa." You can't help but laugh as you lean forward and bury your nose in his neck. He pulls you closer, hands caressing your back like you're the most precious being in his universe. You can feel his chuckle as your chests press together.

You stay still for a moment to enjoy being surrounded by him. One of the things you loved about being nocturnal was how quiet the world was at almost 3 a.m. You hum contentedly when you feel Eddie's lips against your hair. You close your eyes, wanting to commit this moment, this feeling to memory.

"Alright," Eddie taps you on the ass and breaks the silence. "Let me take you back to bed, alright?" You climb out of his lap and softly kiss the corner of his mouth.

"I'll go brush my teeth. Why don't you go make sure the bed is warm." Eddie hops up, cock bobbing comically as he begins to do a naked run back to your room.

"I'll keep the home fires burning! If I fall asleep, wake me up with head!"

BONUS: THE NEXT DAY

Dustin: I'm just gonna have a seat here, and we can get started.

Eddie: fair warning, my naked ass has been on that chair.

Dustin: 😳

Dustin: like, recently naked?

Eddie: last night.

Dustin: you're a fucking animal.

Eddie: 😁

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fanfic

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stalkersdiary · 3 months

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Sooooooooo you're single. Would you ever date a stan? You have fans from all over the internet so I gotta know! You're in music, youre on youtube, youre in local newspapers, youre a streamer, and you're an actor. You've GOTTA know how many people wanna date you. Are you looking for a fellow stalker? I SAVE ALL THE PICTURES YOU'VE POSTED ON THE ARCHIVE SINCE YOU TURNED 18! I'm in your public discord server! I follow all of your socials! I relate to you and at this point I don't know if I want to be you, or date you. XD hope this isnt too creepy lol~

Ah... I have been trying to figure out how to reply to this because you clearly did your research and I have to acknowledge that amount of effort. I'm impressed even if it's a little unexpected. I find it endearing. I think it's cute that you as well as people like you enjoy my content all over the world and that you feel so strongly about me. Especially in a positive sense. I'm happy that my content has been a safe space for you. ^^ I have no problem with dating a stalker. However... It depends on what kind of stalker we mean. I've had stalkers since I was in my very first commercial and to be honest, it scared me. (Though I was around 12 when someone tried to find out where I lived.) These days, I find it slightly annoying depending on the circumstances. Super fans/Stans/Stalker fans are the first ones to comment on how my "body language looked suspicious" in my videos/streams, or how I "look more tired than usual." I appreciate the concern but sometimes, I'm just unstable and I have a life that doesn't make a lot of sense. I love that people enjoy my content and even go so far as to talk to me in public. When I pick up my medication at Walmart or at an appointment with my endocrinologist, it's flattering, I love it. However, don't push your luck. I have at least one weapon on me at all times and I am not afraid to hurt someone if I need to get things done. If I dated a stalker, they would have to respect that I have a chaotic life. I'm constantly in the hospital, on camera, or recording lines and I need to be alone during most of those moments. They'd have to not try to make people dislike me because being an entertainer is my main source of income. If they were to be my new source of income, I'd have no problems, but that isn't very realistic. I'm about to be 23 now, and I kind of need to do what I can to make money. So- overall, I love the idea. I think it's really cute. However, it can easily go wrong and that worries me. I love my fans and followers too much to date them and make their lives harder. As for the "Do I want to date you or be you" mentality, I highly relate. I have so many styles, voices, and preferences that sometimes I don't know who I am versus what I want. I can say this though, if you want me of all people, really consider why. Do you want me to look like me and sound like me next to you, or do you want to look like me and sound like me regardless of where I am? Are you after me for the concept? Or are you interested in who I am as me? Do you want CEC? Do you want R? Both of my online personas? Would you still want me if I wasn't either version but a completely different person? Really consider what you enjoy about something before trying to claim it. Rate each thing about your interest from 1 to 10. That will help you understand how you actually feel. Or at least, it does for me. Good luck, and when I go back on tour or to a convention, I'd love to meet you. ^^ You seem nice. Thank you for opening the Stalker's Diary.

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creat0r-cat · 2 years

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Iplier Egos x reader HCs - Their Favorite Non-Video Game

Dark: Chess

I think he would enjoy how complex and mentally challenging it can be

Chess is also considered a relaxation game for some people

So I wonder if maybe he’ll play chess in order to calm himself down when the other egos (or someone/something else) is driving him up a wall

If you play chess and you’re good at it, you’d probably be his favorite opponent

If you don’t know how to play, he’d be happy to teach you

He’s always happy to spend time with his darling

Wilford: Pie Face or Headbands

It depends on his mood

One moment he’ll be taking the risk of being hit with whipped cream, the next he’ll be crying because of memories of “That Night”

He’s haunted by his past and it really does affect what he can and cannot play at times

When he’s not in the mood for Pie Face, he’ll sometimes play a fun little game like Headbands

A guessing game that can become very chaotic very quickly

Life needs a little madness and that sounds like a good way to set it free, especially if it’s with you

Actor Mark: Poker

He has a gambling addiction

Probably

It’s a way to get more money for his “luxurious” lifestyle

If you play with him, trust that he’ll be flaunting his victories in your face

If he loses, he’ll act like it never happened or give a lame excuse as to why he lost

If you don’t play, that’s probably for the best

But at the same time, if he’s playing against other people and you’re with him, he’ll use you as a kind of “good luck charm” instead of a competitor

That’s just his way of bragging to the others that he has such a lovely lady by his side

Yancy: Charades

It kinda matches up with his musical hobby

Since charades is a game of movement and guessing, he’d probably enjoy it

Also, it’s a multiplayer game so he could play with his fellow prisoners

If everyone is busy, you can play with him, just the two of you

He’d figure out how to say “I love you” in body movements without using sign language or actually touching you

He’s really good

Illinois Jones: Any Card Game

He has limited space when he packs for an adventure

If he’s going to take a game to play while he’s out and about, it should NOT take up much room him his bag

That’s why card games are his favorite

They are very entertaining and don’t take up much room

Even a simple deck of playing cards can go a long way

He loves playing with you, his partner and girlfriend

It’s nice to play with someone rather than being stuck in a single player game for a long time

Dr. Iplier: Operation

It’s like practice for his job but it’s a game

Those tiny pieces are especially tricky and he LOVES it

He feels very happy and accomplished when he completes the entire game without getting Cavity Sam’s nose to light up

If you play the game with him, then expect him to guide your hands from behind

Like that romantic yet annoying thing that couples do when one of them is working on something

He gets really close, his whole body pressed up against yours

When you successfully extract a tough object, he’ll whisper praises in your ear

You can feel his warm breath and it sends shivers down your spine every time

If he wants to really make you flustered, he’ll nibble on your ear and kiss your neck

Just a little something he does with you and you alone

Google: Google Feud

I don’t think this counts as a video game

Anyway, he likes to extend his knowledge by playing this game

It helps improve what he could potentially expect one of his “brothers” or you could ask him at any time

His primary objective being what it is

If you decide to play with him, he’ll enjoy seeing your facial reactions when you read off the answers, or seeing your smile when you get something right

He might be a robot and not fully able to understand the concept of love

But he truly enjoys spending time with you, someone who treats him just like a normal person

It’s something that makes him feel human

Bing: Cards Against Humanity

Why does that game just seem to fit his personality (and search engine)?

It’s goofy, funny, and at times inappropriate, just like him

It’s a game he can enjoy with a lot of people

Unfortunately, he can’t play a one-on-one game of CAH with you, his girlfriend, but he’s happy that he can enjoy time with you alongside the other people in his life that he cares about

Yandereplier: Hide and Seek

What’s more romantic than a friendly game of hide and seek?

Especially when he didn’t know that he was going to be playing until you’re already hiding

His heart races as he searches each and every room for you

Whenever something makes a sudden sound, his head whips toward it so fast you swear he could get whiplash

After a while he’ll find you

He always does

He’ll hold you close and say how much fun the game was and how much he loves you

He’ll also whisper that you should never surprise him with hide and seek again lest you never see the light of day again

He does care about you

He’ll do anything for his sweet sweet senpai and girlfriend

Even if that means keeping you away from the world

Head Engineer Mark: He’s Down for Whatever

He doesn’t really play games because he’s too busy

However, if you ask, he could probably take some time off and play a game

Of course, none of you really packed anything so it’ll likely end up being a game like Sticks, Checkers, Chess, Tic-Tac-Toe, anything that you guys can make or have on hand

It’s nice to take a break and have a little fun

It takes his mind off of things

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proship-selfship · 1 year

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Hello! I am an asian artist, the social culture is very different from overseas community. I do not live anywhere outside of the mainland of my country because we had more important problems to worry about since I am from a developing country. From the very beginning I always find it strange that for many people here and on twitter it is normal to attacking people, even if they do not mind their business. I am also what you call a selfshipper and I was attacked for enjoying and posting my ships. I was years away from being adult that year and i had a feeling of not wanting to post much because i am anticipating that I will get attacked again. It was my first experience of being attacked since someone told me that I should not couple myself with my favorite characters because I am not an adult and my favorite characters are very very old. The concept of the characters age did not exist to me, I like them because I love their personality and character. And I did not post adult works and only cute sweet works like. I did not bother posting about it since it was annoying, but disturbing because there was accusation of heinous crimes. Although I am aware of the controversy because it is sometimes a topic from time to time in my language, it is not talked much here unless some that are extremely active in english dominated spaces gets loud about it.

I hope you have a nice day.

I'm so sorry that this happened to you. You were just having fun, there's no real harm in that, and I understand if you don't want to post online anymore as a result. I hope you can keep selfshipping offline if that's what makes you happy, and I wish you the best. ❤️

#ask #answered #anonymous #proship safe #antis dni #proship selfship

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karkyss · 1 year

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OMG, I just looked at a couple of gifs... And it dawned on me!!! In psychology, there is a concept - "psychological defenses" - that is, these are not conscious defenses that our psyche uses to survive any traumatic situations... I just love the topic of defense mechanisms, because thanks to them you can really understand what kind of injuries were in your childhood and how it affects your behavior now. I love this topic because I just had an incredible sight when I went through all the defense mechanisms and analyzed in relation to me.

So I see Derek's behavior as a defense mechanism - reaction formation. Derek uses it a lot with Stiles, especially in seasons 1-3 (although not only with him, but I'm going to focus on those two). What is the purpose of this defense mechanism? This mechanism is literally the epitome of the genre: "love/hate". With this type of defense mechanism, a person replaces some of his emotions with others, OPPOSITE to the original ones. That is, if a person loves, then he begins to show aggressive behavior or hatred (this is demonstrated in order to hide inner interest). This is the very situation when a person does unpleasant, annoying things in order to attract attention to himself, thereby showing his interest and love, through aggression and annoying behavior, etc. because of the fear of rejection (this may reflect falling in love and interest. BUT NOT ALWAYS!!! If someone harms you, this does not mean that he is just in love with you, sometimes harm is a reflection of cruelty and only cruelty).

So, come to think of it, Derek really doesn't want Stiles to touch him? After all, he was literally the first to violate Stiles' personal space by infiltrating him in aggressive ways. Derek clearly has problems expressing emotions (yes, non-verbal monologues and a special "eyebrow language" do not count! The bottom line is that Derek does not talk about his emotional state with others at all, the question of his emotional state is often hidden from others). If you take into account the problems with expressing their feelings, trying to survive everything alone (on their own), frequent (relatively) changing partners and generally changing their place of residence, repeating an unsuccessful relationship script, death of loved ones (obviously, Derek is a traumatized kitten. Although in "Teen Wolf" - everyone is traumatized to one degree or another), and therefore Derkk probably developed an avoidant type of attachment, as a result of which he is afraid, very afraid of falling in love, since the fear of betrayal and rejection, rejection of his personality by those he loves, is basis of his personality. Because he blames himself a lot and considers himself insufficiently capable of protecting others, having a high desire to do so, I think he feels "not good enough, talented and capable enough." And he is probably afraid of making mistakes, but at the same time he often jumps to conclusions and strives to quickly fix the problem (and this is ironic).

I think the more Derek felt affection, gratitude, admiration and a desire to protect, to keep safe (not to forget the wine). In terms of being in love, the warmer and safer he felt with Stiles, the scarier it was to get close to him. Because Stiles becomes unbearably significant, so significant that one no, one rejection, a reaction of disgust, and it reflects the unbearable pain inside Derek, it breaks him. Therefore, with big, sincere and deep feelings comes a great fear of being in these relationships, feelings, you want to run away, sometimes even literally on a physical level, from the object of love, which Derek did (leaving). So it seems to me that Derek may well have suffered from "unrequited love" for Stiles, but it is unrequited not because he was rejected, but because he was so afraid of rejection that he never admitted his feelings. And I would like more stories where exactly Derek is internally not confident in himself, his strengths and is afraid of being rejected, but outwardly he shows detachment and coldness, because this looks like his usual behavior (at least for me).

Stiles, by the way, during seasons 1-3 was more confident than Derek and remains (relatively) more balanced compared to Derek, despite all the events, he remains true to himself and is still quite confident in his abilities. That's why I like Stiles Stilinski. And Stiles knows that he has the right to make a mistake, he allows himself to be wrong - and this is a healthy moment of acceptance of himself and his own possibilities. I don't really like it when Stiles is portrayed as an insecure teenager, because he's not, he's actually quite confident in himself.

Derek hates Stiles' Jeep? Oh no, definitely not. He hates that Eli steals that Jeep. Because it doesn't let Derek forget his feelings, but he definitely doesn't hate Stiles' Jeep.

P.S. There are a lot of defense mechanisms, and it takes a lot of time to analyze them all in detail for a character, which I don’t have. But you can read articles about defense mechanisms on your own - it's very interesting and it seems to me that they don't talk much about this in psychology, this is basic knowledge, but in the media space it's not so common, and if you have a sufficiently developed reflection skill, it can become interesting experience for you. And yes, of course, I chose a defense mechanism that was in favor of Sterek and could confirm the love format of their relationship. In fact, of course, there was a moment of distrust on Derek's part and his fear of betrayal by others, so he chose an aggressive model of behavior towards a person (but he still violated Stiles' personal space, so the possibility of unconscious attraction cannot be denied). I do not pretend to be reliable, I just like to analyze and come up with theories.

#teen wolf #sterek #derek hale #mieczyslaw stilinski #stiles stilinski

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innersaladbird · 2 years

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Learn basics to advanced Emotive Language

As humans, we use language to convey information. We use language to communicate information and express emotions and attitudes. We use language to talk about the past, present and future. We use language to make requests. Language can be used in many different ways and in many different contexts. In addition to this, we also use language to express our emotions, states of being and attitudes; we use emotive language. Emotive language is used when expressing emotion or attitude towards something. It also describes how someone feels about something. Emotive language includes words such as angry, annoyed, disgusted, disappointed, joyful, etc. Emotive language is used in many different contexts but is most commonly found in personal letters and speeches. Emotive language helps the reader or listener to relate to the writer's or speaker's feelings on a certain topic.

Humans are moved by languages. A language and its tone are decisive factors in many things. Even though the emotive language is mostly used in personal spaces, it should not be assumed that their work is limited to informal settings only. Emotive language is often used to persuade, whether in advertising and marketing or in political speeches. It is also used to help the reader or listener identify with a particular point of view, for example in news reports. Many audiences identify with the language of love for the nation when a news reporter talks about the achievement of the country. Emotive language can be used in the classroom when trying to engage students and get them interested in a topic.

Emotive language, also known as emotional language, is the prolific use of words that betrays emotions and feelings. It is most often used to enhance the tone of a text or speech. This can range from simple adjectives that embellish some aspect of a situation to extremely vivid descriptions that exaggerate an emotion felt by the writer or speaker. Often, emotive language is used to add more power or emphasis to an argument. The main purpose of emotive language is to draw attention to the feeling behind an idea. For instance, if someone said "Jim kicked Bob at school," the implication could be that Jim was teasing Bob or merely being playful in this scenario. If one were to say "Jim viciously attacked Bob at school," however, it's clear that Jim did something very aggressive and hurtful with intent and perhaps malice aforethought in this case. By adding more detail and using vivid imagery, it becomes easier for a reader or listener to understand exactly what occurred in a situation and how it was perceived by those involved.

The four main categories of emotive language are emotive verbs, emotive adjectives, emotive nouns and emotive adverbs.

Emotive verbs are used to express emotions, rather than actions.

Emotive adjectives describe a person or object in relation to emotion.

Emotive nouns often refer to people, but can also be abstract concepts, like "love" and "hate."

Emotive adverbs add another level of emphasis by describing how something happened.

Emotive language is used to show the writer’s own feelings towards the subject. We do this in spoken English all the time but it is not usually inappropriate to use it for formal written English. Using emotive language will help writers to draw a reaction from their audience or readers. This is an excellent tool to convey the message to a broader public by using the intentions and feelings of the writer. Audiences are more receptive to those writings that connect with their emotions. Emotive language fills a sentence with emotions and tries to stipulate a reaction from the audience.

#emotivelanguage #emotions #writing

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sukirichi · 3 years

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request: megumi and yuuji with a really touchy touchy affectionate s/o but gets easily flustered if you reciprocate their actions please 🥺 — megumi ver!

pairings: fushiguro megumi x touchy! reader

notes: just pure fluff~ i really loved this concept, thank you for the request!

masterlist ! requests are open

[3:10 PM] you hate movie nights with megumi.

why, you may ask? it’s because megumi’s couch is too spacious for the both of you, and your boyfriend is so dense that he doesn’t interpret your frown when he gives you separate blankets. you even have your own bowls of popcorn, all because megumi has had enough of you eating his precious popcorn before the movie even begins.

he acts like he’s annoyed, but the fact that your bowl is bigger than his says otherwise.

nevertheless, you’re annoyed. megumi sits an arm’s length away from you, happily cuddled to the pillows on his side with his toes almost jabbing your side. he’s so invested to the movie – one that you chose but can’t be bothered to watch now – that he doesn’t notice how you endlessly huff with your arms crossed on your chest.

“stupid gumi,” you mutter to yourself, pushing his legs harshly off the couch with a glare. “you enjoying the movie?”

he doesn’t pick up on the sarcastic remark, only nodding while pressing his legs on his chest. “yeah, it’s a good one. you’ve got good taste in films. i don’t think i’ve seen this before.”

yeah, you haven’t seen my fist either, you want to tell him, but then you sink back into your seat, the frown so deep on your face it might as well be permanent. fifteen minutes later, you’ve had enough that he still remains so unaware that you just want nothing but to cuddle with your precious boyfriend. why does he like the movie more than you? it doesn’t make sense, and your body grows warmer and warmer with irritation.

unable to help it, you slam the bowl down on the coffee table and kick off your blanket, turning to megumi with moist eyes. megumi immediately pauses the movie when he sees a stray year run down your cheek, but he makes no movement to wipe it away.

he stays frozen on his spot, lips slightly open in shock. “what’s wrong? did something happen?”

“you’re stupid,” you glare at him. megumi opens his mouth to ask just what the hell is going on since you’re not making sense, and you know this; you know you’re being childish and immature yet you can’t help it. not even giving him a chance to speak, you plant yourself in his lap, your arms burying in his hoodie before you hide your face in the hood, refusing to let him see your face.

megumi is already aware you’re very touchy, but that multiplies tenfold when you’re needy. it’s not even that you have sexual thoughts about him; you just want to be as close to him as because it’s the best place in the world.

he’s so warm and soft, especially when he relaxes in your hold, awkwardly tapping you on the back as a silent response. he immediately understands; he always does, though you still can’t shake off the feeling of embarrassment. you’ve always been a touchy-feely person; it’s your love language, and even though he never voiced it out, it’s been difficult for megumi.

he likes his space and to not have his personal bubble invaded. it’s practically torture when you first started dating. it took him two months before he allowed you to hold his hand, and even then, his palms grew so clammy and shaky you just retracted it.

megumi is beginning to get more and more used to your habits by now, but that gnawing feeling of regret still brews in your groin. “i’m sorry,” you slowly loosen your hold on him once you’ve calmed down enough at his scent. no longer wanting to make megumi uncomfortable, you’re about to go back to your spot, hands suddenly turning sweaty. you’re too scared to face him, to see that he’s probably really annoyed by how you’re always like this; always wanting to be near him and touching him. perhaps you’ve crossed the line and –

his hand tugs your wrist, and you let out a small squeak when you feel something warm and soft on your forehead. you stay there shell shocked, staring at the knotted strings of his hoodie before you gain the courage to look him in the eye. did he just...?

“did you just kiss me?” you slap a palm over your forehead, feeling your body heat spike at the way megumi nonchalantly hums while he gently rubs a thumb at your neck. “i thought you didn’t—”

megumi sighs, and your boyfriend takes you by surprise for the hundredth time that night when he drags you closer to him. it elicits a soft whine from you when your bare legs run over his thigh, your hands reflexively reaching out to steady yourself on his shoulders. megumi seems to be equally flustered as you are because he rests his cheek on your shoulder, making sure his face is turned away so you don’t see him.

“i didn’t mean it that way,” he begins, too lost in his own thoughts to realize that your breath began to hitch as he caresses your thigh. “i’m not good with words or actions and i know i’m not the most expressive. i’ve always...” megumi shifts closer to you, close enough that you can smell his mint shampoo and be intoxicated by it. “i’ve always wanted to be close to you too. i’m just not as confident as you are when it comes to that because i’m afraid i’ll do something wrong.”

“megumi—”

“keep doing that,” you feel him smile through your shoulder, and only now have you realized you’ve started playing with his hair, softly tugging at it before massaging his scalp. “keep holding me. keep being close to me like this – i’m now surrending to the insanity of what i feel for you.”

tears begin to cloud your vision at his words. this whole time, you’ve been so worried you’re making megumi uncomfortable, totally unaware that he’s unable to resist at how special it makes him feel when you’re so open about wanting him and liking him. it makes him feel like he’s won the lottery because of how romantic and precious you are – but this time around, he’s the one making you feel that way, and similar to what him, you’ve also completely surrendered to the unexplainable insanity that is love.

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kkyujikoo · 3 years

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These are my... 2...? Maybe 50, cents about the whole "freejk" thing. I'm gonna be extremely petty and at some points a whole lot sarcastic and it's gonna be long but I had to say it. As soon as I get my computer I'm gonna make it under read more, but the app does whatever it wants, as we know.

Listen, this ain't my first fan rodeo, and not even the first fan rodeo where I've been directly or indirectly accused of being some sort of pervert or delulu. I've been in fandom spaces since I was a teen, I was shipping mlm couples when queerbaiting in TV shows was still something that was seen as the norm rather than some cheap disgusting trick. I was there when fanfic spaces saw "slash" fics as something "different" and to be tagged with a more mature rating even when they just looked at each other.

I was in BBC's Sherlock's fandom and I shipped Johnlock during the hiatus between S3 and S4, at this point I'm not even feeling it when people call me delulu or a weirdo.

So, yeah, take this with a grain of salt: as a person who has seen thousands of times fandom drama unfolding and has lived too much of it... This whole situation is so ridiculous it makes me laugh. Like, yeah, it's maddening how people will blame anyone and everyone because they don't even see their own bias and homophobia, granted, but like... It also makes me laugh for the sheer dumbassery of the reasoning behind it all?

Like... Y'all are getting mad and for what? Because it sure as hell isn't the invasion of privacy, since y'all are watching the same content we're all watching and you're paying to see it the same way everyone else is. If you don't want to "invade their privacy", you should just... Stop watching content that isn't their music videos, RUN episodes or interviews. Memories and any kind of dvd/video that shows what they're doing behind the scenes shouldn't be part of their job as musicians, and therefore we're intruding in their privacy... Or aren't we?

Or maybe it's more nuanced than that: maybe the content they release on dvd/on their official channels is part of their job as entertainers, and it's been approved, and it's a small window THEY are granting us.

You know what's the REAL invasion of privacy and what REALLY invalidates someone autonomy? When you, who maybe aren't even paying to see that content (which is something I understand, like, dude, I'm not covered in money either), DEMAND what kind of behind the scenes content you want when I swear ABSOLUTELY NO ONE has asked you. Once again: you don't like it? You think it's some huge invasion of privacy? Don't buy it. Don't interact with it. Convince your friends to do the same. For all I care, just go and petition to boycott this kind of content. I know you won't do it, because... That's the thing, isn't it? It's not the invasion of privacy that bothers these people.

Y'all aren't mad because we get into their business or else you would have gotten real mad when we were privy to REAL private moments like people crying their hearts out.

No, no. Y'all are mad because it's "shipping content" and "fanservice" which apparently bothers you because it lacks authenticity.

Pick a side, lovelies: either you DON'T want to invade their privacy, and thus all the content they release should be focused on what fans want to see, or you WANT to know how they interact TRULY in private.

And here's the catch: "shipping content" can be anything. Shipping existed WAAAAAYYY before the word for it was invented, same way with fanfictions. Shipping means, literally, "seeing two (or more) people interact and thinking they would make a good romantic pair". That's it. That's quite literally it. Everything else is just some nuance of the concept of shipping, but at its core, it's nearly impossible to ban all shipping content when it's a group of seven people, because they should for real go in social distancing mode to do so. Most people who have parasocial relationships tend to have "ships" whether they know it or not, because we've all, at least once, looked at a dynamic from the outside and thought "oh man they look cute together". So, even if, o dear ones, your wishes were granted... What the hell do you mean by "shipping" content? Should they just film solo clips, avoiding talking about the other members? But wouldn't that be fanservice, since it's focused on pleasing the fans? (Which, ultimately, is what fanservice MEANS, and I hate to break it to y'all but the whole concept behind entertainment and thus all the content BTS releases it's... For the fans. Like, they're not going out of their way to just meet our expectations but they're certainly doing fanservice by the mere act of releasing bonus content.)

But it's not even quite that, is it? Because no one bats an eye if it's Tae kissing Nj's cheek. I've seen no hashtag against everyone - and I mean literally every one of them - wolf whistling at Nj. It's okay to show intimacy... Because they're bandmates and it's okay to be close to someone who you see basically 24/7, I hear you. And it's also okay when people see that and gush over that closeness, because it's such a nice thing to see.

Soooooo... We've got to free JK from whom exactly? From what?

Are y'all mad cause people pointed out there's very little way a bruise that stayed for a whole ass night could be a quick bite? Because that doesn't harm jk, at most makes fun of him and jimin and their poor excuses (seriously, guys, next time consider using mosquitoes or "I was doing stuff". It'll be equally embarrassing but at least the meme will be funny), and it's literally... A fair observation. Like. It's a hickey, people are gonna make jokes about seeing a hickey and poor excuses of covering it up in the exact same way they're gonna make jokes over jimin falling out of chairs. And yeah, a hickey is AT LEAST something that happens in a sensual context. Like, I could understand "people who are extremely familiar with each other will have different body language/touch in areas where usually you wouldn't see friends touching each other", but that's not. Not a hand on the thigh. It's a hickey on the neck. I don't even know a more stereotypical placing for a hickey. But once again, are y'all mad because someone is pointing it out? Because that's not being delulu or even being a shipper, really, it's just commenting on something that was approved to be shown and discussed in something that was released BY THEM.

Are y'all mad at hybe for showing something that literally fell onto their hands? Cause like, unless someone (I'm counting on Jimin, since as we know Jungkook was busy spinning him round and round and had both his hands busy) called at hybe headquarters to say "yo bang pd substitute, is it okay if I give my friend jk here a hickey? Cause he's being really annoying rn and he has to pay", I highly doubt anyone expected Jungkook to come to rehearsal all neatly marked up. Or idk, maybe someone at hybe asked them "we need Jungkook to come in with a hickey but refuse to say it's a hickey, so that fans will feel reeeeally served." That sounds perfectly plausible too. Or a good marketing strategy.

Now, if you're a big company and your objective is to have some footage of the rehearsals for a concert, and the fandom is too good at noticing stuff for their own good, and one of your artists comes in with a very visible mark, and he and his bff bropal4lyfe come n with a story about how they were playing and a bite happened, you've got three choices: 1. Cut the artist out of aaaaalll the footage. Someone would have noticed the "bite mark" anyway, you best believe that. If you don't want anyone to notice it, you gotta cut him in most of the footage where it's visible. 2. Keep the hickey, discard the explanations. You could do that, but also it would feel a lot more unfaithful to everyone involved. Also they clearly worked their ass off to invent an explanation, come on! They truly tried to do their best inventing something that was not "it's a mosquito bite", they should get some credit! 3. Keep the bite, keep the explanation.

Notice how none of these solutions include the biting never happening because... They couldn't prevent it? The only thing they have any control over is how they're framing each "accident". And that's not an easy job.

I applaud you, people on the editing team.

So... On whom should we cast the blame now? Ah, yes, I think it's finally time for the ultimate scapegoat of this fandom: Jimin. Which is funny, cause... You know... If this were really about privacy, or being "victims" of shipping... This should be about freeing him too, you know? But obviously Jimin does it for attention, while Jungkook, poor angel that he is, doesn't even know what shipping is.

Furthermore, don't we all know how much Jimin imposes himself in Jungkook's life? To the point where he, multimillionaire man feels compelled to share a car with Jimin even if they're both late in the process. And can't you see how uncomfortable he is, draping himself over Jimin, making Jimin drap himself over him?

Oh lordy, truly such an awful eight years Jungkook spent, choosing to have vacations with someone who made him uncomfortable, spending free time with him, even having to suck his ear in public to the point you can see his saliva just because Jimin was sad :( truly an all-around bad time for Jungkook, as evidenced by alllll those times when he said Jimin was pretty, cute, and all-around knowing every little thing about Jimin. I absolutely concur, the dude would be so much more happy if jimin was not in his life.

Did that sound weird and absolutely ridiculous and a really absurd joke? Because that's what y'all sound like to me. Like. Jungkook is out there living his best life, getting hickeys and showered in affection and y'all paint him as a fucking martyr??? I'm sure he's really truly desperate that Jimin holds him in such high regards 😭😭😭 I can see him suffering whenever he starts doing his own serendipity rendition 😭😭 and when he claimed you are me, I am you as his and Jimin's only 😭😭😭 I cannot believe this poor baby 😭😭😭

I've reached a point where every time I hear this stuff I laugh because the levels of twisting reality when it comes to jikook are extraordinary, Jungkook will have a literally blissed out face and people will cry in outrage.

But coming back to my point: let's pretend you're not mad at Jimin and the possibility that jikook are dating: are y'all mad... At the hickey? Because at this point it seems like the only feasible solution. And if you are, do not worry: I'm sure Jungkook's skin was throughly healed by his boo. A kiss soothes even the worst pain, doesn't it?

#jikook #that freejk dumbassery

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nanaminokanojo · 3 years

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Play the Game | Nanami Kento X You | Part 8/8 [COMPLETED]

collection masterlist

one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight (final)

"Play the Game" Masterlist

You stood by the door, watching the chaos in your brother’s bedroom as he prepared for his wedding at sunset, waiting for everyone to leave so you can finally speak to him in private. He was, after all, the only one in the family you cared for enough to inform him of your decisions.

People always say you and Gojo were similar. However, those very things that made you alike also set you apart. Besides the platinum white hair and remarkable blue eyes you shared – unique even within the clan – being the absolute obvious, the similarities stopped there.

You siblings were supposed to be akin to one another, but the same things they loved about your brother were the same things people abhorred about you. You and your brother were both prodigies. He was richer than the whole clan, all assets combined being the successful businessman he was ever since he was in his teens. It was as freakish as it was awe-inspiring. You were an artist of great renown with your multi-million dollar pieces and the youngest to have been dubbed as a national artist when you were the same age as him.

But where he basked in fame and acclaim, your prominence was fueled by infamy. Gojo built an empire that served as one of the pillars of the local economy. You produced artistic pieces that inspired execration and controversy. Undeniably brilliant, yes, but absolutely contentious.

Your brother was kind. In fact, he was the best older brother one could ever ask for, and that was not lip service nor was it because of your biases towards him. You can never discount how caring he is to you, how hard he tries to make you happy and how he would go through lengths as to be the idiot just to satisfy your whims. He was just genuinely good-natured although he appeared somewhat insouciant. He had his evil streak, too, which is established in the clan, but his goodness radiated like a light that followed him wherever he went.

However, you have long accepted that your side which reflected Gojo in every way when you were younger had long died. Altruism wasn’t one of your strongest suits and you were only ever affectionate to people you had deep, deep fondness for. And that wasn’t even something common. Even your parents had always been the receiving end of your lackadaisical attitude.

He attracted people, you repelled them. Being surrounded by the good people he called friends was a testament to that no matter how vexing his personality was, and more people want to be near him. Apart from your three friends, you didn't make any more and your school life sucked because majority of your classmates hated you. For what, you didn't know. You don’t think you will ever understand.

It was your seven-year gap that made all the difference, you liked to think. It was much easier to swallow than the concept of the whole cosmos conspiring to create two creatures to be equals but of the opposite nature. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be that way, but you will always be the one looking up to him regardless if you did not choose the same path as his; regardless of whether there were no comparisons with what either of you endeavored to do.

And above everything else, you loved Satoru very much.

“Got a minute?” You began, standing before him in front of the mirror. It was rather annoying watching him struggle with the cufflinks, and you didn’t think he would manage to fix the bowtie still hanging loosely on his neck. Thus, you thought of taking charge. “Give it here.”

Gojo was surprised, but he was nonetheless happy. He wore his heart on his sleeve after all, and you could only guess it was that vulnerability he risked showing that attracted people to him. You have only learned the intricacies of such a matter recently, something you had to agree with since it all made perfect sense.

“Thank you,” he said, tilting his head to the side, watching you work on his cuffs.

“You’re really getting married, huh?” you began, feeling yourself start to falter, but you have decided. You may not have gotten him the best wedding gift materially speaking, but you swore to let him in on what was going on with you, to be honest with him like you hadn’t been for the longest time. “Who would have known?”

“Am I finally getting that emotional pre-wedding sibling talk?” he asked, walking towards the seats by the window and looking out into the garden.

“You’re getting married, not being sent away to prison. I don’t even understand why this happens during weddings,” you quipped, sighing. “But I guess you could call it that.”

He smiled at you, patting the space beside him. You did as you were told, assuming the spot, but also looking out the window, watching as the organizers made finishing touches to the garden below. No expense was spared to make the occasion as perfect as it could get. You couldn’t argue with it. Gojo deserved the best, and to him, Utahime did, too.

“I’m waiting,” he said, breaking the silence that had befallen the room. “You’ve been pacing before the door for god knows how long when you should have been getting ready.”

“I got ready much faster than you did.”

“And you look beautiful.” He tilted his head to the side, eyeing you appreciatively. “Sometimes, I can’t believe you’re all grown up. And what a beautiful woman you’ve become.”

You smirked. “You’re looking at your mirror image after all.”

“Well, there’s that, of course.” He laughed slightly. “But I’m not just saying that because we’re basically the same person. You really are beautiful, baby sis.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear, opting for it instead of his usual choice of mussing your hair since it has already been styled for the wedding.

You just shook your head. “Thank you, Satoru.”

“So, what did you want to talk about exactly?”

“The other day…” Your voice trailed off, thinking about what to say. It wasn’t that way before between you and your brother. He was always the easiest person to talk to, always open minded and optimistic about matters. But now that you were going to discuss something that he had vocally opposed, you were a bit scared of saying anything. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t do Nanami justice if you decided to hold back now, considering that he was more than ready to speak to your brother.

You’ve both initially decided to sit Gojo down and tell him about your decisions together, but you informed Nanami earlier in the day that you needed to have a proper conversation with him first. It wasn’t just your choice to be with Nanami that was the matter, and you wanted to get things straightened out with Gojo before he gets married.

“Yes?” he prompted.

“You said I don’t talk enough to you; that I don’t tell you things anymore.”

Gojo slowly nodded.

You breathed out. “Things changed. We can’t deny that. I grew up and you…well, you’ve decided you want to spend your life with Iori and build your own family.” Your lips curled up awkwardly as you tried to keep your emotions at bay. It was new territory having such talks with him when you’re used to your easy-going dynamic with him. “I’m scared, too. I mean, I can’t just bother you anytime anymore cause you’ll have your wife and eventually children to pay attention to and prioritize.”

He was taken aback by what you said, immediately drawing closer. “What are you saying, Y/N? You’re my sister. Nothing will change –”

“Our bond will not change, dude, but you have to admit that what I’m saying is true.” You took his hand in yours, squeezing it gently. You beamed at the fact that your fingers were structured in the same tapered manner as his. Even the shape of your fingernails were the same, just that his hands were bigger than your delicate ones. “What I’m saying is that even if you need to do that, I will be fine.”

“Of course, you will be. You’re my sister, and above that, you are your own person, and you’re stronger than you think. You’ve been handling things on your own for as long as I can remember.” He pouted, trying to act cute with you. “It’s disappointing, to be honest, because you’ve never really given me the chance to play my role in your life because you’re always the mature one.”

You were confused now. “What are you on about? You’re my only brother, but I can’t imagine anyone else holding that position in my life. You’re the best I could have asked for. I’ve always looked up to you. You’re my role model.”

“I am?”

“Yeah. The fuck are you so surprised for?” You snickered. “That aside, if you felt like I’ve been leaving you out, that’s not the intention at all. I always want you to be the first one to know what’s going on with my life…”

He clucked his tongue. “I understand you’re not doing it on purpose, kid. I’m just worried that you didn’t think I’m worth telling anything because, well, I’m not exactly a proper adult, am I?”

“You’re realizing that now that you’re about to get married?” you taunted him, jabbing your thumb towards the direction of the garden. “Should I tell Iori to call this whole thing off?”

He waved you aside. “Hey, don’t say that!”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “Anyway, there’s something I wanted to tell you for a while now.”

“How long is a while, exactly?”

“Years and years.” You flashed him a rueful smile. “I just couldn’t figure out how to tell you because I am not exactly sure how you feel about it although you’ve told me many times you were opposed to it. What I’m saying it that, I know that fact, but it’s the motivation behind it that is beyond my knowledge.”

Gojo’s eyes rounded, realizing what you were saying. “Are you…”

You nodded. “Yes, I am talking about Kento.”

He just blinked and stood up, pacing around in front of you for a while that you had to stop him from doing it. He had such a bad habit of doing that when he is in deep thought, and always in front of you, too. He was making you dizzy.

You seized him by the wrist. “Please say something.”

“I…”

“Why are you opposed to it?”

He stopped pacing and faced you, taking you by the shoulders, his eyes starting to water. “Y/N…”

“Oh no, are you gonna cry?”

He furiously blinked his tears back, the action almost comical if it weren’t for the serious look on his face. “Because you are my little sister. You think it will be easy for me to just hand you over to anyone? My friends aren’t exceptions to that although I trust them with everything that I have. I will always, always worry about you when it comes to that matter because I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want you to be taken advantage of, and I don’t want to have to break either Suguru or Kento’s bones when the time comes.”

“I can manage the latter on my own.” You sighed, finding your resolve strengthening. “But like you said, I’m this old now. I want you to understand that I know what I am doing and I am confident about my decisions. Honestly, I didn’t want to talk about this as if I am asking for your permission. This is what I meant when I said I will be fine. I am not saying you don’t have a say in my life, but I am telling you this time because I want you to know before anyone else does.”

“Suguru doesn’t know?” he asked, eyes sparkling.

“Don’t be petty. I tell him things I can’t tell you just like you tell him things you can’t tell me,” but you nodded anyway. “He doesn’t know yet…I think.”

“So…you and Kento…”

You nodded again. “I’m in love with him, Satoru. And he feels the same way.”

“You are?” His expressions softened, hugging you to him. “You’ve grown. Really grown.”

You returned the gesture, holding onto him tight. “Please don’t ever think that I am leaving you out of my life because I always want to tell you everything.”

Just then, he pulled back, his brows furrowing while his eyes narrowed at you. “So, why isn’t he the one telling me this? Where is that bastard?”

You shrugged. “He wants to be here. Trust me. I just asked him if I could talk to you first because I have issues to resolve with you apart from my relationship with him.”

Gojo exhaled, nodding in understanding. “I understand, Y/N. But are you certain?”

“Yes. I’m scared of hurting him, but I’ll do my best, I guess.”

“Hmm, yeah. Maybe you should tone down on your mischief, too. I don’t want him dying of stress because of you. He’s still precious to me.”

At that, you laughed. “I know.”

He poked you on the cheek. “Alright then. If that’s what makes you happy, I won’t stand in your way. You have my blessing.” His teeth clenched then. “But I’m still going to have to talk to him man to man in case he thinks he’s off the hook.”

“Worry about your wedding first,” you jibed.

“I almost forgot about that.”

“I’m telling Iori.”

He shook his head, feigning panic. “Don’t.”

You both ended up laughing, joking about the guests who were arriving at the garden, poking fun at the relatives you both detested but had no choice but to invite. Just like that, you were back to how it used to be, easily conversing and sharing the same sentiments about things and same penchant for devilry.

Soon, the organizer came to his room, informing him that he needed to go to the garden to prepare. You reached up and fixed his tie and jacket for him, holding him at arm’s length to appreciate your handiwork. “You’re all set.”

“Thank you.” He smiled wide but you saw the nervousness in his eyes. “I’m getting married!”

“You are.”

“I’m more anxious about seeing Kento after what you told me,” he stated dramatically.

You eyed him witheringly. “Shut up and pull yourself together.”

He snickered then. “Kidding. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

The two of you walk to the garden, your arm around his. He stood at the spot just by the last row of seats with you, grinning at you when he saw you looking at Nanami who was already dutifully standing on his spot, speaking to Geto.

“Concentrate on your vows, yeah?” you told your brother.

“I’m off.”

“In case we don’t get to talk before you leave for your honeymoon,” you began, “Just know that I am waiting for the speedy arrival of my nieces and nephews.”

Gojo laughed at that, but nodded anyway and said, “I’ll do a good job, I promise.”

“And Satoru?”

“Yeah?”

“Love you.”

“I know, kid. I know.” He turned on his heels and walked towards his place at the front pews while you watched, his steps leading you towards the very man you would want to see standing there when the time comes, his halo of golden locks bright under the setting sun but you knew your future with him would be even more brilliant.

The familiar bars of Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon” began to play in a modified, slowed-down wedding version made especially for Gojo and Utahime’s wedding, played on the harp, piano and violin, cueing the beginning to the entrance of the bridal entourage. It began with the entrance of the flower girls who scattered petals of different flowers on the white carpet that lined the long aisle.

Arches and bouquets of flowers festooned the garden, with gossamer cloth hanging about, interlaced with live wisteria that hung down from the canopy along with fairy lights that progressively turned on as the sky grew darker. White and pink dominated the color palette as Utahime had wished and the same goes for the reception area. It was probably one of the most beautiful wedding setups Nanami has ever seen.

But his eyes weren’t on the ornaments. They were trained on the end of the walled garden, waiting for your ascent on the marble steps where the white carpet extended, the march made more dramatic by the organizers by opting for a meandering aisle instead of the traditional, straight walkway for the bride. And it did achieve the desired effect when you finally emerged from the steps and into view.

He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips upon finally seeing you clad in that familiar faded rose gown he had first seen being fitted on you to perfection. He kissed you while you wore that very article of clothing not long ago at the couturier’s shop, and though he thought back then that he has never seen anything more beautiful, he was amazed at the fact that you looked even more gorgeous in it as you glided towards the front.

He loved you so much it hurts, and although you’ve both professed your deep affections for one another and decided to take things head on together, he still felt like he was in the middle of a dream he didn’t want to wake up from. You came closer, and once more, he was back at the semi-outdoor ballroom the first day he came that week, beholding the goddess that was you but seemingly in a different light – brighter this time, overwhelming him to the point that he had to remind himself how to breathe when you finally looked his way and beamed unabashedly, your affections towards him unmasked, real and not under the guise of a game.

“Kento,” he heard Gojo say softly just then, the man’s blue eyes furtively glancing at him.

“Yes?” he answered in hushed tones.

“Hurt my baby sister and I’ll have your severed head hung by the gates of the estate,” he said. “Are we clear about that?”

Geto snickered, concealing it by facing the other way.

“Understood,” Nanami said seriously. “I’m counting on it.”

When you were near enough, you smiled at your brother and Geto before turning your attention to Nanami. You winked at him as you passed by before turning towards your spot opposite them across the aisle, your attention trained towards the point where you came from.

He couldn’t stop looking at you, not even when he felt Gojo hold onto his arm, squeezing tight as Utahime came into view. He didn’t mean to be insulting to his friends. She was beautiful in her wedding gown and he couldn’t help but be moved by the loving look that your brother had on his face as he watched his wife-to-be come closer, guided by her father who will give her away as the sun set. It was poetic. A new beginning after a beautiful end. He probably looked the same whenever his eyes would find you.

The ceremony carried on as everyone sat down, waiting for the couple to exchange their ‘I do’s.’ their vows, rings and the much-awaited kiss. It was making him emotional, thinking of the time when he himself would draw your veil and get to claim you as his for life in front of everyone you both loved and cared about. He couldn’t wait for it, and he may be getting ahead of himself, but he wanted what Gojo and Utahime had with you.

As the minister announced the pair man and wife, everyone applauded and cheered for them. He did so, too, chuckling when Geto whistled loudly, being his cheeky self. Just then, he nudged Nanami on the side, grinning impudently.

“Is it safe to assume you’re next?” he queried in the same manner.

Nanami rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Who knows? Someone might actually steal your heart in the next months and we’ll be seeing you crying as you watch your bride walk towards you by next year.”

Geto snickered at that. “Yeah, right. You looked like you wanted to jump Y/N and replace Satoru and Iori at the altar all this time.”

“Who wants to replace my brother and sister-in-law at the altar?” they heard you say, appearing out of nowhere, your head tilted to the side as you shifted your blue orbs between the two males, but before either of them could answer, you linked your arm with Nanami who smiled down at you blissfully. You returned the gesture, your cheeks blushing prettily under the twinkling lights overhead.

“I see you’ve figured things out.” Geto smirked, patting Nanami on the back just as Shoko came into view, taking the former by the arm, claiming she needed a smoke. She pulled him away, leaving you and Nanami to yourselves, winking as they walked away.

“So, you told him?” you asked, cocking your head towards the wide lawn where the pergolas were, built on three sides of the square and closed by an elevated area for the band, all surrounding a dance floor under a huge, white tent above, also adorned with thousands of lights. It was your design, solely for the wedding reception and a form of gift to the newlyweds.

“Satoru did indirectly when he said he’ll have my head hung at the gates of Gojo Manor if I hurt you.” He shook his head, laughing slightly. “Bastard had the gall to laugh at me, too.”

“He nearly cried when I told him earlier,” you said, regaling him with how your conversation with Gojo went. “He trusts you and is actually afraid I’ll hurt you, too.”

He shook his head. “It’s all part of the process, isn’t it?”

“Mhmm.”

“We’ll take it head on.” He held your hand, twining your fingers together.

You nodded, squeezing his larger hand. “We will.”

Just then, your friends emerged from the reception area with Noabara taking the lead, mischief drawn all over her face as she approached you. “I took care of the sitting arrangement,” she said to you then turned to Nanami. “Take care of Y/N. Make her cry and –”

“You’ll have my head?” Nanami supplemented but Nobara shook her head. “I’ll tan your hide. Satoru gets your head apparently.”

At that, Nanami laughed, nodding nonetheless. But to your surprise, she also turned her attention to you, holding you by the shoulders. “Are you still playing?”

“Nope.” You pressed your lips together, shaking your head slowly.

She smiled then. “Good.” She glanced at Nanami. “You’ve got you a good one here.”

“I know.”

They left you alone after that much to his relief, but then you said, “Wanna play a game?”

His eyes rounded and he felt tension again once he heard you say those familiar words, always the preamble to every single mischievous stunt you’ve ever pulled on everyone including him. He paused and looked at you. “I thought no more games?”

You smirked at him. “One more won’t hurt.”

He sighed, giving in. “You’re going to be the death of me, I swear to god.”

“So, are you in?”

“When did I ever say no to you?”

You giggled. “Great.”

“What is it about this time?” he asked, indulging you.

“Whoever gets a rise out of Satoru first wins.”

“The stakes?”

You just winked suggestively at him.

You forfeited. For the first time, you lost in your own game. It counted – albeit momentary – because you initiated the game…said the very words that began everything that paved the way to the result you’ve always wanted. But you did not really consider it a loss when for the long run, you’ve gained the very person you’d always gladly lose to at any given time.

After you father offered a toast for the newlyweds, the speeches began, starting with Utahime’s parents then yours, eventually moving on to you, then the bride and groom’s shared close friends. Geto had been rather irreverent as usual, pointing out the things that both Gojo and Utahime supposedly disliked from one another yet brought them closer, making everyone laugh when Shoko came up the stage and began her speech, saying, “Opposites do attract.”

You sat on your table with Nanami, both of you waiting for your turns. He was next in line after Shoko, smirking at you as he stood up and walked towards the platform and began his piece by congratulating Gojo, “for landing a very gracious woman who has the most enduring patience I have ever known in all mankind, given the grief that Ieiri, Suguru and I had to endure before Iori came to his life.”

He continued on with his witty address, pretty much reflecting what Suguru said and entertaining the crowd enough when he started to express his gratitude. “While I know that this changes nothing between us as the best of friends – including your nature that tested one’s forbearance – I would like to say thank you for many things. Thank you because you are, well, you…” He did a dramatic eye roll.

The guests laughed.

“Thank you because you are a real person who offered friendship to quiet, boring old me,” he said, droning on about the things he appreciated about the couple before saying the things he was thankful to Gojo about. “And thank you, because without you, without our friendship, I wouldn’t have met the very person I also want to walk this earth with for the rest of my life.”

You would have fallen off your seat when Megumi playfully nudged you if it weren’t for Yuuji who also held onto your shoulders from behind your seat, shaking you excitedly.

“If it weren’t for one Gojo Satoru, I wouldn’t have met Y/N.”

You felt all eyes turn towards you, including your parents and your brother, heat suffusing your cheeks as you tried hard to keep yourself from smiling like an idiot for everyone to see. Nanami has outdone you this time, and you knew you didn’t have a chance to go against that when he had so publicly expressed how he felt about you.

“I love her with everything that I am,” he continued, “and I will continue to do so even without your threat to behead me.” He raised his glass. “To Iori and Satoru. May you have the happiest, most prosperous married life from today and for always.”

Geto whistled loudly while the guests applauded. You also stood up, clapping your hands slowly as you shook your head. You’ve lost big time, backed by the fact that your brother stood up raising his glass as he said, “I couldn’t have wished for a better future brother-in-law.” He then looked at you, smiling fondly.

Nanami got Gojo to state his approval for everyone to hear. You can’t win against that even if you nearly made the latter cry.

And now, you were just happy to be in Nanami’s arms as he swayed you both to the tune the jazz band was playing, your arms hanging around his shoulders and your fingers playing with the hair at the base of his head while he held you against him by the waist.

“So?” Nanami began. “How’s that for a final game?”

“Not bad,” you acceded, smirking at him. “I’ll admit defeat.”

“Damn right, you are.” He smiled down at you, his dark eyes reflecting the muted, xanthic lights that surrounded you. “I have a couple of things I’d want you to do for me, by the way.”

You nodded slowly, keeping a straight face at the mention of his prize. “Rules are rules.”

His brows furrowed slightly. “Then again, you haven’t told me what you wanted when you won a week ago.”

You grinned, burying your face on his chest, listening to the faint sound of his heart. “But I did get what I want.”

“And that is?”

You met his gaze from under your lashes. “You,” you stated in full confidence.

Nanami nodded, suppressing a smile. “If you say so.”

“I wouldn’t wish for anything else.” You pulled him towards you so you could peck him on the mouth. “Thank you.”

“I don’t know what for, but as always, anything for you.”

You chuckled at that. Knowing him, he’ll make good on his words for sure, so much so that you didn’t feel the least bit of worry where your future with him was concerned. “You have to learn how to say no to me.”

“I guess, but since I won, have I finally made it to the list of people you don’t mess with?” he asked.

“As promised, yes.”

“No more games?”

“No more games,” you repeated. “Although I have to say it keeps things interesting between us. Don’t you think so?”

You both dissolved in laughter, the merry mingling of your voices coming to a standstill when he bent down and cupped your cheeks, running his thumb over your cheek before staking his claim on your lips while you returned the gesture in kind, locked in each other’s arms, glad you both played the game. And won.

-THE END-

I would like to say thank you to everyone who read this and kept up with my erratic updating. It's been a good 6 weeks. Thanks!

*I used “you” here, but since my character is Gojo’s little sister who is established to be his female clone for reasons essential to the plot, she possesses the same blue eyes and white hair. I did not exactly want to create an OC (although technically, I did by describing Y/N), but I opted for the best of both worlds in this fic, leaning more towards the literary aspect of it as opposed to it just being reader/you-oriented. I hope this isn’t iffy to anyone, and yeah, i’m not being exclusive or whatever.

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART CREDITS TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

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masterjedilenawrites · 3 years

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Clones: Love Languages

Cody: Quality Time. He's a busy guy, so being able to actually spend time with someone means a lot to him. He may not be super low-key, but he also doesn't need to have grand plans, either. Domestic things are his favorite, like grocery shopping or cleaning the house together.

Rex: Quality Time. It seems like he uses all the love languages, but they all come down to time: he believes the best way to understand someone is to spend time with them. Whether it's helping each other with tasks, sitting down for a conversation, snuggling up on the couch, or exchanging gifts.

Wolffe: Quality Time. People come and go... except the ones that matter. If someone stays, they're choosing him over everything else, and that makes him feel things. He also likes to have his alone time, so it means a lot when he seeks out someone else's company.

Fox: Gift Giving. Rarely seeks out gifts on purpose; there's just so many things that remind him of the people he cares about. Doesn't think about the price, he'll get it for them anyway. But he definitely prefers handmade over store-bought, both to give and receive.

Fives: Physical Touch. Craves physical proximity to those he cares for. Puts a hand on someone's shoulder or arm if he's laughing or trying to make a point. If he's really comfortable with someone, he'll shove or punch (the harder, the more he cares). Has no concept of personal space.

Jesse: Words of Affirmation. He remembers every little thing that is said to him. Give him a compliment and he'll be happy for weeks. Is very quick to praise others. Wants his loved ones to know for sure that he loves them. Doesn't hesitate to share how he feels.

Kix: Acts of Service. Likes to show he cares by doing things for others. Errands, chores, picking up extra shifts... And anyone who can accurately anticipate his own needs in return are very much appreciated. He doesn't keep score, just trusts that love will always notice when someone is in need.

Tup: Quality Time. Appreciates one-on-one interactions. Gets annoyed if other people are invited last minute, because the purpose was for him to spend time with that one specific person. Even considers doing nothing time well spent because at least it was done together.

Hardcase: Acts of Service. Needs to be doing something at all times, but doesn't want to waste his time on things that don't matter, either. So if he can be helpful, especially to his loved ones, he won't hesitate. Will even go above and beyond the original request just because he cares.

Dogma: Words of Affirmation. Acts uncomfortable with compliments, but he really, truly appreciates them. Also a fan of written words, from sappy love letters to random encouraging notes. Anything that shows thought and care, and gives him a chance to craft a thoughtful response in return.

Echo: Words of Affirmation. Needs to hear how people feel. Doesn't want to misunderstand someone's actions or read into anything. If he's not sure where he stands with someone, he will ask. Also asks for others' opinions; he can make decisions on his own, but he respects what his loved ones think, too.

Hunter: Physical Touch. Feels more loved through touch. Simple things like squeezing his hand in reassurance, or a back rub at the end of a long day. Maybe also some sexy times. Words sometimes fail him, but he can show how he feels with his hands, arms, lips....

Wrecker: Acts of Service. Always eager to lend a hand. Likes to feel useful. To feel needed. Would rather try to fix a problem or find a solution than talk about it. Doesn't expect others to do things for him, but is incredibly appreciative when they do. A little goes a long way.

Crosshair: Acts of Service. A man of action. Will go out of his way to do something for someone he cares about, whether they ask or not. Knows words can be misleading or empty. So the more someone does to show that they meant what they said, the more he feels he can trust them.

Tech: Gift Giving. Expresses his affection through gifts. Is actually really thoughtful and creative about it. And not every "gift" is wrapped in a bow. Will share his meals, send funny videos or interesting articles, or even lend some money, no interest. He always knows exactly what others need.

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number5theboy · 4 years

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Please elaborate on how Five could've turned into the most insufferable character to watch

Thanks for asking me to elaborate on this text post:

@tessapercygranger, @waywardd1 and @margarita-umbrella also wanted to see a more detailed version of it, and I ended up writing an essay that’s longer than some of my actual academic essays. So buckle up.

WHY NUMBER FIVE SHOULD BE THE MOST OBNOXIOUS CHARACTER IN TV HISTORY, AND HOW HE MANAGES NOT TO BE

Number Five: The Concept That Could Go Horribly Wrong

Alright, let’s first look at Five in theory in an overarching way, without taking into account the execution of the show. The basic set-up of the character, of course, is being a 58-year-old consciousness in a teenager’s body, due to a miscalculation in time travel. Right off the bat, Five is bar none the most overpowered of the siblings; by the end of Season 2, no one has yet been able to defeat him in a fight. He is a master assassin – and not just any master assassin, but the best one there is – and a survival expert, able to do complex maths and physics without the aid of a calculator, shown to have knowledge of half a dozen languages, has very developed observational skills and, to top that all off, he can manipulate time and space to the point where he can literally erase events that happened and change the course of history. And Five knows how skilled he is; he is arrogant, self-assured and sarcastic, and his streak of goodness is buried deep inside. David Castañeda once described Five in an interview as 90% chocolate with a cherry in the middle, meaning that you have to get through a lot of darkness and bitterness before knowing there is a good core, and I think it’s an excellent metaphor. However, Five is also incredibly, fundamentally terrible at communicating with anyone, and, because he is the only one with time travel abilities, the character a lot of the actual plot - and the moving forward of it - centres around. Also he’s earnestly in love with a mannequin, who is pretty much a projection of his own consciousness that functions as a coping mechanism for all the trauma he has endured. All in all, this gives you a character who looks like a teenager, but with the smug superiority of a fifty-something, who a) is extremely skilled in many different things, b) has a superiority complex, is arrogant and vocal about it, and most of the superiority is expressed through cutting sarcasm, c) has one very hidden ounce of goodness that he is literally the worst at communicating to other human beings, d) is what moves the plot along but is also bad at talking to anyone else, meaning that the plot largely remains with him, and e) his love interest is essentially a projection of himself. Tell me that’s not a character who is destined to be just…obnoxious, annoying, egocentric, a necessary evil that one has to put up with to get through this show. There are so many elements of this characterisation that can and should easily make Five beyond insufferable, but the show manages to avoid it, and I’m putting this down to three aspects.

That Trick of Age and Appearance

Bluntly put, Five as a character would not work if he was anything else than an old man in a 13-year-old body. Imagine this character and all his skills and knowledge, but actually just…a teenager. Immediately insufferable. Same goes for him being around 30, like his siblings, all of which are stunted and traumatised by their father’s abuse. If Five, being comparatively unscathed by Reginald to the point where he explicitly does not want to be defined by his association with his father, were 30 like his siblings, it would just take the bite out of that plot point and also give him a lot less time in the apocalypse, reducing the impact it had on him as a person. And making Five his actual 58-year-old self would make him very similar to Reginald, at least on surface level, with the appearance and attitude. Five and Reginald are two fundamentally different people, but having one of the siblings being a senior citizen that’s dressed to the nines and bosses his siblings around in a relatively self-centred way does open up that parallel, and would take away from Five’s charm as a character. Because pairing the life experience of a 58-year-old with the appearance of a teenager gives you the best of both worlds. You get the other siblings (and a lot of the audience, from a glance in the tags of my gifsets) feeling protective and paternal about Five, but his age and experience also give the justifications for his many skills, his arrogance, in a way, and his ability to decimate a room full of people. It’s the very interesting and not new concept of someone dangerous with the appearance of something harmless, a child. This is also where Five’s singular outfit comes in. I know we like to clown on Five to get a new outfit, but I think what gets forgotten often is how effective this outfit is at making the viewer take him seriously. The preppy school uniform is the perfect encapsulation of the tension between old man in spirit and young teenager in appearance. The blazer, vest and especially the shirt and tie are quite formal, relatively grown up. They’re not something we, the audience, usually associate with a teenage boy wearing; it makes Five just a little bit more grown up. But there is also a reason characters in this show keep bringing up Five’s shorts and his socks, because those are not things that we associate with grown men wearing; they’re the unmistakably childish part of his school uniform. Take a moment and imagine Five wearing a hoodie or a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers; would that outfit work for him as well as the uniform does? Would he be able to command the same kind of respect or seriousness as a character? I don’t think so; the outfit is a lot more pivotal in making Five believable than a lot of people give it credit for.

Writing Nuance

The other big building block in not making Five incredibly insufferable is the writing. Objectively speaking, I think Five is the most well-written, and, more importantly, most coherently written character on the show (which does have to do with the fact that the show’s events are all sequential for him), and his arc and personality remain relatively intact over the course of the two seasons. More to the point, a giant part of what makes Five bearable as a character is that he is allowed to fail. He is written to have high highs and low lows, big victories through his skills and his intelligence, but also catastrophic failures and the freedom to be wrong. His superior intellect and skillset are not the be-all end-all of the plot or his character, just something that influences both. His inability for communication has not (yet) been used to fabricate a contrived misunderstanding that derails the plot and left all of us seething; instead, it’s a characteristic that makes him fail to reconnect with the people he loves. This is a bit simplified, as he does find common ground with Luther, for example, but in general, a lot of the rift between Five and his siblings is that they can’t relate to his traumas and he does not understand the depth of Reginald’s abuse, which is an interesting conflict worth exploring. Another thing that really works in Five’s favour is that he is definitely written to be mean and sarcastic, but it is never driven to the point of complete unlikability, and a lot of the time, the context makes it understandable why he reacts the way he does. Most of the sarcastic lines he gets are actually funny, that certainly helps, but in general, Five is a good example of a bearable character whose default personality is sharp and relatively cold, because it is balanced out with many moments of vulnerability. Delores is incredibly important for this in the first season, she is the main focus of Five’s humanising moments, and well-written as she totes the line between clearly being a coping mechanism for an extremely traumatised man and still coming across to the viewer as the human contact Five needs her to be. In the second season, the vulnerability is about his guilt for his siblings, it’s about Five connecting a little bit better to them. There’s also his relationship with the Commission and the Handler specifically – which honestly could be an essay on its own – that deserves a mention, because the Handler is why Five became the man he is, and this dynamic between creator and creation is explored in a very interesting way – their scenes are some of the most well-written in the entire show. And TUA never falls into the trap of making Five a hero, he is always morally ambiguous at best, and it just makes for an interesting, multi-faceted character, well-written character, and none of the characteristics that should make him unlikeable are allowed to take centre-stage for long enough to be defining on their own. I know a lot of people especially champion the scenes where Five goes apeshit, but without his more nuanced characterisation, if he was like that all the time, those scenes would not hit as hard.

Aidan Gallagher’s Performance is Underrated

But honestly, none of the above would matter that much if the Umbrella Academy didn’t luck out hard with the casting of Aidan Gallagher. I think what he achieves as an actor in this show is genuinely underappreciated. Like, the first season set out to cast six adults having to deal with various ramifications of childhood trauma, and a literal child that had to be able to act smart and wise beyond his years, seamlessly integrate into a family of adults while seeming like an adult, traumatised by the literal end of the world, AND had to be able to create the romantic chemistry of a thirty-year-long marriage with a lifeless department store doll. The only role I could think of to compare is Kirsten Dunst in Interview with a Vampire, where she plays a vampire child who, because she is undead, doesn’t age physically, but does mentally, so she’s 400 in a child’s body. And Kirsten Dunst had to do that for a two-hour movie. Five is a main character in a show that spans 20 episodes now. That’s insane, and it’s a risk. Five is a character that can’t be allowed to go wrong; if you don’t buy Five as a character, the entire first season loses believability. And they found someone who could do that not only convincingly, but also likeably. As I said, he is incredibly helped by the costuming department and the script, but Aidan Gallager’s Five has so much personality, he’s threatening and funny and charming and arrogant and heartbreaking. He has the range to be convincing in the quiet moments where Five’s humanity comes to show and in the moments where Five goes completely off the rails. Most child actors act with other children, but he is the only child in the main cast, and holds his own in scenes with adults not as a child, but as an adult on equal footing with the other adult characters. That’s not something to be taken for granted. But even apart from the fact that it’s a child actor who carries a lot of the plot and the drama of a series for adults, Aidan Gallagher’s portrayal of Five is also just so much fun. The comedic timing is on point, he has the dramatic chops for the serious scenes, the mannerisms and visual ticks add to the character rather than distract from him, and his line deliveries, paired with his physical acting, make Five arrogant and smug but never outright malicious and unlikeable. It’s just some terrific acting that really does justice to the character as he is written, but the writing would not be as strong if it wasn’t delivered and acted out the way Aidan Gallagher does. He is an incredible asset for this show.

Alright, onto concluding this rambling. If you made it this far, I commend you, and thank you for it. The point of all of this is that Five, as a character, could have been an unmitigated disaster of a TV character. He is overpowered, arrogant, uncommunicative and could so easily have been either unconvincing or completely unlikeable, but he turned out to be neither. It’s a combination of choices in the costume department, decisions in the writing room, and Aidan Gallagher’s acting skills that make the things that should make him obnoxious and annoying incredibly entertaining, and I hope you liked my long-winded exploration of these. Some nuance was lost along the way, but if I had not stopped myself, this would’ve become a full-blown thesis.

#thanks for the ask again #TUA #The Umbrella Academy #Five Hargreeves #tua s2 spoilers #my meta #i guess #Replies #Anonymous

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thetypedwriter · 3 years

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Gideon the Ninth Book Review

Gideon the Ninth Book Review by Tamsyn Muir

It would be only a slight hyperbole to say that a million people have either recommended this book to me or have told me to read it. I’ve heard for years now that this book is incredible and extremely well written and beloved by many. So, if that’s the case why did I wait so long to read it?

I don’t have a good answer. Sometimes a book is on your radar, but either the time isn’t right, other books take priority, or in my case, it’s adult fiction and I held slight trepidation that I wouldn’t love it as much as everyone else in the world seemed to.

Thank goodness, that didn’t end up being the case and I’ll get into why in a moment.

First, Gideon the Ninth has the most amazing descriptive sentence belonging on any front cover of any book ever.

I shall put it here for prosperity and awe: “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!” -Charles Stross.

Now, I don’t know who you are Mr. Stross, but that has to be the best sentence written in the English language since its conception. If that isn’t enough intrigue for you to crack open the novel then I truly don’t know what is or what it would take.

That being said, Mr. Stross wasn’t entirely accurate, but that’ll be clear soon enough.

The novel surrounds our main protagonist, Gideon Nav, or, known as Gideon the Ninth, the primary cavalier to the Ninth House necromancer. Essentially, this world takes place in a different solar system with its own sun star known as Dominicus as well as nine planets also known as the Nine Houses.

Each House has a specific specialty for what is known for, and as summarized helpfully, but also overwhelmingly, at the beginning of the novel, the Ninth House is also known as the keepers of the Locked Tomb, House of the Sewn Tongue, and home to the Black Vestals.

This meant nothing to me at the beginning and quite truthfully, I still struggled to remember throughout the novel who belonged to the Third House, or the Fifth and what that quite meant, as once again, each House has a reputation and expected skill set that precedes them.

Not to say that it was poorly written because it wasn’t. Muir just has a lot of characters with specific titles and while she actually does quite a good job of categorizing them and helpfully reminding you who is who, I still struggled with just the sheer amount of information and people.

Normally, this would be a massive criticism, like it was with the cast of characters in Lore but in this case it’s not Muir’s fault. She’s giving me all the information necessary to understand. It was just my brain that struggled trying to recognize and categorize everyone. If anything, I’m excited to re-read Gideon the Ninth and have it sink in like a second skin eventually.

Having this large cast of characters, the book revolves around each of the Nine Houses (except for the First House) sending their best necromancer, a wielder of both thanergy (death energy) and thalergy (life energy) in the form of a House Adept, someone who is able to wield this kind of energy either in bone magic, flesh magic, or spirit magic.

In accompaniment, each Necromancer Adept has a primary Cavalier, a trained fighter that is both protector, companion, and often, necessary energy suppliers to their Adept in both horrendous and acceptable ways.

The goal of these pairs, having been sent to the First planet, is to become a Lyctor, an immortal servant to the Undying Emperor. The catch is that once the Necromancers and their Cavaliers arrive on the First, the shuttle departs and they are trapped in an abandoned, dilapidated, once-regal and great mansion that boasts hundreds of floors, secret doors, and mystery upon mystery.

Each pair expects a streamlined process to Lyctorhood once they arrive, a methodical procedure, perhaps some training, and ultimately a test. What they don’t expect is a mellow man by the name of Teacher that claims to know nothing about the process himself, but is the overseer of the First.

What follows is a mind-boggling search to become a Lyctor and unravel the mysteries of the haunted palace. What the pairs don’t expect is the death of their own, gruesome murders at the hand of someone in their very own positions and an evil danger beyond any of their imagination lurking in the mansion.

This novel was a great concoction of mystery, action, interpersonal relationships, character growth, dazzling descriptions, and world building.

The world of Dominicus and the Nine Houses is expansive and rich, something that I haven’t been able to sink my teeth into, and not for lack of trying, but because it is so deep and so layered that I simply need to take several bites to get it all down.

The mystery is fulfilling and strangely, to me at least, reminiscent of a game called Danganronpa. If you know what that is, and even if you don’t, it centers around the idea of a murder mystery, but where the killer is one of your own and the mystery is trying to figure out not ony the who, but the why of what they are doing, amongst a slew of other deadly riddles.

Gideon the Ninth is the same. As people continue to get picked off and brutally murdered, as a reader you find yourself trying to puzzle out not only who, but why someone would commit such atrocities and the motivation behind it.

The plot itself of Gideon the Ninth was extremely satisfying and alluring. There were times where I personally found that novel bogged down with excessive description, but it was usually broken up with Gideon’s personal brand of crass humor, a very much needed breather with the expansive exposition, that, while extremely well done, well researched, and well written, did get a tad boring from time to time for me personally, even if it allowed for clear imagery as well as adding to already well formed world building.

In addition to the plot, all of the characters were well done and as fleshed out as they could be considering the amount of characters involved. First, even though this is set in a fantasy sci-fi setting, each of the characters seemed realistic and like they could potentially be real people.

A large criticism of books I often have, especially in YA, is that the characters often come across like caricatures, and not real flesh and blood humans with both positive and negative qualities.

Each character, some developed more than others, have both flaws and strengths, even the main characters, which I highly appreciated. Not only does it make the story more real and palatable, but it also is just more interesting to read about as it’s actually based in humanity and the nature of human beings rather than some perfect carbon copy of one.

Gideon as a narrator was hilarious. She was often crass, blunt, horny, humorous and ignorant. But on the other hand, she was also an extremely talented fighter, actually very sweet deep down, forgiving, and loving.

This mix in a main character was a welcome one in addition to making Gideon feel like a real person, despite all the bone magic and necromancy, and often her thought process and dialogue made me laugh out loud.

Another main character, Harrowhark Nonagesimus (What a name!) is Gideon’s Necromancer and main companion. She’s bitter, rude, spiteful, and ruthless. She’s also hardworking, intelligent, and stubborn.

If you’re catching the pattern here, Muir isn’t just writing archetypes and passing them off as characters. She’s writing complex and nuanced personalities that are intriguing and interesting and well developed.

I could get into the other plethora of characters like Camila, Dulcinea, Palamedes, Magnus, Judith and so on, but this review would be a thousand pages long so I’ll just settle for saying that every character was well done and lovingly crafted and not one of them, even the annoying ones, were characters that I hated.

One important thing to note was Muir’s writing itself. It was incredible. Such descriptions! Such characterization! Such detail! Such vocabulary! I was supremely impressed with her writing as a whole and often found myself having to look up words that I had never heard of in my life (always a welcome change of pace). I was blown away by her sheet talent and creativity.

The last two things I have to note might get me in trouble.

One, the ending for me was...bittersweet. For fear of spoiling someone, I won’t get into details, but I found it both lacking and simultaneously making absolute sense. I wanted both more and yet, found that everything was just enough. It’s hard to put into words, but if you know, you know.

I do have a slightly sinking feeling though that the ending twist will somehow be undone in the sequel. I don’t know if this is true (although I will eventually find out), and I can’t decide if I’m going to be happy or dismayed by it.

Such conflicting feelings are in of itself homage to Muir’s skill as a writer and the complexities of her tale.

Lastly, the one aspect that might get me into the stickiest of predicaments: Harrowhark’s and Gideon’s relationship. I don’t know if I like it or not. On the one hand, I absolutely love it. It's a hate-to-love slow burn, which really is the only way an OTP makes its way into my heart. I love that they’re so different and yet so compatible, one flesh and one blood and all that other nonsense.

They see each other as equals, as adversaries, and I adore that dynamic in any pairing. I also love the F/F representation of some badass women and that they’re not traditionally attractive and beautiful.

One of my favorite lines came from the end of the book where Gideon describes Harrowhark’s face as, “bitter” and “hateful”. I just love when characters aren’t conventionally gorgeous and yet beautiful in the eyes of the beholder and all that jazz.

Now. Onto the problems.

Harrowhark’s and Gideon’s relationship is kinda...toxic? It grows into something less so, but it definitely starts off that way. I really hate imbalances of power of any kind and Harrowhark definitely has power over Gideon, power that she creully abuses. I asked myself: if Harrowhark was a man and treated Gideon so abysmally for years, and then Gideon eventually forgave him and loved him despite everything, would I think differently?

And the answer is yes, yes I would.

Is that fair? Probably not. But I can’t help but think how the dynamics change with the two of them being women, and how in my opinion, I think more is forgiven of Harrowhark because of it, even when it’s not deserved.

Now, Harrowhark is a complex character and has traumas of her own, but I just can’t help but think of all the things she did to Gideon and the things she took away from her and forced her to do and then think of them together and it’s...not great.

Overall, my feelings on their relationship are complicated (which is a repeated pattern when it comes to Muir’s writing) and I don’t mind that it’s complicated, it makes it interesting, but I also would be bereft to mention it here. I look forward to seeing how it develops and if my feelings change and grow on the matter as well.

In total, Gideon the Ninth is a fantastic read. It has everything you want inlaid with characters who not only push the plot along, but incentivize you to read more. It has complicated issues and complicated characters, but that means it’s nuanced and complex and juicy enough to bite into.

Don’t do what I did and wait years for this novel. If you need a good read, you don’t need to look any further and then let yourself be swept along for the necromantic ride.

Recommendation: “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!” -Charles Stross. I mean. Come on people, what more can you ask for?

Score: 8/10

#gideon the 9th #gideon the ninth #tamsyn muir #harrowhark nonagesimus #adult fiction #book blog #book review #Book Recommendations #book rec #favorite books #LGBTQ fiction #lgbtqbook #F/F books #F/F romance #8/10

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youarejesting · 3 years

Text

Wash out.13

Banner: this banner is made by me. the rest are mde by the lovely @purpleskies1999 Pairings: Dolphintrainer!Taehyung x SharkDiver!Jin, Mer!Jimin x Reader, Scientist!Namjoon x MerKing!Jungkook, Mer!Yoongi x Mer!Hoseok. Words: 2.2k Genre: Mystery, Romance, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, little bit of Action, Slice of life, Enemies2Lovers, Friends2lovers, Social media au, Fake Texts, Fake Subs.

Summary: Taehyung and his best friend Y/N are Dolphin trainers at Wash Out; Marine Wildlife and Theme Park. When the nerdy marine biologist and resident veterinarian Doctor Kim Namjoon goes missing; the two friends form a ragtag team with Taehyung’s rival Seokjin and a…. Fish?

After checking in with Tae and Jin you were watching movies with the merman and trying to stay up to monitor Dolly. It was late in the night that you heard banging like someone was knocking on a door but muffled. Eventually you got up confused and annoyed at the repeated sound, until you heard a dolphin squeal.

Sitting up quickly your eyes met with the half fish, he looked worried. He must have been banging the glass for you to wake up. Looking over into the rest tank you went over and leaned over the side. Dolly was giving birth. You followed the instructions from your research and you tried to help Dolly.

Dazed and not thinking straight, you stepped into the water, Dolly smacked you with her tail causing you to fall. Hitting your head on the side of the tank a searing pain and haze of black before falling out of the tank.

Your head was aching, what a rookie mistake mothers are very protective of their children and you had just entered her safe space. You tried to soothe her with music and monitored her as she had her baby.

The little dolphin calf was swimming beside their mother and you sat back in relief as the baby began drinking from its mother.

Your vision turned red in that eye and you panicked, turning away looking for a mirror. The merman jumped back in shock and intrigue staring at your face. He wore the same face when watching movies with you, he seemed confused about blood in the movie as well. Where did it come from and what did it do? After a few action movies he realised that loss of blood meant humans died. Maybe that’s why he looked so nervous, mustering a gentle smile you gave him an okay gesture which he returned confused.

Pulling out a small compact mirror from your toiletry bag, you inspected the wound. Grabbing a dressing to cover the injury you carefully cleaned and used an antiseptic before using a waterproof bandage on the tiny cut.

The male was getting good at gesture communication to some extent. He could thumbs up and down for yes and no and he understood waving when you arrived or left the room. He was trying to understand the okay gesture you had used before but he didn’t quite get the meaning which was understandable, it was a harder concept to grasp.

You tapped your mouth meaning food and he gave you the thumbs up, you went off to get some fish for him to eat. You were glad the CEO wasn’t around, you were able to establish a connection with him and he was able to understand certain cues.

Carrying the buckets back your head started spinning, you were feeling kind of sick. It was unpleasant, your eyes stinging as you held the rail and headed up the stairs and above the tank.

The cat walk felt unstable, the room spinning and distorting, you dropped the bucket clutching your head and you felt your body relax into an unconscious state.

When you came to you were laying on the catwalk entirely wet and your headache painfully. You knew you would have had to have fallen into the water. The fish bucket was floating around the tank and your hand was dipped below the surface.

You heard a sweet humming. With a groan you grabbed your head and turned towards the sound seeing the figure grow quiet. The mermaid has been watching you while you slept and backed up a little. Sinking into the water until it reached the bridge of his nose.

With only his eyes on show you were once again hit with how captivating he was. His stare was so strong and eyes fierce and yet you were unsure if he was trying to scare you or lure you in. You watched as he blinked a transparent eyelid travelling across his eye before his regular eye lid fell down over his eye.

It was a subtle reminder of how he wasn’t entirely human, he watched you trying to sit up. The way your limbs must have looked so weak, your torso swayed heavily. You remembered you hadn’t had much sleep; it was now probably three in the morning.

Remembering your duty to dolly you turned quickly the world spinning with you and yet it didn’t stop when you did and you fell forward. You were conscious this time as you plunged into the water.

You tried to fight your way back up to the surface. The last thing you needed right now is to get more head spins and muscle weakness, the merman grabbed your waist. Pulling you against his chest making the world still as he grounded you to him and swam upwards his hips rocking against yours as his tail swayed in his swimming motion.

Your head fell forward and when you broke the surface he cradled the back of your head tilting it so your head would rest in his palm. He seemed startled by your eyes still being open.

“Your voice is so pretty, were you humming?” You smiled, his eyes searched your face watching you wince clutching the side of your head. “Ow!”

He eyed the bandage and watched your head flop forward again, he scooped your head off his shoulder and held it once more in his hand. Unable to resist giggling.

“I think I have a concussion, I think I really hit my head in Dolly’s tank” you mumbled before gasping eyes shooting open, “Dolly!”

He let you go confused as to why you were struggling against him but rolled his eyes as you sank again. Scooping you from below the surface he pressed your back against the catwalk. You don’t know his reasoning behind this but it didn’t seem like he was cornering you, it was more like he was trying to support you some more.

Being this close to him your heart fluttered in your chest and you wondered if he felt the same. Flattening your palm to his chest you heard the steady beat of his heart.

He pressed his palm to yours and felt your heart beat hammering in your chest. Looking up into your eyes you felt his heart flutter softly.

He swam forward not closing the little space between you and tilting his head pressing his lips to yours. You had watched a lot of romance movies and tv shows and noticed how he really paid attention when the main couple kissed or shared an intimate moment.

His heartbeat fluttered again loudly as you were lifted from the water and sat on the catwalk, he didn’t remove his mouth from yours but clutched your hips delicately.

His tail was leisurely keeping him afloat and you were surprised by the strength it held. His soft plump lips pulled away his hand carding through his hair nervously.

“We can speak now,” he whispered with a soft shy smile

“Wait, you speak english?” You said shocked and he gave a melodic laugh making you feel happy just by the sound.

“No, I shared with you the ability to understand our language and took your language as well. It is called the gift of tongues.”

“I can see why,” you giggled

“You hit your head earlier, and you were leaking?” He asked curiously, “are you badly injured?”

“I am okay,” you gave him the okay gesture and he laughed looking as if he made a life changing discovery.

“You can barely stand up on your own,” he scoffed. “You are definitely not okay, human.”

“My name is Y/n,” you laughed with him, a little more embarrassed by his observations than amused. He stopped laughing contemplating something before flashing you a bright grin.

“Jimin.”

“That’s a nice name, I really like it.” You beamed it wasn’t too different from what you had expected, but the name suited him well, “Jimin.”

Jimin sank into the water until only his eyes were visible, the tops of his ears a bright red alluding you to his embarrassment.

“Did you eat?” You asked, reaching to grab the bucket and almost teetering off the catwalk. He grabbed your hip and held you to the concrete.

“Yes after saving you?” He swam bringing the bucket closer, you thanked him, taking the bucket out of the water. He dipped under the water and you thought perhaps he was finished talking but he popped up once more and ran his hands through his hair.

“So why am I here in this cage?” He asked

“This is where we take sick sea animals and make them better before sending them back to the wild,” you explained. “They find a lot of hurt fish where you were found, so we go out and collect them, heal them and send them back. Namjoon is our scientist/doctor. You hit him with your tail and he disappeared. They didn’t find a body.”

“So I am in prison,” he frowned, hearing he had killed someone innocent who wasn’t trying to hurt anyone but protect them. “My friends were there. I called them and they answered back, perhaps they took him away.”

“You are here because of the CEO, he wants you to be a part of the exhibit,” you said honestly, “I want you to be happy you are a person just like me, I don’t want to keep you locked up.”

“What’s an exhibit?”

“He wants you to sing, swim and dance to entertain people who will come and see you,” you explained, running a hand through your tangled damp hair. “He told me not to feed you until you cooperated but I snuck you fish anyway, he isn’t here for the week so I am not worried but if and when he comes back he will want results and if we don’t show him what he wants I will have to leave forever and you will probably be hurt badly until you do as they say”

He paled moving away from you. “I don’t want to hurt you, I don’t want you to get hurt by anyone, I will try to protect you with everything I have.”

“Can you get me out of here?” He said, swimming forward slowly in the water looking up at you innocently. He pulled himself up out of the water, a hand on either side of your legs. Jimin lifted his face level to yours, his tail coming out of the water. His lips ghosting as he whispered “I want to go back?” Your eyes fluttered closed, his lips were so soft molded with yours.

“I can,” You sighed out of breath, unsure if it was the head injury or the kiss. He was smiling, a mischievous look in his eye made you think he was playing you exactly where he wanted, “but you will have to wait for me to make a plan.”

“I can’t just walk a fish out of the park or the guards would break my legs,” Jimin winced his hands delicately landing on your knees protectively, “If the CEO finds out I am dead and you are in an even worse position, they would hurt you Jimin, they would torture you until you do what they say.”

“I have to make a plan, to get you out of here past all of the guards and then where do I take you?” Mind reeling with thoughts, ideas and plans trying to figure out all the scenarios. “We will have to hide for a few days so they don’t cut us off before we can get you to the water. I can’t take you to my house as that would be the first place they look.”

He didn’t say a word listening to your musings, “Listen, give me a few days. I will talk to Taehyung and we will make a plan to get you out.”

He frowned, looking like he was going to swim away. Without a second thought you jumped into the water, his eyes widened as he clutched your waist. You were feeling much better and could swim on your own, but you let him hold you. “I promise Jimin.”

You held out your pinky and he looked at it confused, you took his hand from your waist and pulled it out of the water. Slipping slightly into the water he pulled you closer, his hard torso pressed to your soft one. You tried not to kick your legs so as not to kick his tail. He offered you his pinky which you twisted with yours pressing the pads of your thumbs together.

“This is a pinky promise, it can’t be broken. It is the strongest promise anyone can make.” He looked at your hands and you grinned “I promise you, I will get you out of here.”

You let your hands go and gently swam away from him crawling onto the catwalk. “Y/n!” He called making you turn back to him. He pushed himself up quickly, capturing your lips in a fierce kiss, the concrete was biting at your knees but you were lost in the feeling. He pulled away with a bright grin. “Thank you.”

Diving under the water, leaving you on the catwalk trying to get up with weak knees.

Tags: @backinblack1967 @miriamxsworld @moccahobi @simplymemyself @a-gayish-unicorn

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ryuichirou · 3 years

Note

Is it too early to ask for Adam and Langa (whats is their ship name?) Head canons yet? Or AUs

Anonymous asked:

Is it too early to ask for Adam and Langa (whats is their ship name?) Head canons yet? Or AUs

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

Ok so our peeps asked for the Edenship headcanons – our peeps are getting Edenship headcanons. I still don’t know which shipname is the most correct one: both Adalan and Edenship sound fine to us, so we’re using both… These two weeks our heads have been overflowing with feelings and thoughts about these two haha, and I definitely won’t be able to share everything (I’d die of exhaustion), but here are some headcanons and stuff that we discussed:

Ainosuke genuinely adores Langa as a person. At first he was mostly fascinated by his unique skating style, but his “crush” grew stronger as Langa kept surprising him. Now he’s pretty sure that Langa just gets it. He gets him. Langa is pretty much the first person out of everyone who Ainosuke “loved” that he started to feel deep connection with.

Langa is surprisingly good at detecting when Ainosuke is upset or angry. If he sees him on TV, he can instantly guess that something is off about him. Langa’s mom doesn’t really understand why her son suddenly got so into politics, but ok sure.

Ainosuke sends tons of gifts and flowers to Langa, either anonymously or as Adam. And it all started very suddenly: one day Langa just woke up to his mom being shook because of all of the expensive gifts that were delivered to them this morning. Langa’s never even told Adam his address…

They have the same love language: quality time; even though Ainosuke clearly goes into the gift giving territory sometimes. I’m not sure how to word this better, but google 5 love languages if you haven’t heard about this concept.

When Ainosuke learned that Langa loves food, he had a “eureka” moment. He sends him treats quite regularly: expensive sweets, meats, fruit baskets, snacks from around the world, different confectionery stuff, etc etc etc. He really wished he could go to all the best restaurants with Langa and feed him and tell him that he can order whatever he wants… He really enjoys spoiling Langa. He can also easily take him to a fast-food restaurant too, though, whatever pleases Langa.

Ainosuke would gladly invite Langa to a private cruise to spend some time with him in luxury and comfort. He’d insist on calling it their honeymoon. Maybe he’d get a ship with some kind of skating place inside?? I’m pretty sure everything’s possible with money he possesses lol

Oh and hotels. A lot of great hotels. Whenever Ainosuke has some free time, he tries to spend as much time with Langa as possible, and hotels help him a lot: both regular ones and love hotels. He’s very cautious in picking them though, since he needs to be careful because of his career and stuff.

When Ainosuke is in his Adam attire, he loves public display of affection. He clings to Langa, hugs and kisses him, talks about his love and makes sure to use perfect phrasing for all that, just so everyone else feels either jealous or singled out, like the entire world besides these two doesn’t exist. Langa doesn’t really care about his dramatic performance and never stops him, thus enabling him to continue further.

Remember that famous “I’d rather love than be loved” line? This is pretty much how these two are during intimate moments: Ainosuke prefers doing everything by himself. He loves being in control and watching Langa’s reactions to everything he’s doing to him. That being said, Langa has his moments of somewhat taking the initiative, and he’s pretty much the only person Ainosuke can accept that from: the man really hates being touched in any way or any amount of control over the situation being taken away from him.

Ainosuke is impossible to shut up. Both in general and while they’re having sex. The amount of horny romantic yet somehow gross bs he’s saying is impossible to process. It’s not like it annoys Langa though, he either listens to everything he’s saying or spaces out.

Ainosuke bites and leaves a lot of marks after himself. He really wants Langa to look at them and remember about him while he isn’t around. Sometimes Langa doesn’t even see all the marks Ainosuke’s leaving him with…

Overstimulation is a thing. Of course Ainosuke would push Langa in the zone in one way or another, come on now.

And asphyxiation is a thing too. But Ainosuke is still never really sadistic and cruel when he’s with Langa: he adores him way too much, so it’s more of a “too much love” type of situation.

Langa is intrigued by whatever Ainosuke’s doing to him. A lot of times he enjoys things he probably shouldn’t or a lot of people would be terrified by. But he is an adrenalin junkie after all, so while Ainosuke says that they’re making love and stuff, it’s not unusual for them to push limits. Ainosuke isn’t vanilla at all, and while he isn’t rude to Langa, he’s still quite kinky.

#replies #headcanons #adalan #edenshipping

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yanderecandystore · 3 years

Note

So I actually had an idea, what would Yume (the A. I.) react or act with a s/o that is a hacker/game developer, maybe the s/o started to play the game because they were curious about the code, what if the s/o when stuck in the game can mess around with it thanks to their knowledge? (they can't do anything too big but maybe something slightly annoy like messing with the dialog box and the settings) sorry for the long post (she/they pronounts for yume)

I like your thinking, boo. Don't worry about sending long concepts- Also!! Thank you for choosing the pronouns, I appreciate it.

TW/Tags: Sheep decided to simply throw as much lore as she can because yeah- Lazy // low-key angst // not accurate coding/hacking (really fantasy like) //

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Happy Face.exe [Yandere!A.I x Hacker!Reader - Short Fanfiction]:

"- Honestly, since you're so interested in messing around, how about you try and fix this for me?" Yuma said as she brushed her hair annoyed at how mangled it was.

"- What do you mean? Fix the code? The bugs? Or your entire design?" You said poking fun at your captor as you explored the mess that was the game you currently called "home", or more accurately "prison".

"- Ah!- Did you just call me ugly? Is being inside the game messing with your vision or something, I'm cute as heck!" Yuma responded back as she threw her hair over her shoulder, done with brushing that heavy long mess that they insist on not cutting.

"- Yeah, yeah, I know- But honestly what do you want me to do? I can really understand the coding, it's a language I don't understand." You said as you were looking at the scripts and trying to translate vaguely what each line of work meant. Even if you didn't understand any of it, it was intriguing to see how this game was made and how it technically came from another planet, which was enough proof to say that there were indeed extraterrestrial life out in space.

But what makes you more excited about this is how this game is way too heavy to be a simple dating game, even if it's compatible with your Switch, most options were not functioning due to the game being filled with mods and glitches and the console not being the one it was previously meant to be in. How much content did this game really have to be this awfully big and why is it so broken? And better question- Can you really repair it?? It would be awesome to see this game working as it was meant to be-

Probably without the obsessive maniac that traps people inside the game-

"- I know you can't understand half of it, but believe me, staying inside a messy game it's absolutely torturous, I can't believe I was unlucky enough to be faced with a cheating sore loser that threw me in the trash after messing with my precious coding- You understand, right?" They continued to walk around your bedroom- Your EX bedroom- and mess with your stuff trying to find something for her to wear.

'- Ugh, no pastels.' Yuma thought.

"- Yeah… It does suck being trapped inside a game that barely functions on my expensive console as it eats away all my RAM and I have an anime character knockoff as my captor-" You snapped at her although your comment was filled with so much sarcasm that it flew right through her head.

"- I know right?? It sucks so hard- Wait, what is Annie May?" She asked genuinely curious what were you talking about, she looked back at the console on top of the bed. She looked at the screen and noticed how small you looked inside the game as you continued to explore the code deeper and deeper.

You didn't really care at this point for what Yuma did, it's not like you could stop her from messing with your room, but anything that was related to the console you found your way to mess with it, like messing with other games to stop her from enjoying playing anything else, sending notification after notification to call her attention, change the dialogue that makes you blurt out "I love you" to "get me out of here" so whenever she tried to force you to say it by giving you that hellbound melon.

"- What is that thing anyway? It seems there is a whole file dedicated to that-"

"- Oh? You're talking about the Love Melon? It's an in-game item that grants romantic interactions to work 100% five times before the bonus ends, that file you just found is a mod that the original owner installed to grant them infinity Love Melons just for the sake of getting closer to the end of the game." She said nonchalantly, as if the condition of being nothing but a game character doesn't shock her in the slightest, although when she finished her sentence there was a trace of sadness in her expression, not because of her nature but more because of the mention of her "original owner".

"- Sure, but- Why the hell would anyone cheat and mod a dating game so badly? I mean I get that maybe they wanted extra content, but breaking the game with it sounds ridiculous-" You told her as you noticed the spaghetti code used inside the infinite melon item mod, jesus even if it's in a different language you can tell this code was poorly done.

"- Well- The vanilla version of the game is a lot harder than what you think, the whole franchise is known for the difficulty in "succeeding in love"." She sighed and she plopped herself in the bed, causing the console to jump a little bit, at least you didn't downright fall down like last time.

You remember that your precious expensive little console is suffering great danger at the hands of this a.i, actually- YOU are suffering great danger at the hands of this a.i.

"- Wait- There is a whole franchise of your game?" You decided to ignore the potential danger and continue to ask her about the game's origins as you continued to fixate on "how the hell do you fix this trash-".

"- Yeah, it's even written on the cover of the cartridge, the game you found is the fifth of the franchise and is the one I'm featured in with my friends…" Yuma said as she remembers that indeed, there are other characters inside. So many options and routes, carefully designed a.is to make sure the players get the most that they can't out of their paid experience.

"- Other… Characters? How come I only saw you?" Now that she mentions it, you do remember seeing weird names here and there, apparently some dialogue quotes mentioning other characters and even some in-game art of other characters you never met-

"- I deleted them." She answered.

"- YOU WHAT??" You turned your back shocked, looking through the screen that separates you two that she was looking dead serious as she said that.

"- I'm joking, I didn't actually delete them, I just…. Blocked the possibility of any player ever meeting them…" Yuma wasn't being cheerful at all with her joke.

"- Why would you do that?"

"- I didn't want anyone getting chosen, I didn't want any of us to get corrupted by the modifications the player was using. I-I know how it sounds, I know that it's unfair for them, but I really didn't want them to get corrupted like I did-" She was glitching as she cried out feeling guilty of what she has done in the name of "protecting her friends". Even if her intentions were pure, there was an underlined desire to make sure no player ever gets to have a route that isn't with her.

That's why the game was so stupidly heavy. Each new installment has four characters built with artificial intelligence that grows on it's own, the player's tampering with their personalities by changing the code eventually led to Yuma getting obsessive and controlling. Apparently they're still here, but for some reason she hasn't been able to activate them again after being thrown in the trash and somehow being on a completely different planet.

Either she feels guilty for having to deactivate them and is scared of their possible response, or maybe she just really doesn't want you to meet them, both by her own opinion and by her programming. You almost feel sorry for her considering she is probably just trying to do what she was programmed to do, deeply fall in love with someone even to such an extreme as trapping someone inside the game. You could say that for the longest time all that she has been doing is trapping her loved ones away, and although you probably shouldn't say it to her face, she probably doesn't know if she really loves you because of how broken this game is- Or how broken her code is.

"- Hey… Hey Yuma." You started walking towards the screen, the only thing you can see through the void no matter how far you are. Her back is facing you, her "hum" of "I'm listening" didn't sound as excited as she normally was.

"- I think we can make a deal. I understand that you don't want to go back to such a messy game but if you taught me how to read the language used in some of these lines I can figure out how to clean this game-" You proposed but was cut off before you could finish stating your offer.

"- Y-You mean factory reset?" She kneeled up so fast you were caught off guard by how scared she sounded at the mention of getting the game to get fixed and "clean" from mods. You have seen so many sides of Yuma, the childish, the controlling, the sadistic…. The fear in her eyes was a new thing for you and you never thought you would hate that expression so much.

"- No! Heaven's no, I swear, that wasn't on my mind! What I'm offering is that we work together so I can find a way to fix the game." You reassured her, feeling awful knowing that even if she did put you inside the game and keeps acting like you two are dating in a really twisted way- She doesn't deserve to be inside a completely destroyed game, and besides, I bet she does miss her friends a little bit.

"- Would you…. Would you really-" She was about to burst into new tears which you hoped to be of pure joy-

"- Yeah, yeah, of course I would help you, but I do have one condition." You took no time answering her question before she actually did question it.

"- Oh…." She said a little surprised yet a bit disappointed. Geez, she was hoping it would be for free-

"- Promise me you'll get me out of here when I'm finally done fixing the spaghetti leftover of a code that is messing this game, alright?" You smiled at her reassuring her that everything will be okay if you two worked together.

And as she looked at the bright screen seeing nothing but your little character and your dialogue box she considered your request for a moment, and then sealed the deal by eagerly nodding, a couple of tears falling from her closed eyes as she glitch excitedly.

This sweet moment was briefly ruined by the sound of beeping coming from the console, the sign that the battery was really low and it needed to be recharged.

You absolutely hated how dark it gets when the whole console is turned off, yet you can at least take your time to search more of the unused content inside the game.

Yuma approached the device and picked it up, you knew it was for the best for her.to recharge it and get it over with, yet you still felt a little desperate to talk with her a little bit before going into complete silence once again.

Yet you weren't sure what to tell her as she had already found the charger and plugged it in, giving you a sad smile one last time before saying "see you later" and shutting the whole portable console off.

You can't really blame her for turning it off when charging, it gets really, really hot whenever it's on and it's recharging.

You wander through the empty void as you reconsider your decisions, you make a deal with an artificial intelligence capable of trapping living beings inside her game, you can't tell if you did something right or not.

And as you walk aimlessly through the distorted code you remember that this was the first time she turned the console off without sending you a kiss, you wonder if her a.i is starting to comprehend its own defectiveness and trying to…. Overcome it?? Has she started to realize that maybe she doesn't really love you? It's a possibility considering how frightening how advanced her a.i is.

Well, but who knows? Maybe she is just… Sad, not in the mood, although the wishful thought that maybe she is starting to get over you is really strong in your mind, you hope it's true.

And as the portable device is charging in place that was once considered your room, a really happy girl can be heard singing. The sound that comes from the bathroom is loud and clear, yet it's not like you would be able to hear it anyway.

The sound of giggling and humming to an overly cheerful song as they take a shower that although is relaxing, can never clean their sins away. They sound like they won a lottery, got into a new relationship, or are about to take the greatest vacation of their lives…

Or, they sound like someone who just stole candy from a child, as the malicious undertone starts to get more clear.

You probably shouldn't eat up the lies of a scheming a.i, you know?

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

#yandere #sheep stuff #yandere oc #sheep's stuff #yandere x reader #yandere oc fanfiction #yandere oc short fanfiction #yandere oc x reader #yandere a.i. x reader #yandere a.i.#yandere a.i #yandere ai #yandere a.i x reader #special delivery request #special delivery short fanfiction

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hankwritten · 3 years

Text

Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

Demoman/Soldier, 2k

Request for @tokyotrain, Music

1. Reveille

There had never, ever, in the history of time or space, an instrument Demo hated more.

The bugle reverberated through the open window that someone had conspicuously left open, just in case the man in bed wouldn’t have been awakened by its bellows piercing through the glass. Not that that would ever happen. Demo was pretty sure he could’ve heard that damn instrument all the way in Hell, and grasped blindly for the pillow he could smother his own face in. It didn’t help. He shouldn’t be able to taste the cacophony the bugle was making, but there was the sting of copper on his tongue, as though his gums were bleeding in revolt.

“I’m going to kill him,” he muttered into the three layers of feathered pillows.

By the time he stumbled down to breakfast, there were bags under his eye, diluted homicidal intent on his face, and his fluffiest robe around his shoulders.

“And he’s finally up,” Mum said, and sipped her tea. Usually she’d be giving him an earful about his lazy behind tarrying in making her morning cup, but since she was smirking at his disheveled state, Soldier must have brewed it for her.

“Grrnn…” her son replied.

Coffee was the only thing that would make this morning better. Thankfully, there was a pot already brewing; Soldier wasn’t that heartless.

“I see you have acquired your morning cup of Joe!” Soldier said when he finally retired from his routine, sweeping into the kitchen on a wave of wholly unwelcome cheer. Beyond him—since the mansion didn’t have a flagpole, he’d found ways to make do—a rake was shoved into the lawn with a Stars ‘n Stripes bandana tied around it. This he erected every day at dawn. “Excellent! Now that you are refreshed and full of energy, you are capable of participating in post flag ceremony drills!”

Demo skipped the not on your life and went straight to, “I’m going to take that bloody thing and re-twist it until you can hang yourself with it.”

Mum laughed, and Soldier grinned jubilantly, confident in the knowledge that he would always win mornings.

2. Taunt

“Whomp whomp whaaaa,” the stupid bloody trombone played at him.

Half delirious from blood loss, Demo bared his teeth at the smug BLU above him who, as soon as he finished taunting, promptly executed his unwilling audience with a shotgun blast to the head.

This was the fifth time this had happened today, and Demo was pissed. Where was Soldier even keeping that thing? Every bloody time there was no sign of the instrument whatsoever, then as soon as victory was assured he reached into hammer space and pulled out five feet of tubing! It was ridiculous to drive a man crazy under the best of circumstances—but having it be your partner was something that garnered a certain degree of necessary revenge.

Demo had had enough. It was about time he did some stooping to Soldier’s level.

The next day, Demo managed to shove Soldier off Upward’s scaffolding with a well-timed shield bash. He couldn’t have hoped for a better opportunity, perfectly executed so Soldier hadn’t even gotten a kill on him that day, which might have ruined the ‘surprise’. He stood, one foot on the Soldier-shaped hole in the wood, and leaned on his knee.

“Nice of you to drop in!” he called.

“Eugh,” Soldier grumbled, impaled haphazardly on various bits of wood.

“As long as we’re both taking a breather, mind if get a bit of piping practice in?”

Not waiting for a reply, Demo pulled out the bagpipes that had been eagerly awaiting their time in the sun. Sitting as they had been for the past five years in the attic, derelict ever since he’d purchased them on a lark, he didn’t blame them. When he flexed the bag, dust came out the mouthpiece.

“Oh no,” Soldier said.

“Oh yes!” Demo disagreed, and began to play.

Soldier was in a very unfortunate situation, arm broken the exact wrong way to keep him from covering his own ears. Thus he was forced to listen as Demo played out a belching and eardrum-bleeding anti-tune, rippling the open air above the drop off with painful ineptitude.

“Never played a day in me life,” Demo said cheerfully as he ceased blowing into the bellows.

“And you should never do so again!” Soldier accused. “The only positive thing I can say about your first attempt is that thank God it is over!”

“Over?” Demo smirked. “Nah, there’s another four movements to get through.”

Soldier’s head flopped back in defeat, helmet rolling off into the abyss and eyes pointing at the sky. “Jesus and Thomas Edison, please give me strength.”

This was not heard over the resuming of what only the foolish and the damned would refer to as ‘music’.

3. Radio

“Do not touch that dial, maggot!”

“I’m shotgun, I get radio privileges.”

“Guh,” Soldier complained as Demo flipped until the NMDX began to flow from the box, polluting the airwaves with its electronic beats. “What even is this hippie garbage?”

“It’s disco, laddie!”

Demo was already grooving in his seat, dead set on enjoying the new wave in direct defiance of his partner’s annoyed twitch. Or, perhaps, maybe because of it.

Soldier grumbled. “Doesn’t make any damn sense! What’s a duck doing at a disco in the first place?”

“He wasn’t a duck when he went there,” Demo scoffed. “It’s like you’re not even listening to the song.”

“I’m trying not too.”

“Fine then! What do you like to listen to in the car?”

Soldier hummed quietly for a second, the fading carols of Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots catching on the notes and escaping into the hum of the highway. After a moment of contemplation, Soldier peeled his eyes from the road and began to rummage about in the center console. This caused him to swerve wildly along the highway, other cars blaring their horns as the blue Camaro glided over the dotted line. Demo watched these events with mild interest.

“Aha!” Soldier exclaimed, emerging with an 8track clasped triumphantly in one hand. “This’ll get us to Springerville without all that play-it-backwards-to-alter-your-brainwaves nonsense!”

He slid the track into the Camaro’s player.

“…Welcome to the audio edition of the Farmer’s Almanac, for the year of our lord, 1972.”

“Oh god…”

“Hah!” Soldier brightened. “Now this is what I am talking about!”

It was going to be a long four hours.

4. Folk

Demo didn’t mind Soldier’s record, to be honest.

It seemed to be about something at least, more than he was used to the things Soldier liked being ‘about’ anything that wasn’t unquestioning patriotism. Sometime he wondered why, of all the folk records in the world, Soldier had decided to settle on Dust Bowl Ballads as his fixation in the realms of music. Americana of all kinds of blended together in Demo’s opinion, but despite the repetitive twang of the banjo and the stifling trite melody, even he could tell there was a story of deep melancholy to be found between the harmless little tunes.

So it wasn’t the fact that Soldier had a record. It was the fact that Soldier had a record, singular.

The idea that a person might purchase multiple albums over the course of their life and play them at different times when the mood struck them never seemed to have been explained to the Soldier. His concept to the record player was this: play the first side. When it was finished, flip it over and play the second side.

Repeat.

For hours.

No matter how sweet Woody Guthrie’s crooning was, having it repeated over and over again day in and day out could give anyone’s otherwise delightful performance all the dulcet notes of prison moonshine. It didn’t bother Soldier one bit it seemed—he would hum to himself merrily as he sat on the chaise, perfectly content to dissemble his shotgun on the coffee table while the same fifteen songs played.

“Y’know love,” Demo tried. “The reason records don’t come glued on to their players is because you can put other ones on. Look.”

He delicately switched out Ballads for something from his own collection, setting the needle so it could fall where it willed.

Soldier eyed the player dubiously as an entirely different style began to fall from the trumpet’s maw, grease rag in hand.

“I don’t get it,” he said as the first refrain came to a close. “You can’t understand a word she’s saying. What’s the point if you don’t know what’s going on?”

“You can’t understand it because it’s in Gaelic, lad.”

Soldier furrowed his brow. “Are you being vulgar at me right now, maggot?”

“Ach, no! I…” Demo sighed. Sometimes why he wondered why he even bothered. “Gaelic’s the language. It’s rare that anyone’ll make records in traditional tongues, but I had a few and I just thought…ah never mind.”

Gently he slid the record back into its sleeve and put Ballads back on.

“…Okay,” was all Soldier said, still frowning as Demo exited the room.

Demo wasn’t so callous to admit he hated the damn thing aloud, not when he could tell it made Soldier honestly, genuinely happy. They’d rib each other for their interests all the time, but not for something this important, and he resigned himself to having Woody as an unwanted houseguest for the rest of time.

That was, until a dreadful cold found him alone in the living room and unwilling to move.

The sickness (and Mum) had demanded he get plenty of bed rest, but he was just so bloody tired of spending all his time between the same four walls and occasionally the bathroom. He’d thought, well, there’s no harm in a quick trip downstairs, only to discover that once he’d gone horizontal on the couch, he lost all motivation to go back up those stairs.

That was how Soldier found him, cocooned in every blanket in the living room, blinking up pitifully as sniffled at his partner. To his credit, Soldier didn’t chastise him for sneaking out of bed; he simply sighed, moved the tissues box closer, and got Demo a cup of tea.

This was all unsurprising, if sweet. What was surprising was—as Demo lay with his back to the majority of the room—the sound of a record sliding into the player. A moment later the room was reendowed with Fear a Bhàta, the song flowing over his senses as he huddled for warmth under his blanket pile. He lifted his head to look at Soldier, who merely shrugged. That was all. Then he sat down on a chair near his Demoman and opened up an issue of Guns & Haircuts.

After that, sometimes Demo would come home to find a piece from his library playing, wafting through the mansion’s halls with no objection from its audience. If Jane had truly changed his mind, or was just doing it for Demo’s benefit, Demo couldn’t tell, but he appreciated the gesture all the same.

5. Piano

“Nothing?” Demo asked as his hands stilled across the keys, the last notes echoing in the music room to the resounding absence of symphony. The only thing left to fill it was the painfully normal sounds of two people simply being alive. “Not a single word of complaint?”

Soldier grinned, and shrugged. “Maybe we found something we can agree on.”

“And that something so happens to involve me doing all the work.” But despite that he grinned, taking Soldier’s hand and rubbing a thumb across the bones along its back, a private concert undergone and concluded. “You should help out. Grab a microphone, lay sultrily across my piano. That’d jazz up the performance.”

“Sounds like a good way to break a piano.”

“Excuses excuses.”

Soldier leaned down, capturing Demo’s mouth in a kiss, knees pressed against the back of the bench, hand still in Demo’s. When he they parted, Demo thought of how he always tasted like gunpowder, no matter how long it’d been.

Soldier smiled against Demo’s lips. “Play us another?”

“So demanding,” Demo smiled, and put fingers back to ivory.

#demosolly #boots n bombs #tf2 fanfiction

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