#at least we're getting Mr. Knight?

[thebirdandhersong]

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#sometimes i expect mr knight to express love the same way i do and i'm not sure why ? #i'm fairly obvious about it.... or at least obvious in my own eyes...... there is a lot of cooking and listening and beaming involved #as well as letter writing and Doing Things for him #(and wasting away in armchairs when he's not around.... ANYWAY) #so if i get too caught up in that i forget to look at the big picture. i forget that he's also speaking in his own way #in his own language with his own words so to speak #like!! the man knows i get cold easily. he knows i sleep with like six blankets #he'll try to warm up my hands when we're walking #and he went to buy the thickest duvet he could find so that i would be warm at night #and asked rather anxiously how it was after the first night i used it #and one evening when we were walking home i was shivering uncontrollably #because i was silly enough to wear a dress and stockings in APRIL (here in BC) #and he took off his coat and insisted i wear it over my coat. even though HE had nothing but a short sleeved shirt underneath it #if i think too much about these little things he does it makes me want to Cry #anyway the point of this is: wow people DO express love in different ways #and part of learning about someone in any kind of relationship is learning about how this unspoken language of theirs works #the planetarium chapter #mr knight is in many ways still a mystery to me but i am slowly learning more about him every day....... it feels like a huge honour

[hoshigray]

𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬, 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 | toji fushiguro

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: Your ex-husband bringing the kids over for trick-or-treating is one thing; him wanting to spend the night at your place is another. But it's just for the night. There's no way one night can rekindle some old feelings...right?

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: ex-husband! Toji x fem! reader - explicit content; minors DNI - the reader is around their mid-30s - Tsumiki (age 11) and Megumi (age 9) - mutual pining - kissing/makeout sessions - unprotected sex - Daddy kink - breast sucking + nipple play - fingering (f! receiving) - oral (f! receiving) - spooning + mating press - cervix fucking - breeding kink - praise - clitoral play (pressing and grinding) - pet names (baby, good girl, mama, princess, sweetie, sweet thing) - you and Toji have been divorced for five years - cameos: Gojo, Utahime and Mei Mei - mention of drool/spit and tears - humor bc I'm [not] funny.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 7.6k (....dawg.)

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: happy Halloween, everyone!! so, randomly missed writing ex-husband! toji bc it's lowkey my favorite, soooo yeah, this is what we're doing to celebrate the end of the month! anywho, happy October, beautiful ppl, and tysm for reading my works!! Alsooo, ty for 2.8k!!!

“Trick-or-treat!!”

“Gasp—Oh my goodness!” 

“We came to celebrate Halloween! Also, Megumi forgot his toothbrush here again.”

Opening your door to children at the sunset of Halloween day isn’t out of the ordinary or anything special. However, it’s always a pleasant surprise when it’s two kids you hold dear to your heart. You greet them with a hug, two siblings you know too well to say you’re acquainted with. If anything, you’re practically family. 

The raven-haired brother, referred to as Megumi, speaks up. “It’s not my fault! Dad was rushing me last time.”

“Because you had to bring your stuffed animals last time, holding us back for your baseball practice.” Tsumiki, the older sister, snapped back. The two argue amongst themselves in front of you as you try to mediate. It’s no avail until another voice comes to the fray.

“All right, chill out, you two.” The voice belonged to the person approaching the porch stairs, your eyesight capturing the familiar figure walking up with two duffle bags. The one standing tall before you was the father of the children, Toji Fushiguro. Who’s also known as your one and only former husband. “Get inside and finish y’r homework, or else we’re goin’ back home.” 

The siblings stop bickering and head inside, taking off their shoes at the foyer and walking upstairs. Now that they’re gone, you turn to the man with the jet-black hair, his viridian orbs focused on you. The weather was chilly, so the man wore his usual dark denim jacket over his plain black sweatshirt, matching his jeans. “You look good, big guy. What’s in the bags?”

He greets you with a curled lip, and the scar on the side of his lip lifts. “Picked them up from their after-school sports, so it’s their sports gear and costumes for tonight. Mind helpin’ me here?” 

“Hmmm,” you merge your facial expressions to that of faux pondering, turning your back to Toji. “Nah, can’t. Got dinner to finish making.”

“Hmph, should’ve known.” He makes his way through between you and the front door. “Wouldn’t wanna break your pretty nails carrying heavy shit, huh, princess?” 

You glare at him using the nickname, hating his patronizing gaze. “From what I remembered, you would never let me carry the heavy stuff because you thought I was too fragile and easy to break. So how about that, Mr. Knight in Shining Armor?”

“Really? I don’t remember sayin’ all that before. You must’ve put me in a spell.” 

“Probably, I’ve been told I’m quite cute~.”

“Mmm, nah, more like an old hag of a witch.” Toji barks a laugh at your offended reaction, and he immediately ducks and heads for the stairs when you throw a sandal at him.

“At the very least, say I’m a cute witch, fucker.” You say the final word under your breath, grabbing the sandal you threw and heading back to the kitchen.

To say you and Toji were acquainted with one another would be the biggest understatement of the century. The two of you met a decade ago, fell madly in love, and married within a year of the relationship. When you tied the knot, Tsumiki had to have been two years old, and Megumi just turned one year old. You two had been together for four years after that, and you could confidently say those were one of [if not THE] best years of your life. You often second-guessed yourself being in a relationship with someone who had children, fearing that they wouldn’t like you or ignore you.

However, those worries were blown right away as the days went by. Every time you spent time with the children brought you three closer than ever; it was to the point that they saw you as their mother. How sweet! And there’s no denying that Toji loved you. The man would break someone’s nose for you  — yes, it happened before, and it wasn’t pretty — for you were his sweet little thing that kept him going.  

Well, if it was so great, why the divorce? Let’s just say you weren’t Toji’s first love. That title would have to be awarded to the Megumi’s mother. Even in her unfortunate passing, you can tell that Toji loved that woman like no other. It didn’t make you jealous or anything, seeing the man you love still mourn for a dead woman. Hell, you’d probably do the same if you were him. But, you can’t lie; it felt like you were cast over a “shadow” when it came to her influence. It was damn near suffocating to bear, especially in those four years of marriage. So, for your sake and his aching heart, you pulled him aside and suggested a divorce. And Toji didn’t fight you on the proposition, signing the papers and setting you free from the thick air.

Although things ended between you two, that didn’t mean things stopped being what they were. If anything, it was as if nothing happened at all. Even if you still don’t live under the same roof, you still make time to hang with the Fushiguros, whether invited to some occasion or exchange phone calls or texts to check up on them. Even now, five years after your separation, it warms your heart knowing that you get to interact with the people you care about. 

There are moments you find yourself missing living under the same roof with all three of them and living alone can be pretty lonely. But all in all, as long as they’re comfortable and trust you enough to be around, there’s no need to change things up again. Like right now — the four of you sit at the dinner table eating before the kids go off trick-or-treating.

“Are you going to trick-or-treat with us, Y/n?” The brown-haired child sitting next to you asks while finishing up her dinner. 

“Sorry, not this time, gotta be at a Zoom meeting for my job in a few minutes. But I do have someone else to take my place. Gojo will be here at around—Why are you two making that face?” You stop mid-sentence to notice Megumi and Toji at the other side of the table, displaying disgusted facial expressions at the mention of the white-haired other’s name.

“Why him?” They said in unison.

“Why not??” You question their irritation.

“He’s so annoying…” Again, in unison. Proof enough that they’re father and son.

You sigh as you get up to take your plate to the sink. “Oh, come on, you two, it’s not like he’ll be with you guys the entire night. He has a party at a friend’s he’s going to later.” 

“Isn’t he too old to trick-or-treat?” Tsumiki questions, noting that Gojo is way past his undergraduate years. 

“He is, but whatever gets that prick any free sweets,” Toji answers his daughter before getting up to put his dish in the sink. 

You exit the kitchen, head into the living room, and sit on the couch. The laptop you had placed there was ready to open and unlock, and you clicked on applications and windows to look through before your meeting started in the next three to two minutes. He should be here about—

DING-DONG!!

Now.

Right on cue, you motion for Toji to grab the front door, and he follows your command. “Kids, Gojo’s here!” You shout out to the two kids who still sit at the table. “When you’re done eating, you can go upstairs and put your costumes on. But whoever finishes last has to do the dishes.” You can hear commotion from the table as the brunette rushes to put her dish in the sink and dash for the stairs. Megumi groans to himself; you giggle when you hear him mutter an “Aww man…”

You pull out your headphones to connect to your laptop, put them in their respective ears, and prepare yourself for the meeting. Ignoring the faint passive-aggressive tones of your ex-husband when greeting Gojo at the door…

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Your eyes flutter open, noticing the lighting change around the living room. The orange sunlight no longer decorated the space, substituted with the gradual darkness that overtakes you. The only source of light you can figure out is the flashing from the television screen.

Aside from the TV, there are no other signs of life. There aren’t any signs of Tsumiki or Megumi around playing or causing a raucous. It could only mean the two are still trick-or-treating with Gojo. 

One blink, two blinks. I must’ve fallen asleep after the meeting… You hum while sinking to the couch, burying your face into the pillow. 

But…since when did your pillow act like it was breathing with a heartbeat? And…I smelt that cologne before…How?

“Ya awake now?”

You raise your head, realizing you are not lying on your couch. Technically, you were; however, you were lying on something else on the furniture with you – more like someone. 

It’s then you realize that you were lying on Toji during your entire slumber, him leaning on the end of the couch, one leg spread to make room for you to sleep on him while you sit on the other. And you can guess that you had your head on his chest, snuggling up to his warm figure. He looks at you with his green eyes now darkened by the room, yet you can see their glow from the television light. And that small smile he gives you, the scar on the right side of his lip lifted upward. The familiar butterflies in your stomach flutter like before. Like old times sake…That must be embarrassing, huh?

You frantically try to get off of him, “Sorry about that, I thought—“

“No, no,” Toji places a stern hand on your back, keeping you from moving further. “You were comfortable.” 

You stare at him for a few seconds until your face contours to a look, and a smile starts to creep up while you situate yourself back to your original position, pressing your face back on his chest to listen to the beats of his heart again. “I recall having this couch all to myself not too long ago, so where’d you come from?”

“Well, I wanted to watch some sports highlights, but I figured you’d kick my ass if I pulled you off and had you sleep on the floor instead.” With the click of your tongue, he chortles. You bet your ass I would. “So, I decided to have ya sleep on me while I watch TV.”

“What’s wrong with the other side of the couch? It’s quite vacant and enough for a big guy like you.” 

“True,” his hand rubs circles on your back, an old habit he did when he used to have you like this. “But then I’d be lonely.” 

You titter. “That’s big for someone who said he thrives on being alone.”

“I thrive being alone when I’m working.” You’re glad he can’t see your eyes roll; he’d probably grab you by the cheeks like a child. “Besides, why would I wanna be alone when I have you for myself.”

And there it is, your cheeks begin to warm up. Or was it because you’re so close to him that his heat is transferring to you? That’s probably it, yeah. Let’s change the subject…”How long was I out for? I remember the kids left around 7:30-ish.”

“Mmm, it’s going to eleven right now.”

Three and a half hours? Damn. “It’s past their bedtime.”

Toji scoffs. The abrupt motion of his chest rising is satisfying in a way that makes you even more comfortable. “You still think they’re gonna sleep with all that sweet shit they got?” He snickers some more as you shake your head.

“They know better. When you guys get home, be sure to put their candy bags on the top shelf of the closet for the morning.” 

“Still traumatized from that one time?” 

“Uhhh, yes??” The memory flashes to you for a quick moment, but the dread from before still haunts you. Megumi was six years old and Tsumiki seven, returning home from trick-or-treating and immediately tasting their labor from that night. However, what you didn’t expect was for them both to eat almost half their bags. Let’s just say, thanks to their sugar rushes, they didn’t drop dead until the hour hand touched two of the morning. “Unless it’s the weekend, never again.”

The way the older man chuckles is so therapeutic — it nearly makes you want to fall asleep again. “You weren’t the one chasin' Megumi all over the place tryin' to get him to sleep. Little squirt gets his speed from me.”

“Awww, poor you~” You can sense the glare as you respond in a condescending, sing-song tune. “You and him are always butting heads. Like father, like son.”

“Tch, hate that sayin’ so fuckin’ much.”

“Why? ‘Because it’s true?”

“Shut up.” The hand he used to rest his head comes down to pinch your nose. You wriggle out of his hold with giggles, but he happily keeps you grounded to him with his stronghold and a leg wrapped around to prevent yours from moving. “He only listens to you. Such a sweet lil’ baby to you, huh? Puttin’ my own son against me.”

More giggles prompt out of tiny guilt, and you bring up a hand to rub on his chest. “He’s such a bright boy now. Growing up so big and fast.”

“Miki, too. That girl is way too smart fr' me to catch up. And she’s becoming so kind and strong, crazy to think she made me play teacups when she could barely go down the stairs by herself.” Toji hums, the vibrations felt on the pads of your fingers. “Think she gets that from you.” 

You shook your head. “They’re your babies. They do amazing things because they have a big guy like you to catch them if they ever fall.”

“Hmm, fair…But let’s not pretend I’m the best dad in the world. Fuck, never in my life did I think I’d be a dad, especially with two kids. I didn’t know shit back then — still! I still don’t know shit.” You don’t say anything, just listening to him voice his thoughts to you. Because he knows you’d listen – you always do. “If you weren’t there for them, I don’t think they’d be shining like this. Y’re definitely the thing that brought us up together. They look up to you so much. Ya did so well with them.”

Nodding aimlessly, his black sweatshirt grazing on your cheek. “Thank you. Same to you. Didn’t do so bad yourself, big guy.”

“Mmm.”

Nothing is said between you two after that. The only thing that makes noise is the voices coming from the television. The volume lowered, an initiative you could guess from Toji wanting you to get some rest. The silence was too awkward that it might torture some, but it was fine where it was. There was no need to change it, especially when you were comfortable in each other’s embrace.

That is, until Toji asks, “Do you miss it?” The rubs on your back go slower, his fingertips drawing a ticklish sensation.

“Of course I do. All the time.” You answer honestly, turning your head to rest your chin on him. Your eyes glimpse directly at his, giving him a tiny grin. “Why ask? I know the kids miss me being around; what about you? Miss me nagging and putting you to work all the time?”

He sneers at your comment. “Every day.”

It was such a simple answer, yet it had the power to wipe that smirk right off your face. Your eyes locked in his sight, and your heart tuning to an irregular rhythm. Oh, come on, Y/n, get a grip! “Ahem—Toji, I hope you know that I never stopped missing everything we had — I never will. Those years that we shared were probably the best I’ve had. We had happy moments, others sad, of course. But, God, do I miss it all. I miss it so much. I miss having you guys here. Miki and Gumi and—“

“Me?” Good Lord, if this man doesn’t stop looking at you with those goddamn eyes of his, such captivating orbs that say more than he lets on. Your breath hitches, and so does the hand on your back. “Hmm? Ya miss me, baby?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Why’d you have to call me that? And it gets worse when he places his free hand on your cheek, his thumb brushing your skin while the forefinger teases the lobe and tragus of your ear. Goddammnit…

“...Yes,” your voice was down a whisper, which could easily be mistaken with the television. But you know Toji heard you, loud and clear. “Especially you, Toji.” You said it. The words that he wanted to hear from you. They felt so forbidden to say, yet it was the truth. You avert your gaze away from him. But you knew that wouldn’t work, not right now. Toji taps your cheek with his thumb, and your eyes sheepishly return to his.

He doesn’t say anything, and that makes your heart beat at an unbearable rate. It’s all you can hear when you stare into his deep emerald eyes, the sound of it ringing your eardrums as if you could puke. Your throat running dry, so you gulp to ease the uncomfortable bob. If something could just happen to end this anxious torture, that would be great. 

And then your prayers get answered: something does happen. Toji slowly brings his face closer to yours — your body goes rigid, and you instantly face away before the inevitable happens. No, I didn’t mean that!

“Aht aht, don’t do that, baby.” His hand slithers from your cheek to your chin, forcing you to face straight at him. “Lemme see you.”

“Toji, wait,” your voice travels out in a shaky breath. “We shouldn’t be doing this. We can’t cross this line anymore.”

He listens to your pleas, but his body does otherwise. Placing a gentle kiss on your forehead while the hand on your back snakes downward. “Why not?” His gruff voice dialed down to a whisper.

“Because—Mmmm…” Toji interrupts you by licking the helix of your ear. Oh, you slick bastard. “We’re supposed to be done…” 

“That’s not stoppin’ me from takin’ care of my sweet thing.” Jesus Christ, you almost melted from the way he whispered that to your ear. He’s pulling out all the same old tricks, and it gets more hellish by the second as you try not to give in. “So, y're gonna let me take care of you like I always do, right, mama?”

Both his hands now rest on your ass, groping it while your hips sway as if they have a mind of their own. The leg between yours comes up slightly, making you ride on it. The heat on your cheeks has already blossomed to your ears, making it hard to think straight. Gripping his sweatshirt, your hips ride his thigh to ease the throbbing sensation that grows with every motion. Good God, you shouldn’t be doing this. You know you shouldn’t be doing this. However, it’s been so long that you felt wanted like this — wanted by him. It’s all the same – his voice, his hands, his words, his body, and the names he calls – yet here you are turning into putty. 

“Haaahh, Mmmfff…Toji, please,” Toji withdraws his face from your shoulder, leaving him to examine your expression. You must look so dumb right now, with your hooded eyes and shivering lips. But, at this point, do you even care? “Please…Treat me right.”

One moment, you see his gaze narrow with a devious glint. Next, you’re taken aback when Toji slams his lips on yours, kissing and sucking your bottom lip until you give him access. With a moan, you open your mouth for him and sink deeper into the kiss. Your hands come around his neck, keeping him focused on you and you alone. Not that he would have it any other way.

His strong hands continue to knead your asscheeks while you hump and grind on his thigh. Nibbling on your lip, you whimper helplessly for him. It strokes his ego, knowing he’s making you like this, the fucking bastard. He takes in your tiny cries happily, shoving his tongue to play with yours. You give in to him, almost losing your balance riding his thigh, yet Toji’s lips never leave yours.

You break the kiss to get an imperative breath, panting loudly and sweetly for him as Toji kisses and licks your ear. The sounds make your lower region twitch. “Hnnmm, fuck…That’s my girl. So fuckin’ good fr’ me always, Y/n…” You can feel him slide a hand up to the hem of your leggings, forcing it inside for his thick fingers to brush up on the bare flesh of your butt. You gasp sharply. Him squeezing your butt has you biting down on his sweatshirt. “—Hahhh, Oh God, Toji,” With every squeeze, he inches closer to your panty-covered chasm, where you know he’d find a damp spot. Please touch me. Please, please, plea—

CLACK-CLINK!!

The two of you are frozen stiff when you hear the sound of the door opening and closing, the foyer lights turned on. “Alright~, we got you guys home. See ya later!” That was Gojo’s voice, indicating everyone was finally back from trick-or-treating. This means that Tsumiki and Megumi are about to see you on top of their father, his hand in your leggings and smacking lips with yours. Your eyes shoot wide with horror — immediately remove yourself from Toji and stand up from the couch to pull your bottoms up. You barely had the chance to peek at Toji because the kids already run to the living room to find you two.

“Y/n, Y/n, look!” The brunette was the first to greet you with her adorable pink Barbie cowgirl costume. She and her brother, dressed as Sasuke Uchiha, cheerfully showcased their pillowcases full of candy. “Look at all this candy we got!”

“Wooow, you guys really went on a haul,” you can only hope they can’t see you sweating bullets through your fake reaction. “Wh–Where’s Gojo?” 

“He dropped us off here a few seconds ago and left for the party,” The raven-haired boy answered while scanning his pillowcase.

You only nod along until you frantically wipe your mouth, realizing the tiny trail of spit from the corner of your mouth. “Umm—Ahem, well then, I’m glad you two got all that candy. Now, let’s hurry up and get you guys home so you can get ready for school tomorrow!” 

But the children didn’t move an inch. Actually, they looked like they were going to tell you something. You lift a brow. Oh no, they’re going to look at each other. They looked at each other and then glanced back at you. Oh, God, no. “Uhhh, Y/n, we were thinking.” Big sister Tsumiki is always the one who asks the following question. “Can we stay over?”

You inhale a massive breath, yet you do your best not to exhale a heavy sigh. “Kids, you promised to keep the overnight stays to three at max per month. This will be the fifth!” 

“Yeah, but it’s dark out. Plus, it’s way past our bedtime.” The younger chimes in with a tiny pout. “We’ll be asleep by the time Dad gets us home.”

And here comes Tsumiki with the tag-team response to add on. “And that means he’ll have to make continuous trips back and forth from the car. Picking me and Megumi up, getting our bookbags, the bags full of candy, the whole thing! We already packed up our PJs just in case.” 

You stood there staring at the two in astonishment. There’s no way they thoroughly planned this out. There’s just no way… And to make it worse, they were making valid arguments. You open your mouth to say something, but the two give the best puppy eyes they can. The wave of guilt hits like a train, internally cringing. You turn to Toji, who still sits on the couch, and the motherfucker only gives you a shrug. Wow, what a helpful father he is.

You groan into your hands, shaking your head while looking at the kids who wait for your verdict. “…Alright, you can stay as long as you PROMISE to put those candy bags in my bedroom closet. Deal?” The happy smiles and aggressive head shakes should answer your question. “Good, now go ahead and take your showers before you head for bed.” They rushed to the stairs by the time you finished that sentence, so enthusiastic about staying the night at your house, and you can’t help but smile hearing their footsteps run up the stairs. 

With that being said, you turn to the older man again. Your brows are trenched down, but your smile is still present. “So, you legit just sat there and let those two tag-team me like that? In my own house?”

Another shrug with a dumb smirk on his handsome face. “Told you: too smart fr’ me to catch up.” You shake your head before exiting to get the kids and guest rooms ready, leaving him with the television. 

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

The midnight hour has finally danced its way into the darkness of the night. Halloween is finally over, and the month of October is no more. The pitter-patter sound of the rain cleanses the neighborhood of its merits and festivities that partook hours ago, ready for a new phase of the year to take over.

After having the guest room ready with sheets and sleepwear for Toji and kissing the kids goodnight, you rinse your stress off with a nice shower and put on your pajamas to get ready for bed. After you turn the lights off, you drape the comforter over your figure as your body sinks with the cozy sheets and pillowcase. Your eyes close while focusing on the curtains of your window, the only light piercing inside being the lampposts by the street. 

…Well, at least that’s what’s supposed to happen. But that’s not the case because you’re not the only one lying comfortably on your mattress. Instead, Toji is here with you, in your room, on your bed, his chest to your back, and his hand roaming inside your oversized shirt. Your lips are now connected with his, sharing your erotic moans with his enticing groans, and you get a little louder as his fingers cup and play with your breast.

“Mmphh…Ahhhh, I thought I told you you’re sleeping in the guest room—Nmmff!” He tweezes your nipple with his forefinger and thumb roughly.  

“And I thought you’d be smart enough to know that wasn’t gonna happen.” Toji kisses the crook of your neck, drawing near your ear for him to whisper. “Besides, look at you. Still sleepin’ with no underwear on?”

“Hmph, only when I have a man around the house.” That answer got you another rough tweak on your nip and a purposeful gnaw to your ear. You knew he’d react like that, never liking the mention of another man leaving your mouth – especially during an intimate time like this.

“That so? What man you know that can handle all this?” Toji then moves from his side to be between your legs, pulling up your shirt to fully expose your chest. And your breathe hitches while his free hand travels down your abdomen to your bottoms.

“Ahhhh, no one. Just you...” You look at him with half-lidded eyes, taking in his reaction to what you said. The salacious grin on his face becoming broader should entail that he greatly loved that retort.

He brings his face to your other unattended nipple, “Good answer, princess.” The nub of your breast enters his mouth, and the wet warmth of his tongue greets it with lapped motions and grazes from his teeth. Despite that, it doesn’t distract you from the fact your bottoms are pulled down with ease and are thrown to the bedroom floor, leaving your cunt out for him, your erotic fluids seeping and glistening from the outside lights. 

Toji plays with your folds until he can stuff his pointer finger into your chasm, the insertion resulting in your body’s jolt. It’s been a long while since you had his thick digit inside you, playing and scraping the inner walls to evoke whimpers. God, it felt so good, this satisfying feeling returning to awaken your body to his touch. He interacts with your body as if he’s the only person who knows how to get you going – and it’s the truth. No one can put you in a blissful haze quicker than this man. And you’d prefer to keep it that way. 

The addition of his middle finger into your leaky entrance startles you, the thick digit making its way in with such vigor that he uses both fingers to scrape the velvety texture of your walls. Your eyes are now screwed shut at the growing commotion between your thighs, and the heat within your body flourishing all around gets to your head. “—Khmm, Oh fuuck, Toji. Please, don’t stop.” 

With a soft ‘pop’ noise from his lips, Toji replies to your demands. “I’m sorry, what’s my name again?” You giggle with trenched brows. Of course, how could I forget?

“Nmmph, D-Daddy, pleaseee, I’m so clo—Ahhhann!!” He puts his thumb to your clit, grinding down on it unexpectedly. “I wanna cum, pleaseee…”

“Hmmm, good girl,” he teased, laying down kisses, nibbling on the skin of your stomach and inner thighs until he arrives at your leaking slit. Your body jerks up from the bed when you feel the cold, wet muscle slowly lick on your clitoris before ravaging your folds. The sounds of his mouth on your cunt are so lewd to the ear, slurping noises from his lips with the lapping motions of his tongue claiming your come are too much for you. And when he uses his hand to swipe and pinch your clit? Oh, it’s a wrap. Your release comes out without control, biting down on your bottom lip to make sure your cries don’t leave this space for the kids to hear. Their room is on the other side down the hall; tonight isn’t the night for too many risks.

When your trembling body calms down and subsides, Toji withdraws his face from between your thighs. Your essence paints his mouth, and he wipes his chin clean while licking the remnants that coat his scarred lips. “Hmph, missed tastin’ you like that.” You open your eyes when your high finally evades you, watching your ex-husband pull down his sweats. His erection springs out and hits his stomach, your mind going rampant with thoughts as you ogle at his freed limb. Shit, it’s been so long. Will that shit even fit me again?

“Don’t think it’ll fit, baby?” Damn him, he loves teasing you. Toji then discards his black wife-beater, at long last revealing his well-built, brawny physique that has you drooling for him. He uses his hands to maneuver your legs—your knees pushed to your chest as your legs propped up on his shoulders. A position you’re all too familiar with. Your eyes don’t leave Toji’s cock as he aligns his cock to your slick-coated folds. “Take some breaths fr’ me, sweetie. Can’t take care of you when you’re all tense.”

You take up on his advice and begin taking deep breaths, reminding yourself to maintain the steady pattern as he pushes the tip of his dick between the lips of your cunt. Every inhale is where he nudges into the hole of your inner cavern, and every exhale gives you time to breathe out the pain that comes in for a split second. This carries on until the cockhead wedges itself perfectly into your vagina, along with the inches of his girth that stretches until the base kisses your lips, the tip of him kissing your cervix. Tears swell up in your eyes, taking more deep breaths to prepare yourself for what’s about to come. 

“Oooh fuuuck…Heh, yeah, that’s my baby right there. Fittin’ so perfect fr’ me, mama…” He puts his weight on you, keeping your figure unmoving under his bow. 

“Nmmmf, Daddyyy,” you’re forced to take in all of him, and drool trails down your lips with no hope of taking care of it. “…I’m so full, you’re too much…”

“I know, sweetie, I know.” He wipes your spit after kissing your forehead. How gentle compared to what you’re about to go through. “Gonna move now.” His thrusts start slow for the two of you to adjust to each other; the feeling of his length’s veins coming in and out of your chasm is so euphoric, and the kisses to your cervix want your body to writhe and squirm. But you’re bent into this position for a reason: forced to submit to him no matter what. So you do just that.

Yet your horny haze gets more potent once he picks up the pace, rutting into you with increased speed. Your slit, still sensitive from earlier, gets overstimulated with the constant grazes on your gummy walls and jabs to your tender cervix. It takes everything in your power not to come so early.

“—Hahhhh, Nmmph. Oh, shit, shit, shit…” Toji groans above you, the thrusts of his pelvis increase to an irregular rhythm, grinding deep into your cunt to the point of uncontrollable babbles escaping your lips. His bullying on your insides results in you gripping his length hard, causing the older man to hiss and moan at your contractions. “—Ohhhfuuuckk!! Jesus Christ, baby. Y’re gonna make me go crazy.” 

As if that wasn’t already happening now that he pistons his cock into your wetness, your brain turning into mush from the onslaught of ruts to your puffy wet chasm. Tears stream down your face, and more drool follows down with more precise hits to your delicate canal. The pounding in your head makes it hard to think of anything else, the squelching noises and paps of Toji’s balls hitting your cunt making it worse. 

“D-Daddyyy, I’m—Ohoooo!! Oh, Jesus, ohhhshit!” You can’t formulate a proper sentence, too engulfed with the electrifying sensations coursing through your body. 

“Damn, you feel too fucking good—Hnngh!!” Toji places his forehead on yours, resting his entire weight on you while his hips have a mind of their own. “‘Bout to make me knock you up…”

Oh, good Lord. The mere thought of having a child is the last thing that should be on your mind. But in a time like this, who in their right mind would be thinking straight? “Nnnfff! Oh God, pleaseee, fill me up, Daddyy!” Green eyes narrow with trenched brows. “—Pleasepleasepleaseee!! I want you to fill me up so bad, I want it, I want—Hyaaaaa!!” 

How can he deny your desperate, teary pleas when you’re urging him on like this? “Heh, you’re so fuckin’ sexy, mama.” Toji captures your lips with his, your mewls taken by him as you sink further into your pleasurable thrill.

Sporadic thrusts of his pelvis produce more raunchy noises in the joining of your sexes, his heavy balls smacking on your cunt as he drives the base of his cock straight into you. Your slit is now a puffy mess, come and slick form a soapy mess that Toji now harbors a milky ring around his girth. A few rushed, sloppy thrusts heighten your high once more, and then Toji presses his pelvis down to the hilt on one final, harsh thrust, unloading his seed into your aching folds. And your climax follows in a few seconds, the walls of your cunt fluttering on his pulsating dick as your essence soaks him. Your muffled shrieks are received by him, quivering under him until the aftershocks wash through your body. 

Once you two breathe at a steady tempo and the nerves of your sweaty bodies fall still, the kiss is broken with heavy pants and a string of spit that links you two together. Toji buries his face between your neck and shoulder, licking and kissing your skin as you’re allowed time to experience your clarity.

“Hmmm…You know I’m not done yet, princess.” Toji mumbles to your ear before stationing your legs off his shoulders for them to rest.

“Yeah, I know, big guy.” You tease him with a breathless laugh, kissing him on the temple. “Always wanting more…”

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

“…So, you’re telling me you had your ex-husband spend the night? Not just the kids?”

“Yup, that’s what happened.” 

This morning was different from your usual routine – well, you can’t say it’s different if you have done it before, huh? After five years of divorce, you thought you’d be so used to waking up and getting ready for work without worrying about others. However, this morning proves otherwise.

It felt natural walking into the kids’ room and lightly shaking them awake, telling them to get ready while you whip up something quick for them to eat as Toji showers (using your bathroom, by the way). Watching the kids run down the stairs and eat breakfast puts a smile on your face, reminiscing about the good old days when they were younger and teenier. It sometimes feels surreal doing the same thing for them now that they’re getting older and taller. But seeing them bicker and interact with each other in your presence never fails to warm your heart.

When Toji’s finished freshening up and loading his kids’ stuff in his truck, it’s time to bid them farewell for their departure for school. You give them final touch-ups on their hair and outfits, reminding them to be safe and not get into trouble (especially Megumi, now that the boy’s been getting into fights). And before they rush to the car, you hug them and give each a kiss on the cheek. Here is where the warm feeling inside your heart begins to deteriorate, not wanting to let them go. Yet, for their sake – and education – you release them and hope for the best.

The last to leave was Toji, who came from the kitchen to the front door with a paper plate wrapped in foil in one hand. His name is written boldly by a black Sharpie. “This fr' me?” 

“No, it’s for Shiu Kong, for dealing with you all the time.” You stick your tongue out at Toji as he glares at you, not even moving out of the way while he exits through the door. “You better eat that when you get to work, you have a terrible habit of skipping lunch.” 

“Whatever ya say, mom.” He pesters you with the title, knowing you’re technically not a mother anymore. Yet it only makes you smile knowing he notices your maternal side. 

“Don’t forget to text me when Tsumiki’s soccer game is next week.” You watch him go down the porch stairs. 

“Will do.”He whistles. 

“And Toji?”

The man stops walking to turn to you, his forest green eyes fixed on you so quickly that you almost forget what you want to say. Or what you wanted to do. You place your fingers on your lips and blow a kiss with an outward gesture. It was an old habit you did whenever he left, something you can’t seem to get out of practice with. It’s embroidered in your mind at this point. 

And when he catches the kiss with his free hand and places it on his chest, it makes your heart skip a beat. Toji grins, “I’ll be damned if that was fr' Shiu, too.”

You snicker with a shaken head. “Drive safe, Toji.” Closing the front door, you stand there for a while. Your smile doesn’t falter; it gets bigger as you replay the moment instead. Thinking about him, hearing him, seeing him, it all drives you crazy. And that’s a good thing…right?

“I don’t know, sounds like you still kinda care about the guy.” 

“Of course I do,” So here you are, sitting in your living room enjoying the rays of the sunset decorating the space, in a video call with your best friends, Utahime and Mei Mei. You reply to the former’s comment. “Just because I don’t have the ring on my finger doesn’t mean I shouldn’t care about him. I mean, he’s the father of two lovely children.”

��Shoot, you’re better than me, then.” The dark-haired woman admits. “But you’re kinda proving my point, Y/n. Even when you don’t have the ring on, you two act like the same old couple, and it’s definitely not just for the kids’ sake. Let’s be real here.” 

You try to interject, but the pale-blue-haired other, Mei Mei, intervenes, “I agree. It’s one thing if you let the children stay over, but he also wanted to spend the night. Sure, he could’ve been tired from driving all day and such. However, if you’re still seeing a man for the last five years – while legally unbound – and he says he wants to spend the night under your roof, which is rare, that should ring some bells at least.”

“I know, it did…” you nod along with what your friend is saying, throwing your head back with a heavy sigh. “But it’s not like he’s never spent the night here before, nor is he banished from stepping inside.” 

“Oh? Then why is this time different from the others?”

Utahime jumps in after Mei Mei’s chirp. “Yeah, you’re telling us about all these nostalgic lovey-dovey feelings as if you’re falling in love with him all over again. What, did you two have sex or something?” 

An open mouth, yet no words come out, leaving you in a predicament. You could’ve just lied or swerved the subject to something else. But you didn’t. And the two women on the screen lift their brows with hooded eyes, a look meaning a thousand words. You couldn’t even explain yourself either because a sudden knock on your door captured the attention of all three of you. 

You stand up and walk towards the door, your friends still on call on the phone at hand. Opening the door, you’re almost stunned to see in front of you. Tsumiki and Megumi with nervous smiles, and their father at the car collecting the same duffles bags from last night. You’re kidding.

“Hey, kids.” The two of them gulped from not calling them by their names. You bring up the phone to face the screen to them. “Say hello to Auntie Mei Mei and Utahime.” The women on the line smile and wave at the children, who sheepishly wave back.

“Hi, aunties.” Megumi greets them, and then his eyes drift back to you. “So, Y/n—“

“What did you forget this time?” Straight to the point, no room for excuses.

“It was Miki this time! She forgot her soccer cleats.” The older sibling gawks at her younger brother for calling her out.

“Tsumiki, I know you have cleats at home.”

“I do, but these are special! You bought them for my birthday, and I’ve been wearing them to every game ever since! So, I was scared when I couldn’t find them at home.” The brunette was quick to defend her stand. “Also, Dad doesn’t feel like driving up here and then back. So…can we…”

You close your eyes and bring the phone to your face to shield your vexation. Twice in a row, the sixth time this month. You can hear the giggles of your friends from the other side of the phone, adding more fuel to the fire. You don’t look up until you hear heavy footsteps on the porch, seeing Toji holding both duffle bags with a hand and shoulder. He stares at you as you stare at him, a silent conversation on how to handle this situation. And when he shrugs with lifted brows, you realize it’s no use and release the long-awaited sigh.

“….If I see one more thing being left behind here, you guys can’t come back till December, understand?” It wasn’t anything serious, but enough for the kids to know you weren’t joking. They nod their heads in unison while you roll your eyes. “Okay, get in here.” They rushed inside with gleeful laughs, the shuffling of their backpacks following along with them. Your eyes then drift to Toji as he walks up to you. “Did you forget something here, too?”

“Yeah,” you lift a brow when he drops Megumi’s bag to the floor. Before you can register his hand on your chin, you squeak when he brings his lips to yours. It lasted for seconds, but the kiss was sweet and tender, sucking on your lip before letting go with a playful bite. “Meant to give you that when you woke up. Thanks fr' the food, mama.” 

Toji picks the bag up and walks inside your home to put the bags in the rooms, leaving you standing on the porch with an astounded expression. You couldn’t appropriately calibrate your thoughts until you heard faint laughs from the phone. Then, you realize your best friends witnessed the entire scene that transpired. 

Utahime, with the slyest leer, was the first to say something. “Oh yeah, he laid that pipe on you good, without a doubt.”

“Mhmm,” Mei Mei agrees with a chuckle. “And I'm guessing he’s gonna do it again tonight. Isn’t that right, Y/n?”

You end the video call with a heated face. “Sh-Shut your damn mouths!!” Again, you groan into your hands before returning inside. Thank God I still have those birth control pills...

♱ 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

© 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲2023 – reblogs + comments are appreciated wholeheartedly ☆ header art by rororogi mogera + dividers by the amazing @/cafekitsune!!

#𝑯𝒐𝒔𝒉𝒊 ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒔: 𝑭𝒊𝒄𝒔 #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen smut #jjk smut #jjk x y/n #jjk x you #toji x reader #toji fushiguro x reader #toji smut #toji fushiguro smut #toji x you #toji x y/n #fushiguro toji x reader #fushiguro toji x you #toji fanfic #fushiguro toji smut #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen fic #jjk imagines #jjk fic

[c0wgurlz]

Trouble On My Left, Trouble On My Right

Chapter 2: Operation, Find Caroline a Cowboy

gif by @bodybebangin

Kayce Dutton x Reader/OC - Friends to Lovers

He doesn't even have to take half a step to catch back up with me. “Come on Caroline, you know I’m just teasing you.” He pats my back as a peace offering. “Although,” Okay, maybe not. “I have it on good authority that I can please the ladies, so save a horse and all that.” Winking flirtatiously, he belts out a laugh, finally removing his hand from my bare back. And what a blessing that is, because if he had kept touching me while talking about… that, I’d be liable to combust.

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Chapter 1

Sorry it took me so long to update! I'm a teacher and my free time is fairly limited. We're at a point in the school year now though that is much less stressful, so expect fairly regular updates, at least for the next few chapters.

Comments are so appreciated! I'd love to know what ya'll like and what ya'll think I could improve upon.

As always: I do not own Yellowstone (2018) or any of its characters. This work is not monetized.

THIS FIC IS CROSSPOSTED TO AO3. It is not posted to any other site. I am lookingcold on AO3 and that is all. I do not give permission for my work to be posted by others to any other platform.

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We don’t talk for the rest of the walk, but the silence is comfortable, like it always is between us. Kayce and I have never asked too much of each other, have always read each others’ moods as if they were our own, and that apparently hasn’t changed from the five years we’ve spent apart. It’s glaringly obvious to us both that neither is up for idle chit chat. 

And while I’m really not up for small talk, the silence does, unfortunately, give me entirely too much time to overthink. What felt like such a natural decision, what felt like fulfilling my duty this morning, now feels foolhardy, and quite possibly too risky. Now this isn’t to say that I’m doubting my choice. Helping Mr. John, helping Kayce, helping the family and ranch that raised me, that picked up my pieces and glued me back together over and over, is a no brainer. Helping the people and the place I love most in the world feels as natural as breathing. But smoothing over a murder? That’s- No, I’m not doubting my choice, but I’m sure as hell doubting my sanity. When I said the Duttons needed a criminal defense lawyer, not a PR specialist, I wasn’t exaggerating. And if I’m being honest, this job feels more like that of an accessory than a public relations consult.

The front porch of the big house comes into view well before I’m ready. This dinner may be a reunion of sorts, but it’ll undoubtedly be a business meeting as well. Steeling my nerves for such talks doesn’t come quite as naturally to me as it once did. I feel like a knight with rusty armor. Weak at critical points, weak where it matters. More aptly, I feel like a little girl again, staring into the headlights of a train with no way to move and no way to stop it. I’m no coward, please don’t think that of me, but you know that feeling of impending doom? The one that makes your spine tingle and your stomach drop to your knees? Dread is probably the best word. That’s all I can feel as I stand at the bottom step of the Dutton’s porch. 

I must hesitate for too long, or stare off into space, or look absolutely fucking terrified, because in a flash Kayce is back down the two steps he’d already taken and by my side. He doesn’t say anything, you’d think we’d taken a vow of silence, but just looks at me imploringly, resembling a curious puppy so much I almost crack a smile. And then Kacye, sweet Kayce, wraps his calloused hand around mine and tucks it against his chest, over his heart, before tipping his head, ushering me up the stairs. Once I’m half way up I get a fond, “Atta girl,” and what woman doesn’t love being praised like an obedient mare. I snort in response and kick out my foot to trip him, but only a little bit, on the last stair. Can’t have hime getting too full of himself.

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Dinner is nice, but rather awkward if I’m totally honest, mainly due to the fact that Beth and Jamie are in attendance. Let’s just say Gator clears the table well before dinner should truly be over. To my surprise, we don’t talk business, but rather I’m questioned, interrogated really, over what I’ve been up to the past five years and why haven’t I called and would it really kill me to send a text every few months. Beth is the one who leads this inquiry. Jamie and I were never particularly close, so he remains silent for the most part, and he leaves in a huff shortly after Beth throws a fork like it’s a trident directly at his forehead. Can’t say I blame him, even I can only handle so much of Beth when she’s at her worst.

My interrogation is blissfully, or so I thought, cut short by Mr. John when he asks, “So, ya’ll have any plans tonight?” He folds his napkin meticulously, trying to look nonchalant but missing the mark by a shameful amount. If I thought that feeling of dread had left me, I was wrong.

I narrow my eyes and prepare to defend myself against an interrogation of a different kind. Before I can grit out a suspicious, “No, why,” however, Beth pipes up. “Actually Daddy, since you asked,” at this she turns to me, “Caroline, how do you feel about heading into town and getting gloriously drunk and then gloriously fucked? You’ve been gone far too long, so you’ve got to be re-initiated, re-tainted if you will.” She looks me up and down, assessing. “You’re far too shiny, like a little cherub.”

Jesus Christ, I think she’s suggesting I fuck a townie. And Mary and Joseph I haven’t even so much as kissed someone since my divorce - ok, well maybe a peck or two here or there, but that’s besides the point. Here I was, so worried about talking business, about skirting around the subject of murder, only to be blindsided by an age old Dutton scheme. Operation: Find Caroline a Cowboy. Well if Beth thinks I’m about to get biblical with some rando she is absolutely, positively looney tunes. Now, how to communicate all of that in a tactful way? Taking a shallow breath, I part my lips and prepare to spout some placating, buzzword bullshit. Something along the lines of, “Well, as fun as that sounds, I’m actually really tired. Maybe later this weekend?” or “How about we just kick back in the bunkhouse tonight, save the salaciousess for this Saturday?” Before I can even utter a word though, Kayce butts in on my behalf.

“Do you maybe think you could save the corruption for later, Beth? I’ve already promised the boys that I’ll bring Caroline around for cards tonight.” While his voice is calm, casual even, Kayce gives himself away the moment he begins to bounce his leg, the tap tap tap of the heel of his boot loud in the otherwise quiet room. He’s uncomfortable, maybe even irritated, which aren’t we all at least a little bit when speaking to Beth, but there’s something else. A boyishness to his demeanor that I haven’t seen since high school. There’s also the fact that we had decidedly made zero plans to visit the bunkhouse tonight. So. Interesting.

I’m certainly not the only one to notice his odd shift in behavior, as Mr. John’s lips curl into a smirk and Beth’s face arranges inself into a pleased, self-satisfied expression. She frequently wears the look of someone who knows enough to destroy literally any given person’s life, but this look is more playful, one of a cat that’s pinned a mouse by its tail. Ignoring Kayce, she turns her attention back to me. “Caroline, sweetheart, don’t even think about screwing any of those cowboys. I know old habits die hard, but trust me when I say not a single one of them is worth a ride.” Now, to be clear, Beth knows, I know, Mr. John knows, and even Kayce knows that Beth has only ever screwed one of said cowboys out in that bunkhouse, still, her dig elicits the desired reaction from Kayce. And furthermore, she makes it clear that she’s not just trying to set me up with any old cowboy. I’m on to her. Operation: Find Caroline a Kayce.

With a cringe of disgust and a flushed face, he exclaims, “Fuck’s sake Beth, I’m not taking her out there to pimp her out.” He’s stopped smoothing the tablecloth, but now he’s exasperatedly running his hand through his still damp hair. Shit, Kayce. You think he’d have learned by now how to not play into Beth’s hand. Some people just have to learn the hard way I suppose. 

Beth’s eyebrows lift and the corner of her mouth quirks. “Well you’re not a very good bestfriend then, are you?”

“Fuck you.” Kayce mutters, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms petulantlly.

“Maybe you should be saying that to her.” Beth points at me with her napkin, dropping it onto her plate as she rises from the table. “This has been fun. Possibly the best family dinner we’ve had all year.” Planting a kiss on Mr. John’s cheek she says, “Love you Daddy, have a drink with me later, will you? I think we should talk.” Then, rounding the table to me, she strokes my hair, almost motherly, “Caroline, sweetheart, clear your schedule Saturday. Me and you are going to paint the town red.” Finally, reaching Kayce, she sighs, “Goodnight, dummy. Let me know if you’d like help finding your balls.” And just like a tornado, she’s there wreaking havoc one moment, and gone the next.

The dining room is uncomfortably silent for a beat after she exits, until Mr. John blessedly breaks the awkwardness yet again. “Beth’s antics aside, I don’t think ya’ll should be going out anywhere tonight. We’ve got several important meetings lined up tomorrow morning and I need both of you sharp. Especially you Kayce, tomorrow will require you to tell a very particular version of events and I can’t risk you fucking that up. Alright, Son?”

Looking slightly cowed, Kayce nods his head in agreement. “Alright.”

Having determined this hell of a dinner has gone on long enough, I begin to make moves to excuse Kayce and myself. “Dinner was delicious Mr. John, thank you for having me. And thank you for such fine company.” I may be lying out of my ass, but my momma didn’t raise me to be rude.

Mr. John exhales a dry laugh and rises from the table. It’s moments like this where his and Beth’s resemblance is striking. “No need to thank me, honey. You’re family, you’re welcome at my table anytime.” Pushing in his chair he surveys Kayce and I with calculating eyes. “Why don’t you two head on home, you both look like you’ve been put through the wringer.”

Gee Mr. John, I wonder the hell why?

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Our walk back isn’t nearly as silent as our walk to the house. To say Kayce is pissed would be putting it lightly. “What in the actual fuck was all that? I mean, Beth was no surprise, but what shit is Dad trying to pull?”

“Kayce, your daddy barely said a word.” I’m more focused on the words left unsaid.

“He didn’t have to say anything Carrie, he sat there like a smug bastard and let Beth say it all for him.” Kayce may as well be pitching a fit the way he kicks at the ground, arms hugged tight to his chest like a wronged toddler. Honestly, the image is kind of amusing, so much so that I have to stifle a laugh. I must not do a good enough job, because I can feel the glare that Kayce shoots through the side of my head. “What?”

Not wanting to add fuel to the fire, I’m quick to hide my growing grin. “Well first off, I’m gonna overlook the fact you pulled out my forbidden nickname. But second, do you remember that Christmas when we were thirteen? How Beth hung mistletoe from literally every single doorway, and how your daddy actually enforced the kissing rule?” I raise my eyebrows high, daring him to conveniently “forget” an awkward moment from our childhood as he often pretends to do.

The tips of his ears turn pink, but he sighs his agreement. “Yeah I remember, we must’ve kissed two dozen times. At the time I thought dying would’ve been a kinder fate.”

Asshole. I punch him in the arm, hard. “Wow. Thanks a lot. The sentiment is shared.” Rolling my eyes and checking for invisible dirt beneath my nails, I continue. “Anyways, what they’re doing now, Beth and your daddy, is just an enormous escalation of what they did then. I don’t think Mr. John will rest in his grave until I give him a grandbaby - with you.” I look at Kayce pointedly. It’s no secret that Mr. John, and Beth by extension, have been holding out hope that me and Kayce would fall madly in love and have lots of babies. When Kayce married Monica the teasing and hinting stopped, after all Mr. John would never disrespect their marriage in such a way, and when I married Judd it was almost like a fence went up between us, between myself and the Duttons that is, but now that both of our spouses are out of the picture? I’m certainly not surprised the trouble has started back up.

I expect Kayce to splutter and turn a darker shade of red. Despite his gruff exterior he’s always been reserved and easy to embarrass. He surprises me though when he mutters, “Maybe we should just give him what he wants then. Get him and Beth off our backs.”

I shock myself with the cackle that bursts its way out of my body. It bubbles out partly because of the utter glee I get from Kayce having a sense of humor for once and partly from the insanity of such a suggestion. “So you’re telling me, that your solution to getting your daddy and Beth to leave us alone, is to have a baby together? Yeah, because they definitely would have no interest in our love lives after a stunt like that.” I bump his hip with mine. “I can just hear Beth now, ‘I’m thinking a Fall wedding, you look horrible in bright colors and nobody wants to wear a suit in eighty-eight degree weather.’ We’d never hear the end of it.”

Kayce shrugs, shooting me a wry grin. “Hey, if we marry each other at least we’ll know what we’re getting into. No surprises.”

“Yeah, and no sex,” slips past my lips before I can swallow it down. What a stupid fucking thing to say. Good job Caroline, talk about fucking, or not fucking, your best friend some more why don’t you. Now I’m the one who’s blushing. Pink from the roots of my hair to my chest. And what a fatal mistake I’ve made by opening my fat mouth. My whole life I’ve had to be one step ahead of Kayce, embarrassing him before he can embarrass me worse, yet here I am giving him a golden opportunity.

His grin only widens. “I hate to break it to you Carrie, but to make a baby people have to have sex.” He slings an arm around my shoulders, adding insult to injury. “You know when a man loves a woman…”

I elbow him in the ribs before he can continue. He laughs at my embarrassment just as much as he groans from the pain. “Oh shut up.” Now I cross my arms, increasing my stride so that his arm falls from my shoulders.

He doesn’t even have to take half a step to catch back up with me. “Come on Caroline, you know I’m just teasing you.” He pats my back as a peace offering. “Although,” Okay, maybe not. “I have it on good authority that I can please the ladies, so save a horse and all that.” Winking flirtatiously, he belts out a laugh, finally removing his hand from my bare back. And what a blessing that is, because if he had kept touching me while talking about… that, I’d be liable to combust. If Kayce had always been shy and reserved in his day to day life, where I had been bright and obnoxious in mine, the topic of sex is where we switched places. I think calling myself a prude may be a tad harsh, but I certainly have never been one to broadcast my sexual business. Kayce on the other hand has never shied away from flirting, or kissing, or having sex in nearly every one of Mr. John’s pastures - you don’t get someone pregnant at nineteen by keeping it in your pants after all. 

Playing the game I had with Kayce in the bathroom earlier today had felt safe, probably because I was the one in control, but this battle of wills feels altogether different, like someone is poking at an insecurity, at a bruise I didn’t even know I had. It’s confusing at best and humiliating at worst. Throwing his words back at him, I huff, “Now Kayce Dutton, you know this conversation is entirely improper, so I suggest you drop it. And also,” I whirl around on the step I’ve just taken. Thank God we’ve reached the foreman’s house because I don’t know how much longer I can participate in this back and forth before I’m forced to will myself out of existence. “Who says I’d even want to have a baby with you? Good authority or not. I know ya’ll’ve gotten new ranch hands since I’ve last been here, all of whom I haven’t gotten to size up yet. You never know, maybe one of them is babydaddy material.” I poke him firmly in the chest. “Don’t assume I haven’t got options.” Before Kayce can respond I storm up the remaining steps and into the house, kicking my boots off perhaps a bit too aggressively before striding into the kitchen. What I plan to do in the kitchen, I don’t know, but I still don’t know which room I’m staying in and the living room feels too cozy to stew in, so the kitchen it is.

Kayce saddles in much more calmly, but his fierce expression gives his true feelings away. “Are you serious?” He grunts, and if I wasn’t so embarrassed, mad, confused, hurt - for some reason that alludes me, I might have found the rocky timbre of his voice sexy. 

“Serious about what?” I avoid his gaze petulantly, pouring myself a glass of water for a lack of anything better to do.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” He groans, tipping his head back and rubbing at his eyes. “Are you really picking a fight over whether or not we should get imaginary married, have imaginary sex, and have an imaginary baby? You do hear how crazy that sounds?”

“So now I’m crazy?” My voice is cool, and serious, even though at this point I realize I’ve lost the argument. Even though I’ve realized there never should’ve been an argument in the first place.

Any fight Kayce had left in him drains away. I see the moment that it leaves his body, his eyes softening and his shoulders relaxing. “Caroline, honey, what’d I do?”

Almost as if there’s an invisible string connecting us, my body relaxes too. I blow out a breath, dump my water down the drain, and come to stand in front of him. No island between us. “You didn’t really do anything, just poked at a sore spot, that’s all.”

Sensing that this may be a conversation best saved for later, Kayce graciously changes the subject. Scratching at the back of his neck with one hand and gesturing towards the bathroom with the other he murmurs, “Well uh, if you still wanna have that spa night we should probably get going, we’ve got a early morning tomorrow and if I’m gonna let you take my spa virginity we’ve gotta do this thing right.” That earns him a hard exhale, the ghost of what could’ve been a laugh. But he must know not to expect much else, that I’m still nursing my bruised ego, because he carries on. “So why don’t I go get that bubble bath started and you can sort through your uh lotions and potions, decide on how best to pretty me up. And then maybe we could talk, about anything you want.” He begins to walk backwards, making his way towards the bathroom. It’s odd to hear the soft pad of his socked feet on the hardwood and not the click of his boots, but also kind of nice, endearing.

“Okay,” I breath, “Yeah, that’d be - that’d be nice.” I move to walk past him, into the hall where I’d left my bags. “I think you’ve got a bit of a sunburn so I’ll see if I’ve got an aloe mask for you. If you plan on putting yourself back on the market you’d better start taking care of your looks.”

I’m very purposefully facing away from him, so I don’t see the melancholy on his face so much as I hear it in his voice. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s likely to happen. My days of chasing tail are definitely over.” I don’t reply, not too keen on opening that can of worms further, and so an uncomfortable silence settles over us. It’s only broken when Kayce sighs, “Well, I’ll uh, I’ll be in the bathroom whenever you’re ready.”

Still looking down, I pause the mindless shuffling I’d been doing through my bags, “Alright, just give me a few minutes.” Having found the masks I was looking for well before now, I finally rise from out of my crouch, left knee popping in protest. “Like you said, you deserve a proper first spa night,” I turn my body to reveal my profile, pretending to check the label of the plastic tub in my hands, “I’ve gotta make sure I pull out all the stops. You know I don’t half ass anything.” Feeling generous, I finally offer him a small smile, turning to fully face him.

The relief in his eyes catches me off guard. “Don’t I know it.”

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

I don’t know what I expected when Kayce said he’d go run a bubble bath. Too absorbed in my own thoughts, I didn’t consider that such an activity is typically done alone, certainly not with a friend, and even more certainly not with a totally platonic, albeit sexy, boy bestfriend. When I finally make my way into the bathroom however, I’m greeted by the sight of Kayce settled into the comically large clawfoot tub, chin tucked to his chest so that bubbles cling to his beard, eyes unfocused and contemplative. “Didn’t realize I invited Santa Claus.” I joke, at a loss for anything else to say. Too scared to say the wrong thing or ask the wrong question.

At the sound of my voice his head jerks up, the sudden movement sloshing water just shy of the lip of the tub. “Santa Claus?” He furrows his eyebrows. He really does look like a puppy.

“You’ve got bubbles,” I gesture to my chin, miming a full beard.

He chuckles, “Oh, yeah, I guess I just got bored and,” he shrugs, “I’ve gotten used to playing with Tate in the bath. You’re lucky I didn’t break out the bubble mohawk.”

“The bubble mohawk?” I giggle, “I don’t know, I think I’d like to see that actually. Just make sure I’ve got a camera on me when you do break it out, yeah?” Lining my “lotions and potions” up on the counter, I look away, still trying to figure out what exactly is going on here, or what Kayce expects me to do, to say.

He must sense my hesitancy because he volunteers, “I hope I got the water hot enough. I know how you women like to scorch your skin off, but I’m afraid I’m just a bit too delicate.” He’s pushed himself into a full sitting position now. The water pools just under his chest and it takes everything in me to meet his eyes.

“So we are taking a bath together then?” I huff. “Because that’s not weird at all.” Still, I move to pull my blouse up and over my head, clipping my hair up so that it no longer hangs down my back. “And if you’re not actively in pain, then no, you don’t have the water hot enough. But that’s alright, I’ll manage.”

Ignoring my comment about the water, his eyebrows furrow once again in confusion. “Why’s it weird? You’re the one that suggested it.”

“No. I didn’t.” I shoot some side eye at him, because who in their right mind would suggest such a thing. Hopping around to remove my socks before balling them up and tossing them into the hall so that they don’t get wet, I continue, “And it’s weird because usually when grown adults take a bath together it’s only because something else is gonna follow.”

Rolling his eyes, he insists, “Yes. You did. You said you normally take a bubble bath for spa nights, so here we are, taking a bubble bath. And it’s not weird. I’m wearing my underwear, and I assumed you’d wear yours too. It’s no different than going swimming together.” He sounds way too exasperated for a conversation that is this stupid.

Remember how I said Kayce and I have never had trouble reading each other? Yeah I take that back. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I sigh, “That was not a suggestion. That was a statement. But thank you for the clarification. Now before I literally die of embarrassment, would you like the lavender hair mask,” I forcefully lift one colorful jar into the air, and then another, “or the apple?”

Looking as fed up as I feel, Kayce responds gruffly, “The lavender.”

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#yellowstone #kayce dutton #rip wheeler #john dutton #beth dutton #monica dutton #yellowstone oneshot #kayce dutton oneshot #kayce dutton x reader #kayce dutton x you #kayce dutton x original character #kayce dutton fic #kayce dutton fanfiction #kayce dutton smut #eventual smut #friends to lovers

[jasminedragonart]

We all know that I think Brother Bear is the Magnum Opus of Disney and I've elaborated on that in a previous post. This one will therefore be dedicated to Pixar's Magnum Opus.

Moana, I hear you ask? Inside Out? Up?

No.

The Incredibles.

In order for it to be an amazing film there has to be layers to it. Inside Out, to me, is pretty one dimensional. I didn't get a lot out of it. Moana was okay, but nothing special, like I didn't hate it but I didn't love it.

But the Incredibles? It was amazing.

To start off with, this came out in 2004. Do you know what other superhero films were out in this era? Spider Man. Tobey McGuire's Spiderman. Other than that, the superhero franchise hadn't really hit off. It would be years until Iron Man, Captain America or even the Dark Knight would have the impact it would have on cinema. (The Dark Knight trilogy is great btw. I love and accept it as canon way more readily than I do the Snyder verse. That verse can go away and never see the light of day)

the point is, for this movie to have survived, nay, thrive, in a superhero-less world is astounding and I think that's just down to good writing, characterisation and the story itself.

To start off with, I didn't know this was set in the 60's until like, a month ago. But now I do know I love it. It fits so well and answers so many questions. The 60's were like the golden age of heros, or, what we call the golden age. You had the batman show in the 60's, you had the golden age of comics. It's just right that the Incredibles is set in the 60's too.

In terms of storytelling this is good too. We see that they still have phones and computers and tv's but they're limited. No smart phones, the technology that we would see in present day is high tech to them. I love it because it isolates the characters so well. The reason why a lot of shows these days die is because they set it in our modern world. The convenience we have in being able to send messages to each other is just ridiculous. In order to create a good story you need a way to isolate your characters. There needs to be mystery. By limiting the Incredibles to what was available in the 60's Brad Bird eliminated the questions on why Mr Incredible didn't just send a text to his wife or Edna that he was in danger. Why the other heros didn't ask for help. Their technology is limited, their data plan is nonexistent, they can't contact people across the world and this is great for creating an interesting story.

Starting back at the beginning, I think it's really interesting how we're introduced to Buddy. A lot of superhero sidekicks are literally found like Buddy was hoping to be found. He has the intelligence too. He basically did a Tim Drake. He tracked Mr Incredible down, he made himself available and he showed that he had the skills to at least be a good hero. The only difference here is that Mr Incredible's world isn't Batman's world. Buddy didn't persevere like Tim Drake did, he took his knowledge and he twisted it for evil which, again is such a good analysis or interpretation of what Tim Drake could have been if he didn't put on those Robin colours and force Batman to take him on board.

Then we get to the lawsuit. So, if you didn't get it, the Incredibles kind of honoured marvel here. I think X Men was out by now. It should have been. Yes. It was out in 2000. So the concept of mutants being second class citizens was known to those who watched the beginning of the MCU. The Incredibles is paying homage to this by making supers illegal. The supers are creating too much damage, they're doing more harm than good. Therefore the common people are fighting back and making them retreat back into the shadows. Again, an interesting concept because what happened to all these villains? What happened when Bon Voyage escaped prison again? How many people did he kill without Mr Incredible there to help catch him? We don't know but it's always been a wonder of mine as to how the world is as peaceful as it is when we catch up with the Incredibles in present day. How did they get to that point?

I'll never know.

Mr Incredible and Elastigirl, I think are Batman and Catwoman. I think. Meta Batman and Catwoman. They have the same feel, the same banter of Batman and Catoman but they could be another superhero couple. Either way, they have their happy ending by getting married and having kids

There's an interesting post out there explaining the kids names and the connection to their powers which I loved. So, yeah, dash- superspeed. He's the Flash, he's quicksilver. He's basically kid flash right now, or impulse since, is impulse born with his powers? Whatever the case, he doesn't quite know the extent of his powers just yet because he grew up in a world where supers are in hiding. Which, again, makes me question what happens to those heros who don't hide. There had to be a penalty for them beyond being sued. Back to the kids. Violet- ultraviolet light that can be invisible. There's also something about her being a teenager and keeping everyone out which is why she has her forcefields. She's also Susan Storm, that's the inspiration for her character's powers. Jack Jack is jack of all trades. His inspiration, I think, is Legion. I'm not too sure. Either way, I love their names and how they tie into their characters and powers.

Helen and Bob are aliases. People know that right? I'm pretty sure they got different identities through the years after their covers were blown. They would have to. Even in the 60's people could be tracked down, that's why they have this rehoming program for supers. It makes me wonder what Bob and Helen's real names are. I think they're alias's anyway. Either way, their last name would have to have changed over the years. At the beginning of the movie it's Parr which means average.

Which is what they're trying to be. They're trying to be average. But they aren't, that's the whole point of the movie. They're the only ones who are capable of doing what the government, what ordinary people, can't. They're the only ones who can adapt and put themselves in danger to stop Syndrome who spent his entire teenage and adult life trying to destroy supers. The whole message of the movie is there at the beginning. Violet and Dash can't help but use their powers because it's a part of them. They aren't normal, they're never going to be normal and they shouldn't have to be.

Mirage is an interesting character to look at. She's very Bond esque. It felt like they were mixing genres by introducing her but it works. She's a powerful woman at the head of an organisation. But then there are layers to her. Her name is literally Mirage, she's not what she seems. She looks good but is secretly working for Syndrome. But the real message is that she's on the bad guy's team but she's not a bad person. She does what's right for Mr Incredible, she lets him and his family go. She also suffers the Bond girl trope where she's either killed off or injured but her character arc is kind of over at this point so it works. That's the point with some tropes, they're not necessarily good but they work because they serve a purpose. Mirage doesn't need to be in the picture anymore so she needs an excuse to not be there. She's injured, easy, she's out of the picture now. It's not bad writing, it's just practical writing. Otherwise we'd be asking where she was.

I think I want to dedicate this part of why the Incredibles is amazing to focus on the super's graveyard. Not only the one Syndrome made, but the ways the supers have died over the years. Edna describes so many supers dying from such mundane things like a costume malfunction. How many of them perished before Edna refused to give them a cape? How many funerals were there over the years?

I think it's also important we focus on the supers graveyard for another reason too. Bob isn't the only super out there that feels like his purpose in life was taken away. The reason why these people take such mundane jobs as covers is because they have something else in their lives that makes them feel fulfilled. By not being allowed to fulfill that purpose they're only left with the mundane, and for us it's okay because this is the only thing we know, but for them? With their powers? It must feel so... disheartening or another word I can't think of right now. But to be talked down to, to not be recognised. It's not narcissism that has them out there helping people. They're good people trying to do good in the world because they can. It's sad that they can't, and it's horrible that this good nature is took advantage of by Syndrome. He murdered them horrifically. He turned their strengths against them, he made a murder bot, isolated them on an island, and had them hunted down just because he was told to go home as a child. To not be put in danger like kids shouldn't be put in.

It begs the question again, what happened to the other villains? Where are they? Why is Syndrome the only one we see appear in this gap of superhero history? I was expecting the 2nd Incredibles to focus on more villains that had cropped up in the shadows while they were gone but it didn't. Not really. the 2nd one wasn't as good as the 1st one. It was good, but it was lacking the layers the 1st one has. The questions on why and where. A lot of the new one was focused more on the family than the plot where as the first one had a good balance of the two.

Anyway, back to the analysis. This is such a good origin movie for Violet, Dash and Jack Jack. You have the mentors in Mr and Mrs Incredible, the ones who are experienced and handling a lot of the action. Then you have the young ones finding their powers and discovering what they can do, what they're capable of. You feel happy when you see Violet protect her brother with her shield. You're elated when Dash can run on water. They're little things that an experienced hero isn't able to elicit because they're used to their powers and we see this in the ease Mr Incredible has in himself and his capabilities, same as Mrs Incredible when she's worming her way into the compound. This movie is both an origin movie as well as kind of like a comeback. Mr and Mrs Incredible are out of retirement and the kids are stepping up into roles they never dreamed they could have.

The colour story is good too. Mr Incredible's old suit is blue. It's the suit he wore as a standalone hero. It's the suit he wears when he goes out with Frozone and the suit he wears on the island for the first time. It's the suit he wears where he's separated from his family. He's blue, he's alone. Red is a danger colour, it's passion, it's what groups this family together. They are the danger to Syndrome. They also have the yellow there to lesson the impact of the red. It's a happy colour, very soothing and lets us know that they're on the good team. It's also Elastigirl's old colour, or one of them. It's Bob finally including Helen in his life

There's a lot more to this movie I can't think of it right now.

Pixar peaked with this movie though.

#the incredibles #pixar #disney

[sissylittlefeather]

I know I said it would be awhile but then this happened...

A Very Quiet Life: Chapter 7

A/N: I originally was going to end the series in chapter 7, but then I decided to let it go on for a while longer and add some stuff. I hope you guys enjoy me dragging it out 😂

Warnings: this one is pretty fluffy with a touch of angst, reader is still a widow and there's mentions of her husband, also illness (vomiting), and mentions of sex, but that's about it.

Links to:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

I hope you like it! Let me know what you think. I love to interact! ❤️

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Gifs:

You can no longer imagine a life for yourself without him.

******

As badly as you both want him to stay, Elvis has to go home to be there when his wife comes home from her night out. He kisses you about a million times before he finally opens the door to leave. Before he walks all the way out, he steps back inside and grabs you one last time. When he pulls back out of the kiss he holds your face in his hands.

"I love you." Your heart stops, but in the best way possible. You never thought you'd feel like this again. And if you're being honest, this is deeper than anything you've ever felt before, even with Rick, who had been your high school sweetheart. "I couldn't leave here without saying it. You don't have to--"

"I love you too." He smiles and kisses you one last time and then disappears through the door.

Luckily, it's the middle of the night, so Mrs. Walter is asleep. Otherwise, she'd see Elvis punch the air as he walks back to his house. He's happier than he's ever been in his life.

When he gets home, he changes into pajamas and gets straight into bed. He's still buzzing with excitement, but he tries to calm down to an appropriate level for when Beth gets there. Just then, he hears her key in the door. Or rather, he hears her cuss and drop her keys as she tries to unlock the door. She must be drunk. He gets out of bed annoyed and goes to open the door for her. When he does, she stands up laughing and throws her arms around his neck.

"My knight in shining armor." He peels her off of himself and helps her into the house. She's drunker than he's seen her in a long time. He gets her to the bedroom clumsily before she turns and looks at him. Then, she leans in and kisses him full on the mouth. He's not sure what to do, so he keeps his eyes open and his lips closed. When she finally pulls back from him she pouts.

"Beth, what are you doing?"

"Why won't you make love to me anymore?" She slurs.

"What?" She plops herself down on the bed and attempts to take her shoes off.

"Why don't you ever try to make love to me? You used to at least try." She pouts at him again. He bends down to take off her shoes. While he's on his knees in front of her, she puts her thighs on his shoulders.

"Please..." He pulls out from under her and stands up.

"Beth. You're drunk. We're not doing this." She leans forward and attempts to untie his pajama pants. Thankfully, she's too drunk to figure out that she just needs to pull them down. He puts her hands back in her lap and goes to her dresser to get some pajamas for her. She tries to unbutton her blouse, but she can't seem to make her fingers work. Elvis undresses her carefully and puts her pjs on. He has the briefest moment of regret as he lays her down in the bed and tucks her in. Does she really deserve to be abandoned like he's planning?

He looks at her laying there and remembers the girl he fell in love with all those years ago. Then, he thinks of you and the love he feels for you now. There's really no comparison. Even though he doesn't want to hurt her, he knows he'll have to eventually. But not tonight. He climbs into the bed and lays as close to the edge as he can while Beth snores quietly on her side.

******

On Tuesday, Elvis knocks on your door a little before lunch time. You were beginning to wonder if he was coming over. When you open the door for him, a smile spreads across his face, replacing the worried look that had been there.

"Hey, baby." He wraps his arms around you as soon as the door is closed behind him. You notice he didn't mess with the toolbox this time. He holds you tightly and buries his face in your hair.

"Are you okay?" You ask, pulling back from him and looking into his eyes.

"Beth. She just..." He takes both of your hands in his and kisses your fingers. "She tried to have sex with me on Saturday." You pull your hands away and step back.

"Did you...?"

"No! She was drunk as a skunk. And I wouldn't have even if she wasn't." You look up into his eyes and try to figure out if he's telling the truth.

"Don't you trust me?" You put your hand on your forehead. Of course you do. Why are you acting like this?

"I do. I'm sorry." You're just so scared to lose him. And this whole situation is so stressful. Your stomach turns over sickeningly. "I need to sit down."

He walks you to the couch and sits down with you.

"I'm sorry. I guess it's just... the thought of you two... I-I-I'm going to be sick!" He gets the little trash can that you keep next to the couch in front of you just in time. What the hell is happening?!

He rubs on your back and then brings you a wet towel from the kitchen. As he hands it to you, he notices how pale you are and puts his hand on your forehead.

"Babe, you're burning up. We need to get you to bed." He scoops you into his arms again and carries you to your room. He lays you gently on the bed and then brings you another trash can. You know you should be humiliated, but you're too sick to care. You're just glad he's there to take care of you. And he does, for the rest of the day. He even goes to the store for crackers and soda. When he's not at the store, he rubs your back and holds your hair while you puke and brings you a fresh trash can when you need one.

At about 2:30, your phone rings. You answer it weakly and the school nurse informs you that both of your kids are sick as well. You turn to him pleadingly and he takes the phone and explains that he will be there to pick them up shortly. They don't even ask who he is; they just assume he must be a relative.

When he gets home with the kids, he sets them both up in bed with you with their own trash cans. He's a regular little nurse, bringing you all water and crackers and soda and clean trash cans. The kids finally pass out around 7 and you seem to have reached the end of your stomach contents. Elvis is in the middle of the bed next to you, stroking your hair, with Jane leaned up against his other side and Michael curled up at his feet. You open your eyes and sit up a bit.

"Beth...?"

"She left this morning. I'm not going anywhere."

"Good. Thank you." You snuggle into his shoulder and try to get some sleep.

At one point you wake up to the sound of Jane throwing up. You sit up frantically and find Elvis holding her hair and singing quietly to her. You take the trash can to the kitchen and put a new bag in it. When you bring it back, she's leaned up against him again as he continues to sing. His voice is deep and smooth and soothing. You stand in the doorway for a bit and take in the scene.

Rick was never good with vomit. And the kids were so little when he died that he really never experienced anything like this. Michael was just a baby and Jane was only 3. Do they miss him?

For so long it felt like you might die from the pain of missing him. Then it was hard to breathe, but you knew you would survive. Now, you're just glad to have the memories and ready for the future. You hope Rick might even be happy that you found someone who is so good to you and his children. A single tear slides down your cheek as Elvis looks up and sees you in the doorway.

"I think she's asleep." You wipe your cheek and crawl back into the bed.

"Yeah, she is." You snuggle up next to him and put your arms around him. "Hey." He looks down at you.

"Yes?"

"I love you." He kisses your forehead.

"I love you too, honey." You fall asleep in each other's arms, with both kids tucked in around you on the bed.

******

The sunlight is streaming in through the bedroom window and you feel movement by your feet. When you wake up, you realize that all four of you are still in the bed together. You go to shake Elvis awake, but it's too late. Both kids are up.

"Mama, Mr. Presley stayed with us all night!" Jane points to him and whispers excitedly. He hears his name and stirs. When he realizes where he is, he looks at you questioningly. Before he can say anything, though, Michael jumps on his lap.

"Do you live here now?" Elvis looks at you again. This is bad.

"No, buddy, I just stayed to help your mom since you were all sick. I guess everyone is feeling better?" You're weak from the lack of food, but the sickness seems to have passed. The kids have bounced back like only kids can do.

"Yeah, I think we're okay. Thank you, Elvis. That was very kind of you to stay and help us, but I think you can go now."

"Awww, does he have to?" Michael looks at you pleadingly while Jane continues to look back and forth between you. She knows Elvis is married.

"Yes, Michael, I'm sorry, but I have work to do today." He ruffles Michael's hair and slides out of the bed. He slept in his clothes, but he sits on the side of the bed to put his shoes on. You get up too and walk him to the door.

"I probably shouldn't kiss you, huh?" He asks once the kids are finally out of earshot. You laugh.

"No, probably not. For several reasons." He chuckles.

"Can I hug you at least?" You glance back to the kids and see that they're busy arguing over what to eat for breakfast, so you nod. He wraps his arms around you and whispers in your ear.

"I love you, baby." You whisper back that you love him too and he leaves, pulling the door closed behind him. He tries to walk casually back to his house like it's totally normal for him to be at your house when the sun comes up.

Inside the house, you go to the kitchen to help the kids find breakfast. Once you get them both set up with toast, you walk into the living room and sit down on the couch. You need to eat too. You feel lightheaded from everything that's happened.

"Mama, doesn't Mr. Presley have a wife?" Shit.

"Yes, Jane." She sits next to you on the couch.

"But then how is he your boyfriend?" How does she even know what that means?

"He's not, sweetie. He just came to help."

"But you love him, don't you?" Oh, geez. How do you answer that?

"Jane, I..."

"He makes you happy. You haven't been happy since Daddy died. But you're happy now."

"Jane, baby, this is a grown up problem. Please don't worry about it. And, um, let's not tell anyone about Mr. Presley staying the night..." She nods slowly.

"Yes, Mama. I just think it's nice that you're happy again." She gets up and goes back to the table to finish her toast. You put your head in your hands and try to hide the tears that are streaming down your face silently.

Mrs. Walter is in her front window with a cup of coffee. She sighs to herself. She was right.

******

Chapter 8 coming eventually! (Maybe soon? Who knows?!)

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@itlover8000 @deniseinmn @elvisalltheway101 @ccab @suxny @hernameisnoellex3 @ashtag6887 @arabellapresley @littlehoneyposts @dkayfixates @elvisxsposts @joshuntildawn13 @msamarican @returntopresley @mrsbutler99

Want to be added to the Taglist? Let me know!

#elvis fans #elvis presley #elvis #elvis presley fanfiction #elvis presley x reader #elvis smut #elvis x reader #elvisaaronpresley #elvis fanfic #elvis presely smut #60s elvis #elvis presley x y/n #i love elvis #elvis fandom #elvis x you #elvis x y/n #elvis presley smut #elvis presley x you #elvis presley fic #elvis fic #elvis fanfiction #elvis presley fandom #elvis presley fluff #Spotify

[neverkayzat]

My gift to @palebluebirdcomputer for the 2023 Moon Knight Mystery Swap! This was hosted by: @tiptapricot :D

It was a lot of fun working on this!! Below, you'll find that I had SO much more planned for this, but, because my computer hit the fan and decided to do a full system corruption (everything I worked on was lost), I only have the script and screenshots of it. However, I hope you enjoy plan B and have a great new years!!

(I don't know why on mobile it compresses these images horribly, but hey, they're not so compressed if you click on them or on computer! :D)

OKAY, so I was going to make this a different post, but I had an entire comic planned out haha.

This was the entire thing, aside from the reference page haha. EIGHTEEN PAGES WERE LOST. Worse? I already inked half of them and started coloring one. Wonderful.

First page - Jake turns off the blaring alarm. I managed to ink and color this page... well, color at least Jake in the Mr. Knight suit and the sarcophagus before my computer decided to die, so a win!

Second page - Included Jake waking up and getting ready for the day. I still have screen shots of the closet and this!! Hurray!!

After, it was basically a bathroom scene where Steven showed up, was like: "Hey, Marc's not getting up. Check what day it is today!" Jake checks, it's Rosh Hashana! Wow! No wonder why. Crazy. How do you want to spend it? Steven is like, I miss our families traditional food. Spoiler alert: They get the food and everyone sits down to eat together.

Next, Jake shows up and hangs out with Reese before Yehya bursts through the door with a lot of food. He would've walked to the kitchen, which is thankfully next to where everyone is (thank you Mission), and everyone else would follow suit as they helped put food away/prepare food (with banter, of course).

As they're putting away/preparing food, Greer shows up with William, and begins helping as well. We get a nice moment with Jake and William, where then he sends the kid off to grab Solider. William also gives Jake a "Happy Rosh Hashanah!" card spelt horribly that melts everyone's heart. Reese goes to put it on the fridge, and Greer and Jake have a nice moment together, now alone because Mission decided to make a wall to separate them from the others.

However, this is where the screenshots stop for some reason. After, it detailed the antisemitism in the past and how Marc feels uncomfortable with their Judaism because of everything that has happened, and because of that, how it's been a long time that they have fully celebrated Rosh Hashanah with their family. It effects Jake greatly because he loves his religion.

It ends off with them having a nice meal together and Marc finally showing up to say "Our new mishpocha... hm?" and Jake reciprocates the feeling.

HOWEVER! My computer decided to cry and crap itself, so now we're here with me longing for the snow. I hope you enjoyed this gift, even though it was Plan B, and once again, happy new years!! <3

#moon knight mystery swap 2023 #moon knight #moon knight comics #moon knight 2021 #moon knight art #jake lockley #william nelson #soldier moon knight #reese moon knight #steven grant #marc spector #yehya badr #dr badr #greer nelson #greer grant nelson #tigra #marvel fanart #marvel comics fanart #marvel comics #my art

[bettsfic]

hi it’s me again! i finished the kennedy book half an hour ago and i am still reeling.

you weren’t kidding about the last chapters. like the farewell party is a bittersweet anecdote, but then the epilogue is just absolutely crushing. what a brutal note to end on. the true endpoint is the paragraph in the acknowledgements where he thanks his coauthor for freeing him from the emotional prison he was in. phrase practically verbatim. like oh my god.

that thing you said about what’s not said really did nail the sort of very careful sidestepping of….giving his opinions, maybe? there is just a very deliberate sort of distance with which he describes any events, and so you really notice the barest hints of something more. (more than anyone can ever know, mr. hill? care to elaborate??? it’s the implication that they kept many secrets together and also his enduring loyalty to her that keeps us from learning hardly any of them.) i was reminded of the perception of the kennedys as american royalty because he really talks about her like she was a queen. jackie kennedy through his lens is beautiful and gracious and willful and truly given the royal treatment.

speaking of the royalty metaphor, aristotle onassis is two steps from being a mustache-twirling villain hoping that our brave knight clint hill dies a watery death under a yacht??? unprompted??? like, man. come on. honestly there’s a fascinating emotional thread in here about how he can only fully express feelings of protectiveness when they’re expressed by the president first.

anyway. this is a long ask. sorry. i feel like i should have something profound to say about the assassination chapters because of how significant the event is in history but i don’t yet. i probably sound unhinged but man. this was real life and this is how he chose to tell this story. what even was that.

THANK YOU.

re: last chapters: i want to look into what happened between him and his coauthor (they're married now!) but i haven't yet. i'm still feeling my feelings about the whole thing. can you imagine not reading the acknowledgements?? the acknowledgements that provide the only ounce of comfort amid the hurt of the last third of the book??

re: "MORE THAN ANYONE CAN EVER KNOW": i purposefully haven't shared that quote because divorced from its context you don't get the impact. to me that says he either totally had a thing with her but won't talk about it because he's an honorable man, in the same way he won't offer any kind of "no yeah the warren report was bullshit and the shots came from two different directions" confirmation, or he wants us to *think* something happened even if it didn't. i mean it's not like it was a secret that JFK and Jackie had affairs with other people. a great many of those people have written memoirs specifically about boning one or more of the Kennedys. so many in fact that it's basically a subgenre.

also there's some irony in the way he depicts Jackie. she didn't like to be written about. at all. ever. and there's more than one instance where he's, you know, an 80 year old man being a bit patronizing (in an otherwise very sensitively and thoughtfully written book), with all the mentions of mischief and little-girlishness. and so i keep thinking about how Jackie would have felt about this particular depiction, which despite the glossy nostalgia over the whole thing and I Love Lucy-esque antics, is a pretty nuanced depiction, at least compared to others i've read. he manages to revere her, nearly worship her, but still portray her vices, not as faults but as even more reasons he loved her. i don't know, man. it just feels weird to stumble upon a true story of what i thought were fictional feelings.

re: "he can only fully express feelings of protectiveness when they’re expressed by the president first": HOLY SHIT YOU'RE RIGHT. i'm still thinking about that scene where he takes the film out of that photographer's camera and JFK is just like, "ummm we can't make it seem like we're denying the press access to us, so we're gonna have to blame you," which prompted Hill to question his professional loyalty to the president against his personal loyalty to Jackie, and also it made me think, what would happen if he had to shoot someone? would he get blamed for that too? was he really only there as a human shield, able to protect but not truly defend?

re: "what even was that": WHAT EVEN WAS THAT.

#i'm still not even a little bit over this #dazzle

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

Sparkle

cw. pre!release, gn!reader, step 1

pairing. tamarack x reader

notes. a cute anonymous request i received not too long ago. it made me think of the cute dialogue in step 1's prologue if the MC has a crush on tamarack and finds her special. first love, amirite?

"Oh no!!" Tamarack's sudden screech of dismay brings you to a halt.

You look at your neighbor in worry, "what's wrong?"

"I forgot my scarf at school!" Tamarack answers with a frown.

She's right, you realize. Where normally a muted pink scarf, hand-knit from Granny herself, rests on Tamarack's shoulders, there is nothing. Neither of you had noticed at all that it had well-loved scarf had still been in Tamarack's cubby when you left your schoolgrounds in favor of heading home.

Today was supposed to be a particularly fun day at the Baumanns.

Mom had work so you'd be spending the afternoon with the cozy family next door. Granny had made stollen the night before and you'd all be eating it together once you got home. Then once you ate your fill, it would be back to your normally scheduled programming.

You'd play in the confines of their backyard until the urge to explore grew stronger. Then you'd go off the beaten path and play in the autumnal woods surrounding the cul-de-sac until it was time to go home. If you were lucky, maybe Mom would even let you have your own sleepover.

While you doubted a missing scarf would be enough to ruin your day, it still is a damper on the mood walking home from school.

"Do you have an extra in your bag?"

"No," Tamarack sighs, shoulders sagging forward in disappointment.

You would have thought everything was in the messenger bag Tamarack brought everywhere. It's much like Mary Poppin's magical bag with how much Tamarack manages to squeeze in it. If she were to ever pull out a bed or a lamp from it, you wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.

"We can always go back to school and get it," you offer. You turn back around in the direction you came from. "Mrs. Murray might still be there!" The chances are slim but they aren't entirely zero.

Your teacher had been there when you left, at least. So were Qiu, Darren and Baxter who all planned on having some sort of dinner at The Diner Table before going to the Murray's for a sleepover. Maybe if you turn back now, you'll be able to catch them.

Tamarack shakes her head, sparkly hair dancing in the wind, "it's okay." The shorter girl shudders. Autumn may be her favorite season but not even Tamarack is a match for chilly weather without her scarf.

"Wanna wear mine? I'm not cold."

"Really," Tamarack brightens almost immediately at the suggestion.

You nod with a grin, "you let me use your scarf all the time anyway." So it's nothing to let your best friend wear yours when the shoe is on the other foot.

Your scarf unravels with ease when you tug at it due to the lazy manner you threw it over your shoulders earlier.

"We're scarf buddies now!" Tamarack puffs her cheeks in an eager grin, her fuzzy eyebrows angled for mischief. "Ones that switch scarves."

"Allow me, Miss Baumann," you mimic the honorable bows of knights in books and movies, accent posh and haughty.

Your actions only serve to make Tamarack giggle, hopping giddily in place. Her heavy bag jingles with her movements, thudding against her audibly. The giggles and hopping eventually subside but Tamarack's ruby eyes shine regardless as she wipes her clothes down with small hands. Once she deems them proper enough, she bows using her the ends of her overall shorts as a dress, curtsying. "Thank you, Knight [First]," Tamarack replies as regal she can manage.

You share another laugh as you straighten up. With your friend standing still for once, you set to work. It's not difficult at all but you still make careful work in wrapping it around your friend's shoulder as she often does, tying it just so.

It isn't Tamarack's handiwork but you know it'll stay wrapped squarely around her shoulders indefinitely until she decides to take it off.

"Oops," you giggle when you realize her hair has been smooshed under her scarf as well. "I'll fix it!"

Tamarack snickers as well, raising her chin although it doesn't truthfully do much to help you in moving her hair outside of its scarf prison.

Sparkle. Tamarack does nothing but sparkle.

From the shiny speckles dotted throughout her gold hair to how her eyes light up whenever she's excited. You wonder where she gets them from. Neither Granny or Mr. Baumann's hair sparkles. Maybe they did once long ago before they got old and the sparkles faded from their hair. But I've seen pictures of Tamarack's dad, there are few scattered throughout the drawing room in the Baumann family hair. He doesn't got any either.

As for the one picture you found of Tamarack's mom. (Something tucked far into the corners of the house that isn't easily seen in the slightest. It's the only complete family photo you've ever found of the Baumanns. Tamarack was very young in the photo, nestled in her mother's arms while everyone smiled at the photographer. If everyone was so happy in the photo, you wonder why it seldom sees the light of day.) Her hair is brown and there aren't any sparkles to be seen there either.

Maybe this means Tamarack's sparkles are something special. A Tamarack thing.

That makes a lot sense in your fifth grade mind.

Berry red eyes look up at you, framed by fluffy locks with sparkles interwoven in each strand.

Pretty...

"[First]?"

You blink with a start, "huh?"

Tamarack raises an eyebrow curious but she smiles despite her confusion, "come on let's go," she hops once more.

For a moment you wish you hadn't offered your scarf to the girl so you could bury your face in it. You still feel the fluffy soft strands underneath your fingertips. "Yeah, let's go," you follow after the forest-loving girl who has already started skipping ahead, unaware to your plight.

#look she's writing #our life #our life: now & forever #olnf #our life x reader #tamarack baumann #tamarack baumann x reader #tamarack x reader

[howlingday]

Time travel au.

Jaune revovers quick enought to save alyx and leave with her.

They arrive in volume one. With young jaune replaced by the rusted knight older him. ( he kept juniper and sadly the cat some how got throught)

Jaune adopts alyx and sets out too not fail starting with removing cinders and ironwoods heads

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

I was n't sure if you wanted this to be a RWBY timeline au (a parody/comedy), so I'll treat this as it's own thing for now.

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

"And you want to live here, correct?"

"Yes." Jaune nodded. He had no idea where the door at the tree would take him, but back in time certainly wasn't something he would ever have expected. "My... daughter will also need a roof over her head as well."

"Yes, your daughter." Ozpin furrowed his brow. "Not many parents forgo traditions, naming their children something so unique."

"Is there a problem with how I name my child?" Jaune sounded a little offended, mostly because that's what a parent should do. "She gets teased enough as it is!"

"Teased by who?" Ozpin narrowed his eyes.

"Uh, children... playmates... children who play with her!"

"I see..." He tapped on his keyboard. "And may I ask why you're attending Beacon? Couldn't your family provide you the means? The Arcs are a close friend of mine, and I'm sure they wouldn't deny a stranger, let alone one of their own."

"Oh, well, you see, they, uh..." Jaune felt his brow sweat. He was slipping. "We're distant relatives. Not really that close."

"And yet close enough to name their newborn son after you?" A smug grin split Ozpin's stoic face. "Happy birthday, by the way."

"Oh..." Busted.

"Now, why don't we start over, Mr. Arc?" Ozpin offered with a hand, not fully understanding the irony of his request. "Honesty is the best policy, as they say."

Jaune's hands clenched. "They, but not you?" He didn't deny it, allowing Jaune to continue. "I lost a lot because of you. I had nearly lost everything because of you, and your selfish crap."

"So, you're from the future, is that it?" Ozpin asked, oddly without a hint of sarcasm to him. "Why don't you tell me everything?"

Jaune gave a chuckle. "That's funny, coming from you. After everything you hid from us-"

"Because you were not ready to-"

"DON'T ACT LIKE YOU KNOW ME!" Jaune smashed his fists into the table, snarling at the old headmaster. "A lot of blood is on your hands, y'know!"

"Yes." Ozpin nodded. "And there is some on yours."

Jaune looked down to find hands bleeding. The table below was merely cracked. Jaune could flex his fingers, but it stung. His aura flared, and his wounds healed. He gave a sigh.

"Tell me, Ozpin." Jaune said, sitting down. "What do you know about the Girl Who Fell Through the World?"

Meanwhile, the titular girl was sitting quietly, reading her own book next to the recently hired Glynda Goodwitch. Every chapter a chronicle of her misdeeds, each told from her own perspective. Or at least, that's what the book sold.

"Lewis..." She heaved a heavy sigh. Juniper nuzzled her nose into Alyx's thigh, to provide comfort to the girl. It worked, and so she read on.

This was by and far the strangest thing she'd ever seen since coming to Beacon. Granted, this was still her first month, but her stance remained the same. For some reason, she had a good feeling about this job.

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

"This world... is not my own." From atop a building in Vale, The Curious Cat heaved a sighed. "Disappointing."

#submission #rwby #my submissions #jaune arc #alyx #the curious cat #juniper #glynda goodwitch

[isagrimorie]

Oh, God. The Behind the Scenes of Marvel Streaming Productions is a nightmare. Marvel Studios (not the same division that ran Marvel TV) tried to re-invent the wheel:

They did away with 'showrunners' and only hired Head writers

And then apparently did away with it, too because then Marvel fired the writers and let the Directors have a say.

And then didn't stick with that too, and apparently just went on with the philosophy that they can fix it 'in post'

Some Quotes from this:

Those who work with Marvel on the TV side have complained of a lack of central vision that has, according to sources, begun to afflict the studio’s shows with creative differences and tension. “TV is a writer-driven medium,” says one insider familiar with the Marvel process. “Marvel is a Marvel-driven medium.”  On the Oscar Isaac starrer Moon Knight, show creator and writer Jeremy Slater quit and director Mohamed Diab took the reins. Jessica Gao developed and wrote She-Hulk: Attorney at Law but was sidelined once director Kat Coiro came on board. Production was challenging, with COVID hitting cast and crew, and Gao was brought back to oversee postproduction, a typical showrunner duty, but it’s the rare Marvel head writer who has such oversight.

(emphasis mine)

And then it went overboard in Secret Invasion -- Just in case we're all wondering why it was so bad? It's because of all the behind-the-scenes shenanigans.

--during the pandemic, Marvel stepped outside its usual staffing approach and brought in outside execs after years of internally promoting creatives who had been sufficiently trained in the Marvel method.  This change was felt most severely on Secret Invasion, the Samuel L. Jackson-led thriller that stands as Marvel’s worst-reviewed series. Kyle Bradstreet, a writer and executive producer on USA Network Emmy winner Mr. Robot, had been working on the scripts for Secret Invasion for about a year when he was fired after Marvel decided on a different direction. Enter new writer Brian Tucker, who penned the crime thriller Broken City. Thomas Bezucha, who helmed the thriller Let Him Go, and Ali Selim, who worked on Hulu’s 9/11 drama The Looming Tower, were on board as directors and to help crack the story. So far, so normal, at least by Marvel’s creative development standards. Details are murky, but what happened next, in the summer of 2022, debilitated the production as factions became entrenched and leaders vied for supremacy during Secret Invasion’s preproduction in London. “It was weeks of people not getting along, and it erupted,” says an insider. Marvel declined to directly comment on the matter.

(snip)

By early September, a good portion of the Invasion team had been replaced, with new line producers, unit production managers and assistant directors. And Bezucha, who was supposed to direct three episodes, left the show because of new scheduling conflicts. The Marvel executive overseeing the show, Chris Gary, was reassigned and, according to sources, is expected to depart Marvel when his contract is up at the end of the year.

NO WONDER SECRET INVASION WAS A MESS.

As it moves forward, Marvel is making concrete changes in how it makes TV. It now has plans to hire showrunners. Gao’s postproduction work on She-Hulk helped Marvel see that it would be helpful for its shows to have a creative throughline from start to finish. “It’s a term we’ve not only grown comfortable with but also learned to embrace,” says Winderbaum of showrunners and Marvel TV’s intention to hire them. The studio also plans on having full-time TV execs, rather than having executives straddle both television and film.

OH YOU THINK???

JFC. THERE'S A REASON WHY SHOWRUNNERS ARE A THING.

There's also a reason why Wandavision was so good-- because it had one singular vision from start to finish -- Jac Schaffer and Elizabeth Olsen's vision.

It also is revamping its development process. Showrunners will write pilots and show bibles.

Marvel trying to reinvent the wheel AND THEN FAILING SPECTACULARLY.

And then realizing there's a reason why Showrunners exist, and writer's rooms, show bibles, and even pilots.

I can't even.

Also, let's be clear -- Disney - Marvel used 'Headwriter' and not 'Showrunner' for corporate greed reasons, and I'm glad WGA got a fair deal because fuck that 'Headwriter' nonsense.

#marvel studios #streaming strategy was so stupid #disney plus #marvel #streaming #business of streaming

[magnumdays]

Magnum PI - S05E11 - Hit and Run review

We're back. I guess. It feels strange knowing these are the last ten episodes it seems likely we're getting but judging from just this first one it's going to keep on being one heck of a ride at least for that :P

(Full honestly, something is wrong with my internet so I watched this with like 1 million little lags and annoying loading bits so... may have affected my viewer enjoyment. Also gotta go to bed because I gotta work tomorrow so this is a little short and 5% spell checked...)

Miggy

Wham-bam, thank you, ma'am. It would have been more shocking if we hadn't gotten the "I'm late in the promo" but still, it was fun to explore this for an episode. They didn't touch back on what Juliet said about not being sure if she wanted a baby or not, but from how the discussion went today she seemed to have changed her tune. Would have been good to have addressed. I thought the would with Magnum being incredibly award when she told him. (This was low-key a favorite part of mine because not knowing what to say Magnum is pretty rare.)

Loved that they're keeping the Miggy banter and Thomas Magnum logic going strong even with big life-changing-ish news looming on the horizon.

"Yeah but if you are pregnant you will be more pregnant tomorrow."

"Just like how you said you weren't scared of spiders?"

I think this was a big set-up for how the series is going to end. Which I think is going to be very Mentalist and we kind of needed to have them talk about and want a baby, even if not right now. (Seriously, if the show doesn't end with a Miggy wedding and baby on board I'm going to be annoyed.)

So yeah, I'm glad they had the baby talk and that it leads to Confessions! (have I been watching too much K-drama? Maybe. Yes.)

And is it weird that I cried there with them being all "I love you" at the end? Like I thought, kind of that I'd gone through my mourning process for this both with thinking season 4 was the end and during the past few months knowing season 5b is the last. But apparently, I was wrong. I still have tears left.

Watching this episode just kind of made me realize how much I love this show (all over again) and that I'm going to miss it and my babies sooo much.

TC being sad = sadness

It's was kind of hard to watch our favorite guy going through tough stuff. I feel like the *protect TC at all cost* society will sue someone :P no but I was really thankful things seem to be going in the right direction for him both with emotionally dealing and getting some feeling back!

Rick + Piper...

So Rick's got a new GF? I feel like she gotta have some connection to something bigger. Like she's for sure a spy or something right? Wasn't her being all "that dump never" just too great of a start? I mean Rick is cute and all, but just introducing her as a love interest would be a little frivolous? Though they have done that before with Ethan and Lia.

Anyway, Piper is cute and I can't wait to see what happens with it.

The Case!

I really liked this case, even if it the excitement was somewhat lost because my internet kept lagging. It's pretty classic "hitman decides to save victim" only with a Magnum and Higgins twist. It could have gone a lot of different ways and in a way it felt a little too quick for it to end. (I think this might be another K-drama symptom where most things just keep going throughout the season.) I was hoping/thinking when I heard "boarding school, sick mom" that we'd get a Juliet/kid bonding moment.

I would have liked Mr. Hitman to not have died so unceremoniously. I mean this poor kid, her mom is dead, her dad is dead, her brother just tried to kill her with 2 hitmen and now the guy who saved her (even if he was a hitman to start) dies? I mean come on! Couldn't he have gotten caught and she'd be like "I'll come visit you in jail" or something?

The Jin + Book

Are we going to get more flashbacks of Jin imagining the White Knight with superpowers? Because that was so weirdly hilarious. I was like? What? What? WHAT? Then I totally cracked up.

But yeah, hope we have something more with the TR Bell + White Knight. That kiss back from early season 4 is still one of my faves of theirs (even if it wasn't actually 'them'.)

Next week seems fun! Like, repo a fish? What a strange world, but it sure going to be amusing.

#magnum p.i. #magnum pi #magnum pi season 5 #magnum pi review #my review #miggy #juliet higgins #thomas mangum

[soft-girl-musings]

5 Self-Recs

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

!!! ty @winniethewife and @campingwiththecharmings for the tags (I wanted to wait until I had more than 5 fics written 💀)

Last Night (3 parts) [Jake Lockley x Fem!Reader]

my baby ahhh, this was my first ever completed fanfiction and what convinced me to keep writing. insanely grateful for the positive feedback/encouragement on this one 🙏🏽

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (4/10 chapters) [Noir!Jake Lockley x WOC Lounge Singer!Reader]

NOIR JAKE MY BELOVED, I am having a blast with this story. written in collaboration with/inspired by thots between me and @mrs-lockley, this is such a passion project + love letter to Jake 💜

Perks of Being a Wallflower (oneshot) [Jake Lockley x Plus Sized Fem!Reader]

one of the fastest fics I've written bc I was so enamored by the thought of @ivystoryweaver's Dance Instructor Jake headcanons, had me blushing/giggling/etc. as a plus sized girlie this is everything I want 🫣

Cry (oneshot) [Marc Spector x GN!Reader]

my first attempt at writing for marc, and it's so precious to me. i want to comfort that man sm 🥺

Salt & Pepper (oneshot) [Moon Knight System x GN!Reader]

i have been waiting MONTHS to write this one and it was worth the wait... can i also take a moment to say THANK YOU bc we're at 332 notes after only 4 days??? glad to know so many of us are weak for that gray haired man 🫠

np tags to @nerdieforpedro @spacecowboyhotch @fandxmslxt69 @mrs-lockley @flowerpotmage (sorry if these are repeat tags i'm sleepy)

#kisses buddies #my works #tag game #moon knight #jake lockley #marc spector #steven grant #jake lockley x reader #jake lockley/reader #marc spector x reader #marc spector/reader #steven grant x reader #steven grant/reader #moon knight system x reader #moon knight system/reader #needed getting this system out of mine #jake lockley fanfiction #marc spector fanfiction #steven grant fanfiction #noir!jake lockley

[age-of-moonknight]

Do you know comics where moon knight team up with strange? Or deadpool?

Or where he interact with magic marvel characters?

Oh, for sure! Moon Knight has teamed up with Doctor Strange a couple times, as well as with Doctor Voodoo and Clea. There's also the Damnation event which involved a whole slew of magic users and magic-adjacent characters, including Doctor Strange, Doctor Voodoo, and Wong. The event itself, however, is,,,,unfortunately (fair warning, the following is largely just my opinion) not the greatest in its portrayal of MK. It tends to use Mr. Knight as the comedic relief and the "comedy" boils down to "ohohoheehee I'm so unstable and can someone please recommend me a psychiatrist," which can be...abrasive if you're feeling charitable and I've seen others who were feeling decidedly less charitable describe it as a little offensive. Which is a shame, because at least in my eyes, the event has a great line up and could have been even better. I'll throw in the citations though for anyone who wants to check it out and form their own opinions.

MK's relationship with Deadpool is uuuuh unfortunately a bit more rocky. Moon Knight's goals rarely line up with Deadpool's in the 616 Universe, so MK doesn't "team up" with Wade so much as, as I said in this post (and I quote myself not to self-aggrandize, but because, well, I'm not particularly creative in my metaphors), use Wade like one of "those stress-relief squeeze toys." Moon Knight was greatly intrigued when he discovered Wade can't die and consequently uses that to his advantage. Outside of the 616 continuity, Mr. Knight is much more sympathetic to Wade in Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again, but gosh, I never feel great recommending that series without some degree of forewarning. While I genuinely enjoyed some moments, as you can probably guess from the title,,,,it has such a terribly sad ending that still kind of haunts me tbh. But I'll include that just in case you're curious! All of the associated citations are beneath the cut as this was starting to get a bit long (whoops mea culpa)

Doctor Strange

Moon Knight (Vol. 1/1980), #36: A classic two hero team-up

Marc Spector: Moon Knight (vol. 1/1989), #44 and #46: Strange was pivotal in I guess what could be considered exorcising a demon out of Moon Knight

“The Empty Tomb,” Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood (Vol. 1/2022), #2: I'm not entirely sure if this is 616-compliant (and I kind of hope it isn't personally), but this is another case of Marc approaching Stephen for medical/mystical advice The following are instances I found of MK and Strange being on a larger team together but their interactions are comparatively minimal

Marvel Knights (Vol. 1/2000), #8

Original Sin (Vol. 1/2014), #4

Punisher (Vol. 13/2022), #9-12

(Special Note) The Avengers (Vol. 8/2018), #33: the infamous time Marc punched out Strange and stole the Eye of Agamotto, which Marc mentions he wishes he could properly apologize for in Death of Doctor Strange: Spider-Man (Vol. 1/2022), #1 and is pointedly brought up by Wong in Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #9 (the Damnation event is also alluded to in that latter issue) Deadpool

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #7-8: Their only major interaction, as far as I'm aware, but it's not a team-up unfortunately (mainly they just beat each other up)

Deadpool (Vol. 4/2008), #28-9: Some collaborative work together, but the most interaction they have is when Moon Knight needs very little prompting to snap Deadpool's neck (unfortunate all around)

Deadpool (vol. 4/2008), #49.1: the previous incident gets a one-page musical reprise (this is Deadpool we're talking about, so you know I'm not kidding hahaha)

Deadpool: Assassin (Vol. 1/2018), #4: They do manage to have a comparatively amicable one-panel interaction here though...

“So White. Yet, So Dark,” Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood (Vol. 1/2022), #1: ...but not amicable enough that Marc will lend Wade the Mr. Knight suit the next time they see each other

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again (Vol. 1/2017) #1-3

Doctor Voodoo

Moon Knight (Vol. 1/1980), #21: Classic team-up

Marc Spector: Moon Knight (vol. 1/1989), #6-7: Classic team-up

Black Panther (Vol. 3/1998), #20-22: Collaborated on a team together

Clea

Strange (Vol. 3/2022), #5: An absolute delight of a classic team-up

Doctor Strange (Vol. 6/2023), #2: Mr. Knight calls her and Stephen in on a case

Bonus: according to Strange (Vol. 3/2022), #9, after working together, Clea thinks Moon Knight is a "dear," much to Stephen's consternation.

Moon Knight did work with the Strange Academy kids in Strange Academy: Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2023), #1, but that ends on a bit of a cliffhanger (for MK at least) that never did quite get resolved, unless I missed something entirely.

The issues Moon Knight appears in for the Damnation event are as follows, in chronological order:

Doctor Strange: Damnation (Vol. 1/2018), #1-2

Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider (Vol. 1/2017), #15

Doctor Strange (Vol. 4/2015), #387

Doctor Strange: Damnation (Vol. 1/2018), #3

Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider (Vol. 1/2017), #16-17

Doctor Strange: Damnation (Vol. 1/2018), #4

And with that, I'll leave you with something that could have been and something I will never miss a chance to bring up: Greg Smallwood's Midnight Sons (I WEEP for roads not taken, let me tell you)

I hope there's something in here that is of interest to you! Happy reading!

#Knight Mail #Moon Knight comics #Moon Knight #Marc Spector #Mr. Knight #Doctor Strange #Stephen Strange #Doctor Voodoo #Jericho Drumm #Clea #Clea Strange #Thanks for helping me ring in the new year with Moon Knight! #(And may this year be even better for all of you than the one before it) #And as always please let me know if anything's unclear (sorry if this ended up being...too much tangential info alskdf) #or if there are any other references or images you would like for me to grab as I would be happy to assist! :D #particularly since the magic user side of Marvel is not one I have dabbled in as much #this post had me second guessing myself like: I know he's on that one Midnight Sons-esque team for the Damnation event #but does Iron Fist count as a magic user??? #Does Valkyrie? Ghost Rider?? The Shroud???? hahaha I was starting to completely lose the thread #So yeah please just let me know if there are any other specific characters you would like for me to look for :D This was a lot of fun! #I always love thinking about Moon Knight as a more magic-adjacent character as much as he's a street-level hero (and sometimes Avenger) #he has the RANGE

[xenonmoon]

Shiva

ok who's dead now

His mother? I know his mother was supposed to have died when he was young

AH LEMIRE RETCONNED WHEN MARC'S FATHER DIES??

WELL I HOPE THIS THING WON'T BLAST A HOLE IN THE CONTINUITY

(big spoilers for the end of the Moench run under the crack)

We're in #37-#38, written by Zelenetz and the two last issues of the OG run

Marc's father is his deathbed and he asks for his estranged son to be there

And well- that's quite A Shock, since he didn't exactly part ways with his father in good terms

Marlene insists that he should still go and see what he has to say, but Steven is NOPE NOPE FRECHIE IS THE MOONCOPTER READY WE'RE GOING OUT.

He eventually tells her the backstory of how he parted ways with his old man upon the roof, all the Creative Divergences he had with his philosophy until it all culminated with this:

(Marc became a pugilist and his heavily pacifist father disapproved A LOT, especially after Marc hit him to shut him up)

Meow meow is adamant into not wanting to go to his father. He doesn't, he goes moonknighting into a specific neighbourhood so he could punch the hell out of n*zis and then eventually decides that- ok Marlene, you're right, I should at least hear what he has to say in his deathbed

Ouch

Plot goes on yadda yadda what's important to know is that at some point his father's body gets stolen by his old pupil who wanted to bring him back to life using ✨magic✨

And this messes up Marc a lot - because at this point he's full on Marc

And then- and then this thing happened where Reuben (his father's beloved apprentice) animates Elias' Spector's corpse and uses him as a golem to send against Moon Knight

AND HE'S VERY CONFLICTED

AND ABOUT TO GET CHOKED TO DEATH

The Marlene pops in and saves him and- well, she kinda saves the day on her own

I'm sorry but he's so meow meow here

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART COMES AFTER THAT

MARC HAS FOUND SOME CLOSURE WITH HIS DAD(DDY ISSUES) AND RECONCILED WITH THIS PART OF HIS PAST

AND THIS IS

THIS IS THE FUCKING REASON WHY MARC GOES BACK AT BEING THE MAIN ALTER IN LIKE THE ENTIRETY OF THE FOLLOWING MOON KNIGHT RUNS except from Vengeance of the Moon Knight that it's Jake's show

THIS

DO YOU SEE IT

DO YOU SEE WHY I SAY THAT THE RETCON LEAVES QUITE A HUGE QUESTION MARK SHAPED HOLE IN THE CONTINUITY

IF HIS FATHER DIED WHEN HE WAS A TEEN

what happened at the end of the "new" moench story

what happened to Steven

why did they switched places

I HAVE QUESTIONS MR LEMIRE

(but of course, if he didn't catch up with any more comics other than those he read before starting writing he wouldn't know about all of this)

DAMMIT

#moon knight #moon knight comics #moon knight 2016 #lemire #smallwood #bellaire #torres #francavilla #stokoe #xenon reacts #I also have a lot of questions about the jewish rep here #because it sounds fairly ok to me but I wouldn't know #I'm not an expert on this #q tag

[sockich]

I'm Jack by the way. I'm assuming we're at least allowed to use names... Good to meets you Jack... I'm Anton.

Can you become someone else... Mr. Wayne? Wayne? Jack Wayne? Ah... no. I get it now. Bruce Wayne, yeah? The heir to the Wayne fortune. Interesting.

Mr. Wayne defeated the Still, but only after he was weakened... by Mr. Minhkhoa Khan.

(From Batman: The Knight #4, #5 & #9)

#as much as i would have loved khoa telling bruce his name #i kinda love they both found out from one of their teachers #also really hope that a) zdarsky uses khoa in his batman run and b) has at least one callback to 'jack' and 'anton' when he does #bruce wayne #minhkhoa khan #love them #otp! #ghostbat #ghostbatedit #batfamily #avery oblonsky #ra's al ghul #batman: the knight #dc #comics #my posts

[cloudshoregames]

Greetings, Dan here!

Real quick before we get started it was asked if we intended to make BTE available on Roll20. I admit I've only sparingly used the service as I do most of my gaming at the table, but from the games I have played on there, I know you are able to create custom character sheets that can be accessed at large. In the very least I will be pursuing getting one of those up for players groups interested in running through Roll20. As for anything further I will need to do additional research.

Additionally, in regarding these Mech Construction showcases I know the next one I had planned after Escaflowne, but I will be sure to have to do a second one to commemorate the return of Armored Core on the 25th. For now, let's take a look at one of the preeminent fantasy mechs, Escaflowne. 

(Concept art from Vision of Escaflowne, property of Funimation.)

Unlike with the King Crab, this build was specifically done as a version of the Escaflowne as built during initial mech construction, with all the limitations in place during character creation. There are two versions of this mech, one more steampunk (show), and the other more biomech (movie). The only real difference being one or two additional traits/weapons featured in the movie over the show. For clarity, I built this with the show version of Escaflowne in mind.

For those unfamiliar, Escaflowne is the titular mech from Vision of Escaflowne, where it is the guymelef (mech) of the royal family of the Kingdom of Fanelia. Guymelef's are similar to steampunk, exosuits where they function as suits of armor for their pilots. Because of this, most of them carry giant versions of medieval weaponry and that's the extent of their capabilities as making the knights giant sized.  That said, some like the Escaflowne are of special make, which gives them some special traits in this case. This is reflected in the mech parts chosen.

Because of its impeccable design by the Ispano clan, the Escaflowne is very hardy, reflected here with a Blitz Tech Frame giving it 24 AP. When on foot, more on that later, it is no faster than your average guymelef, so we left it with the Caballero Corp boosters, giving it an Movement Rate of 1. Since, it comes with some special traits from its creators, it will require multiple utility systems, so we went with the Blitz Tech CPU, giving it two utilities. Lastly, since the Escaflowne's primary weapon is a royal long sword, the Caballero Corp Radiator with it's Heat Rating of 8 will do just fine.

Now as for the Escaflowne's two utilities, those of you who are fans of the franchise will already know where we're going, for the Ispano Clan designed the white armored guymelef to be able to transform into an armored dragon. This is mostly used for transportation purposes as most guymelefs are incapable of flight. To reflect this, we went with the Aerial Frame giving it the ability to apply its Movement Rate into the air, as well as the Mobility Mode Converter so when it transforms into the dragon mode, the Escaflowne will gain 2 MR allowing it to change up to three range types in a move action. The mech will be unable to use weapons while in this mode, but depending on the player's flexibility around their build, the Escaflowne here would technically be capable of flight even in humanoid form. Granted it would have some difficulty doing combat while in the air anyway, as it only carries a melee weapon.

Speaking of, the Escaflowne has one weapon system at start, that would be the Sword of Fanelia, an extending long sword bearing the crest of the kingdom's royal family. Since this is the guymelef's primary weapon, and it was designed as a close combatant, we were about to apply three HR toward damage, giving it a d8 damage die. While we needed the HR for other traits, the Rate of Fire was left at 1 using only a single HR, but by optimizing this portion of the weapon, we were able to increase the RoF to 2. For the ammo, two HR allowed it to have 6 full damage swings. After which the weapon would be reduced to unpowered melee damage (1 + Weapon Skill Bonus). For ranges, obviously, the sword was given melee, but since it does extend into a two handed longsword, two HR gave it a little reach, allowing it to hit targets at Close Range as well.

With this build, even at start, the player would have a mech that would feel like the Escaflowne in play. Of course, as the player earned credits through missions, additional equipment could be purchased to make the mech feel even more accurate to the franchise. Higher level CPUs would give the Escaflowne more utilities, and the first one that comes to mind is the Neural Interface that grants the pilot bonuses on attacks, but runs the chance of causing them harm as they take damage, something that occurs in the show as the pilot's bond with the guymelef grows. Additionally, in the movie, the mech was organic in nature, capable of going on a rampage if the pilot lost control, so perhaps the Bio Frame utility as well. Also in the movie, the Escaflowne was capable of shooting lasers from its shoulder crystals. Improving the radiator and constructing a range weapon could give the build some much appreciated versatility. If not, the pilot could always purchase Disposable Equipment to supplement the need for ranged attack options. Some might view a mech focused on melee as limiting, it should be noted that a single mech does not exist in a vacuum as players are but one member of a squadron. While one mech may focus on dropping onto the front line, and tanking, others could fill in range attack roles. 

This time we took a look at a mech that was themed after knights in heavy armor (granted one that could fly lol), but what about a player that was something more...primal in theme. Next time, we'll take a look at the fast moving, feline mech from the Zoids franchise, the Blade Liger.

#beneath twisted earth #indie #ttrpg #mecha #Escaflowne #mechs #devlog #the vision of escaflowne #bte