#how to become the best seller in the world | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

eggedbellies · 6 months

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Everyone go ahead and thank @final-girl-lorde for this one! I am SO sorry it's taken so long, thank you for your patience.

Title: Deep Cavern. Words: 4064 Kinks: body transformation, breeding, eggpreg, minotaur, tentacles, drider, adventuring idk. Summary: Max has spent his whole life training and being a hero and adventurer. But now he's determined to explore the one cave nobody has ever come out of.

It wouldn’t be false to say that Max was pretty well known around here by now. He had been an adventurer for a few years; focusing his whole life into heading down into the various deep, dangerous places in this world. He had honed his body since he was young, realising that what he wanted was to be a hero. And there was definitely money to be made, although he preferred to do what he could to help those who may have lost things or been endangered – it still came down to getting what money he needed to live, after all. So here he was, staring into the entryway to yet another dungeon.

Max cut an imposing figure. Tall, broad shoulders, the leather and mail armour he wore all added to the effect. And Max was proud of it, too; he’d been working out for such a long time, and each dungeon increased his skill and prowess. Now, facing down the entryway, he slipped the small vial of potion out of his pocket, holding it up and tilting it up in the light. It glittered, softly translucent, blue and glimmering. This small drop had cost him nearly all the treasure he’d managed to snag in the last journey he’d taken, and Max was hoping it would be worth it.

Whitehold Cavern had been a dangerous place for a long time, now. In years, no adventurer had emerged – many had tried. Of course, so many. From powerful wizards to other burly beefcakes like himself, and yet there was never another person who had come out. The rumours of what existed deeply inside – not just the monsters and beasts of darkness, of course, but the treasures that had been snatched away and taken down over the many years – that would be what had driven most of them there. Magical artefacts, gold, even bones of the beasts within…

And now it had come down to this. He was ready, confident, determined. Max was going to enter those depths, gather gold and riches, find what was hidden away, and be the one to make it back. And this potion was going to be the feather in his cap that was going to guarantee his name going down in history. All the money that he had gained and then spent in order to get here – every penny would be worth it. The seller had been oh so determined that it was exactly what he needed to survive, thrive, and become a legend. So here it was. Peering down into the depths, past the unassuming entrance of the cavern – apart from all the signs and warnings scattered around – he girded his loins, popped the lid on the vial, and tipped it into his mouth.

The fluid was strangely thick, for how it had moved in the vial, but it dribbled out into his mouth. At first, sweetness flooded over his tongue, flourishing and spreading a strange, tingly numbness. And then heat, like the spiciest orc chilli he had tried, burning and spreading. No matter how he swallowed, it wouldn’t clear away. Exhaling sharply, he adjusted his armour just slightly, a little looser, cooler. Then – doing his very best to ignore the increasing amount of people who seemed to be coming out in order to observe another fool going to their death – he tensed his shoulders and began the walk down.

After about ten minutes of steady clanking, he was feeling disappointed.

Nothing had yet come for him. There were sloping walls, a faint smell of damp and moss, but – no great monster had struck for him. Was there a sudden drop? The light was fading quickly, so he reached back to strike against the runestone on his hip. A soft blue glow began to spread into the space around him, a subtle but steadily increasing source of vision. A gift from a mage he’d saved in another town, that had been endlessly useful to him. Muscles were great, but he’d always had a smartness that so many others didn’t have, at least as far as Max considered himself. This would be fine. He let go of the sword on his belt, relaxing just a little – and kept walking.

There was no sudden drop. He wasn’t going to starve any time soon. And still that heat was suffusing from his mouth, now spread through his muscles. Liquid heat in his legs, all of his joints – it must be the power that the potion was giving him. Max pulled the armour away from his neck a little more, revealing a touch of flushed skin, exhaling sharply. Wrapped up in the adjustments, he missed the patch of moss underfoot – and slipped. Foot going out from under him, the warrior landed heavily, finding himself slipping and sliding down – shoulder cracking against the stone wall, and something shifting below the plates.

“What -?” awkwardly, managing to pull himself up, he pressed a little more force against the wall. There it was again – a movement, in the rock. A foot against it, now the boulder began to properly move, revealing a concealed passageway in the wall. Peering back the way he’d been walking, a sense of smugness settled onto Max’s shoulders. Of course, it was fated! And so he crouched, wriggling through the hole – and as he emerged into the cavern on the other side, he almost missed the movement ahead.

The blue light from his rune shone over something slick, wet – brow furrowing as he straightened, the tentacle reaching for him caught his eye. In a moment, his sword was loose, and there was a screech as the severed limb fell to the ground in a pool of blue blood. His eyes seemed fixated on the twitching tube, dripping in fluid, and that heat rushed straight to his groin. Shaking it off, his eyes came up just in time to see the beast heaving itself toward him. The next one wrapped around his leg, and another, a flurry of tentacles as his sword snick-snicked, but it was heading towards overwhelming him as he stumbled away, looking for a vantage – and the squeezing around his legs wasn’t helping with that burning.

He could feel himself – dripping, inside. And that was insanity, sure, he’d heard of some strange adventurers who may seek out a tentacled beast like this, but they were as likely to kill and devour you as anything else. As he lunged at the main body, more slender tendrils drove themselves under his mail, leaving cool-hot slick on his bare skin – and he skewered it, feeling the last squirms of it’s searchers as it died.

It took time to clear the goo off his skin, and the air in the cave felt better against that burning. After a moment’s hesitation, he shed a layer of leathers; leaving them piled next to the oozing carcass. It was strange, they felt – tighter, and more than just the sweat. He would move easier without them. Wiping his neck, Max exhaled sharply, heading down deeper. Pausing, listening, he carefully avoided a nest of Viper-strikes, and found another hidden tunnel – sword thrust and ready, but no tentacle beast awaited here – and paused to take a drink. Time was hazy, hours had most likely slipped away as he traversed…

And the cave had to be getting hotter. His armour was feeling tighter, stranger, by the moment. As he hefted his sword up to his shoulder again, it didn’t move quite as easily as before. He’d never hit fatigue this early – a magic must lay over the cave… or the energy from the vial was fading. But the sorcerer had insisted it would last for as long as he’d need it, deep down here…

“Whoa.” it came out as a sharp little breath, stopping on a natural ledge, awkwardly dropping to a crouch as he stared down into the pit a half-dozen feet below him.

Webbing was strung over the space; judging by some shapes that were left in it, animals – god, he hoped they were animals – had been caught and wrapped. Adjusting, he began to cautiously edge down the natural holds in the wall, careful not to ping any of those webbing lines. The monster that belonged in it wasn’t currently visible – he had to make sure not to summon what beast it was. He was going to best the cave, find it’s treasure, and he wasn’t going to pick a fight where there wasn’t one… feet found the floor, and he edged, ducking, catching – oh, no – a rough edge in the floor – a clatter as he landed on the ground and froze.

“Oh, little one.” a voice hissed from above. “Aren’t we trying so very hard? I can smell you from here.”

His blood ran cold. It wasn’t the first time he’d faced a drider, but instead of his body arming, ready to fight, that heat was flourishing deep inside him again. God, how good would she feel, deep inside him? What? No! No, he didn’t… fuck, his head felt strange. What the hell was going on? Stiffly, he managed to get up, doing his very best to avoid the web strands – wouldn’t do to get caught, even as he reached for his sword…

“Don’t worry…” she slipped down from the ceiling on a strong, thick white line, the pale skin looking near translucent in the light from his rune, six eyes fixated on his form as she adjusted to walk on those lines as if they were thick planks and not the shockingly delicate web. “I’m going to help you, now… with all that heat in you… and then you’ll be a perfect little reward for my kind act.” He looked down. His hand was trembling on the blade. It barely seemed like his hand. All he could think was how good she would feel inside him, but the threat of death lingered, a heavy weight pushing through the heat in his crotch.

She was upon him, in a shockingly fast motion, chitin legs reaching down, grasping at him – mouth open, venom glittering on her fangs – he released the strap on his shoulder plate, dropped down, rolled, swung his sword – severing the webs she was on. Her body crashed to the floor, front legs still clutching hold of the armour he’d released. Unwilling to think about how desperate his body was to bare itself for her, Max ran, clattering down the path he could see, urgently – he was making too much noise, the light on his hip swinging wildly, and despite the weight now missing, he didn’t feel any lighter.

When his legs came to a stop, he wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he couldn’t hear the drider behind him. This cavern seemed narrow but empty, and he sat down heavily on a rock, swigging from his waterskin and taking off his helmet to wipe at his face. “Shit, what was that?” his face was soaked in sweat. All of him was, his linen shirt the last protection on his shoulders, and he wiped his face on that. He tapped his chestplate; sitting a little strangely because of his lack of pauldrons, only the strap felt – tight. Slipping off the arms of his armour, he stared at his flesh. Different. The muscle definition was fading. Softer, less – powerful. What the shit was happening to him? His strength… less intimidating. More breedable.

Max blinked at the ground. What the hell was going on in his head? He’d gone too far to go back, now. And the idea of abandoning this idea, when he could finally get filled by something wonderful – no, no – honour and glory, right? Honour and – he jerked on his arms again, stumbling onward. He had to keep going. He had to. And so he kept moving, into the next cave, and along; searching for more secret passageways. A strange musky smell was drifting up as he clamboured up some wall holds to a narrow gap that looked suspicious, driving his hands into it, and – yes – there it was. Another passageway. This time there was a – slide? He was so sick of sliding into the unknown, and yet here he was, and heading deeper, and oh the smell was overwhelming – but it was hard to fit into the gap. Cursing, he released his chest plate, tucking it onto the ledge below and sliding down.

The pit he ended up in rattled. Bones on the floor. Not good. A great huff, and a shadow turned towards him – backlit by a low fire. The heat was stifling, not just the temperature but that whole burning in his skin suddenly overwhelming. Great curved horns that nearly hit the ceiling. Wide ears, strong legs, a clip-clop and oh, shit, that was – a bull. With a chest that was greater than even his, but as Max glanced down, that strange disorientation hit again. Because his muscles were near gone, now – still strong, but no abs, just soft flesh. As the bull man grabbed ahold of him, for a split second he feared death – and then his legs were spreading as it huffed and sniffed his neck. A hand – monstrously large – forced his crotch-piece away and slipped into his underthings, pressing against his near-liquid, aching flesh.

“Fuck -!” he cried out, as it slipped in, pressing against his cock, throbbing against it’s immense finger. He bucked, and it snorted, as if amused, pulling away and leaving him trembling. This wasn’t supposed to happen! Why the hell was he losing his mind, right now, in this cave? His body – his body – it wasn’t acting like his, he’d never wanted to be bred like this – and there was the minotaur, hard, member so thick and long – and he wanted it – and his hand itched to his sword – and so he stumbled from the wall, and past it. Astounded, distracted perhaps, the minotaur was slow – and as he tripped and kicked the fire behind him, Max was out, and now the minotaur was running – he had to go, go, go, not fall, not present, there had to be something else here that he was looking for – and then he was falling, falling -

The ground never hit, but the world sure did go dark.

When he came to, his body was throbbing. Struggling up to his feet, Max inhaled sharply. His rune had gone out – the room was lit, somehow. Stumbling towards the light, he tried to think. Every inch of him was now aching, adjusting the swordbelt on his waist, the linen shirt that was hanging open. As he stumbled into the crack in the wall ahead, all he could think of was the need to pack his dripping, throbbing hole again. His belly was aching, hot, as his whole skin felt aflame. He was still strong, of course he was, but his body felt nothing like it had before. Max wasn’t sure he cared, about all the work that was lost now, because it didn’t matter. He had no intention to fight, not any more, all that mattered was that his body needed to be filled, bred, used… the glittering piles of gold and magical items that he wobbled past were unimportant now. He didn’t give a damn about them. Heat and faint smokey smells were drawing him on and on into the dark depths.

And as he fully made his way into this cavern, he saw it. A glow rising from somewhere deeper and further ahead, he realised there was a huge, heavy head lifting from the ground. Deep red shimmered; acid yellow eyes were opening. The jaw was as long as his entire body was tall, and the mouth was starting to part, hot fetid breath drifting over his half-bared body. The creamy fangs, the deep pink of the tongue – all of it sent a shiver through him that settled right in his aching core. Everything that had come before, had stretched and prepared him, leading to this – none of it had mattered really. Because right now, all that mattered was the way he was falling to his knees in front of the beast.

It moved forward, nostrils flaring, sniffing against him. The rough scales of the snout pressed into his chest, and Max leaned his hands forward, running them, trembling fingers that they were, over the large, hot flesh in front of him. He could feel each bump, the slightly rough and uneven edges, the gusting of the in and out breaths disturbing both skin and fabric. The intelligent eyes were fixed on his form, as the tongue slid out of it’s containment. The pointed tip – as thick as Max’s wrist – slipped it’s way between his legs, and drew up, over his throbbing dick, his lips, and over his painfully empty belly.

Apparently pleased by what it tasted in Max’s body, it huffed, moving back – a gust of hot air from both nostrils, and he slid back just a touch. Swarming shapes were appearing now, smaller than Max’s form themselves, scales and tails, a wave of colours – kobolds, he thought, distantly. They helped pull away the last of the clothes, ill-fitting on his new softer shape. They chucked his sword into the pile of metal in the corner, chittering and fascinated, a dozen small sharp hands pressing into his skin. The last few bits of armour were taken, peered into, but his focus was more on the fascinated, draconic creatures that were exploring him.

“What..?” he mumbled, distracted. They had realised there was saliva on him; got to work licking it off, spreading him, one trailing it’s tongue over his dick as he gasped, grabbing onto a horn, not sure what he wanted only that everything was throbbing and this was right, this was good, he would be the dragon’s toy, his soft body perfect to carry it’s heavy eggs – and so the beast appeared again. A low growl, and the kobolds dropped back, blinking up with love filled, round dark eyes at their master. It sniffed deeply of Max, nuzzling into his chest again, gently sealing it’s mouth around him. And whilst he could feel the immense power, the deadly teeth, he didn’t panic as it lifted him; moving him tenderly, gently, and laying him on something – soft. A pile of musty furs and fabrics, part of it’s hoard, and releasing him there. Shock, or perhaps something more, knocked him clean off his feet, landing heavily on the pile. He leant back, breathing heavy, exhilirated by the danger, the thrill, and the trust. And now the dragon pressed it’s muzzle deep.

It didn’t hesitate to slip it’s tongue inside his soaking body. He cried out in raw pleasure as the heat thrilled through him; not sated yet, the potion still burning, but he had reached dthe end, and this was it, his reward; his gift; to become part of the dragon’s hoard, after all. And it would be bliss, he was sure, as his cock convulsed and he tensed and cried out, flopping back again into the furs and bucking it’s hips. There was no doubt the dragon was pleased, pulling away, eyes sparkling as it growled something almost like a laugh at how easily he went. And as it drew back, sitting up slightly, a paw went down to palm at it’s cock. As long and thick as his forearm – Max was sure he’d never be able to take it. The beast sniffed at him, as if contemplating the same, then turned away. It’s wings shuffled, tail lifted, and he saw the heavy balls hanging between it’s legs… thought of all the seed packed away and twitched hard, halfway to cumming on just that thought…

When the beast returned a few moments later, it lowered it’s mouth and opened it above him; a perfectly round, softly glowing crystal, smooth and gorgeous. It huffed slightly, as he took it – and felt the warmth within it. A magical artefact… more powerful even than his glowing rune. A gift? But the dragon’s eyes met his, and he understood, the wonderful creature – the lover – able to communicate more by the moment. And so he slipped it inside himself, gasping at the sensation, the pleasure. His body gripped, pulled, and he squirmed, moaned; then the tongue was back, and it was pushing deeper and deeper. No pain, only warmth, pleasure. A faint pop – and when he looked down he could see it glowing, deep inside him, before it steadily faded. This was nothing like the spicy heat from the potion, but a settling warmth, changing him from the inside out. Now he looked at their cock, and laid back, spreading his legs again.

As he climbed over Max, the cock hung low, drooling thick pre. Ridged, shimmering and – beautiful. The tip was pointed, and tiny spines hung off the eddge of the head, as if it was designed to go in but be unwilling to come back out. Fuck, it looked – so good. With trembling fingers he stroked and then led it down, leaning his body up, as it made the first kiss with his entrance. A deep, old curse growled from his lips. Then inch by inch, he spread around it. Cursing turned to panting. Pain never came, but instead bliss at just how hard his body worked, the magic inside him doing it’s work. He knew he’d be able to always take his lover’s cock, now, and lay any egg, no matter the size, and what a thought, to fill him with such a deep joy that he came. Clenching hard, howling, and his partner laughed, and began to rock. In moments they settled to a rhythm, Max’s mind a foggy mess, soft body rising and falling. He placed a hand on his tummy, feeling when each thrust went to it’s deepest point… time became a foggy mess of pleasure and drooling.

When his master began to pick up the pace, Max rocked with him, rasping words of encouragement, of pleasure – feeling the swell, and the push, and then – oh, fuck, so tight – pushing the boundaries of the magic in his flesh – and pumping. Gods, the pumping, each twitch so powerful, a firehose of cum blaring inside him. Twitch and pump and pulse, and he could feel his belly swelling, breeding, gasping and groaning, as his body went entirely lax and all he could feel was being filled. He rubbed the lump as it went from a grapefruit, to a melon, to a greater size than he could quantify. There must be at least a barrel of potent, burning dragon cum inside him – and finally, easing the ache the potion had left in him. A dozen more aches to take it’s place, but for now, he was limp, drooling. The dragon adjusted carefully, holding him safe, as it rested, still driven deep into his body. He felt like a toy. It felt like bliss.

When the movement started again, Max’s brain was floating. He couldn’t quite believe it. The knot had slipped down, just enough for Mechaus to start moving again. When they struck deep, his belly sloshed, and it made his head spin all over again. Time slipped by, lost in a haze, lost in pleasure and fullness and bliss. And when the dragon began to speak, clear in his messed up head, it was words of love and hope and everything he could have helped…

‘You can do it, my love.’ whispered the deep rumble in his head. He groaned, wrapping an arm around their neck, lifting him with great difficulty to his feet. The clutch was unbelievably heavy – he was sure some of his back muscles were coming back in. Although Mechaus insisted he liked Max just the way he was – perfect for supporting the clutch they were going. “How much longer?” he grumbled, huffing between his teeth. ‘Not long. Do you know, my Kobolds spotted something earlier?’ the dragon whispered into his brain. ‘Another intrepid explorer coming on in. They happened to visit a little shop on their way down… one of my acolytes owns it.’ and the dragon rumbled a laugh, and Max huffed. “You’re incorrigible.” he muttered, even if he was smiling slightly. “They won’t make it down here. Nobody ever gets this far.” ‘Only one.’ Mechaus whispered, and Max rolled his eyes, then gasped. “Oh.” he whispered. “Think we’re out of time.”

#my stories

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randomarttalent · 6 days

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Mlp Pie's next-gen

Original posts, info and links down below

MaudBriar Kid

Ship: Maud "Slate" Pie + Mudbriar "Walnut" Fossilized Maple Maple is very different from their parents, not just in style, personality or special interest. Maple has a few hidden disabilities, meaning many won't know what it is unless it's told to them. Maple is dyslexic, meaning she has a harder time reading and writing, in Maples's case, she has a harder time writing than reading. Even though she may not be as fast as the rest in the literary world, that doesn't stop her, her way of creative thinking comes very handy with different tasks around the rock and wood farm. Maple also doesn't care about pronouncing, he's someone who goes with the flow a lot, which can be seen in his cutie mark. Its different patterns in a moving motion, show how flexible he is and how his talent is noticing the small things and being able to help in almost any situation.

LimeDa Kids

Ship: Gilda "Glory" + "Shady" Limestone Pie

Gloomy Glory

Gloomy is small for a griffin and his age, reason why is because he has dwarfism, which is also the reason why he had been abandoned. Griffin's used to throw away the weak and sick chicks, under Twilight's rule these traditions have become illegal but some are still able to get past and go unnoticed.

Luckily Gloomy was found before anything bad happened.

Gloomy is the oldest of the two but always gets mistaken for a small child. He has gotten used to it over time but it still annoys him. Because of his condition, he has a harder time flying, reaching things and certain things over longer periods of time.

Glaze Glory

Glaze was a large baby, this caused one of his wings to become deformed and so, he too was abandoned by his mother. He managed to survive till a representative of Twilight noticed him as they were traveling to the Dragon Lands.

Glaze grew and grew in size and soon enough the bed he was using in the orphanage was too small but soon enough he was adopted by Gilda and Lime. He still grows and will for plenty of years to come, as dragons live for centuries.

CheesePie Kids

Ship: Pinkamena "Pinkie" Diane Pie + Cheese Sandwich

Lil Cheese Even though he is short, Lil Cheese is the oldest of his siblings. He was born too early because of Pinkie's diabetes and high blood pressure, causing him to be c-sectioned at birth. Pinkie had only started on the medication to help her with these conditions. Lil Cheese has some problems with breathing at higher rates, meaning he can't play as much as other kids. Running for too long was also very dangerous for him, as his lungs never fully developed.

Lil Cheese was for most of his life homeschooled but as he got older and promised to watch out for himself, he was allowed to enroll. The teachers were told of his condition and Lil Cheese was happy to finally be able to be with other kids his age. Of course, he loves his family but he had always dreamed of making friends on his own. He did feel outside, as he couldn't play as the others but he had mostly gotten used to that feeling because of his younger siblings and watching them play.

As Lil Cheese grew up, he got his cutie mark while making a cheesecake for his Bright Luck, as it was her birthday. He wanted to do it alone, as he had helped a lot throughout his childhood and felt as if he could do it alone now, he wanted this to be his gift to her, as he didn't really know what she wanted that he could get. At the birthday party, as the slices of cake were handed out, he received compliments and he felt so proud. He then received his cutie mark and everyone was happy and excited by it.

He now works as a writer, writing stories of his life growing up, and his hardships, and has even written a best seller of a romance fantastical world, which world was made very open and broad. In his free time, he likes to go out to schools, talking about his disability. Helping teach that there's nothing wrong with being different.

Pop Tart Pop Tart is the tallest in the whole family, her broader makes her stand out and has been an insecurity all her life, as she feels rather less feminine than she wishes to look like. Even though her tall figure might frighten some, her heart is solid gold, and she's incredible with children.

Even at a young age, she liked taking care of the younger twins, she was the first one to be there if one of them began to cry, even scolding her parents about it. Even though they couldn't do anything about it, as sometimes babies just cry. As she enrolled in school, she became the popular one, as she looked the oldest and her warm and welcoming atmosphere. However, as they all grew older, she became less important to the other students, as they got older, and started having other feelings for things, such as crushes, makeup, spots, and so on.

Pop Tart didn't mind at all and rather liked the students her age who weren't around a lot, she enjoyed hanging around the younger fillies and colts, as she felt more important there as she would help the teachers and get compliments for her helping hoof. As everyone in her class got their cutie marks, she didn't. No matter what she tried, nothing had that spark and wasn't her calling, and as time went along, Pop Tart was tired of trying and only wanted to focus on her education. She wanted to be a doctor, specializing in children, wanting to help the young ones, like someone had with her older brother.

In her education, she became the top of her class, her still hoofs and quick-thinking brain were exactly what this job needed. As the final texts came, she was starting to get nervous, not wanting to fail or mess up. Her family and friends did their best to calm her mind and wished Pop Tart the best as she was called in on the performance test. At the start, she was quiet and didn't talk much but as time went on, her voice grew and she even came up with ideas for the main doctor's procedures. He was slightly surprised at her idea but was beyond proud of her improvement in the surgery and bright mind.

She passed and her cutie mark finally came, a cute fixed bear, resembling her and her passion for her work. Pop Tart started work at her education hospital but soon was moved to a better children's hospital, which specialized in child care and sicknesses.

Rock Candy Rock Candy and his twin brother Swirl Mix are always together, even though they are so very different. Rock is very outgoing and has ADHD, in his case making it harder for him to concentrate and doing tasks. He has a hard time lowering his vocals in exciting situations, as well as going nonverbal in upsetting ones. Whenever he gets very excited, his voice is loud and he starts moving his front hooves, doing stemming.

Rock is very kind and is very happy to hear others talk about their likes, as he wants to know about them and will even research the topic to later bring it up. If ever down, the best way to brighten up his day is by letting him ramble on about his latest hyper-fixation.

At school, Rock had a hard time learning because of his ADHD but after learning he had it, he received extra time of things, as well as allowing him to bring fidget toys. In one of the cooking classes, they were making candy and they made misshapen sugar bracelets, he was the only one made extremely well for his age and first try. He couldn't stop showing it off and would even start making candy with his mother. Earning his cutie mark as his aunt Marble Pie came over and they made rock candy together.

He now owns his own half-section of Sugar Cub Corner, selling sugar sweets and beautifully made rock candy in jewelry-like styles.

Swirl Mix Swirl Mix compared to his twin brother has always been more quiet and had a harder time socializing. As he had Autism, in class he would mumble a lot more than at home. Sometimes he would suddenly switch from happy to sad or angry, which consered the teacher. After being tested with his brother, they found out he had Autism and he also received extra time for homework and tests but he didn't actually need that, as he always did the homework on normal time and even wrote more than what had been required.

Rock Candy was the only one he really talked to at school, as he didn't like the other students very much and would rather be alone than play with them. So it was only him and his brother, only on a few occasions did he play with others who weren't the teachers. Swirl was very anti-social and needed a lot of planned play dates and trips for him to open up more and learn that others also could like what he liked and he could have a good time with classmates.

Swirl got his cutie mark while helping decorate a birthday cake for themselves, his side was a lot more neat than that of Rock, who didn't quite have the touch for it. Swirl as his brother owns his own half of the store, selling cakes and baked goods. Their mother works with them both, helping whoever needs it, and is the main pony at the cashier, as well as on deliveries.

MarbleShoes Kids

Ship: Trouble Shoes + Marble "Droplet" Pie

Bright Fortune Bright is almost as tall as his father, scaring many upon meeting him for the first time, however, like his father Bright is a very kind hearted stallion. Bright's passion and cutie mark is that of traveling, exploring and finding old treasures. As a young colt, he would read all the stories of Daring Doo and wished he was on such journey's. Once he was old enough, he joined a expiation team, they traveled for 3 weeks in total before coming home with some old ponish's weaponry. Bright wears a headband and some cloth from his back to his behind.

Inky Hoof Inky compared to his brother's never saw the thrill of leaving their land. He loved to stay near Appleloosa and to go out to visit family but otherwise, he just wanted to stay near home, watching over his wild flowers and making jewelry with his mother. Inky is a lot like his mother, both in appearance and personality, he's only open and carefree with family. Inky got his cutie mark while making his mother a birthday gift, including the wild flowers near their home and her name sake of a gem. Inky wears a necklace, earrings and whatever wild flowers are in season.

Obsidian Coat Obsidian has never been a person pony, rather linking the dark and quiet of the caves. As a young colt he would join his mother in the caves, helping her find crystals for her to make jewelry of and sell. But Obsidian was rather interested in exploring the deeper parts of the caves, wanting to see what lies in the depths. He would often be told to forget that dream, as it's too dangerous and Marble couldn't stand the thought of losing a child. But once he had turned 18, his only wish was to be allowed to cave dive and after a long discussion, he was allowed to go, if he did it with a team. Obsidian now works with a small but understanding team, they know of his anti-social behavior and don't mind much, talking mostly among themselves. Obsidian wears gauge earrings, snake bite piercing, bat wing shaped shades and a hoodie.

#mlp #mlp ng #mlp next gen #mlp g4 #mlp art #mlp fim #my little pony #next generation #randomarttalent #rat #all love no war #alnw #pinkie pie #Maud pie #Marble Pie #limestone pie #Trouble shoes #Gilda #mudbriar

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historicity-was-already-taken · 7 months

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i have this excerpt from Notes from the Warsaw Ghetto: The Journal of Emmanuel Ringelblum printed and framed

Like, I paid an etsy seller to print it for me on the nicest cardstock with the best ink, and then I waited in line and paid a stupid amount of money to have it framed at the Michael's custom framing counter. And I have zero regrets. I've probably posted this excerpt here before but I don't care. It is everything.

The heroic girls, Chajke and Frumke—they are a theme that calls for the pen of a great writer. Boldly they travel back and forth through the cities and towns of Poland. They carry “Aryan” papers identifying them as Poles or Ukrainians. One of them even wears a cross, which she never parts with except when in the Ghetto. They are in mortal danger every day. They rely entirely on their “Aryan” faces and on the peasant kerchiefs that cover their heads. Without a murmur, without a second’s hesitation, they accept and carry out the most dangerous missions. Is someone needed to travel to Vilna, Bialystok, Lemberg, Kowel, Lublin, Czestochowa, or Radom to smuggle in contraband such as illegal publications, goods, money? The girls volunteer as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Are there comrades who have to be rescued from Vilna, Lublin, or some other city?— They undertake the mission. Nothing stands in their way, nothing deters them. Is it necessary to become friendly with engineers of German trains, so as to be able to travel beyond the frontiers of the Government General of Poland, where people can move about with special papers? They are the ones to do it, simply, without fuss, as though it was their profession. They have traveled from city to city, to places no delegate or Jewish institution had ever reached, such as Wolhynia, Lithuania. They were the first to bring back the tidings about the tragedy of Vilna. They were the first to offer words of encouragement and moral support to the surviving remnant of that city. How many times have they looked death in the eyes? How many times have they been arrested and searched? Fortune has smiled on them. They are, in the classic idiom, “emissaries of the community to whom no harm can come.” With what simplicity and modesty have they reported what they accomplished on their journeys, on the trains bearing Polish Christians who have been pressed to work in Germany! The story of the Jewish woman will be a glorious page in the history of Jewry during the present war. And the Chajkes and Frumkes will be the leading figures in this story. For these girls are indefatigable. Just back from Czestochowa, where they imported contraband, in a few hours they’ll be on the move again. And they’re off without a moment’s hesitation, without a minute of rest.

He only namechecks Chaike Grossman and Frumka Plotnicka here, but I can tell you for a fact that he's also referring to Tossia Atlman, Tema Schneiderman, and Lonka Kozybrodska. At least.

So far the count of Jewish women (that I'm aware of) who have responded to "They are a theme that calls for the pen of a great writer" with a book (or long-planned book) are three: me, Dr. Lenore Weitzman (who won't return any of my emails) and Judith Batalion (who did return my emails, had lunch with me, and told me that Dr. Weitzman wouldn't respond to her emails either). I hope more Jewish women--in and out of the academe--continue to take up this call, and I hope they keep getting published and aren't rejected because it's "too similar" to mine and Batalion's. No like seriously like two months after I signed with my agent, and one month after I got my book deal, I received a rejection from a lit agent saying that my book was "too similar" to Batalion's. Ok first of all it's not. I read Batalion's the day it came out, and they're very different books with very different focuses, goals, and approaches; the only thing they have in common is that they're both about this underserved, underappreciated group of amazing women. There SHOULD be multiple books about each and every one of them. There SHOULD be multiple books about one day Tossia spent in Vilna. Every white man who looked sideways at WW2 and the American Civil War have like, 87 terrible books dedicated to them, and I DEMAND at least 3 for each of these women. And 17 for Queen Zivia. (Who does have a biography, written by Bella Gutterman). Plus a biopic. So this post went in a direction.

tl;dr:

#epica's cover of the pirates of the caribbean theme came on shuffle while i was writing this #it was awesome

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taurussoulastrology · 6 months

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Let's talk about the Part of Fortune! Or P.F. for short.

●Below is P.F. through the signs.

The P.F. is a balance point between your Ascendant, Sun, and Moon. It has a mystical quality about it. It can be viewed from a mundane level or a metaphysical/spiritual level. It's an astrological point, not a planet. It's an energetic force!

This point can reveal your prosperity, career, mode of income, your body, your health, your connection with outside world, and how your soul can grow to its highest expression.

The happiness you receive from this point depends on how well balanced your Ascendant, Sun, and Moon are in yourself. If they are all working in harmony, this point will have positive effects on you. If they're not, it can bring challenges to your life.

PART OF FORUNE THROUGH THE SIGNS:

Let me know if they resonate!

ARIES:

You will have a great deal of energy. And you need to be very active, not necessarily physically active, but maybe mentally active and alert. You are courageous, brave, confident, and self assured., and you love adventure and spontaneous expression. You may not have all these qualities right now, but these are the attributes that you can develop. You need to learn how to focus your energy effectively, and to be in. Control of your life. You are someone who derives great pleasure from taking initiative, and you can achieve happiness and success through your innovative and creative efforts. You enjoy new challenges in overcoming obstacles. You can help and direct others towards more productive uses of their energy. You must be independent and not accept. Interference from others. Whatever you achieve will be through your own efforts, and this brings you your greatest joy. Learn to trust your intuition.

TAURUS:

You need to be productive and create tangible results for your efforts. You'd like peace and you can achieve contentment. This placement can bring good fortune with accumulating assets and possessions, so long as you are able to discern their value. Just collecting things for no reason will not bring you happiness. Whatever you gather must have value and meaning.. You derive pleasure from building and sustaining new structures. You can be patient and achieve inner peace so long as you don't get too enmeshed in the mundane world of money and ownership. Your experience of joy is achieved when you produce real and lasting results from your efforts. You have a solidity within you that is very soothing for others, as they know they can depend on you. You get pleasure from being stable, persistent, and practical. You may have a love of beauty, food, eating, nature, and anything that stimulates your senses.

GEMINI:

You need to reach out to others and communicate, as you could bridge the gaps in understanding between people. As you use and develop your communication skills and your ability to learn, you will achieve success and joy. You might publish a best seller or help others to get their work into the public domain. Those who live near you or work around you will always be there for you if you need them. You need to cultivate versatility, freedom. Of movement and your sense of humor. You are extremely curious, and you need to develop flexibility and the ability to go with the flow. You need to be fully engaged with everything that's going on around you without Bedding. Everything. Your happiness comes from being in the moment and sharing your exciting adventures with others. You love talking, Anything that stimulates the mind, humor, play, and developing your skills.

CANCER:

You seek security for yourself, but you can also help others find their security. You need to cultivate gentleness and caring. You have a great ability to nurture other people, Animals, projects, creative endeavors, ideas and visions. Whatever it is, you can nurture something so that it becomes whole. Period. This brings you your greatest happiness and joy. You can get in touch with the earth's energies and use them to make things grow and thrive. Try to develop the tenderness and care and qualities. You have, and you will derive much enjoyment from nourishing all things so that they can flourish. You might have an interest in anything connected with the Earth. Such as gardening, growing food, protecting the land, animals, and birds. You can empathize. With the vulnerable and can teach them how to become self reliant. You love home, family, memories, tradition, the past, food, nurturing, collecting things, music, and real estate.

LEO:

With this placement, you need to cultivate recognition from others for your creativity to feel happy and successful. You are generous and optimistic. And you could be a great. Source of inspiration. You were someone who leads by example and you were authentic. You give for the sheer joy of giving without any expectation of a return. You have an abundant creative energy that can bring about many new and exciting results. For you, Great happiness comes from accomplishing large scale achievements that inspire others to develop their creativity. You are a shining example of what a person can achieve. You can become a master in your field of expertise and this will bring you great joy. You love fun, drama, developing new businesses, games of any kind, or, sports, dance, and anything creative.

VIRGO:

No matter what kind of health problem may be thrown at you, you will be able to find a solution to it. It doesn't mean that you can be overconfident with your health or abuse it, but, if you are sincere You will be able to catch things before they become serious. You are able to study and change destructive habit patterns so that you create happier and more joyful life for yourself. You need to develop discrimination and logical analysis. You are happy when Your environment is in order, as you are extremely sensitive to vibrations. This placement brings luck with work, your career, and your physical health. You may be drawn to the medical profession as a career or something that involves helping others. You enjoy feeling that you are making a valuable contribution in anything concerning Wellness, health, Nutrition, work, animals, Volunteering and charity work would be fields in which you would excel.

LIBRA:

You are happiest when you achieve balance in your relationships. You are probably a people pleaser and you will have to ensure that your needs are being met in your relationships. And you are not. Making too many compromises. You tried to cooperate with others, but this doesn't always work in your best interests. You need to discern the fine line between being helpful and giving too much. You experience joy when you feel as though you are part of something. And that you belong. You have an innate ability to mediate successfully in both personal and professional relationships. Once you feel in harmony with the people around you and in your life, you experience your greatest fulfillment. You may have many lessons to learn about relationships before you truly achieved the balance you desire, But once you have overcome these obstacles, your relationships. Bring great fulfillment and pleasure. You love Discussions, one to one. Interactions, Counseling, advising, coaching, training, harmony, diplomacy. And elegance.

SCORPIO:

This is a very powerful placement. It means you must act wisely and only with the best of intentions for everyone with whom you come into contact. You could be a powerful leader, singer, actor, spiritual teacher or mentor. You have the power to influence people positively or negatively. You have a keen perception and penetrating insight, and you love to dive into the unknown and the unseen. Your happiness is achieved. By getting to the core and bottom of situations. You are able to regenerate and rejuvenate yourself so that you can experience a rebirth and reinvent yourself. You will have the feeling that you have already. Died many times in this lifetime. You have wonderful recuperation powers that you can tap into whenever you desire. You are happiest. When you can show people how to face their fears and go beyond them. You emanate confidence and assuredness. You love intensity, using personal power, and powering others, intimacy, and deep soul connections.

SAGITTARIUS:

Your success comes from exploring and reaching New Horizons and adventures. You see truth and fairness, and you may be interested in law or politics. This is a good position for a lawyer, judge, or politician. You are not afraid to take risks and to try your luck because you We'll learn something from the experience. Your greatest fortune may lie far away from your place of birth. This is a fortunate placement so long as you are prepared to take risks, as they usually pay off for you. You are intensely curious and need to experience many different inactive verse things. New experiences bring you great fulfillment. Allow yourself to radiate the joy that you feel within and don't try to convince those around you to see the world as you do. Just be a shining example of optimism and demonstrate A zest for life. You love travel of the mind or body. Teaching and learning give you pleasure. You'll be attracted to anything involving the expansion and awakening of consciousness.

CAPRICORN:

Happiness comes from determination to achieve your goals. You often lead the way for others and this can be a very good placement for luck in business and public affairs. Your greatest joy comes from observing your progress in life and seeing it take form and structure. You don't necessarily want. Things to come easily to you and And you like to feel as though you have earned your successes. You need to know that you can make a valuable contribution to society. This position may delay happiness until later in life. This is a sign of great depth and your joy is achieved after many years of Focused effort. You know that what you achieve is not through good luck, but rather from your own efforts and persistence. It is the awareness of your inner development that brings you the greatest joy. You love achievement, mastery, discipline, structure, organizing and planning.

AQUARIUS:

Your happiness comes from making a tangible contribution or creating an invention that is beneficial for everyone. You are able to raise money for charitable organizations. You could develop new cures and medicine. Others will seek. You out for guidance and advice. You are fair and unbiased, and this is what attracts other people to you. You must never follow the paths of other people. You are original and creative and will come up with a new direction that is authentic to you. As soon as you accept that. You are different in that your ideas are unique, You will feel much happier. Your joy is not only for yourself but for the good of all. You show others that they can celebrate their individuality. You love new ideas, the imagination, philanthropy., technology, science, the future, diversity, and new inventions.

PISCES:

You are naturally attuned to the spiritual side of life and you must concentrate on your higher ideals. This is where your true happiness lies. You will have a powerful, magnetic and mysterious quality. You have a desire to bring about. A more compassionate and loving world. You may have a strong interest in anything metaphysical, spiritual, or esoteric, and you get your greatest inspiration from tuning into the Invisible Forces. As you learned to go with the flow of life, to allow yourself to experience your emotions fully. And not to avoid them or sweep them under the carpet, you will experience the oneness of everything and deep sense of peace. You love solitude, romance, poetry, being near water, charity, retreats, metaphysics, and anything esoteric.

#PartofFortune

#ApproachesToAstrology Astrology astrology learnastrology astrologyinsights TaurusSoulAstrology MysticalMoonSoul AstrologyCommunity #part of fortune #astrology community #taurusmoonsoul.com #i love astrology #mysticalmoonsoul

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silencedrowns · 1 year

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Wig Seller Masterlist

Some people on were asking if I had a post about this and I didn’t, so I thought I’d make a big master post of wig companies I like! It’s in alphabetical order, with information about them listed afterwards. Currently I have fifteen brands on this list, but if I try and am really impressed by another, I’ll add it. I hope maybe one of them has that hard to find wig you’ve been searching for! I have the color samples for Arda, Assist, Classe, Coscraft, Cyperous, Kasou, and Swallowtail and am willing to help you check if a color from them is correct or not.

Airily

Japan only brand, so you’ll need a shopping service. Wide range of colors, including some that are hard to match in other lines, and a lot of base styles that I like more than other brands. Sells both wefts and lace front pieces. Lace hairline wigs are also available. Fit is medium (not particularly large or small). Price is higher. Swatch book not available.

Alice Garden/aiyaya

Amazon wig brand selling lolita/natural looking wigs. The variety is not good but if they have something that looks like what you need to wear with very little styling, you won’t get something as nice for the price! Styles are all very natural looking. Fit is on the smaller end of medium. Price is low. Swatch book not available.

Aoi Wig

Taobao brand doing character wigs, so a shopping service is required. These are hands down the best character wigs I’ve ever worked with. If you don’t want to do a ton of styling and they have the character you want, you literally cannot go wrong here. Fiber isn’t the world’s most durable but will hold up for multiple wears, and the price is good enough to make up for it. Fit is slightly small but larger than most taobao wigs. Price is a bit high for taobao but is still dirt cheap for what you get. Swatch books not available but the photo color is exceedingly accurate.

Arda Wigs

American based. One of the most common brands for a REASON! Wide range of colors in a wide range of styles. If you have a larger head or a lot of hair, this is your new best friend. They sell lace fronts but not individual lace pieces. The big problem with them, however, is the stock issues. Colors run out quickly so sometimes you have to compromise on which style you buy, or place an order from one of their sister sites in another country that actually has the color you need. (OOPS this is no longer an option anymore! Luckily there are a lot of Arda wigs secondhand online.) Nobody has as much hair in their wigs as they do, which can actually be a problem in some styles; be prepared to pluck lace fronts and use thinning shears. Fit is LARGE; they have the largest wigs in the market. Price is a bit high but not exorbitant. Swatch rings are available for both their fiber types

Assist

Japanese brand, ships worldwide but EMS/fedex only so you’ll probably want to group order. Nobody in the market has as many colors as Assist; between their premium and basic lines, they have over 600 colors! DO NOT TRUST THEIR PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY TO PICK COLORS; you need to buy their swatch books or ask a friend who has them to help you choose, because those photos can be criminally inaccurate. If you ever order from them, buy a bottle of Face Cover Glue and watch it change your life as “wig sticks away from face and face framing pieces move out of place” become a distant memory, and I adore their contacts! They sell wefts and lace pieces in their premium line but not their basic. Price varies; Premium line is a great price for what you get, but Basic is incredibly cheap (but not quite as good quality). Fit is small; based on how they fit my clients they’re the smallest of the Japanese brands and if you’ve ever found taobao wigs too small, assist will probably also be too small for you. Swatch books or rings are available and also required.

Blue Beard

Taobao character wig brand, so shopping service is required. Blue Beard wigs are all affordable and decent. You won’t ever get a bad wig from them, but I’ve found that their wigs tend to require a lot of maintenance. Wide range of characters! No wefts available. When you find stolen taobao wig photos, more often than not they’re stealing from Blue Beard. The photos are all color accurate, but you’ll typically need to do a lot of styling to make the wig match the photo. Price is great for what you get. Fit is medium to small. No swatches available.

Classe

Japanese brand that requires a shopping service but oh what a brand it is. Classe has a wide range of colors but where it truly excels is in the range of extra styling supply options. You can buy lace front pieces, yes, but you can also buy stand alone skin top pieces in center whorl or long for parts. No brand is as flexible with what you can do with their wigs, not by a long shot. Make sure to check out their styling blog! Even if it’s all in Japanese, the diagrams are clear and the techniques are genuine life savers. The fiber is beautiful and the website’s color suggestion feature where the desktop version tells you a list of characters they’d use this color for makes picking colors a lot easier. You’ll pay a lot for them, but what you get will be worth it. I’ve been using them a lot lately because no other brand’s fiber is as easy to make behave like human hair. Naturalistic wig stylists and cosmetology people, this brand is for you! Fit is up to 59cm (!!) and is roomy in the hairline coverage to the point some people have to trim the ear tabs a bit shorter, although it’s my personal comfiest fit. (Upon further testing: Classe’s fit is going to be perfect for you if you’ve ever tried an Arda lacefront and found it somehow a bit too big in the cap but too skimpy in the ear and hairline coverage at the same time.) Swatch books are available and affordable.

Coscraft

Based in the UK but ships worldwide despite being way too unknown outside Europe. Coscraft is an absolute gem of a site with a wide range of colors (more than 80!) with plenty of unusual color options that aren’t found anywhere else that doesn’t need a shopping service, a decently large variety of base styles to choose from, and wefts and separate lace front pieces and stick on skin tops in every color. Unlike every other cosplay brand on the planet, their lace front pieces come in dark brown lace for darker skinned cosplayers and not just beige! (The skin top pieces are only in beige so far but hopefully they will work on this.) Also for some reason they sell ridiculously inexpensive corset coutil so for all the craftsmanship people, new source acquired! Even if you’re outside of Europe, Coscraft is so nice that it’s hard to believe their prices. When the pound is up vs your currency, they’re shockingly affordable. When the pound is down vs your currency, the quality per money feels straight up illegal. This is my current go to cosplay wig site for a reason. Fit is larger medium; it won’t be too big or too small on most people. Color swatch ring is available.

Cyperous

Japanese cosplay wig source that theoretically ships EMS outside Japan but I haven’t been able to get that to work for years so shopping service it is. Pour one out for Cyperous; they’re clearly in decline but as one of the original heat resist brands, they’re still here and still worth ordering from while you can. Nobody has as beautiful and delicate blondes as Cyperous; their Milky and White Milky are the best blondes I’ve ever used. They have a nice selection of lace wigs and the much rarer lace bang wigs as well as regular wigs, and wefts of course. No other brand I’ve seen has synthetic wigs that photograph as much like real hair as Cyperous. They can tangle a lot as a result but it’s worth the upkeep. I have no idea how long they’ll keep limping along, but look them up before it’s too late. Price is high but reasonable for what it is. Fit is a true medium. Swatches used to be available and no longer seem to be, but the photos are pretty accurate to my ancient swatch ring and newer wigs.

Five Wits Wigs

Five Wits is the most criminally underrated of the American wig companies because most of their stock photos suck. They really, really, really suck. The photos are somehow incredibly color accurate but represent the wigs as pulled directly from bag and plopped onto someone’s head or a mannequin without even combing them in a flattering way. I wrote them off until I got to see their booth at a con and realized quickly that these wigs are wonderfully made with beautiful fiber that typically photographs like a dream (how do they get such bad stock photos?!) and is so easy to style! Five Wits mostly stocks character wigs, but many of them are versatile enough to use for tons of other things and they offer wefts for some of their colors. The owners are friendly, the service is great, the actual wigs are beautiful, the price for what you get is wonderful, but those dang stock photos keep people from noticing why Five Wits is one of my favorite suppliers! Price is great for what you’re getting, especially for an American brand. The fit is larger end of medium (very few people find it too big or too small). They don’t carry swatch books but every single stock photo, despite being terrible, is an incredibly accurate depiction of the color so feel free to judge colors accordingly.

Kasou

I almost hesitate to put Kasou on here considering that one of the problems with them is that their shipping when it’s from their Chinese warehouse is occasionally “good luck getting your wig”, and I disqualified another past favorite of mine for this, but Kasou squeaked onto this list for two reasons: 1) their fiber and wigs really are spectacular and 2) they have the ONLY Jolyne Kujo pre made wig that I don’t hate. Order from them with confidence that whatever you get will be nice, but keep in mind that there are enough people who’ve had issues with wigs from their Chinese warehouse that you want to give yourself months of lead time if you go that route. They have a decent if slightly expensive price range, medium cap fit, and they do offer swatches. I NO LONGER RECOMMEND KASOU. I still stand by their products being nice, but there have been too many extremely expensive packages lost in the mail with them refusing to refund/replace among cosplayers I know for me to put them as a recommendation. If you order from here, do it with caution.

L-Email / wig-supplier

Not everyone needs premium wigs for heavy styling all the time, and that’s where L-Email comes in. This Chinese-based seller that ships internationally will sell you decent character wigs and decent base wigs for an incredibly affordable price. Nothing from here is going to be spectacular, but if your budget is low and you’re willing to put in a bunch of effort to make up for that, what you need is just a plain wig without tons of styling, or you want a character wig that’s a bit easier to upgrade with extra styling work than other brands because the hardest parts are typically done for you, L-Email is a great option for you. They’re just all around decent, and sometimes that’s what you need. Fit is medium, prices are pretty affordable especially if you go in with friends for shipping, and there aren’t swatches but the photos are typically pretty color accurate.

Sepia

One of the absolute oldest wig companies based in America; every cosplayer active before 2007 has bought at least one Sepia wig. They’re still here though, and now they have some heat resist lace fronts! Their range of fantasy colors is pretty atrocious but if you want some beautiful natural colors, you could do worse than shop here, especially considering there’s at least one more expensive brand (that I’m not putting in this list) that sources lace fronts from Sepia and resells! Fit is medium, price is medium, I haven’t bothered to see if they have swatches because I’m an ancient cosplayer and have the typical Sepia color codes memorized.

Swallowtail

If you’ve heard of this Japanese (shopping service required) wig brand before, it’s probably because the canon wigs in My Dress-Up Darling all come from Swallowtail. There’s more reasons than flexing about how you have the canon Shizuku-tan wig to consider Swallowtail, though! They have a massive color range with a lot of colors I’ve seen nowhere else in the world, and while the fiber isn’t the world’s most durable and is a bit shiny for my tastes in some colors, they’re affordable enough to be a competitive option even if you have to use a shopping service from outside Japan. They offer a full range of wefts and lace pieces and clip ons and a wide variety of base styles. The fit seems to be pretty true medium, and they definitely offer swatches (in the most chaotic ring setup I’ve ever seen. You’ll want to resort that one fast.)

Sylvia_Wig

You can get a lot of decent lace fronts perfect for minimal styling on AliExpress, but Sylvia is my hands down favorite. If you need a natural looking lace front and you don’t want to spend tons of money, this seller is where you should be looking first. There aren’t any swatches or wefts, true, but the wigs have so much more lace than any of the American or Japanese cosplay wig brands, the caps run much larger than most taobao/aliexpress brands (comparable to Kasou or Five Wits), and there’s still plenty of hair to do more basic styles. The fiber is a bit thin and shiny, but it still photographs like a dream, and dollar for dollar you won’t find a better balance between quality lace front and budget friendliness than here. The hairlines are so natural that I have a few from here that haven’t required a single hair plucked to just… melt into my skin. There’s a reason this is my go to first source if I want a lace front and it’s not going to be heavily anime styled (like JoJo or Dragon Ball or whatever). Color stock photos are incredibly accurate; you can trust that what you see is what you’ll get!

since people have sent me asks about this: I do not recommend Epic Cosplay at all anymore. Their construction quality has drastically decreased in recent years to the point I keep getting people asking me to help fix Epic wigs that are literally falling apart, which is enough reason to not want to order from them, but they’ve also had a decade plus pattern of labor rights abuse and employee mistreatment including racism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, and pregnancy discrimination.

#cosplay #cosplay wigs #wigs #cosplay reference #cosplay resources #oh jeez this took forever lmao #wig seller list

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j0kers-light · 2 months

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His Lighthouse: Humble Beginnings (LedgerJoker x f!reader)

Humble Beginnings

series summary:

Y/n is an aspiring writer living in Gotham City and struggling to find her next muse. Her recent novel is getting all the buzz, earning her far more attention than she signed up for. But when a chance encounter results in her nursing The Joker back to health, will she find the time to write another best seller or will her own story become front page of the Gotham Gazette?

chapter summary:

Joker promises Y/n a night you’ll never forget but when has J’s ideas ever went according to plan?

authors note:

Please don’t throw any tomatoes at me! I am so far behind on my story that I’ve decided to do back to back chapters! No oneshots in between 😤 I’m super excited to see the reactions to this chapter. It reads like a filler, but it’s jammed packed with vital information. Do enjoy! 🖤✨

taglist:

@blackreaderatrisk @twinkledinkle @clemdango04 @l3ejm @tears-of-amber @what-an-angel @darthjokerisyourfather @thatsnoteii @dollster @cheetahspy @kaidennnnn @urdariingdoll @motivation-idontknowher @ins0mniac-whack @spaghettificationandpretzels @reneisance @alittlesmartcookie @ninacutebee16 @carydorse @jaysmentalspace

Let me know if you wish to be added to the official His Lighthouse taglist! Be alerted with any oneshots and the main story updates! 🖤✨

Last Chapter | Next Chapter

“Do you trust me?”

You shouldn’t have. Common sense begged you not to. Apparently, you had none when it came to Joker. You just nodded and did as he asked.

The sidewalk outside Tiffany’s was still empty but you paid it little mind. Your focus was on the black SUV parked near the curb. Behind it you could see the normal bustling sight of Gotham. No one dared to cross the invisible line. Just how did Joker pull off his elaborate stunts, the world may never know. It was none of your business anyway.

You blindly trusted your clown and slid into the backseat only to discover there was no driver.

You hoped that one would join you. Joker proved in the Vineyard that he was a terrible driver.

You didn’t want to relive that horrifying experience again. Yet much to your dismay, Joker came strolling down the sidewalk to open the driver’s door.

He made himself comfortable and opened his mouth to speak. It took a split second for him to realize that you weren’t in the passenger seat.

Joker’s work mode activated instantaneously. It was only a short walk from the storefront to the car but a professional only needed thirty seconds to grab you. His mind was racing with endless possibilities to get you back.

In that moment, Joker showed you just how much he cared about you when he hit the steering wheel with a curse spewing from his lips.

He looked a nervous wreck so you decided to end his mini suffering before it truly began. “Joker, I’m right here.”

You waved from the backseat and he deflated like a balloon realizing that you were okay. No one took you. You were safe and accounted for.

He was relieved to say the least but his hands were still shaking. Hopefully you didn’t notice.

“Y/n.. ya almost gave me a scare! Whatcha doing in the backseat hmm?” He patted the passenger seat in earnest, “I want you riding shotgun!”

You gave Joker a scare? Now that was one for the history books.

His green eyes still had traces of panic in them and it made you feel guilty. You weren’t where you were supposed to be; and it caused Joker to panic. Losing you was perhaps his only fear and it was all because you miscalculated which seat he wanted you to occupy.

All of this could have been avoided if he gave you better instructions; you didn’t want to point fingers tonight.

You said nothing as you climbed over the center console and plopped down in the passenger seat.

Joker simply blinked in surprise. “Well. Ha, that’s uhh, one way to do it.” He laughed and turned the SUV on.

You were trying to get comfy on the leather seats in your silk dress. It wasn’t the same Mercedes he drove in Massachusetts; you remembered the dash wasn’t matte and the seats were cloth then, not leather. Regardless of the changes, it was a clean ride.

“The keys are clean my boy.”

Your comment made Joker eye you sideways. He chalked it up to one of your Blüdhaven phrases since you didn’t translate further.

J hummed in that ambiguous tone of his. “Uh thanks? It’s yours actually.” He turned onto the highway while you proceeded to error 404.

It was still hard to judge if Joker was joking or being serious about things. He always left you guessing.

“Run that back?” You asked. Ah, he knew what that saying meant.

He briefly glanced over at you before his eyes returned to the road. He wasn’t one for repeating himself, yet you were breaking that personal quirk. “I’m saying….. it’s yours doll. I thought you might want—”

“YOU BOUGHT ME A G-WAGON?!”

You heard Joker grumble about it technically not being a legal purchase but your mind was elsewhere. Morgana was right. Joker was already spoiling you with things. That sneaky florist knew this whole time!

The devil on your shoulder was cackling for days. ‘Good pussy will get you anything. Secure the bag!!’

You shook your head so you could hear Joker ramble off the key features.

“It has custom cup holders, heated/cooled seats, annnnd its bulletproof!”

Pause. Did you hear that one correctly?

“J, you’re making me nervous.” What did he expect you to encounter on the road? The Batmobile? You hardly went anywhere to warrant owning a car. J didn’t waste time a second replying.

“Good. I don’t want you takin’ the subway anyyy-more. If you don’t li-Ke this model, I’ll uhh, get whatever car ya want but it will be armored.”

That was his only requirement and you were reminded of the stale air between Joker and Two Face. Things were unresolved on that front but you didn’t know if the former district attorney was the person behind the Manila folder incident. If not then you had two enemies lurking around.

Someone had The Joker cautious. It was a fact too hard to ignore.

Joker had many enemies however this one took things personal and that made them ten times more dangerous. Your safety was J's number one priority. The least you could do was comply with his wishes. That didn’t mean you couldn’t have a little fun beforehand.

“So, i-if I want a Prius instead?” You led on. “You’d get me one?”

Joker looked away from the road to gawk at you. The man looked positively offended.

“I am noT—”

You started tapping the dashboard after looking ahead. “Brake! Brake! Brake! Brake!” Your poor heels were stomping on an imaginary brake pedal on the passenger side. Anything to avoid a head on collision since Joker seemed incapable of noticing.

Joker finally came to his senses and swerved into the merging lane thus avoiding the sudden congestion up ahead.

The car behind Joker unfortunately collided with the stand still traffic and began a multi car pile-up. Joker thought you freaking out was the funniest thing ever; you on the other hand were too busy questioning why you let him drive. Again.

No mode of transportation was safe if Joker was behind the wheel.

You clutched your head and stared out the window, yet the passing road signs made you perk up. “Are we headed to the airport? Dear Lord, I can’t stomach flying after this.” You waved at the mess on the highway behind you.

Joker’s hand came to a rest on your thigh, right as he passed by the exit ramp for the Archie international airport. A part of you wanted to yell at him to keep both hands on the wheel but his hand felt nice where it was.

Joker promised you a night you’d never forget, you weren’t so sure when that would start.

“Shhh Bunny. You’ll see.” He squeezed your fears away. “You trust me, yeah?”

He didn’t see your eye roll. “That’s debatable.” You mumbled.

Joker scoffed but kept quiet.

Despite it being dark out, any native knew where this road led. J saw you tense up out of the corner of his eye. A mile marker made your blood run cold.

Blüdhaven 24 miles.

“Joker, t-turn the car around. I don’t…” You saw the familiar but foreign Blüdhaven skyline in the distance. “I d-don’t wanna be here.” You whispered.

It was so close, yet so far. You never wanted to return to this living hell but Joker gave you no other choice. He kept the vehicle on its course despite you tearing up in the passenger seat.

“Take me home, J. I’m serious!”

He thought about turning around, if not for an incoming text message on the dash ruining everything. Somehow you didn’t see it since you were staring out the window in a panic.

He clicked his tongue and exited the highway, his mind racing to work around this set back. Immediately the SUV was met with the rough pothole-ridden streets you grew up on. There was no doubt where you were now. You were getting nauseous just thinking about it.

“Take you home? I am, silly!” Joker giggled. To your horror, he turned onto your old street and began slowing down. What part of this was supposed to be a good night?

This was a nightmare.

Joker parked on the street, in your old, designated parking spot and cut the engine. You had tunnel vision and failed to hear Joker calling your name.

“I uh, hacked your manager’s office to get the address. Hope ya don’t mind.. But uhhh nice place! You gonna inviTe me up, Bunny?”

You shook your head in the negative.

Joker’s plans were already ruined but you just had to make matters worse by being a stick in the mud. Joker clicked his tongue again and came around the SUV to open your door. He didn’t expect to see you crying when he got there.

“No. Nooooo no noo. Stop that, Bunny. Look. At. Me.” He frowned when you did the opposite. He was getting irritated but he refused to let you see. All it took was a little patience when you got like this. Patience! You know, something he severely lacked.

Joker sighed and reached inside the wagon to tilt your face towards him.

“Focus on me, my Light. That’s it. On me. He’s not here. I am, and I wanna see your place. Uh, in an old blog post you mentioned you had a errr, nice view? Can you show me?”

He was pulling out all the strings, and still, you weren’t budging.

“C’mon baby doll..” J kept his focus on you but also on the street. Blüdhaven was infamous for a reason and he didn’t want you outside for too long drawing unnecessary attention. The SUV alone drew enough.

He had a team assigned to run surveillance; however, they weren’t here yet due to the setback. Getting you situated inside was his first priority then he could check on their ETA.

That is, if you cooperated.

You looked ready to faint amid your panic attack.

Joker’s methods were a touch cruel however he knew facing one’s fears helped in the long run. He never fully understood why you avoided your hometown when it was only forty-five minutes away—at least if you drove fast like him it was.

You had baggage that was long overdue for unpacking, and he wanted to be there with you when it happened. He wished someone had been there for him years ago but all he got was a bad rep and solitary confinement.

Bottling up your trauma wasn’t healthy. This great knowledge came from experience and Joker didn’t want you ending up like him.

“Y/n, you still with me?”

Joker’s voice was muffled by the ringing in your ears, yet you nodded your head regardless. He gave you an awkward hug— you still seated and him standing, desperately trying to get you out of the vehicle.

His actions worked. You sought out his warmth and followed the tugging motion until you were standing on the curb. He half carried half dragged you into the apartment building in an ironic twist of events.

You were reminded that you carried Joker the same way when the two of you first met. History was repeating itself. However, in this case the roles were reversed and there was no elevator. Joker picked you up bridal style and carried you to your old residence. Along the way you came to and asked to be put down.

You wanted to walk on your own and you led Joker right up to the apartment door. “T-This is me. Or it used to be.” You blinked and added, “I don’t have the key.”

Joker scoffed, “Don’t neeeed one.” His shoulder made quick work of things and you glared at his illegal methods.

“J, this isn’t my place anymore! What if someone else is renting?”

A lot could happen in a year. You moved out so fast that your landlord didn’t have time to fine you for ditching the agreement. Technically you still had a lease here and that much was evident when you walked in. Nothing had changed. Sure it was dusty but bigger pieces of furniture and some personal items that you left behind were still present.

You lifted a dust cover and smiled seeing your favorite end table, scuff marks and all, hidden underneath.

“Oh. Me and Nia thrifted this back in high school!” You were confused why you didn’t take it with you until you tried lifting it.

“Yup still heavy.” You moved on and didn’t notice Joker moving it near the door for you. Anything you wanted to take back, he would.

Overtime you started to relax and Joker admired the way you shuffled around digging up old memories. And to think you were initially too scared to come up here. His Bunny was so skittish, all you needed was a little nudge of encouragement.

He noticed that most of your finds were too heavy, and it made him think out loud. “Was my Bunny in a hurry to leave?”

You set down a box of things, sighing. “Yeah. This is the first time I’ve been here since...”

Joker noticed you hesitate and filled in the blanks for you. No wonder you were so against coming here. Joker felt like an idiot.

This was your first visit since your assault, and you continued to rub in his mistake.

“I moved back in with Mama and Dad. It took months to get back on my feet. Dad and some of my cousins moved my stuff for me since I couldn’t bring myself to come back. It was essentials only and it barely fit inside the U-haul. I moved to Gotham with a fraction of my life. I had to start over with absolutely nothing.”

Seeing the space around him was proof of your resilience.

Joker unlocked another piece to the Y/n puzzle. Everything you had today, you earned with nothing but grit and determination. He felt stupid for thinking you were a spoiled, entitled brat.

You were stronger than people gave you credit for. You deserved the world and then more.

Joker came over but stopped short of touching you. He was uncertain if you wanted physical contact right now judging by your closed off body language. However, J thought you shouldn’t be alone, so he tested the water to gauge your reaction.

For starters, he dropped his unique speech pattern and talked to you straight. A trend you noticed he did exclusively for you.

“Anything you want, I’ll have my boys bring back for you.” He moved his hand until his pinky bumped into your index finger. It made you crack a smile and intertwine your fingers with Joker’s.

Such a small gesture held a bigger meaning. You silently thanked Joker for being considerate. After a while you turned to address him.

“R-Really? You can do that?”

Joker feigned offense, staring at your dainty hand looped around his rougher one. The contrast in color had him mesmerized but he heard your question loud and clear.

He let go of your hand to tilt your chin up, and his words brushed against your lips like satin. “Sweetheart. Say the word and it’s yours. You really should believe me on that.”

J backed you into a wall grinning wildly, until you started blinking like mad. “What’s wrong?” He knew that trigger of yours all too well and backed off.

You didn’t let him go far. You buried your face into Joker’s suit and held on tight. “I’m sorry, just a bad memory here.”

Seconds after you spoke, you were deposited on top of the kitchen counter. The surface was cool through your silk dress, but Joker’s hands were warm on your hips.

He was quick to dote on you. “What’s the story?”

A long one if you were being honest. You weren’t up to retelling it, yet one look into Joker’s curious eyes made you cave. He was earnest in his desire to know more about you and that included your horrid past.

There was no harm in sharing so with a shaky sigh, you jumped right in.

“Um l-long story short, I was accused of cheating after he saw a post I was tagged in with a fan of mine. He punched the wall, almost hitting me. I was terrified he would hurt me, but he ‘apologized’ with diamond earrings the next day.”

Joker looked up and sure enough, he could see the indentation you spoke of. Someone had tried to patch the wall up, key word; tried. Joker saw nothing but red.

“Give me a location and I’ll kill him.”

You shrugged J off. The last thing you wanted was Joker killing someone in your name, even if it was your ex. You were trying to forget and move on with your life, despite the process being slow.

Joker was curious as to why you hopped off the counter.

He followed your path as you hovered near the sink. You smiled at a burn mark you found there. Your emotions changed like a drop of a hat; he honestly couldn’t keep up. You reminisced about your Housewarming party when the same friend Mia set down a casserole dish straight from the oven and burned the countertop.

It brought you back to happier times and you were glad to know good memories were mixed in with the bad.

The discovery lighted the mood but Joker couldn’t overlook that this apartment was filled with signs of abuse, hidden in plain sight.

You didn’t realize that you were surrounded by the signs until you gave Joker a tour, pointing things out left and right. It was nearing time for his surprise to begin, yet Joker couldn’t bring himself to interrupt you.

The fancy dinner he planned tonight would have to wait for another day due to safety concerns. Plus he rather enjoyed following you around and hearing you share stories of your past.

It wasn’t the memorable night that he had originally designed, moreover, being in your presence was more than enough.

A shame you were expecting something big to occur. He’d make something up on the fly to appease you.

You led Joker past the barren bedroom out to your balcony. It was the size of a broom closet compared to your massive square footage back at home. You really moved up in life and it showed.

“This is the view I was talking about. I used to stay out here for hours. Just me and my thoughts, planning a future I could only dream of.”

Joker whistled at the grand sight of Gotham City in the distance.

It truly looked like a beacon of hope from here especially since he now knew about your old living situation back inside. You dreamed of escaping it all and starting anew, and it all originated from this balcony.

Joker’s eyes strayed from the skyline down at you.

His Light bathing in the moonlight. The cool blue hue highlighted your features in ways Joker could’ve never imagined. You were gorgeous, even if there was a wistful expression on your face that he longed to erase.

Joker tapped your shoulder to get your attention. You turned with a soft hum, but it was cut short by J kissing you.

It was full of passion with a touch of desperation.

You weren’t defined by your past. You were free to live out the dreams you created, and he wanted to provide it for you if only you would allow him to.

J shifted to deepen the kiss, but you beat him to it by pushing him away. You said something under breath before clearing your throat.

‘Always running away.’ Joker wryly thought. He had a split-second idea of handcuffing you to him before he shook it away.

He found you removing your heels in order to climb up the dingy fire escape. And to his surprise you were standing on the ledge, Titanic style.

“Uh… Bun?” His hands reached out to balance you. He was met with your carefree laugh floating in the breeze.

“I used to come up here dozens of times, J.” You turned around to look down at him. “It's safe.”

A rusty groan followed by a loud pop proved your words otherwise. You yelped when your balance gave way to the beam breaking and if not for Joker’s tight grip on your waist, you would have tumbled down four stories.

Thank goodness for his fast reflexes.

“I got ya doll! Don’t look down... Don’T! Look..” A dumb order to follow when your head was hanging over the edge. You elected to close your eyes until Joker pulled you back over.

The two of you collapsed back on the safe portion of the balcony in a fit of emotions. You shaking with Joker gently rocking you.

“I got you Bunny.” He kissed the crown of your head, holding onto you for dear life. You were nodding along to anything he said in your state of shock.

“I had plansss for us to stay here after a prior engagement buT. Why don’t I drop you off at your parents instead, yeah?”

This was his idea of a night you’ll never forget?

You refused to believe it. Something must’ve come up for him to be so spontaneous. J didn’t make you get all dolled up and drive you out of Gotham City for nothing. He had to have something bigger up his sleeve for later.

For now, you feigned ignorance. “W-Where are you gonna stay?”

Joker pulled back just enough to give you an, ‘are you kidding me’ glare.

“Right. Y-You have a hideout here in town. National threat and all. Um, if you drop me off at my parents, they’ll hog me for days. I haven’t visited them since I moved to Gotham.”

Were you rambling? You couldn’t tell. Good thing Joker loved your voice and had the patience to listen to what you had to say. He just repositioned you better on his lap and played with your gold bracelet as you filled in the silence.

He hated that you got so pretty all for nothing. Joker was getting fed up with this coward following him around and threatening your safety.

He’d get to the bottom of that situation later. As for now..

“Then stay as long as ya like.” Joker chimed in. He regretted saying it the second it left his lips.

You twisted around until you saw Joker’s eyes alit by the moon. He looked sincere yet you spotted his curt smile. The boy was drowning in self loathing.

You called his bluff. “I thought this trip was about us.”

“It issssss. I’ll uh find something to do while you visit the folks.” His eerie smirk made you wince.

“Let me guess you’ll commit some elaborate crime that’ll attract Nightwing’s attention?” Your fingers toyed with the lapels on J’s suit. “Please don’t stir up too much trouble, J. Blüdhaven is a lot different than—”

Joker’s huff cut you off and a shiver went down your spine hearing his voice drop an octave. “Thanks for the warning, Sugar but that’s the goal. I wanT to cause a fuss. Ya see... I have some uh, loose ends, and whaddya know? I brought scissors.”

You gulped and rested your head back on Joker’s chest. If you ignored his ominous words, then they wouldn’t affect you.

That straight up sounded like a hit list waiting to happen. You wanted no parts in Joker’s line of work.

After a while, only the sound from the nearby interstate and the feeling of Joker’s fingers running up your spine was relevant.

Your mind was adrift with imaginary scenarios where Joker could meet your parents, but alas it was too risky.

Not only did your dad run the streets back in the day, he still had active connections and would recognize Joker on the spot. Plus, your mom was like the female version of Sherlock.

Joker wouldn’t stand a chance. But a girl could wish. And your clown was already ten steps ahead of you plotting ways to make it happen.

He had to make up for this failure of a date somehow.

Joker let you drive the way back to your parents. Not because you were terrified of his driving, (he just giggled at your seething glare when he accidentally went down a one-way street), but the neighborhood was hard to give verbal directions to.

Little did you know, Joker knew exactly where your parents lived but that was a tidbit for another day.

He rather enjoyed watching you behind the wheel. Like a true Blüdhaven native, you drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gear shift, riding low. You navigated past potholes with ease and your driving skills were far more impressive since Joker held your heels, allowing you to drive barefoot.

His girl was a sight to see, and he told you this at every stop light.

You tried to not let J’s words make you flustered but with his silver tongue that feat was virtually impossible.

You pulled the SUV a few cars down from the house and shifted into park. The street was so familiar yet foreign, it gave you Deja vu.

You used to read books at the basketball court down the corner and you busted your lip open skating into Ms. Morrison’s mailbox one Saturday afternoon a few yards away. It was still bent at an odd angle if you squinted hard enough...

“Everything alright?”

Joker’s voice brought you back to the present.

“Y-yeah, sorry. Um can you hand me my shoes and I’ll be outta your hair.”

You yelped when Joker yanked you over the console by the back of your neck.

His shaky breath fanned over your lips like a dragon’s ire. “You.. are.. noT.. a.. burden, my Light. Never think that.” J kissed you in between words, “I’m gonna help ya with your heels, mkay?”

He didn’t give you a chance to argue. J was already out of his seat and walking around the back of the car to the driver’s side. Joker opened the door and made grabby hands at your feet. You bent your leg so it stuck out the car and into Joker’s awaiting hand. His hands were so warm against your skin it made you shiver.

And of course, Joker noticed. All he did was snort and resume his task.

He fastened your heels back onto your feet and helped you step out of the SUV. The engine was still running but you stared up at Joker, waiting for a proper goodbye.

You and Joker were two idiots standing in the street just staring at each other. Thankfully it was dark enough so that noisy neighbors couldn’t peer out of their windows and see you embracing The Joker.

Now that would be a fun welcome home surprise. You rather not be the talk of town for a second time, thank you very much.

You didn’t know what to say so you blurted out the first thing on your mind. “I’ll call you I guess?”

Joker hummed. It sounded like an affirmative, yet his hands were like iron bars around your waist. You tried leaning away, his hands simply tightened further. “J... are you gonna let me go?”

An approaching car’s headlights lit up the street, and it startled Joker out of his random head space.

He finally released you onto the sidewalk. It was your cue to walk to the door, even if you didn’t understand Joker’s odd way of saying goodbye. He was still staring as you headed up the stoop. He was acting weird, yet you chose not to dwell on it too much.

Nineteen knocks later and your mother answered the door in her bathrobe wielding a bat. The sight made you arch an eyebrow.

“Who the f—Y/n that you? MY BABY!” She dropped the bat to sweep you up into her arms. “Oh! Do you know what time it is?! Honey! Our baby is here!!!”

Your dad was already making his way down the hallway loading his handgun. Just what time was it anyway for this type of greeting?! You had no clue. The second dad saw you standing in the doorway, his entire demeanor changed, and he concealed his weapon.

It was a reunion scene straight from a hallmark movie and Joker rolled his eyes after seeing the door close with you safely inside. His eyes never strayed from the front door as he made a phone call.

“501 Dorset. Three friendlies. 24/7 watch.” He hung up before driving away.

It wasn’t the memorable night he planned by any means, but seeing your heartfelt smile while reuniting with your parents would have to suffice. His Light was safe enough for him to go out and get some answers.

He wanted to know more about your past, and your hometown was filled with leads. All he needed was someone who would itch his ears.

The following morning was just like any other in the Y/L/N household. Your mom cooked breakfast and the heavenly smell floated up the stairs and roused you awake. You were always the last down. Somethings just never changed.

Dad was reading the second page of the newspaper by the time you shuffled down the stairs still in your pjs and bonnet.

“Morning, sweetheart. You hungry?” Mama asked, already piling food onto your favorite plate and sliding it on the table. You thanked her after saying grace and grabbed a fork.

At least your dad waited until you had scarfed down half the plate to start his interrogation.

“How did ya get here so late? I hope you weren’t out alone.” He rubbed his arm where your mom hit him with her spatula. She was thinking the same thing! Why keep it hush?

He had already called in from work to spend time with his girls. It was a rare visit indeed, and he wouldn’t miss it for the world. Luckily, your mom also had the next few days off from the hospital.

They had all day to get some answers.

You choked on your eggs. “Um, a... um friend d-dropped me off.” You focused your eyes on the horizon in your coffee mug.

“Teh. You mean the shady lookin’ friend in the all black G-Wagon?” He pestered. You mom shut the stove off and came over to the table with her own plate piled high.

“G Wagon? Should I know what that is?” Your mom asked out loud. You smiled watching dad hold out a chair for her and then push her up to the table. Ugh, they were so cute it gave you a toothache.

He kissed her forehead before sitting back down, “It's the obvious choice with armored vehicles. That or a Rover. Are you keeping your head on the swivel?” You noticed the gleam in his eye and the hidden message behind it.

“I’m not in anything dad, I promise. It's just a friend.”

He nodded; content for now until your mom spoke up, pointing her breakfast sausage at you.

“At that time of night, a friend would’ve walked you up dear. Or at least came in to say hello. They got any manners?”

She had a point and you winced in hindsight. Manners were a big thing to your family. You stammered an excuse. “Yes ma’am.. but..”

“Is this that same Prince Charming fellow Dick was going on about at dinner?”

Bruh, your dad was on your neck! There was no time to breathe! You never lied to your parents before and you certainly weren’t about to start now. You pushed your egg whites around on the plate and caved.

“Um... yes?” You knew their reaction would be instant.

“AND HE DIDN’T COME IN ‘N SAY HELLO?!” Mama cried, followed by your dad rubbing his temples. Well, this wasn’t good.

How could you get out of this barrage of questions and paint Joker in a good light? Not like he’d ever meet them, but still you wanted him to have a good rapport with your family. “Mama, he’s like reallyshy around others..”

You knew you said the wrong thing when dad smacked his paper down on the table. “What grown man is shy, Y/n? Ain’t you into mature men?”

You pulled a face and glanced at your mother.

She snickered and bit into her toast. There were no secrets, and you were open about everything to them, but it was still awkward to discuss your preferences in men with your parents.

“Um yes dad... I am. B-but, in this situation, just...” you took a deep breath, “Could you please respect his boundaries?”

“Will his boundaries allow us to meet and judge if he’s good enough for our Y/n/n?” Mama argued.

And that’s where you drew a blank.

Realistically you knew Joker would never meet your parents, however staying quiet would only rouse their curiosity. You had to come up with some sort of answer and fast. Then you remembered the mother-daughter conversation you had with Ma back at your place. A lightbulb went off in your head.

“I’m not sure Mama. Remember I told you, it’s not really a permanent relationship. If you want to meet hi—”

“Whatchu mean it ain’t permanent? Is he stringing you along? Do I need to call your uncle?” Your dad asked.

You paled. “God no.” That’s the last thing you needed in your chaotic life.

Even your mother was on edge. “Honey, I doubt it’s that serious, right Y/n? No need to get... them involved. Just you wait! Our daughter’s got good taste. This mysterious man will come around.” She nodded once and that was the end of that.

You exhaled in relief, but the weight of her words sank to your gut.

You didn’t have good taste at all. You didn’t have the heart to tell your family you were dating the most dangerous criminal in the country or the fact you were uncertain of the outcome. Would Joker let you walk away from this relationship alive, or would you be another one of his nameless victims, lost to time? Something told you it would probably be the latter.

It was a lot to think about over breakfast. A lulling silence settled over the kitchen until your mother broke it with her cheery voice.

“Oh! Y/n! Since you’re here, why don’t we go out as a family?”

It was the least you could do, so you swiftly replied.

“Yeah sure Mama. I need something to wear though.” You played with a loose thread on your pajama pants. After the shock of you being on their front stoop wore off, Mom and dad ushered you inside and caught up on lost time, despite it being the dead of night.

Mama commented on your beautiful outfit and you asked to change into something more comfortable before continuing the family chitchat. You donned an old high school spirit shirt and the threadbare pants you wore now.

The three of you talked for hours until sleep out won the excitement. Now as for going out in public, you weren’t so sure you had anything suitable left in your closet upstairs.

“Well, I think I have something that could fit you, at least till we get to a store. It’s nothing like your fancy designer clothes.” She thought back to your pretty dress that you came in wearing. She hadn’t seen you dressed up in ages!

Which reminded her.

Your mom turned to your father, “Do you have any plans for today, honey?”

“Nah. I wanna tag along with my two favorite girls. All I’m askin’ is to be fed. How about.. we go to Vincent’s later? You remember their brown butter and sage gnocchi? Man, you love that stuff, Y/n/n.” He scratched his neck, hoping he didn’t ruin the moment. Even your mother held her breath at the mere suggestion.

You tensed for a second but nodded. “Omg, yes! I’ve been craving it actually!” You admitted. Mom reached across the table to grab your hand.

“Will you be okay going there dear? We can always order take-out..”

“I-I think I’ll be okay.” You caught the hesitant look your parents gave each other. “Seriously. It's cool. I can’t condemn Vincent for someone else’s actions. Plus, his food is too good to boycott.” You squeezed her hand back. I’ll be okay.

“Well that settles it. Everyone get ready and we’ll hit the towns!”

A day out with your parents was just what the doctor prescribed.

Downtown Blüdhaven was just as you remembered it. Granted it was just as bad as Gotham, (if not worse) you felt a sense of comfort walking around. Perhaps because you knew the people here. You shopped at that drug store for years and knew the workers therein. You and some old school buddies accidentally broke the window at that diner on the corner.

It was nostalgia at its finest, only downside was that your success in Gotham followed you home. You were spotted walking around and by midday, your mom had to say something.

“Sweetheart! I didn’t know you were so... famous.” She was awestruck when a group of teenagers squealed and asked for your autograph inside the mall. You just smiled, signed their items, and even took a selfie with them—as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Yeah well.. I’m a successful author mama. It's kinda part of the job.” Dad was skeptical but he enjoyed acting like your bodyguard for the day and he took his job very seriously.

The two bodyguards that Joker officially assigned over you simply rolled their eyes but didn’t dare talk down to your father figure. They both shared a look and passed along a message to J as to who your father was.

To avoid any future run ins with fans, you decided to make a quick post online. Dad guided you over to a nice backdrop and you whipped out your phone.

“Hey hi everyone! I’m back home, taking a break if you will with the ‘rents. My adoring mother,” you flipped the lens to show your mom hiding behind dad. He gave a weak two finger salute in her stead.

Your bell like laughter was captured on camera. “I forgot; she’s camera shy. But um.. Yeah! I’m in Blüdhaven for the day super casual, so please be mindful of my privacy. Love and kisses!”

You hit send and glanced up hearing your dad’s soft laugh. “Look at my Y/n overcoming her anxiety and talking to people!” He was about to nuzzle your hair, but Mama swooped in to save the day. “Not on the twist out!!”

Your hair was looking bomb after she gave it some much needed blue magic moisture and love this morning. She was protecting her masterpiece with an iron fist.

Dad rolled his eyes and tossed his arms around both you and Mama’s shoulder. “I think it's time I fed my girls. Who’s hungry?”

Your stomach cried out the loudest and you slapped a hand over it, embarrassed. And on that note, it was time to head out.

The restaurant wasn’t too far of a walk, but you could feel a change in the air. You noticed the street sign and shivered. Highland and Bicchieri. It gave you the ick.

“We can go somewhere else if you’re not ready, Y/n.”

It didn’t matter which one of them said it, your parents were a collective unit whenever it came to your comfort. Dad kept his distance all day, but you shocked him by initiating physical contact. It made him happy knowing you were healing but he couldn’t help but worry that eating here would be counterproductive.

You hugged his arm closer to you for support. “I’m alright. I’m not going to boycott Vincent’s food just because of one bad apple. I’m hungry! Let’s go!” With a nod to yourself, you entered the building—leaving them outside.

“I got a bad feelin’ about this.” Mom sighed. Your dad silently agreed.

They walked in right as you were being ushered back by the hostess. “Right this way.” She nodded at your parents and guided the three of you back to a cozy area of the restaurant.

Exposed brick and antique lights were the theme throughout. The building itself was one of the founding structures in the city, dating back to the 1900’s and the Bicchieri family owned it for almost all of its history. If these walls could talk...

Menus were handed out and the hostess bid the three of you a nice meal before leaving.

Everything was going smoothly until a waiter came over to start out the table and locked eyes with you. “Y/n?”

Of all people to run into, just your luck. “H-Hey Rebekah.”

And of course she was eating up your discomfort. “Wow. I thought you’d never step foot in Blüdhaven again. Lemme guess. No one believed your sob story in the big city, and ya came crawling back home?” She scoffed under her breath. “What can I get ya? Disappointment with a side of attention seeking who—”

“We’d like a different waiter that’s what you can get us. I don’t got an appetite for your f___king attitude.” Your mother said on your behalf.

Rebekah rolled her eyes and walked off. A table across the way gasped as in disbelief at what they just heard and started mumbling amongst themselves.

Dad was trying to calm your mother down, he did not want her making a scene, and you slid further down in your seat, regretting everything.

This is exactly why you never came back home. There was no escaping the backlash.

It was like dad sensed your brewing tears. “We can leave if you want sweetheart. Mama is right, we don’t have to take their s__t.” He grumbled more under his breath; you didn’t care. You just shook your head.

“We’re on his family's turf, I should’ve expected this. I just want to eat and—”

The restaurant exploded into absolute chaos mid sentence.

Multiple men stormed the place demanding everyone shut up and stay seated. Your dad ordered you and Mom to stay calm despite the goons going table to table threatening everyone with guns. You were a ball of nerves already, but you listened to your father’s soothing words.

He was a veteran to these sorts of things. If he told you to do something, it was for the best. His wisdom was golden in your opinion.

None of the goons made it to your table yet, which you were grateful for, however to your horror, Joker strolled in followed by Frost protecting his rear. It was something straight out of a night terror.

You never saw Joker in his element—and it was obvious he was a completely different person in public. He carried an air of fear that made the warnings news anchors always drowned on about seem tame.

He is heavily armed and extremely dangerous. We ask the public to stay far away if found within the same vicinity as The Joker.

Up until today, you only seen Joker as a caring, silly roommate and an even better lover. He was never a danger to you—at least, that you knew of, and he never caused you harm that he didn’t immediately regret.

The man dressed in a signature purple suit, stalking the restaurant was unrecognizable to you. You didn’t know his motive and that made you tremor in fear.

You whimpered and hid in your father’s arms—narrowly avoiding being seen by Joker as he glanced in your direction. He flailed his arms at the lack of service. “I just wanted a table.” He said before demanding for the manager.

Even his voice was different. Had it always been so sinister? It made the hair on your arm stand on end.

A man came out and by smell alone, you knew it was Vincent Bicchieri himself. You could smell the garlic and authentic cigars from across the room.

You couldn’t bear to look him in the eye. They reminded you too much of his nephew’s. And they both had the same pompous attitude. “Whaddya want freak? Did ya get lot lost on the highway?” Vincent joked. No one laughed along.

Joker kissed his teeth and glossed over the menu that your waitress; Rebekah handed him. He glossed over the options before he suddenly grabbed Vincent by his gold chain.

“I’m a looking for someone. Someone... veryyyyy special. You ahh, Ital-i-ans are quite family oriented, no?”

“What’s it to ya, freak.” Vincent spat out.

Joker took a deep, long breath and you could see his fingers twitching, a clear sign that he was agitated. You knew he hated being called names and this blatant disrespect was probably eating at him. Frost noticed the same thing and flanked his Boss, waiting on a command.

The other goons were left to their own devices moseying around the restaurant. You were too busy watching Joker to notice that one of them had finally approached your table.

Joke licked his scars while rolling his dark eyes up to the ceiling. “Ok-aaaaay. Let's just cut to the chase, hmm?”

You covered your mouth as Joker took out a switchblade and slit Vincent’s throat. His body fell to the floor in a rapidly spreading pool of blood. Women and children were screaming and Joker’s goons were ordering them to shut up again. The thug passing by your table caught sight of you despite your father trying his best to shield you and Mom.

“Pretty daughter you got there.” The henchmen smirked. Your father wasn’t having it and politely warned the boy. “Back off son.”

“I ain’t ya son.”

You knew this wouldn’t end well when the crazed henchman grabbed hold of you.

Your instincts were screaming at you to say something, (to cry out for J, anything) but your throat was sealed shut in fear. Being quiet was your default in scary situations but you weren’t alone today. In the den of chaos, you heard both your parents cry out your name.

You didn’t hear Joker’s footsteps; you just happened to see his green hair out the corner of your eye the moment you opened them. He must’ve dyed it overnight, you noted sourly.

“Is there a f__king problem?” The restaurant was promptly silenced by his ominous sentence.

And rightfully so. Joker sounded like the devil himself. You almost felt bad for the poor guy touching you. How was he supposed to know the error in his ways if you were a secret?

“Uh no, Boss? I-I'm not sure Boss.”

Case in point.

“LeT. Her. Go.” Joker’s eyes fell to his henchmen’s grip on your arm. If looks could kill.. well.

Joker had a thousand plus ways to murder the fool.

His green eyes had never been more venomous and they glowed with promises of carnage. The message was well received.

The guy let go; and you roughly fell back into your seat. Your gaze naturally landed on Joker knowing that would set him off even further.

The Joker you knew would not let anyone mistreat his Light.

Unfortunately, there was nothing of the man you cared about standing next to you. Not once did he look your way. Joker didn’t trust himself to. One look at you would jeopardize everything.

If he turned and saw the terror swimming in your e/c eyes, his Joker persona would crumble like the Berlin Wall. He would devote himself to calming you down.

The great Joker would fall to his knees and kiss each tear away, begging for your forgiveness and he would do it shamelessly. Right in front of your parents no less.

F__k, they were right there! All he had to do was bend down and claim your lips for all to see and the truth would be out.

Joker would expose his biggest secret and have zero regrets. The only downside was you. You would suffer the most if J went public with his Light.

He couldn’t risk it. No. He couldn’t look. He had to pretend you were nothing to him. This was how he protected you. You. Didn’t. Exist. You were an innocent civilian caught up in his crosshairs.

Joker did not know you. And that happened to be the hardest task he’d ever faced.

Frost was on guard near the door just waiting for Joker to slip up. The second Frost saw you; he knew they were f__cked. Joker was gonna ruin everything being a simp.

Something had to be done before Joker and his unpredictability, acted out. This scenario called for a distraction and what better one than chaos?

Joker shot his own henchmen and drowned out the sound of your startled scream with a theatrical gasp. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

He inspected the gun as if it accidentally went off on its own. “Oops.” His sinister was definitely forced. Only you and Frost could tell.

Unfortunately, Joker underestimated the power you held over him. You were like a magnet, beckoning Joker to give in with your natural charm and beauty. He always said your tears would be his undoing—that turn of phrase would hold true today. Much to Frost’s and Joker’s own dismay, he caved.

He looked at you.

He couldn’t stop himself, he had to see you. But he would never forget the sight of your e/c eyes widened in terror at him. How it tortured him inside.

For once in his life, Joker felt ashamed.

Your light was shining on him and exposing his pitch-black soul. His eyes quickly averted down to the table where your menu, now splattered with blood, lay.

He gestured at it hoping no one noticed his hands shaking. “You should uh try the ahh, brown butter gnocchi. I hear it's to die for.”

You were speechless hearing Joker stumble over his words and not in his normal calculated way.

J nodded at your parents, who were frozen at the sight of him talking to you. “Enjoy your meal.”

He would never admit it to anyone, but he almost tripped on his henchman’s corpse trying to get away from you. A second longer in your presence would have ended in the national headline.

The Joker Brought to His Knees by a Woman.

Joker heart was beating out of his chest and it took him a second to compose himself back into character. God, you were his greatest weakness.

Joker passed by a petrified family of fours' table and swiped the wife’s drink mid stride. The soda did little to quell his nerves. He couldn’t get your eyes out of his head. The image was forever seared into his brain. He never wanted to be the villain in your eyes. He failed you in so many ways tonight. He had to get out of here before anything else went belly up.

Why did he come here anyway? Great, you made him forget his main objective!

Joker picked up movement out the corner of his eye and quickly locked eyes with Frost. The brute spun his finger in a circle. ‘Wrap it up.’

Everyone could hear the sirens in the distance. Too little too late, but help was on the way. Joker grumbled to himself and was making his escape when he remembered one small slight.

The staff were screaming and ducking for cover when Joker and his men burst through the kitchen area, looking for the exit. Joker had no intention of bothering them until he poked his head back inside with a polite smile.

“Pardon meeee. Which one of you is… Rebekah?” He already knew but where was the fun in that? Frost was behind him, telling him to hurry it up.

J didn’t have the patience to tell him to shove it. He had a score to settle. Joker grinned watching the tall, mixed girl raise her hand in fright.

“Lovely!” Joker shot her in the head before anyone could question his intentions. He admired his work with a cheekily grin. The stunned staff didn’t dare move and thus suffer the same fate.

The clown was completely insane.

The terrifying sight was broken up by someone yelling, “J, we gotta go!” Joker frowned at his fun being cut short, yet he heeded Frost’s urgent cry. He kicked out the back door and escaped into the night.

Out front, the customers were being rescued by policemen arriving at the restaurant. People were terrified, but this was Blüdhaven. Things like this happened a dime a dozen with a lot more casualties.

Although no one was more traumatized as you. By the time local police officers reached your table, your knuckles hand turned white. Your grip on your seat was the only thing that kept you from launching yourself into Joker’s arms.

Despite your fear, you craved his comfort. You wanted the Joker you were falling in love with to hold you—not the scary clown that just left dead bodies in his wake.

Speaking of, you tried your best not to notice the dead man lying near your feet. You couldn’t find any footing with the amount of blood under your heels.

Anything else was a better sight yet your eyes landed on the bloody menu right in front of you. The majority of it was illegible now except for the suggestion Joker gave you.

You were disturbed by how he knew what you wanted. It was in that moment you noticed a table within your line of sight was empty. You staunchly remembered two men sitting there before things went haywire.

How could you be so ignorant? Of course your security detail was feeding Joker intel.

Your dad was asking if you were alright, but he sounded far far away. You honestly couldn’t hear anything, your ears were ringing so loud.

“I-I think I’m gonna be sick.” You mumbled before you passed out cold.

The to-go box full of gnocchi sat heavily on your lap the entire ride back home.

Your parents thought they were slick stealing glances at you; as if you wouldn't notice, yet you could sense their pity in the air. It wasn’t their fault. The wonderful day out with family had ended in disaster and you had only your lover to blame.

Was it a coincidence that Joker crashed the same restaurant you were dining at? You weren’t so sure after witnessing the genuine shock on Frost’s face when the two of you locked eyes.

J didn’t expect you to be there. But why was he there in the first place racked your brain.

You had a hunch, and if you were right, the logic behind Joker’s visit made you sick to the stomach.

Your head was already throbbing from the lack of nourishment plus the blunt force it suffered when you hit your head fainting. Dad swore that he tried to catch you; Mama wasn’t convinced.

No one was in a good mood after giving statements to the police, and the three of you walked to the front door like a funeral party.

The to-go box, courtesy of the remaining staff, (you suspected it was Joker’s doing) was tossed onto the kitchen counter when you walked inside. All you wanted to do was wash your face, secure your hair, and crawl into bed in that exact order. You had no other interests tonight.

Mama had a different agenda.

“Y/n, do you—”

You didn’t mean to be rude but the last thing you wanted to do was talk. You talked way too much to investigators at the scene. Your mom jumped when you slammed your bedroom door right in her face.

She sighed and glanced at her husband, who simply shook his head, stating he was off to take a shower. Some help he was.

She didn’t want you distancing yourself, especially after such a triggering dinner, so she tried again. “Baby... can you please open the door? I can help you with your hair?”

A ‘go away Mama’ was weakly heard through the door. The doorknob wasn’t budging either when she tried turning it. Back to old habits. You were isolating yourself and as such, she felt as if she failed as a mother.

“Alright, that’s okay. We’re down the hall if you.. if...” All the air in her lungs left her mid sentence. “Get some sleep, Y/n/n.”

You didn’t hear Mama outside your door. You were distracted by your phone lighting up with an incoming call.

The assigned name made you shiver and for once, not in a good way. Should you let it ring to voicemail? You gnawed on your bottom lip debating the consequences. In the end, your thumb hit the accept button before you could regret it.

He could hear you breathing but not much else. Silent treatment it is then. He braved the unknown and spoke first.

“You alright?”

That was his intro? You didn't know what you were expecting him to say but it wasn’t that. You choked out a dry laugh and stared at the black walls of your childhood bedroom.

The full wall of pictures held so many memories, it was like viewing your life in the third person. From middle school selfies to poetry night with the club, to prom, and then graduation—everything was there in stunning clarity. Except for a noticeable gap in time.

The dark paint had chipped from where you ripped photos off the wall in anger. A blimp of your life, torn from your wall stared back, taunting you.

You’ll never forget the pain you experienced that day. You vowed to not let another man hurt you.

It gave you the motivation to reply. “No.”

Joker hummed and you heard something metallic clicking together in the background. “I’ll come get—”

“I wasn’t expecting you to kill someone in front of me today.” You muttered. Joker didn’t seem phased by the sudden change of subject, although it took him a second longer to respond.

“If I’d known you were there…”

“Oh you what?” You sneered, “You wouldn’t have killed them? Yeah right. Or or... maybe you would’ve waited until I was gone to unleash your madness! You really think that shielding me from your line of work masks the fact that you still do it? I know who you are. I know what you do... It’s just… getting a visual reminder is...” Your voice cracked at the end with a wet sob.

“Jarring?” Joker suggested.

Mind the fact that this was your first phone call with Joker, he sounded vastly different than the murderous clown you encountered back at the restaurant.

This Joker loved you; you could tell by the lack of his unique speech pattern. He spoke softly and from the heart. His sigh however was strained, and you noted he sounded a tad bit exhausted.

It was Joker’s turn to change the subject.

“You looked beautiful tonight. Sorry I couldn’t tell you in person, Princess.”

In any other situation that nickname would’ve stirred up butterflies in your stomach. You found a pretty printed two-piece outfit while out at the mall to wear for the day. The jewelry and heels you came to Blüdhaven in matched the ensemble perfectly.

A shame Joker splattered blood all over it.

“I know what you’re doing Joker.” you whispered. The walls at your parent’s home weren’t soundproof like in your penthouse, so you had to be careful. “You won’t distract me from the truth.”

“B-Bunny.. I don’t—”

“Yes you do know. Please... I am begging you. If you claim to l.. ahem, love me at all, don’t do this. Some things are best left in the past. Finding him will change nothing.”

He just didn’t understand it! Why weren’t you demanding justice or better yet cold hard revenge? Victims were usually angry at their aggressor. You were apathetic. If you weren’t going to express anger, Joker would on your behalf.

“He deserves to die for what he did to you. If you’ll let me...”

Joker stopped talking when he heard a sniffle. The power your tears had over him should be academically studied. And that same power resonated when you responded bitterly in J’s ear.

“What I want you to do is forget that anything happened! No one in this stupid city believes anything did, so... let it go, J. Please. Angering the Bicchieri’s will lead to nothing but violence and dead ends. No. One. Cares! Why should you?”

Several minutes passed after your outburst. You assumed that Joker had hung up, but his voice came through the receiver, matching your energy.

“Why should I care? Why should I...” He growled under his breath, and you swore you heard glass breaking in the background.

His heavy breathing was loud in your ear. Joker was in rare form. “I can show you better than I can tell ya Y/n. Watch me.”

The line disconnected before you could utter another word.

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ericdeggans · 2 months

Text

Why hoping Lily Gladstone won an Oscar does not equal valuing race over talent.

Social media is never a great place to have discussions about race and culture. The real issues at hand are way too nuanced and detailed for outrage factories like X/Twitter and Instagram to handle.

Still, I was disappointed to see so many people – perhaps willfully – missing the point online when discussion rose after the Oscars about Lily Gladstone failing to win best actress honors.

No doubt, a win for Gladstone – who would have been the first Native American woman to earn a major acting Oscar – also would have felt like a serious triumph for champions touting the power of diversity in film.

Feeling the love big time today, especially from Indian Country. Kittō”kuniikaakomimmō”po’waw - seriously, I love you all ❤️ (Better believe when I was leaving the Dolby Theater and walked passed the big Oscar statue I gave that golden booty a little Coup tap - Count: one 😉)

— Lily Gladstone (@lily_gladstone) March 12, 2024

Those of us who clock these things regularly knew that Emma Stone’s turn in Poor Things was most likely to spoil that scenario. Stone offered a showy-yet-accomplished performance as a singular character in an ambitious, creatively weird production. A much-loved past winner delivering a career-best effort, she was just the kind of nominee that Oscar loves to reward. And, as Vulture pointed out, modern Oscar voters seem to enjoy turning against expectations in big moments like this.

But when I expressed those feelings online – that Stone was marvelous and more than earned the award, but the Oscar academy really missed a chance to make history by overlooking Gladstone’s more subtle, quietly powerful turn in a better movie – the knives came out.

The gist of most negative reactions was the implication that I and others lamenting her loss were insisting that ethnicity should trump talent. As if the only or most important reason that an indigenous woman could be nominated for such a lofty award, is by people trying to bring social justice to the Oscars. (I guess Gladstone’s wins as best actress at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards, among others, were also nods to diversity?)

As if it couldn’t be possible that perhaps -- just perhaps -- some racial cultural preferences were mixed up in Oscar voters’ attraction to the story of a beautiful, young white woman who has loads of sex while learning to define herself in a male dominated world.

What really disappointed me, however, was reading an analysis which reached all the way back to the 2017 Oscars to imply that one reason Barry Jenkins’ masterpiece Moonlight won best picture honors over La La Land was the pressure to bring social justice to the Oscars.

Talk about missing the point by a mile. What I’m driving at, when I advocate for contenders like Gladstone, Barry Jenkins and Jeffrey Wright, isn’t a finger on the scale to make up for past exclusion.

It’s a plea for Oscar voters to see these performances the way I and so many other people actually see them.

I still remember watching last year’s version of The Color Purple in a screening alongside lots of folks from Black fraternity and sorority organizations. And when the moment arrived where Danielle Brooks’ character intoned about her husband, “I loves Harpo — God knows I do — but I’ll kill him dead before I let him or anybody beat me,” it felt like the whole theater said those words with her. That’s how iconic those lines -- first spoken on film by Oprah Winfrey in the 1985 production – have become for Black America.

youtube

That same feeling came after I first saw Cord Jefferson’s brilliant American Fiction, centered on a frustrated, floundering Black writer who creates a stereotypical parody of a Black novel as a dark joke, only to see it become a best seller. I felt as if Jefferson had pulled the same bait-and-switch with his movie that his lead character managed onscreen – using the outrageous premise to draw us all into a more subtle and deliberately powerful story of a Black man struggling to connect with his family after huge losses.

I needed three attempts to get through watching all of Gladstone’s work in Killers of the Flower Moon. Not because the movie was so long I had to “get my mail forwarded to the theater,” like Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel joked. But because it was so hard for me to watch a film centered on the historic exploitation and murder of Native American people by white men.

It sounds like a simple idea, but it’s worth repeating: evocative moments in films will speak differently to different people.

Sometimes, when I’m pushing for a win in an awards category, or championing a particular project, it’s not because I’m putting a finger on the scale for the sake of equality. It’s because I’m more invested in that story than some others because of who I am. And I’m challenging some people, who might not see their cultural preferences as preferences, to consider exactly why they love one thing over another.

In many ways, it is sad to see great artists pitted against each other in these contests. Comparing the delightful, dangerous absurdity of Poor Things to the gritty, punishing tone in Killers of the Flower Moon feels like a fool’s errand, anyway.

But with so much that comes from an Oscar win – including proof that inclusion brings success, accolades and a great argument for more equity – it is important to understand why some people value some performances.

And part of living in a diverse society means valuing the wide range of opinions and reactions, not shrugging off those that don’t fit your worldview.

#oscars #gladstone #movies #racism #tv #Youtube

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writer-by-the-sea · 1 year

Text

College Professor Elliott x Gn! Student

Part 1 of ? I stopped, my words trailing off as I gazed into a pair of eyes in the front row. Two beautiful eyes, breathtakingly perfect eyes that stared right back at me, unafraid to maintain eye contact with me, unafraid of the successful author standing directly in front of them… Ready to challenge anything I might throw their way.

Chapter one: The meet cute

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

A sea of eyes watch me as I pace back and forth before them, the sound of laptops opening, bags zipping, pens on paper, and the occasional snore from one of my already uninterested students; the true college experience. When I was younger I never saw myself teaching a class. My main goal was to become an author. A New York Times best seller, famous and rich beyond my wildest dreams!

It was much easier to obtain than I’d ever imagined.

Thirteen novels later and I was here, teaching a class full of young and eager faces; each one just as desperate to accomplish the same goals that I’d managed to do early on in my career. They always took every word I spoke as the one and only truth, the end all of how to become a published author and a well known one at that.

After all, the class was called ‘Humble Beginnings - How to publish your first novel.’ Humble being that it was my last name, a little joke to myself when I came up with the class title. It was very much the opposite of ‘humble’ especially when I stood before all of them, dressed in clothing that most of them could never afford, my hair perfectly styled with products shipped from all around the world, the watch on my wrist costing more than my first car— Humble Beginnings… when in reality, it was all pure luck and a dash of talent.

I begin by scribbling my name on the white board in the font of the class, something I don’t find myself using often and will usually only keep my name up the entire semester. Professor Elliott Humble. I hate being called ‘Mr. Humble’ but Elliott feels too familiar in this setting.

I turned and looked out to the class, taking time to memorize the faces as I scanned over them. Some excited and eager to begin, others nervous and scared of what’s to come, and one in the back with his head thrown back as another light snore rips around the room. “Theme stated, can anyone tell me what that means?”

A few hands raise, those who have already done their research, those who may have read ahead on the required book in my class— not one that I’ve written myself, but one that would be very beneficial to any future writer. Save the Cat! Writes a novel.

I point to someone a few rows back. She wore a brown oversized sweater and a mustard yellow beanie. My quick thought is that she’s a bit of a hipster, someone who dreams of writing the next most inspirational and unique novel. A dream that will fail once they come to learn the truth of publishing. “Yes, you. Let’s hear it.”

“Theme stated— A hint at the transformation that the main character will make.”

“Wonderful!” I grinned, earning a blush from my praise. And nothing new there, it was common to attract a few shy glances and not so subtle swoons from my audience. Be it from my interviews, book signing, or here in class, someone was bound to develop a little crush. Usually the entire class by the end of the semester. So much for being Humble.

“Can anyone give me a good example of a theme stated?”

More hands go up this time, either they now knew what it meant or they were too nervous to try to answer the first question of the class.

I hummed as I looked out at the class, one man vibrating in his seat with excitement. I could already hear his answer, something from a Marvel movie or maybe Star Wars. He wore glasses that were too small for his face, a worn out Iron Man t-shirt, and a chain necklace that showed off a single heavy lock that hung just above his collarbone. “What’s your example?”

“You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain.”

“Ah, that’s a very good one!” The student was beaming, proud of himself and rightfully so— it was a very good example. “The Dark Knight, correct?” DC and not Marvel, but close enough.

“Yes, Mr. Humble!”

I cringed a bit at hearing my name, luckily it seemed that no one noticed. “In The Dark Knight, we see Harvey Dent and Batman, both considered heroes. Dent in his attempt to rid Gotham of crime, and Batman as a vigilante protecting the city.” Can’t say I was prepared to reveal my own slightly nerdy side of myself so early on. But it couldn’t be helped. “Later on, Dent becomes a villain while Batman allows himself to be considered a villain for the greater good of Gotham.

“Some of you may be tempted to shake your head or roll your eyes. You may be asking yourself, ‘why would I ever want to be so on the nose with the theme of my story?’ And it’s rather simple, a strong theme, a strong statement in the beginning of your novel or script, in Batman's case; can take your work from being your average basic story, and into something so much more powerful. Something that moves your audience, something that captures their attention and holds onto them for dear life…”

I stopped, my words trailing off as I gazed into a pair of eyes in the front row. Two beautiful eyes, breathtakingly perfect eyes that stared right back at me, unafraid to maintain eye contact with me, unafraid of the successful author standing directly in front of them… Ready to challenge anything I might throw their way.

“Uh, I-,” I turned my back to the class, quickly pulling my collar away from my throat, my tie suddenly too tight. Clearing my throat, I spoke again, “What else do some of you think is the most important factor in a novel?”

I meant to keep going on, to ask for more examples, to spin more on how important the theme stated was but— I turned and looked back to the class, forcing a smile to them and looking at the newly raised hands to pick another answer. But then my eyes fell back to them. No hand raised, but still paying full attention as they waited for the chance to learn more. I knew I was blushing now, my cheeks no doubt turning bright red as I ripped my gaze away from them again. I pointed to a random student, not paying attention to anything about them as they answered.

“A novel outline?” They were unsure, their voice going up at the end of their answer. But it was an alright answer, a more obvious one, but still a decent enough answer.

“Yes, good point! Outlines are important. Not everyone uses them and it’s something we’ll dive into throughout the class— I’ve done both methods, outlining and not, and.. I’ll tell you which novels sold better,” I teased.

The class laughed, some of them nodding along with me, most likely the ones that struggled with outlining and wanted to know how to avoid it.

“Now, I’d like to take a little bit of time to get to know some of you. I’m going to end class a little early—“ Some students dropped their jaws, looking around the room at each other in confusion. “Don’t mistake this for kindness,” I said quickly. “You’ll be receiving your first assignment and it will take some time.”

I chuckled at some of them as they groaned and relaxed back into their seats. “Homework after the first class? I know, I’m so cruel. But—“ I jogged to my desk, grabbing the first book that sat on top, one of my own. I smacked the cover and showed it to the class, not my first novel but it was one of the best selling ones. “If you want to become published, you have to write every single day!” I tossed the book to someone in the third row, some gasps escaping as they caught it.

“Tell me your name and your future novel genre!”

The student looked to their left and then to their right, uncertain and apprehensive to answer.

“Look at me,” I said softly. “Don’t worry about the others, tell me what you want to write.”

They shrugged, their fingers playing with the edges of my book as they stared at the cover. “It’s kind of lame.”

“I promise you, it isn’t,” I said. “No genre is boring, except maybe a manual on how to change a lightbulb.” A few laughs came through, and the student smiled. The laughs were what we needed to get them to open up a bit. “So?”

“Historic fantasy.”

“Ah, yes. A battle of blades between elves and humankind! How can they ever settle the war between their people?! A marriage alliance? A fight to the death? Or perhaps an even stronger enemy arises that forces them to work together!”

The student laughed, “Goblins and- and trolls!”

“I’m excited to see what you come up with! What’s your name?”

“Tony,” he was grinning now, facing me fully and no longer hiding his face behind my book.

“Excellent, Tony. Very nice to meet you. Toss the book to someone else!”

Tony nodded and stood, looking out to everyone around him and trying to decide who to throw to. He tossed it carefully a few seats away from himself, landing on the table of another student. She grabbed it quickly and stood up, holding my book to her chest.

“I’m Angie, and I want to write romance.”

“A personal favorite of mine,” I replied. Most of my novels were, in fact, romance. Something I felt I excelled in, and most likely the reason she was really here. To get into the head of her favorite author. “Meeting for the first time and falling in love, reawakening the romance of a dying marriage, or a forbidden romance between two criminals — so many possibilities!”

“Rose Petal is my favorite book of yours!”

“Thank you,” I said with a laugh. “Please, toss it on!”

Angie didn’t even hesitate, she quickly threw the book into the front row, nearly nailing the student in the back of the head but luckily they were able to turn and catch it. They stood slowly, their eyes locking with my own as they held the book with both hands. I made my way to stand in front of them, reaching for the book and taking it from them, my fingers caressing across the back of their hands as I took ownership of the book once again.

“And you? Are you wishing to write romance as well?”

“No,” they replied, their voice so soft the students in the back missed it.

I waited a moment, my attention focused fully on them… I found that I could stare at them for hours, days, weeks even. I allowed myself to study their face and memorize every gorgeous detail. “What is it?”

They smiled before they replied, a smile so wonderful that I almost missed their reply—

“Horror.”

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thewolvesof1998 · 4 months

Text

Created by @mostlyinthemorning

Day 12 pt. 1

Okay, so I thought I would do something special for the last day, here is a list of all of my favourite fics from all of my mutuals (I've read like 95% of these and others are highly anticipated!) I'm going to have to do this in two parts!

Lets Go to Bed by Wildgirl93 @wildlife4life

Eddie just wanted to cuddle with his boyfriend and take a nap. Chimney just wanted a quiet place to sleep and steal Buck's bed just for a short time to do so. And Buck was just finishing his shower.

to you i'm just a man (to me you're all i am) by Underhung_Aura @eddiebabygirldiaz

Buck is fucking tired of living with his parents. He’s nearly thirty years old for Christ’s sake, and he is sick to death of being at their beck and call, of having to bend to their every whim, of being constantly scrutinized while also being constantly ignored. For his entire life he has been buried beneath their thumbs, his weak, aching, fragile body pushed further and further into the ground until dry soil and broken twigs flood his mouth, left to rot with the mark of their fingerprints burned so deeply into him that there’s no way of removing them. OR Buck is the son of the president of the United States and is finally moving out of the White House. His new home comes with new neighbors, Eddie and Christopher Diaz, who quickly become the center of Buck's world. But despite being out from under his parent's thumb, Buck's life is messy and complicated and ruled by the fact that he is the First Son which means he is always under the watchful eyes of his bodyguards. None of that stops him from pursuing a life with the Diaz boys, but there are many complications, some of which he isn't even aware of. Yet.

Your heart or mine? Yours every time by Spotsandsocks @spotsandsocks

Buck and Eddie get trapped in an elevator, which would be fine except Buck’s skipped a few meals recently and he’s a little hungry. He’s also not exactly told his best friend everything about himself so the secret he’s been keeping is about to be revealed at the worst possible time in the worst possible way. Buck can handle it though and if it comes to it he knows what he has to do to keep Eddie safe. Eddie however has his own thoughts on the subject and sometimes secrets aren’t as secret as you think. A soft concerned voice and a hand on his arm jerks him back to here and now, “Hey you ok? You’re breathing funny.” It’s the touch that does it, it’s both too much and nowhere near enough. Eddie looking at him like that, touching him gently, it’s too close to what he wants, and he wants a lot. He wants far too much from this man and he can’t have any of it. Unable to stop himself Buck jerks away, the movement far too fast and abrupt not to cause more concern in his friend. “Buck” Eddie’s hands are held up in a gesture designed to soothe and comfort, all it does is show Buck his pulse point.

we are a fresh page on the desk (filling in the blanks as we go) by heartbeatdiaz @loserdiaz

"Interesting read?" Buck asks and when Eddie shoots him a confused look, he nods towards the book in his lap. "Leave The Light On?" "Oh! Yeah, it's one of my favorite books." Eddie smiles, shy and charming. "I've read the series like, a thousand times." "Really? Huh?" Buck feels his heart thump erratically inside of him. Holy shit, holy shit. Eddie Diaz read his books. Honestly, how is Buck supposed to act normal after such revelation? "I'm actually flying to an audition right now. Hopefully to be part of the movie for the book." Eddie says and then frowns. "Oh shit, I don't know if I should've told you that." "It's okay." He leans forward and grins, squinting one of his eyes and shrugging. "Your secret's safe with me.' or; Buck's a best seller author under a pen name, Eddie is an actor auditioning for the movie adaptation of his books, and somewhere along the way, they fall in love.

Castles Crumbling Downby jesuisici33 @jesuisici33

Eddie sits down on the bench, laying his head back against the cold stone wall. With his eyes closed and arms crossed, he hopes it fools the guards into thinking Eddie is more calm than he really is. That they can’t tell how much his heart is pounding or how his skin itches to start punching things. Again. Just like how they found him when his hood fell off and people let out cries that the Princess Assassin is here amongst them. OR: i had a tumblr prompt in my ask box and when i watched nimona things finally clicked.

you been looking for love (let me show you how it's done) by wikiangela @wikiangela

“Are you-” he frowns, the confusion somehow winning with the urge to just lean in and kiss him so thoroughly he’ll forget about any other kiss he might’ve shared with any dates. “Are you doing all this on purpose?” “Doing what?” Eddie tilts his head, licks his lips, and – Buck’s almost a hundred percent sure – drops his gaze to Buck’s lips for a second. “Eddie.” Buck takes a deep breath, and wants so badly to kiss the smirk off of Eddie’s face. “Please.” “What for?” “You’re driving me insane.” he whispers, nails digging into his palms to prevent himself from reaching out. But Eddie’s thigh is pressed against his, and somehow his hand is on Buck’s knee now, and Eddie’s looking at him in such a way, that it makes Buck hot all over – or, hotter, his palms are sweating, actually. “And I feel like you are doing it on purpose.” or, Eddie is a tease, Buck is horny and jealous of Eddie dating, and a regular evening takes an unexpected turn.

so you've got the looks but have you got the touch? by BekkaChaos @bekkachaos

The 118 team spend a night out to celebrate Maddie and Chim’s engagement and wind up at Karaoke. They take turns singing and Buck thinks Eddie is so predictable and tells him so, only for him to throw a complete Louisville curveball and surprise him. But that doesn’t impress Buck. Not much.

Don’t spoil him because you feeling guilty (just love him how you really mean it) by disasterbuckdiaz @disasterbuckdiaz

“First of all, if I remember right, two months ago you were too old to have plushies,” Eddie points, looking at his son. He even portrays how Chris said it to him, which causes Chris to roll his eyes in response. “Don't roll your eyes, Christopher Diaz. Secondly, we agreed that since I'm buying you the fancy console you dreamed of, you don't ask for anything else for a whole month, do you?” Christopher sighs but nods in agreement. Eddie can't help but smile at how cute his son looks and raises his head to share this moment with Buck, who is not standing next to them. Eddie almost starts to panic when he sees Buck at the checkout. He returns a minute later and hands the penguin to Chris, who lights up brighter than the sun. or, 5 times Eddie tries to understand why Buck spoils Chris more than ever after his coma, and 1 time Buck tells him why

come close, let me be home by Daffi_990_ao3 @daffi-990

“Looking good out there, Buckley” Eddie says as he hands him a beer. Buck accepts the bottle and takes a seat beside him, popping the cap off to take a drink. “Any chance we’ll see you bust some moves on the dance floor, Diaz?” “Maybe, if I have the right partner”. Eddie’s looking right and him and Buck can feel a blush creeping its way across his cheeks. It’s shit like this that has him thinking maybe this thing between them isn’t just one sided. Buck takes another pull of beer, keeping eye contact with Eddie and watching how the other man tracks the bob of his adams apple as he swallows. “The night is still young and full of possibilities.” Buck replies, and he swears he sees Eddie’s eyes sparkle OR Buck and Eddie slow dance at Maddie and Chim’s wedding

merle said mama tried, but the prison still won by oklahoma @malewifediaz

“You’ve made bail, Diaz.” Eddie stands, wipes his sweaty hands off on his jeans, and clears his throat. “This isn’t even a real jail, Dwight,” he says, stepping through the makeshift cell door held open for him, and looks over at his rescuer. “Hi, Buck.” - Eddie goes to (mall) jail.

The Bridge by escapethroughreading @chaoticgremlinwholikescheese

"Dad? I think Buck isn't okay." "Why would you say that, mijo?" "I use 'find my friends' to keep an eye on him sometimes. Since he doesn't come over anymore. You know the bridge we drive over to get to school? Buck's been there for two hours. The weather's really bad. He shouldn't be out there."

i like the summer rain (i like the sounds you make) by fleetinghearts @shitouttabuck

Death comes for Eddie in the form of a small fluffy bunny. Several small fluffy bunnies, actually. He’s not being hyperbolic, okay? This is how he goes. Hen and Chim can take their Drama Queen Diaz eye rolls and shove it. He’s having a perfectly reasonable reaction to the sight before him. And if the classic bright white light everyone talks about is more accurately a kind of warm glow dotted with sparkles and floating cartoon hearts in his current experience? Well, that’s between him and his God. or, it's truly tragic that eddie diaz isn't kissing buck buckley, especially when everything he does makes him so damn kissable The one with all the nicknames by buddiefication (pumpkincreamcoldbrew) @911onabc Eddie has never been overly fond of pet names. He uses them on Buck a lot, though. OR: 5 times Eddie calls Buck a platonic nickname + 1 time he doesn’t.

Feels Like Magic by 42hrb @exhuastedpigeon

“You used too much magic again,” Buck’s voice was quiet as he spoke, but he knew Eddie heard him. “You’re alive,” Eddie’s eyes were closed, but Buck knew the look Eddie would be giving him if they had been open. It was the same look Eddie had given him when he had said ‘because, Evan, you think you’re expendable but you’re not’. It was a look that made Buck feel truly and completely seen in a way he never had before. “There’s no such thing as too much if it saves you.” “Go to sleep,” Buck said, because if he left himself say anything else he’d be telling Eddie he loved him and he didn’t think in the bunk room at two in the morning after an exhausting call was the right moment, but then again, Buck was pretty sure he’d be taking that secret to his grave. -- An urban fantasy AU where most things are the same, except there's magic and supernatural creatures!

now go stand in the corner and think about what you did by eddiediaztho @spagheddiediaz

Buck was the most forgiving person Eddie knew. In fact, Eddie was pretty sure that Buck was the most forgiving person that anyone knew. He had forgiven Maddie for leaving him when he needed her the most. He had forgiven his parents for their years and years of emotional neglect (amongst other things.) Hell, he had even forgiven that psychopath that blew up the fire truck that almost cost him his career and his life. Which is why Eddie was beside himself that he was going on hour twelve of the cold shoulder from his best friend.

you can see it with the lights out by yourcatfishfriend @your-catfish-friend

Eddie has Halloween plans: stay home and mope because Chris is trick-or-treating with his friends instead of his dad. Buck interrupts to introduce Eddie to the joys of Adult Halloween, and Eddie realizes a few things.

i could get used to having you around by HungryHungryHippo @hippolotamus

Even so, there’s a certain intimacy in knowing Buck is comfortable there, cooking a meal with Eddie’s kid and saying - in different words - come home to us. The thought tugs at his heart, and within seconds, Eddie tosses his phone aside before throwing his truck in reverse. He thinks he might hear music when he approaches the front door. Inside, it’s difficult to decide what he notices first. Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now playing through the Bluetooth speaker, the aromatic blend of spices emanating from the kitchen, or the way his heart skips a beat when he sees Buck standing next to Christopher, laughing and stirring something on the stovetop. “What a homecoming,” Eddie praises. He’s 87% certain there’s a dopey, lovesick grin on his face. Chris and Buck both stop what they’re doing to turn and look. Buck smiles warmly, like someone much more important than Eddie’s just arrived.

Too busy being yours to fall for someone new by LadyDorian05 @ladydorian05

Natalia helps Buck pick a couch for his apartment, but when the wrong one gets delivered he starts to think maybe it's some kind of cosmic sign from the universe. Determined to not let his best friend mope to death, Eddie decides it's time that he helps Buck find a couch so that he can stop associating a piece of furniture with the success or failure of his romantic relationships. And he does, Buck finds the one.

Flickers of Fate by steadfastsaturnsrings @steadfastsaturnsrings

"Did-Did the man who helped me pull out the dead solider survive?" Eddie mumbled, "He-He....said he was right behind me but then disappeared...Is he okay?" "There was no other man, Diaz, You were the last one out of the helicopter. You pulled out that solider all by yourself" The official standing over him responded, looking at Eddie curiously. Eddie opened his eyes again, trying to sit up. "Easy, Easy Diaz" The official soothed, putting his hand on Eddie's chest so he would lay back down

Paradise Blue by king_buckley @king-buckley

When Evan Buckley ran away from his problems to a resort in Italy, he never thought that the enigmatic bartender would have quite the impact on his life that he did. alt title - i went to italy and fell in love with the bartender and had to make a bartender!eddie au

tagging: @hippolotamus @exhuastedpigeon @steadfastsaturnsrings @monsterrae1 @pirrusstuff @spotsandsocks @buddierights @jamespearce9-1-1

#9-1-1 #buddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #buddie fic #fic recs #thewolvesof1998 fic recs #12 days of fandom joy #ao3

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yutahoes · 10 months

Text

Polarity

Chapter Sixteen (Final)

Masterlist

characters: mafia boss! Yuta Nakamoto x innocent! florist! reader

summary: While running away, you seemed to be moving closer to the man you were avoiding. Are you even heading to the right direction?

chapter word count: 5.5k words

chapter genre: angst, fluff

chapter warning: crying, mention of death, mental health problems, voices in the head, a slapping scene, lacking ending

taglist: @sourirensoleillee @kyuprincess @nuoyipeach @anonjyxd @a-bts-world @a-place-filled-with-random @smolbeanieee @yumilovesavocado @imnotsureokay @dhaly-g @spicyryujin @doodoodove @blueeyedlove-blog1 @kosmoreads @joepomonerof @calipsou @yutadae @juungvely @hangyeomcult @cherrphoenix @itsyntt @winterwritesblog @yutazen27 @ytzvivi @brightestmark @yujaesstuff @johnbanana @fullsunncit @loverofnct @127lvr4 @scuzmunkie

a/n: I am terribly sorry for the super late update (I have been saying that a lot) A lot of things just happened personally. I have a terrible time thinking of how to end this story and this wasn't the best option but this is the only thing that made sense. Thank you for coming with me on this wild ass ride. I am sorry if I disappointed you with the ending but I'm really thankful for the time you spend reading this series. I'll try to be better and update faster in the coming days.

It was the longest month of your life: one funeral, after another, then another. A lot of lives were already lost. And the last one is the hardest one to accept.

This is the reason why you planned to run away, why you wanted to leave in the first place, to save Yuta and Momo from you. In the end, you were the reason why they died. You cannot accept the reality presented in front of you. The people you once met and loved are now ashes jarred in a columbarium.

Doyoung and Jaehyun kept on assuring you that you were not at fault. It was an accident. Yuta was driving fast for someone who doesn’t drive that much and the roads are steep because of the cliff. Johnny hated to see you kept crying and forced you to come with him to his hometown. To forget and move on from everything.

But how can you move on from this? How can you forget the best yet most traumatic thing that happened in your life?

The voices were louder in your head. The nightmares became more vivid each night.

You just wanted the things in your mind to stop.

So when Johnny brought you to the best psychiatrist in Chicago, you didn’t hold back and kept crying at the stranger in front of you. You told him everything and you only got a piece of a fantastic quote from him, “If you put it out, it will come out.”

It didn’t make sense at first but when you found yourself listening to one of the doctor’s past patients, who became a great speaker, you found yourself inspired by how she managed to turn the things in her head into something amazing.

If your nightmares become your reality, why not make your reality into fiction?

You worked part-time, as Johnny’s assistant, to pay for writing courses in a nearby college and started to put your life back to pieces by writing a novel. With Johnny’s connections as the son of the feared mafia in Chicago, you got your book published. It didn’t take a year for it to become one of the best-seller fiction books in the country. A book about a friend and a traitor. Sophie and Mark. The love story you wished they had, if none of these happened.

Then the following year, as per the readers' demand, you created a story based on two of your friends who you found out are dating in real life. A well-known doctor and a nameless club hostess. Jaehyun and Lexi.

It still amazed you when Jaehyun came to Chicago and he shared that he was dating Rachel, a friend of yours. You didn’t know anyone named Rachel and when he shared a picture, you were surprised that it was Lexi. He did share that he first saw her when they came to check on Kyoko. And when you were confined to the hospital, after the whole ordeal with Mark, the feelings just developed. It inspired you to make the book that became your second shot at fame.

By the third year, you shifted to fiction from self-help books and it had been selling like pancakes.

Maybe this is your calling.

The voices come to you as a whisper now. The nightmares become blurry each night. The therapy is working. Putting it out is working out.

You’re slowly getting your life back together.

“Aren’t you going back?” Johnny asked one morning and you gave him a confused look. “It’s Sophie’s death anniversary.” You stared at the floor. Are you ready to face her? “You’re doing so well, maybe it’s time to tell her that.” He was right, you definitely should go back. Maybe you can brag about the books to her. That you made a name for yourself, that you created a new world for yourself. That you’re slowly surviving these all.

But you’re scared. “Will you come with me?”

Johnny shook his head, smiling at you. “I still have work here.” You pouted. You don’t want to go back alone. “But I’ll message Jaehyun.”

The airport looks the same as when you last left. Busy. Crowded. A lot of memories had happened in this same place. You remembered being nervous to board the plane for the first time. You remember crying so hard when you received the bad news on the phone. You remembered Johnny telling you how happy he is that you chose your happiness. You remembered being abandoned by your dad. You remembered being saved by a person with chocolate brown eyes.

You grasped the sling of your body cross bag at the memory. He’s passing your mind again. It’s making your heart hurt.

“Baby!” Someone called and you saw Jaehyun waving his arm while running to you, Lexi glaring at him. “I’m so glad you’re here. We have something to tell you…” You greeted the girl, “Love, tell her.” Before the woman beside you could speak, Jaehyun held your hand. “Rachel and I are getting married.”

It still makes you wonder who Rachel is. But when Lexi rolled her eyes, you gasped and then looked at her in surprise. “It’s a small wedding. Family and just a few friends.” She claimed as if it was not a big deal. But it is, your eyes are even tearing up at the announcement they shared.

“And she’s going to make you her maid of honor.”

Lexi slapped Jaehyun’s shoulder, “I should be the one telling her that.” The tears fell and they both looked at you in surprise. “I’m sorry. Don’t you like that?”

You shook your head. “No, I love it. But why me?”

The girl smiled warmly at you, “Because you were the reason why we met.” Jaehyun wiped the tears on your cheek with his thumb, “Y/N, you are the best thing that happened to both of us.” He claimed that it made you tear up more. Lexi scolded her fiance at how he made you cry but you only laughed at that.

Who would have thought that they’ll be perfect for each other?

Instead of heading to the hotel first, you decided to visit Sophie’s tomb located in a cemetery in her hometown. It feels nostalgic to be back in the place. The first time you’ve been here, you were filled with grief. Now, you have mixed emotions.

The marble was obviously taken care of. Sophie’s picture made you mirror the same expression as hers, smiling. “I miss you.” You started, brushing your hand along her embossed name. “I miss your burnt toast and that overly bitter coffee.” The side of your lips curled up as you fixed the flowers, camellias, to adorn her marble. “I miss talking to you.”

The tears automatically fell like waterfalls, “I’m sorry.” You whispered, “I’m sorry I put you in danger. I should have listened to you from the start. I’m sorry, Sophie.”

You didn’t know when was the last time you cried in pain, you’ve been crying a lot in joy for the past years. You let the tears flow, making their way to her marble as if wiping the sins you’ve done to your friend. You kept on apologizing, grasping the cold marble in your fingertips. The weather seemed to match your mood as it suddenly rained, masking your weeps of grief.

It was really dark when you left the cemetery and drove back to town. You didn’t even know if the road you’re traveling on is the right way since the GPS is busted because of the thunderstorm. It didn’t help that your phone was out of battery. You were getting frustrated that when your car overheated and stopped on the road, you just bumped your head on the steering wheel. Why is your day so unlucky like this?

A knock on the door of your car startled you, an old man with a clear umbrella looking at you in worry. You didn’t realize that you were honking the car so loud with your action and apologized to the man you bothered. “Do you want to have some tea inside?” You glanced at the small homey shop with the sign that said ‘closed’ on the door. You stared at him in confusion before he smiled, “No one really wants tea at night. But you might need some.”

You didn’t know why you said yes. But in your defense, the old man looks so nice. The scenario has an element of horror fiction or just a small funny anecdote that made you laugh. The old man left a tray of tea in front of you just as the smell of lilies filled the air. The last time you had tea with Yuta, the last time you saw him, you were having this exact flavor of tea. You smiled at the painful memory. “You’re not from here, aren’t you?” The old man asked, sitting in front of you.

You nodded before taking a sip of tea, the taste almost the same as you had before. Painful. “I visited a friend.” It must be a lot of information for a stranger but being put into therapy sessions to open up, you were so used to talking to other people. “The tea tastes great. And your place feels so warm.” You took in the interior of the shop: the wood tables and chairs, the warm atmosphere, and the flowers on each table.

The old man grinned, “My son loves tea so with the little money my wife and I saved, we opened this shop.” He smiled once again and you noted how warm it feels, must be why the small shop is homey. “It’s not that huge but we’re surviving.” This should be advertised more. Let some locals, and even tourists, know about how warm this place is. With the atmosphere, it will be good to put a library on one side. “My son wanted to put a small library on that side,” Your eyes widened in surprise, you were just thinking about that. “He works in the library.”

“I can donate some books.” You claimed before you could stop yourself, “And maybe I can write about your tea shop in one of my books and let some readers visualize the experience here.”

“You’re an author?” You nodded. “My son loves books. He’ll be over the moon if I get your sign.” He stood up and then took a piece of paper from the counter.

You were embarrassed. Why did you say that? Your books are catered more to female audiences. Even if you give your autograph, you doubt his son reads your books. But the older man looked so excited that you didn’t burst his bubble. “What should I put as a name?” You asked, uncapping the marker.

“Hayate,” he answered. “My son’s name is Hayate.”

—---

Lexi kept on talking about Jaehyun's quirks that would only make you smile. It still fascinates you how the person who hated you before is now talking about a person you first knew in this mafia business. Who would even think that Lexi and Jaehyun would end up together? It’s impossible. But then, there’s nothing impossible right now.

“Thank you for coming with me,” Lexi started and you gave her a heart-warming smile. This is something that you wanted to tap into for a long time. “If you feel uncomfortable choosing my flowers, it’s fine. You can tell me.”

You smiled then shook your head. You have to face the trauma. “I’m fine.” You said in a lively voice. “We have to get pretty flowers for your bouquet.”

The stalls were adorned with colorful flowers, a huge reminder of the work you first had. Before all of this. If only you stayed in that time, maybe Sophie is opening a stall here. The smell of flowers, woody and musky, filled the air. A very nostalgic sight and scent.

Since Lexi doesn’t have any ideas about flowers, the reason why she asked for your help, you settled on finding a very particular flower that you knew would look good in a wedding bouquet. Ranunculus. It is a very common flower but not that common in the season and when you spotted a certain stall selling that exact flower, you immediately approached the owner. She was an old woman, probably in her late fifties, with a nice smile. You found out that she has her own garden filled with ranunculus and with Lexi’s permission, ordered flowers for her bouquet. You even added some protea to decorate the wedding hall.

It was a fruitful errand. You were thankful that Lexi asked you to come with her. The flowers really did calm you down. You missed being surrounded by their colors and scent. The last time you were in a room full of flowers was at the flower shop, with Sophie. The last time you saw so many flowers was in the garden Mark cultivated. They would really love it here.

You glanced at Lexi and the old woman talking so you just looked around for flower species that you remembered. A certain six-petaled, white flower caught your attention. Lily. “Hi,” you heard a female voice say before taking a piece of the flower you were eyeing. “This is for you.” Your smile fell when you saw the young girl. “You might have liked Lilies.” Momo.

“Haruhi!” Another female voice called that made the young girl turn at the old woman talking with Lexi. She smiled your way before excusing herself and running to the older woman.

She looks so much like Momo. Are your eyes fooling you?

“Y/N,” Lexi called which snapped you back to your senses. “Are you alright?”

You nodded then smiled. Maybe you just miss Momo so much.

The Columbarium didn’t change. The jar where Yuta and Momo’s ashes were surrounded with dying flowers that you quickly replaced. Their picture, smiling widely, a bitter reminder that they’re both gone.

“I missed you both more today.” You whispered, fingers grazing the porcelain jar. “I keep wishing that you’re still here with me.” It was a selfish wish. But it’s the only wish that would keep you sane. The only wish that makes sense in your life.

You thought you could continue living without them: Sophie, Mark, Momo, and Yuta. You’ve been living well all this time. But right now, you realize how heavy life is without them. You cannot change the past. You were the reason why innocent lives were killed. You didn’t deserve to be happy with your life. You need to be miserable and pay for your sins.

It was the idea you wanted to instill in Doctor Moon Taeil’s mind in your therapy session. He complimented how you look well compared to when he last saw you and you hated that. “I thought I’m okay. That I’m done fighting the voices in my head,” You started. Taeil was still the same smiling guy as he listened to you and it frustrates you. “But seeing them, knowing that they’re dead because of me, I hate that I’m doing well.”

“You’re poisoning yourself,” Taeil claimed as his smile faded. “Do you remember what you desperately wanted before?”

“To go back to my normal life.”

He nodded, tapping his pen on the clipboard. “Now, you’re back to your normal life and more. You have everything that you wanted, Y/N. Shouldn’t you just live this life for them?” The smile on his face was back. “Yuta would definitely like it if you live your life happily.”

You didn’t know if the talk helped. But for the first time, since you came back, you dreamed of him. Yuta and Momo were in the middle of a large lavender field, calling you over. You were running in their direction but they seemed to get farther as you grew closer.

You woke up in cold sweats, voices in your head shouting ‘You don’t deserve to be happy, Y/N’. You tried to block them out by covering both your ears repeatedly. “I’m not crazy. This will stop.” You kept on mumbling to yourself to drown out the annoying noise but you can’t seem to make it stop. Your fingers kept on shaking as you poured the pills into your hand.

You need to fight these voices inside you before it kills you alive.

The pills aren’t helping. Even writing your thoughts isn’t stopping the voices in your head. A drive. Maybe a drive can help.

Johnny used to do it a lot in Chicago. Whenever you cannot sleep and your mind is clouded with dark thoughts, he would take you out for a drive and watch the city lights. It used to calm you down. It turns the voices into a whisper.

But Johnny isn’t here. And this is not Chicago. There are no night lights, just pure deserted fields. The weather isn’t helping at all. Why has it kept raining ever since you came back?

You didn’t know why your feet and hands brought you to a familiar place. Maybe you needed to calm down so badly and this is the first place, here, where you felt that calmness. The lights were closed, as expected for a small shop that operates in the daytime. The rain was falling hard and the thunder rumbled as loud as it could. You knocked on the door loudly, hoping for someone to open the shop for you.

The old man looked awake from his sleep and you profusely apologized when he opened the door. “It’s fine. Are you lost?” You’re not but you felt like you are. You nodded.

Apologies kept on coming out of your lips as the old man walked you to the table by the corner of the shop. You smiled at how one part had an enormous shelf of books, some of the books looking very familiar. Your books. The world you created. Maybe the old man bought your books after your encounter.

You are thankful that your feet brought you to this place. It really did calm you down.

From the inside, you can hear hushed conversations and wonder if there was someone else awake because of you. You were once again apologetic.

The old man came out with hot tea that made you thank him. It was a selfish request to prepare tea this late at night so you kept on thanking him while holding the hot cup in your hand. It was calming. A nostalgic feeling. “Are you having trouble sleeping?” You nodded, drinking the familiar tea. “My son said that chamomile can help you sleep better.”

Chamomile. That’s why it’s too familiar. It was the first tea Yuta made for you. How memorable.

Thunder rumbled and lightning came like a flash that startled you. You dropped the cup, earning a loud crashing sound. “I’m sorry,” You immediately crouched down to get the broken pieces of the cup, fingers shaking. “I’m sorry.” You repeated. The broken pieces of porcelain cut your fingers but it doesn’t hurt even if blood can be seen dripping from the cut.

The old man called for someone and you only heard footsteps before it stopped in front of you. Rough hands pulled your fingers away from the broken pieces which made you turn to the person who spoke up, “Does it hurt?”

You had to blink twice. The familiar black orbs. The familiar face. “Yuta,” you whispered, which made the guy in front of you stare in confusion. The tears fell from your eyes. He’s alive. He’s here.

“Miss Y/N, are you alright?” The old man asked before the guy in front dropped your hand, covering the lower half of his face while gasping.

“You’re the author Y/N Y/LN?” The younger man stood up as if he were on fire. “Father isn’t kidding. I can’t believe I’m in front of an amazing author and I held your hand.” He stared at his hands before shaking his head, “I must still be dreaming.”

It was your turn to be confused. He is Yuta. He looks exactly like Yuta. But why is he acting so differently? The old man chuckled when the younger ran back inside, “That’s my son, Hayate. He’s a huge fan of yours.”

You chuckled to yourself.

That does it.

You finally went crazy.

—---

“Hayate Suzaki,” Doyoung recalled, showing you the folder that is filled with information about the person you asked for help. “He is a researcher from Romania and is currently a librarian in a local bookstore.” You kept on glaring at the copy of his passport picture and ID presented in front of you. “He does look like Yuta Nakamoto but I can assure you that he’s legit.”

Jaehyun took the folder and nodded to himself, “He does look very much like Yuta.” He then glanced at you, “Y/N, you’re not crazy. It’s not a hallucination.”

“Doyoung, there must be something not adding up. How can he look exactly like Yuta?”

The said guy shrugged, “Y/N, I’m a policeman. Not a scientist.”

The doctor beside you tapped your shoulder, “Y/N, Doyoung already broke the rules in helping us find information about this Hayate Suzaki. Let’s cut him some slack.” The man beside you held his chin as if thinking deeply, “And it’s possible that they might look alike. Yuta has a very generic face.” You glared at him. “He wouldn’t be Yuta. Yuta is dead.”

“But what if he is Yuta?”

Doyoung shook his head while Jaehyun heaved a tired sigh, “Maybe this is Yuta’s way of telling you to move on.” You stopped and stared at Jaehyun, “Let him go, Y/N”

You tried to. Desperately. Jaehyun had always been with you that you didn’t have the chance to come back to the tea shop. Instead of moping over it and just kept on letting the voices get louder in your head, you busied yourself with the preparations for Lexi and Jaehyun’s wedding.

The white gown looks so good on your new bestfriend. The initial impression of Lexi looking like a Greek Goddess came to you once again. Jaehyun is such a lucky man. “Why isn’t my bouquet here?” She asked. Your eyes kept on glancing at your phone, biting your lip in nervousness. This is your fault. You should have followed up on the bouquet. Now, you’re in a rush.

A knock on the door can be heard and you open it to see the old woman you bought the flowers from, apologizing. “My husband’s car broke down. I’m sorry.” You shook your head. The important thing is that the flowers are here. Immediately, you fixed the flowers in the bouquet and handed them to Lexi. Before you could close the door, an old man came while holding the remaining flowers to use in decorating the hall. A very familiar old man.

The girl who looks like Momo. The young man who looks like Yuta. The old man in the tea shop. The old woman selling flowers. It’s not just a coincidence.

“Mr. Suzaki,” you called and the man smiled at you, greeting you. Both the old woman beside him and Lexi looked surprised. He introduced his wife and their flower business before introducing you as Hayate’s favorite author. “Hayate,” you called, “He’s not your son, isn’t he?”

The couple’s face obviously frowned, “Mr. Suzaki, Hayate is not your son. He is Yuta Nakamoto.” You claimed, “The young girl in the flower stall. You call her Haruhi,” You cried, “She’s Momo. They’re not yours.”

You heard a loud slap before feeling pain on your cheek. “Hayate and Haruhi are my children.” The old woman said, anger flashing in her expression. You held your hurting cheek. The room is spinning. Everyone’s eyes were on you. “They’re mine.”

The old man held his wife’s shoulder, trying to calm her down. “Miss Y/N, I'm sorry for your loss but I think it’s time to move on.”

When the couple left, your knees weakened and you quickly fell to the ground. Tears kept springing from your eyes but you weren’t sure if it was from the weight of their words or the slap of reality. “Y/N,” Jaehyun called, looking dashing in his black tuxedo. Lexi looked worried as she crouched down to check on you, ruining the form of her dress. “Are you alright?”

It’s time to move on.

You have to accept the reality.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, crying. “I ruined your wedding.” Lexi shook her head. “I’m sorry I ruined everything.”

It’s time to move on.

You have to accept the reality. You have to face reality. A reality without the love of your life.

------

You kept on muttering an apology but both Lexi and Jaehyun just smiled at you, both shaking their heads. “You don’t have to come to Chicago with me. Johnny will pick me up from the airport.”

The newly wedded girl smiled. Radiance can be seen on her face. She looked prettier now that she was officially Mrs. Jung. “Think of it as our honeymoon.”

Jaehyun chuckled, pulling his wife closer and then kissing her on her temple. “And it might take a long time before we can see you again.” You smiled timidly. With everything that happened, you decided not to come back in the meantime. If you want to move on, you should forget everything. Fight the demons in your head. Face the reality.

This will be the last time you’ll run away from everything.

“Miss Y/N,” you turned to the person who called you, a young man running to where you are. He stopped and then breathed hard as if he was having an asthma attack. Jaehyun, a typical doctor’s reaction, checked on him and Lexi gasped that he looked so much like Yuta. “This is so uncool,” Hayate whispered, then shook his head while assuring Jaehyun that he was fine. “Father told me what happened and I’m terribly sorry that mother hurt you.” He came all the way here to apologize? “I’m so embarrassed. I’m sorry, Miss Y/N.” He hung his head low which made you smile.

They’re right. They do look alike but they are so different. Like opposite sides of the magnet.

“You actually came here to apologize for them, Hayate?”

His eyes, round and sparkly, stared at you. “You know my name? You said my name?”

You nodded, “Hayate.” He gasped then stepped backward. Why is he so weird? You stepped forward and he took another step back. “Are you alright? Your face is red.” You stepped forward to move closer to him but he walked briskly to hide behind Jaehyun. “Hayate.”

“He’s so opposite of Yuta,” Lexi noted. “He’s like the nerdy Yuta.”

“Yuta,” Hayate called. “Yuta Nakamoto.” You stared at him in surprise. “He was the guy you always describe in your blog posts.” Wait, he reads your blog posts? “The man crazy about fighting. The man who taught you how to love.” You smiled then nodded although his eyes were focused on the ground. “Your first love.”

It’s comical how he said those words. They’re really different. You can now fully say that Hayate isn’t Yuta.

“Yuta is a mafia boss.” He claimed and you nodded, “He isn’t just crazy about fighting. He’s crazy about you. He thought your dress was slipping. He dyed his hair blonde because your childhood friend said that you don’t like men with black hair.” You stared in surprise. How did he know those things? You never mention any of it in your blogs or your stories. “Yuta, who has a secret penthouse where he took your…”

“Stop,” you said in a loud voice. “How did you know all that?”

His eyes finally stared at yours. The black orbs turned chocolate brown, the warmness that you only felt from Yuta’s eyes. “They were dreams before. Fighting people, killing someone, holding someone.” The way he said those words were quiet yet it resonated so loud in your ears. “Then I saw you in the shop and the dream became clearer. The person I’m holding was you.”

No, it can’t be. “That can’t be possible.” Jaehyun claimed, “Yuta died.”

“There was a car crash, Haruhi crying beside me so I tried to push her out.” He stepped forward but it was you who stepped backward. “There was an old man who helped pull us out. Then an explosion.”

You choke on a sob. How can this be possible? Hayate is now centimeters in front of you but you didn’t make any move. “I always thought your stories were oddly familiar. That even if you used a different character name, it’s always Sophie and Mark in my head.” You released a gasp. “It’s always Jaehyun and Rachel.” You glanced at the couple who looked as surprised as you are.

“Your stories are my reality, Y/N.”

You are not crazy. Yuta didn’t die. He’s here. In front of you. Pretty much alive.

“I don’t have anything. I’m not even a mafia boss,” You chuckled, tears falling from your eyes. Hayate wiped the tears from your cheeks with his thumbs. “But I’m begging you to let me in your world.”

“Please choose me this last time, Y/N.”

—----

Our life is filled with choices.

What to eat for breakfast? What to wear today? Should you cut your hair short? Should you make a move and talk to that cute boy?

There are always choices.

A choice to fall in love. A choice to be happy. A choice to be crazy.

Just like how Cinderella chose to stay with the prince and not come back to the life she had before. Just like how Ariel chose to be a human rather than accept who she truly is. Just like how Rapunzel chose to trust a man she just met and live her life.

Choices that lead us to our own happy ending.

Is this a happy ending?

No one knows.

Because happy endings are always on the last page of the story. And only you can unlock the last page of your own story.

You closed the book as applause can be heard from the audience. It still feels surreal that your new book is loved by many even if it is way different from the usual ones you write.

A mafia boss and an innocent girl.

A story very close to your heart.

“Baby,” Jaehyun called, handing you a bouquet of pink roses. “You were amazing.” You giggled, thanking him. Lexi smiled widely, repeating the same thing her husband noted.

Johnny gave you another bouquet of sunflowers, complimenting your book and audience. “Where is the biggest bookworm of all?”

“Her biggest fan?” Lexi teasingly asked.

You pointed at the dark-haired guy standing in front of the bookshelf, totally immersed in the book he was reading. A smile escaped your lips watching him in his own world. A total contrast to the person he was before. “You’re going to London, right?” You nodded at Johnny’s question. It was inevitable since the book is gaining popularity across the globe. “Is he coming with you?”

“How about Momo? Are you bringing her to London?” Lexi asked.

Once again, you nodded. “We might bring Haruhi with us.” You claimed, “We can’t leave our daughter with her grandparents. I told Hayate not to come, his parents are already old, but he is stubborn.” You noted before sighing, “Father-in-law says he’s like a magnet stuck with me so wherever I’m going, he’s going.”

Jaehyun chuckled, shaking his head. “At least there’s still some Yuta left in him.” Johnny smirked, “Possessive.”

The mentioned guy started walking to where you are, slipping a hand on your waist then pulling you close. “Still a jealous freak.” Jaehyun nodded at what Johnny claimed, “I can’t believe you married a guy like him, Y/N.”

“You managed to charm the feared mafia boss in town and yet you married a nerd.” You giggled. Why does Jaehyun love to tease Hayate so much? Maybe because your husband wouldn’t retort and would just accept all their teasing. At least he’s not as hot-tempered as before.

You smiled at the person beside you warmly, “It’s still the same. Yuta is Hayate. Hayate is Yuta.”

Lexi teased that you are so in love with your husband that made you chuckle. Who wouldn’t? He’s perfect. The man who made you crazy and saved you from craziness at the same time. The man you’ll choose over and over again. Your first love. When Johnny asked you for any plans for your next book, you just gave him a huge grin.

You closed the book you recently published. The bright embossed silver letters of the title explain the concept you might just continue in your next story.

A popular book author and an easily flustered bookworm.

The current story of your life.

Opposites that attract each other.

Like magnets.

Polarity.

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