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seeingivy · 4 months

Text

the beach

actor!eren x f!reader

**part of my method acting fic

an: 14k. buckle in. song mentioned is sparks by coldplay!

previous part linked here

to sukuna’s mother

eren: we’ll be there at five am.

lana: OH ITS HAPPENING

sukuna: did she slap you?

lana: DID SHE KISS YOU?

eren: she cried a bunch while watching it. and she hasn’t said much…she’s just been staring out the window of the airplane blankly

lana: oh that’s not-

sukuna: AHAHAHAHAH

lana: well, anyways. we’ll wake up for you.

sukuna: she’ll be fast asleep. i will wake up for you.

eren liked a message

The second Eren closes his phone, he looks to his left to find your pink, teary eyes looking at him and immediately pales. Your eyes are positively red at this point, an itchiness settling in his throat at the sight of it.

“I’m sorry. Did you say something?” he asks.

“No.” you murmur.

Eren pauses.

“Did you want to say something?” he asks.

He watches you pause, almost like you’re mulling over the question. He supposes that it was quite stupid for him to ask, because if it were him in your spot, he probably would have talked your ear off for every little detail.

“You can ask me anything you want. I’ll tell you the truth, I promise.” Eren adds.

You give him a halfhearted nod, before looking back out at the window, at the little lights glittering amidst the clouds beneath. It’s like being asked to pick up each grain of sand on a vast, mile long beach. Almost impossible.

“I don’t even know where to start, Eren.” you murmur.

Eren gives you an understanding nod before yanking out his laptop before setting it flat in your lap. You swallow hard, knowing fully where he thinks you should begin. With that USB that’s been burning in your pocket, ever since he handed it back to you at the house.

Of Eren’s interview, on the Life in Love podcast.

Eren leans into your space, handing you one of the earphones that you settle into your ear, as you press the little play button at the bottom of the screen. The video starts - Eren and Lana sitting with the chunky headphones on their ears - with the interviewer sitting in between them.

“We’ll start with you, Eren. Have you ever been in love?” the interviewer asks.

You watch as Eren’s face splits into a bright smile, surely one that was echoed on your face too the day after the beach, as you feel a twinge in your chest. That whenever you saw clips of the interview, they filled you with such intense, deep rooted hatred for Eren that all you saw was red.

And that he didn’t even deserve one fraction of it.

“Yes. Of course, I have.” he responds.

“The person that you’re most associated with, Eren, is your co-star, Y/N L/N, from Attack on Titan. Can you comment on that, on what it’s like to have your first love be something so public?” the interviewer asks.

Eren sighs, before he leans back in his chair.

“First love is a funny way to describe it, when it almost feels like it’s more than that? I know a lot of people like to assume things and we’ve never said it publicly, but we did date. Obviously. She’s basically been scored on my heart since the second I met her in my chemistry read, but we ended up officially dating around season three of Attack on Titan. But it’s almost like that concept or notion is too trivial to explain what I even felt for her. She was never just my girlfriend or just my best friend.”

“Was it one of those…acting became too real situations?” the interviewer asks.

“I guess that you could say that. We had originally started, I guess, thinking that way when we started doing our character work. It was a whole thing we did together, while we were filming Attack on Titan. Method acting. The reason Y/N and I act so well in Attack on Titan, and win awards from it, is because we had started doing it outside of it too.” Eren responds.

“Can you elaborate?” the interviewer asks.

“We had started by kind of putting ourselves in that headspace, off of the set, in order to feel more connected to our characters, their relationship together. I think one of the things about Attack on Titan that makes it so compelling is the fact that my co-stars and myself, not to pat myself on the back, put time and effort into translating our characters into something that is real for us.” Eren states.

“It’s also something that you kind of just possess as an actor with certain co-stars. Some movies, like rom-coms or drama pieces, just function and work so well because you have that chemistry with the person whose on the other side. And make no mistake, Eren and Y/N aren’t short of any chemistry themselves.” Lana responds.

“What it is about her that struck you really differently, Eren? Clearly the two of you have a special relationship that you haven’t really been able to replicate else place, certainly not with Hyla Clarkson, for example? I mean, if you’re comfortable, you can share what you told me before you we started recording.” the interviewer states.

A searing, red hot anger flares through you, at how friendly, how approachable the interviewer seems. The fact that they’re purposely trying to make him feel safe, just to later edit the words as they see fit.

“Make no mistake, what I have with Hyla Clarkson is like that thing thing that Y/N had with Ricky James. We all have managers, we all get asked to do things that we don’t exactly want to do. I guess that’s the part that people don’t really understand, when they find out about PR relationships. That it seems so morally wrong. But we’re all actors, we’re all part of the entertainment industry - it’s almost like it’s part of the job to do these types of thing. And at that point, Y/N and I weren’t dating and I have strict managers, so…” Eren states.

“Are you saying that your relationship with Hyla Clarkson wasn’t real?” the interviewer asks.

“The first time she kissed him he threw up on the other side of a yacht. Do you think his relationship with her is real?” Lana asks, earning a laugh from the two of them.

“It’s kind of hard to wrap your head around. But we do these things, pretend a little. It’s basically like we’re acting all the time. None of that chemistry, or that character is there. I don’t even think I could ever really like her like that. And it’s not like the relationship I have with Y/N. You asked me why she was different than everyone else? It’s easy. I’ve never met anyone else like her. I’ve never had a relationship like the one I’ve had with anyone else.”

Eren sighs, nervously knitting his fingers togther, before he talks again.

“I grew up with this backdrop, of this really fractured relationship with my brother. I was always told as a kid that my family, that the people around me who were real, were the things that were going to keep me tethered to my real life. That if I choose to do this, that I’ll be in the public eye, that people will say things, and it’ll be on me to build trust. To choose the right people.” Eren starts.

“It was already so jarring to feel like I couldn’t trust my own brother, that my only family didn’t want me. And Y/N…she just kind of walked into my life and there was something so earnest about her. She felt like family basically the second, or third time I had talked to her. She was just something so real. And I’m not sure if it’s because she had a normal childhood, if she came into this on her own or what, but she always got to give me that dose of reality, of realness that I had always craved.” he continues.

“She was really gentle with me. Always quick to wipe my tears away, to give me support, that felt more full and honest than anyone else. Some part of her made me feel like a real person. I’d always be in my own head, convincing myself that I was made up sometimes, that my feelings were manufactured, that I was just putting on a front for everyone, but I never really felt that way with her. She’s always seen past that, always seen me, in our relationship. Even when we were just friends.” Eren finishes.

“And that’s just a quality that she naturally possesses. The first time she met me, she basically had no reason to have any trust, to have any good conviction of me. But by the end of the third or fourth day I knew her, I basically felt like the girl had seen right through me. All the way down to my core. And of course, all she saw was good. That’s how she is. I think for people like Eren and I, who naturally think so rotten of ourselves, someone like Y/N, whose so determined in how she shows her love, you almost….start to love yourself too. It’s not something that’s isolated to her, but it’s definitely something rare. People like Y/N and like Marco Bodt…that type of thing is just a part of them.” Lana states.

“That’s wonderful to hear, especially from you. Y/N has an interesting track record with her own friends, like Historia and Jean and Mikasa that many people have pointed out before. That there’s a part of her that’s conniving, that she uses those around her to get to the top. Is that ever something you’ve noticed, Lana? Especially as someone who would be in competition with her, as a singer-songwriter yourself.”

“Absolutely not. I think she has drive and ambition and I think that people confuse that with being conniving or competitive. Her existence means that people are going to put her against me or Historia, but that’s just because we’re women. That has nothing to do with something that’s isolated to Y/N and more with people who are just shitty and can’t see two women succeed at once.” Lana states.

“She’s very focused on her craft - any role, any song she writes - they’re so deeply personal and authentic. That’s why she is so successful, why people covet after her so bad. I don’t consider myself to be in competition with her at all. And if I actually thought I was, I don’t think I would even last a day.” Lana continues.

“That’s something I’ve always admired about her. You’re in competition - and people are putting you there, against people you love - and you have that thing you really want, you’ll do anything to get it. There’s a mentality that people get about it. There’s only one person who ends up on a pedestal and if you have to kick people off to get there, that’s what it is. But she never, ever, put her own friends at stake in ways that she could to do that. I mean all of those rumors about Historia were coming out and she wrote dorothea of all songs, about how important their relationship is always going to be her.” Eren states.

“You have to hold onto those type of people around you, in this type of industry, when you find them.” Lana states.

“Good thing for me, then. I never intend to let go.” Eren adds.

The interviewer smiles, turning to the camera, before talking again.

“Eren’s prepared a song for us, his first in a while, that he’s going to perform for us live. What’s the song called, Eren?”

“Sparks.”

“Any hints to what it’s about?”

“It’s quite obvious.” Eren responds.

Lana starts strumming on the guitar, as Eren sings and those godawful tears of yours return. You loop your arm through Eren’s free one on your side, entirely jarred by how calm Eren is watching the interview. At how he’s not a mess, a ruin, like you are at seeing this.

My heart is yours It's you that I hold on to Yeah, that's what I do

And I know, I was wrong But I won't let you down Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I will, yes, I will

Yeah, I saw sparks Yeah, I saw sparks And I saw sparks

The video ends, as you wipe the wetness away on your cheeks and look over at Eren on your side. You lean your head on Eren’s shoulder, unable to look at his piercing green eyes, as he returns the favor and leans his head on top of yours. You try to figure out how to broach it - this big mess of questions in your head - but it seems that Eren saves you from figuring that out and talks first.

“You said the other day on set you wanted to know why I want on that podcast and said what I did. You wanted to know if I still cared about you…do you know now?” Eren asks, his words so slow and careful.

“Is it idiot day?” you ask.

“Huh?”

“Is it idiot day? Do you really think I’m still sitting here being mad at you? You….”

You reach forward to cup the side of his face, brushing the softness on his cheek.

“I have a hundred things I have to say to you. I-I don’t want to speak wrong. Can you give me a second?” you ask.

Eren smiles, lifting his hand to place it over where yours is on his cheek.

“I made you wait like…three years. I think I can wait a second for you, Margaret.” Eren whispers.

You frown, nodding as Eren places his hand on your head and leans it back onto his shoulder.

“Thanks, Bruce.” you murmur back.

“Go to sleep. I’ll wake you up when we’re there.” Eren repsonds.

It’s only when the two of you are walking up the cobblestone path, barely illuminated by the light of the rising sun, that you realize that Eren’s brought you back to the same beach house that the two of you had visited before.

In the past twenty four hours (the ones you’ve been awake for anyways), the only thing that seems to be replaying in your mind is that night. Because every action of Eren’s that you’ve doubted seems painfully obvious now. The song he wrote, the way he insisted that the two of you were real people, only together.

That Eren gave you so many signs. And that you didn’t know how to read them.

The salty air stings at your nose as Eren pulls up the mat, pocketing the key placed under it, and giving you a smile.

“Isn’t that really dangerous? To keep a key under their mat when they live so…out in the open?” you ask.

“Sukuna put it there for me. And no one knows they live here. This is technically Lana’s brother’s house, so they never really suspected it.” Eren offers, shoving the key into the lock as he twists the knob open.

You and Eren quietly set your bags by the door, making it a point to tip toe in the early hours of the morning only to pad into the main room to find Lana standing near the counter, cracking eggs into the bowl.

“Oh my god! Don’t tell me that Lana No Middle Name Price is awake at a normal hour of the day?” Eren deadpans, giving her a jeering smile as she all but drops her little spatula and runs over to hug him.

You watch the two of them, the way Eren seems more calm in his demeanour now, as the two of them lean against the counter and talk. His shoulders are more relaxed, the softest of smiles on his face while Lana looks unlike you’ve ever seen her.

Her hair is extremely short, barely secured into a ponytail at the back of her neck with a pink ribbon. But even more than that, it’s something about her smile, the way her eyes are glimmering that it fills that gaping hole that’s been burning in your chest with the smallest warmth as you watch the two of them.

“Sukuna’s going to get mad when you burn those cookies.” Eren states.

“I’m not going to burn the cookies, Eren. That was one time.” she responds.

“You almost fed your son a carcinogen. And burned the house down. Also, we all inhaled a lot of smoke so you probably ruined our lungs for all we know-”

Lana lightly smacks him straight across the face, as he laughs and immediately swats her hands off. The two of them continue that way - pushing and shoving each other like siblings - until Lana pushes Eren a little bit too hard and he backs up into you.

Eren immediately looks back, his hands on your shoulders as he stables your wobble, and you shoot him a grateful smile. It’s only then that Lana notices you standing there, at the front of her little kitchen, and you shoot her a smile.

Lana’s quick to run to your side and give you a hug - the pressure on your body so tight that you can feel her squeezing that little burden of hurt that’s been sitting in your chest. Lana makes no move to let go, as you quickly deflate into her arms and start sniffling into her shoulder, immediate warm tears sparking in your eyes as her hands rub circles into your back.

“We’ll talk, Tinky Winky. About all of it, okay?” she whispers.

You give her a nod, as you wipe the tears from your eyes. You follow the two of them into the kitchen, as Lana continues to roll the little cookies into circular shapes.

“Eren. Go away.” Lana states.

“Wow. Is this how you repay me? After I take care of your son?”

“He is your godson. You should be happy to take care of him. And they just left for their walk not that long ago, you can catch up.” Lana states.

“Sukuna is a speedwalker. They’re probably long gone.” Eren whines.

“Eren. Respectfully, get out of my house. Go sit on the beach and stare at the water like the little freak that you are and let me talk to Y/N in private.” Lana states.

“I do not-!”

“Yes, you do. Y/N, I swear to god, he sat out there everyday and we had to drag him back in like we were pulling an anchor out of the sea. Now get out.” Lana states.

Eren sticks his tongue out, before shooting you a warm smile and padding out onto the sand. You stick your hand into the bowl, rolling the cookies into little circles with her as you give her a smile.

“Cute ribbon.” you murmur.

“I wore it for you. A Y/N classique.” Lana responds.

You smile in response, as the two of you continue to roll the batter and decide what you want to talk about first. And just like Eren, she bites the bullet for you first.

“Sukuna’s here. He’s just on a walk right now with Teddy.”

You smile to yourself, the thought of it filling you with an immense amount of joy.

“Do they do that often?”

“Every day. Teddy’s quite the insomniac and wakes up extremely early. Sukuna lets me sleep in a little and takes him on a little walk along the beach. Says that they need their father son bonding time.” she muses.

“I remember that about him. Theodore or Teddy, I mean. When Eren brought me here, in the dead of night, he was awake. With your brother, making cookies.”

She smiles, setting the little tray in the oven, as she gestures for you to follow her onto the couch.

“Theodore, huh? Eren did tell me he had quite the crush on you back then.” Lana states.

“Huh?”

“He doesn’t really go by Theodore. Eren and I call him Teddy and Sukuna calls him Theo, but…Theodore just feels a little bit too formal. He only uses it for really important people. Like you. And when he starts talking to Elsa on the TV screen.”

“I’m glad I’m keeping such important company.” you respond.

You laugh, hiking your knees to your chest as you decide to bite the bullet full on.

“Lana….Ricky isn’t in his life, right?” you whisper.

She gives you a nod, placing one of her hands on yours, as she gives you a warm smile.

“No. Thankfully, he’s never even met Teddy. And he’s not going to.”

“Does he know about him?” you ask.

“Yeah. I had told him, a few weeks after it happened. When I started showing. And you know how he is…he wanted me to have an abortion and be done with it. But I…I couldn’t go through with it.” Lana states.

She sighs, cracking her knuckles.

“I know it seems weird. I really do hate Ricky, everything about him, but Teddy isn’t really…his in my mind. And-”

“He’s your son. And Sukuna’s. I wasn’t even thinking that. And…and even if I was, you don’t need to explain yourself to me of all people.” you respond.

Lana scoots closer to you on the couch, as she leans her head on your shoulder and you place yours on top of hers.

“I kind of saw it as my way out for some time. LIke, I was so deep in with everything and all the people that we were working with. It would have never been acceptable to take a break, not unless I had to take one. And I’m not saying that I had him because I wanted to get away from work, but to me…it just kind of felt like a sign. I got to crank the brakes.”

“I’m sure it was good for you, in ways that you might not even know about yet.”

“I think he saved my life, Y/N. I was so deep in that shitty, self-absorbed bubble of the industry and how it is and he just…reminded me other things were more important. He took his first steps and he’s learning how to play the piano…his entire world is confined to what movie we’re going to play after lunch. Who's going to tuck him into bed at night. That’s how life should be. And that’s always how I wanted mine to look. Soft, calm.”

You smile, squeezing one of her hands interlocked with yours. At the thought of Lana, wishing for this exact future when she was a kid, only to have it now. That she fought nail and tooh for it, but still got to have it.

“I would have told you about Teddy. About everything. But I wanted to keep it as under wraps as I could and-” she starts.

“You are entitled to share your secrets with whoever you want. You don’t owe anything to me.” you state.

“I know. But just know, it’s not because I didn’t trust you. You mean the world to me, in more ways than you could ever possibly know.” Lana states.

You shake your head dismissively, as she quickly brushes you off.

“No, really. Eren and I…I know it can be really hard to understand why we did what we did. Why we kept so much but from you. But we grew up in this type of thing. It seems difficult to confront these things head on, when they’re basically what your whole lives have revolved around.” Lana states.

“I get that. But…you guys seem fine doing it now? Especially with the documentary and all, I guess I just…wish I knew earlier. Could have helped you both to this point sooner. I feel shitty because you did it all on your own and you didn’t have to.”

Lana smiles.

“You know we only did that because of you, right? The documentary.”

“You mean Eren.”

“No. I mean Connie. Me. Sukuna, even. And you know how…private he is. But we did it because of you. You’ve always reminded us, in your own ways, not to take shit from people. And at this point, we don’t really have anything to lose. Only things to gain. Like you back in our life. Control over our lives again.”

“You guys are building me up into this big thing I’m not. I hid out for two years because I was too scared to confront everything. I ignored all of you because it was easy for me to do. I’m far from this big..confrontational person you think I am. And I’m definitely not as good of a friend or supporter to you all like you think I am.” you murmur.

“Or…you just think too little of yourself. You went through something big, traumatic even. So did we. It’s no shit that Eren was special to you, so of course the loss of him was going to be big. And you also had your fucking life’s work stolen from you, which is nothing small, Y/N.”

“I guess.”

“One of the biggest, most important things that Eren has taught me was having grace. Don’t ever tell him that because you already know how big his fucking head is. But…there’s a lot of patience that you have to have with yourself to get yourself out of that headspace. I lived there for years. And it is so not feasible for you, Y/N. At the end of the day, you’re still someone in our lives whose stood for the right things. And you still have that impact, even if you feel like that’s not what you’re doing right now. You don’t always have to be one thing to be the same person. Who you are, who you’ve always been, won’t ever change.”

You swallow hard.

“So you missed a few days? There’s another one tomorrow, Y/N. You lost a few years with Eren? That doesn’t matter because he’s still always going to be there for you.” Lana states.

You give her a nod, embarrassed that she’s read so quickly through you when it comes to Eren, as you pinch a smile for her.

“Just like the moons and the suns, with the certainty of the tides, just like hope springing high, still you’ll rise.” Lana states.

Eren’s words from the beach.

“Maya Angelou. Eren’s told me that one before.”

Lana smiles, rolling her eyes.

“He’s cheesy. But it doesn’t make it any less true.”

You wrap your arms around her, sighing into her shoulder, as she hugs you hard.

“I’m really proud of you for owning it all. I hope that you get to drag Ricky’s name through the mud. For good this time.” you respond.

“A girl can hope.”

“And hank you, Lana.”

She tilts her head in confusion.

“You took care of Eren when I couldn’t. I won’t exactly be able to repay you for that.” you murmur.

“Consider yourself repaid. You did the same for Sukuna before I knew him.”

You scoff.

“As if. Sukuna and I are nowhere near how you and Eren are.”

She shakes her head dismissively, as she hops up on her feet and drags you by the arm to the hallway. The walls are littered in little frames, each little photo sweet little memories.

There’s pictures of Lana, Sukuna, and Teddy on the beach and of Eren sitting at the piano with Teddy in his lap. Of Lana and Eren fast asleep on the couch and of Sukuna and Yuuji pulling each other’s cheeks as kids. And the last one in the row is of you and Sukuna, cheesing on the set of Ten Things I Hate About You.

“It might not feel that way to you, but you’re his best friend. He’s told me that you were one of the first people - to meet him and treat him like a person. It’s no shit that everyone hated him when he was sixteen, but you were the one to extend your hand to him and be friends. Means a lot more to him than you think.” she murmurs.

You give her a nod, as the two of you shuffle back into the kitchen and take the little tray of cookies out of the oven. You nicely plate them all onto the platter and turn around to wash your hands, as Sukuna, Teddy, and Eren pad back into the kitchen.

“Ryomen Sukuna, if you track sand into my house again, I’m sending you right back out and you’re staying there for a few days.” Lana warns.

You turn around to find Sukuna giving Lana an eye roll, as he leans forward and presses a kiss to her cheek. His arm is still secured around her as he faces the platter of cookies.

“Lana Price. Did you bake something without setting the house on fire?” Sukuna asks.

“Yes. I’m not incompetent, you know?” Lana responds, trying to shove him off.

“Right. Making ready-made cookies is such a difficult task. Quite the feat if you ask me.”

“It is! You have no idea.” she deadpans back, as Teddy runs up to hug her legs and she lifts him straight into her arms.

Teddy reachs for the little ribbon in her hair immediately, twisting it in his little hands as he yanks it out of her hair.

“Teddy, tell your dad he’s being very rude. And that I’m a very good cook.” Lana states.

“Mommy. You almost made a car engine.” Teddy responds.

“Buddy. It’s carcinogen. Car-sin-o-gen.” Eren repeats, annunciating every syllable.

“Eren, quit teaching my kid bad words. You’re a horrible influence. And Y/N was watching me while I made them so…” Lana murmurs, pressing a kiss to Teddy’s cheek before setting him back on the floor and letting him run up in between Eren’s legs.

Eren gives you a smile from your little vantage point near the sink, as he gestures for you to come closer to him. You follow and crouch down to where Eren - and Teddy - are standing as Teddy nervously peeks at you from behind Eren’s back.

“Okay, bud. This is my pretty friend, Y/N. Can you say hi?” he asks.

Teddy’s cheeks turn bright red, as he nervously toussles his hair, before extending his little hand to you.

“My name is Theodore Price. My mommy calls me Teddy. And Eren. And my dad calls me Theo. And the mailman always calls me kid.” Teddy rambles.

You fight the urge to laugh, at how cute he is, as you smile at him.

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you. I’m Y/N.” you respond, shaking his little hand as you watch a little smile spread across his face.

You look up to find Sukuna making eye contact with Lana, mouthing Theodore? as Lana shakes her head dimissively at him. You give Sukuna a smile, which he actually returns, before you focus back on Teddy.

“I have a gift for you.” Teddy states.

“For me? On your birthday?” you ask.

“I didn’t buy it so it doesn’t actually count.” he responds.

“Sound logic, my friend. What is it?” you ask.

“You have to close your eyes and put your hands out.”

You look up at Eren, giving him a disbelieving look, as he gestures for you to follow. You close your eyes and cup your hands out to the two of them, as you hear Eren laugh.

“Okay. You can open them now.” Teddy states.

You open your eyes to find a pink ribbon in your hand, specifically the one that Teddy just snagged from Lana’s hair, as you hear Sukuna and Eren laugh. You smile hard, twisting it in your hands.

“Thank you, Teddy. That’s very kind of you.” you respond, giving him a smile.

He returns the favor, his cheeks bright pink, as he runs up behind Sukuna’s legs and burrows his face into the fabric of his pants. You and Eren stand back up, as Eren leans into your space and whispers.

“He still has a crush on you.” Eren states.

“He’s a baby, Eren.”

“You’re so rude. Babies aren’t capable of love?”

“Well, you’re standing right here so that’s obviously not true.” you deadpan.

“Haha. Now give it.” Eren states, holding his hand out to you.

“Give you what?”

“The ribbon, dingus.” Eren responds.

“Actually, Eren. He gave it to me. Maybe if you were cuter, he’d give it to you.”

“Okay, Megamind. Don’t get a big head now. I was just going to put it on for you.” Eren responds.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

You place the little pink ribbon in Eren’s hands, as he gestures for you to turn around. He’s quick to secure the ribbon into the little ponytail in your hair, giving your head a little pat when he’s finished.

“So cute.” Eren says, sarcastically.

“Shut up. I’m adorable.” you respond.

Eren smiles.

“Yes, you are.” he responds, zero hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Sukuna gives Eren a nod, as the two of them switch spots, and he takes your side. You get to take Sukuna in full this time, at the little smile wrinkles near his eyes and the salty, beach smell that seems to emanate off of him.

“Y/N L/N. Are you finally gracing us with your presence?” Sukuna asks.

“Father Sukuna. I think I am.” you respond, placing your hands on your hips.

Sukuna smiles, reaching forward to mess with your hair.

“You and I are going to talk after breakfast. And that’s only because Lana will burn our house down if I leave her alone to it.” Sukuna states.

“Deal.” you respond, smiling at him.

You and Sukuna settle down onto the little patio, the waves of the ocean crashing against the sand in front of you. He sets the little plates in front of the two of you, giving you a smile, as you both lean back in your chairs.

“Pumpkin pie?” you ask.

“You want some?” Sukuna asks.

“Sure.”

And then Sukuna lifts the plate and immediately smashes the pie into your face. It’s cold and squishy, as you quickly smear it out of your eyes just to glare at him.

“Eren! Bring Y/N a towel. And another slice of pie.” Sukuna states.

Eren sticks his head out of the screen door, widened eyes at the state of you.

“What happened?” Eren asks.

“She fell into the pie. She’s always been such a clutz.” Sukuna states.

“Into the pie? On the plate?” Eren asks.

“Yes.” Sukuna responds.

Eren gives the two of you a weird look, as he shuffles back into the house and returns with a towel. You wipe all of the filling off of your face before hitting Sukuna straight in the face with the towel and crossing your arms.

“Is it asshole day, Sukuna?”

“That’s rich coming from you. I’m the asshole?” Sukuna asks.

“You just smashed a pie into my face.”

“And you didn’t return my calls for two years.” Sukuna responds, glaring.

You sigh, leaning back in the chair, as you look at him.

“Make no mistake, Y/N. I’m not Eren and I’m not Mikasa. I’m not going to beat around the bush just for you.” Sukuna states.

“Thanks, Sukuna. I can always count on you to support me.” you deadpan.

Sukuna stops in his tracks, before swallowing hard.

“Lana told me to be nice to you.” he states.

“You don’t have to be. Whatever it is you’re feeling…I’m sure that I deserve it.” you respond.

“Contrary to your belief, I don’t actually enjoy being rude. I actually hate it. But…there are things you have to know. You’re really fucking stupid sometimes, Y/N.”

You roll your eyes.

“You’re a changed man, Sukuna.”

Sukuna shifts in his seat, as you quickly bite your words.

“I wasn’t being sarcastic. You really do seem different. Better.” you murmur.

Sukuna smiles.

“I am. Different. Better.”

You lean forward, placing a hand on his forearm.

“You’re a fucking dad, Sukuna.”

“I know. Who would have thought?” he asks.

“Me. I always knew you’d be great at this type of thing.”

“Yeah right.” Sukuna responds, sarcastically.

“No, really. You…you have that ability. The type that really good parents have. You always know what to give people, what they need to hear. You know that people don’t give things to me straight, so you always do it for them. And you’re the only person on my side - the only person who says that and means it.” you respond.

Sukuna leans forward on his elbow.

“I could have done better by you. I know that.”

“Sukuna-”

“The awards show. I could have stopped you. I…I figured that Historia and Jean were riling you up. That you were already far past a point of reason and I just…”

“I would have cussed you out if you tried to go against me in that moment, Sukuna. Kicked you out of my house.”

“I thought that much but…but still. I could have made you listen.” Sukuna responds.

“Don’t get me wrong. I find lots of value in your words. But really, I wouldn’t have listened. And…and you were still there in the way that I needed you. Don’t think that I’ve forgotten that the person who dragged me out of that dressing room that night was you.” you murmur.

Sukuna sighs.

“I fucking hate you for not talking to me, Y/N. I get not talking to anyone from Attack on Titan. To Levi, Hange, whatever. But I was never apart of that. I was your friend, Y/N. I was always on your side.”

“I’m sorry.” you respond.

“You don’t think I would have fought for your albums back with you? That I wouldn’t have wrung Eren’s neck out if he asked me to? That I wouldn’t have crawled into your shitty house and stayed there with you if you needed me to?”

You swallow hard.

“It’s embarrassing to be around people when I know I’m doing something wrong. But it’s infinitely more embarrassing when that person is you, Sukuna.” you respond.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean…you’re one of the best people I know. You’re always saying what’s on your mind, you’re exactly what I want to be. Honest. Earnest. A good friend. I know I can be shitty. It’s just really hard for me to do it in front of you.” you respond.

“You think too much of me.” Sukuna states.

“You think too little of yourself.” you respond.

“Don’t quote my girl back to me, L/N.” Sukuna sneers, lightly shoving you.

You smile.

“Your girl, eh?” your respond, smirking at him as you watch a pink flush crawl up his neck.

“Do you think you’re funny? We have a kid together.” Sukuna responds.

“You have a crush on Lana.” you respond.

“Okay?”

“That’s so cute, Sukuna.” you respond, exaggerating each syllable as he rolls his eyes at you.

You lean forward and wrap your arms around him, hugging him as hard as you can as you feel the tears collect in your eyes. Sukuna pulls back the second he feels you sniffling, his eyes pinched in annoyance.

“Why are you crying?”

“I’m so happy for you, Sukuna.” you whisper.

Sukuna deflates, pinching his lips shut.

“You could have told me too, Sukuna. About all of it, everything that happened. When-when you were a kid. I would have listened to you. And I would never tell.” you whisper.

“I almost did tell you. That night that we were in my trailer. When Historia released Lacy.”

You gesture for him to continue.

“I told you that…that hundreds, thousands of people loved me and I didn’t even know who I was looking at in the mirror. It was more humiliating for me than that. I looked in the mirror and didn’t know who I was, how I let that happen to me-”

You feel the tears immediately burn in your eyes.

“-but it bothered me even more. Because I look just like Yuuji, Y/N. Yuuji means the fucking world to me, just like you do. Like Lana does. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him. And…and at that point I realized. That I didn’t even hold myself to that standard. That I didn’t see that happening to myself and think that I deserved better.” Sukuna states.

“Sukuna. You deserve so much better. So much better.” you whisper.

“I know that now. And I have it too, Y/N.”

You and Sukuna turn your heads to look at Lana and Teddy through the window, the two of them showing Eren something in a book. The two of you smile at each other.

“Luckily for me, Lana showed up right when I needed her. I can’t believe that I’ve been walking around her for years, on red carpets and at awards shows. She was right under my nose this entire time and I had no idea.”

“There’s this legend. An invisible string of fate. That the person that you’re destined to be with, the two of you have a little string tied around your pinkies the second you’re born. And no matter how far you go, you’ll still have a pull on each other. End up together.” you respond.

“Yeah?”

“I’m pretty sure the two of you have been making steps towards each other the entire time, Sukuna.” you respond.

He smiles in response.

“Me too.” Sukuna responds.

You wipe the wetness from your cheek, as you lean back in the chair.

“Okay, Sukuna. Give it to me straight.”

“Give what? A slap?” Sukuna asks.

“No. I know you. You’ve probably got a lot to say to me. So…just come right out and say it. I can take it.”

Sukuna smiles, almost too sinisterly.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Positive? You can’t fight me on any of it.”

“Fine. Just tell me.”

He takes a deep breath before talking, the tone in his voice so matter-of-fact that it catches you off guard.

“You have no right to give Mikasa shit for picking another maid of honor. Even if Amy’s a bitch to you. Quit playing the victim with her on that one, becuase first and foremost, you will lose. And second of all, she’s getting married. You’re the one who needs to bite the bullet and make sure that she has a good day.”

“Wait-” you start.

“Why aren’t you writing any music anymore? Why are you accrediting all of your success to Danny and Sareen when you’re the one who wrote those songs?”

“I’m not-”

“Aren’t you though? And when are you going to stop punishing Eren for something that you did to him first.”

“Sukuna.”

“What are you mad at him for? That he didn’t tell you what he was going through? Isn’t that what you did to him first? Because yeah, you’d call him before all your shows and pretend like things were fine. And then Eren had to find out from a fucking interview that those two dickwads were starving you. That they were controlling you like you were one of their assets.”

You sigh.

“I’m not playing the victim with Mikasa.”

“Aren’t you though? Because if it were me, if I had not talked to my best friend in two years despite the fact that she reached out multiple times, I’d think that I was in the wrong.”

“I was struggling.”

“And you don’t think she wasn’t? Did you know that she almost broke up with Jean in the years that you were gone?”

You pale.

“What?”

“Did you ask her? Did you ask her how she was when you came back?”

You swallow hard.

“You don’t think that she needed you for that? For something as big as almost losing Jean when he’s always been by her side. You don’t think that she needed you for even small things even beyond that? Someone to talk to. Someone to support her?”

“Are her and Jean okay?”

“Yes. Eren was there. But Eren can’t exactly replace what you are for Mikasa. And god knows he has the emotional capabilities of a fucking teaspoon.”

It seems that every time you’re at the depths of your regret, of your guilt, you find that there is always a way to sink down further.

“Quiet now, aren’t you? Fight me about the music.” he states.

“No.”

“Because I’m right?” he asks.

“So what if you are? I just don’t want to write anything anymore. It’s not that serious.”

Sukuna leans forward, inches between your faces.

“It’s not that serious, for any normal person. But it is that serious for you. Because you love to write music, Y/N. You scribble lyrics onto your scripts when you’re supposed to be reading them. You hum songs when you’re basically doing anything. And you’re not doing it now, because you’re still in that godforsaken hole you sank yourself into in your house.”

“So what if I am, Sukuna? What if I am? Don’t you get that I’m fucking scared of this type of thing? That it is isn’t easy? I lost Eren. And then I lost my music. All of my friends. You don’t think that type of thing was fucking hard for me?” you respond, warm tears spilling out of your eyes.

Sukuna leans forward, wrapping his arms around you and squeezing hard.

“You were never one to back down from a fight. What kind of hold do you think those two idiots have over you at this point? Need I remind you, that they’re only famous, that they only have a claim to their names, because of you. Did you lose Eren? No. Because he’s literally peering through the fucking window right now because you’re crying. Did you lose your music? No, because he fought so hard to somehow get it back for you. And you didn’t lose your friends. We’re right in front of you.”

You pull back, glaring at him. Because as annoying as he is, he always did point out the truth. You give Eren a smile through the window, gesturing to him that it’s okay, as he gives you a disbelieving look and walks away.

“I’m mad at Eren for what he said to me.” you respond.

“That’s valid. But have you ever considered that he might have been mad at you for what you said to him too? Or even worse, that you could have really hurt him?”

“What did I say to him? Because he-”

“You didn’t pick him.”

“But, Sukuna. I had to do that. Sareen and Danny-”

“So you get it. You get that what you did was because you had to. So why don’t you understand that what Eren said to you was because it was what he had to say too?”

You sigh.

“Don’t be a hypocrite, Y/N. You know I don’t say any of this to hurt you. But you’re not twenty-one anymore. And neither is Eren. It’s time for you to face this head on. Both of you.” he states, the tone in voice so caring that it makes you falter.

You sigh.

“Did you know that Eren was struggling that bad?”

“No. And I gave him tons of shit at the time for it. You’re not the only one with regrets.” he states.

After a fresh shower, you pad back into the main room to find Eren in the kitchen, while Sukuna, Lana, and Teddy cuddle in the crouch. Eren gestures for you to join him at your side, as he pushes a little cutting board and the food towards your side.

“Are you trusting me to cut the vegetables? Are you finally viewing me as your equal, Eren Jaeger?” you ask, feigning shock.

“It’s a safety knife. That’s what Teddy uses when Lana teaches him how to cook.” Eren responds, smirking at you.

You elbow him, accompanied with nice string of insults as you stand at Eren’s side. You look to the picture at the your side, of Sukuna, Lana, and Teddy dressed up nice in a little courthouse.

“Hey. What’s this?”

“Lana and Sukuna are married.” Eren states.

“Excuse me. You said they were dating.” you state.

“We said dating in the documentary, because they were dating at the time. But at their one year anniversary, they did a small little court wedding. The three of them got takeout sushi and came home like right after.” Eren states.

You walk over to the picture, inspecting it in full this time. At Lana’s white slip dress, at their matching rings, and the little bouquet in Teddy’s hands. The three of them are smiling so brightly, Lana and Sukuna leaning their temples together, with their eyes closed and bright smiles.

“Eren.”

“Hm?”

“How did that happen?” you ask, gesutring over to the three of them.

Eren sets his knife down, lookng over at the picture as he places his hands on his hips. You can already tell from his stance that whatever he’s about to say is going to be bitingly sassy.

“Okay. When two people love each other, they get in a be-”

“Shut up, idiot. I mean, Lana and Sukuna.”

Eren shoves you in the side, as the two of you avert your eyes to the three of them on the couch.

“After that night, when I had said everything to you, I had immediately called Levi and Hange. Lana and I had been debating calling them and asking for help the second I ended up in the hospital, but that night was kind of the final straw for me.” Eren states.

“Your injury should have been your final straw, Eren.” you respond, pinching your eyes at him.

“At that point, I was ready to drag Scott Clarkson into the ground. From my standpoint, I didn’t really have anything to lose from suing them. And Connie and Lana, it didn’t take them much convincing to follow. But Levi basically wanted to stack all of our cards in our favor, that if we were going to say something, anyone else who has something to say would get to take that chance too.” Eren adds.

“That’s where he came in.” you state, to which Eren gives you an affirmative nod.

“Sukuna had told us almost everything about what happened to him, except for…you know.”

The sexual assault.

“Yeah.”

“Lana was the first person that he told. And I don’t know what she told him, since that’s not something I understand having experienced but she obviously does, but…they both just kind of came to us one day. Told us that they wanted to own it.” Eren adds.

“So, they just got close? From all that? Not that it’s not a thing that connects him, but he…he’s always so reserved.” you ask.

“I think he just naturally gravitated towards her, that’s all. I think they have these deep, all encompassing emotions that they don’t share with other people. The feel things deeply, love really hard. It was just like an underlying thing…that they knew they would get along in that way. Like you and me.”

“Like you and me?”

“Y’know. We were close right off the bat. No awkward stage, no holding things back from each other. Well, in the beginning at least.” Eren states.

You hum in response.

“Sukuna met Teddy pretty early on. When Lana and Sukuna started dating, they were serious straight off the bat. He kind of just…fit in perfectly with them. Nothing really changed. Teddy just kind of called him dad in passing one day. No one really said much about it, but I did find Sukuna crying later.”

You frown, clutching your hands on your chest.

“I’m really happy for them, Eren. There’s no one who deserves it more than them.”

You feel a brush past your shoulder to find Sukuna and Lana at your sides, the two of them tip toeing into the fridge and pulling a little box out. Eren hands you a little box of candles, as you pull out five little green ones.

The four of you huddle over the cake, perfectly placing them and lighting them, as you walk over to where Teddy’s still sitting, fully engrossed into the screen. Sukuna turns to the three of you, quietly counting down, before you all burst out singing and Teddy turns around excitedly.

You watch as Sukuna smashes a decent amount of frosting onto Teddy’s cheeks after he blows out the candles, as Lana quickly snaps a picture of the two of them with the cake.

“Is that your thing now, Sukuna? You just smash dessert into people’s faces?” you ask.

“Well, you deserved it. And I’ve been doing this since my first birthday with him.” Sukuna states.

“Don’t tell me you smashed food in a grown woman’s face?” Lana asks, deadpanning.

“It was pie. That hardly counts as food. And again, need I repeat, that she deserved it.”

Lana comes over, securing her hands around your shoulders, as she presses a kiss to your cheek.

“You’re rude. Our princess does no wrong.” she states, gesturing for Eren to join him at her side.

Eren follows suit, gesturing for Lana to get in the picture, as he points the little camera at them, and you peer over his shoulder at the viewfinder.

“Teddy. What did you wish for?” Eren asks.

“Don’t say! Your wish won’t come true.” Lana whines.

“Y/N!” Teddy states, giving you a bright smile.

Sukuna laughs, reaching for his sides to tickle at him.

“Sorry buddy. You already snoozed and lost on that one.” Sukuna responds.

The three of them shuffle to the counter as Sukuna starts cutting the cake into little slices and placing them on the plates. After a decent amount of dessert and sweet pictures, Eren shuffles away with Teddy to set him to bed, as you shuffle into your own room and muse over what you’re going to say to Eren later.

Eren makes his way down the following morning, to find the three of them mulling around in the kitchen. He makes it a point to shove Lana and smack Sukuna, before pressing a kiss on top of Teddy’s head and taking the seat next to them.

“You’re not going on your walk?” Eren asks, looking up at Sukuna.

“Someone already claimed the beach.”

“Huh?”

Sukuna points behind him, as Eren looks out the window to find you sitting there in the sand, on a little blanket. Your back is facing towards him, your hair slightly swaying in the light breeze of the beach outside.

“What’s she doing?” Eren asks.

“She wants to talk to you, Eren.” Lana states.

Eren pales.

“Out there?” Eren asks.

The two of them nod as Eren feels knots twisting in his stomach, that whatever semblance of relationship that the two of you were building back together was going to come crashing down in a second. That the harsh, cruel justice that he was owed was finally going to be served to him.

“Fuck. Okay. Do I look fine?” Eren asks, turning to the two of them.

Sukuna and Teddy squint their eyes in confusion, as Lana gives him a big thumbs up and all but pushes him onto the patio. He turns around and gives her a pointed glare, which she only returns with a smile as he starts trudging towards you, feet digging into the sand.

You notice Eren before he can creep up behind you, as you give him a smile and gesture for him to take the spot next to you. It’s decently overcast, a slight chill in the air as you pull your hoodie around you and watch the waves crash ahead.

“Hey.” Eren says.

Eren takes the spot at your side, hiking his knees to his chest, as your elbows brush against each other in the cold.

“Wanna go skinny dipping?” you ask.

“I beg your pardon?” Eren resopnds, eyes nearly bulging out of his head.

You can barely contain your laughter, as Eren quickly catches on. His cheeks are positively pink as he starts grumbling under his breath about how mean you are and you choke out an apology. The two of you sit there in silence as the water pulls close to the shore, just to quickly retreat back into the big mass of water.

You bite the bullet this time.

“The song that you wrote that day. The one that you sang to me on the beach.” you say.

“Yeah?” Eren asks, almost too attentive as he hangs at the ends of your words.

“That’s my first question. What did it mean?” you ask.

Eren looks back out at the waves.

“I thought that what we had ran it’s course when I wrote it. It was a few days before you got there. And by that point, I was already so down in it that all I was left with was the feeling of being grateful. That I did get to experience that love, with you, at some point. And you know. You’re the moon. I’m the ocean. It was a nice solace to think our love would last forever that way..” Eren responds.

You nod in response.

“That night. When- when you tried to kiss me. I told you I couldn’t because you were still with Hyla. Why didn’t you tell me then and there that you had broken up?” you ask.

“I could have. But I wanted to know if you wanted me still, with such extreme urgency, that-that I kind of forgot that I was technically dating her in the first place. I said it before, but I never really considered that real, Y/N. She didn’t even warrant a mention in my mind. Or ever mean anything to me.” Eren responds.

“Okay.”

Eren pauses. You suppose your response was barely convincing and that he can most definitely tell.

“I’m only telling you this part because Sukuna is going to tell you anyway and he’s been holding it over my head for weeks.” Eren states.

“What?”

“It’s embarrassing. Just- pretend like it’s nothing when Sukuna says it to you.”

“Okay?”

“The yacht. When-when Hyla kissed me.”

“Oh. Vomitgate.” you respond, smiling at him.

“Don’t call it that!” he whines.

You laugh as you gesture for him to continue, his cheeks lightly dusted pink.

“Hyla likes to wear a lot of lipgloss. And she..she always wears this red one. That smells like cherries.” he states.

“Okay?”

“I didn’t know that it tasted like cherries too. And when she kissed me, I-I could taste it.” Eren mumbles.

“Congratulations? I’m glad it tasted good while you were kissing her.”

“No! No, Y/N. You don’t get it. You….you taste like cherries when I kissed you. Or when you used to.”

“Huh?”

“The slushies. Your lips always tasted like cherries. So when she kissed me, I-I immediately thought of you. And…and then I realized it was her.”

“And then you…projectile vomited?” you finish.

“Okay, you promised you wouldn’t make fun.”

You smile. Primarily because he’s so embarrassed that it’s cute. And that in the most evil way, the thought of him being so disgusted by kissing someone that isn’t you that it makes him vomit makes your heart warm in a special way.

“I said no such thing, Eren.”

The two of you sit there in silence for some time, as you muse over his words. The air only seems to get colder as time goes on, the clouds swirling in the sky above the two of you.

“The things that you said to me, Eren. I-I know they weren’t true. But I want to know how you came up with them. Because I understand that it was something you had to say. But they just fell out of your mouth so easily. That you only wanted me for that and nothing more and-”

“In no way were those words easy for me to say. Don’t even say that.” Eren states, the urgency in his tone so adamant that it makes you sweat.

“How did you come up with it? Because it must have been in the back of your mind if-”

“Y/N. I come from literally the shittiest, meanest place that you can imagine. I’ve told you before. The things that Zeke had said to me.” Eren states.

“And?”

Eren stops. His voice is softer this time, almost laced with a pinch of hurt.

“When life gets harder, I have to get harder to match. If you show up and I can’t have you, the thought of it fills me with so much anger, so much hurt that it all comes out. On you. And that doesn’t make anything I said okay, but you being there. Having you so close to me and having to send you away. It had to be something cruel. You wouldn’t have gone otherwise.”

“Well-”

“Don’t even say that to me. Because I know for a fact that if I had told you any of this then, you would never leave. You wouldn’t listen to me because you’d want to stay with me.”

“Is there something wrong with that? With me wanting to be there for you?”

“Of course, not. It’s just that you being there with me required you to be there. With those shitty people. And if it comes to you or me, I’d pick you. Even if I had to do something shitty to make sure that you were far away.”

You’re immediately reminded of the conversation that you had with Eren. Or more acutely, the fight that the two of you had. Of what Eren had said to you.

But I couldn’t have you there. Because if it came down to it, when I had to pick between covering someone else or taking care of you, I’d pick you.

You swallow the lump in your throat. Of the implication that if Eren was faced with the choice - of you and Teddy or you and Connie - that he would pick you.

Even if it was the wrong choice to make.

“And Armin?” you ask.

“That’s the thing about you two. You both came in so hot. I was expecting after the interview that the two of you were going to cuss me out, leave without even saying anything. But your instinct - both of yours - was to immediately believe it wasn’t true. Bittersweet, because you knew me well enough to know I’d never really say that but also shitty becuase then I had to bite back to make sure you left.” Eren states.

You lift the little cover at your side and slide the little box into Eren’s hands. You see his eyes go wide immediately, as you hand him a polaroid camera, the exact specific brand that Erwin had gifted Armin all of those years ago.

“I can make my amends with it. Even if it hurt my feelings. And hopefully that helps you make amends with Armin.” you state.

“Where the fuck did you find this? I’ve been looking for this for a better part of the past year.” he states.

“I found it this morning. And…I’ve eavedropped on one of your fights with Armin.” you state.

“Nosy.”

“Okay, I’ll just go return it.” you state.

“No!” Eren states, quickly clutching his arms around the box as you laugh.

Eren sighs.

“Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.” Eren responds.

“I think I have an idea.” you respond.

Eren smiles, albeit halfheartedly, as he looks down at the box.

“My turn. Unless you had more?” he murmurs.

“No. Go ahead.”

“The awards show. What do you think about it now?” Eren asks.

You sigh.

“What you were saying, it seems much more obvious now. That it was Historia and Jean there. That they were riling me up. Historia, she was already mad at you for what I said, for going against what we had as kids, and for Jean. It was personal. He basically felt like you had betrayed him and told me that. I suppose now that if Mikasa was there, she wouldn’t have let me go as far as I did.” you respond.

“Mikasa wanted to come. Danny and Sareen didn’t let her. They knew for a fact she wouldn’t let you. She’d want to be there for you in the way you needed. Probably put my face on a dart board and talk shit about me.” Eren muses.

“I would have preferred that over what I really did. But I remember that now. Danny and Sareen said that her hysterics weren’t conducive to the situation. And granted, Mikasa’s never short of being dramatic but…always calm when you need her. I can’t believe I forgot about that in the moment. And Sukuna, he never gave his opinion. He just told me to make my own decisions and that he would support me, which makes more sense in hindsight too.” you respond.

Eren nods in response, content with your answer.

“Why did you cry when I was singing the grudge?” you ask.

“Why did you cry when you were singing the grudge?” Eren asks.

“The fight we had. You told me beforehand that..that I didn’t have any faith in you like you did in me. It was the first time that it might have crossed my mind. That you didn’t mean anything that you said and…and then I was singing a song about how I’d never forgive you. And you were crying during it. It pretty much sold me on the fact that I was right.” you respond.

Eren nods.

“For me, it was the fact that you were playing the piano. On your own. I was waiting for years to see you do it on your own, to take that step and be confident in your own abilities. You’ve always been great and all I wanted to do in that moment was to stand there. Tell you I told you so. And I couldn’t.”

“What did you mean? When you said I didn’t have faith in you?” you murmur.

“I was just really upset in that moment, Y/N. I didn’t-”

“I want to know.”

Eren sighs.

“You thought right. I was upset that you believed it so blindly. That you believed an edited interview of me. And what I had said that night, which you had every right to believe. I was just-”

“It’s okay.”

“I wasn’t mad at you. And I’m still not. I regretted it after I said it.”

“Okay. I appreciate the grace you give me, Eren.”

“Nothing you haven’t given me first.” Eren responds.

You both avert your eyes from one another.

Anything else?” Eren asks.

“I guess not. Is there something you want to tell me?” you state.

“I want to know what you were doing in the years that I wasn’t with you.”

“In the house?”

“No. No, when you were with Danny and Sareen. After-after we said fishbowl on the rooftop.” Eren states.

You sigh.

“I feel fucking stupid about it all in hindsight.” you respond, warm tears filling your eyes.

Eren’s quick to notice, like he always is, as he pulls you closer to him and you lean your head against his shoulder.

“Hey. You’re okay, just take a breath-” Eren whispers.

“I did three albums with world tours back to back. Movies in the hiatuses.” you state.

“And?” Eren murmurs.

“And I didn’t take a break once. I-I only realized when I locked myself in that godforsaken house how much time I had lost. How much of it I swam through when I came back and Falco was basically grown. I left him when he was barely a teenager and then he was just…this whole person. Comforting me when that’s always been my job. That Jean and Mikasa had moved so far in their relationship that they were actually going to get married. That we all fucking grew up.” you respond.

You wipe your nose.

“I realized really quickly that I wasn’t making money off of the Lucky One. I had spent that entire first year, not even thinking about you or anything else, because I was just fighting desperately behind the sidelines to get them back.” you state.

Eren snorts.

“I think when you stopped fighting is when I started. We had won the lawsuit at that point and I-I was told to negotiate for whatever I wanted.” Eren responds.

“How did you know?”

“Danny and Sareen. At the awards show, they had made it a point to me. That it was always their goal. I had been inquiring about it ever since then and…the second you released the Lucky One and disappeared I knew they were going to do something. I tried to negotiate the entire album back, money and all, but all I could get you was the rights. And I’ve talked to Niccolo about it. You can re-record them or-or we can do something else but-”

“Thank you.” you state.

You look back at the ocean. You don’t say something for sometime, which fills Eren’s stomach with an overwhelming amount of discomfort as he rests his head against his knees. But you can’t even stomach it. How you’re supposed to thank Eren for what he did. For what he’s always done.

For how consistent he’s always been. When it comes to you.

“What are you thinking?” he asks.

You look over at him, or more precisely, at the little tattoo on his bicep as you open up his arms and rest your fingers against it. He mimics your motions, smiling at the little inked skin.

“I was half convinced you were going to get it removed.” Eren states.

“I almost did.” you respond.

He laughs.

“I always thought it was stupid. That you wanted to be the ocean when I thought you were the moon. You know, like a light shining on a dark night? That’s always what I thought you were for me.” you state.

“It feels like there’s more to that statement.” Eren responds.

“Can you see the moon right now?” you ask.

Eren looks up at the overcast sky, the clouds dense above.

“No.”

“But you can see the ocean. All the time, whenever you want. The waves pull back, but they always return.” you state.

Eren looks up at you, in confusion.

“I don’t follow.”

“I’m saying you picked right. I am the moon. Fickle. Unreliable. I disappear at the first sign of a storm. But the ocean…”

You look over at your right, to the waves crashing.

“It’s one of the only things in nature that keeps its promise. Keeps crashing back on the shore, against the pull.”

Eren’s eyes falter.

“You had every right to do what you did.” Eren responds.

“I know that. But it was always you and me. From the start. I was the one who lost sight of that when I let you go.” you state.

Eren swallows hard.

“Why did you do that?” he asks, his voice in the smallest whisper.

The fact that he even asks shatters something in you, into tiny little pieces. That you had sown so much doubt into him.

“I…I had so much faith in us. What we had…it came to us so easily. Snuck on me so quickly that I took it for granted. I figured that if I had to let you go for sometime, you’d come right back to me. The same way that we were before.”

“You were nineteen.” Eren states.

“I was stupid. Because that’s not how you saw it.”

“No. No, it-”

“Don’t lie. You thought I left you.”

“It’s water under the bridge.” Eren responds.

You sigh.

“Eren. Eren, if you felt that way, why didn’t you say that? I- I fucking adored you. I would have pulled back and said no the second that you had asked me not to. Surely you must have known that I would move any mountain for you?” you ask.

Eren looks at you, the look in his eyes faltering as you realize.

“Eren. Did you know that I would do anything for you? Did you know that I loved you as much as you loved me?” you ask.

“I did.” Eren responds, the lightest hint of disbelief in your voice.

You pull him closer, cupping his face in your hands.

“Eren. You were my person. I loved you so, so much and you didn’t even know?” you ask, warm tears filling your eyes.

“It wasn’t anything about you. It was me. It’s my fault that I didn’t think that.” Eren whispers.

“Don’t. Don’t fucking say that, Eren.” you respond, pulling away from him as the hot, embarrassing tears pour down your eyes.

At the fact that Eren’s so willing to forgive. So quick to look past the fact that you took the love that he had given you for granted. That you hadn’t appreciated it, and him, half as much as you should have and now it was never going to be the same. That he was so insecure in himself, that he couldn’t accept the love that you had given him. And that you didn’t even notice.

Eren sits quietly at your side, making no move to comfort you this time. All you can see are his green eyes, looking directly into yours, almost like he’s waiting. Mulling over the exact words that he has to say to you. And the fact that he’s sitting there trying to comfort you, when he should be cursing your name, makes it ten times worse.

“Y/N.” he murmurs.

“No.”

“Y/N.” he repeats, softer this time.

You shake your head as he scoots closer to you, cupping your cheeks in his hands as he gives you a smile. He wipes away your constant stream of tears with his thumbs, as his face washes over in the softest, most comforting look.

“You know that stupid, cheesy as fuck saying? That you can’t give love to someone else if you don’t have it for yourself?”

“Eren.”

“It’s not a bad thing to give yourself kindness. To give nineteen year old you grace the same way I give twenty-one year old me grace.” he whispers.

“I was old enough to know better.”

“And so was I. But your life isn’t meant to be a punishment. Neither is mine. We’re not supposed to sit here and never forgive ourselves over something what’s already happened.” he whispers.

“I picked wrong. You- I let you leave, Eren.” you cry.

Eren smiles.

“Am I gone?” Eren asks.

You sigh.

That’s not the way you meant it.

Eren smiles, tilting your face up in his clutches as he gives your cheek a little squish.

“Answer my question, Margaret.”

“Why do you call me Margaret?”

“You first. Am I gone?”

“Yes.” you deadpan.

Eren leans closer to you, noses almost touching, as he whispers.

“I’m right here. I’ve spent far too much time without you. Don’t tell anyone but…you’re kind of my favorite person, ever. You’re always going to be my best friend. And as long as you don’t send me away again, I’ll always be right here.”

You sniffle.

“I won’t tell anyone. There’s no one else to tell.”

Eren smiles so wide, so bright at you repeating the same words you had used all those years ago to him, as he pulls you straight into a hug. You deflate straight into his arms, wrapping them around his torso as you inhale his biting, minty smell once more.

“Wanna know why I call you Margaret?” he asks.

“Please. I know for a fact that it’s not just some random name you picked.”

Eren pulls back, a devious grin on his face.

“Margaret is the name of the moon.”

Of course.

“...of Uranus.” he finishes.

“Huh?”

“Uranus. It’s the name of one of the moons of Uranus.” Eren repeats, emphasizing every last syllable.

You can tell from the way he’s smiling that he’s incredibly pleased with himself. And it makes uou break out into a teary laugh.

“You’re fucking with me.”

“No, I’m not. All of Uranus’s moons are named after Shakespeare characters. And the first one that came to mind when we were having that talk out of all of them was Margaret.”

“So you intentionally gave me a name based off of an anus?”

“Not just any anus, Y/N. Ur-anus. It’s very significant to our relationship.”

“Ew, Eren. Oh my god.” you respond, the two of you laughing as you look at him with disgust.

“What?”

“I can’t tell what’s worse. This or Hobo Eren.”

“Hey.”

“Nevermind. It’s definitely Hobo Eren. That’s an atrocity to humanity, Eren.”

“Okay, okay. I get it. I’m horrendous” he responds, slightly shoving you in the side as you return the favor.

“I’m so glad we’re on the same page. It’s been putting a real damper on our relationship.” you respond.

Eren looks over at you and smiles.

“Are there any dampers on our relationship now? For real?” Eren asks.

You shake your head.

“No. But…you and me on the same side now. Always. You can’t keep secrets from me and-”

“I won’t.” he responds, definitively.

“Then no. No dampers. You and me till the end.” you respond.

Eren smiles as you look back at the waves crashing and you lean your head against his shoulder again. He softly murmurs into your hair.

“Why do you call me Bruce? Yours had to be just as deliberate as mine.” he asks.

“You don’t need to know. It’s not half as cute as yours.” you respond.

“Well, nothing is as cute as Uranus unfortunatley.”

“Naturally. I…um. You…you know that shark from Finding Nemo? That…that pretends to be friends with the fish and then tries to eat them?” you state, giving him a peachy smile.

“No fucking way.”

“I’m sorry!” you whine.

“You’re so rude, Y/N L/N. I gave you a sweet, sentimental nickname and that’s how you repay me.”

“You gave me Uranus, Eren.”

“There is nothing more scared than my anus, Y/N. You know that.”

“You’re so immature. You have the humor of a twelve year old.” you respond.

“And you love it. One would argue that…that you enable this behavior from me. I’d never make these jokes if you didn’t think they were funny.”

“You tell jokes based off of me?” you ask, sarcastically.

“Yes. I want to see you laugh. You think I’m just out here saying stuff just to say it?”

“You’re full of shit.”

“And you’re not even half deserving of my anus.” Eren responds.

You and Eren bicker back and forth. And the sun rises, straight through the patches of the clouds.

On the two of you, together again.

next part linked here

an: MEOW

taglist: @k0z3me @kayleegomez @yihona-san06 @bsenpai @sweetenertea @mykyoon @violetmatcha @rebeccawinters @cutiejg @bokutosthings @bookwrmm @mblrrr @wheredidmycrowngo @somethinginyoureyes7 @chilichopsticks @okaystopwhore @you-always-made-me-blush @itzmeme @firelordazulaaaa @whoami-72 @g-ghostly-y-blog @intimacywithceline @erensmoodygf @cocomellxn @princess-ackerman @jaegerfiles @cacapeepee @rui-0836 @moonmalice @invisible-mori @sofiasber @bbybeeb @timetobegonee @tee4str @ttokki @leave-rae-alone @ec3lipsy @officialsimpp @gojojang @yookayyo @lordbugs @multiplefandomthings @iobeyfandoms @camilo-uwu @justanotherkpopstanlol @mel-star636 @fvckingeetar @ttalgi @najaemism @ilovekimchi123 @youraggedybitch @xoyumiqls @leafguitar @dreamy-carat @spiidergirlsworld @luvs4kim @levin4nami @florichun @hoonmyluv

pls comment on this post or any of the chapters if you want to be added to the taglist <3

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missmaywemeetagain · 1 year

Note

I’m not big into musicals and although The Phantom of the Opera is probably the most well known one, I have never fully indulged myself in it. What are some of your favorites moments from the musical and what about it changed your life?

(I figured I might as well learn about it and you seem like an amazing teacher!)

Oh, Stephanie, honey darlin’, I just LOVE this can of worms you are opening for me—thank you so much for asking!! ❤️ (Did I spend way to much time on this? yes. Did I love every minute of it? also yes. Did I cry watching the Overture clips? 100% yes.)

So, I was pretty young when I first listened to the soundtrack (only 8), and digging way deep, I’ll say that the drama of the music itself really got to me—the big orchestrations and amazing voices had me instantly hooked. Also, I was so fascinated that almost the entire musical was sung and that made it incredibly interesting to listen to because I could pretty much figure out the whole story just from the lyrics. I had been exposed to musicals prior to this, mainly Disney ones and good ole Rogers and Hammerstein ones, but this was so different. It was dark and scary (murder! crazy genius madman! problematic love story!). It was dramatic af. And it pulled at my heartstrings in a way nothing had ever done before. And I know Phantom isn’t for everyone because the opera-esque style of singing is not everyone’s cup of tea (and honestly, I am not really a classical opera fan either LOL), but I loved it cuz I’d never heard people do such amazing things with their voices before.

I saw it live for the first time just after my 11th birthday (and 12 -13 times since in various places, not counting filmed productions), and I will say I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. There is so much to look at and take in and somehow I always find something new each time I see it. It's a complete spectacle in the best way possible, honestly. It was everything amazing about theater that I longed to be a part of.

It changed my life because I wanted to be Christine Daae (lol). The more I listened, the more I wanted to sing like her and that led me to the fact that this was a musical and people could actually be in this production. So I learned as much as I could about the production and I tried to mold my little voice to be like Christine’s. And moreover, it inspired me to seek out more musicals in a similar vein, which opened an entire new world to me (hey, there Les Miserables and Evita and all the dramatic 70s/80s/90s musicals lol). Basically, Phantom turned me fully into a theater kid. I was already a dancer, and even though I was relatively shy, I thought that maybe, just maybe this was something I could do. And it set me on the path to do so! Lord knows without Phantom I may have ended up a STEM kid, but lol no. Luckily, my parents were SUPER supportive of this new passion and I owe so much to them for all the lessons and theater tickets and performances they had to sit through and for torturing them with the same thing over and over again LOL. Thanks, Mom and Dad! Anyway, I was the ultimate theater/choir kid in high school, and eventually got my Bachelor’s Degree in Theater as well.

Soooo, favorite moments! (There are many—I could go through the whole show but I’ll try to cut it down lol).

The Overture (see links below). Seriously incredible music, sets the tone for the show, but when you see the stage production and see how the entire set transforms like magic and that chandelier rises above the audience, my god, it’s incredible. The organ kicks in and the floor vibrates and it's this (brilliant) sensory overload that will make you feel every emotion and sensation. It's magnificent, truly. And this was a HUGE deal in theater in the 80s cuz no one had done anything like it before. And let me tell you, there is nothing like watching that chandelier rise (and fall, later) right over your head! Every time I hear it to this day, I get goosebumps, but if I’m watching it, I will cry. That’s how moving it is. Here's some bootlegs of the stage production (which don't quite do it justice, but it'll have to do! WARNING: Flashing lights) Great quality BL (begins around 3:20 but the Prologue is a good watch!). Another one from Broadway (different angle)

The title song (The Phantom of the Opera) number is crazy. I’m not sure what they were thinking putting synth, an organ, strings, and electric guitars together, but somehow it works (the 80s were WILD lol). Throw in a stunning soprano cadenza at the end and it makes it both incredibly surreal and interesting. And the staging is fantastic. There’s a moving catwalk with body doubles. There’s a boat on a dry ice lake with candles rising out of nowhere. It’s just awesome. The costuming is iconic, too.

The Music of the Night is beautiful. And it takes a major vocal and acting talent to traverse it well. I won’t get too technical vocally, but when done well, this song is so seductive and impactful. It’s a love song about music, about Christine, and it’s innocent and sexual all at once (when done well).

Masquerade (at the top of Act II) is a fabulous ensemble number and the costuming is amazing. Iconic number overall.

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again is my favorite song of the show (if I have to pick). For anyone who’s experienced loss (esp. that of a parent), the lyrics will hit you right in the heart. But I love listening to (and singing) this one so much.

The Point of No Return is the most underrated number in the show, imo and one of my faves. It is sexy. as. hell. and a bit unexpected, really ramping up the passion btw the Phantom and Christine under the guise of this opera that the Phantom has written and is forcing everyone to perform. A good performance has a lot of nuance and will get you a little hot under the collar. 😏 I honestly don’t feel like I can explain it well enough, but a good watch/listen/reading the lyrics will get you there.

The Final Lair is the insane climax and it’s a bit of a roller coaster but I love it. You’ll go from hating the Phantom to weeping over him in the span of the scene.

The staging, sets, costuming, and makeup overall (of the original production). Like I mentioned above, a lot of what they did in Phantom was new tech for the late 80’s and to this day has a pretty stellar effect on stage. The chandelier rising and falling throughout the show is just super cool. The (4 hour) makeup for the Phantom was pretty cutting edge back in the day and has a wonderful effect on stage when done well.

I highly recommend watching the 25th Anniversary at Royal Albert Hall from 2013 if you can’t see it live. The quality is amazing, the talent is fantastic, and while the staging isn’t quite the original because of the size of the venue, it gives you a pretty good idea of the vibe. If you don’t want to watch the whole thing at first, there are plenty of clips on YouTube of the major numbers via The Shows Must Go On (linked above). (If you are just watching clips, you may want to read a synopsis of the show as a whole so it makes sense what’s going on.) The 2004 film starring Gerald Butler and Emmy Rossum is actually pretty decent from a cinematic perspective (though I have some major qualms about GB's vocal performance) but if it's all you have, its a pretty good representation of the story. And listen, with 35 years of material, there are so many cast recordings and bootlegs, you're bound to find a combo of actors that you like! (I won't dive into that here though, cuz that's a whole other can of worms...)

Anyway, I could go on forever about it, but I will stop there as to not put you to sleep! If you choose to check it out, I hope you enjoy and you’ll have to let me know what you think! ❤️

#just a fraction of my musings #i cried cathartically #amazing ask xoxoxo #the phantom of the opera #phantom of the opera #poto broadway #25th anniversary Royal Albert Hall #not elvis related lol #ask #answered #phantom phan

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italiansteebie · 11 months

Text

Love On Screen

Episode Two, Episode One, Also on ao3 (preferred format)

Steve started his next live with a giddy smile.

“Guys. I’ve got a new muse, and he’s given me some positively grand idea’s. I’m literally so excited.” His eyes scanned over the chat, looking for the responses. “Ooo, okay ‘dustybun04’ asks ‘who’s the muse.’” Steve tried to hide his blush but he was unsuccessful according to the chat. “Okay, okay. He’s a twitch streamer, I watched his compilations like, all day yesterday and oh my god,” he gushed, feeling like a downright middle school girl at a sleepover. “His name is Eddie. Corrodededdie to be specific, I’m pretty sure his twitch name is the same thing. Guys. I’ve got a whole ass crush on this guy. I think it’s the chaotic energy. That’s why I keep Robin around, y'know?” And Steve knows that clip is going to be sent to Robin but he can’t even begin to care.

He said bye to the stream, ending the live right as Robin texted him.

‘stevo - u, me, collab.’

‘yes, when?’

‘now’

Steve sighed and packed his stuff. He knew how insufferable Robin could be when she got a new idea, and he knew that if he didn’t show up to hers in 15 minutes she’d be royally pissed. So he grabbed his stuff and headed out. Once he got there he knocked on the door with a fond sigh, this Eddie guy really got under his skin. “Get in Dingus, we’ve got much to discuss,” Robin said, shoving the camera in his face. “Are you already filming?” Robin nodded excitedly. She ran over to the couch, flopping down, ever so gracefully, and patted the seat next to her as she set up her camera on the coffee table.

“We're going to play a game! What’s the last text you sent?”

“Oh so we’re jumping right in?”

“No time for games, Stephano, let's go,” she said, snapping her fingers impatiently. Steve eyed the camera and pulled out his phone, tapping the ‘messages’ app and sighing. “Okay… The last text I sent was… To you. Oh god, Rob. Do I have to read this out loud?” Robin cackled maniacally, “Yes, absolutely, yes.” Steve squinted at her before his mouth dropped open in realization, “Did you plan this?” Robin mimed ‘who me?’ while looking around. Steve sighed, she wasn’t going to let this go. “Okay. So, it was a few days ago and I said, ‘Rob, I think I am going to pass away if I don't find this guy's instagram. Please help.” Steve placed a hand over his face, hopefully hiding his blush.

“Now show them who it is!”

Steve blanched, “No way!”

Robin immediately went to grab his phone, eventually wrestling it out of his hand, showing the screen to the camera the screenshot of none other than corrodededdie in all its glory. “Stevie has a crush!” She sang, before smiling at him. “Okay, bye, Steve.” Steve’s jaw dropped once more, “Is that why you invited me over? Rob? I hate you so bad,” He groaned, and Robin just laughed, pushing him to the door. “Okay, I’m gonna go have sex with my girlfriend now, bye Stevvvee!” She sang as she pushed him out, slamming the door behind her.

Steve faced the now closed door. “Okay then,” he muttered to himself. He knew if he talked about it, it was only a matter of time before Robin caught wind and spread it around like a disease. (It being his totally shameless crush on a chaotic gaming streamer).

He contemplated life during his journey back to his parked car, and just as he was about to call the whole thing off, his phone chimed with a notification. ‘Corrodededdie has uploaded a new video’ and it was almost embarrassing the way his breath got caught in his throat. He made the courageous decision to tap the notification while he was still in his car, parked in the parking garage of Robin’s apartment building.

And he almost shit his pants when he saw the title of the video.

“Compilation of me freaking out over Steve goes to hell.”

That was him. He was Steve goes to hell. Oh my god, Eddie, the Eddie freaked out over him? Oh shit. He was really in for it now.

—

Eddie was pretty much hyperventilating at this point.

He knew the ramifications of mentioning someone by name in a title like that, but honestly. That was probably the most interesting part of his whole 12 hour stream. He should know, he lived through it, and then sat through it again to edit it.

His job wasn’t the most glamorous, okay?

He only hoped Steve took it as a compliment and not that Eddie was a huge creep or something. If something were to happen, and this Steve guy really hated his video, then well. He was in deep shit.

And that got him panicking. Should he take the video down? Change the title? No way, it’s already been up for like thirty minutes. And taking the video down won’t do anything, because he knows his viewers probably screen recorded at least part of his stream and those clips would be floating around before he knew it. Hell, they were probably already floating around. Oh shit, shit, shit.

And just as his finger hovered over the ‘edit’ option on the video, the almighty notification appeared on his screen. Someone had tagged him in something, this was not uncommon at all, but for some reason, he was inclined to see what this one was. Maybe it was a morbid curiosity? Either way, when he tapped the notification, it almost put him in the ground.

It was a screen recording from one of ‘Steve goes to hell’s’ lives.

“His name is Eddie. Corrodededdie to be specific, I’m pretty sure his twitch name is the same thing. Guys. I’ve got a whole ass crush on this guy.”

He wasn’t proud to admit that that caused him to squeal like a teenage girl being asked to prom. He was outright giddy at this point and he only hoped his next move wasn’t too presumptuous.

He found Steve’s instagram relatively quickly, and tapped on the messages option. ‘Hey, Stevie. I saw your live, and by now you’ve probably seen my comp… would u wanna like… meet up? Or something?” And before he could second guess himself and back out, he hit send. He was practically shaking in his boots awaiting the response, and luckily for him, he didn’t have to wait too long because the longest 30 seconds later, Steve had replied, rather enthusiastically.

‘Omg yeah. Whtever you wanna do i am 100% down.’

‘sorry that was probably intense. I’d love to meet up. <3’

And oh god, he was even cuter over text. Eddie couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He typed furiously, planning their… date? Oh god, it was a date wasn’t it? And that just made him more nervous.

—

The date had gone well. Really well.

They had met up at some hipster restaurant that Steve had suggested and it was actually pretty good in Eddie’s opinion. And they hit it off. It was like an instant connection. You know when you see a friend you haven’t in a while and it just picks up right where you left off? That’s what it was like.

They instantly became best friends, much to the dismay of Robin and Nancy, who they found out over dinner were their mutual friends, Steve having gone to school with Robin and Eddie having met Nancy when he was first starting out at a streamer convention. It was kind of crazy how small the world is, and how some cosmic force seemed to bring these two together so well. And it was an extra benefit that the pair of them seemed to really piss off their best friends respectively. Both Eddie and Steve found their dislike of the pair together hilarious.

And so with the date having gone as well as it did, they planned for a collab in the near future. And Eddie was sure it was bound to create an awful lot of chaos that honestly, he was looking forward to.

#steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #best friend robin #steddie #steddie fic #best friend robin buckley #steddie ficlet #stranger things #steddie streamer au #streamer au

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spectorcsm · 1 year

Text

AvA6 EP1 SPOILERS

Alright peeps I'm joining in this chaos and you should all fear me This post has no plan or path this is just a ramble analysis of things I notice in the new episode so :D

EXPECT MAJOR SPOILERS, PLEASE WATCH THE EPISODE FIRST ^-^

Ok so like first off guys- maybe like- don't fire your glitch weapons in the middle of a crowded city?? This seems like a bad idea?? You guys are worse than the Avengers when it comes to collateral damage smh

Ok but Chosen stopping mid-chase to save that civilian by destroying the debris really goes to show how he's improved as a character, this guy went from destroying Alan's PC, to rampaging various sites with Dark, and now to this. Glad to see him as a proper hero now :D

I'm happy to see the ice powers coming back cuz after that one time he froze the Firefox I thought they just forgot about it lol

Chosen is Zeus now Also he just like creates a glacier 2 seconds later cool

Also quick shoutout to Alan's Desktop organization He has come a long way

I find it funny how much everyone focused on this clip in the trailer especially, like "Oh no does Orange get mad at Alan again?? Is this related to Vic???" and the reality of it is "lol wanna fight me guys?" "Sure sounds fun :D" Alan you have bamboozled us again

I find this moment rather interesting So after Alan pulls up the thingy and sends them all flying then crashing down, Red appears to be acting like they hurt their head and Yellow notices and crawls over to see if they're ok (Awwwijascsdhljw) but as soon as they do Red just punches em?? However then Yellow puts their hands up in a way almost to be like "whoa whoa it's just me" and then Red accepts the comfort. Idk I just find it interesting, like Red is still in fight-mode after the sparring match and doesn't quite register that it's Yellow touching them at first XD

Chosen: "COME ON DO IT, DO THE EYE THING" Orange: "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT IDK HOW TO DO THAT" Chosen: "YES YOU DO JUST DO IT, LIKE THIS:" Orange: "AAAAAAAAA" *Tries to do laser-eyes with every ounce of focus they have*

Red: "uhhh are they ok-" Green: "Maybe you should stop them?" Blue: "yeahhh maybe-" Yellow: "Hmm, yes. Interesting"

Chosen: "UGH FORGET IT YOU'RE COMING WITH ME" Sticknapping 101

Aight but like where did this guy (Btw I'll call him Striker cuz that name was going around and it's cool) get this stuff? Has their group attacked a Desktop before and managed to steal enough UI to make this guy OP? Cuz he uses a lot of really crazy stuff during this fight and I can't help but wonder what poor animator woke up just to find the entire UI on their software missing lol

I love how Chosen really just pulls the "Throw the kid in the pool to teach them how to swim" on Orange and his powers here lol Then to Chosen's surprise it does not work "Aw shoot the kid is drowning now I gotta save them smh"

YEAHHHH ART POWERS Ok but actually though I find it interesting how differently the Pencil tool works outside a Desktop, like usually Orange like speed-draws the whole entire thing but out here it's like Ah yes, line scribble = E e l I mean it actually kinda makes sense, in the 3D world it'd be really difficult to draw anything really so the Pen just changes function a bit based on the environment

Poor Green does not enjoy climbing it seems :(

This guy can forever one-up everything "Ok but have you beat up a shark with your bare hands and won?

Ok but this guy's style is just like tribal or primitive and it's honestly pretty cool I have no clue what to call them though so that's up to the rest of the fandom to decide ':D

Also someone else on a different site suggested the name "Warnman" for this guy cuz he looks like the typical hazard sign guy who's always showing the dreadful things that will happen if you don't obey the sign and I think the name fits so Warnman is honestly my favorite of these guys just cuz of how wacky they are lol

Also this guy has to be like Anime Stick or something I do not understand this dude at all but they're sick

Let it be known that Warnman is canonically 2D

Dude how much charge do those electro-bullets hold if that thing is STILL zapping Chosen This poor guy Also the way Striker fights throughout this whole scene is so cool

I find it interesting and I think Alan pointed out in the reaction video (really funny btw you should go watch that too) That Striker is totally just messing with them before that, like sure he probably has to be close to the target to use the Pause attack but I like to think he was enjoying the fight before that and is only just doing it now cuz he's bored lol

Aight so the Rocket Group is the one hunting Chosen I wanna know though- why Chosen specifically? Are they just after all Hollowheads with the powers or is it just Chosen they want? Maybe they're after all of them but Chosen is the only one with a super known presence? Also who are these guys?? They seem to be just some independent group but do they hold any sort of actual authority over Stick City? Man I have so many questions

How do you pause fire-? Does it still burn? I assume not cuz I think it woulda burned the guys bringing him by now Man that's wacky but cool Also another question here is like, is that white box a containment unit or some sort of display case? I'm thinking more along the lines of containment but like he's already paused and they left the door open I think??

Aight now we're getting to the theory-fuel Why are they studying all this UI? Where'd they get this UI? Why do all these sticks look exactly the same??? Like I get that it's just supposed to represent a large group of workers and stuff but they are all exactly the same shade-

A h a A h a a a . . . VICTIM???? VIC MY GUY WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?? LIKE I GET YOU'RE PROBABLY MAD AT ALAN LIKE KILLING YOU AND ALL BUT WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH CHOSEN AND EVERYONE?? I have many questions Also I am wondering if all the UI decor in his office is just art or what, are they trophies maybe? They probably had to get the UI for Striker's setup somewhere, did they raid Desktops before? Are those trophies from animators he's beaten? Man Idk but this is so interesting My final take on the episode: AAAAAAAAAAAAAA LET'S GOOO AvA 6 HYPEEE :D

#ava 6 spoilers #animator vs animation #alan becker #reaction #analysis #ramble :D #I am so excited for the rest of this series #These sticks are better than all of cinema you can never prove me wrong

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i-didnt-do-1t · 4 months

Note

hihi can I request smth w oscar and snyder for the prompt "you're only sorry cause you got caught"?

maybe w the whole thing of morris being used to keep oscar in line and so he ends up hurt bc of something oscar did?

Ohhh Oscar and the themes of martyrdom and biblical allusions and Jesus- thank you for the prompt! I hope you enjoy!

The crucifix was nailed to the wall behind Snyder’s desk.

And Oscar hated it.

Hated the way it would stare down at him and do nothing as he sat opposite Snyder, jaw tensed and stomach sick with the anxiety eating through him.

He knew what conversation was coming, knew that conversation was a kind word for it. Snyder would claim that stealing wasn’t necessary. Oscar would disagree.

And you weren’t meant to disagree with Snyder, if you did, you would face the consequences.

Oscar knew this.

He stared up at crucifix again, didn’t meet Snyder’s eyes.

“I asked you a question Oscar.”

“We were hungry.”

“You have more privileges than most of the boys here, you and your brother. And yet, you still find it necessary to steal.”

“I’ve told you why.” He knew his voice was sharp when he spoke, winced internally at the edge in it.

“Watch your tone.” Snyder’s own voice was even.

Oscar inhaled through his nose, let his hands tense into fists at his sides, under the table where Snyder couldn’t see them, though he had no doubt he knew regardless.

Oscar also hated how well Snyder knew him.

“Look. I don’t give a shit about the other boys here.” Oscar said quickly, before Snyder could shut him up. “But you promised that if we made that kid stay quiet we’d get dinner an’ you lied. We were hungry.”

He stared at the crucifix again, over the top of Snyder’s head, almost obscured by him, to avoid having to look at whatever expression he knew the warden would be wearing.

And Oscar wasn’t a religious person, he was fairly sure that god hated him as much as he hated god, but he was overcome with the overwhelming urge to pray.

Praying to god would be useless, and begging for Snyder’s forgiveness would hurt his pride far more than he’d ever be willing to admit, but he had to weigh up whether he valued his pride or the healed scarred skin on his back more.

He hated that it was an easy conclusion to come to.

But he already regretted opening his mouth to try and defend himself, could already tell from the glint in Snyder’s eyes and the cane leant against the corner of the desk that if he didn’t grovel, he wouldn’t be able to sleep on his back for weeks.

“I’m sorry, warden.” He could taste bile in his throat as he spoke, hated the taste of the words.

“No you’re not.” Was the instant, clipped response. Oscar opened his mouth to say something, and shut it again, when Snyder raised an eyebrow. “You're only sorry because you got caught.”

“That ain’t true.”

“Ain’t it?” The words were mocking, and coated in that barely restrained kind of anger Snyder was so practised at.

“I mean it-“

“I just don’t want you passing these behaviours down to your brother.”

Oscar stilled, could feel Jesus staring down at him from the cross on the wall.

“What?”

“You stole to feed your brother yes?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m just of the belief that you will be more inclined to behave if it’s your brother facing your punishments.”

Oscar swallowed, dug his fingernails into his palms. “I apologised-“

“But you still stole from the kitchen.”

Oscar hated the silence. He hated Snyder’s office.

It felt like kissing Morris’s cheek when he answered, but trying to lie to Snyder would be worse. “Yes.”

He hated the fucking crucifix.

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non-neutoniangender · 4 months

Text

So I finally got my life together enough to continue my C3 watch... I'm still at 33, I've made more progress on C1 recently. Finally the combination of finding Mini Metro and actually logging onto Tumblr on the web made the barrier of watching Those Episodes bearable.

Spoilers for ep 33 and minor vibe spoilers for episodes in the future that I'm not sure of but its all stuff I absorbed via osmosis and fandom.

It's been almost a full year since these episodes came out and I was mindlessly scrolling Tumblr during my 10am linguistics lecture and stumbled upon everyone panicking because of the lack of diamonds for the amount of people who died. Anyway.

The anxiety of not quite remembering exactly I learned happened is not doing me any favors, but good god, I can really only handle some of this stuff not watching live.

Anyway, here are some assorted thoughts:

Liam you really did not have to make me Feel Things about Orym and his husband while Orym is passing out.

Laudna what is that spell that adds hit dice, that is So Good

Good GOD Otohan is not pulling any punches.

.....this is so close to TPK wow.....

Matt hesitating before essentially killing his wife's character, but doing it anyway.....

It's really interesting to see so many of them up and huddled around the map, things are really getting heated, with Liam just living behind Ashley and Laura's chairs.

"I don't want to be the only one not dead" followed immediately by "soometiiimees you gotta cut a bitch" Yes Travis, that is the correct energy to bring to this clusterfuck.

:OOOOO Not the natural 20 to fucking save Laudna

Begging the DM for the extra hit point like its gonna matter lmao

"I should be more complete at my job" Good GOD

The sending stone 😢

And there's the first one

"We've met before" 😒😒

The sense of failure, the bitersweet feeling of seeing Will and Derrik again 😢😢

I hate it for them that they are getting important lore while they are on the verge of a TPK and loosing their characters

and yet they make jokes like "we can't afford that Sam" to careless whisper

"He is not a creature at the moment" :O omg. Ow. God that hurts.

I gotta say, I'm really enjoying seeing all these hail mary type moves.

You really only see the uber creative dumb shit Hail Mary calls when things are extremely dire.

I love how Beau's voice and mannerisms sneak out a lot as bits and jokes

And there's the second

"That was a helluva run" 😢

"Embrace it or be culled like the rest" oh my god

"That brings us straight to your initiative because everyone else ahead of you is dead" Oh my god Matt

If this actually tpk'd, this would probably be in the running for the longest, most painful tpk. Usually its all at once, rocks fall, everyone dies, the dragon breath attack....

Something about Travis repeating "do you fight it" to laura is so sweet to me.

Also Imogen is making such a wild decision mid potentially worst day of her life omg.

"Save your last line, you might still have a chance" Damn Matt you didn't have to be Like That

"I give in, and I fuck Chetney" "We all do at some point" 🤣

"Is she your favorite" and the immediate "I'll go with you, I give in" oh my god. Having seen that clip of Laura being like 'I didn't know Imogen was in love with Laudna' oh my god the pining is there.

Oh shit the whole city is turning red.

And THATS the end..................

I was gonna go to bed but........ Maybe I can afford to make 1 poor decision

I love the friendship, everyone congratulating each other and matt, no hard feelings. But I wonder how many people are rolling up characters just in case cuz oh my god.

#cr 3 ep 33 #critical role #cr3 #imodna #god I guess I'm watching more tonight

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drvirgus · 4 months

Text

Commitment & Responsibility

Yeji X Fem! Reader

Description: The life of Yeji and her Girlfriend Yn

Warnings: G!P Yeji, Smut, Angst

Chapter 7:

In my hand, I held a tablet. The concert was amazing. Hwasa, just like the rest, knew how to energize the crowd. Everyone danced to Hwasa's tune and enjoyed every moment of it.

In between, Moonbyul flirted with Solar, making Solar blush. Of course, to cover this up, Wheein joined Moonbyul and seemed to flirt with her as well. Then it was Hwasa's turn.

Hwasa, however, pulled out instant noodles shortly after and started eating. I shook my head with amusement. The manager next to me, who was also taking care of her, seemed stressed.

But I remained completely relaxed. Hwasa didn't miss a beat. While Hwasa sang, the others helped themselves to the noodles. I simply smiled and sang along softly while occasionally checking something on the tablet.

When the girls had a short break, I quickly went on stage and handed each of them a water bottle and a towel. Hwasa was the first to wink at me. I just smiled. Then I quickly left the stage.

———————————————————————————

Curiously, I scrolled through Instagram when my eyes suddenly widened. I came across a Reel that seemed to be a theory. I couldn't help but laugh.

So now there was a theory that Hwasa and I were dating? The only "evidence" cited were the occasional love bites I had, Hwasa linking arms with me, winking at me, and the way I smiled at her.

I laughed because those were really ridiculous reasons. It seemed I now had my own hashtag as well. Curiously, I clicked on it. To my surprise, my eyebrows raised.

There were already several videos of me. I clicked on the first one and watched it. My hand also reached into the bag of chips in front of me.

The video was about whether I was the one who scouted Ryujin, as Ryujin once mentioned that a cute manager scouted her. In the video, I was also wearing a similar hat to Ryujin's. However, what no one knew was that it was actually Ryujin's hat, as Ryujin and I had a shared history.

The next video claimed that as Itzy's manager, I mistreated them. It depicted me ignoring Ryujin at the airport, giving a fan a nasty look, flipping off an interviewer in America, and giving Yeji a stern glare before she got into the van.

I took a bite of the chip as I chuckled. I remembered how angry Yuna had become when this video came out.

The next video was a theory that Yeji was actually dating me and that the whole thing with Bang Chan was just for PR. Intrigued by the intro, I now looked much more interested.

After that, there were many clips where I could be seen, and in almost all of them, I had a love bite. I blushed in one of the videos when Yeji smiled at me. Shortly after, a still frame from Yuna's live was analyzed, claiming that the hands looked too feminine and overall smaller. It was mentioned that Yeji's height is shorter than Bang Chan's. Additionally, there was a mirror present in the frame showing short hair. This led to speculation that it could be Ryujin, but it wouldn't make sense as Ryujin was seen next to Lia. Then a photo of me was shown, where I was busy tying cables together, and it was evident that I also had short hair. Then, photos were shown of me as Mamamoo's manager, with the love bite in the same spot.

Yes... Yeji loved placing a love bite right at my pulse. She said she enjoyed feeling my pulse rise as she placed it.

I took a deep breath. This fan was really good. But how many times did this person watch the videos? What do people actually notice? I always find that astonishing.

The door opened, and I looked up. Yeji was standing there, and I could only stare at her with my mouth open as I was about to stuff another piece of chips into my mouth. I did it anyway.

Yeji laughed as she crawled onto the bed and planted a kiss on my lips. I immediately put the bag away and stored it in my nightstand.

Yeji was on a diet again. It seemed she had gained some weight since we started dating. I saw nothing wrong. Yeji was simply perfect! But yes... JYP was very strict with their diets.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" I asked, visibly concerned, as I looked at the pale face of the older woman. Yeji looked at me and sighed softly, "Yes, I've already reached my calorie limit and went to the gym," she replied.

My lips pressed together. I took a deep breath. "God... I hate seeing you suffer," I said. I couldn't help but pout. There was nothing I could do to help her. The only thing I could do was not eat in front of her.

Yeji smiled and placed another kiss on my lips. However, her lips once again trailed to my pulse. My eyes widened as she bit into it.

"Stop. Here... take a look at this," I said, gently pushing her away with a single finger from her forehead. Yeji's eyes automatically narrowed, and she looked at my phone as I replayed the video.

Yeji's eyes widened in surprise. "You... liked it?" Yeji asked, staring at me with her mouth agape. I furrowed my brow in confusion and looked back at the video. I gasped in shock.

"Oh no... Fuck..." I muttered under my breath, but then I shrugged my shoulders. "Oh well. No one knows my account, and it's private anyway," I said, smiling. Yeji nodded her head.

"So, does that mean... no more love bites?" she asked, looking at me sadly. My mouth opened in response to her gaze. Almost immediately, I tossed my phone aside and pulled the older woman into my arms as we lay down.

"Stop being so cute!" I playfully complained. Yeji laughed at my words, but a loud yawn escaped her. Her body relaxed. Knowing, I smiled and covered both of us.

"Oh, by the way... welcome home," I whispered as my lips pressed against her forehead. Yeji smiled as she lifted her head slightly. Once again, she kissed me on the lips.

Her head then landed on my shoulder, and I smiled. "Jagiya... you need to change clothes," I said, noticing that she didn't open her eyes anymore. She mumbled in slight annoyance and slowly got up.

I watched her amusedly as she undressed. She glanced at me and simply lay down on the bed. I looked at her in surprise. Yeji never slept without her pajamas.

She slipped back under the covers, immediately wrapping her arms around me as she rested her head on my shoulder. I said nothing and simply relaxed.

"Goodnight," I whispered softly into the darkness as I switched off the bedside lamp. My phone was beside me on the bed, and Yeji was in my arms as I sighed contentedly.

She murmured a "goodnight" as well, and within a few seconds, I could hear the older woman already fast asleep, her breathing calm. She sighed and snuggled closer to me.

———————————————————————————

Sniffling, I sat in the living room. My eyes were fixed on the TV. I shook my head as I used a tissue to blow my nose.

Almost immediately, I restarted the music video. I know... Yeji wanted to see my reaction, but I couldn't wait. I know it was mean of me. But... she took so long!

I wiped away the tears from my eyes with another tissue. Shortly after, I started crying even harder when I saw Yuna on that train. "My baby," I sobbed, blowing my nose again.

The door opened, and my head immediately turned in panic towards the remote control. I quickly closed YouTube on the TV, and my hands threw the used tissues onto the table.

Panicking, I stood up, holding the used tissues in my hand, and quickly sprinted to the kitchen to dispose of them.

"Jagiya."

I froze in my movement. My eyes widened as I turned to Yeji. I smiled visibly nervously. My eyes widened even more in surprise when I saw the others behind Yeji.

Yeji looked at the tissues in my hand. Her eyes narrowed in disappointment as she started pouting. "I told you to wait!" she exclaimed with her mouth wide open.

Chaeryeong wordlessly came to me and looked into my eyes. Without saying a word, she pulled me into her arms. My body tensed, and I noticed my tears coming back.

"Relax, Yeji. We can already see what her reaction was," Ryujin said, slightly laughing as she touched Yeji's shoulder. Yeji huffed and then sat down on the couch.

"Now, come on, let's watch it together," Yuna said, grinning widely. I let go of the hug after I relaxed in Chaeryeong's arms.

I quickly went to the kitchen and disposed of the tissues. I grabbed a few glasses and a bottle of Soju, as well as some water. I placed everything on the coffee table.

Everyone was staring at me, almost in disbelief. I chuckled nervously, "I know, I'm sorry... I should have waited," I sighed. Almost immediately, everyone burst into laughter.

"But who did you call your baby?" Chaeryeong asked, grinning. Everyone knew who my baby was. Yuna giggled and pulled me closer by the hand.

So now, I was sitting right between Yeji and Yuna. Yeji started the music video again.

Bet on me....

Throughout the entire time, I remained silent, fighting back the tears that welled up in my eyes. My throat was sore from trying not to make a sound.

Yeji took my hand in hers and interlocked her fingers with mine. On the other side, Yuna did the same with my other hand. This made me cry even harder when I saw Chaeryeong's part this time.

The music video ended, and everyone looked at me. Ryujin's mouth formed an "O" in surprise. Lia, however, simply smiled.

"I can tell... she understood the video," Chaeryeong chuckled. Yuna looked at me, her mouth slightly agape. "Well... she was there for most of it," Ryujin replied, her voice a bit softer.

I let go of Yuna's hand and wiped away my tears. Sniffling once, I said, "I'm so sorry... you didn't deserve all the hate you received." I spoke with a tearful voice and couldn't help but laugh awkwardly.

Yeji handed me a tissue, and I took it, hiding my face behind it. I swallowed as I wiped my eyes.

I heard Yuna's soft laughter, "God... stop crying. You're making me cry too," she said, her voice breaking. My eyes widened in surprise.

I looked at Yuna, "You're not a pick-me girl! You... you should be yourself. You can be yourself," I said, and Yuna started crying. Chaeryeong also had tears in her eyes.

"And you!" I pointed at Chaeryeong, "You're not ugly! You're one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen! No matter what others say. You're perfect just the way you are, so stop criticizing yourself all the time."

My eyes then turned to Lia. Her bottom lip was pushed forward as she tried to hold back her tears. I blew my nose into the tissue.

"You're an ITZY member! No matter what others say about your dancing, singing, or anything else. Without you, ITZY wouldn't be the same! All five of you, or none of you!" I said, tearfully, my forehead furrowed. "Even if you make a mistake, you're wonderful!" I added, and Yeji handed me another tissue.

Ryujin had turned her head away. She knew she was next. I wiped away the incessant tears as my voice broke.

"And you! Speak up," I said, shocked, as she looked at me. "No matter what you say, we all and Midzy will accept it. Stop isolating yourself," I said, sniffling again. "You love Midzy with all your heart, even if you don't show it too openly! So... speak up! Don't shut yourself off."

My eyes immediately fell on Yeji. Yeji nervously swallowed, her eyes glittering with tears. I took her hand in mine again, interlocking our fingers.

"It's okay to have self-doubt. You're ITZY's leader... but you're allowed to fall back sometimes. You don't always have to be strong," I said, tearfully. Yeji exerted some pressure as she looked at me.

"I will destroy all your doubts. I promise!" I said, looking around at everyone. "I promise you all."

Each of them had long started crying. I laughed, tears streaming down my face.

"You did an amazing job. This song, the lyrics, and the video... just perfect," I said, sniffling.

#itzy x yn #itzy x reader #itzy x you #yeji x reader #yeji x you

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thomasshelbydrabbles · 10 months

Text

The Spy (8/?)

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Adeline Taylor (OC)

Warnings: period typical sexism, series typical violence, period typical views of PTSD, period typical racism, blood and gore, angst, sexual situations, infertility, loss of child

Summary: Adeline attends a family meeting.

**Note: This is a series, so you should read The School Teacher and The Messenger first if you want to understand everything.**

Word Count: 3193

Author’s Note: I almost made this two parts, but I just wanted to get it to you. I’ve had this scene planned for soooo long, but the setup was the tricky bit. Let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list.

Arrow House, 1924

Adeline paused at the steps leading up to Arrow House. Sidney tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her along with him, a frown on his face. Thankfully, the mint green dress she wore danced along her knees as she moved, so she wasn’t in danger of tripping over her skirt. The glass beads made a pleasant tinkling sound as the whole dress moved with the sway of her body.

Nothing could have prepared her for the reality of being back in the only place that had ever felt like home. Even though additional staff had been hired for the event, Frances still stood post at the door, a stern look on her face for each person who crossed the threshold. It brought a smile to her face, even as she wanted to turn and run as far away as she could manage. Instead, she rolled her shoulders back and lifted her chin as though expecting a punch to the face.

“Miss Taylor?”

Her smile grew as she watched the way Frances’ face transformed into one of warmth. Adeline tried to step forward to greet the woman, but Sidney’s grip on her wouldn’t allow her. She turned her face to glare up at him, only to find him scowling down at her.

“You must be mistaken,” his words clipped. “It’s Mrs. Reilly.”

Adeline felt heat lick up her neck and she clenched her hands into fists at her side. Would it count as a scene if she beat her husband to death on the doorstep of the house? She doubted very much that Tommy would mind the mess or the spectacle. He might be a bit annoyed if she finished the man off herself, but she knew ways of apologizing to him.

Elbowing in front of Sidney, she moved closer to Frances, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Ignore him. A bit too much to drink already. It’s lovely to see you again.”

Frances didn’t look entirely convinced, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Instead, she turned her scowl on Sidney.

Before she or Frances could say anything more, Sidney hauled Adeline into the entryway.

“Be very careful tonight, my dear. Now is not the time to press your independence.”

“What the hell did you expect would happen now that we’re back in Birmingham? I had made a life here with people who cared about me. I can hardly be an anonymous woman on your arm here.”

“You’re my wife.”

Adeline tilted her head. “Are you drunk? I’m no more your wife than the priest is. Although, you’ve got a better chance of having him say yes were you to ask him. I’m not yours, Sidney.”

“What better bait for our Mister Shelby than a woman who already belongs to a man?”

Perhaps she should slap him. She could hear the sound of her palm connecting with his cheek, feel the warmth of it, see the red outline of her hand bloom across his face, yes it would look ever so nice. Maybe it would shake him from the odd mood he’d had since that day at the prison.

“What an idiotic thing to say.”

Ignoring her, Sidney guided them further into the house. Adeline wanted to shake loose of his grip, but he seemed determined to remain firmly at her side. She pulled another cigarette from her purse and lit it. Usually, it calmed her, but the familiar burn of tobacco did nothing to ease her nerves.

His back was to her when she spotted Tommy across the room. For a moment, nothing else existed. He stood tall, shoulder’s back, one hand tucked into his pocket, the other holding a cigarette to his lips. Her feet carried her two steps closer to him before an unwelcome hand clamped down on her forearm.

“That’s not how this night plays out, my dear,” Sidney whispered against her ear.

“I’m not sure what your plan is, Mister Reilly, but I’m not sure how you expect me to once more gain Tommy’s affections if you intend to keep me attached to your hip all evening.”

“I don’t like the priest’s plan. It won’t work, and you know it.”

“He’s your master, not mine,” Adeline responded. “And he made his plans quite clear to you.”

Adeline took a sip of the champagne. Why didn’t they have whiskey on the trays? Perhaps if she pretended really, really hard it would taste of whiskey. She took another sip. Damn.

“I think,” Adeline began as she turned her face towards Sidney. “You’re jealous of the way Tommy looks at me. Either way, you need to find a way to make peace with it because if you want to survive this mess you’ve created with the Russians, then you need to become the number one supporter of Tommy loving me more than reason. If not, you might kill us both, and I refuse to die because of your foolishness.”

Draining the rest of her champagne, Adeline handed Sidney the empty glass as she moved away from him, disappearing into the crowd before he could react. With a quick glance over her shoulder, Adeline slipped into a familiar corridor and quickly made her way upstairs. Even after all the time away, she knew this place. It had become a part of her, like everything else about Birmingham, about the Shelby’s.

Standing in the master bedroom caused guilt, regret, and an overpowering sense of self-recrimination to crash over her in unadulterated waves. Her feet staggered forward, her arm reaching out to steady herself against the wall, the other clutched to her chest as though it might help her breathe. She’d once told Esme that she didn’t believe in regret. As the familiar scent of the room, the sight of her hairbrush on the vanity next to a pair of Tommy’s cuff links settled around her like a shroud, she considers the possibility that she lied. The longer she’d been in Birmingham, the more she believed leaving had quite possibly been the most impressive mistake of her life.

“He’s not slept in here since you left.”

Adeline nodded her head. Had their situations been reversed, she wouldn’t have slept in here either. The sheets would have still carried the scent of him. The impression of his head on the pillow.

“Mostly we found him passed out in his office. Sometimes even in his chair, but most often on the floor, empty whiskey bottle just beyond his fingertips. On a good day, mum could force him to eat something, get him a bath. ‘Course the bath was more draggin’ ‘im outside and throwing buckets of water over his body.”

Adeline choked out a watery laugh. “Is that why you’ve come to find me, Michael? Fill me in on all the details of my time away?”

Michael stood from where he’d been leaning against the door frame, pulled a cigarette from his pocket. He looked so like Tommy; eyes uninterested, allowing the silence to build between them. He’d grown up fast in her absence.

“Mum thought you might be dead. Said it once when we were all gathered, Tommy aware enough to understand her words. Thought he might kill her for it, for sayin’ out loud what a lot of us had been thinkin’ - wrapped his hands ‘round her neck before any of us could react. Your IRA man showed up at the Garrison ‘bout a week later. Isaiah wanted to tell Tommy. Don’t rightly blame him for it either, but he didn’t. Do you know why?”

Adeline shook her head, movements jerky, her whole body tense.

“He made you a promise, see, and he takes those to heart. When I found out that Tommy’d gone to see Churchill, I wanted to tell him where you were. I wanted to so badly ‘cause I knew it would hurt you. And I wanted you to hurt - ” Michael paused, tossed his cigarette on the floor and snubbed it out with his toe. “I wanted you to hurt as much as you’d made us hurt. Only reason I didn’t is Tommy. It would have hurt him, and he was already in enough pain because of you. Pain he didn’t deserve. Pain none of us deserved.”

His words hit like physical blows.

“Word you’re back in Birmingham’s spread quick. Seems we need a plan to deal with you and your new husband.”

Adeline rolled her eyes. Damn Sidney.

“Mum’s called a family meeting down in the kitchen.”

With a nod, Adeline stepped forward, only to be stopped by Michael’s outstretched hand. Looking up at him, she frowned at the dark look on his face.

“Decide now, Adeline. Are you a Blinder, a fuckin’ Shelby or are you Arke? Can’t be both. Not anymore. Not when it’ll tear this family to pieces. I won’t allow it. Had it been anyone of us who’d done what you did, we’d be dead by your hand. No more runnin’ away when things get hard, or dangerous. No more bein’ a coward.”

Adeline’s jaw clenched. She’d been many things in her life. She’d been called many things in her life. But a coward?

Michael nodded his head as though he could read her mind. “I know, watch how I speak to you, right? You’re fuckin’ Adeline Taylor, the whole of Small Heath bows before you, but when things get too close, you run. ‘Course you think your savin’ everyone because that’s what you do, and you’re too damn good at it to realize when no one needs savin’ anymore.”

“Have you gone a round with fucking Arthur in the ring?” Adeline snapped. “No one needs saving?”

Michael took two steps closer to her before tucking his hands into his pockets, shoulders settled back, small smirk dancing on his lips. Oh she wanted to smack him. Take him by the ear and drag him back to the fucking farm she found him on. However, watching him stand there, knowing he wouldn’t let her pass, would force her to make a choice - and hold her accountable to that choice - well, she’d never been more proud of another person in her life.

“Someone needs saving. Stubborn one though, not sure she’ll make the right choice. I know this woman, and she’ll think about how it’s not simple, and she’d be right - family’s never simple. It can easy though. Easier than going through life alone. Then she’ll think about how safe it is when she’s not around, but that’s where she’s wrong. No such thing as fucking safe and she knows it, too.”

Closing in on him, she pulled the cigarettes from his pocket. Before she could reach for matches, he held a hand up and lit one for her. That same knowing smirk on his face. Maybe he and Tommy practiced it together. Stood next to each other in front of a mirror and counted, laid a wager on who could hold the stare the longest, whose smirk felt the most menacing. Although, she wagered Michael smiled a bit more. Used his youthful features to his advantage, keep the enemy off balance. Pulling the smoke into her lungs, she thought about what Michael said. What Tommy had told her. What Alfie had practically screamed at her.

“You here to save me, Michael?”

He snorted, shook his head. “No. Woman like you don’t need the likes of me saving you. I’m giving you a choice.”

She nodded, smoke curling from her lips as she took another drag from the cigarette.

“You know the way,” Michael said as he took several steps back, creating space between them. “Figure out who you are, Adeline and be that person all the way because if you don’t, you’ll tear yourself apart.”

He left without saying anything else, without looking back at her. She stood there in the doorway, a dumbstruck look on her face. How had she arrived at this place? When had she become this person? Going to the kitchen meant she’d be forced to rely on people, to allow people to rely on her…she’d be part of a family.

Glancing over her shoulder, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She brought a hand up to her face, poked her cheek, moved her nose left to right as though she could discover who looked back at her from the mirror. Light caught the diamond on her hand and she pulled her hand up to her face, watched the way the ring glinted in the light. When she’d left France, when Alfie had found her nearly feral with anger, with grief - with the loss of herself, she’d made a promise. She’d sworn that Sidney wouldn’t break her, that she’d do whatever it took to become whole again. Meeting her eyes in the mirror she noted the hard stare, the set jaw. With a nod to herself, she turned from the mirror and left the room.

She could hear them before she reached the kitchen. Saw the way the help scurried to get clear of the kitchen. When she pushed the door open, the room went deadly silent. Every face turned to her. Michael leaned against the far wall, a small smile tucked into the corner of his mouth as smoke lazily passed his lips. Tommy stared at her, face unreadable, but she felt the weight of his gaze, the blue of his eyes branded on her skin. Polly’s face had a pinched look to it, but she could see the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. Finn stood next to John; they both looked at her with cautious excitement. When her eyes landed on Arthur she wanted to cry because he already had tears in his eyes, his mustache twitching as he worked to hold his emotions at bay.

The blonde next to Arthur caught her off guard. Her eyes narrowed. “Who the fuck is she?”

“This is Linda,” Arthur said, “My girlfriend.”

Adeline shook her head. “No.”

John choked on a laugh drawing everyone’s attention. Polly’s lips turned down even more as Finn passed money to John who now wore a shit eating grin that warmed Adeline’s heart.

“Michael told me this was a family meeting. I don’t see Isaiah here and he’s more family than she is. She leaves before I say anything. I owe the family…” Adeline couldn’t find the words. She shook her head. “I owe the family. Not her.”

“You givin’ orders again, Adeline?” Tommy asked, smirk playing on his face.

Adeline met his gaze. “Aye.”

Tommy nodded. “Linda. Leave.”

The blonde who Adeline swore reminded her so profoundly of her mother she wanted to pinch herself glared at her as though it would kill her before looking to Arthur who simply looked away. She left the room without saying anything, but she knew it wasn’t the end. The woman bothered her, and on top of everything Adeline wasn't going to ignore her instincts.

Clenching her hands in front of her, Adeline took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

No one moved. Adeline swallowed. “None of us came back the same from the war, and it’s not an excuse, but it’s the truth. Sidney Reilly went by the name of George Bergmann during the war, and he forged Arke, weaponized a nurse he found in a hospital in Calais. I hadn’t realized I’d allowed him to take so much from me. At the Darby, when those men came, the whispered a code phrase that he used during the war, and I did the only thing I knew to do. I ran. I ran to put as much fucking distance between me and the danger that came with Sidney and the only family I ever gave a damn about. I didn’t think. I reacted. I was so scared. He’s the only man I’ve ever been afraid of and I allowed that to make my choices for me. I have no excuse.”

“So that’s it then?” Polly asked, eyes hard. “You say you’re sorry and we just forgive you?”

“No,” Adeline said as she shook her head. “I figure you’ll have have a go at me. Take the pound of flesh you’re owed. Don’t blame you. Hell, Tommy, Michael, even fuckin’ Alfie already ‘ave. I thought I made the right choice, thought it was the best way of savin’ you. As it turns out, I was wrong.”

John pushed from the wall he’d been leaning on. Took a few steps closer to Adeline. “What’s to keep you from runnin’ off again? I fuckin’ told you what would ‘appen if you left, didn’t I? Fuckin’ told you it would kill ‘im. Nearly did, too. Now you’re back full of remorse, but what about the next time, eh? How many times you figure you’re going to save us by leavin’?”

“You did tell me,” Adeline whispered. Her eye stung with unshed tears. “I’m not going anywhere, John. Not again. Not unless you tell me to leave.”

John stared at her. She wanted to look away, wanted to turn her head and hide the shame she felt, but they had earned this. It was no less than she deserved. After what seemed like an eternity, he nodded his head and moved back. Adeline released a deep breath.

“Angel,” Arthur said, voice low, heavy. He moved in close to her, cupped her chin in his hand, tilted her face up to meet his steady gaze. “You promise me. Promise me right ‘ere in front of the family that you’re stayin’ for good. You give me your word.”

Hand trembling, she gently covered Arthur’s hand with her own. “I can’t promise I won’t be taken from you because there are things in this world even I can’t control, but I can promise you that I won’t allow myself to be taken without a fight, and I won’t leave you again. You’re stuck with me Arthur Shelby.”

With a jerky nod, Arthur pulled her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm.

“And we’re just to take your word for it?” Polly asked.

Adeline turned her face to the woman who held the family together in her absence. “Aye. You’re to take my word for it because I’m many things, Polly Gray, but I’m no liar.”

“Forgiveness isn’t easy,” Polly said.

Adeline smiled, glanced over at Michael who met her eyes with a knowing look of his own. “Aye. It’s not easy, but it is simple.”

She watched the glances shared between the Shelby’s. The way they communicated without saying anything. Again, she clenched her hands in front of her. They decided her fate without exchanging any words. Finally, Polly and Tommy locked eyes. Polly inclined her head once, Tommy mirroring her movement.

“There’s a house full of strangers, and we’ve been gone from the party long enough,” Polly said. “Get out there, get your faces seen.”

As though that settled everything, the boys began to shuffle towards the door. Adeline stood where she was, her breathing slowly returning to normal. Tommy hadn’t moved from where he’d stood against the wall, and he’d been conspicuously silent during the conversation. It had her stomach in knots.

“Thomas,” Polly called.

“Go on, Pol. We’ll be along.”

Adeline met Tommy’s gaze as the door closed behind Polly.

Part 9

Master List

Tag List: @stevie75 @muhahaha303 @highgardenrosexx @dolllol2405 @allie131313

#tommy shelby #thomas shelby #peaky blinders #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders fanfiction #thomas shelby x oc #tommy shelby x oc

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pink-strawberry-kissess · 1 year

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I am sorry this is going to be long but I am definitely interested in discussing Ada's trauma in 6! 6 is actually one of my favorite games in the series simply because of how expressive Ada is (I mean she's always expressive but here its a lot more obvious).

The amount of trauma that had to build up for Ada to get to a point where her emotions are obvious I feel so bad for her. Most of the RE characters have had shit lives but we still don't know what Ada's backstory is (at least, her canon backstory) and I'm 95% certain its not a happy one. So we have whatever happened in her childhood, then whatever got her involved in the espionage world, then we move on to her time working for Wesker and around that same time she did some things for Simmons too. And the rest of what happened in 2-Damnation.

Then we get to 6 and its an absolute shit-show for her. Every time she's on screen she's discovering some new information about these missions that she was assigned but didn't go on and then the whole Project Ada thing and her connecting the dots and figuring out she's got an evil twin running around. Not only that but she knows that Simmons is the reason that "Ada" exists. Oh and Chris Redfield is trying to arrest her too. In the scene with the tape and then the calls with Carla and Simmons, Ada drops her smile whenever she isn't talking (even almost frowning). So we can see that she's putting on a mask even just this far it's really bothering her.

The scene where Ada finds the research for Project Ada is fascinating to watch her expressions. Her face changes from shock and disgust to something like fear or sadness throughout that scene. And then Ada watches Carla fall and "die" - basically watches herself die. Again her facial expressions are fairly prominent. There's shock for the most part, but then for a split second she falls back into sadness. This continues into the next scene where she's talking to "dead" Carla and we see that Ada also sees Carla as a victim of Simmons, but doesn't excuse what Carla did afterwards.

When Carla transforms, I think that is probably one of the most traumatizing things Ada sees because again, she's watching this happen to basically herself and that's very different from watching it happen to other people who look nothing like you. i want to know what's going through her head. Is she thinking that this could've been her if she hadn't cut contact with Simmons?

The ending scene is probably one of my favorites, aside from Ada herself the music is just fantastic and really helps express Ada's emotions in that moment. At first she's wary/cautious of the cocoon thing but then we get this little head shake and her expression is anger. Eyebrows downward, eyes narrow, lips curled back, teeth clenched. She goes through nearly three clips of ammunition destroying that lab. She has no composure until she gets that phone call and I believe this is the only time we've seen Ada completely lose her composure.

And yeah the lab is dealt with, she's destroyed both Carla's and Simmons' legacies but I don't think she feels any sort of satisfaction in doing that. Catharsis sure, but I think she was at a point where something was going to happen. There was just too much built up. I highly doubt Ada has completely worked through the trauma she went through in 6. If we ever see her post-6 I would like to see how she's dealt with this, if at all, and I hope it would be in a healthier way than the men seem to take to deal with their trauma. Or if she's just thrown herself into her work because work is a safe, normal thing for her and would keep her mind off of China.

Yes! I love that we got Ada's campaign in re6! Separate ways was fun as well, but that was mostly just her simping over Leon lmao. But re6 really allows her to speak her mind and for us as an audience understand her better! I completely agree that you need to play her campaign to fully understand re6, but to really get into her mindset better.

From childhood, in lore books and stuff. It's speculated that Ada was forced into crime as young as 10, and she needed to do it to survive. She has NOT had it easy. People like to forget that she's a VICTIM. That she didn't ask for any of this. We see her handle all of her struggles with a smile on her face, but I really think that's the facade of Ada Wong that she uses to manage her own feelings and traumas.

That the idea of Ada Wong isn't even her. YES every time her smile drops, I DIE A LITTLE. How much PAIN is she in??? She even feels so bad for Carla, that she was also a victim to Simmons. That even Carla, who committed SO MANY CRIMES UNDER THE GUISE OF ADA. She (Ada) can still find it in her to see that Carla didn't deserve what happened to her. Ada is one of the strongest characters in re. And we just don't get to see it enough.

I really want some closure on whether or not the BSAA thinks that Ada is dead or not. They declared it, but then Leon's just like :D she's alive! Like not even that surprised. I just want to know if they ever figured it all out.

#ask heart #heart answers #ada wong #resident evil 6

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ughirant · 10 months

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Warning: long rant.

I'm catching up on episodes and I can't even be mad at Trina during the bar fight ep...yes some of the things she said are an overaction but I think she's just tired. Now I disagree with her going so hard for Joss in damn near every scene and we don't ever see Joss even talk about Trina outside of scenes they have together? I also don't think Spencer's been selfish or entitled whoever said she was just projecting was right. However, him lying about the evidence? When he literally could've just told her "Hey I hear you but I disagree, I say we keep it until we find the real evidence." Obviously, she'd be a little upset but I think Trina can be understanding.

Also, Portia trying to push Spencer and Esme together knowing that would hurt her daughter? Why??? I'm all for making Portia the villain for drama but do they believe she could come back from this? Or be redeemable in some way?

I'm watching clips because I can't with the full episodes right now but the whole Esme walking in on Spencer and him opening up to her...why? and a few people in the comments on Youtube are talking about how it has nothing to do with Trina being a Black woman and mentioning how TJ and Molly don't get anything either; like I said I haven't been watching full episodes for long so forgive my ignorance, but Trina and Spencer just had a major arc?? and afterward it's nothing? Media has a long history of making Black women suffer through being an 'at the moment' girlfriend and then fading to the background when the white woman they were meant to be with finally comes around. And I don't think they're comparable (again correct me if I'm wrong) because TJ and Molly are in love and in love proudly? We get moments of them kissing and hugging and having deeper discussions. With Trina and Spencer, we're holding our breaths hoping that they get a moment alone, or a kiss, or even a hug. All we get are lingering stares and small gestures, and I'm all for slow burns but it's giving period piece with how sloooow. They haven't even said I love you (directly) to each other. It's so frustrating when this couple has garnered new viewership for the show for them to be treated like this.

Someone also mentioned in the Youtube comments, "It's a soap there's gonna be drama."...I feel like people are being purposefully obtuse. Of course, there's going to be drama; but how come Joss and Dex have drama that, yes, has affected them but not torn them apart? it feels like where Sprina is right now they're not growing together at all? Which is crazy because they just went through this hugely traumatic experience together. As soon as they got off the Haunted Star Portia said "This just brought them closer." and it did for that episode and Curtis' birthday episode (which we got all of 20 seconds of them being 'close') since then? Crickets. They almost watched each other die, multiple times and besides the talk on the plane, they haven't really spoken about it? They're so young you'd think that they would've had an emotional conversation about it and how scary it was?

But I digress..

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thekingwhowouldhavebeen · 1 year

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Into the Backrooms (Stanley Parable Au) Part 1

I feel like I wanted to have a proper step into the Stanley Parable fandom! I am currently writing a fanfic, and looking for some roleplays (please check out my other posts on that) but I feel like making a whole ass au for this funky little game that has now decided to take up an infestation in my brain.

And you all are gonna suffer with me.

While I am not an artist (a far cry from it really, truly is a disappointment), what I AM is a Writer. Like my dear Narrator! And for the moment, dear readers, you are all to be MY Stanley’s as I take you through an adventure as I make these two experience quite the ride if I do say so myself.

Interested? Well I sure do hope so. Come along Readers and Stanley’s! Off to an adventure!

Content Warnings: A crucial part to every AU, the content warnings! This is purely here to make sure nothing affects the readers too badly. I wish to make you cry, not permanently traumatize you. Though, I must admit, this is a relatively mild AU. Need not fear, there should hopefully not me anything too drastic here! -Normal Stanley Parable existentialism -Creepy Eldritch like abominations (includes fan works of the monsters of the Backrooms!) -Monsters, Violence and General Horror alike! Anything specific you need to know going forward? Why yes of course! While there isn’t much, the most crucial thing you should keep in mind is this: The Narrator does not remember resets. Our dear Stanley does. Remember this. This is important....like this fern:

Though I do feel like the Fern is much more important.

Any who, I am finding myself Rambling! If only there was a skip-what? Oh, we don’t speak of that? Are you sure? There’s a note? [papers rustle] Ahh! There it is, yes, we don’t speak of that.

Apologies readers. Please ignore that. Anyways, lets reset! [snaps fingers]

This is a story of a man named Stanley...

-Stanley was a normal office worker. No wife. No kids. A simple 9-5 job with shitty co-workers and an even shittier boss. Stanley really had nothing going for him, an average man in a, while quite sad, average life. That is why it seems to be a surprise, when a man like Stanley seemed to ‘no-clip’ out of reality. As the gamers would say.

-Stanly wasn’t sure what to do with himself. In fact, all he could do was simply stand there for a while as he took in the bright yellow walls and the familiar humming of florescent lights. In fact, it was almost familiar! ‘Why, I must just be at my job!’ Stanley thought. Though he seemed to be ignoring the quite blaring signs that this was, in fact, not his office.

-After a few moments of strict contemplation, Stanley finally found himself in the urge to move. Though he wasn’t crying out for help, much to our confusion. Was it that he was too scared to shout? Or was it that he simply at no voice at all? Whatever the case, we only watched. Though we could see the hairs on Stanley’s hair stand up. ‘I am being watched’ Stanley thought, but despite looking around, he could not find us.

-As Stanley started to explore these yellow walls, more and more did his mind come into the terrifying conclusion that this wasn’t his office. Obviously. Oh shush you. There was almost no desks, and the few he found were almost completely broken down. One in fact, with an ever so gentle touch, entirely broke down to smithereens! It wasn’t a very nice desk though, and no one was sad to see it go. Still, Stanley pushed forward.

-Yet despite his countless wandering, there seemed to be no end in sight for this madness. There was no difference. Not even a dead end! Every wall felt entirely the same, and Stanley could never figure out if he was simply walking in circles or truly making any progress. And through this entire time, Stanley still seemed to be keenly aware that something was watching him. It’s strange for him to notice us. He seems to notice you more.

-After what felt like hours, or maybe even days, Stanley came upon another desk. One that is almost brand new in appearance. Something that looked like it came just out of the box. Pristine as ever, and not even a single scratch in sight! It truly stood out against the ugly yellow of these walls.

-What was even better, was the evidence of other people inside this desk. Various papers that contained information that Stanley had no idea existed. What seemed to scare him more, was the unsettling thought that he wasn’t alone. No...this world seemed to have monsters. ‘How can one survive a hell like this’ Stanley thought, fear coursing through him. ‘How am I, a pathetic office worker supposed to survive this hell’.

-The papers described a few entities. Ones that can be found on this ‘level’, to which Stanley made a note to himself. There are more levels. The first paper described a humanoid creature known as The Hound. The very image itself seemed to terrify Stanley, and the sheer thought of having to stare at it to get away made Stanley pray that he would never have to encounter it.

[Art by oxslittlehorrors]

-The second monster was called the Bacteria. Though this one didn’t seem to concern Stanley too much. He had no friends to communicate after all, which is very sad and depressing for Stanley, as one deserves to have friends. Alas, he must suffer through unimaginable horrors...all by himself. Stop being melodramatic. He came in by himself, which is normal.

[Art by DarkAudi1728]

-The third monster seemed to terrify Stanley the most, and rightfully so. With a twisted smile and unnatural eyes, this was truly a creature straight out of Stanley’s nightmares. And the very thought of nightmares made Stanley wonder, ‘Maybe I am dreaming?’ he thought, ‘maybe if I opened up my eyes, this all would disappear’. Oh. If only it were that easy Stanley.

[Art By Rerochu]

-It was the last file, that interested Stanley the most. In fact, it seemed to have interest him so much, he decided he would read the entire file! ‘The Watchers’ it was simply called. 2 beings who seemed to only watch and never speak. We can speak Stanley, you simply aren’t ready to hear us. From what the creator of this file can gather, he believes that there are 2 watchers, mostly concluded that the entities that are watching him feel different when each do it separately. There is a third. They are much higher than us though. They are the one truly writing this story.

-Stanley didn’t like that these Watchers were in fact watching him, and wondered what was so interesting about him that they feel as though they should watch him. After all, wasn’t he just an average man who lived a uneventful life? What was it that made him so special? Out of all these creatures though, the only ones that were considered entirely harmless were the Watchers. So maybe, he could be content with their staring. If only they could maybe give him some privacy when he-oh I am not repeating that! That is entirely disgusting Stanley! I understand you humans have various bodily fluids that need to be purged from the system but to think I would want to watch that! The gall Stanley, the utter insolence to believe that I wouldn’t allow yourself some-oh your not even listening Stanley. Not yet anyways.

-Despite his fears and worries, Stanley pushed on. This never-ending maze drove on and on, as Stanley seemed to desperately search for anything that may free him from this hell scape. To allow himself to return back to the reality he wanted. ‘Maybe this will be the motivation to finally quit my job!’ thought Stanley. Maybe this will finally be the reasonings of why he will finally pull a life together that wasn’t quite so average. That wasn’t quite so dull. Maybe Stanley could finally get out of that terrible rut he was in.

-Though as Stanley thought about it, it wasn’t the job that truly made him so dissatisfied. No, instead it was the crushing loneliness that truly made him dislike the life he lived. He had no wife, nor kids after all. No friends or even family that Stanley was close too. He was alone in life, and now maybe he will be alone in death. Your never alone Stanley. I-we are always here. You will not die alone here, we are watching you.

-As time passed, and his exploration continued. Stanley seemed to suddenly freeze in place when he heard the sounds of vents crashing. Vents he wasn’t even aware of in the first place. There was snarling and growling, and then in front of him fell a large lump of flesh, fur and hair. The Hound. A great beast, and so much bigger than Stanley could ever have thought possible. It had fallen quiet clumsily, and seemingly unaware of Stanley’s presence as he pulled itself back up. Bones creaking unnaturally, and soft snarls escaping its gnarled lips sent a much different shiver up Stanley’s spine.

-’Hide! Hide’ Stanley thoughts seemed to cry, ‘He needed to hide’ and yet all he remembered with the long yellow halls and corridors that led to nowhere. What was he to do, what could he do with this horrifying monster was right in front of him. Yet, Stanley persevered. Keeping this amalgamation of twisted limbs and grotesque stench in his eye sight as Stanley slowly walked backwards. Though, it really didn’t take long for the Hound to find the office worker.

-Yet despite it’s entire attention was on Stanley, it seemed as though it was frozen. Just like the file said, stare at it and it will not move. Stanley kept slowly inching further and further back, desperately praying that there would be somewhere for him to hide. Somewhere to run and lose the monster that wants to tear him apart. With one flick of his eyes, looking to spot the freedom from this danger, the Hound lunged.

-Stanley was lucky, he was far enough away to dodge from the monsters attack. Scrambling for his life, Stanley found himself now running back through these office walls. Both familiar and not familiar at the same time, and yet there was one key stark difference. A silver locker. Stanley didn’t question it, he was running for his life after all. That locker wasn’t there before. Shut it.

-Stanley was desperately trying to catch his breath, ‘this was a lot more than I bargained for’ thought Stanley, ‘how am I going to survive this?’. The Hound walked past his locker, and he tried to be as silent as possible. He didn’t want the monster to find him, to tear him apart like the file said it would. He didn’t want to die, he was young. He had so much left to live for. He wanted a family, a life that he truly enjoyed living. He wanted-Stop rambling and continue. Oh come on! It’s a great time for reflection!

-Yet the Hound kept moving on. He kept continuing and the sounds of crunching and snarling and slobbering faded into the distance. Stanley was safe...for now. There were many more monsters and horrors that awaited him in this endless maze. Stanley had much to go, but with surviving the first encounter, Stanley felt confidence. Is it confidence, or arrogance? You always think confidence is arrogance.

-After this terrifying encounter, Stanley took a little bit to pull himself together. Much to the Watcher’s annoyance, as they were starting to grow bored of just watching this plain office worker walk around. The Hound finally brought a bit of entertainment but really, it wasn’t much.

-Why don’t you watch the entities then, if your so bored? They are even more boring...much more predictable. Then stop complaining.

-But eventually, Stanley had to get moving again. He wondered how long he was exploring. Now that the first locker had appeared, there seems to be much more popping into place. ‘More places to hide’ Stanley noted. There even started to have more desks pop into place. Desks that had more items, such as food and water. Survival needs that for a moment Stanley seemed to forget he needed.

-He encountered more of the creatures and each time was able to survive against whatever they had to throw at him. It seemed that even if one was a basic office worker with quite a sad life, he had the necessary skills to survive this place. Yet all Stanley thought to keep him focused, was the thought of going home. A hopeless endeavor. You will never leave Stanley, not until we want you to. Don’t we want him to win? Win what? The game?

-’Hello?’ Stanley suddenly thought. Looking up as though he heard two voices. Did he hear us? That would be the first? He can’t be ready yet. ‘I can hear you though’ Stanley thought again. Can you hear both of us? ‘There is only one voice...are you the watchers?’ It seems like he cannot hear me. Strange. The few who made it this far could hear us both. ‘Hello?’ Stanley thought again. ‘Are you still there?’ We are still here Stanley, well I am still here. We are simply wondering why you cannot hear us both. ‘So you are the Watchers’ Yes we are, of course we are. What else would we be.

-Stanley seemed to contemplate that. He went silent as he crept into his thoughts, searching the crevices of his mind to figure out if there was any way to explain this situation. Though this couldn’t be any more abnormal than the abomona-’Why are you narrating me?’ Stanley suddenly thought, pulling himself out of his tangent.

-What? Stanley you can hear that too? You shouldn’t be hearing that, oh no. This is very wrong. Stanley could you hear me the entire time?

-Stanly had only shook his head, his face frowning in a sort of confusion as he stared up at the ceiling. As though that was where he thought this mysterious voice was coming from. ‘I only just started hearing you now’ Stanley said, in response to the voice’s question.

-How strange Stanley, that you can only here me. Hmm, well as I try and figure out what is happening, how about you go one and try to continue finding your way out?

-Stanley suddenly shook his head, waving at the ceiling to try and get the voice’s attention back. ‘Wait’ cried Stanley, ‘Wait come back! I don’t want to be alone again!”

-Stanley, you are never alone. We are always here, always watching over you.

-’Then tell me your name at least...what's your name’ Stanley asked, and the voice went silent at though. There was a sense of unease in Stanley, as though he may be hearing it narrate, it was taking a long time to respond to what he thought was a simple question.

-I do not have a name Stanley, I am only here to watch. Rarely ever interact.

-’Then what should I call you? If theirs two Watchers, how can I make sure I ask for the right one?’ Thought Stanley, as he stood there. Still staring up at the ceiling.

-Well I shall leave that choice up to you Stanley. I am not good with names, I only know yours and the others that came through here. None to call my own.

-Stanley contemplated that. It was a difficult ask, as what could you possibly name an entity that is beyond what seems to be human. A god in of itself who watches your every move and knows your every thought. What could he name something that speaks your-’Narrator. I am going to call you Narrator.’

-What a fascinating name Stanley! It is good to meet you!

#stanarrator #The Stanley Parable #tspud au #tspud stanley #tspud narrator #tspud curator #tspud

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