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im-only-here-for-the-fandom · 10 months

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DPxDC : The Phantom ARG

I have been watching a lot of ARG’s and conspiracy theory on youtube lately and decided to combine the two so here we go.

The ghosts in this au will be like Deadman, you can’t see him unless you have magic, a magic artifact, or highly contaminated by ectoplasm. meaning only danny and his friends Sam and Tucker who were near the portal when it activated can see the ghosts in this au, they are invisible to everyone else in Amity Park.

In the beginning, after his accident Danny believed that he was merely hallucinating the small ghost blobs and ghost animals that initially made it through the portal thinking it was only an after effect from getting an extreme shock, and it isn’t until the first ‘incident’ the mystery meat that attacked the shool cafeteria that he realizes that what he is seeing is real.

So like any self respecting teen he tells his best friends Sam and Tucker. They both reveal that they too have been seeing strange things since the accident although not as clearly as Danny, they could still see them like watching youtube in 240p. They gather after the mystery meat incident, which they have named INCIDENT-1 or IN-1 for short as they later name it, in Danny’s room afterwards to discuss what happened. They find out that other than the three of them no one seemed to see the floating lunch lady or even head her when she talked , they only reacted after the meat started gathering and taking the shape of a monster.

Sam says that they should document what they see and what is happening in amity park and the boys agree with her. Danny become the main cameraman and investigator being the only one strong enough to get close without major injury or harm and also being able to see, hear, and feel the ghosts clearest. Sam is the main documenter and researcher she’s the one that writes down their findings and goes over the videos they have to discover new findings to note down. Tucker is the main hacker and editor he hacker the cameras in the streets and school to get footage and other information that might be needed while also making sure that they can’t be tracked. Despite having their main area of expertise they all pitch in to help each other.

While documenting they start figuring out a few key details about documenting ghosts. 1 being that unless you are using an ecto-camera the less technologically adavanced the devices you use are the better results you get. 2 the stronger the ghost is the more visible they are, the stronger they are the more dangerous they are ( danny in ghost form is by far the most visible on camera, and in real life extremely clear to his friends). and finally 3 as time goes on certain objects/ places around town have started to become strange or gain peculiar features.

Jazz ,still not believing in ghosts because they are not visible ,becomes suspicious of what the Trio are doing, so they lie to her and tell her that they are making a sort of anolog horror based on their town to cope with the stress of the recent events happening.

realizing that ‘hey this actually a really nice way to destress from our problems’ and with that one lie that they told jazz the Trio became fully committed to making a full on ARG , with hidden messages, pictures and code. so with Tucker’s coding and editing skills and knowledge of ciphers and wordplay, Sam’s organizing skills and eye for hints and details, and Danny’s obsession with stars and everything space and his way with emotions, along the very much real ghosts and they were all set to make the best ARG.

They named it THE PHANTOM ARG, finishing up the last details they finally post their first video on youtube titled ‘IN-1 : Mystery Meat’. Later on once they get the hang of it they post about ‘how to deal with the ghosts’ ‘evacuation procedures’ ‘cooking with ectoplasm’ and artwork depicting the ghosts and short presentations explaining their characteristics. They even make a fully functional website thats called ‘welcom to Amity Park’ where there are hidden messages, codes and information.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

In Gotham

Bernard Dowd is watching youtube when a video thumbnail catches his eye, it looks like a strange meat monster, he was intrigued. having nothing better to do, he decides to watch it. he looks at what the chanel is about and is instantly hooked, theory’s are exploding from his mind.

he can’t wait to tell Tim about this he would absolutely love this type of mystery solving.

random ideas for this au

The GIW are a big thing in this au, they can’t take down what the trio are posting because Tucker is a hacking god.

Danny is only called to as phantom when he is a ghost never as a human ( because of this no one knows that danny is a halfa)

the trio could go by code names, polaris(danny),pharaoh(tucker),gaia(sam). or any other name you think is sutable.

all codes, ciphers, and hints are based on either science and technology(tucker), plants and animals(sam), or space and ghosts(danny).

the ghost portal accident and opening is unkown to the public and is only referd to as the Accident and people are never told what this accident is only ‘since the accident’ or ‘after the accident’.

there is an extremely hidden video that requires you to solve an impossible amount of hints and clues, that is of the portal opening. it’s called IN-0:The Accident.

(the video shows two people a man and a woman jack and maddie in hazmat suits standing in front a large metal tunnel, two kids jazz and danny siting in front of them, the scientists plug the machine but it fails, they disappointedly leave,*fast foward*, three kids, the trio are standing in front of the portal, they talk, danny puts on a hazmat and walks into the tunnel, it whirls on, the doors shut, the video glitchs as the sound of the machine starting up get louder, the screen turns black but the sound of danny screaming are loud and clear, the screaming goes on for a few minutes before suddenly cutting off, the screan clears up but its still a bit glitchy, the portal is open swirling green with sam and tucker standing in front of it, danny is nowhere to be seen)

danny may or may not be ghost king

This is my attempt at drawing the LUNCH LADY.

DANGER: ⭐️⭐️

( rating may change)

please add, use, change as much as you like. i’d love to see what you come up with and how this idea could expand.

just make sure to tag me or tag it as The Phantom ARG.

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vhstown · 10 months

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miles morales x you headcanons

— 1610!miles x gn!reader (friends to lovers)

warnings: just fluff lol (miles is a dork)

note: normal spider-man au, a little tiny bit long. v self indulgent and oddly specific but i tried to keep them in character + inclusive 😭 wrote this at 3am, somewhat edited

For context, you were Miles' first real friend at Brooklyn Visions. You kept running into each other, and he had a strong liking to you after you helped him escape the wrath of the hall monitors without question. Becoming fast friends, Miles is quickly involved in every part of your life at the academy, and he even more quickly develops a crush on you. Luckily for you, he completely forgets about the shoulder touch. The man has no game when he's around you, his best friend, though it's not like he needs to.

Miles draws you a lot, to the point where it's almost obsessive. You're in his sketchbook, class notes, a loose scribble on the back of a receipt. You have your hair different one day and he scrambles to capture it somewhere without you noticing. He has it down to a science, and he tries to convince himself it's absolutely normal to be able to draw you perfectly from memory.

When you find out, he wants a portal to open up and swallow him whole. It's more endearing than anything, though. It's not like you haven't been stealing glances of his portraits in the middle of class anyway.

You may or may not tease him relentlessly about it, but eventually, you get comfortable whenever he slips out his favourite pencil and you pretend not to catch his subtle, studying glances.

Miles loves his headphones, sure. He begged his mom to get them for him ages ago, promising he'd put them to good use. They're basically glued to his ears, that is, unless he's talking to you. He always takes them off, listening intently to whatever you have to say, even if you're making small talk or just saying hi.

Sharing music with you is always at the back of his mind until he finally caves and buys a pair of wired earphones. It becomes routine to listen to something together whenever you hang out, pulled a little closer to each other by the wire playing Sunflower between you.

And yes, he made you a playlist. He's definitely embarrassed about it at first, and listens to it a number of times beforehand to make sure you'd like it. It's full of songs that make him think of you and ones you expressed interest in. He's definitely overthought it, but it's worth your reaction and seeing the Spotify like count increase to one. He listens to it more than you do, though.

Miles is nervous about telling his mom about you. About the both of you. Yeah, he's already told her every detail of you and your life, but he's scared of what she'd think of meeting you in person; it's not like she's hyperaware of the boy she's known for all his life suddenly changing when you're brought up, right? Rio is definitely a mama bear, even if Miles gets the brunt of it sometimes, but when he brings you over for the first time you feel more than welcome. Miles' mom and dad are constantly whispering to each other during dinner trying to make you feel comfortable, and you catching one of Rio's half-scowls at her husband when he asks a stupid question. Either way, there are hugs and kisses at the door, and you leave with your heart and your stomach full. They might just be your new parents. (Maybe in the future?)

Miles definitely helps you with school when he can, especially with more technical subjects. He always drops everything when you message him with a math problem or right before your science finals. He's up on call with you til the sun's up, the both of you questioning your sanity and basic reason when it's really just an excuse to spend time with each other (though the circumstances are unideal.) You send him your English essay to read over one day and he painstakingly looks through it to find things to compliment you on; he has no idea what you're talking about.

And calls with you are one of his guilty pleasures. When he's sure Ganke's not paying attention or his mom's checked his room for the last time, he drops you a hopeful message. You're tired, but you find yourself justifying each time you call until 3 in the morning, talking about the same couple of things. He likes hearing about your day, where you've been, what hilarious or strange thing happened in your classes. He likes hearing your voice most of all; it's even more comforting when it's muffled by sleep and your thoughts come out in jumbled repetitions of the same thing. One day, you fall asleep on call. Miles doesn't bother to decline it, pulling his blanket over him and letting his eyes close to the sound of your breathing.

When the two of you actually get together, he's even more nervous than he was bringing you over for the first time. His brain short-circuits when you say you like him back, and he just says "yeah" or nods to everything you say. He can't believe you like him. Outside of being Spider-Man, he's a bit of a nobody (he just likes keeping to himself). Not to you, though. You're his only other friend besides Ganke (more like the sneaker thief) at Brooklyn Visions, and now he's yours. Despite the ample advice from his uncle, he misses your first kiss. (You try again after a lot of laughter and it's all okay when he gets used to it.)

But... he might be getting too used to it. In fact, now that he knows you're okay with the scary concept of kissing, he's always holding your hand, brushing away strands of your hair, even just holding onto your sleeve by his fingertips. Miles always steals kisses, especially before he runs off to his class on the other side of the academy (he insists on walking you to yours. Yes, he's been late multiple times.) You swear you'll get him back for those one-sided kisses, but the debt piles up, and you eventually get used to it too.

When he hasn't seen you in a while (after slinking off for his friendly neighborhood duties), he pulls you into the most enveloping, bone-crushing hug. His head is pressed into your shoulder and arms almost double-wrapped around your torso like he hasn't seen you in years. It feels like he could pick you up, no matter how much you insist he'll never be able to lift you. It gives you a strange sense of security, and you never question why someone of his stature could probably throw you like a tennis ball.

Though, when you do manage to show him affection before he slips away, he totally melts at your touch. It's like his crush forms all over again, like it's your first kiss all over again. You like to bombard him with love just to see him go quiet and flustered and hear that very specific laugh he's had since his crush formed. He likes having you close, no matter what you're doing. Even if you're both on your phones, he always lets you lean against him or has an arm around you. When you catch him off guard with a little peck on the face, you notice him frantically looking through his home screen like it's the most interesting thing in the world.

You'll get him back one day. Until then, you'll chase him around the whole of Brooklyn if you have to. He's happy to be caught, even happier to be your boyfriend. Maybe one day he'll even give you his drawings of you. Or his entire sketchbook, it's basically all just you. Recently, it's been made up of your smiles. Maybe he'll just keep the sketchbook for himself.

🕸️💫🎧

thank you for reading ^^ this is my first post so any suggestions wld be appreciated. this is my secondary blog so i can't reply but feel free to drop an ask! (not taking requests atm)

read the rest of my atsv headcanons here!

#miles morales #miles morales x reader #miles morales x you #miles morales x y/n #miles morales headcanons #miles morales 1610 #1610 miles x reader #1610 miles morales #miles morales fluff #miles morales x gn reader #across the spiderverse #into the spider verse #vhstown

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aibloomie · 5 months

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”if you hold me without hurting me. . .”

01. pairing — nagito komaeda x gn!reader

02. synopsis — fluff headcanons on how nagito would react when you comfort him, and headcanons on how he’d comfort you !!

03. note — this is a repost from an old blog i used to have prior to deactivating it (@/au-clover) !! the remake of the nagito edit reminded me so <33 i might repost the fluff alphabet next, not too sure though. uhh excuse any typos WOO

comforting you

— nagito would most likely struggle a bit at first since he has never really gotten any comfort whenever he was going through something, but you’re precious to him and so he’ll try his best to learn and figure out how to help you in your times of need. he already knows when you’re in a bad mood due to him being an observant person, but he won’t bring it up unless you do since he doesn’t think he’s worthy of comforting you. he worries maybe you’d view him as annoying for prying into your business. once you decide to tell him what the problem is though then he’d immediately try to help you

— in a way, comforting you makes him very happy, he hates seeing you upset, but you’re relying on him and he’s never really been needed by anyone. he’s able to help you out, ht person he cherishes the most, you’ve made him so happy, and he’s grateful for the opportunities where he can give back and uplift your mood

— he’s an amazing listener, so if you’re not seeking advice and just want to rant, then he’s perfect for that. he’s also really attentive and will take in every word you say, nodding his head or doing some sort of gesture so you know he’s not distracted

— words of encouragement are something he always provides for you, but if you’re going through a hard time then they’d only increase tenfold. he knows words don’t always fix everything but he’s very good at speaking and getting his point across. compliments and motivational words would spill endlessly from his mouth

— he’s aware that being told things such as “it’ll get better” isn’t that effective, so instead of talking about the situation he just takes the time to admire your strength for dealing with whatever you’re struggling with, he’s rooting you on and he knows you can overcome anything, you’re his precious hope after all

— if you want to distract yourself for a while, then he’s up for that too. he’ll do anything you want, whether it be cuddling or going out and having fun

comforting him

— nagito will appreciate any effort you put in towards comforting him. sometimes you can’t really tell when he’s upset since he’s practically smiling the majority of the time. however, he usually goes silent for a while or he distances himself from you since he’s caught up in his own thoughts, and that’s pretty much your cue to go and help him. he’d probably say something along the lines of: “you’re worrying for someone like me? you really are an angel!”

— after a day full of misfortune, he looks forward to the future since he knows his luck will balance out and therefore good things will happen. that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t upset him at times though, especially when his luck ends up affecting you negatively. during times like these, his self depreciation will only increase and it would help him a lot if you gave him some reassurance: pull him into your arms and tell him you’ll never leave him, and that you accept every single part of him. brush his hair aside and kiss his face too, he’ll be flustered but god he’ll feel so loved

— sometimes he’ll just want to rant about everything that happened throughout his day in detail as he rests his head on your lap and you play with his hair. of course, he’d never ask for that so it would be up to you to initiate the conversation. he also gets in low spirits when others don’t understand his views on hope, a lot of people call him annoying and crazy for that. so if you listen to him talk about it, it would really help him

— when he talks about his past, he usually does it with a smile. he sounds really happy despite all the devastating things that happened. so if you start comforting him, he’ll be really confused, and he’ll apologize for making you worry. deep inside though, he’s grateful you're so kind to him. if you hug him when he’s talking about it, everything will hit him at once and he’ll end up crying, which is very much needed since he just brushes everything aside to cope

#danganronpa x reader #nagito x reader #nagito komaeda #nagito komaeda headcanons #nagito komaeda fluff #why does it keep giving me the misspelling of his last name PLEASE 😟

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dana-chan-the-control-brain · 5 months

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Hello! I know you're one of the people who ship Moon and Solar (TSAMS) And y'all have gotten me into the ship as well! XD I'm not caught up on the lore of the show(s) So i haven't even seen Solar IN SHOW before (i am very behind to before Lunar was Sun and Moons brother :' D) But I have some ideas I'm debating writing for the ship buttt....I have no clue how Canon Solar acts??? Do you know if theres somewhere I could find a Summary on his personality? (and I suppose...new Moon?) I'll probably unintentionally make them OOC...never written for anything TSAMS related, but i'll try!

And is there a ship names thats...like used for them instead of Solar X Moon or is it just called that?

Anywho, I hope you have a good day/night!!! You make awesome stuff! (And I know theres been some people making drama over the ship, I hope you don't let them get to you too much tho!! <3 /P)

🦈Anon

AWESOME!

Heheheh. Thank you. I've been shipping these two since June 2023 so I'm glad I can share the brainrot and some people are more welcoming and cool then I expect. (mostly the ones who can't think critically are the youtube audience but that's expected. Since a lot of the youtube target audience are... like.. minors or really young adults who can't conceive the concept.)

I rewatch that Episode where Solar changes his name and rebuilds the Daycare in a week just for Moon constantly cause it's just... so much admiration and appreciation Moon has for Solar in that episode. I swear I don't know if it was a flub on the actor's part... but I swear Moon calls him 'sexy' as he's dragging him to charge. the stock sound effect of "OOOOH" doesn't help my APD and I've listened so many times and I have no possible idea what Moon could be saying to Solar other then 'come here you stupid, sexy-...." (trails off) sooo... idk. I might have misheard that severely but that's just what I'm hearing.

Like, in terms of New Lore of the show, it gets pretty complicated.

So complicated in fact, TSAMS themselves released a new video on the subject.... But it's NOT a very good guide, as it misses a lot of things. (and no I don't mean the stupid guest cameo stuff) this is more or less an abridged take on what happens with no emotional impact:

youtube

Like, this is a good starting point if you want the barest of bones, but it misses so much stuff. I think they don't even mention how Solar gets introduced into this family. lol. Just like "yeah Im here and I helped kill Eclipse" fheahehf. It's a super well made video though, and I don't mind the editing mistakes (clearly when the actors change the avatar on screen.... whoops. Happens a few times)

There is also the Fan Wiki, but as of now, it is incomplete, (@twinanimatronics is working tirelessly on updating the wiki and I wish they got more reconignition from the tsams community as a whole ) but it does give a decent look into Solar

There is also the huge TSAMS Lore Document, which Ceph(twinanimatronics) also worked on which contains a further detailed explanation of the story so far, for those who don't have time to watch 2 years worth of youtube content that aren't in a concrete playlist. (TSAMS. PLAYLIST YOUR STUFF PROPERLY. YOU HAVE TWO YEARS OF LORE HERE)

Liike.... yeah... this is okay but like..

This is VRchat. Aka the lore. Which also includes when they play videogames in VRchat, which don't impact the story... Like Uno, Amongus and SCP stuff.....

And it doesn't divide the arcs. Something that TSAMS severely needs more then any other SB Show channel.

Also, in the early days, the gameplay videos USED to be part of the lore. As the concept of Eclipse itself, being a rouge evil ai that lived in Sun's head (as it was presented initially but we know the truth it was the killcode moon planted in Sun when they separated.)

These days, they kinda dropped the gameplay videos being directly connected to the over arching plot. Other then just saying that their vids are pre-recorded or "we're back" after an annual halloween takeover.

Not to mention... When Earth and Lunar got a show, they became intertwined with the Sun and Moon show. LAES is very much it's own thing, but it's the ONLY Security Breach Show that consists of two Original Characters spawned from the Sun and Moon show. A rarity. So their lore continues off from the Sun and moon show, giving more info on Lunar these days and Earth (their sister)

Then you have the Monty and Foxy show (which is my least favorite of the shows... Personal Preference. I try not to complain cus I know some people like it. But I do not like the plot points in that show, or the character writing and weird directions they take while being connected to the same universe.)

And Monty is a character voiced by Davis, who also voices Sun. So Monty started out as a prominent character on the Sun and Moon Show, and then got his OWN show... at a point in TSAMS history after Eclipse got the star and killed Lunar.

So yeah. I wish the playlists were better organized here. So we knew when each era starts.

(people say Matpat should get on this show lore... And noooooooo no thanks. Keep him away. We got you covered. Ceph honestly has enough info to make a video guide at this point.)

But long story short, Solar is a "Good Eclipse" from another dimension that the Old Moon introduced to Lunar, when Lunar was struggling with his trauma of leaving Eclipse. Good Eclipse and Lunar become friends.

Anyway, here are some key episodes that outline NewMoon and Solar's relationship, as Solar had never met the Old Moon.

Old Moon had never met Solar. It was New Moon who introduced himself to Solar to help defeating Eclipse once and for all. (and by this point lunar had died)

youtube

He was actually surprised that this Moon was a chill Moon and could be reasoned with and talked to, considering he was living a rather oppressive life from his own Moon.

There's also a whole episode saga of just these two bantering and talking while they work on the satellite together. I can't remember which specific episodes those are.

You can also see the difference between the Evil Eclipse and Good Eclipse here in one of my all time favorite episodes:

youtube

Moon saving Solar's life: (also the death of the bad Eclipse)

youtube

Everything is good and happy after Eclipse dies for awhile. (aside of Ruin and Bloodmoon wrecking shit) He goes back to his own dimension... and you get to see what his sad life is like:

youtube

From his Moon calling him "byproduct" and failure very often.

But... Something happens and Solar is forced to come to Moon's dimension

here's Solar at his poor little meow meow "I have nowhere to go" stage and just... thought to go to Moon immediately due to their history.

youtube

Moon's only question about Solar moving in, is that if he wanted him to blacklist his dimension once he heard what was going on with his Moon.

And immediately, Solar jumps in to help Moon with his problems.

Also during the halloween takeover part 2 electric boogaloo, Solar was the one to help get Sun and Moon back after being teleported to a different dimension with no hopes of returning

youtube

Also, after Ruin was cured and Bloodmon ran off, Solar rebuilt the ruined Daycare in a week. And Moon is so grateful for it. (i rewatch this episode a lot. It cemented the ship in my mind and built the commodity that they've been building up for months)

youtube

We also get what Solar's daily life is like so far... How out of place he feels, being someone from a different dimension, despite the Brothers (and sister's) insistence, he still doesn't really feel like he's part of the family. He feels like an outsider. (He also has less opportunities to hang out with Lunar. As he expressed interest in playing games with him like the good old days, and as of recently, they have not yet)

also a good example of the Celestial family changing minds on family dynamics because they are robots. Lunar flat out rejected Vegeta-Animatronic is his brother even if he technically is. Like, they're robots. They can change their relationships to each other based on their word. I like to see it more flexible then it is in reality with actual people/humans.

Moon also trying to make Solar feel comfortable and feel like he's adjusting well here. Expressing his concern for him doing so much for him and his family. And hoping to not pressure him into so much work.

youtube

As of recently, his Sun died, and he killed his Moon. And in his therapy session (on the Lunar and Earth Show) he expressed regret over "Leaving" them...

But he has not properly told anyone about this.

My reasoning is that he probably thinks that the family will jump on the chance to call him "Evil" .....They don't have good luck with Eclipses.... and every Eclipse they met other than him has been Evil. (that must weigh on you. Every version of yourself is deemed as evil across every dimension. You are the only good one. Maybe there is something wrong with you)

I'm already at the video limit, but on Lunar and Earth show, there is an interesting episode where Lunar goes into Solar's head, and his mindscape looks like the Willy Wonka TV room, because it was a movie he watched with his Sun before they separated and Sun died. Showing that he did care about his Sun a whole lot... Which is probably why he doesn't interact with our Sun that much alone.

He also compartmentalizes everything before he can feel emotions, playing his own memories in third person as if he's not experiencing them.

Not to mention, he organizes and separates his thoughts on NewMoon and HIS Moon, just so he won't associate the two.

I also missed what episode it was, but Solar is always the first to call Moon out when he's being angry, or irrational, and Sun admits in his therapy session, that Solar is the only person who can calm Moon down. (mainly cus he's used to it, but unlike his old moon, this moon listens)

Anyway...

I love Solar a lot, can you tell?

#danachan's replies #danachan's asks #solarmoon #solar x moon #Solar analysis

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queers-gambit · 1 year

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The Five Senses of You

prompt: ( requested ) first she saw him, then she smelt him, after, his voice never leaves her head and when in Wyoming, she discovers what he feels and tastes like. or a very shitty Soulmate AU

pairing: Joel Miller x female!reader

fandom masterlist: HBO's The Last of Us

word count: 4.7k+

note: i don't think i got this 'soulmate' thing right, so, i'm very sorry - please be gentle with me.

warnings: cursing, some spoilers, bad bad bad soulmate AU. half edited, author is disappointed in this but that's fine - this is fine. also, please note, author does not have ability to diagnose others with any condition; some listed details are from author's own experiences. ❗️season one spoilers

The first time you saw him, he was hauling euthanized Infected corpses into a bonfire with about 20 other people. In a sea of muted colors, it was his arms in his dingy button-up that first caught your eyes but it was everything about him that made you linger.

He was mesmerizing to watch, so, you paused when you caught sight of him, keeping to the shadows, and watching him for the better part of an hour.

He was an intriguing man that you wanted to know more about, yet nerves always directed you off your wanted-path. Why you felt so magnetic to this man, you were unsure, and yet, so calm about your blossoming attraction. By any means, he wasn't a nice man, but for the life of you, you were desperately curious about the smuggler.

Can you say Daddy Issues?

So, you waited and watched from the shadows; remaining out of sight and mind, always up-wind, and usually from behind a structure. Timid, some might call you. Cautious, others defended. Curious, your friends knew you to be.

Feeling as if he was being watched, Joel would occasionally look up and around when he felt himself being watched - but chalked his nerves up to being the FEDRA officers on duty. You remained invisible to him, but you understood you were done for and he was all you wanted. With a single glimpse, your world had changed, and time would forever slow to an agonizing grind until he was yours.

The first time you smelled him, you were following him on the street - being ignored by him, but allowing for a nose-full.

He was moving stiffly through the crowds, those who were in his way just seeming to sense him - stepping out of the way. It was fascinating to watch, wondering what he'd done to command such respect but after lingering around the dining hall, you understood he was also a dealer.

So, you tailed him for a few blocks and it was then the wind blew, and you were smacked in the face by his scent. He smelt of body odor, yes, but also of fire and burnt flesh. However, because you understood this man to be something vastly different to you than anyone else, there was also a hint of... Lemon, sandalwood, and after another long inhale, leather.

You smirked as his sweat seemingly secreted his natural scent so that only you could truly smell it, wondering what your scent was to him. After three blocks, there was more wind, and you started to feel calmed from the smell, but then, you had to step off into an alley when Joel perked his head up and felt someone watching him again. He paused, looked around with suspicion, but then continued towards his destination.

You formed a plan in your head.

The first time you heard his voice, he was dealing you Xanax and you'd never be the same. Your life wouldn't be the same once you heard his voice, and now that it was in your head, it would live rent free. Once upon a time, when you had a family, the woman who birthed you had explained your sire was her "soulmate" and that you'd find one only after you turned 30.

Why age 30?

Who fucking knew - but it was better than when you turned 18! I know, technically, that's when you're a legal adult but for fuck's sake, being 18 doesn't mean you're grown up. So, for whatever reason, your soulmate wouldn't be revealed until after you were 30, and it took years to finally find him.

His voice was gruff, asking, "What're you lookin' at?"

"Heard if something's needed, you're the man to ask."

Joel eyed you, "Get outta here, kid. Don't got shit for you."

"Oh, how flattering," you quipped, "but I'm not a kid, and just need some help. You're the guy I'm told to talk to."

"I don't sell to - "

"Call me a kid, again," you narrowed your eyes.

Joel Miller scoffed, then sighed, arms tight across his chest, "What do you want, then?"

"Xanax."

Joel paused, "I got some of those."

"So...? Meet where?"

"You know the old Maccy's?"

"Yeah."

"Behind there," he nodded, the two of you parting ways for only an hour. He had stopped to up his stash, showing you the offerings of his slim pickings; surprised when you wanted the whole bag. "It'll cost you - "

"Here," you nodded, shoving the wad of ration cards and plastic baggie back at him.

"Shit, doll, if I knew you were a heavy tipper..." Joel mused, fingering through his haul.

"I don't need them anymore," You shrugged off, lacing your backpack up securely.

"Why's that?"

"'Cause I'm leavin' this place," nodding slowly, you eyed him. "I figured with all that's out there, I'd do well to control my anxiety."

"Smart," Joel shrugged. "Good luck out there."

You nodded, "Good luck to you, too... In whatever the fuck it is you do." With a chuckle, you waved back at him before disappearing - but neither of you would ever be the same.

Now that you knew his voice, he would float in and out of your head. Apparently, now that he knew your voice, too, he could hear it during times of distress, turmoil, and stress. Usually, Joel was asleep when your voice was ringing in his ears, preventing distraction from everyday work, but that didn't mean it was down to an exact science. He learned through your thoughts of panic when Infected attacked that Tommy was with your group - but couldn't communicate to him.

He could only offer you advice and guidance.

And in turn, you could only do the same for him when smuggling missions went sour. It wasn't as frequent during your escape West, but sometimes, you'd dream of Joel and Tess in a high-stress situation, offering words of wisdom and comfort to help direct him.

It was funny the way Joel would snap at you in his head to get out, never wanting to be the dependent on. He never needed help because he was a big strong man.

By that, you mean Joel was stubborn and didn't always listen to your advice, but he stayed alive because you were there, like some kind of angel on his shoulder. Joel's own conscious was the devil, constantly trying to beat your words out of his brain but to no such avail. If he was romantic, he might even say you had the voice of an angel but in this world, Joel didn't have time for romance.

You were like a bumblebee on a summer day: content to be there, content to observe, always dodging [Joel's] swatting hands. Like the bumblebee, however, you didn't give up; still buzzing in his ears.

After that, his voice comes-and-goes in your head by the time you and his brother, Tommy, find the Wyoming commune in Jackson. You're both welcomed after a vigorous interview where you were both granted entrance after being assigned jobs. Tommy would work in carpentry and you would put your old, dusty doctorate degree to use.

Now that you were somewhere safe, Joel's voice stopped visiting you as frequently, but yours remained in his leading up to his mission out West after Tommy. He was faced with endless foes, new and old, and you were constantly dreaming of him at night.

Not that you really minded, but you grew nervous for his safety on several occasions. Being a smuggler had it's ups and downs, and while you wanted to scream at Joel to leave Tess behind and get himself to safety, you always - and I mean always find a way out for them both.

Maria, being Tommy's soulmate and your friend, was there to answer your questions and give you a shoulder to lean on when you grew exhausted. You often wondered if you'd ever get the chance to see your mate again, but tried not to convince yourself it was impossible.

So, when Joel was "assigned" to the immune child, Ellie, you were constantly sleeping-in those days - constantly listening to Joel and offering your advice. This time, he didn't argue, he didn't fight it, he actually listened to you because Tess was dead and he had this child to look after. It wasn't easy, but, you eventually caught a break when they escaped Boston city.

However, that doesn't mean you were off the hook. Joel and this girl he traveled with, Ellie, encountered many enemies in their time outside the QZ, and while you wanted to help, seeing the ground split open and spew mutated Infected outside of Kansas City scared you shitless. You knew you weren't there, they couldn't see you, touch you, let alone hurt you, but you still grew terrified of these... Adaptations.

These weren't regular Clickers.

And then, after that, the two had limited encounters with people or Infected... That was, after Henry and Sam, of course. It's when you'd visit Joel the most; where he wasn't in physical jeopardy, he was in emotional turmoil and needed comfort.

So, you'd sleep longer in an effort to visit him when he was resting; simply being a presence in his mind to try and offer solace where you could. This was where he stonewalled you; refusing to let you in on his secretive past and trying to force you from his mind.

You stopped prying and just spoke to him calmly, letting your voice echo through his dreams as you tried to help his subconscious conjure peaceful images and soothing thoughts. He grew to rely on your words to bring comfort, liking the idea of someone caring enough that they're content to simply just "be".

He's never had that in a partner before, because even though Tess didn't always need to talk, she liked to keep busy and that always filled any silence. Joel didn't always like that.

So, through their journey on foot, you were the single constant Joel had to hold onto after losing everyone in his life. He liked your docile tones and the way your accent was different than his - where his was faded and yours more prominent. Ellie had no idea about the woman in Joel's head, she'd probably think him crazy, but in reality, she'd be excited for the man to finally have something to make him smile.

Or at least calm him down a little bit.

The first time you learned what he felt like was when you were tending to the horses as Maria gave her tour. She made introductions but you knew Tommy and Joel, just not the spitfire 14-year-old traveling with your soulmate. It was pleasant enough, making your introductions, but to say Joel was shocked to see you was an understatement.

However, when he went to had a private conversation with his brother, something in your chest stirred to life. You quickly wrapped up your chores before shouldering your pack and venturing towards town. You were just in time to see Joel lean on a lamppost, feeling his mind twist in confusion enough to make you approach.

"Hey, hey," you whispered, getting under his arm to support him, "don't fight the feeling, Joel, just let it ride."

"What - "

"It's anxiety, my friend," you sighed, nodding at him. "How your heart feels like it's going to break? Or beat right out of your chest? How the muscle walls feel like their coiling and constricting you? 'S hard to breathe?"

He nodded.

"Anxiety ain't no joke, Joel, here, come with me," you nodded, and to your honest surprise, he let you drag him off.

"You're her."

"Hmm?"

"You're who I hear. I-I thought I recognized the voice, but you left the QZ right after our deal."

"Keepin' tabs on me?" You teased with a small smirk. "Here, this way," you turned him, walking onward. He was quiet, looking distraught and his free hand still clutched his chest. You wondered, "What was it?"

"What was what?"

"Your trigger?" Joel sighed, shaking his head. So, you asked, "Your kid?"

His eyes snapped down to glare at you, making you look up at him with little patience. "Don't," he snapped.

"Think you're the only one 'round here who lost someone? Tragically?" You grunted, reaching your house's door. He paused with you and only then did you become acutely aware of your hold around his waist. You tried not to focus on the feel of his arm around your shoulders for balance, his coat blocking most of your feeling, but when you two stepped inside your home, Joel actually shed his jacket. "Make yourself comfortable," you offered, pointing towards the living room.

"That a fireplace? Looks new?"

"Oh, yeah, your brother helped me build it because he knows I prefer a fireplace over central," you shrugged, hanging both your coats up and toeing out of your work boots. "Sometimes the smell soothes me... Reminds me of summer nights before the world went to shit."

"Yeah," Joel sighed.

You nodded and moved to the master bathroom, grabbing the bottle you kept. "Here," you tossed the orange bottle at him, pills rattling like a decaying maraca. "I haven't used 'em all, and you could use one. Maybe two..."

"You still have these?" He asked in shock, shaking the container with a white, child-lock lid.

"I used most on the trip out here," you admitted, getting started on making a kettle of tea. "Wasn't easy... We lost 3/4ths of our group before we even got here."

Joel nodded, "I've seen some things."

"You and me, both, partner," you sighed, handing him some water. "Take one pill now, it'll help your chest."

"Why... Why does it feel like that?"

You paused, nodding at him, "Trauma has a way of keeping its grip on us, squeezing at inconvenient times. 'S not like there's psychiatrists out here, so, that's what I've got to help the pain..."

"It's not enough," Joel whispered, taking the single Xanax pill.

"Nothing ever will be," you eased. "Loss is exactly that, something we've lost. Something missed because loss means no more, to no longer have. Something we mourn because pain demands to be felt. And if we ignore it for long enough, sometimes, it'll build and build and build until it plugs our hearts up with grief."

"Hm."

You dressed the mugs of tea, telling him, "Not talkin' about it doesn't do what you think. We're all human, and one of the things that makes us human is our ability to empathize. Our ability to share stories and emotions and then to understand each other's pain. Look," you set the tea before him, moving for the loveseat in the next room before the fire, "you can put yourself in an early grave from stress or you can take a chance and try to heal yourself. Guilt will only weigh you down, and right now, it's sink or swim, darlin'."

Joel took the seat beside you, sighing, "Who did you lose?"

"Who didn't I lose?" You whispered back. "More than half my family didn't survive Outbreak Day and those who did, didn't last past 3 years. They're all gone, and some of them are gone by my negligence." You sighed and reached between the cushions for a flask, pouring just a hint of whiskey in your mug before doing the same to Joel's.

"What do you mean?"

"My baby sister was under my care and... And she got..." You sighed, shrugging, "Perhaps it's easier giving advice than taking it."

Joel's hand slowly reached out to brush against yours, hearing him whisper, "You don't have to tell me."

You sighed, taking his hand and leaning back into the cushion. "Moral of the story, Joel? It's a cruel world we live in, but you're not alone. You don't have to be ever again... And maybe, you can start working on how to process and let go of your guilt."

It was quiet for three long minutes, only the crackling of logs in the fire and slurping of tea was heard.

"Have you filtered yours?"

"A bit."

"Is that why you have nightmares, too?"

Your head snapped to look at Joel, who sighed, "I can hear your thoughts, kid, when you dream. When you're upset..."

"Just like you do, only... You now dream of both your daughters, don't you?"

"Ellie's not mine - "

"No, but you're responsible for her," you eased. "And now you fear failing her, as you feel you did Sarah, right?" Joel stared at you, but you squeezed his warm hand. "We both have lost much, Joel, and this world really fucked us over... But there's a choice that only we can make about working through our fears, doing better by those who we've lost in the past."

Joel sighed, "Can't believe it."

"Hmm?"

"Sittin' here," he mused, "before a fire, fuckin' tea in hand - with my other hand in yours... No, didn't think this was going to be a thing ever again."

"Hmm?"

"Feelin'... Safe."

You nodded, "Feeling's mutual."

"Hey, uh... How'd you know? That I was having that little episode - "

"It's called an anxiety attack and yes, they're different than a panic attack," you shrugged. "And, well... Do I have to explain it to you, or do you understand why we can hear each other's thoughts?"

"No, I, uh, I get what it means..."

"Then you know, when you feel in-trouble, I can hear you. So, something felt off, and luckily, I trusted my intuition."

Joel nodded, "Yeah... Lucky me."

"Do you make it a conscious effort to always sound like an asshole or is that just... How you are?"

The first time learning what he tastes like was after he came to you for comfort when he was heavily grieving his daughter after yelling at Ellie earlier. You frowned when you saw him, waving him into your house, and again, offering him a single anti-anxiety pill with a mug of room-temp tea.

You asked what happened, and he couldn't find the words. So, he let his guard down and allowed you to freely roam his thoughts as his anxiety still pumped him with adrenaline. You frowned at what he showed you glimpses of, frowning when you heard Joel telling Ellie that she was right, she wasn't his daughter...

"Joel?"

"Hmm?"

"Think you've got a decision to make."

"What're my choices?"

"Live and let live, letting go of the past, or... Let it kill you."

His eyes cut over to yours, "How'd you do it?"

"Hmm?"

"Live and let live, or whatever the fuck."

"If it were easy, everyone would do it," you admitted. "It took time. There's only so much a person can endure before they break, but instead of shattering, I simply leaked. I let my trauma leak by depending on others - not for anything other than human companionship. Your brother? He helped me a lot... He's a good man."

"He is."

"Doesn't mean you aren't. There's little use in comparing your life to others... It's not fair. It's never fair. But you have a choice on accepting the past and trying to heal or letting guilt consume you. That pain in your chest? Feelin' like you can't breathe? Feelin' like your heart is breaking all over again in your chest? That's you bein' consumed, but if you don't like it, you can make a decision about it."

He paused, the effects of the Xanax slowly taking affect as he didn't have much on his stomach and the pill seeped into his blood stream much faster. Then, Joel told you, "It's been hard."

"Doing what?"

"Takin' care of the girl - "

"She's got a name."

Joel nodded, "All right, yeah, Ellie. Taking care of Ellie just feels... Wrong."

"Because Sarah was the same age?"

He stiffened, "Don't - "

"You might wanna get used to the idea that I know about you," you sighed. "It's not his fault, but Tommy told me what happened... He needed a friend as much as I did, and he told me what happened. I can understand how much anxiety this generates for you, taking charge of a child the same age as your daughter when she died. I can understand why this would hurt you, but let me remind you, this ain't on the kids. They didn't do nothing. You think Ellie wanted to be born to help save the world?"

"Tommy tell you - "

"No, you forget, we live in each other's heads," you sighed. "I could hear you guys when your friend got bit..."

"Right."

"This isn't on anyone, Joel. You've reason to be apprehensive but I'm sorry to say, this can't be about you right now. This needs to be about Ellie... And from what it sounds like, she only trusts you and is used to everyone she loves leaving her. Don't give her more reason to hate this world and other people," you frowned. "She's been through enough, don't you think? Trust isn't given, it's earned, and we know if she was with Tommy, either could get hurt because neither trusts the other. You, on the other hand? She won't hesitate to listen and work in tandem with you. You might think letting her go with Tommy is saving her, it's the best and safest option, but she'll be scared shitless without you."

Joel sighed, "Guess since you know my mind so well, I should listen to you, huh?"

"Knowing you, you're still gonna do what'cha want," you eased with a shrug. "Just, one last thing?" He nodded. "Children shouldn't bear the sins of their fathers."

Joel stared at you for a long moment, then nodded sadly. "Think you might be right."

"There's no shame in fear, Joel," you reminded softly. "Whether you're 60 or 16, fear is a universal language we all speak. Especially now."

Joel slowly stood to his feet, "I should go. You probably had plans."

"Oh, yeah, for sure, big plans of sleeping," you teased, standing to face him. "You're welcome to stay."

"I should get back... Got a lot of thinkin' to do."

"All right, well, find me later. I work the morning and afternoon shift at the stable tomorrow."

He nodded slowly, looking between your eyes for a moment. "So... We can hear each other's thoughts?"

"Bit annoyin' when you're tryna work or eat or something and there's just a voice in your head. I learned to control it so that you come in my sleep. I like the ability to focus on you."

He breathed a long sigh, "I gotta admit, it's a comfort to me now. So, it's when we're stressed?"

"Sorta. Big, negative emotions can trigger our connection. It's only because soulmates want to protect each other, so, when apart, they hear emotions of stress, turmoil, anxiety... Adrenaline."

"So, if we're together, we won't hear each other's thoughts?"

"No," you smiled softly, "according to my mother, even if standing beside each other, mates will still hear each other. The goal is, however, to simply be at peace together and avoid stressful situations."

Joel frowned, "Why'd it take so long? To hear you?"

"The Connection between our thoughts aren't solidified until we're both 30. We would've had to meet in order for our thoughts to clash, and, uh, we did right before I left the Boston QZ. We were always destined to come back together, we just had to help each other get to where we needed."

Joel simply stared down at you, then, he nodded slowly, "So, soulmates, huh?"

"If you believe in such a thing."

"Can I try something?"

"That sounds suspicious..."

"It won't hurt."

"You don't sound reassuring at all."

"Just," he paused, sighing, "hold still."

"Oh," you understood, letting your eyes slid shut as his dominant calloused hand rose to hold your cheek. A moment later, his lips were pressed to yours - feeling chapped and raw from the blistering elements. However, when he stumbled through the motions, you took the lead to help him gain his pacing. Joel, by every means, wasn't a very good kisser but that was due to years of inactivity.

He sighed when your tongues swept over one another, deepening the kiss and forcing you two closer together. He tasted a little stale, maybe even with a fleeting taste of that evening's stew. But like his scent, Joel also had a taste that was all his meant only for you to identify. So far, it was a unique taste.

Was it... Pine?

Was it charcoal?

No, no... Could it be chocolate?

Hmm, now that you focused, you could distinguish the bolts of cocoa off his tongue. However, Joel thought the opposite and tasted a hint of raspberry on yours. The kiss was slow, a bit awkward, almost like two teens trying to figure out how to convey their excitement; but then, it turned even-tempoed.

It turned pleasant.

It turned almost exhilarating.

Perhaps it was because you were finally kissing someone or maybe it was because you were kissing your soulmate, Joel Miller. Whatever the reason, the kiss that started weak and turned pleasant soon became passionate and swelteringly hot.

His hands were in your hair, around your cheeks, down to hold your hips and waist, before circling around your waist to pull you in flush - but never disconnected the kiss. You, on the other hand, liked to keep hold of his neck and shoulders, just running your hands around his flesh before tugging on the short strands of hair at the base of his skull. Joel moaned into your mouth, so, you did it again.

"All right," he grit, pulling back, "you keep playin' with fire, girl, and you're gonna get burned."

"Look where we are... Think some heat would do us good."

He sighed, "I can't... Not tonight, not when... Not when she's leaving in the morning."

"Don't you mean, 'we'?"

"Hmm?"

You chuckled, "You meant to say, 'Not when we are leaving in the morning,' right?"

Joel sighed, "I gotta think - "

"I'm in your head, Joel," you whispered, "and I know you already made up your mind. You wouldn't ever actually leave her on her own."

He frowned, eyes darting back and forth between yours. Then, he whispered, "Think I could come back and see you? After all this?"

You nodded, "I'll be here."

Joel sighed, hands squeezing yours before turning and swiftly vacating your house. Like a girl in a '90s sitcom, your fingers toyed with your bottom lip as a grin stretched - and you giggled to yourself. Yeah, you fucking giggled - like you had some kind of crush! You knew you did, but this wasn't just a crush. Joel was your soulmate, and you had finally found him; not willing to let him go, but knowing there was a greater purpose than finding someone to live your life with. Case in point? Ellie - who needed Joel more than you right now.

You calmed your fluttering heart and got to bed, giddy for the morrow. When you got to the stables, nobody was there, so, you started on your chores. Not 20 minutes later, Joel showed up with a pack, and you chuckled before pointing out the horse he could use.

But before, Joel stepped up to you to offer a searing kiss to your lips before getting started on grooming the bay mount he would use. Only, this time? Your smile was impossible to hide, especially when Tommy and Ellie arrived to find their own horses for their journey. Tommy tossed his arm around your shoulders, the two of you chuckling as you thought how, despite her DNA, this feral little fucker was most definitely a copy of Joel.

Everyone seemed to see it but those two.

"Think they'll come back?"

Tommy sighed, watching the two ride off through the commune to approach the front gate. "They better," he muttered, giving to O-K to let the single horse carrying two passenger out of the fort and into the wilderness. "They better fuckin' come back," Tommy whispered with a frown.

"He'll look after her."

"Like you'll look after him," he nodded down at you, and together, you both turned back into the small town of Jackson in order to get morning chores done - after taste of mocha still left in your mouth.

requesting rules and masterlist

TLOU masterlist

#joel miller #joel miller imagine #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x y/n #joel tlou #joel miller tlou #joel miller fluff #joel miller angst #joel miller one shot #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #the last of us hbo #the last of us #hbo the last of us #tlou hbo #hbo tlou #tlou joel #tlou

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hauntedrain · 5 months

Text

Part 3: For Our Own Sanity | Alex Turner x Fem! Reader |

Social media AU Summary: Alex and readers relationship turns public after a string of events

Part 1: Here! Part 2: Here!

✮▹ A/N: <3

✰▹Warnings/Notices: old photos used, use of Reputation by TS. use of whore? if thats a problem. not edited: I wrote this late at night so might be a mess.

Liked by 1,345,674 others

@Arcticmonkeysupdates: The Arcticmonkeys have started their Lucky Stars World Tour, the first show was in London!

view all 19,453 comments

user1: HE LOOKS SO CUTE IN THE LAST SLIDE

user2: I cant wait for the US shows

user3: I Just wish Y/N was there for the songs shes apart of.

↪ user4: actually where tf is she? Like MIA for the last 2 months.

↪ user5: wheres mom!?

↪ user6: I don't understand why she would leave after releasing music with them.

↪ user7: I mean she was getting a lot of hate for the dating rumors before she left. so it kinda makes sense. still sad though.

liked by 2,456,378 others

@AlexTurnerUpdates: Alex has been seen with a mystery women in london after the Arcticmonkeys first show and later the following day. Sources say that they couldn't see the face of the girl and both were trying their best to stay out of the public eye.

view all 56,785 comments

user8: THATS NOT MOTHER.

user9: what.

↪ user10: Its not of our business.

↪ user11: I understand that but WHERES Y/N?

user12: So thats why Y/N isnt active anymore or?

↪ user13: Why would she do all that over a guy she would have been dating for at least 3 months?

↪ user14: I mean they could have started dating as early as a month or so after her break up with Milo. so at most 8 months together since Thank Your Lucky Star got released.

↪ user15: I just want Y/N back.

Alex Turner has posted a story!

story replies

↪ user16: WTF. FIRST TIME HE POSTS AND ITS THIS?

↪ user17: OMFG WHERES Y/N?

↪ user18: God its me again...

Liked by 10,567,239 others

@Y/Nupdates: Y/N has updated their profile picture on their instagram! This is the first sign of activity from Y/N since feburary 14th.

View all 5,457,453 comments

user19: WDYM? WDYM? Y/N?

user20: COME BACK THE KIDS MISS YOU.

user21: Okay so first Alex with a mystery girl then this? WHATS HAPPENING?

user22: This is gonna be GOOD.

Liked by 9,456,465 others

@Y/Nupdates: Sources have said that a new Y/N album might be underway and that she might be making a comeback. There's no specific details about this and the sources are undisclosed!

View all 3,997,675 comments

user23: NEW ALBUM, NEW Y/N, A COMEBACK?

user24: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BE TRUE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

user25: THEY SAID I DID SOMETHING BAD

user26: Okay but what going on with her and alex?

↪ user27: I bet it was PR tbh.

↪ user28: Or she just left him like she does everyone else!

↪ user29: FR. I bet she got bored of Alex and moved on. Now he found someone better.

↪ user30: Y'all need to calm down, we know nothing about them and again its none of our business.

↪user31: Just admit she's a whore and we would move on. I mean look at her dating history, they've never lasted and clearly they never will. shell make music about them and then leave them once its done and over.

liked by 25,304,056 others

@Y/N: they say I did something bad?

comments have been disabled

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ taglist: @mathdebate00 @ouroboros311 @joannfabrics

⭒❃.✮:▹A/N: Enjoy! I hope you guys like it, feedback and requests are welcome. Also how do we feel about the use of reputation? It was one of the only big things that I think works and fits well with the storyline but you tell me! love you guys <3

#alex turner fluff #alex turner imagine #alex turner x reader #alex turner fic #alex turner fanfic #arctic monkeys #alex turner #alex turner x you #alex turner x y/n #alex turner x oc #imagine #x reader #fem reader #my fic

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theamityelf · 21 days

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In the Mini THH AU, the first motive is a little different. Closer to the THH first motive:

Each of the senpais is given an envelope and told that it contains a true thing that happened to someone or something they love during the time they don't remember.

(The kouhais don't get directly targeted for any motive stuff; being physically tiny during a killing game is already a pretty big motive, and they themselves serve as motives to their senpais in different ways.)

Imposter pretty immediately orders the group not to open their envelopes: The envelopes are explicitly designed to make them want to start the killing game. "So long as your envelope is sealed, we'll know that you have no motive to kill anyone." (Meaning, anyone with an open envelope will become a suspect.)

Fuyuhiko of course ignores him and opens his envelope and takes out a photograph of his dead sister, with a caption that reads 'Natsumi Kuzuryu, beaten to death by Sato [surname]'. He freaks out, but someone points out that the photo could be edited/fake, to upset him into murdering someone.

Nagito says, "Why don't you ask Mahiru? I'm sure the Ultimate Photographer would know the difference between an edited and unedited photo."

Fuyuhiko brandishes the photo at Mahiru, demanding to know whether it's fake.

Mahiru knows that the photo isn't edited. But she sees the caption and just generally reads the room enough to know that she can't tell them that, so she says it's fake and makes up a really detailed reason why she can tell it's fake, related to the size of the lens, etc.

Fuyuhiko isn't entirely mollified, but he subsides for the moment, basically storming off. Now everyone's curious what's in their envelope, but Imposter and Mahiru remind everyone that the photos are fake and they can't let Monokuma trick them into killing each other, so they don't open their envelopes. They go back to their cabins.

In his cabin, Nagito checks his envelope. Makoto thinks it's a bad idea, but Nagito brushes off his concerns with a smile.

The photo is just of his house on fire, with a caption matter-of-factly referring to an angry mob. Nagito shrugs, like, "It happens."

Makoto says, "I'm sorry about your house. I hope your family is okay."

Nagito explains that his family is dead and cheerfully brushes off attempts to comfort him about it, but ultimately he and Makoto have a pretty nice conversation. Under normal circumstances, he might want the others to open their envelopes, but Makoto has convinced him not to instigate in that way.

In her cabin, Mahiru opens her envelope.

It shows a picture of her dad, with a caption saying he was killed by Kazuichi. (A lot of the envelopes say the loved ones were killed by Kazuichi, because the machines he made count as his own kills. Though it doesn't explain that much; it just says he killed them.) She knows the photo isn't edited.

Teruteru may or may not open his envelope; if he does, he'll convince himself the contents are a lie. Imposter not only doesn't open his, but he puts it where no one else can find or open it, successfully preventing Junko from implicating him. Mikan doesn't open hers. Gundham maybe doesn't open it at first, but Toko or Syo talk him into it, or Syo just opens it herself and once the seal is broken he may as well look. Nekomaru, Chiaki, Sonia, Akane, and Hajime don't open theirs.

Ibuki doesn't open hers, but Sayaka opens it for her. Once again, a loved one killed by "Kazuichi".

Hiyoko opens hers; same deal.

Peko has to open hers to make sure Fuyuhiko isn't the only one with a motive, and hers is maybe a person she trained with or under. Also killed by Kazuichi.

Kazuichi doesn't open his, but he does notice that some of his classmates are looking at him differently and treating him oddly. They don't admit that they've opened their envelopes, but their hostile or skittish vibes toward him make his nervousness skyrocket, to the point where Chihiro is the one comforting him.

Peko in particular frightens him. Since the person in her envelope was probably yakuza, Fuyuhiko gives her the go-ahead to confront him, demanding an explanation.

Which of course he can't give, and the confrontation is inconclusive on her end and very scary on his. He was probably fearing for his life the whole time.

So, when Mahiru tries to pull him aside one evening, he's already super on edge; he thinks it's Peko coming back to finish him off. Maybe he swings his wrench at her, in what he perceives as self-defense, and she dodges, takes it as a deliberate attack, and impulsively pushes him down the stairs or something of the sort.

(As he's falling, Chihiro flies out of his pocket and then lands on his chest. Possibly injured by the fall, but not dead. Kazuichi is, though. Sorry I keep killing him first, but if it helps, he had a great dynamic with Chihiro before this. Super respectful. They unpacked a lot of their hangups about gender together. It was great.)

Mahiru bursts into tears, shocked and horrified, and that's when Nagito happens across her, dries her tears, and offers his help covering up the crime.

A distraught Mahiru basically just watches dazedly as Nagito puts Makoto in his pocket and zips it up, hides Chihiro someplace safe but out of the way (maybe just taking them back to their terrarium in Kazuichi's cabin, where they have food and water already, and making it so the electric door won't open), and moves the body to where it won't be found until later.

He encourages her to just return to her own cabin and get some rest. And calm her kouhai; Hifumi looks really stressed, and it would be bad if he gave her away.

While he's in Kazuichi's cabin hiding Chihiro away, he also opens Kazuichi's envelope to complicate things and makes various tool sounds so people will think Kazuichi is in there working, to confuse the time of death. And he briefly takes Makoto out of his pocket, to try to calm him down (and also feed him, because they will be missing breakfast; if he went to breakfast and didn't let Makoto out of his pocket, people would notice, and if he did let Makoto out of his pocket, Makoto would tell people what happened).

Plus, not showing up to breakfast would make him a suspect, which is good for the mystery.

"I know you're upset, but you really should eat," Nagito sighs, holding Makoto securely in one hand and a palm full of breadcrumbs in the other. "It's going to be a long day. Hey, it's not too hot in my pocket, is it? I'm not sure how your small body handles my body heat. I'll just wrap an ice cube in a napkin and put it in there with you, okay?"

#danganronpa #mini thh au #ultimate imposter #fuyuhiko kuzuryu #mahiru koizumi #nagito komaeda #kazuichi soda #komazumi #komaegi #makoto with nagito variant

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fahbev · 8 months

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Babs, Bruce and Danny in my dpxdc merfolk au!!!

argh, plz excuse the poorly edited photo lmao- lost a lot of detail TvT

Babs has her info Here. But this is her design! I’m not actually entirely sure if any of these designs are final, i might tweak them, but here she is! I gave her necklaces.

Bruce is based on a leatherback sea turtle! The spots aren’t actually super accurate to a leatherback’s underside, but if you look at it a little harder... you may find a fun little easter egg. It’s subtle... or at least i tried to make it that way. (If people don’t get it i’ll explain in a rb lol) Did you know that leatherback sea turtles can be up to 880 pounds? Idk what that is in metric but that’s roughly 7 and a half Bahfevs. They’re also much more triangular/less round than other turtles, so I reflected that in his design. And ofc, Bruce and Damian are both sea turtles bc they’re related. But they’re different sea turtle species so it doesn’t make much sense. Who gives a flip. What’s Talia, you ask? To that I say: 🤷‍♀️

(Side note: apparently, I’ve conditioned myself so I can’t draw nuetral expressions. It’s gotta have some emotion or else it looks wrong, and it feels natural to always have something going on there. So... drawing Stoic McStoicface here was a pain in the penis. He kinda has an expression anyway lol)

Danny is based on a ghost knife fish! I’ll be honest, i didn’t even know these existed until I looked up “ghost fish” in the hopes of finding something thematic. But then... omg! They’re black with little white accents? Like Danny’s design? And they have cool, funky bodies? AND they produce electricity!?? That’s so FKING COOL! I’ll have to do more research, but so far i’m pretty sure they don’t produce enough electricity to hurt someone. They are related to electric eels though! I first learned that electric eels were knife fish and not true eels when I was researching the moray eel for Duke. Funny how that connects!

Danny’s story under the cut!

Heehoo!

Okay so basically: Danny went diving to gather pearls because he wanted to make his parents happy/proud. While he was diving, His foot got caught in a rock and he couldn’t get it out. He panicked and he begged— to who? God, maybe? The universe, or the ocean? Maybe just begging fate or any higher power that could be out there, he doesn’t know. His only prayer was “Don’t let me drown!”. Unbeknownst to him, one of the pearls he’d grabbed was a magic, wish granting pearl. They’re rare enough that humans don’t even have legends of them... but the merfolk do ;).

The pearl took his very non-specific wish and decided to give him a tail and gills. He swam back up in a panic, and saw his new tail. Of course, this is a very horrifying thing to happen. But in less than a minute... it was already starting to dry off. As it dried, it turned back into skin.

Now, Danny has to be extremely careful not to get his legs or hair wet when he’s near people, because he’ll turn back into a merboy.

i... probably should have given him a shirt? He’d be wearing it, right? But i also did need to see what I was doing with that fin thing lol. I mean, a shirt would get annoying with that fin- he’d probably take it off. Tbh he’d probably have it off when swimming in general? Idk.

So: funny thing that happened when I was drawing Danny:

A first grader came up to me while I had it open on my desk, and she was like:

“Oh my god, that’s so good! Like, how did you even draw that?”

so I was like: “Oh thank you! ❤️”

And I think she asked again “How did you even draw that?”

so I was a little confused on how to answer, so I said:

“Well, I used my pencil...” and held up my pencil—

and then she got distracted by a spinny chair.

She’s so precious omg 🥰

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15minlatewithbatbucks · 7 months

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untitled janet/talia, Bruce's bio kid Tim AU pt. 1 (NOW no choice but to love you)

AO3 Link (a little behind, but better edited)

Janet scheduled her appointment with Bruce Wayne for a Tuesday.

Mondays were for business matters that came up over the weekend, easing back into the daily grind, and not much else. Wednesdays were notorious for dragging on and putting everyone in a poor mood. Thursdays were basically the weekend and Fridays for men like Bruce Wayne were simply not.

It had been a struggle to get such a short notice appointment, but she was wily and knew how to sweet talk assistants and secretaries alike and as such she earned herself her preferred time.

Tuesday morning at 9:30 am.

Sitting in her car at 8:53 am, Janet could only continue driving herself mad with her own swirling thoughts and recriminations. On one hand, she could leave and say “fuck it” to all of her hard work getting this meeting with Gotham’s unofficial official prince. Who would know? Not Bruce Wayne or the paparazzi, that’s for sure.

Unfortunately, she’d learned the hard way that avoiding this particular problem hadn’t made it go away. No, something had to give and she knew it was going to have to be her.

The thick stack of divorce papers on the passenger’s seat said as much.

She wasn’t much for dithering, not really. She’d gotten her crying out in the shower this morning like an adult and she wasn’t keen on revisiting it. She would have to redo her whole face, probably while walking through Wayne Enterprises to avoid being late. She could only imaging what the soulless corporate drones would think of her.

She let herself wallow until the clocked ticked over to 9. Then she killed the engine and climbed out, smoothing her business casual blouse and skirt. Checking her reflection in her side mirror, she fiddled with her ponytail and squinted over her eyeliner – was it uneven? Oh well. There wasn’t time to fix it now.

Before she walked away, she grabbed her purse from the backseat and checked its contents.

This was a first for her, she thought with a humorless smile; one of the most important business meetings of her life and she was walking into it armed only with a child sized toothbrush and a hairbrush. She would have to stop for replacements on her way home and thought that maybe Tim might like to go with her. The toothbrush was from a passing interest in dinosaurs and these days he was more of a superhero type kid.

The young woman at the front desk – the girl, really, was Bruce recruiting out of middle school? - rattled off a list of rules and restrictions for visitors as she efficiently issued Janet’s visitors pass. Tacked on at the end, she gave impressively detailed instructions on how to get the elevators and which one to take.

Janet nodded easily and was just about to move around to the plainly visible elevators behind the desk when a man appeared and slid into the vacant chair beside the girl. He gave her a little paper cup and kept the other one for himself.

“Sorry,” he said with an easy grin. “You treating our guests right, Becca?”

“I did the badge all by myself,” she confirmed, a slight smile peeking out from behind her general teenage apathy.

“Sorry,” he said again, turning his attention to Janet. He glanced over her pass quickly. “It’s bring your kid to work day, but you don’t need to worry about that if you’re visiting Mr. Wayne. His kids don’t like coming here any more than their daddy does. And the littlest one isn’t going anywhere soon!”

Janet’s answering smile was glass.

“My son actually loves coming to the office with me,” she said, choking back heavy guilt. She never should have come here. She should have made different choices ten times over, never should have dragged her son down with her. “He thinks shuffling paper is the single most important thing any businessman can do. I think he likes the sound of the paper on wood.”

“And he’s right as far as I can tell,” the man – his name tag read “Ron” – agreed easily.

Janet faked a laugh and extracted herself with a friendly shrug before bee-lining for the restrooms. She found a stall and firmly locked herself in before her face screwed up in misery. She shook her hands out, wanting to press them into her eyes or grip her hair, but she couldn’t ruin her mascara or her ponytail.

She forced herself to stop and took her phone out instead. Her phone background was a breathtaking view from a rented home in Tambobamba. She felt, if possible, shittier. Other mothers had their children as their background or lock screen.

Turning her screen off and then on, she stared judgmentally at the picture there of her and Jack. She would have to change that soon.

Then, just because she was deep in her self-loathing, she clicked through into her photo gallery. The last picture she’d taken of Tim was almost a week old from when the two of them went for ice cream after she’d fought with Jack – it had been a desperate grab for normalcy and she’d immediately posted it to her social medias, desperate for someone to see how hard she was trying and-

And what? Praise her for doing the bare minimum?

Tim was a cute kid, he was. But he was so sticky and clingy and he always talked too loud and after Tim fell asleep in his car seat on the way home Janet had cried herself nearly sick.

Janet swiped back to the home screen to search what she’d originally intended when she took her phone out.

Talia al Ghul due date

From the gossip rags, it looked like Talia would have a late summer baby. A son. Bruce Wayne’s “first” blood son.

Just after Tim’s birthday, she thought. Which was... just over two weeks away at this point. She had nothing planned yet. What did people do for sixth birthdays?

…Hiring a clown was probably out.

Janet didn’t sigh, very aware that there were other people coming in and out of the public restroom. She double checked that her phone was set to silent before stowing it away again. Not that many people were clamoring for her time, not anymore. She was viciously glad of the fact. Let Jack choke on all the emails he couldn’t bother reading for all she cared.

Janet slid the lock and stepped out into the fray once more.

She still washed her hands because she wasn’t a savage and quickly exited the bathroom. Now that she knew to look for it, a few of the people she saw around did look too young for the workforce. Stepping into the elevator she needed, she was joined by a couple of employees dressed smartly and a girl around Tim’s age in a shimmering mermaid tail dress.

This had to be a punishment. This was as close to Hell as she believed in.

The little girl chattered happily up until the 21st floor when she was pulled out of the elevator by her mother. The other employee got off on the 25th and Janet rode nearly to the top all alone.

#tim drake #janet drake #batman #robin #dc #my writing tag #bio kid tim AU #fic: no choice but to love you

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modern-day-bard · 5 days

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Other Duties As Assigned: A Joel Miller Fanfiction

Summary: Guinevere Russell is the sole heir to the multimedia conglomerate, Russell Corp. After obtaining her MBA and moving home to New York City, she’s been forced to return to a tumultuous relationship with her father and the rest of the board. Gwen would prefer to run off with her friends and see just how far she can take a distraction, and she’s perfectly happy doing so. That is, until her father hires a bodyguard to keep a watchful eye on her. She just can’t figure out if he was hired for her safety, or to uncover the secrets no one else knows she possesses…

Joel Miller is a personal security officer on leave from his last assignment, where he worked abroad for a U.S. embassy. He has avoided private security detail for years after a life-changing accident, but when he gets this call, the money is too good to pass up. But Joel has never met a client with such an aversion to being protected. Regardless of the paycheck, Joel will soon realize this is his biggest challenge yet, but not for the reason he thinks…

When their secrets, both past and present, collide in a mixture of tension and new-found feelings, the results can be catastrophic. Now, Gwen’s safety is put at risk more than ever before, and the two of them have to get to the bottom of the mystery, and what they mean to each other, before it’s too late. Author's Note: Hello! This is my second attempt at fan-fiction and I just need to warn you all that this is a SLOW. BURN. If anyone has read my other fic, Worth The Feeling, it has a very different pace. It is also my first time writing from the male perspective, and writing any story that is dual POV. Also unlike my last fic, this one is a work in progress and it’s much, much longer. I want to try to get the chapters out at a steady pace as best I can, but I also want to prioritize editing this time, and balancing that with writing the new chapters. Last time I was so nervous that I just put the entire thing out as fast as possible without editing it lol. Another change I made for this fic is that I did add physical descriptors of these original characters this time. I had a clear picture of Gwen from the start and I ran with it in the hopes that anyone reading could still connect with the story. I hope people can still picture themselves if they wish, regardless of how she is described. Visibility is very important to me, and whoever you are, you are welcome in my story. I would also like to add that though I would consider this fic a romance/rom-com, it has a slightly darker tone. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but this is strictly for adults only. There is explicit smut and mature themes such as drinking, stalking, mentions/descriptions of death, military flashbacks, and violence. There are also mentions of sexual harassment, but absolutely no mentions of sexual assault. Additionally, there is an age-gap with Gwen being 28 and Joel being 39. With that being said, I’ve been having so much fun putting this story together. Picturing an AU with no outbreak, wondering what Joel might have done as a career instead of contracting, and creating a love interest who is equally as stubborn for him to play off of has been a blast. I really hope anyone who chooses to read this story enjoys it! If you are one of those people, thank you so much!

Chapter 1: Games Gwen

This is the moment where I finally punch a man in the face. My fingers are already curled into a fist, though with my acrylics, I’m worried that I’ll puncture my skin before I even make contact with Arthur’s wrinkled cheek.

“I’m not going,” I say through gritted teeth.

Arthur pinches the bridge of his nose. “For the last time, Guinevere, you will be attending the gala. That’s final.”

“If it’s so important,” I spit, “Why doesn’t my father ask me himself?”

“He did. Three months ago.”

“An invitation identical to the ones sent out to hundreds of other people doesn't count.”

Arthur clenches his jaw, and I continue to clench my fist. We’ve done this several other times, for several other events that I was expected to attempt on behalf of my father. Every other time, I gave in. It was usually after a freeze to my trust fund was brought up, but still, I complied.

Not this time. I refuse. Another giant room full of giant egos with giant wallets. All I want to do is dance. And not the boring, mediocre slow dancing that takes place at these stuffy events. I want to be messy and loose. I want to feel the base all the way down to my toes. It would be a nice reprieve from this tension building up within me these last few months. Tension that is only being pulled tighter with this Arthur stare-down.

“Guinevere,” He sighs.

“Arthur.”

“You know, most young ladies would actually enjoy spending their evening at the Plaza. You have your own hair and makeup team for Christ’s sake.”

“Most young ladies have autonomy over how to spend a Saturday night.”

He slaps his hands against the pants of his Armani suit in exasperation. “Well what else could you possibly want to do instead?”

“I want to dance, Arthur. I want to go have fun and not be tied down to all these engagements where no one actually cares about important issues.”

“You can dance and have fun in a room full of important people, important shareholders whom you need to impress.”

We stare each other down again, but his words make me rethink my night. Not for any of the reasons he’s suggesting, of course. But he’s right. I could have some fun of my own. And I could make a statement while doing so.

“You know what, you’re right.” I give him a saccharine smile.

“I am? I mean—yes. Good. I hope you’ll be ready in time.” Arthur checks his watch.

“I’ll be ready to leave in an hour.” I flick my hair behind me and stroll out of the mahogany-filled office. I’m assuming that one of the housekeepers already let the hair and makeup team up to my old room, especially since Arthur assumed I would cave. Which, technically, I have. But if my father and his advisors can decide where my evening takes place, they don’t get to decide how it takes place.

“Gwen!” Mateo sings as I enter the dressing room.

“Hey, Mateo,” I soften my voice, giving him a double-cheek kiss.

“I understand it’s sort of a quick turn-around tonight,” He says, motioning me to sit in the plush chair closest to the window.

“That is a polite way to say I dug my heels in as long as possible.”

Mateo snickers, just as Aria comes out of the adjoining bathroom.

“Hey, doll,” She pats my head as she sets up an assortment of styling tools on the table behind me. “What are you thinking for tonight?”

I smirk to myself. “I’m thinking of going out after this,” a harmless white lie, “So I’d like some dark eyes and slightly… wild hair. Other than that, let your creative juices fly.”

I don’t miss the two of them exchange a look in the mirror. Typically, unless we are working with the rare occasion wherein I get to plan my own evening, we go for a clean look. Clearly done up, but still polished. Hair pulled back, light peach or gold on the eyes. But despite their surprise, they get to work.

Forty-five minutes later, my thick blond waves have been volumized, teased and smoothed. Mateo made my eyes the smokiest he’s ever made them, and my lips were glossy enough to match the shimmer of the glittery silver on top of my lids. It was perfect.

“Evelyn couldn’t make it, but she sent options,” Aria says as she helps me over to the dressing area.

I flip through the rolling rack that my stylist, or rather, my father-approved stylist, picked out. All of the dresses were plain and respectable. Sophisticated. Not at all the type I would need for tonight. That is until I come across a black and silver sleeveless dress. Perfectly modest, as the sheer fabric had a slip built in.

“Aria?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have scissors with you by any chance?”

- - -

The weather was on my side with my scheme. While on some nights, my long black trench coat would have seemed odd in the heat, tonight’s cool air provided the necessary formula to pull this off. With this chill, it wasn’t suspicious of me to get in the car fully covering my dress. I probably wouldn’t have bothered with it at all if Arthur and I weren’t taking the same car there. Even being an advisor to my father and a lawyer for the Russell Corporation, and with every expectation for him to attend tonight, I still get the feeling we’re carpooling so he can ensure that I actually show up.

When we arrive at the Plaza, Arthur helps me out of the car, and several cameras flash in my face. I smile, giving a few of them a small wave on my way in. I’ll make sure they’re there to see me on my way out so they can get the full view.

Once inside, Arthur guides me toward the coat check, but I wave him on ahead.

“I’ll be there in a minute. I need to find my gloss and reapply.” I gesture to my puckered lips, knowing it will make him uncomfortable enough to leave me alone.

He enters the banquet hall, and I unbutton my coat, tossing it to the attendant, reveling in the way his eyes widen. Exactly what I had hoped.

Two more attendants open the double doors of the banquet hall for me, and I square my shoulders. The black fabric, now completely sheer after I cut out the opaque slip, does absolutely nothing but accentuate my visible black bra and skimpy panties. I scan the room, noting a few stares from attendees near the door, and find the jackpot: the bar.

Taking my time on the way, I make a few purposeful detours and wave at familiar, frustrating faces. I take extra care to sway my hips from side to side, especially when I leave those faces behind me. The room, I have to admit, is spectacular. Each circular table is filled with bouquets of white flowers and green accents, and there are several living trees placed around the room. There is a stage in the front of the hall that matches the white tablecloths around it, and the reflective floor bounces off the light from one of the many chandeliers above. Though I would never tell him, Arthur had been right about the fact that this is a lovely place to be. Just maybe under different circumstances.

When I do finally reach the bar, I order three shots of tequila, despite the bartender’s apprehensive face.

“Cheers,” I wink at him, downing all three shots in tandem.

“Um, Miss Russell,” I hear him say as I walk away. I turn back around, only answering with a raised brow.

“Even with the open bar, we’re offering bottles for purchase. All proceeds go to the charity selected this evening?” I take pity on him, ending that fact like a question.

“Alright. How much?”

“Ten thousand a piece, miss.”

“Really?” In this room, with these people? I thought they wanted to raise money for charity, “I’ll take two.”

Normally, I would feel obligated to talk to as many people as possible. I’d want to see how their children were, how they felt about their investment in my father’s company, or how their other endeavors were going, and particularly, how lucrative those endeavors are. But tonight, I simply carry the two bottles back to my table, and pop one. The noise makes several attendees glance over, but when they see who it is, they try to pretend they were looking elsewhere.

I have the bottle pressed against my lips when I hear a voice rather akin to applying a cheese grater to my nerves.

“Gwenny, darling. How are you?”

I turn, still sipping the champagne. I don’t reply, trying to keep my face as impassive as possible.

“I believe we’re at the same table tonight.” He takes a seat next to me, draping his arm across my chair.

I remove the bottle from my lips with a loud pop. “Daniel, if we have to suffer each other’s company for an entire evening, do you think you could allow me a little space to breathe?” I scooch to the side enough to remove his arm and place it on his lap.

“I'm the majority shareholder, sweetheart. I can sit where I wish,” His voice is dripping in a honey only I can recognize as disdain.

I scoff, “Majority behind me, and behind my father. So congrats,” I raise the bottle in my right hand, “You’ve made third place. You can collect your participation trophy at least three seats away from me.”

“I suppose, but then I would miss out on the view,” Daniel says in a hushed tone, his eyes scanning over my figure. My tequila threatens to make a reappearance at his words. I open my mouth to reply, but I hear a familiar clearing of a throat next to me. Arthur.

“Guinevere, may I have a word?”

“Sure thing,” I glance up at him.

“In private,” He says through gritted teeth. His eyes glance upward, and I note that a few people are taking their seats at our table.

“Here is fine,” I smile.

I can practically see the steam pouring out of his ears. Nevertheless, he leans down to whisper to me.

“There seems to be a problem with your dress.”

I glance down for added effect. “There’s no problem. I haven’t spilled anything on it.”

“Guinevere. It is more see through than if you had spilled something on it. What happened to what Evelyn chose for you?”

“That’s what happened,” I poke him gently in the chest, “She chose it for me. I figured that I deserved to style it however I wanted.” I hear myself slur the last couple of words. The tequila must be kicking in.

Arthur just stares at me for a moment.

“Do you want to be on the cover of every tabloid tomorrow morning? Or do you just enjoy raising my blood pressure?”

“I mean no harm to you, Arthur,” I say sincerely, “Now go take your seat. The auction will be starting soon.”

With a deep inhale, a brief smile, and wave at my now almost-full table, Arthur leaves.

“He’s right, you know,” Daniel chimes in because, when does he not? “You’re asking for trouble.”

I ignore him, turning to the middle-aged woman who is taking the seat to my left. I smile at her when she notices me, and she blinks several times as if to confirm what she is seeing.

“Hi there,” I extend my hand, “I’m Gwen.”

“Miss Russell! Of course. Pleasure to meet you,” She shakes my hand, and it takes her another moment to add, “Oh, I’m Lucille. My husband, Richard Allen, is in finance for the entertainment division.” She gestures to the man next to her, and he extends his hand as well, his eyes widening when I give him a smile.

“Pleasure,” I say to them both, “Tell me, Lucille, did you know they’re selling champagne here tonight for the benefit?”

“No, ma’am, I did not.” She looks surprised by my question. Maybe she’s surprised that I’m still talking to her.

“Please, call me Gwen. And I insist that both of you try it. I can’t possibly finish both of these bottles by myself.” A lie. I could definitely finish these tonight. Still, I start to uncork the second bottle despite Lucille’s meager attempt to dismiss the idea.

“I insist,” I say, standing to pour both Lucille and Richard’s glasses until they nearly overflow. “Actually,” I raise my voice, addressing the entire table. “Who else would like to try?” The rest of the guests look rather stunned, but they slowly raise their glasses. A waiter passes by, and I grab his attention. “Two more of these, please.”

“Two more bottles?” Daniel mutters, sipping delicately on whatever sad dark liquor he chose for the evening.

“Yup, and none for you.” I breeze by his chair, and take a turn around the table, pouring champagne into everyone’s glass. Two tables nearby have turned to glance over, either due to the fact that I am nearly naked, or because of the satisfied cheers from my heavy pour.

“In the spirit of giving,” I say as I pour the last two glasses, “I recommend we put these charitable drinks to good use. Who wants to play a drinking game?”

No one else at this table is under thirty, or maybe even forty, which explains a few of their bewildered expressions. Daniel is close at thirty-one, and I can guarantee whatever fraternity he was involved in taught him a thing or two about drinking games, but I would rather he didn’t participate.

I got a couple of halfhearted nods, but no verbal commitment. The lights flash twice, indicating that the auction is about to start. “Come on, everybody. For every glass you finish, I’ll donate an extra thousand. Lucille? Richard?” I glance at my table-mates.

“Oh, yes, of course.” Lucille says.

“Sounds like fun!” Richard starts chugging.

“That’s the spirit!” I follow suit, and soon several of them around the table start to drink as well.

“To add some extra… motivation, if you will,” I stifle a hiccup, “Every time that announcer says the word ‘generous,’ take a sip. Same goes for when they say ‘Russell Foundation.’” Daniel scratches his chin, but the others look intrigued now, a few of them chuckling.

“Two sips when there’s a bidding war.” An older gentleman on the other side of the table calls out.

“Yes! I love it. Anyone else?”

“Finish your drink when the bid is over a hundred thousand!” The woman next to him adds.

“Excellent idea. I’ll be watching all of you, so you better drink up.” The whole table now, sans Daniel, seems to be on board. Maybe they were as bored of these events as I was.

“Ladies and Gentleman, please take your seats.” I hear over the intercom as an older man with glasses takes the stage and welcome’s everyone to the gala. Honestly, I miss most of what he says because I’m so focused on making sure my table plays by the rules. I’m also way more dazzled by the sparkles on my dress now, and I start to count some on my knee.

As the auction gets going, I pull my phone out of my clutch to make note of how much I need to donate when this is all over. The man who suggested the bidding war, who I learned is Matt, or Mike, I can’t remember, has already cost me three grand. His wife cost me two. Our table keeps getting looks from nearby, but all it does is fuel me to keep going. As a weekend in the Hamptons gets a bid of $200,000, the rest of the table and I down our next glass.

“You might want to take a breather, Gwenny.” Daniel whispers next to me.

“You might want to pop a mint, Daniel.” I mimic his condescending tone as best I can.

Lucille glances over, I realize that might have come out louder than I intended.

“Fine. Slur your entire speech if you want.”

“Yeah, I will—what?” He has my full attention now.

“Your speech, darling. Why do you think you were needed here if your father couldn’t make it?” The smug smile on his face is driving me nuts, and I need to confirm if he’s just pulling my leg.

“I…to make an appearance. I appeared.” Had Arthur even mentioned that?

Daniel leans in, his arm around my chair once more, “You need to thank all of your guests.”

Fuck.

I stare down Daniel for a minute, and just to piss him off, I keep eye contact as I take his glass from his hands, and finish it as well. He narrows his eyes, but I’m spluttering at whatever was in that glass.

“Christ. You do hate yourself don’t you,” I mutter.

“We only have two more items to auction off this evening, folks. Myself and the Russell Foundation appreciate your generosity,” The announcer holds for applause.

“That’s two, drink up people!” I raise my glass to my table, and they all follow suit.

“Before we finish off tonight, I would like to invite Guinevere Russell up on the stage. Miss Russell?”

My table erupts with applause, and I shoot to my feet. Way, way too quickly.

I stumble, catching myself on the back of Lucille’s chair. I keep a pleasant smile plastered on my face as I walk like a baby giraffe up to the stage. One of the attendants offers his arm to help me up the steps, which I gratefully accept. The sound of my heels clicking on the stage seems to ring out around me, and the man with the glasses hands me the microphone with a nervous smile.

When I face the audience, I cover my eyes for a second, blinded by the spotlight.

“Yikes,” I hiss before realizing I was speaking into the microphone now. A few people politely chuckle from somewhere beneath me.

“I would say it’s nice to see you all, but I can’t see anything.” A few more chuckles from the audience, and then the spotlight dies down a little.

“Ah, there we go. Hello, everyone. How are we doing tonight?”

There is a loud round of applause. Now that I can see a little better, this room is actually quite full. There must be at least 500 guests. I straighten up a bit, flicking a hair away from my face.

“Wonderful, wonderful. I appreciate all of you showing up here tonight, for such an important cause,” I hope the contempt in my voice isn’t too clear, not yet. “And of course for your continuous generosity toward the Russell Foundation. That’s one sip, table one,” I point in their general direction, and my table hollers. Some of the people below me look confused. “We’re playing a drinking game over there, sorry. It’s also for a good cause.” Some of the laughter sounds forced now.

“Anyway, again, thank you all so much for coming. I know my father wishes he could be here tonight to see how much money you all are willing to spend on yet another trip to Aspen. But, alas,” Hiccup, “You’re stuck with me. Which brings us to our final item up for auction today—”

The man with the glasses takes a step forward, whispering in my ear.

“Ah, never mind. This will be the second-to-last item. Or the third. Whatever, it brings me to what I wanted to auction off.”

I do a small twirl, faltering slightly, and land with my hand on my hip, part of my exposed backside facing the crowd, “Me.”

The crowd immediately begins murmuring to each other, sounds of both concern and consideration wash through the banquet hall.

“Dinner with me, on a night of your choosing. I thought I should give a little preview of your purchase,” I gesture to my outfit, and the man behind me coughs several times, probably trying to get my attention. I don’t even give him a glance.

“All for a good cause, folks” I survey the tables beneath me, and point to the burly man with red cheeks that I know all too well, “What about you, Ralph? Oh wait, I’m sorry, you don’t date above twenty-five.” I move over to the other side of the stage, leaving Ralph's beet red face, and his shell-shocked table behind me. “Or you, Murphy!” I point at a skinny fifty-year-old at table six, “We know this isn’t the first time you’ve thought about it. In fact, you’ve mentioned it to me before. Why not do it for charity?” Murphy’s face contorts, and if looks could kill, Murphy's fiancé would have incinerated him on the spot.

I do a quick turn back toward the center of the stage, but I wish I hadn’t. Even when I stop spinning, the room doesn’t. I don’t think the last of whatever Daniel was drinking is sitting well with me. Well with me, and my champagne…and my tequila. God, I don’t feel good.

When the room stands still again, I slowly make my way back to centerstage.

“Letssss start the bidding off at 50—50,000.” I try to steady myself, but my heels aren’t helping.

Suddenly, I hear quickened footsteps to the stairs on my left, and the crowd erupts in applause. When the person’s face comes into view, my stomach might as well have fallen out of my ass.

“Dad?” I say into the mic. The mic which is now being, very forcefully, ripped out of my hand.

“Hello, everyone!” my father says cheerfully over the microphone, placing a steady, warning hand on my back. “You’ll have to excuse my daughter’s attempt at improv. You study for a couple months in Europe and suddenly you think you’ve got an act.” More polite laughter, but I can still see some scowling faces. Even though I’m not moving anymore, it feels like my stomach is doing cartwheels.

“I didn’t think I would make it back to New York in time, but I am here tonight to auction off a dinner with me. Though I appreciate Guinevere taking my place while I’ve been away.”

I place a hand over my stomach, and fail to stifle a burp. How long had he been in the ballroom? I cringe thinking about just how much of me could be seen when I was standing under the spotlight. That had been the point, but he wasn’t supposed to be here for it.

My father speaks again, an attempt to cover it up another burp, though that one was unexpected, “Let’s start the bidding off at ten thousand dollars.”

A paddle in the crowd goes up, and I make a move to leave the stage, but my dad holds me there in place. I’m assuming it’s a punishment, but these lights are way hotter than I expected. I’m struggling to remember what my scheme for tonight even was, now that my mouth tastes like pennies.

I burp again, and my dad pinches my side.

“Let’s hear it for twenty-thousand.”

Another paddle goes up in the air, just as I vomit all over the stage floor.

Next Chapter

Masterlist

#joel miller #joel tlou #tlou #tlou au #romcom #Joel #the last of us #romance #slow burn #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal fandom #tlou fanfiction

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argetcross · 7 months

Text

(BG3 Act III Astarion Spoilers)

Have an Astarion Stays a Spawn but Leaves your Party AU:

After Astarion breaks the staff and screams "I hope you die screaming" and refuses to set any of the spawn free, he leaves and realizes... he has nowhere to go.

Sure, Cazador's dead, but he's still just a vampire spawn and now he doesn't even any friends or allies in the city. Half his shit is still at camp (he liked those clothes, damn it), he's alone and miserable and... there is something terribly hollow inside him.

He thinks at first because he's not really free. That power would have made him free, he could have been a vampire lord, and instead he remains this wretch... a wretch who ruined the lives of thousands of people, for 200 years and then in one last masterstroke, trapping them in Cazador's dungeon.

Fuck. Maybe they were right. Maybe he really is no better than Cazador.

No, he isn't going to entertain such a thought. It reminds him too much of... of what they might have said. And he can't get away, everywhere he turns in the city, this sun-dappled city, he remembers them. Even the bloody Gazette that he had giggled over editing with them is broadcasting their name nonstop. He has to get out of here, the Absolute be damned.

And yet, the minute he tries to flee Baldur's Gate, the minute he steps too far away from the artifact, he can feel the elder brain starting to bite at his awareness. That sends him into another wave of terror - was he shackled all along in this other way? These people who he thought he could trust, that lover who he had let his guard down around, were they also just another way to bind him?

He needs to kill them. He needs to take the artifact, Emperor be damned or whatever. So long as he's got this tadpole in his brain, he won't really be free. He's just going to become a slave again, just this time to the Absolute. He has to kill his former friends.

So why does that fill him with dread?

Astarion isn't good at planning. He's not good at the details. He just zeroes in on this new goal. He stalks his former friends - it's not hard, they're tearing up half the city and leaving trails of bodies behind them. They're subdued though. Half the time, he can't stand the sight of them, the other half, well... He's picking up on things, things he's angry about knowing- the limp Shadowheart has from their fight at Moonrise, the way Karlach's grown quiet, the strain in their voice.

Sometimes, he thinks they catch sight of him. He can feel their tadpoles, but they aren't pushing to find him, for all the blasted awareness it gives them. But they don't attack, even after he leaves several drained cultists bodies on the roof of the Elfsong or he steals back his things from the camp - no one even tries to stop him. The only thing he can't take is the Artifact. The godsdamn thing burns when he even touches it and that's when Lae'zel catches him, with a knowing look of someone who had tried something similar before.

Her threats are milquetoast. She says he should come back, that the seduction of individual power should have worn off by now, that it is the collective that can stand strong. He tries to bite her and gets thrown out the window for the trouble.

Bad End:

Gortash, Orin, whoever, catches up to him. He's not fast enough, not strong enough, and the Emperor's protection has long since worn thin.

When his former allies (friends, they were his friends, his mind tries to rebel, but the Elder Brain is too strong and he's just a godsdamned spawn) show up on the battlefield, it's almost a relief that they're the ones to stake him in the end. At least he can see them crying one last time.

Neutral End:

He comes back for the final fight. It's his fate, but he speaks to no one, cold and withdrawn. There's tension and hurt feelings, but he fights with the same familiarity and fluidity of months of near death experiences together. If he ever trusted you, it's nearly gone now.

After everything, he disappears into the darkness. You never see him again after that Sometimes you think you catch a sight of some pale hair in the corner of a dark alley. Sometimes missing posters come up of drained bodies, but they're small murderers, and criminals, and you wonder if you managed to do something for him in all that time together....

Or perhaps not and you're just hoping he doesn't paint a target on his back so large that your paths will be forced to cross.

Good End:

Even after the final battle, he comes back. He wants to talk. Well, he wants to rake you over the coals. When he finds out you're trying to save the spawn in the dungeon, to override Cazador's ancient magic, he jeers at you, at your savior complex, at how fruitless and worthless an endeavor it is.

You say, perhaps you're right. Perhaps they'll spit back in your face. Perhaps it'll all backfire on you. But it doesn't matter. You have to do it.

"Why?" he sniffs, dismissive.

"Because I couldn't do anything for you in the end. I'm sorry."

The years pass. Sometimes your paths cross, out in the city. Gale works out the enchantments and the spawn are freed out to the Underdark - rumor is that some pale-haired elf was corralling them at the beginning. You hope he got to see Sebastian once more.

Things stay prickly, but you start to see more of him. Sometimes the Hero of Baldur's Gate needs to be bailed out, just a little. Sometimes he shows up half-dead and he barely will stay put long enough to heal before disappearing again.

Once, you go out and get drunk together for old times sake. He looks a little worse for wear- not enough cultists to eat, these days. He admits he doesn't know what he's doing these days. That, strangely enough, he's come to the realization he really is free, as free as vampire spawn can be these days, in this city you protected together, but he never though of what comes after that.

You offer that tired old olive branch and he bats it aside with familiar callousness.

And yet, the next morning, you wake up lightheaded from bloodloss, a familiar soreness on your neck, still breathing.

#bg3 spoilers #bg3 #astarion #spoilers #arget rambles #hello this ending makes me insane so i elaborated #it was a very powerful character moment #but also made me go well fuck he's running to his death now #also this is as good a good end you're going to get #it doesn't matter if he realizes you were right in the end #the sense of betrayal feels too deep #if he lives long enough maybe he'll be able to find himself #but we'll see

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