#[here's to never growing up][adult verse]

[tightjeansjavi]

The Rite of Movement | part six

“I’m sad again, don’t tell my girlfriend”

A/N: fun fact about the little black cat in the moodboard! It’s actually my friend’s cat Artemis 🥺 love that little fur baby to the moon and back! Don’t let the title fool y’all…it’s a little sad of a chapter but don’t worry!! Everything is going to be fine!! I pinky promise 💗

~word count: 4.0k~

Summary: Joel opens up to you about his past at Brazzers and before he met you

Pairing | pornstar!joel x pornstar!female reader

Warnings: smut, angst, fluff, established relationship, discussions of toxic societal norms, the adult film industry, past relationships, grief, intimacy, communication, unconditional love, unprotected piv, cock warming, mentions of alcohol, Joel is in his 40’s reader is in her 30’s, reader has no physical descriptions, readers nickname is baby love, +18 minors dni!

series masterlist

Calloused fingertips gently pluck wire guitar strings that once were coated in a fine layer of dust. Muscle memory takes over with each gentle thrum of the chords. He hasn’t played in years, the temptation arising, but never fulfilled. He used to play for Sarah, unable to say no when she’d curl up in his lap and watch him lightly pluck the strings. Carmen would watch from the kitchen, a soft smile etched on her face seeing Joel and her daughter bonding so soon.

Whad’ya wanna hear tonight, babygirl? Should we play your ma’s favorite?

Sarah curled up with her cheek pressed against Joel’s chest, his chin came to rest along the top of her head of curls as her small fingers reached out to pluck one of the strings, the baby song, Joelie! She giggled softly, and Joel’s heart melted into a puddle.

I love you, baby

And if it's quite alright

I need you, baby

To warm the lonely night

I love you, baby…

He can never say no to you, not when you look at him with those eyes, and in a honeyed tone asking him to play you a song while you’re sitting side by side, the comforting crackle and pops from the fire pit, a light quilt draped across your thighs, and Artemis curled up in your lap, purring happily.

“Whad’ya wanna hear, baby love?” He rasps, turning his head to the side, resting his chin along his shoulder as he looks over at you.

“Something that makes you feel, Joel.”

He swallowed the growing lump rising in his throat, glancing downwards towards his fingers lightly plucking the strings, “Somethin’ that makes me…feel?” His throat felt parched, brows furrowed inwards. “Okay.” He said softly, inhaling a lungful of air, clearing his airways. “I’m shit at singin’, jus’ so you know, baby love.”

“Don’t care, Joel. I wanna hear you.” You said softly, knee brushing against his as you rested your cheek against the cushion, a gentle expression on your face, eyes soft and holding adoration.

His fingers trembled under the soft glow from the fire as he began to strum the chords, To Make You Feel My Love. He was a bit rusty at first, missing a few notes here and there, till he fell back into a comfortable familiarity.

When the rain's blowing in your face, and the whole world is on your case, I would offer you a warm embrace, to make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear, and there is no one to dry your tears, I could hold you for a million years, to make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet, but I would never do you wrong, I've known it from the moment that we met, there’s no doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue, I'd go crawling down the avenue, there ain't nothing that I wouldn't do, to make you feel my love, mm…

His voice was warm, raspy and lulling. It held a gentle timbre that sent a warm tingle down your spine, tugging on your heartstrings in tandem.

He stumbled over the next verse, voice cracking and fingers losing their grip on the strings. He didn’t realize he was crying, hot wet tears streaming down his cheeks until he felt your gentle palm on his jaw.

Storms— are raging on a rolling sea, down the highway of regret—

“Joel.” You said softly, thumb brushing across his cheekbone, brushing away his tears that were flowing like a river, “Joel, hey. Look at me, baby. Look at me.”

“I—I’m sorry.” He choked, “I-I’m jus’ a bit rusty is all, baby love. S’been years since I’ve played this old thing.” He sniffled, jaw clenching and unclenching as you smoothed your thumb back and forth across his damp skin.

“Joel.” You reiterated soft, yet firm.

“I don’t even understand why I’m cryin’. Where did those tears come from? They weren’t there before. Must jus’ have somethin’ in my eye. Maybe it’s the smoke from the fire—” he rambled on.

“Joel Miller.”

That seemed to catch his attention as he met your gaze, blinking a few times with dark lashes wet and glistening. His lower lip wobbled and you had never seen him like this before, never this vulnerable, never this scared. Never this afraid of judgement that would never fall upon his shoulders, because you loved him unconditionally. No amount of fat tears, or stuttered speech would deter you from loving him.

“C’mere.” You said in understanding, gently prying the guitar from his grasp and coaxed him into your awaiting arms.

He wordlessly wrapped his arms around you, squeezing you tightly with his face buried against your neck. His hands slipped under the back of your hoodie, feeling desperate for skin to skin contact to further soothe his emotions. “I’m sorry…” he whispered, hot breath fanning your neck, tears soaking into the neckline of your hoodie.

“Joel, what are you sorry for? Because of your emotions?…baby, it’s OK. You don’t have to apologize for being emotional. That is nothing to be sorry for.” You said softly, letting one hand rest at the back of his head, gently scratching his scalp with your nails while the other was rubbing circles against his back.

“I know—I jus’, I got caught up in the moment s’all. It really has been years since I last played…” he trailed off.

“Do you want to talk about it?…”

“Yeah.” He sniffled, fingers gently flexing along your lower back. “I do—I jus’ need a minute.”

“It’s okay, Joel. I understand, and I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here.” You reassured him.

She loves me, for me. She’s holding me, and wiping my tears. She sees me, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now than here in her arms.

“I know.” He whispered, “I ain’t goin’ anywhere either, baby love.”

You nodded in understanding, gently brushing away a loose curl that fell across his forehead. “For all your pretty, and all of your ugly, I’m here.”

He took a few minutes to compose himself, racking through memories in his brain that were flashing like images on a silver screen. When he and Tommy went back home to Austin, Joel had reentered the dating culture expecting success, and was met with the complete opposite. Women in Texas had opposing values compared to the women he encountered in LA. It had gotten to the point where he was beginning to truly believe that he wasn’t deserving of love or partnership.

“If you want women to like you, I suggest that you seriously consider finding a new career that doesn’t exploit women for their bodies. You didn’t actually think that you’d get a free pass, did you?” His date sitting across from him laughed and reached for her purse in a haste.

He felt defeated and beaten down as he sunk further against the the back of the chair, “If you would just let me explain why I chose this career, and that I am not exploiting women for their bodies—”

“You fuck for a living, Joel. It’s disgusting. Good luck to you, cause you’re gonna need it.” She said unkindly, slinging her purse over her shoulder and walked off.

He ground his jaw back and forth, clenching his teeth together as he felt the bitter sting of rejection pierce his heart out that was laid out on his sleeve. He reached for his wallet, suddenly feeling a dozen pairs of eyes on him in the intimate restaurant. Heat spread from his neck to his face in a bright flush of embarrassment and shame.

He paid the bill, apologizing profusely to the waitress both verbally and with a handsome tip. He gathered up his feelings, tucking them back away into a box as he swiped his thumb across the side of his nose, feeling tears begin to prick and pool.

“Joel, you just haven’t met the right one yet.” Tommy tried to explain to him over a couple beers in Joel’s backyard. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. Ain’t worth it.”

Joel scoffed under his breath, taking a swig from the beer bottle as he shook his head, “Tommy, you don’t understand. Women like you. They think you’re charming and barely bat an eye when you tell them about your job, but me? As soon as the words ‘adult film industry’’, or ‘pornstar’ come out, the narrative flips. And I am apparently not a feminist, I’m a disgusting person who exploits women for their bodies and I’m a pervert.” He laughed bitterly, feeling angry tears threatening to spill over,

“How is anyone going to see my heart if they’re not willing to look past what I do for a living?” He sniffled, “I jus’ have so much fuckin’ love to give, and no one wants it, Tommy. No one.”

Tommy shakes his head, dejected, devastated for his big brother. "I don't know, Joel. But if anyone is meant for love, real, true love, it's you. So I have to hold out hope."

-

You continued to gently pet his hair and while he silently worked through gathering his thoughts. You would sit out there with him for hours if he needed more time.

“Do you ever…have memories that jus’ pop up outta nowhere? Like, you’re jus’ goin’ about your day, and you just stop because you remembered something, or a memory pops up?” He suddenly said, eyes flickering to your gaze.

“More often than I’d like to admit.” You confirmed, encouraging him to continue.

“I wasn’t lyin’ when I said I haven’t played guitar in a long time. We’re talkin’ years. I’ve lost track if I’m bein’ honest. Anyway, memories of my past just creep in every now and then, and I want you—to know those pieces of me.”

“And playing guitar brought those memories to the surface? That’s understandable, Joel.”

He nodded, confirming your assumptions. “Yeah, exactly that. Anyway, I don’t know where to start I guess?”

“Wherever you feel most comfortable?” You suggested.

“Well, remember how I told you that I quit Brazzers on my 30th birthday? I did more than just quit. I pulled a complete 180 on my life in a matter of hours.” He started, taking a deep breath before he continued, “I was in a serious relationship at the time with someone who I had seriously considered spending the rest of my life with, y’know?”

“I understand, Joel.” You said softly.

“My girlfriend, Carmen and I were together for a few years. I met her on my 27th birthday at some bar close to the apartment Tommy and I were living in at the time. It started off casual if I’m being honest. I was apprehensive of telling her about my job because I knew that it probably would be poorly received. We just—we clicked. I felt like I could be myself around her and vice versa. We started getting serious at some point, and I finally told her that I was a pornstar. She initially took it a lot better than I expected, but she had a secret of her own to tell me.”

You couldn’t help the smile that was slowly tugging on the corner of your lips as you listened to Joel recounting memories from his past before he met you.

“That secret happened to be her 6 year old daughter, Sarah. She was the sweetest kid, baby love. She was a little shy at first, but I took the possibility of being her stepfather in stride.” He glanced downwards, the corners of his mouth twitching as if he was going to smile. “I loved that little girl like she was my own. And I truly wanted Carmen and I to work out, but she never accepted me for who I was. She resented the fact that I was a pornstar, and that ultimately led to me breaking up with her. I didn’t want to fight for someone who wasn’t going to fight for me, y’know?”

“I think it’s completely understandable why you broke up with her, Joel. I think one of the bare minimum expectations in a relationship is acceptance of who you are from your partner. I could see if you were doing something harmful to either yourself or her or others, but she had no right to judge you for the choices you made in your life.” You reached for his hand, interlocking your fingers through his hand gave it a gentle squeeze. “Isn’t that what we all want in life? Is acceptance for who we are?”

“I think it was also only a matter of time before one of us was going to cut the cord. And I truly believe if I didn’t quit Brazzers that day, her and I would have still been together, but I imagine it was inevitable for us to break up. I wasn’t even mad at her for it either. I was…disappointed because I loved her unconditionally. I would have gone to the ends of the earth for her, and I just had to accept that she wouldn’t do the same for me.” He sighed, brushing his thumb across the outside of your hand in a gentle sweep.

“Did you end up telling her that you quit working at Brazzers?”

He shook his head, lips curving downwards into a frown as he met your gaze once more, “no. I never told her that I quit because she would have believed that I quit for her when that wasn’t the case. I didn’t want to compromise who I was just to appease her. And I have a feeling that if I did tell her I quit, we wouldn’t have broken up, and that would have benefited no one. It fuckin’ hurt like hell afterwards though. I jus’ remember Tommy coming back from his smoke break and he found me on my knees outside on the patio just this blubbering fuckin’ mess.” He stifled a chuckle.

“You realized that you deserved better, Joel. Not everyone comes to that realization, but you did. Life’s too short to be with someone who won’t be there for you the way that you were for them. But of course it hurt, and I can only imagine the pain that you felt after the fact because you thought that this person was your endgame. You already had the mindset of fully settling down with her, and then you had to make the tough decision with both her feelings in mind and your own. And you know what? I’m proud of you.”

He had an incredulous look plastered on his face when you said that you were proud of him. “You’re…what? I don’t understand. Why—why are you proud of me for that?”

“Because instead of staying in a relationship that was never going to work out, no matter how hard you tried, you pulled the plug and told yourself that you deserved better. And you do, Joel. It’s no one’s business to know why you chose the career path that you did. To shame and judge you for something that they’ll never understand because society views sex work as something to feel shamed for. It goes against the ideal norms that have been instilled in us since birth. People don’t like that, Joel. And that’s not to say that Carmen wasn’t good to you in some capacity, but the resentment was there and nothing was going to change that.”

“Yeah, and the person who I do deserve is sitting right across from me. I wouldn’t have met you if I didn’t pull the plug when I did. Maybe I would have never quit Brazzers and moved back to Austin to start Miller-Co. Maybe you and I…would have never met. Because you? You—fuckin’ get me. From the second that you and I met, I just got this feeling in my chest that you were going to have a major impact on my life, baby love. And as cliche as it’s gonna fuckin’ sound, I believe that everything happens for a reason.” He breathed out, big brown eyes glassy, his nose twitching as he let out a soft sniffle.

“Alright, who’s cutting the onions now? Is it you, or is it Artie?” You softly giggled, fighting through your own brewing tears because you had never loved someone so deeply till you met Joel. It was surreal to feel an instant connection to someone, but he made things easy in the sense that you could be yourself around him. You found that you could speak your mind, you could be passionate, sad, angry, happy, and he never made you feel small for your larger than life feelings. Never made you feel like you were too much, or too little. His love for you was effortless, unconditional.

“I mean it, baby love. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’ve never laughed more with another person than I do with you. I’ve never felt more honest with myself and my feelings till you walked into my life. I tried dating here and there shortly after I ended things with Carmen because I just wanted to feel something again, y’know? I just didn’t realize how judgemental people could be till I left LA. It got to the point where I felt like maybe all the women telling me that I should be ashamed, and I’m this disgusting pervert were right. Maybe a man like me isn’t deserving of love. Tommy reassured me that I just hadn’t met the right one, and he was right. I hadn’t met you yet.”

Ring. Ring. Ring. I need a fucking ring. He thought to himself.

This is going to be the man I’m going to marry, right? Please tell me he’s the one. I don’t want to do this all over again with someone else. He’s my person. I know he is. You thought.

Neither of you were sure who leaned in first, or if it was just a gravitational pull between your bodies that drew you both in, but suddenly you felt his hot breath fanning your lips, and those dark espresso colored eyes reflecting the warm glow from the crackling fire staring directly into your soul. If only you had known that he wished at that moment that he had a ring.

And when your lips met, slotting together like two puzzle pieces, it was brief due to a soft meow from your lap and Artemis had crawled her way between you and Joel, swatting playfully at one of the strings on his hoodie. He detached his lips from yours, looking down at his little fur baby with adoration as a warm chuckle slipped past his lips. “You, Missy, are a real cock blocker, y’know that?” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and gathered her up in his arms. “I’ll be right back, ‘kay? You want anything to drink? I was gonna open up a nice bottle of Chardonnay? You in, baby love?”

“Oh, a glass of Chardonnay would be lovely, baby. But hurry back, okay? I’m not finished with you yet.” You leaned over the cushion, brushing your lips against the corner of his jaw before settling back into a comfortable position.

“Oh, I ain’t finished with you either, baby love. And that’s a fact.” He winked suggestively and stood up, cradling Artemis against his chest and you watched as he headed back towards the house, and disappeared through the back door.

You let out a content sigh, gazing up at the millions of stars visible on this crystal clear night. Your thoughts consisted of Joel, and how he made you feel like you were always the only person in the room. And how your love for one another was a two way street. Never in your wildest dreams did you think you’d meet someone like him. And when you heard the back door open and close, and his footsteps approaching, your heart skipped a beat.

You watched as he slowly sank down against the cushion, two wine glass stems held securely in one large palm, and in the other a bottle of Chardonnay.

He looked over at you as he worked the bottle opener corkscrew into the cork, twisting it slowly with the sleeves of his hoodie pushed up over his forearms that were lightly flexing with each twist. Before he could finish opening the bottle, however, you were crawling into his lap, situating your thighs on either side of his hips as you straddled him.

He leaned his back against the cushion, pausing his movements of opening the bottle, the corners of his lips quirking upwards as you looped your arms around his neck, fingers gently playing with the curls at the base of his hairline.

“What’re you doin’, baby love?” He rasped softly.

“Can I sit on it while you finish opening that?”

“You wanna sit on my cock while I pour us a couple glasses of wine? Mmm…I had a feelin’ that’s what you were gonna ask me, baby love.” He chuckled.

“Yeah…I just want to feel you, baby. Do you want that?”

“Of course I want that, baby love. Lucky for you, I went with no underwear this evening.” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully as you giggled, peppering kisses across his jawline and just below his ear.

“Is that so?” You nipped playfully at his earlobe, scraping your teeth against his skin gently.

“Mhmmm.” He rumbled out a response, feeling his cock stir to life in the loose confines of his cotton sweats. “Anytime you want, baby, all of me s'yours.” He confirmed, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of your head.

You reached between your bodies, gently palming him through the fabric as he lifted his hips upwards so you could pull his cock free. He used his freehand to help you pull your own sweats down just enough that they were over your hips, and he used his thumb to pull your panties to the side, assisting you as you grasped the base of his cock and slowly seated yourself on him.

He let out a low grunt as you shifted your hips to get more comfortable while he finished uncorking the bottle of wine with a soft pop. You felt him grow harder inside of you, the girth of his cock stretching you open as your body accommodated to his size: a perfect fit.

“Feels nice.” You both said in unison letting the feeling of being connected mind, body, and soul, wash between you.

He reached for the two glasses, somehow managing to steadily pour the wine into both and set the bottle down so it wouldn’t tip over. He handed you your glass, clinking them together gently before you both took a sip.

“Hey, Joel?”

“Yeah, baby love?” He had his head tilted back against the cushion, eyes staying locked on yours as he brought the rim of the glass to his lips and took another sip. You felt your walls clench around him just from that simple action alone.

“I think for the next video we film…I want it to be with you and Tommy.”

“Mmm.” He hummed, letting his freehand drop down and grab onto your exposed hip, pressing you in further to him as his cock twitched inside of you, “I think we can arrange that, baby love.”

You let out a soft gasp that was replaced with his warm lips kissing you, tasting the tang and sweetness from the wine on your tongue. And even though you were just sitting on him, enjoying the intertwined feeling of being connected, he dropped his hand from your hip, moving it between your bodies till he found your clit and began to rub the sensitive bud in gentle, orgasm-inducing circles till you were gushing around his cock from the stimulation alone.

He drank down your soft moans, whispering praises and sweet nothings that were only meant for your ears. And even as the fire began to die, and your glasses were empty, wine warming your bellies, you stayed like this, connected as one.

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[gh0stbeeee]

Rise of the Guardians/The Guardians of Childhood is low-key my Roman Empire.

Like, specifically in the movie verse, there's just... so much that was never elaborated on. It's one of the unfortunate side effects of being kid's media, things get dumbed down for no reason.

Like, Jack Frost in general as a character. He died. DIED. He DROWNED in a pond saving his sister and??? Nothing. The entire moment when he remembered became "Oh I'm the fun guy that had a family and saved my sister!" AND DIED. Very important part that is completely glossed over other than the idea of sacrifice. Like, the other guardians were "chosen," did they not die too? Did Jack lose his memories because he died, but the others were chosen while alive, chose to leave their lives and remembered?

And just, what were his early years? For a very long time, at least a decade, he probably thought he was totally invisible, that he could never have a true conversation with another person, because I doubt that he stumbled upon another spirit/legend for a while.

Like, that would have driven him INSANE. There's no way he wouldn't be super socially awkward from the isolation, much less just totally mentally well. Are spirit's brains built different? They'd have to be, but I don't think they should be able to withstand that level. Like what was the mim thinking??? Seriously just abandoned a TEENAGER he resurrected with no memory or possibility of support, that's wrong.

And on that note, let me reiterate that Jack died. In front of his little sister. Who had to go back home and tell her family what happened. Did he have a father too? More siblings? Friends and family? They had a funeral no doubt, mourned him. Because he died.

The worst part? He was right there. The whole time. Jack came back to that pond and settlement for hundreds of years, even when it became Burgress. He probably watched his funeral not knowing what was going on, saw his family mourn him without knowing it was for him. He was there when they died, not knowing who they were to him. Did he realize later on? I can only imagine the devastation.

The worst part is Manny probably had to take his memories, because Jack would have been DEPRESSED. He would've tried everything to make them believe, and they probably never would. His parents would probably never see him again, they were adults. His sister was plausible, but she's still mortal. She would have died, Jack would have seen his little sister grow old and die while he stayed eternally young. He might've not ever recovered from that, mim taking his memories distanced him from the pain for when he remembered 300 years later.

But he also could have moved on, grown and loved her descendants and honored her. The mim took that choice away, and that's pretty fucked up.

Then yeah, 300 years of pretty much no acknowledgement. Going into live blind with no guidance or memories, trying to figure yourself out but being ignored by the once who brought you here. Jack would realistically be a little nutty, because wow. It's shown the even other spirits didn't really talk to him, he made them acknowledge him by playing pranks and pissing them off till they confronted him. Maybe it's in spirit's nature to be recluses, but it's not in Jack's. He wanted attention and to be seen, but no one wanted to or could give it to him.

That's why Jamie seeing him for the first time always makes me tear up. This is the first time for HUNDREDS of years that a human has acknowledged him, not an out of touch spirit, but a regular person Jack can connect with, that chose to see him, to believe. That's beautiful, and special.

There's just so many layers to this story that we never got to see, and I'm forever sad DreamWorks abandoned the franchise.

(If anyone has any good fics that explore topics like this, especially Jack's family, please share)

[ilyasorokinn]

mary's song (oh my my my) , quinn hughes

note, this fic is part of the "taylor's version" series, but all the pieces in that series are stand alone. a side note, i might use the whole song or just a quote for the fic. i also might not use the entire verse. just depends. sorry if that's confusing. feel free to ask questions. another note, okay i haven't touched this series in literally a year, but i will try to write it more. i'm still excited about it and want to write it! so, i'm starting out with a popular player so you all get excited lol pair, quinn hughes x reader summary, a fic based on "mary's song (oh my my my)" from taylor swift's debut taylor swift album. warnings, none :) word count, 2494 words

(gif not mine)

she said, "i was seven and you were nine" i looked at you like the stars that shine in the sky, the pretty lights and our daddies used to joke about the two of us growing up and falling in love and our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes and said, "oh my, my, my"

You lived right down from the Hughes family. Your parents were good friends so you spent lots of time with their family growing up. So, growing up you, your brother, and the Hughes boys would have tons of playdates and would go to the park together.

Growing up so closely with them, little Y/N did develop a crush on her neighbor Quinn. Everyone around you, all the adults, could tell. Kids weren't exactly subtle with their feelings.

One summer night, you were all in your backyard, post-barbeque. All the adults were sitting in lawn chairs, watching the five of you play. Well, it was more like Quinn, Jack, and your older brother Y/B/N, were playing and you were sitting in the grass watching all of them while baby Luke was asleep in his mom's lap.

They were trying to play a game of hockey, but the numbers weren't even. No one wanted to be goalie, so it was just one on one on one, "This would've been easier if you'd play, Y/N." Your brother pointed out.

"Leave her alone," Quinn spoke up in your honor.

"Yeah." You butted in, glaring at your brother.

Your dad chuckled as he watched you watch Quinn's every move, "What?" Your mom asked.

"Y/N. She's always watching Quinn." Jim and Ellen looked over and saw you watching Quinn.

"Can you imagine if those two ever got together?" Jim joked, sharing a laugh with your dad.

"That'll be the day." Your dad clinked his beer with Jim. Your mom and Ellen shared a look, before rolling their eyes and shaking their heads.

take me back to the house in the backyard tree said you'd beat me up, you were bigger than me you never did, you never did take me back when our world was one block wide i dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried just two kids, you and i oh my, my, my, my

"Come on," Quinn called after you. He knocked on your door one day after school and told you to follow after him. So, you did. You ran as fast as your legs could take you, but you still couldn't keep up with him.

"Come on, you're so slow." Quinn groaned, slowing down for a second, "If you don't run any faster, I'm gonna beat you up." You couldn't tell if he was joking, so you stopped running.

"Y/N, what're you doing?"

"You said you were gonna beat me up." You narrowed your eyes at him.

"Cause you're moving too slow." He whined, "I wasn't actually going to beat you up. I was just joking."

"Well, it wasn't funny." You started running again alongside him before you finally made it to the treehouse in the Hughes's backyard.

You and Quinn finally made it to the tree and looked up at the treehouse then looked back to each other, "You go first." You pushed him up in front of the ladder.

"No, you." He grabbed your arm and shoved you towards the ladder.

"You." You managed to get your arm back and push him back in front of the ladder. He finally cracked and began climbing up the ladder. Once he was halfway up, you began your descent up.

Once you were both up, you sat down on the ground together, "So, why did you bring me up here?"

"Just wanted to hang out." He shrugged, "We always hang out with Jack and Y/B/N. It's never just the two of us."

"Well, what do you want to do?" You asked, posing a good question.

"Truth or dare?"

"It's not fun when it's just the two of us." You frowned.

"Then we'll just have to think of really good truth or dares," Quinn stated.

"Fine." You crossed your arms, "I dare you to..." You pursed your lips as you thought about it, "... kiss me."

"Kiss you?" Quinn repeated.

"Yeah." You nodded.

"Well..." Quinn hesitated, "Okay." He shrugged and leaned in, lips pursed. When you realize he was serious, you quickly stood up and climbed down the ladder of the treehouse as quickly as you could.

"Y/N? What the heck?" Quinn called down.

"I have to go!" You shouted, running all the way home and shutting the door loudly when you got home.

i was sixteen when suddenly i wasn't that little girl you used to see but your eyes still shined like pretty lights and our daddies used to joke about the two of us they never believed we'd really fall in love and our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes and said, "oh my, my, my"

Somewhere in between the playfights, childish dares, and first days of school, the five of you grew up. Your brother and Quinn had graduated the year previous and were getting ready for college.

Y/B/N, being the responsible older brother, was in charge of driving you to school. So, on the morning of the first day of school, you both walked out to the car.

"Hey, Y/N, Y/B/N!" Ellen hollered, "Why don't we get a picture of all five of you together?"

"Mom," Jack whined.

"Just one photo," Ellen reassured. You all got into position and smiled, "All right, see, you're all done." She turned off the camera, "All right you three, have a great day." She kissed both her kid's heads before hugging both you and your brother.

"Bye, Q." You waved.

"Bye, Y/N/N." He waved back.

"So, what're you gonna do with all your spare time now?" Ellen asked, watching as the four of you drove off.

"Probably sulk 'cause Y/N's not gonna be around." Jim joked.

"Shut up." Quinn tried to hide his laugh as he made his way back inside the house.

"Y/N and Quinn, sittin' in a tree." Jim teased, following Quinn inside the house.

-

You smiled to yourself as one of the little girls in your neighborhood chased a boy around the yard, "Proposition for you." You jumped when you heard Quinn and quickly turned around to find him joining you at the picnic table.

"All right." You nodded.

"You go on a date with me."

"Oh, yeah? And what do I get in return?"

"An awesome free dinner paid for by me." He flashed you a smile.

You pretended to ponder it and think about it, "I guess that sounds nice."

"You guess?" Quinn balked.

"I guess." You shrugged watching his reaction shift from excited to confused, "I'm kidding." You then watched him break out into a nervous laugh.

"Oh, cool." He tried to play it off as if he wasn't freaking out inside.

Your parents were, once again, sitting in lawn chairs, watching you and Quinn awkwardly flirt, "Our babies are growing up." Your mom spoke dramatically.

"All grown up." Ellen nodded.

"Never thought he had in him, I gotta admit." Both your dad's kept talking and laughing about how you and Quinn were finally getting together.

take me back to the creek beds we turned up 2 a.m. riding in your truck and all i need is you next to me take me back to the time we had our very first fight the slamming of doors instead of kissing goodnight you stayed outside till the morning light oh my, my, my, my

When Quinn would come back from school, he would always come over in the early hours of the morning and he would whisk you away to the place you had designated as your spot.

"Shooting star." You pointed up to the sky. You were both laying on the hood of his car, looking up at the sky. You looked over at him, only to find that he wasn't looking up at the sky but at you, "Why aren't you looking at the sky."

"Cause you're my whole world." Your heart soured and turned your head to the side so he wouldn't see the shy smile making its way onto your face.

"You sure know how to make a girl feel special, Quinn Hughes." You leaned into him. He only hummed, pressing a kiss to your head as you continued to look up at the sky.

-

You had little spats before, tiny disagreements here and there, but your first fight, it was something you never wanted to experience again.

"Are you serious right now?" You spat.

"I just don't get why you're making such a big thing out of this." Quinn shrugged.

"Quinn, this is big. I was gonna introduce you to all my friends and you just didn't show up."

"I'm sorry, I just lost track of time." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Quinn..."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything!" You shouted, "I want you to give me a better explanation than you just forgot."

"It's the truth!" He raised his voice.

You scoffed, "I'm done." You raised your hands in surrender.

"What do you mean "you're done"?" Quinn asked.

"I mean I'm tired. We're going in circles and getting nowhere, so I'm gonna go home." You rubbed your eyes and headed for the door, "We can talk in the morning."

He stared at you, silent as he tried to figure out what he was gonna say next, but when no words came out, you walked out the door.

The next morning, you woke up and didn't want to move," Good morning." Your mother knocked before entering.

You groaned, turning away from her and trying to go back to sleep, "Before you fall back asleep, just thought you'd want to know there's someone waiting for you on the porch."

You quirked a brow before pushing the covers off and making your way out to the porch of your house where Quinn was laying, asleep, a couple blankets thrown across him.

You stared at him frozen, "He was here all night."

"How do you know?"

"Heard someone on the porch last night, came out this morning, and saw him." Your mom explained before closing the door and giving you both some privacy.

You sat down on the step next to him and just watched him for a second before gently waking him up, "Q." You whispered, shaking him gently.

He moved, rubbing his eyes, before opening them and locking eyes with you, "Hey." He yawned.

"Hi." You smiled, "Heard you were here all night."

"Yeah." He stretched a little before sitting up and giving you all his attention, "I didn't really like the way things ended last night."

"Me either." You sighed.

"I'm really sorry, Y/N. I really did lose track of time, and by the time i realized what time it was, the dinner was over, and I know it's a sucky excuse, but it's the truth."

"I might've been a little harsh. There's another get-together in like a week..."

"I'll be there." He cut you off with a firm nod of his head.

"I know you will." You smiled, reaching over and squeezing his hand.

a few years had gone and come around we were sitting at our favorite spot in town and you looked at me, got down on one knee

After you had graduated from college, you moved up to Vancouver with Quinn and got a job at a hospital. You both got into a nice comfortable routine.

During the break, you went home to visit family and celebrate the holidays. Before you could even breathe, you were both wrapped in a million hugs by both sets of parents.

"It's nice to see you too, Mom." You chuckled, hugging her.

"How's work? Tell me all about it." You were whisked off to the kitchen table where Ellen quickly followed and you were soon immersed in a deep conversation about all the gossip you had missed while you were gone.

After dinner, everyone retreated to their own spaces so you and Quinn headed out to the treehouse that was somehow still standing in the Hughes' backyard.

"I can't believe this is still standing." You laughed as you climbed to the top.

You laid back and looked up at the stars, "We used to come up here all the time, remember?"

"How could I forget? We'd come up here and you'd tell me all those crazy facts about the solar system."

"I knew you probably didn't understand anything I was saying, but you being there, it was sweet." You leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Listen, I have a proposition." You smiled.

"All right." You nodded.

"Marry me." He stated.

Your eyes widened and your mouth opened in shock, "Are you serious?"

"So serious." He nodded, pulling out a ring box from his pocket and popping it open.

"Quinn Hughes..." You couldn't find the words you were so speechless.

"What do you say? You and me forever?"

"God, of course. Is that even a question?" You tackled him in a hug, "You're crazy." You laughed, letting him slip the ring on your finger.

take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle our whole town came and our mamas cried you said, "i do", and i did too

Quinn felt like he was going to explode with nerves, "Dude, calm down." He looked out into the crowd and literally everyone you knew was there. Every grandparent, aunt, uncle, former coaches, current coaches, teammates, former teammates, everyone.

"This is worse than my first game." He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

"You're gonna be fine." Jack reassured, flattening his tie, "Just breathe." He took another deep breath, "There you go."

"All right." He shook off his nerves the best he could and stood straight at the front. The music started and the doors opened. The bridesmaids and groomsmen walked in, then everyone stood.

He felt his breathing hitch as he saw you walk in. You smiled at him and every nerve in his body, he felt it disappear instantly. You met him at the altar, and kissed your dad on the cheek, watched him shake Quinn's hand, then handed your bouquet off to your maid of honor.

The reception felt like it went by too quickly, "Do you Quinn Hughes take Y/N Y/L/N to be your wife?"

"I do." Quinn nodded.

"And do you, Y/N Y/L/N, take Quinn Hughes to be your husband?" You could hear both your mothers' crying and being comforted by your fathers.

"I do." You nodded.

"Then by the power vested in me, you may now kiss." You couldn't help the smile on your face when you both leaned in for the first kiss. You linked hands as you made your way back down the aisle, big smiles on both of your faces.

-

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[amiharana]

ok I was reading thru your tattoo/flower shop au and I had to share the brainrot.

I hc revali as indigenous (particularly great plains native american) and oh man, what if at some point he very hesitantly brings up with link that he wants to get facial tattoos or something similar that's significant to him but he's nervous?? And Link goes out of his way to learn traditional stick-n-poke techniques so he can be the one to give revali his tattoos?? And it's like super sweet and meaningful for them both and Link feels honored that revali trusts him enough to ask? (and also revali is scared shitless and Link has to stop several times so he doesnt mess up and hurt revali more than it typically would)

like what if though???

ahem (taps mic) Hello can anyone hear me. i haven't written a tumblr ask in ages i feel ancient

first of all, i'm glad to hear that you still think of my tattoo/flower shop au haha it's been way over a year now since i wrote it. i still very much appreciate everyone who drew art for it 🫶 i've had a few passing thoughts about writing it into an actual proper multi-chaptered fic but i've been busy wrestling with school, work, and my personal demons for the past year that it's been quite difficult to even think about writing anything. thank you to anyone who's still here; i appreciate you a lot 🤍

i love the hc of revali as indigenous and i think it really fits in with the presence of the rito people as we're introduced to in the games, but i won't touch on that too much since i'm not indigenous/well-versed in indigenous culture. you know what i Am well-versed in though? these gay ass mfs

i had to reread my own au post for this Lord it's been too long, i wrote back then that i thought of revali as someone who isn't too fond of tattoos and doesn't have a great pain tolerance for them, and i still believe in that LOL. mixing that in with a hc where revali is indigenous is quite interesting, because i would assume that tattoos are an important/frequently appearing aspect of the culture? revali's parents have also passed in this au and he's alone with no family running the shop, so perhaps revali was estranged from his indigenous culture while growing up/at some point and became interested in trying to connect with it as an adult. maybe he came across the topic of traditional tattoos and after researching about it, he became interested in getting one but again because of his low pain tolerance, he thought it probably may never happen. well...

during one of their shared lunch breaks perhaps at a new cafe that's opened up on tabantha street, revali absentmindedly mentions his family and the tattoos. link immediately looks up at him from his food, those lovely blue eyes searching his face curiously.

"traditional tattoos?" he says, cocking his head at revali. revali blinks. well, of course link would have interest in the topic since he was a fellow tattoo artist himself, but the way he was looking at revali was...

"well yes," revali continues. "i suppose i haven't really talked to you much about myself personally, have i? i'm an indigenous hyrulean and my blood is descended from the rito tribe, but i'm not well-versed in my own culture." he mumbles the last few words, looking down at his coffee. "my parents and i lived on reservation land until i was 5 and then we moved away to a bigger city for work. there weren't many other rito there and so i didn't grow up with a lot of other indigenous folk. i don't know much about my family or my culture because of it, and even after my parents passed, it's never come up until now." revali glances back at link, who is now watching him with rapt attention. he looks away again, his cheeks beginning to warm. "i thought it would be nice to connect with my culture by getting a traditional tattoo of the rito tribe, perhaps something small so i can handle it. though, i wouldn't be able to travel to the reservation to find a traditional tattooist because of the shop and neither do i know of any tattoo artists nearby that could do it..."

"i'll do it," link says suddenly. revali looks at him again and blinks. link's eyes are bright and wide, blazing with determination. he's still holding his sandwich in his hands.

"i-i couldn't ask that of you," revali says, heart skipping a beat. "you'd likely have to learn an entire new and unfamiliar technique, and—"

"i'll do it," link insists, placing the sandwich down and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. his eyes are still trained on revali, just as insistent as his mouth is. revali swallows.

"use a napkin, please," he mutters, passing link one. the blond takes it and grins at him. "if it's something that you greatly desire to do... i will assist you in offering as much information as i can. i... appreciate it, link." i appreciate you, he thinks but the words get stuck in his throat. link's smile only grows.

thinking about link who researches rito tribal tattoos for a few weeks and reporting and discussing his findings with revali during their mon/wed lunch breaks. thinking about link who spends countless nights staying up compiling everything he finds into a document, the different types of tribal tattoos and their meanings, researching the materials and tools needed for traditional tattoos, sketching different tribal symbols endlessly for the perfect one for revali in between tattoo sessions with other clients, thinking about where on revali's body it would go, thinking about revali's warm skin under his hands... let's keep it PG link 🫡

the day finally arrives when link introduces the tattoo sketches to revali. link probably shows him a few ideas of a small rito symbol on his fingers, wrist, deltoid, ankle, and even ribs. HOWEVER. i really like the idea of the winged rito symbol across the back of revali's shoulders to represent his wings in canon? so what if. link who sketched a drawing of revali's back muscles with the winged rito symbol and he doesn't mean to show it to revali since it's a much bigger tattoo than revali wanted, but revali happens upon it anyway while scrolling through the sketches on link's ipad.

"what's this one?" revali says pointing at it.

link glances over at the screen and flushes. "oh, i didn't mean for you to see this one," he murmurs. he uses two fingers to zoom in on the image slightly. "i just had an idea for this particular symbol, so i sketched it out because i thought it'd look nice. i know you wanted a smaller one, so we can just focus on the first sketches—"

"it's beautiful," revali cuts him off, voice soft and still looking at the winged sketch. "how much do back tattoos hurt?" and link is jaw dropped, staring at him with hearts in his eyes LMFAOOOOOOOO

thinking about link who actually reaches out to a traditional tattooist from revali's tribe and asks if he can mentor link so he can learn their technique??? maybe link and revali who end up traveling to the reservation together so revali can visit and link can learn directly from the tattooist??? revalink road trip and sharing a bed trope??? link would probably only take a week tops to learn the technique since he's like a prodigal artist and the tattooist is impressed. also revali getting to spend time with and learn more about his culture from others from the tribe who live there 🥺

if revali does get the winged rito symbol tattoo on his back, he probably wouldn't get it as a solid color, maybe link would incorporate more tribal lineart into it like the totk zonai imagery? i've never gotten a tattoo so i don't know if back tattoos or the style of solid color tattoos would hurt, but regardless, link would make revali as comfortable as he can throughout all the sessions 🥺🥺🥺

originally when i read this ask and you mentioned facial tattoos, i thought about link gently holding revali's jaw between his pointer finger and thumb to readjust the positioning of his face in the midst of tattooing him, and revali sucking in a breath at the contact WAHHHH but with the direction i took with this post, i also thought about link laying a flat palm between revali's shoulder muscles, feeling the warmth of his skin and tracing his shoulder blades with a featherlight touch and revali getting flustered but muttering, "are you going to keep me in suspense?"

link traces a line down revali's spine. "are you sure you want to get this tattoo?" he murmurs. "we can still do the smaller ones instead if you want. i know how you feel about it, with your pain tolerance and all."

revali snorts, trying to mask his nervousness. "i've already made up my mind. it's a beautiful piece that you put a lot of thought into and i'm not backing out now. besides..." revali's voice lowers into a mumble. "i wouldn't have gone through with it if it was anyone else. i trust you."

link's cheeks pinked in the sweet way they do when revali catches him off-guard, but he can't take it back. he doesn't want to take it back, because it's true; revali trusts link for this with everything he has.

hhh . AHHHH . i just think. yeagh.

[malkaleh]

I’m plotting out what Cat, Felipe, and Ana’s lives would look like in a Crown of Ashes AU where one of them accidentally outed the triad to Mary and set everything off. It’s a whole lot of OW because I don’t think the ot3 kids would have the sibling-like bonds they do in ot3 verse. Their aunts/uncles don’t blame them, but there’s no way the relationships survive unchanged. Especially for Elizabeth, who has to grow up fast and protect her younger siblings. It also doesn’t help that Cat, Felipe, and Ana are raised by KoA and while KoA does advocate (somewhat) for Anne’s children, Elizabeth knows she can’t be trusted, and by extension, she has to be careful what she tells her niblings because anything they know might get back to KoA, and to Mary. Maybe as adults when Tommy is on the throne, they become closer, but it’s a long road until then.

OH G-D THE ANGST yeah. (I think Elizabeth in particular would be angry - not blaming (she blames Mary) but she would be angry), I think Mihrimah would just not be able to forgive them (like for Tommy she’ll be civil and she does get it wasn’t great for them either but uh, watching what Tommy had to go through re Norwich and then Tommy and Elizabeth having to be Mary’s Emotional Support means she’s…like she gets it was never what they intended or wanted to happen but it Happened and it was because of them it kicked off)

They definitely do not know the full story re the OT3. And yep, all the kids really manage KOA (it’s definitely not the way it is in regular OT3 verse). I don’t know if they ever do.

Like, I do think possibly as adults the younger kids might be closer with their nieces and nephew (Pippa and Ned maybe anyway - just because they are younger than Cat/Felipe/Ana anyway. Owen probably not) but there is always a distance on both sides (partly because I think Cat, Felipe and Ana feel deeply deeply guilty and ashamed).

(They hate Mary even more here tbh because she destroyed their family ties in a lot of ways and their father who everyone loved)

(Actually Cecily and Isabel/Isobel in Crown of Ashes regular kind of have some of the same thing but that’s another babble).

(I would totally read this version)

(Tommy is you know, Tommy about it. George realises he should intellectually be fair about this but he’s absolutely fucking not going to be. Meg just holds a grudge (maybe after she marries and goes to Denmark etc she might like, mellow enough to welcome them to her and her husbands court etc but idek). Liam is a simmering ball of Trauma).

(Tommy’s thing about being Fucking Allergic To Indulging In A Selfish Re Himself is even more here it’s just like, Reflex)

[bitterrobin]

rehashing the Damian-Tim-Dick dynamic (as it goes in canon) is soooo tiring but by god i'll do it. I NEED to explore all of those events from Damian's POV, because so many fics out here only portray Tim's side of things. And, not that Damian whump can't be well-written, but sometimes even Damian-centric fic delves too deep into helpless baby-child territory and doesn't explore the actuality of cult-indoctrinated child assassin with inherent issues around parents/legacy/family etc etc. Plus, the bonus of Taxonomy!verse being an AU with things a little tweaked means I can change things and include other characters that weren't in the canon proceedings.

Keeping Tim as Robin for a while longer and having him chafe under Batman!Dick provides just a little bit of leeway into Tim's deal with the mantle. He's growing up. Robin will always be his and always be important, but its not allowing him to do the things he feels he needs to do on his own (search for Bruce, intentionally isolate himself etc) And Tim's conflict with Damian doesn't change much anyway because it can pivot a little more into "I don't trust this kid with Robin and I don't think he can uphold the mantle the way it needs to be done" which blends easily into "Damian is not my family" and "I'm worried Dick is going to kill himself taking care of this bomb(child)/I'm terrified I'm not going to be enough this time save him and Bruce" and "screw it I have to save Bruce because only I can do it"

Including characters that aren't popular in wider fandom means fresh perspectives and interactions not previously explored. Bette provides a less grief-laden perspective among the many mourners and a detachment to wider Bat-lore provides an opportunity for her to connect to Damian in a way a character with prior opinions on Bruce/Talia/the League can't. Colin provides a similar-aged perspective on Damian in a sea of adults and teenagers, a view of life from another child just as wounded and yet still cared for in ways Damian wasn't, and a deeper connection to Gotham that Damian doesn't have. Calvin Rose willingly became a Talon, strived for greatness the way Damian once did but he ran and he kept on running - Damian can't leave. Rory Regan teeters on a razor's edge of forgiveness and death, the suit he wears is salvation and damnation, and he has a father's legacy he must uphold even when he questions it (the struggle of religion and the concept of sin). Chris Kent is...so much to explore there that I already made a post lol.

Damian is justified in being angry and bitter. (Not justified in violence towards others before you get me btw) But also Bruce really isn't his father. He didn't raise him. He flits in and out of his life and then he's dead. Theres no connection there besides Bruce yelling at him/ordering him/placing expectations. Talia didn't raise him either. They have a nervous connection that doesn't reach far enough to pull Talia out of her dazed and hurt state. They like (?) each other, but Talia can never look at him and not mourn the boy he isn't. Damian can't look at her and not scream "why did you leave me?" and "if I am so painful, you deserve a life where I don't exist." Bruce is the shadow that haunts Damian's world and Damian is Talia's open bleeding wound and Talia is the haloed mother he can never have.

[bylrlve]

403-404 thoughts

(Prev post here)

Murray’s prophecy of the kids playing too much Nintendo, eating too much junk food, smoking some ganja, pounding some beers, and experimenting sexually is actually eerily accurate. Nintendo, as @gayofthefae brilliantly observed, has been equated to the Nina project. Eating junk food? The boys presumably survived on the (quickly cold) pizzas and the sodas Argyle delivered to their house - and if they stopped at gas stations… these boys would have little to no money on their persons, so junk is all they could really afford, one assumes. Smoking ganja? Jon and Argyle. Pounding beers? Not the Cali gang, but Lucas did.

Experimenting sexually? No one has sex during s4 - Jopper makeout but that’s hardly experimenting, and certainly not for adults, and he was specifically talking about the kids. None of them are in the mood for it, naturally, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is foreshadowing… something between a certain pair of boys. It couod be a cheeky reference to Will growing into his sexuality but, and forgive my crudeness here, right-hand solo sex doesn’t really fit, especially since he was talking about Jonathan, El, Mike, and Will as a group, implying a plural. In fact, this scene takes place directly after El and Mike fight, and after she is arrested. Experimenting is a very loaded word…

Never fails to get me how Mike just threw her last letter into the trash - it had already been explained that he may not see her for months, and here he is, treating her last missive to him with such disrespect. This attitude isn’t even new - he crumpled up and tossed aside the letter she’d painstakingly written and drawn rainbow designs on in the opening minutes. Meanwhile… there are Funko Pops of him proudly showing off the new painting Will made for him.

“You’re packed already?” “Yeah, I mean, I never really unpacked.” is the most blatantly subtext-ridden thing to come out of Mike’s mouth all season, and it’s the biggest piece of in-verse proof that he was fronting hard during 402 - and that was the lovey-doviest he was with El.

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate Mike saying that home isn’t home without Will? Fuck the monologue, that is the most romantic thing Mike says all season.

@bylertruth3r made the above video, showing the eerily similarity between the Byler 404 reunion and a scene in 13 Reasons Why - and this scene was originally scripted as Mike coming up to Will kneeling oj the ground, meaning it was conceived as them being much closer together.

I don’t think we appreciate, enough, that Mike monologued to Will in this scene. Not only are Jasons’s ily to Chrissy at the pep rally, Jancy’s ilys, Argyle and Eden’s LAFS, Max’s saving herself from Vecna with flashbacks, and Dustin’s ILY to Eddie all contrasts to the Mike monologue sequence in 409… but this is, too. Here are Mike’s three big monologues lain out:

"El? I don't know if you can hear this, but... but if you can, I want you to know I'm here, okay? I'm right here. And... I love you. El, do you hear me? I love you. I'm sorry I don't say it more. I... It's not because I'm scared of you. I'm not. I've never felt that way. Never. But I am scared that one day you'll realize you don't need me anymore. And I thought if I said how I felt, it would somehow make that day hurt more. But the truth is, El, I don't know how to live without you. I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods. You were wearing that yellow Benny's Burgers T-shirt. And it was so big it almost swallowed you whole. And I knew right then and there, in that moment, that I loved you. And I've loved you every day since. I love you on your good days. I love you on your bad days. I love you with your powers, I love you without your powers. I love you for exactly who you are. You're my superhero. And... I can't lose you. Okay? Do you hear me? I can't lose you. You can do anything. You can fly. You can move mountains. I believe that. I really do. But right now, you just have to fight. Okay? El. Do you hear me? You need to fight! You have to fight. Fight!” Tearing up, not crying.

“Do you remember the first day that we met? It was… it was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends. And I just felt so alone, and so scared, but… I saw you on the swings, and you were alone too,. You were just swinging by yourself. And I just walked up to you, and I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes. It was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

“Hey also, about the last few days… No, no, no. You didn’t deserve anything. Listen, the truth is… the last year has been weird, you know. And I mean, Max and Lucas and Dustin… they’re great, they’re great, itd just… it’s Hawkins. It’s not the same without you. And I feel like I was worrying too much about El, and I don’t know. I feel like I… lost you, or something. I have no idea what’s going to happen next. But whatever it is, I think we should work together. I think it’ll be easier if we’re a team. Best friends. Cool.”

Some quick observations:

1 and 2 occur under near-identical circumstances - El and Will are under Vecna’s control and he’s trying to give them strength. 3 is entirely unprompted. The first occurs under a level of duress similar to that of a gun being held to El’s head, as gayofthefae observes here

The rain fight is all over the s4 bedroom scene, and it’s very clearly on both of their minds. Mike has spent the past nine months addressing every criticism of Will’s - he’s friends with Dusfin, he’s playing D&as, he only kissed El when she initiated, and broke it quickly, and he even got angry at Lucas for prioritising others over the Party - although his complaint, unlike Will’s, was irrational and unfair. He relapsed at the airport and roller rink by trying to be normal, but this scene is him course-correcting for that. Mike’s calling himself a self-pitying idiot and thanking Will for being sensible is likelt not only referring to the earlier scene in Will’s room, but to the S3 and 402 fights. If that is the intention, it makes one wonder what Mike was self-pitying about in the latter. @howtobecomeadragon discusses it in-depth here

Right from my very first watch, the proposal imagery in the s2 speech - ‘I walked up to you, and I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my _, and you said yes… you said yes. It was the best thing I’ve ever done.’ - jumped out at me. M*levens regularly theorise that the series will end with Mike and El either getting married, or engaged, citing that Lucas line from s1 as foreshadowing - but we see in s3 that Mike relies on Lucas to push him through every stage of the apology, while he doesn’t with Will, and we see bouquet imagery subverted with that gift of flowers at the airport (see below).

TOO MUCH? Mike spent the s3-4 break backsliding in the whole ‘say ILY to El’ plot… but did address the problems Will had with him. Not only that… he came to the conclusion that he worried too much about El? Specifically because he lost Will as a result? I said in the previous post that Bylers don’t talk enough about “Who… who said that I didn’t?” We definitely don’t talk enough about the anti-m*leven implications of this line, because they’re bonkers. Mike worries a lot about El when she’s away at Nina, but at home he’s distinctly distant from her -

while only drawing closer to Will

This is how he looked at Will during the 404 monologue btw: (gif credit to @palettehao and gayofthefae)

Lastly, I’ll finish this analysis post by swinging back to 402, and to the fact that Mike picking that bouquet? It doesn’t make much sense, timeline-wise. In fact, I honestly can’t figure out when he picked them.

Mike only says, on March 22, that he picked them ‘in Hawkins’ before launching into a nervous, distracting spiel about picking 70:30 purple to yellow, only maybe he picked too much yellow*, etc.

On the morning of March 21 he was still in his underwear reading over a letter to El, and was delayed going to with. He had classes at school, and was preoccupied during lunch bargaining with Eddie, bargaining wi5 various students, and finally bargaining with Erica. Between school and Hellfire he could plausibly have picked them, but that would have required cycling across town and back, when Nancy drove him to school - he didn’t have his bike at school. He also had nowhere to put them, except the backpack that presumably had school supplies in it - those flowers would not have looked so fresh had he shoved them in a backpack. Dustin also doesn’t mention him being gone prior to Hellfire. After hellfire, he went home to be there by 9 - he had to have done, otherwise he wouldn’t have been allowed on the flight.

His flight was at 6:30 and Indiana -> Cali takes 4 hrs 10 minutes. He would have been awake from very early in the morning with Karen, gathering his stuff, and then driving to the airport with adequate time to check-in and board the plane. There isn’t a hope in hell of Karen letting him randomly cycle across town in the dark for an undetermined length of time just to pick some fucking flowers, lmao. There is a strong chance, however, that Karen, the romantic, let him buy flowers and a pen in the Indianapolis airport before boarding the flight. Maybe she even purchased them.

The kicker? The bouquet of flowers had a fancy, polished-looking greeting card attached, one professionally made.

There is something deliciously meta about those flowers. M*levens have adopted yellow and purple as a symbol of the relationship - even though Mike only wore those colours to please her when he was being ‘hokey’ and a ‘knock-off’, to quote Argyle and the costume designer. I’m not even sure El truly favours those colours, as she doesn’t wear them much and doesn’t have any notable items in those colours. For all we know, she was asked if she had any favourite colours and simply picked two that came to mind.

What’s more, it seems very likely that Mike simply lied to her about putting in the effort of getting them himself, and instead relied on something pre-made and commercial. It isn’t impossible that he picked them, however (though the timing is a mystery) - we are shown at the end of the season that the field outside Hopper’s cabin has very similar flowers. But those… well… those have their own implications

*talk about subtext lmao…

To finish, I want to share a delicious finding from @sapphicjopper on twitter from last may - the working name for st4 was Tareco. There’s a song called Tareco & Mariola, all about a girl who knows her lover isn’t right for her, who knows that she doesn’t need him, and who is leaving him - ‘it’s not you who will give me the spring, the beautiful flowers I dreamed of in summer’. It’s reminiscent of the opera Nina - about a woman waiting for her lover, not accepting that he won’t return and be how she desperately wants him to be.

[thatscarletflycatcher]

top 5 movie scenes 👀

Hi!

In no particular order:

Ian and Toula share a moment between their wedding and the reception in My Big Fat Greek Wedding

This is probably my favorite scene in the whole movie. It is the moment where despite all the differences of background and life experiences you know that Ian and Toula will be alright and will grow and learn together moving forward through whatever life throws at them. You can't say the scene is sexual, you cannot say it isn't sexual; it's full of tenderness and comfort and serenity, and you get the sense that they love the whole of each other. Romance peaked here. Positively criminal that I had to upload the clip myself because apparently no one has done this on Youtube? THE BETRAYAL.

George Bailey gets hit by the pharmacist in It's a Wonderful Life

This movie is well known as a tearjerker for a reason, but as a person who first watched it as an adult, this (3:30 onwards) was the scene that made sob my heart out. And it is very rare for a movie to make me cry like that. There's something about kid!George's goodness and the pain he's going through that just... wrecked me.

Burial at sea in Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World.

Master and Commander, no matter how much praise you get you'll never be overrated, and one could pick so many brilliant scenes from this movie, but this one in particular... it's something very difficult to describe about the way it shows this metaphor of the "slight veil" that both separates and unites life and death, the strength of the bonds created by life in a warship, and the ways in which grief and hope can reach us all across ranks. And it's also just an intensely beautiful and touching scene.

Anton Ego is chest-kicked in memory back to his childhood by Remy's ratatouille in Ratatouille

It's such an effective little moment, and it is seared in my brain as the first vivid experience in my mind of the power of cinema to provoke emotion, only reached in animation (for me) by the transformation scene in The Princess and the Frog, Eugene and Rapunzel's sacrifice scene in Tangled, and Mirabel and Alma's reconciliation in Encanto.

Jo has a an experience of grief and healing and writes Little Women in Little Women (1994)

It is no secret how much I love this movie XD but this moment in particular can be so personal. Jo goes up to put away Beth's last belongings, as a burial of sorts, in the deepest point of her grief for her sister and the dark realization that they will never be all together again in this world. But then, there in the garret where memories are stored in the objects that witnessed them, it's not death but life that she finds in the recollection of the love that made their lives growing up and made them them (it's not just that she writes, but that we hear with her the voices coming alive). And she writes to recordare, to pass all those things through her heart again, and as the season changes outside, so it changes inside as her mourning lessens (she's gone from black to light grey), and when she finishes her story and ties it up with a bow, she puts a flower, the same flower prof. Bhaer gave her, on it: she can now look forward to whatever the future brings her.

It captures the same feeling of Josh Groban's Awake to me, specially those last verses that go "and I will remember/oh, I will remember/all the love we shared today.". The 2017 adaptation also does something very similar, when a writer's blocked and grief stricken Jo goes to her father for advice, and he tells her to "sift down through your heart, through all the pain, and grief. There are words there. There's a woman there, and it is you. . say you were happy once. Say there was a laughter. Say it that is true." but we are talking movies today!

Anyways. Deeply meaningful scene to me about love and loss and what they make of us.

Ask me my top5/top10 anything!

[angelmichelangelo]

brothers

chapter eight

verse: 2k12/idw/human au rating: t word count: 3.9k

read on ao3!

x

Thirteen years ago.

His feet hit the pavement hard and as fast as his legs will allow as he chases down the dark car down the long stretch of street, Sunita’s voice calling for him woefully as it fades into just background noise of the staccato of his thrumming heartbeat that pulses at his eardrums, drowning everything out with each ragged breath as he watches his brothers speed away from him despite all his best efforts. Leo is only thirteen, yet he’s muscled his way through the hardships of life like any adult; bigger and wiser beyond his years not by choice but by cruel, unforgiving circumstance, and he knows somewhere in his wildly racing heart that pounds heavy across his chest that sticking Mikey and Raph in the back of that cab without him was wrong. It was so wrong, it hurts, icing out his veins and clasping around his throat with each sharp breath he tries to take. He’s big and he’s brave and he’s clever sometimes but he’s not fast enough to keep up with the car as it turns around a bend in the road and disappears right out of sight. 

He comes to a stop, standing there on the corner watching each car mull by helpless and oblivious as the end of the world happening in Leo’s vicinity, gulping in big desperate breaths trying to harness some godly power to have that car turn back around and bring him back his brothers. It never happens. They don’t come back. Sunita eventually reaches him, a little breathless herself, her hand curls around his shoulder and he lacks any awareness or strength to pull away from her. “Leo, sweetie,” she says, voice softening just for him. “Come on. Donnie needs you right now. Let’s go back, honey.” Leo doesn’t want to move. He wants to grow roots and stay here until that car came back. He wants to stay exactly where he is until his skin gets wrinkled and his heart gives out because how else would he survive knowing two of his brothers were just gone like that? But far away there’s the sound of Donatello’s pitiful little moans. He’s a twin that’s just been cut in two, right down the middle. He’s a big brother too, that’s lost exactly what Leo has lost. He’s all Leo has got in the world right now, so he uproots himself, feeling the ache and burn in the bottoms of his feet as he walks himself back to comfort his brother best he can.

[dangerously-human]

FIRST PREGNANCY, GEORGE BABYFIC, LAUNDRY AND TAXES, TORTURE BUT MARRIED 💕😍💖🙏🤲🩷

Your selections are, shall we say, unsurprising. XD Half of these I have snippets for, half are still in the conceptual/outlining stage.

First pregnancy (My Heart Walked into the World): This is from a future chapter where Lucy and Lockwood are sparring in the basement and Lockwood has an "oh this is real real, I'm actually gonna be a dad" moment.

From this angle, the swell of her belly was more apparent; in another month, if she pulled the same move, it would be prodding him in the face. Not that they’d be keeping up with sparring then — or maybe they would; the pregnancy manuals weren’t exactly written with active agents in mind. He’d have to brush up on some of the chapters toward the back of the book later. Suddenly, it was difficult to drag his gaze away from that new shape. There really was a tiny person growing in there, a person he and Lucy had made together. It was incredible and unfathomable and frankly a little bit bizarre, and it was really, actually happening. Contrary to what George might tease, Lockwood hadn’t spent much time imagining this — had assumed, maybe, that if he lived long enough, he’d eventually have children, because that was what adults did. The time before his parents died was foggy at best, so it was hard to guess at his childhood dreams; but as far back as he could remember, to little Anthony Lockwood, the options for adults were either dad or DEPRAC agent, probably, and the latter sounded terribly boring. But that was the future, and before he was ten, the future had let him down too many times to be trusted, so it didn’t bear thinking about in much detail. And then came Lucy. And somewhere along the way, even when she was still Lucy Carlyle, the vision had crystallized. Not so much the when, but the whether. And now that hazy someday was here, and Lockwood was maybe forgetting a little how to breathe.

George-centric babyfic: This one's a little tricky only because I originally started it before I had any intention of writing the first pregnancy fic, and there's a good bit of information (mainly about our faves' futures, but also about life and culture during the Problem) I was trying to convey that makes more sense there than here. In actuality I think this will be a good thing: this fic was turning into a lot of infodumping and needs to find its own identity instead. But it's going to take some rewrites, and, well. Redoing things is never my favorite. But I'm very attached to this fic; it plays a lot on George and Lucy's friendship, which is always one of my favorite things to write, and it's also sort of the foundation of the Restore the Years 'verse, in that I kept daydreaming this scene and invented seven Lockwood children to justify it and started establishing headcanons and then went, hmm, maybe I should actually flesh out how we got here. 20+ works later...

Right, so. This one does feed quite a bit off of that post that's like, we all know George lives with Lucy and Lockwood until at least their third child (this is #4), and Lockwood gets all sad puppy eyes when he says he's moving out and Flo tries to extricate him from the Lockwood commune, etc etc. My take on that:

“It’s not about that, Lockwood. You know I love Ivy, and the twins, even if I am convinced they conspired to steal all my beakers last week.” “They’re all of eight months old, George, they’re not conspiring on anything,” I said, punctuating my statement with a hefty eyeroll. “Their worst crime is mouthing salt bombs. That, or using those fancy new teeth to bite their sister.” “Nonetheless, my point stands that it’s not about the kids. As I was saying, Flo’s finally getting less antsy indoors, and I think it’s high time we started our lives together properly.” Lockwood frowned. “Now, don’t feel like you need to rush into anything—” George snorted. “Oh, yes, moving in together two years into marriage, that’s really a scandalously condensed timeline.”

Laundry and taxes: Still in the planning stage. This is the Locklyle proposal from Lockwood's POV (Lucy's POV being Where O Grave). Lockwood buys the ring (as we saw in Here's a Safe Place to Lay Your Heart Down), and then takes to carrying it with him everywhere as he tries to figure out the perfect way to propose. Everything he comes up with either doesn't suit Lucy, doesn't work out, or gets vetoed by Kipps. Eventually he's just doing laundry in the basement with Lucy and can't wait another second, and pulls out the ring from his pocket. My nickname for the story comes from that quote from Everything Everywhere All at Once (which I really need to actually watch!) about, like, "I would have liked just doing laundry and taxes with you," and my fondness for the way accepting a mundane life together is actually a really important part of the development of Lockwood's romance with Lucy, and the way the necklace of devotion symbolizes all that.

Torture but married: Basically the Winkman interrogation scene but what if they were married. I actually haven't fully decided who's in which role in this scene, although they both get beat up, so I'll be happy either way, lol. Lockwood and Lucy are doing some undercover investigation work related to their mission on the Other Side, and one of them (probably Lockwood) gets captured and mid-interrogation, the other (probably Lucy) intervenes to rescue him, also gets whammied a little in the process, there's lots of worry for each other, and the comfort and wound tending we were denied in the show episode. Also there's a line in there where he's pleading for his captors to let him go and he's like, "I have a wife and child and child at home, please," and because the entire point of this fic was for me to get to write a "that's my wife!" scene for Lockwood, eventually he gets to go, "yeah, actually that's my wife who's currently making problems for you, the baby's at home with the nanny though" and then they get to cuddle Ivy when they get home because I never got over that scene in The Peacekeeper Wars of a bloodied, nearly dead John cradling his newborn son with Aeryn looking on.

[nevertheblood]

Trick or treat!

HIIIIII thank you for the ask <33

I remember that you liked love in the vein 👀 so I bring some WIP from the same royalty AU-verse... technically it is an epilogue to the whole fic but I don't know if I'll ever get so far as to publish everything (there's a lot of fantasy politics shenanigans involving Verlaine and a GREAT deal of angst before we get to happily married adult skk....) so just in case it never makes it out there into the world, here's some fluffy pregchuu smut !!

[NSFW, trans male chuuya, pregnant sex, mentions of improper binding (due to historical setting), probably the soppiest most saccharine nonsense you've ever read in your life but I NEED THEM TO BE HAPPY.... they go through a lot.... that I didn't write yet 😭]

anyways pls enjoy your treat!! happy early halloween 🎃🕸️🍬👻

The servants know by now to leave their chambers well alone at this hour. This time, after the sun has climbed above the horizon but before the bell in the banquet hall sounds for breakfast, is all theirs. As far as they’re concerned, within those precious hours, aeons could pass, their kingdom could rise or fall outside the bedroom door, and they would be none the wiser; lost in their own domain, the wonderland of one another.

Once, when they were much younger, still in the process of learning how to love, Dazai had said I want to kiss you everywhere. When we’re married, I promise I will. The list of Dazai’s sins is probably longer than he would like to admit, but he doesn’t break his promises to Chuuya. Not anymore, not ever again.

Today, Chuuya’s skin is sun-warmed, sweat-salted, and Dazai’s mouth maps the curves and hollows of his body with practiced cleverness.

“Do you know,” Dazai says, his breath a caress on Chuuya’s hipbone, “Why I first fell in love with you?”

“Why?” Chuuya replies, in the half-attentive tone of someone who’s sort of heard this story before but really wouldn’t mind hearing it again. Dazai, of course, indulges him.

“You were always—” he presses a kiss to the place where Chuuya’s hip and thigh meet, and Chuuya shivers, “—so full—” another kiss, this time closer to the inner thigh, “—of life.”

Chuuya laughs quietly. “Is that what you’d call it?” “Obviously.” For once, Dazai’s tone is completely serious. “It can’t have been easy, to find out in your mid-teens that you weren’t what the world had told you you were. But the whole time, you were so… so bright. You burned through the hardship, like a little phoenix. It was beautiful.”

“You had your own hardships,” Chuuya says softly, “And they were very different from mine.” “I know,” Dazai says, “But seeing you… it made me want to live, too. Like you wanted to live.” Chuuya looks at him, from where he’s lying back against the pillows. “This was years ago,” he says. “Why are you telling me this now?” “You are more full of life now than ever,” Dazai answers quietly, before placing the gentlest of kisses on Chuuya’s stomach, “There is life growing in you. And I am so in love with you for it.”

Chuuya reaches out one hand to tangle in Dazai’s hair, teasing out the morning bedhead curls. “It gives you the will to live?” “Something like that.” “You want to know why I fell in love with you?” Dazai props himself up on his hands, holding himself carefully over Chuuya’s body, and shifts upwards on the bed, close enough that Chuuya can kiss his nose, which he does. “Tell me?”

“You like to think of yourself as a terrible person, but you aren’t. You’re actually rather selfless.” “Oh?” Dazai takes Chuuya’s hand where it’s resting next to his head, kisses his fingertips softly. “And what makes you such an impeccable judge of character?” “Despite everything,” Chuuya says, curling his fingers around Dazai’s, “That whole time, you loved me. I felt it so strongly. You hated yourself, you hated this world, so much, but you loved me.” Dazai smiles, a little ruefully. “I think that’s still true, actually.” “Stupid,” Chuuya says, flicking him in the head with one well-aimed finger. “This… almost-life that’s inside me. You put it there, didn’t you?”

Dazai rubs his forehead, disgruntled. “I sure hope it was me. What’s your point?” “You have such capacity for life, you suicidal idiot,” Chuuya says, folding his arms around Dazai’s neck, pulling him in closer, “And I won’t ever let you forget it.” “Enough philosophising, already,” Dazai says, sliding one hand under Chuuya’s thigh, squeezing in a way that makes Chuuya blush bright red, “Wasn’t I busy kissing you?” Chuuya splutters indignantly. “You started the philosophising, asshole.”

“Maybe I did. So what?” Sixteen years they’ve known each other, and Dazai’s favourite hobby is probably still finding new ways to get Chuuya riled up. “Shut up and kiss me before I wring your stupid neck.” Or maybe Dazai’s favourite hobby is kissing Chuuya. The jury is still out. “Gladly.” This time, his lips stay glued to Chuuya’s, while his hands do the wandering, letting his senses remind him of everything so tenderly familiar and everything so painfully new. For one thing, Chuuya is binding less frequently, these days, the changes in his body making everything just this side of too painful, and the tangible, ever-present lines on his skin around his ribs and underarms normally left by the press of the bandages are less noticeable to the touch. He’s put weight on, too, which he gripes about but Dazai adores, the way the smooth flesh around Chuuya’s waist, hips, thighs, dips and yields like warm clay under Dazai’s hands, every angle of his body turning softer, rounder.

Dazai is no cartographer, despite the hours his father and Kunikida had spent trying to teach him, but he’d gladly make a thousand charts of the topography of Chuuya’s body, his index and middle finger his compass, measuring each line and curve in perfect design.  His hand pauses at Chuuya’s bare hip, silently questioning. Chuuya seems to hear his request and parts his legs just a little, allowing his husband’s exacting hands to slide between his spread thighs. “Chuuya,” Dazai says, the name a sigh against their kiss, “First thing in the morning and you’re already so wet for me.”

“I dreamed of you,” Chuuya says, voice a little floaty like he’s still halfway in the dream itself. “Yeah?” Dazai teases him, fingertips circling where he knows Chuuya wants him to touch, “What happened?” “You bent me over the writing-desk and fucked me ‘til I screamed,” Chuuya says dreamily, “You haven’t been that rough with me in ages. You know I like it when you’re a little insane.”

Despite himself, Dazai feels just a touch guilty. “I--” “Hush,” Chuuya cuts him off, eyes soft. “I know why you’re treating me gently. I don’t mind it.” “It’s okay?” Dazai slips one finger inside, breath catching in his throat at the way Chuuya feels around him. “More than okay.” Chuuya makes a quiet ‘nn’ sound of pleasure, eyelids fluttering as Dazai crooks his finger. “Ah, please--”

Chuuya is beautiful like this, so beautiful. The way his hair falls over one shoulder, curling as it begins to stick to his skin, framing the healing bites and bruises Dazai’s already left along the column of his throat in bright orange like neat embroidery. The way he whimpers quietly, covering his mouth with the back of one hand, trying to act like he’s not quite so affected as he is by the curl of Dazai’s fingers inside. The way he moves his body, lifting his hips upwards, trying to fuck himself harder on Dazai’s hand, clinging tight to his husband, a life raft in the ocean of their bed. “Nnngh, Osamu,” Chuuya pants, and Dazai’s head still spins a little even though his first name has become much more common-use since their marriage, “Need you inside me.” And what kind of prince would Dazai be to deny his beloved consort anything?

[resuri-art]

Hi! I'm new to the yugioh fandom and have been asking around, do you have any fic recs you could share with us? I always love hearing what other people recommend ❤️

Hello anon, and welcome to the ygo fandom! 💖 I hope you're having a great time here. (We are a little weird but we are nice I promise.)

I have a lot of recs, it depends of what you're searching for, but I'll make a little selection:

Canon verse fics:

The last puzzle by @tenderwulf

11 years after the Ceremonial Duel, Atem and Bakura inexplicably find themselves back in Domino. When they meet their previous hosts, they realize how much things have changed: Yuugi, the now world-renowned King of Games, is going through a marriage crisis, Ryou is struggling to balance studies, work, and his brittle mental health, and Malik... well, Malik is living his best life—and his own yami is nowhere to be seen. They soon realize they all have to work together in order to solve the mystery of the yamis' return: some to make sure that they stay, and some to make sure that they don't.

- Philosophy of a knife by @crush3dmary

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Ryou learns this the hard way when he becomes the vessel for Zorc's power. A canon rewrite where Bakura wins.

The HoURGLASS serie by @worldendercharles

Two character studies of Marik Ishtar and his darker half, meant to parallel each other and explore the cross-contamination between them.

Chained to you by @saijspellhart

Taking place after the events of Season Zero, all the shadow games happened but Yugi never found out he was possessed by the spirit of the puzzle. Now he's an adult, living on his own, and he starts to notice strange and spooky things happening around his apartment. When he sees his own shadow moving Yugi begins to suspect his new place is haunted. But is this shadow spirit malicious or... kinda sweet? Yami does a bunch of stupidly sweet domestic shit for Yugi to help take care of him. Expect romance, fluff, self-care, and Puzzleshipping shenanigans.

Our Scars remind Us that the Past was Real by @sesshy380

Imagine waking up, and everyone is trying to convince you that the things you 'remember’ never happened, and that those 'memories’ exist only in YOUR head. The Thief King doesn’t have to imagine…because that’s exactly what happened. -or- The Thief King get’s a second chance at life.

Yami Bakura’s Got A Crush by @justapalspal

Yami Bakura’s got a crush, and it ends up being Bakura Ryou’s problem. Diva’s even more so.

AU fics:

To Balance the Scales by @sadistikitteh

Fleeing from being killed by his uncle's knights, Atem is saved by Bakura; the mate of the naga he'd helped years before. After healing from wounds and bonding with the couple, Atem's love and desire to help the creatures grows stronger.

Swan Lake by @kitsunefaux

A twist of fate leaves Bakura under the care of the fae Ryou, who thinks he would be so much cuter as a swan. What can you do against a creature who holds your choices in their hands? Who can you be in the belly of the beast?

The Kill Shot serie by @apathetic-theme-song

A modern/magic assassin AU. Two unstoppable forces collide as Bakura, one of the best assassins in the world, finds himself a target of an up-and-coming rival named Qadir in a plot to destroy them both. In teaming up to get revenge, they find that they make much better partners than enemies in more ways than one.

If you're into smut (and of age to read it of course), I would heavily recommend the whole work of Fat-Butch-Dyke (@fat-butch-dyke) and Sitabethel (@sitabethel). Fair warning with Sita: they do the best character developments. You think you will go for a fun pwp but be prepared to be a crying mess at some point.

Also Rochelle Echidna (@rochelle-echidna), Ninjam117 (@ninjam117), RelaySoul (@pandabaozi) and DisposableVillain works are to check too. <3 (I couldn't decide for a fic to recommend more than another.)

There are a lot more I'm probably forgetting but I think that will give you some reading material. Also I recommend to look at the other works of all the authors I mentionned, they are great. ♥

[sofasoap]

And life goes on.

Pairing: Simon “ Ghost” Riley x f!Reader/OC ( aka "Mini" MacTavish ) + 141 members + OCs ( the children ) Summary:  life and snippets after "Death, Comes easily". or, mainly how Ghost is overprotective of his daughter. Family moments. Warning: Mostly T to M theme. swearing. alcohol. Do I need to warn people about fluff? Just in case they get toothache??? overprotective father warning.

Character of Mini MacTavish is from @saltofmercury fic “ “The Favorite MacTavish”  which she graciously let me borrow and write bit more expanded universe. Please go read her wonderful story to get bit of background. Thank you so much for leading me the character.

 “masterlist” for more stories to this Mini MacTavish expanded verse.

"Now, your duty as a big brother is to protect your sister from any pests that approaches her today." Soap reminds his nephew as he adjusts his little kilt and sporran. " Don't be like me, I couldn't protect your mother from the biggest pest there was." he sighed. " I am standing RIGHT HERE you know." Ghost growled. Little Johnny, or affectionately known as Tiny, ran towards his dad, twirled around and proudly showing him his formal wear and kilt.

"You look great son." Ghost cracked a smile and patted his head.

" I'm gonna go show Ma!" Tiny ran off like a whirlwind towards the other end of the house. Soap stood up, stretched a bit and straighten his kilt. " Gotta use examples when you teach kids about stuff ye know? Start from young. Plus," walking towards Ghost and did a once-over of his ceremonial uniform and adjusting the medals. " I am doing this for your own good as well, think how many pests will come after Aileen when she grows up?" Ghost stiffens.

" Da," a quiet voice perks up by the door, little head with black hair and flower crown on top popping through. " Grannie want to know if you and uncle are ready."

" All good to go!" Turning around, Soap gave Ghost a slap on the back. " Come on, let's do this , BROTHER." Taking a deep breath, Ghost walk towards the door and pick up his daughter. He is ready to face one of the biggest moment of his life. Marrying you. "Da.. you are messing up my hair." " Sorry my dove."

" Soap, can you pass me the pepper please." Throwing the grinder over, " Here ye go. Oh Ghost, can you pass the oil please." The boys were prepping for the BBQ. You were quite surprised Simon was really particular about cuts and quality of meat.

".... I was apprentice butcher before I join the military..." and after the explanation you always leave anything meat related in his hand. And he never stuff it up.

" Ma, why is Da calling uncle Johnny SOAP? does he like washing himself??? and why is dad called Ghost? is it because he is big and scary?? "

The adults all look at each other. How do you explain THAT to the kids? You can't just say " Your uncle is so good at killing whole room of people!" " Your da was a legend on the battlefield!" Emma pipped in, " Um.. Yes, your uncle Johnny LOVESSS washing himself, doesn't he? " " AHHH yes, ask your Grannie and grandda, uncle Johnny use to steal all the soaps when he was young!"

Pointing to Ghost you explained "and Da is realllly good at scaring baddies that's why they call him Ghost!"

"" OHHHH....."" The kid look at their father with new admiration. and after that, the twins started calling Johnny " Uncle Soap".

" Pssss Poppy Price, Uncle Gaz, do you know Uncle Soap loves stealing soap? that's why he is called soap!!"

"" HUH" "

You were mixing egg and flour together in the kitchen when Ghost stormed in, having this look of despair on his face. He walked over to the liquor cabinet, took out a bottle, pour himself a generous glass of Scotch and down it in one go. " Simon, what's wrong? It's bit early for a drink isn't it?" Wiping your hand on the apron, you approach your husband cautiously.

Ghost sat down on the couch, head in his hands. " Aileen.." "?! what happen to her?!" You were immediately alarmed, looking out the window where the children are, you see Aileen happily putting flowers on top of her baby cousin Simon who's crawling on the grass, while Tiny is running around with Soap playing war game.

"Da,"

" Yes my dove." Ghost lowered his head for his daughter to put the flower crown on top of his head. " I really like Uncle König, he's so cuddly like a teddy bear, can I marry him when I grow up?"

Ghost froze. WHY. WHY is it König again!!!??? " But dove, uncle König IS married.. " " But I really like him.... " his daughter was on verge of tears. Ghost really don't know how to console his daughter about this impossible dream of hers.

You bursted out laughing when Ghost relay the story to you. " IT'S NOT FUNNY." He glared at you. " I.. ah.. oh gosh I can't breath , sorry love it's just too funny.." you gasped for air. " Look," you sit in his lap and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. "It's only a phase. she will grow out of it."

"I hope so... "

" Sergeant MACTAVISH!"

Three head turned around,

""" Yes? """"

" Not you two, You!" The young soldier pointed their finger at Aileen.

" What can I do for you. " Aileen sat her tea down.

The soldier sneered. " Don't pretend to be all innocent." Aileen raised an eyebrow.

" I saw you getting bit cozy with all the captains aye? Especially Captain Riley!" John and Simon's hand paused mid air , the two cousins look at each other, sensing drama coming. " All of us here are on equal terms, don't think about sucking up to them will give you an advantage in rising up in ranks!" and the soldier storms off.

" I feel like we are back in college with all these teenage dramas." Simon commented as he stuff down the bacon.

" Why didn't you say anything back? " John elbowed his sister.

" I don't owe anyone any explanation. Besides," finishing off her tea, "he's a pure bampot anyway. Oh gosh the tea here is awful. No wonder Da complains about it all the time."

" Ah well, hope that is the last of that." Simon stands up, clapping his cousins on the back. " I'm off to sleep now. " Yawning, " Ju..Just finish my night shift." " Hurry up and go." " See you two later."

"Here's the tea. Will taste way better than the one they serve here." " Thanks Captain."

" .. There she is , whoring herself again." Silence.

"Wha..!" Just as Simon tries to pull his cousin back from attacking his sister's insulter,

" Sergeant ..... Smith I believe??"

"... Ye... YES SIR." " that's CAPTAIN TO YOU." " YES CAPTAIN" " CAPTAIN RILEY."

" Cap.. Captain Riley." " Now, I suggest you apologise to your fellow soldier," Ghost step closer and towering over the trembling soldier,

" and NEVER INSULT MY DAUGHTER. DO YOU UNDERSTAND" " Captain Price and Captain Gaz? they are my godfathers, that's my uncle, Captain Soap, you know, Simon's Da..... anddddd. My Da. Captain Simon Ghost Riley."

" Captain." " Yes Sergeant" " Are KorTac going to have joint operation with us next week." " How do you know." " Poppy.. um, Captain Price mention something briefly."

" ... Oh."

".... Da."

Ghost looks up. " yes my dove." usually the children call their father and uncles by military titles at the barrack, but when they are in the private office, with no one else around, they lax a bit.

" Can I... can I introduce you to someone next week?" Aileen blushes.

SO THE DAY HAS COME. HIS LITTLE GIRL IS GETTING TAKEN AWAY BY THE PEST. Ghost's heart tightens.

".. Da? Da ? are you listening?"

" yes yes I am listening. So.. who is this.... person?" WHO IS THIS PEST. Keep Calm Simon. Keep your cool. You are the legendary Ghost.

" um. Do you remember Alex.. " Ghost frowned. Alex? not Soap's Cousin Alex? that's incest then. ... ... wait. .. NO. "You know, Uncle König's son?? " Simon " Ghost " Riley is certain he been cursed by his enemy again. First it's the MacTavish curse ( a curse he now consider a blessing) . now König.

and the Passerby can hear a despair cry coming from Captain Riley's office.

Just imaging the boys in their full ceremonial uniform.. delicious. And and and go google Neil Ellice topless kilt… * drool worthy* that’s our soap in kilt for you.

yes, the twins kept their maternal surname, just because they couldn't be bothered changing. Ghost doesn't mind it. The kids still carrying part of his family's name in theirs anyway. and Yes, Soap named his kid after Simon.

Thank you for reading, likes, comments and reblogs!

[trashlama]

Ok hear me out Yandere redson and Mei poly /team up hcs please 🙏who both fallen for macaque female apprentice ~

Mei fights her seeing as macaque fighting monkey king , which leads to MK fighting her future darling it was only when reader makes shadow clones to trap MK , that’s when Mei gets involved. 

It would have been fine if the reader didn’t have such a flirty attitude, who likes to praise Mei even when Mei sword was near her throat. 

Before Mei could do anything , reader disappeared into the shadow realm 

For Red son , I can see him teaming up with her since MK is there enemy , with his brain and her brawn , MK and his friends will be finished in no time . (Reader teamed up with his , for sine reason her mentor disappeared and she thinking rid of MK and his friends will make him praise her ) 

He did not expect reader to be so smooth and honestly praises his inventions even saying he’s amazing . 

There were so close yet MK still won , Red son thought she was gonna leave him only for her to teleport him and her to her hideout to heal his wounds before sending him back home ,not before giving him a flirty remark . 

After that an obsession grow for Red son 

While Mei she gains a guilty crush that got worse when reader decide to keep her company since MK been busy Lately, She knows she should hate it but she been feeling lonely and when reader not being flirty she can be nice even winning Mei a dragon plushie at a fair . 

What made her snap was realising Red son fallen for her darling , but seeing how there got along greatly if there difference aside , there decided to team up to make reader theirs . 

My dude —deep inhale of air— would it be alright if I made this into like a two possibly three shot series?

I love the idea and I've been brainstorming tons of ideas for this one and in each scenario I'm like damn this idea is so good. I really want to do it justice so I need to have multiple chapters. Ya know? To build the tension and really get a feel of the mindsets and what not.

However—

(SORRY THIS TURNS INTO A LITTLE AUTHOR'S NOTE)

As you guys are aware I have to seriously start working on this future Yan Raph fic of mine... . It's Ironic but, I reeaally want to start writing the future yan Mikey part. Mostly because I basically have that one planned out in my head. Meanwhile I got like five different possible scenarios for the Raph fic that I can't decide on. Though a few months ago I had said I was gonna do the Raph one first so to keep my word I plan to do so.

However SOMEBODY (an anon) had requested a future Yan Michelangelo fic and I'm like brooooo were you reading my thoughts? Cause they were somewhat close to what I had in mind but not quite. But the point is I need to write the Raph fic soooonn!!!

Gotta appease the masses~✨

Though guys I'm a bad Trashlama. I keep brainstorming all these awesome plots that I totally want to write— which ironically were formulated when I was brainstorming for the Raph fic.

Soooo I'm gonna do a poll so I can force my procrastinating/ADHD ass to write at least some of these.

And guys btw I'm sorry again for taking so long. I've been caught up recently with finishing a lot of other things I had been procrastinating. -Cough- Hogwarts Legacy -Cough- Spider-Man Across the Spider-verse -Cough- Adult responsibilities -Cough- -Cough-!!!

Anyways thank you guys again for sticking around to the end. I'll have that poll out soon(probably today).

HERE'S THE POLL

In the mean time here's some memes!

Sorry this is long↓ I don't own these memes. I've never claimed to do so. I just come across them on Pinterest when I'm on break at work and think they're funny so I like to share them. If I mistakenly put one on here that I shouldn't have please let me know! I like to respect people's wishes. And if you could add the creator names too that would be great so the same mistake isn't made twice. Sorry for the inconvenience that my sharing may cause. I hope you have a good day.

[femmefighter]

Fandom ask thing!

How’s about 2, 3, 16, and 17?

Well, am I LATE in responding to this! Sorry, real life and my real ADHD brain came between me and answering these earlier. BUT I'M HERE NOW!! Shuffles through archive to find the actual questions so I can answer... 2. A headcanon you weren't sure about but have now come to like. Alien-genitalia Ahsoka. I've never minded the HC of Ahsoka being dual sex or having a penis at all, but my head used to spin at some of the ideas I read about. "What do you mean, she has a blue tendril?!?!" Now, I'm like, "c'mon, surprise me. Let's see what your imagination can cook up." Yes, I will continue to write my own Ahsoka as my vanilla genitalia, sorry guys. I never said I was the one with the imagination.

3. A character that fandom has helped you appreciate. Cali don't yell at me for this. Satine Kryze. I smashed through The Clone Wars whilst on a solo camping trip with my dog along the Australian eastern coastline last year. When it would get dark and the mosquitos would come out to play, my dog and I would retreat into my epic swag-tent in the back of my ute, and I'd watch TCW until I was ready to sleep. TBH I had come to TCW to learn more about Ahsoka and Bo-Katan having just met them in S2 of the Mandalorian. All the characters I then got to meet was a bonus SW education. Satine I enjoyed as a character, especially with her obvious modelling off Cate Blanchett's take on Queen Elizabeth I. But, I ended up rolling my eyes a bit at her being used as that trope of 'that tool to hurt Obi-Wan deeply but show he doesn't turn to the dark side'. Yes I still cried like a bitch when she died in his arms, but still. I'm sick of women being used as features to strengthen a man's story arc. It was through fandom *cough* the LesBo discord server *cough* that I learned to appreciate Satine more for her pacifism politics despite her own classic bubbling Mandalorian anger issues, as well as her deeply complex, tumultuous relationship with her younger sister, Bo-Katan. Satine, you deserved better, and I wish I appreciated you more in my first encounter with you. Time for a Clone Wars re-watch, I think.

16. A tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate. That the characters in SW grow up, grow old, and grow in and out of certain roles or stereotypes fandom like to place them in. I think it's that 'found family' doesn't need to represent the traditional Western family nucleus. I see so much of fandom calling Hera and Kanan the mum and dad of the Ghost crew, and I'm not saying that's wrong, but it doesn't allow the natural growth that characters are allowed to have as they get older. Or maybe more that, fandom doesn't allow the characters to grow out of that. Hera is a natural leader, and summarising it as 'mum' vibes does her an injustice, as people much older than her respect her leadership and follow her to hell and back because of her natural command presence, her compassion for the people she leads and her steadfast belief in their cause. People seem to forget that characters like Zeb or Mon Mothma, who are 15/20 years older than Hera, follow her lead in times of crisis or even just daily run-of-the-mill military operations. Hera was a runaway 18 year old girl with just her ship and her murderous droid verses the galaxy, and she ends up a General of the Rebellion/New Republic. That's more than mum vibes, that's BAMF vibes.

On the other side of the equation you have Sabine and Ezra, often depicted as Hera's 'children' in Rebels. Yet they become adults With only an 8 year age gap between Hera and Sabine, it's natural that Sabine would grow into more of a little-sister dynamic with Hera, which they try to show in the Ahsoka series with Jacen calling her 'Aunt Sabine'. But people seem to prefer still calling Sabine a 'girl-failure' of a kid rather than the traumatised, 30 year old adult woman with complex relationships she now is. Pigeon-holing characters into nuclear family roles I feel either permanently infantilizes some characters unfairly, or makes them the chronic 'mum/dad' characters that aren't allowed to be seen as fun, rule-breaking or sexy. The characters in SW grow up, are changed by their experiences, relationships and traumas, and I find that beautiful. I wish more people did too.

17. The thing in canon that everyone loves that you also love. Sabine Wren being an artist as well as a killing machine. It might be an odd thing for me to fixate on, but growing up in a left vs right political society, I was often ostracised for being in the military but also being queer, left-voting, a seamstress and creative. Apparently, two such components of my identity were not allowed to co-exist in the one person. So naturally, I found it a breath of fresh air seeing in Rebels, Sabine spray painting anti-Imperial graffiti on a wall one moment to shooting or blowing up bucketheads a moment later without blinking an eye. Her painted armour, literally bringing those two 'opposing' sides of her identity together that makes her who she is - love it so damn much.

Anyways, I've probably taken all these questions too seriously and have possibly also pissed off half of fandom with my take on these. But at least I've had fun doing so. 😂

Thanks for the ask!!

[lumiidragon]

My first post since coming back to the community, and it's my old Fury Family Verse family tree redrawn!

I wanted to add Sunglory to the family tree since she wasn't created yet when I made the old one. I also wanted the light fury mates updated designs and make the chart a little more clear since I kept having the issue with people weirdly thinking I was shipping siblings for some reason. :') But here it is! The start to my return~! This family tree starts with Toothless and Luna (the Light Fury), who have three night lights, Dart,  Pouncer, and Ruffrunner. Dart grows up miserably bored of The Hidden World and after having a brief taste of it as a child, she runs away as a young adult with her mate, Sunglory and leaves The Hidden World to never return. Pouncer, content with the world he lives in becomes mates with a bubbly light fury, Stiches, and have two daughters, Seafoam and Rain. He eventually becomes alpha of The Hidden World. Ruffrunner is the first of the night lights to have offspring, having only one son with a light fury called 'Opal'. His only son, Soundbreak, has many traits like his aunt Dart and enjoys sneaking out of The Hidden World where he meets a lone light fury called 'Shoal'. Eventually, he makes the decision to leave The Hidden World (something that was supported by both of his parents) to be with his mate. They end up having three offspring, Scamper, Flower, and Roughwave and all live outside of The Hidden World. (I do not own HTTYD, Toothless, Luna the Light Fury, Dart, Pouncer, or Ruffrunner.)