#And is only able to have a partnership with him when she barely has to do anything to actually help him as leader guardian partner & friend

[familyagrestefanblog]

I've tried so many times making whole in depth posts about this, but I never get it done properly. So I'll just keep it very brief for now:

Marinette giving out every miraculous at the end of S5, so making a team of 16 additional miraculous holders now as full time heros she says she wants to help coming into their own as their leader and guardian, is the most hilarious dark red sign I've ever seen in this show

Marinette can barely handle Chat Noir being an individual with his own pov, actual emotions she has to acknowledge in her leadership, agency that isn't just catering to her and having human rights attached to his body (at least that she got better at in s5, although it's questionable how much that was influenced by her literally having no other choice in s5 but to treat him better. I guess s6 will put that into perspective)

and in s5 both Chat and Alya were two halves of ONE PARTNER bc Chat had to accept that he isn't allowed to exist as civilian in Ladybug's leadership, all while both Alya and Chat had to basically take care of her as their main job.

What makes Marinette THINK she can handle 16 new miraculous holders who act as individuals with existing LIVES, and not just being her chosen power vessels who can't act on their own?

Just the thought of it honestly makes me laugh because nothing in Canon implies Marinette's leadership can actually handle heros doing their own thing as individuals. She will have a meltdown when any of them act on their own as heros of Paris in any greater way.

Imagine Vesperia being put on spot by being near a robbery and her using her venom on a civilian person (the robber) and then Cerise has the police go up against her and Ladybug as the team leader for abuse of power?

Imagine Pigella using her powers on people who are having a personal fight and then her getting in trouble because she revealed the private wish of someone to everyone around them.

Imagine Kim and Max training alone by Ladybug's order, and Max making portals so Kim can improve his time to get certain objects from different places, and that resulting in people being pissed at the heros breaking and entering their private homes and taking their stuff however they please as "training"

Look, I don't wanna be mean but I give her a god damn WEEK before she starts giving teammates (100% Kim for example) Chat Noir's rag doll treatment and starting to yell and get angry again bc they're doing something she personally doesn't like at an inconvenient time, or something she gets in trouble for as their leader.

Before this the temp heros has the luxury of only having been ask to do exactly what Ladybug said as her minions and power vessels, but now that they are individuals?

Good gosh, it's gonna be a disaster. Cerise is gonna have the time of her life using the team and city again her lol

[solaireverie]

f1 | i'd be the man

summary: [ drabbles ] you're the formula one driver and he's your wag. (aka the toto wolff-ification of the fast car boys)

warnings: mentions of racism and sexism

author's note: i had so much fun coming up with non-f1 jobs 😂 i'm convinced that most of the boys would still be obsessed with f1. considering doing this for other drivers, drop some suggestions? 👀

→ CHARLES LECLERC

Charles is a fashion designer who works for one of your sponsors. You find his designs slightly... peculiar and aren't afraid to tell him. Determined to prove you wrong about his vision, Charles volunteers to be your primary point of contact for your partnership with the fashion house.

Your meetings are contentious in the beginning, neither of you understanding the other. You leave each consultation with a throbbing migraine and a barely suppressed urge to throw something at Charles. If only he weren't so damned stubborn. (At the same time, you know that his passion for his craft is half of why you even deign to meet with him.)

A grudging respect forms between you after months of friction and endless banter about what exactly you want your sponsorship to look like. If hard-pressed, you might even call it a friendship.

Charles has been a Formula 1 fan since childhood and is secretly a fan of yours. You find out after you meet him for a design meeting after a rough race and he suddenly goes on a rant about how the driver who took you out was being ridiculous and how you deserved better. You're completely charmed and interrupt him by asking him out on a date.

He's the absolute best boyfriend that you could ever ask for, following you to all the European races and supporting you from Monaco when he can't make it. Charles delights in being able to provide a bit of stability for you in your hectic life. He puts up photos of your race wins in his studio and proudly tells all of his clients about his girlfriend and her achievements.

(You still won't listen to his fashion advice, though.)

→ MAX VERSTAPPEN

Max runs the cat shelter that you adopt your cat from. You notice how cute he is the first time you meet him but you're too shy to make a move — besides, Max cherishes his quiet life and you don't know how open he would be to associating with a public figure like a Formula 1 driver. Still, he's funny and kind and you somehow keep talking.

It starts out innocuously, just pictures and updates about your new cat (because Max cares about all of the cats that he's ever taken care of, even the ones that have been adopted into good homes) and occasional behind-the-scenes updates when you find out that Max likes Formula 1.

Without realizing it, Max becomes one of your closest friends. He catsits for you when you're out of the country for races, picks you up from the airport after international races, and cheerfully beats you at sim racing whenever you have the opportunity to game together.

Max realizes that you're basically dating around a year into your friendship. You sleep at his place, in his bed, more often than not. Sassy likes you more than she likes him. You have his coffee order memorized and he knows your parents. (Your mother adores him and constantly encourages you to make a move.)

He's patient, however, and waits for you to realize your own feelings as well. Dating comes as naturally for you as your friendship did. Although Max doesn't always enjoy the media scrutiny that comes with dating a Formula 1 driver, he takes full advantage of the attention to defend you at any given chance.

In fact, you've been asked multiple times by your team principal to get your boyfriend to calm down before he offends another driver, but you wouldn't change Max for the world.

→ LANDO NORRIS

Lando is a Twitch streamer with a decent following who specializes in gaming, especially e-motorsports. He gets the chance to visit your team's garage when he wins a e-sport tournament. He's an unabashed simp fan and immediately makes a fool of himself when he meets you, but you find it adorable.

(Lando swears up and down to anyone who'll listen that he didn't mean to blush and accidentally propose on the spot.)

You cheekily tell him to take you out on a date first and he surprisingly gets his act together and actually follows through. Lando is incredibly kind and clumsily charming despite his awkward exterior. You can tell that he genuinely likes spending time with you and wants to hear what you have to say.

Lando switches to Youtube and vlogging when your relationship stabilizes so he can spend more time with you. His fans — and yours — love catching glimpses of his elusive Formula 1 driver girlfriend in his videos. It's a running joke among his fans that Lando is your sugar baby, which Lando finds extremely funny and shamelessly accepts.

Eventually, both of you realize that you've found the love of your life and you start thinking about marriage. You propose to each other at the same time, on the vacation that you each planned for the other, while your mutual friends who knew about both sides die of laughter from the sidelines.

Lando insists on taking your name as well and declares that he's now officially your trophy husband.

("Get it? You get trophies from your job, which brought us together, so technically I'm a trophy now too?" "Yes, Lando, I understand double entendres perfectly well." "Ooooh French, fancy!")

→ LEWIS HAMILTON

You meet Lewis in your childhood. He karts at the same track as you and you bond over the shared experience of being "other" from the other drivers. No one ever bets on either of you to be fast, to win, so you bet on each other. Lewis supports you with his entire being, even when he chooses to leave racing to chase other dreams. You dreamed of reaching Formula 1 together but Lewis, in this world, is happy cheering from the paddock.

Everyone around you is convinced that you're dating Lewis, who has become a highly successful model and philanthropist. Who else would would take time out of their insanely busy life to follow you around the world? The closeness between you doesn't help either — Lewis acts like your partner more often than not.

Despite appearances, however, Lewis is just your best friend, and it stays that way until a PR disaster with your respective relationships calls for extensive damage control. The best distraction that your media teams can come up with is that you fake-date each other: what better to appease the masses with than the ever-beloved tale of childhood friends to lovers?

The fake relationship changes something in your previously stable friendship. Suddenly, you can't stop seeing Lewis in a different light and you find yourself wishing that the romance was real. You're terrified of losing one of the most important people in your life, so you keep quiet about your true feelings for months as things calm down.

Eventually, your manager gives the all-clear to end the ruse and you end up scrambling for a reason to maintain it. By that time, Lewis has caught on to you. He stops by one night with a bottle of wine and your favorite movie. As the credits play, he leans over and kisses you softly — the first time he's kissed you out of the eye of the public.

You're lost for words and he quietly assures you that no matter what happens if you pursue a real relationship, he'll always be your Lewis.

Ten years later, happily married with a couple of championships under your belt, you couldn't be happier that you had chosen to say "hi" to the boy at the karting track.

likes and reblogs are appreciated!

masterlist | taglist: @scenesofobx @vellicora @boiohboii

[familyagrestefanblog]

Jep, this is basically it.

A+ additional tags 👏👏

ML Hot Take

Chat noir is hiding just as much from Ladybug as she is from him, and they are both doing it just so the other is kept safe and unburdened because they both have a flawed understanding of the other, which leaves them both at fault for the ladynoir fall out.

[fairiesheart]

I think Natsu highlights how important partnership is whether it romantic or platonic kind of subtly set up in Fairy Tail why I think Lucy is probably the best person for him in a relationship; and how Hiro Mashima tried to show us how things in the present storyline wouldn't have worked with Natsu and Lisanna.

This isn't any shade toward Lisanna, by the way, but when Hiro Mashima presented her dynamic with Natsu from the flashbacks we got of her and Natsu raising the egg together (which was Happy), I noticed that she romanticizes the words "wife" and "mom" often which made me think that Lisanna herself pictures having some sort of traditional relationship with Natsu (which back before she was sent to edolas the dynamic between them worked) and even when Happy came into the picture she still maintains the importance of the "dad, mom, and child" labels for their fond family. However, when she exited the story and Natsu and Happy were left on their own they both started to see each other as "equals and partners" and in the platonic sense that worked for them and was what made their bond as strong as it is in the current timeline. Lisanna wanting a traditional sense of a relationship isn't an issue, but I think what went wrong was that when she did return back to Fairy Tail, she came back to a world that changed, and she had to try and adjust to those changes, including seeing Natsu and Happy's dynamic evolve from what she remembered. I do believe that if Natsu and Happy's dynamic followed the "father and son" labels that were stated for them before she left; I am sure that Lisanna trying to come back into the picture and develop a romantic relationship with Natsu wouldn't be too difficult for her.

When Lucy came into the picture, she and Natsu weren't exactly on the same terms due to Lucy struggling to be a fighter with the rest of team Natsu at first (and him barely remembering her name when she first came to Fairy Tail). But when she was able to fend for herself and, at times, get that chance to save the members of her own team something within Natsu and Lucy's dynamic changed, and we got to see that whenever they were separated, having their own battles such as in Tartarous, they both were able to focus on what they had to do and not worry about each other because they believed in each others ability to make it through and stand their ground. Natsu's sense of partnership goes really well with the way his dynamic with Lucy has grown because from not really taking her seriously back in chapter 1 to then having complete trust in her ability to save them whenever they needed her with her spirits is very telling. He could leave Lucy in the middle of a fight with someone and have the ability to believe that she can handle her own and vice versa for her with Natsu as well. Lucy's first exposure to how important partnership was to Natsu was through seeing Natsu and Happy's dynamic when she met them; from seeing how those two can balance off each other, I believe she was not only able to adapt to being someone's partner with just him but she can balance off whatever energy other guild members have with her such as how she and Cana felt very much in sync.

[babybluecurtains]

*Warning: newish and objective lesbian semi-satirical take after seeing a million people hate on Magui/Lando*

“Magui and Lando spotted in Dubai” “Magui dropping hints on Instagram” “I don’t like them together” “We should just be supportive”

Me, an intellectual: Magui and Lando both want the press out of their dating lives so they have covertly hinted at being a relationship without confirming so that fans and the media keep all attention on them rather than who they are actually dating/interested in. They are friends and/or acquaintances through their brand partnerships.

This explanation seems parasocial but tt has forced all this info on me:

Whenever they are together and seen Lando gets upset/hides because it further confirms for him that the person he would be dating and his own life would be picked apart were he to come out about a relationship. Magui on the other hand has already been in the spotlight for media pieces on cheating and other dating rumors. She wants more focus to be put on a positive relationship and their dual partnerships with Alo create good publicity for the company. The relationship is a push/pull of sorts. With Lando, the more widespread known figure of the two and the one with only one previously media-surveilled relationship that was ended due to the coverage) only likes Alo ads of Magui’s and hides when photos are being taken or flips off videographers. Magui, the lesser known of the two who’s dealt with negative press surrounding multiple relationships (and who has a very active relationship with Alo), hints at Lando and her dating in multiple Instagram captions and story posts. She seems unbothered by photographs. Theoretically Magui could want a break from negative media attention in real and hurtful ways (prying into her real relationships vs fan girls just mad Lando is dating her) and her partnership with Alo may benefit from the pairing. The attention she is drawing could be how she is turning around her public image; perhaps she is ready for coverage that will paint her positively post-initial backlash. Also theoretically, Lando could feel more constrained in the sense that he has to construct a decoy for the media. He no longer wants to feel lonely in his life as an F1 driver just bc he feels guilty about media coverage for his partner post-consequences seen in his breakup with Luisa. He does semi-bare minimum with the goggles insta post and liking Alo adds of Magui. Really, he just wants the media to leave him alone in that regard entirely, whereas Magui is able to find some positive/humorous from relationship media attention.

[theerurishipper]

Ladynoir and (In)Equality

For me personally, the most important thing in any relationship is that both partners are equals in that dynamic. I think that's a reasonable expectation to have. And Ladynoir did fulfill that requirement for me in the first 3 seasons. Even though Ladybug did most of the leadership stuff by making the plans and directing Chat Noir on what to do, it was understood that this was a mutual agreement. They both understood what they were good at, and their dynamic evolved accordingly. Chat Noir was content to follow her lead and Ladybug was content to make the plans and direct Chat Noir.

Season 2 saw the introduction of the inequality that shattered this balanced dynamic between the two, and quite frankly the later seasons only made it worse. It started in Syren, as we all know, where Chat Noir first expressed his displeasure at being left out of the loop when Ladybug was privy to important information that was being kept from him. Of course, Master Fu arrived to barely smooth things over before the issue was dropped for the season and never brought up again. Their dynamic remained as it was, but the cracks began to form here.

The introduction of Ladybug being the Guardian in Season 4 changed this established dynamic, obviously, and Ladybug began to give the Miraculous out to other holders. Keeping Chat Noir out of the loop began to become her MO, and she effectively replaced him with Rena Furtive in all but name. The central conflict of the season was the cracks forming in their relationship because of her new responsibilities and her secret keeping. And the resolution to this, as stated in Kuro Neko and Risk, is that even if he's no longer her partner, she still likes him best.

Now, the previous Ladynoir dynamic was one of equality, where they knew their roles and acted upon them. They were equals, and Ladybug's leadership in their pair was an informal one, one that was mutually agreed upon by them. The introduction of the Guardian role for Ladybug changes this from a mutually agreed upon dynamic to one where Ladybug is, for all intents and purposes, his boss. She is officially his leader, in the sense that if she so wished, he would be obliged to hand his Miraculous over to her. In the sense that she would be well within her rights to replace him if she so desired (which she does do). She is his superior, and he is no more important than the other temporary holders, with the sole exception that he holds his Miraculous permanently (which has now been exacerbated by the fact that all of them are permanent holders now).

Chat Noir received a demotion for no fault of his own, which he did not want, and someone else was promoted to replace him in the position he once occupied. Rena Furtive is Ladybug's special partner. Chat Noir is not Rena Furtive's equal, and he is definitely not Ladybug's equal.

This is not about a woman making more money than a man. She isn't just more successful than him, and this isn't about him being insecure about her being better than him. The problem is that Ladybug is Chat Noir's direct superior, and she has power over him. She has the power to call him when she needs him, and if not him, she'll get someone else. She has the resources to figure out his identity without him being none the wiser. She has the power to replace him if she wishes. Far be it from him to allow her to lead of his own accord, now he is obliged to follow her orders. She has the power to control what he knows and how he acts, and she has the power to keep vital information from him.

None of this is inherently "bad." But when you look at it from the context of them being on a path to a romantic relationship with each other, that's where the problems begin. Two people in a relationship should not have a dynamic where one has so much power over the other. Ladybug has so much power that she is able to slide a third teammate into their partnership and slowly push him away from his role at her side. She, quite unfortunately, can and has abused his trust because she had the resources to do so. The only opportunity he had in Season 4 to make his own choices that were not dictated by Ladybug's rules was when he quit. The final takeaway from this Ladynoir conflict is that Chat Noir is her favorite subordinate now (because Rena Furtive has replaced him), and just because they aren't equals anymore doesn't mean she doesn't want him around.

And, no, this was not corrected in Season 5. Season 5 was a return to their original dynamic, not because Ladybug and Chat Noir worked around this new shift in their relationship to find a way to overcome this new power imbalance. It's because Ladybug's power was forcibly taken away from her by a third party, and the only reason Chat Noir is her special partner again is because there is no one else left. But the end of Season 5 sees everyone come back, as permanent holders no less, and Chat Noir is once again demoted to his role as "just another holder like any other."

With the establishment of the Ladybug and the Black Cat Miraculous as two halves of a duo, equals in power, you'd expect them to be, well, equals. Me being upset about the inequality of these characters isn't with regards to screentime, or my wish for Adrien to be the main character or anything. My wish is for Adrien to be a character of his own. My wish is for the show to stop promoting such unhealthy dynamics as cute and fine. If they had simply made Adrien's role out to be the love interest, if they had just literally made him Ken who is content with just being Barbie's trophy boyfriend from the very beginning, if that was all his role has ever been and was meant to be from the start, I wouldn't be complaining so much. But the one they reduced into the role of Marinette's prize, the one over whom she has so much power, is the abuse victim whose arc is about self-actualization. And it paints a very disturbing picture. That far be it from Chat Noir to expect any kind of equal treatment from Ladybug, he's going to have put aside any discomforts or issues he has with their relationship to settle for being her favorite by virtue of nostalgia.

And it's just... bad, on a narrative level. Despite its ambitious introduction of so many plot points, the focus of this show has always been its romance. The main narrative goal of the series is for Ladybug and Chat Noir to get together. So, when your narrative hinges on these two characters getting together, and you decide to introduce such a power dynamic into the mix, saying "I still like you," isn't the fix that it's cracked up to be. If they are supposed to be the relationship around which the show is built, Chat Noir should be Ladybug's special partner, he should be her equal and not just another holder whom she likes better than everyone else. Ladynoir's relationship is directly tied to their partnership, and their dynamic as partners is the basis for any future romantic relationship between them. Introducing such an inequality between them in their partnership does affect their ability to be able to get together, and not in a good way.

This isn't a bad plot point. I like Ladybug being the Guardian, I like that they didn't just brush off the fact that there would be some changes in their dynamic. What I dislike is the way it was resolved, with Ladybug essentially saying that they would never be equals but she still likes him. A power imbalance does not a healthy relationship make. Ladynoir do not have a relationship where they are both completely aware of everything they should know. Chat Noir really cannot do anything in their dynamic, because Ladybug has all the control over everything. It's Ladybug controlling this information and Chat Noir accepting that he'll never be treated the way he wants to be treated, because he's been conditioned to believe his feelings don't matter. And she never did end up correcting this, and the conflict as it is ended with him forgiving her for everything even though she never apologized, and accepting that this is how it's going to be.

And it's not good. This isn't the Ladynoir I signed up for, honestly. I signed up for the Ladybug who accepted Chat Noir unconditionally and the Chat Noir who supported Ladybug through everything. I did not sign up for Ladybug trying to pull a Gabe and Chat Noir only being her emotional support who suppresses his own needs for her. The Ladynoir conflict and its less than satisfying resolution caused irreparable damage to the Ladynoir dynamic (it's irreparable because the writers don't see a problem with it and so they'll never fix it), and this has only continued into Season 5, which said "why fix it when I can make it worse."

[mayashesfly]

Some thoughts I have about the differences of my Forgotten Radio AU and Canon. (Mostly focused on Vox since he's my favorite character despite this being a SilentStatic AU. Unfortunately I'm not well-versed at writing Alastor's character even if I wanted to :')

After calming down Valentino's tantrum just like in Canon, Val tried to rile up Vox by mentioning Alastor. However, since Vox has already wiped his memories and added some… preventive measures, he merely dismissed Val's comments.

But because the Princess of Hell was involved, Vox still brought more spy drones onto the Hazbin Hotel to monitor the happenings there in addition to the drone Valentino already sent in to inform him.

They didn't bring Sir Pentious or someone else to spy on the Hazbin Hotel for them because of this.

Sir Pentious takes some time recuperating after being Team Rocketed by Alastor before he'll eventually strike again on the hotel again.

Ever since Alastor's return and seeing the remnants of his partnership with Vox first things first since he returned (The Radio sHack in the Pilot), he was bidding his time for Vox to get wind of his return and react explosively in some way for his entertainment and to take advantage of.

However Vox didn't do anything of the sorts. Unlike how he would've reacted otherwise if he still retained his memories.

When Alastor caught sight of the painfully obvious Vox drones around the hotel, he purposefully posed in front of them a few times, hoping to finally gloat out the tv-headed demon from his hiding. Much to his growing annoyance and confusion though, nothing happened as the drones flew passed him due to the corrupting footage in order to clearly see what else was happening in the hotel.

He did this for a few times a day in slowly increasing frequency for the entire week before Sir Pentious attacked the hotel again and proceeded to get fucked over for ruining Alastor's coat. Alastor barely letting the poor demon alive thanks to Charlie's pleas.

Vox and Velvette discussed to one another who should be the one to attend the Overlord meeting. Valentino is forever banned from attending any of these things after a particular incident that the Vees would rather not repeat again.

It took some back and forth between the two of them before they agreed on Vox going to the meeting. But the only reason Vox's head wasn't ripped out like the torn up models Valentino so gracefully provided her is because she has a big fashion show incoming and those fucking models aren't going to dress themselves.

"Seriously Vox are you sure you don't have anything better to do? Like that bullshit Angelic Security of yours?" "Carmilla would be there. Which is all the more reason for me to go there myself" "Just don't forget the plan you flat-faced fuck, who knows what would happen if we screw this up?" "Well someone else could get screwed instead~"

Groan

"Shut up Valentino! I'm being serious!" "Who says I wasn't being serious too, Velvette~?"

"GUYS"

"You have nothing to worry about. I have this all handled, just trust me alright?" "Well you better keep your words Vox, cuz I have a show to run and no time for a shitshow to fix" "That's my boy~"

After Alastor's wonderful talk with Zestial, he finally meets Vox again outside of the meeting room. Being on time for the meeting unlike Velvette.

Vox introduced himself to Alastor, thinking he was a new Overlord because he never saw him before. Much to Alastor's slowly growing frustration and realization.

Thankfully, Rosie took note of Alastor's presence and promptly lead him away from Vox before he tore out the other's head before the meeting started. Being able to catch up with him and tell him to visit her in Cannibal Town sometime.

Upon taking his seat besides Rosie, Alastor makes a comment about his reappearance, hoping that it would distract him from whatever the fuck Vox was on. Unfortunately, just like in canon, Carmilla does not give a shit. Causing Alastor to steam in his frustration.

While whispering quietly, Rosie admits to Alastor that she doesn't exactly know what happened to Vox. But three years into his absence, something about Vox has changed when he was suddenly more active after three years of mostly being inactive.

It only makes Alastor's head swim in confusion and possibilities of what might've happened.

Unlike Velvette who instantly hijacked the meeting upon entering, Vox waited for the perfect opportunity to present the information he had about the Angel's death. He first showed the scene of the crime on the screen Carmilla was using in her presentation before bringing out the literal Angel's head once he was questioned about the credibility of his source.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't bring the entire body with me. But surely this is enough evidence to show you that what that screen is showing isn't faked?"

Alastor became curious and impressed by such information. It was a rather valuable information he could use for himself after all... Perhaps finally having something for the Princess...

Though it didn't completely ease the discomfort he had from Vox's strange behavior. Vox was barely glancing his way, if at all, during the entire meeting when used to feel those stolen glances from him, even after their partnership ended and he had teamed up with that disgusting pompous moth instead.

His gaze never failed to land on him one way or another before.

Unlike now.

Vox still pitches a similar idea to Velvette with a bit more professionalism, noticing the odd reaction Carmilla had upon seeing the golden blood stain the table. But saying nothing of it as a musical number rolled around.

The complete details and differences between this AU and Canon's Overlord Meeting eludes me since there's a lot of character dynamics at play. But the meeting does end up much shorter than usual as Vox tries to casually take his leave, if not a bit annoyed by the words thrown his way.

That was the very first time Alastor saw Vox fight someone else for once. Except for him.

But regardless of his feelings on the matter, he has a sneaking suspicion that Carmilla may know something even when Vox said nothing of the sorts.

Without Sir Pentious and thus the Egg Boiz in the picture, Alastor couldn't easily eavesdrop on Carmilla and Zestial without possibly outing himself as the eavesdropper.

And unfortunately for him, he couldn't hide in his shadows in Carmilla's office to hear the information straight from the Overlord's mouth.

Vox never said his suspicions about Carmilla's involvement during the meeting, however he did say it to the other Vees about his findings and suspicions. Perhaps that private meeting with Carmilla would yield more results than just for Angelic Securities after all.

Time passed and Alastor was utterly bored. There wasn't as much development between his thralls and Angel Dust's relationship ever since he joined the hotel. They have already tried "trust falls" and "show and tell with the group" and whatever else nonsense the Princess had thought about. But nothing of interesting was happening.

He never caught wind of the TV demon as well besides his usual drivel despite seeing the bumbling drones around the hotel.

It was strange, knowing that his rival didn't give him any mind unlike before. And it was just making him inch for a bloodcurdling fight to ease his boredom.

It was only during a traumatic experience in the middle of a turf war did his thralls and Angel Dust bond.

Much to Sir Pentious' misfortune, he just had to attack the hotel while Alastor was in a bad mood about Vox, the dear Princess nowhere in sight.

And well…. he still very clearly remembers Sir Pentious now after he ruined his best coat.

[skelavender]

She wants to fuck him, properly. There will be time for tender love-making later, but right now, she needs it to be raunchy and absolutely disgusting. She needs them both to be wrecked after. Now that she’s thinking about it, need is thrumming under her skin like a second heartbeat, filling her to the brim. And, well, Mulder is right here laying on top of her, so… Fuck it. Or, rather, fuck him. OR After almost 4 years of partnership, 14 months of marriage, 9 months of joint home ownership, and a couple weeks of dating, Scully and Mulder finally fuck nasty.

read SOME PART OF ME CAME ALIVE on ao3, or below the cut

Dana Scully feels unbelievably lucky to be able to watch her partner sleep. For his breath to come in small rhythmic huffs across her neck, tickling the skin atop her collarbones. To be allowed to run her hand through his hair, brushing through cropped strands and twisting them slightly around her fingers. 

Lying with him under the cloak of night is intimate, but not new. There is nothing about this that she hasn't had before, but now everything is recontextualized. It’s not just her best friend clinging to her like a vice, but her lover. 

Well, not yet her lover. The time for sex hadn’t yet presented itself. That hasn’t necessarily been a problem, Scully is perfectly secure in her positionality and loves just knowing that he’s hers, and she is his. Sex isn’t strictly necessary for that. But to say that it is wanted would be… an understatement.

She wants Mulder. She wants him on top of her, and under her, and inside her, all over each other. She has long since tried to avoid fantasizing about Mulder, so she now has a long mental list of things she wants to do with him.

But the problem, now, is fear. Not of anything to do with Mulder, or any sex they might have, but of the briefness of the future. 

If he were to see the fears running laps around her mind, if he knew just how likely it is that those fears are true, if Betts had seen something in her, Mulder would touch her differently. Like she’s made of glass, like she’s a fragment of something already half gone. Maybe she is, but she doesn’t want that experience to be the only one they have.

She wants to fuck him, properly. There will be time for tender love-making later, but right now, she needs it to be raunchy and absolutely disgusting. She needs them both to be wrecked after.

Now that she’s thinking about it, need is thrumming under her skin like a second heartbeat, filling her to the brim. And, well, Mulder is right here laying on top of her, so…

Fuck it. Or, rather, fuck him. 

Scully moves her hand to his cheek and strokes her thumbs across the soft protrusion of his zygomatic. 

“Mulder,” she whispers. “Mulder.”

His eyes open slowly, and even when barely awake, he looks at her like he loves her. Like she’s some glorious goddess, hanging the stars for him to dream of. She pulls his face to hers, and kisses him resolutely.

He makes a muffled sound, surprised and sleepy, but returns her enthusiasm, pressing closer. Her hand shifts to his back and she clings to him, allowing the desperation to leak through. 

When Scully opens her mouth atop Mulder’s, he sucks in an uncontrolled breath, stealing the oxygen between them. She shifts, rolling on top of him to straddle his hips, and grinds down. Hard. 

And that’s not the only thing that’s hard. Mulder’s cock is stiffening under her, lined right up with her clit and eliciting a squeaky moan from her throat. It’s not the first time she’s felt him hard against her; it had happened during numerous accidental make out sessions in the past weeks since they had officially gotten together. Even before that, they had been sharing a bed closely for months, and the situation was simply unavoidable. The shape and feel of Mulder’s cock wasn’t new; the ability to do something about it was. 

She shifts her hips back up along his length, and runs her hips down again, setting an unrelenting pace. Mulder tilts his torso up a bit, so she’s sat straight up and still kissing him but has a fuller range of motion. She takes advantage of Mulder’s available back and slides her hands up under his shirt to grope at the planes of muscle. Mulder groans, breaking the kiss, and his jaw slackens as if the mere act of Scully touching his back is pure pleasure. This reaction, the lack of coordination borne from Scully’s fingertips across his spine, is new. She takes advantage of it, just about tearing his shirt over his head to expose more skin, more for her to touch and map and claim. 

Scully feels like she’s flying. She’s a little removed from herself, from her fears. The only places she’s truly connected to her body are where Mulder’s skin is brushing hers, lighting her nerves up so bright you could see them from space. She’s needed this, needed him.

Mulder moves his head to the junction of her neck and shoulder, dragging his teeth gently along sensitive skin. It’s not quite hard enough to leave a mark, but hard enough that a part of Scully wishes that he would. She tilts her head to give him better access, and changes the angle of her fingers dancing across his back. Where she had been teasing him with the light brush of her fingertips before, she is now letting her fresh manicure catch on the flesh as she rakes them down, down, down, undoubtedly leaving red marks across his skin. Mulder’s lips detach from her skin as he whines, panting into her collarbone with a soft, “Scully.”

“Yes, Mulder?”

“Fuck.” he flips them, settling her on her back with her legs spread wide to accommodate him. His mouth dips back to her collarbone, exploring as his fingers dance at the hem of her tank top. When she raises her arms to encourage him to take it off, he complies, and he attaches to the swell of her breast immediately.

His mouth kisses over to her nipple, giving it a light, affectionate bite accompanied by a gasp from Scully before mirroring the action on the other one. His lips shift to the valley between her breasts, kissing down her stomach until his bottom lip brushes the edge of her underwear. 

“Please.” Mulder’s voice is unexpected and rough. “Please, Scully. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this, Scully, please.”

Scully’s tongue darts out to wet her dry lips, and she cards her hand through his sleep-mussed hair. “Please what, sweetheart?”

“Please let me eat you out.” It comes out in one heavy breath, like it’s a confession offered on reflex. Maybe it is. 

She shifts her hand to his cheek and strokes it affectionately. “God, yes.”

The smile this wins from Mulder is lopsided and genuine. He looks like he’s won the damn lottery, like getting his mouth on Scully is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s certainly not. She plans on this happening regularly for the rest of their time on this earth.

Mulder tucks his shoulders into the curve where her ass meets her thigh and settles in like he’s planning on being there for a while. Scully just about screams when his lips brush her clit through her underwear, her hands weaving their way back into his hair. An “Oh, God,” tumbles from her lips and her head falls back to the pillow, lulling to the side. Mulder’s tongue darts from his mouth, and when he tastes the wetness that has begun to soak through her underwear, he moans. Scully sees his eyebrows knit together, like he is overwhelmed by the pleasure of her taste. 

He breaks away for a moment, pressing his cheek to her thigh and panting. When his eyes open again, he stares up at her. A mischievous smile — one she’s used to seeing on cases when he’s about to do something stupid — crosses his face, and he uses two fingers to pull her underwear aside, just brushing the soaked lips of her labia. 

She clenches on a disappointing nothing. He doesn’t slip his fingers inside, where she wants him so badly. He just moves the fabric out of the way, and lowers his lips to hover above her skin, taking a moment to just breathe her in.

She tugs his face closer by her grip on his hair, impatient. When Mulder’s lips land on her, it’s uncoordinated, but the contact is so, so necessary. His tongue flits across her vaginal opening, barely venturing inside, and up across her clit. Scully jolts, grinding into his face with a stuttering moan.

His tongue works her clit gently for a moment, before he takes the gland into his mouth, between gentle teeth and tongue, and gives it a soft, experimental suck. 

Scully’s reaction is… well, positive is an understatement. Her back arches, and she drapes a leg across his back to hold him impossibly closer. 

She’s panting, grinding, and muttering nonsense expletives and praise. She thinks Mulder might be pressing into the bed for some relief as well. He hooks his fingers in the side of her underwear and goes to pull them down, only for them to get caught on the spread legs he lies between.

Scully laughs, not unkindly, but lifts her legs to help shimmy them off. “I can’t get those off if you’re between my legs, sweetheart.”

“Uh huh,” Mulder agrees absently, and dives back into her, finally able to get the direct contact he craves. He looks like he’s fucking floating while he eats her out, holding her to his face by her hips, and oh. Oh.

Mulder needs this as badly as she does, that much is clear. But whereas she needs to consume him, to take him in as a part of her – Mulder needs to please her. He has something to prove.

With this realization, Scully tucks a foot under Mulder’s body and flips them, his feet dangling off the end of the bed and her pussy hovering a couple inches above his face. Mulder looks up at her with wonder and groans. She cocks an eyebrow, questioning if this new position is alright. His hands land at the top of her thigh in response, pressing her down onto his lips.

Scully fucks herself on Mulder’s tongue, controlling when it spears inside of her and when it circles her slit with a shift of her hips. She loves it, she wants to explore this deeply, but another time. Right now, she needs to be full, she needs Mulder inside her. His cock, yes, but also the rest of his being. She wants to absorb him into herself, make her body as full as her heart feels when love rises inside her. 

Scully leans backwards, supporting herself with her hands on Mulder’s sculpted torso. Two fingers tug the band of Mulder’s boxers away from his skin, and let them snap back down, stinging his skin. Mulder grunts, a sound of pleasure, and Scully tucks that reaction away for another time as well. “Take them off,” she demands, breathless. Mulder complies in short order, and Scully shifts backward until she can rub her cunt along Mulder’s bare dick, laid against his stomach, hard and aching for her. 

He reaches for the nightstand, presumably groping for condoms. “Don’t,” she says. “I’m on the pill, and I know for a fact that neither of us have any sexually transmitted infections.” Scully leans forward so her face is inches from his, still teasing the both of them with a slow glide of his dick along her folds. “I want you to come inside me.”

Mulder leans up in a desperate attempt to kiss her, but Scully sits up straight again. “Okay?”

He nods frantically in response. 

She lets out a stuttering breath before leveling him with her gaze, eyelids low and demanding. She drags her body up his, angles her hips and nudges cock to just the right angle so it presses against her opening, and lowers again to let it slide in. To take Mulder inside her. 

Their eyes stay locked while she lowers herself on his cock. The contact doesn’t break until Mulder’s eyes shift slowly down her body, shining in the moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains, and settle on the spot where their bodies meet.

Scully wiggles slightly, teasing him with a figure-eight motion of her hips. Mulder groans, his head falling back to hit the pillow and his fingertips digging into Scully’s hips. The contact isn’t controlling, it’s not even guiding; Mulder just needs something to hold onto desperately, and his palms fit too perfectly on her hip bones for them to have ever meant to be anywhere else. 

Scully savors the moment. She drinks in the electricity of Mulder’s touch under her skin, the fullness where she stretches around his cock, the cool sting of Mulder’s wedding ring on her waist that reminds her that he’s hers. Because he is; he’s her husband, her partner, her lover, her friend. Her heart pounds with the heat of possession.

And her heart, oh her heart. It’s pumping, beating hard against her ribcage as if threatening to escape and jump out to lay across Mulder’s chest in a desperate attempt to get closer to him. She runs her hands down her inner thighs, brushing across her hammering femoral pulse.

Thadump, thadump, thadump. She’s alive.

“Scully.” Mulder’s choked voice brings her back to the present. “Please.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” She presses up and begins to set her rhythm, matching her rises and falls to the feeling of her blood pumping through her body, which she can feel in every corner of herself. Alive, alive, alive.

“Scully, oh god,” Mulder pants her name, his pleas, and Scully leans forward to lay her lips on his while she fucks him.

When Mulder comes inside her, Scully isn’t surprised. His moans increase as he reaches his climax, and she can feel his cock twitching and leaking inside her. She changes nothing, just continues her brutal pace as he softens inside of her and keeps her lips atop his where they are spread open around a silent scream. 

She takes and takes and takes, her clit rubbing against the stretch of skin above his dick. She’s past controlling her actions, her body just propelling itself where it needs until her abs are clenching and her orgasm rolls over her.

She doesn’t know when they stop just breathing into each other’s mouths and start actually kissing again, but when Scully’s aftershocks ease, Mulder’s tongue is brushing her lips skillfully. She lets his now-soft cock slip out of her, but quickly replaces it with her fingers. She’s not touching herself for more gratification, just to keep his come inside her for as long as possible. 

“I love you,” Mulder breathes into her mouth.

“I love you, too,” Scully echoes.

They kiss slow and deep, Mulder’s hands dancing across every inch of her skin. One trails its way down her arm to meet where her fingers are plugging his come inside her. He takes her wrist between his fingers and lifts it to his lips, moaning around the way they taste, all mixed together.

“Fuck, Mulder.” She kisses him; she can’t not kiss him. An unwilling squeak rises from the back of her throat as their tongues meet and she tastes the junction of them, too. She hopes the flavor will soon be familiar.

They kiss, and kiss, and kiss until Scully is falling asleep with her lips on Mulder’s. She has shifted  so that their sweaty legs are wound together, flesh stuck to flesh. Every inch of her is pressed against her partner’s body, as it was always meant to be. 

She’s drifting off with her lips gently brushing Mulder’s when he moves, leaning away from her. Scully tightens an arm around his waist, silently requesting that he stay close and never, ever get far enough away to stop touching her. 

“I’m just going to clean up and get some water, Scully. I’m not even getting out of bed.”

“Fine,” she mumbles into the now-Mulderless pillow. Mulder rustles in the nightstand, and Scully blinks open to admire his strong, naked back. Normally, the only marks are a couple freckles, but now it is graced with a series of red lines down his back. She reaches out to drag her fingertips down the marks, much lighter than she had when she had put them there. Mulder shivers at the contact on his raw skin.

“I marked you up,” Scully notes matter-of-factly. 

Mulder hums. “Whatever will the guys in the locker room think, Scully?”

She sits up and scoots toward him, tilting his chin towards her and over his shoulder. “Just tell them your wife gave them to you.”

They’re both smiling like fools when she leans in to kiss him. He turns his body towards her, leaning her to lay back on the bed again. He presses her knees open, surprising her slightly.

“Again?” she asks quietly. 

“I’m just cleaning you up. You’ve got, uh…”

“I’ve got what, Mulder?” she asks innocently. 

Mulder meets her eyes, raw, and he’s breathless when he speaks. “You’ve got my come leaking out of you.”

Scully hums happily. “Guess you’ll have to lick it out next time.”

Mulder makes a punched-out groaning sound. Scully’s glad to know he likes the idea and tucks it away for later use. 

For now, she lets him clean her up, and curls into his body as soon as he’s thrown the wipe away, seeking his comfort, his warmth. 

Mulder holds her body tight to his and buries his nose in her hair. He inhaled deeply, and Scully’s brows furrowed in confusion. 

“Mulder are you… sniffing me?”

“…no?” It’s a lie, an obvious one. “I just…” he continues, “I don’t want to forget anything about this. I mean, it took us so long.”

Scully just laughs and burrows into him further, her nose pressed to his neck. 

“But we got here.” She presses the words into his skin with a peck.

“We got here,” he echoes. 

She can let herself savor this for now. His arms can act as shelter from her fears, from the future. In a few months or years they might be forcibly separated by six feet of dirt, but for now she can rest. In his arms, there is no disease, no deterioration, and no death on the horizon. 

[lady-of-the-english]

Tommy and Grace and Marriage Part 3

To echo back to ideas I started in part 1, Tommy at his core is a romantic with Grace, with a healthy view of what their relationship should be like. Tommy desires a true partnership with Grace - he promises her he'll help her with everything as she'll help him (it's one of the only health sentiments we've heard from him that I can remember).

He is willing and able to strip himself bare, physically and emotionally, with Grace. And with that, she is his strength. It takes strength and courage to put yourself out there, to trust another person, to be open and honest with them about your feelings and your dreams of the future together. Tommy knows and understands this: he is extremely picky in deciding when and with whom he shares the true depth of himself.

In 2x01, Polly, Ada, and Lizzie all prod Tommy for that openness and vulnerability to no avail. He chooses stoicism, maintaining his mask of emotionless as much as he can - like when discussing business at one of his oldest friends and brother-in-law's Freddy's funeral.

In the same episode, Campbell, as an antagonist, identifies Grace as Tommy's weakness. However, we are meant to disagree as Campbell is intentionally used as Tommy's foil to consider the ethics of both their careers and in their romantic connection to Grace.

The first of the trio to explicitly mention marriage and that potential future for Grace and Tommy is Campbell in his own failed proposal - a proposal that heavily centers around Tommy.

In 1x05, Tommy realizes that the guns have "become a burden" and agrees to sell them to the IRA in a trap, collaborating with Campbell.

In realizing that the IRA are planning to kill him once they get the location of the guns, and thus possibly before the "sixth chime" to midnight, which is the police's signal, Tommy turns to Grace - partly because "barmaids don't count" when told to be alone, but also because Tommy genuinely trusts her with his life.

We see Tommy's fear explicitly. He comes into the Garrison panting, shaking a little. Grace immediately understands that there is going to be "trouble" just seeing him. He's willing and able to show his true feelings with Grace. He trusts her to both help him handle this situation and to not think less of him demonstrating these unmasculine feelings (as Moss will deride Tommy for being ladylike due to his discomfort with the dead bodies in his bar at the end of the scene).

We see Tommy's frustration and fear that he needs to pull Grace into this side of the business. He tells her that when the IRA men get there, "they plan to kill me. It's your job to stop that happening." And he minimizes what she has to do: "You don't shoot. You just point," reassuring her that neither will have to kill anyone as the "police want them alive" and will be in soon to deal with the situation fully - a statement that surprises Grace. If the police are to help him, she assumes that she would be informed, and thus, her own disquiet truly develops.

Grace doesn't object at all to the idea of protecting him, only a bit in disbelief that "you could have given me more warning" to which Tommy reveals his full frustration and fear that "he just got the message himself" and thus wouldn't involve her in a danger situation unless he absolutely had to.

He sends her off to hide until the signal with his voice rasing and getting faster in his panic as he repeats to Grace, "All right, go. Go on. Go!"

Grace, hidden but peaking around the door, watching and listening for Tommy's signal, can hear clearly their threats as they they condensingly ask Tommy, "Did you think was let you live? Make your peace, Mr. Shelby," to which Grace comes out guns blazing.

I think her motivation is three-fold: since we met Grace, her primary goal has been to ensure these guns don't fall into the IRAs' hands. Even when Campbell points out at the beginning of the season that there are other players of concern, such as the Peaky Blinder, she maintains her focus on the IRA in her fear, hatred, and grief over her father's death. So, the mission itself, as an agent of the crown intertwined with revenge, greatly motivates her.

But, I think her feelings for Tommy are just as inspiring. If her grief of her father dying at the hands of this organization is still haunting to this degree, I imagine it must have been terrifying to hear another person she cares about possibly being taken from her in the same way. Feelings of revenge tend to be wrapped up in guilt of not being able to save that person. If she couldn't save her father, she'd make sure they couldn't do this to anyone else again - especially her again, which is a position I don't think she ever imagined being in.

Grace shoots multiple times, planning to kill both men so that Tommy would never be in real danger for a moment. Instead, her revenge helps pull him into the danger she so hoped to avoid. As Tommy begins to fight back, she's trying to get in there to shoot again, but she is knocked down and stays down until Tommy kills the second IRA man by bashing his face in.

Tommy immediately goes to Grace, and while she initially flinches from the violence, she let's him come to her, help her off the floor. She leans into Tommy's gentle caress of her face as Tommy tries to reassure himself that she is okay. Grace doesn't try to get away when he holds her head and asks her, "why did you shoot, Grace?". She replies in shock and disbelief, "I didn't know I had it in me like that."

Tommy, is likewise full of regret, afraid that he has driven her off as "now you've seen me."

But Grace's fear and criticism is only for herself as she responds, "and now you've seen me. I'm sorry." Instead of moving away from him, she draws closer, hugging him. Tommy is initially in disbelief, thinking he'd driven her off forever and surprised that she's the one sorry (I just can't imagine Tommy's been on the receiving end of many - any - apologies). But, he quickly unfreezes and sinks into her comforting embrace as he closes his eyes to bask in her presence and love.

This is Grace's breaking point as she tells Campbell the following morning. When Moss and the other cops come into the Garrison, they aren't sorry for purposefully going back on their deal with Tommy, that the IRA men are dead, and that Grace and Tommy could have died. Tommy, with tears in his eyes, holding himself up by leaning against the bar, respectfully state that "they fought well. They were brave men." Moss, gets in Tommy's face and and degrades him that they look like he was "killed by a wild fucking animal" and asks, "who cares?" about the bodies that he states were never never. As they leave, Grace looks at Tommy, whose eyes are closed, trying to stop the tears, and she can see fully who the real "bad" men are.

After walking her safely home, Tommy reiterates Grace's apology, telling her, "I'm sorry." We don't see Tommy often providing apologies either, but he is willing to give Grace what she offers him - everything.

In truly seeing both Tommy and the police force, Grace meets with Campbell to offer up the guns and her resignation. Previous scenes had shown Grace's discomfort with Campbell's degrading rhetoric about Tommy, but she typically ignored it and didn't argue back.

But now everything is different. At the meeting with Campbell, he strokes the same cheek Tommy caressed the night before, but this time, Grace flinches away.

Campbell offers a non-apology placing the blame on Tommy for the danger she was in: "I had no idea that he would involve you in this ugly business. If I had, I never would have let this happen," showing only his concern for her life in the situation. Grace looks away disgusted and argues back for truly the first time: "he trusts me. I told you that. You didn't believe me," showing the sharp contrast between Tommy and Campbell.

When he challenges her that Moss reported that they were "embracing," she scoffs is disbelief: "Is that your primary concern?". He tries to justify that his "concern" is for "her welfare," but Grace shakes her head no and takes full responsibility, telling him, "it was me who killed them" - both of them, as Tommy only finishes what she started and thus, she covers for him, not willing for him to face the consequences of her actions.

Campbell tries to blame that on Tommy's influence too, but Grace won't let him and makes clear that "something inside me changed" through seeing both Tommy and the police force clearly. She asserts that she and the police were the real "beasts" last night, not Tommy.

Grace claims that she no longer feels the need to "avenge" her father as she understands that it almost costs her Tommy's life. She asserts that the "hatred that I brought here with me is gone" in contrast to the depth of hatred Campbell feels. She reminds him that the mission was always about the guns, not The Peaky Blinders, and with that, negotiates a deal with him. She demands that "I want your word that Thomas Shelby will not be harmed if the guns are recovered. Your word as a gentleman." This great act of betrayal is in service of Tommy's life as both possessing the guns and trying to sell the guns have proven to have the same deadly consequences for him.

Campbell doesn't immediately agree as it is not something he wants to give; we've seen from the beginning how petty and personal he makes the "mission." He is incredulous that she has "sympathy" and "sentiment" for Tommy and tells her she's "too good-hearted for this work." He deems Tommy her weaknesses, just as he'll deem Grace Tommy's.

Realizing that he'll only agree if there is something in it for him, Grace capitulates on their own history: "So, for my sake, will you spare him?," finally getting his "word."

When she meets him at the grave the following morning, Campbell hugs Grace, which she doesn't reciprocate, and proposes the moment she resigned, ready and in wait to strike with a ring in his hand the second she's no longer his "subordinate." Campbell tells Grace what she once thought but no longer believes: "I'm a good man, and my admiration of you has turned to love." Seeing her shocked and disbelieving face, he tells Grace, " I don't ask for love in return. Just recognition that we are liked minds with shared values."

It is a proposal that is in complete odds with Tommy's declarations. Campbell formalities juxtaposed with Tommy's giddiness and boyish teasing in the following scenes. While both consider how they are the same with "liked minds," Campbell's viewpoint is based on the old version of Grace, who hasn't witnessed the police threaten women and children and provide empty promises, Tommy is confident in his assertion that they've "found each other" because Grace has told him so explicitly that he's truly "seen her" as she's seen him, and neither wants to look away.

Grace understands whose reactions to fear when giving bad news - who the real threat to her life is. Grace slowly and hesitantly goes to grap Campbell's hand (as the first and last time she voluntarily touches him) and formally addresses him as "Mr. Campbell," while trying to let a violent man down gently by lying and telling him, "you deserve better."

It's a lie he easily sees through, showing Grace his true colors once again. He immediately gets aggressive, stepping towards Grace, screaming in her face, "Is it the beast that dug this grave? Is it him between us?". This is in sharp contrast to the gangster that she actually betrayed, but who never showed her any anger or made any threats. Tommy wishes her well and his continued love when parting at the end of the season, while Cambpell tries to murder her.

Campbell's bullet wound from Grace is a physical reminder of Grace for Campbell, Tommy, and the audience. While she is not there, no one has forgotten her, and every visual and auditory cue of Campbell's cane echos her presence in these men's thoughts.

In 2x01, Churchill challenges Campbell's choice in using Tommy in spite of their history. Campbell assures him that this is why he is the best choice as to apply pressure, you need to know a man's weakness and I "know his weaknesses intimately" - a direct reference to Grace as he once spied on Tommy and Grace dancing in her apartment intimiately. Thus, the audience is reminded that Campbell's intertwining his personal petty grievances with his work have helped Tommy before. In 1x05, Campbell calls off the police raid when he learns that Tommy's gone off with Grace. Moss questions the choice, too, as it's not the smart, logical choice, and thus one that helped save his life. He chooses his pride over the job then.

While Campbell's goal is to use Tommy and then dispose of him once and for all, because of his resentment over Grace choosing Tommy, Campbell will save Tommy's life once again as they interrupt Sabini's attack on him at the end of the episode. And with that, we see once again that Grace isn't Tommy's weakness. When Campbell comes to the hospital to threaten and blackmail him, Tommy is the first person to mention Grace's name. While Tommy is senestive about Grace, he can and will bring her up when he wants to. And he calls on her memory to help him through this situation. Just as Campbell assumes that she is Tommy's weakness, Tommy knows that she is Campbell.

Tommy assumes correctly that Campbell is just as hung up over Grace as he is. He can't imagine someone being able to get over her, as he sure hasn't, and he uses the memory of her to disrupt Campbell's own control and strategy over the situation. With a pointed causualness, Tommy provides details of Grace's life, letting us know that he has kept tabs on her, wanting to stay connected to her even as they are ocean's apart. He relates that she's in New York and knows even more specifically that she's living in a "place call Poughkeepsie" and most importantly that she's "married now." In knowing how much that devastates him, he assumes that it will have a similar impact on Campbell.

Just as Tommy hasn't moved on, Campbell similarly shares Grace's personal details attacking Tommy's insecurities, letting him know he also knows that she's married, "to a banker. He's rich. I'm sure she's very happy," as he pokes at what Tommy wanted to provide Grace himself - economic security, but most of all, happiness.

While Campbell's information could come from Grace's family and abuse of his position, Tommy's obviously comes from Grace herself as we are told by Lizzie that a letter from "Poughkeepsie" arrived for him at his new offices in Digbeth. Both of them have ensured that they other has their new addresses keeping in touch. Obviously, the letter that season 1 ends on and season 2 opens with is not the last contact they've had in the last two years. We can see how much Tommy hasn't moved on; even though she's married now, he is still keeping communication open between them.

Campbell's remark is one that hurts, and thus, Tommy pivots to the physical discomfort Grace imparted - which visually symbolizes her presence for the rest of the reason.

Tommy says, "I imagine being shot by a woman hurts the same as being shot by a man. Just a bit more shameful." He emphasizes how while Grace has left them both, she only wanted to leave one of them behind and that the person she truly hurt purposefully isn't Tommy. In the end, she picked Tommy over everything else: her job, her family's expectations and status, her grief and plots of revenge, and her previous convictions about law, honor, and moralty.

Tommy declares that "every time you lean on that stick, I bet you see her face," as Tommy himself does. He is so sure that her memory haunts Campbell, willing to "bet" when he is someone who typically fixes bets in his favor. Tommy sees and remembers Grace everywhere. So, in his view, why would Campbell be any different.

Therefore, we see the door of the future Tommy imagined for them still open. Even if she's married, Grace is still the person he longs for every day; even him burning her letters isn't enough to truly burn the bridge between them - but more on that next time.

[namjoonscoffeeshop]

Dear Namjoon | 01

✧pairing:Namjoon x reader ✧genre:angst, fluff,smut,slow burn ✧warning(s):explicit language, suggestive content, mature content ✧synopsos;You're sent to live with your father and older brother. only that your older brother is in a band called BTS. you meet jimin's friends and automatically get tangled with one of his band members. you're relationship has to be kept a secret but for how long can you keep it that way?

a/n: when I first started writing Dear Namjoon I was writing short chapters :DDD

index | next

"United Airlines flight 880 to Miami is now boarding" you hear the women call over the intercom

"mom, can't i just go with you. please don't leave me here" you cling to your mothers arm

" y/n, i'm going to miss my flight if you don't let go and board the bus" she says as she tries to get free from your grip

"please, i won't know anyone"

"sweetheart, you'll have your brother ok. listen i need you to let go now. think of this as a new change, you were going to transfer school either way. here your brother will be able to watch over you from the inside ok"

with pleading eyes you cling even harder to her arm "please mom, we aren't even that close" you lie, now your stomping your feet, people are passing by and very obviously judging you but that doesn't fucking matter. how can she send me to live with my dad who barely knows  me. ok my brother and me have a good relationship but that doesn't mean she can send me there.

"This is the final boarding call for United Airlines flight 880 to Miami"  your mom looks at her watch

"that's enough with your tantrum park y/n, let go right now and board the bus" she raises her voice

I let go of her arm and point at her "FINE BUT DON'T CALL ME, YOU HEAR ME? I DON'T WANNA HEAR FROM YOU"

she rubs her temple and sighs "y/n, stop ok. i'm sorry i can't bring you with me" picking up my bag and suitcase   i walk to the bus

"i'll call you tomorrow ok!" my mom yells as i walk away

fuck i can't just walk away i've been attached to this women ever since i was born, turning around i drop my luggage once more and run to hug my mom one last time "don't forget ok" tears stream down my cheeks

"you're such a baby, i will call you ok. love you"

"love you too mom" the bus honks and i rush to grab my bag. entering the bus i sit in the only available seat by the window

"WHEN YOU ARRIVE WAIT FOR YOUR DAD, DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS"  she yells as me, the bus pulls out and drives out into the road, she waves at you.

her imagine becomes hazy the farther the bus drives.

"this isn't fair, why couldn't i just go with her" you whisper, not wanting to get people's attention more than you already did

I was on my way to my dad's house, he lived in seoul. my parents divorced when i was younger. I have a older brother by one year, his name is park jimin. When our parents divorced my dad said he wasn't capable of taking care of a girl so he asked for my brother instead. he didn't even give me a chance, literally told the judge he didn't care if i stayed with my mom.

yeah it's a bitchy thing to do but at least he still sent me letters on my birthday along with gifts. I would occasionally see him on jimin's birthday. but our relationship was awkward, my dad is a business man. our relationship was like a business partnership, he would give me an envelope with money on birthdays and holidays. tell me i'm growing up well, good job and thats it. like damn dude at least hug me but no even in pictures he would be far from me.

my mom said he's always been an awkward person but dude i'm literally your offspring, how hard can it be.  he looks intimidating as fuck though....so i also maybe kinda don't talk much to him either

i think we both need help...mostly him.

I have a good relationship with my brother, we got separated when i was five and he was six. my parents wanted us to be able to rely on each other even if we didn't live together. to not be strangers.

jimin would come over all the time, my father is always busy so he never wanted me to go and stay at their place. only on holidays will we all get together, our parents ended on a good note so we sometimes all spend holidays together but it became rare when they found out me and jimin thought there was a chance of them getting back together. they didn't want us to have that false hope and maybe ruin our childhood.

my mom got a promotion and was sent overseas but she said i don't know enough english so it would be better to finish school here, and then i can decide to go overseas or stay here. it's bullshit she didn't wanna take me with her. i know enough english, maybe even more than her.

jimin told me my dad was talking about getting to know me better, and i think that's where this all came from.

----

the bus drive took all night, i arrived around five o'clock. it's fucking cold, and guess what no fucking sight of my beloved dad who apparently want's to get to know me. i thought since he was a business man he'd be punctual, i guess i once again had high expectations.

crossing my arms, i lean against he wall as i wait for someone to come.

it took twenty minutes till i finally see some fancy car pull into the parking lot, i just knew it was him. his business had become so successful when i turned ten. i remember he sent me a letter and gift that day.

i stopped writing back at the age of seven, i realized that if everything he wrote was real. he'd actually show up and pick me up for a weekend or something. not send a fucking stuffed bear.

I wasn't wrong, my old man steps out of his car and fixes his suit. he looks around, looking for me.

i chuckled "does he even know how i look" shaking my head i walk towards the obviously lost man

stopping in front of him he looks at me and gives me a awkward smile "hi y/n"

"hi..dad" there is this relief he feels as i call him dad.

but honestly i think he's dumb, the word dad. it really means nothing to me. shit, girls call their boyfriends daddy as they get fucked.

the word dad is overrated.

if me calling him dad means so much, he should've been here when i was a kid and it was actually cute to hear your daughter yell out dad and run to you, hoping to be picked up and showered with kisses.

this whole 'get to know you is just bullshit. bullshit on a fucking stick'

"uh...how have you been?" he breaks the silence, as we awkwardly stood there. people passed by us.

"good, do you mind if we go? it's uh..cold"

"oh, yes sure let's go" he extends his hand out. i raise my eyebrow in confusion as i stare at his hand and him

"oh..i'll carry your suitcase "

"oh" shit i thought he wanted me to hold his hand, giving him my suitcase, he starts to walk to his car with me behind him

he opens the door for me to get in the car. putting my suitcase in the trunk

"sorry i was late" he says as you both buckle your seatbelts

"don't worry about it, it's fine"

he just nods, starting the engine

"i thought jimin would come"

"oh..yeah he was going to. but i um, i was already coming late"

"right..it's fine"

the rest of the car ride was quiet. i would occasionally steal glances of my dad, but he was only looking out into the road.

----

as he parked the car, outside the huge house. I see a boy run out the front door. and it's no other than my older idiot brother, park jimin. not waiting for my dad to open the door for me, i push the door open and get out. i haven't seen him since new years, running towards me with his arms wide open our body's crash into each other.

his arms wrap around me, as he lifts me off the ground. spinning me around "my adorable little sister is finally here" he showers me with kisses. my eyes tear up again. even if we talked all the time, it's way better this way.

"ok ok you are making me nauseous" i laugh

putting me down he cups my face "let me look at you, i haven't seen you since new years. beautiful as always" he smiles, making his eyes disappear. 

reaching up to his hair i tug on a long strand "back to black huh"

pushing my hand away he laughs "yeah, i know you like my hair black"

"ohh so it was all for me huh"

"anything for you" he winks

we both turn around the sound of the trunk closing

"it's cold so maybe we should head inside" he says, looking at you

nodding you grab your bag, closing the door.

"dad got your room fixed, mom told him everything you liked so you can feel at home" he smiles, he throws his arm over your shoulder guiding you to the house.

you glance over your shoulder. finding your dad looking up, taking a deep breathe in as he looks back to you guys. your eyes make contact before you look forward again. listening jimin.

"here's your room" your dad turns the door knob. the color to the room is periwinkle and lavender color mixed together just like your room back home.

the room was bigger compared to the one back home. "we also got someone to buy you clothes" he says as he places your suitcase by your bed

"your uniform is already hanging in your closet. tomorrow will be your first day"  clasping his hands together he looks at you "any questions"

jimin slaps his forehead at the awkwardness from his dad, your dad glances at  the both of you.

you look around the room "thank you dad, it looks great. i think i have everything" he nods

"you must be tired so um..i'll go and let you catch up with jimin" he walks pass you both and smiles closing the door behind him.

you cross your arms and look at jimin with your eyebrow raised

"give him a chance, he's trying. he was nervous all this time, getting everything ready for you"

"11 years late" you place your bag on the desk, pulling the chair out to sit

"y/n please, he regrets not getting to know you. give him a chance ok" he kneels down in front of you taking your hands in his 

you look around the room "fine..it looks like he thought of everything" you chuckle

"sis you have no idea, look" he gets up walking to a cabinet, opening it he takes out a bin filled with pads tampons

covering your mouth as you laugh 

"mom told him everything and he especially asked about this, something about him not wanting you to struggle about anything" he shrugs putting the stuff back

you get up opening the closet "who got all the clothes then?"

"oh mom send a list of stuff to his secretary and she got everything for you. even your undergarments. she also came and fixed everything"

you nod "he's trying isn't he"

"he truly is"

letting out a sigh you rub your temples

jimin pulls you into a hug "you don't know how much i've always wanted you to live with us again. my room is right next to yours. tell me if you need anything" kissing your forehead he says he gots to go do something and leaves you alone in your new room

you look around and see that he truly got everything.

  "i should get some sleep..i'm tired" you open your suitcase, taking out your pajamas.

getting into bed you realize it's the same mattress your mom had gotten for you

"fine dad...lets see if you can make up for those lost years" saying that left a bitter taste in your mouth

[user-needs-new-hyperfixation]

Hello, can I ask what do you mean "in canon it's impossible for Sherlock to settle down with a woman"? Like, as a fan of Holmes and always read the books since middle school, I'm kinda confuse here, I don't mean anything negative. Sorry, do you think Poirot (from Agatha Christie) is also queer?

Maybe because I grew up with very religious mother and lived in anti-LGBTQ country, I'm kinda slow in picking up subtext. Like until now I'm still kinda confuse with my friend who have ships from any fandoms (but I still love to hear and read her headcanons or fics about those characters)....

I really agree with you, I've seen many Holmes' adaptations (cartoon, tv series, manga) but Yuumori is clearly the closest to Doyle's works. Do you think the mangaka also love to read Holmes' books?

Story time! (Welcome to "Hyper answers asks like an old lady going on an hour long barely-on-topic tangent at the slightest prompting.)

I totally get where you're coming from, I was raised in like...knockoff Southern Baptist churches. Growing up, homosexuality was presented to me as a sexual perversion incapable of involving real love. It's kind of silly, but it's true: a ship was a big part of changing that for me. I read Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle as a teenager, and Kurogane and Fai had something that was inescapably romantic and beautiful but never strictly sexual (tho the potential is certainly there). Between that and an online community of LGBTQ+ adults who were incredibly patient and kind towards me even when I was suuuuper ignorant, I started to open up towards queer relationships as...well, just relationships. Relationships that can encompass sex and also encompass love and friendship and communication and partnership and all those other things I'd been taught were exclusive to monogamous straight people. And then, even as terrified as I was, I was eventually able to face the fact that I'd always had crushes on girls just as often as crushes on guys. So yeah, there's a reason Kurofai is my ship of all ships, the actual One True Pairing for me. Because it cracked open a door just enough that I could slowly lever it open the rest of the way. There seem to be quite a lot of anecdotes like this: women enjoying BL/mlm ships is often seen as fetishy (which can certainly be part of it) but for some reason I can't fully articulate it also seems to sometimes be a means for girls and women to explore their own not-straightness.

ANYWAY. SHERLOCK HOLMES. Tbh I'm not gonna go too in-depth because I would bet good money that there are a bunch of scholarly articles on Holmes' queerness. People have probably done their doctorate theses on this! Much smarter and more well-read folks than I have already covered the topic. For me, it really boils down to: he never outright expresses sexual or romantic interest in anyone (we must resist the urge to assume his respect for Irene Adler is romantic just because he is a man and she is a woman). He's almost certainly on the asexual spectrum. But when he does exhibit symptoms one might associate with romantic and/or sexual interest (particularly romantic, imo), it's always towards men (usually Watson, of course). For example, notable flirt John Watson saying that Holmes blushes at his compliments the way a girl does is...suggestive.

The whole thing is complicated by Watson being (in my opinion at least) an unreliable and sometimes downright petty narrator. He keeps going on spiels about Holmes being cold and heartless, only to turn around and describe him greeting his friends warmly and being emotionally moved by music and baby-talking puppies and charming old ladies. It makes Watson sometimes come across as one of those allo people who are so unable to conceive of a life without romantic and/or sexual desire that they start dehumanizing those who don't experience it. Alternatively and maybe more charitably, he just has a big ol' crush on Holmes, is understandably alarmed by it given the time period, and gets bitchy and defensive when he feels it might not be reciprocated.

But ultimately...do I think Arthur Conan Doyle sat down at a desk in the late 19th century/early 20th century and was like "I am going to write some ace queer representation for the tumblr girlies (gn)"? Obviously not. 😅 I do think he might have set out to create a character who very deliberately did not need to have the otherwise almost obligatory straight romantic side-plot. Holmes is never in any way set up as having a life headed towards marriage and children, in spite of how typical that was for the time. The companionship he does express a need and desire for comes in the form of another man. He's "lost without [his] Boswell." He sneakily buys Watson's practice out from under him so he'll be free to move back in and go on more adventures with him. He threatens violence when Watson is hurt. Etc etc. I think it's very fair to interpret it all through a queer lens, the quibble would be more in whether that queerness ever manifests sexually.

I definitely think the Yuumori creators have not only read ACD but also other fiction based on the stories, possibly even including some very old pastiches like this one. I love how seemingly nerdy they are about it haha! The series is full of easter eggs and callouts to other Holmesian works.

As for Poirot, I know very little about the character beyond a few episodes of the show I watched as a young'un, but that is not the mustache of a straight man (I'm joking I'm joking I have absolutely no opinion on that one! 🤣)

Thanks for the ask, and for actually reading this ramble if you got this far! 😅

[familyagrestefanblog]

Clarification I definitely should have done ever since season 4 and the Ladynoir conflict started escalating, but hey, let's just get it out:

There are reasons why I'm harping down so badly on Miraculous' Girlboss feminism and defend Adrien as much as I do.

To get the feminist (in-universe) explaination out of the way first:

I would be lying if I said that I like the direction the show has taken Marinette's character and the story in general. But regarding her specifically I simply have to say that most of my problems with her are how she is written as Ladybug, Guardian, and especially leader & partner. Not in her civilian self. Hence why you won't find that alot on my blog, only when it contributes to the overarching double standards problem from s4 I take issue with.

I simply cant deny it, Ladybug is a kind of leader I just came to not be able to respect alot anymore in how she operates most things bc she doesn't really ever look passed how things look & stand for herself, and what SHE needs & wants. Marinette is a very low empathy person in the sense that she struggles putting herself in other people's positions, or remembers considering that at all.

But that's not the reason why I can't respect her as leader. I have ADD, that would be really hypocritical of me.

What leaves me unable to respect her as leader though (& honestly kinda even wanting Alya to take her position) is the fact that the show doesn't see much wrong with Maribug doing that.

They don't properly depict this as flawed leadership she actually NEEDS to grow out of by making up for her shortcomings by, for example, making other people her official co-leaders. Instead the show since s4 (& kinda s3) will proceed to put it's feminist foot down if Maribug isn't actually in the end 100% correct and "totally girlboss justified" in any given case - with CN & authorities specifically - no matter the context. Ergo she's barely ever truly improving her weakpoints in partnership skills for example & continues doing the same mistakes over n over.

like she genuinely would benefit from having Chat Noir as her co-leader too, not just Rena Rouge. But no. The neurodivergend low-empathy girl can't have a high-empathy boy co-leader bc apparently thats misogynistic now, huh ?

Again, I have ADD and I'm also a woman. In fact, I actually have alot in common with Maribug (hence why it hurt so much once s4 took her away from me), so forgive me when I still say: I am NOT going to lower my standards of my believe that neither of those aspects get to be an excuse on everyone else's expense regarding LEADERSHIP (which I do also am in the position of in my life).

And I repeat: LEADERSHIP. Not Marinette herself as a person necessarily & esp not her civilian life.

People always say that her critics wouldn't be so hard on her if she were a man, but I strongly disagree. In my experience, if Marinette were a boy people would actually draw a line nowadays and call out that Mariano is too stuck in his own head to be a good leader (& partner). And maybe even demand that he shouldn't be in that position anymore either at all or until he's in a better head space.

Bc with male characters people are actually drawing lines now in important factors when it comes to power & the accountability coming with it, bc in the end being in change means it ain't about you

Hence why e. g. Steve Rogers (Captain America) was then a fucking fugitive from the law when shit got real in the MCU. They had to do that bc of his leadership morality not being able to exist well within a corrupted & complex law system under fire and attack. My man's an amazing battle leader, but the MCU did VERY well leaving taking care of all kinds of social & political matters to Tony Stark. This kind of nuance ain't Steve's strength. Marinette & Steve are actually a EXTREMELY similar type of leader and it's interesting that I don't exactly vibe with him too much either in that regard, but like him as person the way I did Marinette. So for me it's definitely an issue with their type of leadership.

But the mainstream female leader characters are often still "too female" to get held to the same regular standards bc telling a female leader character in a complicated and not entirely beneficial situation & position 'yeah, it's sucks but you're not the center of the universe'' is now more often than not still "too mean/ sexist"

again, Steve was made an outlaw for a reason and you can bet if he had been a Stephanie people would have made all her struggles about sexism & called the 'outlaw leader' route after Civil War misogyny, merely bc "society doesnt respect women". This is whats happening with Maribug & it clashes with her leadership style.

Hence why there AREN'T ALOT of mainstream female leader characters. And if we get some, most of them are narratively defined by how powerful & in control they are for THEIR OWN BENEFIT and it being depicted as 100% right & just in general (like with Marinette) which goes against what a normal leader should be, so alot of people don't like them (ignoring the actual sexist people for a sec)

The first Wonder Woman movie for example was so well-received for a reason. They did it RIGHT (& may I please also recommend Wakanda Forever? Fuck, that movie was GOOD)

--

But yes, it's notably how Maribug treats Chat, who is supposed to be her partner and friend, that I take alot of issues with.

And yes, I would say the same if LB were male and CN female. Ladynoir is so rooted in toxic femininity that this "partnership" (or just the entire LS) the way it is could NOT exist today in gender bend. S4 and the s5 finale in particular are unthinkable in gender bend and they sold it as "justified female empowerment" & "unparalleled loving treatment" from Ladybug's side Chat Noir needed to learn to be GRATEFUL for.

All while, and I will never stop stressing this: the show has never stopped writing Marinette to treat Chat Noir as if he basically just spawns into existence once he puts on the mask. He's HALF a human being. Even once she falls in love with him in s5.

This is the fundamental and deep seeded problem of where my issues come from here. It never stands in question if Adrien views Marinette and Ladybug as full human beings, but the other way around that very much is the case. In whatever way it's depicted. Yes this is a line I draw, especially because of the whole Sentihuman thing.

I personally am alot more like Adrien regarding Friendship and partnership (or what his character initially started out). They are heavy & meaningful topics for me. So seeing Marinette being utilized to girlboss all that into the ground with Chat Noir, esp in s4, while she apparently barely ever even noticed anything wrong with how she treats him in the first place as she literally replaced him with Alya/ Rena in everything but name

cause buring him under a wall of secrets & lies meant she can still 100% benefit from his eternal devotion by letting him believe she's too alone to be a partner anymore AT ALL. (Kuro Neko onwards and then NEVER stopped letting him think she's just as alone as he is. NEVER. She's still doing it in s5 while leaving him 100% isolated which was then his demise in the s5 finale.)

and gives Alya the deluxe partnership entirely on his expense, while barely ever sparing him even the most basic thought in anything; & by "Risk" then literally having them switch status. Rena is her actual partner she fully treats that way and he's merely her favorite temp hero with no rights, which Rena was previously.

And the only reason why Chat was treated with something resembling to fairness or dignity again in season 5 (& finally wasn't a rag doll for her every little mood anymore...) was because Maribug plainly had no other choice and had her team & position of power taken away by force while Alya renounced for her own safety. And yet she's still treating him as half a human being even by the end of S5. AFTER her character development. He's Chat Noir and that's where his existence ends in her leadership & friendship. CN and Alya in s5 are literally 2 halves of ONE PARTNER.

All that was painful to watch to say the least. Bc it's imo honestly a disgrace to friendship and partnership. I can't put into words how ashamed I would be of myself if I treated someone the way Marinette treats Chat Noir (again, HALF A HUMAN BEING).

Much less a friend I claim to love dearly and don't want to loose (another thing the MCU did better regarding Steve's fall-out with Tony over Bucky... I should really make that comparison post why Steve works for me & Marinette doesnt)

Just the mere fact that Marinette in "Elation" even told Chat "It doesn't matter who's underneath your mask" is honestly outrageous.

Because thats simply what it is for me. If s4 & 5 Marinette were portrayed from a similar morality angle to Emonette in the Paris special I would have much less issues with her. Cause thats ironically an angle female characters barely get & is mostly used to redeem the broken bad boys with a hidden heart of gold™.

Double irony: s1-s3 actually DID put civilian Marinette often into that angle, hence why I really liked her, but then s4 suddenly said "well, her methods & actions really dont matter. She's wrong, but actually not really; ergo she should get rewarded in the end. Always. But with a few exceptions. Here n there she loses to claim otherwise. But actually the world just needs to learn how right & amazing she is."

She makes countless mistakes but often either doesn't really learn from them anymore or they just don't "count" bc that's 'what makes her quirky & loveable', so having any issues with her now means you hate women. And she's a very flawed leader but actually never did anything wrong. Ever. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

I will be VERY blunt now: The moment you put a female character into the leader role the FEMALE aspect is supposed to be of secondary importance. And a leader, by the nature of the position, ALWAYS has to be questioned morally wise in my opinion bc of the fatal blindspots that will automatically occur in every leadership.

And it happened here too: Chat Noir's treatment. But they demanded that her being the (female) leader means she's OWED to treat him badly & gets to keep him as blindspot on HIS expense bc she doesn't like thinking about him existing as civilian person.

A leader is ALWAYS somebody who is NOT going to sit well with everybody regarding their approach. That's a normal instinct, and in fact it would be highly dangerous if that wouldnt happen at all. So if I, or other people, don't respect her as one that simply means she has an opposition the way every leader has & is being held to normal standards a leader should be held to, regardless of gender.

Sorry if you think thats sexist, but in my opinion that's a YOU problem. I personally respect female leaders too much to not acknowledge them as anything else but the potential threats they are. The same way I do with male leaders.

You're leader first, woman second. If you can't handle that get out of the leadership position (yes, oc that also applies the other way around). Feminism was about making sure that women cant be excluded from e. g. position of power just bc we're female. The goal wasn't to have yet another group of people stomp their foots, now claiming that they are OWED power once they wanna have it to feel powerful. But that's what Marinette was used to teach an entire generation of children, especially girls.

The last thing you will EVER get me to do is accept that I should be holding women - specifically for equality, female empowerment and leadership - to LOWER (moral) standards as I would the men in her position.

Buddy, I am NOT gonna fucking do that. Just the thought is pissing me tf off, and has ever since s4, cause it directly plays into the misogynistic thinking of:

"Women can't be given power, status or even too much focus as human beings because they're too irrational and immature to be able to then lay proper priorities & take rightful accountability for their shit like a man in power could; and not just scream and cry while playing the oppressed victim card the moment things don't work out & they aren't being given the special female treatment to let them mostly off the hook consequences wise.

Leading to everyone around them, especially the MEN, having to step up, do the work & basically babysit the women like children - while still having to give her the credit as person in charge - turning the women more or less into toddlers wearing a queen's crown"

Which, by all means, Adrichat in every dynamic of the love square by season 5, Gabriel at the end of "Recreation" and even Luka & Félix (& "thankfully" Alya too since s4) had to do for Maribug in alot of ways.

Pick up all of her slack in several major areas & catering to her while simultaneously having to still give most of the credit to HER or else they would be "mean to the female lead" (it's also telling that Alya is treated the best here, & goodness dont get me started on Su-Han...).

And with that out of the way, a few more meta reasons:

1) I'm NOT watching a damn documentary. Marinette is NOT a 14 year old, she doesnt exist & isnt based on a real person or story. She's a fictional main character and narrative tool, so forgive me for approaching this differently than a real life case.

and 2) in everything I watch I automatically look out for the narrative's blind spots and victims of the writings' favorites. I take it this seriously because this is career related for me.

Hence why I have barely ever liked a main character and ironically Marinette/ Ladybug was once one of the few exceptions (alongside Korra from Legend of Korra and Blitz from Helluva Boss)

Look, when I for example watch Helluva Boss or a Yugioh show I will automatically pay extra attention to how the female characters are being treated bc they are obviously treated worse by the writing and much more neglected and scapegoated than the male characters.

Meanwhile when I watch Miraculous and She-Ra, I do the opposite and pay attention to how the male characters are treated bc now they have the gender-biase against them.

And when I for example watch Avatar the last Airbender or Legend of Korra [and She-Ra, that show is great], then I actually get to be mostly fucking happy for once in my life jfc

I'm not going to elaborate too much more on this because I already named by my main point in the beginning: Chat Noir's - not even Adrien's, I mean CHAT NOIR - sometimes honestly awful treatment being the biggest moral and narrative blind spot of the entire show, and honestly where most of Maribug's problems then are also rooted in. Hence why I started focusing so much on Chat Noir since season 4. I look at the overall narrative and circumstances and look for the blind spots that needs to be solved to get to the core of the problem of this whole mess, to get effective results.

And that was and even by the end remained the fact that Adrichat is treated so badly, scapegoated in every possible way in the name of "feminism" and kicked out of the story where HE is at the core of most everything going on, just so the show can force Maribug into everything, make things about her that have no business being about her

Just so she can then be made to constandly turn around and scream, cry and stress about problems - and go about them in the least effective way - that wouldnt be there in the first place if she wasnt the main character of a story that isnt hers.

Mate, I dont know what to tell you here, but the fact that we are following Marinette Dupain-Cheng ,who has nothing to do with anything besides being the cool action girl, is and will always remain of the of core problems of this show. I WISHED that wasnt the case. But for the love of everything, Kagami would have made so much more sense as the female lead, but no.

Anyway, I will leave it at that now cause I already elaborate much further than I initially wanted to, I just wanted to finally have all this stated.

This Blog is not a full representation of how I lay priorities in (feminist) media in general, my view adjusts to the piece of media I'm watching.

And unfortunately, ever since season 4 Miraculous turned into a full blown extreme case and has only gotten better somewhat recently. So I will continue doing what I always do: focus on the fucking VICTIM whose bad treatment pulls down the whole show's quality, and here that's plain obviously Adrien Agreste/ Chat Noir.

And with all due respect: Die mad about it.

[bourbon-ontherocks]

Pls snippet/tell me abt European butter, awkward roommates, beth x phoebe & champagne room 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️

@majoris @sdktrs12 @asteraceae-blue @riosnecktattoo

Oh gosh, this is going to be such a long post 🤣 (but thanks to y'all I got to re-read very confused bullet points lists and half-written paragraphs, it was extremely amusing)

European butter

This one was supposed to come after Tacos & Tequila in the now-defunct food series. Basically Beth and Rio start fucking again post S4, along with a vague money-laundering partnership. One night Beth asks Rio mid-fucking if he'd like to go get dinner sometimes (because she's a freak) and he agrees.

They go on a dinner date, and Rio picks that pretentious restaurant Fitz took Beth to once, hence the title. Obviously, the date is a complete disaster of awkwardness, they're distraught in the end because they were both secretly hoping to start an actual relationship, they make out angstily in the street as a result, and the ending is sweet and full of hope although things are left a bit unresolved.

It's a pity I'll probably never finish it because I have more than a thousand words written already... have this snippet that made me snort because I'd completely forgotten about writing that:

She clears her throat, tries to dissipate the awkwardness. "Do you have, like, a hobby?" she asks, on the verge of losing her mind at getting to such trivialities. Does she know anything about this man? "What do you do to relax when you're at home?" "Mölkki." "Bless you," she responds to the enigmatic eructation. "Nah, it's the name of a game, mama," he says next, pompous almost. He then delves into rules and specifics so odd Beth is half convinced Rio just made up this entire Scandinavian game backstory to avoid revealing any actual information on his likings. God. As if things could get any worse already.

Awkward roomates

I have a detailed outline on this one but not a single sentence written haha, so there are even fewer chances I ever get back to it...

This would have been a post-canon fic where Beth and Rio have parted ways, except that one night he and Mick stumble upon a traumatized Beth while casually disposing of a body in the woods (as bros do). She's barely able to walk or speak so Rio grumpily brings her back to his place so she can rest. In the morning she's slightly better and explains that she's been abducted (there's a whole backstory that I won't detail here), she clearly has PTSD so Rio allows her to stay at his place for the day while he goes on his own business errands and evening plans.

Except that Beth's still there when he comes home at night, because she's panicking and developing some sort of agoraphobia due to her trauma, leaving her unable to leave Rio's apartment. At this point they fuck, which I guess gives Beth a free pass to stay longer, lol.

Awkward domesticity ensues. Rio's still grumpy but secretly enjoying it. One day he comes home and she's gone, having finally recovered enough, and he realizes he misses her.

I found this line in my doc:

Things get weird. He's aware that from an outsider's perspective she looks like the perfect stay-at-home wifey, while he's precisely the only person with whom she ain't... that.

Beth x Phoebe

I *think* it was supposed to be an S4 canon-divergence where Beth sleeps with Phoebe during one of their little hotel room drinking dates? I honestly don't recall much of how it was supposed to end, or start, or what was happening beyond that, except that it was a Phoebe POV.

I shared a fair bit of it here already so here's another line:

She texted Dave 'I have company 🍆 '. He answered with 💦💪 which she isn't sure was meant for her or him given that he's spending the evening at the gym as a result.

Champagne room

Ah. The infamous fuck-or-die fic... This one got reaaaally close to getting posted, my draft has more than 3k written words of it... maybe one day... the main concept was that, through extremely convoluted circumstances, mid S3 - early S4 (aka sworn enemies) Beth and Rio end up in a situation where they have to fuck in front of an audience at the strip club not to blow up a cover (that would get both of them in real danger).

Obviously dark-grey dubcon ensues here, they're both extremely reluctant but also extremely into it because they're freaks. Power plays also ensue. There's some grumpy but soft aftercare in the end. The people around are extremely gross. Also there's a dude named Gene who's way too much into Beth and Rio's sex life.

There's already a chunky snippet here, but have another one:

They've been ten minutes or so in this mockshow of foreplays — and by then Elizabeth's breathing has quickened, her cheeks reddened, and his body fucking responded cause there's only so many times she can smash her tits at his face and expect him to remain impassible — when Gene decides to be a cunt again, probably to impress Mr. Bad Guy or some shit. The way Gene's got the mentality of a fucking puppy is genuinely baffling. "Hey, man, are you going to fuck her or what?" he asks, his own hands roaming all around the dark-haired girl Rio's pretty sure goes under the stage name of Gloria who's kneeling in front of him, decidedly undoing his pants. Elizabeth straightens a bit at this to look towards Gene with a disgusted expression, mimics a retch before she brings her lips close to Rio's ear. "Ew. Who even are those guys?" Right? At least someone else gets it.

Kun Pao Chicken

I'm doing this one as well since I didn't want to start splitting comments in half.

This one would have been the third installment of the food series (after European butter, unless it's the other way around, I don't remember) and would have focused on Mick and Annie's relationship. Initially it was supposed to be a judgmental Brio witness to snacking buddies to friends to lovers kind of sitch, alas season 4 ending made things quite harder in this regard.

The title was supposed to reference the fact that Mick and Annie would order Chinese food to share during stakeouts. Basically, it would have been both their POVs roasting Beth and Rio and slowly falling in love with each other.

I have nothing really written besides these two lines of dialogue right before their first kiss:

"You know, your sister ain't the most interesting girl in the room." "She's not?" Annie's voice breaks a little in her throat. "Well, your boss isn't the most interesting boy in the room either."

Phewww, that was a ride 😅

WIP asks

[devil-in-the-details-ay]

3

Will Lord Astaroth and Yara be able to compromise or will the marriage made in literal hell make the Lord of Death wish he could die?

She was cut off when her arm was grabbed and she was yanked to him by it, their faces almost touching.  “I am not going to have a wife that won’t even touch me.  I didn’t say fuck, I never even insinuated anything close.  YOU are the only one who actually said a fucking thing regarding it, Yara.”  He was breathing heavily through his nose and fighting the urge to shake her.  He hadn’t said a damn thing and she was throwing a fucking tantrum? This would NOT do!

Her eyes dropped, twice in one day she’d been put in her place, but only this time was the person doing it right.  “I’m sorry, Astaroth.”  Yara choked out and she felt the hand on her arm lessen.  “You’re right to be angry, I’m just upset at this.” She gestured around his office with her voice thinned and choked, then her eyes rose to meet his hesitantly.  Tears filled them now, tears she’d held back when her father threw her out of his office.  “Do you think that I dreamed of marrying a man that doesn’t love me, that can barely stand me, that is only doing it because my father told him to? No, not TOLD him too, is FORCING him to?” Her breath stuttered and her jaw clenched.  “The Princess of Hell, handed off to the first convenient male daddy could find.  No more thought given to it than passing a memo regarding company holidays.”  Her eyes closed again as one tear slid down her face.  She hated being weak, hated anyone seeing it more, but she was now going to be bound to this demon for eternity.  He might as well know what he was being bound to, how pathetic she really was.  Opening her eyes to look at him again the green of her eyes had lightened almost to the color of grass. “It’s not you Astaroth, I’m mad at my father.  This is just one more example of him not wanting me and making it abundantly clear in his disappointment at me being a girl.  I’m sorry he did this to you.” Her eyes dropped as she looked anywhere but at him.

He had to hand it to her, the Princess certainly knew how to deflate a situation, but Astaroth didn’t feel like she was doing any of it to manipulate him.  She was just handling her emotions differently than he was and he’d snapped her out of it.  From all she’d just said, she had a lot more history regarding what was happening he did, which explained the greater amount of upset over it.  “So what do you want to do, Yara?  I will forgive you for your outburst.  This is a difficult and emotional situation for us both.  It is understandable that you are not handling it well.”  They were also demons after all, not known for having easy tempers.

Yara looked up at him.  He was handsome, more handsome than even some of Asmodeus’ lustful soldiers. Her father could have paired her with someone who wasn’t.  He was the Lord of Death, not one of the aforementioned lust demons.  He wasn’t wrath, so she did not have to worry about the torture pits.  Would it be so bad to be with him?  To be his? For him to be hers?

“Yara…” His voice held an edge, his breathing getting heavier as he waited for her answer.

She laid a hand on Astaroth’s chest, looking up into his eyes, trying not to tremble knowing that he was still holding a lot of rightful anger at her.  “I’m willing to try and work with you to find a way so we're both not miserable with the conditions of the contract.  There has to be something we can do to make this not be so bad.  What do you think?”  She was contrite as she looked up at him and blinked.  Yara was at his mercy, and of all of the demons her father could have bound her too at least Astaroth was one of the better ones, and sane the last time that she knew.  

“I will not tolerate any more tantrums, nor a wife that is going to try and play games, Yara.  Neither of us chose this, but we can make this work as you said. We can form a partnership and friendship if you will work with me and not against me.  I don’t have to be your enemy.  I am not cruel for no reason.”  His hand where he’d gripped her released and he wrapped that arm behind her to hold her gently against him now.  The Princess was beautiful, if she would work with him this could turn out to not be horrible. Could they figure it out?

“What do we do now?”  Yara fought crying, for the first time in her long life she held no power.  She was at the mercy of someone else.  There was absolutely no power she held in this situation.

“First, you need to calm down and realize I’m done being angry.  If you keep getting upset, we are never going to be able to do this, nor am I going to be able to train you to help me with my Death responsibilies. Okay?”  Astaroth leaned his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes to let her know that he was willing to work with her and that his anger was gone for her earlier outburst.  He was not some of the others in Hell that was going to make her pay for a long time for not being perfect, and painfully so.  They were in this together.

“Okay, I just…I don’t know how to feel.” 

“I understand, but we just need to take care of things and take things one step at a time.  Step one is you have to sign the contract before your father decides to change whose name is on there to someone other than mine.  Then I’ll call one of my priests to come and do the ceremony.  If you want something formal later on, if things…you know…then we’ll do that. How does that sound, my princess?”  The hand not holding her to him rose to gently caress her cheek.  Astaroth was not in the position of normally having to console emotional women, let alone one he was going to be spending a lot of time with.  However, he did know how to.  If he let her know he was understanding, maybe he could at least keep her calm.

Yara nodded and stepped away from him.  He was right, if that contract didn’t get signed, her father could change it at any time.  “Let me get that signed.  Afterwards we can talk about how we’re going to manage..things.”  Her hands gestured around, meaning everything between them.  There was still a large amount of emotion in her voice.  Even though they’d agreed to everything, she was still trying to take it all in. “We will take it one thing at a time.” Astaroth nodded and walked over to his phone on his desk.  Thankfully Lucifer kept up with modern Earthly technology.  He watched her sign and he made his call.

“Rings?” She asked when he hung up.  While they were required, what kind was up to them. She definitely wanted him wearing his.  The thought of her husband walking around without one made her undeasy….her…husband.

“Would you prefer plain bands, or should I get you something that sparkles?” He asked her with a soft smile.  Astaroth had been thinking about the rings himself, for much the same reason as Yara.  He was a very jealous demon, although few ever saw it.  There was no way he was going to be married to Yara and have her not wear a ring.  That was going to be one of the things he insisted on, if they were married to one another, then there would be no others.  He had a feeling another fit would be coming when he revealed that, after her one over thinking she was going to be forced to have sex with him.

“Whatever you want, I’m fine with either.” It was sinking in more and more.  This was real.  It was very real.  They were going to be married very shortly.  Not just pretend, not just something that could be undone tomorrow.  Only her father, himself, would be able to undo it once done.

“As you wish, my Princess.” He smiled at her as once more he closed the distance between them. Astaroth would treat her right.  It would make his life easier if he kept her happy in the small things.  “I’ll expect you to wear yours all the time.  I wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea.”  Here they went.  Maybe they’d kill one another before his priest got there.  It would at least shorten things.

She nodded, then looked up at him when it sunk in what he’d said and meant. “Same. Any of your succubi and incubi will need to be reassigned.” Her voice was flat, she wasn’t ready to sleep with him, but she’d kill anyone else that tried to.  Yara didn’t share her…toys.  “I hope you have a lot of closet space.”

Astaroth almost laughed, maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as he was anticipating.  “If need be, you can have a whole house just for your clothing, darling.”  Just no temper tantrums, he thought to himself.  He stepped even closer to her, his hand once more landing on her lower back as he stood next to her, testing the waters. “Yara, if you work with me, this doesn’t have to be a bad experience for either of us.” The corners of his mouth rose slightly as he watched for her reaction. 

[dreamilyleftballon]

HEART'S AU PART 3

Fast forward 20 or so years and a lot has changed.

Angle and Cherri are on the rise to being powerful overlords once again. They doubled in territory they originally had, tripled the amount of souls they made deals with and were nearly debt free!

working with the Vees not only helped the Vees get more comsumers it also helped the Heart's get more visitors to their casino and other venues! The Vees and the 2 Heart's decided that once all the debt is payed they will start a business partnership (Angle and Cherri wanted to be on equal footing before any partnership was made).

During those 20 odd years Angle and Cherri have been searching for Husk in secret. One of the reasons why they have so much territory is all thanks to Cherri Bomb. She believed that the more territory they owned the less places for Husk to hid. She also goes into every bar she see hoping to find her drinking buddy. Hell she even opened her own bar in hopes of luring him in.

Angle on the other hand was determined to learn all about the Radio Demon. He believed that once he knew how Alastor brain worked he will be able to track Husk down and save him.

Then Alastor went missing for 7 years, making the hunt for Husk 10x harder! Angle thought that where ever Alastor went Husk went with him.

One day Angle and Cherri were watching TV when an ad for the Hazbin Hotel came on. They would have just ignored it if a familiar feline didn't show up. They had to rewind and pause the Tv too make sure they weren't seeing things. They couldn't believe their eyes, there was Husk standing there, he looked fine (which was a big stretch). His fur was unkept and longer making him look fluffier. He looked like he barely got 3 hours of sleep, even with the longer fur they both knew that Husk had lost quite a bit of weight. But what scared them the most were his eyes. They were so dull and lifeless, no longer did those eyes hold any wonder and mischief.

At first they thought they would be able to take Husk away, that is until they notice Alastor in the ad.

They needed a plan.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 4

Au Info, 2, 3

[themculibrary]

Sex Worker AUs Masterlist

Links Last Checked: January 21st, 2024

1000 Dollar (ao3) - Jerana steve/bucky E, 5k

Summary: Camboy Steve does a huge mistake and meets with one of his viewers, Bucky, who isn't only the most handsome man Steve had ever seen, but also the most dangerous person in New York. If Steve could only resist his charm.

Ain't No Rest for the Wicked (ao3) - Kellyscams steve/bucky E, 305k

Summary: Steve's just moved back to Brooklyn after spending ten years in California trying to make a life for himself as an artist right after high school. Having escaped to the other side of the country following the sudden death of his mother, Steve feels guilty about abruptly leaving all his friends for so long, unfulfilled, scared and nervous about started college at his age, and unbelievably lonely. So when he meets Bucky Barnes, a young sex-worker, at a bar the night before his first day of classes, temptations might be too high to resist.

One night paying for sex with the most sinfully gorgeous guy is nothing to brag to the papers about, huh?

S'not like he'll ever see him again anyway...

...Right?

Call Boy (ao3) - L1av steve/bucky E, 149k

Summary: Bucky Barnes was skyrocketing through promotions at his advertising firm. Now, a partnership position is opening and if Bucky wants to see his name on the building, he needs to impress not only Mr. Tony Stark, but his wife Pepper. To do this, it takes a team, a couple to be exact. Bucky asks his ex-wife Natasha to set him up with the perfect girl, blonde, tall, thick thighs and huge tits, but with the personality that’ll get Pepper all smiles.

What Bucky gets? Tall, blonde, thick thighs…and a penis. Can this male escort pretend to not only be Bucky’s fiance but also impress Pepper enough to win Bucky the promotion? Is he going to impress Bucky enough to get him to sleep with him?

Steve loves working for his tip.

Charcoal Can Get Everywhere (ao3) - AdamantSteve clint/phil T, 2k

Summary: Clint is a stripper, and he kind of accidentally stalks his favourite customer... all the way to an art class.

Dancing (ao3) - annanWaters pepper/natasha E, 9k

Summary: Autumn, and they're back in New York. Tony's kept his head on this trip-- mostly-- but when Pepper sees a familiar face onstage, she may not be able to keep hers.

Egyptian Heat (ao3) - Davechicken layla/marc, khonshu/jake, layla/steven, steven/khonshu/marc, steven/marc, layla/steven/marc E, 69k

Summary: It’s been less than a month since Marc Spector died.

Being the Fist of Khonshu still hasn't fully been explained, but it comes with some... monthly side-effects.

Moan for the Camera (ao3) - kuki peter/wade E, 10k

Summary: Taking photos of himself as Spiderman was enough to get through high school, but as a college student Peter needs more of an income. He creates SweetiePetie69, a barely legal twunk camboy with a sudden and large following.

Wade Wilson follows a lot of camboys (and girls) but his absolute favorite is SweetiePetie69.

Natural Talent (ao3) - 27dragons, tisfan bucky/tony E, 47k

Summary: Bucky is Boss of the Commando territory, carved out of Hydra's territory with blood, tears, and sweat - mostly his own. He has a reputation in other territories for being hard and ruthless, but his own people know him as a generous, considerate leader. He protects his land and his people, but otherwise keeps his head down. He has no intention of getting embroiled in any of the other territories' disputes. That is, until Bucky finds himself in possession of a beautiful companion and learns that the man is far more than he appears.

Red Lights Over the Water (ao3) - SkyisGray steve/bucky E, 9k

Summary: Bucky Barnes isn't a very good stripper. Steve Rogers isn't a very good hooker.

Risky Business (ao3) - squadrickchestopher bucky/clint/natasha E, 5k

Summary: “Oh boy.” Clint grins at him. “So I’m an escort and a spy tonight? I’m pretty sure there’s a movie about this somewhere. This is like...sex espionage.”

“Sexpionage,” James says, “is the term. Except you’re an escort masquerading as a spy, not a spy masquerading as an escort, so I’m not sure if it applies.”

Salt, Sweat, Sugar (ao3) - RockSaltAndRoll steve/bucky E, 12k

Summary: Bucky has worked for the Adult Entertainment Industry for a couple of years now while he sees himself through college. The money is good, the people are great and the sex is awesome - altogether it’s great fun. It gets better the day he gets paired up with new guy Steve Rogers who is just about the cutest barely legal twink that Bucky has ever seen in his life.

sinners to saints (ao3) - ignisgayentia (orphan_account) steve/sam E, 5k

Summary: Usually burglary did not end in such good fortune. Bucky's a down-on-his-luck sex worker and CEO Steve Rogers has caught him trying to burglarize his house. Instead of getting upset, Steve offers the poor guy some food and a place to stay, and Bucky wants to pay him back. Steve tries to convince himself that he's not that kind of guy . . . until he is.

Strictly Professional (ao3) - Siancore sam/bucky E, 9k

Summary: Bucky Barnes is an adult film star. He has booked a job with his sometime-scene partner, Steve Rogers’ friend as a favour to Steve. He checks out some of Sam Wilson’s work and finds himself attracted to the other man. Will he be able to keep it strictly professional when they begin to film together?

Stripped Bare (ao3) - cooper_west clint/phil E, 17k

Summary: Clint never planned on being a stripper, but then he never planned on being blind either.

Temperature Control (The Watched Pot Never Boils Remix) (ao3) - BrighteyedJill steve/sam E, 620

Summary: Sam is one of Steve's favorite clients, because he knows exactly what Sam likes.

You Get What You Pay For (But Some Things Are Priceless) (ao3) - velvetjinx sam/bucky E, 4k

Summary: Sam meets exotic dancer Bucky and hires him to be his date at a work dinner. But with changing feelings involved, things get a whole lot more complicated.