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mamaagirlbehindyouu · 7 months ago

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Fake Dating, Real Feelings Pt.1

Pairing: Tara Carpenter x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 925

Summary: Your friend Tara invites you to a party, but she has an ulterior motive. (This chapter is mainly build-up to what I’ll be writing in later parts, so if you don’t like slow burns then you may want to wait for later chapters to be released to begin reading <3.)

Warning: A little bit toxic (but will get better in later chapters!!)

A/N: This chapter is kinda ass ngl but more parts will come out later w/ more fluff-heavy chapters (and potentially smut)

You sat in bed, propped up on two pillows, scrolling on your laptop. It was finals season- meaning you were now starting the 9 page term paper that was due tomorrow at 12pm. It wasn’t ideal, but you had enough time to where you were still putting off writing your paper. You weren’t writing your essay on your laptop, you were scrolling through Pinterest.

That was, of course, until you got a text from someone. Picking up your phone to see who the message was from, you instinctively kicked your feet when you saw the name of who it was from. Tara. Your friend tara. The friend you just so happened to have a massive thing for.

Shutting your laptop and properly sitting up, you unlocked your phone to read the message from her.

Tara: Hey, you up?

You stared at the message for a moment, contemplating whether or not to reply. It was already 9:30, you could just leave Tara on delivered and lie tomorrow that you had had an “early night”. After all, your paper needed to get done and you could tell from the nature of Tara’s text that she either wanted to go somewhere or do something.

Yeah right, that would take more self control than you had.

Y/n: Ofc, what’s up?

Immediately after sending the text, you were met with a “Read 9:36 PM”. You watched the gray bubbles dance on your phone screen, before they disappeared and re-appeared.

Tara: Last time I’ll ask this, I swear

Tara: Will you come to a party with me tn? I want to show up like 10:30 😊

You groaned, staring at your phone again before replying. This wasn’t an infrequent request from Tara by any means- she always needs a DD considering the fact that she seems to love getting wasted. With time, the request had become more and more of a chore as she seemed to get drunker and drunker at each party you took her to. Going to parties with Tara wasn’t fun anymore, but you knew she would just find someone else to go with her if you said no and you didn’t want that.

Y/n: I’ll be there in 30.

Throwing your blankets off and setting your laptop on the nightstand, you got up, walking over to the closet. Why did you always go along with whatever Tara wanted? Well, the answer to that was obvious, but you would rather die than admit your feelings for Tara were getting serious.

After throwing on a black miniskirt and tank with a jacket on top and some boots you got into your car and began the drive to Tara’s house. This was a drive you knew all too well, and not for good reason.

When you got to Tara’s house the front door was already open, with just the screen door shut and Tara visible and sitting on the stairs. She was wearing flare jeans and a ribbed blue henley with some white Converse. You couldn’t explain how, but Tara always seemed to make the most basic of outfits come off as breathtaking. Maybe her face card was enough of an accessory.

Spotting you from where she sat on the stairs, Tara leapt up and smiled, waving her hands at you. She opened the screen door, squealing.

“Y/n! You came! Thank you so much!”

Tara’s joy was always infectious, making you forget your original reservations about that night. A smile spread across your own face as you waved back awkwardly, unsure of what to do whenever Tara’s attention was fully on you.

“Of course I did,”

You said, unaware of how un-enthusiastic you came across. You were always excited to see Tara, but being around her often made you feel awkward, frequently making it seem like you have a lackluster temperament.

“Could you act any less excited to see me?”

Tara teased as she held open the screen door for you, allowing you to enter her home.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to-“ you began to speak, but Tara cut you off, noticing how you seemed genuinely apologetic.

“No, I was joking. It’s okay, y/n/n,” she reassured you, offering another smile.

You smiled back and nodded in agreement, not wanting to say anything else about the matter, still embarrassed about the interaction. Tara led you up to her bedroom (not that you were unfamiliar with it).

“I just need to do my makeup real quick and then we can leave,” Tara assured you, aware that it was getting closer and closer to 10:30.

“‘real quick?’” you laughed. “Since when do you do your makeup ‘real quick’?”

“Hey, last time you came over I did my makeup in ten minutes, max- That’s, like, record time for me,” Tara defended herself, raising her hands in the air, primer in hand.

“It was more like half an hour, not ten minutes,” you corrected her as she rolled her eyes. “And why’d you invite me this time? Or was it just to be your designated driver again?” you half-called Tara out, passing it off as a joke, as you took in her features, taking advantage of the fact that she was preoccupied. You loved all of Tara’s features, but her eyes were definitely at the top of the list. How could anyone not love them?

“About that..” Tara said, stopping her makeup application, making an uncomfortable face. “I kind of need you to pretend like you’re dating me.” Suddenly, you were snapped out of your thoughts.

Pt. 2??

Photo Creds: miaolliez and geminiprinc3ss on Pinterest

#tara carpenter x reader #tara carpenter x you #tara carpenter #scream vi #scream #x reader #tara carpenter x y/n #slow burn #sapphic #jenna ortega x reader #fem!reader #reader insert #fake dating

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writerspirit · 21 days ago

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A Love Unexpected

Pairing(s): Ava Coleman x Fem!Reader

Synopsis: An unexpected surprise shocks you and Ava.

Themes/Warnings: angst, fluff, protective work wives

A/N: I know the poll results came out first for Chapter 1 of A Teenager in Love… but I finished this one first. I’m sorry. I swear it’s coming together. Based on Season 2 Episode 9 - Sick Day, but like… pretend it’s set in season 3-4 ish. Gif from @forbescaroline. Enjoy!

WC: ~ 4.9k

Taglist: @schemmentigfs @fandominstability

Your stride walking into Abbott Elementary was one unknown to your usual confident flow. The morning’s obstacles beat you to breakfast. The tosses and turns of your body throughout the night, not giving you a satisfying amount of sleep. The nausea that took you out of bed before your alarm clock went off from your bedside table. The stress that left you unable to eat before leaving your house.

The teachers lounge may as well be empty by your stampeding the room. “Tea,” you grumble, already reaching for a top cabinet, leaving no room for your usual morning pleasantries.

Melissa catches sight of your disheveled face, quietly noting to herself that the morning hasn’t treated you in fairness. She clears her throat, hoping you’d spare her a passing glance at best. However, to her dismay, you continue to stifle through the cabinet, searching for an alternative to the rich caffeinated liquid you drink every morning.

“Morning,” she says, her eyes focused on yours. “Rough one?”

You scoff, slamming the box of tea you found at the back of the cabinet down onto the countertop. “Why is tea caffeinated? I thought that’s what coffee was for!”

“Not drinking coffee today?” She asks the question in a quiet curiosity, as Melissa often does when observing something new. Her usual mysterious air swirling around you like a heavy fog.

“I— nevermind.” You go to the fridge, looking for a spot to put your lunch. You place it on the shelf next to Gregory’s simple yet charming salad, which consists of iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and hope. He is the only person of the group who never questions you for whatever concoction you decide to bring in.

Melissa, after receiving a few curious glances from Barbara, gets on you for not bringing enough to sustain you for the rest of the day. Jacob tries to give as many “fun facts” he can muster about any and every aspect of your meals. “I read an article that said that radishes are actually…” Janine tries to make small talk about your meals, as if the vending machine granola bar and half a plum you quickly grabbed from your fridge tells your childhood story.

In walks Barbara, genuine confidence exuding from her, a smile that could dim the sun plastered her face. She makes a round of the room and the people in it, sending her usual morning greetings to everyone. When her eyes meet your face, her smile softens. “Morning, sweetheart.”

When you neglect to reply—in fear of spreading your already crappy mood over her cheerful one—she looks to Melissa, who only gives her an almost unnoticeable small shake of her head and a mouthed ‘in a mood’. Barbara carefully puts her hand on your shoulder, tension palpable under her palm. You try to relax, the older woman’s warmth momentarily pushing your nerves aside. However, her touch only makes it harder for you to hold onto the few stitches of hope for a good day in the already loosening thread of tears that have threatened to break free. “I haven’t eaten breakfast yet. And I can’t—” you brace before the words stumble out of your mouth. “I don’t need coffee. I just need… something to soothe my stomach.”

Daryl walks to the counter, passing by you. The scent of whatever he is drinking squeezes at your insides. He sends a smile, saying his pleasantries. “If you’re looking for non-caffeinated tea, I snagged this mix from a Facebook page I follow.” He takes a sip, humming as the taste hits his tongue. “You’re welcome to take some for yourself. I’ve got a lot of the mix left right about…” he starts to rummage through the cabinet above the counter. As his arm reaches out to you, he offers a small Tupperware container containing the mix.

At your hesitance in grabbing it, he places his mug down on the counter. He turns back, facing you again, grabbing the lid and plucking it off the container. “Just need to grab the strainer and you’re all set.” Your words get caught when the smell hits you harder this time. Like a truck hitting your senses, making it impossible to hide your disgust. You feel heat reach your cheeks, and the pull at your stomach churns again. In fear of you making a mess for Mr. Johnson to clean, you rush out of the lounge and towards your classroom.

In the lounge, Daryl looks at Melissa, eyebrows quirked as he looks for any amount of confusion in the redhead. She just shrugs it off, as though it’s something normal in the everyday Abbott chaos. “Probably forgot to print somethin’ for the kids. Happened to me yesterday.”

Being stuck in your classroom for the morning, teaching your class has been nothing short of exhausting. As if the universe is personally targeting you, half of your students are out with a stomach bug, throwing your plans for today totally out of whack. So, while you’ve been racking your brain about the morning’s personal shortcomings, your students are relentlessly asking you what the new plan is for the day. Meeting their questions with a low smile and “let’s sidetrack” every chance you get, you can’t help but yearn for a much needed break.

At the lunch bell, your class gathers their lunches. They giggle and cheer for their second favorite part of the day—recess being their first—until Mr. Johnson knocks on your door. The kids always love when Mr. J walks with them down to the cafeteria. Mostly because of whatever hard to believe story he tells them. It has become a weekly ritual—one day a week, he’ll show up at the classroom door, getting the kids pumped up for whatever the rest of the week may offer. Whether that be a quiz at the end of the week, which your students would otherwise fuss about, or a Friday movie day, he always gets the kids excited.

“Mr. Johnson, you already took them yesterday.”

“I heard you didn’t have a good morning, and wanted to give you a little break. Plus, I’ll get to finish telling them about the year I spent studying culinary arts in France with Puck.”

“Puck?”

“Wolfgang. Pay attention, girl.”

You smile, trying not to break right there. A sigh breaks from your lips. “Thank you.”

He smiles back, similar in gentility to Barbara’s. “Now go eat something, before Melissa tracks you down.” He’s out the door with your class following his lead.

Your phone buzzes on your desk. The message reads Reminder: Appt for Y/n Y/l/n scheduled for Fri. June 14th, 2025 at 4:30 PM at OBG/YN in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Please call in advance if a cancellation or reschedule is requested.

You sigh, pulling a notepad and pen out from your top desk drawer. You’re quick to write down the details of the appointment, sure to be reminded by it when forgetfulness inevitably comes later. It may also help process all this writing down your fate.

Ava meets you outside of Janine’s classroom. This being the first time seeing her today, you hadn’t an idea what glamorous outfit she’d be wearing from her colorful closet. At the sight of her, your throat tightens. The blue dress hugging her curves in all the right places, along with the bold eye that highlights her brown orbs. Thoughts of your usual… extracurricular activities run rampant through your mind.

Her smile quickly fades when she sees you, a look of worry replacing it. “Oh, baby, you look—”

“—like hell?”

“You know I wouldn’t say that… to your face.” You chuckle. “I told you I should’ve come over after the club last night.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. If I said yes, you know you would’ve ditched your girls with some half-assed excuse and then I’d look like the bad girlfriend who’s taking your time from them.”

“Those aren’t my girls. I got a girl.” She smiles. Her eyes soften as they look you over. “They’re my crew. And if I wanna leave them early to go see my girl, they shouldn’t have a problem with that.”

You scoff, and run a cool hand through your hair. “Well, you’re coming over tonight, so that’ll make up for it.”

Her smile brightens at the thought. “Wouldn’t miss it. You know I gotta see Love & Hip-Hop with you. I don’t need another argument over watchin’ without you.”

You roll your eyes. “Nobody told you to betray me like that.” You watch as she bites back a comment, more than likely one that would’ve turned into another argument.

A giggle slips past your lips, easing your tension for a moment. “I appreciate the self-control. How is teaching for a day?”

She scoffs. “Awful. I am never having kids.”

The sentence knocks you for a loop, the tension returning in your shoulders and your chest tightening up in what feels like a square knot.

“These kids are workin’ my last nerves. They’ve been around Janine too long. Do you know she puts the date on the board every day? I don’t even know what day of the week it is. These kids want me to just know it by heart?”

“I put the date on the board every day too.”

“For what? These kids got meetings they need to go to?”

You chuckle, masking the nerves that just shot through you. “You just gotta hold down the fort for a few more hours. Just think of it as a little rest stop on your world tour.”

“Like a charity concert.” She takes a second to ponder the idea. “Okay, I’m down. But don’t expect a miracle.”

A beat. Ava’s Apple Watch rings, showing her alarm for her daily notice she needs to go over. “Workin’ never stops, babygirl. Catch you later?”

“Yeah,” you mumble. “Gotta go to lunch.”

She peers down the hallway, making sure there are no students watching. At the clarity of nobody else’s eyes on both of you, she leans in gently kissing your forehead, as to not leave any remnants of her lipstick. Her voice comes out a low tone. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

Your smile grows a moment. “Thank you.”

The teachers lounge rumbles with the usual conversations. Talk about what the students are up to, teachers’ family drama, and more spin around the four walls of the room. Jacob is the first to notice your presence. He walks up to you with the usual pep in his step, one of his cookies in hand. “Want one? They’re freshly made from last night. Melissa only lets me bake them when she isn’t in the house.”

She scoffs, coming up beside him, tumbler in hand. “I don’t need to be there when my kitchen smells like grapeseed oil and regret.” She chuckles, a snort following. “And not the good kind.”

The pair look quizzically at you. Normally, one of Melissa’s dry quips would elicit a chuckle from you. Sometimes even a genuine hearty laugh that would leave you in fits for the rest of the day. Even Jacob notices you’re shaken up, which sets him in a worried state. His throat bobs as he gulps down his panic.“What’s wrong? That was a classic Melissa and Y/n joking banter opportunity.”

“Hmm. Just not feelin’ it today,” you mumble.

“Well, let me know if there’s something I can do,” he says before sitting down at his usual spot at the table.

Melissa lingers, walking up to the open spot next to you, filling her tumbler with coffee. Her voice is low. Quiet as lingering ears may be close enough to hear her. “So… how long?”

“What?”

“How long have you been p—”

“—okay,” you interrupt. An involuntary sigh you didn’t know was coming releases from your lips. “You know.”

“You’re sweating bullets and avoiding as much conversation as possible. You turned stark white this morning when Daryl walked in with his homemade tea mix, and you can’t even look at Jacob’s carrot cookies to make fun of ‘em with me.”

“I found out yesterday. I have my first appointment on Friday.”

She nods her head. Her arms cross as she studies you. “Okay. Does Ava…”

You shake your head. “She doesn’t know.”

“Are you gonna tell her? Because if you aren’t, my lips are sealed tighter than a Ziplock bag. Whatever you need.”

It takes you a minute to process the redhead’s words. “Yeah, I’m gonna tell her. I just… don’t know—”

Melissa gently nudges your shoulder with her own. Her eyes lock towards the door, as Ava walks in.

“These kids, y’all! Not only am I gracing Janine’s second graders with my presence. It seems like now that the principal is outta her office, the kids wanna act all the way up today. Like if I don’t already have enough on my plate.”

Melissa sends you a look before making way to her seat. During Ava’s rant, you look back at her. The redhead makes a point to remind you to take a deep breath, motioning the action, so you can follow her lead.

Ava checks the fridge, looking for something. “Ugh, Venus said she left a pack of eye masks back here in case of emergency. That girl is so fired after this.”

“Ava, it can’t be that bad,” you say.

She sighs. “Oh, it is. I told you I am never having kids.”

Melissa clears her throat, hoping Ava would take the hint. A slick of sweat forms across your skin. Goosebumps rise across your arms. “What happened?”

“These kids are so needy and like, trained to be little Janines. Everything gotta be perfect. The date on the board. Asking about the time whenever they can. I didn’t know second graders were so punctual. It’s like a nightmare come to life, only I can’t wake up until the school bell rings at the end of the day.”

Ava huffs as she shuts the refrigerator door. “I told that girl to leave at least two of the eye mask boxes in here. Damn!” She heads out of the lounge in a hurry.

You go to grab your lunch from the refrigerator. Barbara’s the first to pick up the conversation. “Sweetheart, why don’t you sit with us for lunch?”

You look at Melissa, who is clearing her grading papers from the area of the table that you’d be sitting at. She nods, extending an arm towards the space. “Yeah, come on and sit with us. It’ll do ya good to take off my plate, so you don’t have to eat whatever catastrophe you brought for a meal.”

Barbara glances from Melissa to you, a smile plastered on her lips. She nods, pulling the chair out for you. You smile back, taking a seat. Melissa quirks a brow at you, waiting for you to take out what is in your lunchbox. Carefully, you pull out the golf ball sized mandarin orange and a half of a sandwich and place it on the table. Melissa contorts her face, squirming at the contents displayed in front of her. She shakes her head. “Just put it away, hon. You’re lucky I brought extra.”

Words try to come out, but the panic in your voice makes you stop yourself. Barbara takes a gentle hand to yours, squeezing before she digs into her food. You just smile, and get into the pasta Melissa has offered with the extra fork she brought.

By the time lunch comes to an end, you feel lighter than you did in the morning. Your classroom is now well organized, as opposed to the mess your third graders left for you from working on their science posters. Different projects about the planets, stars, and astronomers are set up for their presentations later in the week. Some almost done, and others not so much.

Thankfully, your classroom will be clean for at least another hour, since your students are now with their art teacher. The bell signaling the block’s start rings through the speakers. When you get to your desk, the notepad sits on your laptop. At the sound of familiar footsteps, you quickly put the pad in your top drawer. The steps stop at your door, where Barbara stands.

“Hey Barb. What can I do for you?”

“Just wanted to stop by and see how you’re feeling after lunch.” Her smile, ever so infectious, gleams with a warm expression.

“Melissa told you.”

“Actually, you told me. In the lounge. The way your breath hitched and your shoulders tensed up at the mention of Ava never having kids. That along with your abnormal gloom this morning, I connected the dots.”

“Oh.”

“Sweetheart,” Barbara says. “How about we start from the beginning?”

For the first time today, your shoulders relax. You take a deep breath, like Melissa showed you to do. “We weren’t trying. This… it’s a surprise. I’m just not sure whether it’s a good one or a bad one.”

“How does Ava feel?”

Silence like a wave crashes over you.

“Does Ava know about your circumstances?”

You shake your head.

“Oh my, well…” she looks you over to calculate how she wants to continue. When you don’t respond, she decides to push the conversation a little further. “What about you? How have you been since finding out?”

“Worried. I knew the conversation about kids was bound to come up. I just didn’t think it would be now.”

“Well, now you’re in a position where you can either run and avoid possibly growing your relationship, or you can stand up like the strong woman you are and do what you can with what you have.”

Your voice is soft. Low. Almost a whisper. The words coming out like a confession. And maybe it was. “But… what if she runs?”

“Ava has been someone who has proven herself untrustworthy to the staff,” she sighs. “But she has also proven to put in the work necessary to make Abbott a luxury with underwhelming assists from the district. She has grown, sweetheart.” She hands you a tissue from the box that sits in the corner of your desk. “Give her a chance. Talk it over. If things work out, that’s fantastic.”

“And if they don’t?”

“You have my number. You have Melissa’s number. You have people here for you. Work or not, we are family.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” She looks at the clock on the wall. “Well, it looks like I have to get back to prepare for my students’ arrival from music class. They’re learning how to play the national anthem on their little recorders.”

You smile.

“If I don’t get to see you before dismissal, I will see you tomorrow.”

“Right.”

She exits.

Your phone buzzes against your desk. Hoping it’s Ava, you grab it. The notification reads Melissa’s name.

Melissa: Heard Barb walking out of your class. Everything alright?

You: Yeah. Just a Barbara talk.

Melissa: Let me know if ya need anything.

Melissa: Anything at all.

You: When did you get all soft?

Melissa: Shut up.

You: Thank you, Melissa.

Melissa: You’re family, kid. Anytime.

The afternoon classes shoot by, leaving dismissal in their wake. The bell rings, signaling the end of the day. Once again, your phone buzzes next to you. When you open your phone, you see it’s Ava.

Ava: staying late for paperwork. i’ll be over after for love & hip-hop.

You: K. Text me when you’re on your way.

You gather your belongings, heading down the hall for the doors. Somewhere behind you, you hear your name being called. Turning, you see Barbara and Melissa walking side-by-side in your direction.

“I notice Ava isn’t leaving with you,” Barbara’s voice is soft. Careful as to not trigger any panic.

Melissa pipes up. “What happened? Do I need to get Edith?”

“No, I— I haven’t told her yet. She has work to get done. She’s coming over afterward to watch Love & Hip-Hop.”

“Oh, okay. Just… making sure I didn’t have any work to get done that I’d have to call my cousin to back me up for.”

“I’m going to tell her tonight. Figure I won’t be able to hide my nausea very long. Especially if Daryl plans on bringing that disgusting tea mix back.”

“Well, good luck, sweetheart.” Barbara’s hand grabs at your shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze. “We’re here for you.”

“Yeah. Especially if things go south. Give me a call, and I’ll be on my way with the first ring.”

You smile and gently nod.

— — — —

The sound of Ava’s tires scratching against the pavement jolts you out of your daze. You open your phone, searching for a message notification. To your discontent, she hadn’t sent a message. She was supposed to text me.

The door swings open, showing Ava walking in her confidence that you’ve grown used to. Toothy smile and her cellphone in hand, she walks in like she owns the room. And in a way, she does. The whole house holds little aspects that have been influenced by your girlfriend. Little trinkets and knick knacks that Ava has either purposefully placed or hadn’t realized she left behind bring a liveliness to the home. “What’s up, baby boo? Ready for some good TV?”

“Yeah. Ready.”

She walks up to you, kissing you as she does every time she comes by. She hums against your lips. She backs up a tad, giving you furrowed brows before kissing you again. “Something’s wrong.”

“No, nothing’s wrong.”

“Hm, okay. Whatever you say, girl.” She slips her jacket off of her shoulders, slinging it over a coat rack that stands close to the front door. “What do you feel like for dinner? I was thinking Chinese. Pizza was so last week.”

“Chinese…” A wave of nausea hits you at the thought of the smells of the food. “What about—”

You turn to catch Ava already dialing the number of the restaurant. “Yeah, can I get an order of fried rice? I got a lot comin’, so ready up, Mr. Li.”

By the time Ava hangs up the phone, you’re taking down some water to help alleviate the nausea. “I’m gonna head to the shower. You wanna join me? I gotta get these kid germs off me. And I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to see you all naked and wet.”

You chuckle. “I’ll pass. Mr. Li’s been quick with our orders the last couple times. One of us should be ready to answer the door just in case.”

“Okay, but you owe me a shower.”

Another chuckle, this one more genuine than the last. “Okay.”

She makes a double-take, once again looking you over. “You sure nothing’s wrong?”

“Yeah.” Too fast.

She makes a point to look into your eyes, which haven’t been able to meet hers for long enough to seem believable. She decides to let it go until you’re ready to talk about whatever is bothering you. “Okay.”

When Ava is out of earshot, ideas of how she could react play themselves out in your mind. “Ava, I’m pregnant,” you whisper. “You don’t have to stay.”

A beat.

“You free on Friday? I’ve got an appointment at the OB/GYN. Wanna come?”

A beat.

“Hey, ya know how we were careful? Well, not careful enough ‘cause I’m pregnant.”

Just then, the doorbell rings. At the other side of the door stands Jimmy, the delivery man for the restaurant. He hands you the bag of food and you give him the twenty that’s owed. A wave of your hand and a smile send him on his way, leaving you with your thoughts once again.

At the closing of the door, the sound of the faucet being turned is heard from the bathroom. Similar to before the food arrived, the scent surrounds you of greasy chicken and overcooked rice, making your stomach churn. A rush of heat reaches your cheeks, and the pull at your stomach forces you to hold the contents trying to spill from you. You speed to the kitchen, placing the bag of food atop the counter and grab a cup to pour yourself more water, hoping that it will help the nausea subside.

Ava comes out of the bathroom, freshened up in an oversized Phillies jersey and black biker shorts. The ones that perfectly display her curves, leaving little to the imagination. She cheerfully smiles and shoots towards the counter. “You didn’t have to wait for me, babe. You could’ve opened the bag.”

“Oh, I must’ve spaced out.” You wipe away the water from your chin with the back of your hand. “You ready?”

“You know it!” She goes to the fridge and grabs for the half empty bottle of red. “Might as well finish it tonight.”

“You go ahead. I’m not in a wine mood tonight.” She peers at you through squinted eyes.

You settle on the couch. Ava starts digging into the bag, pulling the containers of food out one by one until the coffee table is scattered with the meal. “Mr. Li did his thing with this! Yeah, we’re his favorite customers.”

“For sure.”

Cuddled up on the couch, you’re rested up against Ava’s chest, back to front, watching the show. One of her hands lightly smooths over your arm, while the other holds her glass of the smooth red. A few laughs and offhand comments to the obviously-staged arguments take up the principal’s mind. “Oh, that’s cold!”

She looks down at you, curious as to why you’ve been quiet the whole episode. When one of the cast members gives the cameras a shot that even Barbara would laugh at, she decides she’s had enough. She reaches for the remote, pausing the episode. “What the hell is goin’ on? You’re more quiet than Barbara is when she’s typing out an email.”

“Nothing.”

She sucks her teeth. “Lyin’ again. Look, if you got something to say, then say it. If you didn’t want me to be here, I can—”

“—I’m pregnant.” The words stumble out before your mind can stop you.

She looks at you, eyes wide and focused on your soft ones, now heavy with guilt. She gently places the glass down onto the table, thinking not of the water ring that is bound to make a stain against the fine wood. Her voice shakes, despite the focus she had to keep steady. “What?”

“I’m…” you start, but aren’t able to bring yourself to repeat it, afraid to scare her away.

“Pregnant,” she says. This time with a steady voice. The one she uses when she needs to uncomfortably reprimand a student. Or when Gregory says something that gives her an ick.

“Yeah,” your voice cracks under the tightness of your throat. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you sure? I mean… Did you take a test?”

“I took two yesterday. Both turned out positive.”

Ava’s voice comes out an echo of your own. “You found out yesterday.”

“I waited to tell you because… I didn’t know how to… uh… I couldn’t…”

“Pregnant,” she reiterates.

A beat.

“Ava, you can go. This… this is…” you start to weep. Ava gets caught out of her own daze with your cries. Her hand instantly goes to your back, rubbing small circles in hopes that she can soothe your worries.

“It is… a lot. But we’ll figure it out.”

For the first time since meeting at school, your eyes meet hers with precision. Focus. “Will we? We didn’t plan this, Ava.”

“No, but… hey we’ll talk, and we’ll do what we need to.”

Nod. “Okay.”

She clears her throat. “What do you want to do?”

“You mean…?”

“Do you want to keep it?”

A few minutes pass in an unbearable silence.The kind that says everything with the fear of saying anything at all will risk it all.

“I love you. I want to be with you.”

“I’m feelin’ a ‘but’ coming’ and I’m not likin’ it.”

“We’ve never even talked about this. Kids?! The future?!”

Ava contemplates how she wants to continue. “This afternoon, one of the students was having trouble spelling out a word during the spelling test. I could tell before she asked because she had that determined look in her eyes, and her pencil was gripped tight in her hand.” Ava looks at you for a moment before continuing. “When I got to her, she took a deep breath and told me what was goin’ on.” You choke on a sob. “And when we sounded the word out together, and she got it…” Ava’s face lights up. “She was so proud of herself. And I was proud of her for being proud of herself.”

“That’s sweet. You helped her out.”

She takes your face in her hands. “If you want this, I’m here. I’m not runnin’. If you don’t want this, I’m here. I’m not runnin’. I love you too.”

Your voice comes out weak, barely audible. “I want this.” Your voice comes out forced. “But I’m scared.”

“Then we can be scared together. We can talk about what to do, and doctor’s appointments, and vitamins and other stuff.” She uses her thumbs to wipe away the fallen tears from your eyes.

“My first appointment is Friday. It’s a check in to see what I— we want to do, and what we should do moving forward.”

She whips out her phone, pulling out the Calendar app. “What time?”

“Four-thirty. Figured I could rush there after work.”

“Okay, set. First appointment.” Ava kisses your temple. She smiles and looks down at your stomach. “Can I?”

You nod. “Yeah.”

She places a hand on your stomach, rubbing small circles over it. “We’re gonna be okay.”

#fanfiction #imagines #fem reader #abbott elementary #janelle james #ava coleman #ava coleman x reader #ava coleman x female reader #abbott elementary fanfic

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theanonymousmystery · 11 months ago

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FRACTURED SHELL | Chapter 1 (Pages 6-10)

Previous | Next | Master post

Leif's magic senses are tingling!

More comic let's gooo! So disclaimer: If you're wondering why the art style changed midway through these pages, it's because I've gotten a new drawing tablet~! It has definitely helped to streamline the drawing process though, I will say.

(Also fun fact, pages 7-9 were the first pages I made. Yes, even before the prologue pages, lol)

In other news, I now have a master post for this comic! Hopefully that will make it easier for you guys to find your place when reading ♥

#bug fables #bug fables comic #bug fables the everlasting sapling #bug fables: the everlasting sapling #bug fables oc #bug fables vi #bug fables kabbu #bug fables leif #bug fables aria #fractured shell #fan comic #my artwork

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iknowshocker · 3 months ago

Note

What is the Bonkai inspired book everyone is talking about that Chris is aware of?

it's mine!

i wrote the first draft last year and i've been querying for about 6ish months off and on - but i had special copies made for kat and chris so i could share it with them early! 🥹

you can check out the first 5 chaps on my ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/63507163/chapters/162736480

here's the synopsis: https://www.tumblr.com/iknowshocker/761623193060589568/can-you-tell-us-more-about-your-bonkai-inspired

Eli's mood boards: https://www.tumblr.com/iknowshocker/770758686676238336/madeunmexico-ask-and-you-shall-receive-happy

Rhea's mood boards: https://www.tumblr.com/iknowshocker/773313610867998720/madeunmexico-i-just-realized-i-never-posted

and some fun facts if you just want a quick breakdown:

Eli/Mere (my jokai twins) grow up being friends with Rhea (my bonnie) and have a very cute trio friendship dynamic! until, of course, they don't

Instead of growing up to turn on each other the Attwoods (Eli's family) are like bonded shelter cats - separate at your own risk. There are so many heartwarming/breaking sibling moments i cry about them constantly 🙈

before you ask, yeah, Joshua still sucks - but they have a really cool mom named Blythe!

Rhea keeps her Grams & has a ghost cousin named Silas - they're almost always together!

She has a black cat familiar named Carlisle who watches over her, too - catch me out here staffing the bonnie bennett deserves more support group with @guldig lol

her parents/family in general will be more important as the story expands - i needed to set up Eli's curse lore first but trust and believe i have just as many plans for Rhea and the Hearthstones ✨

Eli is easily my favorite MMC i've ever written - he's similar to the version of Kai that i wrote in Hits Different - and he melts my heart daily, truly my sweet scary bb boy 🥹

Rhea has the space to express her emotions, grow in her magic, and make her own choices the way so many of us wanted for bonnie

i pulled heavily on my own personal practice for the attwoods living inside a celtic/norse coven - but there are 9 main covens in this world that focus on different pantheons across the globe. so all of the witch lore is tied to real traditions and practices which left me with a 300+ page research doc lol

this is book 1/8, each will focus on one of the Attwood siblings (with rheli staying main characters)!

let me know if you want to hear/see anything else i could talk about these guys all day every day lol

#tfl #kai parker #bonnie bennett #bonkai #my writing #tvdu #jokai #the vampire diaries #gemini coven #josette laughlin #can't even express how amazing it was to give it to him finally 🥹

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arrow-guy · 2 months ago

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Within the Ashes (9/??)

Summary: You’ve spent your life working for someone else. You watch their back, you protect them, but you’re left feeling empty and unfulfilled at the end of the day. What happens when a freak accident transports you to a different dimension, very nearly identical to your own?

A/N: Hello hello! It's time for yet another chapter of my self-indulgent shenanigans. I feel like I should probably say, for anyone who's new-ish to this fic, I started writing this three years ago, long before the Fantastic Four were confirmed for the mcu, when the Tower was theorized to wind up being the Baxter Building in universe. I feel like this is especially important now that Thunderbolts is out lmao. But! I hope y'all like this chapter! Have fun!

Page dividers by @carryonmyswansong

Pairing: StevexReader, background Spideytorch

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: Arguments, anxious reader character

Part 8

“Are you hiding from Sue too?”

Johnny scoots over to make room for Peter. “Yeah, she’s in a mood. I think Reed’s dragging his feet trying to find (Y/N) and she’s pissed.”

“I can tell. She’s on a cleaning tear and tried to drag me into it.”

Johnny cringes. “Yeah, sorry about that. I just barely escaped, you must’ve been the next best option.”

“She’ll find us eventually, you know.”

“Then maybe we should get outta here and find something productive to do.”

“What would you suggest?”

“Literally anything but hiding in our closet.” Johnny grabs Peter’s hand and drags him out of the closet and out into the hallway.

They barely make it to the elevator before they’re caught.

“Stop right there.”

They cringe and slowly turn around to find Sue with her arms crossed.

“Hey, Sue,” Johnny says.

“Don’t ‘hey, Sue’ me. Where do you two think you’re going?”

“Uh… out?” Johnny offers.

She shakes her head. “You’re not going anywhere but down to the lab.”

“Wh-Sue, what are we supposed to do there? Sit around and hope Reed feels bad because he hasn’t made any progress? You know that won’t work.” Johnny looks to Peter for support, but he just shakes his head and shrugs. He doesn’t have any better argument than Johnny does.

Sue scowls. “I’m sure you can figure something out.”

Sue drags Johnny and Peter down to the lab and the boys drag their feet the entire way there. Sue doesn’t see anything. Her anger seems to have dissipated slightly and she seems to recognize that she’s taking her anger out on the wrong people. Regardless, confronting Reed might be easier with back up, so she doesn’t apologize yet.

Right as they approach the doors, they slide open and they’re met by Reed, hair wild and limbs stretched at odd lengths.

“Good, you’re here, I think I’ve found something.” He turns back into the lab without waiting for a response.

Sue immediately follows, but Johnny and Peter wait a moment. They look at each other and Peter shrugs and follows Sue. Johnny is right on his heels.

“What’d you find?” Peter asks. He glances around the lab and notes that Reed has yet to rebuild the transport.

“I believe I’ve located (Y/N)’s energy signature.” He types frantically on the main console, eyes not leaving the display. “I believe I initially ran into difficulties because I cast the net too wide.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning she’s still here.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Johnny asks. “We know, for a fact, she’s not here.”

“Not literally here,” Reed says. “But her signature is still here. In this building. It moves between the floors throughout the day, but it never leaves the building.”

“So she’s in the same location, just in a different dimension?” Sue asks.

“Correct.” Reed finally turns away from his work and back to Sue, Johnny, and Peter.

“So we can get her back,” Peter says.

“I’m not sure yet,” Reed confesses.

Johnny opens his mouth to speak, but just sighs, shakes his head and walks away.

Peter scowls. “So you’ve just been dicking around down here for two months tracking an energy signature? That’s it?!”

“I can’t bring her back if I don’t pinpoint her location first-”

“You could’ve been building the transport between searches!”

“If I’m dividing my attention between two projects, I can’t ensure the accuracy of either result.”

“You-ugh!” Peter balls his hands into fists. “Now I get why Sue’s always pissed at you these days.”

Reed opens his mouth to retort, but Peter walks off after Johnny. Reed turns to Sue. “Are you going to leave too?”

“I am,” Sue says. “Someone has to take care of our children, and clearly it won’t be you.”

“That’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not. But neither is being the only parent present in their lives.” Sue folds her arms. “You’re the only one who knows how to build this thing, Reed. You can ask for help, but we can’t fix your mistake for you.”

Reed frowns. “I’m trying, Sue.”

“I know.” She sighs. “Start building the transport, Reed. Try not to blow it up this time.”

Sue doesn’t wait for a response and walks away, leaving Reed alone in his lab.

(Y/N) is being dramatic. Realistically, she knows that. And yet, laying on the couch and sighing still feels right because it’s the only thing that’s making her feel better right now.

The two weeks Steve said he’d be away have come and gone without any further communication. Sure, (Y/N) remembers he mentioned they might be gone longer. That doesn’t stop her mind from running wild. Especially with the cliffhanger he left on. Who the hell tells someone they want to talk and just fucks off for two weeks? More than two weeks, actually. Does he just expect her to feel normal about that? After telling her he went out of his way to find her before he left, just to tell her he wanted to talk when he gets back? And what was up with that kiss? Not that she’s complaining, she found it very sweet in the moment. But now she’s left with nothing better to do than overthink.

She supposes she does have other things she could do. Tony supplied her with an overflowing digital library of any and everything she could ever possibly want to read. And she might’ve already read three book series from her childhood just to see if there were any differences between dimensions. And there were, but none that seriously changed the outcome of any of the stories.

She’s tried training on her own, but without Natasha’s guidance she never knows if she’s doing something wrong. If her posture is bad or her form is wrong. She started doing yoga in the mornings with Wanda and Bruce joins them occasionally, and that’s nice, but it only occupies her for an hour or two before the silence becomes too much and she needs a new distraction.

Bruce and Tony don’t have much going on in the lab at the moment, so all she has left is laying on the couch, sighing dramatically in hopes of someone coming by and giving her a project. Or worse, asking her why she’s being so weird.

Wanda pokes her head over the back of the couch. “Your surface thoughts are very loud.”

Startled, (Y/N) yelps and presses one hand to her chest. “Jesus, you startled me!”

“I’m sorry.”

“How do you walk so quietly?”

Wanda shrugs. “Force of habit, I suppose.”

(Y/N) takes a deep breath and slowly sits up. “Could you hear what I was thinking?”

“I could. Your mind isn’t guarded very well.”

(Y/N) frowns. “Is that a bad thing?”

“It depends. But in this instance, no. You are just very transparent about how you feel, so your thoughts are easy to hear.”

“Oh.”

“Steve will be fine,” Wanda says. “He always is.”

“I know.” She pauses. “What I mean is that I know he’ll be okay, but I appreciate the reassurance.”

Wanda chuckles. “I know.”

“Ah, right. I’ve never worked with someone who could read minds before.”

“I try not to. I only said something because you were worried.”

“I appreciate that.”

“I understand why you’d worry, though.”

“You do?”

“You worry that you’re moving too fast. That you won’t be here very long. That you’re getting ahead of yourself. But these are normal things for you to worry about.”

“Even if it’s normal, I still feel weird about it.”

“Because you have nothing to confirm or deny your fears, so there’s nowhere for your energy to go.”

“Oh.” (Y/N) sits up. “That makes sense. Still… I can’t help worrying-”

“That Steve may not feel the same way?” (Y/N) nods. “I’m sure you already know how he feels, but I think you’ll believe it more readily if you hear it from him. Even if I have seen exactly what he thinks of you.”

“I’m almost tempted to ask.” Wanda raises her eyebrows, but (Y/N) just smiles. “Almost.”

“Good choice.”

“Y’know, I’m glad I started doing yoga in the mornings. I don’t think we would’ve spent much time together otherwise.”

“Me too.” Wanda smiles. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know you.”

(Y/N) grins. “The feeling’s mutual.”

Wanda sticks around to chat for a while longer. Eventually Vision floats through and asks for her help on something. Before she leaves, they make plans to watch a movie together later.

Alone again, (Y/N) goes back to her room and spends the rest of the day reading.

“(Y/N), could you join us in the lab?” Tony asks, voice surprisingly clear over the intercom. “We have a surprise for you.”

(Y/N) sets the tablet she was reading on to the side and heads to the lab. Bruce and Tony are there, standing at one of the work tables with a young man between them. He seems comfortable with them and has a familiar mop of mousy brown hair. (Y/N) doesn’t examine why he seems familiar before approaching.

“That was fast,” Tony says.

“You call, I come,” she jokes. “Not like I’m doing much right now anyway.”

Bruce chuckles. “I hear you’ve been reading a lot recently.”

“I’ve been rereading books to see if there are any big differences, but it’s mostly just been hair colors.”

“Huh. Given how similar we are to the Avengers from your dimension, I suppose drastic differences in books would be odd.”

Tony clears his throat and Bruce and (Y/N) immediately turn their attention to him. “On that note, this-” he gestures to the young man beside him- “is Peter.”

(Y/N)’s eyebrows shoot to her hairline. “Parker?”

The young man looks surprised. “You know me?”

She chuckles. “I know someone very similar to you.” Peter cocks his head. “In my dimension, the two of us are best friends.”

He gasps. “You’re the one who appeared in the lab a while back?”

“I am. From what I hear, it was not a pretty sight.”

“Tony wouldn’t let me visit, so I can neither confirm, nor deny.”

“I’m sure I can talk someone into showing me the security tapes or something. But I’ve watched burns heal before. Tony didn’t let you visit for a very good reason.”

“I’ll take your word on that.”

Peter fidgets with his hands the same way her Peter does when he’s not sure how to say something. “You look like you have questions,” she says.

Peter seems surprised. “How’d you know?”

“I know a different version of you.” She gestures to his hands, “He fidgets the same way from time to time.”

“Oh.” His face goes red and he shoves his hands into his pockets. “Are you close with the other me?”

“I am. We met after he moved in with his aunt and uncle. We’ve been practically inseparable ever since.”

“Really? But you’re so much older than me.” Bruce clears his throat and Tony elbows him for his comment. (Y/N) just laughs. “Sorry,” Peter mumbles.

“It’s totally fine. I am older than you, but so is my Peter. He’s working on a doctorate right now.”

“Whoa, really?”

“Yeah, he’s just about done. I think he’ll either graduate this year or early next year.”

“Wow! Would I know this dimension’s version of you?”

“No, it looks like I’m unique to my dimension.”

His shoulders droop slightly. “Aw, okay.”

“And you should know my Peter isn’t a direct look into your future.” Peter looks surprised. “He’s not you and you’re not him. You’re from two totally different worlds and were raised differently.”

“How do you know?”

“Well… My Pete never had your resources when he was your age. Never would’ve worked for Tony. And I have yet to see you credited for any of the pictures of Spider-Man in the Bugle while I’ve been here.”

“That stings, (Y/N),” Tony says.

“Just telling the truth. Peter wasn’t on good terms with my dimension’s Stark when he was younger.”

“Why do I suddenly feel guilty?”

“I think that’s between you and your therapist.”

Peter laughs and Tonly rolls his eyes. (Y/N) can see him smile as he turns away.

Tony and Bruce rope Peter and (Y/N) into helping them with their project of the day. (Y/N) is tasked with sorting through heavy materials while Peter helps with the math and science where he can. Peter occasionally helps move a piece (Y/N) would have issues balancing on her own and takes the opportunity to ask her questions about her Peter. He’s surprise to learn her Peter is dating a man, Johnny, but not disappointed, and concerned when he learns how old May is.

“How can she be that old?”

“Time is a fickle mistress, Pete. It never stops moving. And it hasn’t treated her kindly.”

“I bet he worries about her,” he says, surveying what’s left of (Y/N)’s project. “I know I would.”

“He does. He loves May very much. And he does everything he can to protect her and the people he cares about.”

“Sometimes that’s not enough.”

“No, sometimes it’s not. But that’s why you have friends. People who care about you who you can rely on so you’re not doing everything on your own all the time.”

“How did he learn to ask for help?” Peter asks, voice quiet.

“The hard way. And when that didn’t work, his friends knocked some sense into him.”

He laughs. “Sounds about right.”

“You don’t have to make the same mistakes. You have people here who care about you and want to help however they can.”

“I know.”

“Good.” (Y/N) ruffles his hare and laughs when he tries to bat her hand away.

“(Y/N),” Tony calls. He gestures for her to join him when she looks over. “We have news from Steve.”

“Really?” She stops teasing Peter and rushes over to Tony’s workstation. “What’d he say?”

“Looks like they’ll be gone another two weeks,” he says. “Their lead fell through and they just picked up the trail again today.”

“Well shit.”

“It’s happened before. They’ll pull through just fine. Might even get back earlier than he says they will.” He taps through a couple of menus before going back to his inbox. “Wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened.”

“Okay, thanks for the update,” she mumbles.

“You’re still worried about him?” (Y/N) scowls and Tony gasps in delight. “Don’t tell me-”

“Tony-”

“Do you-”

“Shut up-”

“Have a crush on him?”

(Y/N) sighs and walks back to her project. “Everyone has a crush on him, he’s Captain America.”

“No, this is different.” He follows her and sends Peter to help Bruce along the way. “You’re impatient and you’re worried about him.”

“So?”

“So, something’s going on with you two.”

“There isn’t.”

“Oh really?”

“I’m not talking to you about his if you’re just going to tease me.”

“But it’s so much fun.”

(Y/N) tosses a couple of things onto their respective piles before turning back to him. “Not for me.”

Surprised he says, “So it’s serious then.”

“I don’t know, we haven’t talked about it.”

“But you want to.”

“It seems like he wants to. I don’t fully know what I want yet. But we won’t be talking about it til he gets back, so I have some time to sort out my feelings on the matter.”

“You’re taking this really seriously.”

“Of course I am. I can’t make a decision like this lightly. The fact that this isn’t my dimension is part of what informs how we move forward with whatever we decide-” Tony opens his mouth to speak, but (Y/N) doesn’t let him- “If we even have a decision to make in the first place.”

“Alright. Seems like you’ve really thought this through.”

“I have.”

“I respect that.”

“I should hope so.”

Tony pats her on the shoulder and leaves her to finish her sorting.

Peter heads home around five and Bruce, (Y/N), and Tony all have dinner together. They play card games until Tony loses interest and drifts off to the lab again. Without him, (Y/N) and Bruce talk about books and movies until they notice how dark it’s gotten. They say goodnight and (Y/N) heads to her room to get ready for bed before laying down to read herself to sleep.

She’d finished her last book the night before and is about to look for something new to read when she notices she has an unread message. Swipes away the library list and opens her inbox to find Steve’s name with a bold red three next to it. She doesn’t hesitate to open the messages.

I’m sorry we’re not back yet. The trail went cold and we’re slowly getting back on track

It may be another two weeks, but I can’t be certain.

I’m sorry to leave you on your own for so long. Especially with how our last conversation ended. I’m thinking about you. I miss you. I’ll be back soon.

(Y/N) feels a sudden rush of affection towards Steve. Sure he knew Tony would pass along his update. But he still took the time to message her. To reassure her. Something about that makes her miss him even more while simultaneously putting her mind at ease. She finds it incredibly sweet.

I’m sorry things aren’t going as planned. I appreciate the update though. Hopefully you won’t be gone much longer.

I miss you too. Be careful. Come home soon.

With that, she picks a long book without looking at the title and reads late into the night.

------

Part 10

More from the Reader's original dimension! More interaction with Tony and Bruce! And finally time with Peter! Writing the Reader character with this dimension's Peter was fun. He's so young and she's already seen her Peter grow into his powers, it felt like the perfect opportunity to give him some advice he should've had in the earlier movies.

But! As always, I'd love to hear what you thought of this chapter! Is Reed dragging his feet on purpose? Is Sue being too hard on him? How did you feel about the Reader character meeting baby Peter? What'd you think of Tony teasing the Reader? Do you think the Reader character is too impatient? Be sure to reblog, comment, and/or shoot me an ask and tell me all about it!

Tag List:

@ghostlyhamlet, @claws-of-vibranium, @imagine-assembling-the-avengers, @buckysendoftheline, @ptprocrastination, @1950schick, @amayasymone23, @arfrona-and-marvel, @ek823, @fanaticfangirl001, @furrywerewolfcollector, @kissofvenom922, @dawn-phantomhive, @fangirlwithasweettooth, @mairhof1, @starryeyesbadguys, @trap-house-homiecide, @buckywhite', @kaepm981, @howdoesoneadult, @pcdmesamidala, @thefandomplace, @sian22redux, @skeletoresinthebasement, @lady-thor-foster, @feelmyroarrrr, @jazzcutie, @gaytonystark, @hermionie-is-my-queen, @darling-loki, @geeksareunique, @nyxveracity, @lemonadeorange73, @sad-darksoul, @tofeartheunknown, @queenoftheunderdark, @avengerscompound, @patzammit, @otterlycanadian

This Fic:

@brattymum96, @vicmc624

#steve rogersxreader #readerxsteve rogers #steve rogers x reader #reader x steve rogers #steve rogers #captain america #steverogersxreader #readerxsteverogers #reader insert marvel fic

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mmogurl · 10 months ago

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In The Shadow of Dragons Chapter 3: Rude Awakening

18+ | 4.5k | Daemon Targaryen X Female OC | possessive, protective, objectifying, simping, raunchy Daemon | Uncle / niece incest, Smut, Dragons, Political Intrigue, Plotting, Murder, lots of old timey concepts that don't make a lot of sense today, but are still kind of hot/fun.

Now just how is Daemon going to pull this one off? Continuing the story from Daemon's POV.

CH 1 | CH 2 | CH 3 | CH 4 | CH 5 | CH 6 | CH 7 | CH 8 | CH 9 Also on AO3

The guards outside the King’s chamber regarded him with a suspicious glare, but Daemon just gave a smile and pushed his way inside despite their presence.

“Good morrow, Your Grace!” Daemon shouted loudly as he walked into the room, already fully dressed for the day and as chipper as any man could be so early in the morning.

Viserys startled awake and just as Daemon expected, he looked like he had been dragged through some maester’s leech pit. His face was pale with red-rimmed eyes, tired and blood-shot.

“What is the meaning of this, Brother!? Has someone perished?” Viserys sat up, pulling the sheets around his waist as he looked at his brother with disoriented concern.

“No, no. No one has died, Brother. There’s no need to worry,” Daemon was already opening the curtains to let streams of bright morning light into the room, knowing it would add to the king’s discomfort. “Quite the opposite in fact.”

He turned back to Viserys with a smirk plastered deviously across his face, looking like the proverbial cat who ate the canary. “I do have a solution to all of your troubles, dear brother! Where our precious little Ryna is concerned.”

The king rubbed his head gingerly, letting out a low groan as he turned away from the sudden brightness. “By the Mother’s mercy! I hope whatever you have to say is quick. My head feels like it’s about to split in two.”

Ah yes, exactly as I had hoped.

“Oh, it most assuredly will be brief,” Daemon chuckled, but not without a small pang of sympathy. He’d been in Viserys’ shoes quite a few times, so he knew the feeling all too well.

He stood at the edge of his brother’s bed, resting his hand against the corner post as he continued, “But, first, I want to make sure we are on the same page. I know you wish to see Princess Ryna married, but to a suitable match, yes?”

“Yes, of course!” Viserys shouted clearly irritated by Daemon’s stating of the obvious. “But the girl will not give a man a second glance, let alone a chance to court her!”

Daemon tried to temper the smirk that pulled at his lips as he answered. “Quite simply, Brother… I’ve found a match for our darling girl that she will agree to. No, better than that, a match she will desire.”

The king looked up at Daemon, confusion wrinkling his brow. “And just who in the Seven Hells is the fellow then!?” he grumbled, cogs slowly turning in his groggy head as he tried to figure it out.

The look of bewilderment on his brother’s face was priceless. Oh, this is just too good. He let the anticipation build a little longer before giving the answer he had longed to say.

“Myself, of course,” Daemon finally replied with smug nonchalance.

“You and Ryna!?” Viserys was instantly wide awake and alert, the shock of his words jerking him to the edge of the bed as though he meant to stand. His eyes grew wide as saucers and his mouth fell open slackly. “You want to wed my girl?”

Oh, this is even better than I imagined.

“Yes, Ryna and I, but there is no need to look so startled, Brother,” he retorted, making an effort to keep his voice level so as not to give away his true amusement. “I’m sure once she hears of my proposal, she will gladly accept. Why, it was practically her idea.”

“And what makes you so sure she’ll agree? Have you been conspiring behind my back to ruin another of my daughters?” his voice was growing angry, making his distrust of Daemon’s ‘plan’ known.

Daemon rolled his eyes at Viserys’ question. He knew his brother had a tendency to always think the worse of him, but the accusation still stung.

“Conspiring behind your back? Hardly. I prefer to think of it as finding an effective solution to a problem we both agree needs to be addressed,” he said allowing a touch of frustration to color his words.

“And for your information, it was your lovely daughter who approached me at the banquet last night laden with worries,” he continued, keen to cement his intentions before the king. “She feared you might force her into a marriage that she does not wish.”

Daemon smiled again at the thought of his conversation with Ryna, feeling a surge of excitement at the memory of her in the dark. “I inquired why she’d had such difficulty in choosing a suitor and she admitted that she prizes her Valyrian heritage above all, but does not care for her brothers. And then after speaking to you, it seemed the answer just fell into place.”

Viserys stared at him for a long moment before letting out a groan, rubbing his temples again.

Come on, Brother, you ’re so close. You know it’s the only way.

Finally, the king spoke with a thoughtful, yet slightly melancholy tone. “My lady-wife held onto the hope that Ryna might embrace Aegon as a husband, either by choice or compulsion. The match was a strong one to preserve our bloodline, so I had no objection to it. Yet, I desired for my daughter to have agency in her own contentedness, for we both know that my first born son…. Well, he is not particularly suited for the role of husband to a gentle and spirited young maiden such as my second daughter.”

“That boy is an utter twat! He is even more scandalous than I,” Daemon hissed back with incredulity at the Hightower cunt’s aspirations. How dare she even plant the seed of marrying that rapacious little shit to his darling niece.

The king gave a small resigned sigh, accompanied by a defeated nod. “So, it would seem,” his brother replied, sounding less than happy that his solution would be coming from Daemon. “I should have you sent to the Wall for even suggesting such a thing, Brother. I must say I am not entirely fond of the situation, but I cannot argue with its potential merits. If Ryna consents to this union, then I will permit it.” Viserys paused for a moment and then his eyes sprung open as he added, “With condition.”

Inwardly, Daemon felt his heart leap wildly, but he did his best to remain composed and kept an expression of mild disinterest on his face.

Ah! I ’ve won. Victory is mine!

Daemon raised an eyebrow and held up his hands in a gesture of mock submission. “Name your terms, dear brother,” he urged, remaining mostly stoic. He didn’t want to appear nervous or overeager, in fear it would drive the king’s price higher. But the truth was, he would do anything, sacrifice anything, to possess that beautiful nymph that was his niece. It was a burning need that he must quench.

“The first condition is that you will not lay with her until the wedding night,” Viserys declared, his demeanor stern and unwavering. “There has already been enough talk of Rhaenyra’s exploits and I won’t have Ryna’s reputation tarnished as well. I assure you, should a single whisper from a servant reach my ears, I shall swiftly send you to the Wall to take your vows as a brother of the Night’s Watch.”

The King knows me all too well! Daemon thought to himself, feeling his enthusiasm ebbing slightly at the thought of not having his sweetling before the wedding. Then again, he liked the idea of using creativity to circumvent the rule.

“Agreed,” Daemon conceded with a nod. “What else?” he inquired, silently hoping the next demand wouldn’t as torturous.

“Secondly, you will court her in a proper and honorable manner. You will perform all the duties expected of a suitor. You will spend time with her, in appropriate settings. You will stroll with her in the garden, dance with her at gatherings, and present her with gifts. You will demonstrate to me that you are truly serious about her, that she is not merely a temporary amusement or a means to further your own ambitions.”

Viserys spoke slowly and deliberately, each word imbued with a sense of authority, his directives explicit and firm.

Daemon had to suppress a scoff. I don’t need some courtship game to make her fall for me. She’s all but ripe for the taking…

He kept his expression neutral, determined not to betray any hint of irritation while simultaneously appeasing his brother, and nodded in affirmation once more. “Very well, Your Grace. I shall be the epitome of courtly refinement, a suitor unlike any that King’s Landing has ever witnessed,” he promised as convincingly as possible.

Viserys laughed boisterously, his expression gladdening substantially. “I should like to see that, Brother.”

Don ’t sound so unconvinced, you prick!

Daemon fought hard to repress his grin, but a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth nonetheless. “Be careful, Brother,” he cautioned. “I just might surprise you in this.”

He paused a moment and then tried to conclude the conversation. “I suppose I should begin my courtship then, barring any further objections or stipulations from you, Your Grace,” he said, stepping back from the bed, unable to keep a hint of eagerness from his voice.

“Do not look so pleased, Brother. I am not finished yet,” Viserys said with a glaring smirk. It was clear he was beginning to enjoy holding this over Daemon’s head. “Should I be satisfied and give you my daughter’s hand, I expect you to behave as a proper husband would.” The king was sitting up at the edge of the bed now, arms crossed and sheets still covering the lower half of his body.

His next words made Daemon’s heart beat faster. “You will not see other women, you will comport yourself with decency, and I will expect to hear news of a child on the way within a year of the wedding.”

By the Gods …

Everything the king was demanding was to be expected, but the thought of having to be a proper husband with all the obligations that came along with it was a struggle to bear. Surely his brother’s strong hand would grow lax after the wedding, for there was only so much a man like him could endure.

However, the final condition of Viserys’ terms made him stiffen with arousal. He could already imagine his beautiful girl full and round with his babe… Gods give me strength. The mere idea made him dizzy, but he knew he had to focus on the task at hand, so he pushed all thoughts of that glorious image as far back into his mind as possible.

Daemon finally spoke again with a hint of hesitation in his voice, knowing he needed to be on his best behavior so he wouldn’t lose this opportunity. “Of course, I will behave as an upstanding husband should. I have no heirs, save my twin daughters, and have wont of a male to carry on our name.”

“That pleases me to hear, Brother.” He gave Daemon a thin lipped smile, before letting out a conclusive sigh. “I have my doubts that you will be able to uphold your end of this bargain, but if you make good on your word… If the courtship goes well and it is what Ryna truly wishes, than I shall give my blessing and my second daughter’s hand in marriage.” The king took a moment to collect himself, and a more relaxed expression settled over his face, a hint of satisfaction in his features. “Perhaps it shall go a long way towards mending old wounds, Brother.”

Viserys opened his arms, welcoming his brother into an embrace. With a slight hesitation, Daemon accepted his brother’s gesture of goodwill and leaned in to encircle his arms around his back. It wasn’t often that the two shared such a moment of peace, and he found it refreshing that such a potentially hostile topic might end well. He clapped Viserys on the back before standing upright again, given neither man was taken to such displays of affection.

Daemon looked down at his brother with as much honesty as he could convey. “Old wounds and old grudges, Brother. Let us hope that I shall do us both proud.”

“Join the family for the morning meal and I will announce the courtship,” Viserys said with surprising fondness. “I do not look forward to the irate glances my lady-wife will surely give me from across the table, but The King has cause to make his own choices once in awhile.” He chuckled and laid back in bed, likely ready to slumber for another hour before rousing.

He chuckled, imagining the look on Alicent’s face when she found out. No doubt she will do her best to sabotage this courtship.

“I am quite eager to witness her reaction. I am almost certain steam will shoot from her nostrils.” Daemon replied with a hint of amusement in his tone, barely suppressing a grin. “But I will see you at breakfast, dear brother. Now, I must take leave. I have a princess to court.”

Viserys waved his hand in the air to shoo his brother away, his head already nestling into the plush pillows. With a satisfied nod, Daemon turned and left his brother’s chamber with a grin, already planning his next move.

He could feel the blood coursing through his veins, a burning passion igniting his every step as he moved closer to his prize. The thought of his sweet niece, soon to be his bride, fueled his desire and set him ablaze with a fierce intensity.

His hands curled into tight fights at his sides as visions of Ryna danced through his mind. Soon he would have her all to himself, and he would make her squirm and whine, begging and pleading for him. She many never fully grasp the extent of what he had endured, just to earn the chance to call her his own.

Daemon found himself walking down the hall towards his niece’s chamber, the desire to tell her of his victory, to hear her response and see her smile with delight, now almost irresistible. He knew that such thoughts were driven by his own impulsive nature, and that he must remain rational and patient for the time being, but he could not help himself.

He stood quietly at her door and listened, wondering if she was even awake yet. He heard the sound of shuffling inside the room and then the soft padding of bare feet across the floor.

He could only imagine what she would be wearing. A nightgown, so thin and flimsy it might as well be see-through, and her skin glowing in the morning light. He tried his best to push those lurid thoughts aside, but the mental picture of her was too enticing and it lingered persistently as he finally knocked on the door.

There was an abrupt silence from within the room, followed by hushed whispers as footsteps approached the door. A crack of light shined through and the outline of a young handmaid filled the doorway.

She spoke nervously with her head hung low, avoiding eye contact, “Greetings, My Prince. How may I serve you?”

He was annoyed for a moment that it wasn’t Ryna who had opened the door, but he kept his composure and nodded his head to the girl.

“I’ve come to speak with your mistress,” he replied in a tone of authority. “It’s a matter of great importance.”

“Pardon me. M’lady is not yet ready to receive you,” she said apologetically. “Would you be kind enough to wait a moment while I make her presentable?”

Daemon suppressed the growl that threatened to rise up, knowing he had little choice but to wait, especially if he was going to play by Viserys’ ‘proper’ game.

“Very well, but be quick about it,” he grumbled. “I haven’t got all day.” The last thing he wanted was to sit there while the maid brushed Ryna’s hair and tidied her gown. He wanted her now.

The handmaid nodded adamantly and replied with urgency, “I will make haste, My Prince.”

“See that you do,” he answered with finality as the maid disappeared behind the closed door.

He leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms restlessly. The wait was a slow and excruciating one. He found himself tapping his foot impatiently as the sound of whispers drifted from within the room. The young women no doubt discussing the impropriety of receiving a male in her chambers at such an early hour.

His thoughts began to run wild as time passed, envisioning the scene inside the princess’ chamber. Ryna half dressed with ivory skin spilling out in all the right places, standing before her maid, looking beautiful and sweet. She was likely surprised and a bit flustered to have him at her door, and he could almost envision the rosy blush on her cheeks. The urge to open the door and push his way past the servant became so strong it was practically unbearable.

How will I ever survive this courtship?

The door suddenly opened, causing Daemon to look over with anticipation, only to be greeted by the sight of the same maid that had come to the door moments ago. He tried not to let his displeasure show at not seeing Ryna herself standing there in wait, but it only served to make his irritation grow.

“Well?” he inquired. “Is the Princess ready to receive me?”

“She is, My Prince,” the young woman said shyly and backed up, opening the door and standing behind it to let him enter the room unobstructed.

He strode into her chambers with measured steps, his gaze fixed intently on her petite frame. She was so deliciously small, hardly reaching his chin in height, and he savoured the thought of how soft and supple she would feel against his own body. His eyes devoured her from head to toe as a sly smirk crossed his face.

She wore a simple dress of crimson, the bodice lined in yellow gold with a black insignia of the three-headed dragon embroidered in the center of the bust. Her hair hung loosely against her shoulders, golden silver curls brushed out, but not yet braided. She was a sight for sore eyes, his in particular.

“You look lovely this morning, sweetling,” he said with a low rumble as he closed the distance between them. He reached out for her hand and brushed a light kiss against her knuckle.

His delightful, little niece blushed just as he thought she would, a charming look of innocent embarrassment upon her face. Daemon held onto her hand as she began to speak.

“Thank you, Uncle,” she replied nervously. “What brings you here? I was not expecting you.”

My sweet girl.

She was truly adorable with her shy demeanor and her struggle to look him in the eye. He was surprised how easily he had been able to cast aside years of torment with just the simple notion of her returning his affections. The very purity that had once kept him at bay now only served to heighten his desire to corrupt her further, to make her whimper and plead for more of his touch.

“A matter of great importance, my dear girl,” he continued, keeping the caress of his fingers light as he stroked the back of her hand. “I’m here with a proposition, and I should very much like to have your answer. Now.” He winked at her, keeping up the pretense for the handmaid that was still present.

“Oh?” she asked with a curious gleam in her eyes. “What could be so urgent that it could not wait for the morning meal?”

Daemon tried his utmost to resist the urge to seize her and draw her into his arms. The way she looked at him was almost more than he could stand. If only that blasted handmaid were not lingering, watching them like a hawk, he would have her bent over the bed in less than a second.

He took a deep breath, trying to focus on his words, rather than his cock. His voice was softer now when he spoke, but just as insistent, “I spoke to your father this morning… He has given me permission to court you, Niece. I would hear your decision immediately, for he wishes to announce it at breakfast.”

“What?” she looked remarkably surprised. “How!?”

He had to admit, her shock was a refreshing sight to behold. Daemon half expected the girl to throw herself into his arms at the news.

“I have my ways, sweetling,” he answered cryptically with a smirk. “But, first I need your answer. Will you allow me to court you?” There was a soft gasp from the maid and Daemon realized her presence wasn’t quite as aggravating as he’d originally thought. Who better to spread rumors like wildfire than the servant caste. Soon, everyone in the Red Keep would know that he was courting the princess.

And they will all know that she is mine. Just as it should be.

“I cannot believe you managed to convince him. Even for your velvet tongue, that is quite a feat, Uncle,” she looked thoughtful for a moment, as though considering everything that might have been said or promised to make it so. “And it was Father’s wish that we court? A test of devotion, I take it?”

“A test of devotion, indeed,” he said, nodding as he continued to hold and dote on the soft skin of her hand. “Though, I’m sure your father is still not entirely convinced of my sincerity.”

Suddenly, his free hand snaked around her slender waist, drawing her closer until their bodies were nearly touching. A startled gasp escaped the maid at the sight, and Daemon relished the knowledge that their little performance was received so well. He allowed his face to shift closer to her ear, so he could whisper.

“But I have every intention of winning your favor, my sweet, little princess. What say you, hmm?”

Ryna placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back to a comfortable distance once more. Her eyes brimming with eagerness, “Yes, positively yes!” She took both of his hands in hers with a beaming smile that made his chest ache.

She said yes. He had expected the answer, of course, but to actually hear it confirmed was a feeling he could have never truly anticipated. Years of pent up desire and frustration were starting to release and it took all of his restraint to not just kiss her there in front of the damned handmaid.

Daemon pulled her hands up to his lips so he could place a kiss on her skin once more.

“Very good, my sweet girl,” he said with a smug look of satisfaction. “Very good indeed.” Daemon allowed his voice to drop once more so only she could hear. “And I promise to court you properly, so long as you do your part and be a good girl for me. I will not abide any misconduct from my wife to be.”

His voice was practically dripping with mockery for he knew how to play this game. This was all a part of the dance, to lure his niece into giving herself up entirely to him. To make her his, once and for all.

“You know I will not go easy on you just because you are my favorite niece?” His gaze darkened and he allowed a small smirk to play about his lips.

“I w-would never!” she stuttered out anxiously as though he were actually serious. The poor girl was so flustered by what he’d said in front of her maid, that she didn’t even realize he’d been jesting.

He chuckled, amused by the uncertainty in her flickering gaze, and he couldn’t help but smile. He knew he would thoroughly enjoy himself during the coming moon, playing with her and indulging in his desires. However, it was also becoming obvious that the challenge of their courtship would test him like no other had before, as his lustful temptations gew harder and harder to resist.

Daemon smiled wolfishly. “Your decision pleases me greatly, sweetling,” he said in a low voice as he continued to place kisses against her knuckles. “Now we must get you ready. Quickly. We wouldn’t want to keep the king waiting, hmm?”

He let go of her hands regretfully and stepped back to allow the maid to take over. Daemon watched as the handmaid scurried back to the foreground and immediately began busying herself with finishing up Ryna’s morning routine.

With her touch gone, he longed to reach out and grab her once more. His hands burned with the irresistible urge to feel her body beneath his touch. It would be exquisite torture, having her close at hand and yet unable to take her in the way that he wished.

He could feel something primal and possessive stirring inside him at the thought. She was his and she always had been. Since she first came into this world, he had treasured her more than any other. And, once she came of age, he had fought against his desires, finding them wrong and ruinous, yet all of these years later she had chosen him of her own accord. Now, nothing would keep him from her again.

“Uncle,” she interrupted his thoughts, and he looked up in a daze. “I shall need some privacy. I’ll look forward to seeing you at the morning meal shortly.” She smiled, a hint of knowing in her eyes.

“Of course, sweetling,” he managed to get out.

His mind and body were suddenly at odds with each other. One part of him wanting to linger in the room just a moment longer, to catch another glimpse of her sweet smile, while the other part was more than eager to be out of there so that he could have a quiet moment to himself and gather his fraying control.

“I’ll be waiting…” It came out as more a growl than words and he mentally berated himself. You sound like an impatient little boy, you fool.

“Until we meet again, Uncle,” she spoke softly, before turning her head so that the maid could continue working on braiding her hair.

Daemon nodded to her with a grin, his eyes fastened on her for just a moment longer than appropriate, before turning on his heel and exiting the chamber. The door closed behind him and he leaned back against the cold stone wall. His eyes closed as he lout out a long, shaky breath.

Gods give me strength… Read Chapter 4

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9w1ft · 3 months ago

Text

Happy Eye Day

to celebrate 6 years of the eye theory, i reached out to you all for questions! thank you all for sending them. i picked out 9 to answer. this was a lot of fun!!

if you have any favorite eye theory memories or your own answers to these questions, feel free to add them on!

(if you’re new to the eye theory, tap here!)

👁️ Where were you—physically and emotionally—when you first began piecing together the elements that would become the eye theory?

I remember it was early spring 2019.. rep tour had ended that past november, taylor had reportedly bought that lotto ticket in ireland, TheSwiftLife app had closed on february 1st, and we had just started getting inklings that a new era was upon us as taylor had begun shifting her instagram aesthetic from reputations’ deep monochrome palette to one of pastels and dreamscapes. i had been coming off of a true puzzler high. i was super super into the taymojis as some of you remember, specifically how the main app account had been distributing them via their page throughout the previous year, and trying to draw connections between that activity and general kaylor activity. all of this to say, that chapter of my kaylor journey had closed and i was eagerly awaiting the next. one day in march, i think, @swift-79 approached me via dm’s with the idea which became the eye theory: that the right side eye that appears on the rep tour poster photo, a shattered version of which appears on the skin of the CD, which was packaged with the rep album promo magazines, was in fact a photo of karlie’s eye. perhaps, even, partially her face. her realization, which she came across and pieced together with her coworker, came after taking a photocopy of the CD skin and cutting out the different shards of the photo to try and piece them together to see if they created a full image. what they noticed in doing so, was that the resulting image seemed to focus a lot on the right side eye, and, when hanging the image up on a wall, up against the full photo, they suddenly noticed how much that side of the photo was reminiscent of karlie’s face. she came to me and asked my opinion, and i began the process of evaluating this over the next few weeks, with my ultimate goal being to see if i could find the seminal photo of karlie that it might have been based on.

👁️ How long did you sit with the idea before deciding to share it publicly? Was it a quick impulse or a slow build? What was the first image, lyric, or moment that made you go, “Wait… something’s going on here”?

one thing i had been struggling with is that while a lot of photos looked similar, there were certain structural differences between taylor and karlie’s faces, mainly, their brows. over the years i’ve absorbed this knowledge: that you never want to upkeep your brows in a way that makes them look symmetrical. rather, they should look like cousins. in the case of taylor and karlie, their more arched eyebrow exists on opposite sides. so while the shape of karlie’s eye itself often matched up super well with taylor’s, the brow placement never really worked. and so while i really could have put together an initial theory post sooner, i was adamant on getting it as right as possible because i knew the first impression among readers would make all the difference.

i remember it was while i was looking for exact photos, i had been pouring through karlie’s work and came upon a piece of estée lauder promo on youtube, where karlie was showing how to apply a serum on your face (the eye area) using your hands. she had placed her hands over her face in a similar fashion to that of the rep tour poster photo, and i at once paused the video, took a screenshot, and tried to match it up with the poster photo. and due to the angle of the face, i flipped the photo of karlie and realized how well it now matched. it was kind of a… jaw dropping moment for me. and i continued on to find a handful of examples where a flipped photo of karlie’s eye really made a great match with the right side of the rep photo. to swift-79’s true credit, she pushed me along with writing the op and got the post timing right. i might have waited longer but she was correct in thinking that we ought to post the theory before taylor truly began rolling out ts7 and the opening in the conversation went away. so we posted on April 18 (i think?) some time after midnight my time.

👁️ What kind of response or engagement were you expecting when you hit “post” on the first eye theory entry? Did reality match that expectation?

i really didn’t think it would take off the way that it did. oh my god. like, i did have faith in the theory, quite a bit, but at the time ts7 theories were all that was on everyone’s mind at the time, counting palm trees, cushion buttons, stairs, holes in fences, etc… so putting out an abstract post rooted in rep era and rooted in kaylor felt like it wouldn’t capture the attention of tumblr. boyyyy was i wrong! perhaps, as people were more open to clowning (as rollouts often allow for), people were more open to something like the eye theory. or maybe, it’s just that it’s that good. that’s what i happen to think. that if you notice it and recognize the essence of karlie’s face in the right side of the photo and it clicks? there’s simply no turning back. it’s the most giddy feeling i think ive ever felt. the moment that i couldn’t unsee it. i think this was true of a lot of people.

👁️ When was the first time that Taylor or Karlie did something that seemed to be in response to, or recognition of, the eye theory? What happened and how did you feel?

It certainly was a thrill for taylor to go on and release the ME! music video only an handful of days later, by putting her hands onto her face not unlike the rep photo, and then for the opening shot of the music video including a snake with a blue eye to the left and a blind looking eye to the right. that morning i was at the bus station sharing pleasantries with my neighbors, one earbud in my ear and another on the conversation, and eye on my phone, when i noticed it all. i had to excuse myself and walk to work instead because i was quite literally having a nervous breakdown 😆😆 oh and of course weeks later taylor goes on to share the lover album art on instagram live with a HEART OVER HER EYE. with karlie, i distinctly remember the first time she took to instagram with a post of her showing off her makeup, when she zoomed in on her eye.. oh man. to this day, it TRULY never gets old. the mischievousness is contagious. felt like the universe winking at me.

👁️ Were there any posts, interviews, or moments happening in the fandom or in the world of pop culture at that time that felt like they were directly feeding into what you were observing?

in general, the culture of the time was high theorizing over ts7. taylor was still on tumblr and we all were too, and it definitely affected the mood around theories. everyone had an appetite for it! maybe that’s what helped it along in the beginning and in the early days. i think that in principle, evil eyes as a motif are something that weave in and out of the cultural zeitgeist in waves, so it’s a little bit hard to fully say oh, everything in the taylor swift expanded universe suddenly included eyes because we pointed out the eye theory. but i did sense a certain amount of pop culture connection. over the next few weeks people in taylor’s circle most definitely covered eyes in their social media posts and for what it’s worth, i firmly believe it wasn’t all simply coincidental. especially if you believe taylor was going somewhere with her best laid plans in lover era. i think it’s plenty possible that people who were in on celebrating her journey and may have been in the know about this may have helped out or found it funny or celebratory.

but anyways this was the beginning of 6 glorious years of learning just how ubiquitous evil eye motifs and eye covering poses etcetera really are in our culture. both in looking back at past stuff taylor and karlie had done or was involved in and thinking about what did or didn’t “count”.. but also, as eye symbols exist in our everyday world. it brought so much joy into my life, to turn a corner and see a poster on the side of a building with the corner ripped off, leaving a cartoon of a dog missing half their face, etcetera. it was everywhere and it was too too funny. a lot of mutuals and close followers remember what that was like, i think, the little inside jokes that came from that setup.

👁️ Did you talk to anyone else about the theory before you posted it? Was there anyone who validated or challenged it early on?

aside from the the idea originators, i do think i ran it by some of my mutuals at the time for opinions. in particular i was excited to share with @theprologues because during rep era we had both been following evil eyes as a symbol in general. the swarovski bracelet, taylor’s eye ring, karlie’s 2016 evil eye nails or her jacquie aiche custom eye patch jacket, etcetera. once i posted the original post, i had so many enjoyable conversations with many bloggers of the time, some that are still here, some that have sadly moved on from tumblr. i did get challenged by some, i have some funny stories actually, but overall i was on cloud nine and there was nothing that could bring me down from it. the weeks i had spent looking into it beforehand truly did pay off in that regard, i think. not that i could persuade everyone but rather that nobody could dissuade me. my ego happily grew from there 😌

👁️ What is your response to people that don't believe in the eye theory? Even if both eyes are Taylor's, it's undeniable that Taylor and Karlie reacted to the theory and ran with it.

i think often the premise is misunderstood, but i haven’t been in too much of a rush to correct anyone because the theory has its own legs and people not believing it doesn’t hinder my enjoyment of it nor does it stop stuff from happening. often i see people mistaken that the theory is about the rep album cover photo, when it’s only ever been about the tour poster photo. sometimes people don’t put in the effort to look for photos of both of them where the angle of the face can be matched, etc. also i feel like some people get really focused on a pixel level on the photo instead of taking a step back and looking at the photo and simply recognizing that the right side of the photo looks like karlie and how that’s the overall point, a point which makes sense under the premise that karlie is the hidden muse of the reputation album.

as you have alluded to in your question, i don’t really find a discussion of the truth of the theory to be too productive because i think it’s pretty clear that it’s real. the reaction to it, from them both, has been so real and continued. and i think that is the more important point, that it’s this sort of inside joke that we have with them. and if they can have an inside joke with some kaylors, what does that mean of kaylor? sounds farfetched but i truly believe it, even as time passes. also, i think it’s possible to enjoy the theory without believing it to be actually true. and for me, if the community at large is more happy and having more fun, that’s more important than proving something to prove some people wrong, you know?

👁️ Why do you think this one is so special to them? As you've said before, sometimes they tend to stop things the second we pick up on the trend. But they just keep on with the eye flagging.

i’m not sure but honestly part of me wonders if it’s just because it’s funny to them 😆 or that it’s like a.. low cost high payout thing to do. a way to make some of us smile! it’s also possible that it’s origins are more sentimental and precious than we know. at one point i floated the idea that the gold heart locket is actually a lovers eye locket, that maybe a picture of karlie’s eye is in the locket, or maybe karlie has one too with taylor’s eye in it, and i think in that case it could just be a really sweet motif for them. maybe it feels like a good luck charm sort of thing?

at the same time i assume at some point it’ll come to a more quiet happy place where it’s only something referenced every once in awhile. i think i’ve archived everything annually to gauge that, to see the extent to which it is still being referenced. their social media presence overall has really dwindled in recent years but even this year, we have gotten one or two things each month so far.

👁️ How has the “eye theory” evolved since its inception? Have there been any surprising developments or revelations that have reshaped your perspective?

i think the biggest thing for me has just been seeing the reception of the theory as it finds new audiences and reaches new shores. the eye theory’s presence on platforms like tiktok and twitter grew, and we got name dropped in major magazines, introducing a new wave of enthusiasts to our ongoing exploration… through the eras tour many of you sent me clips and pics of eye stuff that happened on tour, some of you incorporated eye patches and embroidery and stickers into your outfits… i had fun exchanging eye theory friendship bracelets… it’s been such an amazing couple of years. i’m continually amazed by the community that has formed around this theory. your insights, enthusiasm, and shared discoveries have enriched this journey beyond measure. it’s shaped the way i’ve thought about communication, what i value, and the way i think about taylor and karlie, too. it’s really helped this all become my happy place. i LOVE every moment ive had crashing out with all you day in day out. here’s to six years of seeing, connecting, and staying curious! and here’s to many more. thank you all for being part of this ever-evolving narrative 🫶

#all eyes on us #feeling emoshunul

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spmthemanga · 10 months ago

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Above is a ‘brief’ teaser/preview trailer of my Super Paper Mario manga project.

Music is Memory (Nighttime Version) by AJ DiSpirito.

Hey y’all, and welcome!

I’m just an overly obsessed Super Paper Mario fangirl who decided that we needed a fully illustrated, fleshed out comic adaptation of the entire game (yes, the ENTIRE story). So, I’m making one myself because no one else will do it. Strap in!

Here on my blog you’ll find not only the actual pages of the manga, but also my random SPM artwork, which will all be found under #concept art, and my ‘Fun Facts’ series, where I talk about my writing process more in depth. You can also follow me on Insta @ championofdestruction !

Or you can join my manga’s official Discord server!

The manga is entirely hand drawn by me in black and white, and each page is numbered for your convenience (which I’ll try to organize here as best I can). I’m a very amateur artist and writer, but I’m very passionate about this project and I intend to respect and be faithful to the source material while expanding it in a fun-to-read way. That’s what the fans want, and we’re the only ones who matter.

So, without further ado, let me tell you the story of the lost book of prophecies…

THE MANGA:

Prologue: Prophecy of Destruction~

Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~ Part 8 ~ Part 9 ~ Part 10

Chapter 1: The Guardian of Mt. Lineland~

1-1: The Dimensional Governor: Part 1 ~ Part 2

1-2: The Legends of Yold: Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5

1-3: Monster of the Ruins: Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7

1-4: Soft Light: Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~ Part 8 ~ Part 9 ~ Part 10 ~ Part 11 ~ Part 12 ~ Part 13 ~ Part 14 ~ Part 15 ~ Part 16 ~ Part 17 ~ Part 18 ~ Part 19

However, if SPM isn’t your thing, or you like my art, check out my nonSPM art blog @nintendo-jedi ! (Updates are sporadic)

And as a final note, if you’re interested in the other Mario fanfic I’ve written in the past, check out my AO3 here (specifically my SPM one, Castle Bleck Craziness)!

#super paper mario #paper mario #anime and manga #fan comic #manga art #championofdestruction #super mario #super paper mario fanart #paper mario fanart #traditional art #count bleck #dimentio #dimentio spm #blumiere #spm tippi #princess peach #nastasia spm

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noroi1000 · 2 years ago

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F**k your fav pt.9 - Bondage

Smut: Bondage, sex toys, overstimulation

Chapters Main Page

Your boyfriend's fingers rubbed your temple as you lay on his thigh with your eyes closed. Whether you want to sleep or not, it is still a comfortable pillow that you do not despise. You love those warm, completely soft thigh muscles he has.

"Are you comfortable?" He asked while reading a mysterious 'book' on his phone.

"Yeah." you purred with a smile, snuggling closer to him, showing that you were very comfortable and.

You could forget about when your days are to complete the items on the list. But he will never forget.

That's why he has to change something. Or add something. And you don't even know what it is, so that adds a bit of fun to it. You never expect what he will come up with. He might as well put something weird in there and you would only find out it was on the list when he started fucking you in the most unrelenting way...

This is your biggest mistake. You don't take his phone and check that list.

But well, the fact that you are unaware of what he wants to do with you now is his game.

He smirked at your calm, unsuspecting face.

You lay so politely on his thigh, feeling his fingers.

Oh yes, it was the calm before the storm.

He preferred you to relax now. Before what is about to happen.

This is going to be wild. Because even if he likes something like that, you've never tried many things like that.

Bondage... How beautiful it sounded now.

He was thinking about typical BDSM. However, he didn't want things like waxes and other painful things. He didn't want to see you hurt. This was supposed to be fun for you.

And by the way, is this still a test to see what exactly he likes? Or is this just his game?

He likes oral, anal. He likes to fuck your pussy. He likes to tie your hands sometimes. Well, he likes to dominate you.

If you ever agreed to anything more than your wrists tied, he would run for it.

But well, by agreeing to these tests, you agreed to help him. And with all this, you gave your consent to do whatever he wanted.

He ignored his biggest demon in his dick that told him to do unspeakable things to you.

There is no sex in his domain and there is no sex that will only hurt you. These are the rules.

Overstimulation, cum play, choking, dom/sub, bondage. That's all. All the things like pain for you and fun for him are out of the question.

And as he now looked at your body dressed in light clothes, he knew he hadn't made a mistake putting Bondage on the list.

You will look so beautiful naked, with your nipples erect as he takes care of you, your pussy dripping and the red ropes all over your body.

You will look beautiful and defenseless while he plays with your body with his cock.

And this 'book' on his phone is nothing other than bondage positions during this type of sex.

The best way for you to tie yourself up would be to have your legs close to your chest.

This will enable him to have the deep penetration you love so much.

And how does he know this?

Because when he bends you in half to fuck you deep, your eyes start to roll back in his head and water. And you moan louder and squeeze what you're holding onto tighter.

He read that most women hate it when something touches the cervix during sex. Because it's a strange feeling and discomfort, and even sometimes pain.

But he could only giggle through it. Because you had no choice but to get used to it.

There's no way you can avoid this with his cock.

He specifically measured the length and thickness of his cock. Just to show you his results. (Over 10 inches. More than 25cm I guess?)

(He couldn't measure everything precisely because the only ruler he had at home was a 20 cm ruler. The ruler was too short and the dick was too long)

And unfortunately these results are death to your pussy that has to endure this greatness.

And I wonder how your pussy will cope with taking him constantly spread to the deepest part.

When you tried to open your eyes, all you saw was black. Is that why you felt something in your eyes?

Did he just... Did he blindfold you?!

"Let me please..." he stopped and suddenly jumped out from under your head, making you no longer have a pillow under your head.

You don't know why you have such a (perverted) strong boyfriend when he ripped your clothes off in one move, tearing them into shreds and scattering them all around. Showing the wildness of his mind now.

What would he like to see today... Everything you can offer him!

You felt cold air on your body and he disappeared somewhere.

You heard the closet opening.

And when you went to take off the blindfold, you felt him quickly grab your hands and pull them above your head.

"Be a good girl and let me get you into position." You felt him kneel between your legs, draping your knees over his shoulders.

"Satoru –."

"Bondage. Baby. I have to tie you up. I want to tie you up." You heard him chuckle under his breath as he said those words. A quite soft rope wrapped around your wrists. They tied it like that for a while and suddenly he smiled when he saw the carefully tied knot which he had learned to make thanks to videos on the Internet. Special knot. "Don't be scared." he said, rubbing your thigh to get you to relax a little.

Only then did he use the rope that was tied to your wrists to pull your arms forward, wrapping them around your knees and bending you the way you were supposed to be.

"Don't be so tense. It will hurt to hold it in one place if it is tied too tight. So stop being so tense. Relax your body."

You didn't feel completely reassured, but you managed to heed his request.

On your lap he created the same knot as on your wrists, but you could have your thighs open.

(Correction: you had to have your thighs flared because you had no choice.)

He tied your wrists to the rope that was taut between your knees, making your body a crooked cradle.

"I almost forgot."

His hands reached somewhere else.

You heard the bottle open and then click as it closed.

And he spat on your open pussy, and smeared his saliva and something else cold on you.

It wasn't his finger. It had a rounded and quite wide tip....

Whether it is...

"Don't be tense." he repeated again and began to push the purple and pink toy into you with a large drop of lube on the tip.

Writhing at the sudden intrusion, you let out a few gasps.

When the base reached the end, the round, protruding part pressed against your clit.

"Here you are. Honey, you love this butterfly, don't you? This has always been my favorite and yours. "And now I need you to be wet and ready for me before I finish tying you up."

Wait, a butterfly?

That's what he said about that hellish vibrator with...

You let out a surprised moan when another, quite twisted tip of the toy found its way to your ass, pushing the wet ball inside.

This is the hellish vibrator that made your legs shake all damn day! NO! You don't want that now either!

(When he's not home, yes, you can use it. But when he uses it on you, it's different! He's using all the options on this shitty toy!)

"T-Toru!" You moaned to show him that you didn't want that thing inside him right now.

But he had already turned on the vibration, and you felt how it was destroying your unprepared nerves...

"Sorry, baby~. This was supposed to be BDSM~. But I chose the easier version for you ~. But that doesn't change the fact that you'll be like a good girl and take what I give you, right?" His humming voice echoed in your ears as he continued to bind your thighs and arms.

Sometimes he moved his hands under your body, near your ass. Laughing at the wetness that began to drip from the toy.

And you couldn't make any strong sounds. Because there was a little red ball on a strip in your mouth.

"And~..." He paused and then you felt his fingers grab the blindfold on your face. "Tadah!"

With your eyes watering from the stimulation you were feeling, you could see the red ropes connecting all over your body, especially showing off your tits.

"Don't you think it looks beautiful? And it took me so little time! You haven't even come yet!" He laughed.

He started to take off his clothes, but the first thing he did was release his rock hard cock, which looked like it was releasing drops of precum right onto your clit when he saw you, as he stood so close to you.

His red tip seemed to salivate at the sight of you and the knowledge that it was about to find its way into your hot, tight pussy.

As your body was bent, you could see the handle of the toy that was working inside you sticking out of your pussy. And the strong vibrations made wet sounds as they worked on your insides.

"Are you focusing more on the toy than on me?"

You saw and felt his fingers lightly pressing the toy as a punishment for you.

Yep, he was already naked. He searched for your eyes. And you looked more at the toy that made wet drops fall from you.

"I think I have enough punishment for you." He hummed and positioned himself next to you, squeezing a drop of precum onto your clit again.

His thighs pressed against you as he prepared to attack.

And at a breakneck pace, he replaced the toy in your pussy with his cock, moaning loudly in relief.

When you received different stimulation than before, you felt like the stronger and deeper stretching gave you something new.

And his small push forward caused the coil in your stomach to burst and your thighs to tremble as your eyes closed.

When he realized what had just happened, he smiled demonically.

"Keheh! Are you really cumming now?! I should feel honored that you cum just on my cock!”

As he pushed inside through your orgasm, he had no intention of waiting for your body to calm down. By agreeing to something like that, you were agreeing to excessive stimulation and really rough sex.

Your muffled moans were perfect to end the day.

Your trembling thighs rested against his chest as he moved his hips at a fast pace, feeling your pussy just suck him in. As if you wished he would never leave you.

The heavy sound of his ass slapping against your wet buttocks filled the room along with your muffled screams and moans.

Is there anything more beautiful than seeing and listening to you? No, there isn't. He sees in this image the most beautiful thing in the world.

Too hypnotized by the sight of your bouncing tits and the sight of your wet, fucked-out face, he didn't even pay attention to the small movement that was forming under your belly button as he pushed his cock so deep to you.

His movements never seemed to slow down.

He loved this sight and this feeling.

And the fact that you were lying defenseless and tied up underneath him only fueled the fire inside him that told him to fuck you until he exploded.

But at this moment, rather than cumming inside you, he preferred to cover your body in his cum and watch you lie there marked as his. With a fucked up brain as you shiver from the wild ride he gave you.

Maybe you'll want to do it again sometime?

Because he would love to see you lying there tied up while two cocks fuck you.

Maybe Suguru would agree to something like that?

Besides, this was probably the first time he started wondering why you blushed when you heard about him. Of course you like him. Also, why did Suguru agree so quickly?

Could it be that you both like each other?!

He was a little jealous, so his pace became a little more intense. But he also thought that his fantasy of seeing you kneeling in front of two big cocks could actually come true!

He may not have sounded normal when he proposed to his girlfriend that she had a threesome with another guy, but Suguru isn't exactly a normal guy.

He is also someone important to you!

His imagination, and the hellish yet angelic grip of your pussy, sent him over the edge.

He placed his cock on your stomach and squeezed your thighs together, fucking the softness of your skin.

For thick drops of cum to shoot out, covering your belly before he even decided to pour over the rest of your body. Thighs, and of course pussy.

He reached down, pulling the soft gag from your mouth. Letting you breathe deeply.

At this time, he pushed into you to warm his length for a while.

And he decided to say some very brave words.

"Maybe I like bondage and fun like that. If that's too much for you, prepare to be shocked, mochi." he chuckled, watching his cum drip down your stomach and crotch. "From what I know, Suguru sometimes likes to clearly show who is dominant and who is submissive. I can't wait to see this~.

Only to feel your pussy tighten slightly.

A/n: The relationship between Gojo, the reader, and Geto is a little different than it may seem. Gojo decided to invite him not only because he had fantasies about a threesome. As he was thinking about the question at work, he remembered an interesting incident from their future when they were still at school.

#jjk #gojo satoru #jujutsu kaisen #gojo x y/n #gojo x reader #jjk x reader #jjk x you #gojo #gojo smut #f**k your fav

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ropes3amthoughts · 7 months ago

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Kabru fun fact: He makes approximately 1292 different appearances throughout the manga series*

*Includes any time he is ever so slightly shown, such as his hand or foot in the panel.

Includes volume covers and chapter covers.

Duplicate Kabru that are in different panels are counted as different Kabrus despite being copy pasted (ex: on chapter chapter 32, page 25).

Does not include the 10 doppelgängers because they are illusions and not Kabru.

Does not include in the 9 small Kabru in the background of chapter 62, page 22 when Kabru falls asleep because they already showed up and counting one panel as 10 Kabrus felt excessive.

Does not include extra content outside of the manga.

I may have miscounted when gathering the original numbers (especially with large shots that had little people with little details) or when adding the numbers together, so the number may not be 100% accurate. Feel free to count all the Kabrus to fact check me.

#long post #dungeon meshi spoilers #delicious in dungeon #dungeon meshi #kabru #kabru dungeon meshi #kabru of utaya #kabru dunmeshi #Kabru posting #rope/spider post

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altis-of-olympia · 7 months ago

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Hello, traveler, and welcome to my devotional blog. I'm a Hellenic Polytheist of 9+ years and a Priest in Training for King Zeus Horkios, Watcher of Othas. You may call me Altis. I use any pronouns.

On this page, you will find a variety of content, such as:

A few rambles about my practice, the community, politics, anything that passes my mind that I feel so inclined to discuss. If you do not like politics or do not enjoy political discussion, you do not have to interact with such posts! They will be labeled at the start with a political warning in case they make you uncomfortable. (#Ramblings of Altis)

Lessons and teachings are based on things I know, things that have been requested, and things that I feel are not taught as much as they should be. (#Teachings of Altis)

Journals about my Priesthood training, updates on this process and how things are going, as well as tasks and assignments I have been given by the King. (#Altis's Training)

General updates on my practice and rituals - as of right now, rituals aren't their separate category. (#Practice of Altis)

Everything will be marked with a proper header, like the one on this post.

Now, for the fun facts about me.

This is not my main blog. @light-of-delphi is not my main blog either, but it's more popular and central. I won't be posting on that one as frequently, now that my path has changed and I'm walking a different road. Consider this blog a new chapter!

I specialize in divination with tarot cards, pendulums, coins, and dice. I have strong clairaudience (hearing the divine), and I still have plans of becoming an Oracle of some kind for the Gods.

I am a Cancer Sun, Capricorn Moon, and Scorpio Rising.

I am a lover of philosophy, art history, ancient history and civilizations, and art, with a special interest in the Italian Renaissance, Classical civilizations, and the French Revolution.

I have very strong views - I do not care if your views align with mine. They do not have to, so long as you're respectful about it. If you respect my views, I shall respect yours as well.

I run a 15+ server dedicated to the education on Oathsworn paths. You can find that here.

I sincerely hope none of this came off as intimidating - I am not meant to be intimidating. My status as a Priest in Training for King Zeus does not make me better than anyone, above anyone, or more important than anyone. We're all equals, here. Titles don't change that.

I am beyond open to novice practitioners interacting with my page, as I strive for education and learning! I love teaching and my inbox is always open for questions, comments, concerns, and a little bit of guidance whenever needed. Though, as I am an adult, I will not be going out of my way to dm with or private message minors. If there is any indication that you are a minor, I will not be responding to your dms or inboxes. Feel free to leave an ask instead. This is for my online safety and comfort as well as yours.

I look forward to bonding with you all, Xaire!

~ Altis

Updated on: 2/27/2025

#intro post #altis #helpol #hellenic deities #hellenic polytheism #hellenic polythiest #hellenism #hellenic polytheistic #hellenic worship #zeus deity #zeus devotion

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mqverick · 2 years ago

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Walking On Air || chapter 9

Take me to bed or lose me forever, was what Carole said to Goose every time they were together, having fun. Maverick never really understood what she meant by it until he started having feelings for you. It was exactly how he felt about you; he needed to just fuck everything and everyone, every obstacle in the way, and take you with him before he could lose you to someone else — which ironically enough, had already happened.

Or so he thought, until the other night.

He had been so fixated on the fact that you were taken so deeply inside of him, that he believed he could never fully have you, that part of your mind would always stay true to Iceman, even if the miracle happened and you broke up with him.

Hearing the drunken words come out of your mouth, so rushed and so painfully angsty, got him hoping you might be getting lost in the same path he’d been since the day you spoke to him for the first time. Drunken words were — in fact — sober thoughts, after all. Not to mention that it was the — what, third? — time he almost got to kiss you. Maverick was not the one to pine after someone, he was used to the exact opposite effect, never having to chase anyone.

He liked having to chase after you, though. He liked to dream up flawless scenarios of you, desperately wanting them to come to life. He liked how much of a dopamine rush he got from those breathless conversations and moments with you. It was hard to resist the urge to keep his feelings buried, opting to play them off as a charismatic, casual flirt — because that was what he’d been used to. That was all he knew.

You liked the way he yearned for you as well. He just made you feel so irresistibly wanted and loved, even if his cockiness never really helped his pure feelings come to light. You were very aware of them though, you were in the same page as him, never mind the fact that for you, it happened as an accident. Sure, a little flirting never hurt anyone — but oh, he was holding your hand (and for some reason you found yourself struggling to breathe steadily.)

In the morning, you woke up wanting to beat yourself to death. You’d been mindless; consuming all that alcohol, getting yourself hammered and ignoring the consequences.

Goose’s words were bloody when he said that Maverick technically had every right to hit on others. Goose’s words teared your heartstrings in pieces and made you conscious of how you’d been accusing everyone else to be a jerk, when in reality, you’d been the only twat in the story.

Maverick probably hated you.

Tom would probably hate you, too.

You tried. Gave it your all — good point to chuckle — to make your relationship with him work, but every time you closed your eyes, your mind betrayed you, unable of getting a certain someone out of the picture. The worst thing was the fact that you didn’t even really care whether Tom would want to cut you off once he found out about the situation you’d been dealing with.

You were frightened of the scenario where Pete stopped caring about you, mostly because it was impossible to imagine. Therefore, you did your best to turn yourself invisible by making up a rushed excuse of being too hungover to properly function at Top Gun, opting to stay home.

Tom respected your decision, wishing you to get well soon as he gave you a sweet kiss goodbye.

“Fuck,” you muttered as you fell back on the couch with a plop. You felt as if hours had passed when a thud on the door startled you. You fumbled to get up, standing unblinking as you opened the door to see Maverick holding a paper bag with both of his hands as he fiddled the heel of his shoe around the floor while chewing on the inside of his cheek.

“Heard Ice say you felt poorly and got you something,” he spoke lowly, reaching his hand out for you to take the item he held. Your lips parted in silent surprise as you hesitantly invited him in. “Look, I know you don’t want to see me, but you might as well say a word, because it’s getting sort of weird.”

“Maverick, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d bring you a little something to eat.”

You honestly despised the man. How did he still care about you after you you’d been unable to seal your mouth shut the night before, yammering about mistreating you (mind the irony), you didn’t know. Still, that did not constitute an obstacle for you to lunge forward and fling yourself into his arms, your head hitting against his chest as you encircled his waist tightly. You moved your head a little, stopping dead in your tracks as your ear picked up the sound of his heartbeat violently increasing.

He still had to reach for you, taken aback by your sudden affection and not being sure how to react. Maverick’s brain short-circuited, until everything finally clicked and he was holding you so close to his body, he thought he was squishing the life out of you — but he never heard you complain.

“I’m so sorry, Pete,” you whispered, muffled in the fabric of his shirt. You wanted to say more, apologize for being so ridiculously indecisive and not giving him the chance to move on, instead having him wait until you could grow a pair and end things with Tom, but the words died down in your throat when you felt his fingers tangle in your hair, his palm now cupping the back of your head. He knew you could hear his heartbeat and he also knew it was giving him away.

When you pulled away, your knees buckled and you almost melted into a puddle. His hands had somehow traveled down to your smaller ones, holding them delicately.

Take me to bed or lose me forever.

“It’s a grilled cheese, in case you were wondering, by the way,” Maverick blurted, looking over to the paper bag with the food you’d left on a counter.

“I love it.” I love you.

“I need to get going.”

“No,” you argued, grabbing his hand in yours the moment he reached for the door handle. “Stay here with me. I’m sure Viper’s more than happy that you’re not there to wreck the planes. Goose might be missing you, but he can cry about it to Carole when the day is over.”

Maverick let an amused chuckle escape from his lips as he wrapped his fingers around your wrists, gently rubbing on the skin with his thumbs.

“You want me to stay with you?” he asked in disbelief. It was adorable how flustered he was.

“I’m not repeating anything, Mitchell.”

With a little smirk and a smudge look on his face, he moved toward you, leaning in closer to your lips, which was a scenario you’d accepted, hadn’t he had a sudden change of heart and went for your forehead instead, pressing a long, warm kiss against it that made you shudder under his touch.

“You want me to stay with you,” he chimed, sounding more as if he was bragging to himself.

You tried to stifle a smile as you placed your ear over his drumming heartbeat, already forgetting you had the whole ‘sick from the booze’ act to keep up, but then again, when had you ever been able to hide what you really felt around Maverick?

“We can’t be here though,” you suddenly mouthed, the image of Tom unlocking the door to you and the man he hated snuggling comfortably up on the couch causing sweat to form on the back of your neck as you pushed Maverick away from you and fixed your fingers through your hair.

“Why not?” You gave him a knowing look that made him sigh. “We can’t hide forever, you know.”

Deciding to ignore his comment, you dragged him outside by the hand, nodding where he’d parked his motorcycle. “Cliff tops,” you silently explained and saw the corners of his lips turn upward as he helped you onto the seat.

It seemed to startle him when you wrapped your arms around his middle, laying your face against the fabric of the leather jacket that covered his back, turning his head ever so slightly to look at you with that charming Maverick smirk of his.

Your heart hammered against your chest as he began driving, hair flying carelessly through the wind, leaning further into him and clutching your intertwined hands firmly against his stomach.

Your brain felt as if it was fogged by the light fragrance he was wearing, head nuzzling on his shoulder now, lips moving dangerously close to his cheek. You let them carefully graze his skin, feeling him shudder — or was it just your mind playing tricks on you?

After having arrived at the tops, Maverick got off his motorcycle, lending you his hand to take as he helped you get off as well, shaky, nervous fingers testing the waters as he gently let them linger around yours, waiting for your hand to pull away. Instead, your knuckles tightened, grasp sinking into his, not daring to look up at him for capturing his reaction.

He sat next to you on the hill, so close that the warmth radiating from his outer thigh gave you goosebumps. You shifted just a little, so that your leg could be touching his, eyes darting down on your lap as you crossed your arms.

“It’s beautiful up here. I like how I can consider it our spot now,” you heard Maverick mutter.

“Our spot?”

His head turned to look at you. “Yeah. Ideally, the first time I would’ve liked to bring you here would be a date, but I can settle for the late sneak-out after your fight with Kazansky.”

Your heart clenched as you hesitantly met his cherishing gaze. You hadn’t wanted anyone like that in really long time and it felt like something was sucking the soul out of you. “Maverick?”

“Hm?”

“When you’re flying, you might lose power. It’s a fatal risk, but it doesn’t stop you from enlisting in the Navy. Flying at up to 700 mph, the smallest mistake can be deadly, your plane could plunge out of the sky, break apart on impact. The cockpit is too small, so you’ll feel like your losing your breath even though you might not have died just yet — and it’s all terrifying and out of control.”

Maverick stared blankly at you, waiting for you to make a point. “What are you trying to say?”

“This is exactly how I feel whenever you look at me,” you finally mustered the courage to confess, seeing your lip starting to quiver. Unsure of how to properly weave the complexity of your feelings, you opted to let your pinky softly wrap around his.

Maverick stared at you, jaw slightly hung, eyes gleaming. “You feel that way about me?”

His question came out so shaky and gentle that it worsened your situation of trying not to break down right there in front of him. “Of course I do. You’re so ridiculously insufferable, I hate you.”

He cocked his head to the side with the tiniest hint of a smirk. “But you love flying.”

“I love flying,” you confirmed, letting the rest of your fingers wrap around his hand as you brought it over to your lap, holding it firmly enough to believe that what was happening in that moment was not just a figment of your imagination.

“I love flying, too.”

With hope written all over your face, your mouth stretched into a grin, holding back a giggle. God, when had you turned fourteen all over again?

Right when you were about to say something, you felt his lips ghost above your forehead before he was leaning down just a bit and kissing the bridge of your nose as tenderly as he could, making you dizzy and unable to think straight. Kiss me, kiss me before I regret it, before I start thinking again. He stalled against you, foreheads now touching as he realized that you hadn’t moved away from him yet.

“Take me to bed or lose me forever.”

“What?”

“It’s what Carole says to Goose. Said. I don’t know if she still tells him that. I never got it, to be honest, but all I know is that I don’t want to lose you, Maverick. Never,” you explained breathily.

“You’re not losing me, not even if you want to,” Maverick chuckled, letting a warm puff hit your already very reddened cheeks. You smiled at him, head now moving forward, so that you could nudge the top of his nose with your own.

“Pete,” you whispered, the words coming out as a ghost tugging at his heart. His hands came up to cup your cheeks, bringing you oh so impossibly close to him that if you squinted hard enough, your lips would be touching. And there it was again; that look he’d been giving you ever since the day you met, lovestruck eyes melting into yours. “Drop looking at me like that, Pete.”

“I can’t,” he spoke, voice weary as if he was on the verge of tears. “You walked in the room the first time Viper came in and the breath was knocked out of my lungs the very same second. So, no, I don’t think I can look at you in a way that’s not giving away how deeply head over heels I—”

“Don’t,” you cut him off, stunned by his words. “Don’t continue the sentence, Mav. Don’t continue it, because if you do, I’m going to lose every last ounce of self control I have in my body right now and I should warn you, there’s not much remaining.”

Maverick nodded slowly in acceptance before pressing a quick kiss to your forehead, then deciding to be brave, ducking down just the right direction to kiss the corner of your lips. His palms were still holding onto your cheeks, applying more pressure now as he let his mouth linger, heads connecting. You were about to lose it; all the sanity in your system, all the thoughts of do’s and dont’s. With a slight angle twist, he could be kissing you properly, on the lips, but every cell in your body was sweating to prevent that from happening. It was killing you.

“I love flying so much, Roger. So much that I don’t care if it costs me my life, I’m going to keep pursuing breaking the typical rules and fly on my own. It makes me feel alive,” Maverick confessed.

“You should,” you replied breathlessly. “It’ll get you places, Pete. You can hold your own.”

“Take me to bed,” he whispered, loud enough so that you heard him, a small smirk creeping up against the — now flushed from the kiss — corners of your lips.

“Or lose me forever.”

tags:

@holishol

@honeymvnt

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repeatsquared · 7 months ago

Text

A Life for a Life - 9

Chapter 8 Recap: Meeting the person threatening your well-being at work and then being told you have to train them - while also pretending you don't know what they are - is definitely not the most fun way to start a Monday. Being threatened by them makes it even worse. But when they decide to "protect" you from harm and offer to take you out to dinner? It gets a bit hard to remind yourself the person you're with is truly evil.

Word Count: 2,211

Trigger Warning: Bullying, panic attacks, mention of stalking

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The curry shop was only a short walk from the office. Claec insisted on walking, and Alex was happy to (possibly) keep their car anonymous to him, despite the fact that the man clearly knew where they lived. They regretted accepting the invitation to dinner almost immediately, but the lack of food in their system was really getting to them at that point. And with someone as terrifying as him, who also offered to pay, it was really hard to say no to the offer.

The restaurant was new to Alex. It was something they had most definitely passed before, but had never bothered to stop into. From outside, it looked a bit run down, though the inside was well decorated and cared for. It had a dark aesthetic, with large circular tables, clearly designed for groups and not two people who clearly didn't know each other.

They were sat quickly, as most of the restaurant was empty, save for two tables of around a dozen individuals total. One carried quiet conversation while the other sat in relative silence, eating away at plates of delicious smelling food. Their table had six chairs around it. Alex attempted to wait for Claec to sit, though when the man pulled out a chair and waved a hand they resigned into the seat, shrinking down as he sat directly next to them, despite the incredible amount of space they could have.

"So, what's your favorite?" Claec hummed out, flipping through a menu absentmindedly. "I normally get butter chicken."

Alex sighed as they ran a finger down the menu items, reading each description carefully. "I dunno," They shrugged, turning the page. "I just order something random."

"Let me pick," Claec ordered, grabbing the menu and snapping it shut with a grin. "It'll be good, promise."

Alex stared at him for a moment, shaking their head. "Whatever. You're paying, so..." They trailed off, eyeing the table held up in conversation.

There were seven individuals at the table. They were well dressed, though their behavior didn't reflect that of a professional meeting. Likely friends, meeting up after work, or something of the sort. They started to space out, unknowingly staring straight at one of them. It was one of the women, sat sandwiched in the middle of the group. She wore a well fitted, dark blue dress that hung low on her chest, though in a modest fashion. Dirty blonde hair, beach waves resting over her shoulders and reaching near her waist. Square glasses perched on her nose, framing her face well, which was dotted with freckles and a mole just under her right eye. After a few minutes, the woman looked up, locking eyes with them and giving an awkward wave. Alex's face flushed almost immediately, and they looked down, planning on hiding their face in the menu, only to realize it was placed out of reach next to Claec, who was also eyeing them with a smug grin.

"Think she's pretty?" He teased, nudging them with his shoulder, his gaze turning to the woman who was back to chatting and laughing with her table.

"No!" Alex answered far louder than intended, clamping a hand over their mouth and shrinking down in their seat once more. "I mean she's- yes, of course, but I wasn't-"

"Staring?" Claec laughed, leaning back in his chair. "You very much were."

"I zoned out..." Their voice was almost a whisper, staring at the ceiling and wishing away the heat in their cheeks.

"Calm down." Claec sighed, rolling their eyes. "She's not even gonna remember you in a couple minutes."

Alex felt their jaw tighten, though they didn't respond, looking down once more. He was right. The last thing they were was memorable. And she was pretty. They certainly weren't going to catch her attention.

They weren't sure if Claec noticed their sudden reservations, though if he did he gave no indication. Alex opted to stay silent, letting the man order their food and drink.

"Sooooo," Claec hummed, grabbing their attention once more. "Gonna tell me how you got that on your eye?" He nudged his chin at the direction of the bruise, raising an eyebrow when Alex tried to cover it and turned away.

"Just clumsy." They murmured, trying not to flinch under his piercing gaze. "Ran into a door."

"Classic excuse. But you already spilled it was that Lance guy," Alex felt a hand on their chin, gently pulling so that they faced the man once more. They were met with a soft gaze, one of curiosity and maybe even concern, not the judgmental glare they had gotten all too used to.

"His name's Lucas."

"Yeah, that asswipe." He sneered, rolling his eyes. "Whatever. I know it was him, you're way too flinchy around him anyways. Is it normal for him to beat the shit out of you?"

"No, that was-" Alex grit their teeth, annoyed that they caved so easily. "Fine. He hit me. He thought I was hitting on his girlfriend, and lying about the," They paused, flapping a hand in Claec's direction. "The whole thing with you. And he had been drinking. I went to stand up for myself and tell him, and well." They shrugged, looking away again. "Not worth it. Who cares, anyways? Just gonna keep my mouth shut from now on."

Claec nodded along, drumming his fingers loudly on the table. It was silent between them for a long moment, until he spoke again.

"Want me to kill him?"

Alex was too stunned to speak, snapping up and staring at the man, their jaw hanging open. They had expected that joking grin once more, but were met with a point blank expression, cold eyes staring into their own, dead seriousness. It was almost scarier than when he was angry.

"No, I-" They swallowed, fighting the urge to push back their chair and run. "That's horrible, why would I-"

"Hey, food!" Claec cut them off, clapping his hands and turning his attention to the tray coming their way. "Man, does that look good. I'm starved!"

Alex continued to stare in disbelief, even as the plate was sat in front of them. It wasn't until they felt the icy feeling creep up their body once more that they jerked back, finally looking away from the man and at the food.

It was then that the smell hit them. So, so spicy. It burned their nostrils, and may have even made their eyes teary if they weren't expecting it. Claec was already eating, though his eyes were focused on Alex almost the entire time.

They wanted to groan in annoyance, but grabbed silverware and started eating nonetheless. Spice was tolerable to them, but it wasn't their favorite flavor. They downed a bite, finding it palatable enough, and continuing. It didn't take long for them to forget the horrific offer completely, lost in the taste and the feeling of a full stomach.

"Holy shit, I thought that'd kill you," Claec murmured, no longer eating and just watching. "That's the hottest shit on the menu."

Alex paused, glancing up at him and shrugging. They wanted to reply, but decided that food was preferable to any conversation. And so they fell into silence once more, though this time it wasn't uncomfortable. It may have been the most comfortable Alex had been around the villain since they met.

Eventually the meal came to a close. Both of their plates still had some food on it. They both leaned back in their chairs, heads tipped back, relishing in the satisfaction of a good meal. It wasn't much longer until their waiter came back, ignoring Claec's outstretched hand for the bill in favor of placing it directly in front of Alex.

He pointed towards the other table, and Alex caught the gaze of the woman from earlier. She smiled, and gave a small wave, quickly turning back to her giggling friends. "She wanted to pay for your meals. And left you something." He pointed again, this time at the receipt, which had a phone number scrawled at the bottom.

Alex felt their heart flutter, barely able to stutter out a thank you before the waiter left, clutching the thin paper in their hands like it would fly away at a moment's notice.

They let the world slip away, just for a moment, unaware of Claec's narrowed stare at the slip of paper. Eventually they were pulled away from the paper as the other man stood, a firm hand on their shoulder dragging them up and out of the seat. They looked over once more, locking eyes with the woman and giving a small wave. She laughed again, just as they were pulled out of the door.

"I can't believe that happened," They breathed out, carefully placing the paper into their wallet.

"Mhm, yeah, me neither," Claec mumbled along, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

Alex took a few moments, fawning over the event, only recognizing Claec's annoyance when they arrived at the parking garage.

"Sorry," They murmured, receiving only an annoyed glance in response.

"Shut up," He groaned, walking straight to their car and waving at it. "Get in, you're driving me home."

Alex froze, finally realizing that they never told him which car was his, or where it was. It took them too long to respond, and by the time they opened their mouth Claec had already unlocked the door somehow, opening up the passenger side and climbing in.

They heaved a sigh, trying to regain the comfort that came from the note they had received, before climbing in as well. The radio started right as they turned the key, the classical sounds of a piano filling the vehicle at max volume as they smashed their thumb into the power button, face flushed red as Claec laughed once more.

"Damn! Didn't know you were that much of a-" He froze, cutting off the last word and clearing his throat. "Anyways, just uh, go to your place."

Alex gave him a wary look, but started driving anyways, painfully conscious of how careful they were with steering, going the speed limit, following every traffic law to a tee. They tried to avoid any conversation, just focusing on the task at hand, and ignoring any unease that came from bringing the person who openly threatened to murder them straight back to their apartment.

But, they managed to arrive in one piece. Alex parked in their usual spot at the parking garage, relishing in the silence they were granted as they got out of the car, scratching the back of their neck.

"Well, I, uh..." They murmured, glancing around. "I'll take it that you don't think I'm a risk anymore?"

Claec also got out, humming as he stretched and started towards the elevator. Alex quickly followed suit when the man waved a hand at them. "What would make you think that?"

"I just-" Alex stopped, considering their words carefully. "I'd assume you had better things to do than work at an office just to watch me."

"Good point," Claec looked over his shoulder with a grin. "Guess I'll just keep you locked in my lab so you can't rat me out."

Alex froze, immediately going still and pale, their breath catching in their throat. The villain cringed at the sight, and took a quick step towards them. "Hey, woah, calm down, I'm just joking," He reached out, resting a hand on their shoulder once again. It almost always turned their body into jello. "I already told you, you're under my protection. And hey, crime doesn't really pay the bills, so a job wouldn't hurt my bank account any." He paused again, patting their shoulder. "Breathe. You're alright."

You're alright. What a joke. Nothing that was happening was alright. The insults, the invasion, the threats, everything. They didn't want to be calmed down by this person, they didn't want to feel welcome going out to eat, or comforted by the idea of "protection," or enjoy a single second around him. He was evil, they couldn't let themself be put into a position where that fact could be forgotten.

Nevertheless, they began to breathe again. They could feel color return to their face, their body calming down, everything easing down and into the touch on their shoulder. Alex wanted nothing more than to smack the hand away, but refrained. What would happen if they did?

"There you are," Claec pat their shoulder, now standing only a foot ahead of them as they walked towards the stairwell once more. "Come on, I'm just taking you to your door."

That felt more reassuring. Alex was still hesitant, angry, sad, everything, but they followed anyways. Claec remembered their door, heading straight there and pausing a few steps away from it. He looked oddly serious, though not in an intimidating way. It was an odd look on him.

Alex stopped, waiting a moment to see if he would say anything. When they were met with silence, they pulled the door open, glancing to the man. "Thanks for the food." Their voice was almost a whisper, and they were quick to step inside after speaking.

Just before the door creaked shut, they heard a soft call from the other side.

"See you tomorrow."

Chapter 10

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Trying out a new recap style, let me know if it's better, worse, or if anyone even reads them. I'm a few days late to the punch, but 3 is my lucky number, so happy December!

#hero oc #oc #short story #original character #villain oc #villain x civilian #writing #a life for a life #enemies to lovers #fiction

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spiritsglade · 2 months ago

Text

thank you for the tag @glitter-stained :]

Fic Writer Ask Game

1) How many works on Ao3?

[fun fact there used to be 2 more but they're gone now. lost media.]

2) Total Ao3 wordcount?

161,906

3) Top 5 fics by kudos

lies of omission

Something's Wrong with Jason Todd

homicidal tendencies

admonition

Unfortunate Circumstances

4) What fandoms do you write for?

27 - DCU/Batfam (26 are about Jason Todd)

3 - Moon Knight (2 of the show adaptation, 1 for comics)

3 - Wings of Fire

it's been jason todd for like 7 months straight at this point, but I do want to come back around to marvel eventually + wings of fire is like a sleeper agent that awakens every now and then and forces me to write another angsty oneshot about a children's book series. also i'm reading more non-bat dcu characters so maybe !! one day we'll get something there.

lots of unposted fics as well about ocs i have in various media (among us, hollow knight, rain world, etc.)

5) Do you respond to comments?

i am extremely inconsistent about this, but i do try! i do definitely read & cherish all of them though <3

6) Angstiest ending?

um. first instinct is protocol. because i do have other fics that end in very angsty ways but they're in like... 'hey remember this canon thing that happened? i'm gonna frame it in a way that hurts even worse' ways, while protocol innovated new and exciting pain.

7) Fic with the happiest ending?

why is my catalogue compressed misery who let this happen hang on. i think redux is the closest to a happy ending and even that is just the promise of joy on the horizon. maybe i need to be adding more fluffy codas to my works.

Something's Wrong with Jason Todd has a happy ending i think but also i am holding that fic at an arm's length still so i'm not rereading it to double check.

8) Do you get hate?

not off the top of my head, no! lies of omission gets a lot of people cursing out the characters (bruce, babs, and most recently cass) and i'm worried one day they'll figure out that it's me forcing said characters to do these things and redirect all the negative energy at me (joking)

9) Do you write smut?

nope.

10) Do you write crossovers?

no, but writing for comic characters is trying to wrangle 3 separate canons into something cohesive at all times, so it probably replicates the experience well enough, lol. i certainly think about crossovers often, and maybe one day one of my more well-formed concepts could make it onto a page.

11) Ever had a fic stolen?

i think the answer to this is no but i'm weirdly uncertain?? i know my art has absolutely been stolen so maybe i'm thinking of that instead.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope, but i've had someone ask if they could, so maybe that'll happen one day?

13) Have you ever co-written a fic?

yes! honestly it might have been more than once but the one that comes to mind is... i believe it was called Mirage, and i could dig it up if i really tried (which i will not be doing so). it was a future dystopian wings of fire fanfic that i think we got about seven chapters into and there was a general embarrassing lack of coordination between us lol.

anyway the person i was writing it with later revealed that they were multiple people using the same account and i'm still not entirely clear on which of said multiple people was actually writing it with me. you think you know a guy.

i would love to cowrite something again. it sounds like a lot of fun. does anyone want to roleplay with me and turn our transcript into a fic-- (also used to do a lot of roleplaying!! those were the days <3)

14) All-time favourite ship?

my wings of fire ocs. canary/aethon they're both fucked up and their relationship was a messy messy thing even before canary got themself blown up (don't worry about it) and it's even worse now. they're the dragons in my pinned post and i think the fact that aethon is killing canary there helps you get an idea of what their relationship is like. also acanthus is there and unwillingly part of the world's worst polycule.

for favorite ship that people might be more familiar i'm gonna have to go with marc spector x greer grant nelson (although jayroy might be edging them out for the top spot. it's hard to tell rn but jayroy has the benefit of a large fanbase throwing more propaganda in my direction.)

sorry thinking all the time about how marc's last words were him apologizing to greer because he promised he'd come back, and greer planning to break a god out of prison just to bring marc back, and neither of them were the 'first' for each other but that devotion is genuine. how greer first came back into marc's life as a way of monitoring him and he knew this and the way he betrays her trust and lies to her face later and they talk through these issues!! they make it work!! god. i lvoe them. i should probably figure out what their ship name is at some point.

15) WIPS you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

something shaped like brotherhood. fucking HATE that thing. it's um. from back in november. it was supposed to be part of what crawled out. let's not talk about it.

okay actually i will talk about it a little bit. the issue with that fic is that the plan for it was far too ambitious for my understanding of dc canon at the time and now that i do understand it slightly better, i don't think i could write it in a way that feels satisfying and true to the characters without wildly reworking how all of it works, and at this point i have other vague plans and concepts that hit similar emotional notes/plot points that i'd rather work on instead. like i guess i don't want to finish sslb itself but i do want to do things with its concepts and i'm sad that i can't reuse what i actually drafted for it without having to do major rehauls.

+ i do like the general concept for what crawled out. and i do want to finish the series but it's ughughhg. unlikely at this point. especially since i'm now rehashing similar beats in other fics.

anyway here's one of a couple theoretical summaries for it that have been Sitting There. Abandoned.

Red Hood slams onto the scene in Gotham in a meticulous, extravagant demonstration of violence. Nightwing disappears off Bludhaven's streets as everything that defines him crumbles into ash. These two things are, for the most part, unrelated.

there are fics that i really want to write and know that i realistically am unable to ever get done (cough cough suicide watch) but i'm still in denial about that and am chipping away at that monster very very slowly. if i just believein myself hard enough.

16) Writing strengths?

i like to think i'm good at dialogue + giving the narration a Distinct Voice. i love my limited third person pov that is filtered through a specific character's perspectives and beliefs!!

also TRUST that i am good at imagery. please. i know i don't dip into the flowery figurative language bucket often but i know that when i do, i do it well! i should do it more honestly. look out. i'm gonna personification all of your phenomenon.

17) Writing weaknesses?

i am weak on action scenes unfortunately :( i hate having to research and meticulously put a scene together and i think it shows a little when i vaguely navigate my way through a scene while describing minimum possible things going on. i'm gonna be entirely real. i forget how to write humans sometimes. i don't know how these bodies work despite living in one. it's what i get for being exclusively into a dragon book series for like 6 years straight.

like i genuinely believed if i watched more shows/movies with fight scenes i'd be better and more confident at blocking them out. anything including the characters doing more movement than waving their hands around a little makes me Struggle.

18) Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

hmm i don't have any strong feelings. the way i speak at home is a fucking mess of chinese & english so like yes i can see multilingual characters speaking this way, though it's only in pretty specific scenarios (like with family that also knows all languages involved). and as a reader i'm always a little excited when the writer starts blending in a language i Sort Of know so i can guesstimate at the meaning and then check the translation to see how far i got. + when people don't include translates but write the narration around it so you get the gist of conversation anyway is very fun. little endearments & nicknames (mijo, baobao) are neat. <3

but it's also like i do think if you're writing in other languages you do need to put in the work to make sure you're translating things correctly & sprinkling in the words in a way that would actually be natural for the speaker. (ex. damian calling jason 'akhi' -- akhi means 'my brother' so saying 'his akhi' just... is not right. and i've seen posts i can't find now about how that's formal arabic no one actually uses to address their siblings? take that part with a grain of salt i don't know any arabic & i'm repeating things from memory.)

19) First fandom you wrote for?

wings of fire!! my love for this children's book series about dragons truly knows no bounds. but i've also written entirely original writing back in like... fourth grade, or so. i was nine at the time, i do know that. i have an entire completed story about this girl named lokia born of the goddess of spring who had to go on an adventure to defeat the winter god after he kidnapped her mom. she met a cloud named fluff on her adventures. apparently it's titled Seasons and Dragonflies, and i actually managed to dig it up so have a lil excerpt:

“The blizzard is enchanted,” said Fluff. “It’s special.” The blizzard sprayed snow everywhere. Fluff charged into it and was whirled around by the storm, and thrown to the ground. “Oww…” said Fluff painfully. Lokia thought about what she was carrying. She knew she couldn’t destroy the blizzard with a sword. Suddenly she knew what to do. Taking out a few dry sticks, she poured the last of the fire onto the sticks. The flame flickered, then started burning the sticks. The blizzard felt the heat and melted, fell gently, like rain, and disappeared into the snow. The fire flickered and was also gone. Lokia and Fluff entered the palace with caution.

that's the solution guys just melt the blizzard.

unsure what my first wings of fire fic would be. it's almost certainly deleted by now.

20) Favourite fic you've ever written?

one that is not on ao3... it's about aforementioned wings of fire ocs <3 whom i love dearly, and it's titled A Thousand Words We Never Said. here's an excerpt from it. my writing was Worse than it is now but the Heart of it. the CONCEPTS. they're Killing Me. and each other, apparently.

"You're distracted." It wasn't a question, but she offered a shrug anyway. "Too busy daydreaming about your pretty eyes." They were dark brown, rich, deeper than the night sky that glinted before them. They ignored her. Fair enough. "It's compromising your ability to fight." "Oh, we both know that doesn't matter. We'll just keep sparring, and I'll beat you next time." "I'll kill you, one of these days." Their eyes flickered towards her, without the slightest shift of their head. "I'll forget, or I'll overestimate you." She hummed, because there was nothing else to add, because it was true, because it ran both ways and it was just as likely that she'd be the one tearing a chunk out of their throat one day.

um for fic that you can actually read. compound fracture. ossification series in general i am very fond of compared to most of my other output.

no pressure tags: @birdieisnotwriting @havenesc @helsingvania @haithhegimp @just-a-random-dungeon-master + all my other beloved mutuals and anyone else who may want to join in!!

#tag game

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