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mysticalserenity-tarot · 5 months ago

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✨Their feelings for you✨ (Pick a pile)

{How to pick a pile? First, take a deep breath with your eyes closed to clear your mind. When you open your eyes, don't hesitate – pick the image that immediately grabs your attention or stirs up a memory. If none of the images stand out for you, it means there's no message for you at this time. You can always come back to it later.}

｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆ - ☆｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆｡･::･ﾟ

Pile 1, Pile 2, Pile 3 (from left to right)

In this collective pick a pile reading, we're going to explore the feelings and emotions of your specific person in relation to you. Let's see where your energy takes us.

Disclaimer: This is a collective reading I picked up on multiple energies, so please only take what resonates and leave the rest. When something resonates you usually feel a light energy and in your heart you can feel it's your message, and the pic that attracts you is a clearly sign.

｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆ - ☆｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆｡･::･ﾟ

✨PILE 1✨

Hanged Man reversed, Page of Pentacles, King of Cups (top: The Sun)

Hi Pile 1, and welcome to your reading. Let's dive in!

I'm sensing that your person really likes you, pile 1, although they're currently experiencing a period of stagnation and fear of change. They want to confess their feelings for you, but they're not willing to get out of their comfort zone. They are reaching out their hand for something, but they feel the void, suggesting they're not grounded right now. However, they will eventually regain their grounded energy and balance matters of the mind with matters of the heart, their mind with their heart. Gaining back that lost confidence, this beautiful energy is confirmed by The Sun at the top of the deck. I'd like to add that the King of Cups in your reading further reinforce the positive energy indicated by the Sun on top and suggest that your person's feelings towards you involves a strong desire to care for and support you.

Their current period of stagnation serves as a lesson for them to reflect on what they truly want from life. I see you included in their future plans. Be patient, let them focus on themselves before coming to you, avoid forcing anything or obsessing over it. Instead, focus on yourself, continue loving and taking care of yourself in the meantime.

Thank you for allowing me to read your energy, Pile 1.

Note: -If you enjoyed this collective reading and would like to support me, you can do so on my ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/mysticalserenity every donation is much appreciated, but not mandatory. -For further guidance or a personalized reading, feel free to book a reading through my Tumblr DM or email [[email protected]]. I'm here to help you navigate life's challenges and find clarity. We can decide the price together.

✨PILE 2✨

Knight of Cups, 5 of Swords, 8 of Pentacles (top: Death-Rebirth)

Hi Pile 2, and welcome to your reading. Let's dive in! What I'm picking up are very confused and conflicted feelings from your person regarding their feelings towards you. The passion and love are there, as I have the Knight of Cups holding a bouquet of roses and looking directly at me. However, they seem to be in a state of indecision and internal struggle, as indicated by the cards. I sense a blockage in their throat chakra, which is making it difficult for them to effectively express their feelings. I initially wanted to conduct the reading yesterday but the cards kept falling and I felt something in my throat. I had to leave and come back today, but I still feel a conflicted energy. For some of you, their focus seems to be on their work right now, but their thoughts of you keep distracting them, making it hard for them to concentrate. However, I feel they will eventually prioritize their work and when they feel more stable, love. For others, your person is going through a transformation, specifically an 'ego death' I just heard and they are in a period of growth and self-discovery. This transformation will lead to them coming back as a completely different person, in a good way, as they will become more open to love and your love. This doesn't negate their feelings for you, my whole pile 2, but they have other stuff to prioritize. Be patient 🫂

Thank you for allowing me to read your energy, Pile 2.

✨PILE 3✨

7 of Wands, Temperance, 2 of Cups

Hi Pile 3, and welcome to your reading. Let's dive in! Among all the piles, the energy here feels more peaceful and calm. I sensed this even before shuffling the cards, indicating that this person prioritizes their own happiness and inner peace, completely ignoring other people's opinions. This pile seems to have a strong spiritual connection. I feel that many of you involved are spiritual beings, whether you're spiritually awakened or just interested in spirituality. It could be you, your person, or both. I sense that many of you are tarot and birth chart readers. No wonder you're attracted to your spiritually similar person! For those who aren't spiritual, your person is very good at balancing their emotions and doesn't let negative opinions bother them. They know their worth. I'm feeling that many of you will come into union with your person soon. However, keep in mind that 'soon' can mean anything, and divine timing is at play, so be patient and prioritize your well-being in the meantime. Your relationship has the potential to flourish, with two beautiful souls merging into one. I love what I'm seeing for you, Pile 3!

Last but not least: it's lovely how colorful your cards are. I feel like many of you in this pile are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Happy belated Pride, my beautiful people! 🌈🌈

Thank you for allowing me to read your energy, Pile 3.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANY LIKE/REBLOG/COMMENT IS APPRECIATED, ALSO IF YOU LET ME KNOW IF IT RESONATED.

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY WORK.

ALWAYS THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EACH ONE OF YOU'S SUPPORT, I'M GRATEFUL 🤗🤍

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Please note that I used AI language bot to help improve grammar and spelling in my readings, as English is not my first language. However, the interpretations and insights provided in my readings are all my work, based on my intuition and the cards' symbolism.

Disclaimer: Tarot readings are for entertainment purposes only and are not meant to predict or dictate your future. The cards provide insights and guidance, but the ultimate power of choice lies with you.

#pick a card #pick a pile #tarot community #tarot blr #pick an image #tarot cards #collective reading #tarot readings #love reading #love tarot reading #spirituality #tarot deck #the light's seer tarot #tarotcommunity #mysticalserenity-tarot #love reader

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lovebvni · 4 months ago

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Winter Themed Pick-A-Pile !! (from 12.21.21)

❍⌇─➭ welcome to ﹀﹀︵↷

⌗my blog : ๑ ˚ ͙۪۪̥◌ ⌨꒱

Here are the questions we'll be answering today! Summited by the LOVELY Rozy !!

1. What do I need to do to fully shift?

2. Shifting advice from your spirit guides.

3. Shifting journey for this month.

4. Advice from your s/o.

There will be 4 piles today, all unique, but you can always pick more than one!! But remember, everything comes with a grain of salt because this is an amino with over a THOUSAND people in it. It wont be specific just to you ! Also, if you're unsure, just do this for me.

Take a deep breath in....

Hold for 3

Now let it out and allow your intuition to speak.

The first number 1-4 that comes to mind, THAT'S going to be your pile. If more than one comes, trust it.

[1, 2

3,4]

Pile 1 - With your perfect toes TRIGGER WARNING : DERALISATION IN THE 3RD QUESTION, ALSO DEPRESSION AND MENTIONS OF TRAUMA/SH

Spirit, What does Pile 1 need to fully shift? Like a final push?

The Hierophant (R), The Devil (R) The Chariot

I feel like you guys need to let go of traditions, or routines! You don't need ANYTHING other than yourself to shift, you're powerful! Your doubts, I feel like you're silently telling yourself you'll never shift, You will ! I promise, so STOP telling yourself you're weak, worthless, etc. Then you're gonna STRIVE!

Shifting advice, from your spirit guides !

King of Swords, 2 of Pentacles (R), 10 of Swords (R)

Okay wait, let me say something, I think you're shifting before january 1st... I got 10 of swords and thats like the end of waiting for something. Realize your power, and the good things will run to YOU !! Write a letter to SOMEONE, ANYONE in your dr ! I feel like they'll be really happy about it ! I see an abundance of good luck and success for you guys, just the weight of the world being lifted off you, just so much peace, happiness, love, abundance, GOD I love you guys sm, keep working for you goal ! Just - GOD I LOVE THIS I CANT IM GOING TO CRY!! I FELT MY HEART JUST FLOAT ITS - GODDAMIT I CANT WORDS !

Your shifting journey this month

Page of Pentacles (R), King of Swords, 3 of Swords + Ace of Pentacles

I don't think you guys have that great attraction to this reality... I feel as if you're going to suffer this WHOLE month because of one bad thing that happened, you heart is in pain, you want to end it all, DONT! I see a new beginning for you this month, so PLEASE! Don't stop trying, everything seems like its falling apart, it's not I swear!

General Advice from your s/o

10 of Pentacles(R), The Devil, The Chariot

OKAY WAIT THESE ARE THE SAME CARDS FROM QUESTION ONE??? THE DEVIL AND THE CHARIOT - BUT THIS TIME THE DEVIL IS UPRIGHT...

But they saying stop obsessing over someone/something, like material possessions? but probably not, that only applies to some of you. There's stuff going on around you, and I can tell, that's black energy, let go of it, cleanse it, FUCKING BLOCK IT OUT! That will help you move forward a LOT !!!

I hope this pile made you realize something !! also check this out below !!

IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT THIS PILE (personality traits, things i kept hearing, important things/people, angel numbers): distractions, shifting for your s/o, love, lack of self-love, misunderstood, determined, "it's set in stone", "It's stuck in my chest", messages, lots of signs, heartbreak, blood, the colour red, Himiko Toga, Hisoka (bestie idk), derealization, spacing out, ADHD, ADD, attention disorders, stop - no go, WAIT STOP (almost like things you're being told are contradicting), material girl, Air signs, Capricorns, Cancer, Fire signs, 555, 111, 1111

Pile 2 - the deer is gonna start chasing you soon, NOW RUN !!!

Spirit, What does Pile 2 need to fully shift? Like a final push?

The Empress, 8 of Wands, 8 of cups

Realize. I could stop right there, but you just need to REALIZE everything. You are SO LOVED !! You have so many good things coming to you. A union is coming, I can tell your shifting for someone, probably friends and just to have fun.Walk away from ALL the doesn't serve you, things that aren't helping, worthless things.

Spirit, can Pile 2 have some shifting advice?

Ace of Cups, The Lovers, 10 of Wands

Okay, there is a new beginning coming, but you need to realize you need to SPEND TIME with your partner, weather in your cr or dr, I feel like they miss you and feel lieft out rom your life.

Can I know something about Pile 2's shifting journey this month?

6 of Wands, The Empress, 2 of Swords(R)

You're going to win SOME kind of fight !! I feel like you guys are going to get your first shift or a BIG boost of motivation to shift. But you guys are SO FUCKING WORRED ABT IT ! choose where and when you wanted to shift, stop making changes to your script.

Does Pile 2's s/o have any general advice?

The Devil (R), Ace of Cups, 5 of Cups

You're being freed soon! You cup isn't going to be half full or half empty, ITS GOING TO BE OVERFLOWING!! You're going to let go of SOMETHING or SOMEONE and that's going to make such a difference. They love you btw! < 333 Positive energy is coming !

IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT THIS PILE (personality traits, things i kept hearing, important things/people, angel numbers): Hunchback, sitting weird, overthinker, Panic attacks, Panic Room - Au/Ra, intuition driven, physic, Cancer, Water signs, 888

OMG PILE 3 IS GETTING MARRIED !!! ROUND OF APPLAUSE !!!

What does pile 3 need to shift? Do they even need to do something?

Ace of Swords (R), Queen of Swords, 2 of Cups

Okay, you guys need to get out your little shitty bubbly and TALK TO PEOPLE !! This will help a lot, I feel like talking to shifters will help, like-minded people are ALWAYS the best to speak to. I know, you're independent, but you can't do everything alone.

We need shifting advice for pile 3, I've been doing this for 4 hours PLEASE -

Knight of Cups, Wheel of Fortune, Judgement (R)

Your prince is coming~ they could also be a princess. Come True - khai dreams, Forest came on so uh.... listen to that But realize good things are coming to you ! Focus on the best version of yourself, you're a ruler ! You are NOT what anyone negatively says to you, you're amazing.

Pile 3's shifting journey this month?

Page of Swords, Strength, Judgement (R)

If you have the strength, determination, and reality to shift this month, you will.

General advice from Pile 3's s/o's

5 of Pentacles, 8 of Cups, The Emperor

I dropped all my cards during this omg... but major Bakugou vibes. You're going to get everything you've ever wanted and more IF you just TALK, SPREAD UR WISDOM !!! Just make a blog on something, you prob have drafts you should inish it and post it

IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT THIS PILE (personality traits, things i kept hearing, important things/people, angel numbers): Air signs, independence, introvert, 1010, Denki Kaminari, Hunter x Hunter(listen to the intro song rn), Clumsy

Pile 4, FINALLY, bestie i've been at this for 5 hours

What does Pile 4 need to fully shift?

10 of Cups, Ace of Cups, The Chariot

Go check out Pile 1 after this, but I feel like you guys need to ground yourself. You want to go to one reality, then the next, then the next, in like a dAY this will lead you to move forward with a new beginning.

Shifting advice from your Spirit Guides.

The Hierophant, Page of Wands, The Devil

When you try to shift, look at it like you WILL shift, like you ARE shifting, you ARE in your dr, like you HAVE succeeded !! Any time you get bad news, just be happy, be accepting of it !!

Shifting journey for this month.

9 of Wands, Queen of Cups (R), 7 of Swords (R)

Okay, sadly, you are not shifting this month because of how much you have to changeee, literally I- if you dooooo its because you make a dramatic change quickly. I'd be REALLY suprized if you do shift because you are STUBBORN ASF !!! You're ignoring signs and warnings, stop. Stop.

Advice from you s/o

6 of Wands, Knight of Wands, The Lovers

Socialize, try to get in a better position by talking to others. I feel like you're taking a trip/going on a journey so enjoy it !!! You're going to meet new peopleand you'll be excited, and hell maybe even meet a cr s/o.

IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT THIS PILE (personality traits, things i kept hearing, important things/people, angel numbers): Disappointed, sad, sorry, Fire Signs, stubborn asses, Katsuki Bakugou

Okay guys! I hope you enjoyed the pick-a-pile!! I do private readings if you need anything ! I hope this resonated !! Again sorry pile 4 for being a bit bitchy but Spirit said what Spirit said, and sorry for everyone going through anything, it will get better soon !!!/gen

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succubusonthedoorstep · 2 years ago

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restaurateur's son yuuta! (x fem!reader!)

word count? 1.8k

warnings? power imbalance? finger sucking, bondage, switch yuuta/switch reader, lowercase intended, mating press, choking, name calling, head cannon format!

author’s notes? a post birthday fic 🤍 don’t perceive me i wrote this cause i can (legally) drink now… (enjoy! this came out longer than intended <3 part two he could show you around the restaurant? idk.)

restaurateur's son yuuta! who grows up middle class with two older brothers. his mother works as a sushi chef at a three-star restaurant until he’s 5 when she branches off to begin her own business.

restaurateur's son yuuta!'s mother's reputation precedes her- critics, celebrities, and tourists flood the new restaurant and immediately puts it on the map. the years of experience she had to offer an enthusiastic young staff had her business outpacing her old job. a few Michelin stars later, the restaurant was five stars and always fully booked.

restaurateur's son yuuta!'s life was turned upside down within six months of the restaurant opening. he no longer had to share a bedroom with yuuji or a bathroom with choso. he could look outside his bedroom window to watch beach waves crash on the sand. their new home had space for the three boys to grow up with little worries and frequent sleepovers.

restaurateur's son yuuta! rarely eats at his mother’s restaurant. it’s a strange quirk that his brothers didn’t share, but today was different. for his father’s birthday, his mom specifically requested they eat there. of course, he couldn’t say no. his mother’s stylist had mailed his suit to him months ago for the occasion.

restaurateur's son yuuta! makes it there 10 minutes late- the traffic in the city was something he would never be used to. when choso turned 18 and received his inheritance, his move out of the bustling city and into quieter waters couldn’t have happened faster. yuuta considered following suit but couldn’t bring himself to be apart from his family.

restaurateur's son yuuta! pushes the restaurant door open, the smell of his mother's cooking filling the room with his childhood memories. quiet diners in elegant suits and dresses chatted idly while waiters bustled around them with sake and plates of raw fish.

yuuta immediately began looking around for his family, until a woman approached him with a soft smile and a formal tone.

“welcome to night’s ambrosia, do you have a reservation with us tonight?”

he’s met with the most gorgeous pair of eyes staring back at him. the work attire at the restaurant allowed you to semi formally- you had on a black dress with mini crystals on the hem that made yuuta’s eyes shine. despite the suit being tailored to him, the clothes tightened on his skin and the air became suffocating. the look of concern that passed your face had him stuttering out a response.

“i-it’s dad’s birthday…”

“oh! you’re chef’s son!” surprise, then delight passed your face. gathering his food and wine menu in your arms, you stepped out of the hostess booth and began walking him to this family’s table. you peeked back to study the nervous young man in the suit before asking, “what’s your name?”

“yuuta,” he cleared his throat and followed behind you. the clicks of your black heels on the floor distracted him from the woman’s voice calling him from the kitchen.

“yuuta,” you repeated, testing the way it felt on your tongue. With your back turned to him you couldn’t see the goofy smile that spread at the sound of your voice and his name. it felt like no-one had said it to him before, at least not in the way you did.

“find me if you need anything, okay?” you asked, peeking behind you one more time. he hoped you couldn’t notice the light blush dusted across his cheeks.

“ah- yuuta!” yuuji’s voice sounded throughout the restaurant, filled with excitement at the sight of his brother. yuuta gave his father a hug and wished him a happy birthday before taking his place next to yuuji, leaving an empty chair at the head of the table.

“i’ll send someone over shortly to take your orders,” you assured, giving everyone a polite smile. the anxiety you gave yuuta had his teeth digging into his bottom lip, wanting to say something but not being sure what. that you were beautiful? he’d probably never have a chance with an angel like you if it wasn't for his mother?

restaurateur's son yuuta! spends the appetizer listening to yuuji rant about the current goings on at jujutsu high. choso leans in to inquire about some of his favorite teachers and yuuta takes the opportunity to ogle you standing at the hostess podium. the shrimp tempura in front of him grows cold as he watches you take phone calls and scroll through the list of reservations.

restaurateur's son yuuta! thinks you possibly couldn’t make the first move- it’ll come off as unprofessional if he didn’t reciprocate. he’d hate for you to lose your job and over his entree, he excuses himself to the bathroom to instead find you in the front of the restaurant.

restaurateur's son yuuta! feels his throat tighten as you look up from a binder full of names. “enjoying your dinner?” you inquire, arms crossing for you to lean forward on the podium. he wet his lips and nodded, politely offering,

“are you free sometime soon? i wanted to talk….”

restaurateur's son yuuta! can’t believe his luck. the girl of his dreams agreeing to a date with him was one fantasy come true, but the tight hold you had around his throat? he was blissfully lightheaded as your hand slipped from his neck to his mouth, your pointed acrylics pressing his lips open. “d’you like them, yuuta?” his name was honey on your lips, he wanted to lean up and kiss it off. he instead sucked your digits and hummed in agreement at the sweetness of your skin.

“y-yes, tastes so good,” he makes out between your fingers, drool pooling at the corners of his mouth. you slipped out briefly to wipe your digits on his lips, giving them a sinful gloss that you couldn't resist kissing.

“yeah?” you asked, lips smacking against his. “-you wanna pay for ‘em?”

a few days after the dinner, restaurateur's son yuuta! invited you over for lunch at his home on the beach about an hour away by car. he was nice enough to send a driver with pink roses waiting for you in the back seat of the car, apologizing for not being able to pick you up himself.

“i gotta plan our lunch, beautiful. It’s gotta be perfect, i want a second date out of you!”

and perfect it was. the midday meal was supposed to only last an hour- two at most, as you had work later that night. he was charming, easy to talk to, and obviously fine as hell. the day flew by and before you knew it, Yuuta was on the phone to tell his mother to call in another hostess for your shift.

you felt guilty at first, but a bottle of wine later and your date manifested into the perfect distraction from your worries. he offered to show you the collection of Japanese swords he had made a hobby out of, and you wanted to thank him accordingly.

“doing so good, slut,” you encouraged, holding a squat over Yuuta’s cock. “you sure this is your first time?”

how did Yuuta find himself tied to his bedposts? it was a cute idea he joked about after you stripped him of his shirt, the marks it would leave on his wrist and arms if you tied him tight enough. he watched the idea travel from your head to between your legs, where your thighs tightened as you inquired about anything he might have for bondage.

though inexperienced, you agreed to make do with a silk-like fabric as long as he agreed to use the safe word if needed. the knots you tied were hopefully strong enough to secure him, but you grew unsure the more you teased him. you could see the desperation he had to touch and make you feel good in return, and it tugged at your heartstrings.

hips lifting from his bed, Yuuta breathed, “need s’more of you please- ah!” his pleads were cut off by you sitting completely on his cock, your matching gasps of surprise and pleasure sounding through the room. taking Yuuta’s cock was harder than you expected- the girth alone was nothing to sneeze at, but you felt up for the challenge. his tip kissed your cervix when you rolled your hips languidly to help adjust to his size, to no avail. the size of him would take getting used to.

below you, Yuuta wasn’t in much better shape. inky black hair stuck to his forehead as he took in a hearty gulp of air, Adam's apple bobbing. he swore to himself he wouldn’t cum once you started moving, a fleeting sentiment you stole from him.

“so pretty,” you noted, pushing sweaty hair out of his eyes and exposing his forehead. “can’t believe you’re all for me.” the ties on his bedpost slipped a little at the praise. “should I let you out? so you can fuck me into your mattress?”

“god, yes,” he begged, pulling at his restraints once more. “you don't know what you’re doing to me-” you cut him off by taking the palms of his hands in yours and pressing them to the mattress. hovering over his flustered face, you bounced your ass on his cock and watched his expression contort in pleasure. he watched through dilated pupils your tits bouncing with each movement you made, becoming more sure by the minute he wouldn’t last.

“let me fuck you, please- princess, at least slow down...”

“no,” You disregarded, his sexed but protesting whines following. riding Yuuta until he cried was the only thought you had when you rolled your hips experimentally, the friction doing wonders to pull your own orgasm forward. your nails dug into the back of Yuuta’s hands at the pleasure, a clouded pain he barely registered. the way Yuuta’s cock filled you up was incomparable to anything you’d had before, a thought you let slip out between the waves of satisfaction he brought you.

the fact that your boss’ son was giving himself to you so freely left you so blissed out, you hadn’t noticed the ties loosen on the bedposts until a set of firm hands were on your waist.

“'m sorry baby,” he cooed, turning the pair of you over without slipping out. “B-But you looked so pretty, and I couldn’t take not touching you…” The proximity of his face to yours was your first display of what just transpired, and the second was him taking your wrists in a strong hold above your head, leaving the other to wander your body.

“i’m gonna take care of you, okay? just like you did for me.” comforting words spilled from his mouth as he hoisted your legs over his shoulders and pulled you into him for a mating press. he couldn’t resist pressing his lips to yours, quieting the moans he fucked out of you.

like, reblog, and follow! ପ૮๑ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ๑ აଓ

tysm for reading!

#jjk fluff #jjk x black reader #jjk smut #jjk x reader #jjk fanfic #yuta okkotsu #yuta fluff #yuta jjk #yuuta x reader #jjk yuuta #okkotsu yuuta #jjk fic #jjk imagines #jjk x you #jjk x y/n #jujutsu kaisen smut #yuuta fluff #jujustsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader

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demonir · 2 months ago

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Welcome to Adrian’s good omens thoughts while he’s half asleep again, on todays episode I want to talk about how important the gender expression in the show is to me

Don’t mind the typos I’m lying down without my glasses

I really appreciate how subtle they are about characters genders and stuff, characters with commonly male names being played by actresses and they still use stuff like “sir” or “lord” even if they also get referred to as they/them. They don’t make an intense effort to make them look incredibly androgynous either which like- idk it’s nice.

Knowing neither angels or demons have a defined gender also feels so so so nice because it comes paired with the fact they still choose to present in specific ways and use specific pronouns because newsflash bozo someone can be nonbinary or agender and still present masc as fuck or fem as fuck and use either he/him or she/her and if they wake up 2 weeks from now and change that they are still valid.

Which takes me to my second favorite point, Crowley’s change in gender presentation. I know we all know or at the very least agree he’s genderfluid but like I want to highlight the way he does it because it means so much to me. He has obviously chosen to be masc presenting through most of history (that we’ve seen, there could still be periods of time we haven’t seen where she’s been fem) and idk abt you but I was a tumblr teen years ago learning a very skewed version of gender identity and expression where if you wanted to be genderfluid you had to look very attractive as both genders and also PASS as both genders convincingly (as well as being perfectly androgynous when being neither, this also applied to nonbinary people), as well as change it like every 2 days or so and have no preference? That’s the way people would make it seem to me, that’s the way people would portray their genderfluid characters in fandom spaces and that’s the way my teenage mind came to absorb it.

Now, it’s 2024 and I’m sure all of us with common sense know this is bogus but still seeing Crowley just sorta… brightened my everything? Knowing nanny Crowley wasn’t just for the joke, knowing that during certain scenes she was indeed being fem… but the most important part to me is that no matter what he was still HIM, they could have gone the easy route and have an actress play fem Crowley and be like “oh well she’s a demon she can shapeshift whenever ooooo” like so many people do with their ocs (I was one at one point) but it is still obviously him, it is still David Tennant playing Crowley and nobody else and when she’s fem she’s still got the same features the same everything and that’s somehow just… so freeing to see? It’s realistic, it’s grounding. You can be fem and still have overly masculine features, you can be fem and still have facial hair, you can be masc and still wear makeup, you can be masc and not hide your chest.

Now I wish this was all just… more obvious to everyone, I know some of this stuff because I saw posts, I saw people talking about it… but not everyone is gonna go through a 3 hour post scavenger hunt for extra lore like I do and these things are simply not addressed in the show. There IS a certain freeing feeling to the gender stuff not being addressed, it simply happens, it passes by and you might not even notice, but also comes with the double edged sword of people simply thinking SOME of the characters have funny genders but the others don’t.

Sorry I’m distracted rn bc I can hear a fucking bohemian rhapsody cover coming from my moms tv the timing of this is fucking wild, anyways I’m gonna try to get my thoughts back on track

So yeah, to some people like for example my aforementioned mother, the nanny Crowley thing was merely a joke and nothing else, not a brief moment of gender expression but just a perhaps even nasty joke played at the expense of other people. To her every other Crowley before and after that has been strictly cis male and mlm despite the fact I did in fact explain to her that he’s not, same applies to Aziraphale and perhaps even harder because we only ever see him presenting masculine through the entirety of it and trying to explain otherwise to the woman that thinks she can use she/he on me because I’m bisexual will not work (and she refuses to use he/him on me anyways mind you, or my chosen name. Says it’s too complicated, but I know for a fact that if one of the characters had changed their name mid show she would switch to the new name instantly…..yknow… just casual transphobia for me only)

I would like just…a passing comment or a scene that lets everyone know the nuance yknow? Finally something that cannot be disputed by everyone, and you might say “well but Crowley says he’s neither when he gets called a good lad” and to that I say yes but people still dispute the meaning behind it, my mom certainly would. And again you might want to shake the nanny scene in front of me and again I’ll remind you of people thinking it was just a joke, a disguise, a singular haha funny. You might want to gesture towards other scenes or moments or passing phrases but the thing is they will or have already been debated on because people will try to deny it no matter fucking what and it’s FRUSTRATING, so perhaps it’s just me being petty or wanting to give them a good ol fuck you but I’d like it if either Crowley or Aziraphale or both just looked at the camera head on and went “we are not men, also Crowley is genderfluid” no ifs no butts no second meaning just straight to your face, a giant “shut the fuck up” to annoying people.

Now I’m not gonna die if this doesn’t happen, I’m fine with that… it just sorta feels depressing seeing someone in the wild genuinely saying shit like “why are you using she/her for Crowley? He’s a man” my brother in Christ I am about to hit you with the mallet of knowledge and you won’t be able to look at that demon the same way ever again.

The gender expression in good omens matters so much to me as someone who struggles with her own and Crowley and Beelzebub matter so much to me as a little afab genderfluid/nonbinary (I’m not sure yet) motherfucker, I need to go bite some fuckinf ccomcrete right now man, accidental typo but I’m keeping it.

#demos ramblings #good omens #a bit afraid to put this in the tag but I want my posts ORGANIZED #reminder that I’m doing this half asleep any wrong info is bc I’m passing away as I type #zoned out like 4 times writing this

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anthropologyruinseverything · 5 months ago

Text

Updating the fanfic time!

“Got You” part 2 - 4k words

Jey Uso x mixed race FMC

Minors DNI 🚨 Mature content ahead! 🚨

See here for part 1

Chapter 3

Aurora POV -

I didn’t mind biking the thirty minutes from the trailer park where I lived to the nice suburb. Being alone with my music and a direction was meditative. This morning however it wasn’t as nice as usual. Unable to stand for leverage I was moving slower than usual, my injured right side making the whole process more difficult.

Janine’s latest catch, ‘Paul’, was becoming increasingly violent. I did my best to stay out of his way but the two bedroom single wide trailer was tiny, cramped and rundown. Most of my time at home was spent locked up in my bedroom, venturing out only to fix everyone dinner or use the restroom.

Not long now and I would be able to afford a deposit for a room somewhere. I let daydreams of the day I left that place forever fuel me through the pain in my ribs and ankle. I’d gotten distracted, inadvertently letting the dinner pot boil over. Paul took offense and sent me to the floor with a nasty shove before a swift kick to the ribs. I’d scrambled to my feet and limped to my room, slamming the door shut and locking it behind me. A fresh wave of anxiety shuddered through me.

I planned to ask Josh today if he would show me a few things I could do to be stronger and defend myself better. It might rouse his suspicions but I was just going to tell him a half truth, I wanted to be safe when I returned to campus someday. That was a safe and believable excuse in my mind.

Taking a deep breath I tried to force myself to walk normally in spite of the sharp pain that came with each step. Maybe I was naive to think I could disguise my injuries but I was going to try.

Answering the door rather quickly he welcomed me in and our day progressed as usual. Fortunately for me Josh had to tend to those cancelled meetings and would be busy until lunch time. I thought I had it under control with some Tylenol but was proven wrong.

Jason wanted a specific shark cup and plate set that was stored on a high shelf. Normally pulling out the little step stool and grabbing those things wouldn’t have been an issue.

Normally.

When I tried to put weight on that right ankle it gave and I yelped, falling backwards fully expecting to land hard on the kitchen tile.

Instead a strong pair of arms encircled my middle and I made contact with a hard, warm chest instead of cold, unforgiving floor. The pressure on my ribs hurt and I gasped, clutching at Josh’s forearms.

“Rori!” Jason’s alarmed voice hit my ears and I immediately tried to right myself and go to him but struggling against the hold hurt too much.

“It’s okay kiddo, I got her. Where are you hurt? Other than your foot?”

“Ribs.” It hurt to take in a breath to speak.

Nodding he maneuvered one arm under my knees and one under my shoulders, easily hefting me up into his arms. “I got you.”

I wanted to curl into a ball and never look at him again, this was too embarrassing. Settling me in a chair at the kitchen table he took a very clinical approach to examining my ankle and ribs. If I hadn’t been so upset the feeling of his fingers dancing on my rib cage would have made me dizzy. He let me catch my breath before asking the dreaded question.

“What happened Rori?” Josh sounded calm and collected as he went to retrieve an ice pack. Passing it to me he set about fixing lunch while waiting patiently for an answer.

“I tripped walking up my steps last night and fell. Nothing major, just some bruises.”

“You’re lucky they’re not broken.” My stomach dropped. It sounded like he was scolding me.

“Rori okay?”

“Yeah little man, I’m all good! Just an accident, no big deal!” I raised my hands in the air and smiled at Jason who looked relieved before going back to playing with his toys.

Josh set lunch on the table, ravioli, before collecting the little boy and depositing him in his booster seat next to me. Sitting down on my other side all of his moments were stiff. “You wouldn’t lie to me would you?”

My palms went sweaty and my heart pounded. I hoped my panic didn’t show on my face. Not trusting my voice I shook my head no and stuffed a piece of pasta in my mouth, making a pleased sound. I swallowed the food and the emotion all in one go. “No. I’m so sorry. It shouldn’t stop me from what I need to do again.”

“It’s fine. You rode your bike here yeah?”

I nodded and shoveled another bite in my mouth to avoid talking.

“Me and Jason are gonna drive you home this afternoon, once my meetings are done.”

A fresh wave of panic rolled through me. “No-no, please you don’t have to do that.”

“You’re in no shape to be riding your bike anywhere.” His voice was so cold. It made me want to cry.

“I don’t want to be a pain. I can ride the bus-“

Jason and I both jumped when Josh slapped the table. He seemed to catch himself before slamming it with full force but still made a loud noise. Quickly he looked at his son with a grin to ease any fear the little boy had.

But when he turned to me I could see it didn’t reach his eyes. His expression flattened out and it was like he was reigning himself back in.

I squeezed my thighs together as a confusing rush of emotions hit me. Fear of the consequences since I’d angered him and a strange flash of arousal that felt out of place but there it was all the same.

“Don’t argue with me.”

“Yes sir.”

—

Jey POV

Sitting through these afternoon meetings around the new Bloodline merchandise was torture. I’d never been a fan of this side of the job anyway and whatever was going on with Aurora was eating at me. Had I been a little bit of a bully and let my anger win for a minute? Absolutely but it will get me what I want which is some more information.

I was pretty sure someone was hurting her at home or she had a boyfriend. Thinking through my options I texted my twin who was also on the zoom call looking like he’d rather eat a shoe than look at yet another piece of concept art.

‘**Can yall take little man this weekend?**

I watched him respond on the call.

**’Yeah, you got something to do?’**

**Yeah**

It wasn’t often that I hid things from Jon but he didn’t need to know I was planning on essentially stalking my barely legal nanny for a couple of days. I sure as hell didn’t want to see Trinity’s face if she found out. But I had to know what was going on and figure out how to help her.

As of right now my plan was little more than to storm in, beat the ever living shit out of whoever I needed to, sweep her up and move her into my home and bed permanently. Far from foolproof but it was a work progress.

Finally the meeting came to a close. Heading downstairs I took a few deep breaths to make sure I had my temper fully back under control. It had been hard not to shake her by the shoulders and demand she tell me the truth so I’d settled on slapping the table for emphasis. I’d instantly felt like a jerk when both Jason and Aurora jumped in fear but we’d recovered.

The sounds of their laughter came from the kitchen, she was letting Jason ‘help’ her make pizza for dinner. Looked more to me like she was chasing the veggies he threw every which direction except at the dough in front of him but I enjoyed watching them together all the same. She genuinely seemed to enjoy spending time with him and he loved her already, taking to calling her “my Rori”. Clearing my throat to announce my presence I felt a stab of regret when anxiety fell over her face and she quieted instantly. Jason on the other hand clambered down from the step stool and rushed over, arms outstretched.

“Daddy! Look, making pizzas!” He waved excitedly towards where Rori leaned against the counter next to the bowls of ingredients. I tried to smile reassuringly at her but she just ducked her head, hiding her face with her hair.

“Nice, want some extra help Rori?” Jason was already trying to get down and back into the mix so I let him. It wasn’t the nicest thing, forcing her to talk to me, but she’ll learn to speak up for herself in time.

She would have to as my woman. I don’t know exactly when I decided that was going to happen but here we are.

Finally glancing up at me she bit her lip nervously. “Yes sir.”

An image of her doing that while on her knees in front of me flashed through my mind. I liked that a little too much, liked this oddly submissive behavior. It told me a lot to, her response to my anger. Fawning is what they call it, if I recalled the therapist correctly.

I stepped into her space deliberately, causing her to shy away from my hand. Persisting I gently caught her chin with my thumb and forefinger making her eyes go wide. Tempting as it was to push further and run my thumb over her abused lip I settled for making her look at me.

“M’sorry I scared you earlier.”

She blinked, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. “You’re what?”

I snorted. “Girl I’m tryin to apologize to you. Pay attention.”

To her credit she recovered quickly. “I’m sorry, I am. I - it’s okay. Let’s get these pizzas in the oven.”

She pulled away but before I saw her pulse pounding in her neck and her eyes dilate. It was obvious she was into what I was doing. Perfect.

A little over an hour later found us loading up her bike into the back of my truck and heading down the highway. It never ceased to amaze me what being on either side of the highway could look like. Some trailer parks were nice with well kept homes, flowers and friendly neighbors. Some were like ‘Martin’s Cove’ complete with meth trailers, cars on blocks and folks toting guns in the waist bands of their jeans. I bristled at the thought of leaving her here but dutifully got out to retrieve her bike once we’d pulled up to #37.

An ugly white man stood on the porch with a stupid look on his face. I hated him. Rori’s face showed a flicker of fear when her eyes landed on him and I wanted to kill him. I had a feeling I knew who was leaving the bruises. I held onto her bike when she went to take it from me.

“Uh, Josh? I got it. Thank you so much again.” I could feel my blood pounding in my ears. The man hadn’t spoken but hadn’t looked away from Aurora either.

“Promise to call if you ever need help.” She tilted her head but must have remembered earlier today.

“Okay, I promise.”

I nodded. “I’ll pull up at eight.”

It made me physically sick to let her walk away but I did it. Once they’d both gone inside I pulled away. Jason fell asleep before we made it home so I got him tucked into bed and set about putting a bag together for his stay at his aunt and uncles this weekend.

I was too worried to sleep well, knowing full well she could be in trouble. Instead I found myself praying whatever gods or ancestors might be listening. The morning couldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter 4

Aurora POV

I stood on the embarrassingly cluttered porch the following morning at 7:30 A.M. Janine and Paul were still in bed. Much to my surprise they hadn’t questioned me in depth, instead disappearing into her room after I made their dinner. I checked the calendar, it was the third.

Ah, her disability check had come in. They’d be flush with drugs for a couple days.

Great, that usually meant they’d leave me alone. And they had. Looking back at the front door yet again, it felt as if it were going to open and swallow me. That’s how it felt to walk into this house, like I was being eaten by a beast snd may never claw my way out.

Turning back I settled on the steps, flipping through my music. “Dirty Thoughts” started playing and I felt a flush start up my neck remembering what I’d done listening to this song last night. After securing my door that lacked a proper lock I’d lain in bed playing my interactions with Josh over in my head. Mostly the feeling of his thick arms and hard chest and calloused hands.

Only a few times, mostly due to lack of privacy, did I indulge the growing heat between my legs. Thinking about Josh had made the throbbing ache there unbearable and when I slid my fingers below the elastic waistband of my underwear I found myself soaked. While still very much a virgin I’d read enough romance novels to know what my body wanted from him. My heart and mind did too but they were a lot harder to make happy.

Carefully I’d started to feel myself, fingers dipping into my wet slit to awkwardly circle my clit while my other hand cupped a breast, lightly playing over a sensitive nipple. My inexperience was a pain though and after a few moments of awkward strokes I was worse off than before I started. Annoyed at myself for struggling I switched tactics to what I knew would provide at least a little relief.

Grabbing my ancient pillow I shoved it between my legs, balled up and pressed tightly to the small bud I was struggling to figure out. Closing my eyes I’d imagined sitting on his lap, straddling one of his big thighs while his hands cupped my bottom and his voice, deep and husky with want, encouraged me to move.

“C’mon girl, that’s it. Move for Daddy.”

It shamed me to think of him that way but I was so lost to the feeling it didn’t stick. Doing as imaginary Josh instructed I ground against the pillow, desperately seeking the short but intense flashes of pleasure it brought. If I did it long and hard enough I’d get a sharp spike that would somewhat ease the tension filling my body. It was nothing like “rolling waves” I read about but it did the trick and wore me out enough to sleep.

The sound of his truck rumbling up pulled me out of my memory and I stood, checking the time. 7:40 A.M., he was early. I needed to get myself under control, this crush was a distraction I didn’t need. What I needed was to get the hell out of this place before things escalated further and finish my degree.

And yeah I wanted kids and a husband and all that lovely stuff but I wasn’t naive enough to believe that Josh was the guy. He smiled at me, opening the passenger door and ushering me in. My heart did a cartwheel in my chest.

He had his choice of anyone. It would never be me and I was alright with that.

It didn’t stop me from wishing it were though.

“My Rori!” Jason’s voice was music to my ears. It wasn’t just Josh I’d fallen hard for after all. The toddler waving happily from his car seat in the back lit up my world and motivated me to get out of bed some mornings when I was depressed.

“Hey little man!” I smiled at him before turning to Josh as he pulled out of our driveway. This felt so normal and nice it was almost enough to make me forget where we were driving away from.

“Mornin. How was your night?” I noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

I blushed in spite of myself. “It was good. How about you?”

Josh raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on the red in my cheeks. “S’fine.”

I mulled over my idea about asking for his help while chattering along with Jason. I’d couched the idea when he was so stern yesterday but he didn’t seem angry any longer and had apologized after all. By the time we pulled into the driveway I’d made up my mind. I spoke before he could open the door.

“Hey, Josh?”

“Hmm?” He tilted his head my way.

“Could-is it okay to ask- because if not I understand-“

“It’s fine just ask your question baby.”

My brain shorted out for a split second. He’s tired, don’t overthink it.

“Can you show me how to like, get stronger? And maybe how to, ya know, throw a punch? For when I go back to campus.” I bit my lip nervously, his expression was so neutral it was impossible to know what he was thinking.

Josh reached over to give my knee a squeeze and my warmth flooded through me. It was so quick I wondered if I’d imagined it but the genuinely warm half smile said otherwise.

“Hell yeah I’ll show you some stuff.”

My heart pounded as I followed the boys inside. I have to get a grip, he’s just being nice. A single quick squeeze doesn’t mean he’s into me.

I noticed the bag of Jason’s things on the couch and my heart dropped. If he was going somewhere else I may not have work for a while.

“Is little man going somewhere?”

“Yeah, my brother’s coming by to get him later, just for the weekend. I’m gonna get some sleep but we can workout some this afternoon, if you’re up for starting now. Just have to work around what’s hurtin.”

My heart soared. “Great, thank you so much.”

——

Jey POV

It was easy to sleep knowing she was safe downstairs with Jason and I made up for what I lost the night before. In my dreams Rori was beneath me, writhing in

pleasure while her fingernails dug into my shoulders and her lips whispered my name over and over like a prayer. Her voice got louder the closer she came to orgasm and I ground into her harder and harder.

“Josh…Josh…Hey Josh?”

Her voice went from thick with pleasure to confusingly loud. Slowly I became aware of someone shaking my shoulder.

“Huh?”

There was a soft giggle from next to me as the bed dipped a little. I realized the object of my dreams was sitting next to me nudging my shoulder. At the same time I realized I had a raging hard on.

“Jon’s here, figured you’d want to say bye to Jason before they took off.”

Shit was it after five already?

I had to get rid of her so I could get this under control. “Yeah. Be right there.”

When I didn’t move immediately she jumped up and ran like she’d been scalded. Maybe she realized she may have crossed a line coming in here, even if it was to get me up for something important.

I couldn’t wait to cross a hell of a lot more lines with her in this room.

But right this minute I needed to get myself presentable, something easy enough to achieve, at least temporarily, with a few deep breaths and splashing some ice cold water on my face.

Loading Jason into the car didn’t take long, he always loved staying with his cousins. Hugging him one last time I stepped back. My brother looked at me from the drivers seat, clearly wanting an explanation. Clapping his shoulder I smiled. “Thanks, got a leak and it’ll just be a lot easier to have guys out to fix it without him under my feet.”

The suspicion in his face melted away and we said our goodbyes. I’d miss Jason but I was excited about “working out” with Aurora, all alone. Not to mention I’d finally have a good chance to question her some. She stood in the kitchen tying up her hair when I walked back in.

“You ready?”

Aurora swallowed but nodded and I noticed her eyes flicker over me. My cock twitched, it was hot thinking she wanted me too. I still needed to clarify whether or not she had a boyfriend and while I couldn’t be certain it was that weird guy at her house who was hurting her I was pretty confident that was the case.

“Good, c’mon.” Leading her into the gym I flicked the lights on.

About 45 minutes later and she flopped on the floor, panting but smiling. Turns out she could throw a decent punch already. Settling behind her on my knees I let my hands fall on her shoulders and waited to see what she would do. Aurora stiffened but didn’t pull away so I slowly began to knead the muscles.

“You did good.” I don’t know if it was my fingers or my words that did it but she moaned softly, her cheeks blushing.

“Thank you.” Her voice was soft and shy.

Continuing up her neck I was gentle as I worked the tension there, surprised at just how tight she was. I decided to get down to what I wanted to know. “Got a boyfriend Rori?”

She blinked her pretty hazel eyes before huffing out a nervous laugh. “A boyfriend? No.”

Relieved, I let that concern go. “Aight. I didn’t think that guy in the porch yesterday was him but ya know, wanted to make sure.” I dug my fingers in a little harder and she drew in a breath with a gasp. My thumbs worked their way down her shoulder blades and her eyes drifted closed. Her muscles quivered under the threadbare tshirt she wore but my eyes were trained on the wet skin of her jaw and neck. I imagined what it would taste like to run my tongue along them in a long stroke.

“Nah, that’s just my mom’s latest boyfriend.”

“Latest?” I didn’t like the sound of that and based on where they lived I doubted these were high quality men drifting in and out of their lives. Already I hated this woman for putting Aurora in danger.

“Yeah, she’s just…I don’t know. She’s got some issues.” Aurora trailed off and I debated how hard to push. This was more than I’d gotten out of her before but I didn’t want her to shut down if I asked the wrong thing. I kept massaging her neck, working my way a little lower to her collar bone and she didn’t resist.

“How’s that feel?”

“Mmm, good.” Just when I thought she was really going to relax into me her phone buzzed. I hated the way she looked panicked when she opened the message. “Oh no, it’s getting really late, I should go.”

Reluctantly I let her stand and got to my feet as well. “C’mon, I’ll take you home.”

Her nerves seemed to get worse and worse during the car ride. Every instinct in me screamed to make her stay, to not drop her off at that trailer. Something bad was going to happen and I knew it.

This time, I reached over her to stop her from opening the door with one hand and grabbed her knee with the other. “Aurora look at me.”

She was startled but did as I asked.

“You don’t have to get out of this truck. But if you do, just promise to call me if you’re in trouble.” For a second I thought she was going to stay or maybe burst into tears. Instead she took a deep breath and smiled at me but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“I promise. Again.”

I squeezed her leg one more time before sitting back and letting her go. Something screamed at me to stop her but I didn’t.

I’d regret that sooner than later.

#wwe #the bloodline #fanfiction #jey uso #jey uso fanfiction #wwe fanfiction #ucey

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whyareyouhere66 · 2 years ago

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JJ Maybank x Male Reader - You Are Home.

JJ Maybank *Outerbanks* x male kook reader [Sarah’s brother]

I did it, just like I said I would. Enjoy y’all. [Two more days till season 3!]

“It's always have and never hold

“You've begun to feel like home…”

[-The Fray, I’ll Look After You, 2005]

Outer Banks, North Carolina. More specifically, Figure Eight.

The air that whirled around him was warm, the island’s nonchalant charm lulling him into a sense of calm. Sure, the faint arguing that drifted in from downstairs was distracting, but alas- in Y/n’s tired state he wanted nothing more to ignore it, and stay in the welcoming breeze from the window sill of the large, white house.

In his hands he twisted and untwisted the cap of his water bottle, eyes still watching over the navy blue shadow reflecting from the sky. He tried focusing in on the sounds coming from outside, the wind’s song flowing through the ocean waves around the corner. However this proved to be more and more difficult, when he repeatedly broke out of his zoned out state and was dragged back into the growing yelling coming from Ward and Rafe downstairs.

Rafe’s persistent arguing, the frustration becoming more and more clear in Ward’s normally calm, manipulative tone.

“Hey, please let’s just-“

“No- no I’m done talking about this.”

“Let me finish, Rafe….”

Y/n let out a frustrated groan, after Rafe had blown yet another college interview it seemed Ward’s patience was bubbling down to the final straw, dragging the rest of the family into it as they heard and watched it all in the emptiness of the house.

Y/n forced his gaze away from the outside world, looking around at his dimly lit room. Perhaps he should go to see Wheezie, check on Sarah. He knew how the latter especially hated conflict, though Wheezie herself seemed more drawn into her phone recently.

But it was never a waste to check in.

The h/c boy steps away from the white window sill, closing and locking it as he’d been taught.

The bright lights from the hallway jumped at him, his eyes taking an extra moment to adjust as the downstairs argument became more clear. It seemed everyone in the house had been more on edge recently, Ward tensing at short conversation and Sarah beginning to pull away more and more.

Y/n himself had always found himself closer to the side than anything, both him and Wheezie often being sat on the bleachers while the rest played at the game. Ward could acknowledge them as his kids, drag them around to events and all, but they each knew that they were never his first priority.

Sarah, center of attention of course, had it all laid out for her since day 1. A legacy, a throne of you will, being built for her the day Ward laid eyes on her- his daughter, his child. She was his pride and joy, leaving the rest of the family to sit and applaud as he spoiled her.

Y/n used to fight for it, too. Being born solely a year prior, his naive, 6 year old mind could never grasp why Sarah had been deemed the golden child. He still couldn’t really, but overtime it became more and more clear that nothing would ever change. And while he still found himself there, by the same window sill he had been today, he looked out at the family’s extravagant garden and wondered- “why?”

Rafe was the same way. Being born first in the family he still found himself pushed off to the side, set to watch his father grow instead of growing there with him. However, unlike Y/n, he never accepted it. He clung to any bits or pieces of his father he had, wanting nothing more to impress the man.

But Ward Cameron was a hard man to impress, especially when it came to the majority of his own blood. And when you stumble as often as Rafe himself had, another rung in the twisted, family ladder falls.

The hallway, covered in old paintings and dainty floral wallpaper, led Y/n down its paths until he found himself at Wheezie’s room.

2 knocks, 3, and Y/n stands awkwardly in front of the tall white door.

“Wheezie?” He calls, looking at the floor with his hands shoved into his pockets. A ringing silence fills the hall, as he receives no answer.

“Wheezieeee, you alive in there?”

Curiously, the h/c grabs the golden handle and twists- peaking his head into the room.

Lights still on, he found his sassy little sister asleep on her bed- curled into a ball blended with the comforter. He paused for a second, wondering how she managed to sleep through the houses overwhelming ringing, as well as the mindless and repeated shouts from all around. But when his eyes landed on the small, white buds poking out of her ears and tangling with her hair he put it together.

“Smart kid..”

His hands slide up the wall, reaching the light switch before he flips it off.

“G’night, weirdo” he mumbles, closing the door behind him as his bare feet pad down the hallway once more.

It was at this point that Y/n decided against checking in on Sarah, knowing that not only their somewhat strained relationship would create an awkward tension, but also that the chances of her sneaking out her window again were far over likely.

So instead the teen trudged down the stairs, making a beeline to the kitchen to replace the water bottle he’d been fidgeting with just minutes before.

The further down the long staircase he walked, the more he was able to see of the rest of his family.

The tense fighting between Rafe and Ward had settled into the living room, stray documents and pamphlets scattered across fancy glass coffee tables as one man stood on each side.

They went back and forth, back and forth with the blonde boy starting, his father following closely in suite.

With the roll of his eyes, hand sliding down on the wooden banister, Y/n neared the bottom of the staircase.

“Dad I don’t need to go to college- I’m fine here.”

“Yeah? Yeah well I’m not Rafe. This is not…”

Rose watched on uncomfortably, sat in a stool next to the kitchen’s island. With an open laptop in front of her, and a half empty glass of wine, she stared on at the two with her eyebrows furrowed. Y/n could see her now, stepping off the final stair as he untwisted the lid of his water bottle. Back now turned to his father and brother, he could only see her in front of him.

The h/c heard voices rise, the urge to go back up to his room growing stronger in his mind.

“I knew I should’ve checked on Sarah-“

Just as he steps forward again, no less than 10 feet from the staircase, he heard it.

The painful slap, a harsh hit of skin on skin contact, echoes through the now silent room. He could see Rose’s eyes widened, sitting up straight suddenly as she stared in shock.

Y/n freezes, slowly and almost hesitant as he turns around in his spot.

Rafe’s face was turned away, mouth agape. Ward’s hand was still outstretched, a soft and lamented look filling his eyes as he seemed to finally realize what he’d done.

The fights had been happening for weeks now.

But never had it ever gotten physical- not once. Ward always took Rafe for granted, this was well evident in the claustrophobic walls of the Cameron house. But Ward had enough sense to not bring it to a physical level, his heart belonged to his family, he never purposely damaged that.

In a small moment of panic, Ward stepped away. His hand retracted, firm against his chest as he cleared his throat.

“Rafe-“

“Wow, dad…wow.”

The blonde’s voice is full of malice, chuckling deeply as he turned to look at the man. His voice lowers to a whisper again, eyebrows furrowed down.

“Wow.”

In the matter of a minute, perhaps two, Rose is up and rushing forward to stop the fight like she’d been wanting to for minutes on end. Blood rushed away from Y/n’s knuckles, his grip on the bottle tightened extremely. In the back of his mind he still heard them, Ward rushing to his own defense as Rafe riled himself up more. Rose’s desperate, annoying pleads as she stood between them.

But he wasn’t truly there, not present in the moment. His head screamed at him to leave, the need for fresh air bubbling over as he felt too fed-up with his family to stay another moment.

And so Y/n left, stormed out of the building before the other 3 could do more than notice him.

Swiftly grabbing the car keys off the counter, stuffing his feet into his shoes, the h/c rushed out to his car and ducked into the drivers seat.

He knew he hadn’t been the one to get slapped, the one to yell and scream in the fights. But if he had to sit in his room one more night, the air thick and heavy from this scrambled family’s tension he just might suffocate.

Trees blurred past him, eyes zoned onto the road ahead of him as his brain went into autopilot- driving him to the one place he felt he must be.

“JJ…”

The blonde boy, although a Pogue, offered him an embrace like no other. It should feel wrong, it’s supposed to be, but for whatever reason it didn’t, it felt right. Y/n could never recall how they’d come to be- in fact at the beginning the boys tried keeping it at “no strings attached”. But, they couldn’t help it- he felt like home.

JJ’s laugh, his voice, the warmth that would emit off his body whenever Y/n got too close. He wasn’t supposed to love him, his family’s reputation laid on the line- but he just didn’t want to stop himself. This wasn’t the first time one of them had run off to meet the other in the heat of the moment, sometimes in the middle of the night, others simply in broad daylight. It seemed the small compass engraved into Y/n’s brain was constantly pointing in JJ’s direction.

The more these thoughts flowed through Y/n, the more agitated he grew as he sought out the comfort he needed. His grip on the wheel was firm, mind a haze as he could see JJ’s near empty house coming into view. After the seemingly hundreds of times driving here, as if it was muscle memory, Y/n had barely realized he had made it to the Cut.

Y/n came to a stop in front of the house, taking a sharp breath. He snatched the keys from ignition, hopeful eyes leading him out of the car and onto the porch. That house, so different from his own, lured him in yet again.

All his thoughts seemed to fizz inside his head, bubbling and sizzling away so distantly, yet so present he could hear them still. Keys gripped in his hand tightly, fist knocking against the old door no more than 3 times before he squeezed his eyes shut.

“Answer the door, Maybank…” the teen mumbled, running a hand through his hair as his felt his muscles tensed in his shoulders.

Inside some shuffling was heard, the squeaks of door hinges alerting Y/n as he spun around to meet the blue eyed boy.

“Y/n? What-“

He looked confused, immediately taking note of Y/n’s dazed face and disheveled appearance. In the back of his mind, he felt he knew why Y/n was there.

Y/n opened his mouth to talk, stepping forward. JJ didn’t wait for him, jutting his head towards the door as to invite the h/c inside.

It wasn’t too long before Y/n was situated at the couch, fed up and frustrated. JJ followed close behind him, stopping at the door way almost hesitantly, for he’d only seen the boy act that way a handful of times. It was more recent that the two began to open up to each other, the intimacy they would share building an odd sense of trust, a safe space within each other that before they didn’t know they were capable of.

Though JJ had noticed that almost each time, it was due to something from that of the Cameron house. And so, he had a feeling he already knew what this was about.

The blonde moved forward from the door way, until he was standing in front of Y/n on the couch. The latter was almost doubled over, curled into himself with his elbows on his knees to hold his head up. His chest rose up and down heavily, fingers tangled with his h/c hair. JJ raises one eyebrow, sitting on the small table just a foot or so in front of the sofa.

“Y/n? Hello, you with me? What happened?”

Y/n sucks his teeth, hands sliding down his face.

“I’m so done with them, JJ.”

He didn’t have to say any names for the blonde to understand, it was almost always the same 2 or 3 people. And so he doesn’t ask any more questions, instead leaning closer to the boy in an attempt to give any sort of comfort.

JJ Maybank didn’t know too much about comfort, after all.

Years of not having the right comfort, not knowing how to give it, etc lead him to taking guesses, cracking jokes until one of the Pogues finally told him he wasn’t being helpful.

Perhaps, that’s why he always felt so attracted to Y/n Cameron.

“-I’m so fucking sick of it, they don’t,” Y/n pauses, trying to think of the right words to describe his mess of a family, “they fight, then pretend it’s all fine. And I normally can suck it up, or whatever, but I just- right now-“

He stumbles over words, frustration building up until he’s saying too many things at once to finish one thought, before another starts.

However he’s cut off, rambling suddenly turned silence as he feels JJ’s hands now cupping his face. The boy had leaned forward, sitting just on the edge of the coffee table, his face a mix of confusion and worry. Y/n’s shoulders drop, melting into the warmth of JJ’s hold.

“Hey, hey it’s alright-“ JJ comforted, finally getting a voice over Y/n’s thoughts. His e/c eyes finally move to meet the bold blues of JJ’s, swallowing a thick lump in his throat. “Just breathe, ok? I’ve got you now..”

Y/n listened, his shaky hands moving to rest on top of JJ’s, his face sandwiched in the middle. Eye contact never breaks between the two as the blonde coaxes Y/n into steady breathing, thumb shifting gently to rub comforting circles into his cheeks.

As Y/n finally feels a sense of stability, now much more aware of the floor under his feet and the walls that surround him, he laughs. It’s not awkward, much closer to embarrassed than anything, and it’s just enough to bring a small sense of relief into JJ’s system.

“I’m sorry, that was, sudden.” He laughs out, tilting his head up to the ceiling. But JJ doesn’t accept that, shaking his head.

“Nope- no. No saying sorry.” He states firmly, his blonde hair falling messily across his forehead. He stands up, bringing the h/c up with him. Their hands have now separated, leaving a lingering warmth across the other teen’s face where they had been before.

Y/n doesn’t even get a moment to protest, as JJ has already swung an arm around his shoulders and leads him to his bedroom.

“JJ-“

“Nope, nah uh.”

He turns around, them now standing in the middle of JJ’s messy room. “You-“ he jabs a finger into Y/n’s chest, “-just had a panic attack, amigo, you’re staying over here tonight.”

Y/n’s eyebrows furrow, a smile plays at his lips, amused. He no longer had any intentions of protesting, knowing that he didn’t want to leave anyways. Instead he turned around to watch JJ scrummage through his closet, following the boy’s figure with his eyes.

A minute passed, standing in comfortable silence. And as Y/n continued to stare at JJ, a playful grin pulled the corners of his lips.

“You just call me ‘amigo’?” He asked, tapping his fingers on the dresser.

JJ paused, turning to look at him over his shoulder.

“Yes, actually, I did.” He replied, grabbing a sweatshirt from the closet and tossing it to Y/n. Neither boy made a move to change, though, nothing else than Y/n pulling the old “North Carolina” sweater over his head and running a hand through his hair.

“And you’re giving your ‘amigo’ a sweatshirt? How sweet-“ he teased, JJ simply rolling his eyes as the incident merely a few minutes prior seemed to be left behind. JJ didn’t know why he gave Y/n that sweater, this was the first time he had done that. Perhaps it was something in the way Y/n:s eyes had been so red and wide before, he wanted to see comfort instead.

The blonde settled onto his bed, Y/n following close behind and kicking off his shoes. He laid down next to him, shuffling around as he falls into the pillows.

“Better not cuddle me, Cameron.” JJ joked, although said in a flat tone it wasn’t hard for Y/n to know he didn’t mean it. He would make jokes like that quite often, actually- Y/n already knew the outcome.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” He jokes right back, getting comfortable on his side.

But then as the minutes go by, hands ticking away slowly on the clock, it was predictably JJ himself who began to inch closer and closer.

Y/n peaked one eye open, the warmth radiating from him so close, as his breath fanned lightly across his shoulder. Happens everytime.

“What were you saying, Maybank?”

“Shut the fuck up and cuddle me.”

Blunt, yes, but in no more than a split second Y/n found his legs entangled with those of the blonde, ducking his face into the crook of JJ’s neck as a strong sense of home overcame him.

This happened often, the teasing jabs that would only lead to such small space between their bodies. Though, that is how they liked it. Not even the beating heat of the summer could stop it, the restrictions that kept them apart in public but pulled them so close together in private.

Because in private, there was no one else but each other to keep them company.

#x male reader #jj maybank x male reader #outerbanks #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank #JJ Maybank x Cameron reader #Obx

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softestqueeen · 1 year ago

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let me teach you pt.1

pairing: Steve Rogers x afab!reader x Bucky Barnes (can be read as gn!reader)

summary: You are a literature professor at university and your boyfriends decide to pay you a visit and listen to one of your lectures.

warnings: none, just fluff

wordcount: 1158 words

a/n: After some very shameless smut, I’m now back with some fluff, don’t worry you won’t have to miss the smut for long. And now: enjoy! <3

Since you were little it was always your dream to become a teacher. But it took very long for you to figure out what kind of teacher you wanted to become. Kindergarten? Pre school? Secondary School? Literary School? University? The options were endless, how would you ever be able to decide?

But when you grew older, the only logical option for you was to teach what you loved most and to pass on your passion to others. So, when you were 18, you decided to study English Literature in England. And even though you loved England you wanted to see more, so you moved to New York. For the last few years you have been working at Columbia in the English and Comparative Literature Department as a literature professor.

This semester you taught multiple classes but your favourite course was definitely feminist literature, as it was something you felt wasn’t represented enough in academia.

You’ve wanted to teach this specific course ever since you’ve started as a uni professor and now you finally got the chance to do it.

You didn’t have a lot of students in that specific course, but they were the perfect group. Always attentive, asking deep questions but still being able to fool around sometimes. Classes like this remind you, why you started teaching and why you loved it so much.

You were currently standing in said class, talking about the next book you are going to discuss, when suddenly the door to the lecture hall opened.

It was strange really. It didn’t happen often that students accidentally mistake your lecture hall for theirs, especially since it was the middle of the semester AND the middle of the lecture. But, as you can see, it still happened occasionally.

The class turned their attention to the door and suddenly two familiar men entered. Your boyfriends. You couldn’t hold in the little surprised gasp that left your lips.

You knew that they voiced the desire to visit you at work and listen to one of your lectures and you told them that they were always welcome. You just didn’t think that they would visit so soon.

Especially since you thought they were on a mission until tomorrow evening.

The jaws of your students dropped, but you only started to smile at seeing the super soldiers.

Yup, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, Captain America and the former Winter Soldier, are your boyfriends. You still can’t believe it either but you were very happy about it. They entered with a apologetic smile.

“Sorry, we couldn’t find the right room, but it seems we’ve found it now.”, Bucky said with a teasing grin.

“Yea, Sorry, please just carry on, sweetheart.”, Steve told you after they both said down in one of free seats at the very front.

At the term off endearment, the jaws of you students dropped even wider, but you just carried on with your lecture.

“Where were we? Close your mouths or you’ll catch a fly! So as I was telling you,…”, you went on with your lecture and after a moment your student snapped put of it and started taking notes again.

You still had a good hour of your lesson left and Steve and Bucky were almost as attentive as your students. Taking notes, raising their hands and asking questions. The only difference was that your students don’t look at you with heart shaped eyes and loopy smiles, getting distracted from the lectures.

But you were not complaining about their attention. You always loved it when they looked at you like you were their world. They almost made you blush multiple times.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and you dismissed your class for today, giving them new assignments to work on.

The boys still sat patiently and waited for you to finish up. They even offered to help and you let them clean your blackboard. When you packed up, Bucky insisted on carrying your bag and they escorted you to your office.

On your way there, you saw a lot of baffled and shocked expressions from people seeing your partners. You’ve gotten over the initial shock of seeing them, but it still amused you to no end to see that shock on others.

You entered your office and showed Bucky where to put you bag. You loved the way your office looked. Big dark bookshelves, overflowing with books, a worn out leather couch between them, a little coffee table in front of it, your Mahogony desk in the middle of the room, two leather chairs that matched the couch in front of it, your chair behind it and a lot of lamps that made the space even more cozy and even more you.

Your boyfriends started to explore your space, your books, your little trinkets and knickknacks that you had displayed in the room, while you sat down in your desk and pulled out the essays that you had to correct.

“You can sit down wherever you want, just be prepared, during my office hours, students often come in with questions and stuff. I thought you had a mission until tomorrow?”, you looked at them with a pointed look, they knew you were always worried when they were away and wanted to know when they would come back, “Anyways, you could have said something, then I would have prepared something more interesting than me talking about a book for one and a half hours.”

Steven was the first to speak up. “I loved hearing you talk about something you’re so passionate about. An we’re really sorry, we didn’t know that we would get home earlier either, but when we found out we thought we’d surprise you. Was that not okay?”, he asked, worry etched into his face.

“No, no, of course that’s okay. You know, you’re always welcome in my lessons, both of you.”, you immediately assured him, smiling.

They smiled back and settled into the couch, both with one of your books in their hands, as you got started with correcting the essays of your students. It took a bit longer, because you preferred to do it by hand, always annoying your students by asking them to write it on paper or at least print it out.

They were quiet and when students came in with problems even left the room to give you space to concentrate.

When your office hours were over, you were done with correcting and decided to join the boys on the couch. You sat down in-between them, and cuddled into them.

For a while you stayed like this, Steve with his arms around your shoulder, you leaning your head against Bucky’s shoulder, going further down until your laying half on top of him, your head on his chest while he had his flesh hand on your thigh.

You bathed in the comfort of your men, a comfortable silence settling over you.

To be continued…

Part 2!

a/n: I will definitely post a part 2 with smut! If you enjoyed this, please consider leaving some notes, likes, reposts and comments with feedback are always very appreciated! <3

#fluff #mcu #love #stucky x reader #steve rogers x reader x bucky barnes #marvel #university au #columbia #columbia university #english literature #feminism #feminist literature

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vylad243 · 8 months ago

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2 different things cause your content has me in a chokehold and I love it

1. Love the new story scratching at the walls for more FR

Are there any thoughts about fallen Emily you wanna share cause I’m a little feral over the idea NGL

2. Going off of the sins thing with Vox again as that is also something I’m feral about I can just think about how the residents find out the Sins are FOND of Vox.

Like they all went to an outing but Vox stayed back cause he was tired and when they do Bee and Vortex are there. Bee is worrying over Vox (mother Hen big sis FR) and Vortex is just going along with it

Or Ozzy comes by cause Charlie wants to do something for Angel and before they get into business he’s just going to ”Vox when did you last eat? Have you drank anything today? When was your last day off? Are you taking care of yourself?” And just ignores the rest of the hotel for 20 minutes

Hi! I'm glad to hear you've been enjoying my fics ^-^

Fallen Emily was an idea I've been playing with for a while. After an anon sent me an ask about demon Adam, I realized I wanted to play with the Heaven hierarchy and do something with the angels. Feathers and Lies is going to be more angst filled with some fluff and (obviously) takes place after Month of Rut!

When Emily fell, she kept all her angelic powers and got a bunch of new demonic ones and the book is going to explore her learning her new powers and just being in Hell. I haven't decided which found family she's going to fall under. I feel like she's going to gravitate to Vox and Charlie more than anyone else because she knows Charlie and Vox basically saved her life by closing the injury.

Her power rank falls just under Lucifer, but she's placed into Vox's rank in the Hell hierarchy. (I need to name the rank still so like suggestions welcomed)

Emily is going to be the one to reveal that Sir Pentious is in Heaven now and that Charlie's hotel works. I'm going to keep the reason she fell a secret for now though ;)

Emily is going to continue doing the duty she did in Heaven- which was bringing joys to others. This is why her and Vox are in the same power group. They both bring joy to sinners

Demon Adam will be making an appearance, too!

As for the sins- Feathers is actually the one where Vox's ranking is going to be revealed to everyone! Sins will be visiting the hotel will get distracted because they didn't realize Vox was there! Big sibling mode will be activated because Vox is still underweight and the power in the other rings was getting spotty- which means he's not a hundred percent.

Bee will be making food for Vox while Ozzy is doing everything he can to make sure he's feeling okay. Is he hydrated? Is he safe? Why the fuck does he have a scar?

Alastor will also be meeting his mate's siblings >:3

List of plotpoints I plan on doing it:

Demon Adam (duh)

Fallen Emily (duh)

Exploring both the hierarchy of Heaven and Hell

Lilith herself will be making an appearance

Alastor's deal

Vox's relationship with the sins

Vox and Emily's ranking and the duties it carries with them

Alastor's mother

I'm hoping to do a lot of world building with this book! I didn't want to be too specific because I don't know what kind of spoilers people want- but those are my planned ideas so you guys are more than welcomed to ask about them!

#hazbin hotel #vox hazbin hotel #anonymous #radiostatic #a month in rut #of feathers and lies #emily hazbin hotel

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quinloki · 4 months ago

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Hi! Do you mind explaining Kinktober to me? I would like to participate, but how does it work exactly? Is there like one official theme? Or does each writer pick one for 31 days?

Sorry if that's a stupid question.

It's not a stupid question - Congratulations, you're one of today's Lucky 10,000 \o/

The good news about participating in Kinktober, is that it's a very unofficial concept, so there's plenty of ways to do it.

It's a spin off idea from Inktober, which was kicked off - idk, 20 years ago? at this point, where someone wanted to improve their traditional drawing skills and decided to do a drawing a day in October based off a set of prompts.

There's an "official" Inktober list, but don't let it distract you from the core concept of the idea - having fun and challenging yourself.

You're not up against anyone else except yourself, and if you don't make it all 30 days, that's okay. There's something to be learned no matter how much, or how little you do.

Kinktober is the saucy/spicy version of Inktober, as the base idea is the same. Draw/write once a day for the month based off a set of prompts. You could probably just search "kinktober prompts" and grab a random list and go from there. I bet the Kinktober 2024 already has a few different lists.

Everything from the Very Specific, to the very general ^_^

Kinktober also kind of created Monster Fucktober - which is a monster fucker variant of the idea xD

But - more to the point, in order to participate:

Find a prompt list you like, or make your own (don't worry about "official" or not.)

Plan on starting in September - you're welcome to do the Extreme Challenge of writing/drawing Each Day in October ONLY, but that can be stressful, especially for your first time.

More than anything, have fun with it. If it becomes stressful, step back!

If it makes you feel any better, I didn't complete my Kinktober last year, but I decided to do it kind of spur of the moment ^_^ I had fun with what I did get done though =3

#quin answers #anon asks #kinktober #monster fucktober

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pjsk-headcanons · 2 months ago

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ok welcome to today's ted talk (i am procrastinating on doing my schoolwork bc brother eughhh i am not reading a book from 1500 or smth /jk i will eventually. just let me have this for now) today's ted talk is.... what teams and drivers in f1 pjsk characters would like bc f1 and pjsk is arguably what is maintaining me sane and idk why not. if you disagree uhhh thats fine idc lol this is purely based off of vibes and cardinal directions WxS - rui: as i have mentioned in my first hc he likes a) ferrari b) red bull c) mclaren, bc every f1 fan ik is at least A BIT of a ferrari fan even if they like only one team (*cough* that fan may be me *cough* *cough*), so rui is a ferrari fan and a red bull fan, probably because he likes the crazy shit on red bull's channel (look at this for example: https://youtube.com/shorts/uf9PQT0OgUY?si=yA8NM97AJHeyf0HH). maybe he likes the drink as well, now drivers! his favorite driver is lando, bc i think he will like his streaming content (perhaps his personality and his willingness to talk abt mental health and i am not kidding, search it up!!) (i'd like to note that rui is most definitely a very avid f1 fan) - tsukasa, emu and nene: they all like ferrari and red bull, they're not avid fans but they understand what happens in the sport (mainly because of rui) and as i think they wouldn't be as big fans as rui, so they probably just follow rui's opinions LOL im sorry if it's basic, but it's imo :3 L/N - ichika: she's a casual f1 fan, so she probably likes ferrari bc it's popular and she doesnt know how much depression it causes to be a tifosi. (ps: i am not a tifosi) her favorite driver is lando yet again, because she decided to learn a bit more abt the f1 drivers and found out he can play multiple instruments, so that sparked an interest in her and yeah - saki: she probably doesn't even care but she likes to listen to ichika and shiho talk abt the races. im sorry if it sounds like saki slander, i just dont think she would really like f1 😭😭 pls forgive me saki fans - honami: the ultimate of ultimate of f1 casual fans. that's it, maybe she would like alex but that's it - shiho: the less casual f1 fan out of l/n, she likes red bull and max verstappen. arguably she doesnt even care abt the f1 teams, but she likes max for how he is(me too shiho. it's actually sad to think i didnt like him </3) extra hc: ichika and shiho most definitely talk abt f1 whenever they have time to! VBS - akito: he likes whatever team is fighting an's favorite team. if she likes red bull, he likes mclaren, etc, etc. point is, he likes what an doesnt bc he has some beef with an (i promise you it's not idk levels of genuine hate it's like uhhh i forgot the word im not sure if this is clear!!) - an: uhhh i accidently explained her in akito's part - kohane: weirdly, super into f1. she's not the "i watch f1 for the drivers!" fan, she's the "i watch f1 for the sport!" fan (<- i feel like i have to clarify that) and although that may not make sense, she roots for all the teams and drivers. (even lance.) so tbh if you asked her "kohane whats your favorite f1 team and f1 driver?" she would say "idk i just like the sport i dont really care abt who's winning" - toya: he seems like he would like f1 but he doesnt know a shit abt f1(the creative juices are almost gone now afksahsjkdgbhdg) N25 - mafuyu: i feel like she heard abt f1 at school and ended up liking instead of the sport, the aerodynamics stuff. very specific ik - kanade: she would get distracted by the f1 sounds so she wouldn't even know what's happening and somehow compose a music based off the sounds of an f1 car/f1 related - mizuki: she heard abt f1 one day from rui and ever since she talks with rui abt f1 stuff (other than the in canon stuff)!! her favorite team is whoever is cooking at the moment (she doesnt want to suffer over like. omg bad strategies and bad car) and her favorite driver is lewis (1. his fashion style 2. how good he is) - ena: tbqh the same thing as an's

MMJ - my creative juices have almost completely dried. but tbh, i dont think they would have time for f1 bc they do so much shit yknow, ik they like have managers and everything but id argue they're dedicated to what they do and they'd prefer to do other stuff than learn abt f1 stuff. im so sorry mmj fans i promise ill make a better headcanon than this one day 😭😭

oops how did it get this long? anyways, thank you for joining my ted talk! hope everyone is ok :D - papaya anon

#pjsk #prsk #project sekai #headcanon #yet another fruity banger headcanon #f1 #papaya anon

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noelwho · 1 year ago

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Ultimate Chronological Order Imodna Playlist!!!

Hello! I feel like I have to introduce myself ‘cause I’m barely on Tumblr. I’m still learning how to use it, I posted a couple of fanarts and they went really well, so I want to try and make myself a spot in here. My name is Noel (they/them) and I’m a big fan of Critical Role. I started watching a few months ago, with Exandria Unlimited. Once I was done I went ahead and started Campaign 3. I’m currently on episode 49 (I know, I have a lot ahead yet). I also watched the first season of Candela Obscura and a couple of One-Shots.

Today I’m here to talk about the Lesbian Southern Gothic Witches. Earlier this week I started to obsess over a playlist. An Imodna playlist, to be more specific. It started with me listening to one I found on spotify (I will credit below because it’s been a huge inspiration for this project) and I got the urge to make my own. At the beginning it was something chill, something normal…until it was not. Over the course of the last 3 days I haven’t thought about or listened to anything else. I got the idea of making the playlist in chronological order and I started to take it very seriously. I divided their history in 10 different chapters and assigned each song to the correct time period. At first it was just gonna be into chapters, but then I started to put them in order inside the chapters too, and it became very personal. For real, this playlist has been the one and only thing I wanted to talk about for days. Last night I finally finished it. I’ve played it for run tests several times and I think it’s finally ready to see the light (kinda feels like the project of my life even though I only spent a few days working on it).

After all this brainrot it didn’t feel right to just tweet a link to the playlist, I wanted the world to know everything that went through my head in the process of making this. I also don’t have many people around who care about Critical Role, and I thought it was a good opportunity to connect with the fandom. So all of this took me here, to tumblr. All of a sudden it became very clear that this was the perfect place to set my baby free.

There’s some things I wanna make clear before you start reading, the first being the classic: english is not my first language. Sounds like a joke at this point but for real, it’s very likely that this thing is full of grammatical mistakes and I want to apologize in advance (specially about the in/on/at situation, I’ve been having lots of trouble with those for some reason) This is also the first time I do something like this so it may not be perfect. The second thing is that this will obviously be filled with spoilers. In fact I actually haven’t even got to The Scene, I saw it around on Tumblr and Twitter (impossible to avoid that spoiler, but I don’t really care). I’m aware that there’s a lot of Imodna moments that I haven’t seen yet, but I couldn't wait to start this playlist. I don’t know if the episodes I have left to watch will translate into new chapters or into new songs for the chapters I already have but either way, I will keep this post and the playlist updated.

With that being said, welcome to this ride through an unhinged mind. Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy!

The tether scene is one of my favorite ones. I love that metaphor with a passion. That’s why I chose this name for the playlist. With the photo I wanted to make an allusion to the red thread myth given that Laudna herself carries around a spool of red string. I even edited the picture so the hands on the right are slightly gray like Laudna’s.

There’s not just one specific vibe to this playlist, but I find it to be a very calming one, with the exception of some specific moments that we will talk about later. I tried to avoid strong and distracting beats so I could keep it a little ethereal. Lots of acoustic guitar (which I love). I’m not going to talk about every single song because some of them have pretty obvious meanings. Usually the songs aren't a 100% match, but they do have a part to it that speaks to me and to the story on a certain level.

× Imogen and Laudna’s separate lifes ×

At the beginning of the journey that is this playlist, I wanted to introduce the characters. Intertwining their songs, we get to know Imogen and Laudna’s pasts, before they have each other to face the terrors of being witches in a world that doesn’t quite understand them.

Delilah - Florence + The Machine (Laudna)

I sometimes wonder if Marisha has ever listened to this song, because oh my fucking god. I wanted to start the playlist with Abbey, I didn’t because with the intertwining I couldn’t make it fit, but this one is a very good start as well. This song shows perfectly how it must have been being brought back by Delilah and having that power all of a sudden.

Abbey - Mitski (Imogen)

Matilda - Harry Styles (Laudna)

Imogen - Nick Mulvey (Imogen)

Laudna's lullaby - Ginny Di (Laudna)

Time comes in roses - Bess Atwell (Imogen)

The Tradition - Halsey (Laudna)

Burn it down - Daughter (Imogen)

There’s several songs from this album on this playlist. It couldn’t fit better. It reflects perfectly the moment Imogen started to develop her powers. It even refers directly to the way she parts ways with her town (which doesn’t happen for a few chapters but still I felt this one belonged here). Her fear of being a disappointment, her father becoming absent, the feeling of being cursed. It’s all here.

The hanging tree - The hunger games (Laudna)

Still I wait - Anna Leone (Both)

Even with everything they had to go through, they both still wait and cling to hope.

× Imogen and Laudna meet ×

Finally, their paths cross. They experience the feeling of warmth for the first time in a long time. They both feel the need to keep the other one close and begin to appreciate the little things in life, learning how to be taken care of. Goodbye loneliness.

Season of the Witch - Lana Del Rey

I'd like to walk around in your mind - Vashti Bunyan

How important is this song knowing what Imogen can do…

Comfortable Silence - Bella Porter

Without you without them - Boygenius

A hole in the earth - Daughter

That Moon Song - Gregory Alan Isakov

Love brought weight - Old Sea Brigade

That distant shore - Steven Universe

Sick of losing soulmates - Natalie Dawn

I Hear a Symphony - Cody Fry

Sidelines - Phoebe Bridgers

The bug collector - Haley Heyderickx

Sometimes I feel that it’s always Laudna taking care of Imogen, as if she didn't have anything on her own plate. It can't be easy to live with a voice in your head and paranoia. This song shows how Imogen is there to hold Laudna too when it becomes too much.

Look up - Joy Oladokun

If the last one was an Imogen’s POV, this one is totally a Laudna’s POV. Her and her silly little pep talks. “You’re so capable”.

Daylight - Taylor Swift

I love the idea of them learning that life can be good if you find someone to share it with. This song encapsulates that perfectly.

Spell - Dora Jar

I wanted this one to be the last one of the chapter because it introduces the idea of leaving together.

× Imogen and Laudna run away together ×

“Would you run away with me?” They learn what it’s like to have a home that’s not a place, but something entirely new. The past still follows but they’re no longer crushed by it, because they don’t have to sustain it on their own.

Departure - Daughter

Second child, restless child - The Oh Hellos

Just the two of us - Grover Washington, Jr.

I really like to imagine Imodna slice of life scenes when I listen to this song.

Dandelion Wine - Gregory Alan Isakov

Homesick - Dwara, Khotton Palm

Graceland Too - Phoebe Bridgers

When I realized how much of a Laudna's POV this song is, I almost cried.

Telepath - Manchester Orchestra

I really really like Manchester Orchestra, it's one of my favorite bands. I never let go of the chance of spreading them around, and this one is the best song they have. Laudna's POV for sure.

everything i wanted - Billie Eilish

With songs like this one and Intertwined, I wanted to introduce the idea that even though they're definitely better off now that they left the town, that doesn't instantly solve all of their problems. As I said before, the past follows, but they're no longer alone with it.

Savior Complex - Phoebe Bridgers

Intertwined - Dodie

Nothing else matters - Phoebe Bridgers

As long as they're together, nothing else matters.

× You lied ×

Even though I only have a few songs for this precise moment of the story, I thought that it was very important to include their first fight. The gem is broken and Imogen feels betrayed. Laudna is left abandoned and thinks she deserves to be punished for Delilah’s wrongs. We explore jealousy for the first time.

Witches - Daughter

The silence at the end of this instrumental song represents the loneliness that Laudna felt when Imogen left her alone after her incident with Delilah

Landfill - Daughter

There are two possible ways of reading into this one. This is in my opinion a Laudna's POV. She could either be talking to Imogen, expressing her deep rooted desire for a punishment for what she’s done; or to Delilah, alluding to the attachment she has to her own powers (that at least as far as she knows are there because of Briarwood) opposed to the hatred she feels for her and for herself for wanting those powers (this is a theme that they explore later on future chapters)

Are you okay? - Winnetka Bowling League

Afterglow - Taylor Swift

The archer - Taylor Swift

× Laudna’s death ×

Otohan Thull relentlessly kills three members of Bells Hells. A coin is flipped and Laudna is gone, again. What awaits beyond the afterlife? Perhaps a little girl, a monster and a tree.

DVD menu - Phoebe Bridgers

If death’s not exactly DVD menu by Phoebe Bridgers, then someone tell me what’s like because I can’t imagine otherwise. I freaking love how this song connects with Daffodil.

Daffodil - Florence + The Machine

Death with dignity - Sufjan Stevens

Bells in Santa Fe - Halsey

I like to imagine that Laudna didn't appear in Nightmarish Whitestone immediately. Up until this point, she's in a limbo, accepting her own death. Bells in Santa Fe marks the moment she sets foot in that Upside-down kind of world. The constant repetition of “All of this is temporary” is like a mantra for her, the only hope she has of getting through it with her sanity intact is believing that this will also end and she will finally find peace.

Willow Tree March - The paper kiss

Hard times - Ethel Cain

Tether me - Galleaux

With this song and the next one, I wanted to express desperation. We don't get to know in the series how she feels throughout all of this, but I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been. There's a point where anyone would have started begging for help.

Matilda - alt-J

× Imogen’s grief ×

“Is she your favorite?”. Imogen feels deeply guilty for what happened. The possibility of bringing Laudna back is the only thing that’s keeping her from losing it completely. All the regrets, all the words she wishes she said before, all the times she didn’t approached her when she wanted to, come afloat. Grief, disassociation and sorrow.

Words - Storefront Church, Phoebe Bridgers

This song is meant to represent the exact moment of Imogen floating and losing control, with Otohan in her head pushing her to let go.

Goner - Twenty One Pilots

No other song in existence can express better the moment Imogen realize Laudna's gone for good.

Lanterns lit - Son Lux

True Faith - Ashley Johnson

Hurt for me - SYML

Carry you - Novo Amor

My love - Florence + The Machine

Lucky for you - Novo Amor, Gia Margaret

Killer + the sound - Phoebe Bridgers, Noah Gundersen

Should have known better - Sufjan Stevens

Ya'aburnee - Halsey

Show you a body - Haley Heyderickx

Imogen (even Laura) loses hope for a moment during the ritual they do for bringing Laudna back. The end of this song summarize this repeating a lyric over and over (you can clearly see through this playlist how much I love repetition).

× Back together ×

After Bells Hells confront Delilah at the Upside-down-Whitestone of Laudna’s nightmares, Pike manages to bring her back to life. Imogen and her are back hand by hand, and nothing can ever tear them apart again. Here’s where I think something awakes inside them, but they are far from realizing it.

I am the Antichrist to you - Kishi Bashi

Like an angel “fallen from the sky with grace”, Laudna’s back on Imogen’s arms.

Darling - Halsey

This love (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift

Now that you're home - Manchester Orchestra

Lose you again - Manchester Orchestra

Halloween - Phoebe Bridgers

But not kiss - Fayer Webster

Like I said, something changes after this. What they’ve been through is not nothing. This song is here to show that something is born deep inside them, on their subconscious far from their reach yet

× Back to Gelvaan ×

Same as with the “You lied” chapter, I felt that this one was important even though I just have one song for it. It just matches perfectly. Imogen and Laudna visit Imogen’s hometown and the place where they met, searching for answers. Old wounds, some closure and an emotionally absent father.

My tears ricochet - Taylor Swift

× Tethered ×

In this chapter the platonic bond is peaking. It takes place right before The Unraveling, giving in to the “Can I kiss you?” phase and becoming romantic. They’ve been through hell and back just to stay together. This is my personal favorite bit of the playlist, everything is extremely intense but not yet explicit.

Tethered - Sleeping at last

I Will - Mitski

Anchor - Alli X

Don't let them see you cry - Manchester Orchestra

Crosses - José González

Quietly - Manchester Orchestra

Francesca - Hozier

Moon song - Phoebe Bridgers

Capital Karma - Manchester Orchestra

Everywhere, everything - Noah Kahan

In a week - Hozier

Monster - King Princess

j's lullaby (darlin' i'd wait for you) - Delaney Bailey

I will follow you into the dark - Miya Folick

I wouldn't ask you - Clairo

× Can I kiss you? ×

Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The beggining of something new, the next and most logical step of this journey. The platonic becomes romantic and they get to truly explore the feelings they always had, and some novel ones. This is the moment I know less about, but I’ve used my imagination and my own headcanons.

Can I - Genevieve Stokes

I debated a lot whether to put this one at the end of the last chapter or the beginning of this one because I don't know how relevant Laudna's death is up to this point, and there's a huge reference to this in this song. I know for a fact that the Delilah’s plot is not over and things will change, but I couldn't resist the urge to put it in here, given the name of the song and its obvious connection to the chapter.

We'll never have sex - Leith Ross

Wading in Waist-high Water - Fleet Foxes

This is the last time - The National

All my ghosts - Lizzy McAlpine

Prière pour la nuit - Barbara Pravi, November Ultra

Chewing Cotton Wool - The Japanese House

Bandages - Rachel Bobbitt

This is it, this is The Ultimate Chronological Order Imodna Playlist. I don't know if I'm the first one doing this, probably not, I don't know if this has any value to anyone beyond myself, but I had a hell of a lot of fun. If only one person were to read this till the end I would be more than satisfied.

I’ll link here the playlist that started all of this. Massive respect for this person whoever it is, I took lots of the songs from here

Infinite thanks to anyone who gets here or saves my playlist, feel free to respond with any song that you think adds to the story!! Something tells me this isn't the end of my Imodna brainrot so,,,, more things could be on their way (a fanfic, perhaps?).

No idea how to end this so… long live Lesbian Southern Gothic Witches!!!

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haddonfieldwhore · 11 months ago

Text

sparks fly - will borgen

will borgen x fem!reader (part social media)

summary: you bring you favourite player a birthday gift at a kraken practice

warnings: this is pure delusion lol enjoy, fluff 🧸 please pretend the game on dec.20th was at home not in california

word count: 1.8k (i had to split it in 2 parts)

10:39am - you

you smiled excitedly as you snapped a picture of the ice, waiting for the kraken to come out for their practice. it was always fun getting to see the team on the ice in a slightly less stressful environment; no points on the line as they got ready for their next game. at the few practices you had been to, you normally didn’t try to draw much attention to yourself. you weren’t too confident in your artistic ability, so bringing a sign was out of the question, but you were hoping you would be able to get the attention of one specific player today.

it was a long shot and you knew that, but with it being your favourite player, will borgen’s birthday tomorrow, you were hoping to get a chance to give him a gift. it was overdone at this point, a simple beaded friendship bracelet with his number on it, but you wanted to show your appreciation for the kraken defensemen. there was a fair number of people scattered around the glass with signs as the players came out and skated around, and you felt yourself growing nervous. you were starting to regret not bringing a sign, and decided to type out a message on your phone in case any players came close enough to read it.

you held your phone up against the glass, and to your relief it wasn’t long before someone skated past and stopped to read it. matty beniers squinted at the small font, but smiled at you and raised his hand to say ‘one second’, before skating off towards the others. you watched as he tapped borgen on the shoulder, pointing in your direction as he said something you couldn’t hear from so far away.

you smiled as number 3 skated over to you, and you quickly typed out happy birthday on your phone to show him. he smiled back at you as you held up the bracelet, and he gestured for you to toss it over the glass. you surprisingly managed to get it to him in one try, will catching it in his bare hand, having removed his glove.

“thank you,” he said, his voice muffled by the glass and the noise of the other players skating around.

“you’re welcome,” you smiled, and he tapped the glass softly with his gloved hand before skating a few feet away to grab a stray puck off the ice, and motioning to you that he was going to toss it over the glass to you. you nodded, catching it carefully in your hands. he smiled at you one more time before joining okeksiak as he skated by, heading back to the rest of the guys.

heart still pounding in your chest, you went back to your seat, posting a picture you had taken earlier on your story while you waited for the guys to actually begin the practice.

distracted as you looked down at your phone, you failed to notice the pale green set of eyes that lingered on you from the ice. your eyes drifted towards him instinctively, and there was a weird feeling in your stomach; kind of like butterflies but more like tiny fireworks. is this what people mean when they say they feel a spark? you thought. okay, you needed to relax; there was no way he was even looking at you..right?

•

2:10pm - will

“earth to will,” vince snapped his fingers in front of his face, bringing borgen back to earth and out of the trance he was in.

“sorry, what did you say?” he asked. will and a few of the guys were currently out for lunch after practice, and will had in fact been zoned out the whole time.

“i said what are you thinking about? you’ve been out of it since practice ended.”

“oh, nothing- sorry,” will tried to brush it off.

“he’s thinking about the win we’re gonna get tomorrow for his birthday and how we’re gonna celebrate, right borgy?” tanev asked with a grin, and will laugh, taking a sip of his drink.

“yeah!” he laughed, raising his drink for the guys to toast to a hopeful win over the la kings the next day. as will lifted his glass, matty noticed a blue bracelet on his wrist, and smiled to himself. he looked at will and raised his eyebrows before nodding towards his wrist. borgen blushed a light shade of pink, carefully adjusting his jacket sleeve to cover the birthday present. he was grateful that matty didn’t say anything out loud; though he was sure he would hear about it later.

back at home that night, will was scrolling through instagram, checking his feed to see what his friends had posted. he liked and replied to a few early birthday wishes messages, before deciding to check his tagged photos. there were a few from friends, and some from fans who had been at the practice, until his heart skipped a beat as he saw a familiar bracelet.

along with it was a photo from the practice, and a quick look at the profile confirmed that is was you, the girl he’d met at the iceplex; the person who had been on his mind ever since. will had never experienced something like this before - he had met and been gifted things by fans in the past, but you were stuck in his mind like glue.

will felt slightly like he was invading your privacy as he scrolled through your photos, but you wouldn’t have tagged him in the post if you hadn’t wanted him to see it.. right? he smiled at a carousel of photos of you goofing around with your friends, and recognized a few locations around the city in photos.

will saw that you had recently added to your story: a photo of him from the practice, and he found himself smiling again.

he double tapped on the story, a little heart appearing in the corner, and he was considering replying to it, when matty walked into the room.

“hey, what’s got you smiling like a kid on christmas?” he asked, and will laughed.

“i can’t be happy on my birthday? that’s kinda like christmas.”

“you’re staring at your phone a lot and smiling - do you have a secret girlfriend or something?” matty asked, grabbing a drink from the fridge.

“no,” will shook his head. “i’m not that good a liar, if i had a girlfriend you would know.”

“you’re probably right,” matty agreed, but gestured with his hand to wills wrist. “nice bracelet, by the way.”

“it was a gift,” will defended, fiddling with the beads gently. they were different shades of blue and green, some shaped like stars, and of course, the one with his jersey number on it.

“mhm,” matty teased. “from a pretty girl.”

“what does that have to do with-“

“dude you’ve obviously been thinking about her all day,” will rolled his eyes at his friend, but he knew he was right. “maybe she’ll be at the game tomorrow.” he suggested, and wills heart skipped a beat at the idea of it. it was such an obvious possibility, but the thought of it hadn’t crossed his mind.

“so what if she was?” he asked with a lighthearted sigh.

“all i’m saying is, if you wanted to see her again…” matty defended.

“do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“you’re allowed to meet people, borgs. i get what you’re saying though, so maybe just… be careful - i guess?” he said, patting will on the shoulder as we got up and headed upstairs.

“thanks that’s…” will sighed, realizing he was now talking to himself. “not helpful.”

•

9:15am - you

you woke up in the morning, rubbing your eyes before you threw a sweater over your head, stepping into your slippers. you grabbed your phone and walked downstairs to your kitchen, making a coffee and a piece of toast for breakfast and sitting down at the island sleepily.

you are you toast and almost choked on your coffee as you looked at your phone.

if that wasn’t enough, he had also liked your story and post about the practice, and you had to convince yourself that your weren’t still asleep, having some kind of dream.

you checked about three times to make sure it was really his account, not convinced despite the verified badge next to his name; but it was.

trying to not go too crazy about the fact that your favourite player had followed you, and that you had actually interacted with him the day before, you set your phone down for a moment. you finished your coffee, quickly doing the dishes and leaving them in the drying rack before going upstairs to have a shower, hoping the cool water would wash away some of the butterflies you were feeling.

•

10:02am - will

will sat on the couch at home, a cup of coffee on the table now cold from sitting there untouched for so long. after getting some sleep, he had thought for a while about if it was a bad idea to reach out to you; matty’s advice not helping him at all. he had come to the conclusion that following you couldn’t hurt, and had done it last night before crashing, wondering in the morning if he had made a mistake, but also realizing that he was making a huge deal out of something rather small.

a new story from you appeared in his feed, and he clicked on it curiously.

he thought for a second - or maybe he didn’t think - and swiped up to reply to the story.

“hey man, if you have a girl and don’t want to tell me-“ will almost jumped at the sound of matty’s voice, not having heard him come downstairs.

“i don’t,” will insisted, which was true.

“no way- you’re texting her aren’t you? the girl who gave you the bracelet!” the younger man smiled, and will sighed.

“yeah, alright fine. i found her instagram,” will admitted.

“nice, dude. show me a picture of her,” he asked, and will showed him the most recent one. “she’s gorgeous dude, good job.”

“don’t say good job-“

“she’s into you!”

“we don’t know that,” will argued, not wanting to get ahead of himself. matty wasn’t having it, and grabbed wills hand, holding up the wrist with the bracelet, which will had decided to wear again today.

“dude, she’s so into you. just see what happens. is she coming to the game?” he asked, and will shook his head.

“i asked her, she said she doesn’t have a ticket.”

“if only we knew someone close to the team who could get her one- oh wait! we’re on the team, idiot,” matty laughed at his housemate. “send her a ticket. she gets to go to the game, and you get to see her; it’s a win win.”

“are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“borgs, i’m not saying marry her, but why not? it’s just a game.”

will nodded, quickly getting a ticket to the game and replying to your message, not meaning to have left you on read for so long.

❥ click here for part two

disclaimer: all screenshots, events, and/or interactions depicted in this are a work of fiction. i have no association with any parties mentioned

#will borgen fic #will borgen x reader #will borgen kraken #will borgen imagine #will borgen #seattle kraken fic #seattle kraken #seattle #kraken nhl #seattle kraken hockey #kraken #nhl imagine #nhl fic #nhl fanfiction #nhl players #nhl #nhl hockey #real person fiction #social media

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thenovelartist · 1 year ago

Text

Life After Destruction - Chapter 3 - Honkai: Star Rail

It was the morning of their departure from the Luofu, and Stelle was getting dressed for the day.

Er... trying to.

“You couldn’t have marked me elsewhere?” she commented as she stared at herself in the mirror. More specifically, at the red marks across her neck and shoulders. “Like, somewhere easier to hide?”

“Heat of the moment,” Dan Heng dismissed with a gleam in his eyes.

She shot him a frown, watching with dismay as the marks she’d given him in return were easily hidden beneath his shirt collar. “Why am I the only one paying for it?” she muttered, looking through her clothes once again.

A pair of arms wrapped around her torso from behind. “Sorry,” Dan Heng whispered before pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

“I’m not going to forgive you so easily,” she grumbled, unsure if it was aimed at him or a reminder for herself.

“Then would you like me to help you find something to cover them?”

She shook her head, reaching for a shirt to examine. “No, it’s fine. You’re welcome to head out to breakfast first. I’ll meet you out there.”

“Are you certain?”

“Unless you want to listen to me continue to complain.”

He huffed, amused. “Then I’ll see you at breakfast.”

“See you.”

They shared a quick kiss before he slipped away and out of the room, smile on his face all the while.

With a disappointed sigh, she put the shirt in her hands down only to pick up another. It was plain white, but it had a high collar. She put it up to her chest in deliberation. Sure, it went with her skirt, but if she paired it with her favorite jacket, she was bound to get a comment from Himeko as to why she was wearing a high collar when she usually didn’t. And that was a question Stelle did not want to answer.

But then she caught sight of her hair sticks, ones Dan Heng had so carefully removed and set aside last night. Could she pull off the high collar if she wore her hair up with it?

Well, there was no harm in trying.

After putting on the shirt and her jacket, she decided it wasn’t too bad, although a little strange with the differing necklines. She looked through her collection of hair sticks, selecting one that boasted a brilliant orange flower. She remembered this one fondly, seeing as it was the first accessory Dan Heng had gotten for her claiming it reminded him of her eyes. For as little Dan Heng cared about objects, he sure took his time to select meaningful gifts for her. It made them all seem so precious.

She twisted her hair up, securing it with the stick then trying her best to get a good look at it in the mirror.

And hey, it didn’t look half bad. Hopefully, her hair would be enough to distract others from her high shirt collar. Maybe this way, she could pull off the excuse of trying to emulate the Luofu style today.

Yeah, she could totally do that.

With a newfound confidence, she headed out to the parlor car, where everyone was probably waiting for her by now.

“Ah, there she is,” Himeko greeted.

“Hey!” March added on. “You have your hair up!”

Stelle hoped her smile wasn’t awkward. “Y-yeah.”

“It’s cute!” she continued.

“It is,” Himeko agreed. “You should wear it like that more often.”

“I know, And I’d like to…” Stelle remarked, taking her seat between her husband and March at the breakfast table. “But they sometimes come loose in a fight.”

"You could avoid fighting all-together, you know," Dan Heng teased, reaching out to gently touch a silk petal.

"It's not like I look for fights," she lightly returned. "But I never know what will come my way as a Nameless, and I don't want to lose them."

“If you do, I’ll get you another."

“I’d rather take care of the things you give me."

“Ugh,” March grumbled, her nose scrunching as she pouted. “You two are so cute. When will it be my turn?”

“Maybe one day, March,” Welt calmly spoke. “Although, it’s hard to find someone as a Nameless. You might have more luck if you settled down somewhere.”

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” she countered.

Himeko giggled. “Maybe the universe will bring a new traveler just for you.”

“A girl can hope,” March sighed, dropping her chin into her hands. “So, we finished our business at the Xianzhou, right? Where are we headed now?”

“Well, considering our final member has gotten a clean bill of health, we can start exploring again,” Himeko answered. “I’ve already planned our itinerary for the next few months."

Welt hummed, frown on his face. “You say that as though we’re going for fun and not to clean up a mess Nanook left for us.”

At that, a wave of dread hit everyone at the table. Nanook may have been defeated but it came at the cost of shooting stellarons across the cosmos. Meaning that they were on clean-up duty for life.

“Well,” Himeko chirped, trying to keep up her positive attitude. “At least we’ll never be able to say we’re bored?”

“I think I’d rather be bored,” March grunted.

“I second that,” Stelle tiredly agreed.

“If Stelle’s agreeing with me, that’s a bad sign!”

Welt and Himeko both chuckled while Dan Heng simply shook his head in amusement.

“Even so,” Welt said. “We have a duty as the Nameless to help in whatever capacity we can. And that includes hunting down stellarons. However, I would like to mention that for our next stop, I think Stelle should stay on board.”

“Huh?” Stelle’s eyes widened.

“I agree,” Himeko said, giving Stelle an apologetic look. “You only just got a clean bill of health after giving us quite the scare. I think that for the next couple of missions, it would be best for you to stay with the Express until the situation can be assessed. Once we determine the situation is stable, then you can go explore.”

“As much as I hate to admit it,” March cautiously added. “I agree with them.”

“Et tu, Brute?” Stelle bemoaned.

“Sorry!” March cried. “But… we were really worried about you.”

Stelle sighed, a slightly bitter smile making its way across her expression. Yet, despite everything, she couldn’t say this came as a surprise, nor could she say they were being unreasonable. Her family was concerned for her, and she didn't want to worry them any more than she had. “No, I understand. I guess I have no choice but to behave.”

Underneath the table, Dan Heng patted her leg. She spared him a glance, only to see a sympathetic look on his face. She didn’t need to ask where he stood on the matter; she knew full well that while he thought it was for the best, he still felt sorry for her.

“I can stay with you,” he suggested. “If you’d like.”

She shook her head. “Something tells me you’re itching to get back out into the field. And you’ve been on Stelle-care duty for so long that I think forcing you to go out might be better for your sanity.”

“I’ll stay with Stelle,” Welt offered. “Since I know Himeko is getting antsy, too.”

The woman in question hid her sheepish smile behind her coffee mug as she took a sip.

Stelle bit back a teasing retort of her own. It was no small wonder Himeko was antsy considering she was the first of the crew to get the all-clear. However, that came as no surprise since she’d been at the rear, holding down the fort, but Stelle never once envied Himeko for her "seemingly safe" position. That woman had been in charge of the home camp, doing everything from managing communications between fleets, monitoring the medical units and the transport of the injured, and rationing supplies. She’d also been the first on scene whenever trouble managed to slip through their rear guard, a sector that had been led by Welt. She’d hardly been sitting on her laurels and sipping coffee while the galaxy had gone to hell.

“Then it will be me, Himeko, and Dan Heng,” March piped up. “Which I’ll only be okay with as long as Dan Heng promises not to fuss over Stelle the whole time.”

Dan Heng narrowed his eyes at her.

Sniggering, Stelle leaned back in her seat in a pitiful attempt to escape being in the middle of the rivalry.

“You know I’m not exaggerating!” March quipped. “Every time you have to be separated from Stelle, you get all mopey.”

“I do not.”

“Yeah, you do.”

“That’s enough,” Welt cut in before the two could really get started.

“Anyway,” Himeko said. “To get back on topic, I do believe Pom-pom said we were going to hit warp-speed right after breakfast.”

“I’m assuming that the preparations involved with that is why our conductor is not eating breakfast with us,” Welt asked.

Himeko nodded.

Which made sense. Stelle had been wondering where their adorable conductor was.

“We should arrive within two days,” Himeko continued. “Barring any unforeseen circumstances. So I hope everyone is ready for our next adventure?”

Despite knowing what danger they were bound to be facing and the hard work they had ahead of them, Stelle knew everyone at the table was genuinely excited. As was she. This was their life: maybe a bit chaotic but worth living nevertheless. Even if their first “normal” adventure after the war was her staying with the train, she’d take it.

However, if they only had two days before arrival, that meant there was one little loose end to wrap up before starting off that new adventure.

Subtly as she could, she snuck a glance at her husband. Well, she supposed she would have plenty of time to talk to Bailu about the results of a certain experiment if she were to stay back on the train. She’d just have to pin her husband down before he left.

~~~

March had fallen over… again.

Dan Heng had long come to accept she’d never learn.

Other than that, the day of travel had been blissfully uneventful. He’d spent it organizing data files on the planet they were bound for in order to best prepare everyone for their stop. And while he was not looking forward to cleaning up stellaron crisis after stellaron crisis for the foreseeable future, he wouldn’t deny that getting back to traveling through the stars and exploring was much preferable to waging war against an aeon.

Having finished his shower, he headed back to his room, only to be greeted with the sight of his wife standing shirtless in front of the mirror as she applied Bailu’s salve to her scar.

Speaking of Bailu’s medication…

Shutting the door behind him, his eyes drifted over to the nightstand where a seemingly innocuous piece of candy lay. Maybe he had been too emotional last night to think straight about the medicine because all day long, his previous concerns had been haunting him. No matter how many times he told himself this was to help Bailu help others or simply to indulge his wife, the bad feeling that had slowly been growing inside him wouldn’t disappear. However, he knew they’d have to try it tonight, so he did his best to mentally prepare for it.

“Hey, perfect timing,” Stelle said, turning away from the little mirror on their dresser to face him. “Get over here.”

With a sigh, he did as told, slipping out of his shirt as he made his way over.

She smiled as she began swiping salve from the little jar to rub over the wounds on his shoulders. “Bailu gave me the all-clear to use this on you, by the way,” she said.

“Oh? You messaged her?”

“Yeah, just so she’d know I’d have to replace it sooner. She said that it was fine and she was happy to make some for all the crew if they needed it.”

“That’s nice of her,” he said, trying to focus on anything other than his wife’s tender touch. Or the fact that her teal-colored sports bra was one of his favorite things to see her in.

“Mm-hmm,” Stelle agreed. “Now, turn around.”

That he could do.

“And you think my scar’s bad,” she muttered.

He tensed at her warm touch, a sharp contrast to the slightly cool salve. “Is it ugly?”

She hummed in deliberation. “Mine is uglier; yours is bigger. They’re both bad in their own ways.” She then pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “But I still love you.”

He couldn’t hold back his smile even if he wanted to. “Love you, too.”

It hardly took any time for Stelle to finish applying the salve. “There. Done.”

He heard the clink of the lid being set back on the jar, but he didn’t turn around. Instead, his gaze was once again drawn to the nightstand. More specifically, to the little piece of candy on it. He walked over to grab it.

“So, you’ve been thinking about it, too, huh?”

Dan Heng looked up just in time to see the mischievous glint in Stelle’s eye, one that always promised trouble. “Yes. Realistically, we’ll have to tonight so as to get back to Bailu in good timing.”

“Uh-huh,” Stelle smugly agreed as she stepped closer to him. “So, about that… I have a little proposition.”

Dan Heng quirked a brow at her. “And that is?”

“This was once used in illegal love potions, correct?” she asked, tapping on the candy in his hands. “So I thought the effects must be potent, particularly if Bailu was so careful to limit how much she used. I propose we resist these supposed effects as much as possible. The first person to throw themselves at the other loses.”

Turning over the candy in his hands, he mulled over her words. “So, you’re saying you want to resist each other?” he asked for clarification. “Even though you originally wanted this to bring us together?”

“Well, originally, sure. But… last night…” A tinge of red touched her cheeks, softening that smug grin of hers. “We can get ourselves into enough trouble. And that’s… that’s way better than using an aphrodisiac for it.”

A fluttery feeling bubbled up in his chest at her words. He couldn’t find it in him to disagree with her.

“Besides,” she continued, “you’ll want to study the effects of this thing, anyway, so think of it as a challenge of how long you can keep your head on straight before you cave. And if it doesn’t do anything, then why force it? That’s the point of testing the aphrodisiac, right?”

“You’ve really thought this out.”

“I mean, isn’t that what Bailu wants from us? To make sure it’s not potent enough to cause trouble? Besides, I’m kinda curious, now. Like, is it really that strong, or is it a hoax?”

She did have a point. For all they knew, the little data that Bailu received could have been flawed. “A valid question.”

“Yeah, I thought so.” She puffed out her chest proudly. “So, what do you think?”

If he was being honest, he still wasn’t fully sure what to think. The uncertainty was still there, but she did make an interesting proposition. He’d been looking for a way to prepare himself all day, so Stelle's proposeal of a purely scientific approach seemed to be the best way to face this predicament he’d gotten himself into. “I will not lose to you. Data collecting is my specialty.”

“I know, but your wife is very competitive.”

That, he knew.

With a smirk, she took the candy from him and began unwrapping it. And after taking a step forward, her chest now mere inches from his, she put half the candy between her teeth.

All he had to do was lean forward to take it.

“I sincerely hope we do not regret this.” That said, he reached up to cradle Stelle’s cheeks. A giggle escaped her as he leaned forward, lips brushing hers as he bit off his half of the candy.

“I trust Bailu’s research,” Stelle quietly spoke around the candy in her mouth. “She did say she added what she deemed to be a safe amount. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“That is a question I’d prefer not to have answered.”

Chuckling, she stepped away from him. “Want to play a board game as we wait for this supposed love potion to kick in? It will give you a chance to record whatever data you find necessary, too.”

He huffed, a little bewildered by the suggestion yet unsurprised. Such was life with Stelle. “Sure, why not.”

“So, do you want me to put a shirt on, or can I keep tempting you?”

He looked her over, noting her teal sports bra and tight, red shorts she wore. She was showing a lot of skin, and Dan Heng would be lying if he said he didn’t find it attractive. But he was not one to cave to base desires so easily, no matter how tempting his wife was. Besides, he supposed it would be fair since he didn’t want to replace his shirt, either. The salve she'd put on him was quite pungent, and considering they didn't know how long it would take to fade out of their sheets or her shirt, it was probably for the best to let it air out instead of ruining more clothes. “It won’t make a difference.”

“Oh, you sound cocky.”

“There is a difference between cockiness and confidence, and it’s best not to mistake them.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “For that, I’m choosing the game. You just go write down your data or whatever.”

He snorted. Maybe this night wouldn’t be so bad.

And maybe he spoke too early.

No, he definitely spoke too early.

Because by the end of the second game, he was feeling the effects very, very strongly.

“You’re really red,” Stelle observed, concern wavering in her voice.

One glance at her proved she wasn’t fairing much better. “You are, too.”

“I might be, but I don’t look like I’m dying.”

That was true. On the contrary, the flush of her cheeks only added to her beauty. It made the red hints in her golden eyes glow all the brighter. But the longer he stared into those eyes of the woman he loved so much, the faster his heart raced and, consequently, the harder it became to catch his breath.

“You need me to take notes?” she asked.

“You’re taking your own notes, right?” he said, forcing his eyes down to the paper and pen at his side. “I… I can take mine.”

He focused on picking up the pen, checking the time, and then describing his symptoms to the best of his ability. And once he managed that, he made a note of just how hard such a task was to do. It was a struggle to focus on anything, and the pounding in his head wasn’t helping any, either.

“Okay,” he said, taking a heavy breath before turning back to the board before him. “Shall we play another round?”

“Are you up for it?” Stelle asked, calling his attention to her again. “Maybe you should go lay down."

He shook his head, which was a terrible idea because it caused his world to start spinning. “No, I’m fine. I can keep going. I… won’t lose this bet.”

Stelle grimaced in concern but soon picked up one of the game pieces. “Alright.”

They made it halfway through the game before Dan Heng was seriously debating giving up. His chest felt uncomfortably tight, and his head was pounding as though he'd taken a beating. But worst of all was how intensely focused on Stelle he found himself to be. On her golden eyes, the pretty color that stained her cheeks, the marks he’d decorated her shoulders and chest with last night.

That thought sent a possessive feeling coursing through him, his gut tightening and breath hitching at the warm rush. Mine. The errant thought popped up and wouldn’t leave.

In a second of sanity, he slammed his eyes shut and hung his head. Get a grip, he warned himself.

“Dan Heng?”

He held his hand up in a motion to give him a minute to pull it together. Then, in an act of desperation, he allowed himself to transform into his vidyadharan appearance. He preferred hiding it as much as possible with few exceptions: whenever they went to see Bailu being the main one. But on the flip side, the one place he hated this appearance was when he was with Stelle in private. Hiding it made him feel normal, like his past didn’t have a hold on his future. And it was a comfort that Stelle happily accepted him just like that.

But right now, dropping that disguise allowed him just a touch more energy to focus on fighting… whatever the hell was going on with him at the moment.

When he looked back up at his wife, he was met with her wide-eyed bewilderment. “Sorry,” he grunted out. “Bear with me.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but it took a few seconds for the words to come out. “It’s fine, but if we need to stop this, say so. You’re worrying me.”

Great, that was exactly what he’d not wanted to do. “I’ll be fine.”

She didn’t look like she believed him in the slightest.

Which was fair. He wasn’t sure he believed himself. “Let’s just… finish this game.”

“Okay.”

In the end, she’d won, but he would hardly protest the loss. He felt like he was dying between the physical effects and trying to keep the ever-increasing desire for his wife under control.

“I’m calling off the bet,” Stelle said, concern carved into her features. “You need to go lay—”

“Don’t touch me,” he warned, shooting her a glare as she reached for him. He didn’t want to snap at his wife, but that was far better than snapping on her. “I… I don’t want to hurt you.”

There was a pause as she pulled her hand back. “Are you really okay?”

As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn’t lie to her or himself. “No.”

“Okay, so it’s bad,” she muttered to herself. He barely heard it considering how his head was spinning and his ears were ringing. “Still, you need to lay down. I’m really worried for you.”

“I should leave.”

“What?”

He forced himself to stand but ended up leaning on the table for support when he almost lost his balance. “I’ll go sleep in the archives—”

“I’ll go sleep in the archives,” Stelle cut in. “Please, Dan Heng, just lay down.”

“It’s fine. You take the bed.”

“Not a chance.”

He looked up at her, a muddle of messy emotions rolling through him like the churning waters at Scalegorge. “Stay.”

“Make me.”

She spun on her heels to leave, but before she could take two steps towards the door, he grabbed her wrist, yanking her back towards him so hard she crashed into his chest. Except her touch felt like lightning, and a painful throbbing began pulsing through his body at their contact.

He scrunched his eyes shut. Keep it together, he mentally warned all while he felt like he was falling apart.

“Dan Heng.”

Her voice, sweeter than pure sugar, broke through his thoughts.

Keep it together.

That’s when he felt her lean even closer to him, and his hands tightened their already firm grip on her arms. “You’re not going to hurt me.”

“I don’t—”

“I trust you.”

And then she kissed him.

Something in him snapped, and he threw himself into her featherlight kiss with all the pent-up passion that had been brewing inside him, the rest of the side effects temporarily forgotten. He clung to her tightly as though he was terrified she’d disappear from his grasp at any given second, and she made a muffled moan in response.

Aeons, that sparked a fire in him.

Acting on impulse, he pushed her back, back, back until her knees hit the bed, and when she threw her arms around his shoulders to steady herself, he collapsed down with her.

Her touch burned him, but he craved it, his skin feeling like ice if it disappeared. Between this fervor and the other dizzying symptoms, the world had faded away, leaving Stelle to be the only thing on his mind.

“I’m yours,” she murmured against his lips. “And I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t.” He wasn’t sure how he got those words out at all. He didn’t feel like himself. But at the same point, her words reached the deepest part of him, serving to bolster his rampant emotions and making it all the harder to do what he knew he should: bring this to a stop.

“But I do,” she countered, arching up against him and running her fingers over his shoulders. “And I always will.”

… Did he say he wanted to stop this? With his wife murmuring sweet words of encouragement like that in his ear and clinging to him like she would perish if he left?

Forget it. He had better things to do.

~~~

Stelle: Bailu.

Stelle: What in aeon’s name did you put in that little candy of yours?

Stelle: Because it is NOT safe for consumption.

Stelle sent off the texts to Bailu, then dropped her phone back on the bedside table. She couldn’t move much more than that, seeing as she had a dead tired vidyadhara laying on top of her.

With a sigh, she began stroking his long hair. It was a very rare occurrence for Dan Heng to be in his vidyadharan form, even more so when he was here in the Astral Express. But he’d never made love to her in that form before, making last night an exception beyond exceptions. It wasn’t like it had been any different, but she had to admit it was fascinating to know his eyes almost glowed in the dark. She wasn’t sure if she liked it or if she found it unnerving, particularly when they were focused on her so intently.

A ding echoed in the silent room. Surprised at the quick response, Stelle reached over to blindly fumble for her phone.

Bailu:( ⁰д⁰) What happened?

Indeed, that was the question. Stelle was still trying to piece everything together herself. Last night felt like a dream, her mind hazy. But the new lovebite marks dotting her skin and ache wracking her body certainly proved something happened. A very intense something.

Stelle: Let’s just say the aphrodisiac has very different effects on different species. Particularly Vidyadharas.

An understatement, Stelle thought. A massive understatement.

Stelle: I only just escaped with my life.

Bailu: (o_O) ?

Bailu: Is Dan Heng okay?

Stelle: He is breathing.

Stelle: I would have put you through the reincarnation process myself if he was not.

Bailu: ( ＞Д＜ ) I’M SORRY!

Bubbles appeared for three seconds before vanishing again. And they didn’t return for some time.

Bailu: Can I call you? I’d like to hear all the details.

Stelle: I have a sleeping Vidyadhara on top of me. I dare not wake him.

Stelle: It was a rough night for him.

When it took longer than a few seconds to get a response, it clicked what Stelle had just admitted. She knew she could be shameless at times, but realizing just what she had said, and specifically what could be implied from that, was a little much, even for her.

Oops.

Eventually, just as Stelle was about to put her phone back down on the nightstand, it dinged.

Bailu: Noted.

Bailu: Then if you wouldn’t mind typing everything out, I could have notes to refer back to.

Bailu: Start with you. How do you feel?

Stelle paused as she sorted through her thoughts, throwing her shame out the window as she tried to be as accurate as possible.

Stelle: Within twenty minutes, I was warm, but not hot. Racing heart. Notably increased attraction to my husband. And I was very sensitive to touch.

Her face flared at the memory of him grabbing her, yanking her back against him. Her heart had pounded like a drum, a needy warmth flooding her chest, and everywhere their skin touched had ached. Everything after that was a blur, her mind having shut down. But Bailu didn’t need to know those details.

Bailu: Do you have any side effects this morning?

Side effects? Well… er… she was feeling incredibly exhausted and a little sore, but with no small amount of embarrassment, Stelle realized that probably didn’t have anything to do with the medicine. But the way her head was spinning and the sledgehammer pounding behind her eyes was notable.

Stelle: Tired? But that might have been because I was awake late into the night.

Stelle: and a headache. Dan Heng also mentioned he was feeling one very strongly last night.

Bailu: Anything else?

Stelle: No, that was about it. For me, at least, as a short-lifed human imbued with a stellaron.

Bailu: Noted.

Bailu: So, what happened to Dan Heng???

Stelle sighed. Where did she even begin?

Channeling her inner Dan Heng, Stelle tried to be as logical and data-focused about this whole thing as she could be.

Stelle: I can’t speak for him, so you’ll have to ask for specifics later, but I can do my best.

Stelle: Twenty minutes in, and he was experiencing similar symptoms to me, but seemingly more intense. He was really flushed, and he was breathing heavily.

Stelle: Within five minutes after that, he transformed into his Vidyadhara form. His symptoms kept growing worse, and he was grabbing at his chest.

Stelle: I tried to help him, but he was so sensitive to my touch he snapped at me not to.

Bailu: Wait, what do you mean transform?

Oh, that's right. She didn't know.

Stelle: Dan Heng likes keeping his vidyadhara form hidden as much as possible. He only transforms for you or are on the Luofu in general.

Bailu: I didn't know that! Why?

Stelle: You best ask him for the details.

Bailu: Fine. :( Anything else?

Oh, there was. There absolutely was. But even if Bailu was a doctor and studying medicine, Stelle didn’t really find a need to explain anything beyond that.

Stelle: Um… ask him later.

Stelle: What I can say is that the effects lasted for about an hour before he finally passed out, and he was really suffering through them.

That was true, at least. Which made her feel intensely guilty about talking him into this in the first place. She’d been curious about the strength of this love potion, sure, and while she could say the symptoms could have been fun under the right circumstances, she never would have suggested playing with this aphrodisiac if she’d known how poorly they’d affect her husband.

Bailu: Understood. I’ll talk with him later.

Bailu: Thank you for doing this for me! I owe you both lunch next time you come back. I didn’t even think this would affect different species so differently! None of my research suggested that. I’ll be more careful with this medicine, then. Even if it means starting with a REALLY low dose and slowly upping the potency, it’s better than causing my patients to be negatively affected.

Stelle: Please do.

Stelle: Oh, and my guess is Dan Heng is going to chew you out later, so good luck.

Bailu:.·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·. Mercy, Stelle!

The figure lying over her stirred, calling Stelle’s attention. After setting the phone back down on the nightstand, she began stroking his hair.

With a light sigh, he relaxed against her. “Stelle?”

Aeons, that morning voice should be illegal. She wondered if he could hear her heart rate pick up at that rough, slightly groggy tone. “Morning,” she quietly spoke.

He grunted.

“Are you feeling okay?”

He took a few deep breaths. “Head. Hurts.” Each word he spoke was strained, speaking to just how bad his pain was.

Which only made her feel more guilty, but she’d apologize properly later. “Need anything?” she asked. “Water? Or sleep?”

“Tired.”

Feeling sorry for him, she lay a hand over his head, cradling it against her chest.

He seemed to relax under her touch.

“I’ll text Himeko to have breakfast without us. We can blame it on Bailu.”

He hummed. “’kay.”

After a moment of just holding her husband—and mentally running through a million apologies—Stelle reached for her phone, taking a moment to mull over just how to phrase things. Eventually, she settled on texting Himeko that both she and Dan Heng were feeling a little under the weather due to a reaction from some well-intentioned medicine.

Himeko had replied instantly.

With a smug expression emoji.

Himeko: No problem. You two just have fun in bed, okay. ;)

Stelle’s headache suddenly got worse. A lot worse.

Deciding she wasn’t going to respond to that, she opened up the text thread to Bailu again.

Stelle: Dan Heng still has a splitting headache to the point he can��t move.

Stelle: Forget Dan Heng chewing you out, you are in massive trouble with me for hurting my husband.

Bailu: =͟͟͞͞ =͟͟͞͞ ﾍ( ´Д`)ﾉ

Bailu: I’M SO SORRYYYYYY!!!

#honkai star rail #honkai fanfic #danstelle #romance

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castieldelamancha · 1 year ago

Text

3 days later.

The sound of the empty beer bottle he just sent rolling across the bedroom's floor knocking against the doorframe fills the silence around him.

It's almost a living thing this silence, Dean tiredly thinks to himself, it's pressing down on him, sucking out all the air in the room, asphyxiating him.

It's outside, but, to what would be Dean's horror if it wasn't because of the numbness that has taken over him, it's also inside of him, in his head, in his very soul. His own melody, a jumble mess of chords, a mix of gloom notes and bright tunes, seems to be over, now that what had felt for years as its companion piece is gone.

He must be going insane with this grief he feels, he has started to wonder if the darkness might had taken him too.

He lets his head fall backwards, resting it against Castiel's perfectly made bed. The emptiness of this space only seems to add to the silence around him. Don't get him wrong, there is furniture here, but no life, no soul, like Cas never existed, like he was a product of his imagination.

He stares up at the ceiling, he reminds himself he has to wash his jacket, get the blood out of it. He shakes his head. He was there, that's all the proof he needs to convince himself it was all real. Dean himself is still here, breathing and moving, he wouldn't say alive, but he is also proof it was all real.

He doesn't know how he has ended up here, in Castiel's room, sitting on the cold, unforgiving, floor by the bed, drinking the last drops of a beer that tasted like shit and that brought him no comfort.

He doesn't think there is something out there that can comfort him now, unless the wall would open right now and spit Cas out same way it swallowed him.

It doesn't happen of course.

He wonders if Cas can hear him, he doesn't think so.

"One last miracle," he says anyway, "fuck, I know I have asked for so much from you over the years," he struggles to swallow past the lump forming in his throat and he welcomes it, welcomes the tears he can feel filling up his eyes, because it's better to feel this sadness that nothing at all, "know you have sacrificed so much for me, for us, for this world; but Cas, I need one miracle, I need you back."

There are so many things Dean has to tell him.

Silence. Nothing. His soul seems to get a leave a message after the tone.

There are so many things he has to tell Cas, but not if he isn't here to hear him.

However, eyes still fixated on the ceiling, he whispers,

"It was always yours to have, all yours." Forever.

10 years later.

There is a fine layer of dust covering every surface around him, not too bad considering the time that has gone by since someone has last set foot in this room. More than five years, maybe, Dean isn't too sure about that.

It's quiet in here but, from the other side of the closed door the sound of laughter and conversation filters until reaching him. The bunker is bursting with life, hunters that come and go, a safe haven for so many. He doesn't feel like being part of all that right now.

He wouldn't have come around if he had realized he would still be here on this specific day.

The memories are painful enough far away from this walls as it is.

But, well, now it's too damn late.

He sighs, the wound is old, but on days like today it's still tender to the touch, like it never healed properly. He hums to himself, a silly little tune, he doesn't remember where it came from but that's okay, he likes it anyway, it keeps his mind distracted. He lets his head fall back, resting it against the perfectly made bed, the covers smell after years of disuse. It reminds him of the first time they explored the bunker bedrooms.

It was love at first sight, despite all the work they had ahead of them to make this place liveable again.

He doesn't miss it nowadays, he is thankful for what was his home when he needed one the most, but he has somewhere else to call a home now. Far away from here.

He doesn't know why he decided to come in when he walked by the closed door, but he is here now, sitting on the floor by the bed, not wanting to think about having to get up or about the pain he has started to feel in his left knee. He is not so young anymore.

He opens his eyes when there is soft knock on the door and a gentle voice calls out his name.

"C'mon in." He calls back, smiling to himself and closing his eyes once more.

There is the sound of the door closing again, light footsteps that stop next to him, a warm body that joins him on the floor.

"What are you doing in here?" He doesn't need to open his eyes to picture the squinty look that is being directed to himself.

"I came here, years ago" he says instead of giving a real answer, "I sat down right on this spot and told whoever was listening that I needed a miracle."

He opens his eyes, turning his head to the side to be able to look at Cas, smiling softly at him. His hair is messy as always but, just like Dean's, it's turning grey, paired with his deeping wrinkles Castiel has never looked more handsome to Dean. More alive.

"Did someone listen?" He asks, with a glint in his eyes that make Dean believe he already knows the answer to that question.

He plays along, anyways. Dean reaches to close his hand around Cas' and, lifting them both to get them closer to his face, he kisses Castiel's knuckles, one by one.

"It took a while, but I got my miracle after all." Dean looks away, he has been working hard, all these years, to feel more comfortable in his own skin, open up and say what he has to say, but still, sometimes, especially in days like this, when he is feeling too much; when he feels raw, emotional, it can be all a bit too much.

Castiel leans in, he presses his forehead against Dean's cheek.

"I had forgotten it was today, it seems the same thing happened to you."

Neither of them would have wanted to be here today.

Dean nods lightly. He looks up at the ceiling.

He focuses on their breathing, almost synced, calm and deep, he focuses on all the parts of them that are touching. He grips Castiel's hand tightly, nothing is taking him away, it would have to take Dean too.

Nothing is after them now, though, he allows himself to relax once more, heavily leaning his shoulder against Cas'.

He never washed the jacket, it's still here, he had to put it in Cas' closet, where he would never have to see it, unless he wanted to.

"I am glad" Castiel says after a long moment of shared silence, "I could tell you what I needed to say that day." Dean knows the weight of Castiel's guilt around those last moments, he has never regretted saving Dean, of course, he does regret the pain he caused.

Dean almost makes a comment about him being lucky because Dean remembers he couldn't get a single word out, but he has made his peace with that because, even though it took some time, he could tell Cas what he had been bottling up inside himself for years too, staring into his eyes, for the very first time, then a second time and now he has lost count.

"I still can't believe sometimes that, well-" he trails off, gesturing vaguely with his free hand.

"That you could have it all?" Dean ventures.

"Yes." It comes out in a strangled whisper. Dean turns his head again, dropping a kiss on Castiel's forehead.

"It will always be yours, all yours." Forever.

#destiel #november 5th #post s15 #the post s15 i deserved of course 😌#long post #ficlet #vanessa writes ✨#hoy hay 2x1 en ficlets como en el carrefour #tuserpris

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