#Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Home

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Common Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Home in Canada: Essential Tips for Sellers

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Avoid These 14 Mistakes When Selling Your Home

Don’t let these mistakes derail your home sale. Our blog offers practical advice on how to avoid common pitfalls and achieve a smooth and profitable transaction. Read more now.

[nelkcats]

Found Family

John Constantine fucked it up, Clockwork is happy with the result.

It's no secret that John Constantine sells his soul a lot, and that he's made dubious deals, it's his specialty after all. So it was no surprise when he offered his first born child to multiple entities as part of various deals, in his opinion there was no risk, it was impossible for a baby to be born because of him.

So when Clockwork witnessed a drunken Constantine offer up a newborn as payment for breaking the rules of time travel he just shrugged, he knew the British wouldn't even remember that specific deal and his job was to find the better timelines, the Flash Family sure is going to be his future headache.

Clockwork was pretty sure a child wouldn't be born anyways, the chances were too small; For once, Clockwork was wrong, he didn't know how to feel when little Daniel was born to one of Constantine's many exes, the woman seemed honestly devastated, she wanted to give the child a good life but didn't know how.

It seemed that she was about to call John, her hands trembling as she tried to remember the number, but before she could break the news the baby disappeared from her arms, vanished as multiple laughs were heard in the hospital room. The woman immediately understood and started cursing the bastard of her ex for being so stupid as multiple contracts with the idiot signature materialized in her hands.

Clockwork began to consider his options as he stood in the center of a room with all the contractors, he could fight for the baby, he was an Ancient, but what was the point? He looked at the baby, waiting for a signal to tell him what to do; the baby stopped crying and looked at his multiple watches, laughing with joy.

And then he saw it, the possibilities that before were almost zero began to show themselves, the multiple futures of the boy: celebrations, tears, laught, the painful part? Clockwork was in all of them.

Even when he didn't directly raise him he was always there, he could see that the boy loved him and he loved him back. Time made a mistake and fall in love with the concept: permanence, family, home, that baby was everything so he made his decision.

Without much trouble he fought against all the entities, many could call him a cheater but he didn't care, time was his domain.

With Daniel in his arms he carried him to his haunt, avoiding the gaze of the observants, the baby laughed as his core purred "Welcome home, Danny" he whispered watching as the blue eyes fixed on him.

It didn't take a couple of days for Clockwork to decide to break his contract, he couldn't care less about Constantine and he hated the idea that Daniel belonged to him like an object of some kind, however he couldn't destroy the damn thing until he was sure that all the other contracts were burned (and he made sure of it)

At the end of the week his baby officially belonged to him, Constantine was really an idiot for giving the precious boy in his arms to the worst people. Frostbite and Pandora approved but they were worried.

"He is a human child Clockwork, you know we don't doubt you, but he can't grow up in the realms, you can't run away from the observants and steal human food forever" Frostbite told him.

"He is officially yours, but you need to let him go until the right time" Pandora said, she knew she might be sounding harsh, but she needed to make him understand.

Clockwork was very aware, every time he pointed out a star to Danny from his screens, every time he wrapped his cape around him, every time he kissed his forehead, he knew he had to let the baby go, that the Fentons had lost a baby and would be willing to take care of him.

Hell, he knew he could take care of the child and infiltrate the damn house but how long would it be until he could hold his baby again? hug him? it was undoubtedly painful to know the future but to live in the present, having to do the things that hurt most.

So he did, leaving Daniel (Danny, he'd like to be called Danny in the future) with his star blanket wrapped around him, he kissed the boy's forehead, and placed a bright green note in his basket "His name is Daniel, take good care of him please, and take him to the moon since i couldn't do it -C.W", with one last look he sighed as he returned to the Zone

"Everything is as it should be" he said, watching Daniel with his time screens.

He didn't leave it like that, the Fentons were honestly very distracted, pretty bad parents if he was being honest but for some reason he knew Danny would love them.

So he took it upon himself to fill in the missing details: an anonymous birthday present, a hot meal, a recipe book, glowing stars, little aids that only the children noticed. Jasmine was quite grateful to him for that.

What if there were nights where Danny fell asleep with a voice singing to him? Or if the sound of the clocks calmed him down? It was his business at the end of the day.

The years passed, inevitable things happened that the master of time himself refrained from preventing (His baby had to die, fate was very cruel to return the boy to him in that way).

Clockwork congratulated himself for not speaking to the boy until he overheard the Observants talking about killing his son and panicked, eventually introducing himself and trying to stay calm while helping with "The Dark Dan Incident"

It was a tough trip, filled with many cardiac attacks and the desire to choke ghosts (but he had to remember that Danny needed those experiences, it was for the best), there were also threats towards Frostbite when he saw the rural paintings, at least both the Yeti and the Goddess kept quiet about the adoption.

He really didn't want to scare Danny by saying "Hey, your biological dad sold you to me and I owned your soul until I decided to adopt you but couldn't talk to you until now, surprise"

So he maintained his cryptic attitude towards the boy until much later (he also enjoyed being cryptic), when he nearly fainted upon realizing that Danny's core had adopted him as a mentor and father. The guy himself was embarrassed to admit it confessing asking Frostbite about it.

To explain it better he advised Danny to ask his parents about his adoption, the boy seemed confused but agreed. Clockwork wasn't surprised when the boy appeared in the tower a few hours later, teary-eyed and a familiar green note in hand.

You see, contrary to popular belief Danny was aware that he was adopted, his parents didn't try to hide it, quite proud of that fact, but whenever he asked about his biological parents they shrugged without knowing what to say.

Clockwork's request was strange so he decided to ask one more time, his parents told him again about the night they found him, when they took out a green note claiming it came with his basket; he took it in hand, the color, the letters and the writer of the note were obvious, but his parents affirmed they had no idea who C.W was.

With a thank you and a farewell he returned to the realms, the note trembling in his hand as he asked for answers. And he received them, Clocky looked heartbroken by his distrust, but he explained everything that happened from his birth to the present.

Suddenly everything made sense to Danny: the watches, the food, the gifts his parents claimed they hadn't bought, the singing; Clockwork had taken care of him the best he could, but he couldn't do much trapped under the observants control, he frowned at the last part but ended up hugging his father.

Ironically, that was also the day Danny decided to hate his biological father, John Constantine was a bastard who would only give him paperwork, and he had sold him! To multiple entities! If it wasn't for Clocky he'd be even more dead!

When Danny finally turned 18 and was officially declared Ghost King, his life became a thousand times easier and a thousand times more difficult.

On one hand he had managed to remove the observants who now worked for Walker, and he had managed to free Clocky, on the other hand, he had a thousand responsibilities fallen on his shoulders and he felt tired just thinking about it.

Declaring Clockwork his adviser was a good idea, although he always ended up pouting when he asked him if he wouldn't wish to be king in his place, Clocky was the king's father, shouldn't he be king instead? The master of time just laughed and shook his head, telling him to go back to his paperwork.

The days locked in his office with the thousands of papers in the name of John Constantine only increased his resentment towards his biological father, months in which he had to request a time out just to review a specific section.

————————

It was a normal day after a routine visit from Jazz and Dani when Danny was summoned, his pleasant evening with Clocky (and yes, he could call him dad many times but the nickname just stuck) was interrupted when he felt the summon, he gave a sigh of suffering asking his father if he would come along, he just shrugged as Danny disappeared.

On the other hand, the Justice League was tense, someone had warned about the release of Kronos in the world and Diana couldn't be more worried, they contacted Justice League Dark and they confirmed the presence of multiple gods of time being released.

It was Constantine who offered the solution to summon the Ghost king, if many of those entities were "dead" he should have control over them; And since it was rumored that he was a new king, they might have a chance to strike a deal.

The problem was that the result of the summon was a boy with Lazarus green eyes who stepped out of the circle, directing his hateful eyes towards Constantine, Danny would recognize the bastard anywhere, he had asked his dad to show him.

At first Batman assumed that the color of his eyes meant that the boy was induced by the same anger as Jason, this seemed to be reaffirmed when he spoke trying to remain calm "Why did you summon me, father?" was the boy's cold question.

Constantine seemed to be going through eight stages of duel in seconds as the League came to a standstill, Zatanna shot an incredulous look at her partner as a crown of ice and a white ring materialized on the boy, who crossed his arms.

The objects at least affirmed that this was the king they were looking for. Danny sighed and managed to calm down, this really was an unpleasant revelation, out of pettiness he cast his icy gaze at Constantine, freezing his feet to the ground.

It was then that Wonder Woman stepped forward, Batman was evaluating the entity next to her, even though he was calm his eyes remained the same, he had to reconsider his initial observations "Your Highness, we are here for a request"

"And what would that request be?" Danny questioned with boredom, once he had decided to ignore the Constantine in the room he simply put his mind in treat this as a business meeting.

"We have heard rumors about the release of Kronos along with multiple time entities, we fear that he is planning something against you or us" spoke the princess "We wanted you to confirm those suspicions and if they are true, help us stop them"

Danny frowned "His release doesn't concern you, even less if it's in my domain" he spoke seriously, he remembered that Clocky had told him that his lack of "management" by the observants could be read badly for the other realms, he knew that could include being confused for different entities, his father had many names at the end of the day.

"Your Highness, excuse the rudeness but I don't think you understand the seriousness of the matter" Diana said annoyed by the lack of reaction.

Danny just sneered "I think I totally get it, your sources are wrong, if they are free or not, they are not planning anything"

"I don't think it's your place to make such statements." Superman frowned.

"Oh really? I think it's my place to know if my dad is planning something" he let that revelation stay in the minds of the heroes, he wondered how many times they would be surprised in a day

"Sorry, I thought Constantine was your father?" Flash asked, sounding concerned.

"Constantine is my biological father, yes, however Kronos or whatever you call him is my adoptive father, he taked care of me since I was a baby" the halfa rolled his eyes.

"That's not possible, Kronos has been dead for a long time" Zatanna was worried by that new information.

"You have a God on your team and you wonder if it's possible to totally kill them? Because most of the time the answer is no" Danny shrugged.

"But he was trapped" Diana was sure of that.

"Yes, he was" Danny spoke, resentment ringing in his voice "I released him"

"Are you out of your mind!?" Green Lantern yelled, forgetting he was in front of a King "He obviously planned that, he probably plans to conquer the world!"

"Have you considered that he might be manipulating you?" questioned Batman with a soft voice.

"He's not manipulating me and he couldn't care less about the world, if he really wanted it he'd have it in seconds" Danny bristled at the calming victim tone and the sad eyes around him, honestly they were stupid, If Clocky wanted to rule the world, he would let it be instead of looking for a better future for everyone.

"Okay, everyone calm down, it's obvious that if he've been with him since he was a baby his influence has reached far, we should try to separate them and connect him with his biological father, everything will be fine son" Superman nodded.

"My son isn't going with some idiot wizard with no appreciation for his own soul" the topic of conversation in question appeared next to Danny, at the most dramatic moment possible.

Danny was about to yell at the heroes to stop treating him like a victim or a child when his dad put a hand on his shoulders, clearly trying to calm him down. He sighed and lunged at Clocky, hiding inside his cloak.

"Kronos what are you planning?" Diana spoke resentfully "manipulating a child is going too far"

"I was planning on enjoying tea at our house before some idiots decided to play being God" Clockwork rolled his eyes "And as much as it pains me to say it: Danny stopped being a child a long time ago, in case you forgot it he's a king, the king of all the dead and a god of his own"

"Is this your plan? become the King of the dead? Because you're not going to get away with it" Diana asked, suspicious.

"Do you have selective hearing? Cause I would love for dad to be king in my place but he really doesn't want to" Danny snorted "And since you're not going to treat this meeting seriously we're leaving, as much as I love the space this is really ruining it for me"

"You can not go away! You have to let us help you" Flash yelled worried.

"No, you don't have the right to decide that, so I'm going to go back home, drink my tea and make cookies with dad while you guys figure out how to thaw that bastard over there" Danny finally pointed at Constantine shivering in the cold as he looked at him in shock, Clockwork laughed at his side.

"I'd say it was nice to meet you, but it wasn't, don't expect much help from the dead, we're really not in the mood; go over tips on treating royals properly next time" Clockwork said a last goodbye and left.

Both the King and the God of time disappeared with the circle, along with the materials to perform the ritual; it seemed like they really didn't want to be contacted again

"That really didn't turn out as we expected" Billy muttered, he hadn't wanted to talk during the meeting because he didn't consider that either of the two beings was lying. They looked like father and son, just tired and fed up.

"We will have to evaluate this new threat, it is impossible that his words were completely true, Constantine, find out why that boy hates you so much" Batman ordered.

"I sold him" The hellbazer whispered.

"Sorry, what?" Zatanna stopped what she was doing.

"He hate me because I sold him" John passed his hands over his eyes "I didn't even consider this possible, I'm not supposed to have fucking kids, now it makes so much sense why she's avoiding me"

"She?" Superman asked

"Yeah, one of my exes tried to kill me, she keep yelling about me being an idiot and underestimating the consequences of my acts, I thought it was something normal, you know? I should have known better" He shrugged, the ice had melted but the cold stayed in his bones.

Batman took a deep breath, trying to calm down and not kill the man on the spot. "Who did you sell him to?"

"Many entities" Constantine bit his lip, embarrassed "could have sold him to Kronos for everything we know"

"You are a complete asshole and I understand why the boy does not want to see you" Zatanna spoke completely tired.

"So Kronos can own him for all we know? that's just awful" Diana was disgusted.

"It wasn't supposed to happen, evading contract liability is my specialty not dealing with the consequences" Constantine was stressed.

"This got much more complicated, we'll see how to break your son's contract and separate him from Kronos, maybe you can fix things after that" The dark knight spoke, he hated magic.

Billy refrained from mentioning that Kronos and the King didn't seem to be under a contract, or whatever his teammates were thinking, they looked like family, which for an orphan is pretty obvious.

But he knew that his companions wouldn't take his remarks seriously, so he just sighed in resignation. Maybe the League will remember that those two were from another dimension and royalty that they shouldn't anger, he really hopes they will remember soon.

For their part, Clockwork and Danny returned to their Tower now located next to the palace, deciding to prepare cookies for the visit of Sam & Tucker, one of the time screens was next to them, showing the League discussing the supposed problem.

Danny was quite annoyed that they were deciding things for him and calling his father bad but Clockwork brushed it off, they wouldn't get very far with the palace guards if they even managed to find a portal to the Realms, or even get to the palace itself.

"It's fine Daniel, everything is as it should be"

[dweeb-central]

yuu cooked too much ft. heartlabyul, floyd, malleus, & ruggie

guys i entered a fugue state & wrote angst?? hcs

mc is used to cooking for a big family & accidentally mistakes recipe proportions, leaving them w way too much food. scenarios of them asking diff twst boys if they'd want some, mentioning why. a bit downtrodden with no family to share it with...

trey, cater, riddle... are touched. trey & cater both have big families, & their eyes soften at the mention of yours. trey especially empathizes with you, before he began cooking and baking for the majority of his dorm he cooked & baked for his family. he identifies with the habits of buying groceries in bulk & the need to keep the house stocked with anything five or more people could ever need (just in case). cater's interested to see what kinds of foods you'll cook. make him something from your heritage! he'll magicam it <3 or just save the memory in a photograph if you'd prefer. he'd love to listen to you talk about recipes & regional preferences & tastes. that goes for riddle too! his mom kept him on a strict diet for his childhood, but now that he's got the opportunity he'd love to learn about your heritage & culture! as he grows more outgoing he's learned more about the cultures of his peers & he'd probably be one of the most qualified (& excited) to answer any questions or point out any similarities with twisted wonderland cultures.

floyd... blinks his big wide eyes once, twice, & then launches himself towards you to wrap his arms tight & pick up straight up off the ground. "awwww, shrimpy misses their troupe! shrimpy's aaalways welcome to bring me dinner! we can play house!! i'll be the dad, you'll be the mom, azul will be our baby, and jade... he can be the dog and go play outside or something." ('- , -) you better stop him before he gets ahead of himself. least likely of octavinelle to bother you about selling the recipe to azul ((he'll give you a cut of the profits!)). still makes you cook in the mostro lounge kitchen, but only because he wants you to grow to feel more at home with him & in an environment he's used to... that way when he gets serious about his & shrimpy's relationship....

the adeuce duo... both go... quiet, at the mention of your past. it wasn't something you avoided talking about when you were reminded of something relevant, or things you enjoyed or saw, but... you don't talk much about your family. they don't ask much about your family. deuce feels a twinge of guilt—he doesn't shy away from talking about his mom, & he loves her too dearly to be ashamed or shy. he wonders if they make you feel as loved as his does. ace wonders if he should ask you about them more often. he's not exactly shy about his own family, but he doesn't exactly ever seek to bring them up in idle conversation. he wonders what your siblings are like. they give each other a resolved look above your head when you're not looking, & now they regularly (as much as they can) come over for dinners at ramshackle! if you're comfortable with it, they invite all the first years too. you hope they feel as familiar & familial to you as you feel for them. they hope you know they do.

malleus... feels a twinge in the back of his throat—maybe behind his eyes? his truest friend feels alone, something he recognizes deeply. he hasn't lost anyone close to him like that—at least, he doesn't feel like it. his lonely was a different sort, where he's never really known family like you have. but, he considers, maybe no one at this school has had to sacrifice more than his prefect. he wonders what dinners were like with that many, & you tell him. the bickering, the debates, the movie nights & commentaries, the nights spent making s'mores(?) over the fireplace. he wants dinners like that with you. you invite him to.

ruggie... might invite you to spend some time over with his family. not immediately, no way, but the thought lingered in his head long enough for his throat to burn with the words (& his cheeks to burn in embarassment). in reality, he grins a big wide grin & laughs his mischeivous little laugh. "i'll NEVER say no to free food. feel free to keep it coming! shehehe." he ends up coming over to help you cook a few times a month. it's a good excuse to spend time with you over a dinner he knows was cooked with love.

i had to google what a group of shrimp is called lol. could've actually been troupe OR run OR colony. i wonder if it's ooc that floyd knows this.... i mean, he is a fish man, so 🤷

[iovebarca]

Returning Home - Pablo Gavi

Authors note: send me some requests!

WC: 1300+

warnings: incorrect grammar (probably), my first language isn't english so if you notice any mistakes please tell me, just fluff!

summary: your visit home takes an interesting turn.

You find yourself at the edge of your childhood town, where the houses are smaller, and the roads are narrower. The memories you buried resurface with each step you take down the familiar streets. Your parents have moved away, but you’re back to help with selling the old house. It’s been years since you were last here, and everything looks both familiar and alien.

You didn’t expect to feel so much, and the emotions that swirl inside you are a complex blend of nostalgia and regret. You wonder how much Pablo has changed since you last saw him. Your heart tightens at the thought of him, your childhood best friend, your almost-love.

The door to your old house creaks open, and a flood of memories rushes in. You recall the countless hours spent playing in the backyard, the late-night conversations, and the moments of unspoken affection that you and Pablo shared. You remember the summer evenings when the two of you would sit on the porch, your shoulders brushing against each other, the air filled with the scent of blooming jasmine and the sound of crickets.

Back then, you didn’t need words to communicate. A glance, a touch, a smile were enough. You both knew what the other was thinking. But as you grew older, the unspoken bond became more complicated. Pablo started to avoid you, his laughter no longer a constant presence in your life. The day he introduced his girlfriend, Sofia, was the day you felt a piece of your heart crumble.

You hear a knock on the door, and your heart skips a beat. It’s Mrs. Ramirez from next door, holding a plate of cookies like she always used to. She’s aged, but her smile is as warm as ever.

“Welcome back, dear. I saw the lights on and thought I’d bring you some of my famous cookies,” she says.

“Thank you, Mrs. Ramirez. It’s good to be back, even if just for a while,” you reply, taking the plate from her.

She nods, her eyes softening. “You know, Pablo still asks about you whenever he’s in town. He’s in town for the summer break.”

Your heart races at the mention of his name. “Oh, really? How is he?”

She smiles knowingly. “Why don’t you find out for yourself? He’s helping with the football clinic at the high school.”

You thank her and close the door, leaning against it. The thought of seeing Pablo again fills you with a mixture of excitement and dread. You decide to go to the high school, unable to resist the pull of your past.

The high school football field is bustling with activity, just like it always was during the summer. You spot Pablo almost immediately. He’s taller, more muscular, and his once-boyish face now has the chiseled features of a man. But his eyes are the same, warm and inviting, and when they meet yours, you see a flicker of recognition and something more.

“Hey,” you say, trying to keep your voice steady.

“Hey,” he replies, a smile spreading across his face. “It’s been a long time.”

“Yeah, it has. How have you been?”

“Good, good. Just busy with football and trying to give back to the community when I can. What about you?”

You both exchange the usual pleasantries, but there’s an undercurrent of tension, a thousand unspoken words hanging between you. The conversation lulls, and you both stand there, unsure of what to say next.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” Pablo asks suddenly.

You nod, and the two of you leave the bustling field behind. The streets are quieter now, the sun casting long shadows as it begins to set. You walk in silence for a while, the comfortable silence that once defined your friendship.

“I missed you,” Pablo says finally, breaking the silence.

You stop, turning to face him. “I missed you too. Why did you pull away?”

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I was scared. Scared of what I felt for you. Sofia was...a distraction, a way to try and forget.”

“Did it work?” you ask, your voice barely a whisper.

“No,” he admits, looking down. “I thought it would, but it didn’t. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I couldn’t stop wishing things were different.”

You reach out, touching his arm gently. “Pablo, I felt the same way. But I was scared too. I thought you didn’t want me.”

He looks up, his eyes filled with a mixture of regret and hope. “I always wanted you. I still do.”

You take a deep breath, feeling the weight of the past lifting from your shoulders. “So, what now?”

“Now,” he says, taking your hand in his, “we start over. We don’t have to be scared anymore.”

The walk continues, but this time, your hands are intertwined. You talk about everything and nothing, catching up on the years you lost. There’s an ease between you, a sense of rightness that neither of you can deny.

Over the next few days, you and Pablo spend more time together, rediscovering the bond that once defined your lives. It’s as if no time has passed, and yet everything has changed. You visit old haunts, laugh over shared memories, and talk about your hopes and dreams. The connection that was once so fragile now feels unbreakable.

One evening, as the sun sets, you find yourselves back on the porch of your old house. The air is filled with the scent of jasmine, and the crickets are singing their familiar song. Pablo turns to you, his eyes reflecting the fading light.

“I’ve never stopped loving you,” he says softly. “And I don’t want to spend another day without you.”

Tears fill your eyes as you reach for his hand. “I love you too, Pablo. I always have.”

He leans in, and the kiss is tender, filled with years of longing and unspoken words. It’s a promise of a future together, a future that both of you are ready to embrace.

As the days turn into weeks, you and Pablo become inseparable once more. The town, with its narrow streets and small houses, becomes a place of new beginnings rather than old regrets. You find a job at a local gallery, and Pablo continues his football career, traveling for games but always returning home to you. Together, you build a life that’s filled with love, laughter, and the kind of happiness that only comes from being with the person you were meant to be with.

One evening, after one of Pablo's games, you find yourselves back at your place, the excitement of his victory still buzzing in the air. You’re on the couch, wrapped in each other’s arms, sharing little kisses, unable to stop now that you have each other. The TV is on in the background, but neither of you is paying attention. All that matters is this moment, the warmth of his body against yours, the feel of his lips on your skin.

“I don’t ever want to let you go,” Pablo murmurs, his voice husky with emotion.

“Then don’t,” you whisper back, your fingers tracing the lines of his face. “We’ve wasted enough time already.”

He smiles, pulling you closer. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you reply, feeling the truth of the words deep in your heart.

As the night wears on, you and Pablo continue to hold each other, the unspoken promises of a future together hanging in the air. You know that there will be challenges ahead, with his demanding career and the complexities of life, but for now, in this moment, everything is perfect.

You drift off to sleep in his arms, dreaming of all the possibilities that lie ahead. And as you wake up the next morning, sunlight streaming through the windows, you know that you’ve finally found your way back to each other, and nothing will ever come between you again.

[lurkingshan]

Hi Shan

I've been watching your commentary on Peaceful Property with regard to its mishandling of its class conflict themes and I have to admit that I'm coming to agree with you on it.

I had to basically go "Welp, I can't see how they get out of the mess they've made now - I guess I just have to give them a pass on the grounds of found family?" in order to keep enjoying the show, which did let me do that but also left a bit of an icky taste in my mouth.

So I guess I wanted to ask - do you think there's a way they could have handled the wealth disparity and classism issues more gracefully within the show's narrative? And also whether there are any QLs you would recommend that do handle the topic to your satisfaction? I could use something good to watch!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I feel like you always make me consider topics more deeply and reflectively, even when I don't agree with you.

Hi, thanks for dropping in! I feel you on this, and I want to be clear that my criticism of the show is not criticism of people who still like it despite these failures. If you have still been able to connect to the friendship and family themes without this getting in the way, that's great and I'm glad for you. Just because the show is doing one thing very poorly doesn't mean there's nothing of value in it.

That said, you're right, they've passed the point of no return on their missteps with the class disparity themes. Early on in the show, after several episodes in a row of ghost stories involving poor or working class folks harmed by Home's wealthy real estate developer family on top of the class disparity between Home and Peach/Pang, I said I was confident that the show had something to say about this issue. And that was true! Unfortunately, what it had to say was garbage.

To your first question, I actually think it would have been very easy for the show to handle the wealth disparity and classism issues more gracefully, and that's a big part of my frustration. They had all the ingredients--a family history of exploitation, a ghost busting team including working class folks to shed light on the family's sins, and an ignorant grandson uncovering wrongdoing case by case and learning that there was always a price for his privilege. All the show needed to do was allow Home to come to some natural realizations about his family's treatment of others, via both the ghost case work and his relationship with Peach and Pang, and then use the power and resources he has to take accountability in the form of restitution and reparations to the people and communities they harmed. My ideal story line based on what they set up in the first half of the show would have had Home setting out to right his family's wrongs and take real steps to restore the communities they harmed. Even if a full on wealth redistribution narrative was too much to hope for, at the very least Home should have been made to reckon with what his family did and set out to do better in the future, both by Peach and Pang and by his family's countless victims (including Kan).

But that's not what we got. Instead, the narrative tried to sell us on the idea that none of this is anyone's fault, and that any harm that came to people at this family's hands was the result of a "curse" or one bad apple's wrongdoing. Instead of saying anything meaningful about systemic inequality and the responsibility of the wealthy and powerful to avoid extractive and exploitative practices, they painted Home's Gramps and family corporation as benevolent, concluding that they destroyed a bunch of people's lives by accident and without intent or even knowledge. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how utterly absurd and insulting that is. On top of all that, despite Home being the one with the most power in this little friend family and making some very serious mistakes that caused harm to the others, the show consistently centered him and his feelings in all conflicts, including Peach's near death and the death of Kan's father and destruction of her community. It also ignored the very real stakes it set up for Peach and Pang's dire financial situation whenever the plot demanded. The second half of the show became all about the poor people Home and his family have harmed forgiving him without any accountability because they felt guilty he was sad, and then those same people spending their time and energy fighting to save this rich family's reputation and livelihood. That's not me offering an interpretation, that is what literally happened on our screens!

So yeah, it was bad! It was clear weeks ago that it was not going in the right direction, but I understand holding out hope that they'd pull a rabbit out of a hat or look into the camera and say sike. But that ship has sailed at this point, and Peaceful Property becomes another in a pattern of GMMTV shows that try to incorporate class disparity in their narratives and get it very very wrong.

Which brings me to your second question: are there any QLs I recommend that do this better? Yes! Here is a short list for other Thai shows that have genuinely done this better:

Moonlight Chicken: not a class disparity narrative, but the only GMMTV show to date that has depicted working class people with full dignity and empathy

Dark Blue Kiss: the only GMMTV bl to tell a romance story that involves class conflict and not completely bungle it (snaps to TayNew for having another show that did better on this)

My Ride: a slow burn romance between a doctor and a motorcycle taxi driver that gets the way their class disparity would shape their relationship right

Love Sea: this one isn't perfect (I think the working class character in the pair gets too little narrative attention relative to his rich counterpart) but it does take the class disparity seriously and ensures it informs the relationship the whole way through

Laws of Attraction: don't laugh at me, I'm serious! This show is mostly absurd but the core narrative is all about class conflict, and it informs the romance quite thoroughly, too

The Loyal Pin: including this one on the word of @twig-tea because I haven't watched yet, but I understand it's dealing with class very directly in its core relationship (with the disclaimer that it still has two episodes to go so something could go sideways)

I'd also throw in some shows that aren't really about class disparity but do include it as part of the narrative background to inform characterization and plot like I Told Sunset About You, Love By Chance, Khun Chai, and 3 Will Be Free

Outside of Thailand, South Korea is always a safe bet for strong class disparity narratives, and in QL you'll find the best examples in Hwang Da Seul's works (Where Your Eyes Linger, Blueming, To My Star 2, and currently Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo). Japan and Taiwan actually don't do much of this, because most of their shows are about middle class and working people as a rule. Miseinen, a Japanese BL that just started airing, looks to be tackling a class disparity narrative, though, and doing it well so far (not a coincidence that the source material is from Korea). And We Best Love is a classic Taiwanese BL with a significant class disparity informing the romance conflict. Blue Canvas of Youthful Days is a currently airing Chinese BL that is doing a class disparity romance and has been killing it so far.

So there is my incredibly long answer to your questions! Thank you again for sending me this kind note; I'm so appreciative that we can chat about this stuff and still maintain our love for these shows. I hope you find some things you like on the rec list, as well. :)

[finniestoncrane]

Old Times Pornstar!Cooper Howard x Fem!Reader, multi-part au fic cooper howard is a former actor, novice pornstar, and current wasteland escort. reader mistakes him for a bounty hunter and ends up getting far more entwined in his lifestyle than they intended in a bid to get what they need from the first 'kind' person they've met in a long time🤎

☢️ Chapter 3: Show Time, word count: 4.5k cooper has a little idea that really seems like a win-win-win-win!! reader gets enough money to hire a bounty hunter, cooper gets paid his due, they both get to spend more time together, and hundreds of people will benefit from that!! unless you hate cowboy themed puns, in which case you WILL NOT benefit... Chapter 1 Chapter 2 request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: penetrative sex, blowjobs, cumshot, facial, sex on tape, pornography/sex work, rough sex, exhibitionism, puns and bad acting abound, missionary/doggy style/cowgirl, fingering

The bar was open when you woke up, surprisingly selling alcohol as well as some food. No one else appeared to be eating, only sipping out of bottles or chipped mugs in complete silence. So you thought it would be best to join them. 

Once you were comfortable on your stool, you rifled through your bag, finding a few caps in the inside pocket. You asked the bartender for a beer and took a swig, scowling at the taste, but taking another one immediately after anyway. The bitter flavour was waking you up, heightening your senses, clearing your mind with enough of a shock that you could hear your thoughts. About Cooper, about the night before, about how or when you were going to either continue on your mission, or return home empty handed, worse off than when you left. 

It would be a difficult choice. But not one you had to make immediately. You could allow yourself a day, maybe another night here or in the next settlement. A break from reality. From the pain of home. You rifled through your bag once more, making sure you had enough of what you needed, except for caps, which you were now lacking in completely, and finished the last of your beer. You had intended to go for a walk around the town, see what else a big settlement like this had to offer, but as you stood up and turned, you walked straight into the person standing behind you. 

“You leaving without a goodbye then, darlin’? When you owe me money?”

“Cooper! I, uh… I wasn’t actually-”

“You think I wouldn’t notice?” 

He tossed your caps onto the bar, all of them jangling together in their container. 

“I seem to be missing a few.”

“Well, I had to pay for the other room, so I thought-”

“No excuses.”

He tapped the tin with one gloved finger, looking at you intently, never blinking, not once.

“You didn’t even leave me a tip. Was it that bad? ‘Cause it sure didn’t seem like it was.”

“No! Cooper, it was… it was really good.”

You had lowered your voice, aware that there were people close enough to hear your discussion, and not wanting to embarrass Cooper in front of them, or have yourself outed to the entire town as the new girl who was only there to fuck their resident trick pony. In response, Cooper leaned in, whispering, his voice rumbling through his chest as he grinned.

“Well, I suppose I can let you in on my plan. A way for you to keep that pittance for your bounty hunter and to give me my dues, plus interest. Whaddaya say?”

It took all of your focus not to jump immediately at the opportunity. Most of that enthusiasm was down to the idea that you might get to spend even more time with Cooper, something you’d been pining for since you’d left the room the night before. And it killed two birds with one stone, because the longer you were here, under the guise of actually working on the plans you set out with, the longer you could avoid the seemingly inevitable conclusion of having to return home with nothing. 

Maybe Cooper would offer you something new. An opportunity. Maybe, if you prayed hard enough, you could spend the rest of your life doing nasty things with Cooper, having fun, with someone more exciting that anything you had ever encountered before, and then you’d never have to face home or the failure that came with it. That felt like a pretty good deal. 

For Cooper, it was a chance to feel like himself again. He’d spent so long in this new body, this new way of thinking, that he had almost forgotten what values he held close. Before this, before the bombs, before Barb and Vault Tec and the divorce. Until you had spoken simple words of kindness to him, he’d never thought about how much he’d given up. But he realised that with you, he had a chance to help someone, and help himself, his old self, at the same time. 

And it wasn’t as if he was giving up on being a reprehensible bastard cold turkey. Even though he was doing some good, he was lining himself up for a damn good time in the process. He just couldn’t send you away yet though, not when he was feeling a proper connection for the first time in a long time. Not when there was someone he felt something with. 

Both of you were also worried about the same thing, though neither of you would admit it. It felt far too soon, almost cliched, to be so tied to one another already, but there was a tether there between you. Cooper couldn’t face the idea of going back to anonymous, meaningless sex where his body was the focus and his mind and soul were locked in a box until he was finished doing the task he was paid for. He couldn’t bear the thought of feeling the inside of someone else’s body, when he’d known yours so intimately, although briefly. And on very much the same train of thought as Cooper, it pained you to think about him going off and being with other people, forgetting about you maybe, after one or two or three more clients. There was more to your encounter than that, more than could, or should, be forgotten. Fate, kismet, destiny. 

But those felt like very sappy words to throw out so soon after meeting each other, if at all. So you both kept looking at one another until you broke first under his intense gaze.

“Ok then, Cooper. What did you have in mind?”

“Follow me.”

He stood up from the bar and walked towards a table in the corner of the room, shaded and dark, as though he required the atmosphere to drill home the nature of the deal which you imagined was going to be shady, given Cooper’s mischievous grin. Once you were both seated, he leaned in across the table and spoke in a hushed tone.

“Now, I told you I have a way for me to get paid, and for you to make enough money to find a better bounty hunter than you were gonna for that shit budget you had before, but you’re gonna have to hear me out, darlin’, because I don’t think you’ll take kindly to this to begin with.”

You nodded slowly, brows furrowing in a look of concern as you wondered what Cooper was about to say to you. But instead of opening with his plan, he opted to ease you into it, sort of uncomfortably, by reflecting on the night before. 

“Listen… I don’t want to give you any undue credit for what was all my work, but last night… Well, that was really something.”

Swallowing your nerves, you nodded once more, trying to downplay the excitement burning in your throat. It might never happen again, despite how much you wanted it, but at least Cooper had felt the same way. It had been different. Special, if you wanted to use a word that made you almost cringe. 

“I gotta tell you, I haven’t had that kind of chemistry with someone since… well, in a long time. Usually, this work, it’s a means to an end that doesn’t seem to be coming. But I think I know how to get out of it. If you’ll… indulge me.”

Another nod. Still no words. You didn’t think you could speak even if you had anything to say except a shrill, giddy scream. 

“Now, before all of this, and I mean before all of this, I was something of a star. Up on the big screen, and the small screen. Just about any screen they had. And while I’m not particularly proud of some of my work, having had to let my body do the lead role, I can’t deny that it was lucrative. There’s always money in sex, y’know?”

You imagined there was. Already you’d sunk your remaining life savings into it, and you’d only been propositioned once. It was clearly an industry worth something, even though Cooper hardly sold it by proclaiming he wasn’t proud of it. Still, you were keen to know where he was going with this, still unsure, or perhaps not allowing yourself to read too far ahead in fear of making an assumption that would be incredibly embarrassing. 

“See, the kind of chemistry we had - have - is one you don’t come across too often, and it works so well on screen. We’d be foolish not to take advantage of that, don’t you think?”

“I agree.”

Your voice cracked on the last syllable, but you felt you had managed to play it cool as best as you could be expected to when Cooper was smiling at you the way he was, leaning over the table, close enough to you that you could feel his warm breath on your cheeks.

“So I propose that we use it to our advantage. A contact of mine, scavenger, he found some pretty good equipment, and one of his friends figured out how to work it. I bought it from them, nostalgia’s sake. We could make ourselves a little movie, sell some bootleg holotapes at the bar to my vast and varied clientele. Profits for me, profits for you. What do you think?”

“You want us… to…?”

“Make some pornography. You’re familiar with it, aren’t you?”

And of course you were. Who wasn’t? Explicit material was hoarded, traded, treated like high class art because of its desirability but rarity. Hand-drawn, audio recordings, some magazines. But you’d never watched any before.

“And that’s… that’s something people would want?”

Cooper scoffed, settling back in his chair, shrugging his shoulders so nonchalantly at your query. 

“They might not know it, but it is. Any TV out there, provided it’s not blasted to shit, you can connect it to power. It won’t show anything new of course, but they’ll play a holotape. I know we’ve got a market for this. I know it. But you’ll just have to trust me, I suppose.”

You mulled it over. There were so many things to take into consideration, and so few of them were actually permeating past the excitement of getting to fuck Cooper once more. Besides, you needed the money. It wasn’t as if you were in a position to turn down whatever it was he was going to offer in the way of a grand scheme. You still felt like there should be at least an attempt at pretending to think it over, so you asked him the only question you could think of. 

“How will I know what to… do? Or say? Is there going to be a story?”

Cooper grinned wide, his yellowed teeth bared at you in a mischievous expression as he leaned in once more. 

“Oh don’t you worry about that. I had a bit of a hobby, writing scripts. No one ever wanted them, but I always fancied myself moving into writing or directing in my later years. And how much later can we get, I’m already two hundred years after considering that.”

Despite giggling at his comment, you could feel the sudden stress rising up in your chest, and you took a deep breath before asking him the follow up question that was playing on your mind.

“Do I need to like… remember what to say?”

“You know what, darlin’?”

Cooper took your hand in his, patting it condescendingly, but you took the comfort eagerly.

“You don’t have to say a thing except for what comes naturally. You let me carry the scene. I am the actor, after all.”

He winked to you, lifting his glass and downing his drink in one. 

“Shall I show you my script then? You in?”

With an enthusiastic nod you got up when he did, following him back through to the room you had paid for the previous day and sitting down on the bed with him, clutching the frayed, torn papers he had tossed to you from his pocket. Reading over it, you could feel both a desire to giggle and blush, as well as a heat crossing your lower back. It was so corny, so obvious, but nevertheless it was arousing. 

“So, what do you think then, darlin’? Am I good, or am I good?”

“Oh… you’re good, Cooper.”

“You in then?”

Again, you didn’t want to seem too eager, so you pretended to mull it over, looking at the paper so you could avoid Cooper’s gaze, before you set them down next to you and nodded to him.

“I’m in.”

He clapped his hands in excitement, stomping heavily towards the pack in the corner of the room, his own possessions stowed away neatly, a lifetime condensed, dust picking up around him, becoming unsettled in his frenzy. 

“What are you… Oh… Oh, Cooper… really?”

In his hands he held two items of clothing. A skirt that was barely anything, moth-bitten and stained slightly, but still surprisingly white in colour. And a shirt, similarly discoloured, fringe detailing on the collar with frayed embroidery detail the shoulders.

“You gotta look the part, darlin’. Now, you go put that on and I’ll get us set up.”

In the bathroom, you put on the outfit Cooper somehow just had, clearly waiting for an opportunity like this to come up, waiting for someone to fill the role. It made you feel special, like you were the chosen one. And that boost of confidence made you feel all the more attractive in the skimpy skirt and shirt that felt a little too tight across your chest. Upon exiting the bathroom, you found Cooper waiting for you by the side of the bed, the big heavy lump of equipment sitting on the wonky dresser and aimed at the bed. 

“Shouldn’t it look more like… a Western in here?”

“You got the budget for set dressing, missy?”

You raised your hands up, a silent apology for even questioning it, realising that Cooper had quickly been distracted by your outfit and was already forgetting your insolence as he took in how much of your legs were on display. 

Snapping himself out of the fugue state brought on by your body, he swallowed the collecting drool in his mouth and hit the button on the camera, walking over to you and winking. You did your best to recollect the bare bones of the script, enough that it might see you through this. But you were confident that in your excitement, you could play the part well enough.

“You’re safe now, ma’am. Those raiders won’t be comin’ round here no more.”

Standing before Cooper, you hesitated for a moment. But when he caught your eye, he offered you an encouraging nod and a smile that washed away most of your nerves, enough that you managed to get out your first line. And once that was out of the way, everything after it came easily.

“Why, kind sir. How can I ever repay you?”

“Well, little lady, I can think of plenty of ways you could thank me for my valiant efforts.”

“And what might those be, sir?”

Cooper hooked his arm around your back, pulling you into a quick embrace, tipping up the brim of his hat so he could lean into you.

“Oh! Well, sir… is that a pistol in your pocket? Or are you just that happy to do a good deed?”

“It’s my six shooter, darlin’. And if you’re a good girl, I’ll let you unload it.”

“Wow, you truly are a real cowboy, ain’t you?”

Pushing past the urge to cringe at the slight accent you were putting on, you managed to keep up the flirtatious act as you leaned into Cooper, hands behind your back to push your chest out further as you swayed a little. 

“Indeed I am, little miss. Now, let me show you how a cowboy gets his thanks.”

Cooper grabbed your hips, pushing you backwards until you landed on the rusting bed with a thud and a squeak. He was quick to hike up your skirt, pushing the fabric up until you were exposed to him, no underwear on. He pulled at your waist, angling you so you could be seen by the camera, and as you nervously pressed your thighs together he pushed his hand between your legs and spread them back apart.

Two of his fingers began gently stroking at your already wet and aching cunt, diving into it slowly, testing the waters, teasing you, like a glimpse of what was to come as his fingertips tapped right against the perfect spot. 

“You sure are somethin’, sweetheart. A mare to tame, huh? Lucky for you, I’ve done my fair share of ranch work.”

He worked quickly at his belt and pants, letting them slide down to his thighs, freeing his thick, hard cock. No sooner than you had begun to admire it, mouth watering, stomach clenching, he had lined it up with your entrance. He slid the tip against your folds, the head tapping your clit and sliding back down before he shifted his hips and pushed forward, entering you in one smooth motion. 

Your body reacted with a wave of heat, electricity flooding your nervous system, waves of static rushing over you as he began to pump his hips into you. He pushed his arms behind your back and lifted you slightly, bringing you to an angle, bucking up to fuck you deeper. You hooked a leg around his waist, holding him as close as possible, not wanting him to ever slide his cock back out of your cunt. You felt complete with it in there, throbbing against your walls. 

With your body close to his, he pressed his forehead to yours, unblinking as he focused on your eyes. There was an insatiable hunger in them, a ravenous desire for you that wasn’t just a bit for the camera. Cooper was really that hungry for you, greedy in his ruinous pounding as he let his cheek rest beside yours, tugging on your earlobes with his teeth as he grunted with exertion. Your heart thrummed as he teased your skin, working down your neck, biting the skin and sucking it into his mouth with a soft groan. 

But he let up quickly, softening the blow of his sudden stopping by cupping your cheeks in his hands.

“Bend over, darlin’. I wanna ride you like the wild pony I know you are.”

You were up and repositioning yourself almost immediately, his cock slipping free of your cunt with a deliciously wet sound, your thighs coated in your arousal, spreading apart once you were on your knees before him on the bed, waiting to be filled again. 

Cooper watched as you opened yourself up to him, holding his breath as he lined his head up once again with your cunt, pushing in slowly, inch by inch, until he was completely swallowed by your warmth. Setting himself at a brutal pace, he snapped his hips back and forwards against you, biting back his moans, breath hitching as he pulled your hips down onto him hard and fast. His fingers dug into your waist, nails pressing sharp crescents into your skin as he recklessly fucked you.

With a silent scream you arched your back as he rutted into you, deep and penetrating, only becoming more erratic as you writhed under him, squirming with pleasure as the head of his cock pounded against your g spot. Each knock felt like a jolt surging through you, each buck of his hips, the way he rolled into you, a sweet impact of pain and pleasure. You could feel him through you, full of him, happy to take him like this, his co-star, a place for him to bury his cock and make his money.

His legs began trembling, and he slowed his pace with a deep exhale.

“Wanna see if you can make me scream ‘yeehaw’, sweet thing? Why don’t you hop up on my lap. You can ride me so hard they might need to take me out back and shoot me.”

Cooper settled himself onto the bed beside you, patting against his thighs and waiting as you adjusted yourself once more, your legs straddling his hips. He held the base of his cock still as you sank down onto it, your cunt spreading, stretching to fit him once more, taking the entire length immediately, feeling completely stuffed.

He hissed, biting his lip as his cock disappeared into you once more, the pressure around him as you clenched, gripping him, had him whispering out in heated moans, until he was finally accustomed to the feeling. 

“I hope you’ve got good balance there, darlin’, cos I want you riding me bareback like you were a pro.”

His voice rasped on the words, a low, guttural sound that fell over his lips, a threat more than flirtatious joking, and you were happy to see it through. 

Working your thighs, you began rolling your own hips against him, feeling him twitch as you slid up and down his cock. Cooper’s breathy moans only spurred you on, moving faster, harder against him. His eyes were focused on your body, the way your breasts bounced as you rode him.

In a frenzied move that almost had you falling from him, he pulled your neck, bringing your body down to him, your hips moving up and down to keep sliding over his cock, bringing it inside of you, still buried deep within your cunt, but now he could nuzzle against your chest. 

His breath was warm against your skin, his neck stretching so he could catch your nipples in his mouth, worrying the buds with his teeth and tongue, sucking at them with satisfied sounds of ecstacy. Cooper’s own hips had begun bucking to, a syncopated rhythm between you both that led to a wild, frenetic pumping of his cock inside of your aching, fluttering walls. 

“Fuck… fuck… fuck.”

He’d lost all control of himself, and could feel the climax approaching, faster than he had hoped, but he couldn’t have expected it to feel this good. With a smile, he pushed your shoulders back, watching you as you sat on his lap, cock deep within you, pulsing, close to cumming with every little movement you made. 

“Now I know you ain’t a one trick pony, why don’t you show me what else you got up your sleeve.”

Cooper lifted your hips, guiding you off of his cock, your slick coating it in strands that pulled and dripped against your thighs. Following his strong arms, you sank to your knees on the floor in front of him, noting that you were directly in the line of the camera lens, ready for your big finale. 

He began stroking his cock, his palm becoming sticky with your arousal, the smacking sound of the well-lubricated motions so lewd, almost sultry. The perfect addition to the film.

“How familiar are you with ropes? Because I got a few for you here.”

His face was growing warmer, nerves on fire, cheeks burning, as he felt himself reaching his climax. With a racing heart, Cooper began to lose his composure, hitched breaths leading into a loud cry, a choked sob and moan as he came, white, thick ropes of his seed spilling onto your cheeks, against your lips, your neck and chest covered in droplets too.

Standing unsteadily, Cooper began to dissolve into the pleasure of a satisfactory conclusion, but not before he finished up the scene. His hand moved to the side of your neck, stroking around, fingers trailing over the front of your throat before his touch left you. 

“I’ll be on my way now, ma’am. But you ever run into trouble again… I sure would like to be the one that saves you.”

You managed to suppress the giggles until he was standing in front of the old camera, hitting the button again. He started dressing himself, presentable enough that he could leave the room.

“Cooper… that was…”

The words wouldn’t come to you, or rather, too many words came to you. Silly. Fun. Surprisingly hot. But as you watched his face contort into one of anticipation, almost nervous, you knew which one he wanted to hear.

“... amazing.”

His charming, cheeky smile rose back up on his lips as he nodded towards.

“Well, thank you, darlin’. You never know… this sells well enough and I might be looking to find a permanent position for you in this little business venture.”

You hoped he would. Beyond anything else, that’s what you wanted. Somewhere, at some point during all of the fun you were having with him, your subconscious had come to the conclusion that spending more time with Cooper, potentially all of your time with him, was what you wanted now. You could send money back to your settlement. You could hire a bounty hunter to do the work for you on their behalf. You could free yourself from a quiet life. You could find excitement, pleasure and, potentially, love. All of it was possible now. And you suspected that Cooper was certain it was too. Otherwise, would he even have mentioned the possibility of continuing to work together? He didn’t seem like the kind of man who would tease about something like that.

The thoughts remained in your head, too afraid to say them out loud in case you scared Cooper off with your quick attachment and your eagerness to be fucked by him on a long-term basis. You tried to think of something to say. Sharp, witty. Something that would set you on the same level as him, or at least close to it. Something that told him how much you wanted him, how much you wanted to stay here, without actually saying those words out right. But as you pondered over it, you realised you had another burning question, one that actually might work on all the levels you needed it to.

“Wait, don’t I get to finish?”

Cooper turned to you from the doorway, smiling wide, a smirk that made your stomach muscles tighten.

“When this little movie gets us our money and you can afford to pay me, I’ll make sure you do.”

He turned away, walking out of the door with the camera and the pile of holotapes in hand. Once you were dressed, and you had cleaned him off of your face, you followed after him, quick and dutifully, as you expected to, or at least hoped to, for as long as he’d let you.

Just as you finished dressing yourself, Cooper appeared in the door frame, tipping his hat to you as he winked.

“You comin’ then, partner?”

[catladyoftheyr]

Too Sweet Ch. 4

Ch: (1) (2) (3) (5)

Harvey x Gn reader

Summary: you stumble upon Harvey leaving Caroline’s dance aerobics class and startle him. He accidentally drops his dumbbells on your foot and has to patch you up <3

Word count: 1.6

A/n: vhs because in my heart stardew is set in the 90s. Also he can lift you because his dance aerobics class is WORKING OKAY lmaooo I just thought it was cute 🥰

You woke up groggy, regretting the decision to pack light when you moved to the Valley. You missed your coffee maker. You desperately wanted to roll over, to pull the sheets back over your head and sleep for just 5 more minutes. But you knew yourself well enough that 5 minutes would turn into 20. You had animals to feed and crops to tend to. You dragged yourself out of bed and rubbed the sleep from your eyes before sliding your feet into your work shoes. Getting dressed could wait, you decided.

The summer air was muggy and you knew that sooner rather than later your clothes would start to stick and your hair would start to frizz. You let the animals out to graze and deftly avoided stepping on any chickens while you made your way over to the new barn you'd commissioned from Robin. A small calf poked her head out of the barn door and mooed. “Good morning to you too, Daisy.” You gave her a gentle pet on the head and she nuzzled back affectionately.

The barn and the calf had drained the last of your money. You’d have to sell directly to Pierre today if you wanted cash to buy any more seeds. You dressed for the day and headed back outside to assess what you could sell. You’d managed to craft some rudimentary sprinklers after finding a book full of blueprints your grandfather had left behind. It saved watering time, but you still had to harvest everything manually. You arranged a large basket full of everything you could part with before heading into town.

The bell on the door rang as you walked into the general store. Pierre greeted you as you set the large basket on the counter. “You’re selling today?”

“I need more seeds and tomorrow’s Wednesday.” It wasn’t technically a lie. You just omitted the fact that you were flat broke as well.

“Well I’m happy to help out. It’ll be great to have some fresh from the farm produce to offer.” Pierre took his time examining the goods you’d brought, carefully placing each item on the counter and punching numbers into his calculator. You made idle chit chat as the women from Caroline’s dance aerobics class began to file out into the store. You told Marnie that the calf was settling in just fine, thanked Robin again for her hard work on your barn. Emily told you what she was getting Gus for his birthday and overheard Jodi ask Caroline what she should make for dinner. You heard Pierre announce your total and you exchanged most of your meager earnings for seeds, pocketing the rest. You were turning to leave when you saw one more person enter the store from the house. Was that…. Harvey?

You rubbed your eyes thinking you might have made a mistake, but this town was small and that was definitely the local doctor standing there. He held a pair of small dumbbells, and you noticed sweatbands on his wrists and forehead. He wore a pair of small shorts and a t-shirt boasting what you assumed was his alma mater. You walked over to say hello and tapped him playfully on the shoulder. Harvey spun around, seemingly frightened by the unexpected touch. He dropped the dumbbells in surprise and you felt them land directly on your foot. You swore and jumped back, hopping on your good foot.

“I’m so sorry!” You both shouted in unison, apologizing to the other for different things. “I didn’t mean to startle you-“

“Your foot!”

“I think it’s okay really. I should head home.”

“You should let me examine it. The clinic is next door.” Harvey’s face displayed genuine concern, and you were secretly worried that your foot was broken. You relented, hoping the injury wasn’t going to impact your farm work. You turned around to head outside and winced as soon as you put pressure on the bad foot. You inhaled sharply and tried to find a way to walk. Harvey took notice of your efforts and wrapped one arm around your waist while draping one of yours across his shoulders. “Let me help you.”

You’d never been this close. You felt your face flush and hoped he wouldn’t notice. The act of chivalry seemed to come so naturally to him. You made your way to the clinic slowly, relishing the feeling of his arm on your waist. Harvey helped you through the doors of the clinic, allowing you to sit down on a bench in his waiting room. “Thank you” you whispered as you adjusted your positioning.

“It’s the least I could do. I can’t apologize enough for what happened. Now let’s take a look.” Harvey was especially gentle as he knelt in front of you; He unlaced your shoes, sliding off the sock of the injured foot. He pursed his lips as he examined you.

“I’m sorry I startled you. I just wasn’t expecting to see you today; at least not in Caroline’s group.”

“You need to stop apologizing.” Harvey fell silent for a moment, contemplating his next words. “I joined as a way to try and stay active. I’m not as young as I once was; it’s getting harder to stay In shape.” His face had a hint of flush to it as he spoke. You wouldn’t dream of saying it, but you found it incredibly endearing. You also couldn’t help but let your eyes wander. Harvey typically wore slacks and blazers. You trailed your vision down the lines of his arms and imagined running your fingers over the veins. His legs had a considerable amount of hair and you traced it as it disappeared under the hem of his shorts. His physique reminded you of someone’s dad, you could picture him wearing socks and sandals and denim shorts while he stood behind a grill.

“I think it’s nice that you’re making the decision to do what’s healthy. And all the women in that group are really nice. Caroline gives me some tea leaves from the bushes in her sunroom. You picked good friends.”

“Thank you. Can you promise me you won’t tell anyone else, though? Word spreads fast in small towns. I’m not ready for everyone to know about this.” His face flushed deeper, a clear shade of red now.

“I promise.” You extended your arm toward him and stuck out the pinky on your hand. “I pinky swear it.” Harvey chuckled and smiled at you before hooking his own pinky in yours and shaking hands.

Turning his focus back to your door he frowned as he felt around it gently. Even the soft touches hurt and you hissed quietly when he hit an especially sore spot. He prompted you through rotations and flexes before rising to his feet. “The good news is it’s not broken. But it’s bruised pretty badly. The swelling should go down significantly in a couple hours and you should be able to work on it tomorrow. But you need to stay off it for the rest of the day if you want it to heal. I’ll wrap it for you in a second, but you should probably ice and elevate it as well.”

The doctor disappeared behind the doors and you heard the sounds of drawers and cupboards opening and closing. You sighed and shook your head while you tried to stop the montage of scenes from today from replaying in your mind. Images of Harvey in athletic shorts, his smile as he linked pinkies, how his hands felt on you, and the look on his face when he saw you in Pierre’s swirled around your brain. Your daydreams were interrupted when Harvey emerged holding materials to wrap your foot. He worked deftly, the years of experience showing as he wrapped the fabric around you in record time. He let out a small sigh as he finished.

“You’re all set. However as your doctor I am strongly recommending that you don’t try to walk home on that foot yet. You could delay your recovery and risk further damage. Now as your friend, I’m proposing that you can come upstairs and watch a movie to stay off your feet.”

“I don’t think I can climb the stairs…”

“Leave it to me” Harvey leaned forward and swept you into his arms in one smooth motion, holding you bridal style. You gasped as your legs dangled in the air and giggled as he began to ascend the stairs carrying you. You leaned in closer, seizing the opportunity to press yourself against his chest. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he finagled the door to his apartment open. You breathed in deeply through your nose, trying to hold onto his scent before he set you down on his couch. He pulled his coffee table closer to the couch to allow you to rest and elevate your foot.

The doctor strode to a shelf near the tv that held an extensive collection of VHS tapes. He hummed as he browsed through the titles before selecting one. He popped the tape into the VCR. He settled onto the couch next to you, close enough that you could feel the fabric of his t-shirt against your arm. The movie was in black and white, definitely a classic. “I put in The Zuzu City Express. It’s one of my favorites” Harvey explained almost sheepishly. You hadn’t picked him as a film buff.

You tried to focus on the film, but the truth is you were exhausted from the stressful day. Harvey’s arm was draped across the back of the couch. You let your head fall onto his shoulder. He made no effort to move you, no indication that the action was unwanted. You relaxed and a yawn escaped. Your eyelids grew heavier as you tried harder to pay attention to the movie. Harvey’s arm moved to rest across the back of your neck, his hand falling on your shoulder as you drifted off.

[midnightscramble]

Heyy, could you make an Violet bridgerton x maid please??

Good luck, Maid! Part 1 (Violet Bridgerton x fem!Reader)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

The Masterlist

Author's Note: So, so many creative liberties were taken, if it is not to your liking feel free to request a part 2 with a more detailed ask (don't be shy!) Happy readings to you.

Summary: Violet is in need of a new maid, Eloise implores the help of Miss y/n. Violet turns to a friend as she digests the new feelings being spurred on by y/n.

Warnings: slight internalized homophobia, age gap relationship, SFW, no Beta read

Anthony stormed into the drawing room in a fury, causing the rest of the Bridgerton family to look up from their places and the mindless chatter to cease.

“Mother, I’ve fired Miss Smith- she has irrevocably disrespected our family name. I’ve heard talk amongst the staff that she has been selling old clothes and pocketing the money.” 

Somewhat still startled, Violet looked upon her son with a grimace, “but what shall I do about the Kent’s ball tonight? I still need to get ready, and I hardly look presentable as is.” She pursed her lips in thought and turned her gaze to the rest of the room.

Before she could speak again, a very eager Eloise offered, “well that is simply unacceptable, you should have Miss Y/n help dress you tonight. However, dressing both you and I would pose a challenge to a timely arrival…So it would be most sensible if I did not accompany you tonight-“

Violet gently raised her hand, and smiled fondly at her daughter’s blatant attempt to weasel her way out of going, “That is a very generous offer, Eloise. Although, don’t let my acceptance be misconstrued, I am aware you look for any excuse to avoid these events.” Eloise shrunk slightly at getting caught but a closed mouth smile pulled across her face at her own victory.

“Thank you, Mother” she patted Violet’s hand and went to stand, “and not to worry, I will tell Miss Y/n of tonight’s change.”

…

Violet sat on her bed awaiting Miss Y/n’s arrival. She had only ever caught glimpses of the young maid. Eloise preferred to be alone most of the day and used her brothers as chaperones, so Y/n’s job had been significantly reduced, allowing her to spend the bulk of the day in the staff quarters.

She knew her daughter despised having social responsibilities, and with her upcoming trip to Scotland perhaps she would relieve her from forced outings until the departure. Such would free Miss Y/n to be the semi permanent solution to Miss Smith’s firing. 

In quiet reflection, she smoothed her hand across the comforter, tracing the designs. As busy as she kept herself, she could not ignore the subtle emptying of her house. While winter brought shorter days to the Ton, days spent by herself seemed to drudge towards the sweet relief of sleep. Although she loved Hyacinth and Gregory, their company could become quite tedious when their insistent arguments became less amusing and more predictable. Benedict was rarely home and when he was he joined the sibling banter. No matter where she went, a dreadful feeling of isolation followed.

Lost in thought, she did not respond to the initial knock at her door, “My lady, may I come in?” The muffled voice of Miss Y/n broke her from her trance. She rose from the bed in a hurry, “Yes, please do.” 

She stood with her hands clasped neatly in front of her, watching the door open with great anticipation. Miss Y/n’s face was revealed, and Violet’s mouth opened slightly. As if the world had slowed she watched Miss Y/n enter. Eloise’s maid was quite pretty. Her eyes held a wisdom that was uncommon for her age, and lacked the cruelty that usually accompanied it. 

Time quickly caught up with Violet as Miss Y/n stood in front of her, awaiting instruction. Violet smiled awkwardly and lowered her eyes, which proved to be a mistake as she looked upon Miss Y/n’s figure.

Stuttering slightly, “let us start with hair shall we”, Violet motioned towards her vanity and in a few short strides took a seat.

“Yes, my lady,” with expertise and nimble fingers Y/n plucked the pins holding Violet’s hair up, causing waves of the light brown locks to cascade down. 

Violet watched the young woman work through the mirror. She found herself entranced by the graceful movements of hands and suddenly envisioned them tangled in her hair, tugging her head back to expose her neck. She took in a sharp breath, surprised by the vivid imagery. Her eyes closed as she tried to ground herself. She felt her face get hot and opened her eyes quickly, and to her utter horror, her cheeks burned a bright red. 

It confused her, how could the simple presence of Y/n make her imagination run errant? Violet sat dumbfounded, perhaps her loneliness had caught up with her. She made a note to spend ample time with Lady Danbury after this, she was obviously feeling a deficit in emotional intimacy if her mind was playing such tricks on her.

…

Once at the ball, Violet let Hyacinth and Gregory run off with the Kent children to the garden, while she herself made haste to Lady Danbury.

“Ah Violet, wonderful to see you.” Lady Danbury smiled lightly and looked out at the crowd of young people dancing, “interesting how they can touch and dance so openly, yet it would be the talk of the Ton if they were to hold gazes too long in the courtyard.”

Violet laughed absently still thinking about the way Y/n hands flittered through her hair, “Yes. Interesting indeed, Agatha.” 

Lady Danbury glanced at her from the side, sensing her distractedness, reaching her hand out to Violet’s shoulder in concern she said “Violet, is something the matter…” 

It was the clear affection from a woman so formidable to the Ton that made Violet realize she was in fact not in a deficit of any kind. What she had felt for Miss Y/n today was a rather unique, isolated experience.

“Actually…” Violet pursed her lips and looked over her shoulder briefly, “shall we tour the gardens?” 

Catching on, Lady Danbury hummed in agreement, lacing their arms together as they began their walk, getting away from prying eyes. Once in the garden, Violet let out a sigh, unsure of how to phrase this.

“I felt something strange today,” Violet’s whispered words were almost carried away by the wind.

Ears peaked, Lady Danbury widened her eyes in questioning, “Should I presume this is about our earlier discussion of a certain garden being in bloom?”

With a guffaw, Violet nodded abashedly, “You always shock me with your blatancy, but yes, in a way it is about…that.”

In jest, Lady Danbury motioned towards the flora and fauna of the Kents grounds, “Well, have you found someone to tend your garden?” 

Violet laughed, “Not quite, I am afraid things are quite complicated.”

“Do you like them?” Lady Danbury questioned. 

“I am not sure…” came Violet’s quiet response. 

“Do they like you?” she tried again.

“Good heavens, most likely not.”

“Hmm complicated indeed.” She finally agreed. “I can only advise you to pursue what makes you happy, but you must know what that in itself is, Violet.”

Violet nervously sucked in a breath of the cool night air, “What if it were something unspeakable?”

“Why, Violet, I’d be impressed,” she laughed and grabbed Violets hands in sincerity, “We have all done unspeakable things, however between friends the unspeakable can be spoken without fear of judgment.”

Looking into her friend’s eyes, she squeezed the other woman’s hands, “You are a good friend, Agatha. For now I have nothing of tangibility to speak of... However, I may ask you to tea in the near future if that would be alright?”

“That would be perfectly fine, my dear, shall we head back to the party?”

“We shall.”

[2cutie]

Arising Promises

Shang Tsung(MK1) x old friend!Reader (afab, no pronouns)

summary: 18 + content! Shang must revisit the wretched town where he grew up, living his life as a beggar. He is in search for the rare herb for an elixir. You, a past acquittance who knew him when he was a beggar, ends up - literally - running into him and past tensions ensue as hidden emotions arise upon seeing each other again.

a/n: just your casual aro-ace writing about media men again, nothing newww

Outworld’s hinderlands were a place he never bound himself to be, and even now on behalf of traveling back to seek ingredients for a elixir, Shang Tsung’s skin prickled with unbridled discomfort. The scents, the people, the memories were beneath him, and he weighed the option to destroy it all.

Despite its unruly memories against him, it was unfortunate to be the only home of a rare herb.

He paid no mind to the people around him, too miniscule and pale in comparison to his stature now. His held his chin high and dared not look at the fools of the town. A delight rang in his heart that the place was still suffering while he had succeeded.

You had been in the midst of the bustling crowd, down one of the corridors in a street market. As the town was small and communitive, you had befriended the majority of the sellers and those around. You found yourself in a better moods as you greeted some kids that played around you, moving your bag of fruit to avoid their antics. You blindly followed the flow of the crowd, stopping every so often to add more to your groceries.

You shimmied through little pockets of space to get by, feet gliding quickly as your eyes worked for the next openings to get out. You were distracted by a booth selling bread that you didn’t realize the path was suddenly obscured.

You collided with a body, almost stumbling back as you caught your footing. Immediate guilt filled your chest. “I am so sorry! I wasn’t paying any mind to where I was walking.” You gushed out quickly, your eyes shooting up to the man’s back as he hadn’t turned around yet. “Are you alright?”

Shang Tsung’s patience was running dangerously thin, and absolving the fact that one of these filthy townsfolk ran into him made his blood boil. He barely fought the urge to grab you by the throat and take your soul then and there, but he decided it would be a waste of his magic. He sighed silently before pulling on an extravagant facade. “Oh, not at all. Please, it was my mistake. I was distracted. Allow me to help.”

You hated to admit you blushed as his silky voice enveloped your ears. You cleared your throat, shifting the bag as your eyes strayed to the ground nervously. Your shyness was a delightful surprise, and he smirked at it. “I - I’m alright, actually. Thank you. It was my fault. I think I get too distracted here with every-”

The sorcerer raised an eyebrow at your sudden pause, willing you to go on.

Your pause came as you finally met his eyes, scanning over his face and features. Your eyes narrowed. “I know you. I think.”

Had you? That was a curious thing to him. “Oh? Could it be we share past acquaintance?” He glanced to your bag of fruit, elegantly reaching for a grape that poked from the brim and bringing to his mouth.

“That just confirmed that it is indeed you,” you said amidst a sigh, rolling your eyes. Your whole demeanor shifted to casual, if not a bit annoyed. “You haven’t matured since the last time I’ve patched your wounds, have you?” You scanned him, noting the way he dressed. “At least you’re not covered in dirt anymore.”

Shang almost spit out his food. In surprise, or disgust, he wasn’t sure. “Now that is an… unusual greeting for someone you haven’t seen in years.”

He eyed you over with a new perspective. You had breeched his facade easily; that alone prickled his hair. But to say you knew him? He steadied your face carefully, and he latched onto an old memory that surfaced after trying to bury it down.

His eyebrows went up in realization, his smile actually growing. Ah, you. Yes, he remembers you. And to say he hadn’t matured like he taught he had, that he was still the same as the days on the street, it was quite a humbling thought. “To think the only interesting person is still here, in this waste of a town.”

You raised an eyebrow as you scrutinized him, absorbing his demeanor all around. Despite his words, you couldn’t resist the smile that played on your lips as you circled him playfully, trying to get the best look at him. Even after all the headaches he gave you in the past, you were delighted to see him. “You seem to have come a long way, I’m glad. Are you still a nuisance to anyone, or was I the lucky one who gets to hold that honor?”

Shang Tsung smirked at your playful scrutiny, the way you danced was quite entertaining. Maybe you knew him a bit too well. “You were not the only one, I’m sure you know. I spent many years making a nuisance of myself selling my ‘magic’. And I was quite good at it.”

“Unfortunately.”

He hummed and took another piece of fruit, chewing it as he continued. “I suppose you’ll be disappointed to discover that I am no longer a beggar. Perhaps even a little jealous?”

You rolled your eyes again playfully, allowing your smile to stay. “Oh, yes, so jealous of your rise from false potions. I seem to vividly recall you trying to pawn multiple of them on me as well. I would always joke that you weren’t so good of a salesman that you couldn’t even fool me…” Your voice drifted off a bit as you recalled that particular memory. “But I suppose I had the unfair advantage of seeing behind the scenes. Helping you with your bruises after you sold and angered the wrong crowd.”

He truly did not want to reminisce the shadow of himself. “You remember it so vividly, and yet I still managed to swindle you every time.” He moved close to you, putting a finger beneath your chin. He lifted it slightly to look directly in in your eyes. Now it was his turn to get a good look at you.

You hummed, eyes flicking quickly to his lips before meeting his eyes. You mapped the details in his face that you haven’t seen for so long, the curve of his cheeks, the lines on his smile. He changed so much, yet so little. “I suppose you did. But I was a fool then. Always had to let in the stray mutts.”

He hummed shortly. To be compared with such a thing. You still held on to that strong nerve. He chuckled. The air grew thick with the close proximity. “There’s no denying that you weren’t the most savvy back then.”

Shang kept the intense eye contact, his hand slowly trailing down your neck, noting the lack of reaction. You were a tease through and through - or perhaps you were still too used to his antics. He enjoyed it tremendously.

“I’m sure I shouldn’t boost your ego but I must admit, I have missed-” You quickly stopped, considering your words. “My home is too different from all the time I spent with you leeching off me. It’s weird and quiet.” Your eyes followed where his hand traveled. It confirmed that he was real, again in front of you after so much time.

He continued to traverse his hand down. There was something about you that made him consider emotions he hadn’t felt in a very long time; something a bit dangerous about you that you knew the part of him he tries to bury. He wanted to see how much you’d allow before pushing him away. Perhaps he wanted you to.

“I always thought you enjoyed my leeching,” he began in a honeyed voice. “And it was never about the food or that money that had you always making excuses for me.”

His hand cupped one of your breasts over your clothing. He watched closely as his touch turned from teasing to outright groping. He wanted to scare you.

But he failed. You quickly grabbed his wrist away, eyes scanning the crowd in case anyone’s wondering gaze caught it. When they didn’t, you sent him a glare. “Yep,” you tutted. “You have not changed. At all.” You grumbled but couldn’t help a huff of a laugh. You met his eyes again, seeing the glint of humour in them, and dared him to continue. You looked to his hand that you still kept trapped, noticing the residue of fruit juice sticking against his skin.

You locked eyes with him once more before bringing his fingers to your lips, licking the line of juice off, tongue dancing around the skin.

Something dark crept up Shang as he looked over you. His voice lowered to a whisper. “How do you know if I’ve changed if you haven’t seen me for years? I might have fallen in love and turned into a complete gentleman…” The sorcerer leaned close to your ears, lips almost touching your earlobe, “but, if I was a gentleman, I wouldn’t have felt you up in public.” He chuckled.

“You should know by now, I was never one for decencies,” you whispered back. “But if you’re suddenly feel like having a change of heart… I don’t mind you wanting to be one and taking this privately.” You pulled away to dare him, your eyes darkened by longing and lust.

You watched as his brown eyes darkened to match yours as he considered your offer. He wanted to take you then and there in the street. Knowing that anyone seeing could make it even better. “There’s nothing I want more than that. But why don’t we take things back to my quarters? It’s just my temporary one while I stay in this wretched place. After all, I’m sure you’re eager to see what I have inside.”

“You leave me curious,” you replied with a devious grin. “But you’re right. I’m quite intrigued to see what you’ve done for yourself.”

Shang’s eyes gleamed at your reply and his own mischievous thoughts as he pulled back to lightly inspect you for a moment. Your clothes were nothing fancy, fitting that of a working class upbringing. But beneath it all, he could glimpse at the figure that lay beneath. “Follow me,” he practically purred. “I’ll show you exactly how far I’ve come.”

“But of course.”

You followed down the path he led, all the while watching him. His body filled out since he was a beggar, and you actually felt a bit of delight in knowing he ate well. His freckles became more gradient, his neck looked so untouched and tempting to be marked.

/// You were the first to walk into his quarters as he closed the entrance behind you. It was nothing overly luxurious for his journeys, certainly did not match his current status or held a candle to his actual home. Inside, instead, was a surprisingly cozy place. The walls were lined with his bookshelves, and the furniture was rather plush and inviting.

“It’s quite cozy, actually.” You willed yourself to wonder softly in the room, looking at the choice of brandish decor, smiling. “I remember how you always talked about wanting such extravagant things that you couldn’t afford. You’ve come far as to even have it. I wonder what you’ve been up to,” you tease though there was a sincerity in wanting to know more. You stop in front of one of the bookcases, eyeing the intricate spines.

Shang watched your actions closely. It was a nice thought, that the simple things he surrounded himself with were so far out of reach in your eyes. It filled him with pride.

He stepped alongside you, his fingers gently grazing some strands of your hair. “Yes, I’ve worked hard to get where I am now. How about I tell you the tale over a glass of wine?”

“Wining and dining me?” You wit, tutting your tongue at such a show of class but nodding nonetheless. “Well, you know I’m not classy. I’ll take a glass, or a few. Thank you.”

Shang Tsung laughed as he walked away to pour two glasses. “You know what they say: 'Don’t eat a fruit without seeing its tree, and don’t court a woman without feeding her first’.”

He passed over the wine as you chuckled, taking a sip of his own and sitting. It was a dry wine, tasting of plum and blackberries. He stood close behind you, eyes admiring every inch of your body.

“I’m interested to know where you learned such a lesson. But more so, I’d like to know about your upbringing. How did the Shang Tsung leave his poor, pitiful lifestyle and become this? Perhaps I could learn a thing or two.”

His felt his chest vibrate with satisfaction. He had power over you in terms of stature, and with that he believed came authority. He was proud to be above someone. He walked slowly to his couch and sat. “You wish to hear the story of how I rose from being a beggar child to the greatest sorcerer in the realm? It’s a tale of hard work and determination of what I truly believe to be my one true calling. Come and sit at my side, and I’ll speak of it to you in detail.”

“A sorcerer now?” You were filled with genuine interest as you placed yourself softly on the plush furniture. You looked at him with wide eyes. “I thought I saw something interesting books. That’s quite the turn from your old line of work. Maybe you could try selling potions again, and this time they’d work.”

He wanted to scoff at such an outlandish idea. “Selling potions is far beneath my caliber now. I know so much more about the magical arts, much more than I could have ever dreamed.”

“Speak away. I’m in desperate desire to climb that social ladder myself.”

Shang chuckled as his eyes roved across the tempting curves of your body. Despite his temptations, he enjoyed the conversation being about him. “I would argue that you are already climbing, my dear. And that you would do quite well in the future with your tenacity and natural beauty.” His fingers stroked down your arms.

“I don’t know about all that,” you replied, shy when it came to compliments about yourself. You shifted a bit closer, legs dangling close to his lap as you turned to him. “but don’t get distracted by discussions about me.”

He grinned as he noted every little movement you made. “Well, my whole life I was quite unsatisfied. I hungered for more. I desired to have that power to do anything and everything without trepidation.” He paused to sip from his wine, nearly sputtering when your leg rubbed against his purposely. You tempted him to give up this tale, but he persisted. “I’ve surpassed my own initial desires. There has never been a sorcerer before me who has learned so much that I taught myself. None that knew so much magic could bend and twist the very laws of nature to their liking.”

He took your chin between his fingers, leaning over you to intimidate you with the knowledge of his power. Your lips parted. “And how did that happen? What granted you so much power?” You licked the finger closest to your lips.

Oh, how you tempted him. Just when he thinks he’s in control. Your teasing nature brings out the old parts of him he longed to destroy, yet he didn’t seem to care so much with how it felt with you. You were truly a temptress. “My own studies.” He would feign his innocent of Damashi to even you. “I sought out dark rituals that would unlock powers that only the gods could posses.”

Your eyes flicked back to him at the weight of his words. A cold trinkle ran up your spine. “That could be dangerous. Even for you, Shang. Have you… achieved that kind of power?”

Shang smiled, daringly. “Power isn’t easy to come by, my dear. And power like this comes at a great price. I’ve made deals that cannot be spoken of. I’ve had to kill a fair share of my enemies and allies alike to become this powerful. I’ve done things even I am not so proud of. But in the end, I achieved my power that was so rightfully owed.”

You almost quivered at the level of danger he spoke, the venom that laced his every word. Yet somehow instead of terrifying you, it came as a delight. A dance with death and danger. It caused your core to heat up, knowing that you share a room with someone so powerful; knowing that it was Shang. You legs tightened around his in reflex.

That small gesture only excited him more. He could feel the heat rise in your skin. His hands drifted away to sip at his wine once more. “Yet despite the dangers I was warned about, I knew I was the only one who could handle such power. My powers came so naturally to me. I can cast spells at the simple snap of my fingers.”

You had to swallow thickly and Shang watched as your throat worked it down. “You’ve certainly changed from that poor boy I once knew you as,” you whispered. Your eyes glanced to his lips, the scent of the wine tingling your nose. “Feel welcome to demonstrate some of those powers, if you’d feel inclined. You know I’m not so delicate.”

He leaned in closer and you could feel the smirk as you spoke. “If I do that, I can guarantee you’ll not be wanting to leave me tonight.”

His warmth invaded yours again and your heart thumped in your chest. “You assume that I want to leave,” you whisper. “But I in fact do not intend to.” You tilted your head and lean to his ear, swirling your tongue over his earlobe before pulling it in with a nibble.

Shang quietly gasped at the feeling. Oh, you were too enticing. The heart rose within him despite his fight for composure. “And how, exactly, do you expect this night to end?”

You let the silence stretch after his question and transcended your hands down across his chest, pressing again the layers of his clothing. Your nerves vibrated in anticipation, longing. You wanted to feel him, prove that he was truly that same man from all those years ago and that you could have him. You reluctantly pulled away to lock eyes. “However you’ll have me.”

Logical thoughts evaded the sorcerer as his mind ran blank, heart pumping at an increasing velocity with every word. He knew what he wanted, and like all things he desired, he would take.

He grabbed your arms and clashed his lips against yours in a passionate kiss. Every touch he left on you was electrifying to both you and him. From his shifty fingers rubbing across your skin, to your hands roaming through his hair to push him closer, the other diving under his vest to roam his chest. You enjoyed the forbidden taste of him, the touch you craved so long ago.

In kind, his hands descended to your hips, gripping the plush skin he found there. His kiss was passionate, slow yet deep if not just overbearing. He controlled the kiss and you allowed him.

As his tongue circled around yours, you straddled his thighs and dropped yourself atop his lap. Your hands moved to his throat to dip his head back against the sofa, deepening the lustful kiss. As the heat around you rose, you ground your weight against him almost without even realizing, the hand around his throat firming to a lose hold.

Shang broke the kiss as a low moan left him. His eyes were glassy, coated with lust, and he loosely smirked. “You,” he started, grip tight as he groped the plush of your thigh. “Are certainly not the same naive girl I knew when I left. What more do you hunger for, my dear? What do you crave so insatiably?”

The dark lint of his silky voice stirred something deep within your gut. Your breath was heavy as you absorbed the way he looked under you. “We both have seemed to change in some ways… sorcerer.” You teased the last word, still foreign to your lips to call him such. You leaned over him, hair dropping around the both of you. You licked a hot strip across his parted lips. “I’m quite starved for having any part of you.”

He felt him shudder more so than saw it. “Then I guess it’s my turn to ask my question. How is it that I have the privilege to see this temptress side that you’ve become?” His breath shuddered as you attacked his neck, leaving a trail of light nibbles to his jaw.

You pondered how to answer such a question, grinding down against him as you thought. You elected a moan at how he grew under your hips. The more you moved, the hotter your core burned, distracting and enticing you. But Shang seemed to notice and he grabbed your hips in a burning hold, moving himself against you to hold your attention.

“Someone sought me out,” you admitted between your moans. “He came to me, saying I had some potential to become more powerful. To be a defender, become a great warrior.” You left a wet kiss below at his adam’s apple. “To train to become one of earth’s greatest defenders.”

He growled in response to you movements. He could feel every little thing about you, even the tiniest movements brought his mind to pleasurable insanity as he ground himself with you. “Great defenders… great sorcerers. All of it seems so miniscule in the grand scheme of things. Don’t you agree, my dear? Doesn’t it bleed at your skin to know you could be more, become more than anyone thought you could be?”

“In this moment, it seems like a waste,” you admitted, kissing him shortly at his confused expression. “To stay here seems much better.” You undid the buttons to his vest and shirt, opening the layers to his toned chest. You threw off your top next, discarding it over your head, uncaring to where it landed. “But you were not alone in wanting to raise your name from the filth that we both once were. The man, he gave me belief that I could improve. Something about him seemed… sincere. Promising, dominant.” Your hands groped around his exposed skin, hips dancing quicker to match the uprising in your story. “Liu…” You started, trying to recall. “His name is Liu Kang.”

Shang’s grip tightened on you at the mention of that wretched name. His eyes narrowed as he skimmed you over, trying to exploit you for plan you haven’t admitted to. But he found nothing of ill intent. So the damned monk was a step ahead, or it was a trial luck. It burned disgust in his gut to know he influenced you in some way. The sorcerer wouldn’t allow it.

In fact, it opened more avenues. Liu hadn’t revealed to you about him or his plans of the Dragon Army, it seemed. He smiled wide, his sharp teeth brandishing. You could be a great pawn, someone working on the inside to exploit the monk’s plans. His hunger for you was becoming ravenous.

He practically purred. “Ah yes, Liu Kang. I’ve heard that name before. I’m sure he wouldn’t like to hear that I’ve taken his pupil so soon.” He smirked and gave a quick squeeze of your ass.

“You haven’t taken me just yet, Shang Tsung. So why don’t you?” You gripped his throat again, pulling his chin to meet your strong gaze. “Show me how you’ve grown. Take what is bound to be yours. You’ve no need to be gentle with me.”

His heart thrummed in desire. He would give you quite the show you longed for. He was sure he would offer you anything, if you asked. He pulled you taught against him with a restricting grip to your thighs, your body heat crashing against him. His kiss was more teeth than tongue and his hands slipped below your pants, dominating. The moan you cried strummed his sadistic pleasure.

He lifted you off his lap and flipped you to your back against the soft cushions. He removed his shirts promptly.

You ogled him boldly, stomach churning for desire at the appeal of his toned chest and muscles. You quickly stripped your pants and garments in the same manner. “A layer of clothes, for for a layer of clothes,” you whispered. “A fair trade.”

His eyes were predatory as he watched you from above. He suddenly grabbed your ankles and split them apart, sliding himself between them and caging your body beneath him, growling at the flush contact. “Let us not waste a second longer.” A pliant finger came between the two of you.

Feeling his fingers heavily press against your folds, you shuddered a moan and pulled him closer with your legs. “Shit,” you whispered. “Fuck…”

“Such a filthy mouth for someone so beautiful.” He circled firmly against your clit, his own desire rising the more he watched your expressions. “So wet for me. Tell me, for how long have you craved this?”

Your head hit the plush pillows behind you, chest rising in falls in deep breaths. He dipped his head to bite at your unmarked chest. His primal urge to darken it with bruises overruled his moral thoughts. “Quite some time,” you stuttered out, rolling your hips in time with his fingers. You whined pathetically as he entered a finger inside of you. “I-” you inhaled sharply. “Fuck, um.. A bit after I got to know you. I thought you were an annoying asshole.. and a prick.”

Shang rolled his eyes, pressing his lips into your skin. What flattery. He sunk his teeth into you for retribution.

You jolted under him, and he pressed his hips to yours to hold you down. Your knees dug into his hips as you moaned; another finger was added. “I think seeing the, gods, other side of you was what did it in.. Your - fuck! Your fucking smile that you just showed me. You being attractive didn’t help with anything.”

His tongue ran over your bites before he sucked the sensitive skin, a gift for your words of praise. He went up to your neck, sucked deliciously, before pulling away with a shit-eating smirk. You’ve fed his ego.

“You should have told me much sooner,” he purred, dipping his head to lean close to your lips. His hair tickled your cheeks gently, and you shuddered upon feeling a third finger prying you open. “We could have done this,” he thrust up his hips in time with his fingers, the illusion of fucking you, “so much sooner.” He hissed through his teeth. “So many times.”

You could almost sob at how he made you feel, at how good it felt to be with him again. His hold on your hips tightened to a vice, his fingernails denting into your skin. You thoughts ran rampant as you thought over his words, vivid imagination running wild at the different ways he could have taken you all those years ago. In his traveling wagon, barely hidden around a corner in town… all the way you’d let him take you. There was a sharp pang in your heart knowing that could never happen, that you couldn’t go back and make love to the broken boy he used to be.

But that’s what made this moment so much more alluring. “Please, Shang,” you whispered, opening your eyes to find that his never left yours, drinking in your every emotion. “I don’t want to wait any longer. I want you… Now.”

“So demanding,” he chuckled. “But you asked so nicely…” He nipped at your parted lips as you swallowed down shallow breaths. With one final curl of his fingers, he pulled them out, leaving behind a hollow feeling. But your stomach fluttered as he began undoing his layers, unveiling himself to you.

Your legs tightened around him in expectancy, and he chuckled deviously as he felt it. “Does it please you?” He teased, voice as tempting as milk and honey. “Longing for me so impatiently that you make a mess of my couch..” He tutted as he saw your mess drip off your thighs. “When you haven’t even had it before?”

A puff of air puffed out of your nose, whether from embarrassment or anticipation, you weren’t yet sure. “Shang-”

His eyes flicked to yours, narrowing. Telling you to be silent, do not dare to interrupt him. He shifted himself on the couch, traveling lower as he kept your ankles apart. He slowly lowered himself when he was equal to your bottom half, his black hair tickling against your skin. The amount of how much he was staring at your core was driving you insane, if not a bit shy. You went to put your knees together, but he was faster and shouldered them open again.

“You will be good for me, won’t you? After all you’ve stained my sofa. You should be thankful to me for cleaning your mess.” He dipped his chin as his words hit you of what he was about to do. “You are in my debt now.”

You didn’t have a choice in the matter, regardless. His mouth covered your aching mound and sucked instantly, the lewd noise filling the opening air. His tongue followed quickly after, lapping a long strip to catch the falling mess. Your hips jerked up instinctively, thighs tensing as you cried out. Your hand knotted into his hair.

Shang snaked his arms beneath your thighs and pulled them open, effectively holding you down to grant full and unrestricted access to you. You felt exposed, but with him it felt right. Like you were his. He met your eyes when you sucked your clit, as is following your trail of thought about him owning you.

He shouldn’t look so good like this. You felt you kind of hated him for it. But the feeling didn’t last long for how good he was making you feel. You tugged his hair, nails scratching hard, when you felt his tongue pressure inside of you.

He moaned in response, the vibrations making your insides flutter. Your back arched off the sofa as you moaned lewdly. He kissed against you, chuckled at your response, and it felt as if the laugh filtered throughout your whole body. “Shang, Shang,” you muttered quickly. “You- please stop,” you begged, his hair clenched in tight fists. “I won’t be able to last.”

He hummed in response and you wanted to knee his shitty face for how it made you jump. He pulled you closer to his mouth, your hips elevated in the air, thighs over his shoulders as his tongue moved deeper. His eyes closed, enjoying it more than he was willing to admit. You tasted divine.

Your body began to tremble, feeling as if circuits of electricity were coursing through you. Your thighs closed around his head, holding him tight and he let out a pleasured sigh. You felt a high creeping up on you, your chest constricting, your hips rolling in response to his tongue. You felt the rush-

But he pulled away, panting. His eyes opened again and he was looking down at you, eyes darkened with lust.

You would kill him, you were pretty sure. You certainly wanted to. You wanted to tell him about himself, but you stopped when you saw wet his chin was, slick with your own mess. You saw his tongue lap at the remnants on his lips, the fucked out expression he wore so well that you knew his thoughts weren’t all there. His hair that was falling out of the clip and messily scattered around his face. He looked good, and you hated it. You could kill him later, you figured.

You both spoke nothing as he shifted your legs to keep over his shoulders. You crossed your ankles behind his neck. He lined himself up at your entrance without a word, and the heat of his member rubbing against you caused you to shudder.

He leaned above you, flexing your legs with him as he practically folded to where it was almost a sitting position, and entered himself into you, not too slow, not too fast. It was a perfect speed to match an ever more pleasant stretch to accustom him inside of you. Your mouth gaped in response, eyebrows furrowing in lust. He grunted when he was fully hilted inside of you, soaking in the pleasuring warmth you provided.

Shang’s canines poked out of his mouth as his lips curled, the expanse of his heightened emotions bleeding into his expression. You felt divine. Another fruit to his labor, he considered. But this was much better.

Without warning, he slowly thrusted into you, soft but deep to get you accustomed. You gripped at his biceps that were on either side of you.

“What a work of art you are,” he began, his voice an octave you had never heard before. It was doing something for your core. “Both inside and out. You fit right with me, don’t you? You don’t deserve to be in such a filthy town when you belong in my home. You deserve a lavish lifestyle to compliment you, to speak for your sins. You’d be another trophy for my collection; proof of the years I’ve sacrificed.” His thrusts heightened, as he pulled back fully back out, then into you, his breath shuddering. He felt he was in a continual state of arousal, only you put him through. “But no, you’re so much more than that, aren’t you? You’d be a prized collection. Not for anyone’s eyes but my own. Not for anyone’s use,” he pointed the word with a dominant thrust, “but my own.”

You didn’t have any control of your body anymore as he pulled out every pleasure you’ve ever known. Your body was limp as he took control and you could do little but moan and meet his hips back, chasing after your own ecstasy. It took everything in you to open your eyes and meet his gaze.

“I’ve missed you Shang,” you managed to moan out honestly. You shakily grabbed his chin to hold. “I don’t want this to be a one night thing.”

The words you spoke were fragile, and your heart tightened as you admitted them. You didn’t want to even think about the potential event of him leaving again after this was over, and never seeing him again, at least not for years. You’ve had him where you wanted, years of longing finally made up for in this moment. You didn’t want it to end.

Shang moaned at your admission, his thrusts becoming sloppy as he pounded into you. He held your strong gaze, and your eyes were those that would turn him weak, make him fall to his knees and do anything for you if just to see them again. They were the eyes of someone who had accepted his past life, embraced it for what it is and who he had become. He wouldn’t admit the power you had over him, so he would make you feel it.

“I do not wish for this to be for one night only, either,” he admitted softly. “This is right, don’t you agree? How I make you feel, how you make me lose my virtue?” He chuckled and hissed through his teeth, kissing you quick. He watched you lose control.

“Please,” you whispered so softly. It was more of a plea than anything, and tears threated to brim at your eyes. It was a true sense of longing for underneath how your body burned from the mixture of both of your movements. You kissed him again, so gentle. So loving.

The sorcerer’s breath was heavy. His eyes didn’t close as he kissed you, instead deciding to watch you. To make sure you didn’t fade. Your movements together sparked ecstasy inside of him; it was a perfect dance. The way you kissed him, how you spoke, the pleas from you. It made his heart beat hard in his chest, like it was his life’s quest to have you. That all his beggar days and his late night studies of magic were built to just have this moment. And you spoke of the promise of more.

“I want you tonight,” he spoke, hips rolling deliciously. “I want you every night. I want you forever.”

He was one never to admit his desires. Instead, he sought them out and made them his. And he planned to do the same for you.

“You will have me,” you promised. “Now, and any time. I am yours, Shang Tsung.”

He let out a groan that was pitiful to his own ears, as he slowed his thrusts, wanting to cherish yours words and the feeling. He dipped his head down to your chest, feeling the pleasure in him burn, threatening to escape. You had him wrapped around your finger and you didn’t even know it.

“As long as you are mine as well,” you continued, as if that was ever something to be denied. If only you knew how you made him weak.

Shang didn’t relay another word but moved his head out of your shoulder, locking eyes with you once again in the midst of both of your pleasure. He slowly worked his way back to speed, if not faster and deeper in silent promise. It was electrifying, how you made him feel.

“Say it, Shang,” you moaned, breathy as you felt your release build back again. “I want to hear you say it. Say that you’ll be mine, and that I am yours.”

Shang’s gut churned, burning with lust. He talked above your lips. “I will be yours, as you are mine for all of time. Your wishes, your desires, your dream; they will all be shared and become mine onward. You alone are worth the price you’ve paid to become what you are, now where we are. To be this powerful alongside of me. I will ensure that you will never forget what we’ve worked for, my love.”

Your legs tightened around him as he spoke his promise, your release taking you hard, heightened from how you ever felt before. Your legs shook as if they had energy surging through them, as your stomach clenched and churned, and you constricted around Shang. You moaned your ecstasy in the form of his name.

Shang hissed as he felt you shudder, both inside and around him, his own pleasure heightening from the sensation. As he reached his brink, he spoke in your ear, desperate, promising: “From here and out, we are one, in body in soul. The darkest of nights and the brightest of mornings we shall be by each other in kind, ruling together for the duration of our lives. Until the sun shines no more, until creation has no more purpose.”

He released in his monologue, hips grinding and feeding himself through the pleasure until he was finished. You felt his release spread inside of you, a sort of intense intimacy that you felt on the outside as well. His hot breath pricked against your skin as he came off his high, only releasing his tight grasp when he had his senses back.

You shared a comfortable silence, soaking in the afterglow of the promise of each other. The shared pain you both felt apart from each other, the emotions you both buried, the longing and the unspoken feelings. But now, all was replaced with the promise of tomorrow.

Shang moved your thighs off of his shoulders to let you fully relax. You sighed in thanks and he pulled himself closer, gazing into your eyes.

Your heart could sense his next words before he even spoke them, and already you agreed to them.

“You shall never be with another in this life, nor the next. Not while I still exist. You will need no one but me, as I will provide you with nothing but the best. Your body, heart, your mind, they are all mine, and mine are yours. In this life, for eternity, no one shall ever feel the abundance of your love but me, and no one will know the pleasures of mine but you.”

[skwpr]

You want to make a difference in the world? Start with yourself.

Be open and communicate openly! Don't try to become a telepath and read other people's thoughts. Don't expect that from other people either. Avoid ambiguity in your words.

Be polite, but don't try to please everyone around you. It is better to concentrate on the relationships that really matter.

Take care of your health. Eat in moderation, get enough sleep. Don't stress over small things and don't make a big deal out of it.

Live within your means. Buy only what you really need. And everything you don't need, just throw it away, give it away, sell it. Set aside a certain amount, let it be your safety cushion.

Don't waste your time and energy on envy and comparing yourself to others. Spend your energy and time on building the kind of life you dream of.

Surround yourself with the right people. Do not adjust to those around you. Do what you think is right for your own benefit, but not to the detriment of others.

Take care of your time. Spend some of your time learning how to save time. It pays off.

Use advanced technology to make your life easier, not the other way around: don't let it steal your time.

Be honest with yourself and others, do not breed lies around you: sooner or later you will get entangled in them.

More often tell your loved ones that you love them.

Do not burden yourself with unnecessary baggage in your life or in traveling.

Stay focused. Productivity increases if you only do one thing at a time.

Don't put off cleaning for later. Clean up after yourself (dishes, workspace, etc.) right away, it's easier that way.

Smile more often, even to strangers on the street. As in the song “After all, a smile is the flag of the ship”.

Be open to new thoughts and ideas.

Eat only when you are truly hungry. Don't snack on stress and laziness.

Add a little physical activity to each of your days, a walk or half an hour of home exercise is good enough to keep you minimally toned.

Don't beat yourself up over things you can't change. Concentrate on what you can do.

Remember your life priorities and always act accordingly.

Strive to fulfill your desires. Don't waste your life trying to fulfill someone else's dreams.

No matter how bad (or good) things are at the moment - everything changes. Accept this simple fact as a given, “Everything passes!”

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Don't worry about other people's opinions of you. There are NO perfect people.

Even if you think you are 100% right about something, always leave room for the thought that it may not be true for someone else.

The magic words “thank you” and “sorry, I was wrong” are relevant at all times. Use them, without fanaticism, of course.

[australianwomensnews]

I’m staring at a freeze-frame of a bare-chested man behind the text “Why is menopause painful?” when a woman’s head pops up from the corner of the screen, wavy haired and bespectacled.

“You know what’s painful in menopause?” she says. “Having to listen to pontificating shirtless dudes who have no idea what the f--- they’re talking about.”

The woman is Dr Jen Gunter, a Canadian-born, US-based gynaecologist and author who earned the moniker “vagina antichrist” after her searing critique of Gwyneth Paltrow’s $250 million wellness empire Goop in 2017, which was selling vaginal jade eggs, espousing the benefits of vaginal steaming and claiming bras caused cancer.

Seven years later, women are being bombarded with bad intel about their own bodies with rapid-fire repetition on TikTok and Instagram that trades on fear, often before hawking a pricey, unproven, potentially hazardous solution, Gunter says.

“Misinformation is the most pressing problem for women’s health today,” Gunter says before a visit to Sydney for National Science Week, including a speaking event at UNSW on August 15.

“These algorithms are creepy smart, and they favour fear,” she said. “It’s not just the original video we’re dealing with, it’s the people who stitch [which allows users to combine a video with a new video they create], then those videos get views and shares and comments, which [is rewarded by] the algorithm,” she said.

“We mistake repetition for accuracy. It’s very human. And once you are exposed to misinformation it’s very hard to then accept valid information.”

Social media may provide a vehicle for medical untruths, but it’s also a salve.

Gunter has 355,000 followers on TikTok, 289,000 on Instagram and 360,000 on X, and she’s not the only medical professional on TikTok and Instagram (not to mention scientists and official health departments and peak healthcare organisations) debunking wellness myths and providing science-backed information. Most are less sweary.

The proliferation of misinformation is understandable. It is what fills the vacuum when accurate, accessible information about women’s health is scarce.

“We know many women don’t get the healthcare they need because they are dismissed and sent home with pain. They are let down by the healthcare system, and that’s when predators or the wellness industry swoop in,” Gunter said.

Her targets include naturopaths, chiropractors, lifestyle coaches, and influencers who espouse unfounded and erroneous “health advice”.

An Instagram post that recently drew her ire was by a “body connection coach” with more than 13,000 followers who said she avoided cervical cancer screening, colonoscopies and mammograms before advertising her course for $750.

Gunter also responded to a TikTok (which had more than 677,000 likes) in which a woman recommended putting boric acid into one’s vagina to “be perfect down there”. Boric acid kills good bacteria as well as bad and is very irritating to the vaginal mucosa, Gunter told her followers.

The “worst myth” for Gunter, is the “hormone imbalance” trend, which co-opts hormonal health: the changes in hormones that influence the reproductive cycle, menstruation, puberty and menopause.

Proponents claim rebalancing hormones is responsible for an expanding array of ailments including gut problems and autoimmune diseases that can be treated with detoxes, ceasing hormonal contraception and hormone health courses.

“It’s a nonsensical thing, just a made-up term that people can turn it into whatever they want to suit their purposes,” she said.

Her approach has brought her admirers and vocal critics.

“I certainly get attacked a lot by other women,” she said. “I just want you to have the power that comes with knowledge about how your body works. You can do with it what you want.”

She recalls a patient whose husband had read online that contraceptive pills irrevocably damaged fertility.

“They were having a little trouble getting pregnant the second time, and she was literally sobbing on the floor thinking she had damaged her fertility by taking birth control pills. That is cruel,” Gunter said.

“When I started tackling misinformation online I thought I’d have this fixed in a few years, then I won’t have to have these conversations in the office any more. I was so naive.”

The spread of misinformation has been recognised by social media companies. Both TikTok and Meta employ mechanisms aimed at curbing its spread.

A spokesperson for Meta (which owns Instagram) said, “Meta is committed to stopping the spread of misinformation. We use a combination of enforcement technology, human review and independent fact-checkers to identify, review and take action on this type of content.”

In a statement, a spokesman for TikTok said, “Our Community Guidelines prohibit misinformation, including medical misinformation, that may cause significant harm to people, and we remove millions of pieces of content in Australia each year.”

[thefandomdirtymind]

I love your sanji fics so much it’s crazy, I was wondering if you could make an angsty sanji fic!!

A/N IMPORTANT:  Hi anon ! Damn this one have make me doubts myself. Angst wasn't my strong suit but I had this idea about those mistake you made when your young and the result push me to ask myself what I would do in those kind of situation and how much a person can grow from his mistake. I also enjoy write more of Zeff, even adding a little Bonus scene. Thank you for your request !

Shout out again for : @alienstardustwrites !

Oregano and others things

Soundtrack : Mine by Kelly Clarkson

OPLA - Sanji

Warning: Angst, Cheating theme, young mistake, redemption

Sanji / OPLA Masterlist and Coming Soon

* English is not my first language, I tried really hard to correct myself but, I hope you will excuse me if some mistakes are still there.

----

The water was agitated, making your little marchand boat tang a little more than to your liking. Taking a deep breath, watching the floating restaurant in front of you, you know what you have to do. You have to put your feet on that dock, wear the waiter uniform waiting for you, help Zeff with his understaffed problem and come back home. Simple, truly a walk in the park. All that and…avoid Sanji.

You came from a respectable family of fishermen and herborists selling their catch on the local market. Little girl, you were in charge of carrying the ice for the cold table and wrapping the customers' fish. You will always remember the day your parents had started making business with Zeff. The tall man, even sitting at the little table in the back of the stall, was imposing enough to at the same time scare you and make you curious. But, the little blond boy, only a few years older than you, following him like his shadow, intrigues you even more. 

As you grow up, gaining new responsibility in the shop, you soon regularly help your dad doing the delivery to the Barratie, having the chance to pass some time with Sanji. Their pretext being that you would both benefit from having somebody your own age around, even if it’s for a few hours when it was in reality, for them, a moment to share a drink and talk supplies. The young cook would usually profit from this occasion to make you taste his cooking and ask you many questions about your knowledge on fish. 

Adolescent, you had at many occasions,succeeded to sneak out of the not so watching eyes of the adult to respond to some question like only puberty could ask. Partner in crime for many first in your life, it was now hurting you like a knife in the wound to see him, an hour, a minute, a second.

Pushing the side door of the restaurant, many fabulous smells filling your nose, you quickly make your way to the changing room. Place which had welcomed many child games like Hide and Seeks and other less childish things like : what’s hiding under those clothes.    

It wasn't the first time that you were serving tables for the Baratie. Your loyalty was, of course, going to your family,putting them first. But often, in occasional need like this, you had accepted to cover some shift to help. However, it's been a few years since you came back here for more than an exchange of ingredients and money. But, like riding a bike, you could remember the important stuff and Zeff had assured your dad that nothing had changed. You wish you could have liked to say the same. 

Freshly changed, taking a nervous deep breath but confident,  you exited the room, not noticing the tall blond getting out of the kitchen, angrily putting back his suit jacket.

Sanji couldn’t believe it, it was the second time this week that Zeff was rejecting one of his creative plates, sending him to play the waiter. Didn’t the old man see that his mediocre menu was killing him, and making him serve tables was the ultimate insult. He was, after all, the best cook of all this shitty restaurant.     

A vision pushes him, half-way in a move to pick a fresh tray of rolled bread, to stop ruminating his dark cloud to instead freeze in place.  

A little writing pad in hand, you hair styled into a practical but elegant way, your old uniforme clinging to your curve, you were standing in front of a table of happy imbeciles ( ready to all order medium well prime ribs for sure he presume) who’s was devouring you with their eyes. But the worst, for Sanji, was your smile, a generic one but a rare sign he hadn’t had the joy to see for way too long. 

Seeing you like that, moving like a fish in the water around the tables, was bringing back the best and the worst moment of his life all at once,twisting his guts. And he knew exactly who to blame for that. 

Turning on his heels, returning in the busy kitchen, his footstep quick and stiff, he easily spotted his mentor. 

“ Zeff, why the hell is she here ?” Sanji asked, not feeling the need to clarify who ‘she’ could be. The old pirate already knew, of course, only him could have made her come to help as a waiter.

“ We’re under staff, little eggplant, she knows the job. Deal with it.” Zeff replied, his focus on inspection of the plates ready to go. 

“ Really, even after you know our history ? Let me bring back your ex here and tell you the same. Would you deal with it ? “ 

“ Ex and History” The old man crackle” Is that what you call your little pathetic teenage adventure ? Anyway,you’re welcome to try to bring my Ex here, but I encourage you to prepare yourself to freeze your arse off. The bottom of the sea is pretty cold, just like that fucking witch. “ 

“ We don’t need her. We can absolutely run the restaurant like we have always do “ 

“ Sure we can,little eggplant, but we run way better now that she is with us. Anyway for what you did to the poor girl you deserve to feel some guilt. Now stop whining and get out of my kitchen ! “ The chef cut the discussion crossing his arms, his expression dissuading any replies. 

His lips pressed in a thigh line, facing his second defeat of the day against the old man, Sanji makes his way to the double door, before stopping at only a few each of the exit, his breath stuck in his throat. 

Entering the overheated place, ready to ask for the order of your customers, you briefly meet his gaze, momentarily losing your smile, regaining it as you face Zeff. 

“ Four prime ribs…” You begin to say. 

“ Let me guess, medium well ?” Sanji sarcastically said from the doors.

“Medium well for table five “ You still finished trying to ignore his chuckles or the caress of his gaze on you after so long. 

“ Ignore him, little peach. Four prime rib mediums-well for table five !” Zeff advises you, before shouting the order. 

“ I do my best uncle…Chef “ You smile, remembering your kitchen manners.  

“ This table seems like a bunch of idiots, let me serve them for you “ The blond offered, his voice softened. 

“ I can handle them myself, thank you “ You coldly replied,leaving him behind, trying to regain control of your emotions. Even after all those years, your traitorous heart was responding to his presence.  

Making a stop at a few of your tables, seeing on the side Sanji do the same on his own. You gave table five their drink. It was obvious that those four weren't the best sailor sailing on the east blue. It was in fact, almost a miracle that people around them hadn’t complained since they were one of the most noisy tables around. But, you didn’t need his help, you will follow the plan even if the avoid part was now near impossible. 

“ two old fashioned, a whisky net, a beer and a long Island “ You enumerate, placing the drink in front of the right person, putting the last one in the middle. “ You’re order is place in the kitchen I will come back soon to give you your food” 

“ Wait pretty ! “The taller one exclaimed, pushing gently the long island in front of you “ This one's for you “

“ I’m sorry, I can’t accept it or drink on the job.” You declined,plastering a polite smile on your lips. 

“ Oh come on pretty, only a sip, we will not tell ! “ Another with greasy hair laughs. 

“ No thank you, Gentleman, I will come back with your order soon “ You firmly answer suddenly feeling the hand of the tall one grab you arm. 

“ It’s not polite, we had brought you something, you could at least drink a little of it with us.” 

Opening your mouth to put them back at their place, you hear Sanji behind you, his voice cold as ice. 

“ First of all, a gentleman should never force a lady or touch her without consent “ The blond tells, removing finger by finger the hand of the man on your arm. “ Second, the lady say no, drink yourself your poisonous gift and let her work in peace.”

“ Sanji, it’s okay, those gentlemen were about to lower their tone and let me go” You explain embarrassedly, looking around to see many side eyes enjoying the drama. Pirates, as well as most of people,were always fond of dramas.

“ Calm down, we are only trying to know her better “ The third protest, throwing to your Ex a dark gaze. 

“ Trying to know her,while she is stuck at serving you and already told you no.”

“ Sanji…” You tried. 

“ It isn’t a way to treat a lady forcing her to endure your deplorable attempt. Just face it, she’s too good for all of you” Sanji finished.

“ Oh, that’s it, you want her for you lover boy “ The taller laugh” Sorry to say it to you but at the gaze she give you, you seem to have less chance that’s us” 

“ Oh no, not at all. I already have the pleasure to kiss her sweet lips, even if she annoy by me, I could never be lower than you.” The blond smirked. 

“ That’s enough ! Gentlemen, I came back with your plate. Please lower your tone, you disturb the dining room and you,come with me !” You said,taking Sanji's hand, forcing his taller stature than yours to follow you in one of the storage rooms. 

The room, lit by a solitary lightbulb, was one you didn’t come to really often, only once in fact and it was that fatidical day. Surrounded by the many shelfs full of goods, you take three deep breaths before facing the only one you wanted to not face today. 

“This was ridiculous” You abruptly said“ Everything was under control and they didn’t have to know our past history.” 

“ Under control ? “ Sanji laughed,closing his eyes before tilting his head. “ Ma chérie, he gripped your arm. I know you hate that I was right about those idiot but I truly had help you there” 

“ I’m not your chérie, not anymore” You remind him, the old wound reopening slowly.

You could perfectly remember that day. You turned seventeen in two days and, as your birthday was approaching, your dad had promised you that you would be the one doing the delivery alone to the Baratie for now on. Excited about the news, you had sailed to tell Sanji the good news. But, as you had searched the kitchen, the dinner room and even climbed to his room, you couldn’t find him. It’s only when a cook told you he had seen him near the storage that you regain hope. However, as you were approaching the room, you didn’t have the force to go further.

His hands, who had so gently touched you, were locked around another girl's waist, his lips you loved so much pressed against hers. Only his gaze, enlarged in shock, was fixed on you. Tears were rolling on your cheeks without you even noticing that you were crying. The only thing you noticed was a piercing pain in your chest and your body reacting by himself, stepping away as Sanji was trying to reach you, calling your name, telling you that he was sorry. 

You hadn’t answered, running as fast as you can. This year, you didn’t make the delivery at the Baratie. It was only when your father felt sick that you finally take your place in the delivery bargain, only dealing with Zeff and no one else.  

“ You had broken my heart, Sanji, remember ? “ You painfully said, angry about yourself to hear a point of sadness in your voice.

“ Y/N I was young…” He sighs, guilt painting his trait.

But, as you were trying to calm your heart,years of anger filling your veins.

“ You were young…that's your excuse ?!” You spit, your hand turning into fist. “ After all those years, I was waiting for an explanation who’s never come, crying every night. I finally thought I was able to get over it but it was it...you were young ?…I was too ! “

“  I know I am the one at fault here but you weren't the only one to suffer” Sanji muttered, his gaze darken, refusing to meet yours “ I didn’t know why I did it, and would you have accepted to see me, talk to me ? Your father was looking at me like he wanted to gutter me like his fish and Zeff wasn’t better, kicking me everytime he heard you were crying, whether it was my fault or not ! “ 

“And for today ? If it should have one who doesn't want to see the other it should be me. So what’s your problem !?” You abruptly asked. 

“ My problems…My problems is that I hate having to fight everyday with Zeff about his shitty menu and I hate he put fucking oregano everywhere ! I hate that he has asked you to help knowing how it will make me feel, I hate how sexy you look in that uniform and the way that throws me back. I hate those guys who hit on you without knowing how a fucking brat you can be. “ 

Sanji answered, passing angrily his hand on his hair,planting his gaze in yours. 

“But I hate even more that I was scared of my feelings back then ! I was a coward okay, you were amazing I freak out ! I used to think about how to impress Zeff every day and night, new recipes or new knowledge to become the best chef but the only thing I was about to think about was you. If you would come with your dad the next day, would you enjoy my Risotto or hate it? Should I make you something sweet ? Did you enjoy our kisses as much as me? How can your skin be so soft under my hands or did my hand feel too rough? Did you think of me as much as I did of you? I was falling in love so fast with you but I knew I didn’t deserve you.”

Letting a sigh escape his lips as his voice takes a more annoyed or that is an embarrassed tone as he continues his confession. You couldn’t turn your gaze of his, mute by his raw feeling finally exposed. 

“Yet, the worst of all is that I hate the fact that I still do it after all those years. Every night I ask myself if you will be the one doing the delivery tomorrow, will I be able to have a glance of you or will you finally meet my gaze, will you stay mute like everytime or finally say hello and forgive me, that’s is my problems Y/N” 

You didn’t know at first what to say, anger having left his place to sadness. As you were standing both still. You could clearly tell by some details in his features and physics how much he had grown since the last time you had stood like that face to face. But being scared wasn’t a reason, neither erased his act or the pain you had endured. Worst, how could you trust him after all this. 

“ Well, at least after all this time, I have answers. Yes, I think about you everyday. But it also hurts me everyday,how could I trust you, I don’t know you anymore. The last time I was here we were young and you made the choice to hurt me. It’s too late for us,maybe we could try again someday, in another life. “

Leaving him behind, heading back to the restaurant level, trying to catch the tears from falling out of your eyes, you distantly heard Zeff asking you if everything was okay. Nodding of the head, putting back a smile on your lips, you take your orders and come back to the dining area. 

As the sun was pursuing its course, coloring the sky with a vibrant shade of orange, pink and purple. You gave a hug to Zeff, his smell, a mix of leather, sea salt and spice recomforting you.

“ Thank you for your help Little Peach. I know it wasn’t easy with…all this…but you truly help us today “ He tells, freeing you of his bear hug. 

“ I was glad to be able to help Uncle Zeff” 

Lifting his gaze to the restaurant, the old man seems to shortly struggle to find his words, playing nonchalantly with one of his braids.

“ Sanji isn’t a bad kid, a brat who made some terrible mistake, yes, but I think he really regretted what he had done. I made him regret it too for your sake of course, little Peach…But I saw how his mistake had made him grow. Sometimes you have to lose a treasure you thought was already yours to realize how important it was for you. “ 

“ I know Zeff “ You smiled, letting so many things go unsaid,trying not to cry again. After all, how do you explain to the old man that feeling of not knowing that man in a suit when you had only known him with a cook uniform or unable to knot a necktie.Or knowing perfectly why his loyalty to the pirate chef will forever prevent him from leaving the restaurant.“ Same hour tomorrow ? “ 

“ Like always” The old chef smiles, helping you step in your small boat, watching you leave his dock. “ Keep your feet dry “

—

A week later. 

The fresh air of the morning was filling your lungs. On the water, the fishing boat was immobile, painting a peaceful image succeeding alway to put you at ease. 

As you were preparing the stall, for your opening of the day, careful adjusting the spice jars on their little shelfs, waiting for the fisherman to bring your fresh fish, you heard a small cough. 

“ So it was you who sold all that oregano to the old man, “ Sanji's voice gently said, as if he was trying to not scare you away. 

Standing at only a few steps of you, a duffel bag on his shoulder, his suit and tie impeccable in the sleepy dock market, you take a full minute to process his presence. 

“ You had left The Baratie…” You shockingly said, more a realization of a thing you thought would never happen than a question. “ I mean, what are you doing here ?” You finally asked, still unsure if it wasn’t a trick of your brain. Young Sanji would never leave the restaurant or miss an opportunity to learn kitchen tricks, other than for necessary utility.

“ Yes, Zeff had sent me as a return of favor for the help you gave us and I didn’t protest” He replied, taking a few precautionary steps, the idea that you still could decide to attack him by throwing one of the jars at his face, not far in his brain. “His precise words were to work my ass off or be ready to have my butt kicked. Look, I know that I mess up everything and I will regret it all my life. But I’m well intended to work right today and prove to you that we can maybe have a…fresh start ? “ 

“ A fresh start “ You repeat, considering the idea. Even if nothing could change the past, you had, in the last week, known that climbing to it now that you had your answers wouldn’t help you in any aspect of your life. And, now that miracle seems to happen, it was maybe all you need. “ You will not say to the clients that oregano is for savages, is that clear ? “ 

“ Even if it’s the truth ? “ He asked, an amused smile playing on his lips. “ We will have to review the quantity you send to the restaurant it’s way too high “ 

“ You really have a problem with it are you “ You let yourself joke. 

"Hadn’t hated another herbs as much as this one, “ Sanji replied, putting aside his bag.

“ Maybe your taste is just too fancy” You laugh, feeling your heart seem to regain its pace for the first time in a long time.

“ Maybe that’s why your lips always look to me like a one of a kind delicacy “ Sanji flirted. 

“ Sanji, fresh start !” You laugh, returning to your opening preparation. “ Just for that you will refill the oregano jar ! “ 

“ Yes Madam “ The blond cook responded, a smile on his lips, a spark you thought long gone freshly back in his eyes. “ Fresh start “ 

—-

Bonus : 

His old back against one of the piles supporting the platform surrounding the restaurant, his wooden leg removed, Zeff was smiling. 

“ They aren’t bad kids, mistakes have been made, kicks have been given. But it’s the good things in life. Errors make you grow and paths who’s we thought never crossed come back. Often it doesn't work, but I hope for them it will.” 

“ I hope Zeff, you have grown too, you had more lines in your face than the last time”  The timeless woman said, his head resting on his crossed arms, the lower half of his body undulating in the dark water.  

“ It’s not everybody who’s an immortal sea witch, “ Zeff replied. 

“ I had offered you to share my ageless life, you had decline it “ She remind him. 

“ The little eggplant needed me, he was only a child. But I never thought you would forget us on that rock. “ He argued, still bitter of the memory. 

“ Time is an abstract notion for us, but you survive, don't you ? “ The sea witch smiles, having the decency to look embarrassed of his own mistake.

“ Will you forget me when I die” Zeff asked. 

“ Probably, but the water will remind me of Red boots Zeff and his sacrifice to save a little human.” She simply said, returning into the deep of the sea.

Turning his gaze to the stars, Zeff smiled.

---

@alienstardust@phantasmagoricalzenith@downforsanji@faefanatic@strongindependenttrash@hi3431@sunnanse@neko-loogi@theluckyplaces@simbaaas-stuff@ofherscarlettwitchyways @juskonutoh @buffkirby2020 @miomao-ehe 

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[mints-leaf]

A Bookstore Meet Cute Pt. 1

I've been having the same recurring daydream about Abby lately but since my memory is awful and I keep forgetting parts, I've decided to start writing it down and I figured I would share some of it. I think this will be structured like a mini-series and be broken up into a few parts.

Summary and a bit of character background: This takes place in a bookstore where the reader works. The owner of the bookstore, Jen, is your aunt and she is married to your other aunt, Cathy, who works at the same hospital as Jerry. The two of them moved from your home state to Seattle when you were just a kid and quickly became close with Jerry and Abby. When you decided to move to Seattle for college your aunts really wanted to introduce you to Abby but, being introverted, you always made excuses to avoid meeting her until today.

Pairing: Abby Anderson x Fem!Reader (modern au)

Word count: 2,043

Warnings: reader is a bit awkward, some cursing, some grammatical errors

part 2 ⚢ part 3

A/N: When I originally wrote this, I wrote with myself in mind, but I have since gone through to try to take out any physical descriptors about the reader. I’m sure I missed some lines or phrases so if you see a mistake, please let me know so I can fix it! Hope you enjoy!!

•❅──✧❅✦❅✧──❅••❅──✧❅✦❅✧──❅••❅──✧❅✦❅✧──❅•

While on a jog one Saturday morning Abby decided to go a different route than normal. She decided to jog through town on a path that would take her right past Jen’s bookstore. She came up to a red light and stopped to stretch while she waited for her turn to cross the street. As she stretched, she looked in the windows of Jen’s bookstore and that’s when she saw the most beautiful girl behind the counter. There you were chatting with a customer while you rang them up and Abby couldn’t take her eyes off you. She had seen beautiful women before but something about you pulled her in, it felt like she was in a trance.

She snapped out of it when the people around her started crossing the street and her body seemed to propel her forward. As she passed the bookstore, she had the fleeting thought to go in and try to talk to you but then she figured that meeting someone while you’re a sweaty mess might not be the best first impression. She continued her run and decided that she would stop by the store the next day and try to strike up a conversation with you.

Normally Abby doesn’t get nervous, she’s a very confident person, but as she came up to the bookstore the next day, her stomach was in knots. All at once, she had all these worries and doubts in her head. 

What if you weren’t there? 

What if you were already in a relationship? 

What if you were straight? 

She pushed through the worries and entered the store only to be greeted by Jen. Abby returned the greeting and tried to play it cool, she didn’t want to be too obvious that she was looking for you. Jen asked if there was anything Abby was looking for and after she told her that she was just browsing she took off to walk through the store in hopes of finding you.

For you, this Sunday morning had been like most of your mornings lately. You went to the bookstore to open with Jen and decided to spend the morning organizing the displays and taking stock. Earlier in the week the store had gotten a shipment of some best-selling books but for some reason one of the other employees had brought them upstairs. After your aunt told you this, you went to the 2nd floor to collect the books and bring them back to the main floor where they should have been placed.

You hadn’t realized how many books there would be, but determined to make it all in one trip you stacked the books to make a tower and attempted to walk with them. The tower blocked your line of sight, but since the store had just opened and there weren’t many customers so far, you figured it would be fine to walk down the stairs with all the books.

Things were going great until you got to the doorway for the stairwell. Suddenly, you collided with a solid mass and ended up flat on your ass with the books scattered around you. You were sure that you had just accidentally run into the wall when you looked up and saw a person standing in the doorway. You had to admit that the woman in front of you was gorgeous, but you also started to panic considering you had just smashed into a customer.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry! I didn’t think anyone would be coming up here. This is completely my fault, are you okay?”

It took Abby a few seconds to realize what had just happened. The girl that she was hoping to see had just smashed into her and was now on the floor, but you were asking if she was okay? Abby reassured you that she was okay and asked you the same while stooping down to help pick up the books. As you and Abby picked up the fallen books you continued to apologize. 

“Thank you for helping me get those. You can just put those on this table, and I’ll come back to get them after I bring these down,” you said as you motioned your head to a half-empty display table behind you. 

“Or I can help you carry them down, I don’t mind,” Abby added when she thought that you would oppose.

After a few seconds of thinking it over you relented, “Okay, that would be great. I was just taking them down to the first floor.”

Abby stepped out of the way so that you could make your way down the stairs with her following behind. You two made your way over to the counter and set down the piles of books. 

“Thank you for your help, and sorry again for running into you.” You said as you made your way behind the counter.

“Don’t worry about it.” Abby insisted.

Standing there, you were finally able to get a good look at her and you had to say that your initial impression of her was right. She was ridiculously pretty with tons of freckles, beautiful grey eyes, and her hair pulled back in a braid with some pieces framing her face. She cleared her throat, and you realized that you had been staring at her for a bit too long. You felt your face begin to heat but before you could make up an excuse and run away, Aunt Jen popped up.

“Oh, there you are... and you met Abby! Finally, we’ve been trying to get you two to meet for ages!” she said as she excitedly clapped her hands together.

That name was familiar, and you realized all at once that this was the famous Abby that your aunts wanted you to meet when you first moved to Seattle. The Abby that they were convinced would be your new bestie if they could just get you two in a room together. They had conveniently forgotten to tell you how beautiful she is.

It seemed at that moment Abby also put two and two together because she turned back to you and asked, “Wait, are you y/n?” Jen and Cathy had mentioned that their niece would sometimes help with the bookstore, but your paths never seemed to cross when she had stopped by before (she would have remembered if had she seen you).

“Yeah, and you’re Abby?” You questioned back, trying to process this all. The cute girl that you had just been ogling was someone that your aunts practically considered as another niece. (Did this mean she was like your honorary cousin? You shuddered just thinking about it.)

Aunt Jen, not realizing what she had just stumbled upon (or maybe completely realizing) continued to talk, “Yes, y/n this is Abby, Abby this is y/n. Cathy and I have wanted to introduce you two to each other for the longest time.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you Abby,” you finally piped up.

“Yeah, you too, I’ve heard great things.” She replied.

“So, Abby did you find a good book? You know if you need help y/n is great at helping people find books. You just tell her what you like, and she’ll give you recommendations.” Jen said as she stepped behind the counter with you and squeezed your shoulders.

With that Abby turned to you and asked, “Would you be able to help me find something?” She was willing to find any reason to continue to be around you.

“Of course,” you said as you stepped away from the counter and started to walk with Abby back upstairs while Jen manned the register. “What kind of books do you normally gravitate towards?”

After Abby answered a few more questions you were able to find out that she normally reads classic lit and fiction and was interested in getting into fantasy and sci-fi. Using this information, and pairing it with your own curiosity, you decided to recommend some sapphic fantasy and sci-fi books.

You two walked over to the fantasy section, and you looked for the books that you thought she would like. “This is one of my favorites,” you said while holding up ‘This is How You Lose the Time War.’ “It’s a pretty short read, only a little over 200 pages, but it’s fantastic!” Next, you grabbed ‘The Priory of the Orange Tree.’ “Now I realize that this book looks intimidating,” you chuckled as you watched Abby’s eyes slightly widen at the nearly 850-page book, “but trust me, it’s worth it. There’s tons of action and you really get immersed into the characters and their lives.” You grabbed the last book off the shelf and held it up. “‘That Self-Same Metal’ is a great book too, it’s YA and includes some Fae lore as well if you think you would be into that.” 

You conveniently forgot to mention that all these books have sapphic characters/ relationships, but you were hopeful that if she read any of these, you could gauge her reaction when you saw her again.

Abby decided to start with ‘This is How You Lose the Time War’ and you walked her up to the front to check her out.

“I hope you like it, maybe if we run into each other again you can tell me your thoughts,” you said with a small smile that Abby reciprocated.

“Definitely, but hopefully next time you won’t be carrying a stack of books,” Abby responded with a teasing smirk that had you fighting to keep your smile from stretching too big.

You handed her the receipt and wished her a great day. You watched as she left the store and as she walked past the display window, she turned and gave you a little wave. You were so distracted with returning her wave that you didn’t hear Jen walk up beside you.

“So, what do you think of Abby?” Jen asked as you nearly jumped out of your skin. 

“She seems nice,” you replied trying to be cool about it.

“Hmm, nice…” Jen responded as she scanned you from head to toe, sizing you up. 

Wanting to avoid the impeding interrogation you told Jen that you were going to set up a display and made your escape. For the rest of the day, you couldn’t stop yourself from thinking about Abby and wondering when you would see her again.

Later that week, Abby had come back to the bookstore after she had finished the book you recommended to her. She loved it and wanted to tell you her thoughts, but as she walked through the store you were nowhere to be found. She bumped into Jen who told her that you were out that day, but you would be back on Saturday. Abby was disappointed that she wouldn't get to see you, but she made sure to come back on Saturday morning and just like Jen said, there you were. You greeted Abby with a soft smile that made her feel a little fuzzy and asked her to give an honest rating of the book.

You two ended up talking about the book in depth. Abby spent about 2 hours following you around as you worked and you two shared your thoughts (she also seemed to enjoy the romance subplot which you decided to take as a good sign). Before Abby left the store that morning she bought ‘That Self-Same Metal’ and promised to be back next week to share her thoughts.

This started a bit of a tradition between you two. Abby would buy and read the books that you recommended and then the next week you would have elaborate discussions about what she had just read.

By the 4th book debrief, as you liked to call them, you asked Abby for some of her own recommendations. Almost immediately after Abby had told you some of her favorites, she got nervous that you wouldn’t like them but of course you did and that made her ecstatic (she could go on about her favorite books for days). It soon became both of your favorite parts of the week, and you would happily ignore your aunt’s teasing every Saturday morning if it meant that you got to see Abby.

[evita-shelby]

National Anthem

chapter 16

cw: mentions of drugs, drug trafficking, mentions of infidelity, mentions of a failed poly relationship, the usual i think

taglist: @zablife @justrainandcoffee @thegreatdragonfruta

Jack’s celebrating as the world comes crashing down around them.

He has vanquished the last of his rivals in Hollywood, he’s amassed five million dollars in just money alone and once Roosevelt won his bid in the next elections, Jack would finish his triumph by setting up his political takeover.

By then he will have more money than Ebenezer fucking Scrooge and come out of retirement to hunt down every bastard who uses his tricks to make their wealth.

“Why are you cutting off Michael from your business?” Gina asks, confused as to why Jack’s cutting off all strings to Shelby’s stocks and businesses to avoid any losses before anyone realizes the shit that will go down in a couple of weeks.

People would become desperate for money when they find it all gone on the morning of Black Tuesday. Jack needs Shelby to be in desperate need to take up that opium deal Brilliant Cheng is making and can’t find a single English buyer for.

“’Cause Mickey thinks he knows better than us, better than you and me, kid.” Jack knows men like Michael, Laurie was like that, and Jack had been on his way on becoming that way if Kennedy hadn’t humbled him properly.

Gray is smart, but constantly overestimating his own capabilities to the point he now thinks himself better than his boss. He’s been told to sell, to follow Jack’s lead and abandon ship before he sinks with it, but Michael thinks he knows better.

The Devil knows more because he’s old and not because he’s the devil, something Eva’s fond of saying and Michael Gray refuses to learn even after these past years.

“He listens to me; he knows I learned more by being taught at your knee than all those colleges you tried to send me to.” Gina is proud of being Jack’s blood, proud of her meager skills and the hold she has on this twat.

She and Gray were made for each other, he thinks. If his niece didn’t have him as an uncle, Gina would be joining the desperate people who would lose it all in October. Jack won’t let her share Gray’s misery, especially now that Gina’s gotten herself pregnant by the boy who’s too English to build his own kingdom.

“Like you listened to me about fooling around with him and the chauffeur?” he smirked knowing the girl thinks he’s unaware of that bastard she’s carrying, unaware of her trysts with the handsome driver her mother’s got.

“They way you lecture me about it, you’d think you never had your fun before you married her… and after” Gina returned fire knowing damn well her worst traits come from him more than they come from her mother and Laurie. “Poor, poor Aunt Evie being so friendly with Gloria while you were fucking her behind her back.”

The girl thinks she has the upper hand in this, knows Eva and their children are his Achilles heel. But she doesn’t know the real story about the affair with Swanson.

“You could be great if you didn’t overestimate yourself, Gee.

Eva knows about Gloria; she fucked her more than I did. If you’d dug deeper instead of thinking you knew everything, your shot would’ve hit the mark.” The gangster and retired businessman sat back in his chair and set his plans for Shelby in motion.

“But you’re young, got plenty of time to learn from your mistakes, I’ll give you a second chance, kiddo. If you want a seat at the table, you have to make sure Michael burns all his bridges with Shelby before you come back home as Mrs. Gray.”

She’ll be back here with a failed coup and her dear husband unaware he’s a piece in their board. Until then, Gina will be busy enough to fuck off and let him enjoy becoming a full-time gangster once more.

Politics was something he’ll be getting into, become the Kingmaker Nucky Thompson proclaimed him before Jack took his empire from under his nose.

“I see everything’s right on schedule.” Eva comes into his office wearing a designer coat closed tightly and a bloody red smirk.

“Only when you plan my days, sweetheart.” Jack watches her shut the blinds on every window for what would take up a great part of his afternoon. “Gonna miss fucking you in this office.”

“Bet your replacement won’t use it as fully as we have.” The witch had canceled his meetings this afternoon before he’d returned to the office after a business lunch and Jack would have to have lost his brain if he didn’t know exactly how his wife planned on celebrating his last day of work.

The first day in this office as the President of the Nelson Investment Company had ended with a scantily clad Eva lying on top of his spanking new desk, the last one ends with Eva stripping for him like a professional in Boston’s best brothel.

“About time we had kid number six, isn’t it, Mrs. Nelson?” Be a crime not to end this chapter in their lives without a lifelong memento.

Harry would be turning three next year, he’d been handed off to the nanny now that Eva is very busy trying to map out their lives and respective companies for the next five years with her clairvoyance. How she managed to plan an orgy for his thirty-seventh birthday a week ago was beyond him.

The witch smiles wickedly as if she didn’t hate the being pregnant and birthing part of this, “We’re ending it the way it began, dear husband: twins.”

Edmund for his dad and his twin sister, Eunice.

Black Tuesday comes with the world losing its shit while the Nelsons are sleeping in their yacht to keep people from bothering them. The kids were in the safety of the house and enjoying the rest of the week off school until things calmed down

Those who mattered to them had sold all their stocks and invested their wealth in the few things that will provide money in this next decade. Their charities were well stocked for the incoming shit show, Eva’s readied the things that would give some relief to those stuck at the bottom of the barrel and ensured everything was on track for Jack’s foray into politics.

“They should be in Birmingham now.” Eva whispers softly as they sleep in.

Jack’s been enjoying retirement, as much as a man as restless and active as her husband can. He’s taken up coaching the boys in football and training Kitty for track before school begins this autumn, trying(and failing) to build more shelves for Rosie’s doll museum and even helping with little Harry.

If you saw him you didn’t think he was at his wits end barely a month into retirement. His gang and illicit businesses help keep him busy now, thank the spirits, the thrill of having to work harder at keeping himself from unwanted attention slowly took up the space work used to.

It was like their early years in their marriage. Him coming home with blood on his collar or his cuffs, pupils dilated from the combination of adrenaline, booze and drugs, and hard as a rock even if he had was bleeding out.

He'd gone out to set the groundwork for the opium, build up his control on the heroin market and even find those ballsy enough to deal with illegally sourced opium. Jack had come in at dusk, doped up on the sample Brilliant Cheng had given him as a parting gift and having proven who the King of Boston was.

One million dollars worth of opium each year until the supply increased five times its worth with the end of prohibition.

“God, I wish I could be there when Mickey tells Shelby how he’s lost all their clean money.” The gangster snuggled against her; face buried in her chest because God forbid the man sleeps without her. “Want that bastard to come begging me for help.”

After so many years, Shelby was back on the show. And sure Jack still blames the man for his role in Clive’s death, but they need him alive. Besides killing a man who wants to die is no fun.

“He will, mi amor, you can count on it.”

[cospple]

costco x apple cider CHAPTER ONE!

TW: fighting, yelling, british, idk what else so i apologise if i forgot anything!!!

Authors Note: there’s like. a lot of grammar issues in here, those are because i was lazy. however any spelling mistakes are on purpose fuck the english language. (also i apologize to anyone who isn’t on mobile because i wrote this in my notes app so it’s formatted for mobile)

without further ado, here is our first chapter, enjoy <3

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APPLE

hi my name is apple marie cider and i have long light brown hair and brown eyes. i grew up on an apple orchard (which is how i got my name). i’ve lived in the same small town, on the same 50,739 acre apple orchard for my whole life. the only good thing about this town is the people. well, not ALL of the people. take my sworn enemy, Costco, for example. HIS FULL NAME IS LITERALLY COSTCO COSTCO COSTCO!!! him and his family have been my sworn enemy since generations back. you see, it’s a sort of family feud.. years ago, starting with costcos and my parents, (costcos family owns the town market) costcos mother WOULDNT let my parents sell their apple cider at the market and insulted us for being farmers.. the feud passed down generations, which is why Costco bullies me. in our little town, everyone who knows anyone knows that Costco is an Alpha. you can’t go anywhere without hearing about it. not even the library. i myself am more of an omega. i just don’t like the idea of being mean to people!!! anyway, aside from Costco (i roll my eyes just thinking about him), everyone here is pretty great!

i get up out of bed, put on my overalls and a black t shirt, then i head off to town. i was walking the dirt road from my barn to town, when i felt it. Costco was out there somewhere. wandering around. looking for a submissive and breedable type. “not today Costco.” i whispered under my breath. i would NEVER go out with him. i made my way through town, walking fast. a lot of faces passed, but thankfully none of them were Him. i stopped into a few stores, avoiding Costcos family market. then i picked up the dry cleaning, when all of a sudden…

“hey Apple!” a voice shouted at me. i looked up from my grocery list, and who should i see other than Costco.

“great…” i muttered under my breath. “what do you want, Costco?” i said rudely.

“oh, nothing, nothing…i just couldn’t help but notice that you went to every shop in town, but mine! odd, huh?” he said mockingly.

i rolled my eyes at him. “maybe if your parents weren’t douchebags-“

“HEY!” he barked. “don’t talk about my parents that way! EVER.” i began to shake. i don’t like when people raise their voices at me. i shivered and turned away from him, then began the long and treacherous journey back to my barn.

when i got home, momma stopped me at the door. “are ya’lright honey? have ‘nother run in with Costco?” she said empathetically.

i sighed. “it’s nothin’ momma.. i won’t let him get to me.” 

she smiled her warm apple pie smile and said “good. he ain’t gonna rattle us now, is he? we got a iron clad foundation.” i smiled softly at her, then made my way into the house. i set our groceries on the counter and brought the laundry to my room. then i thought i oughta go talk to pa about what Costco said.

********************************************

COSTCO

i took the limo back to my mansion up on the hill, overlooking our vast empire that was the town supermarket. 

“thanks Lionel.” i said, being sure not to scuff my new italian shoes as i stepped out of the limo. 

“pip pip, cheerio!” he called as he drove to the family car park. i swiftly walked into the foyer, where i made sure there wasn’t so much as a spec of dirt on my clothing. i had been far too close to that farm girl during the conversation we had. i was worried she may have given me a disease, like herpes or the bubonic plague. 

after i was sure there were no bacteria on my suit, i walked into the mansion. i walked through our pristine, pearly white halls until i reached my fathers study. 

“hello, father. you will be happy to hear that i-”

“Costco, how many times have i told you? do not disturb me while i am working.” he sternly told me.

“my apologies father…” i said, backing out of the room. he never listens to me.. and i know not to disturb mother down at the market. if i am there it could scare away potential investors or customers, due to my intimidating nature.

instead, i walked through our large, clean, house, smiling at the large painting of the Costco market, no apple cider family products in sight. it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling, knowing that they are banished to other markets.  a feeling that is, for an alpha like me, unfamiliar. i shrug it off, deciding to go work out in my gym until dinner.

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APPLE

the next day i woke up in my bedroom. it was raining outside, which is good for our crops. i looked around my pastel pink room, thinking about how happy Costco must be. it’s cold and dreary outside, just like his soul. STOP!! WHY ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT HIM??? i thought angrily. what i SHOULD be thinking about is breakfast. i have to go eat my oatmeal, and then i should put on my red poncho and go feed the horses and check the chicken coop for eggs. Costco has no place in any of that. he’s never worked a day in his life! i put my hair in a ponytail and i pulled on a clean pair of jeans, with holes in the knees from kneeling to wash the horse stalls. i put on a long sleeved navy blue henley and my poncho and rain boots.

after doing my morning chores, i went to find momma and pa, and say goodbye before i head off to school. then i put on my rainboots and began to walk to the bus stop. it was raining hard, so i had to put my backpack under my poncho. after 2.11 miles of walking, i made it to the bus stop. there were a few other kids there, but then came Costco. looking UGLY as ever in his stupid Vicuna suit and dumb Italian shoes. god, he needs to get therapy or something. 

“hey Cider, where’d your hunchback come from?” he called out in his stupid stupid accent. OH NO. MY BACKPACK UNDER MY PONCHO LOOKS LIKE A HUNCHBACK?? i thought, feeling like an idiot. everyone at the bus stop began to laugh. hard. this caused me to shake, tears welling up in my eyes. 

“aww what’s wrong? not alpha enough to handle some laughter?” something about the way he said it made me shiver. 

“shut up…” i mumbled. i won’t let him get to me, even as the tears spill over my eyes. his expression seemed to almost.. soften as he realized how his words affected me. he put his hands in his pockets and looked at the wet ground. his hair began to dampen, he must have been too busy looking at himself in the mirror to put on a rain jacket. i couldn’t help but notice the way his icy blue orbs seemed to glow, even as his hair fell in front of them. i then realized i must look odd, i was staring at my sworn enemy as if i…liked him.. or something. now THAT would be funny!

the bus finally arrived, and we boarded back to front. i ended up somewhere in the middle, sitting alone. no one wants to sit next to me because im a stupid farm girl. suddenly i felt the air seem to grow thicker, the room darker, colder even. and who should sit next to me but the one and only Costco. in the moment i wished i had sat in the back, next to stinky John, because at least then i wouldn’t be stuck here, next to the most wretched, evil creature ever to walk the earth. 

“look, i know im an alpha, and.. i don’t usually say stuff like this, ESPECIALLY not to YOU. but… im sorry for what i said at the bus stop. i saw how it affected you and i just… never mind its dumb anyway..” he said shyly. i’ve never heard Costco say something like that before. 

“oh. um- i- i- i guess its uh- it’s fine. it’s no big deal- i guess…” i said, hoping he couldn’t tell i was nervous to be around him. i don’t even like him, yet he makes me stumble over every other word. it’s crazy! 

we didn’t talk for the whole rest of the bus ride. we finally got to the schoolhouse 20 minutes later. we got off the bus and went our separate ways, thank god. i don’t want to talk to him again today. he kind of scared me, being so…nice…like that on the bus. he’s NEVER like that, especially not to me. 

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COSTCO

i can’t believe i just apologized. to APPLE!! i never apologize! to anyone! i’m too alpha for that. god, that stupid little omega is going to ruin my reputation. i can’t have that. i walked through the hallway, almost hitting the ceiling with my 6’5 frame, making sure to keep my head up. this way everyone knows that im the best. omegas cower at my mere presence. “heh..” i chuckle to myself under my breath. especially that wretched omega farm girl. i thought in my head. 

i sit down in finance 101, ready to learn, when all of a sudden..

“hey, Costco! is it true that you got RABIES from Apple Cider??” a girl asked me. i don’t know her, but she seems like a beta type. which means she should NOT be speaking to me.

“excuse me?” i said calmly.

“well..y’know, because you two are like..”

“like WHAT?” i asked, my temper slowly rising. 

“well…i dunno. i don’t remember. sorry to bother you, mr.” and then she ran off. 

if this stupid beta thinks that ME, COSTCO C. COSTCO, would EVER be associated with that farm girl, i might just murder someone. the whole town seems to think we LIKE each other. which is absurd, obviously. we very clearly despise each other. the mere idea of us being together makes me throw up in my mouth. because if i let the puke out it would get on my new suit. and i cannot let that happen, this is VICUNA for Christs sake! 

anyway, that beta clearly knows nothing about me. the closest i’ve been to that lice infected farm girl was sitting beside her on the bus. and even THAT i didn’t want to do. i just hadn’t meant to make her cry. father says making people cry is apart of the job. i don’t want to be anything like him. i want more than this. i always have. i mean, seriously, who wants a trust fund and a job in finance?

my “friend” (aka the son of my fathers business partner) James walks over and takes a seat next to me. 

“Hello, Costco!” he says cheerfully.

“hi, what are you so happy about?” his happiness disgusts me.

“Well, if you must know, my dad just signed a contract with a major company, meaning I get to intern there next fall!”

“oh, isn’t that just delightful.” i say sarcastically. who even wants to intern at a finance company?? before James can respond, our teacher begins class.

********************************************

APPLE

“OMGOSH YOU SAT NEXT TO COSTCO ON THE BUS??” my best friend Orange whisper-yelled at me. 

“well i- i mean yeah, but like i said, it- its not that big of a deal. it was just.. weird.” 

“weird like sexy or weird like odd?” 

“ugh, Orange, gross!” i say, scrunching my nose at her.

“just askin!” she shrugs.

“okay, well as i was SAYING. he sat next to me, and then-“

“Ladies, what is so important that you absolutely must talk about it while i am telling you about your assignment?” Mrs. Jones, our biology teacher, said.

we both mumbled apologies, and turned away from each other. for the rest of class, i sat silently taking notes. we were learning about cells, and to be real honest, if we didn’t have a final for this class i wouldn’t be paying attention. cells are really boring. after class, we resumed our conversation. 

“yeah! he straight up apologized for making me cry! what has gotten into him??”

“it’s so obvious, Apple!” she says excitedly.

“what?!”

“girl, Costco has a huge crush on you!! why else would an alpha like him express his feelings!! plus, HE literally sat next to YOU! guys don’t do stuff like that unless they like you.” she says, nodding her head like she just bestowed some vast knowledge upon me.

“Orange. you’re delusional. he only sat next to me because he had to! there were no other seats!!” she rolled her eyes and shrugged. 

“whatever you say! anyway, im off to algebra. see you at lunch!” she called as she skipped off. 

she’s so insane! Costco? having a crush on ME???  never in a million years! he doesn’t even LIKE ME! because we’re SWORN ENEMIES!! gosh, that’s such an absurd idea…