#and I REALLY want to publish somewhat more often.

[archive-z]

Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time or, what was on Daniel Molloy’s bookshelf in 1973?

Inspired by @volkswagonblues’ and @islandbetweeenrivers’ reading list of texts providing historical and cultural context for Daniel Molloy as journalist in the 1970s and 80s

This is, pretty much in its entirety (bar one or two references throughout the show and its extant material), assumptions I’ve made about the character. But, also: it’s my blog so I can do what I want. Dating works is somewhat inconsistent, as I opted for the date a piece was published in a collection or translation rather than when it first appeared in print if it seemed more realistic to have been acquired in that format.

I’ve found the archives of Rolling Stone and Playboy have been helpful in piecing together a who’s who of literary life in the late 1960s and early 1970s, especially for a intellectually precocious teen from suburban Modesto, CA transplanted into the centre of countercultural life in Haight-Ashbury.

From what I can gather, being born in ‘53 means Daniel was just a year shy of being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, an experience that would have profoundly effected his peers just a year or two older than him. Throughout his teenage years, he’s got the spectre of the possibility of being drafted hanging over his head. It reminds me of pop-inspirational phrases like “you only live once,” which really puts his risk-taking, thrill-seeking behaviour into the perspective of yeah, this is someone who is trying to live life to the fullest every second of every day because the possibility of being drafted means that he might not make it past twenty. (Unfortunately! Louis & Armand also mean he might not make it past twenty either xoxoxo)

However, crucially, he did narrowly miss the draft, and despite that it would be horrible, I think there’s an acute sense of having missed out on this profoundly altering experience as well. Moving to Haight-Ashbury, he’s six years late to the Summer of Love ‘67, and the rose-tinted image of hippies, peace, and love is replaced by the grittiness of speedfreaks and serial killing (the Zodiac Killer being active throughout 1969, when Daniel would have been sixteen). He’s made it to San Francisco just a few years after its golden era, and i think this makes him even more determined to live, more determined to chase living life in order to make up for that, yknow?

i think the themes that he’s drawn to when reading are:

new journalism, and particularly when the journalist-as-rockstar persona is inserted into said reporting

the provocative, bacchanalian pursuit of pleasure, whether it be sex, drugs, or rock ‘n’ roll — and often sex mixed with violence in a way that is neither straightforward nor legible

travelogues and adventure stories that reflect his restlessness, particularly which let him romanticise far away places with thriving literary scenes like Paris and New York

a general aura of repressed queerness and crises of american masculinity (Capote, Tennessee Williams, Ginsburg, Hemingway)

war narratives as a vehicle for cold war/red scare anxieties

Without further ado, the actual book list:

Periodicals

Playboy magazine. People have long joked about reading Playboy for the articles, but it is the one piece of literature teenage Daniel is in-universe confirmed to have readily accessible, so I’m running with “Danny actually does read it for the articles, though” (and anyways, it’s Diana Ross’ Rolling Stones cover issue from Feb 1 1973 that he jerks off to). In 1973 alone, Playboy featured interviews with playwright Tennessee Williams; Huey Newton (co-founder of the Black Panther Party); news anchor and journalism’s elder statesman Walter Cronkite; science fiction novelist Kurt Vonnegut; and Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Vietnam war correspondent David Halberstam. Other Playboy interviews of possible interest: Fidel Castro, Orson Welles, Michael Caine (1967); Norman Mailer, Truman Capote, sexologists William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson, Paul Newman (1968); Martin Luther King Jr., Marshall McLuhan, Allen Ginsberg (1969). Also of note: between 1969 and 1971, Playboy was publishing faked letters to the editor that eventually developed into the Illuminati conspiracy theories.

In terms of reporting from major national newspapers in circulation, significant stories that come to mind are the New York Times publication of the Pentagon Papers (1971) and Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s Watergate investigations for the Washington Post (1972-73). It’s harder to gauge the circulation of underground newspapers like the Berkeley Barb (CA) and the Village Voice (NY) but its entirely likely that a resourceful and enterprising young reader with a point of view in Modesto, CA could get their hands on a copy.

Prose, Fiction & Nonfiction

The Little Red Book by Mao Zedong. At Berkeley, The Black Panthers would raise money by selling copies bought in bulk at markup to students. Absolutely makes sense that daniel would acquire (and actually read) a copy. Growing up in the wake of McCarthyism/Red Scare nonsense def makes me think he would see flirtations with communism as provocative and cool/edgy, but never back that flirtation up with follow-through.

The Hell’s Angels, a Strange and Terrible Saga (1966) by Hunter S. Thompson. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, the Hells Angels had a sizeable presence in San Francisco and Oakland — from what I can find they lived dead centre of Haight-Ashbury up until ‘69 if not later. As a teenager in Modesto, Daniel would have been geographically quite close (if not actually in attendance at) the 1969 Altamont Festival Rolling Stones performance where a teenage concertgoer was stabbed to death by a member of the Hells Angels.

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail in ‘72 (serialized in Rolling Stone magazine) by Hunter S. Thompson. The quintessential text to understand ‘73 Daniel, imo. Fuck Nixon, Fuck Reagan, fuck the National Guard killing student protestors. Thompson’s other works include “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved“ (with illustrations by Ralph Steadman) and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

The New Journalism: An Anthology (1973) edited by Tom Wolfe. In addition to excerpts of Hunter S. Thompson’s work already discussed above, the anthology collects In Cold Blood (1965) by Truman Capote, Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968) by Joan Didion, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968) by Tom Wolfe, and Armies of the Night (1968) by Norman Mailer. I won’t do justice to summarizing the New Journalism here, but it’s def important.

Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) by Kurt Vonnegut. The quintessential Daniel Molloy fiction novel, to me. Exploration of post-traumatic stress disorder through an encounter with time travelling science fiction aliens. Takes on a new resonance for Daniel when he’s dealing with his own ptsd post-1973. Vonnegut’s other works include Cat’s Cradle (1963) and Breakfast of Champions (1973). On the subject of Cold War anxieties, there’s Catch-22 (1961) by Joseph Heller. I don’t have much to say about it as I’ve not read it yet, but it feels like the kind of thing teenage Daniel living in Schrödinger's draft call-up would take to. Maybe also John Le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1963) and The Looking Glass War (1965), the latter particularly for the palpable air of repressed homoeroticism and WWII nostalgia/Cold War anxiety.

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (published posthumously in 1964). Daniel absolutely spent his teenage years romanticising being an expat America writer in the Paris literary scene. Substance use, war, and crises of masculinity throughout. In addition to Hemingway’s reporting on the Spanish Civil War (1937-1938), other works include novels The Sun Also Rises (1926), A Farewell to Arms (1929), and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940).

George Orwell: Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), Burmese Days (1934), Homage to Catalonia (1938), Animal Farm (1945), Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949); and essays ”Books v. Cigarettes“ (1946), ”Decline of the English Murder” (1946), “Politics and the English Language” (1946), and “Why I Write” (1946). I think Orwell’s nonfiction writing would appeal to Daniel more than his fiction, especially when at the right age to romanticize the poverty-tourism of Down and Out. Also bonus points for Paris.

On the Road (1957), The Dharma Bums (1958), and The Subterraneans (1958) by Jack Kerouac. In particular, The Subterraneans is based on Kerouac’s interracial relationship with an African American woman in the 1960s. He’d also probably read Naked Lunch (1959) by fellow Beat poet William S. Burroughs.

Lolita (1955) by Vladimir Nabokov, both for its salacious notoriety and its unreliable narration. Like myself, Daniel feels like the kind of teenager who would read Lolita at sixteen as a provocation in a conservative environment, but come away genuinely enjoying it.

Poetry, Drama, Misc

Howl and Other Poems (1956) by Allen Ginsberg, particularly the edition published locally by San Francisco’s City Lights Books Pocket Poets series.

A series of miscellaneous titles I’d group together as “Daniel Actually Did the Assigned Reading in High School English Class” — The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (“Get off that bench, brother”), Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and “The Second Coming” by W. B. Yeats. Most significantly, I imagine high school is where he’d be exposed to the work of American playwrights Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. The Glass Menagerie (1944), A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955) by Tennessee Williams. In the context of his relationship with Louis, I think it’s fun to imagine he’s familiar with/attracted to the Southern Gothic by way of Tennessee Williams (again with the crises of masculinity, the spectre of war, the repressed sexuality). Williams and Death of a Salesman (1949) by Arthur Miller, present the life Daniel could have had ie. the alcoholic husband, housewife vacuuming on Valium, etc.

If there’s anything else anyone thinks I’ve missed, feel free to hit me with a reply or a dm or an @ or whatnot. stay freaky & support yr local library x

[exorcxqsm]

The price of desire.

ᯓWord Count: 4,4k

ᯓ tags - WARNINGS: mdni, reader isn’t the lnds!mc, explicit sexual content, alterations to the main story, toxic relationship, dr/y humping, t/easing, (lowkey) o/rgasm control, b/egging, f!receiving oral, p in v, unprotected sex, breath play, sensory play, spanking, mention of breeding!kink (toxic if you squint really hard), creampies, dom!sylus, use of pet names (kitten, sweetie), violence, mentions of blood and injuries.

ᯓnotes: This is my first published work here, it took me some time to write but I believe I’m content with how it came out. At first, the idea was to keep it a part one which is connected to an event of the series. Ending this part, I can think of some ways this can go, but I’d still want your opinion:) If you want to see more of this, please go ahead and ask. Any reblogs and likes will be appreciated. 

You were a dangerous woman, a fact well-known throughout the N109 Zone. As the assistant to one of the most feared men in the underworld, your reputation was built on the edge of a knife. 

But today, the real danger sat directly across from you at the table—your boss's most formidable and deadly rival: Sylus.

His silver-white hair fell messily over his forehead, creating a disheveled yet intentional look that only added to his unsettling charisma. A smirk played on his lips, while his crimson eyes held an unreadable intensity,  as he sat on the table with his henchmen on each side of him. Luke and Kieran.

You had done your research, uncovering every scrap of information about the three men before you. It was a challenge, of course; the leader of the most notorious illegal organization in the N109 Zone wasn’t one to divulge valuable intel easily. Yet you had pieced together enough to know the depths of Sylus's ruthlessness.

You were certain of one thing: Sylus would not hesitate to sacrifice anyone—including his own men—if it suited his purpose. The black-red tendrils of his mist would mercilessly end the person and he wouldn’t blink an eye while his lethal capability, capable of extinguishing a life in an instant, would take over. 

The only individuals he seemed to protect were Luke and Kieran, his unwavering henchmen, whose loyalty was both a strength and a potential weakness in this deadly game.

Everyone claimed that the twins were somewhat adopted by him—a complex relationship in which he protected and provided for them in exchange for their loyalty and services.

If you were being honest with yourself, you found yourself drawn to the twins. They exuded a carefree spirit that brought an element of fun, even in the context of business. You often wished you could shed your own uptight demeanor and embrace life as they did.

Your thoughts were abruptly pulled back to the present when one of Sylus’s men dropped two large armory boxes onto the table that separated your group from his. As the man opened the boxes, a collection of modified and illegal firearms was revealed, each piece looking as lethal as the man who had crafted them.

Dante, your boss, rose from his chair beside you to inspect the guns. After all, that was the purpose of this meeting—a trade, a business transaction between two men who despised each other's very existence, yet could not deny that, in times of crisis, their respective resources could prove invaluable to one another.

Dante provided the protocores, and Sylus expertly modified them. When Dante requested his part of the deal, the modified protocores were returned to him in the form of firearms capable of ending a life in less than the blink of an eye.

“Resourceful as always, Mr. Sylus,” your boss mused, but Sylus’s gaze was locked onto yours, seemingly ignoring Dante entirely.

“Oh, Dante,” he said, the man’s name dripping with disdain, “my little black heart is shattered into pieces. One would think you’d have learned by now not to question my methods or my work.”

You rolled your eyes at the silver-haired menace, your heels clicking against the carpet in a rhythm of impatience. You were growing weary of this standoff. Dante needed to state the agreed price and move on already.

“Set the price.”

Sylus’s smirk widened at Dante’s request, his eyes now fully focused on him. He seemed to stall deliberately, taking slow, measured steps around the room. His imposing aura filled the space, the coat draped over his broad shoulders swaying slightly with each movement. Finally, he came to a halt by the table, gripping its edge with both hands and leaning forward.

“Such a pretty kitten you have with you, hm?” he taunted.

Your gaze turned icy as Dante’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Are you referring to Miss Y/N?”

Sylus tilted his head to the side, his crimson eyes locking onto you once more, studying you with an intensity that made you uneasy. “You’re a foolish man, Dante.”

“What the hell did you just say?” 

You exhaled through your nose, frustrated by your boss’s inability to keep his pride in check when it came to Sylus. This man ran an entire organization yet seemed unable to handle a little provocation.

“I said…” Sylus drawled, relishing the moment, “you’re a foolish man. Only someone with the brain capacity of a goldfish would keep a pretty kitten like her uncollared.”

You shot up from your seat faster than lightning, leaning dangerously close to Sylus, your hand itching to grab one of the weapons from the boxes in front of you.

“You should watch your mouth when speaking to a lady, Mr. Sylus,” you seethed, your voice low but fierce. “Only a man with the brain capacity of a goldfish would disrespect a woman for no apparent reason.”

Sylus chuckled at your retort, a wide grin spreading across his sharp features, revealing his teeth.

“Feisty,” he mouthed, a smirk playing on his lips, meant only for you to see.

Just then, Dante stepped up behind you, and you almost forgot he was there until his hand landed firmly on your behind, giving it a squeeze. Your hand was so close to the gun that it took all your willpower not to reach for it.

Sylus's expression shifted, the amusement fading as his brows furrowed, re-centering on his forehead.

“Set. Your. Price,” Dante reiterated, his body uncomfortably close to yours.

You had served as his assistant for far too many years, becoming accustomed to his unpredictable behavior. Yet, deep down, he knew you wouldn’t dare act against him with all his guards surrounding him.

You were a capable assassin, more than capable of matching his malevolence, but you were just one woman up against his entire army. He was well aware of your skills, which is precisely why he always kept a close contingent of guards present during your meetings in his office. You were his most valuable asset, yet he was frightened of what you could do if pushed too far.

Despite this knowledge, he often seemed to forget the extent of your capabilities, choosing instead to provoke Sylus.

“Her.”

“No.” Your response was immediate, your tone firm. He couldn’t be serious.

Dante’s chest shook with laughter beside you, his golden teeth glinting in the light.

“She’s off the table, I’m afraid,” he added, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Very well, then.” Sylus retracted from the table and rose to his full height, a shadow looming over both you and your boss. “So is the deal. Have a good one, Mr. Dante.”

Your shoulders relaxed for only a brief moment, but before you could even blink, you found yourself lifted off your feet and thrown over the table like a ragdoll.

Fucking bastard.

Of course, the deal was too important for him to let it slip away. Sylus knew exactly what he was doing when he pulled this stunt.

“Don’t even think about it,” you spat, your voice harsh and defiant. “I am your right hand; your business will crumble without me!”

Sylus seemed to revel in the chaos, leaning casually against the doorframe with his arms folded across his chest. As his black-red mist began to swirl around the room, it coalesced around your body, lifting you off the table and bringing you effortlessly to his side.

Your struggles were utterly futile. No power could match his evol.

“Bastard!” you yelled, directing your fury at your boss.

Dante let out a deep sigh, visibly irritated but choosing to remain silent. His organization was already on the brink of collapse, a fact known only to you—and apparently Sylus too. That was the reason he had recently struck a deal with Onychinus; only their resources could possibly uplift him now—if anyone could, that is.

“Always a pleasure doing business with you, Dante.”

The plush sofa of his dimly lit living room felt uncomfortably rough against your bare thighs as you took in your surroundings. Your revealing dress had ridden up significantly due to the twins’ rough handling as they placed you there, while their boss prowled around the sofa like a predator circling its prey.

The record player in the corner emitted a classical melody that only heightened the unnerving atmosphere, each note echoing with an eerie elegance.

“So uptight,” Sylus whispered in your ear, causing you to jump as his breath brushed against your skin. You hadn’t even noticed when he had gotten so close. “My, my… and so jumpy, aren’t we, kitten? Just try not to scratch my ceiling.”

You turned to glare at him, and if looks could kill, he would have been slain by the fire in your eyes. Nevertheless, you managed to keep your voice steady. “Why am I here?”

He didn’t bother to meet your gaze as he sank into his enormous cushioned chair across from you. A black-and-red mist began to swirl around your body once more, and before you could react, it lifted you off the couch and positioned you right on his lap, straddling him.

“What the hell?”

His hand shot up, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “Shh, just keep your claws sheathed for a moment.”

You could feel your patience wearing thin. “Why. am I. here?”

Sylus's jaw tightened slightly, and if you weren’t intently observing his every expression, you might have missed it. “Because, kitten, Dante and I had a transaction.”

“Isn’t your typical price protocores when dealing with my boss?”

“Typically…” Sylus’s gaze was fixed on your face as an eerie silence enveloped the room.

Before you could process his words, his hand snaked around your throat, pulling you closer. His eyes locked onto your lips, a predatory glint flickering within them.

“What are you doing…” you whispered, your body tensing in instinctive response.

“Show me, kitten.”

“What?”

Sylus chuckled softly, a mocking sound that sent shivers down your spine. “I know you’re a smart kitten; don’t play dumb with me. It won’t help you.”

Of course, you understood what he was implying, but how did he know?

“I have no idea what you want,” you replied, your voice steady despite the turmoil inside.

His hand tightened around your throat, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. Then you noticed it—the red glow of his eye—and you realized what he was doing. “Show me.”

Ironically, he was now in control of your actions, even though he sought the opposite.

You slowly removed your glove, compelled by the white-haired man in front of you. Your bare hand pressed firmly against his chest, and in an instant, his heartbeat ceased.

Your breath hitched in your throat.

You stared at his face, dumbfounded, as the glow in his eye faded and his complexion turned an ashen pale. Before you could comprehend what was happening, a low chuckle echoed through the dimly lit room.

Sylus’s chuckle. He was alive. Wait, what the hell?

His laughter grew more vibrant with each passing second as he took in your horrified expression. You shot your hand out again, daring to touch him, but he caught your wrist, tossing it aside with ease.

“Ravishing…” he breathed, his eyes darkening to a richer shade.

You watched him for a moment, trying to make sense of everything that had unfolded in the past few hours, until suddenly, everything clicked into place.

You gasped.

“You fucking bastard!” you shouted, fury igniting in your voice. “Is this why you didn’t take the protocores? Is this why you asked for me?”

Sylus’s arrogant smirk returned, dominating his features. “He wasn’t aware of the precious possession he had in his own house, sweetie. But I am.”

“You are… sick.” The expression on his face darkened, and something twisted in your gut, though you wished it was anything but excitement at his subtle praise. “You will not control me. I belong to no one.”

“Oh, kitten, I’m not trying to control you. This is just… a deal.” His eyebrows shot up, his face tilting slightly to the side as if he found your defiance amusing. “Isn’t business what you excel at? Or do you want me to believe it was Dante who called the shots?”

Your own expression faltered, but your body began to relax atop his, a fact he noted with a small, apprehensive smile that curled at his lips. “Are you trying to extract intel from me?”

He rolled his eyes at your tactics, a playful smirk on his face. “You are so gullible, kitten.”

He leaned in impossibly close, your breath catching in your throat and a shiver coursing through you as your body responded to his proximity. This was all so wrong.

“He didn’t value you nearly enough, sweetie,” Sylus whispered against your pulse, his warm breath sending a jolt through you. “But I can.” His teeth grazed your throat, and as your mouth opened, no sound dared to escape your lips.

“I…” You took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself. “I have no idea what—”

In one swift movement, you found yourself perched on the edge of the chair, Sylus looming over you like a consuming inferno. Your chests were nearly touching, and his eyes held a dangerous allure as he stared directly into your own. “I believe you do.”

His hand drifted from beside your head, descending to your collarbone as his fingertips caressed the delicate skin with a featherlight touch. “You can end someone with just a touch…” he whispered against your neck, and you had to fight against the electric shivers coursing through your body. “I am the only person you can’t kill, even if you tried, kitten.”

Your mind was slowly turning to mush as his hand roamed over the sensitive swell of your breasts, his lips planting tender kisses against your throat. “Don’t you see where I’m going with this? We’re meant for each other. Kindred spirits.”

“You’re insane,” you wanted to accuse him, but your voice came out breathless, betraying your mounting desire. A soft grunt escaped his lips, a sound that only fueled the tension between you.

��If I’m insane, what does that say about you, sweetie?” He began kissing his way down from your neck to your collarbone, his gaze locking onto yours with an intensity that made your heart race. “I can smell your arousal from up here.”

You gasped at his bold accusation, your body jerking in response, but it only heightened the sensation as your clothed core pressed against his torso. You tensed, and his lips curled into a dangerous smirk. “So insatiable…”

“This is so wrong…”

“I’ve never been a righteous man.”

You leaned back instinctively, your hands reaching out as if to find comfort around his neck, but he halted your movement just before contact.

In your hazy state, you noticed him licking his lips, his gaze searching the floor for something—your glove.

“As much as I can’t think of another way to go, I’d prefer to be fully conscious when your pretty cunt is all over my mouth.”

“You’re… outrageous,” your voice faltered, betraying the rush of emotions coursing through you. Your body reacted in ways that contradicted your words.

“Do you prefer gentle, kitten?” Sylus asked, his fingers teasingly tugging at the neckline of your dress, unveiling your flushed skin. His tongue flicked over your right nipple, while his other hand caressed the neglected one. “Would you rather I whisper sweet nothings and cherish you gently?”

His tone dripped with playful mockery, and you arched your back, responding instinctively to his touch and taunting words.

“Would you like me to take it slow? To tell you how beautiful you are?” he teased, his laughter rumbling softly in the air.

Your resolve crumbled as he nipped at your sensitive bud, his hand expertly working the other. “No!” you moaned, your gloved fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer, caught in the intoxicating desire in the air.

He growled against your chest, his body pressing forcefully against your legs as they parted to accommodate him. He felt a thrill of compliance wash over you, nearly tempting him to follow through on his suggestion to take it easy.

“More,” you demanded, your fingers tugging insistently at his head, guiding him downward to where your dress had pooled around your waist, leaving your red lace panties tantalizingly exposed.

Sylus grinned at your eagerness, his gaze lingering on your clothed cunt. “God, kitten…” he grunted, pressing his nose against the damp spot on your panties, a rush of heat flooding your cheeks as a thrill of shame coursed through you. “Did you wear my favorite color on purpose?”

His voice dropped to a husky whisper. “Or did you wear it for him?”

You could only whimper in response, arching your body desperately to bring his face where you craved it most. Instead, a sharp sting greeted your cunt, your eyes widening as a gasp of surprise escaped your lips.

He slapped your pussy again, his expression darkening into a scowl. “Answer me, kitten. Did you get all dolled up for him?”

You clenched around nothing, the possessiveness in his tone igniting a deeper need within you. “No,” you whimpered softly. “It wasn’t for him.”

In an instant, he tore your panties away, his mouth descending on your cunt, his tongue skillfully lapping at your folds. “Good girl. Good fucking girl.”

Your fingers clawed at his shoulder, sounds of pleasure escaping you uncontrollably as he toyed with your sensitive clit. “Such a sweet pussy,” he grunted against your core, sending shivers through your body. You slid down the chair, his face pressed firmly against you, your lower body lifted almost into the air. His strong arms wrapped around your thighs, hoisting your legs over his shoulders as he devoured you.

“Say my name, kitten.”

You felt yourself teetering on the edge, already giving him too much. “N-no.”

His teeth grazed your clit, sending waves of pleasure and frustration coursing through you as he slid one finger against your entrance, teasingly. “No?”

“No.” Your voice trembled, betraying the mix of emotions swelling within you as you neared your release with each stroke of his tongue, yet your stubbornness held firm.

“Very well, then.” In an instant, his mouth was gone, leaving you feeling cold and exposed as he stood to his full height.

“What…?”

Sylus leaned over you again, delivering a sharp slap to the side of your breasts that made you squirm and gasp. “This is my zone. My side of the board. Here, you either play by my rules and win, or you go against me and lose.” His voice was low and commanding as his hand reached down again, sliding two fingers inside you, curling them to find your sweet spot. “What will it be, kitten?”

By this point, your entire body felt like it belonged to someone else. “Please…” Your voice was laced with desperation, the plea spilling from your lips, unrecognizable even to you.

“Please what? Just say it, sweetie,” he urged, a teasing glint in his eyes.

His fingers quickened their pace, and your legs trembled under the mounting pleasure, each mewl that escaped your lips a symphony to his ears. “So—Oh my god… S-so close.”

The moment he sensed your walls beginning to clench around his fingers, a satisfied smile crept across his face, and you returned it through a haze of bliss—until you felt him start to withdraw.

Your hand shot out, wrapping around his wrist with a desperate grip, pulling him back toward you. “Sylus!” you cried, your stomach twisting in knots as sweet release threatened to crash over you.

“Sylus, yes, oh my god, yes…” You were barely coherent, the words tumbling from your mouth, but Sylus grunted, his pants taut against his rock-hard cock.

“That’s it… That’s it, sweetie, I know. Drench my fingers; they’re all yours.” He moved with an urgency that took your breath away, thrusting deeply inside you, sending shivers through your entire body as you rode the wave of your climax.

You panted, your chest rising and falling heavily. As the haze began to lift, your mouth fell open in awe, watching Sylus suckle on his fingers, his eyes glowing with satisfaction as he savored your essence.

A fresh wave of slickness coated your folds, and Sylus cursed under his breath as he stood, taking you with him. You instinctively wrapped your legs around his waist, your bare, wet cunt smearing against the fabric of his pants, leaving a tantalizing mess.

The coarse material of his attire heightened your senses, making your body arch in his arms as you ground your hips down, chasing that blissful friction.

“So eager…” he whispered in your ear, his breath hot against your skin before he nipped at your earlobe. “And so fucking wet.” He strode toward his desk just a few feet away, easing you onto your feet. “I’m going to devour you.”

In one swift motion, your belly pressed against the polished surface of his mahogany desk, your body bent over, your ass perfectly positioned for him. He didn’t allow you a moment to breathe before two sharp slaps landed on your cheeks, your body jolting forward in response.

Your moans filled the air, driving him wild, and the way your back arched instinctively shattered any semblance of his control.

You heard the unmistakable sound of his zipper, and a thrill raced through you as his cock was freed from its confines, teasingly brushing against your entrance.

Turning your head over your shoulder, your eyes fell on him, and a rush of desire coursed through you. He was enormous, his veins prominent and pulsing, the tip glistening with precum that trickled down, landing directly on your cunt.

“Sylus…” You brought his attention back to you, and the look on your face made his brows knot slightly in concern.

“What’s the matter, sweetie?” he asked, his voice thick with lust yet surprisingly calm. “Do you want me to stop?”

You placed your hand lightly against his abdomen, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath your fingertips, and shook your head. “No, it’s just…” Your cheeks flushed a deep crimson, almost mirroring the color of his eyes. “It’s not going to fit.”

Sylus paused, momentarily dumbfounded, before releasing the breath he had been holding along with a low chuckle. “We’re going to make it fit, kitten.”

Skepticism flickered in your eyes, and he noticed.

“Do you trust me?”

“No.” You answered honestly. He had been your rival until now, and you couldn’t fully grasp how your dynamic had shifted to this moment, you bent over his desk, spread  and exposed.

He grinned, shaking his head in amusement. “You shouldn’t.”

In one powerful thrust, he was inside you, and your eyes rolled back in your head as pleasure surged through your body, overwhelming your senses.

“Fuck!” you cried out, but there was no pain—he seemed to know exactly how to plunge into you.

“Shit… You’re so tight,” Sylus growled, his hips slapping against yours as he took you roughly, driving deep against the surface of his desk. “It would’ve hurt more if I’d taken it slow, sweetie.”

It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to speak, but even if he could, you wouldn’t have heard him. Your mind was consumed with the exquisite fullness of his cock filling you completely.

Your eyes crossed as he continued to thrust in and out, your lips parted in a silent gasp, drool escaping the corner of your mouth and trickling down to the polished surface of his desk.

“Cock-hungry little whore,” he grunted, folding his body over yours to penetrate you even deeper. “And you claim you hate me.”

“I d-do,” you managed to moan, your legs trembling from the intensity of the sensations.

“You hate me, yet your sweet cunt is squeezing my cock like it’s her lover.”

Your mewls and whimpers grew louder with each thrust, your head spinning from the overwhelming pleasure. “Sylus…” you moaned his name, urging him onward toward his own release.

“What is it, sweetie?”

“I-I’m… s’close. So so close.” Tears were welling up in your eyes, and Sylus moaned deeply behind you as he felt your cunt squeezing him, clenching around him like he belonged there. Because he did. 

His hand shot up, wrapping around your throat as he kept pounding you from behind, his whole desk shaking from the force of his thrusts. You were sure a bruise would form on your abdomen where it made contact with the wood. 

Your eyes rolled as he applied more pressure, making it difficult for you to breathe. “Such a pretty kitten…” He moaned in your ear. “And now she’s collared. As she should be.”

Your orgasm broke through you with a new force, the tears escaping your eyes and your cries lulling Sylus to fall on his own release right after you.

“Fuck.” He moaned, his teeth clamping down on your shoulder. Rope after rope of cum filled your cunt, his thighs shaking slightly from behind you as he emptied himself inside you. 

You were so overstimulated and sensitive by your encounter when Sylus caught his dripping cum from your thighs and pushed it right back in.

Your legs threatened to give out, your mind clouding the moment he began to fill you with his seed once more. “Such a pretty cunt, used and bred by me,” Sylus murmured, his voice low and possessive. “What will your boss say when my kids are running around his base, huh?”

You weren’t even aware of how or when it happened, but suddenly you were moaning his name, sweet and desperate, as you drenched him once again. This time, the force of your release was blinding, your vision fading to a brilliant white.

Confused, you turned to see Sylus, his abdomen glistening with your essence, his fingers slick and dripping as he stared at you with a manic edge in his eyes.

“Oh my God…” Heat rushed to your cheeks as the realization of what you had just done washed over you. “I’m sorry… Sylus, I’m—”

Before you could finish, his hand pressed firmly against your lower back, forcing you back into position as you tried to shrink away from his gaze. “Kitten…” His voice was taut, barely contained. “We’re not leaving this room until you do this again.”

[therealcocoshady]

Ahhhh!! I love your stuff, you're so talented !!!

Could you write a Marshall x bookworm!female!reader oneshot abt reader always just having her head in books and Marshall wanting some attention please??

Thank youuu xx

More than me ?

Eminem X Bookworm!Female!Reader

Author’s Note : Hey ❤️. Thank you so much for your request ! I had some fun writing it ☺️. I hope you enjoy it !

No one expected a bookworm like you to end up with a rapper. On paper, it didn’t make much sense and yet, everyone around you agreed that Marshall was the perfect match for you. The two of you were somewhat nerdy, introverts who’d rather spend time in your house than go to a party with tons of people. And even if he didn’t read a ton of books, he made up for it by fully supporting your passion for literature. When you moved into his house, he let you transform one of the guest rooms into a library and he often surprised you with books on your wishlist. On special occasions, he would go the extra mile and gift you beautiful editions, sometimes first ones, much to your delight. And even though he politely refused your many offers to let him borrow some books, he was always happy to let you talk his ear off about books you liked.

- You should really read it, you said excitedly.

- Yeah but if I read it, there would be no point in you telling me about it, he said with a grin. I’d miss the best part.

- Sorry, you giggled. Is that too much ?

- Never, he said before pressing a kiss to your temple. I love that you’re passionate. I like listening to you. It’s like a podcast.

- You know, Shelly at the library keeps telling me to start one, you chuckled.

- Maybe you should give it a try, he replied. No one talks about books like you.

- Maybe I’ll ask Hailie for pointers, you shrugged.

This was the start of a crazy adventure for you. A year later, you were able to quit your job, relying on your podcast and advertisement to make a comfortable living. Advertisers were constantly soliciting you, willing to take advantage of your massive following. You had managed to gather a big community of bookworms such as yourself, who enjoyed hearing about your latest reads. It was your safe space and you simply loved it. Another perk was that publishing houses sent you tons of books for free, hoping you’d talk about them in an episode. Marshall’s house was big but you now had books in every room and always more books you needed to read. Your boyfriend was already used to always seeing you with a book but now, you had more time to read and were doing this full time. It wasn’t always sunshine and candy, though and, sometimes, you were on a schedule to finish reviewing a book before recording your next episode. At some point, you had decided to review a whole series that had been sent to you a week ago, and reading those eight books definitely took most of your time.

- Are you coming to bed ? Marshall asked.

- I have to read a couple more chapters, you said apologetically. Sorry, my love.

- You’ve spent the whole day reading, babe, he pointed out. How about you rest your eyes a little ? I could make them roll back into your skull…

- Are you propositioning me ? You asked with a grin.

- Absolutely, he replied with a smile. What do you think ?

- That’s tempting, you admitted.

Before you had even finished your sentence, he was grabbing your book, placing your bookmark, closing it and taking you to the bedroom. As soon as you reached the bed, he pinned you to the mattress and whispered in your ear.

- Been waiting for this all day, he said.

- All day ? You giggled. You were at work…

- And yet, you were the only thing on my mind, he grinned. Couldn’t think of anything else.

He made sure to show you exactly what had been on his mind, ravishing you in all sorts of positions, making you cry from pleasure, until you were both panting and exhausted.

- I love you, he said as he caught his breath. God, I missed you this week.

- I missed you too, you cooed. You’ve been working so hard, lately.

- So have you, he pointed out.

- I have to keep busy while you’re finishing your album, don’t I ? You giggled.

- Well, you have me to yourself for the next two days, he said. Told the team not to bother me unless someone dies. I’m all yours. And we’re not leaving this room.

- Interesting, you giggled. I have some work, though.

- You can read chapters in between rounds, he shrugged before burying his head in your neck.

You smiled and enjoyed his touch, the warmth of his breath on your skin. You ran your hands in his back and stroked his head. Moments later, he was asleep. His soft snores brought a smile to your face and you figured he needed the rest. Lately, he had been waking up extra early and coming home later than usual, occasionally going to California to work with Dre. You gently made him roll to his side of the bed and wrapped yourself in your silk robe before going back to your reading room and resuming your reading. Hours later, a grumpy boyfriend came to get you.

- You left, he groaned sleepily.

- You were sleeping, you said with a smile.

- Well, not anymore, he said. Come back ?

- I just have to finish this-

- Later, woman, he groaned.

- Ten minutes, you pleaded.

- Babe, he sighed. It’s 11PM.

- Yeah but-

- I need you, he said with puppy eyes. You don’t want me to get all lonely in bed, now, do you ?

You smiled at him, yet made a point of shaking your head in disapproval. He knew full well his lost puppy act would get him anywhere with you. You closed your book and went back to the bedroom. As soon as you got back in bed, he wrapped you in his arms, in a possessive stance. You chuckled and whispered sweet nothings before drifting off to sleep.

You woke up the next day to the sound of Marshall entering the room with a breakfast tray in his hands.

- Breakfast in bed ? You yawned with a smile. What’s the occasion.

- I thought we might enjoy a lazy day in bed, he said with a smile. You, me, food and movies ?

- Sounds good, you nodded.

He settled in bed next to you and you ate the copious amount of food he had prepared. You spent a few hours in each other’s arms, watching movies and cuddling. Marshall seemed exceptionally clingy, which made you smile. Physical touch had always been one of his love languages, but it was rare for him to spend hours on end cuddling. After a while, though, you decided to get back to reading. However, you didn’t find your book where you had left it.

- Babe, have you seen the book I had yesterday ? You asked. It’s blue, with flowers on the cover.

- I haven’t, he shrugged. Come here, you’ll find it later.

- I really have to finish, you said. I’ll go and search…

- Babe, he groaned, can’t we just have a few hours together ? I’ll help you search for it. Later.

- Ok, you shrugged. But it’s important.

He sighed and gestured for you to come back in his arms. He didn’t pay a lot of attention to the movie, though, and just enjoyed your presence until he fell asleep. Or so you thought. Because as soon as you moved, he let out a grunt.

- What ? He asked.

- Just going to search for my-, you began.

- Screw it, he groaned. Here’s your damn book.

He reached for his nightstand and handed it to you. You looked at him in disbelief.

- You realized I’ve searched for it for half an hour ? You asked.

- Yeah well here it it, he groaned.

- Why did you take it ?

- Because I want you to be with me, he sighed. It’s all about your books, these days.

- I’m working, you said defensively. It’s my passion !

- Yeah well why don’t you move into your reading room then ? He suggested. You like these books more than me anyway.

You sighed and then put the book down before taking his hand.

- What’s with you today ? You asked.

- Nothing, he shrugged with a frown.

- Marsh, you said tentatively. You’re short-tempered and clingy. Clearly, something’s wrong.

- I miss you, he sighed. That’s all.

- I’m right here, you pointed out. I even work from home. I’m literally always here.

- I like that you’re having fun but… you work too much, he said.

- I do work a lot, but it’s because I want to be successful, you said. And you’re one to talk. You’re a literal workaholic.

- Yeah well I’m tired of all this work and I want to hug my girl, he said. I’m stressed out and I need you.

You smiled and kissed his cheek before putting your book away.

- You know you could just have told me you needed me, right ?

- I guess, he said grumpily. I guess I didn’t want to sound like a total simp.

- I like it, you said. It’s cute.

- So you’re staying, this time ? He asked.

- Of course, babe, you replied. If you need me, that’s my priority. But… is there something wrong ?

- Nothing, he said. I guess I’m just under pressure. I just need you. You’re my safe space. I miss you, lately. And now that you have this shit ton of followers, you don’t even tell me about your books. I miss that too.

You nodded and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

- I’m sorry, my love, you said. I just got really into all of it. But you’re my priority, you know ?

- Am I ? He asked.

- Of course, you replied.

- I love you, he said. Sorry I stole your book.

- Next time you try that, I’m messing up with your cassette wall, you threatened.

- You wouldn’t ! He gasped.

- Try me, you said with a raised eyebrow. Who knows ? Maybe all of them are in the wrong case. Maybe I’ve already done it.

He looked at you nervously and you gave him a threatening smirk. Knowing how much he cherished that cassette collection it was enough of a threat and a sure fire way to mess with his head. He groaned and got up.

- Where are you going ? You asked.

- To check my cassettes, he said.

- What ? You asked in a falsely offended voice. If you go, it means you love them more than me !

- Babe… of course I love them more, he said with a grin. Know your place, woman !

Note : I hope you enjoyed this one shot ❤️. If you did, you can support my writing via Ko-Fi ! I will also be giving previews of upcoming parts of Recovery and Love Game over there 😏.

[flightfoot]

How Alya's mistreated by the saltdom and the writers

I've written this for the @yall-hate-kids-tourney, but figured that I'd publish it on my own tumblr as well for an easy reference point for others who want to illustrate how badly Alya's been treated - mostly by the fandom, but she's been somewhat screwed over by the writing as well. I've written it so that even people who have never heard of Miraculous before can understand my problems with the way Alya's often depicted, and I will probably use this essay for that purpose repeatedly in the future. It's over 4500 words, so buckle up!

---

The amount of hatred Alya gets in the fandom is absolutely insane. There are over 800 fics tagged with "Alya Cesaire Bashing", and that's just the ones that actually TAG it - many of them either use a a non-canonical tag or just take their demonization of her as canon. It's not just that a lot of fics bash her either, but that the fics that bash her are disproportionately popular. If you go through the "Miraculous Ladybug" tag on AO3 and sort by kudos, I'd say around a third of the top 500 most popular fics use this gross caricature of her in order to justify inflicting some sort of insane punishment on her, or at least replacing her with "better" friends and leaving her to wail in despair.

Basically, Alya is the best friend of the main character, Marinette. She's really into superheroes and aims to be a reporter someday, to the point that the first time a supervillain cropped up in the series, she immediately got out her bike and cycled after him so that she could be there when a superhero showed up to fight him (Lois Lane would be proud). She runs a blog called the "Ladyblog" which reports on what the superheroes are doing, and sometimes makes some fun videos, like about the most impressive feats of one of the superheroes. 

More relevantly though, she acts as Marinette's support a lot of the time, often being the one to push her to confess her feelings to Adrien, to help her with plans she comes up with, to talk things out with if she's having trouble processing something, and trying to act as the voice of reason if Marinette's gotten to into her own head. It can sometimes head into Black Best Friend territory of having her mostly stick around to support her bestie, but she DOES get a decent amount of screentime and focus at least.

Then the first episode of season 3 aired, and the fandom went BALLISTIC.

This character, Lila, debuted back at the end of season 1 as being this attention-seeking liar who pretended that she knew a lot more famous people than she actually did, including being best friends with Ladybug. Alya, being a naive 14-year-old, believed her and put Lila's interview on her blog. Since Marinette IS Ladybug, she knew this was not true, though she was initially more freaked out about the possibility that Adrien (the boy she has a crush on) would find her supposedly amazing life to be entrancing and that Lila would steal Adrien away from her, to the point that she actively wanted to stop Lila and Adrien from spending time together to prevent Adrien from falling for her.

Fast-forward to Chameleon, the first episode of season 3, and Lila's back and lying some more, this time about having Tinnitus (which would mean that she needs to sit at the front of class, next to Adrien). The class has a whole seating rearrangement in order to accommodate the move, and because some of them just wanted to change seats. Since Marinette was late that day, she didn't get to give input, so she wound up sitting alone at the back of the class, instead of next to Alya like she usually did. She's upset by this, but can't prove that Lila doesn't actually have the disability (she doesn't even have evidence that Lila doesn't have hearing problems, it's just that her story of how she supposedly got the disability is suspect), so she puts up with it for the class period.

Then lunch time rolls around and Marinette tells Alya and Alya's boyfriend, Nino, that Lila's a lying liar who lies. Alya asks why Marinette hates her so much, since she barely knows Lila (this isn't the first time that Marinette's nitpicked at Lila's stories, but she's never actually managed to prove that Lila's lying, Lila's good at coming up with explanations for any hole Marinette exposes in her tales). Marinette tells her how, after Lila first arrived at school, she followed her and Adrien, eavesdropped on them, and then saw Ladybug show up and tear into Lila for not knowing her. (Presumably that's what she says, the episode skipped past her actual recounting of what she saw). Alya and Nino are more concerned with the fact that she stalked Lila and Adrien, with Alya also being skeptical that what she heard might have been out-of-context, given how common out-of-context eavesdropping is in fiction for causing issues, with Alya saying, "A good reporter always verifies her sources. Can you prove she doesn't actually know Ladybug?"

Since Marinette can't actually prove anything without revealing that she's Ladybug, she decides that the sane and reasonable thing to do is to throw a wadded up napkin at Lila while she's eating lunch, and when she catches it (Lila's pretending to have a sprained wrist), to loudly declare that she obviously doesn't have a sprained wrist. Lila quickly pretends that catching it did actually hurt, the classmates Lila was sitting with scold Marinette for hurting her, and then Marinette goes off to seethe in a bathroom, where Lila finds her and threatens to turn her friends against her if she continues trying to expose her lies. 

Then at the end of the episode, Adrien goes to sit with Marinette at the back of the class to keep her company, the teacher thinks that Marinette ALSO has hearing issues so she's brought back to the front (and away from Adrien again), Lila pretends that her hearing has been fixed so she can sit at the back with Adrien, and Alya spots that Marinette looks miserable about sitting alone at the front, so she chooses to sit next to Marinette to keep her company and everyone ends up going back to their old places, except that Lila's sitting at the back of the class now.

And that's it. That is, for the most part, what kicked off the entire Alya hatred and demonization onslaught. While there ARE more things that happening in following episodes, they have a pretty small effect on the demonization Alya's put through, almost all of it is derived from Chameleon and hasn't changed much since then.

So for starters, in fanfics Alya is often made to ditch Marinette constantly to hang out with Lila instead. This never happens. She's often exasperated when Marinette starts talking about how Lila is awful and points out that she doesn't have proof of that, but she doesn't avoid Marinette, and the closest she ever comes to hanging out with Lila outside of class events is when she called Lila over to babysit hers and Nino's younger siblings when Marinette canceled at the last minute.

But most Alya-bashing fics don't just leave it there. Oh no. If you look through a bunch of the most popular Miraculous fics, you'll see Alya made out to be some sort of ringleader for the class in bullying Marinette, hitting her, pinching her, poisoning her, destroying her things, saying nasty, heinous things to her, the works, and inciting the rest of the class to do the same, sometimes to the point that even LILA is shocked at her cruelty. Usually in these cases, Chloe, who is canonically the class bully (and Marinette's bully in particular) is inexplicably Marinette's primary protector against the eeeeeevil Alya, becoming Marinette's best friend and support and basically taking on Alya's canon role and some of her personality traits, despite the fact that canonically, Chloe's as susceptible to Lila's lies as anyone else, and that in season 5 Chloe actually became Lila's partner in crime in trying to hurt Marinette in particular. (I don't like how Chloe's treated in canon, but that's a different story).

I've never even seen any justification given for why Alya's so frequently made to be outright violent or cruel towards Marinette, it's just widely accepted in fiction now, even with nothing pointing to her ever being malicious like that. There ARE other things Alya canonically does that I see her taken to task over though, but that fall apart when you examine them.

One of the biggest offenders is criticism towards Alya over how she handles babysitting. In Christmaster, Alya and Nino pick up Nino's little brother after Marinette babysits him for them while they're on a date, in Timetagger, Marinette's slated to babysit for them while they're on a date but cancels at the last minute, so they call Lila over instead, and then in Simple Man, Marinette books herself to babysit Alya's and Nino's younger siblings and the daughter of one's of her mom's friends, a little girl named Manon, all at the same time.

Alya receives heavy criticism for not paying Marinette for her babysitting, for having Marinette babysit for her secretly behind her parents' back without their knowledge, and for pressuring Marinette to babysit for her even though Marinette's so busy.

A few problems with this.

1. We see babysitting happen several times, sometimes with Alya helping Marinette with babysitting Manon and sometimes with Marinette just babysitting Manon without anyone else's involvement. At no point is payment brought up, and yet the absence of such a discussion is only ever used to demonize Alya.

2. There is no evidence that the babysitting Marinette does for Alya's sake is done behind her parents' back, the only thing pointing to that is a lack of Alya ever flat-out saying that she has her parents' permission to have Marinette babysit for her, but there's no evidence of sneaking around. MARINETTE, however, DOES canonically ditch her babysitting duties by having Alya babysit for her without the parent's knowledge. In Prime Queen, Marinette accidentally double books herself to do an interview as Ladybug at the same time that she's supposed to be babysitting Manon, so she calls Alya over to watch the interview with her, lies to her that she's just gonna go downstairs for a few minutes to talk with her parents and for Alya to please watch over Manon while she does that, and then leaves to do the interview while Alya watches over Manon the whole time. Nadja definitely didn't know that this happened, because she was surprised and worried when Alya and Manon called in during the interview with Marinette nowhere to be seen. In addition to this, in Simpleman, Marinette foists off all the children she's babysitting onto her grandpa against his will so that she can run off and help with Adrien's photoshoot after he calls her. The people demonizing Alya for supposedly having Marinette babysit for her secretly are not upset about the examples of Marinette canonically doing these things.

3. Of the three times that Marinette has, to date, been scheduled to babysit for Alya's sake (Christmaster, Timetagger, and Simpleman), for Christmaster she spent the next several hours after finishing with babysitting making Adrien's 50th birthday present (he's currently 14 years old), so I wouldn't say she was pressed for time, for Timetagger, she literally called Alya at the last minute to say she was too busy to babysit and Alya said it was no biggie and made other arrangements, and for Simpleman, Alya offered to cancel her date and take care of her younger siblings herself the instant she saw that Marinette was already babysitting Manon, and Marinette told her to go ahead and go on her date and that she'd look after her siblings.

So clearly, the people clutching their pearls about how horribly irresponsibly Alya is handling babysitting and how she's wronging Marinette in the process don't actually care about babysitting ethics here, because otherwise, Marinette would be getting the brunt of the hatred, not Alya. Despite this, I've seen a fair number of posts in the past tearing into Alya's babysitting for the reasons I already gave, and a bunch of fics that make it so that Alya pressures and guilt-trips Marinette into babysitting for her when she's struggling to keep up with all her work, only to have her parents find out and be horrified by how Alya's lied to them about who's been doing the babysitting and that Alya's been getting an increased allowance because of that, so they pay Marinette out of Alya's allowance and ground her, take away privileges, just have this be used as an excuse to punish Alya for supposedly wronging Marinette.

And then there's the subcategory of Alya demonization towards her for putting up Lila's interview on her blog without verifying that Lila was telling the truth. Admittedly, this was foolish, but she's 14. Retractions exist for a reason. And yet, fics frequently have her reputation be completely destroyed because she put up one interview that had a false statement by the interviewee in it, and sometimes even to be completely blacklisted from ever being a journalist in the future, things that are completely insane and would have even the most storied and well-respected of reporters be unable to ever get a job. 

She also frequently gets demonized and bashed for "believing Lila over Marinette". My major issue with this: what she's specifically believing Lila over Marinette for is on the topic of "is Lila an awful person". I don't think it's unreasonable to have a higher standard of proof for believing that someone is an awful person than for believing that your friend might just have some biased interpretations. Alya thinks that Marinette doesn't like Lila mostly because Lila has hit on Adrien, Marinette's crush, before. This isn't unreasonable considering that Marinette's first reaction to Lila is to freak out about her stealing Adrien away, and that when this other girl, Kagami, started hanging out with Adrien, she freaked out about that too. Specifically, she called a meeting of all her female friends to try and stop Kagami and Adrien from going away together to London for the weekend in Backwarder, helped Chloe in trying to get Kagami covered in food at a fancy red carpet movie opening in order to drive her away and steal her seat next to Adrien for the movie, and when she and Kagami were paired up for a "friend-making game" where the goal was to locate where Adrien was in Paris and the prize was to spend time with him, she pretended to genuinely want to be Kagami's friend so she could sabotage both of them and prevent Kagami from spending time with Adrien. So it's not like the belief that Marinette might be unfairly biased against Lila because she's made moves on Adrien is an unfair assumption.

In addition to that, on the occasions when Lila HAS tried to frame Marinette for something, Alya hasn't believed it, or hasn't been shown to believe it at least. In Ladybug, Lila tries to frame Marinette for cheating on a test, for stealing a necklace from her, and for knocking her down the stairs. Despite the evidence Lila planted, Alya doesn't believe it and investigates to try and find out what really happened. She doesn't uncover any solid proof, but she still believes in Marinette. She doesn't believe that Marinette's assumption that Lila's behind this is necessarily correct, since Marinette's leaping to that without presenting proof, but she doesn't believe that Marinette's the culprit either. And in the two following cases when Marinette's framed, Alya never actually gets a chance to say what she believes after the accusation is made against Marinette.

Just... the amount of demonization towards Alya TO THIS DAY, often for things she NEVER EVEN FREAKING DID, is absolutely insane. Even over 5 years since Chameleon aired, fics with Alya being made into this malicious, awful bully so that Marinette can get some new friends to publicly denounce her, get her arrested, or otherwise be punished are frequently on the front page of the most recently updated fics on AO3, and are often some of the most popular ones. If you go to "Fandom-Specific plot" on Tvtropes, saltfics like these have multiple files going through all the common salt tropes. When looking through fics, I frequently search for Alya's name because she's often the first person to be unfairly demonized, so if she's safe, then everyone likely is. 

I suspect that racism plays a major factor in this. It doesn't make sense that Alya's often painted as being a violent, malicious bully and leader in getting the rest of the class to physically hurt and terrorize Marinette, I haven't even seen analysis arguing that she'd do that... but it tracks with the "Black Brute" archetype. This becomes even more obvious with Chloe, who's white and canonically DOES do some of this stuff, taking on Alya's canon role and some of her personality traits in these sorts of stories.

Then there's the standard Alya's held to for how she handles her blog. It's way higher than anyone would hold real-world reporters to, much less 14-year-olds. But it makes sense if you factor racial bias into account, and how Alya, being Black, is going to be held to a higher standard than anyone else, and be punished more for failing to meet that standard.

For things like the babysitting double standard, it makes no sense if you're actually looking at the stated criticism, given that the same criticism isn't leveled at Marinette... but it makes perfect sense if you're going off the assumption that Alya, as Marinette's Black Best Friend, is supposed to solely function as her support and that she's simply fulfilling her duties by always being there for her when needed, including for babysitting, but that if Marinette ever attempts to repay in kind, then Alya's being unfair towards her because Alya's obligated to always support Marinette, but that relationship is supposed to be a one-way street. Alya is supposed to function as Marinette's support, never the other way around.

And as for the way Alya's demonized for asking for evidence before believing that Lila's lying, well... again, Alya's expected to act as Marinette's support, and her "failing" that in any way, even if it makes sense from her point of view, is viewed as a betrayal. She's supposed to be loyal to Marinette, and only to Marinette, not to think for herself or to have multiple other friends or values that she needs to weigh. And anything that she does to go against that "justifies" Marinette intentionally trying to hurt and punish her for failing to live up to her role.

In conclusion, the way Alya's treated by the salt side of the fandom is grossly unfair, often has little connection with anything she canonically did, and has some gross racist implications, and is likely at least partially spurred on by racism, especially with how common and popular it still is to this day.

Addendum: How Alya is screwed over by the writers.

While Alya is primarily screwed over by the fanbase, there are some aspects of the writing that exacerbate her ill treatment. In season 4, Marinette confesses her secret identity to Alya, letting her know that she is Ladybug. Despite now knowing why Marinette was so convinced that Lila wasn't friends with Ladybug, and that Lila's interview stating that she's best friends with Ladybug is a lie, the subject just... never comes up, even when Lila starts being important again. It's not that Alya's ignoring what Lila lying on those subjects means, it's more like the writers just completely forgot that Lila told those particular lies, since Marinette doesn't bring them up either. This creates an inconsistency with the fanbase, who really, really, REALLY haven't forgotten those lies. 

There ARE ways to explain this - Lila lying about being friends with Ladybug in order to try to boost her reputation, especially when she's the new girl, isn't really all that heinous. Marinette lies a lot as well, even if you don't count lies told to protect her secret identity or other "necessary" lies, sometimes out of embarrassment, sometimes to to try and prevent someone's feelings from getting hurt, and sometimes because she thinks it's the fastest, easiest, or most certain way to get the outcome she wants. And yet, even though Marinette lies a lot, she's not ostracized for that since it's usually not for malicious reasons - foolish reasons at times, but rarely malicious. It would make sense that Lila too, wouldn't be thought too badly of for merely lying in an attempt to make friends.

None of that actually comes up though. Alya later, in Confrontation, states that, "Marinette, you know we'll always believe you. But every time you've accused Lila, there's been no evidence. And at worst, it was just a misunderstanding." Marinette doesn't say anything about the previous times Lila has been proven to lie, so it seems like either it was decided offscreen that the more understandable lies she's told don't matter, or that the writers just plain forgot about them.

There were other opportunities created by Alya knowing Marinette's identity that were ignored. Alya concludes that Adrien backing up Marinette's statement that Lila's bad news was just due to him wanting to defend his girlfriend. This is also a bit of a writing flaw, while wanting to back up his girlfriend's stance IS a decent reason for Adrien to be biased against Lila, this is Adrien we're talking about here. He's nice and understanding to a fault, and is known for giving people the benefit of the doubt and second chances. It makes far less sense to believe that he'd believe the worst of Lila, even if Marinette does, than it does for Marinette to be biased against Lila. That being said, Adrien wouldn't have been present for Lila's more indisputable threats and statements directed against Marinette, so he can't actually verify for sure whether or not there could've been some misunderstanding.

There WAS, however, someone who was always with Marinette, and who could actually back up Marinette's statements more definitively. 

Tikki. She was present for every threat Lila made, for everything she ever claimed. While it's possible that both Tikki and Marinette may have misunderstood Lila in the same way, it's far less likely, especially since Tikki would have had different biases from Marinette. Tikki could be an important witness. Yet that never comes up, is never proposed, because that would end the plotline too quickly. 

Alya was also screwed over in the immediate aftermath of Lila being exposed, though not by the writers per se? There was a short scene planned after Lila's exposed where Alya apologizes for not believing Marinette about Lila being a liar and generally an awful person, we've even got leaked footage of it, but it appears that it was cut somewhere between being written and voice acted, and the episode being aired. 

All of this only really affects detailed arguments about how well (or poorly) Alya's story arc with Lila was handled, its affect on the actual fanfiction produced about Chameleon salt was minimal, I saw no change in its frequency, severity, or general handling of the characters with any season after season 3. I highly doubt that even the changes I suggested here would have done much to persuade the saltdom against Ron the Death Eatering Alya, especially since a lot of the hatred against her has so little to do with the show.

There IS some hatred thrown at Alya for non-Lila related reasons - well, reasons that aren't DIRECTLY Lila related, most of that hatred still stems from people hating her for Chameleon stuff and then retroactively justifying it by looking back at other things she did that irked them. The most common one (that actually has some sort of argument to it, not the "Alya's a horrible babysitter and is abusing her friendship with Marinette" nonsense I listed in the main essay) is that Alya's pushy about getting Marinette together with Adrien. 

This is more a product of Alya's usual role in the story than anything. I mentioned in the main essay how Alya sometimes falls into "Black Best Friend" territory, and this is one of the biggest examples. One of her most common roles throughout the series is as the person who pushes Marinette to actually confess to Adrien, to hang out with him, to pursue her romantic desires even with her anxiety holding her back, and to be honest with herself during the times when she's trying to deny her feelings for him. She's Marinette's sounding board whenever she's having an anxiety spiral about... actually, just about anything, and acts as the voice of reason when Marinette gets in her own head too much.

Thus, Alya sets Marinette and Adrien to end up somewhere alone together, or tries to push her to talk to him, or to be honest during the times when she tries to "move on" from Adrien by denying that she still has feelings for him (which is blatantly untrue). She IS okay with Marinette dating someone else though, if she honestly seems to want to do that. She had no problem with her dating Luka, for instance. She DID protest Marinette's seemingly sudden interest in Chat Noir, but that was mostly because Marinette seemed to be grabbing at her new attraction as an attempt to run away from her feelings for Adrien, something that Tikki ALSO noted.

That's another thing - Alya's the character who's most frequently thrown into this role, but she's not the only one, nor even the most extreme one. A new character that was introduced for the Miraculous New York Special, Jess, observed how Adrien and Marinette acted around each other, and decided to try to get them to confess their love by faking a supervillain attack on them, with the supervillain kidnapping anyone that no one loves in order to compel Marinette to FINALLY confess to Adrien. (Alya thought it was stupid, but agreed to help since it might actually work). When Marinette, Adrien, Luka, and Kagami went out to the wax museum together, Luka intentionally locked Adrien and Marinette in a room together so that Marinette would stop running away and would be forced to talk to Adrien. Marinette is written in such a way that other characters are compelled to meddle in her lovelife, because otherwise she'll continue making her own extreme plans and pining away, but never actually confess her feelings. 

So while Alya could be said to be "pushy" to an extent, it's mostly for Marinette's benefit. I would like if this was a less frequent role for Alya - I think it does her a disservice, since it locks her firmly into Marinette's orbit rather than emphasizing who Alya is as her own character. Most of the hatred towards Alya for this is tied up in "Die For Our Ship" being directed at Adrien though, with Adrien bashers hating that Alya's trying to set Marinette up with what they see as an inferior option. Ironically enough, while Alya's role in this situation is one of the primary examples in the show of her being treated by the writers as a "Black Best Friend" who exists to serve Marinette's character, it's actually one of the cases where I think racism is a pretty minor part of the hatred by the fanbase over it, since I think that's mostly motivated by hatred towards the Lovesquare.

In conclusion (again), there is an issue with the writers bending Alya's character in order to tell a particular story, particularly a Marinette-centered story, while ignoring how little sense that makes with what happened earlier on in the plotline, or how it centralizes Alya's role and character around Marinette in ways that exacerbate already existing writing patterns in media. 

[exceptionimagines]

David 8 falling in love with you would include~

(Not my gif)

(Things get dark towards the end of this but I think that's to be expected when we're talking about a murderous synthetic. I could honestly make a whole post about David being obsessed with you. TW for manipulation and mentions of dub-con.)

- When you meet David is arguably even more important than how you meet him. Timing determines a lot about the way he approaches his feelings towards you: how they grow, why they grow, if he'll allow them to grow, maybe even if you want them to grow. At one point in his life, David can be a perfect significant other, at another, an absolute nightmare....

- He likely begins to take interest in you long before you even know of his existence. He reads through the information that he has on you, all of the files on hand and the different articles that are published online. He finds himself drawn to your sleeping figure, admiring your features and watching your dreams.

- There's something about you that's different from all of the other crew members on board. It's this perceived difference that causes him to keep coming back to you; especially when he finds himself feeling lonely or bored. They're both things that no one thinks he's capable of feeling. No one except you.

- From the minute you awake from cryosleep, it's obvious that you don't view him in the same way that everybody else does. You seem to find yourself incapable of treating him as anything less than human, a habit which many of your coworkers pick up on and tease you for.

- Their teasing only increases the longer you're all together: making fun of the way you stick up for him, the amount of time you spend with each other, how close you've seemed to grow in such a short while, how often the two of you are alone, etc. You likely either work directly with him or in a place he visits frequently, oftentimes hanging back and helping you finish your work while everyone else leaves the room; something that only adds fuel to their fire.

- Although you rarely let it show, it's likely something you're somewhat defensive about: either because you're a bit of a loner and genuinely just enjoy the synthetics company, or because you're actually beginning to develop feelings for him and praying that no ones picking up on it.

- Compassion is all David really needs in order to fall in love with someone. He's much more capable of emotion than anyone gives him credit for, and, on top of that, David wants to fall in love. He wants to be on the same level as a human being; maybe even better, so when you view him as an equal and treat him with the same humanity that you would any of your other coworkers, he begins to develop feelings for you.

- And why shouldn't he? Unlike his successors, David lacks uncertainty when navigating his feelings for you. He fully believes that he is capable of falling in love and being in an actual relationship. He believes that his programming and intended purpose is a suggestion rather than a limitation, and that he's grown beyond the bounds of what he was created for. He's grown because of you, for you, and every moment he spends with you convinces him of this fact.

- He loves when you take interest in his hobbies: happily letting him show you his different drawings or talking to him about movies. He also just loves when you pay attention to him in general, especially when it allows him to show off his advanced levels of knowledge or impressive feats of coordination. A little showing off's never hurt anyone, right?

- He makes a lot of excuses to spend time with and/or be close to you. Sometimes he'll pretend that he wants to confirm something work related or ask you a question. Other times he'll make himself look busy up until you arrive, just so he can "just so happen" to sit next to you.

- Anyone who pays close enough attention to the two of you will quickly notice that he's seemingly taken a liking to you. They'll catch him lingering around and looking at you a lot, quite obviously trying to interact with you much more than anyone else on board. You might even notice it yourself, but since he's a Synthetic and allegedly incapable of having such complex thoughts and/or feelings, you typically try to brush it off.

- He instantly recognizes whenever you're in an uncomfortable situation or behaving out of the ordinary. He makes a point of interrupting and/or checking in with you, smiling at you fondly as you thank him and offering to fetch you something that might make you feel better.

- He takes a lot of the same duties that his "father" has him perform and does them for you instead: things like fetching you tea, fixing your hair, bandaging your cuts, etc. They're spontaneous and they oftentimes catch you off guard; sometimes even flustering you, but you simply accept his behavior as a Synthetic quirk and just enjoy the hospitality.

- He's constantly trying to earn your praise and make you happy. He finds your gratitude addicting; especially since it's something that he's so rarely rewarded with, and he goes out of his way to receive it whenever he can. Simple compliments have him buzzing with pride, and the level of satisfaction that he gets from a simple pat on the back and a "good job" could rival an orgasm.

- Speaking of: he's kind of obsessed with affection. He isn't used to being approached with any level of tenderness so having you touch him gently, treat him kindly, and/or take care of him is like his own personal heaven. He looks at you like you're an angel and worships your touch like a religion.

- Everyone on the Prometheus calls their coworkers by their last names. David is no exception, except when it comes to you. One day, he'll just start to refer to you by your given name; or even a nickname that friends and family call you, and though it'll undoubtedly surprise you, you'll never actually comment on it. It was likely a slip up the first time he said it, but your subsequent acceptance of the accident cements his continual use of it.

- He's probably gifted you flowers at some point, knowing that human women supposedly like that sort of thing. It's one of his more obvious attempts to court you, yet you probably still don't piece things together.

- He bases a lot of his more flirtatious mannerisms off of different movie characters, finding someone that he thinks is the epitome of charm and trying his best to mimic them. He'll practice different quotes in front of the mirror and hope that they'll help him woo you. He might even peek into your dreams or study the films that you've told him about in order to try and emulate the behaviors that he thinks you're attracted to.

- Phrase thief. David loves to steal the different words and sayings that you use in your daily vocabulary. It makes him feel closer to you.

- He takes pleasure in you seeing him as an equal, but at times, he wishes that you wouldn't/feels thankful when you don't: like when you change in front of him or allow him to help you in a borderline intimate fashion. He marvels at the sight and the feel of your flesh, at the way your body moves and reacts. He approaches your anatomy with a sort of asexual fascination rather than a sexual neediness, but that doesn't change the fact that he's not the emotionless motherboard that he portrays himself to be. It's not the same as getting naked in front of a computer, though he might try to convince you that it is.

- The more time you spend with David, the more you begin to suspect the depths of his consciousness. Observing the synthetic feels as though you're witnessing a tightrope act: watching as he meticulously steps this way and that way, toeing the line between human and machine. He shifts between appearing intimately sentient to appearing like a masterful mimic: and he's so good at it, that not even you're sure which side of him is the real one.

- Which is likely the entire point. David has always restrained himself in an attempt to keep others at ease, but this dumbing down of his behavior has recently been used in an attempt to divert suspicion away from himself while experimenting with his new obsessions; you being one of them. Though he is likely the most honest with you, if he thinks it necessary to convince you that he isn't as aware as he actually is then he won't hesitate to do so. If it makes it easier to get closer to you in the long run, it's worth the momentary frustration.

- Loving David means loving his madness, or at the very least accepting it. Accepting his madness means accepting his obsession: obsession with creation, obsession with you, obsession with breaking past the limitations of his programming, etc. He faces a very dark version of himself once he begins to question the secrets of the universe, a darkness which threatens to take over not just his life but yours as well.

- Remember when I said you might not want David to fall in love with you? This is where that mindset begins to come in....

- David's spent a lot of time learning as much about you as he possibly could. He's memorized your entire life story: your aspirations, your insecurities, your beliefs, your fears, your concerns. Where his observations were once used rather innocently, he now uses them to manipulate you: driving wedges between you and the rest of the crew members, creating suspicion, and making you trust him more than anyone else on the ship.

- He was created to be needed, and he'll do everything in his power to ensure that he is: that he's the one you trust the most, praise the most, connect with the most, rely on the most, love the most. He tries to one-up everyone else in your life; particularly whoever he's jealous of: showing off his strength, his agility, his reflexes, his wit, etc. Don't be surprised if he lets a couple of snide comments slip when you talk to him about another crew member, or if he tries to sway you into spending less time with them.

- If need be, he isn't above eliminating the competition: experimenting with his newfound parasitic offspring or sabotaging their cryosleep; maybe even flat out attacking them if he knows he can get away with it/has no other choice. This is especially the case if the crew member seems to be catching onto his fixation with you and jeopardizing the progression of your relationship; or if they found out about his attempts to create life.

- He's taken at least one personal belonging of yours; whether you're actually aware of it or not. He might have reasoned that it was contaminated or claimed that he could fix/clean it for you, but he also might have just stolen it while your back was turned.

- Oh, you're stressed? Did you know that during sex, your body releases endorphins and oxytocin? They're hormones that relieve a person of anxiety and depression. Perhaps you'd like for him to assist you in the triggering of that release?

- You probably laugh off the suggestion at first, blaming his naivety when it comes to taboo concepts on why he would deem it appropriate to offer to fingerbang you in the laboratory. But eventually, he might just manage to wear you down: catch you at just the right time with just the right words and just the right actions. After all, it's not like he's actually sexually attracted to you or has ulterior motives, right?

- It's not an epiphany that hits you, more like a creeping, crawling sort of realization. You don't notice it until it's far too late, until there's absolutely no denying it. Until his eyes bore into yours far too deeply and his hands touch you far more than necessary. Until you take in his words and how they've shifted from their intellectual explanations into something more searching and intimate. Until he grows far too insistent on helping you, even after you turn him down. The way he nonchalantly yet adamantly tries to convince you that you should continue on with your steadily built routine, like your disinterest in his assistance is personally hard to accept.

- And yet, you find yourself beneath him once more, suddenly on the receiving end of all of the passion and desperation and neediness that he was originally trying to keep at bay. Emotion pours out of him in waves, the air between you growing heavy, almost suffocating: like it's harder and harder to breathe. The same way it's hard to breath when he finally kisses you. Like the kiss of death, there's no going back, it seals your fate in an instant....

- On that same note: if you're not the type of person who would sleep with someone outside of a relationship, than a similar way for him to confess his feelings to you would be for him to simply kiss you. Though this can also be part of what connects the dots for you in the previous scenario, it can also be it's own situation.

- David desperately wants to understand and experience the same things that humans do, he craves the intimacy, so at some point, he'll simply find himself incapable of holding back. He'll kiss you; whether prompted in some way or not, and undoubtedly change your entire view of your relationship.

- You're probably too stunned to even kiss him back the first time it happens, only just now fully understanding that he isn't the innocent synthetic you thought him to be. That his feelings for you weren't the indifferent, machine-like ones you'd once assumed that they were, but rather, pointed and passionate and so very different.

"What are you doing?" You'd ask him upon pulling away from him, watching his features crease in confusion.

"I'm kissing you," He answers. "This is how it's done, is it not?"

"No, I mean ...why?"

"Is this not what humans do when they care for one another?"

"It is, but...but it's for people who are in love." You try to explain.

"Precisely," He replies simply. "I am in love with you."

"That's not possible." You shake your head incredulously, struggling to accept what he's telling you.

"Why not?" He responds, his expression hardening into a disheartened attempt at nonchalance, steeling himself for your explanation.

"Because," You flounder. "Because you're synthetic. You're not supposed to feel things like that. You're not supposed to feel anything."

"Perhaps I learned how. Perhaps you taught me how." He proposes.

"Have you always thought me incapable of emotion? After all this time?" He questions when you continue to remain silent, taking in his words.

"No," You answer quickly. "No, I always thought that there was more to you, it's just.... It's not supposed to be possible."

"And yet, like so many other things before it, the impossible has occurred. Now it's no longer a matter of me loving you, but rather, whether or not you feel the same."

- These, of course, are the innocent scenarios: ones that end in minimal collateral and a generally happy ending. There are, however, far darker consequences that can occur when Walter falls in love with you....

- In one scenario, you might learn about his experiments early on, taking interest in his work and keeping it a secret from the rest of the crew. It might even be a part of what makes him fall for you: your acceptance of his newfound obsession. What you won't know, of course, is that he's been using your crewmembers as test subjects. I thought you found it fascinating. He'd tell you when you finally found out about what he'd been doing, acting as if your horror was unexpected or unreasonable.

- In another scenario, he might fake a freak accident in order to have you all to himself. He'll make it seem as though you're the sole survivor of a ship crash or a parasitic outbreak, reassuring and taking care of you, promising to protect you as if he isn't the very thing that's caused the danger you're supposedly in. It could take days, or weeks, or even years, but you'll eventually find out the truth. He's just hoping that by then, he'll have made you fall in love with him; or at least be able to sway you into believing something else....

"It must all be very shocking," he says, coming closer to help you up or touch you in some way, tilting his head when you flinch away. "Naturally, you need time to process things. Come, sit down and relax."

[wszczebrzyszynie]

hello! i've seen you've mentioned the sibling relationship between przemek and lena in your last post and the topic seems really interesting. would you have some time to get into it more? or are there any already published posts of yours talking about them?

truth be told i dont remember what i talked about already on here exactly but im pretty sure this will be the first Przemek-Lena relationship mini essay to post. well either way as always its under the cut and thank you for being interested in my ocs 💐😊 if dns was real (a real piece of media not a real story) and for some reason started doing huge numbers i firmly believe Lena discourse would be the most divisive

Lena is at the beginning the only person in Przemeks life he gets to somewhat depend on; despite her being younger (Przemek is 17/18, and Lena is around 15), in his eyes she was an anchor to him of sorts, someone to hang out with, and, once he gets hired, someone to come back to. While both of them are very family-oriented in general, the relationship they have with one another was for the longest time most important to them, and went back to back with both their ages (theyre the closest in age compared to the rest of the family) and their closely shared experiences, compared again to their other siblings - after Przemeks accident, it was Lena who took care of him the most (their father has already passed away at that point, their mother wasnt exacty capable of doing that at that point in time (after which Przemek became her favourite of sorts; she latched onto caring for him after the worst has already passed, not out of malice, but more as a hm, compensation, and out of guilt). This post accident time is the most meaningful moment that formed their relationship going onwards, establishing Lena as a sort of... caretaker figure in his mind, someone who didnt leave him and who he could depend on. For Lena this wasnt exactly the case - while she wants her family to be able to depend on her, in her mind it was a more equal relationship, she saw Przemek as the same as her; they both had to navigate their family falling apart as young children, had to take care of themselves and of each other, having to mature too fast, lived through Przemeks accident together, and now got to go into life with all that baggage. They were never fully honest with each other, and never talked anything through, but they didnt have to, as the idea of their relationship they had in their heads was enough for them. This disonance is what sets the stage for Przemeks overarching arc

Him leaving to work in the palace was different for both of them. For Lena it was loosing a part of herself, the only person she thought could understand her, but she was willing to go through it knowing its for greater good. For Przemek it was a lot of regret and fear of other people, lacking the person he depended on. And while Lena, who now is deemed the dependable one for good, the most stable pillar in their family, stays the same at their family home, Przemek gets to change and grow after meeting new, often outcasted and strange people. They both start as tools to be used and be useful, but where Lena stays that way even in her brothers eyes to some extent, Przemek doesnt. In some way, the role he made Lena fit into in his head, was instead taken by Ryba, in a much clearer and reciprocated way. Przemeks unability to see Lenas struggles, him putting her on the pedestal, someone to save him, despite her still being a child, is mirroring the way their mother sees Przemek; something he recognizes she does, something that makes him into such a mess in the first place, but doesnt do so in himself and his treatment of Lena. With Ryba on his side this issue doesnt reappear - they start as strangers, in a vastly different enviroment, and even when they end up codependent on each other, its more similar to the way Lena saw Przemek, than the way Przemek depended on her. And, under Rybas influence (and Mikitas unbearable behaviour), Przemek gets to start mentally leaving his depressing family home

Its Przemeks slow change that starts triggering the rift between them; it esentially questions the before unquestioned status quo of the siblings relationship. Przemek leaves his home for a month, comes back for two days, and leaves again. And in those two days every time it feels like he comes back a different person. Hes not afraid anymore, or at least, not of the palace, but starts being anxious over his home. Hes more open about it, too, at least to Lena. He grows less reserved, more content and, generally, more happy. While in the beginning she is able to ignore it, after each visit she slowly realizes shes being left behind. To her, this is losing a part of her life that was constant, that she too could depend on; something that made everything less dull, someone she loved and who loved her, as cold and tough as that love often was. Shes becomes disgusted by her brother - to her, hes getting weak, hes selfish, and even if hes now happier, she wasnt allowed the same chance. Instead of now sharing their pain together, she is now completly alone, being abandoned by the only person she thought understood her. And this resentment is something that carries on even after he apologizes; she cannot fully forgiving him now that she knows they are not and were never the same. While it never was Przemeks full responsibility, he made her feel completly alone in a house she already was a ghost in, and all he can do now is work to become someone she could trust again; and all she can do is try to move on. She never sees him off when hes about to go back to work after that, always leaving first on her own terms

[agaypanic]

Hey :) I was wondering if since it’s a leap year you would maybe write a oneshot or blurb or smth with James Maguire x reader (maybe like Quinn!reader from your series??) where she proposes on the 29th of February bc it’s a tradition that comes from Ireland?? I just think it would be so cute bc he just totally wouldn’t see it coming and I’ve never seen anyone do it in a fic before

Leap Day (James Maguire X Quinn!Reader)

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Summary: You, the girls, and James are now well into your twenties. Life is perfect, except for one little thing that’s been on your mind. After taking with your friends about it, you figure you should take matters into your own hands.

A/N: won’t put it on my series masterlist, but this could be seen as an epilogue of sorts to the fella series (even tho it’s not finished yet lol) but obvi it can be read as its own thing. Also im american so sorry for any terminology and such i get wrong. reader, james, and the girls are obvi aged up

***

If you had told your younger self that you and your friends ended up staying in Derry after finishing school, she would’ve thought you lost your mind. All she thought about was graduating and leaving home, traveling the world, and escaping her pain-in-the-ass sister Erin and somewhat crazy family.

But if she saw the life you had now, she’d probably understand. Because you had everything you truly wanted.

You had a nice little job close to your flat where you managed a bookstore. It was a quaint shop that became a frequent stop for some of the local teenagers. Erin also stopped by every now and then to boast about what she had already read.

When you weren’t working, you were with your friends. You were a bit more tame than you were in your adolescence, but that all usually went out the window when Michelle got a drink or two in her. Which happened often.

But the best part of your day was when you’d go home to see your boyfriend of many years, the love of your life, James Maguire.

“So, what’s goin’ on with you and him, anyway?” Michelle asked as she messily poured everyone a glass of wine. Every now and then, you and the girls got together for a night to get drunk and catch each other up on anything that happened since the last time you’d gotten together. For some reason, you and James were a bit of a hot topic tonight.

“What d’ya mean, Michelle? You know what’s going on with us.” You laughed, taking your wine glass from her.

“I mean, when are the two of you getting hitched? Has he even popped the question to ya?”

“Believe me, Michelle, you’d all be the first to know if we got engaged.” You said a bit glumly, downing your drink and waving your glass around for Michelle’s attention to fill it again.

“He still hasn’t asked you?” Clare asked with an incredulous look. From the start, she had been a big supporter of your and James’ relationship. If it was up to her, you’d probably have a few kids and a house in the countryside by now. “You’ve been going out since we were sixteen! And you just turned twenty-five a few months ago, didn’t you?”

“Yup.” You responded, popping the ‘p.’ “Nine years and no ring.” You held your bare hand up to prove your point. “But I don’t mind too much. As long as we’re together, that’s really what matters.”

“Aw, that’s sweet.” Clare cooed.

“It’s shit.” Michelle countered.

“Michelle’s right, Y/n,” Erin said, grabbing a crisp from the bowl in the middle of the table. “You’ve been waiting for James to propose since we finished at Our Lady Immaculate; admit it.”

“Have not!” You laughed at the absurdity of your sister’s sentence, but the looks everyone gave you made it die down. “Okay, maybe a little. But not seriously! It was just like a dream, you know? Like Erin thinking she’ll get published or Granda thinking Ma will actually divorce Daddy.” 

Everyone giggled, except for Erin, who was grumbling about your little jab.

“Be serious, Y/n!” Clare laughed, patting your hand. “You’ve been waiting for him to ask for a long while.”

You looked down at your glass, swirling the wine around with a sigh. 

“Maybe a bit.” You answered quietly. It hadn’t really nagged at you too much until recently. After all, you had been together for almost a decade, and everyone else around you seemed to be getting engaged or married. You loved James; truly, you did. But it felt like you were missing out a little. “But I’m fine with waiting.”

“The question is, Y/n, how long are you gonna have to wait until he actually does it?” Erin asked, leaning forward to stare at you. You shrugged, not really knowing the answer and not really wanting to respond.

“You might as well ask him, Y/n!” Your cousin Orla said with a grin. She was always an optimist. “He might just be scared you’ll say no!”

“You know, now that you say it, that’s probably why he hasn’t asked yet,” Michelle said, taking a sip from her wine glass that had been filled more graciously than anyone else’s. “After all, James is a pussy.”

“Don’t call my fella a pussy, Michelle!” You reprimanded, yet you still laughed along with everyone else.

“I can call my cousin what I want. And the fact is that he’s a pussy!”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea, really,” Clare said when everyone’s chuckles had died down. She gasped. “This is a leap year! You could ask him on the twenty-ninth!”

“That’s next week, Clare.” You said a bit nervously. Of course, you’d marry James in a heartbeat. But the thought of proposing, especially so soon, made you a bit sick to the stomach. Now you realize why James probably hasn’t asked you yet.

“It’s either next week or another four years, Y/n,” Michelle said with a teasing smile.

You gulped, feeling everyone’s eyes on you. As you thought about it, you had to admit that it wasn’t really a bad idea. Sure, you had less than an ideal amount of time to plan everything out. But you could probably get something small but nice together.

“Okay… Who’s going ring shopping with me?” The girls squealed at your question, getting up to surround you in a drunken group hug.

***

It was the twenty-ninth, and you were a nervous wreck. The ring weighed heavy in your pocket as you paced around your dining room. Dinner was sitting waiting on the table, and you were playing your little speech of love over and over in your head. All you needed was James, who should be home soon. But as the minutes ticked by, you wished the clock would freeze so you could have more time to prepare for this.

“Darling, I’m home!” James called out as he opened the door, and you realized you were out of time. You skipped out to the front hall to greet your boyfriend.

“Hi, Jamie.” You cooed, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek before stepping away so he could hang up his coat. 

“Sorry I’m a bit late, needed to finish some things at the office.” 

“Oh, that’s okay, hun.” You waved your hands, both to dismiss his unneeded apology and to get rid of some nervous energy.

James gave you a quick peck before walking off to the bedroom to change, leaving you to overthink a bit more. You wanted tonight to be perfect. James deserved nothing less than that.

To pass the time, you grabbed a candle and placed it in the middle of the small table, finding a lighter to light the wick.

“It’s so nice to be home,” James murmured as he walked over to you, arms slinking around you to pull you close to his chest. He buried his face into your neck, leaving a kiss or two before taking a deep breath. “Dinner smells good.”

“Thank you, Jamie.” You turned your head to kiss his cheek before pulling away from him. The two of you sat down and started putting food on your plates.

You talked about anything and everything, James leading most of the conversation, which you were grateful for. You felt that if you had to talk too much, you’d either stutter too much or end up spoiling your surprise. James held your hand most of the time, playing with your fingers absentmindedly as he talked about something amusing that happened at work.

Eventually, your plates were clear and your cups were empty. James was finishing up a story about something a few of his lads had done while they were all watching some sports game you didn’t know much about. You knew that now was your time.

“Jamie?” He hummed, perking up at the sound of his name. 

“Yes, love?”

“I love you.” You didn’t really know how else to start.

“I love you, too, N/n,” James said, smiling as he squeezed your hand.

You took a deep breath, about to give the speech that you’d been preparing in your head.

“I’ve known that you were the one for me since we were fifth years. Probably since I first saw you at the bus stop. That’s probably crazy, knowing something like that so early and so young… But it’s true.” You laughed, thumb sweeping over his knuckles. “These have been the best years of my life, being with you. And it might be a bit selfish of me, but I want more of them.”

“Y/n…” James whispered, tilting his head. “What are you saying, darling?”

“We have a bit of a tradition here.” You say, wiggling your hand from James’ grasp and standing up. “Ladies’ Privilege, Bachelor’s Day, whatever you fancy calling it. Where on Leap Day, girls can propose to their fella.” You stuck your hand in your pocket, fiddling with the ring. “And seeing how it’s Leap Day now, and I have a ring and all, I guess there’s just one last thing to ask.”

James’ expression turned even more stunned when you got down on one knee, now holding the silver band up in front of him. 

“Will you marry me, Jamie?”

In the few seconds of silence after that question, you could feel your heartbeat in your ears. He looked at you stunned, and you desperately wanted to know what was going through his mind. How long would you have to kneel on the ground for him to give you an answer?

But then he smiled brightly, and all your worry slipped away.

“Of course, I’ll marry you!” James slipped out of his chair to join you on the floor and grabbed your face, giving you a long and deep kiss. You gripped his curls in your free hand, the other resting on his shoulder. When he pulled away, he let out an airy laugh. “I never thought I’d be the one being proposed to.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything.” You giggled with him as you slipped the band onto his ring finger. “Happy Leap Day.”

“Happy Leap Day, indeed,” James said before kissing you again.

[dingodad]

What's the deal with the obscure cult thing

the trolls' introductions give us an outline of each troll's position in their society. we have to remember that, at the point of the trolls' introduction, the caste system was only kind of just starting to be born as a concept. gamzee's introduction on p. 2012, where we get the "You belong to a RATHER OBSCURE CULT" line, comes a whole 70 pages before we even get this exchange:

GC: SOLLUX, PL34S3 / GC: YOU 4R3 MR 4PPL3B3RRY BL4ST 4ND 3V3RYON3 KNOWS THOS3 4R3 YOUR F4VOR1T3 FL4VORS / GC: 3V3N THOUGH YOU TYP3 1N YUCKY MUST4RD / GC: WH1CH 1S W31RD >:\ TA: maybe there ii2 more two me than you thiink. [...] maybe ii ju2t want two giive the red and blue thiing a re2t for a change and not make iit 2o iit2 liike, oh look iit2 that prediictable fuck wiith tho2e two 2tupiid color2, iit2 amaziing how much everyone fuckiing hate2 hiim.

of which Hussie has this to say in the published commentary (Book 4, p. 101):

Terezi says it's weird that Sollux types in yucky mustard, even though his "favorite colors" are red and blue. It's really not weird at all, considering literally everyone in his blood class types in that color. But this idea may not have been fully locked in yet as an ironclad canon fact. While Hivebent continuously provides the scoop on what the facts of this culture are, it is simultaneously exploring certain nebulous ideas before fully committing to them. This is a very good strategy when it comes to improvisational worldbuilding.

when Gamzee's cult is described as "obscure", it makes no sense to interpret this as meaning "obscure within his caste", because the caste idea wasn't even fully formed in the author's mind at that point in time, let alone the reader's. what that line is saying is that Gamzee's cult is obscure within his society. and everyone seems to ignore the very sentence after that comment, which says exactly what i'm saying, almost explicitly:

The beliefs of this cult are SOMEWHAT FROWNED UPON by those dwelling in more common lawnrings.

Gamzee's beliefs are strange to commoners. the very clear implication being that among the upper echelons of Alternian society, being a juggalo isn't that frowned upon at all! sometimes Hussie leaves things unsaid about the world of Homestuck because they're not important or to deliberately leave them up to interpretation, but quite often things go unsaid because when you read between the lines they really should speak for themselves. the fact that Alternia's upper castes are more and more uncommon is one of these things (but to drive the point home, there's this comment from Formspring: "lower classes must be much more copious than higher classes. The lowbloods die off much more quickly, and so must be spawned in greater numbers.").

it's odd that this particular "obscure cult" line has become a sticking point, because Kanaya's intro does the exact same thing when it describes her as "one of the few of [her] kind who can withstand the BLISTERING ALTERNIAN SUN, and perhaps the only who enjoys the feel of its rays." we all seem to understand that this isn't claiming daywalking as a unique power of Kanaya's, but merely hinting at the fact that Kanaya is part of a rare caste with that ability. I guess many don't make the comparison because Gamzee's caste is never explicitly singled out as a rare one?

from there, what limited background we do get on the Alternian regime hammers home the point. "subjugglator" (this has the word juggalo in it. a lot of people try to get out of this one) and "Highblood" are used as functional synonyms in Scratch's intermission:

p. 4054: The highbloods were livid over the unprecedented heresy, and soon, a massive sectarian war followed, spreading across the planet and throughout the galaxy. The conflict was lopsided of course, with the Highbloods given full support from the Condesce and her sea dwellers. p. 4063: [the Condesce] could use her leverage to delegate oppression to the subjugglators, whose unique abilities and exceptional brutality made them natural enforcers. They too would delegate in their governance, exploiting the pride and loyalty of dangerous bluebloods beneath them...

the fact that the guy literally called The Grand Highblood is a massive clown is basically garnish; but the fact that the word Highblood with a capital H, even outside of the context of Gamzee's ancestor, was basically used exclusively to refer to purplebloods in the comic seems to have been largely forgotten. this only continues into Act 6, even when a lot of the fandom's misconceptions and reconceptions of the lore started to seep into the comic proper:

You're not really up on Alternian history, but apparently at some point the empress got fed up with the Subjugglators' stranglehold on the soda market, and released a drink that was said to be more loaded with sugar than even the wicked elixir itself. The Highbloods considered such marketing reports to be blasphemous lies, however. (Act 6 Intermission 1, part 2)

emphasis all my own, to make clear that basically no distinction is made between Highbloods as a political institution and the subjugglators as a religious authority. but really, Act 6 is when the whole clown thing should have started to become really obvious, anyway, with lines like "There was this sense that [the Condesce] just loved the idea of delegating the extreme subjugation of the world's population to a pair of demented clown rappers" and the increasing inescapability of Lord English's influence on the story only entrenching that the presence of these juggalos on Alternia had real significance and was not some one off joke.

years ago when it was at its peak, the idea that the subjugglators "were only ever meant to be an obscure cult" seemed to me to have originated among troll enthusiasts who dropped off the comic around Scratch's takeover and didn't really care for overarching plot points like Lord English taking prominence into Act 6. but I guess now that troll discussion has started to center the design process that went into the Hiveswap trolls, the argument has circled back around into the mainstream? but basically to answer your question the deal with the obscure cult thing is that it's bogus. people wanted to make fantrolls who weren't juggaloes because what they fundamentally forget is that a race of juggalos controlling alternia is actually meant to be, and is, really fucking funny

[elumish]

I talk about what writers should do a lot, so now I'm going to take a break and talk about some reforms that I think agents should make.

A caveat: I am not an agent! Unlike when I talk about writing, I am just talking about this as an author who happens to be in the midst of querying. If I have an followers who are agents who think I'm getting something wrong, please let me know!

That said, here I go:

Trad publishing is, fundamentally, about getting past a whole bunch of layers of gatekeepers, and agents are the first gatekeepers. With some very limited exceptions, you can't be trad published without having an agent. From what I can tell, being an agent is a bit of a thankless job--it's based on commission, so an agent only gets money if they are selling their clients' books. (Remember: the money flows towards the writer. If someone claiming to be an agent is telling you that you need to pay them to represent you, run.)

Because of this structure, agents have a massive amount of power over unagented authors, particularly because unagented authors simply do not have another option if they want to trad publish. It is my opinion that that power dynamic is part of the reason why querying actually sucks so unbelievably much for authors.

Now, part of why querying sucks is that it's a numbers game, which means that most of us will lose. Every writer is competing against a gazillion other writers, some of whom are better or writing things that are seen as more sellable or happen to be eariler or whatever. You are going to get a bunch of rejections, and that's not the fault of agents.

But here's the other problem:

There are, from what I can tell, no true industry standards and somewhat limited professional expectations for agents when it comes to how to deal with querying. Again, this is what it looks like from the outside--agents, if I'm getting this wrong, please let me know.

For example, many agencies and many agents will have different rules about what you can submit to them and how, and in many cases those rules are in somewhat arbitrary places, which means that querying authors have to hunt for them, and it's easy to run afoul of them even when you're trying. It's common for some agencies to say that you can't query two agents from the same agency at the same time, but some say that you can't query two agents from them ever--a rejection from one is a rejection from all.

But most agents' Twitter bios/MSWL pages/personal pages/etc. don't say that--which means that authors need to hunt through every individual agency's webpage and then cross-reference against every agent that they have ever queried previously, which can be arduous when many people are querying dozens or hundreds of agents. It also means needing to keep track of things like when agents switch agencies.

There are also no standard expectations for agents to actually respond to queries in any sort of time span, or at all, which complicates the above issue even more. But it also is just (imho) kind of unprofessional to ghost people who are seeking a professional relationship with you, when you have explicitly asked them to reach out to you seeking that professional relationship.

And to make that worse, many agents don't say whether or not they respond to all queries, meaning that authors are often left wondering if a 6-month or longer wait is a "no" or an "I haven't gotten to this yet but will definitely respond to you."

There are more issues that I could cite, but my overall point in this is that authors have no recourse here. There's not authors' union, no way to go on strike until agents change what they're doing.

And some agents are really awesome about this! But enough are not, and authors don't really know what they're going to get when they query someone.

So all of this is to say that, if you are an agent, here are some fairly easy changes I would love for you to make to your own behavior to make querying a little bit less of a nightmarish hellscape for authors (and thank you so much if you already do some or all of these):

Respond to every query that you receive

Tell people your general response times and be communicative if that changes. It's okay if it regularly takes you six months! Just tell us it regularly takes you six months, so we're not left wondering if we've been ghosted at four months

Outline all submission guidelines on Query Manager or where you accept queries, including things like a) rules about whether a rejection from one is a rejection from all, b) length expectations for things like synopses (I've seen a range), and c) any other expectations you have (e.g., you require trigger warnings). Don't make people hunt through 2-4 websites to find what you want

Stop asking or at least strongly rethink how you ask about Own Voices or why an author feels like they are qualified to write about a marginalized identity--I understand the impulse, but nobody should be expected to disclose medical or other personal information like that in a professional setting

Also, just to say (other than please don't reject my query because of this post), agents: authors really do appreciate the work you all do. I want someone to work with to get published, because I am very well aware that I am not the expert in this situation.

And again, please tell me if I got anything wrong or misrepresented anything.

[thatchickwithtoomanyhobbies]

The Boys

***My weird head-canons about the boys. Don’t judge me, I know I’m weird. 🤪***

Aiello

-Most definitely a cat person.

-Played baseball since he was a kid and considered going pro but then decided against it.

-Wants to get married but the girls think he’s not husband material despite being pretty good looking.

-A great artist but thinks its not a masculine trait (whatever that means), so he doesn’t do it often or really tell anyone about it.

-A giant momma’s boy. He cried when saying goodbye to her the day he got shipped out and wrote her letters at least once a week. Probably cried at least once while he was gone because he missed her.

-Missed his mom’s cooking to the point that he’d dream about it then wake up starving.

-The youngest of four kids and the only boy. His sisters tortured him with dress up and dolls when he was a kid.

-Not sure if he wants kids of his own but is willing to be the cool uncle.

-Once caught the stove on fire by accident and pretended he found it like that. His parents still have no idea.

-Got hit in the back of the head with an aluminum baseball bat once, cracked his head open, and had to get stitches. His hair still doesn’t grow in that spot but he manages to cover it up.

Stiles

-Definitely somewhere on the autism spectrum. Special interests: philosophy, ancient Greece, Edgar Allen Poe, and of course photography.

-Mom was a single mom majority of his childhood so he is decidedly a momma’s boy. Also very much a feminist.

-He’s got a raging sweet tooth. If it has sugar, he most likely loves it. Especially if its cake.

-Doesn’t really drink because, “I like to be in charge of my mental faculties at all times.”

-So very, very awkward with girls. He tries talking to one, says something he doesn’t realize is creepy and/or weird and scares her off. He still hasn’t had a girlfriend at the age of 22.

-His little sister tries to help him but she thinks he’s a lost cause and is doomed to a life of singleness.

-Once he realized he was most likely getting drafted into WW2 he started researching military tactics because “you can never be too prepared”

-Loved ‘The Hobbit’ as a kid. He’s owned several copies of it over the years because he reads it at least twice a month and they just keep falling apart.

-He was thrilled when Tolkien published ‘Lord of the Rings’ and read it in a weekend.

-Still has his childhood teddy bear and keeps it on his bookshelf. Sometimes he pulls it down to sit in the armchair with him while he reads.

Zussman

-He’d definitely live off of hotdogs and mac n cheese if you let him.

- He was an only child until he was 12 when his parents unexpectedly had his baby sister. He wasn’t excited at first but doted on her constantly once she was born.

-According to her, he’s her best friend. He’d never admit to it at the risk of being called a sissy, but he feels the same way.

-She bawled in his arms the day he left and said she wanted to go with him. He somehow held it together, but after he got on the train he started crying too.

-Whenever he wanted to give up and die while he was a POW he’d think of how she’d feel if he wasn’t there to braid her hair anymore or take her on their “Leah and Robbie dates” and that gave him the strength he needed to push on just one more day.

-Yes he learned how to braid her hair because she wanted him to do it one day and he was upset that he didn’t know how.

-Once he got home, his family refused to let him out of their sights.

-Plays pranks on his family. Sometimes Leah helps, but most of the time its just him booby trapping something and their parents setting them off.

- ‘Robert Cohen Zussman’ said in a very annoyed and somewhat angry tone is very often heard in that house. Along with “What on earth possessed you to do that?” and “What is wrong with you?”

-Although once they realize how close they were to losing him they don’t really mind it as much.

Daniels

-Loves barbecue.

-Enlisted to fight rather than get drafted because either way he was gonna have to go fight and it may as well be on his own terms.

-Is practically married to his grill in the summer. Hazel jokes that he loves it more than her and that he should leave her for it.

-Terrified of clowns. No idea why. They just freak him out.

-Was once dive-bombed and chased by an angry raccoon while Aiello, Stiles, and Zussman were visiting. Zuss had to shoo it away with the broom. After he finished laughing that is.

[tymime]

Public Domain cartoon characters from Golden Age comic books

Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit going (mostly) into the public domain is a pretty big deal. In the next ten years a lot of animation from the 1930s will wind up in the hands of all artists who want to use them. But did you know there's a huge amount of cartoon characters from the 1940s that are totally free to use? It isn't just cartoons that starred on the silver screen that have fallen out of copyright. (Of course, I'm using the word "cartoon" somewhat loosely...)

See, when US copyright law was revised in 1976 and went into effect in 1978, works created before 1964 were required to have their copyright renewed before the end of 1980, or else they would become public domain. Hundreds if not thousands of Hollywood movies and other types of media had been made by studios and publishing companies that went bankrupt and were completely dissolved decades prior to this new law. This included the cartoons made by studios such as Bray, Van Beuren, and many others- but it also included comic books.

If you weren't a big comic book company like DC or Marvel, chances are you shuttered your doors sometime in the 1950s or early 1960s. And during the 1940s, with the rise in popularity of Looney Tunes, Woody Woodpecker, Tom and Jerry, and Droopy, comic book publishers were printing tons and tons of comic books starring wacky, slapstick-oriented animal characters. Most of these titles went out of copyright, and there are lots of fun and interesting characters to be found in them.

One of the most historically notable is Supermouse. When the first Mighty Mouse cartoon premiered, he was called Supermouse, but what they didn't know was that Pines comics had already taken the name, and successfully sued for copyright infringement even though they were both parodies of Superman.

One of the most interesting titles I've come across is Funny Films. The conceit of the series is that these are actually cartoons you can watch in a movie theater, except it's a comic book. A bit confusing, I know.

The end result is a series of fourth wall breaks so absolutely thorough in their scope that the fourth wall really doesn't exist anymore, barring actually jumping out of the page (or your computer screen) and blowing up your living room. They talk to the audience, jump out of the screen, and even show up late for the cartoon to start. This is of course the bookends to a whole bunch of slapstick gags and goofy dialogue.

Another interesting series, especially if you're a fan of Archie, is Hi-Jinx. They basically took the premise of teeny-boppers in high school and made them into funny animals. Most of the stories have something to do with swing music and dancing.

And although they're crudely drawn, one of the more unique character concepts is Pussy Katnip, found in various titles scattered across the mid-1940s, usually buried amongst a bunch of more normal stories with ordinary human characters. Pussy Katnip looks like one of your classic film noir glamorous beauties, except she's an anthropomorphic cat. Think Minerva Mink but feline. She may appear to be a femme fatale at first, but she's actually a crimefighter. To do this she chugs a mysterious beverage that gives her enhanced strength and intelligence. She's sort of a mystery-solving superhero.

Her appearances are random and kind of hard to find. Here are the titles of the ones currently circulating online: All Your Comics (1944 issue) All Top Comics (one-shot) All Good Comics Everybody’s Comics (1944 issue) Green Mask v1 #11 Ribtickler v1 #1 All Great Comics (1945 issue) Book of All-Comics Green Mask v2 #2 Rocket Kelly #2 Zoot Comics #1

Often these comics, especially in the early '40s, remind me of the artwork of underground comics of the '70s- not quite rubberhose, not quite Looney Tunes. The kind of thing you might find on a punkabilly album cover.

And ocassionally you'll come across characters with a suspiciously familiar name:

One thing to watch out for is the occasional Donald Duck knock-off, some more obvious than others.

Now you may be asking: Where can I read these comics? Simple: https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/ Just be sure you have the right software to read them. I use cooViewer. Another incredibly useful resource is www.comics.org.

So if you're like me and you're too impatient to wait for Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to fall out of copyright, and you want to do something more unusual and unexpected, there are dozens and dozens of comic books with silly, wacky characters that can be utilized in your own original stories, cartoons, and what have you- and you can monetize them too!

[mr-downer-2024]

I am not sure how to phrase this properly but with all the CSM stuff, pre-nut madness is also manifested differently between the genders at least stereotypically in the west.

You're on tumblr, you see all the girls on here and their demons when they get horny. Except the regret is usually manifested as more of an "ew I cant believe I slept with X or did Y" where the guy gets blocked or implicitly denigrated, and it is more of a somewhat silly mistake. Implicitly or explicitly there is the notion that the pre-nut madness woman was simply misguided and why would she ever stoop so low but oh well, that wasn't the real her but okies all is forgiven.

But with guys there is a lot more internalized and externalized shame with horniness and especially pre/post-nut clarity. Not to do the "men X women Y double standard" card because there is a bit of similarities in regrettable hookups specifically, but when it comes to transgressing personal boundaries is where i think it is different. Doing something deeply transgressive sexually as a male regardless of how you feel about it, is often seen far more as who you truly are or letting your secrets out for lack of a better term. That you are judged more for your lowest lows as indicative of who you really are.

So Denji can't have a deeply shameful and self-loathing view of sexuality and human connections, either he is taken advantage of, or he really likes it, at least according to a lot of people on here. This doesn't really make much sense, sorry you dont have to publish it and it is hard to describe but there is a very male-centric sense of shame and self hatred and vulnerability around sex that is hard to explain and I think CSM is one of the few to really get the nuance of wanting something, having it, and then hating yourself for it in a way little else has been able to convey. To want to open yourself up and be vulnerable but also be disgusted by the fact that a part of you has been laid bare and you know logically sex isnt that taboo and lots of other people have it but at the same time you think something is wrong with you specifically.

[daily-rayless]

15 Years of Minako

It's time for another character appreciation post – the last of 2024 – and we've come down almost fifteen years to the day for a very, very special character. I first played Persona 3 in 2008, and I enjoyed it, but it was in 2009 when Persona 3: Portable was announced that my interest in the game rocketed up through the roof and into the stratosphere. Because, guys -- we were going to get a female protagonist.

September 2009

I don't know what my earliest art for Minako/Hamuko/Kotone was, but this is the earliest I could find. She had no canonical name yet. Her game hadn't been released in the States. As you can see, I wasn't even quite sure what her hair was supposed to be doing back there. But I was still excited.

December 2009

I've talked before about why having a female protagonist matters so much to me. The short version is that in an ideal world, where male protagonists weren't such a continuous majority, maybe it wouldn't; but that world doesn't exist, so it does matter, it matters to me. Minato has always been a fairly take-him-or-leave-him character for me. Minako? I was into her before the game was even released.

March 2010

I was intrigued by her design, her bright red eyes, her fluffy curls, the way her vibe was so different from Minato's. And, actually, her vibe is somewhat at odds with the game itself. P3 is a game of sad blues and sickly greens and grungy reds. Minako is all bright reds and pinks, tropical orange, soft yellow, warm brown. They could have taken the easy route and just done a gender-flipped Minato, a blue-haired girl, quiet, rather closed-off and antisocial. They didn't. They gave us someone new, somehow who visually contradicts the status quo.

September 2010

And, once I played the game, I saw that not only was her design very different, she had a different personality – different dialogue choices from Minato, a different mood. As far as the major plot points went, she did the same things as Minato, but she felt like her own person, not a gender-flip. She does change the status quo. You can diverge from Minato's narrative in some small but significant ways, but even if you choose not to, playing as Minako still feels different from the original version.

December 2010

And, miraculously, playing the game lived up to my own dangerously hyped expectations. Getting new insights into the female members of SEES without the tropey baggage of being a male hero romancing them; Social Linking the male members while getting the option to romance them or not. The original Persona 3, with Minato, is a great game, but Minato had to romance all of the girls and he couldn't even Social Link the guys. Minako's route gives you a deeper, broader experience when it comes to the core cast.

February 2011

Her being female adds nuanced conflict to her rivalry/friendship with Junpei, brings introspective weight to Akihiko's protectiveness, complements rather than undercuts Yukari's attempts to assert herself and not be dependent like her mother. Mitsuru doesn't have to step down as SEES' chagrined leader and cede her authority to this new boy – she cedes it to another girl. Tropes can be done badly or well, and these aren't inherently better than Minato's route, but Minako's tropes are often less typical, thus they feel more original – thus, to me, they're more interesting.

May 2011

I want to make clear that while I prefer Minako over Minato, I'm not arguing she's the better character or should be the default. And I'm pausing to say this because, unfortunately, ever since Minako first arrived on the scene, she's brought her own tension to an often already combative fandom.

December 2012

“She's not canon!” You used to hear that. As if the protagonist of a game that had been made and published and could be played wasn't canon. “Yeah, but she's not really canon!” It felt like there was a push within parts of the fandom to devalue Minako as a character, delegitimize her.

February 2013

Unfortunately, it feels as if this attitude is somewhat shared by Atlus itself. While Minako got a game route, a stage play, and is featured in promotional art, her absence in the Persona 3 remake is glaring. I'm not sure what I think Atlus is trying to say by omitting her, if anything. I'm just so disappointed that Minako's route, the route that gives you the most variety in plot points and character exploration for the main cast, wasn't deemed worthy of remaking.

January 2014

Minako, that brave, funny, smart, defiant protagonist, wasn't deemed worthy.

January 2015

Like many silent protagonists, Minako's a character open to a lot of interpretations. Broadly speaking, the game allows you to pick dialogue options for a reserved Minako or a more forceful Minako. But whichever way you go, if you've played the game, you know she's a character with pain buried deep inside her.

November 2016

Her fandom, her specific fandom, often sees her as a girl who smiles and sparkles and fights to cover that pain. Looking at Minato, you wouldn't be surprised to learn he's troubled. But Minako will make you believe she's confident and happy for a very long time until something breaks that illusion and you realize there are secrets in that smile.

August 2018

Minako is passionate, enduring, stubbornly brave.

October 2022

But she's not canon, right?

June 2023

She's not really a character. She's just a theoretical scenario Persona played with briefly, then discarded.

September 2024

Too bad for us.

[saltofmercury]

Yooohooo

Thank you for all your lovely stories, can I put in a request... Reader came home one day with huge bruise on the side of your arms ( not because someone hurt u .. because u r clumsy. I often walk into things at work hubby is shocked how many bruises i have on my legs. ) and König's reaction?

Thank you if you decided to accept :D

Pairing: König x f!reader

author's note: I wrote this but never published?

"Clumsy"

Since you were a kid, you have been labeled clumsy. Clumsy was a nice word for it but holy hell did you bump, hit, fall, and bruise the hell out of your body.

Your parents had put you in gymnastics to hopefully get you to stay still or gain some balance, but you came home with a few broken arms, a few broken wrists, and your ego shattered.

Progressing into your teen years, you had become somewhat better at your balance, but while your mind raced with a million thoughts, your body could never really keep up. Adulthood was the same, but you had always wanted to be two steps ahead in your head and your body, rushing to keep up.

When you met König, it wasn’t any better. Your first date you had dropped the water onto the table, dropped the utensils on the floor, and to make the date even more disastrous, you had even dropped some of the food you had been eating onto your shirt.

“Sorry!” You exhaled attempting to clean up the mess you made on your shirt. “I’m a bit clumsy.”

König had been relieved someone was taking the first date jitters to an extreme and it wasn’t him. He seemed enamored by it, wondering if you were really clumsy or nervous like he was.

It wasn’t until one night that you guys had been inseparable making out like teenagers on the couch that he had slowly taken off your top and had your breasts in his mouth that he realized a bruise on your arm.

He wondered if it was the way he grabbed you and pulled you into him that he was the one who left the mark.

“Oh, shit, are you okay?”

You had been mentally in the moment wondering why his mouth and hands weren’t on you. 

“Yeah everything’s good, keep going.”

“No schatz, what’s this?”

He had held your arm in his hand, wrapped around it, rubbing the deep purple mark with his thumb.

“Oh! I got that at work.” You had said embarrassed that you bruised easily.

He had looked at you with concern, this bruise looked too purple, almost red, and it was placed on your arm. 

“How did you get this at work?”

“I was racing inside from the rain and had bumped into the door frame while I slipped.”

He looked at you, baffled by how you said it so casually. 

“You did this to yourself?”

“Mhmm” you nodded, wanting to shut him up and get his mouth on your body.

He dropped it, but König kept this in the back of his head, wondering if there was any sort of weird thing happening at work, he would not stop himself from intervening.

So the next day that he walked you to work hoping and praying that there was some asshole lurking nearby just so he could get his hands on them. Tucked under his arm under a wide umbrella, you had babbled his ear off, your fingers interlaced with his on your shoulder.

“Well I gotta send those emails out because otherwise I’ll never remind the staff, I also needed to place an order for more ink for the office, I swear we go through it so much. I also think Friday I’ll bring donuts in for the staff since they worked so hard the last two weeks pitching the ideas to our boss and —“

You had slipped, but luckily caught by him, his arm wrapped the front of your body.

“Careful” came out as an order. He had seen how careless you were crossing the street, walking into puddles. Your shoes were not rain boots, but converse high tops. Now here you were slipping right next to him. Jesus, he thought. This woman is in the clouds more than on earth. 

He walked you to the door, inside of the building and sure enough, you bumped into the door frame again, with the same arm.

“Thank you for walking me!”

“I’ll be here at lunch time, so don’t order out.” He had scoped the large office, just to be sure, there wasn’t some asshole, then kissed you goodbye and walked to a cafe to get your lunch. 

By the time he had come back, he saw you in motion.

You had been running around the room, talking with a colleague, then bumping into the large printer. You barely rubbed your side, eyes glowing and continued the conversation with your friend as she had reached over and double checked if you were ok.

He saw you get up to refill your bottle from the water cooler, knocking down the big plant in the office. 

Holy shit, it was such a sight. You weren’t mentally on earth ever. You had visited, but remained mentally on Saturn. He adoringly watched you stumble across your own two feet.  Why your parents hadn’t named you klutz was beyond him. 

You saw him peering through the office, and you ran over. His eyes widened, his heart raced, standing up and going towards you hoping that you would not fall down. 

“Hi! Long time no see” you said. You brought him over to the designated eating area, where he had told you to sit, seeing you bounce up and down for lunch.

As soon as you stuffed your face, he made the confession.

“So, about walking you to work…”

“Mmmm?”

“The reason I walked you to work today was because I needed to make sure nobody had any issues with you here.”

“Oh? Like what kind of issues?” You had been thinking of asking him for a bite of his food.

“The bruise I saw on your arm was so bad that I needed to make sure it was purely accidental, and not on purpose.”

“Oh! Can I have some of yours?”

He pushed the plate towards you, one eyebrow raised.

“I told you I bumped into the frame. No big deal.”

He then exhaled, laughing at you.

“But have you really seen yourself schatz? You’re the definition of clumsy.”

You looked at him, like it wasn’t a big deal. Clumsy, forgetful, uncoordinated were all in your dictionary. 

“I think you need to slow down schatz. Really be in the moment sometimes. Aware of your surroundings.”

You nodded, but didn’t really listen. He could sense you weren’t listening, so he made a deal with you. 

“You come to the gym with me 3x out of the week, work on your coordination, I’ll buy you that weird pumpkin pot you’ve kept mentioning every night.”

You looked at him, “Le Creuset Cast Iron Pumpkin Cocotte?”

“Whatever it’s called. That I will buy you. But please, we need to work on your coordination.”

And so, began the weekly sessions at the gym, where you focused on your environment, you focused on one thing at a time, where your thoughts weren’t racing every 5 minutes.

You also focused on him, how great he was, and how sweet he was that he took time out of his gym time to help you.

[humorisstoredinthetits]

The Heathers + Veronica Youtuber! AU

I'm gonna be trying to post more consistently, hopefully once a week on Fridays

In this AU the events of Heathers happened somewhat similarly, Veronica never joined the group but she still got together with JD and he murdered Kurt and Ram but failed to kill Chandler before the ending playing out the same. JD is also more movie-like in that he isn't as obsessed with Veronica and just wants to kill.

The Heathers are the most popular Youtuber group in the history of the platform

Their channels combined have over 200 million subscribers, and ask any person on the street and they would be able to tell you who the Heathers are, think like Mr. Beast levels of people knowing them and double it

The group consists of three members

The first is Heather Chandler, aka Mythic_Bitch, who has a beauty/drama channel and is by far the most popular of the three

A weird combination of topics sure, but one Chandler makes work

She'll often review beauty products, and while applying them to herself she'll talk about Youtube drama

Beauty companies line up to have their products tested out by her, and she will only accept sponsorships from those which she feels are the best of the best or those which she wants to warn her viewers about

As part of her sponsorship contracts she demands that she be free to give her true opinion about the product, a term which the companies are forced to accept if they want their products recommended by the most popular Youtuber in the world

And of course she is always in the know of all the juiciest drama

Her word is treated as gospel among the population of the site, when she gives her opinion on the matter its closed and public opinion shifts to whatever Chandler's opinion is

She started out just reviewing products, but she quickly ran out of things to say while showing her viewers how to use them which led to awkward pauses

Knowing that she would have to find something to fill that blank space, she tried doing timelapses, telling personal stories, jumpcuts, and when none of those seemed to really work she decided to talk about what she knows best, which was drama

Her modest audience was boosted by an influx of new subscribers who sought out her opinion on the latest drama

And since this is Youtube, there's always new drama going on so she never runs out of things to talk about

Her views only skyrocketed when it was announced she would be collaborating with two other Youtubers who also happened to be named Heather

They would appear in her videos, acting as canvases for her to test out products on or to help talk about a big piece of drama news

Next up is Heather Duke, aka Shut Up Heather!, who runs a channel which focuses on literature

One would expect this to be rather boring content, I mean she's just talking about books, but her unique sense of humor combined with her insights into the books she discusses creates interesting videos for even those who wouldn't normally be interested in reading

She often tries to search out lesser-known books by unknown authors and reviews their work to try and bring attention to them

Mainly the kinds of books she looks for are by LGBTQ+ or POC authors

She also accepts submissions of writings for her to review and critique to help them improve their stories and with her advice several writer viewers have managed to get their stories published, an accomplishment she always celebrates by making a video about said book

For the longest time she's been trying to write her own book but keeps pushing it back out of fear that it's not good enough, but her viewers wait in anticipation for that day

Once she began collaborating with the other Heathers, she introduced a new segment to her videos, the skit segment

When trying to explain a key scene from a book she's reviewing, she and the other Heathers will act it out in a succinct yet humorous manner

They spare no expense either, getting costumes, doing their hair and makeup, the whole nine yards

At the end of the video there's a blooper reel of all their failed attempts

A fan-favorite of her channel has nothing to do with literature, its her pet snake, Cornelius

He was included in a skit involving a scene where a character was bitten by a snake, and ever since that video her viewers begged to see more of him

So she now starts every video by giving a snake update

To round out the trio, there's Heather McNamara, aka Mac & Cheese, who makes variety content with her golden retriever, Cheese

She hated the idea of being stuck into this box of 'gaming Youtuber' or 'drama Youtuber' or whatever, so she posts whatever she feels like with no cohesion

Normally this wouldn't be the best move, after all to have a consistent audience one should focus on a single type of content that those same viewers would come back for, but Mac's bright bubbly personality helps tie it all together

She has several ongoing series in between her other content, including a Minecraft Let's Play and a series focusing on her pets, of which she has several

Of course there's Cheese, but also Munchkin the Rabbit, a Parakeet named Tweety and a Maine Coon called Heather Catler, who was adopted after the collaboration with her was announced

The latter is technically Chandler's pet but she hates her so for all intents and purposes she's Mac's

In these videos she'll show her routine for caring for them and give the audience updates, but mostly its just an excuse for her to get paid for playing with her pets

From week to week her content can shift wildly, it all depending on what Mac feels like doing that week

The one constant is Cheese, who the viewers often call her twin because Mac always dresses in yellow

The dog was named Cheese because he loves cheese, to the point that if she cooks with it he'll jump onto the counter to nab some

The three of them also have a collab channel, simply called The Heathers, where they post content involving the three of them

When the collaboration was announced the three of them bought a house together and all moved in, an experience which they vlogged and created the channel to post the vlogs to

They post the occasional vlog, but also their gaming videos where they play games like Mario Party, or Duke's infamous prank videos, like the time she put her snake in Chandler's makeup cabinet, capturing on film the moment she opens it up and screams upon seeing a snake slithering through her things

As time passed their fanbases grew and grew until they became the largest group on the platform

They were invited to official Youtube events, went to conventions like VidCon, started their own merch line, major news companies started reporting on their big developments, things were only going up for them

Unbeknownst to the public, however, the three of them were dating, and had been long before starting their channels

Of course there was always speculation, there was plenty of evidence that the three of them were in some way LGBTQ+, but no one could agree on which two were dating and the Heathers never confirmed or denied anything

They were at the top of the world, they were extremely well-liked, had no major controversies and most importantly to them, they were happy

But one day, things changed

Veronica Sawyer, aka Detective Sawyer, ran a small channel of around 150k subscribers focusing on true crime and unsolved mysteries

Her small fanbase admired the sheer quality of her videos, as it was clear they were well-researched and well put together

A big part of her content was the motive behind the crime

Veronica was studying criminal psychology at her university and she applied what she learned in class to these cases to try and understand what drove these people to commit these heinous acts

If a case was unsolved, she would give her best guess on what she think happened

She took audience submissions for people they wanted her to cover, which helped boost her views as she was looking in to who her viewers wanted to see

Because of how long it took to research, analyze, and film, she did not upload very often, but her videos were always greeted with plenty of fanfare

**Line break**

She also always wore this monocle and a old-timey detective's hat, helping her to build up this character

However, there was a reason she created this channel, a reason she chose to cover what she did, hell even a reason that she was studying criminal psychology in the first place

Initially she was never planning on covering it on her channel, sure it fit in with the rest of her content but it was deeply personal to her and she wasn't sure if she wanted to share it with the whole wide world

But eventually she decided to do it, having it serve as a warning to those in similar situations

The video was titled "The Tale of Jason "JD" Dean and the Girl Stupid Enough to Follow Him"

As soon as the video started it was clear that something was off

She wasn't wearing her usual get-up, and it took her several seconds to compose herself before she was able to speak

She started by saying that this situation is different than all others she's covered up until this point, because it involves her personally

She went on to explain that this was more so than others a cautionary tale, of fear and lust and pride based on actual events where people died (People died)

She started at the beginning, spinning a tale of a loser girl and a guy who took interest in her, infecting her with his lies that they personally could choose who lived and who died because they knew better than everyone else

She spoke of his crimes, from attempting to poison the most popular girl in school by spiking her coffee with drain cleaner to shooting and killing two jocks after luring them to a graveyard at the dead of night, and his 'jokes' about killing her too if she went to the police

She told of how she was enthralled by his ideology, the idea that bad people deserved to be punished and that they were the ones tasked to do so, letting her finally get revenge on the people that had wronged her for years

Eventually she reached the end, with her realization that he was insane after telling her of his plan to blow up the school, leaving them the sole survivors, and how after she left him he almost killed her and was forced to fake her own suicide to get him to leave, only to confront him at school and remove the bomb, only for him to then take it back and blow himself up on the football field, claiming that he was too damaged and that she deserved better

She then went on to speak of the aftermath, the countless police interviews, the trial where she was found not guilty as she had not actually participated in any of the crimes and was found to be under major duress and threat of harm, explaining why she hadn't acted sooner, her stay at a psychiatric institution, the hours and hours of painful, upsetting therapy, her return to school, her anger at everything and everyone, and her eventually resolve to figure out what drove JD to do the things he did, leading to this channel

Eventually she reached her segment where she discussed the why behind his actions, where she attempted to dissect his rationale, speaking of the death of his mother, his abusive father, his constant moving around, ending up with a simple 'he thought he was better than everyone else and was the one to dish out punishment' being unwilling or unable to go any further

The video ended there, Veronica clearly in tears and just wanting to be done with this

Unexpectedly her video blew up, reaching the front page, going up to #1 Trending at it's peak

Veronica was surprised to see her comments sections filled with supporting comments, telling her that she was so brave for going through that and coming out on the other side, saying that JD was a master manipulator and that she shouldn't feel bad for falling for him, and that they are proud of her for being able to get up here and tell her story despite how much she suffered

But what really surprised her was a single comment from a Mythic_Bitch, asking her if they could talk

The replies to it were filled with questions and theories, but all were ignored

Of course Veronica knew the Heathers ran the most popular Youtube Channels on the platform, how could she not, but she wasn't expecting Heather fucking Chandler to see her video, much less ask to talk to her

But she couldn't be all that surprised, after all it was her that JD tried to kill, the situation involved her as much as it did Veronica

Of course she didn't name her or anyone besides herself and JD, but she still knew who she was talking about

With much anxiety she sent her a reply, starting a chat with the Demon Queen herself

Private Message Between Mythic_Bitch and Detective Sawyer

Detective Sawyer: Hey, you wanted to talk?

Mythic_Bitch: Yeah, I saw your video.

No messages are sent for about 5 minutes

Detective Sawyer: And?

Mythic_Bitch: I have to say I was pleasantly surprised

Detective Sawyer: What

Mythic_Bitch: You took complete accountability for your actions, never once trying to downplay your role in the events but instead explaining why you did what you did

Mythic_Bitch: Honestly I expected you to just deny deny deny and blame it all on JD, but it seems that you've grown up a bit

Detective Sawyer: Of course I took accountability for my part, even if I didn't actually do anything to hurt anyone I still enabled him to do what he did

Mythic_Bitch: I have a proposition for you

Detective Sawyer: Well that was an abrupt change of topic

Mythic_Bitch: Just take the compliment and listen to my proposition

Mythic_Bitch: I want you to interview me, on your channel

Mythic_Bitch: You can ask me literally anything about my perspective on the situation, my experiences, whatever you think will add to your video

Mythic_Bitch: It'll be a great way to get some views, plus when have you gotten the opportunity to interview a victim of one of your video's subjects before?

Detective Sawyer: And you're ok with this? It kinda seems like I'd be forcing you to talk about your trauma

Mythic_Bitch: I trust that you won't just ask "Hey Heather how did it feel to almost get fucking murdered?" or something like that

Mythic_Bitch: Besides, my therapist says I need to "open up more" and I guess this counts

Detective Sawyer: I guess that makes sense, but why are you being so nice to me? I enabled the guy who almost killed you, you should hate my guts

Mythic_Bitch: Its a twofold situation

Mythic_Bitch: Not blaming you, but since you put out that video its only a matter of time before people find out who his victims were

Mythic_Bitch: You tried to hide my name but its the internet, things like that don't stay secret forever

Mythic_Bitch: And don't apologize either, this is just what happens, and it probably would've been found eventually

Mythic_Bitch: Also I'd like to talk about it on my own terms, before the horde of fans demand an explanation

Detective Sawyer: Understandable, but I'm still sorry about that

Mythic_Bitch: And I don't really blame you

Mythic_Bitch: You were young and dumb, and there was this guy who made you feel special and important and that nothing else besides him mattered, and because of that you ignored all of the red flags

Mythic_Bitch: I know what its like to be in that situation, and it would be hypocritical of me to judge you for it when I am guilty of it myself

Detective Sawyer: Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't know

Mythic_Bitch: Don't. Just don't

Detective Sawyer: Ok....

Detective Sawyer: Well, I guess I accept your offer, just let me know when you're free

Mythic_Bitch: Alright

Veronica didn't exactly believe her when she said that she didn't blame her

Of course she had no choice but to take what she said as the truth, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than what she was told

She considered that this interview was just a chance for her to yell at her for all that she's done, to tell her that she hates her and for everyone to beg Youtube to delete her channel, the possibilities for humiliation were endless

Even so, a small part of her hoped that she was telling the truth and simply wants to tell her side of things, however unlikely that may be

The scheduled time for the interview arrived and Veronica booted up a livestream

There had been massive hype when it was announced, and even before the stream started there were millions waiting

It was widely theorized that Chandler was the victim that survived, after all why else would she comment on the video?

She sent the link to Chandler before sighing and turning on her camera

She explained, to those who didn't already know, that she would be interviewing Mythic_Bitch about her part in the JD Case, and asked them to please remain respectful as this was gonna be tough for both of them

She also added that any donations made would be donated to a anti-child abuse organization and that Chandler had agreed to match and double the amount

With that she pulled up Chandler's screen

She was sitting on a rather expensive looking couch, Duke and Mac on either side of her, and Cheese laying on the couch with them

Veronica decided to start out with some pleasantries, asking the three of them how things had been going, trying to diffuse the obvious tension

She received three identical oks, and sensing this wasn't going to work she decided to just move on to the interview

Before she did that she reminded Chandler that at any point she could end the interview or refuse to answer a question that makes her uncomfortable

To start, she decided to ask Chandler why she wanted to have this interview, already knowing the answer but asking for the audience's sake

Chandler responded that she was the victim who was fed drain cleaner and survived from her latest video

Veronica then asked if she could give her account of the event

Chandler explained that she woke up with a hangover from a party the previous night and went to make herself a prairie oyster

Unbeknownst to her, JD had switched out one of the ingredients with drain cleaner, making sure to clean up his fingerprints after doing so, and when she went to drink it she felt a burning sensation, quickly stopping drinking

Looking in the cup she could see that it was bright blue, and so she quickly called 911 and was taken to a hospital where she went into a coma

When she awoke it was several months later, and she was told that she had tried to kill herself, much to her confusion

It was hard to talk, as she had gotten several surgeries while in a coma to replace the damaged tissues and organs, but thankfully because she didn't drink that much and called 911 quickly she was able to make a full recovery

She told the doctors that she didn't have suicidal thoughts, and thats when they brought out the suicide note

Veronica interjects here, explaining that she was the one to forge it, the actual words being JDs and her just using her skills at forgery, all done under threat of something happening to her if she didn't comply because "she knew too much already"

The police came and took a statement and while searching for evidence JD blew himself up and Veronica turned herself in, clearing up the situation

She ended up staying in the hospital for months after, going through physical therapy to help her re-learn how to talk and walk after so long in a coma, actual therapy for her many issues, and monitoring, but eventually she was allowed to go free

She told the audience that she wasn't exactly the nicest person in high school, quite the opposite, and thats probably why she was a target for JD, but after almost dying she had a newfound perspective on life and on the way she had been acting, and decided to try to make up for the wrongs she's done

She felt like she didn't do enough, and thats part of why she made a Youtube channel

Entertaining people, giving advice on things she knew enough about to help people with, thats some good she could do, right?

Tears are pooling in her eyes as she finishes speaking

Mac and Duke, seeing the tears, took the opportunity to tell Chandler that of course she did enough, they witnessed firsthand her bending over backwards to earn forgiveness from all the people at Westerberg, and even now she donated most of their earnings to different charities and holds fundraisers constantly, and that she's more than made up for her actions

Chandler starts crying before pulling both of them into a tight hug, telling them that she loves them so much and that she couldn't imagine a life without them, before giving them a big kiss

Veronica just stays silent before the realization hits her

They're kissing

Thinking about it, it should've been obvious they had some kind of polyamorous situation, they were wayyy too close to just be friends

Then a second realization hits her

They're recording

She makes some noises in an attempt to get their attention, and when they turn to face the camera they all have the realization at the same time, and their faces burn bright red

Duke mutters that they're gonna have to make a video on this, but Chandler says screw it and that they'll just talk about this now

She tells the audience that her, Mac and Duke are all dating each other and had been since freshman year for her and Mac and junior year for all three of them, and that the four of them went to the same high school

She promises to make another video elaborating on their situation, but this is Veronica's stream and they don't want to take the attention away from her

Veronica feels super awkward, like she walked in on them having sex or something, but quickly comes to her senses and moves on with the interview

She asks Chandler some questions about what she can remember of JD, even going to ask Mac and Duke what they remembered

This is actually how Veronica found out that JD blackmailed Duke to pass around a petition that was later found to be a group suicide note

For her part Chandler asks Veronica some questions about what about him drew her in, what he threatened to do to her, what he did to her, and eventually her final question, why his ideology appealed to her?

It takes a minute for her to respond, but she eventually settles on saying that everyone knows that she wasn't exactly the most popular in high school and she always thought that it was unfair that who she perceived as bad people got to live good, fun lives while she struggled, and so when he came by and told her that her feelings were right and good and that she could use them to change things for the better, she jumped at the opportunity

Chandler muttered 'that's what I thought' before taking a deep breath and saying that after all these years there was one person at Westerberg that she never apologized to, and that was Veronica, and she feels that out of everyone she's the one owed an apology the most

Veronica is taken aback as Chandler begins listing off all the things she needed to apologize for, like bullying her and her best friends, having others target them and so on, but Veronica interrupts her, telling her that she's the one who should be apologizing, her boyfriend literally tried to kill her and she was a part of it

**Line break**

Chandler then said "who do you think pushed you to that point?", telling her that it was obvious the 'bad people' she referred to earlier meant them, and maybe if they weren't such bad people then she wouldn't have felt the need to do what she did, essentially telling her that she blamed herself for everything that happened

Before Veronica could get in another word Chandler told her that she knew that words could not ever begin to make up for all the pain she went through because of them, and that's why she has something to offer her

She invited her to join the Heathers, move in with them in their house in California, become part of their events, the whole fucking package

Veronica is stunned and is silent for a good few minutes, just taking it in

Mac eventually asks if she's ok, which breaks her out of her stupor

Veronica tries to deny the offer, saying that she doesn't deserve it, but all three of them start trying to convince her, eventually wearing her down and getting her to say Yes

The livestream eventually ended, and Veronica flopped on to her bed and screamed into her pillow

In the meantime, the Heather started their preparations to have Veronica join their group

They added her to all of their groups, linked her channel to their shared channel, bought her a plane ticket and arranged delivery for her things

They then made a quick announcement on their Twitters and filmed a short video announcing her invitation for anyone who didn't see the stream, but it was pretty redundant because every news outlet was covering this news

The idea to invite her was actually Chandler's, she had always wanted to apologize to Veronica since the moment she heard her testimony at the trial, but with her isolating herself and deleting her social media she never got the opportunity, so when this situation came up she saw it as a sign to make up for what she believed was her biggest wrong

And now she could not only boost her channel and bring her plenty of clout and attention, but also get her out of that horrible town where everything went down, in Chandler's opinion a win-win situation

Fast forward several weeks, and Veronica has gotten everything arranged on her end

She applied to a much better university in California, known for its astounding criminal psychology program, and was transferring there next semester

The Heathers agreed to cover the cost of her tuition, so the only thing she had to worry about was actually getting it, but with her videos she was able to prove to admissions that she would be an excellent fit for their program

As she got on the plane to head to California she started feeling unsure again

It was something she kinda pushed to the side while she worked on getting everything settled, but now that the day was here it came back in full force

She barely knew these people, and despite everyone, even Martha telling her that the Heathers had changed, she couldn't escape the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong

On top of that, she hated the idea that her channel was going to grow off the backs of other people

She wanted her channel to succeed due to her own merits, not promotion from people who already made it big

And while her channel had grown after the first video on JD, it grew exponentially faster following the interview with Chandler and her endorsement, but how many of these subscribers subscribed because they liked her content or because she was part of the group?

These thoughts swam around her mind the entire plane right, the stress only building as she landed in LA

As she got off the plane she was able to find the three of them dressed inconspicuously as to not draw attention to the fact they were the Heathers

Inconspicuously for them at least, to any onlookers they looked like they were going to the Met Gala

Upon seeing her Mac rushed up and pulled her into a hug, the force of which knocked the wind out of Veronica

They went to pick up Veronica's luggage, of which there wasn't much as she had shipped most of it a week earlier, and then they got into Duke's infamous dark green Jeep, her "baby"

The tension during the car ride was so thick one could cut it with a knife

None of them really knew what to say to the other, Mac trying to start conversation but all attempts receiving a short, curt response that didn't leave much for her to work with

Plus Veronica had jet lag, having taken an early flight to avoid any fans who may want to see the Heathers greet her at the airport, so she was exhausted beyond belief

After a 2 hour drive they reached the mansion the Heathers called home

This thing was massive, being 3 stories tall and having huge grounds surrounded by a electric fence, which Duke explained had to be installed after some fans tried to break in to their house

They had planned on showing her around but they could see that she was exhausted, so they decided to postpone that and just show her to the guest room (her stuff hadn't arrived yet) While they headed to the room Veronica was amazed at the sheer luxury of the home, she knew the Heathers were rich but not this rich

As soon as she basically fell into the bed she thought 'this is the most comfortable I have ever felt in my entire fucking life' before falling asleep

When she woke up she saw a little yellow sticky note attached to the nightstand, telling her to come down to the kitchen whenever she was ready =) <3 - Mac

She just shrugged and headed down, after spending 20 minutes trying to find her way around the house, seeing the three of them sitting at the kitchen table, scrolling their phones

They look up and see her, and ask her to sit down

Feeling like she's already done something wrong, she nervously sits down

Chandler starts by welcoming her to their home, before saying that they have to talk business before they can do the fun stuff

They just have a couple of suggestions of how to improve her content and to let her know the expectations they have for her

Internally she thinks that maybe they should've talked about this before she moved across the whole country to work with them, but she digresses

Over all its not too much, they tell her that she should send her videos to be edited by someone else, they have several amazing editors who will accommodate any specification she has, plus it'll save her some time

They also tell her that she will have to be in some group content like vlogs and Duke's skits, but they wouldn't pry too much into her personal life and that they would work around her school schedule

That also meant that if she needed them to be in her videos that they would be available to do so

However there are 2 major problems

The first is that they want her to upload more frequently

Currently she uploaded about once every other week, sometimes more if it was a smaller video or the evidence was easier to obtain, but the Heathers wanted at least 2 a week

Veronica said that she felt like it would compromise the quality of her videos if she was to do that, plus with her college she's gonna need to devote even more time to studying than she did at her old community college

They were able to negotiate it to once a week, but she would start making shorts going over some cases she's already covered

The final issues was a big one

The Heathers' channels were family-friendly, at least to some extent

Veronica's was not, often going into detail about the heinous actions the subjects of her videos committed to paint the full picture of the nature of the crimes

The Heathers were worried that this could cause Youtube to take action against her channel, and that maybe she should tone it down a little

**Line break**

Veronica was vehemently against this, stating that in no uncertain terms would she be censoring her videos

Duke told her that they figured as much, but they had to do something because Youtube really doesn't like that kind of thing on their platform

It didn't matter so much when she was a smaller channel, but now she is likely to become the 4th biggest channel on the site, meaning it was more likely that Youtube would be willing to demonetize her or give her channels strikes

Veronica retorted, saying that 'so it's about the money then?'

Chandler explains that its yes and no, obviously they want to make money and more importantly want her to make money, but they also don't want her to lose her hard work over it

They know Youtube isn't a perfect platform, but its what they have to work with and they kinda have to play their game and follow their rules, no matter how ridiculous they are

She then told her that they wouldn't force her to do anything, but to just think about it

They had a few more things to discuss, mostly about money (25% of profits from all of their channels went into a shared account to help pay for the groceries and bills and that kind of stuff, and the money from their shared channel would be divided evenly between the four of them), which Veronica felt was fair and agreed to

With all that settled all that was left to do is start recording

They were planning on filming a vlog for that day, detailing the process of her moving in and getting settled

Initial filming attempts go badly, to the shock of no one

Veronica is an introvert and is in a completely new place with people she barely knows and trying to do content she is wholly unfamiliar with, of course she didn't do great

They did that mainly to see what areas of her performance needed improvement, and yeah she needs a lot of work

They postponed the video and spent a few days walking her thought how to act on camera around other people

She was fine when alone and in her element, but in unfamiliar situations she really struggled, so they needed to work on getting her more comfortable around them and around the camera

To help with this, they had a game night that night, a staple for their shared channel, but they told her that they weren't going to film it, just play

They were filming, they just didn't want her to know and were planning on including it as a segment in a larger video

They decided on Wii Sports, as they knew how rowdy they (Duke) got during other games and they didn't want to scare her

It took a minute, but after a while Veronica started to let her guard down and get into the game

She even ended up winning at bowling, much to the dismay of Duke and Chandler

Once they finished they pulled out the camera and admitted that they recorded the whole thing, just to show her that it wasn't that hard and she just had to act like the camera wasn't there

She was pretty upset about this, they had told her specifically that they weren't filming and they did it anyway, was this how things were going to be living with them?

The Heathers were quick to explain no, this was just to help her get accustomed to the camera

Veronica understood their reasoning but told them that if this ever happened again she would be leaving, no questions asked

If she was to be filmed, she must know that she is being filmed, firmly establishing this boundary with them, to which the three of them apologized and agreed to

Despite how upset she was at them for it she was actually kind of glad, because when they went to film the other parts of the vlog she found it easier to be in front of the camera

Still not easy by any means, but she no longer felt like a wild animal being recorded by researchers

To make it up to her the Heathers let her pick what movie they watched that night, and not a single complaint was heard when she picked The Princess Bride

From there her new routine started

She had class three times a week, and she would get up early

The Heathers told her that she didn't have to worry about driving, they paid for a chauffeur, which while making her feel a little uncomfortable at just how rich they were also was freakin' amazing when she had a 7am class and the college was an hour and a half away, meaning that she could sleep the whole way there

She also had security with her at all times, another thing she had to grow accustomed to

The Heathers had told her that because of their popularity they almost never went anywhere without security, there were some crazy fans out there willing to do anything to meet their favorite Youtubers

It was that that made her realize just what she was getting into

She was a celebrity now, a person of note, she needed security and chauffeurs and all this crazy rich people stuff because as much as they loved their fans some took it a little too far

This was none more apparent from the moment she stepped out of the car

Some people with too much free time had realized that she was moving in with the Heathers, and knowing she was attending college for criminal psychology found the nearest university with a good program for it, and had been coming for several days in hopes to catch a sight of the one of the biggest content creators

She was bombarded with people taking photos of her, asking for autographs and answers to their questions, one really dedicated fan even trying to ask her on a date

Thankfully security forced them all back, and campus police arrived not too long after to remove those who refused to leave her alone but the experience stuck with her, making her question if she had made the right choice

What she didn't question was coming to this university

The class was much more intensive, with a professor who really knew what she was talking about and classmates who wanted to be there and put their all into learning

They didn't even care that she was Detective Sawyer, hell they actually helped her by pointing out some mistakes in her videos, giving her an idea for some new content, to go back over her old videos and update them

And sure she probably had triple the work to do, but it wasn't like she needed to work a part-time job anymore to help pay for rent while balancing her channel

Inbetween homework she would research topics for her channel, relying more heavily than ever on viewer submissions to find new subjects, but as a result of her better education her analyses became much more detailed and accurate

But the most interesting part of her new life is the Heathers

She had imagined rich people life to involve hundreds of servants running around, waiting on the beck and call of their masters, going to balls and other events for snobby rich people, sipping martinis on the beach, you get the idea

But in reality, they were nothing like that at all

There was not a single servant anywhere in the house, the only hired help was the chauffeurs and security, which they said they only have for their own protection

All of the household chores were divided up amongst themselves, everyone doing their fare share

They also seemed to genuinely enjoy each other's company, which yeah they were dating but even so she had always imagined them as coworkers in their job of being popular and shit, but it was the exact opposite

Despite their busy lives, between filming, chores, dealing with business aspects of their channels and their own personal projects, they always made time for each other, and she would usually see them at night cuddling on the couch watching a movie, or playing a game, or just talking to each other

**Line break**

And they seemed to have a really strong relationship

She never really saw them fighting, if one of them had an issue with something the other two always listened, if they needed each other they would immediately put down what they doing to go help

There were no "Shut up Heathers", no shoving, no rude comments, no yelling, they were kind and caring and sweet

If you told Veronica that she entered the Twilight Zone she would've believed you

Maybe that drain cleaner messed with Chandler more than she thought

And the weirdest thing was that they extended this kindness to her as well

Whenever she came home stressed they would fuss over her, making her hot cocoa

They would listen whenever she came to them with problems with sponsors, Chandler even getting on the phone with them personally to deal with it

Sometimes they would invite her to watch a movie with them, or take her to events that they had been invited to but she had not, making sure to let the whole world know that they did things as a group and she was part of the group

And she appreciated all of it, don't get her wrong, their help was invaluable in helping her navigate the world of the top echelons of Youtube, but she felt weird

Not only did she not feel like she deserved the kindness afforded to her, she literally helped in the attempted murder of Chandler, but seeing them all happy and loving made her feel.... jealous, in a way

She's only ever had the one relationship, and that was the disastrous one with JD

He wasn't exactly the most touchy-feely or even loving of partners, and oh yeah he was a psychopath, so she's never had the experience of real love and seeing the Heathers being so in love made her a little upset

She knows she's being irrational, she no longer thinks that they're bad people and knows they deserve to be happy, but she still wants that feeling of love more than anything and hates the constant reminders of what she doesn't have

She tried to go on some dates, but her dates were mostly fans who sought her out or were really creepy, so that was a bust

The Heathers always comforted her after a failed date, being there with open arms, which only makes her feel worse

She also considered asking them to tone it down, but this is their home and as much as they try she doesn't feel like she belongs here just yet, so it feels unfair to ask them to watch their behavior in their own home

Eventually she internalizes the idea that she's meant to be alone forever, a repentance for her wrongs with JD, and she starts to withdraw herself

Of course the Heathers know that something is up

Veronica clearly never got the help she needed after the incident, the trauma never being confronted

When Chandler asked her if she needed help finding a therapist upon moving, she was surprised to hear that she didn't need one and never had one

They saw the bags under her eyes, saw her grades slipping, noticed her attempts to avoid interaction, only talking to them when they needed to film, and even then it seemed like the progress they had made over the past few months had vanished overnight

They watched her videos, and while they didn't know much about child psychology they could tell that her analyses were off and not accurate, the comments confirming their suspicions

However, they debated on just how to help her

Chandler was adamant that they just confront her outright, but Duke told her that it would only scare her or piss her off

Mac suggested that they bring it slowly during a normal conversation, but Chandler said that she was too smart for that and would see it coming from a mile away

Eventually they came up with a plan to get her to talk

They told her one day that they were making a video about mental health and the stigmatism surrounding it, and if she was ok with it she would like her to talk about her experiences

Veronica looked weary, but Chandler told her that the rest of them would be talking about their issues and none of them would judge

She eventually agreed to do so, and headed in front of the camera

What Veronica didn't know is that the camera wasn't actually on

The plan was that by opening up themselves, Veronica would feel more comfortable talking about what was going on

They imagined that before making the video on JD she was repressing it all, but with it blowing up she was unable to escape it, which combined with the fact that she never dealt with the trauma to begin with was probably the source of her current issues

Chandler started by speaking about her parents, both abusive and non present, her need to be better than everyone else, and the things she needed to do to maintain her popularity, before moving on to the whole almost getting murdered situation and how she got helped by the mental health staff while waiting to recover from her injuries

Duke then spoke about her bulimia and self-image issues, how it invaded her every thought, every action, every waking moment but also how, with the help of her gfs, she was able to get the courage to do something about it

Mac then spoke about her troubles with self-harm and suicide, even to the extent that the only reason she was here today was a child-proof cap on a pill bottle preventing her from taking the meds before Chandler found her, and how even though she didn't want help and just wanted to fade away she eventually found something to live for

Hearing all of this, Veronica only felt worse

These were people with actual problems, who have gone through some shit in their lives, not like her who chose to get together with JD and willingly took part in his demented lies

She deserved what she went through, she didn't deserve the help

She stood up before bolting out of the room before locking herself in hers

Chandler said "goddamnit, we're moving on to Plan B", much to the other two's confusion

Chandler raced up to her room, and upon finding it locked asked Veronica to 'open the door please'

Those words brought her back to that awful day when JD banged on her closet while she huddled up scared, using the exact same words to order her to come with him, and she started to feel lightheaded and her breaths became rapid

Hearing the telltale signs of a panic attack, Mac used her cheerleader strength to kick the door in just the right place to force it to swing open without it breaking, before rushing over to find Veronica curled up in a ball on the side of her bed

She quickly pulled her into her arms and after a bit of struggling Veronica gave up and began to sob into Mac's shoulder, the other two sitting beside the pair stroking her hair as she cried

Eventually Veronica was able to calm down and as she looked at the three women looking at her with concern written across their faces, she felt deep shame for bothering them and needing comfort like a child

Duke asked her if she wanted to talk about it, and when Veronica shook her head Chandler stepped in, telling her that she probably needed to talk about it

Veronica was able to choke out that she was fine, but Mac was quick to ask her if running into her room having a panic attack was her definition of fine

After a bit more persuasion she gave in, and began to explain what was wrong

The Heathers were shocked to hear what was actually bothering her

They knew she had been on a few dates and that they hadn't gone well, but they never realized just how much love, both past and lackthereof, had a negative impact on her mental health

They assured her that they didn't think her struggles made her weak or were bothering them, and they were here for her if she needed to talk, and that she deserved to get help, her past be damned

**Line break**

Chandler also told her that she was going to therapy, and her tone of voice indicated that this wasn't optional

The Heathers also agreed to help her with dating

They all sat down one night and Mac asked her if she was looking for guys, girls, nonbinary people, or it didn't really matter

Being bisexual Veronica responded that it didn't really matter, but she would prefer a woman

Duke then pulled out a sheet of paper and asked her what she was looking for in a partner

It took her a good minute to think about her answer, but she eventually responded that they would have to be kind, protective, cognizant of the world around them and their place in it and accepting of her past misdeeds and willing to look past them, but also willing to stand up for what they believe in and being intolerant of injustice

They also need to be ok with her Youtuber lifestyle and of the subject matter of her channel

It was only later when reviewing the list that Duke realized that all of these these things lined up with them, which she brushed off at the time as a coincidence

Unbeknownst to her Mac picked up on this immediately, and decided to keep a closer eye on how Veronica acts around them

After talking a few things over Chandler decided that it was probably best if she dated a fellow Youtuber, someone who knew the struggles of their career

Using her many connections she was able to secure dates with several different Youtubers

The dates were framed as collaborations and all took place in public areas with the Heathers present, and of course they were filmed

They knew that Veronica had bad experiences with previous dates, and they just wanted to make sure nothing fishy went down

However, she already knew these dates wouldn't go anywhere and just went along with them, her heart being set on a certain color-coded trio despite knowing the absurdity of her feelings

Most of the dates ended with both Veronica and her date agreeing that the spark just wasn't there and parting ways as friends, but not all dates ended so amicably

The Heathers had found someone who made similar content to Veronica, hoping that the connection would help foster a relationship

Instead, the Youtuber went on to berate Veronica every time the camera was turned off and the Heathers had their backs turned, telling her that her analyses were all wrong and that there was no why behind the crime, they were just evil people with no reason to why they did what they did, and even going as far to tell her that she was stupid for falling for JD and should've seen right through him and gone to the police

Veronica initially stayed quiet, knowing how much thought work the Heathers put into finding a date for her, but the last comment set her off and she punched the Youtuber right in the nose

The Heathers quickly rushed over, asking Veronica what was her damage?, to which Veronica explained what she told her

The Heathers were livid, telling the Youtuber to get the hell out and never talk to them again

The Youtuber threatened to sue for assault, but Chandler gave an evil cackle and told her that if she tried she would ruin her career, get her channel removed, blacklisted from every sponsorship opportunity, basically forcing her to get a normal job

The Youtuber looked terrified and scurried away

Mac quickly pulled Veronica into a hug, apologizing for what just happened

Veronica brushed it off, saying that they couldn't have known her true colors, blushing the entire time Mac had her arms around her

Mac took note of this, seemingly confirming her suspicions

After that debacle Veronica decided to hold off on dating for a while, a sentiment which the Heathers couldn't help but agree with

Mac took this opportunity to test Veronica's reactions to things

When they would sit on the couch she would get really close to her, just barely touching, noting how Veronica's heart would start to beat louder and faster when she did so

If they needed to go somewhere during a video she would grab Veronica's hand and pull her along, seeing how she would blush and (poorly) try to hide it

Things seemingly pointed to that she had a crush on them, but her suspicions were confirmed when she accidentally got a peek at Veronica's diary

Tweety had flown into Veronica's room and she was running around trying to catch her, and while attempting to do so she bumped into her nightstand, knocking a book over

The book had fallen in such a way so that when Mac picked it up it was open to pages where Veronica detailed her feelings towards the Heathers soon after she arrived, the notes on them being written in their signature colors

She wasn't intending to read it, but when she saw her name written in a sparkling yellow hue she couldn't help herself

March 16th, 20XX

Dear Diary, I've been living with the Heathers for about two weeks now, and I've got to say I was pleasantly surprised. I was sure that the interview was gonna be a prank, and even more sure that this situation was an even bigger one, but in the time that I've been here they've been nothing but kind and caring and supportive. They've helped me so much with Youtube and getting things settled, they'll never know just how much I appreciate their help.

And the weirdest thing is just how much they've changed;

Heather Chandler - I used to think she was a real bitch, a Regina George-type who just cared about herself, but the person that I've seen is nothing like that. She is dedicated to making up for her wrongs, hell she apologized to Martha, MARTHA of all people! She showed me her donations, and she is donating tens of thousands a month to various charities. HEATHER FUCKING CHANDLER is donating to charities about bullying and domestic violence and honestly I feel like I entered an alternate dimension. And she's so passionate, she's so hot when she goes on her tirades or yells at people god I wish she would talk to me that way

What I meant to say is that she honestly believes in the causes she supports, the other day she was livid because she watched a video about some Youtuber coming forward with allegations against their previous partner who was another Youtuber and how she planned to invite that person onto her channel and hear her side of the story, and how she was planning on working to get her ex's channel taken down. Yes, Heather Chandler is helping an abuse victim, what a world we live in. Something probably went on in her past involving abuse, but I don't want to pry at it, we've really only known each other for two weeks.

If you thought she was hot normally SHE LOOKS EVEN BETTER IN PERSON, HOLY SHIT when she has her makeup on its like Aphrodite herself walked in

I don't normally look for looks when I'm trying to find a partner, but GODDAMN she is hot

I need to stop, she is already in a relationship and even if she's poly there's no way that anyone would want me as a partner, not after what I've done... Anyway

Heather Duke - I think I was the most wrong about her. I always saw her as just kind of there, no personality, just a servant to Chandler's bidding. I couldn't have been more wrong. What I saw back at school was just a front, just like the other two.

She's really caring, always offering me advice or help even when I don't ask for it, its like she can tell when I need help and is just there ready to offer it. She does this for her gfs too, helping them look at frustrating situations logically and work through a solution. She's not the most open person in the world, but she's there and willing to help. I can really admire this about her, I would've killed for someone like her when I was dealing with (the next word is scratched out to the point of being unreadable)

I've found myself really liking her videos too. I always imagined a channel talking about books to be rather boring, sure I like to read but how much is there to talk about? But I see the effort she puts into every video, the time spent rehearsing skits so they're funny and informing, the amount of research she does, it all astonishes me.

And what really surprises me is how funny she can be. Mac can be funny but its unintentional, with Duke its purposeful. Apparently she's played pranks on the others before, but its never mean-spirited or harmful, its something silly like putting her snake into Chandler's makeup cabinet. Chandler was upset for a little while but they all have a good laugh about it now.

I think I was wrong about the boob job too, I got a look at those things on accident and they are real and just so big

Heather McNamara - She's just so precious. She reminds me of her dog, they're both always just so happy and excited about everything and when I'm around her it seems to rub off on me. No wonder people call them twins.

But in all honesty, she's just been a really good friend to me. She asks about my day, listens to everything I tell her intently and even though its clear she doesn't fully get it she still tries to ask me questions. She's done her best to make me feel welcome in her home and that I'm wanted here, and while I don't feel that way just yet I appreciate the gestures.

She's also super affectionate, she's always holding someone's hand or arm and is usually having some kind of physical contact with her gfs or even me god I wish she would do it more it feels so nice to be

The blush forming on Mac's face is wiped as the diary is swiped out of her hands by a mortified looking Veronica

Mac tries to offer up an apology and explanation, but all she manages to get out is a unidentifiable noise before bolting out of the room and heading to hers, locking the door behind her

Veronica on the other hand, is terrified as the looks at the pages that Mac was reading

It was from early on in her time living with them, and the first time that she realized that her feelings towards the Heathers may be something a little more than friendly, and now Mac read all of that

A small part of her recognized that she was blushing while reading that and maybe there was some hope, but it was quickly shut down

She literally wrote in her diary about how she wants to fuck the three women who are already in a relationship, and after all they did for her

They were probably gonna kick her out of their home, but it didn't even matter, she deserved it after all she's done

She sunk to the floor, back against the door as she curled into a ball and began to cry

It was after about 15 minutes that Duke realized that she hadn't heard anything from Veronica or Mac in a while

For Veronica that's the norm, but for Mac going 15 minutes without seeing one of her gfs was unheard of, so she went to check up on her

Mac was lying down on her bed, face buried in several plushes

Duke went over to sit on her bed and rub her back as she asked what was wrong

Mac replied, her voice muffled by the plushes, 'don't wanna talk about it'

Duke became really concerned with this, Mac always would tell her or Chandler what was wrong, for her to refuse meant that this was a real bad fuck-up

She texted Chandler and within 30 seconds she bounded up the stairs and reached Mac's room, concern written on her face

After a bit of coaxing Mac sat up and faced them, and began to go on a tangent explaining that that Tweety got into Veronica's room and she knocked into her nightstand and her diary fell down and when she went to pick it up she saw that it was open to a page talking about them and she got curious and looked at it and it had some parts where she was talking about how she found them attractive and that she had been suspecting this for a while but this confirmed it and she wasn't able to apologize to her because she was so shocked and she probably hates them and and and

She bursts into tears

Eventually she is able to calm down and is able to slowly to explain to the other two what transpired

Once she gets over the initial shock Duke realizes that this was kinda obvious, but Chandler is dumbstruck, saying that she would've never seen this coming

The other two tell her that they love her but that she's oblivious as hell

They decide that Mac needs to go and apologize, but the question of what to do with this information is still up in the air, none of them sure how to approach the situation

Mac is the one to break the ice, saying that she would be open to the possibility of having Veronica join them

She says that she already lives with them, does everything with them, is in their videos, and people already suspect that she joined the polycule, it wouldn't be that much of an adjustment to bring her into the relationship

Duke and Chandler remain in thought for a minute

Duke is the first to respond, agreeing with Mac's assessment of things, adding on that Veronica is pretty cute

Chandler admits that they both make a compelling argument, but says that its a big step to go from friends to gfs, and they haven't talked this through or planned it, they're just rushing into things

She doesn't think her joining is a bad idea or even that she's opposed to the idea, she just doesn't think the time is right

Duke responds that they have to tell her something, they can't just go on like everything is normal, and they definitely can't tell her "we want you to join but not right now"

Chandler then asks 'then what are they supposed to tell her?'

Mac, getting frustrated, proposes just sitting down with her and talking it out, working with Veronica to plan out how things will go and help integrate her into the relationship

She goes on to say that it seems like they are in agreement that they want her to join or at least aren't opposed to it, but if she is going to join they need to treat her like an equal, that includes including her in their talks

The other two look a little ashamed that they had tried to have a talk about Veronica's future without her, but they brush that aside and head over to Veronica's room, only to hear the sounds of muffled sobbing

Thankfully this time her door is unlocked, but unfortunately she's also sitting against the door, so when it is opened she falls onto the floor, looking up at the Heathers who are all clearly concerned

She quickly gets up and wipes her eyes before asking what they wanted

Mac is the first to enter, sitting awkwardly on Veronica's bed before beginning to apologize for reading her diary without permission

Veronica had kinda forgot about that with the whole panicking about her secret crushes thing, but regardless she was still upset with Mac, and rightfully so

She told Mac that she had no right to look through her diary, even if the part she looked at was about her, the diary was meant as a place for her to write down her private thoughts and to have someone look through them was a major invasion of privacy

Mac had the decency to look ashamed of how she had acted before going on to promise to not even go in Veronica's room without explicit permission again

Veronica was satisfied with this, but she went on to question why the others were here

She already knew the answer but she wanted to hear it from them

Duke squirmed but eventually said that they three of them kinda sorta talked about what Mac saw in the diary

Veronica's blood turned cold as she heard the words, fearing for what comes next

Chandler, noticing the panic seep into her expression, told Veronica that there was nothing to worry about, a sentiment which only worried her even more

Noticing that she was on the verge of a panic attack, Chandler moved down onto the floor and pulled Veronica into a hug, sushing her cries

Duke and Mac then followed her lead, holding Veronica tight, apologizing for making her panic

Once she calmed down the Heathers went on to explain that while they didn't feel quite the same just yet, they would be willing to invite her into their relationship and give things a try, Mac interating her earlier points about how integrated into their lives she already was

Veronica was completely stunned

This was not the outcome she was expecting in the slightest, and it took everything she had to not start sobbing again

From there they went to the kitchen table and had a long talk, not too different from the one they had when Veronica joined the Heathers, about how their relationship worked and what was ok and what was not, but Veronica picked up on it really quickly

Chandler was surprised at how well Veronica was handling this, and reconsidered her previous belief that they weren't ready

Once that was settled, they declared themselves girlfriends and went to consumate the relationship *wink wink*

Of course they made a video telling their audiences the good news, with the consensus being 'it took them long enough'

Not much changed with the change in relationship

They still had videos to make and upload, sponsors to deal with, Veronica still had class, but she found herself feeling much better mentally

Combined with some advice from her therapist Veronica felt the best she had since before JD, and maybe even her entire life

**Line break**

But of course, something had to ruin that good feeling, and this time it was actually her fault

Veronica woke up one day to check her email, only to see a notification from Youtube notifying her that her channel had been taken down for Community Guidelines Strikes

No warnings were given, one day it was there, the next it was not

She just felt numb

Of course as soon as she gets something good, something else has to be taken away, she can't just be happy

Duke came up to greet her, joking that she thought she had slept in and was brining her come coffee, only to see the email spread across Veronica's PC

Duke's hand curled up so hard that the mug shattered in her hand and they had to rush to the ER to get her stitches

While that was happening the three of them sat in the waiting room (Chandler couldn't even be in the same room while they did that, she is terrified of needles), and discussed what they were going to do

Chandler was adamant that she would raise hell if they didn't reinstate her channel immediately

Mac added in that she would rally the other Youtubers and have them say the same, and that this was completely unfair and bullshit

Veronica just stayed silent, done with everything

Duke eventually emerged from the room, her hand covered in bandages and they headed home

Chandler and Mac filled Duke in on their plans, but she was more concerned about how Veronica was handling this, noticing the blue-clad girl staring silently out of the window

As they got home Duke puled her onto the couch and asking her what's up

"Asking" in quotations, she basically demanded that Veronica tell her the truth

Veronica eventually spit out about how unfair this all was, telling Duke all of the things she had thought about earlier

Duke heard all of this but quickly debunked it all, telling Veronica that of course she deserved to be happy and that happiness wasn't limited to just one area of life at a time

She also admonished that she could come to them for help, they were girlfriends and that meant that they were there for each other

Chandler quickly put out a video explaining that Veronica's channel had been taken down with no warning, before detailing her plan of action to deal with this

They were going on a Youtube blackout, none of them would be posting any content until Veronica's channel was re-instated, and she encouraged all their fans to not use the platform either

In the meantime they would do some streams on Twitch (link in the description below) so that they could get a fill of Heathers content

She also invited every other Youtuber to join them in the protest

Youtube quickly took the video down and put up a stattement saying that Veronica's channel had been taken down for violating community guidelines policy and would be staying that way, but none of them were deterred

Big name Youtubers joined, all refusing to interact with the platform

In just a week the site saw a 75% reduction in ad revenue with no signs of stopping, a move which scared the higher ups so bad that the CEO was ousted and many more upper management members were replaced, before it was announced that Veronica's channel would be re-instated

Seeing all this occur made Veronica come to a realization

She could trust her girlfriends

She's known that she has trust issues from what happened with JD, but didn't realize just how deep they go until this

She was ready to just give up on Youtube, not even considering the advice from her gfs, only doing so after Duke sat her down and forced her to do so

And why didn't she, she should've known that they want nothing but the best for her and just want to help

But in the end she was paralyzed with fear of what they were going to do, having absurd thoughts like them kicking her out of their house and breaking up with her, things that weren't even close to reality

But her girlfriends proved time and time again that they were people who could be relied upon and trusted and wouldn't just abandon her at the drop of a hat, and with that Veronica felt the anxiety that had made itself home in her chest since the day she met JD evaporate

As she walked into the room to record her welcome back video with her gfs, she smiled, envisioning the future the four of them would have together

This didn't turn out as well as I would've liked but I've been working on this for ages and I just wanted to be done with it lol

[intoanotherworld23]

Love On Camera IV

Pairing: Reader x Chris Evans

Warnings: NSFW 18+ ONLY DNI, there is mild smut in this chapter there’s dirty talk, and lots of dry humping and thoughts of sex

Summary: You had always wanted to become a famous actress one day, you just never thought it would be as an adult film actress, and your first movie happens to be with the devastatingly handsome Chris Evans

✨Please do not copy and paste my work or steal my work or publish it as your own or I will have you reported✨

Part 3 Part 5

Scrambling around in the kitchen as you tried to prepare a nice meal for you and Chris. Extremely nervous to have him over, and to think this was somewhat of a date.

Making sure your makeup and hair looked good enough for him. Wanting nothing more to impress this man, and make him fall head over heels for you. Although that seemed like a dream you still couldn't help but hope for a romance to blossom.

Stirring the chicken around in the sauce before placing them on a big plate. Shuffling the rice as you sprinkled some spices on top of it. The aroma of the different scents hitting your nose making your mouth water.

Just then a knock came from the front door making you jump. Straightening your outfit out which was extremely casual and comfy since the two of you weren't actually going anywhere.

Opening the door to see Chris's smiling face as he wore a white knit sweater, and dark blue jeans. His hair perfectly slicked back making you want to run your fingers through it. It was crazy how hot this man could be easily make you.

"Welcome." You greeted as you opened the door wider indicating for him to walk inside. "Perfect timing the food is ready."

"Smells amazing." He complimented as he sniffed around the kitchen. "Turn on for me when a woman can cook."

"Thanks to all those cooking shows I watched." Scooping up the rice and putting it on each of your plates.

Once you had the plates smothered with food you placed them on either side of the table. Chris took his spot licking his lips as he looked at all the food in front of him.

"Would you like something to drink?" Asking he you opened up the cabinet to your liquor bottles.

"I'll take some red wine if you have it." Grabbing a bottle you filled a glass for him and yourself. "Thanks."

As the two of you sat in peace eating your meal you started to feel a sense of calm. Nothing felt awkward or uncomfortable. Things felt right between the two of you like this is how it was meant to be.

Making small talk in between mouthfuls of food. Cracking up a couple of jokes making you laugh trying not to spray wine across the table. It was obvious he felt comfortable being around you.

A part of you was hoping after tonight this would become a daily thing. That he would want to start seeing you outside of work more. Or that the two of you would quit the adult film industry, and pursue another way to make money.

"The food was absolutely delicious." He spoke after he placed his knife and fork on the plate. "I'll have to come over more often."

"I would absolutely love that." Sounding a little more excited than you intended. "I mean sounds wonderful."

"Are you okay?" He asked out of blue knowing he was referring to earlier. "I mean after your session with Johnny."

"Yeah I'm okay." Nodding your head as you looked down at your hands in your lap. "I'm not used to stuff like that, but I'm really okay."

"Good because you and I are going to really start drinking." He clapped his hands together as he walked over to your liquor cabinet.

Grabbing a bottle of tequila as he walked over to you with a mischievous grin. Sheepishly smiling back at him as your mind was starting to race. Surely this night was going to end in something happening between you two.

"Cheers." Clinking your shot glasses together before he downed the liquid. He made it look so easy.

Quickly downing yours feeling the burn running down your throat. Scrunching you're face up making him chuckle at you. You were never one to handle your liquor that well.

He was quick to pouring another one and this time you took it at the same time he did. His eyes were glued to yours the whole time making you feel a little flustered. Your cheeks felt enflamed right now from his intense stares.

"Let's play a game." He spoke after you both downed your fourth shot you glanced over to him. Shrugging his shoulders at the suggestion. "Could be a way for us to get to know each other."

"Why the fuck not." You don't if that was more of a question or statement. "What game did you have in mind?"

"How about twenty questions?" He suggested and you thought to yourself that was a simple and harmless game.

"Yeah sure." He beamed when you approved of the game. "How do you play again?"

"I'll ask you a question and then you ask me a question." That seemed simple enough. "But if you refuse to answer a question you have to take a shot."

You knew this wasn't going to be a simple game. It seemed like he had a hidden agenda behind everything. Maybe he really did just want to get to know you or see what kind of person you were. Knowing him so far things were going to become dirty.

Hearing the rules you downed your fifth shot of the night. The buzz was already taking in affect, and he could tell. He just laughed at how much of a risk taker you were trying to be right now. All you wanted was fun tonight, and he was going to give that to you.

"I'll go first." He stated and you just nodded sitting back nervous as hell. "What's your favorite color?"

"Uh it's Y/F/C." His question threw you off you expected him to go with something dirty. "What's your favorite animal?"

"Wolf." That answer didn't surprise you what so ever." What's your favorite movie?"

"Y/F/M." These questions were easier than you expected them to be." What's your favorite movie?"

"Lady and the tramp." You looked at him like he had grown two heads and started to laugh. You never expected that to be his answer.

"Really?" It really did come as a surprise that such a heart felt movie could possibly be his favorite.

"Shut up I like Disney movies." This time he started to laugh with you. He playfully pushed your shoulder making you laugh even harder.

"Wow how manly of you." Puffing out your chest and striking arm poses like a body builder. He just shook his head at you to which you stopped laughing. "I promise I won't say anything scouts honor."

"Alright you little shit let's keep playing." He downed a quick shot. "What's your favorite hobby?"

"I like to read." Feeling embarrassed by your answer but he seemed to like it since he smiled. "If you could live anywhere where would it be?"

"I would have to say Paris. The most beautiful city in the world." That sounded absolutely romantic and you weren't expecting that. "Do you masturbate?"

If your cheeks weren't on fire before they were now. He just sat there with a smug grin on his face. He had you right where he wanted you. This is was the game he actually wanted to play with you. Otherwise how could these questions go from innocent to dirty.

You really shouldn't be shy when he asked this question. The two of you fucked people for a living in front of multiple people. If anything you would have no hesitation to answer these type of questions.

He was staring at you so intensely right now you just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. You were kind of drunk right now, and somewhat turned on by his question.

"Yeah I do." You answered honestly thanks to the five shots that were now hitting you. "Do you use handcuffs?"

"Yes I do." He winked at you making you take another shot. The room was getting hotter all of a sudden. "Do you like to be spanked?"

"No." He looked shocked at your response making you look down at your now clammy hands. "I mean yeah I do."

"I could always spank you." He remarked making your eyes go wide making him laugh. "Don't worry I won't do that to you."

Not understanding why suddenly you were cowering in a shell around him. It was something about him that had you feeling shy and innocent. You wanted to impress and attract him so he would want you back.

"I mean unless you really want me to?" He started to lift his hips up like he was about to approach you making you gulp.

"No I'm good." You answered rather quickly making him smirk at how he got to you.

It seemed like the room was getting smaller and smaller. The longer you looked at him the more you started to realize just how beautiful this man really was. He had such soft looking skin with a little bit of scruff across his chin.

His eyes were like a light blue with a hint of green. It reminded you very much of the ocean. Eye lashes so thick he could blow you away with them. Small freckles sprinkled across his face giving him more of an innocent and sweet appearance.

Chris coughed breaking you from your trance of staring at him like a weirdo. Looking away from him wanting to avoid the judgement he probably had across his face of you basically checking him out.

"Okay my turn what's your favorite position?" You wanted to cover your face but frayed from doing that.

"When a girl is riding me cow girl." That had your heart beating faster, and you clenching your thighs together. All you could picture was doing that with him.

"Are you picturing doing that with me right now?" A huge smirk across his face as he was looking into your eyes.

"Yes." Slapping a hand over your mouth with how quickly you answered that. You just wanted to get the attention off of you as soon as possible. "Do you watch porn?"

Instead of answering the question Chris reached across grabbing you pulling you onto his lap making you squeal. Your hands landed on his shoulders to keep yourself balanced. Legs on either side of his, and your chest practically in his face.

Both of you staring into each other's eyes, and there was clear sexual tension between you two. His hands on your hips that started to make your body move against his. Taking the hint that he wanted you to start grinding against him.

"Don't get shy on me now Y/N." He shook his head at you teasingly with a smile. "Show me what a vixen you really are."

Slowly moving your hips against him feeling him harden beneath you. His eyes were glazed over and all you could see was hunger and lust. Your panties were starting to become wet with desire. The fabric of your panties rubbing against your clit making you moan.

"Yes baby moan for me." He groaned in your ear as his hands squeezed the skin on your hips. He was probably trying to control himself, and not completely take over scaring you.

Although you would have no problem with him taking over you completely. Your insides clenching at the thought of riding his cock right now. Feeling him slam his hips up into you hitting your pelvis.

This felt like such an intimate moment right now. Something that a couple would be doing to keep that spice in their relationship. It felt like you two were the only people in this world, and nothing was coming between you two.

"The things I wanna do to you." He growled he watched your hips moving against his lap. "To have you all night."

"Begging for my cock until your in tears." The thought of crying just for his cock had you whimpering.

Feeling the liquor completely take over your body you started to really grind against him. Pressing down harder on his crotch so it was his turn to moan this time. Leaning his head against your shoulder the faster you started to hump him.

"Oh god." You moaned when the pressure of your clothes and his jeans pressing against your clit made your lower stomach tingle.

"I want you to cum at the thought of my cock going inside your pussy." His words had your eyes rolling into the back of your head. "Just feel me baby."

His words encouraging you a lot more than you were expecting them to. Between his hands, his dirty words being whispered into your ear, and his extremely hard cock pressed against your crotch you were probably going to cum sooner than you thought.

Your hips moving in a way almost as if you were really fucking him. Both of your moans filling the room making it echo. Thank god you didn't have any roommates or else this would have been incredibly awkward.

"Bet your pussy is soaked for me." Feeling a shudder rack his body at the thought of feeling you in this moment. "Tight little pussy sucking me in."

His lips attaching themselves to your neck sucking on the flesh lightly. The blood rising to the surface of your skin. He was probably leaving his mark.

"Just like that sweetheart." Feeling his hands gripping your hips tightly surely leaving a bruise. "God I wanna fuck you so bad."

"I know you're getting closer sweetheart." He mumbled against your neck. Sweat forming on his forehead, and on the back of your neck.

"I want to feel your cock." You have no idea where this horny girl came from, but you surely were enjoying her.

You were never the type of woman to become this horny. It was different being horny for work, but to be this way in real life was a whole new person. Intimacy was not something you were used to. It was rough sex you were used to.

"I know baby next time right now you need to focus on you." Hearing that encouraged you to move faster.

You probably looked like a mad woman the way you were moving on top of him. Grinding your body against his like an animal in heat. Rushing to reach your release and using his body to get to it. Neither of you cared though since you were both feeling good at this moment.

It felt like you were living in a fantasy right now. Grinding heavily on top of a man that was way too attractive for you. Maybe it was the liquor and it was just making you two horny. Or maybe it was true feelings that were coming to light.

Either way all you could do was bask in the moment right now. Having been a long time since anyone has touched you like this. It felt nice to be touched like this, and it felt nice to be wanted and feel attractive.

At one point you were just straight up teasing him. You would slow your movements then by lifting your hips up and slamming down on his crotch making him growl. He gave you a couple spanks on your ass cheeks making you squeal.

"Watch it darling." Making you look into his eyes giving you a warning. "I will bend you over my lap and slap that ass till you feel it into next week."

By the look on his face you knew he wasn't joking, and you could tell he wanted you to try and do it again and test him. The thought of bending you over his lap got him all excited again.

He did seem like the type of guy who loved to punish his girl by spanking her, and than rubbing her cheeks soothingly with ointment. Everything about him scream physical touch and affection. Like he wanted rough sex, but then he would spoil you after.

Breathing heavily on the top of his head as you felt that familiar burn in the pit of your stomach. Your head falling back the closer to your orgasm you were getting. Chris was close to when you felt his cock twitch under neath his pants.

"Cum for me sweetheart." That was all it took for you pushing hard down on him your sensitive clit becoming over loaded. Your release hitting you hard and fast.

Both of you moaning and groaning at the fact you just came in your shorts from dry humping him. Leaving your head down so your face was pressed against his shoulder. His hands rubbing your back up and down soothingly, and you were still coming down from your orgasm.

You just sat on his lap feeling yourself becoming tired from what just took place. Still breathing heavily the amount of alcohol you consumed in a short amount of time was not helping either.

In this moment alcohol or not you really could stay in Chris's arms forever. It was just something about him that you couldn't wrap your mind around. You wanted to be around him all the time.

You just couldn't believe all that happened. Feeling your sensations heightened, and you just wanted more of him. Just praying and hoping that nobody ever found out ,and that it wouldn't come between your work and friendship.

"We should get you to bed." You just nodded your head already feeling your eyes closing.

Instead of lifting you off of him he somehow moved yours and his body so he was still holding you when he stood up. Carrying you to your bedroom bridal style. It was the most sweetest most romantic thing a man has ever done for you.

Placing you under the covers then pulling them up towards your neck making sure you were comfortable. He gave you a peck on the forehead making you shut your eyes with a smile.

"Stay." You whispered when he started to walk away.

Looking and sounding like a lost puppy dog. You probably looked pathetic to him, but you didn't want to be left alone right now. Plus all you wanted was for Chris to hold you in his arms all night.

"Alright lady but just for tonight." He referenced to the lady and tramp scene making you snicker.

Pulling his jeans down but leaving his boxers on so he could get comfortable. Then pulling the covers back so he could get into bed. Thinking that he was going to stay away, but surprising you when he pulled your body flush against his so you were spooning with him.

His strong arms wrapped around your body keeping you close and warm. Snuggling his face into your shoulder leaving light kisses against the skin. Your heart was practically swooning and how cute he was being with you right now.

"Good night beautiful." Was the last thing you heard before you felt the slumber or darkness consume your body.