#and for number two it's the one I find myself having stuck in my head the most | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

wonysugar · 3 months ago

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g!p sugar mommy giselle🫦🫦🫦

g!p.... sugar mommy...... giselle..... ANON. holds you by the neck dearly thank you for this. also! it’s barely even mentioned at all but just know giselle is like 37ish and reader is in her mid-twenties. :]

cw : age-gap!

giselle as the sugar mommy you randomly met on your day to day minimum wage job at a fast food place MHMMM LET ME COOKKK..... having her be a regular who always comes in like once a week, always wearing something super fancy.. like a black prada trenchcoat or sometimes even a dolce & gabbana blazer. point is, she immediately stuck out like a sore thumb among the rest of the crowd.

plus, you found her undeniably gorgeous as soon as you laid eyes on her, so it's not like she'd go unnoticed otherwise, either.

she often approached you at the register and made small talk, as stupid as it often was. she'd find some stupid excuse not to use the self checkout machine and would find a lame conversation starter while you're watching her pull out a dior purse, proceeding with the payment of her order. that often lead to you asking her questions of your own.

"why do you eat here? you look like you have other.... better places to be eating at."

she'd chuckle at your words, finding them amusing, before answering in a gentle tone, "trust me, i do. my niece doesn't seem to think the same way i do, however, as she seems to really like this place. i appear to be the only one indulging her."

soon enough, you'd warm up to her with each visit of hers and the conversations would get much, much longer. so much so that, often times, your manager would have to step in and remind you to get back to work prompty. it got annoying quickly, as the conversations were just getting good; chatting about studies, travel plans, ambitions and goals, etc.

so, wanting to have these incredibly interesting exchanges in a more comfortable and relaxed setting, aeri asked for your number.

naturally.

who cares that she was like, ten years older than you. it wouldn’t hurt to make a friend… right?

numerous nights of friendly-texting-turned-flirty later, you two quickly agreed on a set date and location, which turned out to be a friday evening spent in the very expensive restaurant right across the block from your workplace. it was a date! she informed you to come in 'appropriate' attire, whatever that meant. how would you know? your closet consisted of hoodies, sweaters and some t-shirts as well as your work uniform. that being said, you showed up to the date wearing a low cut dark blue dress you found laying around in the darkest depths of your drawer for probably more than seven years. saying you were nervous would be nothing but a huge understatement.

she, on the other hand, came wearing a creamy white turtleneck under the black trench-coat she was usually seen wearing when ordering food at your job, the look topped off by wide legged black pants and really expensive looking black leather heels.

what the fuck are you doing.

getting cold feet, you nervously sat down at the table and bowed your head in her direction. intimidated by the light yet impacting amount of makeup she had on her face, you avoided eye contact as much as possible. she was breathtaking.

she told you to choose whatever you’d like on the menu and to not look at the price, as she insisted you not to worry at all about the bill. you, of course, felt guilty so you proceeded to pick the least expensive thing on the menu and attempted to convince her that you genuinely loved the dish, hence why you’d pick it among everything else.

who were you kidding though, you couldn’t even pronounce whatever fuckass french name it was that you picked to the waiter. she smiled at you as you finished ordering, making you turn red in embarrassment.

“you know y/n, i couldn’t bring myself to mention it in a place as unflattering as your workplace, no offence,” she started as you shook off the statement, practically agreeing with her before she continued, “but i must say that i think you are absolutely adorable.”

it gets to a point. and at this point you’re just short-circuiting at her words and intense eye contact, finding it difficult to even act properly in front of her!

she noticed that, of course, especially in times during the conversation where she called you endearing names such as “darling”, “love” and “honey”.

that wasn’t much different in bed, either.

as it turns out, you really did want her to fuck you at the end of the night! honestly, how could you not when she’d been opening every single door for you, insisting on paying for the entirety of the bill at the restaurant and offering to drive you home despite it only being a 10 minute walk?

she’d done nothing but drive you crazy all evening with her sexy and gentle manners, it’s only natural you gave her a sloppy handjob whilst she drove her grey lexus lx back to her own house with the pure intention of fucking the shit out of you.

…and she did! very well, at that!

two of her fingers deep into you, she circled your clit with her thumb and left gentle kisses on your jaw down to your collarbone. slow and steady pumps of the digits, she thrived in hearing your soft whimpers.

that didn’t last long, however. she was getting impatient, and her dick was aching to feel you.

ass up face down, you’re getting pounded relentlessly into the mattress before you know it. getting treated like nothing but a queen all night only to be later fucked like a depraved slut… it had to be the best thing you’d ever felt in a while. of course, you let her know of that with guttural moans that left your body with each thrust of her cock. she didn’t care, her house was big enough to muffle your screams, after all.

she whispered obscenities into your ear whilst you did so, gripping a fistful of your hair and humming at each sound that came out of your mouth. talking about how tight your cunt was for her, about how good it felt, how she couldn’t wait to use it every other day, about how she would kill to take care of a pretty little thing like you.

gripping onto your sides and ramming into you shamelessly as she drove you to your climax, you bit your lip until you felt like it was bleeding. her breathier heavier and each of her moans slightly higher than the previous, you both orgasmed together, a wave of euphoria washing over the two of you immediately.

oh and, you know what she said about ‘taking care of a pretty little thing like you?’ yeah, she meant every word.

soon enough, she’s taking you on dates every other weekend, referring you to a slightly better paying, less agonizing job thanks to the connections she possesses, sending you excessive amounts of money she labels as your ‘monthly allowance’ and overall spoiling you with whatever your heart desires. hell. she even payed your university tuition! she finds it endearing to see you always so shy and embarrassed to accept the money she gives you; you always go on about how ‘you don’t give her anything back’ and how it isn’t fair.

but to her, you do give back. your happiness and joy is what aeri does it for, and you give her great amounts of that. not only that, but you also give back by whoring yourself out and looking pretty for her. giving her unwarranted boners by sending her risky pictures and videos while she’s at work, having you wear the lingerie she buys you, knowing you use the toys she got you whenever she’s too busy to take care of you, etc. aeri could name nothing better than having you be the beautiful doll she gets to play with every now and then. :]

#anon asks #anon #smut #kpop gg #female reader #aespa smut #giselle hard thoughts #aespa giselle smut #aeri uchinaga smut #aeri uchinaga #uchinaga aeri x reader #aespa giselle x reader #giselle x fem reader #giselle smut #giselle aespa smut #giselle thoughts

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elysianightsss · 4 months ago

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Oh my gosh I love love LOVE your ND reader as an autistic person myself when I find a fic or fics with a neurodivergent reader I cherish them and these my darling are a treasure. Please can you write when she realises that she likes Kyle? Thankyou Thankyou!

Soulmate 141 x ND Reader

You realise you like Kyle too

After a stressful day all you wanted was a slice of that chocolate chip banana bread, you could say it was a craving at this point. Something that was very rare for you.

Heading to your regular coffee shop after work, it was quiet at this time. The inside was all lit up with a golden orange glow from the lights hanging from the ceiling and the sweet vintage lamps littering the tables. It was getting dark outside, you figured you’d probably have to call a taxi soon.

“Oh hi, you’re not here at your normal time.” You looked up from where you had been getting your phone out of the black leather bag hanging on your shoulder.

“Hi Kyle.” You smiled at the man in front of you. Deep soulful brown eyes you could drown yourself in, beautiful chocolate skin that looked so silky and smooth under the orange glow. Holding a broom in his hand you only just noticed how most of the chairs were stacked on the tables. “Oh I’m so sorry it’s probably closing time soon. I’ll just go.”

“No it’s okay,” Kyle rushes out, the tips of his ears burning when he reached out and grabbed your wrist. Quickly he let go as if your skin had burnt him. He cleared his throat with a mumbled apology, “It’s alright, stay. I’ll make your regular.” He gave you a simple smile that had your insides warning up like seeing lights on the tree on Christmas morning.

A small nod, a little hesitant to ask for what you really wanted. Kyle noticed and managed to peel the information from you. “One slice of chocolate chip banana bread coming right up.” He grinned gesturing you towards one of the two empty tables that didn’t have chairs on them.

A few minutes pass of you just watching the outside world through the huge glass windows and Kyle is placing your regular and your craving in front of you on the table. You take a sip, eat a bite and sigh.

“Good?” Kyle asks sounding genuinely interested to know.

“So good.” You say, voice all muffled from the food stuffed in your cheeks. The answer, along with the cutest food pout he’s ever seen, makes Kyle grin. His heart skips a beat, his stomach flutters and his hands become sweaty. Such a reaction you pull from him and you don’t even know. He’s fought and killed men twice his size and yet here you are making him nervous.

Kyle doesn’t sit down, he gives you your space like you like but he can’t stop himself from glancing at you out the corner of his eye. Can’t fight the need to have you in his sights even if it’s a struggle to say no to the voice in his head urging him to take you in his arms.

He’s a strong man, mentally and physically. He can do this, if not for his sake, if not for his team’s sake, then for yours.

The next thirty minutes get away from you both, Kyle is just amazing at making you giggle. He jokes and says silly things that you’re almost certain he doesn’t mean but it’s funny either way.

Plate empty, drink finished and yet you find yourself wanting to stay. Wanting to converse with this lovely man that you spend twenty minutes with every morning. The way his eyes light up when you banter with him, how he grins to himself at your unrelatable awkward jokes.

If you could pick up on social queues maybe you’d actually see how much he likes you but you’re stuck on the realisation he might be number four on your list.

Kyle clears your table and once he’s done he offers you a ride home. It’s dark outside and unsafe are your reasonings for saying yes, definitely not that the gorgeous man in front of you looks like heaven to you.

The drive home is quiet, but a peaceful type of serene you love. The type you daydream about at your desk when things are too loud and overstimulating at work. Kyle can’t wipe the smirk off his face imagining Johnny and Simon’s reactions when he pulls up with you in the passenger seat.

He’s the complete gentleman when he does, opening the car door for you, a warm hand just hovering over the small of your back as he walks you up to the door of your flat building. It’s so sweet and endearing. It’s more than you’ve ever had before, it’s makes you a little light headed or is that just the cologne he’s wearing?

Either way it makes you go stupid, leaning forward with no control and lightly pressing your lips against his cheek. The action makes you jolt back to reality, you jump away from him a hand over your mouth eyes wide in shock. Kyle seems just as shocked, and when he goes to speak you basically shout ‘bye’ in his face before bursting into the building and sprinting up the stairs.

You completely ignore Johnny stood in the doorway of his flat with worried eyes, he asks if you’re okay as you’re unlocking your door but you don’t answer him. Your only goal is getting inside and slamming the door shut, you do it quickly before Johnny can ask more questions.

Johnny, one of the guys you like.

Johnny. Simon. John. And now Kyle. Maybe you should go to therapy? No, probably not best to go down that rabbit hole. Maybe just a week away from them all should set your mind right.

Yes, that should do it.

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starlight-sev · 5 months ago

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December 3: A Treat (Snape x Reader)

(Part of @deepperplexity’s Rickmas 2024)

Every time I try to write for other characters Alan has played, I find myself coming back to Severus over and over. He’s just so complex.

Enjoy this sweet lil awkward date :)

Getting Severus Snape to go on a date with you was hard enough.

Getting Severus Snape to go on a date with you in public? Near impossible.

Sure, it was nice hanging out with him in his office after work, sipping wine together and complaining about the latest student shenanigans of the week. But you found yourself wanting more.

How you finally managed to convince him to physically go out with you was like pulling teeth: it had taken countless evenings in either your office, or his office, along with countless glasses of wine, before he had finally (and rather reluctantly) agreed.

Now that the winter holidays were in full swing, and most of the students had gone home for a few weeks, you suggested going into Hogsmeade for the afternoon. And of course even then, Severus tried his best to manoeuvre as far away from the public as possible.

The two of you sat side by side on a fallen tree, overlooking the Shrieking Shack in the distance. You two were familiar with each other’s company — comfortable enough to sit with your shoulders touching, but not quite at the point where you could reach out and hold his hand without a second thought.

“Do you have any favourite places at Hogsmeade?” You asked after a brief moment of silence passed between the two of you. Severus glanced over at you with a slight frown.

“No, I can’t say I do. I don’t often come here.”

“You don’t?”

“No.” He replied, burying his face a little further into his scarf. “Unless I’m on chaperone duty during a school trip.”

“Well,” you answered quietly, nudging his shoulder. Severus glanced at you quickly with a frown before softening when he realized your gesture was of a friendly nature. “Thanks for coming out here with me.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes dark and unreadable as usual. “Of course.”

Your heart raced a little as another silence passed between the two of you. Why was being with Severus so damn hard this time around? Usually when you two were together, the conversation was effortless. Things flowed nicely. This time… it seemed neither of you knew quite how to break the ice.

A gust of wind rattled the trees around you, and you pulled your jacket tighter around yourself. It was much too cold to be sitting out here the way you were, and you longed to be inside somewhere warm.

“What’s your favourite treat?” You found yourself blurting out suddenly. Severus looked at you as if you had just insulted him in another language.

“My… what?”

“Favourite treat. Do you have one?”

Severus blinked in surprise, lost for words for a moment.

“I don’t think I have one,” he admitted. He seemed to be tiptoeing around you, choosing his words carefully. “Do you?”

You nodded. “Hot chocolate… from Honeydukes specifically.”

Severus shook his head. “I’ve never tried it.”

“Are you serious? Let’s go, I’ll get you one.”

“That’s kind of you, but I don’t need one.”

“Well, I do.” You announced as you began walking. Anything to get out of the cold.

As you walked into Honeydukes, you were gently cocooned by a rush of warm sugary air, and you couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Severus stuck out like a sore thumb in the store, in his all-black attire. You noticed the way he hung back in the store, staying close to the wall as if not to be seen. He stayed rather still, but he kept glancing around at the small number of others browsing the shop. He seemed anxious.

Before you could convince yourself otherwise, you grabbed his hand gently and tugged him up to the front counter. Out of the corner of your eye, you caught him visibly stiffen before slowly softening as he grew more familiar with your touch. His hands were surprisingly warm.

You ordered two hot chocolates, and just as you were about to pay, Severus stepped forward and silently took out a few Galleons from his pocket. He placed them on the counter quickly, beating you to the payment.

“Oh.” You murmured in faint surprise. “I was going to get it for you, you didn’t have to do that-”

“I insist.” Severus replied softly. His eyes were warm, and you caught the tiniest smile grace his lips for a split second. You nodded your head in gratitude.

“Thank you.”

Hot chocolates now warming your hands, the two of you walked in silence and sat together in a small clearing, just around the corner from the main street. Severus took a small sip of his hot chocolate, and you caught the tiny gasp of surprise he made as he took in the flavour.

“What do you think?” You grinned, watching his reaction. He scrutinized the cup, deep in thought, before nodding slowly as he turned to smile at you.

“I see why you like this so much.”

You laughed and took a sip for yourself. “See? I told you it was good.”

The air felt much less awkward between the two of you, and more like how it was when you’d visit each other’s offices at Hogwarts. Now that you were out of public view for the most part, Severus seemed to have visibly relaxed.

You glanced over at him and had to bite back a smile. He had the smallest bit of chocolate just above his lip. You pressed your lips together to keep from saying anything, but Severus caught your expression. He frowned curiously.

“What is it?”

“You've got, um…” you tried to tap your mouth quickly to signal to him, but he didn’t quite get the right spot.

Oh, to hell with it.

“Um no, it’s a little lower…” you reached up quickly and swiped it away with a gentle touch. Severus kept his gaze on you the entire time. Dozens of emotions seemed to flash in his eyes all at once. You found it hard to look away. He looked beautiful in the winter light.

You leaned forward and pressed the tiniest kiss to the corner of his mouth. Your lips didn’t quite touch his, and as a result it was more of a cheek kiss really, but your heart was still racing nonetheless. Severus blinked curiously, observing every tiny movement and expression you made.

And then, after setting his hot chocolate down without a word, he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours softly.

You inhaled sharply, every sense suddenly running on overdrive. You tensed at first, but then Severus rested his hand gently on your leg, and you found yourself relaxing immediately. Your kisses were slow. Deliberate. As if you were testing the waters together.

You broke away, breathing a little more intensely than before. Severus looked at you as if to ask if that was okay, and you knew right there that he had fully captured your heart.

“Could I kiss you again, perhaps?”

You had to giggle at his question. You nodded, setting down your hot chocolate on the bench beside you so you could properly face him now.

“I’d really like that.”

Severus smiled, genuinely. It was a sight you knew you’d love to get used to seeing. He leaned in, kissing you again with much less hesitancy than the first time.

You’d never be able to look at hot chocolate the same way again.

#rickmas 2024 #snape x reader #severus snape #snape imagine #harry potter #severus snape x reader #severus snape imagine #alan rickman #rickmas2024

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mintmatcha · 1 month ago

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The shoe takes longer to drop that you anticipate. The next week at work is normal; Shouto acts just as he always does (calm, yet slightly awkward) and you just act like yourself. Shifts past, villains fight, the city keeps turning.

It's about two weeks and three guys later when Shouto finds up on the rooftop on the agency, stitching up your own hand. The smattering of medical supplies rolls a bit on the evening wind, threatening to spill over the edge of the building.

Shouto is freshly showered. hair clean with the scent of eucalyptus.

"You're hurt."

Carefully, you set the needle down and reach for the bandaging. Damaged skin throbs with pain, the muscles kicking involuntarily. You're clumsy with your nondominant hand, but the motion is practiced enough. With your teeth, you tug the bandage tight enough that your vision goes blurry for a moment, but you manage to bite back any noise.

"Nice observation," you reply.

"Did I do that?"

"Nah- got myself." You flex your fingers stiffly. "It'll heal up fine. You did get a fuck ton of soot in my hair though."

Shouto stands a couple feet behind you, hand by his side, the dipping sun caught in his hair. His expression is serious-- it catches your heart in your throat.

"Shouldn't be so wreckless," he says. "You'll hurt yourself."

There's a long pause. "Or somebody else."

There it is. A rush of guilt catches in your throat as you turn around and face him fully. The metaphorical shadow is looming above you and you brace for impact, waiting for the confrontation.

But then, Shouto decides to sit next to you. His legs are tucked into his chest and his attention is stuck on the skyline. You test your hand again. The pain is hot, radiating up your wrist, but you do it again, then again.

"You dated one of my friends last year." Shouto breaks the silence between you. "Sato."

You pop your lips together in thought, even though his face pips into your mind automatically. Sato. He was a good guy, a patient guy, a sweet guy. Not traditionally attractive and quiet, he wasn't your usual type, but he seemed to realize that. That's why he was so desperate for your attention, so malleable to the things you demanded.

"Oh, him? Nice guy," you say as dismissively as you can muster.

"Yeah. He is." Shouto shifts in his seat. His gaze is locked on the skyline, on the dipping sun. "Do you... even remember what you did to him?"

Of course you do. Whether you have empathy is a different question.

"You used him. You really hurt him. And you didn't seem to care."

The worst part is that you did genuinely like Sato. The type of like that made you think of summers and sweet air, the type that made you fat and sleepy. If you were a completely different person, one untouched by hurt and harm and whatever black sludge exists in your soul, one that didn't shoot herself in the foot, you two might have been happy.

But you aren't different. And Sato still looks at your Instagram stories.

"Is that what this is? You think fucking me is some sort of retribution for your friend?"

"No."

"Then what?" You lean back on to your hands and throw your head back to soak in the last bits of sunlight. "You let me fuck you just for the game?"

(That's happened before. Friends of the men you let touch you covet what they can't have, hoard the girl that their friend lost. Shouto isn't like that; he's not aware of social hierarchy to that level.)

Your boss sighs with a weight that surprises you. "People are really nice to me."

"Yeah. You're the number two hero."

"Sometimes I don't want them to be." The wind catches you again and you get a mouthful of his bodywash again. Eucalyptus. "The way things went down with Sato. The way you dragged him around, the way you hurt him-"

Despite everything, you don't want to revel in your pain. "Spit it out."

But Shouto doesn't rush. He chews on his lip is a sincere contemplation. The scarred eye doesn't have eyelashes, you realize as you watch him. No eyebrow either.

"It made me realize that I wanted to be hurt too," Shouto says. "I want to be used."

You scoff and laugh.

"Is that funny?"

It's not. "I just don't usually hear that from guys. It's usually girls with daddy issues."

Shouto's eyes roll over themselves to look at you.

"Well. Men can have daddy issues too, I guess," he insists. "And mommy. And brother."

Understanding rings through you like a bell. Yes, we carry to issues our families hand us, like an anchor around our necks. You pull your pack of cigarettes out of your bra with your bad hand, flicking the box open.

"You want a cig?" It's an empty offer, but Shouto takes one anyway. It rests between his lips and he looks at you, expectantly. It takes five flicks of your weakened thumb to get your lighter to catch.

"Suck in," you order, and he does. The cherry flares bright, then Shouto goes red; you barely pull away before he's sputtering, hacking and coughing so hard that both of his eyes go wet.

"Holy fuck," he wheezes, pulling the cigarette from his mouth and passing it back to you. "How do you smoke these?"

"Addiction, mostly," you say, pulling deep from the the cigarette. "You'll get there."

He coughs again, no power behind his lungs. How funny would it be if anyone saw you right now: top hero Shouto and his lovely sidekick, smoking together. It'd be a scandal; you'd both have to beg for public forgiveness and ignore the rumors of a sexual relationship.

"Rumors" as if it isn't true.

"My dad was shitty too," you say. "Just so you know."

"Yeah," Shouto says. "I can tell."

The insult makes you bark out a laugh. "You're such a bitch."

"Takes one to know one."

This time. you both laugh, sharing secret giggles until night finally wins and the only light is from the street level. Your eyes struggle to adjust, to make out his face.

"Do you really want to be hurt?" you ask, once silence consumes the mood again.

There's a slight shift in the way Shouto breathes. You can feel him watching you, processing what to say, but you wait for him, letting the silence pull the truth from him.

"I hate when my body feels like my own."

You wait a moment, let the moment and the tension sizzle, then you move towards him, on your hands and knees. Shouto turns to you, those eyes wide and hopeful again, malleable against your movements.

"Hey," You catch him by the shoulder. "I'm going to hold you down."

It only takes a small force to guide him down, on to his back. Shifting your weight over him, you pin him there, to the dirty roof, dust caught in his clean hair.

"I'm going to ride you." Your bad hand struggles with his pants' button, but he waits patiently, hands frozen by his side. "I'm going to use you. I'm going to hurt you."

Finally, you manage to pop the fly open.

"And then you're gonna thank me for it."

When your hand slips into his pants and grasps his half hard cock, Shouto's body quivers with an exhale.

"Thank you," he breathes. His eyes are screwed closed, his body is heaving with relaxation and tension- "Thank you."

#dubcon tw

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live-laugh-lenney · 8 months ago

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Can you please do a fic where the reader and George Clarke absolutely hate each other they always argue but she’s best friends with Chris, and she goes on a night out her girl friends leave her and she’s drunk and scared men are hitting on her hard so decides to ring Chris but he’s asleep and George answers his phone and comes picks you up it ends up them two arguing but also something where they hook up (wether that’s the same night or different) please??

the ending to this feels almost rushed but i know i've promised this a few times... let me know what you think!

"come on."

the words come out of yn's mouth as a low grumble but it was loud enough to catch the attention of the guy stood beside her in the pub's smoking area. the time on her phone said it was quarter to two in the morning, the street on the otherside of the road was empty and baron of people walking passed, and the pub was becoming less and less busy as people got into their taxi's and uber's and went off home to nurse hangovers in the morning.

yet, here she was.

stuck in the middle of the london, all by herself and in a vulnerable state, as she tried to call the one guy she wanted to see in her moment of need. her best friend. who was, no doubt, asleep because he was sensible and chose to stay in that night rather than spending it getting drunk.

"everything okay?"

"yeah," she mumbles it lowly to show her disinterest, her eyes staring at the screen of the phone in her hand as she scrolled through all of her contacts to find christopher dixon's home number because calling him mobile number hadn't worked, "i just can't get hold of a friend, i kind of need him right now."

"can i be of any assistance?"

"no," she responds bluntly and she could feel the way he was taken aback by her abrupt answer, "i just want to go home. my friends have left me here by myself, i have no way of getting home and no one wants to answer their phones to help me."

"it is almost two in the morning."

"yeah, i know that," she scoffs it out sarcastically and she rolls her eyes, landing on the home landline to chris' flat, "no offence but i don't need any company right now. cheers but-"

"not just gon'a leave a pretty girl in a pub by herself," the guy says and, for the first time since she heard his voice, she looked at him - dressed in jeans that were too tight for his legs and a shirt that he definitely chose in hopes to pick up girls with the way he had his muscles on show - as she held her phone to her ear and listened to the dial tone beep through the speaker as the other end rung through the flat, "i'll take you home."

"yeah... no thanks," she shook her head, her face contorted with a look of pure disgust at the repulsive invitation he was insinuating; what had started out as a girl's night was always going to end as a girl's night, not leaving with a bloke she had never met before and waking up in an unknown bed the next morning. "We all know how that invitation ends and i'm not after that, thanks."

"oh, come on-"

"no," she shook her head and took a step to the side, furthering herself away from him to give him a hint of how she was over being nice to him and how she was over the conversation that she never wanted to start. her attention turning towards the phone that was warm against her ear. "answer the phone, idiot."

as she was about to give up and press the red button in the bottom corner, coming to terms with the fact that he was most probably asleep and completely dead to the world, the sound of someone picking up brought some comfort to her racing mind.

"hello?"

"chris, it's yn."

"newsflash, it's george. you know, one of the other guys who lives in this flat and got rudely woken up by this call."

"oh."

she gulps thickly, the lump in her throat aching, and she really wished she hadn't bothered. it wasn't that she hated goerge; it was the exact opposite... he hated her, for some reason, and she had no idea why. she wanted nothing more to be friends with him, making it three out of three successful friendships that she'd made through chris... except he was having none of it.

"i'm so sorry, i just-"

"i told you, babe, you can always come back with me."

yn's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to hold back the upset tears that were threatening to spill from how scared she was, the interruption making her lose her train of thought, and it was only when george spoke down the line that she felt a little intimidated.

"who's that?"

"just some guy-"

"is he bothering you?"

yn sighs and takes a glance out of the corner of her eye, checking to see if the guy was still standing close to her, already knowing that he was listening intently to her conversation and hadn't any plans to go elsewhere.

"yeah, a little," she responds and, on the other end of the line, she could hear him rustling around and moving in a pace that she could tell was quick and in a rush, "i just, my friends left me alone in this pub round the corner from waterloo and i'm all by myself right now and the pub is closing and i'm out the front and he's just here and i don't know who he is and-"

"okay, alright. i'm coming to get you, okay?"

"i don't want to be a bother, george," she heard him grunt back in response to her and she could feel a tear slip down her cheek, "i was trying to get hold of chris but-"

"chris would rip my bollocks off if he knew i didn't help you when you called. especially when you're on your own in london, drunk, with some creep standing with you."

"but-"

"i'm leaving now, okay? send me your location and i'll be there as soon as i can, yeah?"

she couldn't tell if it was the happiness to know she was being looked after or whether it was the scared feeling that had overcome her - or both - but she struggled to keep back the tears that were burning her eyes.

"thank you, george."

it came out as a wet sob and she didn't care if anyone who looked at her and thought she was too drunk and weird. her previous problem of being hit on by someone she'd never met before, the same guy, didn't seem to want to leave her as he slowly sipped on the pint he had poured into a plastic cup.

"just stay safe until i get there, okay? go find a bouncer or someone from the staff and just say your taxi is on its way. stay away from the guy who's bothering you and keep to places where people can see you."

"yn?"

her head snapped up from where she was staring at her phone, to see george walking quickly down the street , his hoodie pulled over his head and he'd matched loose cotton shorts with it yet skipped out on pulling socks on as he opted for sliders, because he was in a rush to leave the house and had no time for trainers.

"yn. that's such a pretty name," she heard the guy say but she was no longer interested in anything he had to say, moving from her place on the bench she had chosen to wait upon and grasping the strap of her bag upon her shoulder, "oh, babe, it's a shame you chose him over me. he's got nothing to give you."

george felt his fists curl up under his sleeves yet he chose to not make the situation worse for her.

"when a girl says no to you, she means no," george calls out over to him, staring with a look of dark anger behind his eyes, "back off and maybe try being less of a creep, lurking around drunk girls, and you might just get lucky."

"george-"

"come on," he grabs her hand and tugs her away from the direction of the pub, desperate to get her away from the stare of the guy that was bothering her, "why the hell didn't you call any of us sooner? you were there for how long, by yourself, before you realised?"

"not long," she admits, "i'd only just realised as they were kicking us all out. i went to look for them at the booth we were in and they'd left."

"how many times have we told you to not hang around with those girls? they've been nothing but trouble for you," he reminds her and she rolls her eyes, legs burning from trying to keep up with his long strides back to the tube station, "what kind of friends do that to their other friends? bad friends, yn. they're not your friends-"

"i'm not a child, george," she interrupts him and pulls her hand free from his grip, standing still in the middle of the pavement as he came to a halt from her sudden movement, "don't speak me to like i am one."

he sighs heavily and brings his hands to his face, rubbing his eyes with his fingertips before dropping his arms back down to his sides, watching as she swayed to and fro from the way her world must have been spinning from alcohol.

"alright," he held his hands up in surrender, "i'm sorry."

"you should be," she retorts, "stupid."

"don't backchat me like a teenager and i won't speak to you like a child," he insists and turns on his heels, wanting to hop back into the warmth of the underground station and get back home as soon as possible, "now come on, i want to go home."

"my home. take me home and then go home yourself."

"no, my home," george calls back, hearing her scuffing behind as she tried to keep up with his pace so she wasn't left behind and out of his sight, "i'm gonna look after you, you can have my bed, and you can talk to chris in the morning because he's gonna have some choice words for those girls."

"i don't need you to make me feel worse."

"i'm not trying to make you feel worse."

"you are."

"yn," george sighs, "i'm too tired to argue with you, okay? can we just, we just need to get on the tube, do a couple of stops, then we're home. i'll argue with you tomorrow."

"i don't want to argue with you anymore," she frowns, "i just want to be friends with you. i don't like it when you're angry all the time with me. i've done nothing to you to make you treat me so badly."

"we are friends, idiot."

"no, we aren't. you're always moaning at me, you never say anything nice to me. i'm surprised you even came to get me," yn says, "only you, george. every other one of chris' friend's like me... television is my favourite but you-"

"i do like you, yn," george sighs heavily, "but this is a conversation we don't need to be having in the middle of the road, outside the train station."

"i want to have this conversation-"

"no," george shakes his head, "it's a conversation for when you're sober and not full of whatever alcohol you've ended up spilling down yourself."

he stares at her for a moment and she squints her eyes back at him, in a feigned annoyed look, feeling the chill in the air and the alcohol mixing in her system and as well as her belly. and she couldn't bring it in her to argue even more.

"fine."

yn stumbles through the front door and into the darkness of the flat belonging to the boys and she was thankful she wore flats opposed to the heels that were her second choice shoe for the night. a click of the lock filled the quiet as george closed the front door behind him, keys jingling with his keyrings as he dropped them in the bowl in the entryway, shuffling further into the room. as she slid her shoes off, not knowing where she was leaving them, a lamp flicked on and she took in the living space around her.

"you could have taken me home."

"not a chance," george grumbles lowly, shrugging off the over-layer he chose to brave the night air and draped it over the back of the sofa in the middle of the room, "i think chris would have murdered me in my sleep."

"i wanted to go home."

"and i wanted to get a full night's sleep but here we are," george shrugs his shoulders and she folds her arms across her chest, like a child in a tantrum, "you can have my bed, i'll sleep on the sofa."

"george-"

"please don't argue with me, okay? i'm giving you my bed, don't make me change my mind," he warns her and the interruption was enough for her to close her lips and forget about what she was about to say to him, "i don't know what you think is happening between us but i do care about you, okay?"

she could hear her heartbeat pounding behind her chest in the quiet of the room and she looks at him, properly, for the first time that evening.

"you don't show it."

"i don't know how," he scoffs and it's more aimed at himself than at her, his feet take him across the stretch of empty space before he stands before her, "you're chris' best friend... i'm not going to be the one to step in the way and ruin that."

"you could have treated me better. spoke to me nicer. actually made me feel like you wanted me around."

"you're not listening, are you? i like you, you idiot."

for the first time that night, she couldn't find the words to come back to his response. she stared at him, dumbfounded, with wide eyes that couldn't tear away from the way he was walking towards her. and she didn't realise her mouth had gaped open until his hand came up to cup her cheek, thumb pushing her the bottom of her jaw, lingering his touch that had her tilting her head into his palm.

"but-"

"you've always got something to say, haven't you?" and if he didn't have a smile twitching at his lips, hidden beneath the growing facial hair that grew from his upper lip, she would have taken offence to his words, "i wanted this conversation with a sober yn. not slightly drunk, in a mood because her friends abandoned her, in the middle of the night and stood in the middle of my living room."

"you-" she gulps back the lump in her throat and he smiles softly, "i don't believe you."

"are you trying to push my buttons?" he asks her, the gap between them slowly closing, "because it's working."

"and what happens if i push the last one?"

"i think you know already," he says it so softly yet it held so much behind it and yn couldn't stop the tingle in her belly that brought goosebumps to the surface of her skin and the way his breath washed over her face, warm and minted from when he'd done his nightly routine before bed, had her weak at the knees, "go on, push it."

her eyes dart between his, that stayed focused on her face, and the way his lips looked so inviting and soft. teasing and taunting her. her tongue slipping out between her lips and licking her own because they felt dry.

"what if chris finds out?"

"you're a grown woman," george mumbles softly, "i think you can make your own decisions, huh?"

it's the first time she feels a tremble in her hands as she brings her arms up, resting her forearms on his shoulders and letting her fingers comb through the hairs at the back of his head. soft strands so gentle against her cold hands.

and george seizes the opportunity to test the waters of the situation by pressing his lips against hers in a peck, quick and messy, before he pulled away and waited for a response... a verbal response... yet it never came.

because it came in the form of a reciprocated kiss, fingers digging deeper into his hair as she pulled him closer, his arms wrapping around her waist as he brought her into his chest and held her tight in a hold that made her melt. he wanted her to have control, on her own terms, to test herself out in what was happening.

"chris is going to kill me," she says softly, "you guys were off limits."

"he'll get over it."

yn laughs softly and drops her forehead to his chest, his arms still tight around her waist and just couldn't let go of her, and there was a comfortable silence that swallowed the two of them. the previous moments playing on their minds.

"fancy sharing that bed tonight?"

he grins at her question, hearing the hidden desire in her voice, and presses a kiss to her head.

"i'd love that." x

#george clarkey #george clarkey imagines #george clarkey fics #george clarkey blurbs #george clarkey headcannons #george clarke #george clarke imagines #george clarke fics #george clarke blurbs #george clarke headcannons

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directdogman · 2 months ago

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hey dog! sorry to bug you with a coding question, but i'm learning rpg maker mv for a fangame & i'm wondering how you did a couple things. if it's not too much trouble, could you quickly explain some of it? i've scrounged around as much as i can but i cant find what i need so i thought it'd be worth asking directly ^^;

how did you get the players name to show up in the message log? i know theres a plugin that adds the name windows for other characters & i've got that figured out, but i have no idea how to get the players name to show up in the history after selecting stuff

how'd you get the graphic for the route diverging choices to show & play During choices? so far ive figured out that looping the images recreates the visual but then the game doesn't progress, bc its just stuck in that loop...

how'd you disable ( + grey out) dialogue options after selecting them??

how'd you add the fullscreen option? i found a code that was supposed to add a fullscreen option to the optionscore settings but that one just breaks the plugin & i simply Don't know enough javascript to figure it out myself

i'm using all the same plugins that dialtown has so clearly these are possible without extra ones, i just don't know how to do it,, thanks for explaining your pronoun system a little while ago btw! i wasn't the one who asked but your post was super helpful when i was setting it up for myself :D

It's been close to 6 years since I started making DT, and I had to figure out a few solutions to specific issues that cropped up which I've likely forgotten now, but I'll answer what I can remember. I'm also gonna give you some advice and advise you not to use RPG Maker for projects like these.

I basically Scott Cawthon'd DT and forced the engine to yield to my demands because I wanted to use the one I knew best. A few of these solutions are over-complicated because the easier ones (which would've worked in other engines) had to be constructed differently. I'll also mention a few solutions to problems you might not have encountered (but inevitably will if you try to recreate DT.) With that out of the way...

You'll want these settings for the backlog plugin. the \c[x] commands refer to standard name colours. Log special inputs set to true, followed up by this below:

\n<\c[4]\n[1]\c[0]>%1

With \n[1] being the name you want and the number after the first c being what colour you want.

I'll also save you a potential future issue: I'd actually recommend you find the backlog plugin I used in DT's files (located inside the www/js/plugins folder) and use the version I have instead of the official release if you're not already, because I made a small change to fix an error. Basically, it breaks slightly with the plugin that lets you bring up the menu during dialogue because text reloads when you leave the menu and re-enter the text box, causing text to be logged at least twice after you pause it. If you keep bringing up the menu, you'll get constant duplication. I simply added a line of code that tells the log not to have two duplicates in a row. Not a programmer, but it seems works.

2)I did it in a funny way to ensure the engine wouldn't screw it up. Basically, there's 3 steps to the event and it's kinda hard to explain (and would be annoying to reproduce without a lot of trial and error for a beginner.) It's easier if I show my code. The first thing I do is run a common event (you can also just paste this code in and run it from the event) that renders the frames used by the popup, so they're loaded into memory + ready to go.

As you can see, they're set to 0 opacity but now ready to be used. Obviously they have to be on a layer that isn't being used by anything else in the scene (and won't be during this part of the game.) I run this event ahead of time, usually 4 messages before the choice comes up or so, so even slower PCs should have time to get them up.

The 'if head' thing just switches between the files for phone/typegingi's heads. I render each frame on separate layers and toggle their opacity from one to the next on a single frame to avoid flickering (bc RPG maker's renderer is hot trash and I have to work around it. Case in point.)

Step 2 is a second command event that orders the frames to fade in.

One layer is the text (which doesn't move) and the other is the first frame of the little head animation. A switch is also turned on at the end, and this signals the animation to go, which is handled by an event on any map where a choice like this comes up.

The event page that handles the animation itself has 2 pages, one to handle the animation as it goes and the other to handle when it stops (note that you could use one page and simply use a conditional branch. I didn't.)

Set to parallel so it runs in the bg behind normal events. As you can see, every 17 frames, I command one image to fade out over a single frame and another to fade in. It loops perfectly, cycling from middle frame, to left, to middle, to right, back to middle. Finally, when you select any route diverging choice, it sets off a second switch, which activates the second event page and commands the game to dispose of the graphics and then turn itself off.

Basically, it's the same animation but with a twist. The text is faded out over 60 frames and then the same animation is played as before, except the values it fades back into go from 255, to 170 to 85. Each of those commands is also followed by a 17 second fade to the opacity of the next frame. So, frame one renders in one frame at 255. Then seventeen frame fadeout to 170... Next frame renders for 1 frame AT 170, then fades out gradually to 85. Then next frame renders at 85 during 1 frame, fades to 0. This is how i synced the turning animation to fade out convincingly.

At the very end, I turn both of the switches this event page uses off so both event pages don't continue on loop. I also have a check for the first event variable to check if the game should still think the animation is running, as a failsafe. I don't remember if this mattered.

3)It's a function in the YEP Extended Message Pack. You'll see the commands for hiding (temporarily removing) + disabling choices (greying them out) as you scroll through the help list, almost 2/3 down. The thing you have to remember though is that messages that are commanded to be hidden/disabled will STAY disabled unless you turn them back on. So, ANY time there's a possibility to make a choice with a disabled or hidden message, add this plugin command to EVERY selectable choice

ClearChoiceSettings

This will ensure the game doesn't break from having a choice permadisabled. If you use loops or labels to make the game return to a previous choice, make sure the looping point is BEFORE any logic that may disable/hide a choice so it doesn't autoenable everything if the game has to go back.

4)Make a new RPG Maker project, copy the js folder from www/data/js and open the new project alongside your other one. Then check my YEP Option core plugin and follow this path in the plugin editor

This code should work.

On a similar note, I'd also take a look at how my plugins are ordered, if your list is different. I had to meddle with the list to make sure some plugins functioned correctly. This engine is held together with duct-tape and spite, so do what this advice what you will.

Hope this helps!

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outsideratheart · 1 year ago

Text

Us (Alexia Putellas x reader)

A/N: I have no idea where this came from but it has been stuck in my head for a few weeks. I hope you guys like it!

You had been in the most important meeting of your career when you received a message. You never turned your phone off in case there was an emergency but you did put it on do not disturb. The small vibration in your pocket told you 1 of 2 people were trying to get in touch with you. Your manager was in the meeting with you so it only left one person.

I need you, please can you come over.

As far as Alexia was aware you were in England. Your mind went to the worse case scenario because it had to be something bad if she was asking you to get on a plane and fly to Barcelona with no explanation.

In the politest way possible you excuse yourself from the meeting and leave your future in the safe hands of your manager, who upon seeing your face backs your decision to leave without asking any questions.

A quick text is sent to your girlfriend saying that you are on your way but there’s no response. You try calling only there is no answer. By the time you get to her apartment building you are filled with worry and you waste no time in running up the stairs having no patience to wait for the elevator.

When you knock on the door you are not met by your girlfriend.

“You’re the lion?” The resemblance was even more striking up close. You had met Alba once or you had at least been in the same room as her.

“Technically I’m a lioness”

It makes a little more sense now. No one was aware of your relationship and in order to keep the questions at bay you didn’t save each others phone number under a name, instead it was an emoji. Yours was a lion due your national team’s nickname and your on pitch persona. Hers was a crown because she was your queen and known by the fans as La Reina.

“Alba let her in” another woman, Alexia’s mother, guides you through the apartment even though you have been here enough times to know your way around.

“You’re the girl my daughter has been seeing”

“I am and I will happily introduce myself and answer any questions you may have after I have seen her”

“She’s in the living room. When we came she was crying and she won’t talk to any of us” one of Alexia’s best friends says.

It didn’t look good. Her mother, sister and best friend all at your girlfriends apartment yet she is refusing to talk to any of them

The three woman give you some space as you enter the living room. All of them hoped that you would have more luck at finding out what was wrong.

“Hello you” you crouch down so that you are at her level and without saying a word Alexia wraps her arms around you tightly. The speed of it almost sends you both to the ground but you steady yourself just in time.

Once on the sofa Alexia buries her face in the crook of your neck.

“How are you here?”

“That doesn’t matter. Alexia, what is wrong?”

“They won’t leave me alone. It’s like they are obsessed with my personal life. I’m happy, why isn’t that enough for them? Why do they need to get involved and keep bringing up the past?”

You were at a loss. Yes you were aware of the spotlight that was constantly on Alexia, one was on you as well but you had been dating for almost 2 years now and nobody was the wiser.

“Who cariño?” Eli asks from the other side of the room.

“The girls. They think that because Jenni signed for Atleti that we are going to get back together. We finally got back to a good place during the World Cup and no one seems to understand that we are just friends. We are Y/N, I promise nothing is going on” Alexia turns to look at you.

During the World Cup you saw the rumours and they spread quickly given that everyone assumes Alexia is single. At first it bothered you but the two of you talked about it and you realised that you were jealous for no reason. Alexia was your girl and only yours.

“I know” deep down you hated that she was still getting linked to another woman but it wasn’t a threat to your relationship so you let it go.

“They are going to ruin everything. They don’t even know and they are ruining—“

“Alexia, nobody is ruining anything. Let your friends talk. At the end of the day it is me and you”

The three other women in the room watched and listened as you talked Alexia through her panic. You were able to calm her and bring her peace in a moment that was very overwhelming for her.

“But Jenni is—“

“Jenni is your past and that cannot be changed. What have I told you?” You ask your girlfriend.

The woman who is still cuddled into your side mumbles something incoherent and you know she is mumbling because she doesn’t want the other women to know the words you told her during the summer.

“She’s your first love Alexia, I intend to be your last” you kiss the corner of her mouth.

The sound of awes burst the little bubble that you had formed around you and Alexia. Clearly embarrassed, Alexia once again hides herself.

Knowing that the two of you can’t ignore the introduction that the women are waiting for, Alexia officially introduces you to Eli, Alba and Miri as her girlfriend.

“What happens now?” Alexia asks you “Do we tell people? I don’t want our bubble to break, everything is normal with you. We are Y/N and Alexia but when people find out we will be captains, players and rivals”

“Hey, calm down. They will change but we won’t. Do you want to be us normal or what everyone else expects us to be?”

“Us normal”

“Well then I am going to drive you back to your training facility, open the door for you like I always do, I’ll kiss you goodbye and then you’re going to go to work”

Your confidence was reassuring to all in the room.

Alexia tells you that she is going to freshen up in the bathroom which leaves you alone with three of the most important people in her life. Your media training comes in very handy as you are able to answer all of Alba’s and Miri’s questions without hesitation or breaking a sweat. However, Eli’s question catches you off guard.

“You’re the reason why Alexia didn’t come back to the room after the awards show in Dubai aren’t you?”

“Guilty but nothing happened” technically it was the truth, nothing did happen that night “We spent the night in the hotel bar talking then went to the beach to watch the sunrise”

“Can I ask you a question?” Alba says “If you were in England when you received the text would have come?”

“I would have been on the first flight out, yes”

It seemed to enough to please the younger Putellas because she simply nodded her head.

Once Alexia was ready you did as you said. The two of you drove to Joan Camper, Alexia quizzed you the entire car journey because you still hadn’t told her why you were in Barcelona. You open the door for her as expected but what Alexia didn’t expect was you to walk with her into the facility.

“I love that you care but you don’t have to do this for me, I can handle it”

“Who says I’m doing it for you”

The two of you stop in front of the canteen. It was surrounded by glass windows and you can see the majority of the team eating their lunch.

“Us normal?” You ask Alexia and she nods her head. As you normally would whenever you visited her or she visited you, you kissed her once on the lips and then once on her hairline as she hugged you goodbye.

“Wait! Where are you going?” Alexia asks as you don’t go in the direction of the exit.

“You asked how I’m here. Well, I have a job interview with your boss”

#alexia putellas x reader #alexia Putellas one shot #alexia Putellas imagine #woso x reader #woso one shot #woso imagine #barcelona femeni x reader #barcelona femeni imagine #barcelona femeni one shot #espwnt x reader #espwnt one shot #espwnt imagine

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hellfirenacht · 11 months ago

Text

Wing Man 11

Fic Summary: Steve ‘the Hair’ Harrington is your best friend, and is constantly striking out. Sick of this, you two make a deal; you’ll wing man for each other. Hooking Steve up with dates is easy, but he finds himself struggling to find you a date. At least, until Dustin starts talking about his new cool friend Eddie.

Chapter Summary: Steve talks shit. Paige and Eddie talk business.

5.2k words

Series Master List

Working for Family Video came with many upsides, especially when you worked with people who you also enjoyed seeing outside of the store. Rentals were already dirt cheap with your employee discount, and near expired candy and popcorn never quite made it into the dumpster out back and somehow magically appeared in your bag instead at the end of your shift.

You always liked to think that Family Video was sponsoring your bi-monthly movie nights with Steve and Robin. The Harrington household was always the meeting spot, as he was the only one who had a tv and VCR in his room. Well, you did as well now after Keith had tossed out an old player, saying it was broken. You’d brought it home to tinker with and found that some kid had stuck gum in the tape slot. It had taken you a week to clean and another month to figure out how to hook everything back up, but it was yours. Steve still had the nicer home and tv though, and more importantly his parents bought brand name snacks.

The three of you were in Steve’s living room, the movie playing on the screen long forgotten as the three of you caught up with each other. Robin was usually the barometer for if a movie was worth watching, she and Steve might have had very different tastes, but Steve would usually get sucked up into whatever movie she chose.

“So is his band any good?” Robin asked, dumping a bag of m&ms into her bowl of popcorn.

“I think so.” you shrugged, cracking open a drink. “If anything, they’re good enough to be scouted twice.”

“By the same person.” Steve pointed out. “You know, his ex.”

You had brought the news of Eddie’s meet up with Paige to your friends with mixed results. Robin seemed indifferent, but that’s because most of the time she didn’t have the same interest in talking about boys. Steve, however, seemed less than thrilled about this idea.

“Yes, Steve, his ex. As in, not together anymore.” you sighed, wishing you felt as confident as you sounded. “Whatever happened between them sounded like it blew up for both of them.”

“But she still wants to have lunch with him!” Steve said.

“Yes, to talk about the band!” you shot back. “And it’s lunch. Didn’t you tell me that dinner is a date and lunch is just two people hanging out?”

“Since when does my advice apply to you or Eddie?”

“Since Paige isn’t me or Eddie, so your dating advice might actually apply here.” you snapped and took a breath. “Sorry. This is all new to me. I’m really not sure how I’m supposed to feel right now. It’s like every time things start to go well with me and Eddie, something happens. Paige, Chris, you-”

“Hey-”

“I like him a lot.” You leaned back against the couch, grabbing the popcorn bowl from Robin. “When I’m with him, I get that same feeling that I do when I’m hanging out with you two or when I’m at the show every month. I don’t feel like I’m hiding myself when he’s around.”

“There are other weirdos and freaks around.” Steve pointed out. “If I had known there were that many of you around, I would have agreed to go to the show earlier to help you get phone numbers.”

“Yeah, but have you seen the way she looks when she’s talking about Eddie?” Robin hopped into the conversation. “I don’t think anyone even existed to her that night.”

It was true, no one other than your friends and (unfortunately) Chris had truly registered to you at the show. Yeah, you’d noticed the few cast members but they weren’t the metal head with the long hair and crop top that had held your hand all night.

“Oh shit, did I tell you guys that we ran into Chris?!” You asked suddenly, changing the subject.

“Wait, that guy you and Eddie kept talking shit about?” Steve turned to look at you, grabbing a handful of popcorn and getting crumbs on the couch.

“Yeah!” you said. “He actually works for the show now, I guess? He said he’s been there for a while and he’s seen me at the show before. It was so fucking weird.”

“Is that the guy who said you were too normal to play with Hellfire?” Robin asked.

You nodded. “Yeah, and he ran Hellfire into the ground until Eddie took over. And now he’s doing tech for the show. Also, he was Rocky in the shadow cast.”

“The guy in the metallic shorts?!” Steve gawked.

“Columbia did say that the cast changed for the night.” Robin said, and you gave her a quizzical look, remembering the lipstick mark you’d seen on her jaw that night. “She came by and talked to us before the show!”

“She couldn’t resist my charm.” Steve gave you a smile that you were sure worked with someone like Nancy Wheeler, or Tammy Thompson. You just shook your head and laughed.

“Right, anyway. Chris came and talked to us after the show and he told me auditions are gonna be open for the cast. He gave me his card, and told me that it was invite only.” you explained.

“You’ve been talking about wanting to be part of that since we started working together.” Steve said.

“Yeah, I guess I get a shot to do something, too.”

“Chris turned you down for Hellfire, and now is letting you audition?” Robin asked.

“We aren’t in school anymore.” you pointed out. “I know how it sounds, but none of us are the same people we were back then. I’m not the same person I was two years ago, none of us are.”

“I hate it when you’re right, you know.”

“I’m just saying that if I can give you the benefit of the doubt and make friends with you then maybe Chris isn’t as big of a prick as he was back then. I might not have even given Eddie a chance, either.” You picked out a few m&ms from the popcorn bucket, getting your fingers covered with butter and colored candy coating. “I mean, at the end of the day, isn't that what this whole deal was about? Shaking off old habits and trying to step outside of contentment?”

“I thought your deal was so that you can stop having Steve check you out every time you wanted to rent porn.” Robin snickered.

“I thought we were just trying to get dates.” Steve looked confused and you gave him a pat on the head. It always amused you how his hair could spring back into place like that.

“That too.” you said.

“So, you’re really okay with Eddie going to see his ex?” Steve said, forcing you back into that topic.

”I’m not thrilled about it.” You finally admitted. “But we only went on one date and this might help his band. Besides, if we start... Whatever this is without some sort of trust then is it even worth starting?”

“So you trust him?”

“I trust you and Dustin, who vouched for him. He was honest enough to tell me that it’s his ex who wants to talk about his band. What happens next is up to him.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Steve relented and his eyes wandered back to the tv.

You didn’t, but you were tired of letting other people tell you what you should or shouldn’t do.

Ever since Benny’s shut down, there wasn’t really any good place to meet up with someone for lunch in town. Every time he had seen Paige before, it had either been at the Hideout, or his van. Neither of which was really a good place to talk about Corroded Coffin.

It was Paige’s idea to meet at the small hole-in-the-wall pub that was just out of Eddie’s comfort zone in terms of price. Eddie arrived on Saturday afternoon, earlier than he meant to with his nerves. He leaned against the wall outside of the pub, watched the cars go by as he waited for her.

She didn’t leave him waiting for long, and ten minutes before their agreed upon time, Paige was standing in front of him for the first time in over two years. She hadn’t grown an inch, but her wavy dark hair had, and now barely brushed her shoulders. In the daylight, Eddie could see a faint tint of red that he never noticed before. Other than two or three times, he realized that he and Paige had never spent a lot of time together when the sun was out. Paige’s freckles were as prominent as ever.

To Eddie’s surprise, she looked happy to see him.

“Hi, Eddie.” she said, and to his relief she didn’t go in for a hug.

“Hi, Paige.” He responded and reached over to open the door to the pub for her.

The two didn’t say anything until they were sitting at a dimly lit booth in the corner, where Paige broke the ice.

“Before we get into any business talk, I need you to be honest with me.” She started, sitting up straight and looking him in the eyes. “If you care about your future in music, and your band, you need to tell me what happened. Tell me how you ended up in jail two days before the most important moment in either of our careers.”

Eddie had expected this, and the past week had been spent trying to find a way to spin the story so that he didn’t look like the biggest asshole on the planet. In the end, he decided that he should be honest with her. Paige wanted real, and he would give that to her, tarnish and all.

Someone came by and took their drink orders, giving Eddie a moment to collect his thoughts.

“I did something stupid.” He started.

“Obviously.” She gave him a wry smile.

“Moving to California isn’t cheap.” He watched the tone of his voice, searching for that piece of him that made Hellfire and Corroded Coffin listen to him. Being a dungeon master for so long had given him a way of speaking that could draw someone in when he tried, and right now he knew he needed to try and convince Paige that Corroded Coffin deserved a second chance. “I needed a way to pay for everything that came with moving across country. My dad... he-” Eddie’s voice wavered for a brief moment. “He had an idea to make some quick cash for the two of us. It wasn’t smart, and it really wasn’t legal.”

“Jesus,” Paige sighed, looking at him with a deep frown. “I would have helped you, Eddie. I was already willing to let you live with me for free until we got you set up. I told you that you didn’t have to be alone in this.”

Asking for and accepting help wasn’t something that Eddie was ever good at. He’d been hyper-independent since he was a child, when his dad would disappear for long stretches of time, even after his mom died. Asking for help after (or especially because) Paige had put in so much money and effort for him already, wasn’t something that he could bring himself to do.

“I know.” Eddie said. “I had this stupid idea that if I didn’t make the effort on my own, then I didn’t deserve the change. So I did something stupid, really fucking stupid, and it cost me everything.”

“Mark told me that you shot a cop.” Paige said, and before Eddie could speak up, she continued. “I didn’t believe him. When I wired the money, I was able to get an idea of what happened. You saved that guys life.”

“I couldn’t let him just bleed out on my yard.” Eddie said. “I couldn’t- it wouldn’t be right to run away like that.”

“You really caused a lot of trouble, you know that?”

“I know.” Eddie took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry. I fucked up. I did a lot of stupid shit I shouldn’t have, and I paid the price. It cost me more than just the audition.”

There was a time between getting the news about his audition with WR Records and the heist that Eddie flew. He had everything he had ever wanted; he got the girl, had his dad back, he had a future, which was something he never thought he’d have. For a few beautiful weeks, he had spiraled up, up, and up.

In the end though, what goes up must come down. Eddie had reached for something that would never be meant for someone with the last name ‘Munson’. He had crashed back down to earth, to the reality of who he was and it had cost him everything. His dad, his childhood house, his audition, Paige, and even Ronnie for a short time.

For the next two years, Eddie swore to never even think about reaching for the sun again.

“Thank you for being honest with me.” Paige said. “I still think you’re an asshole.”

“I was an asshole.” He didn’t even try to fight it. “The biggest one in Hawkins.”

Even with her declaration, Paige still had a look on her face that was the ghost of an expression she had in the passenger side of his van on the night that she had given him the news that WR Records had liked him.

“Things went downhill for me when you bailed on the audition.” Paige said, and Eddie swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. He had never known what had happened with her after their fight over the phone. “I got in a lot of trouble because of you. Davey doesn’t like anyone, but he liked you. When I couldn’t get you out there, it really screwed up any trust I had with my job.”

She stopped talking for a moment as a waiter came by and dropped off their food. Eddie couldn’t bring himself to touch the overpriced sandwich in front of him yet. His mouth felt dry and he reached for his water instead.

“I was stuck in a dead end job, where any talent I tried to bring to the label was shot down without being given a chance. I was being paid to do nothing, except babysit the studio and paperwork. I got demoted, and I was already at the bottom of the totem pole.” Paige never looked away from Eddie, her gaze unflinching and sharp. “I stopped liking music.”

Guilt washed over Eddie, and there was something in him that screamed at him to run away to avoid this. Being the reason someone stopped liking music? He knew he’d fucked up but that... that was something deeper than just missing an audition.

“They didn’t have the means to really fire me, I hadn’t done anything wrong.” she continued. “They moved me to a smaller label under the WR name. That label was where acts they had given up on went to die.”

“Which label?” Eddie managed to ask, despite how dry his mouth felt. Even the water wasn’t helping.

“Left Turn Media.” Paige said.

During those weeks when things had been good between the two of them, Paige had mentioned the label once or twice. It was considered a death sentence to be put on that label, and working for them was WR’s way to get people to quit without firing them. The two had listened to a few cassettes from the label. The bands weren’t bad, and that was what stuck out to Eddie. The music wasn’t bad, but it was clear that the production was lacking and half-assed. Paige said that the music would be sent out to small radio stations to be played in the middle of the night.

“Shit.” Eddie said.

“Yeah, shit.” Paige let out a laugh. “But if there’s one thing I am, it’s stubborn. I threw myself into my work. I’ve been spending the last two years breaking down and completely reassembling Left Turn, and now I’m in charge of it.”

“You.” His eyes went wide as he stared at her. “You’re in charge of Left Turn Media.”

“It’s amazing what you can do when you’re pissed and have something to prove.” Paige shrugged. “I had a lot of time to think about my relationship with music in the last few years. I realized if I wanted to bring something real to the music scene of L.A. I was going to have to do it myself.”

Her dark lips curled up into a smile. “I should almost thank you for fucking up. Because you bailed, I was put in charge of a sinking ship. I patched it up with my own time and money and now Left Turn has become the label for all misfit bands who don’t fit any shiny polished label. I proved to myself and everyone around me that I belong in this industry.”

“I-” Eddie wasn’t sure how he was supposed to respond to that. “You’re welcome...?”

“We’re expanding the label outside of California.” She continued. “I’m in charge so I’m trying to bring good music to my hometown. It’s still not the biggest label, and we can’t offer half of what the bigger labels would, but it’s something.”

“And what are you offering?” Eddie felt dizzy, the more she talked. His words were careful, as if asking the wrong question could end in another blow up between the two of them.

“What I’m offering is another chance for Corroded Coffin to be signed.” Paige’s arms crossed over her chest. “Left Turn is still finding its footing outside of L.A., so we’re flexible. I’m here to work with local radio and college stations around Indiana to get them to play the few bands we’ve signed so far. Who we have are okay, but they aren’t...”

“Real?”

“Eddie you have something, as much as I never wanted to admit it again after what happened between us. There’s something about the way that you play that I haven’t been able to find since. I could do this without you, but I think that this is the real sink or swim moment. WR Records goes on with or without you, but I think what you have is what could turn Left Turn around.” Page took a deep breath. “If Corroded Coffin wants another shot, this would be it. If you still have that do-or-die energy when you play, I could offer you a real deal to put together an album. I could get you on the radio.”

Eddie listened to her words, taking in what she was offering. Yes, it wouldn’t be the easy street that WR would have been able to offer, but it would be something. And this time, it wouldn’t just be him auditioning, but Corroded Coffin was wanted this time.

“You’re serious.” Eddie said, his heart rate picking up.

“As serious as shooting a cop.”

“Jesus.” Eddie couldn’t stop himself from letting out a laugh. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing up his fringe as he replayed everything that Paige had just told him in his mind. She wanted him to audition again. This was a chance that he wasn’t sure could be passed up.

“Some of the band is still in high school.” He said, feeling reality settle like a stone in his stomach. He didn’t mention that his name was on that roster.

“Like I said, we’re flexible.” Paige said. “I still need you all to audition again, and even then it’s going to take me a few months to set anything up here for the band. I want you all to audition with me and a few others from the label before the end of the year. If everything goes according to plan, Left Turn might have the recording studio ready by next June.”

“You’re setting up your own recording studio?” Eddie perked up, the anxiety and guilt that he had originally felt was now shifting into something new. He found himself relaxing enough to eat his overpriced sandwich.

“Yes. We need something that’s a step above Live Mike Studios in Lafayette. We have the building picked out and are already gutting it for Left Turn.”

“You’ve really thought of everything, haven’t you?” Eddie smiled at her.

“I have.” Paige agreed. “But I learned not to put all my eggs into one basket. This industry has taught me to have a plan A, B C, and D.” She let out a long sigh. “I made it to plan L before and I would prefer not to do that again.”

“What was plan L?”

“If I go into the whole story, I’ll need a strong drink. It involved a guitar player with his head up his ass thinking he was going to be the next Gene Simmons.” Paige groaned.

“Gene Simmons doesn’t play guitar.” Eddie pointed out. Paige gave him a thousand yard stare, which said everything he needed to know. “Ok. Gotcha.”

“I’m hoping to get everything set up with minimal surprises.” She concluded. “Get with your band. I’m going to be in town for the rest of the year setting things up.”

Eddie nodded. “So... why Indiana?” he asked. “You were in California. Why come back here to set this up?”

“Like I said, I want to bring good music to my hometown. Once everything’s done, I’ll be able to move back and forth from California to here.”

“And Corroded Coffin?”

“Will stay in Indiana.” She said firmly. “I can’t turn you into the Rock Hero you could have been two years ago, but I can try and make you a Hometown Hero.”

Another story. Paige had always been good at spinning stories. Once upon a time, Eddie had been a barback turned frontman turned Rock Hero. Now he’d be barback turned frontman turned Hometown Hero. That part felt less believable than before.

That’s how Paige saw him, but how did he see himself? Barback turned front man turned drug thief turned drug dealer turned uber senior? None of that was a story worth selling. And what about the rest of his band? Would Gareth, Jeff, or Zack want to be part of this? Ronnie hadn’t, she just wanted to play just to play. Jeff had been excited about this when the opportunity was first presented, but would he still want the chance? Gareth was the youngest and still had over a year of school left.

One thing at a time.

“I’ll talk to the guys next practice.” Eddie said.

“Good. Are you still playing at the Hideout?” Paige asked.

Eddie froze for a second, as he imagined Paige and you in the same space to watch him play. He imagined your excited face, and the way you would cheer for them after every song, the excitement that radiated off of you after every set. Even earlier this week, when you’d dropped by to watch them, knowing that Eddie was going to see Paige, you’d still shown the same enthusiasm as before.

He’d thrown you another pick. You’d handed it back to him at the end of the night, telling him that he could toss it at you again next week.

“You look like someone who loses your picks the second they are out of your sight.”

You’d been right. The only one he could consistently find was the one he’d turned into a necklace. His dad’s picks had been packed away, shoved under his bed where he wouldn’t see them. Eddie didn’t use those picks anymore.

A few weeks ago, he couldn’t stop comparing you to Paige, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about how different you two were.

“Yeah, we play on Tuesdays now.” Eddie said. “People stopped complaining enough that Bev decided to give us a steady slot.”

“Good to know.” Paige said. She wasn’t confirming or denying if she’d show up, but that look in her eyes said that he could expect to see her again soon.

After all, The Hideout was the only place in twenty miles of Hawkins that offered any live music.

For the rest of the meal, the two caught up with each other. It didn’t feel as weird as Eddie would have expected, but it was nice. He let Paige do most of the talking, letting her tell him about her work in the industry, he didn’t need her knowing more than she needed to if he wanted to have this shot. Would she want to sign a bunch of high schoolers? He hadn’t even told Paige the first time that he had dropped out when Higgins blackmailed him.

That was alright for now though. Paige talking meant that he didn’t have to and he added to the conversation by asking plenty of questions about her work. Hearing about the music industry from her end was something that he had a genuine interest in, anyway.

Paige told him about how she had been given a copy of Iron’s Maiden’s Live After Death by Davey. She was even willing to make Eddie a copy of it. It wasn’t the video, but he wasn’t about to turn down audio of one of his favorite bands that wasn’t even released in the US.

When the check came, Paige didn’t even blink as she paid the tab and the two of them made their way outside again. It was still pretty early in the afternoon, and the chill of the late autumn air contrasted the bright blue sky.

Trying to still be somewhat of a gentleman, Eddie walked Paige to her car as she recounted the tale of how she had been on the flight from Indianapolis to Los Angeles where Izzy Stradlin had been arrested for pissing in front of everyone.

Paige stopped with her hand on the door to her car before turning around to face Eddie before getting in.

“I don’t hate you, you know.” she said. “I was mad for a really long time at what you did. But I don’t think you’re a bad guy, Eddie.”

Eddie didn’t feel like he deserved the forgiveness she was offering him. Being told that he was anything other than some satanic cult leader or freak wasn’t something he’d ever get used to.

“Paige I...” He wasn’t sure what to say.

She had that look in her eyes, the same look she’d had after she’d given him the news about his original audition. What are you waiting for? Paige was moving closer, freckles like constellations on her skin and the moon in her eyes eclipsed by her eyelids.

Eddie's hand fell on Paige’s shoulder before her lips could get any closer to his. “I can’t.” he said.

Her face went through a few emotions. Surprise, disappointment, and settling on embarrassment.

“Shit. Sorry.” Paige said, shaking her head.

“No it’s.. It’s fine.” Eddie said, and he could have sworn that Paige looked just as confused as he did. “I don’t think it’s a great idea to do.... That.”

Eddie hadn’t once entertained the idea of Paige and him together again. It didn’t feel right. He wouldn’t lie and say that he didn’t find her attractive, but it wasn’t the same feeling he got that first night in the Hideout. As a teen, he’d been thrilled that a pretty girl was paying any attention to him at all, and was willing to do anything and be anything she wanted.

Any relationship with Paige was business, plain and simple. She wanted a Rock Hero to help her get up the ladder, Eddie wanted to make it with his band. Sex had just been a bonus in their past relationship. Paige knew her stuff with music and the industry, but she didn’t rant about Ozzy and his bats, or have a real interest in D&D or put herself out there the same way that you-

“I’m seeing someone.” He blurted out before Paige could say anything else.

Paige looked surprised for a moment and shook her head and laughed. “Right. That... I’m sorry. I don’t even know why I did that.” she admitted. “I guess I got swept up in this stupid fantasy about being a power couple. We’re a bad idea.”

“I’m sorry.” Eddie said, not sure what else could be said in this situation.

“Don’t be. You’re right, ‘us’ is a bad idea.” she ran her fingers through her hair. “It’s a good thing my offer isn’t dependent on if we’re sleeping together or not.”

“I know you bought me lunch, are giving my band a second chance, and forgave me for one of the biggest fuck ups of my life, but I don’t put out that easy.” Eddie smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood.

Paige offered her hand and Eddie took it. “Business only then.” she said. “Talk to your band and call me to set up the audition.”

Eddie watched Paige’s car drive off, and suddenly felt a lot lighter. He blasted his music and drove home, nearly laughing like a maniac. Today had been a wild roller coaster of emotions, and he couldn’t wait until the next band practice to bring the news to his band.

At home, he grabbed his guitar and immediately began sorting through Corroded Coffin’s small pile of original songs, and the covers that they were able to perform the best. Eddie was off, lost in his own world as he wrote, re-wrote, and re-worked the set list.

What would you think? Would you be excited for him? If this worked, he was going to make sure to get you concert tickets. Okay, he was getting ahead of himself. Maybe you could at least come for the audition as moral support. His band liked you, so maybe they wouldn’t mind.

Eddie didn’t come back down to Earth until the phone rang that evening after Wayne went to work. He almost missed the call because of how deep he was into perfecting the riff that had eluded him for the past few months, determined now more than ever to get it down.

He reached the phone on the last possible ring. “Hello?”

“Hey... Eddie?” Your voice cracked over the phone, and that feeling of excitement came crashing down. “Sorry I... Can you come pick me up? I’m at home.”

You were crying. He could hear it in the way your voice strained and cracked. He was already reaching for his keys.

“I’ll be right there.”

a/n: As I stated before, I do like to try and keep everything as time accurate as possible. However things happen, and sometimes things are too good not to use. The Izzy Stradlin incident did not happen until 1989, but the fact that it was on a flight from Indianapolis to LA was too good to pass up. I also would like to notate that I did make a mistake when it came to the Ozzy Bat Incident. It was not a 17 year old girl, it was a 17 year old boy and the bat was already dead. Chalk that inaccuracy up to the tabloids of the time, and the lack of Google. No, this will not be addressed in the future of the fic unless it’s funny.

Dividers By: @strangergraphics

Tag List @k8loo @terrormonster55 @sp1dyb0y1008 @crocwork-clockodile @ali-r3n @mxcheese @josephquinnschesthair @gagasbee @peaches-roses-sins @witchwolflea @vintagehellfire @royale1803 @cumslutforaemond @prestinalove @browneyedgirly93 @perpetualmess @thebook-hobbit @cultish-corner @grishaversecaptivated @sortagaysortahigh @halialex1119 @siriuslysmoking @huffledor-able541 @pookiesnatcher @eddiesguitarskills @browneyes-8288 @sheneedsrocknroll92

#nacht fic #wing man #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you

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kassiekole22 · 2 years ago

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im so excited to be able to share this request with you! 🥺 — could you do a headcanon with syzoth x princess!reader? *in my mind she's mileena and kitana's sister. — and she doesn't feel so included among the sisters and finds comfort among "the banished"

Ok, so just a warning: When I read this, I thought you wanted a fic. And I was already deep into this when I realized that you wanted headcanons. 😂 So if you want, I can still do the headcanons for you too. Just let me know! 🙂 And to my other requests, your fics are on their way! Anyway, here it is! My first ever Syzoth X Fem!Reader fic! Enjoy! 💚🖤💚🖤

No Longer Alone

Description: Being stuck in your sisters' shadows was never easy, especially when you live in the royal family of Outworld. You always felt as if you came in last compared to them and felt so alone. That is until one day when a mysterious man literally crashes your festival... Warnings: Fluff, Sad And Lonely Reader And Sad And Lonely Syzoth. Word Count: 2.6k MasterList: 🖤 Kassie's Angels: @lorebite, @mornandil. (If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know in the comments! 🖤)

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Never would I have thought that on that day — the day a strange man came crashing into our festival — that my life would change for the better forever. As much as it pained me, I wasn't allowed to interfere when the man went into battle with my sister. Being the youngest of the three royal sisters of Outworld, I was bound to the sidelines as I watched my sisters deal with any situation — unless they needed more numbers in a battle, of course.

I knew that they were only protecting me and that they didn't want to put my life in danger unless it was really necessary, but I couldn't help but feel left out. It was as if no one took me seriously — as a princess or a fighter — and that stung worse than any wound I would ever receive in any battle.

I sat on a nearby stool, watching the altercation from afar. It worried me, watching my sisters battle with no way to aid them. But I had no choice. I was damned to just sit and watch — just like the people I've been told are beneath us. Though I never really thought they were. What right did I have — someone who was born into royalty — to sit there and claim that my life was more valuable than any other. It just felt wrong. After some time, the fight seemed to come to an end with both the man and my sister seemingly not severely harmed. And then surprisingly, my two sisters approached me with the young man at their side.

I couldn't keep my eyes from following the man as he came forth. He seemed so different — so... Beautiful. There was something about him that lured me in. I just couldn't place my finger upon it at the time.

"(Y/N)," My sister — Kitana — addressed me and I stood.

"Yes, sister?" I responded as I stepped closer and bowed my head as a symbol of respect. It was what mother taught me to do, since my sisters were older and wiser than myself.

"This is Syzoth — he has come to aid us in upcoming battles." She notified me while introducing the mysterious man.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Syzoth." I greeted him kindly. "I am (Y/N). The third daughter of King Jerrod and Queen Sindel."

The man nodded with a smile stretching the corners of his lips and — to my surprise — he bowed before me. "It's my pleasure, princess."

I had never earned that type of respect from someone so soon. Being so young in a family of royals, many don't appreciate me the way I — at least — felt I deserved. I let my eyes linger upon the man as he stood to his full height and smiled warmly in my direction. He was so different compared to anyone I had ever met before.

After letting out a slightly annoyed sigh, Mileena broke the silence that had fallen between us all. "Sister, show Syzoth to one of our guest cabins by the castle. He can rest there for the time being."

I nodded eagerly and my sister handed me a key to said cabin, and then I gestured to the man to follow me in the direction I was planning on going. As I began walking down the stone road with him at my side, I could hear Kitana call out with concern filling her tone, "Be cautious, sister!"

I shook my head as an amused smile curled my lips. She was always so concerned for my well-being. But she should know that I can very much take care of myself. After all, they both made sure to train me well.

Most of the walk was silent until I noticed how the man watched his surroundings with much curiosity. He looked at everything as if it was new to him. I couldn't keep myself from glancing over in his direction once in a while just to watch his interesting behavior.

'Is he from another realm?'

"So — where do you hail from, my friend?" I asked as we turned down a new pathway, leading towards where the guest cabins were.

"Oh, I'm from Outworld." He replied, much to my surprise. "Just not these parts of Outworld..."

The comment very much intrigued me and I wanted to know more, "Not this part?" I pushed carefully.

"Ever heard of Zaterra?" He asked with a hint of resentment and... Something else in his voice. Perhaps sorrow? I couldn't help but wince as the word greeted my ears and I responded with a simple and rather nervous, "oh..."

We reached the cabin but just as we went to say our goodbyes and part ways, I noticed a pretty deep and bloody gash on his right bicep. Being used to tending to my sisters' battle wounds when nurses weren't accessible, I knew the right thing to do was offer assistance.

"My — that wound looks pretty deep. I think there is a medical kit in the bathroom of this cabin. Do you want me to clean you up?" I offered kindly and he quickly shook his head.

"No, princess. I've already disturbed your night enough. Go enjoy the rest of your festival."

I mirrored his previous actions by shaking my head, denying his refusal. "No, I insist. It will only take a few minutes of my time."

After a minute of hesitation, the man accepted my offer with a nod of his head. I opened the door of the cabin with the key my sister had given me, we entered the cozy place and I instantly headed straight to the bathroom to retrieve the medical kit.

Once I returned a few minutes later with the needed items in hand, I saw Syzoth sitting on the couch in the middle of the room, looking around at his surroundings curiously like before. I found it oddly cute, how he seems so fascinated with all around him. I decided to watch his actions for a minute longer, before entering the room to greet the man once again.

I sat down right beside him on the couch, and quickly got to work on his wounded arm. He would flinch every once in a while, but he was pretty good at staying still for me. The room fell silent for the time being but it was actually fairly nice. He watched as I cleaned and bandaged his arm, but I didn't feel judged or criticized like I usually did whenever I was being trained by my sisters or mother. I felt... Rather calm with this man. I liked it.

"There you go — all better now." I announced as I finished wrapping the soft cloth around his muscular arm as carefully as I could.

He looked down at his arm for a moment, carefully inspecting the bandage before looking up at me with a grateful grin.

"Thank you, princess. You did a wonderful job."

I could quickly feel my cheeks stinging with heat and I instantly looked away to hide the blush I knew had stained them crimson. As a royal, I knew I couldn't mingle with one my family didn't approve of first. And besides, he could never feel that way for me anyway. Growing up, all the men in my village were always attracted to my sisters like moths to a fire. And it seemed to me that I was the lavender that repelled them. They haven't wanted me all my life, so why would they now? I quickly looked for anything to steer the conversation in a new direction and distract the man from my rose-dusted skin.

"Um... So, I must ask..." I began, struggling to find words as I thought hard of a good question to ask him — anything to steer the conversation away from dangerous territory. "I've never seen Zaterra, but I have heard stories about it from my ancestors. You don't necessarily look Zaterran. Were you adopted?"

The man stared at me for a moment with a blank expression — as if I had just said the most obsurde thing he had ever heard — before laughing heartedly for a few minutes. He shook his head as he calmed down from his fit of giggles, finally looking back at me with a large smile of amusement.

"No, I am not adopted. I am indeed Zaterran, princess." He informed me. Still being very confused, I just had to push for a clearer answer.

"I do not understand. You look so— so—"

"Human?"

"Yeah,"

At that moment, Syzoth leaned forwards and lowered his voice as if to tell me something that was only meant for my ears to hear. I leaned in closer — until our faces were merely inches apart — and it had just then dawned on me that I had never been this close to a man before. My heart began racing as I felt his hot breath fan my skin like a warm summer's breeze. I was sure that I was blushing again.

I could see his face better now — every little detail of his tattoo, his beautiful light green eyes, the aged scars that were across his face and soft pink lips. I wanted to run my fingers along the inked design to see what it felt like, his soft green eyes lured me in like a wolf to the stars at night, and those soft pink lips... I wondered at that moment what it would be like if I leaned in a little closer and let them gently caress my own — how good would that feel? But then his low voice finally brought me back out of my little fantasy.

"Can you keep something only between you and me?" He whispered in a volume so quiet, I almost couldn't catch the words to comprehend them. I nodded slowly and he stood up from his spot, backing away from the couch. "Promise me you won't be frightened, princess?"

Though that last sentence did make me a bit worried and nervous, I nodded my head in agreement. Merely a few seconds later, the man disappeared. I was pretty confused but then suddenly a large, reptilian creature appeared right before me. He stood around 8-9ft tall, towering over me as he licked his big fangs. I could only gasp as my eyes stayed focused upon the creature — my body now completely frozen in shock. I couldn't comprehend how this beautiful man could transform into a reptilian creature. It seemed impossible. But it was Outworld, so I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised.

The creature then came forward and lowered his head to my side, showing that he had no intention of devouring me like my ancestors told me Zaterrans do. I placed my hand upon the top of his head and stroked his scales a few times to show that I wasn't afraid of him in his — I suppose natural form. He let out a low rumble that emitted from his chest and I couldn't help but giggle a little bit at the fact that he enjoyed the affection much like a tamed dog. He was actually quite a beautiful creature. I always had an appreciation for reptiles that my family could never understand.

The creature eventually backed away and suddenly, Syzoth was once again in his human form. He stood before me with a rather cheeky smile set on his lips. Whether he found it amusing how shocked I was or was just happy that I didn't run away, I am unsure. He approached the couch and sat down once again, staring into my eyes with almost hopeful ones.

"When my people found out about my "curse", I was terrorized and run out. They called me a freak..." He peered down to his hands folded in his lap as he whispered the last sentence as if it hurt his heart to speak those words, and that hurt my heart as well. Because in a way, I knew what it was like to be treated differently than others. "But that's why I'm here: To make a new and rewarding life for myself."

"You're not a freak," I exclaimed with a reassuring smile while placing my hand on his own. He glanced up at me as if he was surprised to hear me say those words — lips parted as if he wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say. "And I don't think it's a curse; It's a gift."

"So you are not afraid, princess?" He asked with a hint of nervousness in his tone and I shook my head.

"Of course not, Syzoth. I think your Zaterran form is rather beautiful. And you must be a mighty good fighter?" I nudged his shoulder playfully with my own and he huffed a short laugh.

"Perhaps once you are queen, I can be your protector?" He suggested as his lips curved up into a pretty attractive smirk. My heart began to beat faster once again for only a second until his words finally sunk in.

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible." I mentioned and he looked at me with confusion etched in his features. I figured that I should explain more thoroughly. "My sister — Mileena — is next in line to inherit the throne from our mother. I will never be queen of Outworld."

"Oh, I am sorry." He spoke sincerely and I simply shook my head to dismiss his apology, despite being grateful towards his empathy.

"It's fine, Syzoth. I am truly proud of my sister's accomplishments. I just wasn't meant to be a ruler." I gave him a faint smile to mask my hidden sorrow but it was plainly clear that he could see right through it. He had only known me for an hour and he could somehow see through the cracks of my porcelain mask of lies better than my family could. How funny is that?

He stared at me as if he was examining my features for a moment, before speaking in the softest tone I had ever heard spoken, "Well, you could be the queen of my heart instead?"

Coincidentally with his words, I felt my heart stop for a second as they sunk into my mind. My thoughts were racing around my mind at such fast speeds, that I began to feel dizzy and lightheaded.

'There is absolutely no way he just suggested— No, it's not possible— Or is it? Even if it was, there would be no way we could— By the Elder Gods, my sisters would never allow it!'

But just as I parted my lips to speak my refusal, my eyes set upon his hopeful gaze. There sat before me a man who saw my worth — who wanted to love me the way I deserved to be loved; how could I deny that?

"Syzoth," I spoke in the most soft and calm tone I could muster. I took the man's large hands within my own and smiled up at him in a loving way. "I would be honored to be the queen of your heart."

His smile broadened as his fingers clasped around my hands to hold them tight as he locked his warm gaze with my own. "Together, we will no longer be alone."

We both leaned forward and his soft lips finally collided with mine in a kiss that I had not only been waiting for for the past hour, but my whole life. It was as if color had finally been restored into my grey existence and — for the first time ever — I knew something that was finally set in stone — I knew that I would no longer be alone.

》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《

#mortal kombat 1 #mk1 #mortal kombat reptile #mk reptile #reptile #reptile x reader #mortal kombat syzoth #mk syzoth #syzoth #syzoth x reader #KassieMortalKombatFanFics

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on-a-lucky-tide · 7 months ago

Text

Gaz trains new recruits to outlast and outlive the most brutal interrogations. It takes its toll and Nik is there to pick up the pieces after a particularly difficult session.

cw: mention of torture, best friends Nik and Gaz.

They had been led into the wilderness at gunpoint and made to sit on the ground, their hands behind their heads, for three hours while they waited. Every time their arms dropped, one of their captors pistol whipped them or kicked their ribs until they sat up and returned to their appropriate position. Gaz had arrived in a jeep on time and made them listen to his boots grind through the dirt and each other's grunts as he shoved them about.

He had kept them hooded and stripped them naked, made them stand in the cold and the lashing rain, their backs bent, their bodies exposed to fuck knows what. One called for the umpire, the humiliation of having one of their captors jeer at his 'little prick' shrivelling in the cold was too much. The rest had said their names, their ranks, their serial numbers. Good lads.

He had deprived them of sleep, made them lose track of time, made them stand until their knees gave in and then hauled them to their feet, screaming in their faces. Two called for the umpire after two days. The rest had said their names, their ranks, their serial numbers.

He whipped the soles of their feet with his belt and made them stand in stress positions against the wall, their naked bodies so pale they were turning blue. They lasted. It was when he got to the final phase, their minds broken down to their limit, bodies starved, hungry and cold, that he brought pictures of their families in.

It was the photo of one little girl that stuck in his craw. Usually the recruits were too young to have families. Sometimes they might have a wife, but he'd usually go for their mothers, threatening the most heinous shit until they were begging to tell him what he wanted to know.

This one had a three year old.

Stupid fumble when he was sixteen along with an otherwise Catholic upbringing meant he was a father at nineteen.

Gaz stood staring at the little girl while the trooper sat hooded before him, and had to search deep to find the arsehole that would threaten her life, her innocence. When he tore that hood off and thrust the picture in the lad's face, he saw the horror only a father could show when a monster held his baby at gunpoint. "Tell me, or I'm gonna find her, and I'm gonna have myself even more fun than I've had with you."

The lad broke in twenty minutes. No food, no sleep, no warmth, his mind shredded, he melted down to primal hysterics at the thought of the animal that had brought him so low getting to his daughter. It took two paramedics to support him.

Gaz called it ten minutes later and they headed back to base. The remaining four had passed successfully.

He sat on the roof of the hanger, his legs dangling over the edge, a bottle of Evian clutched in his shaking hands, and tried to find his peace. There was a base therapist on call, but she wouldn't be able to get through the roiling mess of darkness warping his mind in that moment.

Gaz startled as two booted feet appeared at his side. Their owner slumped down moments later, his brown leather jacket brushed against Gaz's puffer jacket. "It is cold up here, sergeant."

"Yeah, needed to clear my head."

"The interrogation training was a success, I hear. The captain is pleased."

"Mm."

Nik reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small bottle of vodka. The cap cracked as he twisted it and Gaz listened to the liquid slosh against glass as Nik took a swig. When Nik offered it across, he shook his head, "Naw, I shouldn't, I've got paperwork."

"Paperwork can wait until the soul has steadied. Drink the vodka. I am pulling rank."

"Nik, you don't have a rank, mate," Gaz said, smiling.

"I was a captain before I left the air force. I maintain it as an honorary rank."

"You're full of shit."

"Even if I am," Nik conceded, "I have your captain in my backpocket and I am sure I could convince him you need to go on leave."

"Cold."

"Baltic, as I believe Sergeant MacTavish would say."

Gaz took the bottle with a chuckle, shaking his head. The vodka wasn't of English origin but Russian and it burned its way down his throat like nothing he'd ever tasted, his eyes watering. "Ahh, fuck me, you lot are next level with this shit."

"Da. It is a national pastime," Nik said, taking the bottle back. They sat in silence for a moment, watching a little fixed wing biplane taxi down the runway for take off.

"Could you fly that?"

"Da."

"Is there an aircraft you couldn't fly?"

Nik scratched his chin thoughtfully. "They have just released a new Sukhoi, I would have to train myself on the new technology."

"A new Sukhoi?"

"Da."

"Nik, that is a fighter jet."

"Da."

"Fuck, you're insanely cool. Leave some badarsery for us mortals."

Nik gave him the side eye and then elbowed his arm. Gaz chuckled, and they fell silent again. The sun was setting and it would be dark soon. Hereford was beautiful this time of year, with all the oranges and golds of autumn splashed over the woodlands. Woodlands in which Gaz had just tortured their own people. His shoulders slouched.

"How do you do it? What Price asks you to do."

Nik didn't need to ask for specifics. He knew why they were sitting on the roof of a hanger on a late autumn evening. "I do what needs to be done to achieve our goal. I believe your captain says it best: we get our hands dirty, so that others can stay clean."

"Doesn't it eat you? Doesn't it like... get up in here," he tapped his temple, "make you worry you're... a fuckin' monster, like you don't deserve to... to be around normal people."

"Sometimes," Nik said. "But I made my peace with it a long time ago. You will too."

"It's the kids, man. The... one of 'em, they had a daughter and I..."

Nik nodded and let Gaz lapse into silence. He lifted a hand to settle on his shoulder. "You are a good man, Kyle Garrick. When I say you make your peace, I do not mean you will stop feeling... this. If you did, you would not be you."

"Then maybe I'm not cut out for this. Maybe I should..." he swallowed, "...maybe I should leave."

"It is precisely because you feel this way that you are cut for this. Do you think Price is heartless?"

"No, he's... He's just... He's Price. Some kinda superhuman motherfuckin' SAS machine."

Nik chuckled. "Nyet, John is human. Very human."

There was something tender in the way that Nik said Price's name that made Gaz look up, his brow furrowed. Very human. "How many times have you had this conversation with him?"

"Many times. Not on so many roofs, but... the words have been the same. The look on his face."

"Seriously?"

"Da." Nik placed his hands between his thighs to keep his fingers warm, swinging his legs. "He threw a hostage off a roof once to save the others. The bomb vest they were wearing... He couldn't get it off. I found him pacing his office like a lion trapped in a tiny cage. The cage was in his head, made of self doubt and anger. He was telling himself there had been a way but he just had not seen it."

Gaz nodded. "How did you.. how did he come round?"

"By realising he is just a man. He made a choice so someone else did not have to. He saved lives. The greater good. Just as your specialism saves lives. That young man may survive one day because of what you taught him."

Gaz sighed and took the vodka back for another swig. "I guess we all gotta figure out just how far we're willing to go for our greater good."

"Da."

"Has Price?"

Nik hummed. "I think... if you stop wondering, then it is time to stop altogether. Every choice has consequences. If we do not consider them, then we are not governed by any good."

Perhaps it was the vodka, or even the relief Gaz felt with Nik at his side, the realisation that even his hero felt the way he did, that sometimes he just needed to work through it to the otherside, but he shook his head, smiling. "You Tolstoy talkin' motherfucker, wow. Have you thought about writing?"

"I might have dabbled..."

"No. Way. Nik, please... I need to see."

"Nyet, it is private."

Gaz gasped. "Is it... Is it saucy? Nik, did you write smut?"

Nik folded his arms and raised his eyebrow.

"Nik, Nik, please... Oh, oh, is it about Price? Nik, is it about Price? It's about Price, oh my god."

"I will throw you off this building if you tell him."

Gaz whooped and cackled, falling onto his back in the gravel. Nik watched him, grinning, and snatched the vodka back for a swig.

Gaz was a good man. He would be fine. Sometimes the greater good took chunks of you with it, but humans were hardy, they could heal, bounce back. With the right people around them, of course.

#kyle gaz garrick #cod nikolai #cod #call of duty

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sturnioloszn · 4 months ago

Text

KISS ME ON NYE? - C.S

summary; while at a nye party with the triplets, you realise you have nobody to kiss at midnight, but neither does chris...

warnings; mentions of alcohol, light kissing/making-out.

a/n; ugh i feel like i've written a million oneshots based at parties lmfao, this will be the last one for a hot minute lol.

Parties weren't my usual scene. The loud music which I could feel in my bones, the crowds of sweaty and drunk people, the desperate men who would do anything to get in a girl's underwear, it all just made me feel gross. However, for the sake of my best friends and the fact that it was new years eve, I dragged myself here in hopes of a good time.

Sipping from my water bottle, I looked around and noticed Nick in the kitchen, pouring himself another alcoholic concoction. I make my way towards him, in urgent need of a conversation, because standing in the corner of a party, alone, is incredibly depressing.

"Ugh, where have you been?" I ask, approaching my friend, leaning against the marble countertops.

"Making out with that insanely hot guy," he replies, nodding his head to the giant standing in the middle of the dance floor. He stuck out like a sore thumb, but that was usually Nick's type anyway.

"How about you? What have you been up to?"

"Literally nothing. I'm bored out of my mind," I admit. I take another sip of my water as I scan my eyes over the house full of people. I notice Matt sitting on the couch with a girl on his lap. Damn, even Matt is getting some right now, and I'm not.

"So you don't have your kiss yet?" Nick questions, tasting his weird mix of alcohol that he had just created.

"Kiss? For what?" I reply, completely baffled.

"Midnight, duh. Are you not gonna have a new years eve kiss?"

"No? Do you have someone to kiss?" I ask. There's no way I'd participate in that stupid tradition. Even if i wanted to, which I do not, I don't have anyone to kiss.

"Um, yes. Mr. 6'3" is my kiss," he grins, offering me some of his creation, but I quickly decline it.

"Is Matt kissing someone?"

I don't want to be the only one not kissing someone at midnight. I'll be the first to admit that it's just a stupid trend, but I'll also admit that I suffer from severe FOMO and being the only one not kissing someone will have me wishing a black hole would open and swallow me whole.

"Probably that girl he's been hanging out with all night," he shrugs, chugging down more of his drink.

"Chris?"

"No idea, I've barely seen him, actually," he says.

"Anyway, I'm going back to my man, it's almost midnight! You better find someone quick,"

I'm left alone again, wondering what the fuck I'm supposed to do. I make my way to the living room and notice a large countdown displayed on the tv. There were two minutes before midnight. Shit.

Just as worries began to flood my head, Chris walked into the room. Our eyes meet before he lazily strolls over with a small smile on his lips.

"Where have you been?" I smile, acknowledging his relaxed presence. I guess he wasn't worried about finding someone to kiss at midnight.

"Honestly, in one of the rooms, on my phone," he chuckles. It wasn't the answer I expected, and he could tell I was taken by surprise. Chris usually loves this kind of stuff; the music, the drinks, the girls. But recently, he hasn't been as into them.

I glance at his drink of choice and notice he was holding a pepsi, not even any liquor.

"You kissing someone at midnight?"

His question made my stomach flip. I'd be completely lying if I said that I didn't have a tiny crush on Chris. I know we've been friends for years, but that's exactly why I can't let my feelings get in the way of our friendship.

But his question had me rethinking everything between us. Did he feel the same? Was he just looking for a new years eve kiss? Did it matter if it was me or any random girl?

I'm broken from my thoughts when everyone suddenly starts chanting numbers. I'm confused for a moment until I realise they were counting backwards from ten. It was ten seconds until midnight. Nine. Eight. Seven.

Shit, was I really going to do this? Six. Five. Four.

I look over to Chris, who's already looking straight at me. Three. Two.

It was now or never I guess. One.

I quickly wrap my arms around his neck and pull his face into mine, crashing our lips together. He doesn't hesitate to kiss me back, and everything feels frozen. The entire room stills, and the only thing I can comprehend was the way his lips grazed mine over and over again.

His hands rested on my lower back, pulling me closer into him. I feel the air being drawn out from my lungs, forcing me to pull away from this dream-like state.

Opening my eyes, I'm met with his dark blue ones. There's absolutely no way he didn't feel anything in that kiss.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while," he smirks, pulling me in for another kiss. This time, I open my jaw wider, letting him have full access to my mouth. I feel his tongue dip in and out, leaving the taste of his soda in my mouth. I feel my knees grow weaker, and the butterflies in my stomach stronger.

I briefly pull away from the kiss again.

"Me too," I smile against his lips, wishing I could crystalise this moment forever.

a/n; final oneshot of the yearrrrr, isn't that crazy? anywho, i'd like to just take a moment to thank everyone for all the love i've received. every reblog, every like, every comment, it all means so much to me, and I'm so insanely grateful. i can't wait for this new year, i have some exciting stuff planned, and hopefully, you're just as excited. have an amazing new year, everyone, love you all! 💙

Taglist; @idrk2292 @missmanheim @moonlightsturns @045696 @forgottxen @mattsturniolover @imjusthereforthesturniolosmut @chrissturniolodailysluts @sturnobsessedwh0re

#★°.*sturnioloszn*.°★#sturniolo triplets #the sturniolo triplets #christopher owen sturniolo #chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #sturniolo fandom #sturniolo nation #sturniolo tumblr

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queenlua · 3 months ago

Note

your post about adding excitement to a story by increasing the pressure on a character was not something i’d heard before and i found it super useful. are there any other pieces of writing advice you find foundational and would be willing to share?

glad you found that tidbit helpful!

first, i’ll give my default caveat of “i’m just some guy on the internet, so take this with however many grains of salt you need”

plus my general caveat on… all writing tips/tidbits/advice? which is:

i find that, past the basics of “knowing about exposition/rising action/climax/denouement” and such, most writing advice ends up operating as a dusty old toolbox i open up now and again. something in my story's not working; i’m not sure how to fix it; i pull out my little toolbox of tidbits i’ve accumulated over the years and see if any of the screwdrivers and wrenches in there actually fit. the kinds of tidbits that are useful for me may be ACTIVELY DETRIMENTAL to someone else; someone who chronically overtightens their screws probably shouldn’t be told “have you tried tightening the screws more :D;;;;” or whatever. and in particular what works for me is probably oriented towards genre-y stuff.

BUT, Y’KNOW, GIVEN ALL THAT

here’s the tidbits i find myself returning to over & over!

* three is a very powerful number. i have a tendency to write myself into situations where you have Two Interesting Characters Doing Verbal Head-Games With Each Other, and that stuff can be tremendously fun, but it tends to run out of steam very quickly. adding a third character to the scene combinatorially increases the dynamics available for you to play with. so if you’re stuck, throw someone else in there. (relatedly this is why awful dinner parties are Peak Literature™)

* if you’re writing a romance: put a sticky note on your monitor that says “WHY CAN’T THEY BE TOGETHER NOW?” if at any point you don’t have a good answer to that, you’ve fucked up; rework the plot.

* this is a shlocky tidbit from the South Park creators that totally works: list all the scenes in your story, and then, between each scene, see if they are connected by THEREFORE or BUT versus AND THEN.

so., e.g., “the ocean levels in Tellius are rising, THEREFORE kilvas wants to migrate from their sinking islands and onto Serenes, BUT Reyson is opposed to that move, THEREFORE…”

that gives you a stronger structure than, like, idk, “the war ends AND THEN kilvas moves to Serenes AND THEN Reyson and Naesala get in a fight…”

you want it to be mostly “THEREFORE/BUT” and very few “AND THEN”s. just a tighter overall plot structure

* each scene should accomplish at least two things. the most common two things for a scene to do are “advance the plot” and “develop a character”; i have a hazy memory that when i first read this advice, there was a list of, like, 1-3 other things a scene’s allowed to accomplish? but i cannot REMEMBER that list, lol. but use your imagination; i’m sure you can think of another valid thing.

i think this is more useful as debugging/editing advice than upfront advice—often, when you’re writing something, every scene will *feel* necessary, but upon reread, you’ll notice your attention is drifting, this doesn’t quite feel tight enough… and you’ll realize, oh, ugh, i just had three scenes in a row that existed Solely To Hit A Plot Beat; why don’t i combine those three scenes into one, condense the action, and also make sure a character’s doing something actually interesting/new while i’m at it.

(i think i see this plaguing a lot of novels that come out of nanowrimo in particular. i mean, not me, because i don’t have the fast-twitch muscle required to do nanowrimo, but when i read other people’s nanowrimo stuff, it often feels like it was galloping through a bunch of plot beats without bothering to do anything else interesting.)

* if you're stuck on a particular scene/chapter, stuff to try:

delete the current sentence and start over

delete the current paragraph and start over

change the font and reread what you've got so far

open the document on a different screen and reread what you've got so far

print the thing out and reread what you've got so far

open a brand new document and rewrite the whole scene/chapter/etc from the start (NO PEEKING AT THE ORIGINAL VERSION)

go outside and look at a bird for a bit

take a nap

shoot a whiny discord message to a friend about it (even if it's solely rubber ducking, this can be helpful) (though if you have any friends who are good at writing AND ALSO willing to put up with your shit and offer helpful feedback AND ALSO you're not too mortified by your writing dilemma to share it with them, that's even better) (btw, any friends reading this: if you want to opt-in to messages like this from me, LET ME KNOW lmao, i'm really shy on this front!)

if you're DESPERATE: open a new document and just write out, like, "Character X wants Y. Character Z wants Q. These are the sources of pressure on character X. These are the sources of pressure on character Y. I want R to happen but I feel stuck because of M" and so on, just... really trying to dissect what the scene's trying to accomplish? most often, the outcome of this is, i'll notice in that "thinking aloud" document that i'm circling around some central question that I Don't Know The Answer To, and i need to answer that question to usefully proceed. sometimes this will be painfully obvious in hindsight. (e.g., sometimes you'll go back to your outline and you'll realize you've literally just hit the bullet point that says UGH OKAY THEY GET TOGETHER SOMEHOW I'LL FIGURE THIS OUT LATER, and you're like, ugh, fuck, it's now later, why is past-me such a bitch!) but them's the breaks. (in particular, i remember getting catastrophically stuck on a "meet the parents" story until i realized i was... avoiding actually writing out the "meet the parents" scene... which feels "well duh" in hindsight! but, like, hey, in order to write that scene, i needed to commit to some specific decisions on What The Story Was About, the same way artists gotta eventually erase a bunch of sketchy lines to commit to the Lines They Will Actually Be Inking, and that decision point feels hard and scary and no wonder i waffled lol)

okay so that's all the super-specific-concrete advice. here's some stuff that's more big-picture but i've still found personally useful:

* i once went to a talk where a novelist said she doesn't start writing a novel until she knows exactly what she wants it to look like on the bookshelf. as in: is it a schlocky trade paperback or is it a beautiful hardcover thing with fancy paper? does it have IMPACT FONT for the title or something handwriting-y? how many pages is it? and so on.

in service of this aim, she never writes any of the novel (no notes, no outlines, no snippets of dialogue, nothing) until she has that image vividly in her mind + she can't physically STAND not writing it any longer. for her, this process allows her to be sure that she knows what her novel is about—not necessarily in every single detail or plot beat (though, often she has a lot of that in mind before starting), but in terms of "what am i trying to say," "how do i want the world to look at it," etc, and she's found through hard experience that, while it's easy for her to start novels, it's often hard for her to finish them unless she has that crystal-clear image in her mind.

i can’t quite do her purity-of-method (my brain is scrambled eggs; i HAVE to write down snatches of dialogue and such before i get started on something or it all leaks out of my ears), but i see a lot of wisdom in it. i do a lot of prewriting & thinking & scribbling out little snatches of dialogue and such before i really begin writing. i think everyone develops their own little heuristic for when they can be reasonably confident they know what their story is about, so you should try and figure out what that heuristic is for you & learn to trust it if you can? (a common one you hear a lot is "i have to know how the story ends / what the ending feels like," which makes sense; endings usually have a lot to do with what a story is About. i know NK Jemisin mentioned once she can't really start until she's nailed down the voice, and that also makes sense to me—you read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and it's very clear that her choice of voice is a large part of what drives the story, it has a propulsive force of its own; it's The Thing that blasts the whole thing open for her. for me, i'm not sure i have a tidy heuristic, but there's a point where i've written enough snatches of dialogue plus bits of scenes that i've unlocked some core thing that i'm really excited about—i keep spinning out bits of dialogue and setting and such that are related to that thing, i'm so excited to see how that thing plays out across the story, i look at my outline and see only possibilities and wonder instead of connective tissue that needs to be filled in... and then, yeah, i'll know i'm cooking, but not one second before!)

note that the story is allowed to surprise me & change on me once i get properly started—my longfic changed substantially when i realized Reyson’s perspective needed a LOT more room to breathe than i had accounted for in the outline, and then changed substantially again when i realized the butterfly-effect-style implications that keeping Leanne around had for my entire storyline—the ending wound up being TOTALLY different than what i'd originally planned!—but like, in that case, i don't think my sense of what the story was about ever fundamentally changed; i just added two more huge elements that orbited that about-ness. if that makes sense.

* i think about this passage from Bayles & Orland's Art and Fear a lot. i'm actually not sure that advice is helpful for literally everyone—i do see people who somehow manage to write the same fucking thing over and over, for years and years, and never seem to develop their craft or make any movement toward saying something interesting.

but i do think most people are developing something even when it feels like "the same thing over and over," and as someone who probably tends toward too little output, i found it a useful reminder that returning to familiar forms, themes, and characters across pieces is intensely useful if it gets you in front of the keyboard again, so don't stress over novelty too much. (i find, if i'm still returning to a particular form/theme/character, it's because i feel like i still have some interesting new perspective on it that's genuinely worth exploring. if i have actually exhausted a topic, i'll know it because i myself will get bored, but anyone else's opinion is irrelevant!)

* ursula k le guin's steering the craft is more focused on craft & nuts n bolts than plot-debugging-type-things but i thought i'd give it a shout-out here because i've just found it so perpetually useful over the years. in particular we could all stand to read our stuff aloud more often; that fixes a lot of problems and she goes on about that in detail in chapter 1 haha

* oh, also, re: my "put more pressure on the characters" advice—you've probably already intuited this, but i think i found that framing more useful than the kinds of "raise the stakes / make sure every character has Stakes / Wants Something" advice you're likely to find in screenwriting workshops, because this framing feels like a more... abstract... way of talking about the same thing?

like, often those two types of advice are addressing the same problem, but when i start off thinking about "where is the pressure on these characters," i don't just have to think "time to heap more pressure on them," i can also, like. observe. where the pressure points in my work are. i'm not presupposing a solution. maybe there's a ton of pressure but it's the wrong kind of pressure. maybe there's a ton of pressure but there's nowhere satisfying for that pressure to go. it's very woo/fuzzy but yeah i use the general principle of "pressure" to frame a LOT of how i think about story construction; maybe that'll be useful to you!

* FINALLY, i don't have a nice packaged heuristic/tidbit/tool-shaped thing for this one yet, but i've been thinking a lot about how much perspective really Changes Everything about a work. your choice of PoV should be exceedingly deliberate; you should be taking maximum advantage of your choice of PoV at all times (what do they know? what don't they know? how do they think about the world? etc); also if you're editing something and you're noticing a lot of unconscious perspective breaks, that's a warning sign something's going badly wrong in how you're approaching the story overall—perspective should just be unconsciously correct if you're hitting stuff right imo

OK WOW SORRY THAT GOT SO LONG but hope at least one of these lil bullets are useful for ya! happy writing~

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institute-of-planar-shitposts · 4 months ago

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In honor of the month & the fact I don't actually know when Candlenights is usually considered, have another Crystal Kingdom moment!

Sunshine heads over to Johann, striking up an idle conversation before commenting on the song he was playing and deciding now is a good time to try to subtly change the direction for it, like Magnus asked.

“Hey, do you want to do a duet?” she offers.

“Do you know any Candlenights songs?” Johann asks, surprised, as he pauses in his playing.

“Who doesn't?” Sunshine blinks, confused at the question.

“I mean, fair enough, you just never seemed to be practicing any in the last while,” he says.

“Yeah, I guess the typical practice window does usually start a few months before now,” she concedes. “Honestly, I hadn't really thought about it much because I didn't think anyone would ask, since you're kind of the go-to performance guy nowadays. Or that I would offer.”

“So… You sure you want to perform?” Johann frowns, lowering his violin and bow.

“I mean, I wasn't initially planning on it, but it's probably gonna be a pretty small party, right?” she shrugs.

“I dunno. I heard Merle has, like, two thousand party points.”

“What's a party point?” Sun blinks.

“Not really sure myself,” Johann admits. “I think it's a measure of how good the parties he throws are?”

“That would make sense,” she agrees. “Still, I don't think they'd invite the whole Bureau, you know?”

“True. Question still stands, though.”

“Yeah. Truth be told, I fucking love Candlenights and Candlenights carols - always have - so I'm down.” Sun pauses for a moment. “Uh, I don't have an instrument to work with right this second, but I can still sing,” she offers. “I have a few just kicking it in my head.”

“Yeah, singing’s not a bad idea,” he says. “What do you know?”

Sunshine considers for a moment. Keeping it upbeat for the party… "Let it Snow" is always good, especially with the storm right now; could start with that. What else do I know…

“Ooh!” She brightens as she remembers the song she had actually been trying to practice recently. “Okay, this isn't something I can sing so it’d probably be something for a little bit later, but you know how I've been messing around with magic in instruments lately?”

Johann nods, so she continues. “Do you want to do "Wizards in Winter" later?”

He blinks. “Have you practiced that one?”

“Surprisingly yes, actually,” she grins. “I just kept getting it stuck in my head over the last… I think month, so I figured, fuck it. It's not perfect, but I think it'll pass.”

“Okay, we can try it,” he agrees.

“Cool. Do you mind helping me move a couple instruments in here, then?”

“What ones?”

Sun taps her arm, mulling it over for a moment. “Wish we had a piano on the base,” she mutters. “For what I do have, though, I'm gonna want my viol for sure, any drums we might have, probably a guitar, my harp… Let's start there for now,” she decides.

“That's a few instruments,” Johann frowns.

“True, but we're gonna be simulating a full orchestra,” she explains. “That's going to require those four, bare minimum.”

Johann considers her words for a moment. “Yeah, that's true. Let's start with the big ones then.”

“You got it. I'm gonna go find one of the Reclaimers to let them know where we're going,” Sunshine says, scanning the slowly growing number of attendees to find one of the boys.

#starry's skies #Sunshine #taz balance au #taz johann #do I add anything else to the tags? gonna be honest I've never understood how to do so properly -

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falloutboylyricss · 7 months ago

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Fall Out Boy and Colors

Evening Out With Your Girlfriend

none

Take This to Your Grave

"I'm good to go for something golden" - Saturday

"These friends are, new friends are golden" - Homesick at Space Camp

"My insides are copper, I'd kill to make them gold" - Sending Postcards From a Plane Crash (Wish You Were Here)

"My heart is on my sleeve, wear it like a bruise or black eye" - Chicago Is So Two Years Ago

"All the colors of the street signs, they remind me of the pickup truck out in front of your neighbor's house" - Chicago Is So Two Years Ago

From Under The Cork Tree

"You look so good in blue" - Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner

"We're traveled like [nomads] only with worse luck and far less gold" - Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year

"With your backless black dress soaked to the skin" - Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends

"Someone old, no one new, feeling borrowed, always blue" - I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me

"This story's getting old, the homewrecker with the heart of gold" - Snitches And Talkers Get Stitches And Walkers

Infinity On High

"At night, we're painting your trash gold while you sleep" - This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race

"Kissed teeth stained red from a sour bottle baby girl with eyes the size of baby worlds" - I'm Like A Lawyer With The Way I'm Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You)

"I sing the blues and swallow them too" - Hum Hallelujah

"How cruel is the golden rule when the lives we lived are only golden-plated?" - Golden

"Her nose runs ruby red, Death's in a double bed" - The (After) Life Of The Party

"Racing through the city, windows down in the back of yellow checkered cars" - Bang The Doldrums

"There's too much green to feel blue" - Fame < Infamy

"Lips pressed close to mine, true blue" - G.I.N.A.S.F.S.

"Trade baby blues for wide-eyed browns" - G.I.N.A.S.F.S.

"Blackmailed myself, 'cause I ain't got anyone else" - It's Hard To Say "I Do", When I Don't

"I've got the red carpet blues, baby" - It's Hard To Say "I Do", When I Don't

Folie à Deux

The (Shipped) Gold Standard (title only)

"I've got a lot of friends who are stars, but some are just black holes" - 27

"Oh, baby, you're a classic, like a little black dress" - Tiffany Blews

"I want to get stuck and be golden in your memory" - w.a.m.s.

"The infrared scope on pointlessness" - West Coast Smoker

Save Rock And Roll

"Silver clouds with gray linings" - The Phoenix

"Because the world is just a teller and we are wearing black masks" - The Phoenix

"Wave the white flag" - The Phoenix

"And when she touched him, he turned ruby red" - Where Did The Party Go

"Your hot whiskey eyes have fanned the flames" - Miss Missing You

"She's his suicide blonde, she's number than gold" - Rat A Tat

"I kept wishing she had blonde ambition and she'd let it go to my head" - Rat A Tat

"As alone as a little white church in the middle of the desert getting burned" - Rat A Tat

"She's sick and she's wrong, she's young dirty blonde" - Rat A Tat

PAX AM Days

"Every time I see you, I just want to paint the walls white" - We Were Doomed From The Start (The King Is Dead)

"You're just a black widow who fell in love with herself" - Hot To The Touch, Cold On The Inside

American Beauty/American Psycho

"Some legends are told, some turn to dust or to gold" - Centuries

"Overhead of the aqua blue" - The Kids Aren't Alright

"I always fall from your window to the pitch black street / And with the black banners raised as the crooked smiles fade" - The Kids Aren't Alright

"I got those jet pack blues" - Jet Pack Blues

"And I'm trying to find my peace of mind behind these two white highway lines" - Jet Pack Blues

"She's in a long black coat tonight waiting for me in the downpour outside" - Jet Pack Blues

"This is a black, black ski mask song" - Novocaine

"If you knew, knew what the bluebirds sang at you, you would never sing along" - Novocaine

"Take this sideshow and all its freaks and turn it into the silver screen dream" - Novocaine

"And I confessed, confessed to you riding shot-gun underneath the purple skies" - Favorite Record

"Live with me forever now, pull the blackout curtains down" - Immortals

"And there's a jet black crow droning on and on and on" - Twin Skeleton's (Hotel In NYC)

MANIA

"You were too good to be true, gold-plated" - The Last Of The Real Ones

"I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker color" - Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)

"These are the last blues we're ever gonna have" - Bishops Knife Trick

So Much (For) Stardust

"It's open season on blue moods" - Heartbreak Feels So Good

"Running middle fingers through the red lights" - Hold Me Like a Grudge

"Fever-dream tangerine sweat" - Hold Me Like a Grudge

"Take a knife and cut through the darkness, castle-temp red wine" - Fake Out

The Pink Seashell (title only)

"Orange leaves, but we're the ones falling off trees" - Baby Annihilation

"Oh, I'm going neon in the night-time" - What a Time To Be Alive

"I got the quarantine blues, bad news, what's left?" - What a Time To Be Alive

Misc.

"Boxed blondes have less fun" - Lake Effect Kid

"Fyre Fest, Black Parade, Michael Phelps, Y2K" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"SpongeBob, Golden State Killer got caught" - We Didn't Start The Fire

"Jeff Bezos, climate change, white rhino goes extinct" - We Didn't Start The Fire

#for sophomore slump i changed the g slur to “nomads” to match what patrick sings when they play the song live now #fall out boy #fob #fall out boy lyrics #fob lyrics #patrick stump #pete wentz #joe trohman #andy hurley

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luke-hughes43 · 5 months ago

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i can fix him (no really i can) | trevor zegras x reader

this is based on the taylor swift song 'i can fix him (no really i can)' for the era's tour fic challenge masterlist put on by the lovely @comphy-and-cozy and @wyattjohnston !

explicitly and loosely based on the lyrics of 'they shake their heads saying, "God help her", when I tell them he's my man, but your good Lord doesn't need to lift a finger, I can fix him, no, really I can, and only I can' as well as the very last lyric of 'woad maybe i can't'

it is sad and angsty at the end and i'm sorry.

enjoy!

y'n's pov

growing up in toronto, hockey is everything. and having an older brother and friends who played the sport teach you the ins and outs of the hockey worlds.

even the not so glamorous part of their off ice behaviors and dating habits. well 'lack there of' dating habits.

that led me to my rule of 'no dating hockey players' that i stuck with for 24 years. until one fateful january night at a bar in nashville led me to spending most of the season in southern california cheering for the anahiem ducks.

somehow, i ended up meeting none other than trevor zegras. and exchanged numbers with him.

i had explained my 'no dating hockey players' rule to him and he ignored it. and wouldn't leave until he got my number. so i gave it to him. against my better judgement.

after 5 months of him persistently texting me and asking me on a date, i finally caved. deciding that if he's willing to spend 5 months chasing after me then maybe he's different than most hockey players. my brother and everyone warned me about him when they found out. saying, "zegras is known for having multiple girls in all 32 cities. just be careful."

i choose to ignore them because he's never given me a reason not to. towards the end of the off season, he asked me to go to michigan with him so that i could meet his friends. meeting his friends, a month into actually dating felt really fast. he had only met one of my friends up until then and that's because she came over and woke us up after he accidentally spent the night.

i agree to going to michigan with him to meet his friends because he was so happy and excited about it and i wasn't going to deny him of that joy. he's too cute to be sad over something like that.

however, being in michigan was weird.

it felt like his friends were walking on eggshells around me. afraid of saying the wrong thing to me. especially after finding out my brother plays in the league.

late one night as i'm heading up to bed i hear two of trevor's friends, jack and cole, talking about us. well more specifically me.

"god help y/n. dating trevor is not an easy feat and i hope she knows what's she's getting into." i hear from cole. and then i hear jack respond, "yea. like i love z don't get me wrong but he's a handful. there's a reason that he hasn't had a serious girl since high school. he's enjoying the pro life."

"like you?" cole comments to jack. jack just laughs him off and says, "he seems to really like her so maybe she's the one to really get him to grow up."

"one can only hope hughesy. i like her too, so hopefully she is the one to fix him." cole says.

i just go up to bed at that and crawl into bed. where trevor is already sleeping. he must've felt me get into bed because he's immediately pulling me close to him and cuddling into me, moving his head to my chest. i smile and thread my fingers through his dirty blonde hair.

i think to myself, "i can fix you trev, i really i can."

i let myself drift off into a much needed sleep and leave that conversation in the back of my head. for months actually.

flash forward to know. i have spent most of the season in SoCal with trevor because he asked me to. and i've grown a lot closer to his friends, considering them my friends now.

trevor just recently got hurt and is on crutches and is struggling. i'm doing my best to help him but he's not very receptive right now so i'm also trying to give him space. i get a text from jack and cole the day after it happens in a group chat that the 3 of us have.

jack hows trev?

cole he whining?

no not yet.

jack surprising.

cole you doing ok? i know he's a lot.

i'm doing good. and he's fine, not whining just needy lol😝

jack that's our trev

cole be nice to him pls y/n. he really likes you.

i will cole. promise. i can fix him, really i can

both boys like my message and i get back to caring for my extremely needy boyfriend.

fast forward to the break for 4 Nations and trev and i had plans to go on a trip together. just us, for the first time. but 3 days before we were set to leave, he says, "hey baby, i have to head back to new york for some family thing but i'm gonna meet you in *insert random place for their vacation* i'm sorry."

"it's ok trev. family's important i get it. i'll see you there." i say with a smile and kiss him softly.

it kinda sucks not flying there with him but i'll live. i get 5 uninterrupted days with my boyfriend for the first time since we started dating so i've decided not to be picky about it.

the day of my flight, i get to the airport and arrive at our hotel and check in. i knew trevor would be getting in after me since he's coming on a different so i decided to take a nap until he got here.

however, when i woke up, he still wasn't here. i check my phone and there's no messages from him whatsoever. and i go to check his location and it's off. which could be from him flying. i check his flight info to see if it was delayed and it wasn't, it had landed two hours ago. so where is my boyfriend?

i go to text him when i see a text from jack and cole.

jack i'm so sorry y/n

cole he's an asshole. and doesn't deserve.

what's going on? where's trevor?

jack you haven't seen?

obviously not jack if i'm asking where he is

cole y/n, he's in new york city. he was spotted leaving a club last night with some girl on his arm.

what are you guys talking about?

jack *insert article* jack read it. we're so sorry.

what the hell is this?

cole trevor being a fucking idiot.

jack i already called him and bitched him out.

i thought i could fix him. i had heard the rumors but i tried not to believe him because he never gave me a reason to. what am i supposed to do now? i'm literally in *insert vacation plan* and he was supposed to be here too. now what do i do?

cole i'm on the next flight there. don't leave. i'm not gonna let trevor ruin your trip by being an asshole. just because he's our friend, doesn't mean we're gonna stop being your friend over his stupidity.

you don't have to do that cole. i'll be ok

cole too late. already on the way to the airport.

jack if i wasn't at 4 nations, i'd be coming too. jack we thought you could fix him too y/n jack i guess no one can.

i close my phone and wipe the tears that we're streaming down my face. my brother had texted after seeing the article and i don't have the heart to look at it.

looks i can't fix trevor zegras. i guess no one can.

#trevor zegras #trevor zegras x reader #the eras tour fic challenge

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