#and izzy got to be happy for like a week and then he died

[garbomode]

izzy's not the only character that's suicidal but he's the one whose entire arc was focused on him getting better. that's why it feels bad.

[that-sarcastic-writer]

Coffee and Other Things

DI!SingleDad!Leon X F!Teacher!Reader

Summary: you and Leon have a lil lunch date, but he just can't keep his hands to himself

Warnings: explicit sexual content, minors dni, p in v, brief fingering, choking, hair pulling, riding, car sex, semi public sex, soft!dom leon, praising, Leon has a mouth on him, the s stands for slut, parent teacher dynamic, age gap, foul language

WC: 4.1k lol I can't write short things

A/N: lol omg I wrote 2 things in a month?? Woah witchcraft. Yeah yall thought I abandoned this series. Well kind of. I was very unmotivated to write for it but idk I was like fuck it why not, this has been sitting my drafts since September soo. I will warn yall that this is not going to be a constant thing. I'll update when I have inspiration to write for it, so it'll probably be sporadic, but I hope yall enjoy it the same.

If you'd like to keep up with this series (or any of my works) follow @midnightreadinglibrary for updates since I no longer have a tag list and turn on notifications, don't worry, I'll only reblog my written works there

Universe masterlist

God was it hot out here. It was inhumane that's what this was. If there was one thing you hated in this world was having to stand outside in eighty degrees in the summer or thirty degrees in the winter. Right now it was the former, or close to it, anyway. May sure seemed to think so. But the sun burning on your back this early in the morning was not helping. You were praying to the Gods to save you now because this cardigan was going to be the death of you.

You counted the tiny heads standing in line— as best as seven year-olds could anyway. You were missing one chocolate brown-haired head. Weird. Leon hadn't mentioned not bringing Isabella to school today. 

You looked at your wristwatch, three minutes before you had to take your kids inside. You sighed softly, folding your arms over your chest as you kept an eye on your kids, but you also kept some attention ahead, in case you maybe saw that pair that in a matter of weeks had become such an important part of your life. Even if Izzy didn't realize it yet.

But you stood corrected. Your lips curved up at the sight of a tiny Isabella, pigtails and all dragging her leather jacket wearing dad across the playground. He had her tiny lilac backpack hanging from one shoulder and her Rapunzel lunch box hung from his free hand. This was the first time you had actually seen Leon drop her off. Claire— who you had learned was a close friend of Leon's for many years now— would normally drop her off, or Izzy would come strolling into your classroom after drop off so you wouldn't see him either way. And now that you were seeing this for the first time, you couldn't hold in your laughter. 

"I told you I was going to be late!" The little girl fussed as she dragged him. He closed his eyes, sighing heavily as he wondered what the hell he was raising. "Aunt Claire is never late."

"Yeah, well your daddy got—" shot at last night by the mercenaries of a deranged scientist. Leon bit his tongue and he shook his head at himself. "I got home late. Sorry, I'll try not to be late next time." 

Izzy turned her head to look at him, lips pulled up into a tiny smile now. "It's okay daddy. You'll do better next time." 

She stopped at the end of the line, and he stopped with her. His eyes instantly landed on you at the very front. His eyebrows irked up and his lips curled up, he didn't think he'd actually see you this morning. Fuck, how was it that you looked prettier every time he saw you? He took his eyes away from you to look at Izzy. He crouched down to her height, shrugging her backpack off his shoulder to hand it to her. She happily strapped it over her shoulders and took her lunch box as well. 

"Eat some okay? I know I'm not the best cook but a sandwich and some fruit can't be too bad right?" She nodded eagerly, just happy that her dad had made her lunch. She was about to run off to her friends but he called her back. "Isabella. C'mere for a sec. Listen, I'm picking you up after school, okay? So think where you want to go eat and we'll get ice cream after, yeah?" 

The way his little girl's eyes lit up at his words was better than anything else in this world. Nothing could ever top that. She threw herself around his neck and he couldn't help but smile a bit. 

"Thank you daddy!" 

"Yeah. Love you bee." He rubbed her back softly, pressing a kiss to the side of her hair before he motioned his hand at her. "Okay, go on. Go say hi to your friends." 

Izzy happily ran off, saying a 'Love you!' over her shoulder before she squeezed her way into the line where her girl friends were also standing.  

You couldn't quite hear their exchange, all you could hear was Izzy saying I love you to her dad, but that alone was enough to melt your heart. Your eyes found Leon's and you couldn't help but smile. You watched as he stood to his full height, and the look in his eyes all but called you over to him. You chewed on the inside of your cheek softly as you nudged your friend, Emily— the other second grade teacher standing on the line marked next to you. 

"Hey, can you watch my kids for a sec?" You bit your lip and gave her a sheepish look. She looked at you with a confused frown but then her lips parted in realization when she saw Leon. 

"For that? I'd watch your kids the rest of the day. Go girl." She said quietly and nudged you away. 

You laughed softly at her and made your way over to Leon as casually as you possibly could. It was normal for teachers to talk to their parents for casual conversation, right?

"Hey Miss. How's it going?" He was really good at pretending to be cordial, you give him that. He stood at least a foot away from you, his hands shoved into his pockets, but his eyes were anything but innocent as they looked you over. 

"Hi Leon. I see that you brought Izzy today?" You said, arms folded over your chest as you tried to not be so obvious. 

"Yeah. I wasn't home last night when she went to bed, so I figured I'd make it up by dropping her off." He shrugged, but his nose twitched a bit as he remembered the mess of this morning. "Though, I have a feeling neither of us are used to it. She kept saying I was doing this and that wrong, that I was driving too fast, that her left ponytail was too tight. That her right was too high. I'm wondering where she gets all that attitude from." 

You couldn't help but laugh at him. So much so you had to cover your mouth with the back of your hand. He clearly didn't see the humor in it and he narrowed his eyes at you. 

"I'm sorry, but I can't help it. She totally gets it from you." You snorted as you remembered the first day you met. You had never met someone so grumpy and with so much attitude. It was part of his charm, you guessed. 

"I'm offended." He gave you a pointed look and shook his head. You shrugged at him, hiding your smile behind your lips. But he had a tiny smile of his own. He looked around him for a second before he leaned down to speak to you. Nothing too scandalous, but his cologne was definitely intoxicating you now. "Listen, I have some free time today so, you wanna get lunch? I'm guessing you have lunch time." 

"I…" You laughed softly, a soft heat creeping up your cheeks at his proposal. "Yeah I have a lunch. I got forty-five minutes at eleven thirty. Pick me up?" 

"Yeah. Yeah, of course. It's a date then." His lips curled up a bit, he hadn't actually ever said that out loud. It sounded nice. A date. With you. 

"It's a date." You said quietly, repeating it to yourself, almost as if you had to say it to believe it. 

Sure, you've had two successful dates with Leon, and you didn't even have to get started on how good your chemistry was. But you were still cautious. Dating hadn't exactly been kind to you and Leon just seemed way too good to be true. You had honestly just expected him to ghost you at some point. 

But you were so glad you were wrong. 

~~~~

"Leon—" You scolded him, but the words leaving your mouth didn't match your hands. You gripped him closer, your fingers clinging to his button down shirt. He only hummed in question. "Leon, c'mon stop that. I only have like twenty minutes." 

You didn't actually want him to stop. Not really. His lips on your neck, licking and lightly sucking at every spot that made you shudder. You sat on his lap, straddling him on the front seat of his Jeep Wrangler. You weren't quite sure how you ended here. One minute you had been sitting with Leon, drinking coffee and eating some cream cheese bagels, talking about your job, his job, his kid, a little bit of everything, laughing and joking for what felt like hours. And then you were here, at an empty parking lot, in broad daylight. 

This was such a bad idea. But the way his lips kissed you and the way his growing hard on brushed against your clothed clit was way too good to say no. 

"Twenty? Fine. I can make you come in five." He breathed into your ear, his hands running up your bare thighs, scrunching up your dress to your hips.

His words alone made you want to come then and there. You breathed out a shaky sigh, eyes closed as you tried to argue that this was a horrible, horrible idea. You were more sensible than this. His hands found your ass, and he squeezed, making you squirm on his lap. Which only made him harder against his jeans. 

"C'mon. Promise I won't go so hard this time." He brushed his lips under your jaw, slightly lifting his hips to make the front of his jeans brush you some more. "I need to feel you come on my cock again, please." 

Fuck, the way he sounded begging, begging to fuck you. You didn't need much convincing, but that? That made you pool into your panties. 

"No hickeys, and no bruises," You muttered, remembering you had to wear scarfs in this heat for days to cover the marks his fingers left. Leon smirked a bit at this. "I'm serious. I've never had to cover up bruises before you." 

Leon dug his teeth into his bottom lip, leaning back to look at you as one of his hands sneaked under your dress and he kept his eyes on you as he rubbed his thumb over your clit through your panties. 

"I won't bruise you this time." His lips curled up into a satisfied grin when your lips fell open into a silent moan. "I gotta say though, your neck looked so pretty with my fingers all over it." 

He sat up, his free hand pulling you to him by the back of your neck and his lips crashed against yours harshly. He happily took in the moan that left your throat as he thumbed at your clit. He took the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth, groaning softly when your fingers threaded his hair. 

He held you against his mouth, his thumb on your clit for what felt like years, you honestly worried you had run out of time. But in reality only a minute had passed. He let go of your head to blindly reach for the console. He groaned softly as he touched around for a second, but ultimately had to pull away to look. He found his wallet, he dug through it with urgency before he tossed it on the passenger's seat.

Your eyes landed on the golden wrapper and you frowned at him. 

"You do remember you came inside last time, right?" You asked with genuine confusion and he could only laugh in response. 

He pressed a hard kiss to your lips before he replied. "I remember. Trust me, I remember. But unless you wanted to sit with my come inside you for the rest of the day. Figured this was best." 

Your face heated up with embarrassment and you let out a soft laugh, Leon could only watch you with amusement. 

"Were you hoping to get laid then?" You laughed softly and he only shrugged in response, his eyes never leaving you as he unbuckled his belt. 

"I was hopeful. I was kinda hoping you missed me enough." He chuckled, now watching as you reached your hand to unbutton his shirt. He sucked in a sharp breath when you leaned down to press your lips to his neck. 

"I did." A playful smile fell on your lips as your lips trailed further down. He let out a pleasured sigh that quickly turned into a pained grunt when your lips touched a particular spot below his collarbone. 

“Hmph… Careful baby.” 

You pulled back with furrowed eyebrows as you tugged his shirt aside just enough to see a purple forming on his pale skin, but it looked like a burn almost, a circle with an angry marking.

“What.. What is that? Are you okay?” 

He found the concern in your voice endearing. 

“I got shot last night during an assignment. But I'm here, aren't I? I'm fine.” He tried to say it as casually as possible, he looked at you with unwavering calmness, you were anything but. 

“You got what?” You almost shouted, it definitely caught him off guard. You swallowed hard as you placed your hands on his chest, almost as if you needed to feel that he was okay. 

“It caught my vest. But it still leaves a bruise. It hurts for a day or two. But I'm perfectly fine.” He knew you weren't convinced, your furrowed eyebrows and tight lips said as much. He sighed, “Can we not.. Do this right now? Please?” 

“Yeah.. Okay.” You still weren't entirely convinced but God were you having a hard time being worried when you could feel him against you. You could yell at him later. 

He gave you a small smile before he kissed you again, not wanting to waste any more time. He was quick to lift you up enough to pull down your panties and tossed them on the passenger's seat. And fuck, the look he gave you when he pulled away was enough to make you soak his jeans, you were sure if it, anyway. His eyes never left you as he spat on his fingers. He needed to watch your face when his fingers touched your clit. And what a sight that was. 

“Oh, you sweet girl,” He taunted, rubbing slow circles on your clit. He parted his lips to match the silent moan you let out, but the look on your pretty face was priceless. “Already so wet for me, hm?” 

All you could do was nod, heated and already breathless with adrenaline. But you couldn't hold back the cry that left your mouth when he slipped his fingers into your wet hole. Your head fell back slightly as you reached to grip his shoulder, just any part of him really. He watched your face carefully, teeth digging into his bottom lip as he buried his fingers to the knuckle, curling them against your most sensitive spot. His fingers worked you for what felt like hours, but in reality it was merely a minute or two. Though by then, the sound of his fingers in and out of your cunt was all he could hear. Other than the sounds leaving your mouth. But you could only take so much of this torture. 

“Please Leon—” God, you sounded pathetic, the way you were so desperately grinding against his hand was equally pathetic. “Need you.” 

Leon was a simple man. If his girl wanted to be fucked he had to comply. There wasn't anything else to it. 

His fingers left you empty in an instant, and you couldn't help but whine at the loss, but you knew you'd get something better soon enough. 

“Do me a favor, darling,” he grabbed your hand and placed it right where his cock was straining against his jeans. You swallowed hard, your chest still rising as you looked at him with big eyes. “Help me here, hm?” 

It took you a second to process his words, maybe you were already cock drunk just on the thought of it. But your shaky hands eventually unzipped his jeans and pulled him out of the confines of his boxers. The sigh Leon let out was almost primal as he messed around with his smart watch. You couldn't quite understand what he was doing but you didn't exactly have the mental capacity to think when his cock was right there. 

“Go on baby, I'm almost done here. You can ride me, can't you?” His words were almost mocking as he watched you out of the corner of his eye. Your mouth was slightly open as you ran your tongue over your dry lips. 

“I.. I—Yes.” You responded quietly as you slipped the condom on him. Leon sucked in a sharp breath but said nothing as he watched you lean forward, and slowly sank down on his cock. 

Leon leaned back, his lips falling open as you sat on his cock. He swallowed hard, and it took him the very little control he still had left not to force you on his cock. But alas he let you take your time. His hands were tight on your hips as if to encourage you. And it took you a second to adjust but you ultimately lifted yourself before slamming back down on his cock, over and over until you were bouncing on him like that was all you were meant to do in this world. 

“Shit Leon, you feel so—” you were sure you sounded absolutely pathetic, your words broken in between moans as you leaned back until your back touched the steering wheel. 

Christ, Leon sure was loving this sight. 

He adjusted himself under you so that he could ever so slightly lift his hips to meet with yours. He particularly loved this sight because God, this dress, it was so perfect on you. The V cut was low enough for him to see your neck and collarbone perfectly, but of course your entire chest was covered. Unless he pulled the front down.. 

“Fuck, feels so good, I know baby.” He breathed out, watching you through hooded eyes as his hands moved up to your chest, and he pulled the material down enough so that your bra was exposed. He groaned, and it was almost animalistic. “Take this off. Take it off, please.” 

Please. 

God. 

Leon definitely felt the way you squeezed around his cock right then. You kept your grip on his shoulder with one hand as you somehow reached behind you with the other and unclasped your bra with the other. Leon fumbled around with the sleeves of your dress until those were off your shoulders. And the second your bra was out of the way, he grabbed a handful of both of your breasts with both of his hands. And he fucking moaned. 

“Goddamn, you look so pretty like this.” His eyes traveled from where his hands were grabbing at your bare chest, to your exposed neck with your head thrown back as you so desperately fucked yourself on him. He didn't even care about the mess you were most likely leaving on his jeans. “Look at you, using my cock like you fucking own it. Fuck.” 

Even in your delirium, this brought a smile to your face and you were sitting up to look at him. You brought a hand to his face, the sound of his grunts and moans were in your ear and the completely pussy drunk look on his face made you want to come right then and there. 

“Say that again. Please, say it again.” Your words were slurred, breathless as you so desperately chased your release. Leon bit his lip softly, sitting up to meet you halfway. With a tight grip on your ass, he lifted his hips to thrust into you with intensity as if to prove a point. 

“Yes darling, you can fuck yourself on this cock all you want ‘cause it's all yours.” His lips were on your jaw as his free hand held you by the back of your neck. 

You dug your nails into his chest, surely to leave marks as you closed your eyes. Your heart was pounding, skin burning hot to the touch as he held you, each drag of his cock brushing deliciously against that perfect spot. You were so close. 

“Choke me, please.” You pleaded barely above a whisper, nothing short of a whine. And the moan Leon let out at your request was by far the most erotic thing you will ever hear. 

He ran his tongue over his lips as he brought his hand to your neck and wrapped his fingers around your throat. He didn't squeeze hard enough to bruise, but it definitely was tight enough for you to see white. The lack of blood flow mixed with the tight feeling in your stomach. You could only take so much. 

“Oh my— Fuck. I—” Words were no longer something you knew by then, you were grinding your hips so desperately, and the way you were squeezing his cock, he had quickly learned meant you were so close. 

“Mhmm just like that pretty, come for me, I know you can do that.” His thumb found your swollen clit as he held your throat and he watched with big eyes as your mouth fell open. Leon let out a soft moan that mimicked the one leaving your throat as you squeezed him tightly. Too bad he couldn't actually feel you come on his cock this time. “That's a good fucking girl. Yeah, atta girl.” 

He gripped the side of his seat as he drilled into you, lifting you on and off his cock as he fucked you through you release, and chased his own, of course. You pressed your forehead against his, soft whines leaving your lips at the overstimulation of his jeans rubbing against your clit. But you could hear his soft moans in your ears, his soft praises as he gripped your throat with soft fingers, until he gave you a particularly deep thrust and he held you down on him. The string of curses leaving his mouth as he came were anything but coherent, but fuck did it make you wet all over again to hear him unravel like this, just for you. 

“Shit. You see what you do to me?” He breathed out a laugh, his hand now cradling the back of your hair as he left kisses on your jaw. 

You closed your eyes tight, breathing in deeply, taking on the smell of his expensive cologne mixed with his own scent, and Christ, it was so intoxicating. All of him was intoxicating. You hummed softly and threw your arms around his neck, leaning close to him, just craving to feel his warmth.

“Likewise… Look what you made me do.. I've never..” You swallowed hard, feeling yourself grow heated in embarrassment. 

“What's that?” He pulled back ever so slightly to be able to look at your face, curious by what you meant. He softly tucked a strand of your loose hair behind your ear when he noticed your flustered face. How he could be so gentle and tender after absolutely wrecking you was always beyond your comprehension. 

“In a car.. You know? I've never..” 

A tiny smile formed on his lips, “Seriously?” 

“Stop. It's just! I don't know. I've never done anything risky like that. Like we could totally get arrested for this.” You almost wanted to curl up into yourself in embarrassment but Leon never let go of you, not once, he simply chuckled. 

“You do know I work for the government, right?” He laughed, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. Your embarrassment was quickly gone, to say the least. “Gotta say Miss, I am totally ruining you.” 

And he was indeed. What a pretty thing you always were. And by the time he was done with you, you were a flushed, fucked out mess, your hair tousled and your dress pulled down. But he rather enjoyed seeing you like this. And the things he made you do, the things he made you feel, they were beyond this world. To think you always prided yourself in being rational. 

You were about to respond with one of your remarks when an alarm on his watch went off. You jumped at the sound, panicked for a split second thinking it was the police or something, but you calmed down when you saw him lift his wrist and tapped the screen. He smiled at you with pride, and if you didn't know better you would have thought he even puffed out his chest with pride. 

“Would you look at that, I did make you come in five.”

[sunshineonashelf]

"oh but it was satisfying! izzy went on a healing journey and got to die happy!"

again i'm very sorry for being feral about an old man named izzy hands. but i am NOT SATISFIED

(1) the whole point of izzy's healing journey is that he learns to be okay with being himself and being queer and being a part of a community that genuinely loves him. and learning who he is outside of who he has to be in a toxic relationship. he doesn't have to bear ed's burdens anymore and he SLOWLY learns that's okay and that he doesn't have to stay that same person.

only to die when he FINALLY internalizes all of it!! the whole point of his healing was that he learned to change and be loved for who he is!! and then he died after only getting to experience it for maybe 20 minutes!! i don't care that him sailing off into the sunset with the rest of them wouldn't have been closure, because it would have been a much better ending to his story.

(2) it is NOT SATISFYING that his LAST WORDS were basically to further ED'S story arc. he literally dies reassuring ed that his found family loves him when the whole point of the story was that the found family loves IZZY. it was a very sweet moment and yes ed deserved to hear it and yes i did cry over him calling them ed's family but damn. he STILL HAD TO CARRY ED'S BURDENS. his death scene was not about him at all.

it's very sweet that ed and stede stayed with him but the whole point of izzy's journey was that he doesn't have to be a piece in ed's story and now he has to be just a piece in ed's story forever??

(and yes i'm a slut for edizzy so i did appreciate what they were doing. yes it was very special. yes i sobbed. but JESUS was it upsetting now that i'm actually thinking about it.)

(3) he could have lived and it would NOT have undermined anything else. he could have been dying and telling ed the same things and it would have been just as meaningful if he had lived. imagine an ending scene where he's almost dying, says all that stuff, then is brought to a bed to recover. it cuts to the exact same wedding scene and stede/ed scene with the house and the crew being happy. then it cuts back to izzy waking up and smiling or something and that's the last shot.

stede and ed would still have their happy ending and it would have been JUST AS meaningful if izzy had lived and gone off on the revenge. if not MORE so because then there's the aspect of izzy finally being happy with himself and being okay with stede and ed's relationship and being okay with distancing himself from them!! when he says dying is what he wants it's literally that same sentiment, just cheap and rushed and UNSATISFYING.

(4) the entire beautiful fucking unicorn metaphor they spent the whole first part of the season developing is totally tossed out the window!! izzy becomes the literal figurehead and protector and guiding light of the revenge in a metaphor that could not have been more obvious. and he is HAPPY ABOUT IT. he GENUINELY SMILES and CRIES about it. it is what he WANTS TO DO and it made NO SENSE that he said he was ready to go. what was the point of all of that if they were just going to kill him and not let him actually do that duty in the way he wanted. he only got to be the figurehead when it meant protecting everyone from ed.

(5) this is maybe a silly argument but it literally would not have been unrealistic if he survived. like a week prior he got shot then got his leg cut off then shot himself in the head, then walked upstairs in the middle of a hurricane hours later. and was fine. by the show's logic he could have been fine from ONE bullet wound to the side. what the hell happened to "indestructible little fucker"!

tl;dr izzy was very special to me for reasons that would constitute another 700 word post and he was done so FUCKING dirty by that literal TEN MINUTE scene that went against everything we've been doing the entire season (AND SHOW AS A WHOLE) so far

[alexanderlightweight]

I'm having trouble with my net and Tumblr said this couldn't be sent the first time so I'm sending it again, I apologize if you get a double-

Happy Wednesday prompt!

I sent you a prompt las week so I hope it's ok if I send another one but if not, it's all right, here it goes:

If mastery over shadows is a Trueblood ability, what would the Lightwood one be? And what if Alec got that one instead of his shadows? Or Izzy? What if Alec had a mix of both?

i got a double and that was absolutely fine! tumblr and the net can be very annoying menaces when they work together against people.

it's fine to send prompts every week! there's no restriction on it or anything. i really just answer them when i have time/the right mood for the prompt.

i hope you enjoy this au of star eater (sentient alec trueblood au) and the answer is cold fire. flames so cold they crack the wood into shards of ice sharper than glass or diamonds.

misunderstandings/unreliable narration. this is very much an au so basically when bby!alec breaks, his lightwood powers show up instead of the shadows

-

Robert Lightwood dies with an expression of terrified shock frozen on his face, before he falls and shatters into a thousand shimmering pieces.

Alec stares at the remains of his father and feels nothing but numb relief. The terror of his door being forced open, of not having anywhere to hide from his father's angry disappointment— not when Robert used his stele to unlock the door — and Alec now just feels numb.

Numb and cold and it’s with a sluggish curiosity that he lifts his right hand and stares at the silver flames on his fingers. They’re small and cold, almost bitter and Alec remembers the image of flame.

He wonders why he ever assumed the Lightwood’s fire would be warm in any way, even in color.

It's days later that Alec says goodbye to his mother and he feels as cold and as detached as the flames dancing in his core.

Alec could go with her. He could claim her as his parent and be taken in by her but Alec doubts that’s what she wants. She has a chance now, to actually be happy and Alec will be fine. Izzy needs a parent and Maryse loves her, that will never be a problem.

So, Alec steps back from his mother and he keeps his face cold, like he learned from watching her get ready for meetings or when she stepped away from Izzy to face him.

“The Lakecastle’s are going to come help you, okay?” Maryse tells him again and Alec tries to memorize her face, wondering if he’ll ever see it again. He doubts it, there really won’t be a reason for Maryse to want to see him after this and she’ll probably want to keep Izzy safe and protected and away from Alec.  After all, Alec can’t put Izzy first anymore and he can’t die to protect her like Maryse wants anymore.

It makes complete sense to Alec, but Maryse seems horrified by how practical he’s being. Like she didn’t expect Alec to be aware of the fact that he’s a child born of politics and bloodlines and that his existence is no longer Maryse’s problem. All of which, when he quietly explains it, seems to make Maryse grow more and more upset.

Which Alec supposes makes sense.

Nobody ever remembers how much Alec knows, how much he sees while he’s ignored and forgotten. The shadows have always hidden him, for all that they don’t let Alec melt into them, no matter how much he wishes he could. Sometimes, it feels like the shadows cling to him and Alec wonders if they want him to be a part of them as much as he does.

They aren’t though, so Alec can’t rely on them and while his mother’s reaction confuses him, it doesn’t confuse him enough to back down. Alec has leverage now and while he can’t completely protect himself — he’s not big enough yet and his powers too new — he can make it so that he’s safe and defended and unfortunately, that means mother has to leave.

The fire changed things between them. Not in all bad ways though and the shadows of Alec’s room twist and dance in the cold light of his flames as he practices, and Alec feels like that will be enough. His mother and sister will be gone, Trueblood’s once more and his father is dead. Alec is the last of his line with the powers he was bred for, and he wonders if this is what the Lightwood’s really hoped would come of their line.

“Yes, I know.” Alec agrees, because Hirune Lakecastle is an Elder shadowhunter who only retired to train her daughter, Mirai. Both volunteered for the position of guiding Alec and training with him, and he considers it an honor to be so well taken care of.

“If you need me—” Maryse starts to say and Alec scowls.

“I won’t.” He assures her, because he doesn’t need the worry of his mother pretending to care about him. Alec was the price of her marriage and probably a few other things and Alec — after reading through the betrothal papers — thinks he understands better why his mother hates him.

And she has to hate him, because why else would she and father have treated him like they did if they didn’t hate the duty Alec was born from.

It’s better this way, to let her forget about the heir she had to have and focus on the child she actually wanted.

[epersonae]

I'd love to hear a director's commentary on "I have begun to long for you!" I recently read it (finally!) and really enjoyed it, and I'd love to hear how you made the choices you did for that fic! "What if the mutiny against Izzy had succeeded" can already go in so many different directions, and I especially wonder if you'd change anything about how you handled it now that more time has passed since the s1 finale first aired and we've all had so long to discuss and ruminate.

You know, I posted I have begun to long for you two years ago yesterday. And I'm reading through it, and wow.

I think probably the most important thing to know about that fic is that it had been not quite nine months since my spouse died. Everything about it is rooted so intensely in that early grief experience, especially thinking back to the first week or so, and not really being able to eat, not being able to sleep more than an couple of hours at a time, and feeling just unmoored from the world.

This line? This came from a place right at the core of my being:

He wouldn’t look for happiness again, but maybe he could find quiet for a little while.

And also I had been watching the show over and over and over from the first time I watched it in early April 2022 (there is a horrifying alternate reality in which I watched it on my phone on the plane home from visiting Ryn's hometown, which might have actually killed me), and I'd gotten into fandom here, and I was reading just insane amounts of fic. This was the spring and summer where basically all I did was work, watch the show, and read fic.

I would say I still stand by it, even after all the back and forth and discourse and everything since then. There is I think a single sentence that could be interpreted as Ed not knowing how to read, versus being in such distress that he can't focus on reading, and I'd be tempted to fiddle with that a bit. Otherwise, I feel like I nailed something.

Also it's always struck me as very funny that it does feel entirely likely that Stede was in Bridgetown for like 3 or 4 days, max? FWIW, one of the inspirations was a post which is probably lost to time about the mutiny succeeding and then the crew going off and becoming a sailing theater troupe, which may have been my original intention until a rewatch where I was like HEY WAIT IF HE'D HUNG OUT FOR TWO MORE DAYS STEDE WOULD HAVE SHOWN UP.

Last thought: so much of what I did with the crew, while rooted in their canon depictions, is also drawn from the care and love I got from the people in my life right after Ryn died. (special shout out to @faintvox, @ensrensage, and @emi--rose for being the most present of all) If I am still here, it is in large part because of them.

[fanfic director's cut]

[originallypoki]

Our Flag Means Death S2 Spoilers!

Something people doesn't seem to realize, is that pacing has a key impact to a story. Yes, the tale you want to tell can be the best someone has ever come up with, but if your pacing of it is awful, it pulls the whole story down with it. To rushed pacing? It loses meaning and impact, because there's no time to become attached. To slow paced? It becomes boring and uninteresting, finishing the book, show or movie feels more like a task than actual fun.

The first 4 episodes of season 2 of OFMD were awesome. The pacing was perfect, we had enough time to register what was happening and to sort out our emotions. I was a bit thrown off by ep 5. Because, while still good paced, you can start the see the problems because of the missing 2 eps ( for example the skipped fight, instead choosing to tell, not show. )-

Then episode 6 and 7 happened. And oh boi, I wanted to drop the show, only my love for it keeping me going.

I know that it isn't David Jenkins and the production team's fault, since the 2 episodes got cut, giving us the total of 8. But I can't excuse the decision to cram the plot of 10 eps into 8. If you have so little time left, why don't just cut some 'unimportant' storypoints?

Like Ned Lowe, he was introduced and died in the same episode. His purpose was to give GentleBeard development I know, that still doesn't give him enough importance to let him stay in the shortened version. Just like the second break-up from GentleBeard we got in ep 7.

Instead we got very out-of-character characters, Stede for example. I can see why he acts the way he does in ep 7. It would make sense, had he more time to have proper character development! Instead he feels weird, plus the very very uncomfortable second-hand embarrassment scenes (like the fight with Zheng). And sadly after ep 3, I couldn't feel the same chemistry GentleBeard had in S1. While there were cute scenes, like the end of ep5, I felt like something was missing to make me actually care. It's just my feelings, so not very important, but it was a bit disappointing.

The end of ep 7 gave me hope. Because it was a perfect way to introduce a villain, who's a genuine threat to our heros. And I maybe like Prince Ricky a bit to much. Then ep 8 came crushing down while drowing my love for OFMD, that made me ignore everything wrong with the second half of S2.

I like ep 8, well the first few minutes. It felt like I finally had time to see what's happening and David Jenkins didn't leave us completely clueless. ( Let's ignore the logic holes since it was is a comedy show and they were always there. ) And I was way to busy squieking like a pig of happiness to think critical.

I have many criticism points, but will only focus on one;

Izzy's death. And by god, I. Am. Pissed. Killing a character that is beloved by the fandom isn't the problem. While I love him, he's my favorite, I also love a good ol' angst. But he was in the middle of his redemption arc, and ending this with death is just such weak writing. I have nothing against killing a character off for development. Iron man for example, his whole story is about becoming a better person and jumping over his ego. And it ends just like Izzy in death. But Tony was through his arc, his death was the final, showing he has changed, showing he would do everything to save the universe and more important, the people he loves.

If Izzy died at the start of or before S2 I wouldn't complain, because it would've been perfect for him. Maybe if he died a more impactful death I wouldn't write this. But you can't make a character finally change and then destroy the meaning of it by killing him off in the fucking middle of the change. It would've had so much more impact seeing how he becomes a part of the crew he loathed not even a few weeks ago. Episode 5 did that great, while a bit fast. I like how he and Stede get along. Growing closer. It was a bit too fast paced, and I hoped for them to finally communicate, not talk. The same with Ed, I wanted him and Izzy to finally talk to eachother and not through eachother. However, giving us acutally communication while Izzy's fucking dying is not how you give impact. (And credit where credit's due; I really like that dialog, it was beautiful and the right words choosen to explain how Izzy feels)

Not to forget what a meaning it conveys. Izzy always did what he thought was right, even when it was completely wrong. But when he finally grows and begins to do actually what is right and let's go of Ed, he dies?

Still, I wouldn't say that they shouldn't have done a season 2 at all. It has great potential and I can see what they were going for. So, while it has it's problem's, it's nothing what a good fanfic can't fix. So I look forward to the amazing works that will build up on this hot mess and / or 'correct' it.

So bye, I'll go cry and give the last three episodes of S2 of OFMD, the last 20 minutes of S2 Go treatment T^T (except that GO S2 was fucking fantastic through the whole season)

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

I Adore You

Mayans MC Masterlist

Part six of A Gentle Kind of Love

Contains: Fluff, Angel still being a shithead, smut (consent and negotiations, oral sex M and F receiving, fingering, praise kink, P in V, semi-public sex)

7.5K words

Comment if you want to be tagged/removed or follow #a gentle kind of love.

Smitten - Having suddenly started to like or love something or someone very much.

"Morning."

You opened your eyes and were greeted by Manny's smiling face and a cat by your head, "good morning. Did you sleep well?"

He nodded and reached out to brush a strand of hair from your face. The action was automatic, and so was the closing of your eyes as you felt the calluses on his skin. You did your best to force yourself to think it was just a friendly gesture, made by a half asleep man who almost died yesterday "I did, did you?"

You smiled, "I did, how are your hands?"

He chuckled, "a little sore, how's your head?"

You sighed, "not sore but filled with maple syrup, you wanna do something today?"

Manny shook his head, "nah, I just want to hang out. You good with that?"

You nodded, "I'm great with that. We do have to get out of bed."

He groaned, "you sure? I'd rather just lay around with the cats all day long, I'm sure they'd love that."

You sat up and tapped his chest, "come on lazy bones, if we don't feed them soon they'll eat us."

Creep's leg was bouncing up and down, "what the fuck are we going to do? You really want Izzy dealing with this, you saw what happened the last time Marcus got her involved."

EZ's memory of Izzy grabbing Bishop by the ear and dragging him to one of the back rooms and giving him a lecture that the whole Clubhouse could hear was seared into his brain, "I don't know what we're going to do, maybe they talked about it last night and they'll come here with good news?"

Coco shook his head, "you might be smart golden boy but you don't know y/n very well if you think she's going to come clean."

Angel threw his hands in the air, "Manny ain't going to say shit."

Bishop had been sitting there listening with a scowl on his face, "I can't fucking stand this bullshit anymore, make sure they come to the party this weekend and I'll deal with it."

Hank blinked, "Yuma is visiting, we're going to have our hands busy."

Bishop just got angry, "you think I give a shit? I am so fucking sick of you gossip whores, this gets fixed or you're all be on probation until hell freezes over."

"Why does his belly smell so good?"

You giggled, Manny had his face buried in Sir Fluff's belly while the cat licked his head, "it's how they get you, they smell like happiness and sunshine and before you know it you'll be feeding them a picking up their poop."

Manny turned his head and looked at you, "you make that sound like it's a bad thing."

You sighed, "why don't I take you down to the pet store today, we can pick up everything you need then before you go back to your place we can pick you up a kitten from the shelter, that way you won't be alone in your apartment."

A sadness came over him, after he got the all clear from the Club, he was going to go back to sleeping alone in his bed, "nah, I don't want these three to get jealous. I'll just come over and hang with you, unless you're sick of me?"

You shook your head, "I'm alright with that, I like your company. And if I'm being honest even with everything that went on, this has been the best week I've had since moving here."

Manny sat up and brought the cat into his lap, "can I be honest too?" You nodded, "the week I've had with you has been the best week in a really long time, and not just since I moved here."

You smiled and sat next to him, resting your head on his shoulder, "I'm going to miss having you around all the time."

Manny leaned his head against yours, "I'm going to miss having you around too. But we'll still see each other, it's not like you're leaving for Mars."

You giggled, "you're right, nothing's really going to change, you just won't wake up with a cat butt in your face every morning."

Manny chuckled, hearty and filled with affection, "you say that like I don't love these little shit."

You thought for a moment, "well you can come over whenever you want, just to hang out."

He grinned at you, his hand reaching out to grab yours, "I'd fucking love that."

Manny got a text late that afternoon and you could tell by his expression that something was wrong, "is everything ok?"

He shook it off and smiled, "that was Bish, he said I was good to go home tonight."

You did your best to stay neutral, "oh, well how about I send you home with dinner, that way you don't have to go out and buy shit."

Manny smiled softly, "alright, I'm gonna go pack."

He sounded so deflated, "you want a hand?"

He shook his head, his eyes cast at the ground, "nah, what are you going to cook?"

You wandered over to the kitchen and opened the fridge, "how does a curry sound?"

He sucked on his tongue and nodded, "a curry sounds great."

You stood in his living room, looking around for something to do, "can I vacuum or dust? I feel weird not helping you after you've spent a week and a bit in my house."

Manny shook his head and placed the meal in his fridge, "it's alright, I'll let you get back home. Will I see you on Friday?"

You nodded, "of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world and there's no way I'm leaving you with Canche."

Manny sighed and walked over to you, wrapping his arms around your body and pulling you into a hug, "I'm gonna miss you."

You hugged him back, burying your face in his chest and taking a deep breath, "I'm going to miss you too."

There was a change in the air as you pulled away, your eyes caught his and then you were leaning in, his breath fanning over your lips and you craned your head to meet him as he leaned down.

KNOCK KNOCK

You flinched back, Manny doing the same as he looked at the door, "Manny, we got shit to do."

As soon as the magic arrived, it left with Angel's pounding, you flashed him a smile and walked over to pick up your bag, "duty calls, I'll see you on Friday?"

Manny smiled back, "yeah, I'll see you on Friday."

You swung open the door and rolled your eyes when Angel smirked at you, "hey y/n."

You shook your head, "hey, is everything alright?"

He nodded, "fine, you coming on Friday?"

You took a deep breath, "yep, I'll see you then."

You walked down the hallway and Angel walked inside to Manny rubbing his face, "what was that about?"

Manny huffed, "nothing man, what did you need?"

Angel flopped down on the couch, "Yuma's cut was bad again, they need out help cleaning up."

Manny clenched his fists, "is that why they're coming on Friday?"

Angel nodded, "yep, what do you want to bet this is the straw that breaks the camel's back?"

Manny shrugged, "who knows, Yuma's been on its last legs for a while, I doubt this will be the end."

Angel smiled again, "you sure nothing's going on between you and y/n?"

Manny shook his head, "nothing's going on, can you please drop it?"

Angel relined and looked thoughtfully at the ceiling, "sure."

Friday came around painfully slow, the hours ticking by as you looked at the clock between clients. Relief came when your last two appointments were cancelled.

You finished your paperwork and rushed home, hoping to get to the Clubhouse early to help them get ready for the party. You drove into the compound at five, half of Yuma already there, Manny must have been listening out for your car because he was practically running out the door the greet you.

The moment you were out of your car and standing, Manny was wrapping you in his arms, "you're here early?"

You nodded, "I had two cancellations, so I thought I'd come and help out. How are things here?

Manny shrugged, "Yuma's here again, another bad cut. But other than that, things are the exact same."

You smiled, "good to know. I'm going to go in and help out, you got any plans tonight?"

He smiled back and threw his arm over your shoulder, "other than hanging out with you? Nope."

You shook your head, "shouldn't you be mingling?"

He huffed, "I ain't got nothing to say to Yuma. How are the cats?"

You groaned, "you have spoilt them with all your love, they have been walking around the house meowing, looking for you. Mr Butts won't even talk to me."

Manny tutted, "well then, I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow."

You giggled, "thank God, I was worried I'd have to beg."

Manny's smile turned into a smirk, "you never have to beg me for anything."

A thought came over your mind and you knew it was a bad idea but you couldn't help yourself, "well that's no fun."

Manny paused his path to the Clubhouse and licked his lips, "good to know Tesoro."

Manny detached for you when you got in the door, giving you a smile before heading off to talk to Bishop. A laugh in the corner drew your attention, Raul was sitting with Yuma and their body language had you worried.

You walked behind the bar and jutted your head towards them, asking Hank what was going on, "you know what that's about? They seem friendly."

Hank huffed, "I was just about to ask you the same thing, you're the shrink. He's been in the shit the last few days with everything going on, I wouldn't be surprised if he jumped over."

You sighed, "you think he's got the balls to ask out right or will he get one of them to do it?"

Hank shrugged, "the way Yuma's going, Canche will ask just to piss us off."

You swallowed, "is there something I need to be worried about?"

Hank shook his head, "I'm sure you know what's going on, they had another bad cut. It's becoming bad for business."

You chewed your lower lip, "I know what I say has no bearing but you want my honest opinion?"Hank gave you a slight nod, "if they keep fucking around with fentanyl, they're dead anyway, give it enough time the problem will clear itself out."

Hank blinked, "that's fucking cold."

You shrugged, "eh, you fuck around and you find out."

The party had just started when Manny sat down next to you with a beer, "how's your week been?"

You smiled, "good, I'm happy to get back to normal. What about you?"

He sighed, "there isn't much excitement in hauling scrap and fixing cars."

You shook your head, "you must have done something fun?"

He thought for a moment, "I went by the animal shelter. But I couldn't pick."

You giggled, "I would have helped, that apartment is so big and sad, you should have some company."

Manny shook his head, "I can't leave a cat along with all the runs, it would be wrong. Plus, you said I could come over whenever I wanted."

You were interrupted by one of the Yuma men coming over, his smile slimy as he sat next to you, "your prospect tells me you're up for anything, so how about you leave his little boy and come and spend your time with a real man."

You blinked, shocked at his boldness, "what are you talking about?"

He smirked and leaned in closer, "come on, we all know what women are like here. The prospect gave you a ringing endorsement."

Manny had gone stiff beside you, then he was jumping up and marching over to Raul and lifting him up by his collar, you turned to the man and pointed and the scene, "you see what you've done. I never had sex with the guy, can you fuck off now."

The sound of Manny's fist hitting Raul's face had you flinching but you knew better than to get between two men who were fighting, even if it was one sided. Bishop let it go for a while before stepping in, Raul's face bleeding and swollen, "what the fuck is this about."

Manny snarled his reply, "this lying fuck won't shut up about what happened between him and y/n, maybe you should tell the truth motherfucker."

You rubbed your face and stepped closer, standing in front of Manny to block his view, "let it go, he can lie all he wants. I don't care what other people think of me."

Manny clenched his jaw, "I fucking care."

The look on Bishop's face was deadly as he turned to Raul, "are you telling lies?"

Raul huffed, "it doesn't fucking matter, I'm jumping to Yuma anyway."

Manny stepped closer and you put your hands on his chest, "Manny, let it go."

He looked down at you, the anger fading from his eyes, "you say the word and I'll make sure you never says your name again."

You shook your head, "I don't want that, now I'd like to clean your hands if you'd let me?"

He swallowed, "alright."

Bishop pointed down the hall, "use the bathroom, we're going to talk about this once you're done."

To your surprise Bishop started to follow you, standing a few steps behind as you walked through the doorway. You opened the cabinet and directed Manny to sit down, the slam of the door making you jump, "what the fuck?"

You tried to open it but it wouldn't budge, Bishop's voice floating through the wood as you twisted the handle, "you two have some shit to talk about, you can come out when you've both come clean."

You heard him walk away and you leaned against the wall, "so, you wanna tell me why you decided to break the prospect's face?"

He huffed, "because he was talking shit about you."

You shook your head, "that's not a good enough reason to hit a man Emmanuel."

He sighed and stepped closer, "there you go again, saying my name like that."

You wrinkled your eyebrows, "like what?"

He stuttered, thinking over what his next words might mean, "like you love me. It's fucking cruel you know, you stand there and you look at me like you love me and…. You know what I was going to say that day?" You knew, you knew full well what he was going to say, "I was going to tell you that I.."

You closed the two foot gap between you in a flash and shut him up with a kiss, Manny returning it in earnest as his hands found your face, you pulled back for a moment, Manny's lips following yours as you exchanged air, "I love you too."

He didn't reply, his lips falling on yours again. Your hands clutched his kutte and you pulled him closer, his teeth brushing your bottom lip as the kiss deepened. His hands roamed your body, one hand landing on your ribs while the other slid down and squeezed your ass. You pulled away, smiling as you spoke, "I think we owe Bishop an apology."

Manny chuckled, his hand reaching up so this thumb could stroke your cheek, "what makes you say that Mi Amor?"

You brushed his nose with yours, desperate to pick up where you left off, "because he's been dealing with the other talking about us for the last however many months, I think we broke the poor man."

Manny chuckled, "I'm sure he's fine. I know this might seem forward but do you want to get out of here?"

You nodded aggressively, "oh, most definitely. Do we need to stop by the drug store on the way or are you good?"

It took a moment for him a get your implication, "I'm all good, you ain't got nothing to worry about. Are you?"

You nodded, "yep, all good."

He smiled, "now we just have to figure out how to get out of here."

He chuckled and walked over to the door, pounding on it and waiting for an answer. Bishop's voice came through, full of annoyance, "what the fuck do you want?"

Many sighed, "can you let us out now. We talked."

Bishop wasn't so easy to please, "about what?"

You smiled at Manny and he knew by your expression that your response was going to be vulgar, "about how we have catching up to do in the sex department. Can you let us out of here so Manny can…"

The door swung open and Bishop was standing there with his arms crossed, "is that all you talked about?"

You shook your head, "no, I told him the truth. Now can you let us go so we can make up for lost time or do you want us to fuck right here in front of you?"

Bishop waved his hands, a slight smile on his face "you can go. And for what it's worth, I'm really happy for both of you."

You took Manny's hand as you walked down the hall, Angel grinning when he caught sight of you, "I fucking knew it, you better name your first kid after me."

You stuck up your middle finger, "I don't think nosy bastard is a good name for a kid Angel."

Manny shook his head, "come on Tesoro, let's go home. The night is still young and I want to show you how much I love you."

You took his face in your hands and kissed him while the men around you cheered, "I can't wait."

You didn't miss the glare on Canche's face but at that moment, nothing else mattered.

You stopped by Manny's place so he could pack a bag, you sat on his bed while he threw clothes his bag, not even bothering to fold them, "come 'er."

You walked behind him and wrapped your arms around his body, "you need something handsome?"

He smiled, turning his head to kiss you, "nah, I was just worried that if you kept sitting on my bed all pretty like that I wouldn't be able to help myself."

He spun around, placing his hands on your face while he kissed you, and you pulled back enough to talk, "you make that sound like a bad thing."

He chuckled against your lips, "nah, you deserve more than a hurried fuck. I'm a gentleman so we're gonna go back to your place and what is it that you said? Talk like adults then we have the whole rest of the night to enjoy each other."

You smiled, "I would really like that, you wanna order in too?"

He nodded, "pizza?"

You pecked him and rubbed your thumb on his cheek, "pizza sounds great."

You got in the door only to be swamped with a flurry of meows, "you better say hello."

Manny sighed as Mr Butts jumped into his arms, "can you order the pizza while I say hello?"

You nodded, "sure, Lady Midnight is real mad at you for leaving." You jutted your head towards her as she glared from the couch.

Manny shook his head and smiled, "I'll win her back, she can't say no to kisses."

You tapped him and he turned his attention back to you, "what?" You smiled then kissed him.

You pulled back with a kiss on his cheek, "I'm going to go order that pizza then have a shower, you should think about what you want to do after dinner."

He looked over your face with a slight smirk, "oh, I have so many ideas."

"You want some ice cream, it's mango and homemade?"

Manny shook his head, your conversation had been both productive and enlightening, "nah, I'd rather enjoy eating something else."

You giggled, "that's cannibalism Manny, it's illegal in California."

Manny smiled at you, his eyes full of affection, "now you're just being a brat." He walked behind you as you washed the dishes, his lips brushing your ear, "I'll finish up here, go to the bedroom and get comfortable, I'll be in soon."

You twisted your head and kissed him, "alright, I'll be waiting."

You walked into the bedroom, pausing halfway to spin and pull off your sleep shirt slowly, "you're not getting into my nice clean bed in your day clothes, so you should hurry up here and get yourself into the shower before I start without you."

Manny took in your bare chest with hooded eyes, looking from your breasts to your face and back again, "alright, I get your message. Careful Mi Amor, I'm going to have plenty of time to get back at you for this."

You smiled, "I can't fucking wait."

You waited on the bed, Manny talking to you through the open bathroom door as he showered, "we can just sleep if you want, there's no pressure."

You smiled, "unless that's what you want, my only plans for tonight are to make up for lost time."

He chuckled and you heard the shower turn off, "that's good with me."

You hopped up as he walked into the bedroom in nothing but a towel and sauntered over to him, "hey."

He smiled as you leaned in the press your lips to his neck, "hey Tesoro, you look like you've got an idea."

You nodded and reached down to run your fingers over the edge of his towel, "I do have an idea, would you like to hear it?"

He took a sharp breath as you ran your fingers from his collar bones, over his hard, toned chest and to his abs, "sure, what's your idea?" He lifted a hand to your face and ran his thumb across your lower lip and you turned your head to kiss it.

"You're going to sit on the bed, and I'm going to kneel between your legs and suck your dick. Do you like my idea?"

Manny's eyes darkened as he moved towards the bed, "I do like you idea, but don't get too comfortable, I've got some of my own." Before he sat down, you held up and finger and closed the gap before going back to the edge of the towel, Manny nodding when you looked up at him.

You pulled the towel free and he smiled, "you see something you like?"

You rolled your eyes, "you are very smug, I mean, you have a reason to be but still. Now, sit down and let me have my fun." You kneeled between his legs and took his cock in your hand, stroking it to full hardness as you kissed his firm torso.

You were just about to land on the floor when Manny stopped you and threw a pillow on the floor, "I can't have you getting all bruised."

You sighed, "I hit the jackpot."

Manny chuckled and let out a shaky breath as you pressed your lips to the tip of his cock. His hands found your cheeks as you sucked him into your mouth, taking time to focus on the head while his breath quickened. "Ah fuck, that feels amazing, fuck." He grunted as you took him further down, his eyes scrunching closed.

He let out a particularly aggressive grunt then he pulled you off him, you went to protest but he smiled at you and wiped the spit off your lips with his palm, "your turn Mi Amor."

Something in his eyes had you excited as you got comfortable on the bed and Manny's lips found your neck as his hands stroked your skin. "You better settle in gorgeous because we're going to be here a while."

You huffed, "I bet you say that to all the girls."

Manny chuckled against your skin, "I guess I'm just going to have to prove it to you." He kissed down your neck, pausing to suck a bruise into your skin as he made his way to your breasts, tutting as his lips brushed the soft skin, "I'm gonna have to pay more attention to these later, I have other things to do."

Your hand found his head as he kissed down your body, taking time to kitten lick your skin as he went. His hand were gentle as he lifted your legs over his shoulders, he kissed your inner thigh, his lips soft than soft as he moved closer to your core. His hand stroked the top of your thigh as he leaned in, his lips brushing your mound, he paused and looked up at you, waiting for you to give him to go ahead, "please."

Manny smiled then pulled your legs open slowly before licking your from entrance to clit in one long stripe. He wrapped his lips around your clit as you moaned, his beard scratching your skin and he brought one hand down to slide two of his perfect fingers inside you.

Your finger scratched his scalp and he grunted against you, pulling you as close as humanly possible while he brushed your G-spot with his fingertips. He seemed to enjoy it just as much as you were, taking his sweet time building you up until your legs were shaking around his head, you pushed him closer and his fingers picked up speed, forcing you over the edge as one hand left your thigh so he could hold you down with his forearm.

He didn't stop even for a second, the only reprieve for the oversensitive sting was the way he slowed back to his starting pace, a gentle brush more than an insistent rub. You dropped one hand from his head and felt around for his hand, Manny understanding what you were asking for and linking his fingers in yours as he picked up speed again. You clenched his hand as you came, Manny's thumb pressing lovingly into the back of your hand as he worked your through it.

He pulled back and pressed his lips to your thigh, rubbing his cheek on your skin as you caught your breath. You stroked his cheek and he pressed his head into your palm as he made his way back up your body, stopping to drop kisses on your skin as he went. He smiled down at you then brushed your nose with his, speaking against your lips as he nestled himself between your legs, "now, I'd normally be down there until you can't see straight but I'm a weak man and can't wait any longer, you alright with that?"

You nodded, pressed your lips to his and you tasted yourself on his lips as he smiled against your skin, "that's fine with me."

He chuckled, reaching down to grab his cock before sliding inside you so slowly that you could feel every inch of him, "you good?"

You sighed and lifted your hands to his face, pulling him in for a kiss, "I'm great, are you?"

Manny smiled and dropped his forehead onto yours, "everything is perfect." He started to rock his hips slowly, making sure to brush your G-spot with each pass as he held himself up on one hand and snaked the other between your bodies to rub your clit.

His hips picked up speed as he pressed his lips to yours and you rocked your hips to meet his pace, Manny picking up as you moaned into his mouth. He faulted for a moment, taking in a shaking breath, "fuck I love you so much."

You smiled and placed a hand on his cheek, stroking his skin with your thumb as you looked into his eyes, "I love you too."

He picked up the pace, his groans becoming more desperate as he worked you closer to the edge, "fuck, you feel so good Mi Amor. Can you give me one more? I can feel how much you're squezzing me."

You nodded, Manny slowing to a glacial pace, "I need a verbal answer Tesoro."

You whimpered as he sped up again, "yes please, whatever you want."

He smirked and kissed you, nipping your lower lip, "well I want you to cum again, you can do that for me, can't you?" The fingers on your clit picked up speed and your legs hugged him closer to your body as you contracted around him, Manny grunting and falling on top of you as he tried to compose himself.

"Fuck." Manny buried his face in your neck as he came, his teeth finding your skin while his hips stuttered. He pressed soft kisses to your face, starting on your temple then moving to each cheek before finally landing on your lips.

He shifted his hips and slid out of you, rolling over onto his side and taking you with him, "you need anything Mi Amor?"

You shook your head, "nothing at all."

He smiled and brushed your cheek with his nose before kissing you again, "you stay here, I'm going to clean you up then get us some snacks."

"I can get the snacks." You meant it but your legs were still shaking.

"It's alright gorgeous, what kinda boyfriend am I if I don't make sure you're looked after."

You sighed and drew him back in for a kiss as he got up, "I am one lucky woman."

He went to the kitchen first, getting two bowels of mango ice cream and placing them on the bedside table before wetting a soft cloth with warm water and cleaning you up, chuckling as you flinched away from him.

He picked up the bowels and handed you one before flopping next to you and beckoning him into his arms. You sat with your back against his firm chest and he smiled as you settled in, "are you comfortable?"

You nodded, "very, I wish we never had to leave."

Manny sighed, "we have all of tomorrow morning and most of the afternoon to ourselves, if you like we can stay home tomorrow night too."

You shook your head, "no way, if we do that they'll be breaking down our door. Anyway, I want to do some face rubbing."

Manny pressed his lips to your cheek, his skin cold from the ice cream, "I'll go wash up and let the cats in, you get ready for bed."

You gave him a look but he shot you down, "I got to look after my favourite girl."

You did as he asked, listing to him talk to the cats while he cleaned up. He returned holding Lady Midnight, her face still unimpressed, "she's still mad at you."

He chuckled, "I gave them all some treats, I think I've made amends."

He placed her on the bed and the others jumped up while Manny made a detour to the bathroom to get himself ready for bed, coming out a few minutes later. "What drawer are your underpants in?"

You made a face, "top one, why?" He smiled and walked over, getting out a pair and throwing them to you before retrieving some from his bag, getting dressed and climbing into bed.

He shifted Sir Fluffernutter and settled in next to your, wrapping his arms around you while you rested your head on his chest, his heart beating under your ear.

"You need anything else Mi Amor?" His fingertips were brushing your upper arm softly, while he looked over your face.

"No, I'm great. Are you alright?"

He smiled, "I'm perfect." He pressed his lips to your forehead and pulled the blankets over your bodies, "good night y/n."

You craned your head and kissed him softly, "good night Manny."

"Morning."

Manny smiled and pressed his lips to yours, "morning Mi Amor."

You sighed and sat up slightly, looking him over in the dapple morning light, "you need anything handsome?"

His smile widened and he pulled you on top of him, "I can think of one thing."

You bent at the waist and kissed him, "and what is that thing?"

Manny ran his hand up your sides then back down to your legs, his cock hardening rapidly under you, "you."

You smiled back and placed your hands on his hard chest, "I can give you that."

You and Manny showed up at the Clubhouse mid afternoon to smiles and cheers, "how did making up for lost time go?"

You rolled your eyes, "get your porn somewhere else Angel."

He chuckled, "I just thought you be busy."

Manny sighed, "we figured we show up just to rub our happiness in your faces."

Bishop chuckled, "rub away, these fucks deserve it for all the shit they've put me through trying to get you two together."

You smiled and looped your arm around Manny's, "see, we can rub away."

Manny shook his head, "you are terrible."

You pressed a kiss on his cheek, "I know."

The sun had just begun to set when the other came in, Manny didn't even acknowledge Canche when he and Yuma walked in, it was Raul swaggering over to Bishop that had his attention, "what do you think going on there?"

Manny shrugged and pointed to his hand, "looks like he handing in transfer papers, good fucking riddance."

You sighed and reached a hand out to cup his face, Manny pressing his cheek into your palm, you leaned in close and brushed your lips with his, "I know this might seem a bit forward but maybe we can give him a proper send off?"

Manny looked over your face, his own filled with mischief, "I happened to know that the supply closet I help you stock is pretty close to where he normally sits. Is that the kind of thing you're thinking about?"

You nodded, "yes, I mean, it's not like everyone else hasn't had sex in there, hell, Bishop got down on the pool table."

Manny laughed, "you sure you're up for it, we've been very busy."

You smiled, he was so thoughtful, "yeah, I'm up for it. You wanna go now or…"

Coco dropped himself onto the couch next to you and Manny, "so, are you happy you finally spilled the beans?"

Manny gave him a nod, "yep."

You repeated his sentiment, "very, I am the happiest I've been in a long time."

Coco smiled, "good, I'm real happy for both of you, I always thought you be good together." His smile turned into a grin, "so y/n, does out boy live up to the hype?"

Manny smirked and you shook your head before responding, "oh, yes, most definitely. In fact, I would argue that the others ladies were underselling him a bit."

Angel walked over just in the nick of time to catch the tail end of your comment, "what was that?"

He sat down on a chair opposite with a beer in his hand and Coco smiled, "our boy can lay pipe."

You rubbed your face, "oh my God, can you two shut up. Yes, I'm getting great dick, can we drop it now?"

Angel chuckled, "good for you, if you had listened to me you could have had that good dick months ago but I'm still happy for you."

You pulled the pillow from behind your back and threw it at him, "shut up Reyes."

Manny tapped your softly, "be nice Mi Amor, it's not his fault he doesn't know when to shut up. And if anything, Bish is the reason we finally got together."

Bishop came over at the mention of his name, "you two need something?"

You shook your head, "no, they're just being little boys."

Bishop shook his head, "what's new, but you're not making it worse, are you y/n?"

You did your best not to laugh, "nope, I'm an Angel."

Bishop raised an eyebrow, "sure. I thought I's let you know that it's Raul's last night here, you should wish him well before he leaves with Yuma."

Manny placed his arms behind you and rested his hand on your shoulder, "don't worry pres, we'll give him a proper goodbye."

That chance came when the party really started and Raul took his normal spot a few feet away from the storeroom, his new friends crowding around him to talk about whatever it was those Yuma assholes found interesting.

You grabbed Manny's hand and stood up, walking him into the small room then shutting and locking the door behind you, "how this?"

He smiled, "this is great, do you think you can stay quiet?"

You pressed your lips to his neck, "I thought you wanted the opposite?"

Manny's hand found your cheek as he walked you towards the door until your back was pressed against it, "nah gorgeous, those sounds aren't for anyone but me, you understand?"

He had a tone to his voice that was so deeply possessive that it made it impossible to deny him, "yes, I understand. I won't make a sound."

Manny smiled and trailed his fingertips down your chest until he was reaching the buttons on your top, "good girl." He kissed you as he undid your top, his lips firm on yours as he took control, leaving you breathless.

After your top went your bra and his lips wrapped around one nipple while his fingers came to stroke the other. You did your best but you couldn't help the gasp as his other hand slipped down your body, unzipped your jeans and moved to rub you over your panties.

Your head fell back against the door as his fingers moved against you with purpose, there was no softness here, he was a man on a mission and his sole goal was getting you off as fast as possible. You restored to placing a hand over your mouth the muffle your whimper and Manny's smile only grew as he sucked marks onto your neck.

You rushed to free yourself of your clothes, shoving Manny's hand away as he chuckled so he didn't have any barriers to your skin. When your jeans and panties were in a pile on the floor, his hand returned to your body and a grunt reverberated through his chest, "fuck, you're soaked Mi Amor."

You bit your lower lip as he sunk two fingers inside you, he swallowed your whimper as he pressed his palm to your clit, "come on Mi Amor, I can feel how close you are, let go for me." He spoke his words right into your ear, his lips brushing your skin as his fingers worked you over. You buried your head in his shoulder as you came and Manny's fingers left your body as he took a step back.

You reached out and fumbled to get his clothes off, his kutte and shirt falling in a heap before you moved onto his jeans, yanking them down just far enough to pull his cock out, "are you sure you can be quiet Tesoro?"

You looked at him, eyes wide and desperate, before shaking your head, "I don't think so."

He was looking at you with that tilt to his head, his lips brushing yours as he lifted his leg over his hip and pressed you up against the door. He grabbed his cock and ran it up and down your slit, placing it at your entrance before flashing you a smug grin, "oh, I know. But that's alright, can you try for me?"

You nodded, "yes, yes I'll try." He slid inside you in one smooth thrust and you let out a strangled moan.

His hips started to rock and you muffled your noises in his solid body, Manny didn't seem to like that because he was pulling out of you and spinning you around and slamming back inside you with a grunt. One hand found your temple as he pulled your head back to access your neck, his teeth nipping at your skin as he slid his hand down your body to rub your clit.

You let out a particularly desperate moan and the sound finally made it outside. Raul was sitting at the table with Yuma, doing his best to ignore the sounds that were so opposite to what he had described to his new friends, his lie becoming more evident with every thrust of Manny's hips.

Coco leapt up from his spot sitting with his friends and walked over to the speakers before turning to dial a notch and sitting back down with a shake of his head, "you alright man?"EZ was barely holding back his laugh.

Coco shook his head, "I do not need to hear this."

Angel sighed and sipped his beer then stood up seeing his opportunity when Raul left to get more beer for table, he wandered over to the bar, not even glancing at the man as he spoke, "I bet you're feeling real stupid, I would say that could have been you if you'd played your cards right but we both know that would have never happened. I guess you'll have those pretty noises to keep you going, it's not like you'll ever be the cause of them."

Back in the closet, you could hear the music coming through the door, someone must have turned it up a notch or two to hide the sounds of your pleasure. Manny nipped your ear and groaned into your hair as he felt you get tighter around him, "I guess you couldn't be quiet enough, what am I going to do about that?"

You couldn't form words as he pushed you over the edge with a well aimed thrust. "There you go, you did so well for me." He chased his own high, slamming his fist against the wall as he peaked. He held you up and slipped out of you, his lips pressing gently to the back of your neck as his hands ran up and down your arms.

"You good Mi Amor?" His voice was rough but calm as you spun around, pressed your chest to his and leaned against him.

"I'm perfect."

Manny brushed your sweat stuck hair off your face and dropped his forehead into yours, "that's good, you need anything?"

You shook your head, "no, I'm just preparing myself for what we're going to walk back into."

Manny chuckled, "if anyone upsets you I'll punch them." He pulled his pants back up then collected the rest of his clothes, helping your dress before throwing his kutte on and placing his hand on the door, "you ready?"

You nodded and he pulled it open, throwing an arm over your shoulder and walking out. There was a round of applause and you buried your face in his neck in embarrassment, Angel walked over with a smirk, "so, you kids have fun?"

You punched his chest, "shut the fuck up, I wasn't that loud."

Manny grabbed your hand and brought it to his lips, shaking his head with a soft chuckle, "come now Mi Amor, there's no need for that."

Angel didn't relent, "I mean, you were before Coco turned up the music to drown you out. I'm happy for you, I really am."

Manny smiled at glanced behind him at Raul and his new friends before pressing a kiss to your cheek, "I'll be right back." You walked off with Angel and sat on one of the couches to look at the unfolding scene as Manny approached the former Santo Padre prospect.

He tapped the man on the shoulder, his chest puffed out as he spoke, "I want an apology."

Raul balked, "fucking why?"

Manny smiled, "because you talked shit about my lady and I can't stand for that. I've proved you wrong about y/n and now I want you to tell me you're sorry. Until you leave here you're still our bitch so I want to hear you say it."

Canche didn't seem impressed, "look I get it, he said shit about your bitch and now you need to correct him but I think you've done enough of that already when you almost broke your hand on his face. There's no reason to fuck up this good thing we have going over some whore."

Everyone felt the air get cold, "what the fuck did you just say?"

You shuddered, the calm coolness in Manny's voice didn't bode well for Canche. You got up, hoping to be able to stop it before it became nasty but Angel put his hand on your shoulder, "let him handle it."

Canche stood up and did his best to look intimidating, "I said, your woman is a……." The crack of Manny's fist was bone shattering, and you flinched out of your skin as Canche hit the ground, the urge to get up and step in almost unbearable.

Canche didn't stand a chance, Manny gripped his kutte and held him up as his fist landed on his face. Bishop tried to step in but he only managed to pull Manny away when EZ joined. Angel finally let you up and you ran over, "are you alright?"

Manny's chest was heaving, "I'm fine, I want to go home."

You took a deep breath, "alright, we'll go home." You looked towards Bishop who gave you a quick nod as just like that, you left.

Epilogue

Chapter releases are up to you.

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[canonizzyhours]

idk if this is appropriate since it isn't about canon izzy directly but i need somewhere anonymous to complain about 'the canyon.' i'm not in a lot of fandoms so i don't know if this is normal fandom behavior or what. I hope it isn't. this has been a uniquely upsetting experience for me. I have, like, next level autism for this show so of course i had to find Every single scrap of information about it and in the course of my obsessive 'research' i encountered these guys a lot, almost from the very beginning.

at first i thought it was funny and cute, like when people are hot for hannibal lector or some fucked up little guy. they wrote the worst ever fanfiction. that was fine, I could forgive that. but then they started saying things like 'if you watch it from izzy's perspective you'll see that he's the real hero and ed is the villain.' like girl no I've watched it 96 times and never once found this authoritarian incel karen good or relatable. the one that really got me was 'in any other show he'd be the protagonist.' yeah bro that's why i like this one? go watch one of those?

by like the fourth month they already had a bizarre victim complex. I just avoided talking about him completely because they would get really rude and start in with the guilt trips if you mentioned izzy even in a neutral way, let alone if you said anything about homophobia or psychological abuse. they called people abusive and homophobic and racist (?) if they said anything negative about fictional white man izzy hands. they threatened to sue someone. remember when there was an essay about him in a zine that was actually pretty positive? and most of the comments online were about how the actors and writers would definitely read this and be heartbroken. probably cry. maybe not even want to make the show anymore. it was a fan zine.

i didn't even like izzy except as an antagonist, but somehow they almost convinced me that i was watching it wrong. i started to seriously think, like, what if the writers were on his side all along? what if they really were making the main (queer, indigenous) love interest abusive and my very favorite thing was not as good as i thought it was? why not, when i've always had to twist a story to pretend it's for me? maybe i'd done it without realizing this time. i would have been so disappointed. and the way season two was done, there was like a week where i think i really believed it. it made me feel like i couldn't trust my own judgement. probably I was depending too much on this one tv show for serotonin because I cried a lot during that time, but you know how it is. the point is, it should have been a fun time for me but it was not.

i was so happy when he died, though. that cheered me right up and i'm fine now. i know I'm being dramatic and none of my complaints are very important in the grand scheme of things (i didn't even get into the racism) but they almost fucked up my Autism Favorite Thing for me and i want it to be documented somewhere that i will never forgive them for that <3 <3 <3

#31.

related posts: #29

(so i'd have posted this anyway bc of recent posts talking about questioning their views of izzy bc of the prevalence of canyon takes insisting he's a protagonist etc. but even without that, this blog was literally created because of a need for a space to talk about canon izzy and a need for acknowledgement that fanon izzy has become very widespread, mostly due to the canyon actions you mention. so it's difficult to separate the two when the blog was partially born from people thinking they were the only one to feel this way!)

[londonspirit]

Well then...

It's been two weeks since the final episode (HOW?) and i have finally sorted my thoughts enough to write little about it (mainly for myself - as always).

First of: I fucking LOVED it!!! Yes, it wasn't perfect but that's only the studios fault and nobody else's.

(although I do have a few issues with the editing of especially the last episode: there's too many things wrong to ignore it. There's tiny bits not lining up before which is fine because one can overlook them; Ed going in for the kiss at the beach from the left and the close up is from the right, things like that. In the last epi there's too much of that: the crew behind them when Izzy dies, that's just bad editing; although once again, I'm pretty sure that's the studio's fault, if they could've done it like they wanted to, there would've been reshoots for it *sighs* It's a shame, because that scene is beautiful otherwise; sad as hell but incredibly well done. Taika and Con are really going for it, and it's amazing!)

Edit: knowing now that they cut FORTY fucking % I only keep my 'critics' because this is mainly for me! Knowing that, I am even more in awe about what they managed to make with that!!! They are all fucking MAGICAL for making this show as beautiful and amazing as they did!!!! And I really hope ONE DAY we can get a Director's Cut or something that's gonna make it all more smooth and just that more coherent, just like DJ would've wanted it to look!!!

Anyhow, i loved it. Im so happy to now have 8 more episode to obsess over again, to rewatch whenever I want and revel in the fucking MAGIC they gave us! The writers have really outdone themselves this season! It's tight and fast-paced but it still works fantastically well!

Personally, I've never been more in love with Taika - his acting was outstanding this season!!! Absolutely NO notes on that!! That man's soo fucking talented that whenever he says otherwise I wanna smack him over the head and shake him. I REALLY hope he does more of this because it was insanely good and I want more. (also: he's never looked more gorgeous!! the HAIR! the BEARD! the fucking EYES!!! GUH!! I wanna give him all the awards for this role alone but that's just me!!! So yeah, much much love for him!!) Same goes for Rhys - they're both soo fucking good together, and I cannot wait for them to do more drama because they'd fucking smash it! And not to forget the rest of the cast: every single one gave their absolutely best and I loved every single second of it!!!

What else? The fucking LOCATIONS!! God, I've always wanted to go to AoNZ but this season made me so much more needy!!! (not happening anytime soon but yeah, ONE DAY!!). Sooo stunning, sooo damn beautiful!! GUH!!!

Also: Guest stars!!! First and foremost: FAMILY!! Say what you want about that, but I fucking LOVE when shows do that!!! Taika's kids made me squeal soo much in the BTS vids already, but having DJ's wife in it as well??? With a rather substantial role? And her absolutely smashing it?! Totally made that episode even more amazing!!!

VERY much in love with Ruibo!!! Her Queen was incredible and I loved every second she was on screen!! Her character was so nuanced and wonderful and perfectly balanced. I REALLY hope we can get her back for a 3rd season - she fucking rocked it!!!

And we got ALL THE KISSES!!! I mean, I was hoping to get some more, and something a little more passionate than in S1 (don't get me wrong, I still love that one but yeah...) And we got soo many!! And soo many wonderful ones!!! And no I can't pick a fav: I love them all. The moonlight one had me losing my shit all over the place (at work no less) - the callbacks, Ed's fucking EYES and Stede's shy glances!! GUH, that was just soo delicious!!! The Calypso one was just hot as hell and I may have cursed them for not making that longer!! And the beach one was just utter perfection! Their faces, their smiles, Ed's 'I love you' still makes my stomach all gooey!!!

And then there's Izzy. *sighs* My little angry raccoon man. Our indestructible little fucker. Con motherfucking O'Neill. UGH!! I hated him (Izzy, not Con) all the way through S1! There was not one redeeming feature on that bastard. BUT... when you've read all the Ed/Stede fics and you start to look for something new and then find some beautifully written Izzy/Roach ones and then start to like him and eventually read more and then end up reading (and writing) some SteddyHands and you're like 'yeah, I can see it now'. It also helped A LOT that Con's such a darling man and so real for it all, and you have too much time to fall in love with him after all... So naturally you start to like S2!Izzy. And then you start to love him, and you fucking ADORE the SASSINESS he's got this season. (Still not over the morning after Izzy - the SASS was through the fucking roof!!!) AND THEN THEY LET HIM SING!!!! DEAR GOD!!! I would've loved for a full on musical episode (I mean, that talent show would've been such a GREAT opportunity for that!) The ENTIRE cast is freakishly talented and they all could've pulled that off. So naturally I was VERY HAPPY that at least they let Izzy sing!!! I'm still not over that!! (And Im highly amused that even some of the crew had no idea that he could do that!!! I mean... he got a fucking OLIVIER award to prove it!!!) (but then again, I spend way too much time on YT to find his stuff so that's probably just me!) AND DID HE DELIVER!!! The whole party bit, with the make-up and the shyness at first and then just BURSTING it out was just sooo fucking beautiful!!! Every damn frame of that was a bloody masterpiece and I'd KILL for the bits they cut - I'd pay a very good price for a DVD with ALL the deleted bits because I KNOW that DJ had to tighten that baby down massively!!! I NEED THAT!!! *exhales*

So yeah, S2 made the impossible possible and made me LOVE Izzy fucking Hands! Which im certain was their plan all along - otherwise his death wouldn't have been this devastating!!! Which is fucking WAS!! I cried at work (thankfully there was nobody there!)! And im still not over it!! I totally understand WHY they did it. Doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt. (here the strange editing sort of took away from the PAIN of it all a bit but if you concentrate on Ed and Iz it can be ignored).

*sighs* I'm just so sad that some people went and attacked our beautiful writers like they did. I know it's only a small part of an otherwise amazing fandom but I HATE that they're soo fucking loud - i can only hope DJ and his writers know that most people love what they did! (and NO, I do NOT wanna discuss it. you can be sad, yes, and you can be mad too but you do NOT go and shit-talk the writers or send them death threats - that's an absolute no-go! And no, in a show that's all around queer and has a lot of disabled character, it's not homophobic or ableist - it IS after all just a tv show. If YOU put too much of your own wants into it, that's on YOU! Ugh, sorry, didn't want to get into this but it makes me soo mad!!!) Once again, I'm very glad that I follow only the right people, no need to block or unfollow anyone on here or on Twitter! *blows kisses*

So yeah, despite some small flaws and scenes I KNOW have been cut, I love the second season just as much (if not more) than the 1st one. I can only hope that the studios decide to let DJ finish it. Im so happy with what we got - fanfiction can totally work with that. But I would love to see more Ed and Stede (trying and probably failing) to run their Inn, see the crew of the Revenge get into insane adventures, maybe even meet some more new characters (JC and BM still need to make a cameo!) - there's still soo much story to tell and I would LOVE to actually SEE it on screen!!!

I also would LOVE for the cast and crew to be able to finally talk about it, promote it, share stories and pictures and everything during a 3rd (and last) wave of MADNESS surrounding the show. Everyone deserves to bask in the love we have for them and our show. S1 had barely any promo. S2 aired during a strike. S3 could make up for all of that and get cast and crew the love, recognition and adoration they soo very much deserve!!!

[the-script-demands-it]

Welcome to...

Rad's enormous pile of abandoned MetaWare WIPs/things that ARE finished but I didn't like them/WIPs that I might come back to/other stuff!

Below the "keep reading" button will be a detailing of all of these images! Please be aware that this WILL be an extremely long post, so... Just a warning. There'll be a second post after this that will also contain the rest of the art that I wasn't able to squeeze in here. (Even 30 pics per Tumblr post isn't enough for this...)

Let's start off with the most recently abandoned WIP!

I started drawing this about two weeks after Chris' birthday (her bday is January 4th) and I was really happy with it, but then I had NO idea how to pose Izzy. It's a bummer since I liked how Chris' hair came out, but alas! (Happy belated birthday, Chris!)

Possibility of finishing?: Yeah, maybe. Prob will have to change Izzy's pose if I really want to finish it though.

Oh hey, I posted this a few months ago on my other blog!

Really wish I finished it, but now that I'm looking back on it, there's definitely some improvement to be had here. I don't like whatever's going on with her face. You can tell that I gave up while trying to make the background as well. Poor Hope!

Possibility of finishing?: I'll have to completely redraw this if I plan on finishing it, but I've definitely got a feeling that I'll come back to this someday.

Hmph!

This one's actually pretty finished, I've just never posted it anywhere before because it's such a small little doodle. I like it though! Nari in a Gir tassel hat is always welcome.

Possibility of finishing?: It's already done. Don't plan on editing it!

(This happens on the rude route!)

It's basically just a proof of concept, and a VERY minimal one at that, but I think it's got some merit! Not enough people talk about that Chris Vs Aspen scene, honestly.

Possibility of finishing?: Sometime this year maybe...??? I don't plan on abandoning this forever, I just don't really know when I'll get around to it.

AUTISM BLAST PT. 1

Hey, remember that art I had pinned on my other blog for a while? I was planning on redrawing it, but I only ever managed to complete one part of it until I forgot about it... It's definitely an upgrade from the original version, though I can do better than this nowadays.

Possibility of finishing?: I'm DEFINITELY going to redraw this someday. I need a new pinned post, damn it!

Thx ^]

Okay, here's some context for these two. I got an anonymous ask on my other account saying that they liked my MetaWare PFP and I thought that it would be a great idea if I responded to it with some art and also turn that same post into an announcement for my MetaWare sideblog (this one!), but that of course did not actually happen.

Possibility of finishing?: NO.

Nari looks so... "off" in this picture.

I like how I drew Hope, but ergh... that is NOT Nari. I don't know how I managed to make her look like a completely different character in this one, but I do NOT like it.

Possibility of finishing?: Nah, I think I'm done with this pic.

Woah, scary!

I actually touched this one up a bit before sending it here. It used to look MUCH more incomplete, but it's basically done now besides from the hair being missing 'n all.

Possibility of finishing?: I might draw more MetaWare stuff with drastic lighting in the future, but I don't plan on revisiting this specifically.

Le miaow miaows.

I worked on Hope before sending this because she looked kinda off, but I think she looks OK now. You can see that this isn't really what my usual art style looks like. I was trying to mix together the original MetaWare sprite art style and the style SparkBag used in the polaroid anniversary art he made, and I think I did just fine.

Possibility of finishing?: It's basically already done! Coloring it would probably make it cooler, but I don't think I'll ever do that.

This won't be the last time I try to use eyes symbolically.

I still REALLY want to revisit this again. It's great! It's magnificent! I just did NOT have the ability to execute it properly back when I made it a ton of months ago, so I just didn't do it. Still don't know if I do now, but it's worth a shot. (This was basically just another proof of concept, by the way.)

Possibility of finishing?: Absolutely! I'll try to get to this sometime soon this year.

GRILLING START ! ! !

Yep, this was based off of Papyrus' "Dating Start!" minigame! Just another proof of concept or... Okay I don't know what else to call these. Like, they're definitely NOT finished nor are they actual fleshed out sketches, what else am I supposed to call them???? I think it's cool though.

Possibility of finishing?: Don't think I'll be ditching this idea anytime soon. Seems kinda simple to draw too, I'll get to it sometime.

Lookin' pretty cute!!

Context for this one: It was gonna be a 3 part comic or something with Hope drawing Nari's bear fursona. Never actually made the comic though, but I DID make her fursona!!! It's the one right below this one, actually.

Possibility of finishing?: Nope.

BEAR NARI BARI LET'S GO

Personally, I think this is adorable. When drawing people's fursonas I always kinda make them more animal than anthropomorphic, but I think it leads to pretty cute art!

Possibility of finishing?: It's already done!

I was just testing out a brush with this one, I think.

It's a cute little doodle, don't have much to say about it though! I WILL say that the bear plushie was a bit inspired by my own plush I have at home, though this one is much smaller than mine.

Possibility of finishing?: Nah, it's just a little doodle.

Ingo Nari... Ingri... Angry!?!

iiii really think I made the hat too big. Like... WAY too big. Don't really like how her face came out, but the body itself is pretty OK. I based it too much on Ingo's original pose though, kinda looks like I just put Nari's head on his head LMAO

Possibility of finishing?: This is basically already finished, though I might draw Nari cosplaying as Ingo again. Why not?

(Bonus Ingri!)

Nari in a hoodie!

Don't exactly remember what this was for. Either it was for an AU of mine or someone else's AU. Her front hair's kinda too far down though, I had a bit of a habit making her face REALLY small compared to her hair in my old art.

Possibility of finishing?: Nay!

Wow, Nari with an eye AND eyebrows! Who woulda thunk it.

Her hair is much puffier than previous versions in this one. Why? Dunno. She looks pretty cool AND cute in this though!

Possibility of finishing?: It's already complete.

My polar bear plush makes a cameo in this one! Say hi!

I had to edit this one a SHIT ton before sending this final picture. I wish I had a pin that said "I HATE DRAWING METAWARE STYLE NOSES" because I loathe them. There were other reasons why I didn't like the original version, but I was annoyed with the nose the most. Really happy how this came out though!

Possibility of finishing?: I just finished it right now. (I'll probably be posting this on its own sometime soon)

Some original characters...!? Unthinkable!

This features Lumi (Metolefrul-indus' fan character) and an old version of Rowan (my fan character)! I changed Rowan's design and personality soon after this, so I don't think this interaction with Lumi and Rowan will actually ever happen... Sorry Lumi! 'Twas just a little doodle.

Possibility of finishing?: NEVER.

Last but not least (for this post, anyway), is this Chris and Izzy sketch!

Some pals requested this during a stream and this was all I managed to make of it... I'm so sorry!!!!!!! They were good prompts!!! I'll finish it one day I swear!!!!

Possibility of finishing?: Soon!

PHEW WE'RE DONE FOR THIS POST. We have 20 more to go in the next one! Might post it next week because this is tiring holy hell. Glad to show these WIPs off to the world though!

P.S. I'm going to skip a few images seen in the huge pic at the beginning! Some were already completed and I'll just post those on their own orrrr I just don't want to review 'em.

[blackbeardslesbianearring]

S2 finale speculation that I'm catastrophizing about

I've been worried all week that Izzy is going to die and it is fucking with me. I've got like other shit to be stressed about 'cause Things are Happening in my life but this is kind of the cherry on top that is sending me spiraling.

Like, the bts leak is not nessicarily what is making me think it will happen, but it isn't helping. Like, all the reasons people who are saying it won't happen are really refutable. like:

"izzy is david's favorite" yeah and it is such a writer thing to kill off your fave. writers love doing that shit.

"the show is kind" and the show has been so fucking kind to izzy so far. in any other show he would have never got the love and support of the crew as he has. maybe he'd be begrudgingly allowed to hang out, the way they kind of treat Ed, and at the end he'd die as a redemptive sacrifice to make them go "oh he actually wasn't so bad". And I love that they're not doing that here, but it is a terribly easy way to show that he has so much love for the crew, for Ed still, for Stede, even, to sacrifice himself for these people who care for him.

it solves the 'problem' of izzy still having a crush on ed. like, one would hope that the writers don't actually see it as a problem, this isn't fanfic written by an insecure amature, it'd be great to see "oh izzy still loves ed but ed doesn't have the same feelings for izzy and izzy respects that and it doesn't change that he has feelings so he's going to just let Ed be happy because he wants what's best for the man he loves" instead of killing off a corner of the love triangle, but izzy dying would make things so easy in that regard. i mean izzy has already told stede that he thinks ed and stede are good together, if he tells ed that on his deathbead, that could be the easy guarenteed way to get ed and stede back together again.

and reviewers keep "non-spoiler"y calling out how great Con's performance is, which, he no doubt deserves the praise, but critics tend to save that kind of gushing for the bullshit emotional manipulation awardbait shit, like when a character dies and emotional, heroic death.

just... so many signs point to the death of izzy hands and that's an awful, awful feeling.

i'm scrambling to get some fics done before wednesday afternoon 'cause i'm staying up to watch the finale when it drops and i don't think i'm going to want to participate in fandom for a show that kills off my favorite character

[successfulheist]

HELLLOOO!!! I have been hyperfixated on Modern Warfare since December (call me a fake fan all you want I DON’T CARE !!!) and I made three ocs BUT THIS IS MY MOST DEVELOPED, MOST FAVOURITE ONE!!!

This is Reina Ramos-Gray!

She has been part of the military since 2008/9. Originally, she joined to be a translator; she grew up speaking English and Tagalog, and easily picked up Spanish whilst learning is at school, as well French. However, she quickly changed her focus into becoming a field soldier. Very early on in her military career, she was highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, melee weapons, and general stealth.

Early on in her military career, she had a boyfriend. She was only young, but felt as if she had met someone she’d be very happy to settle down with this man. However, he died on a mission he was assigned on. It took a while to get over, but she was close with her squad mates and had unconditional support in that time.

She raised to the ranks of Lieutenant due to her exponential effort in her field. At this point in time, she has also gotten another partner, and they had made it official right before she led her first large scale mission in 2017. But after that disastrous mission (where multiple of her soldiers got killed, she lost the opportunity of gaining vital information on a large crime gang, went against the orders of her own higher ups, and ended up being held hostage for almost two weeks, as well as her partner being shot when they tried to save her), her rank got removed and had to be moved to desk duties due to the substantial injuries she faced. This is where she went back to translations, and soon dog training.

During 3 long years of recovery, she had several physical therapists and constantly requested a transfer; she didn’t click with any of them which affected her attitude towards her physical therapy appointments. Soon, around her third requested transfer, she got assigned to a Medical Support Officer named Isabelle ‘Izzy’ Parker, and they immediately bonded. From that point, Reina was a lot more eager to go to her physical therapy appointments, especially since she had become close friends with Izzy.

After she had recovered to a similar similar point to before her injuries, she went back to field work. Eventually, (right at the very end of Modern Warfare 2019) Reina was enrolled into the 141 due to her outstanding skills with melee weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and experience with stealth missions. At first, she was hesitant to join the task force at first, but when she found out the main medical team they’d be assigned to the team was the one that Izzy led she was more eager to join, knowing that a close friend would be close by.

One time when her and some others were celebrating a successful mission, she met a man called Alejandro and had a one night stand. Even though the both of them definitely had strong feelings for one another despite it being a simple hook up, Reina cut it off before they could keep in contact; she was afraid that such strong feelings like this would crumble and ruin her career she had just recently rebuilt, and the fact she had lost many partners before during her time in the military scared her to commit to any more relationships. She didn’t think she’d seen him again anyways

However (if it wasn’t obvious enough) Alejandro is the same Alejandro that is the Colonel of the Mexican Special Forces, and Reina did see him again after three years when her, Soap, and Ghost went to Las Almas to find where Hassan was hiding (I am literally writing a 13 chapter story about their relationship OH MY GODDD). In the end, they both realised that their feelings never dissipated, and happily decided to keep in contact and try out a relationship.

Some fun facts!!!:

•She is left handed

• Her middle name is Agatha

she is EXTREMELY embarrassed about this fact and only Izzy knows. Alejandro eventually finds out but he laughs and gets made to sleep on the couch

• She is an AVID trinket collector and will always get some cheaply, cheesy tourist souvenir whenever she visits a new place

• Mainly focuses on callisthenics and will always just do some freaky contrition shit to annoy people

REF SHEETS!!! In order it goes: Normal clothes, vitiligo pattern, tactical gear, and then family tree!

This is art I made before her semi-redesign but it’s mission related!! I thought it’d be fun to share even though it’s a bit outdated!!

The other character in the second image is my friend’s oc Izzy!! Her and Reina have SO much lore and so many funny stories that we’ve created AAAA I LOVE MAKING OCS !!

YES Reina is shipped with Alejandro. YES I am cringe. NO I am not going to stop drawing the ship!!

I LOVE THEM BOTH SO MUCH !!! I LOVE WRITING ABOUT THEIR DYNAMICS AND THEIR LIFE TOGETHER !!! I LOVE THEIR RELATIONSHIP SO MUCHHHHH!!!

[femslashspuffy]

Shit like this happens a lot in tv shows but I really just don't believe it fits with the tone of this one. You've mentioned how much everyone else has gotten past but god what Izzy HIMSELF has gotten past this season is tremendous

And usually then I would argue "oh he let himself go he let himself die out of some fucked up depression" but he made himself MOVE during his depression he got up and kept getting up over and over and it's not like last week he was sad when Ed finally had what he wanted, just the opposite actually he was finally finding his footing with the crew, he felt pretty and he sang and he didn't even pretend to hate them anymore.

And then there's the part of the speech where Ed says "you're my only family" and Izzy counters with "they're all your family and they all love you" but where is that energy for himself? He has to know that applies to him too? He has been very observant the past few weeks he knows that.

I am sure that part of my anger stems from just genuinely liking him as a character but I have been trying to think analytically since I've watched it and it still just doesn't make sense. And they give it no weight anyways, like lucius' "death" had some fucking weight to it. It felt dark and it felt bad because it WAS... Izzy, everything before AND after it is light. There is no real tone shift in the episode they end as happy as everyone was when they kissed, what is that? I'm sure part of it comes from the season getting cut a little short but it feels like if you're going to do something like that, to a character that has such an arc in this show from evil to hurt to healing, you have to hold on it. There was actually a moment in the episode where I thought "oh he has to be coming back to life right now because the tone has suddenly shifted to light again" but no,, it didn't happen. At some point it just gets messy, he really died for no reason. For No reason, it's not even going to fuel Ed right now because they chose to take time off from being pirates. Why did it need to happen? What does that do for the show? Why would they do that if they weren't even going to take it seriously??

Anyways now that the season is over I'm noticing a lot more problems with it that I haven't called attention to because I figured they would be wrapped up by the end but this is definitely one of them... none of this makes sense and the finale episode was rushed, constantly changed tone out of no where, and ended in a way that doesn't really make sense. Plus after the very impactful cliffhanger of the last season this one just feels like it pitters off. It's just not that great and I probably will still watch season 3 because I like the way that they write the characters and the characters themselves... this season was in no way perfect

I honestly haven't realised until now that Izzy had become my main reason for watching the show. I've always been part of the Izzy Canyon, but in this season I've been much more invested in his arc than in the main Gentlebeard arc. At some point I started tuning into each episode waiting for a scene with Izzy. And to have this taken away...

I just don't get it. No, I won't be one of those people who rage at the writers and start insulting them just because they didn't get the ending they wanted. It's done, it's over, I'll just have to make my peace with it. But I just don't get it. Izzy had so much potential. It felt like he was only starting to discover it. He'd only just started finding himself and his place in the crew. He'd literally only just managed to extricate himself from Ed and become his own person. And all of it was taken away in a split second by, what, some stupid bullet wound? When other characters in the show had survive having their guts stabbed and getting tortured? When near-death situations have always been treated like comedy so far? When literally not a single character who wasn't a villain or had more than a couple of lines ever died?

Gonna be honest, I'm not even sure I'm going to watch season 3. Okay, yeah, I probably will, it's just what I'm feeling right now as of this moment, literally minutes after finishing the episode. I'm in an extremely emotional ranting mode right now. But it just won't be the same. I really do have a hard time not feeling angry at the writers, because the only alternative would be feeling angry at myself for falling for the delusion that Izzy had actually become one of the main characters alongside Stede and Ed. There was a time when we were collectively speculating that maybe Steddyhands was actually within the real of possibility in some shape or form. And now it's all gone. Izzy won't even get to kiss anyone, ever. Imagine killing off Con O'Neill's character before he got to kiss a man. All of that potential, gone just like that, as if this was Black Sails and not an ultimately wholesome rom-com after all.

And here I thought Good Omens S2 was devastating, but at least I know those two will get their happy ending in S3.

[unluckyhoneybee]

The Handsome Artist. 21. (Daniel Ricciardo)

A cabin at the coast. Abi and Danny enjoy the last days in a quiet place.

MASTERLIST.

Previous part: Birthday

Note: I'm sorry it took too long, it has been a roller-coaster couple of weeks.

I felt a soft touch on my back, going up and down and sometimes acompanied by light the light pressure of a kiss. I opened my eyes and the sunlight made my sight blurry.

Those kisses traveled up my spine and found my neck.

"I know you a awake" He said and lifted his leg over my hips. With him around my whole body, I closed my eyes again and moved closer to him. "Clingy?"

I giggled a bit and nodded, turning my head to the other side and hiding on his neck. His hand traveled down my side and gripped my hip.

"I just want cuddles" I whispered and kissed his Of Love and Life tattoo. He pressed a kiss to my head.

"I can give you that"

Daniel pulled me close to his chest and I grabbed into him. His warmth felt way too good and he smelled like soap.

"Are you ready for today?" He whispered.

"I think so"

He touched my chin and made me look up at him.

"What's going on?"

Our days in Australia were coming to an end, and not knowing when he would see them again, Daniel had planned a weekend for the four of us. He had rented a cabin in the coast and we would take the kids there. Then on Sunday the others would come.

"I haven't been alone with kids like that. Like taking full care of them"

He leaned and kissed my lips softly. He had discover long ago how much it soothed me.

"You are great with them. You are the best Auntie."

I smiled a bit.

"Am I?"

"Mhm"

Another kiss and then another.

"It's lovely to see you around them." He caressed my cheek. "You really are so good with them"

"Yeah, but I haven't fully taken care of them."

He sighed and kissed my cheek.

"You will do amazing. I'm sure"

This time, it was me who kissed his lips.

"I can't believe it's almost over" He whispered while leaning his head beck on the pillow. I looked into his brown eyes and ran my thumb over his lip. I wasn't sure of what to say but there were questions in my head. "Thank you very much for coming with me. It wouldn't have been the same"

I smiled and gave him another deep kiss.

"I'm happy you brought me"

He hugged me again and hid on my neck. I snaked my arms around his naked back and pulled him even closer. I kissed him all over his face, making him smile and giggle.

Soon the alarm rang and we had to get up. Getting the bags ready for only three days was way more difficult.

"Do you have everything?" I asked.

"Mmm, I think s-" He gasped. "No"

And the he ran, making me laugh. He came back soon after with a box.

"Is that the tattoo machine?"

"Maybe" He said smirking.

"What are you planning?"

"I can't tell you"

I gasped and faked being offended.

"Sorry" He pecked my lips. "Ready?"

We said our goodbyes and drove to the kids school.

"Auntie!"

I caught Izzy on my arms and kissed her cheek.

"We learnt the animals and plants today!"

"That's awesome!"

Daniel kissed her head and pinched her cheek.

"Did you told them your aunt is a botanist?"

"Of course, Uncle Dan" She said as if it was the most obvious thing. It made me laugh. "I told them the plants that help with sore head"

"Head aches" I reminded her.

"Yes. That"

I smiled. She was the cutest little thing in the world.

We heard a woman calling Daniel and we both looked.

"She is miss Sandy" Izzy said.

Daniel frowned and walked to her.

"Isaac had a little accident. We just called Michelle and she told us you were picking him. He fell when he was leaving the class."

I bit my lip as I saw Danny's expression change.

"Is he okay?"

"He is a bit scared."

"Okay. Can I?"

The woman nodded and Daniel and her went back inside.

"Dis Isaac got hurt?"

"I think so, sweetie"

"Can we go to the beach house?"

I walked to the car and sat her on the hood.

"Let's see how he is feeling first, okay?"

She nodded.

Soon, Daniel was back with Isaac on his arms and his little Lightning McQueen bag on his shoulder.

"Hey..." I said reaching for the boy's curls.but without leaving Izzy's side. "Are you okay, Isaac?"

He sniffed.

"A friend pushed him and he fell a couple of steps. But he is fine. He is a strong guy and only got a little bruise on his knee"

"I got a bruise once too, Isaac!"

Isaac lifted his head.

"I want to go to the beach. I don't want to stay at home" He brushed his teary eyes.

Daniel and I shared a look and a smile.

"Well, you have to call mum and talk to her." Danny said.

He sat the kid next to his sister, who went instantly to ask where the bruise was. Meanwhile, I called Michelle.

"Hi"

"Hi, Abi. How is he feeling?"

"A bit scared." I whispered.

"Oh, poor boy"

"Yeah. Izzy is already dealing with it"

Isaac was showing Dan and Izzy the bruise on his knee.

"He wants to ask you if he can go to the beach"

I heard her laughing softly.

"Of course"

So I gave him the phone. Danny and I observed the kid as he talked to his mum, telling her the whole story and crying a bit while doing so.

"Mum said it's fine but I have to be careful and tell you if it hurts too much"

"Yay!" Izzy clasped happily.

"Let's go then"

Daniel told me how it was him who usually sat between the kids seats, but now it was me. Isaac was leaning on my side, sniffing and still tearing sometimes. He had told me he was tired and I said it was fine. Then Izzy had started talking nonstop and playing with my rings. So I was trying to get the little girl to talk softly while her brother relaxed a bit on my shoulder. Meanwhile, I could feel Dan shooting looks through the mirror and smiling.

We arrived to the cabin three quarters later and I was amazed. It was a beautiful place in front of the sea.

"It's beautiful, Daniel"

"Yes Uncle Dan. It's really nice"

I giggled and looked at Isaac.

"Isaac, love" I touched his shoulder and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Are we at home?"

"We are at the beach. The cabin"

He looked through the window.

"C'mon buddy. You came here once, remember?"

He said no.

"You were too little, probably"

Daniel and I put the kids out of the car and the bags and walked behind them. Izzy was grabbing Isaac to help him walk.

"Well done, Izzy. Now be careful with the steps. One each time, Isaac" I told them.

"How were you unsure, Abi?" Daniel said with a smile "You are perfect"

I blushed and shrugged.

"We just arrived"

"And you have already dealt perfectly with them. It's not easy."

"They are nice kids" I smiled. I loved them so much.

When we got into the house, Izzy started running around and Isaac tried to follow her.

"We have 1 bedroom for us. Because it has kids beds. And then is another one for you because it has one big bed" She informed us.

The first night was pretty calmed. Danny and I cooked dinner while they did their homework (they had promised mum). Then after dinner, I had put some cream on Isaac's knee and they had gone to sleep.

"Pss" Danny called me. I rolled my eyes when I saw him laying on the bed.

"Where are your clothes, dork?"

"I wish I knew"

I laughed and pecked his lips.

"The kids are on the next door"

"I thought you would have enough practice by now"

I pushed him and sat on his abdomen.

Then next morning, I woke up the first. Daniel was snoring softy and laying naked upside down. I covered him with the blankets and got dressed. After washing myself I went to check on the kids. Isaac was awake and looking through the window.

"Tss"

He turned around and smiled.

"Hi"

"Do you want to come with me?"

He nodded and followed me.

Isaac sat in the counter while I got breakfast ready. He talked quietly about what he had done at school this week and asked questions about how my school was and how I studied to become a botanist.

"Uncle Dan said that I could go to LA when I'm older if he doesn't come back."

I looked at the kid.

"If uncle Dan doesn't come back to live in here?"

He nodded.

I looked back at my work in the kitchen and took a deep breath.

"Do you want him to?"

"Yes. But he says he loves LA. Only a little less than Perth." Isaac took a sip from his orange juice. "Do you like Perth?"

"I love it"

"Cool"

"Morning..." Danny's deep morning voice made us look. He was followed by a really sleepy Isabella.

"Hi guys" I smiled although I was feeling something deep on my chest. Something I needed to talk about.

Daniel kissed Isaac and then me.

"I thought we could go to the beach to play around ad build castles"

"Mum said we can't get wet"

"We won't" I touched Isaac's nose.

Daniel wrapped himself around me and peeked over my shoulder.

"Also... We have a surprise for you, Auntie Abi" His voice gave me goosebumps.

Suddenly the kids were fully away and talking loud.

"Yes! Yes we do!"

"Can we show her?!"

I was really surprised.

"What?" I asked with a smile.

"Okay, sit guys. I'll be back soon."

Daniel left and I helped Isaac to hop down the counter. The three of us sat on the table and soon he was back. He had a folder that said For the best Auntie in the World. He sat too.

"What is this?" I asked a bit weirded out by the whole thing.

"It's..." Izzy opened her mouth to talk but Danny was fastest.

"Shh princess. What did we talked about?"

"It's a really serious gift and Uncle Dan has to speak first" She said.

"Good"

Danny turned to me and passed me the folder.

"The kids and I have worked a lot on this. It's yours now and you can do whatever you want with it. You can say no to what I'm about to propose or you can have some time to think. It's up to you"

My hands were shaking.

I opened the folder and looked inside quite confused. It was a drawing of flowers and plants clearly done by the kids.

"It's beautiful"

"You can get a tattoo" Izzy said.

"Izzy... What had we talked about?" Danny said frowning a bit.

"Sorry" She whispered.

Danny sighed and looked at me.

"A tattoo?" I asked.

"Yeah. Well, if you want. They got the idea when they saw the ivy on the pool. T-they asked who had drawn it and I said it was me"

I looked at the kids, who were patiently waiting.

"They wanted to do that too. But the three of us talked about it and they understand that maybe you don't want to get it on your skin. And..."

"It's fine. You can hang it in your living room and get it later" Isaac said.

"When you are ready." Izzy add.

My eyes filled with tears.

"Why are you crying?" Isaac walked to me and took my hand. "Is it ugly?"

"Come here, sweetie." I hugged him to my side and kissed his head. "It's perfect. I wasn't expecting you guys to do this for me"

"You love flowers, so we did a lot" Izzy pointed.

Danny gently touched my knee.

"You can think about it"

I nodded and cleaned my tears.

"I love it guys. It's perfect. But... I will think about it, okay?"

They nodded.

"Give me a big hug, c'mon"

Daniel took the folder from my hands right before both kids jumped on me. I kissed their cheeks.

"Thank you very very very much. I love it. And you guys are such good artists. I won't hang it on the shop once we are back in L.A. so everyone can see it"

Daniel was looking at us with a fond smile.

"And the tattoo?" Izzy said.

"Let me think for a bit. I have to choose where I want it" Hearing that their faces (the three of them) lit up. I smiled at Daniel. "That's why you brought the machine"

He nodded while laughing.

I felt a warm feeling on me. We did the dishes together after having breakfast. Then we got ready and went to the beach to play. And when we were too tired, we sat and watched them play. It was windy and the sea was roaring, but the kids were having so much fun anyway.

Daniel lifted his arm and I tucked myself under it. He threw the blanket over our shoulders.

"Are you really sure about the tattoo? It last forever"

I looked at him and kissed his jaw.

"Is that a problem?"

"What if..." He looked away at the sea.

For once I wasn't the insecure one.

"Dan... Whatever happens in the future... I won't be able to forget about this. I will always love them and I will always love you. No matter what"

He looked down and pressed his forehead to mine.

"You will always be a warm memory to look back on bad days. No matter what happens. If we end up together or not."

He cupped my cheek and kissed me slowly. For a moment I forgot about everything and could just think of him and his coffee-flavoured lips.

"I love you"

I smiled and stroked his cheek.

"I love you too"

"So?"

"My back?"

"Brave girl"

I chuckled.

"That bad?"

"That's what they say."

"I'm sure I can take it"

"I'm sure you do"

I closed my eyes and hid in his neck.

"They are so special"

"They are, yes. I thought they were insane when they came and said they wanted to draw a tattoo for Auntie Abi."

I giggled.

After that, we didn't say much. But that question floating around my mind came back. It seemed to be the perfect moment.

"Dan?"

"Yes"

"Do you want to come back?"

"Mmm, yes?"

"For real. Come back to live here"

He stayed in silence for a while, thinking and probably trying to form words.

"I do" He finally said. "I love Perth. But I love Los Angeles too. And yes. Maybe not now, but in the future, I would love to come back here"

I sighed.

"If I have to stay in L.A. I would. I don't have problems with that." He added.

I hugged his waist.

"I wouldn't have problems coming here either"

"All your life is in L.A."

"So is yours. The only thing that stops me now is Charlotte" I said.

He kissed my forehead.

"I love to hear that." He said. "We could have our own tattoo studio- flower shop. "

I smiled.

"We could"

"But there is so much time left for that"

I nodded.

"I love you"

...

"How are you doing?"

"Good"

I had been laying face down for an hour already, the needle poking at my skin.

Daniel was fully concentrated on the job while the kids drew on papers. He had told them to design tattoos for people to get in the shop and they were fully invested.

"Look. It's a snail"

"Beautiful, Izzy"

I was getting it on my back and it was painful but it wouldn't last much longer.

"Guys, it's one of the prettiest designs I have done"

"We can work with Lewis and you on the studio when we are older. " Isaac said. "I'm drawing a rose like yours. But it's purple"

I couldn't see him, but I knew Danny was smiling.

"Can Izzy add a little butterfly on it?"

"Why?" She asked.

"Pretty please?"

Soon the little girl was working on it. I was feeling so happy, so relaxed even though my boyfriend was scratching my skin with a needle. Everything felt so quiet, from the music in the background to the kids drawing and colouring.

"Okay. Want to have a look, guys?"

The kids got up and peeked over at me. I was laying on the sofa and the posture was uncomfortable for Danny (who was kneeling on the floor) and me.

"I love it!" Izzy shouted.

"It's super cool"

I giggled. "Can I have a look?" I asked.

Danny helped me get up and then showed me a mirror. I smiled so big. It was perfect. I felt so lucky to have found Daniel. I felt so lucky to have them all in my life and I understood why Charlotte and Molly always said there were good things waiting for me.

"I love you so much guys. Thank you very much for this" I kissed the three of them and they looked at me with big eyes. "I'm the luckiest Auntie in the world."

Daniel took my hand and kissed my knuckles.

"Now you can't forget about us while you are in LA" Izzy said.

"There is no way that's happening, princess"

Danny gave her a big bear hug and then looked at me.

"I have to clean and cover that up. And then..."

"Then what?" We asked at the same time.

He made us wait for long minutes. But soon he had us sitting on the sofa, Isaac on one side and Izzy and me on the other.

He took the drawing the kids had done. "This one is for me"

Izzy gasped.

"Abi and I will match now with the coolest tattoo ever"

And that's how we spent the rest of the afternoon, watching Dan tattoo his calf and plastering the flower and butterfly on his skin.

Everything was perfect.

..............

Getting the kids to sleep was the most difficult thing. But we finally did with a couple of tales and many many back rubs.

I washed my teeth and went back to the room. The day had been intense and full of emotions, but I wanted to finish it in the best way.

So I crawled onto the bed. He was there laying on his boxers and smelled like my soap. I leaned and kissed his link, the inner side of it. I loved the flower tattoo and looked up at him. He smiled and caressed my face.

"I can't believe we have matching tattoos now" I said carefully caressing the skin around the newest tattoo. He smiled.

"Have I told you you are the prettiest?"

"A couple of times, I think"

I kept kissing those tattoos on his leg, admiring them and caressing the painted skin on my way up. He was so handsome.

When I reached his black boxers I skipped them with a grin and kissed right under his belly button. I kept tracing my way with kisses all over his abs and pecs until I reached his beautiful neck. I nibbled the skin and he sighed, digging his fingers into my hair.

But suddenly the door opened and we heard a sob.

I pushed myself up from his body and he sat. Isaac was on the door with his crocodile plushie. He had a hand on his face and he was drying the tears.

"There are lightnings."

"Oh mate, come here"

The kid walked fast and climbed on the bed. He hugged Danny quickly and he kissed his head.

My boyfriend looked at me with a sad smile and mouthed an I'm sorry.

"Auntie duties" I whispered and leaned to kiss his forehead.

"Izzy is alone" Isaac whimpered. "What if she wakes up and gets scared because I'm not there?"

"Oh" Danny said and look at me. "Is Izzy scared of storms too?"

"No. But she hates the dark"

"Do you want me to go and get her? You can stay here with Uncle Dan and get the bed ready."

"Mum says that I have to sleep on the bed alone because I'm a big guy"

"Well, we will tell her we had a sleepover" I said touching Isaac's nose.

Danny smiled at me.

"Already spoiling them?"

"As I said, Auntie duties" I said wile walking out of the room.

Izzy was asleep when I reached her bed.

"Hey sweetie"

She opened her eyes slowly and reached for her farmer teddy bear.

"Auntie Abi"

"Mhm"

"It's not morning yet"

"I know, do you want to come with Uncle Dan and me? Isaac is there"

Thunder sounded in the sky and she turned to the window.

"It's fine. It's just a storm. We are having a sleepover."

"Isaac hates storms"

"I know. Do you want to go so he can feel better?"

She nodded.

I grabbed her and the teddy bear and walked back. Danny and Isaac had set so many pillows in the bed that we would barely fit in there. Dan was wearing a hoodie now and smiled when he saw us in the door.

"Princess!"

"I'm tired, Uncle Dan"

I giggled.

"We'll talk in whispers"

Soon, the four of us were laying on the bed. The kids were between Danny and I and he had a little smile on his lips. We had put a FIL on the TV, Cars, and they were watching it. Well. Isaac was. Izzy had fallen asleep again with her face hidden on my pyjama. She felt so warm and soft and I couldn't avoid kissing her hair a couple of times. She was the best, so cute and loving (her brother too, but we had a soft spot for eachother)

"It suits you" Danny whispered when he caught me playing with her blond locks.

"What?"

"A little girl" I blushed. "You will be a wonderful mum, Abi"

"The mum of my cousins?" Isaac casually asked without tearing his eyes from the TV. He was laying against Danny, with his uncle's arm around him to feel safe.

I looked at Danny and he looked at me. He had a sad smile. We had talked once about how the baby thing had affected Isaac. Izzy was still a toddler, but Isaac got super happy when Uncle Dan told him he was going to have a baby, small like Isabella when she was born.

"Of course, Isaac" I said touching his hair.

Daniel leaned his head against the headboard and closed his eyes. I feared for a moment having overstepped. But then he smiled and looked at me. I'm so in love with you, Daniel Ricciardo.

"How many cousins do you want?" He asked

"A boy and a girl. So I can teach a lot of stuff to the boy and Izzy to the girl."

Daniel kissed Isaac's head.

"I wanted to have a brother, not a sister. Because I thought girls were super boring. The girls in my school were. But Izzy is cool. She is a bit crazy sometimes and pulls my hair. But she is cool"

I smiled. He was the cutest.

"Then if you are going to be such a good cousin... Will you babysit them if Auntie Abi and I want to go out"

"I'm a kid, Uncle Dan. I can't babysit other kids"

I giggled and looked at Dan, who was trying so hard to not laugh out loud.

"Yeah Dan, what were you thinking?" I said slapping his shoulder.

Izzy moved a bit and groaned.

"She doesn't like to be waken up" Isaac whispered.

"Oh, we better watch the film then" I whispered.

Isaac turned his eyes to the screen and then I felt a hand on my hair, Danny carefully caressing it.

I looked up at him and saw him kissing his thumb before brushing it on my forehead. I closed my eyes and smiled. What a way to give me a kiss.

........

The goodbye came and it was the hardest thing to do. Izzy wouldn't let me go. She said she wanted to come with us. And it made us all cry a bit.

"Hey, look at me" I cupped her cheeks. "I have the tattoo remember? "

She nodded.

"And you have the plushies Uncle Dan I brought from L.A."

She nodded again.

"Then I won't forget about you and you won't forget about me"

"Can we call you?"

"Of course you can, princess"

She hugged my neck.

"I'm going to miss you a lot. Take care of Uncle Dan because he does a lot of crazy stuff and he will end up hurting himself"

"I promise"

Once they were all out of sight, Daniel hugged me. Blake and Michael kept walking to give us some privacy in the crowded airport.

"Bringing you here is the best thing I've ever done." He said in my ear.

"It is. You gave me a home away from home."

Tattoo link. Not what I wanted, but happy with it anyway.

Next part will be a bit different. Next part: Moments of them.

Taglist: @d0ntjudgemy50shadess @controsness   @thybulleric   @ln15  @lcuppoo  @priylodhasstuff @priylodhasstuff   @txtflxx @scotlynaurora @chxrryrose  @f1-incorrect-s @yearsof-war @earfquak3 @amsofftrack @xgallysonegoodlung

[run-me-through-but-not-like-that]

I realize you already got a request similar to this, but how about an izzy x lover he thought had died (who isn't dead and has been looking for him the whole time)

The difference would be that they didn't leave off on bad terms. I looove sappy reunions lol

Izzy Hands x Gn!Reader

The Calm after the Storm:

There had been a storm.

A terrible storm but not one that should have caused your death, you had sailed through storms before.

He blamed the crew. If it wasn't for their incompetence, you wouldn't have had your hands full, you wouldn't have to step in and take over duties they should have had covered. You wouldn't have been overwhelmed, you wouldn't have been thrown overboard into the cruel inky waves. You would still be here. Alive.

Of course the captains tried to reason with him. They missed you as well, mourned your loss, believed it to be a true tragedy, but the crew couldn't be blamed for it. It was the storm's fault. Nobody else's.

Izzy wouldn't have that though. A stupid fucking storm couldn't kill you, a storm couldn't listen to his screams, but the crew could. So, they would. They would bare the brunt of his anger and sorrow until he deemed then properly punished. Which would be never.

Izzy was miserable without you and he would make sure everyone else was too.

You should have died, you knew that. The waves should have taken you under, swallowed you whole to never resurface again. And yet your eyes had opened, water had been coughed up from your lungs, and the sun beat down on you once again. For a moment you had thought you were dead, but your salt invaded wounds from the ocean told you that you were very much alive.

You were alive and had one thing on your mind. Getting back to Israel Hands.

It had taken much longer than you would have liked but it was hard to keep track of the days, weeks...months?

Once you were fit to travel, you headed straight for the Republic of Pirates. You had marched into Spanish Jackie's, your goal still clear in your mind. If anyone knew where The Revenge was last sighted, it would be Jackie. She might have been able to give you information that would help you find the crew. Help you find him.

When you arrived, she had no information but the two of you had a good rapport so she allowed you to stay and kept an ear out for information you may find useful.

There was no new information, not until Jackie came to collect you from a backroom.

"That strange man is not aloud past my doorstep but...I made an exception. Get him out of here" Jackie told you.

"...Stede?" you asked, knowing well about their last encounter that got him banned from the establishment.

"The Genital Pirate. His ship just docked, I had him brought here" she confirmed, putting a smile on your face, before demanding, "get him out of my bar."

"Thank you" you knew that she was doing you a favour and you'd be happy to return it whenever she needed it.

Jackie patted your shoulder before you hurried out into the bar, seeing the finely dressed blonde, looking like he had received a few threats. "Stede!" you called, getting attention.

"Y/n?" he turned to you, eyes widening when he saw you approaching. "Oh thank God, you're alright" he truly was happy to see you alive and well, but he was also glad that you were here to hopefully get him out of whatever trouble he had accidently found himself in.

"Izzy, is he-?" you were glad to see Stede, of course you were, but you only had one man on your mind in that moment.

"He's fine... well, he misses you, we all thought you were dead but...I'm confident he'll be fine once he sees you again" Stede assured you.

Apparently the Gentleman Pirate had already outstayed his welcome, because Jackie cleared her throat from behind you.

"C'mon, lets get you out of here before Jackie kills you" you advised, giving Jackie another grateful nod before leading Stede out of the building.

"Izzy is back on the ship, watching over things. I still have some business to take care of but I won't delay you" Stede told you, knowing that you only wanted to get back to the man you loved and you were being polite by not having run off already.

"Thank you" you nodded, shooting him a smile before taking off sprinting through the streets.

Not caring who you disturbed or who got in your way, pushing past anyone who didn't step to the side. It had been far too long since you saw the crew, since you saw Izzy. You nearly cried when you saw the ship. It was just how you remembered it.

Not wasting a second, you ran up onto the ship and straight into Fang and Ivan, nearly knocking them over in your hurry.

"Y/n?" Fang's eyes widened at the sight of you.

"Explain later. Where's Izzy?" you didn't even waste time with proper sentences, you only had one thing on your mind.

"Ivan! Fang" a familiar voice answered your question for you. "I told you to-" before he could even finish scolding the two men, they stepped out of the way, making you visible to their first-mate. "Y/n?" he managed to breathe out, his whole demeanour changing. Looking at you as if you were a dream, a figment of his hallucination, a ghost.

You couldn't help but noticed how tired he looked, more so than usual, with dark bags under his eyes. You knew him well enough to know that he hadn't been taking care of himself.

"Izzy" you grinned, running straight into his arms.

You threw yourself right at him, arms wrapping tightly around his neck. He couldn't believe that it was truly you standing in front of him, on the deck of the Revenge once again, but the force with which you collided with his chest told him that you were real.

Izzy instantly caught you around the waist, not caring in the slightest who else on the deck saw how he embraced you and buried his face in your hair. The two of you remained there, just clinging to each other, worried that loosening your grips would result in one of you floating away. Izzy couldn't count how many times he had experienced this reunion in his dreams, but it always ended with you faded away, and he couldn't handle that again.

You couldn't say how long the two of you remained like that, in silence. "I thought you were dead" Izzy finally spoke, having found his voice, speaking into your hair.

"So did I" you confessed, pulling way just enough to see his face. "I don't know how I'm not but as soon as I woke up, the first thing I thought about was getting back to you" you brought your hands to his shoulders, gently rubbing them in a hope to relieve some tension, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Love. More than anything" Izzy confessed, hands cupping up to cup your face as he pulled you into a kiss. Both of you poured everything into that kiss, everything you felt but could never find the words to voice. The way you loved each other, the way you missed each other, a silent promise to never be apart again.

Reluctantly breaking the kiss, Izzy rested his forehead against yours. You were both crying at this point, you couldn't say when the tears started to fall but they were definitely rolling down your cheeks now, but neither of you really cared. All that was important was that you were together again.

"I love you. Every time we came to land, I searched for you. Hoped that you might have made it" Izzy told you and you believed him, you knew how he struggled to drop something when he truly wanted it.

"I did. I made it" you promised him, assuring him that you were really standing in front of him once again, "I love you too."

"I missed the reunion?" Stede's voice broke through the private little bubble the two of you had created.

Both of you turned, suddenly remembering that you were right in the middle of the deck, the crew having emerged from wherever they were to witness what all the commotion was about.

"It's good to have you back, Y/n. I told him that we'd find you" Ed smiled, standing beside his co-captain.

Realising that he was the centre of attention and that his cheeks were still stained with tears, Izzy looked around at the crew. "What the fuck are you all looking at?" he snarled, hand clutching yours. Couldn't he have any fucking privacy?

"Iz" you soothed, squeeze his hand to help ground him, "it's okay."

"Well, it seems we have all that we came for!" Stede clapped his hands. "Let's get going" the crew nodded, everyone moving to get the ship back to sea.

Turning back to you, Izzy pulled you close by your hand and rested his forehead against yours once again. "I won't let anything like that happen again" he promised, sounding determined.

"I'm not going anyway. Not without you. I love you, Iz" you promised him, meaning every word. "I think the crew can manage pulling away from a dock...come on, lets go down to our cabin. I don't want to be away from you just yet" right now all you wanted was to be with Izzy, to catch up on your experiences, to comfort each other, to remind each other that you were back and weren't going anywhere.

"Not yet" he agreed, he couldn't even think about being apart from you just yet, "never again."

[clairegregoryau]

My OFMD Fics- a master list!

I'm ClaireGregory on AO3, and these are my stories so far. Click the titles to go read! The following are my long fics:

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Modern AU Complete- 59K- rated M Vibes: Archaeology/ mystery/ thriller/ heist/ romance

Salvage diver Ed Teach is no stranger to the story of Blackbeard and the Queen Anne's Revenge- after all, the famous pirate is a distant ancestor. But then Professor Stede Bonnet, maritime archaeologist and many-times-great-grandson of the original, waltzes through the door of his shop and requests his services in finding the wreck. What are the odds?

Ed's had enough of the cutthroat world of salvage diving, and he's this close to leaving it all behind. But Bonnet's quest sparks an interest he hasn't felt in years, and he agrees to help the oddly charming man. Nothing to do with the fact that the Queen Anne might just be the last treasure trove Ed needs to escape his life. Definitely nothing to do with the way Bonnet's cheerful enthusiasm makes his heart skip a beat.

Together they'll hunt for the wreck... and then they'll reckon with what comes next. ~ Here Be Monsters (sequel to Somewhere Beyond the Sea)

Post-canon fix-it/ S2 predictions Complete- 112K- rated E Vibes: hugely epic, cinematic historical adventure/ mystery/ thriller/ romance

In 1718, Ed waited all night on the dock, but Stede never showed. And then to add insult to injury, he went and died. Drowning his grief in rum and violence, Ed finds himself pursued by monsters, ghosts, and the British Navy.

Aboard Ed's own ship, Jim Jimenez is waiting for their chance for revenge against the people who've hurt their family, Ed included.

A chance meeting with an old rival at Ocracoke Island shifts the trajectory of all of their lives, and sends them hurtling back toward past hurts. Now they'll have to work together to come through the other side of the storm, and to build a new future from the wreckage of all they have been. ~ Captive of the Pirate King Canon divergence (between Ep7-8) Complete- 19K- rated M Vibes: Meta romantic comedy, hilariously silly fluff, no angst

Stede sits down to read his nightly bedtime story to the crew of the Revenge, only to discover that Lucius has saddled him with a particularly trashy novel in which a gentleman and a pirate begin a hot and heavy romance. Ed has been on board for several weeks, and everyone is sick of the slow burn and apparently ready to shove them down the path to a real romance by whatever means they can.

As Stede reads (and tries to work out who the author of the story might be), they'll bicker their way through romance tropes, story structures, and what it means to have a happy ending. And if by the end of this night Edward Teach isn't in Stede Bonnet's bed, Lucius will probably have to eat his match-making hat...

A hilariously silly meta love letter to Our Flag Means Death and the fanfic writing and reading community.

~ Synchronicity Modern AU- Olympic diving Complete- 83K words- rated E Vibes: Unhinged sex and high sports action, real love at first sight fast burn stuff.

It’s Paris in the summer of 2024, and world-famous diving champion Ed Teach is representing New Zealand in what could be his final Olympics. After coming back from an almost career-ending injury he’s focussed everything he's got on winning gold at these Games, but when he meets Stede Bonnet—a first-time diving rival representing Barbados—at the infamous free condom handout and then discovers they're roommates, he’s suddenly got a lot more to think about. As Ed’s synchronisation with his long-term diving partner Izzy Hands begins to falter and Stede struggles with his confidence, believing in each other might be the only thing that gets them both through. In between, they're going to take this brief, fated time together to connect in every possible way they can.

Synchronicity is the first part of the Love Beyond Borders series, which also includes one shots like Ordinary Magic and Rewind, Replay, and the long fic sequel Parallel Placement (in progress). Parallel Placement Modern AU- Olympic diving (Synchronicity sequel) Complete- 111K words- rated E Vibes: Living the happily ever after, pure fluff and love, but with increasing depth to their lives as they work through past hurts together.

Ed Teach, the most successful Olympic diver in the world, expected to come home to Aotearoa from the Paris 2024 Olympics with four gold medals. He didn't anticipate bringing back one more golden thing: Stede Bonnet, his competitor-turned-lover-turned-teammate. And now Stede's by Ed's side for knee surgery, a year-long recovery, and the realisation of a childhood dream- opening his own diving school and aquatic centre. Stede's finding his own place in the world after divorcing, coming out, and becoming a central figure in the wildest Olympic diving drama in history. He'll have to face up to his past to carve a new path forward, but he'll have Ed and a whole new found family by his side throughout. Together they're facing a year of change, working on themselves in parallel, toward a shared future. Along the way they'll keep building the intense physical and emotional bond that burst into life in Paris, and shifted everything for both of them.

~ Tree Change Modern AU- Kinktober/ eco-pirates Complete- 166K words- rated E Vibes: Friends-with-benefits to lovers, and a deeply unhinged effort to include at least one prompt from every day of Kinktober.

Ecologists by day, fic writers by night, fuck buddies for one month only (unless...) Ed and Stede have been colleagues and best friends for years, working as ecologists to protect the environment. But lately it's all been more box-ticking, less actual saving the world, nothing like the dashing deeds of the eco-pirate heroes of their favourite television show, Tree Change. If only they could be more like Tāne and Rupert. Their favourite characters are also lovers, and Ed and Stede have done their fair share of writing fic about them as an escape from their harder reality. Now Kinktober is coming up, and their first writing collaboration, and Stede, only out since last year, is worried about his lack of experience. Ed’s only worried about how he can make Stede see the real feelings they so clearly have for each other, so it makes tactical sense to volunteer himself as a friends-with-benefits guide. They’ve just been handed a month on a remote property, where they’ll gradually begin to unveil a cover-up worthy of the villains on the show they love. And while they work to crack that puzzle, they'll also work their way through every possible kink, and find their way to much more than friendship...

~

Life Finds a Way Modern AU- Jurassic Park/ Jurassic World Complete- 95K words- rated M Vibes: Jurassic Park crossover with big dinosaur disaster chaos and plenty of pirate-related intrigue and action, too.

Palaeontologist Ed Teach is the foremost expert in his field, working on the same digs for decades. When billionaire Stede Bonnet appears at his site asking him to visit a new dinosaur theme park to give his endorsement, he doesn't know what to expect. But he needs the funding, so he reluctantly agrees.

The last thing he imagined he'd find at Jurassic Park was actual living dinosaurs. The next last thing was Stede himself, palaeobotanist and heir to the company that owns the park. He's been tasked with showing Ed around the lost world he helped to create, and winning him over.

Stede's charming, sure, and enthusiastic, and his passion for all the things Ed loves brings back a spark that's long been lost. But nothing is as it seems, and as a storm closes in and chaos descends on the island, Ed's about to discover that Stede has very different plans to his father. Then again, Ed's got different plans of his own.

First, they'll have to survive. Then, they'll have to escape. And then they can find a way for the past and the future to exist together.

Life… finds a way. Ed and Stede find their way together, too, along with the whole crew. ~ Birds of a Feather Historical AU Complete- 23K- rated M Vibes: Australian outback, 1930s, silly true history, but also a yearning, sweet, fast-burn romance built on shared trauma and trust ❤️

It's 1932, and a rogue horde of emus is sweeping through Western Australia's wheatbelt.

A military unit is called in to deal with the problem, led by Major Edward Teach, expert Lewis gunner.

Meanwhile, unconventional farmer Stede Bonnet has his own (secret) mission: to save as many of the birds as he can.

They should find themselves on opposite sides of this war, but Ed's bored out of his skull and Stede's fucking fascinating. Turns out, they've got more in common than not. Along with the eccentric crew of Stede's Revenge farm, they'll find a way to win--together. I've also podficced this one myself! ~ Lucky One Hundred

Modern AU- camboy meet-cute In progress- rated E Vibes: Funny accidental meet-cute that develops deep feelings. Fast burn love at first sight, gay awakening.

Stede Bonnet is having a day of it. He's suddenly getting divorced, he's questioning everything he thought he knew about his sexuality, and while exploring he's accidentally subscribed to the live webcam feed of popular camboy Blackbeard. In the process he's won a competition he didn't know he was entering, to get a little more up close and personal. Unhinged shenanigans ensue.

~

Wonders Unknown Historical AU- Jules Verne-inspired Complete- 59K- rated M Vibes: High adventure and a slow-burn romance as Ed and Stede journey across the world, and find there's magic all around.

It’s 1872, and anthropologist Stede Bonnet has spent decades trying to prove that mermaids exist. He should know; he's only here because one saved his life as a child. Only he and Nigel Badminton know the truth of that encounter, and now new evidence has emerged, the lifelong rivals are locked in a scientific race around the world to find the long-lost location. Nigel might have the full weight of the British Navy behind him, but Stede has several secret weapons of his own. His dead father’s money, which he intends to spend disgracefully. The state-of-the-art ship he’s commissioned, the Revenge. A wildly varied crew with many talents. And the guidance of world-renowned adventurer Edward Teach, who agrees to join their mysterious expedition as soon as he meets the intrepid captain. Ed’s got secrets of his own that can’t stay beneath the surface forever. But as they voyage across the Atlantic seeking hard proof of wonders unknown, they’ll come to believe in each other most of all.

~ Come in Spinner Modern AU- Eurovision Complete- 28K- rated E Vibes: A reunion fic in a modern setting, with big mutual pining vibes after infidelity and a rough separation. But also a lot of silly Eurovision fun for contrast.

Copenhagen, 2014 Australia is trying to convince the rest of the world to let them enter Europe’s greatest song contest. Australia’s not physically in Europe, but they’re there in spirit. They’re also there in person just this one time, singing as a guest. It’s a momentous occasion, one that’s inspired the country to send two of their most familiar faces for the commentary team: legendary singers Edward Teach and Stede Bonnet, who met through watching Eurovision, but haven’t seen each other since a scandal in the 90s. What could possibly go wrong, other than… everything? Or maybe, in falling apart, it’ll all fall back together…

~ Tell Me on a Sunday Modern AU- 1980s- Piña Coladas fic Complete- 26K- rated M Vibes: Big angst, with a little hope woven in too. A fic of faeeebaeee's Piña Coladas SMAU, covering Ed's point of view through six crucial weeks of 1987.

Months of pining for his best friend has led to a charged date at an arcade, and a sleepover full of the same pain. Now one thing's becoming abundantly clear to Ed Teach: if he wants to save his heart, the only real option is to say goodbye to Stede Bonnet. So why does it feel like such an impossible thing to do? Stede's like the sun, and Ed's caught in orbit. As the universe sends him one sign after another, he fights to break the gravitational pull before it's too late for both of them.

~ Full Fathom Five Canon Era- Post-S2/ speculative S3 Complete- 150K Vibes: 101 days of innkeeping life as Ed and Stede settle into their happily ever after. Things do not, of course, go as planned, but besides a few high tension moments, this one is mostly soft and sweet. Featuring Percy the goat, a crowd of Brigands, a steadily renovated inn, and the first ever tagging of the Steakberry relationship.

Edward Teach and Stede Bonnet have just watched the crew of the Revenge sail away, leaving them to their new start as innkeepers. A daily visit to their lives in the form of tiny updates over 100 days in their world and in ours, gradually charting a course through the Season 3 we all deserved ❤️

~ The Broken Lines Historical AU- First World War era Complete- 82K Vibes: amnesia, haunting and reincarnation collide for a story that's heavy on angst, but also has a very cathartic happy ending.

In 1919, telegraph operator Stede Bonnet returns from the Great War with no memory and no voice, unable to recall what happened to break his mind. On his first night at home, he sees the translucent image of a man he knows is Ed in the mirror, except that this Ed comes from 1719. Just as Stede knows that he's lost his Ed, this Ed has lost his Stede, and neither of them knows why. Reaching out across these broken lines of connection over two centuries, they'll work together to remember the endings of their stories, and to find what they've lost.

~ Nothing Personal Modern AU- spy vs spy In progress- 8/15 chapters posted (resuming soon) Vibes: deeply chaotic and angsty in places as spies Archie and Ed, who are also fuck-buddies, have their lives tipped upside down by mark Stede, who decides to become a spy himself.

Undercover agent Ed Teach is on his usual mission: get the guy. Get the info. Get out. This time he’ll take down the Bonnet Corporation, easy peasy, pudding and fucking pie. But he didn’t bank on Stede Bonnet being insane enough to hand over the company’s secrets willingly, and then to track Ed back to his place to make himself the biggest complication ever. Stede’s been treading water for years, and letting himself be seduced by the spy he was warned to expect is the first time in a long time that he’s really felt alive. He wants the kind of life Ed has. He wants Ed. And he’ll stop at nothing to make that happen, even if it means torching his whole life to begin again. Archie's been Ed's partner for years, both as professionals, and as friends with benefits. It's nothing more than that. It's not. But then Stede Bonnet arrives in their lives to pull Ed away, and suddenly she's seeing everything through new eyes. Archie wants to be more than an afterthought, and sometimes you've got to play dirty to get what you want. In her experience, that's just how it goes. It's just life. It's nothing personal... until it is.

~ I also have a few dozen more stories, including some shorter multi-chapter words, collaborations and one-shots across a wide range of subjects, all on AO3.

You can find a full list here in my Fic Directory! Featuring a handy dandy visual of the different vibes for each story (currently under renovation, not all vibes listed).