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amethystarachnid · 8 months ago

Text

LOVE IN REHERSAL

⤷ ANTHONY “TONY” E. STARK

ᯓ★ Pairing: Anthony “Tony” E. Stark x fem!reader

ᯓ★ Genre: romance and fluff

ᯓ★ Request from: MARVEL bingo

ᯓ★ Story type: one shot

ᯓ★ Word count: 4k

ᯓ★ TW(s): Y/N has a stalker, Tony's inappropriate jokes, a short make out session, only a few swear words at the end

ᯓ★ Timeline: before the Avengers were formed

ᯓ★ Request: tony stark + fake dating where eventually they end up falling for each other? ( @marcsbutt )

ᯓ★ Comment if you want to be added to the taglist (specify if you want the everything taglist or for a specific character)

ᯓ★ Songs & Superheroes tales - The Game (to make a request, follow the rules on the link!)

ᯓ★ MARVEL Bingo (requests open)

ᯓ★ English isn’t my first language

ᯓ★ Not proof read, this took me way too long to write, I'm sorry

ᯓ★ Check note at the end of the story for a news! ᡣ𐭩

Being Tony Stark’s direct secretary meant having a little spotlight on you, but not always a good one.

Every time he arrived late at a scheduled appointment everyone thought it was your fault, that maybe it was you who told him the wrong time.

But you didn’t really care about what others thought, Tony knew that you were good at your job, and that’s what’s count.

You’ve been working for him for more than five years now and you would go as far as to say that you and Tony are friends now…Behind closed doors obviously, in public you always act like the perfect secretary, like you two weren’t laughing in the car for one of Tony’s jokes.

“Y/N, do I have appointments this afternoon?” Tony asks, working on his Iron Man suit in his garage, which is bigger than the typical garage, bigger than your apartment even.

“No, you are free for the first time in the week.” You say, biting the Twix bar, I love these things.

“Perfect.” He says with a smile, “I think I need a beach break, how long does it take to fly to the Hawaii?”

You sigh and quickly check on your tablet, “11 hours, not even the time to land that you’d have to come back, you have a meeting tomorrow at 9.00 a.m. with a possible investor.”

He opens his mouth to say something but you already know what he’s going to say, you hold up your pointer finger to stop him, “I already rescheduled this meeting twice, you can’t miss it.”

He smirks and crosses his arms, leaning back on his chair, “You know me too well.”

You shrug your shoulders, a proud smile on your lips, “Isn’t it my job?”

Your little banter gets interrupted by a notification on your personal phone, you quickly check it and the color drains from your face.

Unknown number

I think going to the beach is a nice idea

You quickly brush it off as being one of Tony’s pranks, “Very nice Tony, you almost got me.” You chuckle.

“Got you what?” He asks, turning towards you and looking genuinely confused.

“The text you just sent me.”

“I didn’t text you, why should I text you? We’re in the same room.” He tilts his head to the side.

“Tell me the truth, did you tell Jarvis to do it?” You say, staring to get annoyed.

“Jarvis, did I tell you to text Y/N?” He asks out loud.

“No, Mr. Stark.” The robotic male voice answers.

“See? What are you talking about?” Tony asks as he walks towards you, you show him the text on your phone, he picks it from your hands and connect it to his computer.

“Jarvis, I think we may have an intruder in the house.” Tony says, but Jarvis tells him that everyone who is currently in the house has been authorized. “Then there must be some mics here.”

Tony’s seriousness is making you worry, “Tony, what’s happening?” You ask confused.

“Someone is spying on me, or on you…Or on both of us.”

“Spying? In like…paparazzi like or stalker like?”

“Aren’t paparazzi just socially accepted stalkers?” He says with an annoyed chuckle, rolling his eyes, “I can’t stand them.” He whispers.

“No microphones or any other unauthorized device detected.” Jarvis voice says through the speakers of the house.

“Is this the first time you get a text like this?” Tony asks, turning towards you. You nod.

“Yeah, first time.” You lean against your chair with a sigh, “Should I be worried?”

“I think so, whoever sent you this message is good at what he does, Jarvis didn’t detect anything suspicious and I can’t find their IP address or anything that can tell me from where the message as sent.”

“Great, a pro stalker is after me.” You chuckle, “But why me? I mean, I am the most boring person in the world.”

Tony shrugs his shoulders, “Men are strange, maybe you looked at him the wrong way and now he thinks you love him.”

“So what do I do now?”

“You could come and live here, you would be safer, he probably knows where you live.”

“I can’t believe this.” You whine and rub your face, “Thank you.”

Tony smiles at you, “Go with Jack to your apartment and take the things you’ll need the most.”

You nod, soon you’re walking out with the bodyguard next to you.

Once you’re far enough, Tony claps his hands. He always searched the right opportunity to get closer to you, to spend time together outside of your work life.

He knows he shouldn’t be happy that you have a stalker, he knows how much dangerous that can be, but it doesn’t mean that he can’t use this opportunity to make you fall in love with him.

While, obviously, tracking down your stalker.

────୨ৎ────

"I think I just had the best night sleep ever." You say as you come down in the kitchen, Tony is already sat at the island, drinking his morning coffee, "I think I should buy a water bed for my apartment too."

"Water beds are very comfortable when you aren't...you know, having an intercourse." You scrunch your nose at his words.

"You're too explicit I swear."

"How? I could've just said sex, but I said intercourse, I think that's very mature of me."

You look at him from the corner of your eyes as you prepare your coffee, "What? Do you want a star sticker for being a mature man?"

"I would really appreciate that, thank you." He finishes the coffe and places the cup in the sink, you sit down at the island and take a sip of your coffee while looking at his appointments of the day on your tablet.

"Are you ready for the meeting with the investor? He'll be here in half an hour."

He looks down at his jeans and polo shirt, "Yeah."

"Tony, you need to look more respectable."

"I'm Tony Stark, I'm already respectable." You roll your eyes at his words, it's almost like you can feel his huge ego in the room. "Did you receive any other message?"

You shake your head, "Fortunately not, maybe it was a one time thing?"

"I doubt it." Tony looks down at the computer in front of him, "I still can't find the source of that message, maybe he'll make a mistake next time he sends a message."

"Why are you so sure that a man is texting me?"

"Call it Iron Man instinct."

"That's not a thing." You chuckle and place your empty cup in the sink, next to Tony's. "Go put at least a pair of formal pants, please."

"I mean, if you're begging me to I don't think I have another choice." He winks at you and your heart skips a beat, why? It's the first time this thing happens with Tony.

Sure, he has been elected most handsome bachelor of the year a few times, and sure, his personalty makes him even more attractive when he isn't a complete asshole, but he's also your boss.

Your friend.

You shake your head, your body reacted that way only because he made a flirty comment and you're a very sensitive person. End of story.

"I'll wait for you at the meeting room." You say as you walk away, clutching your tablet to your chest, trying to make your heart calm down.

As you walk away Tony sighs, he's not used to women not falling at his feet with a simple glance from him, but that's probably why he's so intrigued with you.

Intrigued.

He had gotten over that phase long ago, he is completely in love with you, with the way you talk, act, even walk.

He knows his feelings, the only thing he needs to do now is to tell you.

────୨ৎ────

As Tony and the investor do the final small talk after successfully closing the deal your phone vibrates with a notification.

Unknown number

This kind of things are definitely too boring, just business, business and other business. Come with me, you'll have more fun. We are destined to be together, Y/N, why can't you understand that?

You barely hold in a gasp, but Tony seems to notice that something's wrong anyway, "Thank you for your money, Mr. Jones, but I really need to go, have a great day."

Before the man can answer, Tony is already walking out of the meeting room, passing by the security wards at the entrance and pulling you by your hand. He walks inside his bedroom and gently sits you down on the bed, you're too shocked to even react.

"He texted you again." Tony says as he presses a button behind his bedside table, immediately the room goes into look down: metals comes on the window of the balcony and on the door, "The room is soundproof now, we can't risk being hear anymore."

In that moment it suddenly hits you: this isn't a dream, there's really a man who's following your every move, hearing every word you say.

"Sweetheart..." Tony whispers, worried, as he cups your face in his hands and wipe away a tear with his thumb, when did you start crying? Did you cry in front of the investor too? That would've been embarrassing and totally unprofessional. "Let me look at your phone." Tony says in the most gentle tone you have ever heard him talk in.

"He wants us...To be together?" You say with a shaking voice, "what kind of perverted psychopath has found me?" You hide your face behind your palms.

"Y/N, sweetheart, look at me." Tony kneels in front of you and gently moves your hands away from your face, "I'll protect you, alright? I won't let anything happen to you, do you believe me?" You nod, "great, so now take deep breaths, calm down...In and out, that's right, just like that sweetheart, slow and steady..."

One you have calmed down he hands you some water from the mini fridge in the corner of the room.

"Thank you." You whisper as you feel the cold water run down your sore throat.

"So, all we know is that this man is in love with you in some obsessed way..." He sits next to you on the bed, "He's probably infatuated or something like that..."

"I can't believe this is happening to me." You sob and lay down on the bed, which, since it's made of water, moves under your weight. You feel Tony placing a comporting hand on your knee.

"For what I know this kind of people either loose interest or become even more dangerous when the object of their desire won't collaborate." He gently explain, "So we'll do that, we'll make him so mad that he'll loose control and make a mistake that will reveal him to us."

"How?"

"By revealing that you have a boyfriend." Your eyes shoot wide at his words and you immediately sit up straight, making the water bed move under the both of you.

"But I don't."

"It doesn't have to be a real relationship, we need the stalker to believe that it's real...And what is more perfect than revealing a relationship that people have had theories about for years?" From the way he's looking at you, which makes your heart flutter, you can understand what he's implying.

"You mean us?"

"Yes, we'll fake a relationship, make the stalker believe that it's real." Tony takes your hands in his and squeezes them, "This way we can find a solution while I'm sure you're safe, no place is safer than here."

You look into his brown eyes, who ever said that brown eyes aren't pretty?

"Are you okay with my plan, sweetheart?" He gently tucks a strand of your hair behind your hair.

Sweetheart.

Butterflies fly in your stomach at the pet name, he had already called you that earlier but only now your brain actually registers it.

"Y-Yeah." You nod and you can hear the sigh of relief that leaves his lips.

"I promise we'll find him." He kisses the back of your hand.

────୨ৎ────

"Are you ready?" Tony asks as he adjusts his jacket, sitting in the limousine.

You look down at your elegant dress, which probably has costed him the same amount as your rent, "I think so."

A week ago you revealed your relationship through a soft launch on social medias and, as expected, the internet completely exploded with the news. Right now you are his plus one on one of his usual black tie events, and right outside of the limousine door you can hear the sounds of the paparazzis waiting for you two.

"Any text from the stalker?" He whispers in your ear, you shake your head, ignoring the shiver that ran down your spine at his closeness. "Remind me of what this event is about?"

"It's a jewelry auction." You say before he opens the car door and walk out, immediately camera flashes go off, the become even more as he helps you out of the limousine. "Oh my God, how do you not go blind with all of these?" You chuckle as he helps you put your coat on.

"Habit." He simply says, guiding you towards the entrance of the building while also shielding you from the crowd who really has no respect for personal space.

Once you're inside and have given your jackets to a valet, you walk side by side in the big open space where all the jewelry that will soon be on auction is exposed and heavily guarded.

"My lady." You chuckle as Tony offers you his arm and you wrap yours around his.

"Oh my God, this is so beautiful." You say, pointing at a full set of diamond jewelry: diamond necklace, earrings, ring and even a bracelet. Your enthusiasm dies when you see the piece of paper with the auction starting price on it: 8.000$, you can't even dream of spending that much money on jewelry.

"Do you like it?" Tony asks as he looks down at the set.

"I love it, it reminds me of how I dreamed my jewelry would be in the future at eight years old." You smile sadly.

"I can but it for you." Tony says nonchalantly.

"Tony, it's 8.000." You say as you shake your head.

"Pennies, you mean." He smiles down at you, but before you can suspect why he really wants to buy you that set he quickly adds, "It would be suspicious if I, Tony Stark, left the auction without buying anything...I need to buy something, so I might as well buy something for you." He shrugs his shoulders.

When he got the invite, two weeks ago, he wanted to decline, but then he saw it as the perfect opportunity to show off your relationship.

For the stalker, obviously.

"The auction will start in five minutes, please follow me in the room." A waitress says as she stands in front of you two, Tony nods and once you're in the room he moves your chair for you to sit.

"Such a gentleman." You chuckle as he sits by your side.

"You doubted that?" He asks almost offended, soon the auction starts and you are shocked by how much money the rich are willing to pay for some jewelry.

"Now, the set of diamonds which is the best piece of this evening's collection," The host says, showing the set you had your eyes on earlier, "The bids start at 8.000$."

Tony lifts up the stick with the number 14 on it, "8.000$ for Mr. Stark, anyone else offered 8.500?"

The bids go up quickly until it reaches 20.000$, "Tony stop." You whisper to him.

"20.000 to Mrs. Reynolds, anyone offers more? One..." The host's eyes are practically sparkling from the amount of money.

"For you? I'd never stop." Tony whisper to you before sticking up the stick, "40.000" There are gasps in the room and even the host chokes on air. "I think that set would look lovely on my girlfriend." He adds, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

Obviously, no one offers more and the auction ends with everyone moving to the party on the upper floor.

"You are completely out of your mind." You can't help but smile as Tony hands you a glass of champagne.

"For you? Utterly and completely." He winks and you can't tell anymore if he's joking or not.

What you do know, though, is that you have found yourself falling for him in this short time you've spent acting as a couple.

"Don't do this to me, Tony." You take a sip of champagne, "Or I'll be devastated when we'll have to break up."

Tony's heart falls at the reminder that everything between you two is fake, he finds himself hoping that the stalker would send you another message so he'd have an excuse to play as your boyfriends a little longer.

Your phone beeps and you look down at the notification.

Unknown number

You can lie to everyone else but not to me, I know this is fake.

"Tony..." You whisper and show him the text, he immediately looks around but no one is paying attention to them, no one who he can see, at least.

"Please forgive me, sweetheart." He says before cupping your face in his hands and pressing his lips on yours in a simple kiss, one so soft that it almost made you both believe that you were really a couple, "we need to go, now." He whispers against your lips.

"Wait..." You press your lips on his again, "We can go now."

He wraps an arm around your waist, "In the car, we'll be heard, act like we need to get home immediately to...have an intercourse." He whispers against your hear.

"Why?" You look up at him as he leads you outside.

"Beccasse he made a mistake." He says as he opens the limousine door for you.

You nod and as the car starts you press your lips on his again, this time more passionately, letting your tongues meet for the first time and, as he pulls you to sit on his lap, everything is finally clear to you.

All the times you felt the butterflies in your stomach, the way that you blushed everytime he made a flirty joke, all the time you found yourself sneaking glances at him even before this fake dating thing started.

You were in love with Tony Stark and, from the way he's kissing you, he must feel something for you too.

────୨ৎ────

Tony has to admit it, he wishes the stalker thing would've lasted longer because now, once this is all over, you'll break up with him and he'll lose what has been his source of happiness for the week, hell, maybe you'll even quit the job and he'll never see you again.

"Can you explain me what mistake he made, now?" You ask as you sit on the water bed of his room, your lips swollen and your lipstick ruined form the heated kisses you've shared in the car.

"I had this theory: Jarvis didn't find an intruder in the house but the stalker definitely had to be inside to know everything he knows, and there's only one way for these things to be connected."

"He works here." You say as you look up at him, Tony nods.

"Which also means that he has access to my technology, this explains why I couldn't track him down: when I searched for IP addresses of wi-fi connected to te device I take off from the research mine and the wi-fi in this house, so I could have never found him as long as he kept sending messages from here."

"But at the party he must've sent the message from there, right?" You say as you stand up, Tony nods.

"I asked Jarvis to track him down and send him in my room as soon as we arrived." His voice is interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Mr. Stark? Jarvis told me you wanted to see me." The man opens the door and your jaw almost falls.

Jack.

The bodyguard who has been by your side since you started working for Tony.

That explains a lot of things.

"Jack, one of my most trusted bodyguards..." Tony starts with a smile, "The man to whose hands I left my dear Y/N's life in..."

You glance from Tony to Jack and from the way his Adam apple bops down you understand that Jack knows he's been caught.

"Jack, why did you do it?" You ask in a whisper, "If you had feeling for me why didn't you just tell me like a normal man?"

"Because I know you aren't ready for us." He says as he turns towards you, "I knew you didn't love me back, but I was ready to make you change your mind, you need to understand that we're made for each other." He takes you by your wrists.

"Get your hands off of her!" Tony says as he pushes Jack away.

"You are right, Jake, I would've rejected you." You say as you lift your head, "Because we are not soulmates, my heart belongs to someone else." You glance at Tony and his eyes widen.

"You stupid woman! Why can't you understand-" His words die in his mouth as Tony punches him right in the nose.

"Rot in prison, you fucking psycho bastard." Quickly some guards rush in the room, "Take him away." Tony orders and the men comply.

Tony turns towards you, "So, what were you saying about your heart?"

"I said it belongs to someone." You say as you lean back against the wall, Tony's hands find their place on either side of your head.

"And do I know this someone?"

"Oh yes, very well..." you smirk and wrap your arms around his neck, "He has an ego bigger than his huge bank account, he's funny, and handsome."

"Hm Hm? He seems like the perfect guy." Tony whispers, his lips a few inches away from yours.

"He is."

"So I guess you don't want to break up with me now that we've found your stalker?" He says as he looks at your eyes, then at your lips and then back at your eyes.

You shake your head with a smile, "Don't even think you're getting rid of me this easily, Tony Stark."

"That's fine for me." His lips find their place on yours as he lifts you by placing his hands under your thighs.

He lays you down on the water bed with a smirk, "I have an idea on how we can celebrate this fake relationship turning real."

"By having sex?" You smirk, wrapping your legs around his waist.

"I was going to say intercourse but yes, that's what I meant." He kisses you again and you feel like the luckiest woman who has ever walked on earth.

"I love you." You whisper as he kisses your neck.

"I love you too, Sweetheart."

Hope you liked the story, if you did, please like and reblog or even leave a comment if you want, I love reading your thoughts <3

Would anyone be interested in a (young obviously) Charles Xavier x fem!OC fanfiction? Because I may be writing one ;) lemme know in the comments!! <3

#amethyst arachnid #comics #gaming #marvel #marvel fanfiction #marvel x reader #movies #tony stark x you #tony stark x reader #tony stark #iron man #iron man x reader #tony stank #tony stark x y/n #tony stark fanfiction #marvel x you #marvel x y/n

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princeloww · 6 months ago

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rivals plot summary (including content warnings)

What to expect from the new DT show, basically. Vague spoiler warning.

Tony Baddingham, DT's character, runs a British television company in the Cotswold area. He is a lord and, as you might guess, extremely rich. He tends to manipulate people and spend their money instead of his, so that when his ventures go wrong, other people are left scrambling to pick up their losses, while he's completely fine.

He has a long-lasting rivalry with the tory minister for sport, Rupert Campbell-Black. Rupert is extremely charming and athletic, and has a new mistress every week. He is divorced and does not see his two children very often. He's an athlete at heart, and adores his horses more than people --- but politics are a lot more stable than that.

The plot follows a very large cast of characters, which can be quite confusing at first. I had to go back and work out who Beattie Johnson was, for example, because I'd completely forgotten who she was and who she was involved with. There are lots of wives and husbands and mistresses and children, so it gets a bit complicated. Most of the characters are somehow linked to Corinium, Lord B (Tony Baddingham)'s TV company.

Tony hooks up with and employs an American director/writer, Cameron Cook. She moves to England to work at Corinium. Her arrival and bad attitude forms tension in the Coriunium workspace, and the tension furthers when Declan O'Hara, an Irish TV presenter and author, arrives at Corinium. He is a leftist (in contrast to the conservatives around him) and often discriminated against for being Irish. At times he is accused of having IRA links, mostly just to make him look bad. He and Tony's personalities clash, leading to a fall out at Corinium. Declan, in a drunken rage, quits his job and falls into a bit of a bad state.

Recovering from the publicity of his departure, Declan groups up with Rupert Campbell-Black and a few others (including Tony's brother, Basil Baddingham) to create a rival television company, Venturer, to challenge Corinium and Tony for the franchise.

There is a lot of romance and a LOT of subplots. Declan's daughter, Taggie O'Hara, is a dyslexic cook who struggles to find work due to her inability to read and write. She develops a crush on Rupert, who is considerably older. If I start talking about how much I despise their relationship, I will never stop. Taggie will probably be quite a main character in the show, I'm guessing. Declan also has a wife, Maud, who is a failed actress and spends all of his money.

Tony's wife, Monica, is very charitable and employs Taggie despite Declan and Tony's rivalry. She is aware that Tony is having an affair with Cameron Cook. An affair which, while Cameron is under his employment, becomes extremely toxic and abusive.

I'm sure the show will be rounded out a bit for modern audiences, but warnings wise (at least in the book), Rivals includes themes of sexual assault (particularly groping), misogyny, domestic abuse and much more. A big majority of the characters are rich and extremely corrupt. Tony, the baddie of the story, has some of the worst moments. There is a scene where he hits and throws a woman until she is bleeding, because she's 'betrayed' him. He also threatens to kill somebody. On a separate occasion, he tells a distraught SA victim not to tell anybody, because the attacker is somebody who he needs on his side, for money. There is also, obviously, given the kind of characters we follow, a lot of classism. Valerie Jones, for example, exists as a punching bag for a middle-class Northern woman who wants to be like the rich Southerners.

Tony might be the bad guy, but Rupert, who we're supposed to like, is also awful. He's Jilly Cooper's little golden boy, despite being horrible. I hate him so much but Jilly clearly loves him. He gropes eighteen-year-old girls and objectifies every single woman he speaks to.

Again, I'm sure a lot of this will be toned down, but watch with caution. The story has light moments and lots of romance, comedy and drama --- it just occasionally dips into dark themes. There will probably be lots of dinner parties, as every other scene is a giant social gathering. As much as I have issue with Jilly Cooper, she is absolutely excellent at writing large social scenes with dozens of different subplots combining.

There's also a weird theme of characters describing 14-year-olds (specifically 14-year-olds) in weird predatory ways. It's weird though, because a strange amount of characters do it -- to the degree where I think it's just Jilly Cooper describing them weirdly. She acts as though being a teenage girl is a woman's prime and that she is wasted after that. She has also gone on the record to state that she hates feminists. I'm not a giant fan, frankly.

On a lighter note, if you want to tell who's supposed to be a good guy, just remember that the good guys always quote poetry and like animals.

Despite its many flaws and dark themes, Rivals really is an interesting read. Jilly Cooper says the weirdest, most fucked up things ("she's like a little sister", thinks Rupert, right after staring at the 18-yo's ass) but the story really supports itself. It's interesting, gossipy, raunchy and very well written. Cooper is an expert at big scenes, and works so well with the giant ensemble cast. I disagree with a lot of things she says, but I think the show will be really good. I'm super excited and can't wait to watch it. There's a particular scene with David's character that I'm looking forward to; while in the book it was a bit scary, because we know how Jilly is with teenagers, there's a scene where Tony drives Declan(his enemy)'s daughter home, and is actually very nice to her before realising who she is. I think DT will do this scene a lot better, and it might actually be a bit endearing. Idk, I don't wanna jinx it, but I think it has potential to be a sweet scene, with the charm DT typically brings to these roles.

If anyone has any plot-related questions, or about David's character or anything, please feel free to ask! I'm more than happy to ramble about this book, because I do really like it. I see and dislike its flaws, but personally I am able to look past them and appreciate the story and characters. They're all horrible people, but let's be honest. They're politicians and rich, tory lords in the 1980s. They were always going to be horrible. You can like something that contains problematic characters without necessarily, immediately condoning and agreeing with those things. People online and especially on places like TikTok seem to struggle with this concept, but I'm a firm believer in media literacy and accepting flaws. You can like something that is bad. You can like villains. It's fine.

Declan is my favourite btw. Live laugh love Declan O'Hara

#yap yap yap #rivals 2024 #rivals #jilly cooper #david tennant #tony baddingham #aidan turner #declan o'hara #declan is my favourite btw #only somewhat decent person #actually lizzie vereker is fine i think #i forgot to mention her but shes there too she has a thing for freddie jones #who is valerie jones' husband #theres lots of casual cheating and affairs #which is realistic for the people and time tbf

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hyliareborn · 1 year ago

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pearl’s perception of romantic relationships makes me so sad. i don’t think capcom was trying to imply that phoenix or maya ever had feelings for each other, because for one their dynamic has always been so obviously a long-suffering-older-brother-and-annoying-younger-sister thing, but aside from that they would’ve just made it canon. sure, they might’ve gotten a little flack for the creepy age gap, but not nearly as much in the early 2000’s as they would now. pairing their male lead with their female lead wouldn’t be a risk, so if capcom had wanted to do it, they would’ve.

i think the point of pearl bringing it up so much is to show that her idea of how men and women interact is very unhealthy. she was raised in, as far as we know, an all-female environment, which i don’t think is really a bad thing but in kurain the only model for “romantic” relationships she had ever seen outside of books or movies were most likely men appearing and disappearing as soon as they felt that their superiority was being threatened by the kurainese women’s powers. i think that to her, there were two options: the dysfunctional relationships she’d seen in real life, and the idealistic romances in stories.

when she met phoenix and saw that he respected maya (and the whole fey family), she thought it meant that they were in love the way people in fairytales were in love. maybe she insisted that phoenix and maya were soulmates because she was scared that phoenix would leave the way every other man she’d ever known (or heard of) eventually did. maybe it isn’t that deep at all and i’m just being stupid. like and follow if you think i need to go outside

#ace attorney

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babsvibes · 4 months ago

Note

4 🤩🫶🏻

For the Bob’s Burgers prompt game, I… may have accidentally finished a WIP for this prompt: Erotic Friend Fiction

Tina-Novela

Tina shifted her weight in the red pleather booth and wondered again why Louise called a meeting with her in the restaurant. Typically about this time, her younger sister would be fixing Fischoeder messes or telling her consultants to pull their heads out of their collective asses. Instead, they sat across from each other, Louise’s heavy bag dropped onto the table in between them just moments before.

“Tina, you know that I’ve always been a big supporter of your works,” Louise began, folding her hands in front of her, eyes closed.

“You have?”

“I read all of your stories, don’t I?”

“You do??” Tina asked and broke away from the forebodingly stuffed satchel to stare wide-eyed at Louise, who only shook her head at Tina’s doubt.

“Obviously. It feels like we’re kids and I’m back stealing your diary. Reading it gives me a peek into your life. Or whatever.”

“My life…?” Tina shuffled in her seat and quirked her head just barely, hoping to indicate a passable measure of innocence. “But this isn’t friend fiction. All of the characters and settings in my books are completely fictional.”

“Really?” Reaching into her bag, Louise retrieved a paperback and displayed it with two hands so that Tina could read the title. The artwork beneath it showed three oil painted figures expressing devotion to each other. “The Raven, the Dancer, and their Zek? All you did was leave off the E, T.”

“Heh. ET. And the book is an alien romance. Good one.”

“I’m not done.” She pulled out another copy. “Published a while after a certain sibling and a certain high school heartthrob had a little fling. A Jean Jacket for Jenny.”

“I thought the title was clever…” Tina ran a finger over one of her prouder novels. Her first lesbian romance had been a huge hit. “I can’t believe you actually bought copies. Louise, that's really nice.”

“Which brings me to my next point.” Louise grew serious and deadly. “I wasn’t a fan of your latest work.”

Oh. Oh no.

Louise heaved the last book from her bag, letting it clunk onto the table with an accusatory thud. Staring back at Tina was a title she had hoped her younger sister would never see.

The Longing of Lisa.

“Uhhh,” Tina scrambled to think of something, anything, to distract her. “What did you not like about it?”

“You know, the title could have really used some- the characters! Tina! And who you based them off of!” During her tirade, Louise shoved the bag and the rest of the books out of the booth, sending them careening to the ground in a violent hurry. Post-lunch rush, the thud of paperbacks against the floor echoed in the empty restaurant.

“That was… Mom and Dad. Linda. Lisa.” She averted her gaze as though it was possible to hide behind the thick frames of her glasses. “Both have the s- same letters in them.”

“So which part of Bob made Landon?”

“Uhh,” Tina groaned then finished meekly, “the O?”

“It’s Logan, Tina. There is a whopping one letter difference. You put me and my rival in a suspense monster romance. You Thriller’d me!”

“I was experimenting with the genre, and I needed different characters. That doesn’t mean it’s you two though.”

“Oh is that so?” Louise flipped the book open. “There’s an entire section where the plot stops because Landon keeps trying to take Lisa’s beret. Also, a beret? Really?”

“If I wrote her with a bandana, then you’d know it was you.”

“Ah HA! You admit it!” After slamming the table with her fists, Louise composed herself, folding her hands together and releasing a deep breath. “Tina, we’ve known each other a long time now. You’re like a sister to me.”

“That’s because.. we are… sisters…” Tina said getting quieter on every word as Louise continued to berate her.

“So I’m having trouble coming to terms with you treating me this way. I’ve been good to you. I’ve helped the family business. I babysit sometimes. I’ve never once forgotten your birthday. And you turn around and write werewolf smut about me and my arch nemesis. I’M not even the werewolf?! What the fuck, T.”

“Hey now hold on. There wasn’t actual smut. I did a very tasteful fade to black that pissed off my editor but ultimately made the cut.”

“Also,” Louise continued to rant, “what’s up with us only using last names? I call him by his name all the time.”

“Oh that’s just, uh, a thing people like.”

A storm of nitpicks, clarifying questions, and accusations swarmed around Tina, who could barely get a word in edgewise.

Louise didn’t seem like the type to know these kinds of tropes or thematic questions. But she also wasn’t supposed to know about this book, so there was a lot Tina could be wrong about.

Apparently, Louise had really read it. In depth even.

Tina would be touched if she wasn’t so worried about being murdered.

But what was she supposed to say? Hey, you don’t see the looks he gives you when you’re not paying attention. Or, can you tell how much time you spend with him because you two just keep “happening” to run into each other?

Tina wanted to live long enough to be a grandmother one day.

“And all of that to say, no. There is nothing going on between me and Logan, there never will be anything going on between me and Logan, and if I EVER catch you writing us into one of your little curse breaking true love’s kiss scenarios again I will teach your kids how to smoke.”

“They’re four and six??”

“Did I stutter?!” Louise, chest heaving, closed her eyes and took a long, composing breath. She straightened her bandana, then fixed Tina with a look. “Just… say you’re sorry, and we can put this behind us.”

“… No.”

The customers stopped eating.

The ceiling fans stopped spinning.

The fryer stopped bubbling.

Louise broke the silence, grinding her teeth together with a twitching eye.

“... What?”

“I said no,” Tina repeated, crossing her arms. “You two have something worth writing about, I felt inspired by your chemistry, and I told a good story. I have nothing to apologize for. It’s not my fault you can see what’s right in front of you.”

Louise drummed her fingers against the table, slow and pointed. Her other hand tightened around the book.

“Do you remember… that brief period where we were both teenagers at the same time?”

“You can try to tear my hair out all you want,” Tina said, flashbacks to their more violent outbursts replaying in her mind. “I’ll still just twist your arm around.”

“So you DO want to fight, huh? You want to fight?”

“Bring. It.”

Saved by the bell, a jingling from above the door interrupted the bare knuckle brawl before it could really begin.

Though Louise probably wasn’t a fan of who entered.

“Oh goooood,” Logan drawled. He lazily saluted at Tina but focused his attention on Louise. “You’re here. Feed me, Burger Woman.”

“Do you want me to put up posters?” Louise snapped.

He paused, tilting his head with a question. “A wanted poster?”

“No, a missing poster. For your goddamn mind because you’ve obviously lost it.”

Caught up in their banter, neither noticed Tina slinking off, taking out her notebook and jotting notes for her next piece.

#babsbles #my fic writing #louigan #thank you for giving me the push I needed to finish a story that’s been sitting in my drafts for too long #bless you

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hisui555 · 16 days ago

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Intense doesn't necessarily equals romance (and not intense doesn't necessarily equals loveless).

A little thing I thought I'd share, creeped up in a RP server I'm part of, and I think it's probably gonna interest people.

You know that thing where a lot of media depicts the "power of (romantic) love" as the strongest force in existence, with absolutely intense, passionate feelings, thus the strength of it ? That "true love's kiss/action saving the princess" shtick that has been rehashed over and over ? Now, stories have been more diverse over the years (or in past nooks and crannies no mainstream audience has been bothered to check yet), it's not all about romantic couples now, but hey, let's take a crack at it.

Of course, starting with the Disney era, where the adaptations (or original stories) of known classic fairytales turn up into "true (romantic) love" stories involving a male/female couple ending up as such : Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Princess and The Frog, Beauty and the Beast... bar Cinderella, all of those feature a "true/genuine love('s kiss) to break the curse/solve the problem" sorta thing. Some of them we watch get to know each other, overcome their respective flaws, come to an understanding, fall in love, woo each other (or just get fetched because hey, you a prince ? Yeah we got a princess in need of being brought back to life over there, so if you would be so kind ?) and finally have a love genuine and intense enough to solve the mess.

Urgh. Here's my ulcer acting up again.

Now a lot of y'all probably have been saying "Frozen !! FROZEN !! FROZEN !!!!" at least five times by now, because obviously, the Act of True Love didn't come from the "prince" of the story, but from a sister to save another - bonus, same gender representation - and you'd be totally right ! Except there's not one, but two acts of genuine love, and one is less spectacular than the other : so Anna literally puts herself between Hans and Elsa, thus saving her sister from death at the cost of herself, freezing solid - it's dramatic, it has magic involved, in a tense scene, emotions are at peak high. This also leaves Elsa sobbing, Kristoff distraught, it's akin to death, yeah (funnily enough those Acts of True Love are often adjacent to a death, or death-like state of the "saved" one - rule of drama, peak emotional high, catharsis).

(And Olaf is there too I guess)

But there's another, more discrete one involved, namely : Kristoff bringing Anna back to Arendelle, and letting her go, because he knows she doesn't (yet) love him the same way he does her - and frankly she's a bit more worried about her sister and dying of a frozen heart at the moment. Less fireworks, magic and violins, but still powerful. It's just not the main focus : it's Anna and Elsa's story mainly.

But I have other examples like these, romantic or not : Mulan ? Goes against every tradition that would give her "value" in the eyes of her culture and her own as she wishes she were a "proper daughter" to make her family proud, to join the army, as a woman (which would spell her potential death two ways over : being found out, and dying in battle), out of love for her father, and it is shown genuine, and extremely strong, but a bit more subtle than the classic prince/princess love. Shang falling for her just happens along the way.

"The biggest honor is having you as a daughter" damn right sir, that's one amazing person you have here.

Atlantis : The Lost Empire ? Milo falls head-over-heels for Kida, who reciprocates, they're never shown kissing, but it's blatantly clear they do love each other romantically. Milo stays for her, with her, in Atlantis.

"But they look like friends like this, we can't know if they're together if they're not kissing ! Everyone can hug !" Aw, shaddup. Love takes many forms, and the same type of love can be expressed differently following how people are.

Less showboaty but still intense with realistic undertones ? Nani and Lilo in Lilo & Stitch, and equally important, the two namesake characters themselves. Nani goes through many jobs to get social services off her back so that she can keep her sister, the last member of her family still alive. Sisterhood, grief, and sticking together come hell or high water (given those waves in Hawaii, that's at least one common occurence). As for Stitch and Lilo, well, the work revolves around their relationship : a lost ex-warmachine finding a place to belong, and a grieving little girl stitching her family and heart back up through that same love. By finding each other.

No magic, no explosions, still heart-tugging. Must be the hammoc.

Naturally, given the message, "Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten", that's one serious punchline here. But there's also one that falls under romance, yet isn't showboaty or shown intense either : Nani and David. They aren't even a couple, but he supports her every step of the way, helps her take care of her little sister and that weird blue dog they have now. Not intense, still romance.

Unlike most princes, this guy has been there and sticking around from the start. Booyah.

Now let's hop over Dreamworks for one in particular : How to Train Your Dragon ! Hiccup and Toothless' relationship is peak equal protectiveness, deep bond of trust, mutual reliance on each other, they're usually each other's top priority. They always have each other at the back of their mind, and are the most important being in each other's life : Hiccup had Toothless before Astrid. Those two are soulmates, check all the boxes normally attributed to the Love Interest Of The Story (dropping everything to save each other, taking on foes they've been curbstomped by before for the other's sake, Hiccup gets even jealous at times that Toothless doesn't pay attention to him and vice versa), and would Toothless be a human (and a girl more likely, though given the fujoshis...), everyone would've already screamed "lovers !" but, uh, he's a literal dragon of animal (admittely high) intelligence - also it'll be fucking weird, but my cynism prevents me from being naïve about the weirdness of Internet. Gah. - and even without that, their bond simply isn't working that way.

But the best part ? It doesn't detract at all from his romantic bond with Astrid, which coexists nicely with his bond with Toothless (or Toothless' romantic bond with the Light Fury). Love in both cases, just a different type.

Intense ? Check - if after 3 main movies and a fuckton of specials you didn't got it I wonder what you've been watching.

Same gender example on two humans, no matter how much you'd like it to happen (though there's room for interpretation of course) : Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo of My Hero Academia, especially on Izuku's side at first - that's utter devotion right there. And once Bakugo gets over himself, goes both ways : yup, they've pushed each other out of danger and the cost of doing something utterly risky to themselves. Yup, they constantly have each other in mind. Yup, they've flown off the fucking handle or act severly out of character if the other is threatened or being vulnerable in front of each other (Ground Beta fight anyone ?) or knowing each other the most (getting Vigilante!Izuku back anyone ?). Bonus points for being childhood friends, being each other's inspiration (after All Might), heck liking the exact same things at times (did I mention All Might ?) and having an intense obsession about each other.

I recently caught a new Pokemon, its nature entry is "basic decency".

The catch ? Bakugo's obsession comes from a place of hatred (actually fear) of Izuku with a healthy dip of what could pass as ableism (Quirklessness, which is considered to be abnormal and a handicap) that stem from his own insecurities and denial of his own shortcomings, and Izuku's obsession comes from a past friendship gone wrong, and Kacchan being one of his only connections in the world outside his mom before he got into UA, his own insecurities too, and unfiltered admiration of his former friend : both in strengths and smarts. They are each other's drive and awakening into being better versions of themselves, surpassing themselves (Bakugo at first for the wrong reasons), and in the end, each other's safety net.

Another point, funnily enough, is that Izuku and Uraraka also check a LOT of these same boxes, but not in the same way - and it has nothing to do with the fact that they're not the same gender, so "easier-to-pair-romantically" : Himiko Toga has been clearly stated to be romantically attracted to Ochako, who just happens to not reciprocate (the fact that Himiko is out killing people might have something to do with that) but still wants to understand her. Just like Midoriya and Bakugo, Uraraka and Izuku take each other as a role model in some way : they're each other's inspiration and awakening too, Ochako made Izuku embrace the name "Deku" with a positive spin and he made her reflect on what being a Hero is, she also is one of the major figures in getting Izuku back, has asked herself "what would Deku-kun do in my situation" the same way Izuku has asked himself "what would Kacchan do in my situation", they have a mutual personal understanding, have been vulnerable in front of each other in ways they haven't been with others, and are each other's emotional safety net if they start spiralling.

That's gonna take a lot of tissues and showers to clean up.

Same thing, different tone, but both are intense, with one more extreme than the other (due to how long they've known each other and their place in the narration).

What's the difference, then ? They get flustered, they think of each other in a different light, their devotion for each other is just as strong as Izuku and Bakugo's, but the whole atmosphere around reads differently : unlike Bakugo, Uraraka isn't competing with Izuku, and wishes to be at his sides in another way than Katsuki. They both want to be in his life, Bakugo knows Izuku for a longer time than Ochako for sure, and intrisincally knows things she doesn't, but Ochako also knows sides of Izuku that Katsuki outright rejected and took for hidden insults. They both landed on the same conclusion that "he never gives up", but while Ochako encouraged the positive side of it, Katsuki saw the very negative and self-detrimental side. However, Ochako took into account that she'll be there to catch Izuku when he falls, something Bakugo took some time to wrap his head around (and ended up doing).

Epic faceplant : cancelled.

One is thinking of being in his life with him, the other of being in Izuku's life as his eternal rival (so, against, but not in an antagonistic way). Which in conclusion makes them wanting to be at Izuku's sides in life : Ochako by being directly there, staring in the same direction, and Katsuki by being indirectly there, having his back. Love language variating following characters, there's no way to be 100% sure, as someone can be romantically involved without checking the flustering, blustering, kissing and hand-holding hallmarks, and someone else can be extremely affectionate or shy and hands-on, say "I love you" without being romantically in love.

Both times a guy doing his Hero job here with a wounded classmate and trying to get them to safety. Just saying. I don't think getting close and personal for other reasons is crossing his mind here, and the other one sure isn't thinking about that either.

It's mainly how the characters themselves react on it that gives off the hint of how it works between them, no matter what wishful thinking we have, or what fun the creators have with teasing - some stuff has awesome chemistry and can be read in a lot of ways, but it isn't an automatic sign of what you think it is.

Some are clear, others aren't : Yuri On Ice ? Same-sex male couple ! The Owl House ? Same-sex female couple ! Hazbin Hotel with Charlie and Vaggie (amongst many others), Helluva Boss with Millie and Moxxie, or Fizz and Ozzie ? Explicit couples ! Marvel with a whole damn fucking lot of their characters ? Romantic couples on one third (Jean and Scott, Mystique and Destiny, Rogue and Gambit, Rachel Summers and Betsy Braddock) ambigous but either romantic or not on the second third (Kurt and Meggan, Wade and Logan, Xavier and Magneto maybe) and explicitly close-bonded but NOT romantic couples on the last third (Kurt and Kitty, Logan and Xavier, Jean and Storm) and that's just to name a few ! And "ambigous" or "not romantic" doesn't necessarily means frustrating or boring !

So lemme introduce you to the concept of the Not Love Interest (cf TV Tropes) by pulling two examples straight from there, that look a lot like queerplatonic bonds - not romance, not just platonic either. Not lovers, but more than friends (what Homestuck would call "moirails"). They don't even have the "excuse" of being parental figures/siblings/related or different species (not that this stops fanfic writers), it's just plain not a romantic couple : they check all the boxes, but AREN'T romantically involved with each other.

Soul "Eater" Evans and Maka Albarn from Soul Eater : literal soulmates in the most blatant way, the author having even stated that they're not a romantic couple, and there's a lot of hand-holding being done, even without the need of fighting. Heck they even share dances and if gender-inverted based on what's their favorite type (book of Eibon), they look a whole damn lot like each other. They even live together. And yeah, there is blushing involved !

Without context, and in a vaccuum, but still : all that is NOT romance. Boom.

"But they look sooo goood together it's a crime they aren't together !!!" But they ARE together. Just not the way you want to, because you think it's not "strong" enough. Which, sorry, but it's the wrong way to think about it - now while nothing prevents you from exploring in fanfic, there are real people out there not experiencing attraction that way, and their bond is still equally intimate, strong, intense and deep, just not romantically or sexually. Slapping a "then it's romance" over that is just dismissive of them : as if it isn't genuine enough, or not "true love".

If intense doesn't automatically means romance, intimate doesn't automatically means sexual.

Get your head out of the damn gutter.

The other one that has been explicitly stated as not a romantic couple is Mako Mori and Raleigh Beckett in Pacific Rim. Their dojo scene has intentionally been framed like a love-making scene, from word of the creators. They are "drift-compatible", with the bonus trope of that fact being exceptional for Raleigh (the last time it happened, it was with his brother), indicating a degree of understanding and mind-intimacy previously only reached by someone having been in his life since birth. That whole fighting business is incredibly personal, on top of dangerous - you have to trust your partner. They hug tightly, they care, and there are affectionate, loving gestures to each other !

THUNK.

But it's not romance. And that's intentional on the writers - no errors, no misinterpretations (I mean, sometimes stuff just doesn't plain work, true. But other times, the intentions are clear as day). And it doesn't make the relationship any "lesser".

In some cases, yeah, they actually were roommates, with a very deep and intense connection, just not a romantic one. 50-years deep trusting friendship-turned-rivalry due to diverging opinions exist, and are just juicy and interesting in terms of dynamics, as 50 years of unspoken romance turned rivalry. And who fucking said they only get to hug and kiss in only one of them ? Oh yeah, right, it's not that one the hornies are after...

And if you get frustrated because you don't get to have that canon ship that can make you fantazise in certain ways (usually next to a box of tissues), or runs contrary to your wishful thinking and headcanons, then it's a you problem, not a story problem. Exploring is fine. Having headcanons is fine. Writing stories about them is fine ! Having an opinion about it or a personal preference is FINE ! But pretending to change the nature of a relationship (or a characters' orientation) for something else than just said personal preference and self-satisfying wishful thinking... yeah, no. Especially if there are characters people won't touch wide away because "That's disrespectful !!! That's bigoted !!! The relationship only works THAT way !!!" but have ZERO problems doing the exact opposite to characters whose orientations or relationships they don't care about just so they can get their straight/yaoi/yuri bed-tango fill, with the convenient excuse of "but it's a spectrum !!". Because then it's not about representation or exploring, it's just about characters getting it on in the bedroom.

By the way, made one about that... Everything, orientation especially, is a spectrum.

I mean lets be blunt here, that's why those have the most hits on AO3 : people thinking with their junk and thinking that sucking faces and banging makes it "real" - not considering that those exact same things can also make it "shallow" and "fake" depending on who the characters are and how they express it.

And if it's a love triangle, or a fucking dodecahedron or whatever, have you goddamn considered polygamy or polyamory ? Would solve a whole bunch of your dumbass ship wars : more dynamics to play with !

Platonic, queerplatonic and romantic love ALL can be interesting and save the day in a story. Because they're all strong and genuine in equal measures. Let the L-word stigma end.

I vote for "lasagna".

#thoughts #types of love #disney #dreamworks #mha #httyd #soul eater #pacific rim #lilo and stitch #mulan #frozen #atlantis #various others

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babiebom · 1 year ago

Text

Ranking my Mechat Matches Based on how much I Like Them(currently)

A/N: this isn’t to be mean or say I hate them or anything lmao it’s just for fun since I don’t see many Mechat posts on here and I wanna post something to make it obvious that I will write for them? Might be ooc for the writings but I try my best!!

Tw: cursing, some sexual mentions, maybe a little bit of bullying(affectionate and derogatory maybe), SPOILERS (maybe)

BC: at least 5 for each

Mechat Masterlist

First the guys since I am actually attracted to them:

1)Tamura Blood

Literal love of my life I’m always thinking about him

Like it’s not even like exaggerating when I say he’s taken over 90 percent of my daydreams

Like I was never really into the whole mafia romance thing before

But I genuinely want this man to be happy

Like I know he’s a character but I want him to be happy and if I have to write a million fics just to make it true for him I will

Like he actually cares even if he doesn’t show or say it and while I usually hate it he’s just so….

Idk how to explain it

He was my first match and when I first finished his story before they updated it twice I actually was VERY upset and checked on it every day to see if it would ever be updated

Idk what happens next because I’m playing through the updates now but

If me and him don’t get a happy ending I’m going to have a breakdown

I need a happy ending with him <3

The cheek kiss is the last thing I saw and I’m so mad he cheek kissed instead of lip kissed

Slow burn isn’t usually my favorite to read so this is actually killing me

But I literally look forward to his messages every day.

NAUR I FINISGED HIS STORY IN BETWEEN WRITING THIS AN DNOW IM SAD :((((( I LITERALLY J U S T BECAME HIS GORLFRIEND

MECHAT DEVS GIVE ME MORE TAMURA KISSES NOW!!!!!!!!!!

2)Yasuda Hitoshi

Honestly he annoyed me at first and I found it fun to mess with him

But he grew on me

Like even before him and me(the character obviously) started getting along he started to slowly work his way up on my list

And now that we’re getting married and he has told me about the monsters or whatever that he had to save me from

He’s super sweet even if he’s still sorta a big meanie

I think it’s cute

Like YES I love the guy who is mean to everyone but me trope

Like yeah he’s not mean but he isn’t really outgoing or nice with other people

Like he jokes and is cute and UGH

And the way he actually stands up to his parents for you is literally swoon worthy

LOVE MY MAN MY MAN MY MAN

3)Johnny Roe

Honestly I think I skipped him the first couple times he popped up as a match

And then when I saw everyone talking about him I thought it was like

…..everyone was over hyping him

But then I got him as a match again

So I matched with him

And he’s actually so cute

And his storyline is cute

And he’s like one of my favorites (obviously seeing as he’s number three)

I now understand the hype surrounding him because I would actually kill someone for this man

And I want to fight the mother so bad

It makes me upset how he’s always like “she’s still my mom”

Like yeah but she literally ABUSED YOU?????

Like I understand completely and I know it would be hard to just turn off loving her for him

But UGH

I want permission to throw hands

And honestly not to trauma dump my mom is the same way

Like she’s not abusive but she was abused by our family when she was a kid(including my grandmother)

And she’s so fiercely protective of her and like I love my grandmother but UGH I have like a place of resentment in my heart for her because e my mom didn’t deserve any of the bad things that has happened to her

So I know firsthand what it’s like to have a parent somewhat like Johnny(my mom doesn’t have agoraphobia)

I guess that’s why I’m super fond of him? Because he’s familiar in a way to me

I just want him to be happy :(

4)Optimo Lynx

I got a crush on him slowly

Like at first I was MEH about him

But then he was a cute nerd who is studying to be a….doctor(????? I forgor sorry)

AND on the other hand he’s a superhero who has literally saved me twice

Like actually I love him

Very smart and cares about people

Like actually HE SAVES LIVES

Like ?????? It’s sad that the public can’t know his identity bc the government will be mad

And the fact I think he would hate that

But he deserves to be paid for saving people the way that he does

And studying on top of that

Like I wouldn’t be able to IMPRESSIVE MAN

wanna give him kisses

ALSO ALSO ALSO

I don’t think I’ve EVER mentioned this on my blog

But black hair blue eyes combo is my favorite

So actually he’s my dream man

I wanna give him more kisses!!!!

I NEED MORE GEMS SO I CAN KISS HIM

And maybe suck his dick if he lets me

5)Zander Echo

When I first started his storyline I only wanted to get him to like me bc he hated me

Like Oh? You hate me? You won’t after I follow this simple plan

But then he started growing on me because he calls me his little snack

And I know he means it in a cannibalistic way but it’s hot so oh well

Then he actually started caring about me kinda

And showed me the ocean in a way that didn’t terrify me (I’m afraid of the ocean)

Like actually while this is lowkey my worst nightmare

I can breathe underwater and I’m not dying or anything so it’s less scary

But I’m still scared of the ocean

It he has a castle that I live in so it’s FINE

Literally would help me get over my fear if he wouldn’t eat me

Also I wish I could give him smooches

6)Azur Blackshade

Ghost man ghost man grim reaper ghost man

Hot hot man

Actually so interesting

And sad

I wanna know how he works

Like I wanna pick at his mind

Honestly ghost types aren’t my favorite monster types but UGH

He makes me wanna write a fanfic of a ghost love interest or something

Really really like him

7)Jozef Chrobak

He was my number one for a HOT WHILE

like I think he’s so hot

And his art style is attractive

Like he’s a VERY good looking man

I do like making people like me

And the fact that he was so against love in the beginning made it more fun

And then the ex appeared and pissed me off

But we ended up together

The only reason he’s this low is because I stopped playing his route bc my own character was pissing me off

Like she’s such a bitch

Like omg he’s romantic now I hate it

Are you a dumb ass hoe or what?

8)Brook

I liked the poly aspect and he was VERY cute

And I’m pretty sure he was a nurse or doctor or the person in an ambulance and I find that super attractive

Like YES save lives papi!!!!!!!!!

And for the most part I liked the story

I could see myself having a crush on him irl

Sweet sweet man

I don’t remember much else since I finished it MONTHS ago

9)Felix

To start off Felix and Brook are pretty much equal

Like it’s a poly relationship and I like them pretty much the same

They’re both sweet men and they’re both attractive

Even though I hated that they all abandoned me

I do think it’s attractive that they all took time to better themselves and their relationship

Like it takes a lot to realize when to step back because the situation you’re in isn’t a good one or might lead to you resenting someone

They were cool

And he was a model so obviously he was hot

Love them

10)Vile Darko

Actually insane?

I like him a lot simply because he seems psychotic

Like WHO makes someone go through insane things for money or whatever

Like actually a clown and it’s attractive

Even though I’m scared of clowns

He makes it hot AND scary

Like I’m genuinely fearing for my life (in game) but I’m also like yeah if he kills me it’s fine bc he has to touch me to do that :)

11)Enzo Gomez

I was SHOOK when I realized he wasn’t just a dog man

Like he’s an actual human that was cursed

He’s a werewolf but Doberman style

His human form is attractive

And don’t kill me but the dog form is somehow attractive(maybe it’s the teeth? Idk)

And his story is kinda sad

Well sad in that he is cursed

I’m pretty sure he was a horrible person and that’s why he was cursed

And I’m glad he has become a better person because of it

12)Lan Ying

He was up at the top before I finished his story a while ago

And now he’s back but I’m not as crazy about him because I’m crazy about tamura so I haven’t played his update yet

But I do LOVE him

Like actually a dom that isn’t an asshole

And I do like shibari and he’s nice

I hate that he ties other people up though

Like mine and only mine?

Seems like a very level headed guy and that’s very attractive

Probably one of the least toxic in this list ngl

13)Eichi Hirano

I’ve never really been crazy about him

Like even though I’m a hyper sexual person his is ONLY sex and sometimes him having trouble with his hotels or whatever

So I wasn’t really interested in him

In still not all that interested :/

He’s cute though

And obviously the sex is good for my character so I guess

I do think he’s kinda nice though, so I do like him

14)Rei

I think he is the SWEETEST guy in an unfortunate position

Because his sister is manipulating him into being basically a scammer and he doesn’t wanna do it

But she gets pissy with him if he refuses

And while I know he could take himself out of that situation

It’s hard with siblings that you wanna keep in your life or whatever

Especially because they’re twins

My only problem with him is that he doesn’t have much of a spine

Like I would like him to stand up to her

But like he’s sweet and I hope the rest of the storyline is good. I kinda stopped playing it

It’s like only two dates that they have?

I don’t feel like wasting diamonds on them right now lmao

15)Dare

I think he’s hot

But in reality I would hate him

I hate playing truth or dare bc it makes me anxious and I can never think of anything

also he knows exactly how he’s making those people suffer and acts like he doesn’t

Actually manipulative

And everything is a game to him UGH

It just annoys me

The sex was cool though

And he is kinda interesting

But like the whole four horsemen thing is an ewie to me

16)Ezra Michelle

I do actually really like Ezra

But I hate the fact that I can’t romance him

I wanna romance the pastor man

I wanna give him smooches but NAUR he’s dedicated his life to the lord

Also he’s cool for a pastor

Obviously they weren’t gonna put a total asshole extreme Christian person in the game

But I do think the way he’s written is very Joseph dream daddy coded but cooler and less shitty

Like Joseph was a shitty man

But Ezra is really cool so far

He’s only this low bc I stopped playing bc I was sad I couldn’t marry him and went after people I could romance instead

17)Drink

He wasn’t really there in the storyline

Like dare was the main character I guess out of the four

Drink and dance barely showed up

But I liked him

And I think his super power of making drinks is cool

Because I hate alcohol and how it tasted I think he would be really dangerous for me if he can make a drink that doesn’t taste like ass

And was kinda nice when we finally got to talk to him

But otherwise he wasn’t really there oof

18)Social

He was more there than drink and dance but he annoyed me

Literal definition of influencer

I was ANNOYED the entire time I had to talk to him

Like can you GET OFF YOUR PHONE

I DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR FOLLOWERS

GET YOUR CAMERA OUT OF MY FACE BITCH BOY

Like his only personality trait is social media

And yeah granted his name is social

But the others were much more interesting than him

His only good trait is that he’s hot and could probably make me famous if I wanted him to

19)Joon Hwang

I don’t remember him oof

I think I liked him a little bittle but I don’t remember anything about who he is or his storyline so eh

20)Seong On

Like Joon I have no idea who this guy is even though I know I did play through some of his storyline

I have nothing to say about him yikes

Now onto the women since I did match with them!!(my storyline beliefs might be wrong because I speed through them for gems)

1)Naya Honoka

HER STORYLINE IS INSANE?

Like actually I was like OOOH a cute nurse when we first started talking

Then as time went on I was like oof she has no time to herself but she’s so nice and cute

And it was just the right amount of spicy that I was like yeah this is KINDA realistic

LIKE SHE SAVES LIVES WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM HER (other than time)

Then it went into a whole hostage witness protection thing

And I was like HUH

My character in this pissed me off

Bc why when she says HEY don’t say my name call me Hannah instead

My character says Naya 400999 times like MAAM

STOP OUTING HER!!!!!!!!!

Anyways she’s so sweet and deserves love and I want her to be happy and get more breaks from working

Only thing I currently don’t like is how she literally is spending our honeymoon being a nurse

But also irl I would be okay with that bc that means I can be alone for some of the day so oof

2)Eiko Suzuki

I like her more now than I did in the beginning

In the beginning she was kinda annoying

But now I’m like OKAY she deserves the WORLD

Like not because she’s a kitsune but like she is SO PRETTY

And I do like that she’s a family girl

I do think it’s weird that she was like “I don’t want anything serious”

But wanted us to help her with everything

Like I think at this point we’re something more but they haven’t made it official

Which bothers me bc I need to know I’m the only one

And her storyline is also insane

Like WTF your ex boyfriend ruined your life and is BACK to ruin it even more

AND your family can turn into cute ass foxes and you didnt use that to your advantage and KILL HIM?

Literally just maul him as a fox and be like

OH NAUR my bf got mauled by a wild animal I wonder how this could’ve happened?!!!!!!!!!

I do think she’s cool though even though we have to help her with everything and she doesn’t think things through sometimes

I also think it’s funny that since I’m not spending diamonds on her choices that my character is a complete asshole

Like she left her to die LMAO

3)Lexi Rose

I LOVE THAT SHE COSPLAYS

like actually her being an otaku is so cute

And I’m pretty sure she got a tv show opportunity at some point I don’t remember

Like I’m proud of her

Sad that she feels like her true self isn’t very cool

Bc I really like her

She seems sweet and cool and her interests are ones that I like

Like I might not be the biggest anime fan

But I would watch several with her as dates

Like we do not have to leave the house lets snack and you can tell me all the attack on titan lore.

4)River Morales

PRETTY WOMAN

would’ve been number one had I played her recently

But I haven’t played her for WEEKS

so she went down as I lowkey forgot about her

Honestly she was cool and I love that she’s an artist

And I do like the poly dynamic

And the fact that she was REALLY honest about her feelings towards the end

Hate that they kinda abandoned me

But I do like her a lot

Super sweet girl

I think she was sorta insecure in her storyline and I hate that for her

5)Reko Lamarr

Dommy mommy dommy mommy

She’s kinda a bitch

And as a dom I feel like she’s pretty……

Needy?

Like I feel like she should just be a bratty sub or something

Maybe it’s bc I prefer service doms?

But she’s like serve ME worship ME

instead of being a cute dom?

Like MAAM tell me what to do but love on me too

She’s cool tho

Like LOVE a business woman

Get that money queen

She’s VERY stressed

And actually kinda hot when she spanks us

Just wish she was more service-y instead of demand-y

I want to be babied pls

6)Alice Young

She’s okay I guess

I’m not really into sports

And I just started her storyline

And I kinda find the sports thing annoying

Maybe it’s bc I’m not…enthusiastic? Driven about sports that I’m like????

Just FIRE HIM??????

He’s a coach not your dad

Hire someone that cares about your mental health as well as you winning

Like girl just say that you wanna just be friends until you’re done with your tournament or whatever

Like why even join Mechat if you have a whole sports thing you wanna win

Like focus on that THEN join dating apps?

Other than that she’s pretty and cool

And I think her being athletic is attractive

7)Dance

She’s not that bad at all

But we hardly have content of her?

Like we barely see her during the storyline

So she’s okay I guess

Likes to dance and so do I

The only downside is that she’s part of the four horsemen

The upside is that I found the dancing plague in France to be funny and as soon as I saw this party was like that I cackled

But also not really funny in theory

Also kinda dislike her bc she thought the people were having fun when she knew they weren’t

I think she would be fun to be around in small doses.

8)Eura Alabaster

WOULDVE BEEN DEAD ASS LAST IF IT WASNT FOR RAITAS BITCH ASS

I actually HATE her

Like overconfident people don’t really bother me

It’s just SOMETHING about her that pisses me off

Like the way she is makes me want to beat her to death with my fists

Like she’s annoying and overconfident and stupid

AND she kidnapped me

Granted I’m not against someone kidnapping me(in the fictional world)

SHE JUST HAD TO PUT ME ON A BOAT

I HATE boats

I hate the ocean

I think that’s why I hate her so much

The fact that it’s the ocean we’re dealing with

And she’s triggering my irrational fear of the Bermuda Triangle

So it’s stressing me out

I just hate her

9)Raita

I haven’t finished their storyline so if she turns out fine later sorry

But right now

AT THIS MOMENT

I hate her and how she treats Rei

Like she’s an actual bitch and I hate that my character hasn’t said so

Like actually I would’ve been like ??????are you dumb or stupid why are you such a bitch ass hoe????

She’s so mean and for WHAT

He has done nothing wrong but she acts like he has

Like he doesn’t want to scam people but this scamming ass bitch is forcing him to

And I know someone is gonna be like “he can make his own choices”

Sometimes when it involves family and staying on their good side you don’t really have a choice if you want them in your life good or not

Like I HATE HER

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cher-rei · 1 year ago

Text

afterglow- pt 7 [ T.A.A ]

pairings: trent alexander arnold x fem!reader

summary: young and aspiring marketing and business major jamie carter is privileged with working alongside the liverpool fc marketing and public relations team, while also getting entangled with their star player and right back, trent alexander arnold.

genre(s): friends to lovers, workplace romance, fluff

[wc: 4.6k] [part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 8] [part 9] [part 10] [part 11] [part 12]

notes: it's the way that I've hinted at another fic in this chapter and then another one in chapter 8... I love interconnecting my series' ughhh

spamjam._. added to their story!

"here's one for you," jude spoke from his position on the hotel suite couch to gain your attention as you unpacked your things. "bro went from liking her posts to flying her over just for some moral support."

you rolled your eyes as he read out the tweets which he had been enjoying for the past ten minutes now. the way that twitter was rioting over the situation was utterly amusing— from your post on Instagram to jude stating that you were sharing a hotel room. they were having a blast by coming up with theories as to how this even came about.

yes, jude only happened to follow you on instragram at the beginning of the year but that was not the reason you knew each other at all. if it were then this situation would be very awkward. as he would say, "luckily for you, you had the privilege of knowing me before I became the equivalent to ryan gosling."

you wouldn't exactly call it a privilege but whatever made him sleep at night. funny enough, you two met at a football match when you were still in high school. it was strange to see a 17-year-old actively engage in conversation with some random 14-year-old just because he said she was screaming too much.

that wasn't the last of your accidental meetings, however, the next was a few weeks later when your parents invited some friends over from birmingham— and lo and behold who just happened to be the son of those friends.

so here you were at 20 and 23, closer than ever but keeping it as low-key as possible.

you proceeded to listen to jude comment on each tweet, each one funnier than the last. "I swear some of these people have got to be fbi trained." he shook his head and you hummed in response, nearly jumping up when jude yelled out in shock.

"listen to this one," he turned from his position on the couch to look at you in front of the bed. "in early 2023, jude followed jamie back on Instagram and 6 months later she got her job as liverpool's p.r manager. hours later after the announcement the entire squad followed her back, the first of them being trent. jamie and trent have been seen together a lot from then on and she's even tagged him in multiple of her Instagram stories. now what do we know about trent? he plays for england. who else plays for england? jude. where is jamie right now? in barcelona with jude."

you were left dumbfounded, jude staring at you with his eyes wide and obviously impressed. "well that's one way to connect the dots I guess." you shrugged your shoulders, "they're not wrong but they're not quite right either."

a scoff left jude's mouth and he got up from the couch to look out the ceiling-to-floor window looking out at the city. "trent's not the middleman here though. like dude you and I aren't dating so there's no need."

he was right, there was no need for a middleman. it was just pure coincidence but obviously people wouldn't think of it like that. "and I thank the lord for that every single day."

he pulled a face, "stop being dramatic. I'm not that bad and you know it."

you hummed out in debate, getting your things so you could go and shower. "I mean judging by your lack of female interaction--"

before you could finish a pillow was hurled straight at you causing you to yelp out, getting ready to days for the bathroom before he could throw another.

"I talk to woman!" he yelled out after you and you laughed a little louder than intended which prompted him to get another pillow.

"female reporters don't count jude!"

you slammed the bathroom door shut just as he threw the pillow again, a loud thud echoing through the room before it dropped to the floor along with jude's hands. he huffed out in frustration, complaining for a good few minutes before he came to a conclusion that made you double over in laughter.

"just for that, I'll be keeping my eye out for interns from now on! if I marry a reporter one day I'll make sure not to invite you just out spite!"

your first morning in barcelona consisted of nothing but peace. the view you woke up to was breathtaking, definitely the most beautiful sunrise you had ever seen. you took your time getting ready before breakfast and made sure to put together the best outfit you could manage seeing as it was rare that you got to wear summer attire.

jude shot you the most confused look to date when he saw your top. he hit you with the "woman stopped wearing corsets decades ago so I'm a bit confused as to why you're torturing yourself right now."

it took a bit to explain to him that you weren't suffering at all, but he still didn't understand and left it at that so the two of you could head to a restaurant for breakfast. every step you took your eye was caught by something more beautiful than the last, your heart strings tugging in the summer heat.

"I've made up my mind. I'm coming to visit you every three months."

jude didn't oppose the idea and instead encouraged it, saying that he needed a bit more company. everything was recorded, you had your phone out and your camera for double the footage, talking to the camera as you carried on with your day.

"do you really have to film everything?" jude asked from across your table at the outdoor seating area of the restaurant as you waited for your breakfast.

you made a sound at the back of your throat and continued to go through the footage you had so far. "unlike you, I have a social media presence and people enjoy the content that I put out okay?"

"uh huh." his eyes wandered over you silently until he was told to check your instagram story, and of course he reposted it being the absolutely amazing friend he was and not because he was in any way forced to do it...

spamjam._. added to their story!

"I don't think anyone understands how crazy it is to hear jude speak in spanish so casually." you turned your camera to look at jude opposite you, adorning an expression of offence.

you suppressed a smile. "this is the same boy who asked me if 'lethargic' was an actual word or if I made it up by the way."

that hit a nerve for him and he put down his fork, and pointed a finger at you while explaining the pointlessness of the word and just how stupid it was. "who uses the word lethargic jamie?" he raised his hands waiting for an answer.

your laugh could be heard behind the camera, obvious judgement in your tone as you teased him. "people who have a vocabulary level that exceeds year 6."

jude shot you an 'oh really look' clearly not buying your reasoning. "just say that you're tired," he grew a bit more defensive and you tried to speak over him but he continued on. "it's never that deep."

you laughed again, telling him that he literally just proved your point. you could feel the stares that you were getting from people passing by— just trying to enjoy their peaceful thursday morning without two idiots arguing about words.

the banter went on for a bit, the camera now set on the edge of the table so that both you and jude were in the frame, tension heightened as you debated. he shrugged his shoulders eventually, "lethargic is not that big of a word either. it's just unnecessary--"

your eyebrows raised, "--oh really?"

he nodded in confirmation, as to say that it was obvious and that he wasn't an idiot. so you did the only correct thing at the moment which brought a wave of nostalgia to wash over jude who couldn't help but laugh.

"spell lethargic then."

he hesitated for a moment, wondering if you were being serious. "go on then, prove me wrong." you urged him, and obviously, he took up the challenge because jude bellingham was not a quitter.

"L I--"

you cut him off with a proud smile, "wrong!"

"L A--"

"wrong!"

by now jude was dumbfounded, immediately reaching out for his cellphone to google the absurd word only to find out that it was spelt with an E. you hummed happily as he complained once again, saying that spelling it with an E didn't make any sense.

"jude victor william bellingham," you began with a smile and he shook his head. "one of real madrid and england's star players at the age of 20 yet he can't spell 'lethargic'."

the rest of the day played out smoothly— sightseeing, shopping till jude's entire backseat was covered in bags, a trip to the beach and using jude as your personal photographer and videographer. now that was what you called a vacation.

the last stop the two of you were going to make would be a small picnic to wrap up the evening seeing as jude would be at practice all-day tomorrow before the match later that evening. either way you wouldn't be alone because jobe would be flying down the morning, so you were more than excited to pick him up at the airport.

your picnic blanket was set down on the grass at a park, and once again the scenery had you gawking. the sunset was to die for, the atmosphere was chirpy yet peaceful and in all honesty if this was your last moment alive you wouldn't have any regrets.

you let out a content sigh, "if this is what being a wag is like then I might have to hit up victoria beckham for some pointers."

jude let out a laugh from beside you, watching silently as you pointed your vlog camera to the sky— moving it from side to side as you took in the scenery.

"I mean you have some good candidates, and you're already in the industry so it's just up to you." he nudged you on the shoulder. "make the move jamie."

a sigh escaped your lips at the fact that he was right. everything was played out in your favour and you needed to use it to your advantage. "I'll dm colwill when we get back to the hotel."

jude doubled over in laughter at your comment but you kept your attention on your camera, settling it down in front of the both of you. "he's younger than you."

you shrugged your shoulders to dismiss his note. "age is just a number or something."

that made you both smile but for two completely different reasons. jude found it funny whereas you were washed with an unfamiliar feeling, your mind flashing back to yours and trent's midnight mcdonald's run when he said the exact same thing.

that remembrance made you keep a mental note to call him later, just to see how things were holding up on that side.

the conversation picked up again when you shut off your camera. and of course, it took the emotional route at the hour of vulnerability. it hopped from family to work to comfortability in your respective situations in a matter of seconds.

it was nice for jude to have this time to talk about stuff like this, you knew he appreciated moments like this where he could express himself more freely without a language barrier or slight anxiety.

when he first left for madrid you remembered the five-hour conversation you had over the phone because he couldn't fall asleep, too unsure and unfamiliar with his surroundings to be able to settle in. with that, you made sure to check up on him daily before bed.

time zones didn't stop you and never would, especially with someone you considered family. jude and jobe were easily younger brothers to you— jude being the irritating younger brother who acted as if he were older than you and jobe being the sweet younger brother that needed constant affection.

you cared for them both dearly, making time to see each other whenever you could when you schedules were free.

"so you found the apartment?" jude asked and popped a grape into his mouth while he listened to you talk about your move out of your sister's house.

maya and noah were moving to london at the beginning of next year, which just so happened to be two months from now. which honestly was a great idea and you were super excited for them, but it was the househunting the was an issue for you because you were so picky.

you weren't too worried about the rent, the main issue was the interior so you took it upon yourself to do some drastic redecorating when you found one. and in four months it was ready, the only thing it was missing was you.

you nodded happily, "I can move in whenever I'm ready."

your answer made jude smile. be knew just how excited you were to finally move into a place of your own because all you'd been doing was saving up. "which is..."

"which is before christmas. and I have a little surprise on the way as well," you retorted in excitement but jude's thoughts immediately went to pregnancy and you could see it on his face, judging by how quickly his eyes dropped to your stomache.

the sun had fully set now, the air beginning to chill but not in a way that had you shivering, but in a way that made you feel relieved. basking in the atmosphere took your mind elsewhere, a glimmer of something in the back of your mind flashing.

your stomach dropped at the memory. one of the many that you've recently.

"we have to go to spain." the glee in your voice bounced off the walls of the bedroom, back to the bed where you and your boyfriend were lying.

he chuckled at your antics and the way that your grip tightened on his torso, his fingers lightly tracing your shoulder. "we'll go anywhere you like baby." he kissed the top of your head.

you looked up at him with doe eyes. "really?"

michael flashed an adoring smile, the same one that showed just how smitten he was for you. you felt a chill run down your spine at the touch of his fingers on your cheeks. "I'd do anything for you."

your throat stung at the memory, something that weighed so heavily on your chest. moments where you two promised to build a family together resurfaced, where you promised to always be there for each other, but this time accompanied by a bitter taste.

you'd accomplished so much these past few months and he wasn't there to witness it like he said he would. there weren't any flowers or handwritten cards with a hug that made you melt. you could still hear his voice sometimes and the way he would speak to you so gently.

at your graduation you could barely enjoy the moment because while being onstage you saw his face in the crowd, an unreadable expression and the words "I'm so proud of you, love" floating aimlessly through the air.

everything he ever said to you was now floating aimlessly through the air.

judebellingham

jobebellingham and 4 245 223 others liked this post

judebellingham had to go back to the hotel like thrice for her to get changed [tagged: spamjam._.]

see all comments below

jobebellingham please never take selfies again

→ spamjam._. agreed

→ judebellingham you're both walking to the stadium I don't care

vinijr ❤️🔥 [liked by judebellingham]

spamjam._.

liked by liverpoolfc and 2 345 234 others

spamjam._. 🌼

see all comments below

jobebellingham it's like you couldn't have waited for me before doing all this 😃

→ spamjam._. we're going to be together all week bro chill 🙄

liverpoolfc jamie come back, the kids miss you 🥲

→ spamjam._. they're lying

trentarnold66 you owe me a mcdonalds run when you get back [liked by spamjam._.]

→ spamjam._. yes sir 🫡

Ibrahimakonate 🙊❤️ [liked by spamjam._.]

curtisjr my gf says you're beautiful 🙄

→ spamjam._. gf?? curtis call me right now istg!!

levicolwill okay supermodel🙄❤️ [liked by spamjam._.]

→ spamjam._. check your dm's

"there's my favourite boy!"

you had your arms spread for a hug as you watched jobe walk up to you with a sheepish smile. you could tell that he was a slight bit embarrassed, but gave in anyway and dropped his bags to embrace you.

he had grown a freakishly large amount since the last time you saw him— towering over you would be an understatement and it took every bit of you not to feel overwhelmed, but how could you when he was so freaken cute??

a shy chuckle came from jobe as you continued to hug him, your arms tightly wrapped around in torso. "you can carry on when we get back to the hotel, people have places to be."

that wasn't good enough of an excuse for you. "they can let me have my moment."

when you got back to the hotel, jude wasn't there as suspected but all your bags were already packed for tomorrow morning's early flight back to madrid. the rest of the day was spent just relaxing in the hotel room and catching up as usual because you didn't want to waste your energy and fall asleep half way into the first half of the match.

"I can't believe I'm about to watch barça and madrid play," jobe commented as he scrolled through his twitter feed.

you two were settled comfortably on the couch set with snacks and the t.v playing as background noise. when you didn't reply he looked up from his phone, only to see you glued to your own with a lopsided smile.

it was unlike you to ignore him, even if it were by accident so it raised some suspicion. he kicked your thigh in an attempt to gain your attention but it didn't work, your fingers typing away at the keyboard for whatever reason. he didn't want to be one of those brothers and take your phone right out of hand and see what had you so interested— that was jude's job.

so instead he resorted to kicking you over and over until you eventually got irritated and yelped out in pain. "jobe my leg," you groaned and began to rub your thigh that he'd been taking hits at.

when you looked at him again his expression had changed, his lips slightly parted in shock. you asked him what the issue was and all he could manage was a scoff of disbelief. there'd only been one other instance where he'd seen you act like this before, and he tried to forget it at most.

"who are you talking to?"

jobe wasn't one to pry and you knew that, and when he did it was out of genuine concern. you cleared your throat awkwardly. "just a friend."

his eyes narrowed at your answer, knowing he caught you. "you don't have friends." in no way did he mean to offend you by saying that, because it was true and as clear as day. he knew you too well, maybe you could hide things from jude for a bit but with jobe it was different because everything came out unintentionally.

a sigh of defeat escaped your mouth and you set your phone down on your lap. "this is a situation my friend is in right now. you're not going to ask any questions okay?"

jobe nodded his head eagerly and sat upright so he could pay more attention. and just like that, you found yourself lost in the explanation and you were sure you nearly namedropped at least thrice but jobe remained attentive and gave his word when needed.

"I mean if they aren't dating then there should be nothing wrong with you--"

you gave jobe a look and he immediately retracted his last word.

"your friend. your friend, not you," he corrected sheepishly and you nodded.

he thought the idea was dumb. you could've just said that you were talking about yourself and he wouldn't have bugged you... that much. "your friend isn't overstepping any boundaries by the sound of it. so she should just go with the flow--"

you couldn't believe that you were taking relationship advice from an 18-year-old right now. this was your lowest. "--whatever happens, happens."

whatever happens, happens.

his advice genuinely seemed to shift some gears in your mind, and you wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in a bear hug. so that's exactly what you did. "have I ever told you how much I love you?"

the question made him stifle a laugh, the boy tightening his grip around your shoulders as you lay on top of him. "I want to say yes but no."

you slapped his arm jokingly. "you're my favourite brother too. but don't tell jude."

"how can I not??"

#footballer imagine #fanfic #footballer x reader #trent alexander arnold fluff #footballer x you #liverpool fc #trent alexander arnold x reader #football imagine #liverpool x reader #trent alexander arnold fanfic #afterglow trent alexander arnold #jude bellingham #jobe bellingham #cherrei rambles #cherrei writes #writers on tumblr #trent alexander arnold imagine #trent alexander arnold

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centrally-unplanned · 11 months ago

Text

Watched a bunch of stuff last night, including the Alita OVA from 1993! I thought it was a lot of fun, the thoughts:

--- It did the "obvious" thing of adapting the romance arc with Yugo of Volume 2 as the core, while blending in the events of Volume 1 as sort of backstory and setup as opposed to their own story. This arc is Alita at her most humanized in the early parts of the manga, and its the plot that centers Zalem as the untouchable overlord city most effectively. Any short adaptation is gonna choose this - part of why James Cameron (lol) did the same thing!

--- Speaking of, the manga does not actually have any particular focus on Alita's eyes, but the anime definitely has more than one shot where it establishes them as thematically special. Given that the James Cameron film is famous for going full CGI on Alita's eyes, and he knows about the property from Guillermo del Toro passing him the OVA as opposed to the manga, I think I can see the chain of events that lead to that (ill-fated?) decision.

Her eyes are pretty amazing in the OVA, so I get it! As my previous reblogs showed lol.

--- I think I can break apart the manga into three "concepts": the setting as cyberpunk dystopia, Alita as a character dealing with identity issues as an amnesiatic combat robot, and shounen fighting & levelling arcs. The OVA heavily focuses on the first part, ditching almost all the shounen stuff - its fight scenes are quick and focus on violence & bodily destruction over strength or "fighting techniques", etc. This is great for me, obviously! But it also, almost accidentally, ditches most of her identity issues? Because its less than an hour long, and needs to do a ton of worldbuilding - including even adding in a new character from Zalem to help with that - and is doing Yugo's entire arc, you really don't have time left for Alita's struggles. Yugo actually gets more "inner depth" than she does! She commits to being a bounty hunter, then after that she is pretty much just In Love while Yugo goes through his detailing of his past and collapse.

I'm not saying it doesn't work, it does as a story. Just interesting for something that is known as very "protagonist associated" to have an OVA where she is barely the protagonist.

--- While no Urotsukidoji or anything, this is another one of those OVAs where its reputation, particularly in the west, is as a hyper-violent, gory OVA? And like so many it really isn't. People get decapitated, don't get me wrong, buts its never lingers on those moments. Instead they serve as tone setters for the crapsack world or just are part of the action sequences.

I think in general the OVA era rarely made horror/gore films the way some other mediums/industries did? There are exceptions of course but in the end anime is trying to do too many other things; beautiful animation, focus on character designs, often being adaptations and so doing the plot of those more complex stories, erotic content for audiences that aren't *that* fetishistic on average, and more. All of these priorities compete for space in comparison to having endless jumpscares and blood splatters. So far my track record for watching the famous "gorefest" or "~crazy~" anime is that every one of them is tamer than the rep suggests, and I believe this medium/genre mismatch is why.

--- The biggest question I have around Alita in general is why there was never any more anime? Its weird, right? Its a famous property from a beloved genre, it had a hollywood film for some crazy reason, things like Ghost in the Shell got multi-season anime after all. Why no feature film remake in the 2000's? Why no 13-cour in the 2010's? I don't have an answer to that yet.

Why the initial OVA was so minimal is at least partly answered by Kishiro here:

MNS: Many fans have wondered, why were only 2 anime OAV episodes produced in 1993? YK: It was based on the plan proposed by the animation production company. It might have been better to turn down the plan and wait for a better adaptation proposal to come up, but back then, I couldn't afford to review the plan coolly. At that time, I was still serializing the work and was so busy that I wasn't ambitious to make it into animation.

Essentially he took the "deal on hand", not offering much, because he didn't have the time, money, or business savvy to work the industry for a better proposal. 100% understandable. I don't think the OVA did too well? I can't find a lot of sales figures, but the comments I see are in the "respectable" range, and it didn't get quick or expansive rereleases over time.

More broadly, and again speculative, I think maybe Alita overall isn't that successful? Like sure Kishiro is still out here releasing more sequel manga to this day somehow, but when I look at the "media mix" its just really sparse. No big video game adaptations - it has a PlayStation game in the 90's - it has like a drama CD and a novelization? No big merch waves or tie-ins. I am betting the big anime production committees just don't think its a hot enough property to sell that great. Wouldn't be a bad idea or anything, but not one you have to do like idk Chainsaw Man.

In the western fandom spaces its quite well known because of the idiosyncrasies of licensing history, the weird James Cameron factor, and I think a general fascination with anime cyberpunk; the west eats up any of the older cyberpunk properties for its aesthetic in a way that can blind people to the reality of that just being a subgenre in Japan at the time. Alita might just be niche enough that it not getting any wider anime adaptations is no grand mystery.

(But I hope to dig into this question more)

#battle angel alita #mini essay

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raine-kai · 2 months ago

Text

About the Hikaru no Go CDrama Qi Hun

I have known about the HikaGo CDrama since it came out, but for one reason or another never sat down to watch it until a week or so ago.

Now that I have, I'm so shocked at how brazenly the drama seems to be written as a romance between Yu Liang (Touya Akira) and Shi Guang (Shindou Hikaru).

Also, it provided the best version of Ogata, I say as a person who was never much a fan of his in the animanga. Fang Xu has a warmer, more brotherly relationship with Yu Liang, a more combative relationship with Yu Xiao Yang (Touya Kouyou), and a dynamic that reads very much as exes with Bai Chuan (a composite of Ashiwara and Shirakawa—who might have been already composited into Ashiwara in the anime, if my memory is not mistaken).

Chu Ying (Sai)'s characterization is a little different from what it was in the anime, but in a way that humanized him and made me feel a lot more acutely when he forgets he is invisible to Fang Xu and tried to interact with him. His interest in non-go-related things especially rounds him out in a way that I found very compelling without at all taking away from his hyperfixation on go strong enough to span multiple lifetimes.

I didn't know I needed a live action of HikaGo, but now that I've seen it I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to watching it.

The most fascinating thing about the live action though, and what I least expected, is that it gives me every single akihika beat I wanted as a teenager shipping them, plus some I had no idea I needed, like the Valentine's Day episode involving Shi Guang getting lost on a mountain and calling Yu Liang for help, who shows up before the search party with no flashlight like he has a Shi Guang homing beacon...and as soon as the search party find them, he stomps off to sulk like an annoyed ex.

Also the last episode, which gives me more relationship negotiation between two rivals-turned-husbands-go-partners than I've ever seen in an Akihika fic.

Anyway, on the offchance that anyone reads this who likes HikaGo but hasn't seen the live action, I highly rec that you give it a chance (even if you don't ship Akihika--obviously that is not all this adaptation has to offer).

And if anyone reads this who has never consumed any version of HikaGo, I recommend them all--the animanga are more go-centric and the drama is more character-centric, is how I would characterize them. Even if you aren't interested in go and know nothing about it, the anime is designed to teach you the basics as you watch; the manga expects a tad more basic knowledge, and doesn't contain as much explanation of the game for the audience, so one could say it is fully story-focused through the medium of go.

#hikaru no go #qi hun #akihika #guangliang #fujiwara no sai #touya akira #shindou hikaru #chu ying #shi guang #yu liang

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amethystarachnid · 3 months ago

Note

Would you consider involving Tony's parents in a one-shot? I've seen a few one-shots with his parents alive and being the best parents, and I really like that idea. If that's okay with you, I'd like to request 18. Resolution Reflections with Young!Tony Stark x f!Reader, his parents are throwing a New Year’s party and it's the first time Tony and Reader are spending it together and the first time she's going to his parents' house, they're going to love her and be proud of their son dating a good girl. At midnight, they share a kiss and their New Year’s resolutions/reflections, their shared dreams, and the promise to always achieve everything together, just pure fluff 🥰 and you can set in modern times, don't need to go back to the 90's 🥰

NEW YEAR EVE - part I

⤷ ANTHONY “TONY” E. STARK

ᯓ★ Pairing: Young!Anthony “Tony” E. Stark x fem!reader

ᯓ★ Genre: romance, fluff

ᯓ★ Request from: MARVEL Holiday special

ᯓ★ Story type: one shot

ᯓ★ Timeline: they're on their last year of high school

ᯓ★ Word count: 5.2k

ᯓ★ Summary: what the ask said

ᯓ★ TW(s): nothing

ᯓ★ Part II

ᯓ★ I think I went a little off track with this and I notice only now that the story is complete, I'm sorry if this isn't exactly what you asked :(

ᯓ★ My Masterlist

ᯓ★ MARVEL Holiday Special

ᯓ★ MARVEL Multiverse - choose an AU, pair it with your favorite character and make a request!

ᯓ★ Songs & Superheroes tales - The Game (to make a request, follow the rules on the link!)

ᯓ★ MARVEL Bingo

ᯓ★ English isn’t my first language

The invitation comes casually, like most things with Tony. He’s lounging on your bed, one arm tucked behind his head, the other flicking a small gadget between his fingers—a prototype, no doubt, that he whipped up in his spare time. The room smells faintly of burnt solder, thanks to his earlier tinkering. You’re perched at your desk, trying to study, though it’s hard to focus with him stretched out there looking entirely too comfortable in your space.

“So,” he says, drawing the word out like he’s testing the waters. “What do you think about spending New Year’s Eve with me?”

Your pencil stills over your notes, and you glance at him with a raised brow. “That depends. What do you think about spending New Year’s Eve with me?”

He rolls his eyes, that playful grin pulling at his lips. “Obviously, I’m in. But there’s a catch.”

Your stomach flips a little, and you don’t know why. Tony catches your hesitation immediately because, of course, he always does. He props himself up on one elbow, his expression softening in a way that still catches you off guard, even after all this time.

“Hey,” he says, voice quieter now. “It’s nothing bad. I just… well, my parents are throwing their annual party, and I want you to come with me. Meet them.”

You blink, the words landing heavily in your chest. Meet them. As in Howard and Maria Stark. The man whose name is on every headline, whose brilliance (and sometimes questionable ethics) cast a shadow Tony can never quite escape. The woman who appears in magazine spreads looking flawless and untouchable, like a queen in designer couture.

“Tony…” you start, but he’s already scrambling off the bed, crossing the room to you in a few quick strides.

“Before you say no,” he interrupts, crouching beside your chair, “hear me out. They’ll love you. I mean, how could they not? You’re… you.”

You let out a soft laugh, though it’s more nervous than amused. “You’re biased.”

“Damn right I am.” He leans his chin on the edge of your desk, looking up at you with those warm brown eyes that can talk you into almost anything. “But I mean it. They’ve been bugging me to bring you around anyway. And this party? It’s just a bunch of people standing around drinking overpriced champagne and pretending to care about the ball drop. You’ll fit right in.”

Your chest tightens at the thought. Fit right in? Not likely. Tony’s world feels so far removed from yours sometimes, even if he never treats you that way. He’s always been good at making you feel like you belong, like it doesn’t matter that his idea of a normal day includes private jets and cutting-edge labs while yours involves coffee runs and library study marathons.

“I don’t know,” you say finally, chewing on your bottom lip. “What if they… what if I don’t make a good impression?”

Tony straightens up, tilting his head as he studies you. “You’re nervous.”

“Of course I’m nervous!” you blurt, your voice higher-pitched than you’d like. “Your parents are—well, they’re them. What if they think I’m… I don’t know, not good enough for you?”

His expression shifts, and for a moment, you think you’ve offended him. But then he reaches for your hands, pulling you to your feet. His grip is warm, steady, grounding.

“Okay, first of all, no one gets to decide that but me,” he says firmly. “And second, they’re going to love you. Trust me.”

The way he says it—like it’s an unshakable truth—makes your heart squeeze. Tony Stark isn’t always the best at expressing his feelings, but when he does, it’s impossible not to believe him. Still, the idea of standing in a room full of people who know Tony as the heir to one of the biggest empires in the world feels daunting.

“I don’t even know what I’d wear,” you mumble, trying to stall.

Tony smirks, his usual cocky confidence slipping back into place. “Oh, that’s easy. I’ll pick something out for you.”

You narrow your eyes. “If it’s anything like that weird futuristic dress you sketched for me last month, I’m saying no.”

“Hey, that design was ahead of its time!” he protests, though he’s laughing. “But fine, we’ll shop together. Deal?”

You sigh, the fight slowly draining out of you. It’s hard to say no to Tony when he’s this determined. And, deep down, you know he means well. He wouldn’t be asking if he didn’t think you could handle it—or if he didn’t want you there.

“Okay,” you say at last, your voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll go.”

The grin that spreads across his face is so boyish and unguarded, it almost makes you forget why you were worried in the first place. Almost.

The days leading up to the party pass in a blur of preparations. True to his word, Tony drags you to a boutique downtown, where he insists on finding the perfect outfit. It’s an exhausting ordeal—he vetoes nearly every dress you try on, claiming they don’t do you justice, until you finally settle on something sleek and elegant that makes you feel like maybe, just maybe, you won’t stick out like a sore thumb.

“You look amazing,” Tony says as you step out of the fitting room, his gaze lingering on you in a way that sends heat rushing to your cheeks. “My parents won’t know what hit them.”

The night of the party arrives faster than you’d like. Tony picks you up in a sleek black car that’s almost too nice to sit in, dressed in a tailored suit that makes him look older, sharper, every bit the heir to Stark Industries. He whistles low when he sees you, offering his arm with a grin.

“Ready to make an entrance?” he asks, though he doesn’t wait for your answer before leading you to the car.

By the time you reach the Stark mansion, your nerves are a full-blown storm. The house is enormous, glowing with warm light against the crisp winter night. Guests in designer gowns and tuxedos mill about on the front steps, sipping champagne and exchanging pleasantries that sound more polished than genuine.

Tony squeezes your hand as you step inside, his touch a lifeline. The air is thick with the scent of expensive perfume and the low hum of jazz music. You spot waiters gliding through the crowd with trays of hors d’oeuvres that look too pretty to eat.

He leads you through the crowd with ease, pausing now and then to exchange pleasantries with people who seem eager to talk to him. You’re introduced as “Y/N,” no titles, no qualifiers, just your name. It’s both comforting and terrifying.

And then, there they are—Howard and Maria Stark. They’re standing near the grand staircase, an impressive pair that commands attention without even trying. Howard is tall and broad-shouldered, his sharp suit and carefully combed hair giving him an air of authority. Maria, by contrast, is elegant and understated, her smile polite but unreadable.

“Mom, Dad,” Tony says as you approach. “This is Y/N.”

Maria’s gaze softens as it lands on you, and she extends a perfectly manicured hand. “It’s so lovely to finally meet you,” she says, her tone warm but measured.

Howard offers a nod, his smile faint but not unkind. “Tony’s told us a lot about you.”

Your stomach twists, but you manage a smile, hoping it looks more confident than you feel. “It’s nice to meet you both,” you say, your voice steady despite the nervous flutter in your chest.

Tony’s hand brushes yours, a small, reassuring gesture that grounds you in the moment. For now, it’s enough.

Maria’s handshake is delicate but firm, her presence somehow simultaneously inviting and intimidating. As she releases your hand, you see her eyes flicker toward Tony, a faint smile tugging at her lips. Howard’s nod is accompanied by a polite once-over, as if he’s quietly assessing you but doing so in a way that doesn’t feel overly critical. For all your nerves, the atmosphere is not as icy as you had feared. Yet you’re acutely aware of the importance of this moment—these people are more than Tony’s parents. They’re titans of industry, figures who seem untouchable from a distance, and now they’re looking at you like they’re ready to get to know you.

“So,” Maria says, her voice smooth and composed, “we’ve been hearing about you for months now. It’s lovely to finally put a face to the name.”

“It’s lovely to meet you too,” you reply, hoping your voice doesn’t betray the butterflies rioting in your stomach. “Tony speaks about you often as well.”

Tony lets out a short laugh beside you, clearly amused. “Not too much, I hope. Don’t want to ruin the mystique.”

Maria chuckles lightly, her sharp eyes twinkling with subtle amusement. “Oh, I think we can handle it. So, tell us a bit about yourself, dear. Where do you come from? What’s your family like?”

It’s a straightforward question, but it feels loaded under the circumstances. Still, you’re determined to make a good impression.

“Well, I’m from Midtown,” you begin, smoothing the fabric of your dress unconsciously. “My family’s pretty small—just me, my mom, and my younger brother. My mom works as a nurse, and my brother’s still in middle school.”

Maria’s smile doesn’t waver, and there’s a flicker of interest in her expression. “That must keep your mother very busy. Nursing is such an admirable profession.”

“It does,” you agree, your confidence bolstered by her genuine tone. “She works long hours, but she’s amazing. She’s always been my role model.”

Howard’s deep voice cuts in next, not unkind but more direct. “And what about you? Tony mentioned you’re quite the student. What are your plans after high school?”

You glance at Tony briefly, catching the way he’s watching you—there’s a quiet pride in his eyes, a silent encouragement that steadies your nerves. Turning back to Howard, you answer honestly.

“I’m planning to go to college,” you say. “I’ve applied to a few schools already. I’m hoping to major in environmental science… maybe engineering. I’ve always loved the idea of building things or coming up with solutions to problems.”

Maria tilts her head slightly, her smile deepening. “Engineering? That’s wonderful. And very fitting, given who you’re dating,” she teases lightly, her gaze sliding toward Tony.

Tony grins, unfazed. “What can I say? I’ve got a type. Brilliant and beautiful.”

You roll your eyes at his shamelessness, but Howard chuckles, his posture relaxing slightly. “Good answer,” he says, clearly pleased with his son’s response. He turns back to you. “Environmental science, though. That’s not the most common choice. Why that field?”

You take a deep breath, finding your footing as the conversation shifts into territory you’re passionate about. “I’ve always cared about the environment,” you say. “I think it’s one of the biggest challenges our generation will face. And I want to be part of the solution. Whether it’s renewable energy, conservation, or designing more sustainable technology… it feels like something that matters.”

Maria’s gaze softens, and she exchanges a look with Howard. There’s something unspoken between them, an understanding that passes with a single glance. When Maria speaks again, her voice is warm, almost approving.

“That’s a very admirable goal. And one that’s becoming more important by the day.”

Howard nods in agreement, his demeanor shifting slightly as if he’s already decided you’re worth listening to. “It’s good to hear someone your age thinking about the bigger picture. Too many people overlook that kind of thing.”

You smile, your nerves easing with each passing moment. Their approval feels genuine, not forced or obligatory, and it gives you the confidence to keep going.

“I think it helps to have people around who believe in you,” you say, glancing at Tony again. “He’s been a big part of that for me.”

Tony’s grin widens, and he slips an arm around your waist, pulling you a little closer. “Don’t let her fool you,” he says. “She’s the one with the brilliant ideas. I’m just lucky to be around to hear them.”

Maria’s laugh is soft, but her eyes are bright as she watches the two of you. “You two seem very good for each other. It’s always nice to see that kind of balance in a relationship.”

Howard’s voice carries a hint of approval as he adds, “Tony’s lucky to have found someone like you. I’m glad he has someone who’s keeping him grounded.”

The words catch you off guard, but they warm you from the inside out. It’s the kind of sentiment you’d hoped for but hadn’t dared to expect. Tony, for all his bravado, has always had a complicated relationship with his parents. Hearing his father speak so openly about his pride in Tony’s choices feels significant, like a rare glimpse into a side of their dynamic you don’t often see.

“I’m lucky too,” you say softly, meeting Howard’s eyes. “Tony’s brilliant. And he’s always pushing me to do better, to think bigger. I think that’s what makes us work so well together.”

Tony’s arm tightens around you briefly, and you catch the faintest hint of a blush creeping up his neck. It’s rare to see him speechless, but the pride in his expression is unmistakable.

Maria’s smile grows, and she steps forward, placing a gentle hand on your arm. “You’re a lovely young woman,” she says sincerely. “And it’s clear you mean a great deal to Tony. Thank you for joining us tonight.”

The warmth in her words makes your chest ache in the best way. You hadn’t realized how much you’d been craving their approval until now, but the genuine kindness in Maria’s tone makes it all the more meaningful.

“Thank you for having me,” you reply, your voice steady despite the swell of emotion. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you both.”

Howard steps forward then, offering his hand again. This time, his grip feels a touch more personal, less perfunctory. “Keep an eye on him for us,” he says, a glint of humor in his eyes. “Lord knows he needs it.”

Tony groans dramatically. “Okay, okay, that’s enough parental bonding. Can we go check out the snack table now?”

Maria laughs softly, waving you off with a graceful flick of her hand. “Go, enjoy yourselves. We’ll talk more later.”

Tony doesn’t need to be told twice. He takes your hand, leading you away from the crowd and toward the quieter corner of the expansive room. Once you’re out of earshot, he stops, turning to face you with a mischievous grin.

“So? How’d I do?”

You blink, caught off guard. “You? What do you mean?”

He leans in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “I mean, did I pick the right moment to introduce you? Were the lighting and ambiance sufficiently romantic? Did I sell my pitch as the proud boyfriend?”

You laugh, the last of your nerves melting away. “You were perfect, Stark. But your parents? They’re…”

“Scary? Intimidating? Too good at making you feel like they’re reading your mind?” he offers, grinning when you nod.

“A little,” you admit. “But they were also… really nice. I think it went well.”

Tony’s expression softens, his cocky façade dropping for a moment. “Of course it did. They’d have to be crazy not to love you.”

You roll your eyes, but you can’t help the smile tugging at your lips. “You’re such a sap.”

“Only for you,” he replies, his grin turning wicked. “Now, come on. Let’s grab some dessert before my dad ropes us into a conversation about corporate ethics.”

As he pulls you toward the snack table, his hand warm in yours, you realize that the evening is far from over—but for the first time, you’re not worried. Tony’s world may be big and overwhelming, but tonight, it feels like you belong there. And as you glance back to see Maria and Howard watching you both with quiet pride, you think they might just believe that too.

The grandeur of the Stark residence is even more overwhelming as the evening progresses. Every corner of the room seems to hold someone important, conversations buzzing with words like "stocks," "mergers," and "international markets." It’s a world you’re still adjusting to, and though Tony has never made you feel out of place, you can’t shake the occasional pang of self-consciousness.

Excusing yourself to the bathroom gives you a moment to breathe, away from the intensity of the crowd. You splash a little water on your wrists and smooth down your dress, giving yourself a pep talk in the mirror. You’ve already managed to win over his parents—something you hadn’t expected to happen so easily. Surely, you can handle the rest of the evening. After all, Tony is by your side.

When you step back into the main room, the sight of him immediately draws your attention. He’s standing near a sleek bar setup, surrounded by a small group of men in sharply tailored suits. Even in this crowd of CEOs and industry giants, Tony stands out. His confidence is palpable, his charisma effortlessly commanding the attention of those around him. You hesitate, unsure whether to approach. They’re deep in conversation, and the last thing you want is to interrupt or seem out of place.

For a moment, you consider waiting on the sidelines until the discussion wraps up. But as if sensing your presence, Tony glances up, his eyes finding yours almost instantly. A slow, warm smile spreads across his face, and he waves you over with a subtle beckon. The gesture feels intimate, personal—a quiet reassurance that no matter who he’s with, you’re always welcome.

As you approach, Tony’s smile deepens. When you’re close enough, he leans in and presses a soft kiss to your cheek. “There you are,” he murmurs, his voice low but unmistakably fond.

One of the men in the circle clears his throat, and you notice his expression shift into something between surprise and discomfort. He’s older, probably in his fifties, with a thin mustache and a stiff posture that screams corporate formality.

“I wasn’t aware you had… company tonight, Stark,” the man says, his tone carefully measured.

Tony smirks, clearly unbothered. “This is my girlfriend,” he says simply, his arm slipping around your waist. The ease with which he says it sends a thrill through you, though the reaction from the group is mixed.

“Your girlfriend?” another man echoes, his brows lifting in surprise. He looks between you and Tony, as if trying to piece together a puzzle. “Forgive me for asking, but whose daughter are you?”

You blink, caught off guard by the question. “Oh, I’m not…” you begin, glancing at Tony for help.

“She’s not anyone’s daughter in this room, if that’s what you’re asking,” Tony interjects smoothly, his tone laced with just enough edge to make it clear he doesn’t appreciate the implication. “She’s here because she’s incredible, not because of her last name.”

The mustachioed man—Mr. Carmichael, you think you heard someone call him earlier—looks visibly taken aback. “I didn’t mean to suggest—”

Tony cuts him off with a light laugh, though there’s an unmistakable sharpness beneath it. “Relax, Carmichael. I get it. You thought I’d be interested in your pitch about your daughter. Honestly, I’m flattered, but as you can see, I’m pretty happy with my current situation.”

The color drains from Carmichael’s face, and the rest of the group shifts awkwardly, clearly unsure how to proceed. You feel a mix of emotions—embarrassment, yes, but also a fierce kind of pride. Tony’s confidence in you, his unwavering refusal to let anyone question your place by his side, makes you stand a little taller.

“I’m sorry,” you say quickly, trying to smooth over the tension. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation.”

“You’re not interrupting,” Tony says firmly, giving you a reassuring squeeze. Then, addressing the group, he adds, “Actually, I think you guys might want to hear from her. She’s planning to study environmental science and engineering. Pretty smart, huh?”

The shift in the room is almost comical. Where moments ago they seemed skeptical, even dismissive, now their expressions are filled with curiosity.

“Environmental science?” one of them repeats, his tone suddenly much friendlier. “That’s an interesting field. Are you planning to focus on renewable energy?”

You nod, a little hesitant but grateful for the opportunity to steer the conversation into more comfortable territory. “That’s one of the areas I’m really interested in,” you say. “There’s so much potential for innovation, especially with the way technology is advancing. I think it’s one of the most important challenges we can address.”

The man—his name tag reads “Jameson”—nods thoughtfully. “Smart choice. The industry’s going to need more forward thinkers like you.”

“Thank you,” you say, the praise giving you a small boost of confidence.

“And you’re still in high school?” another man asks, his tone tinged with disbelief.

“Yes,” you admit. “Tony and I are in the same grade.”

Carmichael, who’s been uncharacteristically quiet, finally speaks up. “High school, and you’re already thinking about global challenges like that. That’s… impressive.”

You’re not sure if his approval is entirely genuine or if he’s simply trying to recover from his earlier misstep, but either way, you offer him a polite smile. “It’s something I’m passionate about. And I’m lucky to have people around me who encourage me to aim high.”

Tony beams at that, his pride in you practically radiating. “She’s underselling it,” he says. “She’s not just aiming high; she’s going to change the world.”

The men laugh, but it’s not mocking—it’s the kind of laugh that comes with genuine admiration. For the first time, you feel like you belong in this circle, like they’re starting to see you as more than just Tony’s girlfriend.

The conversation continues, flowing more easily now. They ask about your thoughts on sustainability, your experiences in school, and even your plans for college. With each question, you find yourself relaxing, the initial tension fading as you focus on the topics you’re passionate about. Tony stays by your side the whole time, chiming in occasionally with his trademark wit but mostly letting you shine.

At one point, Jameson leans closer to Tony and mutters something you can’t quite catch. Whatever it is, it makes Tony laugh—a genuine, delighted sound that makes your heart skip a beat.

When the group finally disperses, Carmichael offers you a polite nod. “It was a pleasure meeting you,” he says, his tone markedly more respectful than when the conversation began.

“You too,” you reply, feeling a small sense of victory as he walks away.

Once you’re alone with Tony, he turns to you with a grin. “See? Told you they’d love you.”

You roll your eyes, though you can’t hide your smile. “I think they were just surprised. They probably expected you to be dating someone… different.”

Tony raises an eyebrow. “Different how?”

“I don’t know. Someone from their world, I guess.”

He shakes his head, his expression turning serious. “You don’t have to be from their world to belong in it. You’re amazing, and if they can’t see that, it’s their loss.”

The sincerity in his voice makes your chest tighten. You lean into him, letting his warmth and confidence steady you. “Thank you,” you say softly.

“For what?” he asks, his tone lightening again.

“For making me feel like I belong here,” you admit. “Even when I’m not sure I do.”

Tony presses a quick kiss to your forehead. “You don’t just belong here,” he says. “You make this place better. Don’t ever forget that.”

As the evening continues, you find yourself settling into the rhythm of it all. The grandeur of the event doesn’t feel quite so intimidating anymore, and every time you catch Tony’s eye, you’re reminded of why you’re here. In his world, by his side, you feel like you truly belong.

The night unfolds in a swirl of laughter, conversation, and the occasional clink of glasses. You find yourself more comfortable now, moving through the party with Tony’s reassuring presence at your side. The grandiose world of the Starks—one that had once felt so intimidating—begins to feel a little more approachable. With Tony holding your hand or whispering jokes into your ear at every turn, it feels like you’re in on some kind of secret.

Eventually, you find yourselves slipping away from the crowd. The party hums on in the background, the faint strains of a string quartet mingling with the murmur of voices and the distant pop of champagne corks. Tony leads you down a quieter hallway, away from the main rooms, until you’re standing in front of a set of tall windows that overlook the sprawling grounds of the estate.

“Needed a breather?” you tease as he presses his forehead to the cool glass.

He glances at you, grinning. “I thought you might need one. Not that you weren’t killing it back there, but, you know, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to step away from the CEOs and their unsolicited opinions.”

You laugh softly, crossing your arms as you lean against the window beside him. “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. I think I actually had fun.”

Tony straightens, his expression softening as he looks at you. “I knew you’d be amazing. I don’t think there’s anyone who can’t see it.”

You roll your eyes, but your smile betrays your attempt to brush off the compliment. “You’re biased.”

“Absolutely,” he admits without hesitation. “But that doesn’t make it any less true.”

The glow from the lights outside casts his features in a warm hue, and for a moment, you lose yourself in the way he’s looking at you. There’s a tenderness there that makes your chest ache in the best way—a feeling that no matter how big his world is, you’ll always have a place in it.

“What about you?” you ask, breaking the silence. “Do you ever feel like you need a breather from all… this?”

He tilts his head, considering the question. “Sometimes. But you make it easier. When you’re here, it feels less like a circus and more like…” He trails off, his lips quirking into a wry smile. “I don’t know. Like it’s something I actually want to be part of.”

Your heart skips a beat at his honesty. “Tony Stark, are you saying I make you want to behave?”

“Let’s not go crazy,” he says with a laugh, though there’s a glimmer of seriousness in his eyes. “But yeah. You keep me grounded. And you remind me that there’s more to life than just impressing a room full of people.”

He reaches for your hand, lacing his fingers with yours. For a while, you stand there together, watching the stars outside and enjoying the rare quiet moment. The faint sounds of the party drift down the hall, but here, it feels like it’s just the two of you.

“Do you think we’ll still be doing this ten years from now?” you ask suddenly, the question slipping out before you can think too much about it.

Tony doesn’t hesitate. “I hope so. But maybe not this.” He gestures vaguely toward the distant murmur of the party. “Something better. Something ours.”

You glance at him, surprised by the depth of his response. “Ours?”

“Yeah,” he says, his tone casual but his gaze steady. “Like, I don’t know… maybe a New Year’s Eve on a beach somewhere. Or in some cabin in the mountains. Just us. No suits, no CEOs. Just you and me.”

The thought makes your cheeks warm. “That sounds… perfect.”

He grins, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your temple. “Then we’ll make it happen.”

For a while, you stay tucked away in your little corner, stealing a moment that feels like it belongs entirely to you. Tony tells you a ridiculous story about one of his father’s business trips, and you counter with a memory from a summer vacation when you and your brother tried to camp in your backyard but got scared off by a raccoon. You laugh until your sides hurt, your voices low and close in the quiet hallway.

As the clock ticks closer to midnight, Tony reluctantly pulls you back toward the main event. The energy in the room has shifted, the hum of anticipation building as the new year approaches. Guests gather in clusters, glasses of sparkling cider in hand, their conversations a little louder and their laughter a little freer.

Tony finds a spot near the center of the room, his hand never leaving yours as he leads you to stand by his side. The two of you are surrounded by a sea of faces, but all you can focus on is him.

“Two minutes to go,” he murmurs, glancing down at you with a small smile. “You ready?”

“For the new year?” you ask, feigning nonchalance. “I guess.”

He nudges you gently. “For everything. This year, next year… all of it.”

Your breath catches at the weight of his words, but before you can respond, the countdown begins.

“Ten! Nine!”

The voices swell around you, and you feel Tony’s hand tighten slightly around yours.

“Eight! Seven! Six!”

You glance up at him, and the way he’s looking at you makes the rest of the room fade away.

“Five! Four!”

Your heart pounds in your chest, each second stretching out as the moment draws closer.

“Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!”

The room erupts in cheers, the sound of voices and clinking glasses filling the air. But all you notice is Tony as he leans in, his free hand cupping your cheek as his lips meet yours. It’s a kiss that feels like a promise—a declaration that no matter what the new year brings, you’ll face it together.

When he finally pulls back, his forehead rests lightly against yours, and his voice is soft, just for you. “Happy New Year, sweetheart.”

“Happy New Year,” you whisper back, your cheeks warm and your heart full.

The noise around you gradually fades into the background as the two of you share a quiet moment in the middle of the bustling crowd.

“So,” Tony says, his tone lighter now, “what’s your resolution?”

You think for a moment before answering. “To keep chasing my dreams. And to make sure we never lose sight of ours.”

He smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I like that. Mine’s to make sure you know how proud I am of you every single day. And… maybe to be a little less reckless.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Maybe?”

He laughs, the sound warm and familiar. “Hey, I’m a work in progress.”

You shake your head, but your smile lingers. “We’ll figure it out together.”

“Always,” he says, his voice filled with quiet certainty.

The two of you stand there for a while longer, watching as the party continues around you. People laugh, toast, and embrace, the room alive with celebration. But in your little bubble, it feels like the world has stopped.

As the night winds down, Tony pulls you close, his arm draped around your shoulders as you lean against him. The future feels vast and uncertain, but with him by your side, you’re not afraid. Together, you’ll face whatever comes next—one dream, one resolution, and one New Year’s kiss at a time.

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itsjaywalkers · 11 months ago

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babe i miss ur rants like crazy so if u have any rant that needs to be indulged this is me indulging u <3333

this actually made me so soft.. i didn't know there was someone who enjoyed my rants so much.. i always feel kinda annoying.. i'm giving u the biggest forehead kiss in the world nonnie YOU'RE THE BEST

this being said . well

lately i've been thinking a lot about this band au i don't know if i'll ever write or if it'll just stay in my head, bc when i first started reading fanfiction i was OBSESSED with band aus and even tho i'm not that into them anymore . they make me feel very nostalgic and happy so i was like u know what . i should come up with my own. AND THAT'S WHAT I DID!!

anyways it's a dual pov, james and lily's!! they used to date, and since james is the lead singer in a very popular band, they were the it couple back then, everyone was fucking obsessed with them, said they were Perfect, peak romance, they wanted what they had etc etc. lily even sang with him sometimes when the band went on tour, bc she has a beautiful voice and all the fans kept pushing for her to join the band and sing all the ballads with james etc

but then . all of a sudden . she disappeared . not literally, you know, she just fucking ran away, without telling a single soul. she didn't even leave a letter to james, or maybe remus, who was one of her best friends. james was devastated, the band was devastated, the whole world was devastated. they went on hiatus for a lil before coming back with a very different vibe and since then . well . no one talks about lily evans . reporters try to bring her up every now and again bc they're nosy fuckers but james goes all stiff and his replies become stilted (even if still perfectly professional)

flashforward to . when the story actually starts . a new band has just debuted and it's rising to fame concernigly quick and james remus sirius and peter are going Crazy bc they feel a bit threatened and also oh would u look at that?? if it isn't sirius' estranged brother in the flesh!! playing the drums for this stupid band who's trying to compete with them!!

and if that wasn't enough !! lily finally returns to their lives............... she's also making a debut but as a soloist.............. and she's very Different from the lily they remember................... her songs are loud and aggressive and filled with resentment and very obviously about james and their relationship and james' friends. she's mean and bold and witty and everyone is Wondering if there was more to her disappearance than what they thought

it'll be jegulus and bartylily <3 and one of the reasons why idk if i'll ever write it it's bc one of the reasons why lily left is that she got pregnant and she didn't want it so she aborted and . we all know how this fandom gets about lily and motherhood lmao

anyways one of the scenes that's been plaguing my mind is this one that happens after lily and barty have started sleeping together and spending more and more time in each other's presence!! they're in barty's flat and barty wakes up at some point in the middle of the night just to discover he's alone in bed. so he wakes up and finds lily sitting at the kitchen table, notebook open, pen in hand and humming under her breath. he hugs her from behind and sees she's writing something new and they talk a lil, bicker some and tease even more, and then barty tells her she should write a song about him and stop dissing that stupid ex bf of hers bc it's getting old. lily laughs and asks him if he wants a cheesy love song and barty cackles and shakes his head and says that he'd rather have one of her dissing songs, bc they're fun and likes it when she gets all mean. besides, the press wouldn't believe her if she wrote something nice or sweet about him bc barty is always getting into scandal after scandal

lily does end up writing a song about barty, dissing him (affectionately except ppl don't know that) and when she first performs it live, she does so while just wearing one of barty's shirts and barty laughs the whole time while sporting the biggest heart eyes known to mankind

#asks #anons #bartylily

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keepsdeathhiscourt · 2 months ago

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💌 Create Your Own: 5 Fics You Feel Deserve More Engagement 💌

It has come to my attention that quite a few of the fanfics I enjoy reading simply do not get the attention they deserve. Therefore, I've come up with this little idea (that's probably been done before, okay, I don't claim to be original) in which we fanfiction writers/readers/content consumers give a little bit back to our fellow creators. Tit for tat, you know.

Now, I know we fic writers do not always write for others, and that we do not always feel like we should need external validation but hey, a little pat on the head once in a while sure is nice and this is what this post is for.

Feel free to tag your mutuals as well! Nobody is obligated to do this (obviously) but let's try to spread some love to some under appreciated gems out there, one post at a time.

Tagging: whoever wants to do this! Spread the love!

The aim is simple: pick 5 fics of your choosing, in the fandom(s) of your choosing, on the platform(s) of your choosing (ao3, Tumblr, FFNET, etc.) and write a little something about why you like them, or why you think they deserve more than they're getting etc etc.

There's no barometer for this, you decide whether or not you feel a fic is getting enough love or not based on how you feel about it. We're just here to share the love.

Here's mine below the cut.

Prickly thorns, tender roses by @ruiniel

Fandom: Castlevania

Pairing: Adrian Tepes (Alucard)/OC

Summary:

Set after the events of Castlevania (Netflix) Season III. After the betrayal of his young apprentices, Alucard feels barely alive in his lonesome castle. Days wear on, chipping away at his mind and sanity. And what is the son of Dracula to do with this unwanted visitor, suddenly come at his doorstep? Often the prickly thorn produces tender roses - Ovid

This fic was one of the very first I discovered in the Castlevania (Netflix) fandom, and it set an incredibly high bar. I was craving more Alucard content with that same brooding, gothic romance feel of the series, and this story absolutely delivered. Ruiniel has a remarkable talent for capturing Adrian’s character—his angsty, dreamy essence is beautifully rendered, yet the complex layers of his personality remain intact. The emotional depth and nuance that make Alucard so compelling are preserved and expanded upon in ways that feel authentic and true to his character.

What really sets this fic apart, though, is the addition of Ravenna, an original character who is anything but a side note. She’s fully fleshed out with her own agency, motivations, and a presence that is every bit as captivating as Adrian’s. Their interactions are electric, filled with tension and emotion, and Ravenna feels like a natural part of the Castlevania world. Ruiniel’s storytelling is rich and immersive, weaving a narrative that’s hard to put down. Cannot recommend enough.

Always & Forever by @anphibole

Fandom: TVDU

Pairing: Elena Gilbert/ Elijah Mikaelson

Summary:

Looking up at the intimidating walls of the infamous Abattoir, Elena kept those words close to her heart, like a talisman against the dangers she knew lurked inside. She took one step, then another, forcing her legs to move despite the fear. She knew she couldn’t stay the way she was, alone and scared. She knew who she could trust. She always had.

Wow. This fic completely floored me. It not only taps into one of my absolute favorite (and sadly rare) fic plots—Elejah in New Orleans—but also dives deep into the emotional aftermath of Elena’s transformation and her harrowing experiences with the Salvatore brothers. The author masterfully captures the weight of her trauma in a way that feels both poignant and heartbreakingly real.

What truly sets this oneshot apart is how it gives Elena the voice she was often denied in canon. Her inner struggles and pain are brought to life with such nuance and care, making her story resonate on an entirely new level. The hurt/comfort dynamic is so deliciously written, perfectly blending raw vulnerability with tender healing.

And, of course, all of this is wrapped up in the exquisite Elejah dynamic—a pairing that feels natural and cathartic in this context. This fic is a beautifully crafted, emotionally charged piece of storytelling that lingers long after you’ve finished reading. An absolute must-read for fans of both Elejah and emotionally resonant fics.

Chaos Theory by @tehrevving

Fandom: FF7

Pairing: Vincent Valentine/Reader

Summary:

After he protects you during the Tiny Bronco crash, you find yourself growing ever closer to the mysterious, attractive and red-eyed newest member of your group.

This fic is an absolute gem for anyone who loves a perfect balance of steamy romance and in-depth character exploration. Set during the aftermath of the Tiny Bronco crash, it captures the electrifying tension that builds as you grow closer to Vincent, the enigmatic and dangerously attractive newest member of the group. The author does an incredible job of blending the slow-burn romance with moments of raw vulnerability, peeling back the layers of Vincent’s mysterious persona in a way that feels deeply satisfying and true to his character.

What stands out most is how beautifully the narrative draws you into Vincent’s world--his guarded demeanor slowly giving way to genuine connection. The chemistry between the characters practically sizzles off the page, but it’s the emotional depth that truly shines. This fic isn’t just about the romance; it’s about understanding Vincent’s complexities and how the growing bond between you both brings healing and strength. Go check it out!

Reprisal by @bouncymouse

Fandom: FF7

Pairing: Tifa Lockhart/Reno

Summary: The rebuilt Shinra Electric Power Company is being targeted by an unknown threat and it's up to the Turks to stop them. As Reno starts playing with fire events begin to take a sinister turn. Somebody wants revenge and they'll stop at nothing to get what they want.

This fic fundamentally altered my brain chemistry—in the best possible way. Taking place after the events of canon, Reprisal delves into the often-overlooked question: what happens to the heroes once the fight is over? The story doesn’t shy away from exploring the emotional aftermath, and the result is a richly layered narrative that feels both authentic and deeply engaging.

Tifa’s portrayal is a standout; she’s given the space to grow, to grapple with her emotions, and to navigate her path in a post-canon world. Her struggles and triumphs feel real, nuanced, and utterly human. And then there’s Reno, who is at his absolute best here—charming and infuriating in equal measure, yet layered with an emotional depth that makes him impossible not to love. The unexpected romance between the two is a deliciously complicated slowburn and so satisfying.

Full Disclosure by Cairistiona144

Fandom: FF7

Pairing: Tifa Lockhart/ Vincent Valentine

Summary:

Somehow she was compelled to lay down every deep dark thing inside her for him to see. Because she knew he understood. He would not judge. He realised that she was seeking and finding every hiding place he knew, filling every dark corner of him with her flickering light. * In the half-year since The Advent, Tifa Lockhart ruminates on a bittersweet, sedate new life - until news of a wedding promises to reunite her with friends. The first one to darken her doorway, however, isn’t necessarily the one she’d have expected…

Another Tifa-centric fic because I cannot get enough of her. This one is such an amazing exploration of grief and healing, wrapped in a gentle, bittersweet romance.

Set in the quiet aftermath of Advent Children, it follows Tifa’s journey as she adjusts to a slower, more introspective life. The arrival of an unexpected visitor—Vincent—serves as the catalyst for a relationship built on shared understanding and unspoken truths.

Both Tifa and Vincent are portrayed as beautifully broken, their vulnerabilities are explored in a way that feels natural to both characters. The romance is understated but so touching, their connection forged in moments of quiet domesticity and mutual acceptance. Though not yet finished, the prose is stunning, capturing the raw, unfiltered emotions of two people dealing with their ghosts and finding solace in one another and totally worth giving a read!

#fic recs #ff7 fic #tvdu fic #castlevania fic

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