#anyway!! i had the best time at the zoo but also it was a day out to say goodbye to my friend who is leaving tbe country so im super upset

[pigeon-butch]

I certainly have my own concerns about the treatment of moo deng but um. well i think some of you may just be racist

[ghosts-of-love]

various people from dating apps etc have been chatting with me but the conversations have been feeling quite one-sided/involve me putting in a lot of effort with little response and I've tried to let it slide Until Today when someone just responded "aw" to me saying that I had THE BEST DAY EVER at the zoo with my friends. Just "aw"???? like if someone said that to me I'd be asking which zoo as the bare minimum, then asking for photos, asking what their favourite animals that they saw were, asking what animal they'd like to BE. but literally no follow up questions?? and someone else too just said "oh cool, I'm sleepy" like?? bro I'm sleepy too i was at the fucking zoo i saw meerkats and otters and tigers and a maned wolf and strange dinosaur statues and capybara and I have PHOTOS why don't you want to see them!!!!

[emphistic]

𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍’ 𝐍 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍’

𝐀/𝐍: here's what you've all been waiting for . . . more preschool!sukuna !! — as thanks for 1000+ followers — also, also, big thanks to @domainofmarie and @beyond-your-stars for the idea !

𝐖/𝐂: around 1.7k

When you first met Sukuna, you thought he was a strawberry incarnate. Maybe it was his hair — which you were shocked to find out was natural, maybe it was his eyes — that seemingly glowed maroon whenever he was even slightly vexed, or maybe, just maybe, it was the way his pale skin turned a cute shade of salmon whenever you looked his way. In any case, you stood by your decision. — Sukuna was a strawberry.

And, if you thought hard enough, you would remember the times where you used to try and eat Sukuna. Yes, you read that right. Sometimes you would go up to your friend, grab one of his cheeks in your hands, and chomp!

Unfortunately, you did get in trouble one or two times, not because Sukuna told on you — he would never even think of doing such a thing, — but because Sukuna walked around all day with a bite mark engraved on his cheek.

You actually haven’t stopped this deed of yours. It’s become a habit, or an addiction, as Sukuna called it. But he didn’t mind. He never did. Not if it was about you.

But what he did mind, was, when people would try to take your attention off of him.

For instance, right now. You were seated beside Sukuna on the bus, and in the midst of trying to take a bite of your strawberry, whilst said strawberry was just staring out the window, letting you give your best efforts. [No, he did not give you the window seat.] Out of the blue, another one of your classmates approaches your row.

“Hey, guys! Can I sit next to you—?”

“This seat is taken.” Sukuna swiftly turns to face the boy and gestures towards the empty spot on your left. Albeit it was obviously not occupied, Sukuna didn’t even try to make up a better excuse.

“Umm, it’s actually—”

“Taken. It’s actually taken.”

Due to Sukuna’s unwavering glare, and clearly irked expression on his face, the boy clumsily shuffled away.

“‘Kuna,” you started, in that soft tone of yours — which never failed to lift his spirits, “he just wanted to sit down with us. And—and, no one’s sitting there anyway. Lying’s bad.”

“Yeah, well,” he huffed. “Next time I won’t lie, then. I’ll tell him he can’t sit next to you.”

“You mean ‘us’?”

“I mean what I said.”

“You’re the most confusing strawberry ever.”

Sukuna rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, the strawberry did not get less confusing once you two arrived at your destination . . . the zoo!

Your teachers had originally planned to separate the class into two groups — in order to avoid chaos — but, when they noticed you and Sukuna already holding hands, they refrained from their decision of splitting you two up. They knew it would always end up being a battle they couldn’t win, no matter how hard they tried. Sukuna would never let go. And you, being you, wouldn’t let go either.

“Hey, Sukuna! Can you hold my hand? Those animals are scaring me.” A girl asked, once your group had reached the lion enclosure. You turned your head and saw the girl stick out her tongue at you. You frowned.

“Out of my way,” Sukuna elbowed her, sending her stumbling, “we—she wants to see the pandas.” Sukuna managed to successfully drag you a few feet away from your classmates before your teachers spotted the little attempt at “escape” and reprimanded you two, leading you guys back to the rest of the group.

Sukuna frowned, yet his grip on your hand never ceased. However, the frown soon flipped upside down, when your teacher guided the group over to the pandas. Sukuna noticed a growing smile on your lips, and hid his own, turning slightly away.

You pointed at the pandas behind the glass wall, “‘Kuna, look! They’re so cute! Aww, I want one as a pet.”

“Yeah? Then you’d have to clean up all their poop. Look at how big they are, and just imagine the size of their poop. It must be equal in ratio, y’know.”

You stifled a giggle behind your free hand, “Okay. Then . . . I would just make you clean up the poop and take care of the hard stuff. And I’ll do everything else.”

“Sure.”

You jumped up and down fervently, continuing to grasp his hand all the while. “Really? Yay!”

“Whatever.” Sukuna turned away from you, again, and worked hard to contain his laughter. You just looked so . . .

“Over here, everyone! Come this way,” your teacher yelled, making you guys continue on your way. “I meant everyone, Sukuna. Don’t stop your friend from listening to the teacher, didn’t I tell you? Wouldn’t want to leave you guys behind.”

Sukuna sighed, yet obeying nonetheless.

As your class left the animals encased behind glass walls, you passed by another enclosure on your way out. — A group of turtles.

You let go of Sukuna and ran up to the glass, pressing your face against it, not noticing the way your breath fogged up the glass. You gasped, loudly. “Woah! They’re all such pretty colors—ah!”

Sukuna pulled you back just as fast as the turtle came near the glass and banged on it with its flipper.

“What happened?” Your teacher asked, in a tone full of genuine concern.

“The sea turtle, it—it attacked me.” You pointed at said animal.

“No, it didn’t. You’re just being dramatic. It was behind the glass.”

Miss Wells’s eyes flickered between you two as you and Sukuna argued and bickered over what happened. When she realized nothing serious occured, she backed away. It was funny, she had to admit. The two of you were fighting while still holding hands.

“Hmph! It did attack me.”

“It didn’t even touch you.”

“Yes, it did.”

“Sure, sure.”

“Uh huh.”

Sukuna, this time, didn’t bother hiding his laugh when a gorilla beat its chest and you jolted in your position. But, he didn’t forget to squeeze your hand, assuring you nothing was going to hurt you. Not if he was there.

The rest of the day was spent seeing alligators, tigers, spiders, snakes, you name it. And, although you did get a little spooked a few times, you couldn’t deny you were totally bummed when your teacher announced the field trip was over. You didn’t even get to see your favorite animal yet.

As for Sukuna? He couldn’t deny he was totally bummed seeing you look so upset.

When your group rendezvoused with the other half of the class and loaded onto the bus, Sukuna helped you put on your coat, as the weather had decreased drastically.

You leaned your head on your strawberry’s shoulder. “‘Kuna,” you sighed, clearly exhausted after a whole day of fun.

“Hm?” He pushed a strand of hair out of your eyes and tucked it behind your ear.

“Why are you still holding my hand?” Albeit you were tired, you were never too tired to giggle.

“. . .So you don’t get lost. Duh.” It took Sukuna quite a bit of time to think of a decent answer.

“But, we’re on a bus. How would I get lost?”

“You never know.”

“You’re such a dummy. It’s literally impossible.”

“You’re pretty good at doing impossible things.” — Like, making his heart race, running through his mind all day long, giving him a feeling other than anger. You were a master at doing impossible feats.

“Shut up.”

“Oh yeah? If I shut up, then, how would I be able to give you . . . this!” Sukuna pulled out a stuffed plushie of your favorite animal of all time from behind his back, as if he had been waiting for this moment all his life. And, maybe he was. You never know, right?

“Sukuna!” You gasped. Reaching out your hands in a ‘gimme, gimme’ manner.

“Not even a ‘please’? Not even a ‘thank you’?” Sukuna teased.

However, he didn’t have much to say once you leaned over and placed a wet kiss on his cheek, making a ‘mwah!’ sound as you did so. "Thank you, thank you! — So much!"

Sukuna touched his cheek with his hand, his face immediately reddening. All the while, you took your chance and snatched the plushie out of his arms, quickly cuddling it to your chest.

“When did you even get this?”

“. . .” He was broken, absolutely stupefied, and unable to speak.

“‘Kuna?”

“Oh, what? What did you say?”

“I said, ‘when did you get this’?” You repeated, still entirely focused on the animal in your arms.

“Right. . . I got it when you were in the bathroom. Spent all my money on it. I didn’t know gift shops were so expensive.” He scratched the back of his head.

“Of course it would be expensive, silly! It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!"

He smiled. “I beg to differ.”

Taglist: @beyond-your-stars @sad-darksoul @mochimoee @r0ckst4rjk @lillycore @deepchromatose @yinyinyinyinyinyin @fivehoneyharg @desihopelessromantic @taiyakii @hannas16 @acroso @msvalsius @call-memissbrightside @kelerina-ballerina @emikokomura

[roxineedstosleep]

Could you do a snippet for yandere platonic Batfam where reader accidentally gets hurt and is able to hide it for a few days until someone (May be Dick?) finds it and asks / gets upset about it? Love your writing!!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Hi there!!!

First of all: Thank you sweetie!

It's been a while since I've written, mostly because of the university, I'm about to graduate and I'm crazy because I'm approaching my final exams (I even have to defend my research work to be able to get my bachelor's degree)!

But, I got to thinking a bit about what you have written above… and even more so because I myself am a little bit crashed after my last film shoot for my final year of my degree. And can I just say that being in a bad way and having to hide it is terrible.

So… here goes!

(I'm sorry if I sound a bit comical in this writing, but I think the best way to get over something is to laugh at yourself a bit so you don't think about the pain too much; I hope you enjoy it anyway.)

Disclaimer: I don't know if you've noticed, but English is not my native/mother tongue. Occasionally, when I think too much, I write them in my language and then translate it in a trusted translator. So, if there's a grammatical problem or a strange term, it's the translator's fault.

Let's face it… having a large family is terribly exhausting.

It's never quiet enough, everyone is in everyone else's business, you can't leave your favorite mermelade in the fridge for less than a day. Someone is always occupying the bathroom or using your favorite shampoo or watching something on TV at too much volume and someone is probably occupying your bed at nap time.

Did I mention about meddling too much in other people's business? Yes? Well… triple it.

Having multiple siblings was new.

Having multiple siblings, a father and a butler/grandfather isn't exactly bread and butter either.

It wouldn't be so bad to belong to a large and numerous one if it was your blood family and you had lived with them all your life. I mean, sometimes blood is too thick and you have no choice but to learn to love them or just be nice to each other.

Like I said, it wouldn't be so bad if they were really your family.

But the Waynes were not your family. Not distant relatives or anything like that.

You were just living your life, as quietly as possible… and poof!

New room, new butler/grandfather, pets beyond belief, 4 new male siblings and a father with serious emotional constipation issues. And, to add more salt to your wound…. all have serious abandonment issues and death-related trauma.

After several escape attempts, sleep strikes, hunger strikes and any other kind of protest that an anarchist could be proud of… you realized that it was simply impossible to get out of this without risking the path of death.

Which, to top it all off, was also unreliable because apparently your older brother Jason had revived as well as another of your siblings. So no, dying was also not a viable option to which one could resort in the worst case scenario.

What to do?

Well, not much. Trying not to die of suffocation of affection or finding a way to have privacy while going to the bathroom just seemed to be the best survival tools you could resort to.

What does that entail?

It implies that Tim was going to give you hours and hours of lectures on his latest discovery of a case, even if you don't understand half the things he's told you or mentioned at all.

Richard and Damian trying to teach you new tricks almost every second, taking you to the Zoo or not leaving you alone to go to the bathroom.

That Jason, oh holy cow he is the only one more relaxed, takes you with him on his motorcycle to eat ice cream and to the public library. Without being able to scape, because it seems that you have a kind of GPS inserted in the bone marrow.

(Sometimes you don't know if it's true or not, but sometimes you also felt pain between your bones, almost during the cold seasons, and you didn't want to burst your poor little head thinking of different viable possibilities knowing them. No scars, no remembering anythins about any surgery).

Have a grandfather who will not hesitate to make you cookies, your favorite foods whenever you want … without leaving you aside at any time.

Plus a terribly quiet father, who if he can will carry you for as long as you spend time together, won't let you near the secret basement and enjoys being in the same room with you.

Do you see any privacy in this?

No, because even at the bathroom door would be the pets trying to get in and see you for themselves while you want to do your business.

The worst of that? Titus always judge you when you close the curtains.

As I mentioned and it was clear: Having a large family implies little privacy… Having a large, obsessive family means NO privacy.

So, knowing that you have over 50 nanochips tracking in all your clothes, two security monitors embedded - God knows how - in your body (monitors that only tell you if you are in designated safe place), 20 high definition surveillance cameras in every room and a Great Dane chasing you like a chick …. How the heck do you fall down the stairs and hit your pelvic bone without anyone noticing?

No kidding, how?

And if you had to blame someone for your fall… you'd totally blame Damian for it.

It's not that the kid pushed you down the stairs, but over time he had tamed himself into various things and relaxed into looking his age. You know!!! He started acting like a normal teenager!

What do Damian's kids do at his age? Well, they leave things lying around and have messing around them when they can, of course they do!

You just wanted some yogurt with orange marmalade. Maybe some oatmeal cookies. Alfred had left it for you in the fridge when he noticed you'd been watching video tutorials on homemade marmalade for hours. Who were you to deny such a gesture of generosity?

I mean, Alfred was the one who allowed you to hide in the attic for hours on end so you could have some time to yourself.

And how did it end? You, slipping down the main stairs of the old Wayne mansion, down a nicely polished wooden staircase, rolling all the way down (which is no small flight of stairs, it should be noted) to the bottom of the first floor.

Now, lying on the ground is not so bad in itself. What is bad is not being able to feel your legs and still not being able to understand how you manage to tidy up your neural wiring so that your legs can still move on their own and go to the kitchen to rescue all the delicacies Alfred left you in time.

And it's a good thing you managed to do it… because within seconds Bart had rushed in to ransack the fridge and the fruit basket.

But that's not the point.

The important thing is that this time you managed, I insist a little on the feat of action, to climb up to your room and not notice how you couldn't really feel your legs.

You ate, you lay down… and to your bad or good luck, you couldn't get up …. and without anyone noticing there was an emergency and everyone went out to sort it out.

Weak limbs, limited movement and you don't want to mention the embarrassing actions you did in order to go to the toilet.

It's not like you hid it either, I mean, there was no one who could even notice because they weren't entirely available to watch you. Nor is it that you would have run away, otherwise they would have been at your side in less than a second.

The detail, as they insist, is that you had probably bruised your back badly and your body was now taxing you extra for your food craving.

I insist, you did not hide anything.

But still, when you're found completely itchy on the floor, ridiculously trying to run away in the direction of the bathroom… that's when everyone really goes crazy.

First, having to carry you and not dying of embarrassment when you notice that Bruce definitely doesn't give a damn about having to carry you to the bathroom and do almost everything for you.

Or having Dick and Jason carry you and fit you into some kind of weird medical scanner they have in the cave.

Or that Tim keeps track of your periods, types of meds you take and, for fuck's sake, knows how the fuck to inject something into your spine.

Or that Damian had the gall to look a little embarrassed when he heard that a pair of boxers lying outside the laundry basket was to blame for all this.

NO matter.

At the end of the day they heal you, pamper you, leave you alone when you need to take a nap and figure out a way to fix it without looking like complete maniacs who built some kind of internal plumbing that sucks up the dirty laundry and throws it straight into the washing machine.

Like the time they didn't look like maniacs by sanding all the edges of the tables and nightstands.

Or the time they bought a whole brand of sanitary towels when they realised that not all women use tampons.

Don't worry, they're looking out for you… even if they look like deranged Arkhan freaks in the process.

[garciaasfluffypen]

take care of me (like i take care of you) pt.1

pairing: jemily x adhd!reader word count: 2.4k warnings: emily smokes in this one (SMOKING IS DANGEROUS LADIES, GAYS AND THEYS pls dont ruin ur lungs), reader is mentioned to vape but it is not shown, female terms of endearment - "little miss", y/n has a minor flashback to a previous relationship where they got belittled that leads to an rsd breakdown a/n: THIS PART GOT TOO LONG AND I DIDNT EVEN GET TO THE MAIN PLOT POINT UNTIL 2.4k WORDS IN so its being split into two parts teehee :) also... i should have put this in the first part, but the house they live in is jj's house from cm evolution bc i'm quite literally obsessed with it anyway pls ignore the fact that it's clearly not three femme presenting humans holding hands i couldn't find a gif like that anywhere

you all had been blessed with a whole week off. a whole week that you got to spend with your favorite people in the entire world and not have to worry about being called in.

it had been ages since you had a whole week where you didn’t have to worry about a single work thing bothering you. the last time you had done this, you had convinced your then best friends to take you to their favorite park and have a picnic, go to the movies and even take you to the trader joes to get your favorite snacks. but this week, this week was different. firstly, you were now dating your best friends, and had been told to stay at theirs as long as you wanted to. you hadn’t left except to go to your apartment and grab a suitcase full of clothes. secondly, the case you had just finished drained the hell out of the three of you. a majority of the time was spent curled up on the couch cycling through shows on netflix and amazon prime, everyone taking turns picking a show to watch while eating leftover chinese food and cuddling. but today you were determined to get out of the house.

the local zoo was holding a sale to celebrate the birth of a new baby giraffe, which happened to be some of your favorite animals ever. so naturally, you got three tickets for the three of you last night and made sure you were up before both of your girlfriends to ensure you got your hands on tickets to feed the giraffes. it had been on your bucket list for a long time. ever since you were little, giraffes had intrigued you. they just looked so soft and cuddly. and you wanted to touch one. so, so bad. 

which is how you found yourself up at seven in the morning, squeezing yourself out from between the two older women and seaking downstairs, curling up in the armchair that you had claimed to yourself and grabbing your ipad. well, technically it was emily’s but she barely used it so therefore it was yours. you had all your favorite games on it anyway, so it was only fair that you used it more since you liked to play games on the jet. making sure you got to the website bright and early, you went to the page where you needed to buy the giraffe experience tickets and waited patiently until 7:30am hit and the first wave of tickets were sent out into the interwebs. within minutes, you had the three tickets you needed in your email. the next step to buttering up your girlfriends for a day at the zoo was to make breakfast. 

you knew exactly what breakfast each of them liked, and had memorized it a few weeks prior for moments like this. emily loved her bacon crispy, her eggs over easy and a marlboro gold by the bay window. jj, on the other hand, loved when you made the pillsbury biscuits with honey and butter, some sort of potato and getting kisses from both you and emily. considering emily usually woke up a little bit before you and jj on a typical day, you decided to start on hers first. you grabbed the box of cigarettes from her purse and put it over by the seat next to the kitchen table, opening the window so the cool dc air would flow through the kitchen as you cooked. sometimes you were tempted to light up a cigarette and see what they were like, but you couldn’t let go of your favorite fruity little flavors. that was another thing you added to your mental list of things to never let emily find out, since you knew she’d give you the look that she gives you whenever you’ve somehow disappointed her. 

jj had found out by a total accident a while ago, clocking your antsiness before you even did. you had stepped out for a breath of fresh air, not realizing that jj had followed you until you were mid hit and felt a presence behind you. while she had been disappointed, she knew that the oral fixation couldn’t be stopped if you weren’t chewing on your chewy necklace. you did your best to wear it, but sometimes the need for the nicotine buzz was stronger than your little necklace and you wanted to feel the dopamine. she sat with you outside while you tried to explain the way it made you feel, and she sat there the whole time and listened to you. she made you promise to lower the nicotine level, which you agreed to, but kept forgetting to go down whenever you stopped by the shop. 

despite the fear looming over you of disappointing emily, you couldn’t help but realize everything had been so easy with them. from communicating your needs to even just asking for them to sit with you. they made sure you were their number one priority. to this day, you were still scared of waking up in your dingy one bedroom all alone and still single. but now, here you were, slowly moving your stuff into their apartment and preparing to leave most of your old appliances at the local goodwill. it was a pleasant change, knowing you were moving somewhere nice and calm and where people supported your every move. where they wouldn’t yell at you when you forgot to refill the soap, or restock the cheese drawer after a grocery trip. 

shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you heard the bedroom door creak open and the padding of emily’s sock feet grew louder as you started smiling. 

“you’re up early,” emily beamed at you. “what’re you doing?”

“taking care of my girlfriends.” you shrugged. “cigs are on the table for you next to your window.” 

emily narrowed her eyes playfully at you. “you have a plan for today, don’t you?” 

“maybe i do, maybe i don’t.” you playfully smiled back at her. “you gotta wait for jayje to wake up.” 

“you know, you can be bad at hiding things sometimes.” emily came over to you and wrapped her arms around your waist. “you have the cheesiest grin on your face right now.” 

“can i not just make breakfast for my girlfriends when i want to?” 

emily placed a peck on your cheek, then captured your lips in a kiss. “you’re a devious little thing, lovey.” 

“and you adore me for it.”

“that i do.” 

you placed another kiss on emily’s lips before ushering her over to her window, grabbing the sheet pan of biscuits and slipping them into the oven. you relished these small moments with emily, where it was the two of you. you got these moments with jj at night, since emily typically stayed at the office later than you guys did. taking the mornings with just the two of you was something you tried to do more often than not, since you craved quality time with both of them. you loved having time with both of them together, but alone time with each of your girlfriends was something you cherished. you made sure to get emily’s coffee mug filled just the right amount and bought it over to the table, wrapping your arms around her from behind as the smoke flowed from between her lips. you had at least five more minutes before you had to start cooking the bacon and eggs, which meant you could sit with emily and bask in the moment. 

before you knew it, jj made her way into the kitchen, smiling widely as she came and wrapped her arms around you as you stood over the pan. your eyes momentarily closed as you leaned back into the blonde, letting her place a few kisses on your neck before turning around and capturing her in a kiss. you smiled at her before turning back to the bacon, making sure that side was crispy as you could get it before flipping it around. 

“what’s all this?”

“well… i uh, i had a plan for us today.”

you saw emily struggle to hold back a chuckle out of the corner of your eye.

“can you guys both be ready by nine thirty? no wait, be ready by nine fifteen and in the car by nine thirty because we need to be at the place by nine fifty in order to beat the crowds and get to where we need to be on time for our tickets because our tickets are for eleven.” you paused, looking at your girlfriends. “can you be ready by nine fifteen?” 

“i mean, yeah.” jj looked over to emily. “do you know the plan?”

“just that little miss over here woke up before us and i woke up with no blankets on me because in the midst of everything you stole all of them.” emily joked, poking her tongue out at jj. 

you started rocking up to the balls of your feet. “so um… there might be a new baby giraffe at the zoo and i might have gotten us tickets because i really really wanted to see the giraffes and they’re my favorites and they were running a sale because of the new baby and--” 

jj chuckled. “you are adorable, did you know that?” 

“is that a yes?”

“of course it's a yes, bubs.” jj placed a kiss on your cheek. “i’d love to go to the zoo with you.” 

“emmy?” you looked over to emily, the new nickname slipping out of your lips with ease. “can you come to the zoo with us? you’ll probably say no which is okay because i can always invite penelope or tara but-”

“why would you think i’d say no?” 

negative feelings overflowed your system as you remembered vividly the face that had been pulled when you asked to go to the zoo or do anything you considered fun. you felt yourself slipping into a dissociative state, fingers looking for something to stim on as you worked through your feelings. the harsh words of “why the fuck would you want to go to the zoo?” reverberated through as memories of one of your previous flings flew to the front of your mind. the shame you felt for wanting to enjoy your time together became unbearable and overwhelming, making you realize that your girlfriends could become annoyed with you like that and change their minds. what if they thought you were childish? what if they figured out you were too much for them?

emily looked over to jj. “did i say something?” 

“i don’t know. i don’t think so?” jj looked over to you, your eyes glazed over. “um.. shit wait, okay, i think they’re having an rsd episode, i’ll get their work bag. the marble fidget they use to calm down is in there.” 

emily scooted out from behind the table as she put her cigarette out, sneaking behind you to grab the pan off the stove before the bacon burned. she put her arms around you and pulled you close, running her hand up and down your back lightly as she waited for you to come out of your funk. she locked eyes with jj as she came back into the room, digging through the bag for the fidget toy in question, sticking it in your hands before you could start scratching at the side of your nails. a few minutes passed before you came back, the feeling of both emily and jj’s arms around you grounding you in the present, pushing the negative feelings to the back of your mind.

“‘m sorry.” 

“it's okay, lovey. do you want to talk about it?” 

“um… can you just… i’m not too much, right?” 

emily pulled back. “what makes you think that?” 

“whenever i asked about doing things that i liked, nobody really wanted to do them.” you looked down shamefully. “i shouldn’t have presumed you’d want to go with me.” 

“y/n y/l/n” blue eyes looked into your own. “you don't need to hide yourself with us. never hide yourself with us. you’re allowed to have your likes and act on them.” 

“but-”

“ah ah,” jj tilted your chin up, making you look at her. “don’t you dare.” 

it was almost as if a switch had been flipped in jj, her eyes darkening slightly as she stared at you. it caused your legs to turn to jelly, rendering you practically useless in your girlfriend's arms. you weren’t entirely sure what was happening, but it sent a wave of excitement through your veins. 

“we’re going to the zoo with you, we’re going to have fun, and we’re going to have a good day.” jj shot emily a ‘we need to talk about this’ glance before continuing. “go get dressed and ready for the day, we’ll finish our breakfasts and go enjoy the zoo.” she gave you a pointed look. “capeesh?”

all you could do was nod, your eyes widening in… whatever this feeling was that you were feeling. 

“words, y/n.”

“y-yes.” you swallowed. “okay.” 

jj smiled, switching back to her normal self and placing a kiss on your lips. “thank you for breakfast, by the way. it smells delicious.” 

you shyly smiled back. “i wanted you to be in a good mood before i asked you to go to the zoo.” 

emily pulled you in for a hug. “you never have to do anything for us to be in a good mood around you. we-” she paused. “there’s nothing you could do to put us in a foul mood.” 

“are you sure?”

“we’re sure. now go get ready, lovey, we’ll be up in a little bit when we finish our breakfast.” it was emily’s turn to kiss you. “don’t forget your meds.”

“oh shit, my meds!” 

emily and jj watched you run out of the room, both of the older women chuckling. emily wrapped her arms around jj, placing her head on her shoulder. 

“we’re going to need to work on talking about feelings, huh?” 

jj nodded. “it seems like it.” 

“would it be too much to castrate the exes who hurt them?” 

“uh… yes? we’re not castrating anyone.” jj lightly slapped emily’s arm. “go finish your bacon, we have places to be.” 

“we do need to have a serious talk with them about it, at some point.”

“yeah,” jj agreed. “lets just… they need to know we’re here for them. let’s focus on them the rest of the week and go from there.” 

emily nodded. “we’ll go from there.”

taglist: @jayden-prentiss

[hope-you-brought-kneepads-bitch]

And they were roommates

Summary: Demon Y/n and Human Wanda are roommates, and it’s obviously going really well until you have enough of Vision and decide to try and do something about it, Wanda doesn’t appreciate it though

A/n: I know I’m writing a devil reader but I missed demon reader and so they’re back for now

Words: 2000+

Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI small small amounts of angst (just a small argument)

“Hey pretty lady-“

“No! Don’t start Y/n” Wanda pushed past you and slammed her bedroom door shut leaving you out in the hallway “oh no baby don’t be like that I thought we had something special!” You slammed on the door starting to laugh

“Fuck off Y/n!”

“Who’s pissed you off today? Did Vision only kiss you on the cheek again to preserve your innocence? Really funny if you think about it since you and I-“

The door opened and you barley had time to right yourself before Wanda appeared and slapped you across the face “oof nice hit Wands, try the other cheek tomorrow yeah?”

Wanda just shook her head making her way to the kitchen and taking a beer from the fridge, you obviously followed your seething roommate sitting on the kitchen island facing the redhead “was I right?”

She took a swig of the drink and nodded “yeah, yeah you were right annoyingly, but just leave it okay? Anyway what did you do today?”

You smiled wide leaning close to the woman’s face “thought about you”

“Thought about me how?” She was curious, but also worried, you were nothing if not honest, way too honest

You lent back on the table “Well first off we were laying in bed watching doctor who because you seem to really like alien men with weird space screwdrivers, personally I really like Missy, she looks like a fun time”

“Y/n! Stop getting distracted” you were known to ramble on and on about nothing and it annoyed Wanda to no end, even though she knew where the conversation was going she knew you wouldn’t shut up if you didn’t finish

“Oh yeah! Anyway long story short I was lay on my back and you were sat on my fac-

“Nevermind! I don’t actually care”

You shrugged “okay but I was getting to the best part and you know I was” you laughed while Wanda just blushed turning around to walk back to her room

There was a knock on the door and you jumped up to answer it seeing the man you were just talking about at the door “oh vision, what a disappointment I thought it was the strippers I ordered to cheer up Wanda”

The man just rolled his pushing past you to Wanda “Wanda please I didn’t know why they did that, it was just a silly joke”

You brushed off the man germs that appeared on your clothes and made a mental note to burn them later, whispering to yourself “sure just come into the house Vision, I wish you were a vampire so I couldn’t let you in the house without permission and watch you stand there unable to move and I could just bully you”

“Vision please I’m not in the mood can we just talk tomorrow?”

“But I’m here now! Please Wanda just talk to me I don’t want to lose you, how about we go on a date tomorrow? Skip lectures for the day and just go to the zoo or something?”

You let out a laugh “a zoo? Zoos are for babies, why not just go to a bar?”

The man turned back to you “because bars are for deadbeats and perverts”

Your head tilted and Wanda froze knowing you were trying your best to control yourself, she knew you didn’t like Vision but it was more because you hated men altogether she was pretty sure “Y/n let’s just calm down it’s okay, vision please just leave”

The man frowned looking between the two of you then just focusing on Wanda “why are you always defending her?”

Wanda glanced to you now with red eyes and your fangs showing, you could converse with Wanda in your mind so you did just that

“I will gut him like a fish Wanda I swear to Salem”

Looking back at Vision she grabbed his hands “I don’t always defend her, she just gets angry easy but it’s fine I will see you tomorrow I promise” she kissed him softly and you fake gagged “gross” whispering to yourself

“Okay I’ll see you tomorrow” he kissed her back turning around to you hanging your head, so to hide the fangs and eyes, “get some anger management done Y/n” your response was to flip him off, he left without another word and you lifted your head to Wanda with her arms crossed and glaring at you

“Well now I need to relive some anger, wanna have some fun?”

Wanda couldn’t believe you, you’d just pissed off her boyfriend and now you want to have sex? Unbelievable!

“Why the fuck do you think I want to have sex with you after that?!”

Shrugging you walked towards Wanda holding your arms out for a hug which she took rolling her eyes but instantly relaxed in your hold and forgetting about Vision “remember when your parents came over and you argued with them and then later you came into my room for the first time-

Wanda let out a heavy sigh “I know what you’re getting at, fine come on then” she pulled out of the hug walking to her room and looking back at you “you’re being on top this time”

You smiled “I love being on top”

Wanda rolled her eyes “only when it suits you”

“Yes because what’s hotter than a redhead whimpering and riding you harder and harder as she struggles to not cum without permission?”

The blush was heavy on Wanda’s face and instead of speaking she just went into her room quickly followed by you

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

“Wanda! You missed some lectures this morning!” Natasha Romanoff, Wanda’s best friend was worried about her not being in this morning “where were you?”

Wanda waved her off “I had to make sure Y/n was okay”

Wanda just raised her eyebrow “Y/n huh? How is the spicy hothead?”

“Still a bitch but she pays her half of the rent every month so I shouldn’t complain-

“Wanda!” The woman shut her eyes tight praying to whatever god she could and even the devil that it wasn’t actually you she’d heard, unfortunately no luck “Wanda! You forgot your books!” You got closer and Wanda opened her eyes to you and widening them seeing your outfit

“What the hell are you wearing??!” She whisper shouted at you trying to cover you up with her arms, practically half naked in college? You were asking for trouble

“Oh Wanda calm down it’s only a blazer” you playfully pushed the girl away and turned to Nat “what do you think Natty? Is my outfit appropriate?”

Nat glanced at your blazer open noticing the lack of anything underneath and she quickly averted her gaze “uh well if you move a certain way you can see your erm,see your breasts”

“Well you’re getting a free show then aren’t you Nat? It’s okay I won’t tell anyone, but if you want a physical touch then it’ll cost you” you winked and Nat nearly collapsed “Jesus Christ Wanda she’s a menace”

Wanda just rolled her eyes and took her books from your hand “you can go now Y/n, don’t you have a video game to complete or something”

You mulled it over “nah I’ve completed Alan wake 2, not as scary as everyone says, I’ve been in more dangerous situations, anyway no I’m hanging out with Loki today, he’s allowed to leave the house now”

You pulled Wanda into a hug kissing her cheek and keeping her close “do you have anything else to say about my outfit?”

Wanda refused to look at your chest, you knew she wanted to look but was being a baby about it “just that you should have a shirt on under your blazer”

“You’re no fun” pulling away from her you gave one last look to Nat “always a pleasure see you Natty, you’ll have to come to our party this weekend”

Nat smiled wide “absolutely! Wanda said she’s really excited for it”

“Perfect! Oh before I leave Wanda I’ll pick up dinner later, me and Loki are going to a posh restaurant, so I’ll bring some stuff back”

Wanda agreed “cool, we’ve got class so I’ll see you at home” Wanda dragged Nat away reluctantly from you as you waved her off with a sweet smile

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

“Is that him?” Loki whispered taking a drag of his cigarette glaring at the football players “yeah with the red bandanna on his stupid head”

“Interesting, so what are we doing about him?”

You sat up on the bench keeping your hoodie down so he didn’t recognise you “I want to kill him but I’m pretty sure Wanda wouldn’t like that”

“Still pining over Wanda huh? I thought you were with Carol and Val?”

You shrugged “nah they’re in a real relationship now and it was getting weird”

The man laughed “weirder than a demon third wheel?”

Just as you were about to respond your name was yelled “Y/n! What do you think you’re doing here?!”

Of course vision had recognised you, stupid smart human, you just offered him a smile when he approached the pair of you “Vision! What a surprise, apologised to Wanda for being a dick yet?”

The man seethed “you have no right! I don’t know why she puts up with you”

You laughed “if only you knew Vis, I’ll give you a hint, I walk around the house comfortably, which means I’m normally just wearing my boxers and sports bra, and I can tell you now my dick is so much bigger than yours”

The man stood there shocked, suddenly he held his fist out punching you square in the face forcing your head back and pretend it hurt “well fuck me Vision you have some punch on you don’t you?” You laughed wiping your nose with the back of your hand standing up and wiping it on the man’s shirt

“Aren’t you in pain?” He didn’t notice the blood, more transfixed on the fact you weren’t screaming in pain “I vowed never to let a man cause me pain, you’re not exempt from that, no matter how unmanly you are”

You walked away from the situation leaving Loki with Vision “she’s wild, maybe you should clean your white shirt, looks like she’s written something in her blood on it”

He followed in the direction you were going and Vision looked down seeing the word “douche” on his shirt “how the? How’d she do that so quick?”

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

Wanda was sat under a tree when you found her with her eyes closed clearing having a rest, well you were definitely putting an end to that “Wanda your oaf of a boyfriend hit me and I’m clearly in a lot of pain so I need you to fix it”

You only saw Wanda’s chest move in a slow motion indicating a heavy sigh, at least she was awake, when she did open her eyes seeing you all blooded she just sat up “why did you insult him?”

“Insult him?! That bastard hit me, all I was doing was watching the hot cheerleaders and maybe tried getting one of their numbers but he attacked me out of nowhere, I’m the innocent one!”

Wand stood up inspecting your face “are you done being a drama Queen about everything?”

You shrugged “depends on if I get a kiss from you to make it all better”

Placing your hands around Wanda’s waist you pulled her in close “we’re in public Y/n”

“Come on Wands kiss the pretty demon, I don’t bite, unless you really want me too”

Wanda looked down to your lips and back up into your now red eyes “I hate how hot you are” it was whisper but you heard it and kissed her, only a short kiss as she pulled away quick in fear of someone seeing you both

“How many lectures do you have left?”

Wanda sighed “just math”

“Skip it, come home and we’ll watch doctor who and make my fantasy yesterday a reality” the redhead smiled pulling away from you and picking up her bag taking a face wipe out and cleared her face of the blood you transferred onto her then handing you one

“I can’t skip anymore classes Y/n, I need to stay”

“You’re 25 Wanda you’re an adult, adults don’t do math” you wiped the blood from your face and very ungraciously snapped your nose back into place making Wanda wince, she hated when you did things like that, really freaked her out

“I’ll just see you later, stop annoying vision” she waved you off and headed for her class

“Only when he stops being a dick!” You shouted back and took out your phone to text her something funny

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

Wanda managed to get to her class just in time to see Nat waiting for her “nice to see you finally” she laughed and Wanda shoved her friend giggling until her phone buzzed with a message

👩‍🦰+😈-👚🩲=best night of your life, there’s some math for you my love, don’t keep me waiting

Wanda rolled her eyes putting her phone away earning a look from Nat “leave it let’s just go in, can’t wait until I’m finished with my degree honestly”

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

You were on Wanda instantly as she walked through the door, picking her up and wrapping her legs around you, kissing her all over ultimately landing on her neck sucking a dark mark there

“No, no marks you know the rules” Wanda tried pushing you away but your grip was firm on her “don’t care…you’re mine, sick of sharing you”

You continued your assault on her neck but Wanda managed to push you away and fall to the floor “okay we need to stop!”

“oh? What do you mean by stop?” Wanda’s harsh voice caught you by surprise

Your deep voice always made Wanda nervous, you being a demon and all but she stood her ground standing up and keeping her distance from you “I can’t keep dealing with this! You’re making it so difficult!”

“Making what difficult? I haven’t done anything, when you come into my room at night, when you send me dirty text messages and when you scream my name, that’s all you, you’re the instigator in all of this”

“Me?! You’re the demon, a waste of human skin and space, I don’t even know why you’re up here- wait actually I do! They don’t want you in hell, even the poor souls being tortured can’t be bothered with you!”

All you could do was laugh “you can’t even insult me properly, fucking pathetic” you continued to laugh but Wanda definitely wasn’t laughing “please just take something serious for once!

“I’m always serious, and I mean it, you’re the instigator but if you want to stop this then fine, we’ll stop, see you later Wanda”

You quickly turned and headed for the door

“Where are you going?!”

“Out. Don’t know when or if I’ll be back”

Wanda didn’t mean for this to happen, she just wanted try and talk but you were so difficult “Y/n I just, just please stay”

“No thanks Wanda, maybe I’ll go back to hell and bother the other demons there, if they’re not bored of me of course” there was no emotion in your voice and Wanda sighed “okay, just be safe”

“Bye Wanda”

[ghyulia]

Shouto Todoroki x reader, wc ~2.9k

tw: injuries, a little bit of angst if u squint rlly hard just dumb todoroki in luvv

There are three times with you when Shouto has to physically stop himself from kissing you.

The first time is when you two are cleaning up after the UA festival. You had offered to stay behind to clean up the little that was left while everyone else had headed to the beauty pageant. You didn't mind missing out on it, really. The performance with your class was already so much fun and left you feeling content enough for the rest of the day. Todoroki, upon hearing your offer, also decides that he wants to stay back and clean up. His excuse is that "Most of what's left is my ice anyway." You smile and say that you would definitely appreciate his help. You fail to notice how the tips of his ears change into a redder hue.

You two work in comfortable silence, getting rid of most of the ice. It stayed like that for a while, until you heard one of your favorite songs playing from somewhere on the UA campus. "Oh, I love this song!" You said, humming along. Todoroki couldn't help but stare. You look so happy. He felt something warm blooming in his chest again. At first, Todoroki had wondered why this only happened when he was around you. He thought he might be sick, but after these..weird phenomena in his body kept on occurring, he took to the web, which gave him a better insight into his strange feelings. Love wasn't something he was experienced in, as he didn't receive much as a child. It was his first time ever feeling this way...

He's so busy staring at you that he doesn't even realize when he stabs himself with one of the props.

"Todoroki, Oh my God! You're bleeding!" You yell as you frantically rush over to where he is. "Oh. I am." The boy murmurs. You grab his hand without a second thought and inspect the damage done. "It's not that deep, which is great! You should probably put a bandaid on it though." You say, flipping his hand front and back. You're so close. Shouto has to bite his tongue to stop himself from asking to kiss you. You two had finally started getting closer. If you didn't see him that way, or if you just didn't want to kiss him, Todoroki thinks he would probably never recover. Ever. So he just tries his best to avert his gaze from you. "I should probably head over to Recovery Girl, then." Todoroki mumbles, still not looking directly at you. "Actually, I think I have a bandaid. Wait one sec!" You abruptly let go of Todoroki's hand before running over to where you left your bag. He lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and tries his best to calm his nerves. You dig in your bag for a while, before finally jogging back to where you left the boy. "Here! It's a bit childish, so if you don't want to wear it I totally understand, haha." You smile.

The bandaid is pretty childish. It's hot pink, with little kirbies and yoshies plastered all over the flimsy material. Todoroki can't help but crack a smile. "I'll take it. Thanks, (Name)." You smile at him before getting back to work.

30 minutes later, everywhere is clean. Todoroki bids you a short goodbye before heading to the auditorium's exit.

"By the way, Todoroki?" "Your hands are really pretty."

Todoroki swears he can feel his heart explode. He utters a quick "Thank you" before hastily exiting the room.

He never ends up using your bandaid, instead opting to keep it safe in the confines of his wallet. (He just wants to have it forever and stare at it. It's his first gift from you, after all.)

The second time is during your hangout together. Upon visiting Todoroki's dorm a week prior and finding out he had never done the fun average teenage stuff (Amusement parks, zoos, aquariums, the like) you insist on taking him out along with a few other classmates to paintball.

You explain how it works and the rules, and he listens, head nodding up and down like a puppy. Cute, you think.

Paintball is a blast, is all Todoroki can think. The first round was pretty calm, with everyone trying to get into the feel of the game. The matches afterward are pure chaos. The good kind. Everyone is doused in paints of various colors. Hours go by, and everyone decides to have the final match before going to lunch. You and Todoroki are on different teams, which disappoints him a little, but nothing he can't handle of course. (He's sulking miserably.)

The game progresses, and still no sight of you. Todoroki lets out a small sigh before scouting the area for a potential target. He doesn't notice you sneaking up behind him. You decide that instead of shooting him, it would be more surprising if you just throw all of your paintballs at him. By the time he realizes you're behind him, it's too late. "Gotcha!" You shout. Todoroki's covered in paint from head to toe now, but he knows that your arsenal is wiped out. He gets to work, quickly trying to grab his gun and extend the distance from you two. You don't allow that though, closing in on him even more and attempting to grab the gun from his hand. As a last-ditch effort to get you, Todoroki tries to reach for the paintballs attached to his thigh. You frantically grab his hand and intertwine your fingers in them, pushing him backward until you both fall over. At this point, you both are rolling, trying to take the paint on Todoroki's thigh until you roll right into a designated trap that ends up spilling paint all over the both of you. You both stop and blink. You guys look like a mess. You burst out into a fit of laughter, and Todoroki just stares at you. He didn't even realize the proximity you two are in until now. You smell like green apples...or something else that's fruity. He can feel your breath as you laugh, and he swears he might just kiss you right now.

You finally realize that one of your hands are still intertwined together, and blurt out a quick apology before wiping away some paint from your eyes. Todoroki gets up and offers you his hand, smiling wider than you've ever seen him do before. You take it, and he doesn't let go until you reach the paintball locker rooms.

The rest of the day is just as fun. When the evening rolls by, Todoroki offers to walk with you back to the dorms. "Today was really fun, wasn't it Todoroki? Next time I think we should totally go to the aquarium! Spring break is coming up soon, so we can ask Mr. Aizawa beforehand for permission if you want!" You beam. Todoroki smiles.

"Yeah."

(And it was on that trip to the aquarium where you two ended up on a first-name basis. Todoroki thinks that the paintball and aquarium trips were genuinely the happiest he's ever been in his life. The pictures from those days hung up on the wall in his room attest to that.)

The third and final time is when you get badly injured. Due to Todoroki's feud with Yoarashi, and Bakugou's poor performance during the rescue section, They had both failed to get their provisional hero licenses. You however had successfully gotten your license and had started your hero intern studies with the rest.

You were doing your internship with Ryukyu and were enjoying it for the most part. It was hard, but you were learning new things, so it was pretty rewarding. You hadn't really talked to Shouto much as you were busy with your work and he was busy taking his supplemental makeup lessons. You would occasionally say hi and bye, but that was pretty much it. Shouto was losing his mind. He already felt annoyed that he had let his feelings about his old man get the better of him during the test, causing him to lose his license, but he was losing way more now. He was losing time with you.

Eventually, you and a few of your classmates are pulled into an operation regarding the Shie Hassakai. You learn about the plan to defeat Kai Chisaki, the mastermind of this yakuza group, and to save a girl named Eri. You hear about the horrors being done to her and it sickens you to your stomach. After the briefing, you, Midoriya, Ochaco, Kirishima, and Asui are sworn into secrecy. You can't tell anybody about the mission. (but you so badly want to tell Shouto.)

The days leading up to the mission are horrible for you. You feel so nauseous every time you think about poor Eri. How could Chisaki do this to his own kid? The rest of 1-A seem to take note of the damper on a few of you guys' moods, with Iida always offering an ear to any problems you may be facing. It doesn't go unnoticed by Shouto either. He hates seeing you look that way. He's never seen you make such a sad expression. He doesn't know what to do or how to approach how you're feeling, so he just watches from afar. Occasionally, he offers you some of his lunch. You just force a smile at him and politely refuse, making him feel even more useless. He was so frustrated with himself for not being able to make you smile like you did that day. (His mind wanders back to the paintball trip...).

(You yourself were in your own turmoil. Every time Shouto talked to you, offered you a smile or some of his lunch, you fought the urge to just spill everything and cry in his arms. When did your crush on him get so bad?)

Shouto decides to let it go for now, resolving to visit your room later and ask force you to tell him what's wrong.

But that resolve is quickly crumbled upon making his way to your dorm, hearing the faint sounds of sniffling and muffled sobs. Shouto freezes in his tracks, unsure of what to do. Should he still knock? He knows you'll pretend to not have been crying. He doesn't how he would comfort you...

And so he decides that tomorrow, he'll definitely talk to you. For tonight though, he'll think of all the ways to make you feel better.

As it happens, tonight turns out to be the night of the operation. You slip out of your room at an ungodly hour and meet up with the others.

The mission goes as it goes. You end up separated from the others, left to fight some of Chisaki's goons. You hold your own, making them bite the curb. You only sustained minor injuries, to your luck. You're about to go regroup with the others when some of the underlings inject themselves with a quirk booster shot and all but pounce on you. You grit your teeth and prepare for a rematch. Does it even count as one? You think. You fight, but it feels never-ending. The enemies just keep on getting stronger. Eventually, you're bruised, bloody, and losing stamina. You feel yourself getting weaker. Your field of vision starts to distort, leaving you queasy. You need to wrap this up, quick. One of the enemies manages to leave another deep wound on your abdomen, but you fight through the pain and use this moment to land a fatal attack yourself. After fifteen more minutes of gruesome fighting, you finally land the dealing blow on the last of the goons. You think you did until you see him get up again. At this point, you're bleeding from too many places to count, and you can barely hold yourself up, let alone attack again. So you brace yourself for an attack that never comes. You open your eyes and realize that the enemy couldn't even handle the quirk booster in his system anymore, passing out from the strain. Thank God. The adrenaline wears off, and you pass out, lying in a pool of your own blood. The only thing you can think of before you're out is Shouto and his smile. That day you two went to the aquarium was really fun.

When you come to, you're in a hospital bed. You blink, trying to adjust to the light. You dart your eyes around, observing your surroundings. Is it over? You think, before slowly sitting up. Your wounds don't hurt as much as you thought they would.

You later learn from the Doctor that you had been asleep for almost two days. She also tells you that since your injuries seem to be healing well, you should expect to be discharged by tomorrow. And you do along with the others.

You're greeted at the dorms with a warm welcome and a 'great job!' from most. You look around for Shouto and spot him sitting on the couch saying something to Bakugou. You want to talk to him and catch up on things, but maybe that should wait... You opt to talk with Mina and Hagakure instead. (Once again, You fail to notice the boy staring intently at you.)

You decide to retire to your dorm for the night, feeling tired yet relieved. With the whole operation done and Eri saved you felt like you could sleep peacefully--- for the most part. A part of you really wanted to talk to Shouto. It felt so long since you two had done that. He didn't say a word to you today. Was he mad you didn't tell him about the operation? You tried to talk to him after your conversation with Mina and Hagakure, but by the time you finished, he was gone. You let out a sigh and wait for the elevator.

"(Name)." You turn around to face the white and red-haired boy. Your heart does a little jump for joy. "Hey, Shouto! It's been a while hasn't it?" You attempt to make small talk, but it seems like he isn't having it at all. The elevator comes, and you both get on. It's silent, but not the comfortable kind. You feel him staring at you. "Is something wrong?" You inquire, smiling politely. "Yeah." Shouto leaves it at that and you turn to face him. "Oh..do you wanna talk about it? I was heading to my room if you wanna come with." He nods, not saying anything else until you close your room door.

"So..What's up?" You ask, tilting your head slightly. You take a seat on your bed and pat the spot next to you, motioning the boy to sit. He does. Shouto doesn't know where to start. He doesn't know what to say, so he just exhales and lets all his feelings pour out.

"You...When you first began your work-study you got really busy...Which is normal, of course. We didn't get any time to talk to each other anymore, which hurt me a little (A lot). Then the special operation came along, and you got really gloomy. I know why now, but at the time, I didn't. And I didn't expect you to tell me why you were down in the dumps because it was obvious you didn't want to tell me, but it was still hard to watch you be so sad. I hate watching you make such a pained expression, (Name). I felt helpless. I just wanted to make you smile and laugh like you did for me. Whenever I see you smile, it makes me want to smile too. To make things worse, I wanted to talk to you about your feelings, but I froze when I got to your room after hearing you crying. I hate myself for it. I told myself that I would do it the next day, but by then, you were gone. I regret it so much. Fuck, I really wish I had just knocked on the door. And then I heard that you got seriously injured during the mission and it felt like my heart was being clawed out from the inside. I hated that feeling so much, (Name). And honestly, I lied. Not talking to you hurt me a lot, because I love talking to you, (Name). I love..." Shouto stops and looks at you.

You stare at him for a while, processing everything he said. "I didn't know you felt that way, Shouto." You moved closer to the boy before placing your hand on his. "I...felt the same way, for the most part. I hated not talking to you as much, too. And also, I did want to tell you about everything. In fact, you were the only person I wanted to talk about it to. But I couldn't. But I should've at least talked to you on a general level. Also, I didn't know you heard me crying, hehe. You shouldn't blame yourself for not coming in. You were going to come the next day, weren't you? It was just bad timing. And I love making you smile too. For me, just being around you is usually enough to lift my spirits too. During the operation, and even in my fight, I was thinking about you. So don't blame yourself, Shou."

Shouto just stares at you. All he really wants to do is kiss you, but he stops himself because he's unsure and anxious. He doesn't want to ruin things. He likes you too much to run that risk.

But when you intertwine your fingers with his, lean in, and press a chaste kiss to his lips, Shouto stops denying himself heaven and crashes his lips against yours.

a/n: ahhh that's it!! I actually really like this and I love todoroki sm :))) I hope ygs like this as much as I do!

[merlucide]

The matchmaker has found a match……

your match is…. (REQ4)

HIORI YO!

x an Introverted, stubborn, thoughtful, + responsible gn!reader

I believe you two would be a great match!!

Both of you are rather reserved, and I think you too have a lot in common ! (aside from being a sadist…..unless-)

I think you guys would fall under the Highschool sweethearts trope <3

You both shared a few common classes together and sort-of became friends:)

Hiori admired your thoughtfulness towards your friends + Family and your flexibility.

And *poof* Hiori had a crush on you!

He asked you out on an evening date to the strip mall, which you accepted >:3

There was little boutiques and restaurants, he led you to the arcade and payed for all of the machines/games.

He let you choose the majority of the arcade games, which included the claw machine

Hiori tried to win you that ugly-cute panda that clearly had a factory malfunction, unfortunately he was running broke by the failed attempts.. 🫠

The games he chose was those shooter games, which obviously, he got the highscore in it every time.

Even though the claw machine was a sad fail, with all of the tickets he won on the shooter games, you can pick out a prize!

You choose the [ prize ] and left the arcade

He then took you next door to the Ice Cream Parlor and ordered a chocolate cone-cup for himself and a [ fav flavour ] for you ^^

You both walk around the mall with your ice cream and mindlessly chat, then start heading home

Hiori walked you back to your home (since it was dark, but he normally walked you home anyway^^) and right before you turn away he softly says “Wait,”

His eyes are focused on yours as he took a deep breath before saying his next words

”Listen.. I think it’s best if I come clean about this now.. um, I having feelings for you [Y/N]. And I have for a while. ..I need to know if you feel the same or not. I understand if it’s unrequited,”

You’re just kinda like ‘😧 ?!’

He just awkwardly-nervously stands there, his face blank and honest, contrasting with his frantic tapping foot lmao

You tell him that the feeling is mutual and he asks if you’d do him the honors of being his S/O :)

He offers you a polite kiss on the hands and runs off (he definitely yelled ‘ YESS!’ When he was far enough away lmao)

Now that’s how [Y/N] and Hiori got together 😌 now for general HCS!

Movie nights are definitely a thing for you guys, you created a wheel where it picks the movie and snacks you guys watch/eat (you both put your favorite movies/snacks in it ofc)

Hiori is a sucker for any type of horror, so hope you aren’t scared of it!

jk he wouldn’t watch any movie w/ you where you would be scared 😌 he likes action movies too :D

Will seriously watch anything you want though

Also video game dates!! again he played like only shooter games (+ Minecraft) so if that’s not your vibe ..😭

You guys have a cute lil Minecraft world and he made a zoo full of villagers and kept them in cages💀

also KNOWS how to use redstone, like yalls base is insane

your beds are obvi side-by-side <3

Super supportive of your hobbies!! You have a game? He’s coming!! Get a good serve in? He’s cheering!! Ref calls red flag? He’s booing!!

Sometimes he does struggle to match your enthusiasm due to his experiences with sports, but he is happy you enjoy it :)

He would talk vent about it every now and then, but wouldn’t want his issues to become ‘your’ problem :(

Gets on you for when you neglect yourself !! Acts like a nagging mom about it lol. He gets real serious about your mental and psychical state, saying how ‘just because you are always helping your friends, doesn’t excuse you neglecting yourself. You can’t keep giving if you don’t take care of you too, okay?’

he means well 🙏

You guys get into petty fights now and then, but that’s pretty much it. Obviously arguments are inescapable but for you both it’s pretty rare

likes slow days with you, you do your own thing for a bit and he does his

He really loves the comfort of knowing you’re there, even though you aren’t touching or speaking.

Hiori is probs a 6/10 on the affectionate scale, he does need touch but it doesn’t have to be dramatic, just simple pinky holding + a cheek kiss is enough for him :)

Loves giving you piggyback rides if you let him :3

Oh your feet hurt? Well hop on!

Loves doing little things for you, hand him that orange babe, he’ll peel it for you and remove all of the white stuff 😌

also his hands are so soft- he has a few calluses but still so soft. His nails are perfectly trimmed all the time, chipped nails? Don’t know her

— actually I lied, he bites his nails like CRAZY. they are so short he doesn’t give them the opportunity to get chipped 💀

If you ever wanted to paint his nails he wouldn’t argue :) just please, no greens or oranges

In conclusion, yours and Hiori’s relationship is pretty smooth and understanding! He gets you and you get him :)

(this was written b4 the egoist bible came out so 💀)

runner ups!

Kageyama Tobio

Kunigami Rensuke (pre wc)

Reo Mikage

(for the anonnie who requested this! hope this met your expectations!! also sorry if you don’t like Hiori or wtv 😭)

[cassayeee]

IN THE FALLING SNOW (CORIOLANUS SNOW X FEM!READER)

warnings: this contains spoilers for The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes, so read at your own risk. furthermore, this is smut - coriolanus snow smut. expect porn with a bit of plot, degradation, spitting, throat fucking, p in v, virginity taking, oral (m and f receiving), marking, idk just all of that good stuff. point is: mdni.

notes: this is like, really quickly proofread (and almost 8k words lol oops) , so apologies for any grammatical mistakes that pop up. also, this is the first time I've ever actually written smut so bear with me here. anyway, enjoy!

You were probably one of the only souls in Panem that knew the truth about the Snows. Shrouded in deceit of their true wealth status and fear of the truth being sung across the Capitol, you held onto their secret more closely to your chest than any of your own.

Having grown up on the Corso, practically next-door neighbors to the Snows in a penthouse befitting your own status, it wasn’t uncommon for you to be caught spending time between yours and the cousins almost every day. So much time, that the high society of the Capitol could almost always count on the L/N’s and Snow’s appearing at any event with the other in tow.

That was, of course, until the rebellion. While your parents had decided on siding alongside the president, the Snow’s had decided on another course, driving a wedge right through the once unbreakable bond between the two. And once the bombings had come and gone, you still had all your affluence and one less mother, but the Snow’s had found themselves even worse off.

However, you and Coriolanus Snow didn’t let any of that deter your own relationship.

---

“Coryo! Come on! Punctuality is a dish best not served cold.” You jeered over to your friend who had just exited his front door onto the wide and ever-expanding avenue.

His blue eyes locked onto your own as he made his way over to your car, the Avoxes in the front seat doing nothing more than staring straight ahead, ready to make the trip over to the Academy. As he entered, you made note of his blouse that could only have been touched by Tigris’ clever hand.

“Wow. Did Tigris do this for you? It’s beautiful.” Snow watched you dote on his reaping attire as he nodded ‘yes’ to your question.

“It was one of my father’s.” he finally replied as you contently sat back further into your family car’s seat.

“So,” you started. “How are you feeling about your mentorship for the Games this year?”

He raised a brow at you as he pondered your question. “In all honesty, I’m just hoping for a good tribute selection. 1 or 2 would be preferable, but even 4 or 11 would suffice. Someone with a chance of succeeding, I suppose.”

You inclined your head through his reasoning. It made sense, you had always known Coryo to be a competitive man – wanting nothing more than the control to make things go as he pleased.

“Well, with your charm and wits, I’m sure you could make any contender into a victor.”

---

And, oh, how right you were. Watching your Coryo more than triumph over his mentorship and even getting his tribute to win the Hunger Games had your own pride swelling in turn. This was all he ever wanted. To have his reputation goldened and his University spot secured, you couldn’t wait to see how he would blossom in the coming years.

What you were less than happy about, however, was how closely he and that District 12 girl had become. Sharing a picnic in that rat-infested zoo? Going to her for problems that he used to come to you about? Oh, your ego took a bruising after that.

Was she there for him after he lost his parents? No.

Was she there for him as his fortune declined? No.

Was she there to sneak food over to him to make sure the family didn’t die from starvation? No.

Was she there to hold him at night when he couldn’t sleep even after attempting to find solace in his mother’s compact? No.

What did she do? Sing a little song and twirl in her rainbow dress? Oh, please. You knew a flirt when you saw one, and did she ever fit the bill.

A part of you had even hoped that she died in the Games. Easy. Out of their lives forever and what was the biggest problem after that? Getting Coryo to University? With a little convincing you were sure you could’ve gotten your own father to sponsor him. Really, he needed to get over his little conviction with the Snow’s. It’s not like he didn’t owe Crassus more than that.

But besides that, you felt like you were losing your best friend. Had you been in love with him for years hoping he’d return your affections? Of course. Were you perfectly comfortable staying his friend and supporting him even so? I mean, not really, but sooner or later he would have realized that you were all he’d ever need.

If only that stupid little songbird would just fly away.

---

Arriving home from the Academy after the end of the Games, your feelings were twisted in a knot. More than anything you just wanted to climb into your room and sulk or find a way to get your father to cause an “accident” for that Lucy Gray Baird on her way back to 12, whatever would be more appealing at the time.

But, you knew you had to get over to the Snow’s to congratulate Coryo. Jealousy aside, you were still so proud of all he’d done and wanted to make sure he knew that.

Once you entered the penthouse, Tigris greeted you with a big smile and an even bigger hug.

“Oh, Y/N,” she sobbed. “I can’t believe he actually did it!”

You couldn’t help but fall further into her hug, genuinely happy in her arms. She was right. You were being selfish thinking about him and the girl at a time like this. Tomorrow you could be bitter all you want, but tonight, tonight was about Coriolanus Snow.

Helping her and the Grandma’am set up their old party favors and arranging the cake you brought over for him, you couldn’t help but wait for his arrival. Not being part of the mentorship, you had left as soon as the Games concluded allowing for Coryo to debrief with his fellow members and any newscasters looking for an interview.

Hearing the door turn, you all jumped up in celebration as you saw him enter. Noticing immediately that something was wrong with him, you dropped your arms as he burst into tears. Shocked, you started to make your way over to him as he ran into your arms, burying his face into the crook of your neck as he began to tell you about Highbottom and the Games.

And that’s when your world came crashing down around you.

---

You found yourself in Coryo’s room as he had his head placed in your lap, arms wrapped tight around your legs as you ran your hands through his hair. A position the two of you hadn’t found yourselves in for quite some time, but one that you both found nothing but comfort in.

“Maybe they’ll change their minds. Realize that losing you as a Capitol citizen is more a punishment onto themselves than for you.” You attempted to reason with him. To give him any sort of hope.

He only turned his head in your lap to face you. “Maybe if Highbottom didn’t hate me, but this feels more personal than even just being caught for cheating.”

“What about Gaul?” you tried, combing through his curly locks. “She seemed to have really taken a liking to you with all that extra essay work and singling you out whenever she could.”

“Gaul is certifiably insane and even more like her mutations than you’d realize.” He rebuked. “No, she wouldn’t even let me into the Citadel to try and reason with her. This is my only option.”

You both were silent for a stretch until you broke the silence with a hiccup. Feeling your body start to shake, Coryo rose from your lap to see you silently crying into your free hand. He reached for your head to bring into his chest, allowing you to release your emotions onto him.

“Oh, my Y/N.” The way he softly cooed your name made you latch your arms around him and cry even harder.

With a break in your hysterical state, you retreated your head away from his now tear-stained shirt and looked up at him.

“I don’t want you to go.” You confessed. “I want you to stay here. With Tigris. With the Grandma’am. With me. Please.”

His gaze softened while studying your features. He brushed back your slightly sweaty hair from your forehead as he placed a loving kiss upon it. You closed your eyes in the tender moment, never wanting it to end.

“I’ll always come back to you.” He asserted. “I promise.”

Trying your best not to lose your composure again, you buried yourself back into him, hiding your face from view. Tangling yourselves together, you attempted to find a semblance of sleep in his embrace, knowing that this may be the last intimate moment you get with him in years.

Eyes falling shut and breathing becoming labored, Coryo watched as you drifted asleep in his arms. His Y/N. His beautiful, intelligent, loyal Y/N. He knew he should have kissed you before. Told you that he’d only ever want to fall asleep in your arms, no matter what the news made of his and Lucy Gray’s relationship. But the good man in him knew that would have just made things worse for you, after he left, and he needed you to stay strong and become the powerful woman you were born to be.

And the not-so-good man in him reveled at the fact that you would always ache for more from him. Waiting until he returned. Loyal until the end. And if he returned to see you with someone else? Well, that would be sure to be remedied quickly. Because, as you were both severely aware, Snow lands on top.  

---

It had been months since you’d last seen him. And every day still hurt as much as the last. While you did receive letters from him, it was never the same as having him here. In person. Across the avenue and readily available at your beck and call.

With the worsening state of the Grandma’am and Tigris’ situation, you tried to help as much as you could, but your father strictly forbade anymore spending on the two after Coryo’s departure. He even threatened to send you to the Citadel for a “long-term internship” if only to keep you away. So, all you could do was watch the further deterioration of your family.

On a late day in September, you and your father were preparing to leave for the University for a pre-semester gala, attended by those in current attendance, and new studies joining in just a few days.

You smoothed down your blood-red, pin-straight formal gown, backless with a slit rising just up to your upper thigh, viewing yourself in your large vanity mirror white fixing your satin gloves. A tulle train adorned the back of your gown, wrapping around your waist and sparkling slightly with the gems attacked throughout it. Not as eccentric as some of the other Capitol citizens, you kept a rather minimalistic style, but you looked good, like, really fucking good. Hair styled in an intricate updo and makeup accentuating your features, you couldn’t help but enjoy your reflection. What was wrong with a bit of self-indulgence?

It’s not that you would describe yourself as vain or vapid, but rather know the worth in your own beauty. If you were to be a woman in a wolf-den of men, playing to your strengths and charms would be the only way to get anywhere, besides your self-assured intelligence, of course.

Breaking you out of your trance, you heard your father call from the foyer that the car had made itself around and was ready to depart. Taking a deep breath and checking your appearance once more, you began your trek into the snake pit.

---

Just as you had suspected, the hall was full of high-class society goers, along with many of the staff and faculty of the University. This was your time to solidify past Academy connections as well as create new ones as the environment called for. Knowing people was everything. And knowing people liked you was even better.

Making your rounds with your father, you stopped to chat with some of his associates and peers to begin your night. Already growing bored with the conversation, you stopped a passing Avoxes to grab a glass of posca to solicit a light buzz, making the night infinitely better.

Excusing yourself from the group to take a breather of business talk, you began to make your own way around to speak to some of your fellow Academy graduates among some influential figures in the University.

Currently speaking to Hilarius Heavensbee, the two of you were catching up on what you had both done after graduation, among small talk of the hushed Hunger Games.

“No, my parents were still pissed that my tribute only made it to 8th place, but how was that my fault?” he exclaimed. “The girl was already on her deathbed by the time she made it into the arena, and I couldn’t send her a miracle on a drone.”

You giggled at his exasperated state, slightly because of the posca you still sipped on.

“At least you got to mentor,” you bemused. “Fucking Persephone Price beat me out for a spot, so all I had was a good seat and an ability to bet.”

“Oh?” he said in a teasing lilt. “And did you place any bets my way, Y/N?”

You caught his eyes looking you up and down in a lustful gaze. You were always friendly with Hilarius back in the Academy, but never entertained much more than that, since your heart had always belonged to him.

But, as your body grew warm with the posca and need to feel wanted, you couldn’t help yourself from taking a small step closer to Hilarius, though still a respectable distance given the circumstances, while you dedicated a small giggle to him.

“Now, Hilarius,” you remarked. “If you wanted me to place my bets on you, you should have given me a little bit more to work with.”

He rolled his eyes at your slight jab, even knowing you were only teasing.

“Just because my tribute didn’t know how to please a crowd, doesn’t mean I don’t.”

The slight innuendo didn’t slip past you even in your hazy state. If anything, it only caused you to peer at him through your long lashes, blinking slowly as you licked your bottom lip. Before either of you could speak again, a murmur rushed through the crowd as you noticed people staring toward the entrance of the room. Turning to see what the commotion was about, you almost let the glass slip through your hands as you saw him staring right at you.

Standing shocked and immovable, all you could see was him, completely forgetting about Hilarius and your prior engagement. It was as if the commune around you was nothing more than a backdrop to your reunion. You watched as he greeted faculty and society members alike, never moving from your spot as he continuously flicked his eyes over to you.

He was back. Your Coryo was actually here. Suited in a black ensemble, he looked more handsome than you even remembered. How was that possible? He didn’t say anything in his last letter about returning home. Last you remember, he was still waiting back on his officer test results, so why the fuck is he at the University gala?

Whether it took minutes or hours, you kept your spot and waited for him to make his way over. And as soon as his full attention was on you, you couldn’t tell if you were going to sob, faint, or both at once. Long strides took him over to you, where he tilted his head down to view your frame.

Still stuck in a stupor, the best you could get out was, “H-hi.”

His mouth quirked up in a half-smile as he returned his own “Hello, Y/N.”

Your name flowing from his lips finally broke you out of the shocked state you were in as you grabbed his hand and made your way over to one of the balconies hidden behind a large curtain. With the fresh air giving you some reprieve from the heat your body was melting in, you enclosed him in a hug burying your face in his chest. Inhaling his rose scent, all your nerves relaxed. Something only he could ever do.

“Oh, Coryo,” you sighed. “I missed you so much. Every single day I missed you. What are you doing here? Why are you –“ Finally looking up to face him, all you saw was anger painted on his face.

Furrowing your brows, confusion clouded your features as you couldn’t understand why he was looking at you like that.

Jaw ticking, he stayed silent.

“Coryo?” you cooed like a child in trouble.

Something about the way you spoke his name finally had him relaxing his muscles, but still had a hard gaze on you. Quickly looking back over his shoulder to make sure no one was looking your way, he walked you backward toward the rail of the balcony. Arms on either side of you, he closed you in so that the only thing you could see was him.

“I get home,” he started. “Expecting nothing but a warm welcome from my dear Y/N, and what do I see? You looking at that Heavensbee trash like you wanted him to fuck you. Like you wanted him to touch what is mine.”

Surprise crossed your face as you placed your hands on the lapels of his suit jacket.

“W-What?” you stuttered. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, don’t play coy with me, Y/N. You think I don’t know what you were trying to do with him? Don’t forget who knows you better than you know yourself.”

He looked at you with a mixture of disgust and thinly veiled hate, like he wasn’t happy to see you at all. Like he didn’t miss you at all.

And you got mad.

“I don’t see how that is any of your business, Coriolanus.” You spat his name. “As it so happens, I’m a woman with womanly needs, and seeing as I can do as I please, I could go home with him right now and there wouldn’t be a thing you could do about it.”

He sneered at you with a laugh that had no hint of humor behind it. Tightening his grip on the rails he lowered his head down to your ear as you sucked in a quick breath of air at his closeness.

“Oh, Y/N,” he muttered. “You and I both know he’s not what you want. He just wants to get his dick wet and you, love, want mine shoved down your throat.”

Trying your best not to let him get to you, you utterly failed as a tiny whimper escaped the back of your throat and your thighs began to rub together.

Chuckling, Coryo lifted his head again to view your disheveled state. He caressed your neck with a callused hand, rubbing his thumb across your soft spot before grabbing the back of your neck and pulling your mouth close to his.

“He will not have you, Y/N L/N. You are solely mine, and whether I have to speak it, fuck it, or brand it into you, you will remember that. Now,” he released his grip on you. “Say your goodbyes, besides that imbecile Heavensbee, acquire your coat and meet me outside so I can finally stop this tiring back-and-forth and take what is rightfully mine.”

Pure lust layering over any coherent thoughts, all you could do was nod as you smoothed back down your dress and hoped that the cool air was helping your reddened cheeks from becoming too noticeable. Telling your father, you weren’t feeling well, he allowed you to take the car home and let you retire early for the night. Unknowingly to him, Coryo Snow followed you into the vehicle, one hand firmly planted on your bare thigh the entire ride.

---

Between the University to now, your heart rate had increased significantly from Coryo’s actions. You weren’t sure what exactly had gotten into him or what had happened to him since you last said your goodbyes, but the aggressiveness he showed you was an extreme you had never seen before.

Though, you couldn’t really be upset. After all, he had finally admitted to you what you had wanted to hear for almost two decades: he wanted you. And that excited you to no end.

As Coryo watched you fiddle in your seat, he couldn’t help but smirk thinking about how you were acting for him. A few sentences and you were reduced to mush in his hands, willing to do anything to get him back to your room. And it’s not like he was any better.

After his extravaganza in District 12, he realized just how much you meant to him. None of those deplorable District filth specimens could hold a candle to you. His Y/N. His pretty girl who would do anything for him and who he would do anything for.

How it angered him to see you talking to Heavensbee – like he was worth even a glance from you. You were supposed to wait for him, to be a good little girl, and refuse any suitors who tried to have their way with you. And you, you with your ‘womanly needs’ like anyone else would be able to take care of you like he could. No. No, he would make sure that after tonight you would remember who the fuck owns you.

---

After dismissing your driver, you made your way into the penthouse across from the Snows, opening the door and removing your coat, gloves, and shoes at the entrance. Coryo followed suit by unbuttoning his jacket and slipping off his loafers right by yours. Together. Yours and his – as they always should be.

Turning back around to face him, you saw the anger had faded a bit from his features, but a crease still lined in between his brows. He raised his hands to cup your face as he lowered his lips to yours.

This is heaven and I’m dead, you thought to yourself, still in disbelief that this was happening to you. You grabbed his own face in return with newfound enthusiasm as he groaned into your mouth, happy to have you reciprocating his own unhinged lust.

Tongues battling for dominance, you felt him tip your head upwards so he could completely devour your mouth – no question that he was the one in charge. Whimpering into him, he broke the kiss for just a second to see your fluttering eyelids open to him. Blue eyes peering down at you, he gripped open your jaw, spitting into your mouth.

“Swallow.” He commanded. And you happily obliged.

Placing his mouth on yours once more, he lowered himself to grip you behind the knees and lifted you around his waist. Dutifully responding, you wrapped your legs around as he began the trek to your bedroom, spit drooling from both your mouths as if you never wanted to be free from the other.

As he entered your room, you were becoming hotter by the second, needing to get this damned dress off of you. As he set you down on the edge of the bed, his nimble fingers reached behind you to slowly pull the straps down your arms, drawing out the action. He removed his mouth to quickly reattach it to your shoulder, following the line of your dress removal.

Getting to your elbows, you swiftly pulled your arms from between the strap openings, bearing your chest to him. Dilated eyes latched onto your breasts, with his mouth ferociously following suit. You moaned loudly into the room, encouraging him to latch his lips onto your nipple, running his teeth along the perked bud. Not wanting to leave one unattended, he lifted his hand to squeeze and tease your other breast, switching between the two as he saw fit.

“Fuck,” he groaned out as he pulled away. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

You whined at the confession. Wanting more, more, more of him. He chuckled.

Finally, slipping the rest of your dress from your body, Coryo growled as you saw you had no undergarments on. The amusement all lost from his face.

He slid his hand around your throat, putting a light amount of pressure on it as he pushed you into the bed. Your own hands went to grip around his wrist, hoping to relieve yourself somewhat of the constraint.

“The fuck, Y/N. What,” he snarked. “Are you some District whore begging for any scrap of dick you can get? Huh? Is that it?”

You attempted to shake your head as he still held you by the neck. “No?” he bemused. “Because walking around with this pretty pussy out on display doesn’t seem like something a Capitol purebred does.”

“Please, Coryo,” you squeaked out. His words were getting to you, along with the pressure still being applied to your neck, adding to your growing wetness. Attempting any chance at receiving friction, you rubbed your thighs together, drawing his eyes down to your ministrations.

“Awe,” he tutted. “Does my sweet little whore need some relief? Is that it?”

He cocked his head to the side, waiting for your impatient nod to come. As it did, he removed his hands from your throat. Feeling your release, you sat up to watch as he unbuttoned his dress shirt in front of you.

“Hmm. And what makes you think you deserve it?” He continued undoing each of the buttons while he raised a brow waiting for your reply.

You looked at him with a pout, widening your legs apart to give him a good view of your glistening pussy.

“Please, Coryo,” you begged once more. “I promise I’ve been good to you. Never even touched another man. Only ever thought of you. Only ever wanted you.”

He discarded his shirt as he listened to your own confessions.

“Only ever me?” he started working on his belt. “Tell me, love, did you think of me when you touched that dirty pussy at night? When you’d fuck yourself on your own fingers, disappointed they couldn’t fill you up enough?”

You were practically salivating at his words, voraciously shaking your head in agreement. You watched as he slipped his pants and socks off, only standing before you in his briefs. Looking low, you could see the bulge hiding behind the article of clothing, just begging to be set free.

Rising to rest on your knees, you looked up to him, eyes urging him to come closer. Doing as you so preciously asked, he towered over you, caressing your face. You practically purred in his hands, nuzzling further into them.

With your own hands free, you started palming at his covered cock. Coryo closed his eyes, pushing himself further into your reach. Enjoying the way you were making him feel, you felt the overwhelming urge to show him just how much you missed him.

“I want to taste you.” You pleaded to him, and his eyes immediately shot to yours as you began lowering the waistband of his trousers. He had an amused look on his face once more, watching his adorable little unsullied pet want to please him. With zero reservations, he let you do as you pleased.

With newfound confidence, you set his aching cock free. It stood straight like a good soldier –  with an angry red tip that was begging for your orders. He was larger than anything you previously experienced – not that you’d ever admit that to your Coryo. However, you didn’t actually get much further than oral activities with your former rendezvous’, hoping and praying that Coryo would be the one to truly mark your body as his. And thank fuck for that.

Bringing your attention back to your current situation, precum was pooling at the tip as you wet your lips in hunger. Gripping the base, you brought your mouth down to give kitten licks to savor his arousal, slowly starting to pump his cock in your hand. He groaned as you continued to give him just enough for stimulation, but not enough to bring him closer to that sweet relief.

“Don’t fucking tease me, Y/N.” he snarled. Grinning at his behavior, you finally enclosed your mouth around his member, eliciting a low moan from him as you took what you could into your throat. Slurping and sucking, the lewd sounds you were making only drove him further towards release.

Wanting to be good for him – only him – you hollowed your cheeks to attempt to take all those lovely eight inches from top to bottom. Breathing through your nose and working your way closer to the hair at the base of his dick, Coryo lost all semblance of his self-control as you sheathed his entire length in your mouth.  

Tearing your already loosening hair free from its previously styled updo, he replaced the pins and trinkets with his own hand, wrapping the strands around and pulling your head back so he could fuck into it.

“Fucking hell. Should’ve –“ He took a deep breath as your throat constricted around him. “Fuck. Should’ve done this years ago. You feel so good.”

You moaned around him, the vibrations bringing him even closer to that sweet peak. Letting him do as you pleased, tears pooled in your eyes from the abuse, but you loved every second of it. Having him lose his precious control around you was the biggest prize you could win.

And all that control was lost in the moment he finally hit his peak. Shoving his dick as far as he could into your mouth, he released every last drop of his spend into you. As he pulled out of you, you greedily swallowed everything he left in your spit-riddled mouth.

Coming down from his high, he flared his nose at you, watching you gulp up any remnants of his seed. He quickly gripped your jaw and pulled you close to his face. Aching from the brutal pace of his hips and now the snake-like vice he had on you, your jaw would sure to be sore for the next couple of days. Yet still, you whimpered up at him.

“Who else did you let do that to you?” Shaking your head, you tried to plead in your actions that you hadn’t – not trusting your own voice to keep your lies hidden. He would know as soon as you opened your mouth anyway.

“No one? You expect me to believe that?” He was growing angrier by the second. “Do you take me for a fool, Y/N?”

“No!” you immediately pleaded. You never wanted him to think you thought ill of him – not when he was your whole world.

“Then tell me.” His hold tightened. “Tell me so I can fucking ruin their meaningless lies for ever touching what doesn’t belong to them.”

You tried to shake your head again, but he held you still. His eyes bore into your own waiting for a reply. Realizing you weren’t going to mislead him any longer, you caved.

“Felix and Pup.” With eyes narrowing, his mouth lifted into a furious grimace. He threw your head backward as you hit the mattress in a puff. You took a deep breath and watched as he began to kneel on the floor by your bed, gripping under your thighs and pulling you until you hit the edge of the bed.

Inches away from your cunt, you could feel his maddened huffs of hot air escape from his mouth and onto you. Running a single finger through your slick, you gasped at the stimulation and threw your head back. Your fingers tangled in the sheets of your bed.

“You let those ignorant, dull bastards touch you?” He spat out. You lifted your head just enough to look at him before you felt him continue to play with your growing wetness, causing you to drop your head back down once more.

Not knowing what to say, you just continued to lay there, hoping that he’d continue to give you any sort of friction on your pleading pussy. Unamused by your silence, he stopped his musings and leaned back. You groaned into the air as you rose your head again.

“Yes.” You admitted. “But it didn’t mean anything! Please, Coryo. You know I’ve only ever needed you.” Attempting to play into his ego, you hoped that he would just get over it and go back to touching you.

“Yeah?” he said, still not touching you. “Then why should I even bother with a slut like you? Whoring yourself out to anyone who looks at you, huh?”

Getting fed up with still not being touched you threw your legs around his head, locking them at the ankles. Glaring down at him, he looked entertained at your angry state, even while still being in his own.

“Yeah?” you mocked back. “And what about you, Coriolanus?”

He raised a brow at your words, silently allowing you to continue your taunt.

“Whoring yourself out to District trash? At least I had the decency to suck a clean dick. What did you expect when you were running around with your precious little –“

Rolling your eyes back, your words died on your tongue as his own ran a strip up your now dripping pussy. Your legs attempted to close around his head, but his large, veined hands kept them apart.

Forgetting about whatever it was that you were mad about before, you started rubbing yourself on his face, whimpering every time his nose caught your clit. Without warning, he entered one of his long fingers into your hole, caressing your innermost parts.

“Fuck, Coryo,” you moaned out as your hands gripped onto the short strands of curls that were starting to return after his Peacekeeper days. Stretching you out even further, he entered another finger – curling it to reach a spot that you’d never been able to find yourself.

He suckled on your clit as he pumped faster, and you grew closer to your own climax. Squelching noises bounced around the room as your arousal pooled around his fingers – so, so, so close to a release.

“Please, Coryo. I’m going to –“ Before you could even finish the sentence, he withdrew his fingers from your heat.

“What the fuck.” You growled out, furious at the loss of your orgasm. But you couldn’t stay mad. Not when he was currently licking his fingers clean, eyes filled with pure bliss. Already, you could feel yourself growing wetter at the sight.

Popping his fingers out of his mouth, he rose to cage you onto the bed. He looked down on you as his arms were planted firmly on either side of you. He tilted his head, seemingly pleased by your struggles.

“Oh, love. Did you think I was going to let you come anywhere but on my cock?” He brought his head down close to your head, licking a stripe up from the base of your neck to the lobe of your ear. You shivered in delight.

“No, my dear. I’ve waited far too long for this to let that beautiful moment go to waste.” He spoke softly to you. “Though, while I do sit with the anticipation of how your release may taste on my tongue, I have the whole night for that. Along with the rest of our lives.”

Coryo softly caressed your face as a moment of vulnerability passed over his face, perhaps one of the rare times you would truly see the boy you fell in love with.

“She was never you.” He whispered.

And you melted. Tears started to well in your eyes at the sweet confession. While you were still upset at heart that he had ever chosen that whore Lucy Gray to begin with, you could live with the fact that he was here now. That he had chosen you now. And over your cold, dead body would you ever let him go.

Shifting your hands to hold the back of his head, you brought his lips down onto your own. Slowing down for just this moment, you tried to convey all your feelings for him in the movement of your mouth. And Coryo sighed into you.

He wasn’t a good man – you both knew this. He was controlling and obsessive and possessive, but he was yours. You weren’t that great of a woman either if you were being honest. Jealousy boiled deep in your veins alongside a pot of anger that constantly threatened to spill over your “kind” persona, but you were his.

In those tangled weaves of fate, you had both found each other, knotted up at the center. No person could come between that, and God help whoever tried.

Shifting your mouth so that he could more aggressively push himself onto you, you said goodbye to the tender intimacy and relished in the way he roughly handled you.

He continued to play with your swollen clit, readying your virgin cunt for his length. Oh, how he was enlivened at the fact that he would be the first, and only, man to sink his cock into your heat. This would bond the two of you even further than you already were, marking you as his forever.

Slipping off the undergarment that he still wore, you and he were now fully bare to each other – like the Greek sculptures of old. Lovers before the fall. Viewed as soft and malleable, but in truth were filled with the hardness of their years – ready to find solace in the only other being that could see them as they truly were.

Taking his cock in his hand, Coryo began to rub his cock up and down your wet pussy. You moaned each time he swiped over your pearl and even more so when he put a bit of pressure on your tight hole.

“Fuck, Coryo.” You cried. “Just put it in already. Please. I need to fucking feel you.”

Your sweet begging was like music to his ears, and the cut of his restraint. Wasting no more time, he slowly started inching his way into you. Grunting, he rocked himself into you as you grimaced from the pain.

“Shit.” He moaned out. “You’re so fucking tight. Just relax for me, hmm, love? You’re doing so well. My good little girl.”

His praises went right to your core as your body began to open up more for him. Sinking yourself further into the mattress, he took one more thrust to fill you up completely.

Looking at you with only a sliver of blue around his blackened pupil, he groaned low and deep from the back of his throat after being fully sheathed in you. You, on the other hand, were still adjusting to the intrusion, but soon the pain subsided and all you wanted him to do was move.

“I’m okay, love.” You whined, giving him the go-ahead to finally start rocking his hips against yours.

Ever so slowly, he ran his length in your heat, getting you both accustomed to the feeling – addicting yourselves to it, more like. And with every thrust, he began to lose that self-control once more, pushing harder and deeper into you.

“God, Y/N. You’re sucking me right in.” He clenched his jaw at the pleasure coursing through him as you moved your hands up to grip his shoulders, digging your nails into him.

All you could feel was him. In you. Around you. His smell flowed into your nostrils as sweat and sex filled the air around you. And you couldn’t get enough.

“Coryo. Coryo. Coryo.” Your brain was turning to mush the more you could feel him rib against your walls. His name a prayer on your tongue and his body a temple as you worshipped both and all.

“Fuck.” He grabbed onto the back of your knees to lift your legs above his shoulders. Switching angles, he could reach even more of you as he pounded you into the bed. Squealing from the stimulation and pure pleasure, you held onto the sheets in a vice, trying not to spiral away.

“Look at this pretty fucking cunt. All mine.” He started rambling as he became drunk on your pussy. “I’ll fucking kill anyone who tries to– fuck. Who even looks at you. I’ll fucking send them right to Gaul’s fucking mutations and watch as they die. Shit. I’ll fuck you right next to their corpse. Have them drown in their blood and our cum.”

His thrusts became more rapid as your cunt squeezed around him from his words. You couldn’t help the whines and moans as you thrashed your head back and forth.

“Hmph.” He grunted. “Like that, huh? Good. My dark little seductress. My perfect rose. Mine.” He thrusted into you.

“Mine.” Thrust.

“Mine.” Harder.

“Mine.” Deeper.

“God, yes.” You cried. “All yours! Please, please, please.”

Your words started to become unintelligent after you continued to search for your high. Coryo, noticing your state, began to play with your clit once more. Aching for you to cum all over his cock.

His own eyes rolled to the back of his head as he got closer and closer to his own release. With a foggy head, he quickly pulled out before immediately flipping you onto your stomach as you huffed out a disapproving whine. Filling you back up, however, had you right back to your drunken state.

“That bitch from 12 could never compare to you.” His tongue loosened confessions as he kept ramming his hips into your ass. “Fucking– fuck. Only used her so she would win. So I could– shit. Could go with you to University.”

You were barely comprehending his words at this point. Moaning obscenities into the sheets below you, you let him ramble without complaint.

“Make sure you didn’t try to find someone else there. No one– fucking damn it. No one else can have you. Gonna fuck you full of my cum and make sure everyone knows that.”

He felt you groan into the sheets again in pleasure. Gripping your hair, he pushed you further down as your back arched higher into the air. Keeping one knee on the bed, he bent the other to reach as deep as he could to fill you up.

“Coryo.” You drawled out in a lust-filled, husky voice.  

“I know, love. I know.” He felt you starting to twitch as your orgasm neared. “Never gonna let you go. Never gonna let you leave me.”

“Fuck!” You gasped into the sheets as you felt that coil tighten in your lower stomach. Tingles shot from your toes to your head as you waited for it to snap.

“Coryo!” you whined once more. “Please, I’m gonna come. Wanna come on your cock so bad. Let me come, please!”

Grunting, he reached around your torso to find your clit. Wrapping himself around you, he began twisting and rubbing on your pearl, making your release come faster and faster until –

“Come on my fucking cock, Y/N. Come on pretty girl.” And through his words and actions, that wave finally crashed as you moaned his name loudly into the bed. Legs shaking slightly, you kept rocking your hips back to meet his, riding out the best orgasm you’d ever felt.

You could tell Coryo was getting close too, by the way his thrusts got sloppier and paced quicker. He kept groaning your name under his breath wanting nothing more than to fill you with his seed.

Leaning his head down on your shoulders, he bit hard into your soft skin, marking his territory. You whined into the sheets as you could feel another wave coming toward you. Feeling you constricting around him had him suckling on the skin all over your neck – making sure there would be no doubts about who you belonged to.

“Fuck, Coryo.” You said as that coil began to tighten once more. “I want you to come in me. Want to– hmph. Want to drip with your seed.”

Growling right by your ear, he pushed even deeper into you, as the both of you chased your highs.

“Gonna get you pregnant with my kids.” Closer the two of you were getting, that beautiful high right in sight. “See your stomach swell with my babes. Over and over again.”

You both moaned out, so close.

All it took was one more deep thrust until Coryo painted your walls white as the driven snow. Your own release followed shortly behind as your body began to slump from exhaustion.

Coryo was entranced by the ring of both of your cum around his cock, slowly rocking it back into you to make sure it took. He will have you with him when he rules Panem. He will have you carry his children and be there to take care of him, as he would you. And he will never let you go.

Both of you falling into a mess of limbs on your bed, you couldn’t help but admire the man who lay next to you, wanting nothing more than for every day to be with him. An adoring smile graced your face as you traced his features.

He watched you with curiosity, before pulling you in by your waist to be even closer to him. You snuggled into his chest as his strong arms wrapped around you, sighing contently. Ever so slowly, your eyes began to droop, heavy with sleep. But, before you surrendered to your slumber, you whispered out to Coryo.

“I love you.” And you fell asleep.

His eyes widened slightly with fear. He feared for not only your feelings for him but his feelings for you. He never truly loved Lucy Gray, but you. You were always the holder of his heart, and he knew that was dangerous in the games he would yet have to play.

But he was a selfish man. He wouldn’t be letting you go, and he wouldn’t let anyone else get their hands on you – lover or enemy. He would keep you close, always in his sight, always safe. And really, what did he have to worry about?

“I love you too,” he whispered to your sleeping form.

Everything would work out for you two, he would make sure of it.

Besides, he thought to himself,

Snow always lands on top.

[katz-chow]

im a ghost girlie but my love for soap is literally incomprehensible and i have this headcanon where its ghost x reader but soap third wheels all the time and its not like in a mean way at all, they’re just a trio that is basically inseparable. i also hc that they make so many jokes about being a throuple to the point where its not rlly a joke anymore lmao. anyway, this is all to ask if you’ll write some headcanons about that dynamic. fluff ofc! if u feel comfortable writing a little bit of poly soap x reader x ghost, i’d be very gracious 🙏🏽 but no pressure!

soap, simon, and the not-so-single parent

warnings: gn!reader, ghost x reader, soap x platonic!reader, my interpretation of ghost & soap, domesticity, fluff, johnny being johnny, simon being simon, reader being the concerned parent, third-wheel soap

a/n: this shit be on my mind constantly that johnny just loves to annoy and thirdwheel reader & simon. some of this is inspired by irl stuff. i'm not really into a poly triangle personally and i just can't imagine them, especially simon, to be okay with it, sorry!

humble beginnings

johnny didn't find out that simon had a romantic partner until you two reached past your 1 year anniversary. it happened by pretty much chance too, here's how that went: simon forgot a file, you were off of work, you drove to base, you dropped off said file using your dependent clearance, he kissed your cheek goodbye right in the doorway of his office (masked), johnny turned the corner, and as simon pulled away, you looked at johnny who was desperately trying to seem busy on his phone as he walked away hurriedly. he was on the calculator app. simon and you gave each other a look and he nodded, knowing that you've been wanting to meet the colorful coworkers (and his closest friends) for a while now. you called him over, soap, as you've remembered, not everyday you see a mohawk. johnny freezes and turned around to see you beckoning him back to the frame of the office, and simon with his arms crossed, staring a bit annoyed actually. he was chill when you two introduced each other, not wanting to embarrass himself. his eyes lit up though, when he heard you invite him over for dinner. "lovie..." simon started out, a gentle hand on your back. you hit his chest with the back of your head playfully, "no, no, this will be good for us. first diner party in our new house" "HOUSE? HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD SOMEONE" he wanted to scream at simon's face, what came out however was a "i dinnae want to be a bother to you both" you insisted and he felt bad (but also curious), so dinner it was. simon took off his mask to please you and well, it was the comfort of his home. he rolled his eyes as johnny quipped that he certainly was "quite the opposite". from that day forward, it was the three of you against...manchester i guess?

children, the both of them

johnny tags along whenever you two are running errands on leave or on off days when they're both stationed at home. sometimes it's just you and him, or him and simon, or all three of yall. it started with a "we're having brunch, wanna join?" and now it's more like "we're going to the zoo, 9 am, get there" they make up the weirdest challenges and it feels like you're babysitting them both. simon, doesn't see it, he's a grown adult man, he's not silly. johnny says it's just in his nature like how it's natural that wombats poop in cubes (he walked ahead to read that tidbit and walked back to regurgitate it back at the two of you). challenges include: simon and johnny getting into a long debate about which is better, the smoked salmon crepes or the chocolate crepes, and when they mix them together, who can eat it all without puking? who can get to the butterfly sanctuary the fastest without running? who can find your favorite fish in the 30,000 gallon (113562.35 liter) fish tank WHILE holding their breath as if they were swimming in the water johnny telling you that his jokes are the best, simon butting in and using the "i'm your boyfriend, surely my jokes are better" card. you wanted to throw them both out of the car as they kept going back and forth with the most stupidest, tasteless, dad jokes ever. johnny saying he can drive better than simon. simon saying he can fly a broken helicopter and land safely. you're in the driver's seat. simon quipped that he would be a good artist compared to this shit's canvas (picasso) and johnny saying that his cat can paint better. simon said dogs can do it better. johnny said- you get the idea simon threw up after the 8th time on a rollercoaster. johnny threw up on the 9th. you, however, went through a nice scenic boat ride :)

quiet mornings

you three are closer than yall think. whenever they're both away, you always miss the noise they bring in the kitchen, trying to figure out how to make muffins or...popcorn. the three of you doing the daily wordle, crossword, and sudoku. "what's c for?" "c4 is an explosive, bonnie" "no johnny, what does C STAND FOR? fucking idiot..." mornings when you both are expecting johnny are never quiet, especially when he announces that he's there by knocking on the front door and saying "it's johnny!" when someone opens it. even when he's not there, you can at least hear simon's almost silent breaths if it wasn't for how close you two were. you miss them when they have to leave, you know it can't be forever, but damnit you missed the buzzing of them both. you don't miss, however, johnny and simon playing drunk monopoly.

[the-lighthouse-lit]

BBRae Week Day 3: "Please don't ever do that again"

Length: 2,114 words

Rating: T

Excerpt: In an instant the goofiness gave way to suaveness. "Again? You wanna see me again, miss Raven?"

@bbraeweek24 🥰

───

“Okay,” the guy started as he sat down, “when I was seven years old, my parents took me to a zoo for the first time. I started crying and they were like, what’s wrong? I said it was about the cages, and they thought I meant, I was sad about the animals being kept in—but really, I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t allowed inside the cages with them. Anyway, they never took me again. But I still consider it the day I found my calling—I still ended up in a sanctuary.” He reached for his newly-refilled glass of water and then stopped, reconsidering. “Working there. I mean, I became a wildlife caretaker.”

“Thanks for clearing that up,” the girl said as he drank. “Wait, that’s what you open with? That’s how you choose to introduce yourself?”

“Yeah, I thought it was solid. Gives you an idea of who I am.”

That it does, thought the girl.

“Hit me with yours,” the guy requested.

She shrugged. “I’ve been letting people open and seeing them squirm.”

She did have squirm-worthy eyes. They were dark blue and stared on unapologetically. She also spoke with a detached tone, and she hadn’t smiled when he’d sad down—all things that would put most men on edge, but he liked to think he was charismatic enough to make up the difference. She was striking, but he didn’t remember her from the introductory mingling. That’s what was good about these events, he thought, you got to focus on people you wouldn’t normally go for.

Her name-tag read ‘Raven’. Like many women here she’d chosen not to add her last name. He himself felt he’d had no choice but to write ‘Gar Logan’, otherwise his tag was three whole letters, which felt suspiciously too casual. At that point it was like, what’s that guy hiding?

“What’s next? What do you do with uncomfortable silence?”

“Oh, you know, there’s all the clichés,” Raven said. “You covered ‘what do you do?’ Then there’s the where’re you from, and the what’d you do for fun?”

“Well, I’m from all over. I mean really I was born in Africa.”

“Africa? What country?”

“Middle of nowhere village in Upper Lamumba. Best childhood you can imagine.”

“Wow,” she allowed. That was a cool origin. If he was lying, so help her…

“But I can’t really say I’m from here, I was six when I left.”

“I like how you say that as if you, as six-year-old, made the decision to pack up and leave.”

“Mmh, the exact circumstances will be a story for another day.”

“Another day? You’re assuming we’re both swiping left?”

“I like to assume the best.”

He offered a smile. He’d been smiling too much since he’d sat down, thought Raven. He’d also gone straight for the little bowl of cashew nuts, and was popping one into his mouth every other sentence. He was an odd mix of performative and carefree, but he still seemed like he knew exactly how charming he was. In short, less than a minute into this speed-date, he was exactly the kind of guy she never went for. It made Raven relax, having discounted him in her head.

But she dutifully said, “I’m a teacher. Community college. I teach literature, and I’m also the unofficial therapist on campus. I’m from here, New York. And for fun, I read.”

“Not write?”

“Not every literature teacher wants to be a writer.”

“Fair enough. I write song lyrics, not that I want to be a singer. That’s for your third question. I also play the guitar. I like concerts, I like hiking, I like camping… the outdoors in general.”

Raven almost chuckled at how effectively he was ticking off all her ‘incompatible’ boxes. She couldn’t keep a smile back, and he noticed. “What?”

She shook her head. “I was just thinking how I hate camping more than anything.”

“Noted. You never answered where you’re from?”

“I didn’t? I’m from here, New York.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone here who’s actually from New York.”

“Would never live anywhere else.”

He scrunched up his nose. “Really? I wanna travel as much as I can. Like, I never want to spend more than a couple of years in the same place. It’s a tough dream, I know,” he added, because apparently he’d taken her bewildered expression for simple surprise. “So, you’re satisfied with your questions? You don’t feel they’re a little shallow?”

“I’m not the one who opened with a monologue.”

“Well, that was just the ice breaker. Now we have the chance to get deeper.”

“Is there a chance to get any degree of deep in an eight-minute conversation?” she questioned.

He thought about that. “I mean, just deep enough to know whether you wanna see someone again. That’s what speed dating is about, right?”

“I don't know. Everyone’s trying so hard to make a good first impression, you can’t really get a genuine assessment of people.”

He cocked his head at her; it made his wispy blond hair move with him. (He had too much hair, she thought. And she was decently sure he was younger than her.) “Sounds like you don’t believe much in speed dating at all.”

“Oh, jury’s still out on whether tonight was a complete mistake.”

He pointed at her and went, “Okay, core values. Go.”

“Seriously? That doesn’t work.”

He gaped. “How… that’s very important. What could you possibly have against that?”

She almost smiled at his indignity. “People telling you their core values is useless. The shallowest people can tell you they value genuineness. The drama seekers will tell you they crave peace and harmony. You don’t really know what people's values are until it’s actionable.”

“Yeah, I think I heard that. Don’t marry a person until you’ve seen them stressed, uh…”

“Gone on a trip with them,” she supplied.

“Yeah.”

“And when they’re sick?”

“I think struggling financially was one of them.”

“There’s probably different versions,” she allowed.

“Well, you give me questions, then.”

“Okay. Pet peeves.”

He gave that a moment's thought. He’d picked up some nuts and now let them drop back into the bowl. “Littering. Food waste. People who won’t try new stuff just once, like new food. Like vegan food.”

“You’re vegan. That’s a strike.”

“It usually is,” he laughed. “But, I’ve never forced anyone to try it.” He waited for a sign of acquiescence that never came. “Isn’t that a point in my favor?”

“Could be.”

“But…?”

She hesitated. “But nothing says you actually practice it. You could tell me anything. Anyone could say anything.”

“So could you.”

“Yeah, but…” He saw her hesitate for the first time in this date. “You seem like the kind of person who tries to make everyone like them.”

Raven had just been trying to push the conversation away from pet peeves without having to answer herself; she’d proposed the topic without thinking and regretted it instantly, because he was doing some of her pet peeves right in front of her. She would’ve had to tell him some of them included people eating absent-mindedly, people reaching for food they weren’t going to eat, people looking at you while they chewed… But now he was blinking at her, and she feared she’d gone too far.

“…Doesn’t everyone?” he posed.

“No.”

“So you don’t care if people like you?”

“…I care, I just won’t change in order to make it happen.”

“Well, I wouldn’t either. But you don’t trust me, so.” He finished that statement with a smile. (She was hit with the idea that she had really offended him, and he was using a smile to put distance between them. But she didn’t care what he thought of her, right?)

“Is it a bit? When you opened saying, I’m at a sanctuary, but I’m working there, I’m not there as an inmate? Do you do that every time?”

He laughed then, and she thought it sounded genuine. “No, the way I tell it deteriorates as the night goes on. I couldn’t act that well. But I get what you were saying.” Now he spoke carefully. “You’re… intimidating. Which is not a bad thing,” he rushed to add. “But, I guess, you’re used to people having a problem with that. So you don’t try to make them like you. Right?”

Now he was sheepish. Maybe he’d wanted to throw it back at her, maybe he’d just wanted to get deeper. Either way, she was satisfied she could consider them even. “You know what?”

“What?” he asked in a small voice.

“A girl behind you just got up from her table and is doing the splits, and I can’t focus on anything you’re saying.”

So he turned around. Sure enough, across the room a girl was straining her dress with a side slit as she lowered into a split under the eyes of her bewildered date.

“That’s a lot of trust she’s putting on that dress,” Raven commented, and took the space of time he was turned around to make use of her own complementary glass of water.

“Ooh, that’s what she was getting at,” said Gar when he turned back to her, “That girl asked me if I had any secret talents. When I told her what mine was she just… stopped talking. Completely. Until the eight minutes were out. I guess my talent was supposed to be sexy.”

She observed him, trying to take a guess. “I’m almost scared to ask…”

He didn’t let her ask. “I can move both my ears individually.” He used both hands to push his hair painfully back from his ears, and kept eye contact with her as he twitched one ear, then the other, then again.

The actual tip of his ears twitched down when he did it. For some reason it freaked her out. “Please don’t ever do that again.”

He let go of his hair, and in an instant the goofiness gave way to suaveness. “Again? So you do wanna see me again, miss Raven?”

She scoffed. But he seemed to be really waiting for an answer, so she said, “Realistically I won’t, no one here will. You’ve got one foot out of the city and you wanna relocate every couple of years.”

“That’s a deal breaker?”

“It would be for most people,” she defended. “Most people stay put in one place.”

“You know phones exist, right? The Internet?” He couldn’t seem to stop teasing her. He’d just realize she was blushing from when he’d put her in the spot just now, and it made a thrill go through him.

“You were hoping to meet someone who’d commit to waiting for you after talking for a few minutes?”

“Or maybe the right girl will come along with me. Maybe you’re underestimating the number of girls who are willing to be swept away to a completely new life. And didn’t you say people need to go on a trip together before they get married?”

“Is that what you’re after tonight? Marriage?”

“Would that be so surprising?”

The ring that signaled the end of the date came like a shot. Both looked at each other in surprise, recognizing it was the first time in the whole night they’d wished the eight minutes hadn’t ended. Both wondered if it was the same for the other.

Gar still got up, slowly.

“Did we finish a single line of conversation?” Raven asked.

“There’s a way to fix that,” he said, leaning on the table more than he needed to, she thought, in order to pick up his glass.

After the night was over, after she’d gone home and showered, and taken some time to soothe the nerves of her battered introverted nature, Raven pulled up the app for the speed dating event. A gallery of men’s pictures stared back at her, and she quickly located the one that read Gar Logan.

It would be borderline leading him on. They were completely incompatible, from their personalities, to their tastes, to their plans in life. It probably wouldn’t work out.

But somehow, they had never stopped talking the whole date. And all she wanted to do right now was find him and talk shit about the guy who came after him, who was actually here to recruit girls to join him and his girlfriend as their third.

She only had the name he’d given out—a security measure that had led her to choose this app. And she knew he wouldn’t stay long in New York. If she didn’t match him, she simply might never see him again. She’d lose him in the wide scope of the world.

Throwing caution out the window, she swiped left. Immediately she got the access to the profile screen that let her know he’d matched her too.

───

Notes:

I’m either writing 3 entries for this Week of literally just this one. T_T Whatever I end up doing will be up on AO3 eventually!

The ‘Camping’ comment is a subtle reference to the fact that I couldn’t think of anything for the prompt for Day 1.❤️

I pulled the workings of the speed dating app, and speed dating itself, right out of my ass. Don’t take my word for anything. I did ZERO research for this.

[therealcocoshady]

Recovery - Chapter 25

Eminem x FemReader Fanfiction

Summary : Em has trouble handling the breakup when Jamal shows up with bad news.

Tags : ANGST, Comfort

MARSHALL’S POV 

The hardest part about grieving his relationship with Y/N was that he didn’t really have anyone to talk to about it, since they hardly told anyone. The only people who knew about the breakup were Talia, Jamal and Hailie. For obvious reasons, he didn’t feel like telling his daughter how sad he was over a relationship she didn’t approve of. Jamal had actually reached out a couple of times, saying that he was sorry it was over with Y/N and that he was here if he needed to talk, but seeing as he was his ex’s roommate, Marshall didn’t feel too comfortable with the idea. 

Ever since the breakup, a couple weeks ago, he was in a state of constant mood swings : he would find himself in his bedroom, staring at the ceiling for hours, before being overcome by anger, followed by deep sadness. He was fifty-one, feeling like a heart-broken teenager, lonely and sad in a huge house whose every corner reminded him of Y/N. It was the most depressing place in the world and yet, there was nowhere else he’d rather be. This led him to do something extremely out of character : canceling studio sessions for two weeks and staying in bed most of the time. He also dodged most calls and failed to answer texts - not that he was too good at keeping up with it anyway. Most of the time, he wondered where Y/N was at, what she was doing, how she was feeling. The sadness he had seen in her eyes as they parted ways haunted him. 

It was sunday and, as usual, he was having his kids and their significant others over for family brunch. He tried his best to put on a happy face but to no avail. 

Dad ? Are you even listening to me ? Stevie asked, interrupting his train of thoughts. 

Sorry, I wasn’t, he admitted. Mind repeating ? 

I was thinking of getting a pet snake. I just don’t know which one yet. 

That made him chuckle for the first time in a week. Stevie and pets - a greater love story than most. 

Don’t you have enough of a zoo ? He asked. It’s a lot of work. And don’t forget school. 

I know, Dad. “School is important, blah, blah, blah”, she gestured imitating him. 

Well it’s my job to remind you, he shrugged. Anyway, don’t count on me for pet-sitting. 

Me neither, Hailie said with a hint of disgust. 

Neither, Alaina chimed in. 

Fine, Stevie said as she rolled her eyes. 

Marshall went back to his thoughts, letting his kids argue about what kind of unusual pet was the worst : spiders or snakes. He thought about Y/N and how she would feel about the debate, knowing full-well that she had a phobia of both. 

It’s probably not too wise to have a pet snake with a baby on the way, though, Stevie said. 

This caused Marshall to spit his orange juice. 

You’re pregnant ?! He blurted out. 

Now we’ve got your attention, she said with a grin as everyone laughed. I’m kidding. 

Very funny, he said sarcastically. Thanks for the heart attack by the way. I’m not ready to be a grandpa just yet. 

You do know that Hailie and I are older than you when you became a Dad, right ? Alaina asked. 

True, he hummed. Stevie is not, though. You can’t have a baby, you’re still one. 

I’m 21, she said as she rolled her eyes. But relax, I don’t want kids anyway. 

That’s my girl, he said with a smile. 

All I’m saying is that you could be a grandpa someday soon, Alaina continued. Now that we’re married, Matt and I might decide to start trying. 

You’d be good parents, he said with a smile. I mean, I’ll never be ready for that day, but I guess a new addition to the family would be welcome. Not a snake, though. 

How about you ? Stevie asked. 

What about me ? He hummed. 

Well you broke up with Nicole months ago, but maybe you’ll be the one bringing someone new to the family, she said. We’re out of the house and we don’t want you to be lonely, right ? I swear, it feels like you’re not even trying… 

He stared at Hailie who tried to hide a scoff by faking a cough. Obviously, she had been true to her words and hadn’t told her sisters anything - not that there was anything to say anymore… 

Let’s put it this way, he sighed. There’s more chances of me getting a pet snake than bringing a lady into this family. 

His tone was dry and sarcastic. Now that Y/N was gone, he felt like he might actually end up alone. But in the end, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be with anyone if he wasn’t with her. The perspective of even holding the hand of someone else was rebutting to him. Hailie looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

We’re short on pancakes, she said. I’ll make some. Help me in the kitchen, Dad ? 

That was a lame excuse, but he followed her anyway. 

What’s wrong with you ? She asked with a worried face once they were alone. 

Nothing, he said. 

Dad… You haven’t paid attention all day, you look like you haven’t slept in ages and you implied that there’s nothing going on in your love life when we both know it’s not true, she stated. 

There’s nothing going on anymore, Hay, he said dryly. Now, I don’t mean to be rude, but I would appreciate it if you waited for me to leave the kitchen before you do some happy dance of celebration. 

Don’t snap at me, she said as her eyebrows furrowed. 

Sorry, he said as he pinched the area between his eyes. You’re right. I am tired and I shouldn’t be taking it out on anyone. 

So… It’s over ? She asked calmly. 

Yeah. 

He didn’t bother commenting on the circumstances of the breakup. 

Want to talk about it ? She offered. 

I’m good, he said as he took her in his arms. I just need some rest. I’m taking a small break from recording, that’ll do me some good. 

I thought you were close to being done with the new album ? 

It can wait, he said. I need to chill for a bit. 

I’m worried for you, Dad… 

Don’t. I’ll get over it, he said. 

“Chickens they come they go”, she playfully sung his lyrics. 

Thanks for quoting the clean version, he chuckled. 

They shared a laugh. In this moment, he was grateful for his family and especially his daughters. 

6 WEEKS LATER

The two week break ended up turning into a month and a half long one. He came up with various excuses but in the end, it didn’t really matter. He didn’t feel like seeing anyone besides his family and he was in no mood to work anyway. Everytime he tried to write something, it felt like a disaster. His inspiration seemed to have run dry. 

However, his friends were persistent and, once they understood that he was definitely screening the calls, they took turns showing up at his place to make sure he was alright. The official version was that he was a bit burnt-out. He was not sure if he should come clean about his breakup. He was starting to feel the need to talk about it, to talk about Y/N. She had tried to call him a couple of times but he did not pick up. Not that he didn’t want to, though. He just knew it would hurt too much.

Jamal had also reached out a couple more times but Marshall did not answer. He thought his friend got the hint, but he ended up showing up unannounced, late one night. 

Anyone dies ? Marshall asked after greeting him. 

Might as well be you, Jamal answered. We haven’t heard from you in ages, man. And no offense, but you look deceased, too. 

Well… You know. 

They stared at each other in agreement. 

Can I come in ? His friend finally asked. I brought you some stuff. 

You didn’t have to, man. 

It’s just a pack of red bull, food Talia made for you, some beats for you to listen to and a care package. 

A care package ? Marshall asked amused. What are you ? My great-aunt ? 

Actually, it’s from Y/N. 

Oh, he simply said. 

He gestured for Jamal to come in and they went to the living room. 

Thank Talia for me, he said as he rummaged through the bags his friends had brought. 

Will do. 

Should I wait for you to leave to open the mystery package ? He asked. 

Up to you, man, Jamal said. I mostly came to check up on you. We’re all worried about you. 

I appreciate it, man. Thanks. I’m good. I just need some time to adjust, you know ? He said. 

I bet, Jamal replied. It’s going to be weird, not having her hanging out at the studio anymore. We all got used to her being there. 

Well, we decided to remain friends, Marshall explained. So, she’s welcome anytime. I know everyone loves her and I don’t want it to be weird. 

Jamal looked at him with a confused expression. 

You really have unplugged, haven’t you ?

Sort of, yeah. Why ? 

His friend kept on staring at him for a few seconds. It was uncomfortable and it felt as if he was about to tell him that a zombie apocalypse had erupted. 

Man, I don’t know how to tell you this but…. She’s gone, Jamal said. 

What do you mean ? Marshall asked. 

Shit. I thought you knew, or at least that you had a vague idea… I know you didn’t pick up her calls, but she tried to text you. Several times, his friend explained. 

What does it fucking mean ? He asked as he was starting to lose his patience. What do you mean she’s gone ?! 

We drove her to the airport this afternoon, man. She’s moving back to France. She just handed her doctoral dissertation and she pulled something to convince them to let her do the defense thing remotely. 

Why would she do that ? Marshall scoffed. 

Dude, she’s a mess, Jamal said. She wouldn’t get out of her room for days. She barely ate, didn’t sleep. Talia had to help her showering and shit. We almost sent her to a psych ward. She stopped talking for weeks. 

Why didn’t you call me ?! He asked angrily. Why am I just finding out now ? 

She made me swear not to, man. She couldn’t face you. When she took the decision to move back, we convinced her to let you know, but I guess you didn’t see the texts… 

She’s… gone ? Marshall asked again, in disbelief. 

Yeah. You should check the package, Jamal said. When she didn’t get any response from you, she prepared it and told me to give it to you once she was gone. I have no idea what’s in there, though. 

Marshall wasted no time and tore up the carefully wrapped bow to unveil what was inside. There were a bunch of envelopes and two presents. 

I can leave you to it, if you want, Jamal offered. 

I don’t mind, Marshall shrugged as he kept on staring at the content of the box. Fuck. I had no idea she would fucking leave… 

He went back to his unboxing. He opened a first envelope, that contained a few pictures of them, that she had printed : a selfie of the whole crew, taken on the first day they met - she was shyly posing next to him as he flipped the camera -, two picture from their time in the hospital - a selfie of her as she pointed to him asleep in a chair next to her bed and a selfie of the two of them laying in bed next to each other - as well as the selfies they had taken as a couple. He looked at the pictures for a long time, failing to believe he wouldn’t see that face again and that she was in a whole different time zone. 

In the second envelope was a printing of the “acknowledgement” section of her dissertation. Everyone she knew from the studio was listed by name, including him, who had a whole paragraph that read “To MBMIII, thank you for welcoming me with open arms and believing in me. This work would not have been possible without your help and encouragement. Thank you for inspiring me to believe in my dreams and to lose myself in the moment and own it. In doing so, I found inspiration but also who I am. I am forever grateful for you, more than words will ever convey”. He read the paragraph at least ten times. He couldn’t believe she had actually quoted his lyrics to thank him. This made him smile and almost tear up. His heart was swelling with pride for her finally being done with her work, as well as sadness. 

The third envelope contained a handwritten letter : 

“Dear Marshall, 

By the time you read this, I will most likely be back in France. I wish I had the chance to say goodbye in person, but you wouldn’t pick up the phone. I am not sure why, but I guess I can’t blame you. Leaving Detroit, a place I have called home for the past few years has been a tough decision - probably the hardest one after leaving you. I knew I would have to go back home eventually, but I decided to leave early because I cannot see straight anymore. Every street, every corner, every stone reminds me of you. I cannot sleep in this bed knowing I won’t wake up next to you. I cannot keep breathing and existing in all the places you made me feel seen, loved and appreciated, knowing I can’t feel you near. Every little thing is a reminder of what once was and will not be again. And being reminded that I once had everything and lost it is too much pain. But in truth, I am not writing this letter to complain, but to say thank you. You walked into my life when I needed support, and you gave me exactly what I needed : love, encouragement and inspiration. Meeting you is one of the best things that has ever happened to me and I will forever be grateful. Your generosity and everything that you are takes my breath away. But as I am writing this letter, I am reminded that I am only human, in desperate need of oxygen. I need to leave because I have to save myself from drowning. I cannot allow myself to hope that you will reach for me, as I foreswore that right - if I ever had it. I broke both of our hearts but I am hopeful that they can be mended. You deserve nothing but love, joy and happiness and I pray that you find it wherever you go, whatever you do, whoever you meet. 

I love you and I always will. 

Yours forever, 

Y/N

PS : I hope you don’t mind the cheesy quotation of your lyrics. I have been catching up on your music because I needed to hear your voice. Also, it is hard to exist without your talent and your way with words. 

PPS : I have finally listened to your whole catalog. Every single, every album, every feature. I did not think it was possible, but it makes me love you even more.”

Marshall could feel his heart sink as he read her letter. He could feel her sadness and her pain, her bleeding love in each word. He wished that he could reach her and pull her close to him. At that moment, he knew that letting her go was his biggest mistake. Tears welled up in his eyes. 

Fuck, he said. 

You good ? Jamal asked after a few seconds, reminding him of his presence. 

I… I guess. 

He finally opened the two presents. These were fancy packages from Montblanc. He scoffed, as he definitely didn’t deserve such a big gesture. If anything, he should be the one to treat her to the finer things in life, not the other way around. In the first package was a beautiful leather embossed notebook with a note written in pencil on the first page : “May you be inspired to fill these pages with good rhymes and good bars. I cannot wait to listen to the whole album. You got this and I believe in you.”. 

The second package contained a fancy, beautiful pen. From the looks of it, it was a collectible. The first thing he did with it was to write her name underneath her note, in ink. He needed her name to be there, permanently. 

By the time he was done opening the presents, he was openly sobbing and it didn’t matter that Jamal or anyone else was here. For the first time in ages, the pain in his chest was so real that he thought he would have a heart attack. He found himself bent in two, crouching on the couch, sobbing and feeling every bit of the pain he had tried to suppress. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe deeply. He tried to focus on happy thoughts, but he couldn’t think of anything. The only image in his brain was her face. 

FUCK, he screamed into the nothingness. 

Every emotion he had ever felt, every moment of pain and grief seemed to hit him all at once. His mom, his bullies, Ronnie, Kim, Proof, his overdose, Y/N. 

Fuck, he whispered under his breath. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

It was all he would say. 

Marshall, he heard Jamal say in an echo. Do you need anything ? Anyone ? 

Y/N, he said as he kept sobbing. I need Y/N. I need her. I need to talk to her. My phone. Now. 

He heard Jamal hurry and rummage through the mess in his living room, trying to find his phone before handing it to him. He turned it on for the first time in days and he was immediately flooded by the incoming notifications that caused the phone to lag for a bit. He had about a hundred phone calls, a thousand unread emails and about fifty unread texts. Most of them were from his manager, his friends and his kids, but a few of them were from Y/N. She had really tried to reach out to him. 

From Y/N : I hope you’re doing well. I need to talk to you. Can you please call me back ? 

From Y/N : Please call back ? It’s important. 

From Y/N : I can’t reach you and I wish I didn’t have to tell you over a lousy text, but I’m leaving Detroit. I’m going back to France. My plane leaves on Tuesday night. 

From Y/N : I don’t know if you got my texts ? Or if you’re ignoring them ? I’d like to say goodbye. Can I come by ? 

From Y/N : You probably don’t want to see me. I’m sorry for disturbing you. In case you change your mind, my plane leaves at 6:35 PM. 

From Y/N : Boarding now. It’s my last text, I swear. Goodbye Marshall. I love you. 

There it was. Her last text. She had actually given him the opportunity to see her one last time. He could have held her. Maybe he could have convinced her to stay. But he blew it. He needed to call her and apologize. All he wanted was to crawl back to her. He needed her. To hear her voice. Anything. He tried calling but it went straight to voicemail. By looking at the time, he guessed she was on the plane and that her phone was on airplane mode. It was too late. 

He stared at the screen, feeling angry at himself. In a fit of rage, he threw the phone across the room and heard the screen break. Once he realized it meant he might not have her texts, he went to get it back. The screen was broken but still working. Once again, he felt mad. He punched the nearest wall. Then a painting. Then a mirror. In a matter of minutes, he found himself in a state, nearly trashing his living room. Jamal stopped him and held him for a long time before he stopped debating himself. Luckily, his friend was far taller and stronger than him, so he had no trouble containing him. 

Man, you need to calm down. Breathe. 

I can’t, Marshall replied panting. What the fuck’s happening to me ?! 

The tears started to flow again, as he realized he might be losing his mind. Jamal engulfed him in a hug - something different than their usual bro-hugs. This time, he felt like a small child crying in the arms of their parents. On any other day, he’d cringe, but he was deperate. 

I got you, bro, Jamal said. 

She’s gone. 

I know. 

It took a couple of minutes for him to be able to breathe normally and think straight again. 

Man, I know you’re my boss, but I’m talking as your friend here. Because I care. You need help. You’re not staying in this house by yourself, Jamal said. 

As much as he wanted to protest, Marshall found himself nodding. In the studio, Jamal acted as a soldier and did as he was told, but in real life, he had a presence to him and an authority that made people think twice before discussing his orders. 

It’s no Mathers Mansion, but you’re welcome to stay at my place, Jamal said. 

You don’t mind ? 

I don’t. You can take the couch or the guest bedroom. 

Ok. 

He went upstairs and started packing his stuff for a few days. As they stepped outside, he felt a sudden wave of relief. He had to get out of there. He needed to get away and recover, otherwise he would go crazy.

[agaypanic]

Headcannons on being the Davenports bestfriend 💗

Being Best Friends With the Davenports Headcanons

Masterlist

Request Something!

A/N: this is probably asking for being best friends with all of them at the same time, but i’m gonna do individual headcanons. also even tho it says davenport, im also adding leo (i know he’s technically a davenport but idk i dont see him as a davenport i see him as a dooley)

***

Adam

You always enable and encourage his silly ideas

Which his family doesn’t like much

But you and Adam have fun, so you don’t care much

You help him with his homework a bunch

He doesn’t like asking Chase for help bc he makes him feel really dumb

Your favorite activity is probably going to the zoo bc he loves all the animals

You peeked through the front door of the Davenport’s house. When the coast was clear, you opened the door wider and waved for Adam to come in. How he was gonna hide this when his family saw, you didn’t know.

“What is that?” Leo’s sudden voice made the two of you jump. He had come from down the hall, and was staring at you with an incredulous look and pointed finger. 

“Lunch,” Adam answered, pointing at the bag of food in your hand. Leo rolled his eyes, furiously trying to make where he was pointing more obvious.

“No, that!” 

You and Adam looked at the alpaca that Leo was pointing to, knowing you were unable to avoid it any longer.

“Oh my gosh, how did that get there?” You asked dumbly, as if you didn’t help Adam break it out of the zoo and bring it home.

“This is definitely the first time I’ve seen this,” Adam said in a faux shocked tone, petting the alpaca’s head. “But since it’s here, we can keep it, right?”

Bree

You guys become extremely close extremely fast

Being surrounded by guys all her life, you’re very refreshing to be around

The two of you love to gossip

About who’s with whom, her siblings’ antics, everything and nothing

You guys like going to the mall to shop, eat, and catch up

Even though you hang out literally every day

“Oh my gosh, did I tell you what happened with my brothers this week?” Bree asked as she looked through a rack of shirts.

“You probably have, but tell me anyway.” You laugh, looking at the clothes with her.

“So Leo likes this girl, right? And Chase comes up with some plan to get her to fall for him- oh, this is cute. Well, anyways, it completely backfires, and she ends up going after Adam.”

“No.” You gasped.

“Yes! And that’s not even the craziest part.” Bree took something off the rack and held it up to you, wanting your opinion. You nodded furiously at the sight, and she grinned, adding it to the try-on pile of clothes she was carrying. “So Chase tells Leo that he’ll talk to the girl for him, and guess what.”

“What? Does she start liking Chase?” You ask jokingly. Bree raised her eyebrows at you and pursed her lips, signaling you were correct. “No!”

“Yes!”

Chase

Yall are that duo at school

Smart, sassy, and pretty

You guys sign up for extracurriculars like science fair and debate club together

Even though he’s literally the smartest man in the world, he likes having you go over his work

Very occasionally, he’ll miss a detail, and you’ll point it out

But he mainly just likes the validation

But you also never hesitate to put him in his place when needed

“Hey, can you read this over for me?” Chase asked as he handed you his laptop. You decided to come over to watch a movie when he suddenly remembered he needed to revise one of his papers for a class. 

Pausing the TV, you set the computer on your lap and read the essay. You didn’t comment until you were finished, handing the laptop back to Chase.

“Pretty good.” You said, playing the movie again.

“I knew it.” Chase gloated, reclining on the couch next to you. “Perks of being the smartest guy ever.”

“Yeah, well, you also misspelled ‘and,’ genius.” You laughed as you watched him scramble for his computer, looking through every word to find the mistake. “Perks of not knowing how to type, I guess.”

“Shut up.” He grumbled, fixing the error and crossing his arms with a pout.

Leo

The blind leading the blind

You encourage all of his delusions, mainly because you think it’s funny

You two are a comedic duo tbh

You guys bounce off each other really well

Before the bionic trio, you always defended Leo from bullies

You still do sometimes

Leo was currently talking your ear off about his current crush, some girl named Danielle. This was part of your guys’ routine. He’d tell you about someone he liked, you’d tell him that the two of them were meant to be, something would go wrong, you’d laugh about it, and then Leo would find someone new the next week.

“We’re so close to being boyfriend and girlfriend; I can feel it!” He said excitedly.

“Oh yeah.” You nodded, trying to suppress a laugh. “I know that if I had a boyfriend, I’d want him to be my human footstool because it’s what I deserve.”

“Exactly! You’re like the only one who gets it.”

“Ooh, there she is now.” You said, looking over his shoulder to see his girl of the week at her locker. “She came into the same hallway you’re in, so she clearly wants to see you. You should go talk to her.”

“Really?” Leo asked, slowly standing up. You nodded and pushed him in Danielle’s direction, waiting for everything to unfold. 

Leo somehow found the courage to talk to Danielle, but it was a pretty short conversation. When she walked away, she looked at him from over her shoulder and said goodbye.

“See you later, Lenny!”

The name made you bust out laughing, almost weak in the knees to stand up and go over to the now somewhat sad boy.

“Better luck next time, Lenny.” You said, patting his shoulder and laughing some more.

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

How do you feel about track systems for horses? Would a similar system be beneficial or detrimental for captive cetaceans?

Oh that's a very interesting idea. I do really love the concept of track systems and it seems to be a really good way to encourage more movement and improve fitness, hooves ect. for horses.

For cetaceans though... it could be tricky to implement safely if we were looking at physical "tunnels" to funnel them through.

The reason that a lot of cetacean habitats are so "empty", especially for larger species like orcas, is because social behaviour is a huge component of their lives. Social behaviour can include high speed chases, breaches, porpoising, raking/biting, fluke slapping and everything in between.

Obstacles make any sort of high arousal play/social behaviour/aggression even more of a risk. Because in the heat of the moment at very fast speeds, cetaceans can hurt themselves if they scrape against or hit something.

The only way I could see a system like that work is if the track was made using underwater bubble nets. So if they hit them, they wouldn't get hurt. But they'd probably just want to go through them for a massage anyway lol

Physical components of a habitat like rockwork ect. look nice but they will always put cetaceans more at risk of environmental scrapes. We also had that issue in lagoons/sea pens with coral and rocks.

This is why I think Chimelong is amazing with their underwater bubble jets and wave pools because it's a safe way to make their habitat variable and enriching, encouraging underwater exploration/diving and surface wave riding.

The study looking into what factors influence dolphin movement and distance travelled in human care found that enrichment programs and training times were the main influences.

This is just one study though - would love to see more like this with other species, especially orcas.

I'd be so curious to compare the movement of Chimelong orcas compared to SeaWorld orcas too. I would hypothesise that the addition of the wave pool creates a lot more movement and acceleration throughout the day!

Simply adding live fish has had a huge impact on some of the orcas in the the San Diego SeaWorld pod, with lots of hunting and moving around being recorded. And I love that! It's simple but effective!

I think you could get so creative with cetacean habitats to encourage more movement, especially focusing on underwater and diving based enrichment. This would be better than focusing on what the habitat looks like, focusing on what the animals actually value and find enriching.

So things like creating underwater treadmills they could use to exercise on (they'd probably need to learn how to though). Underwater and surface water jets that they could turn on and off when they want, wave pools at varying heights, creating currents in the water ect.

I kind of got off track but imo that would probably be the best way to encourage more movement!

[felixravinstills]

hello! i have Thoughts About Felix [the felix ravinstill propoganda has grabbed me by the throat] and figured i'd ask the resident felix ravinstill expert about them ^^

going off your headcanon with felix & hilarius being friends, do you think they worked together during the mentorship program? i imagine that both of them might have been "lamenting" about the tributes they had been assigned but still wanting to help them (since they didn't have a chance at winning) to make things easier before the games, but with both of them being very image-conscious, not offering as much support as they might have otherwise been able to had they leveraged their names

felix & arachne being friends and arachne visiting the zoo during the day makes me wonder if felix might have passed food on via her to give to dill so he wouldn't be so publicly seen (but then again, knowing that giving that kind of info to arachne means it would get tossed into the gossip mill might make felix not want to do that...)

also, because i am a sucker for time travel: in a situation where felix goes back in time from his probably-coriolanus-snow-caused-death to before the 10th hunger games, what influences do you think felix could realistically leverage to try and circumvent arachne and dill's fates?

Hearing that my Ravinstill propaganda is working fills me with the both the greatest joy and abject horror. (On one hand, it is working! Yay, join me in having Felix thoughts! On the other, what have I done?)

Anyway, imagine that this will probably end up pretty long, so be warned (no seriously, the last part lowkey became a fic outline):

Felix & Hilarius

Yeah, I think their collaboration is mostly venting to one another. Honestly, I think the echo chamber of hopelessness probably doesn't motivate either out of their defeatist inaction. From the book, it sounds like Hilarius is even more defeatist than Felix. He also talks more insultingly about Wovey than Felix does about Dill, so I do imagine that Hilarius is the one doing more of the ranting.

Hilarius probably asks Felix how he gets Dill to be slightly more receptive to mentoring than Wovey (especially with Reaper probably hanging around). I think Felix's slightly more empathetic personality helps him succeed where Hilarius fails.

Felix & Arachne

Oh, this is actually a pretty good headcanon! It would make a certain amount of sense and add a good bit of angst to Arachne's death for Felix! I do think that there's a chance that he wouldn't trust her to do it in the sense that Arachne's general snark and sass makes especially her abrasive to strangers, so he probably is skeptical on letting her give food to his visibly sick tribute. She'd probably chuck a paperbag with a sandwich at Dill, so she doesn't have to get close and then taunt Brandy. Yeah, maybe Arachne's not the best choice now that I've thought it through completely (although there is a chance!). Felix probably thinks about asking Arachne when she mentions that she's going.

I think if Felix doesn't hand the sandwich himself, then he probably gets like someone his family's hired to do it. Maybe his driver.

Felix & Time Travel

It depends on how far before the 10th Hunger Games he's returning to. If it's not very long before or the day of the Reaping, I'm unsure how focused he is on the Hunger Games. He will probably accompany Arachne to the Zoo though and make sure she doesn't die. At the very least, a probably ~35 year old Felix is not as image conscious (at least about smaller things) than he was as a teen.

If he hasn't been back for that long (under a year), then he's still processing his death, and I don't know how apparent it is to him that it was Snow's doing, but he may suspect it. Either way, he's not too fond of Snow at the time of his death (battling the Ravinstills for political power but also for Old President Ravinstill's attention). He's definitely focusing on sabotaging Coriolanus' chances on gaining any influence, and Dill becomes more of a background concern as he juggles his at-the-moment one-sided rivalry and making sure Arachne doesn't do anything else that gets her killed.

Felix probably beats Coriolanus to the punch with going to greet the Tributes by suggesting that all the mentors do so and making it a class field trip. He also does begin loudly insisting to his Great-Uncle that with Academy students accompanying the Tributes shouldn't security be increased which leads to the Bombing being averted. (He probably flat out mentions the possibility of a bombing which probably puts the president on high alert, because of my hc that a lot of the Ravinstills died in a bombing).

I imagine that Felix is still mostly playing Coriolanus whack-a-mole on all of the other man's efforts, but as time goes on, I imagine that since we've averted a lot of the things that would have derailed the Mentors and Tributes from spending more time together (Arachne's death and Bombing), the Capitol is now leaning really heavy into Mentor and Tribute spotlights with more than just the interviews being aired to the public (maybe they have little clips where the tributes can show off a lesser talent or maybe they force the tributes to react to Capitol things and foods.)

I'm kind of pessimistic on Felix being able to stop the Hunger Games with this little prep time especially since it spends so much time being a lesser concern. As they get closer to the Games, however, and the mentors and tributes have been bonding a bit, reality starts setting in. He has had regrets about the Games in the past before he died, and he did start questioning their purpose privately. It's just a decade or two of suppressing those thoughts makes him slow on the uptake, but he does get hit with the "oh no, they're all just kids." With this sudden realization, I think he starts spiraling and starts trying to rack up as much sympathy to get Dill out of the Games. I don't think this quite works as he's probably starting to get a bit desperate.

He probably has a bit of a breakdown, and I think President Ravinstill rigs the Games so that Dill wins in an attempt to make him feel better, and it's pretty obvious to everyone watching that there was foul play.

This is the death knell for the Games as they are, because everyone's a little pissed at the Ravinstill Nepotism win.

They try and have a Game the next year which isn't as popular (sorry, Mags. You still have to go through the death game), and Pres. Ravinstill demands that Gaul make her Games into something viable or else (even though its definitely his fault that they're failing, but he's not going to think about that). They become a weird and gaudy popularity contest where the winner gets to come to Capitol but these new Victors get treated like weird human trophy pets.

Felix isn't having a great time in the aftermath. To balance out this kind of bleak end, I'll say that Gaul is also not having a great time, because her favorite part of the Games (the violence) is gone.

I actually had some thoughts about Felix coming back earlier, but this is already so long. I can't get into it at this point!

Thanks for the ask!

I'm trying to get out of the habit of apologizing for response length, but I am truly sorry about how long this is. I can't imagine that you could be prepared for it, so thanks again if you made it this far!

[thecurioustale]

I Watched Videos of Star Trek Films that Don't Exist, and They're Surreal AF

If I were ever going to make a Star Trek film, I know what the premise would be. I've thought about it a lot over the years. I have the whole beginning of it completely storyboarded and blocked out in my mind. This opening sequence is a set piece with mystery, action, and adventure, and really it's an entire, self-contained story unto itself.

I'm going to talk about all of that, and show you a video that is screwing with my mind, and more besides, under the fold!

CAPTION: J.M. Colt stands with her hands behind her back in the Roddenberry Archive video "765874."

The Inspirational, Infatuational J.M. Colt

My Star Trek film would feature the original Star Trek character of J.M. Colt in the starring role.

(Tangent: If you're not a hardcore Trekkie, you may have never heard of Colt. She only appeared in the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage" (the one featuring Captain Pike), and was basically the most peripheral member of the Enterprise crew to still get her name in the credits. She was the captain's new yeoman (a secretarial personal assistant), the previous one having recently been killed on a landing mission. Pike was feeling guilt over his last yeoman's death, and for protective patriarchal reasons he didn't like it that his new yeoman was female. Meanwhile, Colt herself was head-over-heels crushing on Pike, which led to some deep awkwardness between the two of them. Although Colt had very little to do in the story, she was one of the officers to get kidnapped by the Talosians and held prisoner alongside Pike, in the Talosians' misguided hope that Pike would pick one of his female shipmates to mate with and create a self-sustaining line of humans for the Talosians' zoo. This is all a bit chauvinistic and patronizing of course, but the dynamics between them are a natural enough thing in human behavior, and in any case—and more importantly—Colt behaved with professionalism and bravery throughout the entire episode, including choosing to stand her ground in the face of death when Number One set the phaser to overload to deprive the Talosians of human zoo animals.)

We never saw Colt again after "The Cage," except in a few beta-canonical comics and novels. In the original Star Trek series she was replaced by Yeoman Janice Rand, who gave off very different vibes. Colt is also not present as a character in the present-day Star Trek: Strange New Worlds show (notwithstanding the easter egg of an unrelated alien extra named "Colt" on the background of the Enterprise bridge in one scene of Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery) , so most Star Trek fans today don't even know Colt exists.

But she certainly made an impression on me! Some of it was actor Laurel Goodwin's beauty, I guess. Other than her being skinny and not especially tall, Colt is basically my ideal of a beautiful partner, and she was one of many visual influences on my creation of Silence Terlais.

But it's not just beauty: There is something tantalizing about a character whom we are introduced to, and whom come to like, but never get to truly "know" because they aren't developed very far, or aren't the center of attention, or the media they're in ends. I feel this way about Tasha Yar from Star Trek: The Next Generation as well. She died in the first season, so there's a huge "What if?" hanging over her. That's what Colt is for me: "What if?"

Because Colt had so little time with us and was then cast away and forgotten, my imagination is free to run wild about who she might have become and what she might have achieved. And maybe it's for the best this way. I don't like how they treated Yeoman Rand in the series, and I'm sure they would have done much the same to Colt. And for all that disrespect she wouldn't have gotten much screentime anyway. So, if anything, maybe it's better that Colt only ever appeared once and was left an immaculate mystery ever after, unsullied by '60s misogyny and 2010s cynicism alike.

More so than beauty, then, this tantalizing sense of mysterious incompleteness is the biggest reason why I actually based not one but two characters in The Curious Tale off of J.M. Colt: There's Jayem Colt (not so subtle, eh?), who keeps the red hair but is much older (about 55 – 60 in our years) and is the captain of one of Silence's sandships. This Colt later goes on to join the Handsel Band as one of its leaders. And then there is Ravel Vraske, who has brown hair but otherwise looks reminiscent of the original Colt and is about the same age as her. Ravel is one of the last survivors of deceased Guard of Galavar Zirin Aloryane's doomed-before-the-story-begins project to bring the Galance Ideal to Relance and therein sway the nations of the world to join Gala without using force or violence. Ravel proves indispensable in the Handsel Band and over time becomes its best "swayer."

But the original J.M. Colt remained a tantalizing figure for me too, all through the years. I like to imagine that she built a great career in Starfleet and rose to become the captain of her own starship one day.

Star Trek: J '79

It's no secret that I think Star Trek: The Motion Picture is the greatest Star Trek film ever made by an order of magnitude, and one of the best science fiction films of all time.

At the end of that film, as you may recall, the lost NASA probe Voyager 6—elevated by an alien machine civilization into this massive, conscious entity—has returned to Earth to complete its centuries-old mission of learning all that is learnable and returning that information to its "creator."

In the film, we never actually learn whether this happens. Decker inputs the final command personally, and he and Probe-Ilia physically join with "Vejur" (or "V'Ger" if you like) and transcend the Universe. Presumably, Vejur would have transmitted its information before it went, since that was its purpose after all, but we're never told either way. (And while some fans speculate that it didn't happen, due to Vejur destroying its own antenna lead and fixing on Decker as the one to deliver its report to, neither of these speculations necessarily precludes the possibility that Vejur still transmitted its report.)

I like to imagine that it did happen, that Earth was inundated with hundreds of years worth of learning from a Galaxy-spanning scientific demigod of its own creation, and that this was a major reason as to why and how the Federation became so much more advanced and prosperous over the next hundred years by the time Star Trek: The Next Generation came around. I like to imagine that it would have taken the Federation's best minds many decades to delve into all the information that Vejur sent, all its secrets and mysteries (still not fully comprehending everything), and I expect that the ensuing discoveries would have caused great upheaval and transformation as the Federation assimilated all that knowledge. And I like to imagine that Vejur's treasure trove of information led to a great many starship expeditions to investigate curious things that Vejur documented across the Galaxy.

My Star Trek film concept would take this premise and run with it. The movie I envision making mostly draws from the aesthetic and tonal palette of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (hence the working title of "J '79"), right down to those groovy Starfleet uniforms and those luscious '70s décor styles. And it would keep the film's sense of wonder and optimism, humanism and discovery, mystery and exploration—which has often been lacking in Star Trek media. But my movie would also draw somewhat from the underappreciated horror vibes from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which is probably the scariest and most gruesome of the thirteen Star Trek films to date, even though most people remember it as an action film.

But, basically, I would pitch my Star Trek film as a direct sequel to Star Trek: The Motion Picture—except with a different ship and crew.

The Opening Set Piece of Star Trek J '79

In the darkness of space, a Constitution Class Refit starship appears without any fanfare. It's not the Enterprise; it's another ship; but it looks just like the Enterprise we know from the original movies.

There is no star nearby. In the distance there is a modestly glowing, magenta nebula which provides a pale, wan light that just barely describes the contours of a rogue planet that's dark purple, black, and brown. There's no captain's log, no speaking of any kind.

We cut to the planet's surface, as a sizable landing party beams down in the foreboding style of the middle TOS Star Trek films. The planet is silent, all except for the tiniest rustle of a breeze. The atmosphere is completely minimal and unbreathable, but neither is it noxious, so instead of wearing full-helmet suits the landing party only has nasal breathers—plus jackets since it's very cold.

There is no life. But there are spectacular, ancient ruins, in stone so black and glassy that it's like looking into the void. Domes and pyramids and viaducts, all standing or lying in ruin amid countless years of sand and rock.

The landing party members perform their initial scans and report to the Captain, who sends them off in various directions to explore different points of interest. He remains behind to check out some smaller ruins in the immediate vicinity, and one of the other officers stays with him—a redheaded female officer whose name you can probably guess. He asks her advice, and what she gives him is sound and wise, but also rather limited, as a good advisor arguably should be: not packaging instructions so as to be the de facto leader themselves, but identifying relevant information and leaving it to the actual leader to make the decisions.

Vejur had learned of a magnificent, vast civilization, unspeakably ancient and now long gone, but remembered by a number of present-day civilizations through their monumental ruins. A bit like the Iconians or the Tkon Empire, for example, if you know your Star Trek lore—but not actually either of those civilizations. Older than both! None survives today who knows what these ancients called themselves, so they are referred to only by the descriptions left in text and tablature: the Feathered Builders. (A bit Chozolike, if you will, but also clearly not the Chozo.)

This starship, it turns out—I've toyed with calling it the Constitution but have never settled on a name that completely satisfied me—has been on a mission for nine months trying to track down one of the Feathered Builders' major planets. The most important planets were all "lost" countless ages ago, making it difficult to gather information about the Feathered Builders' civilization or learn the secrets of their technology. The Federation had never even heard of the "Feathered Builders" until Vejur came along and did its thing, but once they did learn they put Starfleet on the case, and the Constitution has managed to finally track down one of the lost capital planets.

This all comes out in expository dialogue as the Captain and Colt explore some of the ruins.

As the investigation ensues, we begin to see the Captain making some questionable leadership decisions. Colt advises him where she can, but he's in command and he has the final say.

I'm going to spare you some spoilers (I'll explain why later), and instead I'll just say that, eventually, the landing party is able to activate an ancient device in the ruins that causes a massive tumult and brings to life an image of one of these Feathered Builders, somewhat similar to the Tkon guardian portal from the TNG episode "The Last Outpost." This custodial being speaks with the Captain, explaining that the Feathered Builders evolved and department from three-dimensional space-time. But the Captain doesn't acquit himself to the custodian's liking and the conversation gradually deteriorates until reaching the breaking point, where the Feathered Builder custodian decides not to provide the Starfleet officers with the information they are seeking. Instead, it commences to sweep up all of the ruins on the planet, violently spiriting them away to some other plane of existence so that the humans can never do anything with them.

At the last moment, Colt intervenes and takes over, trying to salvage the situation by revealing to the custodian and to us in the audience that she is the real captain of the Constitution and that this had been a field training exercise for the person we had thought was the Captain, who turns out to actually be her first officer. Colt pleads with the custodian to reconsider its decision, but the custodian is unmoved and soon every trace of artifice on the planet is completely gone, leaving the landing party alone with nothing but sand and rock: another dead end in nine long months full of them. Though at least they didn't lose their skins!

And from there the opening set piece moves forward into the movie proper, with Colt back on the ship explaining to her first officer that she plans not to recommend him for promotion, etc., and setting the main events of the movie into motion. It turns out that Colt is actually one of Starfleet's training captains, known for taking marginal command candidates under her wing and discerning which ones can be forged into captains and which ones just aren't fit for it despite being close. And this poor fellow is one of the ones who isn't quite there. He's not a villain, not evil, not stupid. He's just not quite good enough. We're always told that it's hard to be a starship captain and that very few people can pull it off, but we're rarely actually shown this reality in Star Trek. I thought this would make for a powerful thematic statement befitting of the opening scene of my movie, given the overall story of said movie.

Making Do with Reality

Of course, they're never going to approach me to direct Star Trek. And I succeeded a long time ago in divorcing my creative ambitions for science fiction out of Star Trek and putting them into my own science fiction series, Galaxy Federal.

So what I've done, in dribs and drabs over the past few years, is adapt my Star Trek movie concept for use in a future Galaxy Federal novel. Not the "Inaugural Novel" that I've been actively working on, but another novel that is very much on the way-back burner. And that's why I didn't want to share some of the spoilers with you, just in case that book ever actually does get written.

Cherry Ilyapa is a good replacement for Captain J.M. Colt. I had already, independently written Cherry as a "training captain" in the aforementioned sense: The Admiralty frequently sends her marginal first officers and entrusts Cherry to develop a nonbinding but influential assessment as to whether these officers should be entrusted with their own command or not. In fact, I think that's where I originally got the idea for the Star Trek movie to open with a fake-out that somebody else is the Captain instead of Colt.

It's quite gratifying how much of this set piece adapts with no difficulty at all into the Galaxy Federal world. The only things I really miss from Star Trek are the transporters, which Galaxy Federal doesn't have, and of course Colt herself. Though, I must say, Cherry is an excellent substitute for Colt if a substitute must be had. Also, and no spoilers, but the good thing about my plans for the Galaxy Federal franchise is that different novels aren't necessarily going to be published in chronological order. My Star Trek movie idea book can be set either before or after the events of the Galaxy Federal Inaugural Novel, as needed.

In many ways, the Galaxy Federal world is a better fit for my story idea than the Star Trek world is. That probably shouldn't come as a surprise; it's only natural that "the kind of story I would want to tell" would fit more easily into "a fictional world that I created myself." Star Trek has some tropes and tonalities that don't really agree with me, whereas Galaxy Federal has things exactly the way I want them. I'm not really into the pulpy, action-oriented side of Star Trek. I'm not very impressed by Star Trek's usual lack of visual ambition (The Motion Picture being a major exception). And I don't like how incestuous the Star Trek universe has become, with a small number of fan-popular characters (e.g. Data), polities (e.g. the Borg), places (e.g. the Mirror Universe), organizations (e.g. Section 31), and events (e.g. the Battle of Wolf 359) becoming entangled more and more messily and gracelessly with subsequent canonical (and fanonical) productions as the years roll on. In Galaxy Federal I can have my preference of never doing this, and instead let new stories spread out into their own space freely rather than make constant callbacks and plot tie-ins to previous canon. A little callback is necessary for franchise coherence and desirable for aesthetic or narrative purposes, but Star Trek has gone way overboard ever since Star Trek: Voyager.

Anyway! My Star Trek movie / Galaxy Federal book would be another grand epic adventure in the vein of the Inaugural Novel, as opposed to some of the lower-spec concepts I have for other Galaxy Federal novels, and it's nice to have something big like that on the horizon, even if I'm not actively working on it.

The Roddenberry Archive and the Memory Wall

The whole reason I am writing this post in the first place is that yesterday I saw an amazing video.

Two years ago, I read an article that threw my brain for a major loop: I saw behind-the-scenes photos of J.M. Colt on the set of "The Cage," in uniform and all that...except that these photos were from the 2020s.

This really screwed with my grip on reality, in both a good and a bad way. "The Cage" was produced in the 1960s. What was this sorcery? Well, upon closer inspection here's what had happened:

For many years now, an organization called The Roddenberry Archive has existed to collect and preserve relics of the lifetime of work of Gene Roddenberry. The Archive is a project of some of the biggest creative names in Star Trek, including Michael and Denise Okuda, Doug Drexler, and others. You can read more about them on their About page.

As a part of their preservation efforts, they have sought to bring Roddenberry's work to life in various ways, including in the form of audiovisual "experiences" that, essentially, are like movie trailers that recreate the vibes of prior incarnations of Star Trek. That's what led, for example, to the recreation of J.M. Colt standing on the 1960s bridge of the Enterprise in the 2020s. They were recreating that environment, and they had just so happened to pick the character of Colt—of all people!—to use as their filming model. Partly this was because one of the people closely involved with bringing the project together is the actor and producer Mahé Thaissa, who bears a passable resemblance to J.M. Colt, especially with a wig and the uniform. It was convincing enough that I genuinely read her as Laurel Goodwin's J.M. Colt!

Recently, they've been at it again with an initiative called 765874. And again they are using Colt as their central character, now with added Spock. Yesterday, YouTube showed me this:

This is mind-blowing! That thumbnail you see above isn't from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. It's modern work; it's what the Roddenberry Archive is trying to do.

The video scans like a wordless movie trailer. It's very surreal, with the only live characters being Colt and Spock, interspersed with a variety of alien landscapes and a bunch of images connecting various events from Star Trek's history. Even the title of the experience, "765874 - Memory Wall" is deep lore. The Wall of Memories was a sequence planned for Star Trek: The Motion Picture that was cut in development and replaced with the famous "Spock Walk" scene (where Spock rides a thruster suit into the heart of Vejur and witnesses a visual record of Vejur's entire journey). It's a fitting title!

These little trailers—these "experiences"—are wonderful. Like I said before, they are extremely surreal to me. I cannot overstate this. They mess with my brain powerfully, in both good ways and bad. This kind of experience is magical for me. They're a little bit like eating faerie crack I guess, lol. The videos are unsettling, compelling, and thoroughly engrossing. And I prize this, because this experience is very hard to come by for me. Not much can make me question my grip on reality, let alone in an area that I'm passionate about like Star Trek (I don't even dare to hazard a guess as to how many hard disk sectors of my brain are dedicated to Star Trek lore).

These Roddenberry Archive experiences depict past Star Trek media that never existed and will never exist, with incredibly lifelike representations. And they feature as their starring character, of all the characters they could have possibly picked, the profoundly obscure character of J.M. Colt, who I just so happen to have a lifelong fixation with. But this Colt never speaks in these experiences, and never appears on screen in any given shot for more than a moment, and we never really know what she's doing. And all the individual shots are so short that you can never fully get your grip on them...sort of as if you can't look directly at them. It's all a mystery!

You can perhaps see why this is so incredibly trippy for me. My brain parses this stuff as real pieces of past Star Trek media that I somehow missed, giving them the quality of dreams. Yes, that's it. These things are like dreams to me! Except they're real. Except not quite.

It's kind of a delight that, after all these years, J.M. Colt is just randomly appearing in the real world in glimpses of period-accurate Star Trek productions, just like I had always imagined. Giving Star Trek: The Motion Picture new life in this way, when the actual franchise completely ignores it, and making J.M. Colt the face of that...just wow! It's a little slice of "What if?" brought to life in the best way! And, albeit obliquely, if I squint hard enough it's almost like I can see my own Star Trek movie concept brought to life.

I wish the people doing this work would talk to the suits and buy a license to make an actual Star Trek movie or a Netflix miniseries or something!

There are several more of these audiovisual experiences, including a very recent video celebrating the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Generations (which was just a couple days ago) by showing Spock visiting Kirk's grave. You can find them on the Roddenberry Archive website or in this YouTube playlist. (There's a wonderful interview with William Shatner in the playlist that I also watched yesterday, where he talked about some things that I'd never heard him talk about before, and I've seen a lot of Shat interviews.) And here's a wonderful feature article on the website of their technical partners, OTOY, with a lot more information about the project.

But, in closing...what a strange treat! What a surreal delight. And what a cool opportunity to share my own Star Trek movie idea (or at least a small piece of it) for the first time.