#as always constructive criticism is always welcomed

[writingbuckets]

The Hot Take: Part 3

paige bueckers x influencer!reader

wc: 2.8k

a/n: the only i have to say is that i shocked myself with my flirting... enjoy!

**********

After your night at the game, it feels like the internet has exploded. Your mentions are on fire with fans on both sides—some praising your brutal honesty about Paige, others calling you out for downplaying her talent. It’s only natural that you decide to dedicate an entire podcast episode to the experience.

You settle into your recording setup, feeling a mix of anticipation and nerves—after all, tonight is a first. Across the table sits Paige Bueckers, cool and composed, though you catch a hint of mischief in her eyes as she adjusts her mic. You take a deep breath and lean in, grinning at your co-host before addressing the audience.

“Welcome back to The Hot Take! And tonight, we’re in for a treat. As you’ve probably guessed, we’ve got a special guest in the studio… the one, the only, Paige Bueckers!” You gesture toward her dramatically, and your co-host plays a quick soundbite of applause and crowd cheers, adding to the show’s theatrics.

Paige laughs, crossing her arms as she glances at you. “The crowd goes wild. I didn’t think you’d actually let me come on here, considering all the things you’ve said about me.”

You shoot her a mock-offended look. “What things? I’m nothing if not fair and unbiased.”

She raises an eyebrow, a playful glint in her eye. “Oh, totally. Because your comment was so fair and unbiased.”

Your co-host snickers. “Well, Paige, you’re in the right place if you want to get your revenge. Y/N here is known for her ‘brutal honesty.’ But hey, tonight might be a chance for you to change her mind.”

“Is that a challenge?” Paige asks, leaning forward, her gaze never leaving yours.

“Depends. You think you’re up for it?” you reply, meeting her eyes head-on, enjoying the charge of the challenge between you two.

“Oh, I’m always up for a challenge,” she responds smoothly, flashing a grin that has you momentarily caught off guard.

Your co-host breaks the tension with a laugh. “Alright, alright, let’s jump right in. Y/N, you’ve had plenty to say about Paige in the past. Care to share some of those hot takes now that she’s here to defend herself?”

You clear your throat, trying to hide your smirk. “Alright, let’s get one thing straight,” you say, addressing both the mic and Paige. “As much as it pains me to admit this…” You pause dramatically, shooting a look her way. “Bueckers actually impressed me the other night.”

Paige raises an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “Really? I didn’t think you’d ever admit that.”

“I know, it’s shocking, but credit where credit’s due,” you continue. “I mean, you’re quick on the court, you know your angles, and—dare I say it—you know how to work a crowd.”

Paige laughs, eyes dancing with mischief. “Oh, so you were paying attention. Here I was, thinking you came just to judge.”

“Oh, I absolutely came to judge,” you reply, grinning. “But I also got to see you actually back it up with skill. It was… not as overrated as I’d assumed.” You shoot her a wink, and she laughs, shaking her head.

“High praise,” she replies, feigning a look of being overwhelmed. “I didn’t realize tonight was all about showering me with compliments.”

Your co-host jumps in, clearly amused by the dynamic. “Wait, Y/N, are you actually going soft? Compliments? Feeling a little flustered, maybe?”

You shake your head, grinning. “Don’t get it twisted. I’m just saying, maybe I underestimated you.” You turn to Paige. “Don’t let it go to your head, though. I’m not here to just hype you up.”

Paige leans back in her chair, looking entirely at ease. “Don’t worry. I can handle a little constructive criticism. Hit me with your best shot.”

You take the opportunity, leaning forward with a smirk. “Alright, if you insist. Here’s my take: For all that talent, you could be a bit more creative with your moves. Sometimes it feels like you rely on what’s tried and true instead of taking risks.”

She smirks back. “And sometimes critics don’t realize the importance of consistency,” she counters smoothly. “Winning isn’t about impressing people—it’s about doing what works.”

“Touché,” you reply, though you’re secretly impressed by her response. You decide to press a little further. “Alright, so if it’s all about winning, how do you handle the pressure that comes with it? Isn’t there a part of you that wants to switch things up now and then?”

Paige leans forward, crossing her arms on the table. “I get that all the time. But you know, winning takes priority. Switching things up? That’s for off the court.” Her gaze holds yours, and for a second, you wonder if she’s talking about more than just basketball.

Your co-host notices the silent exchange and interrupts with a grin. “Okay, okay, I feel like there’s a whole vibe happening here that I did not sign up for!”

The comment pulls you back, and you laugh, brushing it off. “Nothing happening here,” you insist, stealing a quick glance at Paige.

Paige holds back a smirk, shrugging. “Sure, whatever you say.” But the gleam in her eye says otherwise.

Trying to keep things on track, you steer the conversation back to basketball, although the flirtatious edge remains. “Alright, Bueckers, one more thing. I’ll admit, you’ve got talent. But do you ever worry about being put in a box? People see you a certain way, and that’s how they’ll always see you.”

Paige pauses, and for a moment, the playful banter takes on a serious note. “Yeah, I get that. People think they know you, based on what they see online or on the court. But the truth is, they’re only seeing one side.”

It’s unexpectedly candid, and you nod, finding a bit of yourself in her answer. “Yeah. I get that. People always think they know everything from what they see online, but there’s always more, right?”

Paige’s gaze softens just slightly, and she nods. “Exactly. Sometimes I think it would be nice if people saw more than the ‘player’ version of me.”

You raise an eyebrow, catching the hint in her tone. “So… what would that look like, Bueckers?”

She gives you a playful smirk, leaning back in her chair. “Maybe you’ll find out if you’re lucky.”

Your co-host interjects, clearly amused. “Did I miss something here, or is this turning into a date?”

Both you and Paige laugh, shaking your heads in sync. “Not quite,” you say quickly, though your heart skips a beat.

Before wrapping up, you give Paige the last word. “Alright, Bueckers, we’ve had our fun. Any final words for our listeners?”

She leans toward the mic, glancing at you with a grin. “Only that this isn’t the last time you’ll hear from me, Y/N. I’m sticking around to make sure you don’t underestimate me again.”

You laugh, shaking your head. “Well, bring your best game, then. I’ll be ready.”

The episode wraps up with lingering tension and the audience buzzing with intrigue, speculating wildly in the comments and social media. As you both step away from the mics, Paige meets your gaze with a small smile.

“Nice job,” she says, extending a hand.

You shake it, feeling the warmth of her grip, the playful energy still sparking between you. “Likewise, Bueckers. Just don’t expect me to go easy on you next time.”

She gives you a wink. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

**********

Not even an hour after the episode goes live, the reactions flood in. Your notifications blow up with fire emojis, heart-eyes, and endless comments as fans dissect every word, every sly look you exchanged with Paige, and every playful jab you threw her way. People seem to be either thrilled by your shift in tone or mourning the sharper edge of your usual critique. But there’s one thing they all seem to agree on—your chemistry with Paige was undeniable, and they’re dying to see where this dynamic goes next.

Then come the memes: screenshots of you glancing at Paige with a mix of disbelief and amusement, clips from older episodes where you roasted her, and side-by-sides comparing your expressions with Paige’s iconic moments on the court. One of your favorites is a split image of you with an exaggerated, eye-rolling expression, paired with Paige’s confident smirk from one of her highlight games. People are clearly having a field day, and you find yourself chuckling at the creativity as you scroll through the tag.

But just as you’re considering logging off for the night, a notification grabs your attention. It’s a comment from none other than Paige herself.

@PaigeBueckers: “Glad to see you’re finally catching on, Y/N. Game recognizes game, right? 😏”

You smirk, typing back a quick reply.

@notY/N: “Don’t get too comfortable, Bueckers. I’m just warming up. 😏”

Paige responds almost instantly, and suddenly, it’s a back-and-forth on full display for everyone to see.

@PaigeBueckers: “Comfortable? Nah. Just giving you something to talk about on that next episode of yours.”

@notY/N: “Who says you’re interesting enough for a second episode?”

@PaigeBueckers: “Guess I’ll just have to prove you wrong, then. Challenge accepted?”

The thread quickly spirals as fans jump in, hyping up every comment exchange, adding their own captions, and stirring up theories about your “rivalry.” By the time you close the app, #YNPBChallenge is trending, with people eagerly waiting for your next move. And though you won’t admit it, you’re already curious about hers.

Within hours, sports outlets start covering the “feud.” Clips of your episode circulate, paired with screenshots of Paige’s comments. Twitter is filled with fans trying to decode every little interaction, with hashtags like #PaigeAndY/N and #RivalryGoals popping up as the top trends. Some fans eagerly ship you and Paige, while others are taking sides, wanting to see if your critique holds up in future episodes.

Some of Paige’s teammates even get in on the fun, teasing her about the exchanges. Azzi Fudd, in particular, tweets, “So… when’s the first date, @paigebueckers? 👀”

You laugh when you see it, because of course Paige’s friends would be watching the whole thing unfold. You decide to add your own little stir to the pot.

Replying to Azzi’s tweet, you type, “First date? I think she’d need to step up her game a bit first.”

Not even a minute later, Paige replies to you directly: “Challenge accepted.”

The thread is flooded with reactions, and for a moment, it’s as if the entire internet is watching you two flirt in real time. You know it’s all in good fun, but there’s an undeniable thrill to it.

After the whirlwind of social media reactions, you finally step away from your phone, still replaying the day’s events. There’s an undeniable energy to this back-and-forth with Paige. Even through playful jabs and witty comebacks, there’s something deeper simmering—something that leaves you more curious than you’d like to admit.

Just as you’re about to call it a night, a new notification lights up your screen: a direct message from Paige herself. You hesitate for a moment, feeling an odd mix of excitement and nerves, and then finally open it.

Paige: “So… I’m dying to know—did you expect all of this to blow up the way it did?”

Her message catches you off guard. You’d expected something more competitive, maybe another cheeky comment. But this question feels more open, almost as if she’s genuinely curious about your perspective on all this unexpected attention.

Y/N: “Honestly? Not at all. I mean, I’m used to a little backlash, but this? Everyone’s treating it like it’s the story of the year.”

Paige: “Right? It’s kind of insane, but I have to say, you seem to handle it like a pro.”

A smile tugs at your lips. The words are simple enough, but there’s a warmth there, a hint of respect that takes you by surprise. You hadn’t expected Paige to be this down-to-earth.

Y/N: “I guess that’s part of the job, right? You get used to it, even when it’s… unexpected.”

Paige: “Guess we both know what that’s like. I mean, people see us a certain way, but they don’t really get the whole picture.”

Her message resonates with you in a way you hadn’t anticipated. It’s something you’ve thought about often—the assumptions people make, the way fans and critics alike paint you in broad strokes, not really seeing the person underneath. The more you think about it, the more you realize that Paige might understand that better than most.

Y/N: “True. Everyone thinks they know us based on what they see online, but there’s a lot that doesn’t make the highlight reel, right?”

Paige: “Exactly. It’s easy to play a role, keep it simple. But sometimes, it’s nice to just be real with someone who gets it.”

There’s a pause, a subtle weight to her words that makes you wonder if this is just harmless banter, or something more.

Y/N: “So, you’re saying I’m good enough to get the ‘real’ Paige Bueckers?”

Paige: “I’m saying maybe you’re not as overrated as you think you are, Y/N.”

You can’t help but laugh, the slight warmth of her compliment balanced by her usual dose of teasing. But even as the conversation winds down, a part of you can’t shake the feeling that this might be the start of something… different. The back-and-forth, the playful ribbing—it’s beginning to feel like more than just banter.

You let out a soft laugh, staring at the screen a little longer than you meant to, absorbing Paige’s last message. You’d expected a snarky retort, maybe a playful jab, but this? This is something else, something that has you wondering if she’s just as curious as you are. Before you can overthink it, you decide to keep the conversation going.

Y/N: “Alright, I’ll take that as a compliment—coming from someone who’s probably had a lifetime supply of them.”

Paige: “You’d think so, but it’s funny how most of them don’t mean much. I think I’ve just gotten good at smiling and nodding.”

Her honesty catches you off guard. It’s a rare moment of vulnerability, one that’s different from the playful façade you’d seen at the game and in her comments. You find yourself softening, recognizing a piece of yourself in her words.

Y/N: “I get it. People are quick to build you up, but they don’t always see the work behind it. Or the stuff you keep off-camera.”

Paige: “Exactly. Sometimes it feels like it’s just about meeting everyone’s expectations.”

You feel a pang of understanding. Despite the banter, the jabs, you realize there’s a part of her that just wants to be seen for more than the hype, more than the image fans have painted of her. And, you realize, maybe that’s why this little rivalry-turned-conversation feels different than anything you’ve experienced before.

Y/N: “Well, for what it’s worth, I’m here for the real version of you—whatever that looks like.”

She doesn’t respond immediately, and you wonder if you’d gone too far. But just as you’re about to backpedal, her response pops up.

Paige: “Same goes for you, Y/N. Guess that means we’ll have to see what that actually looks like, right?”

Her words make your stomach do an unexpected flip. It’s an invitation, subtle but clear, to get to know her beyond the rivalry, beyond the image. And suddenly, it feels like this whole thing—the online banter, the “feud,” the unexpected DM—has been leading up to this moment.

Y/N: “Guess so. So, next time we bump into each other… coffee? Or are you more of a smoothie person?”

She replies almost instantly.

Paige: "Coffee works, as long as you promise not to trash-talk me in front of the barista."

You laugh, feeling a warmth that has nothing to do with the banter and everything to do with her openness.

Y/N: “Fine, I’ll tone it down. But don’t get too comfortable—I’m not going easy on you.”

Paige: “Wouldn’t expect anything less.”

There’s a pause after that, a comfortable silence that feels like both a beginning and a challenge. As you put your phone down, a smile still on your face, you realize you’re genuinely excited to see where this goes.

[jimmybutlrr]

Mystery Girl

Pairing: Professor -Terry Richmond x Brown-Skinned Women

Warnings : 18+. Romance, Mature Content (Cursing, and Smut) One-Shot, "Getting Slut Out"

Summary: He's that easy, that his draws dropped a few hours after meeting.

A/N: You voted and you shall receive. As always constructive Criticism is welcome and feedback *No Part 2*

“SURPRISE” everyone said. 

Terry clutches his heart feeling happy that his family showed up and out for him. 

“Thank y'all,” Terry said. After going around the party greeting every family member and friends. Terry can be found talking to Mike and the rest of his friend group. “We have to the club, maybe the strip club” Mike said, throwing all the options out there, “calm down, I just came back after being in the military for a few years” Terry said knowing his cousin is not going to take no for an answer. “You're right, we could go to the bar and use your military discount” Mike said, making the men laugh. 

Terry sighs, thinking about the options, laid out in front of him. “Alright, we can go to the bar but only for a few hours because I want to bury these memories”. Terry said in despain, thinking about his time in the military. “I’m going to make those memories disappear” That’s what Mike said a few hours ago, now being too drunk to entertain Terry. 

As Terry sits at the bar talking to the bartender as he has nothing better to do. During the time he spent talking to her, he found out that she had graduated university with a bachelors of social science, has a chihuahua, is collecting another degree  and works at the bar to be able to pay off her classes and debt.  “I really enjoy this talk with you but It’s the end of my shift and I have to switch out now, See you later Handsome .

" The bartender says winking at Terry and leaves before Terry can have a chance to get her number. Drinking the rest of his drink, he looks around for Mike and the boys, seeing them on the dance floor and he walks towards them. Tapping one of his friends on the shoulder, he lets them know that he has to leave and to watch out for Mike. “I have to go, but make sure you guys  make it home safe, alright”. The man nodds to Terry’s words, turning around to continue to dance with the bad gyal in front of him.  

Making his way through the club, throwing a few excuses here and there. He gets to the exit of the club and starts searching for his car when he sees the bartender on the phone, arguing with the uber as he’s not understanding where to go or what she’s saying. Terry walks up to her grabbing her attention, “Hi, I was just walking to my car, when I  saw you upset and I just wanted to make sure that everything was alright, as it’s dark out” Terry said concerned for safety. “I’m alright , it’s just the uber, they're starting to piss me off”. She said upset, “If It makes you feel better, you look sexy when you’re mad” Terry said walking  even closer to her, she blushes feeling flattered, by his compliment. 

“Thank you handsome, you don’t look too bad yourself” She smiles, staring into his eyes, biting her lip, noticing the height difference between them.  “I’m about about to go home, do you need a ride” Terry said breaking the silence, “I would love that” She said putting her head down, Terry wanting to charm her some more, takes to fingers and picks up her head “Don’t put your head down around me”  he demands staring into her eyes some more, feeling a bit chilly as he has no jacket, he put his arm around her neck and starts walking towards his car.

Thinking back to how they met, It really doesn’t explain how she ended up on his bed with her face planted into the sheets, gripping for dear life. “Don’t cum, Don’t cum” Terry demanded “No ppllleeaassee, let.. .me .. .cum, ppllleeeaasse” moans as her stomach starts hurting her. “It hurts, pleassee”. Terry nodds “Alright let it out, when i could to 3 alright” Terry said, lifting up her hand to start slapping her cheeks “ One “Slap” Two “Slap” Three” Terry said feeling her tighten around his dick, feeling like 2 orgasm isn’t enough. 

He starts fucking her through her orgasm, not caring that she’s trying to push his stomach way from her “Please, it too much,plleeaassee” She moans feeling tired. Terry stops, slapping her ass one good time before turning her around. He takes her legs putting them next to her head giving her a small kiss before he starts to bottom her pussy out”OOOMMYY Gooooodddd”. Tears start falling from her eyes, all while her ears start ringing and her body starts twitching. 

Making her reach up to push his body,” Why you running” Terry said, grabbing her hands and choking her. Looking down, Terry smirks, seeing drools fall from her mouth, the whites of her eyes and her delayed speech, trying her hardest to speak English or at least speak at all, it was cute. Terry’s thrust starts rough and slopier, revealing that his nut is getting closer and closer. “Come on, Nut deep inside me, daddy please” She said hoping to be filled. Terry obeys letting of a string of curses while he nuts deep inside her, not caring about the missing condom

Letting go of her body, he falls next to her, both too tired to get up. They fall asleep bare and sheetless.  A few weeks later, Terry wakes up and starts rubbing his eyes. Walking to his bathroom he starts getting ready for his first day being a substitute teacher for a college course that his connections helped him get. He gets to work, taking out the lesson plan from the previous teacher, the students start piling in one by one. Scanning everybody's faces for remembrance, he sees her. Shocked that she turned out to be his student, while also coming to the conclusion that she is equally as shocked as she is seated staring at him with the same eyes that were rolling back, just a few weeks before. When it hits him, He never got her name.

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[fanficsbysteve]

The Best for the Both of Them

This will be my first foray into writing fanfiction in a long long time so please be kind. Constructive Criticism is always welcome. Hate Mail is not. I also haven't used Tumblr in awhile so if anyone has any suggestions on how I can make my posts better or easier for you all to read, please let me know.

Rated: PG? WC: 4863

___________________________________________________________

 “I’ll see you around Buck”, Tommy stood for a second before he walked to the door and out of Evan’s loft. His mind was reeling from what he just did. Evan had been the best thing to ever happen to him, and he had just ended it. Did he do the right thing? He kept walking eventually coming to his truck. He got in and looked up at the windows to Evan’s loft. He saw his now ex-boyfriend standing there looking out at him.

                “This is the best thing for both of us,” he told himself as he started the truck up and drove off towards his house, “It was never meant to last anyways. I’m his first not his last” he just kept telling himself that as a means of justifying it to himself. He felt tears start to well up in his eyes as he drove towards his house. He didn’t want to do that. Evan was the sweetest and most caring person he had ever known. But he couldn’t handle the heartbreak if he decided that Tommy wasn’t enough for him. Yes that was an incredibly Biphobic mentality to have, and he knew it, but your brain is never logical when it comes to your emotions and your potential for heartbreak.

                He pulled into his driveway and turned off his truck. Sitting in his truck he let the tears start to roll down his cheeks. Sobs racked his body as he just let out all the sadness that he was feeling over what he had done. He desperately wanted to take out his phone and call Evan and say he was sorry. Say he didn’t mean it. Beg him for forgiveness. But he knew he couldn’t do that. No this was how it had to be.

                After about 10 minutes of the ugliest crying, he had ever done in his life, he composed himself, got out of his truck and head inside his house. It was going to be a long night, and he knew it. This was the best for the both of them.

***

                Tommy took a couple days off work so he could just get all his crying out. His work best friend, Jessica, had come by a couple times during that time to check in on him and see how he was doing. She reported to him that he always looked like shit and that he needed to pull himself together. She really didn’t get it though did she. She had been with her husband for as long as he knew her.

                After the third day, Tommy again pulled himself together and compartmentalize all his emotions like he had grown accustomed to all those many years ago. Looking around his house he found so many things that reminded him of Evan. Some of his clothes that he had left behind after a night over, a toothbrush, some different knickknacks that he bought for Tommy to keep in his apartment to remind him. Sighing, Tommy picked up a box and started to place all of Evan’s items into it. He kept the pictures. And a hoodie. He may have broken up with Evan, but he didn’t want to forget about him completely. He was a big part of his life for the past 6 months. Everything else went into this box.

                He spent the better part of a day trying to decide the best way to get these items back to Evan. He didn’t feel ready to see Evan again so going to the loft to drop them off was probably not in the cards. Maybe Eddie or Chim could get them to him. Though not sure if that was going to be easy either. They were both closer to Evan than they were to him. Wouldn’t hurt to try anyways.

                Tommy took out his phone and shot a quick text message off to Eddie. He didn’t expect anything back right away, but little did he know, “You fucked up bud” was all he got back at first.

“Don’t you think I thought this through,” he responded back.

“Doesn’t mean you didn’t fuck up” Eddie wrote back.

“I have a bunch of Evan’s stuff that he left at my place that needs to get back to him,” Tommy wrote quickly, “And I don’t think either of us wants to see each other right now.”

“I spent the past 3 days with a very drunk Evan pining over you hard,” Eddie replied, “You have no idea how badly this is affecting him.”

“He doesn’t know how this is affecting me either,” Tommy sent back, “Can I leave his stuff with you, and you give it to him?”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” Eddie wrote back, “But I think the two of you need to talk this out. Sometime before my liver gives out.”

                Tommy sighed and took the box to his Truck, meaning to head towards Eddie’s house. At least Eddie was still talking to him, which was a good sign. He hadn’t fucked things up with the entire 118 at least. He drove about an hour to get to Eddie’s house. Seeing Evan’s Jeep parked out front, Tommy drove right past the front of Eddie’s house and parked a ways up the street so that he wouldn’t be noticed. God, he needed to mature up, but he really didn’t want to see Evan right now. He had just gotten himself to stop crying and he knew that if he saw him it would start the tears up again.

                Tommy slowly walked up towards Eddie’s house, navigating like some weird stalker up the sidewalk and deposited the box outside the door to Eddie’s house. He snapped a quick picture of the box and Eddie’s door and hurried down the walkway, sending a picture of the box to Eddie with a quick message of “I can’t see him yet. The box is outside your door.”

                Tommy drove back to his place, hyperventilating a little bit over what could have happened. He needed to stay strong. This was the best for the both of them.

***

                It had been a month since he ended things with Evan. Work kept him busy so that was beneficial for him. He could throw himself into work and forget everything. He did tend to avoid using the mouth static because it reminded him of Evan. His captain was probably very appreciative of that.

                Tommy had taken to using Tinder to see if he could get someone to date again. He did miss the companionship that Evan gave. Someone to hold at night. Problem was that he was trying to pick a fish from the sea that was Gay LA. The amount of people that just wanted to have sex with him far outweighed the people looking for a nice date.

                He did find the rare gentlemen not looking for a quick fuck which was nice. Tommy wasn’t ready to dip his toes back into THAT market just yet. Besides if he wanted that he would have been on Grindr, not Tinder. Men were just horndogs no matter where they were.

                Tommy swiped right on a handsome man that he saw and got the “Match” signal, so he started messaging this person. He was 5’6, fit, brown hair, blue eyes, worked as a nurse at one of the local hospitals. Tommy decided to go on a date with this guy. Have a nice dinner and a movie. That was his typical first date. Had it been that before Evan and will continue to be that after. He just needed to figure out a restaurant.

                The night of the date came, and Tommy met this new guy at the restaurant. His name was Bryant, and he was closer to Tommy’s age than Evan had been. He wouldn’t admit it in person, but he felt a little bad when he and Evan were together since there was such a large age gap.

                Bryant had chosen a nice Vietnamese restaurant to meet up at, and Tommy would be picking the movie. They ordered their dishes after sitting and waited. Tommy looked around the room a bit, taking in his surroundings. It was a nice place, he thought, and then a thought he didn’t want to have came up ‘Evan would really like this. He likes to try all kinds of new food.’

                He had to stop himself. He was drifting off into thinking of Evan and that wouldn’t have ended well. Bryant was talking and Tommy hadn’t heard a thing he said in his revelry. God he was the worst person to go on a date with right now. His thoughts constantly running back to Evan like some kind of sick masochist. No, he wouldn’t let that man keep such a vice grip on his heart. This was the best of the both of them.

***

                It had been 6 months since he had broken up with Evan. He had managed to match with about 10 very nice gentlemen in that time, and failed to go on a second date with about 6 of them. Why was he so bad at this? It was never this bad with Evan. Not even remotely. They always got along and always had things to talk about.

                Sitting down at the coffee shop, a handsome Latin man sitting across from him, Tommy sipped at his drink while half listening to the man talking about his life. He was interested, really he was. He just couldn’t make his mind focus. It kept going back to thoughts of Evan.

                The bell above the door rang as someone came in again. They were sitting near to the door, so Tommy had a bird’s eye view of the people walking in. And what he saw made his heart clench in his chest. Walking in through that doorway was Evan. He was there with a very beautiful blonde woman. God, he looked amazing still. Hopefully he didn’t see Tommy.

                Quickly looking away, Tommy hoped against all hope that Evan didn’t notice him. He didn’t want to create a scene or end things badly on this date. His date seemed to notice as he asked what was going on?

                “Ex-boyfriend just walked in,” Tommy replied. His breathing had slightly deepened after Evan walked into the shop, so he suggested that they take their drinks and go for a walk.

                He couldn’t be in the same room with Evan. It was too hard to see him. He did look happy though. Walking out of the coffee shop, his date heading out before him, he glanced back hoping, while also not hoping, to catch a glimpse of Evan again. Looking right at him, his blue eyes trying to hide a sadness that he could match was Evan. God how he missed that man. He turned back around and left the coffee shop, not wanting to feel the pain that his heart was currently feeling. This was the best for the both of them.

***

                It had been three days since Tommy saw Evan at the coffee shop. Things had fizzled out again with the latest in a long line of dates he had gone on. Honestly, it was getting a little depressing for him. But he kept on trying. Maybe one day someone will click with him.

                His phone buzzed and he absently picked it up without looking to see who the message was from and opened it. His heart skipped a beat when he looked at it. It was from Evan and just said one word “Hey”.

                Tommy was freaking out a bit. He hadn’t expected this to happen. He had taken a break and wanted Evan to experience his life now. He would have done the same had he been the first for a gay man. It wasn’t fair to tie someone down into a relationship if they hadn’t fully experienced life to its fullest.

                “Hey,” Tommy replied back, “Saw you at the coffee shop a few days ago. You look good”

                Tommy stared at the screen at the Typing bubble showed up on his phone. It was agonizing waiting to hear back. One minute. Two minutes. Was he writing the next great American novel over there?

                “It was nice to see you as well,” was the reply. Eight words? It took him that long to write eight words? The typing bubble showed up again, “Can we meet up? I have some things I need to talk to you about.”

                Tommy stared at his phone. Could he do this? It had been 6 months. Surely things had settled between them enough that they could have a cordial meet up right? “I could do that. Do you know a place?”

                “Let’s get pizza for old times sake,” Evan replied. Tommy felt his heart beat a little harder in his chest, “You know the place. Did you want me to pick you up or meet you there?”

                Tommy stared at the phone. While he would have loved to go there together, he knew that he couldn’t. Not easily anyways. 6 months they had been apart but every thought in his mind was about Evan. He had never had a relationship with anyone, quite like the one he had with Evan. There was something about it, “I can meet you there. 8 pm? Know a day?”

                “Can we meet tonight?” Tommy’s heart fluttered in his chest. Did he dare accept?

                While his brain was overthinking every situation that could come of this, his heart took control of his hands and he typed back, “That can work. I’ll see you there.”

                “See you there,” was the reply. Tommy put his phone down and let out a breath that he didn’t realize he had been holding. This could go so many ways. Picking up his phone again and looking at the time, Tommy had about 3 hours to get ready. The Pizza place that Buck wanted to go to wasn’t too far from where Tommy lived. Maybe a 30 minute drive. It gave him time to look his best. They may be broken up, but Tommy definitely didn’t want Evan to see him look a mess.

                He went about getting ready and he felt his heart fill with joy a little bit. He also started to have second thoughts on the breakup. Was this the best for the both of them?

***

                Tommy walked up to the entrance to the restaurant at just before 8 pm. He was trying not to hyperventilate about what was about to happen. He stopped at the door and stood for a second, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down before he walked in.

                He could see Evan sitting at a table off to the right of the entrance. Tommy had a little bit of a chuckle. His brain was not thinking in perfect thoughts right now, but he just loved the idea of him picking a table slightly to the right of centre when the last happy conversation they had was about the Kinsey Scale and how Tommy was a solid 6.

                He walked over and sat in the chair across from Evan, “Hey” he said. It was his general greeting for everyone.

                “Hey,” Evan looked up to him, a light of what looked like happiness hiding in his eyes, “Thank you for coming”

                “I didn’t have anything planned for tonight,” Tommy smiled but his eyes just kept taking in this man sitting in front of him. God he was beautiful, “Your text caught me by surprise though. Can’t say I was expecting it, but it was a nice surprise.”

                “Yeah, well when I saw you at the coffee shop, I knew I had to reach out,” Evan smiled and looked down at his hands, “It just took me 3 days to send that first message. I kept psyching myself out and telling myself not to and that you hated me and that you didn’t want to hear from me”

                “I could never hate you Ev…Buck,” Tommy quickly changed the name he called him. He had been thinking of his as Evan for so long that he had forgotten that friends call him Buck, “I was the one who broke it off with you. If anything, you should be hating me.”

                Tommy saw Evan deflate a bit when he changed the name he called him. But what was he supposed to do? They were broken up. And as much as Tommy wished it, they weren’t going to get back together. Tommy had messed that up already with what he said when they broke up. The best he could hope for is salvage and become friends and just watch from the outside and be supportive while Evan found someone new.

                “I could never hate you either Tommy,” He whispered. He was still looking down. Tommy reached across the table and gently put a couple fingers underneath Evans chin and lifted his head so they could look each other in the eye. Tommy was a little shocked to see the barest hint of what could only be tears in Evans eyes.

                Tommy coughed quickly, “Anyways should we order something? I want to hear all about your life since the last time we saw each other.”

                Tommy picked up his menu and used it to hide his face a bit. The tears and look of sadness on Evan’s face was going to get to him if he didn’t compose himself. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

                They eventually ordered a pizza to share and some drinks, “So the woman I saw you at the coffee shop was very pretty. Did things go well?”

                Evan was a little taken aback by that statement, “You think she’s pretty? I thought you were a 6 on the Kinsey Scale?”

                “Just because I can notice when someone is attractive doesn’t mean that I want to immediately have sex with them,” Tommy chuckled. That broke the downer mood that had been soaking the two of them since the moment he sat down. Evan chuckled as well, “Society has its standards of beauty in men, women, and anyone in between. These are drilled into us from an early age. You ask a straight man who the most attractive man to them is, and I can almost guarantee you that they will give you one of the Chrises or one of the Ryan’s”

                Evan smiled at that, “Chrises and Ryan’s?” This man was clueless sometimes. Tommy smiled at him. This man could find a substack about some 200 year old cowboy but he knew nothing about the Kinsey Scale or the Chrises and Ryans.

                “Well first you have the easy ones, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Pratt. They have all been in Marvel movies, so everyone knows about them. Then you toss in Chris Pine, and you have the Chrises. Chris Pine is the odd one out as he hasn’t been in Marvel, and he has what some people call an Odd Attractiveness. The other Chrises are conventionally attractive,” Tommy took a sip of his drink before he continued, “Then you have the Ryan’s. Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling. Both very attractive men in their own rights and both very famous for various different reasons.”

                “I never thought of it that way,” Evan replied, “I always thought that just because you were straight or gay you didn’t really notice the other gender.”

                “Well, you have much to learn my Baby Bi,” Tommy chuckled, “You didn’t answer my question though. How did things go with the blonde at the coffee shop? Don’t think you can change the subject by claiming your naivety in things around the LGBT+ world.”

                Evan smiled and it melted Tommy’s heart, it was good to see him like this, “It went OK. We aren’t planning anything else though. Seeing you at the shop put me in a bit of a mood.”

                “I’m sorry about that,” Tommy replied, “She looked like she was your type. Well, I think. I don’t really know your type when it comes to women.”

                “I don’t really have a type when it comes to anyone really,” Evan explained, “I just find certain people attractive and decide then and there if I want to date them. She was pretty but not what I was looking for I guess.”

                “Well, that sucks,” Tommy replied, “I haven’t had much luck either. Nothing clicks I guess.”

                “Its hard to find something like what we had,” Evan replied. He sounded sad again. Tommy didn’t know how to make him happy again right now, so he just took a bite of his pizza on his plate.

                They ate in silence, Tommy sneaking glances at Evan, hoping he wouldn’t notice. He thinks he got caught at least once and quickly started looking off into the restaurant, trying to hide what he was doing. This was truly one of the most beautiful men he had ever seen. He was a fool for letting this go.

                After they finished their pizza, it was time for dessert. Evan ordered a tiramisu, and Tommy ordered his usual Spumoni. What could he say, it was his favorite. And when you know you like something, you always go back to it.

                While Tommy was thinking to himself, he caught sight of a spoon reaching across the table and taking a piece out of his dessert, “Hey!”

                Evan smiled as he placed the frozen dessert into his mouth. Tommy smiled a little. Picking up his spoon, Tommy reached across and took a scoop of Evans dessert. He got an indignant little squeak from Evan over that as he raised it to his mouth, “All’s fair in love and war Evan.”

                Tommy watched as Evan’s smile grew wider as he heard his name spoken out loud. Tommy didn’t realize that it was going to happen. He smiled a bit before taking the bite of Buck’s dessert.

                They back and forth stole each other’s desserts until there was nothing left on the plate, and they were giggling like two school boys who had seen something naughty, “I miss this,” Evan said with a sigh, “I miss you.”

                Tommy stopped giggling and looked directly at Evan. Had he heard what he thought he heard?

                “I miss seeing you come home after work, covered in soot. I miss standing in the kitchen cooking us dinner, you coming up behind me just to hold me. I miss waking up in your arms,” Evan continued, “I miss us.”

                “Evan,” Tommy tried to get him to stop. This was hurting him too much, but Evan lifted up a hand.

                “Let me finish,” Evan continued to talk, “We came here to talk about life so let me finish and then you can have your say,” He put his hand down and took a breath, “Over the past 6 months I admit that I did try dating new people. Men, women, I think I went out with a non-binary person once as well. And each and every one of those ended the same. Me alone in my loft. They always ended up the same because of one thing. They weren’t you. None of them were you. It took me a while to fully understand what happened between us.

                Tommy stared at Evan as he spoke. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes and he tried to stop them, but they just started to fall down his cheeks. He hadn’t wanted this. He just wanted to talk to Evan again. To be a part of his life again.

                “I realize now that I wanted the future with the idea I had of you. I wanted the idea I had of you move in with me in my Loft, which lets face it, was a ridiculous thing to say at the time,” Tommy noticed that Evan was essentially talking to his hands as they wrung a napkin in his hands, “And it took me talking to Maddie, Eddie, Josh, and basically everyone in the 118 to realize what I did to you. And to understand why you did what you did. You were scared. You were scared of being hurt and I understand that now. You didn’t want to be hurt so you hurt yourself and me in the process.”

                The tears were steadily going down Tommy’s cheeks at this point. He wasn’t a super emotional person. He worked in a life or death job. He saw people die all the time. He could compartmentalize everything. But right now, he was failing at that.

                “I tried to hate you at the start of it,” Evan still hadn’t looked up. Why wouldn’t he look at Tommy, “I tried really hard. But I couldn’t. You had just broken my heart, and I couldn’t hate you. It wasn’t until a month in when I was visiting Maddie at work, and the wise gay sage that is Josh was there and he gave me some words of wisdom, ‘You jumped ahead too far. You are currently seeing a future with who you think Tommy is. Not who Tommy actually is. And until you figure out which one you want to have a future with, you need to sit back and think about what it is you truly want. Do you want the idea of Tommy that you have? This unattainable statuesque Greek God of a man. Or do you want Tommy, the man who was engaged to a woman for 2 years, who had to survive the military at the height of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Tommy who is scarred beyond what you can see. And when you decide which, it is that you want, well the universe will bring you what you need.’ And then he just made a dramatic exit from the room.”

                Tommy chuckled a little while the tears kept flowing. He kept looking towards Evan, “Now I know that it was you who broke things off with me, in a not very classy fashion by the way,” Evan finally looked up from the napkin he had basically shredded into tiny pieces during his speech, “But I wanted to see if maybe, you wanted to try again? Try being together? It took me awhile to realize that I wanted the Tommy with all the scars that I never got a chance to learn about. The visible and invisible ones. You don’t need to answer right away. I can give you time to think about it. But I know that it is you that I want. You that I need in my life. You that I see a future with.”

                Tommy stood up, his eyes blurry at this point, walked around the table towards Evan, leaned down, placed his hand gently on Evan’s chin, and kissed him with as much love and passion as he could muster. He didn’t want this to stop. He couldn’t let this stop. Of course he wanted Evan back.

                The kiss ended and they were both breathless. The noise of the restaurant hadn’t died down so hopefully nobody was staring at their very obvious display, “Should I take that as a yes?” Evan was breathless and Tommy was as well. He nodded his head vigorously.

                Evan’s smile became the widest that Tommy had ever seen. He didn’t know how to take that. Evan grabbed him and pulled him in close, nuzzling his head into the crook of Tommy’s neck, “We should probably pay the bill and go I guess,” Tommy said eventually, enjoying holding Evan again. It had been too long, and he missed the gentle breathing.

                Tommy reluctantly let Evan go so they could pay their bill and head out, “House or Loft?” Evan asked as they walked out the door.

                “Huh?” Tommy was confused.

                “House or loft? If you think I’m going to spend tonight alone, you have another thing coming. So will we spend the night at the house or loft?” Evan explained.

                Tommy smiled, realizing that this was all his again. This perfect man, with his substacks, his belief in curses and his random spirals into insanity. This was all his again. Walking towards his truck, Tommy smiled and said, “House,” before getting in, “Though we’ll need to stop by your loft to grab some items for you for the morning after.”

                Tommy watched as Evan smiled. That smile always made him melt. Before he had met Evan, he was reserved. He had slowly started to come out of his shell a bit. To be more of the man that Evan had seen he could be. He still had worked to do before he was that person. But with Evan by his side, maybe he could be that person. Maybe the idea of Tommy that Evan had in the past could be the Tommy he gets in the future. Only time would tell at least.

Sitting on the drivers side of his truck, Evan on the passengers side, Tommy shifted his truck into gear and backed out of his parking stall. He felt a hand over top of his on the gear shift and smiled. This. This was what was best for the both of them.

***

And that's the end of that. Thank you all for reading. I wrote this because S8xE06 really irked me so I wanted to fix it somehow. Let me know what you think.

[rafesbabyg1rl]

Hiii pretties! Welcome to my blog!! Please keep things positive and stay slutty my friends!!!

~If you have any requests, please feel free to leave it in my inbox!!!~

Masterlist: The Watcher (Part One, Part Two, ...)

you can read the rest if you wanna like know more about me n shit ig

Hello!! I'm Kay, or K, kat, whatever you wanna call me. I'm literally just a girl. I am a freakkkk. I do be a bit of a stoner y'all, and I usually am high when I write, so if I make a mistake, I'm blaming that. I'm from the United States (unfortunately) and I only speak English. This is a safe place; I am always here if anyone wants to talk. I do not discriminate; I do not spread hate. I do not and will not tolerate hate or unkind behavior towards me or others here on my blog. Like seriously guys I have bad anxiety, so please be nice and don't make it harder for me.

This is pretty much solely for Outer Banks, Rafe Cameron to be more specific. But, feel free to talk to me about other things!

Other things I'm interested in/passionate about: Taylor Swift, veterinary medicine, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead, 13 Reasons Why, Supernatural, Jurassic Park/World, Harry Potter, The Maze Runner, The Hunger Games, comedy movies (Seth Rogen & James Franco). I love cold weather, books, and cats. Music is life and I listen to a little bit of everything so feel free to send songs.

I AM a student, so just keep in mind that I may be inactive because I’m in CLASS or doing work; because I will prioritize that over tumblr (well, i try). Other times I’m inactive because I am sleeping, or because I’m busy with LIFE. I am not tied to my tumblr and blog. I’ve had only positive experiences here so far, but I know that fanfic writers are often mistreated by readers, but guys we are all just people.

If you want me to hurry up and publish new work, don't tell me that, just interact with my blog and compliment my writing and that will motivate me more than anything else ever could. Also ASK AND REQUEST PLEASEEE!! I really enjoy and appreciate new ideas and feedback from other people's brains. I also appreciate constructive criticism. Don't be mean about it, but if you dislike or disagree with something, tell me politely. I like hearing feedback and am always working on improving my writing.

Seriously y'all, please please PLEASE do NOT be hateful. Do that on your own time, not here. I will not tolerate unnecessary attitude and hate. I believe in forgiveness, and I know that mistakes and misunderstandings happen. I will treat anyone and everyone with kindness and respect unless I have reason not to (really hoping I don't).

Who do I write for? I only write for Rafe Cameron. However, I'm not opposed to writing a little or sharing thoughts about other Outer Banks Characters!

What do I write? I will write literally almost anything. There’s no such thing as too much for me, so request away please. ------ As for darker topics, I will write them. Actually, a large portion of my work will include darker topics/themes/kinks, etc. I will write sensitive subjects too. But just because I live for that shit, doesn't mean everyone else does so I'll do my best to include warnings on all my work for any content that might potentially be triggering for others.

(Small warning: mentions of my mental struggles and self-destructive habits) I've always struggled mentally. I've always felt as though the way my brain works is different from everyone else; like something is wrong with me. But after many many years, I now have a better understanding of myself and how my brain works. Not to dump this on y'all, I swear I have a point, but I have diagnosed depression, anxiety, and ADHD. These things are all a big challenge I face in my day-to-day life and are often the leading cause of why I may take longer to write and publish things. I may take breaks, so don't worry if I'm not active, I will be back at some point. And I'll try my best to update you guys on when I'm gonna be less active or vice versa. Another way my mental health effects my writing is because when I write, a lot of the time my personal experiences or feelings will end up incorporated within my work, since well, it's all coming from my brain. I mostly write for myself to express my thoughts and feelings, having others read and actually enjoy my work is just an added bonus. But personally, I have struggled with self-harm for about one third of my life. I often get ideas for new works revolving around this theme and may publish things about it eventually. Themes such as mental illnesses, self-harm, abuse, insecurities, EDs, suicidal thoughts, unhealthy relationships (obv), toxic household, etc. will have a reoccurring appearance throughout my works. So just be prepared, I guess.

And like I said before, if anyone needs to talk, I am ALWAYS here and I am a very good listener.

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Thank you for visiting my blog, I hope you enjoy! As always, be kind and stay slutty!

[1dont-really-know]

Unfortunately, I had to split the childhood chapter in half since it's getting to be way too long and I have to focus on the finals week that's starting next Monday, so I won't be able to write much if at all. I'll start writing again once it ends, but I'll probably save the second half of the chapter for a memory/flashback chapter.

Without further ado, here's the first half of Malva's childhood! 4422 words long! Enjoy ✨

~~

Malva remembers the day she was allowed to finally meet 'Leanor's friends.

She remembers how close of an eye her guards had on her, watching her every move as if afraid she was going to bolt into the forest the moment she had the chance. That was the main reason she was not allowed to go outside unsupervised, after all. She ran away and into the lush green paradise far too many times for Mother’s liking.

She remembers waiting anxiously near the entrance to the palace gardens, counting and and re-counting the numbers of petals of each flower growing from the bush next to her. What if they don't like me? She had asked herself, what if 'Leanor decides that she doesn't want to play with me anymore because her friends don't want to?

Looking back on it, she doesn't quite understand her thought process anymore. It had seemed so straightforward back then, so obvious that Maleanor would no longer want to spend time with her in favor of her friends.

Malva remembers how her fears were quieted.

She remembers 'Leanor's grinning face as she raced towards her, pulling her into a hug before she introduced her to her friends.

Levan, ‘Leanor had said his name was, a boy who seemed to be around 'Leanor's age, was the first of the two strangers to greet her. Malva remembers his gentle smile and calm disposition, and she remembers wondering how in the world someone like him would befriend her sister.

But then she saw the way 'Leanor had looked at him, and she understood that it was not a simple friendship that tied Levan and Maleanor together.

The second boy looked younger than both Levan and 'Leanor. He greeted Malva awkwardly, as if not quite sure how to address her. She remembers his eyes first and foremost; a pair of shining red that looked like sunrise over a raging sea, the hues shifting like the waves, magenta one second, then back to red, then to a mix of those two colors. His eyes were mesmerizing to watch, but Malva tears her gaze away from them before things turn awkward.

Malva had known of the boy with sunrise eyes before this, of course. The boy had been an orphan her mother had taken in, but she had yet to meet him prior to this.

What was his name again?

Ah, but she supposed she should introduce herself first.

"I am Malva Draconia," she had said, dropping into a curtsy once she remembered her lessons about manners, "second princess of Briar Kingdom, younger sister of Maleanor."

‘Leanor had scoffed at that, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. “You need not be so formal with them,” she had told Malva, nudging her towards the two boys, “they are my friends. I have told them of you.”

For some reason she, herself did not understand to this day, Malva had not thought that ‘Leanor would have talked about her to her friends.

Still, Malva smiles, “It’s nice to meet you regardless,” she had said.

The boy with sunrise eyes nods stiffly, while Levan just reassures Malva that it was fine.

What was the other boy’s name again? Malva can’t seem to remember, though she’s sure he had already introduced himself.

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Levan’s eyes are kind. Malva had decided that Levan would be a wonderful partner for ‘Leanor right then and there.

°•°•°•°

In truth, the forest usually was not Malva's destination. It was just where they usually find her.

Looking at her reflection on the river’s surface, she adjusts her cloak, making sure no one could see her horns. Thankfully, with her technically being a hatchling, her horns weren't that hard to hide. Her tail had been bunched up to resemble a backpack under her cloak, hiding it from view. It is only once she's confident that she looks like any other fae and not a princess that she finally sets off.

Was this dangerous? Sure.

Will she get scolded if she was caught? Of course.

Would she care? Ehhh…

Her destination this time was a town not too far from the palace. The bustling streets would have overwhelmed her had it not been that she had been taught to be used to crowds at revels. He was here somewhere. She just needed to look for him.

A head of sunflower blond hair, far shorter than the rest of the humans, and ears too pointed to be those of a human.

There.

Altair, a half-human she had met during a revel.

Malva's friend.

Not an acquaintance, not a mere ally.

Her friend.

She grins brightly, weaving through the mass of people to get to him as quickly as possible. “Altair!” She greets, excited to see him.

“Finally got away from those guards, huh?” Altair grins back at her, giving her a pat on the shoulder before turning to the library. He raised his hand, trying to get hold of the door handle, but was much too short to reach it.

Malva snickers at his failed attempt, “same goes to you. Did your parents finally let you leave the cabin again?” she didn't have any right to laugh, however, as she herself was also too short to reach the handle. She was older than him, sure, but with his human heritage he was a bit taller than her and looked older than her as well.

They ended up having to wait for an adult to open the door for them.

°•°•°•°

“When do you think you’ll finally accept ‘Leanor’s proposals?”

Malva had invited Levan to tea not long after she had met him and his and Maleanor's other friend. This was a very important subject, after all, and first (or in this case, second) impressions were important. Levan needed to know that Malva is and always will be on Maleanor’s side.

The sudden question makes Levan choke on the tea he had been drinking. Malva just watches him, waiting for him to stop coughing and answer her question. “So? What’s your answer?”

Finally, after he has his breathing back under control, Levan looks at Malva, his jaw open in bafflement, “are you proposing to me in Maleanor’s stead? For Maleanor?”

Malva shrugs, taking another sip of her own cup of tea, “you seem to have a problem with answering Maleanor when she asks you to marry her, so I’m going to ask you to marry her,” a pause, then she looks him right in the eyes, her gaze blazing, “marry ‘Leanor, Levan. I know you like her.”

Levan is at a loss for words. He opens his mouth, about to say something, before he thinks better of it and sighs instead. He looked at her, resigned, before speaking, “tell me why you’re doing this again?”

“Well for starters,” a little bit more of Levan’s will to live fades from his eyes, “you like ‘Leanor. That much is easy to see from the way you look at her. And you know ‘Leanor is fond of you as well, since she’s always looking for a reason to spend alone time with you. Furthermore-”

This is going to take a while.

°•°•°•°

“-Finally, you have rivals, dear brother-in-law. Others who yearn for my sister’s attention and affections. She could have anyone in the kingdom, but she chose yo-” Malva’s eye twitches in annoyance and she pokes Levan roughly on his ribs when she notices his vacant stare, “are you even listening?” she frowns. She can tell how much Levan means to ‘Leanor. She wants nothing more than for their happiness, but if Levan doesn't make a move soon, she fears what ‘Leanor would think.

Levan, who had been zoned out for the better part of an entire hour of her explanation, winces in pain, his hand over the rib Malva had poked. “I was listening,” he grumbles. His thoughts seem to be elsewhere, however.

Malva sighs. She needs another approach, something that could worm into Levan’s mind and conscience and will refuse to let go until he tells ‘Leanor how he feels. Maybe…

“Y’know, Lilia is exceptionally close to ‘Leanor,” Levan’s ears perk up at her words. Perfect. She has him right where she wants him, “It’s not hard to see why, truly. Lilia is… something. He’s hardheaded and rather brash, like ‘Leanor is, but he also always makes sure she’s alright. In fact,” now this is a risk, but it’s a risk she’s willing to take, “I’d say, in a way, he’s in love with her as well.”

Lilia was a friend to both ‘Leanor and Levan, and though Malva felt a little guilty for using his name for her schemes, she assures herself that she'll apologize to him for it once she finally gets to meet him.

In all honesty she doesn't even know if Lilia actually likes ‘Leanor in that way or not, but regardless.

Levan was quiet, seemingly thinking through his options. He looks away from her, looking off into the distance, “you know what? You're right. Perhaps Lilia is better suited for Maleanor after all.”

Wait, what?

No! This wasn't how it was supposed to go!

“I'm not saying you should give up on wooing her!” Malva hissed, standing up and trying to get him to look her in the eyes, all while Levan looks away from her, his shoulders slumped in defeat, “‘Leanor doesn't love Lilia! She loves you! All you need to do is court her and all is well!”

Levan was supposed to use that as inspiration for him to pursue Maleanor more overtly. Lilia was just supposed to be an imaginary obstacle. He wasn’t supposed to matter in the equation!

… Malva feels guilty just thinking about it. She should really find Lilia and apologize for using his name like that.

Malva shakes her head quickly to clear her mind. No, that didn't matter for now. What matters is that Levan is giving u-

His shoulders are shaking. There's… there's amusement in Levan's eyes.

He's laughing at her.

Not only that, he's laughing at her in such a way that someone would have thought he was crying!

The heat of embarrassment rises up to Malva's cheeks, and with an indignant huff and a puff of fire, Malva smacks Levan on the shoulder as hard as her little hands can. “Stop laughing!” she all but cries, her voice cracking, “it's not funny at all! I'm trying to get my sister a husband here!”

Levan just kept laughing, but at least he stopped pretending to cry, clutching his sides as he almost fell off of his chair, “s-sorry, I- pfft- haha! It's just adorable how insistent you are in this.”

This just makes Malva even more indignant. How dare he? Sure, he was a noble, but he was still just a noble. Not yet a prince; not yet ‘Leanor’s husband. “I'm the Second Princess of Briar Kingdom. I know how to control my fire breath. I know how to fly. I am feared. I am powerful. I am not adorable.”

Levan is still laughing.

“I'm telling ‘Leanor you were being mean to me!”

“W-wait, no-”

°•°•°•°

Look left? Check.

Look right? Check.

Perfect. Nobody is watching her. It's time for her to-

“Moonlight? What in the world are you doing?”

“Ack-”

Malva whirls around, almost tripping over a root in her haste, only to see Maleanor standing behind her. Her mind scrambles for an excuse as to why she was slowly inching to the edge of the forest while the ball was commencing, any reason that would not end in her being scolded, but Maleanor narrows her eyes at her before she could respond.

“Yet again you try to run away from an event,” Maleanor sighs, shaking her head. Malva shrinks into herself, shame bubbling up in her stomach though she feels like she hasn't done anything wrong. Without a warning, Maleanor grabs her by the arm and drags her back into the center of the celebrations.

Planting her feet on the ground in vain, the younger of the two sisters squirms wildly, trying to free herself from the older one’s grasp, “I have plans, ‘Leanor. Plans that do not involve nobles sucking up to me in hopes of me giving them something,” she huffs, looking around the palace grounds for someone that could help her or at least be a distraction, “besides, it's not as if anyone here actually likes each other anyways. It's all one big ploy for each of them to get more power.”

“That’s just how politics are, Moonlight,” wait, it looks like they're going away from the center now- oh great, she's dragging her towards Levan and that sunrise-eyed boy. What fun. “You must learn to live with that.”

Maybe if she'd just use a little gravity magic- no, it didn't work. “That's not how I want it to be. What's life without genuine friendship? Without genuine love?” Maybe she could grow some vines from the ground to anchor her- aaaand Maleanor ripped out the vines.

“You've been talking to that half-human boy, haven't you?” They're getting incredibly close to Maleanor's friends, the chance for escape is slipping through Malva's fingers like sand. Maleanor didn't seem to care, “I've told you before and I'll tell you again, sister, those fantasy books are just that, fantasy. It's not how the world works.”

Escape is nigh impossible now. They're right in front of Maleanor's friends, which means if Malva did escape, it'll make her look bad. But does that mean that she'll back down? No. Malva is far too prideful for that. “Well you genuinely love Levan, don't you?” She snaps at Maleanor, her tail swishing in agitation. Still, she inwardly grins at the way both Levan and Maleanor's cheeks redden at her proclamation, “that means that genuine love and care does exist, even in politics, and it should exist more.”

Maleanor grabs Malva by the face, squishing her cheeks in a tight grip, “I told you not to say that in front of him!” She hissed, “have I not already told you I do not need your help to court him?!”

“Now now, let's both calm down, alright?” Levan tries to soothe, placing a hand over Maleanor's in an attempt to make her let go of Malva's face, “there's no need for this, hmm?” Unfortunately, Maleanor still doesn't let go, her eyes locked with Malva’s defiantly. Levan sighs, “Lilia, help me a little, will you?”

Ah. So he's Lilia. Malva really messed up by using his name to try to make Levan confess to Maleanor, then. Her current “featherdragon” project needs a new sacrifice.

Lilia looks at her, then at Maleanor, then at Levan. Then, he sighs, “Maleanor, your sister’s still a kid. She doesn't know any better.”

Oh? Oh!

Throwing Lilia a ‘thank you’ glance, Malva mentally notes to give him a gift later to show him her appreciation. Also as an apology, even if she'll never tell him what the apology is for. Taking a deep breath, Malva then turns her attention to Maleanor.

She imagines someone yawning, making her have the urge to yawn as well, but she keeps her mouth shut. Her eyes still water, though, and by holding back the yawn, it makes it look as though she's holding back tears. Look at me, she tries to hold back her giggling as she thinks the words, making herself look as sad as possible, how could you be so mean to me? Aren't I your baby sister? I'm not even a century old yet and you're already being so cruel…

She makes her bottom lip quiver, just for good measure.

The steeliness of Maleanor's eyes waver for a moment, her grip loosening, and Malva takes the opportunity to make a mad dash away from all three of them.

Success!

°•°•°•°

Sitting by the stream, Altair watches as fish of many colors swim by. The cool autumn wind tousled his hair, bringing with it a sense of calmness.

“Sunflower!”

From behind him, Malva emerges from the forest and sits down beside him. She grins widely, opening up her palm and making a magical fire in her hand to light up the area around them. “Pretty great, huh? I've been practicing.”

Altair rolls his eyes, setting down the book he had brought and moving closer to take a better look at the green flame. Much to his surprise, the flame isn't hot even when he puts his hand right next to it, “you didn't need to, you know. I'm a half-fae, not a human.” He can still see perfectly well in the darkness, and he can still see the amusement in Malva's eyes.

Malva, for her part, snaps her fingers and summons a book, placing it down next to his.

“You're just jealous you don't know how to cast this spell,” she nudges him with her shoulder playfully. For someone of such high social standing as her, she’s remarkably friendly in his eyes. Her eyes, however, lock onto the book he brought, and she turns it over so she can read the title, “what's this?”

Plucking the book from Malva's hand, Altair opens the book to where he last left off, Malva reading from over his shoulder. “It's my mother's herbarium.”

“A book about herbs?”

Altair nods, tilting the book towards her so she could see the pages better, “yeah, and it has the uses for the plants here too. See, here's yarrow, and here's a list of its uses, like slowing down bleeding…”

Malva listens intently to Altair's every word, her eyes locked on the pages of the book as he points out every interesting detail he could find. He suddenly remembers the thing she said about having been given a garden by her mother, (garden-hoard, she had said Princess Maleanor had called it) and its many plants. To find out that they have uses is something he would bet she had not thought she would be learning today.

But hearing that the herbarium used to belong to Altair's mother seemed to have reminded her of something.

“Didn't you say that your mother is a healer?”

Altair is taken aback for a moment by the sudden question, “Hm? Oh, yes, she is. Why do you ask?”

That's… odd. He could have sworn he saw something flash in her eyes. Something akin to glee.

“How exactly does someone become a healer?”

Suspicion creeps up Altair's spine. He answers, though hesitantly, “well, you have to learn about medicine on your own, then find a healer willing to be your mentor, then if you're good at it, you have to go to a special academy…” wait- why was he telling her this? Why did she want to know this anyway? “What are you planning?”

The surprised expression on Malva's face is too exaggerated to be genuine. “What? Am I not allowed to be curious about these things?”

The half-fae just stares at her, deadpan. He looks her up and down, slightly narrowing his eyes.

“Okay, yes, I want to be a healer. But that's because–”

“I don't think just wanting to add to your botanical collection is a good enough reason to become a healer.”

“I don't like seeing when people get hurt either!”

°•°•°•°

By the time Malva gets back to the castle, she finds that most of the guests have left, with only a few people hanging around the drinks table and Maleanor and her friends talking near the gates. She would have thought they’d all gone home by now, but she supposes that they have something to discuss. Walking towards them, she starts to be able to hear bits and pieces of their conversation.

“Aww! You were paying attention to her!”

“She's your sister! Of course I pay attention to her!”

“Even I didn't notice the book she was holding~”

“Stop trying to hide the obvious, Lilia.”

“Levan! Not you too!”

“What's going on here?” It's likely because of how immersed in their conversation they were, but none of them seemed to have noticed Malva standing beside Maleanor. And they seemed to have forgotten what she had said about Maleanor’s feelings for Levan, which is good.

Maleanor turns around and grins at her, catching her before she could run and squishing her cheeks again– much gentler, this time. “There you are, my dearest sister!”

“I don't like where this is going.”

“Yes, regardless,” much to Malva's annoyance, Maleanor waves away her words like they were nothing. She points to Lilia, who looks like he would much rather be anywhere but here, “this boy, right here,” Maleanor starts, her eyes positively gleaming with mischief, “has eyes for you, Moonlight.”

“What.”

“For the last time, I don't!” Lilia was seething, very clearly embarrassed by the whole situation. Malva, on the other hand, was too confused to really react.

“Don't lie, you were watching her enough to notice that the reason she was trying to flee the party has something to do with the book!”

Book? Oh, Altair's book.

Maybe this isn't the time to tell them?

Who was she trying to fool, this was the perfect time. She owed Lilia for her escape earlier anyway, so the least she could do is distract Maleanor and Levan from his embarrassment.

“Aside from accusations about ‘having eyes’ or whatever you three were talking about, I have an announcement.” Malva said, before anyone could interrupt her.

This seemed to have piqued their interest, as Maleanor released her hold on Malva and let go of her cheeks. Good. They were getting sore from being squished so much.

It was Levan who first spoke up again, “so, what was this about an announcement?”

This was it. A reason for her to distance herself from politics and add to her hoard in the process. Finally. This way Mother will stop pestering her about hoarding “real” treasures. Finally she can be of use to the kingdom.

“I'm going to become a healer.”

…

An awkward silence envelops them.

“That's it?”

“What do you mean ‘that's it’?” Malva's tail twitches in annoyance, “I just told you I'm going to be a healer.”

Is that not a big thing? To decide your own path in life so soon?

“Are you sure about it?” Lilia asked, “I mean, you're still only, what, seventy years old? Are you sure you're not going to change your mind halfway?”

She had distracted the other two from pestering him and this is how he repays her? How rude.

“You're a princess first and foremost,” Maleanor chimes in, “if you want to run around in your free time messing with plants, then you can. But being a healer is a whole other thing.”

Are they even listening to her? With an exaggerated sigh, Malva turns away from them, starting to walk back to the palace. “You know what? Fine. I'll just prove to you that this is the path I'll take regardless.”

Malva felt like a sulking hatchling. Which, to be fair, she was.

But she wasn't seventy years old; she was seventy nine.

°•°•°•°

“Has anyone seen my sister?”

The servant bows his head respectfully, taking a step back from the confused princess, “no, Princess Maleanor. None of us have seen Princess Malva today.”

Maleanor's brows furrow. Where was she? She hadn't seen Malva since the younger dragon fae said she was going to become a healer. Was she really that upset that Maleanor had pointed out the obvious?

With a sigh, Maleanor forces herself to nod. If Malva was anywhere nearby, she didn't want her to accidentally get hit by her lightning. “Alright. Keep an eye out. I need to have a talk with her.”

This just keeps on happening. No matter where she searched– how many servants she questioned, Malva was nowhere to be seen.

That was, until she got to the palace library.

She found Malva there, hunched over a table, a pile of books about medicine and herbs and plants scattered around her as she slept.

Huh…

She was serious about wanting to be a healer, then.

°•°•°•°

The moonlight is as gorgeous as always.

But something was wrong.

Looking around, Malva sees that she’s on a balcony. There’s some sort of celebration going on in the main building, a crowd of people dancing and chatting as music croons through the walls. A sense of danger crawls on her skin. Why was she here? What celebration was this? When…

The full moon shines overhead, lighting both the balcony and the grounds under her enough for her to study her surroundings decently.

Oh. Levan's here as well. He's talking to another noble that she hasn't bothered to learn the name of not far from where she's standing.

But where was Maleanor and Lilia? Those three are usually inseparable, so just seeing one of them and not the other two is uncanny to her. Well, unless it's Maleanor who's alone. She has her royal duties to attend to, after all.

Now that Malva thought about it, she doesn't see anyone she knows but Levan nearby. She has never liked being alone during these sorts of revels, so she makes her way to him quickly.

But that other noble… she feels like she knew him from somewhere.

“Levan!”

He didn't seem to hear her, still talking to the other noble calmly. The other noble, however, seemed to slowly lose his patience.

“You're too much of a coward to court her properly anyway, so why don't you stand back and let me court her instead?” The other noble said, his voice dark and threatening.

So that's where she remembers him from. He had been one of the many bachelors that had asked for Maleanor's hand in marriage a few decades ago.

Levan remains steadfast, his gaze and voice steady as he responds, “because she isn't interested in you. Dragon faes such as Maleanor cannot have children with those they do not love anyways, so even if you did end up marrying her, there would be no heir to speak of.”

“Is there a problem here?” Malva steps closer, hesitantly looking from the noble's face to Levan's, then back again. Something feels wrong. Something feels very wrong.

Before any of them could react, the noble pulls out a dagger and stabs Levan on the side.

Malva's heart felt like it had stopped beating.

Then, she wakes up.

She was in her chambers, her breathing panicked and afraid and she felt like she could faint.

What… What was that?

Didn't she fall asleep in the library?

~~

Word count : 4422 words (a nice number :D)

Tags : @kitwasnothere

[abandoned-quiche]

question for any and all monsters; if you were human, what soul type do you think youd be?

(ooc list so mod doesn't have to go look em all up)

HELLO !

IT APPEARS THAT, FOR ONE REASON OR AN OTHER, OR PERHAPS NO REASON AT ALL, YOUR QUESTION HAS FOUND ITS WAY TO ME.

WHAT A JOY !

SO!

"SOUL TYPES"!

IT HAS LONG BEEN DEBATED IN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE THE CAUSE OF DIFFERENT COLORS OF SOULS IN HUMANS.

IT APPEARS TO, IN SOME WAY, RELATE TO THE PERSONALITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL, BUT IT IS UNCLEAR HOW.

I UNDERSTAND THAT,

ONE WAY OR AN OTHER,

IT HAS BECOME YOUR BELIEF THAT THESE ARE THE SEVEN "SOUL TYPES".

BRAVERY.

JUSTICE.

INTEGRITY.

KINDNESS.

PERSEVERANCE.

PATIENCE.

"DETERMINATION."

THIS IS NOT SO.

THOUGH,

I CANNOT BLAME YOU

FOR COMING TO THIS CONCLUSION

WITH A SAMPLE SIZE OF ONLY

EIGHT.

IN REALITY, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "SOUL TYPES".

THESE ARE MERELY

CHARACTER TRAITS

PRESENT IN THE SIX FALLEN HUMANS BEFORE FRISK.

MOST HUMAN SOULS ARE SOME SHADE OF ONE OF THE COLORS ABOVE,

BUT A HUMAN SOUL CAN COME IN JUST ABOUT ANY COLOR.

A BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW OF HUMANITY'S PUREST ESSENCE.

ISN'T THAT WONDERFUL?

. . .

AS FOR "DETERMINATION."

THIS SUBSTANCE IS PRESENT WITHIN ALL SOULS.

IT WAS DISCOVERED BY MY SUCCESSOR, DOCTOR ALPHYS!

SHE IS A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL PERSON.

IF ONLY SHE COULD SEE THAT AS WELL.

. . .

I'D LIKE TO THINK, THAT IF I WERE A HUMAN, MY SOUL WOULD BE A NICE SHADE OF

PERIWINKLE.

NOT FOR ANY PARTICULAR REASON - I JUST LIKE THE COLOR!

. . .

THANK YOU

FOR THE QUESTION,

EVEN IF IT WAS NOT MEANT FOR ME.

IT IS ALWAYS

A DELIGHT

TO CONNECT WITH YOU ALL.

. . .

OH, AND MY APOLOGIES IF ANY OF MY TEXT IS HARD TO READ DUE TO THE COLORS.

I AM BEST SEEN IN THE DARKNESS!

[the-one-who-lambs]

Lamb design be upon ye. Some Lambert outfits for The Risen Lamb and the Fallen God: standard outfit, casual fleece, and wedding outfit.

[entirelysein-e]

I need some feedback please 🥹

Ive gotten an ask stating that I should stop writing hcs (reasons: they're too long, no one likes reading hcs anymore) and write more full length fics or short scenarios.

While I do understand that fics/scenarios are nice to read, some things just either feel rushed if I put a word limit on it or the idea just isn't enough to be a full length fic...

(Please keep in mind that my hcs are quite long and rarely ever under 500 words per character)

[effervescentmelody]

Day #11

Repost of day 11 of my art challenge. It was brought to my attention that in my original posting I used a skin tone for Kenji that was inappropriate and played into harmful stereotypes. This was not my intention. I apologize and will be conscious of these decisions moving forward.

[bang-bang-gang]

fic update tonite 👀 fic update tonight queen? fic update 👀

we got someone working through an anxiety attack, people talking about their feelings (wowzers!) and maybe some light bad decision-making. also, there's a secret third person who flirts with swerve (not renee this time) and you'll have to read to find out who.

[mad-hunts]

so... what if i told y'all that i wanted to make one of the theme's to barton's character basically be like the richard silken quote that goes 'how much can you change and get away with it, before you turn into someone else, before it's some kind of murder?' as he slowly but surely becomes almost like the monster in frankenstein. so, he replaces every part of his body with other people's... disembodied ones (yeah... sorry, guys. i know it's a pretty messed up / gross concept 😬 )

and as a result, he essentially BECOMES one of his twisted creations?? because i originally decided to scrap the idea, but i've been thinking, maybe — just maybe — it could really help kind of give barton's dehumanization of himself a 'face' or physical manifestation and just exemplifies how disconnected he actually is from reality

[lorebird]

I really wanna use art fight as an opportunity to practice with fundamentals I’m struggling at. I’ve been in the pits of Unsatisfied With My Art for over 6 months now and it’s daunting to figure out where I should even begin? I know one thing I really want to improve on is my sense of scale and use of shapes, but I would really really appreciate outside suggestions/constructive criticism!! If anyone has input on what could make my art stronger I’d really love to hear

[selkieskies]

Another story idea that is mostly vibes and a premise.

Basically, it is a zombie story where the only way to prevent being turned into a zombie is to amputate the limb that the zombie bit. After the first scare, the zombies are quarantined fairly easily. However, some people in power want to quarantine those who were bit as well, even if they didn't turn.

So everyone who was bitten or 'looked like they could have been bitten' (and doesn't have the privilege to buy their way out of it) are quarantined near or with the zombies.

I vacillate between wanting there to be zombie chase scenes (hence Angel's prosthetic type) and focusing on them creating a isolated solarpunk society.

This concept has been in my head for like ten years and has morphed a lot. But right now the main trio is

Angel (he/him lesbian with a below the knee amputation - I'm thinking from an infected dog)

Trinity (MC and ex-cheerleader with a below the elbow amputation, she/her)

Jacob (punk with a SCI from a car crash but public fervor didn't care and shoved him in with the rest of the bite-survivors)

I think about them a lot. Hopefully one day I can write their story.

[wackus-bonkus-maximus]

odnlb writing process/workshop

this is mainly for my own reference. however, if this post ends up helping you with yours, then even better! 😊

most of you know, i wrote this fic as a practice for using save the cat (aka snyder) structure, and so now that it's complete i have the outline to come back to in a way that i understand and can use in future wips! did i deviate from this structure? yes. a lot. did i still follow all the beats though? i think so! check out how i formatted my outline!

my starting point: marinette 🐞

want: revenge against monarque

need: replace hate with love

this gave me a very clear picture of the emotional journey she would undergo. once i figured out her emotional need and decided what she would do to fulfill that need, i was able to pretty much plot out the entire fic. we needed a hero (in her case, an anti-hero) we could follow through an entire 45 chapter fic, and odnlb marinette gave us a reason to care about her and root for her right off the bat!

here's what save the cat's 15-beat structure looks like at a glance:

(isn't it just beautiful? 😍)

for odnlb, i combined this structure with the 3-act, 9-block, 27-chapter method:

lol so i did not exactly stick to this, as was my plan (my huge cast of characters wanted more from me.) however, i did stick with the proper beats...it just ended up expanding into 5 acts.

this is how my outline ended up looking (orange = save the cat, purple = 3 act 9 block 27 chapters):

act 1 - ladybug meets the villains

block 1

opening image - marinette leaves a rose at chat noir's statue. her eyes are dead (like him)

introductions/setup - 6 years later, marinette works for chloe. adrien still models for gabriel & is estranged from her and his old friends

theme stated - alya says, "you're getting better." (marinette has not been focused on hatred, but her personal growth)

catalyst/ inciting incident - bunnyx steals the rabbit miraculous & draws out the villain team

debate/ immediate reaction / fallout - villain team decides to abandon plan to use rabbit miraculous & get ladybug's miraculous instead. marinette decides to get cat walker's miraculous & kill monarque with it.

block 2

actions - ladybug interrogates adrien agreste bc he is close to lila, chloe, and felix (primary suspects). he doesn't give her any information, but reassures her he is on her side.

consequences - volpina attacks ladybug, villain team overpower her

block 3

pressure - ladybug is outnumbered, cannot stand against all the holders & their power-ups. villain side: ladybug is onto them. ladybug needs an ally & turns to kagami (also close to felix), but kagami turns ladybug down (but why?).

pinch/plot twist - cat walker contacts ladybug: tells her monarque is going to resume akuma attacks unless lb gives her miraculous

break into act 2 - monarque attempts to akumatize ladybug, but cat walker saves her. realizes villains' motivations are split.

act 2 - rise of monarque

block 4

new world - luka and zoe come to town. adrien is in trouble but felix stands by him. su han abandons marinette; he cannot teach her bc she has too much hatred.

fun and games/ b story/ies - felix and adrien switch so adrien can meet his friends for drinks. chloe sneaks snake miraculous back to luka. felix and lila threaten each other. felix likes kagami.

bad guys close in - monarque akumatizes nino to punish adrien. marinette finds out cat walker is a sentimonster

juxtaposition/ old vs new - luka/aspik shows up & joins marinette's side (she's not alone anymore). adrien realizes he has to be alone bc of what happened to nino. kagami confronts felix and gets the dragon miraculous (war begins)

act 3 - adrien identity reveal

block 5

build-up - luka and marinette plot to find the sentimonster. luka confronts adrien indirectly, suspects monarque is gabriel. marinette sleuths on felix (suspected peacock holder) only to discover adrien is a sentimonster/cat walker. kagami finds ladybug & offers to spy on felix & the villain team for her. monarque akumatizes zoe to punish chloe. ryuko gets her felix's amok in the fight, but gets it back when ladybug uses it against him. to stop ladybug harming argos & ryuko, luka reveals chat noir is still alive.

midpoint - montparnasse scene: ladybug confronts cat walker, he admits the truth. stand off with monarque until aspik & mellona rescue ladybug.

reversal - marinette is no longer hate driven, but driven by love to save adrien

act 4 - angrybug reversal

block 6

reaction - due to big emotional distress, ladybug goes into the avatar state (foreshadowing 👀). luka and chloe calm her down. feligami get together. adrien pleads to his father not to harm ladybug.

action/trials (raise the stakes) - the more adrien breaks his amok, the more he breaks his miraculous. marinette is set up to "spy" on adrien for the villain team. villain team plot to corner ladybug at dj wifi wedding.

dedication - adrinette kiss scene. adrien promsies himself he will harm himself before he lets harm come to ladybug. marinette promises no more harm will come to him.

block 7

calm before the storm - lila flashback: she killed nathalie and has been akumatized/transformed for 6 years. balcony scene: marinette tries to keep adrien close to no avail.

pinch/plot twist - volpina and monarque attack chloe, luka, and zoe. vesperia and carapace get their miraculous back. ladybug tries to heal cat walker & free him with her power, but his miraculous is too broken. she can only save him by getting his amok.

everything goes wrong/ dark night of the soul/ all is lost - lila & felix flashback: lila is monarque reveal. ladybug confronts gabriel agreste & tries to kill him, but can't (bc she is no longer full of hate). realizes monarque is lila. monarque takes felix, but kagami takes the other miraculous back to ladybug.

act 5 - fall of monarque

block 8 - finale

power within - team assemble. chloe uses mouse miraculous to activate other holders. lila finds marinette's identity.

action - monarque attacks. luka sacrifices himself to get the upper hand. alya gets the fox miraculous off lila, all her illusions drop. lila akumatizes timetagger, bunnyx shows up to get him. team fights argos and his sentimonster, red moon, to the death. chloe incapacitates argos.

converge - monarque takes the senti-twins and runs. remainder of the team follow her to agreste mansion.

block 9

final confrontation/final battle - monarque tries to make felix fix her miraculous. ladybug and team show up. monarque morphs into monster and attacks. gabriel sacrifices himself to save lb, but monarque still gets the upper hand. chat noir cataclysms monarque with a broken miraculous.

climax - the broken cataclysm destroys the world, but carapace's shield protects remainder of team. with adrien gone, felix is free and emilie is awake. ladybug goes toe-to-toe with broken miraculous final form chat noir, but her power is too weak compared to his untethered destruction. then felix gives her the peacock miraculous and she uses it to create a new bond for adrien, tethering him to life with her love.

resolution/denouement - all of paris knows chat noir is alive! big parade for heroes. ladybug and chat noir do a william and kate kiss. alya shoos off su han. felix gives gabriel to chloe and decides to work for tsurugi tech so he can stay with kagami. zoe and luka decide to go back home for a bit then come to stay too. emilie wants to be close to felix and adrien, but she is def not the priority for them atm. marinette takes the butterfly miraculous back from emilie. adrinette go off on a honeymoon vacation. adrien practices his proposal on a beach.

final image - adrien and marinette playing in the water on a beach on la reunion. “camera” pans away from their silhouettes running around on the sand, back to their stuff on the beach. shows a ring box in adrien’s bag with plagg & tikki chilling.

if this helped you out, i'm so glad! it definitely helped me see how to organize a story. i think if i ever do a fic like odnlb again, i will definitely do this for it.

[hazbinhotel-confessions]

i have a confession about this confessions blog. back in the day people would copy paste the confessions into a barely legible font over a poor pixel quality cropped image released from the source material of whatever fandom the blog was about. i think this would rlly elevate your quality of silly thing you do in your free time and didn't ask for an opinion on. in my opinion. thank you.

This is actually a really good idea-- I used to follow a blog who did this and it made me giggle teehee every time. I'm going to start doing this for now on.

[former-general-geshu-lin]

oh myyy (another wuwa rp? yayayayya), hello there— you emo man. /hj

Geshu Lin scowled slightly at the greeting, arching an unamused brow as he glowered. “And just what is that supposed to mean? Attempting to provoke me? I suggest you spend your time more wisely than that.”