#as extremely slowburn from platonic until they get it

[starryfruitelope]

𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭. 𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭. 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲

and if annie x annalynn shippers lash out like a child with tantrums over this, i won't respond anyways😒

[anakinsposts]

chad meeks martin x reader

prompt: reader lives with sam and tara in new york. she’s been in the friend group for years and is very close with chad, who is extremely protective of her. he’s always had a thing for her but never brought it up due to the fear he would ruin the friendship, until one night..an innocent game of truth or dare changes things

warnings: SMUT, p in v, making out, praise kink, riding, no condom, dirty talk, kinda slowburn but not rlly?

side note: I haven’t written smut in a while so sorry if this sucks! also I did not proofread so sorry for mistakes.

———————————————————-

It was a cold October night in New York. Your friends, Tara, Sam, Mindy, Annika, Ethan and Chad were all sat around the coffee table that was covered in the condensation from each one of your drinks. The sound of the TV was playing softly in the background as you all laughed, playing a game of truth or dare.

You had successfully made it through three rounds of the game without having to do something embarrassing. Granted, you chose truth everytime, which Mindy was not pleased with.

“Come on, you HAVE to choose dare this time.” Annika and the others agreed with her. “Says who?” you asked. “It’s the rules of the game.”

“Since when?” you laughed. “Since right now, i’m making it a new rule.”

“I don’t remember taking a vote on making you game maker.” you bantered.

“Everyone in favor of making me game maker take a sip of your drink.” Mindy said, watching with anticipation as everyone took sips of their drink. “Even you, Chad? I thought you had my back,” you whined at him. He smiled.

“Normally I would be against whatever my sister says buuut, you are the only one here who hasn’t done a dare yet,” he said. “Fine, I choose dare,” you gave in despite all efforts.

You knew by the look on her face that Mindy had something up her sleeve. “I dare you…” she started, giving it thought before looking between me and Chad. “I dare you and Chad to go into the bedroom and make out.”

Chad chimed in before you could, “Mindy that is so inappropriate.” You agreed. “Give me something else.”

“Nope..sorry those are the rules and since you all voted me game maker…what I say goes.” Mindy said, visibly pleased with her dare. “Hurry along now…i’m getting impatient.” She finished. The others piped in, pushing you to do it as if there wasn’t enough pressure already.

You sighed, looking at Chad with pleading eyes, hoping for him to step in and save you. Instead, he did the opposite. “Let’s go,” he said, standing up and holding out his hand. You hesitated but ultimately grabbed his hand as he helped you stand up.

Your hands stayed connected as he led you back to your bedroom. He allowed you to go in first, shutting the door behind him once he entered and leaned against it. His tall stature was almost the same height as the door frame. You sat on the edge of the bed, heart beating a mile a minute.

This was probably the first time in all the years you��ve been friends, that you and Chad had been alone in a room before. To say there were some unsaid feelings between you to would be an understatement. You’ve always had a thing for him, you loved the way he was so caring and protective over you. He treated you like a little sister, which was another reason you felt like he would never see you in a romantic way. Strictly platonic.

But the energy in your bedroom tonight was different than anything you experienced before. There was a sexual heaviness in the air and you couldn’t explain why. Chad didn’t take his eyes off you, he could tell you were deep in thought.

“Hey…you know we don’t have to do anything, right? I just brought you in here so Mindy would shut up,” he said, walking over from the door to sit beside you on the bed.

This brought some relief— but at the same time, it made your heart sink. There was a small part of you that wanted to kiss Chad, to feel his lips move against yours, to feel his hands linger on your body, to pull you on his lap while he explored your mouth, and eventually fuck you until you were cumming on his cock.

But that was a fantasy and you knew it. A fantasy that only occurred in your dreams and would most likely never become a reality. “Well, thank you for saving me.” you smiled, turning to make eye contact with him. “Anytime,” he smiled back. Fuck, you loved that stupid smile.

“I think ‘game maker Mindy’ is going to be pissed when she finds out we didn’t do anything,” you joked. “We’ll just have to convince her that we did.”

You gave him a questionable look. “For starters..we need to mess up your hair,” he said before taking his hands and roughing up your hair. You laughed in the process.

“Perfect, now you need a hickey or something.” You questioned him again. “If you think i’m burning myself with a curling iron..think again.”

“I can just give you one,” he chuckled. Your lower stomach fluttered. “I’m pretty sure that’s more intimate that actually making out,” you told him. “No, let me show you,” he said bluntly. You said nothing, but the look in your eyes was saying something totally different and Chad noticed.

He slowly took your hair and moved it behind your ear, exposing the soft skin of your neck. He leaned over slowly. Despite both of you sitting down, the height difference was still there. You let out barely audible sigh when he lips connected with your neck.

He left soft kisses over the skin, kissing up to your ear and back down to your collarbone. You involuntarily grabbed his arm and squeezed it, before he stopped at the most visible spot on your neck and began sucking.

Somewhere along the way, his hand had rested on your mid-thigh, rubbing and squeezing here and there. He didn’t do it for long before pulling away. He admired the reddish, purple mark he left, a smirk falling upon his lips. “Now, they will believe it.”

You were speechless. How could such a little act of affection, have you so fucking feral? You’re not exactly sure what came over you in that moment. “I like when you touch me,” you said innocently, looking down at his lips. “Yeah?” his smirk grew even bigger. “I like touching you.”

You both remained silent for a few seconds, trying to comprehend what the both of you just admitted. “Do you want me to touch you again?” he asked. You nodded. “Need to hear you say it baby.” It rolled off his tongue in the most sensual way. ‘Baby.’ replayed in your head over and over.

“Please…I want you to touch me,” you didn’t care how desperate you sounded and Chad was reeling over the use of ‘Please.’ Dirty thoughts flooding his mind.

He wasted no time leaning in to actually kiss you this time. It started out slow, because he wanted to give you time to back out if you needed. But you had no plans of doing so. It wasn’t until you let out a soft moan against his lips that he deepened the kiss.

His tongue slid in your mouth, fighting for dominance and easily winning. He couldn’t get enough of you. He pulled you onto his lap, hands resting on your sides as you made out for several minutes. A pool of wetness gathered in your panties, and you grinned yourself against him for some sort of friction.

“Chad..” you whined, desperately wanted more. “Can I take these off?” he referred to your pants. You nodded before he unbuckled your pants, lifting you up slightly so he could remove them. You also removed your shirt in the process.

It was embarrassing how soaked you were. He noticed the damp part of your pink panties. He smirked. “Stop smirking.”

“I just love how wet you are for me baby,” he said, fingers trailing down your stomach before reaching the top part of your panties. He looked at you for permission and you gave him a reassuring nod. He slipped his fingers below the fabric, finding your clit with ease and rubbing slow circles on it.

You moaned, feeling some release in your core from his touch. “Please don’t stop,” you whined.

“Mm, such a good girl..always using her manners,” he praised in your ear. He continued to rub you, adding a little more pressure. “I bet I could make you cum just doing this,” Chad said. “I know you’ve always had a little crush on me..I see the way you tense up when i’m near you, how you bite your lip while you look at my muscles, how red in the face you get when you see me talking to other girls.”

You couldn’t do anything but moan in response. You were seeing stars as he picked up the pace of his fingers, rubbing your clit faster and more aggressively. “Admit it to me y/n. Tell me how you feel about me.”

“I-I’ve wanted you for s-so long,” you sigh pleasurably. “Yeah? Tell me more.” God he was being so hot.

“Sometimes I touch myself at night to the thought of you.” You knew that would boost his ego like hell, but you didn’t care at this point. “Mm, I see. You’ve thought about cumming on my cock? Screaming my name while I fuck you numb?”

“Yes..n-need more Chad,” you moaned. He removed his hand, before reaching down to remove his own pants. His cock was painfully hard at hearing your confessions. He was honestly dumbfounded by the fact that this was happening. Though he would never admit, there was not a day that went by where he didn’t think about fucking you.

You removed your panties, Chad’s eyes immediately glued to your pussy. “Fuck” he breathed out. You helped him remove his boxers, both of you now completely naked. You crashed your lips on his again, making out as you reached down to stroke his cock in your small hand, which barely wrapped around the width. The movements earning a deep groan from his lips.

“You’re so big,” you moaned into his mouth, hand moving up and down his cock faster. “Wanna feel it inside you?” he asked in between kisses. You nodded, he gave you a look of disapproval. “I wanna feel you inside me,” you told him, he was much more satisfied with that answer.

He pulled you back onto his lap, hand gripping your waist as you hovered over his cock. Chad positioned himself at your entrance and looked up at you for one last reassurance, just in case you wanted to stop.

You answered his question as you slowly slid down on his cock, just enough for the tip to go in. You could tell he was trying to keep composure. So were you.

He held your hips, guiding you down farther as you both moaned in sync at the feeling. “Oh..f-fuck,” you whine. “You’re so fucking tight baby,” he groaned. He was big, way bigger than anyone you’ve ever been with. The pain mixed with pleasure made you feel like you were going to explode.

Once every inch of him was inside you, he began moving you back and forth on his cock. Profanities spilled from both of your mouth, absolutely drunk with pleasure. You rested your hands on his shoulders for support as you rode him. “Look at me when you ride me,” he demanded.

You moaned, meeting his eyes, sending you closer to the edge. “You’re doing so good baby, taking me so good..” he moaned, throwing his head back. You both continued like this for several minutes, before he took your arms and held them behind your back, leaning back and beginning to pound into you relentlessly.

“Fuck…fuck..fuck…don’t stop…please don’t stop,” you moaned louder as he thrusted like there was no tomorrow. “You’re making me feel so good y/n,” he said, “Fuck, I could do this all fucking night…make you stay on my cock forever.” His dirty words only pushed you closer and closer. He thrusted harder even though you weren’t sure how it was possible.

You core ached with the need for release. You could feel him deep in your stomach, every thrust deeper bringing you to the brink of collapse. “C-chad…g-gonna cum..”

“Me too baby, me too..” he assured you. Letting go of your arms, he reached between your bodies and began rubbing your clit. The overstimulation too much for you to handle. “Wanna feel you cum on my cock..” he said, rubbing your clit faster and fucking you harder as you came undone.

“Mm that’s right..Good girl…cum for me baby…fuck I love the way you’re squeezing me..” he talked you through the orgasm before reaching his own..

He wanted to pull out but there was a part of him, the sick, selfish and dirty part of him, that wanted to cum inside your pussy.

You knew he was on the edge, you could feel the way his cock throbbed inside you. He let out small whimpers as he felt the pleasure overtake him. Without giving it much thought, you said “Want you to cum inside me.”

He didn’t try to ask if you were sure, with the fear that you would take back what you said. Instead, his warm cum spilled inside you, coating every inch of your walls while moaning your name.

He thrusted a few more times before coming to a stop, but he didn’t pull out. You collapsed in his arms, listening to the faint sound of his rapid heartbeat that got slower as you both came down from the high.

“I can’t believe you just let me do that,” he laughs. “Honestly, me either..but it felt right,” you admit. He pulled out of you, “Spread your legs.” he told you as he sat up. You didn’t question it, you just did what he said. He watched as the white cum slowly dripped out of your hole. “Looking at my cum drip out your little pussy…yeah it was definitely the right decision.”

You blushed with embarrassment. “I never knew you were so naughty,” you laughed. “Baby, this isn’t even close to how naughty I can be,” he said with all seriousness.

A few minutes passed and you both got dressed, Chad helped you get cleaned up before leaving the room. To be honest, you had completely forgot the others still existed. Chad wrapped his arm around you as you walked back to your friends.

“Match-maker Mindy has done it again!” Mindy said, proud of herself, knowing she orchestrated this whole thing. “But I absolutely NEVER want to hear the foul and absolutely disgusting things I just heard in that bedroom.”

“Well thanks to you…you get to hear it every single night,” Chad said before both of you joined back at the coffee table for another round of truth or dare.

AU: CHAD IS DEF THE TYPE TO TALK U THROUGH IT AND I STAND BY THAT

[stop-talking]

So I'm stuck on this shithole island, and I can't even have a smoke? (pt. 6)

Derek Danforth x fem reader

Word count: 3.3k

Tags: 18+, Derek x fem reader, no use of y/n, HEAVY angst, fluff, enemies, enemies to lovers, (very) slowburn, sass, banter, suggestive themes, mentions of drug use, withdrawals, rehab, mentions of masturbating.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

─────────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────────────────

Derek wakes up in your arms, and decides that's exactly how he wants to start every morning from now on.

Today's the day. He's going to confess to you.

Well, if he can sneak out of bed without waking you up. That might prove to be a challenge, seeing as how you have both an arm and a leg draped over him.

Under other circumstances, he'd be content to just lay here and let you hold him. Unfortunately, there was a sort of... "incident" last night. One he desperately wants to clean up after.

So, he carefully moves your limbs, shifting slowly until he's off the bed. You stir in your sleep and he waits with bated breath, but thankfully you remain unconscious.

It's still early morning. Barely past sunrise, from what he can tell. Hopefully he'd have time to get a few things done before you inevitably realize he's gone.

As he slips out of his clothes to hop into the shower, he's suddenly extremely grateful you'd taught him how to use the washing machine. If you saw the mess he'd made of his boxers, he would probably have to off himself.

While he washes off, he goes over his plan for the day in his head. Derek has always been somewhat of a romantic, despite how things may seem. Dating is just... complicated when you're a billionaire. And the president's son. And a crackhead.

He groans and shakes himself out of his slump as he dries himself on a towel. None of those things matter here. Right now, he isn't an addict, billionaire, or the son of the president. He's just a man.

A man who desperately needs to tell you how he feels. Derek is sure if he has to spend one more "platonic" night in your bed he's going to go insane.

So, he starts to put his plan into motion.

"Half cup water... one and one-half cups mix..." He mutters, reading the instructions on the back of the box of pancake mix. Even though you've had him help cook almost every meal, he still hasn't learned much. He's an expert at standing there and stirring, sure, but actually cooking? Not really.

Pancakes, though? He's pretty confident he can make those. Hell, he could probably scramble a few eggs to go with it. You'd taught him that a couple days ago.

He wants to show you he's serious. How much he appreciates what you've done for him, and how much more he needs from you.

But what can he offer in return?

Breakfast, for a start. If he was back home, he'd either take you out somewhere nice or have his chefs prepare something. That isn't an option here, but he could make due.

Derek stands back and studies the stack of pancakes and skillet of scrambled eggs. It looks... edible? Right? Not terrible, at least.

He sighs and starts to clean up the counter. He'd made quite the mess, probably dripping an entire pancake's worth of batter everywhere. You make cooking look so easy, damnit.

Now what? Go wake you up? No, surely there's something else he can do for you. His brow furrows in concentration as he takes the dirty dishes to the sink. The sink that's already filled to the brim with old cups, plates, and cutlery.

Fuck. Guess he's doing the dishes.

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

You wake up feeling uneasy. Something's missing.

No... someone is missing. Where's Derek?

After checking his bedroom, you stumble downstairs, still in your pajamas.

"Derek?" You call out, getting a little more anxious with every empty room you pass through. Where the hell is he?

"In here!"

Oh. The kitchen. Duh. You turn the corner and see Derek with his sleeves rolled up, arms plunged elbow-deep into soapy water.

"What are you doing?" You can't help but ask, even though the answer is obvious. He's doing the dishes. Without a fuss.

"Oh, uh... just... I used a lot of dishes making breakfast, and-" He stammers, nodding his head over to the stove.

"Breakfast?" You follow his gaze, eyeing the stack of pancakes.

Is this real? Did Derek fucking Danforth just wake up early and make you breakfast? And what the hell is he wearing?

"Yeah. I thought I'd thank you. You know, for the cake."

He dries his hands off on a dishcloth, and you silently take in his outfit. He's dressed up. Or, at least, what Derek probably considers dressed up. It's a little strange seeing him back in one of those silk button-ups he's so fond of after nearly a week of the regular ol' shorts and t-shirts his mom picked out for him.

Oh, shit. He's looking at you. Say something.

"What's the occasion?" You finally spit out, eyes darting between his clothes, the clean dishes, and the fresh breakfast.

Derek scoffs. "Occasion? Does there have to be an occasion for me to do something nice for you?"

"Guess not." You mumble, still a little dazed from everything that's happened in the past few minutes.

"A 'thank you' would be nice, ya know." He crosses his arms and gives you an exaggerated pout.

"Oh my god, Derek." Laughing, you forcefully un-cross his arms and pull him into an embrace, resting your chin on his shoulder.

He groans from the sheer force of your hug, and wraps his arms around you as well, returning the gesture in earnest.

Holding him so close like this, you can't help but notice his scent. He smells... different.

"Is that cologne?" You ask, pulling back just enough to look him in the eyes as you giggle.

Derek's cheeks flush pink and he stammers out a response, tripping over his words.

"I-I always wear cologne."

"No, you don't. At least not lately."

"And how would you know? You make it a habit of smelling me?"

He's obviously trying to bait you, so you just roll your eyes.

"Derek. You've practically been living on my lap lately. I know what you usually smell like."

"Okay, well, I wanted to smell nice today. Sue me."

"You want to smell nice today... but there's no occasion?" You lean in a little closer, and give him your best teasing smile. He's just trying so hard today, it's adorable.

Derek opens his mouth to say something, but instead just gives you a weak smile. His eyes flicker from your eyes down to your lips, and his arms squeeze you a little tighter.

Shit. If you keep this up, he's probably going to kiss you. Or you'll kiss him. And you aren't quite sure how to feel about that.

Still, you don't want to break the hug just yet. One of your hands makes it's way up to his earlobe, and you start to fiddle with his earring. Your other arm remains firmly wrapped around his waist.

"This a real diamond?"

"Of course." He scoffs, and with how close you are, you can feel his little huff of breath on your face.

"You aren't scared to lose it?"

"I have a hundred more just like it, sweetheart."

Of course he does. Rich bastard. You try to pull away, but he clings onto you.

"Hey, I still didn't get a thank you." Derek pouts, giving you that pitiful expression he's so good at. Damnit.

Fine, he wants a thank-you? You know exactly how to thank him...

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

"Here, let me get that for you." For the first time, Derek offers to carry the little bag of essentials as you make your way down to the beach together.

As he slugs the heavy thing over his shoulder, he feels a bit of regret for not offering sooner. He likes to think of himself as a gentleman, but obviously he isn't if he's been making you carry this damn thing all along.

"Thank you, love."

All those feelings of remorse fade when you take his hand and smile. His chest floods with warmth and he can't help but wish you'd thank him the same way you did earlier that morning.

He still can't believe you actually kissed him. On the cheek, sure, but a kiss is a kiss, and Derek isn't going to complain.

"It's pretty out today." He muses, looking up at the clear sky. You simply hum in agreement as the two of you trudge through the sand together.

This is a way more romantic setting than the kitchen. That's why Derek hasn't yet confessed to you. Not because you make him nervous or anything.

Okay, maybe it's partially due to nerves. He can't help it. You kissed him before he could get a word out.

You kissed him.

Thinking about it makes him grin like a fool, and he squeezes your hand a little tighter as he walks. He still can't believe he got so lucky.

And hey, maybe he'll get lucky again.

"Race you to the water!"

Or maybe not. Derek groans and drops the beach bag, then rushes after you. He kicks up sand, then water as he makes his way into the ocean.

"FUCK, it's cold." He cries out as the water reaches his chest. Honestly, he didn't even plan to wade in this deep, but he was determined to catch up to you.

"Oh, don't be a baby. It feels nice."

Derek's breath hitches as you snake an arm around his waist, pulling him tightly against your side. Tentatively, he puts his own arm around your back.

"You're gonna regret making fun of me when I fucking drown right in front of you." He grumbles, still a little uneasy being this far in the ocean.

"I won't let you drown. Even if it's a little tempting." You laugh and rest your head on his shoulder, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

"It's tempting to let me drown?" He scoffs, feigning annoyance. It's so hard to be mad at you when you're cuddled up to him like this.

"Maybe." Your other arm wraps around him now, trapping him in a tight hug.

Derek's heart pounds and he can feel his brain go fuzzy. This is it. He should tell you, right now, how much he wants you. How much he needs you.

Unfortunately, before he can stammer out a response, a wave draws near. An especially tall wave.

He tries to take a few steps back, but his legs tangle with yours and he stumbles. In his terrified state, he only grips you tighter, effectively pulling you back with him.

The two of you plunge into the water and Derek nearly drowns you in an attempt to right himself. After a few seconds of struggling, he feels you hook your hands under his armpits and pull him up.

He coughs and sputters, then braces himself as that wave he'd seen earlier finally washes over the both of you. For a minute, he's certain he's a goner. The water goes over his head before he can even hold his breath, mouth still full of saltwater.

You hold him tightly against your chest as the wave passes over you both, then start dragging him back towards the shore. When he finally opens his eyes and shakes the water from his ears, he notices the sky has gone dark. Shit.

"Are you okay, love?"

Derek just blinks at you as he wobbles to his feet in the knee-deep water, trembling fiercely. Your hands cup his face, turning it left and right as you inspect every inch of him.

He pulls away, if only to cough up a gallon of water.

"Might need... CPR... mouth-to-mouth...?" He chokes out, laughing in an attempt to get his racing heart under control.

"Oh my god, Derek. First you nearly scare me to death, then you ask for a kiss?" You give him a light shove, but your face gives away the relief you feel.

"In my defense, I did warn you I was going to drown." He scoffs.

Your response is cut off as it starts to drizzle. The sky, which was a perfect endless blue just minutes ago, is now completely covered in dark clouds.

"You wanna finish this inside?"

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

After showering off the sand and saltwater, you throw on some pajamas and head over to Derek's room.

Yeah, it's the middle of the afternoon, but with the raging storm outside...? Well, it just feels like a pajama kind of day.

"Derek?" You call out, making sure to knock loudly on his door. Don't need any more accidents. "Can I come in?"

"No." He croaks, and you're certain you can hear him sniffle.

Shit. You'd better apologize soon.

"Please?"

No response. Damnit.

"I'm coming in anyways." You announce, slowly opening the door.

Derek lies sprawled across his bed, one arm draped over his face. The room is depressingly dark for the middle of the day, and the dreary whether definitely isn't helping.

Still, his outfit almost makes you chuckle. He's sporting a green robe that you hope he has some kind of clothes under, and his hair is still damp from his shower. God, this man certainly has a flair for the dramatic.

"Derek, love? What are you doing?"

He groans as you flick on his lamp, burying his face further into his arm.

"Sulking." He answers honestly.

You sigh and hop up to sit next to him on the bed, instinctively placing a hand in his hair. A familiar tightness pulls at your chest as you try to find the right words to say. Guilt.

"I'm so sorry for earlier. I shouldn't have made you go that far out, not when you can't even swim. I should have-"

Derek cuts you off, weakly pushing your hand away.

"Stop. Not mad at you."

His half-assed grunt of a response throws you off. What? Not mad at you? Then what the hell is he sulking for?

You sit in silence for a minute, chewing on his words. Fuck, how do you fix this? He almost fucking drowned because of you.

"Still want that mouth-to-mouth?" You tease, nudging him.

That gets him to look up at you. His eyes are puffy and red, a sign he's been crying.

"Is that a serious offer?"

"Was it a serious request?"

You both silently stare at each other, for a lot longer than you probably should. Does he actually want a kiss? Damnit, why are you even considering this?

"Just tell me what's bothering you."

Derek sighs and tilts his head back, closing his eyes.

"A lot of things."

"That's real specific. Thanks."

Without even looking, he gently smacks your leg with a hand. Brat.

"C'mon, Derek? Please?" You lean over him, lacing your fingers into his hair once more. He doesn't want you to leave, not really. You're sure of it.

"Well for starters, my head hurts." He grumbles, leaning into your touch.

"And my throat feels weird. I think I swallowed half the ocean."

You start to reply, but he opens his eyes and holds up a hand, shushing you.

"Seriously. When we finally have internet again, check the news. There'll be headlines about it. 'RISING SEA LEVELS MYSTERIOUSLY FIX THEMSELVES; NO LONGER AN ISSUE' or some shit."

You burst into a fit of laughter. God, he's so dramatic.

"Wow, I... Anything else?" You sputter out, choking back more laughter.

Derek just glares up at you, so you gently tug at his curls and plant a quick kiss on his forehead. It's not... weird, right? You've already kissed his cheek. This isn't much different.

He lets out a soft whimper and shifts slightly, scooting closer to you.

"You wanna lay on my lap?"

"Please."

It's not a strange request. Your lap seems to be one of Derek's favorite places lately, as you've both gotten more comfortable with each other. So, you decide to try something a bit different.

"Here, no, this way..." You scoop your arms underneath him and he melts at your touch, letting you move his limp body how you like.

After a little bit of struggle, you get him situated between your legs. His cheek rests against your bare thigh, his stubble tickling your skin. Guess your pajama shorts are riding up quite a bit. Oops.

"How's that, love?"

He just hums in response, eyes closed again as you play with his hair. One of his hands makes it's way up your leg, settling on your thigh, right next to his face. He doesn't grab or grope you, seeming content with the gentle touch.

His hand is soft. You've noticed that before, but now, in contrast with his scratchy stubble, it feels even softer. He has the hands of a man who's never had to work a day in his life.

And here he is, acting like a lapdog.

"I've been trying to tell you something all day." He mumbles groggily, probably already half-asleep.

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

There's a long pause. You continue to stroke his hair, and he nuzzles against your thigh. Your eyes wander down his figure, smiling at the green robe. It looks good on him. It'd probably look better off him.

Maybe putting him between your legs was a bad idea, because suddenly your mind is plagued with images of him coming. Fuck, that was nearly a week ago now, and you can still envision it perfectly.

"Are you... gonna tell me?" You finally ask, trying to distract yourself.

"Not sure I should, honestly."

"If not telling me is making you cry like this... you should probably just spill."

"I'm not crying." He shifts, letting his head fall back between your legs as he pouts up at you.

Fuck. He's so goddamn close. You give him an incredulous look in return.

"Okay, I'm not crying anymore." He corrects himself, avoiding your gaze.

"Just tell me what's on your mind, love."

He grabs your hand and moves it to cup his cheek as he finally looks back up into your eyes. His expression is that of pure admiration. God, he looks so vulnerable.

When he finally speaks, it's barely above a whisper.

"I think I'm falling for you."

・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・・・・・・○・

Derek's breath hitches. He can't believe the words that just came out of his mouth. Above him, you look equally shocked. He watches as you seem to go through the five stages of grief, expression changing rapidly.

He just lies there, frozen in anticipation. Your hand presses against his cheek a little more tightly and you let out a sigh.

"Derek, no."

No? What the hell does that mean? Is this a rejection? His heart plummets into his stomach and before he can ask, you speak again.

"No, you aren't." You speak firmly, eyes fixed on his.

"Fuck does that mean?" He stammers, starting to get agitated. How can you so confidently declare you know his own feelings better than he does?

"It means you don't like me like that. Not really. I'm just the only person around."

Before he can argue further, you move your hand over his mouth, cutting him off.

"And you're not yourself right now. Not with the withdrawals and whatnot. This isn't right. I'd be taking advantage of you."

Derek's chest tightens and he bites his tongue. Fuck. He didn't think of it like that. Still, he doesn't really care. He'd happily let you take advantage of him. But how to explain that to you?

"It's not- you're not... I..." He rips your hand away, tripping over his own words as he tries to voice his feelings. Why do you look blurry?

Shit. He's crying again.

The worst part is, you're making sense. He can't say with 100% confidence that his feelings for you haven't at all been influenced by the fact you're the only one here with him. Would he have fallen for anyone given these circumstances? Derek isn't sure.

You seem to notice his wavering resolve, because you sigh and gently move him from between your legs.

"Where are you going?" He chokes back a sob, sitting up as you slide off the bed.

"Gonna make dinner."

You turn and leave without another word. When the door clicks shut, Derek just flops back down on the bed, letting the despair take him.

Hey, maybe he'd cry out that gallon of saltwater he swallowed.

─────────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────────────────

Author's note: Sorry for the wait on this chapter... I went a little off-track and wrote some smut about being Mike Schmidt's dentist. Oops.

Anyways, I hope this chapter is as angsty as I intended. I'm trying here. I'm always open to constructive criticism, or feedback of any kind, really. Feel free to put an anonymous message in my inbox, or leave a comment. Is there anything I've written that made you cringe? Are there slow parts that you skim over? Are there any words that you've noticed I use too frequently?

Literally any feedback is welcome, just be respectful about it. Thanks!! <3

[punkeropercyjackson]

Robin!Duke Thomas headcanons/rewrite because i'm in my feelings about him.If you think Duke's not a 'core Batkid' DNI and take your segregation somewhere else

He's the 5th Robin instead of Damian and The Riddler plot still happened but Elaine and Doug got jokerized during it so Bruce adopted Duke way earlier and he was 11 at the time

He is also trans,autistic,femme and afropunk!!2nd and 4th are canon coding but it's explicit here.Egg cracked pre-meeting Bruce so trans Batdad gets trans Batson gender affirming care like puberty blockers and makes sure nobody misgenders him.His Robin suit is Tim's Btas suit for proper repurposing,though it's adjusted from tighties to shorts and the pants/leg parts are ripped and the gloves are fingerless for that alt look

Alfred loves feeding him sweets and Duke always gives him the most adorable star eyes and thanks him because he may be rude but he'll be damned if he's mean to his granddad(his favorite sweets are lemon flavored frosted animal crackers)

He was pretty traumatized by loosing his parents and resisted Bruce's parentage at first due to it but came to embrace it as ultimately he's still a little boy who needs a parent to love and care for him.Bruce's reveal of his own orphan status certainly opted him to give him more of a chance but like a true Batkid,he never stops rebelling despite his unstoppable love for him

He arrives post-Under The Red Hood(movie compliant)but pre-Batgirl 2000(less racist and gayer)timeline wise so he bonds with Cass,Stephanie and Tim and they invite him on hangouts with 'the big kids' and Young Justice takes in Duke as an honorary little brother similarly to how Traya is treated as their little sister.Stephanie shows Duke all kinds of cool funky/cutesy/edgy things she's into which rub off on him per black siblings bonding and Cass seeks to protect Duke in addition and in thanks to him for teaching her some stuff about 'normalcy',like introducing her to arts and crafts and candy bars.Duke's Batgirl is not Babs,although they do get along-It's Tam and we'll get to that in a bit

Duke employs his powers in his Robin work and it earns him the nickname 'The Robin Signal' in reference to how often he uses his light to guide citizens to safety after him and Bruce take out the danger

His first solo/Year One Run is 'Robin 2007',literally,to distinct from Tim's run that wouldn't end for two more years.They got a crossover mini ofc ofc and it was called 'Robins 2009'

Robin 2007 had 53 issues and featured the introduction of Duke's love interest,albiet her debut as her own character was a good while before it in Aquaman:Luna 'Aquagal' Vásquez!!Luna is the Starfire to Duke's Robin i.e a black non-human girl who's bubbly,soft and princess-y but also extremely hardcore,well-hardend and lowkey mean and his longtime best friend from his sidekick days he's a slowburn perfect MADE soulmateisms couple with!!Their ship name is Thomquez but they're purely platonic until their mid-teens when new feelings ignite and riple into existense.Luna had her own run,Aquagal 2007 <3 Robin/Aquagal:Pals in Disguise was a super cute jumbo issue too!!(Notes:Luna is afro-argentinian,half atlantean half human and has white parts in black hair in a pattern that make her look like she has a constant moonglow halo on her)

Also Duke ships Stephcass so hard😭He was ooo'ing and making cheeky comments as soon as he figured out what was going on when Tim pointed it out to him and NEVER stops until they actually get together,which dosen't happen until Duke-yes,11-12 year old Duke-is an adult.He gives Cass tips on how to rizz up Stephanie after talking to Stephanie to figure out what would work best(turns out Stephanie really likes goth x pastel dynamic images/videos,mocking cheesy flirty memes,whimsical love quotes and X-Ray Spex lyrics)

Duke owns a walkman Tim gifted him and talks into it as a 'Robinlog' and it pops up frequently throught his entire existense as a character as soon as he gets it.Duke is also a big fan of My Chemical Romance,hip hop and disco music,black indie shit,classical literature(canon),video games,writing poetry and 'cutesy' diy(bedazzling,scrapbooking,homemade stickers,etc)!!As he grows up he takes up solarpunk bit by bit and same with glamrock!

Duke got exactly one year as Batman's Robin.On his one year adoption anniversary,him and Bruce had a fight over a case that scared him so bad he thought he was gonna fire him like he'd done to Stephanie so he ran away in the dead of night,straightup out of Gotham City(he was also smart enough to pack an oversized backpack of essentials to carry with him).He was found as the sun set as he tried to sleep in a cat alley with a family of fat calico cats he'd been taking care of on his lap by a 20 year old Jason,his departure taking place during Volume 2 of Red Hood and The Outlaws,a 2010-2020 release 120 issues run that takes place over 3 in-universe years.They have a short conversation that leads to Jason finding out Duke is his brother and combined with knowing he has nowhere else to go at the moment and Summer's(my dcsona)yapping about him thanks to their friendship,takes him with him to The Fortress,The Outlaws' base.Duke joins the team and finally makes friends his age in the other Kid Outlaws(which includes other black kids of all genders!!)but Jason is the member he's closest to

Luna comes in a significant amount of Rhato issues and even enough to be an honorary Kid Outlaw but mostly sticks to Aquafam stuff to avoid reducing her down to Duke's love interest.Duke isn't forced to kill but is a brutalist in his tactics thanks to growing up beating up bullies,Bruce's training and the influences around him and it scares him sometimes so he vents and asks for reassurance and they all gladly give it to him,including Luna,who tells him:'You could never be a monster or evil,Duke.You'll always be my best friend in the ENTIREST MULTIVERSE.And even if you were a monster or evil?I'd save you.You saved me when i didn't know i needed somebody to be heroes with to go on.I'd go there-ANYWHERE! for you too'Least to say,Duke is pretty sure this is the point he started seeing Luna in a different light(a girlfriend light.From 'I need her' to 'I need her to be my babygirl')(in the aave way.don't be weird)

The Kid Outlaws are a bunch of punk ass kids with a thirst for anarchistic justice,the fall of the crime system and extra thick milkshakes.They got the punk drips(including piercings done by the adult Outlaws!!)and everything and call eachother siblings and Duke is their leader despite being the youngest as he's the most capable and suited for the job.The KO includes Thad so they're kinda a 'sparkly sunshine boy/bad but sad boy' buddies duo and their inhereted powers and legacies are a source of bonding along with just liking eachother as people.Duke calls him 'The Thadman' and Thad had no choice but to warm up to it and Thad gets Duke to try out energy drinks with him and they collect trinkets and graffiti public property together and them and Jason are Prime Earth's variant of that picture of three black trans guys who just got their top surgeries all smiling together with bandages on their upper bodies

Duke and Jason are so inseperable.They do soul bounding over soul/dominican food(their 'this and yap' /hj),help eachother with hair care(Duke has a twists out and Jason is a dreadhead),are inside jokes lockout between them and their girlfriends,share a bed more often than not,play Animal Crossing religiously together and even got matching icons in The Outlaws group chat(set to Aang and Zuko because they're literally them!!'If we knew eachother back then,do you think we could have been friends,too?' is how Duke feels about Robin!Jason to Red Hood!Jason,,,,,).Jason loves Duke so fucking much and can't stop himself from doting on him and hyping him up nonstop and encouraging him to stop holding back his rage and impulses and jumping people for him and stealing/diy'ing gifts for him a lot and Duke does the classic 'i make fun of you to show you i think you're the coolest ever and how important you are to me' little brother moves to Jason and is protective of him back as he feels he deserves it after all he's done for him and will eternally do for him,most of all making him feel secure in his Robinhood(ha!!)

All the overexposure to so much and such intense science-y proterties and magic jazz and trazz caused Duke's powers to mutate from just dark and light powers to straight up reality warping(to add onto them-he still has his og power palette,it's too iconic to leave out).He gets stuck in a pocket dimension for a hot sec but Summer and Jason pull him out with Thad's help as an expert on that situation.The universe was trying to create the New 52 but Duke's Robinhood was stopping it so in a 20 issue arc to symbolize the 20 core Outlaws aka the 'Outlawed Robin Arc',even the slimest posibility of the N52 ever happening is erased headfirst headon by our titulary gang!Including Honorary Outlaw for two and a half months at the time Tam aka Batgyal!She awoke from her RR2009 coma and it lead to escapades of adventures with both Tim and Stephanie and she was given her own mantle by Luke,who thought it was about time she joined him officially and was her secret keeper on her vigilante life and sneak offs to reunite with Duke as her initial only motivation

In issue 39,Jason snarks he was just 'The Replacement Robin' and Duke defensively cuts him off with 'You were always my favorite Robin when i was little!I never even got to see you in action but you're my favorite for good now!' and Jason is struck clueless,completely unable to come up with a response but touched beyond words on top of his shock.And in issue 110,Duke sadly says '.........I was never a real Robin.I've been with you guys way longer than i ever was with Bruce-' and Jason cuts him off with 'Yeah,no shit you were never Batman's Robin.You're The Outlaws' Robin-You're my Robin and you always have been and you always will be' and Duke gets extremely teary but does a toothy grin too as they're happy tears so Jason smothers him in a hug in comfort and Duke's face takes up most of the final page and a text box reads on the same one:'Duke Thomas is happy.Jason Todd is happy again,thanks to him.They're eachother's Robin,on purpose and by choice'

When Rhato concludes(and The Outlaws stay in touch forever),Duke comes back to Gotham to discover Damian's now Robin and literally laughs at the ridicilousness of the situation,quipping he's glad he already had a new mantle in mind and offers him a hat he thrifted when they meet,along with a smile and affection in his eyes.Damian snatches it from him,huffy and embarrased over the unexpected warm welcome by him but appreciate it and liking the hat only in secret(a yellow one with floppy cat ears strings and an edgy styled strawberry charm).Robins and Batgirls(2022-2023)was a helluva run starring Dick,Jason,Tim,Stephanie,Duke,Damian,Maps,Babs,Cass,Tam,Alysia and Nell and Jason's the only one who got thirst trap covers as it should be(Okay that's a lie,there were Stephcass thirst trap covers too LMAO.Faggot rights!!)

Duke has two core runs post-Robin:The Signal(2020-)and The Lights(2021-),the latter of which is his own team!!The members are Luna as Moonguide and his right-handwoman,Kiran Singh from the Wonderfam,Tanya Spears aka Power Girl ||,Jenni Ognats/XS,Mar'i Grayson/Nightstar,Jennifer Williams/Batika,Sin Harper as Arrowette ||| and the team baby,Darla Dudley as Shazam Girl and two upcoming ocs,a black male Star Sapphire who had his heart broken by a white girl💔and an X-Gene mutant from Earth 616 who ran away from their home dimension!!Duke's reputation as Robin proceeds him as it increases the shenanigans both in his civillian life and as The Signal and Thomquez are my fave classic black love tropes:'Thick baddie who stays keeping her mans fed' and 'Cocky ahh and playful but sweet and soft black dude who accidentally comes across as mocking x Nerdy feminine black girl who's not mean but pretends to be annoyed by his flirting with her because she's too embarrased to admit she actually likes him'.They do matching superhero names as adults to show they're married:Eris(Duke)and Selene(Luna)

Naturally,Duke is enrolled at Gotham Academy at now 15 and he mentors Maps when she comes along,including playing his game of Batwingman for her and Damian.Big hit with the GA girlies but unfortunately for them he only likes Luna and dudes who're mean to him(Woah,he's bisexual!I knew that!Also a Sonic The Hedgehog fan and his faves are Amy Rose,Shadow The Hedgehog and Sticks The Badger and he stans Penny Parker and draws gijinka fanart.Before i forget he also had his own youtube channel pre-Rhato and all his subscribers thought he died and he became a Creepypasta-)

And Batburger is his childhood happy place dating back to pre-Jokerization.He still visits Doug and Elaine and met Gnonom in Rhato only to pull a Percy Jackson and be spiteful and tell him off for his abandonment with zero forgiveness but realistically was still sad and hurt over his neglect so he let himself cry when he got back to The Fortress so Jason and Summer took him to Batburger to cheer him up and that led to his first visit to his parents in a long ass time.It and Batburger trips are part of his lifestyle obligatorily bi-monthly now

Oh the Gotham Police still hate him btw.He does all the work they gaslight people into thinking they do and none of the racism and assaults😔

[transhawks]

Just read the latest chapter of Minutes to Midnight and I actually love the 4th universe so much! It's so very different from the other 3 universes (not saying that they aren't unique, they are). But the spin on Hawks joining LOV and the LOV found family trope being explored with a different approach (and in my honest opinion, a realistic one at that) had me putting my phone down on many occasions and try not to scream because it's. JUST. SO. GOOD. And the cherry on top was definitely the Shigahawks interactions. Like bro I didn't even realize something totally not-platonic was going on between those two until I read the tags and had an 'oh' moment. I was literally so immersed in this chapter and then you said that maybe you would like to come back to this AU some day in the near future. And just know that if you ever do I'll definitely read it 😊💕

Hi, thank you so much for sending an ask about Minutes.

Yeah, I think... All the other verses were leading up to 4 so I think perhaps 4 is where I really get to just...go off? I think, as a writer, I really like character exploration and fleshing out, so the chapter just appealed to my passions, perhaps?

And yeah - halfway through writing, I had to change a lot for this chapter because my perspective on the LoV changed. The more I realized that the LoV found family is a myth in canon, the less I could really discard that realization. I feel like the process of becoming a tight-knit friend group is just never written. People just want their LoV found family right off the bat. No one wants to make the characters work for it.

So that's what I did. I went back to Compress's speech in 194? and essentially reworked it for Minutes.

“It's what I think caused this. I love the League, make no doubt. But those early days, during our first act as a troupe, when we were simply the dregs and wretches of society banding together around a simple concept with little want or need to dig deeper into each other outside of comradery… I think that was too fragile for what we have to deal with now. Suddenly, we cannot not pry into each other’s pasts. The egotistic existence we led before we pried him open from that canister has been left behind and now all I can do is… try and weather this intermission and hope the curtains haven’t closed on us for good.” 

Compress's words of how they just didn't pry into each other's pasts and just accepted each other get shown to be something that backfires when a character really needs to do maturing and needs to be protected by his group. Namely, Tomura - because they took him from the pod earlier, AFO and Tomura are essentially fighting over his body and given there's no AFO to make them comply, the League are actually in a position where they have to make decisions about and for Tomura, and that requires coming to terms with the fact they all could have watched him get possessed. The guilt from that too.

For the friendship to get deeper, they have to move beyond the superficiality of sharing the same goal and really let each other in. Vulnerability is so important in bnha. Allowing other people, to help, is so important. Not all the League did that and it shows. Also, yeah!! Mind you the shigahawks is subtle and it's really like... it's just a window into another universe that Keigo is seeing. TBH in the actual reality universe 4 is based on, Keigo and Shigaraki, have at the point of Minutes, probably kissed once and it was immediately a "shouldn't have done that". I see shigahawks as a very slowburn sort of pairing due to Tomura's character. However, Keigo and Tenko have like... I always explain Shigaraki and Hawks meeting would have been interesting in the "people who are in extremely circumstances meet someone who has taken the lessons from those circumstances and done the opposite of you, and seeing them teaches you a lot about yourself". It's why I think Horikoshi didn't have them interact in canon; Keigo is also a button-pusher and would have pushed too many buttons that would make Tomura think. Meanwhile I think Tomura would have so much to say on Keigo's denial and hypocrisy.

I'd probably just make a post explaining the universe tbh. It would work well for a fic but I don't think I have the energy for a long fic like that right now, unfortunately. Thanks again!

[aquadestinyswriting]

Hi, welcome back. I'm also trying to get back into the community after a bit of a break and am trying to be more active again.

That said, I have a bunch of WIPs that are all interconnected, but I'm only going to gush about one of them here as I'm a little short on time at the moment.

The Wizard's Tale

This is the one to really dig into if you enjoy angst and drama (though there is some fluff and light-hearted content in here too). This WIP series concentrates on Selene Frigidwake; the Grand Magus of the city of Toreguarde, ex-adventurer, a Hero of Allansia and survivor of the Demon War that took place ten years prior.

The overall plot revolves around Selene trying to run Toreguarde, which is a very new city-state, as one third of the ruling Triumverate throughout the plot of a D&D 3rd edition campaign titled 'Destiny's New Servants'.

I love getting to dig into the background goings-on of that campaign and getting a chance to write about how Selene deals with how it all unfolds. There's a lot of writing that deals with her poor mental health and the PTSD that comes with surviving an earlier campaign as a former adventurer. There are a ton of callbacks to the Demon War and how that affected the Heroes that survived it and helped to rebuild their former fortified town into the grand city-state it is today. Originally, there were six surviving Heroes of the Demon War. By the time the series starts, only three (possibly four?) Heroes are left for Reasons that are entirely unknown to Selene until about three quarters of the way through the story. The angst that comes from not knowing what happened to one of them in particular, is a delight to write. Especially given the grief that Selene is given about it by Schreiber, the Chancellor - another member of the Triumverate - who is one of the scummiest characters I've had the pleasure of writing and expanding the character of.

Then there's the whole Edict thing, which is what prevented Selene from becoming directly involved in the plot of the Destiny's New Servants campaign while it was being run. I'm thoroughly enjoying getting to expand on this little piece of legislation and exploring it's implications and limitations as it pertains to Selene and her desire to keep Toreguarde safe from malevolent outside forces. I need to write up a worldbuilding post about it at some point, especially since it influences so many of Selene's and Schreiber's (and, thereby, the Council's) decisions throughout this series.

Then there's the whole extremely slowburn Thing with Edwin -a fellow former adventurer and Hero of Allansia. I've so enjoyed writing Selene's (demi)aroace ass being almost entirely oblivious to Edwin's looks and comments as he falls for her over and over again until it's almost too late for her to figure it out. It's not that she doesn't feel anything for Edwin; she just thinks their connection is a deepening platonic friendship since she's literally never felt romantic attraction before. This becomes especially hilarious when you add in the empathic and telepathic link she has with her familiar, who does know what romantic attraction feels like. While I've written romantic stuff before, coming at it from this kind of angle has been a wonderful exercise in figuring out how to balance the dynamics of a burgeoning aro/alloro relationship.

Honestly, just getting to write more for the very first character I ever roleplayed is a genuine delight, even if it means she has to experience even more Horrors along the way.

writers, listen up...

i've fallen out of touch with the writeblr community a lot in the past few years, and i want to rectify that. the community aspect was what made me fall in love with tumblr, and what improved my writing for the better.

the golden days of my writing were when i was highly active and engaged in this wonderful community, but life and work and the horrors of self publishing have overtaken my energy in the past year. however, i have been really struggling with original writing, and i want to get back into the community here.

that said...

you write fantasy with queer characters

are an indie author

post frequently about your wips (taglists are a bonus!)

are queer

are a very active and friendly writer

if any of these apply

please, please reblog and tell me about your wip. gush over it. infodump. characters and ships and worldbuilding and plot, i want it all! this is your invitation to be as selfishly indulgent as possible. let's make some new friends and restore some community!!

boosts appreciated!

[nothinggold13]

Some of my favourite types of fictional relationship dynamics (according to whatever names I’ve decided to give them, regardless of whether or not they are previously named tropes):

1. Mutually Protective

This can be romantic or platonic, physical or emotional, or literally anything, but??? I adore characters who will go the extra mile to protect the people they love, and when there’s TWO characters who are EQUALLY protective of each other, I simply die. Whether it’s a battlefield-type of “I’ll fight and bleed and die for you,” or it’s a gentler “Let me carry this burden so you don’t have to,” as long as it’s going both ways, I’m obsessed. Yes, please. More of this.

2. Jack & Joy

Naming this after a story from Douglas Gresham I read once about he, his mother, and stepfather (you know... C. S. Lewis...) going for a walk, and running into a trespasser who pointed a bow + arrow at them, so Lewis stepped in front of his wife, who, in turn, said “Dang it, Jack, get out of my way!” because wonderful Joy had brought a 'garden gun’ along to scare off animals, so Jack stepped aside and they sent that trespasser running. BASICALLY an extension of “mutually protective” but it must contain 1) A woman who can handle herself, and 2) a man who knows she can handle herself & knows when to step aside BUT will also willingly put himself in harm’s way to protect her. This is also very common in crime shows, and I love it every single time.

3. “No Doubt About It/The Archer/Red Raw Rolling” Ladies

(Song titles by: ABBA, Taylor Swift, and Alanna Boudreau.) Give me angry, untrusting, self-sabotaging, doubtful, explosive ladies, and then give me extremely patient men who love them until the very end. This just speaks to my soul. We don’t overanalyze this.

4. Lorelai Gilmore + Luke Danes

The crux of this dynamic is that one of them is a single parent, and the other one loves the first one’s child(ren) as much as they would love their own, even if they’re not yet in a relationship. Because, sure, Lorelai knew she loved Luke. But do you remember the moments in the series that she knew she loved him with the absolute most clarity? It was when she realized he loved Rory (almost?) as much as she did. JUST! Straight shot to the heart, that one.

5. The Dawn & Waverly Effect

If I had a nickel for every time a supernatural show gave me a monster-hunting lady with a younger sister, and then tried to make me care about the mc’s romance with some dude, when actually the far more compelling dynamic is the platonic relationship between the dude and the younger sister, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s strange that it happened twice. Named for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Wynonna Earp,” I refuse to ship Spuffy or Wynonna/Doc, but GOSH DARN IT, Spike & Dawn and Doc & Waverly are some dang wholesome friendships.

6. The Old Married Couple

Actually also applies to newly married couples. So long as the couples are in a happy, healthy marriage, I lose my mind. I just love marriage.

7. When they’re just. So in love. The whole time.

The heartbeat of the slowburn isn’t freaking “sexual tension;” it’s actually the fact that the couples love each other in such a selfless way even when there is no external romance in their relationship!!!! This dynamic is probably most obvious in friends-to-lovers, but it could exist in other situations. The point is that they have never not loved each other. There’s always been love. And then when that love changes designs, it’s just!! The most natural thing in the world!! Because they have always, ALWAYS loved each other, one way or another! Makes my heart soft.

8. Older Brother

A classic. You know those fictional older brothers who are always there to listen to your problems, encourage you to chase your dreams, and help you when things go wrong? I think I’ll always have a soft spot for those, and the relationship between these older brothers and their younger siblings is just the most precious.

9. Best Friends

Just. ALL the best friends. “You and me against the world” type best friends. Groups of best friends who, as a whole, are like family. Best friends who have known each other their whole lives. Best friends forged over the course of the story. Best friends who are one another’s safe space when other relationships fall apart. JUST!!! BEST FRIENDS!!

10. Mom said it’s my turn to use the braincell

Usually a duo of minor characters, and absolutely delightful just about every time. A beautifully chaotic relationship. I love how they take turns being complete disasters while the other one keeps them in line, but then ALSO have the occasional incidents where both of them are complete buffoons. Iconic. Beautiful. I love it. (My favourite example of this will only make sense to my siblings and cousins, but... Nicholas Coke and Dr. Martin Pepper? Name a better duo. I’ll wait.)

[atherix0]

hii again :3 the series is over 100k words now, who else cheered!! and scar is still not (oficially) in the relationship LMAO ahhh mumbo and grian being possessive over scar means everything to me<33 their elf!!! THEIR elf<3 grian found an equivalent of an elven engagement ring in scar's back and thought i need to Destroy it i want it Gone . and mumbo tried to calm him down until grian told him what it means, this completely normal feeling when you and your boyfriend get extremely angry at the thought that your mutual friend might have been engaged to someone in the past. they both want scar so bad it makes them look stupid hehe i love how grian realized that mumbo has some very not platonic Feelings for scar and his first reaction was to be happy about it<3 mans realized that all three of them could just kiss each other and his life changed for the better. "Grian is starting to think he and Mumbo need to have a talk" YEAH NO SHIT . these two need to sit down and figure out how to invite scar into the polycule without also making him freak out lmaoo scar decided he wants to tell them about his past even if reliving it is painful for him and he's not used to opening up to people, he still wants them to know:( like they asked him about it but he still could have refused and it's not like they would force him, he actually wants to open up to them now, character development<3 scar letting himself be loved and cared for is my favorite song convex angst broke my heart</3 ahh they were both so young and had to deal with situations children shouldn't have to deal with. especially scar, it must have been so hard for him to grow up and hear people talking about how he's not gonna live long. and the fact that he was forbidden from practicing magic when he loved magic so so much and was so fascinated with it:(( he was figuring out all these complex magic stuff as a little kid omgg and he started using glyphs around that time, he's so talented and smart!! and all the scenes of him and cub just being kids were so cute<33 the awkward first kiss and dancing and sneaking out together ahh<3 it's such a shame they met under circumstances like this :( poor scar, finding out that his whole life wasn't really what he thought it was and all the people he tought cared about him were lying to him all this time. but also poor cub, he probably did genuinely care about scar but he was also just a kid, he didn't know any better :( i got my convex content but at what cost </3 teenage scar basically saying fuck you to the fae king in front of his court and then running away was such a power move. and cleo helped him escape omg:( fifteen year old scar being heartbroken and angry, running away on his own, trying to break the enchantments on the engangement piece in his hair so he can take it off..... i need to give him a big hug right now . also i need to mention how talented is he again, breaking the enchantments that the fae king himself put on it. ohh and the thing about fae and names was so cool, so that's the reason why scar gives everyone nicknames mumbo and grian telling scar that they love him and care about him<3 and grian being three seconds away from kissing him<3 mumbo probably was too tbh . MUMBO AND SCAR JUST RUNNING AROUND LMAOO they're so cute fr. mumbo and grian really need to have that talk now. please. for the sake of my mental state, i can't deal with them being all gay for each other but not even dating yet little song rec, two by sleeping at last is a very midnight mumscarian song, it describes their relationship so well i think :3

LMAO if anyone ever says they want slowburn I have given slowburn like damn <3

It's also funny because it's totally hypocritical of both of them <3 But they were so jealous that's THEIR Elven prince <3 Lmao they get so stupid about their love <3 they want him aaaaa-

Grian was like OHHH WE CAN KISS EACH OTHER AND KISS SCAR this is GREAT- LMAO THAT TALK IS SO NEEDED LIKE- haha yes they gotta figure it out hhhfhjd

They wouldn't have forced him to talk about it <3 but he chose to when they asked because he thinks they deserve to know, even though he's oblivious and didn't realize the thoughts going through their minds when he saw Mumbo with the headpiece was "mine mine ours ours mine ours-" hjfgdsjkfds IT ONLY TOOK HIM 100K WORDS TO FINALLY OPEN UP <3

</3 They had each others' backs and were always together and loved each other as much as two children can </3 Too bad it all got ruined jhfdsk yeah poor Scar, confined to the Summer Palace and always hearing the whispers and seeing the looks <3 And the fact that a lot of the people around him kept their distance because "he's going to die anyway" I'm sure he didn't internalize any of THAT behavior ahahaha- Magic is/was Scar's special interest as a child <3 a double-edged sword, he was so smart and creative with it but it's the thing that would eventually kill him </3 YEAH he's had a long time to basically master glyphs so. He obviously at that age was playing around and experimenting with them but it's still super impressive I think <3 The weird balance between "formal society where the children are highly educated" and "kids are kids no matter where/when they're from" <3 But I really enjoyed writing them as kids hjgfk their friendship </3 It was a huge blow to him and he's only finally just started to really recover, his son is the only person (and to a degree Cleo and the Beans <3) he has ever let in since hjfgdsjkj </3 Yeah it sucks for Cub too </3 He was just a kid, and he was one of the lower classes/outcasts, unlike Scar there is no way Cub could have gotten away with speaking against the King/High Court </3 Cub cared SO MUCH about Scar because Scar was just so genuine and loving and open and welcoming and how could he not </3

Scar spent most of his childhood living up to the fragile good little prince image and then he just <3 angry rebellious teenager finally snaps, and the fact that NOBODY STOPPED HIM. Nobody even tried except for like 3 people, that Court was FULL of people and only THREE PEOPLE tried to speak/stop Scar </3 I will go ahead and say that the only reason he was able to break them is because he figured out young how to push his magic into other magic, identify and shatter spells (by forcefully altering their shapes) from the inside out <3 I didn't get too in-depth in describing that in Folly, so yeah <3 (However, he still isn't 100% sure he got them all... :) ) Cleo, who two hundred years ago could not fathom a Sire being an absolute monster to their own Turnling enough to deserve death by said Turnling's hand (because they're a Lord who has only ever associated with Lords with similar values to them, which is "cherish your Turnlings" hjkfdsl), being hit with the reality in the form of an angry fifteen year old boy with what is essentially a terminal illness that there are people who could treat their own flesh and blood this way, and immediately deciding that no, this will not stand <3 Cleo my beloved YEAH the names thing is something I've planned from the start <3 Scar has been saying from the beginning that names are power but finally tells the full thing... :) I always loved the whole "don't tell the Fae your name because they can steal you away" but then wanted to also turn it around so <3

They need this Elf to understand that not only is he lovable and worthy of love, but that THEY love him <3 even if Scar thinks it's platonic love they have for him hfdlk oh you know he was <3 YEAH just a fun little moment <3 Scar make a joke and bolted and Mumbo decided to play along and just <3 <3 <3 THEY WILL HAVE THEIR TALK <3 but they will continue to be gay for each other until they can finally bring Scar in <3 (I'm not gonna write one cuz it would be so out of place but just imagine a montage of Grian and Mumbo flirting with Scar and Scar just does not realize they're flirting/being serious lmao)

HOLY SHIT that song fits so well?? Ouch my heart <3

[piggy-i-broke-the-conch]

Guide to LotF Ships:

Hello! So, it's been a while since I last made a proper post on here and I've been thinking of making something like this for a little while now so here goes! Basically this is a guide to the 'main' ships in the fandom (aka the ones I've seen the most in fanfiction and fanart). Each ship will be divided into two sections-canon interaction and fandom interpretation. I figured this might be helpful to anyone new to the fandom or just interested in why people ship certain things!

(apologies in advance for any incorrect quotes, chapter numbers or other errors- I decided it would be a great idea to write this at 3am while citing everything from memory except one quote)

1.) Jalph (Jack x Ralph)

Easily the most popular ship in the fandom, it's not surprising to see why this is a ship given that it involves the two most prominent characters in the novel. However, there is also a sizeable amount of fans who dislike the pairing- potential reasons for this will be covered below.

Canon Interactions:

Where to start with this one? Jack and Ralph's relationship is arguably one of the most significant ones in the novel, providing a source for much of the conflict within the story. At the beginning, their relationship is amicable and they consider each other to be friends- 'They were lifted up, were friends'. However, as the novel progresses their differing opinions lead to them becoming more and more at odds with one another until eventually their relationship falls into complete disrepair. In the middle of the novel their relationship goes through a period of love/hate- 'They stared at each other, baffled, in love and hate' (if you've been in the fandom for a while or are a jalph shipper you've probably seen this quote pop up a fair bit). At the end of the novel, however, it is clear that at the very least Jack seems to completely hate Ralph (throwing a spear at his chest 'with full intention', heavily implying he genuinely intended to kill him). Ralph also asks him 'Why do you hate me?' at one point, which Jack neither accepts nor denies. Ralph seems to have some regrets about the downfall of their relationship, with the memory of he, Jack and Simon climbing the mountain in Chapter 1 being the thing that ultimately causes him to break down and cry in the final chapter.

Scenes which are popular with shippers include the argument between Jack and Ralph in which the 'love and hate' quote appears, with several having pointed out that it sounds a bit like the sort of argument a married couple would have ('I work here all day with nothing but Simon and you come back and don't even notice the huts!'). Some people also consider Jack following Ralph to Castle Rock in Chapter 7 because he 'Couldn't let [Ralph] do it on [his] own' as a sign that Jack cares about Ralph's wellbeing although I personally disagree with this. The early interactions between Jack and Ralph in which they have a more positive relationship are also fairly popular. There are literally so many more examples I could bring up here, I could and probably should make a whole separate post about it.

Fandom Interpretations:

Jalph is portrayed in a number of different ways within the fandom. Generally it is considered to be a love/hate or enemies to lovers pairing, with the relationship between the two varying from a friendly rivalry to complete enemies depending on the fic (the hate aspect of their relationship is more often toned down in modern AUs/school AUs, understandably so as it would be a bit weird if Jack was trying to murder Ralph in the middle of a normal school setting- not that I wouldn't read that fic if someone wrote it).

While some fics portray jalph as a perfectly healthy romantic relationship, others explore the unhealthy aspects of this relationship (especially fics which are closely linked to canon/follow on from canon events) and can even portray Jalph as outright abusive, although this portrayal isn't very common. Some fics involve Jack having a redemption arc, allowing him and Ralph to have a healthier relationship, while in others their relationship remains unhealthy and reliant on their 'indefinable connection' which Golding suggests binds them together.

Generally anti-jalph fans believe that Jalph glorifies and in some cases fetishises abusive relationships, and that Jalph would not last in the real world as a result of it being extremely unhealthy.

2.) Rogermon (Roger x Simon)

While this relationship has little basis in canon, it is incredibly popular within the fandom to the point that it is most likely the second most popular ship after Jalph. The ship seems to stem more from the fandom's interpretation of it more than canon, similar to Rogice.

Canon Interactions:

As mentioned above, Roger and Simon interact very little in canon. This may be due to them both being fairly introverted characters who typically only interact with a limited number of other characters (with Roger primarily interacting with Jack and Simon primarily interacting with Ralph and Piggy). However, they were canonically both a part of the choir prior to arriving on the island and so likely knew each other before the events of the novel. There is one scene in canon which may be relevant to mention here (although this is admittedly a bit of a stretch), and that is in Chapter 7 when Roger is the one to interrupt Ralph and Simon's conversation by the rocks (the 'I just think you'll get back alright' conversation. you know the one). I'll leave you to interpret that as you will.

Fandom Interpretations:

Part of the reason for this ship's immense popularity is its potential. Shippers generally seem to like how Roger and Simon are portrayed as foils to one another in canon- Simon is the representation of goodness and purity while Roger is the representation of evil and sadism. I've heard the phrase 'opposites attract' thrown around in reference to Rogermon before to put it bluntly, people seem to like to contrasting edgy and soft boi aesthetics. In fanworks, Simon is often portrayed as sweet and accepting while Roger is very protective and seems to have a soft spot for Simon which contrasts his cold attitude towards other characters. They often appear in Jalph fics as a 'b-pairing'.

I don't think there's exactly an anti-rogermon part of the fandom in the same way that there are anti-jalph fans, but some people don't ship it for a number of reasons. The main reason is that there are other popular ships involving both Roger and Simon, Rogice and Ralmon probably being the most popular of these. There aren't really all-out shipping wars in this fandom from what I've witnessed (we're a very chill bunch), but I have seen some friendly discourse about Rogermon and Rogice in particular. In addition, it doesn't have much basis in canon and those who aren't a fan of Roger's personality (being a canonically violent and sadistic individual with sociopathic tendencies) may view this and other pairings involving Roger as inherently unhealthy. However, it depends on how you interpret the character and the ship- some may argue that Simon balances out Roger's more 'evil' personality traits and helps to ground him somewhat.

3.) Ralmon (Ralph X Simon)

This pairing isn't as popular as the above two involving the same characters, but still has a strong fan following of its own. Like with Jalph, there is a lot of interaction between Ralph and Simon in canon which provides some basis for Ralmon as a ship.

Canon Interactions:

Ralph and Simon have been friends from the first chapter of the novel and maintained a largely positive relationship throughout. The majority of interactions between them have bee1n interpreted by the fandom as Simon having a crush on Ralph, such as when Simon stroked his arm 'with shy liking' in the first chapter. The scene in Chapter 7 in which Simom crashed into a tree because he was staring at Ralph is also a popular one, as is the slightly later scene in which Simon encourages Ralph by telling him 'you'll get back alright' followed by the two smiling at one another. An interesting point to bring up regarding the latter example is that Ralph recalls this later on in the final chapter. There are also a few examples of Ralph liking Simon at least platonically, such as when he is the one who reacts the most strongly to Simon's death (although this may be more to do with his role in it rather than Simon being the one who died). Ralph and Simon are also the only ones who continue to work on the shelters together after all the others left, something brought up during Ralph's argument with Jack in Chapter 3 ('Simon. He helps')

Fandom Interpretations:

Ralmon is often interpreted in fanworks as being a soft and fluffy pairing, contrasting many of the other pairings on this list. Their relationship is usually portrayed as healthy and wholesome, with Simon often having the stronger feelings at first. Think slowburn friends-to-lovers type fics. The angstier fics tend to deal with Simon's death and Ralph's role in causing it, though Simon is alive in the majority of fics (as a result of an AU or the fic taking place prior to his death).

Again, there isn't really a shipping war between Jalph and Ralmon, but if our fandom was bigger and more aggressive there probably would be.

4.) Rogice (Roger X Maurice)

This pairing bears some similarities to Rogermon in that it doesn't have much basis in canon and seems to be liked largely due to the characters' contrasting personalities.

Canon Interpretations:

Again like Rogermon, Roger and Maurice were in the choir together prior to arriving on the island and so know each other from before the events of the novel. Their relationship in canon seems to be somewhat positive, with the two shown spending time together (aka bullying kids together) voluntarily in Chapter 4. They also both go with Jack to steal Piggy's glasses in Chapter 10, indicating they are at the very least willing to and capable of working together to achieve a common goal.

Fandom Interpretations:

This pairing, as mentioned above, has a focus on Roger and Maurice's contrasting personalities, with Maurice being cheerful and good-humoured while Roger is more cold and aloof. Their dynamic is often used for comedic purposes, with Roger using sarcasm in response to Maurice's memeing. They seem to balance one another out, with Roger being the straight man minus the straight part obviously to Maurice's wise guy.

In fanworks, the pairing isn't portrayed very often within the canon universe from what I've seen, generally appearing within modern AUs and as another b-pairing to Jalph fics. It is usually fairly fluffy, but in fics where Roger is portrayed as more emo or with a tragic backstory, it can be more angsty with a hurt/comfort edge to their dynamic.

I've mentioned this pairing being at odds with Rogermon before, but the closest I've seen to a shipping war was one that took place between the characters themselves in a fanfiction.

5.) Jager (Jack X Roger)

An interesting pairing because while it does have a decent amount of canon basis, it isn't nearly as popular as some of the ships which don't. This may be because there are a fair few fans who dislike one or both of these characters, or because the pairing isn't usually as fluffy as some of the other popular pairings. Even so, it's popular enough to be considered one of the 'main' pairings in my opinion.

Canon Interactions:

Firstly, the obligatory 'they were in the choir before the island so they already know each other'. Jack and Roger's canon relationship is difficult to interpret. It seems that they get along at least somewhat since they often spend time together, with Jack deliberately seeking out Roger to show him his face paint in Chapter 4. I'd also like to point out that the only time Roger smiles in canon is when he's making fun of Jack in this scene ('You don't look half a mess'). Roger also voluntarily accompanies Jack and Ralph up the mountain to look for the Beast, and by the end of the novel he appears to be Jack's second-in-command of sorts. I'm going to drift into speculation for a moment here- personally I interpret this relationship as Jack seeing Roger as one of the only people (if not the only person) who truly understands him- in one scene Jack 'looked round for understanding but found only respect', which could suggest that this is something he values. However, Roger's values seem to differ from Jack's and I think Jack starts to realise this towards the end of the novel- he appears to be afraid of Roger after discovering he was directly responsible for Piggy's death ('the hangman's horror clung to him'). I also don't believe Roger sees Jack in the same way- Roger seems to only be tolerating Jack's position as Chief towards the end of the novel, internally questioning his authority in Chapter 10 and almost pushing his shoulder when walking past him in Chapter 11. It is implied that he dislikes Jack (or at least has bad intentions towards him) in Chapter 4 as well- 'a darker shadow crept across the swarthiness of his face' upon seeing Jack, which could be foreboding.

Fandom Interpretations:

As mentioned earlier, Jager is not always portrayed as fluffily as other pairings. It seems to often be portrayed as quite unhealthy, or sometimes it involves Jack and Roger, for lack of better words, being gay and doing crimes. Their relationship seems to bring out the worst in one another in these sorts of fics. However, a popular headcanon amongst Jager shippers seems to be Roger having a one-sided crush on Jack. Sometimes they have a friends-with-benefits style relationship in works featuring this headcanon, but I've also seen ones where they are regular friends. This tends to appear in Jalph fics in which Roger is not already paired up with Simon or Maurice. Another interesting take on the Jalph side of this pairing is Jalger, or the polyamorous ship between Jack, Ralph and Roger. I've weirdly seen multiple fics in which Jack and Ralph become aware of Roger's crush on Jack and they end up in a three-way relationship. That's technically a whole different ship though so I won't talk about it in depth here. Fluffier Jager fics are often friends-to-lovers, with the two being very close friends in the beginning if not best friends.

*

Well, that's all I've got for now! Thank you very much for reading and I hope you found this guide interesting. Apologies for it being an absolute mess by the way, it's 4am and I have no idea why I decided to write the whole thing now (we love insomnia). If you have any requests for ships I haven't covered here, feel free to shoot me an ask and I'll do my best to cover them! I might end up making a second part at some point anyway since there are still ships I want to talk about (e.g.- ralphiggy because it's super underrated)

Okay, bye for now ;;;

[minamotoz]

Thoughts on the Lumon friendship and also the potential of their romantic relationship?

I HAVW MANY THOUGHT. BRAIN FULL. this is gonna be a very long post.

starting with their platonic relationship: top tier, easily the healthiest and most wholesome throughout the show. theres a lot of mutual trust and love between them thats just extremely obvious. those two literally cant be away from each other for more than 2 seconds. also i just love how in s2 theyre such a nice example of a healthy m/f friendship in kids shows in which romance isnt on the table. such a nice change of pace, especially how quickly the prospect of them being in a relationship/liking each other gets shut down really quickly. as much as i love their romantic relationship and how much i wish they expanded on it more, it shows such nice growth. they've moved on from that, and simón especially proves to break out of the nice guy tm stereotype he kinda pushes being in season 1.

HAVING SAID THAT: THEIR ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP HAD SO MUCH WASTED POTENTIAL ITS INSANE. first, the amount of build up throughout season 1? the slowburn and angst was honestly so good, even if it suffered in terms of writing. its established extremely quickly that simón has romantic feelings for luna, even before its explicitly said, its extremely obvious. not to mention the fact that luna does reciprocate, but for some reason it gets swept under the rug as 'confusion' (which is something they do a lot when it comes to these two and their relationship). theres so much buildup and tension between the two, the confession of feelings (on simóns end)/bonding while practicing for the competition in 1x40, the angst as simón nearly moves away, the whole entire daniela arc (which i firmly believe is when luna realizes she likes him romantically), and then they FINALLY start dating for real, and. nothing. everything that was leading up to this just gets dropped. luna suddenly acts completely disinterested and uncomfortable in their relationship, as if she wasnt pining for him this whole time. they date for a total of 9 episodes and halfway through all this tension up and dies. i know they were nearing the end of the season and needed time for a lutteo endgame but its evident that the writers had no regard for handling this properly. again: luna's feelings for simón are just brushed off as 'confusion' which is so dumb its insane. i'm not saying everything up until they were dating was perfect, i have a lot of beef with how a lot of things about them were handled, but it feels so . sloppy.

i know i just said that i liked the platonic!lumón of s2, but theres a lot i would've done to at least make more sense, at least if i was able to make my own self indulgent lumón ending. first, simón entirely shrugging off everything that happened in s1 as 'confusion'. again, they use this excuse so much its insane. he wasn't 'confused' he was desperately in love, theres a very clear difference. i honest to god have no idea if we're supposed to take his explanation at face value, but that seems to be the narrative the show takes post-s1, so i'll take it at face value. if simón truly was confused, that would make so many of his actions in s1 make zero sense. he moved overseas for her, he basically did everything for her, he had a full on mental breakdown and tried moving back overseas because he thought she was in love with someone else, how would that make sense if he was 'confused'? this isnt the only time he explained it as confusion too, he also did it during the daniela arc, which was literally just him lying to himself to make himself feel better and try and ease tension. if i had a say in how this went, why not make this bs a lie as well, albeit a lie he genuienly believes. i think the whole lutteo/simbar plot mandated relationship failure lined up way too perfectly for it to not mean anything for lumóns relationship. i think thats what they were gonna do for s3 before the episodes were cut from 80 to 60. i also have basically no idea what happens between simón and luna in s3 after the first 10 episodes because i cant and refuse to finish it, but i would really like if the aforementioned plot mandated relationship failure to mean something. have s2 be full of little hints between them and stuff, and then have them get closer during the last 5 episodes (whicn they already do kinda), then have s3 be a sort of 'no matter what happens, i always come back to you' thing? which kinda happened during the daniela arc, but on a bigger scale.

this is all just me being too deep into my wishful thinking i guess. lumón as a ship was basically born to crash and die a painful death, but i cant help but feel a little sad for myself that i decided to attach myself to this dumb fuck ship that 5 other people on this earth like in the year of 2021. sorry if this isnt all that coherent, its late and these two fuck up my brain to the point where i cant write well.

[maddgicalgirl]

Michael Intro

Full Name: Michael James Felicity Clark

Nicknames: Mikey, Mike, honey, Rocky, Michelangelo

Paracosm: 123 Zombie Lane

Dimension: 714

Birthdate: October 16th, 1998

Gender: Male (he/him)

Sexuality: Grayromantic, asexual (sex repulsed)

Height: 5”8’

Body type: Although he won’t give an exact for his weight, Michael appears to be about three hundred pounds, but doesn’t seem to be greatly impacted by this in physical health. Broad shouldered and sturdy, but also somewhat gangly of limb and form.

Voice: Gentle and assuring.

Emoji: 🍯

More below cut!

Michael has soft, crow down black hair, and one kind green eye. His skin is a delicate grey, and has an interesting texture, feeling ever so slightly too loose in some places, which he struggles with feelings of self disgust over. He has a plethora of surface level benign tumors, his body being prone to their development; the most noticeable being the two eclipsing his right eye. He has a gathering of them on both of his forearms, that keeps him from wearing long sleeves due to discomfort with abrasion. He used to have some on his stomach, but those were removed, leaving, silvery small scars.

Personality:

Personality:

Michael is exceptionally, inordinately kind. He is sweet, and honest, and thoughtful. He may not always know exactly what to say, but he will always try to find the right words, and always knows when someone needs a hug. For that matter, he gives the best hugs one could ask for. He has a slight problem of putting others before himself, and a slightly greater problem of being a pushover. Despite being gentle by nature, and doing what he can to solve problems without violence, pettiness, or cruelty, if someone he cares about needs protection or to be defended, he could surprise most with the punch he can throw. He strongly believes in doing whatever needs to get done.

Michael is very intelligent, though also quite anxious. His anxiety is mostly from the abuse he faced growing up, from both his parents and peers, which led to a struggle with both overeating, and a nervous stomach, the latter of which he has luckily managed to find successful treatment for as an adult, through medication and proper coping mechanisms learned through therapy.

Michael is artistically inclined. Though he writes, draws, and paints, his truest passion lies in sculpting and woodcarving. His most beloved method is by way of large chunks of rough, often scavenged or scrap wood, and a chainsaw. His works are surprisingly fluid and intricate, despite the brute strength and power of what he is working with. Michael is going to college to be a psychiatric nurse, and is highly empathetic. He has trouble making friends on account of his appearance and the nerves he is trying to get over, but he now has the pack and I.

Fashion:

Michael is not the most fashion forward, as what he really wants is for people to just ignore him. He tends to dress very casually, in a t-shirt and sweatpants, and sneakers such as Converse or Adidas. He is, however, very hygienic, and takes pride in his cleanliness. He also likes to wear cologne, though he prefers lighter scents that attract less attention, and are most subtle. Sometimes, when it gets colder, he will wear a flannel, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, as anything below that can be painful for him.

Relationships:

Me/Ivy - Michael and I met in 2009, when I was in the fourth grade, and he was in the fifth. We connected almost immediately, both waiting in the office to meet with the principal. Michael didn’t think I was weird for being overemptional, and I wasn’t at all afraid of him, and we have been friends ever since. We got closer and closer overtime, due to his kindness and our shared trauma, and when he was staying with my family for several weeks, we began to develop romantic feelings for each other, that due to our own sense of self deprecation, assumed the other would never reciprocate. Queue a slowburn that lasted almost five years, until I confessed to him just last year, and we finally started dating openly. aaa 💞💕💗💖💘

Jonah - Jonah is Michael and I’s mutual best friend. He owns the apartment we share. Jonah, while an older brother like figure to me, is particular intimate with Michael, although in a platonic/alterous way. They have an old married couple vibe, and will make fun of each other, and are mutually the most responsible in the house. Though I’m not sure it’s ever been discussed, they seem to have a QPR like relationship, but Jonah doesn’t like to openly express intimate things like that, believing more that it doesn’t need to be said if it is felt.

Oswald: our other roommate, who I introduced to Michael and Jonah. He is the resident weird little brother. Michael and Jonah are kind to him, and he is finally warming up to them, as for a while he was trying so hard to impress them and get their approval, since they matter so much to me. Michael gives Oswald advice, and the two get along really well these days, despite having seemingly little in common.

Troy: Michael and Troy get along very well. Troy, being emotionally closed, has warmed up to Michael, seeing that I trust him so much. Michael has been helping Troy work through his trauma, and also his somewhat fragile ego, which kept him from seeking out closeness or physical affection. The two will now hang out, particular when I’m around, and are happy to do so, and will talk freely with each other. Troy knows he can rely on Michael, and Michael is impressed by and cares about Troy.

His dad, Harvey Clark: Harvey was physically abusive to Michael and his mom, and most obviously hated his son for being disabled. Michael and his mom fled his father’s house in secrecy, and Michael has not seen his father since.

His mom, Shana Clark: though Shana was initially a loving, if extremely emotionally damaged mother, she began changing dramatically when she met her girlfriend, Hillary. Hillary was extremely manipulative, and though at first she faked being kind to Michael, and won over Shana completely (the first relationship Shana had ever had in which she felt truly loved, and thus, did everything she could to keep it, and overlook the bad) Hillary soon started physically and emotionally abusing Michael, wanting to have Shana but not her “weird” son. At the peak of it, Shana sexually assaulted Michael on a regular basis, claiming that it would be his only chance to ever have sex with a woman, as he was too ugly to ever be loved, but also in part because Michael expressed disinterest and a bit of disgust as the idea of sex and relationships. Michael moved out as soon as he could, and still does not talk to his mom, or her girlfriend.

My parents: WIP

[ckret2]

What are your thoughts on mothra?

I've seen...... nnnine (?) Godzilla movies, four (?) of which feature Mothra, and I am wholly convinced that she is the only motherfucker amongst the kaiju that has ANY sort of moral compass at all.

It's kind of precious/hilarious, imagining this responsible protector goddess trying corral these big bunches of unruly obnoxious monsters into either leaving the humans alone, or helping her protect the humans from even more unruly monsters. Especially when she's doing it as a larva! Picture a toddler strapping on boxing gloves and squaring off against a bear. That's Mothra constantly.

Favorite Mothra scene thus far is when poor little larva Mothra is trying to rally Godzilla and Rodan to go kick Ghidorah's ass, and they're like "but the humans bully us!" and "I'm not going until Rodan/Godzilla apologizes to me!" and she's just like "GET OVER IT and COME ON!" Like guys. She's like, one year old. She should not have to act like y'all's mom.

Honorable mention to any time she kicks ass with silly string, because 1) lol, and 2) it really fits her character as a "protector" that her most effective and versatile fighting technique is basically a non-damaging crowd control move. It can very effectively slow down or even completely take out enemies, but it's harmless to them. It suits her.

I think her like, overall life cycle is neat, the "switches back and forth between larva and moth" + "dies and reincarnates via egg" thing she's got going. It's unique and leaves a lot of room for interesting questions. Like, is it a soul reincarnation, meaning she remembers each time she died? Or is it indeed "genetic memory" like the KOTM director said—meaning she only remembers her past life up until the point when she laid the next egg, and thus even though she might remember hundreds/thousands/millions(?) of lives, when she dies she will always be facing death for the first time? Are the eggs capable of hatching while imago Mothra lives, or do they only hatch once she's died—either of which would bring up more questions of the mechanics of her reincarnation? What happens if the latest imago dies without laying an egg—are their fallbacks and failsafes, spare eggs? When does she lay an egg—when she's getting old, or before going into battle, or as soon as she comes out of her cocoon, or once every few years as imago, or?? If it's soul-based reincarnation, what does that mean when there are twins—is only one of the twins the "true" Mothra, or is the soul split between them, and if it is do they get a telepathic bond or something? Regardless of whether reincarnation is soul-based or gene-based, in twin larvae is one ALWAYS doomed to die? Or is it possible for both to make it to adulthood and both be Mothra together? Do they have a psychic bond then? What would it be like to grow up from larvae with someone who is literally the exact same person as you with all your memories shared until the past couple of years? Do surviving adult twins get quadruplet fairies?

I'm a fan of her fairies too. I didn't think I would be when I first heard about them—I was like, "Okay, I know I've gotta be ready for goofy stuff in Godzilla movies, but that sounds TOO goofy to not throw me out of the movie when I see it"—but I actually do like them. They're cute, and they're SO earnest, and it's nice every time these giant humans treat them as very serious and respectable Mothra representatives/ambassadors. And any actresses that can say the exact same lines at the exact same time with the exact same intonation while ALSO emoting in the exact same way are talented as hell.

It's too bad about the uh, racist "native" caricatures of her worshippers. The only two movies I've seen featuring Infant Island were from the 60s though, I hope that later movies improved the portrayal of the island? IDK though, I haven't looked into it. It'd be cool to see Infant Island developed into a, like, realistic and respectful culture, beyond "feather-wearing brownface 'natives' that apparently have nothing better to do with their time than constantly bow to their goddess and/or follow around visitors grumpily."

I think MonsterVerse tried to get around that by going "oh no, Mosura specimens were ALL OVER the place, we only just happened to find one in China," but tbh I prefer the idea that Mothra has a permanent designated "home base" where she lives cooperatively with a specific human society. It was an interesting thing that set her apart from other kaiju that just roam around, and she loses a unique and compelling aspect of her character if she's changed to a wandering kaiju whose reincarnations can pop up randomly in any culture. I just. Want her island to be portrayed better, that's all.

I DID like KOTM's suggestion that Mothra's "fairies" are successive generations of human twin girls that dedicate their lives to Mothra in some way or another. It seems appropriate that Mothra and her human(oid?) representatives all go through a reincarnation cycle together.

Not sure if ship Godzilla and Mothra. I saw a post that briefly outlined their earliest rivalries and gradual cooperation up through their crowning as king/queen in KOTM and concluded with "Mothzilla is a 35-movie enemies-to-lovers slowburn" and that idea delights/amuses the HELL out of me—and all the fanart is, 100%, without question, precious as hell—but I think I'd prefer them to be characterized as extremely close platonic friends rather than romantically and/or sexually involved? There's room to enjoy multiple spins tho and I'm not going to stop going "awww ♡" at art of chibi Godzilla and Mothra in a wedding tux and dress. Variety is the spice of life.

In the same way, I like KOTM's "they're intrinsically linked together as symbiotic species" for one continuity—but I'd rather it not become the default/only interpretation in fandom or for all future movies, because I like the idea that they didn't know a THING about each other but gradually got to know each other & get along over time. ... Plus throw in the occasional movie where they're enemies again. As soft continuity reboots and whatnot allow for.

Out of the kaiju I know so far, Mothra's probably my #3, after #1 Ghidorah and #2 Godzilla. But Godzilla's working real hard trying to keep ahead of Mothra.

[bardicfool]

time for a long-overdue WIP intro!

WIP Introduction: Dark Empathy (Book 1 of the Compound Series)

Genre: contemporary fantasy + M/M romance subplot

Includes: cranky empaths, secret military experiments, snarky dialogue, people who talk to plants, platonic M/F friendship, dealing with emotional abuse, awkward slowburn romance

The compound has rules…and there are consequences for breaking them.

These are the rules:

1. Extremely rare and powerful empaths never escape the compound. (Bastian Lucas escaped a year ago, and just because he’s been dragged back doesn’t mean he won’t escape again at the first opportunity.) 2. Officers do as they’re told and never ask questions. (Captain Henry Mortimer has followed orders his entire life, but Bastian’s arrival—and the disappearance of one of Henry’s team—have him wondering things he probably shouldn’t be wondering.) When Major Valentine orders Bastian and Henry to investigate a series of murders committed by an asset with powers very similar to Bastian’s, it brings to light more than just a cover up. Things like why an empath who shouldn’t exist is killing senators, what exactly Valentine has been doing with the sinister asset program, and whether or not Bastian and Henry will live to see the end of this case. Because they’re in danger of breaking rule number three as well: 3. Don’t fall in love.

CAST

Bastian Lucas grew up in the compound as Major Valentine’s protégé. The only known empath in existence, Bastian��s ability to feel the emotions–and therefore motivations–of everyone around him has made him both a misanthrope and an excellent interrogator. So it’s laughable that he could be blackmailed into behaving in order to protect his friends and the captain he’s definitely not falling for.

Captain Henry Mortimer is idealistic and driven to protect his team above all else–including his growing interest in a certain grumpy empath. Competent but chronically underestimated, Henry can’t figure out why he’s been assigned to babysit Bastian as they search for a serial killer…until it becomes clear that there’s more to Henry than even Henry himself knows.

Laurel is a plantspeaker who has managed to hide from the compound for years. After saving Bastian’s life, she decides to take him under her wing–whether he likes it or not. Warned by Bastian to stay away from the compound, Laurel instead focuses on keeping track of the killer in her forest…even though it may mean she’ll have to reveal the secret she’s spent years trying (and failing) to forget.

Major Valentine, ambitious and firm, runs the compound with both efficiency and a lack of interest in the consequences of the experiments she oversees. Nothing is more important than her vision for the future of the asset program. Anything–or anyone–who gets in the way…well, that’s what contingency plans are for.

John Doe is no one. He knows far more about Bastian, Henry, and Valentine than he should, and it’s possible that he also knows who killed all those senators. But he’s not telling.

[[Fun Fact No One Asked For: DE was my NaNo 2017 novel and was published in 2018 (on my birthday, so I’ll never forget the publication date!). Since I’m currently working on the sequel, due out in 2020, I wanted to introduce the original story and its characters. Also, I figured if I’m gonna call this a writeblr, I ought to actually tell people what I’m writing….]]

Next up: Character intros

You can read the first three chapters of DARK EMPATHY here.

[insinirate]

you seem quite objective so I wanted to ask you: who has the most chemistry between bkdk n krbk? Because I like both ships but even if krbk is less problematic, in terms of depth n bond bkdk have something more. Maybe is that Deku would risk his life for Bakugou, n Bakugou always looks at what Deku does n seems almost obsessed with him, but idk. I think that even the resolution of their misunderstandings n their difficult story adds more chemistry. But I would like to know your opinion ahah

i cant say im gonna be more objective than ill be fair bc were, in all mights words, comparing a lvl 1 to a lvl 50, cause kiri and bkgs relationship seem to have made bigger progress within the start of the year compared to the 10+ years bkg and izu have known eachother on a surface level

krbk in the fandom sense is the simple and sweet getting to know eachother story wherein theyre established as equals pretty early on in the series (as early as the usj arc for kiri and the tournament arc for bkg).

their rs is steady-sailing and teases closeness and intimacy like bkg lending his festival jacket to kiri and taking him hiking, and even in establishing kiri as his dragon in the fantasy au. dont even get me started on the iconic take my hand scene. we all know the scene. it substantiates bkgs respect and trust in kiri and emphasizes kiris importance to the mission. their friendship isnt central in the series but it IS important enough to be brought up repeatedly and often enough to give the shippers their material. their overall dynamic is recognition, respect, and mutual enjoyment of company

bkdk is.......unconventional in the western sense but pretty normal-looking in its shounen genre context. despite the extremes being trivialized in-universe this ship still has dangerous turns that can go really really wrong depending on who why and how theyre shipping it.the nature of their dynamic really hits us the second we step into the anime/manga with bkg treating izu like trash and it doesnt stop until really late into the series

that being said their rs is rocky road to krbks double dutch, but thats only in the beginning. their growth was so subtly set since that point that people miss it entirely. its the series’ biggest (platonic) slowburn. before long (thats a lie. it takes really really long) we have them set as proper rivals and are (twice) foreshadowed to be 1-a’s twin stars.

conclusion: theres equal chemistry!! just a different kind for either ship.

theres a distinct way krbk and bkdk should be viewed and the shippers of those 2 different worlds oftentimes dont meet eye to eye.

krbk is already grounded and solid. theyre in a better state than bkdk have ever been for a literal decade. their shippers see whats already there and can take it as it is, but it can be pretty static and even bland, especially if run through the purity filter

bkdk is still growing, but deeply rooted. shippers get their kicks out of the development, but its slowness can be off-putting to others. a lot of antis’ drawbacks, though reasonable, is their rough past; but if ur like, an actual reasonable human being, the reason u should acknowledge and celebrate their past is their growth from it; its a point to measure from, and their potential together is what we look forward to.

[head-and-heart]

I'm not agree with dragging out ships till the end. In the case of BC I get why they didn't put a kiss yet. They were broken, mourning someone, the end of the world... they're not going to happen like the others but I do think after the time jump, following the romantic trope there should be a kiss/confession. The will they/won't they doesn't work anymore and I feel fans/viewers reached the state where they're more tired and annoyed than excited. Writers shouldn't take that risk imo

I mean I think that the will they/won’t they trope actually is pretty effective (that’s basically what slowburn ships are when it comes down to it) - but to a certain extent. So long as the relationship continues developing without the added romance factor, the trope will work. The relationship is still interesting, still evolving. The problem is when the only step left for the relationship to take is into romantic territory … and the writers still don’t take the leap.

I think that’s where people’s frustrations with Bellarke were happening in Season 4. They didn’t seem to be developing platonically much more. Their relationship was beautiful and supportive and full of trust, respect, honesty, and - yes - love, but we already knew that. So fandom started tapping their feet and asking “what the hell is taking so long”?

It didn’t really become clear until the end of the season that a large part of Clarke and Bellamy’s relationship this season revolved around their fear of losing the other and their hesitance to express their feelings (4x06, 4x13) when deep down they both knew the possibility of them burning in Praimfaya was extremely high. They didn’t want to take on the undue pain, they didn’t feel like they had enough time - that’s why their relationship is so tragic. It all comes down to that goddamn ticking clock, and the pressures of everything they had to do for their people without leaving enough time for them to give in to what they wanted for themselves.

If you look at the plot of Season 5 now, what’s the better story: a) Bellamy and Clarke becoming romantic in Season 4, losing each other, and having to deal with their awkward old feelings (especially if Bellamy comes to the ground in a new relationship) which inevitably creates more unneeded drama I hoped we left behind in Season 1 and essentially ruins the excitement of their first kiss and witnessing the immediate aftermath of it OR b) Bellamy and Clarke both realizing their feelings for each other but never acting on it and regretting it every day for six years, only to come back together and have to relearn each other and discover that even though they have changed, that they still fit and fall in love all over again - stronger and more mature this time - so we get that epic, long-anticipated first kiss born from love that withstood the obstacles of literal space and time with the hope of a future established relationship between these two characters who love each other to look forward to.

For me, I’d way rather watch option B. It suits my angsty heart’s needs. But the thing is, the process of Bellamy and Clarke relearning each other and readdressing their feelings from all those years ago that they never managed to quite bury is sensitive and delicate and absolutely necessary to be done well. It’s IMPOSSIBLE for Bellamy and Clarke’s relationship not to develop in Season 5, due to circumstance. And for that reason, it may take longer for the actual romance to happen. But I’m OKAY with that, because I know that so long as their relationship doesn’t remain static, so long as it keeps evolving, the story will always be worth it in the end and - really - so long as the story is good, and the end result is worthwhile, it really doesn’t matter how long it takes to get there.

There is an inherent difference between writers dragging out the will they/won’t get trope simply for the sake of dragging frustrated shippers in the dirt season after season in order to maintain viewership and the alternative of putting off the romantic inevitability of a pair because there is still a story left to tell before taking that extra step. I have high hopes for Season 5 because, while I don’t know if Bellarke will finally be canon, I am confident that we’ll see their relationship evolve in ways vastly different and fresh from what we witnessed in the first four seasons.

Oddly enough, I actually am a lot more open-minded about the possibility of Bellarke being put off going into this season than I was going into Season 4. Last season it really felt like there was only one way for their relationship to develop, and during 4B it became frustratingly clear to me that my worries about Bellarke canon being put-off were turning out to be true. But this reboot changes things: it means that Bellarke’s relationship, romantically or otherwise, simply cannot be static after a time-jump of that size. I know I may be creating a minority here, but because of the reboot I’m actually okay with waiting a little longer for my OTP, since I am content in knowing we’ll get new developments in their relationship regardless.

(That being said, I really do hope for canon Bellarke in Season 5. But I’ll survive if we get some good relationship developments and then canon in Season 6.)

[bardicfool]

time for a long-overdue WIP intro!

WIP Introduction: Dark Empathy (Book 1 of the Compound Series)

Genre: contemporary fantasy + M/M romance subplot

Includes: cranky empaths, secret military experiments, snarky dialogue, people who talk to plants, platonic M/F friendship, dealing with emotional abuse, awkward slowburn romance

The compound has rules...and there are consequences for breaking them.

These are the rules:

1. Extremely rare and powerful empaths never escape the compound. (Bastian Lucas escaped a year ago, and just because he’s been dragged back doesn’t mean he won’t escape again at the first opportunity.) 2. Officers do as they’re told and never ask questions. (Captain Henry Mortimer has followed orders his entire life, but Bastian’s arrival—and the disappearance of one of Henry’s team—have him wondering things he probably shouldn’t be wondering.) When Major Valentine orders Bastian and Henry to investigate a series of murders committed by an asset with powers very similar to Bastian’s, it brings to light more than just a cover up. Things like why an empath who shouldn’t exist is killing senators, what exactly Valentine has been doing with the sinister asset program, and whether or not Bastian and Henry will live to see the end of this case. Because they’re in danger of breaking rule number three as well: 3. Don’t fall in love.

CAST

Bastian Lucas grew up in the compound as Major Valentine’s protégé. The only known empath in existence, Bastian’s ability to feel the emotions--and therefore motivations--of everyone around him has made him both a misanthrope and an excellent interrogator. So it’s laughable that he could be blackmailed into behaving in order to protect his friends and the captain he’s definitely not falling for.

Captain Henry Mortimer is idealistic and driven to protect his team above all else--including his growing interest in a certain grumpy empath. Competent but chronically underestimated, Henry can’t figure out why he’s been assigned to babysit Bastian as they search for a serial killer...until it becomes clear that there’s more to Henry than even Henry himself knows.

Laurel is a plantspeaker who has managed to hide from the compound for years. After saving Bastian’s life, she decides to take him under her wing--whether he likes it or not. Warned by Bastian to stay away from the compound, Laurel instead focuses on keeping track of the killer in her forest...even though it may mean she’ll have to reveal the secret she’s spent years trying (and failing) to forget.

Major Valentine, ambitious and firm, runs the compound with both efficiency and a lack of interest in the consequences of the experiments she oversees. Nothing is more important than her vision for the future of the asset program. Anything--or anyone--who gets in the way...well, that’s what contingency plans are for.

John Doe is no one. He knows far more about Bastian, Henry, and Valentine than he should, and it’s possible that he also knows who killed all those senators. But he’s not telling.

[[Fun Fact No One Asked For: DE was my NaNo 2017 novel and was published in 2018 (on my birthday, so I’ll never forget the publication date!). Since I’m currently working on the sequel, due out in 2020, I wanted to introduce the original story and its characters. Also, I figured if I’m gonna call this a writeblr, I ought to actually tell people what I’m writing....]]

Next up: Character intros

You can read the first three chapters of DARK EMPATHY here.