#france isnt okay

[zellk]

I'm seeing a lot of videos and articles about the riots going in France... are you holding up alright?

I have the privilege of not being "personally" in danger bc of the police being shitheads (I come from a 'basic french white family') but it is surreal to see how Darmanin and the police are treating the population and seeing the country slowly go up in flames / get closer and closer to a police-armed dictatorial state... There's so much wrath and rage and fear in me. And a lot of thoughts for the people who are directly in danger in all of this. People who didn't ask for shit and just happen to have the 'wrong looks' in a state that is so so fucking racist it makes me want to puke.

[commisionofhumanrightsapparently]

wtf is a french onion soup

how dare they use french people as in ingredient in soup

[th3swarm]

how many countries have you visited im curious since u go to all the parks

france spain usa switzerland and i think thats it ??

[strawberryisstarving]

⭐️✨The secret to staying skinny: habits of a size 00 French woman. ✨🧘🏼‍♀️🚴‍♀️🇫🇷✨⭐️

(She’s 43, gorgeous, and has been thin her entire life)

- She never eats unless she truly is hungry and it is a meal time.

-Often skips meals or forgets to eat. She may nap instead of eat after a long workout.

- No snacks. She doesn’t dare buy snacks. Only if others are snacking and she is truly hungry will she snack. And never more than a serving or 2.

- Rarely finishes a meal when at a restaurant

- She gets one thoughtful portion at meals and doesn’t have seconds unless she truly wants or craves them.

- She eats slow and puts her fork down often, stopping frequently to talk or digest

- She only eats things she enjoys. She enjoys healthy home-made meals AND full fat pastries/treats on occasion (80/20 rule, most French eat like this)

-She eats to nourish, for energy, and to look good, not because it’s on the counter or she’s bored

- Water, coffee, tea, (smoothies or fruit juicer okay but consumed less) only.

- Constantly keep yourself busy.

- Obsessed over ingredients in any “processed foods”, she only eats “clean” no preservatives, no added sugars

- All produce is 100% organic

- Fruits and/or vegetables the MAJORITY of lunch and dinner

- Doesn’t have an appetite for sweets and isnt tempted by sugary fat laden desserts, she never buys them either

- She is always stressed and restlessness burn more calories than sloth

- Gets enjoyable exercise in ways like hiking, skiing, rock climbing ( being muscular and lifting weights isn’t the ideal in France )

- Lots of walking daily: post meal walks, walks around town

- Food is not a reward for her

- She rarely drinks and NEVER gets sloppy

- She would NEVER BINGE! EVER!

🍈🏃🏻‍♀️🧖🏻‍♀️

made by @strawberryisstarving

[erabu-san]

You are literally French. What would you know about any of this, an issue and drama stirred up by anericans.

Blackwashing exists and is used by bigots that hate white people. Its used to erase the ethnicity of asians just because people dont think they are "poc enough" because of their pale skin. Its used to demonize people with pale skin because its becoming more and more the norm to view anyone with pale skin as evil. That anyone who is "too pale" isnt enough or a human being.

They arent real people, and their skintones are fine as is. You wouldnt go up to, for example an albino or mixed race black/poc person and tell them they arent "dark enough". They dont even need to be special like that to be pale. Some just are pale.

Whether you think there should be more characters that are dark or not is not the issue. Its that you think they wouldnt be/arent good enough as is with pale skin that shows how much of a bigot you are.

Blackwashing is not the progressive act you think it is. Its obvious that your only experience with it is through genshin drama. You obviously know nothing about how much red haired pale characters & asian ones are substituted with black characters. How characters are simply replaced in the name of "diversity". How this forced inclusivity and diversity is just bigots trying to "get revenge" on the white people they hate so much, and to tick off DEI boxes on their little bigoted checklist.

You tell me to educate myself but its actually YOU who needs to be educated.

Many are complaining about sumeru and natlan characters with names similar to gods in cultures of our world that are pale when their inspiration is dark skinned. Claiming they want representation and for it to be accurate, to reflect our world on a 1-1 scale.

Yet these same people will make xiao, zhongli, Ei, and many more asian characters darker " because asians can be dark skinned too". Yet so can mostly dark skinned races be pale.

So why cant you (gen) respect such characters, who are gods and divine beings based on a culture where pale is more beautiful, and gods of such cultures are pale?

There is hypocrisy in everything to do with blackwashing. Its okay when its done to pale characters because in real life black people have been oppressed? But these characters are not real, nor are they a reflection of our reality, as far as we have seen they dont even have racism in this fictional world.

It is one thing to explore a character like with the recent hatsune miku trend, atleast there most people arent going at each other's throats saying black miku is better than japanese miku(as far as i have seen)

Seriously how can you even begin to justify this. And who ever told you that dark skinned characters "scare white people" is an absolute fucking liar trying to justify their own bigotry towards white people.

No black washing IS just as disgusting as whitewashing. Neither should exist, and you shouldn't feed into the stupid circle jerk of bigotry that both of them are.

Aaaah that's what I like ! Yes ! Thank you for telling me your opinion, explaining what is wrong. I absolutely love to learn, and I prefer to read this long text calling me ignorant and explaining why that just a simple text of you saying you are annoyed by a fanart.

Thank you for telling me ! First yes I am french, and indeed my culture has more an european pov. But again, I also grow up as a minority "race" with my parents culture !🙏 in france, i don't look like a french. Well. Still I am aware that it doesn't remove anything from what I said

And I totally agree with you, some are just pale !! It just happens I draw Kinich black because I like it like this. Is Kinich true inspiration are actually pale ? Tell me more, I wish to learn !!

Tbh when you talk abt gods being pale is beautiful, I thought about Nahida. I did research when she were out and yes, I do agree, there is character who are fine as they are.

And because I live in France I also see "dark skin scare white" as a true fact. It happens and it is harmful. 🧍 not only in France tho, in country where pale skin is portrayed as beautiful, people who have tan skin are less represented even if it is the majority. I suppose the contrary happens too !!

"Character are not real" and yet you are annoyed, I guess it is the action of "blackwash" that make you mad, more than "a fictional character w diffent skin tone" tho! My opinion is fiction does affect real world, as do real life affects fiction, and this is something I won't debate on

"They don't have racism in this fictional world" sorry but it does in Sumeru. 🙏 about this one npc she is reject by forest and desert because of them being mixed, desert not being access to book and even Cyno said his scholarship was complicated because he is from desert

If you wish to continue, please send me DM with arguments. I don't know if I would change my mind of not drawing Kinich pale, but I am super interested about what you have to say !! 👍👍

[blkkizzat]

OKAY SO THIS ISNT BAD BUT : Gojo would be into food play esp when its SWEETS hes a sucker for sweets like whip cream, donuts , ice cream etc

sry bae this got stuck in my drafts somehow!

but YASSS! you aren't just sticky from cum jfhdaksdjhfsadj. he gets chocolate sauce imported from switzerland and fresh cream from france just so he can eat it off your body.

donuts?! yeah he put a donut on his dick once for you to eat it off. fkjlhadjhasdkj.

he'd be into nyotaimori but with sweets instead of sushi. if he's feeling extra generous he might even invite suguru over and they will both dine off of you (omg i should write that).

[unluckilyimnot]

Hii can i request a reader x julian loki? (Bllk) and the number 26 'holding them tightly' where they are childhood friends and havent seen eachother for so long and then lastly they met again on a winter season, i hope this isnt too much to ask for :"D

26 holding them tight with loki

Note: sorry I took a while ! I’m putting myself back to it. It takes place in France !

Winter was there again and Paris got colder again. There wasn’t any snow anymore sadly, but you still like to fantasize about the city under the snow like in the movies – you’ve never seen Paris under the snow but it would be a majestic sight without a doubt.

You tried in vain to warm up your hands as you walked slowly through the alley of the biggest Christmas’ market of the capital, looking for nothing in particular but nevertheless enjoying the night. Your friend was supposed to tag along but got called in at the last minute by her family and had to cancel – but you really felt like going out tonight.

Quickly finding somewhere to get mulled wine, you could finally feel your fingers again even if it was burning at first. You’ve barely got your paper cup in hands when someone tapped your shoulder lightly, calling out your name without sounding sure. You prayed it wasn’t one of your coworkers, you really didn’t have any motivation to go around with them right now, but as you turned back you fell eyes to eyes with Loki, a friend of yours you haven’t seen in years. Your face lit up as a smile formed on his lips, happy to see you too it seems.

“Loki !” you almost shout as you step closer and hug him without thinking twice about it, not without being careful about the cup obviously. You weren’t surprised to feel his arms wrapped around you as well, but the fact that he hugged you so tightly as if years hasn’t passed by almost made you emotional.

“I was scared it wasn’t you, it would’ve been embarrassing,” he said right after letting you go, making you giggle a second.

“For sure it would’ve. You’re alone ?” When he nodded at your question, you asked him if he wanted to take a walk with you around the market – you had so many things and years to catch up.

It was so refreshing to spend time with him again, it’s like there never was a gap, like you never stopped talking even if the two of you have changed a lot physically. He's rather tall now but still has the same damn cute smile that makes your heart melt.

“You're okay ?” He asked after a short silence, you didn't realize you didn't answer but him asking you so gently made your heart flutter.

“Yeah sorry,” then as you proceed to answer his question, his phone rang suddenly and the expression on his face tells you that he can't just turn it off.

“I'll have to go answer that but before can I have your number again ? So we can keep in touch ?”

“Yes !” The way you didn't even think twice about it is almost embarrassing but you gave him your phone number anyway, your heart pounding faster and faster.

[catacombbee]

welcome home (i missed you dearly)

tyden tattoo shop au; crossposted on ao3:

INSPIRED BY A POST @the-killies MADE

just mentioning beforehand they are older in this bc they are adults bc tyler has a tattoo shop BUT the way tylers thinking abt aiden isnt meant to be sexy hes just thinking aiden is very very pretty boy okay this isnt supposed to be horny okay pls dont make it horny 🔫

sometimes theres just the desperation to touch someone to feel someone to be near someone. so im totally projecting

also i dont know exactly how tattoo shops work if anything is inaccurate SHHHH dangles gay in front of you to distract. does the distraction dance

It had been two years since Tyler had seen Aiden.

Sure, they kept in touch. The group chat was more alive than ever even after they all graduated. Life drew them in their own different directions, but they'd always be friends.

And yet it had been two years since all six of them met up in the same place. They had gotten together to celebrate most of their respective college graduations. Taylor had been working at a mechanic shop for over a year at this point, and her boss loved her friends so much that he ordered pizzas for them to celebrate. Of course they ended up back in the graveyard, sitting together in that bus as they ate and laughed and fell asleep on each other.

Tyler had made friends in art school that filled the gap that was left when he didn't see his five best friends every day. No, they'd never replace the others, but he felt less alone. By the time he graduated, he and two of his new friends really wanted to open their own tattoo shop together.

Taylor pointed out that the building beside her shop had been empty for sale for years. Tyler thought it was pretty funny that even into his career he couldn't get away from his sister. It was great, by all means. He got a discount on car maintenance, and they got a discount on their tattoos. It also meant he got the honors of giving Taylor her first tattoo himself. TH + AB inside a heart was pretty sappy, but he didn't tell her that when he did it. He was happy she was happy.

And he was happy. He was thriving. Ever since he gave up baseball, accepting that it wasn't making him happy like it used to, and let himself embrace his creativity, he felt so much more comfortable in himself. Who knew that art scholarships were a thing?? Why had no one told him??

But now he was living on his own and making enough money to not only support himself but pay for his mom's therapy. She was doing better, too; Taylor hadn't moved out when Tyler did, opting to stay living at home to take care of her. Now all three of them were moving uphill. Tyler was happy, he was secure, the tattoo shop was busier than ever. Everything was great.

And then Aiden Clark walked through the door.

Tyler wouldn't say he was disappointed to see him. No, far from it. In fact, he was far happier to see the blond than he would let himself admit. While most of the group was in college, Aiden had taken his parents money and gone who the hell knows where. Italy, France, Germany, Japan, other countries that Tyler couldn't remember, he saw it all. Along the way, he'd posted almost every bit of his journey online for people to live vicariously through him. At least, that's what Ashlyn called it. People loved watching him not only traverse beautiful landscapes, but also explore other cultures and share stories from people he'd met.

That meant that, as Aiden built an online following large enough to support himself without his parents' help (which in hindsight was probably his goal), Tyler got to watch through a screen as he did all sorts of impressive or death defying feats. Because of course he did. He's Aiden.

It's one thing to watch someone in full scuba gear get locked in a shark tank. It's another to watch him set up a camera and jump off of a cliff into water shirtless.

There were a lot of videos where he ended up shirtless, actually. A byproduct of his love for being in the water. Surfing, swimming, snorkeling- why did so many of those words start with an S anyway? Aiden did it all. And he did half of it wearing nothing from the waist up.

Seeing Aiden shirtless made Tyler's heart flutter every time-

"Tyler!" Aiden broke him from his thoughts. Fortunately. Instead of thinking about how nice he looked in his videos, Tyler could focus on how nice he looked standing right in front of him.

"Aiden," he responded, the second half of the name coming out like a bark as Aiden slammed into him with a bear hug. "It's so great to see you!" He said, squeezing Tyler not tightly enough to take his breath away as much as he did. "How have you been?"

He had been absolutely horrible before he saw Aiden. What the hell was he doing that would dare compare to this man wrapping himself around Tyler like he was never as overjoyed as he was now seeing him again?

"I've been great."

Aiden let go and stepped back. Unfortunately. He grinned up at Tyler, who was still proudly taller. "You look great. I mean, I saw you in some of the pictures posted on your place's Insta, but you look even better in person, yknow? Your tattoos are so cool woah-"

Tyler was much too distracted by the sound of his heart thudding in his ears to pay much mind to Aiden poking and prodding at his arms excitedly. He was blabbering something about how he couldn't wait to have a tattoo of his own- wait, what?

Shaking himself back to reality, Tyler pulled his arm back. It was the only way he'd focus: without Aiden's hands on his skin. "Are you here to get a tattoo?" He'd thought Aiden was just visiting. Why wouldn't he just visit? Ben came by to visit and didn't get a tattoo. Logan came by to visit and didn't get a tattoo. Ashlyn-

"Yeah! I already know kind what I want, too." Of course he did. "Oh, is it okay if I record some of it?" Of course it was. "I don't know if you follow my channel that much, I just wanted to show them the process." Of course. "Plus! I can say HEY here's this cool place! So if you're in the area and you want a tattoo, come see my buddy Tyler!" Of course.

And he wanted Tyler to give him the tattoo. And he wanted it on his back. Wings. Of course. Of course Aiden wanted a large tattoo on his back. Of course Aiden wanted Tyler to sit for hours and look down at his naked torso and have to focus on not screwing up the ink just because his client is pretty. He had tattooed pretty men before! This did NOT have to be any different.

But they weren't Aiden.

Aiden came with some reference photos. He and Tyler came up with a design Aiden liked. It wasn't that elaborate, but it was still going to be time consuming. Unfortunately.

Aiden was lying on his stomach, humming contentedly to himself as he scrolled through his phone, his arm dangling off of the table. Beside him stood Tyler, who was focusing so hard on his art.

Frankly, this was the longest he'd ever seen Aiden sit still. Even when he was asleep, he was such a wiggle worm. Sure, he remembered Taylor said once that she saw Aiden sleep completely still once, but he didn't want to think about that night.

On second thought, maybe that would be better. Maybe if he thought about the night Aiden died he wouldn't think about all the perfectly toned muscle that was right there. How many nights had he laid awake in bed, only his phone lighting the room, watching those videos of Aiden and imagining how it'd feel to wrap his arms around him? How many nights had he rolled over, his arms snug tightly around the middle of a pillow, so that when he closed his eyes he could imagine it was Aiden's waist instead?

How much longer could he deny that he wanted more than anything to be close to him?

After what felt like a year or maybe two minutes, they were halfway done. He'd told Aiden upfront that he'd need to come back again to finish it, which was fine. He had an opening the next day. Aiden was too eager to return. His smile was burned in Tyler's vision much like spots swimming in one's eyes after looking at a bright light.

Taylor came over to see him after work. Tyler was busy scrolling through his phone and definitely not thinking about a certain blond. "Aiden stopped by to say hi today."

"Mhm."

"He showed me his half-finished tattoo."

"Mm."

"You need to tell him you love him."

"Mhm."

Taylor punched him in the arm. Ow. She was fucking strong. "Tyler, c'mon." He finally made himself look up at her from where he was sitting. "We all knew it years ago, and here you are still acting like you don't care."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Don't care what, that he's back? Of course I care that he's back, he's my friend."

She looked at him unamused. "You sure don't look at each other like you're friends," Taylor argued.

Well, what the hell did she know?

Tyler grumbled to himself the entire drive home. He sulked about it as he sat down to watch tv. He moped as he laid in bed, trying to sleep. He dreamed about it, Aiden's laugh echoing throughout his subconscious. He grumbled yet again as he trudged into into work the next day.

Aiden was back late that afternoon.

Surely he must have noticed the way Tyler was avoiding eye contact. The way he practically mumbled in response to Aiden trying to spark a conversation. The way his hand shook as it pressed against his back for the first time that day.

"Don't fuck up my tattoo, halfwit," Aiden grumbled playfully, turning his head to try and look up at Tyler.

He just smiled in response. "It's been a while since you called me that."

Aiden shrugged, earning a scolding from Tyler who was about to put the needle back to his skin. "Well, it's been a while since we've seen each other. I missed you."

Tyler's hands paused. Only for a second.

"I missed you too," he admitted. He really, really had. Far more than he would admit. He missed that manically brilliant grin, knowing something mischievous was soon to follow. He missed the way he laughed, the way he always knew what to say to get on everyone's last nerve, the way he masterfully turned the attention onto himself to distract from whatever was going on around them.

He missed how close they were when they saw each other every day; it gave him more chances to get close to Aiden.

"Why wings?" He blurted out, desperate to change the mental subject to something that did not include wishing he could wrap his arms around Aiden and ask him never to leave again, or worse, to beg him to let Tyler come too.

Aiden hummed, wiggling, despite however many times Tyler had told him off. He was either really lucky that he never made Tyler mess up or he was really good at moving only when he couldn't mess Tyler up. It was impossible to tell.

But of course, he stilled when Tyler leaned back in to continue his work. "Wings are a symbol of freedom, right?" He said, leaving it at that.

Tyler could feel the smile through his words, but he knew there were layers to this sort of symbolism. Freedom from the phantom dimension. Freedom from his parents, to whatever extent it hurt. Freedom from this little town. Freedom to explore the world to his heart's content.

Aiden wanted the world, and Tyler wanted to be his world. But he knew he'd never be enough to satisfy such a deep-rooted wanderlust.

Maybe Aiden was more like his parents than he'd like to admit. They, too, could never stay in one place for too long. They stayed in the house Aiden was living in through high school just long enough for him to leave the house, and then they were gone again. Ashlyn liked to tease that she preferred her new neighbors because they kept to themselves.

How deeply rooted was the Clarks' need to stay on the move? In fleeing the country to both satisfy his own desires and to escape association with his parents, how much was Aiden solidifying how alike they really were? How much did it bother him, or did it at all?

Tyler wondered so many things, and voiced none of them.

But perhaps he wasted too much time thinking and didn't spend enough of it actually talking. The tattoo was finally finished. It was late afternoon, and Tyler had no other appointments that day. Aiden was paying. He was leaving. He was about to leave, and Tyler was about to not see him again for another two years.

Tyler couldn't let that happen.

"Hey," he said suddenly, as Aiden was digging his wallet out of his pocket. "How much longer are you going to be in town?" Because if you aren't busy, we can meet up. Because if you're still here, we can go out somewhere together. Because if you're not leaving, I still have time.

Aiden shrugged. "I was gonna stay for a few more days originally, but my hotel didn't have any vacancy past tonight. I'm gonna sleep in my car and head out tomorrow morning."

Tyler's heart dropped into his stomach. Aiden was leaving tomorrow. Aiden was going to walk out that door and be gone and Tyler wouldn't know how long it would be until he saw him on the same side of the screen again.

That's why he blurted out: "Stay at my place."

Both men stared at each other, dumbfounded, neither really expecting Tyler to suggest such a thing. Aiden's eyes were wide, his tanned cheeks ever so slightly rosy. Tyler wondered if he was imagining it.

"Okay," Aiden said, his grin impossibly wider.

That's how Tyler ended up driving home with Aiden reclining in his passenger side seat. Did he insist that Aiden could just follow him home in his own car? Yes. Did Aiden somehow convince him to just let him throw all his stuff in his backseat and hitch a ride and leave his car parked outside the tattoo shop? Yes. Unfortunately.

The radio was on low; nothing that interesting was playing. Tyler could hear his own voice randomly stopping and starting from Aiden's phone. Sometimes while he was still working on the tattoo, Aiden would hold his phone up, video already rolling, saying "cheese!" and earning a glare from Tyler. Probably for the "I got a tattoo" video. A few times he even got Tyler to stop and take a quick shot of the progress, which was preferable as it kept Aiden from moving as much.

Why did Tyler suggest this. Why did Tyler suggest this. Tyler lived in a one bedroom home, all by himself, and the couch was probably fine but not comfortable enough to SLEEP on WHY did Tyler suggest this. Why did Tyler bring Aiden home. Why was Tyler helping Aiden bring his things inside and showing him around the place.

"So you live by yourself now?" Aiden asked cheerfully as he helped himself to a formerly unopened bag of chips. "That's cool. I thought you and Taylor would've still been living together but this is also cool. I guess since you work next door you need time apart, right? I wish I was still this close to Ben. He doesn't like moving around a lot, I'm happy he found a place he's comfortable." Aiden never stopped talking, and Tyler didn't want to stop him.

"Taylor's still living with Mom," Tyler said, shrugging. "We aren't really living apart cus we needed more space, I just..." How could he put into words that he couldn't stand the vacant look in his mother's eyes anymore? Even as she was doing better, how could he admit he couldn't handle the aching emptiness of that old home?

But Aiden nodded even despite the lack of an explanation, and Tyler understood that it wasn't actually needed.

That was another thing he loved-

That was another thing he enjoyed about Aiden. For all the nonstop chatter that came from him, he was actually a remarkable listener. Sometimes Tyler really struggled to put things into words, but Aiden didn't need him to. He was good at reading between the lines, and Tyler was grateful for that.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Aiden's stomach rumbling so loudly he wondered if he'd eaten at all that day. It was so stupid, he couldn't help but laugh.

The deer-in-headlights wide-eyed look on Aiden's face made Tyler laugh even harder. "I'm just going to cook some spaghetti. Think you can wait that long? And stop with the chips, you need real food."

Aiden threw the clip from the chips at Tyler; he caught it. "Shut up, I forgot lunch."

"That's not my fault," he shot back, gesturing at him with the box of spaghetti noodles. The now open box of spaghetti noodles. A small clump of uncooked noodles flew out, falling at Aiden's feet. "But that was!" He responded, picking them up and taking a bite of one. Tyler cringed.

Aiden was quiet as Tyler started cooking. Fortunately. He did chime in when Tyler was putting the pasta in the pot, shrieking until he agreed to not snap the spaghetti. Because what was he, a fucking barbarian? No, only heathens snap their spaghetti. Tyler was eager to point out to Aiden that he did the same until he visited Italy.

"It's a JOKE!" Aiden insisted through a mouthful of pasta, since Tyler had yet to drop the matter even now that they were eating. "It's a silly thing like, 'oh no! My Nonna is rolling over in her grave because you're breaking your pasta!' I don't think people actually care that much."

Tyler raised an eyebrow at him as he noisily slurped up yet another mouthful of spaghetti. He snickered, wiping his mouth. At least he had the decency to use a napkin. "Well, I like it long. It's more fun. So I guess I care."

Never again would Tyler Hernandez break pasta. At least not when he was cooking for Aiden.

Dinner wasn't very eventful, unless you counted the fact that Tyler was sitting across from Aiden Clark and talking to him and having dinner with him alone sitting in his house for the entire night. But no, no big deal. Just two guys being friends, hanging out. Two bros sitting at a table, five feet apart-

Aiden was right next to Tyler, wrapping an arm around his shoulders in a quick side hug. "Thanks for dinner!" Tyler just stared at him, because oh, now he's very close and smiling down at him. And now he was walking away with his and Tyler's plates in hand. "I'll clean up since you cooked."

That brought Tyler back to reality. "You're my guest, you don't need to do that. And don't thank me for feeding you, that's literally the bare minimum."

He was ignored; the clinking of plates being washed began as the tap came on in the kitchen sink. Tyler just sighed and allowed it. If Aiden insisted on cleaning dinner up, Tyler could busy himself with finding something for them to do afterwards, at least. After all, it wasn't that late at night; they needed something to do.

There was a dusty box of video game cases. Tyler hadn't played Mario Kart in ages.

That turned out to be the best idea he'd had all day. He could barely begin suggesting the idea to Aiden before the controller was snatched from his hands and a certain blond planted himself on the sofa, staring intensely at the screen, waiting for Tyler to start the game.

There were too many characters to pick from; Tyler always tried a different one every time. This time he picked Rosalina, earning a curious glance from Aiden. On the complete other side of the character selection spectrum, Aiden IMMEDIATELY beelined for Waluigi. His entire cart was built and ready before Tyler even decided which character he wanted.

It'd been a long time since they played together, but Tyler knew how Aiden played. Normally selecting the Mii character to play as someone like Sans, but settling for Waluigi because he knew Tyler wouldn't have his weird characters saved. All speed, not great handling. As for Tyler, he preferred putting more into acceleration than speed. What's the use in being fast if it takes you too long to speed up when you crash into shit?

And his performance proved him right. Or it proved that Aiden's Mario Kart skills were rusty and he had circled right back to noob status. Tyler won time and time again, all his time playing with Taylor when she came over for sleepovers paying off.

He let Aiden end on a high note, though. There was no way he was going to go easy on him, of course; he figured Aiden must've finally got the hang of the game again when he won the last round. "YES!" He yelled, pointing a finger right in Tyler's face. "I finally got you!"

Tyler let him have it, considering how miserably he did in the very first races. "Alright, you got me."

Aiden giggled. He giggled. And he smiled right at Tyler. Unfortunately.

"It's late," Tyler said, looking away. They'd been playing for a couple of hours at this point. It felt like they'd just sat down. "I'm not letting you stay up all night before driving for hours."

Confusion growing on his face, Aiden watched as Tyler set up a pillow and blanket on the couch. "Am I sleeping out here?"

"No, of course not. You're sleeping in my room." Did Aiden really expect to be left on the couch??

Aiden just grinned at him. "You don't have to sleep on the sofa, Ty."

It was hard to ignore the way his heart fluttered. This man was going to be the death of him. He just had to survive one more night. Surely. "I'm sure as hell not making you sleep on the sofa. Especially with a healing tattoo, you need to rest on something comfortable, dude."

But Tyler had misunderstood exactly what Aiden was getting at. "Tyler, I don't care if we share the bed, yknow."

Oh. Tyler hoped that the way his face burned wasn't visible. He never would have expected Aiden to suggest such a thing. Why would Aiden suggest such a thing? Why wouldn't Aiden suggest such a thing, actually? Why did it matter? It shouldn't matter. They were friends. Friends could share a bed. Surely.

That's how Tyler found himself laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, as Aiden scrolled on his phone to his right. He had tucked a pillow securely under his chest to prop himself up, whatever app he was using casting a soft glow on his face. Tyler couldn't help but look a few times. Just a few.

This was all made worse by the fact that Aiden was laying there on his stomach shirtless. It took Tyler dragging him back to the bathroom after they both showered and forcing him to sit down for him to remember that, yes, his tattoo needed proper attention of its own. And now there he was, lying on his stomach so as to not irritate his back, and his phone was lighting up the sleepy grin on his face. Unfortunately.

"Go to sleep," Tyler grumbled, as if the light was bothering him. It wasn't the light itself keeping him up, though. How could he sleep with this man lying a foot away from him?

Aiden grumbled back, putting his phone on the nightstand. "You don't have enough pillows. I need, like... three."

"What the fuck do you need three pillows for." Tyler only had two! The only person that slept over was Taylor, and she brought a sleeping bag and pillows for herself; she, too, didn't want Tyler giving up his bed just for her.

The response was punctuated by a scoff, as if Aiden was offended that Tyler wouldn't know why Aiden needed three damn pillows. "I need something under my stomach and my head to be comfortable on my stomach."

Then he should have brought his own. "You can't have my pillow."

"Can I just lay on you instead?"

Once again, Aiden said something that left Tyler stunned and defenseless. The room went silent as he couldn't come up with an answer that didn't sound as desperate or excited as the thought made him feel inside.

Aiden took his silence for rejection. "I was, joking, uh-"

"Yes. Uh, yeah you can. If you want to."

Silence again. This time much less uncomfortable. Slowly, tentatively, Aiden shifted closer. Placed an arm on Tyler's other side, holding himself up. Lowered himself to settle against Tyler's chest, tucking into his shoulder.

They both let out a long breath as they fell into place together. It was as if whatever anxious walls they'd put up crumbled and vanished as their bodies moved on their own, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to be closer. Aiden's leg looped under Tyler's. Tyler's arms settled around Aiden, Aiden's latched together under Tyler's back.

Aiden's head tilted back, his gaze meeting Tyler's. They were close, too close. Unfortunately.

Or maybe it wasn't a bad thing. Aiden was searching his face, a calm smile adorning his face. Tyler stared right back, unable to stop himself from glancing at that pretty smile, wondering what it'd feel like pressed against his own lips.

Aiden noticed; he smiled a little brighter. It suited him, that natural smile. That smile for Tyler. How could he deny any longer his own feelings when Aiden was smiling like that? Smiling like that just for him? How could he deny his own feelings when it was so clear suddenly that Aiden felt the same?

"Aiden?" He said softly, eyes unable to focus on just Aiden's eyes or just Aiden's lips, bouncing between the two. He just hummed in response, staring back with a level of focus that was surprising for him.

"I- I want to kiss you," Tyler blurted out.

Aiden giggled, his eyes nearly closing as laughter took over his body. Tyler's face burned, and he scowled even despite knowing that he was just being teased. "Aiden."

"Can I tell you a secret?" He responded, managing to cease his snickering. Tyler just stared, waiting.

Aiden leaned close, suddenly serious. Tyler couldn't keep up with the mad facade for much longer, given that he could feel Aiden's breath on his face. This was the closest they'd ever been, at least that Tyler could remember. He'd lean in and end his suffering if he weren't waiting on Aiden to go on with what he wanted to say.

"I lied about the hotel," Aiden whispered, "so you'd invite me over."

Then Aiden kissed him. And Tyler was too blissfully reduced to mush to even get mad at the realization that this entire situation only happened because Aiden was banking on Tyler suggesting he stay over instead of sleeping in his car.

Now Aiden was gripping Tyler's shirt like he'd disappear if he opened his eyes, Tyler was running his hand through Aiden's hair and pulling him ever closer, and neither of them wanted it to end. Finally, finally, Aiden was his.

Who cared what would happen tomorrow, or a week from now? Who cared what they'd do when Aiden had to leave again? Tyler was firmly rooted at home, and Aiden was endlessly roaming without a constant one. But that was tomorrow's problem.

Tonight Aiden was his. And he wasn't letting go.

[cloudcountry]

Hey aubs <3

Saw the ikevamp reqs and i keep thinking about how germain was my favorite, but back when i played his route wasn't even out (sadge) so i was thinking if you could do me a solid* (you always do and are such an amazing author fr fr <3)

So i was thinking, can you do me frienemies-to-lovers germain and gn! vampire "hunter"! reader? You can make it whatever prompt you feel like <3

HAVE A GOOD DAYYYY <3

*it's ABSOLUTELY no pressure, you can absolutely delete this req if you don't wanna do it

SUMMARY: you run into comte (or rather, he runs into you) after you kill a vampire.

WARNINGS: none!!! :D

COMMENTS: UM THIS ISNT QUITE ENEMIES TO LOVERS BUT . I THINK IT TURNED OUT OKAY ^^; not beta read because im lazy if theres typos DONT READ THEM THEYRE NOT THERE

Your vision goes blurry as you’re thrown against the wall of a dingy alleyway, sharp nails digging into your skin. A loud hiss and hot breath against your neck make your heart jump in your throat. Grasping at your wooden stake, you smack the back of it against the vampire’s head, sending them reeling. Taking the chance, you kick them up against the opposite wall and drive your stake through their hand.

Their scream of pain smells like blood and flesh.

You aim a well-placed kick at their head, knocking them to the concrete, and they still. The sickening crack of their skull meeting the pavement gains no reaction from you.

You reach down, yanking the wooden stake out from their hand. They don’t move.

You raise it over your head and bring it down, stabbing straight through their chest.

A raspy breath escapes the body as their muscles twitch, and they fall still once again.

“I see you’re out and about again, mon chérie.”

You don’t even acknowledge the familiar voice as you stare down at your most recent kill. Despite what people in the business say, you know you’ll never quite get used to this.

Not killing the vampires, and certainly not the vampire that’s taken to following you around on nights like these.

His name is Comte de Saint Germain, and the tension between you two has always been palpable.

“Indeed I am.” you finally respond, turning to face his towering silhouette. It’s at times like these when you’re fully aware that he is, indeed, a vampire, despite what the upper class of France may believe.

It’s not that you’re wary of him because he’s the type of beast you hunt.

You’re wary of him because he hasn’t stopped you yet.

“I’m assuming that poor soul attacked an innocent.” he mused, stepping closer to you in order to examine the body.

“They did.” you answer curtly.

Comte hums. He kneels next to the body and murmurs something under his breath.

You reach for your stake.

“There’s no need for that.” he turns back to you as if sensing your movement smiling up at you.

The smile is tense. Fake. Meant to make you let down your guard.

You grip your stake harder.

Comte stands up, not a single speck of blood or dust on his clothing. He’s facing you, the smile on his face still plastered across his lips.

“You should consider taking a more peaceful approach next time. You never know what the vampire you kill could be suffering from.” Comte says, and although his voice is soft there’s a steely edge to it.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” you reply coldly, eyes narrowing as you wait for the slightest movement.

He makes no move towards you. Instead, he chuckles and disappears into the night, and you’re left in the alleyway with blood-soaked clothing and a racing heart.

[shiftingtomydrs]

MLB DR

Alright so same as with some other drs my personal stuff like name and everything is the same soo wont go into that a lot tbh

then backstory, i originally wanted to be like an exchange student in france but then like i cant very well be ladybug if im only there for a year so i switched it to i move to france for some reason i dont know yet and i live there with my aunt or smth bcs she lives near paris yk? then basically i just kinda take marinettes place but not completely, like shes still there and stuff but im there too yk? my love interest is adrien and marinette will get together (and stay together) with luca cos theyre cute and im not sure yet if i should script her crush on adrien out or just say it disappears at some point

changes in plot: i dont like anything after season 2, dont ask me why, i just dont like it idk why either, so im gonna script seasons 3-5 out with some exceptions (e.g. i kinda really like cat blanc so i might leave that in with some other stuff but the whole shadow moth and all that shit no) also lila isnt the next supervillain shes just a regular mean girl cos it doesnt make any frickin sense that a 15 year old is able to manipulate every single person she meets. like shell still be able to lie and manipulate people her age but not adults cos thats just stupid imo. Also i havent even watched season 5 yet so im going off spoilers i saw for the next part: none of the miraculous will have permanent holders except ladybug and chat noir (aka me and adrien) cos i like to be special :) also i wont be guardian of the miraculous until much later like college or smth cos thats a ton of pressure and it went sideways for marinette so i dont want it going sideways for me. oh and a big one: ill be taking the whole sentimonster plot out cos i hate it and i think ive never hated a plot as much as that one. like sentimonsters can exist okay but felix and adrien and kagami etc arent one. cos just no. oh and ofc i wont know adrien is chat noir haha

now a bit more about myself: idk yet if i just wanna kinda steal marinettes interests and do the whole design thing cos i am a sucker for parallels and the parallel of adriens parents and adrinette is there but then again why would i wanna be like gabriel? so i might just do what i do in 90% of my drs and be a songwriter (well ill be that anyway question is do i add the designing part on top or not?), otherwise i like baking, ill do figure skating or gymnastics or ballet prolly like all the things i wanna do here but cant for this or that reason. my nationality will be german prolly cos i like having the german passport and also i dont think i need a visa for france cos its in the eu. i wont really script much more about like me and adrien except that we end up together but in my head its kinda similar to the adrien and marinette situation cos im a sucker for slowburn and idk it just fits i think also with my issues with trusting people have good intentions and not just spend time with me bcs of a bet or shit like that.

Physical looks, i might change my hair color cos idk i think itll fit and yeah but ill still have my eye color and height and stuff just be a bit fitter cos with my endurance theres no way ill be able to be a superhero (ik theres magic and shit but still)

im not sure yet if i should leave the dr as a cartoon or do it like this reality (leaning towards this reality bcs i think cartoon would freak me out a bit for my first shift and id overcomplicate it) or maybe ill just do two drs, one cartoon and one not.

anyway, if you have any questions, id love to talk more about this dr so pls ask them <3

@ningsols here it is :)

[ggomos-maribat]

A Real One for Christmas

Cross posted from AO3

You know, when I said I was ready to return the favor,

I didn't expect it to be like this

Pleaseeee? 🥺🥺🥺

It's just for one Christmas dinner

EVERYONE has their own boyfriend or girlfriend now

And Ma and Pa's been asking when I'm getting together with someone

you're overlooking something here

your best friend knows me

how do we explain that to them?

we just tell them the truth

we met online and hit it off

uh huh

he won't ask questions in front of the family

i think

i can think of a million reasons how this can go wrong

it won't🙂

wow that smiling face is really assuring

that's good ^ _^

seriously?

another question..

am I supposed to know about your powers?

that's the fun part

if they know you're a 'civilian'

they'll be fighting to hide their powers

and/or tech

thru the whole dinner

you're actually evil

haha

this is me getting back at them

so i'll fly you on the 20th?

i can't fly with you

you need to book me a flight, im in Paris

France

Europe

Or else they'll be suspicious

Right

I'll ask Dad to help get you one

What about HM?

I'll make a prediction here and say that he won't be attacking a few days before christmas

cause he'll do it on christmas

but just in case, I can bring Kaalki or you can fly me

or I can ask Chat to cover for me

okay

see you :3

hey, this makes YOU owe me a favor

but this is your return

this isnt equal to what u did

it is :3

Marinette sighed and flopped on her bed as she threw her phone to her side. Meeting Jon Kent had been both luck and misfortune for her. One day, he was just a cute stranger she met after a boredom-filled night and then the next, they had accidentally found each others' identities when Superboy happened to pass by Paris.

She dragged out a groan. What on earth was Jon even thinking with that charade? They were facing a family of Kryptonians and detectives for crying out loud. 

"What's the matter, Marinette?" Tikki flew in munching on her last cookie crumb. 

"That was a very regretful groan." 

She screamed when she saw her partner's head pop through her open skylight. A pillow was instinctively thrown at Chat, who dodged it effortlessly. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" she glanced warily at her trapdoor, hoping her parents wouldn't come rushing in. 

Chat dropped down on her bed and stretched. "Meowch. Can't I visit my dearest friend every now and then?" 

"I think Marinette has a predicament," Tikki tattled as she nestled on top of Chat's head. 

"Oooh, what predicament? Do share, M'lady." 

Seven pieces of cookies, two more woeful groans and a story later, Chat was laughing out loud. 

"You think this is funny?" Marinette scowled. 

"I'm sorry," Chat wheezed, not at all sounding remorseful. "But you and I have read enough fanfiction to know where this is going." 

"But this is not fanfiction. This is real life." 

"And in real life," the black-clad hero sang, "Jon Kent likes you."  

Marinette scoffed. It wasn't that easy of course. Jon was one charming smile after another, targeting her unsuspecting feelings while not knowing anything.  

"So?"  

"So. . .?" Chat cocked his head.  

"What about Hawkmoth?"  

"Him? I can take care of the city while you're out," he replied. "You go enjoy your little Christmas getaway while I—"  

"Should we exchange our Miraculouses?" Marinette asked her kwami.  

Tikki gave a half shrug, "I don't mind joining Adrien for a while."  

"Yes! Two days with no cheese smell!"  

---

The flight to America was uneventful, but the car ride to Kents' was. Jon had reminded her before and after her trip that he and Conner were picking her up. She'd lied to him over text, saying that she wasn't nervous at all, but her rapid-beating heart was betraying her.  

And Plagg wouldn't shut up about it. And asking her for a charcuterie board at dinner.  

She could only make a futile attempt to control her heartbeat in the old farm truck with two Superboys.  

"Marinette, was it?" Conner smiled at her through the rearview mirror.  

"Uh . . . Yeah." She squirmed. Jon squeezed her hand. She squirmed some more.  

"By the way, Dad wanted to pick you up instead of Conner but he has dinner duties," Jon explained, "He told me to tell you."  

"It's okay. I'm thankful he paid for the flight and everything."  

"Jon told me you met online," Conner pressed, earning a frown from Jon. "He wouldn't elaborate."  

"We just started off as chat buddies and the next thing I know we were getting closer and he asked me out."  

"Hm that's interesting." A slight smirk popped up on Conner's lips. "Jon's never mentioned you before." 

"This is exactly why," Jon pouted. "You'll scare her off."  

A fake gasp. "Moi? I'm just a guy from Smallville. No one too special."  

"Eyes on the road, Kon. And don't go too fast, this isn't your motorcycle."  

"So how did Lois react when she found out?" 

Marinette saw Jon shudder under his holiday sweater. "She was furious."  

She paled. "Your mom got mad?"  

"I should've seen that coming anyway, because I never told them." Jon raised his hands. "Not your fault, though! Mom's excited to meet you."  

"How exactly did you meet?"  

"Kon. Questions later. Focus on driving, jeez."  

Marinette swallowed. If they had to pull off the act in front of Jon's family, she had to step up. "It's okay, Jon." She touched his arm. "We met in an online chatroom and we've been talking ever since." 

"Tinder? Grindr?"  

"Kon!" Jon's cheeks turned into a deep shade of red. "Can we talk about something else? What about you and Tim? Talk about that."  

"Me and Tim?" Conner smiled widely, almost evilly. "You want to talk about us? Tonight we're going to make lo—"  

"Okay, okay! Not that!" Jon raised his voice. He turned to Marinette. "Sorry."  

She squeezed the side of her bag which was starting to shake from Plagg's giggles. "It's okay. I promise."  

"You shouldn't have come—" 

"Hey, no, we already agreed to this, didn't we?" Marinette smiled shyly. "We're doing this dinner."  

Withholding a smirk, she laughed. "And it's not like I can fly back to France in a minute." 

And to this, Conner's eyes widened as the car swerved sharply to another lane.  

----

Lois Lane was first to tackle her as soon as she stepped through the front door. She stumbled back a bit, but managed to return the tight hug.  

"Marinette! I'm happy you can make it." She turned her head briefly to the commotion behind her. "I have to apologize—we're not yet done with the preparations."  

Marinette could see half of the Wayne family staring at her curiously from the kitchen. She pretended not to notice as Jon took her coat. "It's alright, Ms. Lane. If there's anything I can help with—"  

"No, you're our guest! You can sit here first and the table will be set in a few minutes." The reporter hurried her to a comfy couch in the living area. "And please, call me Lois."  

"Thank you . . . Lois."  

Jon leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Dad needs me to help with a few things. Will you be okay on your own?"  

She took his hand gently. "Of course. Go."  

He gave her one charming smile before going. At the same time, others came filing in . . .  

. . . And an arrow sailed past her head and into the wall.  

"ROY!"  

"That is my new—ow!"  

A blue-eyed man snatched the small contraption from the archer, glaring at him pointedly. 

"We have a guest, idiot." Another man strolled into the room.  

Dick Grayson, Roy Harper, Jason Todd, Marinette made her guesses. Jon had already told her all about them, even going as far as to share their quirks and personalities. Nightwing, Arsenal, Red Hood.  

"I am so sorry!" Roy's eyes went wide. "It was for my . . . Er—archery competition!"  

Jason smacked him.  

"Didn't we already tell you about this?" Dick hissed while pulling out the arrow from the wall.  

Roy mumbled a response that Marinette couldn't make out.  

"Really really sorry for that." Dick turned to her. "Are you hurt anywhere?"  

"I'm good!" Marinette assured before their arguments worsened. "It didn't hit me."  

"Good." Dick glared at Roy again. "I'm Dick, and these are Roy and Jason."  

"It's nice to meet you," she smiled sheepishly.  

"Guys, you're crowding around the poor girl." A woman in a wheelchair entered, and the others gave her space.  

"Hi, I'm Barbara, you can call me Babs." The woman offered a welcoming smile which Marinette returned. At that moment, more people were ushered into the living room, by the Wayne's butler who was brandishing a spatula and muttering about banning them from the kitchen.  

Marinette felt a chill down her spine.  

There, at the corner of her eye, he was staring at her. Calculatingly.  

Crap, he definitely recognizes me.  

She pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to Jon.  

---

The Kents and Waynes (read: Alfred) didn't disappoint with the food. Marinette realized how hungry she was when she gazed at the dining table.  

"You have to try Ma's apple pie," Jon whispered next to her. "I bet your bakery can't compare."  

"I'll be the judge of that," Marinette rolled her eyes. She settled next to Jon, across from Clark and Lois. Damian was diagonal from her, making it more difficult to avert her gaze.  

After the setting of the table, passing of bowls, picking up of servings, Clark made small talk within the light chatter.  

"So Marinette, what do you like to do?" Clark asked.  

"Art. Designing," she replied, "Helping my parents bake."  

"Oh come on," said Jon, "Marinette is a prodigy. She's been recognized by Gabriel Agreste and Audrey Bourgeois gave her an offer once."  

"Big names in fashion," Bruce Wayne commented, sending Marinette into a blush, "That's impressive."  

Jon piped up again before she could kick him under the table. "Her designs are amazing. And Jagged Stone regularly commissions her for concert pieces."  

"Wagged Shtone?" 

"Master Timothy, please don't talk while eating."  

"You know Jagged Stone?!" Tim gaped at her after swallowing down his food.  

"Jon's exaggerating." Marinette tucked her hair behind her ear, "It was just a few pieces for his concert."  

"Don't downplay it, Mars, you're talented," Jon smiled gently.  

"Looks like you're very proud of Marinette," said Lois.  

"O—of course I am! She's my girlfriend after all."  

"Well, I'm happy Jon brought a wonderful girl home," Ma Kent beamed, handing Marinette another piece of baked lasagna.  

"Can you get me an autograph from Jagged?" Roy asked.  

"Me first!" Tim cut in.  

"I'd like one too," Kara joined in.  

Marinette laughed nervously, "I'm sure I can get one for everyone." She glanced to her side. "Umm . . . Conner are you okay?"  

He continued rubbing his shoulder. "Yeah, someone threw a tree at me too hard while we were collecting firewood."  

An invisible tension (which Marinette purposefully ignored) swept across the room. Beside her, Jon spoke up. "Hey, I said I was sorry!"  

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows, resisting a laugh when she saw the semi-panicked faces of the others. "Jon threw a tree at you?"  

Tim conspicuously kicked Conner's leg below the table.  

"A tree! Yeah!" Conner's eyes widened. "We collect tiny trees for firewood! Really tiny ones!"  

"Oh. . .?"  

"Please ignore him." Tim kicked his boyfriend again. "Mari, tell us about Paris!"  

---

"Chilly night, huh?" 

Marinette could've sworn she jumped to the ceiling as she yelped at the voice. She'd step out into the front porch to get some air as the families cleaned up after dinner inside. She didn't expect the girl who Damian had brought to come approach her. 

"Yeah, really cold," Marinette saw her breath fog up. She hugged herself, feeling Rachel stare directly at her. 

Rachel had been quiet during dinnertime, but she wasn't a forgettable presence. Marinette knew about her as well (even before she knew about the Kents) because of a mission (more accurately, a snooping errand) assigned to her in the past. 

"Aren't you cold too?" Marinette rubbed her palms together. 

"I do well with the cold," the girl replied. "Damian's been looking at you the whole night." 

Yeah, I noticed that too. 

"Really?" Marinette chuckled nervously, gazing elsewhere. 

"Yes. It seems like he knows you." 

"He must be mistaken . . ." 

"He isn't." Rachel shook her head. "I'm not sure why he's suspicious but I trust you." 

"Trust---huh?" 

"I can feel that you're good. Lucky even." A light smile was on her lips. "You're good for Jon." 

I thought the smell of cheese would've masked whatever luck Tikki gives me. "Thanks?" 

"I'm coming back inside. You?" 

"Uhh . . . I think I'll stay here for a bit." 

With a nod, Rachel walked back into the warm house. Marinette released a sigh of relief. Confirming that Damian did recognize and remember her brought back memories.  

She wasn't proud of her time in the League, but it wasn't something she can turn her back to either. Especially since she still had to be loyal to its heir. She let out another heavy sigh and— 

"AHH!" In a surge of alarm, Marinette threw whoever was behind her over her shoulder. She was suddenly met with familiar green eyes.  

"Oh . . . Amir . . . I'm so sorry!"  

"It's good to know you still have your reflexes." 

She winced as she helped Damian stand back up. 

"I will go straight to the point. What are you doing here?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Did my mother send you? Is the League looking for me?" 

Marinette huffed. "Okay, first of all, that is an insult to Lady Talia. If she wanted to see you, she'd do it herself. Not send me to go undercover in a Christmas dinner." 

Damian raised an eyebrow. 

"Secondly, I'm not here for anything but Jon. Because I'm his girlfriend," she emphasized. "It's just a coincidence and I even hoped you wouldn't try to talk to me." 

"So you have no business involving me?"  

"I don't." She glanced warily through the window of the house, wondering if Jon (or any of the Supers) was listening. "Jon is . . . he's really important to me. I like him." 

"Does that mean you know about . . .?"  

"Yeah, all of it." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "But don't tell anyone. Jon and I are waiting to see how long we can mess with them."  

"I see." Damian pursed his lips, putting on an expression that she knew meant that he was thinking deeply. "If Kent hurts you in any way, I have a stock of kryptonite." 

"Uhm . . . Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"  

"No." A tight smile. "I . . . Apologize for misunderstanding. I just haven't seen you since the League fell."  

"I'm just in Paris, Amir." Her shoulders sagged. "Trying to live normally. Sorry I haven't reached out."  

"We should go back inside. You're shivering."  

Marinette followed Damian into the house just as her phone rang. She sucked in a breath, read the message and met Jon's eyes from across the room.  

He immediately went towards her and pulled her to the stairs, yelling, "We'll be in my bedroom, don't listen to us, okay, bye!"  

---

Jon had offered to take her at first, but she declined to protect their cover. She had taken the Horse Miraculous and rushed back to the Kents' using the space power-up. On a day when she thought Hawkmoth wouldn't strike, he akumatized poor August again. 

Marinette had exchanged Miraculouses with Chat during the battle. She sat on Jon's windowsill in her Cosmobug suit as she caught her breath.  

"I'm really sorry," she breathed out. "Did they ask questions?"  

"They think we're still locked up here so it's okay. How was the battle? Did you get hurt?" Jon scanned her for injuries.  

She held his shoulders. "I'm okay. It was a quick fight but I was worried I wouldn't make it back in time."  

He pulled her into a tight hug, eliciting another blush. "Sorry I made you stressed out."  

"Hey, it's me returning the favor, remember?"  

The first time they had met in person, Superboy was in Paris, encountered an akuma battle and accidentally found her identity. She'd made him promise not to tell anyone about what was happening in the city, but he promised to collect the debt.  

"And I really enjoyed tonight. Everyone was nice." Marinette grinned. "If not a bit too obvious with their identities."  

"Let me guess. Conner and Roy were the most careless."  

She giggled. "No, I saw Bruce pocketing a Batarang and Clark reheating the chicken with his heat vision."  

Jon laughed along with her, still not letting go from the hug. Marinette buried her face on his chest. I wish it would always be like this.  

"I wish it could always be like this," said Jon.  

"Hm?"  

Her earrings started beeping but she paid them no mind.  

"Like . . . Bringing you over. Spending time together," he mumbled. "but we can't. You're not . . . We're not . . ."  

She swallowed. "Do you want it to be real?"  

He pulled away a little, to look at her properly. "Do you?"  

Marinette bit her lip. It wasn't the best time. It could strain their friendship. We'll never talk again!  

"Yes, I want it to be real," she confessed. "I've . . . I've liked you for a while now." 

His eyes turned bright and the corners of his lips lifted.  "Really? Are you sure? Because I was scared you won't feel the same and I made it weird . . ."  

Her arms looped around his neck as she mirrored the elated look. "Nope." Her lips lightly touched his cheek. "I like you a lot, Jon."  

He was practically buzzing with excitement, which made her want to laugh. "Really? Like really, really?" He held her more tightly. "You want to be my real girlfriend?"  

"Of course I do—"  

The door clicked open. "MARINETTE! WE GOT YOU PRESENTS—!"  

A wave of light flashed and Marinette felt her transformation wear off and a drowsy Tikki floating at her side. Conner, Tim, Dick and Kara were staring slack-jawed at them, crowded around the door.  

Jon helped her down the windowsill. "Umm, we can explain?"  

[viktoriakomova]

i want to make this a separate post instead of tacking it onto the last post i reblogged, because a) i feel like its getting way too far away from the point of the OP and as someone who has been in that position several times on my main blog its annoying as shit, and b) i dont want it to feel like anybody is ganging up on OP or "dragging" them or whatever, i dont think what they said was mean spirited or came from a place of bad faith etc etc etc. (if i did i would have been a whole fucking lot meaner in replying lmfao) and i also dont think anything it said was Wrong tbh.

okay all that being said!

i will put my tags of my last reblog in the main text here, because this is something i want to expand on:

not to get too Deep about it but. the colonizing countries literally have more wealth and resources and opportunity *because* th#*they stole so much from the global south. they have the $ and the stability to develop ‘frivolous’ things like gym#at the direct expense of the colonies who are left penniless and in perpetual chaos and upheaval

(for context this is re: children of immigrants in diaspora and their connections to their parents'/grandparents' homelands and culture, and maintaining those ties when the reason they came to the global north are for increased opportunity for success and upward mobility etc.)

i wont turn this into a treatise on economic exploitation and its consequences like i alluded to in the tags (i would if i had like 3 glasses of wine tho lol) but the following is something i really do want to underscore:

i love nemour for a lot of reasons. the gymnastics itself, yes of course. i know i snark and make jokes all the time about her shitting on the FFG every time she does anything great under the 🇩🇿 flag. but sincerely, what she is doing for gymnastics in algeria, in north africa in general (hell even in africa overall given the attention that african champs got because of her), is truly something special. i will admit that i dont stay on top of algerian sports media lol but i do speak french and what ive seen, just what has come across my radar, in the francophone algerian press (both in france and in algeria) is drumming up major excitement about her. this is the kind of attention that gets people who otherwise wouldnt give a shit emotionally invested in the sport. the social and historical baggage of the treatment of algeria and algerians in france, and the olympics being in paris, is just the icing on the cake.

its not exactly the same dynamic, especially not in terms of the Discourse about resources and access in diaspora, but i cant help but to be reminded of daiane dos santos, who famously started the sport at the age of 12. and only 8 years later she became a world champion on floor. she was the first world champion in WAG from brazil, south america entirely in fact, ever!!!! rebeca andrade mentions her all the time as an inspiration for her as a little girl. rebe went out of her way (i mean that figuratively as well as very literally, we all know the story about her brothers escorting her through the favela to the gym and back) to do the sport, because she saw dos santos do great things and looked up to her. and now shes REBECA FUCKING ANDRADE. would we have Rebe™ if it hadnt been for daiane? no probably not!

i guess it just..... not "upsets" me, thats not the word im looking for, but maybe gives me pause when i see anybody say (about any of the aforementioned US-born gymnasts representing other countries, not just in this case with nemour) that its opportunistic or undeserved to be competing under the flag of a country your parent(s) came from but you've never properly lived in. because...... isnt that the whole purpose of the multi-generational Narrative Arc? dont they pick up their whole lives and move to "wealthy" countries to pursue better lives for themselves, and more importantly, for their children? and then their children do take advantage of those opportunities they would not have gotten back "home" and reach the highest levels of a (very expensive and, until very recently, highly "inaccessible") sport. and then there's a chorus of "well it isn't like she's FROM from there and came up from the ranks within that country." i mean you're not wrong but thats.... kinda the point!!! she couldnt have done it at "home," shes a clear example of how much talent there is in places that are torn apart and dirt fucking poor and how if you give those people the opportunity, they can be really fucking good at this! world class, even!

she is, in a very REAL sense, "representing" algeria. if she does well in paris (🧿🧿🧿🧿 *furiously knocking on every wooden surface in my apt*) she will become an emblematic iconic sports star for algeria. she will be the reason a ton of little girls in algeria (and even franco-algériennes in france) will want to sign up for gymnastics! she will have (and has already had, by the looks of it) a tangible impact on the popularity and the future of the sport in algeria. it cannot be overstated how fucking much that means.

[musicoftheheart]

oh my gosh okay so I wanna ask about all ur wips honestly but that kind of defeats the purpose soooooooo

4,7,8,14

4 because it sounds really ominous, 7 because the title makes me think someone (probably james) freaks out every time someone else (probably regulus) speaks french and a third person (probably sirius) thinks hes having an allergic reaction, 8 because this sounds like a sequel to hold me tight (and never let me go)??? and I have been loving that fic so far and cant wait for you to finish it (but no pressure, take ur time of course), and 14 because thats funny as shit

also, I remember you saying a while ago you might write a snooker au? is that happening? (again no pressure, I just wondered if u forgot to list it since you mentioned having brain fog recently (which is a cool name for it btw and I will be using it in future))

hi!! thanks for asking! <33

so ive covered a couple of these in another ask, so ill only sum them up here (you still get rambled at though dw <3)

4. dont walk too close

so! as i said in another ask, this is a fic following sirius (and regulus, later) starting hogwarts as walburga’s obedient heir, only to end up in gryffindor and learning that life isnt quite the way he’d been taught. his revelations and his sorting end up causing tension at home in the yule holidays, and a series of events end up with regulus in gryffindor too. im sure we can all imagine how that one goes. i posted a snippet in the other ask here

7. french epi fic

HA okay i love your guess, but— well, actually, youre closer to the truth than you might’ve thought. sort of.

regulus has just escaped his parents’ clutches and moves across from france to the one place he hoped he might be welcome: sirius’ home in england. its set in yorkshire, because thats where i grew up before i had to move away, and i miss it :( regulus’ english is poor as it is, but meeting sirius’ ridiculously attractive housemate, james potter, muddles his brain enough where the few basic greetings he knew were gone

james has epilepsy (thats where the ‘epi’ in the title comes from), remus gets them all free donuts, and sirius refuses to flirt on behalf of either james or regulus with the other. its chaos, its fun, and im enjoying it so far despite only being a few thousand words in. here’s a snippet:

Regulus slowly set his eyes back on the house. “It’s so big.”

Seeming to finally catch up on Regulus’ surprise, Sirius explained, “Effie and Monty helped us get on our feet, but with what Alphard left…”

”Mon dieu,” he breathed. But this time, it wasn’t at the house. It was at the man stepping out of it.

Stood at the front door, one hand shielding his eyes from the sun that had emerged from behind the rain clouds, was the most beautiful man Regulus had ever laid his gaze upon. His dark brown hair was tussled in a mess of curls on his head, but almost like it was purposefully messy rather than just uncontrollable. Round golden glasses sat upon his bronze skin, framing his chocolatey eyes perfectly, and a wide grin pulled at his mouth and revealed a little dimple on his left cheek.

When Regulus was eventually able to tear his eyes from the man’s face, his breath caught again at the sight of the rest of him. He clearly worked out, if the muscles making his t-shit stretch were anything to go by, but he wasn’t tall — perhaps only a couple of inches larger than Regulus himself, and he reached only a measly 5’7. Something shining in the sun caught Regulus’ eye, and he saw a thin metal bracelet on one of the man’s wrists.

”Hey, James!” Sirius called, climbing out of the car and snapping Regulus out of his trance. He’d made it to the boot to pull Regulus’ suitcase out before Regulus had even managed to open the passenger door.

”Padfoot!” James called with just as much enthusiasm — that was, far too much considering they lived together and had presumably seen each other just a few hours ago before Sirius had left to pick Regulus up. “And mini Pads!” he added, spotting Regulus finally getting out of the car.

Regulus shot him a swift glare for that nickname. He may be cute, but looks could only get him so far.

8. the warmth of your arms rivals the sun (its burning out)

this is another ive covered in another ask but i love it so im still gonna talk about it. youre exactly right, by the way — it is a hmt sequel! i guess the naming conventions were similar enough ahaha. its very james-centric with background storylines, and focuses on much heavier themes than those in hmt. i wont go into what they are, but anyone who was around during chapter… four? five? i dont remember, but it was early on. i added some tags, then took them away once i decided id split it into two parts. if anyone remembers those tags, that’s what twoya will cover :))

14. sirius is actually helpful for once wtf

this is planned to be a shorter fic, but still multi chapter. its pretty much just sirius shipping jegulus and doing everything he can to get his two favourite people together :) not written yet, but ive got a fair bit planned so far

bonus: snooker au

okay so, i would love to say i’ve worked on this some more since then but… i haven’t :( i really want to, but i want to do it well, which i know will take a lot of time. but, the details i have so far:

its the snooker world championships. regulus black’s first, but james potter’s third. sirius black — former world champion — is the estranged brother of the newbie regulus black, and the mentor and best friend of james potter, who was second place two years ago, but couldnt compete last year due to an unrelated injury, though healed up now. james, of course, is head over heels for regulus. regulus, of course, pretends hes not pining madly for the boy who stole his brother. sirius, of course, pretends hes not offended or hurt that regulus wont even try to fix their relationship. he also just happens to be stealing glances at remus lupin, who came fourth last year and seemed rather close to regulus. theyre all hopeless, and determined to win.

thanks for your ask! <33

[urlsaremeaningless]

collection of funny things people I know have said (part 2)

Feel free to change pronouns as needed <3 have fun! please reblog this if you enjoy it.

whats art without a little bit of OSHA violations

Ten-nessee implies the existence of nine-ssee

Mary-land must have been Mary-sea

While we're still here, whoop his ass too

their new companion Space Turtle, Hero from Space that they picked up after a drunken college party

That’s more of an ask than you think

We will let you fuck the monsters but I’m drawing the line at buildings

If you ignore all the ugly parts, it looks kinda nice

there was definitely gay love in there...somewhere

That’s like asking a beaver the size of his wood

I want to be in a hospital in Canada or France! Oui, oui, ow

Sir, do you know how fast your wheels were gyrating?

your honor, my client is in goblin mode

No mine isn’t a fun fact. It’s about animal abuse.

If an eel isnt just a snake fish then idk what is lol

..................where is the CORN STORE?!

thats like calling the tamborine the shakey wakey or the tuba the blowey blowey

I thought that said turn [name] into a mommy for a sec and I got real concerned for what was happening in this chiles tonight. Doesn’t mummy in retrospect sound less alarming now?

what THE FUCK is HALLOWS OF WEENS?!

He’s not giving the boobs their due diligence

I haven't seen any beer cans in a while and i'm getting concerned

It makes my nostrils feel lemony fresh

Wow, these people don’t know how milkshakes work…. Idk how we’re gonna get the boys to the yard

You’re like high fiving god right now

OSHA violations are like warcrimes for working people

I'm sorry, did you just say the dead baby has charisma?

cannibalism confirmed 13/10

Well, I could throw babies into an incinerator. That would be unforgettable, doesn't mean it's GOOD

[Person A] is the main character but okay [Person B] sure

shit!...i just killed someone

Oh shut the fuck up, no you're fucking not

...so like....is pluto a slave?

Corner cobbler corn cob, that’s where corner cobbler is on the corn cob-corn corner corn cobbler

If Charlie can be short for Charles, then Carly can be short for Carles

If shorten Charles to Chuck, then what can you shorten Carles to?

How do we Othello you?

look man, I'm just saying... who the fuck says 'yeah I want a bar of milky way,' like they're not gonna pick literally any other chocolate

The vibe I get is like you're a fancy butler by day but you have a rave later tonight

[wienertit]

SUPER LONG ITAPAN RAMBLE INCOMING!!!!

OKAY. OKAY. its been a while since ive rambled on this account so today im going to clear up how i see itapan so that no one gets confused when i say “i dont think they would ever date” and then proceed to draw them making out or whatever.

when you hear “one sided itapan” you might think italy has the stronger feelings (because he’s the one approaching and hugging and kissing japan or whatever) but i feel that it’s actually japan with the stronger feelings.

when italy’s affectionate towards japan, its not because he’s necessarily attracted to him, but that’s just how he behaves. i think that he’s kind of trying to lead him on so japan is nicer to him. italy has been coddled his entire life like he’s been taken care of by austria and hungary and spain and france and germany and literally everyone loves him. and he KNOWS that everyone loves him so he purposefully babies himself to others so he can get even more special treatment. hes an annoying little asshole who uses his good looks and weakness to get out of trouble and i love it!!!

throughout the series (both in anime, manga, and a little in hetamyu), japan actually grows a bit of a soft spot for italy because of how weak and pathetic he makes himself seem. at first he’s polite and awkward because he idolized italy to be strong and capable, but once his expectations are SHATTERED he gradually begins to want to take care of him in a way. he doesn’t get mad at him as often and sometimes even defends him when germany is upset or lecturing him (like in hetalia fantasia). he tucks him in bed and lets him sleep on his chest and share a bed and bathe together and do the gayest shit ever. i probably would’ve thought “well thats because he’s too polite to refuse” but he ACTIVELY wants to do this stuff with him. he puts a hand on his back to keep him in place when he rests on his chest. he visits italy often and loves to cook with/for him. he wants to learn how to hug and kiss him back even after italy says its fine. he writes him letters and a SONG where he asks italy to visit him and gives him a pressed flower bookmark. japan goes out of his way to return italy’s affection and spend time with him while italy just does it because he’s italy.

i dont really think it’s a “sad” one-sided crush because in the end they’re still friends! they still both care about each other and confide in one another and hang out. italy isnt just affectionate to japan because he wants to lead him on and get more special treatment, but because they’re friends and he does still like him platonically! they can act like a couple without actually BEING one and thats insane!!! i love that shit!!!!!

ive mentioned how itager/gerita was my first hetalia ship and it still stands as one of my favorites. the problem is that im PICKY with it because i dont like a lot of the fandoms’ interpretations of them. i guess i wasnt as picky with itapan and liked it simultaneously with (although much more than) itager. but when i rewatched all of hetalia over the spring i realized how much MORE i liked itapan in the context of itager, which kind of blew my mind. like i remember mentioning to some itapan friends how i think they would never date and i still stand with that today. like italy and germany are too busy trying to win eachother over and they would just get together instead. japan actually likes his friends though and wants them to be happy so he would just go “ok” and move on while still doing all that gay shit with them. i guess jt makes itapan more of a brotp but it doesnt make it any less enjoyable for me. i LIKE to see them hanging out and being friends and dont really mind fanart where they’re dating or whatever because i can just pretend that they’re not!

anyways sorry for being a little insane i hate itapan but i actually love itapan okay i love them okay yahoo!

[chavatangakwunua]

sometimes i think about what happens next after one of my failed runs

imagine, anton rayne, cleaned up his predecessors' mess with a vaguely centrist economic revival and a more democratic constitution but gave up to rumburg like a coward even though the army situation wasnt even that bad (it was and i lost to them in this run but let's assume i didnt)

obviously everyone is mad as fuck at rayne for losing all that territory. he just went from a pretty good president to the SCREED OF THE EARTH AND A TRAITOR.

rayne knows this all too well and resigns. retreats out of the public eye and moves to some nondescript house at the edge of the city with the wife and kids.

nobody vists him for years. everyone eventually thinks he died or something. good riddance.

then comes a knock at his door. rayne opens it to see none other than lucian galade himself.

anton smiles at him and invites him in. lucian looks a little taken aback at anton's state. anton notices and says, "not what you expected, huh?"

"it just, does not look like a house worthy of a former president, that's all."

"it's an okay house, just like how i was an okay president. and my childhood home was much worse than this."

"right." lucian uncharacteristically is at a loss for words.

"if youre wondering where the rest of the family is, the kids have both grown old and moved out. monica is still working to further the rights of women in the country so she isn't at home most of the time." anton's face doesn't change except for a slight tick in his left hand. "or, more realistically, she couldnt stand to see my face after i sold the country off to rumburg. she has her own house now."

lucian sees that all the family photos he remembers lining the walls in anton's old house (hes only ever been there once but he has a good memory) are gone. theres a few left, of deana with her friends in kyrute, franc with his wife in united contana, cut-outs of photos of monica in the newspapers. university pictures of anton and petr.

"what about you, mr vice president? i see you still havent married."

lucian shakes his head.

"no. and i see you've been keeping up with the news." of course. rayne mustve seen at least the headlines when scouring for mentions of his (ex?) wife in the papers. of course he didnt miss his old advisor lucian galade managing to score himself the vice presidency without him.

"im not mad," anton assures. "its hopeful to see at least someone surviving the dumpster fire of my presidency unscathed."

"i know," lucian says. anton laughs at this. lucian just stays tightlipped like he always is.

lucian keeps returning after this. brings him expensive wine and cigars and sweets. anton jokingly accuses him of corruption and lucian shuts him down. they play chess. anton tells him about work (he teaches economics) and his personal life (can you BELIEVE what my next door neighbour did yesterday??). lucian, meanwhile, doesnt ever talk about his work or his personal life.

one time anton babbles about something one of his students spat in his face once. hes laughing it off but lucian is bothered. he asks why he lets his students speak to him like that and anton tries to wave it off. "im used to it," he says. "and he was right."

the conversation turns to anton's old presidency.

"why did you do it?" lucian asks.

"i was scared. i knew our army was good but not good enough, and we didnt have enough allies to fill in the gaps. we wouldve lost. and to save everyone the trouble i wouldve killed myself." he turns his hand into a shape of a finger gun and places it on his own head. he mimes a pow and his brain getting blown. "maybe i shouldve done it anyway."

lucian tells him to knock it off. anton just giggles (its the alcohol isnt it) and mumbles something about simply following petr's path.

lucian apologizes for bringing it up but anton keeps on going. how nobody would miss him anyway, how everyone was right, how hes a stain on the nation that must be cleansed

lucian slaps him hard enough to startle anton out of his funk and says lucian is going to miss him, so he better not do it.

anton sputters out an apology, looking completely flushed (is it still the alcohol?) and then they kiss