#i am so normal about celebrities always but not right now i fear. not right now at this moment-

[hatchet-boy]

This photo this damn photo-

[favefandomimagines]

Ocean Away (a.b)

Summary: a disastrous fight threatens to end your engagement with Anthony

AN: inspired by “Ocean Away” from the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical. I know it’s a song for Daphne and Simon but I thought it would fit so well with Anthony

This was deeeep in my drafts

He hadn’t meant for it to get so out of hand. What started out as a seemingly normal conversation, ended in both you and Anthony shouting at each other.

“Anthony, I need to ask you something.” You said to your fiancé. “Yes, darling?” He questioned. “When was the last time you saw Siena?” You asked.

The question took him aback. You have never spoken of Siena or his past endeavors. Meaning something must have made you ask him. “What has made you wonder such a thing?” Anthony asked. “Lady Whistledown,” You started before a scoff cut you off.

“Lady Whistledown? You are believing this gossip now.” He spoke. “She has never been wrong before, Anthony. She wrote that she saw you leave the opera house the other evening.” You said.

“An evening where you said you were with Benedict.” You added. “You are above believing these lies, Y/N.” He said. “You have not yet denied it once.” You replied.

Anthony had yet to deny any of what Lady Whistledown wrote and that made you fear that what you had read was true. “I should not have to. We are to be husband and wife in a matter of weeks and you question my fidelity to you.” Anthony said.

“Because two weeks before you proposed to me you were with her. Am I wrong for worrying?” You rebutted. “Your insecurities are not my doing, do not put this blame on me.” He snapped. “My insecurities? I have never been insecure in our engagement until you gave me a reason to be.” You spoke. “This is mad. You believe Lady Whistledown over me?” He asked.

“For goodness sake, Anthony, you have not denied it! There is only one side to this currently and it is hers.” You yelled. “Well, forgive me for not wanting to entertain this any longer.” He said, turning away from you. “You cannot even be honest with me, can you?” You asked quietly.

Anthony could hear the way your voice began to break as his back was to you. He never wanted to hurt you.

Hurting you was at the top of a list of things he never wanted to do to you. And by not claiming his innocence because of his pride, he was hurting you.

“I am going to spend the night in Eloise’s room.” You announced. Anthony still made no attempt to move or even apologize.

You wiped a tear from your face quickly as you headed for the door.

“I sincerely hope you know that Lady Whistledown said I was mad for accepting your proposal. That you would always be the naive and self-sabotaging young viscount. Please do not prove her right.” You spoke before leaving the room.

The problem was Anthony was a prideful man and it would be his pride that would prevent him from doing what was right.

The garden party was supposed to be a celebration of your engagement and it was turning quite sour. Luckily, no one knew of the turmoil that was going on because of the facade you had put on all day.

You spoke to guests, entertained their prodding questions into your wedding and tried to carry on with the afternoon. Your eyes often wandered to Anthony, who was standing stoically with Colin and Benedict. He looked as if he had completely forgotten about your argument as if it meant nothing.

It hurt you, seeing him act so blasè about what had occurred the night prior. That made you fearful because what if he ended the engagement? What if he did not want you anymore?

He had yet to apologize for the way he spoke and the words he said, you had hoped he had just forgotten. Or maybe he was not sorry at all.

You found Eloise and Penelope Featherington, both girls trying to help distract you from your own thoughts.

Eloise was one of your favorite people because of simply how she was unapologetically herself. She was a very funny young woman and that was refreshing in society.

Anthony watched you as you smiled and laughed with his sister by the lake. You were happy after all that happened last night. How could you be happy?

“How can she be smiling? It is as if she realized I am not what she wants.” Anthony spoke aloud. Benedict and Colin looked at one another, neither knowing how to approach the topic.

“Brother, maybe she is trying to be brave. Not let people know she is hurting. They all believe you were with Siena the other evening, she is trying to show it is all a lie. Even if she does not believe it herself.” Benedict said.

Anthony continued to watch you, your eyes never once meeting his gaze. He knew he needed to apologize to you. Tell you that he was never with Siena and the moment he realized you were who he wanted, he had not seen her.

There was a moment where he lost you in the crowd of people. He did not know where you went off to and that worried him more so than his pride.

Anthony started frantically looking around the grounds for you, weaving through the crowd until he spotted you sitting on the bench under the willow tree.

You had always loved that spot and often times Anthony would catch you reading there. It was also the spot you were sitting in when the two of you confessed your love for each other for the first time.

He approached you silently and sat down a few inches away from you.

“I remember the first time I saw you. You had just arrived at the Queen’s ball with your mother and it felt as if time stopped. There was nothing, that tempted me to take my eyes off of you. I knew then that I wanted you and only you. You made me believe that marriage could be for love and for nothing else.” Anthony spoke.

Him recounting the night of your debut made your eyes well up with tears.

“I am afraid. I am afraid that you will want her again and I cannot go through that kind of pain. I love you with everything that I am and if I was not enough for you, it would be the death of me.” You confessed.

Anthony looked at you with slightly wide eyes, never having heard your concerns before. He blamed his past behavior on your fears knowing it was not an easy feat to love someone with his reputation.

He moved closer to you and took your hand in his. “I am also afraid.” He spoke. It was then you looked at him with eyes wide, never having heard the man you love he so vulnerable.

“I am afraid that I will not make you happy. That one day you will wake up and feel like some other man could make you happier.” He continued. “I do not think there is another man in this lifetime who will make me as happy as you do.” You said.

“I have not nor will I ever, see Siena again. You are the woman I love, the woman I cannot stop thinking about. It will always be you.” Anthony said. “She has always had such a strong hold on you, forgive me for being skeptical.” You muttered.

“Now the only woman who has a strong hold on me is you. And that is how it will stay.” He replied. “Do you promise?” You asked. “I promise.” He spoke without hesitation.

Anthony took your hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I love you, Y/N. I always have and I always will.” He said. “I love you too.” You spoke. “And I’m sorry.” You added. “You have nothing to be sorry for, my love.” Anthony replied.

“Your mama might think we have run off and abandoned our own celebration.” You commented. “That does sound rather tempting.” Anthony teased.

You stood up and held your hand out for his, which he took with a smile. If you would have told Anthony Bridgerton that he was about to get married and to the love of his life, he would have called you mad. But here he was, and couldn’t have been happier.

[surielstea]

Beg For It

1k celebration request

Pairing: Azriel x Fem!Reader (mafia au)

Summary: Reader is ovulating, enough said.

Warnings: Smut | minors dni | p in v | no foreplay | unprotected sex | heavy breeding kink | allusion to pregnancy | petnames (baby, sweet girl, brat) | bondage (shadows) | no plot, just smut.

2.4k words

I don't know what it was exactly that was wrong with me. I wasn't normally this clingy but for some reason, all I could think about was my very dangerous, very busy husband. He was all I wanted as of late, and if I didn't constantly have my hands on him I think I would collapse.

"Baby, I have to go to work," Azriel sighs, stumbling towards the door as I latch to his waist, draping over him and making him drag me along with him.

"Don't want you to," I whine, tightening my hold.

"Love," He sighed, stopping our game of push and pull, and rather turning to face me. I look up at him with a pout to my lips and his eyes soften, his hands coming up to my jaw. "My pretty girl," He admires, his thumbs rubbing over the tops of my cheeks. "What's gotten into you, hm?" He tilts his head and I shrug mischievously, knowing damn well what was making me so needy. "Tell me," He encourages and my frown deepens.

"I'm ovulating," I grumble and he smirks.

"Oh yeah?" He says, his voice dropping and I groan, playfully hitting his chest in a futile attempt to get him to stop teasing.

"Stop, you know what that does to me," I say and he chuckles, catching my wrists to stop me from pummeling him anymore.

"My poor baby," He hums as I wrap my arms around his torso rather than punch him and stuff my face into his chest, unable to get close enough.

"Don't pity me," I huff.

"Then what is it you'd like me to do?"

"Stay," I mutter. "Please, you can spend all day filling me," I attempt to coerce but he seems unwavering.

"You're insatiable," He grumbles, his hands meeting my hips.

"It's your fault," I huff into his chest, his expensive cologne enveloping me.

"Yeah? How so baby?" He said, pulling away to look at my expression, my brows crinkled with an evident pout painting my lips.

"You know how," I cross my arms defensively.

"I don't think I do, use your voice hun," He encourages and I curse, looking at him with a defeated expression.

"You and your pretty words get me all bothered and you know it," I confess and he smirks.

"Do they?" He leaned closer and I groaned, pushing him away and stomping down the hallway.

"Whatever, just go to work already," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Aw, don't be like that." Arms wrap around my waist and pull me into a chest. "It's alright baby, just say you want me," He hums, kissing down my neck, making me clench my legs together.

"Az," I sigh, my hand coming to his cheek. "You have to go to work." I push him away by the face but he twists out of the position so he is in front of me once again, blocking my path towards the hallway.

"Well, I can't just leave my needy wife all alone now can I?" He tilts his head and I close my eyes, cursing him for making this all harder than it had to be.

"I'll be fine," I mutter, lifting onto my toes and pecking his cheek before fluidly moving past him. "Go." I make a gesture with my hands that waves him away as if one of the most feared men on the continent were a child in need of directions.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you really want me to leave." Azriel's hands return to my hips before I can get too far, his grip tightening as he pulls me right back into his chest so I am flushed against him.

I grit my teeth, looking up into his hazel eyes. It was no wonder it was his job to interrogate whatever poor soul wronged the crime syndicate, it seemed as if it was impossible to lie to him when staring into those pools of hazel. Emerald and gold melded together, a rim of blue lining his pupil, and orange on the outermost edge. They were the first things I noticed about him, and they will always be my favorite physical features of his. He knew that, of course, he also knew that I was a terrible liar.

"Tell me you want me to leave," He encourages and I stifle a sigh, looking away because I unfortunately couldn't find it in myself to even attempt. I wanted him, and he seemed willing enough to give me him.

His smirk widens. "That's what I thought," He concluded in a snarky tone, but before I could manage a retort he picked me up by my hips and tossed me over his shoulder like a rag doll.

"Az! Let me go!" I pound my fists into his back but he was too busy trailing his large hand up the back of my thigh to care. "Azriel," I groan, now kicking my feet. But that didn't seem to phase him either, and he didn't put me down until we were in our bedroom and he could throw me onto the bed.

I recovered quickly, looking up at him with creased brows as I fiddled with the hem of my nightgown. "Oh don't act all shy now," He taunted. "C'mon baby, tell me what you want," He came to the edge of the bed so he was directly in front of me, his large frame looming over mine. "Or you could show me," He offers, holding out a hand and I look down at the hem of my nightgown and then back up to him. I grab his outstretched hand and push it under my dress, silently encouraging him to take it off. He seems to understand and does exactly as I wish.

The fabric falls to the floor within seconds and I fall back into the mattress, my head landing in the pillows as I watch him mount over me.

I hastily work at getting his shirt off, the silent thrashing of clothes filling the room as he kisses down my neck towards my collarbone.

"Az please," I implore, discarding his shirt down onto the floor with reckless abandon.

"What is it? Tell me what you want," He breathes into my lips. I arch up into him as the need in my chest intensifies.

"I can't wait any longer, please I need you now," I cry, my hands coming to the hem of his pants.

"Yeah? You gonna beg for it?" He incited and I whimper, attempting to press my legs together but he made the movement impossible with his hips settled between my thighs.

"Fuck, please Azriel," I fall deeper into the pillows, my need for him all-consuming as I allow myself to plead.

He leans closer as my pathetic voice fills the room, his nose running up the column of my throat before he begins placing sweet kisses down it. "More," He demands and my back arches up, my peaked breasts brushing against his chest.

"You can take me however you want, just gods, fuck me Az please," Tears fill my eyes as if I was begging for my life, yet that was what satisfied him.

"Turn around for me then, hips up alright?" He said and I nodded, quickly doing exactly as he said, my cheek going down onto one of the many pillows on our bed as I hiked up onto my knees. I can hear him sliding off his belt behind me, thrashing his pants off quickly afterward.

He hovers over me, lips pressing gentle kisses along the side of my neck in a soothing manner. I leaned into that touch, my head reclining to rest on his shoulder.

Shadows pinned me down onto the bed, dark tendrils twining around my wrists and ankles as he aligned his hips up with mine, his tip prodding teasingly at my entrance and I squirmed beneath him, writhing as I clenched around nothing, silently begging for him. "Shh, I know baby, I know it hurts," He runs a hand down my back, a soft caress to calm me. And then, he was pushing in.

"Az," I whimper as he finally sheathes himself, the wide head of his cock entering my core. I groan at the stretch, my back into his chest as he continues moving in, every inch making it harder and harder to breathe.

"So fucking, tight," He grits through his teeth, both his hands coming to my hips as he forces them back onto his cock. I screamed, clenching the sheets beneath me as he thrusts shamelessly deeper, with no caution to his movements as he picks up a steady rhythm. "This is what happens when I don't stretch you out first," He grunts. "So needy for me, impatient brat." His hands grip my hips tighter. "You gonna— gonna punish me?" I taunt, tears already forming in my eyes.

"I bet you'd like that hm? My dirty girl," He admires, pushing in all the way when I try to reply, cutting me off and replacing my words with a sudden moan, the sound ripping through me as he bottoms out inside of me.

I scream his name, the stretch so pleasurable that it brings pain. "Fuck, fuck Az I can't," I gripe, tears running down my cheeks.

"But you said you wanted this," He retorted, leaning over me so his lips were beside my ear. "You begged, remember?" He purred and a shiver ran down my spine as I flushed pink at the recent memory.

"Mhm," I nod, attempting to blink away my tears.

"Az." My back bows as he thrusts powerfully, deeper, so much deeper. Fuck, I could practically feel him in my womb. The thought alone left me clenching around him desperately, my body aching to be filled by him.

"Azriel," I moan, my tears cascading down my face like a waterfall but I didn't care anymore.

"What is it, baby?" He asked his voice half a groan.

"Breed me, please," I murmur, fully prepared to begin begging.

"Fuck," He sighed at my words, his forehead coming down to rest on my shoulder as he continues pulling out only to push back into my throbbing cunt.

"Az," I grip at the sheets, my need to release quickly turning overwhelming. "Please, I wanna have your babies," I whine and he smiles against the soft skin of my back.

"Yeah? You want me to give you more than one?" He purrs and I sigh in pleasure at the idea, sinking lower into the bed. "Mhm," I nod dumbly and within a moment his thrusts fold over in force, the strength doubling as his hips clap against the backs of my thighs.

My body screamed for release but I ignored it, I was going to draw this out as long as possible.

"Fuck, I'm gonna breed this tight cunt," He confesses and I squeeze around him at the idea, my core whirring with an uncontrollable need.

"Please," I cry, lying on the pillow pathetically as he continues stuffing himself inside of me. "Want you to come inside," I gripe, my voice fragile and raw but it only urged him to increase his speed.

"Is that right? Want me to get you pregnant? Get your belly all round with my kid?" He suggested and I quickly nodded, feeling beyond just agreement.

"Azriel," I arch deeper, my chest nearly flat against the mattress as I kept my ass up, making him feel all the more deeper inside of me.

I squeezed tighter around him and he twitched at the sensation. I smiled, prideful that he was close already. "Don't pull out," I whisper, reaching back and placing my hand on his cheek. "Want you to fill me," I throw my head back onto his shoulder while his thrusts continue, rocking the bed back and forth with the creaking of the headboard slamming against the wall. "You close?" He pants out and I nod frantically, unable to get the words out despite how badly I wanted to reach my climax.

"I can't," I manage but it was barely audible. "M'gonna—" I can't even finish my sentence before my orgasm takes me full throttle and I'm finding release on his heavy length.

The moan that rips through me is monumental, and the feeling of the moment, gods it was indescribable. A tidal wave of pure ecstasy swept me off my feet, and now I was drowning in the pleasure.

It took me a long moment to come down from that nearly celestial high, but once I did I realized I was clamped down around Azriel's cock so tightly that it was hard for him to move in and out of me any longer.

I knew he was close, the vein throbbing on the underside of his cock was proof of that.

"Fuck," He grunted lowly into the shell of my ear, my sensitive cunt twitching around his width at the sultry sound.

"C'mon Az, fill me," I whine and he nods, his forehead coming down onto my shoulder.

After one last stroke of his cock along my walls, his release finally spurted out into a direct line straight toward my womb. He groans at the feeling of his seed nestling deep inside my cunt, his small whimpers not going past my notice as he catches his breath and comes down from his high.

After a moment, ever so slowly, he unsheathes himself and allows me to fall down onto the welcoming bed.

"You did so well for me baby," He whispered, leaning down and placing pecks along the top of my spine. "My sweet girl," He hums and I mumble something incoherent about sleeping back.

"Not yet baby, I gotta clean you up," He soothes, scooping me into his arms and I whine clenching my legs together, not wanting any of his warm releases to escape me.

"M'tired," I groan but he ignores my protests and takes me into the bathroom anyway.

"Oh my poor girl," He hummed. "What am I going to do with you?" He tilts his head and I wiggle my brows suggestively.

"You could make me a mom," I suggest and he smiles, shaking his head.

"I'm already doing that, genius," He deadpans and the sudden realization overwhelms me. I wasn't pregnant yet, but that decision of being ready was enough to spur me into joy. I throw my arms around Azriel's neck and hug him tight to my bare chest.

"I love you too," He rubs my back, recognizing my silent form of affection. I nuzzle my face into his neck deeper. "My sweet girl," He sighs, his chin coming down onto mine. If everything goes well, we're soon to be parents. The idea alone at the moment was entirely perfection.

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[boldlygoingtohell]

In a weird way, as a Jew, I can kinda take Normal Antisemitism™️.

I mean, I understand where right-wing racists are coming from when it comes to their antisemitism. At the end of the day, theirs just comes from fear, replacement theory, etc… It’s easily identifiable. 2+2=4. Yea its shitty, but I see how they got from A to B and it’s a straight line.

But left-wing antisemitism?? Like, how does that happen? I thought the left was about supporting minority groups, encouraging them to speak and be heard. But all I’m seeing from leftists these days (I myself being super fucking liberal, left, etc…) is just waves and waves of antisemitism. And yes it has to do with Israel, but these people are incapable of criticizing the Israeli government without going “all Jews are responsible!” in the process. It's infuriating.

Are all the the world’s Jews, millions of which live OUTSIDE of Israel, now responsible for Israel’s actions? I'M a stupid American! I’ve never even BEEN to Israel, much less know the intricate details of a geo-political conflict whose complexities go willfully unlearned by armchair activists in favor of yelling in all caps for 140 characters.

But what really gets me, and I mean REALLY get me about the whole situation, is the hypocrisy.

Remember how awful it was when we saw waves of Islamophobic hate crimes after 9/11, American Muslims with no ties to al-Qaeda being targeted for the faith those terrorists claimed to represent?

Or do you remember standing against the wave of anti-Asian hate crimes that was spurned on by COVID falsehoods? The “China virus” as Trump so eloquently put it? You remember being pissed about that, not blaming Asian Americans but standing with them against hate?

And hell, I’ve heard there has been a rash of Islamophobic attacks again because of the Israeli-Gaza conflict. That’s fucking awful, and I will stand against that bull shit because it does not belong here, end of story.

But now there are also antisemitic attacks, hate crimes, being perpetrated around the world. And who are the perpetrators now? The left that stood against everything else. There's no widespread ally-ship for Jews like me. There's no sweeping social media campaign, no catchy hashtag, no ice bucket challenge.

Why am I allowed to be condemned for what a country on the other side of the world is doing, when I have nothing to do with it? Why can I have the finger pointed at me when I don’t want the fighting in the first place? Why must Jews be allowed to be the target of this ire when it's already been decided that other ethnicities/religions don't deserve it either?

Now, I am PROUD to be Jewish; it is my culture, in my heritage, in my literal blood. It is in my genetics, my bones, my spoken language, it is in the holidays I celebrate, the philosophies I live by.

But it is also in the generational trauma of my mother insisting I have a passport as a young child, not because we were traveling, but in case we had to flee. It is in her inherent distrust of the government; a card-carrying Democrat all her life, she would always remind me, "if you don't think the government can't turn on you, you're kidding yourself." It is her constant reminders that as a Jew, our assimilation is conditional, our acceptance is political. I felt these, but never as strongly as she did. Not until now.

I am third generation American, and yet I feel like an outsider in the only country I have ever known. People who I thought understood, who were my friends, who marched with me against the injustices of the world, are now calling after Jews to answer for Israel's actions.

I say I don't want the violence to persist and I'm told that I'm, "one of the good ones". I'm told hurt Israelis don't deserve sympathy because, "all Jews are rich anyway, right? Who cares." I tell them my fears about the rising antisemitism and wearing my star of david necklace out. I'm told, "it doesn't matter, you're white anyway."

For the first time in my life, the racists aren't just some crazy KKK members. They're not just Nazis marching around with beer bellies and ill fitting helmets. It's not just some screeching street preacher who claims I'm going to hell after he caught the glint off my star of david necklace. If needs be, I can kick and punch my way out of those. They're just idiots. Isolated, concentrated incidents. It'd be a good story to tell at a bar the next day though a gap-toothed smile and a sling on my shoulder.

But now, both sides are coming after me and my people. Now, it's not just idiots who have all of their views backwards; it's people I thought I could trust to have my back, to go down swinging with me against those Nazis. Right. Left. It's everywhere. There's no escape.

It's coming from all sides. It's coming from social media platforms, from dinners with friends, from posters on street lamps.

I live in one of the safest, most Jewish neighborhoods in America, and for the first time in my life I am truly scared.

[volcanocraft]

hiii how did you like the wild life finale?

This seems to be a really contentious subject for the fandom and that's wonderful! I always enjoy when opinion is extremely diverse on a topic, i genuinely believe it contributes to a safer and more creative environment.

I think a lot of people forget that critique is ultimately derived from hope and love, it takes real time, dedication, and focus to understand and verbalize what they mean. Both parties want to see their series doing well. It would sincerely suck if everyone was so indifferent to the ending that one opinion homogenized the consensus of the fandom. It would be even worse if no one was allowed to voice their concerns or favourite moments in fear of betraying an established community narrative or attacking the ingenuity of the games.

Negativity comes from the same place optimism does. I have seen opinions I both agree with and heavily disagree with fundamentally, and I am ultimately very grateful to see both!

Thanks for asking my opinion. I don't think I would've written anything about it if you hadn't asked. Here you are!

The Good

Grian, Jimmy, and the ever present Cain Instinct

"It was always going to be this way, Jim." <- Said by someone who has a very normal relationship with a man hes known and attempted to nurture for around a decade.

I have to remind you that this is the second time Grian deliberately intended to end Jimmy’s life series, the first time is when they were Southlanders and he "snapped" at him for not taking his warning seriously.

I literally can't say anything that Grian hasn't said himself. If you watch his finale episode, he's constantly staring at Jimmy and thinking about how he could kill him right here and now. He switches to his sword, fidgets, stays silent while Jimmy and his group prattle on. Literally licking his lips and thinking about what to do. Ultimately, he chooses to strike without any chance of retaliation in the one place Jimmy feels safe in. And then when Jimmy is dead, Grian assumes he's watching him and says to his literal ghost "I love you"

Zombie Mechanic

I think this was a genius way of reintroducing the members who died early on. I don't think the series would've been the same without their revival. It was a super fun mechanic and their reduced health and commodified status balanced it out for me. You watched them lower your friend's casket into the ground but the next day he's back and he hugs you and you do not see any warmth in his eyes.

The Powerful Homo-eroticism of GemJoel [Canonized Edition]

The influx of gemjoel art was one of the best things in the entire world for me. Can you fucking believe i predicted it too. Now people refer to Joel as Gem's wife. This is everything I could have ever wanted. I've done three lines in celebration. Their dynamic was amazing too and i love that my inbox got flooded with anons as soon as any one of them said something incriminating. it's too bad they didn't battle it out for winner at the end with blood and tongue...

Good-FUCKING-Bye Canary Curse

I started getting really annoyed with how this specific fanon interpretation of Jimmy began to bleed into every single analysis of the series, creating relationships between characters and themes that were not there. I would argue that Jimmy himself barely believes in this supernatural phenomenon. I'm a hater and I only like it when I can fetishize watcher lore in a biblical sense.

The Bad

Leading Cause of Death... Snails

"You either loved the snail mechanic or you didn't" I say as someone who neither loved or hated it. But I think the fact that the snails ended so many peoples finales and contributed to so many deaths is a very valid criticism. I will say that Lizzie's snail and Skizzlemans whole episode kind of make it worth it, because it was just so fucking funny

I Wouldn't Have Attended Trivia Night

This is ultimately the point where I dropped off engagement wise. I think the trivia should have been minecraft-mechanic related and not about traffic life. "How many crafting recipes use wool?" Some of the questions were niche which makes sense because they were about specific moments. It doesn't matter if we think that lilac and poppies were important, no CC is going to, and the pool gets even smaller when you eliminate everyone who wasn't involved in that moment.

Conclusion

Personally, not my favourite. I think it lacks a lot of nuance the other series really cultivated with their simple mechanics which relied a lot on the ingenuity of the player themselves rather than situational opportunity. You could probably tell I lost interest because not even gemjoel could save me when I stopped posting about it. I got a lot of casual enjoyment out of it but that's it. I also eventually started feeling sore that the deaths were very coincidental. If you want a taste comparison, my least favourite life series is Secret Life and my favourite is Limited Life.

Some of the complaints I've heard is that there was not enough time for players to create alliances, flesh out cross-faction dynamics, or hold meaningful conversations. I disagree. There was a lot of motive for the players to collaborate and figure out the gimmicks together. They would even frequently congregate on the field at the bottom of the mountain. I think the wildcards helped make every conversation count and they could've talked at length if they wanted to (the G's did pretty often; as did Cleo and Bigb during the eating episode). There were a lot of chances to immediately take one another out but they decided instead to wait. Alliances were established and kept: the bamboozlers were ride or die for eachother, the spanners were tragi-comedy incarnate, and if cooperation's not your thing, you had team BET barely holding it together. People frequently encountered one another. I thought it was good.

Despite how I personally feel about it, I actually think its one of the best life series "objectively" in terms of content and watchability. There was genuine anticipation in seeing what happens each week. Each perspective was very personal because at that point it was about reactions and adaptability. If this was my first introduction to the life series, I'd be really pleased. But it does set up a kind of false impression of what the general theme of the series is. I guess you can think of this season as like... the beach episode [extended edition]. I did not get the impression the players were tired of the mechanics. The advent calendar format kind of does lend itself to a forced and rushed wrap-up finale.

[scenteddelusion5]

Could you write a Vox x Alastor’s Child? Wherein reader views their fights as a “bonding activity” because it relieves stress for the both of them because they’re not willing to kill each other due to not wanting to hurt reader and they’ll be civil when they need to be. A large chunk of their rivalry being due to Alastor seeing Vox as trying to steal his child from him (making them his partner both romantically & business wise, them becoming an actor) and Vox seeing it the same way with Alastor trying to drag them on random outings when they’re supposed to film or have time together. - @am-i-interrupting

"Two households, both unalike in dignity, In our unsightly hell, where we lay our scene," PART 1

Vox x gn reader (Alastor's child)

Note: At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this one, especially because i had already written a daughter character, already have a daughter oc myself and then would have this child. But then I had this Romeo and Juliet inspo in mind and now I wanted to do it.

!!!!! NOTE ABOUT REQUEST !!!!!

So I really liked the idea of this Vox and Alastor dynamic but I can't write short stories so instead I'm doing a 2 or 3 parter about how they got into this dynamic. So they aren't like how you requested yet.

Word count: 3436

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

"Two households, both unalike in dignity, In our unsightly hell, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where denizen blood makes denizen teeth unclean, From forth the innovation of these two foes, A pair of star-crossed lovers arise,"

Y/n sat on the balcony of their father's mansion. Nothing but trees, or at least hell's version of trees, could be seen from there. The bustling city was ways away from the territory most denizens were too afraid of to enter. The book they were reading was written a small auteur in hell, it was obvious that he had taken great inspiration from a much more famous work. An old-fashioned, cannibal and a modern man, with more savoury tastes, falling in love, their families hate each other yada yada yada. Nothing they hadn't read before.

The demon, whom resembled a deer, put their book down and started messing with the knobs on their older radio. It sprung alive with the voice of their father; Alastor the Radio Demon, feared all throughout hell. On his broadcast played a catchy jazz song that, every once in a while, got interrupted by agonizing screams.

"That was an amazing number." The Radio glowed green as he spoke. "It brings me all the way back to the nights I spend in the speakeasies. Let's continue on-"

Everyday Alastor would broadcast the news and gossip of the week at exactly 10 a.m. and Y/n would always tune in.

"- Oh, and make sure to stay clear of the Carmine mansion this evening. The overlords are having a little get-together. So if you don't want to be served for dinner, I recommend you go home early tonight."

Right, Camilla Carmine was holding a party to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Carmine industries. Y/n was so excited. Normally their father wouldn't let them go to parties, but considering he would be there, he allowed them to go this time.

"Lastly I have a personal message to my favourite fan. I couldn't have wished for a better fawn. I hope you liked the breakfast I cooked especially for you, that demon was a struggle to catch. Hahaha," he laughed, "see you after the broadcast. Let's put on (song), it's not really my style but considering it's your favourite, I can make an exception." Their song slowly came on while Alastor's voice faded.

Y/n hadn't made friends outside of cannibal town. They had to admit they were a bit nervous...

The day went by faster and faster as the night grew closer. Y/n had put on their green gown/suit. It was beautiful; adorned with black lace, a pattern of turns and roses sewn into it.

"What do you think?" Y/n asked while turning around.

Alastor, whose suit didn't look all THAT different from his usual one, studied them up and down. "You look delightful, fawn. Every single demon in that building will see green from jealousy."

"Thanks dad."

Despite the fact that cars were already owned by most citizens in the time Alastor was alive, he preferred to walk, even to such an important event as this. So, when the two off them arrived, they stepped in through a side door instead of the big red carpet where the limousines dropped off guests.

"Remember Y/n, don't talk to people you don't know and if something goes wrong, find me or Rosie." Alastor's antlers started to grow and static filled the air. "I'll destroy however dares to hurt you."

"Don't worry, dad. I'm an adult, I can take care of myself." They laughed off their dad's threatening stature. "But if something happens I can't handle, I'll go to you."

The ballroom was decorated with black gold and white. All kinds of denizens were roaming around, from high standing overlords to imp servants. There were no familiar faces. The only other overlord Y/n had ever met besides Alastor was Rosie. Even so they had immediately split up from Alastor in favour of exploring the buffet table.

After picking up a plate, they started picking the tastiest little snacks. There was even a few dishes with demon in them provided for the cannibals.

Vox had spent four hours making himself presentable in a fancy blue suit and a new screen protector. the other Vees had matched his style. So when the three stepped out of their high-tech car and got bombarded with paparazzi, it was clear that the three belonged together.

It isn't often that they had the chance to converse with other demons of their status. It was the perfect chance to make new connections.

Vox had gotten the chance with a few other demons before it happened. His eyes landed on the most beautiful person Vox had ever seen. Their looks hypnotized the tv-demon... Which was supposed to be HIS power.

"Hey Voxie, you never guess who I saw~... Voxie? Vox... VOX!" No matter how hard Valentino tried, he wasn't able to capture Vox's attention. "What are you looking at?..." Following his colleague's line of sight, Val's eyes landed on them too. "Oooohhh, I see~ Should I go talk to them for you, maybe I can convince them to stay the night in our bed."

Vox slightly buffered. "What! NO! I'm going myself, yeah, I can handle this myself."

Y/n was enjoying a lovely tea sandwich with raw, demon heart on it, when a person they didn't recognize came up to them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The man with a tv for a head grabbed their hand and placed a kiss on their hand. "I'm Vox, and you are?"

"Y/n, and it's a pleasure to meet you too," they introduced themselves before shoving another tea sandwich in their mouth.

"You must really like those sandwiches."

Y/n aggressively nodded her head. "YES! Here try one!" they shoved one of them in Vox's face who reluctantly eat it.

"Wow, that's... an unique flavour."

"Yeah, heart does taste very peculiar but I like it."

It put Vox off that the demon had spoken so casually about cannibalism, however, he was even more put off that he was just fed ACTUAL DEMON. So, when they weren't looking, he drank an entire glass of champagne in one go, hoping to wash off the taste.

"Anyway... I was hoping to dance with you." Vox offered out his hand but pulled it away again when he saw the dissapointment in their face.

"I would love too but I don't think my father would be happy to see me dancing with anyone. I'm sorry."

He thought about it for a few seconds. "Y'know I'm quite familiar with this place, there is a smaller ballroom a few doors down. If you want to, you could take me up on the offer there." The overlord suggested.

Normally, Y/n would've never said yes. Going to an empty room with a stranger who must have quite a lot of power. Only an idiot would follow him... Maybe they were a bit of an idiot but Y/n was intrigued by the man, so much so that they decided to go.

"Alright."

Hours went by while the two of them danced, talked and drank in the empty ballroom. Y/n felt themself falling deeper and deeper in love with the handsome stranger. The confident way he spoke, the way he buffered and glitched whenever he got flustered, the way he would get angry when they hurt his pride by laughing at his attempts to woo them. He was perfect.

"Now, tell me Vox. Who exactly are you? Like, I know you your name but you must have been invited for a reason, so...??" Y/n asked.

"You mean you really don't recognize me?" Vox asked flabbergasted. "I'm the CEO of VoxTech." The other demon still looked confused. "The biggest tech company of hell? We release new products almost every single day."

"I'm not big on modern technology, I died during the 1920's," Y/n explained, "I tried using a computer once and it didn't go well."

"Well, that's really no good. As a demon of high society, you should keep up with modern invention, if you ever want the help I don't mind teaching you how to use it." Vox stared at them lovingly. "You know what, I'll even give you a phone. Give your address and I'll send you on-"

"HEY! Vox!" A girl with pink and purple hair walked in. She wore a poofy pink dress and her face was covered in make-up. Her bloodshot red eyes landed on the person standing next to her friend. "Oooeeehhh, and who are you?"

"Velvette, Y/n. Y/n, Velvette." Vox introduced them to each other. "They have been great company tonight, right love?" He caressed the side of their face."

Y/n got redder and redder as the conversation went on. "Yeah, it was great."

"Well, sorry that I gotta burst your bubble." Velvette interrupted the sweet moment between the two. "But the Carmines are about to have their speech and you know how pissy those old fuckers get about shit like this."

Y/n looked at the clock hanging on the wall and realised they had been gone from the party for hours. "Yeah, I should really be going back too. My father is provably worried about me."

The three swiftly made their way back to the main ballroom, Velvette joking about the two lovebirds the whole time.

Once there, they gathered by the crowd standing around a podium. Carmilla was standing there, already holding her speech about the start of her company, the amazing growth and the future. Although a very basic speech, demons were at the fact that the Carmine had mentioned future dealings and couldn't wait for the opportunity to become a part of them. One of them seemed to be the handsome TV Demon that Y/n had hopelessly fallen in love with over the course of the evening.

"Excited I see," Y/n said while pointing to the electricity coming off of Vox, "I'm not sure that a deal with Carmilla is going to happen if you electrocuted her."

"Hey! I'm a great negotiator. Thank you very much!" The man joked.

Alastor had kept his child in his sight the whole evening.... Until he didn’t. They were right over by the buffet table just a second ago. Y/n couldn’t have gone far. So, he went on a search, but after an hour, he found nothing. He even asked Rosie for help but no luck. He had stayed looking until Carmilla started her speech and even then Alastor still kept an eye open for her.

What he never expected to see, was his child, his lovely, well-behaved, miracle of a child, to be joking around with his nemesis. And were they.... Blushing?

Static filled the air around him, symbols floated around his head. The terrifying shadow of his ever-growing antlers made every demon and demoness run out of his way.

Once he got really close he could hear their conversation.

"You're such a dork!" His child laughed.

Alastor could only see their back, but he knew what their smile looked like right now. Unlike his plastered smile that hid his emotions, Y/n's was genuine.

"I'm the dork? Have you se-" Vox's eyes drifted to the strange red symbols, when he noticed Alastor standing there. A small x on his forehead, eyes like dials and his smile wide.

Normally, during their fights Alastor would be somewhat lenient with him. He still roasted Vox to the living world and back but he never outright tried to murder him. This meant that he had never experienced the true wrath of the Radio Demon. But right in that moment, Vox felt like his days were numbered.

"Holy shit," Velvette muttered.

Noticing the two Vees were looking behind them, Y/n turned around and as soon as they did, Alastor switched back to normal like clockwork.

"Oh, hey dad!" Y/n greeted him sweetly. "What are you doing?"

"Oh nothing, little fawn," the Radio Demon spoke, distain clear in his tone of voice, "now tell me, why are you wasting your time conversing with such vermin? Especially, a styleless one like that insecure, copycat, picture box."

Vox was still staring between the two of them. Y/n was Alastor's child! The one the Radio host always talks about, the only thing that freak actually seems to care about. Why did it have to be them the overlord had fallen in love with at that ball?

"You are the Radio Demons child!" The man freaked out.

"I didn't think you would care about that..." Y/n's face turned into a frown, unlike their father’s whose grin only grew wider.

"I-I" The tv started buffering. " I don't..."

"Come one Y/n, let's find someone with more class." Alastor turned around, his child in toe.

"Wow, can't believe you got the hots for that man's child." Velvette quickly snapped a picture of Vox's stunned face and send it to Valentino. You'll never guess what happened. She typed under it.

Y/n looked down at their shoes, not wanting to see their father's victorious grin. "I can't believe you just did that."

"Whatever do you mean, little fawn?"

"You know what," they replied sounding angry this time, "why did you scare away the first real people I made friends with here in hell?!"

Y/n had never had an attitude before, never talked back, never even sounded annoyed. It scared Alastor for a few seconds. "That... Vox isn't the type of person you should make friends with'."

"Isn't that for me to decide?" Tears filled their eyes and their voice was strained. "I want to go home."

Once home, Y/n attempted to rush up the stairs but was stopped by Alastor’s shadow grabbing them by the arm. They were struggling to get away when Alastor cupped their face with his hands and looked suspiciously in their eyes. He was searching for something.

"Let go of me!" Their eyes glowed as they screamed.

When Y/n tried to pull away again, Alastor's grip tightened. "You've never acted like this before. He must have hypnotised you, so be a doll and let me find his spell!"

But no matter how much he searched for even a sign of demonic manipulation. Did Vox not hypnotize them? Then why were they.... Because of Alastor's second of confusion, Y/n could quickly pull away. They rushed up to their room and locked the door.

Alastor just stood there, stunned until a knock came from the door. He straightened his suit before opening it.

"Hi Alastor, I saw you two... Leave and thought you might need a listening-ear." Rosie stepped inside and made her way to the dining room. "Besides I could really use a cup of thee after such a long night."

"You know me too well, Rosie. I'll get some snacks too."

"They've never even raised their voice at me before but one hour with that noisy rectangle and Y/n is acting like a rebelious teen." Alastor took a bite from the index finger snack. "I tried to look for a sign of hypnosis but there was nothing. What did he do to them?"

"Ever thought about it that Vox didn't do anything?" Rosie suggested.

Alastor's pupils turned into dials. "Hmm? What did you just say?"

"Ya have to think about this differently." Rosie took a sip from her tea. "A demon always buried in their books with little to no interaction with the outside world goes out for the first time in years and meets a charming man who's interested in them. It's just like one those romance tropes they always reads about."

The other overlord considered it. "Then what do you suggest we do about it. How can I show them that they deserve much better?"

"First of all, have a conversation with them. A genuine one."

"And then?"

Rosie's smile showed her sharp teeth. "Then-"

Vox was still buffering from that crazy night. He fell in love with ALASTOR'S CHILD, for god's sake. He was connected to his advanced computer, rebooting his systems. Images of Y/n, memories he saved in his files, flashed over the many monitors in his room. The doors to his office opened revealing the other two Vees.

"Damn, Voxie. You've never had to reboot after we've 'hang out' before." Valentino leaned over his colleague's shoulder. "You aren't going to demote me from being your favourite, right?"

"I wouldn't sound so confident Val. Vox was pretty hooked last night, you should've seen him." Velvette pulled up the picture she took. "This photo doesn't do his obsession justice."

"Stop it, Velvette." The TV Demon unplugged himself from the computer set-up. "It's never going to work out anyway. And it's all that shitty, old demon's fault!"

"You really think that?" Velvette asked. "I mean, they looked pretty interested to me... You could always go over to them and explain yourself. Oh and while you're there, try to find a snoop that'll make my drama Sinstagram go viral."

"Voxie doesn't need them. Just stay with me and I'll make you forget them in just five minutes." The moth demon's cigarette smoke formed a heart.

The screen buffered once more. "Get out! The both of you."

"I'll wait in my room." The two Vees made their way out.

Once he was sure they were gone, Vox pulled up another file. Y/n's beautiful face showed on the screen and their addicting laugh filled the room.

Y/n sat against their door, crying. They could see the moon through the balcony window. It's red light filled the room. They couldn't believe their father had reacted like that. And they couldn't get the face Vox made when he released their connection to the Radio Demon out of their head. It plagued their mind since the moment it happened.

Their room seemed so small, so empty, so cold. Nothing had physically changed but mentally, emotionally, everything was different. They got a taste of that beautiful romance and it was taking away from them in the blink of an eye.

Y/n was so deep in their self-pity that they didn't notice the moonlight was blocked by something. They were jolted out of their own thoughts by a knock on the window.

Looking up they saw none other than Vox standing there. His suit was covered in dirt and branches that he got certainly caught in on his way there.

They quickly walked over to open the door, stumbling on their way.

"Y/n, I- uhm, you must find it weird that I show up on you balcony like this." Vox's screen got slightly red. "I wanted to apologize for this evening. I don't care who your father is, I- uhm I care about you."

"Vox, I need you to be honest with me. Did you hypnotize me?"

Y/n's sad look broke his heart. Who got into their head that he hypnotized them?

"Y/n, I didn't and I will never do it." He put his hand on their cheek. "I promise."

Blush decorated their face. "Then can you tell me what's going on between you and my dad?"

"Of course."

The two sat on their bed, cuddling. Vox had told them about everything. The start of their feud, his constant fighting with Alastor but also the fact that he fell in love with them at first sight. It was a lovely, domestic moment.

"One time I got so angry at your dad that I made a complete smear campaign against him. it didn't work out, he completely cut off all my broadcasts, all seventy channels."

"I think he once told me about that," Y/n laughed, "you get more under his skin then you think. Even before he saw he two of us together."

"If you say so..."

Their banter went on for hours. The two did their best to keep sounds to a minimum so Alastor wouldn't find out.

"Oh, before I leave, here." Vox handed them a white box. "it's a phone. I made sure to remove all spying devices and I programmed you a special assistant. It should help you figuring out how it works."

"You put spying devices in people's phones?"

"Uh-I"

"Don't worry, I get it. It's hell. There is no need to explain yourself."

"Right." Vox tried to laugh it off like Y/n was doing. "It's getting late, I should go. Wouldn't want the Radio Demon to know I'm meeting up with his daughter without a chaperone."

This time when Y/n was separated from Vox, they felt fine. Because they knew that he loved them. They were still longing for him, but not in a sad way. It was pure, romantic love.

Part 2

Masterlist/request guidelines

[fall0utmind]

Medical Leak CH11

Hiiii, it's been 2 weeks. I am so sorry. @myanmardoesnotexist how do you do it?

Lil life update, I got a new job just before I started this and it is pretty demanding so hence the slow updates. Also I got a new tat today wooooo!!!!! Also it's 11pm. I stayed up to edit this so now it is bed time lol

ao3

Anyways- here's ch11 - Valentino's POV of the last few chapters.

Let me know what you think!! It really keeps me going :)

Love y'all <333

A burst of air finally broke free from him when Marc crossed the finish line. Valentino had held his breath, his lips pursed into a thin line, throughout the entire and now his lungs were screaming at him. He tried to tamp down the smile threatening to break free, fearing it being caught on camera. Despite his best efforts, a surge of relief struck him; it was a twisted gratitude that Marc was finally on top again. A restoration to where he should be, as Valentino’s equal, his greatest rival. It was easier to feel all he felt for Marc when they were both legends of the sport; it made him feel more normal about being decidedly not normal. Being in love with Marc was a difficult pill to swallow, with years of bitter feuds and rivalry between them. When had it become love? Valentino did not know, but this was easier when he knew it could not be hero worship from Marc’s side, not when he could match Vale stride for stride. It made his craziness (his obsession) easier when the man he was obsessed with was simply so talented- a phenomenon in his own right.

The TV hanging up in the garage replayed back the clip of Marc crossing the line and celebrating, Valentino catalogued every second. The image cut to the Gresini garage where Dovi, Dani, and Jorge hugged in celebration. Surging jealousy snaked through Valentino as he caught the warmth in Dovi’s eyes which never strayed from the screen, his full attention captured by Marc and a small, pleased smile growing on his face. He clamped down on the possessiveness - he wanted but couldn’t have. It hurt more than he would have liked to admit. He desired every part of Marc- physically, and emotionally. And yet it was not Valentino who Marc had chosen, because he had realised too late and fucked it up beyond repair, and now he was fighting an uphill battle just to get Marc to look at him. It was a shock when he found the screen showing his own face staring back at him once more, his eyes devoid of emotion apart from the small creases in his forehead. The picture had moved on before Vale could change his expression.

Vale watched as Marc pulled up to the number one spot and leapt off his bike; he examined the natural way Marc threw himself into the team’s waiting arms- like he belonged there. Valentino tried to quash the rising sadness; it was his own fault that he was not there like Jorge, Dani, or Alex. When he was younger, he was always taught that envy was an ugly emotion, he hated that it fit him so well. Envious of the way Marc could match him on the bike, of the way that he could come back after a bad spell and still be so good. But most of all, he hated the way other people were allowed to stand by Marc’s side whilst Valentino wasn’t.

He wanted to leave. He stayed for the podium.

The top step was made for Marc. That’s what he decided, watching the younger man dance and sing, glowing in the evening sunlight. Vale couldn’t look away, completely enraptured by his ethereal beauty. Because at the crux of it all, Marc was beautiful, in both looks and personality. He was gorgeous. Valentino felt a sudden burst of want. He tried to shake it off.

(It didn’t work)

Instead, he had continued to stand, mentally capturing the way Marc looked after so long away from winning, the tangible relief rolling off of him. His eyes are wide and bright, dancing with happiness and humour. He looks glorious, otherworldly, like the sun. Valentino was scared to look in case he was blinded but was somehow unable to focus on anything else. Marc caught his eye, Valentino smiled until Marc ripped his gaze away, looking burnt but also more alive than he had in years. Vale didn’t think about the way Pecco and Enea got to sling their arms across Marc’s shoulders as they celebrated. He didn’t think about how Marc should be his to hold and to celebrate.  

(He did)

Pecco had been giving Valentino the cold shoulder since the previous night, barely acknowledging him that morning and ignoring him after the race. Luca was the same, although with less ignoring and more overt anger. Overall, it meant that there weren’t too many of his riders to debrief with post-race. He wasn’t sure when the boys had become so fond of Marc, whether it was over this weekend or before. A small part of him hated it, not knowing what was going on and feeling as though this strange, new thing had occurred without him even realising. Somewhere within him, he acknowledged that he didn’t want to share Marc; it was easier when the boys were ambivalent and he could have Marc to himself. Bez was the only one still talking to him (albeit slightly out of pure loyalty rather than wanting to), and even he looked somewhat uncomfortable whilst doing so. Vale supposed it was difficult to ignore someone when they were your boss and the owner of the team you rode for. But Marco had always been steadfast in his loyalty to Valentino, that was more apparent than ever. But if Marco’s allegiance was cracking ever so slightly after last night, then Vale had royally fucked up. Not that Valentino didn’t know this already, as uncomfortable as it was. It was painfully clear that he had a lot to fix.

*

Valentino walked back to his motorhome before the podium celebrations finished.  His brain was fixated on making a plan to get Marc back. It started with pulling on every media contact he knew in Italy to find out who the hell had gotten hold of Marc’s medical records. He tried desperately hard to push down the guilt threatening to engulf him. He had started all of this, he had lit the flame for the fuse. Now he had to make it right. A few phone calls later, anyone who had even glanced at the records, or written one word, was out of their job. He would make sure anyone else involved had all lost their jobs by the end of the day. He didn’t bother hiding who was on the other end of the phone. He also made sure it was very obvious who had done it. The message would become very clear, if you valued your job in the motorsport press industry, don’t fuck with Valentino Rossi or Marc Marquez.

His fans (or so-called fans) would be harder to root out. He didn’t know when they had turned against Marc, whether it was a slow change or a sudden surge of hatred post-Sepang. Either way, he drew a blank about how to fix it, it's not like he could threaten his fans. He sat in silence for some time, wracking his brain for ideas, only distracted by the alert Chime which sounded from his phone. A text flashed up on the screens, reminding him of his upcoming media.

It hit him like a train.

His relationship with Marc and the hatred which followed occurred in part due to what Vale said to the media. Surely if he publically supported Marc, his fans would change too. There was already some change, he had witnessed it in the last few months. Marc moving to Ducati and befriending more people on the grid appeared to make him more loved than ever. Even though many people still hated him, many loved the charismatic man who couldn’t lose without a fight. This weekend was a testament to both.

He jumped out of the chair and practically sprinted out the door. Valentino’s heart ached as he heard the loud cheering from the direction of the Gresini garage. He slowed down to a jog as he neared the media centre and caught his breath outside. Once he entered the building, he hovered for some time, pretending to watch the MotoGP riders who were taking to the press. Blessedly, Marc wasn’t there, presumably he had already done his media commitments for the day and was celebrating with his team. He watched as Franky and Bes spoke about their races, a sense of pride rising that his boys were doing well. There were a lot of long looks being sent his way, journalists curious about his presence or itching for an interview. He played up his disinterest a bit, waiting for the perfect opportunity. It came not long later when a familiar reporter waved him over. He approached under the guise of friendliness, offering pleasantries rather than an exclusive. It didn’t take long for them to ask and Valentino pretended to oblige with a winning smile, just this once.

They asked him exactly what he had expected. An analysis of Pecco’s performance, how it feels to no longer ride but to be at a race as a spectator, a comment on his own team's performance. He felt the journalist pause after the last question and raised his eyebrows in encouragement, hoping it would be what he wanted.

They asked about Marc.

Valentino launched into a tirade of praise, shocking both the interviewer and himself with his honesty. He found himself reflecting on Marc’s amazing seasons and meaning every word. Marc was a generational talent, one of the greatest, able to hold his own against some of the best riders of the time. Yes, he raced hard and yes he was sometimes an idiot on track but God, he was good.

He made a decision then and there, he might as well go all in and apologise too. So he did. The guilt had been eating him alive all day, so he dug deep and let some of it show. Marc was the strongest person he knew, this weekend only confirmed it. Maybe he could learn something from the younger man this weekend. An apology would be a start; he knew it wouldn’t be enough, but it was something- it made him feel lighter. He thought that the poor woman on the other side of the microphone looked 5 seconds away from fainting. He smiled and walked away.

*

Valentino found Luca after the celebrations had died down. Slipping through the pit lane towards the Honda garage felt remarkably similar to a walk of shame. He accosted Luca as he was packing up with the team. The glare that Luca sent him told Valentino exactly how his younger brother felt about seeing him. Exasperation didn’t even begin to cover it. Alas, Valentino still dragged Luca to the side, ignoring the dramatic huff his younger brother exhaled.

“How do I make it up to him?” Valentino asked, a pleading note to his tone.

Luca rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath about stupid people. Valentino scowled and Luca relented.

“Talk to him, Valentino. You hurt him so you have to apologise. Make it up to him and for God's sake tell him the truth.” Luca grumbled, clearly frustrated at Valentino. The older man frowned in thought.

“How do I do that though?” Valentino questioned. It looked like Luca had to physically restrain himself from reacting. He turned away and exhaled loudly before turning around and pasting a fake pleasant smile on his face.

“Frankly, Valentino, it is a miracle you have gotten this far in life. You are meant to be charming and good with people. Surely that skill does not go out the window as soon as you’re within 5 feet of Marc?” Luca protested. He fell silent for a second, seemingly considering the words he said.

“Actually, scrap that, you’ve always been an idiot around Marc. I don’t know Valentino; you have to figure this out yourself. Get down on your knees if you have to don’t give me that look for God’s sake, I don’t mean like that. I mean you might have to plead, to ask for forgiveness. God knows you deserve it for what you did to him. Just don’t fuck it up again.” Luca growled.

Valentino felt like he had been slapped in the face. It was always interesting when someone said exactly what they thought to your face, and clearly, Luca had reached the end of his tether. Valentino glowered slightly as he recounted the words- he was not an idiot around Marc. He just sometimes forgot himself or got distracted. Or said the wrong thing. Or ended up screwing it up so bad that he might as well just continue to fuck it up than try to fix it. And-

Okay, maybe Valentino did have a tendency to forget his brain when it came to Marc. But it wasn’t his fault. He lifted his head to argue with Luca but by the time he’d worked through his thoughts, Luca had gone, fed up with his brother's antics. Valentino sighed, making a retreat to his motorhome to sulk until he came up with a better idea.

He spent a long time scrolling through social media, finding videos and photos of Marc winning from every angle and trying to cement a plan to seek forgiveness the didn't involve a blowjob. He tried not to let the bitterness engulf him when he saw who else was celebrating with the team. Gresini always posted their ridiculous celebrations online; Valentino secretly loved it. Marc looked happier than Vale had seen him in a long time, even as he was held and sprayed with champagne.

(Valentino refused to confront why he had spent 5 minutes re-watching that video alone, it had nothing to do with how gorgeous marc looked, restrained and soaked, his clothes sticking to his body.)

*

It had taken quite a bit of begging and bribery to find out where the Gresini team were heading to celebrate. He had tried Pecco with no luck, and Fabio had practically laughed in his face. He didn’t even bother with Alex or Dani or any of the others. In the end, it was Bez who had told him, shifting from foot to foot and refusing to meet his eyes. Valentino could only bring himself to feel slightly guilty at persuading the younger man to tell. He reasoned that Bez probably wouldn’t have cared two days ago, so what did it matter? He ended up joining Bez on the way to the club, having found a white shirt he deemed smart enough to work and a pair of black jeans. It would do.

Pecco rolled his eyes when Bez pulled Valentino over to the boys; Valentino smiled guiltily and bought them a round of drinks to make up for it. It kept them happy enough. He skirted around the room for the first 50 minutes, keeping his eyes out for a sign of Marc. He tried to avoid too many other people he knew, not wanting to draw attention to his presence.

When Marc did walk in, he was laughing, his face alight as he talked animatedly with his brother. His eyes flicked around the room, seemingly taking in the club’s deep crimson decor and ostentatious elegance. Valentino tried to blend into the background and remain inconspicuous but then he looked at Marc properly and all rationality fled him. Cazzo, he had clearly been oblivious to what he had missed out on for the last 13 years. Marc was dressed in all black, contrasting beautifully with his tanned skin whenever the strobes flashed and illuminated him. He wore a black button-down with the first few buttons undone, showing off a silver chain that caught the light and dipped below the shirt and across his chest. Black jeans hugged his ass and strong thighs before flaring into a wider leg. The red lights fell across his pretty face, illuminating his cheekbones and casting shadows across his jaw. Valentino knew he was staring, his jaw was practically on the floor. He swallowed, trying to break himself out of the spell.

His eyes followed Marc across the room and stuck as he draped his body across the bar. He tracked the brothers moving across the floor towards the table which Gresini had commanded. But he tore his eyes away when Dovi smiled at Marc, refusing to watch something that would inevitably cause him to get angry. Instead, he pulled away, strode back over to Pecco and the others and offered to buy another round.

An hour later, Valentino found himself surrounded by his boys, still stone-cold sober. He desperately needed a drink but refused to be inebriated for this conversation. Instead, he watched as the boys got progressively tipsier, and kept an eye on Marc when he thought no one was looking. Bez was halfway through a long-winded explanation of the latest cute thing Rubik had done when Vale spotted his opportunity. He excused himself from the group, ignoring Bez’s pout and Luca’s groan as he pushed through the crowd, following Marc. Valentino wasn’t surprised to see him surrounded by the older riders, as he had been all weekend. It appeared they had made themselves into Marc’s security personnel for the time being. He froze as he watched the group, the way Marc had settled into it; it made Valentino feel out of place in a way he rarely felt.

His stomach soured slightly as he observed how close Marc and Dovi were. It only got worse when Dovi plastered himself over Marc. The group were engaged in what seemed like a lively conversation. Interestingly, Jorge was holding Dani in a very non-platonic way, which wasn’t exactly news to Vale but also it took them long enough. He shuffled a light closer. When he was eventually in earshot and tuned into their conversations, he couldn’t prevent his face from scrunching up in disgust.

The blatantly flirting was one thing, but talking as if fucking Marc was something that he was allowed. And the comments that Marc was loud in bed, followed by his lack of denial. Vale baulked, he tried desperately to claw at the memories which he had repressed for so many years. Images of Marc moaning under him, once, just once, years ago. Right before Valentino had slammed the door shut in panic and left Marc heartbroken. A long time before Vale realised that Marc’s love was not unrequited. And now Andrea was the one who had Marc. The man hadn’t even won a Premier class championship, Valentino had seven.

The group before him fell silent, Dani had noticed him first. Awkwardness rolled off of Valentino; it was not a common emotion for him, more comfortable with the sour bitterness accompanying it. Marc catalogued every inch of him, from his face, which Vale desperately tried to school, to his toes, where he shifted uncomfortably in his shoes. He returned the gaze, feeling numb inside.

It took a lot of effort not to hit Dovi when he answered Valentino’s plea before Marc could, telling Vale on no uncertain terms to get lost. It made his blood boil, building within him until he felt ready to explode. But he couldn't do that, not in front of everyone; it wouldn’t be fair to Marc. He exhaled harshly, trying to calm his irritation and leaving without a second glance. All the while, he was trying to calm the anger rising inside of him. How dare Dovi act like that. Who did he think that he was speaking on Marc’s behalf and making decisions for him? Vale bit his tongue, stopping himself from storming back over in a fit of jealousy. He didn’t know where this was coming from. The sudden notion that he wanted Marc, wanted to cover him in marks and let the world know who he belonged to. It was like ever since yesterday the feelings of love were building; Marc was reeling Valentino in and there was nothing he could do to stop it. It was snowballing out of control, an avalanche of emotions and desperation. Valentino needed Marc viscerally. He wanted the soft morning and the heated nights. He wanted Marc whimpering underneath and to know what Marc’s face looked like after an hour of teasing. He needed to know how Marc looked when he was tied to the headboard, his abs flexing and arms straining. Valentino was rapidly realising that he not only wanted the insane sex but also the sweet romance and pure devotion of true love. He wanted to cook his mother’s recipes for Marc, to buy him flowers, and to race around the ranch with him.

Valentino was so fucked.

He scampered away with his tail tucked between his legs and his mind racing with dirty thoughts. Thankfully, he quickly found the boys again; they wisely said nothing concerning his mood (he hoped they hadn’t been watching). He huffed out a breath when Pecco returned from the bar with a decent pour of whiskey for him, shooting him a thankful look. He tried to nurse the drink, but one soon turned to two and before long ten. Once he was suitably drunk, Valentino took to wandering around the club, letting himself be dragged into the throws of other teams who were out celebrating. It turned out that a lot of the MotoGP personnel had reason to celebrate tonight. Or maybe it was because Italy was closer to home for most. Either way, Valentino grew progressively drunker as he was passed around between acquaintances. He didn’t mind it much; it was easier to be around people who knew the sport than the usual sponsors or stakeholders. It felt less like an act when it was mechanics and engineers who knew Vale from Yamaha rather than Valentino Rossi, MotoGP legend and millionaire.

By the time he had done the rounds and extricated himself from the Ducati team (he had avoided them until he couldn’t leave it any longer without seeming rude), it was later than he would have liked. The group of academy boys had lost numbers at some point, with only a couple of them now loitering where Vale had left them. He scanned the room and mentally calculated where they all were. Franky was still hanging around the younger Marquez; they had spent much time together tonight, much to Vale’s surprise. Luca and Mig were by the bar, nursing their drinks sensibly. According to his brother, Pecco and Bez had disappeared long ago, with Celin following soon after. Despite searching the room rather intently, the younger members of the academy weren’t easily found. He spotted Bez’s wild curls first and was drawn to their group dancing amongst the throng of people writhing in the centre of the room. Shock coursed through Vale when he caught a glimpse of short brown curls and tanned skin. There, encased in Pecco’s arms, was Marc.

(which, firstly, what?)

Marc, who Valentino had thought was with Dovi- but considering how the boys (his boys) were touching him, Valentino was beginning to reconsider. Marc looked delectable in the low lights of the club, swinging his hips to the beat. Marco was pawing at him as if he couldn’t get enough, which was shocking enough without adding Pecco to the mix. Valentino stared, watching the glistening beads of sweat dripping below Marc’s shirt collar, visible even from this far away. It made his mouth run dry as he desperately tried to swallow.

For some inexplicable reason, Bez and Pecco kept touching him, their hands on his hips (Bez) or sliding down his shoulders (Pecco). The latter leant in to talk in Marc’s ear, prompting the older man to tilt his head and then lean back against Pecco to laugh obnoxiously. Before Marc could reply, Marco had pulled him away from Pecco by his hips, forcing them into the same space to dance; Marc was grinning. Something suspiciously like jealousy clawed at him, but he was unable to shift his attention. The temptation to make Bez and Pecco ride 20 extra laps at the next ranch session was itching at him.

He stared as they danced together, unashamed of his hot gaze. He knew Marc could tell that someone was watching by the way he kept glancing around the room, but he never caught Vale’s eyes. Cele's familiar mop of hair eventually appeared over Marco’s shoulder, causing Bez to shift his attention away from Marc and towards Cele, who instantly clung to him, as usual. Valentino observed in interest as Marc made a comment which made Pecco light up with laughter. Bez craned his neck towards Marc, who had managed to break free from his grip and said something that Valentino was too far away to hear. Marc’s face dropped in confusion as he inclined his head at Bez. Vale frowned, he preferred it when Marc looked carefree and happy. Before Valentino could even register what had happened, Marc was stalking across the floor, away from a concerned-looking Pecco and a bewildered Bez. Vale looked away but not before seeing Pecco gesturing to his friend and talking rapidly with a scowl on his face.

Holding himself back from following Marc immediately was harder than he would have liked, but Vale managed to wait a whole 10 minutes before he stumbled after Marc into the smoking area. It was only once the cooler night air hit him that he realised how drunk he was. Slotting himself up against Marc was probably not his smartest idea. It was however smarter than sinking to his knees at Marc’s feet and begging for forgiveness. Because apparently, Valentino was no longer above that. He felt flayed alive as Marc's round eyes stared back at him, his mouth agape.  He was begging without even consciously thinking through the words, a swirling mixture of intoxication and desperation spilling out of his mouth.

He kept his gaze fixed above him as he rambled, cataloguing the younger man’s appearance. Marc always looked gorgeous but he was particularly perfect at this angle, with Vale on his knee before him. He thought about blowing Marc until he cried, he would refuse to stop, even if he begged. He wanted to know how Marc tasted Valentino choked on the thought. He needed to get back on track, to convince Marc to give him a chance. The truth spilling out of his mouth was slightly horrifying; he would inevitably regret it in the morning, but he was too desperate to stop. Guilt ate him alive, chewing him up from the insight. It was his fault, his fault that Marc was almost destroyed, his fault that Marc almost died. It made him want to rip his hair out.

When Valentino learnt that fucking Uccio had gone behind his back and fucked things up even more, anger engulfed him. It was a heavy concoction of incandescent rage and betrayal. A mixture of anger at himself for all he had done and rage at the people who had made it worse. It was accompanied by the slicing pain that Valentino now knew Marc had faced over the past ten years. It was gut-wrenching. Knowing that he had screwed up so badly was difficult to face. It was about time that he accepted his responsibility, rather than doubling down on an old feud and refusing to let the wounds heal. He was enraged at his best friend’s actions but looking back, he could see the profound influence Uccio’s words had on fueling the fire over the years. The same fire which had burnt Marc so badly.

When Luca stuck his head outside, Valentino was almost thankful to no longer face Marc’s too-honest eyes. The distrust in Marc’s voice when he questioned Luca stung, but Valentino probably deserved it. He clambered to his feet, allowing himself to be thrust into Franky’s arms whilst Luca talked to Marc in hushed tones.

(He wasn’t sure when Franky and Alex had arrived, which was baffling).

Softness engulfed him as he heard Marc laugh, delighted to see him smiling again. He wasn’t sure when he became so soppy, maybe it was over time that Marc had wormed his way into his heart, despite it all. Eventually, Franky dragged him away, much to Valentino’s disappointment. He wanted to watch Marc laugh more, to see his face almost split in half with joy. He was handed off to Luca soon after. Everything that happened afterwards was a blur; he remembered a car journey and Luca putting him to bed. After that, it was just soft sheets and dreaming of Marc's pretty smile and big hands.

*

Waking up the next morning wasn’t fun. His memory was blurry at best and completely incoherent at worst. The last thing he remembered was being rejected and rudely turned away by Dovi. He thought he remembered a rough floor beneath his knees but he also had hazy thoughts of Marc in his bed and that clearly hadn’t happened. He just hoped he hadn’t done anything too embarrassing.

He downed a glass of water in the kitchenette of his motorhome, taking some ibuprofen alongside it. He had to check that the garage was packed before he could leave. Thankfully, it was Italy, not too far from home. He grabbed a pair of sunglasses before he left and kept his head down as he walked the paddock. Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked up just in time to see a familiar face shutting the door of Marc’s motorhome. Nausea rose as he recognised Dovi’s soft expression and he quickly hurried away, determined to leave this place as soon as possible.

It didn’t take too long to wrap up, but by the time he headed back to the motorhomes, he was feeling far too tired. He blamed that on what happened next. When he saw Marc, looking beautiful despite his obvious hangover, he froze. He was honest, far too honest, and he accepted the offer to go inside, which was probably his first mistake. He knew he wasn’t subtle, his eyes flicking to Marc's lips, and scouting out the motorhome interior; he just hoped Marc was too hungover to notice. Valentino wanted to kiss him. A chorus of mine, mine, mine was playing in his head like a broken record. But Marc wasn't his, he knew that.

Valentino steeled himself, he could be polite and civil. He didn’t need to let the cracks, which were steadily widening, show. He told Marc the closest variant of the truth which he could choke out and was stunned at Marc’s amused reaction. He thought he might have died, or even that he was still dreaming as Marc kissed him. He wasn’t strong enough to resist, nor was he above pleading for more once Marc stepped away. How they descended from kissing to arguing so quickly, Valentino didn’t know, but it was very on-brand for them.

Marc was furious that Vale didn’t remember, probably rightfully so. But it raised Valentino's hackles, being accused of weakness, so he fought like he always did. Sometimes Valentino felt he did not deserve love because no matter how hard he tried, he always seemed to fuck it up. Somehow, it ended with Valentino standing alone in Marc’s motorhome, with a heart more broken than before and more regrets than ever.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Middle Man: Part One

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.6k

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Summary: You're called to Indiana where a woman goes missing. Maybe it's something about this case or maybe it's all in your head, but you can't help the feeling like something isn't right. On the upside, Rossi is throwing a Halloween party, and you can't wait to be with everyone and celebrate Spencer's favorite holiday with him.

Season Six Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

"The herds seek out the great, not for their seed, but for their influence and the great welcome them out of vanity or need." - Napoleon Bonaparte

The past week has been nothing but bliss because you and Spencer took it off work to celebrate your engagement. You're ready to tell the team knowing they're going to ask questions the second you get back to work. Plus, they'll see the gorgeous diamond ring on your finger and immediately know about it.

You two get off the elevator but before you can enter through the double doors, Spencer pulls you off to the side. Before you can say anything, he pulls you into him and kisses you with his tongue. You have to stop yourself from melting into a puddle at his knees. He knows exactly what to do to get you on your knees in front of him.

"What was that for, Dr. Reid?" you ask, your head a bit fuzzy when he pulls away.

"What? I can't kiss my fianceé?"

"No, you can," you grin.

"Come on, Mrs. Reid. We have to get to work."

Hearing him call you Mrs. Reid gives you all kinds of butterflies that you don't want to go away. You take out your phone and dial JJ on FaceTime which she answers immediately.

"Hey, I can't talk long."

"It's okay, I only need a few minutes from you."

"What's going on?"

"Hang on. Let me get the rest of the team." You and Spencer walk to the briefing room where everyone is, but they haven't started it yet. You turn the phone to everyone so JJ can see them. "Say hi to JJ!"

"Hey, JJ!"

"We have some news," you say and turn the phone around toward your face.

"Are you pregnant?" Penelope gasps.

"No," Spencer chuckles. He loses his smile and looks at you in a panic. You shake your head and his shoulder sag in relief. He wants kids with you just not now. "No."

You hold up your left hand to show off your ring, making sure JJ can see it through the phone.

"We're engaged!"

Cheers erupt from everyone in the room including JJ who clasp happily for you. Derek smirks and leans back in his chair knowing Spencer was going to propose sooner rather than later. You turn the camera around and show JJ the ring up close, and she grins widely.

"I'm so happy for you two! That ring is so beautiful. Will and I will take you two out to dinner this weekend, but I do need to go now."

"Stay safe."

"Always am," she winks before hanging up.

Emily and Penelope gather around you to see the ring up close, and Penelope can't contain her excitement.

"It's so pretty," she giggles.

"Congratulations," Hotch says, "but we do need to get started."

Everyone takes their seats and Penelope passes around tablets for everyone to use.

"Welcome to the 21st century. Yay, technology. Everyone has a new tablet."

"We've gone paperless?" Spencer pouts.

"Fear not, doctor of the dark ages. I went old school for your anti-technology quirk. Paper files and hard copy photos, but the abacus is your responsibility."

Spencer takes the paper file from her with a smile and flips through it. While you're more tech-savvy, Spencer loves a hard copy with everything. Still, you prefer a physical book rather than a Kindle.

"Garcia, not that I don't appreciate your efforts, but exactly where did the funding for these come from?" Hotch asks.

"I did a thing," she whispers.

"A thing?"

"Best not talk about the thing."

"We'll talk about the thing later."

"Okay," she nods. "Instead, let's talk about harvest season because it is harvest season in Indiana, and farmers are finding more than corn in their fields. Meredith Joy, Kimberly Jukes, and Amanda Frye were all discovered murdered in Johnson County, Indiana. All three women were exotic dancers living in different counties in the state. Kimberly, the first victim, went missing six weeks ago, and in each instance, the women finished their shifts but never made it to their cars."

"It says here Amanda was found ninety miles from her house," Derek says.

"This guy's going a long way to abduct his victims. If he's dumping the bodies in the same county, it's a good chance he's located nearby. It shouldn't be too hard to work up a geographical profile," Spencer explains.

"Meredith put up quite a fight. She's got defensive wounds all over her body, and the lab discovered two different samples of DNA under her fingernails. We're dealing with at least a team. One that rapes, beats, and strangles their victims in a cornfield."

"They're using condoms," you state after looking at the evidence. "I bet one of these guys has a record and he doesn't want us connecting the DNA."

"They're accelerating their attack schedule. It's three weeks between the first and second kill, and two weeks between the second and third."

"Meredith died last week."

"Now they're down to one week. Who's missing?" Hotch asks.

Penelope shows pictures of the most recent missing woman in the area.

"Her name is Stephanie Wilson. She was abducted early this morning from Club Prowl in Tippecanoe County. She finished her shift at two in the morning but she never made it home to her two-year-old daughter. The babysitter called the police and Stephanie's car was left in the parking lot like the others."

"There's a clear pattern. All the women were abducted on Monday morning and murdered sometime Wednesday evening."

"We've got less than two days to save Stephanie," Derek says.

The meeting is disbanded but before anyone can leave, you address the whole room.

"Before I forget, we're all on for this weekend?"

"The house is decorated and the candy is already in," Rossi confirms.

"JJ is coming over with Will and Henry. They've agreed to go out trick or treating with Hotch and Jack."

"Yeah, he can't wait," Hotch smiles.

"What are you two dressing up as?" Derek asks.

"I guess you'll find out," you wink.

Everyone meets on the plane in record time since you don't have much time to spare. There is a video playing of an aerial view of the cornfields where the women were found. There are many lines across the cornfields, presumably made by the unsubs who were chasing the women. They must have been so scared.

"Hey, guys. Look at the patterns on the cornfields. It's all hard turns and zigzags. They had to have been chasing these women," Derek confirms your suspicions.

"Do you think they escaped?" Spencer asks.

"Maybe if it was just the one time but all three?"

"They let them go so they could chase them again. The women probably thought they were being released," Hotch sighs.

"I'd say we're most likely looking for two dominant Alpha male personalities, but we shouldn't rule out one dominant who allows his submissive to have sex with these victims in order to control them," you state.

"It certainly speaks to their arrogance if they're that confident the women won't get away."

"Prostitutes and strippers usually make easy targets. Maybe they need to up the challenge. The hunt could be what gets them off," Rossi comments.

"Garcia, focus on prior sexual crimes in the area. This kind of confidence doesn't get built overnight," Hotch says.

"Yes, I am compiling as we are face-timing. I'm also running DNA results through unsolved crimes in Indiana and the surrounding states."

"Let me know as soon as you find anything."

"You know, interestingly, all three victims had downers and uppers in their system," Spencer says after reading the file.

"Were the drugs used to subdue the women or is it a ruse to get them to come home with them?" Emily asks.

"Prentiss and Reid, go to the club where Stephanie worked to find out. Dave, you, Y/N, and Morgan work the dump site, and I'll work victimology at the local Sheriff's station."

Hotch meets with the sheriff as soon as the plane lands as the rest of the team heads to where they need to go. The sheriff is inside his office yelling at one of the officers when Hotch walks into the police station. Both men depart as soon as the sheriff sees Hotch.

"Hey, you must be Agent Hotchner. I'm Sheriff Jeff Salters," he says and shakes Hotch's hand. "Sorry about that. One of my guys leaked the news about the dead woman to the press. I needed to send a message."

"Why is the investigation being kept a secret?"

"That was my call. I don't want these guys skipping town before I have a chance to arrest them. This ends in my jurisdiction."

"Has Stephanie's father arrived?"

"He's waiting in the conference room. He's pretty messed up about the whole thing."

"That's understandable."

"I just don't get it. Do you know how many strippers and prostitutes I saw get beaten up and raped when I worked in the city? Sometimes it's like they're asking for it."

Anger floods Hotch's chest at his comment. He thinks about you and how pissed you would be at him. You're not here to advocate for these victims so Hotch will do it on your behalf. It's better that he's talking to Jeff than you because he's almost certain you'd lay hands on him.

"Nobody asks for this, Sheriff."

"Not consciously, anyway. Shall we go in?"

"I think I'll speak to him alone." Jeff opens his mouth to speak but Hotch cuts him off. "These women are victims of heinous crimes. I will not sit there and watch you be disrespectful in front of their families. If you can't be respectful, you have no business being in that room. I won't have you judge them."

"And I won't have you telling me how to run my show. The governor may have requested your help, but this is my case."

"It's not a show. It is your case. You can watch from the outside."

Emily and Spencer walk closer to the club where Stephanie works, and she notices a certain glow about Spencer she hasn't seen before.

"So, marriage, huh?"

"Yeah," Spencer smiles.

"Are you happy?" Spencer nods. "You'd make a good husband."

"I hope so."

x

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[jisungsdaydreamer]

𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭.

Hello and welcome to the Nightmare Zone a.k.a. I was a normal person until I discovered skz and now I make fictional lives a living hell. Just kidding- mostly.

☆ — mature content, ♡ — personal faves

𝐎𝐓𝟖 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒.

LOVE PLAYLIST ♡ — Now playing: heartbreak. Growing up is never easy, especially away from home. As you navigate the ups and downs of college, you encounter the very people who could determine the trajectory of your entire life. Eight boys. Eight stories of loving, losing, and unabashedly living. A compilation of college au one-shots set in the same universe. Ongoing.

...READY FOR IT? ☆ — In the middle of the night, in your dreams, and in the endless paradox that is your life, you're falling apart. But he doesn't seem to mind. From youthful infatuation to insatiable lust, therein lies the death of your reputation. A compilation of one-shots inspired by reputation album by ts. Upcoming.

𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍.

TOLERATE IT ♡ — You know your love for your husband should be celebrated, but instead, it’s tolerated. <1k. Angst, established relationship.

UGH! — It’s a truth universally acknowledged that you hate Christopher Bang’s guts. Everything about him, you hate. And that will never, ever change. Ever. 11k. Angst, fluff, college au, enemies to lovers, forced proximity.

𝐋𝐄𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐇𝐎.

DRESS — When Minho buys a really ugly dress for you, but you don't want to hurt his feelings. 1.4k. Fluff, established relationship.

MAKE IT RIGHT ♡ — You and Minho are the golden couple of your university. Well, you were. But love works in strange ways, and now yours needs to be made right. 18.3k. Angst, college au, exes to lovers.

DISTRICT NINE ♡ — For the very first time in his life, eighteen year-old Minho is left to fight his demons alone, far from home and everything dear to him. New places, new people, new things to fear— it's an endless tightrope strung by the unknown. But what Minho does not know is that he will never walk it alone. 4.k. Angst, hurt/comfort, college au.

COWBOY LIKE ME— How can falling in love with someone feel so right? How could it ever be wrong? Smut, angst, Hollywood au, non modern au. Upcoming.

𝐒𝐄𝐎 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐁𝐈𝐍.

NO MAN'S LAND — After a disastrous shipwreck out at sea, Changbin should have died. But you saved him. 3.6k. Mermaid/pirate au.

𝐇𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐍𝐉𝐈𝐍.

[6:39 PM] — Your best friend will always be there for you, but you have no idea about how he truly feels. <1k. Angst, fluff, college au, friends to lovers.

THE HAPPIEST DAY OF HER LIFE — He'll always smile for you, even if he feels his heart breaking. <1k. Angst.

ANTI-ROMANTIC ☆ ♡ — After a lifetime of heartbreak, you try your chance at romance for one last time, meeting up with L.A.’s most beloved dating coach, Dr. Hwang Hyunjin. Lines are crossed and strange events ensue. Series. Smut, fluff, romcom, opposites attract. Ongoing.

CHARMER ☆ — As a detective, Hyunjin’s life is centered around lying and fabricating his own version of the truth. After all, to catch a mastermind, you have to be a mastermind yourself. Smut, angst, detective/crime au, thriller, psychological. Upcoming.

𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐉𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐆.

[2:49 AM] — You love your husband more than anything, but you can forget about a good night’s sleep. <1k. Fluff, established relationship.

GHOST OF YOU ♡ — He’s gone from your dimension now, but there’s nothing stopping him from finding his own world. 1.3k. Angst, horror, supernatural au.

HOME — Jisung. Your roommate. Your resident idiot. Your very best friend and nothing more. Until one night, everything changes. 7k. Fluff, college au, friends to lovers, roommates to lovers, mutual pining.

SWEET, SWEET — Jisung as your rockstar boyfriend who worships the ground you walk on. 2.5k. Smut, fluff, established relationship.

𝐊𝐈𝐌 𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐌𝐈𝐍.

[11:10 PM] — Your father would end you before allowing you to see him, but you’d spin in your highest heels and risk everything if it meant every night could be like this. 1k. Fluff, angst, forbidden romance.

𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐉𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐍.

[ENDING SCENE]— You loved him so much that you let him go. 1.4k. Angst.

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒.

BOYFRIEND JISUNG BOYFRIEND HYUNJIN STRAY KIDS WHEN THEY HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU STRAY KIDS AS YOUR HIGH SCHOOL ROMANCE STRAY KIDS AS SHOPAHOLICS

«𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍» · «𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐄» · «𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓»

©jisungsdaydreamer 2023 | All rights reserved.

[ynverse]

drunk in love

VENTI  x gn! reader | fluff

a/n: HAPPY BDAY VENTI ! i love him a totally normal (insane) amount

“master diluc,” venti’s speech came out slurred as he raised his now empty glass towards diluc, “another round! this is the finest of occasions so we must celebrate!”

diluc could only shake his head as he watched the anemo archon stumble over his words and nearly fall off his seat. he was counting down the seconds until you would arrive and take your boyfriend out of his hands.

“diluc,” you questioned while rushing into the tavern, receiving the letter from diluc’s hawk, “is he passed out yet? he’s going to ruin the plans we have.”

“oh? and who is this?”

venti turns to you, slipping off his seat and stumbling onto the ground. the other customers in the tavern couldn’t help but laugh at his antics, having seen his drunk behavior weekly at this point.

you only sigh as you go to help him up, wanting to quickly sober him up so the surprise party you planned wouldn’t go to waste.

“hey now,” venti backed away from you as soon as you went close to him, “i’m a taken man! i belong only to my dearest.”

“venti…”

venti managed to sit himself up on the ground and looked at you with wide eyes, “woah… you’re beautiful. my love is more beautiful though.”

“venti-“

“i am in no condition to perform! i have to return to my love immediately.”

venti now tries to stand up, slightly wobbling as the world around him blurs. by this point, diluc already escaped to your house, waiting with the rest of your shared friends to celebrate. thinking back, you should have made diluc drag venti back since this was becoming more difficult than you thought.

“venti-“

you let out a small gasp as venti almost fell, barely managing to catch him. as if your touch alone reminded him of who you were, he wrapped his arms around you and swayed you from side to side.

“my love! you came for me,” you felt him smile into your shoulder, “someone tried to come onto me! but fear not, i would never betray you. my heart is yours.”

“let’s go home okay? i have a surprise for you.”

“i am home! you are my home, my love.”

your face became warm as you listened to his little rambles praising you and talking about how someone in the bar wanted him badly, making a note to tease him and tell him that was you once he was sober. as you swayed from side to side, trying your best to walk home quickly so the guests aren’t worried, you couldn’t help but notice the way the wind always blew you in the right direction. even when drunk beyond belief, venti was always right there for you.

[madhatterbri]

Second Chance | Hook Part 3

Author's Note: A little longer today. My anxiety has been through the roof lately. I am trying to distract myself. ❤️

@99hook

Summary: You call Hook and reminisce about old times.

You woke up to a hangover. Not necessarily a new thing with you, but something you hadn't experienced in a while. The world was spinning relentlessly as if you were on a carnival ride. The undeniable feeling of all the contents in your stomach wanted to be free. Drinking sucks.

Skye drove you to the airport. The two of you decided today's objective was to survive. No make up or dressing to the nines. Comfortable clothes for a long day at the airport was fine. The two of you secretly prayed for any sort of relief.

"Are you sure you don't need a ride home?" Skye asked. "I really don't mind,"

"Jack told me he would pick me up," you answered. Skye made a face yet said nothing against it.

"Then I will see you soon. Get some rest, champ," she smiled.

As you waited for Jack outside, you thought about Hook. He was just being nice and you had to lash out at him. You knew what you had to do. You scrolled through your contacts until you saw Hook. Your finger hovered over his name. Fear ran through your veins. How would he react to you calling him? You closed your eyes as your finger pressed the button.

You pressed your phone to your ear. Each ring sounded longer than the last. Maybe they were tormenting you. After a few rings he finally answered the phone.

"Your name?" He asked. The way he asked hurt your heart. He seemed worried he was going to get another rude interaction. You shook your head and cleared your throat.

"Hey, Hook," you greeted solemnly. You bit your fingernails nervously. God, you couldn't remember the last time you were nervous about him.

"Did I do something?" He asked innocently. You could see his face now. Innocent puppy eyes staring at you. His bottom lip that you used to love biting so much in a pout.

"I wanted to apologize to you about last night. I'm sorry," you apologized. It wasn't your greatest, but this was the first time you didn't know how to be around him. All the books about lovers to friends going back to normal was a lie.

"I appreciate it, but you didn't have to,"

"I did have to. Thank you for being one of my biggest supporters. I will see you around at work?" You asked trying to break the tension. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Jack's car coming towards you.

"Yeah, see ya,"

The two of you hung up. Jack pulled over. He didn't get out of the car to help you with your things. You sighed and placed your belongings in the trunk. You opened the door and slid inside. Jack waited until you were buckled in and drove away. The silence in the car allowed you to reminisce about another time in a seemingly other life.

"Don't get with him," Hook told you after a taping of AEW one night. "Please don't be with him,"

Tears poured down your cheeks. You weren't sure if it was jealousy or if he wanted you back. You wished he tried this hard when the two of you were together.

"Hook, stop," you pleaded. The break up was still so new. Your heart couldn't handle his begging. "I can't do this right now,"

"I love you, y/n. I always will," he confessed. Tears brimmed the bottom of his eyes. His arms wrapped around you. You placed your head on his chest. His heart pounded in your ears. The same wonderful rhythm that used to lure you to sleep. His face buried at the top of your head. A small kiss planted on it.

You pulled away from him and shook your head. "If only you cared this much a few months ago,"

"Everything okay?" Jack asked bringing you back to reality. You sighed and looked at him. Any thoughts of Hook long gone.

"Yeah, sorry. I just can't believe I'm champion," you answered. All that you had worked for came to reality last night.

"I'm sorry I missed it," he frowned and grabbed your hand. He kissed your hand softly.

"It's fine. Skye helped me celebrate and now I am suffering for it," you joked.

"No it's not. I love you, y/n. I know I may not show it but I am going to be around for you more," he promised. You stopped yourself from rolling your eyes. You had heard this line before.

[silverwarewolf]

🥀 - Favorite unusual compliment? (ie "You're crunchy")

💎 - Favorite thing about yourself? (Appearance, personality, etc)

and

🎀 - What character do you feel represents NPD best?

:3

Yes, yes, thanks for the ask!! For the many questions!! I love answering questions!! Ask game here.

I have the same energy as a hamster who is being studied, sometimes. Which does tie into the first question.

🥀- Well, I love compliments in general. Surprising, right? (/sarcasm). But this is about unusal compliments. There's one that I have gotten textually which was "you need to be studied in a lab," and honestly, yes! It reminds me of that one scene in b99 where Gina has the attention of an entire group of professionals.

There's also the category of compliments that are normal ones but said in a freaked out tone. For example, when I mention some strange and unusual fact and people are like "you're so knowledgeable" but they have visibly been dealt psychic damage by what I just said. It's fun!

Last but not least, frogboiling. "You talk so much about [strange and unusual topic] that I like it now / am desensitized to it / think about it sometimes" is HELL YEAH from me. Alas, I suppose it starts to veer away from "unusual compliment" territory.

💎- I feel like a cat who has been given a sack of catnip?? Hello?? Mm, well. is it cheating when I say "my vibe"? Perhaps if I specifically say "being reliable / dependable / a role model," which I know I am.

I've taught people how to cook / bake. I've taught people how to paint and write and sew. I am always ready to offer good advice, an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, etc. I have very sharp senses so I can help people identify smells / flavors / sounds from really far away / who is walking nearby. I know various methods of healing! And uhhh I also think I'd make a great parent someday teaching so many skills - and singing, boy I can't wait to sing lullabies I know they would love my lullabies.

🎀- hmm! hmm hmm hmm let me think... i rarely retain information about characters who are canonically disordered, and there's also the whole "good representation" nuance aspect... not to mention that i'm sure my other disorders also change the ways i act, lmao!

all this to say that this comes from a personal feeling of "oh yeah it would be so tasty if this character had npd, they own it, i love it."

of course, shout out to my boy narcissus who was so upset about the inexistence of clonefucking that he died <- GREATLY EXAGGERATED SUMMARY OF THE MYTH at least the version i know

Okina Matara, from Touhou Project. Ah, I could ramble for hours about this series if given the opportunity, but I shall not. Instead, quote the wiki, she has no mercy for disrespect and graciously blesses those she favors, is ostentatious, prideful, confident, self-centered, a mastermind of incidents, has connections to MANY parts of the lore and mythology, and ultimately her first appearance was all about drawing attention and reverence to herself. Plus, she has a canonical connection to disabilities!

Yukari Yakumo / Maribel Hearn, also from Touhou Project. Ditto, I will mostly quote the wiki. She is a mastermind, has incredible intellect, very abstract and private goals, a facade of whimsy and deceit while also actively enjoying making others fear her, and is generally considered as someone who calls the shots. She also has quite the flowery language. Furthermore, as Maribel, she is othered for her tastes / demeanor / abilities, and textually calls herself a celebrity who should be indulged.

Asuka Langley, from Evangelion. Mainly Soryu, as I've yet to watch the rebuild movies, but from what I hear, they don't change her personality that much. Anyhow. The very explicit need for attention and praise, and huge dependance on her self worth (and others' acknowledgement of her worth) is very npd to me. Granted, given the nature of Evangelion, going in depth about the characters' psyches is... a complex venture.

Lapis Lazuli, from Houseki no Kuni. Oh boy oh boy I LOVE HnK, it has such WONDERFUL themes of body horror and existentialism and peace. Anyway. Quote the wiki. He has a charming, leading personality, extremely smart, curious, and at times manipulative. They have been called surprisingly deceitful (could conceal secrets for centuries). So yeah, I love him.

Ahaha, I rambled on quite a bit, didn't I? Again, thanks for the ask!!

[darknight3904]

Midgard's Winters

Masterlist to This Love / Main Masterlist

Asgard 1965 A.D. (Thor 25, Loki 25, Astri 23) 

Astri could practically feel the excitement bubbling up in her chest. She feared that if they did not get to the Bifrost soon, she'd combust from her nerves. 

   "Have you never heard of the concept of relaxing?  Loki asked as she fretted over his outfit for the millionth time. 

   "No, I haven't." She smiled up at him. "Now hold still and let me fix this thing, it's crooked." 

   "It's called a tie. I saw that it is what Midgardians wear for special occasions." Loki replied as he leaned down so she could fiddle with it some more.

   "Do I need a tie?" She asked looking down at her outfit which consisted of soft pants, a knit shirt that came up around her neck, and a warm brown coat. 

   "No, I do believe you're dressed as a normal Midgardian woman," Loki said 

   "You're only saying that because you're the one who picked my clothes." She rolled her eyes 

Loki's grin seemed to say 'Of course and I am always correct'. He then turned to fix his hair in the mirror and Astri's eyes wandered over his tall frame. He had gotten much taller recently and his body had filled out with more muscle as he aged. Astri couldn't help but admire as he smoothed his dark hair out and fixed the leather belt that was sitting on his hips. Of course, perfect moments can never last forever but the door opened ruined the trance she was under.

   "What're we all standing around here for? Let us go, the celebration awaits!" Thor exclaimed as he practically kicked Loki's chamber door open

   "Don't be too harsh on them Thor. Loki was trying to seduce Astri with those big eyes of his." Fandral said from out in the hallway. 

   "Fandral I'll push you off the Bifrost bridge so quickly not even Heimdall will see it coming." Loki threatened, his face totally neutral and ignoring the obvious fact that Astri's face was growing rather red at Fandrals comment.

Astri elbowed Loki roughly in his side in an attempt to shut him up while Fandral just laughed at the pair. 

"Always so kind, Loki," Fandral responded as Astri dragged him out the door and past the antagonizing bearded man

Loki whipped his head around to shoot a glare at the smirking warrior before allowing Astri to continue her pulling. 

Astri had been dreaming of seeing Midgard in the winter again for hundreds of years. The first time she had seen it, she hadn't even stopped growing yet. Now, she had finally caught up to Sif and, if she wore the right shoes, she was even taller than her friend on some days. Astri had spent time with Heimdall asking him what Midgard looked like during their winter, she had also asked about their behaviors and customs all so she could convince the AllFather to go and see it with her own two eyes. 

"They wear boots to keep the snow away and large hats for their heads. Some of them drink something called hot chocolate from paper cups. But most of all they all seem to decorate a tree during a period called Christmas." Heimdall had said to her one day when she came to visit.

So now, here she stood, overly large knit hat in hand and warm boots on her feet. Loki had told her she was ruining his outfit choice for her but she had waved his yapping away and put the items on anyway. Thor had accepted her choices right away and even complimented her which she greatly appreciated. 

   "I trust that if I turn my eye to any of you down there, I will not find you causing trouble," Heimdall warned them. 

Astri looked at the Bifrost keeper but found that he was eyeing a few particular individuals in their group. Thor, Fandral, and Loki all seemed to be under scrutiny by the ever-intimidating man.

"I swear I will behave," Thor said 

"As do I." Fandral joined in 

The group all turned their heads to Loki who seemed rather unbothered by Heimdall's gaze. 

"Oh come on. You expect me to go to Midgard for the first time in hundreds of years and not have any fun?" Loki's deep voice filled the silence.

"Just swear it so we can go!" Astri whispered into his ear 

Fine. He'd swear it. But only because she asked him to. Besides, when had the God of lies ever kept his word?

Astri's wide grin was well worth the price of admission as the Bifrost touched down in Midgard. Her happiness was enough to have a smile tugging on his lips as she eagerly scooped up snow to show him. 

   "You know we have snow on Asgard, right?" Sif asked eyeing Astri curiously 

   "Yeah, but its always there! Plus there's something about Midgardian winters that just make it better." Astri smiled 

   "You've only ever seen one Midgardian winter." Thor pointed out 

   "Yes. And at that one, you and Odin killed a bear. I would not like a repeat of that." Astri lectured 

   "I make no promises." Thor laughed "Now, Loki do as Astri wants and take us to that city you told us about. I'm tired of looking at this barren field." 

Loki sighed, tired of his brother's arrogant tone. But, he listened and before they knew it, they were standing on a crowded street, surrounded by Midgardians. 

   "Oh, Loki! This is wonderful!" Astri praised looking around at the tall buildings and falling snow 

   "Where are we?" Hogun asked 

"Who cares? We must try the local food and drinks!" Volstagg loudly said gesturing to a man who was selling food from a silver cart. 

   "A place called New York City." Loki replied, "Heimdall said it would be the best place to go for all of Astri's wishes." 

   "Well, both of you were right. This is marvelous, brother." Thor smiled looking around him at the bustling city.

   "Come, Thor, we must try whatever that is!" Volstagg gestured to a stand that read 'Hot Dogs'. 

   "They eat dog here!?"Astri exclaimed, mortified at the man who seemed to be cheerily selling his food.

   "Midgard is not as civilized as we thought it was," Sif said shaking her head

   "What dog meat looks like that?" Astri asked eyeing the food that Thor and Volstagg were now shoving into their mouths

   "The ugliest of dogs clearly," Loki said 

   "Loki, look at that!" Astri exclaimed, her attention claimed by a new marvel as she gestured for him to follow her away from where Sif and Hogun were admiring a man playing a musical instrument on the side of the road.

   "It's one of those big trees Heimdall talked of!" She smiled 

Sure enough, a large green tree stood in front of a building, dressed in dazzling lights and a bright yellow star on the top of it. Below it, Humans were moving in a circle on what looked like ice. Some of them weren't very skilled as they kept falling. 

   "We should try that." Astri declared 

   "No," Loki responded 

   "Why not? It looks so fun." She groaned 

   "You can barely walk on normal ground. You're the clumsiest individual on Asgard. You tripped in the library yesterday and knocked me over." Loki argued 

   "You're scared you can't do..." She glanced at the large sign behind Loki "Ice skating. Loki, you're scared you can't ice skate as well as all the humans." 

   "Darling, I am a god. I can do whatever these humans can do but ten times better."

   "I am a god." Astri tried to imitate his deep voice. She hadn't been able to accurately imitate him in years thanks to the deep tone he had adopted once he started outgrowing her. 

   "If you're a god you should have no trouble doing this with me." She smiled 

Loki did not tend to often regret his decisions in fact, he prided himself on his ability to be impulsive and have everything work in his favor. But at this moment, he wished to be able to bury his face in the largest book in all of Asgard. Astri had somehow reversed her clumsiness since stepping onto the ice and was gracefully moving while he had fallen four times already. 

   "You're doing great." She affirmed as he held tightly onto her forearms. 

   "I don't feel great." Loki snapped back, embarrassed that she was acting like an extra pair of legs for him.

   "Well, you should." She smiled 

How did she do that every time? Despite any time Loki was rude to her or showed absolutely no interest in what she was doing, she just brushed it off and got him to bend to her will anyway. It's as if she had cast a spell on him when they were children and still hadn't lifted its effects. 

   "Wooo go Loki!" a loud cheer hit his ears and he whipped his head to his right to see Thor.

Astri smiled and waved at Thor who stood on the sidelines, a hot dog in one hand and something that said Coca-Cola in the other. 

   "This is ridiculous. I'm leaving." Loki suddenly declared as he began to slowly approach the exit of the ice. 

   "Loki wait you're going to-" She reached out to try and catch him before it happened so he didn't get embarrassed

Thud. 

   "Fall again." 

A string of curses fell from his lips as Astri tried to help him up without laughing. 

   "I can hear you snickering," Loki said into her ear as she helped him up. 

   "I am not," Astri said avoiding his gaze in fear she'd burst out laughing. 

The moment their skates were off the ice, Loki had them disappearing so he could most likely storm off like he always did when something mildly embarrassing happened to him.

   "Loki don't run off." She called after him as he used his overly long legs to get away from her 

   "If we are staying on this planet,  we're going to do something else." He demanded grabbing her hand to pull her through  the crowded walkway of people 

   "What're we doing?" She asked as Thor and the others got further away 

Loki glanced around and Astri could tell he didn't have a plan of what they'd be doing once they got away from the evil ice skates. 

   "Let's eat something." She suggested

   "We are not eating the dog Thor had," Loki replied 

   "Of course not... let's try that." Astri said pointing across the street to where a big lit-up sign said 'Pizza' 

By all standards, the 'Pizza' was rather good. The tiny shop had been overly crowded and loud but they had both managed to get in and out with all limbs attached. She looked at Loki who was practically inhaling his piece, all princely manners that he normally displayed, especially around her, were gone. 

   "Do you like it?" She grinned 

Loki stopped chewing like she had caught him committing the worst crime in the world. 

   "No. It is awful." He said in an overly monotone voice after swallowing.

   "For the god of lies, you're really bad at lying." She responded smirking

Loki ignored her and continued to finish off his food in an incredibly quick manner. 

The day went by rather quickly as Astri and Loki explored the city. Or well, Astri pulled Loki around the city by his hand and he kept his mouth shut of almost all complaints. She did have to drag him away from a short man whose little white dog peed on Loki's shoe. Loki had been ready to dish out the most colorfully worded threat when Astri had slapped her hand over his mouth and dragged him away. 

   "You're like a rabid dog." She scolded when they got far enough away.

   "Well someone has to replace all the ones the humans are cooking in their little carts around this damn city," Loki replied 

Astri just rolled her eyes and let him go, his attitude was not worth the hassle. 

   "There's the two love birds!" Volstagg's voice said suddenly 

Astri turned with a happy smile on her face while Loki's face dropped into a scowl. 

   "Astri did you try this stuff? Sif said its called pizza!" Thor said shoving a plate with three pieces into her face 

   "He's eaten five pieces so far," Sif said 

Even Thor's stomach was impressive when it came to outdoing his friends. 

   "Loki and I had some earlier. It is wonderful." She said pushing the plate away from her face.

   "Did you like it, brother?" Thor asked 

   "No. There's much better food back on Asgard." Loki said 

    "Such a shame. Mortals truly have a way with food." Thor praised taking another bite

Astri rolled her eyes at Loki's denial. Always so difficult and for what? His ego to stay intact? 

  "Sif and I saw some humans buying this so now we each have one of our own." Hogun interjected proudly showing off a small sprig of green and white with a little red ribbon at the top. 

   "What is it?" Astri asked 

   "I don't know. It seemed rather popular though." Sif responded 

   "It's mistletoe!" A high-pitched voice said 

The group's eyes fell down to a small human child who was sitting in a cart that her mother had been pushing. 

   "You put it over peoples heads and then they have to kiss!" She explained happily 

Before the little girl could get another word out, her mother pushed her away in her little cart and murmured something about not talking to strangers. Before Astri could examine the little plant in Hogun's hand, Volstagg's meaty one grabbed it from him. 

   "Perfect! Loki, Astri now you must kiss! It is according to the mortal's rules and we are on their lands so we must abide by them." He reasoned holding the plant above her and Loki's heads.

Astri's face was probably as red as the man the humans called Santa as she blubbered out every excuse not to. Meanwhile, Loki's face remained stoic as he listened to her word vomit. 

   "We can't! My uh teeth are dirty...I cut my lip open...My mouth still tastes like that mint candy that lady gave us earlier and you hated that so we can't...ha ha." 

Loki rolled his eyes as he took in her form, she was getting more flustered as she thought about it more and more. He leaned down to Astri's ear so Volstagg couldn't argue with his words

   "No one is going to make you kiss me, darling." Loki softly said 

Astri felt her face heat up even more as Loki's lips slightly tickled her ear. 

   "Even without the kiss, this has been a highly successful trip to Midgard." Thor declared snatching the mistletoe from Volstaggs hands and tossing it back to Sif. "I do believe we will have to do this again soon." 

And Loki felt his heart thump just a little faster when he saw Astri's smile stretch across her face at his older brother's words.

Woooo we're getting close to the events of the first Thor movie. It was a big time skip between this chapter and the previous so I decided it was time to stop writing Loki like a young teen and closer to his actual MCU self.  I hope I can accurately depict him in the upcoming chapters.  Also if you are wondering if I wrote this just because I'm overly excited for Christmas, the answer is yes.

Taglist: (Comment Below or message me directly to be added)

@buttercupcookies-blog

[sitp-recs]

15 fics with different takes on Harry

Nobody asked but here’s another self-indulgent reclist to celebrate Harry’s HBD week! I wonder how many people are open to seeing their fave under a new light? Some readers can be very picky when it comes to characterization, myself included; it can be scary but I also believe that new approaches can be exciting and thought-provoking, and help us understand the multiple layers underneath their personality, as well as imagine how different things could have been had they lived under different circumstances. I am all for having my perspectives challenged so I thought it would be cool to share some of the fics that made me go 🤯🫢 with their bold and captivating take on Harry. These include dark unhinged Harry, down & out Harry, pitiful Harry, himbo Harry and some other tropes that I’ve found particularly creative and refreshing. Each fic is unique in their own way so come pick your flavour of fanon Harry and enjoy!

The Language of Power by Lokifan (E, 2k)

Harry loves talking in Parseltongue to Draco during sex: his response is just delicious.

Magpie by @corvuscrowned (E, 4k)

Potter doesn't steal because he needs anything, Draco quickly learns. He doesn't do it because it makes him feel anything. It isn't about power, and it isn't about control. Potter just does it because he can.

The Antique Bed Frame by @lazywonderlvnd (E, 5.4k)

Draco “needs his bed fixed.” Harry offers to help.

Better Left Dead by calrissian18 (T, 6.6k)

A love story and a half.

World's Edge by RurouniHime (E, 15k)

In the harshest environment on earth, Harry finds that escaping is harder than simply running.

Violent Delights by primaveracerezos (E, 20k)

Draco Malfoy's life should be going very well. He's engaged to a wonderful man and in line for the Head Auror job. He's been made lead investigator on a serial murder case, trying to figure out who is killing off the scum of the wizarding world, one by one.

A Year in Training by Omi_Ohmy (M, 25k)

Harry is finally living his dream and training as an Auror, but nothing seems to be going right: he’s just so angry all the time. And Draco Malfoy’s presence on the programme really isn’t helping with that, either.

Fearful Trill by @vukovich (E, 29k)

Harry should have come out and met someone when he was younger. He should have seen a doctor about the pain in his hip while youth was still on his side. Now, he's made his peace with dying young, but maybe not with dying alone.

He Who Must Not Be Normal by lettered (E, 41k)

Potter has fame and fortune and posh clothes and all he wants is a simple life. Draco has a flat and a cat and a steady job and all he wants is a complicated life. Which makes you think this story has something exciting like body-swapping, but it doesn’t.

REVOLVEVLOVER by firethesound, zeitgeistic (E, 46k)

The work Harry does is justifiable. It’s justice. He works for his country, and his country is a republic—the magical side, anyway. It’s not laudable work, it’s not work he’s proud of, but it’s necessary work. Harry has always taken the necessary jobs that no one else has the stomach for.

Chocolate and Pastry by agentmoppet, anemonen (E, 50k)

When Pansy bets Draco that there is no chance he and Harry could carry out a genuine romantic relationship, he and Harry form a plan. But as their fake relationship progresses, Draco sees a side of Harry he never expected.

Harry Potter Gives a Shit by talithan (E, 58k)

“Where are you headed?” “No place special,” Draco fumbled, and flushed further. But then: “I can change that,” said Harry Potter.

Absolution by sunnyeclipses (E, 63k)

At the mercy of his failing marriage, Harry only meant to use the potion once — to get Draco to listen. It’s not his fault that it works so well and that Draco’s just so easy to control.

Balance, Imperfect by @bixgirl1 (E, 91k)

When Harry sustains an injury in the line of work, he no longer knows how to navigate the life he loved, and finds help and solace from the most unexpected source.

A Sword Laid Aside by @korlaena (E, 128k)

When Draco’s cover is blown during a deep undercover operation and the Ministry is compromised, Ron takes Draco to the only safe place he can think of—Potter. Hiding out with a taciturn Harry Potter, who has been missing from the Wizarding World for almost two decades after a shocking fall from grace, is nothing like Draco thought it would be.

[goobie-goo]

THE DALLAS HEADCANONS. which ig are just fun facts:

“coffee or tea?” tea. sweet tea. bc i cant have coffee. gib headache :[ therefore he has to suffer w me

fav color: green probably. tis the color of life.

bites ice cream + popsicles

fav popsicle flavor is red n blue. fav sno cone is tigers blood + blue raspberry + piña colada

yes hes ticklish but he hates it. he laughs but its involuntary amd doesnt mean he likes it. he will start crying. he will kick you, he will bite you, he will shove you—get away from him. he said stop.

dallas LOVES attention. not random attention, like. from friends. like a cat…. exactly like a cat.

affection is iffy. he shows it in a neurodivergent way. he has trouble being around people or being touched soemtimes. he also may feel guilty when people buy him gifts. he loves it sm though. he craves it.

sleep normally 6-10 hrs per night. go to bed very late and wake up in afternoon.

loves celebrating his birthday. however i haven’t given him a canon bday yet. he is a pisces though bc aha i am.

if he ever adopts a pet, its most likely bc he got them from the streets or from a shelter. esp if the shelter was about to euthanize them or there was an old animal no one wanted.

do not ask if he wants alcohol. he is a minor. no he doesnt care that hes TECHNICALLY hundreds of thousands years old. that’s offensive. fuck off. die. (/j)

willing to share earbuds/headphones BUT only w close friends— NOT LENDING!! SHARE-ING!!!! one piece for you and one for him. all is right in the world. (you will listen to his songs. sometimes people have never heard of them bc theyre from years before they were posted)

can he keep a secret? of fucking course. no he totally won’t tell seraphina, pfff—OKAY WELL IT’S NOT LIKE THEY WON’T ALREADY FIND OUT—

know-it-all but not in a I KNOW MORE THAN YOU RAHHHH and “well actually!!”— more of ‘knows so many fucking things and drops facts randomly’

pancakes > waffles. chocolate chip with no syrup or butter.

indecisive. but also decisive. can never chose.

is NOT insecure abt his smile. smiles brightly and w lots of joy. no closed-mouth if hes very happy. no he doesnt care if his teeth may look yellow— bones are supposed to look that way

fucking loves flowers. GIVE THE MAN SOME FLOWRRS.

normally prefers sweet over savory. it differs depending on the day.

loves gardening. HATES dirt under his nails. HATES gloves. the duality of man.

!!!! claustrophobia, fear mazes/labyrinths (or places that seem like ones) (bc of the castle), and then imma project and say storms + tornadoes. not gonna say loud noises bc he isn’t like. irrationally afraid of them. they may trigger him and send him into a panic attack but not a phobia.

worries people bc he doesn’t eat as much as he should. not in an ED way, more as in he only eats if hes bored or craving food. Guides don’t need to eat.

he has a CPR license and does renew it often

list is always growing so wooo!!

HEADCANON TIME!!

i love coffee but tbh dallas is actually real for that. i would do many things for an ice cold sweet tea

green is such a good color

UGH dallas is real for those.. i want kona ice now :/ (have u had kona ice before?)

UGH I HATE TICKLING but im so susceptible… hes just like me fr…..

projecting our sleep schedules onto our original characters i see

happy birthday dallas!! no established birthday means that everyday is his birthday

hhghgh i want to draw dallas with a really old dog now…

LMAOOOO hes a minor at heart… forever…

“dude this songs a banger!! no its not on spotify. yeah it wont be for another 30 years. you should listen to it tho”

he would see a cool bug and name its genus on the spot

he deserves so many good things i want to give him a hug (if he would be ok with it) OUGH

[mushibashiraas]

tw: manga spoilers. possibly a few swear words. this is supposed to be light though. don't worry, kids!

THE INVINCIBLE MIKEY.

— mikey and his newly formed kanto manji gang definitely made the mistake of booking the wrong restaurant at first. he and sanzu had to wait outside while kokonoi and the rest went inside to broker a deal between three other gang leaders for territory among other... less than legal stock. it was more than awkward for both but especially for the invincible, feared, powerful, most individually well-known gangster in tokyo. unfortunately for him, sanzu found it hilarious watching his boss sulk like they were little kids again and shinichiro had just denied mikey a taiyaki before dinner.

— so you'd think after the tragic battle against the second generation toman, they'd learn their lesson. but the haitani brothers had forgotten their fearless leader's true age and booked a well-known high-rise restaurant in roppongi frequented by gangsters, politicians, and celebrities alike to work out a deal with some local politician. and once again, mikey and sanzu had to wait outside while kokonoi and the rest of kanto manji's executives went inside.

— maybe mikey smacked sanzu across the face for taking his teasing too far... sanzu may or may not have offered cute, pre-made party hats to mikey to wear on his head while they waited for koko and the rest to finish upstairs.

notes:

hello! hi! yes. yall signed up for me and my immaturity the second yall read my rules and clicked follow. heehee! i love tokyorev so so muchdjdjd like?? PLEASE?? tell me they did not run into the dumbest silliest bullshit amidst them ruining people's lives. gotta find humor somewhere, am i right? or that could just be me and my horrid, dark sense of humor talking. idk

but i literally cannot think without getting mikey and sanzu being pouty, childish, teasing 5 yr olds as they navigate the dark and gritty underworld lifestyle — that normally one'd discover and learn about as adults — as teenagers. BEATS THEM OVER THE HEAD! I AM TRYING TO WRITE A SERIOUS FIC, YOU TWO!! PLEASE KEEP UR NONSENSICAL CHAOTIC TOMFOOLERY OUT OF MY HEAD FOR NOW. FJSJXJSJ

anyway. ofc as always this is posted with little to no proofreading djsjdj we die like shinichiro and emma (bad joke. i am so sorrydhdj). apologies! also, there shouldnt be a gn reader in this? hence no indication in the "tw" at the top. i'm planning on making this a mainly canon-characters-only hc list. .....a list which i will def. be adding on to and plugging as time goes on. aaaaa i just had to get these three hcs out so i can get serious and sad. lol

also will def. add more character tags as i add more characters to this hc list. i promise! probs gonna go as far as write for post-2nd-gen-toman fight!kanto manji and bonten. not rlly gonna much for og and 2nd gen toman charas. sorry, yall fjsjdjdjdj

manga pic belongs to wakui. i just took a screenshot — it is literally one of my fave panels lmaooo they are so cute. kisses koko my love and pats inupi on the head. aaaaa