#i want everyone to read this so we can all collectively lose our minds over it

[aquaticlime]

STUFF I’M ALWAYS LOSING

Ib| @hrrtshape

I loved this idea and wanted create my own. Go check out the original creator though she has so many great posts, your sure to find something that tickles your fancy.

˚✩ Sweatshirts and hoodies that weren't mine to begin with, I merely adopted them from his closet into mine.

˚✩ My pajama bottoms I think the washing machine liked the taste of my socks so much it wanted more

˚✩ Keys of any kind, I’ve never needed to carry them from day to day before and I don't think I should have to start.

˚✩ Any snack I put in my purse gets eaten by said purse. Small price to pay for carrying everything else I guess.

˚✩ My silk hair bonnet is most likely stuffed in between the couch cushions in my trailer but then it could also be in the last hotel i stayed at when I was in London.

˚✩ Words elude me often, when I need to form a witty reply or an intelligent excuse I can never find the right ones.

˚✩ Chapstick's can be found in every bag and drawer but never when I'm searching for them.

˚✩ Mementos I save for my junk journal tend to get left in the same place I intended to take them from or blown onto the streets for someone else to collect.

˚✩ Hair ties I lend to everyone that asks without saving any for myself, never mind that I care not to request them back.

˚✩ Highlighters I had the night before when cozied and going over scripts in my favorite reading chair by the french windows in our house.

˚✩ My Clinique lipstick when I haven’t got any snacks in my bag for it to eat.

˚✩ Sticky note reminders for myself left in half read books that I swear I'll get back into.

˚✩ My sense propriety when he walks into a room or even my line of sight for that matter.

˚✩ My favorite pair of earrings that match every outfit I'm wearing without fail, it doesn't help that they are comfortable to sleep in.

˚✩ Flowers from the weekly bouquets delivered to whichever dwelling or dressing room I'm occupying for the time being. They've either been regifted to my castmates or pressed in scripts to live on forever.

˚✩ Ideas either plucked from the recesses of my mind or freely given from strangers that I didn't mean to let escape me.

˚✩ Any earbuds I apparently repel, good thing sound quality is better in headphones

˚✩ My travel ibuprofen bottle guess its traveling without me now

˚✩ Body mist I got to help elongate how long my signature scent spend lasts but there’s no way I used it all that quickly.

˚✩Track of time when I'm with him, we were just supposed to grab coffee and walk back to set and somehow we ended up in my trailer

˚✩ Pens that I asked to borrow with the promise I'd return it back swiftly but instead misplaced shortly thereafter.

˚✩ A crystal pouch that I handpicked that morning for good vibes and instead abandoned in a jacket or purse pocket if I'm lucky

˚✩ Phone charging cubes, I can keep track of the cords well enough but the cubes get left behind in every possible outlet.

˗ˏˋReturn to masterlist ✦ main masterlist´ˎ˗

[the-tarot-witch22]

Love letter from your future spouse 💌 - Pick a pile

Note : *Some intense se*ual messages for you guys too, soo minors DNI*

Pile 1/Pile 2

Pile 3/ Pile 4

Hello everyone ! This is my another pick a pile or pac reading so please be kind and leave comment or reblog, and let me know if it resonated with you!

Note : This is a general reading or collective reading. It may or may not resonate with you. Please take what resonates and leave what doesn't. And it's totally okay if our energies aren't aligned!

How to pick : Take a deep breath and choose a pile which you feel most connected to!

Note : This reading is based on my intuition and channeled messages from tarot cards.

I worked really hard on this pile please show some love by leaving comments, likes and reblogs!

*Buy me a kofi*

Pile 1

(The cards I got ace of pentacles, ace of cups, 2 of cups, page of cups, and the fool)

Hello my dearest,

What can I say? I didn't even meet you and yet I still miss you. Am I going mad, my love? I am working towards my goal and I have almost everything i need at the moment but why do I still feel that longing and sadness, am I insane for this? my life has been okay, I work or study and do what needs to be done, but is it weird to say i am searching for you? I hope you feel the same way… sometimes i dream of you or have that romantic dreams where you are there and when i wake up… nothing? It's making me lose my mind, i can't really talk about it with everyone, they will or might think i am just desperate for some shit, but i am not i want something serious, i want you. I have fun too i sometimes go out with my friends we laugh together, but still when I look at them or when they talk about their lovers or text them in front of me, i just miss you.. Am i being too much? probably but i wanted to tell of this to you, I feel like i need some rest or space from everything or just go somewhere where i can be alone with my and your thoughts, but the responsibilities are holding me back , I wish you were here to hold me and tell me everything will be okay. Sometimes I feel like we make some telepathic or some sort of connection and i feel that intense vibrations in my body, I haven't even met you and here I am being vulnerable, But i know you will love this side of me, will you not? I also want to tell you you're doing great and you will achieve everything you have dreamt of please take proper care of yourself, I wanna meet you soon, and have the love , fun i never experienced or had, You know love, what's funny thing is? I never had something serious or people had just taken advantage of me, but you without even meeting you, i can tell you are what i need. Please be patient for me, universe is in work and they will help us meet at divine timing and I can't wait for it. Until then, my love.

Phew so intense they had a lot to say to you, and they seem so sweet, don't they? i wish you meet them soon.

Pile 2:

(the cards I got 3 of cups, the star, 5 of cups and king of cups)

hey ;)

Hello my star, what are you up to nowadays? Are you having fun without me? wait don't answer me that i might get jealous over it, what's wrong with me I am not scaring you away am I? I tend to speak my mind, and show what I feel, because that's how I am. But sincerely tho, i hope you are having fun and celebration and you are enjoying your life, you know this is what we should do? Like just enjoy our times, I know how hectic life can get and we all deserve the break, so do it for you don't let anyone tell you that you are not doing enough because my star , you are and i already swooning over here from the thoughts of you, would you like to hear about my life too? I will tell you what I am doing nowadays, I had lost something precious to me, I know not a way great way to start a conversation right? But i wanna tell you, I lost something, i hate that I did, but to be honest? If it leads me to you , then i am willing to sacrifice anything for it, i wish we could meet sooner, but i know this distance this gap between us only increase our love towards each other, because distance makes heart grows fonder right? Now I wont deny when I lost that thing I was sad and even cried, But now I am healing and your thoughts are helping me? Do you miss me too at the same time? and wonder what we could have been doing if we were together? Because I do. Always. It's not even funny at this point. Gosh your thoughts make me feel all romantic thoughts, you are such a tease by the way hiding away and making desperate for you, don't you worry my star , I will take my revenge when I meet you, sweet revenge, I will tease you so much that you will regret meeting me late, Don't worry I am just kidding, i tend to get intense sometimes, but your thoughts are responsible they make me like this. But right now I am working towards something I am saving money for us our future and maybe kids too? Well, its a conversation for later… But if you don't want kids we can always have pets, right? I want to give you the world, and care for you so much for you. Now, I have to go… Duty calls, but remember I miss you, and I love you even if we haven't met yet.

Pile 2 your fs sounds like a total flirt and a good person, and I love it for you! You guys deserve it <3

Pile 3:

the cards I got (knight of wands, 9 of wands, 3 of wands, 8 of wands)

Hello sexy wanderer,

Do you know what kind of thoughts, I have for you? You my sexy wildcat, you are a pure goddess and you are so beautiful, and what can I say i have such dreams for you, I just wanna tear off your clothes, i will just leave it at that, You feel like a dream come true. Wherever I go I imagine having intense intimate moments with you, and I don't even know why, such a hold you have on me, and guess what we haven't even met yet. I have to say so much to you but i will hold out for now, I don't wanna scare you away, but its totally opposite I don't wanna scare you away but i also want to impress you, I wanna have enjoy small moments with you. I would like to make out and show everyone who you actually love. Not them who stares at your beauty or just wanna have fun with you but me, you chose me, i will show that I am a proud men, and worthy of you, right now I am travelling to far away lands I like doing that you know, but i am gonna coming to meet you soon. And you believe me when i say i will sweep you off your feet and give everything you are worthy of. See you soon.

Wow, they seem too passionate, and you know what? Good for you guys! Their message was short but their energy? give me a fan right now because I need it! They are definitely fire sign and love travelling, and their sexual drive? HIGH. They gave me so much hot kind of energy, I love it for you guys, i totally see you both meeting soon!

Pile 4 :

(the cards I got 4 of pentacles, the magician, ace of wands, strength, The Hermit, 6 of cups, 3 of pentacles)

Sweetheart? Once, we meet I am not letting you go ever, But i will make sure you know that I deserve you, I might make mistakes here and there, but that's just me being foolish or silly, but I never intend to fight with you or hurt you, You know I am a bit overprotective, but if you don't like that I am willing to change my ways for you, Right now there is so much work pressure on me, i feel overwhelmed so I decided to talk with you, even though we are not in each other's lives right now, I feel I can talk to you about anything you make me feel safe like i can be myself, i never had that, it was always me making efforts, but with you i can feel we are each other's light, and I wish we cross each other's path soon, right now i am enjoying my alone time, I am not dating around, I am waiting for you sweetheart, and I have a feeling we will know we are the ones for each other. I feel we have known each other in past lives or we might have each cross each other's path, but that time timing might not be right, And we both needed to learn some lessons before we meet again, and honestly? I'd like that. I wanna be the best men for you. I love you, and for you I am willing to fight anything or anyone, Some people think i am workaholic, but they don't know what I feel, or who i feel for the person i feel for is you, you make me wanna be a better man, i wish there wasn't this much wait for us to meet, I have so much to tell you, Sometimes I end up fighting with my close ones, I regret it, I am a very calm person but when someone provokes me? I can't take it. I am working on that too. And that's why we are having our self journey's together and let's meet at our best, sweetheart. Till then remember I am here waiting for you and trying to be a best person who deserves you. I love you my sweetheart.

Okayyyy, very masculine and hardworking energy, they or you might be spiritual too, you meeting will be for the best, for some of you i feel friends to lovers trope going to be here, your man sounds so sweet yet tired. But he is doing his best, you guys got a gem.

Thank you for stopping by! Take care and remember you are loved <3

[picnokinesis]

flux adjacent fic recs

in media res by wreckageofstars (3k, 1 chapter, gen) summary: “Well,” she said. “Now you know what the mattress is for.” Dan shifted. “And the trampoline?” “Best not ask about the trampoline.” //I think this is probably the first Dan pov fic I ever read, and it’s absolutely brilliant. This author gets the character voices down so perfectly it’s unreal, and the whole thing is just so wonderful to see from Dan’s outsider perspective. It’s set in the immediate aftermath of Once, Upon Time, and it does a fantastic job of exploring the impact of what happened in that episode – both from a whump perspective and an emotional one. Angsty, but also funny in the worst kind of way – someone please go give Yaz a break, she REALLY needs one. Anyway, it’s great, everyone go read it right now.

Hearts of Stone by weirdpug (previously xhonia) (1k, 1 chapter, thoschei) summary: The Doctor loses herself. The Master finds her. //Ohhh this one this one, it’s SO awesome – it’s one of those fics that does really cool things with the formatting? Which works great here, because it’s a weeping angel!13 fic and wow, wow! Extremely awesome indeed, and just beautifully written – the prose is just so full of character, even when the Doctor is losing herself and it’s so well done.

Divination by WalkerLister (6k, 1 chapter, gen) summary: “There was a name for someone similar to me once. They called them the Valeyard. You can call me that, if you like. I quite like it, it’s suitably eerie. Little bit of drama never hurt anyone.” //Right, so we all remember what happened when War of the Sontarans aired…we got that ‘next time’ trailer of Once Upon Time…and all collectively lost our minds over the inverted dark coat. Since then, I feel like everyone has been finding really creative ways to get it into fanfics, and this is a wonderful example. And, well, if the promise of dark coat!13 wasn’t enough, this fic is just an absolutely fascinating look at the concept of the Valeyard in the context of the fobwatch from Flux, but focused on Yaz and her relationship with/perception of the Doctor. It’s such a good concept and so so wonderfully done! (also, if you’re a fan of thasmin, this author has a ton of stuff, so definitely go check it all out! For the less thasmin-inclined folks, I highly recommend Ipesity, which is one of my favourite post-TTC fics)

three points where two lines meet by Ymae (4k, 1 chapter, gen) summary: The Doctor tries to get those memories back, and breaks herself, bit by bit. //Oh man. This fic. I still remember when this one first posted and hoooooo boy, it is a hell of a gut-punch and absolutely wrenched my heart right out of my chest but HHHHHHHHH wow!! WOW. Genuinely, I think this fic rewrote my brain a little bit. It's set in the immediate aftermath of Once, Upon Time where the Doctor makes some very unwise decisions about trying to tug at her timeline and it's absolutely incredible. Very angsty, very whumpy, and full of a HUGE amount of the Doctor messing with timelines and very visceral, tangible descriptions of her timesense. It is such a treat, guys. And if you like this one and want something with similar vibes, I also highly recommend this post-flux fic by the same author!

Sheer Poetry! by Papapaldi (57k, 5 chapters, gen) summary: Trapped within her own mind, the Doctor travels through an impossible house, with everyone she has ever been locked inside. Her body is an unresponsive, useless bag of flesh somewhere far and away in reality. The part of her brain that she knows, where her past resides, sits somewhere else entirely within the old machine. The Ravagers eat, buried memories beckon, and the Doctor's faith is shaken to its core. She will never be the same – but that's what she's all about, right? Incredible change. //oh my days. THIS FIC, guys - look, I see the word count, I know, I know. This fic is a serious undertaking, but like so many things in life it is soooooo so worth it. Bucket loads of absolutely ASTOUNDING imagery, more references to Lungbarrow and Timewyrm Revelation than you can shake a stick at, BUT you don't need to have read those stories at all to enjoy this absolutely fantastic saga (put it like this - I've not read those books, and I had a whale of a time). Incredibly poetic, a little nonsensical in the best kind of way (it IS a mindscape fic) but startlingly funny and so beautifully in character. I laughed, I cried. This fic is just a love letter to everything Doctor Who, weaving all of canon into this beautiful, cohesive tapestry. I highly recommend. (and, if you're hungry for more and want tpotd content, there's an excellent sequel as well)

every step i choose to take (begins to set the world aflame) by SleepyMaddy (12k, 1 chapter, thoschei) summary: In a spaceport lost in a remote quadrant of interstellar space, a Doctor who doesn’t know herself anymore runs into a Master who doesn’t know himself yet // Ok so the sheer concept of this one ALONE is absolutely brilliant – the Doctor, escaping from the Division and half out of her head, bumps into the Master, who’s not long regenerated from Missy. And, guys. It’s fascinating. Seeing the Master right at the start, before he finds out everything that comes to define him in this era, and then having him meet a version of the Doctor who is quite a lot further along than him and just completely out of it? It’s like catnip to me, guys. And, of course, it’s all helped by the fact that the writing is absolutely brilliant – the characters are just absolutely spot on, which is quite an incredible feat seeing as they are both in very different places to where we see them in the show, yet they still manage to ring true throughout the whole thing. And also the mindscape imagery? The psychic whump? The emotional gut-punch that is the entire fic? Absolutely unparalleled. (also, if you’re a spydoc fan? Just help yourself out and read this author’s entire set of works, because it’s all fantastic)

see me bare my teeth for you by picnokinesis (16k, 1 chapter, gen) summary: “Do you know your mission?” //This is a bit of a cheeky self-rec, but, in my defence, if you're looking for flux fics, then I think you'll enjoy this one. I wrote it in the week after Village of the Angels aired, and it's basically all my thoughts and theories about what was going to happen in Survivors of the Flux thrown into a 16k oneshot. I was...mostly wrong HAHA but I’m still really proud of it. If you like division!doctor, then this one is for you

we're only dreaming (tell me who i am) by SpaceBetweenGalaxies (2k, 1 chapter, gen) summary: more the-memory-house-is-Lungbarrow clowning //ok, so if you were like me when flux was airing and absolutely lost your MIND over the illogical house which was a bit too on the nose regarding Lungbarrow related things, then THIS FIC IS FOR YOU. Absolutely brilliantly done, with some gorgeous imagery that I'm still thinking about to this day, and just a wonderfully unsettling exploration of the Doctor and how she picks at those cut off memories in the aftermath of the Flux

the stars are bound to change by emptypockets (9k, 1 chapter, gen) summary: Being trisected across the universe has unexpected consequences for the Doctor, and Yaz is tasked with the responsibility of keeping her awake. //ohhhhhh this fic is so wonderful!! It's that weird sweet spot of 'soft angst', where it hits where it hurts but at the same time the whole thing feels like it's wrapping you in a warm blanket. Augh!! Such a lovely portrayal of the Doctor and Yaz's dynamic - I adore how this author writes these two so much. An absolutely lovely (but angsty!) character exploration, with a healthy dose of whump and sleepiness on the side. What more could you want?

Everything by rowanthestrange (24k, 13 chapters, thasmin) summary: In which Yaz wants to know everything, and the Doctor finally wants that too. //Ok, so full disclosure, I don't read that much thasmin, but this fic, guys. It's just gorgeous. A beautifully written exploration of Yaz and her relationship with the Doctor in the aftermath of Flux, which explores the years Yaz spent in the past and how that changed her; the Doctor grappling with her identity issues and how that's changed her; as well as all sorts of other wonderful things besides. Another fic that had tears streaming down my face (the TARDIS chapter got me...). It's such a poignant, emotional fic, and it's very focused on character in a way that I really adore. If you like thasmin, this is an absolute must-read. If you're not a fan of thasmin, I recommend it anyway (- signed: a thoschei shipper) because it's just such a brilliant portrayal of these two.

[squiddy-god]

NRVWX Satan wedding alphabet

Re upload from Terminated blog squid-god-supreme, hope you enjoy this

N-Night time (what about the wedding night? the time after the party?maybe even the more spicy wedding night activities)

Ohohohohohoh

So after the party, when he finally gets you back to the house of lamentation and your FINALLY all alone satan takes a moment to just hold you

Like wow, he almost can’t believe that this has finally happened

So he takes a minute to hold you, no talking, no annoying brothers barging in and ruining the moment

Just you and him, together, peaceful and sweet.

Now after all that mushy stuff is over satan is more than ready to get on with the more spicy wedding night activities

Chances are you’ve both done it before so you both know each others bodys but this time feels…different

This time is really special.

And so its a lot more gentle, no kinky stuff, just sweet gentle love making, nothing extreme, its intimate and vulnerable.

R- Rest of our life (do they want to spend the rest of their life with you? Do they ever want this moment to end?)

Look, he’s a demon, he knows that he’s probably going to live muchhhhh longer than you unless he can find something in a book-

However if his proposal is anything to go by, he also thinks that your soul mates, star crossed lovers that are meant to be (god i love his proposal)

So id say yes, he wants to spend as long as he can with you by his side, his precious y/n, his sweet human, his soulmate.

And if he can find a way to spend an eternity together, then of course he’d take it

He loves you, he wouldn’t have married you if he didnt, i imagine marriage is very important to demons because it isn’t exactly like human marriage

He loves you so much and he wants you with him forever, and even if he loses you he knows he’ll find you again, because your soulmates.

V-Vows! (what are your vows to each other)

His; “y/n, i love you deeply, in my bones i know that i love you, it burns inside me as bright a flame as my rage, being with you is better than reading any book in the 3 relms, being able to kiss you, having you accept me, its bliss, it makes me feel hole, like im ME, because you love me, i know it sounds sappy but…your my soulmate, just like in the book i want us to have a happy ending, i want us to keep writing this book together. I love you y/n”

Yours ; “satan, i love you truly, the love i feel for you fills me with warmth and makes butterflies float in my stomach. You’ve never quite been an open book, always sealed shut and locked away, but i’m so unbelievably glad that you opened up to me, let me read the writing you keep hidden away. I love all of you, your tears, your anger, the walks we take at night, all of you. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of missteps and fumbles, but we’ve always worked through them together, and I want to keep doing that, because you’re my soulmate, and i’m yours.”

W- Walking down!! (what do they feel when your walking down the aisle)

Joy, pride, calmness

Satan feels a serge of joy rush through him, you’re marrying him, you’re choosing to spend your life with him, how could he not be happy? You’re so beautiful as you walk down, walking towards him with nothing but love, he feels happy and warm inside.

He also feels pride, you love HIM, your marrying HIM, out of all the demon, angles, and humans you’re walking down the aisle towards him, your his and he’s yours, the amount of pride he has knowing that fact sends him over the moon, your perfect to him, and knowing that your walking towards him is a massive ego boost

See you makes him feel calm, everyone has doubts, even the cool and collected satan was worried, mind flooded with what if’s and imagination running wild with possibilities, but seeing you walk down the aisle towards him makes him feel calm, the worries washing away and becoming peaceful, he feels at ease and reassured seeing you.

X- Xtra! (a random hc about the wedding)

Mammon cries, mammon is legit balling his eyes out so lucifer has to shut him up

Lucifer is the one who walks you down the aisle

Everything is very subtly cat themed, little decorations on the note cards, small hints to cats, at first glance it’s all normal but in reality it’s all slightly cat themed.

[fyonahmacnally]

Christmas Chaos

Here's a little Supercorp drabble as part of the Mods' collection of example fics for the Supergirl May-hem Event. Read it HERE on AO3.

Sign-ups for Supergirl May-Hem open December 1st. Seeking writers, artists and betas. For more information, you can find us HERE.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! No, no, no, no. This can’t be happening.” Lena says as she stares at her now dark phone in her gloved hand. Her heart is galloping inside her chest and she’s sure everyone around her can hear it. “Godamnit! Of course this happens the first year I have the chance to organize the event. Shit, shit, shit.”

She paces back and forth in front of the National City Convention Center, her eyes bouncing from the currently cloak-covered tree to the workers hanging the wreaths, lights, and bows across the front of the building. The giant “Christmas Carols in the Park” sign ripples in the slight breeze. Her mind is racing, indexing names and favors she can call in, calculating her next move. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she decides her first course of action is to start making phone calls.

Two hours later, she’s still no closer to solving her problem. Artie Anderson can kiss her ass. Secretly, she hopes that he never gets a headlining singing gig again. So what if he’s one of the up and coming stars of tomorrow, she doesn’t care how good or popular he is. He can still kiss her ass. Honestly, she hopes his pants fall down at his next show or he shits himself on stage. So what if she’s being petty. Sue her. 

Who fucking does that?! She thinks. Cancels a headlining show the day of?! That’s just bad PR, Artie whatever-the-fuck. Choke on your microphone.

Lena sighs. Now she has to call her trusty assistant. It’s the last thing she wants to do, but well, she’s run out of options. She lifts her phone up and presses send.

“LKL Event Planning, where we bring your ideas to life. This is Jess speaking. How can I help you?” 

Rolling her eyes, Lena chuckles. “Jess, you knew it was me. You didn’t have to give the whole spiel.” She huffs as she starts descending the stairs of the convention center toward Noonan’s and a cup of her favorite peppermint hot chocolate.

“Oh come on, Miss Luthor, you know how much I love to share our company greeting with everyone that calls.” Jess laughs, the amusement evident in her tone. “What can I help you with this morning?”

“Unfortunately, I have bad news. ‘Christmas Carols in the Park’ is currently looking like it’s going to be ‘Christmas Chaos in the Park’. Our headliner canceled on us a couple of hours ago. I’ve called all my other connections and, as expected, everyone is booked. I have no idea what I’m going to do. This is going to be a disaster.” Her left hand comes up to massage her temples as she opens the door to enter the warm, wonderful smelling atmosphere of Noonan’s. “We can move Macy Lynn to the headlining spot and find a lesser known singer to fill her slot, but that still doesn’t solve the current problem.”

She sighs, trying her best not to panic, but it’s not looking good. “Jess, if the event goes South, it won’t be good for future bookings. We could lose clients over this!” She takes a deep breath, pressing her hand against her chest, desperately trying to calm her racing heart. “This tree lighting ceremony is second only to the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center! We have to figure this out! I didn’t spend years building this business for some little snot-nosed, spoiled brat to ruin it by canceling at the last minute!” 

Realizing that she had gotten a little louder than she thought, Lena sheepishly ducks her head and clears her throat. The line is moving slowly, but she knows she needs to wrap up her phone call soon. Years of Luthor etiquette training forcing her to be mindful of disturbing those around her. 

“Why don’t you let me call Macy’s manager and get that taken care of while you take a minute to collect yourself? Hmmm?” Jess says, a smile evident in her tone. “I’ll call you back when everything is confirmed. Maybe by then you’ll have a solution in mind.”

“What would I do without you?” Lena smiles, resigning herself to a long day of groveling. “Thanks, Jess. I’ll talk to you later.”

Stuffing her phone in her coat pocket, she blankly stares at the menu board above the counter. She’s deeply lost in her own thoughts and doesn’t notice the blonde woman standing in front of her, eyeing her curiously. As the line inches forward, Lena’s mind is still drifting through her list of possible singers or group acts to fill the empty slot in the schedule. She’s so preoccupied that she walks right into the back of the person in front of her.

“Oh no, I am so sorry.” Lena laments, her eyes practically glued to her feet in embarrassment. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and I…” Her words fade as her eyes land on the black-framed startling blue eyes of the stranger in front of her. They’re the bluest, warmest, most kind eyes she’s ever seen and for a moment, the world around her seems to stop. 

The blonde smiles at her, subtly adjusting her glasses and Lena has to bite her bottom lip to keep from gasping at the beauty before her. This woman is stunning. Infinite hues of sky blue eyes dancing above a bright shimmering smile. She’s several inches taller than Lena and from what she can tell, incredibly well-built. Before she can rein her wandering eyes back in, she realizes she’s been caught and feels the heat climb up the back of her neck, across her ears, and land firmly on her cheeks. 

An adorable giggle bubbles up the handsome stranger's throat and through her perfectly pink lips. Lena can’t help but smile and tilt her head in amusement even as her own embarrassment camps out on her face. 

“It’s okay. You didn’t hurt me and it sounds like you’re having a rough day.” Attractive stranger says as she extends her hand toward Lena. “I’m Kara. Kara Danvers. And I might be able to help you with your little dilemma.”

Intrigued, Lena raises an eyebrow in question at the gorgeous stranger. Kara, she reminds herself. “Lena Luthor. Nice to meet you.” She eyes the woman up and down briefly before settling hers back onto the pools of blue eyeing her with amusement. “Do tell how you can assist with my dilemma, Miss Danvers.”

Kara grins, an adorably lop-sided grin as she offers her elbow to Lena and drags her to stand next to her in line. “How about you let me buy you your drink of choice and we find a table to chat? It sounds like you could use a little break.” She leans over to whisper conspiratorially into Lena’s ear. “Word on the street is this place has the best sticky buns in the state. I should know, I eat one several times a week.”

Without her permission and certainly for the first time in a long time, Lena can feel herself smile. Genuinely smile. Kara winks at her as they turn back toward the cashier and step up to order their drinks along with whatever monstrosity Kara has ordered. The young person working the register smiles, blushing as Kara calls them by name, and they move to the end of the long counter to wait for their names to be called. 

Kara grabs the tray and guides them through the sea of customers to a little table tucked toward the back of the cafe. Several of the staff speak to her on their way to their seats. They settle into the chairs, the noise of the place seems more hushed in this little nook. 

“You must come here a lot. Everyone on staff seems to know you.” Lena smiles as she takes a long, savored sip of her hot chocolate. “I think every single waiter we passed called you by name.” A boisterous, belly laugh floats across the table and graces Lena’s ears. It is such a lovely sound and she absolutely wants to hear it again.

“Well, I really am in here a lot.” Kara says with a warm smile, her skin creasing next to her mesmerizing eyes. “I’m a writer. I work from home most of the time, but a change of scenery is needed on those days I get stuck. So, I spend a good bit of time right here with my laptop, a warm drink, and sticky buns.” She points to the tray on the table and pulls a sticky bun off to settle in front of her.

Lena eyes her curiously. She’s inarguably never met anyone like Kara Danvers. They’ve known each other for less than thirty minutes and Lena already feels comfortable around her. This alone should scare the absolute shit out of her, yet she feels much calmer than she did when she walked inside earlier.

“So, Miss Danvers…how is it that you think you can help me?” Lena grins, raising her signature brow in question. She glances down at her watch and winces. “As much as I am enjoying your company, I have roughly six hours to find a replacement for my event tonight.”

“Well, what if I told you that I know a singer that is available tonight. She has a pretty decent voice and doesn't need any musicians or music. She usually performs acapella and will gladly help you out.” Kara gives her a bright, wide smile before taking a sip of her large monstrous drink and biting into her second sticky bun. 

Lena tilts her head at the blonde, curious about this singer and what the catch is…there’s always a catch, right? “Well, this sounds promising. I’m willing to hear you out.” She leans forward, her forearms resting on the table and hands clasped. “However, in my experience, there’s always a catch. So, what’s the catch Miss Danvers?”

Kara smiles. She pushes her now empty plate to the side and leans forward, mirroring Lena’s position. “Please call me Kara, Miss Luthor. Every time you say Ms. Danvers, it makes me think of my adoptive mom.” She winks at the porcelain skinned woman across from her, taking another sip of her almost empty cup. “What makes you think there is a catch? Why can’t it just be a trade and not a catch?”

An unrestrained laugh springs from Lena’s chest. It’s so surprising, she nearly falls out of her chair. Once she regains her composure, she clears her throat and leans back in her seat. “Well, if I am calling you Kara, then please, call me Lena. Ms. Luthor also, unfortunately, reminds me of my adoptive mother as well. And, that’s just something I’d rather not think about.” She returns Kara’s wink. “If not a catch to your proposal, then a trade. What is your requested compensation in return for solving my dilemma?”

“Ok, hear me out.” Kara beams at Lena. “Not only am I a writer, but also a pretty decent singer. I can fill the spot you need tonight, free of charge.” She pauses, nervously adjusting her glasses and twisting her hands on the table. “If you’ll, um, goonadatewithme.” Her eyes drop to her fingers and she bites her bottom lip.

Lena’s not 100% sure she heard Kara correctly, but she does notice the adorable pink blush dusting the apples of her cheeks and it not only makes her smile, but releases a sea of butterflies into her stomach and chest. She bites her own lip, then looks up at the blonde. “I’m sorry, Kara, but I didn’t quite catch the last part of what you said. Can you repeat that for me? Maybe a little slower this time?”

Kara huffs, squirming in her seat as her face turns a darker rosy shade of pink. “I can fill the spot for your event tonight, if you’ll, um, go on a date with me.” She says with a little more confidence than she actually feels. 

On the other side of the table, Lena is slightly stunned. Sure, she thought about asking the woman out before they parted ways or at least getting her phone number, but never imagined this is how their impromptu meeting would end. She smiles at the adorable fidgeting blonde. There’s no doubt in her mind she’s going to say yes, but she can’t give in right away. Where’s the fun in that?

“And what if I am already seeing someone?” She says with a smirk on her face. Watching as blue eyes widen. “How will I be able to meet the terms of your proposal in those circumstances?”

Kara drops her head onto the table and groans. It takes a minute before she lifts her head back up, red-faced and apologetic. “Oh no, Lena. I am so sorry. I should have known someone as stunning as you would be taken. I’m such an idiot. I’ll help you out and you don’t have to worry about payment or dates or anything like that. I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask you that first. I just…”

“Kara!” Lena chuckles and reaches out to stop the ongoing ramble. “Hey. I was only kidding! I’m very single and would actually be amenable to going on a date with you.”

“Really?” Kara’s blinding, toothy smile shines back at Lena from across the table. “Are you sure?” She asks, timidly.

“Yes, Kara. I’m sure. I was sure the minute I laid eyes on you.” Lena smiles, unsure how she managed to land a date with the most attractive and adorable woman she’s ever seen. 

True to her word, Kara fills the slot at the ceremony that evening and ends up being the best performance of the night. They go on their promised date right after and end the night at Kara’s loft watching cheesy Christmas movies. The two of them share their first kiss surrounded by the twinkling glow of Christmas lights before they fall asleep on Kara’s comfortable couch. Their date is the most magical evening Lena’s had in all of her adult life. 

Until the next year when Kara proposes at the tree lighting ceremony. 

Christmas Chaos, indeed.

[15fishes]

dystopian novel but its tumblr

💥thatonemitsurikinnie123 follow

ok but can we seriously talk about how effed up things have gotten that people are actually being arrested for saying swears? like they aren’t that bad that peoples lives should be ruined over them…saying swears is a human right imo…

💕ilikefrogsandcoffeealot🔁 thatonemitsurikinnie123 follow

no it’s literally not? why do you need to swear its literally vulgar and rude. how is not being able to say horrible words a human rights violation? Literally unalive yourself op.

♻️catraisdumbiamverysmart🔁 ilikefrogsandcoffeealot follow

thats not the point of the post you idiot. of course nobody here is saying that saying swears is moral or justifiable. people who say swears like **** and **** should all be unalived immediately, what op is saying is that the oppressive right wing government is trying to control our minds using sanitatized shows like steven universe that have secret hidden homophobic messages so that they can have a perfect word and make us do their bidding like were all sims! its not about the swearing, god, get some reading comreheion. compernmientoln. copresenion. whatever I dont have to pander to this literate-normative society.

⭐️starclansbravestwarrior follow 🔁 catraisdumbiamverysmart follow

prev obviously doesnt live in the US because saying g** is literally illegal too. “boo hoo we cant ssy swears anymore :(“ try living in the states for one day? honestly making a post like this is so insensitive like. did anyone here even consider that its harder for me? did you even remember america when you were making this post? non-americans are so selfish.

☹️thebananamuffinman🔁theblueberrymuffinman

pretty sure op is actually referencing when in 2036 over half the population of america all collectively shouted “****” in protest and then a bunch of people briefly went to jail? obviously op is opposing the new laws theyre only saying that that one time in america was pretty messed up…

💥 thatonemitsurikinnie123🔁 thebananamuffinman

WHAT!?! what are you all talking about!?! I am literally word for word saying that yes!!! I think people should be able to swear!!! why not?

⚽️ishipirlpeoplewhoplayfootball follow 🔁rpfismypassion follow

lol. “why not” ha. are you actually that stupid op? do you even understand the extend of the damage that swearing has done? my grandma literally UNALIVED herself because somebody sweared infront of her. how can you be so brain unalive that you cant see the harm of words that were literally INVENTED to be bad?

💥 thatonemitsurikinnie123 follow 🔁 ishipirlpeoplewhoplayfootball follow

killed.

⚽️ ishipirlpeoplewhoplayfootball follow 🔁 thatonemitsurikinnie123 follow

…what?

💥 thatonemitsurikinnie123 follow 🔁 ishipirlpeoplewhoplayfootball follow

not unalived. killed.

🩸vampireenthusiast🔁 thatonemitsurikinnie123 follow

excuse you? this is the sort of disgusting stuff that comes from opposing the law. it starts with wanting to swear and in less than five seconds op is BLANTANLY advocating for unaliving people

💥 thatonemitsurikinnie123 follow 🔁 vampireenthusiast

STOP SAYING UNALIVED IM LOSING MY MIND. KILL. DEATH

💟queersandbeersandbeesandknees🔁mangaspoilersonmyblog follow

are we just going to ignore the absolutely insane rant at the beginning of this post or…??

✨cutegirlnamedpencilcase🔁flowersandcutekitties

if you reblogged a post with vulgar language like this you’re actually part of the problem. block and unfollow me.

💥 thatonemitsurikinnie123-deactivated182828292929929 🔁 cutegirlnamedpencilcase

you literally just reblogged it fuck off

🖼️arthistoryismypassion follow 🔁yesmynameisactuallymilkstopasking follow

lol op got unalived by tumblr RIP BOZO

🎃ihatealliceskatersforeverandever 🔁acamallcopsaremeanies follow

BREAKING!! EVERYONE REBLOG THIS VERSION OF THE POST OR ELSE IM BLOCKING YOU!!! NEW LAW JUST DROPPED THAT PROPOSES BANNING LEARNING HOW TO READ FOR KIDS 10 AND YOUNGER!! EVERYONE CALL THEIR REPRESENTATIVES!!!!!!!

💥 thatonemitsurikinnie1234567 🔁mcytblog500 follow

im killingmyself for real this time

#tw s****** #illprobably get banned again for this but meh i want to add another digit to my name anyways #DONT check the notes btw lgbterfs (lgbt exclusionary radical feminists) found this post :( #also whats up with that guy who ships the soccer players lol i read some of his fics and its just like all really erotic dentist visits #im kinda into it

50,000 notes

🦝15fishes

I am a completely normal person who did not spend 1 hour making this tumblr post that will not even get 1 note :)

[gretagerwigsmuse]

oh my GOD elle!! the jenny slate ‘who will come into my kitchen and be hungry for me’ of it all!!! everything about this chapter made me feel like i was in the backyard/kitchen with them. all the little details and personal intimacies just gave me the warmest feeling. i’m excited to see what the girls get up to with their scheming in the future, but for now here are my fave parts 💕

Bradley pulls her out of the way of Harvard and Fritz playfighting to be first in line. “Careful, wouldn’t want you to catch an elbow with that cute lil nose of yours.” His thick arm wrapped around her waist, and the way he has to bend down to talk into her ear gets her heart pumping. She feels small next to him; she never feels small. - i know you put this in the sneak peek and i already gushed! but i love this little moment so much! like picturing his voice all rumble-y and his big arm around her waist would make me do a lot more than have my face heat up like mary’s. also bradley calling her miss mary is so cute

“Anyway, it turned out to be a huge mistake because he barnacled himself to me for the rest of the semester and apparently for the rest of my life.” - barnacled! i’m obsessed with that it’s so perfect because i can just picture college age reuben and mary attached at the hip in those labs of theirs. also rico suave??? legitimately laughed out loud

Mary always takes this as her cue to escape, knowing her romantic luck is the worst of them all, and she would win hands down. This time around, she collects the dinner dishes and sneaks through the back door, making a clean getaway until Bradley turns to whisper a joke in her ear and realizes she’s gone. - this is so so GOOD! i just love that even tho she tries to sneak away and make her self invisible, bradley still notices her? and notices her absence?? and that it’s like second nature to lean over and say something cheeky to her in group settings

The dark strands making the rosiness of her round cheeks stand out as she cleans up. - she’s so lovely ☺️

The best part of his night was when she sat on the stool beside him for a breather. Bradley bought her a drink and made small talk; his brain unable to create meaningful conversation once he felt the soft material of her dress brush his calf. And then she was gone again, pulled back to the dartboard by Jake, who was happy to have someone to compete against. He had spent the rest of the night watching Jake joke with her. Mary’s laugh was the only thing in Bradley’s head when he went to bed that night. - i’m being 100% serious when i say my eyes welled up? like i can’t describe it but this is so soft and sweet. i’m dying to know what her impression of him from that night is especially since she probably didn’t know his stilted small talk was because he was nervous? and then bradley being jealous that she spent time with jake and javy 🥺

When Bradley realizes no one is paying attention to him, he gathers the rest of the dirty dishes and heads inside. - i love how this mirrors what she does earlier? no one’s looking, so he sneaks away (tbh she was probably staring at him in the kitchen window)

Mary feels her cheeks get darker at the compliment. Damn him for being handsome and sweet. - she just thinks he’s being sweet and kind 🥺

“…I just want to make sure everything else is as done as possible before I bring dessert out; those dishes can run in the dishwasher tonight.” - okay but this is the hallmark of being a good - and smart - hostess! do as much as you can while your guests are preoccupied so you’re not up all night cleaning (or worse doing it in the morning blegh). i want to try all of her food even tho i know i would probably fudge some of it (like bradley eventually does 🥺 there’s just so much potential with that)

Bradley watches in awe as she moves around the kitchen with an ease he’s never seen before; it’s like watching a one-person waltz. - this entire paragraph is so pretty and lyrical

“Which was funny for a while, until a guy she used to date and his group of assholes caught wind of it and turned it into something decidedly not funny.” - so curious what they turned it into now? will we ever find out?

As the attention moves away from her, Mary curls in on herself, feeling vulnerable about the information she had shared. The other women notice and make eye contact, a silent conversation passing between them. - oh all those poems we talked about earlier are really hitting again 🥺 sweet girl

Bradley’s heart stops from where he’s eavesdropping in a lawn chair. Is that why she never responds to my flirting? He feels like an ass, trying to catch the attention of a woman who potentially doesn’t even like men. “She flirts with Jake all the time!” Bradley chugs the rest of his beer. - why is he so stinkin cute? god it’s really not fair that he’s so charming and sweet but also insecure and i just loved how you formatted this part with separate paragraphs for the line about her “flirting” with jake and bradley chugging his beer

They subtlety observe as Mary leans into his side, giggling and whispering in his ear about something as she gestures towards the game. Bradley throws his head back as he laughs, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and dipping his head down to respond. - i have proper butterflies in my stomach!!! they are so precious and good and sweet and lovely and that she only feels small around bradley gahhhhh

“…Rooster moves slower than molasses in January when he’s interested in a woman for something more than a night.” - see now this line i find interesting and wonder if it’ll get back to someone? 👀

Mar(r)y Me | part two

pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mariella “M&M” Vertucci (fem!OC)

summary: A love story told through friendship, laughter, and food.

series warnings: 18+ minors DNI, discussion of insecurities, difficult family relationships, discussions of food and alcohol use, extremely brief mentions of emotionally abusive ex-bf, eventual smut, warnings to be added as needed

word count: 3.4k

main masterlist

note: happy Friday! part two is here! and we meet Bradley today! thank you for the love on part one, I hope you all have a great weekend <3 (side note: if anyone recognizes where I adapted the very last line from, we are now best friends)

part two - strawberry shortcake

“Can we eat now? I’m tired of waiting for the chicken man!”

“Hangman, he’s five minutes late, and if you keep whining like a baby, you will be the last in line for food.” Mary’s hand shoots across the island, slapping the blonde’s hand away from the food. “Don’t even fucking think about it! Go sit in the living room!”

“Ow! I liked you better when you were too shy to yell at us yet.” He sulks into the next room, holding his hand to his chest. Only his ego is bruised, but Mary can hear him looking for sympathy from his best friend, giggling when she hears Coyote’s less-than-loving response.

“What’re you laughing at?”

“Oh my god!” She whips around, hand flying to her chest in a futile attempt to slow her heart. “Bradley! I didn’t hear you come in!”

“Sorry, Miss Mary, didn’t mean to scare ya.” The smirk on his face contradicting his apology.

She narrows her eyes. “Oh, you find this funny, bird boy? Hey Hangman?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“You’re no longer at the back of the line for food! Rooster will be taking that spot from you.”

A celebratory shout comes from the living room while Bradley protests, “That’s not fair!”

“Guess you shouldn’t have laughed at me. Okay! Come get food while it’s still hot!” She’s almost bulldozed by the herd of hungry aviators storming their way into the kitchen. Bradley pulling her out of the way of Harvard and Fritz playfighting to be first in line.

“Careful, wouldn’t want you to catch an elbow with that cute lil nose of yours.” His thick arm wrapped around her waist, and the way he has to bend down to talk into her ear gets her heart pumping. She feels small next to him; she never feels small. Mary pats his arm in thanks before wiggling away to establish order of the buffet she laid out in the Fitches' kitchen, her face feeling as hot as the sausage she’d cooked up.

“Boys, stop fighting.” She thumps Fritz’s head as she passes, “Danielle and Reuben get food first; it’s their house.”

“Traditionally, the hosts go last!”

“It may be their house, but I cooked everything, so I’m the host, and I say the pregnant lady and her husband go first.” Danielle smacks Mary’s butt as she passes by to grab a plate. “This isn’t officially Reuben and Danielle’s anniversary, but it’s very close, so I’ve made a lot of their favorites tonight. All the food is labeled, but let me know if you have questions, and drinks are in the cooler in the yard, so help yourself before you sit down! Coyote?”

“We’re ignoring the slap?”

“Yes. It’s been over fifteen years, and nothing has stopped her yet; it’s just part of my life now.”

Danielle scoffs, “Oh, please. Like you don’t love it. I know for a fact that when you dated-”

“Okay! Hey! Have you guys ever heard the story of how Reuben and Danielle got together? It’s really embarrassing for Reuben.”

“No, but I would love to hear it!” Fanboy pipes up, just like she knew he would, getting Danielle off the topic of her former boyfriend, the one who had a thing for spanking.

“You haven’t even told Fanboy? Your WSO?” Danielle looks at her husband in faux shock. “Well, now Mary has to tell it!”

“Please do not tell this story.” Reuben groans from his seat, realizing his two favorite women aren't joking.

“Picture this. It's August 2007. The Phoenix spacecraft is on course for Mars, Ed Hardy is taking over men’s fashion, and it’s the first week of classes at SUNY Buffalo. I’m waiting outside of my 8AM chemistry lab with like twenty other students, all of whom are lax bros. This tall, lanky kid,” Mary jabs a thumb in the direction of Reuben, “-comes walking up, plants himself next to me on the bench outside the lab, and says, “Yo, I know the formula for table salt; what else could I possibly need to know?” and me, being the wonderful person I am, I took pity on him and made him my lab partner.”

“You just didn’t want to get partnered with those guys from the golf team.”

“I will not lie; that was a factor in my decision. Anyway, it turned out to be a huge mistake because he barnacled himself to me for the rest of the semester and apparently for the rest of my life.”

“I am a delight!”

“I dragged us through that class, kicking and screaming the entire way.” She explains how their duo became a trio after Reuben walked directly into Danielle. “She hit the sidewalk so hard, and Rico Sauvé over there froze, staring at her like an idiot while I helped her off the ground and apologized for him. I wish I could remember what I said… do you remember Danielle?”

“You said, and I’m quoting here, “I’m so sorry about him. I would make a joke about him being so tall that he doesn’t get enough oxygen, but the fact of the matter is that he’s just a fucking idiot.” And then she smacked him in the stomach to reboot him.”

The team erupts in laughter, Yale heckling him. “Bro! You knocked her over? That’s so bad; I can’t believe she went out with you!”

“Oh, I didn’t! Matchmaker Mariella convinced me to give him a shot after she and I became friends sophomore year. He was too scared to ask me out.” Danielle’s statement makes the laughter worse, tears gathering in Fanboy’s eyes.

“And it worked out, didn’t it?” Reuben leans over to kiss his wife. “We’ve been together for fifteen years, five moves, and two kids. Not too bad, huh, baby?”

“Oh god! Keep it in your pants; there are impressionable, young minds present!”

Danielle flips Hangman off, “Annie isn’t old enough to realize what’s going on!”

“Forget Annabeth! I was talking about Bob!”

That begins the biweekly argument of Phoenix defending her back-seater, which then spirals into whose dating life is the most pathetic. Omaha has won the past nine times for his horrible flirting techniques that have a 4% chance of working, according to Yale’s calculations. Mary always takes this as her cue to escape, knowing her romantic luck is the worst of them all, and she would win hands down. This time around, she collects the dinner dishes and sneaks through the back door, making a clean getaway until Bradley turns to whisper a joke in her ear and realizes she’s gone.

He scans the backyard, coming up empty until his eyes hit the kitchen window. For a minute he watches her doing dishes and bobbing her head to the radio perched on the windowsill in front of her, admiring how the pieces of hair that have escaped from her claw clip frame her face. The dark strands making the rosiness of her round cheeks stand out as she cleans up.

She’s so beautiful.

The same thought had passed through his mind eight months earlier when he first met the Fitch family’s best friend. It had been a regular night out at the Hard Deck. Everything was going as expected, except for Payback’s behavior. The normally calm and collected pilot bounced between groups, his neck on a constant swivel to the front door. After minimal prodding, he announced that his wife and his best friend from college were running late. Rooster was expecting another man similar to his teammate; a funny, chill guy, probably someone who had been on the swim team with Reuben.

He was thrown for a loop when Danielle stormed through the door, yelling about the babysitter being late and pulling a gorgeous brunette behind her.

Payback had tucked the mystery woman under his arm and introduced her to the group. “Everyone, this is my bestest friend, Mariella Vertucci. She is a brilliant mechanical engineer, an excellent cook, and an even better baker. Also, she’s single.”

“Oh my god, Reuben, stop it!” She had blushed and tried to duck away; her wide smile made Bradley’s heart flutter. He immediately wanted to talk to her, buy her a drink, play her favorite song on the piano, anything to get her to smile at him like that.

He had been disappointed when he learned she was only visiting for a few days. His disappointment had grown when Hangman and Coyote monopolized her time after finding out she had a knack for darts. The best part of his night was when she sat on the stool beside him for a breather. Bradley bought her a drink and made small talk; his brain unable to create meaningful conversation once he felt the soft material of her dress brush his calf. And then she was gone again, pulled back to the dartboard by Jake, who was happy to have someone to compete against. He had spent the rest of the night watching Jake joke with her. Mary’s laugh was the only thing in Bradley’s head when he went to bed that night.

He looks over at Jake now, where - for his own entertainment - the blonde man is turning the dating life comparisons into a game of cornhole. Content to stand on the sidelines with Annabeth snuggled on his chest and watch what is sure to turn into a disastrously overly competitive tournament.

When Bradley realizes no one is paying attention to him, he gathers the rest of the dirty dishes and heads inside. “I saw you sneak away; you missed my joke about Hangman getting stood up twice in the same week.”

“I try not to give Dani a chance to bring up my past mistakes; it works out better for everyone considering how often she’s set me up on a failed blind date.” She makes a face over her shoulder, making both of them laugh.

“Dinner was great, by the way. I haven’t had a homecooked meal like that in years.”

Mary feels her cheeks get darker at the compliment. Damn him for being handsome and sweet.

“I’m glad you liked it. I always- oh! I love this song; can you turn it up? My hands are all soapy.”

“Big Steve Miller Band fan, huh?” Bradley laughs and twists the knob. “What are we listening to?”

“The oldies station - 105.6 - they play everything from before 1990! I love them; it’s just like when I used to spend the day with my grandparents. They have a Big Band Music Monday, and if I close my eyes when Glen Miller is playing, I swear I can smell my Nona's perfume.” His smile matches hers, the joy of childhood memories splayed across her face as she rinses plates.

“Which towel should I use to dry?”

“You don’t have to-” Her voice gets louder as she talks over him, sensing the protest that’s coming. “But! If you’re going to insist, grab a fresh one from that drawer right there. And don’t worry about the pots and pans; Reuben likes to let those air-dry overnight. I just want to make sure everything else is as done as possible before I bring dessert out; those dishes can run in the dishwasher tonight.”

Bradley pauses where he’s putting silverware away, watching Mary sway to the music. “You made dessert too?”

“Yeah, we’re having my version of strawberry shortcake. It’s a twist on their wedding cake which was vanilla cake with strawberry filling.” She answers distractedly, closely examining a roasting dish that won’t come clean.

“You made their wedding cake too?”

She giggles at his shocked tone. “No, I had just moved to Missouri when they got engaged, so most of my maid of honor duties were performed virtually. But I did help pick the cake flavors out when I was up for the shower.”

“Lots of yelling at vendors on the phone?”

“Occasionally, when it was needed. I’m not a fan of yelling at people if it’s not necessary.”

“You yell at work all the time.”

“That’s because you idiots don’t listen to me! My entire career has been learning the best ways to fix those expensive ass planes you fly in every single day, yet you don’t listen when I-” She cuts herself off and flicks water at him when she realizes he’s teasing her. “You’re not funny, mister.”

“Sorry, sweetheart, it’s just too easy sometimes.” He knows he’s not really in trouble when she can’t hold her grin back.

“Just keep drying so we can have dessert.”

The two work quietly together, cleaning and packing up leftovers, seventies hits floating through the kitchen. As Mary cleans the sink, she looks at Bradley, who is trying to figure out which cabinet the serving platters go in. “When you get those put away, could you grab the strawberries from the garage fridge?”

Bradley hums his agreement, grinning at her when she points to the correct cupboard before heading out to the garage.

“As you requested.” He laughs at the grabby hands she makes towards the green container in his arms as he reenters the kitchen, eyes going wide when she removes the lid. “Shit, those look awesome.”

Mary’s nose scrunches at the compliment. “It’s because they’re super fresh. I picked them up from my favorite farm stand on the way home. And I used the sugar-to-berry ratio my Aunt Denna perfected years ago.”

Bradley watches in awe as she moves around the kitchen with an ease he’s never seen before; it’s like watching a one-person waltz. Her hands carefully fold the strawberries together, gently stirring them so they don’t break. Once combined to her standards, she plucks a sharp knife from out of nowhere and begins cutting the cake into even slices without any measuring. Mary does this while instructing him to get dessert plates out; her hips never stop moving to the music.

She stacks everything onto a serving tray that was hiding next to the fridge. It looks precariously balanced, and Bradley is about to offer his assistance when she swings the tray onto her shoulder and makes her way through the sliding door with no problems. He stands there for a second, stupidly staring after her like a lump on a log when he realizes she forgot the serving spoon.

He grabs the utensil and follows her path to the deck, a cheesy grin spreading across his face as he watches her realize she forgot something. She turns as Bradley brandishes the spoon in front of him like a sword and bows. “For you, m’lady.”

The peanut gallery pipes up. “Oh my god, Bradshaw. That was painful to watch.”

“No dessert for you, Jake.”

“Oh, come on!” Jake holds Annabeth up from his chest. “I was gonna share with little Oakley Annie here! You can’t take dessert away from me! You’re depriving her!”

“Dude, you have got to stop using my kid as a bargaining chip every time you make M&M mad.” The defeat in Danielle’s voice sends laughter through the group.

“For dessert, we’ve got strawberry shortcake with a Vertucci family twist. And a limited amount of whipped cream to go around, so please don’t go crazy until everyone has some, okay?”

A chorus of “Yes, ma’am” comes back at her as she hands the first plate to Dani, who had elbowed her way to the front of the line, using her pregnant belly to her advantage.

Mary is fulfilling Harvard’s request for extra syrup on his cake when Callie’s voice raises the question on several aviator’s minds. “Hey Mary, why is your callsign M&M?”

“Oh… uh….” She hesitates for a second before remembering she can trust these people. “Growing up in a bakery, I’ve always been the designated person to bring treats. Even in college, I was that person. After people found out I was the one who made the food, I would always jokingly get proposed to, and people started the “Marry Me” nickname. Which is such a brilliant play on my name.”

“Which was funny for a while, until a guy she used to date and his group of assholes caught wind of it and turned it into something decidedly not funny.” The anger in Reuben’s voice stops any potential questions.

“Yes, and then my knight in shining swim trunks over there almost got kicked off the team for fighting, and my ex got a knee to the family jewels courteous of the knight’s red-haired partner.” She rolls her eyes at the memory of how proud her two friends were to be in trouble for defending her honor. “Anyway, that pretty much killed the nickname, but M&M took its place.”

The yard is quiet, no one entirely sure what to say.

“I still can’t stand Austin.”

“I’m pretty sure he can’t stand you either after you sent one of his balls back into his body.” Mary snorts, feeling uncomfortable that the conversation about her emotionally abusive ex is still going. “It’s okay, everyone. That was a long time ago, and I brought M&M with me as my unofficial call sign when I started working with the Navy.”

It’s awkward for another minute until Hangman gets cornhole going again, handing Annabeth off to join the women at the picnic table. The game quickly gets competitive between the guys, and the evening returns to normal. As the attention moves away from her, Mary curls in on herself, feeling vulnerable about the information she had shared. The other women notice and make eye contact, a silent conversation passing between them.

“What a dingus. If I was your ex, I would have proposed to you for real after trying your mac and cheese.”

“Callie, I called dibs after she made those cupcakes at Easter.” Natasha protests.

“Absolutely not! Of anyone, I get the first crack at her; I’ve known her the longest.”

“Danielle, I know you’re pregnant, but I will literally fight you.”

It’s enough to break the tension and make Mary laugh. “Ladies, ladies, please, no fighting. There’s enough of my food to go around.”

“And what about you? There’s only enough of you for one of us.” Nat throws an arm around Callie’s shoulders, winking at her fellow aviator, silly smiles spreading across their faces.

“I think if we really tried, there would be plenty of me for both of you.” She winks back before taking a stack of empty plates inside.

The table settles into a stunned silence, Danielle’s laugh interrupting after a few seconds. “I forgot you guys haven’t seen Mary flirt before!”

Bradley’s heart stops from where he’s eavesdropping in a lawn chair. Is that why she never responds to my flirting? He feels like an ass, trying to catch the attention of a woman who potentially doesn’t even like men.

“She flirts with Jake all the time!”

Bradley chugs the rest of his beer.

“No, that’s not flirting. They’re just bantering each other. Besides, Jake is a good-looking guy, but he’s not really what she looks for in a man.”

“Oh! Forget Jake! She is single, right? Because I have a friend who would be perfect for her, she’s a middle school math teacher, and she has the same sense of humor as Mary!”

Danielle lowers her voice, “She is single, and she’s said now that she’s more settled out here, she wants to try dating again. But if everything goes the way I think it will, there will be no need for us to set her up.”

“What do you-” Natasha gets cut off by Danielle pointing at something off the deck.

The three women turn their attention to the backyard. At some point during their conversation, Mary had slipped past them and settled next to Bradley on the two-seater Adirondack chair. They subtlety observe as Mary leans into his side, giggling and whispering in his ear about something as she gestures towards the game. Bradley throws his head back as he laughs, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and dipping his head down to respond. They watch as Mary buries her head in his shoulder to muffle her laughter, and three sets of eyebrows raise in unison as the back of Bradley’s neck turns redder than the strawberries they’d just eaten.

“Wow. I vote that we only intervene if those two take longer than three months to get their shit together.” Callie looks around the table for concurrence.

Natasha grimaces. “Usually, I’d agree, but they’ll probably end up needing a nudge. Rooster moves slower than molasses in January when he’s interested in a woman for something more than a night.”

“They’ll definitely need a nudge, and I’m already working on it because, lemme tell you…” Danielle pauses, her heart warming at the shy smile on her best friend’s face as Bradley pulls her further into his body. “He’s in there with the champ.”

thank you for reading <3 if you would like to be added (or removed) from the tag list just send me an ask! have a good one!

tagging: @gretagerwigsmuse | @bobfloyds | @bussyslayer333 | @hangmanbrainrot | @mothdruid | @notroosterbradshaw | @princessphilly | @rhettabbotts | @roleycoleyreccenter | @roosterbruiser | @seresinsweetie | @thesewordsareallihavetogive | @waklman | @withahappyrefrain | @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby | @genius2050 | @ohtobeleah | @katieshook02 | @hellojameshowyadoin

fic tag | credit for dividers here

[mistresskayla-blog1]

Considering Chimera

Lyn's Writing Event Day 4

May 4th : Week 1: Chimera   18+

In Chimera legend, “an illusion of the mind; especially an unrealized dream”

Characters: Dr Scott White x OC Jennifer Turner

Fandom: Richard Armitage – Sleepwalker

Warnings: disabled person, angst, paralysis, mind control, somatization, dream control, stalking.

Word count: 1.5k (part 1)

It started one day, Scott was crashing hard after work in the morning and sleeping so hard he woke up disoriented and sweaty. He didn’t normally lose his control over his own mind, but the women in his dreams was getting stronger. He used to just see flashes in his dreams, a blonde smiling, a touch of her hand on his arm, a fantastical story that his mind followed like a movie you couldn’t look away from. But each night, it was more and more, and he had no idea who this woman was. Her face was etched in his mind, and he could draw her if he had that talent.

Scott sat up in bed midday and wiped his face with his hand, slow, the stubble of his beard growing out and soft. He looked at his watch, “2 pm, ok. Well maybe I’ll go for a run or something”, he said to the room, chuckling, “I wonder if I have seen this woman out and I just never put two and two together,” he got up and started the shower, letting the heat of the water revive his sensations and wake up to the present moment. Scott dried off, and got dressed, putting on his running shoes and setting a playlist for a run. He left his apartment, and started jogging almost immediately, heading for the hills about a mile away. If he sweat enough, Scott thought, ‘Maybe I can sweat this woman out of my mind’.

---

              You had seen him one day out on the trail and were enthralled by his height, build and endurance. You made a wish to yourself that you would find a way to get to him. But how, do you get someone you cannot meet to speak to you?  You were stuck in this wheelchair, watching the beautiful landscape outside. Wanting to be free, wanting to be healed, but knowing there was nothing you could do about your fate. Mark had made his claim to you with his attack, and you were a “saint” everyone said to pull through and heal as much as you had. But you were still paralyzed, and that isn’t something you can wake up from. So you chose to spend a lot of time, voraciously reading, and fantasizing, and writing and finding out how the mind can heal the body, and how the mind can maybe talk to other minds? It sounded crazy right? But maybe you were just clever and focused enough to do it. Maybe we really could create illusions and create worlds in other’s minds, just as easily as we could our own. Isn’t that what movies do for us, give us that stimuli of an accepted human experience?

              Jennifer put her journal down and sipped some water from her seating area. Her apartment overlooked the park, and she got to see all the runners’ jog by her several times a day. Today was a particularly breezy and warm Californian afternoon and her aid, Nancy had opened her windows so the spring breeze and blossom filled scent just filled her space with promise. Jenn missed running, she missed the feel of the wind on her skin, the sweat and high that came from pushing that extra half mile or so. She had made it through several marathons, but it only took one asshole one day to destroy her life.

---

              Jennifer saw him again, huffing and puffing around the bend in the trail, sweat seeping through his t-shirt, his legs long as he took giant strides, his feet hitting the pavement in that rhythmic way. She closed her eyes and focused, smiling as she saw his face in her mind’s eye. Scott felt a tingle in his temple and shook it off, toppling over a hedge and crashing into a flower bed. A woman walking a dog, stopped to check on him, and Jennifer opened her eyes to see him collect himself off the ground embarrassed. He looked up towards Jennifer’s building and Jennifer scooted her seat closer to the window, looking down, “Please see me please see me,” She said out loud. Scott caught his breath and rubbed his sweaty brow with his even sweatier arm.  The sun was still cresting and mirroring the glass fronted building across from the park, but he still felt a sensation to look up. He squinted, and when a cloud came to block the sun a moment, he saw two flashing eyes looking down at him from the, “2, 3, 4, 5” Scott counted out loud, “5th floor,” he looked back down to the door manned building and crossed the street to it.

Jennifer’s eyes grew wide, “Oh shit!” she blurted. Nancy came in from the kitchen, “DO you need something, love?” Nancy’s Irish lilt always snapped Jennifer back from her revelry. Jennifer turned to her, “Hey, actually I may have a visitor soon, could you, um.. help me get back to living room?” Nancy smiled, “Of course, let’s get your chair”. Nancy went towards the wheelchair in the corner, and placed the lift assist board under Jennifer’s butt, carefully transferring her to the chair. Jennifer placed her arms around Nancy’s neck for help, Jennifer still had her upper body support, but her legs were now for show. Her team said, she may recover some more, over time, but she had to do her exercises. She had to follow through and want to heal, and until she met, well, until she saw her running man, she didn’t have a reason to.

---

              Scott approached a burly looking man in a red uniformed suit at the building marked with a large metallic 724 above the overhang entranceway. The doorman was posted and smiled at him warmly. “Hello sir, how can I assist you?”  Scott paused, “Hey, I was wondering if I could see the woman on the 5th floor please?” The doorman looked at him, “Do you have a name, Sir?” Scott blew out a breath, “No, not exactly. Sorry” chuckles. “Well I can’t just let you in,” the doorman’s phone buzzed, “excuse me, a second,” Scott was wiping his face off again, with his short sleeve and whipping the sweat out of his hair, “Of course, sure”. The doorman returned, “She will see you now, its 514, Ms. Turner”. Scott blazed a smile again, “Thanks”, the doorman cleared his throat, “You might take care, she is a very sweet girl, and if I were you I would come back after you’ve cleaned yourself up”. Scott paused, looking at him seriously, then looking down at himself. Scott turned on his heel and left the building, “You know what, your right, thank you. What was your name?” “Burt, sir. Glad I could help”.  He nodded. Scott nodded back in respect and crossed the street again heading back for his apartment.

Jennifer was nervous, if she could pace she would, so instead she wore a hole in the floor with her eyes, and wrung her hands on a rag, like those dames used to do during the war. “Where is he, Burt would have let him up by now,” She called back down to Burt, “Burt? Did you send him up?” Burt cleared his throat, “Ms. Turner, I told him to come back more presentable, and he agreed”. Jennifer rolled her eyes, and tried to sound appreciative, “That’s very sweet of you, Burt, you didn’t have to do that. I just wanted to speak with him is all”.  Burt, paused, “Ms. Turner, I just want you to know that it is my job to maintain the safety of all the residents here”.

Jennifer cut in, “I know, but I don’t think he is a threat”.  “We do not know that yet Ms. Turner, I just think it doesn’t hurt to wait it out”. Jennifer sighed, “Well I certainly have time, don’t I, Burt”. Burt grimaced audibly, “I’m sorry Ms. Turner I did not mean anything by it, I’m sorry”. Jennifer’s heart smoothed, “Thank you Burt for looking after me, I appreciate it”. “Of course” Burt said and then hung up. Nancy looked at Jennifer inquisitive, “He’s not coming up then?” She shook her head, “That Burt is a good soul though, really looks after you” Jennifer shook her head, “He’s just a sweet old man, there’s nothing to worry about”. Nancy chuckled, “Well he doesn’t turn his head for me, fray and I talk him up an awful lot when I go out”. Jennifer giggled, “You have a thing for Burt, do you?” Nancy smiled, “Oh my yes, he’s so plump and sweet, I could eat him up, but I won’t” She giggled too. Nancy went back to her duties, and Jennifer rolled herself back to the window. She knew she wouldn’t see him, but now that he knew where she lived, it was only a matter of time before he came back to her.

(more to come… stay tuned)

@legolasbadass @fizzyxcustard @middleearthpixie @linasofia @riepu10 @scariusaquarius @lathalea

#Lyn's writing Event

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Connection: Remus

Read on Ao3

Warnings: implied/referenced child abuse

Pairings: FINALLY DLAMP

Word Count: 2492

rem.ix added Emo.Ticon, LogicalLogan, MisterJ, and pat.pat to a conversation

rem.ix renamed the conversation to "Roman's Harem"

Emo.Ticon: FGAHKRTNOEUTBWOJET

LogicalLogan: When I asked for a list of the people who had also asked Roman out for dinner, this was not what I had in mind.

MisterJ: Nice to meet my competition.

pat.pat: Wait, is rem.ix Remus???

rem.ix: yep thats me whats up fuckers welcome to your collective interrogation

Emo.Ticon: aren't you in highschool kid? wait, how'd you get our usernames?

rem.ix: asked ro he gave em to me

LogicalLogan: Does he know you're doing this?

MisterJ: Are we about to get the shovel talk from a high school kid?

rem.ix: youre about to get a shovel talk from the only person in ros life who can ensure hell never talk to you again so shut up

Emo.Ticon: damn, kid

pat.pat: *Listens attentively*

LogicalLogan: Understood, Remus. What can we do for you?

rem.ix: first off role call explain who you are and how you know ro

rem.ix: i know all of it so dont lie

pat.pat: I'm Patton!!! We wait for the bus together in the morning, that's how we met.

Emo.Ticon: wait that's actually really cute wtf

LogicalLogan: My name is Logan, though you might have been able to guess that from my username. Roman and I share a calculus class and we study together.

Emo.Ticon: Virgil. Barista at the coffee shop on campus. Also a student. Princey comes in on my shifts all the time.

pat.pat: Wait, 'Princey?'

MisterJ: That's actually a pretty cute nickname. Also why did you switch to proper capitalization just for that one?

Emo.Ticon: what can i say, it's a gift. also shh

MisterJ: I'm Janus. I see Roman at the library.

LogicalLogan: Janus as in the god with two faces?

MisterJ: Yes, that's correct.

rem.ix: great now you all know each other and you all know that youre each into ro

pat.pat: Wait, Virgil, is your hair purple? I think we've met before!!!

Emo.Ticon: oh wait shit yeah you're the one with those big round glasses, right? yeah we've met hey what's up

rem.ix: wait thats a good idea everybody send a pic of yourself

LogicalLogan: Why?

rem.ix: in case you know eachother duh

pat.pat sent an image

Emo.Ticon sent an image

LogicalLogan sent an image

pat.pat: Wait, I know Logan too!! We had the same advisor last year, didn't we?

LogicalLogan: Yes, we did. Hello, it's good to talk to you again. How did your thesis end up going?

rem.ix: focus up nerds one of yous a hold out

MisterJ: I'm trying to find a good one, hold your horses, child.

rem.ix sent an audio file

Emo.Ticon: oh shit you got jeopardy'd

MisterJ sent an image

LogicalLogan: Ah, Janus. Yes, we've met.

MisterJ: Still sore over losing that debate, are we?

LogicalLogan: No, of course not.

Emo.Ticon: wait are you two the ones who shut down the entire lecture hall cause you wouldn't stop arguing

MisterJ: We were debating, Virgil.

pat.pat: I think that's a yes.

rem.ix: all of you focus the point is you all know each other yes or no

Emo.Ticon: ye

LogicalLogan: Yes, I know everyone here.

MisterJ: Yes.

pat.pat: Sorry, Remus. Yeah, I know everyone!

rem.ix: great

rem.ix: now do you all want to date roman yes or no

Emo.Ticon: jfc kid how old are you?

rem.ix: thats not the question emo

LogicalLogan: Yes, I would be interested in forming a romantic relationship with Roman.

pat.pat: I'm happy just being friends with him!! But yeah, I'd want to.

MisterJ: I am dating Roman.

rem.ix: no youre not ro has said hes not dating anyone right now and you guys went out to dinner once

MisterJ: How would you know?

rem.ix: im his fucking brother and he tells me everything and im this close to telling him youre a dick and he can do better

MisterJ: Watch your tone.

rem.ix: i dont have to watch shit

LogicalLogan: Janus, stop antagonizing him.

MisterJ: I'm not antagonizing him, I'm correcting him. Are you all seriously okay with being spoken to like this?

Emo.Ticon: he's not being unreasonable j he's concerned about his brother

pat.pat: I mean, it's not great, but I understand it.

LogicalLogan: We all know how protective Roman is of Remus, it makes sense that the reverse would be true.

MisterJ: I suppose you're right. Still.

rem.ix: look

rem.ix: ro is the most important person in the world to me

rem.ix: i cant remember the last time he just did something for himself and wasnt guilty about how it affected me even if it didnt at all

rem.ix: and he seems to really care about all of you and he likes spending time with you

rem.ix: lately hes been really really stressed about school and work and everything and having all of you is great but hes worried about whatll happen if he picks one of you over the others or if you guys find out about each other

rem.ix: and this is kinda the first thing hes let himself have since he officially got custody of me

rem.ix: so

rem.ix: yeah

LogicalLogan: Thank you for sharing all of that with us, Remus. I understand your concern.

Emo.Ticon: we get it, the last thing we wanna do it make roman's life harder

pat.pat: Aww, that makes complete sense!!! I would be concerned too!!

MisterJ: I get that. I'm sorry if it felt like I wasn't taking you seriously, Remus. You're right, I do care for Roman very deeply and I want to support him as best I can.

rem.ix: sorry if i was being too rude

MisterJ: No hard feelings?

rem.ix: ye we good

Emo.Ticon: wait so is our consensus basically to not get butthurt when roman picks one of us? cause that sounds a bit too ya novel for me

pat.pat: Yeah, that feels weird.

MisterJ: The name of this conversation wouldn't have anything to do with it, would it, Remus?

rem.ix: i mean i dont know if any of you are poly and im not suggesting you all date ro at the same time

rem.ix: unless?

Emo.Ticon: you are 100% exactly like roman described you holy shit

MisterJ: I'm not sure if I agree with that either.

LogicalLogan: I have an idea.

***

Honestly, just watching Roman's face as he walks through the door is enough of a reward for Remus. He almost drops his backpack from shock.

"…Re?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Why are there four extra people in our apartment?"

Remus looks around. Logan and Janus are on the couch, looking over at Roman in the doorway. Patton and Virgil are in the kitchen; Patton's looking in the fridge and Virgil's toying with the blender someone gave them as a housewarming gift that they never used. "You said I could invite people over for a movie night."

"I thought you meant your friends," Roman says quietly and Remus shrugs.

"Your friends are my friends, right?" He looks at the others. "We're friends, right?"

"Sure."

"Yeah, I think so."

"We're friends!"

"That's correct."

"See? All friends. Come help us decide what we're watching, I wanna see the new Puss in Boots, but Janny wants to see that thriller thing."

"It's the next John Wick."

Roman mouths Janny and just blinks. Then he swallows and carefully sets down his backpack, opening the door and jerking his head outside. "Remus, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Yeah, he probably should've seen this coming. He gets up from the table and goes, ducking under Roman's arm out to the hallway. Roman makes sure his keys are in his pocket and calls out a quick One moment, please!

He shuts the door and just slumps against it, breathing hard.

"What's up?"

"Remus, what's going on?"

"We're trying to figure out what movie to watch. I suggested pizza 'cause we don't have enough for a big pasta bake and Patton and Virgil decided they were gonna see if we could make it work, but—"

"Remus."

At his brother's now is not the time to fuck with me voice, he gives in. "Ro, you've been so stressed recently, I know you have."

"And so you thought it would be a good idea to invite all of them over at once? Re, our apartment isn't even clean, we don't have much food left from grocery runs, we—"

"Ro, they care about you! You said you told them all stuff and they still cared—"

"It's one thing to say you care, it's another to actually come see it!" Roman scruffs a hand over his face. "God, Remus, why didn't you ask me?"

"Because I knew you'd say no!"

"Yes! For good reason!" He glances at the door and lowers his voice a bit. "Why did you do this? Are you—is it because I haven't been spending as much time with you because of them? I'm—I'm sorry, Re, I just—"

"What? No, no, that's not it, I—fuck, Ro, sit down before you pass out."

Roman collapses so quickly Remus almost cries out. But he's fine, he's just got his head in his hands. Remus cautiously sits down next to him, their shoulders resting together like they did when they were smaller, like they did in the court room, like they did when they first moved in here. It only takes a second for Roman to sling his arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer.

There's nowhere safer for him to be.

"I didn't invite them over because I wanted to embarrass you," he mumbles, fiddling with the hem of his shirt, "I invited them over because I know you've been stressed about all of them. They—it's not charity, Ro. I know you worry about it 'cause of—well, them—"

"I know."

"—but they really like you, Ro. Like, they all really care about you. And I…I dunno, I just wanted you to see that."

He shifts so he can look up at Roman's face.

"You try and do all of this on your own and you can't. You really can't. I know—I know you try and you do so much and I know you. I know you won't let me help 'cause you want me to be a kid still—"

"You are a kid."

"—but you can't do it on your own! And you're not alone, you've got me, you've got friends—you've got all of us. I wanted you to see that."

Roman looks at him with that expression he gets sometimes where he just looks at him like he loves him so much and it makes Remus's throat close a bit because he does. He really, really does and fuck, Remus loves him too.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you," he mumbles, looking down, "do you…do you want them to go?"

"No," and shit, Roman's hoarse which means they're both about to start crying, "they…they can stay."

"…I like 'em, Roro. They're good."

A strangled laugh. "Yeah. I like them too."

"Which one's your favorite?"

A louder laugh and Roman squeezes him closer. "You're my favorite. Always will be."

"You don't get a choice with that."

"Yeah, I do," Roman says softly and shitfuck he can feel the tears forming, "and I make it every day. I'll keep making it, too."

"Goddamnit, you're gonna make me cry."

"Join the club, little octopus."

Well, that's a good enough invitation. Remus turns and wraps his arms and legs around his brother, holding him like he'll fall off the world if he lets go. Roman holds him back just as tightly, the top of his head starting to get damp. They both sniffle and try and pull the other closer.

"I love you, Re. So much. Thank you."

"I love you too, Roro."

They sit there for another minute before Roman pulls back and wipes his face. "God. You made me cry and now I've gotta go in there and talk to them? How dare you?"

"It's not my fault you're a sappy sack of shit!"

"Yes, it is!" Roman ruffles his hair. "And you're the one who wants to watch the new Puss in Boots movie, that's all sap, no tree."

"What, so you don't wanna watch it either?"

"I didn't say that."

"Ha!" Remus crows triumphantly, smacking Roman's shoulders lightly as Roman tries to grab him. "I knew it!"

"C'mere, you—" Roman throws him over his shoulder— "there."

"Hey! Put me down!"

"Nope. Wha—hey! Don't pull my hair!"

"Put me down!"

"Fine, fine." The moment Roman sets him on his feet, he almost sweeps him off them again, hugging him so tightly he can't breathe. "I have the best brother in the world."

"No," Remus manages, trying to hold Roman back, "I do."

"Tied for first?"

"Can we order pizza?"

"You got the money for it?"

"Make one of your boyfriends do it."

"They're not my boyfriends!"

"Yet."

"Re!"

"What? Go ask them!"

"No." Roman lets him go, hands on his hips. "We're gonna go inside, pick a movie, and maybe order pizza. Deal?"

"Deal!"

Roman softens a bit, reaching out to ruffle his hair. Remus shakes his head like a wet dog, making it messier on purpose until Roman laughs. He glances at the door and puts the key in the lock, opening it and striding back inside.

"Sorry about that."

"No worries," Logan says, "I think Patton and Virgil have reached a consensus."

"Pizza," Virgil proclaims, clapping his hands, "on account of I'm a lazy college student and I want pizza."

"I got it," Patton says, already pulling out his phone, "Domino's?"

"Yes, we're getting three extra larges."

"Works for me! Toppings: go!"

"Pineapple," Logan says as Janus says, "anything but pineapple."

"Okay, so pineapple on only one pizza, got it."

"Roman," Virgil calls as the others keep bickering, "how'd your meeting go?"

Remus looks up. That's right, Roman had that meeting with the Dean and Board today about the scholarship. Roman takes a deep breath.

"They're letting me keep it," he says breathlessly, "same scholarship, same amount of financial aid, same grades."

Virgil whoops so loudly it makes Remus's ears hurt. Of course, then the others want to know what he's so happy about and then they're celebrating too.

"You pick the movie, then," Janus says, "you've earned it."

Roman pauses, glancing around as if someone's going to object, only to see them all looking at him expectantly. He doesn't seem to know what to do with that. Then he glances at Remus.

See, Remus tries to say silently, you've got people. You're not alone. We're all here for you. See?

The way Roman's smile softens says yes, I see.

"Puss in Boots it is."

"Yes!"

"Great. Janus, help me set it up?"

"Sure."

"Roman, what do you want on your pizza?"

As long as we stick together, Remus thinks as he watches Roman be happier and more at ease than he's seen in a long, long time, we'll all be okay.

General Taglist: @frxgprince@potereregina@gattonero17@iamhereforthegayshit@thefingergunsgirl@awkwardandanxiousfander@creative-lampd-liberties@djpurple3@winterswrandomness@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes@iminyourfandom@bullet-tothefeels@full-of-roman-angst-trash  @ask-elsalvador @ramdomthingsfrommymind@demoniccheese83@pattonsandershugs @el-does-photography @princeanxious@firefinch-ember@fandomssaremysoul@im-an-anxious-wreck@crazy-multifandomfangirl @punk-academian-witch@enby-ralsei@unicornssunflowersandstuff@wildhorsewolf @thetruthaboutthesun @stubbornness-and-spite @princedarkandstormv  @your-local-fookin-deadmeme @angels-and-dreams@averykedavra @a-ghostlight-for-roman @treasurechestininterweb  @cricketanne @queerly-fluid-fan @compactdiscdraws@cecil-but-gayer@i-am-overly-complicated@annytheseal@alias290@tranquil-space-ninja @arxticandy @mychemically-imbalanced-romance @whyiask@crows-ace @emilythezeldafan@frida0043 @ieatspinalcords @snowyfires@cyanide-violence@oonagh2@xxpanic-at-the-everywherexx@rabbitsartcorner @percy-07734@triflingassailantofmyemotions @virgil-sanders-the-gay-emo@cerulean-watermelon@puffed-up-bees@meltheromanstan@joyrose-fandomer@insanitori@mavenmush@justablah65@10paradox10@uhhh-hi-there-i-am-nervous@cutebisexualmess@bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @ultrageekygirl  

[babes4pdd]

Watching You from the Front Row- Ben Marshall X Reader (smut)!!!!!!!

A/N- Hello. we would like to apologize for our absence. this made us collectively lose our minds but hopefully we will be more consistent in the future okay looove you

Warning: this fic contains smut so please do not read unless you are 18+!!!!!!!!!!!!

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“Hey baby” you say to your boyfriend, phone held between your ear and shoulder as you shuffle papers and simultaneously try to fill out a spreadsheet.

“Hey!” Ben says, his voice eager and quite loud in your ear “okay, so about the show tonight, I got you a ticket and you’re in like, the very front, I just texted you the ticket and I feel like it’s a really good seat and-”

Heart sinking in your chest you cut him off. “Ben, I’m so sorry but I don’t think I can come tonight. Work is insane right now and I don’t think I can leave. ” 

It’s silent on the other end for a second and you can sense his disappointment through the phone.

“I want to come. I really want to, I promise.” you tell him, “I’ll keep you updated but I just didn’t want you to expect me to be there and I’m here hung up at work.” You wish him well for his show and the two of you exchange your goodbyes and I love yous. Hanging up your phone you groan loudly, you had been looking forward to this for so long and this had to come up, great. 

It’s two hours later and you can feel your brain actively rotting from staring at your computer, you sigh loudly, attracting the attention of your boss Tanya, who stops outside your door. “I thought you had somewhere you needed to be tonight.” she tells you, your neck pops as you move, stiff after sitting still for so long. 

“Ben had a stand up show tonight” you tell her, “But I had to tell him I can’t go because we have to catch up on everything for monday.” 

“What time does it start?” she asks you, her voice is sympathetic and you can tell what she’s thinking before she opens her mouth again.

“Seven-thirty” you tell her, praying she’ll tell you what you want to hear.

“Alright” she replies, “but the rest of the week you’re staying as long as we need you?”

You thank her profusely as you shove your things into your bag, leaving the office as quick as you can to make the show on time. 

You barely make the show, squeezing in the door and scanning in your ticket right as the lights are beginning to dim and everyone goes quiet. Ben was right, you think as you sit down, waiting for them to walk onstage he did get me a really good seat.

As Ben, John and Martin walk onstage you meet your boyfriend’s eye, he grins at you and you can’t help but smile back, excited you got to come and support him. Throughout the whole show you keep making eye contact with him, loving the way he’s looking at you, like you’re the only two people in the room. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh my god, I thought you said you couldn’t come!” Ben exclaims after he comes bounding out to you after the show, wrapping you in a hug, your arms go around his neck so you can kiss him on the cheek “Tanya felt bad and let me leave early.” you tell him as he beams at you “I’m so happy I got to come, you did so good, I love you so much, I’m so proud of you” his ears go red and he grins at you as he kisses you sweetly “I love you too.” he replies. “I’m really happy you got to come, I was staring at you the whole time.”. 

“I know, you’re not very subtle” you tell him, laughing as you look deep into his eyes. “I’d also like to compliment this little tracksuit getup you've got on,” you tease, playing with his jacket zipper. “I can’t wait to get you home,” Ben mumbles for only you to hear. “Then let’s hit the road, hot stuff,” you say as you jokingly smack his ass. He giggles and drags you out of the venue. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You’re all over each other the second you get through the door of your apartment, his hands are in your hair as he kisses you and you kick off your shoes. He does the same and starts kissing your neck while you unzip his jacket, putting one hand on his chest while the other moves to tangle in his hair. Moaning softly as his lips find a particularly sensitive spot on your neck you pull him closer to you, your arms going around his neck as you slot one of your legs between his. Ben groans as he rolls his hips against yours, pressing his face farther into your neck as your bodies fit together perfectly. You pull his face from your neck by his hair, loving the way he whimpers when you tug on his copper strands. “Do you want to take this to the bedroom, lover boy?” you ask him in mock-seriousness, and he laughs, intertwining his fingers with yours as he pulls you down the hallway to your room.

Sprawling out on your bed Ben beckons to you and you climb on top of him, your arms wrapping around his neck, his going around your waist as you kiss again, deep and passionately. “I love you” he mumbles against your mouth, always so sweet as you pull off his t-shirt. You pull back from him, sitting back on your heels as you pull your shirt over your head, his eyes following your every move and his lips curving into a smile as you climb back on top of him. ���So pretty.” he says, looking up at you as his hands come to rest on your hips. You roll your hips against his experimentally, feeling how hard he is beneath you as he groans softly. He rubs soft circles on your hips as you grind against him again, loving the way he looks at you and the soft noises he makes as you move your hips against his.

“You did so good tonight.” you say lowly in his ear, hands moving to cup his face, paying attention to the way he groans at the praise. “I feel like you deserve something special for how well you did.” you tease, switching between speeding up and slowing down your hips on his. 

“Please.” he begs you, his grip on your waist tight as his hips jerk up into yours. “Please, I love you so much, please, anything.” 

You move one of your hands from his face to unbutton his jeans and unzip his fly, sliding your hand down his pants and boxers and wrapping your hand around his dick. He moans into your neck as you teasingly stroke his dick several times.  

You tilt his face upward with your hand cupping it, “Please” he moans into your mouth. You kiss him sweetly before moving down, kissing his neck and moving down his chest and abdomen until your chin is resting on his thigh and your eyes are locked on his.Slowly sliding his pants and underwear down his thighs you maintain eye contact with him. You then give a large lick on the flat underside of his dick. “Fuuuck” he groans. At that you start to suck on his tip, gradually putting more and more of his cock in your mouth. Moaning loudly, he gently threads a hand through your hair, pulling it gently as you reach the base of his dick. You bob your head on his length, hollowing your cheeks as you look up at him. “oh my god” he moans “god, fuck, I love you”, you scrape your nails over his thighs gently, loving the way he groans and tightens his grip on your hair. “Fuck, fuck I’m gonna cum.” Ben moans, as you push yourself as far down as you can, his hand on the back of your head as he cums down your throat. 

You move back up to him and he kisses you passionately, hands gently unhooking your bra and moving to cup your tits. You moan into his mouth as he kneads them gently, your hips pressing against his again. He pulls back from your lips to kiss your neck again, leaning in close to your ear “lay down on the bed and let me show you how much you mean to me.” You comply eagerly, laying down and lifting your hips so he can pull off your jeans, spreading your legs so he can settle between them, one of his hands on your hip. He gently kisses your inner thigh, nipping at your skin playfully as he teases your cunt with his fingers. “So pretty” he mumbles into your skin as his fingers spread you open and he leans in to lick a stripe across your clit “love you so much” he continues, his lips attaching themselves to your clit, sucking softly. His fingers move to your hole and he pushes two inside of you gently. You moan, grabbing his hair as he sucks your clit and finger fucks you. 

“Oh my god, baby, I’m so close” you moan, yanking him closer to you by his hair and grinding your hips against his face. “Fuck” you moan breathlessly as you feel your orgasm hit you hard. Your grip on Ben’s hair tightens as you ride out your orgasm and he groans into your wet cunt, his hands grabbing your hips. “Fuck, get up here,” you saying pulling his hair and dragging him back to your lips with a passionate kiss.  

After moments of kissing you decide to take charge and flip yourself and Ben, making it so you were straddling his hips. You rolled your hips into his as he licked the inside of your mouth . Moaning, you lifted yourself up slightly, positioning his dick at your entrance, slowly sinking down until the tops of his thighs meet the bottoms of yours. You’re still for a moment, adjusting to the feeling of him inside you while he soothes his hands over your hips, kissing your neck and whispering about how well you’re doing and how much he loves you. Once you start moving he’s moaning into your neck and wrapping his arms around your waist, you jump slightly as his palm lands on your ass in a playful slap “What was that?” you ask, looking down at him from his spot beneath you as he grins at you, soothing his hand over the red skin.

“What comes around goes around babydoll” he says, pressing a kiss to your neck. You laugh, remembering that you had done it to him after the show, and lean down to kiss him. Your movements speed up and he’s once again telling you in a hushed voice how good you feel and how much he loves you. His hands move to your hips, guiding you on his cock. Your arms wrap around his neck, forearms steading themselves against his shoulders as you continue to ride him. “Fuck you look so good bouncing on my dick” He says through gritted teeth. You moan at that mixed with the feeling up Ben’s hips lifting to meet your bouncing. His hands go to your tits, grabbing and squeezing at them as you both breathe increasingly heavier. “Fuck I’m gonna cum,” you say with a strained breath, whining into his neck. “Me too baby, just a little bit longer, fuck almost there,” he replies, sweat building on his forehead. After a handful more pumps you’re a moaning mess as he fucks you through your orgasm, pumping his cum deeper into you. You lift yourself off of him, flopping onto the bed next to him, curling into his side as he pushes back your hair and kisses you softly. “So good”. Ben says softly, kissing you again as he wraps his arms around you warmly and you lean into him, happy.

[raaorqtpbpdy]

Phantom Boy (4)

When the Doctors Fenton lose their son in a lab accident involving a ghost portal, the distraught parents will do anything to get him back. Even if it means breaking the immutable laws of life and death. But that thing? That’s not their boy.

First Chapter | Previous Chapter

Chapter 4: Entry of the Gladiators (Read it on AO3)

[Warnings for mind control minor violence]

Slowly, the ghosts started to come out of their hiding places. They collected their things and went back to their hobbies and projects and games. Normally, everyone left Ember's concerts with smiling faces, gushing about her new songs and still high on the excitement and exhilaration of the music she played. But now, they were somber, mournful.

"What are you all doing?" Phantom demanded. "We have to go get her back!"

"There's nothing we can do, child," Technus told him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder which Phantom shoved off with a scowl. "We could follow the train into the human world, but there's no way to break the enthrallment. We would only end up being controlled ourselves."

"Well, we can't just stand around and do nothing!"

"Weren't you listening, Whelp?" Skulker bellowed. "We can't save her! No ghost can." His deep voice quieted. "A human might be able to free her and all the other ghosts from Freakshow's spell. All they'd have to do would be to destroy his staff, but none of them will. We can't. Just... give it up. She can't be saved."

Phantom fixed them both with a defiant glare. "I'm going anyway!" he declared.

"Child, you'll only be captured and made into an act for that horrible man's circus," Technus said. "Don't do that to yourself, Phantom."

"I just got here, became friends with you, got to spend time with all of you," Phantom said. "When you all found me, I had just lost my whole family, and you let me into yours. I don't want to lose anyone else."

"None of us want to," Skulker sneered. "We don't have a choice! You think I don't want to save Ember? I love her! But she wouldn't want us pointlessly sacrificing ourselves trying to do the impossible."

"I'm going anyway," Phantom repeated. An ordinary ghost might not be able to resist Freakshow's control, but he was no ordinary ghost. "I have to try."

He took off into the sky and cut through the ectoplasmic air like a rocket toward the closing portal the train had left the Realms through.

"Foolish whelp!" Skulker shouted after him.

The portal was shrinking rapidly, and Phantom wasn't sure he'd make it through, but he kept going at full speed, squinting his eyes almost closed from the force. He just managed to eke through, the closing gate just barely clipping the end of his spectral tail. He slowed, sighing with relief.

Below him, train tracks stretched forward and back. Not far ahead of him was a train yard, where Freakshow's circus train was slowing to a stop. Turning invisible, Phantom flew toward the train. He tried to phase inside, but for some reason, he couldn't pass through the iron sides of the train-cars. Was it ghost-proofed? Something about the metal? Phantom was beginning to wish he'd paid more attention during his parents' ghost lectures.

The train finally pulled to a complete stop with a hydraulic hiss of the steam engine, which, Phantom noted, was very old fashioned and gothic. Freakshow was nothing if not dedicated to his aesthetic. The doors of several cars slid open, and Freakshow himself stepped out of one and immediately began barking orders to the ghosts that flew out of the others.

Dozens of ghosts started to set up the massive black and red striped tent and the smaller side-show tents. Ember was one of them. All Phantom wanted to do was grab her and shake her out of her stupor, but then he caught sight of the glowing orb atop Freakshow's staff, and he stilled. He watched as a ghost of a tattooed woman with a spiked Mohawk flew over to him and whispered something in his ear.

"Is that so, Lydia?" Freakshow asked. "Well, why don't I greet our unexpected guest? Where is he?"

To Phantom's horror, the tattooed ghost pointed directly at Phantom, and Freakshow turned his sickening grin on him.

"Reveal yourself," he said, and Phantom dropped his invisibility right away. "Where did you come from?"

"I came to try to save Ember," he answered. He couldn't stop himself. He couldn't move.

"How noble," Freakshow mocked, "and yet, how incredibly idiotic! No matter. It seems I've gotten myself two new acts for the price of one. I'm sure I can find a suitable place for you in my show."

Phantom nodded. Despite all the warnings he'd received, he hadn't expected the magic staff to be such a powerful influence on his mind. He felt as if his mind had been attached to a wireless game-controller, and someone else was pressing the buttons. He wondered if the other ghosts were aware like he was, even as they blindly followed Freakshow's commands, or if that was a side-effect of the fact that he wasn't a natural ghost, that he himself was a freak show, an experiment gone horribly wrong.

How stupid he'd been.

Phantom was on a tightrope, draped in black robes to look like the grim reaper, swinging a scythe as an audience of all flavors of goths looked on in amazement. Below him, Ember sat on a piano bench, playing suspenseful music on a calliope with blue flames billowing out of the pipes as she hit certain notes.

He'd thought... hoped... that maybe in just this one instance, being different from the other ghosts might turn out to be an advantage, but instead, he was just as helpless as the rest of them. He should have listened to Skulker and Technus. He should have stayed in the Zone, where it was safe. But he just couldn't imagine kind, free-spirited, anti-authoritarian Ember under the thumb of some sick ringmaster. She didn't deserve that. None of them did.

He had to resist.

Resist.

RESIST!

A broken ring of white light flickered around Phantom's waist, not transforming him back into his human form, but doing something. It gave him a jolt, a mental reset, and he was finally able to shake off the mind control. He swooped down off the tightrope and swung his scythe once more, directly at Freakshow. The ringmaster yelped in alarm and jumped out of the way, but the scythe distracted him long enough for Phantom to try something else.

He flew right at the ringmaster, phasing out of the black robe as a misdirect, so Freakshow didn't know where to look, and flying right into his stomach, knocking him to the ground and sending his staff skidding across the dusty floor.

"What is this?" Freakshow shouted in alarm. "How did you break free? No ghost can break free."

"You've never met a ghost like me before," Phantom said, and phased Freakshow halfway into the ground while he went to pick up the staff.

"No! Ghosts! Get him! Retrieve my staff and bring it to me! Lydia! Get me off this floor!"

Every ghost except the tattooed lady rushed Phantom at once, but the half-ghost was faster. He shot toward the staff and as soon as it was in his hand, he raised it and swung the top end toward the ground as hard as he could.

Scores of ghosts were already on top of him as the orb cracked and shattered on the circus floor. A wave of red mist shot outward, engulfing everything and everyone in the tent, and the ghosts all stopped in their tracks.

"Well... that's not good for me, is it?" was all Freakshow had time to say before they turned their wrath on him.

Phantom couldn't be sure what exactly happened to Freakshow. He got pushed out of the way when the rest of the ghosts swarmed the ringmaster, and lost sight of him. Then, when the ghosts dispersed, Freakshow was gone, not even his top hat or his earring were left of him. But whether they'd obliterated him, or he'd somehow escaped, it seemed like no one was entirely sure.

The crowds of humans ran out of the big top and away from the circus, screaming in terror, until, soon enough, it was just the ghosts, alone on the floor, a few drifting spotlights passing over them and through them.

"How did you do that?" asked a ghost Phantom couldn't recognize. "How did you break free of his control?"

"I don't know, I just... did," he answered lamely. "Maybe the magic wasn't as strong against me because I only recently became a ghost." Yeah, that sounded like a plausible explanation.

"I don't know why that would make a difference, but I suppose that could be it," another ghost said thoughtfully, and he tried not to actually sigh in relief that they'd bought his lie.

But Ember narrowed her eyes at him.

"What was that ring of light about?" she asked.

"What ring of light?" Surely that hadn't exposed him, had it? Did she know that light was part of his ability to switch between human and ghost forms? She couldn't... could she?

"Right before you broke free of his control, there was a ring of light around you," she pressed. "I thought I saw...." Had she figured him out after all? "Nevermind."

If she had, at least she wasn't about to expose him in front of all these ghosts. Whether he freed them or not, if they found out he was half human, human like the man who'd enslaved and exploited them all, like the crowds that came to watch their humiliation and suffering, they probably wouldn't be too happy about it.

"So... how do we get back to the Zone?" Danny asked. "I, uh... I wasn't really thinking about the return trip when I came here."

"The train," answered the strongman ghost. "It can travel through the Realms. We just have to get it going, and get off when the sky turns green."

Luckily, Freakshow used a ghost conductor who knew how to work the train―whom the train had belonged to in the first place before Freakshow co-opted and repainted it for his circus―and soon enough, they were all aboard and headed home to the Zone.

Next Chapter

[nero-vanderwolf]

It was June, and there was a new member of SEES.

Crick had just joined a few weeks ago, and now there was yet another new person willing to fight.

Her name was Agnea, a member of the dance club. From what Oboro, the Chairman, had told them, she was quite skilled when it came to fighting, though she seemed reluctant to summon her Persona. Ochette couldn’t blame her for that.

The group was sitting in the lounge when Agnea walked in. She carried a backpack and a suitcase with her, no doubt because the moving group had already moved the rest of her stuff in, and bore a bright smile on her face.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Agnea!” She said to the lounge, pausing near the staircase. An odd expression flickered on her face when she saw Ochette, but her smile bounced right back up like a rubber ball.

“Lovely to meet you, Agnea,” Castti said, bowing her head. “I’m Castti. This is Osvald, Temenos, Thronè, and Ochette. Partitio is upstairs in his room, I believe. You’ll likely see him on your way to your own.”

Agnea nodded. “Well, then, I’m gonna go bring this stuff up. Uh- I look forward to staying here!”

With one last radiant smile, she bounded upstairs.

“What an oddball,” Thronè murmured, setting her laptop down on the coffee table. “What’s she so excited for? Didn’t the Chairman warn her about what we do here?”

Osvald looked over at her, the light catching his glasses and clouding his eyes. “Doubtless he did. She’s likely just happy to be of assistance to our cause.”

Temenos sighed, setting his book down on the table in a movement mirror to Thronè. “One simply cannot read in peace in these conditions. I am going to go find our dear little lamb. You know where to find me.”

“No one ever knows where to find you, Temenos,” Ochette pointed out, and Temenos smiled coyly.

“Exactly, dear Wild Card. Well, I’m off.”

Temenos vanished upstairs with a wave of his hand, and Thronè picked her laptop up, shutting it and rising to her feet. “I’m going to do my work in my room. I’ll see you all tonight, if we go to Vidania.”

Osvald, too, rose to his feet. “I have business to attend to. Call me if we go to Vidania tonight.”

He disappeared beyond the doors of the dorm, leaving Ochette and Castti alone in the lounge.

“You don’t mind if I retire for the night as well, do you?” Castti asked, and Ochette shook her head, reaching for the TV remote.

Without another word, Castti went upstairs, leaving Ochette and Akalā by themselves to watch whatever they pleased on TV.

It was June, they had a new member, and all was well.

HOORAY THEY'RE HAPPY(?) FOR ONCE!!!! glad to see the whole gang together and how they interact. also oboro being the equivalent to ikutsuki makes sense somehow. Vidania is tartarus too... happy to see Agnea and shes happy to be here!!! she is ready to kill shadows. also is castti the equivalent of mitsuru?! i love that. they'd get along so well. calm and collected women who can absolutely lose their shit and murder when they want to. happy that we see more of the gang!!!!!

[sunnisurrealism]

https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/58185/1/young-people-choosing-voluntary-celibacy-gen-z-attitudes-sex-relationships

Shit Timmy it’s you! 😭🥺

I feel like I’m the grandma of gen z and luckily I only slept with boyfriends from 15-21 and am only going thru my disillusionment phase now, and feel hella more relaxed that at least my lyfe mate is confirmed 🥺😭 ily it is such a blessing and relief, I know you feel the same way and we are very very lucky. But yeah I can’t personally imagine being a young young gen z feeling hella disillusioned and confused, and this article shows it’s not even a gendered thing (I wonder if there’s more male Incels or volcels). Somehow we need to bring back romance. My intuitive feeling is that girls growing up with social media are putting hella too much of their self worth on their appearance, which may consciously or unconsciously be with the goal to have sex. And then when they get it it’s not even good cuz guys don’t know what they’re doing or they don’t care for some reason. Not all of them, but it’s not like the culture teaches it. It’s probably mostly girls becoming volcels overall, this is an existential problem, what’s to do? ??? Women will always be choosers, due to risk of pregnancy. Now they’re just opting out of the whole thing? Shiet, something ain’t right.

Also I still participate in beauty culture obviously but overall I do think it needs to calm down hella, and that young girls should find more worth in their personal inner thing regardless of looks or getting the cute boy or whatever the fuck. It has helped me tbh, but I also care less now that my mate is locked in which is a privilege.

I also feel like it’s very important to question how porn has shaped the minds of young men, and women tbh. Would it logically follow that it has made them “less romantic”? Perhaps the mystery of sex and courting is gone cuz you can just see it on the screen whenever you want. I noticed I have for some reason internalized shame for not being like women in porn videos because I feel like I would be a disappointment for not being so extreme. I bet lots of girls and women secretly feel this way, tbh. Also I will say it now, it’s really weird to me how guys love this idea of girls “losing themselves” serving men, but why don’t we see men “losing themselves” serving women as often? Like in the culture broadly? Why? Like why? Think about it.

You can also easily find anyone to fuck from the dating apps, if you’re lucky, which has hella dehumanized the romance thing which was my problem. The apps are really fucking up the collective psyche. What do YOU think needs to happen to heal? I feel like you know all my opinions by now 🤣🤣🤣🤣😤🤣

I think these are the things you’ll hella have to reflect upon Timmy, as the protector of women. Protecting women is actually more about men than women. You will have to share your wisdom and find sneaky ways to influence beyond “telling the way.” This is the shit Bob does. You should do it in the book based on how you treat me. I know everyone one day will be like “wowwww” because it seems quite naval gazy, but we can just tell everyone writing the book based on my ideas and yours was our way to keep the long distance interesting over the many years, I mean fair enough. And even tho I highly doubt you are whatever the fuck “problematic” irl the visions of what went down these past few months make for wonderful storytelling.I know you understand from the nicole Kidman post. Irl, we learn by going through it. When we read or watch story, we learn by going thru it, but it is much more accelerated and less personally difficult. This is the point of it all. Bless up and thank you pour ecrire 🙏🏻 I also am eternally grateful for the sacrifices you have made for me and I endlessly want to honour that🙏🏻hella hella bless up Timmy I respect and love you so much my king :)

These are some of my fave YouTubers, please watch when you have time. I’ve only watched the second so far tbh. Bless up 🙏🏻

https://youtu.be/ybwzwYLlCW8?si=atgEG5IOGFrQPaRG

https://youtu.be/uuRK5naSfDQ?si=os6nswZiM9p86fnt

[unseededtoast]

Rectify | Bucky Barnes

Part 34/37 | Part Thirty Three, Part Thirty Five

Summary: I've lived every day for the past five years looking over my shoulder. I knew they'd come for me, it was inevitable. I was foolish to think I could outrun my past. It's followed me everywhere I go, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Never would I have anticipated that the shadows would lead me to the light.

Bucky Barnes x OC

Series Warnings: Discussion of human trafficking, alcohol consumption, graphic depictions of violence, sexual content, discussion of suicidal thoughts.

a/n: Hi everyone, thank you for checking this out, I appreciate any and all support! This series is also posted on Ao3 and Wattpad if you prefer those formats/platforms! This is a completed series, and it's going to take some time for me to transfer it to Tumblr, so please bear with me!

I can't tell if I'm sinking into psychosis or if this is really happening.

When you live as a caged animal, time becomes very abstract. You lose track of whether it's day or night, what day of the week it is, how much time has gone by since you've been put in the cage. Your sanity slowly starts chipping away, little by little. The light of your soul begins to dim, like a flame starved of oxygen.

There are many things people tend to take for granted. Being able to get fresh air, picking out your clothes, choosing what you want for dinner. A caged animal however, has none of those liberties. A caged animal survives, but fails to thrive in its environment.

Over time, memories begin to fade. You start to forget the way someone's voice sounds. You forget how they smell, what it felt like to be embraced by them. Soon enough, it's like they're purely a figment of imagination. It's difficult to fathom them being real.

The memories that do stick around play in your mind like a rerun of a television show. Always the same few episodes, never anything new.

The pain calluses over until you feel nothing at all. Hurt and pain fade into nothingness, love and adoration turn to hurt and pain. There comes a time when you have no tears left to cry, and when that time comes you know you're just a shell of what once was. There's no life in your eyes anymore, there's nothing to keep you going. There is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Fluorescent lights are a constant reminder of imprisonment. They offer no warmth or comfort, only coldness and artificiality.

I roll over on the hard structure that can barely be considered a bed and face the wall. I close my eyes and hug myself, my fingertips cold from the air conditioning. I quickly realized that blankets are not permitted in here, it would be a good tool for someone to use if they wanted to be free from this world. Instead, we all have to rely on our own body heat and the thin uniform to keep us warm. I haven't felt warmth since the day I got here.

I estimate that I've been here for about a month, but it's getting harder and harder for me to keep track. Days blur into one another, there is no way to tell time in here.

I hear the slot in my door open and reluctantly get up to grab the tray before they throw it on the floor. I grab the cold metal tray and sit on my bed, crossing my legs. I look at the options and realize just like all the other times, the food looks questionably beige. But I have no other choice. I choke down the bland and discolored food and place my tray by the door for collection.

I look out at the other cells, seeing everyone else going through the same motions. Just like every other time. I cast my gaze to the small television screen that usually plays the same program constantly, but notice the program has changed. My eyebrows pull together as I watch the screen, the headline is bold.

"Avengers Face Punishment for Sokovia." I whisper to myself, my voice raspy from not being used. I watch as I see the newscaster explain what's going on. I read the subtitles carefully,

"United Nations to reach agreement on how the Avengers will now operate. Resolution expected in the next year." I say. Maybe Tony will get what's coming to him. Someone should be held accountable for Sokovia, and Tony is the only one who I place the blame on. The news station switches to another story.

I wonder what will happen. I still don't know whether Bruce has been found or not. I'd like to think he has. I see one of the guards walk up to my cell and tap on the glass,

"Those your friends? They all deserve to rot for what they did." I'm taken aback by the comment.

"Only some of them friends." I respond, finding my voice.

"Maybe some of them will be coming to join you after all." The guard chuckles as he walks off to the next cell. He's always been one to heckle us. Seeing a familiar face would be nice, but I wouldn't wish for anyone but Tony to be in here.

I sit back on my bed and lean my head against the hard wall, letting my mind wander as I often do. I wonder how Steve is doing. I wonder if he's been on any interesting missions lately. I miss his friendship. I wonder what Shield ended up doing with Wanda. Hopefully they didn't detain her again and instead tried to understand her. I am still beyond grateful for the way she stuck up for me.

I hope Bucky is doing well. I hope he's recovered his memories completely and without issue. My heart hurts thinking about him struggling with something, being scared or feeling helpless. I know Steve is there for him, but Steve doesn't understand what he's been through like I have. I wonder if he got out, if he finally gets to live a peaceful life. I sure hope that's the case.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him. I miss our time together.  At first the pain was unbearable, it felt like my heart was physically breaking. Over time as the days passed by it got easier to deal with. The pain doesn't hurt as much, it just left a part of me hollow.

I miss everything about him. I miss his bright white smile, his long brown hair. I miss the raspy sound of his morning voice and the tender forehead kisses he gave me. I try to remember every second of our time together, but I fear some of the memories have been lost. It's hard to recall certain things now, such as the way he smells and how comforting his hugs were. The details I wish I could remember.

I guess it's poetic justice in a way. I took his memories away and now I'm losing mine. I'm losing the memories I wish I could keep, and the ones I want to be rid of play every time I try to sleep. When I close my eyes and wish for peaceful sleep I'm met with the sound of Dane's skull being cracked on the concrete floor in Sokovia. I remember how his mouth dripped bright red blood, the way one of his pupils were blown. I remember the feeling of how his ribs cracked underneath my heel, the crunching of bone still very audible. I see the way his wrist broke as I snapped it.

Sometimes I'm given reprieve of that memory. Unfortunately, it's often replaced with the scene in my kitchen, many moons ago. I remember how I slit the man's throat and heard him choke on his own blood.

It's hard to believe that an ordinary day at my job turned into this. The life I worked so hard to build, gone in the blink of an eye. Things changed in an instant and I know I'll never have that life back. On one hand it's a good thing, I'll never have to run from Hydra again. That brings some peace and stability. On the other hand, I'm left to live the rest of my life in monotony, never knowing what's going on with the people I love.

I can tell from observing the others that they feel the same way. I haven't seen one smile the entire time I've been here. There's nothing to smile about. Nobody is living, we're all just on autopilot. Surviving.

There was one instance in the first few days of being here that the lady across from me tried to end her sentence. I remember she flung her head onto the corner of the bed over and over with such force. The guards stopped her before she could finish what she set out to do. When they took her out of the cell her face was covered in blood and I swear I saw part of her skull peeking through the skin of her forehead.

She was gone for a few days before she came back. In the meantime they had covered her cell in white padded material so she couldn't attempt again. They make her wear a straight jacket now. Since she's been back, she sits in the corner of her cell all the time. The guards remove her restraints for meal time and it's a good day if I see her take more than three bites. I know she doesn't want to be here anymore, we can all see it.

I'd be lying if I said she didn't give me some ideas. They don't give us blankets because it would be an obvious tool, but I think our uniforms can be fashioned into a tool. I thought about it, but couldn't bring myself to do it.

I could never bring myself to do it because I can't even begin to imagine what would happen if Bucky found out. I can't hurt him like that. It would be too selfish for me to do it. I have to try and stay strong for him. But now, even if I wanted to I don't think I would have the motivation to even try.

Most of my days are spent curled up on my bed. There's nothing else to do. At first I used to observe the others in here, but quickly noticed they all follow the same pattern, the same one I've fallen into. We wake up from the meager amount of sleep we manage to get, curl up either on the bed or on the floor, wait for meal time and choke it down, and then repeat the cycle.

Sure, there is a small television for us to watch. But the guards have resorted to weaponizing it. Depending on who's on duty sometimes it's shut off, other times the same thing is on repeat. There was one day where they played the same song over and over for at least forty eight hours. I did the math.

During that time they would pause the music and they would watch us. As soon as they saw even one of us drift asleep, they would play it again. It was psychological warfare. They've only done it once and I hope every day that they don't do it again. I don't know if I'd be able to take it.

I find that I am entirely too unstimulated here and I fear that by being in here over a prolonged period of time I'll end up losing my intellect. The Raft was designed to wear someone down, suck the life out of them. I don't want to lose my intellect but I can't envision a scenario in which I can retain it all, especially if there's no way I can apply my knowledge to anything.

I miss being in the lab with Bruce and discussing scientific theories. I remember when I first got to the Shield compound how Bruce and I were able to help Tony create an idea in which he could augment his memories. I think seeing that technology come to life would be incredible. As much as I despise Tony, I cannot deny that he's smart.

I feel my eyes become heavy with sleep and I lay down on the bed, facing the wall and hugging my body. I wish the lights would go off for just one hour, it would be the most peaceful hour I've experienced here.

I sigh and situate myself so that it's not completely untolerable to lay here. I try to focus on a good memory, not wanting to relive a moment in which I took someone's life. I pick a memory of when Bucky and I were back at the bunker, standing out on the porch. I remember the smell of pine trees and the forest floor vaguely. I remember how Bucky looked to be at peace as he looked out among the trees.

My consciousness slips away little by little and soon the fond memory fades. In its place I see a familiar image. I see the memory Wanda showed me when she was exposed to the gem, I see the silhouette. The red eyes are staring at me once more and I swear I hear it whisper to me,

"Soon."

The word repeats as a ghostly whisper as I fall asleep. I can't tell if I'm sinking into psychosis or if this is really happening. Either way, I can't fight the sleep forever.

[high-tide-low-tide]

2/100

I wonder if it's deliberate that modern day life is fast, stressful, busy, overstimulating, designed to push us towards restorative and healing mediums. Maybe the global falling fertility rate situation is setting up for us to collectively rediscover the value of our mothers. How did we ever forget to honour and celebrate the most important contribution in the world? How did we ever lose our reverence for women as the portal for life itself? How did we ever stop worshipping the sun?

—

Today I learned how to make coffee. I've long had a dream to one day open a cafe. I've never worked in one but I've spent many time and dollars enjoying them. I figured I should probably at very least know my way around a coffee machine.

—

Talking with J, living a similar storyline with me at the moment, travelling our own like paths together for a little while now. And what a gift it is see your likeness reflected. To hear your heart back to you through different words? To be second-hand emboldened through the strength of others' steps. It's all been mapped. After all, I am her and she is me and we are they. We pulled animal spirit cards, three of four of the fire element, the catalyst of change and transmutation.

—

God and prayer are two words for most of my life I have immediately had walls up with. Both feeling like they'd been 'co-opted' by Christianity, something that has never really resonated. Over the last four or so years, I have very slowly, noncommittally, curiously been reevaluating my understanding of the word. I remember reading Conversations with God, and everyone the word God appeared, I read it as source or universe so that I could get on board with the message. Now, god feels more resonant, more like consciousness than a big man in the sky. I'm sure it's not a mistake that god is dog backwards. Lately the word prayer has been popping up in my sphere, in secular terms, each time chipping away another piece from my mind's strong christian, non-resonant association. Anyway, I'm seeking to make peace with the word prayer. Package it up in a different way. Pray to the sun, prayer to the moon, pray to all my cells and pray to all the stars. Touching reverence for life, every breath a prayer. A prayer for strength and courage, fire on the altar, inch towards the change.

—

I sent Mike some little snippets from astrology investigation. He understandably wonders what am I to do with this? I find it hard to tell him, though I can sense its value in my body. I guess it's just another lookout to see your life from, when you look from different points, you see things in different ways. In my relationship, everything feels perfect except for on the soul level, which is highlighted from the astrological lookout. My soul wants to grow and evolve through change. I can hear it, feel it. How would I feel without this framework? Has it planted a seed? Would it mean I didn't take the time to listen to and honour the little voice?

[w-ht-w]

The perils of following your career passion (WorkLife podcast)

passionate work is a luxury, while income is a necessity. And there's also the question of talent. Not everyone can be anything. Don't just take it from me. Take it from the great psychologist Chris Rock, 

"I want you children to know you can be anything you want to be!" Like, lady, why are you lying to these children? Maybe four of them could be anything they want to be. But the other 2,000 better learn how to weld. Tell the kids the truth. You could be anything you're good at, as long as they're hiring.

^ I don’t think this is entirely true. If you find a need in an underserved community, you could make your own way and become an entrepreneur. Collect best practices, and take it to a place that needs it. If the job market does not reflect the needs of the world, you can create your own work.

The thing about passions is that we often settle on them when we're young. The danger is getting locked in. Most of the time, our early passions are not the best guide to our later careers. There are so many things about the future and about yourself that you don't understand. You don't know what future you is going to be like.

I'm all for working in a career that's a perfect fit for your passion. But hunting for that perfect fit can be a real source of agony. There's evidence that searching for a calling leaves college students feeling indecisive, uncomfortable and confused. You might be one of the fortunate few to quickly find a career outlet for your passion. Everyone else just flounders around feeling lost.

Passion can develop over time; don’t quit / give up immediately.

Passion is a consequence of effort, not just a cause. Take a recent study of entrepreneurs. When they weren't excited about their start-ups, but put time in anyway, they actually became more enthusiastic over the next week. Their passion grew as they made progress.

When people try to follow their passion, they were less likely to consider other areas of interest where passion could develop, and less likely to anticipate difficulties. And when they did run into obstacles, they were more likely to lose interest and give up.

When young adults have the idea, the mind-set that passions are discovered whole, they're, like, in you, you just have to poke around for a while and get to it, they are much more likely, for example, to get easily discouraged when they try something like reading a difficult passage on a topic that was initially interesting. Very quickly, that interest falls off if you have that mind-set.

So the problem is the advice to "follow your passion" reflects a fixed mind-set. It assumes your interests are stable. So if you don't immediately enjoy a field or a task, the writing is on the wall: this must not be your passion. But that's a mistake. You don't want to quit the moment you don't like a job, because passion can grow over time.

For so many people, the first year on the job is not a great year.And it would be very easy to get discouraged and think, "Oh, I thought medicine was for me," or law or marketing or whatever,"but I guess not."

So, [as] a rule: you don't quit on a bad day.

You should not quit things when you're in that acute period of pain and disappointment and self-doubt. I always recommend quitting things on good days. You know, if you come in and it's a nice Thursday morning and everything is going reasonably well, and you still want to quit, well, there is maybe something going on.

Conventional wisdom is outdated in a fast-changing world. Instead of a plan-and-implement approach, try test-and-learn.

As wise as older generations can be, [their] career plans for us are not always on target.

conventional wisdom used to be wise. ... Now, today, the world's changing so fast that people become wise for a world that's no longer there.

In a stable world, it made sense to figure out your career goal and then map the steps to achieve it. That's what my students often try to do. Experts call it the plan-and-implement strategy.

When my dad was a kid, you know, you pick a career and you go into, basically, a 40-year tunnel and you come out for retirement.

But today, careers are rarely that linear. You're not picking a tunnel anymore. Careers are really fluid and the world's changing quickly.

So instead of plan-and-implement, we might be better off with a different approach. It's called test-and-learn. Think of yourself a little like a scientist, running experiments on your career. You have a hypothesis that a job might be a good learning opportunity, and you're going to try it out to find out if you're right or wrong. One recent study looked at people who had career catapults that launched them onto the fast track to become CEOs or top executives in major companies. They didn't plan those moves in advance. They just kept their eyes open for interesting challenges. For some, it was taking a step sideways or even backward to build something from scratch. For others, it was inheriting a big mess and proving they could clean it up. For many, it was taking a big leap outside their comfort zones.

It doesn't have to be perfect. A lot of times, you get surprised by something you learn when you're there and it leads to something you never expected.

Focus less on having a picture-perfect career; focus more on being competent.

Expecting to love your work is a really high bar. Take a study of college seniors. The ones who were looking for the ideal job felt more negative emotions throughout the job search and ended up less happy with the job they ultimately got. The higher your expectations, the more disappointed you are by everything you don't enjoy about a job. When you're aiming for nirvana, there's a bigger gap between what you want and what you get. You're always evaluating, never experiencing. 

You're left wondering whether there's something better, so you end up comparing the job you have to what might have been, which leaves you with regret. Chasing happiness can chase it away. 

Besides, most entry-level jobs aren't designed to be fun. ... recruiters often try to paint a rosy picture of the job to entice you. Extensive research shows it works. But then it leaves you less productive and more likely to quit. You want to go in with a realistic job preview: an honest portrait of the work, warts and all. Yeah, you might be a little less excited to start. But the data show you're more likely to perform well and stick around.

Often, we're so enamored with the ideal of a job that we don't pay enough attention to what it involves day-to-day. 

Not everyone is going to find a personal paradise at work. Some colleagues and I have found that many people have unanswered callings: passions they never got to pursue in their careers. Sometimes, they're perfectly content to do them as hobbies on the side. In other cases, they find small ways to incorporate those passions into their jobs. 

So, when you're thinking about your career, the best place to start is not to follow your passion. ... a better place to start is ... 

Your job is not always going to fulfill you. And the number one lesson I could offer you, where your work is concerned, is this: become so skilled, so vigilant, so flat-out fantastic at what you do, that your talent cannot be dismissed.

1. https://www.ted.com/talks/worklife_with_adam_grant_the_perils_of_following_your_career_passion/transcript?referrer=playlist-worklife_with_adam_grant_mar_2019&language=en