#i was supposed to leave the fandom after i posted take notes

[cuubism]

Found this old fic concept in my notes, I doubt I'll ever get around to writing it or that I could do it justice if I did, but it still makes me laugh so I wrote it up as a little blurb. Perhaps it will make you laugh too.

Mega Popstar Dream and Hob, his extremely non-famous celebrity crush

So in this universe Dream is an extremely famous musician. He's like Taylor Swift level of famous, if you walk up to any random person on the street they would know who he is. Meanwhile Hob is an actor but really not very well known, he was in a few small projects and is in the core cast of one TV show that's well-regarded but not super popular.

It's Dream's FAVORITE TV SHOW and Hob is his FAVORITE ACTOR that he's ferally OBSESSED WITH. Everyone knows about this too, Dream is really obvious about it. In interviews people will ask him what he likes and he's like "this is my favorite TV show" "have you seen Hob Gadling in that show isn't he incredible", They'll ask him if he has a celebrity crush (as a joke) and he's like "YES HOB GADLING 😍" like it's become a meme in Dream's fandom how much he has a crush on this random actor.

They've never met though, probably Dream was afraid to -- 'never meet your heroes' and all -- and never let his team book any overlapping events. So he's never seen Hob in person, only watched his favorite TV show 65 times in a row and memorized every inch of his face. Like a stalker.

So then a Buzzfeed-esque YouTube channel is running a special edition of their usual challenge show, "People Meet Their Celebrity Crush", except this time it's "CELEBRITIES Meet Their Celebrity Crush." Dream's entire team conspires against him to book him on this. Dream doesn't know what it is until the very moment since the whole point is to surprise people with their crush. Needless to say, Hob was REALLY dubious when the channel reached out like "do you want to come on as Dream's celebrity crush" but what's he gonna do say NO? say NO when Dream is so pretty and cute? So yeah he goes.

Anyway during the moment in the video when they revealed his celebrity crush to him -- aka Hob just looking like a totally normal and random guy -- Dream literally tripped over a chair and fell on the floor and then fainted. Instant meme and it became the thumbnail of the video. When Dream woke up to find Hob crouched by him all concerned asking if he was okay he nearly had a panic attack, he was never more flustered and nervous in his whole life not even performing for crowds of millions.

Hob fell in love instantly. He doesn't even know much about Dream, he hasn't even listened to Dream's music other than what's just playing ubiquitously on the radio all the time but all it took was watching Dream fall over a chair and then look up at him with his huge starry eyes and he was like 'This one's mine forever idc. I gotta protect this nerd he won't survive in the wild.'

Anyway they did start dating after that and Dream never leaves the honeymoon phase for the rest of his whole life, he truly thinks Hob is the most handsome man and best actor in the entire world and will tell anyone so at any opportunity, he goes around saying things like "see if you believe really hard you too can marry your celebrity crush 🥰" with zero irony, he might have skipped the Grammys to go to the premiere of season 3 of Hob's show (Hob didn't ask him to do that) (Dream won the Grammy but had more fun staring at Hob's face for 2 hours than he would have had at the awards show). Meanwhile Hob never talks about Dream in public because Dream already has negative 500% privacy in his life, he's extremely protective of him, and he allegedly punched one of the paparazzi in the face when they tried to take stealth shots at their wedding which was supposed to be a private affair. ALLEGEDLY. No charges were filed.

Dream did post one photo of the wedding on insta for his adoring fandom in which he described Hob as his knight in shining armor and then denied any knowledge of any 'alleged' events when asked about it in the future. Because Hob was so much more private about their relationship than Dream, for a while Dream's fandom had been like HOB DOESN'T DESERVE DREAM but after the (alleged) story about Hob punching someone in the face came out they were all obsessed with him. So that solved that problem.

(Despite Hob's efforts a paparazzi photo did come out of them the morning after the wedding, Hob sitting on the terrace drinking coffee, Dream sitting on his lap wearing Hob's shirt and looking thoroughly ravished. Dream might have framed it.)

Then they lived happily ever after. Dream put Hob in every one of his music videos regardless of whether it made sense for the story. Hob got one of Dream's songs put in his favorite TV show which made Dream's whole entire year. The end :)

[citrus-moonlight]

As I often do, I've seen a few posts going around lately lamenting the lack of interaction with fanfiction/fanart here on Tumblr as well as AO3, but after reading a particular comment last night I just need to say this:

If someone tells you that the lack of response to sharing their writing is making them feel so upset that they're thinking of quitting writing altogether, don't tell them that's not a good mindset to have and they should just have fun with it and write for themselves. (have you just tried not being sad? you'll feel so much better!)

Even if you're a writer who felt that way once upon a time but then you changed your mindset so that you don't rely on others' feedback for validation and now you're so much happier, that's not helpful. Because that's obviously not what the person who is feeling sad and defeated is able to do right now, and for most writers/creators that's never going to be possible.

And it shouldn't have to be.

Especially here. Especially fanfiction.

Fanfiction is something that's created because someone loves something and wants to share it with others who love the same thing. And this is specifically a fandom space, somewhere that is supposed to be a community where discussion and dialogue can and is encouraged to happen between the people who write and the people who read. So when there's radio silence when you share something in this kind of space, do you really not see how that would be discouraging?

Because of course I write for myself - I would never get anything down on the page if I didn't - but I share because ultimately I want someone else out there to read what I wrote, and with any luck, to get some joy out of it. But if no one tells me they did, how am I supposed to know? As far as I know I've just been yelling into the void. As far as I know, all that work wasn't worth it.

A metaphor I've seen as an example is that it would be like having someone invite you over and cooking an entire delicious, heartfelt meal, you eat it all without saying anything, and then just leave. Do you not see how that would be upsetting?

We put so much of ourselves into what we write, bits of our hearts and souls and the things that we love and are exploring and are interested in or confused about. It's such a vulnerable thing to share something you've created, so when you tell someone that they shouldn't care if someone else reads what they wrote or tells them that they liked it, you're dismissing a very real and valid experience for so many creators out there.

Because regardless of how slow or fast a writer is, or how big or small their fandom is, it's still hard and takes time and energy and dedication and love - all of it in between our day to day lives from the mundanities to the heartbreaks - to even get something to the point where we're comfortable sharing.

Now, I know that not everyone thinks that writers are silly or selfish or entitled when they ask for feedback. Before I started writing again after many, many years, the main reason I didn't really comment on fics very often wasn't because I didn't think that the authors deserved feedback, it was more that I didn't really think that it would matter. That my comments would just be noted - if read at all - and brushed aside and then they would continue on about their day.

I could not have possible been more wrong. You might think you're just one person and it's just one comment but it's amazing how it can turn a day (or week, or month) around. How it can encourage someone to finish a story, or make a connection they'd been struggling with, or even just manage to add 500 words to a WIP. It is truly incredible to hear that someone loved something I wrote, and if you've ever commented on or reblogged one of my fics, please know that it truly means the world to me.

I've gone through a rough time with all of this lately myself, but I'm doing a bit better now (for the moment), so I just wanted to say this, in part to remind myself when it inevitably gets hard again:

If you're reading this, whether you're a friend or you've never seen me on your dash and never will again: I'm sorry it hurts right now. I'm sorry you feel discouraged and lonely, that it doesn't feel like it's worth it anymore, that you're struggling to find a reason to continue.

But I desperately hope that you keep writing. I hope you keep sharing. You're worth it. I know it's hard, and if you don't want to and you're just tired of the cycle of giving so much of yourself and getting so little in return, I understand that, too. It's ok to be in your feelings about it, it's ok to feel drained by it, and even though knowing you're not alone in your experience doesn't change anything and it still sucks, it's normal and valid and there's nothing wrong with you feeling the way that you do.

But I hope that you are able to find the joy in it again, because you deserve it. ❤️

[swordsandholly]

Steel Magnolia

Part 1 - paused

Simon “Ghost” Riley x fem!plus size!reader

No use of y/n

Rating: Mature/MDNI

Word Count: 2.1k

Author’s Note: I just recently got back into fandom spaces and reading fanfic again and looooove the uptick in fat Y/N characters. Ofc as a big girl myself I wanted to try my hand at writing one too.

Hopefully I’ll post this on AO3 soon. Whenever I get my invite so I can make an acc.

“Oh! Darlin’, did ya see those boys next door?” Mrs. Duprey gasps as you swipe the last of her Bubble Bath OPI polish across her fingers.

“Next door?” You cock an eyebrow. “No one’s been next door since Adam and Eve.”

“I saw them on the way in!” She grins, the corners of her eyes wrinkling pleasantly. “Strappin’ young men - y’should talk t’ ‘em.”

You roll your eyes. “I’m sure I will sooner or later, ma’am.”

“You’ve been single too long.” The nosey old bat contributes. As much as you love her she truly cannot leave well enough alone.

“And I’m perfectly content as such.” You give her your warmest smile.

The trailer home across from you has remained empty for as long as you can remember. It’s well kept - sometimes you see random gardeners mowing or going in an out with tool bags - but no one lives there permanently. You’d think in a beach town it would at least belong to some snowbirds. A timeshare, maybe. It’s none of those things, though. Just a well-maintained, perfectly empty husk.

There’s a metaphor in there somewhere, probably.

Sure enough, as you walk Mrs. Duprey out of your little single wide trailer, you spot a black SUV parked out front of the neighboring double wide. One that is definitely *not* a repair man or worker’s vehicle. She coos at you to make sure to talk to them before waddling off to her own car. She really shouldn’t be driving at her age. You wonder briefly - futilly- if she’d sell you her car in exchange for rides.

You suppose she’s right - even if it is for the wrong reasons. You’re not particularly interested in flirting with the new neighbors. After all, don’t fuck where you eat is a saying for a reason, but it wouldn’t exactly be neighborly to not introduce yourself. Especially with all the people coming and going from your home for your nail tech services. The old Yankee’s catty-cornered from you still believe that you're a drug dealer. At least they only come down for a couple months of the year.

Despite your staunch decision not to flirt, you still find yourself adjusting your clothes. Maybe the sports bra as a top is a bit much…

Fuck it. If they live here now they’ll see you in worse.

You fix your lipstick and throw on your platform sandals. The ones that clip-clop as you walk. Maybe it will help announce your presence.

The screen door wraps quietly as you knock. You take two steps back on the front, wooden porch so as not to come off too aggressively. As the seconds tick by you debate on knocking again. Maybe they’re out. Or busy. They did just move in today, most likely. Maybe you should-

The door creaks slightly as it opens. A very, painfully handsome man pushes the screen door until it clicks in place. “Afternoon, lassie.”

You blink stupidly as he crosses his strong arms and leans on the doorframe. His eyes are a striking shade of blue - somehow both sharp and soft. His dark hair is shaped into a slightly grown-out, un-styled mohawk. It fits him oddly enough.

“I, uh,” you take a deep breath. Christ you need to get laid if just *looking* at a hot guy has you this off kilter. “I live across the way. Just wanted t’ say welcome t’ tha neighborhood.”

That lopsided smile on his face grows into a grin. You don’t miss the way his eyes catch on your chest. “Aye? Nice tae meet ye. Names John MacTavish. M’friends call me Johnny.”

He gives your hand an extra little squeeze after shaking it. That accent might as well have you on the floor. You continue to blink dumbly, watching the at the scar on his chin stretches as he speaks.

Christ almighty, you’re pathetic.

“Nice to meet’ya.” You give him a warm smile, tilting your head to the side slightly. “Ya’ll here for vacation? We don’t get many Europeans ‘round here.”

He chuckles. It’s low and rumbling and would probably feel wonderful with your ear pressed to his chest. “Little bit o’ business, little bit o’ pleasure. This an’ tha’.”

“Hello, there.” Another man pops up from behind Johnny suddenly. Fucking hell, he’s gorgeous too. Older, for sure, with a uniquely cut beard that would probably look rather silly on anyone less handsome. At it stands, he manages to make it appear dignified.

“Ah, jus’ about tae call fer ye, Cap. This is our neighbor.” Johnny gestures toward you.

“John Price.” The man steps forward to shake your hand. It’s firm and professional and thank god your grandad made you practice a good handshake as a kid or you’d be painfully embarrassed.

“Are all UK men named John or is this just some sorta cult?” You blurt, unable to stop yourself from snickering at them.

Older John chuckles at you fondly, his facial hair giving him a pleasant U-shaped smile. “Be easier to remember that way, wouldn’t it? No, we’re with two others. Kyle and Simon. They’re out at the moment.”

“Kyle and Simon.” You repeat, nodding. Johnny, John, Kyle, Simon. “Are y’all in town long?”

“Indefinitely.” Is all Price gives you. It’s a tone that even someone as dense as you can recognize as ‘don’t ask more.’

You clap your hands together and smile a little wider, ready to make your exit. “Well, I’m not here t’be a bother, just wanted t’ welcome ya and, uh, let y’know that I have a lot of people over throughout the day - I’m a nail tech. They shouldn’t bother ya but y’know.”

“Ye can come bother us anytime, bonnie.” The Scot hits you with that grin again and your face suddenly feels far too hot.

A loud, whining screech sounds off from down the road. You check your watch. Holy shit, three-thirty already. You begin to back off the porch. “Ah, nice t’ meet ya again! See ya ’round!”

As you jog down the little dirt road of the trailer park another black car passes you. It’s smaller, a sedan. You make very brief eye contact with a blonde wearing a surgical mask and another man with the sharpest golden eyes you’ve ever seen - even through the tint of the window.

*Kyle and Simon,* you think.

You make a mental note to greet them at some point and continue down the street. The school bus slowly stops at the entrance and you take up your spot in the small crowd of parents. IT’s a shabby old bus - chipping paint and break pads that sounds like they’re about ready to snap. It’s all they’re willing to send out to your little section of the city, though.

Shelby meanders over in your direction, her usual Camel Crush lit up in one hand and the other teasing her already well-lifted hair. “Afternoon. Saw there was some new folks across from ya.”

“Hm?” You keep your eyes on the bus. “Ah, yeah. Just vacationers, I think.”

“Lookers, though.” She chuckles.

“They’re from the UK.” You offer.

“No shit!” Shelby stamps out her cigarette as the bus doors open. “Accent and all?”

“Yep.” You grin.

Shelby tsks and fiddles with her hair again. “I best go over an’ make myself known, then.”

“There’s an older fella with a neat beard. Think you’d like ‘em.” You snicker.

She hums. “I’ll bring a pie.”

The children practically burst out of the bus doors, as always. Ready to be home and shuck off their backpacks to their respective adult. Shelby’s son almost knocks her over, offering a little “Good afternoon, ma’am!” to you before heading off with his mother.

You nod to him, shoving a hand in your pocket as you wait for yours. She’s always the last. Always caught up in a book or something and doesn’t realize it’s time to get off of the bus. Sure enough, the driver has to call back to her before the little girl comes dashing out. She jumps off of the bus steps, despite being told time and time again not to, and kicks a rock on her way toward you.

You bow low for her. “Welcome home, Lady Sophie.”

She giggles, dark curls bouncing as she skips over. “Ni-ni!”

You take her bag from her. The thing really does dwarf the poor six year old. Her hand slips into yours easily. Soft and round and somehow always so much warmer than yours.

“My nail color chipped!” She announces, holding up her ring finger on the opposite hand.

“Oh! Now we can’t have that. I’ll fix it tonight.” You smile, waving at old Mr.Chester as the two of you pass.

“Well now!” He calls. “How blessed am I to see two such lovely ladies!”

You both giggle, continuing on your way. He’s a good landlord - spotted you more than a few times when Sophie was a baby and you couldn’t work consistently. Honestly, as you look around, the little community that he’s managed to build in this shitty corner of the world should be praised. Housing just enough snowbirds to cover his property costs while keeping rent low for the full time locals. Maybe you could convince Natalie at the paper to run a little story on it or something.

As you pull up to your own home, the blonde man is outside leaning on the front of their double wide. Seeing him standing at full height makes your blood run cold. The man is built like a damn barn - tall and wide. Beyond solid. *Brick shithouse*. It’s a bit weird that he’s covered in clothing head to toe but whatever. Weirder things have happened before. The mask still covers his face, you wonder if he had taken it off before you came up or just flipped it up to smoke.

“Sophie, head on in. I’ll catch up.” You push her toward the door. She scampers in, the screen door slamming behind her as you march up to the brick shithouse of a man in front of you.

“Which are ya? Kyle or Simon?” You smile, holding out your hand to shake.

Dark eyes rake over you, stopping briefly on your hand, before moving back to meet yours. He stomps out the half smoked cigarette. “Simon.”

You let your hand drop. Bit rude, this one. “Nice t meetcha.”

The other man pops his head out of the trailer. Kyle, you assume. “Oh. Hello.”

“Hi.” You smile as warmly as you can, giving your name. “I’m assumin’ yer Kyle.”

“Yeah.” He chuckles. “I’m guessing you’re the neighbor Price mentioned.”

You nod, about to speak again but Simon shoves past you, marching his way up the steps. “Let’s go.” He grunts, pushing the other man back into the trailer despite his protests.

You wrinkle your nose at him. What an asshole.

“Who’s tha’?” Sophie asks over the back of the old, worn couch as you let the trailer door slam behind you.

“New neighbors.” You say simply, glancing out the window. “Don’t go over there without me, yeah?”

“Okay!” She agrees, sitting back on the couch and bouncing, beginning her usual post school chant. “Bluey! Bluey! Bluey!”

You drop her backpack down beside the small coffee table. “After yer homework.”

“Nooo!” She pouts.

“Then no Bluey.”

Sophie pouts harder but crawls down in front of the coffee table and pulls out her little work sheets. At least the school doesn’t over run them too terribly with homework toward the end of the year. You glance at the calendar. Wednesday, May 22nd. Damn, she really only has about a week left. Though, you’d be lying if you said you weren’t looking forward to this summer break with her. She’s old enough now that you can take her places like the arcade without having to wait on her so much. You’ll actually be able to play some of the two-player games.

Plus, this year, you actually have a little more pocket change to make it fun.

You turn to look out the window once more at the new neighbors. Their curtains remain closed, cars neatly parked out front. The door opens slowly, the hot Scot and rude blonde wander to the Sedan. Simon’s shoulders shake at something Johnny said - you think he’s laughing but its hard to tell with that mask. Johnny’s head turns, blue eyes meeting yours through the shitty glass windows of your trailer. You squeak and duck to sit next to Sophie, praying that he didn’t catch you staring.

[just-wrting]

Secret Admirer

Title: Secret Admirer

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Summary: You've been trying to figure out who keeps leaving you little notes and gifts. Despite everyone else knowing, you keep denying the obvious answer.

Word Count: 1721

Master List

A/N: This will probably be the only thing I write for Reid. I'm not super into him but when the List Randomizer spat out secret admirer I weirdly thought of him. I plan on trying to write a bunch of different characters from a bunch of different fandoms. Just whoever pops into my head I guess. Two will probably be posted Friday.

You aren’t sure when you noticed it. Maybe it was the fact that your desk was always clean. Maybe it was the little extra things that started to appear. Slowly but surely, you realized you had someone who was leaving you gifts and notes. You had a secret admirer.

Despite your efforts, no one on the team would say anything. For several weeks, you pressed the issue with the other BAU members, yet no one cracked. In fact, you were teased about being unable to figure it out. How could a member of the BAU not figure out their mystery admirer?

“Come on Garcia! I know you know. You have to tell me,” you plead with the tech genius. “You’ve literally been avoiding me. I know you know.”

She lets out a squeak before running to the safety of her lair. Morgan is giving you a smirk and shaking his head. Despite your scowl, he chooses to tease you.

“Come on, (L/N), can’t you figure it out? Who could be this mystery man leaving you gifts and fancy letters?” He laughs as he pokes the latest gift, a small stuffed version of your favorite animal.

“Hey, leave my new son out of this. What did he ever do to you?” you grumble, pulling it closer to you. “I didn’t even realize someone remembered such a little detail.”

“Maybe that means it’s been a long time crush.”

At that moment, Reid sets his bag down and takes a seat at his desk. You think you see Morgan’s grin get wider, but it’s hard to tell given how wide his smile usually is. It’s a picture perfect smile.

“That’s a relatively cute stuffed animal. I’ve actually been reading up on that one recently if you’d like to know more,” he offers. “Only if you’re interested of course.”

Reid gives you his charming boyish smile. It goes well with demeanor and you can’t help but find it cute.

“As long as you’re willing to leave out the creepy facts. I don’t even remember telling anyone my favorite animal,” you say with a smile. “Who would remember such a little detail?”

Morgan chimes back in, “Maybe someone with a perfect memory. Like what the kid has.”

You sigh. “Reid seems to like highly intelligent women with PhDs. I may be smart, but I’m not smart enough.”

Before anyone can protest, Hotch calls you all to the conference room for a case. While you’re sure Reid is nice enough to help whoever has a crush on you, you doubt you’d be his type. Maybe Reid is the perfect person to question about the mystery man.

—-

“Reid, (L/N), you two stay here and look through the papers,” Hotch orders before leaving the precinct.

You frown. What’s the point of having you here? Reid can read faster than you can. It’s almost like you’re just here for moral support in case he gets tired.

“Well now I feel useless,” you groan. “What am I even supposed to do?”

Reid doesn’t look up as he speaks. “Maybe today you’re our mascot. After all, mascots are supposed to be cute.”

You roll your eyes and try not to laugh. “Not all mascots are cute. Recognizable is definitely more important than cute. Besides, am I really that cute?

“I meant to say that compared to Morgan, you’re cute.” Reid buries his head further into the papers.

You ponder for a moment. “Well, you’ve got some charm. Morgan has the charm of he’s good with women so that’s why he gets hit on. Hotch is mature and a leader so that’s why women are into him. You’re cute though. You’ve got this soft sort of shyness that makes you adorable.”

You don’t catch Reid’s reply. His face is completely hidden behind various files. Maybe he’s just embarrassed, given that he’s always been a bit bad with taking compliments. That doesn’t stop you from thinking that it’s adorable.

“Speaking of your charms. I like the fact that you’ve got a good memory. You wouldn’t happen to know who’s got a crush on me, would you?”

He doesn’t look up. “I can pass along a message if you’d like.”

“Well then, I suppose you should tell this guy to ask me out. I can say for certain that if he’s this considerate, that he’s already got my interest.”

“I’ll do that,” he mumbles before handing you a file. “Take a look at this. I think I’ve found what we’ve been missing.”

—-

You peer into the lecture hall. It took some convincing, but you have successfully dragged J.J. to one of Lewis’ classes. You gesture vaguely into the room.

“See! That’s what normal Reid is. Dorky jokes, random facts, and the rambling on for ages is what makes him Reid. That’s not what he’s like around me anymore,” you hiss.

She makes a face and shakes her head. “So you have a different Reid? I don’t think he’s been replaced (L/N). Maybe you’re thinking about it too hard.”

You scoff. “No I’m not. Reid just seems so nervous around me. Did I do something? He barely looks at me anymore.”

With a shrug, she leads you away. “Have you tried asking him?”

You toss your empty coffee cup in a trash can. Part of you wants to throw up your hands and be done. Why is everyone treating this like it’s normal? No one is giving you any answers.

“Of course I have J.J. It would be weirder if I hadn’t. He clearly knows something about this secret admirer of mine, but won’t tell.”

J.J. pats your arm comfortingly. “Maybe it’s because he’s your secret admirer. Perhaps you need to ask him out.”

“Yeah sure. I’ll ask him out once I have the evidence that he’s the person leaving me these gifts.”

J.J. raises her eyebrows as she drinks from her coffee. Her face says she has other thoughts, but she won’t press the matter further. Your gut tells you to trust her, but you’d rather not make a fool of yourself. Sure, she knows Reid better than you do, but Reid can be difficult to read.

—-

After reading the latest note, you search your desk for your stapler. You’ve been stapling the date and time to each note before tucking it in your desk. However, it’s missing.

You let out a groan. This isn’t the first time it’s been in the wrong spot, and you’re sick of it. You opt to beg Garcia to look at the camera footage to see who’s been using it.

“Hey Garcia? Can you please pull up the footage of my desk this morning? Someone’s been using my stapler, and today they stole it,” you grumble with a scowl. “Whoever took it is going to get some very strong words.”

As she speeds through the footage, you watch the people who got there before you. At first, you see Reid pause at your desk and fiddle with something. You note that he’s the only person in the office at the time, but after he pulls away, you see your stapler still on the desk.

The next person to stop at your desk is Morgan. He pulls your stapler off your desk and staples his paperwork together as he heads to Hotch’s office. He never sets it back on your desk.

“Garcia? Can you please get my stapler from that idiot?”

She laughs. “Has he been using your stapler this whole time? He said there wasn’t any more in the supply room.”

You shake your head. “You like him so much, you can retrieve my stolen goods from him.”

Garcia nods. “I’m on it. You can count on me.”

You leave her to her planning. You don’t comment on the fact that Reid had been at your desk. If you ask her about it, she’ll just  leave you alone to go get your stapler. This is enough evidence for you though. It’s time to confront Reid.

Thankfully, he’s made his way to the conference room to look for something. You sneak in behind him and stand between him and the door.

“So, what did you need from my desk this morning?”

You watch him jump and spin around. He looks shocked, but quickly covers it up.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, (L/N).”

You frown. “I found out my stapler was missing. Garcia showed me the footage and before it went missing, you were at my desk. What did you do?”

Reid opens and closes his mouth a few times. He doesn’t look at you. His hands keep fiddling with whatever he’s holding.

“Forget about it, I’m sure there was just some trash leftover that you cleaned up.”

He swallows hard. “Yeah. I didn’t want you to have to worry about it.”

You give him a smile. “Thanks. Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask you about something else. The others seem to think I’m just talking myself out of it, but I think I can't put it off any longer.”

You make your way towards him, your smile still plastered on your face. You can tell he’s even more nervous now.

“Reid, are you my secret admirer?”

This time, Reid looks you in the eyes. You hear his breath hitch in his throat.

“What if I am?”

You’re a bit taken aback. Despite the determination you had walking into this, you aren’t sure what to say.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Your voice is a whisper now. It feels like some sort of dream. It’s almost like if you talk too loud, this whole thing will shatter and you’ll be left in pieces.

“I didn’t think you’d like me back. Your type just didn’t seem to include me.”

Reid hesitantly pushes a strand of hair out of your face.

“You’re more my type than you realize.”

“Then do you want to get dinner tonight?”

Now you’re the one who's acting nervous. Your palms are sweaty. It’s more difficult to breathe. You can’t help but bite your lip.

“I’d like that. If you’re willing to get dinner with me.”

Reid leans down, and gives you a quick kiss. It barely lasts a second, but you can feel your skin heat up. When he pulls away, he stays close.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

[howiscallmewhateveridctaken]

Lmfaooo what a week 😅

So a lot of people are, understandably, leaving the fandom. Drama like this always tends to put people off and unfortunately that affects the media they’ve come to love. I’m not going to be one of those people bc honestly, I don’t even know if I was ever that “in” the fandom in the first place to even leave it. My account isn’t and never was a nevermore account, yes I’ve made a few nevermore post but those were infrequent and amongst posts and reblogs of multiple other fandoms. I’m also in the discord server but I’ve only ever been a lurker, and usually only ever go in it when I want more context to something I’ve seen on tumblr. With that being said however, I still plan on reading nevermore when (or if) it continues because in THIS particular instance I can easily separate art from the artist and I’ll explain why in a moment.

Like I said I’m not and never have been very active in the fandom. I learned about this drama through a post from an account I follow and went through the server to find more context. I was not present through any of the actual conflicts but I’ve seen the conversations.

So why am I commenting on this?

Well mainly I want to make a point about para social relationships as well as moderation of servers and fandoms as a creator.

I just want to preface this by saying that after reading through all possible context, perspectives, takes and evidence I could find or come across, I genuinely don’t think red is necessarily a bad/morally wrong person. I DO however think she is in the wrong in this situation especially due to how she handled everything. As for how a lot of people are reacting to everything, there’s a couple of things I’d like to note:

From what I’ve seen, all of this is just one big thing of “he said/she said” and pointing fingers as well as just picking sides. If your absolutely distraught because red didn’t turn out to be the person you thought they were simply because she said things you didn’t like, I understand the disappointment and frustration but please remember that content creators in general aren’t your friends. You don’t know these people, they just do things you happen to like. Now I’m not saying you SHOULDN’T feel upset about it, it’s ok to and you even should if it’s an issue to you feel strongly about but please keep in mind that this isn’t a “sign of their true colors” or anything because you don’t know what they were actually like to begin with. Ofc I don’t mean that to say “expect the worst from people” but more as a reminder that can hopefully help you to look at the situation more critically and logically before jumping in guns blazing. It’s understandable if it affects you emotionally, you were emotionally invested in their work; but please realize this before you let it get to that point. Now on the other side of the coin, there’s the people who I feel as though will just pick the creators side simply because they’re fanboys and will stand by them no matter what. I’m DEFINITELY NOT saying that’s what everyone who’s on red side is, but naturally there’s bound to be a few that are going to dickride for the sake of dickriding. Regardless, there’s a lack of willingness to listen and understand from both sides (at least from what I’ve noticed) and that’s a problem because when no one wants to listen then what’s supposed to be a community coming together to resolve an issue just turns into a giant flame war. Also this should go without saying, but at least give the mods a chance. They obviously handled the whole situation horrendously but they aren’t going to do their jobs any better when they’ve got people coming at them with pitchforks.

Speaking of the moderators. I genuinely can’t wrap my head around how red and the other mods have managed to fumble this badly…….like it’s almost funny. All said and done they all had ONE very simple job and they blew it. Although I very much disagree with it, I do understand red’s decision to unban crimson. They wanted to give them a second chance, sure whatever. What I DONT GET is why would they not at the very least check to see if anyone else would be comfortable with a decision that would possibly affect them or even impact their safety. At the very least a warning to or a discussion with the victims would have been something. Not only that but even after they unban them, once red saw the NUMEROUS amount of people that were upset about it they, they should have immediately banned them again and then apologize after instead of some rushed explanation. But I get it stress gets the better of you. I understand their desire to keep things as transparent as possible (which i appreciate and I’m sure so do many others) but from that first apology/explanation it felt more like red trying to shake responsibility off themselves and pointing fingers in the guise of being transparent. I did see where red was trying to get at in her first statement, but there was also things that she honestly should have just had the foresight to realize wouldn’t put her in a better light, and this is aside from the victim blaming-esque wording. red basically says that she felt like a group of people (including Laci the one who reported crimson) were just out to get crimson, which is absolutely insane but then again it’s the internet so who knows. However it’s super clear that Laci obviously wasn’t lying bc the things she accused crimson of did in fact happen. So even bringing that up was enough for me to raise my eyebrow at but I digress. Then red practically says it was hard to handle the situation bc the evidence provided was censored, but Laci literally offered to give the uncensored versions so that was completely disingenuous on red’s part at best. To me it just seemed like the mods were looking for excuses for what could be there own laziness at best and negligence at worst. Their biggest fault so far is not being very good at actually listening to their audience and taking them into consideration. She also brought up that fact that Laci was apparently the only person to report crimson which I did not like to say the least. One of the victims confided in Laci and Laci brought it forward. I understand reds suspicions about Laci not being in the actual server where it happened but how are you going to immediately jump to “well why did no one else bring it up” instead of stopping for a sec and thinking “ hm clearly these victims feel uncomfortable stepping forward”. Which they had to do now anyway because of how bad the issue became. They should not have had to do that. Better it be just one person reporting, even if it’s someone you don’t like, than no one reporting and the issue persists under the radar.

And then there’s red’s formal apology…

First off, girl why are you dropping names??? A bunch of who are supposedly minors? Like let’s be so fucking for real right now😭

And then the audacity to be like “please don’t go after or dm these people” like babes if you were genuinely worried about them you wouldn’t have used their names at all. ESPECIALLY when in the end it was completely irrelevant and borderline inappropriate since it really had nothing to do with crimson, their actions or how you handled them. Not to mention the act of calling them “cliques” when literally all they were was side servers. Like if they’re cliques then what does that make red and everyone who’s on her side? It was very clearly just a biased reaction to people saying things she doesn’t like about her, which by all means she has the right to respond to but not in a way that is clearly trying to sway how everyone else sees them. The way red describes everything is as if it’s middle school drama and then proceeds to play directly into it. Don’t get me wrong her apology was fine, when she was ACTUALLY apologizing. Everything else felt like a last ditch effort to drag others under the bus with her. It was lowkey embarrassing to say the least.

Again, it’s important that I make it clear that I don’t believe red is a bad person. I just think she’s an immature person, or at least she is in how she handled everything and continues to handle it bc like I said I don’t know her, and don’t care to frankly. I didn’t start reading nevermore to be buddy buddy with her. Like if we look at the grand scope of things, this is a grown woman beefing with kids. Obviously they aren’t all kids, most of them aren’t I believe but she’s practically stooping down to school yard conflict in how she’s responded so far. Especially at one point in the server when she was being called out and jumped to “yeah I guess I’m the bad guy and totally evil. You all should hate me”. Like actually cut that shit out, what are you doing. I mean honestly.

And my final point because I’ve ranted long enough. I mentioned before that in this instance I am willing to separate the art from the artist, I stand by that because I genuinely do think this is a situation where red could hopefully grow from this and rectify things. The actual unbanning was a stupid and inconsiderate move on her part, but I don’t think she meant any ill-will or had any malicious intent. I disagree with the people calling her a r@pe apologist because that’s honestly just a huge reach. I’ve also seen some accusations of red and/or Flynn being racist, promoting inappropriate art knowing there’s minors around and from what I’ve seen it’s pretty iffy. Regarding the racism, I don’t believe that they are. Their characterizations of the characters regarding their ethnicities IS stereotypical and was obviously just very surface level research into those respective cultures but I chopped that up to ignorance rather than racism. As a woc I was frankly just relived they didn’t make the poc characters centered on some kind of discrimination or tragedy from their era, which yes is something that shouldn’t be ignored but also I don’t know if rednflynn could accurately and more importantly, respectfully portray those types of issues. Nor is it even their place tbh. With that being said however I don’t belong to most of the cultures the characters belong to. To me it never seemed like they were making a caricature out of these cultures, especially since their ethnicities are barely relevant to their stories anyway but I acknowledge that it’s not my place to deem what’s offensive or not.

As for the promoting inappropriate art of the characters and creating some themselves. Yeah they do. I’ve never been shocked about that nor did I think it was something that they are wrong for doing, I mean it’s their own work. Granted I didn’t realize how many minors were in the fandom but that’s literally every fandom, there’s only so much you could do about it. I don’t know if nevermore has a rating but it’s not like it was something ever promoted to be kid friendly, it’s obvious that some scenes are just straight up fan service. While I personally don’t like fan service it never was enough to impact the story so I personally never saw an issue. But point is I don’t think they should have to monitor what is and isn’t appropriate for minors but things get tricky when they have a server where they are clearly aware of minors.

And then there’s other things like people accusing them of promoting SA or some shit like that bc of a lot of stuff involving Montessor which frankly, that’s just a media literacy issue on the readers part. So yeah with that being said I don’t think red is a bad person, although I understand why a lot of people are done with them which is completely fair. I’m pretty much in a grey area about it, who knows if they end up getting in an even bigger scandal, hopefully they come out better from this but only time will tell. The best/smartest thing red has said throughout this entire debacle was that they’re taking a step back from the fandom. I think it’ll be good for everyone, especially them. It seems like it’ll take stress off them anyway. Plus the hole they’ve dug for themselves is already halfway to china by now so there’s that

[dreamingofep]

Forbidden Love pt. 6💔❣️

Fandom: Elvis - Elvis (2022)

Prompt: Reuniting with Elvis was supposed to be the highlight of your summer, but with unresolved tensions between you two, things aren't what they seem. Fem! reader]

TW: Cussing, teasing, Elvis being a menace, SMUTT!!!

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 6.2k

A/N: Hi Elvis fandom! Posting this at Elvis hours, (very late at night/early morning 🤭) which seems fitting hehe. Hope you enjoy this next part! I did some ✨research✨ into what songs Elvis had when he first started to prepare for the show in ‘69. So these songs I put in the chapter really were songs he practiced 🤭The next chapter is going to get complicated between these two. 🫣

A side note, I realize I definitely describe him in a vampire way still with certain adjectives I use to describe what he’s doing. 🤭 Oh well, that’s just the beast in him😈😏

•

He wouldn’t let you leave the bed. His kisses and caresses kept you glued to him. He ended up pinning you to the bed and ravaging your body in kisses. You couldn’t get away even if you tried. It felt too good to escape. If he kept this up, you were sure he’d get hard again and you would be making more of a mess in his bed.

After some coaxing, you finally get your dress back on and go to the bathroom to make yourself look presentable again. Elvis comes up behind you and wraps his hands around your waist.

Home. He felt like home when he was wrapped around you.

You look at his reflection and he places a soft kiss on your neck.

“Your hair is a mess,” you giggle, reaching up behind you to ruffle it with your fingers.

“So is yours. You still look good though,” he chuckles.

“We cannot go back out there looking like this. Where do you keep your brushes?” You ask as you open some of the drawers. He opens one on the other side of you and takes out a wooden handle brush with black bristles. He sets the brush on the lip of the sink and picks up up quickly, sitting you on the counter.

“Allow me. It’s only fair since I made your hair look like that,” he says cheekily. You slowly nod your head at him, feeling the need to be as close as you can be to him. He spreads your legs apart so he can step in between them and get closer to you. Your hands rest around his torso as you look up at him. He gently put his hand on the back of your neck and placed a kiss on your head.

He runs the brush through the ends of your hair, gently brushing through it to make sure not to pull your hair in any way. You watch how focused he is on you like he’s really enjoying this simple mundane task. He takes his time with you. Even when your hair was smooth and free of tangles, he kept brushing it.

“Now it's your turn,” you tell him getting off the counter. He chuckles at you and sits down on a stool in the corner of the bathroom by a full length mirror. You run your hands through his hair and he grumbles delighted by your touch. You glance over at his reflection in the mirror and he looks so at peace, like this is something he needed. You take the brush off the counter and slowly brush through his thick tresses.

His hair was so pitch black and soft to the touch. You could spend hours doing his hair if he let you. You go back into the drawer where he got the brush and find a small tin of pomade. You wet your hands and take a small scoop of it and rub it on your hands. You gently run your hands through his hair and fix the sides of his hair first. You try to keep the top of his hair soft and not too gelled back, he looked so handsome when some hairs fell on his forehead.

“There you go, not so… messy,” you giggle, kissing him on the cheek.

He smiles at you in the mirror, “thank you, baby, it looks great,” he says sweetly.

“Can you go out there first? Just to make sure there’s no one out there that will see me,” you say nervously.

“Yes of course,” he says standing up, giving you a cheeky smile. “Or we can just stay in here all day and make more of a mess in that bed,” he mumbles in your ear. You huff and look at him unamused.

“I’m going to smack you I swear,” you joke and wiggle out of his grasp, moving out of the bathroom. You wait for him to emerge from the bathroom and he puts his shirt back on.

“You’re sure you don’t want to keep me locked in here for the rest of the day. I feel like that might be the better option,” he teases.

“Elvis,” you warn.

“Fine, fine, I’m goin’,” he chuckles.

He leaves the room and you look at the messy bed. There was a clear wet spot left in the middle of the bed and you huff frustrated. Shit, you didn’t want his housekeepers to see this. You get a towel from the bathroom and try to wipe away the mess you two left behind. The wet spot was still there and hoped no one walked in to see it. You lay the towel over it and will figure something out later to fix the sheets.

You peek your head out to see where Elvis went. He was walking back in your direction and motioned for you to come out now. You quickly shut the bedroom door and rush to him.

“Is there anyone in here?” You ask quietly.

“No honey, it’s still just us,” he says mischievously, pulling you in once again.

“But the guys are outside and can walk in any moment,” you say pulling away from him. He grumbles displeased.

“Fine, why don’t we get rid of them for a bit,” he tells you. “We don’t have anything for you to make your pies. I’ll send them to the store for the stuff you need and dinner,” he quips.

“Pies? How many do you possibly want?” You laugh.

“I’m tryin’ to get you to stay longer remember? As many as you can make ” He says low, looking you up and down.

You swallow harshly and try to step away from him.

“You’re ridiculous. And you want me to cook dinner? The deal was to bake something for you, that’s all,” you mutter as you walk back to the kitchen.

You look through the drawers and find a notepad and pen. You start to write down the recipe and a list of all the ingredients. You hear Elvis walk into the kitchen and lean down behind you, his hands on the countertop and you trapped between his arms. You don’t look back at him, you know what he’s trying to do.

“What do you think you’re doing?” You ask low.

“Just seeing what you’re writin’ down. Hmm let’s see what we have here… flour, shortening… sugar… oh I think I have plenty of that I can give you,” he says low as he covers your neck in warm, wet kisses.

God those lips. Those lips are like wildfire, branding their way to every inch of your body.

You quickly turn around and pull at his shirt.

“You better stop,” you groan.

“Make me,” groans as he squeezes your ass.

The sound of the front door opens and you quickly shove at his chest to get him away from you. You turn your back to the kitchen entrance and try to go back to writing something on the notepad. Your heart raced as you heard the footsteps of someone walking closer. Dear God, please don’t let it be John.

“Hey E, we’ve been looking for ya,” a man’s voice says. You sigh a breath of relief it's not a voice you recognize and turn around to see who it is. It was a taller man, a bit younger than you and Elvis.

“Hi, I don’t think we’ve ever met. I’m y/n,” you say as you reach your hand out to shake his. He politely shakes it and smiles at you.

“Hi, I’m Jerry. Nice to meet you. You’re John’s girl right?” He asks.

There’s an uncomfortable silence, you didn’t jump to answer the question like a normal wife would. You glance over at Elvis and see he has a scowl on his face, not liking the question at hand. It kind of ticked you off that was his reaction to the question. He didn’t know you anymore. He doesn’t have some claim on you. You don’t owe him anything.

“Yeah, I am,” you say pompously, “What’s it like working for Elvis?” you ask, looking away from him.

“A never-ending adventure,” he jokes.

That gets both of you to laugh too and the mood gets much more comfortable.

“Are you done with that list? I’ll have them run to the store now,” Elvis asks you.

“Umm yeah almost hold on,” you say going back to the notepad.

“What did we forget from the store? We just got back,” Jerry asks a little confused.

You turn back around and look at Elvis to help you explain. He grins at you and snickers, “Oh you didn’t hear? Y/n is staying and making dinner for all of us,” he says proudly.

“Oh, that sounds great! Can’t wait,” Jerry says happily.

Damn it, he wins this time.

*

July 1st, 1969

For the next week and a half, you and Elvis had this dance. It was almost perfectly rehearsed and polished. He would call, beg you to come over, you would say no, he would keep begging, then you would give in and find yourself tangled in his bedsheets. It was almost like clockwork. You became worried someone would notice the pattern, especially John. So you both needed to update the routine and make it more believable. You knew when John would get off work and would time it perfectly so that you were waiting around the corner from Elvis’ house. He never saw you and never bothered to ask you where you were. A perfect performance.

But there were times you needed to say no to him and that was difficult. He hated anyone telling him no but in particular, he hated when you said no to him. He grew so upset and distraught. It was like he could only function when you were by his side. You needed to remind him you weren’t his girl. This was a weird summer fling that you two were in the midst of and didn’t want any of the guys getting suspicious of that either.

You all would have dinners together almost every other day. Some were spontaneous, others were scheduled a few days in advance and it was a wonderful time. Everyone got along, the food was always so fabulous, and you were always requested to bake something for dessert. You were getting a liking to this new routine you found yourself in. You were working a lot of morning shifts at the diner which was becoming extremely difficult to do if you were over at Elvis’ the night before. You would be up at all hours of the night talking or letting him make love to you. You’d roll out of bed that morning exhausted and silently cursing Elvis out for keeping you up so late. You swear this man never sleeps and had to be part vampire or something.

You knew your dance would have to end. It was only a matter of time. But Elvis didn’t see it that way, he thought this was only the beginning. Things started to change when Dianne was back at the house. You discovered Dianne was quite nosey and constantly needed to know what Elvis was up to.

Your frequent visits to the house started to dwindle because of it. Elvis would still ask you to come over but you would always ask him if Dianne was there and there would be the most deafening silence that would answer your question for you. It made you sad in a way you might not see him as much as you have. It felt like you had just got him back. You two were opening up more and talking about things that you normally wouldn’t have with someone else. It was so refreshing. He opened up about what this new Vegas endeavor might do for his career. He was extremely nervous about it all, but he was even more anxious to get out there again and perform for his fans. That’s what he loved most.

It was early afternoon and you had just gotten off work. You quickly took a shower and were ready to rest your aching bones. You are about to grab a book and sit on your couch when the phone rings. You frustratedly grunt and quickly walk to the kitchen to answer it.

“Hello?” You say shortly.

“Hi baby how are you?” He asks. Your heart skips with the sound of his voice.

“I’m fine, just a little tired that’s all,” you tell him.

“Oh, I’m sorry honey. Are you doing anything today?” He asks.

“I just want to sit on the couch and do nothing, why?” You ask.

“Well, we’re rehearsing today for Vegas and I want you there,” he says matter of factly.

You sigh a bit, “Honey, you know I can’t. It would be too weird if I’m there. I’m not part of your band or anything,” you try to reason.

“I know, but you have a good ear for this kind of stuff. I want your opinion about the songs I’ve chosen so far,” he says.

It was sweet he thought of you like this, music was always a passion of yours. It would be a fun experience no less. You hadn’t heard Elvis sing live in years. It shocked you in his TV special last year how mature and powerful his voice had become. You couldn’t imagine what he would sound like live right in front of you.

It seemed like an innocent enough request, he wanted your opinion on the setlist. It wasn’t too out of the ordinary. It shouldn’t draw that much attention to you or him.

“Okay, I’ll go. What time and where are you rehearsing?” You ask grabbing and pen and paper to write down the address.

“Perfect,” he says gleefully, “there’s a car waiting for you outside now. I’ll see you over there,” he says and the line disconnects.

“You little shit,” you mutter into the phone before hanging it up. He knew he’d get a yes out of you.

You get dressed and settle for a skirt and a simple tank top. It was pretty warm outside and wanted to be comfortable. You quickly rush to grab your purse and your keys before heading out the door. A black Cadillac was waiting for you and Jerry was in the front seat.

“Hey Jerry,” you say a bit timidly when you get in.

“Hey y/n, so glad you could make it,” he says sweetly.

“Yeah me too. Did he say I was expected to get picked up or?” You ask as he starts backing out of the driveway.

“Yea he said you needed a ride so he sent me,” he tells you.

“Ah I see,” you chuckle.

“What’s so funny,” he snickers.

“He’s just funny. Funny how he thinks,” you say looking out the window.

“I have no idea what you mean,” he says sarcastically.

*

Elvis rehearsed at RCA studios in Hollywood. It wasn’t a long drive but the hustle and bustle of the city made it take longer than it should have. It had been a few days since you’d seen him and you got a little nervous. It was something so trivial, but you didn’t want to lose him again. You truly did want to spend as much time with him as possible. It was staying late at the house that made it complicated. When everyone would go home after a long day or after dinner, you lingered around by yourself and you prayed it wasn’t as noticeable as you thought. You did feel like you two picked up where you left off in some ways. Just being intimate with one another made it hard to just stay friends.

You both made it to the studio and Jerry escorts you inside. There was a low hum of the musicians tuning their instruments or doing little vocal work. Everyone turns their attention to the door when you walk in, probably expecting Elvis to walk in instead. You and Jerry say hello to everyone and quickly find a seat in the back of the room.

A few moments later, a hush falls into the room when Elvis walks in and you hold your breath when you see him. He was wearing all black and sunglasses that hid his eyes well. He lit up the room instantly and the band was so excited to meet him. It was a lot their first time getting to meeting him and you can tell how much they respected and admired him. Elvis shakes everyone’s hand one by one, taking his time to talk to them individually. He went up to his backup singers, The Sweet Inspirations, and kissed them all on the lips. They were in shock just like you would be. It didn’t make you jealous like you might have thought, it was sweet and innocent somehow. He finally gets to you and has a big smile on his face.

“There’s my favorite girl,” he says picking you up and squeezing you tight. You can’t help but squeal when he does this, he radiates so much happiness.

“Hi,” you say softly.

“You look wonderful,” he says sweetly.

He turns around to face everyone in the room.

“Thank you all for being here today. Just wanted to introduce y/n, we’ve known each other since we were teenagers. I wanted her honest opinion about the setlist so far so she’ll be sitting in on this rehearsal,” he tells everyone, smiling at you. You have the same look on your face too.

“You’ll have to tell us some stories of what he was like back then,” one of the guys yells out. Everyone laughs and it lightens the mood.

“Oh, I can tell you guys stories for hours. We go way back. I’ll tell you once he leaves the room,” you say jokingly. You look back up at Elvis and he has this look on his face. It was soft and loving. It was like he felt some kind of adoration when he looked at you. You couldn’t put your finger on it but you loved how it made you feel. You wish he could look at you like this forever.

The band gets to work and Elvis is a natural at leading them. He explained to them the idea of the overall show. It was going to be grand and like nothing anyone had ever seen before. Besides the regular band, there would be a thirty-piece orchestra behind them, giving every single song a larger-than-life feeling. You couldn’t fathom it as you watched them practice. They all sounded phenomenal and with an orchestra too, they were going to be the best show in Vegas.

Every aspect was blowing your mind as you watched the rehearsal go on but nothing surprised you more than Elvis’ voice. It was extremely strong and powerful. He started off his show with songs from the fifties but you could swear they were completely different now. He brought a newfound energy to them.

He started off the set with ‘Blue Suede Shoes,’ and you agreed it was a great choice starting with something everyone knows so well. But it sounded so much richer the way the band was playing it and the way Elvis’ gritty vocals paired with the ‘50s tune. The song came alive like this.

You felt alive when he sang too. There was something so satisfying about his voice. The way he’d growl a certain word or the way he’d look like he was going through a moment of ecstasy when he was singing a line. It was the way he subtly moved his hips with the drums or the way he’d grip the microphone tighter when he was about to hit a high note. It was all alluring. He was alluring. You couldn’t look away from what he was doing and that was a dangerous thing.

You liked every song so far and liked the pace of the show he crafted. He mixed in some slower ballads that you knew the audience would love. He played one that surprised you, ‘Such a Night.’ It wasn’t one you normally heard on the radio or anything. The longer you listened to and lyrics, the made you a bit… flustered. They were too reminiscent of what you two did such a long time ago. You knew he played this song on purpose in front of you. He wanted to see your reaction. It had you uncomfortably hot the way he was looking at you for a split second then look away like a blushing teenage boy. It was cruel! The song finally ended and you were thankful for that. The tension between you two from just across the room was too much.

You had your eyes glued to him the whole time and as the rehearsal went on, you had to admit it; you were becoming weaker by the moment. You tried to sit still but he was getting you flustered. Every movement had you ogling him. This was something you didn’t expect. It was one thing to feel a certain way as he sang, but when he moved, your body couldn’t help but want him. You felt yourself become wet just sitting there watching this man. The way he moved was… familiar. There were certain ways he moved that remind you of how he’d move his hips when he-

You try to snap yourself out of those thoughts and focus on what he is going to sing next. After two hours into rehearsal, Elvis wanted to focus on the sit-down portion of the show. He wanted time to play his electric guitar and talk to the audience in this half he explained.

He starts playing his guitar with a bluesy tone. It's familiar. He played this one in his special last year. Oh you remember, ‘Baby What You Want Me to Do,’ was the name. His lead guitarist joins in as well as the drummer. His leg won’t stop shaking and it's extremely distracting. Your eyes drink him in and swear you’re swooning over this man just sitting there! That’s all it took! Just put a guitar in his lap and you are on the floor weak.

His voice sounds so good with this one which shouldn’t surprise you. It’s gritty and full of temptation. You watch as his fingers slide up and down the neck of the guitar. Both of your eyes meet as he’s singing and you feel your heart stop. His eyes were so bewitching and sucked you in. It was as if no one else was in the room and he was trying to seduce you.

You got me doin' what you want me

Oh, baby, what you want me to do

You feel your body stiffen at those words. This should not be happening or even possible to feel so attracted to this man. You don’t understand what power he possesses but it was strong. It had you wanting to do whatever he wanted to do.

You me peeping, you got me hiding

You got me peep, hide, hide, peep

Any way you wanna let it roll

Yeah, yeah, yeah

You got me doin' what you want me

Oh, baby, what you want me to do

He bites his lip as he sings that last line and eyes you up and down. That one look just about killed you.

His guitarist breaks out in a solo and you need air or water or just a second to try to calm yourself down. You could not believe you were feeling like this! It felt ridiculous almost but this was Elvis you were feeling like this for. This was no ordinary man.

As the band keeps playing away, you quietly make your way out of the rehearsal room and down the hallway to where you find a bathroom. It was a smaller one with only two stalls, a beautiful vanity mirror, and a sink in front of it. You go straight to the mirror and see your deplorable reflection. Your cheeks were slightly flushed and your heart still raced by the way he was looking at you. No man had ever looked at you the way Elvis does. It was illicit and dangerous. You didn’t know any of the band members yet, they could easily suspect something was going on between you two.

You run the water and wash your hands, enjoying the cold water. You focus on calming down and trying to get your face not so red. You hear someone walk down the hallway in your direction and try to pull yourself together quicker. The door made a squeak when it opened and you quickly glanced up at the mirror to see who it was in the reflection. Your heart stops again.

“Everything okay baby?” Elvis asks low standing in the doorway.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just needed to use the restroom,” you try to deflect like nothing could be wrong.

“Oh, well you walked out of there pretty quickly, I thought something was really wrong,” he says seriously.

“Oh no, nothing like that. I just needed a moment,” you try to assure him. Actress or not, you were a terrible liar and he could see right through you.

He takes a step inside the bathroom and puts his hand up on the door frame, the door still cracked open behind his back.

“Honey seriously, what is it? I know when you’re hiding somethin’,” he says a bit miffed.

You couldn’t tell him. No. It was too embarrassing to say out loud.

“I’m fine, I’ll be out there in a sec. Just go on without me,” you huff, turning back around.

The door shuts and the sound of the lock bolting makes you quickly turn back around. Elvis stands inches away from you and doesn’t say a word right away. His gaze is serious and heated. He knows you’re lying through your teeth.

“Baby, I’m not going to ask again, what’s going on?” He growls.

“E-elvis I’m-, please don’t worry. Everything is fine. Let’s go back out there,” you say as you still feel your cheeks warm. You try to push past him but he won’t let you. He takes your hand and stops you.

“Why are you lyin’ to me hmm?” He asks low.

You sigh defeated, you couldn’t utter the words right to his face.

“Honey,” you whimper.

“I’m not letting you out of here until you tell me,” he says concerned, gently pulling you closer and pressing his body into his. You involuntarily groan when you feel his body touch yours. You felt on fire when he was this close and you know that small noise that just passed your lips blew your cover.

He tilts your chin up to look at him and his eyes light up with embers. The longer he looks at you, watching your breathing quicken, his lips start to form into a smug smile.

“Oh… I see what’s happening,” he tells you.

You hold onto the slack of his shirt and plead for him to be sensible.

“Please, you should be out there, everyone’s waiting for you,” you tell him to try to get focused again.

“They’ll be fine without me,” he grumbles. His hands slide down from your hips to the curve of your ass and you press into him more. He lets out a pleased sigh when he feels this reaction.

“Tell me, tell me what you need,” he says low into your ear. He places a soft kiss at the crook of your neck, just where you like to be kissed by him.

“Like you don’t know,” you say defiantly, your gaze heated at him.

You both were stubborn, and strong-willed with one another and neither of you was going to back down. He straightens his posture and cocks his head at you as he looks at your needy face. He picks you up and sets you firmly on the counter. The cold tile hits the backs of your thighs and you grunt when you feel his hands squeeze at your hips.

“I wanna hear it from your lips, honey. Tell me what had you running so quick out of that room,” he says. You stay silent, hoping he’ll give up. The way he’s looking at you though makes you weak. It was incomprehensible, but you couldn’t help but like it all.

“I want you…,” you sigh, hoping that will be enough for him to let you go.

He shakes his head at you, not liking the response.

“You’re going to have to be a little more specific. Why do you want me so bad hmm?” He asks slyly.

“Because you are pure temptation and I can’t handle being in the same room as you for too long,” you say grumpy.

“Now you know how I feel every single time I look at you,” he growls. More wetness pools in your panties and you’re aching for him. You pull at his arms, silently begging for him to touch you anywhere else.

“Jesus honey, please,” you sigh.

His hand travels down to the hem of your skirt and lifts it up, exposing your black panties to him.

He presses his fingers to your folds and you automatically moan. His face lights up with shock when he finds how wet you’ve become.

“God baby you’re soaked. What made you this wet baby? Tell me,” he demands as he groans, pushing two fingers at your entrance. You gasp and pull at his shirt.

“Fuck, all of it. Your voice, the way you moved, the way you sat there looking at me like you could fuck me from across the room. It was all too much,” you groan as he twists his finger into you.

“I can’t help it, baby, that’s just the way I sound, that’s the way I move. And I can’t help you look like the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on,” he confesses as he pulls you in for a passionate kiss. He leaves you breathless and more needy as time passes by.

“Please,” you beg in between kisses.

He pulls down your panties quickly and shoves them into his pocket. You tear at his pants, trying to get them off of him as quickly as possible. He has to help you with that part since he’s faster and pulls your body to the edge of the counter. He pulls his cock out of his pants and spits in his hand, rubbing it along his length. You look up at him and before you know it, he’s plunging his hard length inside you.

You both grunt loudly and gasp at the sensation. He quickly turns on the faucet to drown out both of your groans. You were tight around him and could barely take a normal breath. Searing pleasure ripples through you as he gives you time to adjust around him. He moved slowly and looked back into your eyes. He was so needy, he couldn’t get enough it seemed.

“God baby you’re so perfect,” he groans. He watches every expression you make as he moves and fills you more. You wrap your legs around his hips, letting him take on a different angle.

“How are you going to make it through watching the full show if you can’t even get through watching me rehearse,” he teases with a snap of his hips. Oh, it was cruel and also a valid point. You weren’t going to make it out alive.

“I’ll be in agony, begging for you as soon as you get off that stage,” you whimper. He groans at that proposition and fucks you faster.

“Jesus, you’re killing me. I would love to hear you beg for it,” he whimpers into your neck, placing more kisses there.

Your heart pounds in your chest as he takes you like an untamed animal. He was unrelenting with the pace he set and you hold onto him for dear life. He had never taken you like this. It was so dirty and wrong. You both liked it too much to stop though. He has you on the verge of crying out his name. He looks at you with lust swarming his every last thought. You couldn’t tear your eyes away from him, he was too powerful at this moment, taking you the way he wanted.

His thumb finds your throbbing bud and rubs it in focused circles. You buck into his touch and groan loudly. You felt your orgasm looming and he wasn’t letting you catch your breath.

“This feels good baby?” He pants, placing a kiss on your cheek.

“Yes,” you whimper.

“Good honey, you only get wet for me hmm?” He asks as he rolls his hips into you.

You whimper into his chest and become intoxicated with his cologne. Your senses were on overload and you couldn’t handle much more. He was going to have you dying for release.

“I wanna hear you say it, sweetheart. I wanna hear I’m the one who gets you so wet,” he groans into your ear. You still don’t respond as you feel your walls flutter around him and your heart feels like it might just fly out of your chest at his words. He doesn’t have the patience today to talk you through this, he wants an answer now. He stuffs you to the hilt and stops, pulling your hair to make you look up at him.

His gaze was intense and unwavering. You grab onto his forearms tightly and groan in agony as his grip on your hair tightens.

“Answer me. Who else can make you feel like this,” he growls. The tone of his voice gives you chills. You feel like the air got sucked out of you. It was possessive and intense. You had never seen this side of him.

“You,” you say in a hushed tone, “I only get like this for you baby,” you whimper.

He lets out a pleased sigh and moves slowly, making your eyes roll back.

“That’s right baby, only I can,” he groans as he places a passionate kiss on your lips. You tear at his shirt, wishing you could feel his warm body against yours. You look up in his eyes and see how much he likes this. His face looks very similar to when he was singing. So full of passion and ecstasy. He pleads with his eyes, wanting you to finish. He knows how to get you there.

A few more movements from those hips and your orgasm comes crashing down as you muffle your cry into his chest. You come hard and fast, squeezing around his cock with every thrust he gives you.

“Ohgod,” you whine.

He tries to muffle his groans as he is close too and you can feel how your arousal seeps out of you. It’s not long before he finishes too, holding onto you tightly as his cock twitches inside of you.

“God baby,” he moans, moving slowly in and out of you as he cums.

He burrows his face in the crook of your neck, holding onto your body tightly as you both tremble in each other's arms.

He pulls his length out of you with a grunt and takes a step away from you. His shoulders rise and fall quickly and he looks at you with a hunger in his eye still. He pulls your panties out of your pocket and hangs them on his finger.

���Do you wanna put these back on? Or are you going to continue to have bad thoughts?” He says slyly.

You huff at the question at hand and can’t help but push his buttons a bit.

“You’re going to tear them off me anyway after rehearsal, might as well keep them in your pocket,” you say, acting a bit cocky.

He smiles briefly and becomes serious again.

“When I ask you what’s wrong, you need to tell me what’s wrong. If you need something, anything at all, I need to know. No lying to me,” he tells you.

You nod your head and pull your skirt down before getting off the counter. You stand in front of him and wrap your hand around his cock while looking into his blue eyes. He’s still a bit hard and grunts when he feels your touch.

“I’m sorry. I’ll tell you the truth I promise. I’ll make it up to you later,” you say seductively as your hand slowly pumps his length. He squirms a bit as you touch him, still too sensitive from his orgasm. He bites his lip as he looks at you, drunk and infatuated by all of this.

“And what are you going to do to make up for such behavior,” he says softly.

“Whatever you want. You’ve never seen me on my knees before, have you?” You say innocently.

His face looks stunned after hearing what you just implied. He stops your hand and pushes you back against the countertop. He kisses you ravenously and leaves you breathless. He acts like he’s dying for your kisses and attention. He stops briefly and has a devious look on his face.

“I better get back out there and continue to drive you wild then hmm?” he quips cheekily.

Tagging:

@loving-elvis @neptuneismysister @velvetelvis

@ccab @presleyenterprise @theresalwaysep

@prompted-wordsmith @sillybookmarks @dkayfixates

@ellie-24 @rktismylife-blog

@myradiaz @tacozebra051

@thatbanditqueen

@18lkpeters @flwrs4aust @emma181873

@austinswhitewolf @eliseinmemphis

@everythingelvispresley @chasingwildflowers

@idontwanttoputanything @ohjustpeachy-

@elvisalltheway101 @austinsmutler @kingdomforapony.

@generoustreemystic @claire-elvisgirl

@ashtag6887 @burnthheparaphilia @richardslady121

@jaqueline19997

@returntopresley. @iloveelvis @rjmartin11 @that-hotdog

@louisejoy86 @misspresley @cattcb @annapresley8

@arrolyn1114 @raginginkedslut @epthedream69

@mh777ep1938

@50sexyshadestashionista

@oldhOllywOod @hooked-on-elvis @livelovedilfs

@sloppiest-of-jos @thisis-theway @gatheraheart

@aphroditebabygirl @faeolwen

[bluemirrorangel]

Dps headcanons the poets and their type of academia aesthetic 

This is wayyyy longer than I intended it to be lol anyway I hope you enjoy these, leave a ship or fandom suggestions and I’ll do headcanons for them if you want :) 

Todd:darkest Academia

Loves gothic fiction and horror stories because he likes being nervous knowing that he's supposed to be.

Likes reading outside at night because it’s quiet 

Surprisingly nosey, not in a bad way he’s just really curious about stuff.

Likes dark/muted colours.

His favourite book is a picture of Dorian grey.

Weirdly into cryptids and other mysteries.

Was TERRIFIED of the Bermuda triangle as a kid.

Loves writing poetry but enjoys writing in general.

Semi popular writer on AO3 for classical literature, started because Keating told him to publicise  some of creative writing.

Runs his good reads account like the navy.

Charlie:chaotic academia

Regularly gets uniform carded for everything; shirt unbuttoned and untucked, tie loosened, he never has his blazer on and his jumper is perpetually tied around his waist. 

Has a mason jar type cup on his nightstand that is always full of a mixture of different energy drinks and fizzy drinks/soda’s, Cameron says it looks like paint water.

Banned from reading out loud in English class pre-Keating because he got a little too into the role of Jack in Lord of the Flies .

Point blank refuses to do P.E and is always ‘losing’ his kit.

Shockingly serious about music class, deeply respects the teacher and never misses a lesson.

Post stick notes EVERYWHERE

Writes his notes in highlighter and felt tips

Went through a phase of bringing a flask to school instead of a water bottle because he thought it looked cool.

Spark notes BIGGEST FAN.

A saxophone prodigy despite being unable to read sheet music.

Neil:light academia

Loves Shakespeare and the theatre in general

Good grades in every class but really shines when it comes to the arts

Eats his lunch in the English classroom with the other poets

Forges his fathers signature for school trips so much half his teachers have no idea what his dads handwriting actually looks like.

Hates biology because he’s scared of blood

Always says that Todd is his favourite author/poet.

Really good memory, able to learn lines at shocking speeds. 

Finds it difficult to multitask; has to have instrumental music playing otherwise he gets distracted.

Prefers plays over books.

Collects playbills.

Meeks:classic academia 

Loves typewriters, inherited one from his grandparents and uses it alllll the time.

has a polaroid camera and uses it to take either the best candid's or the  most diabolical mugs there's no in-between.

Owns a shocking amount of sweater vests.

Has a record collection.

Loves those retro 50’s themed diners/drive-ins, drags Pitts and the poets to those all the time.

Really into history

Owns an analogue radio.

Taught himself Latin one summer to impress Pitts, and is now fluent.

His entire wardrobe is vintage themed.

Favourite book is the Outsiders by S.E Hinton.

Knox:romantic academia

Writes love letters and poetry whenever he has a crush on someone, used to keep them under his bed but swiftly changed that hiding place after watching ‘to all the boys I've loved before.’ with his sister, they now live in a shoebox on his trophy/bookshelf.

Loves the romantics big fan of love poetry as a whole.

Has definitely tried to serenade someone before.

 Self taught guitarist.

Has only ever received on card on Valentines Day, it was from Charlie in year nine it’s one of Knox’s most prized possessions.

Loves Romeo and Juliet.

Thinks ‘say anything’ is the height of romance 

Subconsciously wants to be romanced for once instead of the other way round. 

 Has Pinterest boards dedicated to romantic quotes 

His favourite movie is the princess bride.

pitts:’nerdy’ Academia 

really into the roman empire 

Loves renaissance fairs and goes every year.

REALLY into dungeons and dragons.

Loves going to random museum exhibits.

Spent half his childhood hyper fixated on the Titanic, was super excited to watch the movie and completely heartbroken when he realised it was a fictional story and not a documentary.

Brilliant at chess.

Knows random historical facts.

Horrible at remembering faces but never forgets a name.

Loves mythology of all kinds.

Really good at architecture; his middle school used to have a architecture competition where  you had 2 minutes to make a house out of marshmallows and dry spaghetti the most stable one won, Pitts won every year.

Cameron:dark academia 

Keeps his notes/homework in colour coded folders and files

A proper perfectionist and  chronic overachiever.

Writes in pencil or fountain Pen.

the gifted kid who REFUSED to burn out.

Only gets attention at home when he’s doing well at school, so he throws himself into his studies.

Drinks more coffee than water

Can play the piano, was entered in a school concert and his whole family came. He was terrified of embarrassing or disappointing them so he overdid it and played so hard his fingers bled.

Has a copy of every graded test practice or otherwise in his room so he can go over them before his exams.

Hates English with a passion because it’s the one lesson where there are no rules.

Once spent an entire night going over his English notes before a test and was so overtired he fell asleep during the exam and failed it. None of the poets bring it up not even Charlie because that day was the first time he’d seen Cameron cry.

[ariseur]

Hihi!!! 💞👐 my first time in the FF fandom and your stuff for sephiroth was the first thing that I saw, your writing and headcanons for him feel so accurate to his in-game self! If I may, I wanted to request maybe some hcs for a shapeshifter!reader x sephiroth 👉👈 im not really that well versed in the world and lore of ff, so I'm not really sure if a shapeshifter is even plausible in game :')

Maybe reader was an ex experiment of some sorts, made to be used as a weapon?

I just really want to annoy sephiroth as a cat or sumth (i think sephiroth deserves a Turkish angora to match with his gorgeous hair 🤲 despite being around puppies so often)

For a little angsty hcs maybe readers transformations can be painful at times or not even work out properly so they kind of end up looking messed up :') (or they just get something like a dog ear not changing back to a normal human ear after changing back into a human on a more silly note)

This also kind of opens up for more... naughty things, just change a limb into something, y'know. But I saw that you don't write NSFW in your rules so I'm perfectly okay with you leaving this part out! Feel free to ignore this request, I'm just having brain worms about sephiroth 💞💕 love love love your sephiroth stuff he is the best wife 🫶

A CHANGELING - SEPHIROTH

ᡣ𐭩ྀིྀི₊ ⊹ notes - helloooo anon!! i literally loved this request sm thank you so much for sending it in and those kind words 💕!! i’m not exactly sure if it’s possible for a shapeshifter to exist in ffvii, as far as i’m aware the main source of the planet ( mako ) only really helps with like super strength and SOLDIER abilities? but if you look further into the games and you see the.. things.. hojo keep in those test tubes, i think the “used-as-a-weapon” circumstances are pretty doable in this situation :) feel free to send any more ideas if you have any!!

ᡣ𐭩ྀིྀི₊ ⊹ warnings - intended lowercase, i talk about pre and post nibelheim seph, post nibelheim sephiroth being manipulative and psychologically abusive ( canon ), spoilers for crisis core and sephs origin story, at the end of the blurb he calls you a silly girl so fem!reader in mind although the rest is gn!reader, lmk if i missed anything!!

✧˖° SEPHIROTH with a shapeshifting reader— hmmm.. i think it depends on your attitude towards the whole situation.

✧˖° for example, if you’re more nonchalant about the situation then i suppose he would be, too. im sure he would be curious at first, but ultimately i dont think he’d care all that much. if you’re used in battle or are well known among shinra or some other organization and he ends up meeting you ( im starting off with pre nibelheim SEPHIROTH first lol ), then he’d definitely be fascinated by your capabilities and how far you can stretch your talents out.

✧˖° if we’re in crisis core era and its like.. before the events that transpired with genesis n all that— he’d wouldnt be as interested as one might think. he’d def be like, “ooh cool” but after the essential introduction then it’d must become normal to him. i think his reaction would also depend on how well you can control your abilities and how you use them to your advantage !! like— for example; if you can stretch one of your limbs or manipulate any part of your body, he’d wanna experiment with that and ask you some questions whenever you have time. if you can change your shape into an animal or another person though— he’ll definitely have a little more fun with it

✧˖° post nibelheim SEPHIROTH takes more advantage of your situation, especially if you can morph yourself or change into another being. if you can shapeshift into an animal or something small, he’ll have you scope stuff out for him or something like that. he will entirely and shamelessly abuse your power and will somehow make you think that you’re obligated to do this for him— especially if you knew him pre nibelheim and still stuck with him afterwards. you do want him to feel better, right? won’t you do this simple task for him? he promises that he’ll treat you well and will return back to normal if you just do this one thing for him :((

✧˖° i think his fixation on jenova and his own identity might even transfer over to you in some form. i feel like sephiroth believes things happen for a reason and so after his spiral, he often thinks that you were brought to him and that its a sign. he’ll use your ability and somehow connect it to his role in the lifestream and that it symbolizes versatility and you were brought to him with the purpose of your assistance to his goals n whatever blah blah blah post nibelheim SEPHIROTH is mean in his own way and i am sorry but i am not an apologist for this man’s actions !! i fully believe that he would manipulate you into becoming his little puppet to help accomplish his own ambitions.

✧˖° post nibelheim SEPH does care for you, and he’ll always tell you that— but i cant always say that he says it in good faith.

✧˖° but!! on a more positive note, i think ( pre nibelheim ) SEPHIROTH would be heavily amused with having someone who can alter their shape by his side. as anon mentioned in their request, i can totally see SEPHIROTH with a turkish angora or some sort of cat beside him!! i can just see you trotting over to him all of a sudden, hopping up on the back of his chair as you let your fur whoosh with every sauntered move you take. he furrows his brows, thinly arched and silver, before he realizes whose wet snout is pressed against the nape of his neck as he reaches a gloved hand up to run against your pristine ivory coat; earning a soft purr from you. UGHHHH i need this man so bad SEPHIROTH bae you know where home is

✧˖° if the process of shapeshifting is somewhat painful or it’s more abrasive on the way when you shift back, SEPHIROTH will always try his best to comfort you when it gets too difficult. he might be a little awkward, but the best thing he can offer is a reassuring hand on your lower back as he whispers in your ear that everything will be okay in the end. he’ll even try to make you laugh with his dry ass humor, it might not help because he’s so calm in this situation and you’re probably freaking out but he’s trying his best (╥_╥)

✧˖° something that i really like touching upon when i think about shapeshifters or people with the ability to alter their appearance is body and face dysmorphia!! i think it would be inevitable if you switched yourself up enough and would eventually develop some sort of insecurity within yourself and the way you look— perhaps thinking you looked some way when you didn’t or if everything just starts melding in your brain. i’m not sure if SEPHIROTH would know what to do in this situation but i’m sure he’d understand how you could feel this way, especially if you were treated as a weapon ( we’ll touch up on that next !!).

✧˖° i wrote a fic about SEPH feeling uncomfortable with himself due to the fact that it’s like— written in a setting where his wings are just sprouting, and i feel like that would happen at one point. if you wanna include that fic in this little timeline, then i feel like it’d give him all the more reason to come to your aid when you need it. i mean, if you helped him— isn’t it only fair that he does the same? he won’t tolerate any nitpicking at yourself or self deprecating comments, he won’t tolerate self loathing or anything of the sort; he is the there for you and whether you seek comfort in him is up to you, he reminds you.

✧˖° if you wanna include the ex-weapon part in this, i think SEPHIROTH’s heart would break— especially if it’s post nibelheim. pre cc SEPH is utterly baffled that you were treated that way, and is always cautious when addressing the topic or when talking about your feelings revolving around it.

✧˖° i think any decent human being would feel sympathetic when it’d come to a situation like that, but post nibelheim hits wayyy harder for him. after it comes to light that he was an experiment and only created to be the poster boy for shinra / the perfect SOLDIER, he feels for you even more. except, instead of like his previous self where he’d encourage you to work through it and let these feelings of sadness and emptiness pass along with letting go of your trauma, post nibelheim would have you use it and it only gives him more knowledge in order to manipulate you. he’d make it a case of using your resentment and all of these years of hardships to fuel your anger; to further develop these feelings of hatred towards humanity. it just gives him more to manipulate you with. but, you won’t have to worry about a thing when you’re with him, just help him take over and rightfully restore what’s his— what’s yours.

✧˖° now let’s end on a happier note, shall we? ^.^

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈ ｡ﾟ

with his mako eyes flickering over your sheen coat glimmering in the sun, SEPHIROTH watched as you cantered along the grass, soft flecks of dirt trapped under the light brown strands of your fur.

he softly chuckled to himself as he watched your small tongue loll out of your mouth as you panted, observing the heat of the sun getting to you ( or more so, your current body in the form of a dog ) as he sat in the shade, safe from its wrath. his eyes, slender and catlike, stayed fixated as he watched you roll around— your tiny body disappearing momentarily beneath the tall, tapered leaves sprouting from the ground.

sephiroth tilted his head up slightly, narrowing his eyes as he scanned along the knoll before he saw your head pop up from the green weeds, this time, coated with your real human hair and regular face. his lips quirked into a half smile while he watched you grin at him lazily, the sun draining you especially as you change your form. he reveled in the way your pink lips split open with your smile. he reveled in the way your eyes lit up when you saw him, even when you held those big, wet puppy eyes.

your hands slid from underneath you, shoulder with the part as you pushed yourself up from the dirt; ignoring the way it got stuck under your fingernails, reminding yourself that you’d have to clean them out later. putting your knee down, you pushed yourself forward and hustled towards him. letting out an airy laugh, you plopped yourself down on the raised hill where sephiroth sat. the tree above you provided shade that you instantly felt relief once you were under, the coolness of the obstruction healing your soon to be burnt skin.

“‘s hot out here, i swear. can nev’r get a break.” you muttered, placing both of your hands on your face as you leaned back into the foreign dirt behind you, uncaring of small bugs simply trying to traverse around you. sephiroth laughed, “i can see that.”

he turned his head to the side, scanning over your heated figure before he cocked his head in bemusement. letting out a small huff, you peeked one eye open out from underneath your elbow— even in the blistering rays of the sun, you could never get tired of sephiroth’s laugh; whether a wry chuckle or a cachinnation that was never intended to make it past his lips. you let out a small huff yourself, “what’s so funny?”

“one body part remains unchanged, dearest.” he lifted a leather clad hand up to his face, motioning towards his ear while his gaze softened; watching how your hands came up to flutter around the right side of your face only to find no ear. your brows crinkled as they met in the middle before you felt on the top of your head, the pads of your thumb and index finger fiddling with the folded ear protruding through your hair. lips forming into an ‘o’, you made an audible noise of surprise before you shut your eyes and let your head loll back again.

you applied pressure on the morphed body part, sephiroth watching in awe as you concentrated on fixing your error. your lips twitched upwards in a small smile before removing your hands and putting them at your sides, looking back at your beloved while he remained collected as ever.

a wider smile tugged at his lips— a rare sight indeed. he shook his head before mumbling a small, “silly girl.”

𐙚 taglist ; @snoopicle @ch3rryfiles

𐙚 requests are open — june nineteenth, 2024

[softxsuki]

Hi!! Congrats on 1.5k! May I please request 10 troupe with Shinichiro from Tokyo Revengers x fem!reader? Thanks in advance and I hope you have a good day! 💜

1.5k Follower Event Trope 10: Tokyo Revengers

Trope 10: Marriage of Convenience

This event is CLOSED. You can check out the masterlist here.

Pairing: Bonten!Mikey x Fem!Reader

Warning: mentions of killing, bad childhood, stalking, injury, blah

Genre: idek, kinda fluff?

Post-Type: Oneshot (so much for drabbles smh)

Word Count: ...1.1k (oops)

Note: Hey! Thank you so much. So for my tropes, you're only supposed to send in a trope number and fandom name, then I pick which character from that fandom I think it matches with the most! I've also already written one of these for Shinichiro hence why I've written this for Mikey. I hope you still enjoy it though, I love this trope! Also side note: I’ve read like 2 seconds of Bonten Mikey but I felt it fit this trope more SO if this makes no sense, you know why :)

Marriage was the last thing on Mikey’s mind, until your father approached him with a contract that included you and part of the city he owned, in return for protection from Bonten and the chance to make Bonten grow even more powerful. Naturally Mikey agreed, taking little interest in you as a factor, but desiring to see his gang flourish even farther.

As the daughter of a gang leader, your role since birth had been to be used as a means to help your father, ensuring he was always well off. There was not a day when your father thought about you or your own feelings. 

You were handed over to Mikey straight away, allowed to pack up the few clothes that you had, along with any other personal items. Meeting with him briefly to sign a few marriage documents, signing away your life, and ultimately leaving one prison and entering a new one–or so you thought.

For the most part Mikey left you alone to do as you please, only giving you a few rules to keep you safe and away from the darker areas of their base where you were staying. But you were given your own room that was nicely decorated, new clothes that fit you perfectly, and the freedom to do as you please within their building. It was more freedom than you’d ever had in your life.

Even though you were trapped in what you thought was a loveless marriage, at least everyone treated you respectfully. Though, Mikey found himself opening up to you in ways he’d never opened up before after all the trauma that he befell in the past. He admired how you carried yourself, standing tall and proud despite being thrown in an unfamiliar place by force, the least he wanted to do was make you comfortable…but why?

He found himself inviting you to the dining room for meals with him, quite enjoying your company even if you ate in silence. Flowers and other gifts were left by your bedroom door, shocking you. Why was he doing this for you, wasn’t this just a marriage of convenience? There was no need for heartfelt gifts and attention like he was giving you.

But Mikey couldn’t help himself, he felt lighter around you as if he could finally breathe again and it was such a relief–a good change from the usual heaviness that clouded over him. He realized you were slowly becoming someone he wanted to keep happy and safe; he wanted to protect you from the cruel world that existed outside those walls, the cruel world he was also a part of. 

Mikey kept his feelings to himself, aside from the random gifts he’d leave you and quality time he’d spend with you every now and then. That was until one day you were granted access to wander outside in the city, saying you needed fresh air. Enemy gangs were always keeping a close watch on Bonten headquarters, just looking for any weakness that could cause the huge corporation to plunder, and finally they had one–you. 

Word that Mikey had taken a wife spread quickly in the underground world, a potential weakness of the big boss man behind Bonten, everyone was waiting to get their hands on you to bring Mikey crashing down–and that’s exactly what happened.

A few blocks later as you walked peacefully through the cool streets, loving how calming the area was at night and enjoying your new found freedom, that all came crashing down as you felt the presence of someone following you. 

At first you thought nothing of it, but every turn you made, they made and when you turned around to glance behind you, they’d stop walking and pretend to be busy with something. You quickened your pace, your heart beating out of your chest at the prospect that you were in danger and needed to get back home quickly. The man noticed this and also fastened his pace, getting closer and closer to you.

You begin running, but you’re not fast enough as a hand wraps around your wrist, pulling you down to the floor.

“Gotcha,” the man grins. “Let’s see how riled up your husband gets when we send your head back to him.”

Fear fully floods you as the man takes out a knife and approaches you with it. He only manages to scrape your cheek though before adrenaline kicks in and you push him back with the strength you didn’t know you had, jumping back to your feet and running full speed back to your home–back to Mikey.

Upon returning back to your home and bursting through the door with blood running down your face, mixed with tears, you ignore the questions of Mikey’s men who were keeping watch by the front door and run to your room.

Urgently, the men report to Mikey who jumps up from his seat and runs to your room, bursting your door open, not caring if you were decent or not.

“What happened?” He demands, closing the distance between you as he approaches your bed where you’re sobbing into your pillow.

When you don’t speak, he sighs and gently takes your hand, pulling you into him. “Let me see,” he softly says, guiding your chin up so he can get a better look at your face, gritting at the cut that had been so close to hitting your eye. 

His fingers wipe your tears away and slowly graze over the cut–he was upset. “Who did this?” He hisses. Who would dare place their hands on his wife?

You felt surprisingly relaxed and safe in his arms as he held you close, never once breaking eye contact with him, you had no choice but to fill him in on what happened during your walk.

“I just went out to get some fresh air and take a quick walk, but I noticed someone following me. I tried getting back here before he could catch up to me, but he was too fast. He said,” you gulp, fear once again filling your body as you remember the man's words. “He said he was going to send you my head back.”

Mikey was seething now. Not only had someone harmed you, but they’d also threatened to kill you? 

“Sanzu!” He screams, calling his most trustworthy man to enter your room, to which the pink-haired man appears immediately. “Have a few men patrol the area, I want any suspicious men taken in, I don’t care if you bring in everyone, I want him found, whoever it was that did this to my wife,” he grits, holding you tightly to him. 

Though anger was bubbling up inside him, he couldn’t help but feel slight relief that you were still alive and safe in his arms. He couldn’t lose you too…

That man would be tracked down and made an example out of. No one would dare try to harm his wife again. This marriage was now real to him and Mikey would do anything to protect it–to protect you.

EVENT REQUESTS ARE CLOSED

REGULAR REQUESTS ARE OPEN

Posted: 10/23/2023

[rekino2114]

Blind date with Veronika grebenshchikova

Pairing:Veronika grebenshchikova x male reader

A/n: episode 12 was great, Charles was the mvp and it ended on a pretty big cliffhanger. We also got to see this Veronika quote:

(I love her so much)

Anyway I have an announcement to make starting today I will be doing a weekly drdt post every Saturday until chapter 2 is finished (I know the episodes come out on Friday but they actually come out at 1 am where I live) next Saturday will actually be the first genderbent post about this fandom (you can probably guess who it's gonna be)

This is kinda inspired by red flags by Tom Cardy and montaigne (with a twist), I put it here if you wanna listen to it, i know i'm not the first person to say this but that song is just Veronika (sorry for the really long note)

Veronika got set up on a blind date by her classmates ,mostly because they were tired of her creeping them out and wanted to pass that burden on someone else, so they asked whit to match her with someone and he chose you.

You waited at the table that you booked for you and the girl you were supposed to meet, you were slightly nervous about the date, mostly because you were scared your date would be put off by you as it's not the first time that happened but the ultimate matchmaker matched you together so you had hope.

You saw a red haired girl enter the restaurant and approach your table

"Hey, are you y/n l/n by any chance?"

"Yeah are you Veronika?"

She smiled and sat down across from you

"Yep, it's great to meet you"

"You too, I really dig your look, those fake eyeballs look amazing"

"Oh thanks so much, you're actually the first person to say that"

"Really? That's a shame, they're great"

"I think it kinda spooks people"

"Well I don't get spooked easily"

"*giggle* well then I think this date might go better than I thought"

You started talking for a bit until a waiter arrived to take your orders

"Oh I'll take a stake,very rare,I want to see the blood"

"I was about to order the same thing"

"Oh really?"

"Yes I love seeing blood in what I eat"

"Same!!"

Your waiter got very freaked out and left as you continued talking

"So what's your favorite movie?"

"Oh......it's human centipede"

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes I know it's weird but-"

"That's my favorite movie too"

"........what?"

"Yes I love seeing all the body horror and the fear on the actors faces its amazing"

"...do you like scream too?"

"I have a Ghostface mask in my closet so I can prank my friends"

"Saw?"

"I also have a Billy the puppet doll there"

"Halloween?"

"Micheal Myers is my lock screen"

".......marry me"

".....what?"

"Sorry if I'm too forward, but I think we might be soulmates. You know how I said I go to Hope's peak"

"Yeah I was wondering what ultimate you were"

"Weeeeel let me introduce myself formally, I am Veronika grebenshchikova the ultimate horror fanatic"

"....really?"

"Yes I adore all things horror and I see that I have found a kindred spirit"

"Absolutely, I love horror too, I didn't know Hope's peak considered that a talent if I did I would have probably asked to join"

"This is amazing, you're the only person I know who has a love for horror other than me, now I see why paired us together"

You continued to talk about horror movies and eat, and after eating dessert(feeding each other the red jam in the cake to make it seem like blood) you walked Veronika home, who very happily accepted another date.

[Timeskip]

Some time after your date Veronika is talking with her classmates in the cafeteria

"Y/n is the sweetest guy ever, do you know what he did for me yesterday? He carved my name with a heart on a tree in a graveyard so romantic"

"....how is that romantic?"

"That's just disgusting and unsanitary"

"Soooooo I did well matching you together didn't I?"

"100%, we've been dating for only a few days but I already feel soooo happy and in love"

"Well at least she won't bother me anymore"

"Says the guy who can't leave j alone for more than 5 minutes"

"Shut up"

Everyone got distracted by the door opening, and you coming out of it, especially Veronika who immediately tackled you into a hug

"Darling, what are you doing here? Don't get me wrong, I love that you visited me, but you're not a student"

"Well now I am actually, I asked if I could "share" your talent since I love horror as much as you and they said yes"

Veronika squealed happily and peppered your face in kisses

"That's amazing now we can spend even more time together, I have to show you my dorm it's full of horror stuff I know you'll love"

"I can't wait to see it"

As you two walked away happily a look of horror appeared on teruko and Arturo's faces

"Awww how cute, seeing happy couples like these is why I love thi- ow! What was that for?"

"You idiot, do you understand what you did, now there's two horror psychopaths in this school"

"All of the heart attacks Veronika gives us daily are gonna be doubled"

"Weeeeel, she didn't really do anything scary to me before. In fact, you two seem to be the ones she likes pranking the most, so I suggest you prepare yourselves"

".........fuck......."

[scoobydoodean]

what do you think of dean kicking cas out the bunker with no money nowhere to go freshly human? i know it was for sam or whatever but he could’ve helped cas out

I think I have addressed this several times, but I guess I didn't tag any of my posts well because I can't find them. So here we go again:

What makes you think that Dean kicked Cas out of the bunker with nothing? Everyone always assumes Dean did because Cas isn't staying in a motel in 9.06, but how many weeks has it been since they separated?

Lebanon, Kansas to Rexford, Idaho is a 13 hour and 34 minute drive by car. How did Cas get there? How did he get a job at the Gas N' Sip without any sort of credentials or identification paperwork? More pointedly, where did the cell phone Cas called Dean with in the beginning of the episode come from? Cas didn't have one when he fell. That was part of the problem when trying to reach Cas after the fall, when Dean was worried sick about him. This is a cell phone it's implied Cas hadn't been answering, when Dean responds to his call (where Cas gets right into the case) by sarcastically saying, "Oh, well, hello to you too, Cas. How are you?" Before Dean leaves the bunker, he also notes to Sam: "This is Cas. In case you forgot, he's not exactly Chatty Cathy."

Cas also never tells Dean where he is in Rexford or what he's doing there. He tells him a town and that Dean should check out the case on his own. It's Dean who takes the time to actually track Cas down. Cas is surprised when Dean finds him, and then Dean says he too is surprised—to find that this is where Cas is working. Meaning, Cas hasn't been keeping in touch (at least not with details) despite having a cell phone that Dean presumably gave him. He did what he's often done and put Dean on an info diet. So how exactly was Dean supposed to continuously bankroll him?

I need people to understand that Dean is not a sugar daddy with fat stacks of cash sitting around every corner. He couldn't just hand Cas thousands of dollars before Cas left because he wouldn't have had thousands of dollars to give Cas just lying around, to provide for him for weeks at a time. For the vast majority of the series, the brothers barely make ends meet. They do many transactions in cash earned from hustling pool and poker. They often stay in abandoned homes when they don't have the money for motels, which also tells you, as Dean says in 1.16, that credit card fraud is not easy and they don't consistently have access to these credit cards. Even if they had happened to have a third card for Cas lying around when Gadreel gave his ultimatum, it wouldn't have worked for long. So what makes you think Dean didn't give Cas cash and a cell phone before he left? And identification he could use? What makes you think Cas didn't simply run out of that cash over the weeks they were separated, and chose to work at the Gas N' Sip and find dignity in being a human (which is exactly what he tells us he did)?

We're talking about Dean here, who plainly begged Cas on the phone to worry about himself for once in 9.01 and get to the bunker safely. He literally endured beatings from angels over Cas in 9.01. When they found Cas dead, Dean was terrified out of his mind for Cas. He very clearly wanted Cas at the bunker with them—he wanted him safe. So why has fandom insisted upon this reading that doesn't make sense within that context—where Dean just ditches Cas with nothing suddenly?

I think some people take this moment with Cas as proof that Dean threw Cas out with nothing:

DEAN Well, the feeling [of surprise] is mutual. I mean, I knew you had to lay low from the angel threat, but, uh, wow. This is some cover. CASTIEL My Grace is gone. What did you expect? Do you have any idea how hard it was? When I fell to earth, I didn't just lose my powers. I – I had nothing. Now... I'm a sales associate (proudly).

But... this does not prove that? We already have the cell phone, and Cas being able to get to Rexford and get a job at a chain gas station that doubtless would have required paperwork establishing his (fake) identity. But also, do we all remember 9.01-9.03 and everything that happened to Cas over that period before Sam and Dean (worried out of his mind) finally tracked him down? Cas is struggling—yes—but when he says he had nothing when he fell, he is referring to the days of strife that occurred literally right after he fell.

During that period, Cas saw how difficult being human is—not having powers is—feeling hunger is—having to take time to brush your teeth and urinate and etc is—and decided that without his powers, he just wanted to be a regular Steve and find dignity in simple work, because doing what he used to do without powers is too difficult. So he took whatever Dean was able to give him, got to Idaho (how and why would he have traveled so far without money?) and put himself in his own personal witness protection program.

I'm willing to accept the premise that Cas not asking for help with finances to get a better place to stay was partly influenced by Dean telling him he couldn't stay at the bunker (though Cas's tendency to keep everyone on an info diet and try to handle every problem on his own has been around since forever). But contrary to the beliefs of many casgirls (who have literally hate bombed one of my mutuals over this subject before) I think once Dean finally got to tell Cas the context, Cas understood, and I don't actually think it weighed on him for the rest of eternity the way many seem to think it did. The same way that I don't think Dean still thinks about Cas breaking Sam's wall, or Cas abandoning him in Purgatory to die surrounded by a pack of gorilla wolves, or Cas beating him half to death for being suicidal, or Cas blaming him for the apocalypse, or Cas running off with the angel tablet after beating Dean half to death again.

All of 9.06 is ultimately about Cas hiding from everyone and everything—everything he is, everything he's done, and it ends with him deciding to stop hiding, even when Dean ends the episode telling Cas that he doesn't have to take responsibility for the angels or anything and that he and Sam can take care of it. Dean puts this kindly (because Cas is questioning whether he can actually sit on the sidelines), but let me put it unkindly: Dean is literally telling Cas he will clean up the mess Cas made for him and Cas doesn't have to take responsibility for any of it. This is a human—someone who in the episode points out that he has never had powers and therefore Cas can still be a hunter without them—telling Cas that actually, Cas doesn't need to take responsibility. He can become this regular person if that's what he wants—if he doesn't have the stomach for the work without his powers. Dean, the human, will take care of the problems Cas caused for Cas. And honestly? This is really what lights a fire under Cas's ass imo (without Dean knowing that). He's abandoned who he is and used to be, and in the episode, he realizes that he doesn't want to do that just because he doesn't have powers... and he isn't going to let Dean, who has never had powers, take care of all of his problems. Which is the point of pride underlying many of Cas's decisions to put Dean on info diets and ghost him and try to handle everything on his own. It's the primary reason imo that he doesn't call and ask for financial help in Rexford (not to mention, he's seen Sam and Dean slumming it in abandoned houses sleeping on the floor so why would he have higher standards than his human friends do?). That's the primary driving force imo—not Dean kicking him out of the bunker.

[jerzwriter]

Mono~poly Chapter 2: Love on Tap

A Tobias x Casey AU - Information and Notes

AU Premise: What happens when something that was supposed to be just fun turns into something real? When true love enters the equation between two people who view the very concept of love in different ways, can it work? In this alternate universe, we'll follow Casey and Tobias (and some others along the way) on their journey, where a happy ending is what both desire, but (as in life) nothing is guaranteed.

Fandom: Open Heart, Choices ** Pairing (This Chapter): Tobias Carrick x Casey MacTavish F!MC Other Characters: Jackie Varma, Ethan Ramsey, Sienna Trinh, OC: Addie Larkin Rating: Teen Words: 5,100

Chapter Summary: Tobias & Casey are reveling in their newfound love as those around them have different reactions to the news. Conversations with Ethan have him coming up with realizations of his own, and Casey sees that she and Tobias still have a lot to learn about each other.

A/N: Wow, I posted that without a chapter summary! lol See, don't do things when tired! No notes this time around, hope to have part 3 up next week! Thank you to all who have read this so far, it's so appreciated! :)

SERIES MASTERLIST SERIES INFORMATION MY MAIN MASTERLIST

“You’re out of your fucking mind.”

Standing at the brunch buffet, Jackie scooped a spoonful of scrambled eggs onto her plate as Casey stepped back. Her friend was known for her straightforwardness, which is why she valued her opinions, but her reaction was still surprising.

“This will never work,” Jackie continued. “You’re a smart woman; how do you possibly think it could?”

Casey snatched the last piece of French toast just as Jackie reached for it. She didn’t want French toast, but with her growing annoyance, the petty win offered a sense of satisfaction.

“Thank you, Jackie,” she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I think what you meant to say was, Gee, friend! I’m so happy for you, friend! I can see you’re overjoyed, and that’s wonderful, my friend.”

Jackie sank into her chair and grabbed her fork, stealing the sole piece of French toast from Casey’s plate.

“Stop with the friend shit,” she snapped. “We’re friends because we call each other out on our shit. We’re real... no blowing sunshine up each other’s asses when we’re doing something stupid. That’s the foundation we are built on, and I see no reason to change that now.”

“A little support would be nice...”

“Then I suggest you call Sienna, but make sure to leave out some key details about last night when you do.”

“But I’m not being stupid! Come on! You like Tobias! You play the ‘he’s so irritating’ game, but I’ve seen you together. You welcomed him into our circle. He loves me and treats me like a princess, so why are you so negative about us?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said with a swirl of her fork. “Maybe it’s the conversation you had about offering him a pass to fuck someone else twelve seconds after you exchanged I love yous?”

“Jackie!” Casey snapped, glancing around to ensure no one overheard. “That’s not what happened!”

“It’s not? Because that’s what it sounded like to me.”

“Then I suggest getting your hearing checked because that’s not what I said! I said we’re taking things one day at a time. Neither of us wants to see anyone else right now, but if that changes, we won’t break up or cheat on each other like most people do. We’ll discuss it like adults and see if we can make it work. That’s so horribly immature of me, I can see why you would disapprove!”

Jackie opened her mouth to speak but thought better. With a sigh and a dismissive wave of her hand, she merely replied, “Whatever,” turning Casey’s irritation into ire.

“Really? You know damn well there are many ways to have a relationship! What’s with you! You’re always so open-minded about everything, but when it comes to me, this is how you react!”

“I live in Somerville, Casey! I’m pretty much polyamory adjacent, and you know I have no problem with non-monogamy. The problem is you’re monogamous, and no matter how much you try to tell me that you’d be OK with Tobias telling you he needs next Tuesday free to go fuck that hot nurse he used to hang out with at Kenmore, I know you’re full of shit. So, as your friend, it’s my duty to pull off those rose-colored glasses and make you see the real picture.”

Casey speared a hash brown so forcefully that her fork nearly cracked the plate. “He’s not going to fuck anyone next Tuesday. Did you miss where I said it’s just us?”

“For now,” Jackie emphasized. “It’s just you two, for now. It won’t be easier when you’re together longer, you love him more, you’re planning a future, and then when he tells you he needs... more?”

“Look, I didn’t make any promises outside of I'm willing to try. Obviously, there would be conversations and boundaries. But sex... it’s just sex! If I’m in a loving, happy relationship, why would I throw it away because my partner has a very normal desire to have sex with someone else on occasion?”

Jackie sighed with exasperation. “If you’re cool with it, that’s your choice. But... what if it’s not on occasion? What if he needs two or three nights a week with the side piece. And what if it’s not just sex? What if he falls in love with someone else? Are you willing to share that as well?”

“First, I don’t think the word side piece is used in consensual non-monogamy. Second, he’s 38 years old, and he’s loved one person in his lifetime. ME! So I'm no too concerned about that."

Jackie reached over the table and squeezed her friend's hand, the judgmental look in her eyes softening into one of sympathy. “Casey, we don’t exactly decide who we fall in love with. And when people start bumping uglies... feelings happen. A year ago, you two were just fun, and... now look.”

“Which is why we're taking it day by day.”

“All right,” Jackie resigned. “If this is what you want, I’m happy for you. I just hope you don’t get hurt.”  

“Thank you,” Casey demurred. “... I hope so, too.”

~~~~~

Tobias had an early shift the morning after their big declaration. While he was known for being bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as others glowered at him over their first cup of coffee, today, he was especially effervescent,  and that had people talking.

“I’d say he got laid last night,” a passing resident observed. “But I think that’s pretty much every night for him.” “Rumor has it he and MacTavish are official now!” their friend added. “Official? Carrick?” A nearby nurse scoffed. “Look out the window. If there aren't any floods, locusts, and famine, you got your story wrong.”

But the rumor spread like wildfire, and even those who avoided idle gossip found themselves desperate to know the truth. That included Dr. Harper Emery, who went straight to the source for answers. Swinging the door to the diagnostic team’s office open, she found Tobias seated at the conference table, Ethan reviewing files across from him.

“There you are!” Harper exclaimed.

“Dr. Emery,” Tobias chirped. “How can I be of assistance today?”

Ethan raised his eyes with suspicion, for he had also noticed Tobias’s excessive energy this morning but hadn’t questioned it until now. He wasn’t sure if he had come to expect this from his colleague or that he didn’t much care for the reason, and he was leaning toward the latter. Still, when Harper began questioning, Ethan’s attention was piqued.

“You know I’m not one to engage in hospital gossip, but sometimes, it’s so outlandish the scientist in me needs to determine its validity.”

“Oh, really?” Tobias smirked, pushing away from the table like a peacock about to spread its tail. “And how can I assist you with your dilemma?”

“Don’t be coy with me, Carrick. Is it true? Are you off the market?”

“Off the market?” He chuckled. “As of last night, Casey and I are official if that’s what you’re asking.”

Harper shook her head with amazement as Ethan choked on his coffee. Tobias turned to him with concern. “You all right there, buddy?”

“I’m fine,” Ethan insisted. “Something just... went down the wrong way.”

“You could say that again,” Harper grinned.

“So,” Ethan recovered. “You... and Casey... are official?”

“Yep,” Tobias beamed. “We’ve been unofficially official, but last night, we finally said it out loud.”

“And they said it couldn’t happen,” Harper teased. “But I must say, you do look happy! So I’m happy for you.”

“Oh, I'm unabashedly happy,” he insisted. “We both are.”

“Do you mind if I confirm that we part with Casey?” Harper taunted.

“Feel free! I have no doubt she’ll agree.”

Ethan’s lack of response was noticeable, and the stupified doctor felt the weight of his colleagues’ stares as he struggled to speak. “That’s... great news. I suppose... congratulations.”

Ethan quickly pivoted the conversation to the potential achalasia patient admitted late last night. When the discussion ended, Harper excused herself, but not before congratulating Tobias one more time. With her exit, an awkward silence overtook the room, and while Ethan was content to let it linger, Tobias didn't let it go.

“So, are we going to address the elephant in the room,” he asked. “Or are we going to feed it peanuts to keep it quiet?”

“What?” Ethan asked. “You and Casey? I don’t see why we need to discuss your personal life in a work setting.”

“Well, maybe because we all share the same work setting....”

“You make a point. Will you be notifying HR? You know, to ensure everything is on the up and up.”

“Already scheduled,”  Tobias confirmed. “Case and I already made an appointment to speak with the Director tomorrow.”

“Then,” Ethan slid his glasses back on. “It’s taken care of.”

Tobias anxiously rubbed his chin, his leg jiggling as he decided if he should continue.

“Are you alright with this?” he blurted before having the chance to think it entirely through.

Ethan removed his glasses and placed them back on the table; his mood difficult to read. Anger, annoyance, indifference—any would have been fitting. He reclined in his chair, giving careful thought to his words before continuing.

“Tobias... you and Casey are grown adults... and what you do outside of work is none of my concern.”

“I know that which is why I wasn’t asking for your permission. I’m merely asking if you’re OK with this.”

Ethan shrugged with a weary sigh. “Why ask useless questions, Tobias? Would it make a difference if I wasn’t? Would that change anything? If not, this conversation is pointless.”

“Stop the crap, Ethan. It has a purpose. We all work together. I consider you a friend even if you're not fully on board with that idea. But Casey is absolutely your friend – a good friend – and your opinion will matter to her, so it matters to me.”

Ethan smirked. “Don’t worry, Tobias, I’m not going to tell your girlfriend to break up with you.”

He hid it seamlessly, but the word “girlfriend” stuck in Ethan’s throat, and the discomfort lingered throughout the day, no matter how much he tried to wash it away.

Tobias was not one to be easily annoyed, but he was bordering on exasperation. He eyed the door to ensure it was closed before continuing.

“Ethan... I’m going to put my cards on the table. Even if Casey hadn’t shared some of your history with me, it’s the worst-kept secret at Edenbrook. Add in our own history, and....”

“Ancient history,” Ethan interrupted.

“Yes. Yes, it is. But turn on the news, buddy. Ancient history has a way of fucking up current times real good... and that’s something I don’t want to occur here.”

“Don’t worry,” Ethan assured. “Your relationship with Casey will not be impacted by any history with me unless one of you allows it to.”

“All right,” Tobias mumbled, returning to his work. But after a few moments passed, Ethan was compelled to say something more.

“I know you may not believe me, but... I’m happy for you. Both of you.”

“You are? You don’t have to say it if you don’t...”

“I think you know me well enough to know I won't say anything I don’t mean to placate you. It’s a bit awkward, I’ll give you that. But you appear to make one another happy, and when it comes down to it, I’d like to see you both happy.”

Tobias smiled, and the tension that engulfed them moments before all but melted away.

“Thanks, buddy. That... it means a lot to me.”

“I just have one request.”

“Name it.”

“Be good to her. Don’t... don’t hurt her, OK?”

“Hurting Casey is the last thing I want to do,” Tobias assured. “I mean it. I love her. I’ve never loved anyone like this, and I won't do anything stupid to mess it up.”

Ethan did his best to conceal how those words left him stricken, unintentionally pouring salt into wounds most would have believed were long healed.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Ethan smiled so convincingly he could have been nominated for an Oscar. “Now, let’s get back to work before the rest of the team arrives.”

~~~~~

Casey was blow-drying her hair in her tiny bathroom, though attempting to dry her hair would be a more accurate description. Her roommates—and Bryce—continually barging in was one thing. She was a veteran of that and knew how to usher them away until she completed her task. But today was different.

Today, she longed for a secretary to assist with the non-stop barrage of messages she was receiving. She knew the news would travel fast; it was Edenbrook, after all. But she never expected such an enthusiastic reaction. “OMG IS IT TRUE?” texts arrived by the dozen. Those messages were fun, but she would have put them on hold to continue getting ready. But there was no way she was ignoring the messages coming from her new boyfriend. Boyfriend!

With that, Casey returned to being protector of the mirror; Sienna was her first victim.

“Hey! I was here first!”

The diminutive doctor turned with a sly grin. “Sorry. I love you, but you snooze... you lose.”

“Sienna....” Casey wined. “You’re supposed to be the nice one!”

“I am! Relax, I’m just making a braid. I’ll be out of your hair, no pun intended.”

“All right,” Casey smiled.

“You aren't usually this concerned about your appearance when we're just going to Donahue’s,” Sienna teased. “What makes tonight so special?”

“Si...”

“Oh, I know!” she playfully chided. “It’s your big debut as Dr. Mrs. Carrick.”

Sienna underestimated how quickly her friend could maneuver. Within seconds, Casey grabbed the hot pink spray bottle off the counter and took aim.

“HEY!” Sienna protested.

“Sorry, this is how people train their pets. I’m going to try using it on my roommates.”  

 “You know I’m just teasing you,” Sienna giggled.

“I know. I just don’t want you guys scaring him away. I'm his first serious girlfriend, so let’s leave the word ‘wife’ out of conversations. I want to keep him around a little longer.”

“Around him? Of course!” Sienna insisted. “Around you? No freaking way.”

She gestured toward the mirror with a flourish. “Your mirror awaits! I’ll block the others from entering so you can get ready for your debut.”

She embraced Casey warmly before stepping away. “You look so happy!”  

“I am so happy.”

“And it’s well deserved! Tonight's going to be a great night.”

~~~~~

Casey was a ball of nervous energy as they turned onto Donahue’s street. Her skin-tight black satin pants, glittery gold cami, and matching sandals made quite a statement, and the hair she worked so hard to perfect was now a cascade of luscious, blonde waves. Her friends teased, saying she already landed the guy; she could relax now. But they didn't understand; she simply wanted her exterior to reflect how amazing she felt inside, and she nailed it.

Tobias, dressed a bit more casually than his freshly minted significant other was already waiting. He didn’t require much to command attention. His well-worn pale blue jeans and a black t-shirt that perfectly showcased the work he had been doing at the gym worked just fine.

He attracted a crowd wherever he went, and that’s just how he liked it. Sure, he reveled in the attention, but there was much more. Tobias had a unique talent for making each person feel like they were the only one in the room, and he loved making others feel seen. Tonight’s audience was predominantly strangers who had fallen under his spell, but one familiar face sitting perpendicular to him wasn’t nearly as impressed with him.

Addie had been his friend since he arrived in Boston nearly a decade before. One particularly gloomy night, he couldn’t stand the thought of sitting alone in his apartment for a minute longer, so he headed to a neighborhood watering hole not much different than the one they found themselves in tonight. He was seated alone at the bar when the curly-haired blonde rushed in from the rain, promptly slipping on the floor beside him. He helped her up and offered his medical services; she thanked him, then promptly called him a pervert. His raucous laughter made it clear no offense was taken, and, to Addie, that made him worthy of sharing a beer.

Their friendship blossomed effortlessly, and before long, she showed him enough of Boston for him to feel like a native. She introduced him to people she knew, and sometimes they forgot they hadn't been friends forever.

She hailed from a traditional Boston Irish family with whom she was estranged, but she retained some of their best traits. Addie Larkin knew from a young age that she wasn’t made to fit any mold, and she remained true to that, regardless of the price she had to pay. While she didn’t share Tobias’s boisterous personality, she still commanded the attention of a room as well as he did, and when the two were together, a good time was guaranteed.

They talked frequently and cherished each other but never managed to see each other as often as they wished. In fact, she wouldn’t have been at Donahue’s tonight if she hadn’t heard the news. Tobias Carrick had a girlfriend? She wouldn't believe it until she saw it with her own eyes. Ordering another round of drinks, she rolled her eyes at Tobias, who was entertaining the crowd with a story about the two of them breaking into the Franklin Park Zoo after hours.

“You did not!” A fetching young redhead squeaked, attempting to step closer to the handsome doctor.

“Most certainly did, young lady. But I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the mastermind here.”

“Please,” Addie scoffed. “Tobias has a tendency to make me into much more of a legend than I actually am.”

“That is entirely untrue!”

“It is true. Did he tell you why we snuck in? I was obsessed with the ring-tailed lemur, and after way too much bourbon, I convinced myself that the poor little fella was simply crushed because I hadn’t seen him in two weeks! That needed to be rectified immediately. That’s not legendary children,” she informed. “That’s insanity!”

Tobias draped an arm loosely around her shoulder. “As if insanity and being a legend are mutually exclusive! I’m of the belief that you can't be a legend unless you're a little off."

Ethan sauntered in at that very moment, hopping on the barstool next to Tobias.

“If that’s the case, you have exactly what it takes to be a legend, Carrick.”

“You see!” Tobias raised his beer. “I rest my case.”

Addie was already eyeing Ethan, subtly assessing him. Another trait she shared with Tobias... she could size someone up without them being remotely aware… unless she wanted them to be.

“Well, who is this handsome guy?” Addie asked with a smile.

“Handsome? Behind that scowl, maybe,” Tobias tittered. “This is my friend...”

“His boss,” Ethan injected.

“...Ethan. Ethan, this is my friend....”

“...and legend,” she added.

“...Addie.”

The tiny blonde extended a hand, eyes twinkling. “It’s very nice to meet you, Ethan.”

“Likewise,” he simpered, nodding toward her drink. “Could you use a refill?”

“Thank you, but I’m cut off for the night. I'll be driving soon. I’m only staying to meet Tobias’s girlfriend,” she said to the dismay of several people surrounding them. “I refuse to believe it’s true unless I see it with my own eyes.”

“Trust,” Ethan chuckled, motioning toward the bartender for a drink. “We all felt that way. But I can confirm, it’s for real.”

Addie went to respond, but her phone rang in her purse. “Oh, I have to take this,” she said, sliding down from her stool. “I’ll be right back!”

Ethan’s eyes trailed her as she walked away, only to find Tobias staring directly at him when he looked up. Clearing his throat nervously, he decided he had nothing to lose by asking.

“She seems lovely,” Ethan began. “Is she taken?”

“She is,” Tobias shrugged. “But that never seems to stop her, now that I think of it.”  

“Oh, in that case, I’ll pass. The last thing I need is drama.”

“On the contrary,” Tobias smirked. “I think you need more drama, my friend.”

“Sorry about that,” Addie announced upon her return. “I own a store in Cambridge, and my manager’s sort of new. She had a few questions that couldn’t wait.”

“Oh, what kind of a store?” Ethan inquired.

“Bohemian clothing, metaphysical stuff, incense... no offense, I don’t think you’d find it appealing.”

Ethan glared at Tobias, who choked on his beer.

“Hey, T. Will Casey be arriving soon? Alysha's not ready to close the store on her own yet, so I need to head out soon.”

“Affirmative! She’s on her way. She just got delayed by a five roommate pile up in her bathroom. Luckily, she was still able to get dressed, and no injuries were reported.”

“Five roommates!” Addie approved. “My kind of girl! I’m so glad you didn’t end up with one of those gorgeous, snobby assholes you used to date.”

Now, it was Ethan choking on his Scotch. “You know, I like her.”

“Casey is gorgeous,” Tobias corrected. “But I don’t think snobby or asshole remotely describe her.”

He heard the bells on the front door ring, indicating someone had entered, and turned just in time to see Casey appear.

“There’s my girl!” He hollered, turning to Addie with a brilliant smile. “Told you she’s gorgeous!”

“Hey!” Casey beamed as he pulled her close for a tender kiss. When they broke apart, Tobias had a smile that went all the way up to his eyes.

“Can you do me a favor?” He asked.

“Anything.”

He stepped back, obviously assessing the subject, and let out a low growl.

“Can you walk out and come back in? Because I need to watch that again.”

“Tobias,” she giggled. “How about you watch me walk back from the jukebox. Would that do? Besides,” she said, inconspicuously tapping the front of his jeans. “I have a feeling if you watch me too much, you’ll want to usher me right out of here.”

“Out of here or to the coat closet,” he leered while Ethan muttered something unintelligible.

“There’s plenty of time for that later,” Casey insisted. “Tonight, I'm showing off my new boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend,” Tobias grinned, wrapping his hands around her waist and lifting her onto the bar in front of him.

“Tobias, what are you doing?” She squeaked.

“Hey... everyone! Everyone, look over here. I have an announcement to make.”

Ethan dragged a hand down his face. “Jesus Christ!"

“Do you see this beautiful woman?”

“Yeah,” the crowd roared as Casey turned ten shades of crimson.

“This beautiful angel is my girlfriend, and I want all of you SOBs to know it!”

While most of the patrons cheered, there were some shocked faces and a few disapproving scowls within the crowd. But if anyone noticed them, it wasn't Tobias or Casey, who only had eyes for each other's eyes.

Jackie had elbowed her way through the mele and stood next to Tobias. “Aww, kiss her already!”

“Wow, have we turned you into a romantic?” Tobias asked.

“Oh, fuck no! Just do it and get her ass off the bar so I can order a drink!”

Tobias reached up and placed his hand behind Casey's neck, pulling her down for a long, passionate kiss as wolf whistles and cheers filled the room. Even Jackie managed to smile... just a little.

When Casey was back on solid ground, Addie turned to her with a welcoming grin. “All right, I have to ask because I know this man too well. This is for real, right? He didn’t pay you to pull a prank or something.”

 “No,” Casey assured. “This is the real deal.”

“Well, I’m astonished... and so happy... to hear that. I’m Addie,” she said, extending her hand. “Tobias and I go way back, and I had to come see this for myself!”

Casey enthusiastically shook her hand, mentally sifting through past conversations to see if Tobias had ever mentioned Addie, but nothing registered.

“Well, it’s lovely to meet you,” Casey beamed. But Addie raised a brow.

“He’s never mentioned me, has he?” She turned to Tobias and struck his shoulder. “You prick! You have been dating her for a year, and you never told her about me!”

“Well,” he smiled slyly. “We were often preoccupied with other things.”

“For a full year?” Addie bleated before holding up her hand. “Wait, no. Nevermind. It’s you... I’m sure that’s 100% true.”

Casey looped her arm around Tobias’s waist, and he pulled her close.

“In fairness, until last night, we never defined what we were. I’m sure we still have a lot to learn about each other now.”

“Oh, honey!” Addie said, taking Casey’s hand. “I hope I didn’t offend you. This is just how I bust this asshole’s chops.”

A wide grin spread on Casey’s face. “Oh, we’re going to get along just fine.”

“I’m inclined to agree with you,” Addie winked.

“Oh, great. They're already ganging up on me.”

Ethan raised his glass with a smirk. “This is why I avoid relationships.”

“Oh yeah,” Tobias teased. “That’s why!”

“I wish I didn’t have to cut out so early,” Addie sighed. “But I have to go to Cambridge to help my new manager close my shop. But I’m going to see a friend perform at The Burren in Somerville later; why don’t you guys come?”

“We’d love to,” Tobias grinned, turning to Casey. “But we’re a little tied up tonight.”

“Literally or figuratively,” Addie chortled.

“Whatever she’s willing to do,” Tobias shrugged.

 “Ahh, I’m never going to see this man again, am I, Casey?”

“Oh, no!” Casey insisted. “We'll be spending plenty of time together, of course, but our friends matter, too! He’ll still be seeing you. I'll make sure of it.”

“Well, that’s good to know!” Addie stepped off her bar stool, offering Tobias and Casey a quick hug.

“It was lovely meeting you,” she said to Casey, then looked over her shoulder at Ethan. "You too, by the way."

“Likewise," he nodded. Then Addie was out the door.

“I like her,” Casey confirmed.

"Oh, Addie is the best!"

“We’ll have to hang out sometime. Is she seeing anyone?”

“She has a boyfriend, but I’ve only met him once or twice in passing.”

“Well, we’ll have to change that! Maybe we can double date?”

“I don’t know about this,” Tobias said playfully, looking at his watch. “I have a girlfriend for 20 hours, and she’s already controlling my schedule.”

“Oh, fuck you, T!” She laughed as he snarled.

“Gladly!”

“Oh, Christ!” Ethan interrupted. “Are we going to be subjected to this all night?”

Tobias pat his friend on the back. “Nope. With any luck, you’re going to be subjected to this for the rest of your life.”

“I need to find another bar,” Ethan sighed.

“No, you don't,” Casey insisted, grabbing his hand. “Screw that, come and dance with me.”

“Casey, you know I don’t...”

“Dance with me!”

Ethan turned to Tobias, hoping he would save him. But Tobias just smiled as he hopped back on his stool.

“If the lady says dance... dance.”

Casey was having the time of her life on the dancefloor, while poor Ethan looked like a fish out of water. When the lively tune abruptly led into a slow ballad, Ethan thought he found his salvation. He already had one foot off the floor when he said, “I suppose we should sit.”

But Casey wasn’t done. “Ethan, you’re allowed to dance with me. Tobias isn’t going to bite you.”

“Is this where you tell me that’s because he’s saving it to bite you later?”

“No,” she grinned, placing her arm on his shoulder and keeping a friendly distance between them. “But dance with me. It’s the perfect place to have a private conversation in a crowded bar.”  

She could feel the itchy wool of his sweater scratch against her skin as his chest rose and fell, and she had to smile. Tobias and Ethan were only three months apart in age. Tobias always called himself an old man, but Ethan fit the moniker so much more.

“I didn’t realize we had to talk,” he whispered.

“Well, we do. I wanted to let you know that nothing will change between us. I'm dating Tobias, but our friendship remains the same. You still mean just as much to me.”

“Casey, I...”

“Let me finish!” She scolded as his face softened, that smile only she brought out of him spreading on his lips.

“Go on.”

“You always say I'm your favorite mentee, and you continue to be a mentor to me, but that role is secondary. The most important thing is that you're my friend. I know we didn’t end up where we thought we might a few years ago… or maybe we did. Either way, you’re very important to me. Promise me our relationship won’t change.”

Ethan smiled down at her, silently kicking himself for having been such a fool.

"Nothing will change," he muttered. "I promise."

“Good,” she replied, leaning her head on his chest. “Now, I need to hook you up with someone so we can double date.”

“What's your obsession with double dating?" He laughed. "But there is no need. I am fine as I am."

“No, you’re not,” she dismissed. “There’s no chance you and Harper....”

“Casey...”

“All right, what about Addie? She’s hot, and she was totally checking you out.”

“Did you forget Tobias said she has a boyfriend? Though, he also said that wouldn’t be much of a hindrance.”

“Oh?” Casey said. “Would that work for you?"

“Shut up and dance," he smirked.

Casey stepped back and grinned. "How can we keep dancing? The song is over."

“Then... can have one more?”

“Of course," she smiled.

When the song ended, they returned to the bar, where Tobias welcomed her back. The night was full of drinking, laughter, and friends, and the new couple was unable to keep their hands off each other, becoming more affectionate with each drink imbibed.

“Would you two get a fucking room?” Jackie grimaced.

“I’ve got several rooms at my place,” Tobias purred into Casey’s ear. “What do you say? Ready to get out of here?”

Casey didn’t think twice. “Bye, guys!” she yelled as she clutched Tobias’s hand and raced toward the door. “See you soon!”

Once they were gone, Jackie clinked her beer against Ethan’s. The two took a drink and let out simultaneous sighs.

“This is going to be difficult. Isn’t it?” Jackie asked.

"Varma, you have no idea."

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately

[amber-jinx]

Me again (:

Your posts always make me feel better, particularly the ones on Rachel. I need it due to the recent loss of a family member which is why I haven’t been around as much. That said, thank you for being so positive and supportive. ❤️

A question that has been lingering in my mind is why do you think Rachel is hated so much in the fandom? She was flawed, but I seriously doubt she was this monster that others make her out to be. To some degree, I can relate to her. Not on the daddy issues per se, but more so of being misunderstood.

Hey! Apologies for the delay in answering, really hope you're healing up well. And your GIFs are always so goofy they bring a smile to my face. Thank you so much for your kind words-- they remind me that my posts about Rachel aren't meaningless 🧡

Now getting to this very valid question-- why is Rachel, & by extension, any flawed character without a crystal clear definition like her, hated on so much??

1. Because she is ambiguous. Rachel is viewed in the 3rd person perspective-- either Max's or Chloe's; We never got to know what Rachel was actually thinking, how she felt and what lead to her decisions. All that we've seen in the game are after-the-fact and through varying third perspectives talking about the Rachel Amber, without actually knowing 100% who she really is.

This leaves room for the truth to be bent so severely that people barely scratch the surface of Rachel, and are basically blaming & hating on someone that is not her.

I bet if we got to play her version of the story from the start & experience all the mess from her pov, some players might just choose to hide from Chloe in order to protect her before anything comes to fruition, which can be very much justified in her position imo. Who knows? We could very much be jumping for Jeffersht's trap of an opportunity to get cash so that we can leave town with Chloe. It's all about the context & the framing.

2. As mentioned before by other bloggers, some fans focus too much on Chloe & her narrative that they judge Rachel solely based on Chloe's very biased narrative. I've noticed that quite a lot who appreciate/like Rachel played BTS first without much impression of who this girl is, which offers a very different experience as compared to playing the OG then BTS.

Chloe's outburst after finding out about Rachel's involvement with Frank (the words she used, "lied" "betrayed" etc) left such a deep impression in people's minds that after years of having played the game, continued to influence their perspectives.

Instead of taking account into other details where Rachel cared more for Chloe & was always prioritising her over Frank, and particularly due to the lack of major evidence of her being loyal to Chloe (which is mostly present in the unseen/untold, besides Joyce's remark that they were "joint in the head" and "chloe could never piss Rachel off"), folks now have a magnified impression that all Rachel ever did that's worth noting is her "betrayal", is her supposed plan on leaving Chloe without telling her, which could very well not be the case, but is kinda made harder to argue given Chloe's rage & us not knowing Rachel's side of the story (aka, in her defense), especially with her missing/out of the picture.

Therefore it's so easy for many to simply jump on the Rachel hate train in their almost blindsighted sympathy for Chloe. They might also:

- ignore that Rachel's a victim & instead assume 100% autonomy in her choices, when she was under influence & potential coersion / "it's too late to back out now" state

- ignore her age & circumstances, judge her like a grown mature adult who has good parents to guide her & wise friends to consult with

3. Inspired by your earlier comment! Most people who played the OG did it when they were pretty young & immature without much life experiences -- & so judged with their idealistic expectations, perhaps from the comfort of their homes/lives.

It can be hard to change your own views that's been set from so long ago. Takes some effort to replay the game, re-examine the evidence & admit to oneself that they were probably wrong. Understandable, I've been through the same.

And I've also seen those who have gone through their own messes, met their own supposed "Rachel Amber" irl and proceeded to project the toxicity & hurt they've experienced onto this teenage video game character, when in fact they're not 100% Chloe Price and the other, not a Rachel Amber and more of a subjective projection.

This isn't fair for the character, but then again like I've said, there's a thousand Rachels in a thousands eyes. We just have to keep in mind that whoever they're hating on is not the same as the character we adore 🤍

Thanks for this! I gotta try finding all your asks & make a master list at some point xD they're so good they can form a thread on their own 🌛 psst I am customising a Rachel plush, will see how well it goes & if more can be put out for orders. Unconfirmed stuff, more of a bonus if you've read this far ;)

[im-the-j-in-anthony-j-crowley]

Hi guys, I want to start by saying that I love you all and that my time in the fandom has been amazing

I don't know if that time is over, but we're definitely going to have a break because I need to think things through

If you want a VERY long talk about my views on the subject, and my general perspective, it's below.

I should give warning that both SA and depression are mentioned, with reference to suicide

I have always had problems with the age of both Michael's and David's partners, and you don't know how much I loved the girl who asked Michael about it.

However, both relationships were consensual, so even though I don't agree with it, I could simply acknowledge the fact that we have different worldviews and that's it.

Now I assume we know what's going on with Neil, and here the allegation is that it wasn't consensual. And also, it was girls my age, or younger than me.

Neil, I know the chances of you reading this are nil, and that possibly my stance on this is irrelevant. But taking into account the time I've put into the fandom.... I don't usually generate close connections with famous people, I always feel like they're about to make a mistake. Because we are human, and nobody deserves a pedestal. But it was something I almost did for Neil, especially after the post I made when I was in a crisis, that ridiculous "if this has x notes I do y thing" post.

and I guess I'm never going to be able to see the fact of Neil reblogging that post in any way other than "hey, maybe without that I wouldn't be here".

But there's no way I can keep my mouth shut on this, SA is an extremely touchy subject for me, and I don't know how to describe what I'm feeling right now. What am I supposed to do? Abandon this blog? Delete it?

Good omens is part of my life on an immense level.

It's on most of my tumblr, Crowley is my profile picture on TOO MANY things, Crowley and Aziraphale are my favourite couple of all time, basically my definition of the best fictional relationship.

And now all of that is mixed in with what's currently going on.

I don't know if I'm going to leave the fandom or not, but I do know that I possibly need to spend a few days or weeks assessing the situation.

I love you guys, if you decided to follow me here, I really do. I adore you. I love this blog, it's one of my favourite things in the world. But now every time I think about it, I realise that it's a little too close to home.

I hope the situation moves forward as well as possible, that it is resolved with the truth...

And I want to make it clear, it shouldn't be me, the 22 year old, who is saying that someone my age dating a person 20 years older is incorrect

Even if it is a consensual relationship, it should not be that it is considered a correct course of action.

I say that as the 14 year old who thought they were an adult, as the teenager who was convinced they were mature (I wasn't). And even though I now feel that I am 100% aware of my situation, and 100% capable of making the right decisions, I wouldn't be surprised if in 10 years I discover that my worldview was fucking wrong.

I say that as the 22 year old who is fucking obsessed with Michael Sheen, who has seen an immense amount of stuff just because he's in it. I shouldn't be the one to say that if the situation were to arise, it would be fucking wrong of him for anything to happen (This is nothing against Michael, he is simply the only actor who has ever interested me in that way)

If it turns out that the allegations are true, it's horrible

If it turns out they're not, Neil, please date someone your own age, PLEASE

NOT WITH GIRLS

Having finished that, I want to talk a bit more about the fandom itself. I'm not telling you that we should leave fandom, or anything. And I understand if there are those who have compelling reasons to stay, I have no problem with that and I understand that. I've had experience with deciding whether or not to leave a fandom.

What I will ask is that you please consider acknowledging the fact that the ages of the people involved in these relationships alone is questionable, and the possibility that it was without consent makes it even worse.

I'm not asking you to smash or burn anything with Neil's name on it, but please think about it.

Is there a chance it's a fake? Yes, but please consider supporting the victims, because it is a fact that victims of SA are often categorised as liars

Just... acknowledging what is happening is better than pretending it is not happening

That's why I'm doing this

It happened, this is my situation at the moment, I'm going to take some time to think about it

[aanoia]

Reunions and Goodbyes

Peter Quill x reader

Summary; after your best friend disappeared you made a name for yourself with the help of the Avengers, what happens when you accidently find said best friend again? But in space?

Words; abt 1,300

Warnings; death 😋, not proofread

I kinda hate this but kinda love it but kinda want to burn it at the stake. Yk?

Btw yalls can manipulate metal, like magneto, but cooler

Requests are open! Requests are welcome and encouraged! (Pls I'm desperate) Fandom list is my pinned post! (REQUEST SOMETHING, ANYTHING, LEAVE ME A CUTE NOTE, PLEASE IM SO BORED WITH LIFE RN🙏🙏)

“We might uh, um turn! Turn! Turn!” Peter P. said as the ship ran into a demolished building, causing the whole thing to shake.

“Oh Lord.” I mumbled under my breath forcing a piece of metal to lower itself in front of me and steadying myself. Peter P. grunted as we crashed onto the ground, Stephen doing his best to steady us.

The ship came to a stop and I took a breath of relief, letting go of the metal as Peter P. hung upside down on his web.

“Let me just say, if aliens wind up implanting eggs in my chest or something and I eat one of you, I’m sorry.”

I shook my head with a laugh.

“I do not want another single pop culture reference out of you for the rest of the trip, you understand?”

“Uh, he’s just trying to tell us someone is coming.” I warned and Peter P. nodded.

“Thank you, Y/n.” He thanked me as a little metal ball rolled in between us. In just a moment it exploded, sending us backwards. I grunted as I hit the ground and looked up to see two red eyes coming in from the fog, followed by silhouettes of other people.

A big one yelled and threw knives at Stephen, who blocked them with his shield, making the man scream in anger before getting tackled by Cape. The one with red eyes began shooting while flying up in the air, Tony following after him, his mask now on. Tony shot a blast at the guy who dodged it but ran into a piece of metal I placed next to him.

“Ah!” I heard Peter P. screech and I looked to him to see an alien girl leaning over him, her tendrils glowing. “Woah woah woah, please don’t put your eggs in me!” He shot her with webs causing her to yelp in surprise before the red eyed guy kicked Peter down.

Tony took Capes spot above the man as the guy with red eyes held onto Peter P. from behind, a gun pointed to his head. I held my hands up, hood covering my eyes as metal flew around me, aiming at both the red eyed and the big guy.

“Everybody stay where you are, chill the f out!” He brought his hand up and his mask retracted. I shivered as a sudden wave of familiarity filled my body. Do I know this guy? “I’m gonna ask you this one time, where is Gamora?”

“Yeah, I’ll do you one better!” Tony said as his mask also retracted. “Who’s Gamora?”

“I’ll do you one better, why is Gamora?” The big one said from beneath Tony. I looked at Stephen who looked just as confused as me.

“Tell me where the girl is or I swear to you I’m gonna french fry this little freak.”

“Woah, watch your tone there, man.” I told him, waving the metal in the air. His eyes flashed with something unrecognizable, but I ignored it.

“Let’s do it. Shoot my guy and I’ll blast him! Let’s go!” Tony threatened.

“Do it Quill! I can take it!” The big man said and my stance faltered. Quill?

“No! He can’t take it!” An alien looking girl I didn’t even realize was there yelled.

“She’s right. You can’t.” Stephen said calmly.

“Oh, yeah? You don’t wanna tell me where she is? That’s fine! I’ll kill all four of you and I’ll beat it out of Thanos myself!” He pushed the gun harder against Peter P.’s head. “Starting with you.

“Wait what?” Stephen asked. “All right, let me ask you this one time. What master do you serve?”

I snorted, “What is he supposed to say, Jesus?” I said as red eyes guy said the same thing, just with “I” instead of "he.” He looked at me with wide eyes.

“Woah, weird.” Peter P. mumbled.

“Wait, you’re from Earth?” Tony asked.

“Not from Earth, I’m from Missouri.”

“Hey, that’s where Y/n’s from.” Peter said quietly, but apparently only I heard him as everyone continued talking. 

“Yeah, that’s on Earth, dipshit. What are you hassling us for?”

“Wait, so you’re not with Thanos?” Peter asked shakily.

Red eyed guy looked at Peter P. incredulously, “With Thanos? No, I’m here to kill Thanos. He took our gir- wait, who are you?” 

Peter’s mask retracted. “We’re the Avengers, man.” 

“You’re the ones Thor told us about!” The alien girl said and the red eyes guy looked at me in thought.

“You know Thor?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, tall guy, not that good looking.” Red eyes guy said, not breaking his gaze. “Needed saving.”

“Where is he now?” Stephen asked.

My metal dropped to the floor with a loud bang, making everyone jump.

“Y/n?” Peter P. asked and I lowered my hood, looking straight at red eyes guy with teary eyes.

I walked closer to him, my heart thumping heavily.

“What is it? Y/n?” Tony asked.

“Peter?” I whispered to red eyes guy who stared intently at me.

His eyes widened, “Y/n?” He whispered back.

“They know each other?” Peter P. asked Tony and Stephen who shrugged, just as lost as him.

I laughed in relief and tackled him in a hug, squeezing tightly as a few stray tears left my eyes. It had been years since I had last seen him. We were eight. He disappeared right after his mother died and I never fully recovered. It had been a while, and we were only eight and it was so dumb, but I loved him so much.

“I can’t believe you’re alive.” I said to him quietly, finally letting go to look at him. “What happened to you?”

“I was literally abducted by aliens.” he said and I laughed.

“What’s going on?” Tony asked.

“I know this guy. He’s a good guy.” I told him, not providing an explanation on purpose.

Tony nodded, knowing it was pointless to pry. I would tell him when I was ready.

“Okay, have your little reunion thing, I’m gonna make a plan.” He said and walked off with Stephen. 

“So you’re telling me that after you left you literally joined a superhero team with Captain freaking America?”

I laughed, “You work with a tree! And a racoon!”

“Speaking of, I hope you and Rocket get to meet. I feel like he’d like you.”

“I hope I can meet all of your new friends.”

Peter Q. grabbed my hand, “I’ve really missed you, Y/n. You’re the reason I almost came back to Earth so many times.”

“I’ve missed you too, Peter.” I said and he leaned in slowly. My eyes flickered down to his lips as fast footsteps came towards us.

“Y/n! Help! He’s gonna kill me!” Peter P. said, out of breath as the big guy, who I now know is Drax, ran behind him. I laughed loudly before looking back at Peter Q.

“Sorry, sister from another mister duty calls, Peter Q. Gotta go save my brother.” I said and stood up, quickly pressing a kiss to Peter Q’s cheek before running after Peter P. and Drax.

Bonus

“Peter! No!” I yelled with teary eyes as Peter Q. began turning to dust. I ran up to him, placing my hand on his slowly disintegrating cheek. “No, I just got you back!” I cried.

“I love you, Y/n/n.” he whispered before disintegrating. I cried harder at the use of the nickname he gave to me when we were si

I heard the other Peter cry and desperately beg for help, I turned around quickly, running over to the other Peter who was laying down while holding tightly onto Tony.

“No, not you too.” I said, holding tightly onto his hand.

“I don’t wanna go, I don’t wanna go.” He said over and over and I shushed him through my own tears, gently pushing his hair from his face.

“Shh, it’s gonna be okay, Peter. You’re gonna be okay, alright?” I said and softly hummed him his favorite song. The notes turned into sobs as he disappeared, not paying attention as yet another person I loved disappeared, leaving only Tony, Nebula, and I. All alone.

[steampunkishfoxes]

Clara Carmine headcanons

Note: I'm new to the fan content scene on Tumblr, still figuring things out! I’m going to be making headcanons based on different fictional characters I adore, from different franchises/fandoms!

Clara Carmine is the daughter of Carmilla Carmine, one of the overlords in the series Hazbin Hotel on Amazon Prime. She’s one of my favourite characters and I wanted to dedicate my first headcanon post to her! Clara only has about 10-15 seconds of screen time, and one spoken line, but I adore her!

NSFW/SFW, Mature themes: discussion of death, discussion of cartels, discussions of weapons and violence, discussion of murder and a planned attack on a family, family themes, sexuality, pronouns, discussions of blood.

PERSONALITY HEADCANONS.

The following headcanons discuss what I think she would’ve been like on earth and what she’s like in hell.

-Clara is the younger of the two sisters, about 18 years of age physically, her soul is around 25 years old.

-She identifies as a demigirl, with she/they pronouns.

-She used to struggle a lot with her sexuality, she never really saw the fun in boys, but never paid attention to girls either. With help from her sister she found out she was lesbian around the age of 16 on earth.

-She looks a lot like her father, but her personality is more like her mother.

-Fluent in English, Spanish and French, though she’s attempted to learn Portuguese too.

-She’s fiercely protective over Odette, when the two were in school on earth Clara was always the one who stood up for her older sister when she was bullied.

-She hasn’t lost her confidence after finding herself in hell. She isn’t afraid to fight any demon that hurts her sister or mother, but doesn’t often get the chance to fight because of Carmilla’s protective and motherly nature.

-In the Carmine weapons business she takes the role of delivery girl alongside her sister Odette.

-In her free time she plays music, she has a customised guitar she uses to write and record her own song covers- this girl can SING!

-She’s very active on Sinstagram, posting music covers for any listening ear.

-Clara owns one soul, a lackey from the cartel she worked for on earth, who came to the Carmines for protection.

ROOM HEADCANONS.

Because every demon needs a safe place to call home, these are the headcanons I have for Clara’s room in the Carmine Mansion, down in hell!

-Clara’s room has slate blue walls and is covered with posters and pictures, most of them depicting her family. She has a large family picture of her, her mother and sister in front of their business on her ceiling above her bed, so she can look up at it every night.

-She has a queen sized bed with matte royal blue covers and a lot of pillows.

-She has a wolf plushie, affectionately named Wolfie, which she’s had since she was 2 years old. Wolfie has a top hat and bowtie.

!!MATURE THEMES AHEAD!!: discussion of death, discussion of cartels, discussions of weapons and violence, discussion of murder and a planned attack on a family.

The following headcanons discuss the surroundings of Clara’s death.

Family headcanon: Carmilla’s ex husband left her shortly after Clara’s birth, leaving her with two young daughters in a broken city in Mexico. Carmilla entered the weapons business, working for a well known and dangerous cartel. She started out delivering weapons but learned how to make them for a bigger payout. As her daughters grew up, she took bigger, more risky jobs to be able to protect them. One night a rival gang broke into their house and killed the family in cold blood.

-Clara was the first of Carmilla’s daughters to find out about her mother’s secret job, finding her making weapons in the garage when she was about 12 years old. Carmilla asked her to stay silent, but Clara told her older sister immediately.

-She was also the first to enter the family business, stealing a package Carmilla was supposed to deliver to the cartel. Clara delivered it instead and used the money she earned to buy her mother a birthday present. Carmilla told her not to do that, but reluctantly let Clara help with simple, risk free deliveries. Clara was 15.

-Clara befriended one of the cartel members, a bodyguard.

-Clara was the first one to die in the attack. When she was 19, her mother and sister were asleep after watching a movie. Clara was dozing off when she was startled wide awake by pounding on the door.

-Before she could even open it, the door was kicked open, hitting her in the head. She fell, her and her family were quickly grabbed and restrained.

-Clara was dizzy from the hit and confused, she vaguely heard shouting and crying.

-The last thing she saw as a human was her family, her mother’s and sister's faces as she was shot in the chest, the first death in the Carmine home invasion. Clara was 18 when she died.

-Clara’s cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head, and a fatal shot to the heart.

-She hides the shot mark under her shirt, ashamed of the moment she let her guard down.

LIKES/DISLIKES HEADCANONS.

Foods, colours, animals, and everything in between!

-Food: Anything spicy is a big hit! She hates bland and boring food and will often add peppers or some kind of hot sauce for that perfect kick with every meal! Except for breakfast, she’ll never try cereal with hot sauce again.

-Colours: Black, dark shades of green and blue. She’s not a fan of red, reminding her of the blood she saw on her hands when she died.

-Animals: Wolves, wolves, WOLVES! She loves any canine but mostly wolves! They remind her of how fiercely protective she is over her family! She doesn’t like birds, they creep her out.

-Music: Besides her own music, she loves music from her heritage! Flamenco, salsa, she’ll listen and sing along to it all! Classical music is a BORE though, it always makes her so sleepy.

-Movies: She was never huge on movies, but when she was little, she always watched the movie Balto, dreaming of snow. She hates movies with blood, it reminds her of her own weakness.

-A weird collection she has: Heart shaped stuff! If she’s out in the city and she sees a cool rock shaped vaguely like a heart, she’ll pocket it and show it to her family at home, some of her hearts are questionable, but she loves it all!

-A guilty pleasure: Watching the sunset from her balcony. It’s quiet and simple, she’s loved it since she was a kid.

-Her biggest fear: Being unable to try and protect her family, like when she died. She can’t handle the weak, pathetic feeling, she may have panic attacks when thinking about it.

CHARACTER HEADCANONS

How does Clara fall into the ensemble of hell? Who would she bond with, and who would she hate?

-Who from the entire cast would she hate the most?

The Vees, mainly Velvette, because of how she treats her mother.

-If she met the Hazbin Hotel staff and inhabitants, who would she bond with?

Vaggie, both are strong souls with a tragic past!

-Who would she most likely have a song with? About what?

With her mother and sister, a song about protecting each other no matter what, almost like an “Out for love” reprise

Thank you for reading all the way through!! I’m planning on making way more headcanons in the future! Feel free to ask for specific characters/headcanons in the comments!

A list of future projects:

-Odette Carmine

-Carmilla Carmine

-Zestial Morde

-Lute

-Adam