#in debt bc of pads

[bxdtime-ceai]

thinking about law school and im so excited to be back in an academic environment

[lowkeyfalleninlove]

I love that Diaval is never scared of Maleficent. That his devotion and willingness to be her servant isn’t out of fear or terror but out of duty and (if you don’t mind me saying — bc i’m right) love.

He still has his free will. Even when he is at the mercy of her turning him into whatever she wants. She treats him with dignity and doesn’t abuse that power and he is allowed to speak on his displeasures for certain animals. All because Diaval wants to serve her. He sees her as a friend and, obviously, as more than a friend (it’s canon idc). In essence, I just think he would start groveling on his knees with his head in her lap if she told him that she didn’t want him to be around anymore. A groveling little mess.

[l1tw1ck]

Please write more of the toy. PLEASE -🥚

Toy (2)

dom!bottom!ftm oc x sub!top!masc reader

wellll since you asked sooo nicely and im in the mood to write some sexy dominating men,,, | AFAB Language Used

CW: Non-Con, Dark Content

Debt Free

CW: Non-Con, Pet Play (Sort of) (puppy pet name, mention of collar and leash)

You were given the opportunity to clear your debt by dating your goddamned debt collector. He fell for you and basically ruined your life, he made you fall deeper and deeper into debt just so he could make you desperate enough to accept his offer. Now you're in his bedroom, wearing a studded collar and a leash. He likes treating you like an obedient dog and making you do things for him knowing you're not allowed to deny him. He could kill you if he wanted to.

He sits comfortably on your face, treating it like a special throne. He arches his back, shivering as he feels your tongue exploring his soft walls. "Mm...just like that, puppy~" He moans. "You've gotten better- uh~!" He gasps as your tongue finds his g-spot. He throws his head back, crying out shamelessly in pleasure as you eat him out. You're not the biggest fan of him but you can't deny the wonderful taste of his pussy and the pretty moans that come out of his mouth. "Yes- yes-" He breathes out.

"Fu- fuck~!" He squirts. "Mmh- such a good puppy.." He grinds down on your face before getting up.

ok i got lazy sorry

How to Please a Man

CW: Stepcest, Manipulation

this was lowkey difficult to write bc i have no idea how to finger someone 😭😭😭 im an autistic asexual virgin who absolutely hates masturbating with my fingers bc sticky so if anything is off ... thats why

You decided to ask your step father for relationship advice. You're a virgin and you're very nervous about asking out your crush. He was eager to give you advice and even offered to teach you some things.

"I bet you don't even know how to kiss." He climbs onto your lap. "Let me teach you." He doesn't wait for an answer and forces you into a kiss. You try to push him away but he's too strong. He grinds down on your crotch, determined to fuck you.

He finally pulls away from the kiss. "Relax, most guys don't like inexperience. I'll make sure you know what you're doing with him." He stands up and grabs your hand, pulling you into his bedroom and bringing you onto the bed with him. He manages to shimmy his shorts and boxers off, exposing his wet cunt to you. "Don't be scared, try and do what you think would feel good."

You swallow the lump in your throat. He's probably right. Your crush would appreciate it if you knew what you were doing. And this probably doesn't mean anything to him. He's just helping you out. Although you're unaware of your crush's anatomy, this'll probably be helpful for any future endeavors too. You look at his t-dick and hold it with your thumb and index finger, gently sliding it up and down. "Is...is that good?"

"Yeah, so good.." He moans. Jerking his dick is the easiest way to get him off thanks to how sensitive is. "But, you shouldn't rely on just that to please m- him."

"Oh- okay." You slide your finger down his cunt, eyeing him for a reaction. You slowly push your finger inside him, your breathing turns shallow as you take in the feeling of his warmth. You didn't know it felt like this. So warm, so plush, and so fucking wet. God. You feel weird for thinking this way about your step father but dear Lord, his pussy feels amazing. You slide in another finger and fumble around in his insides.

"Try finding my g-spot. You'll know when you find it."

You search around for it, earning a soft gasp from him when you find it. You poke it with the pads of your fingers, effectively pleasing him. You get the smart idea of sucking his dick while doing this.

"Fuck- good boy~" He throws his head back. "That's it. Keep going.."

You find yourself getting turned on by the sound of his moans and his praise. This is so wrong but oh so fucking good.

You keep going until he squirts, making a mess of the bed. You pull your mouth off his dick and lick up his slick before pulling away.

"Do you wanna learn more?" He looks at you with a lopsided smile. You nod eagerly, no longer worried about the morality of this.

part two for the second part if i remember lololol

[wileys-russo]

Writing prompt! - if you still want them :)

Alanna Kennedy, reader is Lanni K’s gf and is collecting the panini stickers “I can’t believe I didn’t make the book babe” Jealous Lani girl as you stick all the other players in 🥹

Just purely bc I’m still not over the fact my girl hasn’t got a sticker 💔

panini II a.kennedy

“babe! you here?” you heard the blonde call out as she let herself into your apartment with the key you'd gifted her not too long ago, perking up from your spot on the lounge and pausing the tv calling out a greeting as her footsteps made their way toward you.

“oi! you promised we’d watch that together you snake.” alanna protested with a frown seeing you were catching up on last nights big brother episode.

“did you get them?” you ignored her comment and propped yourself up on your knees eagerly leaning against the back of of the lounge. “oh hi lani how was your day? how are you? how was training? i missed you so much. i love you so much.” your girlfriend mocked as you rolled your eyes.

“alanna did you get them or not!” you huffed as she let out a sigh, reaching into the training bag which was still slung over her shoulder. “don't you alanna me. but of course i did, you only texted me seven reminders today about them.” the blonde chuckled pulling her arm out of her bag holding the packs in hand as your eyes lit up.

“gimme!” you made grabby hands at her as she took a few steps closer. “mmm but you gotta pay for em first babe.” the defender smirked holding them purposefully out of reach and looming over you. “lani!” you groaned as she stretched her arm up higher.

“sorry darlin i don’t work for free.” alanna grinned, tapping her lips expectantly as you looked up at the sticker packs with a frustrated frown.

with another roll of your eyes you leaned up and pecked her lips, whining as she didn’t lower her hand. “what! that’s it? that’s all my hard work is worth to you? a teeny tiny peck?” alanna protested with a shake of her head.

"what hard work? you got these for free off hempo all you had to do was open your bag and she dropped them in!" you laughed shoving at her shoulder.

“well after that comment the price just went up, and i know you can do much better then that babe.” alanna tapped her lips again puckering them as you sighed at her dramatics.

standing up on the lounge so you were closer to her height her hand now darted behind her back still holding the stickers out of reach. one hand on the back of her neck the blonde fell forward a little as you pulled her mouth to meet your own.

you wasted no time taking advantage of her surprise and sliding your tongue into her mouth, a small thud heard as the defender dropped everything in her hands to grab your hips almost yanking you off the lounge entirely as your hands moved to her shoulders to steady yourself.

right as alanna readied herself to whisk you off toward the bedroom you pulled away suddenly with a gentle smack, leaving a tiny trail of spit hanging from the blondes lips which you wiped away with the pad of your thumb.

"consider the debt settled baby." you patted her flushed cheeks lightly with a smug smile, jumping over the back of the lounge and nimbly landing on your feet.

collecting the packets from the floor you hurried back to the lounge and took a seat, swiping your book from where it sat beneath the coffee table and wiggling around to get comfortable as your girlfriend finally pulled her head from the clouds.

"you cannot seriously have just kissed me like that and moved on like it was nothing." the taller girl spoke in bewilderment as you merely shrugged, already tearing off the wrappers as you rifled through the small mountain of panini stickers sat in your lap.

"babe thats just made me so horny." alanna retorted bluntly, dropping herself down onto the lounge beside you as you felt her eyes stare holes into the side of your head. "go take a cold shower then kennedy you're not getting anything anytime soon." you warned, letting out an excited gasp as finally you found a sticker which wasn't a double up.

"you and those fucking little stickers i'll kill caitlin for getting you into them." your girlfriend grumbled with an unhappy scowl, arms crossed as she sank deeper into the cushions. "oh that reminds me! she was after a few of my double ups, when do you play arsenal again?" you pushed your hips up to grab your phone from the back pocket of your sweats.

"lani? did you hear me?" you looked up from your phone with a raised eyebrow, corners of your mouth curling into a smile at the frustrated pout which stared right back at you. "are you seriously giving me the silent treatment because i won't have sex with you right now?" you smiled in amusement as the blonde scoffed.

"no! i'm pissed off that ever since you started collecting those stupid stickers i, your super sexy very loving girlfriend, is treated no differently than merely a piece of furniture." alanna huffed, scowl deepening as your smile widened.

"are you jealous because you didn't get a sticker baby?" you pouted back at her, moving the stickers gently off your lap and moving to climb into hers as her arms remained crossed over her chest.

"no! i don't want to be a shitty panini sticker they're lame as anyway." alanna rolled her eyes but you saw right through it. "you know i have hundreds of double ups lani i could always make you a sticker of your own." you offered, hands massaging at the tension in her shoulders.

"would you?" your girlfriend asked quietly, uncrossing her arms as her hands came to rest on your thighs, features softening. "of course, if you ask me nicely." you grinned, leaning in a little.

"i don't work for free." you mocked her earlier words, tapping your lips as she rolled her eyes but there was a ghost of a smile on her own. "you drive a hard bargain kid." the australian sighed, pulling you even closer with a shake of her head.

"i think you'll find i'm an excellent saleswoman." you closed the gap between you, locking your lips against hers in a kiss that once again quickly became heated and once more you pulled away far too soon for alanna's liking, leaning back with a smirk as she chased your lips.

"i wasn't joking baby, no sex yet. i have stickers to tend to!" you moved off her lap and back to your previous spot, starting to separate your double ups away from the ones you needed to put into your book.

you ignored the many deep and dramatic sighs from the blonde beside you who eventually gave up with a groan and pressed play on the episode you'd been watching before, laying down so her head was resting against your leg as you happily continued with your stickers.

"i can't believe i didn't make the book babe." you glanced down at the footballer whose eyebrows furrowed unhappily, moving them apart with your fingers teasingly and bending down to tenderly kiss her forehead.

"i know love, but you'd make my book any day."

[dapper-lil-arts]

If you had free rein to rewrite the g4 mlp movie what would you do

Oh lmao too much. too much for one post, I think. That movie is a hot mess of a roadtrip experience with all of the most basic aspects of mlp strapped atop it-- it gave us tempest shadow tho, so i'm thankful. I'll tell you what, though. Id stop all the other princesses from being idiots that get beated in 1 go by tempest, like, I get that we need to build tempest to seem strong-- But this doesn't do that, it just make the princesses seem weak. It's a real art, building strength of one, without lowering anothers. or even the whole trope of "oh my god there was a secret army of a hidden kingdom targeting us the whole time and nobody knew!!! I'd probably cut some songs bc lets face it this aint as good as rainbow rocks, and they feel a bit like time padding. i'd remove that cia horse because apparently she's ableist (LMAO?!) and replace her with rara. that'd be epic. I honestly probs would make it more of twilight having to deal with what a war is for the first time as a princess (since the storm king is literally declaring war) while her princess friends are there to guide her way, and her friends are now becoming foot soldiers of friendship, lmao.

I think that both starlight and trixie coulda used a role on the movie too, even if its just a voiced cameo (instead of the ones we got)

I'D ALSO INCLUDE SUNSET SHIMMER BECAUSE I LIKE SUNSET SHIMMER MAKE EVERYTHING ABOUT HER. HAVE HER AND TEMPEST 1 v 1 HAVE TWILIGHT'S MOUTH WATER WHEN SHE REALIZES SHE HAS TWO BAD BROODY BITCHING HUNKS THAT OWE HER A LIFE DEBT

[chromotps]

Fem!CoraLaw (+ ZoSan, AceLu) HCs bc I love women. (I, too, am a woman). But also, these can be applied to them as men too. (I will be using She/Her pronouns for everyone btw)

- Short-haired, shoulder length and long-haired Cora are all compelling to me. I can't choose which I like more (you can tell I spend too much time on the "create your character" stages in games). Choosing is an obstacle itself in my life /j. One thing for sure tho, it is VERY fluffy, silky, and poofy (obviously). Law likes to run her fingers through it every chance she gets. Cora bends down eveytime she completes a task that Law has given her so Law can pet her head. It's more for Law's enjoyment than Cora's.

- Cora and Sanji uses a very specific brand of makeup. Its high demand and usually out of stock before it even gets displayed for sale. The price is quite high, but Law will be more than willing to use her own money to help Cora buy them. Sanji uses her own money of course, you expect Zoro to buy them? She has a debt higher than Luffy's bounty with Nami /j. But Zoro's willing to sacrifice money for her booze to help Sanji buy the makeup.

- Big gf means big boobies— Law likes to lay her head on Cora's chest after a tiring and stressful day. Sometimes she'll even knead Cora's boobs, cuz it is soft and bouncy (giggles). Zoro, even as a man, has bigger boobs than any of the crew's women 😭 I find it funny af. Sanji is jealous but she loves to bury her face in them so ig that compensates it xD. Zoro and Luffy don't wear bras. (Come on, they're pirates. They can wear whatever they want and if others have a problem with it then what are they gonna do about it? Tell them? Luffy: What's a bra? Zoro: Why are you looking at them in the first place? Oi, my eyes are up here!).

- Fem Cora and Sanji would be perfect as models bro (or maybe I'm just based. I see a tall, blonde and gorgeous person and I'd be convinced they do modeling. And also, maybe I'm based bc fanarts of Fem!Cora and Fem!Sanji are so sexy). They don't do modeling ofc, but their bounty posters are the people's Magazine. Hehehe women who smoke in pictures *sighs dreamily*

- They all look good in dresses. Sanji with a blazer dress, Luffy in an empire waist dress, Zoro in a wrap, Cora in a camisole dress, Law in a fit and flare, and Ace in a backless dress. But only Sanji, Cora and Law are willing to wear heels. Don't worry, Cora doesn't stab herself in the eye with her heels. At least, not yet xD. Flip-flop wearing mf (Luffy), barefooted gorilla (Zoro), and a boots person (Ace) [said affectionately].

- Law likes cute animal stuff. Everytime the crew docks on an island Cora will always come back with something cute for Law. Like, a cat keychain, a bear plushie, bunny themed band-aids, capybara pins and so on. So imagine this, Cora with a cute hairclip of a cute animal. Law really likes them (both Cora and the hairclip).

- Sometimes Cora has a hard time finding a bra her size, and its not even about her boobs, its about how her torso is a bit too wide. So most of her clothes have paddings on them (Law is delighted about this, since if she takes off Cora's top, she'll immediately be greeted by her boobs, no bra on sight lmao).

- NICKNAMES!!!! These are so cute. Ace calls Luffy "Loaf" cuz its food and Luffy likes food and Ace likes Luffy. Law calls Cora "Rosi/Rosy" when she's feeling affectionate (and also when she dominates Cora- ehem). Zoro and Sanji... you know how they are- lmao. They give each other new nicknames every few weeks.

That's all for now! Have a great day!

-S

[ringing a dinner bell] fashionable coralaw fans, come get your food!!!! it's time to eat!!

heheheh Cora's fluffy hair is one of my fav things about his design... it would be so cute to play around with styling it if it were longer, or if fem!Cora was just more inclined to accessorize it. :3c makes sense to me that Law would be a big fan too

Oh to lay my head on Cora's chest, just once......... The jealousy I have for Law and Sanji in this scenario...................... Also lmaoooo I see the no bra thing now and then in fem!character designs and it throws me off. I guess it make sense when they give the character a smaller chest, but it would just be painful for like, fem!Zoro. get those puppies some support so they're not flying around during fights!

(I'm bringing in too much realism, sorry 😂 )

backless dress Ace backless dress Ace BACKLESS DRESS ACE UHHHHHHHHH I need a minute. Brain coming back online.

awww I like the idea of Law keeping that appreciation for cute things kind of secret, but ofc Cora knows... Her indulging it would be so cute!!! and I continue to be endlessly jealous of Law... And also Cora... Haha, speaking of nicknames, I saw a fic where Cora kind of plays with the opposite idea and uses "Dr. Law" to be playful. Could be cute in this case, too c:

[dreamgrlevl]

replying to this (bc you are an enabler) @pessimc

cassandra was in a whirlwind of emotion. her life seemingly turned upside down in a manner of days all because her father had taken a loan from the wrong person. she'd known that money was tight for her father, the church not drawing in parishioners like it used to, which left him with a lack of funds to pad his wallet with. throughout all of it cassandra never thought that her father would hand her over to clear his debt. not after so many years of him keeping her sheltered and under his thumb. she was angry, but mostly hurt that she had been given away like she was nothing but property. she wasn't a naïve girl, but she had never thought her father would stoop this low. his words just add salt to the wound, and a tear spills down her cheek before she angrily wipes it away and averts her gaze. there was no response, the girl seeing no point when ultimately it was just the same song and dance with a new partner. everyone gets what they want at her expense.

[butchlifeguard]

'no elbow pads no helmet no fear how did we survive' from a boomer is crazy bc last time i had none of that shit it cost me 208 dollars at the dentist after insurance. if you want the good old days back you should buy up some medical debt ☝️

[bluemoontarot]

To be a stage manager you literally need to learn every aspect of theater. You are the buck. It stops with you bc the director is the big man and you shouldn't ask the big man silly questions.

I was trained in fly systems, lighting programs, sound programs, basic wardrobe, tech, writing, directing, stage fighting, etc.

I had to learn almost everything so that I had the answers to everything and kept a show running. Sound malfunctioning? I have a Playlist on my computer plug it in and go. Fly isn't working? Get this specific person to help. An actor isn't on time? I'm calling them right now. Audience members are fucking around on the stage? Yeah I got it. Opening and closing the building, a report sent to specific higher ups every night to outline what went well and what didn't, what actors caused issues if any, if we need more supplies and when we can expect that delivery, etc.

And outside of theater??? My degree has gotten me jobs. Bc theater people are multifaceted. We are trained to read people, we can grift super easy which is great for selling and customer service bc it means we can convince someone they want something. We're loved by call centers because we get training in speech and how to enunciated and dictate. Managerial positions are great for us. We know how to time manage, we can project our voices loud and far to keep people informed in events or situations. We think on our feet. We easily come up with creative solutions.

Anyone who says a theater degree is useless can go sit In a padded cell in silence for a week and then see just how valuable we are to society. Theater degrees go beyond shows, they are useful in many industries. My job liked my voice over the phone and was ready to hire me on the spot bc I had a clear voice and a cheery disposition that was perfect for a receptionist, I learned how to control my voice in theater.

I have a BFA in Theatre Studies with a focus on Management and Creative Writing

Never will I think it was money wasted

But I still think student debt deserves to be forgiven, especially as it cripples so many people decades into their lives.

People love consuming the arts, but many hate the training required to create the arts. Not every art degree is created equal, but the connections you make and the experience you gain can be invaluable.

I'm not saying every artist needs a college degree for every aspect of creating art, but art is not always created solely by performers.

Perhaps there is an actor who was self taught and got a lucky break, but the cinematographer capturing that actor needed years of training. They are literally camera scientists AND visual artists.

Maybe that punk band you love only knows four chords and just screams into a microphone, but the sound engineer recording their music probably has a college degree.

Here is a video of the sound engineer for a Hamilton production.

He uses an amazing blend of technical and artistic skills to make sure the show sounds perfect during every performance.

Check out his college degree...

[umflowers]

not pictured: 30+ doctor/specialist appointments, 6 rounds of bloodwork, urinalysis, a trip to the er, a ct scan, needles in the pads of muscle in my hands, and steroid injections in both wrists so far in 2022 april, when i had 16 appointments in one month and four in one week, two on one day losing an hour+ of my life every single day to full body manual lymph drainage massage, applying ointment to my hidradenitis suppurativa and hemorrhoid, taking a rolling pin to my thighs for the bursitis in my hips, and piston breathing exercises for pelvic floor dysfunction the fact that those compression stockings are $112 a pair, medically vital, have to be replaced every 3 months for life, and are not covered by insurance despite being prescription my humira pens cuz they’re in the fridge $8k+ and growing in medical debt that’s in collections the constant twitching from an as-yet-unspecified tic disorder that i’ve been begging for help with since i was 12 and just finally got someone to listen at 34 the passing out at random and constant debilitating fatigue that no one can figure out yet the fact that i was in unbearable pain and couldn’t use my hands for a year bc doctors wouldn’t listen to me, and i turned out to be right and got help as soon as they sent me to the specialist i‘d been begging for the dirty looks when i take a motorized cart to get groceries because i’m in pain, but i’m 34 and fat the fact that i’ve put 100 pounds back on because i’m scared, tired, bitter, and can’t make myself care anymore at this moment in my life the fact that i can’t get disability payments because i committed the sin of getting married to the man i love the fact that i don’t envision my future with my husband anymore because i don’t know what it looks like or how far into life i’ll have one, and nothing is scarier than that we are not your inspirational stories. we don’t exist to motivate you. we’re people and we matter. our lives have worth.

[dudeandduchess]

How about a really angsty screaming fight that makes the reader question about her marriage and future with modern kyo pls? Thanks soooo much 🙏 I’m ready to cry this week. I got my tissues (T_T)

Oooh, hey bby. I do apologize bc there isn’t much screaming here. But I did cry while writing this bc I felt so sorry for Kyō... so there’s that. Hope you like it tho. 💜✨

***

Kyōjurō x F!S/O: Regrets (Modern AU, SFW Scenario):

Warnings: Angst, Financial Problems, Screaming, Marital Problems, Language

A frustrated sigh passed (Y/n)’s lips, as she tossed the whole sheaf of bills in her hand onto the table. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes, while a frown marred her usually cheerful face.

She couldn’t even begin to describe how she felt— just looking at the small stack of papers in front of her made her head spin. Not because she didn’t understand them, but more because of the fact that she didn’t know where she was going to get the money to pay for them.

Having grown up in a privileged home— with parents who paid for everything for her— she wasn’t used to not having them to fall back on. And, even though it had been three years since she’d run away to get married to Kyōjurō, she still still had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that she couldn’t rely on anyone but herself anymore.

Not even her husband could help her out; what with him already holding a full time job at Kimetsu Academy.

Hell, she was already juggling two part-time jobs, on top of having to attend nursing school— in an effort to make something of herself. She didn’t want to give her parents the satisfaction of knowing that they had been right all along.

That choosing Kyōjurō had been wrong all along.

Because, even she knew, that things would have been drastically different if she’d chosen to stay with her parents all those years ago. She would have gone off to ToDai as a medical student— like she’d always dreamed of.

She wouldn’t have had to settle for working from six in the morning to twelve in the afternoon at a coffee shop near her school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays— while having to work from five in the evening to ten at night on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On top of that, she had to attend her classes during her free time.

(Y/n) only ever got Sundays off but, even then, her Sundays were spent doing homework and studying. Her schedule was stretched so thin that she barely even had time to eat or sleep, let alone clean their apartment and run the errands that needed to be done.

Before she knew it, her tears had already begun to fall down her face in hot rivulets. And she could do nothing but to bury her head in her hands, as well as press the heels of her palms against her eyes; all in an effort to keep her tears at bay.

Because she knew that her tears would solve nothing. They wouldn’t pay for the huge difference that they still needed to pay their rent and all of their utilities on time.

Still, her tears never ceased. In fact, they only gained more traction as the minutes ticked by; dulling her senses and wreaking havoc on her ability to breathe.

Her lungs felt like hell, and her eyes were so red and puffy by the time that her tears had dried out.

But, even then, she couldn’t pull herself up from her hunched position against the dining table.

In the end, she had to admit that her parents were right.

Marrying Kyōjurō was a mistake.

“I’m home!” The aforementioned man called out tiredly from the front door. He made quick work of taking his shoes off, then moved to loosen his tie— right before he padded down the dark hallway, right to where the only room in their tiny apartment where the light was on. “Why is it so dark in here? (Y/n)?”

She didn’t want to blame him— she really didn’t— but part of her knew that it was also because of him that they were in their current predicament.

Kyōjurō had blown off all of their savings to pay for his father’s debts and, while that was noble of him to do, it was also extremely stupid— because the old bastard had never even thanked them for their help.

“(Y/n)? Baby, what’s wrong?” The young man asked quietly, his eyes immediately landing on the small stack of bills on the table— before flitting up to his crying wife, and immediately putting the pieces together.

Slowly, he set his bag down on the floor and moved to pat her shoulder.

Only, the moment his hand made contact with her body, she slapped it away and turned to cast him the most hateful look he’d ever seen on her face.

“You know very well what the fuck’s wrong!” (Y/n) snarled angrily, not caring if the neighbors heard her. Because she had been keeping things in for a long time, and had been trying to be optimistic about things— but enough was enough.

She was done trying to fool herself into thinking that she was going to be fine; that they were going to be fine.

Because, frankly, they weren’t.

Abruptly, she stood up from the rickety, old chair that she’d been sitting on, and gritted her teeth in an effort to muffle the sobs that threatened to bubble free from her lips.

It hurt her throat to keep forcing them down, making it feel so tight and strained that all her effort became wasted when the first sob managed to break free. “Our life is shit, Kyōjurō! We don’t have enough money to pay our bills, to pay our rent, hell— we don’t even have enough money for food! On top of that, you’re rarely even home early; always preferring to go out with your co-teachers after class!

“Well, they can afford to go out; you can’t. We can’t. And you’re not even trying to help me out here— I’m tired, Kyō,” (Y/n) uttered brokenly through sobs and breathless gasps, her glare never wavering in its intensity. “I’m so fucking tired.”

Her voice had tapered down to a quieter tone towards the end of her spiel, but it made her sound even more ominous than anything.

“It’s not like I’m not trying to find another job, (Y/n),” Kyōjurō shot back at his wife, his own expression filled with irritation and frustration at her previous words to him.

Because she wasn’t the only one who was tired. He also had to take his job home, as making lesson plans had to be done over the weekend for a multitude of classes. And, on top of that, he was also looking for a part time job that would allow him to work from home.

But, so far, he hadn’t had any luck.

“I’m trying here. I really am!” The last sentence came out as a shout, as the young man threw his hands up in the air. “Fuck!”

It wasn’t like him to curse, but he didn’t know what else to say. His own tears pricked the backs of his eyes, yet no matter how hard he tried to push them back, they still escaped and began to mar his cheeks.

A long and very uncomfortable silence stretched between the couple after that; with both of them simply staring at the other as they cried. No one dared to make a move— not that they could have deigned to even lift a finger, as all of their limbs felt heavy.

All weighed down with hopelessness and grief.

And, as if their situation wasn’t worse enough, (Y/n) finally opened her mouth to put more fuel to the fire.

“Getting married was a mistake. Look at how we turned out; this wasn’t what I saw in our future,” The young woman whispered through her tears. Her vision was blurry, and her voice was scratchy at best, yet she never looked away from her husband. “Look at us, Kyō. I can’t do this anymore. I want a divorce.”

“No, (Y/n)... please...” Kyōjurō pleaded, shaking his head and moving to hold his wife by her biceps. “Please, don’t do this to me. I need you. I love you. Please, (Y/n), I’m begging you...”

His hands were shaking, and he felt as if he were having an out of body experience— what with how lightheaded he suddenly felt.

However, despite his tear-filled pleas, the young woman still shook her head sadly. “Ask yourself, Kyōjurō: is this marriage still worth fighting for? Because I don’t think it is anymore.”

[zukofenty]

day 25: mona lisa

➜ Summary: The one where Zuko and Katara make a pact to (fake) rush Asian Greek life because they were giving out free tacos.

“Whoever becomes an official sorority sister or frat brother wins!”

“Can the prize be health insurance?” Zuko doesn’t have the energy to muster his patented glare.

➜ Genre: Modern!AU, humor, FratBrother!Zuko, SororityGirl!Katara, scamming, dildo stealing 

➜ Words: 6.6k

➜ Warnings: they stay in an airbnb instead of a hotel bc who has the schmoney for a hotel room😩

AO3, @zutaramonth hi!!!

Zuko’s grabbing at Katara’s arm while she’s carefully sipping water (only water, she swears) out of a red solo cup. She’s in her “whore fit” (her words) with larger than life fake eyelashes that could propel her into the sky a la Icarus if she blinked a little too quickly. She was in the middle of readjusting her crop top for the umpteenth time that night, because of course she forgets her strapless bra chicken cutlet contraption at home, so of course she does the most reasonable thing and takes a regular bra and just tucks the straps in. Because as much as she is a proponent of #freethenipple, her nipples could probably slice open a radiator with how fucking cold Ba Sing Se was. 

 “Please take this shot for me,” Zuko reasons with her, trying to make it seem as though he was handing off a shot to a clueless lightweight sorority rushee he was hoping to nail later in the night. For reputation’s sake, Zuko could not afford to fuck up tonight. He was in too deep. “Please, my Pepsin hasn’t kicked in yet. Asian glow is not the look we’re going for tonight.”

 “I hate you.” Katara munches on her (free) taco, and effortlessly throws back the shot: no chase. Zuko looks back and sees active members of Pi Alpha Psi giving him a thumbs up, hooting, hollering, being dumb. One salaciously thrusts his hips to the beat of “Big Bank,” pathetically hoping he could emulate YG in support of Zuko supposedly getting some Deltas pussy. 

 Asian Greek life was fucking stupid. 

 Tonight was the night of the Deltas Sorority and Pi Alpha Psi Fraternity rush party, the most important party so far during rush week. Because Greek life was entirely stupid , of course they had to hold the fucking party on a Tuesday night, when Zuko had an econ pratice set to get done by midnight, and Katara needed to get to Ochem at 8am the next morning. It was their fault, really. A punishment from God herself (Rihanna) for trying to scam the Greek system. 

 It all started because Zuko and Katara had no fucking friends. 

 Besides each other, but that was also up for debate most days. Especially the days when Zuko would remind Katara whenever her foundation didn’t blend down her neck. He always thought he was being helpful. Katara’s long given up the urge to slit his throat. 

 After high school, when you still believed you were going to do something with your life and be important and make a difference and didn’t know about income tax, they had kept the dream of Ba Sing Se University alive while they attended community college. Uncle Iroh and Hakoda weren’t exactly rolling in tuition money, and financial aid was a stingy bitch. While Zuko had considered reaching out to his estranged father, the owner of a multi billion dollar pyramid scheme, he suddenly remembers the time his dad tried to burn his face off after a particularly heated episode of Maury , and then books another therapy appointment. 

 It was the top university in the nation, promising a gateway to accounting jobs and selling your soul to work for immoral tech companies to pay off your student loans in a timely manner. They had prayed for the day they could call the school home. The day they could leave their small town and finally make it in life. Katara and Zuko were inseparable growing up, even if at the surface they bumped heads. They were at each other’s throats whenever the going got tough, slinging petty insults at each other. 

 “I told you this was a bad idea. They don’t have fucking non-dairy options. Wait until my anus starts beatboxing in the bathroom in 20 minutes. Then you will see,” Zuko grumbled. Katara was always doing this, dragging their group of friends to “fun” places whenever Yelp sends her a notification a new restaurant opened up in their shithole of a town. It’s always some boba shop that was secretly a front for a Scientology cult’s money laundering scheme. 

 But Katara’s the only one who is able to scare Zuko (dairy induced) shitless. She’s always able to send him a glare that screams don’t you dare fuck with me, I know you masturbate to Hatsune Miku moan compilations. And he instantly starts sweating .

 At the same time, she was the only one to truly get him. Even if their friends were perfectly content to stay in their town, doing the same things, being the same people, Katara and Zuko always knew there was so much more out there. So much more to the world than what they had grown up in. So they kept the dream alive. Even if their friends had rightfully doubted them. No one made it out of their town. You find a partner from the same people you grew up with, have kids you grow to hate, hide your husband’s infidelity, and either choose from two options. Grow old with him and resent him and then have a kid to try to save the marriage. Or, go Gone Girl on his ass. 

 “Women really need to go back to poisoning their men. Like the good old days,” Katara’s eyes were narrowed into slits as she focused on taking clandestine photos of Mrs. Kim’s cheating, rat-faced husband. For a few months, she was under the tutelage of the town’s private investigator, June. It paid well, and she felt she was contributing to the feminist movement at the same time. 

 “Uh-huh, right,” Zuko eyed her warily. Dubbed lovingly “Katara’s Uber Driver,” he also got paid by June to drive the Nyla Mobile around during their late night ops. 

 He couldn’t wait to leave this shit fuck of a town. 

 While their friends and family were tearfully embracing them on their final days at home, a patented group hug forced upon them, they shared a secret smile. Their dream was coming true. They were going to a school in the city with minimized debt. Plus, though neither of them would ever admit it, they also had each other to rely on.

 //

 “What the fuck do you need? I swear to Rihanna, you only text me when I’m trying to masturbate. Please, make other friends,” Katara nearly screams into the phone. Her roommate, Suki, groans at the volume coming from Katara’s side of the room, but doesn’t get up. Her stomach is still sensitive from the Blue Razz Four Loko she downed at some frat house Katara had to drag her back from. 

 Zuko had the decency to sound sheepish. “What are you doing tomorrow?” 

 “I hope you understand, I am too tense right now to pretend I like you. Go. Make. Friends.” 

 Because Zuko is a fucking child , he starts groaning and Katara could hear him petulantly slamming his Amazon memory foam mattress with his fist. He’ll get angry that the mattress is preventing any real satisfaction from hitting it, and then hit it a few (approximately 3) more times. She hears the pounds, and smirks. She doesn’t know whether or not to feel disturbed that she knows him so well. 

 “I miss you,” he whines.  

 “I don’t.” 

 Zuko gasps dramatically. “How could you say that? Sandbox love never dies!” He wants to yell into the darkness of his room when she hangs up on him. It was valid, of course. But that doesn’t mean his feelings can’t hurt. He’s always sensitive during the Mercury Retrograde. 

 Being a transfer student is hard, as much as he hates to admit it. There’s only two years to pad your resume and make lifelong friends and learn how much cocaine is too much cocaine for your body. College was hard. While Katara’s roommate was able to introduce her to people and Katara made a group of friends almost instantly, Zuko wasn’t nearly as pleasant to be around. It wasn’t his fault he was nervous . When he’s nervous he looks more mean than usual, and his roommate, Jet, was wary around him since the day he moved in. He couldn’t even be mad when he spotted Jet hiding his box cutter’s accessibility. 

 “Katara!” Zuko rolls his eyes at her lack of response. “Katara!” He repeats. “I know you’re just listening to “Like a G6” on a 10 hour loop. Don’t pretend to look so concentrated.” 

 She glares at him. “Let me have this one thing to myself.” She still begrudgingly takes out her airpods.

 “No.” 

 Katara wants to throttle his long ass neck. “Zuko, be honest with me.” 

 “Ok, yes! When you put your hair in a ponytail you look like a cage free egg.” Zuko stares at her in confusion when she starts playing with her hair. “What are you doing?” 

 “I’m trying to hand over my wig. You fucking scalped me, and I had nothing to say back. Just take it. You deserve it.” He smacks her hands from messing with her hair. Other patrons in the cafe near campus glanced over in amusement, as Katara pokes him in the neck and he yelps. 

 While he rubs at his neck to lessen the sting from Katara’s acrylics, she worries at her lip. “Be honest. Do you think Suki hates me?” 

 “Yes.” 

 Katara slams a hand on the table, causing his croissant to quake in fear. “You’re supposed to be comforting and trying to console me! Do it over, say no.” 

 “No.” 

 “Zuko, do you know how close I am to biting your nipple right off?” 

 He rolls his eyes. Katara specialized in empty threats (most of the time). “Don’t get mad at me just because Suki refuses to talk to you.” He relishes in her frustration. “Again, whose fault is it that Suki has to go to court for reckless driving?”

 “She was the one at the wheel!” Katara throws her hands to the air, before petulantly slapping them into her thighs, for emphasis of her point.

 Zuko pinches his nose bridge. “Well, you were the one who convinced her that she shit herself!” 

 Katara takes a neat, clean sip from her iced coffee before calmly responding. “She was the one doing 88 in a 65 trying to get to the bathroom. How was I supposed to know she did anal the day before and it was just cum!” 

 Zuko smacks his forehead in frustration after seeing identical blushes on the sea of patrons, now very much intune with the turn of the conversation. “You really don’t know how to act in public, do you? Like you think all the shit coming out of your mouth is important enough for it to just be said. You couldn’t have let that be a passing thought? Or learn how to fucking whisper?” 

 Katara sighs, closing her eyes and folding her hands over each other, because she’s dramatic. “All I had today for lunch was lip gloss. Let me be.” 

 “Again, if you, I don’t know, learned how to apologize to someone and admit you’re wrong then maybe Suki wouldn’t have hidden all your stress snacks. And, I don’t know. Maybe if you knew how to say ‘sorry’ she wouldn’t hate your fucking guts.” Katara simply turns her head into the air at Zuko’s words, refusing to acknowledge them. He’s itching to take a hit of his Phix with how on edge he was, and then remembers Katara had sold it on the school Facebook sell and exchange page as revenge. Apparently, Katara snaps if you send her one too many Tom Holland and Nicki Minaj fanfiction stories. Not that he’s speaking from personal experience. “You know what, you’re almost as stubborn as Wendy Williams when she refuses to pronounce Dua Lipa’s name correctly.” 

 She petulantly swivels her gaze to Zuko, nose still pointed to the sky. “Dula Peep is iconic for that reason.” She breathes out, letting her body go lax. “Please, shut the fuck up. I’m sad. Why would she leave me alone in the middle of the Mercury Retrograde like this? I didn’t think she hated me that much.” She drops her defensive stance, and rolls her shoulders, eyes focused only on the table. “I thought, what we had. It was real friendship you know? I made a joint for her using the orientation leader recruitment flyers because we were out of rolling papers. That’s true love. That’s sisterhood.” 

 //

 “Please, I can’t poop right now! I can’t poop when I’m scared. I’m poop shy!” 

 Zuko audibly groaned. “Then why the fuck would you take a shit at my apartment? Yours is literally a 4 minute walk away, according to motherfucking Google Maps. 5 minutes if you use Apple Maps.” 

 “I don’t know, ok! I saw the baby wipes and I just kinda went with the flow, sue me!” Damnit, she knew she tasted real milk in her strawberry banana smoothie. God, the price of being ethnic in this dairy filled world. 

 “I called you over here to explain the plan! So I don’t bother you mid masturbation! And you just had to take a dump, didn’t you? On the plan, and my fucking toilet, too!” 

 She was weary after her back to back classes from 9-5 when Zuko excitedly called her up to come to his place. As much of a bitch baby Zuko could be, Katara tries to visit his place as much as she can. His apartment was just upgraded, meaning he had a state of the art microwave. One that doesn’t third degree burn her ham and cheese Hot Pockets, but rather cooks them perfectly to the tune of the package instructions, and makes them all fluffy and culinary excellence. Plus, he lives further from the heroin infested park she lived right next to, meaning his building smelt like a Clinique cosmetics counter (or: old lady) rather than pure urine like hers. And he didn’t have to run home in fear of being chased. 

 Besides, he’s all she’s got right now. He explained his plan as the roof of her mouth is assaulted by the gooey cheese of the Hot Pocket. Zuko eagerly handed over the flyers that were shoved into his hands as he was walking to campus. 

 “Do you see the funds these bitches got? We have to go! We need to become part of Asian Greek life!” 

 Although Katara did enjoy seeing the copious amount of free food potential, she was skeptical. “This is all free?” 

 “Yes, oh my god! Read the damn flyer! They’re living it up while we try to fit spinach in our budget to buy White Claw. Free alc, and free tacos! C’mon, we don’t even have to get into the sorority or frat. Just go through the rush process, and try to get as much free food as possible.” Zuko sits on his bed beside her, and even shakes her by the shoulders for emphasis. She swats his hands away while he chuckles.

 Katara side eyes him. “Aren’t you already behind on your lectures? I don’t know, do we really want to waste time doing this?”

 Zuko sends her a sheepish smile, but grabs her hand. For reassurance purposes, of course. “It’s just one week. Let’s just let loose. Maybe we could walk away from this with a few friends. So I don’t bother you mid beating your meat.” Katara can’t help but laugh. 

 On the first night, she was nervous. Zuko was clearly his indifferent self, but deep down she knew he was scared, too. Katara and Zuko weren’t exactly Greek life material . 

 “They thought you were hot, that’s why they flyered you!” Katara yelps while digging through his closet. Zuko ignores the blush growing on his face. “Let’s find a fit that emphasizes that bad boy aesthetic.” 

Katara never did anything half assed. That’s why if they were going to play hot, ignorant Asian Greek lifers, they were going to be the goddamn best. Academy Award nominated and then played by Scarlett Johansson in a biopic type of acting. 

 “What’s wrong with what I usually wear? Is the leather jacket not, quote unquote, bad boy enough?” Zuko runs his hands through his shaggy hair, which Katara had encouraged him to not style. She’d never admit it, but maybe her sexual awakening coincided with Zuko growing his hair out. Maybe. 

 “Yeah, yeah. Maybe to Tumblr , but not for fuckboys.” She groans because of course Zuko has good fashion taste. Maybe him being hot helps with how clothes looked, but they all screamed fashion and not basic fuckboy . Which was the vibe of the night. “God, do you have the entire Forever 21 Black t shirt aisle in here?” 

 Before he could retort, Zuko’s interrupted by Jet coming into their room to grab his dumb Hydroflask. It’s dumb because it’s so goddamn big, for no good reason. 

 “Hey, Katara,” Jet is smirking. Ew . 

 Zuko feels jealousy, the type that makes your body grow all hot and makes you want to punch a mattress and Jet’s pleasantly symmetrical face. God, why is he so fucking pretty? He reminds himself that Katara was entirely off limits , and schools his face. He gets these types of pangs of envy once in a while, usually during the Mercury Retrograde. Ever since they were kids, he knew Katara was going to be in his life forever. He wasn’t about to fuck that up. Not with emotions or anything. 

 “Hey, Jet!” Katara chirps. She couldn’t help it, her pussy is weak for pretty men. She knew that look on his face. The eyes that roamed her body clad in the tight top and jeans that made sure her ass looked like she paid for it. Thank you, Fashionnova. 

 He gives her a hot guy half hug, and she’s melting. Calm down, girl Katara warns her pussy. “See you around. Zuko, I’m going to Target, do you need anything?”

 Zuko frowns at the sight of a fangirling Katara. “Nope.” Jet nods, and even offers up a smile. He hates that he smiles back. 

 Katara swoons. She flops on Zuko’s bed, eyes all dreamy and starry. “That’s the vibe you need to give off!” 

 “What, that I have HPV?” 

 “Exactly! See, that’s the type of fuckboy you need to be. You can have the same pussy clenching effect with the right, basic clothes. You’re hot, and you have a badass scar. You just need a striped Guess shirt and white Nike Air Force 1s to complete the getup.” 

 So, Zuko digs through his closet from his hypebeast phase to find a pair of white sneakers (“Reeboks aren’t basic enough!” Katara protests) and borrows the Guess shirt from Katara, and they were ready to scam.

 Fuck. The damn tacos. And then it was all you can eat Korean food. Then it was free avant garde ice cream at that one place that cost you an ovary to even sample the vanilla bean flavor. 

 The first night of rushing, all you can eat Korean food, and they were already putting on the pounds. 

 “ Holy fucking cheese dick! I think I gained the weight of a Kardashian ass filler in just today alone! I can’t breathe. Zuko, hold up.” She puts her hand out, halting their walk back to her place. “I need to unbutton my pants.” She had one too many plates of kimchi spam fried rice.

 Zuko burps graciously. Goddamn kimbap. He swallowed that shit whole, choking a few times throughout the night. “Me fucking too! Oh my god, I can’t breathe.” 

 “In through your nose. Out with your dairy shits.” 

 As soon as they got back to her apartment, they immediately reached for Lactaid, and then went over the events of the night. 

 “What do you think of Ty Lee? All the guys were drooling over her,” Zuko asks. Katara ditched her elaborate makeup, scrubbing her face clean and was in one of Zuko’s t shirts he’s long given up trying to get back from her. She’s twirling an expensive mechanical pencil between her fingers, the kind that has super precise lead and matches her pencil case and laptop. For the aesthetic. 

 “She’s the type of bitch to eat salt and vinegar chips at 9 in the morning.” 

 “What’s the difference between girls who eat salt and vinegar chips in the morning, and girls who eat Hot Cheetos in the morning?” Zuko’s scratching at his head, brain still foggy from all the Doritos he’s practically inhaled. He’s topless, and has one of the many sweats he leaves behind at Katara’s because their sleepovers were some of his favorite memories growing up. Even if they have to squeeze Zuko’s six foot tall ass in twin beds now. 

 “One has class. The other needs therapy.” 

 He squints from his spot at her desk, typing interrupted to push up his round glasses. “I see.” 

 “I saw you really hit it off with Mai,” Katara made sure to keep her voice even. “She was really into you.” 

 Zuko whips his head around to her. “Really?” He yelps. “Stay out of my business!” Katara throws her hands up in mock surrender. “...Did she say anything about me?” 

 “She said she was so tired of medium ugly frat brothers and that you showing up sent her cooch into anaphylactic shock,” Katara deadpans.

 “Really!” Zuko’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. 

 “No, she just said you were handsome. And then I told her ‘don't call him handsome unless he's about to hand some money over,’ and then she laughed and then thirst followed you on Instagram.” 

 Zuko scrambles to check his phone. “Oh my god, she’s so cute,” he whispers, eyes enraptured by her Instagram feed. Katara rolls her eyes when he jumps into her bed, knocking her work aside to shove his greasy iPhone 6s in her face. 

 Katara slaps it right out of his hand. “Ugh, not the 6s.” 

 Zuko practically melts. “You said she thinks I’m hot, right?” Katara pokes at a man tit before curling up at his side. 

 “You’re annoying.” 

 Zuko grabs Katara's hand, playing with the tiny fingers. “I’m adorable.” 

 She snorts. “You know, we should make a pact. If we’re getting this invested into the whole process. Whoever becomes an official sorority sister or frat brother wins!”  

 “Can the prize be health insurance?” Zuko doesn’t have the energy to muster his patented glare with Katara cozied up next to him. 

 //

 The second night, ice cream night, and Katara was slipping. 

 “What do you usually look for in a guy?” 

 “I usually just look away,” Katara admits, shrugging. She doesn’t forget to plaster a well practiced, non threatening smile on her face. 

 “Preferred places for guys to cum?” Another sorority girl asks. Other rushees are nodding enthusiastically, carefully preparing their answers. 

 “To his senses,” Katara huffs. 

 “I usually like a backshot!” Ty Lee says enthusiastically, despite the other sisters eyeing Katara warily. Ty Lee insisted that Katara would be a good fit for the sorority. She looked like the only one on her side.

 While the girls were excitedly dancing along to the music playing in the shop, Katara’s eye twitches. It was the feminist in her. “If you still like Chris Brown, you’re ugly,” Katara is adamant, not relenting despite the incredulous, wide eye stares from the gaggle of sorority girls. 

 “Well, I guess I’m ugly then!” Mai yelps, hands crossed over her chest defiantly. 

 Katara smiles carefully. “You sure are, bitch!” 

 Fuck Katara was messing this up. She needed to make sure that they were convinced Katara was sorority girl material to move onto the next level of the secret invite only event. Fuck, fuck, fuck . 

 She wasn’t about to let Zuko win at anything!

 Mai squints at her. “Are you a clit being handled by a frat brother? Because you’re really rubbing me the wrong way.”

 Ty Lee gasps. “Please excuse her, Indica makes her grumpy.” 

 Katara glares. “None taken.” 

 She likes Ty Lee, that much she’s gathered. And, it seems as though Ty Lee had grown to like her back, making sure Katara gets enough ice cream throughout the night, even turning her head when Katara pulls out a Tupperware from her backpack to bring back the dessert to her apartment. 

 That was until Ty Lee remembered she had a flask hidden up her skirt, a necessity post fuckboy cheats on you .  “I-I just called to say I don’t miss you! And that your dick smells like a stapler that has been microwaved for 25 seconds. Like, you can block me all you want. But you can’t uneat this ass. Sorry, I don’t make the rules!” Katara does damage control, and dutifully snatches the phone from her hands.

 Crossing her arms like a mother disciplining her child, she levels Ty Lee with a concerned look. “What the actual fuck do you think you’re doing?” 

 Ty Lee gets up and stumbles on her way to hug Katara. “I can’t leave him! I love him so, so much. He’s my fucking ride or die, the Quavo to my Saweetie! The pitchy singing to my Selena Gomez! The Marlene to my Rosa! The badly glued fake eyelashes to my Asian sorority girl,” Ty Lee is crying and loud and her anime like tits are bouncing with every sob that comes. 

 Katara takes the flask of peach vodka from her trembling hands, and shakes the girl. “Look, bitch. You’re better than this.” 

 “No, I’m really not!” 

 Katara pokes the girl in the forehead. “Yes, bitch you definitely are. You’re a bad bitch that got adicktated. But that’s ok.” She tilts the red faced girl’s head back, making sure the cup of water goes down her throat. “So what if you fell in love a little? You’re in your bag bitch, you don’t need provolone smelling dick to dicktate your life!” 

 She rubs at her snot filled nose, and then wipes her fist on her mini skirt. “You really think so?” 

 “Bitch, I know so . Go be a slut, forget about Chan’s ass flake. Now hand over your phone. Drunk yelling over the phone is not the move for the night.” The other active Deltas sisters were running back from a group bathroom visit, after realizing it was Ty Lee’s bad decisions o’ clock . They came back to see the chastised girl determindly eating Ube flavored ice cream, without a phone to do dumb shit in her hands. Mai can’t help but start liking Katara. 

 //

 The third night, and it’s the Deltas Sorority and Pi Alpha Psi Fraternity rush party, the most important party so far during rush week. IT was a slam fucking dunk. They had gotten catering from everybody’s favorite taco place at the Pi Alpha Psi frat house. And a fucking DIY boba bar. A boba bar! A goddamn boba bar. Katara had a ziplock baggie filled with the tapioca pearls in her left jean pocket. 

 All Deltas rushees were meant to be socializing with Pi Alpha Psi brothers. The active sisters were trying to see who were the classy whores in the group. They didn’t want admitted whores, just subtle ones. After fending off another medium ugly brother from trying to stare at her tits, Katara corners Zuko, who hands her another shot to take for him. “Why was that guy dressed like an uninvolved father?” 

 “What’s that supposed to look like?” 

 “Sweaty, and smells vaguely of disappointment.” 

 Zuko coughs. “I’m sad that hit way too close to home.” 

 Katara looks devastated for a split second, until Zuko starts laughing at his own joke. Then, she smacks him upside the head. “You know, you should be thankful for me. I got you looking exactly like a Pi Alpha Psi brother. Even down to the shoes.” Katara glares ahead. “God, I hate that we have to wear shoes on in this house. I hate looking at Haru’s Black Air Force 1s. Anything but those. Anything but those .” 

//

 The fourth night and they had successfully scammed the Greek system. 

 “Zuko!” Katara screams, bursting through his door without preamble. “Look what Ty Lee sent—wait a minute. What the fuck are you doing?” She pauses in shoving the phone in his face to see him face down in his calculus textbook. 

 “I’m trying to find a natural way to stay focused.” 

 Katara crosses her arms. “Have you considered adderall?” 

 Zuko snorts, clearly annoyed. “That’s literally prescription meth.” 

 “And what about it?” She slams her body, face first into his bed. “‘ Hey get ready tomorrow because we have an exclusive, invite only clubbing invite and the girls and I really really want you to come! ’” Katara reads the Instagram message verbatim from her phone, her chest swelling with unbridled pride. “I deserve an Academy Award.” 

 Zuko plops his body right on top of hers, relishing in how she groans under his added weight. “Run me my Golden Globe because according to Chan, my ‘ass better be ready to get nasty at Club Nyla .’” 

 “Shut the booger sugar up!” 

 So (on a Thursday night ) Katara and Zuko crowd in the party bus the generous Asian Greek system had funded in the name of “cultural bonding.” She can barely breathe, tits pushed in the most fuckable way possible, and she feels her face heating from the shots forced down her throat because her (potential) sisters had insisted on heavily pregaming. 

 While the frat brothers were perfectly content to sitting and not making any sort of movement whatsoever in the name of looking cool , the girls on the other hand were having the time of their lives. 

 “Oh my fucking god, for the last time Ty Lee, I cannot join the grind train, I do not have mental stability to keep my balance and shake my ass at the same time,” Katara lightly chastises, shoving the drunk girl gently off of her. Ty Lee simply shrugs, and then continues to gyrate on the gaggle of girls. The music was pounding, everyone was sweating from the amount of unrestrained dancing happening, and Katara’s pretty sure some girl just bruised her pussy after accidentally smacking it (hard) on the bus’s stripper poles. Disco lights bathe the entirety of the vehicle, enveloped in the screams and squeals of Asian girls trying to twerk and scream along to lyrics at the same time. 

 It was pure fucking chaos. But so goddamn fun . The girls kept constantly grabbing her hips in an attempt to yike on her helpless ass, which Katara abruptly stopped by flicking off their hands. All to the tune of “The Box” by Roddy Rich. 

 “Let me hear everyone loud and clear! ‘Fuck 12!’” Katara screams to a crowd of bewildered frat brothers. 

 “Katara, no,” Zuko’s laughing too hard, the alcohol making him feel lightheaded. Heavy rap music permeated the walls of the bus, and he feels a headache building. But he feels a little better seeing Katara having fun, nearly choking to death after taking a hit from some brother’s joint. 

 “Don’t laugh, I don’t smoke that often!” She insists. 

 Zuko throws his arm over her shoulder, pulling her close to him. “If you die, at least it was in a party bus while Travis Scott was playing.” 

 “I’d rather die in an Acura!” Katara yelps, getting up in mock frustration. While Zuko is simply losing his mind at her attitude, she accidentally stumbles as the bus comes to an abrupt stop, and lands in Zuko’s lap. 

 She’s chortling, moving about to get up. Zuko tries his hardest not to let his heart pound impossibly loud. 

 After IDs were checked, and a Drake song was forcibly requested by the obnoxious group of frat brothers, the clubbing event was in full swing. Yet, it paled in comparison to the fun and chaotic energy of the party bus. Frat brothers were attempting to dance, Asian girls were trying their hardest to twerk. 

 Katara is doing her duty as the most sober one out of the bunch and pushes random guys away before they could grab at her sisters’ hips. “You know, God gives flat asses to his strongest soldiers,” she mumbles, lips dangerously close to his ear. They were sitting down in the private seating area near the dance floor, exhausted beyond belief and watching the sorority girls’ attempts at clapping what little cheeks they did have. 

 Ty Lee clumsily grabs at Katara, screaming about having to piss and call her ex. Her cue to save the day. She gives Zuko an apologetic look, and whispers “I’m gonna win” before grabbing Ty Lee’s hand. 

 While he’s checking on his Neko Atsume cats, Chan’s Pepto Bismal smelling self is sidling up to his side. “Bro, you should fuck her. She’s got amazing tits.” 

 Zuko smirks, before schooling his features. That was already an observation he made when he was 16. Nice try, fuckboy. Chan continues, not caring if Zuko responds to him. “Pound that pussy like rent is due tomorrow! You have to get at that big, fat, moose sized pussy at the Airbnb we’re headed to after this.”

  Ty Lee is blubbering, snot running freely down her face as though she was a 5 year old at Chuck E. Cheese realizing they didn’t have enough tickets to afford a beaded necklace. “Every time he goes down on me, it feels like my pussy’s getting colonized. Is that what love is supposed to feel like.” 

 Katara paused in rubbing her back. “Oh my god.” 

 Ty Lee grabs at Katara’s shoulders, toilet and unsteady stomach forgotten. “Please, for the sake of the female population. Fuck Zuko. We need to know if he’s packing that schmeat.”

 Katara gasps. “No fucking way, we’re just friends!” 

 The inebriated girl clutches Katara’s face in between her sweaty palms, lowering her voice in a volume she thinks counted as a whisper. It was more of a scream than anything else. “We always try to get the hottest rushees to fuck each other at the Airbnb. Then, you’ll definitely make it into Deltas. Because if anyone deserves to throw that neck back on Zuko, it’s you.” 

 “Well gee, thanks. I’m touched.” 

 //

 “Moan harder! Don’t sound like I’m forcing you to fuck me! This isn’t no 90 Day Fiance shit! I thought you were an actor. Where is the commitment to the craft? You sound like you’re a dying tractor. Do better!” Katara continues jumping on the bed, trying to emulate a good old fucking. Zuko breathes in, before an unrestrained groan comes from his lips. Katara’s cooch instantly quakes.

 Their shoes were off, at her insistence, sheets already strewn about to make it believable. She could hear the snickering behind the door she’s triple checked to make sure it was locked and unable to be seen through the keyhole, her thong shoved in front of it to ensure their privacy.  

 “Zuko, Zuko, Zuko!” she pants, makine her voice sound as fucked out as possible. “I can’t!” 

 He continues smacking his arm, trying his best to replicate the sound of cheeks being clapped. “Baby, yes you can. You’re taking me like a fucking champ.” 

 Katara almost couldn’t hold back her giggle. This was all so fucking ridiculous. Taken straight out of a Larry smut scene. But they had a job to finish, a lifestyle they needed to live out, a pact to win. She whines, he lets out a moan. They bite their fist before they lost their minds and ruined the scam. She could imagine the title to their terrible porn video: college girl takes BEC (big emo cock). 

 “So, so good!” Katara made sure to make her voice sound as strained as possible, jumping even harder on the mattress. Zuko is ashamed to say his dick twitched in his pants the slightest. “So goddamn big. I feel so full!” 

 “Thanks for thinking I have a big dick,” he mutters, before letting out another wanton cry. 

 “Please be quiet!” Her little faux whimpers are simply killing Zuko, a blush creeping on his neck. He may or may not be jerking off to a sound now burned in his memory. 

 “Ready for the grand finale?” Zuko’s bewildered, pausing in his erratic jumping on the mattress. Katara jumps as hard as she can three times, before landing a punch square into Zuko’s stomach. It’s unexpected, and he doubles over, wheezing and pathetically gasping for air. 

 “Baby, cum in me!” Katara mewls, a devious smile on her face. 

 Zuko frowns, rubbing at his sore stomach. “Really? You’re that invested in this role? You would hurt your bestest friend in this world?” 

 “Shut up! Let me bully you.”

 They leave the room, ensuring their hair looked as disheveled as possible, clothes put on backwards, and Katara’s lip gloss smeared across his face. It tasted like Starbursts and scams. 

 The pair were suddenly enveloped in violent cheers. Muscled frat brothers were taking their beefy arms and slapping Zuko’s chest in celebration. Zuko could see Katara blushing, acting bashful and even tucking a strand of hair behind her ear for emphasis. He rolls his eyes, and deftly decided his heart was indeed forever stolen by the bat shit crazy bitch. 

 “My man!” Chan howls, grabbing Zuko in a signature bro hug. “Any other Deltas you want to raw dog tonight?” 

 Zuko’s gaze was focused on Katara’s smiling face. “This dick belongs to one woman.” 

 //

 They sorority and fraternity wearily climbed back into the party bus in the wee hours of the morning, needing to make the trek back in time for classes. Everyone was to stop by the Psi Alpha Psi house to collect their stuff, and then make their way home. 

 Zuko’s nodding off, too tired to continue breathing when Katara pokes him expertly in the arm. “What?” 

 “We’re going to steal the house trophy when we get back.” 

 He gasps. “Not Beatrice.” 

 “Yes, Beatrice!” 

 “Why do you want a $9 dildo from Amazon anyways?” 

 Katara sighs. “I overheard them this morning. The Deltas and Psi Alpha Psi. They were running through photos of girls and guys that rushed that didn’t make it through the process. And they were so fucking mean , Zuko. Like I almost cried, and they didn’t even roast my ass. Like Co-Star level bullying. They don’t deserve Beatrice. We do.” 

 “So, bet’s off?” He cracks his knuckles in anticipation. She simply nods. 

 //

 “You bitch. You didn’t have to slam me so fucking hard!” Katara reprimands. Zuko silences her with a passionate kiss that has every emotion she could possibly feel tingling throughout her whole body. She’s pushed up against the fireplace, clutching the wall behind her as though finding something to grind her against Zuko’s fiery passion. They were simply mimicking the rest of the group coming back, girls pressed against the frat brothers, trying to make the most of their remaining high instead of heading to class. 

 They pause to take a breath of air, (they could hear Mai mock gagging in the back) before sending each other a secret nod. 

 “You feel that pucker in your asshole? You know shit’s about to get real,” Katara says in a low voice. 

 Zuko’s slamming her against the fireplace once more, this time Katara’s hand now finding contact with Beatrice herself. In a flash she’s shoving the phallic toy in her jacket, sprinting for the door. 

 Chan, eagle eyed as ever, and experienced in the art of recognizing dildo thievery, instantly shoves Ty Lee off his lap. “Don’t you dare take the fucking house trophy, bitch!” He barely finishes his sentence, before he’s shoved to the ground by an enthusiastic Zuko, who grabs Katara’s hand and breaks into a run. 

 They run, run, run until they reach Zuko’s apartment, collapsing on the patch of fake grass at the front of the building. He still has his hand intertwined with hers, her other hand having a vice like grip on the sex toy. 

 “You know what, I don’t care about making other friends. You’re all I need.” 

 “I know.” Katara can’t stop the smile from growing on her face. 

[masterserris]

phantasm mysterio concept outline

deep voiced

spiteful bitch and very extra

acts spooky. is spooky. but also is a cuddly bitch.

he's a lot like ultimate spider man (tv show) mysterio outside of his persona

purple and blues with his dark green suit. likes neon. some glowy green here and there

haaaaaates daredevil. spiderman is a secondary bitch for him

older than neo. like... 34 or smth Peter is like 26-28

tri-titanium mesh suit can stop a bullet but it’ll still hurt. it's also padded (and soft!) for insulation and air tight. (squishy butt lmaoo) he moves literally silently. he uses a phase shifting device to walk through walls and go invisible. artificial ghost. his main gimmick + a teleporter

the suit is emp and shock resistant. he had electro on his sin six team so. he learned the hard way.

still uses all the other mysterio gadgets as well.

opera bitch. yes he can sing. and plays cello

has killed. good with knives and poison (sometimes guns). makes shit look like suicide or supernatural stuff to gain power among criminals. and extort money from them. that sort of thing

heroes are just an annoyance. he can like always escape. really hard to catch relatively speaking. i mean just... phase/melt outta ur cuffs and shit. easy

uses flashing lights to cause hallucinations and seizures. or think it's supernatural.

pretends he's really a vengeful ghost. maybe he gets unmasked at some point? idk. he’s very sneaky hahha

see like... he did almost die at some point. maybe almost killing himself, maybe like a car accident, maybe some super hero fight almost got him caught in the cross fire probably all of the above. anyways so he uses death as his muse/motif. his fiance rebecca left him and like he lost his sfx career/acting job and just said “fuck it” and stirred up trouble.

wants money to fuck off to a nice place to live. but that means like millions and millions + enough to fund all of his tech and equipment. so yeah

anyways he acts like an extra edgy bitch a lot but he’s a softie if you aren't specifically on his “to kill” list. 

he’ll just be like: “ah dammit. i don't care about yooooou... ugh just go. scram. i got some other asshole to haunt.”

loosely joins the sin six for a bit but likes to do his own thing. they got mutual respecc at least. 

basically edgy angery spooky goth bitch on the outside, sad soft dad on the inside. nice.

(while Neo Mysterio is trans, Phantasm Mysterio is cis)

might add more later

edit: adding more later (ie: now!)

He had a smallish movie business and had a great start. Good actor good talent good shit. Fiance. But daredevil picked a fight with kingpin and his warehouse got caught in the bullshit and got destroyed with him in it. Kingpin used explosives so he got his chest shredded by burning metal and trapped under rubble. thanks a lot daredevil you trick ass bitch. didnt even save him. he’s kind of a dick in this world. not outta any actual meanness but more out of he doesnt care as much about people more as he cares about his self righteousness and desire to punch the shit outta criminals.

In court, he lost to the insurance company. They wouldnt cover super hero bullshit so his lost everything, his medical bills were insane too. Murdock was representing the insurance company too lmfao

He was financially, emotional, and mentally devastated. He tries to kill himself maybe. Gets into a car accident. Just has the shittiest of months. Maybe his fiance dies not too long after she leaves him from a random accident/illness.

So his fiance is gone and he was in crippling debt and hated daredevil and kingpin’s guts to he became mysterio outta spite and wanted to rip apart all the crime bosses (and also for money to fuck off away from his bullshit life). He straight up murders kingpin after driving him nuts. He has a super form of hypnosis like some Bird Box shit. He makes it look like suicide or poisons them or just fucking stabs them/snaps their neck. he’’s actually really fit. He hung kingpin’s body by meat hooks ffs. He joins the sin six but only briefly. He was only ever defeated by spider man like 2-3 times. He usually escapes easy bc of his tech. Houdini bitch

he did get shot in his earlier days by criminals. not fun. at least 3 times. that’s why he invested in a bullet proof suit honestly. 

Maybe later has a kiddo, like ultimate spiderman. like his lover dies soon after or something. Idk but the mom is gone. Single dad just tryin’ his best and stops being mysterio. he finally had enough to get out of that life. He just needed the money and hated the shit outta daredevil who he eventually got revenge on i think. Is semi friends with otto and chameleon. Professional respect and stuff.

current wip of his design

it's gonna have a lot of little intricate designs n stuff

finished!

[crowned-ladybug]

Cover of Darkness

God titles are still not a Good Thing huh but turns out actually talking English all day is doing Wonders for my failing language skills. It kills my good ideas bc I’m tired as Shit from all the sightseeing, but writing? Going good!

I’m so happy

_______________

OC blog is @menagerie-of-morons

Setting: Rivals AU

Characters: Jackie, Marvin

Ship: Marvin/Jackie

Word count: 2.3k

Warnings: none!

_______________

“Why the Fuck is it so cold?!” Jackie curses to no one but himself, voice hushed as he resorts to talking out loud in his hopelessness, like the walls could hear his frustration and offer him an extra blanket. Which they obivously won’t do, he’s not sure if even Marvin’s magic could make them do that, in all honesty.

Why is it so cold, really? Did the heating break? Does this weird patchwork of a magic house just absorb and distribute heat weirdly and unfairly? Did an ice monster sneak into his room when he wasn’t looking?

The answer is, of course, that with some storms and a cold front rolling in, the temperature has dropped significantly, but he’s still been sleeping in the same clothes and under the same blanket as during a heatwave. He was even foolish enough to leave his window open for a while before going to sleep.

But right now, Jackie doesn’t care about boring things like logic. The only thing he cares about is that he’s Cold and he doesn’t enjoy it one bit.

He runs through his options in his head. He has no idea where the thicker blankets are put away for the summer and he definitely doesn’t feel like going on an expedition at 2 o’clock in the morning. If they’re in the attic, it’s even worse, he doesn’t want to know what the attic is like at night. A warm drink is out of the picture too, it feels like way too much effort right now and it’d only keep him warm for a bit anyway. He last saw the heating pad, which is pretty small anyway, in Anraí’s room, so that’s a no too.

The idea he lands on in the end is a pretty shitty one too, but it’ll have to do – use someone as a space heater. It’s shitty because he doesn’t like waking people up from their comfortable sleep, but…Marvin does owe him one for saving his ass last time they were out on a mission together. He can pay that debt with cuddles.

He wraps his blanket around his shoulders like a cloak and bunches it against his chest from both sides to keep it from dragging on the ground too much. For a moment he considers bringing his pillow too, but decides Marvin’s own giant one and the fact that his head might not wind up on a pillow anyway should suffice. And so, he sets out on his quest for not freezing his toes off while he sleeps.

He hisses through his teeth when his bare feet touch the cold tiles of the corridor outside his room. He tiptoes not because it’d make him any more quiet, but to keep as much of his skin off the tiles as possible. He’d fly, but with how clumsy he is, he’d probably bonk into twenty things on the way and eventually wake the whole house.

He shivers.

He feels like it’s a little excessive, but he can’t really tell his body to just stop doing it. He stills for a moment to let a big one run through him, then moves on.

Marvin’s door is shut but not locked, and this time he gets lucky and the handle doesn’t make any noise. Sometimes it clatters like a menace, and that’d be pretty detrimental to his stealth mission for cuddles right now.

As expected, the room is dark (and the window is closed, sensibly), and Marvin is nothing but a dark lump on the bed. Jackie wouldn’t be able to tell where his head is if it weren’t for his hair splayed out around him, covering most of his pillow and catching the moonlight streaming in from the window.

He wants to run his hands through it.

(He also wonders how Marvin can sleep with the moon shining right on his pillow, no doubt on its way to his face, but that thought is a little less romantic.)

He’d be a fool to hope for a sneaky entrace beyond what he’s managed so far – there’s no way he could worm his way under the blanket and snuggle up without waking Marvin in the process. Maybe if he just wanted to lie down near him he wouldn’t notice the dip in the mattress, but that’d do fuck all for Jackie’s current need for warmth. It however would make for an interesting experiment though to find out how Marvin would react to him having teleported into his bed during the night.

The door slips shut behind him without a sound.

Him sitting on the bed doesn’t wake Marvin. He decides to do this the merciful and polite way anyway, and instead of letting him wake up whenever he accidentally kicks him in the shin trying to get comfortable, he reaches out to shake his shoulder gently.

Then again.

Finally, Marvin stirs, groaning quietly and some of his hair draping over his face as he looks around. His tired, barely open eyes finally find Jackie, and something flashes in them after his brain catches up. He tenses ever so slightly, so subtle Jackie is sure he wouldn’t be able to tell if he didn’t know Marvin like the back of his hand by now. He feels it more than sees it.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” he smiles, small and reassuring, he hopes. He also hopes the moonlight is bright enough to make his features actually readable. “I was just cold.”

Marvin groans again, this time longer and more dramatic, and rolls back into the position he had been sleeping in. He’s very clearly unhappy with being woken up, now that he knows it wasn’t for an emergency. “And waking me up was your brilliant solution to that, huh?”

Jackie tries to defend himself, though he knows a sleepy Marvin isn’t the best partner for discussions. “Look, I’m tired, I’m not exactly a genius right now!”

“A bastard is what you are,” Marvin mumbles into his pillow.

Jackie scrunches up his nose, pretending to be hurt by that comment. It’s a shame Marvin doesn’t get to see his grimace, truly. “Shut up! I came here to cuddle, not to be insulted.”

“Sure then, go ahead,” Marvin says, voice still slightly slurred from his cheek being pressed into his pillow, but the only movement he makes is a shrug. Jackie’s pretty sure even his eyes are shut at this point.

He bunches up his blanket more on his lap, then starts untangling it and trying to figure out which ends are the shorter ones. He gives Marvin a displeased look as he finally shakes the whole bundle loose and tries to line it up right. “Wow, how cooperative.”

Again, Marvin doesn’t move an inch. “Listen, you got the consent. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna move.”

Jackie just sighs and rolls his eyes. Sometimes Marvin will be complaining and very near begging up a storm, tugging on Jackie until he surrenders himself as a teddy bear to get cuddled and kissed and squished to both their hearts’ content. Other times he’s just a tired, uncooperative lump.

Tonight is, obviously, the latter.

Jackie lies down on the wall side of the bed, kicking Marvin’s blanket out of the way as he goes, not wanting to lie on it and get it stuck and uncomfortable. He needs to get close to get warm anyway. Eventually he manages to worm his way not only under both blankets, but into Marvin’s arms as well.

At least that makes Marvin move finally, curling closer with lazy movements like he’s not even thinking about it, his arm around Jackie settling into a more comfortable position. Jackie stares up at him for a moment, though he doesn’t see much with the moonlight bright behind Marvin’s head, just the messy strands of his hair lit up like a makeshift halo around him. Still, it’s pretty, and maybe even more importantly, familiar.

He stares for a long moment, and he can just about make out Marvin’s closed eyes, lashes dark against his cheeks. Not being seen makes staring a hell of a lot easier.

He feels warmth slowly, lazily creeping under his skin. Not just from the closeness and being under two blankets, no, this is magic, familiar and comforting and belonging to Marvin. An act of concern and protectiveness, stemming from trauma but grown into a comfortable and comforting habit for the both of them.

Jackie inches closer, halting for a moment before he presses his face against Marvin’s neck. It’s warm, it’s sweet and affectionate and just a normal thing that happens during cuddling. He honestly means no malice by it.

So it really surprises him when Marvin tenses and squeaks, jerking away.

“How dare you!” Marvin hisses from a little farther away now, wide eyes gleaming in the moonlight before they narrow accusingly. He’s already worried he woke up the house with his squeaking, so he keeps his voice low, just in case he hasn’t. Jackie doesn’t react, and his tired brain searches hopelessly for whatever he’s done wrong. “Is your face made of ice cubes or something?!”

Oh.

Jackie snorts. “Fuck. I forgot that, I’m sorry.”

“Oh, sure you are. Gremlin,” he sinks back into his pillow where he is, which Jackie is honestly quite unhappy about. What happened to the agreed-upon cuddles? “Horrible gremlin, waking me up at fuck off hours in the morning, sneaking into my bed, freezing my neck…”

“I said I’m sorry!” Jackie laughs, trying his best to be quiet. He’d normally consider cutting off the stream of complaints by shoving his cold hands (he’s very much aware of those) under Marvin’s shirt, but now he’s just tired and cold and wants his cuddles as soon as possible.

“Prove it,” Marvin snaps back without hesitation, because challenge and rivalry are just as much in his blood as being a grumpy bitch in the middle of the night is.

Jackie pushes himself up to one elbow, leaning a little closer, and he sighs. “That is the dumbest fucking response you could’ve come up with for this.”

And before Marvin could try to argue, he closes the remaining distance between them (which is really not that much anyway) and kisses him. Well, at first it’s less of a kiss and more of just him smooshing his face against Marvin’s trying to find his lips, but the effort and the intent are there. It doesn’t take him long to get it right anyway, at least not with Marvin recognising that he’s not just being affectionately headbutted and instead cooperating.

And when one of Jackie’s hands finds the back of his head and combs through his hair, he just about melts.

One of the big pros of a sleepy Marvin: it’s pretty easy to un-grump him, if you know how. And Jackie definitely does.

“Fine,” Marvin breathes once they’re done kissing, which doesn’t take that long anyway. He’s definitely too tired to actually be a good kisser right now, and he can’t just let Jackie do all the work. He keeps his eyes shut, because he wouldn’t be able to see fuck all if he opened them anyway, and nudges his head forward until his forehead presses against Jackie’s. “I’ll forgive you.”

Jackie huffs a laugh, and their noses bump together. “Would you cuddle me then already? ‘Cause I’m still cold.”

“Sure. You can be very convincing when you try.”

Jackie laughs, but doesn’t say anything. He pushes himself up to sit with a parting kiss to Marvin��s forehead, which is awfully nice of him, actually. He makes quick work of arranging the blankets over the two of them again, as Marvin watches him work through tired, squinted eyes.

When he sinks back down, he immediately finds his place in Marvin’s arms. And the familiar warmth is there again.

“I won’t do that again tonight, with your neck, I promise,” he hums, smiling in a way that is very obvious in his voice. “Though I gotta say, you probably warmed up my face pretty well.”

Marvin yawns into his pillow. Jackie can feel the way his whole body tenses and relaxes with it.

“I doubt it,” he mumbles, clearly slipping closer to sleep with every word. “Wasn’t my best work, definitely. Gotta try again tomorrow and see.”

“Wow,” Jackie laughs. Marvin has never been as smooth with words as he seems to think (he’s much better at everything else that goes into flirting, really), but his sleepy stumbling is definitely just a whole new level of dorky. Endearing too though, he’s gotta admit.

He settles comfortably for the night, careful to keep his face away from any skin this time.

“Goodnight.”

The arm around his waist flexes for a moment, tugging him a little closer, as if there’s much closer he can be. Marvin sighs, sleepy. “Goodnight, love.”

Love. That’s not a pet name Jackie hears often. Marvin has more to his words than he likes to admit, and one example of that is how he addresses Jackie. Some terms of endearment are common and casual and not always reserved to romantic relations either with him. Others – sweetheart, love, treasure…they mean a lot more. They’re heavier, full of love and honesty. Vulnerable too, in a way, and that’s something Marvin very rarely allows himself to show.

Jackie’s learned to recognise them long ago.

He smiles, knowing not to mention the word but cherish it anyway. He sinks into a comfortable sleep after not long at all, and he doesn’t feel cold for the rest of the night.

[bigskydreaming]

Tbh, my policy on pirating is pretty simple. I honestly dont give a fuck one way or another w/movies, TV shows and even comic books, bc the former two have managed to account for pirating in the way they pad their expenses and tbqh they dont really hurt for it. And with comic books, okay if you pirate indie or creator owned content you kinda suck, not gonna lie, you have NO idea the kind of effort and upfront costs that go into producing comic books without Marvel or DC backing you up, not until you actually try it. Its obscene. Especially if you’re not able to do all the art AND story AND inking/lettering/coloring yourself, and have to either pay other members of your self-assembled creative team upfront or on the backend. 

And this includes comic books published by Image (at least the ones without big name creators attached), because contrary to popular belief, Image has nothing to do with assembling the creative teams of most of their creator owned books, and they certainly don’t pay them any kind of wages or salaries. The way Image is set up is creators basically submit a complete first issue, all the art, inking, lettering, coloring, everything already done, to see if they’re interested in publishing. 

(Technically, you only have to submit the first eight pages in order to get a response, and theoretically its possible that Image has in the past greenlit books based on the first eight pages of the book, which then allows the creators some leverage in convincing the entirety of their creative team to put in the upfront work to complete the rest of the first issue still without payment, but at least trusting now that their work will see publication, but like, this doesn’t really happen much from anything I’ve ever seen or heard or experienced).

Anyway, point being, Image takes submissions and then greenlights the books they see as potentially profitable, but again....they in no way ever pay creators themselves. Creators only make money via the actual sales of their books, once published and distributed by Image...and only AFTER Image takes their cut, which is a flat fee deducted from the sales of individual issues. Its actually a good thing in some ways, that they only take a flat fee (their cut is for publishing and distribution costs, Image NEVER owns any part of the intellectual property they publish, unless they’re part of their ‘shared Image universe’ which tbh is just like, publisher Erik Larsen’s little sandbox for him and his friends and who even cares, those books suck, Savage Dragon is lame, Erik, and everyone knows Shadowhawk was a blatant rip-off of Darkhawk, and look, I love Darkhawk with all my New Warriors fanboying heart, but of all the characters in the world to rip-off, who the fuck considers Darkhawk worth being derivative of? So weird. BUT I DIGRESS. ANYWAY.) 

So in some senses the fact that they only ever take a flat rate is good, because in the rare cases of runaway books that really take off, the way Invincible and The Walking Dead were back when Robert Kirkman was still a no-name indie creator, like...the creator has the potential to make BANK. Which is exactly what Kirkman did, and why he’s now every-fucking-where, ruining all our other faves like who the fuck thought HIM producing a Chronicles of Amber show was a good idea, ewww. He’s gonna dial up the incest to 100, isn’t he? Sigh. UGH WHOOPS ANOTHER DIGRESSION, LOL YOU SEE WHY MY ADHD MEDS ARE ESSENTIAL, I ASSUME. 

Ahem. 

BUT in most cases, the fact that Image takes a flat fee off the top is like....shitty, because the last I heard - and tbf, this was years ago so its probably not the same anymore, but that means it could be worse - it was something like $2000 per issue. Which means the vast majority of indie creators you’ve never heard of before or after they published a six issue mini or whatever through Image never saw a cent. I’ve never heard of Image putting anyone in debt, like that’s not how they work at least - if your book doesn’t even make up to $2000, its not like you owe them for the remainder, but again, you just....never make a cent off it. So like....the reason a fuckton of Image books never make it past issue #6, if they even make it that far, is that the creators literally just can’t afford to keep producing out of pocket, financing the actual creative production costs of each issue themselves without making any profit on the backend, if they’re not ending up selling more than $2000 worth of issues once on the shelves, physical or digital).

So don’t fucking pirate Image comic books, plz. Just don’t do it. Unless they’re Erik Larsen’s. Pirate away, who gives a fuck, I hate that guy. LOLOLOL I’m such a petty asshole, ugh. Whatever. I blame my childhood.

ANYWAY. As I was saying, I don’t really give a shit about pirating from Marvel or DC, which maybe is bad of me because its not like those creators necessarily make bank either, unless they’re one of Marvel/DC’s faves and like, have their pick of titles at any given moment. But the way most of them are paid is Marvel and DC pay their creators actual salaries based on rates per page, and then Marvel/DC keep all the actual royalties themselves. The only exceptions to this are when issues sell more than 50,000 copies - that’s 50,000 individual copies of physical or digital issues, not $50,000 worth of sales like with Image. Once a creative team’s book sells more than 50,000 copies of a single issue however, THEN they start getting a cut of the royalties, as like a bonus incentive type thingie. But tbh, its pretty rare in today’s market for a book to move that many issues monthly, and only the top sellers of both companies end up in that rarefied air....and most of those books’ creative teams are the favored writers/artists anyway, the ones who have a degree of job security and never tend to lack for titles to shift to after ending a run on one book. Sooooo, they’re kinda the reverse of the creators who could actually use a cut of their books’ back end profits, but whatever.

So like I said, fuck Marvel and DC, like...corporately or whatever. Of course there’s no doubt that pirating has some definite correlation to how few books are able to move 50,000 issues monthly, but both companies have always been notoriously shitty to creators, and that’s not pirating’s fault, and less pirating honestly isn’t going to change that b/c the ones to benefit from less pirating first and foremost are still going to be the same ones who aren’t really that hurt by it currently....loooooooong before the lower rung creators start to see an uptick in profits as a result. And let’s be real, if Marvel & DC suddenly started seeing a surge in profits due to a marked reduction in piracy, they’d find some excuse to shift payment structures around again in order to still keep a lion’s share of the new profits while cutting the lower rung creators (read: new/just starting out/niche/lacking leverage creators) out of seeing much additional profits. Because the problem with creators making money off Marvel and DC IPs isn’t really pirating, its Marvel and DC not wanting to share the money made off their IPs, even with the people most responsible for those IPs generating revenue.

That’s the part of the pirating convo that most people miss, IMO....a rising tide just DOESN’T lift all boats, if one or two boats in particular are specially designed to make the most of any tiny uptick in a rising tide while all the other boats are made of the leftover shoddy materials and are undermanned or understaffed or whatever and can’t actually DO anything productive with any of the lift generated by the rising tide.

And if that made no sense, eh, idk, don’t blame me. Its not my metaphor.

ANYWAY. So that’s why I don’t really give a shit about pirated movies or TV shows or Marvel or DC books, though I do still think you suck if you pirate indie content including lesser known Image creators. You guys have srsly no idea how much harder indie comic book creators have to work compared to like, any other medium. It makes me wanna cry. Its ridiculous. It would take too long to explain just WHY its so much more of an ordeal/effort to produce indie comic book content than just about any other form of indie content save like, running an entire webshow with one or two people wearing all the hats while funding everything out of pocket and overseeing everything production wise and also being a key creator involved in creating the actual content.

BUT as I was saying in the last post, pirating novels is an ENTIRELY different thing, and I have vastly more opinions there than I do with other mediums. Because the publishing industry was designed to exploit and capitalize off the intellectual properties of INDIVIDUALS, unlike all those other mediums that are inherently collaborative and thus usually involve the combined efforts of several to dozens of people.

So at the end of the day, individual authors will ALWAYS suffer more from pirating, looooooong before publishing companies ever feel a ding in their profits. Because they designed it that way. Specifically SO that they, the big companies, would be protected. Its set up so that individual creatives, the authors, NEED publishing companies more than publishers need any singular author. Obviously the rise of indie publishing has changed this somewhat, but not as much as you might think.....because the thing is, indie authors are really only successful and profitable by the grace of Amazon. By the fact that Amazon can afford to pay authors 70 percent royalties on any sale as opposed to traditionally published authors who are lucky to get a ten to fifteen percent royalty rate on sales, with them not even seeing a cent of those royalties until AFTER their advance has already been paid back, if they ever even sell enough to make that happen at all.

And so like....its a very dangerous, precarious, and not at all trustworthy situation that allows for indie authors to CURRENTLY be profitable in ways or to degrees that a lot of traditionally published authors can’t be. 

But that’s only because Amazon is taking a loss on most of the books they publish, due to this payment model. Because Amazon CAN. They can afford it. They make enough from all their other departments and revenue streams to buttress those losses. And Amazon has been using this, and using indie authors, to leverage traditional publishers into giving up more and more of THEIR profits from THEIR books, by giving Amazon even steeper discounts on the books they distribute to them, to be sold to consumers by Amazon.

And again, like I said before, its the individual creators, the bottom rung authors, who take the hits here first and in the biggest ways, because it remains true that the publishers have designed their payment structures so as to use the profits of individual authors to compensate for their own dip in profits.

And Amazon isn’t doing any of this for the little guy’s benefit. They don’t care about giving indie authors a leg up, an alternative to tradition publishers. They only care about CURRENTLY making indie authors need traditional publishers less than trad publishers need them, for a change.....but ONLY so that Amazon can rake in the increase in profits first and foremost.

Because here’s the kicker. The thing I worry too many indie authors and readers don’t account for.

INDIE AUTHORS STILL NEED AMAZON MORE THAN AMAZON NEEDS THEM.

Amazon is VOLUNTARILY taking losses on their book sales, and have been almost from the start. Because they don’t NEED that department in particular to be profitable for them NOW. They’ve been angling for a long time to get as close to an actual monopoly on the book market as is possible under current free market laws. So the thing is....unlike traditional publishers....Amazon doesn’t need ANY indie authors OR sales. Like, AT ALL. They could shut down their entire indie book model tomorrow, and not really be any worse off for it.

And the second Amazon doesn’t need indie authors even as LEVERAGE to pry more profits out of traditional publishers....you better believe that 70 percent royalty rate is going to vanish literally overnight. Because there’s absolutely nothing in Amazon’s business model or legal obligations to indie authors that requires they maintain it, or protects indie authors from having it suddenly dropped to a five percent royalty rate at Amazon’s whim.

So the second the scales tip far enough that Amazon decides they really don’t need or want to milk anything else out of traditional publishers, they’ve gotten as much of a price cut or a monopoly as they’re going to get or want to get without forcing publishers (and by extension their own ready made product that Amazon then distributes) out of business.....Amazon is going to quite happily STOP taking a loss on the sales of all these indie titles, and say well, we don’t need you as much now, so we’re gonna just give you ten percent royalties, take it or leave it. Its not like you have any better options at this point.

So whether traditionally published or indie published, pirating books hurts individual creators in very real, tangible ways that creators in other mediums aren’t affected, or are supplemented or buttressed against.

I say all this not to guilt anyone, but simply to provide information. Because there’s always so much discourse going back and forth around legality of pirating and ethics of pirating and so much stuff that’s not even consequential or relevant if people don’t even understand the MECHANICS of how pirating affects various mediums. So they can then make INFORMED choices on how they feel about pirating certain content versus other content.

As I was saying at the start of all of this....I have my own personal stance on pirating, and I don’t expect it or need it to be anyone else’s personal model. Like I said, I don’t really care about other mediums, and when it comes to novels, I’m against it as much as possible, but with caveats. Lots of people, including authors, describe novels as luxury items, and as such say that nobody’s justified in taking one for their own personal entertainment just because they WANT it. I differ from that POV because I honestly don’t consider books a luxury. I consider them to be absofuckinglutely as essential to the survival and THRIVING of the human condition as food or rest. Far more so than TV or movies, which not everyone has access to, or finds as easily accessible. Bottom line.....I fall in the category of arguing that its not enough just to survive. People have to have reason to survive, to live. Things to look forward to. Things to enjoy. Feeding the human spirit, as cheesy or whatthefuckever as that sounds, is every bit as essential as feeding the body. I would not have survived my childhood without books. I would not have survived my twenties without books. Hell, I would not have survived this YEAR without books.

So, even as an author myself, and yes, I have written stuff that’s been pirated (I made a fairly decent living for a couple years as a self-published indie author of m/m erotica and m/m erotic romance short stories, novellas and novels, and those particular genres/markets get the SHIT pirated out of them. So trust me, I am VERY much putting my money where my mouth is on this subject).

But yes, even as an author myself, I have zero problem with people pirating stuff because they honestly, truly legit can not afford it otherwise. Its not a lost sale. If you don’t have the money, you don’t have the money. It doesn’t mean you still don’t need, let alone deserve, to have something to take your mind off your poverty, your stresses, your issues. And even if you technically have the money to afford a book, I’m well aware that doesn’t always mean you ACTUALLY have the money to afford it in any meaningful way. If you have five bucks to spend for the day, and a choice between a book and a bagel, or like, an actual sandwich and drink, that’s not a fucking choice that ANYONE should have to make. Use that five dollars to buy yourself a fucking sandwich and just pirate the book, I say. You can pay it forward when you get the chance. You find yourself with more money at a later point, by all means, go back and buy a legit copy of that book, your money’s still good then, and having had that book to enjoy at an earlier, more stressful time in your life might very well have contributed in even the tiniest of ways to you getting to a place where you had better finances and more spending money.

Yes, obviously, I am a big fan and proponent of libraries, and I think you should always go there first, if possible, to get your free literary content. Libraries are great, and they have a LOT more content, and more of a range of content, then a lot of people realize.

I am however aware that libraries are not necessarily practical for everyone. Sometimes you just plain can’t get to one, you have transportation or mobility issues or live in a household where your reading habits or interests are frowned upon or even penalized, because sometimes, parents are awful. Sometimes libraries just don’t have the content you’re looking for. Content is subjective, depends on staff, geography, community. LGBTQ+ kids shouldn’t have to risk being seen looking through the LGBTQ+ section of the library or checking out a book, if they’re not out at home or school or in their community. By all means, I would much rather a kid in that situation pirate the fuck out of their comforting, soul-sustaining LGBTQ+ themed books than risk upsetting a currently safe and secure status quo. Again, just pay it forward when and if you can, at a later date. And so on and so forward.

BUT, again, there’s caveats there, because with books, I consider it a case by case basis, and the case in question is the individual consumer. The above scenarios IMO are based entirely on the genuine, sincere situation of not being able to afford a book in any practical way, and not having a library as a valid option for getting that or any book.

This is an entirely different situation from HAVING the spending money, and being perfectly capable of dropping five bucks on a book versus five bucks on one of those much-talked-about-in-pirating-convos Starbucks’ lattes that you don’t NEED any more than anyone supposedly NEEDS to read a particular book. 

If you CAN afford to pay full price for a book without dipping into funds intended for other practical necessities or hurting or even inconveniencing you in any meaningful way, if you CHOOSE to pirate a book you can access or download through legal channels with just as much ease as you can pirate it...(again, I’m aware that due to bullshit territory laws, not all content is legally available in all areas at all times, and this isn’t what I’m talking about).

I’m talking about if you’re NOT in a bad - not just slightly uncomfortable - but BAD, financially tight, thrifty, constantly stressed situation where its honestly a Sophie’s fucking Choice trying to decide if you’re gonna shell out your money for the sequel you’ve been waiting on pins and needles for for a fucking year and its been the only thing getting you through some days....or if you’re gonna like, eat today....

THAT’S when I have no patience for your piracy, specifically. Not when it comes to novels and the bottom lines of individual, hard-working authors, most of whom have to spend their lunch hours or come home after work to soak their blood, sweat and tears into the manuscript that becomes the book you just pirated. I know what I said about indie comic book creators having it so much more fucking tough than anyone else knows or realizes, but that doesn’t mean that midlist and lower than that authors don’t work DAMN fucking hard on their product, even after working forty hour weeks at some minimum wage job that’s every bit as soul-crushing as the worst job you’ve ever held.

And you’re not a fucking rebel or revolutionary if you’re taking money out of THEIR pocket, when you don’t need it yourself, just because you can. You’re not sticking it to the man, or teaching greedy capitalist publishing pigs the error of their ways. They don’t care, and you’re just being a dick.

Entitlement isn’t always a bad thing, I believe, because we ARE all entitled to certain things. A broke, disabled person with transportation issues and disability benefits that aren’t even enough to cover their actual living expenses is IMO every bit as ENTITLED as anyone else to a nice, stress-free, enjoyable read they picked out because it was precisely what they were looking for and not because it was the only thing out of ten available options that looked halfway decent. I will never ever judge or condemn or disparage someone for pirating in a scenario even REMOTELY close to that.

But that doesn’t mean that gratuitous entitlement doesn’t always exist, and isn’t obnoxious as fuuuuuuuuuuck. You’re not entitled to whatever you want, whenever you want, for as little as you feel like paying for it, just because you WANT it. And just because you can GET it, consequence free. If THAT’S the defining motivation or influence behind pirating the debut novel of a single mom working sixty hours a week to support her kids PLUS hanging onto her dreams and pounding out her novel over the course of a year and a half on her lunch hour.....then yeah, you fucking suck, and you know it, you whiny little shit who identifies with this paragraph and goes "who me? YOU DONT KNOW MY LIFE!” Yeah, I do. We all know someone like you. You’re not special.

Just like I know that author profile I just described there was not grabbed out of my ass, but describes someone very real and not at all embellished, and she’s not even the author I know in the most stressful scenario-whilst-writing. She certainly wouldn’t even consider herself in the Top Ten. And her publisher passed on the option for her sophomore novel, because her much-pirated book never made back the $25,000 advance she was paid over the course of three installments, which meant after taxes, she got an extra $10,000 bucks spread out among three eight month intervals, or just under two years.

So yeah. That’s where I fall. Soundly in the same camp I fall in most things: Actions have consequences, and you should always make an effort to be informed on what those consequences are before deciding whether or not you take action.

Let’s be real, no one’s effectively policing whether or not every individual consumer on the web pirates casually, extensively, or religiously, if at all. Its not likely EVER going to be an issue for you. That someone can actually keep you from pirating because you’re genuinely afraid of legal consequences.

But you shouldn’t need the threat of legal consequences, the question of can I get away with this or not, to police your own actions.

And at the risk of giving anyone whiplash, I for sure don’t give a fuck about the legality of taking away from the bottom line of massive, multi-million dollar corporate interests if I can get away with it. I’m just as entitled to keeping my five bucks that I worked DAMN FUCKING HARD FOR, as the people most likely to see that money even though they didn’t log a single actual hour on producing the content they’re charging five bucks for, IMO. I’m perfectly aware there’s a shit ton of people who’d call that rationale self-serving bullshit and hypocritical, but bite my lily-white Irish ass, I don’t give a fuck. I’m comfortable with my own morality.

But part of the reason I’m comfortable with my own morality, is that it tells me that even though there are times when I think I’m entitled to certain things I can’t necessarily afford, there are also times when I know I’m NOT entitled to things I may just not WANT to afford. Any time you’re able to justify ALWAYS having things your way without it ever costing you any kind of concession, I think that’s usually a good sign it might be time to stop and take a second look at yourself. Nobody gets to have everything their own way, to their best liking, all of the time.

But the flip side of that coin IMO, is that nobody should be penalized to NEVER having anything their own way, to their liking, ANY of the time. And if that’s the situation you’re in at some point in your life, and pirating’s the only available option to giving yourself a break from your regular monotony or currently-shitty-reality? Like, who the fuck am I to tell you not to pirate that feel good book or movie that has the chance to let you go to bed later with an actual smile on your face for a change? Who the fuck is anybody to tell you that?

*Shrugs*

There’s my two cents: The Ten Volume and Unnecessarily Long Saga.

[lilacbreastedroller]

new years things:

- save $200 per paycheck (?)

- no more serums, eye creams, and toners. i will draw down on what i have now, and then stop buying new ones. my ~skincare routine~ is going back to being a cleanser, moisturizer with spf in the morning, night cream. maybe a moisturizing/refreshing spray bc i like how that feels esp. in the summer, but from pixi or something & not an expensive sephora one. i will keep splurging on night creams & spf creams. they feel good.

- go to the gym, do strength training and do yoga there. work on a home yoga practice.

- practice my horn more and maybe work towards doing a solo.

- get back into my journal habit.

- block out at least one weekend every month where i don't do anything/go anywhere (this has been mildly successful)

- no more "fast fashion" i will either save up to buy fewer, more expensive, high quality items, or i will buy second hand. or i won't buy at all! i don't need 11 target sweaters when i'm sad. they get pilly so fast!

- make coffee, don't buy it. and eat less fast food. generally don't feel so overwhelmed by the amount of student debt that i have, that making small savings choices feels like it doesn't matter.

- do one cash only week per month, where gas, bus, food, etc. is all paid in cash, just to add some mindfulness there.

- less screen time, more reading, esp. anti capitalist reading! and several books on complex systems and ethnobotany that i have!

- look at where to reduce waste (i just bought handkerchiefs and i am going to use less tissues! i have been using cloth makeup removal pads for a few months now! other areas: reusable napkins/cloths instead of paper towels in the kitchen. that's next) & do it. remind myself that although what we need is systems change, my daily life choices are important to an extent, and the mindfulness is good.

- eat vegetarian at home, and if we do buy meat, buy it locally, and make it very special, sacred even.

- take public transit more!

- wake up on time so i can take public transit and make coffee more! figure out tactics for waking up on time and getting out of bed!