#let me have my tea parties and book talks and be happy!

[l3monsoda]

I have this stupid romanticized fantasy where I have a teaparty book club. It's a normal book club that meets periodically but when they do it's a tea party and everyone sips teas and eats finger sandwiches and has fun being dainty while talking books.

This dream will never come true because it requires a set of impossible to achieve conditions. First a friend group or social circle of similarly inclined individuals large enough to pull from to get a group of 4-7 people big enough for interesting conversations. Second all members of said group would have to have the necessary amount for free time to actually read the book AND a consistent enough schedule to plan for and attend meetings on a regular basis. Third the only way to maintain sustainability for something like this is if either each member takes turns hosting or there is some kind of money pool and or distribution of tasks for setting up tea which is another time and resource factor that members would have to be able to afford.

And even if by some far away and out of reach middle class dreams miracle all these factors DID manage to come together it STILL wouldn't work because literally no one in my social circles like any of the books I do so I would have to read books I don't like every month or no one would join. Or more likely I'd try it for a few months just get tired of the book choice and eave and every one else would go on living my fantasy without me because just like how I never get the aux cord, no one is letting me curate the book club reading list.

[dekariosclan]

I’m still brainrotting about jealous Gale…I know we love our sweet and goofy wizard, but HEAR ME OUT—

There’s an Astarion line where if you mention another companion as being beautiful/attractive, he’ll say he needs to “keep up with the competition.” SOOO that got me thinking, for an early-romance Tav that might also be romancing another companion(s), what do you think Gale would try to do to “keep up with the competition?” Would he try and sabotage the other companion’s wooing, or would he try to out dazzle/romance their efforts with Tav?

OP this is a fantastic question, but before I can give you my answer, I feel like I need to share my reasoning behind it! (I always have to defend my thesis 😂) So:

One of Gale’s best traits is that he is unwaveringly sweet, open, and honest about his feelings. Gale might’ve insisted on his privvacy when it came to initially sharing info about the orb, but he does not hold back when it comes to his affections and feelings for Tav. He doesn’t ‘play games,’ he’s not cryptic or mysterious, he’s not volatile, he’s not closed off. He’s an open book; and he wants a relationship with Tav that is built on an honest foundation with honest emotions.

All this to say—Gale is not toxic. He is not cruel. We are shown this later in the game, too, if Tav breaks up with Gale and decides to pursue another companion. If Tav lets him down gently, Gale will tell them he ‘would rather see Tav happy with another, than not happy at all.’ He will bow out gracefully.

Or, if Tav chooses to stay with Gale instead? Gale will be overjoyed, surprised that you picked him—he even mentions the ‘stiff competition’!��but he’ll also ask about the other companion’s feelings, about what the breakup will do to them; he is genuinely concerned.

Yes, he indulges in a bit of harmless jealousy and shade-throwing if Tav is flirting with someone else at the Grove party—but we’ll forgive him for it, since his hopes for that night were dashed, and the wine loosened his tongue a bit. (also, we’ll forgive him because we love a sweet jealous jelly bean Gale.)

So all of that said—do I think Gale would try and actively sabotage the other companion(s) wooing Tav?

I do not; I think Gale would find that to be unconscionable.

But, do I think he would try to ‘out romance/woo/dazzle’ the other companion’s efforts with Tav?

Yes. Absolutely. 10,000%.

Not out of any malicious intent to ‘win’ against the others, just out of pure desire to show Tav how much they mean to him. Because when he wants to convey his interest, by the Gods, he is going to do it. He is many things, but he is not coy.

For example, this is the man who, in one single early-romance conversation:

1. Affectionately compares Tav to his beloved cat tressym

2. Says he likes Tav’s stench, and

3. Ends the convo by saying he’d climax so hard for Tav he’d destroy the Sword Coast.

He’s a rizz machine.

So, I can absolutely see Gale trying to do some impressive magic to ‘wow’ Tav. As he himself says, “You know me—my grand gestures can never be grand enough.” Perhaps he starts doing some over-the-top spells in battle that look impressive, but are unnecessary. Or he puts on a light show at nights in the camp just to display his illusory skills. Or he goes out of his way to use magic for simple solutions—like casting Knock when they already have a perfectly good lock picking set they can use, etc.

The irony is that, for all these efforts, the ways that he not only ‘keeps up with the competition’ but actually beats it, in Tav’s opinion, aren’t his grand magical gestures.

It’s when he’s serving dinner portions, and he’ll lessen his own portion just to give Tav more. Or when he goes out of his way to loot literature on topics that he knows Tav is interested in. Or how he’ll say, “May I?” as he takes Tav’s cold cup of tea, enchanting it to the perfect temperature before handing it back.

Or even just how, when Tav comes to talk to him, he visibly brightens, smiles and says “I do enjoy our conversations,” with sincere affection.

Little things, sweet gestures—in the end, that’s what wins Tav over. Because that’s what’s most dazzling of all about Gale.

[trippinsorrows]

without you + one

authors note: hi, friends! so this is a foundational first chapter, meaning its intended to lay down a blueprint. there may or may not be some foreshadowing.....

but let me just say this. i have no intentions on drastically changing anyone's characterization from book one. e.g. joe has always only had eyes for reader. that won't change. he's all about his family.

do not read this story if you haven't read 'with me'. it won't work as a standalone.

warnings: language, some angst, fluff, and suggestive themes

song inspo: be without you by mary j. blige

words: 5k

Two weeks.

It’s been two weeks since your life was forever changed in a night of pure magic.

Two weeks since the love of your life proposed to you in the most beautiful way in the most beautiful place on earth surrounded by the most beautiful people.

Just thinking about it still brings on chills and goosebumps. It might just be one of the happiest nights of your life. 

And even returning home, being with your family, enjoying your pregnancy has continued on the theme of love and contentment. 

It’s almost nearly perfect except for one little thing. One tiny little human you just so happened to have created who seems to think that she has first dibs on a certain fiancé of yours at any given point and time.

Callie has been loving every single second of Joe being home on indefinite leave, and while you’re happy for her, happy for him that they have the time to spend together, it’s like she wants to spend all of her time with Joe.

And that’s fine, except for the fact it’s like she doesn’t want you around at all.

They’re playing tea party and she hits you with the, “mommy, it’s for daddies only.”

He’s having her help him cook, and she hits you with, “mommy, you can’t cook.”

She’s suckered him into watching Moana with her for the 18th time, and she hits you with, “mommy, I wanna watch it with daddy.”

Sis is beyond possessive. It’s gotten to the point where you almost feel jealous of your own damn child. An absolutely asinine thing to think, let alone feel.

It’s why when Joe jogs down the steps after getting her down for her nap, you grab him by his shirt and yank him into the office. 

He’s understandably confused. “Y/N, what the hell?”

You bring your finger to his mouth, silencing him. “Not so loud. You’ll wake her up.”

“And?”

Lord, Jesus. This may be harder than you thought. “And she needs her sleep, and we need time to talk.”

That seems to help him reason a bit better. “Okay.”

Pouting, you take him by surprise, shuffling into his chest as his arms naturally move around you. “I miss you.”

He chuckles, kissing the top of your head. “I’ve been here, baby.”

“You know what I mean.” Pulling back, he brushes his thumb across your bottom lip. “I miss spending time with you. Just the two of us.” Realizing how that could sound, you quickly clarify. “Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing you spend so much time with Callie, and obviously, she loves it too. But your lil’ bodyguard doesn’t seem to want mama to have any time alone with daddy.” 

And it’s the truth. It fills your heart with so much joy to see the beautiful bond and relationship they’ve developed in not even a year. They’re inseparable. 

But that doesn’t negate the fact that you miss spending time with him too.

“And we haven’t had sex since in over a week. A week, Joe. I can’t go that long without your dick. You know this.” He smiles, big hand laying on your baby bump. Like this shit is funny. Like it’s amusing that you’re going through dickdrawl. “That’s not funny, you asshole. If I have to make myself come one more time instead of you, I might just lose my shit.”

“I get it,” he finally shares, hand moving along the small of your back. “I miss you too. Miss my pussy…”

His voice drawls into something teasing, and it makes your pussy flutter. See, just his voice alone has you feening. Groaning, you mutter, while trying to settle yourself, “and it doesn’t help that she’s been sleeping with us.”

Calista is only four-years-old, so it’s natural for her to want to sleep with you and Joe. And you don’t mind that, don’t mind giving her that comfort. It’s just that it’s been every night since you returned from Disney. Not only that, when Joe gets up, she likes to get up. Even to the point where he'll just be working out in the gym, and she still wants to be around him, sitting on the floor talking to him or just playing on her tablet.

She’s even fallen asleep one time in the gym, with him having to stop his workout to bring her to her bed that she woke up from and managed to scamper her cute self right back into bed with you.

It’s just been…..a lot in some ways.

He nods, suddenly suggesting, “maybe we can try talking to her.”

“And what are we supposed to tell her, huh?” You’re legitimately all ears for any recommendations on how to word it. “Callie Bear, you’re spending too much time with your daddy.” Even saying it in a mocking tone feels wrong, giving you a sort of itch. “I’m not trying to have our child in therapy because of shit we caused her.”

“And you say I’m dramatic.” He rolls his eyes, emphasizing his point. “She’s a smart kid. I think if we just talk with her about how we have to share time with each other—”

“Ha. Share. That’s funny. That girl don’t wanna share you with air, let alone another human being.” It’s a partial joke, partial truth. A frown suddenly falls on your face as you think this over more. “You think something’s going on with her?” 

If you didn’t have his attention before, you definitely have it now. “What do you mean?”

Shrugging, you do your best to explain what you don’t quite fully understand. “I don’t know. She’s always been super attached to you, but it’s been more intense lately. Like she’s holding on even tighter. Like—”

“Like she’s scared to let go,” he finishes for you, deep voice settling into something almost despondent. “You think she’s scared I’m gonna leave or something?”

It’s a bit of a stretch but also something you can’t entirely rule out. “Maybe.” With a new sort of determination, you advise. “You’re right. We do need to talk to her.” And for completely different reasons than when you first dragged him in for that conversation. You just want to make sure your baby girl is okay.

That’s the only thing that matters.

On the topic of Callie, you’re reminded of something. “Oh my god.” Gasping, you move away from him. “I didn’t get a chance to show you.”

Curious, he asks, “show me what?”

You reach for his hand, walking over to the desk that’s almost entirely done with being set up and open the first drawer. Grabbing the still unopened envelope, you reach it to him, a small smile on your face. “I wanted to let you open it.”

Joe is understandably confused until he flips the envelope over and sees the sender. His expression immediately softens. “Is this—”

Nodding, you share, “it came in the mail yesterday, but it just slipped my mind to tell you.” He doesn’t say anything, instead focused on opening the envelope as he carefully pulls out the certificate.

Callie’s new and updated birth certificate. 

Moving closer to him, you snuggle yourself into his chest as he uses one hand to open and read the document you two have been waiting on for nearly a month now. Everything has stayed the same except for one section, that one section bringing on all of the feels for him. For both of you. 

Father/Parent’s Name.

The section that was once blank now reads in printed, black, unerasable ink: Leati Joseph Anoa'i. 

You can just feel the immense love and happiness emanating off his big being. He doesn’t need a piece of paper to tell him that he’s Callie’s father. You know that. But this is the piece of paper that gives him all the legal rights as Callie’s father, the rights he should have had from the very beginning. 

Holding onto him just a little tighter, loving him a little harder, you murmur against his chest, “now it’s always as it should have been.”

—---------

“I’m thinking strippers. One on each side of the aisle. Shawty throwing ass to the left, and shawty shaking titties on the right.”

Any conversation with Alexis is bound to venture into the deepest parts of fuckery, but this has to be a new level. “You want me to have strippers at my wedding?”

She’s looking at you like she can’t understand what’s so crazy about her proposal. “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

Eyes widening, you lean over the counter that’s littered with countless bride magazines and her Macbook Air. “It’s my wedding, Lex.”

“And?” She shakes her head, stirring some of her chocolate pudding. “You love strippers.”

“I do, but that doesn’t mean I want them at my wedding.”

She’s rolling her eyes, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she murmurs, “if you wanted to have a boring ass white people type wedding, you should have just said that.”

You laugh. Wedding planning was always something you imagined doing with your closest friends, and while you’re thankful to have Alexis here as your support and interim wedding planner (because you’re still very much on the fence about that), her tendency to do the most is definitely obscuring her view of logic and what makes sense.”

“I don’t want a white people wedding, per se. I just don’t want anything too crazy.” That’s the best description you can give, because this is all so new to you. You naturally play with the stunning engagement ring on your finger. Part of that confusion is because you’re still a bit stuck on the fact that you’re actually engaged.

To the literal love of your life, at that.

A dream that’s become a reality.

It still feels a little too good to be true.

“Fair, I guess.” She doesn’t seem to agree that it’s fair but won’t push either. “Well, have you at least thought about where you want to get married?”

That, you actually have. Once upon a time, it was in your hometown. Now, you’d rather not get married at all if that was your only option. “I’m thinking here.”

“Florida?” You nod. “Wow. Okay, any particular reason why?”

Shrugging, you answer, grabbing a chunk of pineapple from your fruit bowl. “I don’t know. Joe’s family is already here. It’s easy for my mom to catch a flight out. And anyone else I’d like to attend would have to fly here too anyway. Plus, this place is really beautiful.”

The fact that life has only been up since moving here to be with Joe is a major plus too. But, that doesn’t necessarily feel like it needs to be outright stated.

“Got it.” She starts typing on her laptop, and you have no doubt she’s already created a Google Doc to track everything. It’s one of many things you love about Alexis. She may be crazy as hell, but when she’s on it, she’s on it. “Now, the biggest thing, maybe the most important thing, is gonna be the date.”

“Date?”

She nods, “yeah, like when you want to have the wedding.” 

Fuck. As silly as it may sound, you hadn’t even thought about that. Still so caught up in the high of actually being engaged to your soulmate. 

Alexis continues, “I’m guessing after the school arrives.”

You roll your eyes. “What did I tell you about calling them that?” 

“Okay, the brood.”

“Alexis!”

She throws her hands up. “Don’t get mad at me cause the freaks freaked too much and now ya’ll starting your own little tribe.”

A heavy sigh leaves your mouth as Alexis continues to go in on you over your multiples pregnancy. For the most part, you’ve really come to accept and be okay with it. There are times though where your mind gravitates toward the childbirth portion, and your vagina literally starts to ache at just the thought of that trauma. 

Shaking your head and pushing away those thoughts, you return to the conversation at hand. “That’s a good point. I don’t want to walk down the aisle big and pregnant.”

“Exactly.” She types some more. “When is Joe going back to work?” Another great question that you don’t have the answer for. “Oh my god, Y/N, girl, just what do you know?”

“He just said it was indefinite leave!” You throw out in defense of your lack of knowledge. “Definitely not before the babies get here, so after September?”

“And you know he’s not gonna leave you alone with three newborns to take care of, so I can see him staying off air for at least a couple more months.”

That makes sense. “But, he’ll have to be back in time for WrestleMania, I’d imagine.”

“Most definitely. Didn’t you see that one promo he did? Roman Reigns is WrestleMania.” A smile falls on your face. You most definitely did see that promo. It’s one of your favorites that he’s cut. “But the next one isn’t until April, I think.”

“So maybe January?” The smile shifts into a scowl. “He can’t be gone that long though. The fans would lose it.” Thinking back to the Smackdown clips you saw on social media, you point out, “they’re already chanting ‘we want Roman.’”

It’s a bit bittersweet seeing Smakdown clips without Roman, seeing someone else hold his championship belt. But then you think about what that sacrifice gave you, what Joe giving up his title has awarded you, and it takes away some of the sting of it all.

You also feel a bit better knowing Joe is still playing an active role in the Bloodline, just behind the scenes. 

She sucks her teeth. “Ain’t that about a bitch? They fake asses acting like they weren’t the main ones wanting Cody to finish the story.” Alexis' borderline anger makes you laugh a little. “Oooh, Joe nice, cause the way I would give them the middle finger, retire, and live out my life with my fine ass wife and 12 children.”

Your eyes widen. “Don’t even put that out there, please.” You've definitely learned now about the power of the tongue. “If I was carrying any more than three children, I might just die.”

“Naw. Childbirth would do that for you.”

“Alexis!”

“Shit, sorry, too dark?” Lord, this girl really has no filter sometimes. “Do you guys want more kids after this? Like, forreal?”

Alexis, despite all of her shenanigans, seems to be on point with the questions. “I don’t know—”

“You don’t know?” That seems to be the answer that actually has her floored the most out of anything else ya’ll have discussed this afternoon thus far. “Bitch, this man put three children in you. Three. You really trying to risk that happening again?”

“Of course not. I just—I don’t know. I don’t think I can really answer that right now. Maybe once we learn the sexes, cause what if they’re all girls?” The likelihood of that happening has to be slim to none, but just like multiples of this quantity can be an anomaly, so can all of one sex. “I want to give him a son.”

Truthfully, you’re praying hard that at least one of them is a boy. You know Joe will love the kids the same. Fully and without inhibition, regardless of sex. But, not only do you want to have a little boy for your own reasons, but being able to continue on Joe’s lineage, maybe even passing down his name to your son would mean even more.

Of course, Alexis is quick with the dumbass suggestion. “Make one of them a tomboy.”

You close your eyes, forcefully stabbing the next chunk of pineapple. “Alexis, I swear to God.”

She leans back in her seat, adjusting her top. “All I know is if you think I’m babysitting four kids, you are sadly mistaken. I’ll take care of my little Cal Gal, but these other newbies are gonna have to prove themselves.”

“Newbies? They’re gonna be literal babies, Lex.”

“And? My beef is rated E for everyone, newborn babies included.”

Lord, this woman is giving you a headache. “I guess there’s a lot I still need to discuss with Joe first before we actually get into planning.”

“Agreed.” It’s a conversation you’re almost not looking forward to simply for the mere fact you don’t want to start thinking too much about Joe’s leave ending. Just wanna enjoy the here and now. But, you know it’s something that needs to be done. “Make sure to ask him about the strippers too.”

“Alexis!”

—-------

As he has almost every day since the start of his vacation, Joe handles dinner for you and Callie. Well, mostly you, since little Ms. ma’am insists upon helping Joe cook, and he insists upon you resting when you make the mistake of telling him you’re experiencing heartburn. It’s a common symptom given you’re about two weeks away from hitting four months and something you experienced when you were pregnant with Callie.

However, he takes all necessary, or maybe, unnecessary precautions, having you sit and rest in the living room, watching some random station while he works in unison with your firstborn to prepare dinner. 

He makes grilled fish with a side of rice and broccoli for the vegetable. It makes you laugh every time he encourages and tries to convince Callie that she needs to eat her veggies or else she’ll never grow. Sis looks like she doesn’t entirely believe him but takes the plunge anyhow. Plus, better him than you trying to convince her.

You’ll let him take that battle gladly.

And while he cleans up the kitchen, handles putting all the leftover food away, you tackle Callie’s nighttime routine, specifically her bubble bath, hygiene, and hair. Her bath takes a little longer than usual, somewhat because of your bump, but mostly because with her new disney princess themed bedroom came an attached disney princess themed bathroom. This includes a shit ton of bubble bath additives that any kid would love, many of which she suckered her daddy into buying during your Disney trip.

You don’t even want to know how much that man spent on Callie in that one week timespan. It seemed like everything she saw she wanted, and he wasted no time in pulling out his black card, buying it for her.

You can only pray she remains sweet and humble with a daddy like Joe who’s seemingly hellbent on spoiling her rotten. 

Getting her in her pajamas and securing her bonnet over her head after putting her curls into a pineapple is the easy part, and she’s nearly bursting at the seams to get out the bathroom door for a reason you already know and don’t need to ask. 

Cause as soon as you’re done, she’s like a speeding bullet, rushing out her bathroom and room, straight into yours.

“Daddy?”

By the time you get everything back and put away, she’s found her target. Joe is sitting on your bed, Callie tucked into his side with her chosen bedtime book in hand. She surprises you though when she looks up and smiles brightly. “You can come too, mommy.”

This has to be your first invite in at least a week, and it makes you genuinely smile as well. 

“Thank you, baby.” There’s not an ounce of hesitation as you move over to the other side of the bed, climbing in with them. A brief shared look with Joe gives you the signal you need to jumpstart the conversation you’ve been thinking about all day. “Callie, daddy and I actually wanna talk to you about something.”

Instantly, she’s frowning, pouting almost as she snuggles closer into Joe’s chest. “I don’t want to talk.”

This makes you frown, as Joe also looks taken back by her response. He rubs gentle circles along her back. “Callie Bear, what’s going on with you?”

You pick up on her hesitant reply the same way you’re sure Joe does. “Nothing.”

Placing a comforting hand on her arm, you softly point out some of the things that have led to this conversation. “Calista, I’ve noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time with daddy. And you sometimes don’t even want me to spend time with ya’ll.” Licking your lips, you do your best to keep your voice as calm and soothing as possible. “Are you…are you maybe scared about something?”

And it’s when she looks at you for a second, that fear flashing in her eyes, you know that’s what it is. Something has her nervous.

Hating that something is bothering her and especially that she’s keeping it in, you whisper, “Please tell us, baby.”

And it’s Joe holding her a little tighter along with your gentle coaxing that seems to do it, seems to break down that wall that hides her truth. She sniffles, “I don’t want daddy to leave again.”

“Calista…” You hate seeing her so sad, but you especially hate seeing and hearing the pain in Joe’s face and voice at the fact that he’s indirectly the reason for her sadness. “Baby girl, I’m not going anywhere right now, remember? I’m staying here with you and mommy.” 

You’re thankful he doesn’t really highlight the fact that he will eventually have to go back to work. Callie isn’t stupid. She knows this, but it’s not what she needs to hear right now.

And your chest tightens as she sadly points out to Joe a trauma you still haven’t had the space to fully process. “But those people took me from mommy, and I couldn’t see her.” Eyes glossing over, it breaks your heart to hear that she still thinks about that. That being separated from you the way she was is still impacting her. “What if they take me and I can’t see you or mommy?” She adds on in a way that twists the dagger in your chest, “or they make you leave me like they made mommy leave me?”

At that, he pulls her onto his lap, carefully lifting her chin to make her look at him. “Calista, listen to me, sweetheart. No one could ever take you away from me or your mom. Ever.” He speaks with such conviction and determination. He needs her to believe what she’s saying. You both do. “You’re our little girl.”

“He’s right. I know…I know that scared you, but your daddy and I aren’t going anywhere. We promise.” Reaching over to cup her face, you ask in a way that’s more telling than questioning. “That’s why you’ve been wanting to sleep with us.”

She nods, quietly explaining. “I don’t want you to be gone when I wake up.”

“Oh, baby.” you reach for her and she climbs over to you, hugging you tight, head against your chest. “Daddy and I are gonna be here for you, always, okay? No matter what.” Chuckling a bit, you wipe the tears from her eyes. “Even when you’re all grown up and don’t need us anymore.”

She looks between ya’ll, almost wide eyed. “Noooo.” She reaches for Joe who moves closer to the two of you. “You’re my mommy and daddy. I’ll always need my mommy and daddy.”

Her innocence warms your heart. You love this little girl so much. More than words.

“We love you, Callie.” Joe kisses her forehead as she holds onto his arm. 

“I love you guys too.” Her voice is less laid down with that big weight she was carrying around, and it makes you happy to know she feels a bit better, a bit more secure. “Can–can I still sleep with you guys tonight?”

“Of course, baby.” The answer is easy. Knowing now why she’s wanted to stay so close, it would feel almost cruel to deprive her of that comfort. “Of course you can.”

—-------

Megan Lowery is having a shit day.

Beyond a shit day, really.

The first issue being that her stupid alarm didn’t go off. A classic nuisance that almost everyone has experienced at one point or another. 

Except for her.

She’s never had her good old faithful iPhone alarm not get her up in time to tackle the day, until this morning, which has since only gravitated from bad to worse.

Because of course her coffee machine decided to act up. Any other time, she’d have zero issue brewing her morning cup of Joe, but not this morning. No, this morning she was forced to forgo her addiction of almost twenty years nor did she have the time to stop and buy a cup due to already running late because of her dumbass alarm glitching.

And the shitty day couldn’t be completed without some asshole bumping into her and spilling their deliciously smelling coffee all over her Free People blouse.

Put plain and simple, it’s a bad day, and she’s already over it before it even hits 1pm.

It’s why she sits in her meeting, doodling on her legal pad instead of listening to what probably could have been an email.

“Lowery!”

Megan jumps in her seat, eyes scanning the room of coworkers who sit watching her carefully. She clears her throat. “Sir?”

Luke, her boss, crosses his arms. “Am I boring you?”

Yes. “No sir, of course not.”

“I think I am.” Megan has never liked Luke. A product of nepotism, his father created the casting company she works for back in the eighties where he grew it to the major success it is today, only to pass it down to his son a few years ago after ailing health. And while Luke isn’t a bad CEO, per se, he’s not the funny, down to earth type like his old man.

No. The man is a Grade A asshole sometimes.

And this seems to be one of those times.

“Then what was I discussing?”

Fuck. Megan has always hated looking stupid, and she’s usually pretty good at both paying and not paying attention. But without her coffee, it’s damn near impossible to achieve that feat.

“Actually, sir, Megan was just whispering some ideas to me for how we can get Reigns to sign on.”

Megan shoots a vicious look to her work bestie, Paige. She smiles, her perfectly white teeth a stark contrast to her tanned, freckled complexion. “She’s got some great ideas too.”

Luke is smirking, and she knows that he knows Paige is blowing air up his ass. That doesn’t stop him from having his fun though. “Perfect, then I suppose you won’t have any issues taking on the assignment.”

Megan swallows. She doesn’t even know what this assignment is. But the thought of letting her asshole boss get one over on her literally makes her nauseous. With a steel smile, she accepts, “Of course not.” 

“Perfect.” He smirks. She has to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Smug bastard. “I’ll forward you the file and contact information for his reps.” Luke looks around at the rest of the employees. “Meeting is over.”

As everyone empties out, Luke being the first, Megan waits impatiently for everyone to depart before turning to Paige and punching her on her arm.

“Ow!”

“What the hell?” She hates being put in situations where she has no idea what’s going on, and this just so happens to be one of them. “What did you just get me into?”

“You could just say thank you for saving my ass, you wonderful goddess.” Paige adjusts her glasses and opens her laptop, typing away before sharing her screen with Megan. “This is what you’re getting into.”

Megan is still annoyed as her eyes land on the screen, but that irritation easily drifts away when she sees who is on the screen. “Holy shit, that’s Roman Reigns.”

“Duh.” Paige says with all the sass, explaining. “Universal wants him for an upcoming film they’re doing, but WWE just announced he’s taking an indefinite hiatus, so it might be a hard sell.” 

Paige, of course, selected a photo of the former champ in the ring, shirtless, hair down. Looking literally like the Gods put all of their talent into one pot and poured out him. Megan then asks, “why is he on hiatus?”

“That’s the sad part.” Paige does some typing and pulls up an article. She points to the several headlines that all say the same thing just in different ways. 

He’s engaged. 

“I swear, all the good ones are taken.” Paige pouts. “There was actually some drama he was in a couple weeks ago but it’s all died down now, I think. I’ll have to send you the tea. Nevertheless, he’s engaged and expecting another child with his now fiancé.”

Megan clicks on one of the articles that show Roman and who she’d guess is the fiancé. A frown falls on her face. “Seriously? Her? He could have done way better.” Exceptionally. Megan could never see someone like him, body sculpted by Zeus himself, with someone like her who looks like she’s never even seen the inside of a gym.

“Regardless, that’s his lady, and they already have one kid together, so he’s really off-limits.” Paige shrugs, closing her laptop. “Thankfully, all you need to do is get him to agree to do this film.” She snorts. “Baby on the way, planning a wedding, how hard can that be?”

Megan rolls her eyes and flips off Paige who laughs while standing up. “Wanna go get lunch? My treat.”

Shaking her head, Megan politely declines. “No thanks. I’ve got a few emails I’ve gotta get caught up on. Raincheck?”

“You bet.” Paige winks and walks out, closing the door behind her to leave Megan alone with her many thoughts.

Paige is right. It’s going to be a challenge to get Roman to sign onto this film when he has so much going on in his personal life. Some might even see it as DOA. Megan, however, has always been intrigued by challenges. She’s never encountered a situation where she didn’t get what she wanted. Where she didn’t get who she wanted.

On a film.

Of course.

Pulling out her phone, she googles his name, scowling when one of the first photos is of him and the fiancé and their kid, she’d guess. She easily pinches on said photo, eliminating them and filling her screen with only him.

Head tilted, twirling a piece of her hair, she says to no one in particular. “You and I are about to be very good friends, Mr. Reigns….”

[runawrites-blog]

Deadpool Being A Girl Dad Would Include 🌸

-Wade Wilson is the biggest Girl Dad™️ and anyone who disagrees can fight me on it

-Of course, he would have been happy about a boy just as much as a girl but when you came back from a doctor’s appointment to tell him he’d have a daughter he was overjoyed

-When you ask him if he’s crying and tell him how sweet he’s being he just tells you to fuck off and you just hug him tightly

-He buys his daughter so many stuffed toys, going through the whole animal kingdom, then buying unicorns and dinosaurs, too

-He loves painting your daughter's nails and he lets her paint his nails, proudly walking around with his colourful nails and showing off how he matches with his baby girl

-speaking of matching, he will wear clothes that match the ones your daughter is wearing and it won’t matter what colour or motives they have because he’ll gladly wear matching Hello Kitty sweaters just as much as he’ll wear a matching dinosaur shirt

-You have to lecture him on safe sleeping and not letting his daughter sleep in a bed full of stuffed animals

-From the day that he found out he'd have a daughter he was going over names every day, looking them up online, asking his friends about their opinions and overall being very imaginative

-Some of the names were better than others but eventually, you two came to a compromise

(-I personally headcanon his daughter's name to be Bea after Bea Arthur from Golden Girls because in the first Deadpool, he wears a shirt with her face on it, I just needed to share this)

-He adores dressing his daughter in cute outfits, not necessarily in the sense of dressing her in puffy dresses or clothes covered in bows, but in clothes with cute prints

-Wade gets that a baby needs comfortable clothes but that doesn’t mean they can’t have cute kittens on them or be brightly coloured or covered in a glittery print

-He would also totally let his daughter choose what she wants to wear, letting her pick the wildest mix-matched outfits ever

-When his daughter gets old enough to actually understand what books you two are reading to her, he goes out of his way to look for ones with positive female role models

-He buys books where the girl saves the day, where the female characters are strong and independent, where they have agency and big dreams because he wants his daughter to know that she can be anything she wants to be and that she can do that on her own

-That doesn’t mean he isn’t protective because if any bad guys catch wind of the fact that he has a daughter and threatens her, he’ll go ballistic on them

-Spends hours watching Barbie movies with your daughter and then dances around the flat singing along to the songs with her while she pretends to be a princess or fairy

-Wade tries to learn how to do your daughter’s hair and spends countless hours on the internet, looking up tutorials on how to do elaborate hairstyles

-He is always distraught when he can’t get it right and you have to come in and help him

-Totally has tea parties with his daughter and her stuffed animals

-He’ll also be super interested in her hobbies, be it football or ballet, baseball or horseback riding, he will let her talk his ear off about it

-Speaking of ears, when his daughter wants to get her ears pierced he goes with her and lets her sit in his lap so she won’t be afraid but it’s actually him who ends up flinching more than her when he sees her little face scrunch up in pain

-Then he’ll buy her twenty new pairs of earrings while you go on telling him that the piercing needs to heal first and she won’t be able to wear them for another month or so anyway

-Wade is the Dad his daughter's friends feel safe around, and they ask for help if anyone makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe

-loves watching stereotypical girl shows with her, like My Little Pony or Winx Club

-listens to boybands with her

-has pyjama parties with her where they paint each others' nails, watch romcoms, eat popcorn and do face masks

-Wade is the Dad who loudly cheers his kid on during school functions, big games, dance recitals, you name it and he never misses one of these events

-If he has to show up in full Deadpool gear so he will make it on time then he will

-When his daughter gets older and gets her first period, he panics a little but when you sit down to talk to her about it he is there to reassure her, too

-never embarrassed to buy pads or tampons for his daughter and brings home her favourite sweets to make her feel better

-imagine him standing at the cash register in full Deadpool getup buying menstrual products and chocolate for her

-he is also very good at getting blood out of clothes, so that comes in handy, too

-he will teach her self-defence, showing her all the ways she can protect herself, verbally and physically

-insanely proud when she managed to take him down and slam him onto the floor

-isn't the biggest fan of going shopping but will do the stereotypical dad thing where he sits down and lets his daughter put on a full fashion show to show off her new clothes

-he knows what it's like to feel insecure about your looks so if his daughter ever feels insecure or not pretty enough he will actually sit down to have a serious talk with her and tell her how beautiful he thinks she is

-has the sweetest nicknames for her, from regular ones like "Honey" to things like "Light of my Life" or "My Little Princess"

[amethystarachnid]

BUCKY BARNES AS A GIRL DAD - a drabble

Everyone stop what you're doing and imagine Bucky Barnes as a girl dad.

When you first tell him that you're pregnant he's shocked because of all the experiments HYDRA did on him he thought he couldn't have kids

Then he's shocked because he realizes he's going to be a dad. He. A killer, the man who killed thousands of people.

He's terrified by the thought of not being a good dad so you have to convince him he's going to be a great dad because he's not the winter soldier anymore, he's just Bucky. The love of your life.

Starts studying pregnancy books like he has an exam on them. believe me when I say that this man could have a degree by the end of the nine months.

Baby Shower. He really didn't care if the baby in your belly was a boy or a girl but when he saw the pink cream inside the cake he felt his heart skip a beat. A little girl, oh how much he hoped for her to look just like you.

Built the nursery from scratch, painted it al pink with little stars on the ceiling.

I think he would like the name Estelle and if you'd agree that would be the little girl's name.

When you go into labour this man freaks out, he has seen lots of things in his life but seeing you in pain while giving birth made him feel guilty for putting a baby in you.

When he holds her for the first time he's scared to hurt her, maybe his metallic arm is too hard for her little head to rest on? Is his metallic hand too cold on her little face?

He's completely smitten by her, she's not even two days old when she has him wrapped around her little chubby fingers.

When he noticed that she has his blue eyes he was on the verge of crying.

How could a monster like him make such a perfect little angel?

As soon as Estelle starts babbling he has his phone out to record everything. He just wants to remember those little moments forever.

When she starts walking and can actually play he spends his days playing with her: with a ball, with dolls, with the toy kitchen, with her on his shoulders.

When Estelle says 'Dada' for the first time this man is in tears repeating 'my baby girl called me dada, I'm her dada..."

Once she can talk she gives nicknames to everyone, Steve is Uncle Cap, Sam is Uncle Birdie, Tony is Uncle Iron, Natasha is Aunt red (because of her hair).

Bucky totally plays princess tea party with her, in a tutu and with a full face of toy make up.

"Uncle Cap and Uncle Birdie, come play tea with me and Daddy!" Estelle would say.

Steve would agree immediately while Sam needed an harsh look from Bucky.

First day of kindergarten? Estelle is happily going inside the new classroom, happy to make new friends while Bucky is in tears.

"She didn't give me a goodbye kiss..."

She wants to take dance lessons? They're paid.

She wants to swim? He's already on his way to buy a swimsuit.

Bucky would let her choose the sport she wants but she has to take self defense lessons too, maybe taught by Natasha.

The first boy that breaks her heart has a broken arm and probably some trauma. (I'm joking...am I?)

Estelle is pretty free to go out but she has to tell him in advance just to let him know.

When she leaves for college he helps her move out and tells her to kick a boy between the legs if they treat her bad. Or simply give a call to him and he would run to her.

Probably with Steve right behind him.

Damn this was long, sorry but I love soft Bucky, my man deceivers happiness after everything he went through :(

Would you like me to do this but with the other Avengers / x-Men? You can also make requests if you want!

Check out my masterlist! <3

[sailorholly]

Between Us Pt 8

Summary: You and Spencer had a casual relationship. A misunderstanding ruins it all.

Pairing: Spencer Reid × F. BAU Reader

Warnings: Friends with benefits. Pregnancy.

Part 7

See my Masterlist Here

Three Months Later

A white frosted cake decorated with a hand drawn baby on it sat in front of you. Penelope was thrilled to be god mother to your baby, and she wanted to do a gender reveal party. You didn't mind and she was excited, so you and Spencer let her plan this little get together at Rossi's.

You held the knife alongside Spencer, bringing it down to slice the cake. When the piece was cut, you held a plate as he placed the cake on it, revealing pink bread. Penelope squealed "It's a girl!" Spencer hugged you, "I told you." He said, beaming. You had been convinced you were having a boy, but Spencer said he had a feeling the baby was a girl.

"About time we had a girl in the family! She will have all these boys wrapped around her finger in no time." JJ hugged you, nodding towards Jack and Henry running around the yard. Everyone congratulated you while the cake was being served. You were finally starting to show, your baby bump looked huge in your normal clothes. But in the maternity clothes you bought a few days ago, it looked small.

Spencer took you shopping over the weekend when he found you crying because your jeans wouldn't button anymore. He went all out, splurging on a new wardrobe. He even got you two pairs of shoes because your feet were starting to swell especially after work.

Tears welled in your eyes as you watched your coworkers interact with each other. You really loved them like family. Well, everyone except for Ashley who was noticeably absent tonight. You heard a rumor she wasn't happy at the BAU and was looking to transfer. You hoped it was true. She had been nicer to you after her talk with Hotch when she pushed you. You still didn't like her, only tolerating her because you had too.

It was getting late, and you were tired, so you went to take a small nap on Rossi's sofa. You found Penelope sitting there playing on her phone. She told you to lay your head in her lap while she shopped. She was already ordering the baby frilly dresses and matching headbands. You closed your eyes, drifting off pretty quickly.

When you woke up, Morgan was carrying you to the car. You and Spencer had been staying the night with each other for months. You fell back into your old situationship. The pregnancy hormones made you insatiable. Spencer was happy to help you, but you didn't want to get too close to him again. He had hurt you, and you were still offended that he only wanted to be with you because you were pregnant. He tried to argue, but you know that's what it was.

When you got back to Spencer's apartment, you took a quick shower. A new episode of your favorite show was coming on soon. You and Spencer cuddled on the couch watching it. When it was over, he took you to bed, making love to you twice before work the next morning.

A/N: If you have any ideas for a baby name, let me know!! ♥️

Tags

@cindylynn @wheredafandomat @loz-3 @megharat-barnes-reid @kats72 @mochie85 @cakesandtom @spenciesprincess @kimm4710 @tmilover1993 @nomajdetective @cynbx @comboboo @134340ona @wannabewolf @weirdothatwritess @silver-tongue-taken-to-bed @freegardenbanananeck @lover-of-books-and-tea @maybe-not-this @drewsandsebastianswife @lamentis-10 @lizzyk137 @hypotheticallyspeakingwitch @rosylnsworld @amortencjja @ah-blossom @dreamsarebig @khxna @diasnohibng @nommingonfood @sp3ncelle @pleasantwitchgarden @isakslilsmile @lavvylove @creaming4daddy @justdianaz @aubs444 @im-this-girl @xblueriddlex @spencerreidsgf420 @witchsbitchestime @lovelyygirl8 @chonkybonky @prentissesredtanktop @ill-be-okay-soon-enough @ilikw @theoraekenslover @queenshu

[comingyourlugubriousness]

Groovy: Let’s make some memories we’ll never forget! Say Cheese!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YUME AND ME! ⸜(*ˊᗜˋ*)⸝🎉🎂

Here is Yume's groovy birthday card! Fun fact I drew this one first before the basic card one. This is half art/half edit. I wanted to make it look most like a card so I used some twst refences and had a lot of fun with it.

Yume and Leona's dynamic is very fun! I'll post Yume's birthday interview in a few days!

Voice lines and Duo magic under below:

Summon: Ah, I was waiting for you to show up. We can’t start the celebration without you!

Summon 2: *mimicking Idia’s voice* “Fuheehee, here comes the birthday boy～” Ah, sorry just an inside joke, haha.

Groovy: Let’s make some memories we’ll never forget! Say Cheese!

Set Home: Ready for the “surprise!” hehe!

Home Idle: Yuuta and Yuuhi made me a special pizza cake for my birthday! It’s so tasty, you have to try some!

Idle 2: Ruggie keeps bugging me to let him do chores for me today, but I don’t have anything I need done. All he needs to do is be there after all; that’s a friend's only real job on your birthday!

Idle 3: Deuce gave me a charm for my keys; it’s a matching set; look how cute it is!

Idle Groovy: Like my jacket? I designed it myself! It’s not completely Ignihyde, but not fully Ramshackle either. It belongs somewhere in the middle… like me! Hehe! *smiles*

Home Login: Wow this is a bigger party then I thought…hey, will you stay close to me for a bit…Thanks!

Tap: Phew~ Jamil just barely stopped Kalim from running a whole parade through here. Please Kalim, the introverted Ignihyde students would perish instantly!

Tap 2: Grim drew me a picture of the two of us together for my birthday. It’s getting the highest honors; right on the fridge!

Tap 3: Riddle gifted me an assortment of teas; we drank them together! They were way sweeter than I imagined.

Tap 4: Hm? Idia’s gift? Oh, we celebrated my birthday early last night, just the two of us!...HEY! Not like that! Don’t make that face! o///o 

Tap 5: *talking to self*...the origin of the idea came from ancient mages who used their powers to manifest their desires by using the power of the cosmos…” Hm…didn’t I read this before?…Huh! Oh! Sorry, I was just reading the book Leona gave me! It’s really interesting!

Tap Groovy: Instead of just fixing my glasses like a normal mage; Leona had Ruggie make me an eye glasses appointment to get a new prescription…I mean…I guess it's kinda nice? But still, I’ll have Trey or Idia fix my original pair.

Duo Magic

Yume: Here comes a big play; you ready, old man?

Leona: Heh, don’t fall behind, runt!

[rei-ismyname]

EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN #3 FTA

After a pretty disappointing week of X-Men comics it's a delight to read and analyse Eve Ewing's Exceptional X-Men. The repeated issues I have with the other titles are just not present here and after three consistent bangers Ewing and co have my trust.

Emma is right

We pick up exactly where issue #2 left off, and this opening scene of all the main characters makes me realise how tightly the execution is. We know where each of them is at and (at least broadly what they want) - we're getting to know the kids organically. Where the other two books feel like action figures isolated from each other for no good reason, Kate Pryde's need to get away from the X-Men was established before the title even began. She just wants a normal life, to date girls and process her trauma. Emma Frost showing up to answer the call she refused throws her off immediately and they briefly scrap. The kids aren't just saying nothing because they didn't get a script today (hi Jubilee) - they're frozen by Emma. It's a small thing, but it's purposeful and flows elegantly.

Priti, Kate's housemate/friend from school, breaks up the fight for the most relatable reason - she doesn't want to lose the security deposit. Perhaps a sign that Kate doesn't fit into the 'norma'l world as much as she wants...or Emma just really knows how to push her buttons. I think Emma is hurting too, though she hides it under her usual scene-stealing exterior. I can't wait for more of their dynamic. Yeah, they'll almost certainly figure out a working relationship but their pain isn't being dismissed either. I feel like the pair are a successful version of what Gail Simone is doing with Rogue.

They stop fighting and have a little tea party, then Axo asks the question I'd been dreading the answer to - 'do you trust Emma or not?' Kate grew up being terrified of Emma with good reason and never let her forget why she did not trust her. Emma spent decades earning that trust and proving herself a hero, leader and teacher - but the First Krakoan Age had them grow closer than ever before. They worked well together and became friends, they were a force for good on Krakoa (mostly.) It's a shame that this is a metric, but two thumbs up for not rolling any of that back. These feel like the members of the resistance who were there for each other in Fall of X. Kate herself is regressing a little, but it's believable as a trauma response.

Kate doesn't want to train young mutants and Emma does. Prito even has a space they can use and the kids are keen! Everyone is happy then, right? Well, I think that's going to be the core tension for a while. Everyone except Kate wants this, but I think Kate needs this.

This 'getting to know you' circle does a lot of work in centering the young mutants, reminding us they're here to stay while showing us who they are and the beginning of their social dynamic. I haven't been a teen for a long time but their voices sound authentic, even to the point of highlighting that Bronze/Trista is a bit younger than the other two.

Agreed, do not read the comments.

They want to be doing this! One of the most challenging parts of being a teen is navigating peer groups. Solidarity in experiencing the same kind of otherness plus scary body changes is healthy, and it's lovely to chalk up a W despite the fact that 'people hate us.'

This issue also asks the question Rogue did in Uncanny #1, but as organic dialectic. It introduces the tension between self defense and being a superhero when you have powers - the difference between Emma and Kate externalised. Kate is excited despite herself until Emma shows up with costumes, and I think she's right to push back or at least be wary. But is this about her or the kids? It's not the most admirable contradiction but it's very human. They're both right that the old ways were flawed and they need to try something new.

Is she talking about Colossus? MF is not that gentle. Their costumes look amazing.

Unsurprisingly, Emma and Kate are a great team. There's tension underneath there, but they wouldn't be doing this if their friendship didn't run deep. New kids in relaunches past have often had their powers explained by Cerebro or a nosy telepath. Learning about it from their mouths as they're starting to use them in a controlled environment achieves the wiki entry, shows them learning to use them, and importantly gives us more of their personality.

Emma conjures up some Brood-like baddies and everyone freaks out but some growth is evident. It's Axo that figures out they're not real. Kate is not impressed. I doubt they'll throw down, but her sending the kids away feels like an extreme reaction. Good, she's got shit to say and hurts that need to be spoken. The kids don't leave, but we're left with all this tension in the air to be resolved next issue.

I LOVE that the three kids cuddle/huddle in the background.

Who better to break the ice (sorry) than Bobby Drake? Having him just fly in the window and cooling down the tension (sorry again) could feel random and silly but it works. These two have a lot of history and it makes sense that he'd seek her out. Kate has been turning her back on anyone X-related - will she freeze Bobby out too? The kids are awed by him and it's half the Marauders back together, so I don't think he'll get the cold shoulder.

I feel very confident in calling Exceptional X-Men the best X-Men book in From The Ashes. It's got an honesty and sincerity to it while remixing the hits of first arcs and adding plenty of new. The art style is colourful and emotive which adds so much to a book taking people's feelings seriously. If you pick up nothing else, this is the one.

[danikamariewrites]

Hello 😊 can you do a Ruhn× shy library reader scenario/headcanon please 💗

I just wondered how he would be chasing after someone more quiet and introvert.

I also want to mention I really like your page, makes my tea break more entertaining 😄

Behind Bookcases

Ruhn x reader

A/n: aww thank you sm I’m happy you like my blog

the way I’ve thought about this before it would be such a cute dynamic 🥰

Warnings: none

You work in the Fae Archives and occasionally saw the Prince when he came by to research something for the Aux or to visit his sister. Your job wasn’t anything fancy. You were simply just the book keeper, making sure things were in there place and helping people find things.

Ruhn had asked were to find certain books and you had always fumbled your words and maybe seemed a little too eager when you brought him to the stacks. He was always so kind to you when he came in. Lately you felt like he was coming to the archives a lot. And he wasn’t even seeing Bryce most of the time.

You could’ve sworn the other week he was trying to flirt with you when he stopped by the front desk during your shift. You didn’t want to look too into it though. He was a huge party guy and your idea of a fun night was something quiet with a small group or just spending time alone at home. What could Ruhn possibly see in you?

One day after a month straight of Ruhn coming to the archives and lingering at the desk and asking you a million questions your confidence seemed to have boosted. You were typically nervous around people you don’t know. Ruhn had been coming to the archives so much you felt like you had known him for years. Even if you just had small, meaningless conversations.

You were putting books back when you heard muttering from the other side ancient bookcase. You know you shouldn’t be eavesdropping but the voice sounded familiar. Slowly taking a book out from your side, you peeked into the other aisle.

Ruhn was pacing back and forth. He looks a little stressed. His phone is pressed between his shoulder and ear as he tries not to yell at the person he’s talking to who is clearly teasing him.

“Dec for the first time I’m not sure what to do. I’m nervous. And don’t you dare tell Flynn what I just said…we’ll take me off speaker then, I called you not the whole house.” What could he be nervous about? Ruhn exuded confidence, not to mention he was a total charmer.

“No I’m not asking Bryce. I want to do this on my own.” You could hear yelling through the phone. It wasn’t angry, it sounded like his friends were cheering him on. You shrugged and gently put the book back going back to your task.

You gently push the cart out the aisle and run into Ruhn accidentally hitting him. “Oh! I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking.” Your cheeks turn beet red as he smiles down at you, handing you two books that fell off the cart. “It’s alright y/n. I was actually hoping to run into you.”

Your eyes went wide and your lips parted a little in shock. He wanted to talk to you? You wondered if he just wanted information on something. “Yeah, what do you need help with?” Ruhn chuckled a little and nervously scratched at the back of his neck.

“Well it’s not…I don’t need help persay…but,” Ruhn never stumbled when speaking. You didn’t want to get your hopes up, that would be embarrassing. Ruhn let out a small groan and dropped his head. Looking back up at you his violet, blue eyes seemed softer.

“I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with me?” You wanted to jump up and down and scream yes, yes, a thousand times yes! But you reined yourself in. Your face lit up, a wide smile breaking out on your lips. “Yes. I-I’d love to.”

The prince let out a sigh of relief. “Prefect. When are you?” “Tonight,” you responded quickly. You cleared your throat repeating the word softer, “Tonight. If that’s cool with you.” Ruhn’s smile widened as he nodded his head. “Yeah, give me your number and I’ll pick you up tonight at seven.”

After giving your number to Ruhn and walking with him back to the front of the archives you couldn’t stop smiling. You were going on a real date with a real prince! And you couldn’t wait.

[marvelmcumania]

Stalker - Part 1

Pairing: Soft Dark Steve Rogers x Fem Reader

Summary:

NOTE: This was my first attempt at writing fics and soft dark fic This was also me writing a book for the first time It's from the same book I posted on Wattpad the only thing this is slightly edited There could be cringe moments so... uh yeah English is not my first language Do not repost Feel free to reblog and let me know your thoughts

Navigation | Masterlist | Marvel Masterlist |Steve Rogers Masterlist

Warning: Stalking following a person

Today, he saw her again walking in the busy streets of the city wearing his black hoodie cap and jeans he followed her. She looked pretty today wearing his favorite coat and pants, which she always wears on Saturday. He saw her getting into the cafe, hugging a tall black-haired man. Steve clenched his jaws, not believing what she was doing. He went in and sat at a nearby table where they were conversing.

"You know Loki, I really hate these parties, and Mr. Stark loves to flirt with me, which kinda is weird to me he has an assistant right, Miss Potts," she said. Steve gave a thought that tomorrow they have a party. Will she be safe? Will the other guys try to hop on her who is this, Mr.Strak?

"Your coffee, sir," the waitress said he nodded and started listening to their conversation again.

"I know darling but what can we do don't worry you be with me and Mr.Stark won't approach you cause he hates me to the core" 

"Oh, Lokes I am so sorry. I still don't get why Mr.Strak hates you" says while taking a sip of her lemon tea."He chuckles and says "You know that Y/N I had pranked him on Halloween day and then the start of famous Laufeyson-Stark prank wars."They both start to laugh. Her contagious laugh always makes him happy. He sees them making an exit from the cafe after paying their bill and soon he does the same and follows them again to her office.

He stops near the gate and sees her fading into the office door with him again holding their hands together he clenches his jaw. He buys a bouquet near her office writes something and leaves it near the office gates. Steve starts to walk away and starts to smile he knows when she returns to her home.

IN THE OFFICE.....

"Good Morning Happy" y/n says while entering the office "Good Morning Y/N and Loki" Happy nods at them with a serious face Loki also nods with him as well. They towards the lift and press the switch which goes to their floor. It was quiet until Y/N asked him again" So Lokes how did Mr.Stark allow you in the office after those stunts of yours? "Duh, obviously Thor, "Loki says to her with a grin. She chuckles at the answer he gave. Loki asks her "Y/N?" She hums at him. "How is Peter?" You know the same situation since we lost our parents he has slipped into bad depression Aunt May and I always try Peter to keep him company. The doctor told us he has a higher rate of killing himself And I try to keep him away from these knives or anything."She says with a dry chuckle."I am so sorry darling I wish there could be an easy way you know I have been through the same when mother died" Both Y/N and Loki had been close friends since school she also knows how Loki was treated at home She Loved everyone except his father who didn't like Loki since he was adopted.

The lift dings and opens on their floor"Ah Look Thor who is here "Natasha elbows him Thor looks at Y/N and stops talking. He stumbles on his words when he tries to greet her. And everyone laughs at him. Thor still looks at her while she is going towards her desk."You know Y/N Thor still has a crush on you" Loki whispers near her ear. "Yeah I know" she smiles at him."So when will you say to him....?he asks her "What....what will I say to him?" "AH, Y/N I know even you like him" Wanda slides near her "God you both stop it I don't like him he is my friend my overprotective friend #1, and then Nat who is #2 friend," she says to them and starts to work "And you two the supportive one" with a smile on her face. The trio looks at each other smiles and starts to work.

After an hour 

Happy storms into the floor and starts calling Y/N's name. She looks at him and asks" What happened Happy? Look at this someone sent you a flower bouquet and quotes his finger "Your secret admirer" She takes the bouquet and looks at it. There is a small note attached to everyone gathering near her She takes the notes and reads it.

"You look amazing in your suit today Please stay away from them and I am soon gonna get you soon"~Yours Love

"Who is this guy seriously and Y/N I told you to complain to the cops," Natasha says crossing her arms over her chest getting irritated This started happening two months ago when someone sent Y/N secret messages either in her home or in the office

"Don't you think Nat I did it and we'll do the cops care ever." she looks at four of her friends who just stare at her Thor is about to say something But Y/N interrupts him "See guys I like how you care for me but Don't worry I will take care of myself and plus point you people are here too"

But soon she hears another voice. It was Mr.Stark and his assistant Miss Potts."What happened over here why is everyone gathered over here" Pepper looks at the bouquet and frowns at me "Is that...?" Yeah, it is she sighs at them" Guys look I have complained to them they are looking over it, and don't worry I can take care of myself." Both Wanda and Loki look at each other and at her with questioning looks. Thor starts to speak up "Y/N if you need help I will drop you" It's okay Thor" She looks at Thor and then at Nat "Nat please I can care for myself if there is any problem I will call you four okay?" "You heard her now all of you get back to work now," Tony says waving his hand over and looking over at her "But seriously Y/N this is seriously a problem should send you my car with Happy" "It's fine sir" and looks at them Pepper looks concerned at her" I am serious Pep I can walk with no fear and you know I  will meet Maria on the way from my home"

They both nod at her and Tony asks her you are coming to the party right? "Yes I am " she smiles at him and he nods at her and walks away "Okay Y/N did you complete the stats I gave you," Pepper asks her "Yes I have Pep here are these files" Thank you, and please be careful Y/N," Pepper says and walks away. "Yes I will Pep"

At the canteen

"I am worried for her," Wanda says to her Nat looks at her and nods "Yeah me too" The brother arrives "Where is Y/N Loki," Wanda asks the boys.

"Well, she is having some work so she won't join us for now," Loki says handing their orders to them.

"I just don't know anything if anything happens to her I am gonna kill the man," Thor says angrily.

"Thor relax we don't even know who is Person that is sending her those weird gifts," Nat says " Well I told her to complain to the cop but oh God does she listen"

"Well, she told them what are the cops doing Nat?" Loki asks her cocking his eyebrow at her

"Well I have told Bruce," she says shaking her head.

"But wait isn't Bruce in the Forensic department," Wanda asks her

"Well he is but he works under someone they led a team basically and he is trying to convince the Man or whoever that is, "Nat says finishing her burger.

"Oh, I wish I could accompany her but I have plans with Vis."Wanda sighed shaking her head

"Well Thor and Loki you could go with her" Natasha Looked at them

"Well Father called me a minute ago saying we have some family meeting" Loki said rolling his eyes Thor looked at him in disbelief and said

"Well let's ditch this and be with Y/N" Loki shakes his head

"But it's something important Thor and we need to attend it"

"Well, I guess she needs to be careful then." Nat sighs leaving them

IN THE EVENING

Steve stood on the opposite side of the road waiting for her. He knew she came out at this time to go to her home he also knew he home was very far away and later she went along with a lady. He saw her coming out with her friends but didn't see the bouquet he frowns at them. Of course, she threw them away but that didn't stop him and smirked knowing what to do

"So I will see you guys tomorrow then at the party. Aren't you coming?"Y/N asks looking at the brothers

"I am sorry darling but we are having an important family meeting" We wish could come "Thor looks at her giving her a sad smile

"Oh no worries the meeting is more important actually for you two bye guys Bye Wanda Bye Nat You guys are coming  for the party,"  she asks the girls

"Yes we are," both  girls say in chorus

"Be safe  Y/N," Natasha says and starts to walk away along with Wanda She says her goodbye to the brothers Both Thor and Loki look concerned and then walk away

She could feel a pair of eyes looking at her but whenever she turned back there was no one. Steve could feel that she was doubting that someone was following her but he couldn't come in front of her or else she could get scared. He stops there suddenly squinting his eyes she is the other lady and Y/N walks along with her to go home.

"So how was today in the office," Maria asks her taking hold of her hand. Uh, it was great today but the secret lover still sent me the bouquet today" Y/N says Maria stops for a moment and looks up at her

"Again Y/N aren't you scared I am scared" While she turns to look around He hides again from her

"And I have been saying to everyone I can defend myself." They talk for an hour and stop near her house

"Here's your house," Maria says giving her a curt

"Thanks, Maria I don't know what I would do without you," Y/N says giving her a hug with that Maria leaves and starts walking alone.

"Hey, Mr.Barton" Y/N shakes her hand towards her neighbor Clint looks up at her and smiles giving her a nod. She gets in the house and locks the door. Steve sighs and just stands near her house looking at the top he knows what he wants he gets it and with that, he starts walking again smirking at himself 'It's time to take you home sweetheart thinking in his mind

"Hey May, hey Peter she greets her brother and her aunt.

"Hey," they both say together

"Did you guys eat? "Y/N asks her taking a plate from the kitchen drawer and taking the food that May had prepared

"Yes, we have" May looks at her

"And what about you Pete?

"Yeah, I have." Y/N takes her seat on the chair and begins to eat.

"Well Y/N did you order something?" she looks at May in a confused manner.

"Well no" and continues eating

May glances at Peter "It's a party dress Y/N and you have a party tomorrow Maybe I thought you ordered it cause the other day you were saying you didn't have one.So I thought you ordered one" Y/N drops the spoon and runs towards her room both May and Peter following her

"Oh God today he sent me a bouquet and now this"soon she realizes it was her so-called secret admirer.

"There is also a note in it Y/N," Peter says picking up the paper and giving it to her

'Yeah I know you don't have anything for your party so please wear it tomorrow it's a request think about it as God sent you his gift and I am soon coming for you' ~Your Love truly 

[froggibus]

When You’re Feeling Sad - Cassidy, Genji, Lucio, Ramattra, Zenyatta

Pairing: Cole Cassidy x gn! reader, Genji Shimada x gn! reader, Lucio Correia dos Santos x gn! reader, Ramattra x gn! reader, Zenyatta x gn! reader

Genre: fluffy headcanons

Summary: how they would treat you when you’re feeling sad

CW: feelings of sadness, hormones, feeling down, talking about feelings, emotional intimacy, the boys trying to cheer you up in their own ways

having a bit of a rough day and I needed some fluff with my favorite boys so here we are :) kinda similar to this, but oh well

————

Cassidy:

honestly isn’t great when it comes to feelings

but especially not great with his own

one of his biggest love languages is gift giving so whenever you’re sad he’ll just give you stuff 

a cupcake from that place you’ve been wanting to try, a limited edition of your favorite book 

he’s not against some quality time sitting down with you either 

if you want to talk about your feelings, he’ll listen, but he probably won’t say much in return 

not that he’s not listening, because trust me, he is

he just isn’t sure what to say and doesn’t want to risk upsetting you more

so instead he’ll respond with slight touches 

a squeeze to the hand for reassurance, a kiss on the forehead 

once you start to feel better, he’ll propose a pyjama party and movie marathon 

and he’ll watch whatever movie you choose with a smile on his face bcs he knows it’ll make you happy

Genji:

pretty well adjusted when it comes to emotions 

he learned from the best after all

insanely good listener 

like can sit there and listen to you talk for hours to try and understand what you’re feeling 

very good at empathising with you too

will hold your hand and rub his thumb against your palm 

makes sure to keep you well hydrated and well fed

he’s not the best cook given he spent most of his youth on more important things (like being a slut) 

so he’ll probably just order you your favorite takeout 

he’ll tell you stories of his youth just to make you laugh even if he’s embarrassed as hell about it

makes sure you feel loved and understood because he never wants you to feel alone

Lucio:

silly little music man 

he will do anything it takes to cheer you up

probably plays you a song on his guitar or something and changes lyrics to be silly/fit you 

his first instinct is to always make you laugh 

but he realizes that isn’t always what you need 

so he’ll put the guitar away and settle down with you

grabs your hands and says something like 

“let’s talk this out” 

let’s you vent whatever you’re feeling (or not feeling) 

and does his absolute best to listen even tho he isn’t always great at it 

your ability to express emotions has always been something he’s admired about you

and is one reason why you’ll forever be his muse 

and he makes sure you know it so you’ll never feel embarrassed to cry in front of him 

Ramattra:

he’s an absolute brick wall when it comes to human things

but especially feelings 

he can’t experience the full calibre of emotions that humans do so it’s hard for him to comprehend them 

still, he hates seeing you upset and in pain, so he’ll try almost anything to cheer you up 

he can’t exactly fight your feelings so he settles on a more…pacifist approach 

probably asks Zen what to do lol 

treads very lightly with you and is super careful not to invalidate whatever you’re feeling 

goes for physical comfort before anything 

wraps you up in a blanket and holds you in his lap

he’ll even put his work away and let you cuddle up to him for as long as you need

weird but I feel like he would rock you?? 

just something soothing he’s seen other humans do and figures it might help 

it does

once you feel better he is super flustered about being so vulnerable 

Zenyatta:

as soon as he notices you getting sad and mopey, he’s on it 

brews you a kickass cup of tea and probably makes you some comfort food 

even tho he’s an omnic he’s a surprisingly good cook 

brings you a mug of tea and a steaming plate of momos and settles in bed with you 

even if he can’t feel emotions to the calibre you do, he’s still an empath and hates seeing you like this 

let’s you lay on his lap and relax and talk it out 

probably reads one of your favourite books with you

or if you can’t focus you guys will watch something in bed 

strokes your hair and talks to you in his soothing voice 

will comfort you through whatever you are dealing with 

whether it’s something silly or something serious, your emotions are not something he takes lightly

[mk-oc-imagines]

Date Night

Fandom: Mortal Kombat

Pairing: Bi-Han x Johnny Cage - ColdStar

Characters: Johnny Cage, Bi-Han, Madam Bo - other characters mentioned

Warnings: None

Tags: Fluff and First Date Awkwardness, Perhaps OOC

Part: One - Shot

".." Dialogue | '...' Thoughts

'I hope this isn't a mistake.' Johnny rubbed the back of his neck as he stepped foot into Madam Bo's teahouse, looking around the lower floor that was quite full with patrons. 'Damn it...Perhaps I should have called in advance. Does Madam Bo have a phone here?"

"Ah, Johnny Cage!"

Johnny nearly jumped out of his skin as Madam Bo approached him, smile on her face. "What brings you to my teahouse?"

"Uhm...." Johnny cleared his throat, tugging at the collar of his simple button up. "Is there any table for two, one that is secluded? With the most privacy?"

Madam Bo arched a brow, placing her hands on her hips. He did not answer her question and they both knew it, but Johnny did not want to talk about it to anyone. Not unless the other party agreed.

"Come with me." Johnny followed her onto the upper floor, where she led him into s far away corner that was bit in the shadows, far away from the rest which garnered no reason why would anyone look over.

"Thank you, Madam."

"It is my pleasure, Johnny Cage. Now, while I'm here with you, do you have anything in mind that I could make you?"

"Jasmine Tea for two and some snacks, please and thank you." Madam Bo gave him a smile, which he returned. Only when she walked away did he take a seat, pulling out his phone and sending a quick text message.

I'm on the upper floor, in a far corner. Found us something secluded. Text or call me when you get here so I could wait for you.

The response is quick, which makes Johnny grin.

Do not worry about me. I can find my way.

"Happy thoughts I take it?"

Johnny pocketed his phone and looked up at Madam Bo, who carried a tray with two tea cups, a steaming kettle and a plate full of sweet snacks, setting it on the table. "Yes, you can say that."

"Leave the tea sit for a little longer. This one is special type of Jasmine, reserved only for special moments."

"Madam Bo-"

Madam Bo tapped Johnny on the head, wagging her finger at him. "Now, now, I wasn't born yesterday. You, my dear, wear your emotions out in the open. An easy book to read if you will."

Johnny rubbed the back of his neck, flush to his cheeks. "That obvious?"

"Truly. I'll be tending to the rest of the patrons. If you need anything, wave me down or come find me."

With that, Madam Bo left Johnny alone and he had no idea what to do now. Nerves started to set in, his leg bounced and Johnny checkes his phone. No new message.

This was their first official date - Wait. Can he even call it official if no one knows about it? They both agreed to keep it under wraps for the time being. Johnny had to convince his manager that he wanted to take pictures of Fengjian for his upcoming project. Needless to say, she was a bit skeptical but let him go.

He wondered what kind of excuse Bi-Han had to do in order to get her. Johnny figured the Lin Kuei would not bat an eye st their Grandmaster leaving but Kuai and Tomas? They knew Bi-Han like the back of their hand.

Taking the sweet snack and nibbling on it in thought, Johnny thought he was going to bolt if he had to wait any longer.

"Dining without me?"

Jerking in his seat as if he was caught doing something illegal red handed, Johnny looked up at Bi-Han, who was wearing jeans and a hoodie, hair done into its usual bun.

Putting the entire snack into his mouth and chewing quickly and swallowing, wiping his hands on his trousers, Johnny stood up, smiling at Bi-Han awkwardly. "Sorry, I uh... Nerves got the better of me. How was the way here?"

"Pleasant."

They looked at each, awkwardness hanging in the air. Johnny usually greeted his date with kiss or a hug but he was unsure with Bi-Han.

"May I?"

"Oh, yes, yes, of course!"

They took a seat across from one another, Bi-Han poured them both tea, sliding the cup towards Johnny, who raised it up in a toast, Bi-Han mimicking him with a quirked brow. "On our first date."

"On our first date."

They both took a sip, Bi-Han's brow furrowing slightly. "It is not often Madam Bo serves this type of tea. What exactly did you tell her?"

Johnny choked and coughed, covering his mouth with his sleeve. "Nothing really. She read me like and open book."

Bi-Han looks at him, then his lips pull into a small smile, shaking his head with a chuckle. "She is right about that. Before I agreed to have a date with you, you were obvious in your advances. Cyrax offered me to get rid of you permanently."

"Talk about your clan having your back."

"I am their Grandmaster, it is expected. Me, Cyrax and Sektor grew up together, for the three of us it is different kind of loyalty."

'Must be nice.' Johnny thinks. 'To have someone to be there for you trough thick and thin."

"What about you, Johnny?" Bi-Han spoke up, taking another sip of his tea. "How did you get into Fengjian?"

"Made up an excuse, that I need to take some pictures of scenery for my upcoming movie. I guess it wasn't easy for you too to get here?"

Bi-Han shook his head, taking one snack and taking a small bite. "Not really. Had a mission here. If I want to stay a few more days, it is my decision."

Taking a sip of his tea and a snack, Johnny drummed his fingers against the table, a pit growing in his stomach. "Do they... Do they..."

Bi-Han waited, running his finger over the rim of the cup. "Does Tomas and Kuai Liang know?" Johnny managed, nerves taking over once again. He can imagine how everyone else would react if they found out about the two of them but Tomas and Kuai Liang? They would probably hunt him down and make him 'disappear'.

"No. They do not. They were also aware of your advances. I do not think they would ever dream of us..." Bi-Han gestures and Johnny understands.

"I...have a hard time understanding too...Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you agree?"

Bi-Han paused, looking into Johnny's eyes, searching, which made the latter swallow thickly.

"You are easy to talk to. For me, conversations do not come easy. When we started to exchange letters, it was a break from my Grandmaster duties I started looking forward to. All I wanted to say went on paper, without anyone else reading it, just the one who it is intended for. If it were not for those letters, I would not be speaking to you the way I do now. We would be only sitting in silence."

Lump got lodged in his throat and Johnny reached over, taking Bi-Han's hand into his own, Bi-Han going stiff, looking at their joined hands.

"I love hearing you talk. What else is there? Tell me?" Johnny spoke lowly and Bi-Han inhaled shakily, carefully holding Johnny's hand back.

"You are making jokes and making light of a situation that warrants in. But when it is serious, you get serious - as shown when we were thrown into Netherrealm. You fought well, saved my life and in turn, I saved yours. But ultimately, it was the letters that insinuated everything."

Nodding his head, Johnny pulled back with a smile, drinking his now lukewarm tea, pouring himself another cup.

For the rest of the evening, Johnny was the one who did the talking, less for himself, more for seeing Bi-Han's small smiles and chuckles.

-----

Johnny was not used to silence but this was pleasant.

He and Bi-Han walked side by side down the dirt road, Bi-Han had his hands in his pockets, while Johnny was fidgeting with his.

They came to an intersection a small sigh leaving his lips. "I guess this is where we part ways." They turned to look at each other, Johnny noticing how Bi-Han's gaze was soft. "I enjoyed tonight. Thank you."

"I enjoyed tonight as well. Thank you, for... This experience."

Johnny laughed softly. Leave it to Bi-Han to make it formal. "See you soon? Also..."

"Yes?"

"Can I get a hug?"

Johnny hoped he did not overstep. He promised Bi-Han to takes things slow, let them know each other first before doing anything. He was already pushing it back then when he held Bi-Han's hand unexpectedly at Madam Bo's -

"Come here."

'Oh.'

At first, the hug was awkward, both of them tense, Bi-Han not knowing where to put his hands but then they eased into it and it was the warmest hug Johnny has ever received. "Thank you...." Bi-Han whispered into Johnny's ear. "For not giving up on me."

It was Bi-Han who pulled away, their touches lingering just a tad bit longer. "Well...um...See you soon?"

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Bi-Han."

They parted and Johnny couldn't help the fluttering in his stomach and the way his heart was beating rapidly.

[definitelynotstable]

Camomile pt.2 [Ghost x gn!Reader]

pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3, pt. 4, pt. 5, pt. 6, pt. 7, pt. 8, pt. 9, pt. 10

AN: This is getting serious !!!! I have an essay due Tuesday !!!!! I haven’t started !!!!!! Anyway. I have the worlds fattest crush on Price but I haven’t figured out how to write him yet. I’m sticking to Ghostie till I get it right. Onwards!!!!!

Synopsis: a short conversation between you and Ghost about tattoos – over a mug of camomile of course. Word count: 343 Warnings: none!! Ghost x gn!Reader: Not explicitly romantic but we’re getting there. Gotta ease into it lads. FLUFF!

Not proof-read xoxoxox

☆。*。☆。

“I like your tattoos.”

“Hm?”

You smile shyly at the lieutenant who sits across from you. He’s in a simple black t-shirt that hugs the upper part of his body, cutting off around the biceps. 

‘Your tattoos - they’re cool.”

Ghost looked down at his arm, as though he forgot he had them. “Oh, yeah. Thanks.”

“Got any more?”

He folds the corner of a page in his book, letting it shut gently. “Yeah, a couple, you?”

You nod, “A couple on my ribs, one on my thigh. Got them while I was at uni.”

“Ah,” he nods, “student loan spent well?”

You smile, “yeah, parents weren’t too happy.”

He hums, nodding, “yeah my captain at the time wasn’t either.”

You lean forward, resting your elbows on the table. This is the most he’s talked about himself since you started these casual late-night “tea-parties” a couple of weeks ago. 

“You got them while in the military?”

He nods, taking a sip of his tea, “yeah, they’re a lot stricter on cadets than special forces I ‘supose.”

You tap the side of your nose where a small silver ring sits snug on your right nostril. “Tell me about it. I had to wait till the 141 to get my nose pierced - I emailed Price after I signed my contract, he said yes and I got it done the next day.”

The man let out a short laugh, “I was wonderin’ about that.”

You grin into your tea. “Still healing three months on - missions aren’t really the ideal environment to heal a piercing.”

“Having regrets?”

“Nah,” you laugh, leaning back in your chair, “I reckon it suits me.”

The lieutenant looks at you a moment, steel blue eyes meeting yours. “It does.”

☆。*。☆。

Masterlist

Next Part:

[sgiandubh]

Such unsmiling people

The comment that moved me the most after posting that August 10 diatribe came from a very special blogger, @myrthil23. I promised her a longer, thoughtful answer, so here it is.

I share with her way more than meets the eye and with a bit of deductive skills, you could easily place us very specifically on an European map. To be honest, I was surprised (and then absolutely thrilled, of course) to find someone like her hanging on in here. But this is not the only reason prompting a response - her comment made me think a lot about a couple of relevant things.

For those who loathe foraging for reblogs, here goes:

In the colorful Shipper family, the Eastern Europeans are (supposedly) the unsmiling ones. This is one of the stubborn clichés that informed the Western gaze, especially in Communist times. Unsmiling, foreboding and unfathomable people: I am not smiling, I am laughing while writing it, because if anything, Myrthil, @zeya-zg, a couple of others and I do share a superb ability to use bullshit-o-meters, an unsinkable sense of humor and a hefty dose of sarcasm. All of these are basic, compulsory street smarts if you want to survive, God knows how, a nuclear winter of sorts.

Imagine you grow up in a world with empty supermarket shelves but permanently sold-out concert halls, where trivial details such as cotton swabs, potato chips (crisps, heh), political parties or The Last Tango in Paris are virtually unknown. Imagine your family is either cautiously aligned to some public idiocy they loathe everyday at home, teaching you at the same time to never talk to strangers. Or even worse, a political pariah, for reasons that have everything to do with the way you sip your tea, as Ella Fitzgerald would say. The latter situation (mine) was something very much akin to a civil death. And you just knew you could never be, for imbecile but firm reasons, an architect, a lawyer or even an epidemiologist: jobs way too sensitive to entrust the enemies of the people (and their spawn) with.

What is left for you, then, when the view from your window, in 1982, is something not very different from this photograph:

(side note: these people are staying in line to buy 1 kilogram of sugar for each person, which was the monthly allowance fixed by law in my country, from 1980 to 1989; you could only buy those with Government-issued tickets, not unlike what happened in the UK during WWII or what you can see in series like The Handmaid's Tale)

When all is seemingly lost, you will still have, in no particular order: books. Music (including piano lessons). Sports. Each other (although that was overall more complicated than it seemed). Going to the opera and never taking off your winter coat inside, but enjoying every second of it. Impromptu dinners by candlelight during power outages ("wir machen ein bisschen Stimmung"/let's make a bit of atmosphere, grinned my aunt). Foreign languages (a must). Fits and giggles and jokes galore. And the ability to adapt to just about anything, anywhere.

When change finally reached us, many had the almost surreal opportunity to go West. Some came back, others didn't, simply because they chose to continue elsewhere their pursuit of happiness. And yes, Myrthil is right, that fabled West was always something to behold and measure up to. In my case, it was almost too easy, but then I consider myself really lucky: going to live in Paris, at 18, felt both as homecoming and being left alone (and with unlimited credit) in a candy store.

So, here we are. We may have discovered Sylvia Plath a bit late, but I think we are decently knowledgeable about Chaucer. We sometimes may sound Edwardian and if we do, you should probably blame C.E. Eckersley's Essential English (this is how that life-long affair started, for me). And if anything, we bring another, perhaps even more inquisitive, angle to these strange things we are dealing with daily, in here.

But for the love of Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, don't you ever dare tell us what to think and with whom to talk. Don't call us stupid. Don't call us liars. Historical reasons prompted a durable allergy to sanctimonious speech and yes (I can only speak for myself) I will always, always react. Because we do not deserve the arrogance of people who have no idea of how it really was to grow up somewhere in Eastern Europe during the Eighties. Oh, and something else, lest I forget: being pariahs never bothered us - we can cope.

Other than that, we should go along just fine. :)

PS: @claraisabelcampohermoso, you probably don't know how your gif made me smile. Nadia will always be Nadia: a humble, warm person with a terribly heartbreaking story.

[selkra-souza]

The Moodsters Rabbit Hole

So I was bored one day and in my vain attempt to search the internet to find a knock off Inside Out movie to ironically enjoy, I find out that one does not exist. Vídeo Brinquedo, the studio behind the critically memed Ratatoing, has truly forsaken me, and alas, I can only dream. Instead of finding a rip off Inside Out movie, I ended up finding something that accused Inside Out of ripping off it, I'm talking suing. Turned out to be just as interesting.

The Moodsters is a multimedia edutainment brand and children's foundation centered around a cast of six monstrous critter "feelings detectives" called Moodsters. There's Coz, the yellow Moodster representing happiness, Snorf the blue Moodster representing sadness, Razzy representing anger, Quiggly representing fear, Lolly who represents love and Tully representing ... being calm I think? The Moodsters is an IP created by Denise Daniels and owned by JellyJam Entertainment (formally known as the Moodsters Company) who claim on their website (themoodsterschildrensfoundation.org, formally themoodsters.com) that they're "providing accessible science-based content on emotions for children, their parents, and teachers for more than 35 years". That science is based in collaboration with Marc Brackett PhD and Robin Stern PhD, to develop the RULER™ model for dealing with emotions. Besides their mission statement and credentials, their site currently has downloadable workbooks for kids to print and journal their thoughts and feelings on, along with guide booklets for their caretakers. Their children's foundation initiatives includes an "International Partnership for Children Displaced by War" and "Grief Relief with the Moodsters".

They've got a twitter account featuring one (1) post from 2016.

Let's dig deeper though. Hopping onto the Wayback Machine and searching for "Moodsters" will show you that they've had an online presence since 2008. Since then, the brand has gone through a few changes, and they've released a few toys and published a few books.

I first want to go over the plushies specifically because look at them.

They're adorable. I want to firmly grasp them in my hand. These goobers were sold in retail in the mid 2010s and nowadays are pretty rare in the second hand market. They look soft and I appreciate everything from their embroidered features to Snorf's lopsided face. From looking at them, I like the quality. My only complaint is that their little detective capes lack edge stitches, which would make them more prone to tears, and I'm not convinced they have an accessible way to replace their batteries (though I could be wrong). Overall as a plushie lover though, I want them in my home so I can invite them to tea parties and have them sit on my bed.

Their website in 2015 teased a mobile app called, The Moodsters: Learn About Feelings, which - as far as I could search - does not exist. This page lists features such as an interactive story book, a Mood Meter that "gives children a basic vocabulary of feelings and helps them express themselves" by using a thermometer-shaped mood meter to take one's "feelings 'temperature'", a Moodster Mirror that "helps them make the connection between feelings on the inside and facial expressions on the outside" with demonstrations of 25 different emotions, and a Feelings Notebook that's an art program. The development of this app is no longer mentioned on the site currently, so it's probably a scrapped project.

At some point there was a Moodster themed memory match browser game and coloring pages (hard to tell if they were browser coloring games or printables).

Some of the features from the what would've been the app actually made it to market as toys. These toys were colorful little detective supplies. One for (almost) each Moodster. The top image of this very long post actually features each Moodster with their chosen detective tool on-hand. Coz wields a Moodster Mirror, Razzy carries a Moodster Meter, Quiggly has an emotional support Feelings Flashlight and Lolly writes in a Feelings Notebook, all (at some point) available at your (once) local Toys R Us. Whatever Snorf is carrying hasn't made it to market it seems, but it's apparently a First Aids Kit for Feelings (mentioned here). I can't find what Tully's item is supposed to be. Perhaps it's emotional identification cards, or positive affirmations? Who knows. My favorite out of these has got to be the notebook, mainly because I'm a sucker for cute stationary. I'd fold and decorate a little cardboard box just to house those crayons just for keepers sake.

And have I even mentioned the yoga mats?

Almost every plushie and detective tool toy appears to come with a picture book. I can't comment on most of the books since I can't buy any that still happen to be available as of now, but luckily there is a read along video I found shown below of one of them. It prominently features a more recent addition to the Moodsters lore, the human children.

These side characters where featured on the site as recent as October 2023 (I neglected to take a snapshot, so here's another from June), but are nowhere to be seen on the website now besides the older downloadable worksheets. There's a chance they've since been retired.

It's exactly as boring as I feared that it would be. Obviously, I'm far from being in the target demographic for this anymore as an adult, nor am I any expert of child psychology beyond one elective course I took in university, but the one credibility that I do have is that I remember my personal tastes from when I was a kid, so I can comment on this from that perspective. I will say if I was handed this as a little kid, I would've liked the little monster dudes, but my attention would've shifted away from this pretty quickly and easily, because the little monster dudes aren’t really doing much. I was one of those kids that was really drawn to creature characters way more than I ever was to human characters (and to be perfectly honest, I still am as an adult, but that's besides the point I'm about to make). The plot of the book is perfectly serviceable with a good message about altruism, so that's not the problem. My grievance is with the fact that the human boy Zach takes center stage as the main character, when one would think that the main characters would be the Moodsters. They kind of take a back seat working on the sidelines for the most part here, and don't directly interact with Zach that much. Would've been hard for kid-me to latch onto this when the cool critter characters don't have as much of an active role as they could have. Not every kid is going to be as drawn to critter characters as I was (and am), but if the critter characters are going to be the face of your preschool IP, they should be presented front and center as much as they can be. Children's picture books are a media format that isn't particularly long nor complex, so their biggest strengths are in the characters and the art. If it were open to changes, I'd make a few: I'd have the Moodsters be just a bit more proactive, such as the suggestion to buy Sam a new bike coming from Coz or maybe Lolly instead of his sister Zoey, have them discover the "feelings emergency" while they're hanging outside with Zach and Sam instead of by spying on them with their cool and fancy desk setup, maybe have a one or two page mini side plot where Razzy's anger at the truck driver is addressed and resolved with breathing exercises or something, and change the art style to 2D illustrations to allow more dynamic poses and expressions since the 3D models and environments used here are pretty okay but nothing that stands out too much (or just instead use more expressive 3D models). No major changes that would fundamentally change the book, just enough to give the Moodsters more spotlight and expressions. Overall, as is, it's an okay children's book, just nothing that really stands out much as unique.

Back in the 2000s, there was an animated pilot for the Moodsters (with art and animation direction by Drew Bloom) featuring different designs of them and an additional cat girl not present in the current iteration named Moodini voiced by Grace Garland. The earliest legible Wayback Machine snapshot for the Moodsters (May 16, 2008) lists their names as Zazz, Rizzi, Scootz, Snorf and Oola". Now, I unfortunately can't find the full pilot, only the intro, which is a massive bummer because it's the most interesting piece of Moodsters media I've encountered. Apparently, according to a few articles and court documents (we'll get to the lawsuit later I promise) it was titled "The Amoodsment Mixup", and said to be officially available in its entirety on Youtube ... only it's not there. It must've gotten unlisted or removed by the company owner, which is really disappointing since it looks like a fun watch. It's gone probably because it's an outdated interpretation of the Moodsters, which makes sense for the company to remove, but it's disheartening that I can't find it archived anywhere on the internet.

To comment on the intro that we can watch: I'm really digging these older designs! They've got that Muppet look to them with the high eye placement but with smaller mouths, and they've got more varied facial structures and come in different heights, along with overall looking more monstrous. The literal emotional roller coaster is a cute touch too! Honestly I wished they kept these looks, they're peak. I can't find an officially stated reason for the design overhaul and reboot of the IP; my only guess as to why was in order to incorporate human children for the Moodsters to interact with, so that the brand would be more relatable for kids and more easily applicable to them as an emotional analysis tool. There's merit to that decision I'm sure, but I personally prefer this older version because the Moodsters here look more critter-ly and kind of seem to just hang out in the woods doing their own thing, instead of having more "marketable" designs and hanging out directly educating human children. I was a kid in the 2000s, if this animation pitch made it to air on PBS, I absolutely would've tuned in to see these goobers. I likely would have enjoyed it as much as Dragon Tails, Cyberchase and Arthur, as long as the education came second to characters and story (as opposed to more overtly educational shows like Super Why). Honestly, I'm really bummed this pilot wasn't picked up for a full show, or heck, I can't even find the full pilot anywhere :(

Speaking of old iterations, I really want to show off these old renders of the Moodster headquarters I found digging through Wayback Machine snapshots from (June 29, 2014). It's the Emote Control Headquarters, which was seen in one page of the book in the read along video linked above, but with more detail in the background surrounding the central desks and not in Zach’s room. It seems these renders were to be how their headquarters looked before the human characters were added to the lore. And lemme tell you I adore the amount of detail put into these! I've mentioned the fancy desk setups from the book, and they're shown here again. It's got to be my favorite design aspect for the Moodsters, because each one has their own personalized setup that's color coded and decked out in decor. Coz has some sports equipment at his desk, Lolly's got art supplies, Quigly's got a telescope, and so on. It's a really good way to visually show off their personalities, since they admittedly don't have that much personality otherwise. My hot take is that it way more creative than the console in Inside Out because of its attention to detail. These colorful set pieces are peak kids show aesthetic appeal to me, especially the third image with the ambient lighting. This holdover is something I'm glad made it to more recent Moodster products like the book mentioned above, even if it doesn't make that much sense for them to have such elaborate setups to monitor on the kid they live in the same house with, but it sure as heck at least looks cool.

Remember when I said that this was something that accused Inside Out of ripping it off? Well we’re finally getting to that. I have no formal education on law keep in mind, so here's my understanding on the situation: in Daniels v. Walt Disney, The Moodster Company filed suit against Disney for breaching an "implied-in-fact contract". The gist of the matter is that the Moodster Company had pitched their IP to several companies, the relevant one here being Disney, during the 2000s (likely the animated pilot mentioned earlier was what was pitched), and accused Disney of using the ideas they pitched to produce the film Inside Out, and failing to compensate The Moodster Company for it. It was an accusation of copyright infringement. Disney filed to have this case dismissed, claiming The Moodster Company "failed to meet the legal standard for copyright in a character", basically that the Inside Out emotion characters are not rip offs of the Moodster characters. Ultimately the court granted Disneys' dismissal, because The Moodsters are "lightly sketched" and "are not protectable by copyright". This was determined by the "Towle test" (based on Mark Towle v. DC Comics), which has three criteria for making a character design eligible for copyright protection:

" (1) has “‘physical as well as conceptual qualities,’” (2) is “‘sufficiently delineated to be recognizable as the same character whenever it appears’ and ‘display[s] consistent, identifiable character traits and attributes,’” and (3) is “especially distinctive’ and ‘contain[s] some unique elements of expression.’” " ~ McDermott Will & Emery

It was determined that The Moodsters met criteria (1) but not the later two, mainly because of the several redesigns and name changes the Moodster characters have gotten over the years, ultimately making them inconsistent and indistinctive. The Moodster characters also didn't pass the “Story Being Told test”, because in what little media they have been in, they don't have a proactive enough role nor go through any character arcs nor at least have any unique personality quirks that would make them distinguished characters, instead their personalities are summed up with a short description in their pitchbook and otherwise only just kind of exist. I'd hate to side with the massive corporation for pretty much any reason, but it's a stretch for The Moodster Company to have claimed that Disney ripped them off with inside Out. If the Moodsters had more consistent designs and personalities that Disney-Pixar copied in the Inside Out emotions, there would've have been a case, but that case isn't here. However, I don't think it was completely unreasonable for The Moodster Company to take the legal action that they did, even if they didn't really have much of a legal leg to stand on, because the creator of the company, Denise Daniels had directly pitched the Moodsters to Disney and a contract was involved. I can imagine pitching your idea about personified emotions to a huge company like Disney only for them to come out with their own personified emotions movie a few years later to feel like a contractual stab to the back. One last tidbit mentioned in the court documents though, the most interesting claim Daniels makes is that she discussed the Moodsters with Inside out director Pete Doctor, though the context for when and why this discussion took place isn't known. If that's true, it's very possible that Inside Out took inspiration from the Moodsters, as in, the general idea of personified emotions. The movie is also known to be inspired by Doctor's own daughter, so if anything, this is a case of taking inspiration at most, not copyright infringement. It just goes to show that even though the Moodsters is, first-and-foremost, an emotional educational tool, it's still worth the effort to make your educational tool have an iconic narrative with distinct characters at the very least. It's also interesting to learn that the history of the Moodsters is more intertwined with Inside Out than I initially guessed. If this law suit has taught me anything, it's that the more you redesign your commercially public OCs, the less they are eligible for copyright protection. Weird to think about, in my opinion. (sources and relevant court documents (1), (2) and (3)).

The last thing I want to talk about extensively are the designs of the Moodsters themselves. Honesty, I like them. I think they're cute! I probably wouldn't have have written all of this text if I didn't. I dig the idea of having little fluffball monsters represent emotions, even if they have that generic preschool edutainment mascot look to them. I prefer their pilot designs, but the current designs have been growing on me. You might have noticed the green one got redesigned into the orange one to make room for another green one. Or maybe you didn't notice because they both look the same. In fact, they all kind of look the same save for the colors and outfits. They admittedly are not the same exact 3D model copy pasted with different colors and clothes (each have different shaped ears, cheek fur, facial features and heights), but they're all so similar to each other overall that they're still hard to distinguish. The only bad thing about their designs are the fact that their silhouettes look near identical, really.

If I gave you only half a second to tell them apart based on this image, you'd probably have a difficult time. I'd imagine the preschoolers they're marketed to would as well. Now, a bad silhouette is a pretty fundamental character design issue, but it's easily fixed by just reshaping them with different body types. For fun, I tried my hand at it shown below. Essentially they're the same but with more exaggerated shapes, along with digitgrade legs and short tails to help sell the monstrous look. I drew Tully (the current green one) a little later after the original five (digitally, while the former five were drawn traditionally). It's a first draft that could be improved upon more, because if these critters need anything apparently, it's yet another redesign. I did have fun with it though!

Since I like the pilot animation, it got me thinking about how I might reboot the Moodsters for a hypothetical animated show. I’d change the lore a bit. The main change I’d make is scrap the fact that they live in Zach’s house. They’re not like his fairly oddparents or anything to my knowledge, so there’s no need for them to hang out exclusively (or even primarily) with him. Instead of only helping Zach out with his emotions, I’d have them help out everyone in the whole town with them. This would allow the Moodsters (and the audience) to experience a diverse cast of human characters with a wider variety of life and emotional problems. The Moodsters could help out other children, parents, teachers, the baker, the librarian, the mayor, basically there’s a lot more possibilities than Zach alone would ever provide. A diverse cast of townspeople characters would make it more likely that the audience will relate to at least one of them. Having them help out adults would teach kid audiences that even adults need help with their emotions (because boy do we ever), along with giving this show an all ages appeal (so parents would actually want to watch it together with their kids, or heck, even teens, and adults who don’t have children). It’d be an episodic show that focuses on introducing characters with emotional problems that the Moodster main characters help solve, with the townspeople being better neighbors to each other for it. I personally would avoid any fourth wall breaking (“talking down to”) teaching moments because I personally hated that in shows when I was a little kid (I’m looking at you Dora) and it would bore older viewers. Again, I'm going for a aimed-at-young-children-but-has-an all-ages-appeal. All you really need to teach young kids via a show (again I'm far from an expert, I'm making assumptions based on my anecdotal experiences as a child) in an engaging way is interesting character interactions going through a well written plot honestly, and their caregiver being there with them to talk about it with them.

Also, why isn't there a disgust Moodster? Disgust is a lot more than just wincing your nose at duck poop on the sidewalk, it's a feeling that can shape your entire worldview - particularly about other people - if you don't take the time to analyze it like you would other emotions. It's probably the emotion that's talked about and understood the least and absolutely should have a place in an educational tool that teaches about how to identify and handle emotions. Waltzing around with unchecked disgust can mold a person into an needlessly judgmental snob, at worst a bigot (something I sadly have witnessed growing up with my own parents). Again, for fun, I designed one shown below. Admittedly, she's inspired a bit (a lot) by Rarity from My Little Pony. The gem emblem on her detective cape represents her meticulous sense of aesthetics, since she's the most artistic of the Moodster group. She’s purple because that’s the only color left.

Listen, the Moodsters new detective hideout could be in a burrow under a tree stump in the park, there could be a hotline the townspeople can call to summon them for their help with emotional problems, the park could have a year round carnival with a whole ride dedicated to the Moodsters because they’re beloved by the townspeople called the Emotional Rollercoaster that’s a callback to the coaster in the animated pilot. The whole town could be called “Moodsville” or something. One of the school mascots can be a cow (because MOOdsters) with rainbow colored spots that represent each Moodster. Townspeople can participate in all sorts of community activities like community gardening and hanging out at rec centers. The Moodsters can emotionally help children acting for the school play or college students picking careers or parents handling a messy divorce, the possibilities are truly endless.

That's everything I can find online about the Moodsters. I pretty much focused more on the Moodster media as apposed to them as a children's foundation mainly because I find the media more interesting, and it was easier to find information on. If you're reading this and happen to know any other other info about it (especially if it's about the pilot animation), definitely tell me about it because my intrigue pertaining to these fuzzy goobers is immense.

I think it's an IP with a lot of potential, and one that's struggled to have much of any footing on the general public these past few decades. Pretty much any rare recent mention of the Moodsters online is in reference to their lawsuit against Disney, and it's disfavorable on the part of the Moodster Company since a quick-glance-view of the situation shows a company that sued for a copyright infringement case that ultimately looked silly.

I do like their mission statement about aiming to help children and their caretakers to better understand and cope with their emotions, because emotions really are ignored, misunderstood and dismissed a lot here in countries like the US, leading to many dysfunctional interactions between family, coworkers, and communities at large. Discovering the Moodsters has certainly inspired me to be more mindfull about my feelings, and I hope this 9 page wall of text has inspired you to do the same.

Fingers crossed that the Moodster Company re-releases those plushies in the future

[dumbkatsu]

You ask and I deliver! I'm so happy everyone is enjoying the Mu Qing hc, so let's start:

Mu Qing would notice the littlest things about you.

From how you style your hair, how you prepare your coffee/tea, what you put first in the bowl if it's the cereals or the milk to the little gestures you do when you're nervous.

He just loves your little mannerisms so much. He finds them endearing.

Even the way every week you organize your books in a different system

He would notice how you sometimes forget to take care of yourself properly so he would help.

If you are a very busy person in the morning and forget to eat breakfast he'd prepare it for you to take away with a sticky note saying: "Don't forget to eat dummy"

When you first introduced him to MBTI he was really confused.

And when you explained the concept to him he low-key thought it would be another zodiac thing.

Which made you really pissed

So you made him do the test.

(And during the test he was a bit bored ngl)

It gave him ISTJ

At first, he was confused but as he read his results he was starting to doubt his convictions and so he became interested in mbti's

Cue you sending him a shitton of mbti memes 24/7

And whenever he saw a meme roasting your mbti he would def sending you

You would def make him dress up as your mbti for Halloween

But he wouldn't mind

Because if it made you smile he would do anything for you

When it comes to communication in a relationship, he can get a bit shy and insecure, so there will be times when he won't say wants to say. But if you talk to him and show him that you can give him a safe space to express his feelings he will become more confident and it will show.

OH! I totally feel like mu qing is the type to avoid you when he realizes his feelings for you (pre-relationship)

If you were close friends before and this starts happening it can be very hurtful.

You try to corner him but to no avail, he just gives a half-assed excuse and weasels his way away from you again.

It takes Xie Lian, Feng Xin, and even a tiny roast from Hua Cheng to make him apologize and confess to you

"Mu Qing you should be honest about your feelings, it's clear that they like you too!"

"Yeah bro you need to go head in and do it, it's been too long and now that you decided to very obviously distance yourself they've kinda been upset these past few days"

"Only a pussy bitch boy wouldn't admit their feelings and just confess instead of causing mindless hurt to both parties, isn't that right Mu Qing?"

"San lang..."

Yes that was basically the last drop for Mu Qing and he decides to drive up to your place

(cliché warning: I'm about to be so corny on this one I hope you can forgive me)

It started pouring rain and Mu Qing cursed himself for not doing this sooner and just being a blatant coward.

When he reached your driveway he calls your phone

"Hey, why are you-"

"Come outside"

"Mu Qing it's raining"

"I don't care just come outside, I want to take you somewhere"

"Fine. Give me a minute"

You basically leave in your pajamas and go on a late-night drive with Mu Qing.

He obviously gives you the aux cord bcs he likes your taste in music

You guys drive for a bit until he stops at a place with a nice skyline

You guys stay silent until he turns the engine off.

Mu Qing sighs to himself as you look at him expectantly

"Look Y/n I'm sorry. I have been a first-class dick these past few days and I really didn't want to hurt you by doing it but...it's just that... " he stops.

The words he wants to say can't get out of his mouth it's stuck in his throat until he feels your hand on top of his giving him an encouraging nod

It's incredible how you make him feel like he can conquer the world without uttering a single word really.

"I have feelings for you y/n. I never felt like this before. I feel like I don't deserve to feel like this, I feel like I don't deserve you in my life because I can't treat you like you should be treated. You've been here for me through thick and thin and I would do anything for you. But I am honestly feeling very fucking scared for what it might happen next."

You stay quiet trying to process all of the information you were just told. It was a lot to take in. Until you broke the agonising silence.

"I like you too Mu qing. I always have" you said with a beaming smile

"And yes you were being a total asshat, I was so confused. I thought you were upset that I ate the last chocolate pudding in your fridge"

"SO IT WAS YOU?? I THOUGHT I WAS FENG XIN! I MADE HIM BUY ME 4 MORE"

You two broke in silly laughter and when you opened your eyes you saw mu qing really close to your face.

He was looking at your eyes with such adoration that it was hard to maintain eye contact with those grey eyes.

He momentarily looked at your lips and his Adam's apple bobbed

He looks back at your eyes again moving closer. Your lips almost touching

"Can I k-kiss you?"

You guys can figure out the rest ;)