#my thoughts on shipping are. complicated. to say the least

[lavernius]

What are your headcanons on Locus' pre-war life? Like his family, friends, aspirations, hobbies, etc. Also do you think he joined the military willingly or by draft?

OMG this ask got me so excited. I love talking about individual character headcanons. Usual "under a cut because I started rambling" disclaimer, warnings for discussions of various childhood traumas and VERY vague allusions to self-endangering behavior.

Now I will say my personal headcanons for Locus's childhood are a liiiiittle cliche. But who GAF.

I loosely (as in: I like the idea but I don't care enough about lining up RVB and Halo's canons to make it make sense) headcanon that Locus is from the colony Madrigal, which was glassed when he was very young (~5 years old). He was moved to The Rubble briefly, but was probably evacuated (or something) during the Battle of the Rubble onto some other colony or colony ship.

His childhood was largely surrounded by authority, specifically that of Insurrectionist soldiers, and he hasn't really known life without direct exposure to the war since he was young--what with coming from a glassed planet and living in close contact with the Covenant. His exposure to the Covies is probably why he harbors some sympathy for them during his time in the military, but he also left the first home he knew because of them, so for a long time he wasn't sure how to feel about the war.

This sounds funny to say but I can't really imagine Locus having parents, or at least having any relationship with his parents, positive or negative. Probably one of a group of orphans on Madrigal and stayed sort of a vagrant until he hit 18, maybe lost his parents to the glassing. His opinion on the UNSC was informed by the Innies he grew up with, so he wouldn't have joined the military willingly--he got drafted, simply put. It's more complicated than just "got drafted" but I'd need to think on it…

He never really knew what he wanted to do in life. Growing up so directly affected by the war means he thought he'd either 1.) naturally be drawn into the fighting at some point or 2.) die before he had to figure his life out. Thus he never tried to REMOVE himself from the "inevitability" and mindlessly accepted being thrust into battle as soon as he was old enough.

I imagine he spends basically his entire life up to his mid-thirties dissociated from the world around him. People didn't really mean anything because he was so used to being on the move and just surviving, any human sympathy he might have had eventually became sunken cost because it never made a difference. He didn't like being in the corps at first, partially because he was raised radicalized against the UNSC, but he fell into the roots of his "I'm just a soldier" mindset around his early 20s.

His childhood was extremely short and he was forced out of it before he was a teenager. He's never developed a personal identity, very political from a young age in a way that was debilitating his chances of just experiencing life. He's always been too quiet and awkward to make friends easily + lots of people considered him dangerous, so every relationship in his life has been kind of shallow (until the Reds and Blues come along. Siris is a complicated exception).

If he DID have any interests at a young age, I think--and this sounds like me being a #fujoshi but I swear to god I genuinely just think this to be true in isolation--he would enjoy mechanical work. His mind is very literal and he doesn't feel fulfilled if he's not actively DOING something. Growing up on an Outer Colony meant things often needed fixing, so it was one of the easiest ways to keep himself busy. He was very much an "odd jobs" kind of teen who would do anything for pennies. Kind of reflects in his post-Chorus lifestyle, honestly.

He was also very impulsive when he was younger. Bit of a people pleaser, would do anything if it meant he was "doing a good job", which was very flimsily defined. I think that despite how subdued he is as an adult he's the kind of guy who's "tried everything", has experienced every vice. Mostly around his late teens, but when he was a bounty hunter he relapsed back into unsafe practices because it was one of the peaks of Felix learning how to manipulate Locus so Locus was doing Very Bad. Locus would go missing every other night to slink through clubs and alleys on his own, that kind of thing.

Maybe a little boring of a backstory overall but Locus has always struck me as someone without much to say about himself. He doesn't like being asked but if you pried it out of him he'd just say "My childhood was about what you'd expect." I lean into him being a "statistic" because I think it suits him in a very specific "brown person experience" way that I won't elaborate on (but if you know you know). He's a late bloomer because I'm a sucker for 30+ year olds realizing life doesn't end after your 20s no matter how bad everything seems.

[margindoodles2407]

we can talk about my views on shipping later but i think there is a trope i've pioneered

and it's almost like forbidden love but. not quite

and it's called "i love you so much and so deeply but the circumstances of our lives have aligned such that we are not supposed to be together, so i am going to willingly sacrifice being in a romantic relationship with you as the ultimate expression of my love and respect for you"

[fakeoutbf]

.

[lynnieverse]

like real people do // drew starkey

oneshot

drew stakery x popstar!reader

synopsis: after a little slip up in an interview where you accidentally reveal your celebrity crush, things get a little complicated when someone starts meddling.

4.2k words

highly requested part two here!

You knew doing the interview was going to bite you in the ass. Nothing good ever came from distracting you with puppies and asking personal questions. So, when the interviewer innocently asked your celebrity crush, you didn’t hesitate to say Drew Starkey. It didn’t hit you until afterward, sitting in the back of your car, debriefing with your assistant. 

“I can’t believe you said your celebrity crush though,” she said, eyebrows raised. Your heart stutters a bit and you quickly whip your head towards her. 

“No I didn’t.” 

“Um…yeah, you did.” Panic spiked through your veins, sweat beading on your brow. 

“Oh shit. Oh shit! Amara, tell me I didn’t say who I’m thinking of,” you grip her arm tightly, eyes pleading. Amara winces and looks at you with what could only be pity. “No!” 

Madelyn was going to kill you. 

You met Madelyn Cline a few months ago at the People’s Choice Awards when you were presenting. You’d instantly clicked and made plans to hang out the next week. Everything was going really great, and you were doing a good job at keeping your little crush a secret. Now, it’ll come out, be circulated everywhere online, and Madelyn’s going to think you’re some crazy stalker. How would she react to you having a crush on her co-star? Definitely not well. 

Amara places a comforting hand on your shoulder, smiling sympathetically. “It’s okay, Y/N, it’s just a silly interview. Nobody will take it seriously.” 

“Everyone will take it seriously! I don’t know why I started fraternizing with actors, I need to stick to my lane.” 

“Hey, why don’t you write a song about it? It might help.” You thought about it for a moment, feeling the familiar bubble of lyrics tickling the back of your mind. Writing always helps you calm down, maybe putting the feelings on paper would make them go away. 

As the car stopped in front of your hotel, flashes from the paparazzi’s cameras were bright even through the tinted windows. You sigh and grab a jacket, wrapping it around your head like a shield, and wait for security to open the door. You ignore the loud shouting as you dash inside, closely followed by Amara and the rest of the crew. Inside isn’t much better, but at least the other guests have the decency to leave you alone for now. 

You sometimes feel bad, often making it up later by signing a bunch of autographs outside, but right now you’re exhausted and embarrassed. The interview threw off your whole day, and you just want to lay in bed and watch trashy reality television. 

Your security escorts you to the elevator, and then does a sweep of your room before eventually leaving. Finally alone, you put on your rattiest and comfiest pajamas, take off all your makeup, and throw your hair up before jumping in bed. You reach for the remote to start your aforementioned binge, but hesitate over the little purple notebook you carry everywhere. Sighing, you know you won’t be able to relax without getting it all out. You dig through your bag and find a glittery pink pen, uncapping it with your teeth and getting to work. 

You’ve never met Drew, not once, but something about him just had you giggling like a schoolgirl. Witnessing his kindness through your constant internet stalking quickly proved to be a bad idea, because now you have a big fat crush on the man and he doesn’t even know you exist. 

Well that’s not true. Everyone knows you exist, but he would never think of you that way. Dating as a popular musician was not as easy as one might think, it’s often too much for people. The words start flowing with ease, filling up the cream pages in no time. 

Gleaming

Twinkling

Eyes like sinking ships

On waters so inviting

I almost jump in

His eyes really are beautiful. So blue, so warm. But the feelings you have aren’t logical, and they’re so exhausting. 

But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush

I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush

I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch

Everybody wants you

Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you

He’s the internet's boyfriend right now, edits flying around like crazy. You know dozens of people back home who are definitely salivating over this man. Something about him…you can’t put your finger on it. 

What must it be like

To grow up that beautiful?

With your hair falling into place like dominos

Every silly thought you’d ever had poured out onto the page. By the time you were finished you knew it was a hit. Grabbing your guitar you make a split second decision to tease your fans a bit. Unlocking your phone, you quickly open Instagram and go live before you can stop yourself. Your face pops up on the screen, thousands of people already in and commenting. 

“Hey guys! I just finished a new song and wanted to play a little for you if that’s alright?” You smirk, knowing the answer already. Of course, everyone starts freaking out and flooding the comments with different affirmations and emojis. You laugh, loving every second of it, before strumming the beginning chords on your guitar. 

As you start singing you let your eyes close, feeling each note in your soul, pressing every callus on your worn fingertips. The pacing is a little rough, still getting the hang of the new melody, but you know as soon as you finish that you killed it. So many fans are expressing their love for the song, already asking for it to be out on streaming platforms. Others are curious as to who your muse is, throwing out the wildest guesses you’d ever seen. 

“Chace Crawford?!” you exclaim, face contorted in surprise. “Y’all have a distorted sense of my ability to pull these men,” you laugh in disbelief. Your heart skips a beat when a couple comments actually guess correctly, but don’t react, knowing every single microexpression is analyzed. 

“Alright guys, I think I’m going to eat myself into a sugar coma while watching Love Island, but thank you for listening! I’m glad you enjoyed the song,” you wink to the camera before waving and closing the app. Covering your face with your hands, you fall backwards on the bed, letting your guitar rest beside you. You don’t even want to check social media, already knowing screen recordings of the live will be everywhere. 

Sometimes it’s crazy to think this many people care about your day to day life. The art you create touches lives across the globe. It’s both amazing and terrifying at the same time. 

Not wanting to start an existential crisis on a random Tuesday night, you quickly turn on your show and cuddle up under the duvet. 

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By the weekend the interview was everywhere. You’ve stayed out of it, going pretty much radio silent in response. Many are asking if you’re secretly dating, if you were going to write a song for the new season of Outer Banks, if Drew felt the same way…it’s insane. 

You’d purposely put off talking to Madelyn out of sheer embarrassment. That man was like her brother and you admitted to liking him. Still, it’s time to address the issue head on, so you dial her number shakily. The phone rings three times before she answers, a sweet greeting sounding through the speakers. 

“Y/N?” You clear your throat, reluctant to speak. 

“Hey…” You wince at how rough your voice sounds, facepalming at your own awkwardness. 

“What’s up, girl?” Madelyn sounds normal, but you know she has to be weirded out by you. 

“Um, nothing much, just wanted to talk to you about something I may have said recently.” 

“Is this about the puppy interview?” 

“Yes?” Your voice comes out squeaky, nose scrunched. But Madelyn just starts laughing. You stare at your phone in confusion. What the hell?

“I can’t believe you finally admitted it, and during an interview? That was ballsy as hell!” You slowly start to regain your breath, brain processing her words. 

“You’re not mad?” 

“Why would I be mad?” she snorts.

“I didn’t want you to think I was using you to get to him.”

“Are you?” 

“No! Of course not!” 

“Okay then, there’s no problem.” A breath of relief escapes, and you put a hand on your chest. She’s not mad. 

“Thank you so much for understanding, I really love our friendship.” 

“Me too,” Mads says sincerely. “Now we just have to figure out how to get you two together!” 

Your eyes widen. “What? Absolutely not. This was not an invitation for you to play matchmaker, Mads.”

“Aw man, why not? I could literally get you both in the same room tonight.” Your heart starts beating out of your chest, feeling more anxiety talking about this than being on any stage.

“He’s probably seen the interview by now, it’s so embarrassing!” 

“It’s not embarrassing, Y/N. You’re attracted to the man, it’s not that crazy of a concept! Just give me a chance, please?” 

“Nope. I don’t want to bother him or weird him out. Let’s just do something me and you; are you in L.A.?” 

“Ugh, fine. Yes I’m here, just come over whenever.” You can feel her annoyance across the line, but ignore it. You’re not going to let her meddle. 

“See you then!” Mads ends the call, sending you back into your shame spiral. Every little thing you do is always picked apart and ridiculed in the media, and you’re usually a lot more careful with what you say. The interview slip up is going to keep you up at night for the rest of your life. 

Hours pass waiting for the appropriate time to head over to Madelyn’s house. You decide to dress comfortably, but have your makeup done on the off chance pictures are taken. The drive over is quiet, save for the initial crowd outside your house. How it’s legal for celebrities' addresses to be available on the internet, is something you’ll never understand. 

When you pull up you notice a Jeep in her driveway and shake your head. That girl is always spending money. Your phone pings with yet another Twitter update and you roll your eyes. How can this be the most popular thing in the world right now? You glance at the notification and see it’s Drew’s name that’s trending. Huh. Interesting. 

You decide to follow your instincts and ignore it, wanting to focus on girls night with Mads. As you approach the porch you find yourself nervous; even though she wasn’t mad, you still feel bad for causing such an uproar around her co-star. 

Three knocks later you're waiting outside her front door in anticipation. You find yourself shifting from foot to foot, tracing the cracks in the stonework with your eyes. When the door opens you look up with a smile, expecting Madelyn’s smiling face, only to be met with the very man that had haunted you the past week. You gasp, words catching in your throat as you stare. 

Drew was wearing a black T-shirt and grey sweatpants, his hair looked freshly cut into a soft mullet, and he looked just as surprised as you do. You can’t seem to close your gaping mouth, a pained sound escaping without realizing. 

“Uh, hi,” Drew says sheepishly, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. Eyes wide, you turn on your heel and speed walk away, leaving him alone in the doorway. You’re fumbling with your keys, cursing under your breath, when you hear a shout from behind you. 

“Y/N!” 

You almost make it inside your car when an iron grip latches onto your upper arm, yanking you back. 

“Hey!” you protest, almost losing your balance as you’re dragged back to Mads’ house. 

“Oh no you don’t, you’re not getting away that easily.” 

“Madelyn Renee Cline, let me go!” You struggle against her grip, but only cause her nails to dig in deeper. 

“You’re not leaving, Y/N, I won’t let you.” She finally stops when you’re once again at the door, but she doesn’t let go. Drew must’ve gone back inside, thank God, but Madelyn is glaring at you. 

“Don’t look at me like that! How could you do this to me?” You give her your most withering look. She rolls her eyes at you, only pissing you off more. 

“Just talk to him. I promise he doesn’t think you’re weird, or whatever you’ve concocted.”

“Well he might now!” 

“That’s your own fault, I can’t believe you ran away,” she snickers, pulling you inside and closing the door. When she finally lets go of your arm, you rub the crescent indentions with a wince. The girl has some nails. 

“Fine. Let’s go.” Mads looks taken aback, freezing in place. 

“Really?!” You give her a pointed look. “Right, be cool. Okay come on follow me, he went back to the living room.” Reluctantly, you do just that, trailing closely behind her. You’re a ball of nerves, and can already feel your stomach twisting to knots. 

Madelyn was right, he was lounging on the couch, absentmindedly scrolling on his phone. When he hears you two approach, his head shoots up and his back immediately straightens.

“Everything okay?” he asks, voice smooth and melodic. Your cheeks warm, and you avoid eye contact as much as possible. 

“Um, yeah. I just–you know.” You jab your thumb back awkwardly, not even you know what you’re trying to say. But Drew cracks a smile, looking at you fondly and nodding along, as if you make perfect sense. 

Madelyn’s eyes flit between you with a wide smile on her face. Not knowing what else to do, you sit down on the couch, as far away from him as possible, and stare straight ahead. Silence ensues, and you have absolutely no idea what to do in this situation. Thankfully, Madelyn breaks the silence. 

“So…want to watch a movie?” 

“Yes!” You and Drew speak at the same time, causing you to stare at each other shyly. Madelyn smirks and comes around the couch, forcefully sitting between you and the arm rest. You shoot her a what the fuck look and she simply shrugs. 

“I like the armrest! Scooch.” Begrudgingly, you inch closer to Drew, who pretends not to notice the entire exchange. As soon as you're settled you sit pin straight, not wanting to breach the confines of your cushion. Drew’s left ankle is resting comfortably on his knee, arm thrown over the side of the couch in what seems to be a very relaxing position. Mads rolls her eyes and pulls out an ottoman, giving you something to stretch your feet out on so you can lean back. 

It takes forever to pick a movie, suspiciously so, but it’s Madelyn’s house and you’re not going to say anything. Once she finally picks Avatar, she dims the lights from her phone and the three of you settle in for what’s going to be a weird couple hours. 

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Everything was going fine, until suddenly Madelyn got tired at nine and decided to go to bed…leaving you and Drew alone. You mentally cursed your friend for putting you in this position, obviously not listening to the blanket “no matchmaking” statement from before. 

You glance at him from the corner of your eye and find him already looking at you. He quickly looked away and started tapping his fingers on his knee nervously. The movie had long since been forgotten and no words had been exchanged. 

“So…” you manage, turning to face him slowly. He smiles at you, running a hand through his hair and making his bicep flex. Your stomach does a little flip flop and your face reddens at where your mind went. Drew smirks like he knows exactly what just happened, but doesn’t comment. 

“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.” His voice, oh my God. “I’m Drew, it’s nice to meet you.” He holds out his hand to shake, and you clumsily take it, feeling the warmth envelop your palm immediately. 

“I’m Y/N, it’s nice to meet you too,” you smile, swallowing the anxiety. 

“I’m a fan of your work, actually, you’re really good.” 

Your eyes almost bulge out of your head. “You listen to my songs?” Drew laughs and shakes his head, shooting you a look you don’t quite understand. 

“Are you being serious?” he leans forward a bit, surprise evident on his face. You scrunch your eyebrows, tilting your head to the side. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You’re easily the most popular musician of our generation and you don’t think I listen to your music?” You find yourself blushing, and a little flustered. 

“Well, I wouldn’t say the most popular…I have quite a few fans, sure, but not everyone vibes with all types of music. I don’t really know what you listen to, and I didn't want to assume anything.” Drew looks you up and down, seeming to size you up. 

“You’re not at all what I expected, Y/N Y/L/N.” 

“And what did you expect, Drew Starkey?” 

“Well, I don’t know to be honest, but you’re surprisingly humble for someone as successful as you.” You had actually gotten that a lot, although you didn’t think it was being humble so much as being a decent person. You’re still just the girl who grew up in a perfectly normal town, with normal loving parents and a wonderful home. Just because you make popular music doesn’t mean you’ve changed at all. Plus, you know it could all go away with the snap of your fingers. 

“I don’t know what to say, I’m just like everyone else,” you shrug. 

“I beg to differ. You’re…extraordinary. You have to know that?” There goes that damn stomach flip again. 

“Thank you,” you look down at your lap. “I could say the same for you. I love your projects.” His eyes light up at the mention of his work, making you smile in turn. 

“Thank you! I love everything I’ve been a part of, especially OBX. I met my second family on that set, you know?” You didn’t know, actually. Being on the road all the time meant limited options for friendships, and no time for the ones you did manage to keep. Mads is the first girlfriend other than Amara–who you employ–you’ve had in years. 

“Yeah, I love Mads already. I can’t imagine how fun it must be getting to work with your best friends every day…” your voice trails off. Drew seems to notice your shift in mood and decides to change the subject. 

“Hey, why don’t you play me something?” 

You immediately freeze. “What?” Drew smiles and stands up, searching for something. He disappears in the hallway before emerging a minute later with a beautiful acoustic guitar in his hands. You immediately feel a pull to grab it and start playing, but are still confused. 

“Here,” he hands it to you. “I want you to play me something…something nobody has heard yet.” You immediately start racking your brain and decide to take a leap and play something that could get you in trouble. 

“Um…okay. This is something I was actually working on today. It’s not finished but I can play a little.” You nervously pick up the guitar, but immediately relax when you feel the rough strings beneath your fingers. You close your eyes, take a deep breath, and try to forget the gorgeous man in front of you. 

In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream

It's like a million little stars spelling out your name

You gotta come on, come on

Say that we'll be together

Come on, come on

Little taste of heaven

You manage to take a peek at him while you strum, catching him totally entranced by the sound of your voice. A little confidence boost flows through you as you continue the song. 

But you're untouchable, burning brighter than the sun

And now that you're close I feel like coming undone

In the middle of the night, we can form this dream

I wanna feel you by my side, standing next to me

You gotta come on, come on

Say that we'll be together

Come on, come on

Little taste of heaven

You strum a few more chords before stopping, silently waiting for his reaction. He’s staring at you, mouth parted slightly. 

“Another,” he whispers. Surprised, you do what he asks, pulling another unfinished song from the vault in your mind. This one wasn’t about him, not like the last one, but it still applies. 

I will not ask you where you came from

I will not ask you, neither should you

Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips

We should just kiss like real people do

You hum for a little longer, this song actually being one of your favorites. Drew is starstruck, an unknown look on his face the whole time. He seems to snap out of it and clears his throat. 

“Wow, Y/N. You’re amazing…those were amazing. Were they about anyone in particular?” You internally panic, because duh. But you don’t want to weird him out. 

“Um, the first one was,” you whisper, avoiding eye contact. You feel the couch move, and look up to find Drew right beside you. His leg was flush with yours, and he was so close you could see each and every freckle splashed across his cheeks. You also notice his eyes crinkle at the corners slightly when he smiles. 

“Can I confess something?” he says softly. You don’t trust your voice, so you nod once. “I saw your interview.” Immediately, the embarrassment causes your face to turn into a tomato. 

“Uh–about that…I–” You don’t really have an explanation, but you scramble for one anyway. Drew chuckles and grabs your hand, effectively stopping your rambling and making you redder at the same time. 

“Y/N you don’t have to be embarrassed. Did you see my interview?” What interview?

“No? I didn’t know you did one. Should I have?” He squeezes your hand gently and his eyes bore into yours. 

“It would’ve made this a lot easier,” he jokes. “They asked for my response to being your celebrity crush.” Fuck. 

“Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause drama for you.” 

“You didn’t, I promise. But do you know what my response was?” You shake your head. He hesitates for a moment before grinning, almost shy. “I said that’s a crazy coincidence because you’re my celebrity crush.” Hold the fucking phone, did he just say what you think he said?

“What?” 

“I think you’re beautiful, talented, kind, and I’ve always wanted to spend time with you. I didn’t think it was even in my realm of possibilities. Then you befriended Mads, and I thought maybe I had a chance…” Your brain must be short circuiting, because no way in hell Drew Starkey just said the feelings are mutual.

“Oh,” is all you can manage.

“Oh? That’s it?” he smiles, intertwining your fingers. 

“I’m honestly so surprised right now, I don’t know what to say.” 

“Say you don’t think I’m a weirdo.”

“I don’t think you’re a weirdo,” you shake your head. 

“Say you’ll go out with me?” his pitch rises with uncertainty, looking nervous for your response. 

“I will definitely go out with you.” Relief floods his features and he tugs you closer, pulling your legs on top of his. 

“That was terrifying,” he says, massaging your calf. 

“I still cannot believe this is happening right now,” you tell him honestly. 

He smirks, leaning in close. “Believe it, baby.” Your heart skips a beat, mind going blank momentarily. 

“I think I owe Mads a thank you,” you giggle. 

“Fuck that, I’m sending her a damn gift basket.” 

“You’re so right, she’s getting an album dedication from me,” you joke, causing Drew to poke you in the ribs. 

“Hey, no fair. She’s going to like that so much more!” he whines. You can already see yourself falling head over heels in love with this man, and that scares you more than anything. 

“Don’t hate the player, hate the game,” you hold your hands up in defense while Drew rolls his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever, let’s just watch another movie.” 

“Sounds like a plan!” you hear from behind the couch. The two of you immediately jump, scared out of your minds, until you realize it’s just Madelyn creeping in the hallway. 

“What the fuck?!” Drew yells, clutching his heart dramatically. 

“You were supposed to be asleep!” You cross your arms, glaring at your blonde counterpart. She sucks her teeth and shrugs, walking over and plopping down on the couch.

“What can I say, somebody had to get you two together.” You share a look with Drew, both of you simultaneously not surprised, but exasperated by her little games. 

“You’re insane,” Drew tells her, taking his spot back on the couch and throwing a pillow at her head.

“It worked didn’t it?” 

Yeah. You thought. It really did. 

[murasaki-cha]

One thing that has always pissed me off is when people call the Enemies to Lovers troupe toxic romance and say it's abusive. Like I don't know what was advertised to you as enemies to lovers but babe that is so not what this trope it's about.

Now listen I'm a fantasy reader, so my normal level of enemies to lovers is "they have tried to kill each other at least once" or "they have definitely physically fist fought" at like the minimum. Anything below that is rivals to lovers to me. Just wanted to make it clear I'm not sugar coating anything here when it comes to my ships.

Enemies to lovers was never about the abuse or the fighting and the attempted murder, that's not what makes the trope.

Enemies to lovers was always about seeing the worst in each other first, being unafraid to show someone the ugliest part of yourselves and them still managing to fall in love with you. It's about realizing that the only person who has ever truly known you is the one person you cannot stand, it's about them being an outlet to each other the one person they are not afraid to be negative towards because that's your dynamic all the time.

This is also why people enjoy the fighting and the bickering between the enemies, because it's the one time when these characters are not holding anything back, they are unafraid of showing each other cruelty because why fear being disliked by someone who you already hate, that also hates you back?

It's about this chemistry these characters have, how they are somehow always pulled towards each other, how they can recognize each other in a crowded room immediately because they are annoyed by each other's presence obviously. It's about them always somehow ending up in a situation together even though the last thing they want is to be near each other.

They start noticing more about each other, they realize their habits, they know little stuff about them that almost no one else has ever noticed and maybe along the way they realize that maybe they're kind of different from what they thought at first and maybe they're not so different from each other.

It's about name calling turning into pet names, verbal sparing turning into old married couple type of bickering, going from dreading each others presence to searching for each other in a room, sneers turning into smirks, it's about keeping the same dynamic you had but making it more lighthearted, warmer.

And this is my personal opinion, but I truly believe there is no way to make a good enemies to lovers story without it also being a slowburn. It makes absolutely no sense why these characters that hated each other until now are suddenly falling in love so quickly. Enemies to lovers was never just Enemies -> Lovers, There needs to be some forced proximity thrown in there, a begrudgingly friendship, actual friendship, unexplained feelings, realization of feelings, secret pining because we barely became friends there is no way they would ever feel the same way, confession and by the end lovers. It just makes sense since they have a very complicated relationship and they need to grow as people and need to get used to familiar feelings first before actually getting together.

And this is what enemies to lovers is all about, these characters knowing every part of themselves, from the worst to the best, hiding nothing and being free around each other. It's about truly knowing every single piece of your partner's heart and soul, from their anger to their joy and loving them not just despite it, but especially for it.

[assassin-artist]

okay, I'll post what I've got for Sindra now. Plus an alternate version for if she were a Viltrumite herself (: lore rambling below the cut

Calling her species 'Vottan'. They're a healer-based society of people with hollow bones, it makes them very fast but also very fragile. Big culture based around worshipping life and birth, which is why being a healer is such a high position of authority. Most Vottan become healers, but only a rare percentage of the people are born with healing magic. Sindra, having been born with the gift, was raised in something like a monastery to become a healer from a young age. They take a vow of silence when they reach adulthood, which is the same time they get their markings that deign them a full-fledged healer (the diamond on Sindra's forehead).

Their healer culture is very judgment free, i think. They believe that it's not their place to judge whether an individual 'deserves' to live or die for what they've done, only that if they are capable of healing, then they will heal. Their fragile physiology combined with their willingness to medically aid anyone who comes their way made it very easy for Viltrum to take their home planet and subjugate the people. Most healers are left to their own devices, but the rare few that are born with the gift of magic in their veins are taken to be personal Viltrumite healers on the Viltrum warships. Vottan lifespans on average are longer than humans, roughly expecting to live to ~150 years before dying of complications due to old age. However, those born with magic have a significantly increased life expectancy, expected to live somewhere around ~2,000 years before old age.

Taking inspiration from hummingbirds here when I say that I don't think they sleep at all - instead they go into a state of dormancy every few hours where their heart rate and metabolism is slowed significantly to conserve energy for a while.

hm.... that's all the lore for her species i've thought up at this point. Let me know if you have any questions (: Now I talk a little bit about her personal story..

I made her mainly to be a Conquest ship, because I like the idea of the big scary strong man having a fragile partner. Her people being subjugated by Viltrum was just the convenient excuse so I could say Sindra and Conquest have known each other for years before the events of Invincible even happen. I don't have a set age for her but I'm thinking at least over a century by now, so they've been buddies for around 50 years or so. Maybe. I'll do the math some other time, I'm just vibing rn. Conquest still doesn't get someone to talk to because his companion is silent, but, despite her inherent fragility and Conquest's inherent overwhelming strength, she has never been all that afraid of him. I think a species that worships life would have a more accepting view of death as well - it's to be avoided if possible, but not something you should fear and dread. Plus, I've talked before on my blog about how I don't think Conquest would actually struggle to be gentle, so I think it wouldn't be that difficult for them to become close. In fact, I dare say I think Conquest would be gentler with her than any of the other Viltrumites would be... i rotate them in my head. my silly aliens

I like the idea that she eventually finds her way to Earth before season 1 begins, but I don't really have a reason for why she left the Viltrumites just yet. Maaaaybe someone lost their cool and attacked her for whatever reason and she just flew away, never looking back? I'm not sure, I'll have to think more on that. I just like imagining her on Earth trying to learn how to get along with humans and interacting with the main cast of the show.. She really just goes where she's told to go and heals anyone she comes across, so she would be a great find for the GDA. I think she would really like Damien Darkblood (:

I think she would eventually break her vow of silence and begin speaking again, but I'm just not sure if it's while with the Viltrumites (her first words would be to Conquest for sure) or while she's on Earth...

that's all the rambling i have off the top of my head. im sure i'll have more soon enough o7

[brittle-doughie]

Reach for the Stars (Sugar Nova Odyssey)

———————————————————————

You look out the window of the space shuttle as you make takeoff. You started to feel homesick already as you watch Earthbread get smaller and smaller below you, long making it into space.

Crew Cookie 1: Don’t you worry, Y/N Cookie. This mission won’t take long, we’ll be back before you know it!

Astronaut Cookie walked beside you to place a comforting hand on your shoulder.

Astronaut Cookie: “Thank you for coming along with me. I promise we’ll be back home after this mission as soon as possible.”

Yeah, that’s what you were hoping for. You didn’t take the week off from TBD just to use it up on a space mission. You needed your rest too, you know!

———————————————————————

“I’m placing in my submission for a week’s off of work. I’ve trained the other engineers to be able to manage while I’m gone.”

“A week’s off? You’re really pushing your luck there, handycookie! I could grant you this, but what will the other employees think when they don’t see you come in tomorrow?”

“I already told them. Croissant will miss me, but she can stick it out until I come back the next week.”

“Things will be incredibly predictable with you gone, I can just call you in the next day!”

“I’ve worked for this week, even you have to follow the rules you yourself placed!”

“That’s fair. I’ll accept your request for a week off, but I expect you to routinely visit my office when you come back for a month. You’ll do me that favor, right? For your Director?”

“Fair enough.”

———————————————————————

Why did Timekeeper have to make a simple request for a week off so complicated?

Space Doughnut: “Fraka-kaka! Kaki kyyu!”

You were knocked out of thought when Space Doughnut nudged into you as they were running around in the ship, making you chuckle as you patted the donut.

Crew Cookie 1: “Whoah! Do you see that? It's Planet Burger! It's HUGE!”

Woah, they were right. These planets and locations throughout space were large and unique from anything you’ve seen from Earthbread!

Astronaut Cookie: “Come on, Y/N Cookie. I could use some help collecting some samples.”

You: “Hm? Oh sure. Let’s go!”

You mostly preferred to stay in the ship while the others worked on collecting samples from the planets you visit. You do cave to Astronaut’s asks from time to time, seeing it as her way of spending time with you.

You leaned on the spaceship entrance on this particular planet of Ice Sand, as you watched on from afar.

This gave you plenty of time to look around at the stars and many other planets that you can make out in the distance. Though, there was this one section of space in the furthest distance way that was devoid of any stars that you could see.

It was odd to say the least-

Space Doughnut: “Ddooon-Doon! Doa!”

Space Doughnut had nudged into you again, but they looked more worried and on edge as they squabbled about.

Crew Cookie 2: “What's wrong, Space Doughnut? I wish I could understand what you're saying...”

You: “I wish I did too, but they’re clearly afraid of something. We should stay on guard.”

Astronaut Cookie: “They’re right. Our work is done on this planet, so let's get moving. All crew members, board the spaceship immediately!”

You guys didn’t waste any more time to hop onboard the ship and take off.

Space Doughnut: “Ppuuu!!! Puppuuuu!!!”

Space Doughnut couldn’t stop pushing into you, they now wore a face of fear and panic!

You: “Space Doughnut, what is the problem?!”

Crew Cookie 1: “I'm getting a little nervous about this...”

Astronaut Cookie: “Speed it up! There's a space storm ahead, meaning we are at risk of being hit by choco chunk asteroids. We must speed through the area as quickly as possible!”

Wait, it was that section of space that was devoid of any stars or planets that you saw earlier.

And these asteroids, why were they all going in the same direction..?

Space Doughnut: “Ppuuu!!! Ppuuuu!!! PPUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

You: “Space Doughnut?! Why are you pushing me towards the window?! What are you…looking at?”

Astronaut Cookie: “Y/N Cookie?”

Then right as it seemed you made “eye contact” with the black hole’s center, it seemed to have reacted and opened up to be larger and more menacing as its gravitational pull intensified!

Astronaut Cookie: “What?!”

You: “BLACK HOLE!”

———————————————————————

[goldenrulemotherfucker]

Ghoulcy: Why?

Okay, I've had this in my drafts for ages and I'm going to use the show's first anniversary as an excuse to hit post. (Important disclaimer that I'm just one person who enjoys this ship. Whatever appeals to you about ghoulcy and their dynamic is good and valid and worthy of exploration even if it's completely different from me!)

In my first watch, I immediately clocked this as the breakout ship for this show. She's a sunshine nerd with a lot of courage; he's a broody loner with a complicated past and a fucked up face. (Can I make it anymore obvious?) They have that ETL potential that is ship kryptonite for so many people, plus a lot of shared screentime thanks to a hostile forced proximity scenario followed by a profound act of kindness. When I hit the finger-sewing scene, where we see that Cooper will literally have a piece of Lucy attached to him him at all times, I laughed out loud. I wasn't actively on board yet, but I knew there was no way this ship wouldn't catch on like wildfire. Truly, if you watched this entire show and you've been active in fandoms for at least a few years, I genuinely don't know how ghoulcy's popularity could possibly come as a surprise at all.

So, there I was on my couch thinking, "oh yeah people are FOR SURE going to want them to take the F train to Pound Town," but that was still in third person since I was naively referring to other people who weren't me. ETL isn't typically my own weakness, so I thought I was safe. I loved all three main characters, but I wasn't feeling super shippy about anyone, just impressed by the show and performances and curious to see what unfolded.

Then I watched ✨ the finale. ✨

For me, Lucy and Cooper's final scene is the hook that makes them not just ship-worthy but brain-melting. Four eps earlier, the moment where she shows him kindness (and saves his life) by giving him the chem vials is a great scene on its own, but the show gives us an even better payoff: Cooper invites her to travel with him by choice this time, warning her that she's in danger and offering to help her find the answers she's seeking. And, fully of her own free will, Lucy does follow him. This could have easily gone differently! Lucy could have looked at him and said "I'm not going anywhere with you" and escaped in another direction. But after his final question, "You comin'?" (which is delivered with the soft earnestness an actor might also use for lines like "I'm sorry" and/or "Please"), she weighs her options and goes with him. This is, inherently, an act of trust for both of them, which is a brand new element for these two. Safe to say I wasn't laughing anymore. Ahem.

Oh, and it also turns out there are roughly 60493 parallels between these two that you only fully catch on rewatches, not to mention tons of foreshadowing, and suddenly their unlikely alliance starts to feel A LOT like fate, which............IS my kyrptonite. ❤️‍🔥

[bonefall]

bones. bones they made moonpaw a schizophrenia and plurality stereotype. bones. bones help us

OH NO IS THAT WHY THERE'S 16 MESSAGES

I TURNED MY BACK FOR 5 MINUTES GREAT GOOGLY FUCKELING MOOGELY

I still have to finish reading Star (you have to forgive me for being a capital G Gamer who's been uber distracted) to gather together my final fair assessment, so I can start putting down the fragments for BB!ASC. But I WILL tell you this;

The whole Moonpaw Discourse from a couple of months ago really opened my eyes to just how pervasive intersexism and plurality stereotyping is, even in this space.

Not all of it is malice-- like many other cultural biases, people often just pick up negative stereotypes passively and don't realize they reflect poorly on real people. "Scary evil head voice" is one of them. Yes, intrusive thoughts exist (they are something I deal with), but it's about the snap, subconscious association between "voice in head" and "mental torment."

As the case and point; Look at how FAST the fandom conversation changed when the team first teased it. What was a fantastical, equal parts sincere love and horror exploration of shipping a cat with a magic pool morphed. Overnight, The Voice was an abusive thing, an expression of a dead baby who wanted to live, or a reincarnated monster, or another evil Ashfur-esque posession spirit.

Something bad, malicious, unwanted. By contrast, the voice of the moonpool was mostly portrayed as a supernatural yet good thing. Genuinely asking her for help.

(Part of me also ponders the religious angle of it. "Voices in my head" that come from God are generally much more socially acceptable than "Voices in my head" that come from the self. Regardless,)

So, as always, I Don't Rewrite Arcs Until They Are Done (I DRAU TAD, if you will), BUT... I know for certain that I will want to subvert this.

If Canon!Moonpaw must be a system, and we're all ready to buckle up and bunker down through how the Erins handle this one, then for BB!Moonpaw I'll try to do the same. But for my portrayal, I want to write her relationship with her headmate to be generally positive. Or at least more complicated and multifaceted.

One idea in particular I like is the thought that she absorbed a twin... but writing it as a chance the twin GETS to live, NOT a life denied. Death would have claimed them if they didn't become part of her. So, they love her-- of course they do. They're two souls with one heart.

The specifics will have to come with time. I need to see how her plurality impacts the plot, the overall story being told, plus wait to assess the criticisms that real systems and fusion chimeras in our fandom will have. But I can say with certainty that I would like to attempt my redux with the sad truth in mind that headmates in media are almost never approached as non-malicious. I'd like to do what I can to make a difference.

[sunooisms]

I have a request!! Just general headcanon of zoro and reader in an established relationship. How they met, how they got together, how they navigate being together and being cremates, etc!

𐙚 Hello, my love!! Thank you for your request!! I have so many thoughts about him, so this is perfect timing!

𐙚 Summary: Silly head canons with a silly man

𐙚 Warnings: Small nsfw towards the end

• For a shier reader, I would assume that you and Zoro met when Luffy recruited you to help pick up around the ship

• I feel like he wouldn’t approach you until you approached him, which, obviously, would take a heap of confidence

• For a more bubbly reader, I have this whole story in my head about the straw hats docking at this island and Zoro finds himself in this old restraint with shit lighting

• It’s nearly empty, but he sits down at the bar, and you’re across the row, and you just start talking to him. Surprisingly enough, he takes a liking to you, and you end up talking all night because you have this dream of getting off this island

• Anyways, for a shy reader and a bubbly reader from here on out, you end up getting close on the ship

• Zoro likes your wit and appreciates that you know when to leave him alone

• When he feels like the two sides of a romantic relationship and a platonic relationship are beginning to bleed together, he takes a step back, and can be rather standoffish

• He didn’t know what he wanted, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to commit to anything if you were feeling the same way he had been

• He couldn’t sleep for nights on end. He was up thinking about you, hating himself for avoiding you, hating you for making his feelings more complicated than they should be, and hating Luffy because he bit his leg earlier that day

• Finally, when he can hardly take it anymore, he writes all of his feelings down in a little notebook and wraps it in saran wrap he stole from Sanji

• He throws it into the ocean the next day

• Luffy stretches to grab it “Zoro you dropped your notebook :3”

• Zoro wants to punch Luffy

• But he takes it as a sign he was meant to keep those feelings and express them

• He apologizes for ignoring you and gives you the notebook to read, just not in front of him

• Technically, it was never said out loud, but you began your romantic relationship when, later that night, you slipped a little piece of paper under his door with your feelings on it

• It was definitely difficult being in a relationship while being crew mates, for Zoro, at least.

• How he explained it was that he never got a chance to miss you

• Then, in natural Zoro fashion, he got lost, being separated from you

• That’s when he figured out he didn’t want to miss you. He wanted you to always be there, because this was an awful feeling

• When he somehow makes it back to you again, he’s slightly more affectionate than he typically is, taking every chance he got to gently kiss the top of your head or wrap his arms around you

• That’s definitely where everything begins to smoothen out for you two

• Everything comes more naturally, and often times, the two of you are laughing together, or you’re trying to wrestle him while he stands still, unmoving and uninterested

• Of course, both of you have your downtime where you can enjoy some alone time

• But if you miss him during your alone time, tell him, because he misses you too

• He likes playing with your hair when someone is rambling to him. It helps him not pay attention to whatever they’re going on about

• “And that’s why we should stop here, I… are you listening?” “What”

• I think you guys wait a long long time before you get intimate

• Tbh I think Zoro is a virgin when he meets you, idc

• Something about his stupid face screams virgin (In a loving, appreciative way)

• So one night, when everyone is off the ship, I think he plans something romantic enough

• It’s nothing too much, just a good place to start, and he definitely makes sure you know he loves you

• Even if he doesn’t say it a lot, he wants you to know

• “Zoro wants me to tell you he has a crush on you” “No, that’s not what I said”

i think im funny (im not)

[comfortlesshurt]

Skyler's VLD Zine Giveaway: enter by August 31st, 2025!

Hello hello!

As some of you may know, I have a TERRIBLE habit of over-collecting VLD merch. Well, today, that is YOUR potential gain. Because I have come to propose a silly little game with prizes for two (2!) lucky winners.

INFO BELOW THE CUT!

What do I have to do?

Draw!

Well, it's slightly more complicated than that. Spelled out:

Read one (or more!) of the six qualifying fics linked below the cut. Reading the whole fic isn't required if you find the scene you're interested in early on, but it's still highly encouraged!

Pick a scene (or more than one!) and create art for it.

Share your art on Tumblr (and anywhere else you want to), making sure to include: tagging the fic's author, tagging me, a mention of this giveaway, and a link to the fic. Finally, if you are okay with the author embedding a copy of your artwork in their fic (giving you credit, obviously!), please say so in your post.

I'll reblog your art when I see it, and once I reblog, you are officially entered for both of the prizes. If I don't reblog within 48 hours, please DM me in case I missed the post!

You are NOT limited to one entry! Submit as many pieces as you want. Each piece submitted gets your name in the drawing for each prize 1 time, so 1 piece = 1 entry each, 2 pieces = 2 entries each, etc.

Bonus: if you include a screenshot of or direct link to a well thought-out comment you leave on any of the qualifying fics, you can earn one additional entry per fic. The comment needs to be a comment you made because of this giveaway, so no comments older than this Tumblr post will count. If you can't or don't want to draw, you are completely welcome to enter the giveaway by only using the comment method. You can't stack multiple comments for multiple entries, so make it one good comment for each of the six qualifying fics for up to six entries in the giveaway.

Okay, then what?

Every entry gets you one (1) ecstatic author, no limitations.

But two randomly-selected winners will also win VLD merch from my collection! I will do the drawing soon after the giveaway closes on August 31st, 2025.

What merch!?

A copy of the Besitos del Mar Klance mermaid zine

A copy of Sharpshooter: A Lance Sports Zine

(Make this fun to host, and you'll probably see another round with different prizes in the future. I never learn to stop buying merch bundles...)

Any rules?

Don't be a dick.

No generative AI. If I find out you used it for any portion of any of your entries, all of your entries are disqualified.

Please don't enter something super generic. It should be clear it was inspired by the fic. Low skill is totally fine! Low effort is not.

Please don't enter if you aren't okay with the author of the fic linking to your artwork (with credit given). Bonus if you give permission to let the author choose to embed the art in their fic (again, with credit given to you!), but that's completely optional. I can't make promises for the other authors involved, but if you choose option 1 in the fic options below, I will definitely be linking from my fic to your artwork!

Some of the qualifying fics are rated explicit. Do NOT make an entry based on an explicit fic unless you are at least 18 years old. I have provided qualifying non-explicit fics for minors and anyone else who prefers them! I will disqualify any entry based on an explicit fic if I see that it was submitted by a minor. This applies to both art entries and comment entries.

The prizes are free and the shipping is free, but you do need to provide a full legal name and address where you can receive a package. I am happy to ship internationally, but please confirm that I will be allowed to send you a package from the United States before you enter. If I'm unable to ship to your location for legal/logistical/you-not-cooperating reasons, I will reroll a winner in your place.

If you just want to participate and not enter for the prizes, that's fine! Either don't tag me (but please still tag the author of the fic!) or mention somewhere in your post that you are not entering for any prizes.

If you're only interested in one of the prizes, say which one you want to be entered for somewhere in your post! I'll put you down just for that one so you don't win something you don't want.

All submissions must be received by 31-Aug-2025 at 11:59pm EST. After that, I'll be drawing the winners. I'm not gonna (and don't want to) stop you from sharing more art, but I can't enter you for a prize anymore at that point! I'll DM the winners, allow up to a week for a response, and reroll any winners I need to after that.

What are the qualifying fics?

I thought you'd never ask! All of the options below are equally valid options for adults who want to enter.

Option number 1 and 2 contain explicit sexual references. Entries from minors will NOT be accepted for these two options.

Option number 3 and 4 are rated mature but not explicit. Minors may participate with these two options at their own discretion.

Option number 5 and 6 are rated teen and should be suitable for anyone old enough to agree to the Tumblr TOS.

Mind any tags and trigger warnings on all of these fics. You are under no obligation to read any of these, and you shouldn't if it's going to negatively affect you! A fun little $20 prize is not worth it.

1) Maybe this thing works out (if I'm lying too) by @occasionalklance

2) escape velocity by @existwound

3) Grin and Bear It by @loadingboy

4) Even the People in Your Dreams Will Lie to You by @roylustang

5) i'm only overthinking when i'm close to you by @langst

6) No Place is Home by @catsushinyakajima

And there you go!

Final summary:

1 entry per fic if you leave a nice, well thought-out comment on that fic - multiple comments on the same fic do NOT get you multiple entries

1 entry per piece of art you create for any of these fics - multiple pieces of art ARE allowed for the same fic, and every art piece is another entry into the giveaway

Be nice! Show the authors you appreciate their fics! Please show me there's enough demand for something like this so I can look forward to hosting more giveaways in the future!

You can view the entries received here, split into 1 tab for Besitos del Mar and another for Sharpshooter.

[tinydefector]

Any chance we are going to get that Ratchet x Ambassador x Drift nsfw in the human effects series? 👀

First contact fifth kind - Human effects

Warnings: NSFW, smut, fingerings, blowjob, sex, threesome

Word count: 2.9k

Human effects Masterlist

Prev

Next

Request are open read pinned post for rules.

__________________

It's only a cycle later when Ratchet runs I to the Ambassador, they had stopped by for a mandatory check up as normal. But one thing is for sure Ratchet can't take his optics off them after everything Drift has said. Not to mention he now knew where his old servos had been carted off too.

Ratchet cycled a ventilation, fixing the Ambassador with an intent stare as he scanned their vitals. Never before had this routine check-up held such.. layered intrigue.

"So tell me, Ambassador - enjoying your new accessories?" He inquired casually, fighting a smirk as he read over their hearts beats per minute.

They tense up slightly at the question, eyes shooting around. "Who told you?" They ask rather hushed and panicked, not really expecting to get caught out so soon over the pin-up photos. They don't see First Aid or Ambulon but doesn't mean they aren't around listening in.

Ratchet's optics glinted knowingly. "Let's just say a certain wandering conjunx of mine knows these old servos better than most," he replied with a chuckle. "No need for alarm - your secret's safe with us. In fact..."

Trailing off, he leaned down slightly dropping his vocalizer to an intimate growl. "Drift and I found your... artistic pursuits rather inspiring."

They sit there stunned, almost baffled at how bold Ratchet is in his flirtation. "Shit Ratchet im sorry, i didn't mean to cause any issues between you and Drift!" They stammer out in panic. Ratchet shakes his head with a smile. "Calm yourself ambassador, Let's just say Drift is as enthusiastic about said photos."

His digit tip their chin softly, ghosting feather-light over delicate flesh. "And while I try to maintain propriety in my official duties, shall we say your photoshoot piqued the interests of more... intimate nature."

Venting softly, his optics roamed the Ambassador's flustered face. "Although Drift brought up a proposition that I doubt he has the courage to ask you, and I'm less prone to the detection of rejection. So I'd like to ask if you would be interested in spending a night with us " His words are smooth with each letter as he inquires. "I fully understand if you're not interested but it never hurts To ask?"

They go quiet for a moment, thoughts rushing as they take in his proposal, Ratchet was rather bold but they had never known the medic to dance around anything. " I don't know if I can," they start. "I'm the human liaison for your people with earth with supplies not to mention your also CMO plus..." they trail off only for Ratchet to stop them.

"I understand your reservations, Ambassador," he soothed, "Such fraternisation could complicate matters, were it to become public knowledge."

His thumb stroked soothing circles on their thigh. Venting softly, his optics flickering back to their eyes. "I simply wished to extend the offer, given your... artistic interests seemed to mirror ours, i can promise that if you wish it to me a one time thing we understand you're not obligated to anything you do not wish. And as your medic I would rather know that you're at least safe, there are a rather large number of mechs on ship who are very hung up over you."

They bit their thinking, they were interested, hell Ratchet had been the first to actually ask and be sincere about it and understand the risk, he was most likely the best choice in case something went wrong. "If.. if I agree, it has to stay on the down low I can't have it getting back to my superiors" they reply softly. "I value my job here on the Lost Light with cordoning deals between different outpost and my team"

Ratchet inclined his helm respectfully. "Your position and duties, of course, take priority. You have my word - whatever transpires between us will remain strictly confidential. If I may. Would it help if I sent Drift a comm to let him know so we can keep it a confidential matter?" It earns him a nod from them.

//The Ambassador has agreed to our proposition, though with utmost discretion//

Drift's reply came swift which had Ratchet nearly chuckling. //understood, no discussion no different to Rodimus’ visits// he replies.

"Would after your shift suit you? We would make certain your visit is kept on the down low, and see you safely back with no one the wiser." It was a rather warm invitation, the promise of easing tension

"You make a rather tempting offer Ratchet, you do understand there's probably a lot of stuff you won't be able to do with me due to our size and differences?" They inquire, making sure he knew just what he was getting into. Ratchet chuckled softly. " Drift and I are no strangers to creative interfacing, whatever the partner, we are happy to take things at your pace so that you feel comfortable."

He stroked their shoulder reassuringly. "But your limits and comfort take priority. We'll set rules later. Join us after your shift, just knock and one of us will answer."

"I'll see you later then" they state softly finishing up their appointment and walk off rather jittery, not knowing if they would be able to handle the rest of their shift after the feeling of Ratchet’s digits against their body. They give him a quick glance before disappearing down the halls.

//You are a terrible influence, you know,// Ratchet shoots back at Drift which earns him another chipped comm message.

//What can I say? I know your appetites as well as my own, my love. And don't think you're so innocent party sirens// it earns a small chuckle from Ratchet and he busies himself with reading the ambassadors charts and taking down the information.

It's much later that they had planned when they found themself standing outside Ratchet and Drift's Hab suite, nervously looking up and down the hall, they felt like a teenager about to get in trouble sneaking out. Eventually they work up the courage to knock quickly.

Ratchet opens the door quickly ushering them in. “Hello my dear.” he said softly

"Hi," they state nervously. Looking around again to make sure no one was around as they quickly darted into the room. Drift looks up with a smile as he sees them, "Have a seat, make yourself comfortable," Ratchet encouraged. "Can I offer you anything - energon?" Drift slipped close.

"I'd say a strong alcohol drink but I doubt either of you have anything like that here" they state while moving into the hab, eyes flicking around to see the different stuff around the place, it felt homey compared to what they were expecting. "Could you help me up so I can sit?" Drift stooped, gathering their considerably smaller form into his arms with utmost care. Rising slowly, Drift turned and took a seated position on the berth's edge, settling the Ambassador comfortably down.

Beside them, Ratchet grumbles softly to himself “forgive me i completely forgot” he states, he knew he was forgetting something. “No, no it's all good” they call out quickly while trying to make it not a big deal.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm making this Awkward. I don't really know where to start, I don't know if you do things differently compared to humans so I don't really know what to do" they finally admit. And it makes both Drift and Ratchet look at each other for a moment.

"Then allow us to guide you," Drift rumbled reassuringly. Gently cupping their face in his servo, he met their eyes with caring intent. "A kiss requires no special skills" he leaned closer, aiming not to overwhelm as he soft pressed his metallic lips to theirs. Pulling back slightly after a moment, he searched their expression for any sign of discomfort.

They lean into the kiss, the tension in their body fading as their lips move against Drift's. When they pull away they look half dazed from the kiss. "Um woah, I wasn't expecting that" they nearly whisper. Drift let out a low, pleased hum. His optics glowed softly in the low lighting.

"A good kiss often has that effect," he chuckled warmly. Beside them, Ratchet let out an approving hum, servos tracing teasing patterns against them The berth seemed to dip slightly as the two mech made themself comfortable. They shutter softly as the two sets of servos move against their body pressing them back on the berth. “Let us know if you want to stop at any point, just say the word” Ratchet purred as he moves closer.

"I will. I didn't think Cybertronians kissed" they hummed softly. "Mm, kissing is not a typical Cybertronian act, but we do tend to adopt practices from other species" Drift admitted, servo gliding soothing presses down their stomach. Ratchet teasingly brushes along their inner arms. "And it seems we've discovered a particularly enjoyable adaptation."

They gasp softly as Ratchet tilts their chin up and gently pulls them into a kiss, a soft moan leaves them as Drift presses a kiss to the side of their throat. Their hands shooting up to Ratchet's face plate tracing along the ridges. Ratchet purred softly in approval as they melted into his kiss.

Drift vented hot against their skin, satisfied at drawing such sweet sound from their lips He crooned soft encouragement, servos gliding light as breath across heated skin. Pulling back slowly, Ratchet met their eyes with the kind of heat that forged stars. "What lovely music you make."

His digits found divots of their hips, rubbing soft circles into them. Drift nibbled teasing kisses along their shoulder as he began removing their clothing. They slowly melt into each touch, little whines leaving them. The feeling of the two sets of servos against their body. "Mm didn't take either of you for being into this" they try to joke to not feel as flustered.

Ratchet huffed a laugh against their neck as he pressed a kiss to it. "When one lives as long as we, you develop a lot of interests sweetpark."

"Few would guess how creative we get, we tend to keep it on the downl ow," the former monk mused silkily against their ear.

His servo caressed down their flank as he slowly discarded their pants, thumb tracing the seam between thigh and hip. Drift nibbled their jaw, playfully making sure not to hurt them.

Another gasp leaves them as cold servos trace warm skin as Drift traces their body. They melt into each touch. "Mmm" they whine softly, letting the two mechs admire and inspect their frame.

Ratchet crooned approval, his own servos following the curves and lines of their upper body. "So beautiful," the medic praised against parted lips, Ratchet let out a keenly interested noise at their sprawled beauty, the Ambassador's scents flooded his sensor net. His optics roved hungrily over bared flesh, mapping each dip and swell.

Drift's fans whirred loudly beside him. "Fascinating," Ratchet purred, digits dipping to explore secret crevices and sensitive areas with clinical precision. He met his conjunx's hungry optics, understanding all too well.

A loud moan leaves them as their back arches, when Ratchet's digits brush against their sex, they pressing back against the digits "fuck... that feels good, Ratchet, Drift " they call out.

Ratchet hums in delight, servo moving further down for a moment. His optics flicker for a moment before he lifts his servos for Drift. The other Cybertronian without even needing to be asked slowly takes Ratchet's digits into his mouth, slowly lathering them with lubricant, pulling back after running his glossa over them.

A squeal nearly leaves the Ambassador when Ratchet presses them back between their thighs running back down to their sex. "Exquisite," Drift praised, moving down to suck a mark into their side. Ratchet rumbled again, optics blown wide and fiery as he stroked them open expertly. "Our species may share more in common that anticipated, it seems."

He pressed his digit very slowly into them. Stilling for a moment before thrusting with curling precision. “Is this alright, nothing hurts?” he inquired, still being wary of the differences.

“Yes, feels really good” they stutter, eyes falling closed as their hand moves to guild Ratchet. It isn't long before ratchet presses a second into them, scissoring and opening them up.

"Would you like more?" he purred against their panting mouth. "Mmmm yes, please!" They nearly beg, with each thrust of Ratchet's digits, hips moving to grind back against them. "Fuck... Ratchet " they whine.

Drift lets out a keen growl, his plating swelling as his spike pressurised under his panel, finally giving way. One of his servos wraps around his spike as he quickly strokes it, moaning loudly as he pleasures himself to the view in front of him.

Ratchet groaned near incoherent static, as he withdrew his soaked digits, enjoying their bereft mewl. “Drift” he calls moving back enough to pull his conjunx into a kiss. The Ambassador sits up to watch the two as Ratchet runs his glossa down Drift's frame as he drops to his knee plating. Grabbing Drift's Hips and pulling him forward until his intake is wrapped around Drift's spike.

Drift's knee joints nearly buckle as he grabs Ratchet's helm. The medic curved one servo around its hot girth as both his mouth and servo moved in Sync. He pulls back after a moment, wiping his mouth before looking at the Ambassador. “Is this still alright?” He asked, earning an eager nod from them.

Drift moves stationing himself on the berth between their legs, spike resting against their stomach. “You'll let us know if it hurts or feels off, we don't want to hurt you” Drift checks again. “I'll let you know if it gets too much” they confirm.

They arch and moan out loudly as Drift slowly presses into them, hips shuttering and bucking as the ex con holds them still trying to take it slow. “Fuck! Drift!” They whine, trying desperately to grind back against him. “Just wait sweetspark” he coos softly as Ratchet slowly slinks around Drift.

His servos grip Drift's hips as his spike presses into Drift's valve, the moment the have all adjusted Ratchet begins softly thrusting, in turn making drift grind into the Ambassador. Sounds of strained venting and rhythmic pistoning hydraulics filled the room. Drift held them close, murmuring quiet praises and encouragement as Ratchet steadily plundered his valve from behind.

"Frag, you're so soft and tight?" Drift vented roughly almost whining to the Ambassador. Rolling his hips in subtle counterpoint to Ratchet's merciless pace. Ratchet nipped a warning at his neck cables, grinning fiercely.

It doesn't take long for the ambassador to orgasm, the sheer size and texture of drift has their body shuttering and clenching on drifts spike as they cry out loudly, bucking and keening as they grab onto anything they can. Drift’s sensory net sang with the echoes of their mingled ecstasy. He's quick to pull away before his overload hits, sagging on the berth above them as his fans blast air as his frame tries to cool down.

Above, Ratchet rolled his shoulder wheels in a sated stretch before glancing down at their joined frames. His field swept with warm waves of affection and approval at the sight of his conjunx so blissed out. His optics shift to the Ambassador laying there panting.

"Does anything hurt, dizziness, nausea" Ratchet asked, vocalizer hoarse but tone mellow. As the two mechs slowly untangle themselves from each other and the ambassador, Ratchet is quick to fetch water for them while Drift begins pulling up a blanket for the ambassador. "I'm alright, Where did you get this?" They ask with a sly smile.

Ratchet vented a soft chuckle as he passed them the water. "always stock essential supplies," he told them warmly. Catching Drift's amused field, he quipped "Though this one seems to collect oddities even I've never seen."

Drift huffed a mock grumble, tucking a warm sheet around the ambassador's frame with utmost care. "Keeps things interesting, at least. Can't fault a mech for having hobbies." Drift mumbles as he crawls onto the berth beside the ambassador, lightly tracing their face.

Ratchet joins them on the broad berth, settling with relaxed poise. His servo found Drift's, squeezing firmly. The Ambassador pulls the blanket around them, gasping softly as Ratchet lifts them gently to settle them on his Chassis as Drift curls up against Ratchet's side.

"Thank you, this was different, not what I was expecting when experiencing my first ever fifth stage contact " they chuckle softly while snuggling in. Before a light bulb goes off in their head. "Holy shit am I the first human to umm have sexual intercourse with a Cybertronian?"

Ratchet's chassis rumbled a soft laugh beneath them. "Records of encounters between humans and our kind are scarce" he noted clinically. "It's quite possible you've made history tonight, Ambassador." Drift vented softly against their back. Soft whirs and clicks filled the berth as the two mech’s frames slowly reset. the ambassador drifted into a peaceful rest. Ratchet vented softly,"Never thought I'd see the orn a human slept in my berth," he mumbles lightly, Drift draping his frame halfway atop Ratchet's broader one. He brushed a thumb softly over the ambassador's face.

"Glad you brought 'em, all the same." Drift ex vented, relaxing into his partner's embrace. Ratchet squeezed back gently in wordless reply, as his systems slowly shut down into recharge.

_________________

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[marlynnofmany]

At Home in the Mud

“Hey Wio, does your hover stool work over mud?” I asked from the door to the cockpit.

“Not deep mud,” Wio said, glancing at me with her tentacles at work on the controls. “The sensors feel for solid ground.”

“Dang.” I sighed. “Guess I’m stuck with cleaning the exo suit after this delivery.”

“Yeah, sorry,” she said. “There are fresh batteries for the gravity wands, at least. Shouldn’t take you too long.”

Zhee stalked past me, his many bug feet clicking in what was probably irritation. He didn’t say anything, and neither did I, at least until he was out of earshot in the direction of the cargo bay.

I whispered to Wio, “And at least I only have two legs to clean.”

“Good point,” she agreed. “Best of luck!”

I thanked her and headed off after Zhee to where the exo suits waited. He had a head start in getting his on, which he needed. I tried not to draw attention to how easily I tugged mine on over my regular clothes (minus the shoes). Zhee didn’t even take the opportunity to make fun of my need for footwear; he seemed determined to get this delivery over with as quickly as possible.

He said, “Be sure to hold on to the hoversled so you don’t fall and slow us down.”

“Sure thing,” I agreed. I’d planned to keep a solid grip anyway. Hopefully this mud wasn’t the foot-sucking kind.

The ship landed gently — or rather, arrived. There was no landing pad close enough to our client’s location, at least none above the mud at this time of year, so Wio held the ship just above the surface on stable thrusters. The ramp nearly touched the mud.

Captain Sunlight had come in to see us off, and she stood to the side as we hustled down the ramp. “Be quick but careful!” she told us.

Zhee replied, “That’s the plan.”

I freed a hand to wave, then grabbed the edge of our most reliable hoversled. I would have liked to ride on it next to the cases of medical supplies (low priority, not urgent, thankfully), but that wouldn’t have been fair to Zhee. So I did my share of pushing and stepped cautiously into the mud.

Whew, I thought. More watery than thick. I can walk in this. And it was cold, but the exo suit did a decent job of insulating for temperature. I took in the sights more confidently, appreciating the fuzzy moss on all the trees, and the intricate shapes that the bushes grew in. It didn’t quite look like an Earth swamp, but it didn’t look hostile, and that was all I could ask for, really.

Behind us, the ship closed the bay door and lifted up to a more comfortable height to wait. Zhee, with a better view of the screen on the front of the sled, pointed with a pincher arm. We changed direction slightly and trudged through the mud.

The depth changed a few times in quick succession, going from ankle deep to above the knee and back. I did my best to maintain a careful speed, though it was tricky since I couldn’t see the bottom. Zhee seemed to be doing fine. I held onto the sled and took long strides, feeling the way with one foot before trusting my weight to it. Thicker lumps and rocks lurked along the uneven ground. I focused on stepping between them without losing my balance, trusting Zhee to keep us on track.

“Scenic,” I commented to break the monotony of silence and my own breathing inside the helmet.

“Wet,” Zhee replied.

“Scenic and wet.” I glanced up at the mossy trees, then back down at the watery mud. Muddy water? Somewhere in between. “Not the easiest place to walk, though.”

“The captain could have chosen Blip and Blop for this delivery,” Zhee griped. “But no, they’re busy helping Eggskin prepare some complicated food.”

“And Paint wouldn’t be up for this temperature,” I said as I stepped into deeper water that chilled me to my thighs. “Or this depth, really.”

“Paint misses out on a lot of unpleasant environments. Lucky.”

I looked over at him across the pile of strapped-down cases. “Only because she’d pass out and die if she got too cold. I don’t know if I’d call that lucky.”

Zhee tapped an antenna against the inside of his helmet. “Bah. Today, she’s lucky to be coldblooded. We’re stuck with this instead.”

I mentally ran down the roster of our other crewmates. Some of them, like Wio, had other jobs to be doing. “I suppose Mur wouldn’t have an easy time in something this deep either.” I didn’t even know if he could swim. Looking like a squid didn’t necessarily translate.

“No one is likely to have an easy time in this,” Zhee said, shaking a foreleg and splattering watery mud across a tree trunk. “I can’t imagine why the client chose to live here.”

“Maybe they like mud,” I said, trying to watch my feet even though I couldn’t see them.

“They are welcome to it. I look forward to getting back to the ship.”

I was in agreement about that. The info summary about this location had said it was the wet season (Really? Shocking) and that the regular roadways were unavailable. I was under the impression that there was a town somewhere nearby, or at least other people than just the one, but all I could see was endless swamp.

With rocks and the occasional tree root just waiting to trip me. I focused on stepping carefully and trying not to slow our progress.

Concentrating as I was, I didn’t realize we’d arrived until Zhee tugged the sled to the side. I looked up to find the first dry ground I’d seen rising out of the mud into a walkway of flat paving stones. A round stone house perched at the top of the rise.

We slogged up to leave an interesting set of footprints along the walkway: my left/right muddy bootprints and Zhee’s collection of much smaller splats. With the hoversled between us, it looked like this house was getting two visitors interested in staying as far away from each other as possible, instead of a single delivery.

When we got close, a chorus of tiny squeaks started up. I located the source: a small cage hanging beside the door, which held a handful of cricket-sized whatevers. While Zhee found what passed for a doorbell, I took a surreptitious look. They were small and blobby, not mini near-cousins of his, which was definitely for the best.

“Delivery!” Zhee announced while a chime jangled.

Various bumps and a muffled voice sounded from inside, then our avian client opened the door eagerly. “Thank you for coming!” he said in the same trade language we were using, just with the distinct quackity overtones of his particular species. His dark feathers were flecked with white and he kept his arms folded as if they were wings. He said earnestly, “I hope it wasn’t too long of a walk.”

“It was fine,” Zhee said. “Would you like your packages unloaded right here?”

“Oh! Ahmm…” the ducky fellow looked indecisively between the stack of boxes, the paving stones, and the indoors.

I said, “We could carry them in for you, but we’d track in a bit of mud.” The sled was much too wide to fit through the door.

“That’s all right; I’ll move them,” he decided. “Out here is fine. Now where should I—? Yes, thank you.” He took the payment screen from Zhee and signed for the delivery while I undid the straps holding everything down. We didn’t always bother with those, but I was starting to think we should. If I’d managed to trip and knock a box into the mud, that would have been an embarrassing bad mark on our record.

While we unloaded the boxes, those little whatsits serenaded us with a fresh chorus of squeaky chirps. It reminded me of tame finches with just a touch of guinea pig. I wondered if this was the local version of a windchime or something else.

The client saw me staring and said, “My dear little Cozy went missing, and these are his favorite food. I’m hoping to lure him back. You haven’t seen him, have you? A young cuddlebeast about this big, with a white stripe on his head?” He held clawed hands a few inches apart.

“Sorry, no,” I said with a look at Zhee. “I didn’t see any beasts at all. Did you?”

“No,” Zhee agreed. “Just mud.”

The client ruffled his feathers in a way I didn’t know how to read; maybe he was embarrassed. “They did tell me he’s suited to living in this environment, and he might not return if I let him out, but I haven’t given up hope. My home is nice and warm, after all.”

“We’ll keep an eye out on the walk back,” I told him. “Does he come when he’s called?”

“He always did when he was inside the house,” the guy said. “Cozy! Cozyyy!” He waited for a moment, then looked down. “He loves his cuddles. I hope nothing bad has happened to him.”

Zhee set down the last box. “You’ve done what you can,” he assured the client, sounding like he might have even meant it.

“I suppose so.” The ducky guy looked sad for a moment, then rallied. “Well, thank you again! I don’t want to keep you. Safe travels!”

We bid him goodbye and headed back down into the mud, with me waving goodbye and Zhee trying to make good time. The client went back into his house and I focused on taking long strides again.

We went slightly to the side of the route we’d taken before. The mud was much lumpier here, with herds of round rocks that rolled around and made the footing treacherous. Despite my death grip on the sled, I was nearly swimming at a couple points in an effort to keep up. The muddy water was deep enough to swim in, but not consistently so, otherwise I might have given up and started paddling.

I had just decided to ask Zhee to slow down when I lost my footing completely and went under, holding my breath in panic before I remembered the exo suit covered my head. I got my feet under me by kicking lumps out of the way and I stood in the waist-high mud, wiping futilely at the dirty face mask.

Zhee sighed audibly and stopped walking. “Really?”

“It’s hard to find somewhere solid to step!” I exclaimed. “There are rocks and lumps of mud everywhere!” I scooped one up to prove my point, ending up with what looked like a potato. “Huh. That’s too light to be a rock. Tuber?”

“Fascinating,” Zhee said drily.

“It reminds me of an Earth food, but those don’t grow in swamps,” I said, giving it a closer look.

“Do not bring it back to the ship for eating,” Zhee said sternly.

“I wasn’t going to!” I protested.

“Good. It’s probably horribly smelly and liable to poison half the crew.”

I started to protest more, just on principle, then the potato opened an eye and I dropped it. “Ah!”

“What?”

“It’s a creature!” I shuffled in place, feeling more potato-like shapes bump against my ankles in the cold watery mud. “Are these all animals??”

“Ugh,” Zhee declared, lifting a couple exo suited legs out of the murk on his side of the hoversled. “What an unpleasant choice of environmental niches.”

I was thinking fast. “Wait, these could be like toads. It’s cold right now; maybe they’re hibernating. Hey, do you know what a ‘cuddlebeast’ actually looks like?”

“Not a clue. That’s your area of expertise.” Zhee gave me a look through the domes over his faceted eyes. “Do these things look especially cuddleable to you?”

“I don’t know, maybe.” I felt around gingerly for another one, hoping they didn’t have sharp teeth to use on people who interrupted their hibernation. “But that would explain why Cozy never came back, if he’s out here dozing with his distant family.”

“Well I’m sure he’s very happy if so,” Zhee said, stepping forward. “Let’s be off.”

“Wait, lemme try something first.” I put a hand on the sled as it eased past, but did my best impression of the squeaks that the food animals had made earlier. Cute little questioning sounds, like they were curious.

“If that didn’t work close to the house, it’s unlikely to work out here,” Zhee said. But he stopped again.

“It’s worth a shot,” I said. “Cozy! Cozyyy!” Then I squeaked some more.

“What a surprise; nothing. Now let’s—” Zhee flinched when something by his hind leg croaked.

“Cozy!” I said with a grin, ducking to look under the hoversled. “Here, boy!” Something potato-like with big eyes and a distinct pale swatch on the top was treading water in the murk.

Zhee stepped fastidiously to higher ground. “I can’t believe you found it.”

“Yup,” I said, testing my footing. “Now I just have to catch it.”

“As long as you keep your mud to yourself.”

“No promises,” I said, making the first lunge of many and only splashing a little.

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

[alicedrawslesmis]

This isn’t fully 100% related, but just on the subject of how most of the Les Mis fanbase (both broadly/irl/outside of tumblr and fandom, AS WELL as the actual fandom) is super apolitical. But I was recently having a conversation with my friends about “how can supposedly liberal and gay people be so into Call of Duty as a fandom just because they decided the two guys are gay??” And while the two are actually opposite subjects, I explained it in comparison to the LM fanbase and how they write fanfiction.

In both fandom tellings, the writers/fans blatantly ignore the actual activities and meanings of what their characters jobs/roles entail, mostly for the sake of focusing on completely unrelated plot/shipping, but part of it, conscious or not, is definitely willful ignorance about the actual meaningfulness of what they are ignoring.

In CoD, the fanfics will always randomly mention “going on missions” and “field work” and “debriefing” etc where they kinda mention the buzzwords of what military guys might do, but with zero implications of what that actually means or entails. Their role is Military Guys and what they do is Military Activity. My friends were still a little confused how one would not be understanding, or at least be able to ignore seemingly obvious words like that, until I described how LM fanfic is written. Obviously the main blorbos of the fandom are the barricade boys (for reasons I could complain in an essay about but isn’t relevant), and here their role is Activist (second to Student oftentimes), and they do Activism Activities. If expanded at all, it’s usually just an offhand mention of “making posters” or “doing a rally” (love when they say this and not even protest) and sometimes they even say that it is “for The Cause.” Like fr they won’t even name any issue it’s just The Cause. If they do specify what subject they are “activists for,” it’s usually like gay rights or something. Not that that isn’t important, but it’s another way of showing they don’t know about anything else, and that’s a very tame non controversial/universally accepted good cause (within this fandom space obv!).

Anyways, while ignoring the canon context of military war crimes and bombing civilians is much much much worse than ignoring what it actually means to be an activist and actively fight for change, both still show a level of disconnect from the meaningfulness of the original subject matter. And to some extent (especially with LM), it’s fine to do that and just have fun writing fanfic, and you don’t need to go into detail about everything especially when it’s not relevant to your romance plot. But overall, it alludes to a greater misunderstanding of the original media, or even disregard of the meaning/theme because it is less important than their gay blorbos.

All that is to say, I have never ever considered the broader LM fanbase to be political at all, or if they are, in the safest, tamest way possible, where they never have to do any work, think about anything too deeply, or examine their beliefs about more complicated subjects. Hopefully that all makes sense why I thought this was relevant lol

basically I agree to all of this, although I don't even engage in fanfiction as a whole

But there's like. Another layer to what I mean. You can engage in fandom however you like. Fanfic is usually written as a form of play with the characters you like, doing fun things. Sometimes its for getting your rocks off, sometimes it's just fun. There are different purposes to different media. I don't fault people for writing apolitical fanfic.

BUT NOBODY IS HANDWRITING APOLITICAL LES MIS FANFIC AND PRESENTING IN ON A LOVELY SCENTED PARCEL AND SENDING IT DIRECTLY TO THE OVAL OFFICE FOR DONALD TRUMP TO READ AND ENJOY. NO ONE SHOULD BE PUTTING ON CUTE PLAYS ABOUT BEING COOL REBELS AGAINST A TYRANNICAL GOVERNMENT AND SHOWING IT TO A TYRANT WHO'S CLAPPING AND SMILING AND FEELING GOOD ABOUT IT.

[fiamat12]

Quick PSA: Haters/ in fighting

I'm a lover not a fighter - hard outer shell, soft on the inside. I can be biting. But then I'm the first one to give someone grace - i.e. my partner despises A and I'm always the one saying "we don't know everything that happened, she's young, etc." lol.

I do use the block button mostly to protect my mental & emotional well-being. If you've read my blog long enough, you know that I often block those who support those who hate on me. Simple enough, eh? So, I want to clarify recent events...

There's a Lukola blogger who came at me in the past few weeks. She doesn't say who she's talking about in her post(s) - and maybe she thought it wouldn't get back to me since I don't follow her - but a friend noticed it is clearly pointed at me, per the content.

1- She's taken things I said in dms we exchanged and made blog posts to try to prove me wrong. She 100% mischaracterized what I said/ took what I said out of context to make me look like the bad guy. Fair? Not so much. Shady? I'd say so.

2- She's made posts based on my followers' Asks. One of the Asks supported my pov and thereby debunked hers (see below*), so she felt the need to write about it, frame it is as "nuance" and then proclaim that she won't be silenced.

MY GOD!!! No one is silencing anyone! We ALL have the opportunity to have our voices heard on our own unique blogs, and it's a beautiful thing! But you know what's not? Jealousy, projection, hypocrisy, and vengeance. If we've learned nothing from the Lukola saga, haven't we at least learned that?

She initially reached out to me re: N's pregnancy and expressed a need to "mobilize" Lukolas. The message was significantly late to the party (weeks away from N giving birth), and I was not and am not going to mobilize Lukolas against anyone. This is a shipping blog not a war vessel. Yes, even the Jakolas & Antlukes are entitled to their opinion.

My response:

I won't go into any more detail so as not to air her dirty laundry (I won't hesitate to do so later if needed 🤷🏼‍♀️), but I will just say this: I eventually ended up blocking her blog because imo, she was spreading misinformation w/ her posts and her knowledge base was lacking as a newer blogger. I also wasn't in line w/ her fanaticism.

That's MY CHOICE - and you all know, w/ my background, how I feel about hearsay/ unfounded theory. People were messaging me pissed about what she was purporting at the time; we've already gone through this w/ MPOV in the early days w/ misconceptions that still linger, that are not favorable to Lukola.

Anyhow, she dmed me on Discord when she realized she was blocked, saying it felt "like a punishment", and that I did so because her pov "complicated the narrative"... no, it's because it was inaccurate and I didn't want it on my feed. I've already spent innumerable hours/ days/ mos. w/ my partner a year ago unraveling an extremely complicated set of facts to make sense of things. Just because you're new doesn't mean I have to go backwards, esp. when we've had confirmation that what we concluded is likely true.

She also claimed to have " No hard feelings. Just moving forward" yet here we are after a month.

⬆️ Just like this Anon, I've not read or followed her blog since early May. But because she seemed upset and claimed I was denying her the value of my pov (her words), I unblocked her. She's obviously now blocked again, as I consider her (as of late at least) to be no different than the toxic troll.

If you think I'm the problem because I prefer to mind my own business, curate my own blog, be as accurate as possible w/ information, post things I care about / am passionate about and protect my peace, I don't know what to tell you. All the Lukolas who have come for me this past year (and yes, there have been several) have one thing in common - they chose to talk shite about me, unprovoked. And yes, I consider that divisive. I also consider theory that reads like Fanfic yet positioned as plausible, irresponsible.

I will agree w/ her on one thing: always question everything, esp. the quality of people you let into your orbit (I bet we could ask L a thing or two about that). As for one of my own mantras: Always trust your instincts!!! We've been gaslit as Lukolas long enough... ✌️

*The aforementioned blog post ⬇️

[reverie-starlight]

so this is the bday fic I had planned for 2024, and it’s been sitting in my drafts since then. I finally finished it like six months later, so this is just gonna sit in my queue until march 2025. I'm sure my characterization of kaiser will be much better different by then, but oh well!!

fem!reader, no physical descriptions. I will never not make kaiser soft, sorry not sorry <3 FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF. vague mention of reader having bad b-days in the past. self-ship coded!! no angst!!! just fluff! happy birthday to me!!!!!!!!

birthdays are… complicated for you.

complicated enough that you can’t even scrape the surface of your feelings on them. you don’t hate yours (technically) but it does bring up a lot of emotions in the weeks leading up to it. then those feelings get mixed with the fact that you’re not good at accepting that there are people out there who want to take care of you and make the day special when you haven’t known it to be in a long time.

people like kaiser.

kaiser, who knows all of your birthday troubles and always wants to make the day pleasant as possible for you.

(“trying to make up for all those awful years, liebling”, he always says when you try to protest.)

kaiser who always has to one up himself year after year, despite your insistence that he doesn’t need to.

kaiser, who would never give up the chance to see the beautiful, bashful smile on your face when you finally give in and accept the full force of his love and appreciation for you.

kaiser, who is currently leading you to this year’s birthday surprise, repeatedly assuring you that he didn’t go over the top this time.

he slowly removes the blindfold from your eyes and watches with a smile as you take in the unbelievably large pile of presents in front of you.

you inhale sharply and turn your head between him and the gifts multiple times in quick succession. “what-“ you spin on your heel to look up at his shamelessly smug face. he’s practically glowing with pride at having surprised you like this. “michael, I thought I said you didn’t need to get me anything.”

he shrugs and places his hands on your shoulders to calm you. “I know, schatz, but did you really think I’d let your birthday pass without at least one gift? do you even know me?”

you click your tongue and look back at the pile. he recognizes that your body language looks a bit guilty, and your wide eyes confirm that. “first of all this is way more than one, but… I told you that I just wanted to spend time with you. this… this is so much… and… and probably so expensive…” you could hardly wrap your head around the fact that this massive pile of gifts was yours.

your boyfriend grins. “I’m an athlete, baby, and a damn good one at that- I can’t imagine a better way to spend my funds than spoiling you from time to time.”

your pupils dilate and his grin only grows as you shake your head and look away bashfully. “I can think of a few…” he hears you mutter.

he laughs. you’re always so quick to deny anyone the pleasure of treating you. he doesn’t ever blame you for that, though. “well it’s a good thing it’s technically my money, and not yours then, hm?”

at least not yet, he thinks to himself and pictures the ring of your dreams that you’ve unknowingly designed, tucked away safely in his drawer for a later date.

your boyfriend notices you getting slightly overwhelmed with all the thoughts running through your head, so he decides to make it easier for you.

he turns you around to face the gifts once more and wraps his arms around your waist. he sways you back and forth for a bit, letting you sit with the fact that all these gifts are actually yours.

in between pressing gentle kisses to your neck to calm you down some, he says “so which one do you want to start with, angel girl?”

almost an hour later, you’re both cuddled up on the couch with a pile of gift wrap and ribbon surrounding you all over the floor. kaiser had mumbled some promises of cleaning it all up tomorrow morning against your lips before slipping into the kitchen and bringing out your cake. he does his rendition of happy birthday and lets you blow out the candles, teasing you about letting him in on your wish before grabbing the knife to cut you a slice.

“can we…” you stop mid sentence, hesitating. he sits back and waits for you to find your words. “can we share a slice?”

he doesn’t question your request and cuts a huge wedge away from the cake. “big enough?”

you nod and settle against him, swinging your legs over his lap and stealing the fork from his hand to have the first bite.

“it’s really good, michael.”

“of course it is, I got your favourite.”

you knock your head against his in thanks and move to feed him a piece. “no, let me do it from here, hase.”

kaiser takes the fork and a bite before offering you another. “you spoil me, my love.”

he shakes his head, frowning a bit. he meets your eyes and you’re a bit surprised to see that he’s grown sentimental. “well how could I not? you’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted- a chance to be loved and to love in return.”

he grabs your hand with his free one and presses his forehead against yours. “giving you a good birthday is the least I could do, mein schatz.”

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i luv him :3