#my token straight couple <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[dont-hug-me-its-yuri]

I think the Transport man and the gps are a cute old married couple and yknow what? Good for them…

[j-crow]

watching house md rn

[bittersw33t-lotus]

Great Timing

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x Fem! Reader

Cw: minor violence, profanity, bodily harm, attempted assault, blood, whump, creepy dude

Summary: Reader gets off work late and encounters a man who follows her home with malicious intent until your neighbor comes home early from deployment.

A/N: THIS IS MY FIRST GHOST FIC DONT JUDGE ME 🔫🔫🔫

You sighed in exhaustion as you walk out the doors of your work, instering the key into the lock securing the place, you head straight to your car. It was another nightly overtime stay at work, this has been going on for four days now but luckily your boss gave you a few days off as a token of appreciation which made you just as eager to get home and into the comfort of your bed.

Reaching your apartment complex you mind began to grow fuzzy and blurred with sleep slowly taking place. You got out of the car and began heading to the door entrance of the complex, completely unaware of the lingering figure hiding in the distance eyeing you like prey. You unlocked the complex entrance, using the key card the owner provided you with, you walk in entering the lobby, completely oblivious the figure that slipped through the door before it could close and lock, while you make your way to the elevator.

Pressing the button to the elevator, the doors soon opened as you stepped in, your eyelids so droopy that you almost missed the number ‘4’ button to your floor number. You take your your phone out and examine the screen as it turns on as the doors began to close, ‘3:26,’ you read on your Lock Screen before unlocking the device. You got out earlier than you usually did, these past few nights you wouldn’t leave work till nearly five in the morning.

A dull thud spooked you out of your thoughts, shedding the drowsiness you had felt earlier, your head snapped up at the elevator doors to see a hand between the metal opening forcing the doors to open back up revealing a man in his late 40’s. You didn’t want to assume but the man seemed to be homeless with how dirty and ragged his clothing were, he also had the stench of alcohol lingering off him. You knew some thing was wrong the minute you laid eyes on him, making eye contact you was the way he eyed you, like some piece of meat. Your stomach churned in discomfort and a need to run.

He loomed over you which made you feel even more uncomfortable. You wondered where he even came from since the lobby seemed completely empty, especially since it was 3 in the morning, until a thought occurred. Could he have snuck when you opened the door, you questioned in your mind causing you to tense up, the thought alone seemed to trigger your fight or flight response a little as the need to sleep was shoved into the back of your mind. That was the least of your worries.

You didn’t want to show your panic so you gave him a quick weary smile chucking awkwardly. “Oh, sorry I didn’t see you coming…” you muttered as you curled in on yourself, the man said nothing for the next couple of seconds and just stood there eyeing your figure up and down making you inwardly wince in disgust.

After what felt like minuets he finally moved into the elevator, you shimmied to the very back corner as he stepped in and leaned up against the back wall a little too close for your liking. You scooted over the the side wall of the elevator nearing the controls and doors, as they finally closed. You tried to ignore his staring as you turned to look at the elevators controls. “Uhh… which floor are you going to?” You look at his trying to seem calm to the best of your ability but you already knew you were failing.

He gave a quick glance at the controls before looking back at you causing you to look at his feet. “Four.” He said in a raspy voice, you hummed as you looked back to stare at the floor. The voice in the back of your head was beginning to scream louder to make a run for it but you had no idea what you could do. You’re sure everyone was asleep and definitely wouldn’t answer the door at this hour of the night, but you also couldn’t risk him finding out where exactly you lived. If you tried to make a run back to your car and he followed you’d not only make it obvious but it’d also be dangerous.

A plan came to mind, it was your best chance, “oh looks like I already pressed your floor on accident,” you laugh nervously pressing the third floor button as a way to get closer to the lobby.

He seemed displeased as he responded with a small, “oh.” The digits on the small screen above the doors showed each floor going up. You needed to take the stair cases since the elevator was no good, hopefully he isn’t ballsy enough to follow you as you get off.

The ding of the elevator chimed as you reached the third floor, you’re quick to walk off hearing the doors begin to close, sigh in relief but your breath stills as you hear another set of feet softly pad behind you. You glance over your shoulder and all senses in your body go on high alert. He’s trailing behind and smiling in a way that send a chill up your spine. The voice in your head screams so loud you can no longer ignore it, “RUN!” You wasted no time and began to dash for the stairs. The man chuckles following in pursuit.

He grasps your shirt and yanks you back giving you whiplash as you make harsh contact with the floor. You grunt as you try to get up but your arms are soon pinned and a weight is forced upon you. The man is on top of you as he laughs. “Relax honey I just wanna have fun.” He chuckles, you’re legs thrash around not being pinned causing your knee to make hard contact with his groin causing to shout in pain, his grip looses and you take the chance to kick him off you, he goes back and is flown to the wall, a loud thud coming for it. You quickly rise to your feet and run for the stairs, you contemplate for running up stairs to your floor or to the lobby but decided for the lobby. You defend down one flight before you hear the door slam open, you knew it was the man so your begin to skip a couple of steps to decedent down the stairs faster. “Come back you bitch!” He shouts out.

Relief comes once you reach the end of the stairs and see the lobby door. You swing it open not bothering to close it as you ran across to the entrance, the man quick and hot on your tail you fear you might not even make it to your car. You snag your car keys from your pocket and walk right out the door and make a b-line to your car, parked a few feet away.

The man soon come out the door and looks around to before his eyes land on you, your car not to far from you. Both of your were too focused on one thing, you both failed to notice certain tall bulking figure dress in all black with a black balaclava.

Simon had just barely arrived home, his deployment was expected to take longer but due to the his great performance along with the 141 they were able to go home a week early. He had just gotten out of his truck and heading to the back to grab his duffel bag when he was suddenly alerted by the sudden occurrence, the complexes front door swinging open by you as you ran out, you seemed to run with urgency and by the look on your face it was something bad and it seemed to have terrified you, but from what? His question was answered when the door was slammed open again and out came a man in his late 30’s or 40’s, he clearly was a homeless guy and possibly a drug addict, he stopped look around, he completely overlooked Simon, probably due to his dark clothing the the parking lot poorly lit, the guy scanned the area searching for something until his sight was set on you and wasted no time in following you in pursuit.

This set alarms off for Simon, the man was obvious chasing you with malicious intent, he quickly began to run after you two, he reached down to his upper thigh toward his handgun that was strapped to his thigh, he gripped the weapon and pulled it out of its holster. Simons mind screaming at him to get the guy and protect you before he could lay a finger on you.

You were only a couple of feet away until the man lunged and tackled you to the solid rough ground. Pain eachted though you as some areas of your bare skin scrapped against to ground, your pants ripping and exposing your skin and scaling it as well. Blood beginning to seep out from the wounds. “Get off!” You screamed out, you body pinned down, your legs pinned by his, you wrists helps down with one hand and hair violently pulled with his other hand causing you to cry out.

Before the man could speak he was suddenly jerked off you. In a flash he was on the ground, Simon pinning him to the floor. The man tried to shout until a cold metal was shoved into his mouth, which he soon found out was Simons gun. “You fucking bastard.” Was all Simon shouted before he pulled the gun away and angled the butt of the gun to the man and swung it down to his face over and over.

You had turned on back to see a hooded man in all black on top of the homeless guy and beating the shit out of him with something I his hand but you couldn’t tell with how fast he kept swinging his arm. You watched in shock hearing the homeless guy cry out begging for mercy and even apologizing which unknowingly made you smile and feel a little better. After a few good hits the hooded man stopped, which gave you the chance to look at what was in his hand, it was gun. Was this your neighbor, you wondered, you’ve seen him around once in awhile and only really greeted each other, you converse aged rarely but one time he told you his name was Ghost, which you found odd but didn’t really mind, you knew he worked in the military with him gear and uniform especially with his cargo pants that had his gun strapped to his thigh, seeming the strap you just thought of confined that this guy definitely was your neighbor.

The homeless man lied on the ground limply, groaning and slight cries of pain coming from his now bloodied face, you had a feeling his had a few facial fractures, you swore you heard a few bones cracking from him every time Ghost made contact with his face. You wiped away some tears you didn’t know you had as Ghost loomed over the guy, breathing heavily, your sniffing was what broke him from his trance as he glanced over his shoulder to look at you. He was able to get a good look at you to realize you were his neighbor too, he let out a few breathes of relief too see only a few scratches on you.

“You alright yn?” He asked, his voice deep and out of breath.

You let out a shaken breath you didn’t know you were holding as you nodded. “Thank god you were here.” You whispered staring at the homeless guy who knocked out a few second ago. Ghost really did a number on him, you thought examining his bloodied face, his nose looked broken and bent.

Simon sighed agreeing with you. “You’re lucky I just barely arrived, had I arrived later or earlier…” he pauses, the possibilities that the man could’ve done to you spooked him more than he’d like to admit.

Simon didn’t finish his sentence and opted to staying silent a long with you, you sat on the ground catching your breathes until Simon moved to place his gun back in his holster with the butt still bloodied along with his hand. He rises to his feet walking over to you and held out his gloved one. You grasp it, it felt warm even through the material of the glove, he grasps your hand softy but secured enough to help you up as he lifts you up to your feet like nothing.

He called the cops so you two waited with Simon standing by the man watching him like a hawk ready to ounce at the slightest movement. He tried his best to distract you with some conversations, when the police finally arrived, they had an ambulance to come and take the man, they got your information and asked for details of what happened, they soon wrapped everything up and took off.

“Cmon, let’s get you cleaned up.” He says leading you back inside the apartment. You completely forgot about your injuries till Ghost mentioned them. You almost told him that you could take care of yourself but ultimately decided to just let it happen. It was silence on the way up, the elevator was a little awkward but once you two finally arrived on your floor Simon finally broke the silence. “I have a first aid kit in my place if your ok with that?” You nodded the adrenaline finally subsiding and the aches and stings start coming through.

Simon noticed a slight limp in your walk, some blood soaking around your injures, and some blood still seeping on the injuries from your bottom lip and forehead. As if you could read his mind you spoke before he could voice his concern. “I’m fine I just feel a little sore is all, maybe I pulled my leg but it’s fine.” You mumbled seeing your door and Simons door in view turning into the hall.

Stopping at his door he pulls out his keys, unlocking the door to his flay you follow him in as he stands to the side allowing you to walk in before closing the door behind you. “Make your self comfortable on the couch I’ll be back with the kit. With some aspirin and water. ” He says turning on the light to reveal the living space as he walks down the hall.

You plop yourself on the couch with a sigh until a wave of pain crashed through you, a groan left your lips, you leg burned as you look down at it. You soon realized the blood beginning to seep through the fabric of your clothes leaving a tiny blotch of a deep crimson. Carefully lifting up the fabric of your pants the wound fully came into view. It was ugly, your leg was dripping a lot of blood for such a minor injury which worried you fearing you could possibly need stitches.

“You didn’t tell me you were bleeding.” Simon spoke, the sudden noise of his deep voice spooked you not even hearing his footsteps and seeing him walk over to the side of the couch.

“Jesus Simon, you’re like a damn ninja creeping around so quiet.” you mutter, rolling up the material. Simon kneeled in front of you placing the kit on the coffee table. Opening the box, he fished out a gauze pad, alcohol pads, and bandages. He took his gloves off revealing his bare hands, you watched his movements but even the feeling of his warm skin against your leg startled you.

Simon ignored your comment as he remained silent, you worried you might've soured his mood especially since he practically saved your life and brought you inside his house to take the time to attend to your wounds but you’re thoughts were cut short when he handed you the bottle of aspirin and water.

“Thanks.” You muttered taking the bottles, taking out two pills you drop them into your mouth before opening the water bottle. You take a swig before swapping the liquid and pills. Ghost prepped the stuff as you did so waiting for you to finish.

"Brace yourself," he spoken breaking the silence and your thoughts. Before you could process what was happening, Simon brought the alcohol-soaked gauze pad to your wound. you hissed in pain, the hot searing pain outnumbered out the cold wetness of the pad. your leg was kept still by Simon's hand gripping your calf to be still, you were were too busy with the pain to think much about how impressively strong his grip on your leg was.

As Simon was close to finishing up, you kept your eyes on him, you didn’t want to stare and seem rude or make Simon uncomfortable but this was the first time you really got to look at what the mask didn’t hide. You took in the little scar of his right cheek that disappeared down into the mask, the hairs on his blond eyelashes that were beautiful and long and what most entranced you were his eyes. They were a beautiful hazel, the color vary based on the different lighting. With the light shining on half of his face one eye shined like a diamond reveal a beautiful honey brown color while his other eye was dark like an abyss.

Unfortunately his eyes were to enticing that you failed to process the movement of his head turning up to you, his eyes boring right back into yours and the movement of his covered mouth, “You gonna keep gawking at me or are you gonna answer my question?” His gruff voice broke you out of your trace as realization hit your mind, you face began to burn as your mind screamed at you in embarrassment.

“Uhhh- I- I… What…. What was the question?” You muttered nervously, avoiding looking at Simon feeling shame from being caught.

“Are you okay to walk or do you need help?” He repeated still kneeling down beside you causing him to look up at you.

You didn’t wanna admit it but your legs couldn’t keep you up anymore. As nice as it would sound to have Simon help you and be up against his body, you saved him the trouble. “I’ll be fine. Thanks again Si.” You thank him before you ‘try’ to pull yourself up to your feet only to pathetically look like an elderly person due to the couch being close to the ground. Your face burned in embarrassment as you plopped back down on the couch and looked at the floor in defeat as Simon still stood there in silence just watching you. “I need help…” you muttered.

You heard Simon snort as he steps to you and sets your arm over his shoulder and slipping his hands beneath your back and knees and lifting you up bridal style. You gasped and wrapped your arms around Simon tightly. “Simon?!” You called out but he didn’t bother and began to walk towards his door.

“Welcome.” Was all he said taking his hand beneath your back to his door knob, twisting the knob and opening the door, not worried about you falling with the death grip you had on him. The trip only took a few steps until Simon reached your front door. Slowly he lowered you down as you eased your grip and stood on your feet. You could feel the cold begin to replaces Simons warmth which made you shiver. “Got your Keys?” He asked, you nod before fishing out your house keys from your pocket.

As you finally unlock the door, you began to limp your way into your home until Simon gently grasped your left arm and swing it over his shoulder lifting most of your weight off your injured leg. You were going to protest but decided against it and savor the help and warmth he provided you.

“Where to?” He asked, silence for a second until you bobbed your head towards the hallway.

“My bedroom, last door at the end of the hall.” You say, making your way towards your door you turn the knob and make your way in. Simon helps you settle onto your bed, sitting at the edge of your mattress. As soon as you got settled Simon began to make his exit muttering an awkward ‘goodnight’ until you spoke. “Simon,” you call out making him stop at your doorway. He turned around and eyes you, “Thank you, really, you saved me. I don’t know what the hell I would’ve done if you hadn’t arrived at the right time. I don’t even know what would’ve happen to me had you not been there…”

That thought seemed to haunt not only you but Simon as well. The mere thought of seeing you in a gruesome way triggered memories he wish he could burn out of his mind. He sighed and walked back up to you, setting a hand on your shoulder, he could see the thought was troubling you the most. “Me too, ‘m glad your not too beat up. And there’s no need to thank me.”

“We’ll I mean you took me to your place and took the time to help deal with this mess so, and in a way I should be thanking you.” You mumbled shifting your legs to examine the bandages.

“‘S fine, jus’ wanted to make sure you’re alright. You should get some rest though, ya look like shite.” He chuckled.

You laughed out an “ass,” before nodding. “Can’t deny that though, I’ll clean up and head to bed then. You get some rest I’m sure you need the extra sleep coming back from deployment and then having to deal with all the fiasco.”

“You sure you should do that?” He asks.

“Yeah, I’m sure, the aspirin should be kicking in here in a few, I’m sure I’ll be fine. Stop worrying and get to sleep.” You joke.

Simon nods gives you a small pat on your back before making his way out of your room. “Alright, I’ll see you around,” he says,

“Good night Simon.” You smile.

Simon grabs your doorknob and began to close the door before looking at you once more you could see his eyes slightly wrinkle, he was smiling. “Good night (y/n).”

~~~~~~~~~

Just as you suspected the aspirin finally kicked in a few minutes after Simon left. You did what you needed to do, shower and avoid getting your bandages wet. After dressing in your sleep wear, you walked to the kitchen for a drink when you noticed a paper on your table. Picking it up you examined the numbers written on there with a note below it.

‘Here’s my number If you contact me, also lock the top lock on your door. -Simon’

You smiled at the note before taking your drink, setting the cup down with the note still in hand you make your way to your front door seeing the bottom lock already locked, you lock the top one before heading back to your room.

You sit on your bed and grab your phone before putting in Simons number into your contacts.

You: Got your note. top is locked, thanks 👍🏼

It didn’t take long till you got a text back.

Simon💀: No problem, stay safe and be more aware of your surroundings love, I won’t always be around to save your arse.

You laughed trying to ignore the nickname as you finally settle into your covers.

You: Yes Sir 👍🏼

Simon💀: Good girl.

[milfsloverblog]

Oooh. How about a fic where the reader gives Brienne her favor at every melee and Brienne is just clueless

Tokens of Devotion

Brienne of Tarth x Fem!reader

A/N: I started writing this so many weeks ago, sorry it took so long anon! I hope you’ll enjoy what I did with your request, it was a lovely idea!!<3

Brienne could hardly believe it the first time she’d seen you waving a ribbon at her, calling her name in the hope of catching her attention.

“Me?” She mouthed, pointing at her breastplate.

“Yes, you!” You nodded and waved the blue ribbon more vigorously.

The woman hesitated. What if this was some sort of sick joke? What if once she’d get close to you, the whole crowd started laughing at how much of an imbecile she was for thinking a lady would ever give her, Brienne the Beauty, her favour.

“Please!” You insisted, knowing the mêlée was about to start.

After a few more seconds of hesitancy, Brienne eventually made her way to you. She kept her head up and her shoulders straight, readying herself for the inevitable mockery.

“Thank you,” you said when she was finally close enough. “For a second I thought I would have to give my favour to another knight…And I really did not want to.”

The tall woman dared to look at you then and the beauty of her features nearly made the ribbon slip from in-between your fingers. It took everything within you to tear your eyes away from her face and tie your favour to her pauldron.

“I should be the one thanking you, my lady. I will fight for your honour.” The blonde said, letting her eyes roam on your face while you looked down at your working hands.

You knew it was simply a polite way to address you, but your heart fluttered anyway. Oh, to be her lady.

Your fingers lingered on the steel of her armour for a couple of seconds too long before you eventually pulled away.

“May it bring you luck.” You gestured to the ribbon.

“It already did.” Brienne said, giving you an awkward nod before walking away back to the field, her heart beating loudly inside her rib cage. Her very first favour. She would carry it proudly, and she would make sure to be victorious.

The mêlée lasted for over an hour, men falling left and right, some being disarmed and others simply yielding to their opponent.

“Yield!” Brienne barked at the last man standing, still firmly holding her sword in front of her.

It had been the two of them for a moment now, Brienne’s muscles burning and begging the knight to let go of her sword. But she wouldn’t give up, she didn’t want to disappoint the lady in the crowd who was rooting for her.

“I yield.” The knight spat the words out after another couple of minutes, being too exhausted to keep fighting even if it meant losing to a woman.

You loudly cheered when Brienne was announced victorious, louder than anyone else in the crowd did. Butterflies bloomed in your stomach at the thought that maybe your favour had given her the strength to win. Not that you doubted she would have won anyway.

Brienne removed her gauntlets and her helmet, slicking her short blonde hair back before she made her way over to you again.

“I knew you would be victorious!” You said excitedly, your fingers fidgeting with the fabric of your dress to prevent them from reaching for the tall woman.

“Well, I had to fight for both your honour and mine, didn’t I?” Brienne pushed a shy smile and offered you her hand to shake. “Thank you, my lady.”

“Thank you, Brienne of Tarth.” You smiled and gently grabbed her hand, bringing it to your lips to press a kiss on it instead of going for a simple handshake.

Brienne was left at a loss for words, her cheeks taking a pinkish colour as you let go of her hand. No one had ever done that before, certainly not a woman.

“Well, I suppose there will be people waiting to celebrate with you at the tavern. Until we meet again!” You winked at the knight, disappearing into the crowd before she could say anything else.

Brienne stood there for another minute, dumbfounded by the whole scene that had just happened until she was practically dragged to the tavern to celebrate.

She found that drinking did not help to forget the feeling of your lips on her hand, if anything it only made it worse.

When she showed up to the next melee a month later, Brienne wasn't expecting to see you. Not that she wasn't wishing to see you again; she simply didn't think you would come back for her. Why would you?

How wrong she was, she realised when she heard the familiar voice calling her name. There you were, a smile that reached your ears as you waved something that, from afar, looked like a piece of fabric.

Four long strides were enough for Brienne to be standing right in front of you, your heart once again starting to beat uncontrollably fast when you noticed that your previous favour was still tied to her armour.

“Well, will you start collecting my favours then?” You joked, showing her the piece of fabric that you were holding.

Brienne looked away for a second, desperately trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. She had thought about removing the ribbon from her pauldron, but couldn’t find the courage to do it. Not when she was reminded of your face every time she’d look at it.

“It was only a joke. Although I would not mind seeing a collection of favours on your armour. Only mine, though, or I might get jealous.” You smiled at the blonde. “Will you accept my favour, Brienne of Tarth?”

“Of course, how could anyone decline such an offer?” She nodded and took another step closer. Looking down at your hands she noticed that the piece of fabric matched your dress, raising an eyebrow to silently question you.

“I lost my ribbon on the way here.” You admitted. “So I ripped a piece of my dress.”

“My lady, you didn’t have to! You shouldn’t have!”

“Oh, but I wanted to.” You looked up into her blue eyes and pushed a soft smile.

Have you ever been told how beautiful you are, you wanted to ask, how looking into your eyes feels like swimming in Tarth’s sapphire water?

“The mêlée is about to begin, my lady.” Brienne snapped you out of your thoughts, her hand gently wrapping around yours.

“Yes, yes of course. I apologise, I was…” You shook your head and chose not to finish your sentence.

You quickly tied the piece of fabric to her pauldron, right next to your previous favour. And it felt right, seeing a piece of your dress on her armour, knowing that you two were now matching.

“Think of me.” You whispered and let go of her before taking a step back.

Brienne swallowed thickly and quickly walked back to the battlefield, her mind filled with nothing but thoughts of you. She wondered for a second if you had cast a spell on her, if the ribbon and fabric tied to her armour were enchanted with a love spell.

The woman was brought back to reality by the tip of an opponent’s sword nearly poking her breastplate. She quickly parried the sword away, moving swiftly to avoid a counterattack.

You watched her fight for what seemed to be hours, cheering every time she landed a successful strike or avoided a blow. It almost looked like a perfectly rehearsed dance, the way she moved around effortlessly.

You could only imagine what she looked like under her helmet as she fought, snarling and groaning from all the effort. Your mind wandered and for a second you imagined her on top of you, groaning and sweating from another kind of effort.

It was only a silly girl crush, something that would pass in no time. At least you hoped it was. You’d heard about the rumours saying Brienne had had some sort of intimate relationship with Jaime Lannister. You knew you could never compare to the most handsome man in Westeros, if he was her type, you simply had no chance with her. It was only a silly girl crush anyway, it would pass in no time.

You were lost in your thoughts when Brienne was declared victorious, the crowd loudly cheering for her.

The knight removed her helmet and immediately turned to look at you, her eyebrows knitting together when she couldn’t find your face anywhere in the crowd.

-

“So, Brienne, tell us about the girl?” Tyrion asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“What girl?” Brienne huffed a little too defensively.

“The girl.” He insisted. “Don’t act like you have no idea what I’m talking about, you’ve been fidgeting with that piece of fabric since we’ve sat down.” He said, pointing at the favour on her pauldron.

“I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“Is it about my brother?” Tyrion smirked.

“Tyrion-“ Brienne warned him but to no avail.

“Oh come on! He chose Cersei’s cunt, you will have to get over it someday.” He shrugged.

“Shut your mouth!” Brienne barked and slammed her hand on the table, the whole tavern going quiet for a couple of seconds. “This has nothing to do with Jaime. I don’t know what you think you saw about that girl and me. Nothing is going on.”

“Oh, really? Is that why she always is the loudest cheer in the crowd? Or why she is the one you immediately looked for after your victory?” Tyrion cocked an eyebrow.

“I said I would not be having this conversation with you.” The tall woman hissed and emptied her cup before storming out of the tavern.

She almost felt like ripping the ribbon and fabric from her armour right there and then, grabbing them and being about to yank them off when she suddenly remembered how bright your smile was every time she’d acknowledged you.

She didn’t want to feel these things again, not after Jaime. She never wanted to feel these things again, and yet...

Love, what a disease.

“Brienne?” The tall woman’s back immediately straightened when she heard her name being called.

“My lady…” She turned around, her hand still firmly gripping your favours.

“Are you alright? You look…upset?” You took a step closer, gently wrapping your hand around hers. It was almost comical how small yours looked next to hers. “Would you like me to take these off for you?”

“No, no, I-“ Brienne closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. “Why are you doing this?” She asked looking at you.

“I’m sorry?” You frowned, confusion painting your features.

“This,” she said. “Acting like you care. Acting nice. How long will you keep the joke going? How long until you admit that you’ve been taking the piss out of me?!”

“Taking the piss out of-“ You huffed loudly. “You think I’ve been mocking you? Why on earth would I do that?! Why would I rip a piece of my most beautiful dress to give you as a favour? All for a joke?!”

“If not for a joke, then why?!” You could hear the pain in her voice, how it slightly trembled no matter how hard she tried to keep her composure.

“Because I like you.” You admitted in a whisper. “And I’m no Jaime Lannister, I’m no prettiest woman in Westeros, I’ve got nothing to offer you but those silly little favours. Those, and my devotion. I would never, ever be cruel to you.”

You barely had time to register Brienne’s hand cupping your cheek and pulling you into the softest kiss, her body trembling as if she was still fearing that this was all a joke. So you kissed her back with all you had, arms thrown around her neck to hold her close.

“It’s enough,” Brienne whispered when she pulled away, her forehead pressed against yours. “Those silly little favours and your devotion, it would be more than enough.”

“Good.” You smiled, taking her hand in yours. “How about we share a drink, mh? To celebrate your victory.”

Brienne nodded, her fingers intertwining with yours as she led you back to the tavern, holding the door open to let you in.

Tyrion grinned like the right imbecile he was when you sat down in front of him with Brienne. He introduced himself before turning to look at the woman by your side.

“Much more pretty than Jaime, if you ask me.” He smirked and pointed his chin at you.

You saw Brienne nod in agreement and looked down to hide the blush creeping on your cheeks.

Isn’t it crazy, you thought as you fidgeted with the ripped fabric of your dress, what those little tokens of devotion could lead to?

[butchyeons]

PLEASE write more sub/bottom jeongyeon PLEASE i want that butch obliterated

ask and you shall receive! congrats anon i am using this as a drabble request. lmao, hopefully you won’t mind. i’ve been wanting to write jeongsa for awhile now, so here it is. this will probably be up on ao3 at some point, too. we need more sub jeongyeon, so i hope you enjoy needy loser butch jeongyeon getting absolutely obliterated by her mean femme gf ❤️

party trick

college au jeongsa ig? it’s pure smut. also jihyo’s there for “plot” purposes :)

tags/warnings: mentions of alcohol/semi-drunk sex, pwp, semi-public sex (they’re in a bathroom), mommy kink, jeongyeon gets called puppy idk, verbal humiliation, dirty talk, exhibitionism, implied voyeurism, strap-ons, jeongyeon sucking off the strap. this is crazy icl.

cishet men and minors dni.

———

“Really, Jeongyeon?” Sana huffed out. “We’re at a party. People could catch us.”

The older girl let out a whine, continuing to pull Sana up the stairs. The two of them were at some party in some house on the other side of campus- one of Jihyo’s frat friends had invited them. Quite frankly, it shocked the two of them that they were even told about it. They were pretty well known as the college’s token lesbian couple; the weird-scary-butch music student who was “secretly a man”, and the pretty-ditzy fashion student who was “clearly confused about her sexuality”. They caught a lot of shit for it, tended to stay away from functions such as this one because of it. But hey, they’d never turn down free alcohol. So, after Jihyo begged them to come with her, to just put their resignations aside for a few hours, they did.

The night was fine, the party was booming. A lot of their friends were there, thankfully, which meant they didn’t have to socialize with the straight boys who clearly only wanted them there to watch them make out. There was free food, drinks, questionable music, and a place for them to dance, albeit poorly. What wasn’t to like? It was a good time, and they both needed a break, anyways.

The only problem now was that Jeongyeon was tipsy. And when Jeongyeon was in any way buzzed, she was needy. Not that Sana had an issue with it. She loved to spoil her girl, really. But that was in the sanctity of their own apartment, not some frat house full of a bunch of underage drunk college students puking their brains out.

“Sana- I don’t care.” Jeongyeon said as they got to the top of the stairs. Her words came out slurred, her cheeks bright red as she huffed, looking over at her girlfriend. “I know you wore it. I felt it when you were grinding against me earlier.”

Well. Maybe Sana did want something to happen. She wouldn’t have gone out packing if she didn’t.

“Just because I wore it doesn’t mean you were gonna get anything, Jeongie.”

Jeongyeon whined again, stomping off down the hallway. Sana followed closely behind her, making sure to watch carefully as Jeongyeon tried each and every door until finally, one opened. Before Sana had time to really say anything, the older girl had grabbed her wrist, pulling her inside.

“Please, Sana. I know you. You’re literally my girlfriend.” Jeongyeon huffed out indignantly as she closed and locked the door. “You want it just as bad as I do.”

Sana looked around, examining her surroundings. It was a tiny bathroom, but clearly one that multiple men shared. It was… Well, it was as clean as it possibly could be. Several cans of deodorant strewn across the countertop, toothbrushes everywhere, the vibrations of the music from downstairs causing them to shake with each bass thump. The shower curtain was half open, revealing a hoard of different 3-in-1 shampoo bottles. She was just grateful the toilet seat was closed, and that there was even a toilet brush next to it. Clearly, someone cared. Thank god they did.

However, this was still risky. They were in public- at a party they were clearly only invited to so a bunch of boys could gawk at them, in some sketchy bathroom that wasn’t theirs. Anyone could come up there and find them. Sana had half a mind to put her foot down, to take her girlfriend downstairs and trick her by giving her shots of water so she’d sober up faster; they could go back home and finish things there. But before she had any time to protest, Jeongyeon was already on her knees in front of her, haphazardly grabbing at the front of her skirt.

“I just don’t think we should do this here, baby.” Sana said, swatting at Jeongyeon’s hands.

Jeongyeon pouted again, leaning her head against Sana’s thigh.

“Please? ‘S your fault I’m needy. You wore it, you knew I’d want it…”

All of Sana’s reluctance went out the window the moment she looked down at Jeongyeon. She had the sweetest pout on her face, her bottom lip poking out just slightly so. Her big eyes were round with want, her cheeks still slightly red from the alcohol. She was adorable.

Sana wanted to ruin her.

“And I’ve been so good lately…” Jeongyeon added as she nuzzled her face against Sana’s thigh. “Please, mommy?”

God. She just couldn’t resist her sweet girl.

“Fine, fine- just…” Sana sighed. “You have to be quiet, okay? And we need to do this fast.”

Jeongyeon’s expression lit up.

“Thank you, thank you. I’ll be so good Sana- so good for you.”

Cute. And incredibly fuckable.

“I know you will, baby.” Sana whispered, running her fingers through Jeongyeon’s hair. “Always so good for me, hm?”

Jeongyeon nodded absentmindedly, going back to what she was doing before. She hooked her fingers under the waistband of Sana’s skirt, pulling it down. The outline of the strap was so clearly visible in the pair of safety shorts she was wearing in lieu of actual underwear, which made Jeongyeon chuckle.

“I don’t know how you even manage to hide that thing.” She muttered, pulling the shorts down, too.

“That’s for me to know, and for you to be the only one who gets to see.” Sana replied, kicking the offending fabric away.

Jeongyeon’s hazy eyes immediately focused on the toy. Sana had worn her favorite- a medium-sized, realistic looking one that matched her skin tone. It wasn’t extraordinary in any way, and they had other, much more fun toys, but it never failed to make Jeongyeon scream. Sana didn’t miss how her girlfriend quickly ran her tongue over her bottom lip, her expression completely blank with want. Her body trembled just slightly as she finally looked up at Sana, locking eyes with her.

She was being good. She was waiting for permission.

“Go on, baby.” Sana whispered. “Suck it.”

And Jeongyeon did. Within seconds, her mouth was on Sana, making a show of swirling her tongue around the head before taking the rest of it into her mouth. Even though Sana couldn’t actually feel it, the sight alone was enough to make her stomach tense up, a jolt of pleasure going straight to her core.

“Good girl.” Sana said, her hand finding the top of Jeongyeon’s hair, her fingers tangling into her freshly dyed blue locks. “Mommy’s good girl.”

She helped guide Jeongyeon up and down on the toy, resisting the urge to buck her hips. Jeongyeon’s moves were sloppy, still remotely tipsy as she worked, drool spilling out of the corner of her mouth as she stared up at Sana the entire time she sucked her off. It was gross, it was still so unsafe. At any point someone could absolutely be banging on that bathroom door, trying to get inside.

Sana loved all of it.

So yes, she did want something to happen. Maybe not this exact scenario, but something. It had been weeks since her and Jeongyeon had gotten to do anything, and honestly, Sana had planned to rail her brains out in the backseat of her car after they left. But this would work.

“Mommy…” Jeongyeon whined around the head, her mouth muffled from having the toy between her lips. “Need you in me…”

This would definitely work.

Sana finally pulled her off, a string of spit connecting Jeongyeon’s mouth to the toy. The older girl was looking at her with so much want, her expression dazed as she wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve. She adjusted herself so that she could press her thighs together, whimpering as she stared up at her girlfriend. Sana tried to ignore how the sight made her core ache, still wanting to get this done quickly.

“Alright, alright. You’ve been good, c’mon.”

Sana helped Jeongyeon to her feet, her hands immediately finding the buckle of her belt, making quick work of undoing it. She pressed a gentle kiss to Jeongyeon’s cheek, not wanting to smear her lipstick, before tugging her jeans and boxers down to her knees.

“Against the counter, baby. Show me that pretty ass of yours.” She whispered, her hand on Jeongyeon’s waist.

Jeongyeon just nodded absentmindedly, doing exactly what she was told. She held on to the edge of the countertop, leaning forward. Sana got behind her, her hand slipping down between her thighs, gently running her fingers through Jeongyeon’s folds. She gave her clit a few taps with her index finger before lazily circling it, making sure to focus on the sensitive spot under the hood. When Jeongyeon’s knees buckled slightly, she drug her finger down to her entrance, dipping it in just enough to tease the poor girl even more.

“Fuck, Jeongyeonie.” Sana taunted. “Already so wet for me.”

Jeongyeon just whined, looking back over her shoulder.

“N-Need you, please…”

It would be so easy to keep teasing her. It was fun to make Jeongyeon work for it- to have her broken before Sana ever even fucked her. But when she saw the look on Jeongyeon’s face, the sound of the loud music echoing up the stairwell and into the hallway, she remembered they really needed to get this done. Sana had no intention of denying her anything. Right then, she couldn’t. Even if she wanted to.

“I know, baby. I know.” Sana whispered, taking her hand away and finally lining the toy up with Jeongyeon’s entrance. “It’s okay. I’ll take such good care of you, puppy.”

Sana moved her hand to hold onto Jeongyeon’s hip, finally pressing the toy into her. A loud moan spilled out of the older girl’s mouth, and Sana’s grip tightened just a bit as she froze.

“Jeong- you need to be quiet. Or else you won’t get anything.”

Jeongyeon just bit her lower lip, nodding desperately. That was good enough for Sana, who took it as a sign to press herself in further. Jeongyeon leaned forward even more, giving Sana a better angle. The moment Sana was all the way in, Jeongyeon let out a sigh, her eyes falling shut as she pushed herself back against Sana, grinding against the toy. Normally Sana would’ve reprimanded her, reminded her that she would take what was given to her, but she’d give her a pass. For now, anyways.

“Feeling better, baby?” Sana cooed, gripping Jeongyeon’s hips tighter, but still not moving. “Such a little slut, couldn’t wait ‘til we got home?”

She’d play with her just a little, though.

Jeongyeon shook her head. Sana gave her a shallow thrust, pressing the toy impossibly deeper and earning a squeak from the older girl.

“N-No, couldn’t wait-” Jeongyeon whined. “Mommy, please-”

Sana cut her off by giving her another harsh thrust. Jeongyeon couldn’t help but grunt, whimpering as she fell forward onto her forearms. Sana finally took off, bucking her hips roughly, as fast as she possibly could. She watched Jeongyeon through the mirror, practically grinning at how her jaw would clench and release each time she pushed back in. It was the prettiest sight in the world, to her. The sounds of skin against skin filled the tiny bathroom, echoing over the music from below. Sana didn’t care at that point- she needed to absolutely ruin her girl.

“God, puppy, you’re so easy, y’know that?” Sana huffed out between thrusts. “So fucking- easy to get all worked up.”

Jeongyeon nodded, completely brainless as she groaned. Sana had no idea if it was the alcohol or the fact that she was being fucked, but either way, she was gone.

“So fun to play with.” Sana added, reaching up to grab Jeongyeon’s hair, pulling the shivering girl up. “So desperate to cum, aren’t you? That’s all you ever think about, isn’t it?”

“Y-Yes- fuck.” Jeongyeon croaked out. “All I want- wanna cum for you.”

Sana thrusted again, even deeper this time. Jeongyeon moaned unabashedly, arching back into Sana’s grip. Sana continued to hold her up by her hair, her other hand still hanging onto her hip. She dug her nails into the soft skin, earning yet another pathetic noise out of her girlfriend.

So much for getting this done quietly. Sana really didn’t give a single shit anymore, couldn’t. Even if she tried. And she was absolutely not trying.

“So fucking loud.” Sana hissed, her pace never letting up. “Bet you want us to get caught. I bet you’d love if someone walked in on us like this- you want everyone to see me ruining you, don’t you?”

Jeongyeon did her best to nod, her eyes still screwed shut.

“P-Please, I want- want everyone to know I’m your- your slutty little puppy. Hope all of them can hear me, hope they all know just how good you fuck me.”

Sana could really feel it then. She knew she was fucking dripping, felt the way her clit pulsed each time she fucked herself into Jeongyeon. And to hear that, on top of everything else? Oh, this was so much better than she ever could’ve imagined. To have Jeongyeon so willing to be ruined, to know she wants to be caught. To be absolutely railing her in some nasty frat boy bathroom, to know that those boys would never know what happened in there. Sana wondered if she’d finish without Jeongyeon ever even touching her. They’d never done anything like this before, so she had no idea how Jeongyeon felt about it. But fuck, was it good. They should go to parties more often.

She thrusted again, knowing she hit the spot that Jeongyeon loved the most just based on her reaction. The older girl cried out, her body practically going limp as Sana begin to focus on that spot, hitting it over and over and over again. Another whimper spilled from Jeongyeon’s lips as Sana finally let go of her hair, using that hand to reach around to her front, slipping it between her hips and the counter. She found Jeongyeon’s clit and quickly began rubbing tight circles into it, earning another languid sound out of her. Her knees buckled, her hips pressed back, her body falling back against Sana’s front right as she-

“Sana? Jeongyeon? Are you two up here?”

Both of them froze. They stared at each other in the mirror, horrified as they heard footsteps approaching.

“C’mon guys, I’m worried. You’ve been gone for so long.”

Jihyo.

Jeongyeon was the first to move, trying to pull away.

“Sana-”

Sana didn’t let her go.

“That’s not my name, puppy.”

Jeongyeon bit her lip, hard enough that Sana was almost concerned she’d break the skin. Her face was bright red, her expression pained. Sana cocked her head to the side, smirking as she rocked her hips again. Jeongyeon leaned forward, gripping the edge of the counter, doing her best to contain a whimper.

“W-What are you doing?” She whispered, her voice laced with panic.

“Thought you wanted to get caught, baby.” Sana replied, leaning forward so her lips were right next to Jeongyeon’s ear. “Or were you lying to me?”

Right as Sana bucked her hips again, there was a knock on the door.

“Sana, Jeongyeon- is that you guys?” Jihyo asked from the other side.

This made things so much more fun.

Jeongyeon pushed herself back up, her brows threading together at the sensation of Sana getting pushed deeper inside her because of the movement. Sana quickly reached up, cupping her mouth with one hand, her other hand starting to rub her clit again, even fucking harder than before.

“Yeah- sorry, Jeongyeon got sick.” Sana replied evenly, raising her voice just loud enough so Jihyo could hear. “We’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Oh, oh god- do you need help?” Jihyo asked, concerned. She started to fidget with the doorknob. “Here, let me in-”

“No, it’s okay!” Sana replied, pressing her fingers down harder.

Jeongyeon’s body shuddered, a small squeak escaping her lips. Sana clamped her hand down even harder.

“Are you sure? Did she throw up or something?” Jihyo asked.

“Yeah- she drank too much. It’s okay though, promise! I’ve got it handled.” Sana answered, her voice still completely calm as she continued to work at Jeongyeon. “We’ll be out in a few minutes.”

By then, Jeongyeon’s eyes had rolled to the back of her head. Her body was completely limp as she laid against Sana, letting the younger girl do whatever she pleased. Each pass of her fingers over the sensitive nub caused Jeongyeon to tremble, her hips jerking, the toy that was still nestled inside her pressing even deeper. Jihyo was still standing at the door, the floor creaking each time she shifted her weight, seemingly unaware about what the two of them were actually doing. The whole scene was fucking absurd.

But clearly, Jeongyeon was enjoying this. And Sana was, too.

“I mean- I’ll just wait here until you’re done.” Jihyo said. “I can help if you need!”

Sana needed to push it even further.

“Jeongyeonie.” She whispered, just loud enough for only the two of them to hear.

Jeongyeon finally came to, blinking a few times before looking at her in the mirror again. She didn’t reply, couldn’t.

“You gonna cum just like this?” Sana murmured, smirking. “With my cock so deep in you while your best friend is right outside that door?”

Jeongyeon exhaled deeply, a moment passing before she nodded rapidly. Sana bucked her hips again, the hand that was still working at her clit pressing down even harder. The tiny bathroom was practically shaking from the music downstairs, just loud enough to muffle everything.

It was the perfect opportunity to test Jeongyeon’s limits.

“Bet you want her to see you like this, huh?” Sana pressed further. “Want her to watch as your mommy absolutely ruins you? Want her to know just how much of a disgusting little slut you really are?”

The faintest whine escaped Jeongyeon’s lips, her fists clenching at her sides, tears welling in her eyes as they fell closed again. Sana had her right where she wanted her.

“I could reach over and open that door right now, if I really wanted to. Let Jihyo watch you right as you broke. You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

Jeongyeon just kept nodding, grinding her hips back against Sana’s front. After a particularly harsh movement, she shuddered.

“C-Close.” She managed to whisper through gritted teeth, her voice still muffled by Sana’s hand. “Mommy, please let me cum. Please.”

So fucking filthy.

“Go ahead, baby.” Sana said, her voice coming out honey-sweet next to Jeongyeon’s ear. “Cum for me. And for her, too. Put on a show for us, puppy.”

Jeongyeon just kept nodding as she rocked her hips back in perfect timing with Sana’s fingers swiping under the hood of her clit. The sensation of it made Jeongyeon finally break, her jaw falling open in a silent scream as she trembled violently. Sana quickly moved her hand from her mouth down, wrapping it around her waist to keep her upright. Her other hand stayed pressed against the now very swollen bundle of nerves, rubbing gentle circles into it to help guide Jeongyeon through. Sana pressed a few kisses to the side of her face, not really minding the lipstick smears it left behind.

When Jeongyeon finally came back down to earth, her breath evening out and her body shuddering from the overstimulation, Sana pulled away. She finally stepped back, ungluing herself from the older girl as she slowly pulled the strap out of her. Jeongyeon did her best to hold back a whimper at the feeling, leaning forward to hold the countertop.

Talk about a show.

“So good.” Sana whispered, helping Jeongyeon get her clothes back on. “Did so good, Jeongie.”

Jeongyeon finally turned around, facing the younger girl. Her face and neck were red, her forehead covered in sweat, lipstick marks all over her cheek. She leaned back against the counter, a blissed out smile on her lips as she held her arms out for Sana. The whole scene was beyond cheesy, even for Sana’s hopelessly romantic self. But the moment Jeongyeon finally opened her now watery eyes, tilting her head to the side just like a little puppy expecting a treat, Sana couldn’t resist. She’d really never be able to resist her sweet girl.

She let Jeongyeon pull her in by her waist, trying her best to not let the stupid strap get in the way. Eventually she just gave up, choosing to settle between Jeongyeon’s legs, the toy awkwardly pressing against the older girl’s stomach. Both of them giggled softly as they kissed, Sana smiling brightly against Jeongyeon’s lips.

But, of course, the moment she opened her mouth to say something, that’s when Jihyo knocked on the door again. Go figure.

“Yah! Sana?” Jihyo asked. “You promise she’s alright?”

“She’s good, Ji! She’s so good!” Her voice dropped, low enough for only the two of them to hear, her thumbs coming up to wipe a few lingering tears away from the corners of Jeongyeon’s eyes. “So, so good.”

“Alright.” Jihyo said, clearly annoyed. “I’m gonna go wait downstairs. Nayeon wants to leave when you two get back, but take your time.”

“We’ll be down in a few minutes!” Sana said, cupping Jeongyeon’s face in her hands as she ran her thumbs across the apples of her cheeks. “Just need some time alone, okay?”

“Whatever you say, girl.” Jihyo said, her voice a bit distant, as if she was facing away from the door. “I’d have left her to die, personally.”

Jeongyeon couldn’t help but snort. Sana rolled her eyes.

“And that’s why you’re the best friend and I’m the girlfriend, Park Jihyo!”

“Yah! As if I’d ever want to date that!” Jihyo argued back. There was a small sigh from the other side of the door. “You’re a saint, really, Sana. You’re really good to her.”

Sana looked up at Jeongyeon with a soft smile. The older girl just nodded before leaning in to peck her lips again. A few moments passed before, finally, Jihyo walked away. Sana and Jeongyeon both let out the breath they’d been holding for what felt like hours, sighing with relief as they held each other.

“How you feeling?” Sana whispered, laying her head against Jeongyeon’s shoulder.

“Incredibly sober.” She answered dryly. “But good. That was… Fun. Very fun.”

“You seemed to really enjoy it, baby.” Sana teased, earning a small noise of protest from her girlfriend. “We’ll have to have a talk about all of that later. Didn’t know you had all that in you.”

“God- I know, I know. Really, I didn’t know I did.” Jeongyeon huffed out, wrapping her arms around Sana’s waist even tighter than before. “And frankly, I didn’t know you did, either.”

Jeongyeon shifted just a bit, grimacing.

“I’m gonna be sore for days.”

“Aw, but you like that.”

“I do. Only for you, though.”

Sana looked up at her, squinting.

“Better not be for anyone else.” She said, her cheeks puffed out with a pout. “You’re mine, Jeongyeonie.”

Jeongyeon just smiled, rolling her eyes.

“I’m yours. No one else’s.”

They kissed a few more times before Sana finally pulled away, reminding Jeongyeon that they had to leave. And, reminding her that they were very much not finished. Jeongyeon awkwardly stared at the floor, her cheeks turning red when Sana casually guided one of her hands down between her thighs, allowing her to feel just how wet she was. Jeongyeon repeatedly reassured her she’d handle it the moment they got home as she took the toy out of the harness and washed it in the sink. Sana stayed pressed against her back the entire time, watching her work.

It was cute how embarrassed Jeongyeon got after everything was said and done. She whined when Sana looked over her shoulder, told her to go away, tried to make it so Sana couldn’t see what she was doing. It was adorable. Her big, strong butch that was secretly the neediest person on the whole planet. No one got to see that side of her, only Sana. And Sana loved her more than anything or anyone else.

The two of them slightly panicked when they couldn’t find anything to dry the toy off with. Sana started opening cabinets, thankfully stumbling across a roll of paper towels underneath the sink. They awkwardly dried the toy off, putting it back in the harness, and Sana turned around so Jeongyeon couldn’t see her tucking the toy back into her shorts. The older girl whined, wanting to know how Sana did it, but Sana just shooed her away as she finally pulled her skirt back up. She had her secrets, always had to keep Jeongyeon guessing, after all.

“You have to act like you were in here puking when we go back downstairs.” Sana said as she took a wet paper towel to Jeongyeon’s cheek, wiping the lipstick stains off. She ran her hand through Jeongyeon’s hair, ruffling it just a bit. “Good thing you already look a little disheveled.”

“Hey-” Jeongyeon pouted. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means-” Sana said as she threw the paper towel away. “You look fucked out, baby.”

Jeongyeon mashed her lips together, her cheeks turning red as she looked down at the floor. There was no way in hell she was gonna let this incident go, but she’d teased enough already. They had other things to be doing, anyways.

“It’s cute.” Sana said, cupping Jeongyeon’s cheek. “You’re cute.”

Jeongyeon rolled her eyes.

“Whatever.”

She smiled softly.

“I love you. Thanks for this.”

“I love you, too.” Sana replied, patting down her skirt before giving herself one last look over in the mirror.

Before she could say anything, Jeongyeon had already pulled her lipstick out of the pocket of her jeans. She silently handed it over to Sana, who quickly reapplied it, making sure she looked remotely decent. The moment she put the cap back on, Jeongyeon was already taking it back from her, sliding it back into her pocket (with the rest of Sana’s “necessities”) for safekeeping.

Jeongyeon was just as good to her, really. So, so good.

“You know I’ll always take care of you, baby.” She said, finally turning around and nudging Jeongyeon’s shoulder. “Now c’mon. You owe me big time for this little stunt.”

Jeongyeon couldn’t argue with that. In fact, she had other ideas of what she could be doing instead- ones that would be way better done in their own bed back at their place. Sana gave her a quick kiss before finally pulling her out of the bathroom, the sounds of the party becoming much more clear and bright as they stepped into the hallway. There were cheers of students clearly playing some game, the sound of music and laughter spilling up the stairs. Sana gave Jeongyeon one last look, smiling coyly. Jeongyeon shook her head incredulously before going to lean on Sana’s shoulder, making sure they’d be able to fake their way out of anyone questioning if she was really sick or not.

So maybe frat parties weren’t that bad. If it meant they’d get to do that again, they’d definitely be going. For the free booze, they’d say. But hopefully no one would ever find out why they were really there.

[poppitron360]

Ok so in another post I talked about all the reasons why Valzhang is better than Caleo, and I wanted to do one on Valgrace as well (lmk if this should become a series).

Bear in mind I am only on HoH- I haven’t read all of the Caleo bits yet, but I know she ain’t gonna treat him right.

I was originally SUPER sceptical about Valgrace (“I ship them platonically” “Jason is the Token Straight Friend”) and while I don’t think it was ever cannon I 100% THINK IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

Seriously, my eyes have been opened to Valgrace, to the point where the fanfic I’m writing about them currently clocks in at around 5,934 words.

I am OBSESSED. It is a PROBLEM.

And some of the fanarts/fanfics of them are SO CUTE I COULD DIE- it was hard NOT to ship them after reading some of y’all’s stuff. Keep up the good work.

Anyway buckle up ‘cause I’m ‘bouta write a whole dam essay on this.

1. The whole appeal of Jason Grace’s character is that he sees through your insecurities and lifts you up because he is too pure for this world. So narratively speaking, why is he with the most stable character? Yeah, Piper’s got issues, but compared to the others? She’s doing pretty well for herself. I mean, her parents are ALIVE!! Wouldn’t it just make more sense, narratively speaking, to put Jason with the MOST insecure character??? He can support Leo, help him in his arc, and it would give Jason a time to shine by highlighting his best qualities.

2. Throughout most of the books, Jason is the ONLY ONE who actually consistently sees through Leo’s mask. Everyone else’s POV of Leo is “Haha Leo said something funny and goofy and we’re all trying to be serious here, Leo. Gods, he’s soooo annoying!”, whereas Jason’s POV is like “Jason could see that Leo was desperately trying to keep it together for the good of the group, and he thought that was noble and brave and good and kind and awesome.” Like I said above, he’s able to lift Leo up because he sees him, and knows him. Something Calypso never did. There are several interactions, during TLH particularly, where Jason is just like “Hey, Leo? You are great. You are awesome. You have saved our lives multiple times. Whatever just went wrong, it wasn’t your fault. Stop beating yourself up about everything. You are a valued and respected member of this team. I love and appreciate you.” And Leo still puts up those walls with the jokes and the sarcastic remarks, and Jason is nothing but patient with him. Calypso was never like that.

3. I can’t find the line in the book, but there’s a bit in HoH where Jason’s worrying about the “To Storm or Fire, the World must fall” line in the prophecy, and he says words to the effect of “I like living, but I’d rather I die than Leo, anyway horses-” and seriously?? Rick missed a trick by not making them a couple. There is WAY more potential for angst if there’s that romantic feeling involved, knowing one of them is going to die, and both being willing to sacrifice themselves for one another like this is “Merchant of Venice” or something (I will explain the obscure Shakespeare reference in the comments). Calypso would never give up her LIFE for Leo, and Leo would only give up his because she’s hot.

4. Okay, most of this is copy-pasted from my post about Valzhang, but it still applies, and it applies to them maybe more so. They get so much more time together to establish a meaningful relationship. Their arc carries over all five books, and we get to form connections as a reader to them both, so the payoff is a lot more satisfying. Unlike Calypso, Jason is his own character separately, and not just an add-on to Leo’s arc. Their friendship is a key focus in their chapters, and a key point in their character development, as Jason is the first person Leo ever opens up to about his mom. When Calypso showed up, Leo had already gone through that journey of letting down those walls, so it was a lot less meaningful. They had little to no time to develop a relationship, and we never get a chance to care about Calypso as a person. She’s just kind of a plot point for Leo/Percy’s own development, and never her own character.

5. What separates Leo and Calypso from the other relationships in the series is that they were not written for each other. Frank and Hazel? Written for each other. Jason and Piper? Written for each other. Percy and Annabeth? FUCKING WRITTEN TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER. Cal was brought in during BoTL to cockblock Percabeth, and then Rick realised Leo “needed” a girlfriend, so picked her. But you know what two characters were written to be best friends right from the get-go? Like literally it’s established in the first couple pages of the first book? Jason and Leo. Much like how Valzhang were always meant to be rivals, Jason and Leo were always meant to be best friends.

6. Like I said in the last post, Leo doesn’t NEED a girlfriend. He can heal his trauma with friends and found family, learning to love and accept himself, learning that he doesn’t actually need the attention of a hot girl to be valid. Jason is the best person to help him on that journey, seeing as how his character thrives in uplifting others. The only person who ever loved Leo unconditionally died when he was eight. His blood relatives abandoned him, and he clearly wasn’t treated very well in the foster homes. He constantly feels like he has to work to prove he’s earned his place among the Seven because for him, family has never been a guarantee. Jason cares for Leo even when he’s fucked up, even when he’s a crying mess on the floor, even when he feels most like he doesn’t deserve to be cared for. Leo thinks he needs the attention of a hot girl to give him validation. What he really needs is to find a place among his brethren- and Jason offers him that place.

So, kids, that was it for today’s edition of “Why Literally Any Ship Is Better Than Caleo”. Tune in next time for our fav ✨trauma twinsies✨ Valdangelo!

[spro-o]

i noticed that in your art you referred to gowther as auncle and that had me kicking my feet so may you please spare your nnt gender/sexuality headcanons and fave ships? hope your exams have gone/are going well and that you have a great weekend :D

*laughs evilly* yes,,,, my time to shine,,, >:3

thank you very much for the ask!! indeed i would love to share my queer hcs and favourite ships for the gang!!

hcs (heads up, some references to horny preferences)

Meliodas:

trans man (he/him) (im not projecting, trust) (lie)

pansexual

he has a very high libido/pervy tendencies, yes, but also an equally strong potential for romantic love - i do think of him as quite the possessive/protective type on a very deep emotional level, he just covers it up by acting like a perv all the time (something something traumatised and doesnt want others to see him caring for people since he fears they will take them away from him)

top-leaning switch and much freakier than his appearances may lead some to believe

Diane:

cis woman (she/her)

bisexual

has definitely kissed elizabeth multiple times on their "girl's nights/sleepovers"

the type to blush and fawn over every woman in existence,,,, and her husband too ig

pegs king on the regular

Ban:

masc-alligned genderqueer (he/they) (not projecting again) (another lie)

bisexual

finds men and women attractive at about an even ratio

he picks his clothing to be so slutty for a reason (queer signalling + hes a sucker for that kind of attention, though he might act like he doesnt care) (he cares most when said attention comes from meliodas, which is affirmed every time mel takes the chance to feel him up)

bottom-leaning switch and the most masochistic masochist you ever will meet

King:

cis man (he/him)

bisexual (god damn all these bitches bi ‼️‼️)

i think we all know how king discovered his like of men (,,, cough,, helbram,,)

yeah helbram definitely pull a couple of those 'leaning in for a kiss/doing some other gay shit' stunts as a joke and was like haha got you and king was just sat there, bright red, blood streaming down his nose

denied these stunts had any effect on him whatsoever

gets pegged by diane on the regular

Gowther:

non-binary (they/them) (intersex??? i mean, theyre a doll, probably got interchangeable parts lmao)

demisexual and demiromantic gay/queer

they dont really have a specific label to describe what genders theyre attracted to, its just sorta 'anything goes if we vibe', and its gay either way, so they keep it broad

as mentioned, theyre referred to by gender-neutral titles, but dont mind the occasional "miss ma'am" for comedic effect

tends to prefer bottoming, but not exclusively

Merlin:

nb trans woman (she/they)

aro-spec lesbian

shes never had much luck or want for romantic relationships but has definitely had her fair share of thotin around with women

very skilled at rizzing up said women, but its really a 50/50 whether shes doing so to get someone laid or to acquire her next social-experiment subject (whom she will also probably dick down later, who knows)

Escanor:

cis man,,,, he/him

straight,,

sorry yall, gotta have the token straight ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

tho i do hc as being aware of the fact that merlin wont return his feelings, but having accepted that, so all the poetry he writes for her is more of a sign of appreciation of her as a friend, and not as an attempt to hit on her

Bonus!!

Elizabeth:

cis woman (she/her)

pansexual

the type to have gotten so so many crushes when she was younger,,, finding everyone really attractive and charming, and as a result being the most easily flustered person ever

as each sin rejoined the group, shed have her mandatory moment of "oh god,,,, its another very very hot/attractive person"

switch, but very gentle and caring no matter the position

Elaine:

demigirl (she/they)

sapphic

very easily flustered (extremely weak for elizabeth)

pillow princessing all over the place

Zeldris:

non-binary (he/they/xe)

bisexual, with a preference for women

tends to be pretty resistant to flirtatious remarks and whatnot, but is the absolute weakest when its from gelda (professional simp /pos)

,,,, also a massive bottom, but i digest

Gelda:

trans woman (she/her, also doesnt mind they/them)

demiromantic bisexual

knows exactly the effect she has on zeldris, but loves pretending she has no idea

shell say "oh, sorry just need to grad a book from the shelf behind you" and then get her boobs as close to zel's face as possible without making skin contact, and stay there until xe's gone bright red

hung

ships:

Melban - obviously, this one goes kinda goes without saying for me. i absolutely love the dynamic between these two, and their shared history as well. they are both very much sick in the head and have so many issues they each struggle with, but at the same time they cant take anything seriously. there are countless interactions between them which are just so so homoerotic, if not just really sweet. these two quite literally will go to hell and back for the other without a second thought, and i adore that (say its bros bein dude all you want, you cant convince me they didnt fuck in purgatory and on many other occasions)

Elilaine - theyre like melban but less punchy, more of the "normal about expressing love for the other". i know there arent many deep interactions between Elizabeth and Elaine, but i just, once again, think that they have a really adorable dynamic and would just make for the most lovely couple (with equally deceivingly harmless looks, but very much the potential to whoop ass if need be)

Geldris - these two, despite canonically being just a straight couple, are one of the most queer duos in the damn series,,, they just are, man, idk. big fan of them both being very gothic and stuff, and obviously im a sucker for how much zeldris buckles at the knees for anything gelda does,,, love them

Hendreyfus - old,,, old man yaoi my beloved (i just think theyre really adorable and are like and old married couple - very cutes!!) (also yeah old men)

i also do love the rarepair (? polycule) of all time, that being melban x elilaine,,, we should have seen more interactions between mel and elaine, and between ellie and ban!! they definitely got up to all sorts of stuff, i just know it

anyways!! thank you very much for the ask!! thankfully i only have one more exam left on monday and then im free from those :,) i hope you have a lovely day!! :D

[mini-golden]

⚠️ Spoilers for Chapter 357 ⚠️

Kinda... Not talking about the actual chapter cause I can't even AHHHH but an event that happened is mentioned so I'm going to put that little spoiler warning

This may just be wishful thinking but I hope now that Felix is out we get to see other characters exploring queerness a little bit. BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY FELIX WILL BE WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS AND A VERY HEARTFELT WE STILL LOVE YOU FELIX. Obviously this is fiction but like realistically queer people tend to gravitate towards each other. Like the domino effect is so real, I came out as bi (don't identify as bi anymore) in like year 7 and now my entire childhood friend group of 4 are all queer. I wasn't the one to create the domino effect in my high school friend group cause our group kept on getting mashed together with others throughout the years untill we have everyone we have now. Which is 3 queer people, 2 token straights and 1 unlabelled. It is the 1920-30s so I don't expect it to be explicit but like a couple lines here and there would be cool.

Genuinely a bit scared to see how the characters will react. I think most of them will be chill with it but I will honestly be upset if they are not. Granny is literally in her like 80s I'm sure she's had a conversation with a queer person in her life before. Red is a nurse, you kinda have to or should be a caring and understanding person to be a nurse. I don't think Dr. Oddswell would care like at all, Felix is helping and he trusts this person who he's knew since Felix was in college (I think).

I did a pole recently on Jerry and homophobic gay man won so there's that, no one cares what Jerry thinks though. He is a little snitch though so he better not tell anyone because omfg. The Warners will obviously be chill, if we're lucky we could get reference to non-binary Wakko. Same with Mr. Toad and Dr. Scratchy. Albert seems like a kind old man I think he'll be chill. John honestly gives me gay vibes so. Cuphead is so bisexual coded, I'm so convinced this man had a gay lover in his past. I think Bendy would ask questions and then be chill with it. I think his reaction would be 'oh so like the lesbians in hell, I didn't know you could like the same gender, that's good to know'. I hope Holly is told, I want to see her reaction cause I genuinely don't really know how she would react specifically to Fanny being the one who outed Felix. I feel like she would give the house a very passionate speech on how great Felix is and how the fact that he likes men doesn't diminish all that he's done for the house. Also Holly is just a great ally, that one Holly's Journal chapter when she was figuring out queer people exist was like 'how to be a good ally 101'. I did not mean to make this as long as it is, I just talk a lot.

[mazzystar24]

What I don't get is why people think it's problematic to still wish for Buddie. Like isn't it worse to be happy just because he's with a dude now. Like so you didn't ship Buddie for their amazing chemistry and history, you just shipped them because they were two hot dudes.

(This is not directed at people who are enjoying Tevan for the ride, this is about people who jumped completely)

((obviously bi Buck is important, but I don't think seeing it as a step towards Buddie is bad. We've been waiting for something like this for so many years))

Sorry but this is all that’s in my head^^

But yes yay now I get to have my rant-

The fact that so many people genuinely just wanted buck to end up with a dude is just

Look there is wanting representation which I GET I am all for

Then there is not caring about anything to do with that representation as long as you see two hot guys kiss

Representation without substance, meaning and actually changing what we usually see on screen is just so surface level

and listen we are ALL guilty of that thing where we hear about a show with a queer couple and we instantly get excited and rush over there but some of these people don’t give a shit about the storylines as a whole, the characters as a whole, character development, etc all those things that make representation MATTER

Like we aren’t just happy that bi buck is canon because oh look here’s a bi man character

No we are happy because we got to see his development we got to see his insecurities, history, his personality and his bond with these other characters through the years. Now look I’m not saying oh look at this fictional character think about his feelings, I’m saying that characters and their complexities drive a story they are what make me invested whether it’s a book a movie or show, and to not care about any of that just for the sake of tokenism is insane to me

I also feel it bares mentioning that this is one of the RARE times that this representation in media isn’t a case of tokenism like they’ve taken a character and built him and built the show and built the dynamics outside of his sexuality and made it canon in season SEVEN like Tim and Oliver and the entire team did something we don’t see much or ANY of in media like the way they made it is like we have this journey with the character like it’s a double blind test ( sorry I’m revising for a psych exam rn and my brain can only use that analogy) and until the reveal seven years in we don’t know for sure even if there have been inklings and people are more focused on the fact that oh look some hot dude kisses another in this show

Like genuinely ship what you want to ship and enjoy the time but don’t disregard meaningful potential representation which would have 1. A character navigating sexuality in a situation as complex as Eddie’s 2. A gay couple which wasn’t planned and they actually listened to fans for 3. A well done queer slow burn with the same gravity and meaningfulness that straight slowburns get

Thank you for the opportunity to rant anon🫡

Sorry for the long ass reply😭😭

Edit: also wanna add that yes I’m in analysing media mode because I also have sociology revision on representation in media🤭🤭

[breyito]

Fear your sins, not your monsters: Part Three: Paths Converging

Continuation of Day 1 and 2 of @painlandweek

Part 1 Part 2 Chapters: 3/5 Fandom: Dead Boy Detectives (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence Relationships: Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne/Charles Rowland, Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne & Charles Rowland, Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne & Crystal Palace Characters: Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne, Charles Rowland (DCU) Additional Tags: Protective Edwin Paine | Edwin PayneUnhinged Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne, Violence, Torture, Hurt Charles Rowland (DCU), Sickfic, love language: acts of service, painlandweek, BAMF Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne, Angst with a Happy Ending

Here on AO3

A/N: Hello! I'm so, so sorry about the delay! My ADHD has been kicking my ass for the last couple of weeks and istg i feel like i can't do anything. Anyways. I had to split this chapter in half, cause it was getting ridiculously long again, and I wasnt going to finish the rest of it today. (I have this new app on my phone that is voice-to-text and it changed my life! All the dialogues i keep forgetting bc of lack of energy to write i can just *dictate* and it feels so good lol. It also lenghtened this quite a bit, tho.) No moodboard for this one either, not yet. I'll try to make one tomorrow (or in a few hours, as it is, once again, 5am). No beta and English is not my native language, so any mistakes please point them out. I hope you enjoy this one! I'm very curious about what you'll think of this one ;P Oh, WARNING:This contains violence, threats of rape towards Charles and other children's souls, etc.

Part Three: Paths Converging

They headed back to the office. On the way, Crystal with her phone in her ear, Edwin had explained the general gist of things to her. Mainly that the other ghost hadn’t known the location of the lair of the witch, but had visited a few times. To allow him to travel there via mirror, she had given him a token attuned to him and his energy. They could use the token, but not to travel with it more than once; and definitely not to escape the place. (Not to mention that Crystal would have never let Edwin go on his own alone, without even the possibility of helping him. She was glad, still, that the ghost boy had not even suggested that.)

“So how can we use it?” she asked, looking right at him, as she plopped down on the couch. They were inside the office now and nosy taxi drivers couldn’t watch her suspiciously anymore. Also, she was exhausted and couldn’t bother with more acting for a couple of hours.

Edwin had gone straight to the massive pile of books on top of every single flat surface, including boxes full of files. He had looked at the books covering the desk for a full thirty seconds and then sent a wave of the black smoke at them, and they actually began moving on their own towards the floor. Crystal was…ignoring that for now, for the sake of her sanity. (How many things was she already ignoring?)

“I think I can combine a couple of rituals to create a sort of…tether, between Charles and myself.” he replied to her, as he removed his outer layers. “This would, basically, allow us to communicate with him and follow his energy to the place where the witch has absconded him.”

“Don’t tethers usually need something more physical to work?” she questioned, curious. At least that’s what the book she had been reading before their last case went wildly off course had said. Maybe the black smoke allowed him to tweak the limits?

“I have something more physical of his.” Edwin said, touching Charles’ necklace still around his neck. ”And for me, well, some blood or the ghost equivalent should work.”  His eyes showed his mind went far, far away for a couple of moments. She said nothing, remembering the sudden rush of cold, dark, wet she had felt the last time she touched it. Edwin eventually shook off the melancholy and straightened his posture.

“I will need to compile the different arrays and rites I need to build this ritual. It will take me at least a few hours, so I suggest you rest up.” 

“Are you sure I can’t help you…?” she asked, despite knowing he probably wouldn’t let her. Building rituals from scratch was a whole new area and she had exactly zero experience with that.

“Crystal.” He sighed, already spreading an alarming amount of books on the now clean desk. “I don’t mean to be rude, but unless you have a working knowledge of any of the Celtic languages, Aramaic, Latin or Fuþorc Runes I’ll ask you to keep out of it.”

“Okay, okay.” she rolled her eyes. Kicking her shoes off, she got comfortable on the couch and covered herself with the blanket.  “But wake me up if you need to leave, alright?” she mumbled, half asleep already. “I don’t wanna panic if you’re not there when I wake up…”

Several hours later, Edwin shook her awake. Still woozy from sleep, she understood he needed a specific kind of knife he didn’t have but knew where to get. And that he had to travel by mirror to the place. She mumbled her understanding to him, and he left. 

It was only when she was about to drop back into a deep sleep that her brain actually zoned in to the important part. She sat up on the couch so suddenly she felt dizzy.

“ Esther Finch’s fucking house!?” she yelled at the flat mirror, frustrated beyond belief. “Are you shitting me , Edwin!?” she cursed at the empty office. She creamed into the pillow a bit more, then got up. At least this should give her time to shower.

—-- —-- —--

—-- —-- —--

Edwin really doesn’t want to go back to Port Townsend. The place was bleak, damp and filled with memories of suffering. Whether it is mental, emotional or physical; he’d experienced more pain in that little town in a single month than in the rest of the world in the last fifteen years. 

But Charles was missing. Taken by another witch with a penchant for sick, twisted games and children’s pain. The ritual he came up with was novel and needed every single element to work. The dagger was fundamental. Edwin could not risk wasting more time looking for another knife with the same qualities when he already knew the location of one.

So he travelled to Port Townsend via mirror. He landed in Crystal’s old room above Jenny’s shop, and walked up to the house in a disguise. It was better than trying to travel directly inside Finch’s house, which surely had enchantments against ghosts using her mirrors that way.

As soon as his feet landed inside a ten metre radius, he could feel the repellent wards telling him to go away. This magic felt different than Finch’s. Probably the Cat King, then. Or maybe Tragic Mick? He ignored the compulsion, and kept walking up the path into the porch. 

He took off his glasses before reaching the stairs, and became his true self again. A loud caw immediately greeted him. He paused and looked back,  and saw Monty in his true form on a tree branch. The pause allowed the crow to land in the handrail of the porch, exuding an air of disapproval. Edwin sighed. 

“I need to get something from inside this house.” he said, focusing on one of the crows’ eyes. “I’m not going to-” he paused before he promised something he couldn’t keep. Because he couldn’t promise not to hurt someone with what he took from inside. “I’m going to get something from inside this house.” He said instead. “And you are not going to stop me.”

Monty lifted into the air, agitated, cowing. His wings produced so much wind that Edwin took a step back, but then straightened up and pulled his notebook and held it open with one hand.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Monty.” he stated. “But I will if you try to stop me.” His other hand opened and a bright orange flame erupted, tinged with wisps of black. An alarmed cry made Edwin feel like garbage, but he held the flame on his palm. In control, but ready to attack.

The crow flew off then, shrill caws on his way. Edwin took a deep breath and extinguished the fire, wiping his hand on his coat. He pocketed his notebook and climbed the stairs. Fortunately, he went in as easily as he had done for Becky.

By the time Edwin had found the dagger, and snatched a book that looked like it had been involved in the creation of the ghastly machine that so much pain it had caused him; it was already too late. He felt a pulse of energy from outside, and cursed under his breath. He could try to undo the spells on the mirrors of the house, but that would take too long. So he sighed and marched outside. 

“Edwin, Edwin, Edwin. You don't write, you don't call…” the Cat King said with a fake moue. Edwin looked up and saw Monty flying in circles above their heads. Little snitch , he thought, resentful.

“Cat King.” he said, nodding in respect, trying to walk around him. “I'm just leaving.” But diplomacy never worked on him. 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” The other man clicked his tongue, stepping in Edwin’s path. The ghost boy stopped where he was, not willing to get closer.

“What do you think you are doing, entering the house of the Wicked Witch of the West?” The shapeshifter asked, sauntering around him. He was wearing heeled boots, and it added a little height difference that irked Edwin.  

“I already have what I came here looking for. Now, if you please, I'm in a hurry.” Edwin tried to give another step, but the Cat King walked closer again, forcing him to step back. He was not putting himself in reach again. Monty cowed, flying faster, agitated.

“No. I don't think I please.” he tilted his head. “Knowledge like Esther's is dangerous. And I just can't let you leave with something dangerous.” The trickster’s tone was still playful, and it was grating on Edwin’s nerves.

“Knowledge is just knowledge.” the detective said, exasperated. “And I'm not asking you for permission.” he countered, snappish, head held high. “You're wasting my time .” The Cat King’s eyes shone.

“You should always have time for me, dear.” he said, smile cutting. “I can always just trap you here again, Edwin.” He offered, the smile still on.

“...And I can always start killing your subjects until you let me leave. But we are not doing that, are we, Thomas? ” he smirked back, biting. There was something cold in those green eyes that made the shifter want to shiver. The faint wisps of black coming up from the ground were certainly unnerving. Monty screeched in alarm and abruptly landed on a branch several metres down. 

“You know my name.” the Cat King realised, stepping back. 

“I do. I know a lot of things about you now.” the ghost added, taking a step forward. “You like to play games . But I already knew that, from last time.” Edwin took another step closer. “The difference is, Charles is not with me right now. And I don't have a lot of patience for games when he is in danger.” he snarled. 

“So that is why you're doing this? For him? You came all the way to America, to the house where you were tortured in, just for him ?” Thomas asked, indignant.

“I would do many more things for him.” Edwin stated, staring right into those yellow eyes, daring. The shifter scoffed, leaning closer, looking down at the ghost.

“Like threatening me?” The man asked, incredulous.

“I'm not threatening you. I'm warning you.” Edwin said, looking up, teeth bared. It looked more like a show of aggression from a cornered animal than a smile. “You're either on my side, or standing in my fucking way. And I'll get through anything standing in my way to get to him.” Their faces were only a few centimetres apart now, noses almost touching.

Thomas knew, in that moment, that Edwin was being completely honest. He seemed not to care a single bit what could happen to him as long as he could leave to go help his little friend. Nor what enemies he could leave behind. The Cat King felt a bit peeved about it, quite hot under the collar, and a lot jealous. That kind of loyalty to another person, to the point of detriment to yourself? He’d never felt it nor had he had it. It was alluring , damn it.   

“Deathly little thing, aren’t you?” he whispered to this mysterious boy, unwillingly feeling more attracted to him still. The tension between them finally broke when Edwin’s lips formed a teasing smile and his eyes softened a little.

“Only when I have to.” he whispered back, before breaking his gaze and pressing the faintest of kisses on Thomas’ jaw, surprising him. He then sidestepped him and walked out of the yard. 

By the time the Cat King turned around, Edwin was already jumping into a puddle, travelling to where he needed to be. Monty cowed twice and Thomas felt the hidden amusement.

“Oh, shut it, bird-boy. Like you didn’t defy your witch for him, even after he rejected you.” he snapped. 

—-- —-- —--

—-- —-- —--

Charles woke up all at once, gasping. He was sopping wet and chained to the ceiling. The metal of the chains was iron, and they were burning every part of his body that touched them. He was still only wearing his trousers, felt his extremities numb with cold and some of his curls had crusted over with ice.

When his eyes got used to the dim room, he could see it was the same basement he had been trapped in since the beginning. The only real difference was that he wasn’t alone this time. There was a woman on the corner, deep in the shadows. For what he could see, she was pretty fit. Charles might have looked twice if he had seen her on the street.  But with her wild blonde hair, tight red dress and tall boots; she looked like she was wearing a halloween costume that couldn’t decide if it was vampire or witch. A large white spider, with its eyes closed, peacefully placed inside her hair didn’t help matters. He had almost missed it.

“You’re finally awake!” she cheered, getting closer. “Now we can finally get started .” her grin was dangerous and the boy felt a shiver go down his spine.

Taking advantage of the fact that his feet barely touch the ground, she spun him around, making him lose balance. His knee buckled under him and his whole weight was left suspended from his shoulders until he managed to find his footing again. He was trembling even worse  after that, and tears of frustration began leaking from his eyes.

“Are you crying? How cute .” she cooed, grabbing his face and licking the trail the drop had left on his cheek. ”I’d give you a comfort kiss, but I don’t snog anyone that’s not my man.”

“You. Are. Crazy.” Charles said, leaning away from her. The spider opened its eyes and winked with half of them, waving two of its legs. The shivers got worse.

“Don’t be like that, poppet. Everything I’m doing is for love.”

“ Love ?” he repeated, sceptical. 

“Yes! I’m gonna get the love of my life back, and you’re gonna help me.”

“I don’t know anything about love potions or spells; we don’t mess with that shite.” Charles explained, weary. The witch snorted, the spider wiggled, like it was laughing too. (Was this her familiar? Did it share the same amount of sentience as Monty? Somehow, that thought was terrifying).

“Pffff, I don’t mean like that . My boo and I were tragically separated when he was killed by the police and then he got dragged to Hell! ” she huffed. “Like, what even? I just want him back .” 

Usually, Charles was willing to give everyone a chance to explain themselves. It’s not like the system was flawless. Good souls could be sent to Hell, like it had happened with Edwin. 

However, since he was still shivering from the literal torture this woman had put him through (torture she implied her ‘boo’ would enjoy); he would go out on a limb an bet the bloke completely deserved his tenure in Hell.

“And why was he killed by the police?” he asked anyway, already tired of dealing with this. The chat was a step up from the freezing water, but the talk itself so far was three steps down from the earlier solitude.

“Because his stupid best friend and he decided to rob a bank!” she exclaimed, clearly miffed. This time, when she grabbed him to spin him around, her nails left deep scratches, burning and bleeding. This bitch had iron in her nail polish, apparently. “They were caught doing that. I mean, you have to give it to the pigs. They really messed up on that one.”she laughed. “They were caught and got done in as fucking robbers. They didn't even search their flat! They just killed them and left them at the morgue.  They never found out that we were the ones dropping the mangled bodies everywhere.”

“You're sick.” Charles said, swallowing, as he found his rooting again. 

“Oh, baby, of course I am. Didn't I tell you already? I love making people break, playing with them.” She licked her lips, seductive. The ghost boy just felt nauseous. “What I love even more is watching my man do it for me. And that's why you're going to help me bring him back.”

“From Hell ?” He asked, incredulous. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn't help you. Edwin is the one with the knowledge of Hell and its paths, not me. You chose the wrong one of us to kidnap.”

“I don’t think I did. Word is, you are the one that I saved him from hell this time.” she smiled.  She put her extended arm on his shoulder and placed her weight on the claw-like nails sinking in the muscle there. He felt blood dripping down his back. The spider began walking down her shoulder and onto her arm. Leaning in until their faces almost touched, she looked him dead in the eyes, despite his efforts to keep the blasted thing in his line of sight. 

“I did, yeah.” He admitted. “But I had help. I had someone else, much more powerful than I or you ever could be. They opened a portal down to Hell and they kept it open until we got back. You can't do that.” He swallowed. “Can you?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking, now looking at the spider.

Cursing, she pushed him back and started roaming the room, hands wildly gesturing. The spider had quickly climbed up to her head again. Charles had lost his balance and was spinning again, but at least that beast was not near him. He took her cursing as a negative to his question. Charles wanted to believe this was good news (he dreaded the thought of that man anywhere but Hell), but you never knew how others were going to react when you didn’t give them the information they wanted. This woman? Completely bonkers. Hopefully she would just let him in here, until Edwin rescued him. Suddenly, she stopped in the middle of the basement.

“Hmm, maybe I can't open up a portal. But I can make a deal with a demon so that I can get into hell.” She was smiling again. “And you will help me find my way out.”

“A deal with a demon is a terrible idea. Besides, lady, even if I tell you all I know about hell, which I won’t do. The level Edwin was at? It was terrible, but it wasn't that deep. The level your boo must be in… it has to be one of the deepest and darkest ones, just based on what you describe me you two did, to people.”

“I can think of a few things I can offer the demon so that he helps me.” she countered, now pensive instead of agitated.

“Like what?”

“Like you, your soul. Essence, whatever. Or one of the others’.” Charles was almost afraid to ask.

“Others?”

“Oh, yeah. I've been collecting little souls as gifts for my boyfriend when he comes back. Since, you know, he won't be able to interact with the living now he is dead and will become a ghost.”

“... Little souls?” he asked again, disgusted. He tried leaning away, but she plunged her nails into his face to keep his eyes on her. 

“Yeah, the souls of little ones!” she smiled, and it was a terrible smile. A wild hunger seemed to seep from her feverish eyes. “He's not that much into kids. He prefers young people, teenagers, you know.” she winked at him, suggestive.

“So he's a paedophile, but not that much of a paedophile?” Charles mocked, deciding to ignore the implications. 

She let go of his face only to slap him hard, hard enough to leave deep gouges from the iron on the nails she wore.

“He hates that word!” she screamed, offended. “He just… really loves young people.” The sheer incredulity must have shown on his face, because she just continued. “Anyways, I was collecting these souls so he could play with them when he comes back, you know? I bet he will be in a foul mood, and I just thought 'well what better way to cheer him up than letting him blow off some steam on a couple souls he will find pleasing?’ ' I took great care in ensuring they were innocent, as well. The responses to all the pain and the bit of little pleasure here and there that we can teach them are always the best .” she sighed, dreamy. “And ghosts are so much more resilient! We can play with you and play with you and play with you until you break.” She said, eyes evaluating him up and down. “And then we can start all over again!” she laughed.

Charles puked all over the floor.

"You truly are," he said in disgusted awe " the most despicable person I've ever met. And a few months ago I was at the mercy of a witch that cannibalised little girls. "

“Oh, cannibalism.” she hummed. “That sounds fun, doesn’t it, Ari?” she cooed at her familiar, reaching for the thing. “You have to get me her number.” she said to him.

Charles spat at her. It barely touched her face before she shrieked and sent him crashing to the back of the room. The chains had fallen from the ceiling and onto his torso, burning him terribly.  

“And you need to learn some manners." She said as he screamed from the sudden agony. Then she turned her back on him and walked towards the door. "I guess I will just leave you to repeat the cycle until you have had enough."

Charles’ last coherent thought before he was dropped under the thick frozen layer of water of the lake instead of through the ice as always, was that Edwin and he would absolutely need to save those poor spirits.

—-- —-- —--

—-- —-- —--

“That took longer than you said it would.” Crystal said as soon as he stepped through the mirror into the office. “Did the house not let you in?” she asked, remembering how they had just phased through the walls last time.

“The house gave me no problem at all.” Edwin answered, placing the knife on the desk. “It was Monty, actually.” he explained, with a grimace. “I had an encounter with the Cat king,” Crystal’s eyebrow went up “but not much came out of it. He was very insistent about not letting any kind of knowledge leave that witch's house.” He took off his coat and his gloves and, uncharacteristically, threw them onto the couch. It was the only free surface, she supposed. “Which would normally be a good thing, but in these circumstances, I could not abide by it.”

“And did he give you any trouble?” she questioned, sceptical. 

“He tried to threaten me, so I just…threatened him back.” Edwin said, unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves, trying to play it off as unimpressive. Yeah, Crystal was not gonna let that one slide.

“ You threatened the Cat King?” she said, incredulous. “He left you trapped in Port Townsend for weeks!”

“Ah, but I didn't know anything about him back then.” He countered. “And I wasn't dabbling in anything more dangerous than usual. And perhaps the most important thing of all…” Edwin started, leafing through his notes.

“...It was you in danger, not Charles.” Crystal interrupted, finishing the idea.

“Exactly.” He said, pleased that she understood this about him by now.

As they began prepping the materials for this massive ritual, she managed to corroborate that it was far beyond anything they had shown her so far. The ritual seemed so complicated. Beyond the dagger that he had to pick up from the other side of the world, it required them to move every single piece of furniture against the walls, then grabbing the bathroom mirror for a later use. 

After that, they placed a bedsheet on the floor, drawing a big circle on it with black chalk, and drew a set of runes inside it, near the centre. Then Edwin grabbed Charles' backpack, and took out a bottle full of a viscous dark liquid. He then lit a dozen candles inside the marked circle, each one in its specific place. A wave of different smells assaulted Crystal’s nose. She supposed that ghosts weren’t bothered by it since they couldn't smell much. She tried very hard not to sneeze.

Edwin retrieved two different cups from a cupboard, one made from silver and one from crystal, and poured the liquid from the bottle inside the silver one. For the other, he took out Esther’s knife from his pocket and sliced his forearm with it. Blood tinted with ectoplasm began to pour inside the empty cup, and once it was three quarters full he removed the wound from it to avoid overspilling. He slid two fingers over the wound and the black smoke that was becoming familiar to Crystal ate up the blood and sealed the wound. Then, he reached for Charles' chain around his neck and took it off. Gently, he let it fall inside the cup that had his blood. He took a big piece of parchment paper, those old ones that you see only in movies, yellowed with age, thick, and coarse to the touch. 

With a grimace, he sank his fingers into the first cup. A low hum came from his throat, sounding almost like words but not really. He began writing symbols with the blood onto the parchment. With the other hand, he began tracing the same symbols again, on another blank sheet of parchment, on top of the first one. These symbols were mirrored, and written with his own blood from the second cup. Once he was done, a string of Latin came out of his lips, and the second set of symbols lifted up in the air, glowing golden light, and fused into the first set, on the first sheet of parchment. The other parchment disintegrated as soon as the last trace of blood left the paper. 

Edwin let out a breath Crystal hadn't noticed he was holding. Done, he took the parchment, and began ripping it in pieces, keeping each symbol inside its own square of paper, and placed the symbols inside the circle according to the instructions written down by his own hand. The bloody symbols then sank through the paper and sealed themselves to the linen fabric. Edwin waved his hand and all the blank pieces of paper flew from the array. Then he took the necklace from inside the second cup and put it into the first cup. 

He took the bathroom mirror, and placed it in the middle of the circle array spell, then took the necklace out of the cup and flicked it in the air where it remained still, frozen in place at about two metres high. The symbols on the bedsheet and the blood on the necklace pulsed with golden energy every couple of heartbeats.

“I need you,” he started to say, very clearly, “to not, for any reason, enter the circle.”

“All right” she said, heart beating like crazy. 

“Whatever I ask you to bring me, you will put it inside the circle without touching inside it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” Edwin repeated, breathing deep. He knelt beside the foggy mirror on the floor and began writing on it with his finger. At the same time, he spoke up, to keep her in the loop. “Charles? Are you there?”

Charles

are you there?

[smoshyourheadin]

Hello I gotta request for best girl in the bear Sydney Adamu with a female reader pls!

So recently Syd had been stressing out as well as Carmy about turning The Beef into The Bear, maybe doubting herself at some point. So as a kinda thank you and congratulations to Sydney reader buys her a bandanna she think she’d like that goes with a matching button up the reader wears. Just to show she is greatly appreciated and reader is happy she’s here.

god only knows

pairing: sydney adamu x f! reader

a/n: after season 3 im even more in love with syd than i was before like mentally she’s my bsf!! also carmy this season ooh lord ANYWAY,,requests open <3

the kitchen was a whirlwind of activity as usual, with the scent of simmering sauces and freshly chopped herbs filling the air. sydney wiped her brow, trying to keep up with the relentless pace. the transformation of the beef into the bear was proving to be a monumental task, and the pressure was starting to get to her.

you noticed her stress. sydney was always so composed, but lately, there were cracks in her usually calm demeanor. you admired her talent and dedication, and you wanted to do something to show her just how much she was appreciated.

after a particularly grueling day, you approached her. "hey, syd," you said, offering a gentle smile. she looked up, a bit surprised. "can i talk to you for a minute?"

she nodded, setting down her knife and following you to a quieter corner of the kitchen. "what’s up?”

"i just wanted to say thank you. you've been incredible through all of this, and I know it's been tough," you began, feeling a bit nervous. "i got you something. a little token of appreciation."

you handed her a small, neatly wrapped package. sydney's eyes widened slightly as she took it, curiosity replacing some of the fatigue in her gaze. she carefully unwrapped it to reveal a bandanna, a deep shade of blue with intricate patterns that you knew she'd love.

"wow, this is beautiful," she said, running her fingers over the fabric. "thank you so much."

"and there's more," you added, unbuttoning your chef's coat to reveal a matching button-up shirt underneath. "i thought we could match. you know, like a cliché straight couple."

she smiled and scoffed at your remark, eyes shining with gratitude. "this is amazing. seriously, thank you. it's been a rough few weeks, and this... it means a lot."

you smiled, feeling a warmth spread through you. "i'm just happy you're here, syd. we all are. the bear wouldn't be the same without you. god only knows what i’d be without you here."

she tied the bandanna around her head, adjusting it with a grin, then giving you a gentle kiss in the temple. "alright, let's get back to it. We have a restaurant to transform."

for the first time in a while, sydney's step seemed a little lighter, her smile a little brighter. the journey ahead was still daunting, but at least now she knew she wasn't alone.

[alchemist-shizun]

MYATB ep 11 commentary

LETS GOOOOOO, live reaction because i was at work for 6 hours right when the episode released!! enjoy me going insane

Xiaobao my son he's all grown up and trying to go about this the smart way, trying to convince Su Yin with logical reasons, he's amazing. Though Su Yin not wanting to listen to him breaks my heart, I MEAN THE WAY HE LOOKED AT HIM I THOUGHT HE WOULD COMPLY :(

i dont know what it is about them telling the horses to go but it's so fucking funny each time I hear it.

WhATS THIS RANDOM MURDER AOOO these strangers are bloodthirsty

the flying was incredibly off but it's fine we love this terrible green screen it makes it better <3

shaoyu appearing there menacingly, thank you

wdym he must get the crimson dahlia before he dies, DO U WANT TO KILL HIM AFTER AR EU NOT EVEN GONNA MAKE THE EFFORT well you know what su yin, well played, slay, I'd also be that lazy

"do you believe everything people say?" THANK YOU SIMING MY ONLY MAN EVER.

oh my god que siming stayed too much with jinbao now he's starting to lose braincells again

OOO SU YIN GAVE HIM THE COLD SHOULDER??

HUAIEN!!!!!

HUAIEN WHAT THE FUCK. NOW YOURE BOTH POISONED.

"Can you save him?" "of course I can" QUE SIMING THE ONLY MAN EVER, ONCE MORE.

It's killing me how Huai'en is incredibly elated that Xiaobao is worried about him and is not in the slightest caring about the fact that he's poisoned

omfg don't tell me the side couple gets together behind the scenes fr I will SCREAM.

Why can't gay people be normal it's always "I love u so much I want to lock you up and never make you leave me ever" or "let me marry your bestie/servant or I will literally destroy you" wtf

"I think you need medical attention" no way que siming just told him he needs to be hospitalized /j su yin please just rest who cares about killing anyone

HAHHAHAHA ZHAOCAI AND XIAOBAO BEING SO SHOOK ABOUT JINBAO'S CONFESSION I love them. dumbasses.

your honor i love him ( #me)

zhaocai is just completely thunderstruck about jinbao's coming out

zhaocai is the token straight in this entire cast, he is revolted and disgusted by gay people and will become homophobic at the first next sight of que siming and I would understand

NOT THE TRANSITION FROM CUTE SCENE TO AGONY.

please stop this madness stop his pain I am going to CRY STOPPPPP

THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL THOUGH. I LOVE ANGSTY SCENES LIKE THIS MAN

theyre both gorgeous and make me feel sad

"If he comes back, what will you do with him" I'm going to kiss him AND U CANT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BOY

SU YIN JUST SAY YOU HAVE INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA AND GO please

when you ask su yin any relationship advice:

i hope that was not su yin nearly crying because I cannot do this

THE SHADOWS ARE BACK

why do those look nearly like su yins robes, huai'en do u have smth to tell us..

xiaoyu singlehandedly saves the plot

I love xiaoyu because when the guy drops all the lore shes like UNFORTUNATELY I COULDNT CARE LESS

UNFORTUNATELY, HUAI'EN COULDNT CARE LESS EITHER GET THEMMM

me, seeing a strange move: what was that :0 also me seeing a weird fx: ... and what was that-

omfg not shaoyu. shaoyu is gonna get himself fuckin killed

OMFG ENOUGH TWISTS WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING

what an icon li gongxiang

OH SU YIN AND QUE SIMING ARE HERE??

su yin oh my god. oh my god stop playing the jealous bf please I'm begging u he has two hands

WHY THE FUCK WOULD SHE MARRY XIAOBAO ARE U INSANE. -100 AURA POINTS FOR YOU. WHAT EWWW

SROP STOP STOP MY BOY IS CRYING ON THE GROUND IN FRONT OF EVERYONE LET ME GO CUDDLE HIM PLEASE. PLEASE. WHY MUST U BE THIS CRUEEEEELLLL

"the more I want you the faster I lose you" RIP HUAI'EN YOU WOULDVE DONE NUMBERS ON TUMBLR.

well. that was it. wow what an episode. i thought we weren't going to suffer like tormented ants tonight and here I stand corrected.. i really thought su yin would cave to xiaobao's feelings and turn over a new leaf with huai'en but I guess I was wrong :( I WANT THOSE THREE TO BE HAPPY U DONT GET IT. THEIR DYNAMIC WOULD BE SO TASTY, as I'm sure others have realized

the little twist was nice, i was very sure that Li guy was cooked and instead no. Siming was still a chaos queen, zhaocai a mood, jinbao our beloved idiot and xiaobao victim of many torturous aches, I hope the shadows are okay and me? i just want to throw myself in the river if I cannot enter the screen and hug huai'en immediately. Thank you, see u tomorrow for another one pf these.

[ladykailitha]

Meet Me On the Dance Floor Part 1

Okay, we have now gotten a story I am most concerned with publishing as this is the one where my lack of knowledge is going to show the most. The first part was the original story and if you want, you can stop it there, no harm done. However from part 2-4 is where I take my leap of faith. It’s where we get into a headcanon I have about Mike regarding with how he treats Steve (I’ll put it in the tags for the final 3 parts) and it fits for the story, but I’m not sure if it will stick to the wall so to speak. Also the fourth part will be marked as mature, just heads up for sexy times (Steddie).

*

Steve was sleeping deeply for the first time in what felt like ages.

“Harrington,” someone said above him.

He just snuggled deeper into the covers.

“Steve,” the voice insisted.

He really didn’t want to wake up.

Someone shook him. “Come on, Stevie,” the voice said, warm and inviting.

Steve opened his eyes to see a worried Eddie leaning over him.

“Hey, man. There you are. I was getting worried. I thought you wanted to come with us tonight.”

Steve sat up in a rush. “Shit!” He rubbed his eyes trying to get his vision to clear. “What time is it?”

“6:37pm.”

Steve leapt from the bed, nearly knocking Eddie over. “Shit, shit, shit!” he scrambled to find the clothes he was going to wear. He looked over his shoulder. “Do you think I have time to shower?”

Eddie looked at his watch and winced. “Probably not.”

“Damn it.”

He dashed into the bathroom to at least put on deodorant. But when he went to spray himself, the can was empty. “Fuck!”

“I keep some cologne in the van for times when I smoke at school, I can grab it for you?” Eddie said from the doorway.

Steve sighed in relief. “That would be great. Thanks, dude.”

Eddie hurried out the van while Steve got dressed.

When Eddie came back he was shocked to see Steve’s outfit. He was wearing black dress pants, with a black t-shirt, and black suit jacket. He paired the outfit with his white sneakers. Around his neck was a simple silver chain that barely brushed his collar bones and he had a couple of chains on his belt.

“Looking good, Stevie,” Eddie said with a whistle.

Steve looked over at Eddie, who was wearing his tightest torn-up jeans with a black button up and dark grey vest. He had bangles on his wrists, and chains on his belt. He wore his black bandanna over his hair.

“I could say the same, Eddie,” Steve said with a grin.

Eddie tossed him the can of cologne and Steve gave himself a couple of sprays and tossed it back.

Eddie shoved it in his back pocket as he circled Steve. “I didn’t know you wore black, Stevie. You’ve been holding out on me.”

Steve blushed. “I haven’t worn this in a while, because it’s what I was wearing when Nancy broke up with me. But it’s the only thing I’ve got that’s club worthy and I’m ready to make new memories in tonight.”

Eddie stopped in front of him and tapped his lips with his finger. “It’s missing something.”

Steve looked down at himself and then back at Eddie hopelessly. “Yeah?”

“I’ve got it!” he cried. He pulled off one his rings and put it on Steve’s right hand. “There we go. It would be better if your ears were pierced but this should add just that right amount of style.”

Steve blushed, looking at the ring on his pinkie finger.

“You ready to go?” Eddie asked.

Steve looked up. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I am.”

*

Eddie slid into the back seat when they picked up Robin. “Nothing against Stevie being here, but we are going to a gay bar. Do we need a token straight for that?”

Steve and Robin shared a glance before they started laughing.

“Dude,” Steve said. “I thought you knew. I’m bisexual.”

Eddie raised both eyebrows.

“Dingus didn’t even want to come until I said you were coming,” Robin added.

Eddie could see that the back of Steve’s ears had gone bright red and figured his face matched.

“Partly,” Steve defended. “I went from no to maybe when she said you were coming.”

“So what made you decide to come?” Eddie asked as they pulled up to another house.

Steve laid on the horn and Will came barreling out the front door.

“For him,” Steve said quietly.

Eddie got it. Everyone knew Will was gay and everyone knew he had feelings for his best friend.

This whole night was about getting Will out of the straight, white Hawkins and to some place where he could meet other queers. Maybe even some his own age.

Eddie slid over to the opposite side window to give Will some room to get in.

“Hey, guys,” Will greeted shyly.

“You ready to have some fun?” Robin asked.

Will nodded.

“Good.” Steve smiled at his young friend through the rearview mirror.

*

When they got to the club, the music was bouncing and Robin bounced with it.

Steve pointed at the bar. “I’m going to be over there if you need me!” he shouted over the din.

Robin nodded.

Eddie watched Steve head to the bar. “What’s that about?”

“He doesn’t dance. Says he dances like a drunk Muppet!” Robin yelled. “Come on!”

She led them through the crowd and introduced them to some of her friends from college. Soon Will had relaxed enough to start dancing himself. Robin kept her eye on him, while Eddie kept his eye on Steve.

About half way through the night he nudged Robin. “That’s the fifteenth guy Steve has sent away. What the hell is telling them to get them back off so quickly?”

Robin raised an eyebrow. “Honestly?”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah.”

“He’s telling them he’s bisexual.”

Eddie frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“This your first time at a gay bar?” Robin asked.

He shook his head. “I’ve been to a couple of others.”

“Well, you probably just didn’t notice,” she said. “Bisexuals get shit for being able to ‘pass as straight’,” she said putting air quotes around the last three words.

“Oh.”

Eddie looked over at Steve. “That must fucking suck. Not being able to fit anywhere.”

Robin shrugged, cocking her head to the side. “He says it weeds out the assholes.”

Eddie laughed. “It looks like he’s about to go through the whole fucking bar.”

“All but one,” Robin said, bumping his shoulder.

Eddie gulped.

“Go get him, tiger.”

Eddie looked over at Steve. He sitting on a barstool, leaning on the bar with both of his elbows, nursing a beer. His long legs were stretched out front of him. Eddie licked his lips. He could see why every gay man in the club was seeking him out, hoping for his attention.

Eddie moved through the crowd like a snake on the hunt. Weaving the through the throngs of people, silent and deadly. He licked his lips in anticipation.

Steve clocked him coming in and bit his bottom lip.

“King Steve, keeping court,” Eddie murmured when he got close enough for Steve to hear him.

Steve flashed him a brilliant smile. “Just waiting for my prince to come.”

Eddie looked around them. “Plenty of them out there tonight.”

Steve scoffed. “These frogs? Not hardly.”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know about that. There are some pretty hot guys here just waiting for their chance with you.”

Steve cocked his head to the side. “Can you see the stars during the day?”

Eddie frowned. “Of course not, the sun’s out.”

Steve sat up and looked Eddie in the eye. “Exactly. Who can see all those glimmering stars when the sun is right here in front of me.”

Eddie blushed. “Yeah?” He put his hands on Steve’s thighs and gently pushed them apart so he could stand closer to him.

“Oh yeah,” Steve breathed.

Their faces were so close.

“I wanted to mark you so bad,” Eddie admitted. “A bite mark on your neck to show everyone you were taken. That you were mine.”

“But you already marked me as yours, Eds,” Steve said, breathless. “I’m wearing your cologne and your ring. They might not have known who I belonged to, but they knew I belong to someone. And now they can see who it is.”

“Stevie,” Eddie said, taking hold of the sides of Steve’s face and pressing their foreheads together.

Steve lifted his chin, bringing their lips together. Eddie let out a low moan swallowed up by the thumping music.

“I’ve been sitting here, hoping you’d ask me to dance,” Steve admitted.

Eddie chuckled. “Robin said you dance like a drunk Muppet.”

“Oh, I do,” Steve said softly. “But I don’t care what people think as long as I’m with you.” He finished his beer and set it on the bar top.

Eddie jutted his chin at the empty bottle. “How many of those have you had?”

“Just this one,” Steve said. “I’m driving. Elise has been kind enough to ply me with tonic water all night.” He thumbed the bartender behind him.

Elise eyed Eddie up and down. “You’ll do.”

He turned to Steve with a raised eyebrow.

Steve shrugged. “My best friends are lesbians, what can I say?”

Elise laughed. “Go on.” She swatted Steve with her towel. “You know I only tolerate you because you shove a twenty dollar bill in my tip jar at the start of the night.”

Steve laughed, and let Eddie lead him to the dance floor.

*

Robin watched Eddie make the moves on her best friend with a fond smile.

Will came up to her and asked, “Where’s Eddie?”

She pointed at the bar where Eddie and Steve were talking.

“About time,” Will muttered.

“I know, right?” she said with a giggle. She bumped his shoulder. “You having fun?”

Will nodded. “Thanks for taking me.”

“It’s good for you to go out meet with different kinds of queers,” Robin said. “Of all ages. Hawkins isn’t the end of the world, no matter how many times it tried to be.”

Will laughed. He watched as Eddie and Steve made it to the dance floor. “Oh god. He does dance like a drunk Muppet.”

“Yup.”

*Also if you want I can write the coda for the scene Robin asking Steve to come with if anyone is interested. It’s the scene that started the fic in my head I just couldn’t fit it in the actual story. Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

[steeloptic]

finally watched the ghosts us season 3 finale and my main takeaway is. i've never seen such a forced gay relationship in a show my life and im genuinely upset at that ending and the way it was all handled. in this essay i wi

(spoilers under the cut!!)

first of all i already ranted about this so jpeg if you're reading this hi im still pissed

second of all. why can't we have a gay relationship that doesn't involve breakups or tragedy or anything along those lines in literally any show. how come in this show all the straight couples resolve their problems whenever they arise and continue on happily, meanwhile the token gay couple is just constantly facing problems that aren't handled well. the whole Issac Leaving Nigel At The Altar, Coming To His Friends After Talking It Out With Him, Then Witnessing The Straight Couple That Was Also Having Problems Magically Sort Everything Out In Less Than 20 Seconds thing really rubbed me the wrong way. i know damn well that if it were, say, Flower and Thor, at worst someone would've started doubting everything at the altar but they would've gone off, worked it out together, then decided the wedding was back on.

there's also the problems of Nigel being in maybe a couple of scenes every episode if you're lucky, despite literally being Engaged to one of the main cast for an entire season. despite literally Sleeping In The Same Bed as him. you'd think that would encourage the writers to have him show up more often... (i swear we saw even Nancy more than him this season. i daresay probably throughout the whole show!!)

plus like i said before, the whole relationship just feels like an excuse to go 'guys look we have queer rep!! look we have gay characters isn't that so cool!!' and i also just. dont like how their whole relationship is written throughout the whole show.

i dont really have a point or meaningful conclusion for this rant so tl;dr: as a queer person im mad at how Ghosts US handles gay characters. end of transmission

p.s not trying to go after any of the creators, i just have a lot of gripes with this show 🫡

[avalonauggie]

Re: last reblog bc I don’t want to put my outright criticism on a post full of Bridgerton fans BUT—

there’s accepted norms of a romance novel series that straight up make for bad television, and just because it’s escapist fluff doesn’t mean it should be immune from all analysis.

F’ex: the structure of the seasons is repetitive in a way that makes sense for a book series. Each installment covers a different couple meeting, encountering obstacles and overcoming them to get their HEA. That is what people come to the romance genre FOR.

It’s absolute dogshit for a tv show, though! We have all joked about tv shows being allergic to change, shows where a major development at the end of one season will be returned to the status quo by the end of next season’s premiere, because to resolve the larger story means the show is out of gas.

Romance series run on variations on a theme. Tv series run on keeping the larger story spinning out, and in a lot of romance series there ISNT a larger overarching plot. For the pure fluff escapism value authors/publishers/readers want something they can pick up any installment of and not have trouble following it. These types of books I feel like…just can’t be adapted for tv in the same way bigger grander fantasy epics are.

Netflix made a passable effort and clearly it has a dedicated audience, but the fact is that by season 3 the plot feels repetitive and boring in a way that if wouldn’t, if I were reading a book.

The OTHER problem is, yeah, the efforts at diversity. And I feel like it’s only gotten more glaring as the show has progressed.

I honestly feel like Netflix and Shondaland could have just gone ahead with the colorblind casting in season 1 and not made any mention of it, or leaned on the “it’s escapist fantasy!” angle and who gives a fuck about the pedants on Twitter who’d rage at the altar of Historical Accuracy. I feel like that would have been the braver choice tbh.

But they didn’t do that! They supplied a Watsonian justification for Black nobility in regency England, and making that kind of choice about your worldbuilding raises a shitton of questions that I don’t think they were prepared to answer.

Alix, you may say, it’s not meant to be questioned like that! It’s a sugary cupcake! well I’m sorry but it’s a different experience watching a show vs reading a book, where everything between the covers exists in that little bubble. A show expands the world of the story, there’s colors and fabrics and the narration isn’t just following the MC, there’s a camera capturing the MC, and her friends and family, and the servants in the background, and I can’t NOT think about the things implied by what the camera shows.

So here’s the thing: Bridgerton rests on an ahistorical conspiracy theory that Queen Charlotte had African ancestry, which is problematic on its own, but it takes this assumption and extrapolates it to “hey the king was so in love with his wife that he ENDED RACISM (for some people)(in this specific place)” in order to justify the casting choices of the showrunners.

So yeah I don’t think it’s unreasonable to wonder what Black Queen Charlotte feels about the slaves in the new world who are making her wealth possible so she can have clockwork ballet dancers in her giant wig. Or what Lady Danbury feels, or what Simon Basset feels, or MY GOD what Will Mondrich feels. (The mondrich’s arc in season 3 is honestly the most disappointing because it was legitimately interesting to see the contrast between free Black britons and how their lives touched the bejeweled elites in precarious ways, but no! Their son is a duke or an earl now so hey, they get to wear the fancy clothes and go listen to Vitamin String Quartet with the rest of the characters!)

But none of the Black characters (the ones who are given personalities and are more than tokenized room meat, anyway) seem to have any response to this world other than “we’re very lucky to be here.” And that’s disappointing but hey it’s a romance novel the audience doesn’t want to be bummed out.

But now I have to wonder, what’s the East India company doing in this world? what’s happening that caused the Sharma sisters to come into the story in season 2? Was there a similar anti-racist royal triumph for the Desi nobles at all the balls? For the East Asian nobles? where did they COME from? And what’s it like for their cultures OUTSIDE of England? But bridgerton isn’t interested in exploring any of that, and we just need to forget about it and enjoy the fluff. Right?

Season 3 seems to be leaning into the “hey look, this world is so wonderful that ANYONE can wear fancy dress and find love! Look how diverse it is!” even harder than the previous two installments, which is honestly…worse? I feel like it’s worse.

I can believe the nobleman in the wheelchair, especially since he’s introduced as a sort of lowball training wheels flirt target for Poor Awkward Penelope, and ok he does come back in the balloon ep so it’s not like they put a disabled man in the show for one scene to prove how progressive they are 😑 he’s in TWO scenes, guys! Totally different! But honestly this is the regency, there SHOULD be some fucking…napoleonic war vets around somewhere. It’s not completely unbelievable.

I have GOT to wonder what the fuck is going on with the one Deaf debutante signing her dismay to her mom in BSL that the Queen wasn’t impressed with her curtsy, though! In what world was this girl not left to waste away at the family estate???? How did George and Charlotte’s love conquer racism AND uhhhh longstanding historical attitudes towards disability??? It strains belief. Also she’s only in that one scene so she is ABSOLUTELY just a token. Thanks lady so and so! Hope you find a husband, I fucking guess!

And speaking of finding a husband, here’s the thing that really pisses me off personally about Bridgerton. the more diversity the show puts into each scene and season, the more glaring (and, frankly, insulting) it is that queerness is still demonized in this beautiful fluffy sugary escapist fantasy.

Benedict had one (1) artist friend in season 1 who turned out to be a Secret Homosexual living in Bohemian Debauchery, and two of the prostitutes Colin sleeps with in season 3 share a really tepid nude embrace with off-camera kissing noises when he’s too troubled by the realization of his feelings for Pen to like. Enjoy his threesome he paid for. Hooray.

It’s fucking rotten, really, to be presented with this world that says “everyone is welcome here!” In big glittery begowned spring colors, and then offhand says “not YOU though.” It’s disgusting, and cowardly, and really exemplifies how the people making this show want to have their cake and eat it too, be diverse but not too divisive, and toe the line of mainstream audience acceptability. Yes there’s a lot of steamy sex scenes and female pleasure but in the end, it literally is all in the service of a world where everyone, EVERYONE who’s allowed to be a character, is focused nonstop on finding love in a marriage.

I didn’t know a lot about the Bridgerton books when I started watching season one, and I was pleasantly surprised by the very clearly baby gay sibling Eloise, who chafes at the feminine expectations her family and society puts on her. But then…in the books, she marries a widower and eventually falls in love with him I gueee, and in the show….all of her individual potential is sidelined in favor of her now-rocky friendship with Penelope. And I need to give the show credit, the writing of these storylines about growing pains and female friendship and social ostracism fucking HIT. It’s deeply affecting and done well.

So it’s clear that the show isn’t afraid to shy away from SOME heavy emotional content! Just not the queer kind! Or the kind that questions where the money is coming from. Or the kind that questions whether Francesca needs to find romantic love at all, mom, since she’s clearly happy without it!

I don’t know if I’ll watch the second half of season 3 when it drops. Honestly, the ball scenes, the gossip, all that was done SO well that it left a bad taste in my mouth, just like real middle/high school dances did. I am left feeling like in this beautiful glittering amatonormative world, someone like me would still be too much of a freak to find any happiness, despite how welcoming it purports to be. And that just sucks.

Another quibble I have with season 3 is how vastly it’s expanded the characters it gives plot lines to. Like. Ok. Sure. I have to question why it was ok to do this and divide the screen time away from the main character in the installment when the MC is a fat girl. As opposed to the previous seasons. And I don’t think this was even a conscious decision, likely. BUT it’s a little odd to have the steamy escapist sex romp elements be given less screen time in favor of redeeming Caustic Bully Mean Girl Cressida, you know? Why does Penelope have to share tv real estate when Kate and Daphne didn’t? Kate HAS MORE SEX SCENES IN THIS SEASON THAN PENELOPE????

Last point and this is mostly a joke but HEY at least the overwhelming amount of synthetic fabrics means that England isn’t obsessively focused on destroying India and the Americas in its insatiable hunger for cotton, right?

Right?

Ok anyway Bridgerton is afraid of the questions it raises by the choices it makes, it is a cowardly show attempting to hide all criticism under the veneer of escapist fantasy, and it’s increasingly straining to work as television as the charm of the novels grows stale and repetitive.

[the-faceless-bride]

Tell me more about your oc James

Gladly... (he's definitely not my favorite.)

James. 'Jim' Addams 🚬

James's backstory/home life.

James is the token bad boy with a heart of gold. Born to Rósetta Addams (Alive) and Paul Addams (M.I.A), James was a mama's boy. Even if it wasn't the best for him.

James's mother never paid much attention to him, but he always clung to her when he had the chance. But his love for her started to grow resentful when his father left.

His mother blames him, but now grown he knows it was never his fault. His Mother was always self-centered, everything always had to be about her. She was a beautiful woman with an ugly heart. And she often took it out on James. Not physically. except once. But mostly emotionally, and mentally.

He was never good, never pretty, never her sweet boy. He was always the burden, the chore, the job, the thing that messed her body up and he "better gown up to be something great to make up for all the 'damage' he's done."

He always wondered why his dad never took him. He figured it was his looks. He was almost a copy of his mother. Dirty strawberry blonde hair, hazel eyes, freckles that covered his face. He thinks he would be just too hard for his dad to look at.

James's looks

James is a pretty boy. <3 With his dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, soft lips, and straight nose, he spends his day outside a lot so he has nice sun-kissed skin.

He has a few scars here and there from just being a rowdy boy and playing outside and some from fights.

James's personality <3

James comes off as a dick that only cares about himself. And while that to an extent is true. He's a loyal friend, and when you get past the rough outside, emotional trauma, and abandonment issues. He's a big baby and a goofball at heart.

He doesn't have many friends but the ones he does he always stands up for and won't have them be pushed around.

He even defends his mother. Even with everything she did and does. If he hears anyone negatively mumble her name he will swing first and it will be the hardest hit he'll throw.

Being friends with James

It takes a bit, but you'll get there. He won't open up about his past or anything but if he is upset about something going on recently he might tell you about it if you ask.

He'll often walk with you to and from wherever you are or are heading.

He will fight with you. If you are in a fight and need help or it's an unfair fight he won't think twice about jumping in to help.

He won't be opposed to sleepovers, if you asked him or offered he wouldn't say no. And you'd spend the night playing a video game, eating junk, and listening to him ramble on about his favorite character.

Being in a relationship with James

This would (most likely) be a friends-to-lovers situation. (maybe enemies to lovers depending)

One night he just shows up at your house. His mom was going in on him again and this time he just couldn't take it.

He spills his heart to you, even sheds a tear or two. You tell him you'll always be there and will never leave him and the next thing you both know you're kissing.

The next few days are a bit awkward. Not in an uncomfortable kind of way but more of a "where do we go from here? What are we to each other?" kind of way.

You both test the waters. holding hands, opening up more to each other, cuddling at sleepovers, nightly video calls, quick kisses on the cheek, and when you're both finally comfortable full kisses.

For a while you are unlabeled, not an official couple or anything but different from friends like before. It wasn't until someone tried flirting with you that things started to heat up. And after a long heart-to-heart, you both wanted to be labeled as partners. <3

You can find the art of James on my second account @all-about-bride 💕