#questions of agency and choice | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

duckprintspress · 4 months ago

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in your Rules and Guidelines you say mildly dubious consent is okay. is mildly dubious consent like. for instance, the non-monster is in a situation where they are non-consensually given or sold, but they are received by a monster who gives them as much choice as they could possibly have under the circumstances, courts them with their consent, and is only ever interested in maintaining the non-monster's overall wellbeing?

is that mildly dubious in a correct way? or is that too dubious?

Hey anon!

While there's no solidly definable line between mildly dubcon and dubcon, it's all spectrum, we generally use "mild dubcon" to reflect cases where consent is fairly clear but not explicitly given. The kind of "I just couldn't resist any more, so I kissed him, oh thank fuck he's into it" kind of situation. It's mostly included as an option for this anthology on the assumption that there's a lot of types of monsters and consent will likely look different for different creatures, and some monsters may not be capable of human speech and therefore unable to give explicit spoken consent. We want people to know that if they want to write a story where consent looks different than the standard explicit consent in human/human relationships, we're all ears for that.

I know that this description of "mildly dub con" is so close to consent that most people wouldn't even tag for it; it's just a choice that we've made as a press, as some readers are uncomfortable when consent isn't explicit. We absolutely do not require explicit consent for our stories, and consent also doesn't have to be spoken to still be clearly explicit, and there are plenty of other examples I could give, the one above is just the instance that's come up most often in our tagging. Mild dubcon should still, ultimately, amount to: it becomes pretty clear that all involved parties are into it, even if it's not clear at first, and there's no mindfuckery (such as power dynamics, magic, drugs, psionics, age difference, etc.) involved that'd make it harder for someone to give true consent.

As to a slave situation such as you describe, that's definitely a "power dynamic mindfuckery" case. I think it'd depend on the story and the characterizations where on the dubcon spectrum that would fall. If the slave creature really has no way out, I'd probably lean toward dubious consent (rather than mild) even if the courtship and everything was with their apparent consent. When one person is owned by another, their ability to give true consent is inextricably linked with that.

As long as the ownership situation exists, if the owned creature has no escape option and hasn't been freed... how much choice do they really have? What are the consequences if they refuse, and what would happen to them if they were actually free? Whether what you describe is mild dub con or dub con, or even extreme dub con or non con, would depend on the answers to those questions, in my opinion. Like, if the consequence for the owned entity is either enslavement or death, does any consent they give really mean much? Which isn't at all to say that being enslaved removes freewill, obviously it doesn't and a person who is enslaved can give meaningful consent, but as a reader, especially if I'm not seeing the story from the slave's point of view, I'd always have to wonder how much concern for their own wellbeing (understandably!) colors every decision they make. On the other hand, if the consequences for the owned entity is like, enslavement or mild inconvenience of some kind? That's different, because even the enslavement itself is sort of a choice and the entity has made that choice.

There's no hard-and-fast rule, and as I essentially acknowledged when I described what we categorize as mild dub con, I personally tag quite conservatively in this regard, but I'd say most master/slave situations would fall under more-than-mild dubcon, especially with the premise you've given, where the slavery was never the owned individuals choice (like, in BDSM/Total Power Exchange, that's an example of a master/slave relationship that could be 100% consensual. Such situations absolutely exist.)...but yeah, in a situation where the entire premise of the master/slave situation is nonconsensual, it's not that easy for me to see how the slave's choices won't at least somewhat be colored by their straits, especially if the consequences of non-enslavement are severe, especially if we don't see their point of view, and especially if the owner never frees them.

TL:DR It's not a dynamic I would recommend for this anthology, though I can definitely conceive of examples that follow this basic premise that would fall more under mild dub-con. It sounds like an interesting story and one I'd enjoy, just not really what we're looking for here.

-unforth

#monsterotica #faq #hope this helps #sorry if i talk in circles too much #these are very hard lines to discuss and the nature of consent from an enslaved person is extremely hard to quantify #i don't want to imply that enslavement automatically means zero self-agency but also like that's kind of the point of being a slave #a slave's choices aren't their own their decisions always have to be made in reference to their owner #like even if this master and slave were really truly sympatico and 10000% consensual i would still as an outsider to their relationship #sideeye it like but is it really #which is itself a pity because doubting the slave's ability to assert themselves is itself de-personing them and stealing their agency #which is to say it's absolutely thorny and the kinds of questions it unleashes are exactly why I'd say #that while it's possible this'd be mild dub con #i'd honestly still really rather not #i doubt we'd accept a story with this premise to the anthology

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randomidiocyncrazies · 2 years ago

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The thing is. i go bananas over Oozora Yuujin in part because he's allowed to exercise his will and autonomy in his last moments, but only because Leviathan let him. like, sure, it'd have been cool to see Yuujin overcome Leviathan's control (love it when a brainwashed/controlled character overthrows their abuser), but as epic as that would've been i don't think it would've fit Yuujin's function in the show. like... from beginning to the end, Yuujin had very little real agency—he was presented as a character with autonomy, but once you peel his layers back, the situation becomes really ambiguous. I mean, he was literally calibrated to appeal to Haru. and while Yuujin's bond with Haru was genuine enough that he peeked out from behind YJ-14's control, he was never able to actually fully slip Leviathan's leash when the big L wanted to keep him under control.

So. Yuujin can save Haru only because Leviathan let him go, and Leviathan only did that bc Haru made a choice as per their agreement (and Haru's choice involves sacrificing Yuujin for the liberty of humanity). Yuujin is in control during his final moments, but that control was a gift based on someone else's actions that he had no control over; he was grated that control not because of anything he did, but because Haru (the protagonist) fulfilled Leviathan's bargain.

And yet. Yuujin's final act to save Haru from having to execute that choice is no less meaningful; i think it's meaningful because of how limiting his agency actually is. in that final moment Yuujin finally has the freedom to make a choice—the first and last choice where he wasn't a puppet dancing to someone else's tune—and he chooses to execute his termination with his own hands, so that someone who loves and cares for him wouldn't have to. Haru might be the one who chose humanity over Yuujin, but it's Yuujin who pushes the button of his own free will in the end.

(i've said this before, but i find Yuujin fascinating as a character in a similar way that Anthy from Revolutionary Girl Utena is interesting, but they're kind of opposites. Yuujin is introduced as a 'protagonist' that our protagonist looks up to, and presented as someone with autonomy, but we spend the show realizing how little of that he actually had; Anthy is presented as a helpless damsel without agency, but throughout the show we slowly realize how powerful she actually is.)

#(blah blah a genderbent Utena AU needs to examine what a male Rose Bride means etc etc)#(and imo a male Rose Bride would've been A Weapon or A Knight; someone who can only act in service to their liege/wielder's desires)#of course. the question of Yuujin's agency is really complex #like. do his choices count if he didn't know there was someone secretly pulling is strings? maybe #we don't know how far that control goes #but what we do know is that there's a part of Yuujin's bond with Haru that was real on Yuujin's side #and when he was finally able to act according to his own will #he chose to spare Haru from executing the choice that would kill him #sometimes a rose bride is a witch and chooses to walk away from false dichotomies #and sometimes a robot is a friend who chooses to deal the killing blow to themself so that someone who loves them doesn't have to #appmon #appmon spoilers #oozora yuujin

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skollwolf · 1 year ago

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I know I wrote Blinding back in like 2013 but even to this day my villain origin story is when people comment that they're glad Tony has a happy ending in it

#it is an unreliable narrator dubious consent unhealthy relationship story from minute one #does Tony think he is choosing an ending that will make him happy? yes #but like. if the story has not made you question at all Tony's meaningful degree of agency and the healthiness of the choices he makes with #said agency? then the story didn't land quite right #blinding was meant to have a sequel called winter where even Tony's deeply unreliable close 3rd POV showed the cracks in the ending #but inspiration. time. major depression #etc. still. Blinding's ending should read as like happy (derogatory)#and I think the issue lies partially with my writing to be clear! I was not as strong a writer 10 years ago as I feel like I am now #(and will doubtless say the same thing in a decade about current me)#so like there are definitely parts of that story I would craft very differently if I was writing it now #I don't want to make it seem like I'm like 'oh people who read that story suck' bc that is not what I mean #I just mean like....Blinding is a work I'm still very proud of. many elements of it are cool. I did some things cleverly #which is partially why misreads on the ending are just like aghahbdjdn

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idgaficanymore · 2 years ago

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I think I've found my favourite line about Snape in a fanfic ever:

For once, Snape was just…a person. Well. An intelligent, awkward, antisocial, sarcastic, and guarded person. With anger management issues. Alright, so he wasn’t an altogether admirable person.

#all these ppl getting into how much they love or hate him end up either building him up or breaking him down to something more or less #than what he actually is which is just this: a person #unpopular opinion but I was slightly disappointed when Snape's relationship with Lily became the driving factor for analyzing his character #because it removed his agency & complexity from his choices & reduced him to this 2 dimensional perception: pathetic/reprehensible or marty #he's Interesting because of the question his character raises: is palatability necessary for moral correctness #he draws a line between what it means to be good and what it means to be right #and raises the question of how being nice falls within that dichotomy #severus snape

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schoolhater · 6 months ago

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answering a couple questions i got on this post since i realized ppl genuinely wanna know:

tl;dr:

israel lets very, very little aid get into gaza. even the UN can't get in as much as they want to. funding individual families, gazan led initiatives, and mutual aid collectives operating out of gaza ensures gazans can provide for themselves and pay for the extremely expensive aid that is available.

with all the civil infrastructure destroyed by israel, the situation on the ground has devolved into unrestricted capitalism, driving up the price of aid (that should be free!). this makes it more urgent for people to have funding for daily survival.

the post linked above has examples of how donating to individual families can help a lot. if you want to help more than one family at a time, there are many gazan-led initiatives focusing on rebuilding their infrastructure and distributing aid fairly that are worth donating to instead of large charities that already get the majority of donations.

as i mentioned in the last post: @/careforgaza on twitter is a nonprofit started by gazans, it's been endorsed by multiple palestinian journalists.

the sameer project is a collective organized by diaspora palestinians offering emergency shelter to gazans.

ele elna elak is a project aiming to bring water, food, shelter, etc. to gazans and has been promoted by bisan owda.

and the municipality of gaza itself is fundraising to rebuild water infrastructure.

all of these organizations are active inside gaza right now and are being run by gazans. if anyone knows of other gazan-led mutual aid projects, nonprofits or charities feel free to link them in the notes! hope this helped!

long answers under the cut!

if you wanna donate to a charity that's absolutely fine, but the thing is most charities (and even the UN!) are unable to make it into gaza in the first place, leaving aid rotting at the egyptian side of the border or subject to israeli settler attacks

not to mention, charities and nonprofits also maintain a paternalistic colonial relationship with the indigenous people they are trying to help, determining what aid they need for them instead of returning power to them and letting them make their own choices

i'm not here to say that one option is better than the other, just that they achieve different things and are equally legitimate. there's an attitude among people who question the legitimacy of these gofundme campaigns that somehow the people promoting them are telling them not to donate to charities. nobody is stopping you from donating to charities. we are just asking that you do not dehumanize the very real gazans in your inbox just because their method of asking for aid is more direct and risky.

unfortunately that's exactly what has happened. because israel destroyed all of gaza's more formalized infrastructure, it seems that organized crime and rampant inflation has taken its place. aid is supposed to be free, but in order to save for evacuation or the cost of living, people have started selling them at an inflated price. and aid that is truly free attracts intense, large crowds that are dangerous to navigate.

this was posted on abc a few days ago

it's pure, unrestrained capitalism. i've had multiple palestinians describe this situation to me confidence. that's why everything's so expensive now. why people have to rent out tiny plots of land for their tents to sit on, why my friend @siraj2024 still has to buy tarps to cover the broken windows of the overpriced bombed out apartment he rented, and why a bag of flour can cost a thousand bucks in the north.

even before israel closed and then bombed the rafah crossing, the egyptian hala travel agency was only allowing people to cross the border if they paid a hefty $5000 USD per adult / $2500 USD per child bribe. it denies doing this, but the hundreds of stories from palestinians say otherwise.

with regard to the economy, here in america we saw something similar happen in the wake of hurricane helene and milton. the podcaster margaret killjoy describes how she saw dual economies rise after asheville was fully cut off from the rest of the country - some people offered each other supplies for free in a sort of mutual aid honor system, and some people required payment when they lent supplies because they themselves needed to buy stuff for their families. these dual economies exist in gaza too. and this means they all still need money to survive.

#og #palestine #palestine resources #gaza #free palestine #free gaza #gaza strip #save palestine #i stand with palestine #all eyes on palestine #palestine genocide #gaza genocide #donations

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starlooove · 4 months ago

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I Hate tim and I hate white ppl using crashout however. That is in fact what he is.

#he’s a white teenager who knows he’s a genius. but he’s surrounded by other geniuses with diff agendas #and this applies to the entire family but tim specifically is put on a pedestal #and whether I agree with that or not #when he goes down he goes DOWN #i need to see more of it #Im so sick of ppl thinking him at his worst is like. pathetic and insecure about his greatness #like no. never that #even when I read it it always gave the vibe of IK I should be insecure so I’ll say that ig #like idk can’t take ‘what if I’m not good enough 😭’ srsly after being like ‘I’m way better than that dead broke asshole punk mister Batman’#like idk it’s so #irritating #how ppl will be like tim saved Batman he saved the legacy he knew what Bruce needed or whatever #and then turn around and say he feels like an imposter #well if that was true he wouldn’t have showed up #he would’ve stayed home if he didn’t want to be Robin #like OH THATS THE ROOT OF IT #Im so sick of ppl acting like tim was a reluctant hero like it’s never that #like IK it’s popular for everyone to do the I didn’t wanna be a demigod speech but that’s not him man #he realizes that being a vigilante is fucked when his parents get kidnapped and he needs to put the footwork in #and as his friends die and as his non vigilante life gets impacted #which is why he chooses the bat over everything and this SHOULD FUCK HIM UP MORE!!#but It’s doubling down on a choice he can’t regret #a choice that HE MADE #BC HE WANTED TO #the question after that is what the fuck were the adults doing #they let a child have that much agency and shit yknow #but It’s never ‘they treated tim like an employee and he thinks his family doesn’t love him’ blah boring ass shit

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simpforboys · 5 months ago

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surprise!

drew starkey x fem!singer!reader

summary: ever since the reader started blowing up, all the interviews and promotions that would ask her who her celebrity crush is, she always had the same answer. so when Jimmy Fallon invites her on his show, he might have a surprise in store…

warnings: fluff!! second hand embarrassment, reader gushes about Drew, she’s just a fangirl at heart

‘perfume’ by del water gap mentioned <3

part two , part three, part four

2020

“Who’s your celebrity crush?”

“Drew Starkey, he plays Rafe in Outer Banks.”

“Do you have a celebrity crush?

“Yeah, Drew Starkey from Outer Banks.”

“Are there any people you would hope to collab with or meet?”

“Definitely Drew Starkey from Outer Banks.”

2021

“Last year you said multiple times Drew Starkey is your celebrity crush, is this still true?”

“Yeah, he’s still my main one.”

“Are there any guys you’re interested in?”

“My dream guy is Drew Starkey, if that’s what you mean.”

“What’s your type in a man?”

“Umm… probably Drew Starkey.”

2022

“Update us on all the boy drama! Anyone interesting?”

“Just waiting for Drew Starkey.”

“You look stunning! Are you here with anyone tonight?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Your crush around Drew Starkey, is that still a thing?”

“It still is… have you seen his new movie ‘Hellraiser’?”

2023

“Your new EP just released, are any of the songs about Drew Starkey?”

“Not on this one, no. Maybe the next one.”

“Are you seeing anyone? Has Drew Starkey called?”

“No, not yet. Maybe next year.”

“Have you seen season three of ‘Outer Banks’ yet?”

“Yes, oh my god! Drew looked so good.”

2024

“Your new song ‘Perfume’ is an absolute hit! Is it about Drew Starkey?”

“Omg, no, but it should’ve been.”

“You’ve quickly risen to fame! Has Drew Starkey noticed you yet?”

“Unfortunately, no. He’s probably hiding.”

Ever since your career started, in every single interview you get the question regarding celebrity crushes, the answer was always the same.

Drew Starkey.

It became a known meme revolving you and your fans, along with the media. Practically every interview just loved to teased you about your known celebrity crush.

Your popularity rose more in 2023 to 2024, so, when Jimmy Fallon reached out to you to have you on his show, your agency immediately agreed.

Standing behind the curtain wearing a tight brown suit, the pants wide-leg. Black boots were your choice of footwear, your makeup done perfectly to match the outfit.

“Ladies and gentlemen, bring your hands together for Y/n L/n!”

When Jimmy announced your name, you came out from behind the curtain, a big smile on your face as you waved to the audience.

Shaking hands and hugging some of the crew members before you finally hugged Jimmy, settling down in the blue chair.

“How are you doing tonight?” Jimmy asks with a warm smile.

“I’m doing good! Pretty nervous to be honest, this is my first talkshow.” You answered sincerely.

The audience clapped and Jimmy sunk back in his seat a little more.

“Well, I’m glad to be your first one! So, your new song ‘Perfume’ recently came out, congratulations on 200 million streams.”

“Thank you so much, really.” Your hands were shaking as you fidgeted with the brown fabric on your knee, one leg crossed over the other.

“So, you’ve been singing since 2020?” Jimmy asks.

“Yeah, I started posting videos on Tik Tok but my career really took off at the end of 2023 and now here we are.” You smile, the whole experience still so surreal.

“Your voice is phenomenal, seriously. I’ll need to have you come back and sing on the show for us.” Jimmy says, causing the audience to erupt into cheers.

You laughed a little, nodding your head. “Of course, anytime.”

Jimmy continued to talk to you for a few more minutes about your career, the conversation flowing smoothly as you cracked some nervous jokes.

“So, I have to ask, Y/n. Since your career began you’ve said your celebrity crush is Drew Starkey, can you tell us more about this?”

You felt your face get a little warm as you shifted in your seat, an anxious smile on your lips.

“I dunno, I guess I’ve just always found him attractive. He’s insanely talented and just seems like a very genuine soul.” You say sheepishly, avoiding looking at the camera.

“He’s also becoming more and more popular right now, with season four of ‘Outer Banks’ that came out in October and November along with his new movie ‘Queer’.” Jimmy adds on.

“Yeah, I’m a pretty big fan so I’ve been following along with it. I’m very proud of him, in like a supportive-fan way.” You say, making the audience laugh at the last part.

You were completely oblivious to Jimmy looking behind you, motioning with his hand underneath his desk.

“So it’s not just his looks?” Jimmy teases.

“I mean, he’s a very beautiful man. He looks good with any haircut especially that mullet he had last year — and oh my god, he just looked so good in season four of ‘Outer Banks.’ Plus he has these big biceps that just bulge out of any shirt.”

You hadn’t even realized you were gushing over your celebrity crush until you finally caught yourself, hearing the audience laughing.

“Oh, gosh. You are really into him, huh?” Jimmy teases.

“What would you do if he was standing right behind you?” The host asks.

If you weren’t so nervous from being on a national talkshow you probably would’ve understood his message.

But your brain caused you to miss it, being as oblivious as ever.

“Probably pass out.” You answered, hearing the audience giggle more. Jimmy had an amused grin on his face.

“Please don’t pass out.”

Your posture immediately straightened, body tense as you stood up from the seat.

Turning around, your heart dropped to your stomach when you saw Drew fucking Starkey standing there.

The audience’s laughter grew as well as Jimmy’s, clearly satisfied with the surprise.

Your hands went to cover your mouth, face feeling hot like you had a fever. You just gushed about this man practically to his face.

“Hi, Y/n. I’m Drew.”

You couldn’t respond, just in pure shock as you stare at the tall man.

Drew also looked a little sheepish, his cheeks pink as he grinned at you.

“Did you— did you hear everything?” You finally managed to choke out.

“Maybe.” Drew chuckled, scratching the side of his neck.

“How do you feel after hearing all that, Drew?” Jimmy chuckles.

“I’m honored,” Drew replies.

You hated the way he fucking said that and the way you understood that reference.

Drew held his hand out for you to shake, but your heart was beating too fast and your brain was turning into nervous mush that you just embarrassed yourself in front of your dream man.

“Are you going to shake his hand? Hug him?” Jimmy chuckled.

“I’m… scared.” You murmured, the audience swooning and giggling over your shyness.

“Can I hug you?” Drew asked.

Stunned, your head slowly nodded. His strong arms wrapped around your body, your forehead resting against his shoulder.

You couldn’t even hug him back properly, just too much in shock. He smelt like cologne and it made your knees weak.

“I love your new song, by the way.” Drew murmured softly in your ear.

“Yeah?” You whisper, feeling like an idiot for the way you were reacting in front of him.

Drew just nods and hums, soothingly caressing your back in an effort to calm you down.

“Ladies and gentlemen, give it up one last time for Y/n L/n and Drew Starkey!” Jimmy has to end the segment.

The audience cheers as Drew continues to embrace you.

He had known about you for the last few months, having a few of your songs in his playlists.

He was just constantly busy so he never really got the chance to reach out, but when Jimmy’s team contacted him about surprising you on the show, he was excited.

And nervous.

“Sorry about surprising you like that.” Jimmy comes over, causing you and Drew to finally pull away.

“You gave me trust issues for talkshows now.” You said jokingly, finally calming down a bit.

Drew and Jimmy both laughed softly.

The film crew told you and Drew that the commercial break would be ending soon so to step off stage.

You did your signature on the wall dedicated to Jimmy’s guests, feeling familiar blue eyes gazing at you.

After thanking each crew member and shaking hands or hugging, an assistant pointed you and Drew towards where a car will take you both back to your perspective hotels.

“You ready?” Drew asked you.

You nodded, feeling nervous due to the fact that you were about to be alone in the back of a car with your celebrity crush, other than the driver in the front.

Drew opened the door for you as you climbed in, hyperaware of how he slid in behind you onto the leather seat.

It was quiet for a few moments, you nervously fidgeting with the rings on your fingers.

“So… you like my new song?”

You finally manage to choke out.

Drew smiled softly, turning his head to look at you. He was still a little flustered at everything that happened, but also very amused.

“I do, yeah. Are you going to shoot a music video for it?” Drew asked.

You nod, making eye contact with him.

“Yeah, my idea is to tell a story about these two lovers who move to like a quieter part, I was thinking either the forest or a desert, that live in poorer conditions but are completely happy and content because they have each other. I want it to be full of love, so kissing, affection, a sex scene.”

You rambled on to him, your eyes falling to your hands as you played with your rings.

“Oh, wow. That sounds cool as fuck.” Drew murmured, also watching your hands fidget. He thought it was cute.

“I’ve had the idea in my head for a few years, actually. I started writing ‘Perfume’ in like… 2021? So, I just want everything to be perfect.”

You added on, looking back at him. He had his left leg crossed over his knee, his body language towards you.

“Well… if you need a male costar, I would love to do it.” He gave you a smile.

A small grin curled onto your lips, stomach hurting at realization of what he just implied.

“Yeah?”

He nodded, licking his lips.

“Mhm. I told you, I love the song. Plus, your idea sounds amazing, and if you want me to, I would love to be apart of it.”

You nodded, swallowing the lump in your throat when it finally hit you that Drew fucking Starkey wanted to be your on-screen lover.

“You’re not just fucking with me, right?”

You had to ask, blurting it out of your nervous mouth.

Drew just snorted, shaking his head in amusement. “No, I’m not.”

“Okay… I’ll have my manager reach out to your’s about details for when we start shooting. I appreciate it a lot.”

You were unaware the car finally came to a stop, parked outside your hotel, fans and security guards waiting for you.

“Yeah, I’ll definitely be there. Have a good night, Y/n.”

Drew smiled at you, your heart fluttering.

“You too, Drew.”

You got out of the car, letting the security guards guide you inside the hotel. You tried your best to take photos or sign autographs for your dedicated fans, something Drew admired as he watched from the back of the SUV.

By the time you finally got back into your hotel room and kicked off your boots, you started taking off your jewelry.

Flopping down onto the bed, you grabbed your phone.

It felt like your heart dropped to your stomach when one notification specifically caught your eye.

@/drewstarkey started following you back

#simpforboys #drew starkey x female reader #drew starkey x you #drew starkey x y/n #drew starkey fluff #drew starkey #drew starkey x reader #drew starkey x singer!reader #drew starkey angst #drew starkey smut #rafe cameron #rafe cameron x female reader #rafe cameron imagine #drew starkey imagine #drew starkey fic #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron x you

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