#she's also a little chubby (like me) so we can have that rep

[blazefirefox]

Genshin Impact OC Introduction Post

Ophelia Guardian of Fallen Stars

"heaven help a fool who falls in love"

Bio:

Name: Ophelia

Age: 2000+?? idk

Sexuality/Gender: Pansexual; Female (she/her)

Species: Descender

Constellation: Custos

Abilities: same as Traveller, just with different skills (details later)

Weapon: Polearm

Voice Claim: Hange Zoe (Jessica Calvello) from Attack on Titan

Song that makes me think about her ig: Leopard by Jack Stauber

Relationships:

Aether - childhood friend/possible love interest (enemies to lovers if Abyss)

Lumine - childhood friend/possible love interest (enemies to lovers if Abyss)

Paimon - bicker buddies (they're besties)

Venti - she thinks he's weird but in an endearing way

Zhongli - friend/father-figure

Raiden Ei - prefers to be 20 ft away from her at any given time

Nahida - close friend/nice presence to be around

Furina - initially thought she was annoying, starts to build bond after AQ

Xiao - tentative acceptance (she's "confused and slightly threatened by his presence")

Cyno - friend/TCG buddy

Adara (OC) - friend, helps Cyno integrate her into society

Lynette - close friend

Keqing - rivals to besties/possible love interest

Wanderer/Kiyoshi - enemies to frenemies (they hate each other they go beat up fatui together on weekends)

Tartaglia/Childe - Traveler has to hold her back from throttling him whenever they encounter each other

Shikanoin Heizou - initially cautious of him bc he's a detective and she has a lot of secrets (hc that traveller hides that they're a descender as much as possible), but she learns to trust him

Dainsleif - she thinks he's sketchy

Amber - great friends since their first meeting

Summary:

A Descender along with Lumine and Aether, she grew up and traveled alongside the twins. When the three reached Teyvat, Ophelia felt like something was off and decided to wait for the twins while they explored this new world. After they failed to return, Ophelia went to find them herself, and she was immediately apprehended by the Heavenly Principles and remained dormant. She would wake up a bit after the Traveler and lay low until she reunites with them right after they start their journey (where she also meets Paimon). Ophelia was obviously distressed when she found out the Traveler's sibling was missing, and promised to stop at nothing until they were reunited and could finally leave together. Obviously, that wouldn't last long, as when the sibling is revealed to be part of the Abyss, her world shatters. This leaves both Descenders in shambles, and while the Traveler chose to bottle their feelings up as always, Ophelia chose to vent her complicated feelings by destroying every monster she could find for a while after the reveal, even though Dainsleif told them that the creatures of the Abyss were once human. She eventually calms down, but would act more hostile to the Abyss sibling whenever they're brought up.

.

Ever since she was little, Ophelia knew that her purpose was to protect the twins that took her in since she has no memories of her original colony. Since she is a "Guardian", Ophelia is not a force to be reckoned with, her only (canonical) loss being when going against the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles (note: she didn't participate in the initial battle with Ei during the 100th vision seizing ceremony, if she did, she probably would've lost :p). Ophelia believes it is her duty, her reason for existence, to make sure the Traveler makes it to see the next sunrise, and if they're hurt, she can never really shake that it was somehow her fault. When she learned about the Abyss sibling, her anger came from the betrayal of one of her closest friends being responsible for such horrendous actions and her self-hatred for not being there for them, even though that wouldn't be possible. Other than that, she tries to live her life to the fullest, creating bonds along her travels. She wouldn't trade spending every day with the Traveler and Paimon for anything, even though she was initially a little jealous when she thought the Traveler was trying to replace her with Paimon.

.

Even though she loves the Traveler very much, Ophelia sometimes feels like she is outshined by them, and dies a bit inside when residents of Teyvat sometimes don't know who she is. Although she has a lot of self-control, Ophelia sometimes goes a little too far in battle, especially when she's angry, to which Paimon and the Traveler a little concerned about. There was one incident where she beheaded a Lawachurl after dealing with a particularly annoying hilichurl camp, put the head on a stick, and put it on display for all the hilichurls (and unlucky explorers) to see.

.

In my story, the Traveler is Lumine, but I've been keeping it ambiguous up to here. Either one of the twins, Abyss or not, can be seen as Ophelia's love interest, but I personally try to pair her with the Abyss sibling because I'm a sucker for friends to enemies to lovers)

Other facts:

Anemo powers

Normal: Foreign Galeswing

Skill: Stagnant Swirl

Placed a certain distance away, pulling in enemies and dealing Anemo DMG, disorienting enemies when the skill ends.

Burst: Storm Slash

Anemo Energy builds up around Ophelia, bursting soon after and dealing Anemo DMG with continuously swirling windblades.

Geo Powers

Normal: Foreign Stonestrike

Skill: Stalagmite Shock

Sharp precipices shoot up from the ground, dealing AoE Geo Damage.

Burst: Stalactite Barrage

Blades of stone appear and pierce enemies from above, dealing AoE Geo Damage and remaining in the ground even after said enemy has been defeated. These count as Geo constructs and can be climbed and block attacks.

Electro Powers

Normal: Foreign Sparkslice

Skill: Strikewave

A shockwave of Electro is released, dealing Electro DMG and generates an Abundance Amulet for every two enemies hit.

Burst: Piercing Shock

A small beam of Electro is shot at opponents that deal Electro DMG. The power of these beams increase the more Abundance Amulets are absorbed.

Dendro Powers

Normal: Foreign Tangletwirl

Skill: Might of Mistle

Multiple thorns are shot and will hone on enemies, dealing Dendro DMG.

Burst: Flaunting Flora

A large Dendro growth will appear and explode when left alone, dealing Dendro DMG. However if it comes into contact with:

Pyro, the growth will shoot out flaming seed pods that deal increased Dendro DMG

Hydro, the growth will have smaller buds burst from beneath enemies, dealing Dendro DMG

Electro, the growth will grow vines that'll stab through enemies, dealing Dendro DMG

Hydro Powers

Normal: Foreign Scaldstab

Skill: Searing Wake

Scalding torrents of water are aimed at enemies, dealing Hydro DMG and dealing more DMG if the target is Frozen.

Burst: Plunge of Peril

Ophelia jumps up with a burst of water, dealing Hydro DMG, and plunges back down, dealing more Hydro DMG and knocks opponents back.

Extra Art

w/out scarf

extra doodles (+ an attempt at the Genshin Emote style)

[genericpuff]

I was reading your essay on "fat" rep in LO and as woman who is overweight, maybe not but definitely chubby/pudgy and often getting shit for it by my family... Do we ever see Persephone with a not-flat stomach? Even just a little protruding, not necessarily round. Or a double chin? I know fat looks different on different people, but... To me that seems like a pretty obvious way for an artist to show their character is meant as fat rep. If Rachel actually wanted that, I mean.

There are definitely times Rachel tries to draw her "fat" but it feels so tone deaf because it's still just like... as I've mentioned in my essay about it, it's "Hollywood fat", i.e. the kind of belly pouch fat that many women have that's often painted as ugly even though it's very commonplace to have (because no person is entirely flat! we're humans, not planks of wood!) The problem is if you try to quantify as little amount of fat as possible as "fat representation", you can't really call it fat representation because it only represents people on the lower end of the spectrum of fat. Here's an example of what I mean when I tried to find that one specific image example I was thinking of that I had seen ages ago lmao (this isn't the one I was thinking of but it gets the same point across):

Yes, cartoon stylization is a thing, but watch out for the folks who say they can't draw fat people because "it wouldn't suit my style", it falls into the same type of excuse camp as Tim Burton saying black people wouldn't suit the "aesthetic" of his films. They actually could draw fat characters in their style, it's more likely they just don't want to (but don't want to admit to that).

And honestly, if someone just wants to stick to drawing characters of a specific race, body type, etc. that they're familiar with, that's not a crime in and of itself IMO, but don't claim that your work is representation for a group when it's really only carrying the bare minimum or if you're just forcing it for the sake of seeming progressive. That's pretty much where LO falls, its "fat representation" only represents the bare minimum of fat that doesn't apply to the people who are looking for legitimate fat rep in media. Sure, there will be people who will still connect with that body type, especially for people who have stretch marks or belly pouches, but can it really be called 'fat rep' on the whole when it's not going to connect with the people who are genuinely fat? I'm someone who's gone through weight gain and struggled with body image, while I can totally relate to the type of body Persephone has where she (sometimes) has a muffin top and cellulite on her legs, that doesn't make her "fat representation" as a whole because she doesn't represent the women who are genuinely fat beyond chubbiness or being "not flat".

All that aside, the only indications of Persephone being 'fat' are the odd panel where Rachel gives her a belly or "stretch marks" (tbh they look less like stretch marks and more like scars from a bear attack lol):

But then she'll also draw Persephone with a straight up bodybuilder torso and have her say outloud that she's "small-medium":

It all feels very tone deaf because it's Rachel trying to have her cake and eat it too - she wants to draw Persephone as her usual small cinnamon roll self who can be infantilized and fetishized by the men around her (which Rachel loves to write and draw btw) BUT she also wants to try and take credit for Persephone being "fat rep" so whenever she remembers to do so, she'll throw in her laziest attempts at making Persephone seem "fat" but really she's just the Hollywood version of "fat" by having a belly pouch and stretch marks that many women of varying sizes have regardless of weight changes. We can't even assume that she may have been fat at one point and lost the weight (leading to the stretch marks) because we've seen Persephone in basically all stages of her life from childhood to adulthood. She's always been itty bitty and her entire personality and relationship with Hades is written around that.

[world-of-aus]

Love & Barbells - Pt. 4

Pairing: Chubby!Bucky (gym crush) x Reader

Warnings: Pinch of angst.

Authors Note: We've been in a very angsty mood lately, and it's gonna seep through my work here lol. I hope y'all enjoy this part, and remember feedback is a writers jam. All other parts can be found on @worldofausupdates Happy Readings Baby Buns.

“So where are they?” 

You snort from where you watch your roommate in the mirror of the gym, her eyes darting around the area scoping out the early birds. 

“At home, In bed like any sane person.” You reply as you lift the weights slightly, feeling them out. 

She hums under her breath continuing to look around, “you know for their build I’d imagine they’d be here as soon as it opened.” You laugh openly as you grab the weights, “yeah, well for their build I’m sure they also know bodies need rest with how intense the train.” You pass the weights to her, laughing as her stance falters with the newly added weights she holds in her hands, “why does this feel heavier than last week,” she whines struggling to lift the weight. 

“It feels heavier,” you start as you press down on her biceps feeling the muscle, “because if you want to build that muscle, you have to go up in weight, hit till failure, we’ve been through this before.” She sets herself up in front of the mirror muttering under her breath as she goes, “what was that?” you grin as you reach for you own weights, “I said that just because I know doesn’t mean I care for it.” 

“Come on now, I told you I was going to get you back, didn’t I?” 

Your roommate is back to muttering under her breath but sinks into the routine when she sees you bring up the weight to your chest. You fall easily into the mindset of what you’re there to do, your reps slow and controlled as you watch yourself in the mirror eyes occasionally flicking to your friends, a smile on both your faces every time your gazes meet. And whether she notices your wandering eyes scanning the gym goers in the back of you she doesn’t mention keeping her teasing to herself for once. 

“Oh god you’re horrible,” she groans as she lets the machine clang into place, “why do I even put myself through this, I know what’s going to happen every time I ask to come with you, and it’s like I don’t learn!” You're laughing as you give her shoulders a sympathetic squeeze, sweat gathering on both your brows as you catch your breaths. “You would think you would have already learned from your mistake.” She raises a brow at you, watching as you take on a mock stance, “don’t be afraid to push me,” you mimic, “I can handle it.” 

She’s throwing a rolled-up napkin at you, the wet ball filled with cleaner hitting your skin before falling at your shoe. “Sorry my arms don’t work,” she retorts tongue poking out at you. You roll your eyes despite the smile pulling at your lips, leaning down you pick up the napkin before making your way to the nearest trash bin.  

Discarding the napkin you scan the area to see if the equipment for your next set is open, you find that it is but that’s not what catches your attention. 

 There’s a bright smile on his face, white cut tank molded to his body, grey sweats leaving very little to the imagination as he leans over the bar of the bench press, flirty smile on his lips. Your eyes flit down to the cause of that smile, a fit redhead who has her fingers wrapped around the bar, her smile is grasped between her teeth as she looks up at him. You look away, swallowing the knot in your throat as you retreat back to your friend, who has seemingly seen the same thing. 

You offer a weak smile, her lips turned in a pout as she reaches for you, she doesn’t embrace you but squeezes your arms, she knows affection would be too much. “We could skip the bench for today,” she offers, “use dumbbells instead?” She’s not surprised when you shake your head, “no, we’re going to the bench, it’s open and those benches are barely open, even on the dead days, so I'm getting my time in.” Your friend watches you, “are you sure y/n you -” 

“Come on,” you murmur as you force on a smile, “y/n,” she tries with a look. You shake your head as you gather your things from the floor, “let’s be honest,” you say as you straighten out, “there was no way he was single, I just happen to let myself get a little to hopeful when he was with the guys since I started here.” 

“Well hey, there’s still hope,” she says as you begin your trek across the gym. You look over at her brow raised in question, “maybe Sam and Steve are single,” she offers, “they’re just as good looking.” You let out a snort, hand reaching out to smack at her sore arm, she just barely gets away with a laugh, “what, it’s true!” 

“For that we’re upping your weight twice,” you say as you continue forward making a beeline for the bench. “Oh come on!” she whines, as she matches your step, the two of you falling closer to the bench. 

You claim your spot, your bottle, bag and keys placed at the foot of the bench, your friend takes her spot on the chair. You move around the side getting the weights you plan on sliding into the bar, your eyes focused on the task and not on the couple working feet away from you. 

You mirror Bucky’s earlier move, looking down at your roommate, you help her space her hands right, “you ready?” She tightens her fingers, “they were both looking at you the entire time by the way,” she murmurs, “like watching your every move.” Your heart skips a beat, you pull a smile patting the bar, “are you ready,” you question again. Your friend gives you an unamused look, “fine don’t listen but when we switch, I'm going to make you listen!” Your smile cracks, “wouldn’t expect anything less, remember brace your core and breathe through every rep,” you advise as the bar goes up your fingers assuming their position as she goes for her first rep. 

You can feel eyes on you, and it’s not your roommates, though her eyes remain locked with yours as she looks to you to help her push through each rep. “C’mon last one,” you encourage, “take in a breath, now brace,” she gets out her last rep, your hands guiding hers to rerack the weight with a clang. You laugh as her arms fall to the sides, “I know I said I would do one more exercise after this but please – no more!” 

“How about this,” you say, “let me get out my reps then we can go down to the diner for breakfast, my treat.” 

Her eyes sparkle as she shoots up out of the bench her body turning to get her hands on your cheeks squeezing the flesh, “I love you, I promise next week will be better!”  

A ‘sure jan’ leaves your lips as you switch her spots leaving the weight she started with as a warmup. When you sit on the bench, as you go to lean back your eyes somehow find Bucky’s and indeed both him and the redhead have their gazes trained on you like your friend mentioned earlier. They offer you a smile, Bucky waving at you from where he stands at the bar, almost like he never moved since you noticed him from across the gym. And despite the knot growing in your throat, you return the sentiment before shifting your attention back to the bar. You lock eyes with your roommate as you get your hands into position, “I told you," She hisses as she helps you unrack. 

Keeping your mind focused on what you’re doing has always come easy, its keeping your eyes from wandering to him that you find hard. In between sets while switching out weights your eyes have never wanted to seek him out more, to see him with her. You know they’ve moved from the bench to the mirrors but you just don’t know where. You slip the new weight on to the bars, “you better not go till failure,” your friend laughs as you take a seat on the bench, “because then we’re both failing.” You laugh as she tries to lift the weight while you lay back curling your fingers around the bar, “good thing you’re not the one lifting then, all you got to do is support when you see me about to crush my chest.” 

“HA. HA. You better not die, I want breakfast.” 

You laugh rolling your eyes as you twist your hands breathing in as you lift the weight, your friends' hands following yours as you take your first rep. Despite mentally telling yourself to take it slow, keep it controlled you can’t help but to get your reps in quicker than you should be, but with how light the weight felt the first 4 reps you thought surely it would remain light. Wrong. Oh, how wrong you were as you went for the 7th rep only to struggle to push it up, your face burning along with the muscles in your arms. 

Your roommate looks at you in panic, her fingers curling on the bar as she tries to aide you in your pull-up. You rerack the weight, defeat settling in your bones as you push yourself up into a sitting position. Your roommate comes up next to you, her hand on your shoulder squeezing, but all you can focus on is the group across the gym, laughter bubbling from their lips his arm thrown over her shoulder, her fingers wrapped around his waist.  

Your roommate obscures your view a small smile on the corner of her mouth as she perches on the bench with you, “let’s head out for breakfast yeah, I’ll buy.” 

You’re nodding, offering her a smile as you stand, your hand coming up to your head a humorless chuckle spilling past your lips “God I’m being silly, I’m sorry.” She passes you your things, throwing an arm over your shoulder, “it’s not silly and don’t be sorry, just take the next two days to reset, he's not the only man you know,” she murmurs as she leads the two of you towards the exit a pair of blue cerulean watching you with concern in his gaze and your name on his tongue. 

[flowerfletching]

I completely get this and it does bother me that the social thing doesn't show up, though it's for a different reason. See for Halt, while yes he may know, he may not care. He probably wouldn't try to fit in to really any kind of social standards. I don't think it would really matter if he had been like that previously due to the three years of rigorous training that had happened by the time we first actually saw him, though that's unless he had some genetic for it or something which then there would be an issue with Flanagan not including it for him. He probably does know how to eat really well though due to his upbringing.

Where it DOES bother me however is when people that do align with that standard get teased for it. For example, Baron Arald. Correct me if I'm wrong because I may be misremembering but haven't people pointed out his weight or that he liked his food and meant it in a way to point out his body shape in a less overtly rude way? I think they've also said he has trouble getting on his horse because of it and I genuinely just don't know what to say about that part. All of this makes it seem like it's supposed to be some sort of character flaw and I think THAT is where the issue comes in.

There's also instances of characters teasing eachother when they eat a lot. For example, one time Will was having dinner with Halt and Pauline and Halt teased Will for eating so much. This is just one of the reasons that I really don't like that scene, though there is another one, but that's a story for another time.

The thing is, Flanagan DOES have bigger people that eat a lot, they just have muscle to go with it. This doesn't give very good representation for bigger people who don't or that have the muscle but also have some fat on them (Baron Arald being an example of the second part). Skandians are a big example of this and so is even Horace. I could be wrong but I feel like Duncan himself may be an example of this as well.

Speaking of Duncan, let's talk about him and his daughter in regards to this. Once again, Duncan may be a bit chubby and I could be remembering his description wrong, but I'm pretty sure Cassandra just straight up doesn't align with the social standard. And while she is all about not fitting into roles just like Halt is, it feels a bit odd when it comes to her when she hasn't been given a reason to do whatever she can to separate herself from royalty. She actually has been but that was because of her being kidnapped and/or threatened BECAUSE she's royalty and not trauma inflicted BY the actual royal family like Halt was. Plus, Cassandra just doesn't really seem like she wants to leave her royal family behind anyway.

Actually, this brings me back to Halt's family. The thing is, I'm pretty sure that Ferris actually DOES align with this social standard, though I can't remember if he's just chubby or is bigger than that. And since he is royalty, the social standard does fit him. The issue is that he's depicted as a betrayer, a coward, and is unable to really do much by himself. And since he's one of the only people I can think of in this series that actually has no muscle, or has very little at least, and just has fat it kinda just gives those types of people a bad rep when it comes to this series.

That and that most of the characters in this series are either skinny or are bigger in the form of muscle. For Halt, at least to me, it sort of makes sense for him to not fit into the social standard. In regards to everyone else though and the fact that there's little representation for fatter people, or that those who DO provide as representation are either bad examples or are made fun of, I think that is where the problem is when it comes to this issue.

You did make a great point though and I am very glad that you brought this issue up! I figured I'd bring my take on it as well to let you know that you aren't the only one having thoughts like this about the series.

(Flanagan's) ✨️fatphobia in RA, heavily projected into Halt makes no sense ✨️

In the Middle Ages, not being skinny was a sign of prosperity, wealth and security. If someone's bones weren't showing or they weren't made up of only muscles, it meant they didn't have to fight to survive, they didn't know hunger or poverty and they didn't fight their way up the social ladder, they were just born into abundance.

If anyone, Halt, being of noble birth, should know this.

From the series: cultural and social idiocies in books styled to take place in the Middle Ages that annoy me. (The series is a very long one and I will share some of it here for sure because COME ON)

[life-in-the-monster-haus]

Some people have pointed out you can extremely easily pick the lesbian flag out the leaked howleens hair. While this is probably a delightful coincidence I’m wondering how you feel about howleen being the lesbian rep instead of clawdeen? Would it be a nice treat or a cop out?

You super can! Her hair looks like the sunset flag just upside down.

I want GOOD queer rep in Monster High! I want it almost as much as I want diverse body types. I want it so badly. I’ve DUG deep and unearthed some some queer rep crumbs. Zomby Gaga was technically our first Bisexual Doll, Greta Gremlin is technically our first trans doll with Frankie being the second, Neighthan & Valentine we’re both intended and coded to be gay men written by a gay man. But where or… should I say were was our lesbian rep? Garrett proudly declared Clawdeen as a Lesbian and because he was the creator most fans took his word as law… but this didn’t feel like a victory to me, it felt hollow. It bothered me & I couldn’t figure out why, after being called Lesbophobic by a dozen people on Twitter for daring to disagree with Father Monster it hit me! Years prior Garrett was asked outright if he wrote Clawdeen to be a lesbian & he said it was never intended her to be that way but he supports people who see her as gay. NOW fast forward like 2-3 years? Garrett left Mattel, he was not fired he left. Garrett declares Clawdeen as a Lesbian. The timing is important because not only did this come after admitting she was never written to be a lesbian, he said it years after he left Mattel and no longer had any influence on Monster High, Clawdeen was no longer his character. His word now means nothing. This? Was messy and unfair to lesbians who deserve to have good rep! Not just a sloppy afterthought tagged on later. Mattel clearly did not agree & hammered it home in G3 that Clawdeen’s hobby is “flirting with boys” and in the live action movie Deuce is crushing on her and the feeling is mutual. This had to hurt lesbians who see themselves in her and that? Was cruel. (I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Bisexual Clawdeen).

Now! I told you that story to tell you this story: Howleen has never had a canon love interest, she is also 14, these two things are related because in the episode Fierce Crush there is some type of full moon event going on that is making all of the werewolves lovey-dovey. (It’s probably mating season, but this is a kids show.) it's the first full moon of the lunar leap year.

There werewolves are giving their lunas a token of their love, This Crescent Moon High boy gives his ghoul his class ring.

Clawd gives Draculaura his varsity jacket. (someone please draw her absolutely swimming in that jacket pls)

Dee O'Gee gives his luna his... flea collar... how sweet of him...?

and Clawdeen tells Howleen not to fall into that “I gotta get a boyfriend” trap because she is too young. Howleen takes this as great personal offensive & says she’s not in a manner very fitting of someone whose obviously not mature enough to be dating yet. On cue Romulus helps Howleen with her stuck locker & she makes goo goo eyes at him, Clawdeen instantly tries to curb stomp that by gently reminding Howleen that Romulus used to puppy-sit her.

She tells her friend Lothar who...is someone we have never seen before this moment and we will never see again... That she "Really Likes" Romulus. As her friend, he tries to give her good advice and the advice he gives her IS good advice but she messes up and sets Romulus on fire.

But her attempts to impress Romulus are all in vain because apparently he's into.... The Create A Monster Wolf girl!?!?

Sure... Why not?

Anyways Howleen is kinda bummed by this and Lothar comforts her telling her that "If he can't see how furrific you are? then it's his loss"

Which is once again, really good advice. Lothar is pretty wise for someone we've never met before and we will never see again... Pity, we could have used a wise chubby little brother troll doll.

But then oh no! he likes Howleen! but she only see's him as a friend and the episode ends with narration from Frankie that "Romance can be pretty tricky sometimes. For every Monster who wont notice you, There's someone behind you, you're not noticing and someone right behind them" implying this slug girl has a crush on Lothar. WTF she's cute too! give us slug girl little sister doll!

Now NORMALLY I would say this is Howleen expressing an attraction to boys. That's usually my M.O. of ringing that cow bell that she's into boys and that automatically rules out Lesbian but still keeps the door open for her being Sapphic And OH BOY! I’m gonna eat my own words here but part of being being emotionally mature is admitting when your wrong and I don't think this attraction to Romulus is genuine. I think she is just trying to spite Clawdeen which is her usual M.O., Seem more mature than she is and she's probably feeling pressure from this lunar new year thing, I don't think she's actually into Romulus considering It has never come up before this episode and it never comes up again.

And I'm glad it never comes up again because it's fuckin' gross. He's way too old for her and I mean that in a serious way not in my usual "Romulus is absolutely a 45yr old grown ass man" way. He's gigantic and more than likely a High School Senior or even a Super Senior which puts him around 18yrs old and I know 4 years might not seem like much the older we get but that is a huge maturity gap for teenagers and totally inappropriate and possibly illegal I'm not really sure.

SO! Since that is really the only time we see her show an attraction to boys and no, I'm not counting her kissing the eyeball boy in "Why do Ghouls fall in love" that was her under the influence of Cupid's love spell and not real. it doesn't seem like she's into boys, but once she becomes friends with Twyla? they are never apart! and that is freshman shorthand for "I like You" could I be reaching? could be, maybe, it's possible... I'm not a fan of "they're dating just because they hang out a lot" but Twyla is literally the only person she trusts whose not family.

However, this is all circumstantial evidence, she's 14 and may not be into anyone! despite her protests she is still a baby.

But I don't think her being gay would be a "cop out" I think it would be wonderful lesbian rep if they plan her this way! her and Twyla is a huge ship and I find it adorable. there's gotta be SOMETHING there if so many people ship it. normally I don't go with the flow with ships I need something there.

But a lot of gay kids see themself in Howleen and if anyone could be the one to show them it's okay? it would be her. Howleen spent the entirety of G1 trying to find herself.

I think it's time she does.

[lovelybarnes]

dad- l. laufeyson

pairings: loki laufeyson x doctor!mom!reader, mentions of tony stark, natasha romanoff, steve rogers, oc, and thor odinson warnings: a child, y/n is a mom, dad!loki who is probably a little ooc but i hope that’s okay, y/n is a doctor but there’s no real detail, it’s just alluded to, mentions of an absent father, mentions of adoption about: requested! They’re dating and she has a toddler from a previous relationship that ended badly. Loki treats the baby like she’s his own and brings her to the compound once in a while to show off ‘his’ baby. The little one adores Loki and started calling him dada, making the soft side of him comes out. And also the very protective side. He eventually asks reader if he can officially adopt her to be the father figure. Since reader never put down the fathers name on the birth certificate, they put Loki’s down. a/n: thank you so much for requesting! i hope you liked this!!

tiny fingers splayed your cheeks wake you up, wet lips pressing continuously on your nose as familiar laughter rings in your ear. your nose scrunches, prying your eyes open to meet the mirror image of them in front of you. at the grin that splits daisy’s face, a smile sneaks up on your lips, too, “hey honey,” you say quietly, brushing away a strand of hair that falls in her eyes as your daughter’s warm hands hold your face.

“hi mama,” daisy replies, snuggling into your side, “pancake day,” she informs happily, a chubby finger reaching to trace the slope of your nose.

you tilt your head at her, raising an eyebrow, “really? who says?”

daisy doesn’t get a chance to reply, the crack to your door widening when loki steps through it, balancing a large plate stacked with pancakes and fruits in one hand. “loki!” daisy cheers, sitting up to reach for the food. you sit up, too, cocking your head at your boyfriend as you observe the platter.

“you made food?” you ask, eyes scanning the little cubes of cut-up strawberries and bananas before looking back up at him in pleasant surprise.

loki ducks his chin, “you were asleep. and today is pancake day. i simply could not disappoint daisy,” he explains, letting daisy take a piece of banana to shove in her mouth.

you gently run your fingers through her hair, a soft smile tugging at your lips, “hey, dais, let’s go eat at the table and watch some cartoons, hm?” at the sound of cartoons, she nods quickly, bouncing off of the bed to tug at loki to follow her, the god not making a peep when her grubby hands leave a smear of banana on his wrist. you watch as they head to the kitchen, listening when loki turns on the television and flips it to her favorite show without her needing to tell him. you take a second to remind yourself that the god in your house, sneaking homemade whipped cream--because store-bought whipped cream is not fit for her--to your daughter, is the same god who, not too long ago, physically recoiled at the mere mention of midgardians. you stand when you hear daisy’s voice calling you over when you take too long to follow, peeking around the corner to see loki cutting her chocolate chip pancakes into little squares. “any left for me?” you ask, your body burning hot when loki turns to look at you, a twinkle in his clear sea glass eyes.

“good morning, darling,” he greets, his lips kissing your cheek when you come closer to him, an arm wrapping around your waist. “pancake?” he offers, showing you a plate with two perfectly shaped pancakes, whipped cream piled high just the way you liked it and berries surrounding it in the way you always tried to do but were never able to. you pecked his lips, smiling against him when you heard your daughter protest loudly.

“what are we watching today?” you ask her, fingers taming the mess of bedhead that sits atop her head. she turns to the television after shoving pancake into her mouth, pointing at the image, “clifford,” she says simply. you sit next to her, exhaling, “that’s a good one.” daisy nods, “i want a dog,” she states after a second, “like clifford.”

you glance at loki, “finding a big red dog is going to be a little hard, sweetie--”

“i’m sure there’s one in asgard, if not, there must be one somewhere else,” loki shrugs, squinting at the show, “i’ll find one. worry not.”

you shake your head, chuckling, “maybe a normal-sized dog, daisy.” daisy pouts but nods.

the sounds from the television are the only ones for a few moments until you speak up, “oh, i completely forgot, i have to go meet with some big shot hospital reps for almost the whole day today, do you mind taking care of daisy?” you ask loki, an apologetic look on your face.

“of course not, she can accompany me to the compound today,” loki reasons, not missing the excited look that crosses daisy’s face.

you brighten, “that’s a great idea!” you turn to your daughter, who has smeared red on her cheek and a strawberry in her fingers, you huff a laugh, wiping it away with one of your fingers, “what do you think, dais? wanna go visit the other avengers with loki?”

she nods immediately, hurrying to swallow the fruit in her mouth before turning to loki, “can i wear your cape again?” she asks enthusiastically, patting wildly at your arm, “loki lets me use his cape!”

your eyebrow raises as you look at loki, “does he, now? i thought no one could even touch it?” you tease, appreciating the pale blush that takes over the snow of his cheeks as he shrugs, clearing his throat.

“there are always exceptions to rules,” he states.

-

“i love you,” you say, pressing a kiss into daisy’s hair, she parrots the phrase back to you, leaning further into loki’s arms when you pull away. “i love you,” you continue, kissing loki’s lips, “thank you again,” you whisper, feeling him chuckle against you.

“it is my pleasure,” loki assures before kissing you again. you pull away after a second, smacking your lips on daisy’s forehead as another goodbye.

“i’ll be back later, have fun, okay?” you request before finally walking out the door to head to work. you don’t see daisy’s pout as she lays her head on loki’s shoulder, balling her hand in his shirt. a soft smile tugs at loki’s lips, looking down at her to ask her if she’d like to go to the compound now.

a little while after she nods at his, he finds himself clicking her seatbelt in, making sure she’s safe in her booster seat before he begins to drive. he knows he could easily go there with a flick of his hand, but the travel makes daisy nervous, and, besides, she prefers to ride in the car with him, singing along to the playlist of the songs loki found himself liking in midgard.

daisy squeals when loki pulls into the driveway of the compound, jumping out of the car when he unbuckles her to hurry loki up. she pulls at his pant leg, growing more excited by the minute when she sees the red white and blue of steve’s shield flying behind the compound. “i do not understand why you like that thing so much. so boring,” loki grumbles, grabbing her hand and opening the door.

“ah, there she is!” thor’s voice booms nearly the minute loki and daisy step in, daisy’s grin grows wide, looking back at loki before running to thor. “uncle!” she squeals, oblivious to the way loki freezes when she says the simple word. thor carries her in his arms, holding her up like simba.

“my favorite niece! i brought the hammer for you today!” thor exclaims, sitting her down on one of his arms before holding his other hand out. loki looks to the side, realizing his brother is calling for the hammer with his daughter in his arms, quickly stepping over to him to take her away just as said hammer flies into his open hand. he twirls it, before handing it to daisy in loki’s arms, still keeping a hold on it as she wraps her small fingers around the hammer.

“brother…” loki hisses quietly, refusing to upset the little girl in his arms but wanting nothing more than to knock some common sense into his brother. “i would like to remind you to not do that while daisy is near you.”

daisy barely looks up at her name, too entranced with the intricate carvings in the hammer, “oh, she’ll be fine,” thor shrugs, clapping loki hard on the back, “i am very careful, brother.”

loki purses his lips, “yes, i remember how careful you are.”

“hey! reindeer games and little grey!” tony cheers from around the corner, natasha catching his words from the kitchen and heading for loki. loki can spot the captain in the hallway. “haven’t seen you in a while, kid,” tony tells daisy, ruffling up her hair, “thought you ditched us.”

loki rolls his eyes, concentrating on daisy, who reaches for the electric blue in tony’s chest, murmuring “pretty.”

“isn’t it?” tony brags, tapping a nail on his arc reactor, “built it myself. you want one?” daisy agrees enthusiastically, but loki makes sure to send tony a glare that tells him if he even dares. loki will finish the job in new york.

“how’s the doc?” natasha asks, coming cilently from the kitchen with a bag in her hand.

“y/n is good, she’s at the hospital right now.”

“hey, dais,” natasha starts, her green eyes sparkling, “you remember the toys you wanted from the mall last time we went?” daisy nods. natasha holds up the bag in her arms, “you wanna go see what’s in the bag?”

daisy’s eyes go wide, and she turns to loki, “can i dad? please?”

loki chokes down the uncharactersitic lump in his throat so he can nod, putting daisy down so she can grab natasha’s hand. when they’re out of hearing range, steve raises an eyebrow at loki, “‘dad’? that’s a big one.”

“yes,” loki clear his throat, “she had never called me that before.”

the other men exchange looks, before thor claps loki on the back with a beamng grin, “congratulations.” loki has never felt luckier.

-

it’s a few hours later, when you’re back at home, exhausted and sprawled on the couch next to loki with daisy sleeping on your and loki’s lap. “how was your day?” you ask quietly so you don’t disturb daisy.

“as excellent as a day with the avengers can be. i took daisy to the compound, everyone adored her, natasha spoiled her…” loki trails off, the clear cut reminder of the events of that day bright and new in his mind, “she called me dad,” loki finishes, allowing himself to look into the deep nooks and crannie of his brain that urges him to tell you what he’s been thinking about for far too long. there’s a second of silence.

“she’s never said to you that before,” you finally say softly. loki shakes his head, “she’s slipped up before, though. sometimes she calls you papa when she talks about you.” loki turns to you, searching your features for a lie he won’t find. “you are her father, loki. you’re way more of a father than her biological dad ever has been. you’re her dad, she loves you.” there’s more silence, the question you’re implying hanging in the air, waiting to be grasped and asked.

“would you adopt her?--” you grasp.

“i would like to adopt daisy--” he grasps.

you stare at each other before quiet laughter bubbles from your mouth, a nod tilting your chin, “you know, i never put her biological father’s name in her birth certificate.”

“we could go tomorrow,” loki offers, admiring the beaming smile that brightens your tired face.

“we should,” you agree, staring at loki for a few more moments before connecting your lips, looking down at daisy and brushing away some strands from her face when you pull away. you nod, meeting loki’s eyes again, “tomorrow.”

[broccoliboix5peepeeman]

Prompt: Class 1-A is tired of tododeku dancing around each other so they propose a little round of 7 minutes in heaven to try getting them together. Bonus: Shoto doesn't understand the game so he asks Midoryia to explain it when they're locked together.

Omg the drama, yessssss!

Ochaco was annoyed.

Granted, this wasn't an uncommon occurrence. When Bakugou said something mean to Deku, she was ready to float that demon gremlin into space. When Mineta objectified her female classmates, she conjured the wrath of the whole universe to send him into oblivion. When people called Iida 'too robotic to have any real feelings', she responded by doing things the class rep definitely wouldn't approve of.

Yeah, Ochaco could get very irritated.

However, this time, it wasn't a rude comment or a perverted action that infuriated her. It was a lack of… Well, anything really.

She sat at the dining room table, ignoring her maths homework as she stared across the room and glared at Deku, who was sitting on one of the sofas, frozen in place as Todoroki napped next to him, resting his head on her friend's shoulder.

Ochaco knew the two liked each other. It was obvious from the way Deku talked about him and through the fact that Todoroki literally felt comfortable enough to fall asleep on him. Yet, neither of them would do anything about it!

She made eye contact with Deku and glared, as if to say, 'Do something, moron!' but he just shook his head and remained still. He could’ve at least wrapped an arm around him, or rested his head against him, but no. He had to be all flustered and awkward.

'Something has to be done.' She announced.

'I agree.' Jirou muttered, voice monotone as she twirled one of her earphone jacks around her finger. 'If I have to watch them dance around each other for much longer, I'm gonna lose my shit.'

'Right?!' Hagakure added, exasperated. 'I walked in on Todoroki waxing poetry about Midoriya's perfect freckles last week. I swear, I've never heard him talk so much. Even Yaomomo looked like she wanted to vomit.'

'What do we do though?' Ochaco sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

'We can't force them together.' A new voice spoke. 'But we can nudge them in the right direction.'

Everyone turned to watch as the back of a nearby desk chair swivelled around to reveal Ashido grinning at them. She was dressed in a suit with black sunglasses, stroking Koda's rabbit on her lap.

When they stared at her in question, she peered at them over the top of her glasses. 'I propose a game.'

'A game?' Jirou raised an unimpressed eyebrow, while Hagakure hummed excitedly.

'What kind of game?' Ochaco narrowed her eyes. As much as she was annoyed at them, Deku and Todoroki were still her friends.

'Gather around, girlies.' Ashido beckoned them closer, confidence ebbed from her very being. 'Allow Auntie Mina to show you the way.'

☀️🌙

The girls were quiet.

Izuku narrowed his eyes at them, gathered around the dining table as they whispered in hushed voices.

Too quiet.

Todoroki shifted slightly and Izuku quickly turned his attention away from his scheming classmates and to his best friend. He loved moments like this. Todoroki looked so peaceful and Izuku felt honoured that his friend trusted him enough to be so vulnerable around him.

He smiled softly, noticing the often hard lines of his face soften - an unguardedness that looked so out of place, yet had started to become increasingly familiar on Todoroki's features. Overwhelmed with emotion, Izuku wanted nothing more than to reach out and stroke his chubby cheeks, run his hands through silky hair, squeeze his arms around him and bring him closer.

But he didn't want to ruin things.

He knew Todoroki had a difficult home life. He had years of trauma to work through and Izuku was no different. He still flinched when he heard loud noises, just like Todoroki did when touched unexpectedly. Izuku also knew that he was Todoroki's first ever friend.

He couldn't risk destroying that by being selfish enough to tell him how he really felt.

'Hey, Deku-kun!' Uraraka sang, suddenly in front of them.

Izuku waved in greeting, before gesturing to Todoroki and urging her to be quiet.

She ignored him.

'Aw! Is Todoroki-kun asleep?' She batted her eyelashes innocently and Izuku mustered his biggest warning glare. 'Don't worry, Deku-kun! I'm glad actually, because I wanted to ask you, when do you plan on telling Todoroki-kun how you really feel about him?'

'Shhhh!!!' Izuku frowned and shook his head. 'Oh no. We're not doing this again, Uraraka-san.'

'Why not?' Her voice was sickeningly sweet. 'It's not like he can hear us.'

'It doesn't matter.' He whispered harshly. 'We've been through this. I'm not confessing because Todoroki-kun doesn't like me like that.'

'How do you know?'

'Because I'm me. No one feels that way about me.' Izuku sighed. 'And he doesn't care about romance stuff anyway! He’d totally freak out if I told him I wanted to hold his hand or kiss him-'

Todoroki suddenly twitched on his shoulder and Izuku almost launched himself into the air. Instead, he covered his mouth with his hand and stared at him in alarm.

He missed Uraraka's amused smirk.

'I'll hold your hand, Deku.' She spoke, smoothly, causing Izuku to shoot her a look. However, he quickly became distracted by the increase in temperature around him.

Is it getting hotter in here?

'Just kidding. I know you’re off-limits.’ His friend winked, before collapsing onto the arm of the sofa. ‘Anyway, I actually came over because me and the girls are organising a sleepover tonight and we want you and Todoroki-kun to come!’

‘I dunno, Uraraka-san.’ Izuku bit his lip.

‘Oh Deku-kun...’ Uraraka smiled playfully and crossed her arms. ‘Were you under the impression that this was an optional invitation?’

Izuku stared into determined hazel eyes and gulped.

☀️🌙

Shoto wasn’t quite sure how he got himself into this position.

One moment, he was asleep on Midoriya, having a lovely dream where his friend admitted to Uraraka that he wanted to kiss him, and the next, he was sitting in a circle with the rest of his class, waiting while Mineta and Bakugou stood in a broom cupboard together.

Shoto wasn't entirely sure what the point of that particular game was, but he'd learnt long ago not to question his classmates' antics. Plus, he had more important issues to focus on, like the fill-in game Ashido had decided to start between each pair-up. Apparently, everyone had to raise their hands, while the speaker admitted to never having done something before. Then, if you had done it before, you had to lower a finger.

Shoto wasn't sure what happened when you ran out of fingers.

'Never have I ever been walked in on by my parents.' Jirou smirked.

Several people lowered a finger, including Shoto. After all, his father never had learnt the concept of knocking. Privacy was non-existent in the Todoroki household.

'Woah, dude! You're telling me Endeavour has walked in on you jerking one off?' Kaminari sputtered.

'What?' Shoto raised an eyebrow. 'He used to walk in my room all the time when I was studying or napping. Yeah, I called him a jerk because of it, but-'

'It's okay, Todoroki-kun. Ignore him.' Midoriya laughed nervously. 'You can put your finger back up.'

'But-'

'Never have I ever broken a bone in my body.' Uraraka interrupted with a giggle. Shoto hummed suspiciously but let the matter go this time.

'URARAKA-SAN!' Midoriya exclaimed. 'How could you? This is a betrayal of the highest form.'

'Suck it up, Osteoporosis.' She stuck her tongue out and waited. Over half of the room, once again including Shoto, lowered their fingers.

'Fine, be that way.' Midoriya mumbled, before stroking his chin in thought. 'Never have I ever-’

'HAS IT BEEN SEVEN MINUTES YET?!' Bakugou suddenly roared from inside the closet, promptly silencing Midoriya. 'I swear, even an unconscious grape bastard can be annoying as fuck!'

'You knocked him out?!' Uraraka gasped, smacking her cheeks, before her face became eerily stoic. 'Good.'

When Bakugou was finally released, along with a limp Mineta, she then turned back to the circle and handed the empty bottle to Midoriya.

'Your turn, Deku-kun!' She sang. Shoto noticed how his friend turned bright red at the declaration. 'Come on, spin it!'

'O- Okay, fine!' He stuttered, taking it from her with shaking hands. After he placed it back in the centre of their circle, he flicked it with his wrist and it began spinning quickly.

Shoto narrowed his eyes when the bottle cast a small shadow as it rotated, but he quickly became distracted when the bottleneck suddenly came to an abrupt stop in front of him.

'Well, would ya look at this!' Ashido gasped dramatically. 'Midoriya, Todoroki! Give us your phones and get in the closet!'

'Wait!' Midoriya exclaimed, but he was promptly silenced when Uraraka pounced on him, stole his phone and carried him to the storage room, throwing him over her shoulder like he weighed nothing.

Shoto looked at the rest of the class, sighed and handed Hagakure his phone, before he followed his classmates, significantly more civilised than Midoriya, who was flailing around and shouting for Uraraka to put him down.

'Whatever you say, Prince Deku.' She smirked, before opening the door and throwing him into the small room. When he landed with a thud, she gestured for Shoto to follow.

The moment they were both inside, the door slammed shut behind them and they were surrounded by darkness.

'Are you okay, Midoriya?' Shoto asked as he heard his friend clamber to his feet.

'Yeah, yeah. I've had worse.' Midoriya laughed, before his tone became more sombre. 'Ugh, Todoroki-kun, I'm so sorry about this.'

Why was he sorry?

'It's okay.' He shrugged. 'I know they took our phones but we don't have to stay in the dark.' 

'Wait, no. Todoroki-kun, I didn't mean-'

Shoto raised his left hand and conjured a small flame, which illuminated the broom cupboard. Cylindrical shadows cast upon the walls, dancing slightly as his fire flickered. The action also allowed Shoto to glance at Midoriya, who rubbed the back of his neck nervously. A harsh flush decorated his cheeks.

'Are you sure you're okay? You look hot.' Shoto reached out a cool hand to check his friend's forehead.

'Ah!' He felt slightly hurt when Midoriya jumped back. 'I'm f- fine, really! I'm just… Sorry for dragging you into this.'

Yeah, about that…' Shoto looked away and scratched his cheek. 'What exactly is this?'

Midoriya somehow managed to turn even redder.

'W- Well, I didn't th- think you'd ask that-' He covered his face with his hands and began mumbling to himself about how they were friends and something about crushing someone.

Shoto was very confused.

'No, what's this 7 Minutes in Heaven game we’re supposed to be playing?' Shoto raised an eyebrow. 'I don't actually understand why we're in here, but I didn’t want to ask the others.'

The mumbling stopped. Midoriya's head shot up and he looked at Shoto with watery eyes that reflected the light of his orange flames.

'O- Oh…' He looked momentarily relieved and let out a laugh. 'That… Makes more sense. Ignore me!'

'But I asked you a question?' Shoto tilted his head to the side. 'There would be no point asking if I ignored you.'

'I… I didn't mean… Oh nevermind!' Anxiety came flooding back to Midoriya's face. 'Okay, so basically two people get randomly picked to go into a small space together for seven minutes - but you already knew that, huh? Of course you did. Right so, there's no set rules for what we're meant to do in here, we can technically do whatever we want, but usually, the two people selected have to… Er…’

‘Yes?’ Shoto pressed.

He watched as Midoriya twirled a loose strand of hair around his finger and narrowed his eyes.

‘We’re expected to k- ki- kiss and stuff.’ He finally answered. ‘The game’s designed to get people together romantically.’

‘Oh...’

'Not that we have to kiss or anything!' Midoriya scrambled to clarify, frantically waving his hands in front of him. 'I don't want to make you do anything you're not comfortable with and I totally understand that you don't want to kiss me!'

'I never said I didn't want to kiss you.' Shoto frowned. He actually quite liked the idea of kissing Midoriya. He was brave, kind, attractive and someone incredibly special to Shoto. He’d never wanted to kiss someone or hold their hand before, not until Midoriya came into his life. Now, the idea was rather appealing.

‘Well, no… But I just sort of assumed-’

‘Do you want to?’ Shoto suddenly blurted out, before he could stop himself.

Midoriya’s eyes widened.

‘Do I want to what?’

‘Kiss me. Do you want to kiss me?’ Shoto clarified, shuffling on his feet. Heat flooded to his cheeks and his stomach felt funny, but all he could focus on was the surprised look Midoriya flashed him, as he searched Shoto’s eyes questioningly.

‘Y- Yes...’ He stuttered out, taking a step closer.

Shoto mirrored the action.

'Good, because I want to as well.'

Izuku smiled at that and found Shoto's free hand, tentatively intertwining his fingers with his own calloused ones.

Shoto swallowed at the contact, familiarising himself with how much warmth such a small touch could radiate. 'Kiss me.' 

He watched as Midoriya drew closer, regarding him through heavy-lidded eyes as he reached up. Shoto felt the pad of a rough thumb stroke his cheek and immediately leant into the touch, eyelashes fluttering.

'With pleasure.' Midoriya's breath fanned against him and Shoto inhaled sharply when those wonderful lips finally met his own.

His flame burnt ever brighter and Shoto quickly extinguished it before it could grow out of control. When darkness surrounded them once more, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be completely consumed by the feeling of slightly chapped lips pressing against his own. He had no idea what to do next, but when Midoriya opened his mouth and licked at the seam of his lips, Shoto eagerly parted them in response.

As they deepened the kiss, he let go of Midoriya's scarred hand and wrapped his arms around his waist instead, pulling him closer as his friend tangled his fingers in his hair. A slight tug at his roots had Shoto gasping into Midoriya's mouth.

Feeling bold, he snaked his hands under his friend's shirt and explored his toned torso with half-hot half-cold hands. The juxtaposition in temperature coaxed a string of moans from Midoriya, which sent shivers down Shoto's spine. Hoping to hear more of those wonderful noises, he proceeded to drag his nails down a freckled back, eliciting a guttural sound that he'd never heard from Midoriya before. However, it was quickly swallowed by another kiss.

When Shoto's hands eventually came to rest on his hips, Midoriya pushed him back until he hit the locked door with a thud.

'Fuck, Midoriya.' He barely had time to whisper before those lips were on him again. 

It was all moving so fast, but he didn't care. Shoto had gotten a taste of Midoriya and now he was addicted. He craved more and more.

'Is this okay?' His friend asked between each peck of lips.

'Mm, perfect.' Shoto bent forward to mouth at Midoriya's neck. He sucked at the sensitive skin there, not caring if he left a mark.

'This goes without saying, b- but I- ah!' Midoriya panted, tilting his head to give Shoto more access. 'But I really- really like you, Todoroki-kun.'

Shoto pulled off him with a pop and kissed a trail along his jaw, before his lips came to rest against Midoriya's own, their breath intermingling.

'I like you too, Midoriya.' He whispered, rubbing their lips together as his back rested against the door. 'So much.'

Their chests heaved in tandem as they kissed once more, simply enjoying the feel of one another. Touching and smelling and tasting. Shoto had never felt so at peace...

Then the door opened.

Shoto latched onto Midoriya out of reflex as the two of them fell backwards. Calloused hands scrambled to cradle the back of his head, cushioning him when they landed on the floor with a loud thud, and Shoto had to marvel at Midoriya's inherent instinct to protect.

'Todoroki-kun, are you okay? Are you hurt?' He pulled back and cupped Shoto's cheeks to check him over.

'I'm fine, Midoriya.' He reached up to cover his hands with his own and smiled softly.

'Good.' His friend leant back down to kiss him languidly, ignorant of their classmates around them, who were stifling giggles.

'Wow, get a room, guys.' Kaminari heckled.

'We had one actually.' Shoto pointed out as his hands wandered lower. He squeezed Midoriya's ass through his shorts unabashedly, relishing in the small squeak he let out, followed by the jeers from their peers. 'Not our fault you guys decided to interrupt.'

'Bro!'

'Disgusting!'

'Put them things back where they came from or so help me!'

'Stupid Deku and Icyhot!'

'That's one way to come out of the closet, Deku-kun.'

Midoriya giggled quietly at that. Shoto had no idea what Uraraka meant, but he didn't mind. Instead, he just smiled softly and looked up into verdant eyes filled with mirth.

Perfect.

[reesefms]

                          ✩ —  𝒉𝒊  𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒔  !  i’m  buzzing  with  excitement  because  we’re  finally  open  !  i’m  so  excited  to  see  everyone  bring  their  muses  to  life  ,  it’s  unreal  .  i’m  leia  (  she  /  her  )  repping  the  est  tz  ,  which  fits  my  #basic  personality  because  i  would  kill  for  starbs  iced  coffee  w/  oat  milk  .  i  honestly  apologize  in  advance  for  how  ramble - y  &  long  this  into  is  ,  it’s  a  little  embarrassing  !  i  would  love  to  plot  with  each  &  every  one  of  you  so  please  smash  that   💛  if  you’d  like  to  !  you  can  find  me  at  theweeknds#0379  on  discord  or  we  can  use  tumblr’s  ims  if  you  prefer  !  

                           *  𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐠𝐨𝐬  here  and  do  i  have  the  tea  for  you  .  reese  is  back  in  bridgehampton  for  the  summer  ,  living  off  the  leblanc’s  family  $302  mil  .  must  be  nice  to  come  back  home  to  the  hamptons  ,  i  wonder  what  her  fellow  class  of  2017  grads  think  of  her  return  .  you  know  ,  she  was  known  around  town  as  the  reveler  and  for  bhs  senior  superlatives  she  was  crowned  as  most  likely  to  be  late  to  her  own  wedding  .  i  wonder  if  that  still  holds  true  today  ,  a  lot  can  change  when  you  go  off  to  ucla  and  study  communications  .  either  way  ,  i  bet  she  is  still  very  audacious  ,  blithe  ,  negligent  and  depraved  .  hopefully  this  time  next  year  the plans  to  stay  in  la  and  focus  entirely  on  her  youtube  channel  come  true  .  in  the  meantime  ,  i  look  forward  to  seeing  her  blast  teen  idle  -  marina  and  the  diamonds  at  every  hamptons  function  .  it’s  going  to  be  a  wild  summer  home  ,  welcome  back  .

*  tw  :  drinking  ,  drug  use  ,  death  ,  overdose  ,  suicidal  ideations  if  you  squint

╰  ✩   𝚝𝚑𝚎  𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢  𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜   :  

the  leblancs –  an american  made  ,  household  name  .  hollywood  embedded  so deeply in  the  bloodline  ,  it  made  the  rest  world  question  whether  or  not  a  gene  for  acting  existed  .  the  leblanc  women  always  seeming  to  marry  into  the  business  –  actors  &  actresses  going  hand  in  hand  ,  marriages  supposed  to  last  the  test  of  time  .  however  ,  for  every  card  of  luck  fate  deals  a  cursed  one  –  messy  divorces  ending  in  vicious  headlines  ,  the  media  practically  salivating  for  the  next  leblanc failure  .  every  ending  prompted  with  a  –  &  when’s  the  next  wedding ?  (  side  note  :  i  was  inspired  by  goldie  hawn  /  kate  hudson  !  )  

dawn  leblanc’s  determination  to  break  the  cycle  had  been  admirable  ,  the  young  actress  entering  a  tumultuous  relationship  with  a  young  musician  ,  bandleader  kurt  rhodes  .  for  four  magical  years  the  pair  defied  the  world’s  expectations  ,  perhaps  the  leblanc’s  would  finally  achieve perfection –  climbing  back  onto  the  pedestal  after  being  knocked  down  time  & time  again  .

the fifth  year brought  reese  elizabeth  leblanc into  the  world  ,  another  girl  slated  to  continue  on  the  leblanc  family  legacy  .  the  night  had  been  stormy  ,  thunder  no  match  for  her  cries  –  as  if  the  universe  had  known  the  blonde  was  destined  to  be  a force  of  nature  .  her  parents &  the  rest  of  the  world  fell  in  love  with  her  ,  angelic  golden  curls  & wide  ,  doe  eyes (  thanks  to  the  leblanc  genes  )  masking  the  terror  she  became  –  born  with  an  insatiable  curiosity  that  drove  her  to  explore  any  & everything  .

dawn  clung  to  the  hope  that  reese  would  mature  into  perfection  ,  hiring  yet  another  painter  to  cover  up  scribbles  in  a  bold  ,  crimson  shade  of  chanel  lipstick  .  forks  moved  to  the  top  shelf  in  an  effort  to  stop  her  from  emulating ariel ,  her  favorite  disney  princess  –  the  gold  metal  bound  to  ruin  her  curls  .  reese  favoring  time  with  her  father  ,  enamored  by  the  vibrations  raking  through  her  tiny  body  as  chubby  ,  little  fingers  pressed  against  black  &  white  keys  .

the seventh  year  ,  the  leblanc  curse  took  its  effect  ,  gifting  reese  a  divorce  for  her  second  birthday  .  this  one  messier  than  those  before  ,  kurt’s  affair  with  a groupie ,  no  less  ,  plastered  on  every  news  stand  .  her  grandmother  quick  to  swoop  in  ,  reese &  her  mother  moving  in  to  hide  away  from  the  flashing  lights  .  the  eldest  leblanc  reminding  her  daughter  that  she  should  have  listened  all  those  years  ago  –  musicians  weren’t leblanc  material  .  the  blame  never  falling  on  the  leblanc  women  –  self  -  absorbed to  a  fault  .

within  a  year  of  her  divorce  ,  dawn  re-married  ,  her  co-star  &  american’s golden  boy  brent  jacobs  –    the  supposed  new  love  of  her  life  .  as  always  ,  the  media  latched  onto  the  news  –  eagerly  sinking  their  teeth  into  the  idea  of  a  publicity  stunt  to  rub  the  tarnish  off  dawn’s  reputation  . &  when  reese  turned  three  ,  her  family  grew  to  four  – savannah  dawn  leblanc  entering  the  world  much  more peacefully than  her  older  sister  ,  wrapping  every  person  around  her  finger  with  just  a  bat  of  her  baby  blues (  eye  color  seemingly  the  only difference  between  the  leblanc  sisters ) .

╰  ✩   𝚝𝚑𝚎  𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗  𝚒𝚍𝚕𝚎   :  

as  much  as  she  should  ,  reese  could  never  hate  her  younger  sister  .  the  pair  forging  a  bond  that  could  be  explained  by  no  one  despite  their  obvious  differences  .  with  only  a  shared  mother  ,  it  shocked  everyone  to  see  just  how  similar  they  looked  .  dawn  taking  to  the  idea  of  pretending  as  if  reese  were  the  daughter  of  her  second  husband  .  her  mother  had  always  been  too  good  at  acting  ,  a  master  at  eluding  reality  & morphing  it  into  an  acceptable  idyl  .

savannah  was  the  golden  child in  everyone’s  eyes  ,  reese  cast  aside  as  the other  leblanc ,  the  problem  child  .  the  blonde  often  found  sulking  in  her  room  only  to  sneak  out  the  window  the  second  she  got  an  urge  to  explore  .  the  supposed  ,  inherited  acting  bug  had  never  bitten  her  ,  reese  waving  away  any  offer  to  star  in  a  film  or  commercial  .  any  attempt  to  drag  her  to  an  audition  resulted  in  her  either  running  away  ,  or  creating  such  a  scene  that  no  one in  hollywood  would ever want  to  work  with  her  .  a  downpour on  any  project  .

savannah  took  to  acting  just  like  her  mother  .  the  pair  bonding  in  a  way  reese  could  never  ,  frequently  flying  from  their  home  in  the  hamptons  to  auditions  in  la  .  reese  tagging  along  only  so  she  could  see  her  father  ,  the  only  one  who  ever  seemed  to  get  her  –  dawn  claiming  reese  may  have  been  gifted the  leblanc  looks  ,  but  her  moodiness  all  stemmed  from  her  father  .

it  drove  her insane  ,  staring  at  her  reflection  in  the  mirror  every  night  as  if  to  ask  what  was  wrong  with  her  .  why  was  she  so  different ?  why  couldn’t  she  be  agreeable  like  savannah  ?  it  fed  her  jaded  soul  ,  reese  losing  her  innocence &  rose  colored  glasses  far  too  quickly  .  her  realism  tethering  her  to  reality  ,  able  to  see  through  the  pink  ,  glittery  fog  of  dawn  leblanc’s  world  .

she  fought  with  her  mother  constantly  ,  savannah  always  sneaking  into  her  room  at  night  to  ask  quietly  ,  why  won’t  you  &  mom  get  along  ?  she’s  doin’  her  best  re  .  reese  never  had  the  answer  ,  always  a  heavy  sigh  as  she  brushed  her  sisters  questions  off  .  unable  to  explain  that  ,  while  savannah  was  content  with  being  her  mother’s  doll ,  she  couldn’t  bring  herself  to  –  not  when  she’d  seen  the  world  beyond  the  facade  her  mother  &  grandmother  painted  .  

&  like  clockwork  ,  dawn  drove  her  second  husband  away  –  reese  16  & savannah  13  .  the  promise  to  co-parent  kept  ,  their  split  amicable  despite  the  constant  fights  that  had  ended  in  broken  dishes  &  reese  quietly  sneaking  out  –  losing  herself  in  a  party  ,  in  noise  to  forget  that  silence  could  be  just  as  loud  ,  but  more  deafening  .  

��  ✩   𝚝𝚑𝚎  𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍  𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑   :  

reese  couldn’t  escape  the  hamptons  or  her  mother  fast  enough  ,  ucla  her  ticket  away  .  the  only  dark  cloud  ,  leaving  behind  her  sister  .  the  two  promised  to  text  every  day  ,  savannah  always  welcome  to  stay  with  reese  if  their  mother  ever  got  to  be  too  much  –  savannah  much  more  adept  at  handling  her mood  swings  ,  appeasing  her  mother  with  a  sugar  sweet  smile  & a  promise  to  major  in  acting  after  graduation  .  

reese  ,  however  ,  had  no  idea  what  direction  she  wanted  to  go  –  communications  her  fall  back  in  an  effort  to  just  choose  something  that  didn’t  require  much  effort  .  ucla  her  dream  school  for  its  social  climate  more  than  its  educational  one  . &  her  freshman  year  marked  the  start  of  her  youtube  channel  –  reeses  ,  which  currently  has  a  whopping  3.4  million  subscribers  .  true  to  her  surname  ,  the  blonde  did  find  love  in  front  of  the  camera  ,  but  also  behind  it  as  she  vlogged  her  escapades  much  to  the  world’s  enjoyment &  her  mother’s  disappointment  .

savannah  &  reese  texted  every  night  ,  updating  each  other  &  signing  each  text  off  with  a  forever  &  always  .  occasionally  ,  reese  would  forget  –  too  drunk  or  high  to  craft  a  text  ,  always  apologizing  the  next  morning  when  she  woke  up  to  savannah’s  worried  texts  .  despite  being  the  one  that  should  look  out  for  her  sister  ,  savannah  always  seemed  to  be  looking  out  for  her  .  

one  visit  sophomore  year  ,  savannah  begged  reese  to  take  her  out  .  her  sister  living  a  more sheltered  life  ,  one  bound  by  strict  bedtimes  &  after  school  acting  classes  or  rehearsals  .  unable  to  say  no  ,  despite  knowing  she  should  ,  reese  brought  savannah  along  –  letting  her  sister  borrow  her  clothes  ,  the  two  starting  early  with  a  bottle  of  grey  goose  as  they  got  ready  .  

reese  always  had  a  tendency  to  loose  herself  in  a  party  ,  letting  the  night  drag  her  wherever  it  wanted  .  losing  sight  of  savannah  had  been  her  first  mistake  .  telling  savannah  to  have  a  good  time  ,  try  something  new  had  been  her  second  mistake  .  not  being  there  had  been  her  third  &  final  mistake  ,  savannah’s  introduction  to  a  line  of  cocaine  her  finale  .  the  screams  of  someone  call  911 still  keep  reese  up  at  night  –  remembering  vividly  what  it  felt  like  to  see  her  sister’s  body  limp  on  someone’s  bed  .  the  od  unexpected ,  the  line  bad  –  mixed  with  something  too  strong for  someone  so  pure to  handle  .  &  reese  was  left  to  blame herself  .  she  killed  her  sister  .  

the  world  mourned  the  loss  of  savannah  leblanc  .  reese’s  relationship  with  her  mother  more  estranged  ,  casting  the  blame  on  her  just  as  she  had  already  .  she  took  a  6  month  hiatus  from  vlogging  ,  reese  unable  to  do  anything  but  drink  herself  into  a  coma  like  sleep  .  it  was  far  easier  to  numb  herself  ,  bags  under  her  eyes  hidden  by  sunglasses  .  

her  re-entry  online  had  shocked  everyone  .  her  vlog’s  no  longer  carrying  the  light  air  despite  how  badly  she  tried  to  force  it  .  reese  no  longer  the  same  ,  more  self  deprecating  than  before  & much  more reckless  .  her  love  of  vlogging  no  longer  stemmed  from  pure  enjoyment  ,  but  a need to  be  seen  ,  to  no  longer  feel  alone  .  convinced  that  she  was  a  hurricane  ,  destroying  everyone  she  could  ever  get  close  to  .  yet  unable  to  bring  herself  to  care  for  her  safety  because  it should’ve been  her  that  night  ,  not  savannah  .

reese  has  a  blatant  disregard  for  herself  ,  willing  to  push  the  boundaries  so  far  for  the  sake  of  a  thrill  ,  to  feel  something  beyond  the  suffocating  culpability  that  feels  like  a  choke  hold  around  her  neck  . & if  she  ends  up  not  coming  back  from  it  ,  who  cares  right  ?  

she  still  pays  her  sister’s  phone  bill  ,  never  missing  a  beat  –  texting  her  updates  ,  rambles  ,  apologies  .  the  texts  signed  with  their  infamous forever  &  always  .   

so  !  i’m  currently  working  on  a  lil  connection  page  with  ideas  ,  but  for  now  please  accept  this  mess  💛

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Losing a Part of You

Fandom: Marvel (Car Mechanic AU)

Pairing: Chubby!Bucky Barnes x Reader

As requested by anonymous:  Reader figuring out that Chubby! Bucky has been trying to work out more and eat a little less because “he’s not as nice as he used to be” but reader assured him he doesn’t need to bc she thinks he’s handsome already, ends with snuggles and dinner +  Chubby!Bucky wondering if he should lose weight for y/n or a special event or something? +  Idk if you ever heard how Chris Pratt lost weight for marvel but then his wife was like “I miss your chub” lol you could do something like that for Bucky? Maybe he lost weight just on accident from work or something and he thinks she’ll like it

A/N: so yeah, I basically combined 3 prompts into one, and tweaked some of them a little bit.

For some time now, Bucky has been thinking more and more about his physique. He’s not getting any younger and definitely not getting any thinner. 

As he’s staring at himself shirtless in the bathroom mirror, he’s starting to think that maybe he should lose some weight.

“Hey, baby?” he calls out to you.

“Yeah?”

“Can you c’mere for a sec?” he hears rustling and then your soft footfalls against the carpeted floor.

“What’s up?” you ask as you lean against the doorway.

“Do you think I should lose some weight?”

“Why would I think that?” you look at him confusedly.

Bucky shrugs, “Well, I’m not as nice lookin’ as I used to be. When we first met I was this good looking, fit kinda guy. Now I see all these guys around the shop lookin’ younger and more fit than me-”

You walked over and stood behind him, wrapping your arms and resting them on his tummy, “Bucky Barnes, whether you’re skinny or got some chub to you, I’ll still find you the most handsome and sexiest guy in the world.”

“I know, sweetheart, and I love that you’ll love me no matter how I look. I just-I feel like I’d be happier with myself if I lost some pounds, ya know?”

“You do whatever you need to do to be comfortable with yourself, babe. As long as you do it in a healthy and efficient way. Don’t be starving yourself or anything, okay?”

Bucky softly smiled and nodded his head, “Yes, ma’am.”

___________________________

The hard part, for Bucky, wasn’t the working out part. It was the eating healthy part. He loved to snack and had a big appreciation for food. But after speaking with a nutritionist, he had to cut back on the fats and add more plants to his diet. So instead of snacking on his usual potato chips during his breaks at the car shop, he’d be munching on carrots, celery, apples, etc. 

Down the road, Bucky started to get used to his diet. He also appreciated that you were in this with him, making sure that he didn’t feel alone in his new health journey. Sure, there were times where he just wanted to give up, there were times where he relapsed and binge ate, but eventually, with your help, he found strength to get through it. 

Now, every other day after work, he has a pre-workout and then goes to the gym for 2-3 hours depending on what his day is looking like. You’d join him often, depending on when you got out of work. But he felt so much more comfortable with you there by his side spotting him and counting out his reps. He couldn’t imagine doing this without you. 

Months later, there such a stark difference now. His stomach doesn’t stick out when he wears tight clothing. He’s grown a lot more muscle now. He isn’t as tired as he’s used to and he’s officially established a healthy relationship with the things that he eats. Bucky doesn’t have an 8 pack or anything, his stomach is still slightly round, but not like it was before. He feels a lot happier with himself. 

_____________________________

You and Bucky are in bed after a night out together. You’re dressed down in your pjs while Bucky lays in just his boxers like usual. Your hand is rubbing soft circles along his stomach, occasionally following up and down his happy trail.

“You know something?” you ask.

Bucky answers with, “Hm?”

“I kinda miss your chub.”

Bucky snorts, “Really?”

You nod, “Yeah, babe, I mean, you still got some of it, but I just loved using you as my own pillow and I love how squishy you are. You were like my own teddy bear, and now you’re like this...rock! But don’t get me wrong, I love that you love yourself again. I just..please don’t go full body builder on me.”

Bucky laughed, “I understand, baby, and I appreciate it, I do. I think-I’m happy with my body now, with the way I am. I’m now able to keep up a lot more with the guys at the shop, I can lift a lot more. I’m just overall happy with myself. I lost a part of myself, but in a good way, I think.”

You snuggled up to Bucky, wrapping your arm around his stomach, “I’m so proud of you, Bucky.”

“Thank you, Y/N, for all of your love and support.”

[prorevenge]

Go ahead and undermine my credentials and hard work. I'll just make sure people know who you really are.

Backstory

I'm 25(M) and I work in the IT department for my company. Our IT department branches out into 6 smaller departments (Technical Support, Programming, Web Development, Computer System Analysis, IT Security, and Network Engineering). Each of these has their own boss and the boss of these all answer directly to the Director of the IT department. A couple weeks ago, I was called into the Director's office when I came into work. She’s an incredible person and mentor.

She told me that she had some good news and bad news. The bad news was that she was offered another job at a much larger company as the IT director at one of their branches in Chicago, so she’d be leaving in a couple of months. The good news was that the position for IT director at our company was open, and given my performance and reputation around the office, my immediate boss (the head of Computer System Analysis) had put my name in for consideration for the job! Each of the six department bosses in IT had to put one name in for consideration, so I have at least five other people who are competing for this job, plus any potential outside hires (It’s four now, but I’ll get to that). After our little chat, I weighed the pros and cons of the job if I get it and I decided to just go for it! I might have a pretty good shot at getting the job, since I'd consider myself a fairly likable person, a hard worker, and fairly good at my job. But there are others who are also very good candidates and I'd still be okay if I didn't get the job. It’s an honor to just be considered.

Now let me tell you about the target of my revenge. For the sake of this story, let's call this guy "Gabe". As the head of Technical Support, Gabe had the power to recommend anyone in his department for the position, but he picked himself. Now I already knew him and what he's like because a year ago I also worked in Tech Support for a short time. I was originally hired to be in the Computer System Analysis department, but I volunteered to help out in Tech Support since we were a bit short-staffed at the time. Gabe is an obnoxious, self-absorbed, arrogant, and uptight dick who doesn't listen to anyone who he feels is "beneath him". He's either in his late 30s or early 40s, but either way he has at least 10 years on me. He's a little on the chubby side, receding hairline, and a neck-beard. All he needs to achieve his final form is a fedora. Back when I worked for him, he gave me a lot of crap for so many little things. From not filling out repair tickets right to completing a repair slightly out of order, he always had something to complain about. But other than that, he seemed fine to me. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have done what I did or gone as far as I did. But then this happened:

I was just doing my work and minding my own business, as one does. I stood up to go refill my water bottle at the water fountain and guess who follows me? If you said Gabe, then congratulations. You get a cookie. Gabe walks up to me while I'm filling up my bottle and starts a conversation.

Gabe: Hey OP, what's goin' on? How are you?

Immediately I knew somebody was wrong. He's never this friendly. But I had no easy way out of this, so I rolled with it.

Me: Hey Gabe. I'm good. How're yo-

Gabe: So I heard that (Head of CSA's name) put your name in for the Director's job.

Me: Yeah! I'm really excited to interview! It's an honor to even be considered.

Gabe just laughs and puts on his normal expression of smug and gassy

Gabe: Listen to me. If you think they're gonna pick you, a lazy new kid who can't even write a fucking repair ticket correctly, over me, a team manager who's had 15 years with this company, then you're out of your goddamn mind.

I was shocked. I couldn’t believe those are actual words that a coworker, much less a coworker with a higher position, said to my face.

Me: What the hell? Why would you say that? I did nothing but good work for you last year and you know it.

Gabe: It was mediocre at best! When I become the IT director, I’m gonna crack the whip. Why anyone would think someone like you is a worthy candidate for one of the highest positions in the company is beyond me. So I’ll make sure my new department heads have better judgement than (Head of CSA’s name)

He walked away smugly and I just stood there, both shocked and honestly quite hurt. The only part he got right was that I was relatively new, being there for two years. But I also realized in that moment that I couldn’t let this kind of person be the Director. But, again, I’m just a kid to them, so what can I do?

Planning The Revenge

That same day, I went down to the building's cafeteria to take my lunch break with my girlfriend (she works in the Marketing Department). I told her about the promotion and what happened with Gabe. She made me feel better by talking me down and that was super nice. But what happened next was even better. A few of my friends from IT walked by to congratulate me as well and they sat down. A couple of them are from Tech Support and the rest are from the other departments. My girlfriend welcomed them to sit down with us and we made it a little party. We talked and then I told them about what happened with Gabe. The ones in Tech Support all groaned and, surprisingly, so did the rest of them. I was intrigued and I asked them to elaborate, and all of them have their own Gabe horror story.

Turns out that his usual condescending remarks aren't the worst of it. They had stories about him ripping into an intern for not getting his coffee order right, one story about him making transphobic remarks about an HR rep (really sweet guy. Makes incredible babka.), one of them has a couple of recordings of sexist and rape-y comments towards the female department heads in IT, and he's even come to work intoxicated on multiple occasions. Although that last part wasn't really news to me, since he reeked of alcohol frequently.

Now at this point, you’re probably asking the same question my girlfriend asked: “Why don’t you tell somebody?” Well I’ll tell ya. Our communication policy is kinda shit in IT. Rather than report a dispute or an issue immediately to HR or the Director, we have to give it to our immediate superior, which in this case would be Gabe for a lot of them. You really think Gabe’s gonna rat himself out to the Director? As much as I love my boss and think she’s going a wonderful job, that’s the one policy that she has that I don’t agree with.

At this point, we had all kinda bonded over our mutual hatred for Gabe. We had all agreed that Gabe would be an absolutely terrible boss and we needed to stop him. We were the Avengers and this was our Endgame (which is funny since Endgame would come out the next day). Just then, my genius girlfriend said something that I couldn't believe I didn't figure out sooner. She said "Y'know, this time next week, you're going to be face to face with the CEO, an HR rep, and your Director for the interview. That's your opening. You can air out all of his dirty laundry right there." The rest of our faces lit up, realizing this too and we were ecstatic. This was our chance and we weren't going to waste it. Gabe is a terrible human being and would be an even worse Director. He had to go. But I'd need proof first. So that's what I got.

Revenge Time

Along with rewriting my resumé and brushing up on my interview skills, I spent the next week being something of an investigative journalist. I asked my previously mentioned coworker to email me those recordings he had of Gabe’s rape-y comments (which by the way were absolutely sickening to listen to. I think the worst one was “I’d love to raw her over the trash can like the dirty whore she is.”), as well as spending time interviewing members of the Tech Support team as well as some of the other department heads. Almost everyone had some form of bad experience with him, ranging from unprofessional to downright abusive behavior. The head of WebDev even said that she was always uncomfortable whenever they were alone in a room together. By the time I was done, I had 3 voice recordings of Gabe, 4 pages of quotes from people around the office, and the stories I had originally heard at lunch that day when we began planning. I really wanted to prove his whole day-drinking thing, but I was afraid that going that far might cost me my job. But what I wanted to do was sneak into his office, open his drawers, and hopefully find empty liquor bottles or something to that effect. But what I had would just have to suffice.

Then the day came. We were in the Endgame now. I showed up to the work the day of interviews in my finest suit, my resumé, and literal pages of evidence to make my case. I walked into the office and saw my competition along with a bunch of other people who I didn’t recognize. Those were the outside hires. I was getting pretty nervous, especially when I saw the interview committee in the conference room through its glass walls. The CEO, my Director, and an HR Rep. I took a few deep breaths, checked when my turn was, and then I sat down to do my work, just waiting to make my move. A few of my coworkers came by my desk to wish me good luck, and that made me feel a lot better about it.

I waited and waited for my turn and then saw Gabe walking up to me from the conference room, so that means his interview must’ve just finished. I pulled out my phone and went to voice memos and began recording, just in case I got anything more out of him, and oh boy you bet I did.

Me: What’s up, Gabe? How was your interview?

Gabe: Great. Obviously. The job is as good as mine. You might as well not even try.

Me: I’m still gonna try my best, man. Who knows? I might even get it.

Gabe: Yeah keep dreaming.

He starts to get up in my face and I can smell his lunch on his breath. Too many onions. He then starts hissing at me.

Gabe: You’re absolute trash, kid. They’re not gonna pick a kid with two years of experience with an undergrad degree over me. I’ve been at this company for far too long and got my undergrad degree and my masters from Princeton! Don’t think for a second that you have the upper hand. You’re nothing to me!

I held my breath while he ranted and then he walked away to talk to another one of my coworkers who had their interview already. Coworkers around me just looked at me both shocked and confused once he walked away. I grabbed my phone, stopped the recording, and played it back. That was it. That was the final piece. I waited for a couple more interviews to finish, until they finally called me in. I grabbed my bag and my phone and walked into the conference room. As I walked, I could feel the eyes of some coworkers on me. They knew my plan, and I think they were counting on me to pull this off. Once inside, we all shook hands and exchanged formalities before sitting down and letting the interview begin. Not all of it is relative to the story, so let me just skip to the end.

CEO: Given the amount of internships you've done and how much time you've put into the company, you may have a good chance. However, we've just interviewed people with almost triple your experience. How do you stand out from the rest.

Me: Well, if I become the new Director, I already have some ideas for policies I'd like to put into place.

Director: Oh really? Would you care to give us an example?

Me: Don't get me wrong. I believe that you have done an amazing job as Director of this department, but there are some things that I think can be improved upon. For instance, our policy when it comes to HR.

HR Rep: Could you elaborate on that, please?

Me: Certainly. In the IT department, when we have any disputes or grievances to settle, we need to report them to our direct superior. Not the Director, but to the lower department heads. My goal is to streamline communication, so workers can report issues directly to the Director or go straight to HR.

Director: Alright, but can you tell us why the current policy is an issue?

I started smiling. This was it. This was my opening.

Me: Funny you should ask. Recently, I heard stories from a bunch of my coworkers about our head of Tech Support, Gabe. He's been very rude to his staff and to others on multiple occasions. In fact, I think "unprofessional" is a bit of an understatement from the stories I've been hearing.

Right then, I reached into my bag and pulled out the long list of stories and quotes I had gathered from the past week and handed them to the CEO.

Me: I care about my coworkers, so I did some digging. I really feel like this is something that you need to see.

I watched as the search committee read the quotes and stories. I watch their expressions turn to shock and disgust, which I totally get. I felt the same way when I heard all of this.

HR Rep: This is a... conflict of interest. From what I know, Gabe is also your competition for this position. How do we know that these stories aren't fabricated so that you could get an advantage? Because offenses like these could result in immediate termination. I hope you have a way to prove these very serious accusations.

Me: I had a feeling you'd say that. You are free to interview any of the people I quoted, but I can just save you some time and show you this.

I pulled out my phone and opened up the email that my coworker had sent me and all four of us listened to this neck-beard's disgusting and upsetting quotes. But I wasn't done there. I also pulled up the most recent one. The conversation between me and him. My Director just looked down at her desk and then they looked at each other. I was the one to break the silence.

Me: I'm sorry you had to hear all of this.

CEO: Could you please email those recordings to me? I would like to address this immediately.

Me: Of course. You are free to keep those papers too.

I forwarded the email to him along with my recording.

Director: Thank you for this information, OP. We'll let you know our decision when the time comes.

Me: Of course. Thank you for your time.

I shook everyone's hand again and that's when the HR Rep spoke up.

HR Rep: Can you please ask Gabe to come back? I would like to address this immediately as well.

I'm ecstatic at this point

Me: I would be happy to.

I leave the room and notice my friends in Tech Support just staring at me. My girlfriend was also sitting at my desk, since we planned on going out for lunch after my interview. I didn't want to give anything away, so I kept a straight face and walked past them and towards Gabe's office. I walked in and sighed.

Me: The interview committee wants to see you again.

Gabe just looked up from his computer and just gave me a cocky smirk, as if to say "I told you so." He got up and pushed past me towards the door. I followed behind him towards the conference room and we parted ways when he went in and I walked towards my desk. I wanted to see exactly what happened. I watched what unfolded through the glass walls. I saw Gabe's face turn white and his expression turn from smug to terrified. He turned his head to me and I had this shit-eating grin on my face. I just waved and then left my office with my girlfriend to have a nice lunch.

The Aftermath

I was feeling pretty good about the whole day. I got my revenge, did fairly well in a job interview, and had amazing chicken parm for lunch that day. I felt so good, that I decided to take the rest of the day off. I went to the zoo, saw a really cute koala bear. The next day, I came to work dressed down since interviews were over, and then patiently waited for the committee to make their decision. When I walked into the lobby of the building, my two friends from Tech Support ran over and trapped me in a bear hug.

Me: Well this is new. What's this for?

Friend 1: You did it!

Me: I GOT THE JOB?!

Friend 1: No! We wouldn't know even if you did. We're talking about Gabe!

Me: I stopped him from getting the job?

Friend 2: Oh you did a lot more than that. But you'll just have to see for yourself.

Both of them drag me to the elevator to go up to the IT floor. When we get there, they dragged me through the main office and over towards Gabe's. When we got in, all I found was an empty room with a desk in the middle of it. My jaw dropped. Apparently I collected so much evidence for Gabe's misbehavior, not only did I eliminate him from gunning for the Director's job, but he was also fired from the company and potentially blacklisted since everything I submitted for evidence against him was put on his permanent file. I'm not sure if he was blacklisted or not since I'm not entirely sure how that works, but he's definitely gone for good. I asked them about the details of what happened after I left. They told me that Gabe was so mad (probably at me), that his face was bright red. After he left the conference room, he spent the rest of the day packing up and drinking in his office, so I guess my day-drinker theory held up. He left in shame, and we won't see him again.

I was so excited. Gabe was gone and it felt like the office was a brighter place. People were so excited that a few people outside the Tech Support department brought in a bunch of desserts, from cheesecake to brownies. They were delicious, but I think what them taste better was that I did something to cause this rush of joy. I think the best part of this whole thing is that only a couple of people know that I had something to do with this. The rest of them? Totally clueless. I'm not the protector that IT wants, but I'm the protector that IT needs. Now enough humble-bragging. It's starting to make me feel like a douche.

In hindsight, I don't know what would've been more satisfying. Doing what I did or getting the job fair and square and firing Gabe. But if there's one thing I learned in life, you will do things that you are proud of that you will enjoy and you will do things that you're not so proud of but will really enjoy. This doesn't apply. I am both very proud of this and I really REALLY enjoyed this. This might come back later to bite me in ass, but for right now I think I'll enjoy it. But now the Director has to pick a new head of Tech Support. Either that or she'll give that job up to the next Director. It's been almost a few days since the interviews and we're still waiting on the results. Even if I don't end up getting the job, I still gained something from this. I have a better bond with my coworkers and got rid of the asshole in my office. If enough people like this story, I'll update you on if I got the job or not.

Moral of the story: Don't shoot an unfamiliar gun. You don't know how strong the kickback's gonna be.

TL;DR: I was considered for a job promotion but was demeaned by a superior who was also up for the job. I found out bad things about him and presented them during my interview and got him fired and possibly blacklisted from getting another job.

(source) story by (/u/KyuubiBlade)

[thehomierobbstark]

Hey! Okay so check me out, a short Eric x Reader fic based on the video of Cyn Santana and Joe Budden where she’s clearly smacked and rapping along with the song and he’s tryna take the cup out of her hand but she won’t let him? Idk if anyone’s done that but I think it’ll be cool if you did

A/N: Ok so I went ahead and change the song because I didn’t like that one lol, but you already know which state and city I had to rep for his one XD.  Hope you enjoy it anon! I had a lot of fun with this one! even though Joe Budden can suck my dick heres the video for reference!

Warnings: At the bottom 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿.

This is for all my lil cute ass black gorditas out there rockin back fat, belly rolls and thick ass thighs that touch!!  x Reader is always gon be black, chubby, and sassy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red, white, and green lights cast their flickering shadows onto the hardwood floor, the soft white walls near the tree also catching some of their glow.  Speakers mounted in the corners of the room play the upbeat rap songs from the radio, the bass helping to fill the empty pockets of the nearly bare space.

It was December 21st and you and Erik were cleaning the house in preparation for the holiday festivities, like the White Elephant gift exchange you’d had planned later on tonight with your close friends.  All the couches were pushed back against the wall and the decorated Christmas tree was the only piece with some personality, all the presents you and Erik had gotten for each other hidden away in separate corners of the house until you could wrap them and put them under the tree.

Erik was currently in the kitchen washing the dishes and playing bartender, a couple bottles of Hennessy and Malibu rum out on the marble countertop next to a small bowl of melting ice chips.  He’d woken up early that morning and made a delicious breakfast of cheesy shrimp and grits and buttery english muffins with strawberry jam to help fuel the both of you for the mountain of chores ahead of you for the day.

It was your idea to incorporate alcohol into the mix, hence the bottle of rum that you’d been sipping off of all morning.  He’d wanted to start you off simple with something like mimosas, but when you shot that idea down and attempted to climb the counters to reach the top shelf, he relented and swiped the white 750ml bottle and gave it to you.  He figured it was way better than the bottle of Jäger your short arms were no doubt intending on reaching for.

After pouring a few fingers of the drink and some pineapple juice into a red cup, he sent you off to the living room to get started on your part of cleaning the floors while he rolled up his sleeves and got to work on the kitchen.

Had he not been so invested in scraping the grits off the bottom of the pot, he might have heard it when you tiptoed yourself back into the kitchen and poured yourself another drink, taking the bottle of rum with you on your way out.  

You were so excited for the first of many Christmas and Kwanza festivities you and Erik had lined up for the end of the year, and you couldn’t wait to get started on celebrating.

…Even if it meant drinking just a little bit too much while sweeping the floors.

Although the music was still playing around the house, you’d gotten mysteriously quiet after your last vocal outburst, singing ‘Oh fuck. Shit. BITCH!’ at the top of your lungs from Sheck Wes’ “Mo Bamba”.  Erik almost spit out a mouthful of Henny all over his clean dishes when he’d heard you, clutching his chest and laughing with tears in his eyes at his wild ass babygirl.  He just knew you were in there with your foot propped on something twerking up a storm.

After recovering from a couple cleansing deep breaths, he tossed the dish towel in his hands down on the counter and turned to go and check on you to see what you were getting yourself into.

It was when he’d passed the still mostly full bottle of Pure White Hennessy and now cold bowl of water that he noticed the bottle of Malibu was gone.

“Aw hell,” he mutters under his breath, his footsteps quickening.  

“What her tipsy ass out here doing now?”

As he rounds the corner into the living room, he walks out just in time to see you setting up your phone against said bottle of missing rum on one of the coffee tables, giving the camera the perfect view of the gigantic beautifully decorated Christmas Tree in the background with you standing in front of it.

Your cleaning fit had somewhat changed; you were now sporting a tiny little red and green elf’s hat on the top of your head that looked like it could’ve belonged to a toy doll.

Where did you even find that?

Erik groans and drags a hand down his face, shaking his head at your silliness when his eyes zero in on the contents of the bottle behind your phone.  Through the slim little separation in white labeling he could see that at least half of what was in there before was now gone.  It was ¾ full when he gave it to you.

He takes a step towards you, but right as he does the song changes over the speakers.  You start grooving, drink in one hand and broom in the other as your start to bob back and forth for a few seconds before jumping right into the first verse.

“I go on and on, can’t understand how it last so long. I must have superpowers, rap two hundred twenty five thousand hours.  Get a calculator do the math, made a thousand songs that made you move ya ass.”

You were rapping and two-stepping your short little self without a care in the world, bending your knees and winding yourself down to the ground at the last line, pink tongue poking out from between your teeth as you popped your booty.

You stopped your foolishness for a second to read something on your phone, eyes scanning over the screen.  Without warning you toss your head back with a cheek aching smile, your sweet infectious laughter flowing out from your lips, the kind of laughter you only made when you were too tipsy and letting Erik whisper dumb childish jokes into your ear.

That was his laugh.  Only he was supposed to be making you laugh like that.  So what the fuck were you reading that had you tee-heeing his laugh?

You were up on your feet and back to dancing again, taking a sip from your cup before continuing rapping and using the broom handle as a microphone.

Before he can get all the way over to you he see’s the activity on your phone screen first, seeing the trail of hearts bubbling up from the corner of your screen and the comments in the middle being pushed up and replaced as new ones came in.

Yass bitch!

You betta WHINE hunny!

Fuck it up Y/N!

OKAY MISS THING!!! 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

Was that instagram live???

“Oh naw.”

Erik was done.  Party over.  Not only were you out here already day drunk at 12:30 on a Saturday, you were acting a fool and shaking your ass in front of all of instagram.

His big bulky body appears on screen as he attempts to reach over you and take the cup from your hand, telling you you were being cut off.

You move the cup out of his range and try to block him with your other hand holding the broom when your favorite part of the song comes on.

(Whats my favorite word?)

“BEEEATCH!” You scream loudly, laughing at both yourself and Erik’s increasingly frustrated face as he continues trying to reach over you.

“Ok, you doin the most now,” he eyes you in warning, but your glossed over eyes don’t even catch it because you’re already gearing up for the next line.

(Why they gotta say it like $hort?)

“BEEEATCH!” You sing loudly again, this time directly at Erik, and there’s no mistaking who the words were intended for.

You keep giggling uncontrollably, stumbling over the next few words as you sing those to him, too.

“You know they can’t play on my court, can’t hang with the big dogs STAY ON THE PORCH!”

You nudge him away again using your shoulder, your body feeling tired and heavy from all the energy you used laughing up a storm.

Fed up with you, he pops you hard and quick on your ass, finally taking the cup from your hand after you instinctively reach back to rub at your bottom.

“Owww!” You whine, lips poked out in a quivering out, and before you know it the broom is taken from your grip and your body is hoisted up onto Erik’s shoulder.

“‘Owww’ nothin! I’m not playin witcho lil ass no more dammit, you goin to bed.”

He grabs your phone too as he starts towards the stairs to the bedroom, nosily reading the comments to see if he needed to add any more scars to his chest.

WHACKKK!

Party pooper :(

She was just having FUN!

Damn Erik why yo ass so mean :/

Oooohh they bout to FUCK!

That last comment pissed him off.  He was done with instagram too.

“Alla yall can shut the fuck up! I’ll block all yall on this bitch, KEEP PLAYIN!!”

You were giggling again, little body jiggling over his shoulder.

“Why you yelling at the phone like a old man E?” You ask him, trying to turn around to see what he was doing.

He rolls his eyes, grumbling as he shuts down the video and closes the app.

“You can hush too. Leaving me to clean the whole house while you get to take a nap.”

“But I’m not tired!!” You protests, kicking your feet a little as you see the carpet changer under his feet as he reaches the bedroom.

“Maybe not, but you will be after I wear that ass out after tonight,” he bites you on one of your cheeks before popping you on the ass again and tossing you onto the bed.

“Now take your ass to bed or you ain’t getting no presents for Christmas!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Warnings: Humor, Silly Foolishness, Erik being a Buzzkill

[hazza-bear-care]

Babie Crue (6/?)

A/N: Can someone teach me how to make a master list? I really want to make it easier for new readers to find all parts to Babie Crue. Also, I just found the album for The Heroin Diaries! IT FUCKING SLAPS! 1000000/10 would recommend!

Description: After locking Cam and Tommy in a broom closet, the band almost misses soundcheck. The show then runs smoothly, but someone recognizes Cam when she comes on stage for “Your Song”.

Warnings: FLUFFY TOMMY AND CAM, angst? Swearing, mentions of abuse, drinking, and drug use.

~~~~~~~

The band let Cam finish getting ready for the show, despite the fact that they physically could not pull Tommy away from his new love. Cam quickly pecked Tommy’s lips, of course with the promise that he would receive more, then ducked back into her room to adjust her outfit. The band ditched her, hurrying as fast as they could to the venue in order to make soundcheck, but Tommy left a twenty on the door handle before he left, covering Cam’s cab fare. Doc was furious with the band and pulled Cam off to the side when she arrived as well. 

“What the fuck happened, Cam? I thought I told you to keep them on time!” Doc whisper shouted, pulling Cam away from the stage. 

“Doc, they were on time! Nikki and Vince decided a last minute game of 7 Minutes in Heaven was more important. They wouldn’t let me out, okay?”

“Who’d they lock you with? Mick? ‘Cause that fucker needs to get laid like it’s nobody’s business.” Doc joked, taking Grace out of Cam’s arms as they all walked back to see how soundcheck was going. 

“No, actually. They locked me in with...Tommy.” Cam admitted, hanging her head low, the floor suddenly more interesting than Doc’s disapproving look. 

“You have the hots for Tommy? I woulda pegged you a Nikki girl if I’m being honest.” Doc joked again, nudging Cam’s shoulder with his. 

“You’re not mad?” Cam questioned, mildly shocked. 

“Of course not. Why would I be?”

“Employees aren’t supposed to fall in love with the band.” Cam explained.

“Ah, but you’re not an employee, Cam. You’re a friend of the band that just happened to need money. There’s a loophole for everything, right?” Cam nodded and smiled at Doc, a silent thank you for everything he’s done since the tour started. Grace giggled as Vince danced like an idiot to get his niece's attention before going back to center stage and continuing “Looks that Kill”. Doc excused himself, muttering something about how off the lighting was. Grace wanted more attention from her family on stage and almost backflipped out of Cam’s arms to get it. 

“They’ll come back later, pretty girl. Let’s get you fed, alright?” Cam left to the greenroom, bumping into Zutaut. 

“Hey, Cam! Guess what?” Tom asked excitedly, almost like a child. Cam tried not to roll her eyes, but she turned her attention back to the A&R rep. 

“What, Tom?” 

“Motley is gonna have a meet and greet tonight! Thousands of people were chosen at random to meet the band. Isn’t that great?” 

“Yeah, actually it is! Finally Elektra is doing something right. Can you hold Grace a second? I swear, Zutaut, if you drop her it won’t just be me you have to deal with.” Tom gulped as he gingerly held the baby girl in his arms. Cam fixed a bottle for her daughter, shaking the bottle to combine everything. Grace almost did another trapeze act as her chubby hands grabbed the bottle and brought it to her lips. Cam took Grace back and they made their way back to the stage, soundcheck almost over. 

“Alright, guys. Show starts at 9, and afterwards, your very first meet and greet! You’re gonna do great!” Tom left, probably to go find Doc. Tommy then came up to Cam and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, placing a kiss to her hair. 

“Hey, come here!” Tommy pulled Cam towards his drum kit, sitting on the stool and patting his lap. 

“Tommy, no! I can’t play your drums! You won’t even let Nikki play them.” Cam argued. 

“Well, I’m not dating Nikki, now am I?” Tommy smirked, causing Cam to blush and adjust Grace on her hip. 

“No, you’re not. But what do I do with Gracie?”

“Give her to Mick, but come back here, okay?” Cam nodded and made her way over to Mick, who automatically went into dad mode as Grace was transferred to him. Cam smiled at Mick, who of course smiled back and nodded back in the direction of Tommy, the drummer practically bouncing out of his skin. 

“You ready?” Tommy asked as Cam made her way back to him, trying to get comfortable on his lap. He handed her the drumsticks, adjusting her grip as needed. 

“What do I play?” Cam asked, poorly trying to mimic how Tommy spun the sticks between his fingers. Tommy chuckled and kissed Cam’s cheek as he steadied her hands over the drums. 

“How about this, count to three. On one and two, hit the snare. On three, the cymbal. It’ll sound a little like We Will Rock You.” Tommy guided her hands at first, pointing out which drum was the snare, then letting go and resting his hands on Cam’s thighs. 

Cam was ecstatic. She messed up a couple times, but quickly got the hang of it, slightly speeding up.

“Great! Now with your right foot, tap the hammer for the bass drum. Add that one to the snare.” Cam did as she was told, the familiar melody of the Queen song echoing through the empty arena. She was so caught up in what she was doing, she didn’t realize everyone else had grabbed their instruments and joined in the jam session. 

“Buddy, you’re a boy, make a big noise, playing in the streets, gonna be a big man some day! You got mud on your face, you big disgrace, kicking your can all over the place. Singing!” When Vince started singing, Cam jumped and almost dropped the sticks, but Tommy kept her on beat

“WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU!” Everyone joined in on the chorus and eventually, they all made it through the song, including Mick’s version of Brian May’s guitar solo, which Cam thought was a little better than the original. Everyone applauded Cam as she turned and hid her bright red face in her flannel. 

“You should replace Tommy. You’re good for an amateur.”  Vince commented as Tommy wrapped his arms around Cam’s waist and placed a few kisses on her neck. 

“I agree. Too bad we can’t play We Will Rock You for every show.” Nikki added, teasing Cam slightly. 

“Doors open in three!” someone yelled, breaking up the impromptu jam session. Tommy had been so preoccupied, his hair and makeup weren’t done, which horrified Cam. Hair and make up couldn’t be done in three minutes, but Cam knew Ruby was magic in a crunch. 

“Go get ready, Tommy.” Doc ordered, interrupting the new couple’s cuddle session behind the drums. Tommy nodded and kissed Cam on her cheek as he left. Cam hid her gaze from Doc, a knowing smile splitting his face in two, and scurried to the greenroom. Thankfully, Grace had fallen asleep in Mick’s arms and the guitarist placed her on the couch, adjusting the pillows so she wouldn’t fall onto the floor. 

~~~~~~~

“Okay, y ’all, you know the drill! We have a very special friend on tour with us, and every night, her baby girl falls asleep to this song! We’d like to bring her out, but we’re gonna need some help in serenading this amazing creature! Can y ’all do that?!” The crowd bellowed in response to Vince’s question as Tommy moved to the piano. 

“You heard them, Cam! Get your cute ass out here!” Tommy bellowed into his own mic as Cam made her way to the stage. Tommy winked at her as she shuffled onto the stool placed next to Vince and the chords for “Your Song” started playing. 

Everyone was singing, serenading Cam, except for one person. He was enjoying the show, and he knew about this tribute, but no one he knew had ever been close enough to identify Cam. He almost dropped his drink when she came out on stage looking happy and safe. He hated that. He wanted her to burn. And he had the perfect excuse to get close to her: Motley Crue’s meet and greet.

~~~~~~~

The song ended, which meant the show was over. The boys bowed and left the stage, Tommy and Nikki wrapping their arms around Cam’s shoulders as they escorted her off stage. Doc quickly ushered all of them to a separate room where the meetup was going to happen. Fans were quickly arriving, the line filled with a loud buzzing of excitement. 

“Cam, we’re gonna have you greet people as well, but while they wait in line. Is that cool with you?” Zutaut asked, escorting her to the front of the line. 

“Yeah! Find someone to watch Grace for me? Please don’t let it be another groupie; they’ll just try to steal her ‘cause all of Motley has touched her.” 

“On it, doll. Have fun!” Zutaut left Cam to deal with the excited fans that were waiting. She spotted a little girl, maybe four years old, and immediately went towards her.

“Hi sweetie! What’s your name?” Cam asked, kneeling to meet the girl’s eyeline. 

“My name’s Lucy! And you’re Cam!” 

“I am! Lucy is a very pretty name! Are you excited to meet the band?” Cam smiled so brightly, her cheeks hurt. 

“Yes! I mostly wanted to meet you though.” Lucy answered, suddenly getting shy and hiding behind her dad’s leg. 

“Oh yeah? Well besides me, who’s your favorite in the band?”

“Nikki. He’s pretty!” Cam giggled at Lucy’s answer. Cam stood and held out her hand, which Lucy happily took. Cam escorted the little girl and her parents to the room where the band was, and Lucy squealed loudly. 

“Who’s this pretty lady?” Vince asked, kneeling onto the floor, the rest of the band following. 

“This is Lucy! She’s so excited to meet you, isn’t that right?” Lucy nodded, suddenly shy again, but opting to hide behind Cam instead of her dad. 

“Hey, sweetheart! Did you like the show?” Tommy asked. Lucy nodded again. Cam knelt in front of Lucy, running her fingers through her soft blonde hair. 

“Do you want me to introduce you to them? I promise they’re not as scary as they look, it’s just a lot of makeup and hairspray.” Lucy nodded, a smile on her face as Cam lifted up the girl in her arms. 

“This is Mick, and Tommy. That’s Vince, and your favorite on the end is..?”

“NIKKI!!” Lucy squealed as she reached for the bassist. Nikki welcomed Lucy with open arms, the girl squeezing her tiny arms around his neck. Cam smiled at the interaction, shook her parent’s hands, and left the family with Motley. 

As she left to go meet more fans, she couldn’t believe how much the band had changed since Grace had been around. Cam had heard stories about little kids meeting their favorite band, but she’d never seen an interaction like that before. 

Making her way down the line, shaking hands and talking to more fans, a hand popped out from deep within the line and grabbed Cam’s wrist. 

“Hello, gorgeous.” Cam’s heart dropped to her feet as her eyes followed the hand to it’s owner. 

“Dev...” Cam’s throat dried as she choked on his name, a sick smile gracing his lips. 

“Oh so you do remember me. I thought you’d be too busy fucking Motley Crue to notice me.” Cam tried to pull her and away, but Dev’s grip was iron on her wrist. 

“Dev, you need to let me go.” Cam protested as Dev pulled her to his chest, face so close she could smell the beer on his breath. 

“Oh no, I’m not letting you go again. Come on, we’re leaving.” Dev pulled her away from the fans, the altercation turning a few heads. As they made their way down the line, someone grabbed Dev’s shoulder in a futile attempt to help free Cam. Dev’s fist flew through the guy, landing on his nose with a sickening crack. The man fell to the ground, but Dev didn’t flinch as he continued to force Cam away from prying eyes. 

“Excuse me, where are you taking Cam?” Zutaut questioned as the pair exited the meeting area. 

“I’m her boyfriend. Our daughter is sick at home and I had to find Cam so she could help with our child. Right, sweetie?” Cam nodded slowly, but silently prayed Tom would go get Doc or someone equally as strong. 

“Hmm. Strange. You must have her confused with someone else with the same name. That’s Vince’s groupie. Been trailing her around for the last three shows.” Zutaut explained, poorly protecting Cam. 

“No she isn’t. She’s coming home with me.” Before Cam or Zutaut could protest further, Dev dragged the woman out to the parking lot. “You thought you could run away from me and get rid of me that easily? Well, baby, I’ve been tracking you for a while. You’re never leaving me again.” 

Cam flinched as Dev slapped her and then kicked her feet out from under her. Once she was on the floor, Dev let go of her arm and migrated to her hair as he proceeded to beat her senseless. 

“What. Were. You. Thinking?” Dev asked as he punched more bruises onto Cam’s body.

“I don’t know! I’m sorry, Dev! I won’t do it again, I promise! Please stop!” Cam pleaded, spitting up blood with every word.

“I don’t believe you!” Dev yelled, preparing to hit Cam again.

“Well believe this!” Dev fell as Nikki punched him across the face. Sharice (who had been around for a while now) pulled Cam to her feet and helped walk her away from the fight between Motley and her ex-boyfriend. 

“They’re gonna get hurt! We have to go back!” Cam whimpered as Sharice helped her on the bus. 

“I promise you, they’ll be okay. You should know better than anyone how they get when someone fucks with someone they love.” Sharice sat across from Cam, just monitoring the mother. 

“Where’s Gracie?” 

“She’s asleep in the back.” Cam nodded her thanks and laid her head on the seat. The door was slammed open and in an instant, Tommy’s face was in front of Cam’s. 

“Baby, stay with me, okay. Focus on my voice. Keep your eyes open, okay? We’re gonna get you cleaned up. Jesus I’m so sorry this happened to you.” Tommy and Nikki lifted Cam from the chair she was in, but she couldn’t feel her legs as they moved her. They placed her next to the sink in the bus, Nikki fluttering around as Tommy started cleaning up Cam’s face. 

Her eye was already swelling and turning purple, her lip the same way. Her nose was bleeding, and there were scratches all over her body from the asphalt and where Dev had broken skin with his boots. Tommy wet a washcloth under the cold tap, grimacing as Cam flinched. He cleaned her as gently as he could while keeping himself calm. 

“Are you okay?” Cam whispered, gripping her fingers on his t shirt, pulling him closer to her. 

“I should be asking you that question, Cam. I’m gonna kill Zutaut for putting you on line duty!” Cam’s hand migrated from Tommy’s shirt to his hand, wrapping her small bruised one around his. 

“Kill him later. Kiss me now.” Cam begged Tommy. The drummer’s heart shattered, but he nodded and leaned in as Cam followed. Her lips were still bloody and swollen, the feeling made Tommy want to puke. She needed this almost as much as he did, so he stayed pressed to her. Cam pulled away with a whine, tears falling from her swollen eyes. 

“Oh baby. I’m so sorry.” Tommy apologized as he pulled Cam to his chest, letting the mother cry as hard and as long as she needed to. He swore on her life that she wouldn’t get hurt again, and he failed. But that wouldn’t happen again. Even if it was his life for hers, Tommy would do anything to protect Cam, starting with Dev.

~~~~~~

A/N: ashdoueshroioh TWO PARTS IN TWO DAYS! What did you guys think??

Tags:

@kellysimagines

[skittykittys]

digits

Bryce is very, very right to worry, Beau realizes the second she sees the tiefling, because within the first five seconds she walks right into a weight rack. This woman is jacked. She's just casually deadlifting 400 pounds and barely breaking a sweat, which is hot enough as it is, but she's also fuckin' stunning. Short and chubby, with thighs that look strong as fuck. Her dark blue hair is half tied into a messy ponytail with a ribbon and a purple sweatband keeps the rest of it out of the way, slipping a little bit over one of her horns. Freckles stand out across her exposed skin, of which there's a lot: she's in shorts and a cropped tank with TITS OUT FOR THE TRAVELER and a design of a door across the front. Beau isn't sure if she's reeling from the mild head injury or the sheer intensity of how gay she is for this woman.

Modern/still DND gym au for day 3 of CritRole RSWeek! Jester is the new girl at the Cobalt Soul Gym and Beau is a huge lesbian disaster.

on ao3

By now Beau knows every regular at the Cobalt Soul. They're mostly gym-bro types with names like Chad and Vince and Trent who radiate depressing amounts of heterosexual energy, with a few nice but generally quiet women. Nearly all of them are human or elven. So the bright flash of blue skin in the weight room is something of a surprise.

"New person?" she asks Bryce, the security guard on duty. They're wearing the usual blue uniform polo, blonde hair tied back in a tight french braid today.

"Yeah, a tiefling girl. She's new in town."

Beau starts to head in, but they catch her shoulder before she can swipe her keycard. "Beauregard, I swear to the Platinum fuckin' Dragon if you damage the weights drooling over this girl I will not hesitate to kick you out."

"Oh fuck, is she hot?"

Bryce just gives her a long-suffering look. That's a yes, then. They still haven't forgiven her for the time she broke a machine trying to show off for a really cute elven woman.

Bryce is very, very right to worry, Beau realizes the second she sees the tiefling, because within the first five seconds she walks right into a weight rack. This woman is jacked. She's just casually deadlifting 400 pounds and barely breaking a sweat, which is hot enough as it is, but she's also fuckin' stunning. Short and chubby, with thighs that look strong as fuck. Her dark blue hair is half tied into a messy ponytail with a ribbon and a purple sweatband keeps the rest of it out of the way, slipping a little bit over one of her horns. Freckles stand out across her exposed skin, of which there's a lot: she's in shorts and a cropped tank with TITS OUT FOR THE TRAVELER and a design of a door across the front. Beau isn't sure if she's reeling from the mild head injury or the sheer intensity of how gay she is for this woman.

"Oh, hello!" Hot Jacked Girl says, and Beau feels a fucking arrow of pure lesbianism pierce her heart because not only is she gorgeous she has the cutest voice ever.

"Hey! Hi!" she says, too loudly. She wonders if her future wife saw her walk into that weight rack. If she did, she's too nice to say anything about it.

"My name's Jester! What's yours?" She's just casually doing reps on one of the ab training machines now. Beau tries not to stare at her very very prominent abs. Or her boobs.

"Me? Hh, uh, it's, I'm Beau!" Wow, smooth, Beau. She goes for the biggest weight she can see and can't even manage to get it off the ground. She's more flexibility and endurance focused, unlike this absolutely ripped tiefling, but she's desperate to look like she can Lift too. Good gods, she's turning into a, a.... Chent. One of those straightie bros she makes fun of with Bryce in the back room all the time. Next she'll be saying "Hey can I get those digits though!"

"Hey uh, Jester, can I get those digits though," her mouth says. "I mean, uh, wow I did not mean to say that out loud."

Jester laughs, which is the cutest sound that Beau's dumb lovestruck ass has ever heard. "I don't mind, I was kinda hoping we could be friends! It would be super cool to have a training buddy." Beau feels all her gay hopes crushed under Jester's tennis shoe-clad foot at the thought that she might be straight.

"Cool, yeah, that's..... that's what I meant too, not in like, the lesbian way. Although that would also be. Really great you're like super hot and I'm gonna stop talking now." Wow, Beau, great way to tell a girl you're gay!

To her immense relief, Jester giggles at that and holds out her wrist to show off a friendship bracelet in the bi colors. "Oh, thanks! You're really hot too. Wow, I only just moved here yesterday, I totally didn't expect to make new LGBT friends right away!" Her accent makes the acronym sound like the name of a small Menagerie Coast town. She hands over a phone in one of those oversized cases designed to look like a donut, and Beau texts herself from it, just barely managing not to drop it. Good gods, she is such a disaster.

Jester is babbling away happily now, so fast that Beau has to struggle to get her ADHD ass to pay attention. Apparently she got into powerlifting because she was bored (what the fuck), she also poledances and is gonna be working at a club in the city (filing that away for later), and her online best friend is also living in Zadash so she's really excited to hang out with him (cute).

"I'll text you the name of the club I work at, you should come by and see me sometime! I think I'm also going to try to get into the burlesque scene here," Jester is saying, claws flying across her phone screen at a ridiculous speed. "What do you do, by the way?"

"Nothing much right now, but I take stunt jobs when I get 'em," Beau admits. She generally temps doing security and construction stuff when she's not in anything, but right now she's scraping by temping at the Cobalt Soul when Dairon needs subs.

Jester's eyes light up. "You're a stunt fighter? That's so cool! My friend does a lot of circus work, you might've run into each other?"

"Totally possible!" It's almost impossible, but she doesn't want to disappoint Jester.

"Okay I gotta run to get ready but I texted you the address of the club where I work!" Jester grins at her and slings a duffel over her shoulder. "We should hang out sometime soon!"

"Totally! Yeah! Totally." This woman just does not process flirting as anything other than friendly, and Beau is so terrible at flirting in the first place that this whole thing is doomed, but damn if it isn't worth it. Beau is so ready to be gay in silence if it means getting cat gifs and cupcake stickers from the cutest tiefling she's ever met.

[diehard-fangirl]

DOWN & DIRTY QUICKIE REVIEW!

One Sentence Summary:

She’s a widower who was married to his brother, & he's her former BFF who’s been in love with her forever. 

Name That Trope:

Forbidden love [that’s not REALLY that forbidden]

Unrequited hero crush crushes hard!!!!

Quality mental illness rep out the wazoo

Introverted shy hero who can’t do words

Bisexual curvy Muslim-family mom heroine = <3 <3 <3

What part made you fangirl squeal:

When unsent emails literally became the most beautiful, romantic thing in the world! Y’ALL, I AM STILL SWOONING! 

Anytime Sadia rocked her sexuality & her love of sex; BROWN CHUBBY GIRLS OWNING THEIR BODIES IS MY FAV!

Every scene wherein found family is just as important as blood family - and the fact that blood family ain’t always healthy family.

Favorite Character:

Our gal Sadia, FO’ SURE! For one, I connected with her an ass-ton more. For another, I adored everything she was and everything she represented.

This woman dealt with emotional & mental health issues, both of which were a big part of her character and her character arc. My ass loved Sadia all the more for it.

How smexy was the smex?

A strange mix of super-duper sexy dialogue...annnnd foreplay/post-coital moments set to light-speed.

The hot? Sadia demanding Jackson, and I quote, “Get on your knees and lick me.” [swooooon!] 

The not? The fact that I literally can’t remember anything else about their sexy times. The scenes felt short, forgettable, and pretty vanilla. 

Whose Line Is It Anyway:

Sadia: What about us? What do you want from me? Jackson: I don't want anything from you. My dream is for you to let me love you. And maybe, someday, you can love me back. You don't have to love me a lot. A little love is enough.

"You don't just decide to love and suddenly everything is fine. Love takes practice. Love isn't passive, it's active. A verb." - Grandpa

Sadia: Why were you involved in the protest? Jackson: Because it was wrong. Sadia: That's not even your country, though. Jackson: Principles don't have borders.

Got any bitching to do?

Sadly...a lot. The plot tension just didn’t work for me, even though “She’s My Dead Bro’s Wife Who I’ve Loved Forever” IS ALL MY CATNIP!

Problem was, Jackson struggles sooOooOOOo much with accessing his emotions that he feels shut off, even from the reader.

Plus our hero’s ENTIRE conflict is that Sadia’s off-limits because she was his bro’s wife. Yet when gal tells him they were unhappily married, with divorce on the horizon, WE GET NO REACTION! They bang, there’s a time jump, & we skip right over the OTP learning each other’s bodies & developing intimacy; both physical and emotional intimacy.

So, alas, grumpy fangirl is grumpy.

Visually Depict Yo Book Feels:

Famous last words:

That panda hiding his head in shame is legit me in my book feels.

Because the characters were lovable! The family dynamics were beautiful! Hell, the heroine was a brown girl from a Muslim background who also beautifully own her sexuality!

There’s a lot to love in the book, and it doesn’t bore...it just didn’t grab me like I expected it to.

------------------------------------------------------

For a more in depth, LOL-fest discussion on romance novels, HERE BE MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

[multipik2002]

How To Tell Partner They Fat

It’s so unfair when it comes to tired girls, why do you want to be from the start. Why did he put this in there if I’m not close to it? How do I tell a partner? They fatten it. I don’t deserve this two years ago I met this funny guy. As I was studying at the local library, he came and looked around the other side of the room. I couldn’t stop looking at him, he started walking towards the smallest. I was never so anxious, so I had to take my eyes off it and look at the computer screen instead. He didn’t realize what I was looking for, but it was so nice. I couldn’t let him walk,  How To Tell Partner They Fat so I gathered the courage to talk to him. Hey, your name is Nicole. I thought he welcomed me back and told him the name I told him about. I'm new in town and I'm looking for new friends. Oh, I'm new here too. He sat on the other side of the table.

We had a really good conversation and even headed to the hangout at the end of the day. I found out he was also my age, we got in right away and exchanged numbers. After this day, we spent a lot of time together and we should know how to tell our partner that they are better off with each other. I enjoyed his company and always thought how nice it would be. If he was my friend, but one terrible day he said he would have to move to another city. I felt so broken. He asked if we could try to travel long distances and what he wanted to be like. But I was convinced this wasn’t working, in the end we decided to sign it. But they promised each other if we were once more and if we were in the same place once, we would both be bigger. We will try again as the days went by. I tried to stay on Monday and hope to stop missing it at some point. And for a while I felt like I was getting better, but I wasn’t worried.

And thinking too much because I missed him so much that I never lost anyone like that. Until after a while, I could no longer keep up with this feeling. I decided to name him, it turned out that he spent a lot of time even when he was away. We When we tell a partner, we both agree to try our friendship, even if it means being far away. One of the things we did was get him to work remotely and he was always visiting. When we had the opportunity, we introduced our families to each other. It’s a nostalgic part of my family. And I added some of it, we did a lot of things together, like dinner. And going on vacation with both of our families was great. Until she started going out a lot and seeing beautiful, beautiful girls. Everywhere I saw, when his words and thoughts became a little too harsh on my appearance. One day he started talking about the girls he was leading. Those girls have big bodies in the club and they can wear beautiful dresses. Why not lose weight at a hotel you can take care of that day, keep talking. What she didn’t do as a chubby girl and that the kids no longer attracted her. I don’t know what to think or feel at some point he would have been so loving and turned to How do I tell his fat friend to freeze. Next, I asked myself if he liked it. He was going to break up with him. Being overweight I was confused, I told him about it. I tried my best to lose weight and watch my efforts, but because he repeated these tough ideas. I couldn’t help but be shocked and I don’t understand why you chose to be. From the beginning, if you weren’t interested in him, I gave him a shell, I don’t deserve it. When I was a good boyfriend, I realized I never told lies or lies. But no one has anything chubby, right? He responded to ha words that Rep’s pieces after the day I started to hate myself along the way. I see, I tried my best to get into the problem Read More.....

[365queerstories]

Six of Crows

by Leigh Bardugo

What it is: A YA fantasy duology (the sequel is called Crooked Kingdom) that follows six people as they form an unlikely team to try and break into what is supposed to be an impenetrable fortress.

Why it’s on this list: Even in a setting where words like ‘gay’ don’t exist, it is made very clear that quite a few of the leads are queer. There’s a bisexual boy, and two gay boys, as well as a bisexual girl. Now, the girl really only has one love interest, who’s a dude, so some might say that her queerness is more a Word of God thing, however I personally as a bisexual girl-like creature feel like there is enough in the text to make it pretty clear that she’s bi. Six of Crows also has exceptional rep in terms of disability (dyslexia, addiction, adhd, and a badass boy with a cane, to mention a few).

Where you can find it: Any bookstore worth its shelves should have Six of Crows in it. You can also hang out with the author on her website, or here on tumblr at @lbardugo.

Official Synopsis | Unofficial Powerpoint Presentation

(art by Kevin Wada)

Six of Crows is kind of like Ocean’s Eleven. If everyone in Ocean’s Eleven was a shitty teen, it was set in a rich fantasy world that finds beauty in every dark alley and ice fortress, and the thing they’re trying to steal is actually a political prisoner with a dangerous secret.

Well, really, everyone has at least one dangerous secret, in this series. And okay, it’s not really that much like Ocean’s Eleven, except in that it’s a heist story that is so tense and twisting that I could actually feel my heart racing as I sped through it.

This duology is a wild ride, and it’s made all the more enjoyable because it has what every good heist story should have - an amazing group of loveable, morally questionable characters that make up the team. It’s such a diverse crew too, and each character has layers upon layers of lies and truths, so that even as the reader you’re often not sure who to trust. That just adds to the fun of it all, really.

Now, let’s talk about Jesper for a second. Jesper is the team’s sharpshooter, but he’s also a gambler and a charmer. He’s a member of The Dregs, the gang that about half this team is part of, but his loyalty is to Kaz, rather than the gang’s actual leader. Although in this fantasy world they don’t have the language for things like ADHD or dyslexia (or sexualities, but I’ll get to that in a second), Jesper is very obviously ADHD-coded. He’s impulsive, he’s a risktaker, and he feels the most focused and alive when in stressful or life-threatening situations. Having a bisexual ADHD kid in a fantasy novel left me, a bisexual ADHD kid, just beaming.

But Ziggy, you might be saying. You said they don’t have the language for sexualities. So how do you know he’s bi?

“What do you like?” “Music. Numbers. Equations. They’re not like words. They … they don’t get mixed up.” “If only you could talk to girls in equations.” There was a long silence. [...] “Just girls?” Jesper restrained a grin. “No. Not just girls.”

This exchange made this book, already excellent, that much better. This is a conversation between Jesper and Wylan, the team’s demo man and runaway and eventually Jesper’s partner. Seriously, right off the top every time these boys interact there is unmistakable chemistry between the two of them. At first I was worried it was just me being overly hopeful, but by the time we got to this conversation I knew it wasn’t just me. We get to watch them as they grow closer and closer throughout the two books, going from cautious allies to friends who would trust each other with their lives and secrets, to something a little more romantic.

Well, a lot more romantic.

They’re frickin’ adorable, folks, I don’t know how else to say it. A little hopeless, and messy at times, but so, so adorable.

Although they are definitely the main, most explicit queer rep in the series, I’ll give a quick shout out to Nina, who is said to flirt with everyone and who is a chubby ex-soldier who is also a terrifying magic user. Like I said, some consider her only rep as far as Word Of God gets you, but I found it pretty obvious in the text, personally. Still, your mileage may vary, in terms of whether you agree with me on this.

There’s one other main-ish character (-ish only because he’s mostly in book two and is not one of the six) who is also explicitly interested in someone his own gender. As talking about him in any regards is in and of itself pretty spoilery, I won’t say more about him, but I did want to at least mention him.

Six of Crows really reminded me that fantasy didn’t have to be something static, that you could have excellent representation even if the characters don’t have the modern language to deliver it in the way we’re used to seeing. Honestly, it inspired me to be better in my own fantasy writing. Leigh really sets the bar high here.

If you like reading great casts of characters attempt impossible feats and grow closer because of it, all while still not sure if they can trust one another, then this book is absolutely something you’re going to enjoy. Get ready to be on the edge of your seat the entire time, as all the while you fall for this great little gang.

Just a head’s up, this book does have some graphic violence, and the second one has some character death. As almost all of the characters have some form of PTSD, there is some rough stuff in their backstories as well, including abuse, sexual violence, and the like. I personally found it very well handled, avoiding a lot of the cliches that these kind of backstories can fall into, but regardless, they should be warned for. If you need a more full trigger warning list, let me know.

Reading Six of Crows? Let us know what you think! And if you’re looking for more great queer content, reminder that this is Day 4 of 365 queer reviews, one for each day of 2018. You can find all the reviews here.