#someone made this poll again after the shooting

[partlysmith]

just making sure....

[youraverageaemondsimp]

“Made for me.” // Aemond Targaryen x Sister!Reader

Thank you everyone for 1K followers, I am so grateful for all the support I've received for my fics, it's kind of an emotional moment for me cause I never thought I'd get this far, so here is the fic from this poll! this is short since I did not have much time and I do not want to delay my 1k celebration fic further! <3

MDNI // DD:DNE // reader discretion is advised.

Summary: As far as Aemond can remember, he had liked you, not in a way a brother loves his sister, no, in a way a man loves a woman, finding out that you were soon to be betrothed to a Tully for alliance, he feels devastated, until he decides he can prevent it, by ruining you.

WARNINGS: heavy noncon to dubcon, mindbreak, mindfuck, canon typical incest, creepy aemond(?), possessive aemond, dark!aemond, jealousy, obsession, breeding kink, tiddy sucking, virginity loss, mentions of blood, purity culture, medieval age standards (no smut until 18+), cum eating, cunnilingus, multiple orgasms, porn with little plot. + not proofread.

block the tag #MAE:DARK!CONTENT to avoid seeing dark content from me.

WC: 3k

For as long as Aemond can remember, he had always been smitten with you, his little sister, someone very dear to him, he had loved you since the moment you were born, immediately becoming someone he swore to protect.

He was rumoured to have some romantic feelings for helaena, which wasn't entirely false but if anyone were to look closely, they would realise that the longing gaze he holds for helaena is nothing compared to the one when he looks at you.

As he grew into a man, these feelings developed further, and as he watched you grow into a woman, desire managed to get a hold of him. He remembers the first time he felt carnal attraction towards you, it was your sixteenth nameday, you had worn a beautiful green dress that showed a little cleavage, something his mother would've been against but she let it slide that time, he remembered as you bent over in front of him to get something from the table, giving him full view of your tits which he immediately looked away from.

That night he had rushed back to his chambers as fast as possible to tug on his length at the thought of you.

He was never the same after that, every touch ignited a fire in him, when you would lay on his thigh as you both sat beneath the godswood while he read, he had to fight the urge to take you right then and there, taking your maidenhead in front of the gods to bind you to himself forever.

As the years passed, his feeling for you grew stronger and stronger.

“Aem!” There was your sweet voice calling him once again, his gaze lifted from the book on the table to your form which stood a few metres away from him, you smiled when you noticed his gaze was on you, walking over to him so you stood next to him, peering down on the book he was reading.

“What are you reading?” you ask curiously, voice leaking with inquiry, he looked down at his book before glancing up again, “Just a book about our history, valyria.” he tells you and you lean down slightly over his shoulder, your platinum blonde locks falling over and curtaining the side of his face as you read the text.

“Would you read it to me?” you inquire and he nods, before you shoot him the bright smile that never seemed to leave your face, and pull the chair beside him, causing the wood to make a noise as it glid against the floor, and sitting down on it.

He began reading and you listened to him for quite a while, before your eyes started becoming droopy and closing as sleep tried to overwhelm you, it wasn't because you were not interested in the history, no, it was due to the fact that your older brother's voice was extremely comforting.

He chuckled when he tried your efforts to keep yourself awake and closed the book, “Sister, you must not fight when sleep finds you, go to thine chambers and rest.”

“But brother! You have just gotten to Aegon's conquest.” you pout, and he chuckles, “I shall read it to you tomorrow, now go rest.” he manages to convince you and obey his word.

Aemond sighs as he watches you walk away, you were the Apple of his eye, everyone knew, he had been protective of you since you were younger, though he developed certain type feelings, the kind that a brother shouldn't develop for his sister, but alas, targaryens have queer customs, after all, his elder sister was married to Aegon, their older brother.

It was only time until mother betrothed you both, and he would wait patiently for that, he would often imagine how married life with you would be, it would be perfect.

But all those dreams were crushed when he finds out that your mother was planning to betrothed you to a tully, to get their alliance in case of Aegon's claim for the throne. Angry was an understatement, he was extremely pissed off, and what did you do? You gladly accepted it, even managing to look happy at the proposal.

Just then he remembers his elder sister's words. ‘If one possesses a thing, the other will take it away.’

He could not have that.

He can not have you be taken away from him, that too by an undeserving house such as tully.

You knew something was extremely odd when Aemond came to your chambers at night, he never did that, always deeming it inappropriate for a lady and a man to be together after the moon has risen unless they were husband and wife. So it was extremely shocking as to what he was doing in your chambers, knowing he took the secret entrance since the guard did not mention Aemond at all when you entered.

“Brother? What are you doing here so late?” you ask as you approach him, he is sitting on the chair near the fireplace, turning his head to the side as if to acknowledge your presence, the light bouncing off his face making his features look much more angular and intimidating.

“I have missed you, dear sister.” he stood up and turned to face you, and you peered up at him confused, “I had heard about your betrothal to a tully, though I do not remember his name, I came here to wish you pleasantries and a prosperous marriage.” he tries his best to not scowl.

You smile widely.

And that immediately sets him off.

“Thank yo-” before you could finish your sentence, Aemond grabs you harshly by your cheeks, pulling his face towards his own, “You're happy? You're fucking happy?” he growls as his breath fans your face, “Aemond-” before you could say anything, the same hand that was gripping your cheeks goes to your hair, pulling your head back, your hands fly up to his to make him release his grip as the tug at your strands were incredibly painful.

He doesn't say anything but slams his lips against yours, moving against yours in a frantic rhythm, your eyes widen at this and you push at his chest to pull him off, but he uses the grip on your hair to further push you against him, and soon you're all flush against him, weakly trying to pushing him off while the hand in your hair keeps tightening as the other holds your waist gently.

A true contrast.

He pulls away to breathe and he looks at your teary eyes, as you look at him, “Aemond- you're scaring me.” you say weakly, shaking as his eye narrows, “I love you.” he blurts out and you look at him shocked, “But- we're siblings–”

“We're also targaryens.” he cuts you off, and lets go of your hair.

You squeal when he lifts you up roughly, before making haste over to your bed and throwing you on it, and before you can get up, he traps you in his arms.

“I do not wish to see you married to someone else, you have been mine, since the day you were born, sister.” he whispers in your ear before pressing a kiss to it. You gasped when you felt his hand grope at your clothed breast giving it a tight squeeze and you tried prying his hand off to no avail.

“Aem- please stop-” you beg but he doesn't listen and his eyebrows are furrowed as he looks at you, “Sister, tell me the truth have you not felt anything when you stay with me? A warm feeling in your heart?” your breathe hitches as he asks you that question, and you look away from him, feeling ashamed that you held feelings for him, they very well hidden, you felt ashamed whenever you would feel heat pool between your legs as you watched Aemond do quite literally anything.

He undoes his breeches and pulls his cock out, undeniably hard, “If I ruin you then mother won't marry you off to him, besides, no one would want a woman that is ruined, especially by her own brother.” he says and you sob, shaking your head and you gasp as you feel his dick pressed against your core.

Your silence gave him the answer he needed, he tore your dress apart, the stitches popping off with a noise, as he changed his grip and undoes your clothing.

You try to push him off and hit his chest, in defiance, but he is much stronger than you, pinning your hands above with his one hand as the other pulls off the shredded clothing, with your final strength, you deliver a hard kick to his crotch which causes him to groan and plop on the bed next to you in pain, and you use that change to try and scramble up and off the bed but to your disdain, he immediately recovers and pulls you down with a tight grip on your leg but pushing them apart, placing himself between them and then wrapping his hands around your neck, the grip cutting off air circulation rapidly as you struggled against him.

“Fucking cunt.” he says before spitting on your face and you cry, you feel your brain go dark as you start loosing consciousness at the lack of oxygen only for him to let go, cause you to take a deep breath on relax, snapping you awake at once.

“Sister, look how much you are leaking, way too much for someone that pretends like they hate it.” he rubs his cock against your folds, coating it in your juices and he groans, before he leans in, kissing your neck and then your breasts before pulling back.

“Brother please- ah!” you gasp when you felt his hot fingers press against your bud, rubbing it, making you squirm as you grip his hand and try to push it off but his grip stays firm and you eventually give up, hands falling to your sides and gripping the sheets below as he plays with cunt.

He knew you'd eventually break.

He did not want to hurt you or force you.

But you weren't making it easier and he did not have much time either, so he had to resort to this.

You reach your peak with a loud moan of his name which went straight to his cock, he leaned down and kissed you once more, holding your legs apart by force and then grabbing his cock before lining it up against your entrance, slowly pushing the thick head in, your hands shot up to his shoulder to grab them, nails digging into the skin as he rips you apart on his cock, bullying into you without mercy, his hand covering your mouth as you let out painful whines to shush you up. You whimper when you feel him fully sheathed inside you, feeling too full, your cunt clenching around him painfully tight to push him out but he stays there.

“Look at you, taking my cock so well, like you were made to.” he whispers in your ear before pulling his hips back and snapping them forward, causing you to let out a scream, although it was muffled, at the pain. The orgasm before had only helped a little, he was too thick and big.

At first he starts slowly, pulling back and snapping one at a time, trying to give you time to adjust until you whimpered his name, which made him lose any and all control he had as his pace became faster, brutally slamming his cock inside you as you whined and moaned beneath him.

The sound of wet slapping noises soon fill the air and the smell of sex starts taking over, your mind becomes all hazy at what was happening to you, you watch as Aemond takes one of your breasts in his mouth, suckling on the nipple, drool spilling all over it while his hand gropes the other, massaging it. Your hand travels to his hair and you arch your back, shoving more of your breast in his mouth, making him groan in delight.

He pulls back with a pop and you look at him gasping and wide eyed as he thrusts into you, eyes dropped as slight drool leaks from the sides of your mouth, letting out moans when he hits that sweet spot inside you.

“Fuck- you're so perfect, made just for me.” he grunts, supporting himself on his hands above you, hair curtaining around your face as you stare directly in his eye, watching him close it in pleasure, gasping when he feels you clench around him.

“You're mine right?” his eye opens and he looks at you intensely, you nod, agreeing with what he was saying, your mind losing all of its ability to think rationally the moment he entered inside you, you felt your stomach tighten.

“Use your words.” he commands and you gulp, “Yes only yours— ah! Fuck aemond!” you throw your head back as your second orgasm hits you, moaning out loud and he let's out a shaky breath before you felt his thrusts become sloppy, “Fuck, I'm gonna fill this cunt up, watch my seed take root in your womb, you're mine, mine to fuck, marry, breed, you'll give me many heirs won't you?” he goes off, voicing his thoughts and you feel warm and turned on at his words, “Yes- brother, I'm all yours, only yours.” you say, grabbing his cheek and rubbing a thumb on his scar and he finishes inside you with a loud moan, pushing himself to the hilt as his cock spurts thick ropes of cum inside you.

He pulls out, still somehow hard and lays down beside you, and you feel so empty without him inside you, so you whine, “Aem- I need you.” you pout and he looks at you wide eyed, and you don't know what comes over you, but you find your patience running thin as you wait for him to do something, so you take matters into your own hands, getting on top of him, grabbing his blood soaked cock before rising your hips and sitting down on it.

“Sister?” Aemond asks questionably, as he grabs your hips, watching you bounce on top of his cock, breasts moving up and down as you moan loudly into the chambers, only his name, on repeat and that's when he finally understands what happened.

He broke you.

He fucked your mind.

He should feel bad, knowing how now you're seeking him and his cock out like a bitch in heat but he doesn't, he feels more accomplished at that, knowing you desire no one but him. He moans when he feels your cunt spasm around him as you reach your peak, and instead of stopping, you continue riding him, wanting to bring him to his peak as well, you take one of his hands and guide it to your breast, making him grip it and play with your nipple.

“Brother please! Please cum inside me, I want you to fill me up.” you beg and Aemond groans at that, “Want- want you so bad! please haa, I need to have your children.” you moan and Aemond felt himself reach his peak harshly at that, filling you up once again.

Aemond changes the position, getting on top of you again, cock still inside and you give him a small smile before grabbing his face and pulling him in for a kiss, his lips move passionately against yours, before he pulls away, kissing down your neck and to your breasts, he pulls out and slowly trails kissing down to your down, watching as his loads of cum leak out from you, he pushes his tongue out and collects his juice on his mouth, before shoving it inside again, engulfing your cunt in his mouth, you grab his hair and grind your hips against his face, moaning his name loudly as he works his mouth, his nose shoved against your clit, creating friction whenever he moves his head, and soon enough, you reach your peak once again, “Brother!” you moan as you arch your back and he groans into your cunt, lapping up at the juices being secreted from you, before pulling away from it, placing wet kisses on your inners thighs and coming up towards you again, and kissing you, shoving his tongue inside your mouth, making you taste both your combined juices, and you groan into the kiss at the taste.

You both spent that night just like that.

Your mother was horrified when she had heard about this, and tully had walked in on the conversation, scrunching up his face in disgust and calling off your betrothal, you stood with your arm wrapped around Aemonds arm as he explain his mother what happened, looking away and hiding in his arms as she yelled at him for ruining and spoiling you, before inevitable deciding to betroth you both as result.

And you both were married, two moons later.

The maesters were extremely confused when you went into labour earlier than what they had predicted, they thought that it was going to be a stillbirth, yet they were confused to see when a healthy silver hair babe popped out, crying and cooing. They considered it a miracle but only Alicent and Aemond knew the truth.

Aemond stood there with his child in his arms as he gazed lovingly upon him, a son. You smiled at him as he cooed in high valyrian.

“Maester, When can I take her again?” That question caught the maester off guard and he cleared his throat before speaking up, “I would suggest waiting 6 weeks until she is fully healed, or 3 moons time.” and Aemond hummed.

The maester leaves the room, leaving you, aemond and the babe alone, the baby cooing at his father, small hand entangled in his hair.

“After you heal, I shall put a babe inside you again, dear wife.” He comes down and sits next to you and you smile, “As you wish, husband.” you tease and press a kiss on his lips.

———

[lilasamaaa]

Missed chances | Max Verstappen x Reader / Part One

Genre | Angst, Hurt, Fluff.

Word count | 4.1K

Warnings | Mentions of heartbreak, alcohol consumption, Max being an asshole.

Summary | It's been years since you've had a crush on your best friend's brother. But him too, right? Or is kissing you every chance he gets just a game for him?

Author's note | Angsty Queen is back at it! This piece is the result of this poll. Thank you so much for all the feedback on the previous pieces, I'm so glad you like them. Enjoy this one! (Not proofread yet, sorry!)

You and Victoria are thirteen when you cross paths for the first time. The shy blonde girl stands upright, nervously nibbling her lip. It's the first day of school, and you're both waiting to find out which class you'll be in, hoping to be with friends. Her gaze meets yours, and she offers a timid smile. You're not friends. Not yet. You just have mutual friends. Your names are called almost simultaneously, indicating that you're in the same class. Instinctively, you head towards her, giving her a big smile. You don't know anyone else in the class, so you'll have to get to know each other. Stick together.

A few months later, as your father drops you off in front of Victoria's house before rushing off to your little brother's soccer practice, you take a moment to observe the pale blue house from the outside. Upstairs, a curtain moves, catching your attention. You don't see anybody, though. You knock on the door, and Victoria opens it, immediately throwing herself into your arms.

"I'm so glad your parents agreed to this," she says, excited. "This is gonna be so cool. My parents aren't home so Max is supposed to look after us, but he'll probably lock himself in his room. Boys, you know..." she finishes, leading you into the hallway.

Max? For months, you've been sharing your lives between classes, but you've never heard this name before.

"Who's Max?" you ask, curious.

"My older brother," she replies, rolling her eyes. "We don't get along so well these days. He thinks he's all grown up... Barely even acknowledge me," Victoria says, frustration evident in her voice.

"I can relate," you reply sarcastically. "Well, mine's younger, but not that interested in me either."

You spend the afternoon in her room painting your nails, braiding each other's hair, and sharing your secrets (you're starting to run out, after all this time), until night falls. You're deep in conversation when someone knocks on the door. That must be Max, you think, waiting for the door to open.

And it is Max, indeed. His face appears, and your heart skips a beat. He's cute. He seems a bit grumpy. Not in the best mood, that's true. But there's something immediately touching about his big, wide eyes and annoyed expression.

"Diner's ready," Max says before closing the door.

"I bet he made fish sticks again," Victoria grumbles, getting up. "That's the only thing he knows how to cook."

Sitting at the table, cutting a fish stick in half with your fork, your gaze shifts from Victoria to Max, who sit across from each other, not exchanging a word.

"So..." you start shyly. "What's your favorite subject, Max?" you ask, immediately regretting your words as the boy glances in your direction, brows furrowed.

Of course, your only topic of conversation is school. You've always been one of the top students. A real bookworm, as they say. Plus, you're not exactly comfortable around boys, especially those around your age. Victoria shoots you a desperate look, eyes wide open. But right now, anything seems better than this uncomfortable, excruciating silence.

"Erm," Max says, grabbing a green bean with his fork. "Geography, I guess. I don't know."

Silence falls once again, lingering until each of you finishes your meal, and then Victoria and you retreat to her room.

"Don't even bother trying to talk to him," the blonde says as she slips into her pajamas. "Nothing interests him except go-karting."

The next time you encounter Max, you're fourteen, and he's sixteen. Victoria and you are participating in an endurance race to raise funds for a charity, and your families have been invited to attend the event. Your parents, who have crossed paths several times at school meetings and other events, find each other in the stands and share enthusiastic greetings before sitting down. Already on the track, you watch the reunion with a smile when your eyes fall on him. Max is here? you think. He never attends these things.

The race begins, and Victoria and you take off along the lake, completing lap after lap. On one of them, as you pass by the stands, particularly the one where your parents are seated, you turn your head, hoping to catch a glimpse of them. You don't see your father or your mother. Your eyes only see him. Max. And he's looking at you, too. Your eyes don't leave each other until your foot slips on a stone, and your ankle twists violently. You fall to the ground, letting out a cry of pain as your father rises, rushing to your aid.

A little less than an hour later, as Victoria finishes her run and joins you at the infirmary, the blonde gives you a worried yet disapproving look. "You're too distracted," she says, hand on her hip. "What was it this time? Did you see a cute boy or something? Was it Jan?". You don't respond, giving a sheepish smile to your friend. A cute boy, yeah...

As the years go by, you see Max less and less. At the beginning of your friendship with Victoria, you often ran into the young man when you spent afternoons or nights at the Verstappen's, but the aspiring driver has started to become increasingly scarce in his own home. One evening, though, as you're racking your brains over a philosophy essay, your phone vibrates, signaling a message from the person who's become your best friend.

"Max is throwing a fucking rager at home. Please come, I beg you. I'll shoot myself if I have to deal with his drunk friends all alone."

Thirty minutes later, you're on your bike, covering the five kilometers that separate your house from Victoria's. Summer has begun, with only a few days of classes left, which certainly explains Max's sudden urge to throw a party. On your bike, you're anxious, your stomach tying itself in knots. Despite your daily visits to Victoria, it's been almost a year since you've last seen her older brother. You try to convince yourself that the fact you applied a bit of mascara to your lashes or straightened your hair has nothing to do with his presence. You just wanted to tidy up a bit, that's all. Nothing else to it.

When you arrive at the blue house, your first instinct is to anxiously glance at the surrounding houses. How has no one called the cops yet, you think, impressed by the decibels pouring out of the open windows, and the number of people you can already see inside the house. Leaving your bike in the grass, you venture into the house, passing by the wide open front door. On the way to the living room, drunk bodies cling to you, spilling beer on your shoes, shouting incomprehensible words in your ears. Wow. Victoria wasn't kidding. This thing is a huge mess.

Spotting your friend in the middle of the kitchen, you make your way to her.

"What the fuck is happening here?" you ask, casting a glance over the room.

"Can you believe this asshole?" Victoria replies, fuming. "Mom has been gone for five hours. Five! And I haven't even finished my fucking essay," she says, despair filling her eyes.

"Forget about it," you reply, stifling a laugh. "That's not happening tonight."

Victoria launches into another tirade about how much her brother annoys her when you catch sight of him in the middle of the living room. He's wearing a shirt that looks slightly too big for him. Maybe borrowed from his dad. He's holding a beer in one hand. A girl in the other. The sight twists your heart and brings a bitter taste to your mouth. Clinging to his arm, the blonde —who you recognize as Sanne, a girl from his class— can't seem to tear her gaze from Max, looking at him as if he belonged in a museum.

"Hey, are you listening?" Victoria says, bringing you back to reality.

"What?"

"They want to play a game," Victoria repeats. "Seven minutes in heaven."

"Seven minutes in heaven?" you repeat, eyes wide.

"Yeah. Sanne suggested it."

Of course she did, you think, biting your lip. Of course Sanne, who clearly has a big crush on Max, would suggest a game where the goal is to get locked in a narrow closet with someone for seven minutes.

"Listen to me," Victoria says, suddenly serious. "If Max has to be locked in a closet with anyone, I want it to be you. We'll figure it out. We'll cheat at the draw," she continues. "I hate Sanne. At least with you, I know nothing will happen."

You swallow loudly, completely at a loss for words. Getting locked in a closet with Max? The Max who's never really noticed you? Who's always seen you as nothing but a kid because you're a year and a half younger and his sister's friend? You don't have much time to think about it because already, you're sitting in a circle in the middle of the living room with a dozen other people, a bottle in the center.

Johannes, a friend of Max's, spins the bottle, which lands on Sanne. The girl's eyes sparkle with excitement, her gaze fixed on Max. Johannes spins the bottle again, and this time, it stops in front of another girl you don't know. You glance at Victoria, who seems particularly amused by the situation. Sanne looks absolutely gutted.

"Rules are rules, girls," Johannes says, laughing.

A boy from your class escorts the girls to the closet by the entrance before locking them in and starting a timer. The seven minutes pass, filled by various discussions. When the alarm goes off and the girls are freed, Sanne sits back in the circle, her face closed off.

"It's my turn to spin the bottle," she announces, seizing the plastic object.

She's quite skilled, as the bottle spins twice before landing directly in front of Max. Sanne grabs the bottle again, sending it spinning, and it rotates for a while before stopping right in front of you. Sanne seems beside herself, but your attention is focused on Victoria, who gives you a discreet thumbs-up. Your eyes meet Max's, and it's safe to say the young man doesn't look too pleased. But as Johannes said, rules are rules, and the two of you get up before walking towards the closet.

The space is ridiculously tiny. Max ventures in first, one foot behind the vacuum cleaner, the other squeezed between two shoe shelves. There's barely enough room for two people to fit, and as Johannes pushes you inside unceremoniously and you hear the lock click behind you, you realize you're standing between Max's legs, your hands on his chest.

"Sorry," you say, trying to get away, your back hitting the door.

A heavy silence settles between you as outside, you hear the lively conversations resume in the living room.

"I'm sure you would have preferred to be locked in with Sanne," you say, trying to fill the silence that's slowly eating away at you.

"Not really," Max responds, evasive.

"Aren't you two together?" you ask, curious.

He scoffs against you, sending vibrations to your chest.

"She would like to, yeah," Max says, as you feel his breath against your face despite him being twenty centimeters taller than you.

"And you don't?" you ask, trying to appear nonchalant even though you fear his answer.

"I don't have time for her."

"Oh. I didn't realize your time was so precious," you reply, stunned.

"Depends on who it's spent with," Max replies, his voice deeper.

You're suddenly incredibly grateful to be plunged into darkness because your cheeks are definitely burning red. Is Max Verstappen flirting with you?

"You've changed since the last time I saw you," he continues, as you feel like the temperature in the closet has risen several degrees.

"Changed how?" you ask, seeking his gaze despite the darkness.

"You're taller. Your hair seems longer. It's lightened up a bit, it's nice," he says. "Sixteen suits you. You're not a kid anymore."

You're going to suffocate. Die in a closet.

"We're only a year and a half apart," you reply, breathless.

"I know," he replies, as you feel his hand caress your cheek. "I'm not a kid anymore either."

His lips crash onto yours before you even have time to comprehend what's happening. You melt into him, closing your eyes, savoring the contact you've dreamed of for years. His hand rests on the back of your head, bringing you closer to him, as your hands find their way back to his chest. You bite his lip, and he lets out a groan before wrapping his arms around your waist. You thank the loud music from the living room for drowning out the sounds you're making in this closet, pressed against one another. Your hands find his neck, and his crawl to your ass, squeezing it as you let out a moan against his open mouth.

You thought you couldn't get any closer, but one of Max's hands slips under your right knee, lifting your leg. You've never kissed anyone. Never touched anyone. Yet, as your two groins press against each other, everything feels so easy, so natural. You could stay here for hours, exploring his mouth, his face, his body, but already, footsteps echo in the hallway, and you pull away from each other as if you'd been burned.

"Time's up, lovers!" Johannes says opening the door, prompting laughter from the living room.

"As if," Max says, getting out first. "That's disgusting, bro. She's like my sister."

You stay in the closet for a few seconds, watching the two boys go back to the living room, catching your breath. Several hours later, lying in Victoria's bed as the music has stopped and most of the guests have left the house, you stare at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep, despite your best friend softly snoring by your side. Getting up to get a glass of water, you walk blindly through the dark hallway, passing by Max's room.

"Can we talk?" a voice suddenly rises, making you jump, your hand finding your heart which threatens to leap out of your chest.

You remain silent. Not quite sure if you want to talk, let alone with Max. And certainly not to talk about earlier, in the closet, and be rejected by the boy who stole your heart.

"Come here," he says, pulling you into his room before closing the door behind him. "I don't want Victoria to hear."

You're about to pour your heart out, tell Max how much he hurt you, when he pulls you towards him and presses his lips to yours. Again. Everything you had planned to say escapes your mind as your tongues meet and the hands of your best friend's brother slide under your shirt, stroking your back. Max pulls back, sitting on his bed, pulling you onto his lap, one leg on each side of him. The kisses intensify, your noses brushing, your hands getting lost in each other's hair. Your lips speaking without sound, your hearts opening up without words.

"I don't understand you," you admit between kisses.

"Don't try," he replies, biting your lip.

Max grabs your butt, pressing you against him, and a flash of panic grips you when you feel him against you. Hard. You moan, and suddenly, all the reason seems to come back to him. It's you. His sister's best friend. He pulls back, avoiding your gaze.

"I..." he starts, breathless. "You should go," Max says before pushing you off his lap. You stand here, facing him awkwardly for a few seconds. Waiting for him to say something. Anything. When nothing comes, his head still low, you turn on your heels. Back in Victoria's room, slipping under the covers of your best friend's bed, you let out a tear, feeling a sadly familiar ache tugging at your heart.

Max and you cross paths again a year later, at your high school graduation ceremony. You and Victoria are among the top students in your class, and you're invited to go on stage to give a speech with eight other people. One of these people is Niels. Your boyfriend. You've been together for a few months now. He welcomes you on stage, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek before holding you close. In the audience, your eyes meet those of your parents, proud. Those of Victoria's parents, proud. And those of Max. Icy.

The speeches go by quickly, and just before the buffet begins, you apologize to Niels and your parents, saying you need to make a quick stop at the restroom. In the deserted corridors of your high school, your heels click against the floor, soon joined by the sound of another pair of shoes. You turn around, surprised, seeing Max approaching in the distance.

"Niels Harmen?" you hear the boy say. "Really?"

"What do you want?" you reply, eyes cold.

"That guy was still picking his nose last year."

"It's good that he stopped, then," you respond, annoyed.

"Why are you dating him?"

The question makes you laugh. Not a sincere laugh. A laugh that says "mind your own business" and "screw you" at the same time. An ironic, ugly laugh that you don't even recognize.

"When we kiss, I'm not afraid that he'll reject me the next second," you reply, even though you know it's hitting below the belt.

Max scoffs, crossing his arms.

"Is it what it is? Some sort of revenge?"

"I'm not seeking revenge on anyone. My life doesn't revolve around you," you spit before turning on your heels.

You haven't taken a step before a hand grabs your wrist. You already know what's going to happen. So you try to resist. You know you shouldn't turn around. That if your eyes meet his, you'll fall back in. Start another round of false hopes. Disillusionments. Heartaches.

Yet, you do. You turn around, and, of course, his lips find yours. It's almost routine now, mechanical. You close your eyes, your heart torn between the joy of feeling his touch again, and the anticipation of the pain that will undoubtedly assail you in a few hours. When he'll reject you, again.

You're lost in each other when the sound of applause brings you crashing back to earth. The two of you quickly pull away before turning towards the source of the noise. Sanne.

"Don't you have a boyfriend waiting for you?" the girl asks with a fake smile.

"Get out of here, Sanne," Max says like a warning.

"What happened to "I'm not interested in her", Max?" Sanne asks, one hand on her hip. "Or to "She's just a kid, and not even my type"? Or, wait, what was it, the last time?" Sanne continues, stroking her chin. "Oh, yeah. "She was just there, and I was bored"."

You look at him, mouth agape, but Max carefully avoids meeting your gaze. Sanne's words tear at your heart. In a way, it's even worse than being rejected by him. You turn on your heels for good this time, passing by Sanne who's looking at you like you're the most despicable thing on earth. You're vaguely aware of Max saying... no, screaming your name, but you keep on walking, not looking back once. For a second, you thought you were gonna cry, break down in tears in the middle of the hallway. But nothing comes. You don't feel anything. Your heart has given up, surrendered. Returning to the ceremony, you smile at your parents before settling next to your best friend.

"Have you seen Max?" Victoria asks, and you don't miss how the mention of his name doesn't make your heart flutter, for the first time in years.

"Nope," you reply, smiling at her.

Three years later, you're in Victoria's car, on your way to the Zandvoort Grand Prix. You don't even know why you agreed to come with your best friend. You don't watch F1. You have no interest in the sport. Curiosity, your inner voice whispers. You wanted to see him again. You shake your head to dispel those intrusive thoughts when Victoria turns to you.

"I'm so glad you agreed to come. Max is so happy, too."

"What?" you ask, turning to her.

"He told me over the phone. Is that so surprising?"

Well, it is. Max and you haven't exchanged a word since the last ones thrown in the hallway of your high school. But Victoria, of course, doesn't know that. Victoria thinks you're friendly. Like two people who grew up together, gravitating in the same universe without ever colliding.

"He got us VIP passes", your best friend continues. "We'll be able to go everywhere, even see the pit stops!"

"How kind of him," you mumble.

"Look," she says, looking over at you. "I know Max wasn't the kindest... or the warmest, growing up. But he's changed, so much. You'd be surprised!"

"Oh, I bet," you say, smiling at her.

Victoria parks her small car in the VIP space, and a RedBull staff member greets you, handing you two passes before guiding you through the paddock. A stress you haven't felt in three years creeps into your head, into your body. Your thoughts collide, your hands are sweaty. You're beginning to wonder if coming here was a good idea after all when you spot him. At the end of the aisle, in his racing suit. Helmet in hand. Victoria's phone suddenly rings, and she apologizes, gesturing for you to continue without her.

You take the few steps that separate you from the driver. He's changed. So much. His teenage roundness has vanished, replaced by sharp features. His hair is longer, his eyes darker. He gives you a warm smile that twists your insides. It's impossible, you think. After all these years. Having so much power, so much hold over me.

"You came," he says, still smiling.

"For her," you reply curtly.

"Well..." he says, laughing softly. "She's not the one racing."

The silence falls again. Cold. Heavy. You turn your head, spotting Victoria a little further away, hoping she hangs up soon.

"You look beautiful," he says, and you know he means it despite you wearing the blankest blue jeans and white shirt ever made.

Silence, again.

"I'd hoped you'd no longer be mad at me." Max says, and you scoff.

"I'm not mad at you."

"You're cold."

"You broke my heart."

The driver winces, looking away.

"I should have called," he says, softly.

"I wouldn't have answered," you reply.

"I should have come to see you," Max starts again.

"I wouldn't have opened the door."

Your eyes meet his. Fire and ice.

"Well, I should have done something. Fight for you," he continues.

"Fight for who?" you ask. "The girl who was just there?"

Max runs his hand through his hair, embarrassed.

"You were never just that to me. You were so much more. I was just too young, too stupid to realize it. I have. Now."

You hadn't planned on getting into deep explanations with Max today. Not here. Not now. You're about to respond when Victoria returns, linking her arm with yours.

"Maxie!" she says, kissing his cheek. "Are you catching up on lost time? Did she tell you she's still dating Niels? Rumor has it that he's going to propose soon!"

Max's eyes glance down at your hand, and something in his demeanor shifts. It might be the breath he holds, or the way his shoulders seem to slump, defeated.

"She hasn't," he says, smiling faintly at his sister.

"We should go," Victoria says. "The race is about to start. Can we go to the stands?"

"Yes, no problem," Max replies as Victoria begins to head towards the garage, leaving you face to face once again.

"Congrats on your future engagement, I guess," he says.

"Thank you. I'm going to break up with him," you reply, crossing your arms.

"What?" Max says, astonished.

"It doesn't feel right. Him and I."

"If it has anything to do with me, please, tell me," Max breathes, as you avoid his gaze. "I was so focused on my career these past few years that I never wrote to you. I knew I didn't have the time to make it work. I knew it'd be selfish. Unfair to you," Max admits.

"Here you are, once again, thinking that my life revolves around you", you say, smirking at him. "I'm not waiting for you, Max. I haven't been for a while now."

The driver nods, swallowing hard.

"Of course," he says. "I'm sorry for assuming."

"I'm not against the idea of grabbing a drink with you sometime, though," you say, winking at him. "Just text me when you're free."

"I will," he says quickly, blue eyes boring into yours.

"See you around," you say, running to catch up with Victoria.

Watching you leave, Max stands there, grinning like an idiot, before unlocking his phone.

"How about tonight?"

Sent.

[yandere-sins]

Yan-Poll #30

[Continuation of Poll #29]

"Hey!"

Your yell startled both monsters, and you used that chance to squeeze past the vampire's defensive stance, putting yourself between them and the werewolf. The beast's eyes widened as you approached him, his gaze completely fixed on you as his stance turned receptive. He looked like he was waiting for you to come to him, with his arms open, palms upwards, eager to receive your body.

Almost too quickly, your feet stopped, and like a mousetrap, the werewolf didn't realize what was wrong until the vampire was already on him. You yelped as you whipped around, trying to shield yourself from the sight. But the sounds couldn't be avoided, the screaming, squelching, and the final whimpers. All of this had been an anticipated risk, but it was gruesome regardless.

Tears you couldn't seem to shed lingered in your eyes. What for? You had no idea. The werewolf? The vampire? Yourself? Probably the latter. It was shock, more than it was regret, your knees hitting the floorboards, shooting pain through you that you barely registered.

"It's over," you heard someone say, perhaps noticing your state of distress as your hand clamped over your mouth, holding back sobs and nausea. Cold hands fell to your shoulders, shaking you, but not enough to tear you out of the state of shock and panic. Not until they pushed you down, forcing you on your back.

"It's over," the vampire repeated, looking down at you. It was impossible to ignore the blood splattered all over their clothes and face. Blood that now also stuck to you where they touched. Your tears finally burst as you started to wail, so much fear and anxiety having culminated inside you throughout the night that it simply broke out of you now.

With bloody fingertips, the vampire wiped the tears away, but the sin they smeared on your skin couldn't be washed away by your crying. They still had killed someone, a perhaps inevitable outcome, but tragic nonetheless. And now you were alone with them—again. Perhaps for the last time?

"I... I won't hurt you. At least, it won't hurt long; one bite and it'll be over," they muttered, and your sobs turned softer, realizing what they meant. The time you two had spent seemed to have been worth nothing. Your efforts, the sacrifice you made—it still led to your death in the end.

"Just be quick," you mumbled, resigning to your fate. You had lasted longer than most. Even just the first decision could have drastically altered your fate, but at least you spent one last night making decisions and fighting for your life.

Their hair tickled your face as they leaned forward, burying their face between your neck and shoulder. Their hands gripped your shoulders tightly, discomfort forcing you to struggle until they had you in a position ready to bite. Pinned down with inhuman strength, you could only whine as the tips of their fangs poked at your skin, their bite slamming into you so hard it robbed you of your breath. Somewhere between feeling like the vampire tore a part of your flesh out of you and the eery sensation of release, you closed your eyes for the last time, sinking down into darkness like you had never before, death welcoming you like a gentle embrace, telling you to finally rest after all the tumult you endured up to this point.

Only for something to violently jerk you away from the waiting embrace.

Gasping loudly, you felt the air flow into your lungs, your body desperate to fulfill your need to breathe. But once it was there, it felt like holding your breath indefinitely, and you had to force yourself to sputter it out, rolling on your side as you tore your eyelids open. They had been stuck with tears and gunk, yet your eyesight had never been clearer, seeing every finely carved groove in the wooden planks of the floor beneath you.

"Finally!" someone rejoiced, their voice so loud and clear, every crack in it so unusually emphasized. It was far too much to take, and you raised your palms over your ears to blur it out, the stimulation far too great. Your own skin felt cold, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It felt normal. Right, even. But the hands falling to your shoulders shook you out of it, making you relive your final moments before you had closed your eyes, reminding you of the vampire, and you forced yourself to look at them.

Their features were so intricate that every pore on their eternal face was visible to you. Their eyes were dark with concern and fear, but a spark of hope laid in them as they looked at you, their lips slowly curling upwards. "I wasn't sure it would work," they breathed in relief, yet you heard them even through your hands.

"I've never done it before. I couldn't be sure it would work!"

The vampire seemed increasingly excited, their hands strangely warm as they wrapped them around yours, pulling them from your ears and helping you sit up. "You were down for almost the full day, but it seems to have finally worked!"

"I'm... I'm not dead...?" you croaked hesitantly as you sat there on the floor while the vampire got up, walking away with their steps suddenly loud enough to wake an elephant. You looked around, watching the dust particles sway in the dark, smelling the old, partially moldy wood around the house, and listening to the clanking of metal as the vampire poured a heavy liquid.

Instantly, your mouth began to water as you smelled the iron-y delight mixed with a much sweeter yet tart juice. "Here," the vampire whispered, kneeling down next to you. "I kept you some, I knew you'd be hungry. The pomegranate makes it easier to swallow the first time."

Your mind filled with a desire to feed, one so strong you yanked the goblet from the vampire, downing it swiftly. It felt fucking amazing to wet your throat, but once it was empty, you still felt like you were on the brink of dehydration, your eyes looking over at the vampire for more. For answers. But mostly for more of the drink.

They chuckled, shaking their head. "That's it. We'll have to hunt for more."

"Hunt?" you asked. The vampire held out his hand, helping you up from the ground and steadying you as you regained your posture. Somehow, you felt fitter; the idea of going out and doing something replaced the desire to drink more of the juice you had been given.

"Hunt what?"

"Humans."

"What?" you mumbled, taken aback by the statement. But the vampire stepped closer, still holding your hand while reaching up to brush some hair out of the way.

"Don't worry, I will teach you everything I know. Everything I learned in my centuries. And we have a long time to make a proper vampire out of you. But I'll be there every step of the way, always by your side. Together, we can hunt, talk, and dance for as long as we want. I can finally break this spell of boredom now that I have you by my side, my beloved."

"I'm... I'm not a vampire! I'm a human!"

They chuckled, shaking their head. "Not anymore, sweetheart. Come now, let's test your new abilities."

"What? No!" you took a step back, everything a little much to process, but their grip tightened.

"I said, 'let's go'," the vampire ordered firmly, and all your resistance melted as you followed them willingly, no thoughts of yours forming to make your body obey otherwise.

"I'm sorry," they whispered, bumping their head to yours. "Don't make me use it too often, darling. I hate treating you like a simple thrall. You are more than that, my sweetness, I promise. But I need you to do as I say, lest I might lose you again. Do you know how long I waited for someone like you? Someone I could turn and have by my side for the rest of eternity? Don't take this away from me, okay?"

Your head nodded without hesitation, the force of the vampire's bond with you too strong to refuse. They leaned down, placing their lips on top of yours as you felt close to crying. But no tears would rise to your eyes.

"Open," the vampire murmured against your lips. You did as ordered, the kiss deepening as they pressed you against a wall, intertwining your fingers. At the same time, you couldn't even struggle against their advances. Their tongue lapped over your own fangs, a drip of blood falling onto your own, and your body pounced forward, wanting more desperately. Neither the urge nor the orders were something you could control, and you felt your humanity shatter at the unpredictability of your own actions.

"Maybe there's somewhere else we should go before heading out to hunt," they concluded, satisfied by your reaction, pulling out of the kiss and lowering your hands again.

"Come, my dark consort. Let us unify in our eternal bodies and make this a day we'll never forget in all the centuries to come!"

They laughed cheerfully, pulling you close as they rushed you deeper into the mansion, your eyes only briefly glimpsing right, seeing the entrance door for a brief moment, reminding you of how much you tried to escape. At least the darkness around you wasn't as scary anymore with your heightened senses.

Only the darkness inside remained, deepening with every controlling touch the vampire graced you with. And you wondered...

[in1-nutshell]

Megatron's kid meets MTMTE Megatron

SFW, Platonic, Familial, from the polls, Romantic, Cybertronian reader

G1/MTMTE

All Buddy wanted was a nice ‘date night’ with Rumble.

Buddy and Rumble’s schedules for the past month had been packed with things, making it hard to take time for each other.

Luckily, they finally made an opening on both schedules.

Buddy walking down the halls with Rumble.

“So, what movie do you want to see this time?”--Rumble

“Hmm… don’t know…”--Buddy

“Aw, c’mon Buddy you always have a movie on your processor. I’m sure you can think of one that doesn’t stink.”--Rumble

“Excuse you—”--Buddy

“Yes?”--Rumble

Buddy gives him a fond smile before patting his helm.

Rumble playfully swats it.

“Hey! What did we talk about that!”--Rumble

“Well, you were asking for it.”—Buddy

That’s when the floor beneath Rumble suddenly disappeared. Swirling colors replaced the purple and grey floor.

Buddy didn’t think twice about jumping in after him desperately latching onto the ledge of the portal.

Which was a personal feat.

The commotion had brought the attention of some nearby Decepticon who were already running towards them.

But the second Rumble’s servo slipped, Buddy let go of the edge and went after him.

Everything was swirls of pink and green until Buddy blacked out.

Rumble woke up to a bunch of Autobots looking at him.

“GAH!”--Rumble

Rumble stands up with his pliers ready.

He looks around at some familiar looking Bots and some unfamiliar looking ones.

“Rumble? Is that you?”--Ravage

“Who’s asking—Ravage?!”--Rumble

Ravage walks closer to him.

He sniffs before scrunching his muzzle.

“You’re not Rumble.”--Ravage

“And you’re not Ravage, he can’t talk.”--Rumble

“That’s because you’re not from here.”--Brainstorm

Rumble looks at the teal mech.

“And who are you suppose’ta be?”--Rumble

“I’m Brainstorm! And the reason why you and your companion are here.”--Brainstorm

“What?”--Rumble

“He is a scientist, and he was messing with that blasted suit case again.”--Ravage

“What suitcase?”--Rumble

“It travels dimensions, to put it simple terms.”--Megatron

Rumble turns to see Megatron.

“PRIMUS! When did you get this big! Come to think about it, most you guys are taller here…”--Rumble

“As Ravage was saying, Brainstorm accidentally brought you and someone else from your dimension to this one.”--Megatron

“Wait, did you say someone else? But who…”--Rumble

Rumble gets rid of his pliars to shake his helm with both servos.

“Oh, course that dumb, selfless, stinking, loveable dummy would jump in after me!”--Rumble

“Loveable?”--Megatron

“Buddy jumped in after me!”--Rumble

“Who’s Buddy?”--Megatron

Rumble fully stops and stares at Megatron.

“Buddy? Your Buddy? My Buddy! Ringing any bells!”--Rumble

Megatron shakes his helm.

“Never heard of a bot named ‘Buddy’ before.”—Rodimus

“… No wonder you lost the war.”--Rumble

Rumble looking accusingly at the Autobot badge on Megatron’s chassis.

Megatron just vents tiredly.

“We should keep an optic out for this ‘Buddy’ you speak of then.”--Brainstorm

“That shouldn’t be too hard, just look for another mini and that’s it.”--Rodimus

“Who said Buddy was a minicon? And no, we aren’t going to find them.”—Rumble

“What do you mean?”—Megatron

“They’re going to find us, or at least make some noise—“--Rumble

Swerve comes through the doors

“Something came out of the oil reserves and is shooting everything! It’s like the creature from the Black Lagoon if it was armed!”--Swerve

“That’s Buddy.”--Rumble

Buddy venting heavily with their optics trained on the mechs in front of them.

Then they see Rumble.

“Rumble!”--Buddy

“Buddy!”--Rumble

Buddy clicks the blaster.

“I swear if you don’t let him go—Megatron? Ravage? What’s going on?”--Buddy

Buddy sees the Autobot badge.

“What is this!”--Buddy

Rumble comes running to them in a hug.

Buddy, one arm hugs him back but doesn’t take their optics off of the mechs.

“Buddy, Buddy put down the blaster. We can explain this.”--Rumble

Buddy not budging.

“Buddy.”--Rumble

Buddy finally venting before putting both blasters away still holding onto Rumble.

“You better.”--Buddy

Buddy continues to glare at Megatron and Ravage.

After a quick trip to the wash racks, Buddy was finally caught up on the whole situation.

As well as hearing more facts about this universe’s war and Megatron.

Buddy and Ruble in exchange told them a bit about their universe and their war.

Buddy couldn’t lie when they’d say that they were a bit jealous that this war was over.

Even if the Decepticon’s didn’t win, at least it was over.

More and more bots and cons started working together and finding themselves again.

That was something Buddy wanted more than anything.

A peaceful future with Rumble and their family.

A bit whimsical, but it never hurts to be optimistic.

While the science department managed to find a way for Buddy and Rumble to get back home, the two were made honorary members of the Lost Light.

The pair got along well with some of the bots on bourd even making friends.

Buddy did manage to get some one-on-one time with Megatron.

Was it awkward for the both at first?

Yes.

Did they get past it?

Yes, after a joint poetry session and story sharing moment, the two rarely seem too far apart.

Did Megatron get attached to this young bot?

Yes.

He didn’t know how, but he felt comfortable around this bot. Almost as if he knew them for their entire life.

He couldn’t explain it with reason, but it felt nice.

Buddy was in turn fond of this ‘pacifist’ version of their father.

They knew well that any Megatron would have some sort of rage underneath layers of masks. This one just seemed to be much more in tune with it, or at least learning to.

Now there were two things that both Rumble and Buddy forgot to mention to the crew.

That Buddy was Megatron’s offspring.

And the both were dating.

But the crew found out…eventually…

“What about you two?”--Whirl

“What about us?”--Buddy

Whirl drapes a servo around Buddy’s shoulders, getting an angry look from Rumble.

“You two seem to be attached to the hip ever since Brainstorm brought ya here. Why?”--Whirl

“Whirl don’t tease them.”--Cyclonus

“What do you mean?”--Buddy

Whirl vents dramatically.

“Are you or are you not Junixies with the minicon?”--Whirl

“Whirl!”—Buddy and Rumble

Rumble looks a bit nervous while Buddy is trying to keep their composure.

“We haven’t done that…”--Buddy

“I mean if you want to.”--Rumble

Buddy nearly has whiplash when they turn to Rumble.

“What?”--Buddy

Rumble getting even more anxious.

“I...I…”--Rumble

“Spit it out! Or if your too chicken, I’ll just ask them myself.”--Whirl

Rumble looks angrily at Whirl before shouting.

“SO, WHAT IF I DO WANT BUDDY AS MY CONJUX!?”--Rumble

Silence.

“Rumble… Rumble do you mean that?”--Buddy

Rumble turns to Buddy who looks scared yet hopeful.

“Ye-yeah. If you’d have me?”--Rumble

Buddy lets out an ungodly squeal while hugging Rumble hard and shouting ‘YES!’ over and over again.

“I can’t wait to tell Megatron this!”--Buddy

“I’m right here? And congratulations.”--Megatron

“No, my Megatron, my father. Oh! We would need to do all of this in the base—”--Buddy

“Excuse me what?!”--Rodimus

“We would need to do the ceremony—”--Buddy

“Not that!”--Rodimus

Rodimus pointing at Megatron.

“You’re telling us Megs is your father?!”--Rodimus

“Yes?”--Buddy

Swerve in the background playing a Murray clip ‘You are the father’.

Megatron exe. Needs to reboot please try again later.

He is about to ask more about this when Brainstorm comms in saying the portal was back open but wasn’t going to be for long.

Buddy quickly grabbed Rumble, shook some servos, and added a hug here and there before sprinting to the lab.

The others followed suite.

They made it just in time.

“I know this isn’t exactly formal or proper, but the portals about to close, so BYE!”--Buddy

Rumble waving from where he was being carried.

“See ya later losers!”--Rumble

Buddy tightens their grip on Rumble as they jumped into the portal as it closed.

Meanwhile in the Decepticon base…

“What do you mean they dived into the floor?!”--Megatron

“I mean they dived into the floor!”--Starscream

“Status: Unknown. Continue search.”--Soundwave

“They will show up one way or another…”--Megatron

“Please Megatron, they would—”--Starscream

Buddy and Rumble popping above Starscream, properly flattening him.

Muffled screams.

Rumble poking out of Buddy’s arms with servo raised.

“THEY SAID YES!”--Rumble

[drkmgs]

Muse

Jenna Ortega x Fem! Reader

Warning: angst, break-up, exes working with each other

Story type: One shot

According to the poll, I made 50.5% of 311 voters want this one. I don't know. Should I have posted a little summary? hehe. The end was so hard to write. I hope it came out fine...

You released a heavy sigh as you looked around your blackroom. She was everywhere. There is it again, the certain squeeze in your chest. You swallowed the clump in your throat.

She was your muse.

Sadly, that has changed now.

At first, she was a stranger, then an acquaintance, turned into a friend, that developed to lovers, and now back to a stranger again. Stranger is a strong word because you don't work with strangers. What do you call two exes that sometimes work together?

You should have listened to your friends – never mingle with someone who is famous.

It will only destroy you, and it did.

Well, not you completely, but mostly your heart and it shows – in your writings, pictures, songs you listen to, and hell even in your outfits. She drastically changed you. No, scratch that. It wasn't her who changed you. It was the pain, anger, and heartache. Where do these feelings come from? Is it from the unanswered questions, like why did she leave me? Probably.

How do people cope with heartbreaks without knowing the reason as to why the person you love the most left you? This breakup did something to you. It brought a lot of people back into your life and opened up opportunities. Next month, you'll be showing chasing some of your work at the Met Gala. The main reason why you're in the middle of developing some of your films.

After your break up with Jenna, you threw yourself onto work. Most of the pieces you have sold, were painful and hurtful, but these ones that you're developing are quite the opposite. These pictures were taken before the pain, where everything was happy and in love. You weren't even halfway developing all the roll films you have, and yet your blackroom is already filled with her.

Smiling, dancing, singing, baking, walking, and even sleeping. She was certainly your muse. There is one picture that stands out, and it is your favorite. She was in a grass field with daisies. Her smiling face wasn't towards the camera but to you. It shows how happy she was with you in that moment. You wonder what changed? What changed that made her run away from you?

Your thoughts were interrupted when your phone vibrated beside you. You immediately answered and squeezed it between your ear and shoulder, both of your hands were busy hanging the developed film.

"Y/N Callaway speaking." You hear hectic shoutings in the background and commands from the person who rang you.

"Darling, Callaway! It's Gladys! I know you're busy with your work for the Met Gala, but is there a chance that you could do me a favor?" You can hear that she's biting her nails as her voice wasn't as confident as it always has been.

"Depends on what favor, Glads." You have known this woman since you started your photography career, and she has been setting you up with clients, but now that you have bigger projects, she would only set you up if it was necessary.

"I need you for a shoot. In like 30 min. The one I hired got into an accident and we need a photographer asap." You look at your watch. The pieces you want to use for the Met were already drying, but new ones wouldn't hurt.

"Okay. Send me the address." You ended the call, stood up from the stool, got your leather jacket from the hook, and stepped out of your blackroom. When you got there, everyone was already waiting, and Gladys was frantically pacing back and fort.

"Oh may god! Darling! You're an angel sent from above!" She greeted you as she spotted you when she faced towards you. "I tried to come as fast as I could." You gently placed your equipment on the ground and greeted her back.

"That's okay! I'm so glad you are here! So, our model just got her make-up done, and she already has her outfit on. We need a picture of her walking here, somewhere she's sitting and then one with a car. The car is that one. You can meet our model, she is in that van." She pointed at the blacked parked mini van, not far where you were standing. You nodded at her, and she walked away to do some phone calls.

You knocked on the van door and stepped back a bit, gaze on the ground. "Oh-Hi, Y/N." A familiar voice rang through your ear, which made you snap your head up. "Enrique. Nice to see you again." You gave him a genuine smile. Your gaze shifted to the woman behind him. You saw her shock face, but it immediately changed into a stoic expression.

"Miss Ortega. Congratulations to Wednesday. It turned out great." After the break up, you started calling her by her last name. You thought, a professional approach would be better than people asking how you two got into the first-name basis. The relationship you two had was only known by close friends and family, obviously Enrique counted as a close friend.

"You watched Wednesday?" There was a hint of curiosity in her voice, but her face stayed uninterested. "Yeah, I watched it with my daughter." You smiled lightly. "Sorry, did you say daughter?" Her uninterested face turned into a furrowed eyebrows.

"Goddaughter." You don't know why you had the urge to correct yourself, but when she unforrowed her eyebrows, it made you exhale. You were used to people knowing that Penelope – your Goddaughter – you referring to her as your daughter.

Aside from diving into work while healing yourself, you spent mostly your time at your best friends's house, and when they announced they're adopting, you were over the moon. They didn't just help you get back on your feet but also gave you a different reason to be happy, and that's being a Godparent to Penelope.

There is a hint of confusion and anger within you as to why she reacted like that? She left you. You mean nothing to her. So, why did she look so relieved when you corrected yourself? You shook your head to get out of that state of mind.

"I think we should get this shooting started." You didn't wait for her to reply. You just walked away and got your equipment ready. While you're busy with your stuff, there's a pair of eyes watching you. Never taking them away from you.

"Take a picture. It will last longer." Enrique chimed behind the woman. "I don't understand you. You keep saying you don't love her anymore and that you moved on, but here you are having heart eyes." Enrique made a hand gesture indicating the situation he just saw.

"I don't have heart eyes." She scoffed and rollled her eyes and went back, scrolling through her phone. "Girl. Don't. I know what I saw, and I believe in what I saw. You are still in love with her." Enrique sassied. "Okay, so what if I still love her?! It doesn't matter! Let's say she still loves me. Why? Why would she be? All I did was leave and break her heart." From a far, it looks like Jenna is about to have a mental breakdown.

Sure, she has seen you a couple of times after the breakup, but right now, something is different. The shine in your eyes talking about your goddaughter–is the way you looked at her in the past. Full of adoration and love. Jenna wanted to get lost in those eyes, but it changed as soon as you laid your eyes on hers.

From where you were standing, you could see how frustrated she was and her eyes. You know it's screaming sadness and regrets, but also pain and anger. Anger not towards you, but to herself. She tried so hard to stop the tears. Seeing her like that, something heavy pulls down on your chest. Enrique tried to consult her, but she refused and excused herself.

You watch her walk away the set and turn to look at Enrique. He shrugged and signed you to follow her. You excused yourself from the other staff saying you are going to the powder room, but you actually followed Jenna. Around the corner, you see her, phasing back and forth, shaking her hands–trying to calm down.

You couldn't keep watching, so as soon as Jenna turned around, you engulfed her into a hug. She didn't push you away. She inhaled and relaxed into you, grabbing onto your jacket. "I'm sorry." She mumbled through her sobbing. You didn't say anything. You just stood there patting her back. When she calmed down, she stepped back and wiped her tears. You were about to leave when she stopped you.

"I mean it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving. I'm sorry for not telling you about how I feel and what was bothering me. Please forgive." Jenna's voice cracked at the end. You shook your head. "I don't know what to say to you, Jenna. I thought when this moment came, I was ready to face any of your reasons, but I am not. What you did is still so fresh in my memory as if it happened yesterday, but I know I still have the heart to forgive you." You say trying to get out of her grip. "Then let me make it up to you. I promise I'll be better. I'll fix everything." She desperately says. "Jenna. Don't make promises you can't fulfill, and if you break a glass and try to fix it, it will never be the same before you broke it." After hearing that, Jenna finally loosened her grip on you.

"I'll head back to the set. I'll tell them you'll need a minute." You excused yourself. This time around, Jenna watched you leave, and she'll never know when you'll be back in her arms.

[snugglyducklingbrewhouse]

we play with fire because we like the way it burns

a mob boss!nico x nurse!fem!reader au

I know this bar

Masterlist

Warnings: this is a mob au, bar, alcohol, underage drinking (Luke specifically and technically reader if her and Luke were in the same orientation group for college), a few swear words/name calling, Jack being bullied, a bet, Luke being bullied, mentions of past relationship trauma but no specifics, I think that’s it

Word count: 2.35k

A/n: I know the poll resulted in me without us, but I had this ready and writers block is kicking my butt. I also really wanted to get something out there after going awol. This is set before Luke, Lilly, and the tree. This is the bar referenced in that installment. I spent forever on this. I wanted to build the world of this au so I added more details. Enjoy!

“Are you sure it’s okay I go to the bar tonight?” You asked for what felt like the hundredth time to Luke.

He rolled his eyes. “Yes. Nico specifically asked me if you would like to come tonight.”

That was the first of you hearing that. Your eyes lit up, but you stayed still, adjusting your clothes and accessories. “Oh? He did?”

You hoped that you didn’t sound as excited as you really were.

Luke gave you a smirk. “And by the way you’re acting, I’d say you’re excited to see him.”

Your cheeks flushed as you turned around and shoved Luke playfully. “Shut up!”

“When will you just admit that you like him?” Luke was annoyed with how much you were acting like a lovesick teenager when he knew Nico felt the same way.

But Nico didn’t know that Luke knew. Jack got a little too drunk at his shared apartment with Luke and let it slip, but Luke made sure not to say that you felt the same way.

“How about when swine take to the sky?” You quipped back, knowing it would take Luke a second to figure that one out.

“Seriously?” He sassed once it clicked in his mind. “Just tell him! Or at least offer him your number. I don’t know how he still doesn’t have it.”

“So I can just be another notch in his belt? No thanks.” You deflected and looked to the floor.

Luke’s face dropped into a gentler expression. “I know the stories, but he is not this renowned player. In the year I’ve been here, I haven’t seen him take a girl home or go home with one. I obviously am not as close to him as Jack, but he does have a softer side. I just haven’t seen more than a glimpse or two.”

You looked up at your best friend with sad eyes. “I’m just a nurse. A nobody. Why would he ever go for someone like me?”

Luke sighed, wishing you could see yourself the way others do. “You are one of the most selfless people I have ever met. I mean, you basically offered to be a nurse for the mob. The mob! You have a heart of gold, and if he doesn’t see it, then someone will come around who will. But I’m telling you, shoot your shot.”

As he was talking, you looked down again and tried not to cry. You knew your self talk could be more positive, but it takes time. And after your bad luck with men in the past, you just were scared of getting hurt again.

“You say I have a heart of gold, but then why do people always leave?” You asked, sick of people leaving you when something new and shiny comes along.

Luke felt his heart breaking. He witnessed your bad past with men through college, and he wished he could do more to help.

You became his best friend and the sister he never had. As much as he definitely intimidated some guys that wanted to ask you out back in school, he knew you deserved the world. And he really hoped that could be Nico despite his reputation and job.

————————————————————————

As you walked into the bar, you felt your nerves reach an all time high. Sure, you’ve met Nico and Jack before, but you were meeting the majority of the mob. You knew that the bar was their official spot and it was mostly just members and their partners who frequented the place.

You felt like an outsider, but it only got worse as you got closer and Luke opened the door.

“You’ll be fine,” Luke said quietly as he held the door open for you and you walked past him.

You appreciated his words, but as soon as you stepped inside, you felt out of place.

Sure, Luke had said you looked perfectly fine, but that didn’t matter once you got inside.

You didn’t know what to do, so you just did your best to keep it low key and follow Luke’s lead.

Someone was already approaching the two of you, and you felt the panic rise.

“Hey Luke, is this her?”

“Yes, this is y/n, my best friend and our new nurse,” Luke introduced you.

“It’s not official,” you corrected.

“It might as well be,” Luke said. “You patched me up and looked at Jack’s hands the other day.”

“Anyway,” you said, subtly gesturing to Luke that you still didn’t know who you were talking to.

“And this is Dawson, definitely one of the friendlier faces around here,” Luke finally introduced the man in front of you.

You definitely agreed with that. While he was attractive, your heart wanted one man at the moment.

“I don’t know whether to be flattered or offended,” Dawson said, then took a sip of his beer. “Don’t just leave her standing here, get her a drink.”

“Let’s go,” Luke said, dragging you to the bar top.

“Nice meeting you,” you said as you walked away. You couldn’t help but be over polite because of your nerves.

Once you arrived at the bar with Luke, he ordered for the both of you. “Whiskey, neat. And a bubblegum cosmotini spritzer.”

The bartender whisked away. And made your drinks.

“Did you seriously order us those drinks?” You asked Luke, knowing he usually went for neither of those.

“Trust me,” he said.

“The last time you said that, I ended up needing stitches,” you reminded him.

“And you have a badass scar because of it,” he tried to lighten the conversation.

Before you could respond, the drinks were placed in front of you.

“One bubblegum cosmotini spritzer for the lady, and a whiskey neat for the gentleman,” the bartender said.

You just looked at Luke, waiting to see what he would say.

Before either of you could say anything, the bartender cracked a smile and said, “I’m just fucking with you, Luke.”

She carefully swapped the glasses around.

“Well played,” you said. “He absolutely does not like whiskey.”

“Oh, I know. Jack made him have it this one time, and Luke’s face was priceless,” she explained.

“The same thing happened in college but with someone else. It was great,” you said.

Luke was annoyed. “Are you two done?”

“Yes,” you said with a smile. “Wishing you had a different drink yet?”

Luke downed his drink. “I’m about to get something else.”

“Oh, I’m y/n, btw,” you said to the bartender.

“Luke’s best friend from college, right?” She asked.

You nodded. “Yeah.”

“He’s definitely whined about wishing you were here more than a few times,” the bartender said, continuing to frustrate Luke.

“I’m taking her away from here,” he said. “You two are mean.”

“You know I love you, Lukey,” you said, not wanting to stop messing with him.

The bartender smiled at the nickname since no one ever calls him that before being pulled to another patron.

“I regret bringing you here,” he grumbled.

“I told you, I would have been fine at home,” you said, despite actually enjoying yourself.

You both turned so your backs were against the bar top, and you scanned the crowd.

“Looking for someone?” Luke asked, knowing damn well you were looking for Nico.

“I’m just observing the crowd,” you claimed, lying through your teeth.

“Okay, sure,” Luke played along. “There’s more people to meet.”

And so, it began. Luke introduced you to pretty much everyone, just to make sure you felt comfortable around them.

It was clear as day to you that these people were a second family to Luke. And you knew your friendship was closer to one between siblings than just friends. So, you felt honored that he was willing to share this part of his life with you.

————————————————————————

At some point, Nico joined the crowd and was talking to Jack while overlooking the bar.

“Looking for someone?” Jack asked, knowing that Nico was definitely looking for you.

Luke had told Jack that you were finally ready to meet the rest of the family. Jack knew he had to keep pushing his boss’s buttons to get him to make a move.

“Just people watching,” Nico replied before taking a sip of his drink.

Jack knew that that was a partial lie, but let it slide.

Suddenly, you and one of the partners were hysterically laughing to the point where most people stopped and turned towards you, even for just a brief moment.

This intrigued Nico, and he definitely wanted to hear your laugh again.

After the laughter died down, Jack spoke up. “Are you sure you’re just people watching? Or are you really watching her?”

Nico sighed, sick of Jack’s shit. “Will you drop it?”

“Not until you make a move,” Jack said, determined to get the two of you together. “At least give her your number. It’s about damn time you manned up and gave it to her.”

Nico took another sip. “I’ll think about it.”

“Mmm hmmm,” Jack hummed, not believing his boss. “Well you better move quick, this is the third time Dawson is talking to her tonight.”

Part of what made Jack such a great second in command was his observant nature. Although, he could be clueless at times. But he knew you well enough and definitely knew the rest of the mob.

Nico clenched his jaw.

He should have known. Dawson could be such a flirt.

Maybe Nico really did need to make a move, and fast.

————————————————————————

If your heart wasn’t set on someone already, you might have thought Dawson was cute, and you might have flirted back.

But your heart belonged to someone else, despite how much you denied it to Luke. And yourself, but you had to fess up eventually.

You already noticed when Nico joined the crowd from his office Luke told you was in the back of the bar. That didn’t mean you had to go talk to him right away. The plan was to keep it low key and hope either the feelings either disappeared or he acted before you had to.

You tried really hard to focus on what Dawson was saying, you really did. But the second Nico arrived, your senses heightened and you became hyper aware of yourself.

“You’re not listening, are you?” Dawson said, finally getting your attention.

“Huh? Sorry. There’s too much noise,” you said, trying to cover for yourself.

“Ignore him,” Luke said. “His whole this is that he craves attention.”

“Hey!” Dawson was offended.

“I have to take her to talk to the boss anyway. They didn’t exactly get to know each other when she patched me up,” Luke explained, guiding you to the one man you dreaded facing because you knew you’d be about as awkward as Princess Ana meeting Hans for the first time.

————————————————————————

Jack nearly choked on his drink when he saw you and Luke walk towards him and Nico.

Nico, on the other hand, took a long sip of his drink to attempt to calm him as you walked over.

“Hey boss, Jack,” Luke said once the two of you arrived in front of Nico and Jack.

Jack nodded and uttered a “hello,” but took another sip of his drink.

Before Luke could say anything, you decided to jump in.

“We never actually officially met,” you said. “I was a little too busy patching up this guy. I’m y/n, which I know you know. But still. Nice to officially meet you.”

“Likewise,” Nico said. “Having a good night so far?”

You were caught off guard, not expecting him to ask that.

“Uh, yeah,” you said, once you recovered. “It’s nice to finally meet everyone. It’s a little overwhelming, but I’m managing.”

“I told you I could take you back home at any point,” Luke reminded you. “You don’t have to stay.”

“It’s okay,” you tried insisting. “You’re having fun. Everyone is having fun. I don’t want to step on any toes. I can just catch an Uber back or something.”

“If you want Luke to stay, I can always take you home,” Nico spoke up.

Both your and Luke’s heads whipped towards Nico. Even Jack looked shocked.

“You don’t have to,” you quickly responded. “I don’t want to impose.”

“I see these guys all the time,” he said. “This was my only drink.”

“Are you sure?” You asked, the nerves setting in more. “Like I said, I can just Uber back. I don’t wanna bother you.”

“It’s okay,” Nico insisted. “Gives us a chance to talk without these two.” He gestured towards Jack and Luke.

You hoped your cheeks didn’t flush as you spoke up. “If you insist.”

“I just need to grab my keys in back,” he said, going to go grab them.

Once he was out of earshot, Luke spoke up first. “What the fuck was that?”

“I don’t know, but you owe me $20,” Jack said.

“You bet on me?” You asked, insulted by Jack.

“Sorta?” Jack said, but it sounded more like a question.

“He bet Nico would make the first move, and I said you’d shut it down and push him away until you felt comfortable enough and finally made a move yourself,” Luke explained.

You couldn’t help but smile at Luke. “I’m glad my best friend knows me well enough to bet on that.”

You then turned to Jack.

“You, on the other hand, are an idiot,” you said.

“What did I do?” Jack said.

“What didn’t you do?” Nico spoke up as he finally rejoined the conversation. “What did I miss?”

“Jack being an idiot, so not much” you said while Jack yelled a “hey” at you.

“Love you too, dumbass.”

“You’re lucky you’re Luke’s best friend,” Jack mumbled.

“I’ll message you when I make it back to mine,” you told Luke. “I will see you in a few days for movie night. Do not drink too much.”

“One more after this, then it’s water,” Luke promised you. “Drive safe.”

You hugged him then followed Nico out the door towards his car.

You just hoped you could make it through the car ride without embarrassing yourself.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

01/24/24 OFMD Daily Recap

TLDR; Cast and Crew Sightings with clowning; UK News; Wee John Wednesday; RenewAsACrewUpdates; NewTwitter Resource: @AdoptOurCrew; Pirate Omens Watch Party; LubeAsACrew; The Queerties; Petition Status; Final Notes; Love Notes; Rhys & Rosie's Anniversary;

==Cast and Crew Sightings==

David Jenkins got the clowning going really early this morning with a picture of a red sunrise, playing the song "New York Groove" by Ace Frehley.

There's been a lot of speculation (obviously we don't know what it means for sure) but the current fan theories going around are:

1. "Red Skies In Morning, Sailor's Take Warning" which Djenkins previously posted prior to a new OFMD Trailer being released back in Sept. Thanks @saltpepperbeard!

2. Some folks think that the Red color is to help indicate Netflix as it is very similar to their signature red. @_Irene_Adler

3. Others are going towards the AppleTV route since out in sunnyside queens, there is an Apple building nearby. @skrifores

Do we actually know? Nope, just conjecture, but it left people wanting to target Netflix and AppleTV more today in terms of hashtags. Which is great cause the Pirate Omens Focused on PrimeVideo in the afternoon.

=Con O'Neil Updated his Instagram, and David Fane commented =

==Ruibo Qian also made a profound update on IG==

"Amplifying positive intent toward a paradigm is what solidifies it into live experience".

Take these updates as you will, but one nice thing about being broken apart from Max is we're starting to see the crew reach out again, and all of it seems to be in somewhat of a positive direction.

==More UK News!==

Today’s news from the UK 24 January 2024 - by @lamentus1

We have a date!! The most amazing news! Season 2 will be available to watch in the UK on BBCiPlayer from Monday 4 February!!! The arrival of season two in the UK will give us an opportunity to organise some attention grabbing events around the show. We’ll keep you posted!

=Convention news=

Starfury Conventions is considering holding an Our Flag Means Death convention here in the UK! We need to show how much interest there is in the idea, so make sure you vote in their poll.

Vote here: https://x.com/starfuryevents/status/1750149921880059968 Make sure they know just how interested we are!

**Note from @gentlebeardsbarngrill: If you are avoiding twitter and need someone to log in and for for you, I have lots of extra twitter handles, just shoot me a DM with what answer you wanna choose and I'll vote on your behalf.**

=Previous Access Poll=

After a week and 986 votes the poll is closed and we can confidently state that 36.5% of fans can’t even watch Our Flag Means Death season 2 in their country yet! This is more than a third of the dedicated fandom not even able to watch the second season, and yet look at how passionate we all are about renewal. Imagine how that will grow when the second season is shown in those countries that have missed out so far.

The poll is here: @lamentus1 Are you able to watch Season 2?

While this last piece isn't SPECIFICALLY for the UK, it is being run in UK time zone so may be a bit harder for some US folks to join in.

== Wee John Wednesday is back! ==

EDIT: hey all, my sick brain messed this one up, Kristian announced on twitter he was gonna reboot wee john weds and I went to IG cause I wanted to get the link and apparently linked an old IG post. Sorry about the confusion! It hasnt been announced when it will start yet. Thank you to @wastingyourgum for the correction!

== Renew As A Crew News ===

So I was a little hesitant to post this, but I'd like you to read it and then read my notes below. This was posted in the Renew As A Crew Public Discord (If someone actually has access to that can you please invite me? I can dm you my creds, I'd rather get it from the source then bugging people).

So, essentially, right now they are considering not keeping the Renew As A Crew "brand" if a team internally doesn't step up within the next two weeks. Several volunteers have expressed their concern with this (as Renew As A Crew is already popular and news sites know about it). I have it on good authority that even though this was posted, other volunteers are trying to change that so we can maintain that Renew As A Crew brand. So if you happen to see this floating around -- please understand this is still up in the air-- so please don't lose hope or worry too much about this just yet.

==New Resource Group on Twitter ==

@adoptourcrew on twitter is trying to keep threads available with compiled resources (similar to these recaps and daily task lists) if you are in fact on twitter, they're a good resource for up to date information. There's been some questions on "who are they!" well they're a fan led group (much like the rest of the campaign) and they will not be focusing on collecting money of any kind, they are an information group. They may suggest fundraisers, but as of right now, no money is exchanging hands with them. So please feel free to check them out here.

== Pirate Omens Watch Party ==

Another fun day of watching good omens with Pirates and Omens fans alike. On to Season 2 tomorrow.

== Lube As a Crew ==

Still making waves all. Thanks @_Irene_Adler for posting this

=== The Queerties! ===

If you have a moment, feel free to head over to the queerties page and do some voting for OFMD! It is.. a really long list, and OFMD only qualifies for two (Vico Oritiz and OFMD in general), but if you have a few minutes it'd help out. It'd be great to at least get those two voted for!

Vote

===Petition Status===

We're so very close to 80K all!

== Some Final Notes ==

So something I noticed today is that we're not trending as much across all the platforms. On twitter, AdoptOurCrew was sticking to 30-35K per 24 hr period for several days, but now it's down to about 24K. We're down to #2 on Max, and the engagement score has gone down quite a bit. Now that might seem like a bad thing. That might seem like we're losing momentum. But I'd like to offer a different perspective. People are taking breaks. People are still directing their efforts on making things more efficient, and compiling information. People are doing more with less -- higher quality tweets, instagram messages, etc. I know that tumblr isn't really being counted high in those stats that tv companies look at, but Im seeing more people interact and delve deep into analysis of things and hashtags are being used. But most of all I'm seeing people take breaks, whether it's in the global strike for Palestine, or just taking some time to recoup.

Not every day is going to be record breaking, nor should it be, because if it was, it'd be people-breaking too. Take it from someone who's worked on 8 month long quality assurance projects, you're gonna have some down days, and that's a good thing.

We've done SO much in so little amount of time, and with David Jenkins and Ruibo Qian posting uplifting things...they see everything we've done, and while they can't tell us if S3 has been adopted, they are sending love. I don't wanna read too much into it conspiracy wise, but I've seen David multiple times over the past few days post RIGHT when things are getting chaotic across all the platforms. He's watching and he's rooting for us. Don't give up hope, but take this time to take a break. Relax, do something creative and fun that you love. Come back when you're feeling refreshed. We'll get there.

=== How To Help ===

If you are still out doing things for the campaign, here's a reminder on how to help (This is not a directive but a guide for when you come back) How To Help Save OFMD Task List - US How to Help Save OFMD Task List - Outside US

== LOVE NOTEEEES ==

Did you know that you're beautiful? When I say beautiful I mean the non-gendered version. You're like really beautiful, inside and out. Seriously look at you. I can feel your beauty miles and miles away through a computer screen, that's how friggn beautiful you are! You're just such a great fucking person and you should be proud of that. You're gorgeous, and beautiful in all ways, and you deserve to be happy lovelies. As always, love you crew, rest up tonight/today.

=================

Well apparently today is Rhys an Rosie's 20th Anniversary! So tonight's Rhys picture will feature Rosie and her lovely letter of love to our favorite dude.

[wardencallings]

Thoughts on a Harding betrayal based on a poll I ran last week. Spoilers for Veilguard below!

I think that for Harding to betray the party, a very specific set of conditions would have to be met. I don't see her betraying the party on a whim, nor for anything less than absolute certainty on her part that this is right. I also dont see her siding with the gods, so her betrayal would have to revolve around Solas, specifically killing him, which I think aligns well with her belonging to the OG Stop Solas group. I'm also going to say that this would require Harding to be romanced by Rook or for something to happen to Taash.

Here is the game progression I think would be necessary for Harding to snap:

1. Rook must be vehemently against Solas in all beginning dialogue choices. Even when Harding expresses how she feels pity for Solas, Rook must be unforgiving and rigid.

2. Paradoxically, Rook encourages the Inquisitor to consider forgiving Solas. This sets up the betrayal scene.

3. Have Harding embrace her anger. Rook makes it clear she has every right to be mad at Solas for what he did. Maybe afterward, add some party banter that demonstrates just how zeroed in on that anger she is. I could see a particularly interesting exchange between Bellara and Harding. The party members are a little apprehensive of Harding's anger, even maybe explicitly saying that they're worried about it consuming her.

4. Before the Ghilin'nain fight, Harding expresses fear of someone dying. In response, Rook tells her that she should trust herself to make the right decisions during the fight and, more so, to trust her ability with her bow -- "You always aim true, Lace."

5. Davrin is sent on the diversion mission and dies. This causes Harding to feel regretful that she didn't push harder to lead the distraction team. She becomes convinced that to prevent death, she must act rather than wait for permission. Also, she has to be alive to betray you, lol.

6. A romanced Rook is stuck in the Fade prison, and Solas is released. I can imagine some codex entries here of unsent letters from Harding to her Ma, expressing regret that she did not shoot Solas when she could've. She writes of watching Davrin fall in her place and how guilty she feels. She laments the loss of the farm, the fate of her neighbors, and the fall of Ferelden, placing blame for it all on Solas. She wonders what he will take from her next. If Rook does not romance Harding, Taash is kidnapped instead of Bellara/Neve. This step is the biggest conduit to Harding's decision to kill Solas before he can threaten or imprison anyone she loves again. After all, without Solas attempting the ritual, the gods would've never been made free, Davrin would be alive, and Rook/Taash never separated from her.

7. A scene is added where Rook reveals to the party in more detail that Solas used blood magic on them to make them see Varric. I know this happens off-screen, but maybe zero in on Harding's reaction to this. Emphasize the disgust and anger.

8. In the final one-on-one talk with her before the fight with Elgar'nan, I'd think it'd be interesting for there to be one more chance to talk her down from her anger, but it'd require a Mythal-esque dialogue tree to accomplish. Anything less, and she's going to force the binding.

9. When at the confrontation with Solas, Rook tries to resolve things peacefully. Harding, overcome with grief for both Varric and Davrin, furious at her lover being threatened by Solas, and having fully embraced her anger, shoots Solas with her bow, leading to a fight sequence and leaving Rook with no choice but to bind him to the Veil violently. There is a callback here to Harding taking this shot, just like she should've before at Solas' ritual in Arlathan (or so she says).

All in all, I think Harding's betrayal here should revolve around the theme of the game: regret. Let me know what you think or if you have any ideas. I may write something revolving around this AU if there's interest :)

[edutainer2022]

To amuse myself amidst the bleak bombings I did a little fun(ish) thing within the general context of Timey-Wimey, the Future!Tracies crossover, but it could be perceived independently. It may be not the best idea to hack family video archives, while situated in a time paradox.

For more references of the Tracy future ever after in this continuity, see Piano Lessons and Worries. Indefinite thanks go to @janetm74 for inspiration and support.

WIBLY-WOBLY

The holovideo was shaky at first, someone with the camera was, probably, adjusting the hold. There was also a bit of a squabble going on in the background. The holocam tilted, recording a familiar side hallway in the villa. The walls were decorated anew, though, with pictures and paintings they never saw. There was also soft carpeting where previously they were used to hardwood. The frame was finally rectified and an unseen hand pushed the touchpanel of a door. A voice off screen, too jovial to be serious, declared:

"Tracy TV! Would you be amenable to take part in a poll?"

The brothers let out a collective gasp as a tall slim figure turned around to face the camera. Grinning at them against the backdrop of a summer afternoon was Scott. A twenty years old Scott. Upon closer look they could see the shade of meticulously styled hair was darker, so was the blue of the gaze. But the dimples were there, the posture, the bone structure, and the fond smile that could power a sun.

"Shoot, Squidletts!"

There were appalled noises from behind the camera, but a voice pressed on. A girl's, that time.

"Do you believe in love?"

"Oh... that's a good question! I believe..."

The young man stretched and squeezed his eyes dreamily. When they opened back up, the deep blue was brimming with mischief.

"I believe... I'd LOOOOVE a sandwich right about now!"

The young man burst into a hearty laugh and the Tracies hitched a breath in unison again. The resemblance was striking.

The holofeed shimmered in and out of focus some more through the turns and passages of the upper level of the villa. At some point it paused in view of a lanky freckled teen, curled up in a window niche, engrossed in some diagrams on a tablet. Despite the tropical heat, the boy was clad in layers of oversized sweatshirt and a truly hideous cardigan. The attempt of the "Tracy TV crew" to engage him in their poll resulted in a well-aimed trainer gliding their way at an alarming speed. The kid barely even got distracted from reading and the hapless reporters made a hasty retreat, before the canon shoe landed with a thud.

That brought them sprinting to the balcony, overlooking the lounge. The video on screen skipped up and down in time with the running. First only the sound was audible, then the holopicture stabilized. The spacious area was filled with viscous rue of Puccini's "O mio babbino caro" in a velvet female voice, swirling all the way up to the glass ceiling. The pianist concealed by the raised top, but for a streak of red and black flanel, the camera focused on the singer. Thick black curls in a French braid, soft brown eyes, full forms, a green sundress. The girl looked remarkably the way Virgil did when he lost a bet to Gordon that one time. Or rather, if Thunderbird Two were a girl come alive. The voice seemed to reach through the gossamer veil of the holovid and envelope them all in their current strange surroundings. Nobody dared speak, lost for breath with awe.

When the aria ended there was a low whistle off screen. Then followed enthusiastic applause and a resounding "Bravo!", in a voice they knew all too well that time. The camera jumped again and recorded a startled shriek:

"Uncle Scott!!!"

The Tracies exchanged anxious looks. The frame shifted to accomodate a newcomer - too tall to fit he bent slightly to be eyelevel with the 'reporters'. Slim figure as fit as ever, the grey suit made the blue of the eyes stand out. The right shade, this time. But the hair was all steel and silver, much like Dad's. The smile was also different. The brothers hadn't seen that one since when Mom was still alive.

"Now, what are you two up to?"

There were more dimensions of levity in the grin and the lines that flanked bright blue eyes.

"Solemnly up to no good, sir!"

The twin chorus off screen declared eagerly, with audible delight. That was obviously a well practiced routine between them. The Double Trouble scrambled to remember the purpose of their noble endeavor.

"Uncle Scott, do you believe in love?"

The smile deepened the dimples on the man's face, he reached one arm to hug someone, the other lifted up to ruffle some hair, eliciting a universally recognizable sqauck.

"Of course I do! I love your parents and all you lot. More than anything in the world! I love the way your cousin Lucy sings. I love how you're always up to mischief. I love to see how smart and talented you all are. I love to see you grow up happy. And I'd love to make the world safer and kinder for you all!"

The camera dropped the frame again in favor of a brief fierce hug, before the transmission skedaddled to the elevator and down to the hangars.

It was hard to discern the details as the camera was facing the concrete floor for some time. Much as the brothers wouldn't mind a peek into the inevitable changes of the Thunderbirds' roost, the cracks and bumps remained as they remembered. They managed to see a red sign "Restricted Area", usually deployed by Brains, when experiment muse struck. But it definitely didn't deter the intrepid investigators. The video picked up a young ginger woman in lab coveralls, manipulating screenfuls of holodata.

"Hey, Sisi! Do you believe in love?"

Green eyes looked up from shifting datastreams, as the girl seemed to give the question some actual thought.

"Belief presupposes reliance on unverified and uncorroborated data points. Since I am aware of sufficient amount of proof that my synthetic biometrical makeup is not designed to produce chemicals usually associated with emotional affection in mammals, then no, I do not BELIEVE in love. But the complex neural connections I have elaborated over time allow me to experience strong cognitive affinity and preference for the select members of the Tracy family over all other representatives of the same species. And don't call me "Sisi", I am the Dawn!"

The sniggers off screen were drowned in a gasp their side of the holofeed, just as it was shut down forcefully. John was frozen in place, mesmerizing the same red-headed girl, looking not a day older, now frowning at them. Alan  jumped to his feet, indignant.

"You're not Dawn! You're Eos!!!!"

"That is an optimal deduction, yes."

Gordon snorted. John's brow furrowed in return. From behind Eos, the twins, Grant and Sally, were entering back into the room.

"Yo, you hacked our old reels! Neat! Tracy TV was a hoot! Ouch! Hey!"

A cuff up the head stopped the trip down the memory lane, as Kip caught up with the duo.

"You weren't supposed to get exposed to background data. That complicates the time loop, makes it harder to break without consequence."

"Well, duh, Carpenter! No kidding! What do we do now?"

It was time for another dramatic baited breath, as several pairs of eyes trained on the young man, shocked for a different reason their unexpected hosts might have assumed.

[iloveelliefanfics]

death in your hand

a/n: wrote this due to the result of the poll, i hope y'all like it! I'll also write hc's that i think fits his character. every type of feedback is appreciated! lowkey hate this but i wanted to give what y'all wanted

requests are open, english is still not my first language so if you find something that i should correct, please feel free to do so! pics from pinterest like always.

wc: 1k, proofread

summary: you get hurt on a mission and leon, your husband comes to your rescue

pairing: agent leon kennedy x agent reader

warnings: mention of blood, reader gets impaled

please if you don't like what's above mentioned don't read it. if you continue, enjoy!

Both of you always knew it was risky.

Going on missions even though both of you were fully trained to handle all of the situations you might get into. It seemed like it'll be the usual route. With your husband, Leon it always was easy to handle situations, you were always with him. Well not this time.

You were stubborn on wanting to go on two different paths to get the job done quicker, it took some time to have Leon agree with you. He never liked you being alone on a mission even if you could handle things alone and yourself. After Leon agreed with you. His condition was that you go on the route that seems less dangerous. As you were walking, a strange feeling was creeping up on you, like someone was watching you. You just focused more on your surroundings, trying to keep an open eye for anything that could jump you. A voice spoke from your walkie-talkie, it was Leon.

"Y/N, sweetheart, is everything alright on your side?" He asked concerned for your safety. You pressed the button on your walkie-talkie, and answered his question.

"Yeah, Leon i just have a weird gut feeling nothing much. I'm almost at the destination, is everything okay at you too?" You asked back, still paying your full attention to your surroundings, you could see the building from where you were standing now.

You heard some noise from the walkie-talkie before you heard his voice. "Everything's fine over here, don't worry, darling. I can see the building now, let's try to find two different entrance so we can make sure everything's fine before we continue." You agreed to the plan and went closer and closer to the building.

You arrived at the building, searching for an entrance. You saw a broken window, you thought that'd be your entrance. You climbed up, carefully, after you made your way up to the window and climbed in, you searched for your flashlight and also equipped your pistol for any unwanted surprise. You pressed the button on the walkie-talkie again, updating Leon about your whereabouts in the building.

You searched the room you were in for any signs that could help your mission. you saw that there was a way up to the attic, the old, rotten wooden floor made some not so promising noise as you walked over to the entrance of the attic. As you climbed up on the ladder, you heard some noise coming from inside, that just made you more concerned. You positioned yourself so you could shoot if something was up. As you opened up the door an infected jumped on you, making you lose your balance. You fire your gun but your bullets weren't precise, you fell down, but the rotten floor cracked under your and the infected weight making it break as you fight not to get bitten by it. As you fall through the floor you fall into a wood piece, making you scream in pain, as you fought through the pain the infected falls off of you. Your eyes were too blurry to see much from the tears slowly making it's way down your face.

Leon immediately rushed over to you as soon as he heard the gun shots you fired when you discovered the hidden infected. His heart raced with worry as he saw the extent of your injuries after he saved you. However, he knew he had to remain calm and focused in order to assess the situation properly, he quickly knelt down, carefully assessing the wounds and checking to see if there was anything he could do to help you. "Y/n, darling, are you okay? Can you move?" He held your hand as you were laying there impaled by a wooden piece. You groaned in pain and tried to sit up, but winced in agony. "H-how would I b-be okay... You n-need to help me pull the wooden piece out." You choked out, stuttered, trying to put on a brave face for Leon. Leon placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, trying to reassure you. "Just lie still. Let me take a look at your injuries." He began inspecting the wounds, his hand ran through your body looking for other injuries. noticing the deep cut from the wood and some other smaller cuts and some cuts on your left thigh.

"These cuts on your thigh look bad." He muttered, using some bandages he had to try and staunch the bleeding. "We need to get you back to safety as soon as possible darling." He carefully picked you up, being mindful of your wounds and carried you outside to a safer area.

Once you two were outside, he sat you down on a patch of grass and took a moment to catch his breath. He knew he needed to act quickly and efficiently in order to ensure your safety. He turned to you and spoke in a serious but caring tone. "Sweetheart, I need you to tell me exactly where you're hurt. I need to know the extent of your injuries to help you." He placed a hand on your knee caressing it while paying attention to you.

You winced and nodded, trying to focus on answering his question. "My side really hurts, we need to get that wooden piece out and stitch me up." you said through gritted teeth.

"Does anything else hurts, darling?" He asked inspecting your wound again and placed a hand on your injury.

"Right now nothing else hurts. Just my side." You tried to get the words out of you as fast as you can to make the process faster. Leon nodded in understanding, taking note of all of the areas of your injury. "Alright, let's take care of the bleeding first." He grabbed clean cloth and began wrapping it around your worst wound, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

As he worked, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt and regret for allowing you, his wife to participate in the mission in the first place. He knew it was dangerous, but you had insisted on going on different paths. He hated seeing you hurt.

Maybe it was a lesson for him to listen to his gut feelings next time.

[m4sonn]

ᗪᖇᑌᑎKᗴᑎ ᖇᗩᗰᗷᒪᗴᔕ - ⍟

(Thx to @peachyponyboyy for helping me a bit with this!!! This is the last post for my poll!! Warning: ever so slight implied crush on soda from Steve)

“Steve…”

I was real’ surprised when my best friend, Sodapop, turned up at my front door, crying and disheveled. His usual neatly put together appearance is more sloppy, usually even if he’s walking over to someone’s place he greases back his hair but not even his hair was greased. I was even more surprised when he threw himself onto me, sobbing into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him and even I was surprised how gentle I was.

“Hey… hey… sod, what’s wrong…”

I said as softly as I could to him, it was rare to see soda cry, hell the last time I saw him even remotely similar to this was when he broke his arm when we were kids when he fell off the tree we were climbing. He couldn’t get anything out through sobs, I’m glad my old man wasn’t here cause he’d be yelling at me to shut up right about now.

“How about we head inside and you can talk about it…? Ok…?”

He just nodded and we headed inside. We sat on the couch, I already had an open pack of cold beers on the table I had just grabbed out of the fridge that I had planned to chug down.

It took me by surprise, I practically had to double take. I opened him a beer and looked at him as he continued to cry. It wasn’t crying. It was sobbing.

“So… what’s wrong, Pepsi cola…”

I knew that was what his dad called him and sometimes Darry called him that, it made him sob harder.

“I- d-did I do something…?”

I said in a panic, I didn’t know what I did. I didn’t mean to make him cry so hard..

“M-mom and dad… they— they’re- dead…!”

He sobbed out as he hugged onto me, he buried his face in my chest. I didn’t know how to respond. I’ve always been terrible at comforting people, never knew how to act when they cried. Just like my father. I hated that about myself. I always just shut down or hugged the person awkwardly. I’ve done this ever since I was little, whether it was soda crying about breaking another bone or my mom sitting on the couch crying after my dad wailed on her again. I just awkwardly held him. Soda was my best friend, I never really liked physical touch or affection but soda was always a real’ touchy person. I got used to his affection, I really do like his hugs. But I just didn’t know what to say

“D-do you want a beer…?”

I didn’t know why I asked that, I knew soda didn’t drink. He’d get even more mad at me for asking and he’d probably start crying more—

“Yeah…. Why not…”

He said through hiccups and tears, I looked at him, shocked, I opened a beer and gave it to him. But what I didn’t expect was for him to chug the whole thing down within 5 seconds.

“W-woah sod, you sure you don’t wanna slow down-“

“Give me another one.”

“What…?”

“Just give me the damn beer Steve!”

He basically hollered at me through tears, I just gave him another beer. After a while we were on our second pack, we had relocated to my room since soda doesn’t usually drink so he was already shit faced. Soda was usually pretty clingy and touchy when he wasn’t drunk but I’ve now found out that he is a VERY clingy and affectionate drunk… I was laid on my back and soda laid on top of me, his head was resting on my lower chest and he had his arms wrapped around me. He had started crying more. I just glided my hand up and down his back to sooth him a bit, he reached for another beer which I quickly snatched away.

“You don’t need anymore beer sod…”

I said softly as I pulled him more up on my chest, I continued to trace my hand up and down his back. I rested my hand in his hair and gently played with his nice blonde locks. I always thought Sandy wasn’t good enough for him, she was a real’ bitch. But I’m getting sidetracked here..

“I want more beer…! Shoot Steve, give me the damn beer!”

He softly whined at me, I chuckled a bit. I thought it was pretty cute honestly.

“Well you don’t need it soda… what would Darry think if he saw you like this— wait does Darry even know you’re here?!-“

“Nah… I ran off… I-i didn’t know what to do… I-I love Darry… he’s always been my shoulder to cry on but I just… I don’t know, I just— couldn’t bring myself to talk to him about this…!”

I could tell he was beating himself up over this.. I hated seeing him like this. If anyone else in the gang like dally or twobit saw this they’d probably call him pathetic… I just sighed gently

“It’s ok soda… you’ll be ok… you can talk to Darry tomorrow, I’ll be right there if you need me…”

He smiled up at me and cuddled himself more into me.

“Can you… talk to me…?”

“What…?”

“Can you just… talk to me…? I… uhm… I just wanna hear your voice…”

He murmured drunkenly to me, I was a bit taken aback by him asking me this but it was whatever. I started to talk, about my day or about whatever crossed my mind. I sat there for a while and just rambled as I sipped more beer. After a while I decided to look down at him, I had been unconsciously stroking his hair the whole time, he had fell asleep on me. I just drank another beer and then fell asleep a bit after him.

[knightedmoon]

As someone that was on tumblr from 2013 to 2018 that exodus'd after the Great Purge, tumblr is a place I no longer recognize after attempting to come back several times in the last 2 1/2 years.

It's like you come back to your childhood home. It used to have original wood finish, stained-glass windows, oak cabinets, and crown molding, only for the house to now look like a gutted white/beige minimalist wasteland. Everything is too bright and shiny, the layout is completely different, the furniture is firm and probably not made to sit in.

You go back to your old room only to find someone living there. It's a completely different room with completely new items, and all of your old things were stuffed into a closet. You used to be able to open your bedroom window and talk to your next-door-neighbor and chat about shared interests and personal accomplishments. Now when you open it, an entire Rube Goldberg machine activates to shoot flames into your face via flamethrower.

The doorbell rings and you are met with a Jehovah's Witness there to greet you, and you think, "How did you people find this place? This used to be a closed community." Their 'good book' reads "bakudeku dni". There used to be a welcome mat that was fashioned in the stile of satanism and witchcraft. Matter of fact, this used to be a walkable community, now it's gated with an HOA.

You go into the kitchen for a simple glass of water, but nothing is placed where it used to be. Once you finally find a decent cup, you arrive at the refrigerator for ice. Before, the refrigerator was a standard two (2)-door white fridge/freezer. Now it's a silver, stainless steel behemoth with a smart-screen and strange symbols in the water/ice dispenser. There's a poll on the smart-screen: "where do the vegetables go? In this drawer or in that drawer?"

You walk down a long hallway full of photos you don't recognize. At first. As you walk on, they begin to get more familiar, however dusty and light-damaged they are. As you near the hallway, you find a very busted, dusty framed photo of the Onceler. Beside it in a similarly damaged frame is a photo of a skeleton in a blue hoodie. The final photo in this hall of fading memories depicts the clock from "Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared".

You reach the basement door. Curiously, the door itself is the same even if it's just been landlord-painted white. When you open the swollen door, you are hit with a cloud of dust that makes you cough. The light switch you flick on and off produces no light, so you return to the kitchen to scroll around in the drawers for a flashlight. Once acquired, you brave the dark basement. It gets hard to breathe, between the dust and the thick air. Quickly you realize everything you knew before has been stored here. You shine the light upon a box with scribbled sharpie. "Voltron".

You shudder.

More and more boxes and piles look familiar. "Danganronpa". "Vampire Diaries". "Dan and Phil." Upon the well windowsill is a novelty box with the words "Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons". The farther you go into the basement, the more battered the boxes are. All of them are homes to some kind of spider.

And there... in the very darkest, furthest corner of the basement, is a mountain of boxes, all labeled, "SuperWhoLock".

As you've taken in the house that is no longer the home you know, you stand on the front porch. A single tear falls from your eye. Why come back?

As the wind blows, you hear a jingle. You look up and see an old wind chime that hadn't been removed. Along with the metal and the beads, the charms on the ends depict a feather, a bow, and a pair of glasses with a handlebar mustache attached to them. Another tear falls when the wind blows again and the chimes whisper,

"Just girly things."

[justanotherfanartist]

heeey guys little social help here? (poll at the end)

get ready for a rare real life lore dump (yippee) because I have a social scenario I’m not sure how to handle. this is your chance to have input on my life like some sort of rpg (if you’re into that kind of thing lmfao)

(I really really hate outing my age range like this but I feel like it might impact peoples choices so. just know I’m on the older end alright)

So, I went to this nearby jazz festival on Saturday. Basically, it’s an event that pulls a bunch of local highschools and their upper and lower level jazz bands together (I’m in my schools lower level group) to compete for awards and finalist placements and stuff like that (very fun very cool experience every time) and something that’s become a habit of mine is scanning each group for anyone interesting and it just happened that there was this guy from another school’s upper band that really stood out to me.

He is genuinely one of the prettiest guys I’ve ever laid eyes on, bro is GORGEOUS and also an amazing trombone player with super clean tone (and was part of a killer trombone soli) so naturally I’m pretty smitten. For real as soon as you start playing an instrument yourself “being good at an instrument” is immediately something added to your type which makes going to these things an interesting experience.

Anyways, I thought he was attractive enough to try and shoot my shot (I do this kinda thing every so often especially if I think I’ll get rejected just as a confidence booster. works like a charm btw) so I made up my mind that hey, we all stash our instruments in the same place, so after the finalists concert when everybody goes to grab their gear and pack up I’ll go up to him and ask him if he wants my number before we all have to leave for the night. Pretty non instrusive introduction that guarantees a short conversation and an excuse for him to leave if I happen to make him uncomfortable, that sort of thing. (I love planning out social interactions in my head before I have them)

(also this is fr the strat bc a) “hey do you want my number?” gives the person a choice and b) if they do say yes awkwardly in the moment but regret it they can always just decide not to text you; it puts the ball more in their court rather than you getting their number and texting them first, that sort of thing)

so that’s exactly what I did. I tapped him on the shoulder, he turned around, and the interaction went like this:

“Hey, you’re one of the trombone players from (insert local highschool’s upper band) right?”

“Yeah?”

“I was just wondering, would you want my phone number? :D”

“Oh, I’m actually not looking for anything right now.”

“Hey, no problem.”

“Thanks though. :)”

“Yeah ‘course!”

and then we split ways.

As of today I found their jazz group’s page on instagram (basically, I’m going around and following all the ones that I thought were really good, including his who placed first just ahead of my school’s upper band in second)(we were psyched btw cus their group is known for crushing everyone so being up there second only to them felt pretty good) and I realized he’s probably following them and I actually did manage to find his page, which is privated (oddly enough he happens to be followed by someone who I very loosely know) so it’s request to follow only.

My question is would it be weird to request to follow him? Based on my instagram page and what I have up he might not be able to recognize me but I’m guessing he’ll know it’s me just because of our interaction and the follow request, but I’m not sure if I’d be breaking a social boundary if I did that.

I don’t intend to hit on him or push him for romance or anything like that— I got a clear and polite “no thanks” and I’m not going to infringe on that full stop (boundaries are to be respected always). Blanket statement I think this guy is cool and an impressively good player, I’d legitimately want to see him perform again or possibly be friends (I’m starved for jazz friends) but I’m just reallllyyy worried it’s gonna come off as creepy or boundary breaking to request a follow so I’m not sure if I should or not.

(my logic is that he already rejected a request for communication so requesting to follow him is essentially doing the same thing again and might come off as creepy or pushing it and the last thing I want is to make this guy uncomfortable. on the other hand it could be seen as completely harmless or even flattering depending on the person but I’m really not sure.)

mutuals give me opinions bc I’m curious what you think (also I’d really appreciate it if you picked something other than maybe lmao or left me a comment of your thoughts or smthn like that. I may be overthinking this)

(asterisk is for extra info for the first poll option)

*regardless of your intentions, which he is unable to truly discern, but will probably assume is still romantic pursuit

[creativepawsworld]

Silence - Chapter 56

Pairing = Thomas Shelby x OC

Summary = Tommy is once again distracted by something leaving Ana wondering what's he up to now? She visits her parents who have a surprise for her.

Warnings = Language...Grammar...Death mentioned....violence implied...fluff...cute moments

Word Count = 1931

Note = Okay so here we are baby name revealed. I don't know if anyone reading this remembers the poll we did in regards to the names but it has been used as this story is for you guys and all your overwhelming support. Hope you Enjoy this cuteness overload 💙

Wasn’t it crazy how your life could change all in one night? All in a matter of hours because of a small, innocent baby. The pain I had felt during childbirth had completely subsided the moment I held my daughter in my hands. Ever since that night, I threw myself completely into motherhood. And I wouldn’t change it for the world. It felt right, this was meant for me.

Roselle Penelope Shelby became the light of my universe. Despite all the pain that occurred over the years, she made everything so much better. Roselle even had my mother smiling which was a rarity after her vicious attack. My mother had returned to tailoring making the most beautiful dresses and sleepsuits for her granddaughter. It was like the light had returned for her. She now had a purpose in life again. At least that’s how she was seeing Roselle.

As for Tommy, I had never seen him so devoted before. But this remained mostly behind closed doors. All of his men became aware Tommy was now a father. A few of the lower-ranked men believed it made him soft. Tommy was quick to shoot down any of that talk of that notion. He wouldn’t tell me exactly how it was dealt with, in fact, all he said was he had a word with them but there was a darkness in his eyes when he would talk about it. Any further meeting I witnessed he had with his men, the younger of them all seemed a lot more terrified.

The message was delivered, Tommy was not to be messed with nor was Roselle or I and he made that perfectly clear to every one of his men.

I pushed my daughter in her pram along the street of Small Heath towards my parent's home. I was in deep thought, Tommy was up to something. He wouldn’t tell me what, he was once again secretive which annoyed me. But deep down I knew I trusted him, I trusted that he would tell me in his own time. I push Roselle in her pram, she slept soundly under a little blanket her uncle Arthur had purchased for her a few days after she was born.

He was another man who had the coldest look in his eyes if he felt like someone was threatening his niece. Before getting to know Arthur, I would have never said he was a child-friendly man. In fact, I always would have said he hated children and didn’t have time for them. But seeing him around John’s kids and now Roselle I could admit I was wrong. He was the perfect uncle.

Walking past my parent's home I was in shock to see they had the tailor shop opened for business. I couldn’t believe it. People were coming and going dropping off garments or collecting them. I felt like time had stopped as I was hit with the memories of happier times. It felt like life was finally moving in the right direction. Pushing my pram into the shop I stood next to my former desk, looking around my family’s tailor shop.

I look over to the table opposite mine, formerly my brother James’ table and a sad smile crosses my face. I looked down at my daughter, he would have loved to meet her. I would have loved for him to meet her. It was conversations we used to have together, especially when he got with Martha and me with Tommy. We planned out these play dates with our children that now would never happen. The thought brought a tear to my eye, my heart felt tight. It had been a few years since he died trying to save me and I missed him every single day.

Inhaling softly I turned away from my brother’s table, looking at my own. This was where I started to come into my own person and not just a follower of my parents. This was where I made my first full suit for John Shelby and multiple dresses and skirts for Polly. But my favourite memory was the night Tommy came into the shop, kneeling before me to place the boots he purchased on my feet. It was the first time he ever got on bended knee for me. A fond memory for sure, I couldn’t help but feel giddy.

I was so lost in my thoughts, that my father had to make a noise behind me to bring my attention towards him and my mother who were both standing with big grinning smiles. I eyed them carefully as my mother rushed forward to see my daughter, smiling softly as she placed a hand on my shoulder. She still couldn’t bring herself to speak but I could see it in her eyes. She was proud of me. Finally.

“A….na” My father spoke slowly, his voice still rusty and low due to the lack of movement of his tongue. But he never gave up. He was even more determined now Roselle was born. Like my mother, she had given him a new lease of life. A new want to keep going and stick around.

“Hi father, Mother” I smiled at them both. My mother looked up from looking at Roselle and ushered me towards my father. The pair were acting suspiciously.

I walked into the back of the shop, and my mother wheeled my daughter closer to me towards the back of the shop and away from the door. Not much had changed back here either except that my mother’s desk was hidden behind the room divider we used to offer our clients to change behind to get some privacy.

“Is everything okay?” I asked softly looking up, I noticed a piece of white lace on my father’s table but didn’t think anything of it. He was a tailor, after all, we used a multitude of fabrics to create different garments for people.

“y….yes,” My father nodded, a proud smile on his face. “T…Tommy talk…” He tried to talk only to spot and wince in pain before pointing at me to finish his question.

“We talk but he hasn’t told me anything. He didn’t mention speaking with you or mother either” I shook my head, tilting it to the right slightly in confusion.

“Ahh,” My father nodded, looking at my mother with a grin. It quickly became clear that whatever Tommy was planning, he included my parents in it.

That thought made me smile. Not only did it mean that Tommy wasn’t doing anything dangerous or life-threatening but it meant he was more accepting of my parents. Trying to include them in our lives more. It felt like he understood that, despite my rocky past with my parents, I still needed them. I didn’t want our daughter to grow up and not know who her family was. Especially with the business her father was in. Family was important and may not always be around, so she needed all the support she could get.

“What’s going on?” I asked, “What has Tommy told you?”

My parents smiled both walking to either side of the room divider and moving it off to the side to reveal a beautifully made wedding dress. It was a cold shoulder style, with a delicate, lace, floral design all over the bodice. There were more lace flowers around the waist creating a belt around my waist. The silhouette of the dress was layered chiffon, with a satin underskirt. The hemline just graced the wooden floor, it was honestly the most beautiful dress I had ever laid my eyes on.

“For, you” My father spoke, a tear in his eye as he took in my reaction to the dress. I looked at my mother who was crying, her hands placed over her nose and mouth in a triangle shape at the reveal.

“M…My wedding dress?” I asked breathlessly. My emotions were all over the place I couldn’t believe it. This dress was much more than I could ever imagine. It was more than ever expected. I don’t think I could have found a better dress in a shop. This was everything.

“G…g…good?” My father asked softly stepping forward.

“Amazing” I whispered rushing forward to hug him tightly, crying into his chest. I ushered my mother over with my arm hugging them both tightly. “Thank you, thank you so much”

I stayed in the arms of my parents for a good five minutes before pulling away and wiping the tears from my eyes. Laughing softly. This was a complete 180-degree change in our dynamic. I couldn’t get over the changes and it was all down to me meeting Thomas Shelby for the first time four years previous.

“Wait, wait does that mean? Has Tommy spoken to you about our wedding?” I asked my parents, the realisation hitting me. Why else had my parents made a wedding dress for me unless Tommy had mentioned something? Did he mention something?

“A…ask him” My father chuckled peering into the pram. Roselle was awake, cooing away. Her small chubby little fingers grabbed at the air and then my father’s finger. I noticed my father’s eyes on me silently asking if he could lift her out which I agreed to. My mind wandered to my potential wedding. Was that in fact what Tommy was planning?

******

Later that evening I was home alone with Roselle, singing softly to her as I stared out the window of my apartment. The dark night had now taken over and I had yet to see Tommy all day, whatever he was doing kept him busy. Just as the thought entered my head I heard the front door open, looking over my shoulder I noticed Tommy walking in removing his peaked cap and fluffing out his hair.

“Everythin alrigh love?” Tommy asked shrugging off his coat and hanging it up. In a few long strides, he was over next to us, softly caressing the back of Roselle’s head. “How’s me girls tonight eh?”

“We went and visited her grandma and papa this afternoon” I answered, my eyebrows slightly raised as I looked at him, waiting for him to divulge some information on what was going on.

“Is that right? And how was that visit?” Tommy smirked not giving anything away. His blue eyes held a mischievous glint as he looked down into my eyes.

“Very good, they made me a wedding dress” I answered smiling up at him before handing over our daughter. Almost instantly she cuddled into the lapel of his suit jacket, she was only a few weeks old and already she was a daddy’s girl.

“Tha right? That’s good, you’ll need it” Tommy chuckled holding our daughter close. Every so often his eyes would move down towards her and then back towards me.

“For when?” I asked licking my lips as I moved into the kitchen to make some tea.

“Tomorrow” Tommy chuckled, his index finger gently caressing the side of Roselle’s face. I dropped the teaspoon I was going to use to make the tea once the teapot boiled to the floor. The noise stirred Roselle but not too much as she inhaled her father’s scent and settled once again.

“I’m sorry what?”

“I told ya, once I had the soldier dealt with we were getting married,” Tommy explained looking up at me

“This soon though?” I asked surprised

“I’m not waiting another day” He answered with a smile that lit up his eyes. I chuckle nervously looking at him and shaking my head softly.

I am getting married tomorrow.

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[kinardsheart]

OKAY GUYS im trying smth. im going to bed after this but let me know if you’d read something along rhe lines of this.

basically tlou x 911 with main bucktommy

this is the first bit of the fic that ive cooked up unbeta’d. just vote on the poll whether you’d read more

————

“Fuck!” The sound of small twigs scattered along the forest ground snapping echoed throughout as Buck hobbled frantically with Maddie practically unconscious, only being held up by his right arm as he dragged them both forward. Her side was sticky with not-quite dry blood, mingling with his own from his external injuries.

Just as they rounded to behind a caravan, familar clicking had him holding his breath for dear life as he slammed his hand over his mouth, crouching over her unconscious body protectively as she leaned limply further into his hold.

To a god he never believed in, he prayed they would make it out. That the clicking coming closer would somehow forget it’s target, run away to murder some other poor bastard. That he’d see Maddie’s smile again.

A tear slipped down his cheek as his free arm tightened around her instinctively, other finding it’s grip around the pocket knife tucked into his waistband as the clicking came to an almost unbearable volume. Maddie stirred underneath him.

Well, someone was listening. That’s all he felt, watching as a bullet whizzed by the side of his head, shooting the clicker straight in the head. Or.. whatever was left of it’s head. Buck had gotten a good shot in earlier, before his gun ran out of ammo. With an agonising screech and a frantic grab at whatever was closest, the clicker fell to the ground infront of him, twitching as the life drained away from it.

Buck sprang into action, grabbing Maddie by looping her arm around his back and slowly getting up, lips turning downwards in a determined pout. He wasn’t sure whoever it was that killed that thing, but one thing was certain. With knowing what the apocalypse did to people, characterisation and physically, he didn’t want to stick around to find out.

He didn’t get far. She was too heavy for his weakened state, and his injuries were beginning to take a toll. The incessant sting and throb of the stab wound in his abdomen made a point to give an especially hard pulse. It made him wonder how much blood he had actually lost, between the hoard of clickers and stalkers that had ambushed him and Maddie.

His head ached. He just wanted to lay down for a bit. Gently propping the still unconscious body in his arms upright against a rotting grave, Buck finally laid down against the wet grass. Huh, had it rained earlier?

Eyes beginning to flutter shut, a looming figure made it’s way towards them in his peripheral vision. Something told him to get up, to run, to fight, protect Maddie. But why? He felt.. perfectly safe. His eyes shut, and the world went quiet just as calloused fingertips brushed the soaked hair off his forehead.