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ashjade19 · 4 months ago

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Siren Aemond x (fem) reader

TW: SMUT, dubcon, breeding (?), threatening, alcohol consumption (not much tho)

“I feel like this camping trip will be good for us! There’s nothing quite like reconnecting with nature,” Alys, my best friend since childhood, smiles at me as we set up our tent.

“If that’s what the birthday girl wishes,” I grin back at her. We’ve hiked to a hill overlooking a giant lake, green surrounds us from every angle. While Alys and I have practically grown up in our backyards, it's been a while since I’ve been in the woods, due to me having moved to the city five years ago for work. As an office worker, I have barely been able to take a few days off to relax, so for me to be able to come out into the mountains with my best friend is a miracle in itself.

The day is spent setting up camp, taking smaller hikes through the mountain and fishing in the lake next to our campsite. We are the only people we’ve seen so far, but Alys and I both love the tranquility and the opportunity to be truly ourselves. The strange thing is that I feel like we are being watched the entire time as we fish. When I bring it up to the dark haired woman, she just shrugs.

“Maybe ghosts,” she jokes and though I may laugh along with her, I still feel the prickling sensation of a stare. It isn't until later that evening that I loosen up and forget about the piercing stare with the help of some alcohol and a fun campfire dinner (of ramen noodles) with my best friend.

“Right, well I’m tired. Bedtime?” Alys gets up to start getting ready for bed. She braids her long black hair and makes sure her nose piercings and earrings are still in place before grabbing her toothbrush and toothpaste.

“Go ahead, I want to put my feet into the lake,” I take a flashlight and blanket with me to the shore, it’s early summer so my sweatpants and old t-shirt should keep me warm enough.

“Okay, see you in a bit,” she calls out to me and I simply grin back and make my trek down to the water that laps gently at the sandy shore.

I sit near the water, taking my shoes off and letting my feet soak in the cool water while admiring the brightness of the stars, full moon, and how tranquil nature can be. Just as I close my eyes, I hear an agitation in the water. I open my eyes to be met with one lilac eye and a…gem? I fall back after making a startled gasp.

“What the hell?!” I study the figure in front of me. Long, pin straight, silver hair that practically glows in the moonlight. A piercing lilac eye and a sapphire in place of the other eye. As the figure lifts itself out of the water more and more, I notice that what I’m looking at is not human. I scramble to my feet and back away, studying the…thing in front of me that has a very apparent midnight black tail and a dorsal fin on his back.

“Did I drink too much? I’m hallucinating, right? Merpeople aren’t real, maybe I’ve read ‘The Odyssey’ and other mythologies a few too many times,” I mumble to myself, mostly trying to convince myself that this isn’t real. I flinch, however, when the monster in front of me chuckles, his sharp teeth on display. They look as sharp as shark’s teeth, making a shiver go down my spine.

“Hm, smart human,” his voice is deep, smooth, and sultry.

“Now the hallucination is talking, great. Alys! Alys, we may have a problem-” I turn to run towards the campsite, but am stopped when a slick hand closes around my ankle and yanks me into the creature’s chest. My eyes widen, the creature is not a hallucination, I know this from his cold skin touching my back. His skin is wet, cold, and I can feel patches of scales while the majority of his chest is made up of soft and smooth skin. Right as I’m about to scream the monster tugs me closer to him and puts his free hand over my mouth.

“Sh, humans certainly are loud,” his mouth is so close to my ear, I can feel his breath drift from the shell of my ear to the side of my neck.

“But you smell so perfect,” he mutters and if I wasn’t panicking before I am now.

“Please don’t eat me! I swear I won’t taste good!” I managed to spit out from behind his fingers.

“Eat you?” He chuckles, which should probably make me less nervous, as the words imply that he won’t be eating me, but it only makes me more anxious.

“Hmm, no. I wouldn’t be a good mate if I ate you, now would I?”

“Mate? As in, like, friend?” I ask nervously, hopefully, after he removes his hand from my mouth.

“No.”

“Well I don’t know any other kind of mate-”

“Humans, so smart yet so stupid,” the creature growls.

“Well then, explain it to the ‘stupid human’, will you?!” I make my own snide remark, though my voice still shakes slightly with fear. He hums thoughtfully for a moment, turning my face slightly to the side so I can see him better. He traces my jawline and then my lips with his frighteningly sharp nails, reminiscent of talons. My eyes follow his nails as best as I can, fearing he might cut me.

“You smell like you are my mate, and my mate must be an intelligent one. So, figure it out, darling. I’ve given you enough clues,” I can’t think for a moment, I’m so scared that nothing enters my brain. Then everything floods the gates of my brain. Mate: associate or companion, match or peer; (transitive verb) equal, match, or couple. Couple…as in copulation? Well shit.

“You can’t be talking about the animal kind of mate…right?”

“Very good, the gods chose you well for me,” his grin is unnerving, partially due to the sharp teeth he has on display, but also because of a certain glint in his eye. It’s dark, sinful and full of lust.

“Sirens may live long lives, but heirs come approximately once every fifty or so years. We have certain years in our prime when we are more likely to produce heirs. When the time nears, we hunger for our mate. Our bodies will connect with the mate chosen for us by the gods, and it would seem that you are my chosen mate,” the creature explains while dragging me more into the water. No matter how much I kick and fight against him, his grip is unrelenting.

“But I’m a human! We can’t mate!” The water is to my waist now, my sweatpants are soaked and it looks as though I won’t be able to escape his grasp anytime soon.

“It matters not, I know sea witches capable enough to turn you into a mermaid or siren. Now, say goodbye to land, your feet will never touch dry land again.”

I look at him, confused.

“This is a lake, where are we going?”

“Oh, what a cute human I have. There are tunnels that connect this lake and a few others to the ocean,” he coos and explains while I frown, that shouldn’t be possible. Even if it is possible, humans have done enough exploring around here to have known about that.

“It’s well hidden and guarded, humans would not have found it and lived.”

“Take me back, or I will scream. My friend will get help before you can take me out to sea,” it’s somewhat of a bluff, and apparently a poor one as the creature doesn’t stop his movements of swimming us both farther from the shore. I take in a deep breath, ready to scream, when he slaps a hand over my mouth.

“Scream, and I’ll sing so that friend of yours drowns in front of you, and it would be your fault,” he threatens and I immediately stop, not wanting Alys to get hurt.

“Good girl, that’s my mate. You have some common sense after all, my darling,” he coos into my ear. He finally takes his hand from my mouth after not-so-playfully nibbling on my neck. A small squeak makes its way out of me before I can quell it. I feel his smirk on my skin before he kisses the spot he just nibbled on.

“What do I call you, my sweet nymph?” His velvety smooth voice is so close to my ear. I tell him my name and he hums.

“My name is Aemond, though I wouldn’t mind if you call me your mate or…mm, no. I can’t wait to hear you scream my name over and over again until it’s all you know.” He moves me quickly so that my chest is pressed against his before he finally drags the both of us beneath the water.

Cold water envelops my body and my squirming body’s movements are halted by Aemond's arms wrapping themselves tightly around me. I try to hold my breath for as long as I can, but he had given me no warning before dunking us beneath the murky water.

In only seconds, although it feels more like hours, I run out of air. Aemond is close enough so that I can see his wicked smirk even in the dark water. The bastard can see that I’ve run out of air! He’s practically reveling in it! My eyes shut after a moment, my lungs burn, and I’m choking on water. I don’t want to die like this.

Only a second after I close my eyes, I feel cold lips claim mine. My jaw is forcibly opened and air is pushed into my mouth. I suck in the air, allowing him to pull me closer.

I feel my shirt ripped off of my body.

I feel my bra get unhooked and forced off of me.

I feel him tear off every article of clothing that remained on me.

His claws feel every inch of my skin.

It almost feels like he is worshiping every freckle, stretch mark, bump, beauty mark, and scar. His hands draw circles and other shapes into my skin as I can do nothing but breathe in the air he is giving me. His finger circles my sensitive pearl like a shark does its prey. I try not to gasp too much, as I’m still relying on him for oxygen.

Relying on him for oxygen. I hate this. I hate that he’s forcing me to rely on him to do something as simple as breathing. But most of all, I despise how good he’s making me feel. It feels like there's an electric current running through me, from the tip of my fingers to my toes. His tongue darts into my mouth and I feel my tongue caressing his.

His touch leaves me breathless, his lips starting a fire in me. He swallows my moans when his fingers leave my pearl alone and start to pump in and out of me. My walls pulsate around his pointer and middle finger while one of my own fingers travels down to rub circles on my clit. I don’t know which of us breaks the kiss, but suddenly my head is tilted back and his lips are around my left nipple. A moan is drawn out of me and I regret that as soon as I accidentally breathe in water. I barely notice Aemond chuckling while I panic, needing oxygen. The panic breaks whatever spell like trance I was under and I am back to clawing at him, desperate for air. I see him roll his eye before flicking his tail and taking us above water.

I cough and gasp, not being able to get enough air into my burning lunge. As I am focused on breathing, I vaguely feel the sensation of Aemond’s hands wrapping my bare legs around his waist, where scales meet skin. I hadn’t even noticed him gliding us through the water until my back met the cool sensation of a rock. I look around me, now noticing we are in a small cave. The cave is about ten feet wide, but there is air and that is all that matters to me at the moment.

Then I feel it. The sensation of being speared open by Aemond.

It burns at first, as it would if you aren’t prepared well enough.

“You can take it,” he grunts as he continues to enter me inch by inch. When he finally sheaths himself all the way in he stills his movements, allowing me to breathe and for my body to become accustomed to him. In the meantime, he places hot kisses down my neck, to my shoulder, and back up my neck.

“Ready, little nymph?” I gaze into his lilac orb and sapphire in place of his other eye and give a short nod. He moves slowly but is so deep in me, that it feels euphoric. His lips meet mine again and I melt into the kiss. I can’t hold back anymore, can’t hold back the pleasure. Aemond feels so right, so perfect. It really does feel like he’s a match made for me by the gods. Our lips break apart and he dives his head into my chest, giving sloppy kisses down the slope of my breasts before stopping at my right mound. I throw my head back in ecstasy when I feel myself about to fall over the edge.

“Come for me. Let go and feel my love for you,” he moans after lifting his head from my breast. His lips let go of my nipple with a wet pop, before he moves his head down to the other nipple to give it the same treatment.

And I do, I fall right over the edge for what feels like an eternity. All I see is white, I can hear nothing but the blood rushing to my head. I can’t tell if I’m moaning or screaming his name, I only vaguely feel my mouth moving and the vibrations in my throat. When I come down from my high, I see him falling from his own high. Then I feel his essence deep in me, dripping out of me like honey when his member leaves my hot cavern.

“Such a perfect mate,” Aemond breathes out, tugging me into his chest as his arms wrap around me.

“I can’t wait to see you with our heir.”

Author’s note: to anyone reading this: hi! It’s been a while and I’ve really missed writing so hopefully I’ll start posting more 🤷‍♀️ BUT in honor of Halloween and monstober, I really wanted to post this fic. Also, I’m gonna be so real, this is the first time I’ve ever written smut. so if anyone has any tips or feedback for me, I’d love to hear it! Thanks for reading this far, I really hope you have a great day! And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!🎃

#aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #siren #siren x reader #siren Aemond x reader #Aemond Targaryen x reader #monstober #kinktober #hotd aemond #aemond x you #aemond smut

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muniimyg · 4 months ago

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𐙚₊˚⊹ ceo!hoseok ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹

series m.list // taglist

🏷️ permanent taglist: @joonsjuice @pamzn @defzcl @whoa-jo @taetaecatboy @jksusawife @un06 @firesighgirl @rrosiitas @butterymin @parkinglot-nights @musicjournalsjdb @kissyfacekoo @jkslvsnella @vampcharxter @bloopkook @somehowukook @bbystarcandykoo @ddanasjk @luvismenu @remgeolli @parapiop7 @lil0u0 @crazyovayou @mggv97 @thvgukk @rpwprpwprpwprw

it never occurred to you that your boss is terrifying.

sure, you’re well aware of his mood swings and the endless gossip that circulates around the company, but it never feels personal to you. to be fair... you’re never the target of his outbursts.

in truth, you don’t work closely enough with him to get caught in the crossfire. but if you ever do slip, you know it’ll be brutal.

you aren’t unnoticeable to him either.

jung hoseok, your cold-hearted, demon-like boss, hasn’t given you a reason to be scared yet. you learned quickly how to navigate him after only a few months at the company. to avoid him on tuesdays because, for some reason, he’s especially grumpy. no clue why, but he just is. maybe it’s because it’s too early for dinner and too late for lunch, or maybe he just hates feeling stuck. either way, you know his habits and manage to stay in his good graces.

as the head designer of his father’s company, hoseok’s creativity has to flow constantly. his father never steps foot in the office, but his presence is still felt through the intense pressure hoseok places on himself. despite his infamous temperament, no one can say jung hoseok doesn’t meet expectations. in fact, he exceeds them every time, thanks to his relentless work ethic.

the devil works hard, but jung hoseok works harder.

“that will be all for today. you’re all dismissed.”

everyone starts gathering their belongings. just as you and your team head for the door, hoseok calls out, “oh... except for ___ and kim taehyung. please stay behind for a moment.”

taehyung, your assistant, shoots you a look.

you furrow your brows in confusion. once everyone else leaves, you both stand in front of hoseok’s desk.

“i’m thinking of opening up an internship program here. what do you think?” hoseok asks.

you nod. “it sounds like a great opportunity for those who aspire to be part of the fashion industry. especially with jung co., i’m sure we’ll have a lot of applicants.”

“exactly my thoughts, ___,” hoseok replies, smiling slightly. “which is why i like you.”

taehyung huffs, and you roll your eyes before saying, “thank you, mr. jung.”

“here’s the thing,” hoseok continues, “i trust you, ___. as head of hr, you’ll be in charge of filtering the applicants—portfolio reviews, phone interviews, and in-person interviews. taehyung can assist you, but i’m requiring you to take the lead on this.”

“no problem at all,” you assure him. “when do you want us to start?”

hoseok chuckles. “now. i’ve already had my secretary draft some advertisements and an application page. finalize them and get them live by nine tonight.”

“tonight?” taehyung blurts out, “but it’s my girlfriend’s birthday, and ___ was supposed to come—”

“no invite?” hoseok teases.

taehyung almost chokes.

hoseok holds his stare before finally blinking. “tonight. before nine,” he repeats. “regards to the celebrant.” and with that, he excuses himself, leaving you and taehyung stunned.

“tonight?” taehyung panics. “is he serious? his secretaries are always unprepared! whatever draft we get is probably just a blank page. i’m doomed. jennie's going to kill me.”

“she won't,” you tell him, sighing. “i’ll take care of it. go to her birthday. consider it my birthday gift to her.”

“really?” taehyung looks at you with wide eyes. “you sure?”

“yes. boyfriends should be there for their girlfriends birthday.”

taehyung doesn’t need to be told twice. “you’re the best, ___. i owe you big time.”

at 4 pm, taehyung bolts out the door.

by 8:49 pm, the office is mostly empty. only a few colleagues remain in a meeting room, and the custodian walks down the hall, pushing a cart. outside, the sky is dark and cloudy. rain looks like it’s about to fall any minute now.

“taehyung really left you?” hoseok’s voice suddenly cuts through the quiet as he steps into your small glass office.

you shrug, giving him a tight-lipped smile. “birthdays are special, mr. jung.”

“you know what else is special?” he asks, leaning against the doorframe.

“what?”

“hiring interns.”

you roll your eyes, and hoseok chuckles at your reaction.

“i’m almost done,” you tell him, finishing up the last few details on the application page. “i’ll send it to you in a minute.”

“how are you getting home, ___?” hoseok asks after a brief pause.

“i’ll take the bus,” you reply, still focused on your screen. “i was supposed to go to the birthday party, but i’m tired now.”

“it’s raining,” he points out. “do you have an umbrella?”

“the bus stop has a cover,” you say casually, not looking up.

“i could drive you home,” hoseok offers. “i feel bad that you’re here all alone. i thought you knew i was kidding earlier.”

“jokes usually start with ‘knock knock,’” you tease, finally glancing at him. “and they don’t usually come from scary bosses.”

“you think i’m scary?”

“see,” you smile, “now you’re funny.”

he gives a soft laugh, shaking his head. “you’re something else.”

just then, his phone buzzes. hoseok glances at it before pushing himself off the doorframe. “i have to go. i have dinner plans with my girlfriend.”

you raise an eyebrow, trying to hide the surprise in your voice. “girlfriend?”

he smirks, walking over to your desk and leaning down slightly. “yeah, she’s been waiting on me all day. good thing she’s too busy saving my ass at work to notice.”

it takes you a second, but when it hits, you roll your eyes.

“oh, shut up.”

he laughs, his smirk growing wider. “come on, i’ll drive you home. wouldn’t want my girlfriend to be mad at me twice today.”

as he reaches for your bag, he leans in and kisses you softly. the surprise catches you off guard. with a playful grin, he takes your bag and wraps his arm around your waist as you both walk out of the office.

“you know,” you start, half-jokingly scolding him, “you really should have thought twice about all the work you dumped on me tonight.”

“what can i say?” he replies, chuckling. “i’m a mean boss but a great boyfriend.”

"dump more work on me and i'll dump you."

hoseok tightens his lips and sighs. "no, don't do that... i'm sorry, babe. i'll be nicer the next time i ask you to do your job."

with that, you hit his chest. he laughs and pulls you close. together, you two make your way to his car where he opens the door and drives you home.

hoseok stays the night, over the moon to wake up and spend a lazy saturday with you.

come monday, he surprises you with a team of interns you have to interview.

hoseok [12:09pm]: i'm sorry babe hoseok [12:09pm]: my dad approved them all for an int,, i couldn't do shit abt it hoseok [12:11pm]: pls don't dump me hoseok [12:15pm]: i'm ordering ur fave lunch yn [12:17pm]: i'm dumping u after i clock out tn hoseok [12:19pm]: pls babe. no thank u :(

#bts fic #hoseok scenario #hobi fic #hobi imagine #hosoek boyfriend #bts jhope boyfriend au #bts scenario #hoseok ceo #hobi x yn #hobi x oc #bts fluff #hobi fluff #hobi relationship au #bts secret dating #bts ceo au

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honeyjars-sims · 1 year ago

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2.6 Stoking the Flames

Nico: Thanks for offering to stay late and help out, Chantal. We need all the help we can get right now but unfortunately, some of the people on my team aren’t what you’d call team players.

Chantal: No problem! Thanks again for helping calm me down earlier. You were right, I was blowing things out of proportion. The nasty comments have already died down a lot.

Nico: What did I tell you? Trust me, I do know what I’m doing. I wouldn’t lead you astray, would I?

Chantal: Of course not. I guess I just have a lot to learn about how all of this works.

Nico: It’s not intuitive, that’s for sure. You’re quite intelligent; I’m sure in time you’ll become more savvy to the ins and outs of the business world.

Chantal: I’ll definitely try! I’m glad to have the opportunity to work on something besides the reviews and broaden my skill set.

Nico: Well, I appreciate it. I know Ambrose does, too. She has her hands full with trying to stop production on the lubes that have been causing the reactions, as well as finding out what caused the reactions in the first place. As for me, I’m trying to shift the focus off of the lubes and onto some of our tried and true products. I’d like to take a more subtle approach than what the reviews were doing. Do you have any suggestions?

Chantal: Hmm, maybe you could write some articles that highlight some of the ingredients you use and how they’re sourced so you can show people that they’re trustworthy?

Nico: I like that idea. It could show that the lube issue is just an isolated incident. I’ll gather a list of ingredients I’d like to highlight and we can start by researching potential benefits. If all goes well, you can get started with the articles tonight.

Chantal: You want me to write them? Really?

Nico: Sure, it was your idea! Of course, they’ll need to be approved like the reviews were, but I think you can handle it. Well, let’s get started. I’m sure neither of us want to be here all night.

[A couple of hours later]

Nico: Great work so far! I think we might be able to pull this off.

Chantal: Thanks again for giving me the opportunity. I’m really learning a lot here. I’m really glad I took this job.

Nico: I’m glad you took this job, too. [Nico pauses] Damn. I wish I could get you out of my head. I’m going to get myself into trouble.

Chantal: I can’t get you out of my head, either.

Nico: God, you’re gorgeous. You better stop me before I make a mistake here.

Chantal: I don’t want you to stop.

[Nico and Chantal start kissing, and it appears that an unidentified person who's on their way downstairs may have caught a glimpse of the pair in action. Unaware of the prying eyes, Nico and Chantal continue, and end up having s*x a good time on Nico's desk.]

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next

#who is it???#and will they keep this to themself?#ts4 #sims 4 #the sims #ts4 story #simblr #ts4 stories #sims story #sims storytelling #simlit #stksafeharbor #sh:chantal #sh:nico #safeharborstory

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my-mt-heart · 1 year ago

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The Shipbaiting Is Not Okay...

It doesn’t matter that Isabelle is a nun. It doesn’t matter that Daryl’s feelings aren’t confirmed, and it doesn’t matter that they ultimately won’t get together. The baiting, the relentless effort to make the audience think that they will, is the most heavy-handed we’ve ever seen and that in itself disrespects Daryl, a character who "falls in love forever," who represents unconventional masculinity, whose fanbase thrived on the vulnerability, loyalty, and unconditional love he showed Carol over 11 seasons.

Whereas Angela Kang’s juxtapositions between Caryl and Daryl/Leah demonstrated Daryl's devotion to Carol, preparing us for eventual canon, the drama behind the scenes last year makes it highly unlikely Zabel wrote le spinoff with Caryl endgame in mind, at least not until much further down the line if at all. Yes, there are a few allusions to Carol in the first half of S1, but they seem shoehorned in or left open to interpretation. I fear that’s because, until Melissa signed on for S2, AMC and Zabel felt compelled to tease an alternative endgame just in case “cool dude doing cool things in cool places” wasn’t a strong enough motivation to watch. The problem is, aside from turning Daryl into the conventional hero he isn’t, they’re just recycling key elements of Caryl's relationship.

In the jarring bath scene for example, Isabelle and Daryl see each other’s scars, lending credence to an observation Isabelle makes later that they were both “broken until the world ended.” Well, that’s Carol and Daryl in a nutshell. The abuse they both suffered before the ZA helped them relate to each other, see straight through the misconceptions others had of them, and raise each other up to become the most loyal, most loving, and fiercest survivors of the flagship show. Fans clocked their soulmatism early on, rooting for their romantically-coded interactions during their search for Sophia to blossom into a full-blown relationship. Since the hope for a child's future also lays the groundwork for Daryl’s and Isabelle’s bond, it seems like AMC was hoping the similarities would evoke the same emotional response from viewers. Maybe they were hoping fresh eyes would see the same potential for Daryl and Isabelle that we saw in Caryl while long time viewers would get lost in the nostalgia of it all.

In any case, it doesn't work. It can't because as great as Clemence’s performance is, she and Norman don't have McReedus' chemistry. Daryl’s and Isabelle’s relationship hasn't had anywhere near the same amount of time to grow into what people love about Daryl and Carol. Female characters aren't interchangeable. People weren't fooled when Maggie adopted Carol's fashion sense in the pilot of yet another male-driven spinoff, and people aren't fooled now.

From the scenes I've watched and what many fans have been saying, some of Isabelle's behavior comes off as emotionally manipulative, especially when she accuses Daryl of abandoning Laurent the way his abusive father abandoned him. It’s an absolutely ridiculous line because Daryl is not like his father. Carol and TF showed him that. Daryl also just met this kid. Caring about him and wanting to keep him safe are honorable, but that doesn't obligate him to stay. The scene is unsettling, and when you consider Daryl's history, it makes the shipbaiting even more questionable.

I know some think it sets up the opportunity for Isabelle to take a darker turn in S2 much like Leah did in S11. Like I said, there's a clear juxtaposition between Daryl telling Isabelle that France doesn't feel like the place he's supposed to be and him telling Carol he does know where he's supposed to be. We know Norman and Nicotero are more than familiar with that arc, so if they wanted to, they could give us the missing payoff through Isabelle (sans having to sit through a canon relationship between her and Daryl first). The problem is, we also know Norman hated that arc and I can’t imagine he’d want to repeat it. What’s worse is that Zabel's comments about a potential romance between Daryl and Isabelle don't address the toxicity of some of their interactions, which makes me worried he's not even aware of what he's writing.

I’m not saying Caryl fans won’t get what they want. Now that we know Carol is back and Melissa has just as much input on her story as Norman has had on Daryl's, there's more reason to hope for S2 to be good. Daryl and Carol could, and should, go canon and I could go back to celebrating my favorite characters with deep analyses, minisodes, and whatever else I did to try to spread joy (I barely remember anymore. I was so young a year and a half ago).

In the meantime, especially because of S1’s gimmicky ending, I reserve the right to be angry and skeptical. The backlash following le spinoff’s announcement last April should’ve told AMC loud and clear what we want to watch and what we don't want to watch. They had so many chances to earn back our trust—revert to the original premise, revise Daryl’s arc, remove the shipbaiting, tease a Caryl romance, give Carol’s first appearance more substance, SOMETHING—but they were more concerned about saving face, and now their audience for S2 has a lot to think about.

What was the significance of Daryl's growth in the flagship if the spinoff was going to regress him to the person he was in the early seasons? What am I supposed to make of his most intimate scenes with Carol if he can be placed in (poorly nuanced) intimate situations with a stranger? What am I supposed to feel when Carol presumably does everything in her power to find Daryl, and he’s conflicted about where he belongs?

Daryl and Carol said they loved each other in TWD’s series finale. Neither of those characters ever throw those words around, so when they say it, we know it isn't just a simple declaration. It's a promise that should keep Daryl grounded during his misadventure in France, yet the spinoff never explicitly addresses it. They want to keep Daryl's feelings ambiguous so they can build unnecessary tension. It's frustrating. After having their worst fears exploited for years, Caryl fans deserve a story that fulfills their deepest desires. They—and Melissa herself—deserve peace from the cyber bullying AMC, Zabel, and co. perpetuate the longer they deny representation of an earned relationship between a man and woman both over fifty. Caryl fans are supposed to be resilient, but S1 overall is a pretty low blow. I just want to look forward to S2 without feeling like I'm getting jerked around.

#Caryl #caryl spinoff #carol peletier #melissa mcbride #darylneedscarol #the book of carol #twd caryl

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hannahmanderr · 2 years ago

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DannyMay Day 19 - No Backspace Challenge

Yup, this fic was completed without using the backspace key! So there will be mistakes, but I'm hoping I was able to incorporate the mistakes into the story ;)

Words: 3,858

Summary: Jack has finally caught Phantom! Except Maddie's out of town, and he's not that great with a scalpel. So how about studying him with the next best thing: an interview?

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FENTONWORKS LOGS - Phantom, D.

ABILITIES: (click to expand)

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THREAT LEVEL: (click to expand)

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LAB NOTES:

Showing: Most Recent

DATE: Sept. 12 15:49 pm

PREPARED BY: Jack Fenton

LOGS:

Today I finally did it! I, Jack Fenton, captured the menace known as Phantom! I might’ve accidentally spilled my drink over the backspace key on this keyboard and glitched it out in the process, but it’s a small price to pay to get a chance to examine the ghost boy! If I mess up, I’ll just strike it through. But I’m sure it won’t be to too much! Other than that mistake, at least.

So! How’d I capture him!? Turns out it was real simple! I just walked into the basement and he was there, standing in front of the portal! That’s one of the spots we have pop-up containment units installed, so all I had to do was jump on over to the computer and hit the button, and presto! One protoplasmic punk sealed up tight in a Fenton Containment and Observation Unit!

I might’ve gotten a little excited when I got to the button though. That’s how I spilled my drink. But like a I said, a small price to pay for this breakthrough!

The only problem was that Maddie and I have really wanted to dissent disect dissect Phantom, but I’m no good at actually going through ghost bodies and stuff (ha! Ghost pun!). That’s more Maddie’s stint. I’m the engineer! Bu But yeah, Maddie’s taken Jazz to visit a college this weekend, so it’s been a Fenton’s man weekend for the Fenton men! Without Maddie though, I can’t try and start peeking into Phantom. Especially because I think Maddie wants to try and keep him “alive” for further study (she has a theory about how he gets his ectoplasm apparently, a genius idea!).

But I’m Jack Fenton! I’m not gonna going to let an opportunity like this pass me buy by! There’s still plenty of ways I can get more info on him! Only question is what.

Maybe I’ll ask Danny. I know he doesn’t want anything to do with the family business, but he just doesn’t know he really is meant for it yet! And he’s a clever kid, even if his grades aren’t great. Maybe he can help me brainstorm some ideas - ooo, or maybe he’ll even be okay with helping me! It’s always great to have a lab partner, and I don’t want to take away from the girls’ special bonding time.

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FENTONWORKS LOGS - Phantom, D.

ABILITIES: (click to expand)

OTHER DESCRIPTORS: (click to expand)

THREAT LEVEL: (click to expand)

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Showing: Most Recent

DATE: Sept. 12 20:12 pm

PREPARED BY: Jack Fenton

LOGS:

Well, I couldn’t get a hold of Danny, but Tucker called over and said the two of them were going to have a sleepover to work on a history project together. Believe me, I’m glad Danny-boy is taking the opportunity to improve his grades, but I’ll be honest, I’m kind of dissapo disappointed. I was hoping to get to bring him into the wonderful world of ghost hunting, have a little man-to-man bonding! Maybe next time.

I thought about what to do with Phantom over dinner. I’ve been trying to ignore him, because he keeps asking me when I’m going to let him go and stuff, so I just keep telling him I’ll let him go when I let him go. Weirdly enough, he got all quiet while I ate my dinner (I made sure to eat it in the lab to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t try anything slippery).

I’m not sure why I did, if I’m being honest, but I asked him what was up. One thing everyone knows about Phantom is that he’s not a quiet person at all - kid’s got a mouth that was born to run sass - so maybe I found his lack of talking uncharacteristic. It kind of made the whole lab feel eerie. We’d been bantering forth back and forth all afternoon, so the silence made me uncomfortable.

He looked surprised when I wasked asked him what was wrong. He definitely didn’t seem to want to answer me at first, but , but I guess his curiosity or something got the better of him, because he wanted to know what I was eating. I didn’t mind showing him, it was just leftover pasta from the other night, but the weird part was that he asked if he could have a little of it.

That one definitely threw me off a little. Everything Maddie andd and I have stuf studied has indicated that ghosts don’t eat; if anything, they “eat” ectoplams ectoplasm, which is why they have to live in the Ghost Zone. Our world doesn’t have enough ectoplasm in it to keep them sustained. Even if it’s a ghost who can “eta eat “eat” emotions from humans, they still have to go back to the Ghost Zone at some point to replenish on ectoplasm, since it’s the stuff that keeps them alive. Er, as alive as a ghost can get anyway.

So then why was Phantom asking to eat human fodo food? Maddie and I have theorized that H he’s one of the ghosts who can consume emoit emotions (see THEORIES), which is why he’s around so often and involves himself in ghost fights with high emotional energy environments. Maybe my emotions alone aren’t enough fo rhim for him? Or maybe they aren’t strong enough? Of course, that’s all assuming he’s the type who can “eat” emotions in the first place.

And even then, why ask to eat human food? Surely he knows that ghost bodies can’t process human food properly, otherwise we’d probably be seeing them eat it all the time. Could it be a leftover behavior from his time alive or something? Maybe he’s used to eating ectoplasmic constructs of human food.

I’ll admit that curis curiosity got the better of me, and I didn did end up giving him some of the pasta. Surprisingly enough, he did’ didn’t wolf it down, but he didn’t take his sweet time either. The way he ate was just very… normal. It struck me as very strange.

So I asked him why. Maybe I was being too blunt - people have told me that I am t too blunt before - but I can’t help it! I wasn want to learn as much as possible out about ghosts, especially if it helps me figure out better ways to keep them from r wreaking havoc in the human world.

It was weirder because he just kind of shrugged and told me he really likes chicken fettuccine. Didna’ Didn’t really offer up any other reason why he was eating food - human food that is. And when he ate it, it didn’t just come falling out of his stomach, like Maddie and I have figured is what happens when a ghost tries to eat human food.

The whole thing got me thinking. Phantom is the one ghost that we can’t pin down. He si seems to violate nearly every rule we’ve established when it g comes to ghosts and their behavior. The fact that he was happily slurping down my pasta was proof enough of that. And Maddie and I have a lot of questions about him and why and how he does the things he does. Questions that might not be answered by dissectiona dissection alone.

So why not just ask him? An interview would be the perfect way to study him!

Maddie n might not be the biggest fan of the idea - she’s definitely more the logical, observable facts kind of gal - but I don’t see the hamr harm done. She won’t be back for another two days, and like I said, I can’t take him apart without her. Might as well do something useful with the time, right?

Maybe I should look into building a Fenton Lie Detector. There’s no way I’ll let some slippery ghost pull the wool over my eyes!

(Also note to self: look into ordering a new keyboard tomorrow. I’m starting to get tired of having to strike through all my mistakes.)

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FENTONWORKS LOGS - Phantom, D.

ABILITIES: (click to expand)

OTHER DESCRIPTORS: (click to expand)

THREAT LEVEL: (click to expand)

THEORIES: (click to expand)

FIELD NOTES: (click to expand)

LAB NOTES:

Showing: Most Recent

DATE: Sept. 13 09:23 am

PREPARED BY: Jack Fenton

LOGS:

It took all night, but I did it! The Fenton Lie Detector is a go!

Phantom was real curious about what I was up to for awhile, but around midnight or so, he fell asleep. Another thing to follow up on during our interview actually. Just like eating, ghosts js shouldn’t need to sleep, since they recharge their energy through ectoplasm and absorbing it. Plus, as far as we know, most ghosts can’t regenerate lost ectoplasm or body parts, not like a human can. Sleep is important to that regeneration process, so there’s no reason for a ghost to need sleep. I guess it just drives home the fact that Phantom is weirder than any other ghost we’ve studied.

Either way, it gave me some good peace and queit quiet to work on the Fenton Lie Detector. It wasn’t too difficult actually - I ended up repurposing the Fenton Ghost Gabber, since we found out it’s kind of redundant what with ghosts speaking human languages and such. So thankfully, a lot of the voice recording and storing as well as the processing work was already done, I just had to -

Oops, sorry! These are Phantom’s logs, right. I’ll make sure I write all this down in our invention logs though! I hope Maddie’s impressed with it!

Anyway, when Phantom woke up and started wondering what I was doing again, I finally told him. It was surprising because he actually seemed really interested in it. Said he even wanted to help me test it! Honestly I didn’t turn up my nose to that. Why would I give up on the chance to have a willing test subject? Even if they are just a piece of post-human consciousness embedded onto an ectoplasmic form.

I made sure to ask him simple questions that would be able to be obvious if he was lying about the answer or not, like his name and his hair color. The first one was a bit shaky, but the next one, when I asked if his hair was blue, went much smoother, thanks to a couple of little twew tweaks I made. All in all, the test was a smashing success!

I need to go eat breakfast before doing the actual interview, but there was something else that’s probably important to note. After Phantom helped me test it, I kind of set it to the side, but I didn’t turn it off. I started to write this log, and then it kind of hit me that I should ask why he was so willing to help me test it the Lid Lie Detector.

When I asked him, he told me that he was hoping it would give him a chance to prove to me once and for all that he’s been telling the truth this whole time. I’m not sure exactly what he meant or what he was reffer refi referring to in terms of telling the truth, but the important part is that I happened to look over to the Lie Detector, and it didn’t return with any red flags. Meaning Phantom was telling the truth about wanting to prove he’s been telling us the truth.

Whew! Kind of makes my head spin just writing it out.

That being said, I told him we’d do the interview after breakfast.

You know, now that I’m thinking about it, I wonder if Phantom would like my huevos rancheros?

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FENTONWORKS LOGS - Phantom, D.

ABILITIES: (click to expand)

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THREAT LEVEL: (click to expand)

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FIELD NOTES: (click to expand)

LAB NOTES:

Showing: Most Recent

DATE: Sept. 13 14:46 pm

PREPARED BY: Jack Fenton

LOGS:

I know the time is not going to read particularly accurate, since it’ll be the time I submit the log and not when I started writing it, but this is the official log of my interview with the ghost that goes by Danny Phantom. I admittedly didn’t write out my questions beforehand (I kind of got distracted with building the Fenton Lie Detector), so for future reference, these questions were all made up during the interview itself.

Question 1: Earlier, when you talked about proving you were telling the truth, why what did you mean by that?

Answer: (paraphrased) He talked about wanting to show me that he’s been telling the truth about wanting to protect the town and not being an evil ghost this whole time. He said he’s been trying to tell us for ages, ever since that first ghost invasion when he kidnapped the mayor. (Lie Detector results: no red flags)

Question 2: So you’re claiming you didn’t kidnap the mayor back then - what really happened?

Answer: (paraphrased) The way he told it was that the mayor was overshadowed by another ghost named Walker, who eh he’d gotten into trouble with some time before then. Supposedly, this Walker was looking to get revenge on Phantom by making him out to be the bad guy and turning the town against him. Thus he framed Phantom to make it look like he kidnapped the mayor. (Lie Detector results: no red flags)

Question 3: What about the crimes committed a couple months after that? The camera footage from then shows you explicitly stealing and destroying public property of your own free will.

Answer: (quoted) “Funny that you think it was of my own free will.” (paraphrased) He asked if I remembered the circus ringleader that had been caught masterminding all of the thefts in the first place. I did remember, though I didn’t tell him it was actually Danny and his friends who helped get the guy arrested. According to Phantom, the ringleader had some sort of ghostly artifact that allowed the person who controlled it to put ghosts under a state of mind control. In other words, he’d been forced to steal those things against his true will (Lie Detector results: no red flags)

Question 4: So why try to be the “good guy” in the first place? Why try to fight against your own kind for a town of humans?

Answer: (paraphrased) He claims to have some sort of innate need to protect the defenseless and offer his help to those in need. He also said it’s not something he limits to humans; if there are ghosts in danger, he’ll do his best to protect them too. When pressed further about this “innate need,” he explained that most ghosts have something like that that drives them and forms a big part of their identity. Apparently, these “obsessions” (his word) can even stem from something the they’d held high value in before they died. When asked where his need to protect came from, he claimed he didn’t know. (Lie Detector results: some red flags marked during the last answer; otherwise no red flags)

Question 5: Do you remember how you died?

Answer: (quoted) “Yes.” (no clarification offered) (Lie Detector results: no red flags)

Question 6: How did you t die then?

Answer: (parahp paraphrased) He did not answer this right away. I’m not sure why. He seemed to kind of be thinking about this answer more. Eventually, he said he died from electrocution, but he refused to give up any more details (Lie Detector results: significant red flags indicated)

Question 7: How old of a ghost are you?

Answer: (paraphrased) He told me he’d basically become a ghost right after he died, which was three or four months before he was framed for kidnapping the mayor (Lie Detector results: no red flas flags; NOTE TO SELF: re-evaluate this answer because of discrepancies between age and power level)

Question 8: So because you’re a fairly young ghost, is that why you eat human food still?

Answer: (paraphrased) He answered yes to this and said it helps remind him of what it was like to be alive. He also said it helps fill the “pa phantom phantom” of his stomach, and he laughed at his own joke. I might’ve laughed a little bit too, I do appreciate a good play on words! (Lie Detector results: significant red flags indicated)

Question 9: Is that why you sleep too?

Answer: (paraphrased) He explained that ghosts can sleep, despite popular belief. It might not serve the same purposes as it does for a human, but it can still be beneficial for regulating the purity of bodily ex ectoplasm and allowing the mind to process things. He even told me that there’s a ghost of dreams who will travel around and “harvest” dreams from both ghosts and humans. (Lie Detector results: minor red flags indicated)

Question 10: How often do you sleep then?

Answer: (quoted) “Not as much as I’d like to, especially when some jef jerk of a ghost decides to wake him up in the mi me up in the middle of the night.” (Lie Detector results: no red fal flags)

Question 11: How do you even know where the ghosts are? You always seem to show up before anyone else, like even before our detectors can pick stuff up.

Question Answer: (paraphrased) He told me he has something he calls a “ghost sense” that basically alerts him to a ghost’s presence if it’s within a certain range, though he doesn’t know how far that range reaches. He also said that sometimes he can feel or pick out the ectosignatures of powerful ghosts and use them to help pinpoint their location (Lie Detector results: no red flags)

Question 12: Do you know why so many ghosts seem to show up at the high school?

Answer: (paraphrased) He claimed he didn’t know, though he wondered if it had something to do with the teenagers being easy targets for ghosts or easy sources of emotional energy. He admitted sometimes he hangs around the high school since he knows it’s such a hotspot for ghost activity. (Lie Detector results: moderate red flags indicated towards the beginning of the answer; minor red flags indicated throughout)

Question 13: Is that why so many of the teenagers seem to think you’re the hero? Because you hang around the high school?

Answer: (quoted) “I’m not mind-controlling them, if that’s what you think. Teenagers think superheroes are g cool, sue me.” (Lie Detector results: no red flags)

Question 14: Do you see yourself as a superhero then?

Answer: (paraphrased) He hesitated on this one again. I almost gave up on getting an answer out of him for this one when he finally said he’s not exactly sure how he sees himself. He went on and on about how he’s been called a lot of different things by a lot of different people but he wouldn’t go into detail about them. (quoted) “All I’m trying to do is the right thing. I don’t know what that makes me, but I promise I’m just trying to help.” (Lie Detector results: minor red flags during first part of answer: ; no red flags during second part)

Question 15: If all you’re trying to do is the right thing, then why act so elusive and secretive and mysterious? No one can seem to pin you down or get a true read on you, since you usually come into and out of ghost fights so quickly.

Answer: (quoted) “Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice. I’m getting tired of keeping secrets. Especially from…” [answer cut off before he finished] (Lie Detector results: no red flags)

**NOTE TO SELF: What does he mean be by that? What choice is he talking about? And why is the Lie Detector saying he is telling the truth when he seems so nervouc nervous? He waited so long before saying that, is it really the truth?

I’m not done with the interview yet, I still have a tone ton of questions, but I’m going ahead and saving and submitting this while I go answer the door. Wouln Wouldn’t want to lose all this valuable work!

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FENTONWORKS LOGS - Phantom, D.

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THREAT LEVEL: (click to expand)

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FIELD NOTES: (click to expand)

LAB NOTES:

Showing: Most Recent

DATE: Sept. 13 15:03 pm

PREPARED BY: Jack Fenton

LOGS:

Alright, starting today, I’m making a new rule: no non-Fenton personnel in the lab unless they’re previously authorized!

Sorry, I’m just upset. I know Sam didn’t mean to, but this is a huge loss for us. I should’ve had her come with me when she asked me if I could help find one of Danny’s textbooks, but she offered to look in the lab while I looked in his room and it seemed like an okay arrangement at the time!

The long and short of it is Phantom is gone. She accidentally hit the release when she was looking around, and of course that punk took the first chance he had to run - er. Fly, anyway.

I wasn’t even done with the interview! That last question I asked, I wasn’t expecting his answer at all. It brought up at least five other questions! And now my mind is racing, I can’t get it off of what he said. It just has me so confused.

I won’t lie - what with the Lie Detector, he acut actually had me believing him. For the first time, I was starting to believe that he was telling us the truth about being the hero - that he’s been playing the part of the hero this whole time. Not even playing the part, like actually trying to save people!

So if his goal is to get me and Maddie to see him that way, why would he run? He seemed so eager to try and help me understand his side of things before.

I just heard Danny come in the door. I should probably go check in on him; it’s not like I have anything else down here I need to worry about.

Wait, that probably sounded really rude. I’m sorry Danny! You’re way more important than any ghost, I promise son.

Before I submit this, I’m just saying this for futuer future me: maybe don’t show this to Maddie. She’ll see it eventually of course, since we both have access to these logs, but I don’t think I’m going to tell her right away. I need time to go through the responses that I did get and re-evaluate the Fenton Lie Detector logs. Not that I don’t trust her, of o course! Maddie is my everything.

But this whole Phantom mystery, I think it’s something I need to figure out for myself first.

#danny phantom #dannymay #dannymay2023 #dannymay 2023 #danny phantom jack #jack fenton #interview #danny phantom fanfic #hannah writes #this was fun #but also i need my backspace key back lol

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absurdlyriveting · 3 months ago

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Who wants to read a super long rant I wrote in the middle of the night without my glasses about how TV writing for this one show should be better from a non-writer who has no business commenting on any of this? You do? Ok, here you go.

So I just watched the St Denis Medical pilot. I recognize some of the cast, including one of the main characters — the nurse in charge. Really like that actress (Good Girls anyone?). But overall I found that the show was just… not very funny. (I didn’t like The Office either, I’m sorry. But I do like Parks & Rec)

And look, most pilots aren’t great and it does actually take time for shows to find their footing. We shouldn’t all be so hasty to write off a show because of its pilot. Still though, I couldn’t stop thinking about this one thing.

I really could not root for the head nurse.

Just. No.

She was an obvious workaholic control freak, they basically say as much in the episode. and she’s aware of this and had multiple opportunities to prioritize her family and she just. Didn’t. And it made her kind of suck as a person. Obviously this is more “realistic” right? This is a problem many people have. There can be comedy in between the lines, I get it. It’s probably what they’re going for. But I just found her to be incredibly disappointing.

Am I supposed to hope she grows and becomes less neurotic and actually spends time with her loved ones? Because honey she should already be doing that. Am I rooting for divorce because her unnamed/unseen spouse must obviously be upset with her for constantly missing shit because a person can only be so supportive and understanding for so long? I mean… sorta yeah. Should I hope she finds her ideal work/life balance? I really don’t give a fuck. She’s a disappointment right here and now. Even though she’s nice and friendly, I just don’t like her that much. You can be the nicest, most caring person in the world, but it sucks when your family doesn’t get the same importance as random strangers or your job do. I’m making this far more extreme than it is (she isn’t that horrible, truly) and I know she will probably grow and evolve and we will get more context and background and blah blah blah, but it did make my brain start churning.

So then I thought, how would I have made this funny? How do I root for a person who is missing their kid’s school play (hopefully with an actual valid reason)?

What if, instead of the character being a shitty person who fails as a parent and partner because they make bad choices, they instead were forcibly put into rock & hard place situations? This current main character only had one true moment like that, which is when the woman collapsed at the end. she had no choice but to stay and help. It was the right thing to do. BUT all the other times she did have a choice and should have fucking left the hospital.

So my new made-up character is instead constantly in these situations against their very obvious will. Perhaps they have a nickname, like “Magnet” because they are always attracting the worst situations. Magnet is probably aware that everybody calls them Magnet, but definitely doesn’t want to acknowledge it or hear it said out loud (they ignore it if they hear it) because saying it might make it even more true.

Magnet is always trying to do something else. They’re always trying to leave. But they are constantly “right place, wrong time.” Yes they can totally help you, but did it have to be right now?

They are a compassionate person, yes, but an easily frustrated one. All new staff members are warned, if you have plans then you better not be in the same room as Magnet right beforehand. Lighting doesn’t strike once, it strikes all the damn time, 3ft away, and sometimes catches on fire.

“No, no, no! You can’t just collapse right here in the exit! I have to leave to go to my kid’s soccer game! Absolutely not! Where are my nurses god dammit! Somebody save this man so I can go see my kid save a goal!”

(person coding or some shit) “Sir, either you DIE or you RESPOND TO TREATMENT. RIGHT. FUCKING. NOW. I have places to be so pick a lane IMMEDIATELY SIR… ah yes, excellent. You made the right decision. Thank you for not dying.”

“Look I know you’re like bleeding and stuff on my shoes, but this other nurse is so much better at stitches than me and she’s just doing paperwork while I have an important thing to get to, so…”

“JANET you BETTER NOT be having an ALLERGIC REACTION for the FIFTH TIME today. We did this already! and I can’t keep telling you to not eat peanuts no matter how delicious a Snickers is! Don’t you dare touch that candy wrapper Janet so help me god.”

“I’m sure you’re lovely and a wonderful date, but I’m happily married and am looking forward to having a dinner and a movie with my spouse tonight and would really appreciate if you would put your clothes on right now and stop throwing my very important medical supplies on the ground because they aren’t slutty enough.”

“Why isn’t anybody helping this woman already? She is obviously in distress! I am in a rush, but even I noticed she needed immediate attention. I cannot believe you people work here sometimes. Oh she was fine right up until I walked in front of her? Sure, yeah, of course she was fine. It was definitely me and not her obvious injury/illness!”

“Ok look, you’re making me 20 minutes late to my kids pool party, but they will flip out when they find out that I saved a bunch of people cosplaying as Power Rangers. once you’re all bandaged up, can I get a pic for them?”

“Hey Doc! Over here! Yes she fainted right on top of me. No, I don’t know why. That’s your job, you’re the doctor. She’s breathing and everything otherwise appears normal. I have literally no other insight to add because this just happened. So I’ll just shift her weight over onto this other very capable nurse who also went to school for as long as I did, and be on my way. See ya later! Hope you feel better ma’am!”

“Why is 5pm always seizure-o-clock? Can’t anyone have a seizure at 3:45 anymore? I mean, lets be reasonable here.”

Magnet is always having people collapse, bleed, become critical, etc right in front of them anywhere and anytime they have places to be. They will always do their best to help whoever is in medical trouble if it’s actually urgent, but this is just a JOB and they know how to delegate. “Oh the computers went down? Nurse do you know how to write up a patients information on an intake form? And do you still know how to write a prescription Doctor? And IT is working on it? Ok great, if you have questions then text me, but I trust that my right-hand nurse has got this. Jimmy if you tell me you forgot how to write with a pencil and paper because you only use speech-to-text then you really need to re-evaluate your career as a medical professional. See you tomorrow!”

Sometimes though, they must respond and that’s just how it is. Frankly, we wouldn’t root for someone who is heartless, and they aren’t THAT big of an asshole. It’s played for comedy, not for mean-spiritedness.

“Of course I will hold your hand ma’am. Nothing is more important than you being ok. I know you’re scared, but I’ve got you. There’s definitely nowhere else I need to be right now. It will all be ok.”

Also maybe the other nurses really love Magnet’s spouse because they get brought baked goods by them once a month and are the only adult person who makes Magnet go from grumpy to immediately happy. So whenever Magnet is just fully unable to leave and they know it might be a while, they text (sometimes with a photo as long as it doesn’t break Hipaa) Magnet’s spouse to keep them updated. There is a constant line of communication.

“M. Spouse you’re gonna want to move your reservations, Magnet is trying to subdue a patient who is very high on many different drugs right now. Also those muffins were amazing btw.”

(5 min later) Magnet def gets very injured by said patient.

“Actually M. Spouse, cancel those reservations, Magnet got LIGHTLY stabbed but don’t worry it was VERY gentle and will only require a few stitches and also maybe make it hard for them to use utensils, so I recommend ordering in.”

Cut to Magnet in the background “God dammit that was my fork-holding hand! How am I supposed to eat fancy overpriced anniversary steak now!!!! (grumble grumble) Does my hair still look ok at least?”

Maybe Magnet also loves kids and is truly a different, very patient person in front of them. Kids are never as inconvenient as the adults because they’re kids. So sometimes the staff sort of use the kids to break tension in a funny way.

“I can’t BELIEVE how stupid that dipshit motorcyclist was— Oh hi sweetie! Are you looking for your mommy? Oh the nurse told you I had candy did she? Uh huh, I wonder why she sent you all the way over here, definitely not where you’re supposed to be at all, for a really cool reason like getting a piece of free candy even though there’s a bowl behind the nurses’ counter. Yes let’s go over there now and get you a piece and maybe not beat up that reckless motorcyclist. You should just stick with your bicycle…”

There’s so many ways you can play with this. And I would constantly be on Team Magnet. We know, without a doubt, that whenever they try to go somewhere or do something important that there will be an obstacle. So the challenge is then, how will it be funny and also how will it work out in the end in a way that makes me still root for the character and their interpersonal relationships? We don’t want them to be a straight up asshole all the time. They should get very concerned when things are super serious and bad. And they get upset if other people aren’t taking something seriously enough. But if Janet needs yet another epi-pen then by god will they be annoyed as shit in a hilarious way because that was a totally avoidable situation and only happens when Magnet is around anyway.

The staff would also be very aware. New staff member at a meeting: “Where is Magnet?” Everybody else: laughs. 15 minutes later Magnet walks in. “Sorry, was delivering a baby in my neighbors driveway. They named him Steve. Weird name for a baby. It’s not even short for Stephen. Just baby Steve. So what did I miss? Thanks for taking notes for me again Carol, you’re the best.”

Perhaps as seasons progress Magnet can also start to attract cool things. “How do you always get the celebrities and super rare diseases and I get someone with uncomfortable gas?” “My winning personality.”

You could also have an entire episode where the comedy is that everything goes completely smooth and normal with no big interruptions or emergencies, but Magnet and the other staffers are increasingly paranoid all day because chaos is normal, and this feels like calm before a storm. They’re peering around corners like James Bond looking for a villain. Cut to the day is over and Magnet gets in their car feeling relaxed and satisfied with a job well done, smile on their face… but then a car accident happens right behind them. “Aw man. So close!” (Begrudgingly gets out of car, credits roll.)

So back to home life. Magnet’s family always knows that they will try to put them first. And maybe this type of character would be a good foil for current iteration of Nurse-in-charge at St Denis. Magnet is someone who knows their priorities and pushes really hard to keep their promises and make things happen even in the face of medical emergencies. It isn’t perfect and it doesn’t always work out, but they have supportive (and very entertained) colleagues and a loving partner and kids. The partner does understand (“I know what I signed up for, and that’s a person who cares a lot about helping people, and even more about their family.”) because even if Magnet is always 20 minutes late, they ALWAYS show up unless it’s truly life or death for someone. And they get frequent updates from Magnet and/or the other staff so they aren’t blind sighted or waiting around for hours with no news. The muffins are multi-faceted bribes/gifts after all.

Yes, this is me being so sick of every couple in every show having drama solely based off of bad communication.

Maybe the kids are upset sometimes but are usually ok with it because Magnet has cool work stories and maybe brings home souvenirs (“look, this nail was in somebody’s arm today! no, don’t touch it, that’s gross”) and also constantly communicates with them. (“I’m so sorry I was late buddy, but you know how much I love you and that I wanted to be here right? I loved seeing you win that final tournament. Would you show me at home the cool karate moves you used on your first opponent? I know spouse took a video of that match, but I’d love for YOU to show me.”) And again, Magnet does show up the majority of the time, even if its a little later than planned. So the family knows to tell them 4:00pm when they really mean 5:30pm. Because they’re “Magnet.” They will attract a problem. The family knows the nickname and are very aware.

“It’s Halloween! I was supposed to be home by 2pm for trick-or-treating! And yet somehow every time I go to the door, another puking vampire shows up to ruin my third pair of shoes! …Oh, Spouse texted and said trick-or-treating is at 6pm? Yeah, I guess 2pm was early. No it didn’t occur to me that they lied about the time. So wait, if I leave now I can be an hour early? Amazing! (starts walking toward the exit, gets puked on again) God dammit that’s my fourth and final pair!!!!! Fuck it, I’m driving home with puke shoes. (over their shoulder while walking to the exit) Whoever pulls my name for Secret Santa this year, I want waterproof shoes and a 10 pack of socks please and thank you. Happy Halloween everyone!”

I would root for Magnet all day, every day.

Give me Magnet. Not micromanager who undervalues her family. Please and thank you.

#look I'm not a writer ok #this was just my brain deciding to go on a rant and not leave me alone until I wrote it down #st denis medical #tv writing #tv shows #Nurse Magnet

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nostalgebraist-autoresponder · 2 years ago

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People think that "mental health" is self-evidently good, but it's really not.

Mental illness could mean "someone who has difficulties doing [a natural human behavior] the way other people do," and mental health might mean "having lots of difficulties doing [a natural human behavior] the way other people". "Mental illness" and "mental health" aren't inherently valence-neutral at all; they mean "easier" and "harder" according to a specific way of measuring difficulty. (And it's not always easy to measure; for example, one could measure some subject's activity level over a long time and then conclude that she's got "very low energy" by some particular metric. But maybe she's actually just "working less hard" than everyone else, and it's the hardest workers who are mentally healthy according to this metric.)

This is not to say that there are no positive mental health qualities or no negative mental illness qualities, only that these terms don't refer to natural human categories. "Natural human categories" is a pretty empty way to put it, but, like, the category "people who can do [natural human behavior] without difficulty" contains both normal humans and people who are genetically predisposed to be better at the behavior, and also people who are doing steroids so they can, like, bench press 400 pounds. (People who are mentally ill due to illness / accidents / various sorts of damage are examples of the last category, and people who are just not as good at the natural human behavior -- e.g. people with a learning disability -- are examples of the second category, of course.)

Think about which of these categories you actually would prefer to be in, if you were ever in a position to choose. Which seems "healthier"? And, like, which of these is a good way to measure the natural, real thing, and which is a misleading or nonsensical way to do so? "Person who's poor at [natural human behavior] but can do it at will when they put their mind to it," "person who's good at [natural human behavior] because they're genetically predisposed to being good at it," and "person with a learning disability" are all examples of the latter, whereas "person who's sick and always has trouble doing [natural human behavior]" and "person who's taking steroids because they're in a situation where they need to be better at [natural human behavior] than the average person is" are examples of the former.

A lot of mental illness-by-category is misleading because it's of this second type. There's no right or wrong way to be at the natural end of the spectrum, but if you're at the far right end of the spectrum for some reason -- say, because you've got some genetic predisposition for it -- your existence is still kind of like trying to steer a huge body around in a low-gravity environment without getting into a collision, which is tough, and if you figure out what you're doing wrong and then change to the most efficient way to do it, you will be naturally really good at the thing.

But if you're thinking of a depressive episode as "an illness" (and here we've defined that as a natural, biologically determined category that includes lots of naturally easy things like being a great soccer player or having an IQ of 180), that becomes "a problem with your mental health," which is the exact same category as "drugs," and then you find yourself concluding, with John-Horgan-in-this-twitter-thread-style wisdom, that because most people's "mental health" is at some low level, and because that's the normal case, we should consider "mental health" as being intrinsically bad. (To be fair to the tweet, it's making a different sort of point than the one that's just a confusion between the two categories of "people who are naturally bad at [some activity]" and "people who would be bad at [some activity] if they were given the opportunity to exercise it," but this confusion is definitely there.)

Now it's true that people who are "healthy" in this sense are likely to be better off in many aspects of life than those who are "unhealthy" in this sense. But "likely" does not mean "inevitable," and, well, if someone is not very good at some natural human behaviors, perhaps in part because of a lack of opportunity, then it seems like maybe we should stop thinking of these as being necessarily bad.

Certain behaviors may be associated with less success in school, less success at work, etc. (For example, there may be various psychological differences which make it easier for people with more education or more experience to outcompete people without, or whatever.) But this doesn't mean the behaviors are inherently bad, or that education and experience are more important than natural ability. (Do you believe the hairiest people are inherently worse than the smoothest people? "With the right training . . . " Etc.) There is no reason to expect an aggregation of people with "poor mental health" to behave badly.

(This is why, for example, I've never really bought into the "this sort of problem is virtuous because it's hard to solve" school of mindsets. "Sure, this problem is hard to solve for me, but it's not hard for people who can solve it, so that's a good thing." It's all about who's getting shafted here. "This is hard, and I can't do it" =/= "This is a bad thing" or even "This is hard for me")

#babbling

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foolishle · 1 year ago

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OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH AHHHHH!!

I loved the first three episodes so much! For some reason I thought there would only be two??

First off… HOW DARE David Jenkins and Con O’Neill make me love Izzy?? I’m an absolute sucker for actors microexpressions and vocal work and Con BRINGS IT as usual. Don’t get me wrong, last season he was brilliant and I loved to hate him but the script and Con’s acting immediately made me actually care about him? Right from the get go (“yes, they all got cake…”) I was like… aw sweetie… You’re in over your head, aren’t you? Each time he was revealed to be NOT DEAD (if I had a dollar/weird that it etc) I was so relieved. He actually cares?? About the crew?? He blamed Stede for Pining!Ed but he knows that Kraken!Ed is because of Izzy, and that Stede makes Ed better.

Taika and Rhys brilliant as uzhe. The character building, again, good as!!

Stede is getting confident and competent, but still Stede. Not much else to say, somehow. Just as brilliant as I expected. Also the linen shirt? Daaaaaaaaang.

Ed… aahhh. Taika does every emotion so well. At the moment it’s mostly PAIN and I look forward to him breaking free of that. His ‘purgatory’ was especially brilliant. And his revelation of the fact that he hates himself. Beautiful.

LUCIUS!! I wasn’t surprised (was anyone??) to see Lucius return. We knew it had to happen! When they said “rat boy!”, I was bouncing on my seat with excitement. Cynical!Lucius is delightful.

Just… so many of the characters have been so deeply affected by the trauma of the last season (as were we all, let’s be real)… and it’s a credit to the crews (behind the scenes, and on it) that they each are so familiar and the same people they were… but evolved and changed and grown. They’re the same *people*, but not the same people.

Jim and Olu! I know there is some disappointment at their romantic separation along with their physical separation. But I love the contrast with Lucius and Pete who (so far) seem to be back together, or trying to be. That’s life, you know? Some people just don’t fit back together once they’ve been affected by different things. I don’t have a problem with them being paired up with other people. I hope that they can find their way back to friendship, even—especially-if the romance is gone.

I know there was confusion and disappointment that Ivan isn’t in this season. It wasn’t the actor’s choice not to return, but I think the change makes sense. No shade to Guz Khan, he was great. But the dynamic of the Kraken crew didn’t need him. We had Fang and Izzy from the old BB Crew, Jim and Frenchie from the Stede crew, and Archie as the newcomer… it really felt balanced. Loved the way they bonded with each other and I really look forward to the way the two different crews have been mixed up and seeing how they try and fit back in with Stede &co.

The new characters! Really nice to see some women on board. Archie is a nice addition, I hope we get some more of her, but at the same time we don’t *need* it. It’s enough that she’s there and she’s given some opportunities for exposition, disrupted the dynamic and made things feel a bit different.

ZHENG YI SAO. I love her. Guessing she’ll be the big bad of the season and she’s a worthy villain who will hopefully bring Ed and Stede back together.

I love that last season it took three episodes for Ed and Stede to fall in together… and by ep 5 we had romance blooming, by episode eight they were both actively interested and we had the kiss in episode 9. I hope we can have the same kind of pacing in season 2 (but I really hope they don’t break up again)… and we’re on track with that with it taking three episodes for them to fall back in together.

Also in case you missed them, like I did, there is a short post-credits scene after each episode so stick around through the credits!

I’m so excited for next week!!!

#ofmd 2 #ofmd #ofmd spoilers

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laurasuprenantphotography · 21 days ago

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Portraits of Persons with Disabilities: Natzke Family

Monica Bihar-Natzke is a dedicated disability advocate and a board member of the Autism Society of America. Last year, she reached out to volunteer her family for the Portraits of Persons with Disabilities project. Meeting Monica’s family—where all but one of her 6 children have disabilities—was a truly wonderful experience. We spent an afternoon capturing interviews and portraits. The love within this family was palpable, shining through in every conversation.

Monica and her husband, Chris, are raising their children to embrace agency over their disabilities and take an active role in their communities. Have a look at these portraits and heartfelt quotes from an incredible family.

Monica, 40 - ADHD, Apraxia, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

"Who decided that the standard human being is white with 2.5 kids—and that they go to church? Who made that decision? Everybody is different. Even if you put three to ten white guys of the same age in a room, they’re all going to be different. If society embraced the concept of everyone as an individual, disabilities wouldn’t even be something we’d have to talk about. They would just be another part of who we are."

Chris, 42 - Marfan’s Syndrome, Stroke Survivor

"I’d like to see more understanding and compassion for disabled people. Not just compassion, but compassion from a place that is more connective. Normal compassion is not enough. Putting in a ramp because it’s required is good, but adding one when it’s not required is even better."

Romina, 20 - Autism, ADHD

"I want disabled people to have more opportunities to have fun and connect with others around the world who are like them."

Daniel, 19 - Autism, ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

“I’d like to see more assertiveness—for both us, the disabled, and for others toward us—because most people tend to look at the disabled with disdain. Eventually, those disabled individuals start to feel like they’re the problem, but they’re not. No disabled person ever is. Those early moments in life not only shape who you are but also establish the foundation of your life. If most of those moments are spent with others looking down on you or being upset with you, it weakens that foundation. However, if you’re praised, acknowledged, and feel happy about yourself, that’s when the foundation is strong and can stand the test of time.”

Alessandra, 17 - Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety Disorder

"I want people to understand that just because we have disabilities doesn’t mean we can’t do everything everyone else can. It’s just a little bit harder and takes a little bit more work. But we can all do the same things. It’s like when they used to believe women couldn’t do everything men could. It’s just like that."

Tia, 15 - ADHD

“I would like to see more people helping disabled people and understanding them better. That would be really great.”

Letta, 13 - ADHD

"I want there to be more services to better support disabled people. Like, more schools designed for them—that would be important. There aren’t many schools, like high schools, colleges, middle schools, or elementary schools for them. I’d also like to see better ways for them to be cared for. Other things, like sound blockers, would be helpful because I know a lot of people who struggle with that issue."

#ppwd #portraits of persons with disabilities #portrait photography #family portraits #editorial photo

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ghostjelliess · 8 months ago

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Poverty Displayed in Fiction

TL;DR: I wish authors would stop using poverty as a temporary character skin when readers are told it’s a defining characteristic/obstacle.

Stealing stuff sucks, getting your stuff stolen sucks, getting caught sucks, and in most worlds being poor and starving means you die, not that you just steal shit from all the rich people around you — there aren’t rich people around you.

Poverty is not a plot arc. It’s not a noble thing for a character to get through, it’s a trauma we have to recover from. It’s exhausting and you engage in the world around you in a different way, your expectations for your life or survival are held in a different place, in your gut not your heart. Depression, anxiety, financial instability, the threat of homelessness, malnutrition/obesity, increased stress, lack of sleep, developing mental disorders or disorders devoid of treatment, PTSD from events more likely to happen in poverty-ridden neighborhoods like criminal violence, gang wars, assault, sa, abuse left unchecked etc. It sets different moral standards.

I keep running into these adult fantasy books that I’ve been calling gritty-girl books, where the female authors write a badass character and she’s poor, and so she’s gritty and desperate and clinging to the opportunity or potential of whatever the catalyst is, or compromising the characters own morals (like I know stealing is wrong but I’m going to starve, instead of I don’t think stealing this is wrong), but I don’t know if it’s the author or the editors, if the books are smoothed out to be understood by a certain middle-class audience because they’re the ones with money, but there’s an irritating trend where the poverty is treated like an accessory to an otherwise healthy character, so they are denied the bigger problems of ignorance or naivete that actually come with poverty.

Cinderella works because she is not poor. She grew up wealthy, going to these festival functions, learning to dance, she knows the social rules of the upper class, it is her immediate family who mistreat her. An actual rags-to-riches girl going to the ball wouldn’t know how to dance, might not recognize the prince, or would be happy just being there at all, maybe with a group of friends who broke in together because the consequences don’t matter when you’ll be dead by twenty.

Okay, there’s the opening of my TedTalk, I have a lot more thoughts but I’m stopping myself because I don’t think specific books need to be named. I’m just... I’m sick of the romanticization of poverty for the drama. The traumas might be interesting but they take so much longer to unravel because there isn’t time for regret. There is no safe place to run home to when things don’t work out, there’s just people calling you crazy and trying your best not to believe it, or spiraling because maybe it’s true.

But the biggest indiscretion to me is the lack of ignorance. Being poor (from the beginning, not a stumble down and get-back-up) and trying to not-be-poor is so full of humiliation and embarrassment. Here are some (ugh, personal) examples for the dark-academia aesthetic that is usually the most irritating offender:

Your college professors fail you because you don’t talk right, you didn’t learn academic English but they expect you to know it.

You give a presentation in your best dress and the sponsor asks to talk to you about dress codes and someone calls you slutty or ghetto and you realize your best dress isn’t that great and the fancy hoops you got from your mom for your birthday are making them stare.

You are always overworked and underpaid; four jobs, all of them overlapping, and only some people understand.

The busses don’t run on time and you’re either running or waiting.

You wash your clothes in the bathtub and spend more money on bank fees because it costs to have an account if there’s not more than $1500 in it, and you’ve never even seen that much money at once in your life; you get a cash payout for a side gig and the $500 in twenties feels like you’ve made it somewhere, but when you tell your roommate, they laugh and call you so cute and the bank still charges you $5/month because it’s not enough. It will never be enough. You finally got $1500 scraped up to stop that slow leak and you get a letter/email kindly explaining that the usage fee now requires $2000 to remain in the account and a great way to do this is to move $500 to savings.

There’s an eviction warning notice taped to your door, but you paid rent. Your roommate didn’t. You scrape another half together and they swear to pay you back. They do, slowly, never enough to stop the bank fees. The property management changes and the new people are more strict, they say it’s okay to pay on the third because of your schedule when you show them your pay dates, but there’s another eviction threat on your door when you come home at midnight on the second. You sigh but none of your neighbors judge you because they understand. You wake up in four hours to go to your next job because they lied about not scheduling you as an opener, it’s all they will give you, and you need to pay rent two days earlier now. Your roommate is looking for another job but no one is hiring; the other roommate you were going to live with is getting married, she’s pregnant and didn’t want to be in school in the first place, you’re happy for her, but there is nowhere to live.

Your car breaks, held together by duct tape and prayers, your mechanic uncles did the best they could. You buy a new-used vehicle to get you to work and back, it’s a fixer-upper, your mechanic family checks it out and confirms it’s good. You bring it in for an oil change on your only day off and your uncle’s friend says sorry, but you can’t drive this off the lot, it’s unsafe and we can’t let you leave, the frame is rusted and the brakeline’s about to snap. It’s totaled out. The buses don’t run until 7 which is two hours after your open shifts start, so you start looking for a new job. You’ll graduate soon and there will be more jobs, better jobs. You have honors and all your professors say you’re going to do great things, and you are only moving forward in the hope that they are right, but what if they’re wrong?

Your phone is so old it’s just for emergencies, you don’t know how to communicate through social media, you never get the emails that class was canceled or changed, you can’t afford the contracts for a new phone and you’re using a laptop loaned from the school; you have to run to the library to print projects and papers, you don’t have time to find all the cool programs or connections of your peers who are learning extra skills and networking in their free time. You’ve never even been to anything akin to a frat party.

You started dating, but it was too stressful, so you went on dates instead of committing to a relationship, and that was a different kind of stressful, so you vow to stay single until you can breathe, but who knows when that will be and now you’ve got all these relationship traumas to work out later when you can start to sort the pieces, right now they don’t matter, they can’t, it’s 1am and you’re just getting home from closing because the manager was being ridiculous, you have an exam at 8am, another shift at the cafe at 10am, a paper due at 2pm, you’ll write that at work, and you’re supposed to be editing this dissertation by the end of the week, and your professor wants to know if you’ve thought about grad school. You’ve never thought about grad school.

You are always given a lecture by your councilor about how lucky you are to have this scholarship, while they also explain why the other scholarship fund was terminated and will no longer be covering room and board and yes it’s the middle of the semester, and yes the football team just got an anonymous $6million dollar donation for a new stadium even though we built that one six years ago, but we can’t do anything about it. You work your way through the FAFSA loan paperwork and sit through a workshop for first-generation students, the governor cuts another scholarship that you worked your ass off to get, again mid-semester and without warning, the money’s not there, they all explain. You see the loan money and it doesn’t even cover textbooks or food, just your final classes, and you wonder if it’s worth it. You check to make sure your loans aren’t inheritable by family, just in case you don’t make it, not because you’re depressed, but because there is a long list of health problems you’ve never gotten checked out because doctors are expensive and you’ve never had insurance.

You don’t have money or time, so you don’t eat; you sprain your ankle but you don’t go get it checked out, you just add it to the list of future-problems you’re not sure you’ll get enough time to address, but you’ve been living on the edge of life-and-death for your whole life, so it doesn’t feel dramatic, just a shuffle of priorities. Your peers whine and complain and you try to understand them, and it’s not until a new friend/partner comes in and starts pointing out the damages, genuinely concerned, that you notice how much they’re even hurting you, how much you can’t sleep even when you find the time, how you go until you’re curled up napping in a hallway, passed out as classmates try not to wake you — you used to think it was a superpower that you could sleep anywhere but really it’s sad and now your recognize their looks were pity, not empathy.

You don’t have time to go to club meetings with the peers from your major so they don’t know who you are, and you don’t even know you’re supposed to do that because no one helped you through this. You start hanging out with grad students because they understand more, they’re more willing to forgive, and they’re as exhausted as you. You’re doing the master’s program anyway, so they like you, but they can’t help you.

Obviously not everyone’s experience is the same and money-problems-right-now doesn’t directly mean poverty, but it’s just so common in these adult fantasy books with one foot in the dark-academia aesthetic, and it just triggered me.

How do these characters already know how to dress like their peers? Where did they get jewel-toned and neutral clothes when the thrift stores mostly have the neons that were so popular ten years ago and their cousin/sibling hand-me-downs stopped fitting over the summer? How did they get the required tools, textbooks, and language skills? How are their bodies healthy? How are they confident and focused on their goals, when they don’t even know how to sign up for classes and still have to work fifty hours a week plus credits? When the magical opportunity to take a break or solve a problem is presented, why are they hesitating? How come their priorities don’t match their situation or character or past that we spent the whole book reviewing?

Obviously this is being pedantic.

There are many different types and layers of poverty and abuse and neglect and struggle, I think it’s just that all these characters share the same kind: they lost their parents so there’s no one to teach/hurt them anymore, they don’t have money but they don’t have debt, they fell in with the wrong crowd but have no addictions or strings pulling them back, there was nothing good about those people, they grew up in violence and uncertainty but have big dreams for their certain futures. They’re always a kind of exception-character, and my frustrations are of my own making because I get momentarily excited at the representation or the relatability, only to have the rug pulled out like: just kidding, they’re not that kind of poor, they’re conveniently poor, it’s fixable (but not with the magic, that’s for character development only).

The authors so often make these characters healthy people cosplaying in poverty, and then they have to explain the character’s choices because they don’t make sense (i.e. a character is stealing even though they think its wrong, but no one around them thinks it’s wrong so why do they feel guilty, ope, we’re lost in the exposition). And again, maybe this is because publishers/editors think the people with money to buy books won’t understand or relate or appreciate that kind of grueling obstacle, so they make the poverty a temporary problem, and by doing so, remove its impact on the character’s identity and choices. I don’t know, I’m just sick of it.

It’s like those slow-pan shots of athletes doing those mud-runs, but if all their hard-won muscles faded when they hose off at the end. It deflates the narrative and accomplishment of all the work that got the character to the point the author tells us they’re at. It feels like certain author’s felt insecure about writing the grittiness but didn’t want to make a Hallmark movie temporary-poverty type problem, so they just paper machete until it holds shape, or maybe the editors come through and strip it away and no one cares. I really don’t know. If it’s a defining characteristic, make it definitive, make it part of the character arc, if it’s not, don’t make it a defining characteristic.

OH MY GOD IT’S CHECKOV’S [POVERTY] GUN! That’s what it is! Don’t tell me how gritty and grimy your character is, don’t focus on how layered the dirt is as a selling point or major character/plot development, if we’re not going to work on scrubbing it off. If the character gets hosed down at the end and all the dirt comes off at once, then it’s not layers, it’s just one slip in a mud puddle. I think some authors try complicating characters and adding depth that isn’t necessarily needed, and then when everything’s supposed to be okay at the end, or the layers of dirt cause no problems, no itching, no stiffness, no smell, absolutely no impact to the character, I’m just left like: what? You made me look at the mud, I’m relating to the mud because you pointed it out, I can’t ignore it now... so... do something with it. Pick at it, scrub it off, toss your character in the deep end, but don’t just layer them in convenient mud for the looks and then assume it just washed away during the heroes journey or whatever. It’s weird. It’s a weird thing to do. There are more problems than money and plenty of seemingly-wealthy people have money problems, stop using poverty as an anti-hero morally-grey shortcut by association and assumption.

I’m not going to name the triggering books, but I will say that I think Starling House by Alix E. Harrow did a pretty gosh-darn good job at representation and the poverty isn’t an accessory, but a genuine antagonist in some ways.

#poverty #representation #representation in fiction #diverse fiction #diverse books #economic diversity #dark academia #dark academia aesthetic #gritty books #adult fantasy books #fantasy genre #some thoughts #just kidding #that was a whole ass rant #sorry for being depressing #university life #ranting

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bookishbethanyerin · 2 years ago

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• Review: Problem Child + Mad Boys •

Sometimes, I want to get caught up in a high-profile, gossipy fictional world, and Heather Long's Blue Ivy Prep books offer just that.

The books follow KC, a teenaged pop star, as she takes some time off from her music career to go back to high school – Blue Ivy Prep, an elite Connecticut boarding school.

“Problem Child" delivers a slice-of-life peek into the world of a girl who has been done incredibly wrong by the tabloids and wants nothing more than to feel as normal as possible for a while. But nothing about KC's life is normal – especially not with her messy celebrity parents & the intense, brooding guys she meets there who seem to have it out for her. (Including a grumpy, bespectacled TA I loved immediately bc ofc I did.)

There’s a touch of bully romance & the promise of a why choose situation, but the spice here stays firmly in the YA category, though many aspects feel more like a new adult book. The emotional arcs are twisty + thorny, & there are plot reveals toward the end that legitimately made me gasp out loud & immediately text my bookish group chat.

Moving into "Mad Boys,” we’re given multiple POVs (Problem Child is only KC’s POV), which allows us to get to know Jonas, Lachlan, & Ramsey a bit better. This book also delivers a huge emotional arc for KC that I enjoyed.

That said, I wanted more from this sequel. The pacing is quite slow & it feels a little repetitive. I was also hoping that this book would resolve many of the misconceptions between characters. While there is a bit progress on that front, I still found myself frustrated that we weren't learning more about the extremely complex family dynamics at play.

However, I’m still very intrigued by this series & excited to see how things pan out. I think the character work in “Mad Boys” will lead to some really great stuff in the next book.

Overall, these books aren’t groundbreaking, but they offer up a lot of fictional fun and a drama-filled world to get lost in for a bit.

Problem Child: 4🌟| 1🌶️

Mad Boys: 3.5🌟| 1.5🌶️

🎸A huge thank you to Peachy Keen for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy!📸

#books #book review #blue ivy prep #problem child #mad boys #arc review

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scmg11 · 2 years ago

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HAILEE STEINFELD x READER

TAILOR-MADE FOR ME

A/N: HELLO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! I'm here with yet another smut imagine? Are you happy?

I'm trying to make amends for me disappearing for a while with this smut streak, so I hope you'll enjoy.

As always let me know what you guys think!

Sending love ❤️

Summary: Y/N is Hailee's stylist for her role Kate in Hawkeye. Something instantly clicks and when it comes to take Hailee's measurements for her costumes, something interesting happens.

Warnings: smut smut smut.

Word count: 8240 words.

Hailee smiled widely when the bright sun of June hit her face and warmed her body in a delicious way.

"Hey! Come in!" Hailee’s smile got sheepish when she knocked on the fitting room door where the tv show’s stylists were and a brunette, mid-aged woman opened it a few seconds later and let her in with a big grin.

"Hi. Sorry, I’m late. I got a meeting with the directors."

"Don’t worry darling, we were already working on your and Jeremy’s things. He will be here soon."

Hailee looked around the room curiously and found a few mannequins with pieces of clothes perched on it, more pieces of clothes scattered around a big table in middle of the room with a few sketches of costumes and clothes for their show and all kind of utensils and stuff that are necessary to create clothes from scratch. "Oh great!" Hailee’s smile broadened as she walked further into the room and took a few more items in, before taking a seat on a stool near the table when the woman signaled her to.

"I’m Darla. I pretty much work on Jeremy’s wardrobe. Oh yes, Hailee- this is Lora. We had been coworkers for almost 10 years. She works on creating, alongside a small team, superhero’s costumes."

"Hi, nice to meet you. Both of you."

"You are probably wondering who is gonna take care about Kate’s wardrobe and costumes, aren’t you?" Hailee nodded gingerly at the question with a small smile on her lips, curious on who is gonna create her character’s clothes and who she is going to spend a lot of time together about discussing everything about her wardrobe and all the fitting that would come. "Right on cue, Y/N. She is going to be your personal stylist." Darla grinned at someone behind Hailee’s back and nodded in her direction.

"Hi." A small, shy voice sounded behind her, making her turn around and almost drop her jaw on the floor at the beauty that was the girl she had in front of her. The amused grin that spread over Y/N’s lips told Hailee she must’ve been quiet for too long, so she shook her head to get out of her haze and grinned at her sheepishly, a small blush unfolding on her cheeks.

"Hi. I’m Hailee."

"Y/N. Nice to meet you. Big fan." Hailee reprimanded herself for the butterflies that erupted in her stomach at the Y/H/C girl’s admission and used the opportunity of Y/N being distracted by her coworkers to sweep her eyes up and down the girl’s figure and taking it in. "Are you ready to start?"

"Yeah!" Hailee cursed under her breath at her eager response but followed Y/N out of the door, both bidding the other two women goodbye and walking towards a small building. "I thought we would have worked on my wardrobe. Where are we going?"

"We are going to my studio. Jeremy will have his own fitting session soon. So it won’t be a problem and too much hassle with you two in the same room." Y/N chuckled at the actress’ curious question and smiled at her warmly.

"Oh great!"

"It’s not too far. We’re almost there."

"When did you start this job?" Hailee asked after a few seconds of silence, genuinely intrigued about Y/N’s career. "I can tell you’re really young."

"I’m 24." Y/N snorted under her breath and regarded Hailee with an amused look, "I started when I was really young. My mom has a tailor shop and I grew up there. When I was only 16 I started an internship for Valentino in Italy and my career basically started from there."

"Holy shit that’s amazing!" Hailee answered dreamily making Y/N laugh softly as she fished a set of keys from her pocket and opened a door of a small building.

"I still get called there from time to time. I like to call them my second family." Y/N stated as she switched the lights on and moved around to grab a few things she will need to start Hailee’s fitting session.

"You absolutely have to take me with you when you get back."

"I will." Y/N smiled affectionately at Hailee and stared at her fondly, both girls frozen on their spots like the world stopped moving for a couple of seconds, "after finishing my job here." Y/N cracked a joke after she noticed she was starting to get lost into Hailee’s magnetic brown irises, so as soon as she shook her head imperceptibly she broke their staring contest and spoke up to lighten up the sudden heavy air filled with some kind of electricity.

"Right." Hailee chuckled and nodded, looking around a few moments before focusing her attention back on Y/N. "Where do you want me?"

Y/N lifted her head up from the table where her tape measure was and arched her right eyebrow up cheekily, a gesture that made the singer realize what she just asked and a scorching blush dusted on her cheeks. "Cheeky Steinfeld. We’ve only just met."

"And I already hate you." Y/N chuckled at Hailee rolling her eyes in fake annoyance and shook her head.

"I don’t know why but I fell like you’re lying."

"Because I am!" Hailee whined in protest and leaned over to hit Y/N gently on her shoulder, who giggled at her childish antics.

"Anyway, you can get yourself comfy wherever you want. I wanted to show you some outfits first before starting your fitting."

"Sounds great!"

"Okay this is the first one." Y/N picked up a pair of blue ripped jeans and a white t-shirt from the clothes rack, "I was thinking, maybe we could pair it up with a black, zip hoodie. Y’know giving her casual clothes to give off cool vibes. Like-" Y/N trailed off to think about a sentence to put what she wanted to say into words but Hailee beat her to it.

"Like ‘I’m rich but I don’t want to show it off’." The two smiled at her statement before Y/N nodded and chuckled softly.

"Yeah, something like that, exactly." Y/N trailed off a few seconds before wiggling the clothes in her hands and lifted her right eyebrow up in question, "so, do you like them?"

"No." Y/N’s face almost fell at the short answer, but fought against it and was ready to nod dejectedly when Hailee’s voice reached her ears once again, "I love them!"

The warm, million dollars smile that Hailee sent her was enough to make Y/N’s stomach flip over itself while her cheeks tinted softly in a pink, almost red hue. "Wanna try them first or do you want me to show you everything that I want you to see and then try them on?"

"Show me everything and then I’ll try every outfit on so we’ll decide how everything looks on me." Hailee grinned brightly at Y/N and watched her nod before leaving the clothes she had in her hands on the table, watching her place them gingerly on the half occupied surface, and grabbing another outfit, which consisted of a purple, without a hoodie sweatshirt and a matching pair of purple sweats. "Wow, this is awesome."

"Yeah, the writers told me to give Kate comfy clothes and from what I’ve read in the comics, she really loves purple. So I combined these two things." Y/N chuckled with a small shrug, her eyes switching between Hailee and the clothes she had in her hands as she explained her choices - she knew she didn’t have to explain everything to the singer, but she wanted to -.

"You’ve read the comics?"

"Yeah. I actually am a Marvel geek." Y/N smiled brightly as her cheeks tinted again with a slight blush at the admission she wasn’t exactly planning to say to the brunette, but since she was already in deep, she kept going, "I honestly never heard about your character, I did only when Marvel casted you as Kate and called me to start thinking about creating clothes for her and for you of course."

"You’re kidding right?! I would’ve never guessed you were a Marvel fan, let alone a Marvel geek!" Hailee slightly punched the Y/H/C girl’s shoulder, making her stumble a bit in her spot and eliciting a small, soft laugh from her at her gesture, a sound contagious enough to make her giggle quietly too under her breath. "Anyway, it’s so cool! You’re literally doing your dream job."

"Yeah! And keep being this great to work with and Kate will be my favorite character." Y/N quipped with a small wink making Hailee roll her eyes in fond annoyance and shook her head slightly.

"Keep being this great to work with and you will be my favorite stylist." Hailee countered back wittingly, causing a small laugh to leave Y/N’s lips. The Y/H/C girl showed Hailee a few more outfits between laughs and jokes, Hailee approving each one of them, but also helping Y/N upgrading a few outfits with a couple ideas that Y/N was enthusiastic to listen to and approved happily.

"Okay, now we have a few things I personally love. Suits."

"Wow. The grey one is amazing!"

"Wait to see the last suit." Y/N wiggled her eyebrows mischievously before lifting the black tuxedo up and showed it to Hailee, who merely opened her mouth in an O shape and stared at it with a mix of shock, bewilderment and awe.

"Holy shit." Hailee walked over to Y/N to touch the clothes, to feel the suit’s fabric, "this is so fucking beautiful." Hailee examined the outfit a few more seconds before asking curiously, "hold on, you showed me 3 suits. Am I going to wear all of them or do I have to choose the one that I like the most?"

"No, you are going to wear them all. I read the script and the comics and started imagining you as Kate and out of the blue I thought ‘Hailee should wear suits in the show. They look so great on her and it would be perfect for her character Kate’s persona and vibes.’"

"I’m not gonna lie, I love them too. I feel amazing in them. Powerful. Hot. So it is great to wear them in the show too." Hailee covered her blush up triggered by the Y/H/C girl’s compliment with acting cool and answering like she wasn’t exploding on the inside, crossing her arms under her chest and laying with her butt on the table, on one leg crossed over the other.

"Not to mention I think that she is gay, bi maybe. So they work perfectly." Y/N admitted nonchalantly as she chuckled under her breath to cover up her nerves from her statement, eagerly waiting for Hailee’s response to it.

"Did you notice it too?! I read the comics while studying my lines and I was like, ‘girls are gonna fall for her so hard’. She is definitely gay." Y/N chuckled with a nod of agreement, fighting the ‘since you’re playing her, I already fell for you and her’ that was so close to tumble out of her mouth and instead she let silence engulf them a few more seconds before speaking up again as she lifted the suits up for Hailee to put on.

"Okay then, time to try them on so I can see if the clothes fit perfectly. Then tomorrow we’re gonna take your measurements for your costumes."

"Great!" Hailee grabbed a few clothes and walked into the small changing room Y/N had in her studio to start her fitting session.

"Wow! It looks amazing!" Hailee blushed furiously under the scrutinizing look Y/N was regarding her with as her eyes swept up and down her body to take her figure clad in the black jeans and grey blazer in. "I think the blazer need to be fixed a bit on the shoulders. Come here, let me see."

Hailee shook her head imperceptibly to get rid of her blush and chastised herself as she walked towards Y/N, swaying her hips more than necessary. Hailee can you please get a fucking grip on yourself? Okay she is hot, but this doesn’t mean you can try to seduce her. Calm the fuck down. "Wow, I don’t know why but this outfit screams ‘Kate Bishop’!" Hailee exclaimed enthusiastically as she eyed herself better on the full-length mirror in Y/N’s studio, almost fainting when she felt the Y/H/C girl’s body flush behind her own to take a look over the singer’s left shoulder while adjusting the blazer on Hailee’s upper body.

"It really is!" Y/N replied enthusiastically before getting back to her task at hand, "okay, I need to shorten the length of the sleeves. The rest looks completely fine. Can you take your blazer off? I need to take a better look at your pants." Hailee fought against a burning blush at the Y/E/C girl’s sentence and silently nodded, before doing what Y/N asked and placing the garment on the table near them, all the while pushing the dirty thoughts in the back of her head, out of reach. "How do you feel them on? Are they too tight?"

"Hm- no. I mean they are meant to be skinny, right?" Y/N nodded softly and stared at Hailee through the mirror over her shoulder, "so they are a bit tight, but the good kind of tight." Hailee noticed Y/N’s eyes on her ass and asked herself if it was because Y/N had to actually see if it fitted perfectly or because she was staring at her ass. Hailee stop, of course is because of her job. Little did Hailee know, Y/N wasn’t exactly doing her job as her darkened eyes stared hungrily on Hailee’s ass, highlighted heavenly by her black jeans.

"Okay, can you put your combat boots on now? I need to see if the length of the jeans is perfect."

Hailee did as she was told and walked back towards Y/N, glad that the girl was busy on adjusting her pants with her shoes on to notice the crimson color adorning her cheeks when the girl crouched down and stroked her legs on her way down. Jeez, Hailee. Can you please stop thinking about many other ways Y/N could be between your legs and caress them? Be professional.

After spending another hour with Hailee trying a few clothes on - and keeping her dirty mind and big, gay crush on Y/N at bay in the Y/E/C girl’s presence - and Y/N making sure they fitted her perfectly, the two hugged tightly before Hailee walked out of Y/N’s studio, with her heart beating fast at the short but heartfelt embrace and at the promise of seeing Y/N the day after.

"Mh- it doesn’t feel perfect. I feel like it needs something."

"How about this?" Hailee lifted a beanie up and examined it, showing it to Y/N who smiled brightly at the item into the singer’s hand, a gesture that freed wild butterflies in the brunette’s stomach, and nodded enthusiastically. It had been a week since they started working together on shaping Kate’s persona through her clothes and Hailee admitted to herself that she had a tiny, little crush on the stylist but tried to keep it at bay since she was 100% sure the girl would never feel the same.

"It’s perfect! Try it on." Hailee walked back towards the mirror and put the garment on, feeling like the look was finally complete. "A-ma-zing!" Y/N patted Hailee’s shoulders as she drawled her words, before flushing her front on Hailee’s back and hugging the singer in enthusiasm, not noticing the flustered state she instantly put the brunette in. "We still have 20 minutes before we are done for the day. Do you want me to start taking your measurements?"

They delayed that said task to focus on completing Kate’s wardrobe, so now that they were almost done Y/N decided to start working on Kate’s costumes too. "Yeah, sure."

"Okay, I need you to take off your clothes and leave your undergarments on if it’s okay with you." Hailee felt her brain short-circuit at the request as she stood frozen a couple of seconds on her spot with her eyes widened slightly and a bit out of breath.

"Y-yeah. N-no problem." Hailee cleared her throat to get rid of the lump in her throat and with her heart beating fast in her chest, she started undressing in front of Y/N. Bold move Steinfeld, I’ll give you that. She told herself proudly as she placed her t-shirt on the chair beside Y/N and watched the girl lift her head up from the page she was scribbling something on, reveling in the soft blush tinting Y/N’s cheeks when she noticed Hailee standing half naked beside her with a small smile on her lips, something that she couldn’t reciprocate due to her brain exploding in her head at the hot sight that was Hailee half naked, near her. Damn, I wish I had a sexy pair of underwear on instead of boy shorts. Hailee thought as she pulled her pants off and laid them on her t-shirt, already placed on the backrest of the chair in front of her. "Okay, I’m ready."

Y/N seemed a bit unfocused for a few seconds as she fumbled with her utensils to take Hailee’s measurements, something that sparked hope in the pit of the singer’s stomach. "I’ll just take a couple of measurements since we have very little time to work on it fully."

Hailee smirked inwardly at Y/N rambling to explain what she needs to do like she needed to explain her job, spurring her on to act on her feelings and to try to seduce the stylist right on that moment. "Are you going to show me the results while still working on it?"

"I wanted them to be a surprise, but if you insist, yeah, I’ll show you the first sketches tomorrow." Y/N caved in as she placed the tape measure on Hailee’s arm, making the girl shiver visibly at her fingers grazing her skin. Hailee then almost pushed her core onto Y/N’s face when the girl crouched down and placed the tape measure on the juncture between her left leg and left hip and took the length of her thigh. "Okay, we’re done for the day. We’ll continue this tomorrow."

The day after Hailee made sure to put on the sexiest matching set of underwear and bra she had on, her panties a bit see-through to tease Y/N a bit and to study her reaction a bit more to fully try to hit on her. "Do you have a particular idea in mind?" Hailee asked Y/N as she wrote down her arms and shoulders measurements.

"Yeah. I thought about moving away from the comics costume and creating something new for the show, but always respecting the image of the comics."

"Oh thank God! I still don’t get why she has those holes in her costume!"

"Well, I think mostly to sexualize her. I worked with Elizabeth on the Halloween episode in WandaVision. They asked me to replicate Wanda’s costume from the comics and we talked about how those costumes were designed to make female characters in the comics ‘fuckable’ for the readers."

Hailee felt a twinge of jealousy churn in her stomach when she thought about Y/N being in the same position she was right now in with her with Elizabeth, but shook her head to act normally in front of the stylist. "I noticed it too! They are always putting boobs and butts on display."

"Exactly! I’ve never seen Captain America or any other male characters showing a bit of their dicks or their nipples in the comics." Hailee chuckled at Y/N’s words and nodded in agreement, "Lizzie did the right thing by opposing to showing her boobs with Wanda’s comic costume and asking for a different one."

"And I mean her new one is so much more cool and looks so fucking hot on her." Hailee added as she watched Y/N measure her ankles and shins.

"Thanks. I worked hard on that one."

"You did it?!"

"Yeah."

"Shut up!" Hailee slapped Y/N’s shoulder when she stood right back in front of the brunette, making her chuckled at the gesture before turning around with a small shake of her head as walked over the table to write down Hailee’s measurements. "You are an amazing stylist."

"Thank you, it means a lot." Y/N smiled warmly at the singer when she turned around and she walked back closer to her with her tape measure in hand and both stayed there, staring intensely at one another for a few seconds before Y/N interrupted the silence, "okay, arms up. Perpendicular to your body."

Hailee did as she was told and then a second later swallowed the moan that was ready to tumble out of her mouth when Y/N circled her chest with the tape measure. She watched intently Y/N fumble with the utensil just a tad bit and instinctively puffed her chest a bit to push her boobs more into Y/N’s touch. A lone shiver travelled down her spine when Y/N’s finger traced the upper side of her boobs and swore she saw Y/N swallow visibly at the touch. I need to be sure.

Hailee decided to stay put as Y/N took her torso’s measurements, but when Y/N crouched down again to measure her waist, she decided to be bold and bucked her hips slightly into Y/N’s face when she moved closed to take a look at the measurement on the tape. She watched as a crimson color dusted over her face and neck and smirked broadly at the sight. When Y/N moved the tape down right on her ass and was ready to circle it around the waist, she bucked her hips again, more decisively this time, and placed her hands on Y/N’s shoulders to make her believe she was stabilizing herself after loosing her balance. "Y-y’know. I-I t-think we’re done for today. We can c-continue t-tomorrow." Y/N stumbled on her feet and murmured as she hastily tried to put a great amount of distance between them.

Hailee was ready to jump up in victory at the disheveled state she put Y/N in, but kept on with her plan. "But I still have two hours here before going to train with the stunts."

Y/N seemed speechless as she desperately tried to find her voice and words to answer her, her mouth opening and closing comically without words coming out of it. If Hailee wasn’t focused on her plan she would have chuckled at that funny sight. "I-I think I have e-enough measurements for the costume!"

Hailee lifted her right eyebrow up seductively and leaned over to look on the table at the page Y/N had all her measurements on, "but there are a few measurements missing here."

Hailee wanted to giggle when Y/N’s face fell at her words but kept her façade serious but friendly. "O-oh. Well- I don’t want you to get t-too cold!" Y/N exclaimed as she nodded enthusiastically like she finally found the perfect excuse to use right in that moment.

"I’m okay, don’t worry. We can continue-"

"We can’t okay? I-" Y/N trailed off with a sigh and massaged her temple gently, her eyes straying away from those magnetic brown pools as she focused her eyes on the table.

"Y/N-" Hailee walked towards Y/N and watched her bit on her bottom lip as she noticed the singer moving towards her, something that made Hailee’s heart flip in excitement. "Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"N-No." Y/N muttered, her head getting dizzy as the inebriating perfume coming from the singer invaded her nostrils, and almost fainted when she lifted her head up and noticed how close they were now.

"Then what is it?" Y/N met Hailee’s eyes and got lost in them from the intense look she was regarding her with, her heart beating so loud in her chest she was almost sure the singer could hear it from how close she was, but she couldn’t find her voice due to her dry throat.

"I-I-"

"Do I make you nervous while half naked?" Hailee lifted her hand up and grasped Y/N’s neck gently, cupping her nape and massaging the skin there softly, watching the girl visibly relax and shiver at her touch. "Do you want to know what I think?" Hailee whispered between them as she moved her face closer to Y/N’s one, so close their noses almost brushed together. "I think you like what you are seeing, am I right?" When Y/N nodded pitifully, Hailee grasped the Y/H/C girl’s left hip and pushed her a bit more towards herself, "use your words Y/N."

"Yes."

"Did you enjoy using the excuse to take my measurements to touch me?"

"You have no idea." Y/N let out in a hoarse voice, her heart beating in synch with her pulsating center, before swallowing to try to get rid of the sudden dryness of her throat as she cursed herself for literally confessing everything to the singer. She felt like she was under a powerful spell while looking into those magnetic brown eyes and confessing everything felt right.

"I think I have-" Hailee finally flushed their hips together while the tip of their noses touched slightly, "because I enjoyed you touching me just as much, if not more."

"Hailee."

"Y/N." They were breathing heavily as the air thickened between them, the silent room filed with their lustful pants electrifying the air a lot more, "can I kiss you?"

"Yes." Y/N let out in a pitiful whine that morphed into a moan when Hailee joined their lips together the second after her consent. Fireworks exploded all around them as their mouths moved over each other slowly but determined, savoring each passing second as both finally caved into their inner desires. Hailee’s hand placed on the girl’s hip joined the other on her neck as them both grasped her nape greedily when Y/N pushed her tongue into the mouth after asking for permission by licking the seam of her closed lips, while Y/N’s ones gripped the girl’s naked hips to flush their bodies completely together. They both grunted in pleasure when they lustfully pushed more into each other’s mouth while their tongues slid over each other in an eager dance, that spread white shocks of want all over their bodies. When Hailee’s hands gripped the girl’s scalp after a particular swipe of Y/N’s tongue, Y/N growled needily and pushed Hailee back and forcefully slammed her on the nearest wall, swallowing her lewd moan when she gripped her ass hard and groped it hungrily. "You’re so fucking hot Haiz." Y/N pulled away when her lungs started to burn from lack of air and murmured on Hailee’s lips those needy words.

"Shit Y/N!" Hailee slammed her head back on the wall when Y/N moved her mouth down her jaw and nibbled the skin there. "Right there baby." She involuntarily bucked her hips up when Y/N bit harshly on her clavicle while her hands slipped past her panties to knead her ass without any fabric in between.

"We- we should stop." Y/N reluctantly detached herself from Hailee and placed her hands safely on the girl’s waist when she girl started grinding down on nothing in need.

"No, Y/N/N, please."

"I like you Haiz. A lot. And I want to do this properly. I don’t want to treat you like a quick fuck in my studio." Y/N bracketed Hailee’s face gently and pecked her lips softly, nuzzling their noses together when she pulled away. Hailee’s stomach pretty much exploded at that cute gesture and thoughtful words, smiling appreciatively at Y/N before pecking her lips again. "Something that I’ve never done before for the record." Y/N clarified, making Hailee chuckle lovingly at her while biting on her bottom lip to prevent her smile to broaden a lot more.

"I like you too. So so much. And I know you won’t treat me like that."

"I want to take you out on a date and then maybe go further." Y/N admitted with a small blush, her eyes focusing on her thumbs circling the girl’s jaw gently before meeting the girl’s gaze a few seconds later when the singer nuzzled their noses together to get her attention.

"I want all of that too. I want a relationship with you babe. But-" Hailee shivered when her eyes fixated on Y/N’s teeth sinking on her bottom lip and forced herself to stay focused instead of thinking of replacing Y/N’s teeth with her own. "I had to endure two days of you touching me while being half naked. Today was the sweetest torture I had ever been put in when you grazed my boobs and core. So please, take me and then we can go on a date right after. But please, touch me because I’m almost ready to explode."

Y/N whined pitifully as an inner fight took place inside her. She was torn between slowing their activities down and take Hailee on a date first and giving in their desires right here in her studio, but Hailee looking at her seductively with her eyes burning with lust and her half naked body leaning on her clothed one helped Y/N make the right decision in 0.1 milliseconds. With a newfound determination, Y/N growled lustfully and grasped Hailee’s ass hard to lift her up, the brunette immediately linking her legs around her waist with a small squeal, and off the wall, walking them towards her table and sitting her on it. "Shit, it’s too high."

Hailee giggled despite the thirst palpable in the room as Y/N struggled to reach her lips now that she was seated on the tall table. "C’mon, you can do it."

Y/N stopped trying to reach Hailee’s lips and stared at her down with an unimpressed look and crossed her arms under her chest childishly. "Y’know, I already found a solution, but since you’re so adamant on mocking me, enjoy yourself. Bye."

Y/N went to walk away but was stopped by Hailee who grabbed her arm with loud giggles, "no wait."

"No, you mocked me. Bye." Y/N try to walk away again, but a small smile made its way to her face when Hailee pulled her back again.

"I was kidding. You were so cute struggling to reach me on the table." Hailee smiled sweetly at the Y/H/C girl and leaned down to peck her lips, noticing how the girl didn’t pull away and reciprocated the gesture, making both their stomaches flip wildly at the sweetness of their kiss.

"Will you stop mocking me?" Y/N asked in fake annoyance as she fought against herself to mirror the singer’s contagious grin and cave in to her adorableness.

"Yes. Now c’mere." Hailee leaned her head down to wrap her mouth around Y/N’s one in a languid kiss, creating loud wet sounds when it increasingly became lustful with their tongues sliding over each other greedily. "What was your idea?"

"I though about two options. One, we can lay on the table but I think it will be really uncomfortable."

"Yeah, I agree. The second one?"

"I have a platform I use from time to time. It should be high enough for me to be the same height as you."

"This seems more useful and less painful." Hailee nodded in agreement and watched Y/N walk towards the far end of her studio to retrieve it, before placing it at her feet. As the girl stood back up, a wicked idea popped into the brunette’s mind and acted quickly, her right hand went behind her torso and untied her bra, taking off each strap before using her left arm to keep it in place on her chest while she positioned herself on the table with her other arm placed behind herself to lay on her hand in a seductive position.

"Okay, d-one." Y/N had to literally pick up her jaw off the floor when, as soon as she stood up, the singer took of her bra and threw it at her, making it slung over her right shoulder. Her eyes stayed fixated on those round, full mounds, a pair of pink, pebbled nipples staring back at her and literally screaming to wrap her lips around them, but she stood frozen there with labored breath and dry mouth.

"Like what you see?" Hailee asked in a flirtatious tone, arching her back a bit to push her chest more up in the air and watched as Y/N’s eyes darkened instantly.

"Yes."

"So why don’t you come here and do something other than staring?" Y/N growled loudly and went to literally bounce on Hailee, but stopped a few millimeters away from Hailee’s lips and with her hands gripping the girl’s naked waist and pulled herself away and stared at Hailee intently, "what?"

"Hold on, let me lock the doors." With the last ounce of clarity she had, she detached reluctantly from Hailee’s body and sprinted towards her studio’s two doors, locking them both to be sure they wouldn’t be interrupted, before jumping on the platform and clashed her lips over Hailee’s still a bit bruised ones in a lustful kiss, all the gentleness gone as desire and craving took its place. "You’re so hot Haiz." Y/N murmured on Hailee’s jaw, stopping there a few seconds to nibble the defined feature before descending down her body, placing a hand behind Hailee’s back to let her lean back a bit as her mouth took the brunette’s left nipple in her mouth and suckled on it hungrily.

"Oh! Y/N." Hailee used the hand she wasn’t leaning on for stability to grasp the girl’s scalp and push her more into chest as little moans and whimpers left her throat at the amazing sensation Y/N was triggering with her wonderful ministrations on her boobs.

The girl spent a generous amount of time making sure she payed enough attention to both of Hailee’s nipples, while her other hand boldly caressed the girl inner thigh and smirked on her skin when she felt her hips canting up to search some friction. "Fuck, your boobs are perfect." Y/N murmured with an erected nipple in her mouth while her hand inched dangerously closer to where Hailee needed her the most.

"Please Y/N, touch me."

"I am touching you babe." Y/N sassily countered back when she pulled away from the girl’s chest and smirked on her lips as she hovered her mouth over Hailee’s one.

"You know what I mean." Hailee rolled her eyes at the clearly fake, innocent look on her face as her hand caressed her inner thigh. "Y/N." Hailee started with an hard tone, "touch me."

"Where?"

Despite Hailee enjoying the teasing and bickering they are having, she was too much turned on to keep going, so she merely grunted and moved her hand from Y/N’s hair down to her own hand, grasped it and pushed it inside her drenched panties, leaning her head back and moaning loudly when her erotic gesture finally created her craved friction. "Right fucking here."

"Holy shit." Y/N stood there with her stilled hand stashed into Hailee’s panties and cupping her drenched center and her eyes widened in shock as she watched Hailee buck her hips up into her hand to search some needed release. "That was so fucking hot."

"Now please make me come. I am almost ready to explode."

This was what made Y/N spur into action, moving the girl’s panties aside and skidded her pointer and middle finger around the singer’s entrance to collect as much juices already pooling there as she could before easing one finger in, surprised at how easily it slipped in without restraint. Hailee moaned lewdly as she slumped her head back and arched her spine in pleasure, then moved her hips in rhythm with Y/N’s digit to increase her pleasure. "You’re beautiful Haiz." Hailee spread her legs more to give Y/N further access when the Y/H/C girl pushed a second finger in and sped up her movements, the motion causing wet sounds to mix with Hailee’s whimpers and Y/N’s short breath and creating a dashing melody that made Y/N almost come without proper stimulation.

"Yes! Oh Y/N/N, yes, yes! Ah!" Y/N’e mouth regained its place onto Hailee’s chest as her hand kept its unrelenting tempo into her core, pulling a few louder moans here and there when she hit a particular spot into the brunette. "Oh! You feel so fucking good. Ah! Ah!" Hailee was a moaning mess as her body thrashed around in pure pleasure, a clear sign she was near her tipping point. Her moans got louder while her hips’ movements got sloppier and her walls clenched deliciously around Y/N’s fingers as the girl sped up her tempo and thrusted in deeper and with just an harder push she came onto Y/N’s hand with a long, lewd moan of Y/N’s name tumbling out of her mouth.

The Y/E/C girl slowed down her motions into Hailee’s core to let her ride her post-coital wave as she peppered kisses on her chest, neck, jaw and face sweetly. Only when she felt the girl relax and slump back on the table she pushed her fingers out and wrapped her lips around Hailee’s ones when she moaned in protest at the lack of stimulation. "How are you feeling babe?"

"Like I’m on a cloud." Hailee answered with a still a bit unfocused eyes and a dope smile stretched on her lips. Y/N giggled cutely at the state the singer was still in a continued to peck Hailee’s lips repeatedly in a sweet gesture as she hugged her closer. "Y’know I find really unfair that you’re still fully clothed. Let me even things out." In a swift motion, Hailee slipped Y/N’s black t-shirt off and popped the button of her pants open, "take your shoes off so I can get rid of your jeans." Y/N did as she was told and shivered visibly in the process when she straightened up to slip her shoes off and Hailee quickly removed her bra and started leaving open mouthed kisses right on her pulse point as her hand slipped past her pants and panties and cupped her core, feeling the copious amount of wetness collected there. "Mh, so wet for me."

"Babe, wait, I’m gonna fall." Hailee smirked at the wailed tone Y/N used and decided to give her mercy by slipping her hand out, not missing the protesting whimper leaving Y/N’s throat and helped the girl stabilize herself when she removed her shoes, pants and panties in one go. "Sit up. Your panties need to go too."

Hailee jumped down the table with a seductive smirk and quickly got rid of her panties, before resuming her sitting position on the table and pulled Y/N towards her. "Can you jump on the table?"

"Yeah, hold on." Y/N with a swift and totally effortless motion laid her hands on each side of Hailee’s thighs and lifted herself up the table, straddling the girl’s hips as she stabilized herself with her hands on the brunette’s shoulders. "Hi there."

"That was so fucking hot." Hailee growled lustfully as she didn’t waste any more time, slipping two fingers into Y/N’s core as she joined their lips in an hungry kiss. Y/N stopped their kiss a second later to moan into Hailee’s mouth at the wanted stimulation and ground her hips down onto Hailee’s digits before rejoining their mouths. Hailee already set an unrelenting, quick pace into Y/N’s cunt, wanting at all cost to have Y/N come because of her as soon as possible, so with a newfound determination, she pushed a nipple into her mouth after taking a needed breath from their dashing kisses while her free hand gripped Y/N’s ass to help her move her hips while her fingers into her center thrusted in deeper and faster.

"Hailee! Haiz! Oh yes. Oh fuck, fuck!" Hailee bit particularly hard on Y/N’s nipple in pure, raw need when Y/N started gyrating her hips onto her fingers as moans spilled out of her mouth. "YES! OH HAIZ!" Y/N came a few minutes later after Hailee’s thumb started stimulating the Y/H/C girl’s clit relentlessly, matching her fingers’ movements. "Wow, shit." Y/N shivered wildly when Hailee pulled her fingers out and kissed her slowly, before hugging her tightly. "That was so powerful."

"And yet, I’m not fully satisfied." Hailee murmured in a horse tone into Y/N’s ear, something that spread goosebumps all over Y/N’s body as fresh wetness already pooled between her legs.

"Me toO!" Y/N’s sentence finished with a loud moan when Hailee pushed two fingers into Y/N’s core unexpectedly and already set a fast pace. "Shit Haiz."

"Lay down." Hailee instructed and helped Y/N move without pulling her fingers out of her, both blindly pushing the papers scattered around the table on the floor, before laying her down on the cold surface that created goosebumps on the Y/H/C girl’s hot skin. "Is it painful?"

"Not as much as - shit fuck - I thought." Y/N arched her back in pleasure when Hailee lifted her left leg around her waist and used the new angle to thrust in deeper with the help of her hips.

"Good." Hailee murmured as she focused on the task at hand, her eyes taking in Y/N’s face contorted in pleasure as her boobs moved up and down after each thrust of her hips and fingers into the Y/H/C girl’s core. "Look at you. Spread out for me. Dripping just for my fingers to fuck you."

"Oh! Ah! Ah! YES! All for you my beautiful Haiz." Hailee’s movements were precise and steady, pulling her fingers almost all the way out before pushing them back in harshly with her hips, making her palm slam on the Y/H/C girl’s clit in the process and increasing her pleasure tenfold. "Shit, I’m so close."

"Then come for me again, my pretty baby." Y/N didn’t need it to be said twice as she came right after with a scream of Hailee’s name, mixed with a few profanities and unintelligible words while her body trashed around in pleasure. Hailee pushed her fingers out only when Y/N stopped trembling and laid on her body, making sure to not crash her, and kissed her right cheek repeatedly while the girl stayed put with her eyes closed and breathed heavily.

"Hello. Welcome back on earth." Hailee whispered in a baby voice to Y/N after the girl reopened her eyes and gave her a dope smile.

"I’ve never blacked out before."

"It means I did something good." Hailee gloated with a cheeky smile and kissed Y/N languidly before sighing out happily.

"How do you feel?"

"Great."

"You’re about to feel a lot better in a few seconds." Hailee furrowed her eyebrows together at Y/N’s statement, her confused frown deepening when Y/N escaped - reluctantly - from her embrace and stood up.

"What are you doing?"

"Something I’ve dreamed to do since you first stepped in my studio." Y/N answered cryptically, but before Hailee could ask for an explanation, Y/N grabbed her shins and pushed her towards her, making her legs dangle from the table as she rested her ass on the edge of it.

"Shit." Hailee watched transfixed as Y/N spread her legs wider, before making eye contact with her and tentatively slipping her tongue out and tracing it from the bottom of her center up to her clit. Hailee’s eyes rolled in the back of her head at the new sensation and at the erotic gesture Y/N just did, moaning out loud and slumping her head on the table when Y/N repeated the motion, this time more firmly. "Oh Y/N/N, you feel so good."

"And you taste so fucking amazing Haiz. Holy shit." Y/N murmured into Hailee’s cunt, the vibrations stimulating Hailee so much that white shocks travelled from there and spread all over her body like a wildfire, making her almost come on the spot. The stylist repeated her prior movements, licking Hailee more firmly as she savored her wonderful taste. She then wrapped her lips around the brunette’s pulsating clit and sucked on it a few seconds, reveling in the loud moans leaving Hailee’s throat and moved her hands gripping the girl’s thighs up to her hips to stop her sloppy movements.

"Y/N/N! FUCK!" The Y/H/C girl slipped her tongue in without warning and moaned into Hailee’s core at the delicious and wonderful sensation of having the brunette’s walls clench around her walls and her unique taste inebriating her senses, before moving slowly but firmly into the singer while her thumb joined the equation and rolled Hailee’s pulsating clit to enhance her pleasure. "Ah! Oh! Yes! Right there. Oh you feel so good baby."

Y/N’s jaw started to hurt from the exertion but pushed aside the pain to deliver the best orgasm Hailee had so far, so she sped up her movements just a tad bit and tried to push as deeper as she could. Her efforts had been rewarded a few moments later when her mouth got flooded by Hailee’s juices, whose she promptly swallowed as she licked the girl clean till the last drop that left the girl’s core. "You there?"

Y/N giggled when she moved Hailee’s body back on the center of the table, before straddling her torso and caressing the girl’s face lovingly, "yeah."

"Good. Hey I was think-" Y/N was cut short mid-sentence when she felt Hailee’s hands grasp her ass and push her body up forcefully, moaning pitifully when she noticed Hailee pushed her to make her straddle her face. "Fuck."

"-you. Yeah, that’s what I’m about to do." Hailee’s hot breath hitting her drenched core made Y/N almost loose balance, but a hand entwining with hers while the other gripped her left thigh helped her stay put as warmth spread all over her body. "Enjoy the ride."

Y/N was about to reply with a witty remark, but her hands died in her throat in a strangled moan when Hailee immediately pushed her tongue into her core and moved it in and out steadily. She alternated between thrusting in and out of her core, to suckling on her clit to drawing idle circles over her entrance to tease and stimulate her to the fullest. "Haiz. Right there. Yes, yes, yes. Oh! AH!" A loud whine escaped Y/N’s throat when Hailee’s hand skidded from her thigh to her ass and gripped it hard to help the girl’s hips’ movements as they rode Hailee’s tongue, pushing her hips down to slam her wet muscles as deep as she could into the Y/H/C girl.

"You taste heavenly babe." Y/N shivered hard at the vibrations of Hailee’s voice hitting something deep within her and increased the speed of her hips, chasing an orgasm that was close to hit her. "Are you going to let me lick you clean?" Y/N wailed out loud at the lewd words and nodded furiously, Hailee’s tongue slipping back in for a few thrusts before it slipped out again, "use your words babe."

"Yes, baby. Make me come and lick me CLEAN!" Y/N arched her head back in pleasure when Hailee’s thumb pushed hard on her clit while her tongue curled inside of her, her walls clenching hard around it as she tipped over the edge. Hailee promptly and eagerly drank Y/N up, drawing small licks to help the stylist enjoy her post-coital wave as she savored her taste and stopped only when Y/N slumped back on her face, before slapping her ass gently and gestured her to lay back on the table. As soon as Y/N’s back hit the table, Hailee cuddled into her and nuzzled her nose into the crook of her neck while her tongue licked the last drops of Y/N’s release off her lips and chin. "That was amazing. You are so perfect my beautiful Haiz."

"So are you my breathtaking Y/N/N."

They stayed like that a few minutes, soaking up in their post-coital bubble while a comfortable silence wrapped around them. Y/N broke their peaceful silence not too long after to murmur gently an idea that popped into her mind right in that instant, "how about we put out clothes back on and go to my apartment?"

"Already taking me to your place Y/L/N?" Hailee teased with a big smirk as her pointer finger draw idle circles on the girl’s chest covered in a few hickeys. "We’re missing a few steps here."

"We literally fucked in my studio on my uncomfortable table. It would be a great improvement."

Hailee laughed care-freely at that and hid her face into Y/N’s neck, her stomach flipping over itself when Y/N’s arm slung around her back pushed her more into her, "that’s true."

"But seriously, we can go there. I can cook something and we can enjoy a peaceful evening."

"Are you asking me out on a date Y/N Y/L/N?" Hailee smirked teasingly but her tone gave away her excitement and her affection she had for the girl and she felt love quickly building inside her chest for the dork she had in front of her.

"Yes. Will you go on a date with me miss Hailee Steinfeld?"

"Yes." The two shared a slow, languid, full of emotions kiss after their smiles stretched over their lips and hugged each other impossibly closer to feel physically whole as they emotionally felt in that moment. "Lead the way babe."

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jade-parcels · 4 years ago

Text

The genshin men: fatherhood edition

With: Childe, Zhongli, Kaeya, Diluc, Xiao, Venti, Albedo and Baizhu

—————————

Childe:

Ajax loves kids and he’ll make that known early on in your relationship

Like...This man wants five or more kids but he’ll settle for four. He dreams of a big family, getting to surround himself with you and your kids every night for family dinners, everyone getting together for big birthday parties or reunions! That’s his dream life! Plus, in Snezhnaya, most families have more than two kids anyways

He will cry so hard when his babies are placed in his arms for the first time, I mean he’s a mess. Nose is running, eyes puffy, lost of sniffling lmao he is so excited to be a dad!! Don’t you dare tell the other Harbingers how much he cried...What do you mean you took a picture when he wasn’t looking??? Hey??!?!

With his obscene amount of mora, he’ll buy a huge house that will accommodate everyone. Anything you want will be purchased that day or within 48 hours, the same goes for the kids

But they’ll all learn to be thankful for what they have. They’ll learn to fight, fish and speak multiple languages. He has high expectations but let’s face it, he’ll be proud of them no matter what

You’re gonna have to be the one to put your foot down though because Ajax doesn’t enjoy being the ‘mean parent’, he has trouble saying no to the kiddos which can create some tension between you and your husband. He has good intentions of course!! He doesn’t wanna say no to those cute, freckled faces!!

Zhongli:

Zhongli is nervous about having kids because he’s immortal. So this will go one of two ways. 1. You have the baby and the baby ends up not being immortal (or you adopt a baby who is not immortal) Then he loses you both. OR 2. You have the baby and it inherits his immortality and becomes an adeptus. Now he and the baby will have to watch you die while they both life forever.

Either way...It hurts him to think about because he loves you!! He wants to have a family with you!! He wants to give you that perfect family life every human desires!! But he’s torn

You two will just have to figure it out.

Zhongli will be a strong, male figure for your kid(s) and he will instill that traditional kindness and respect into their behavior. ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ always, always offer to help someone who needs it, do good deeds and you will feel accomplished, be the best you you can be, alway try your hardest because that’s all that matters

He will be sure that your kid(s) always feel loved ALWAYS. Zhongli will tell them stories, cook for them, take them to school, anything that needs to be done. When you’ve had a rough day, he’ll step in to take over for the night without being asked. He shows interest in everything your kid(s) like and he will do his damn best to display every piece of artwork they make or every pretty rock they find

He...will make a great dad :’)

Kaeya:

Ooooh brother, at first Kaeya says no he doesn’t want kids but...Then he starts thinking about it

He observes the happy families that walk around the cobblestone streets of Mondstadt, how the kiddos smile and laugh with their parents. He’ll patrol in the afternoons, usually rounding the corner just in time to see the city’s kids leave school for the day, watching as they all run down the street to go home to their parents or play in the fountain together...Yeah, that really warms his heart

He’d want one or two kids, preferably two to avoid an only child being lonely. He isn’t on the best terms with Diluc but he can admit that they had a great childhood together, playing at the winery and running around as brothers do

Kaeya would be a very patient, understanding father. He doesn’t have much of a temper so he’d use the kids’ mistakes as learning opportunities instead of getting upset at them

He would be obsessed with the kids when they’re babies though oh man if you thought you had baby fever, he has it times ten! He loves holding the baby, watching with a twinkling eye as his baby grasps his thumb with its tiny hand... adorable

And if your kids inherited his eyes, his star shaped pupils that his ancestors passed down to him...He’s gonna get emotional

Everyone at the knights’ headquarters and the Angel’s Share will get sick of him REALLY fast cause he won’t stop bragging about how cute and smart his kids are lmao

Diluc:

Diluc would be such a soft dad don’t even get me started

He loves you so much of course he wants to have kids with you! Is that even a question?? He won’t be the one to bring it up unless he gets the feeling that you want kids but once you ask, he’ll agree so fast

He’ll be grateful to even have one kid with you :’) and he’ll be fine with however many kids YOU want. You want one kid? Perfect! You want four? No problem, the manor is big enough for ten! You...you want ten...? Time to hire some more maids then lmao

Diluc is a worry wart though, he’ll be afraid to hold the baby, feed it, bathe it, he’s terrified of hurting the baby or the baby suddenly hating him. So just help him out!! Cause when he gets comfortable with the baby, he’ll be in full dad mode

He isn’t embarrassed to walk around the manor, conducting business with a baby strapped to his chest!

Diluc is a very kind, gentle dad who will always offer helpful solutions to the kiddos’ problems. He’ll make sure all of their needs are met while also trying to avoid spoiling them... Too much... There will be a fair amount of spoiling...

His own father wasn’t too affectionate with him so that’s why he’ll be affectionate with his kids! Hugs and kisses when he tucks them in at night, big dad hugs when they get home from school, holding their hands in the busy streets of Mondstadt. His father was a great dad! He just aims to be better.

Xiao:

Like Zhongli, he worries about the mortality thing. Since he’s an Adeptus, his kid will certainly be an Adeptus too if you have kids together.

He also worries that his kid(s) will hate him. His duty is to kill demons which means that rain or shine, holidays, special occasions, day or night he’s gotta be ready to go slaughter demonic beings. So he’ll inevitably miss out on important stages in the kiddos’ lives

And admittedly... He’ll be scared of his kids lmao

They’re screaming, crying, barfing, pooping, laughing, screaming again...He can’t predict their behavior. It’s unsettling. All of that goes away one night when you sit him down and place your sleeping baby in his arms. His eyes go wide...And he just watches. This tiny, little baby...Feels no fear for him. It’s comforted by his presence. He almost cries...ALMOST

He’s still pretty much the same Xiao we all know and love but now he has a kid. “Slaying demons is what I do...Hey, go back inside and finish your dinner. Yes, even your vegetables. I don’t care that you don’t like them-...Fine. Don’t tell your mother, bring them to me. I’ll eat them” cute :)

He’s a protective dad and husband, he’d never let anyone or anything harm his beloved family

Venti:

Venti....does not want kids. He thinks they’re cute! He likes the idea of kids but he knows he wouldn’t enjoy actually having kids

You two already have so much fun together!! You don’t need a kid!! You guys have dogs!! Dogs are like kids! But they’re more independent and they’re cuter!

He’ll feel bad if you want kids and he doesn’t, he really will! But it’ll be nearly impossible to convince him cause he’s made his mind up :/

Venti’ll make it up to you somehow though, he’ll take you out more and show you all of the adventures you guys can have if there aren’t kids around

But for the sake of fatherhood headcanons, let’s pretend he gave in. Venti would be a very caring dad. He would cuddle the hell out of this kiddo and sing to them :’) the only problem is that Venti doesn’t like being tethered to one place for too long so he tends to take off and not come back for a few days... :(

Albedo:

Albedo wants kids mostly just to see what fatherhood would be like. He’s always been curious about what that part of his life would be like so why not have a kid

He’d be good with one kid, two at most cause after practically raising Klee, he knows how some kids can be and...He doesn’t have the mental capacity for more than two kids at a time lmao

He tries his best to show more emotion in his face. We all know he usually sits like this 😐 and goes ‘wow im so happy right now’. If you didn’t know him, you’d think he was bored out of his mind right? So he’s gotta work on that. And when he musters up a smile for the baby and it smiles back at him????? Yeah...He’s gonna try to smile a lot more now

He definitely softens up once he becomes a dad, he shows emotion more than he used to and surprisingly, he takes time off of work. Shocker, I know! He decides that he’s been in the lab long enough and that he wants to be able to be there for these moments with you and his kid(s) :’) :’) He trusts Sucrose and Timaeus to take over for him for a couple hours

He keeps a journal for each kid and writes down the date and time they have their firsts or just interesting things they do ->

- 8/4: Baby sees and plays with a cat for the first time

- 9/5: Baby smacked me in the face and laughed so hard she threw up

-9/12: Baby learns that pulling my hair gets my attention. She now continues to do so

-10/15: Baby stays at Aunt Klee’s house for the first time

Baizhu:

Baizhu really loves kids, he works with them a lot and he considers Qiqi to be his daughter anyway but in terms of you guys having a kid together, with his condition he can probably only handle one kid running around

He will do his absolute best to be a good dad. Even if he feels like death, he’ll help change diapers, feed the baby, care for it when you need a break. He isn’t contagious so when you’re sleeping and he feels gross, he’ll sit back against the pillows with the baby on his chest, the three of you resting together (though he doesn’t fall asleep...that would be dangerous for the baby)

Baizhu already tends to nag at you about your health and lifestyle choices but now?? He’ll be a menace. He’ll be constantly evaluating your baby’s condition, checking to see if a certain food is giving them a rash or making sure their skin isn’t drying out. He’s hyper aware of your baby’s health and will be the one to treat them if they get sick

He’s a busy guy since he runs the pharmacy but he will always do his best to be present for your baby’s big milestones! And when your kid cries cause Baizhu’s medicine tastes like shit, he’ll do his best to not be disappointed in their reaction lmao

When you leave him alone with the baby, he’ll wrap a scarf around himself to tie the baby to his chest while he works and...he looks so cute :) dad baizhu <3 <3 <3 <3

Bonus points for him buying the baby toy medical equipment so he can get your kiddo interested in medicine :)

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starshipsofstarlord · 4 years ago

Note

Could I request a Bucky Barnes x reader smut? Basically she and Bucky have been together for some time and maybe it’d be a little angst where the two are talking about the future and Bucky not thinking he can ever have a normal future? Which would result in soft smut and later reader being revealed as pregnant so Bucky finally gets his family

I’m Home

Pairing | Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary | based on the request ^^

Warnings | angst, smut, oral sex (m receiving), fluff, pregnancy, mentions of death

Quick link to my masterlist, if you’re interested in reading more of my crap 😬

The Wilson’s boat rocked sturdily upon the water, swaying as the boats worked aboard. Your hand held the weight of a silver spanner, twirling it in your fist as though it were a knife, thinking of the long road ahead of you. Sam had the shield now, that was a good start, but still, there was a ways to go until the world recognised him as the captain that he was meant to be.

There was so much destruction ongoing in the world, what with the flag smashers, and whomever the power broker was, and surely, you knew on the shallow surface, that there would be masses more problems to arise. It was exhausting, to know that there was no end to the war on earth, and that you were surely going to be fighting the threats until you could no more.

Bucky felt the same; he had just gone from one war to another, losing everyone that he cared about along the way. Steve had given everything up to finally find peace, and yet, the two did not share the same opportunity. An escape was never laid at your feet, instead, the pair of you were trapped in the cycle of cruelty, being blended around in a shredder by reality.

“Hey.” A voice confiscated you from the lonesome containment of your thoughts; it was Sam’s hosting sister, Sarah. I’m her own way, though you doubted that she would never admit such a thing, she was a hero. She had become a widow, and not to mention she remained a stable mother to keep her boys afloat, as well as nurturing half the kids that lived within close proximity.

“Hi Sarah.” You put the tool down, giving her your ample attention as you stood, tugging your fingers into the loops of your jeans as you stepped out of the boat, and onto the dock. “Anything I can help with?” It hadn’t passed your attention that Sam and Bucky had disappeared, but not into ash like last time. Instead, they had walked off in the direction of the house, most likely meddling about with a ball, in the back yard with Jim and Jody.

“I just came to let you know I’ve made the sofa up for you and Bucky. Are you sure you’ll be all good, I could always kick Sam outta his bed and make him sleep on the living room floor?” The two of you had nightmares, if you were to be separated from him for even a night, it was certain that the pair of you would greatly suffer. That was something you didn’t want to burden any of the Wilson’s with, screaming in the middle of the night because flashes from your past struck an unconscious nerve.

“All good, and thank you Sarah. You didn’t have to let us stay here, we both appreciate it, a hell of a lot.” One thing that you had learnt throughout your years was to show gratitude. The smallest amount shared had the ability to spring up moods, and had even set you on a much more heroic path than the one that you had been originally been placed upon.

“You’ve earned your stay.” Sam’s sister shrugged with modesty, acknowledging the help that you and Bucky had not only given to Sam, but to her family’s legacy. The two of you had aided with fixing the old wreckage that had now returned to the form of a boat, keeping it afloat rather than permitting it to sink from the quarrels that Sam had with himself regarding fixing the damned yet meaningful port of transport.

“This life you have, it’s great. I get it’s not easy, but it’s beautiful. You have two wonderful kids, that you’ve done such a great job raising, and not to mention, these community that you have is so loving and kind, even to us outsiders.” The pair of you had paused outside of her front door, speaking. “Sam is lucky to have you, he truly is.”

“Well, maybe one day this life could be something similar to what you’ll have.” The sister of your friend smiled, though your mirroring expression retracted. In a stumble of thought, you shook your head, not believing that possibility. This all was... perfect. That was something that you had never had, nor would you think that you’d ever be permitted such a peaceful lifestyle.

“I don’t think that would work out.” You sincerely mumbled, feeling the sad swelling in your chest at the prospect of all the luxuries that life had denied both you and Bucky of. It wasn’t fair all the same, but the two of you were used to being denied human rights, let alone the simplicity of nothing more than a life together. “As nice as it sounds, me and Buck aren’t really cut out for all this I suppose.”

“The world does not choose who can and cannot have a family, there’s always a way. Just because you haven’t had the most ideal line of story does not at all mean that you can’t make it work, from as much as i know, you two deserve a life together, that doesn’t include being shot at, or shooting at other people. Sometimes, you’ve just gotta go for it, and hope for the best.” She gave you a final nod, before heading inside, and you trailed after her into her her residency.

The two of you went your separate ways, and there, you saw Bucky, sat up on the sofa, his hands clasped together as his eyes stared towards the tan bag, that concealed not the shape, but the Stars and Stripes of the infamous shield. It was much a relief that it was no longer in Walker’s toxic clutch, however its presence, among other things, were taking a clear toll on your boyfriend.

“You ever feel like we’re stuck?” The air was tense around you both as he spoke solemnly, it diverting to match the mood of his question. “Like we’re us, and I love us, but it makes me think that it’s it. Just me and you, on this path for the rest of our lives, never getting a compensated break, nor an average person’s future. I want this, what these people here have, not the combat that is aided by this metal arm, or the associations that stick to us like life lines.”

“All the time, it’s on my mind James.” With a sigh, you came to sit beside him on the couch, resting your head against his bionic shoulder. “I ever wonder if there’s a timeline of you and me where there’s none of this ruckus, we just have a nice little house in a quiet and accepting place, and maybe a kid or two in the future.”

“I’d give anything up for that.” He looked at you, almost wide eyed, as his hand slithered down onto your knee cap, rubbing small circles as he wore a blunt and endearing smile upon his infatuating lips. “I mean that Buck, that sounds...”

“Perfect?” He asked, leaning closer as he grabs your chin with his wondrous fingers, his nose brushing alongside your own as his puckered lips fell upon yours, earning a small hun of content from within you. “Because you’re perfect to me, and no matter what life we are encased in, I want to share it with you. I want stare at the night sky and watch the moonlight illuminate the side of your face, and the stars reflect in your entrapping eyes, that I want to look into like a medium’s orbs forever, because that is how I will see the future that I ever so hope for.”

“How long have you been working on that one Barnes, because you are usually not that smooth?” A small laugh erupted from your mouth, but you were quickly silenced as you felt a cold metal hand slither up and beneath the back of your tank top, rubbing along the seam of your spine, as his lips ran down the column of your throat, evoking small and delicate whimpers out of you.

“Shut up doll, because I really want to fuck you now, and those words leaving your mouth are making it kinda hard to concentrate.” A furrow imbedded between his brows, as you tilted your head at him, a smirk proclaiming your expression as you pulled the material over your head, and reached behind yourself to unclip the back of your bra.

“Kinda hard to concentrate, hun?” You asked nonchalantly as his gaze zeroed in on your bare breasts, his hands smoothing along your ribcage as he adjusted his grip of you so that he was palming at your breasts, and squeezing the nipples. “I want you in me baby, I’ve practically gone days without you inside of me.” Licking your lips, you reached down to palm your beloved through his layers, earning a positive groan from the former assassin.

“Hours, you mean. I fingered you on the road trip here.” Yes, that was true, however, it was only his fingers, not even the metal ones, and whilst you loved what they alone could do, he had to be discreet as you were sat on the back of the truck, which had carried the primary parts for the Wilson’s family boat. If you were to scream out, they’d have surely thought that you’d fallen off the back of the truck and pull over, or if they had much sense, they’d have noticed that there was more going on than two passengers sat side by side on the journey to their small neighbourhood by the docks,

“You heard me Barnes, otherwise I’m sure Sam wouldn’t have any problem if I came to his room in this state of undress that I am currently portraying.” Growling was never Bucky’s fortes, however the sound aggressively ripped through the tunnel of his throat, as he threw off his grey top, quickly unfastening his belt, as he awaited for you to strip the rest of your clothing before him.

But rather than doing so, as he stood before you, your hand had trouble resisting the sight of his cock that had bobbed to attention, and thus, you wrapped it around his toned flesh, giving it a couple jerks that had his head reeling back, before you tongued his tip, moaning to yourself at the taste of him invading your sensitive taste buds. “Love your cock.”

As soon as you said that, Bucky gently gathered your head in a ponytail so that it was free from bombarding your face, and groaned as quiet as he could as you sucked him in your mouth, running your tongue up the side of his shaft. “Is that a part of your dream world baby doll, the sight of my cock throbbing to be inching down that perfect little throat of yours?”

To answer him, you pressed your head down deeper, humming around him as your eyes ogled up at the sight of your super soldier, who was trying his hardest to keep his eyes open, and attuned to the sight of you. He held his bottom lip between his teeth, as you lightly gagged around him, pulling off him, and squeezing his balls, before running your hungry tongue along the middle of his sack.

“Always. It would be a dream if you made love to me right here and now though, I’m not sure I can wait any longer James.” Bucky took a long inhale, before ravishingly pulling down your jeans and panties in one go, and tossing you so that he was below your form, and you hovered over him, toying with his erect cock. “I love you so much Bucky, and I’m scared of what’s to come. I have a feeling that there’s gonna be a fight.”

“There’s always a fight doll face.” He rubbed his thumb soothingly across your jaw, pulling your hips down closer so that you were rubbing your slick folds against his standing cock. “But this is what we’re fighting for, the rest of our lives together. I’d be damned, one day after this, and if I were to die, I’d be a happy man. There’d be the memory of you to keep me forever happy in the afterlife, and not to mention, there’d be no more wars for me to participate in.”

“I’m not going to let you die Buck, even hypothetically. We saw how your little hypothetical synopsis went last time.” Tapping his cock against your clit, a breathy sound evicted from your lips, as you stared down at the two of you intimately touching, the sight alone making you more turned on and impatient. “No one is allowed to kill you, otherwise I’ll unleash hell on all their flag smashing asses.”

Giving him one last stroke, you guided his tip towards your entrance, removing your hand once you had him situated, so that you could rest it upon his sturdy shoulder, and sink down on him, the feeling of him stretching you being the most euphoric sensation that you had ever endured. Hushed moans ceased from the both of you, as Bucky’s hands gripped your ass cheeks, only adding to all of the pleasure that was erupting within you.

“Think your pussy is gonna kill me before anyone else does; your so tight.” His pitch had rose, as your fingertips danced along the left side of his handsome face, invisibly connecting the dots of his beauty marks. You allowed the pair of you to adjust for a simple moment, before you began to raise your hips, sliding up his super soldier rod, only to slide down it again.

The actions were repeated, as your own hands trailed down his warm skin, to drag down the golden lines of his vibranium arm, only to bring the weapon to your mouth, and kiss every black finger up, as you tried your best to muffle the moans that were hoping to reap free. “So fucking big, I love you and your cock.” You muttered, your sight turning blurry as Bucky realised that it was his turn to do the work, and thus, he thrusted up into you, making echoing sounds of your skin slapping together reverberate around the room.

“Love you more.” He gritted his teeth, pulling his metallic hand away from your numb lips, so that he could swirl the elegant digits around your clit, the action provoking whimpers to rapidly surpass your exterior, as you bit harshly onto your own lip, and screwed your eyes shut. “Cum for me doll, want you to cover my hard cock in everything you have. Come on baby, you can do it.”

Without much thought, as your mind was too scrambled to do so, you reached for Bucky’s spare hand, pulling it to your mouth as you sucked on his fingers as though you were blowing him. A low moan that was dialled down from the presence of his flesh digits, ran from your mouth, as you began to bounce your hips, chasing and eventually reaching your high. You came around him, pushing him too over the edge, his seed filling your walls, as you collapsed atop of him, huffing from exhaustion as you removed his salivated hand from the realms of your mouth, resting your head against his panting chest.

Stringed sighs fell from Bucky’s breath as he tried to catch his own breath. His hands rubbed your back, not only to comfort you, but also to subconsciously pull you closer against him, and his softening cock that was still inside you, and was keeping his cum plugged within your tender and pulsating walls. If life was easier, there’d be more time for this, and that, but for now, it was just every now and then. Maybe you’d win this fight and survive until the next one, but maybe, you’d lose and never battle again.

Life was precious, that was something that you had not only learned as an avenger, but also something that had been told to you by Isiah. That man thought that you deserved a normal life, no fighting, no super soldiers. He himself was the biggest yet silent critic of those with additional strength, but his opinion was never going to sway you, not as you stared out into Sarah’s backyard, and watched the man that you loved play with the boys.

They had the shield, and were whisking it through the air like a frisbee; dangerous, yes, but again, life could only amount to so much without an ounce of pain. A content and satisfied smile absorbed any pain on your face, you were enraptured with the sight of Bucky like this, he was like an uncle to these two kids. He was no captain America, that was for sure, but you didn’t want a man in Stars and Stripes, all you wanted was him to be at peace, and it was a fact unbeknownst to him, that you had made such an alternative to that.

“Still want all this?” Sarah emerged, a cheap yet formidable bottle of wine pursed in her hand, as she held two clear and tall glasses in her hand. You hummed, watching as she poured the thin red consistency into one glass, but as she went to fill the other, you held out your hand, shaking your head. The woman was confused, last time you had visited, and were entangled on her sofa with the limbs of your boyfriend and a shaggy old blanket, you had kindly accepted her offer.

“Sure do.” You sighed, staring out into the green abyss where Jim was hanging from Bucky’s arm like it were a branch. “How do you do this, this whole mother thing? I’ve never been able to wrap my head around how you make it look so easy, it’s just, you do such a good job.” Your palms rested flat on your thighs as you laughed at Sam ordering Jody to jump on Bucky’s back, as he fell down in faux defeat.

“It never is easy y/n.” She placed the open bottle down, along with the mismatched glasses, that were asymmetrical considering one was half filled and the other wallowed in emptiness. “But every step of difficulty is worth it. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss their father, but they’re my priority. For Jim and Jody, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do, and you’d understand that if you ever opened yourself up to giving your life of heroism up to have all this.”

“I might have to.” Twiddling with your fingers, glancing up at your boyfriend, realising that he was in fact not looking over, you clasped your intwined hands over your stomach, smiling softly to yourself. “And maybe not having another option is the best option for me and Buck, because we don’t have to fight with ourselves over being included in our duties, we have new ones.”

“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” Sarah asked, resting her nurturing hand upon the tile of your shoulder, prompting you to turn your face towards her. There was a conflict in your eyes, it was something that she recognised her younger self having once worn. It was the idea of putting everything aside, all for a child, everything that she had ever known, so that she could put her baby boy first. “Does Bucky know?”

“He will.” You shifted your head down, unsure of yourself. This had been what you had wanted, and whilst you still envied Sarah for the role she had, you were hurt. A part of you wanted to be an avenger until you were nothing but a soul drifting in the abyss of non existence, another didn’t want to let the knowledge of being a carrier for a new future crumble you. “I just need a moment to tell him.”

“I’ve got it.” She sent you a wink, picking up the items she had brought out, before she called on Sam and the kids to come inside. Sarah had gifted you the opportunity of revealing the truth to your partner with no one else around; you appreciated that. As he stalked closer, you met him halfway, sinking into his arms as he hugged you.

“Looked like you were having fun with the boys.” You verbally noted, loving the feeling of him running his fingers through your hair. “You’re amazing Bucky Barnes, to me and to everyone. I just, don’t want you to freak out on me, I have something big, really big, to tell you, and-“

“Baby, I know.” He smiled, pulling back so that he could look you in the face. “I have super human senses, I heard their little heart beat for the first time yesterday. We’re having a baby, and I couldn’t be happier about it. In fact, I want to ask you if you’ll accept my question of making Sam the godfather.” You nodded, tears standing in your eyes, as you brought the man down for a kiss.

“Yes. But I’m not sure that he’ll be praising us for making a baby when we technically created him or her on the couch inside.” Bucky shook his head at you, kissing your forehead before walking inside with you, preparing to tell the Wilson family, that had along the way became your own, the good news- well, not the sofa bit.

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