#this man has me on a chokehold since I was way to young

[biihanka]

The things I want to say about Matthew playing William it's just borderline disrespectful! He would be disappointed about all the dirty and nasty things I'm thinking, but like siR?!??🥺😭

[martiniblues]

CUPIDS CHOKEHOLD , spencer reid

pairing boyfriend!spencer x fem!reader

synopsis you decide to visit spencer during his lunch break. unbeknownst to you, the team has been waiting for your arrival since they found out about you and spencer’s relationship.

genre fluff, reader is described with a cheugy/funky kind of style, and just overall teasing from the team lol.

standing in the mirrored elevator, you took in your appearance one last time. your patterned tights, babydoll dress, denim jacket, and colorful accessories were nothing out of the ordinary for you.  you took pride in your sense of fashion, not caring how others perceived you. 

spencer made it known to you almost daily how much he adored the way you styled yourself. your whimsical and girly attire added the perfect contrast to his “grandpa attire” as you liked to call it. 

returning your tube of lipgloss to its desired spot, you heard the faint ding of the elevator, alerting you of your arrival. you took a deep breath before walking up to the secretary at the counter. the building was sleek and shiny, only emphasizing your appearance. 

the brunette welcomed you, asking for your id before you heard your name being called by an all too familiar voice. “she’s with me; actually, no need to call in or anything.” spencer grabbed the visitors badge and clipped it to the pocket of your jacket before looking at you. 

“hey spence,” you giggled, adjusting his glasses that had gone askew from his evident rush to get to you. he blushed as you slid your hand to the side of his neck, standing on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek softly. 

he grabbed your hand and led you into what you deemed to be the “bullpen” spencer had mentioned to you before. your boots clicked on the ground, muffled by the sounds of the bau. 

many workers turned and looked, unfamiliar with your presence and even more shocked that you were with spencer. he looked at you, noticing your wondering eyes. “it’s a little hectic right now, sorry.” he pulled you into his cubicle, already having a chair ready for you. 

“its actually really cool seeing this place for the first time. it really is like the tv shows.” he almost laughed at your childlike awe, reaching over to roll your chair closer to his own. satisfied with your positioning, spencer moved a few folders and notebooks from his desk to make room for your shared food. 

you could only get one bite in before a presence appeared behind you. “you invited mrs. genius here, and you didn’t tell anyone?” two hands came to grab spencer by his shoulders, causing him to jump slightly. 

the man smiled at you with possibly the whitest teeth you had ever seen. his broad shoulders, stature, and dark skin made him almost god-like. “morgan-“ spencer began before another head peaked around him.

“the woman, the myth, the legend!” the shorter blonde woman gasped, walking over to you. spinning your chair so that you were facing her entirely, her eyes lit up. “you are literally the cutest thing i have ever seen. boy wonder, why haven’t you brought her in sooner?” the nickname made you laugh, looking at spencer to see the embarrassed look on his face. 

“morgan and garcia, back off before you scare the poor girl away.” a dark-haired woman leaned against the desk behind you. soon after, another blonde and two older men crowed around you. 

they waited eagerly as spencer introduced you, looking between you two as if this were the best thing they had ever seen. “it’s nice to meet you all. spence has told me so much about you guys.” you rose from your seat, shaking their hands so as not to come off as unprofessional in such a serious building. 

even if it contradicted their previous actions…

“she even has a nickname for him, oh derek hold me before i pass out from the beauty of young love.” penelope held her hand to her heart, leaning into the man beside her as he rolled his eyes from her antics. 

“she was nearly this dramatic when she noticed the picture spencer put up of you on his desk.” rossi pointed at the item you had failed to notice as you arrived. 

tucked beside his computer, a small black and white photobooth strip stared back at you. memories of the early bits of your relationship flooded your mind.

you smiled lightly at the last panel, remembering how nervous you had been to kiss spencer on camera. he looked up at you, mirroring your expression.

the team continued to interrogate you, asking about where the two of you met, your first date, who asked out who first, almost as if they were profiling you. 

spencer sighed at the realization, clearly annoyed at your alone time being interrupted. you noticed, sitting back down beside him and looking at him to reassure him that you were fine. 

“glad to see she really likes him and wasn’t paid.” emily nodded towards spencer’s cheek. a light pink kiss mark adorned his skin, making the rest of the team snicker before he wiped it off with the back of his hand. 

“are you guys trying to scare her away?” spencer whined, feeling like a boy introducing his first girlfriend to his embarrassing family. 

“come on, reid, we’re only messing with you.” jj perched her hand on her hip, smiling at you warmly. “we’ll let you guys be for now, but don’t leave too soon. we have to give her a tour!” penelope insisted, turning to the group as they all shook their heads in agreement. 

“that’d be nice, thank you.” you replied before turning back to your boyfriend. “you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” spencer mumbled, leaning into your side.

you ruffled his hair, “i see why you talk about them so much. they clearly care about you a lot.” you looked over your shoulder, catching them spying from one of the conference rooms. 

smirking you turned back to spencer, kissing his cheek once more before you continued to eat and talk about what you’d plan to do after he got off work. 

after you finished your mostly uninterrupted lunch, you were swept away by penelope as she gave you your promised tour. showing you everyone’s office, the break room, multiple conference rooms, and even the dingy locker room in the very back.

after one tight hug from morgan, a promise for a girls night from penelope, some teasing from jj and emily, and more typical goodbyes from hotch and rossi, you were finally walking back to your car.

you expected spencer to just walk you back to the elevator, but your face quickly lit up when he stepped inside, pulling you flush against him and pressing a button to make the doors close.

“finally have you alone.” he mumbled before crashing his lips to yours. you gasped at his sudden boldness, highly due to the lack of curious eyes, and moved your hands to rest behind his neck.

his hands went under your jacket, yearning to be close to you but having enough sense to not pull anything too risky. “i’ve been wanting to do that since you’ve got here.” he pulled away shortly before the ding of the elevator announced your arrival.

you just grabbed his hand and pulled him along side you. “they were really sweet, spence. i’m happy you work with people that are so much like a family.” as you made it to your car you turned around, your back leaning against your trunk as spencer came to stand in-front of you.

“they’re nosey like one, for sure.” he joked, bringing his hand to rest on your hip once again. you sighed before reaching up to kiss him one last time. “i’ll see you tonight.” you promised, squeezing his hand before it left yours in his return to work.

before you got in your car, you turned around looking up to see six familiar faces looking right back at you.

just something i thought of off a whim because i saw an edit of the bau to 400 lux by lorde and got SOOOOO emotional. like thats my family fr!!!! hope you enjoyed<333

[lurkingshan]

Random QL Superlatives: 2024 Edition

My friends! It is time once again to reflect back on the year and give out some random ass awards to the things that gave me joy in the many QLs I watched.

In no particular order, this year’s winners:

Best Long Term Glow Up: Off Jumpol as Jane in The Trainee

I've been simping for Jumpol since the Puppy Honey days, because I know potential when I see it! This year the rest of y'all finally caught up with me and realized this man is aging like a fine wine. We all won!

Most Valuable Prop: Aoyanagi Hajime Standee, I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama

Will anything ever make me laugh as hard as Akafuji opening the door to Aoyanagi Hajime while holding an Aoyanagi Hajime standee and then running for his life, standee tucked under his arm, to escape the mortification? If so, it's def another joke from this show.

Best Heart Destroying Angst: Every Moment of Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo

Sometimes you just want a show to break your heart into a million tiny pieces and then stitch it back together, and there is no better version of that experience this year than this beautiful show.

Wackiest Premise That Somehow Works: Caged Again

Whomst could have predicted that a BL about a penguin who turns into a human, goes to high school, and falls in love with a panther would be one of the sweetest, most compelling stories of the year.

Most Precious Bean: Taishin, Takara's Treasure

Just look at his cute little face!! My son has never done anything wrong in his life. He's adorable and I won't hear a word against him.

Drama Child of the Year: Young San, Century of Love

My soul fully tried to leave my body every time this child appeared on screen. I must congratulate this child actor--his name is Chayanan Akkharadumrongdet--on perfectly embodying the spirit of an old man trapped in a tiny body. Give this boy an award!

Best Love Theme: Di Inakala by Paul Pablo, Marahuyo Project

Such a gorgeous song, first used while King reads Ino's letter and realizes Ino has feelings for him. Hits me right in the chest every time I hear it.

Best Sex Scene - Almond and Latte's first time, Knock Knock Boys

Everyone else can throw in the towel, this is the best depiction of a loving but awkward first time that will ever be committed to film.

Star of My Vision Board: Yako, She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat

Oprah said it best: “She is the mother I never had, she is the sister everybody would want. She is the friend that everybody deserves. I don't know a better person.”

Outstanding Achievement in Old Man Yaoi: Mr. Mitsuya's Planned Feeding

It's not every day that a show manages to sell you on a 20+ year age gap, but this one did it without breaking a sweat and had us all rooting for Ishida to eat that old man up with a spoon.

Best Sight Gag: Rock Lifting Karan Over His Shoulder, Cherry Magic Thailand

Is it the way Rock bends down and grabs him with no warning? The way Karan still does a polite wai over his shoulder? The way Dujdao scurries after them? Idk but it's been 10 months and I am still laughing.

Best Absolute Mindfuck: Love for Love's Sake

Sometimes a scene from this drama will flash through my mind and I'll have to spend a few minutes just staring at the wall, and that's how you know it was damn good.

Most Brainrot Inducing: Unknown

The way this story had a chokehold on my brain for three entire months was no joke.

Swooniest Love Interest: Mahasamut, Love Sea

Just look at this glorious man! And on top of all that visual splendor, he's kind and generous and brave and smart and competent and high key a smart ass. In this house we love Mahasamut!

Best Classic Watch: The Miracle of Teddy Bear

The most delightfully surprising watch of the year for me, and a great reminder to never, ever trust anything MDL commenters say about a show.

Y'all know the drill: feel free to join in and post your own superlatives, and please tag me if you do!

[fandomscombine]

Maybe This Time

Aaron Hotchner x Reader

BG: Aaron Hotchner has been a constant in your life since university and as you both journey in your prosecutor career. But what happens when he has been given the opportunity of his dreams to be part of the BAU on the other side of the country? How will your dynamic change? Especially when feelings are put into the mix. 

Fluff part for now, before the angst. Enjoy the build up, young Hotch and obliviousness to feelings.

A/N: First ever Aaron Hotchner fic since something clicked in my brain and this man has me in a chokehold. Okay when I started writing this, I was at the beginning of Season 4 of Criminal Minds after a year long hiatus (aka didn’t have Disney+), so please excuse if it’s a bit out of character and that it doesn’t align with canon. No Haley and Jack. Let me know what you think!

Inspired by the song Maybe This Time by Sarah G and a line from Ugly Betty lol.

WC: 1428

>>>GENERAL MASTERLIST<<<

>>>CRIMINAL MINDS MASTERLIST<<<

The problem with having a constant is that you don’t realize how much it means to you until something threatens it to change it. 

You’re coming up to two years working at the prosecutor’s office, the feeling of helping people and solving cases is what fuels you. Though you admit, there are days where this isn’t enough to block out the misogynistic atmosphere of the office. In all honesty, you don’t think you would have lasted as long in such an environment if it weren’t for Aaron Hotchner.

What started as an academic rivalry turned into being inseparable. Nerds with an overwhelming drive to fix the world. It was actually Aaron who offered the olive branch - admitting that while the constant competition and pettiness helped him be the best self on paper, was straining his mental and physical well-being. Turns out you both have a lot in common - same taste in literature and surprisingly dead-pan humor. The man’s ability to drop unexpected one-liners is beyond you, only to be topped by his laugh albeit rare. 

A genuine Aaron Hotchner chuckle easily fills an entire room as if you’re floating on a cloud - a laugh that is quite the opposite to what he just left out.

“What?” 

“Yes! Can you believe it?” Aaron exclaims, releasing his hold on your shoulders. “There’s an opening at the Behavioural Analysis Unit - nothing permanent yet but they’re looking into a pool for the perfect candidate and I’ve been shortlisted!” 

~

The training program at the BAU lasted 3 months and in that span, the excitement during the first few weeks had you and Aaron in constant communication despite him being across the country in Quantico. But as the weeks went on, the calls dwindled until there were none at all.

You were proud of your best friend, you truly are - having found an advancement in his career. Though you can’t shake off the empty feeling in your chest. You catch your mind often thinking about him lately - more than a friend should.

What is happening to you?

Aaron has been more than grateful to have this opportunity. Working under the mentorship of the BAU founders, Aaron knew coming in that the cases would be grueling. He's barely gotten a good 8 hours of sleep since he’s arrived but the nightly calls with you updating about his day was the only thing keeping him on powering through, channeling back to your school rival days. Well, at least then he would get to see your face daily - now all he has is the photo he has in his wallet.

“Suck it, Hotchner! Bow down to your superior!” 

“Never!”

“Says the Magna Cum Laude to the Summa Cum Laude. Face it - it’s in writing for the world to see!” You teased, it was always a blast to have Aaron red.  There was no way you were gonna let this down and Aaron knew that - charging at you before you could finish.

“Y/N L/N is smarter than Aaron Hotch-NERRRRRRRR!” Aaron picking you up and spinning caught you by surprise - hands instinctively looping around his neck. 

Neither of you notice the clicking of a camera, too enclosed in your own little world. 

“You’re one lucky man.” The comment breaks Aaron from his trance. 

“Sir?”

“Your girlfriend, I notice you step out and look at it whenever you’re stressed” Rossi says matter of factly, patting Aaron’s shoulder. One doesn’t have to be a profiler to notice that yearning on Aaron’s face. “You know the job takes a toll on everyone and it’s rare to see the lightness after a while.”

Aaron didn’t know how to react, his stare continued even after his boss had left. Girlfriend. His brain had momentarily stopped working when he heard of the word. Someone had thought you were his girlfriend - he didn’t correct them, and it felt good. 

~

Ever since Rossi’s comment, Aaron has been teetering back and forth about his recent discovery about himself. Because that’s the thing about you being a constant in his life, he had grouped his feelings for you and categorized them under ‘best friend’, effectively blinding himself from the evolution of his feelings. 

How can he be a good profiler when he can’t even read his own emotions? Does she even feel the same way? 

But that’s not even the biggest elephant in the room.

“Congratulations!” Hugging him tightly, your next words are muffled by his chest. “I know you've wanted this for so long.” Tilting your head up to meet his eyes, “I’m so proud of you.”

“I wouldn’t have gotten it if you didn’t push me in sending my application.” Aaron’s hold on your waist tightens, not wanting to let you an inch away from him. Aaron has just gotten back from a 6-hour flight from Quantico, his body begging for rest but his heart aching for your presence. 

The longing of months apart running through his brain and the next thing he knows, his feet have taken him to your apartment at 2 in the morning instead.

“Aaron?” you called, breaking him from his trance. “What’s on your mind?”

Aaron could help but chuckle. Of course even when he showed up unannounced and woke you up in the dead of night. Your first concern was about him.

Coming from a strict family and being the oldest, having someone worry about him was uncommon. So when these moments arrive, it hits him with full force.

“Nothing…” He exhales, tucking the stray hairs behind your ear. Aaron hopes you don’t feel how shaky his hands are as he does so. 

You raise your brows at him.  Aaron might be a man of few words, but you’ve known him long enough to know when he is holding back.

He sighs, the room is quiet and any wrong move would break the balance. Aaron cups your cheek, glancing from your lips to your eyes. He steels himself to lay his discovery out in the open. “It’s just…you’re so captivatingly beautiful.”

Your eyes widen. Is he saying what you think he’s saying? Aaron has called you pretty in the past, but there was an air of playfulness then compared to this whispered statement.

With the tension increasing ten-fold with each word. “These past few months, I was working at my dream job yet I couldn’t feel the best because you weren’t by my side.  Each night I looked forward to hearing your voice, whether it’s about how your day went or what you thought about the latest movie. And it killed me inside when the calls stopped…”

Aaron gulped, pausing to blink back tears that threaten to fall. 

Reaching up to grab his hand, you placed a kiss on his palm. Silently urging him to carry on and to say ‘me too’.

“I felt so guilty… then one day my boss caught me staring at a picture of us. He said that I was lucky to have a lovely girlfriend as an anchor to help in this grueling job and… I didn’t correct him.”

“You didn’t correct him?”

“I didn’t.” Aaron was now looking at his feet- embarrassed, mentally preparing for the rejection that was to come for letting his mind wander to the possibility of something more with you. He had crossed the line and placed his heart in your hands. “ At first I didn’t know how to react, you are my best friend, my constant support. But at that moment, everything became clearer.” Aaron confessed, however your response may be he will accept even if it would be the last ever time he gets to hold you in his arms. “Y/N. You’re my best friend, my constant support and I adore you.”

A beat passes as you process his words. 

“I’m sorry to spring this on you considering the circumstances. I understand if you want to keep a distance and not want to see me again.” Aaron steps back, takes one last look at you before turning to pick up his bag and leave. 

But as his hand reaches the doorknob, he is abruptly turned and pushed against the door. His gasp of pain is muffled by the crashing of your lips. Aaron drops his bag and instinctively pulls you closer. Air to breathe and the doorknob pocking his back be damned.

You were the first to pull away just enough that your lips brush each other’s. “I know you’re leaving in five months. And I know everyone’s gonna say it’s a big mistake. And I’m gonna get my heart broken but maybe it’s worth it.”

[mymarifae]

jade did nothing wrong

oh yeah she only put aventurine in a new, fancier form of slavery, reducing him to a tool. an asset. a pretty little thing to make her richer that she'll cast aside the moment he's no longer useful to her.

and don't give me any crap about how aventurine "wanted" this - he was literally a slave?? his options at this point in his life were EXTREMELY limited and just killing his "master" wouldn't have been enough to secure his freedom. as we saw in this very cutscene, he was about to go on trial for murder. the ipc didn't give a damn that the man he killed was a fucking slave owner; they were still going to punish him to the full extent of the law, so he would have been going to prison for a VERY long time (or for life), or he'd be sentenced to death. playing off the murder in a way that caught their attention and made them consider his... "worth as an asset", so to speak, was his best bet. he'd be freed from his (literal, at least) chains, and he would have the opportunity to earn money and thus survive in this capitalistic intergalactic hellscape the ipc has been building up for centuries.

ah, and while we're here, should we talk about how she tells him here that his birth name is "destined to be buried in the dirt?" after seeing her interactions with topaz, this isn't a stonehearts thing. they don't HAVE to cast off their birth names and embrace the identity of their cornerstone.

i suppose it's only a coincidence that topaz's name is of slavic and greek origin while aventurine's is romani, and this totally doesn't play further into the (not-exactly-the-most-subtle-anymore) subtext of the ipc's chokehold on the entire universe being an allegory for the racist, white supremacist capitalistic systems plaguing the real world today. which, for the record, is an idea that has existed throughout the game's duration thus far and was articulated a little more loudly in the 2.1 update, with the deep dives into aventurine's past and all, and then was really hammered in with boothill's backstory.

(let's set aside the very valid complaints about hoyoverse's allergy to melanin for a moment - we know aventurine and boothill are not white, and the way their home planets were treated in comparison to, say, topaz's, means something.)

and even if you don't want to connect these two very obvious dots and want to pretend the ipc is more of a neutral force (????), let me just point out how fucked it is for jade to sever aventurine's connection to his birth name. one of his last ties to his culture. topaz gets to keep hers, gets to claim both her past and her cornerstone as integral parts of her identity - but aventurine only gets his cornerstone. the ipc encompasses every part of who he is now. i suppose this qualifies as doing nothing wrong too and not as an act of manipulation and cruelty?

(digressing for a moment to point out a positive because honestly this is a heartbreaking thing to say. aventurine's future self calling him Kakavasha suggests that he didn't truly give in to this treatment and instead fiercely clung to every scrap of his past he had left.)

and just. before i move on from aventurine and topaz completely, i guess we can ignore how inappropriately she touched topaz?

"they're both adults" yeah! thank fucking god! but topaz is said over and over to be Very Young for the position she holds. she, much like aventurine, has been working for the ipc since her late teen years. neither of them were promoted to stonehearts - a position that typically requires a loooooooooot of experience over SEVERAL years with the company - right away, remember that. backtracking to this for a moment:

jade is very much a Grown Ass Woman here. while aventurine is probably like, freshly 18. he and topaz are similar in age. jade is definitely more than one decade older than both of them. maybe you don't care about that; maybe you don't care about a senior boss figure taking advantage of what appears to be a puppy crush born from starry-eyed admiration (which is in turn born from topaz literally being indoctrinated when her home planet was "integrated" into the ipc's system) to make topaz more agreeable to whatever she's told to do. and notice how jade dangles the promise of a promotion right after overhearing how difficult topaz's recent demotion has made her life...?

also if you want to argue about me referring to jade as a senior figure that's quite literally what topaz says about her, so...:

but whatever, right? not a thing done wrong here. Nope.

and we can definitely overlook the way she runs bonajade exchange, right? surely it's of no significant note that she shows no mercy in the contracts she writes up. people come in, trade away their most valuable possessions, and almost immediately find themselves in a hard place with no options... except for another visit to bonajade exchange. consequences of their own greed, sure, but i really want to point out how she doesn't try to help. she doesn't try to include a clause or two that may work in their favor if they're clever. she doesn't leave any loopholes. she forces them to be completely dependent on her, and takes, and takes, and takes... to what end? i don't know, and i'm scared to find out.

i'm not saying she has to or should show mercy to the people that visit her pawnshop. i'm fine with a character who just does evil things, and some of her customers probably deserve whatever end waits for them in the jaws of the snake. but if they were going to show that she has a softness about her, a hint of good intentions... this is where they would have done it. the fact that this is completely absent says an awful fucking lot about the kind of person she is, yeah?

and on that note, i'm guessing you want to just ignore how numby is TERRIFIED of her?

because yeah i'm sure that has nothing to do with the very common trope of animals being able to tell when a person is actively malicious and dangerous. everything is fine, isn't it?

[spicybleach]

Too Sweet: Melissa Schemmenti x Kassandra (me)

Prompt: Based off the song Too Sweet by Hozier (This song has me in a chokehold and reminds me of Melissa ❤️) Kassandra wasn’t an early bird, I know why become a teacher since they wake up at the ass crack of dawn. She loved working with kids, especially back in the Bronx where she lived in poverty until college. Her being the honorary big sister to all the neighborhood kids, she found her passion.

Translation of a couple words:

My love/darling: habibi حبيبي (Arabic)

My little sunflower: il mio piccolo girasole (Italian)

Warnings: Fluff,Alcohol consumption.

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

Philly was a mini Bronx to Kassandra and she felt right at home. She was looking forward to her new neighborhood and teaching second grade this year. Kassandra just finished her degree to be a teacher at Abbot Elementary. When picking what school she was going to be at, her fellow classmates warned her about the questionable school and a certain someone Melissa Schemmenti. According to the others, Melissa was mean, a bully even to any new teacher that walked into the place. Nobody lasted there, ever, well except Janine. The young teacher wasn’t phased by that at all. She decided so was going to move to Philly and be the best damn teacher ever.

Weeks before the kiddos were set to be back in the classroom all buzzing with excitement from their summer break, telling their friends, teachers and anyone who would listen to what shenanigans they got into in the summer. There was rumors a foot going around about a new teacher at Abbot. Ava, the principal sent a group text to the group chat she has with her teacher friends. Ava would use the word friend loosely, Janine being her biggest annoyance thus far.

Anyways, Kassandra arrived at the school to start setting up her classroom. With papers falling out of a box, dropping a couple pens and highlighters on the front step. Kassandra groans turning around to pick everything up, ‘ Please let this go smoothly’ she thought to herself. Suddenly this bright eyed, enthusiastic man grabs the door for you.

“ Oops I’m sorry, let me help you.” The man smiled. Kassandra smiles back, “Thank you.” She heads into the door and stopping in her tracks. Woah, she quietly says to herself but the man behind her still hears her.

“ I know. Amazing isn’t it?. OH!” The man exclaims, “I’m Jacob by the way and you?” He reaches his hand out to shake yours.

“Kassandra.” She said with a smile.

“ Oh my god? You’re the new teacher?!.” Jacob says jumping a little.

“Yes that is me, can you tell?” Kassandra said shyly.

“ Yeah but it’s okay the crew and I will help you with anything you need. Come on, let’s go to the break room!” Jacob grabs her arm guiding her to the noisy room where everyone is at.

“ Guys!” Jacob slams through the door.

“ Oh hello Jacob good to see you hun!.” A much older black teacher turns from the table.

“ Everyone this is our new teacher Kassandra.” Jacob excitedly says and she walks from behind him still struggling to carry all this stuff.

“ Hi everyone it’s nice to meet you.” Kassandra said from behind her box.

“ Oh dear, here put your stuff down. Don’t wanna hurt yourself. I’m Mrs Howard but you can call me Barbra.” The older teacher helps her put your things on the table so she won’t drop any more items.

“ Nice to meet you Barb.” Kassandra smiled and let out a sigh of relief from all that weight.

Two more teachers walk in along with principal Ava.

“ Gregory! Janine! Ava! This is our new teacher Kassandra.” Jacob said enthusiastically as they walked into the room.

“ Nice to meet you.” Gregory and Janine said in unison.

Janine loves to talk and well that’s what she did asking you questions about Kassandra’s life, school ect. Everyone sat and listened to her tell a few stories about her upbringing, school life you name it. Finally, Melissa walks in, “Melissa! There you are sweetheart. Come meet our newest teacher yes?.” Barbra stands from the table greeting the fiery redhead with a hug. Kassandra turns around to face Melissa. Melissa gets a wif of her sweet perfume as she swings her hair around. For a split second, Melissa felt like she was in an episode of the twilight zone. Time stood still, My god, she’s beautiful. Barb nudges her friend in the arm knocking her from her thoughts. “ Come on don’t be rude, say hi.” Barb said with a smile gesturing her friend towards Kassandra. The beautiful young black woman stood before her, also being the same height as Melissa herself but Mel being a little taller especially in heels.

“Hi, I’m Kassandra, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard things about you.” She reached her hand out and the red head takes it. Melissa gives her a look, scanning her body fairly quickly to where no one but Barb notices.

“Hi, I’m Melissa. Good things I hope.” Melissa smirks taking a step back after they shook hands. What Melissa doesn’t see is her best friend Barb behind her smiling like she was offered a glass of the finest wine.

“Mmm, I’ll be the judge of that.” Kassandra smirks, licking her bottom lip ever so slightly. That draws Melissa’s attention to her lips, a piercing? She thought to herself, it was one of those labret piercings that goes up and down on her lip, ah a horizontal labret; nice.

“ Alright kid, let me show you to your room, it’s just right across the hall from mine.” Melissa says grabbing a heavy box of Kassandra’s things from the table. Kassandra follows gorgeous red head to her new classroom. Melissa wasn’t as mean as Kassandra thought. Kassandra started her tasks already knowing what she wants to do for her classroom.

Melissa tilted her head to the side a bit, “ Sunflowers?” The lovely red said picking up a sunflower decoration from the box.

Kassandra turns around from what she’s doing and flashes a smile, “Yeah, I love sunflowers. See.” The beautiful young teacher showed Melissa her right hand in her ring finger, a sunflower finger tattoo. Melissa lightly grabs the woman’s hand, “Cute.” Oh my god, I’m touching her hand, again. Schemmenti what has gotten into you, Melissa thought to herself.

“ Well, if you need anything I’ll just be in the room across the hall.” Melissa said still holding the younger woman’s hand.

“ Oh I’ll definitely hold that against you, anytime.” Kassandra blushes, turning her face a little so Mel doesn’t see her face. And with that Melissa left, her perfume overtook Kassandra’s nostrils, hammering the scent in her brain; it was intoxicating but in a good way.

Melissa found her way back to the break room where her best friend Barb is. Barb looks up from what she was doing at the table, “mmm.” was all the woman said. Melissa rolled her eyes taking a seat next to her, “ What Barb?.” The red head folded her arms across her chest.

“Oh nothing.” Barb paused for a second, “ You just looked like you were a deer caught in headlights right about now, wanna talk about it?.” Barb gently placed her hand on top of her friends.

“No, thank you. I’m good.” Melissa said nonchalantly but deep down she DOES want to talk about it because what is happening to her? Is this some type of sick prank being pulled or what?. The red head let out the biggest sigh. Barb hits her arm lightly, “ Oh come on dear I know you wanna talk.” Melissa grunts, “Fine.” She gets up from her seat.

“ You know me Barb right.” Melissa said running her hands through her long red locs.

“ Melissa, sweetheart you are scaring me. I’ve never seen you like this except for well if the eagles lost a game and game season is over so what is this about?. “ Barb said frowning going up to her friend holding her hands in hers.

“ Barb I-I don’t know. It’s her.” Melissa said almost a whisper on the last part. Finally Barb clicked two and two together.

“ Sweetheart, I seen the way you looked at her earlier and I only know that look because I get like that with my Gerald.” Barb said with a smile, Melissa’s expression softens.

“ For a moment, it’s like I wasn’t even here you know? I just couldn’t breathe and- and I get this weird pit in my stomach everytime I looked at her.” Melissa said in a panic, Barb pulled her friend into a hug.

“ Look, you might just have a crush on her like you did with that fireman.” Barb shrugs her shoulders, “ Or- maybe you could be developing feelings yes?.” Melissa looked at her friend, “ What? No?. I don’t have a crush Barb you’re reading too much into just one interaction we had.” Barb sighed, shaking her finger at her. “No Melissa, I know what I saw. I’ve known you for how long? You think I can’t read you?” Barb chuckles a bit, “ This isn’t the hard to get Melissa Schemmenti, I don’t know what it is yet but I know you have the biggest heart of any of the people I’ve ever met. Why not have a conversation with her and see where it goes hmm?.” Melissa gives Barb a glare, one that kills. Maybe Barb is right. She does have a crush and boy does Melissa and Barb know it. Unbeknownst to the duo, Mr Johnson and Ava creep outside the hallway getting front row seats to this budding romance.

“ I got 500 that Melissa and Kassandra get together.” Ava whispers, “Deal.” Mr Johnson said quietly and returning to whatever shenanigans he was up too. Nothing gets past Ava in her school.

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

1 year later and a short flashback:

Melissa became very fond of the young black woman. They have a few things in common like drinking wine, the love of Italian food (especially Melissa’s Italian food when Mel would bring leftovers to work with her reserved especially for her il mio piccolo girasole. That was Melissa’s nickname for Kass, her little sunflower; she brightens up Mel’s day with her radiant smile, her gorgeous brown eyes Mel takes glances of when Kass isn’t looking. Also her nickname in Mel’s phone. Recently Kass called Mel, Habibi meaning my love/darling in Arabic. It took Mel by surprise but nonetheless she loved the cute pet name. Melissa should thank Janine for inviting Kass out for drinks one night with the crew because it made them closer, everyone knows Mel is too prideful to even do so.

On a Saturday night, Melissa invited the young woman over for some homemade lasagna and a good wine to pair the dish with along with a tiramisu for dessert. Melissa has planned this day for weeks, changing the menu a million times to what she thinks Kassandra would like, down to what outfit she was going to wear. Like Melissa told Kass, this isn’t a date it’s just dinner between two friends. Kassandra arrived in a short black dress that hugged her curves in the right places, paired with a black red bottom heel, her dark locs in messy boho braids, her perfume sweet. A bottle of wine tucked under her arm as she fumbled with her purse to get her phone out letting Melissa know she’s here.

The front door swings open revealing a well dressed Melissa. Her signature leather pants tight, a green tank top, that fucking leather jacket, her hair cascading around her, her makeup is soft. Kassandra smelled a familiar scent that overtook her nose. Melissa flashes her famous smile that’d make anyone melt.

“Hey hon. Is that wine I see? You look great.” Melissa smirks her one arm propping her up against the door frame and the other on her hip.

“ Hey habibi. Yes, it’s something I think we’ll both enjoy. Thank you, you as well as always.” Kassandra smiled back handing her the bottle. Melissa steps aside to let her in, closing the door behind the woman.

“ Ha- what?.” Melissa said trying to pronounce the word in her thick Philly accent. Kassandra laughs at the red head trying to pronounce the word.

“ My love/ darling. You gave me a little nickname or whatever so you needed one. After all I’m your il mio piccolo girasole after all.” Kassandra smiled up at the red head. Melissa liked loved the nickname. Melissa sat the wine bottle on the counter, grabbing two wine glasses from the cabinet, pouring two glasses for the both of them. Kassandra took a sip of wine from the glass, a little spilled out of her mouth. Melissa watched the bead of wine drip from her lips, running down her chin and landing on her busty chest. Melissa bit her lip, she knows it’s not the wine since they just opened the bottle.

“ Oops.” Kassandra wiped the bead of wine off her chest. Melissa watching her closely, the way her breast jiggled when she touched them briefly.

“So.” Melissa pauses swirling her finger around the rim of her glass, “ Hungry? I made lasagna and for dessert tiramisu.”

Kassandra’s eyes lit up knowing Melissa knows how much she enjoys her, her food.

“ I could eat.” Kassandra smirks against the glass in her mouth.

Melissa guides her to the dining room where the table is set and the only light in the room is candles. A singular sunflower sits on top of a plate on the table. Melissa takes the glass from Kassandra setting it by the plate with a sunflower.

“ Schemmenti, I thought this wasn’t a date?.” Kassandra said with a raised brow turning to the red head beside her.

“ Hon it’s not. Can’t a friend just give a friend a flower that reminds her of? Come sit I’ll get you a plate of that lasagna. Save room for dessert too.” Melissa gestures to the chair she pulled out for her. Kassandra walks over taking a sit in the chair. Melissa watched as her curves swayed when she walked. Melissa disappeared to the kitchen but not before she stole glances of the beautiful black woman sitting at her table. God she wishes SHE was the dessert for the night. Admiring the sunflower in her hand, Kassandra bring it up to her nose inhaling it’s scent. Melissa reappears with the plates of lasagna.

The conversation flows smoothly between the two women. The Italian music; loud, the laughter; even louder, Melissa’s feelings; electric. “ I’m gonna clean this up real quick and we can get to dessert.” Melissa stands from her chair taking all plates and glasses to the kitchen. Kassandra followed in toe. Melissa places the dishes in the sink.

“ I think I’m ready for dessert. Dinner was delicious.” Kassandra said leaning against the island. Melissa turns from the sink shooting the woman a smile.

“ I’m glad you liked it. Now,.” Melissa smiled, clapping her hands together, “ Let’s get you some of that dessert.” Melissa heads to the fridge bringing out a glass dish of the tiramisu, grabbing two forks as she heads over to the woman at the counter. Melissa hands Kassandra a fork , instantly digging in. “Well?” Melissa said with a raised brow waiting for an answer.

“ Oh my god.” Kassandra said with a mouthful, “ This is incredible habibi.” Melissa smiles taking a bite too. She watched the way the fork hit the young woman’s lips. Her red lipstick sticking to the fork, the way Kassandra’s tongue slide on and around it sent shivers down Mel’s spine. Oh god how pretty she’d look bent over the counter screaming my name, Melissa thought to herself. She’d never take advantage of her friend like that especially since they gone through 3 bottles of wine. “ I’m glad you like it hon.” Just then Melissa noticed a bit of whipped cream on her bottom lip. “ What?” Kassandra caught Mel staring a hole into her. “ Let me get that for you hon.” Melissa points to her lip. Stepping closer to her, their bodies now touching. Melissa takes her thumb wiping away the cream off her lip. Kassandra takes Mel’s hand licking off the whipped cream from her thumb. Melissa rests her hand on her face, it’s warm and soft to the touch. For a moment the world stopped for them both. Looking into each other’s eyes.

“ Thank you Mel.” Kassandra said softly leaning into the older woman’s hand more.

“ You’re welcome.” Melissa rubs her cheek with her thumb. Kassandra blushes hard. It was so quiet in fact, too quiet to where Melissa heard the woman’s heart beating from her touch. Melissa was close enough to kiss her but doesn’t because she respects her too much to do anything with them not being sober.

“ I’m getting sleepy habibi, I think I’m in a food coma.” Kassandra said pulling Melissa closer as if they aren’t close enough, laying her head on the redheads chest listening to her faint heartbeat. Melissa wraps her arms around the young woman. Her hands playing with her boho braids.

“ I’m glad you enjoyed the food il mio piccolo girasole. You aren’t driving home tonight. Come on let’s get you to bed hm?.” Melissa said caressing Kassandra’s face light with her hand, kissing the top of her head. And up the stairs they go, Melissa’s room is just as expected; warm like her hugs, beautiful and bright like her smile. Kassandra takes her dress off, leaving only her matching bra and thong. Melissa looks on, admiring the way her thong just hugs her curves, her bra concealing those soft plumped breasts. Melissa doing the same, going over to her closet looking for a t shirt.

“ Here.” Melissa said, throwing Kassandra a shirt and grabbing another for herself. Melissa turns around already in her shirt, Kassandra is on the other side of the bed struggling to put hers on. Melissa chuckles to herself, “ Hon, let me help you.” She walks over to the tipsy young woman. Her bra still being on, Melissa reaches around her and un clasps it, Kassandra’s breasts falling.

“ Why? I think I got it. Almost.” Kassandra whines still not being able to put the shirt on. Melissa pops her head through the top of the shirt, helping her slip her arms in the holes.

“ There we go. Now you’ve got it. You were struggling hon. You’re welcome. So um, you can sleep here and I’ll just take the couch okay? Goodnight.” Melissa said helping her on the bed. As she was walking away she felt a hand grab her arm.

“ No..” Kassandra choked out, “ Please sleep with me? Please.” Melissa looks at her beautiful brown eyes, damn it those beautiful eyes of hers. “ Yeah, of course.” A smile is painted around the young one’s face. Melissa gets in bed beside her, pulling the covers to let her in. Kassandra gets in, lying on Melissa’s chest with an arm draped over her stomach. Melissa pulls her a bit closer, Kassandra now lying on top of Mel.

“Habibi?” Kassandra spoke softly. That nickname just gets Melissa everytime.

“ Yes, il mio piccolo girasole?” Melissa smiles, caressing her face with one of her hands.

“ I had so much fun tonight, thank you for inviting me over. I love you.” Kassandra kisses Mel’s neck lightly, settling into her as she slowly drifts off to sleep.

“ I love you too.” Melissa kisses her forehead, playing with her hair as they both drift off to sleep.

This was one of many encounters the two unknown lovers had that would lead to their relationship and maybe even a marriage in the future.

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

HI GUYS! So I decided I’m gonna do this in parts because I’m just too excited about this. FEEDBACK IS MUCH APPRECIATED ❤️❤️❤️ part two is below: ⬇️ ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

[justanothersanjilover]

One Piece Modern Gym Au Wip

(Part 17)

“Fucking shit,” Zoro mumbled, falling back against his apartment door.

A shit-eating grin was plastered on his face. He brushed a hand through his hair as he pushed away from the door. Sanji was going on a date with him! And he would only have to wait until the day after tomorrow! He said Sanji could pick what they were going to do, and the genuine smile he gave Zoro warmed his whole body! He couldn't wait!

“You look like you’ve won the lottery.” A feminine voice came from his couch.

The grin faltered and turned into a - admittedly well practiced - grimace. She was back after what? Maybe five months?

“Did you pick the lock?” He growled in a playful tone - anyone not knowing him would say it was threatening.

Zoro glanced over to see pink hair emerge from behind the backrest of his couch. The girl attached to the bright-colored and neatly styled hair rolled her eyes at him.

“I still have a key, idiot! You gave it to me after your last withdrawal episode and never wanted it back!”

“Right…not like I say every time that you should leave it and…actually, last time you left a key! Which one was it, if not the one for the front door?”

She laughed.

“Don’t know. Found it around the house and figured Mihawk doesn't need it anymore. You never checked if it was the real one?”

“I trusted you…”

Zoro scoffed and walked over to finally give her a big hug, seeing how impatient she had gotten by tapping her foot repeatedly. Perona smiled into his shoulder.

“It’s good to see you,” she mumbled.

Ten minutes later, they sat on the couch, two cups of tea on the table.

“What have you been up to?” Zoro wanted to know.

“Oh, you know, traveling, blogging, working, I actually got a job at a cemetery for five months.”

“As long as you are happy,” Zoro smiled.

Perona had never been an ordinary girl. Ever since Mihawk had adopted the two of them, she was outgoing, bursting with life, and didn't give two shits about the opinions of other people. She always dressed like she wanted to win a goth contest and loved everything that was even slightly out of the ordinary.

She made a living with her traveling and occasionally working a 9 to 5 or really anything that came her way and felt like her. Zoro was a proud big brother - even if he would never tell her that. He listened to her rant about where she was traveling and what was going on with her life. Listening to Perona’s stories never got boring, and he loved it when she came to visit him while she was in town.

“How ‘bout you? What were you up to, all these past months?”

“I…finally went back to Nami’s Gym…”

“And she let you stay?”

“Yeah…actually, almost all the girls there were happy to see me again. Also, she got a new healthy food guy, so I’m not the only man there.”

He couldn't help but smile at the thought of Sanji.

“Oh…oh! What was that?! Was that a smile?! Are you into that guy? Bet he has your little heart in a chokehold! Tell me all about him!”

Perona scooted closer to him and looked like a puppy waiting for a treat. Zoro sighed and rubbed his face.

“Okay, fine. But,” he pointed a finger at her in warning. “You can't tell anyone, understood? We are just about to figure out what’s going on with us. I don't want anyone coming to me or him and asking stupid questions!”

Perona held up her hands in defense.

“I won't tell anyone, geez! Don’t bite me!”

Zoro grinned at her. When they were young, he had a habit of biting her when she got too annoying, and Perona wouldn't let him forget that.

“So his name is Sanji…”

“Of course it is,” she rolled her eyes, giggling.

“What do you mean?”

“You didn't notice? Isn’t Sanji translated to three? You know what, let me check.” A quick internet search later, she grinned at Zoro. “Yup, it translates roughly to three o’clock and even to a traditional snack in Japan taken by three o’clock.”

Zoro snorted and shook his head.

“I swear if you say he is a snack…”

“But he is!”

Perona laughed and shook her head. Zoro was hopeless when it came to his crushes, but then she got serious only a second later.

“Does he know?”

“Ha!” Zoro barked a laugh at that question. “You have to be more specific about what you mean.”

“About your past addiction, so he won't try to make you drink more than you can handle.”

Zoro nodded.

“About your eye?”

He shook his head and shivered at the sudden memory flooding his brain. He managed to shake it off before it took hold.

“About you being trans?”

“Yes, he knows it. It was kind of a rollercoaster until he finally knew, but he’s fine with it.”

“Great!” Perona smiled again, drinking the last bit of her tea. “You plan on telling him what happened?”

Zoro shrugged and touched the scar over his lost eye. It was the fucking worst memory he had.

“He didn't ask yet. I see him looking at it sometimes, but he’s too well-behaved to actually straight out ask about it.”

“That's not an answer.”

“I…don’t know. Maybe? If we actually get together. I don't want to…burden him with that story as a friend.”

“You know, friends are there to talk about things like that, too.”

“Yes, I know. But I think he has his own backpack to shoulder throughout his life. I don’t want to put more weight on it.”

Now, Perona became even more interested. She loved gossip and secrets, and she loved them even more if she could reveal them.

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why do you think that?”

Zoro scratched his chin.

“He invited me over, and as I arrived at his address, it was the fucking most expensive apartment complex in town, and he lived on the top floor! He has the penthouse, Perona! On his bell only stood the number three, which I found odd. When I made a comment on the penthouse, he didn’t say anything…and he has heteo…hetiro…” Zoro cursed for not remembering the word of Sanji’s eye condition. “The thing where you have two eye colors.”

“Heterochromia,” Perona helped.

“Yes! One of his eyes is blue, and the other is green. When I said it looked beautiful, he answered that it was nice to hear that for something he hates. But when I asked about why he hates it, he changed the subject. I don't know…it just feels like he has a lot of secrets…”

“I could investigate,” Perona offered. “If you want.”

Zoro knew from experience that she would do it anyway. But he shook his head. He wanted Sanji to tell him his story and not for Perona to spy on him.

“Fine.”

They talked on for hours. It got so late that Perona decided to stay for the night and sleep on Zoro’s couch. Zoro offered his bed, but she insisted, and Zoro didn't push much because he didn't like sleeping on his couch.

“You have everything?” He wanted to know as Perona was laying down.

“Yes. I mean, I’d love something to cuddle, but…”

“Wait…”

Zoro walked into his bedroom and rummaged through his dresser. He found what he searched for and went back into the living room.

“Here.”

Perona made big eyes as she saw what Zoro had handed her. It was a big tiger plush - green like his hair and with a grumpy expression.

“You still have it?”

“As you see. Don't drool on it!”

Perona nodded and hugged the tiger tight to her chest. It was a souvenir from when they were kids. Perona actually got it for Zoro at a fair after completely destroying a booth where you had to pop balloons with a little dart arrow. And by destroying it, he meant that she hit almost every target. The man actually cried after she left.

Zoro smiled at the memory while pulling up his blanket. His last thought before sleep took him over was that he wanted to take Sanji to a Fair and win something cute for him.

Prev/Next

First Part

[kissorkill16]

If Bubba Had Lived In WWWOH: AHNF

By JJ

Summary: The title says it all.

A month went by since Nicky's disappearance, and Bubba was starting to lose her mind.

Every other day, she'd storm to the police department, yelling at the police for not doing their jobs and taking so long to find her grandson.

Officer Leslie always managed to throw her out and tell her that they were working on it.

But the elderly lady didn't believe that.

After the second week, she printed out thousands of dollars worth of missing posters and stuck them up on every place she could around Raven Brooks.

And every other day, they always seemed to disappear or get torn down for some reason.

It made her eyes come to tears and it made her scream out loud.

She didn't think she'd ever see him again.

...But then a miracle came.

The elderly lady was just finishing up with the dishes, then she heard a knock at the door. She set down the towel she held in her hands and went to see who it was.

She was greeted with a young girl with a purple cardigan, pink skirt, black tights, and blue shoes.

"Excuse me, ma'am.", she said, "I'm sorry to bother you, but are you this...Bubba?"

Bubba furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Yes.", she said, "Who are you, young lady? It's almost midnight, shouldn't you be at home?"

"Yes, ma'am. But I came here because I noticed that your grandson has been missing for a while, and I managed to get his kidnapper arrested.", said the young girl. Before she could continue, Bubba placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kidnapper?"

That's when the elderly lady looked behind her to the police cars, kids on the sidewalk, and police officers laying on the street in pain. She looked back at the children sitting on the sidewalk.

One particular child she recognized just by looking at him...

Nicky.

He looked terrible. He was all scratched up, his clothes were dirty, and he wore a filthy potato sack over his head with a stitched smile and red button eyes.

She ran past the little girl and ran over to her grandson, grasping his shoulders.

"Nicholas, I finally found you!", she said, "What happened to you? Who did this to you? Why are -..."

She looked behind her to see someone in one of the police cars.

Mr. Peterson.

The demon man.

Bubba once again saw red. She slid her hands off of Nicky's shoulders and stood up to walk over to the car.

Without another thought, she pulled open the door of the car, pulled Mr. Peterson out, threw him on the ground, and attacked him.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!", she yelled, "I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WAS YOU, YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A HUMAN! YOU KIDNAPPED MY GRANDSON! YOU JUST MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR PATHETIC LIFE!"

"GET OFF ME, YOU MANIAC!", yelled Mr. Peterson.

The two were full out brawling, swinging at each other and nearly getting one another in a chokehold before they were kicked off from each other. Police officers quickly got up despite the pain they were in to try and pry them away from each other.

As everyone was going home, Bubba took Nicky by the hand and pulled him in the house, slamming the door on the way in.

Then Nicky wrapped his arms tightly around his grandmother, and began crying into her dress.

"I'm so sorry, Bubba!", he cried, "I was so scared in there! There was a demon who kept forcing me to play with it, and that madman told me he wanted to make me look insane so no one would look for me!", he calmed down a little, wiping his eyes and pulling away from her as he continued. "I kept crying out for someone to help me, even you. But I knew you wouldn't come for me after what I said, and - and -"

Bubba bent down and pulled her grandson into her embrace, burying his face in her shoulder. "Nicholas, I have been worried sick during the month you were missing, and I couldn't eat or sleep for days! I kept snapping at the police to find you, I put up missing posters all around town. Don't you dare think that I wouldn't come to your rescue if I knew that the demon man did this to you."

Nicky stilled in his place, and he slowly pulled the bag off his head, showing his bloodshot red eyes and dirty, scratched up face.

His shiny jade eyes have mysteriously turned into a dark brown.

"You did all of that for me?", he asked.

"Yes, Nicholas.", said his grandmother. She bent down lower until she was on her knees. "I missed you so much while I was in the home, and I would've given my soul to the devil himself if it meant I could see you again."

She took her hands and held them in hers.

"I'm sorry I called you a cursed child. I'm sorry I blamed you for the little girl's death. I never should have made you feel like any of the bad things that happen in this God forsaken town is your fault.", she said, her voice starting to break as her eyes filled with tears. "I only wanted to protect you, and I did so in my own horrible way. You were happy when you came to this town, and I only made your life worse with my insane beliefs and behavior. Will you ever forgive me, little wolf?"

Nicky's eyes filled with tears, and he wrapped his arms around Bubba once again. "I missed hearing you call me that.", he said.

Bubba smiled and picked up the boy and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "Let's get you cleaned up and ready for bed."

She took him upstairs and to the bathroom, and immediately patched up the scratches on his body, and Nicky tried to keep still as she pressed the tiny towels of disinfectant on his body. The elderly lady then put a couple of eye drops in his eyes to lessen the red strains.

She let Nicky go to his room to change into his pajamas. When he finished, she tucked him into bed and didn't leave until he was fast asleep.

As she left Nicholas to sleep, she made a mental note to have a little talk with Jay and Luanne.

Next part:

[rayslittlekitten]

Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls

A/N: This is finally done! I swear I started this like two years ago inspired by a Writer Wednesday prompt and I kinda got stuck trying to paint the exact picture I had in my mind and I think I finally succeeded. Okay maybe a little less detailed, but it's got the point I wanted to make across. This is kinda like a villain origin story. I chose to pair him with an OC (who also has physical descriptions) instead of reader character because this is really all about Dieter and I don’t think the reader would want to be the OC anyways. Also thanks to the lovely @lovebarefootblonde for beta reading!

Rating: T/M

Word Count: ~4.5k

Pairing: Young!Dieter Bravo (18+) x Named OFC

Plot: Dieter stumbles into his own Hollywood movie, but it's not the ending he expected.

Contains: mentions of sex, recreational drug use, angst

The sun is starting to set and palm tree silhouettes sway in front of the pink and orange skyline. The Golden Hour. The light casts long shadows as the glowing star descends. Dieter quickly pedals, cutting through alleyways and side streets to avoid the rush hour traffic and tourists.

Finally, he bursts through the front door of his apartment holding a take out bag and sweating like he just ran a marathon. He pants and tries to catch his breath as he quickly makes his way to the kitchen and shoves the bag into the nearly empty refrigerator. After slamming the door shut, he jogs over to the bathroom where he passes his roommate on the couch.

"I brought home some leftovers if you want it," Dieter quickly mentions.

"Is it a cheeseburger?" his roommate asks, his eyes never leaving the television screen.

"No! It's spaghetti and meatballs!" Dieter shouts from the bathroom where he starts getting rid of his sweaty and smelly clothes from waiting tables all day after turning on the shower.

"There's a party happening downtown tonight. Are you going?"

"No, I got this gig last minute. I gotta leave in like 10 minutes," he replies before shoving his toothbrush into his mouth.

"Come on, there's gonna be so many women there!" his roommate comments.

Dieter rushes through cleaning his teeth and spits into the sink.

"I'm working the Titanic premiere at the Chinese theater," he shouts before jumping into the shower, not even waiting for the water to warm up. He shrieks at the shock of the cold temperature.

After Dieter's record quick shower, he throws on some decently clean clothes after giving them a sniff and then shoves his feet into his shoes.

"The Titanic premiere? Get out! Who the hell did you have to blow to get that gig?" his roommate asks skeptically.

"No one. One of my coworkers also works catering and someone dropped out," Dieter shrugs. "I'm getting paid to serve stars. I'm not passing up on that."

"Well, look at you, climbing the Hollywood social ladder. Next, you're gonna tell me you're the new Leonardo DiCaprio."

"You could be the next Leonardo DiCaprio if you actually went to auditions instead of waiting for someone to notice you," Dieter shoots back.

"You do you man. I have my own methods," he replies smugly.

"I gotta go. See you later. Please do the dishes before you go to this party," Dieter adds before grabbing an apple out of a fruit bowl sitting on the kitchen counter and taking off.

***

As Dieter races to the theater on his bike, riding as quick as he possibly could while weaving through traffic, he slows down for a moment when he sees the large crowd lined up by the red carpet outside of the beautiful iconic theater. His breath is taken away as he admires the glitz and glamor in front of him.

The Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is a place he’s gotten well acquainted with since moving to Los Angeles. It’s one of his favorite places to go in his free time, watching all the new film releases. Sometimes multiple times if he enjoys them that much. However, he’s never actually attended a movie premiere and the elegant transformation has him in a chokehold.

As he approaches the theater, he hops off mid-roll as he slows down and hears a loud roar coming from the fans barricaded off to the side. He can't see who it is, but a limo just pulled up to the front of the theater and the screams get louder as someone steps out of the car and walks down the red carpet. He knows one day, it'll be him walking down that plush red carpet and loved by fans.

He moves quickly to behind the theater where his coworker told him to meet her. He sprints when he finds his coworker right outside the back door appearing to finish putting on her uniform.

"Oh, thank goodness you made it!" She says as she buttons up her uniform vest.

"I got here as quickly as I could." He drops his bike and with his hands on his knees, Dieter pauses to catch his breath.

"We don't have time!" She tosses him his uniform vest.

Dieter instantly throws the vest on.

"Come on! We gotta run," she tells him as she takes off inside.

"What about my bike?" he asks as he throws his bag over his shoulder.

"Bring it in!" she shouts from the long hallway.

Dieter takes his bike with him and rushes inside, letting the door close behind him. He leaves the bike and bag somewhere and she gestures to him to hurry. As he follows her, he buttons up and stuffs his shirt into his pants. By the time they enter the kitchen, he's mostly put together as he smooths out his hair, slicking it back.

He doesn't even get a moment to catch his breath when a tray of hors d'oeuvres get shoved into his hands.

"Go, go, go!" the man in apron shouts as he nudges Dieter towards the swinging doors.

Dieter rushes out while trying not to tip over the tray. He gathers his composure and walks around offering hors d'oeuvres while taking in the celebrities and VIPs. He was so in awe of everything and everyone around him, being in the midst of one of the most important parties celebrating what he believes will be one of the biggest movies of the year. It’s James freakin’ Cameron!

Throughout the night, he continues to walk around with trays of food and beverages while taking everything in. He’s taking notice of what people are wearing, saying, who’s talking to who. Even though he’s not able to mingle with the stars, he’s just as happy that he gets to still, in a way, be in the middle of it all. He was even able to sneak into the theater a few times to watch the movie.

As he makes his way back to the kitchen with an empty tray, suddenly he’s blindsided by a swinging door.

“Oops! I’m so, so sorry! I didn’t know you were behind the door,” the person apologizes.

“You went out the wrong door,” he exclaims while picking up his tray off the floor.

“Are you okay?”

When Dieter looks up at the offending person, his face softens. She looks like a Golden Aged Hollywood star. Her long wavy hair cascades down her exposed back. Her floor-length shiny dress is slinky against her smooth skin, hugging her every curve and dip, and flaring out at her ankles. Her long fanned out lashes and cat eyeliner frame her piercing eyes.

“I… yeah I’m… I’m good,” he stammers, swallowing the saliva pooling in his mouth. “Um, can I help you? Are, are you lost?” He vaguely points to the kitchen doors.

“Say, you happen to know where I can powder my nose?” She asks curiously while tapping the tip of her nose with he satin-covered fingertip.

“Uhhh, the ladies’ room is that way,” he points to a general direction.

“You’re adorable,” she compliments with a giggle after a silent moment studying him. “This is your first time working one of these big Hollywood parties, isn’t it?”

“Uhhh… no?”

Something out of his eyesight catches her attention and she loops her arm through his before quickly swooping him away into a different direction.

“So, uh, what did you say your name was again?” She asks as she briskly moves them farther away from where they were, occasionally glancing back.

“I, I didn’t,” he stutters. “Where are we going?”

“You know where we can just get away from the crowd and maybe get some air?” She asks while scanning the place.

“Yes, I actually do. Follow me!”

Dieter stealthily navigates them both to a section for employees only and out through a back alleyway. She looks behind them and when she sees that nobody has followed them, she lets out a sigh of relief.

“Phew! Thank you so much,” she says to him.

“No problem. So who or what were we running away from back there?” Dieter asks her.

“What are you talking about?” She asks calmly.

“You wanted to get the hell out of there and you kept looking back like you’re checking to see if anyone was following us.”

She ignores his observation, walking off a few feet away to put some distance between them as she takes out a cigarette from her clutch.

“Are you in danger?” Dieter asks.

She scoffs and lets out a chuckle.

“No, nothing dramatic like that,” she responds right before she lights her cigarette and takes a drag.

He notices she doesn’t have a wristband or any visible credentials.

“Are you even supposed to be at this party?” He asks her with narrow eyes.

Suddenly the door swings open, knocking into Dieter and preventing it from opening further. He moves aside and pokes his head around the door.

“Hey, sorry, buddy. Did you happen to see a woman with long dark hair about this tall come out this way? She has on like a long shiny dress?”

“Uhhh…” Dieter glances around the alleyway on both sides and briefly notices the woman hiding behind the door with her back against the brick wall, trying to make herself as invisible as possible.

“I mean, that could be anyone here,” Dieter responds to the man with a small smirk. “But no, I didn’t.” He shakes his head to underline his confirmation.

“What are you doing out here?” He asks with slight suspicion, noticing his uniform. “Shouldn’t you be inside working?”

“I’m just taking a break,” he shrugs.

The woman quietly offers Dieter her lit cigarette behind the door and he takes it from her without raising any alarms.

“A smoke break.” He shows the man the cigarette in his hand before taking a puff himself.

“Well, make it quick. if you see anyone matching that description, please let me know.”

And with that, he hands Dieter his business card.

“Will do, sir!” Dieter nods to him as he takes the card.

Dieter watches the man walk back into the building, and when he is completely out of sight, he looks over to where she is and notices she has started to tiptoe away.

“He’s gone,” Dieter tells her.

She stops in her tracks and turns around.

“Thank you for that. I really appreciate it.” She claps her hands together.

“You owe him some money or something?” Dieter asks, slowly walking towards her while taking another pull of her cigarette.

“Mm, I guess it depends on who you ask,” she replies coyly.

“What does that mean?” He tilts his head curiously.

After what he did for her, she feels she owes him at least an explanation.

“We had just met a few hours ago and I charmed him enough to sneak into this party but I got bored halfway in. I thought I’d be able to rub elbows with some important people, but turns out he doesn’t really know those important people here and if you don’t know anyone, you’d be lucky to even get to say just hi to the people everyone wants to talk to, so I dressed my best for nothing,” she replies.

Dieter checks the business card that was handed to him and it reads:

“Lights, Camera, Catering

Abner Bailey Jones

CEO”

“Shit, I think that was my boss,” Dieter laughs. “But that still doesn’t explain why he’s looking for you and why you’re avoiding him.”

“My guess is he’s expecting something in return for him getting me into the party,” she shrugs.

“Oooh,” he simply replies. “Wait a minute. So you got all glammed up and came here not knowing if you were going to get into the premiere?” He asks.

“You gotta fake it ‘til you make it, right?” She shrugs again as she struts back to him and takes her cigarette back. “So you ever gonna tell me your name? You can call me Beatrice.”

She takes a long drag while waiting for his answer.

“Dieter. My stage name," he explains. "It's a nickname my family gave me when I was a kid because I couldn't pronounce theater correctly which I loved going to all the time and it came out sounding like Dieter and it just stuck. The movie theater is where my passion for acting started."

“Of course you’re an actor. What’s your real name?" 

Dieter doesn't answer, but simply flashes a cheeky smirk at her, his dimple creasing deeper into his face.

"Hmm, suddenly so mysterious. Nice to meet you, Dieter.” Beatrice extends her gloved hand out and Dieter shakes it.

“You’re new in town, aren't you?" she asks curiously then drops the cigarette butt on the asphalt.

"Not really. I moved here about six months ago."

"Six months only? Oh, you are new in town," she comments. "Practically a tourist."

"Really?" he asks with a tilt to his head. “What makes you say that?"

"Your eagerness. You still got that sparkle in your eyes. You haven’t been jaded by Hollywood yet.”

“And you have, I suppose?”

Beatrice shrugs and flashes an award-winning smile, her turn to be a little mysterious. Her blood red lips make her perfect teeth even brighter.

“Hey, you wanna get out of here? Got a place we can go to just like, hang out?” she asks.

Dieter looks around to make sure she was talking to him and then stares back at her like a deer in headlights.

“M-me? You wanna hang out with me?” He points to his own chest, shocked.

“Yeah, why does that surprise you?”

“I mean you… you look like that,” he points to her dress. “And well…” He then gestures his hands to himself.

“You look like a star. I just didn’t think women who look like you would want anything to do with people who look like me,” he replies.

“It’s that kinda thinking that makes me want to hang out with you even more. You’re not full of yourself. You seem like a cool guy, Dieter.”

Dieter’s face flushes. “Thank you. You seem super cool too. Like way cooler than me. Oh! My shift ends in…” he glances at his watch. “Maybe another hour.”

“Oh, come on, Dieter!”

Dieter sighs, stuck between staying for the party or going with this beautiful woman in front of him.

“You’re not gonna leave a damsel all in distress, are you?” Beatrice fakes an exaggerated pout while batting her hazel eyes.

“You have a habit of following around strangers?” He teases.

“Strangers? You and me? No. You lied for me and basically saved my life. You’re practically my savior,” she corrects him.

“Saved your life? I thought you weren’t in any danger. ‘Nothing dramatic like that’, I believe you said,” he jabs back.

“You saved me from dying of boredom,” she smirks and it draws a small laugh out of Dieter. “So what do you say, hero?”

Dieter chews on his lower lip as he weighs his options.

“Come on, you really wanna work this boring party? I’m pretty sure half the cast left already,” she gripes. “Oh, I also got…”

Beatrice fishes inside her clutch and pulls out a small baggie.

“Weed! I don’t know if you indulge, but I’m willing to share,” she tempts him as she dangles the baggie. “We can chill out and talk about the movie or whatever.”

After a few more moments, he finally makes a decision.

“Wait right here. I’ll be right back,” Dieter tells her right before he rushes back inside.

“Yes!” Beatrice exclaims enthusiastically.

A few minutes later, Dieter returns with his bag and bike.

“My coworker’s gonna cover for me. She owes me a favor,” Dieter says.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think that’s gonna fit the both of us, especially not while wearing this.” She points out her delicate gown. “Let’s hail a cab!”

***

After grabbing some tacos off a street cart, they end up back at his place.

"I don't think my roommate is home. He went to some party downtown,” Dieter says while giving her a quick tour of his apartment.

When they finally reach his messy bedroom, she notices the canvases sprawled throughout.

"You're an artist?” Beatrice asks while admiring the art.

"I dabble in paint whenever I have the time,” he shrugs. “Which sometimes is a lot,” he laughs.

"Your style is interesting. What do you have going on here?" She asks, pointing to a canvas with splotches of color on it.

"I don't know yet. I just paint whatever comes to my mind." He stuffs his hands into his pockets and shrugs as he walks over to the painting.

"Whenever I get inspired, I just..." He vaguely gestures his hand to the half empty white surface. "I have to admit, many of them have been under the influence," he laughs.

"Oh, yeah? What's your poison of choice?" she asks, suddenly very interested.

“Well, usually just some marijuana. That one was actually a result of the first time I tried mushrooms.” Dieter points to a different painting.

“Have you ever tried cocaine?”

“That’s a rich man’s candy,” Dieter replies, shaking his head.

“I can get some for us,” she offers. “I know someone.”

“You have that kind of money?” He asks curiously with a raised brow, inching closer to her.

“Money isn’t the only currency there is, especially out here in Hollywood."

Dieter studies her for a few moments trying to understand what she could mean.

“A-are you… do you…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the question without possibly offending her.

“No, I’m not a prostitute if that’s what you’re going to ask,” she chuckles. "But you wouldn't be the first person to think that."

"I'm not judging." He puts his hands up in defense. "Everyone's gotta do whatever they can to survive."

"Especially out here in the wild, wild West. People are nice to each other, but in the end it's everyone for themselves." She tips her head to him.

"I wish you success but also hope I get the role instead of you, ha ha ha,” she mocks with an obvious fake laugh and then rolls her eyes. "So much ego."

“Ouch. Sounds like you've been burned before.” Dieter walks over to her.

"Yeah, but I have thick skin. You've gotta have that to be in this game. You've gotta grow one after the umpteenth rejection. Or even worse, having to suck it up and reject a role because you refuse to suck a dick for it— a background role at that. You mind?" She pulls out a joint and the corner of his lips turn up.

“Not if you share," he replies.

She lights it up and after taking a pull, she hands it to him.

"Can't say I've had the opportunity to suck a dick for a role yet," he chuckles before taking a hit.

"Oh, trust me, you will. There is no discrimination. Women might get it more often, but there are definitely men who have fucked to get a role as well."

“I should be, but why am I not surprised?” he chimes in.

“Enough of all this talk. It’s bringing the mood down. Oh, I’ve got an idea!” she says, taking a drag of the joint as she lays down on his bed. “Draw me like one of your French girls.”

"Are you for real?" he asks.

"Yes, I am." She takes another drag and passes the joint back to him before starting to strip down.

Dieter is shocked and speechless. He is in awe as he watches her remove her clothes until she's down to her lacy underwear. Her braless breasts hang freely as she lays down on her side, just like Rose did.

“Are you just gonna stare at me all night or do you need more drugs?” she asks him after a few moments.

“I’m just admiring the art that’s already in front of me,” he replies before taking another toke of the joint.  “Not sure if any amount of drugs will do it any justice.”

“You’re sweet,” she comments as warmth rises to her face. “But I wanna see what you see. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Dieter continues to study her for a few more seconds before finally nodding.

“Alright. I think I got something.”

He passes the joint back to her and with that, Dieter starts squeezing some paint onto his palette, mixing colors and spreading them on the canvas. His dark round eyes dart around her face and body, taking in the image in front of him and then finally scraping some paint onto the canvas to spit out what his mind is processing.

She can’t see what he’s doing but notices he’s using a lot of different colors and broad strokes. After about ten minutes of this, a wide smirk plays on his face.

“What? Do I look silly like a Picasso or something?” She asks.

“No,” he shakes his head. “I just can’t believe the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met is naked on my bed, asking me to paint her.”

“You don’t get a lot of women getting naked in your bed for a portrait?” She teases before taking another drag and passing it on to Dieter.

“No,” he laughs, taking a pull of his own.

“Although, I’m not quite naked yet.” Beatrice slides off the bed and struts towards him. “Let me see what you’ve got so far.”

“No, no, it’s not quite finished—“

She takes a peek despite his protests and the breath is knocked out of her.

“Dieter, this is…” She’s at a loss for words.

“Yeah, I know, it’s… it’s really rough and—”

“This is beautiful!” She turns to him.

It’s a somewhat abstract piece with globs of paint spackled onto the canvas. He highlighted the soft features of her face and how her tendrils of long curls hung off her head. Her bright red lips pop out against the browns, beiges and yellows behind it. A splash of blue and green in the background pulls her away from the canvas. While her body isn’t complete yet, the simple and rough outline he laid out seemed intentional. If he hadn’t said anything, she would have thought he was finished.

“Thank you, you’re kind.” His face heats up as he rubs the back of his neck.

“I mean it, Dieter. Seriously! You have a gift.”

Dieter is now the one speechless. His face starts to get warm and pink.

“But maybe you need a closer look to finish this painting. Catch the details you might have missed.”

Beatrice proceeds to push her panties down until they hit the floor, which made his jaw do that as well. She then takes the joint from him, takes a big hit and straddles his lap. Leaning in, her lips graze his as she opens her mouth. He opens up his own and sucks in the smoke into his lungs. After a moment, their lips meet and they begin to make out, working up to fog his windows.

***

When Dieter wasn't at an audition or waiting on people, he spent most of his time with Beatrice. They'd sneak into movie theaters to catch a flick, especially when they were playing classics, which they both appreciated, but many times they ended up making out instead. Sometimes they'd take long strolls along the Santa Monica pier while smoking weed. At some point, she introduced him to cocaine and whatever drugs she was able to get her hands on, and in turn he would churn out pieces of art while admiring her, his muse.

They did almost everything together. They laughed, cried, loved, and tripped together. They even went on auditions together and supported each other in preparing for them. He had such a strong connection with her, sharing the same passions and navigating life together in this crazy movie town. He thought he found his soulmate.

It was the best time of his life. He was living his own Hollywood movie and he felt like he was at the top of the world, just like Jack Dawson, but he then learned he’s no Leonardo DiCaprio. As quickly as he got high on all this, the crash came down just as fast.

"I don't understand," Dieter says, confused.

"You don't make friends in this business, Dieter. You make transactions and deals."

"Wow," he could only muster up with wide eyes. "What about relationships? Friendships? Do you have any connection - a genuine connection - with anyone?"

"The only connections I need are transactional. I give something in exchange for something else, whether it be for survival, pleasure or power."

He scrubs a hand over his face and studies her for a few moments.

"So what was I? What did you get in exchange for... for whatever this is?" Dieter asks, waving his hand between them.

"You had a good time, right?" she shrugs as she throws a small smile.

"This was more than just a good time for me," Dieter shoots back with air quotes. "I-I thought we had something special. We talked about making it in Hollywood together!”

"Oh, honey..." she frowns and reaches for his face, but he flinches, pulling away from her and walking off.

"How do you-- how can you--" Dieter takes a deep breath to compose himself.

"Hollywood is going to eat you alive, sweetheart. You're not cut out for this place," Beatrice shakes her head.

"No," Dieter shakes his head. "You get one fucking role and then you think you're too good for me?"

"It's nothing personal," she explains. "I'm just playing by the rules. I didn't create them. And once I'm in, like in in, I can help maybe you get your foot in too."

Dieter is speechless. He just stares at her with misty eyes and brows turned down, shaking his head in disappointment.

“I don’t need your charity or… or your fucking connections! Did you have to suck a dick for that role?”

She looks back at him in disgust and scoffs.

“No need to be rude. I earned that role,” she replies with her arms crossed.

“That’s not a no,” he retorts.

“Whatever. I don’t need to explain myself,” she huffs. “Look, I just came to tell you I can’t see you anymore and to pick up my things and say goodbye.”

Dieter just stares at her again, trying to process what is unfolding as the reality sinks in.

“Just go. Take your shit and go,” he simply says.

After she gathers her things, she takes one more glance at him.

“Goodbye, Dieter.”

When he doesn’t respond, she finally walks out the door, leaving Dieter to cry alone and pick up the broken pieces of his heart.

[etrevil]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

So sorry for the late answer!

1. Athanasia de Alger Obelia (Who Made Me A Princess)

First hyperfixation, the manhwa I saw from start to finish. Art is just absolutely beautiful and I've been attached from the very start. Her character arc surrounding her father, Claude, had me clutching my pearls and sobbing my eyes out.

2. Dazai Osamu (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Strongest hyperfixation on the series yet. There's a certain feel I get whenever I see or read content about him. Do I relate to him? Concerningly. But it's the sort of connectedness I feel when reading what Odasaku thinks of Dazai and me agreeing and being called out half of the time lol. Lastly, he's just so pretty.

3. Chuuya Nakahara (Bungou Stray Dogs)

This man's backstory has me in a chokehold. He's gone through so much shit but, compared to other characters, he remains a "good" man. Such a complex character I can't get enough of tbh. Asagiri really paired the donut man and one of the most beautiful written characters together and I love it/pos. Lastly, also very pretty. Imagining him together with Dazai, whether platonic or romantic, is also a treat.

4. Wilbur Soot (dsmp, qsmp, general yt)

His content just, helped me get through quarantine. Also his songs are just bangers, and Lovejoy is one of my top favorite bands next to The Neighborhood.

5. Kim Dokja (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint)

One of the first Korean novels I've ever read and finished. He is just such a well-done character, and ORV as a story in general should become a literary classic (in my humble opinion). The way he seeks comfort in a story and is willing to stay until its very end, I relate to that so much, and I just feel for this tragedy-surrounded man. I wish only the best for him and his company.

6. Cale Henituse (Trash of the Count's Family)

I remember reading the novel in its early stages and waking up for school, to then eat cereal and slowly finish reading what's been published in the dim light. Haven't touched the second book yet, but the first book was just, woah. Amazing. Rollercoaster ride. Our young lord really should start looking out for his health more, everyone's so worried.

7. Han Sooyoung (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint)

Her story arc of being an antagonist, to the third member of their trio, and [spoiler], was an absolute blast. Her character was written with such a personality she touched my heart with her spunk and gentle care towards her friends. What she's done for KDJ is absolutely what tore my heart out. She deserves so much. They all do. Speaks even more to me since I'm a writer. Love her with all my heart <3.

8. Achilles (Greek Mythos, the Song of Achilles)

He amuses me. His rage, his reactions, the slaughter he made across the battlefield, and the way he eventually died. The fact we have historical evidence from a vase that people back then saw him rolled up into a blanket burrito during his sulking period. That he sent out one of his "closest" men in his own armory and grew enraged (understatement) when he returned as a corpse. I just, love him. Words cannot explain how I hold him, and Patroclus, to a high regard in my heart.

9. Tallulah (qsmp)

Best egg child to ever exist. Second is Chayanne. The admin for this character just stole us from the very start. Deserves a thousand bamboo flutes.

10. Ayna and Ranonthean (Secret Lady)

Might be considered cheating but these two are a couple and the toxicity cannot exist without the other. The slow unfurling of how their love story that led to the actual FL and ML's current predicament (read the story it's so good) absolutely rocked my shit. Like, omfg their children. Her family. Fate itself. I wanna sock Fate in the face. They're in love, but their love cannot thrive in a place like that. At least not for long. And it shows; the chapter this image is from, side story 11, has me by the throat. Banana-nim's art just makes everything better. They're relatively good for each other, but because of the situations forced on them, shit happens. Doomed by the narrative indeed.

Special manhwa couple mentions:

Angela and Rayburn, "I Stan the Prince"

Penelope and Callisto, "Death is The Only Ending for the Villainess"

Ines and Carcel, "This Marriage was Bound to Fail Anyway"

Shuri and Nora, "Stepmother's Marchen"

Eris and Anakin, "Kill The Villainess"

Raeliana and Noah, "Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Manor"

[rosie-kairi]

Aight lads I have come once again to break hearts because Lauriam and Ven have me in a chokehold and this is the saddest yet. Also I am in no way a competent writer so if any of your mutuals or followers want to take these ideas and run with it please by all means go ahead I will be lurking on ao3 waiting for fics and ready with kudos.

Biggest #1 change. Everything is the same except Ventus is actually Lauriam and Strelitzia's actual little brother. Their parents died when Ven was a toddler so 9-year-old Lauriam was now a single parent to his two younger siblings so the protective instinct runs deep.

Since Ven doesn't really remember their parents whenever he tries to picture them all he can see is Lauriam who would comfort him when he woke up from a bad dream, who wrapped him in blankets and sang him lullabies, who helped him learn to tie his shoes button his buttons and zip his zippers. Ven still feels lonely because obviously he loves his siblings and they do spend time together but there's quite an age gap (Lauriam is probably 6 years older and Strelitzia is probably 4 years older). So when they get keyblades Ven is among if not the youngest keyblade wielder and when all your peers are preteens/teens/young adults well it's no surprise no one wants an 8 year old Ven to tag along.

This means when Darkness possesses Ven it's like way more purposeful, he lures Strelitzia into the house and she quickly picks up something is wrong. She draws her keyblade demanding Ven be released and Darkness speaks to her through Ven that he's weak and it would be so easy to end him and just to taunt her has him hold his own keyblade ready to slice his throat. Strelitzia is naturally terrified for her baby brother and quickly switches to begging. She can't fight him afraid he'll get hurt and pleads to spare his life. Darkness then asks if she would take his place and Strelitzia agrees. So she willingly lets Darkness kill her to save Ven, he still watched the murder happen but was in a daze so his memories are hazy.

This of course makes the later confrontation like 10x worse Ven feels so so guilty he feels he should've died and has to repent Lauriam is dealing with grief and crushing failure and in a moment of weakness takes it out on Ven. so when Ven goes to trap Darkness within himself Lauriam is far more panicked but is still unable to stop him.

So imagine Lauriam making the jump forward in time. If they get separated he's now lost both his siblings possibly for good and if they travel together then he's powerless to stop xehanort from tearing Ven in two and the last thing he sees is his 12 year old brother left dying on the ground never able to properly make up for his constant failure.

OUGHHH. GHGHUH

Ventus being their biological little brother..... I am a sucker for that lil idea (thinks about the omori au thing). Also. lol at single parent lauriam. boy experiences the crushing pains of being a single father to two children at the tender age of 9. Any guy can be a babygirl but it takes a real man to be a single mother y'know.

I think that makes the Strelitzia situation worse in both character's perspectives. You are Ventus and you discover that you got you older sister killed. You are Lauriam and you have just been told that your baby brother- the boy you practically raised- was indirectly responsible for the death of your younger sister. What do either of you do in that situation? That's not something you can really come back from.

And all of those horrible things happening to Ven when Lauriam can do nothing about it. Ough.

(I think I'm gonna be tagging this saga as "Windflower Family Fun Times!!!!" because 1. organizational purposes 2. windflower is a cute name for this duo and 3. no one here is having a fun time.)

[saintsenara]

"eighth time's the charm" and "a general history of invisibility" 👀

thanks so much for the ask, @cealesti! and i'm delighted to say that you have exquisite taste when it comes to picking from the work in progress tag game list.

two very tonally different fics here, though...

eighth time's the charm is a piece for @ladiesofhpfest - and, specifically, for the fortnight of the fest which will focus on women of colour in the harry potter universe [you can find the full schedule of themes here]

this bit of the fest should - all being well - get quite a lot out of me [i'm also planning a couple of little pieces focusing on cho chang and angelina johnson, because i admire both of them for yelling at harry at least once], but this is the main thing i'm working on.

and it centres on a woman who is about as far in the background of canon as it's possible to be - she gets literally one mention - but who has managed to have me in a chokehold since the publication of half-blood prince nonetheless...

mrs zabini.

i am obsessed with mrs zabini - she's famously hot! she's clearly killed all seven of her husbands! and yet slughorn was clearly willing to risk it all for a chance to meet her! unparalleled! - and i think that she's the perfect candidate to be given the sort of exploration this fest allows.

after all, where does she live? what does she do? who is she friends with [because it's clearly not going to be narcissa malfoy...]? if she kills her husbands for their gold, does that mean she started out poor? how is that going to be received in the posh, white pureblood circles she might move in? what side is she on during the war? what is her relationship with blaise like, seeing as she undoubtedly bumped off his dad? what is it like for her as a black woman in the spaces she inhabits?

and, above all, what does she actually think about love? did she pick her husbands ruthlessly, only interested in their cash and how easy they'd be to kill? or did she hope each time that she might have found the one, before they inevitably disappointed her in some way?

i think she's a bit of a romantic at heart... so I'm trying to get her to pick a little bit more sensibly for husband number eight.

we've compromised. he's very much not a nice man. but he also literally cannot die.

so there is, then, a little bit of overlap between this and a general history of invisibility...

because, yes, it's one of my guilty pleasures... bartymort.

i've always been fascinated by the inherent tragedy of both barty crouch jr. and barty crouch sr. [who's getting his own well-deserved attention in subluxation, another piece on this wip list], and the fact that - in canon - we only ever see their relationship in the broad brushstrokes of tabloid gossip: the clever, quidditch-loving son of a brilliant politician; the brutal terrorist whose dad was never home on time; the kid who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and the man who sent him to azkaban without a second glance.

and even when we get the reveal - and, may i say, bcj you will always be famous - we're still left confused by a man who would let his own wife die in azkaban in order to free his son, by an elf who wanted her master to have the chance to watch a match again, and by the question of how - exactly - barty crouch jr. ended up aware that the dark lord is named after his father.

what lord voldemort was smoking that night is, therefore, a key part of this fic, but it is - in the main - a coming of age story for a young man whose life is lived, in many senses, in disguise.

never able to live up to his parents' expectations, never entirely sure how to relate to his father, alone and friendless - except for winky - for most of his childhood, mild, polite, and clever...

never clocked by anyone as teetering on the abyss of radicalisation.

ready to be destroyed by the very first person who deigns to pay him some attention.

lord voldemort's habit of collecting waifs and strays is something i love exploring, and him colliding head-first with barty's cataclysmic daddy issues is... a lot.

and, unsurprisingly, it does not end well.

[massiveladycat]

rot and ruin should not be as underrated as it is

OKAY. OKAY. OKA.UY as an avid rot and ruin fan i've got to say that please guys this book series by jonathan maberry deserves so much more!! not all of his books are good but i'm pretty sure the rot and ruin series manages it. they're really good (at least, by my standards) and they deserve a larger fandom it's a story that made ME emotional where some heavy shit goes down, sometimes to the people who least deserve it by the way, PEAK character development. i don't scare if i don't care; in horror books, if i don't know a character well enough, i'm not going to be shedding any tears over them, but i CARE here about EVERYONE involved even the zombies sometimes with our mc, 15-yr-old benny imura, we come to understand that zombies are not monsters. they're acting off instinct. they used to be people. it's not their fault. the book makes us think of the tragedy of it all instead of the fact that, yep, we have to cut down some monsters now!! kill them all!! benny’s older brother tom (ALSO LOVE THIS MAN DHSAYUDAHDSF) gets benny to confront who they had been:

“Look at that woman. She was, what? Eighteen years old when she died. Might have been pretty. Those rags she’s wearing might have been a waitress’s uniform once ... .She had people at home who loved her….People who worried when she was late getting home.” - Tom Imura

So the zombies are not just plot devices or mere window dressing here. it's not just see-zombie kill-zombie run-zombie bite-zombie cure-zombie. love it!! HUMANS - just imagine a world that survives an actual zombie apocalypse. survivors band together in fenced enclaves to try and live, but who will these people become under the strain and trauma and loss of a zombie apocalypse? humans can be the real monsters. maberry shows that and hits it so far out of the park

“They held each other and wept as the night closed its fist around their tiny shelter, and the world below them seethed with killers both living and dead.” Tom Imura – it’s been a long time since i've loved a character this much. tom?? tom is 30 years old, he's loving, he survives, he is a specialist. most importantly, tom has kept his morals. he is deep and soulful and will KICK. SOME. ASS. The Imura brothers, Tom and Benny, are fantastic characters that had me in a CHOKEHOLD throughout the entire book. benny is naive, young, snarky and sarcastic, also tending to mouth off people a LOT.. but he has a good heart, and he's brave and he's strong and he's somewhat a smart guy. yes, that’s my boy, getting his first bokken and killing his first zombie!! he gets some good character development too but for a bit of the book he's a little annoying (but thats to be expected for a 15/14-year-old) i love tom. he's the kind of guy that has your back. his yoda teachings are impressive and thought provoking that can make even benny’s brain not so smooth. going back to Tom, he's kick ass, compassionate, clever, smart, witty, and brother banter is my favorite between these two PLEASE CHECK IT OUUTTT

[takusan-no-ai]

Thieves Gold

PAIRING: Arsene x Female Reader (Romantic) (Fluff)

SUMMARY: (Y/N), Holmes’ assistant, unintentionally sparks a romance with the phantom thief.

It was any other day in London when Holmes got a letter from some rich noblemen; apparently Arsene was planning on stealing their luxurious, once every one hundred years, gem. Passed down from generation to generation only to be taken by a low life thief.

Sadly, it wasn’t the end of it. Countless nobles were being targeted by Arsene in one night. All of them got letters and the police were on high alert everywhere throughout London. For once, Holmes and Watson were actually frustrated at a case. Of course, they didn’t give up.

And thats where she came in, (Y/N), their assistant. A junior in training to Holmes and Watson, as well as a quick learner. She rose up in the ranks at the police department which earned her the attention of the greatest detective duo known in London.

“(Y/N), pardon the sudden invitation, but I’m afraid we have a mountain of work to do and require your assistance.” Holmes said, offering her tea.

“It is quite alright Mr. Holmes. I look forward to working with you again. Now, I’ve heard from gossip that this has something to do with that gentlemanly thief?” She asked. Holmes nodded, motioning for Watson to continue the conversation.

“He is targeting multiple high ranking officials and intends to steal an extremely rare family heirloom from each in one night. And he claims he’ll do it all within one hour.” (Y/N)’s mouth dropped. The shock of such an absurd statement clear as day on her face.

Holmes chuckled, saying, “This is where you come in (Y/N). With the cooperation of the police, we were able to determine routes Arsene would have to take in order to succeed his mission; there are only two, and one of them leads to a dead end.”

“And you want me to—” she was quickly cut off by Holmes.

“I’ll go one way and Watson goes the other.” (Y/N) was confused once again. “Arsene could have any number of people working alongside him to achieve this goal. He has excellent charisma and is a professional at espionage. We want you to travel to every manor and keep an eye on all individuals. Your skills will be needed here.”

She nodded, understanding the situation; Arsene has them in a chokehold where any choice could still leave him with an absolute victory. “Every move must be calculated to a tee.” She thought. His plan was so outrageous yet masterful she couldn’t help but smile, feeling an ounce of respect to the mad man.

Hours passed and it was time for Arsene’s famed high risk robbery. (Y/N) was currently stationed at a noblewoman’s manor, where a crossroads split between Arsene’s hypothesized route.

She walked around, calming down the agitated rich folk, locking most entry points, and doing background checks on everyone in the building. As she’s on lookout, a strange feeling began to seep into her stomach. And a chill ran up her spine; her instincts were telling her to check the ruby. Her instincts got her to where she was today, and she wasn’t about to doubt them.

She ran towards the vault, careful not to alert a panic with the civilians. She looked inside, and there was the ruby, safe and sound. She sighed, “Thank goodness.”

“Indeed. Thank you.” A pistol was held to the back of her head, with a ragged voice speaking to her.

(Y/N) was practically leaning over the vault, and so she slowly turned around, a nervous smile on her face. “Hello…Arsene.”

The man laughed and proceeded to pull off his face, only to reveal a much younger, and more attractive one; the one and only. “(Y/N). I don’t intend to hurt such a sweet young lady, so move aside.” He commanded.

She didn’t budge. She looked him right in the eyes. Thinking back on her training with Holmes, she quickly disarms Arsene and pins him to the ground, leaving the man flabbergasted. “Since when did you know martial arts?” He asked.

“You may know your fair share about Mr. Holmes, but he didn’t let you know everything.”

Arsene kicks her off, his overwhelming strength nearly knocking her out cold. He grabs the ruby from the vault and looks back at (Y/N). Immediate guilt comes over him. “A gentleman should never hit a lady, especially when she’s just doing her job.” He smacks himself on the head and helps her up.

“Sorry dear, but I’ve got a fortune to make.” Before he can leave (Y/N) grips his wrist. She looks at him, smiling, with her eyes gazing at him so brightly it was blinding.

“It was a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face, Mr. Lupin.” He blushed and ran off, continuing to rob every other nobles house. (Y/N) sat on the ground, thinking back to her conversation with Holmes and Watson.

“Before night tolls we’ll cover every window, and without the police or nobles knowledge, swap every valuable with a fake. That is why we really brought you here (Y/N); after all, you’re our famed underground forger.”

After Arsene’s robbery was complete Holmes, Watson, and (Y/N) discreetly returned all the real valuables to the nobles. However, word still got around that Arsene had failed to take the real deals, and it reached his ears.

“Ughhahhhha!” He screamed, punching the wall on his boat. His entire face was red from anger. “Damn you (Y/N)!” He shouted one last time before slumping on his bed. “I’ll get my revenge…and when I do…,”—he smiled, a blush forming on his face—“I’ll just have to try harder.”

In the end, despite how frustrated he was, Arsene finally met his match. Certainly, his robbing sprees were going to be much more interesting.

- Fin

[number2hazbinblue]

Hazbin Hotel Short Thoughts: Ep. 1~4

It's been...a while since I've posted anything on this. Let's just say that a certain Disney cartoon about a pair of twins solving mysteries got my rapt attention.

Now that the Hazbin Hotel finally opened has finally opened its doors, I want to share some thoughts I have about this batch of episodes

{Spoilers for Episodes 01 to 04}

Episode 01 -- Overture

One helluva first episode I must say. Lilith has been missing for 7 years? And it looks like her origin closely follows the Judaism lore. And the angel Adam was indeed the first man from the Garden of Eden. Given his attitude and the things he said, I guess Heaven isn't as strict as we thought it was. Depending on ranks, I guess. Adam is no doubt a high ranking angel while the Cherubs are very much at the bottom of the food chain, like the Imps. And due to a sinner killing an Exterminator, the usually annual Cleansing has now become twice a year, the next coming in six months. That's not a cause for concern. One more thing...who's voicing Katie Killjoy?

Episode 02 -- Radio Killed the Video

The mystery of Alastor thickens. He was also gone for 7 years too? Hmmm.... And 7 is considered a holy number... Sliiiighty disappointed that Vox and Val's voices don't defaultly have an effect, but it does make their rage and power more apparent when it does have an effect. Velvet was a bit of a surprise. And a fashionista? Apparently, Alastor turned down Vox. And Vox is clearly still vexed by that. lol And, wow, on Sir Pentious' part. Of course, his little espionage wasn't gonna last long, but damn he really didn't last a day! I did think that Baxter was gonna be the mole, but Sir Pentious kinda made more sense. Still, Vox might send Baxter next time around, if Baxter even works for Vox.

Episode 03 -- Scrambled Eggs

Sir Pentious is now part of the Hazbin family! So, Camilla was the one who killed the Exterminator. And it was out of self-defense. Honestly, this is a poor reason for the Extermination to be bumped up to twice a year. I wonder how this would be handled. And that one girl that appeared in the pilot (collecting the spears off Franklin with another), she's Camilla's daughter? I swear, I heard her call Camilla 'mother'. Either Camilla basically adopted this young sinner, or sinners are capable of birth now. I'm gonna think it's the former. Found family, and all that. Velvette's opinion of taking on Heaven really is a brash move. Like, sweetie, are you 100% you can take on all of Heaven's army? I will say that my favorite scene is the Egg Bois just annoying Alastor. That eye twitch was just icing on the cake.

Episode 04 -- Masquerade

Hands down, my favorite episode so far. Yes, Charlie does need to start to be a tad bit more assertive. She can still be kind. Kindness and niceness don't always go side by side. One's an action and the other passive (sometimes to the point of doormat levels). She just needs to know when its a good idea to use that assertiveness. And Husk was a freakin Overlord? Consider my doubts dashed. It's not that a surprise that some type of relationship will form between Angel and Husk. They're kinda on the same boat, in a way. Crossing fingers that they might end up together. If not, hey, what they have right now is still something beautiful.

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

These are my thoughts for now. I will try to juggle between this and my Gravity Falls blog (that has had me in a chokehold since August last year).

Not to mention getting back to making Youtube videos.

Until next time, my fellow Hazbins, stay tuned.

[porcelainvino]

thank you @sopheadraws for tagging me :D

i’m using my main playlist that i’ve been adding songs on since like 2019 ; disclaimer i don’t have any glee songs on that playlist because i try to separate my glee songs with my “normal music”…. the term “normal” is very reaching but you get my point

1. the cast of mamma mia! (2008) covering “young n****z” by 2pac

no… i don’t think they would sing a song about young black life and trauma uM TERRIBLE START

2. kalush covering “crucified” by army of lovers

nah kalush mainly does songs in ukrainian and their style and vibe wouldn’t fit this song

3. billy joel covering “crocodile rock” by elton john

might slay actually.. tbh i have not listened to them in a while, i mostly listened to them in my old white man music era in 2019 lol, but i think he’d probably eat with crocodile rock

4. marilyn monroe covering “super graphic ultra modern girl” by chappell roan

OH SHE’D EAT THIS UP IDEC THAT IT’S OBVIOUSLY NOT HER STYLE BUT LIKE YES PLZ

5. megan thee stallion covering “фен-шуй” by gluk’oza

hmmm maybe not. at least not this song specifically, one of gluk’oza’s older songs would be a cooler cover in my opinion,, this is also excusing the fact that this song is entirely in russian oops

6. trixie mattel covering “carnival” by the cardigans

yeah i think this cover would actually be pretty good! i can picture it in my head like when trixie did those singing livestreams during covid this is that vibe

7. jinkx monsoon covering “one way or another” by blondie

yess she’d eat this shit up no other comments

8. sopor aeternus & the ensemble of shadows covering “cupid’s chokehold / breakfast in america” by gym class heroes

unironically would eat this up like could you imagine a goth version of this song LMAOO also sopor HAS done goth covers of songs so i’d trust her with this

9. käärijä covering “mamma mia” by abba

this is how finland can still win eurovision 2023 JK JK i think this would be an okay cover

10. babymetal covering “ghuleh / zombie queen” by ghost

OBVIOUSLY they’d eat this shit up like if you squint a little, babymetal and this song kinda match

i still suck at tagging BUT THIS WAS REALLY FUN SO IF YOU’D LIKE TO PLEASE DO THIS I THINK IT’S SILLY!!!