#which means we definitely have the money to fix everything by now

[tittyinfinity]

My mother confuses the fuck out of me

[lasirenatarot]

What you need to hear right now.

/general messages, timeless/

🌟PAC READING🌟

Pick a perfume:

NOTE: some messages are quite specific, but might help someone who needs to hear them❤️ so keep that in mind, not everything will resonate for all, it is a general reading after all.

Pile 1:

Poison girl.

Cards that fell; 3 of pentacles, ace of pentacles, 4 of wands reversed. Gift, pleasure seekers cards from an oracle deck.

- I think you might loose a sum of money or you recently have lost some, another case may be that your financial situation might have not been the best recently and you kind of felt helpless? (Idk why im getting that). However, your financial situation has a huge potential for improvement as you may get a present (either an item or a sum of money from someone) which may ease your financial worries. This present may even help you enjoy your life more as you will not have the « weight » of worrying about the near future and how you’re gonna make ends meet.

- Another possible scenario instead of getting a gift may be getting a higher salary than anticipated which can help you make up for the recent times of struggle.

- be focused on whatever you are working on ( studies, job, sports etc.. ) DO NOT loose your focus, this may make you miss a big opportunity if you are not consistent. AND the opposite: if you continue on working, being consistent and putting in the effort you may receive better things/opportunities than you have even imagined. It all depends on you.

- for those who have recently met or have started having hopes of starting a relationship with a romantic interest: this person may not have the intetions of being in a serious relationship with you at this point of time. Be careful and seek your OWN best interest, not theirs.

Pile 2:

Baccarat rouge.

Cards: 10wands, 8wands, 5 wands reversed, judgement reversed.

- Sadly for this pile we are starting a bit negatively; you may have recently experienced a burnout or you are quite overworked due to having too much different stuff to do and take care of. What you need to know at this moment is that not everything is your responsibility: people’s actions, their poor life choices or how they live their life. You might be a person who (not exactly likes, but more of feels the need to help others at the expense of your own mental well being/emotions/mood even. You may simply just be used of being the “problem solver” & emotional trashbin for others) likes helping others, always be there for them and listen when they have struggles, but what you may not see is that by always being there for others u may create in them what I’ve read psychologists call “learned incompetence”. Basically by doing a task for someone (that was not yours to begin with) and letting them vent nonstop u’ve made them incompetent to deal with their own issues bc they may think you will always be there to fix it for them. Main message for this pile; prioritise yourself even if this means cutting ppl off because they drain you emotionally, not every person deserves explanation for how you decide to react to their behavior. Don’t be part of confrontations.

Extra message: beware of people who try to play “saints” in your life, such who have victim complex and always have a problem with everyone.

Everyone gets what they deserve in the end.

- After a tough emotional period your situation may quickly turn to positive and joyful. You may meet new friends.

Good luck🙏🏻

Pile 3:

Lost cherry.

- Very soon you might receive news you’ve been waiting for a long time. May be in a form of email/letter or a friend telling you. You may have felt like you’ve “lost yourself” a bit recently and after receiving these news you will definitely feel more at peace. Some may have been thru a breakup recently, you may finally start feeling better and more like yourself.

- you may meet a potential love interest soon or if you already have someone concrete in mind you communicate with (don’t be delulu having random crushes) you may actually begin a romantic relationship with them ( the energy I get is quite positive).

- you may need to follow “tradition” or already tried methods or consulting with a wise person if you need help with someting. (Or simply a tip)

Pile 4:

Hypnotic poison.

- You may reunite with an old friend soon. (Im particularly getting one you may know from school, but may not applicable for all)

- You may end or will end soon a chapter of your life in order to make space for better things to come.

- You may find understanding/help from someone you have not expected, while at the same time be dissapointed of someone you had trust in and expected to be there for you.

- No matter the circumstances try not to be too cocky and egoistical. You may currently be very motivated for success and have recently gained a lot of confidence due to something in your life. Keep yourself grounded and do not forget where you come from.

That was all from today’s PAC. I apologise for not including the name of the cards which fell for all the piles but I accidentally put them back in the deck and forgot to write them lol..Hope you enjoyed it tho!!

Photos are from pinterest; all credits to their respective owners.

Leave a comment/feedback if it resonated, share and follow for more.

- La Sirena💋

[inkyquillstories]

A Firstborn with Second Thoughts (A Body Swap Story)

Note: Lucky for you if you saw the original post (which was flagged for some reason?), here's a definitely more SFW version I guess haha

(Brandon) 

(Tom)

My name is Brandon, and I have an older brother named Tom. We’re brothers, but you wouldn’t think so at first glance because we look so different. Tom is tall, broad-shouldered, and muscular, while I’m shorter, thinner, and lack his athletic build. Our personalities are just as contrasting—he’s outgoing, carefree, and not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, whereas I’m bookish, reserved, and tend to overthink things. Despite our differences, we’ve always had a relatively good relationship. He’d tease me sometimes, but never in a mean-spirited way, and I’d help him with his homework when he got stuck. We had a balance, and it worked.

However, when Tom went off to college, things took a turn. He fell in with a reckless crowd—guys who cared more about drinking, partying, and skipping class than actually studying.

(Tom having fun in college) 

It wasn’t like he was ever the academic type, but his natural charisma had always carried him through. That didn’t work in college. Without discipline or structure, his grades plummeted. My parents were livid, especially my father, who had worked hard to send Tom to a good school. They weren’t about to let all that money go to waste. Meanwhile, I was in my senior year of high school, excelling academically, and on track to get into a prestigious university. I knew my parents wished Tom had my dedication, but I never expected them to take such drastic action to fix things.

When Tom came home for the holidays, our parents sat us down for a serious talk. They explained their plan: they were going to use a secret family heirloom—a body-swapping talisman—to switch our bodies. 

I thought they were joking at first, but when I saw how grave my father’s expression was, I knew they meant it. Tom was furious, shouting that this was insane, while I sat there in shock, unable to process what they were saying. Before we could protest any further, my father held up the talisman and muttered a phrase in a language I didn’t recognize. Everything went dark.

When I woke up, I felt... different. My sheets felt tight, my body felt heavier.

(Brandon waking up) 

Confused, I sat up and noticed that my clothes—my usual loose-fitting boxers—were now straining against a larger frame. I glanced down and saw muscular legs where my thin ones should have been. 

Panic surged through me, and I stumbled out of bed, rushing to the mirror. The reflection staring back at me wasn’t mine—it was Tom’s. His chiseled jaw, his deep-set eyes, his broad chest. It was me. I was him. 

A scream from the next room startled me—my scream. I ran to Tom’s room and found my old body flailing in oversized clothes. Tom—now in my body—looked horrified.

Our parents were waiting for us in the living room, prepared for our reactions. They handed us each a bag containing our new belongings—phones, wallets, even keys to our respective rooms. We were expected to swap everything, down to our names. “From now on, you will call each other by your new names,” my father ordered. “No slip-ups. Act like nothing happened. If you disobey, this arrangement will last even longer.” I looked at Tom, my former self, and saw the helplessness in his eyes. But what choice did we have?

That night, I sat in Tom’s room, getting acquainted with his life. I stood in front of the mirror, my breath shallow as I took in the reflection that wasn’t mine. Tom’s face—my face now—stared back at me, a mix of confusion and curiosity in those deep-set brown eyes. I lifted a hand to touch my jaw, feeling the rough stubble beneath my fingertips. My old face had been smooth, youthful, almost delicate. But this? This was strong, angular, rugged. My fingers traced the defined cheekbones, the squared jaw, the broader nose that gave me a more commanding presence. Even the way my eyebrows furrowed looked different—more intense, more... powerful. 

Even my posture felt different, more naturally dominant. My legs, too—thicker, stronger. My calves flexed with every slight movement, and my feet… even they felt bigger, more grounded. I wiggled my toes, marveling at how different they looked, longer and more substantial than my old ones.  

In the next few days, I stood in front of Tom’s closet, my fingers brushing against the rows of neatly folded shirts and stacks of jeans. Everything felt bigger, heavier. I grabbed one of his t-shirts and pulled it over my head. The fabric stretched comfortably across my broader chest and arms, fitting perfectly in a way my old clothes never had. 

Downstairs, Tom—now in my old body—stood awkwardly in my usual hoodie and sneakers, fidgeting with the sleeves. “This is so weird,” he muttered, staring at me like he was looking in a funhouse mirror. “We actually have to go out like this?”

I smirked, grabbing the keys to his car. “Unless you suddenly know how to drive, yeah.”

His scowl deepened, but he followed me outside without another word. As I slid into the driver’s seat, the leather felt familiar yet new beneath me. I adjusted the mirrors, and for a split second, I caught my reflection—Tom’s reflection—staring back at me from the rearview mirror then I looked at the pedals and loved my new perspective. I grinned. “Let’s go.”

We pulled into town, and from the moment we stepped out of the car, it was like I had stepped into a whole new world. “Yo, Tom!” Someone waved at me from across the street, and without hesitation, I lifted a hand in response. A couple of guys I vaguely recognized from Tom’s social media clapped me on the back as I walked by, greeting me with easy confidence.

“Tom, man, you hitting the gym later?” one of them asked.

I laughed, flexing an arm instinctively. “You know it.”

The words rolled off my tongue effortlessly, and it felt… right. No one questioned me. No one looked past me. They saw Tom—the strong, charismatic, confident guy. And for the first time in my life, I wasn’t just the shy, smart little brother. I was someone people noticed. Someone people respected.

Tom, trailing slightly behind me in my old body, kept shifting uncomfortably. He barely spoke, barely made eye contact. The contrast between us was stark. I had spent my whole life in his shadow, and now, here he was—quiet, uncertain, small. And me? I was the one towering over him, leading the way.

As we drove back home, I caught my reflection in the window once more. The smirk on my face wasn’t just Tom’s. It was mine. I dropped my brother home and proceeded to the gym.

Eventually, I had to go to college and college life as Tom was surprisingly easy. I went to his classes, aced his exams, and even managed to keep up his social life. His friends were shocked at how “responsible” I had become, but they admired it. My parents were pleased with my performance, thinking they had fixed Tom’s future. What they didn’t know was that I still partied—I just balanced it better than Tom ever did. I was living his life better than he ever could.

Meanwhile, Tom struggled in my old life. He hated the long study sessions, the lack of social outings, the expectation to be quiet and diligent. He constantly complained, but he knew that failing to keep up my grades would mean a prolonged swap. I tried to encourage him, but he was miserable. He didn’t want my life. But the more time passed, the less I wanted to give his back.

Months went by, and I grew more attached to my new life. I loved the strength, the confidence, the admiration. When I came home for the semester break, Tom stared at me and muttered, “You even look bigger.” I smirked and shrugged. “Kept up your gym routine.”

My parents announced that they had decided to extend the swap indefinitely, claiming that everything was better this way. Tom clenched his fists, but he had no choice but to accept it. Me? I was secretly thrilled.

Later that night, I found Tom sitting on the edge of my—his—bed, hunched over with his elbows on his knees. His expression was distant, frustrated. I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over my chest. “Alright,” I said, breaking the silence. “Let’s go over some things.”  

Tom let out an annoyed sigh. “Seriously?”  

I nodded, stepping inside and shutting the door. “Yes, seriously. You keep slipping up, and if we mess this up, Dad will keep us like this even longer. So, let’s make sure you know who you are.” I sat across from him, leveling him with a firm gaze. “What’s your name?”  

He gritted his teeth, then mumbled, “Brandon.”  

“Louder.”  

“Brandon,” he said again, voice bitter.  

“Good. How old are you?”  

He shifted uncomfortably. “Eighteen.”  

I tilted my head. “And I am?”  

His jaw tightened. “Twenty.”  

“Who’s the older brother?”  

He swallowed hard before answering. “You are.”  

A small smirk tugged at my lips. “That’s right. And what do you like to do in your free time?”  

Tom hesitated before mumbling, “Study. Read. Play strategy games.” The words sounded foreign coming from his mouth—my mouth.  

“And what do I like to do?” I asked, pressing further.  

His fists clenched in his lap. “Work out. Party. Hang out with friends.”  

I nodded approvingly. “See? You’re getting the hang of it.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Listen, you need to start thinking of yourself as Brandon. You need to act like him, talk like him, live like him. The more you resist, the harder it’ll be. The sooner you accept it, the easier your life will be.”  

Tom looked up at me, and for the first time, I saw something in his eyes I hadn’t expected—defeat. A reluctant acceptance of what was happening. He exhaled slowly and muttered, “Fine.”  

“Good,” I said, standing up. “Now, repeat after me. ‘I am Brandon. I am eighteen. I’m the younger brother.’”  

Tom clenched his jaw, but he obeyed. “I am Brandon. I am eighteen. I’m the younger brother.”  

“And I am?”  

He swallowed hard. “You are Tom. You are twenty. You are the older brother.”  

I grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. “Now you’re getting it.”  

As I walked out of the room, I felt a deep satisfaction settle in my chest. The more Tom accepted his new role, the more permanent it all felt. And honestly? That was exactly what I wanted. To solidify this, I changed all his social media passwords, cutting off any connection he had to his old life. If he wanted to live as me, he had to fully embrace it. I wasn’t going to let him live vicariously through the life I had made better.

One evening, after dinner, I found my dad in his study, sipping a glass of whiskey while reading through some paperwork. He barely looked up when I stepped inside, only acknowledging me with a small nod. I hesitated for a moment before speaking.  

“Dad,” I began, keeping my voice steady, “how long do you plan on keeping us like this?”  

He sighed, setting his glass down with a soft clink. “I haven’t given it much thought,” he admitted, leaning back in his chair. “But everything is working out, so why change it?”  

His words settled over me like a warm blanket. I nodded, suppressing the grin threatening to creep onto my face. I had expected some vague reassurance that this was temporary, but instead, he was practically confirming what I had already been feeling—this wasn’t temporary at all.  

Dad stood up and, to my surprise, pulled me into a firm hug. “I’m proud of you, son,” he said, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it.  

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. He had never said those words to me before—not when I aced my exams, not when I won academic competitions, not even when I got accepted into top-tier colleges. But now, as Tom, as his firstborn, he finally said it. And for the first time, I truly felt like his eldest son.  

As I stepped back, I saw the way he looked at me—with pride, with respect. It was a look he had never given the old Brandon. And maybe that was why I felt no guilt when I realized I didn’t want to go back.  

Dad was happy. The new Brandon had adjusted. And I… I loved this. Being Tom felt right. More and more, it was starting to feel like a permanent arrangement. And honestly? I was perfectly okay with that.

The End.

[meinkatzchen]

ur oc It just cute, really caught my attention and I'm curious now

How is kitty and strade friendship?

Friendship? Seriously, anon?- friends are not tied or kidnepped! Okay, these are all jokes, I understand that you mean their relationship :)

And in her story, In short: for her (and for Ren, actually) he became the one who took away a piece of humanity, giving something in return.

Mist is quite mediocre in many skills, if you take creative and household chores, she's just a law student who always wanted to be a lawyer for a good cause - to defend the innocent who were convicted without evidence. I think if she had said something like that in front of Strade, he would have burst out laughing and would have teased her for a long time for this thought, gradually convincing her that there is no justice in the world at all and that even he could be released from custody if he hid the evidence and paid a lot of money. It's cruel, but at least he knocked the rose-colored glasses out of her head.

But he may be curious about her, seeing that she is learning quickly, but especially trying to do everything to reduce the pain that she is having a hard time enduring, and to avoid torture: to resort to trickery; to offer to torture someone else with her own hands; if Ren decides to stand up for her someday, she will not stop him and etc - for Strade, all this may even be funny. Actually, he became the person who will gradually put the seed of a charismatic manipulator in her and allow it to develop, which will sprout in the future.

It always seemed to me that the first few months, Mist watched Strade very carefully and closely to understand his behavior pattern, to understand what makes him happy, what angers him, what leads to punishment, and what leads to gifts. In the future, such a pattern will be fixed in her everyday life, thanks to which she will gradually-gradually reach her heights and surround herself with devoted people.

If, as Gato wrote, Ren subconsciously competes with Strade in cruelty, which would really be typical for a male, then Mist does not compete, but draws on the skills of manipulation, charismatic speeches, in general knowledge from the category of "what to do to get this and that".

…But if we throw away all seriousness and return to moments of calm in the house, then he would definitely like to tease her. For example, he would take her favorite cute plush animals, which she kept at night to calm down, and do various inappropriate things with them, or knowing how much she monitors hygiene and the level of hair on her body, he would hide her razor and various soaps and shower gels. What a hog!

[charcoallbaby]

fake marriage

smuttyyyyy ofc so 18+ also a lil toxic

tired asf i’ll do a spelling check tmrw thx for reading!

having a fake marriage was definitely one of the best thing to ever exist especially since i get paid to pretend to love a man who is basically heartless, well to most people he is.

i get to live in a giant penthouse in the city of boston, i get a huge bedroom, with a ensuite plus a balcony, free clothes, mostly everything gets handed to me.

as much i love being in this fake marriage, there are some cons mostly because of matt. i mostly hate hearing him fuck girls in the room next to me, when i can’t do anything like that, he’s very protective of me, he gets jealous very easily, he doesn’t really let me talk to any male being while he’s with me. he punishes me by not paying me that week which doesn’t really effect me, the amount of money i’ve made since this marriage is insane, it would take me months to run through it. but in matt’s eyes he’s somehow “punishing me.”

tonight was a black-tie event for one of his many company’s. he got me a vintage chanel dress from the 90s. it was the most beautiful dress i’ve ever laid my eyes on, i knew the price of the dress would be nothing to him, he just wantedme to look good standing beside him.

“ready?” matt asked while fixing his cufflinks on his wrist. “yeah, i just need to get my heels on.” i grabbed my silver heels from my collection of different types of heels.

“the cars outside y/n.” he looked me up and down. “fuck, can you grab my bag?” i asked slipping myheels on. he rolled his eyes and grabbed my bag off my vanity. “thank you.” i took my small clutch from his hands and made my way to the elevator.

“behave tonight,” matt whispered in my ear before placing his hand around my waist, smiling for the cameras. “i always do.” i say through my teeth. “we’ll see about that love.” he pressed a light kiss to my cheek.

everything is for the cameras and i mean that. the touching, the kissing, theres no contact between us at home. before today i hadn’t spoken to matt in probably 3 days. not that he would talk to me anyway. he only talks to his parents, his 2 brothers, the maids who clean the house(mostly flirting) and the girls he fucks in the guest bedroom, matt would never dare to fuck a girl in his own bed, he’s really weird about that type of thing, he hates when anyone goes into his room well everyone but the maids, as i said he flirts with them a lot, just to make them blush, it boosts his already massive ego. after i come home from picking up some groceries up or going to visit my friends, i hear him making up some story of how he saved an animal or how much money he gives to charity which i know he does. but he hates people, hates them other than the couple people he talks to.

mine and matt’s hands were interlinked as we walked into the building.

“how long have you guys been married?” the older women infront of us asked. i looked up at matt before speaking, “well me and matt have been together 3 years, married for 1,” i gave a fake smile to the women. “that’s just so beautiful!” she chimed. matt gave the women a small smile. “wait!” “what about kids, do you have kids?” matt’s let go of my hand and put the hand i just holding around my waist. i cleared my through before awkwardly laughing. “no, no,” “not as of right now,” i smiled. “maybe soon,” matt finally spoke. “oh really!” she exclaimed. “yes matt really!” i looked up at him, he looked down at me before looking back at the women. “maybe not soon, but in the future.” he licked his lips. “wonderful!” “it was nice talking to your mr and mrs sturniolo, i’m going to find my husband he wanders off!” she laughed. “you too.” matt gave her a straight lined smile. “bye.” i smiled.

me and matt watched her walk away. “fuck,” he took a deep breath. “having kids soon are we?” i turned to him. he moved both his hands around my waist as he looked down at me. “only said that for people to have something to talk about,” i could feel his warm hands through my dress. “it’s crazy how such a cold hearted person can make something up like that,” i teased him. he looked away from me, chuckled before looking back at me again. “you look good.” he licked his teeth. “yeah you too.” i touched his right bicep.

“thank you everyone for coming tonight,” matt awkwardly had his hand in his pocket as he gave a speech. “i would like to thank my team and my wife,” “thanks.” he awkwardly put his drink up in the air before taking a sip.

the room was filled with people loudly clapping.

“what’s wrong?” matt asked as he came down by from the stage. “my feet hurt.” i whined. “y/n baby, i didn’t marry you to whine about your feet come on let’s get a drink.” he put his hand on my back and guided me towards the bar.

“what would you guys like?” the bartender asked. “scotch on the rocks,” “y/n?” matt asked. i looked at the bartender. he smiled at me. i gave him back a small smile. i cleared my throat. “i’ll have a-” “she’ll have a glass of white wine,” matt interrupted me. “alright, that’ll be coming straight up,” he looked at me. “are you trying to piss me off?” he leaned down and whispered into my ear. “no,” i gulped. “you were flirting with that guy,” “matt i just smiled.” “we’re going home, come on.” he grabbed my hand.

the car ride was silent. matt was on his phone making the back of the SUV slightly light up. i looked out the window, mostly trying to notfall asleep.

matt pressed the button for the elevator. he stood there my heels in his hand while looking down at the marbled floor on the lobby floor.

the elevator opened, no one inside. we both walked in. matt pressed the number for our apartment before leaning his head against the wall behind him, closing his eyes. he looked so sexy, his jawline was sharp as fuck, his long hair falling over his eyes and his tie wrapped around his shoulders, he took it off when we got in the car. i pressed the emergency button making the elevator immediately stop. matt’s eyes darted open. he looked at me.

“why’d you stop the elevator y/n?” he groaned. “why are you so overly protective with me matt?” “you know i don’t flirt with guys especially in front of you, you love to make shit up did you see me flirt with that bartender?” “i simply smiled at him as a nice human does,” i crossed my arms. matt rolled his eyes. “what would you like to pretend that i don’t care?” “y/n, you think i care about who you flirt with?” “i actually couldn’t care fucking less, i just you know like to make this marriage look a little bit realistic,” he leaned over and re-pressed over apartment floor button. the elevator began moving again. “this marriage would be a little realistic when i have people over for you to not be fucking some girl,” i looked down at my nails. “what’d say?” “you heard me loud and clear,” the elevator doors opened. “thanks for holding my heels baby.” i grabbed the heels from his hand and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek just to piss him off even more.

i made my way to my room before matt grabbed my arm turning me around. “who do you think you are?” matt asked. i shrugged my shoulders before turning back around. “y/n!” matt yelled, pulling me back and pressing me against the wall beside us. “come on baby, tell me,” matt roughly held my waist. “i’m your wife matt,” i looked up at him. “your my wife y/n and i would like if you actually listened to me when i talked to you,” his grip on my hips became softer. “i’m sorry, i promise i’ll listen better next time daddy,” i batted my eyelashes. his eyes rolled into the back of my head. “i’m going to bed.” he backed away from me. “sweet dreams husband.”

after the little scene matt made, i changed out of my dress and walked into the kitchen to find a snack to eat.

i sat myself down at the kitchen island, a bowl of ice cream in front of me, my phone in my left hand, the spoon in my right. i had been thinking of eating this ice cream all day and now i finallygot a chance.

i was nearly half way through the bowl before shirtless matt walked into the kitchen, he had those plaid pj pants he loved with of course the waist band of his boxers sticking out. i rolled my eyes before focusing back onto the ice cream. i could hear matt open the fridge. i quickly looked at his back. it was so defined, his tattoos making it way hotter that it actually had to be.

“do we have any spare batteries anywhere?” i spoke. matt turned around, opened-water bottle in his hand. “why?” he asked. “for my vibarator,” i popped the spoon into my mouth. matt choked on his water. “do you know?” i asked. he cleared his throat. “yeah, there’s some in the uh-in my office on my desk.” he swallowed. “okay thanks!” i cheekily smiled. matt mumbled something i couldn’t make out before walking back to his room.

i opened matt’s office door to find him sitting on one of the couch’s controller in his hand playing his playstation. hm coincidence.

“sorry i just need to grab those batteries,” i walked past him and looked around his desk. i couldn’t see them. “matt where are they?” i turned around and looked at him. “they should be there,” he said not taking his eyes off the tv. i rolled mine while looking back down at the desk. “matt it’s an empty packet,” i held it up. he finally looked at me.“oh shit yeah- i was just being a nice husband, i already put the batteries in for you there sweetheart,” he flashed me a smile before looking back at the tv. i stomped over right infront of him. “i can’t see the tv princess,” “pause it then,” i bit the inside of my cheek. he paused it, placing the controller beside him. “you went through my stuff?” “you held my viborator!” “yeah, it was a nice one,” he smirked at me. “what the fuck!” “your insane!” i yelled. “eh,” “i’m not that bad love.” he opened his legs, man spreading.

i exhaled. “why would you think that would be a good idea?” i put a hand through my hair. “it was a nice gesture, don’t you think?” he poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue. i groaned. “it’s fucking weird!” “your not even my real husband!” “well if this makes you feel any better i did it so it would make the marriage more realistic,” he titled his head at me. “don’t bring that shit back up matt!” i whimpered.

“come on, it’s okay,” matt pulled himself more towards me. he placed his hands on my waist while looking up at me. “matt what are you doing?” i groaned. “it’s okay.” he pressed his warms lips against my stomach. i slowly closed my eyes. his lips stayed on my stomach while he slipped a finger up my shorts and into my underwear. he slid his finger into my soaking core. i let out a moan. he moved his finger inside me. after a few seconds his finger left me. i opened my eyes. his finger in his mouth. “oh fuck, you taste good,” he moaned. “let me eat you out,” he pulled me by the waistband of my shorts towards him making me fall down onto his lap. i quickly felt how hard he was underneath me. “lay there,” he said moving the controller onto the coffee table in front of us. i nodded my head. i layed myself down. matt licked his lips before pulling my shorts and underwear off. he placed himself between my legs. he was quick to slowly suck my clit. i cried out. “all you do is touch yourself y/n, i bet your dying for this,” matt groaned against me. he slipped his tongue into my licking up all my juices like it’s the best thing he’s every tasted. my hands were pulling onto his hair while parting my mouth open in pleasure. “ma-matt!” i cried out. “nearly there baby?” he pulled away from me making his warm breath hit off the pool he was between. “mhm.” i mumbled.

matt gave me one long stride between my folds before pulling away from me. i opened my eyes and whined. i was on the edge of coming. “i wanna fuck you,” matt said feeling his hard on through his pants. “okay-okay.” i breathed out. “not here, in my room.”

matt placed me down onto his bed, his lips softly meeting mine. we’ve kissed before around people but not alone, it felt so much more different this time.

“you on the pill?” he asked pulling his boxers down. i nodded my head. “i’m gonna fuck you without a condom cause to be fair, i don’t really care if i get you pregnant, your my wife after all.”

matt was inside me, not moving. i was trying to adjust his size. “you can do it, i know you can, matt whispered into my ear. “mhm,” i mumbled. he started to move inside me slowly but then started to pick it up. his arm was hovering over me, grabbing the headboard for support “fuckkkkkkk,” he moaned. “y/n, i’m gonna fuck you until the sun rises okay?” he grunted. “y-yeah.” i let out. “such a girl good for me.” he placed a kiss to my lips. his necklace that had a horse pendant was dangling over me, i got him it for his birthday that he claimed to only wear when we have to put our act on but he wears it all time.

i clenched around matt for like the 4th time in the last 2 and half hours.

matt dropped himself down beside me. “it gets better every fucking time y/n i swear.” matt said before sucking a nipple into his mouth. “mhm, i know baby.” i closed my eyes and put a hand through his hair and down his neck.

he popped my nipple out of his mouth before looking up at me. “you wanna order food, we can fuck inbetween don’t worry, i just hungry as fuck when i have sex,” he leaned his chin between the gaps my boobs. “yeah i could eat something i’m starving,” i ran my hand over his cheek. “your choice to pick.” he said before kissing my lips and getting up to throw his pj pants back on. i looked up at him sprawled out on his bed, naked. “am i the only girl you’ve had in this bed?” i asked. “pretty much,” he grabbed his t-shirt from the ground. “i feel special,” i grinned. he jokingly rolled his eyes. “don’t worry, not gonna happen again,” “that’s what you say until you hear me moan your name while my vibartor is between my thighs,” i sat up. “you think of me?” he chuckled. i nodded my head. “my wife actually thinks of me while masturbating, im a lucky man.”

“yeah, no more sex.” i spoke before rolling my eyes.

[weekendlusting]

A TALE OF FAME

pairing ꪆৎ charles leclerc x ahaana patel ᥫ᭡. f1 driver x bollywood actress au

chapter ꪆৎ 2

summary ꪆৎ she's everything, and he just drives.

note ꪆৎ no hate to any characters used in the story, none of what i write reflects on how they actually are. all my love, happy reading.

characteraesthetics | socials&intro | one | two | three | four | five | six |

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Ahaana Patel woke up with a pounding headache and a sinking feeling that something was very, very wrong.

The sunlight streaming through the luxurious hotel suite’s massive windows was far too bright for her current state, and as she groaned, trying to bury her face in the pillows, she became acutely aware of something—or rather, someone—beside her.

Ahaana stiffened.

There was an arm draped over her waist. A very strong, very male arm.

She cracked one eye open and turned her head ever so slightly, only to come face-to-face with Charles Leclerc, who was still blissfully asleep, his tousled hair falling into his eyes, lips slightly parted, looking like he had just waltzed out of an expensive perfume ad.

Ahaana’s brain short-circuited.

Oh.

OH.

She sat up so fast that the sudden movement made her dizzy. The momentum caused Charles to stir, letting out a small groan before blinking up at her, clearly disoriented.

“Morning,” he muttered sleepily, voice rough with sleep.

Ahaana stared at him in horror. “Why are you in my bed?”

Charles blinked. “I think it’s my bed.”

She looked around. The unfamiliar suite screamed ‘Ferrari money.’ Definitely his bed. The realization did not help her growing panic.

“Oh my God.”

Charles finally sat up too, rubbing his eyes. “What’s—” His own brain seemed to catch up with reality as his gaze darted down, noticing that while he was still wearing his pants, his shirt was missing. Ahaana’s black skirt from last night was still on, but the top half of her body? —oh dear lord, was she wearing his shirt?

His eyes widened. “Oh.”

Ahaana threw off the covers, checking herself over. “Did we—did we—” She couldn’t even finish the sentence.

Charles, now slightly more awake, ran a hand through his hair, looking around the room as if it might provide answers. “I… I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Ahaana echoed, voice rising in pitch. “How can you not know?”

He winced. “I was very drunk.”

“So was I!” she snapped. “Which is exactly why this is a disaster. What happened last night?”

Before Charles could answer, a loud knock sounded on the door. And then another. And then—

“AHAANA! Are you alive? Did you get kidnapped?”

Oh, for the love of—

It was Lando.

Ahaana scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping over her own feet as she grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it at Charles. “FIX THIS.”

Charles, looking equally panicked, just stared at her. “How?”

Before she could respond, Lando, Max, Kelly, Carlos, and Rebecca burst through the door, because apparently, no one in this friend group had ever heard of knocking and waiting.

Silence fell over the room as the group took in the sight before them—Ahaana, standing beside Charles’s bed, wearing his shirt, hair an absolute mess; Charles, still sitting in bed looking like he’d just woken up from a hurricane.

Then—

“Oh my God,” Lando whispered, eyes going wide. “You two slept together.”

Max let out a scandalized gasp. “NO.”

Kelly, ever composed, just smirked. “Well, this is interesting.”

Rebecca, for her part, elbowed Carlos and whispered something in Spanish that made him snort.

Ahaana held up her hands. “Nothing happened.”

Lando pointed at her. “You’re wearing his shirt!”

Ahaana yanked at the fabric. “It’s not what it looks like!”

Charles, still groggy, muttered, “It definitely looks bad.”

“Oh, so you do have functioning brain cells.” Ahaana glared at him. “USE THEM.”

Lando flopped onto a chair dramatically. “This is the best day of my life.”

Max crossed his arms. “You mean to tell me you and Charles partied together last night, disappeared at some point, and now you’re waking up in his bed—wearing his clothes—and you expect us to believe NOTHING happened?”

“Yes!” Ahaana exclaimed. “I think!”

Charles sighed, looking at her. “We should probably try to remember.”

Kelly leaned in. “You don’t remember?”

Charles scratched the back of his neck. “I remember dancing. And drinking. A lot.” Ahaana groaned. “We need to retrace our steps.”

Carlos, finally speaking up, grinned. “Or… you could just embrace the chaos and let us speculate wildly.”

Max snapped his fingers. “I like that plan.” Ahaana groaned. “I hate this group.”

Over breakfast in the hotel lounge, the group tried to piece together the missing parts of the night. “So,” Lando said, pushing his plate full of toast aside. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Ahaana frowned into her coffee, thinking she was too hungover to be remembering but took a moment to think anyway. “Dancing with Charles.”

Charles nodded. “Same.”

Rebecca grinned. “Oh, we saw that. You two were practically glued to each other.” Ahaana groaned. “Great.”

Kelly scrolled through her phone. “Wait, I have a video.”

She hit play, and everyone crowded around. The video showed a very drunk Ahaana and Charles on the dance floor—laughing, spinning, Charles lifting her at one point, her arms wrapped around his neck. It was… intimate.

“Oh,” Charles murmured.

Ahaana tried to snatch the phone. “DELETE THIS.” Lando was quick with her f1 driver abilities and shoved the phone away from her. “No chance. This is evidence.”

Max smirked. “So, when’s the wedding?”

Charles choked on his coffee. “Not funny.”

Kelly grinned. “Relax, we’re just enjoying your suffering.” Carlos nudged Rebecca. “You think Ferrari and Red Bull can survive this scandal?” Rebecca feigned deep thought. “It might bring world peace.”

Ahaana groaned, dropping her head into her hands. “I hate all of you.”

Max patted her back and pushed a plate of croissants and fruits towards her, knowing that she needs to eat. “You love us.”

Charles sighed. “So… are we just ignoring the fact that we don’t know how the night ended?” Kelly smirked. “Maybe it’s better that way.”

Ahaana and Charles exchanged a glance.

Oh, they were never going to live this down.

The laughter at the breakfast table was still in full swing of laughter and food when an unwelcome presence made itself known.

"Ahem," a saccharine voice cut through the conversation, dripping with artificial sweetness.

The table collectively tensed.

Ahaana turned slowly, coffee cup still in hand, and her expression slightly puzzled about who it was.

Alexandra Saint Mleux.

Charles’s problem-in-the-process-of-being-solved. Meanwhile the said man froze mid bite of an omelette.

Alex stood there, perfectly made-up at what was far too early an hour for that level of effort, dressed in a designer ensemble that screamed look at me, her lips curved in a smug little smirk.

"Charles," she purred, completely ignoring the fact that he looked seconds away from faking his own death to escape this situation. "I’ve been trying to reach you. You’ve been avoiding my calls."

Charles, who had been enjoying a croissant in relative peace before she showed up, sighed heavily. "That’s because we broke up, Alexandra"

Alex let out a breathy laugh, the kind that made everyone instinctively brace themselves for incoming drama. "Oh, darling, don’t be ridiculous. We just had a disagreement."

"A disagreement where you cheated on me," Charles deadpanned.

Ahaana coughed to cover up her laugh. Lando, on the other hand, had no such restraint, openly wheezing into his coffee.

"That was a misunderstanding," Alex dismissed, flipping her hair. And then, her gaze flickered to Ahaana, and her face souring. "Though, I see you've moved on rather quickly."

Ahaana merely raised an eyebrow, unfazed.

"Tell me," Alex continued, voice syrupy with fake concern. "Did it feel good, throwing yourself at Charles for attention? I mean, I get it, you are desperate to stay relevant after all."

The table went dead silent.

The sentence that THE Ahaana Patel had to be with someone else to be relevant was one of the funniest things the group had heard in a while. Lando was the first one to crack, followed with Max and the rest of the gang giggling. Ahaana had a slight smile on her face, her lips pressed together.

Even Charles, who had been slumping in his chair out of sheer exhaustion from dealing with Alex, straightened at that.

Max, ever ready for chaos, casually leaned back, watching with an entertained smirk. Lando’s mouth was already open, prepared to throw in some sarcastic remark, but Ahaana beat him to it.

She smirked, her tone playful yet sharp. "Babe, if I were chasing someone, they’d be the one doing the running, not the other way around."

Ahaana quietly smirked thanking her first ever role of Shanaya Singhania for giving her this line, because honestly Shanaya was an icon.

Lando choked on his coffee. Max outright howled with laughter.

Charles, for the first time in this entire exchange, grinned.

Alex’s eyes narrowed, but Ahaana wasn’t done.

"You know," Ahaana continued, voice light and conversational, "this attention-seeking thing you’re accusing me of? It’s fascinating, really. You’re the one who publicly cheated, but somehow I’m the desperate one? That’s impressive mental gymnastics. Did you get a gold medal for that, or just participation?"

Rebecca bit her lip to keep from laughing. Kelly was sipping her coffee like this was the most interesting TV drama she’d ever watched.

Carlos muttered under his breath, “Dios mío.”

Alex’s face went red, but before she could get another word in, she switched tactics. "Well," she sniffed, "at least I don’t need a man to stay in the headlines. I have a career on my own. I’m an influencer with millions of followers!"

Max, without missing a beat, snorted. "Yeah? Ahaana has followers that are almost as much as all of f1 driver's combined."

Alex’s jaw snapped shut.

Ahaana, meanwhile, casually picked up her phone, scrolling for effect. "Anyway," she said airily, "as fun as this has been, Alex would you care for a donut now? If not I think we’re done here ."

Ahaana held out a donut in her hand as if offering, that was smugly taken by Lando, who took a lazy bite out of it, to show Alex she was not welcome.

Alex, seething, spun on her heel and stormed off.

The table sat in stunned silence for exactly two seconds before Lando broke it with a slow, dramatic clap.

"Ahaana Patel, ladies and gentlemen," he announced.

Kelly leaned in. "Honestly, I think that’s the most satisfying thing I’ve witnessed in years." Carlos chuckled. "I kind of feel bad for Alex." Max shrugged. "I don’t."

Charles sighed in relief. "That was the best thing to ever happen to me."

Ahaana smirked. "You’re welcome."

Just as the laughter died down, Ahaana’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen, and her heart did a little flip.

Incoming Call: Karan Johar.

Her eyes widened.

Kelly noticed immediately. "Who is it?" Ahaana slowly lifted her phone to show them the screen. Max squinted. "Who’s Karan Johar?"

Kelly gasped. "Are you joking? He’s Bollywood royalty." Rebecca’s jaw dropped. "What does he want?"

Ahaana inhaled deeply before answering.

"Karan!" she greeted, forcing herself to sound normal.

"Ahaana, darling!" Karan’s warm voice came through. "Tell me, how soon can you fly back to Mumbai? We need to finalize Jigra."

Ahaana blinked. "Oh yeah, I was meaning to get back to you on that, can you give me some time?"

Karan continued, "We've already talked to Vedang about it, he's all in, Vasan's script is ready. I know you're a little hesitant about coming back right now, but this movie needs you, you're gonna love this character."

Ahaana’s brain short-circuited, and her breath hitched.

Everyone except Max and Kelly looked at Ahaana with a weird expression, 'Why would she be hesitant to shoot a movie in her own industry?'.

"Are you still there, sweetheart?" Karan chuckled.

Ahaana cleared her throat. "Yes. Yes, I’m here. Send me the script, I'll go over it and get back to you in two days."

Karan laughed. "Whatever you say. Bye bye now."

Charles was puzzled and the first one to break the silence, "Why would you not want to take it?" Ahaana took a second and looked at him with a convincing smile, "It's nothing, he's being weird."

Max looked at Ahaana for a second, analyzing her, and Ahaana avoided his gaze because she knew it would give away that something was wrong. Ahaana grabbed her coffee and bid everyone a goodbye, heading back to her room, but took a double take.

"Ugh you guys, I have to go find my room key now." Ahaana groaned, once again lightening the vibe around her, with everyone laughing at her antics.

"How about you check Charles's—" Lando started.

"Ew" , "Disgusting" , "Lando shut up" A string of protests at him followed.

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ᝰ.ᐟ second part! hope you guys like it!

next

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tags @seonghwaexile @bookishprophecy @justadesirebel @peterholland04 @bakingpiastries @ricciardosheart @mikefaistgf @sp1rl @charlesgirl16 @leila-030304 @uhcalli @blahblechblah @phobiccneel

comment to be added to taglist

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© weekendlusting

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[crsssie]

and on and on, yeah we got the time

Word count: 1.2k || pt2 of on and on, || art creds: 30backyard (lofter)

summary: dorming is hell, so your boyfriend fixes that obv

"You know, Jay." You raise a brow as he does all of the heavy lifting, sliding your mattress on the ground into your shared bedroom in the new apartment. 

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Oh, god. Did you learn that while reading on ao3 again? Jesus." You grumble. "What I was going to say, though, was that you really... you probably could have called a moving company."

"Listen, lovely." He points. "You have me."

"Yeah, yeah." You sigh. "I love you too, Jay."

"Good, cuz I've seen how many weird fratboys make eyes at you on the daily, and I honestly think some of them need to get beat."

"Not like you couldn't beat them." You pat his shoulder. "Is that it?"

"Should be." He hums. "How do you like our place?"

"Can't wait to have all of my annoying ass textbooks slotted in the bookshelves that you decided were necessary while telling Bruce to remodel."

"Can't wait to have your dissertation plastered on the walls."

"Oh..." You mumble. "Our degrees... You plan on living here forever?"

"Just a little, maybe."

"Could we just throw the mattress off the balcony next time?"

"I mean, I'm not saying no..."

You find that Jason's still the biggest book nerd in college. His 4.0 is daunting compared to yours despite being in the same school as you, and it's just a little... terrifying. At the very least, all of his professors adore him. You find that it's at the very least — helpful. It's great that Jason's adored by your shared professors because when Jason accidentally lets slip that you're his girlfriend, it gives you a boost. You don't know how, but you end up relaying messages to Jason through your professors occasionally. You wonder just what kind of tactics Jason's employing to get on their good side an ungodly amount, but it's not your problem. Jason has the face card and the personality for it.

At the very least, when it comes to you, he does.

"Prof wants to see you at office hours." He hums. "English 102."

"Jesus, what did I do now?" You grimace.

"Probably that shitty essay you bullshitted."

"God." You mumble. "I truly need to get on your level."

"Thank you, sweetheart." He hums. "The art of knowing does not come easy."

"Yeah, yeah." You grumble. "We should get back to a book a week. Sorry, I mean I should get back to a book a week."

"You can start by catching up with me."

"M..." You pause. "How about... no."

"Well, your choice." Jason hums. "We're mid semester—"

"WHICH IS ANOTHER THING. WHY DID WE MOVE MID-SEMESTER??" You snap your head to look at him, annoyed. "Jay, baby."

"I know." He pouts. "But you hated that dorm too."

"Yeah, but now I have to change all of my mailing addresses. Again." You mumble. "I hate doing that. I don't know how many accounts I even have."

"At least you got all of your packages."

"I guess..." You sigh. "Well, at the very least... we own this place."

"We own the building."

"WHAT." 

"Correction. B bought the building and transferred ownership to me. I own the building."

"Oh my god." You mumble. "You truly are learning from the worst..."

"Worst being you?"

"Yes. Duh. How many times have I called B for a hundred dollars because I couldn't afford matcha?"

Jason holds back a laugh, closing his eyes as his brows furrow. "Matcha does not—"

"No, but B can spare it." You hum. "Don't worry. I pay him back with the abundance of gifts I bring with each travel."

"Which is on B's account." Jason pauses. "You know what? Yeah. Whatever. Eat the rich. I didn't steal his tires and strike gold for me to be telling you to go easy on his bank account."

You give him a thumbs up. "Well, I make my own as well. It's nice to not need to worry about tuition... but it's also a pain in the ass to not be able to make money here."

"At least you have a legal ssn and everything."

"Not."

"Not ssn. Sorry." He snorts. "Well, better than the goons in Gotham, I'm sure."

"Definitely." You hum.

Jason tunes out your rambling as he glances around the room. The couch would arrive soon, and the rest of the furniture (including the 4K HD TV that you deemed necessary in order to, and he quotes, "see men in 4k" on) would arrive soon. He wonders just what he would be doing had he not met you. 

Would his life have ended when he nearly lost his life? Would he have gone to find his mother had you not clung onto him and threatened suicide? Even then, you were insane. He glances back at you as you tilt your head at him, expecting an answer.

"Sorry, babe. Spaced out."

"I was asking if you wanted takeout for dinner."

"Maybe?" Jason pauses. "Sure. You wanna order?"

"There's a place downstairs that I wanted to go to." You hum. "Right out there."

"Hope that pizza is just as good as the one that Dick won't shut up about." Jason mumbles.

"You recon I could ask them if they take school dining dollars?"

"They don't."

"Wouldn't hurt to ask." You grin. 

"I'm not asking for you." He deadpans. "I'll search it on reddit for you, though."

"Mm... that works." You hum. "So... wanna tell me what was on that exam you took?"

"No."

"No?? Not even a clue??" You gasp, pretending to be hurt.

"You'll be fine."

"That 88 I got on my first exam begs to differ."

"You're my smart girl." He hums.

You grimace at him.

"Alright, alright. But you're paying for dinner."

"Bruce is, but yeah." You click on your phone, handing him the menu as you get cozy on the couch. 

Jason settles into a day to day with you, fingers interlaced with yours, placing grapes in your mouth as you rest, sigh breaking through your chest as you rest the book over your eyes.

"Tired?"

"Very." You hum. "How was your final?"

"I finished." He pulls another grape, pressing it to your lips as you part them to eat. "You're getting real lazy, sweetheart, you know that?"

"Yeah." You hum. "But you love me."

Jason pretends to think about it, tapping his chin as he puts the bowl down. "I don't know..."

"You're hand feeding me grapes and you're telling me you don't know if you love me?" You move the book from your eyes, raising a brow at him as you shuffle and lean on your elbows.. "Jason, beloved. If you tell me you don't know one more time I'm sending you straight to hell."

"By killing me?"

"Jay, baby?"

"Yes?"

"No." 

He reaches for the bowl again, breaking another grape off to give you.

"But you love me."

"Yeah, yeah." You sigh, taking the grape as Jason presses his lips to yours, giving you a quick kiss. You make a noise in protest.

"I love you more than words could express, sweetheart." He takes the last grape, slipping it past his own lips as you throw your head into the arm of the couch and groan.

"You cheeseball."

"Says the one who asked me out."

"I didn't even ask you out all that cheesily." 

"Yeah, but you asked me out."

"And you accepted it." You point. "Loser."

"Yeah, your loser."

"My loser." You sigh. 

[coraniaid]

how about an AU where cordelia stayed in sunnydale?

Oh, that's interesting.

I think that, in reality, if Cordelia hadn't left for Angel, she'd probably have ended up occupying a pretty similar place in the rest of Buffy to the role Anya ends up taking. Maybe not exactly the same one (I don't know if the writers would have had her and Xander get back together, for example, and obviously Cordelia isn't a former vengeance demon), but close enough that I'm not even sure that they'd have made Anya a permanenent member of the cast.

But, ignoring that, and taking Anya's ongoing presence in Sunnydale as given...

I think something has to happen to make Cordelia stay in Sunnydale, right? It's clear from Season 3 that she doesn't want to (see, for example, her reaction to finding out that Buffy got into Northwestern: "great! now you can leave and never come back! [I mean] get out of Sunnydale: that's a good thing"). I guess maybe the lazy option is just to have her trying to save up money to get into drama school somewhere? We already see her working at April Fools in Season 3, maybe she can keep doing that. Or maybe -- remembering Cordelia's role as Buffy's shadow -- her parents split up because of her father's tax issues and she ends up feeling she has to stay in town to help look after her mom? Or maybe put those two ideas together: Buffy's surprised to see that Cordelia's still in town, Cordelia tries as nonchalantly as possible to pretend she's still around for her own reasons and then we learn that she's putting her own ambitions on hold because she has to help her mom look for a new place to stay. And maybe that gives us a chance to explore some of the class issue stuff that Buffy as a show always skirts around but never really touches (how does Cordelia feel about now being in a position more like Xander than Buffy or Willow?).

I've complained about this before (more than once), but I think Cordelia being in Sunnydale is a great excuse to change how the gang react to finding out that Harmony is a vampire. I mean, say what you want about the show's approach to vampire lore, but it's pretty jarring how quickly everyone reacts to finding out that their former classmate died helping fight the Mayor and his minions in the same dismissive "haha, Harmony's always been an idiot" way; as if Harmony had 'decided' to become a vampire in a slightly embarrasing post-school life choice. It feels more in character for Buffy, Giles and Xander to argue that Harmony is dead and That Thing Is Not Her while Cordelia (just as in Disharmony over on Angel a season later) says "no, this is definitely Harmony, she's my friend". (Willow can still react in the same way as canon, sure; it's not out of character for her to dislike Harmony.) And I think it would help the maybe-demons-aren't-all-bad approach that the show obviously wants to go for if Harmony and Cordelia actually were friends this season. Like, Harmony herself still absolutely is evil and will hang around trying to feed on people heading home late from work in the dark -- but when she recognizes her intended victim is Cordelia she immediately drops the vamp face and they cheerfully walk back to Cordelia's place chatting about high school and how much they agree Xander sucks.

I think Cordelia would also help to push Giles out of his mid-life crisis a bit earlier than he manages in canon. Partly in the same way she does for Angel in his show. Sure, she can't fix everything going wrong in her own life but she can stop Giles sitting around feeling sorry for himself in his large house [much larger than some people's houses, she'll point out] and maybe push himself into finding an actual job more quickly. I think that would set up some tension with Anya later (when she gets a job at the shop Giles opens, a little ahead of canon) which I think would be nice to see. (I also think it would be fun to see Anya interact with Cordelia more generally, the way they did in The Wish when Anya was first pretending to be human. They are both pretty blunt speakers, after all, who both see themselves as being outside of the core Scooby Group, and it would be fun to see them commenting on things together. Or to imagine Cordelia's puzzled/disgusted reaction whenever Anya starts talking about how great Xander is and how much she enjoys having sex with him.)

Once we get to Season 5, I'd love to see how Dawn and Cordelia interact. As I think I've said before, I think they'd get on really well (and that this would annoy Buffy a lot). Dawn looks up to Cordelia as somebody a lot like her own sister before she became a Slayer (but infinitely superior because she isn't actually her sister), while Cordelia loves having somebody tell her how great she is and tells Dawn how much cooler she is than Buffy (and not entirely just to annoy Buffy). I think Cordelia might even replace Willow in some contexts (in particular, I think it parallels Cordelia instantly agreeing to drive Buffy home in Helpless if Dawn demands to stay at Cordelia's after Joyce's funeral and Cordelia instantly accepts even though we've already established she doesn't want anyone she knows seeing the reduced circumstances she's living in). Cordelia never interacts with Joyce in canon as much as Buffy's other shadow selves do, but she does seem to admire her [in their very limited exchanges]. Actually, maybe at some point in Season 4 Cordelia quits her retail job to go and work for Joyce at the art gallery? I mean, if Season 4 is (in part) about Buffy losing touch with her mother as she moves away from home, what better way to represent that than by having the character who represents Buffy's younger, pre-Slayer self start spending more time with her?

When Riley delivers his stupid ultimatum to Buffy in Into The Woods, Xander would still give his ridiculous speech to Buffy about how great Riley is and how this is all Buffy's fault, but Cordelia (who, it turns out, has views of her own on what to do when your boyfriend cheats on you and expects you to forgive him and take him back and indeed about whether you should take Xander Harris seriously about anything) would interupt and point out just how bizarre what Xander was saying was (and probably be the catalyst for him to realize that what he's saying applies far more to his own relationship with Anya). We cut to Riley waiting by his helicopter ready to go and pacify Central America for Christian missionaries [or whatever] when a female figure emerges from the woods ... Riley looks up, hopeful, but it's not Buffy. It's Cordelia ["what," she says, paraphrasing Gunn; "you were expecting somebody else?"]. Cordelia gets to give Riley a piece of her mind and tell him how great Buffy is [something she'd never tell Buffy, of course] and how badly Riley messed things up, and then she cheerfully waves him off as he leaves Sunnydale forever. [And, okay, yes, Buffy will still be upset about their relationship ending and she will still blame herself later when the topic comes up -- that's just who she is and how she approaches all of her romantic relationships. But at least we don't have to humor Joss Whedon's ego by pretending that she was right to do this and that her relationship with Riley was actually great all along.]

[dirtyspongesoften]

Slut!

Jumin was a handsome man. He was dashingly handsome, an eligible bachelor, smart, rich. You managed to capture his heart, however the public did not agree with his view on you. But when you're with him, the sticks and stones they throw freeze mid air, because when it's just you and him, nothing else matters.

(If you couldn't tell already this is Taylor swift inspired, I think that in today's social media climate MC would definitely be criticized simply because people were jealous that she has the one thing they wanted, or people would definitely leave hate comments of some sort. But of course, her sweet, gentle, loving husband to be would smooth the creases between her brows and soothe all her worries.)

1.5k words

Jumin was one of Korea's most famous eligible bachelors, which changed when you waltzed into his life. You seduced him, black mailed him, and had been trained to do this. That was what the media said about you after the news aired the story of Jumin proposing to you at the RFA party. It had been almost a week since then, and the media still did not stop their endless commentary on the event. Of course they did not know what really happened, they thought you were there for money, for fame, for anything besides love. You tried desperately to ignore the comments, but after public outings with your fiance   everything only got worse. More people discredited your love, they scrutinized the way you held his hand, the shoes you wore, the makeup applied to your face. It was hard to cope but here, in this moment all of that felt miles away. 

The moon was full and high in the sky. It reflected off of his skin and made the pool look ethereal. You sat in Jumin's lap, his soft hands rested at your waist rubbing comforting circles there. He looked beautiful in the moonlight, his nose and dark hair made him look like a prince. You could feel him solid under your fingertips, he was real and he was yours.  You whispered and giggled amongst yourselves, sharing kisses and expensive wine while relaxing in the rooftop pool of his penthouse. 

       “My love, would you like to come to the office tomorrow to have lunch with me? I would love to have you there to give me motivation.” you brushed the strands of wet hair off his forehead and gave him a chaste kiss. 

     “I would love to babe, it's just..” you trailed off remembering the comments you heard from the women in the bathroom, ‘she's pretty average, probably looks really bad underneath the makeup, she obviously has other assets that attracted him to her if you get what I mean’ they broke out into giggles ‘yeah, she looks like a slut’ another fit of giggles. 

Jumin noticed how you went quiet and moved his hands from your waist to delicately cup your cheeks.

     “Darling, what's wrong? Please tell me, we can fix whatever it is.” You were hesitant to say anything, out of fear of getting someone in trouble, or making things worse with the media. You quickly smiled at him and hid in the crook between his neck and shoulder. 

     “Nothing, around what time would you like me to be there?” 

      “Are you sure? If someone at the office is saying something please tell me. I will take care of it.” Always so protective. 

      “It's nothing, I promise. Now what time would you like me to be there?” 

     “Around one, I'll have Mr. Kim come pick you up, are you sure though?” 

      “Yes Jumin, it's fine no one has said anything, I swear on everything I hold dear” You giggled as gave him a quick kiss and looked back while you sauntered out of the pool to get your towel. He quickly followed behind with the promise of a lovely night. 

Around midday the next day you sat in your Pjs still, Jumins side of the bed had long gotten cold and it was just you scrolling through X (formerly twitter). You sat chewing your lip as you read another ridiculous article. You knew they were never good, but some small part of you hoped that someone would write a good article, that could show just even a bit of how much love you and Jumin shared. So sometimes you would stick around and read them, this one was about your age difference. You were 20 and he was 27 although the age gap was not illegal to many it seemed strange, almost predatory on his part, and definitely fetishizing on your part, according to them. When you first fell for each other you didn't consider the seven years between your ages. It was a big talking point for the media unfortunately. Your phone dinged with a notification, snapping you out of your thoughts. Mr. Kim was downstairs waiting and you had been so caught up in the article that you completely lost track of time. You text back a quick apology and explanation before you rush to get ready. 

When you arrived to C&R there were a couple of paparazzi already gathered at the door. You felt like sobbing, how did they know about this? 

Mr. Kim quickly came by to open your door and shield you from the harsh questions from the reporters and from the dizzying lights of the cameras. 

     “Mrs. Han, what are you wearing?” 

      “Mrs. Han, how much do you hope to get out of Jumin Han after your divorce ?” Your heart broke in two pieces.

      “Mrs. Han, what do you think about E!News calling you a slut?” Your heart shattered in a million pieces. Tears pooled in your eyes as you walked through the grand glass doors. Jaehee had come down to greet you and as soon as you saw her, you threw yourself in her arms, sobbing. 

     “What happened, are you alright?” She repeatedly said your name to no avail as tears continued to flow down. She led you to the elevator where she separated herself from you and began to ask questions. 

      “Do you know who could have possibly sent the paparazzi? What did they say?” After being unsuccessful in her attempts to ask you questions she simply wrapped her arms around you. “You know Mr. Han will have this swiftly handled. I'm sorry this is happening.” The elevator suddenly dinged and you were aware of the fact that you had 5 seconds to make it look like you just hadn't been sobbing. You loved Jumin and the fact that he was so protective of you, but the last thing you needed was him fussing over this, he was already so busy. Your attempts at looking presentable failed and the door opened to reveal Jumin with a soft smile on his face, which quickly warped to worry upon seeing your disheveled state. 

      “My love, darling, what happened? Are you alright? Did someone hurt you?” He came to sweep you out of Jaehees arms and swiftly ran his hands on your body. He studied your face as you studied his worried expression.

      “Mr. Han, there was paparazzi at the front, I'm assuming it had something to do with that.” 

     “Thank you Jaehee, you're dismissed.” 

Jumin led you into his office, you saw the beautiful layout of food the chef had prepared but none of it seemed appetizing. How could they ask you that? How could they basically wish on the downfall of your marriage before it even happened?

     “They asked me how much money I wanted to get out of you after our divorce, Jumin…were not even married, how horrible is that?” your voice came out suddenly, barely above a whisper. He quickly came to wrap his arms around you. His warmth was all around you and for a second everything stopped. You could feel his hair tickle the top of your and the scent of his cologne. 

“My beautiful angel, I hate to see you cry like this, it makes my heart ache. Please do not listen to them, I will love you forever.” He brushed a stray tear off of your face. You sniffed and buried yourself into him further. “Let's go home okay? I'll take the rest of the day off.” You barely heard what he was saying as he called Jaehee to tell her that he would be taking the rest of the day off, you were too busy trying to get the paparazzis words out of your head. 

When you both arrived home Jumin took your coat and purse and guided you into the bedroom. With soft hands and gentle words of affirmation he helped you into your pjs and into bed. He crawled in behind you, he placed your head on his chest. You could feel and hear his heart beating, through all of the horrible thoughts going through your head about what had happened, his heart beat, steady and true, was the one thing that could cut through the noise. You felt his hands smoothing down your hair. You felt at peace for once this entire day, you felt warm and comforted in his arms. 

      “You will always be the light of my life, no matter what people say, no matter what  they wish for us, my love for you will never change ” You looked up to meet his eyes and saw nothing but adoration in them. 

       “I know Jumin, you're not the problem, it's what they say. It always gets to me unfortunately, but whenever I'm with you I know it's all worth it.” You warmly smiled up at him. You felt complete and whole, in this moment here. No one could take him from you, No one could take you from him. You could feel him rubbing comforting circles on your back, until you drifted off, feeling wholeheartedly content, that he was to be yours for the rest of eternity and that no matter what people said he would always be coming home to you, and you to him.

[hasufin]

Incoming

I want you to understand something.

The incoming administration is going to spend the next four years intentionally traumatizing you. That is one of their main goals.

See, while the republican leadership is kinda racist and sexist, and transphobic, and homophobic, and... well, pretty much all the ists, really, that's not all that important to them.

What they want is money and power. They don't have any real goals past those things (gods know, they don't have a track record of legislative victories).

Now, as far as money, the fix is in. They're going to deregulate, they're going to cut the government so they can needlessly outsource to their own companies. They're going to loot the country. They've got a judiciary which will rule these are all things they can do, and anyone who tries to stop them will be stymied at every turn.

But power? Power is a fleeting thing. Power comes from the masses. And the republican voting base hates. It's what they do. They have this aggression which they want to direct at someone. They're cruel people who like seeing others hurting. If they're deprived of a target, they will create one.

And that means the incoming administration needs to be constantly putting on a show of hurting people. they won't be "fixing" the immigration "problem", but they will definitely be rounding up brown people and putting them in camps. Not because that's useful, effective, or legal - but because it hurts the brown people and it makes liberals upset. They will stop if we stop caring (and then they'll move on to something else that we do care about).

It's like when the Taliban blew up those statues. The point was that it upset and outraged people, and no one could stop them.

What will they do in four years? I can't say for sure. Tear down beloved monuments? Defund critical services? Slap Trump's name on everything? If it upsets you and me, it's on the table. That's the way they work.

They're not going to be effective at the big stuff. But that's not their goal. Their goal is going to be to make as many people hurt and scared and upset as possible. and Every Single Time they will pretend to be shocked that anyone blames them for it, all while drinking it in.

[alyjojo]

Yearly Tarot Reading 2025 🎏 - Leo Sun/Rising

Meditation: Riding on a gondola through a calm (but quite large) lake, what looks like pink daisy? blossoms were falling from the sky into your boat and everywhere else. One person was guiding the boat with an oar, the other was sitting on the other side of a boat, wearing a hooded cloak, unseen. 6 Swords energy. It wasn’t cherry blossoms, they look like this 🌸 There’s also a mix of cultures being shown, which could mean something for someone.

General: The Wheel of Fortune 🎱

Work: Temperance

Love: The Tower

Spirit’s first message is “don’t freak out,” which isn’t something anyone wants to hear 😆 The Tower is scary looking but it serves the purpose it needs to serve, which is to destroy what isn’t solid in some area of life, here it’s relationships, and you can thank a mixture of Pluto 7th and Virgo SN for that. We’re just gonna start with “the bad,” relationships, and the past. End on a positive note, that’s kind of the mentality they want you to embrace as well - with all things. Everything is meant to be. All of it, and you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be even if where that is isn’t the best place then, now, or in the future; no one is out to get you, not Spirit anyway, people will be people - there’s a purpose for it.

Last year, you underwent a powerful Transformation already, so the moans and groans I’m hearing are probably because you thought you were done and wtf. I feel you 🙏 The Nodes switch at the end of January, to Pisces/Virgo, and your 8th/2nd Houses, mostly money related, along with Pluto causing chaos and transformation in your 7th House of Partners & closest relationships. Intense is an understatement. Some of you will meet someone who blows your mind, it happens out of nowhere, you’re swept away into some amazing new relationship - Pluto 7th. Some of you will be ending major relationships that have either grown apart or something was never truly stable between you, or isn’t anymore - Pluto & Tower. Divorce and marriage are both present with the money houses being triggered. Travel could be involved in either case, relocating, taking a holiday, moving out of the shared home, however travel looks for your situation.

There, we covered the best/worst case scenarios. For the healthy & happy relationships, this Tower is shared and seems to be more about perceptions than love - on your side, it’s your reading. Some of you have Virgo placements, which makes the SN more of a challenge when these things come to you naturally and are a part of who you ARE. But…high vibe is the goal. Low vibe is the no. Virgo came out as a sign to show it’s these low vibe energies that you’ll be dealing with. Perfectionism, criticism, trying to “fix” people and things as if they’re flawed - if/when they’re not or didn’t ask, control, impossible expectations, hermit behavior or toxic independence, which…first time I’ve ever said that wut 😆 and these coming from a pessimistic, judging, complaining, or in a forceful criticism sort of way, pointing the finger outward like other people need to be fixed and you’re all roses 🌹 Both nodes really. That’s for all of us 💯

Virgo/Pisces is martyr/victim, left brain/right brain, reality/dreams, skilled trade/art, organization/creative mess - and this dynamic plays out in your money houses with the 8th being your direction. Other people’s money, inheritance, joint finances, it’s a balance of what’s mine vs. what’s ours and if not money (which will play a role somehow), then definitely in values. You and your person may have very different values, ways of spending money, financial goals, or again, you could meet the love of your life and get married - it’s no longer “mine” but “ours.” This could also play out in terms of intimacy 💋 or your/their “shadow sides” or traumas and your shared or differing values or expectations surrounding that. You could sell your solo home to move into a shared home - that goes with marriage, along with any other mine/ours investments. A positive to NN and Pluto 7th is that *if* you’re going to engage - it’s gonna be deep. DEEP. Change your whole life kind of deep ❤️ Your relationships are going to transform you in ways you couldn’t manage any other way. It doesn’t have to be just romantic either, but it IS your closest connections of any flavor. These are the relationships that hit DEEP…LY 😁 Some will inevitably end, others will come that you never expected - it’s all divinely orchestrated for your life & direction. I’m not gonna harp on Pluto for 20 years but it’s showing up as the main challenge, and it’s the first full year - I have to. I’m seeing Uranus with the lightning ⚡️ on The Tower, and this moves into Gemini July 7th in your 11th, this could be a time where you meet someone that changes your whole life. Could be through a friend or online.

There is conflicting advice for work, which is to take it easy, remain balanced and unbothered, incorporate your lessons and coast…basically. But stop doing that at home 🙃 Relationships may be jolting and work is your peace. I’m hearing “security blanket,” but I’m not really sure what that means…in this context. It’s the solid thing amid possible chaos, the thing to hold onto in a storm, the Virgo sense of “this is how things are/work/the right way” that is otherwise challenged in other areas. Coasting day to day, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, just roll with it, we’re here for a peaceful day and a paycheck - there’s enough drama to keep you busy elsewhere (potentially). Work is the area of life where you find freedom, creativity, innovation, the ability to expand out of any perceived boxes. Or to be happy in the boxes, could be that too. When it’s raining outside the box is like a sanctuary. Work fills you up where relationships may (but not necessarily) drain you.

There’s a note about something changing or being introduced, it’s new, but it’s nothing major and should be easily incorporated with whatever you do, this Temperance card has ten hands all doing different things, and they’re peaceful, like it’s easy or something. Things that were frustrating or not moving forward will begin doing so at some point, not immediately, because Temperance shows a need for patience as well as Wheel of Fortune showing divine timing, it’s gonna happen when it happens and when it does - it’s positive. Lucky 🎲 even. Same for those looking for a job, worrying isn’t going to get you anywhere faster. Those without a job may be forced to get creative with their ways of making money, and that’s something that’s positively aspected for you. If you’re confused, ask someone who knows or who has made this a success, whatever it is. You will have the support you need from coworkers, bosses, etc. Some of you may be trying to advance by way of some certification, and Real Estate is being highlighted with the nodes. Some of you are just trying to rebuild credit or investing in the things you need that will inevitably do that when you pay off xyz.

The last message in the reading is Spirit getting on your case about laziness, bad eating habits specifically, unhealthy habits across the board but more like self-indulgence with money, however that looks for you. Taurus is reversed here so that’s definitely food, and Healthy Choices shows food - some of you are going to (or need to) incorporate healthier meals into your regimen. Going to the gym if that’s your thing, walking more, whatever. There are heavy Distractions and Dreamy energy that you may call self-care but it’s actually indulgent or wasteful of something to the extent it goes. Probably money. Maybe time idk. Perception rules over these things as something you’re going to have to face due to the Virgo SN as well and finances tie in with that a lot. You can’t afford bills and Door Dash every night, some of you are going to learn how to cook or create organizational ways of cutting back financially - subscriptions, hobbies, food, cleaning services, whatever it is. Earthy things. Money 💰 Especially unhealthy things. Clean your own house and make your own xyz fo’ cheap. I’m seeing someone sew 🪡 their own clothes and that’s just cool 😎, if that’s something you do. Ultimately, Wheel of Fortune is bringing changes in the areas that aren’t that great anyway - where they aren’t, or bringing in things that are and that could be a surprise. Someone’s partner may be Jewish or Indian, that’s random but I’m seeing “kosher” and also like…heavy chicken, curry, no red meat, that kind of thing. Some sort of special diet, pick one idk.

It is all ultimately positive, or will be, and Spirit wants you to continue to have faith during the times when it may not be or something jolts you into a new perception you weren’t expecting (for most), it’s for a higher good even where you’re the problem. It’s for your own good, and it’s really not giving bad vibes, that’s just a possibility that can’t be ignored - the Perception of it may be “bad” but not always, and I’m hearing “you’ll see.” Fixed signs don’t like change and this involves change, it’s ugh, but it’s good or it will be once it all falls into place however it’s supposed to - Wheel of Fortune is a fluctuating (with luck & blessings attached - upright) period of change, all year long.

Spirit also wants me to mention Jupiter moving into Cancer and your 12th House in June, this is a very positive Spirit over your shoulder more or less. An angel that’s got your back. You’re protected from the worst of whatever you may face…the biggest message is to have faith that things are going to work out, because they will. You could have some crazy serendipitous experiences, especially if you have Scorpio placements that form a grand water trine. Some of you could start talking to your own Spirit Guides and meditating more, getting more in touch with your spiritual side. Some of you may get much closer to a maternal figure in your life, or your own children. Don’t have to, but if you do, there it is. Prophetic dreams are also possible being 12th and Pisces energy thinning the veil between what’s in front of us vs. what’s not but…still there, guiding you when/how you need it 🔮 Now you could SEE what before you only believed, or not, something like that.

Zodiac Signs: Heavy Sagittarius, Scorpio, Pisces & Cancer

Numbers: 71, 13, 9, 22, 56, 16, 69 & 78

666 is the only pattern, showing “The Devil” in last year’s energy carrying over to this year, it’s showing Virgo South Node traits of perfectionism and critical behavior, releasing control - and The Tower. That’s what’s being destroyed, this idea of relationships, habits, and/or how you’re perceiving them, uptight control, going by the book - it’s different for everyone. To be fair, we’re all going through this, Pluto is just amping your experience up x100. Especially those of you with Virgo placements.

[ilovecoelacanths]

actually seriously though sorry to vent but this quarter has been like one of the worst times of my life i didnt really think it could get worse from last year but it did and also my whole family life kinda fell apart which didnt help.

i thought going part time this quarter could help me but it just gave me more time to do nothing and then feel bad about doing nothing. i only have two classes this quarter and im definitely gonna fail one and im maybe gonna barely pass the other one. plus my financial aid changed so school is literally 3 times more expensive which means im running out of money way faster than i have the past two years, i thought that since i worked 3 jobs this summer i had finally saved enough to pay for the whole school year but instead i barely paid for the quarter.

literally the only thing that makes school worth it right now is the rowing team and tbh half the time i cant even drag myself out of bed to get to practice because we meet at fuckin 4:30 in the morning so im just disappointing them and wasting all the fucking money in dues because we don’t get money from the school so we have to pay a lot to fund the club and yeah. i just. need a break. i thought i could do better this year but nothing ive done has helped and trying to fix whatever is wrong with me and do school at the same time is just too much.

im just so tired. im tired of doing nothing and then feeling bad about it and overwhelmed even though i havent done anything and all my tasks are very manageable. im tired of not being able to fall asleep on time because i managed my time badly or my roommates were being loud and then either getting up for rowing or sleeping way too long. im tired of getting 3 hours of sleep one day and then 10 hours the next. i feel like shit and i cant even tell people how bad it really is because i dont want to disappoint them but here i am disappointing them anyway. i want to fix it but for some reason things that should be easy are so so so hard. i didnt even brush my fucking teeth today man.

my professor sent me a message a week and a half ago telling me im gonna fail the class because ive missed too many classes and im too far behind and i still havent responded. she probably thinks i dont care but the truth is every time i think about responding i feel sick. i just want to go home but now everything is different and my mom and brothers moved to a new house and my aunt and uncle moved to a new state and i have to go home to a house that isnt mine and not all my family will be there. or i go to a different house that isnt mine and not all my family will be there. and they say they dont want me to pick sides but somehow going to either place feels like im betraying someone. cant a guy catch a fucking break around here

[fayedartmouth]

can we please get a pope snippet from the fix it? or a sarah or cleo one? I’m curious to hear what’s gonna be happening with them? mostly i’m interested in the relationships between pope and jj, pope and kie, and sarah and kie.

Well, here's one between JJ and Pope, extended scene of JJ's suicidal ideation on the boat ride over -- which I'm assuming he didn't actually just ignore like he does in canon.

After things go down in Morocco, Pope does experience a shift in his mindset. He's killed a man -- and he's still lost JJ -- and it definitely changes him.

“Are you serious?” he asked, grabbing JJ on his way out.  

JJ swayed, unsteady on his feet as he turned back around.  “What?”

“You’re just going to come in here and say <i>that</i>,” he said with a scoff.  He was goggling his eyes a little.  “Like it’s nothing?”

JJ blinked, as if he really had no idea what he was talking about.  “Say what?”

Pope sighed.  JJ was probably that drunk.  JJ was also probably that willfully obtuse.  “That I should have let them kill you,” he said, jabbing his finger at JJ.  He felt incredulous repeating it, almost surreal.  “That it would do you a favor!”

He hoped, in some way, that saying it back to JJ would make him realize it.  The weight of it.  How wrong it was.

But JJ stared at him for a moment before shrugging, the epitome of indifference.  “Whatever, man,” he said blithely.  “I’m just saying, this could have been avoided for all of us.”

Pope closed his mouth, his jaw locking.  “Yeah, because we’d burying you in the ground, asshole,” he snapped.

But anger didn’t work.  JJ was too drunk; JJ was too depressed.

JJ was too gone.

Groff had taken more from JJ than any of them wanted to talk about.  The damage done was more than an infected wound on his side.

It was <i>this</i>.  A loss of JJ’s tentative self-esteem.  The undoing of 18 months of progress.  Complete recklessness, utter indifference.  Flippant acceptance, of the lowest common denominator.  JJ had fought like hell before, for every moment of every day.

He was done now.  He’d <i>quit</i>.

You could talk sense into JJ eventually.  When he cared, you could push his buttons and find the right logic to move the needle for him.  He would do anything for his friends; he loved them that much.

But JJ hated himself more than he loved them, now.  That was the key difference.  That was the obstacles he couldn’t circumvent.  That was the impossible truth he could no longer obfuscate.  That was the thing that would take the ship down, and it was just a question of how many people would go down with it in the end.

Because JJ was ready to give up on himself.

He didn’t seem to realize they weren’t ready to give up on him.

“Nah, man,” JJ said with an errant swipe of his hand.

Pope didn’t relent, though.  The emotion choked up his throat, and he shook his head adamantly.  “<i>Yes</i>.”

JJ just grinned, lazy and nonchalant – the asshole.  “Nah,” he said again, patting Pope on the arm.  “You don’t need to worry about it, dude.  We’re broke.  There’s no money for a funeral.  Just don’t claim the body, and the state will handle it, easy peasy.”

Then, he pulled back with a snicker, dark and bitter.

“And who knows?  Luke’s still legally my dad,” he said.  “He might pay for it.  You know, to make up for – everything.”

Pope didn’t know what to say.  He didn’t know what to do.  It felt like someone was clawing away at his insides, taking him apart.  It was like being 16 and seeing JJ stand up in the hot tub, realizing for the first time he’d gotten it wrong.

He’d gotten it very, very wrong.

JJ continued with an easy shrug.  “Either way, don’t pay for a headstone,” he advised, lifting his finger as if this were sage advice.  “I don’t expect you to visit anyway.”

Pope felt sick.  Actually, physically sick.  “JJ,” he said, almost pleading now. “You can’t mean that.  You <i>can’t</i>.”

For a horrible moment, JJ still looked confused.  But through the depression – through the alcohol – he seemed to understand something.  “I know,” he said softly .  “I – wouldn’t.  I wouldn’t do that to you guys.”

But he’d said it.  He’d <i>said</i> it.  Pope had almost taken a bullet for him. 

This was the least he could do now.

He took JJ by the shoulders and squared him, until the muddy blue eyes looked at him.  “Saving your life wasn’t a waste, JJ,” he said, slow and clear.  “I’m pissed, okay?  I’m stressed.  But I don’t regret it.  Not for a second.”

It meant something.  It meant everything.

But the look on JJ’s face.  Just looked more pained than ever.

He smiled faintly, reaching up and tapping Pope’s cheek.  “Maybe you do love me,” he quipped.

Pope’s shoulders feel, hands dropping away.  “JJ–”

“It’s okay,” JJ assured him.  “I wouldn’t say it either.”

He pulled away, stumbling again as he caught himself on the door of the cabin.  “JJ–”

“I’ll pay it back,” he slurred at him as he turned back and saluted at him one more time.  “I’ll pay it back or die trying.”

Pope stood, mouth hanging open in shock.

JJ giggled, as if he’d said something hilarious.  “But that defeats the point, doesn’t it?”

He couldn’t find the words.  He couldn’t find his voice.  

He watched JJ stagger away, opening the door to go below deck, while he stood there shellshocked and vacant at the controls.

Part of his logic this trip had been it was okay, things couldn’t possibly get worse.

But here they were.  With things getting so much worse.

He couldn’t pretend like he hadn’t heard it.  He couldn’t look away when he knew JJ meant it.

Sighing, he went back to the control, digging his phone out of his pocket.  He pulled up the group chat – minus JJ – and typed out his message.

<i>911 group meeting; control room –  now.</i>

And then, biting his lower lip.

<i>We need to talk about JJ.</i>

[quackity1999]

Uncle Quackity

I would like mister charlie to make footnotes. But what does that and renovations mean? Have not hear those words before. Though I hope you are able to fix things for you are home. Sounds like a lot of things have gone bad :(

And gambling sounds fun if gold is in it! For gold is good items to have so gambling must be good too. So now think of me as 18 because I can now do gambling. And am big. Because I am taller than shroud. And I can write and speak big words like refrigerator. You know uncle Quackity? Big just like you and bee and boo. So I will be full with food soon when I win gold at gambling. But I promise to share with you if you double the gold I gave! Because I am sure gaining gold is hards work. Just like when I have to clean my toys. Because that is hards work. And not needed but bee and boo would put me in timeout if I don't. There so mean.

-Micheal_Beloved ( @michealsproutsnotes )

michael,

noticed your handwriting is improving! that's some pretty sturdy crayon. wow. and if i'm being completely honest, refrigerator is no easy word: i know adults who can’t even spell that!

a nice try with the gambling thing, little guy, but i definitely can’t let you do that yet — even if you’re “18 now". i get that cleaning toys is tough, and ranboo and tubbo tend to be strict, but winning gold or other luxuries through gambling isn’t as easy as it sounds.

most of the time, people lose more than they win. the offer is appreciated, but i'm doing just fine. you should focus on saving any current money for things you need, like books, LEGO sets, costumes, art supplies. that’s what all those smart big businesspeople do, yeah?

now, about your questions: footnotes are little notes that help explain things that people might not understand initially. say if tubbo or ranboo were explaining something when you ask “why”, or when tubbo tells you the reasons for you can’t eat candy at breakfast — except it’s written at the bottom of a page. i'm moreso referring to charlie's "footnotes" being a little addition on top of my letter.

and renovations means fixing buildings up to make them better and sturdier, like when you clean your toys. except, you know, my casino doesn’t get put in timeout if i don’t do it. ( but awesamdude does get grumpy with me, which is almost as scary. ) in my case, i’m making sure everything in las nevadas stays nice and works the way it should. running a place like this takes a lot of work— but that’s part of the job!

i suggest listening to tubbo and ranboo ( most of the time ) —even when chores or boring stuff feels unfair. trust me, sometimes you have to do things you don’t like so you can do the exciting shit later. all about balance, and it'll pay off.

your mention of not knowing word definitions gave me an idea. how's about we start up a game? :]

big q, president of las nevadas.

[locktobre]

As much as I hate Pauper/Popstar comparisons, there are some good ones to be made, particularly bc the characters are in such different stages of their journeys:

Anneliese begins Pauper where Tori ends in Popstar: knowing that there is a problem in her kingdom that needs to be fixed. 

Anneliese knows that her kingdom is bankrupt, and is going to (try to) solve this by marrying Dominick, bringing his money into the kingdom.

Tori doesn’t know that the drought is still happening, but when she finds out, her solution is new irrigation systems and creating a new government program to help people in poverty.

Erika ends Pauper where Keira begins in Popstar: with a successful singing career.

Erika has not yet achieved her dream, and spends the movie working toward it, finally achieving it at the end.

Keira has already achieved her dream, and spends the movie asking herself ‘Now what?’ bc it isn’t like she thought it would be.

Like, they’re such opposites in so many ways, and it’s fascinating to dissect the ways their stories parallel each other, but of course nobody ever wants to talk about that. All they want to do is complain that Popstar isn’t Pauper, but like... That’s the whole fucking point, guys. It’s in the characters, it’s in the plot, it’s the whole damn movie. Time periods aside (which is another HUGELY overlooked aspect of why the movies are not the fucking same), even the character dynamics are not remotely the same, and again, this changes both the characters and the plot:

Anneliese is an only child, and Julian is her only friend--even then, she doesn’t tell him everything. She has a somewhat close relationship with her mother, and she lost her father. She has never left the palace or interacted with her citizens before (aside from palace staff).

Tori is the eldest child, with two younger sisters. She lost her mother, and has a distant relationship with her father. She has a fraught relationship with her aunt. She’s a modern teenager, so she has a cell phone and internet, and she’s definitely left the palace before.

Erika is an orphan, and Bertie seems to be her only friend. She lives in poverty under Mme Carp’s thumb, and Mme Carp never lets her forget that she owns her.

Keira’s family status is unclear, but she says herself that she has no (time for) friends except her dog and her guitar. She has a fraught relationship with her manager, and a worse relationship with her record label, but aside from some creative block, she is doing very well in her career.

Again, time periods aside, given Anneliese’s situation--of course she’s going to bury herself in books and try to learn about the outside world as much as she can, especially through science. She’s a kind person, but she is not overly social outside of the demands of being a princess. Tori, on the other hand, is very social and outgoing. She’s used to meeting people, and knows how to charm them. Her main interest is Keira’s music (and adjacent paraphernalia). Does this make Tori a shallow extrovert, and Anneliese an intellectual introvert? Absolutely fucking not. They’re shaped by their circumstances. Likewise for Erika and Keira: Erika lives in poverty, and Keira is a wealthy celebrity. Does that mean that both of them don’t work hard to achieve what they want? No! Absolutely not! We see them both working hard, at the different stages they’re at--Erika trying to get her career started, and Keira trying to keep her career afloat.

They’re not the same characters. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have a lot in common to compare and contrast. It’s interesting, it really is, but I never want to do it bc I cannot fucking stand the ppl in this fandom who want to just shit on Popstar forever. It’s been 11 years, shut the fuck up already.

[caliburn-the-sword]

finished reading scarlet; last thoughts and reactions and ponderings

was about to be like "ew wtf did not want r*pe in MY y/a book" AND THEN HE SLIPPED HER AN I.D. TO ESCAPE

thorne is SO real for only being concerned about his jacket despite human bites being very dangerous lol

why are these werewolves acting like vamps

it's kind of nice how cool thorne is with lunars with all the lunar hate there is - i remember when reading cinder being apalled about how she generalised them all as corrupt

YES SCARLET KNOWS SHE KNOWS NOW

NO NOT GRANNY I'M LITERALLY IN STUDY PERIOD RN I CAN'T CRY (note: i managed not to cry in study period but god my eyes burned for a while lmao)

tf i thought wolf was just being possessive in like a protective way against ran and not just a plain old possessive way. he's honestly making me nervous rn like goodness i can literally feel scarlet's fear rn. STOP WITH YOUR I CAN FIX HIM DISEASE AND RUN (note: okay he got brain fucky wucky by mind control so this isn't him)

HOLY SHIT THEY'RE ALL FINALLY MEETING I'M FROTHING AT THE MOUTH

i think kai is going delulu. i bet his office isn't bugged and he's got a spy. literally since cinder my money has been on torin. but maybe huy

omg kai's recognition of cinder's sacrifice by going to the ball <3

gotta agree with everything cinder's saying about kai's marriage because it's everything i've been thinking since kai decided to marry levana. i wish he would see how it's a bandaid for a stab wound. he's barely fixing a short term problem, which is gonna have the same long term problem regardless

the girls (all current pov characters) ARE FIGHTING. not mad tho because i'm a messy bitch who lives for drama <3

"She'd had the bridge built for herself out of very special glass, so that she could watch (...) all without being observed herself" levana YOU MEAN A TWO WAY MIRROR??? don't go acting all superior you're not special

from what wolf has described of his Tragic Backstory there is NO way he ISN'T a virgin. i'm so sorry that was my only takeaway but i'm trying to distract myself

"We met less than a week ago and in that time I've done nothing but lie and cheat and betray you" FKSDHFSDK sounds JUST like ouat rumpelstiltskin and yet he's STILL healthier than him and not toxic LMAO

wait did wolf need to pretend betray scarlet without her knowing instead of just making THAT the plan because those supersoldiers can smell hormones?? i bet they can. i reckon he needed her to feel REAL fear (note: now that i think about it it's probably just the bioelectricity crap but also ONLY the thaumaturge would be able to detect that???)

if i keep having to read "alpha female" with my own two eyes, i'm going to need bleach. marissa meyer you owe me financial compensation for the psychological distress i've been caused. 3 is in fact 4 times too many. it is a crime that it was ever thought into existence

predictions for cress

didn't do this last time between cinder and scarlet but figured it would be fun!! you guys get to silently laugh about how wrong i am, no spoilers

first off, doc erland's place in africa becomes the home base and cinder starts her training

someone tries to recreate garan's device since it will be useful for the rebellion - could be a joint effort between cinder and cress since they have the hardware and software down respectively. idk who's gonna fill the last role of like. bio stuff and the surgeries tho but we'll see

MORE THORNE BACKSTORY

definitely more wolf pov chapters now that marissa no longer needs to make him dodgy

cress is at least a LITTLE bit delulu wackers bonkers cray z lost her marbles etc etc from being so isolated for so long. i would LOVE to get into that mindset and character voice. would make for a very interesting pov

on reading the blurb:

i'm REALLY fucking dumb it finally occurred to me that in rapunzel the hero falls from the tower and gets blinded by thorns. so that tells me exactly who carswell thorne is (rip to when i thought he was the prince from sleeping beauty cause that's embarrassing). i wonder if he gets ejected into space from the satellite and his eyeballs freeze out of his sockets or something

i wonder WHY cress would be locked up by the queen BEFORE she was even able to hack since she wouldn't have been useful then. my first thought was that glamour doesn't work on her like with shells but she's not a shell herself but that wouldn't make sense because the thaumaturges seemed surprised by cinder and michelle benoit so it can't be that. for the sake of my running joke of every fairy tale character either being related or knowing each other, i'm just gonna pin it down to her being somewhere in the family tree and leave it at that

can these people STOP getting separated from each other?? i can't handle it. from the blurb it seems like the boys got cut off from the girls??? and then kai is also separated from all of them lol. this is a prediction only in the sense that i'm trying to guess who's getting separated from who. i think it would tie well into separating everyone from their love interest like poor cinder

i wonder if this will be the book that we meet princess winter since with royal etiquette and all that her presence will p r o b a b l y be required during all them wedding preparations and what not

@eddisfargo @francforever @winterrhayle @winterpinetrees