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horseshoegirl · 6 months

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Set Me Alight: Part 7 - Paint It, Black

📜Life is messy. And complicated. And writer blocky, with a dash of imposter syndrome... I just want to put that out there... Anyway...

Well, the poll won out. You all want to know what Jake said to Midge. This is solely a flashback chapter. I can't say I'm surprised at who you all disliked in the last chapter, though I hope this one will give you some insight into why Midge has held on to this for as long as she has.

Special thank you to @teacupsandtopgun for helping me to write a certain part of this! You can thank her for the puns! And @sarahsmi13s for taking a peak at it!

❗️+18, Minors DNI, Strong Language, Enemies to Lovers, Original Female Character (s), Short OFC, Bradley Bradshaw x Natasha Trace, flashbacks, Halloween college parties, school, angst, sexual themes (overhearing), drunkness/inxotication. I mentioned angst, right? 💀

#8k <- yes, i know

Part 6 | Masterlist | Part 8

*Halloween Four Years Ago*

Giving orders to a football team to put up Halloween directions was not an easy feat. They were kids in a joke shop, only too happy to take every opportunity to jump-scare each other with a spider, a white sheet or slide out from behind a door and shout boo!

Despite the antics, you were grateful for the help. Nat and you wouldn’t have finished in time. And even then, you suspected Nat probably would have given up halfway through, merely deciding to throw Yellow Caution Tape on the walls and call it a day.

You wouldn’t have stopped - even if it became a doomed effort.

Bradley’s friends weren’t what you expected them to be. True, their appearance fit the bill a thousand times over. Tall, broad shoulders and bulging muscles were all the product of hard work - including Bob, who was smaller than the rest, though not by much. Even their mannerisms, from how they acted childish and goofy to how they winked or playfully flirted, everything you saw played into the stereotypical type that was the classic college football jock.

Then you got to know them—really know them—and hated yourself for ever associating them as such.

You already knew Bradley and had met him on occasion. When he stayed over to be with Nat, he was often up before you, and you’d chat with him over a cup of coffee. He always brought her a cup to wake her up when he could, and it always made you smile.

His story was a sad one. His father passed away when he was only two years old, leaving his mom to raise him alone. While he couldn’t regale you with his memories of him, he instead offered you the stories attached to his father’s things: a button-up Hawaiian shirt in pale pastels, a pair of coffee-brown Ray Ban sunglasses, and even a worn Milk chocolate leather-strapped bag he used to lug his books around campus.

Then, his mom passed away in high school, and his father’s best friend took him up until the point decided to leave for school. Bradley chose his words carefully when he spoke of any of them, offering little, and you wondered if the loss was still too much for him to bear.

Or something else had happened, and he didn’t want anyone to know.

But as you helped him blow up a few balloons for the floor, a song from a later decade played through the speakers, and Bradley lit up, producing a smile wider than the nearby Jack-o-lantern. He launched into a story about how much his parents loved music and how his father would play the piano, which alone made him want to learn.

You asked him if and when he did if he’d play for you one day.

Javy Machado, however, couldn’t be more different from Bradley if he tried.

He was just as meticulous as you when it came to detail. The two of you were discussing the best way to tape Velcro to the kitchen cupboards to stick fluff to the sides and mimic cobwebs when you discovered this fact. He was … quietly smooth and persuasive, with a suave smile that indicated he could charm his way into or out of any situation he wanted without needing to flirt or play it thick.

“Angle it like this, Maeve,” he had explained, stretching the piece out. “Principle of maximum contact area equals maximum adhesive stretch.”

You had raised your eyebrows at that remark, which prompted him to chuckle softly.

"Science major," he shrugged with that smile, making your internal monologue stutter to a halt until you went, "Wait... What?!"

He only laughed at your reaction, amused in a way like he’d been expecting it. But it was that look of genuine interest in his eyes that made you ask him properly.

He didn't know what field of science to specialize in, but Javy made all of it sound amazing. From stars to not dirt—it's soil—to understanding how the world worked, he knew he wanted to spend his life trying to figure it all out. If he could throw a ball around and be part of a team with his friends, he considered himself fortunate to do both.

Even if his passion was so far removed from your own, you may have seen some of yourself in his journey, trying to fit in while doing what you loved most.

Holding up a string of lights against the wall, Reuben Flitch told you he was floating through school, waiting for the day he could finally be free. On that day, he’d take over his family’s business. Comparing him to the fractured story of your brother and sister following in your parent’s footsteps never seemed to cross your mind.

Because when you asked what the business was, his face lit up with an enthusiasm you hadn’t expected.

“My grandparents own vineyards," he had beamed. "They've been in the family for generations. I've grown up with the land, the grapes, and the entire winemaking process."

He told you stories of growing up, playing through the vines and rows of trellises, making you long for the rows of apple trees at Aunt Viv's. He also talked about spending time with his grandfather, learning the process of pressing grapes and his grandmother tending and picking the grapes. He spoke about the people, everyone from the gardeners to the people who bottled the wine to his siblings, with whom he'd played hide-and-seek within the cellars.

He told you a business major was worth it, as much as he loathed it, if he could own the place one day.

You hoped he did.

But Mickey Garica and Bob Floyd were... characters, to say the least. It was easy to talk with them, even laugh with them, as the three of you spread tiny black spiders all over the apartment.

Mickey couldn’t stop asking if you could paint him one day, though you imagined it would be fandom-inspired rather than a realistic portrait. The second you asked him about his favourite universe, he launched into a word vomit of praise for each and every one. He spoke of Lord of the Rings, Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, and Batman—not DC—as the character deserved to be separated from the rest.

It made you wonder if the one portrait would be enough. Still, you happily humoured him, saying you needed the practice.

He was in Health Sciences, hoping it would be enough to get his foot in the door to become a firefighter. He talked about it so passionately, about being capable of making a difference and saving lives, that you honestly couldn’t see him in any other role.

And given the opportunity, Bob was so full of sass and witty comebacks to the ones you managed to throw his way, you were surprised he was seeking an Anthropology and Archaeology degree. He seemed to have a natural talent for what Comedians had labelled “crowd work.” You honestly would have taken him for a drama major had he not told you differently.

However, once he explained his choice, you understood why. Growing up, having been a Boy Scout, learning about nature, rocks, and life. He wanted to know more about life, history, and how things were.

A visit to an archeological dig site in high school sold it for him. His eyes lit up when he spoke about ancient civilizations, lost artifacts, and all the mysteries surrounding human evolution. He rattled off facts about Neanderthals and cave paintings, which had you urging him for more.

He happily obliged and was encouraging when you offered a few that you knew of.

All of them were so passionate about what they wanted to do with their lives, even Bradley, who wanted to pursue football seriously as a career; you admired all of them for it with your entire heart.

But Jake Seresin was... you didn’t know. Nor did he, it seemed.

Jake was there at your side every time you went back up that ladder, claiming someone needed to catch you should you fall again. You had rolled your eyes, a slight smirk gracing your face, but you let him all the same.

He wasn’t as open as the others, wanting to flirt with you more than anything else. Somehow, you managed to get him talking about football, and when you asked him why he played, he admitted that his father had gone and played at the school. He had been urged to apply, and his family would support him throughout his entire ride.

“Family money,” he said, his tone light when you gawked at him. You didn’t ask what his parents did, but knowing he came from a rich family, you wondered if he didn't want people to know. You certainly didn't. Nat didn’t know, at least not yet.

It prompted him to add his parents weren’t pressuring him into one career or another; they simply wanted him to keep up with the sport. So, he was buying time and taking electives, trying to figure it out, though he would have to make a decision soon.

And it made you wonder, under that confidence, under that layer of charm and ease on his surface, if he was searching for what everyone else in the group had already found. While everyone else didn’t fit the stereotype, you wondered if Jake was attempting to mould himself into it.

How you wished to tell him, he didn’t have to.

But Jake wasn’t a painting you could tear apart or theorize about. And as you pinned that last streamer to the ceiling, you realized over the course of the afternoon, you’d unwittingly developed a bit of a crush on him.

You weren’t stupid. You recognized the signs the second he caught you off that ladder. The second he handed you that shot. He was laying on the charm, the flirty glances, the playful smiles. Even the slight touches on your waist as you leaned back, pining streamers to the ceiling, were waving the red flags in your head.

Jake was either genuinely interested or actively looking for someone to hook up with tonight.

It wouldn’t be you, that’s for sure—not even for someone so charming and handsome as Jake Seresin.

In the last two hours, the guys took turns getting ready first while everyone else finished with the final touches. They wanted you and Natasha to go first, but you vehemently refused, knowing they’d ruin hours of hard work if left unsupervised.

You also wanted to see this through to the end, but you kept that to yourself. You had revealed enough of your quirky, artsy side to them. You did not need to add to it by gushing over the decorations or how the entire apartment turned out, possibly damaging whatever relationship you'd established so far.

People were weird when it came to shit like that.

Jake and Bradley emerged from Nat’s bedroom just as the two of you were headed toward yours. The hallway was already lit in a deep red from the lights now neatly strung up in the corners of the ceiling. Though the sun was beginning to set, shining warm light through your window, you knew the total effect would be entirely eerie when night rolled around. You couldn’t wait to see it.

Bradley was dressed as Indiana Jones: a white shirt, a brown leather jacket, and a fake whip at his side. His outfit was complementary to Nat's Marion Ravenwood, her costume the classic white dress from the first movie you spent a while making. Though she did ask you to take some creative liberties with the design, the dress was more risque than necessary.

The only thing remotely movie-accurate about it would be the puffy sleeves.

You couldn't help but whistle when Jake stepped out from behind Bradley. Instantly perking up at the noise, he let out a sly smirk and straightened the lapels of his deep black leather jacket.

"Danny Zuko, huh?" you laughed softly. "Guess you've got the whole 'bad boy' vibe down."

Jake smirked at you, copying one of the iconic character's signature moves by sliding his hands into his black leather jacket pockets as he strode by. "Only missing my Sandy. You wouldn't happen to know where I could find one, would you?"

You coyly peered at him over your shoulder as you continued down the hall. Unknown to either of you, Nat and Bradley had stopped to watch the interaction, filled to the brim with curiosity.

"Wouldn't know. I'm more of a Rizzo myself. Too much sass and not enough patience for leather pants."

"To get into them or to get out?"

With a glimmer in your eyes and a smirk on your lips, you pivoted to face Jake completely, still walking backwards. “You're quite the smooth talker, aren’t you?”

Jake shrugged, giving off the vibe of, ‘I can’t help my reputation.’ However, you could see the easy grin on his face, and one side of his mouth crooked upwards, making him appear boyish—just like the character he was dressed up as.

It made your heart flutter inside your chest.

“It’s a shame I’m more into the rough-around-the-edges type,” you teased softly, pausing by the corner.

Liar. Oh, you horrible liar.

Jake’s grin didn’t disappear when you saw him press his tongue to the inside of his cheek, arching an eyebrow. Instead, it turned into a knowing smirk.

“Is that so?” he teased.

You flushed, at a loss for words. Jake's teasing gaze lingered, and the lift in the corner of his mouth suggested he saw right through your lie. Your cheeks burned hot.

Jake's chuckle echoed softly down the hallway as you made your escape, somehow making your heart race faster. You didn't dare look back, but you could feel his eyes on you as you turned the corner and down the hallway to your bedroom.

As Jake retreated back into the apartment, Bradley coughed lightly. He exchanged a knowing look with Nat, who had been watching your retreat. He jutted his head once toward you, and Nat replied in kind with a single tilt of her head toward Jake.

They didn’t need to say aloud what they were thinking. They’d talk about what they discovered later, but it wouldn’t stop them from pressing this interesting development further.

When she reached your room, Nat found you already in your robe, sitting at your vanity, brushing your hair. You had already laid out your costumes on your bed earlier in the day, and Nat raced to hers the second she saw it, making grabby hands at the fabric.

"Ahh, it turned out so great, Maeve!" she exclaimed, grabbing the top and holding it up. You glimpsed at her through the reflection of your mirror, smiling when she hugged it to her chest.

“If I had made it any deeper, Nat, you’d be showing off more than just dangly bits.”

She blew a raspberry at you. You giggled, shaking your head.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to do couples costumes. I never thought Bradley would go for it,” she said after a while, standing next to you and straightening her hair in the mirror of your vanity.

“Really?” you asked, concentrating on not poking your eye out with your mascara.

“How else am I going to shoo off all the girls practically clamouring to get with Bradley? It’s a nice way to do it, don’t you think?”

“Maybe. Not every costume as a twin, though,” you said, lowering your hand to gesture to yourself. You hoped Nat would at least acknowledge the effort you’d made or pep you up for a party you'd originally never wanted to hold.

“What about the Danny wandering around the apartment ‘without his Sandy’?”

You dropped your hand from where you had started fixing up your other eye, glaring at her reflection in your mirror. “Really, Nat?”

“What, you don’t dream of a little Summer Lovin?”

You felt your face flush. As if Jake would ever really go for someone like you. “It’s Halloween, Nat.”

“Exactly. It’s Halloween, and it’s getting colder. Maybe you’ve got chills, and maybe they're multiplying.”

You groaned, dropping your head and smacking it against your vanity.

“You’re sure he’s not the one you want?” she bumped you with her hip, grinning.

“Can you stop with the Grease puns? Please,” you squawked.

Nat laughed, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger as she stepped away. "Okay, okay. But if you change your mind, I think Danny Zuko out there wouldn't mind being 'the one that you want.'"

Fingers wrapping around the handle of your hair brush, you didn’t lift your head from the vanity as you chucked it in Nat’s direction. She laughed hard, and you didn’t need to look to know you had missed her completely.

Nat eventually cajoled you into helping her slip into her dress, adjusting bits and pieces of fabric here and there. You sat back down at your vanity as she twirled once in the mirror, declaring she was satisfied. Then her eyes went to the door, and her attention shifted to Bradley and what waited beyond it.

"Are you okay if I go out? Do you need any help?" Nat's voice was laced with excitement, and her eyes gleamed with anticipation of finally having a party as she smoothed down the sides of her dress.

You shook your head, leaning back in your chair. Nat didn’t meet your gaze. "No, I'm good. I only need to touch up my makeup, and my dress is a slip-on," you smiled. "Go make sure Bradley keeps his hat on."

Nat wiggled her shoulders, biting her lip to mute her squealing giggle. The puffy sleeves of her short dress waved with her, and she precariously tip-toed out the door on her high heels. Once in the hallway, she dramatically yelled, "Come and get me, Indiana Jones!"

You stifled a giggle, shaking your head, allowing yourself to turn back to face your mirror.

Staring at yourself, you searched every part of your face, making sure your foundation, blush, eyes, and lips were just how you wanted them to be. You toyed with a strand of curled hair, wondering if what you had done was enough—if all of it had been enough.

Then your eyes came to rest on your costume, so carefully draped across the end of your bed through the reflection in the mirror.

You're not sure why "Flaming June" happened to be your favourite painting, though you supposed it had to do with the girl in the painting so casually draped across that seat next to that fountain. She was curled up almost like a serpent, covered in sheer transparent vibrant orange, the painting's only bright pop of colour.

The painting was supposedly meant to depict nymphs, sleeping Greek nymphs for that matter, or even Victorian society's obsession with beauty. However, you argued differently in the paper you wrote for it.

You cared more about the juxtaposition of fire and tranquillity in the piece than about whatever cultural influence or social construct it had at the time. That one girl was at the centre of the painting, wrapped in sheer, see-through colour. She was meant to be the focus; that much was certain.

Maybe you thought her dress signified the chaos of the world around her, and all she wanted to do was find a moment of peace.

You’d spent countless hours at the fabric store trying to match the correct shade. Once you had completed parts of Nat's, you spent even countless more at your sewing machine, staying up late to make progress on yours.

And each time she asked you to make alternations on hers, the more drastic you made it to be ‘just that much sluttier', the more you thought about what you could do to yours. In the end, the thin straps holding up your dress, revealing bare shoulders and the long slit between your breasts, ending just before your belly button, was all you could stomach.

You held the dress up, contemplating your thoughts. You could do this. You could survive one simple Halloween party - one simple college rager party.

Right?

———

The second the apartment was starting to flood with arriving guests, Jake realized you hadn’t emerged from your room with Nat.

He had been off to the side near a bookcase, talking with Bradley, hoping to stave off the crowd and the rest of the football team for a little longer. He knew they'd want to talk football and strategies for the season, and Jake simply... didn't.

He wanted a night off. He wanted to relax and have a good time. And talking about football wouldn't be it.

Bradley had said something to Jake, but he hadn’t been paying attention. He was too busy searching the gathering pods of people for your face. Why, he didn’t know. But he was eager to find out.

Bradley snapped his fingers in Jake's face, startling him from his search. "Earth to Jake!"

Jake shook his head, focusing back on Bradley. "Sorry, what?"

Bradley raised his eyebrows under the rim of his fedora. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Jake regarded him for a few seconds before finally looking down at his drink, bringing it to his lips, admitting, "I'm just looking for Maeve."

As Jake took a drink, Bradley grinned. "She's probably still getting ready. Nat said her costume was based on her favourite panting."

Jake didn't even look up from his drink when he asked, "What's her favourite painting?"

"Why? You looking to make a good impression?" he said, still grinning.

"Fuck off, Man," Jake snapped, taking another swig to finish his drink. Bradley only laughed, now shaking his head. He would have let Jake simmer in his ask, but this was you. He had to give Jake at least a decent running chance.

"It's Flaming June, the chick in the orange dress. It's a brilliant costume idea. She made it herself."

Of course, you would have made it yourself, Jake thought.

"Surely you came across that painting with your 'rich upbringing.' Nat was practically force-feeding information down our throats a few seconds ago to ensure we recognized her costume. It’s some Freddie Luigui piece. I don't know."

"I know it," Jake snapped. "I've seen it before."

Jake was pretty sure he had, maybe once at one of his father's fundraising parties, though he actively searched his mind, trying to remember what it looked like.

Bradley remained silent, slouching against the bookcase and crossing one leg over the other. He narrowed his eyes at his friend and tilted his head.

"Why the sudden interest in Maeve? She isn't one for..." Bradley trailed off, searching for the correct word. Just as Jake was about to ask him what he meant, Nat's approaching heels on the hardwood floor stopped them both.

She stopped at Bradley's side, red solo cup in hand, looping her arm through his. "What are you two handsome boys gossiping about over here?" she giggled at her boyfriend, her chin plopping lazily down onto his bicep. "See any snakes in the crowd, Indy?"

Bradley pulled his face back into a grimace, reciting the famous line. "Snakes. Why does it always have to be snakes?"

Jake rolled his eyes at their banter, placing his empty cup on the table between them. Nat giggled, tilting her head back, indicating to Bradley she wanted to be kissed. He complied without protest, leaning down, pressing his lips to hers in an overly dramatic display merely to piss Jake off.

"Get a room," Jake groaned, mocking a wrenching noise. The couple separated, turning to Jake with amused smirks. "You've heard and seen far worse, dude."

Jake shuttered, the unwanted memory of walking in on Nat and Bradley from weeks ago flashing through his mind. Sharing an apartment with Bradley had its moments - some good, some decidedly less so. It made him wonder if Maeve had to put up with the same shit he did.

“Where’s Maeve?” Jake asked Nat, ignoring Bradley's remark. "I haven't seen her yet."

Nat opened her mouth, about to tell him you were still getting ready, when she caught sight of a flash of orange stepping out from behind the corner of the hallway. You came into view, your head angled down, mindful of stepping on your dress as thin streams of transparent fabric trailed behind you at your sides.

Javy let out a low-toned whistle from somewhere in the room, and heads turned, one by one, as you took your final step into the apartment.

“Damn girl, you clean up nice!”

Lifting your head, you were surprised to see eyes on you. Javy glided forward to greet you from where he had been standing at a nearby table, and you smiled at him, though a little weary. Deep down, you knew his comment was meant to be a compliment. But something coarse, like sandpaper, rubbed against your heart at the remark, lingering longer than you would have liked.

“What? Not bad for a fine arts major?” you joked somewhat deprecatively, though your voice held none of it.

Javy held out his hand, and you grabbed it, allowing him to lift it above your head. With a pump of his wrist, he urged you to spin under his arm several times, letting your dress fan out. You giggled as he urged you, though you wobbled on your heels. The dreaded things were Nat's only contribution to your outfit, and you were severely regretting it.

He let you go, thinking you had your footing on the last, slowed spin. But when you came to a stop, you were on the verge of falling over, your head dizzy, and your legs unbalanced.

To his credit, Javy tried to reach out and steady you, already regretting the step he took back. However, before he could, another pair of hands, one on your hip and one taking your hand, steadied you.

Jake’s hands were firm on your skin, pulling you close as you lost your balance. You fell into his chest, head tilted back, half falling over. And looking up at his face, seeing the amused grin on his lip, you drew in a sharp breath at the sight.

"Letting me make a good first impression?" he quipped.

“By catching falling women?” you laughed breathlessly, bringing your free hand to his chest. If you had let your hand stall slightly longer than necessary, you would have never admitted to it.

“Seems noble enough,” he replied, helping you to stand. Though he might have let go of your hand, he didn’t let go of your waist. “Or do you make it a habit to test the reflexes of every guy you meet?”

You couldn’t resist the playful jab. “Only the ones who seem like they can handle it. And the pretty ones.”

Jake's grin widened, and he even risked sneaking a quick peek at your lips, letting them rest there for a few seconds before his eyes roamed the rest of your body.

"Flaming June, right? Frederic Leighton's Masterpiece."

You blinked in surprise, letting out a small gasp. You honestly expected to tell people what your costume was, not just some girl in some random orange dress. Jake's knowledge of the painting, let alone his identification of it so quickly, was scoring him some major brownie points.

"You know your art," you commented nonchalantly.

He shrugged, "I might know a thing or two. I always had a thing for the classics. By the way, it suits you."

You practically preened under his gaze. "Thank you," you said, a shy smile creeping onto your face. He beamed at you in return.

Yes, you might have a crush on him. But for the first time that day, you figured it wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

—-

This was a bad idea - Oh, this party was such a bad idea.

Believing you were having a good time and actually having a good time were two separate things. You certainly felt one of those things. As the night went on, and with each drink you tipped back, alcoholic or not, regret built in your stomach.

You weren’t sure what you were expecting. Maybe you were seeking reasons where there initially were none, allowing Natasha’s suggestions to slowly chip away at your resolve until you finally gave in. Maybe it was the promise of letting loose, to embrace the spirit of Halloween with all its creative potential.

Maybe it was the promise of making new friends. Of getting to know people outside the art department. Natasha had told you to mingle. She wanted you to mingle, and yet... you didn’t know where to start.

You didn't expect Nat or Bradley to coddle you, but they could have introduced you to a few people besides the core group before things had gotten this bad. You didn't dare approach Javy or Rueben, who played beer pong and chugged beers back like it was nobody's business. They were off doing their own thing, and you didn’t want to intrude.

Mickey and Bob had gone home earlier in the night. Bob proclaimed he had a midterm to study for, and Mickey wanted to go home anyway so he could call his family in peace. You strongly suspected he wanted to watch Halloween movies instead.

Rocky Horror sounded like a wonderful idea right about now.

You couldn’t hang around Nat and Bradley all night, either. And nobody from your art classes would even dare set foot inside a party where nearly half of its guests were from the sororities.

You knew that. While you did extend the invitation, you told them you wouldn't blame them if they didn't come. They had looked at you with such disregard you wondered if they were seeing you through newly polished rose-coloured glasses. And standing up against the wall next to your bookcase, like an insipid wallflower, you could hardly blame them for it either.

You couldn’t introduce yourself in a place where you were the outsider, even within the walls of your own home. Soon after the first few attempts, that realization settled deep into your chest. And you couldn’t help but feel like you had done this to yourself - an attempt to be part of something like this, even if just for a night.

But Jake… Jake was still here. At least, he should be. He had been by your side for the beginning of the evening, talking to you about what projects you were currently working on over another drink—not whiskey—after you had started to hiccup while putting up decorations.

After he recognized your dress, you weren’t ashamed to tell him. You had launched into the ideas and thoughts behind two paintings and one sculpture, an old table that you were trying to turn into an elemental-type sundial. You told him about the zodiac signs you had already burned into the wood after sanding it down and how each was placed in its own little section as it related to its element.

You had reached halfway through your thought process when you realized how lost you were in your explanation. You froze mid-sentence, blushing harder than the colour of your dress.

"Sorry," you had said. "I ramble when I get excited about my art.”

But Jake’s interest hadn’t waned. If anything, it urged him to ask, “How did you find something you're so passionate about? Creating things... making art?"

His question had made you pause, though not over what to say but merely how to say it. “It was my voice when words fell short or my escape when the world grew too loud.”

You caught a glimpse of something in Jake’s eyes—a flash of longing, a momentary crack in his confident demeanour. What followed was a slight nod. It was there, and then it wasn’t, as if he’d accidentally revealed more of himself than he wanted. Then he caught himself, suddenly straightened his spine, and continued the conversation as if that brief lapse in judgment never happened in the first place.

Ten minutes later, he excused himself to get another drink. And you hadn’t seen him since.

You scanned the room for him, hoping to spot that black leather jacket among the sea of people. But it was impossible. Under the dim, eerie glow of the lights, each costume blurred into the next, and the crowd swallowed any hope of finding him.

Reaching for whatever mixed drink Nat had made you earlier off the table, you pushed yourself off the wall, weaving through the throngs of people, figuring you might as well try to see if she knew where he had run off to.

Liquid sloshed over the rim of your cup onto your hand as you dodged a zombie here, a fairy there, and music pulsing like a heartbeat through the packed room. Laughter and snippets of conversations swirled around you as you scanned the sea of faces, both masked and not for Nat.

Glasses clinked, a witch cackled, and the scent of spiced pumpkin mingled somewhere in the mix with the tang of alcohol and body sweat. By the time you spotted her leaning heavily against the kitchen Island, red cup in hand and her laughter too loud, eyes slightly unfocused, you knew the night had taken its toll on her sobriety.

She was too preoccupied with telling a bunch of people a story to notice how you quickly launched the contents of your cup into the sink behind her. You extended your arm when you were close enough, looping your arm around her waist. Her arm came up at the same time, sliding across your back to pull you close.

Nat tilted her head back onto her shoulders, glancing at you with happy eyes. "Maeve!" she whined tipsily.

Given how far gone she was, you were surprised at how accurately she pronounced your name. She bent slightly, still holding her red Solo cup in her hand, to hug you tight, her face smooshing into your neck.

“It looks like you’re having the time of your life,” you snorted. She nodded against your skin, biting her lip in a smile with a happy, drunken snigger. She lazily pulled back to meet your eye, and you smiled at her.

“Have you seen Jake around?”

Nat paused, her gaze flickering around the room as if she'd genuinely forgotten about him, though she didn’t lift her head off your body. "Jake? Oh, I haven't seen him in a bit,” she slurred slightly. “Why? Do you two likeeeeeeeeeeeeeee each other? Is Jake going to make you scream grease lightin’?”

You reached for her red Solo cup and pried it from her hand. “Okay, yup, you're cut off.”

“Nooo,” she pouted her arm a dead weight as she tried to take it back. Her hand hit the bottom of the cup, and liquid shot up, once again covering your hand in whatever type of alcohol Nat managed to mix together. You could only sigh.

“Here comes the fun police,” she muttered under her breath. “I thought you’d be off doing your own thing.”

Well, that fucking stung just a tiny bit.

“I’m not going to be the one who cleans up your vomit tomorrow morning, Nat.”

“I’ve only had,” she held up her hand, widening her thumb and pointer finger probably further apart than she thought, “this much to drink.”

“Ahm...”

Luckily for you, Bradley appeared, having seen what was going on. He looked amused yet concerned as he slid between the gap of the island and Nat to observe his girlfriend babbling nonsense on your shoulder. “What’s happening here?”

Nat made another grab for her cup, but Bradley gently intercepted her, taking her hand into his before she could even grasp it.

“That,” you offered.

“I think it’s time we get you to bed, love,” he suggested, wrapping an arm around her waist. You let him take her, happy for him to bear her weight.

Nat leaned into him, mumbling something incoherent, a mix of protest and agreement. Bradley spared a glance at you, silently thanking you in your unspoken agreement. You nodded, watching as he sandwiched her to his side and carried her off towards her room.

It always seemed like one of you was always taking care of her. At one point or another.

After getting rid of Nat’s cup, you felt the sticky residue of both of your spilled drinks on your skin and felt the urge to run to the privacy of the bathroom to wash it off. Stumbling down the hallway, blusters on your feet finally making themselves known, you let your hands casually slide along the wall. The music from the party faded into a muffled, dull noise as you walked.

You wanted to smile at the lights. The red eerie glow along the top corners of the ceiling only reached not even halfway down the wall, plunging the floor into a dark abyss. You clumsily stuttered through it, unable to see anything below your waist.

It was exactly as you pictured it, and yet you couldn't bring yourself to manage the slightest grin.

The bathroom door was down at the end of the hall slightly ajar, with the red LED light illuminating its edges from behind. You zoned in on it like a wobbly arrow to a target, tired and completely done with tonight and everything about it.

You reached for the curved handle, about to push the door open, when a high-pitched giggle came from behind the piece of wood. You shot your hand back like you had been burned, and with a quick turn of your heel, you plastered your back up against the wall.

You immediately knew what was happening behind that door, and it made you throw up in your mouth just a little.

Ugh, I’m going to have to disinfect the hell out of that bathroom tomorrow.

The next voice you heard, however, made your heart drop into your stomach.

“You like that, don’t ya, sweetheart?”

You didn't want to believe it, but you had to see for yourself. Leaning forward off the wall, you peered through the crack in the door, only to spot a black leather jacket taking up most of your view—the same black jacket you had complimented Jake on earlier that day. It was a stark contrast to the red glowing light above him, and something snapped in your heart and recoiled back as one slender bare leg in beige fishnet stockings wrapped around his.

There was an overly drunken and seductive 'ahm,' forcing you to glance over his shoulder at the girl he was with—her costume was a bejewelled Taylor Swift outfit to match her long blonde hair.

You swallowed your bile and adverted your gaze, pressing yourself back up against that wall, out of sight and hidden completely from view.

You knew this was a possibility; Jake was merely looking for a hookup and nothing more. You had considered it all afternoon. Yet, you couldn’t help but feel utterly hurt at the sight.

"I mean, Nat's pretty clever befriending that girl.. what was her name, Maeve?" the girl snickered.

"I know. It sounds like something out of those weird fantasy books everyone loves." A whimper from his companion followed Jake's breathy and muffled laugh.

At the dig, your hand went to your chest, your heart thudding painfully under your palm. The realization they had been talking about you, about Nat, made tears flood your eyes.

You didn't understand it. Or maybe you did, and you were too blinded by the possibility of someone like him, someone like Nat, Bradley, Bob, Mickey, and Rueben, to beat the fucking pyramid scheme and care about someone like you.

What other explanation was there except the fact you had been blinded by those who proved to be the exception? Blinded by the fucking elementary school crush cause he had flirted, smiled, joked, and maybe even showed some half-decent interest in you. Clearly, the second he figured out you weren’t going to hook up with him, he sought his sights on someone else.

Jake wasn’t trying to mould into the stereotype. He was the fucking stereotype.

"Even her costume," she sneered. "Like, who the fuck dresses up like that for a college rager Halloween party? You're supposed to dress up slutty."

You couldn't speak, staring down the front of your dress to what you had thought had been a risky enough slit. You couldn't even breathe.

"You kidding me?" he laughed lowly. "Bradley was practically screaming at us what she dressed up as. I'd have no fucking clue what she was otherwise. I'd guess some random Greek Godness obsessed with that awful shade of orange."

Your hand slid up from your chest, around your throat to feel your harsh, rough swallow. Only it didn’t stop there, suddenly finding yourself wrapping it around your entire mouth, stifling any noise wanting to escape. Through shaky inhales in and out of your nose, you fought hard to stop yourself from crying over this.

Over him. Over a fucking jock who would say anything to hook up with a girl. Only to get his dick wet.

But you couldn't prevent the tears from welling up in your eyes, or from one finally spilling over, dropping down your cheek only to stall there, or how the hand covering your mouth curled up around your cheekbone, only to stroke away the tear.

You refused to look back at the door through the crack, so you fixed your gaze on the darkness consuming the ground. And as you lowered your hand, you caught the ugly black smear marring your skin.

How could you not? Standing in the glow of that red hallway light, it was the only thing you could see.

The artistic irony hits you like a freight train. Here you were, dressed as the girl in your favourite painting. Her dress had been the only bright shade of colour in the entire painting, and you, standing in the top half glow of bright red LED lights, had failed to notice what had been staring you in the face all along.

Orange was muted by red, and black bled through all. The only thing about you that stood out the entire evening was this tiny black mark scarring the back of your hand—black tears from smeared mascara.

"I would have guessed an orange," the girl snickered, quickly followed by a mewl. "Though she practically blended into the wall, I couldn't see her with the lights."

Lips plucking on skin echoed off the title and out the door, and Jake drew in a ragged breath as he agreed. "She did blend right into the fucking wall, didn’t she?"

Your eyes burned. The girl giggled.

“How long do you think this one will stay? She seems… different, to say the least.”

Jake sniggered. “Seriously, you think Natasha Trace is hanging around that girl out of the goodness of her heart?”

His laugh was so full of malice that it was nothing like the ones you had heard pleasantly filling your ears earlier.

“Everyone knows after what Nat did, she needs an image clean up. Playing the saint, befriending the weird loner art girl, giving her the best friend badge?”

“If she thinks she’s got a place in the big leagues, she’s in for a rude awakening,” the girl murmured. “Pathetic. People like her don’t belong with people like us.”

There was a pause. “It’s just like Natasha, though. She always needs an audience, something to validate her feelings. It’s brillant really.”

Jake's agreement was a silent blow, his next words the dagger. "Nat's smart. She knows how to play the game. Maeve's just...convenient."

Convenience. The word echoed in your mind, bouncing off the walls of your already crumbling self-worth.

“Give it a year. Trace is going to drop her the second the next new shiny person comes along. And everyone is going to forget about the little art girl she used up and discarded. Or she’ll become the most hated girl on campus.”

Without your back up against the wall, his words might have made you crumble into that dark abyss.

“Can we stop talking about her now?” the girl whined. “I thought you promised to get me off.”

Jake chuckled lowly, the sound morphing into a low, predatory growl. “You brought her up, sweetheart. But don’t worry—I’m all yours now.”

You pushed yourself away from that wall, stumbling down the dark hallway to your bedroom out of instinct, refusing to subject yourself to any further torture. But just before your door, you fell into the wall, your shoulder throbbing as you slouched against it.

The world around you swirled, leaving you consumed by one thought—and one thought alone.

That. Fucking. Asshole! How dare he! How fucking dare he!

To hear Natasha be demeaned, your friendship demeaned and used as a stepping stone in pursuit of a meaningless hookup... anger boiled under your skin. You didn’t care what he or what they had said about you, but Nat?

If Jake thought he’d succeed in sweet-talking you, to play you like a puppet on a string, just as he assumed Nat had been doing, he had another thing coming. If he was going to talk shit about your friendship with her, you’d show him just how spineless you could be.

Oh, he’d wish he’d never caught you off that fucking ladder. Wished he had never met you and flirted with you, obviously a ploy to find someone to hook up with. You gagged at ever having a crush on him in the first place.

But as you leaned against the wall, trying to steady your swirling thoughts, doubt wormed its way into your mind.

What if he was right?

What if your friendship with Nat was just a convenience, a way for her to maintain her status or recover from her sorority fallout? You knew nothing of it, nothing more than what she told you. There could be more to the story, things she hadn’t revealed, things nobody else had either.

No, you shook your head, trying to dismiss the thought. Nat had been there for you in ways no one else had.

Jake was just an asshole. Plain and simple.

But then another thought sucker punched you in the gut.

You couldn’t tell anyone else what he said. You wouldn’t be responsible for causing that type of drama within a friend circle, one that long before you ever showed up. They never would have believed you anyway, and Nat… she worked so hard to get out, escape the rumours and gossip, to put it behind her. She didn’t need to know about this.

You had no choice but to carry this burden alone. It was a lonely decision, but perhaps loneliness was a small price to pay for the semblance of harmony among friends—or so you tried to convince yourself.

But Jake. You could no longer give a rat’s ass about Jake. If he wanted to attack Nat, then fine. You hit him right back. That much you could still do.

Whatever had possessed Frederic Leighton to name the piece you currently embodied, “Flaming June,” whatever possessed him to gift that girl with fire in her name, that fire was suddenly born in you.

A flame that sparked and kerosened your soul to burn, hot and bright. It was a wildfire that rushed under layers of skin and ignited every nerve, ending with a ferocity you never knew you possessed. It was born to protect what you had found - Nat, Bradley, Bob, Mickey, Javy and Rueben. And that fucking asshole would never be allowed to put you down, Nat down, like your family did, ever again.

Pushing yourself off the wall, you stepped into your bedroom. Slamming the door, the lock clicked hard into place.

It never opened the rest of the night.

NOW YOU KNOW....

Tag List:

@desert-fern @startrekfangirl2233 @sarahsmi13s @kmc1989 @fanficfandomlove @hookslove1592 @dakotakazansky

@teacupsandtopgun @lynnevanss @dizzybee03 @keyrani

@shanimallina87 @wildxwidow @dempy @stargazer-88 @alldaysdreamer @the-dark-and-mystery @bookchik15

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@redbarn1995 @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby @yuckosworld @wren5650 @mrsevans90 @bellaireland1981 @tgmreader

@halibshepherd @essie1876 @formulafun @memoriesat30 @vicsnook @memoriesat30 @eclecticfashionbookszipper @boisewaffles @eloquentdreamer @jessicab1991

And for those who've been following along:

@i-wanna-be-your-muse @djs8891 @gigisimsonmars @blue-aconite @wildlyfreemoon @eli2447 @rascallyrascalreads @djs8891

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worlds-worst-ships · 3 months

Text

Welcome to the home of the world's worst ships!

Hello there, I'm Jack Goodwin and this absolute affront to the natural order that I call a blog is where I take a break from the insane content I normally make where you only have one job... to have fun.

Wanna stay up to date on my video/.streaming content? Go follow @maji-man. Same handle on Twitch just with an underscore (this_) instead, @/Maji_Man_VT on Twitter, if thats your cup of tea.

Here's a post where I explain the point of the blog. I highly suggest you read it twice or more to make sure you understand.

Now then, down to business.

Are there two characters that absolutely should not be anywhere near each other, to the point where one should be getting a restraining order? Are there pairings in fiction that you couldn't be paid a quadrillion rubles to come up with on your own? Are you sick of all these picket-fence, vanilla pudding, ERENxMIKASA snoozefests that plague the internet? If so, you've come to the right place. Get your kissy-kissy lips on, find a slightly uncomfortable chair and LETS GET SHIPPING!!!

I have only FOUR RULES HERE:

You can say whatever you want here, so long as;

1. Its not discriminatory

Any sort of phobia/ism here is not welcome. This blog is for everyone, regardless of ethnicity, orientation or gender identity.

2. Its a joke,

and clearly a joke. We poke fun at each other here. Lets keep it fun.

3. Its true.

I have the power of google, and any misinformation will be swiftly corrected. When you are corrected, either accept it or be blocked. Misinformation and straight up lies are not welcome here.

4: You speak with the understanding that these characters aren't real people, nor do they represent them

These are cartoons. Works of fiction. They're not real. Please keep any deep-seated obsession with character's ethnicity, sexuality, age, background etc to yourself. Acting holier-than-thou and making that the subject of your personal issue with my posts doesn't make you a hero, nor is that the groundbreaking opinion you think it is, it just makes the jokes awkward and uncomfortable for many people here.

Aaaaanyways, now we've got that out of the way (and yes, I will add more rules as the need arises, don't test me)

I'll mostly be using the absolute maelstrom of doodoo I call a brain to come up with ideas, but if you'd like to submit some ideas of your own, feel free. Send it to my ASK box. Nothing illegal, past a certain point, please.

Oh, and the ask criteria/format is in the linked post below. (Anonymous asks are and will always be turned off, cuz I know that this site is full of pussies who can't talk shit on main)

JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN'T READ THAT POST, AS I KNOW MOST OF YOU WON'T: If you do not follow that exact format, I WILL DELETE YOUR ASKS ON SIGHT.

I REPEAT: I will not even CONSIDER posting them.

FUN FACT: After having this blog for multiple months with anonymous asks turned off, I haven't gotten a single hate message (other than that one kid who got made a fool out of). This is why they're off, in case you wondered.

Its also worth mentioning, some of you are new to the concept of comedy, so I'll write it nice and big for you (if you know what a crackship/joke is, then skip this paragraph): THIS IS A JOKE BLOG. A GIMMICK BLOG. A COMEDY BLOG. I DO NOT CARE EVEN SLIGHTLY ABOUT SHIPPING AS A CONCEPT MUCH LESS DO I EVEN KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT 9/10 OF THE CHARACTERS YOU'LL SEE HERE, SO IM JUST MAKING J O K E S. IF YOU ARE OFFENDED, THEN YOU HAVE KNOWINGLY CHOSEN TO BE OFFENDED WHICH IS ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT. THANK YOU :)

I REPEAT this is a CRACKSHIP BLOG, so if you're deeply hurt by any of my polls, just know that nothing here reflects me as a person because none of what I post is serious. If anything you see after reading that causes you any emotional distress, it IS NOT my fault. Its funny, but its not my fault.

#shipping #crackship #crossover #gimmick account #gimmick blog #rarepair #rare ship #crack ship #pinned post #pinned intro #read pinned #intro #intro post #introduction post #pinned info

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sy3ra · 1 year

Text

tokyo rev series; his intimidating wife and his children

episode VI

synopsis -tr men with a wife who's intimidating and taking care of their children while you're gone.

characters -sano manjiro, matsuno chifuyu, haitani ran, haitani rindou, sanzu haruchiyo

tw: cursing, bad writing, grammatical errors, female reader, children, fluff, disgustingly fluffy, characters may be ooc, not proofread

author's note: yahoo, i'm writing random brainrots in my head before the poll ends. so today i give you tokyo rev men as dads. enjoy!

reblogs are highly appreciated

requests are open

sano manjiro

this man is the leader of bonten yet.... he's in his daughter's bedroom playing with her. she looks exactly like him, she had blonde locks and the same eye shape as his the only difference was she had your eye color.

she was still very young so she was stuttering between words while playing house with her father.

just then, you barge in making the two turn their heads towards you "the fuck do you mean 'you messed up'? do you want me to break your jaw when i get there?" you spat, gritting your teeth in annoyance as you set down a tray full of snacks for the two. mikey and his daughter exchanged knowing glances before continuing to play together.

you hang up on the employee, cursing quietly. "jiro, take [d/n] with you when you head to bonten later. i have some beating up to do at work" you said looking down at him. he was the feared mikey, the one who controls the streets of tokyo but he had no choice but to say yes to you. a sigh escaping his mouth "okay" was all he said, you were pissed off already and he didn't want to piss you off any further.

"what do you want for lunch hon?" you crouch down at your daughter, your voice softening. "i want taikayi (taiyaki) because daddy likes them" she stutters, you tilt your head towards your husband giving him a slight glare before looking at your daughter again "does daddy give you sweets all the time?" you ask her and she nods, an irritated smile appearing on your face. "didn't i say no sweets until you finish eating rice?" you say, that irritated smile still on your face. mikey was sweating, his daughter was telling you that he gives you sweets all the time and he knew he was going to be dead. "eat your father's bento instead hon, he doesn't deserve his" you added with that same irritated smile plastered on your face.

matsuno chifuyu

the sound of the entrance door bell diverts chifuyu's attention to it. a smile appearing on his face once he saw you and his daughter clinging to your hip

"hey, love what brings you and [d/n] here?" he says with a loving smile. "need you to take care of our princess, fuyu. i have a meeting" you stated as your carried your daughter and made your way to chifuyu.

"but love, i'm working too..." he says as you give him your daughter. "i didn't ask fuyu i'm telling you" you said which made him sigh quietly. he wanted to protest but that will only make you pissed off at him.

he held his daughter in his arms as her eyes light up at the sight of animals. "daddy, why are the puppies and kitties in cages?" she turns to look at him. "because, if they are not in cages they will run around and mess up daddy's store" chifuyu says. you waved your daughter and your husband goodbye as you headed out the door. "mommy can be scary right?" chifuyu whispers to his daughter, who nods in return. as much as he didn't want his daughter to distract him from work, she was too adorable and irresistible. chifuyu is grateful to you for giving him a bundle of joy.

haitani ran

after you told him to bring your daughter with him to work. well he didn't have a choice but he didn't mind he wanted to spend as much time with his daughter as possible.

*flashback*

"ran" you called out to him while dusting your skirt. "yes, darling?" he says, peeking out on the door. "take [d/n] with you to work today, and you can't say no." you said with a stern tone of voice.

*flashback ends*

and here he was, at his office with a fragile, babbling child on his lap while he works.

he absolutely adored the way his daughter tried to write on a blank paper he gave her. she was concetrated, trying to grip the pen again as she tried to write words but ended up scribbling random lines instead. this made ran's chest bubble with joy, seeing his daughter trying her best to write.

then, he turns her around to face him. his expression was serious "[d/n]" he calls out to her making her face her father. "you must not have a boyfriend/girlfriend until the age of 30" he says looking directly at her big eyes. "do we have a deal?" he adds, extending his hand to her as she grabs his finger with her little hands. "good we have a deal then" he smiles before smothering his daughter with kisses, little squeals and laughter come out of her mouth as he tickles her tummy.

he doesn't want this moment to end, he can't resist having his daughter all to himself. he wants her to be 'daddy's girl' forever, even when she grows up to be a fine young lady.

haitani rindou

"dad, let's visit mom" rindou's older twin said, tugging at his sleeve. "i wanna see mom" the youngest twin adds with a pout

and with that, rindou and his twin children were heading to your office. but then they heard commotion in the cafeteria. rindou and his twins peek at the entrance to find you beating up someone, or rather an employee.

"fuckin' bitch." you spat as you kept kicking the man's stomach. a girl was beside you, she was trembling. "how dare you harass your colleague, fuckin' bastard" you hissed. the other employees were watching you in fear. rindou looks at his twins, covering their eyes. he knows he shouldn't let them get exposed to violence at such a young age.

blood dripped from the man's nose, his face and body filled with wounds and bruises. you kick him with the heel of your boots one last time before looking up and glaring at your employees "this is what happens when you fuckers try to harass people, let alone women" you gritted your teeth. "i dare you, all of you to do that and I'll break every bone in your body" you added.

the employees nodded in fear. you turn to the girl and you wrap your jacket around her shoulder "go home, you need to rest after all that" you muttered.

you stepped out the door and you saw your husband with your twins. "rin, what are you doing here?" you said tilting your head as your twins rushed towards you to hug you.

"we were supposed to visit you, then that happened" he said. "i covered their eyes don't worry" he adds because he knows you'll be pissed off if he didn't.

"let's go then? I won't stay here much longer though, we could grab dinner after i arrange some documents" you said, your husband nods at your words.

the day ends with you and your family eating dinner at a restaurant. rindou is very thankful to you for giving him the experience of having a family of his own.

sanzu haruchiyo

honestly, he didn't know his life would be like this.

he was almost gonna pop the pill in his mouth before you stopped him. "once that pill touches your tongue, I'll cut it off" you said in a irritated tone, a child in your arms. her aquamarine eyes filled with curiosity as she stared at her father.

his head perked up to see you and his daughter across him. his eyes beamed as he extended his hand to his daughter. "what'd I say about swallowing your pills around our daughter, haru?" you said with a glare.

you weren't stopping him from doing his pills, just a simple rule not to do it in front of your child. she's still too young to be exposed to explicit activity such as this.

he exhaled quietly, his daughter rushing towards him as he engulfed her in a warm hug. "take care of her for a few hours, haru. i have a meeting" you said, looking down at your watch. "but angel-" "you are going to take care of her and you will not take another fucking pill until i go home, understood?" you retorted.

sanzu wanted to intercept but he knew how irritated you are right now, so he had no choice but to do it.

now here he was at home, taking care of his daughter. she was putting makeup on his face for fun. "you look so pretty daddy" she giggles. "not as pretty as you princess" he grins at her, tickling her in the process. "why don't i put makeup on you this time,hm?" sanzu suggests, and his daughter nods at his suggestion.

he grins, putting dabs of eyeshadow on her eyelids and a tint of blush on her chubby cheeks. then he grabs a mirror and shows her what she looks like. "waahh, i look so pretty! you're the best daddy" she smiles widely. sanzu's heart was beating so fast and he was in the verge of tears at her words.

to think that even someone like him can experience something so beautiful like this.

he's so lucky to have met you.

-Mayven

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qqueenofhades · 7 months

Note

Hi just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully respond to these anon messages. I work in dc w a fairly wonky set and i cant overstate how haunted the DC Professional Thought Havers are by the spectre of the "low propensity voter." I think these ppl (myself included LOL) thought we had everything figured out ahead of the 2016 elections and then never recovered from the way it ended up going......i feel like in all the years that followed.....the liberal bubbles.....the coastal elites.......the hillbilly elegies......the real america....the ohio diners....the pennsylvania diners.......the polls......the 2020 horserace....while part of an earnest attempt to understand What Happened, were primarily self-indulgent, self-flagellation for being "out of touch" bc of a self-diagnosed "elite" status that then turned into ANOTHER myopic view of the world, just opposite, where the "libs" are hapless and everyone else remotely to the left are primarily victims to the unstoppable supernatural forces of the Right. Then in 2020 the narrative flipped AGAIN and once again, instead of taking the opportunity to expand a worldview and having the bravery to confront their own shortcomings, the opinion havers and wonks and beltway pressers have decided to groupthink their way into writing off democracy altogether. Its BEYOND frustrating to see! Like damn volunteer at a soup kitchen or smthn instead of being obsessed w the fact that i vote lol

Yes, and there are several reasons for that. First, despite all the factors that contributed to Trump's shock win in 2016 (anti-Clintonism, white backlash to Obama, general low voter enthusiasm, Russian disinformation, etc) we should never forget that until James Comey decided to announce 10 days before the election that he was reopening the EEEEEEEMAILS case, even though we all knew there was nothing there, she was leading fairly comfortably in the polls. And while we will never know how the 2016 election would have gone without that, which imho was one of the most unforgivable acts of blatant sabotage by a public official in American history, it's also true that we saw her poll averages start sliding almost in real time, as people who hadn't really been keen on voting for her anyway decided firmly not to and Trump was able to scrape out 16,000 votes across PA, MI, and WI to take the Electoral College. Which... we all remember how we felt that night, right? (Or in my case, early morning, since I was overseas?) We don't, we really, really don't want to feel that way again. Just saying.

As such, the media (which had already beat up Clinton nonstop during the BUT HER EEEEEMAILS saga) drastically overcorrected and as you say, began writing endless angsty handwringing pieces about Trump Voters in Rural Ohio Diners and giving endless sympathetic airtime to how "economically left behind" they felt, regardless of the fact that open racism, especially Obama backlash, was and remains the principal animating feature of Republican politics (since their only economic platform is that which makes very rich people even richer and Democratic economic policies are the only ones actually targeted at helping ordinary people). The hangover was so strong that even when Democrats had a massive 2018 midterm result and flipped the House blue for the first time since the post-ACA backlash lost it in 2010, the Conventional Wisdom was now beyond any doubt that Democrats were doomed for a generation or something, and not that Trump had squeaked out a fluky win (while losing the popular vote) due to endless Russian/Comey/third party-etc interference and wasn't actually that powerful. Even in 2020 when Biden was leading fairly steadily and things were going to hell with Covid, etc. etc. TRUMP IS UNSTOPPABLE, TRUMP IS GOING TO WIN.

(And now. Like. I know Trump thinks Trump won in 2020, as do a large majority of his cultists, but that doesn't mean he did.)

Even after that, when Roe went down in 2022, that made no difference to the RED WAVE COMING!!! narrative, and the amount of smug white male pundits insisting that abortion just wasn't very important and people weren't going to base their entire vote on it reached truly disgusting levels. We're now seeing the same thing with the constant "people won't vote for democracy and/or abortion rights" blast, when as you say, this narrative has just been completely made the fuck up by a lot of groupthinking DC media who are determined that this time, Trump really is going to win and then they get to be principled chroniclers in opposition or something. Not to mention, the basic principle of "democracy and abortion rights are good" do in fact win by thumping margins every time they're on the ballot, including in deep red states. But there is literally not a single piece of empirical evidence despite the massive amounts of it supporting the truth (i.e. that Democrats are doing historically well in competitive elections since 2018 and there's not really a major reason to think this will change in 2024) that will get the media to change the "Democrats in disarray and Biden Iz Doomed" horserace BS they so love. They don't like Biden because he's boring and competent and just does the job without being insane, because it's totally a great idea to treat American government like a reality show! (Recall the infamous comment by the CBS CEO who literally said that Trump was bad for America but great for CBS, because he pulled in high ratings and therefore lots of money and visibility for CBS. We live in the worst timeline.)

As such, the mainstream media has a vendetta against Biden, is determined that this time Trump is super definitely going to win and everyone will see how genius they are, and not-so-secretly wants Trump back because a) he's good for money and ratings, and b) because the media conglomerations are owned by oligarchs who have a vested interest in making sure that Democrats and their policies never get too popular. Notice how the once self-proclaimed centrist independent Elon Musk has turned into a rabidly alt-right fanboy ever since the Democrats really got serious about taxing billionaires as a key part of their platform. Likewise, insisting that Biden Iz Doomed makes Democrats nervous (and thus more likely to tune in) and Republicans gleeful (and thus more likely to tune in), so there's literally no incentive for the media to even try to report things accurately. You could create a very different narrative of the 2024 election if you just remotely bothered to write about things that have actually happened as they have actually taken place, rather than bending over backward to insist that Biden being four years older than Trump is a worse crime than 91 felony indictments, 2 impeachments, 1 insurrection, 450 million dollars and counting in punitive jury verdicts, more major criminal trials coming down the pipe, and just demonstrably being the worst human being alive in so many ways. I mean. Wow.

The good news, as I said in my other post, is that when people actually vote, these utter bullshit narratives get routinely blown out of the water, and that's a good thing. Because it turns out that unlike Super Smart Beltway Pundits' Super Smart Predictions, the average American does actually like democracy and freedom for women to make their own personal healthcare decisions, and they vote accordingly. So while yes, it's being made harrowingly much harder than it needs to be because of how much the media simply refuses to report that basic fact, and there is no amount of evidence that will convince them otherwise, at least we're trending in the right direction and, if we all pull our weight, can do it one more time. I realized the other day that I hadn't heard a fucking peep about Ron DeSantis in the last two months, and oh, how glorious it was. I yearn beyond words for the day (God willing, soon) when the same is true of Trump as well.

#anonymous #ask #politics for ts

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lovifie · 6 months

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A little update for everybody for my current and future updates 🩷: (please read it ❤️)

Her Royal Highness: Hiatus. Trust me, I am the saddest about it. It is the first thing I wrote and what made me want to start the blog, but I have kind of lost the vision I had for it and I can't write anything without hating it. Don't worry too much about it because I am really dramatic and might just keep it going on a month 🩷.

Lift me off my feet: Around 4 chapters left. It would make it a 13 chapter series, taking in consideration I started because of a fanart I'm quite impressed with. Still, the little plot that it has is starting to run out and I feel like it is just unnecessarily stretching it, especially since there are other series I want to work on and I can't until this one is finished. I wanted to ask, would you rather have me finish this one “fast” or alternate it with other posts? Fast would be as in focusing on writing only this fic until I finished, and I believe I could have it done next week most likely.

Switch Bodies: Plot wise, around 2 chapters. After that, it would just be random scenarios that I would think of or that you could want me to write. Still, this one doesn't really have a schedule as it is mostly jokes so I can't tell when I'll update.

Spidey: This one will have a slower than usual post schedule since it is going to be interactive and I'll need to leave time between chapters to let everyone vote their favorites. So I'll be a bit more relaxed rhythm of updates.

Poll Fic: Whichever wins the poll (I can't see the results until Monday unless I vote and I'm edging myself like a moron), I won't probably write anything until I finish Lift Me Off My Feet, plus I want to organize a bit the plot so the thing that happens with Her Royal Highness doesn't happens again and I have something to support myself on to finish it. So I'll be a bit of time still.

Those are the series, I'm also working on oneshots and just silly stuff that genuinely I'll post randomly.

Aswell, I wanted to let people know that the on taglist form I removed the option to choose on which fic to me tagged because I was getting everyone mixed and it was becoming too chaotic so now there will be one single taglist. I hope you guys don't mind too much and thank you for understanding. If you would prefer me to remove you from it you can also tell me on the taglist form without a problem. 🩷🩷

There are going to be a couple of days without updates because I'm going to work on tidying everything up a bit so it is easier to navigate the blog. And I'm also going to slow down a bit as well, because I don't understand why I have pressured myself into uploading as soon as possible to the point I'm burning myself out instead of enjoying writing like I should.

That being said, I'm done rambling and complaining. I'd love any kind of feedback, as comments, asks or DM, I always love to read you guys opinion and ideas so feel free to do so ❤️❤️

Sorry for the disappointment of this not being an update let me know what you would rather have happening on the Lift me off my feet fic 🩷

Back to Masterlist - Taglist Form

TagList (1): @1-800-choke-that-ho @1234ilikecowsthanyoumore @anirok2 @arbesa-mind @avaleigh16 @blckbrrybasket @bunnysdaydreams @cassiecasluciluce @cheomain @cmbghost @cod-z @coldpaperwonderland @contractedcriteria @cringeycookies @crinoid90 @darkangel4121 @dilara-del @dontworryboutitokie @dukeofjjune @dumb12bvtch1212 @dumybitch @emotion-no-hot-yes-hotel-trivago @evolutionarry @fraserbraw @ghostlythots @ghosts-hoe @glocuseguardian3rd @grenkiesworld @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @hatterripper31 @herefor-tojis-tits @howlove @itsberrydreemurstuff @jaguarthecat @jupiternighties @justyourfriendlyneighbourhood1 @kayden666 @keiraslayz @keiva1000 @kristalhi @l0velifehatey0u @ladyxtiger @lilliumrorum @lolliepopsicle @lolly145 @lotionlamp @lunamoonbby @lunari0 @marymustdie @missmidnight-writes

#lovifie #call of duty #cod

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ioniansunsets · 5 months

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hello I am still alive teehee i'll take it slow answering the asks in the inbox oops in the meantime i was kinda inspired to write some reader feedback fics so you guys get to influence the story as i write!!! i really want to do a knight kayn x f!princess reader fic or something so i wanna ask you guys for what kind of setting you'd like as i start writing the prologue <3 yes entirely based on the knight kayn cai bot i made LMFAO not making a poll cos theres a lot of possible set ups ask but i know some of you like staying anonymous so feel free to send me asks instead of replying to the post if you have any thoughts! Context for first chapter I wanna write: Its you meeting knight kayn as your personal guard for the first time as kids! Kayn has the general same lore as runterra where he is a war orphan and is surprisingly good with all weapons so your dad the nice king decided why not assign him to take care of you. How are you two going to bond omg just thinking about it is so exciting!!! so main things i wanna ask you guys, would you rather: be a rebellious royal who would want to secretly learn how to fight from him or are you shy and scared of how young kayn is like or do we entirely hate having young kayn watch over us or do we love and harass little kayn at any opportunity. Also, should we include Rhaast in this in future chapters and if yes do we want Rhaast to be his own person like another member in the knight squad that kayn finds or the same as runeterra where Kayn decides to grabby hands a daarkin weapon to keep you safe or something.

#yunocomments #shieda kayn #knight!kayn #im not sure what i wanna call it yet #im thinking maybe something like “ In my grasp” then we can have a cute titles for each chapter!#like a “ In my grasp: A Dagger” “ In my grasp: your love” IS THAT CRINGE #idk if you guys have better ideas hit me with it #ill add a tag with the title to this when we decide on something

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colekinnie-4life · 9 days

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Alright, the poll has been up long enough!

List of AUs time!

Main Ninjago AU- It’s literally just Ninjago but with my headcanons, the characters actually act traumatized, and it takes place in between Crystallized and the Merge. Random shenanigans I come up with happen here (like if I ever make comics). Dragon’s Rising is the future and the designs are different.

Golden Hope AU- There was this video on YouTube I saw called “alternate ninjago timelines” and one of them was if Kai took the fang blade instead of Lloyd during episode 10. Lloyd dies and Kai somehow doesn’t explode in the volcano, and for some reason he’s the green ninja now. Don’t ask why.

Eventually he defeats Garmadon (he kinda sorta 💀’d him-) and Misako tells him “erm actually the ‘dark lord’ from the prophecy was the Overlord ☝🏼🤓” so now he tries to defeat the Overlord but gets tricked and possessed by him, and takes over Ninjago. Womp womp.

Except not because a girl named Jenny from Imperium falls into Ninjago like 4 years later due to one of her classmates accidentally creating a portal to Ninjago and she has a magic flashlight that the First Spinjitzu Master gave her somehow. Just like Kai surviving the volcano don’t question it 👍🏼. She finds the other ninja and they set out to defeat the Overlord. Yes this is a fanfic that has 13 chapters and no I am not done with it yet so I ain’t posting it here or on Wattpad any time soon.

Raging Fire AU- Saw some fanart that had Kai with the Samadhi Fire from LMK so I thought “ooo AU idea!”

Basically Ignatius (first fire master) was a hothead and didn’t like it so he made a fire purely out of his anger to get rid of it but whoops it turns out this gets passed on with the fire powers so if one of the fire elemental masters gets too mad they summon the fire and turn into an angry fire monster.

The au is based on Kai unlocking the fire after a shitty day fighting off The Mechanic and Jay stealing the last cookie. Cole’s the only one strong enough to stop him so if he goes apeshit he’s the one to help him out.

(This was totally not an excuse for me to write a Lava fanfic… *cough*)

Cole Jr. AU- AU where baby Wu was actually just a random baby and Cole adopts him (actual Wu was found by Misako and the resistance during Hunted). Yes he is officially named Cole Jr (he goes by CJ).

CJ just hangs out with his dad or gets babysat by other characters during the rest of the show and during DR he’s like 8 or 9. He fell in TLOLT with Cole and was raised with the finders, Bonzle, and Geo. The end.

Earthbound AU- Pretty self explanatory. Heard the idea from someone’s tumblr post (I forgot whose, sorry!) and thought “I wanna do this, but make it another Lava fanfic!”

It’s Seabound but Nya = Cole and Jay = Kai. The end.

Movie Actor AU- Really, really self explanatory. It’s the movie, but everyone is an actor.

This au gives an excuse for a reason for why everyone’s personality is different. It’s because the director of the movie wanted the characters to be a bit more like their actors. Speaking of which, here are their names:

Lloyd- Eric Davis

Kai- Ethan Daniels

Cole- Nicholas Richards

Jay- Jacob Wilson

Zane- Cole Harris

Nya- Emma Hansen

I thought of this really funny gag where the actor for Zane is named Cole, and during the first couple of times they were recording, whenever someone would say “Cole” (as in the character), both Cole and Nick would react.

I think I’m funny.

Anyways, that’s it.

Man, I seriously need help.

EDIT I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT MY MASTERS OF FIRE AU

Basically Kai ends up in the past instead of the nether space and fucks up the timeline. The end

#ninjago #ninjago fandom #lego ninjago #ninjago au #ninjago cole #ninjago kai #ninjago headcanons #ninjago jay #ninjago zane #ninjago lloyd #ninjago nya #the lego ninjago movie #ninjago fanfic

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alwida10 · 9 months

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Do you think there is astroturfing around disney properties?

When Ant-man 3 was release, everyone was shitting on the movie but praised Jonathan Majors's performance but after the conviction I keep seeing statements like 'his acting was clownish', 'he was the worst part of Loki' etc.

You know since the recent poll about Loki, as of now 57.3% has passed on him,even after release of season 2 which was trending for a while got me thinking . Like, what happened ? Wasn't it the most watched show?

I really hated what happened to him so much that seeing him makes me eyeroll. My favourite MCU character ruined since ragnorak.

If Tom says he didn't like the show, would the opinion on it change?

Omg, yes! And thank you so much for coming to my inbox!!

So, first of all, thank you for teaching me a new word. For everyone else who -like me- didn’t know the exact meaning of “astroturfing”:

But I think the whole situation is complex.

1) i absolutly think that Disney has a team that does use shady methods to make the public opinion appear better than it actually is. I think it was @iamnmbr3 who noticed that some 5 star reviews on major rating sites looked like they were bot-generated (but it was quite some time ago. I linked the article in my master post). Twitter (now X) has so many bots on it and the platform allows them to tilt polls massively. So, yeah, I agree. But. I don’t think that’s necessarily the biggest influence on the public opinion.

2) I assume this is the poll you refer to. It doesn’t distinguish between series Loki, TR Loki, and OG Loki which might have biased the outcome in a negative way. I know some hardcore og Loki fans who did not vote at all, because they LOVE og Loki, but cannot give series Loki a “smash”. Others voted “pass” because the pic is of TR Loki which is still a turn-off for some. I assume that some series Loki fans might vote “pass” because there are many that never liked Loki before the show.

3) there are different types of fans. The hardcore fans stay, but during the airing a lot of casual fans come rushing in, consume, and eventually leave. These people are often very enthusiastic, sometimes even aggressively positive. by now they will have wandered further, leaving only the hardcore fans behind (old and new ones).

4) a lot of people loved the SHOW but not LOKI. I see these types of fans mostly on Reddit. They like the time travel, or kang, or the side characters or just the mcu. Those as well won’t care for Loki or even vote on polls around here.

And then there is also this trend to attack people for liking stuff produced by people who are in any way problematic. Majors trial made all those people drop him like a hot potato. Perhaps some are now trying to “atone” for saying good things about Majors by roasting him? Perhaps the people who never liked him to begin with feel now it’s “safe” to publicly criticize him, since his supporters must fear being attacked for “supporting a domestic abuser”.

All in all, I deeply agree with you on the series being very bad for Loki (as in “destroying any chance for a satisfying conclusion to his arc, his feelings about the adoption, and the time with Thanos”) and I fear it might also be bad for both Tom and the MCU (as in “the public interest is going down and while the show WAS praised widely it still contributed to the downfall instead of generating or reviving interest”).

And yeah, I have a post on how successful the show was in preparation. 🙈 sorry for being so extremely slow with that one. I prefer focusing on writing fanfics, these days. 🙂 OG Loki is alive in our fics, dear anon. No one can take him away from us! 🫂

#mcu loki #tom hiddleston #loki series negativity #loki series critical

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achaotichuman · 1 month

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Surprise self-rec time! Pick 3 of your favorite things you’ve written and share them here, then put this in the inbox (anonymously or not) of your fellow writers to spread the positivity and help celebrate already written fics

OMG YES I LOVE THIS!!!!!!

A Witch A Warrior And A Reckoning

I am super proud of this one, it's the first piece of writing I've made where I outlined everything and prepped before actually going ahead and posting (Im usually a *follow the vibe* kinda guy) My writing style is pretty developed now and I think it really shines through with this one. Especially because of how many of my OC's are featured here.

Summary-

Life is peaceful for Dahlia Fairburn, running with her War Band, and commanding the Spring Court armies. Since the day she could wield a sword, she's been helping her father, along with her younger brother, to restore Spring to its former glory. Trying to ignore the festering magic in her body, that threatens to consume her.

One day, all that peace is threatened to be shaken, as a certain prince of Night asks for her to join the rebellion of the Hewn City and Illyria. From beneath the great mountains, an ancient song calls for her. She meets a woman with death in her eyes, and power in her veins, who makes Dahlia's blood boil while something clicks into place between them.

This new generation of Prythian was thought to be one of peace and prosperity. But the mask of the reigning High Lords begin to crumble, as secrets older than Prythian itself are uncovered, and darkness is unleashed.

An ACOTAR next generation fanfiction

How Nesta Archeron Learned To Trap A Beast

I never thought in a million years this would get nearly the amount of attention that it did, but it is now my most popular fic to date. I started writing it because of a poll @kateprincessofbluewhales did about who would take Nesta on a camping trip instead of the Hike from Hell. And an anon suggested Tamlin. I was like "lol that would be so funny" and now it has over 225 kudos and 130 subscriptions

Summary-

When given the choice of being locked up in the House of Wind with the male she despises, or returning to the Human Lands where she will no doubt face certain death. Nesta Archeron takes her chances and decides to return to the Mortal World. However, she is going on her own. After catching a ship and landing herself in Summer, Nesta makes her way through the Spring Lands with one goal in mind, make it to her old home alive without being trapped by any other beastly Faeries.

Little did she know she might be the one catching the beastly Faery.

Crippled by memories and loneliness weighing down on him, Tamlin is near the verge of ending it all. His home is in ruins, his only company the dripping in the corner of the room and sometimes the singing of birds. As his thoughts spin him in circles Tamlin doesn't think life will ever be better than this. Then someone with silver eyes and bad attitude sets foot in his lands.

And well.... Tamlin had never been taught to not poke sleeping bears.

A Court of Song and Desolation

This fic was born from the vibes it has. I was up at 2am on a random Monday night with work the next day, and my writing group sent through a prompt for us to write about. I was struggling with what to write, and then as I was typing something about a beast in a cage, the idea came to make it about Tamlin. Yada yada yada, I turned it into an angsty Tamcien oneshot, and decided "well if anyone wants more (which I doubt they will) Ill make another chapter" Then someone commented they want more and I was sent down the pipeline of hyperfixation. And here we are!

Summary-

She had eyes like starlight and a grin that could outshine the moon, "We'll rule the world."

"What if we fail?"

"Then we'll burn it all down."

In hindsight maybe it could only have ever ended like this. Making a man who was never made to rule, High lord. This was all inevitable.

With his Court in ruins and everyone gone, Tamlin lives amongst the broken pieces of his Court and has no intentions of changing that. Lucien, however, will not stand to leave his oldest friend alone.

When Lucien takes Tamlin back to the human lands, they discover a darkness coming for Prythian. If something does not stop it, it will completely rewrite the way Faeries and humans alike live as they know it

#acotar #tamlin #pro tamlin #acotar headcanons #acotar au #tamcien #tamlin's daughter #neslin #tamlin x lucien vanserra #nesta archeron x tamlin #dahlia fairburn #anti rhysand #anti ic #acotar fanfiction #a witch a warrior and a reckoning #how nesta archeron learned to trap a beast #a court of song and desolation

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once-upon-an-imagine · 8 months

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Works in Progress

Okay, this is literally every single work in progress that I currently have on my drafts!

I am the worst at summaries so I put the literal request underneath each one of them 😊 If it's not here, I didn't get the requests, loves so, let me know 😁

I know it's a lot and I really hope to get all of them up soon, it's gonna take me a while, but they are coming! if you'd like to request a preview of one, go ahead 😊 polls might come back in the future since they seem to be working somehow! I'll also be updating my Masterlists

I would like to thank you all again so much for yyour requests, love and patience!

Steve Harrington

Drabble (Untitled) [Mixing 2 requests]

1. wishingtobeforeveryoung1019 - Hey can I get a Steve and reader imagine where she works with Steve and they both like each other but they don’t realize it. They both think each other are way out of each other’s league. Can be Scoops Ahoy or Family Video, whichever you prefer. Fluffy please 2. Anonymous - Could you write a dialogue for Steve Harrington where the reader works at Scoops Ahoy and Steve and Dustin are in the back talking and Steve tells Dustin how much he likes the reader. Steve says "I really love y/n." and the reader opens the little window and says something like "you know I heard that whole conversation, right?" Steve and Dustin are both really shocked and Dustin runs out the back door, and Steve gets really flustered. And it ends with something really fluffy and cute, and they kiss. You totally don't have to write this, it was just an idea I had.

Ongoing Series - How Will I Know

You have walked the halls of Hawkins High unseen. If it wasn’t because Eddie Munson and his Hellfire Club had found you, you probably wouldn’t even have any friends. You knew someone like your all-time crush Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington wouldn’t notice you in a million years. Until you get paired up for a project and he finally learns your name.

Eddie Munson

One-Shot - Alone Together [Mixing 2 requests]

1. mycobrakai1972 - Hello love, me again 😁 but instead of Charlie I have a Eddie request (even through they closed, so if you have to much just keep it for later or if you don’t want to, just ignore my request). So I thought about the reader is to shy to play with the Hellfire Club but she really wants too. And Eddie is thinking about a campaign that he can play only with her like a D&D date night and that has a romantic twist in it? Love your writhing, and look forward to everything that is coming soon. 💗💗💗 2. lunamadhatter99 - Oohhh let me go with Eddie and a shy one😍 Reader is a shy, quiet one, she's always seen (IF she is seen) at the library and there is where our boy notices her, reading basically a book a day. He's a little shy himself, at first, more because he's worried his reputation would scare her, but one day he tries sitting at the same table and... oh boy, when she smiles at him, he's done. He would start slowly: small talk, little glances in the hallway too, making jokes every now and then. To make her feel comfortable, first thing, always. He would start to flirt, careful not to cross any line, but he made her feel so at ease that she. Flirts. Back! But that only means that he need to try try harder to see that sweet blush he loves so much😏

Ongoing Series - There Are Worse Things I Could Do

[Harrington!Reader] Your senior year was supposed to be the best one in your life. But when Jason broke up with you and turned the entire school against you by spreading rumors about you, you can count with your hand the people that talk to you. Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Max, Nancy, and Robin. But there might be a new one you can add to the list. One you never thought possible. Eddie Munson.

Argyle

One-Shot - A Kind of Magic (might become a drabble)

Anonymous - Heyo! I’m the anon who requested the learning disability imagine! Talking specifics, I’ve got major dyscalculia & a bit of dyslexia. Social anxiety also didn’t help being called on in class, but yea 😅 thanks for asking!! 🥹🥹🥹

Dialogue (Untitled)

Anonymous - So I saw your post about shy!reader x anyone and I was wondering if you could do shy!reader x argyle where he introduces you to his friends in Hawkins (the older teens) and reader doesn't have like the best experience meeting new people so their scared and wants to like not see them because they have social anxiety and like he cuddles then I'm the end ( I always need Argyle cuddles)

One-Shot - Cielito Lindo

Not requested - [Byers!Reader] Argyle is staying with your family when his parents are out of town. You know he’s been feeling down because he has to celebrate his birthday without them. So, you try to do something to cheer him up. (Sequel to Build Me Up, Buttercup)

Ongoing Series - (500 Miles)

[Hopper!Reader] After moving to California with your sister and your new family, you think maybe you’ll finally get some peace. But, of course, you are now driving across the country in your boyfriend’s pizza van, on your way back to Hawkins.

Billy Hargrove

One-Shot - Highway To Hell [Munson!Reader]

itslaqueefababy - Hey Idk if you’re taking request but since you have writers block, Maybe a Munson!reader x Billy Hargrove? Eddie and Billy hate each other and there’s a lot of drama and tension whenever they get around each other. It’s gets really annoying and out of control that reader eventually gets fed up and upset that they don’t care how she feels. She gives them the cold shoulder and silent treatment then eventually comes up with the idea to runaway on purpose for them to get along by searching for her and all? Something funny and angsty?

One-Shot - A Little Death [Mixing 2 requests] [This might be Hartington!Reader]

1. Anonymous - Where the reader breaks up with Billy because he has been toxic and Billy goes and tries to find love in other women. But he gets frustrated because they don't touch him (physically and mentally) the way the reader always did. He gets angry trying to teach them but none come close to the actual thing until he gets so frustrated that he crawls back to her and tries everything to fix it. 2. Anonymous - “I feel like I’m falling apart.” with Billy Hargrove?

One-Shot - RIP, Love [Munson!Reader]

Anonymous - Where the reader is known to break hearts. Not because its fun for her but she does it to protect herself and the person. She is convinced that whoever gets close to her heart either ends up hurting her or she ends up hurting them so she always ends it by leaving them - ultimately hurting them before they can hurt her. When Billy starts getting interested in her and she suddenly leaves just when he thought things were going good, he doesn't back down to find out why and once he does he makes it his mission to show her that he is there to stay and protect, despite being known for leaving and destroying. 2. Anonymous - since you are taking requests, could i request a Billy fic with the following prompts from the prompt list you talked about in your latest post ? "Wake up. You have to wake up. Please. For me." "Just, please don't leave me." "I don't want you to die for me. I want you to live for me." + "As you begin to fall asleep, you feel a gentle kiss pressed to your temple and a blanket draped over you."

Steddie (Steve Harrington & Eddie Munson)

One-Shot - Running Up That Hill (I keep renaming it 😂)

Anonymous - I know you have many request and this one can definitely wait, but maybe Steddie x cursed!reader?? I need some angst and idk if this would help :/ but I understand if you don’t want to! Maybe one where reader bones end up snapping in the attic? It’s like Instead of max being cursed it’s the reader :)

Drabble - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

plk-18 asked - OK first of all i love your work!!! So I don’t know if your requests are still open and I’m really sorry if you already did something like that and I just forgot. But I would love a steddie one-shot, maybe they are not together yet but there is some sexual tension and we have a ‘only-one-bed’ situation👀🤍🤍

One-Shot - A Sunday Kind Of Love

Not requested - For six months, you had been fine with having a secret relationship with Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson. But that changes when a very special day for you approaches and you want them both by your side and for that to happen, a few rules might get broken.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Sirius Black

One-Shot - Out of The Woods [Lupin!Reader] (the request focuses more on Remus and the reader so I put it under Remus for now)

Anonymous - ahh your requests are open!! I love that!! but anyway, I could make a request where Remus has a younger sister who is a year or two below him and she discovers the way the Marauders found to help him deal with his problems during the full moons and decides what she wants to do the same for her brother but Remus doesn't allow it and they just fight about it until one night she decides to follow them anyway but ends up getting hurt because she's not an animagus like the rest of the boys? If you can make her be in an established relationship with Sirius I would appreciate it and sorry if I said something wrong this is not my first language

Drabble (Untitled)

oursilversoul - Heyy❤️ could yo write a Sirius black x slytherin reader where they somehow end up dancing together in the Yule ball with an enemies to lovers undertone? Thank you I love you soo much :)

Ongoing Series - Just Give Me A Reason

[Snape!Reader] Coming back for another year in Hogwarts meant you and your brother were away from your worst tormentor. But when your school tormentor finds out about it, things are about to change and you are not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. (Warning: mentions of abuse)

Remus Lupin

Dialogue (Untitled)

Anonymous - Hiii i don’t know if u are writing now but i’d love to read your take on remus being unconscious for a prolonged amount of time after transformation and fem!reader taking care of him and talking to him. fast forward to him waking up and confessing he heard everything she said while he was sleeping. i just love the way you write and it would be fun to read it!!

Drabble (Untitled for now)

2. Anonymous - HI! Could you do the prompt “We’ve been by each other’s sides for years, you think I’m gonna leave now?” With Remus Lupin where they're still in school and someone really close to the reader (like someone in their immediate family) died and the reader is miserable and asks Remus not to leave her too? Btw your work is amazing!

Ongoing Series - Too Good At Goodbyes

Twelve years ago, Lily and James Potter were brutally murdered. Twelve years ago, Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban for a crime he did not commit. Twelve years ago Remus Lupin left you to take care of a one-year-old Harry on your own. Twelve years ago Severus Snape was the only person who was there for you. And now, Remus is back to teach at Hogwarts with you, as Harry courses his third year, and Sirius Black escaped Azkaban.

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Charlie Weasley

She Is Love (One-Shot) [Mixing 2 requests]

1. Anonymous - something about a shy reader, who's friends with the twins. Charlie and the reader have a crush on each other and he loves to see her blush and get all nervous, so it's like his mission to make her blush a lot, she kinda likes it though. But when someone else does try to tease the reader, not in a comfortable way, unfortunately, Charlie comes to the rescue and later on confesses his feelings. 2. Anonymous - I am begging for Charlie kissing shy!reader for the first time please

One-Shot - I'm Yours [Mixing 2 requests]

1. Anonymous - One where he gets jealous because of how close you’ve always been to Fred and George, even though Charlie really has nothing to worry about. 2. Anonymous - I have a dialogue request for Charlie Weasley and “Pay attention to me” where maybe the reader is friends with the twins and she’s having a ‘situation’ with charlie that no one knows about?

Drabble (Untitled)

Anonymous - Hi friend! Can I interest you in a dialog prompt for Charlie Weasley and “I’m sorry but I love you and I’m not going anywhere?”

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Evan Buckley

Drabble or One-Shot (Untitled)

Anonymous - Could I request a Buck x plussize reader? One where someone says something mean about the reader and buck defends her and comforts her after? Idk I just feel like I need some buck fluff in my life 😂

Drabble or One-Shot - Late Night Talking

Anonymous - Can you write a Buck x reader fic where they both work at the 118 and are really good friends. They both have a crush on each other. One night reader comes to visit him at his apartment because she doesn't want to go home(she still lives with her parents and they have a argument or something) Buck is happy to see her but also knows that something is wrong. They spend some time together and maybe there is a love confession at the end.

Eddie Diaz

Drabble or One-Shot - Cramps

Anonymous - One being eddie and the reader are going about they're day. Reader feels unwell but thinks nothing of it until they get back from a call/at the end of one and reader has appendicitis so they rush her to the hospital? Eddie is there when she wakes up and looks after her.

Drabble or One-Shot - Proposal

Anonymous - eddie is planning to propose to reader and he's all fluffy and cute about it?? Maybe gets Chris involved and the team are congratulating them? All fluffy and cute again.

#steve harrington imagine #eddie munson imagine #argyle imagine #billy hargrove imagine #steddie imagine #james potter imagine #sirius black imagine #remus lupin imagine #charlie weasley imagine #theodore nott imagine #evan buckley imagine #eddie diaz imagine #stranger things imagine #marauders imagine #harry potter imagine #9-1-1 imagine

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wishtale-blogs · 1 year

Text

📣Wish Announcements📣

Ello!! So, since I don’t have an introduction/master post, I will have an announcement post instead!! It’ll work just like an introduction post but with more! It’ll be separated into three sections: events, Q&A, and tags!

Events:

Events works pretty simply, if I’m doing an event or challenge of some sort it’ll be put here so y’all can see what’s happening!

I’m currently hosting a DTIYS!!

Q&A:

Q&A also works pretty simply, if I notice a question is being asked a lot, no shame at all for asking, it’s just being put here so others will know before they ask and I don’t have to repeat myself 10 times lol. (not including in ask games lol)

(Also, while I don’t have any real questions rn as I’m writing this, I will answer some basic questions so y’all can get to know me!)

1). What do you do?

I make art a lot and hope to work on animations soon!

2). Do you take art requests?

Yes!! Unless I make an announcement otherwise, my art requests are always open!! If you have a request send an ask to my side blog @wishtale-art-requests Tho it might take a little bit to finish, especially if there is an event going on, it will be finished as soon as possible!!

3). Are you open to asks?

Yes!! Asks will be answered as soon as I’m available to answer them!!!

4). What characters have you made?

I’m the creator of Wishtale that I currently only have an old ref sheet of Wish! sans (which I haven’t Wishtale worked on in a long while), and Monarch! Sans in the utmv community! And I also have my persona that ironically is also named Wish until I figure out a better name lol!

5). What fandom/s are you a part of?

I’m a part of a lot of different fandoms, but the one I post the most about is utmv, although I do occasionally talk about fnaf, Jujitsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and vocaloids!

6). Do you have any other blogs I should be aware about?

Yes!! I have a second blog @wishtale-art!! This is where I post my final drawings, tho wips and other things I don’t want on my art blog will be posted on this blog! I also have a art request blog @wishtale-art-requests

7). What is your sexuality and gender?

I’m a aromatic lesbian who is also agender!!

8). What pronouns do you go by?

I go by any pronouns!! And star/stars/starself neopronouns! (neos are completely optional tho!)

9). When is your birthday?

My birthday is on December 14th!!:3

10). Is there any triggers I should be aware of?

Not really, but smoking and vaping make me uncomfortable (not in drawings, but like when people smoke/vape and encourage it is when I get uncomfortable) and really suggestive things (mostly just when talking to people, it makes me very anxious)

Tags:

Tags are where I’m going to put tags I use often and explain what they are used for!!

#📣wish announcements!📣- used for this post any updates on this post

#wish zoomies- for any post I reblog

#wish rambles- for posts I post that I talk about stuff!

#wish answers- for any asks I answer

#wish’s art- for any reblogs from @wishtale-art or any of my wips or drawings I post on this blog

#wish does polls!!- for any polls I do

#wish is real???- for any posts that have to do with me irl (I keep forgetting I have this tag lol)

#important stuff👆- for any reblog/post that has an important topic!

(I also have a secret vent blog)

Please know that everything on this post is bound to change and be updated with time but I’ll do my best to let y’all know whenever any major changes happen!

Also, I made this as a very late thank you for 326 followers!!! I’m extremely grateful for each and every one of y’all that’s following me!!!<333

#📣wish announcements!📣

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trivialbob · 11 months

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From my desk the outdoors appear dark and gloomy today. But when Sheila and I went over to city hall to vote in the city elections the outside temperature was more pleasant than I expected.

Yes, I have a thermometer and a weather app to tell me it is 48°F outside. But dreariness seemed powerful enough that I thought it would feel much colder. Sort of like how a sunny day with 20° can feel more pleasant than a damp, dark 40° day.

Early voting is easy. It started several weeks ago. I expected to see four city employees and zero other voters. There were five city employees and six voters.

Sheila works a 12 hour shift the day the actual polling places are open next week. She wanted to get it done. I figured I would too.

Going early requires each voter complete a full page form. A city employee explains the form. Another one checks your information on a computer, prints two adhesive labels, and sticks the labels on that form (front and back). Voters then get a paper ballot (from another city employee) that is printed on paper stock heavier than a car door. The paper is thick so it can be fed into a slot in a machine without bending.

If you want to save the Earth, or at least a tree, vote at the polls on election day. Names are simply checked on a big roster when you show up. You still get that hefty ballot but there's no form to fill out and stickers to be printed.

The volunteer who makes sure the ballots are inserted correctly and hands out the little red stickers (which I put on my laptop cover today), I think I've seen him before.

In the last statewide election there was some new equipment at my polling location. I wanted to take a picture of the machinery and write about it. It's not illegal to take a photo in Minnesota at a polling place, but the Secretary of State's office says something to the effect that it's in poor taste and not nice. I figured if I just snapped a shot that didn't have any people or ballots in the background it would be okay.

Nope

That volunteer flipped his lid at me. You would have thought I'd walked in wearing sandwich boards made from campaign signs while carrying an AR-15 and wearing a red hat.

I put away my phone and found a picture online to use instead. Today there was nothing I wanted a picture of. Crisis averted.

#The next sticker will have to cover up one of the old ones #That isn't even a Macbook

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g-kat423 · 25 days

Text

Rant under the cut

That whole Cassie Reffel author drama just goes to show that some people don’t know how to separate reality from fiction and then it gives other writers who touch on dark topics a bad name.

For those who don’t know, Cassie Reffel is a self-published author who writes dark romance. She recently got some heat for using real life killer Wade Wilson (not Deadpool) who was recently sentenced to death for the brutal murders of two women as a way to promote one of her books. Her video was so tactless with 0 respect for the victims, showing a photo of Wilson with a caption along the lines of “if you like him you’ll love this” followed by a picture and description of her book. Don’t have the exact quote since she’s deleted the original, but I’m sure screenshots are floating around. Instead of apologizing, she doubled down, turned off all comments where she was able, and made a bunch of unhinged TikToks in a row absolving herself of all wrongdoing.

If you’re going to write about serial killers maybe don’t do so in a way that glorifies a real murderer?? It’s bad enough Wade Wilson already has fangirls making thirst traps of him and trying to contact him in prison. Absolutely disgusting. No one would even know who she was if not for this controversy. Her self-published books read like a teenager trying to be edgy on Wattpad, complete with mistakes like “strole” instead of “stroll” and one of her characters being a “collage” student. An actual publisher wouldn’t touch her middle school writing with a 40 foot “poll.” That and with the way she can’t take any criticism shows she’s not cutout to be an actual author at all.

My favorite thing though? Her little blurb on her Amazon author profile starts with “welcome to the darkness of my mind” literally not too far off from “welcome to my twisted mind” which I’m sure she probably wanted to use, but couldn’t because it’s been meme’d to shit. 2012 tumblr ass behavior.

This could go into a longer discussion about how true crime and booktok have further contributed to this ongoing brainrot of not honoring victims while glorifying murderers, but I’m already fuming lol.

I once got into it with someone on TikTok because they said I was glorifying murder by posting about Lady Dimitrescu, a fictional villain. I told them to save that energy for the true crime girlies selling serial killer merch on Etsy. Lady Dimitrescu isn’t real, no actual living person has been harmed by her actions. Enjoying an interesting villain from a fictional world is in no way and never has been on par with people being fans of actual murderers. I don’t condone Alcina’s actions, yes, even when I write a fic that involves those in character actions. These pathetic serial killer simps make excuses for actual murders that have happened because ~their poor little baby was misunderstood~ barf. Even being a fictional villain fan, I hate the woobification of said fictional villains and then these bitches are out here doing it with real people 💀 get fucked.

#gkat speaks #gkat rants

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a89x54vs · 1 year

Text

Through Obstacles and Pain, We Stand Here Today

Thanks to everyone for participating in the polls, I hope you enjoy the final result.

This fic contains hurt/comfort and tickling, feedback is accepted as long as it’s done in a respectful way.

“I’m sorry hyung, but I don’t think we can keep going after this”

Yoongi could feel how his heart stopped beating at the response, how his body froze in shock and how his vision was becoming nothing but a blurry mess.

“N-Namjoon wait, there’s no need to do this” He pleaded “Please, just forget what I said!”

“This is not something I can forget!” Namjoon snarled, his voice carrying a subtle, almost unnoticeable yet lethal venom “I cannot believe you thought it was a good idea to do this! What were you thinking!?”

Yoongi could only take a step back as tears kept rolling down his face.

He had no answer for his actions.

He had screwed up everything.

It was all his fault.

“To think that you would throw away everything we fought for” Namjoon mumbled, though his voice was calmer, his voice was just as painful “I’m disappointed hyung”

And then he began to walk away, and no matter how much Yoongi tried to follow, he was stuck in place, helpless to fix what was already broken.

“Namjoon wait!” He pleaded “I made a mistake! I didn’t mean it!”

But no one responded to his wail.

“I’m sorry!”

“*Gasp!*”

Yoongi snapped his eyes open, his pupils were wide open in shock and tears were slipping down his face.

The rapper sat on the bed as he attempted to control his heavy breathing, once he did and looking around, Yoongi saw how he was in his room instead of the strange void he was previously in…

Yoongi let out a sad sigh as he tried to dry his tears, it was that nightmare once again, one where he ruined everything with not only Namjoon, but the group as well, and all because of a stupid decision…

*Stop thinking about it* He told himself *As long as you don’t open your mouth nothing will happen*

*Besides, it’s getting late, I should get ready, surely things can’t get any worse*

“Hey Yoongi , you’re up early” Jin pointed out as he saw how the rapper entered the living room.

“Y-Yeah, I decided to get up quickly” The younger mumbled, hoping his hyung didn’t notice the bags under his eyes.

“Well it’s good you’re hear since we couldn’t tell you the news yesterday”

“What news?” Yoongi questioned, concerned at what they may imply.

“We’re going to be out of the apartment all day”

“All of us?”

“Almost” Jin said “But you’re lucky Yoongi, even though you have to stay, Namjoon will be here too”

Usually the idea of spending time with Namjoon would be pretty comforting, but Yoongi could only feel a pang on his chest at the knowledge.

But there was nothing he could do about it.

After the group had their breakfast, most of the members had left, but fortunately for Yoongi, he and Namjoon both had their own work to do and went to their separate rooms to do so.

So here he was, working on mixing and writing, and despite the tiredness and the pounding headache Yoongi had been experimenting ever since he woke up, he was making progress.

Hopefully it would be enough for Namjoon to not get disappointed-

“AGH!” Yoongi hissed at the feeling of hot coffee falling on his hand.

“Dammit” He grumbled while inspecting the injury, the skin was quickly reddening and the pain was increasing quickly.

Yoongi rushed out of his room and headed to the bathroom where he dipped his hand into cold water to numb the pain, and once it was controlled enough the rapper began to search for a first aid kit.

“Hyung is everything okay?”

Yoongi let out a gasp when Namjoon’s voice interfered with his thinking.

“Y-Yeah I’m fine” He argued “Don’t worry okay”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure, just go back to what you were doing, I’m okay”

Namjoon was hesitant of the truthfulness behind his hyung’s words, but if Yoongi didn’t seem to be in an emergency, then the leader decided to believe him and went back to his own work.

Yoongi let out a sigh as he slowly wrapped his hand in a bandage once Namjoon left, he knew that refusing help was only stubbornness on his part, but he just couldn’t face the leader, hadn’t been able to for a while…

At least his wound didn’t seem to be that severe, that was something…

The rapper simply decided to deal with the situation and returned to his room, but even though he tried to keep working, Yoongi was unable to continue because of the pain his hand was in.

*Please no* He begged to himself *I need to finish this! The deadline will come very soon!*

And so he kept going, trying over and over to get his work done until-

“SHIT!”

Pushing his hand when it wasn’t possible caused Yoongi to yell in pain, gripping his hand as he felt the burning coming back.

“Hyung what happened!?” Namjoon questioned as he burst into the room after hearing his hyung yell.

“Nothing! I’m fine! Yoongi exclaimed, but this time he could not hide the truth from the leader.

“What happened to your hand?” Namjoon asked as he gently took the older’s hand, noticing his bandaged palm and red skin underneath.

“Look, it was just an accident” The older rapper tried to explain “It’s nothing serious, really”

“Hyung, your palm is red, clearly you suffered a burn” Namjoon argued, although he tried to be as kind as possible in between the seriousness “Come, let’s get you properly patched up”

Yoongi didn’t even had time to deny before he was dragged back to the bathroom to actually tend the wound.

“How did you get burned?” Namjoon asked while gently applying the ointment.

“My coffee accidentally fell on my hand, that’s all” Yoongi mumbled, not wanting to face the younger rapper and see a possible disappointment.

“Why did you push yourself despite being injured?”

…Yoongi knew the answer, he definitely did, but to say it out loud, especially to Namjoon, wasn’t something he was willing to do.

“Hyung where are you going!?”

“I have work to do” Yoongi grumbled as he attempted to go back to his room just for Namjoon to block his path “Namjoon, let me pass”

“Sorry hyung, but you are not going to work like this!”

“You don’t get it!” Yoongi snarled “I have to finish this soon!”

“But not at the cost of your health!” Namjoon argued “We can just ask for an extension!”

“I can’t! I can’t stop!”

“Why not!?”

…

“Because you would all be disappointed in me”

Namjoon took at step back, what was his hyung saying?

“If I’m not good enough then you may leave” Yoongi mumbled, all the anger he previously had now evaporated.

“Hyung, where did you even get that idea?” Namjoon questioned “We would never leave you”

“How can I be sure of that?”

“Because we care about you, I care about you, you’re my friend and band mate”

Unbeknown to Namjoon, those usually comforting words did nothing but to thrust a knife into Yoongi’s heart.

“Hyung?” The leader noticed the older’s heartbroken expression “What’s wrong? You haven’t been yourself lately”

But Yoongi shook his head as he tried to hold back his tears.

“You wouldn’t understand what I’m going through”

“Why not?”

Yoongi knew he should have changed the topic, that he should have stopped the conversation, but between his tiredness, his pain and heartbreak, he made the mistake of blurting out:

“Because I made the mistake of falling in love with you”

…The whole apartment fell silent at the sudden confession that left Yoongi’s mouth, who was now frozen in place as he realized what he had done.

“Hyung…is it true?” Namjoon mumbled with widened eyes, eyes that the older couldn’t see because he was trapped in his own thoughts.

*No…what have I done!? Why did I say it!? Now everything is ruined!*

“Hyung?”

“You didn’t hear anything!” Yoongi argued, the tears he tried to hold back were now flowing “Please forget what I said!”

“Hyung-“

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! Please don’t tell the others! I don’t want to break us apart-“

Suddenly, all of Yoongi’s thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of Namjoon’s arms wrapping around him in a warm, secure embrace.

“Oh Yoongi, I can’t believe you’ve been struggling with this on your own” Namjoon mumbled as he rubbed his hyung’s back “I’m sorry, I had no idea”

“Y-You’re not angry?” Yoongi questioned, flabbergasted by what was going on.

“Of course not, why would I be?”

“I-I thought you would hate me”

“I could never hate you Yoongi” It was then that Namjoon looked at his hyung in the eyes and said: “Because I love you too”

To say Yoongi was shocked would be an understatement, his crush was actually being corresponded? He didn’t just screw up everything?

“Y-You do?”

“Of course I do, I’ve loved you for a long time” Namjoon assured with a soft smile and blushing cheeks.

“Then why didn’t you say anything?” Yoongi questioned, seeing how the leader averted his eyes and mumbled:

“Because I was afraid of rejection and of running everything between us…if only I had known you felt the same”

“And if only I knew you loved me all this time, we could have spared each other a lot of grief”

“I know, but now that’s in the past”

At first Yoongi showed the leader a small smile, but it faded as he remembered why they were in this situation.

“I’m so sorry Joon, I can’t believe I was being so stubborn when you were only trying to help…”

“It’s okay hyung, I know you were really stressed out, so I don’t really blame you for it”

Yoongi still didn’t seem to be convinced, but Namjoon got the perfect idea of how to cheer him up.

“Namjoon put me down!” Yoongi exclaimed as he was suddenly picked up by the leader, who seemed to carry him to the living room.

“There you go” Namjoon said as he gently put Yoongi on the couch “So hyung, are you going to accept that I’m not mad at you?”

“Look Joon, I don’t know what you plan to do but it won’t work”

Namjoon simply shook his head with a chuckle.

“Let’s see if your stubbornness can handle this!”

Without waiting even a single second Namjoon slipped his hands under Yoongi’s shirt and began to gently spider the skin on his tummy.

“Ahahahahahahaha Namjohohohohon wahahahait” Being completely caught of guard, Yoongi had no chance to even hide his giggles from pouring out.

“You had your chance hyung, now it’s time to face the consequences” Namjoon commented with a smile as he saw the older’s reactions.

“Whihihihihihihy thihihihihihihihis?”

“Why? Because I want to see you happy hyung, that’s what I want the most”

Yoongi was quick to cover his giggling and blushing face with his hands at the sappy comments, but the warmth he felt on his chest at being told such words was a feeling he had been craving for a while.

“Hahahahahahaha Joon plehehehehehehehease” The rapper’s giggling increased as he felt Namjoon’s hands scribbling up and down his sides.

“Please what hyung?”

“Dohohohohohon’t?”

“Hm? Don’t what?” Namjoon innocent asked, hoping that the older rapper would-

“Tihihihihicke mehehehe”

Indeed, he fell into the trap.

“Tickle you? Well of course, how could I deny such request?” Namjoon said as he now positioned his fingers on Yoongi’s hipbones, making sure to gently drill into them.

“GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JOHOHOHOHOHON YOU BRAHAHAHAHAHAHAT” The changing of spots as well as the precise technique were enough for cackles to leave Yoongi’s lips and for his body to squirm from side to side even though the attacking hands stayed in place.

“Seriously hyung? I’m trying to help and you call me brat?” Namjoon rolled his eyes in fake disappointment “And here I thought you would appreciate my efforts”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE” Yoongi’s hands went from covering his face to gripping Namjoon’s wrist, although he wasn’t even trying to pull them away, and while some could argue that he was too weakened to do so, Namjoon knew his band mate very well.

“Aw, I didn’t know you like this so much hyung, how adorable!”

“YOU SHUHUHUHUHUHUT UHUHUHUHUHUP”

Of course, nothing could hide the increasing blush on Yoongi’s cheeks and what it meant.

“I will only shut up once you accept I’m not mad at you” Namjoon said “Because I never was, I assure you”

Although the constant tickling was making it kind of hard to think, Yoongi felt all the weight on his chest going away at the assurance of not having screwed everything like in his nightmares.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JOHOHOHOHOHOHON WAHAHAHAHAHAHAIT”

Turns out being too immersed in thoughts makes it really easy to get his underarms tickled.

“Do you have anything to say hyung?” Namjoon question as he stopped his tickling to allow the older to speak easily.

But instead, all he got as a response was:

“Screw you”

“Why you little-! You asked for this!”

“WAIT-“

“PFFT!”

Honestly, Yoongi knew the possible consequences of his comment, but a raspberry on his tummy was definitely not one of them.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NAMJOHOHOHOHOHON PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE OKAY OKAY I SEHEHE YOU’RE NOT MAHAHAHAHAD THAT’S ENOHOHOHOUGH”

Being a man of his word, Namjoon stopped as soon as he heard what he wanted, and the leader had to admit that he was in awe at the image beside him, the image of Yoongi curling on himself as burst of giggles still left his lips, all while his hair was a mess, his face was flushed and a couple of tears of mirth threatened to leave his eyes.

Yoongi let out a small gasp when he felt Namjoon wrapping his arms around him, but quickly relaxed into the embrace and buried his head on the leader’s chest.

“I still can’t believe this is real” He admitted with a mumble “To think that you not only love me back, but that I also didn’t ruin anything…”

“Hyung I understand why you feel this way and it’s completely valid” Namjoon replied, his tone soft and caring “But you seem to forget that we have all gone through so many obstacles to get to where we are, yet we have still managed to stand here today, you and I loving each other won’t change any of that, I promise”

Yoongi felt like he could cry of relief at any moment, but instead he reached out to cup Namjoon’s cheek and, after catching the permission in the leader’s eyes, carefully joined their lips together in a soft, sweet kiss that reflected their feelings in a way that not even thousands of words would be capable of.

“I love you Namjoon” Yoongi said once they separated, it felt so good to be able to say it out loud.

“I love you too Yoongi” Namjoon responded “I always will”

Maybe neither of them could be sure of what would await them in the future, and both were aware that it wouldn’t be easy, but they knew they would be able to fight through obstacles just like they had been doing for years.

After all, they had each other.

Once again thanks to everyone who participated in the polls, this was a really fun experiment and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

-Ax

#bts fic #bts tickle #lee!yoongi #ler!namjoon

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