#you don't want to know why this is on brand

[woso-dreamzzz]

Nagging: Christmas

Barcelona Femení x Teen!Reader

Summary: Christmas with Mignon

"It's...a can," Alexia says blankly, turning over the present in her hand," Is this...Is this a French thing that I don't understand?"

"Don't look at me!" Vicky says quickly when her captain's eyes turn to her," I'm, very clearly, not French!"

"But you are y/n's friend," Alexia replies," Has she told you anything about this?"

Vicky shrugs as she hands the last wrapped can to Kika to open. "Just to hand them out to everyone, let you open the wrapping paper but not the actual cans."

They're not branded or anything, Alexia notes as she turns it around in her hands. There's no labels to give away what's inside and even shaking it doesn't help.

"Maybe..." Keira says as she rattles the can while holding it up to her ear," Maybe...it's beans?"

Aitana lets out a little titter of a laugh. "Not everyone is English, Keira. Not everyone likes beans."

"Yeah," Patri joins in," Besides, she's French! Aren't they known for their good food?"

Keira wrinkles her nose in disgust. "Yeah, their snails and their frogs legs. Hardly the most appetising. At least beans are versatile."

"It won't be beans," Frido says simply," And it won't be food. It'll be something else."

"Any idea what?"

Frido shrugs. "No food, is all I've got."

"Well can she hurry up?" Mapi says," Because it's cruel that she's making us wait."

Alexia rolls her eyes. "She's getting treatment right now. She can't exactly hurry that up."

Mapi groans, practically throwing herself back into her seat as she fiddles with the can in her hands. "She totally did this on purpose," She complains to no one in particular," I just know she did. She's trying to kill me."

"You just need to be patient."

"But I hate being patient! Patience is a scam!"

Alexia sighs. "Ingrid-"

"Nope. Not my problem when she's with the team. It's a shared responsibility."

Maybe you did choose to schedule your treatment just to screw with Mapi a bit but it was one of your greatest joys in life and Christmas was all about giving. You're sure Mapi enjoyed giving you her time as she was forced to wait around for you to appear to finally open the can you'd presented her.

You'd made sure to really stress how important this was to you, for nobody to open their cans before you'd arrived.

You'd insisted it was a present that the team would have to enjoy together.

Or else.

You'd left the 'or else' bit purposely vague just to keep everyone on their toes and, now, as you open the door to the locker room, you're happy to see that everyone had done as you told them.

"Finally!" Mapi complains, leaping to her feet from where she'd been laying on the bench with Ingrid's fingers gently carding through her hair. "You took ages!"

You grin. It's more of a smirk actually and you can hear Vicky snicker behind you as you shrug. "Just trying to keep on top of my health," You tell Mapi," My hamstring was feeling kind of tight. I wanted to get it massaged out. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't? I might have torn it on the pitch."

Mapi pokes you right in the middle of the forehead. "And you couldn't have done that hours ago when you and Jana were fighting on the Playstation?"

"It's almost like, Mapi, that you want me to delay the can opening until later."

"Ingrid! Tell her to stop teasing me!"

Ingrid relaxes back in her cubby, completely at ease with herself as she scrolls through her phone to find the perfect Christmas gift for her nephew. "I'm not in charge of her."

"Keira-"

"Just because Lucy left doesn't mean-"

"Alexia!"

"One day," Alexia says to no one in particular," One normal day is all that I ask for."

You flash Mapi a grin.

She sighs. "Can we please open our presents now?"

"Why Mapi," You say with that smug smirk of yours," All you needed to do was ask!"

Mapi makes some annoyed noises at you, acutely aware that any kind of insult flung at you would end up in a lecture for her. She knew that you knew that too so settled on just making noise as you as you lingered in the doorway.

Honestly, staying in the doorway should have been their first clue that this present opening wouldn't be quite as normal as usual. Their second clue should have been the way that you were holding your phone, clearly set up to record their actions.

The third and final clue should have been the mischievous grin that you and Vicky exchanged as she tilted the can away from herself and towards the person standing next to her.

"Okay?" You say," Ready? Open!"

It's carnage immediately as the fake snakes spring from all of the can and the glitter you had paid more for went everywhere.

You high five Vicky before immediately sprinting out of there when Pina lunges at you.

You know she's running after you when the pounding of her feet reaches your ears and you know everyone else is following when the sound of the feet get louder and louder.

"Get back here!" Pina yells and you take a sharp corner through the corridors to the break room.

You come to a skidding stop in front of the tree, whipping around just in time to dodge the flailing hands of Kika as she tries to catch.

"Now," You says, laughing awkwardly as you scramble up onto the countertops," Would it make you happier to know that I've got you all non-joke, stuff-you'll-actually-like presents? Because I have!"

You gesture to the tree and, thankfully, most of the anger seems to melt from the others as they go about distributing them - though Mapi narrows her eyes and glares at you as she passes.

"It's very nice that you bought us proper presents," Alexia says, giving you a sideways hug," But you're going to get that locker room all cleaned up before everyone heads home."

You groan.

"No complaints," She cuts in with a laugh," That's the price you pay for playing pranks during Christmas."

[yanderefarm]

yandere butler introduction

cw;; violence, age gap, nsfw, mommy kink, public sex

His name is Phillip Hemlock and he's 52 years old.

He's been serving your family ever since you left for boarding school and is incredibly loyal to them.

Before becoming a butler he was a sorcerer's slave and he would be experimented on regularly. This is where the scars around his neck come from.

The scar on his chest used to be a branding but when he escaped he scratched it out himself.

He's actually a talented sorcerer as well but he's never received an education for it.

He has a major soft spot for you especially after your parents untimely death. He's so proud of you for always being strong so he wants to gently take care of you and let you be more childish.

He's good at knowing exactly what you want before you even know you want it. If you're starting to get cold he'll be wrapping a blanket around your shoulders. Right when you think you might want a snack he's there with a tray of snacks.

You get treated incredibly gently by him. No one else does.

If a servant makes a mistake they will be forced through vigorous training even if it hurts them until they get it right.

If a noble tries to insult you or makes you uncomfortable they'll receive enough poison to make them incredibly sick.

The only person he can't be hostile towards is King Emil so no matter how much he wants to he's just forced to stand and glare.

He can't get away with killing nobles every time so he does it very sparingly. Only if he feels they've done something unforgivable.

He's good at cooking, cleaning, dancing, fighting, and piano. He'll also learn any skill you want so he can entertain you.

Your happiness is the most important thing to him because he loves you so much. He never expects your love in return because he is just a lowly servant but he wants to be by your side forever.

It would hurt but if you did decide to get married to someone but as long as you don't try to elope he'll accept it.

If you try to elope he'll be forced to take drastic measures.

You are the duke of the north in Emil Landorr's kingdom. Your castle stands as a line of defense against the northern monster lands.

It also shares a border with the enemy theocracy but the north is too cold and monster infested to be a point of war.

The previous duke and duchess died in a carriage accident quite randomly but there is some question of the actual randomness of it.

Your castle is a fortress and the second largest in the whole kingdom. Only the king's is bigger.

Not a lot of nobles are willing to brave the cold and the monsters that's why you're not bothered as much by them.

Phillip is the other reason they tend to leave you alone.

nsfw

Phillip really enjoys having his chest played with especially having his nipples sucked. He'd like to gently pet your hair and encourage you to suck more.

He definitely has a little bit of a mommy kink. He's incredibly embarrassed to be called it but it turns him on so much.

He's so embarrassed to want your body he feels like a pervert. At first when his feelings started he swore that his love was pure and innocent. Then one day he accidentally overheard you touching yourself and his view changed.

He likes listening to you touching yourself and slipping his hand into his pants to pretend like you're touching him instead. If he ever heard you say his name while you were in the middle of it he'd cum so quickly.

He struggles sometimes to remain professional while he's bathing you or helping you get dressed. He tries to commit your body to memory for his fantasies later. If you catch him staring he'll be even more embarrassed and ashamed.

Sometimes he uses magic to conjure up a version of you to help him get off.

He has a surprising amount of stamina and resilience for his age. He can ride you.

He's a sadist more than a masochist but he enjoys having his hair pulled.

He'd honestly enjoy any punishment you decide he deserves if that's what you want.

He'd also like to punish you a little bit. Especially if you're reserved and not spoiled, that's a punishable offense in his book.

Loves a spoiled brat darling. You want him to do everything? You want to cling to his chest while he rides you? You want to misbehave and be bossy even when he's in charge? Everything for you.

He likes any position where he can see your face. He dreams of looking into your eyes while you breed him so full and he tells you that you're such a good boy.

He also loves for you to leave embarrassing marks on his neck. He'll cover them up but he likes the danger of it.

He likes public sex for that reason too. Fuck him where the other servants could see their manager being turned into a sloppy whore. He'll be trying so hard to keep quiet while he's almost cumming from every footstep he hears.

He feels like a pervert if you bring up the age gap but it also turns him on to be degraded by a younger man. He's supposed to be mature but here he is a pervy old man getting bred by his beloved master.

[alexanderwales]

Reached a point in Nate Silver's new book, On the Edge where he talks about what ChatGPT told him:

"More than forty years I've been doing innovation. I can't think of a single example of a large innovation that came from an expected player or a large player," Vinod Khosla told me. Taken literally, this is an exaggeration - a ChatGPT query turned up counterexamples of products like the Sony Walkman, the IBM PC, and the iPhone that were developed by well-established brands.

Nate. Come on man. Why are you asking ChatGPT this? Why is this a ChatGPT question? Why are you telling me that you're getting answers from ChatGPT? Why are you writing in a book that this is where you're getting your information from?

I don't think there's a problem with asking ChatGPT stuff per se. It's like a worse, more expensive Wikipedia that lies to you sometimes. But you then have to go actually think about the answers and whether they fit the question, and do research to see whether those answers actually comport with reality, and be ready to say "well, the machine was full of shit again", which is often the case.

I guess I'm just baffled by referencing ChatGPT as a method of investigation, like its an admission that Nate Silver would rather go to the machine than sit and think to himself about the issue for five minutes, or go to a contrary source to get their quote. I don't necessarily think that he should have lied about where he got that list from, but ... I don't know. It felt really lazy. I think if you're writing a pop science book, I want more from it than "I asked ChatGPT and here's what it told me".

(The book is full of interview snippets and anecdotes and halfway through, this is the first time that ChatGPT has shown up, but it does raise my skepticism levels of everything that's come before.)

[bambisbraingoespop]

Happy New You

It had been weeks of intense brainwashing and conditioning. She had often slept with a VR headset on, so that her last and first sights were of the pretty swirl her Master had set up. And of the memory triggers he'd slowly been installing.

Countdowns, dumb downs.

Dropping and dropping until she didn't remember her own name most days.

All to make her publicly forget it all. The ultimate sacrifice of all she was for her Master.

And the night had finally come:

New Year's Eve . . .

Only minutes away from the final countdown now.

All of his hard work was about to pay off, and she'd understand the meaning of being owned — a doll to be rebuilt how he pleased.

"A few more minutes now, pet. Are you excited?" he asked, stroking a fallen piece of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Yes Master," she whispered as their mutual friends partied and celebrated the year around them. "I'm so grateful I met you this year. You've given me everything. I am who I am because of you."

Thoughts of returning to work invaded her mind, and the stress of the coming week clung to her. She didn't want to think about her worries, but they were often hard to ignore these days.

A girl, Emily, stumbled into her then, her drink sloshing around as she flicked her red hair. "Omgosh you guys are so cute together," she beamed. "I knew introducing you would just be perfect, Bethany."

Beth smiled at her best friend, nodded, and then turned back to her Master.

Since they'd turned up the intensity of her conditioning, and hypnosis, it'd gotten harder to take her attention off him. She needed to be attentive, needed his approval. Even in the company of her childhood friend.

Her Master stepped in. "You have my thanks," he said as Emily frantically trotted away to find her current boyfriend as the countdown neared.

"Will I . . . remember you, Master?" Beth breathed, her heart racing as the final countdown started.

60 seconds . . .

"Of course you will, we've been over this. I'm the only thing you'll remember or know, the only comfort, doll. It's too late to change your mind now, isn't it?" He allowed her doubt. It would be the last time she questioned him for as long as she lived.

40 seconds . . .

Beth hesitated. "But what about my friends, my family?"

"Perhaps I'll allow you moments of clarity. Perhaps not. It's not up to you now. You wanted to be my toy, my object. Property doesn't have family or friends, they have owners. Don't they, pet?"

She nodded, her thong immediately clinging to her as she grew wet. "You're everything I need, Master. You know best..."

Beth's words began to slur. Her mind felt fuzzy. Her body ached.

Her picture-perfect childhood fizzed into nothing. Education, gone.

Past lovers and boyfriends no longer existed.

One by one, her memories were taken.

Every second of the countdown prepared her mind for a new life.

A toy's life.

Whimpers escaped her lips.

It was like her very cells were transforming. Coded. Each one branded with his stamp.

20 seconds . . .

"That's my good girl," he whispered in her ear, drawing his slave close and pressing a kiss against her neck. "That's my good doll."

5 . . .

4 . . .

Beth . . . No, that didn't sound right. The girl — the doll — swayed on her feet, held up by Master.

3 . . .

Her mind receded until her surroundings became a flury of noise and movement. People were happy, celebrating but she couldn't understand why. What event was she at?

It didn't matter.

2 . . .

All she knew and felt was her body pressed against Master. How safe he made her feel. How she needed to please him. How nothing had come before him, and without his approval, she couldn't breathe.

Suddenly, there was no past.

She had been created by Master and for Master. No future beyond her given directive.

And it felt peaceful.

1 . . .

Master's lips crashed against hers. And the lingering confusion turned to pure joy and contentness.

She could breathe again, knowing he was pleased.

The doll looked up at her Master as he pulled away. "Is there anything else you desire Master?"

Before he could reply, a redhead stumbled between them and pulled the doll into a crushing hug.

The doll immediately wanted to pull away and step closer to her Master, but he didn't appear disturbed by the stranger grabbing his property, so the doll allowed it to happen.

"Happy New Year, Beth!" the drunk girl yelled in the doll's face before throwing herself back into the crowd.

"Happy New Year, Emily," Master called after the stranger.

Wide-eyed, the doll took the opportunity to seek safety on her Master's arm before some other stranger grabbed her. "Who is Beth? Who was that girl?" She furrowed her brow and sought answers.

"Don't worry about it, Doll. You know how forgetful you can be." He laughed. "I think it's time we returned home."

The doll looked up at him with her doe eyes and smiled, blank and docile. "Yes, Master."

They stepped towards the exit, snaking around drunk and excited people. Doll's mind was empty, only thoughts of her Master and how to best please him.

And just as they reached the doors, someone shouted. Again and again.

"Beth! Beth, wait!"

But the doll never turned back. Beth didn't exist anymore, and to the doll, she never had.

[chai-berries]

features a reader that is exclusively chubby/fat and femme. requested by anon. this is not the final version of said request. i just really love this and wanted to share 🎀

In this scenario, Abby is immediately head-over-heels for you right from the beginning but you keep turning her down because you think Abby is just playing around and doesn't actually mean anything by it. At one point, Abby gets annoyed and tired of you giving her half-assed excuses on why she can’t take you on a date. Eventually, she comes to your house and confesses her feelings and swears to you that they are true.

“And if you truly do not like me like that, I will stop asking and we can just be… friends.” The word looks quite painful for her to say.

You stand there in the pause after her confession, just overwhelmed in the best way possible. You can’t help but ask “Wait really? Do you truly like me? No joking?"

Abby's heart breaks at the sadness and disbelief in your voice. “Yeah! The moment I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

Abby slowly gets closer to you as she says this until her hand is able to lay on your cheek. You don’t flinch like you were known to do, your body constantly preparing itself for rejection. She gently brushes her thumb over the apple of your cheek, feeling the soft skin. “I just want you to know that your weight means little to nothing to me. I am not bothered by that. I am bothered by the way you feel about your body. I don’t know how you don’t see it but you are so fucking gorgeous, like holy shit. And you’re so kind and funny and pretty, and your impression of stitch from lilo and stitch shouldn’t be as cute as you make it.” She’s trying to joke, to make you smile. You give her a small one. That’s enough for her, for now.

You feel your eyes get glossy and your nose starts to tingle. Abby catches this and takes her other hand to fully cup your face. She holds your gaze. “I really, really, really like you… So what do you say?”

You laugh wetly, your face still in Abby's hands. You move your own and use them to keep hers firm but soft against your face.

”I really, really, really like you too! I’m sorry I kept turning you down," Abby makes a face at your apology but doesn’t interrupt you. “I don’t have the best history with dating, in fact I've never really dated. I went out with two different people freshman year and they both somehow ended with me inhaling a pint of Ben and Jerry’s”. You both laugh at that, both of you favored the brand over any others. Another thing in common you’ve learned about each other. “It ruined the idea of dating for me.

“And then I met you, and you were so sweet and I wanted to say yes the first time you asked me. I wanted to assume that the first hang out was a date, but it felt too good to be true, I don't know." Abby's hands move from your face to hold your hands.

“You’re too good to be true,” she whispers and kisses the knuckles on each of your hands. You cannot stop the soft sigh you let out at the gesture. “I'm sorry you felt that way. But I promise you, I think you’re so beautiful and,” Abby’s face suddenly reddens. “I think you’re pretty fucking hot too!”

You laugh and go to hide your face in her body, but Abby catches your gaze. She intertwines your fingers with hers, swinging them between you both. “I'm being so serious, like holy shit you're so gorgeous! And for no reason, like what-”

You smile and tug your joined hands before her tangent of compliments really gets going. ”Okay, stop, I get it.”

”I’m not gonna stop telling you that. I’ll pause for now because I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable, but I plan on replacing every bad thought with good thoughts because you are worth it. Understand?”

You nod. “Yeah.”

Abby nods quickly. “Good. Now, will you please go on a date with me? A proper one, with romantic intentions and if I'm lucky, a kiss at the end.” You laugh at Abby's goofy grin and over-exaggerated wink.

You nod in affirmation, “Yes, I'll go on a date with you.”

Abby thrusts her fist in the air, letting out a quiet “yesss” which makes you laugh even more, which is exactly what Abby wanted to do. Your happiness is everything to her.

[love-byers]

how can you reiterate that the duffers said NO NEW RELATIONSHIPS and then say will could 'very well' have a love interest that isn't mike in the same breath 😭😭

so...a new relationship?? i thought there weren't gonna be any of those..

if you truly think none of the relationships and dynamics will change and evolve through a season where each episode is nearly 2 hours long then you clearly have no understanding of writing and character development and WHAT MAKES A STORY. that is one of the biggest things you learn in creative writing classes, you have to find what makes your story an actual STORY and not a block of text. the driving force, the sparkle, the umph factor, the spirit, the soul, the heart, the VOICE. what i've learned is that that factor, whatever you want to call it, is nearly always the characters and their relationships. how they interact, the complexities of their dynamic, how they evolve and change, etc. not to toot my own horn but in my writing workshops in college my stories were always the most well received and got the most emotional investment because i heavily leaned into love and connection. i had classmates diehard shipping my characters and begging for me to develop them further in a follow up. my professors told me i was one of few students who have a true understanding of voice and heart and the driving force, and that is why i was successful and could have a future in writing professionally. like im not talking out of my ass here. if there is absolutely 0 change in any of the relationships in s5 then there is no story. that's just plot. like it's literally a nothing burger and no one could possibly sit through 10 hours of that. and i really truly believe the duffers know better than that.

and besides, shawn levy has literally confirmed what im saying twice already lol:

"People talk about mythology and The Upside Down, and all that is huge, but the magic of season five are the characters who find a sense of belonging with each other and through that connection, become heroes."

"[Season 5] it's about a group of people who question their value, who find each other, and who find superpowers in connection."

you are just very simply plainly wrong.

like seriously think about it critically for a second

think about the state of the characters and their relationships at the end of season 4. for example jonathan and nancy. they are in a weird tense place at the end of s4 and clearly have a lot of talking to do. do you think the duffers would set that up just for it to never be addressed again because they "don't have time for it"?? why would they write it in the first place if there's no time for it to unravel in s5??? do you REALLY think jonathan and nancy are going to be in the exact same awkward place at the end of s5, aka 1990, aka whole 4 years after the end of s4????

and what about robin and vickie? are they just never going to get together now since there's no time for that??

there WILL be time for relationship development BECAUSE they aren't introducing new relationships. the duffers have called s5 "endgame territory", they are competing the arcs they have already been developing for 8 years. they are tying everything up nicely. yes, there will still be development and change, it will just stemming from something that is not brand new, something that has already existed in the show for a while and is just at the end of its arc and progression. they're not spawning a bunch of brand new relationship arcs that have to go through the process of being introduced and started properly. THAT is what there is no time for. and there is also no time for lolly gagging such as steve trying to find a girlfriend and taking a girl to the basketball game. there will be none of that. we're in the real shit, the real connections the real driving forces of these characters and their souls.

like as a writer yall sound so stupid when you talk about things you have no clue about 💀💀 wholeheartedly believing there will be no relationship development in a nearly 12 hour long season is the most insanely ridiculous thing i have ever heard in my life . genuinely

take a creative writing class pls

I'm not a mean person, but istg I'm gonna laugh when I open up this app and see that byler isn't endgame and all the shippers lose their minds after 5+ years of the creators telling them it isn't gonna happen.

[leftchopshopheart]

They were at the Manor, the first time Jason's been ever since he came back from the dead. He's given up on ever reconciling with the bats; he doesn't see the effort as worth it anymore and has stopped responding to their attempts. Doesn't mean they've stopped.

But why was he at the Manor, you ask?

Because Tim wanted him to come.

His relationship with his replacement was a shocking development; while they haven't interacted at all beyond the fight at Titans Tower, they were very attracted to each other and held mutual begrudging respect. Fights turned into hatefucking, and from then it evolved to friends eith benefits and all the way up to boyfriends. They'd exchanged their first "I love you"s pretty early, and they were going strong.

Dinner was... an experience. The atmosphere got tense when Jason arrived since none of the new bats really knew him. Hell, this was Duke's first time seeing him without the iconic helmet. Things got even worse when they realised he was there at Tim's request.

Bruce and Dick both managed to hold their tongues, afraid to drive away the 2 people they'd failed the most. Luckily, or unluckily, Damian had no qualms about disrupting the piece.

"Seems on brand for Drake to cozy up to the family disgrace. It was like you were made for each other."

He didn't get a response. The only indicator that he was even heard was Tim gripping his utensils slightly harder.

"No words? It's no wonder Richard replaced you with me so long ago. You disgrace the honour of Robin

"Damian, that's not nice. Apologise to your brother, " came Bruce's voice, fearing that his youngest would offend his 2 sons into leaving early.

"He's not my brother!" shouted Damian, slamming his hands on the table. "He is an interloper that forced his way in, why would I, the blood son, ever want to be associated with him?"

"At least I was wanted" cut in Tim, voice cold, but he was still focused on his plate. "Bruce didn't even know you existed, and Ra's got tired of training you into his heir, so he came to me. Your mother fucked Jason as revenge on Bruce. What connection do you really have to be proud of?"

As he was done speaking, Damian unsheathed a dagger, charging towards him with murder in hid eyes. Everybody reacted, getting on their feet to intercept him, but the first to do so was Jason, who disarmed him, elbowed him in the fave and then slammed him into the table.

"Listen here you whiny little shit" Jason growled, "you may be used to getting away with harming Tim, since nobody here really stood up for him," Bruce and Dick flinched at the obvious dig, but didn't interrupt, looking to intercept in case Jason tried to harm Damian "but that ends here. They're patient with your bullshit because they care about you, I don't. Rry that shit again, and I will send you back to your mother in pieces"

With that, he let him go, and a properly threatened Damian returned to his seat.

The couple went back to their meals. They didn't stay for dessert.

[darcytaylor]

I'm aware this is unfair and you don't have to entertain it, but I resent Antonia a little bit for making me think less of Luke because of her actions. Whenever she posts, I reexamine my opinion of him, not because of anything he's done, but because him being with her doesn't square with the opinion I've formed of him based on how he shows up in the world. I know it's not his responsibility to fit in with my view of him, I'm just tired of this. I don't know what to think of him at all anymore. I want to be a fan but she's making it hard. There's always that niggling feeling in the back of my mind of, what if he's in on the trolling, y'know? I just hope it isn't the case.

Thank you for sharing this - it’s an honest and vulnerable perspective, and I know people can relate to the dissonance you’re describing. It’s natural to form an opinion of someone based on how they present themselves publicly, and when their personal choices seem at odds with that image, it can feel weird (I’ve brought this up in another post a while back). I think your self-awareness about this is important, especially in acknowledging that it’s not his responsibility to fit into the image you’ve formed of him, even if it’s frustrating at times.

I also get why you may be questioning if he’s in on the trolling (if there is any trolling to begin with - I mean, there probably is some, but most of it seems pretty harmless). That said, I do think things tend to get blown way out of proportion by the fandom. However, unless there’s clear evidence of something more intentional, try to remind yourself that it might just be social media noise and not reflective of any deeper meaning on his part (and even hers).

On a more personal note, I’ve realized that I wouldn’t likely be friends with Luke or his type of friends (sorry, but it’s true, haha). Theatre aside, I can tell they’re not a group I’d naturally connect with - and honestly, that includes Luke. Have I seen some questionable things done by Antonia and her mother? Yes. But again, I don’t know any of the people involved. Who knows? Maybe I’d actually be best friends with all of them, haha! It’s entirely possible my preconceived notions are shaping this belief.

So again, I can’t stress this enough: it’s important to remember that we don’t actually know any of the people involved, and that includes Antonia (we don't actually know what kind of person she is). The image she’s curated within the fandom is partly her own doing, but at the end of the day, maybe she just doesn’t care about how she’s perceived in these spaces. While that might bother some people, it could also be seen as a good thing. If she’s happy and living her life on her own terms, then maybe that’s all that matters to her - and that could be valid.

I’ll admit, I’m way more of a people-pleaser. I hate confrontation, and I’d feel emotionally crushed if I had thousands of people hating me online. But just because I’d approach things differently doesn’t mean her way is wrong or ultimately makes her a bad person. It might just reflect different priorities, values, or ways of dealing with public scrutiny.

She is also very young, and what she posts is on brand for her and her friend group - which includes Luke. This doesn’t make me hate Luke, though. I think he’s super talented, and I find myself more invested in his career choices than his personal ones.

I think this all comes back to the complicated nature of para-social relationships. It’s okay to feel conflicted or even disappointed - it’s a natural part of navigating these dynamics. But maybe it’s worth considering whether entertaining her social media is really helping you. If it’s becoming too frustrating, it might be easier to block her and remove that source of stress for yourself. I know people on the internet tend to repost things, so it can be hard to avoid her altogether, but there are definitely spaces that don’t focus on her actions and posts. Maybe try to find a community like that (even just for a little while), because at the end of the day, she’s just a person who might be dating Luke.

[tenpintsof-sundrop]

What's Coming Up In 2025?

aka a list of fanfiction WIPs I really want to complete in the new year

So I wanted to make a post of my WIPs, getting excited about things I want to work on this upcoming year. Especially because I have recently been reflecting on fics I have written and been reminded of things I want to write in the future. Please keep in mind - this list is not a schedule, and it sure as hell is not a list of promises. Just because I am posting this list does not mean it's a checklist of things that are going to get done. I anticipate that realistically, I am going to actually finish, edit, and post maybe five of the fics on this list while getting caught up and distracted by brand new ideas - and if I can finish more than that, it'll be fucking fantastic. But please know - this is not a checklist, this is just a list of my WIPs that I really love and hope to finish. (And this is just a small portion of my WIPs - I have literally over 100, probably closer to 200.)

But I really wanted to let you guys know what my mindset is going into the new year and I do want to encourage you guys to share your opinions on which fics you would like to see me spend my time on (I am considering picking four or five of these that I am most excited about to be part of a poll to see which fic will be my first fic of the year, though I think that the second part of The Jaws of Life will have to be the very first thing I post in 2025.) Anyway - if you read this list, please let me know which fic ideas you like the best! To me, there is a big difference between nagging someone to post something (which is basically just asking someone when something will be posted) vs encouraging someone about their ideas and telling them that you are excited about upcoming ideas to show your support - which, the latter is always something I enjoy.

Also please let me know if there's any fics on this list that you guys want to see a preview for!

And if you don't follow me and you're not a regular on my blog, please keep in mind that this is my main blog and my fanfiction blog is a side blog, so if you want to see any of these fics when they get posted, please follow @sundrop-writes and turn on notifications there!!

(The Rest of) The Hiatus Fics

I am a bit disappointed that I didn't get these edited and posted before the end of the year, but I did want to give myself room to explore new ideas, and I'm glad that I did. But I really, really want to get the rest of them edited and posted this year! And I would really like to write more Maze Runner fics, and I am willing to bet that I probably will during the editing process for these fics.

Some Kind Of Disaster - Gally (TMR) x Fem!Reader. Best Friends to Lovers/Lovers Reunited. Emotional Angst, Hurt and Comfort, Smut. Set during The Death Cure. You had every reason to believe Gally was dead, so when a mysterious stranger pulls off his mask and reveals himself to be the one person you had been missing so badly - you are shocked. And then you show him just how badly you had been missing him. (6,800 words est.) - PREVIEW HERE

English Blood // American Heartache - Gally (TMR) x Fem!Reader x Newt (TMR). Established Monogamous Relationship to Polyamory. (Very slight) Emotional Angst and Smut. Set post Death Cure/Safe Haven Era. Newt Lives AU. (Sequel to the above fic.) When you get to the Safe Haven, you believe that you have everything you ever wanted, everything you ever needed. So why do you have a nagging feeling that something is missing? Turns out, that 'missing’ thing was the addition of your best friend Newt to your bed, which your boyfriend Gally is more than happy to provide. (20,300 words est.)

Trouble Is - Thomas (TMR) x Fem!Reader. (Pining) Friends to Lovers. Smut/PWP. Sex Pollen. Set during The Scorch Trials. Just as the group finds safety outside of the Maze, you are separated off from everyone as the only girl, and not being able to see you slowly drives Thomas insane. Until one day, he’s locked in a room with you - but there’s nothing suspicious about that, right? (6,900 words est.) - PREVIEW HERE

Freak Like Me - Dom!Lydia Martin x Sub!GN!Reader. Established FWB Relationship. Smut/PWP. Set during Season 2. Jackson may have broken up with Lydia, but his loss is absolutely your gain. (2,100 words est.)

Teen Wolf Fics

This is a fandom that I had so much fun writing for this year, and I am so, so excited to write more for it in the upcoming year.

Bark Like You Want It aka The Isaac Closet Rut Fic - Sub!Isaac Lahey x Fem!Thick!Reader. Acquaintances/Friends to Lovers. Smut. Set during Season 3. You and Isaac get stuck restocking the janitor's closet together during a detention punishment, and being in tight closed space with you, being drowned in your scent accidentally sends Isaac into a rut. (8,000 words est.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where Derek Rescues You From SA' - Derek Hale x Fem!Reader. Acquaintances/Friends to Lovers. Hurt and Comfort. Set during Season 2. When Matt uses the Kanima to hold Scott, Stiles, and their parents hostage at the police station, you attempt to come to their rescue - but you end up poisoned by the beast's paralytic venom, which puts you right in the path of Matt's wrath. And seeing you threatened gives Derek a true rush of adrenaline to get the venom out of his own system in order to come to your rescue before it's too late. (9,000 words est.)

The Curse of Curves - Jackson Whittemore x Fem!Thick!Reader. Enemies Who Fuck. Smut/PWP. Hate Sex. Set around Season 1. You and Jackson have despised each other for as long as you have known each other - but when you come back from a summer abroad with a new look, he starts acting even more infuriating toward you. You hate that the only way to shut him up is with your mouth against his. (8,000 words est.)

These next two fics are ideas that me and @star-mum discussed in the comments of this fic that I absolutely cannot get out of my head now and I really wanna write them.

Untitled aka 'The One Where They Get Caught' - Isaac Lahey x Scott's (Half) Sister Fem!Reader. Friends to Friends with Benefits to Lovers (feat. Protective Older Brother Scott). Smut, Emotional Angst, Happy Ending. Secret Relationship. Set during Season 3. When Isaac moves in with you and Scott after Derek kicks him out, Scott makes sure that he knows you are off limits. You are his 'innocent' little sister and he doesn't want anyone even looking at you the wrong way. But it's not long before you and Isaac can't help the temptation and it becomes a spark - and the two of you get heated behind closed doors. Which causes a huge blow up between the two best friends when Scott finds out. (10,000 words est.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where Stiles Wears Panties' - Switch!Isaac Lahey x Stiles' Dom Girlfiend Fem!Reader x Sub!Stiles Stilinski. (Set in the same universe as Stupid For You, but not a direct sequel.) Teasing Frenemy Joins Pre-Existing Relationship. Smut/PWP. Threesome. Set during Season 3. Isaac and Stiles run late after a cross country practice and Stiles (unknowingly) strips down in front of Isaac, thinking that he's alone in the locker room, revealing a pair of lace panties under his clothes that you had him wearing because it turns you on. This leads to mockery from Isaac - which quickly turns to sexual teasing when Stiles brings up your name. Obviously, a threesome ensues. (10,000 words est.)

I would also really love to start a 'Your First Kiss With The Teen Wolf Characters' Series similar to the one I have been doing with the Titans characters. (Maybe I'll call the series 'Your First Kiss With The Pack'?) I have been having so much fun with the Titans one, and I see a lot of potential with it in other fandoms - I think a 'First Kiss' moment is so much fun to write, and it really brings me back to my roots of writing simple romance, which I really love. I'm not sure which character I would start with first - maybe I would do a poll for that, but if there's a particular character you wanna see with this prompt first, definitely let me know.

(Also, I don't have a specific idea, but I really, really want to write an Allison fic. The only idea I really have is maybe a smut fic involving knife kink. Someone please pressure me to write this. I really want to write an Allison knife kink fic!!! Allison deserves more love.)

DC Titans Fics

This is a fandom I will always write more for. This is currently the fandom I have written the most for on my AO3 and I will always come back to it, and I am really excited for these ideas!!

My first and biggest priority of this year is Part 2 of The Jaws of Life (Jason Todd x GN!Reader) - if you have read part one, thank you so much! I am so, so excited to edit and post the second part. The reason I haven't done so yet is because I wanted to give myself a relaxing holiday break and I didn't want to rush editing the second part, because it needs a lot of love and care to be as perfect as it needs to be. I am so excited about it though.

Death of An Executioner - Jason Todd x GN!Reader. Lovers Fighting. Hurt and Comfort, Extreme Angst, Happy Ending. Set during Season 3. Sequel to the above fic. You and Jason are standing on rocky ground. He feels like he owes Crane his life because the man literally brought him back from the dead, but you don't care about that - you just want to ditch Gotham and run away to chase peace somewhere else. Things get a lot more complicated when Crane realises he can use you to his advantage, and Jason finally has to go crawling back to the Titans, begging for their help. (10,000 words est.) (This will be the sequel to The Jaws of Life, ending out the story as a perfect trilogy. It is my ultimate goal to write this story sometime during 2025, finishing out the arc of the trilogy with my ideal perfect ending.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where Nightwing Fucks A Criminal' - Dick Grayson x Criminal Consult Fem!Reader. Ex Lovers Who Drive Each Other Insane (and Fuck). Smut/PWP. Set during Season 3. When Batman abandons Gotham, the Titans are faced with a brand new threat, and Barbara recommends that Dick go to Arkham to visit a convicted criminal that Bruce had been using as a consult on cases. Dick doesn't like the idea, and he downright hates it when he finds out that the person Bruce had been consulting with was you: his ex-girlfriend, someone he had been dating for a whole year before he found out that you were moonlighting as one of Gotham's most dangerous criminals. But he needs your help on this case. He didn't anticipate your cell walls being plastered with pictures of him and articles about his work the Titans. And when he goes to leave, you manage to reel him in with your words, still knowing how to crawl inside his brain and drive him mad, even after all this time apart. (5,000 words est.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where Gar Transforms For The First Time (or The First Three Times)' - Gar Logan x GN!Reader. Friends to Lovers. Emotional Angst, Hurt and Comfort, Happy Ending. Set Pre-Season 1. While bandaging you up after a fight, Gar sees a scar on your shoulder that he knows had to be from his claws, but he spirals into shock and horror when he realizes he has no memory of when it happened. This leads you into telling him the story of his very first transformation, and him truly remembering when he learned to gain control of his animal side, and more importantly - why.

Also, I really want to work more on the 'One Moment Per Episode With Dick Grayson' Series. I really want to write more of these between working on other fics. It's a lot of fun and I really want to make more progress on it!

Harry Potter Fics

Another fandom that I will always come back to. I am so excited about the ideas I have here, and even just the first idea I have on this list is sooo stuck in my head and it makes me tempted to not make a poll at all and to just write this fic lmao.

Untitled aka 'The One Where Fred is Obsessed With Your Ass' (aka Punishment Anal with Fred) - Fred Weasley x Fem!Ravenclaw!Reader. Annoyances/Enemies to 'Lovers'. Smut/PWP. One day in class, Fred chases his impulsive mischief and boldly grabs your ass - in response, you smack him with a paper that you're holding. Naturally, McGonagall doesn't see what he did, and only sees your retaliation. Being forced to apologise to the prankster makes you determined to get him caught in the act, which gets you caught in a loop of wearing short skirts in front of him and bending over around him and eventually, screaming and yelling at him when he grabs your ass and smacks it and nobody else ever catches him doing it. And the whole cat and mouse game comes to a head when you get caught in the Gryffindor common room late one night and he catches you alone, finally tired of your teasing and ready to show you a darker side of his mischievous personality. (8,000 words est.)

Liquid Lust - Fred Weasley x Fem!Ravencalw!Reader x George Weasley. Annoyances to 'Lovers'. Smut/PWP. Sex Pollen. Fred and George ask to test out a new Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes product on you, and though you are hesitant at first, you are tricked by their smooth talking and their clever tongues. You want to go back on your agreement when you find out that the product enhances pre-existing lust, and this will be apt to reveal your ripe attraction to them - but it turns out, this might be the most successful product they have ever made. (9,000 words est.)

Water Fountain - Harry Potter x Fem!Slytherin!Reader (x Draco Malfoy). Friends to 'Enemies' to 'Lovers'. Emotional Angst and Smut. Love Triangle. You and Harry used to be best friends. You tried not to make it awkward when you developed a crush on him - but your friendship crashed and burned when he made it clear that he would much rather spend time chasing after a certain gorgeous Ravenclaw than actually talking to you. Yet in the same breath, when you start dating his rival, jealousy rears its ugly head, and Harry can't keep his mouth shut - and when his anger turns toward you, the unexpected happens. (10,000 words est.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where You Accidentally Drug Ron With Sex Pollen' - Ron Weasley x Fem!Ravenclaw!Reader. Best Friends to Lovers. Smut/PWP. Sex Pollen/Lust Potion. Ron is upset that you're indoors working on a project for Slughorn's class when it's a gorgeous, sunny Saturday, and while bugging you to come outside, he accidentally adds an ingredient to your potion project - one of his bright ginger hairs. This triggers a reaction in the potion that makes the potion fumes only affect him, and sends him into a lustful haze, making him want to fuck the person he is most attracted to - which just so happens to be you. (6,000 words est.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where Ron Dates A Slytherin' - Ron Weasley x Fem!Slytherin!Reader. Acquaintances to Lovers. Fluff, Getting Together. Being a Slytherin means that you are supposed to be natural enemies with every single Gryffindor, but you can't help it if one of them truly captures your heart. The members of your house have noticed it, and when you end up getting teased for it, you are surprised when your crush comes to your rescue, leading to something more. (5,000 words est.)

I also really want to do a 'Your First Kiss With The Harry Potter Characters' Series, and I already have a draft planned out for an idea of how do to this with George - because I feel like I don't write enough for him and I feel like it would be really fun to start with him.

Eggsy Unwin/Kingsman Fics

I could rewatch these movies 10,000 times and every single time, I wanna write a fic about this man. I love him so much and this character is so fucking HOT!!! They really put porn in this series by putting such a hot man in a suit and making him fight and swear and the accent. Like damn.

Diamond In The Rough - Eggsy Unwin x Rich Heiress Fem!Reader x Roxy Morton. Strangers to 'Lovers'. Smut/PWP. Seducing Their Target. Roxy and Eggsy are sent on a mission to 'win you over' because they believe that you might have vital information that could take down your father's elite criminal empire. They are surprised to find out that you are much more than the dumb airhead party girl that the media portrays you as, and in fact, you're more than eager to hand over what they want after you get what you want. (10,000 words est.)

Heartbeat - Eggsy Unwin x Fem!Thick!Reader. Childhood Friends to Lovers. Smut/PWP. Set between the two films. You know it's so incredibly cliche - falling for your childhood best friend. But he grew up to be too fit, and the whole 'friends with benefits' thing didn't benefit you when you started falling in love with him. Too bad for you, he broke your heart when he rudely snubbed you and then disappeared for months, only to show up out of the blue wearing an expensive bespoke suit and talking about - loving you back? (10,000 words est.)

Also for the record, I do really wanna write a Merlin x Reader fic, I just don't have a solid idea for one yet (maybe him with another tech? idk)

The Walking Dead Fics

I really, really love writing for The Walking Dead, but I don't do it as often as I would like - I think it's because the show is so amazing that I am intimidated to write for something that is already so amazing and perfect. But I have so many ideas for this fandom, and I really, really wanna write more TWD fics.

Untitled aka 'The One Where The Reader Dies To Save Eugene' - Rosita Espinosa x Fem!Reader (and Platonic!GREATM x Fem!Reader.) Best Friends/Star-Crossed Lovers. Extreme Emotional Angst, Hurt No Comfort. Set during Season 5. You and Rosita were friends before the world went to shit - just barely. She saved you from your own unique apocalypse, and you haven't looked back since. If being with her means taking shit from a mouthy redhead and doing whatever it takes to protect the mullet-haired saviour of the world, you'll do it. Even if it means taking a deadly bite and having to say goodbye to your best friend. She's more than worth it. (6,000 words.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where Maggie Fucks Your and Glenn's Brains Out in Gregory's Bed' - Sub!Glenn Rhee x Sub!Fem!Reader x Dom!Maggie Rhee. Established Poly Relationship. Smut/PWP. Set during Season 6. Maggie is the unofficial leader of The Hilltop, and because Gregory has been pissing her off lately (and because her pregnancy hormones from her newly discovered pregnancy are making her equal parts irritable and extremely horny) she decides to get silent revenge on him by tying Glenn to his bed and forcing you to ride his cock with your hands tied behind his back, hoping to get you pregnant too so that your babies can grow up close in age. It's slow torture for you and Glenn, but whatever Mommy wants, she gets. (5,000 words est.) (This is completely self indulgent, but I absolutely do not fucking care.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where Rosita and Abraham Tame A Brat Together' - Dom!Rosita Espinosa x Sub!Fem!Reader x Dom!Abraham Ford. Established Poly Relationship. Smut/PWP. Set during Season 6. Rosita thinks that you need to brush up on your gun training, but you whine and complain about it the whole time - why do you need to learn how to use weapons when you have two hot, sexy, competent protectors? She's not happy with your attitude, and she rats you out to Abraham when he comes home from working on the expansion - and shit, you're in for it now. (5,000 words est.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where Glenn Spies On You Blowing Daryl' - Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader (x Glenn Rhee). Acquiantences to Friends With Benefits. Smut/PWP. Set Pre-Season 1. Heavily inspired by this scene from the Norman Reedus film Night of the Templar. One day Daryl takes you hunting to teach you how to use his crossbow, and when Glenn goes looking for you, he comes across the two of you in the woods just in time to overhear a conversation about how you used to be a prostitute to make money (when money still meant something to world). Jokingly, Daryl asks for a 'sample', and this leads to Glenn accidentally witnessing you dropping to your knees and sucking him off. (7,000 words est.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where Daryl Gets A Boner While Saving Your Life' - Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader. Acquaintances to Lovers. Smut/PWP. Set during Season 2. Forced Proximity. While the group is stalled on the highway and trying to make the best of it by collecting supplies from the cars, a horrifyingly large herd comes through and Daryl saves you by pulling you under a car and making sure you stay there - but this means that your body is trapped tight against his and he has no where to run to when nature takes over, meaning that you definitely feel it when his undeniable attraction for you presents itself. (9,000 words est.)

Criminal Minds Fics

Now, I am putting this on the list very tentatively. If people can't behave themselves, I am very likely to take this off the list and pretend it never happened. For the record, I don't want to be known as a Criminal Minds writer. I don't want people harassing me to ONLY write for this fandom, especially if they only want me to write PWP and smut for Reid when there is so much more I want to do. CM is a piece of media that I love dearly, and I really want to re-ignite that love - especially because @nctzenkane said that I do some of my "best, most ambitious" work for this fandom, and whenever he encourages me to do something, I am way, way more likely to do it. The list of fics below are fics that I regret not getting around to writing, so... hopefully I can actually get the motivation to complete them.

Jet Pack Blues - Derek Morgan x Fem!Reader. Co-Workers to Lovers. Smut/PWP. Forced Proximity. When Derek finds out that you're planning on leaving the BAU, he's incredibly hurt, and he spends the next several hours of the jet ride that just the two of you are on trying his best to convince you to stay - first with words, and then with the power of his cock. (6,000 words est.) (One of my biggest regrets is not writing a Derek smut fic, so I feel like I really need to get this out of my system.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where JJ Fucks The Nanny Against The Counter' - Dom!MILF!JJ x Younger!Nanny!Fem!Reader. Mutual Pining/Age Gap Crush to 'Lovers'. Smut/PWP. You have been the Nanny in the Jareau-LaMontange household for a while. The kids love you, and you take joy in cooking and doing the household chores as needed. One day, JJ comes home very late and expects to find you already gone, only to see you folding laundry. You make up excuses about why you're there, but the entire tone shifts when she catches you with a pair of her panties in your pocket. She's certainly not going to make you go home now. (5,000 words est.) (Also fyi this wouldn't be a cheating fic, I want to imply that Will would be okay with it and probably do a sequel where Will joins in because we all need Puppy Eyes Will x Younger Reader x Milf JJ in our lives.)

Untitled aka 'The One Where Spencer Fucks You With His Cane' - Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader. Mutual Pining, Co-Workers to Lovers. Smut/PWP. Set during Season 5. You have been acting incredibly weird around Reid ever seen he returned to work after being shot, needing a cane to support himself while recovering from his injury. One day, he finally finds out why. (7,000 words est.) (This is a fic I talked about before that I shelved, but I just can't get it out of my head.)

And dare I say - Lessons For A Genius Lesson Three? A lot of people said that they wanted to see a 'love confession' for part three of this series, and that is really not what I wanted. I don't want this porn series to go down the typical 'love story' route. I want it to be smutty filth.

I also really, really want to write something with Serial Killer!Reader. You guys may know - I love writing horror as much as I love writing smut, and I would fucking love to write something where the Reader character is a crazed, unhinged morally corrupt character because I think it would be genuinely downright fun.

I also think it would be really fun to write another case fic where the reader is part of the team and it focuses more on the actual detective work, but I want a really good concept for it first. But idk - I don't want to be known just as a CM writer. I want more room to explore other fandoms without people nagging me down for stuff just from this fandom.

Mics Fics (Mostly Horror Movie Related)

Like I said above, I love writing horror related fics. Most of the fics on this section of the list are a combination of smut and horror, which I think is where I really, really shine. I would like to get at least one of these fics done for Halloween, because it's like four or five years running now that I have attempted to write a Halloween fic and not gotten it done on time. Maybe I should start writing my Halloween fic in like July or something this time lmao.

Untitled Cabin Fever Fic - Paul (Rider Strong) - Fem!Reader. Friends to Lovers. Smut and Gore/Horror. Set during the film. You are looking forward to a peaceful, picturesque vacation with your friends, and it turns into a dream when your good friend Paul admits to returning romantic feelings for you and the two of you have sex with the gorgeous lake and the peaceful woods as a backdrop. It could only get better from here, right? (9,000 words est.)

GMFU (Got Me Fucked Up) - Ghostface!Jade West x Fem!Reader x Ghostface!Beck Oliver. Friends to 'Lovers'. Smut/PWP. Fear Kink. Victorious Scream AU. You have been receiving harassing phone calls and generally been feeling creeped out due to the string of recent murders in town lately, so you invite your friend Beck over to stay with you so you don't have to be alone. Turns out, he invited someone else along too. (9,000 words est.) (This one is entirely self indulgent because I think that Beck and Jade would be the perfect Ghostface duo.)

In Too Deep - Nick Jones (House of Wax) x Fem!Reader. Exes to Lovers. Smut, Emotional Angst, and Horror/Gore. Hurt No Comfort. When you are invited on a trip to see a football game out of state, you end up thinking it's a big mistake when your ex is also on the trip, and he spends the entire car ride glaring at you. It seems like an even worse idea when you're stuck sharing a tent with him. But after some feelings and a cigarette are shared, you find out - the trip wasn't such a bad idea after all. (10,000 words est.)

I also really want to do more re-posts of my older fics. I have a lot of fics that are only on AO3 that I want to be on Tumblr, and when I re-post them, I love adding a new scene or new scenes to them and polishing them up a bit. It's so much fun for me. So I might post some polls to see which older fics you guys want to see polished and re-posted!

I have a lot more WIPs than this, but these are the ones I am most excited about. So please do let me know which ones you like the best out of the ones I have mentioned in this post, and I will prioritise whichever ones you guys are most excited about!!

[cloudpools]

Veril wasn't sure what was worse. Dravok or Gurin. The intensity with which both demons bore down on him was searing. He was a nice guy dammit! Just rotten luck! And now that rotten luck was going to put poor, sweet Blythe in jeopardy! Fucking hells!!!! He's about to open his mouth. About to make this whole damn situation way worse, when Gurin smoothly cuts in, and Veril is reminded why he admires his friend so much.

Blythe's nerves were calmed a bit having Gurin between her and the larger demon. His words made her confident. You stay with me. Of course, that's what she had been doing this entire time, but there was something about the words that caused a fluttering in her chest. In her stomach. She trusted him. Against all odds and all they'd been through so far, she trusted that he would keep her safe. That they would get through this.

At the mention of branding and marking, Blythe paled.

This amuses Dravok further, sharp grin turning even more sinister as he peers past Gurin at Blythe. She shrinks back, causing the guard to snort. "All this for one tiny damned?" The blue demon growls playfully. "Must be special. Quincy normally brings the best. You'll have to let me borrow her when you're done."

Dravok's feelings toward Gurin were much different than the ones he held for Veril. They were often in each other's company, attending to Ukolai on business trips, and Gurin got results. Which meant a happy Ukolai. Which meant an easier day for himself. Not to mention the guy was the life of the party. He could let this slide right?

Throwing a bespectacled glance over his shoulder, he sighs, running a hand through his dark, cropped locks before leaning into Gurin to keep the conversation private. "Between you and me, some shit is going down. Ukolai is paranoid as usual. We got some reports of powerful magics in the lower levels. I think it's just rumors. Magic that strong doesn't work down there. But he wants to see to it himself. A show of strength? Damn it all." He rolls his eyes. "Anyway, I don't know why the hells you've roped Veril in on this, and I don't think I want to know. But I've already made a show about the gems, and I have to save face since the boss is here."

Blythe watches in horror as Dravok grabs Veril by the collar. "N- now wait a second Dravok. I- is this really necessary? I mean-" The grip tightend, and he shut up, both from fear and the air unable to make it to his lungs. Somewhere deep inside, Veril knows he's fucked. But maybe... Maybe his sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. Beady black eyes look down at the spot that Blythe would be, and he gulps, knowing full well that him going quietly here would give her the chance to get away. He'd be the hero. Maybe Gurin would thank him! Maybe even owe him!

...Or, maybe not... After all the trouble he'd caused already.

"Now get out of here before I have to take her too. C'mon, Veril. You've got some explaining to do." Of course the beckoning was unnecessary. It only took one hand for Dravok to haul Veril back to the circle of guards. If he wasn't endeared to Blythe before, Veril surely was now, and she would never forget this. All she could hope for was that he would be all right, so that she could properly thank him later.

“Nah. It’s not a party, I didn’t get any invitations or hear anything about it. ” Since, understandably, Gurin got invited to all of them (guess how many Veril did) “Next one’s in a week or something. Look, it’s not our problem for now, we deal with that later once we have a better cover story for ourselves if we even need one. And as long as your shit works we don’t have anything to worry about that, right?” If only he was aware of how prophetic his words were.

No sooner does he hear the mutterings of Ukolai while navigating the path to the nexus does he recognize the trouble. This is why he thought Blythe was crazy before for wanting to see their archdemon! Ukolai was never alone, he always had– company. In addition to the shadow guard there was always the showoff and right hand (though it was more like right arm), Dravok.

Gurin knows it before the mass even opens their toothed maw. Their plan is kaput. Blythe is about to shine out to those lenses like a great blasting beacon. There’s your party, Veril. You made it!!! The snarl locks between his lips, but the glare he shoots down to the portly demon could burn like a sun if he twisted his gemmed wrist for a spell. Maybe later. Maybe if they live. Hells damn all this. Where was his luck?!

“Counterfeit gems, are you fucking kidding me, Veril? You put Blythe’s safety behind counterfeits?! Move.” He’s seething but his mind is attempting to race past that, to find some way out or some plan. This goes way past feelings or emotions. Is he the only one that realizes that- if this went in any way wrong, it could be a fucking war?! Zeyrfial doesn’t joke around with this girl! He doesn’t joke around with anything!

“Blythe. You–” He turns to look at the nothing space, face wrinkling. “You stay with me. Aight?”

Ironic, really, that the one most capable of ridding him of the memories haunting him was the one that had inflicted them, isn’t it? That cold chill still lingered, and the occasional goosebumps that crawled up his spine were well attributed. And yet, survival can’t be sustained by just hiding away, now can it? Lose face? In front of guys like Veril?

Not gonna happen. Gurin has some dignity as a demon. Even if he’s not the best guy. Definitely not the kind that Blythe ought to be hanging around, and yet here he was, wasn’t he? About to step in front of one of the guard that protected his boss for her. Because. Hells what else could he do?!

Nobody else was going to touch her if he could help it.

“Ah ah ah, oy oy oy, how about you ease up and stand down, Dravok. This one’s mine, actually.” Gurin sighs out, a gestured up hand tapping a finger to the other’s chest and giving them a feeble push back. There’s yield, but not a whole lot. Gurin was lacking in the physical stature (who wasn’t next to Dravok) (Ukolai really liked to have the model guard be flashy huh). Still, at least now he was a body between them and Blythe. “You think this guy can manage any kind of pull, you kidding?” A thumb over to Veril, who was now going to be the biggest butt of every solution Gurin came up with.

As expected, the belittlement of others is an agreeable course of conversation for the domineering brute, their toothy grin spreading as Gurin continues, lifted brows encouraging all of their amusement.

“Potential man here is potentially our biggest problem sometimes. Ah… But. Listen. This one’s a leftover from that shindig with Q last week, trying to keep it hush. I’m trying to get her to The Molten Host since I got a guy who can do the branding and marking there.”

Gurin leans over, looking past to the nexus where noise continued.

“Seems like you got bigger issues to deal with than a damned, don’t ya? What all’s going on there anyhow?” Excuse, remedy, into a diversion of topic. See if a casual 1-2-3 doesn’t help clear the air for them.

[wizard-of-interesting-failure]

[shopwitchvamp]

I mean this gently but I have to say somethin' here- I've been getting so much "make your skirts cheaper" "I love this but why are they soooo expensive" etc lately and like look, I know a lot of this is because times are hard.. (otherwise why would I be hearing this more & more this year when prices haven't changed compared to last year) but I just wanna say that one of the only ways I could lower prices (if I was ruthless and didn't care) would be to cut sizing options. Like idk how to word what I'm trying to say, but just know when you shout stuff like this at other brands & they decide they need to find a way to cut costs to lower prices, being size inclusive is gonna be one of the first things to go. I have no plans to do this myself, but for example, a D Size Skater costs me almost twice as much (talking about only the direct from the manu cost, there are other factors too such as that they weigh more so that adds more shipping costs as well) as an A Size Skater. Say I cut D Size altogether.. and many companies would have by now while also not even lowering the price.. I could increase my profit margins significantly right away. Now lets say I cut both C and D and become a shop that only offers the standard range of SM-XL. Wow! Suddenly profits are up so much!! Or maybe going not full corporate greed, I could handle lowering skater prices by like $10 (random number not based on real math idk what things would actually work out to because I'm not gonna do it). But now no one over a size XL can order from me. I fear none of what I'm trying to get across is getting across but I just mean to say, in order to offer what I offer, the prices need to be what they are. They aren't set arbitrarily high & lowering them would mean needing to make choices that I will not make (becoming less size inclusive or making my business unsustainable in the sense that it would not survive long).

[eddiemunsonsmum]

Just saw this comment on a story posted a month ago.

*cries in Eddie Munson Solo Series no one wanted to read, interact with or request for*

No shade to the person that commented this on their own fic if you recognize it. It's not their fault. I'm not mad at them. More crying in the tags.

[arabella-s-arts]

One of the plots in Ugly Betty season 1 is that there is a beautiful black woman better suited for a job than the white guy who only got it because his dad gave it to him, and she is trying to steal the job away from him. And somehow, in all of this, we are supposed to root for the nepotism baby.

[bandzboy]

it's honestly so infuriating how people act so defeatist when it comes to so many things in the world especially things that are systematic like... saying shit like "but it's been like this for years" yeah and does it make okay? OF COURSE NOT! you can identify the issue but you are gonna let it happen because why? there's no reason for you to let it happen especially if you know it's wrong you gotta stand tf up and do something about, talk about it and let other knows so action can be taken that's how things change!

[lesbiansanemi]

Gay trans men be normal about women challenge. Especially trans women and lesbians