#is about lonely people finding other lonely people

[jonnywaistcoat]

What’s your opinion on the contrast between “silly” and “serious” spaces? Do you think people can have very serious interpretations about a genuine piece of media and also be goofy about it? I’m asking this particularly because I’ve seen people in the Magnus podcast fandoms fight about people “misinterpreting” characters you, Alex, and the many other authors have written. Are you okay with the blorbofication or do you really wish the media you’ve written would be “taken seriously” 100% of the time?

And follow up question, what do you think about the whole “it’s up to the reader (or in some cases, listener) to make their own conclusions and interpretations and that does not make them wrong”, versus the “it was written this way because the author intended it this way, and we should respect that” argument?

This is a question I've given a lot of thought over the years, to the point where I don't know how much I can respond without it becoming a literal essay. But I'll try.

My main principle for this stuff boils roughly down to: "The only incorrect way to respond to art is to try and police the responses of others." Art is an intensely subjective, personal thing, and I think a lot of online spaces that engage with media are somewhat antithetical to what is, to me, a key part of it, which is sitting alone with your response to a story, a character, a scene or an image and allowing yourself to explore it's effect on you. To feel your feelings and think about them in relation to the text.

Now, this is not to say that jokes and goofiness about a piece of art aren't fucking great. I love to watch The Thing and drink in the vibes or arctic desolation and paranoia, or think about the picture it paints of masculinity as a sublimely lonely thing where the most terrible threat is that of an imposed, alien intimacy. And that actually makes me laugh even more the jokey shitpost "Do you think the guys in The Thing ever explored each other's bodies? Yeah but watch out". Silly and serious don't have to be in opposition, and I often find the best jokes about a piece of media come from those who have really engaged with it.

And in terms of interpreting characters? Interpreting and responding to fictional characters is one of the key functions of stories. They're not real people, there is no objective truth to who they are or what they do or why they do it. They are artificial constructs and the life they are given is given by you, the reader/listener/viewer, etc. Your interpetation of them can't be wrong, because your interpretation of them is all that there is, they have no existence outside of that.

And obviously your interpretation will be different to other people's, because your brain, your life, your associations - the building blocks from which the voices you hear on a podcast become realised people in your mind - are entirely your own. Thus you cannot say anyone else's is wrong. You can say "That's not how it came across to me" or "I have a very different reading of that character", but that's it. I suppose if someone is fundamentally missing something (like saying "x character would never use violence" when x character strangles a man to death in chapter 4) you could say "I think that's a significant misreading of the text", but that's only to be reserved for if you have the evidence to back it up and are feeling really savage.

I think this is one of the things that saddens me a bit about some aspects of fandom culture - it has a tendency to police or standardise responses or interpretations, turning them from personal experiences to be explored into public takes to be argued over. It also has the occasional moralistic strain, and if there's one thing I wish I could carve in stone on every fan space it's that Your Responses to a Piece of Art Carry No Intrinsic Moral Weight.

As for authorial intention, that's a simpler one: who gives a shit? Even the author doesn't know their own intentions half the time. There is intentionality there, of course, but often it's a chaotic and shifting mix of theme and story and character which rarely sticks in the mind in the exact form it had during writing. If you ask me what my intention was in a scene from five years ago, I'll give you an answer, but it will be my own current interpretation of a half-remembered thing, altered and warped by my own changing relationship to the work and five years of consideration and change within myself. Or I might not remember at all and just have a guess. And I'm a best case scenario because I'm still alive. Thinking about a writers possible or stated intentions is interesting and can often lead to some compelling discussion or examination, but to try and hold it up as any sort of "truth" is, to my mind, deeply misguided.

Authorial statements can provide interesting context to a work, or suggest possible readings, but they have no actual transformative effect on the text. If an author says of a book that they always imagined y character being black, despite it never being mentioned in the text, that's interesting - what happens if we read that character as black? How does it change our responses to the that character actions and position? How does it affect the wider themes and story? It doesn't, however, actually make y character black because in the text itself their race remains nonspecific. The author lost the ability to make that change the moment it was published. It's not solely theirs anymore.

So yeah, that was a fuckin essay. In conclusion, serious and silly are both good, but serious does not mean yelling at other people about "misinterpretations", it means sitting with your personal explorations of a piece of art. All interpretations are valid unless they've legitimately missed a major part of the text (and even then they're still valid interpretations of whatever incomplete or odd version of the text exists inside that person's brain). Authorial intent is interesting to think about but ultimately unknowable, untrustworthy and certainly not a source of truth. Phew.

Oh, and blorbofication is fine, though it does to my mind sometimes pair with a certain shallowness to one's exploration of the work in question.

#Big thoughts #Big rambles #These are my current thoughts at least #They will likely change #As all things do

[jay7543]

How about Ghost w/soldier!m!reader who is also a secret p★?

— 🥩

Ghost finds out you’re a P⭐️

18+

M4m

This is a great idea, I really like it. It is similar to my konig and ghost only fans one but I’ll try to make it different enough just for you!!! Mr…slab of meat? I’m not entirely sure what that means honestly, as of now I’ll take it as a calling card lol.

Might make a part 2 to this

Ever since you were young you realized you’d been blessed by god, you had a really big cock. The handful of girls you dated in high school were way to intimidated by it, and that left you really lonely, so you gravitated more to porn and sex toys. Eventually, you realized you’d be a really good porn star! But…you had other plans, you wanted to join the military, you always wanted to. To be a true American soldier, you loved it, but, you still couldn’t scratch that itch of showing off your cock to people, other than the hand, and mouthful of times you and your buddies in basic got curious. So you had the great idea to start making videos when you were on leave, you lived alone so it wasn’t a problem, you had plenty of toys you could fuck till they tore, and you even bought a few dildos, mainly for sucking, thanks to your buddies you realized you had an affinity for it.

After a few months of making videos when you were on leave, you actually started making money off it! And a lot of views, mainly guys. And as all this success happened, you also got promoted, you got moved to a special international squad, that’s where you met ghost. On your first day, fresh out the truck, you knew something was up.

Reader-“hello sir, I’m your new addition”

You say to ghost as you salute. He eyes you a bit weird, you assume maybe it’s because you’re American, or maybe he just didn’t like you

Ghost-“at ease. Do I…know you from somewhere? I feel like I recognize your voice”

He says with a suspicious look in his eyes, his mask covering the rest of his face.

Reader-“I-no sir, I don’t think so”

You were confused for a moment, then you remembered. You did a lot of dirty talk in those videos even though you never showed the top half of your face, and your voice is pretty distinct. Has he seen your videos…

Ghost-“well, anyway, you’re dismissed, go find your room”

He walks away, mumbling to himself. You shake off the awkwardness of your first interaction with him and head to your assigned room.

Later that day you decide to upload a picture to your account, still in your uniform, on the other side of base, ghost gets a notification on his phone. When he sees it he realizes his suspicions have been confirmed, you’re the amateur gay pornstar he watches…that’s gonna be an awkward conversation. He starts walking to where your room is.

It’s only been a little bit since you’ve arrived, you’ve just now finished unpacking when you hear a knock. You go over and open it

Reader-“oh, sir what-“

He covers your mouth and pushes you back into your room and locks your door

Ghost-“don’t be loud, I knew i recognized you. You just posted a picture didn’t you mate”

Your eyes widen and your face goes red, all while his hand is covering your mouth, you nod

Ghost-“thought so, well…I’m gonna take my hand off now”

He slowly takes his hand off your mouth, you can’t help but pant a bit, and a line of spit comes out of your mouth, sticking to his hand. He already turned you on. You wipe your mouth

Reader-“well uh, this is awkward”

You say nervously

Ghost-“a bit, yeah. But, I think this could be good”

He says with a hint of mischief in his voice.

Reader-“what?”

Ghost-“well, I’ve seen all your videos, hell I was one of your first followers. I know how good you can suck cock, and I kinda wanna see that ass of yours too”

He puts a hand on your shoulder and gently pushes you to your knees with absolutely no resistance from you, you’re already turned on, and now you really wanna suck some cock.

Reader-“I-yeah, I’d be ok with that”

Your face sits only inches away from his bulge, you can smell it through his pants, so manly, so intoxicating.

Ghost-“good”

He grabs the hem of his pants and yanks them down, letting his cock spring out, it was nice, really nice, and it smelled even better outside his pants. It was a bit smaller than yours but still, his balls looked so full, you just had to give it a taste. You lean in and start licking and sucking on his balls. Ghost lets out a deep moan and chuckle.

Ghost-“wow, that easy huh. I expected to have to blackmail you or something”

You pull your mouth off his balls

Reader-“na, me and a few buddies in basic got curious, I’m told I’m really good”

I wrap my lips around his throbbing tip and start gulping down his cock.

Ghost-“fuck mate they were right”

He grunts out as your mouth moves up and down the length of his shaft. You reach down and start rubbing yourself through your pants as your erection grows more and more.

Ghost-“pull your pants down, I wanna see it, I’ve seen it in the videos, I wanna see it in person”

You moan and nod as you keep sucking and pull down your pants enough for your cock to pop out, ghost whistles

Ghost-“bloody hell mate, it’s way bigger in person”

You chuckle a bit as you keep sucking him,youI start to stroke yourself

Ghost-“fuuuuck, this is so hot”

You chuckle and take his cock deeper into your mouth, making him growl as he feels his tip hit the back of your throat, he holds your head in place, making your throat spasm on his cock. As you start to gag and choke he pulls away.

Ghost-“bloody hell, how lucky am I to get a cock slut like you”

He chuckles and pulls you to your feet, you two now standing face to face, cock to cock. You both leak streams of pre cum as he reaches for your cock and starts to stroke it while he stares into your eyes.

Ghost-“I wanna feel this monster cum. You hear that soldier?”

You nod and moan as you feel his firm grip around your throbbing, hot length.

Ghost-“I didn’t hear you soldier”

Reader-“yes sir”

Ghost-“louder!”

Reader-“yes sir!”

You yell as he squeezes your cock, making your balls tighten while you finally spew out your scalding hot cum onto his hand, his arm, and even some on his abs.

Ghost-“wow, that was a huge load”

He says as he pulls his hand up to his face, pulls his mask up, and licks your cum off his hand with a smirk on his face.

Reader-“i-I’ve been pretty pent up lately”

Ghost chuckles

Ghost-“I can see that”

He pushes you back into your bed

Ghost-“now it’s my turn to-“

He gets cut off by his radio

Radio-“ghost? Where the hell are you? These damn recruits need some discipline, get you ass here”

Ghost groans and leans away from you, his cock still out and throbbing

Ghost-“I’m on my way, give me a few”

He looks back down at you with an angry look on his face before leaning down and shoving a finger into your ass.

Ghost-“next time I’m taking this hole, got it?”

Reader-“yes sir”

You say, still out of breath. Ghost chuckles and kisses you before pulling his finger out, pulling his pants up and leaving the room. He’ll be back, you know he will, and you can’t wait.

#cod x reader #smut #18+ only #simon ghost riley #m4m #bisexual #gay #ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #ghost x male reader #cod smut #cod fanfic #fanfic #ghost x you #ghost smut #ghost cod

[yabakuboi]

you ask for ficlet prompts, and a prompt you shall receive:

merman Steve please and thank you 🙏

blows you a kiss, i would do anything for you also im mixing a lot of lore here im so sorry

He grew up lonely. Nereides live solitary lives mostly, only gathering when called, when there is need. He spent many years roaming and exploring deep oceans, only seeing his kind in passing moments of trade and exchange. It is a very lonely life, and he never understands why he was so different from the resst, when all of his kind are perfectly happy in their solitude.

The ocean is vast, and there aren't many nereides in this part of the world. But there are a lot of humans—humans who are never alone, he finds, always accompanied by others in their boats and their swims.

He loves to watch them. They are fascinating, these land people who throw themselves into the ocean with excitement and joy and curiosity. He watches from a distance, filled with longing and envy, as these creatures leave the safety of their home to touch the sea.

It's how he finds Dustin, as its little body struggles as a rip tide pulls it from the shores. He knows he shouldn't, knows how dangerous humans are, but still, he rushes to it as the tiny thing wanes, stills, and brings it to the surface.

They float there together, the human and the nereid, just above the water, the human gasping for breath, trembling against him, until finally it speaks. Or screeches really. "HOLY SHIT!"

He doesn't understand the words, but he understands the meaning. "Holy shit," he says back to the human, because he's kind of feeling the same way.

The human begins to babble a whole lot of other things, and he has no idea what any of it means. He knows a little of human speech, things overheard, but he knows none of these words. This goes on for a long time, the two of them floating in the water alone, until finally the human points at itself and says, "Dustin."

"Dustin," he repeats.

"Dustin!" the human says again, gesturing at itself.

Ah, this is a Dustin. "Dustin," he says, agreeing, and uses his free hand to pat the human's head. Dustin then points, its little finger wagging in his face.

"You?"

"You?"

The Dustin says something again, but he doesn't understand it, distracted by a human boat shooting across the water towards them now. The Dustin is saying a lot of things still, but it's quickly approaching.

"Good-bye," he says to the Dustin, hoping that's the correct word. He ducks under the water and releases it, waiting a moment to make sure it floats, before darting back into the depths—only so far as to not be seen from the surface, even when the little human sticks its head underwater and looks around. Soon, the boat is beside it, and the Dustin is pulled from the sea.

He tries not to be sad about it. Dustin was wiggly and warm, and it was nice to hear it talk so loudly and so much. Nereides rarely speak like humans do, and he wishes that Dustin could teach him a few more of his words.

"Holy shit," he says, alone in the water, and decides to come back again tomorrow. Maybe he can see Dustin again.

#asks #ficlet fill #stranger things #he comes back early the next day to see Dustin literally camped out on the shore before anyone else gets there #and yes dustin names him 'steve' smdh #nereides are sea nymphs in greek mythology which is a part of my expansive mermaid lore that lives in my head and never on paper SMDH #I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS A LIL IT WAS FUN TO WRITE THANK YOU FOR THE ASK!!!!

[temis-de-leon]

Shy gn!reader confesses to the Demon Brothers

Characters: Mammon, Levi, Satan, Asmo and Beel (x reader, separately)

Main Masterlist

Anon request: Could I request headcanons for Mammon, Leviathan, Satan, Asmodeus, and Beelzebub, react to shy gn crush confessing to him nervously?

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A/N: life became hard for 4 full days and writer's block hit me with the power of a thousand suns. Then I went to therapy and I immediately started writing. Here it is, folks, 1899 words.

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Mammon

There’s no doubt that Mammon loves to have fun. Either counting money at casinos or wildly drinking and dancing at various clubs, the sight of him with the occasional fling by his side is not a strange one for the demon folk.

He doesn’t look for it; it’s not like he needs to, anyway. After all, who wouldn’t like to be with The Great Mammon? He’s a catch!

But no, it isn’t something he needs to feel good. His heart beats for one thing and one thing only: money. Gold sparkling on his fingers and coins filling his pockets, what else is there to live for?

His brothers would never understand him. When Beel empties the kitchen it’s cute, but when he steals Levi’s figurines, Asmo’s jewellery and Lucifer’s wallet suddenly it’s a problem.

And what’s his punishment? Taking care of a dumb, weak, boring human.

You better leave him alone, MC! He’s a very important demon and he has very important things to do! Don’t you listen to what his brothers say about him! Listen only to him!

Also, pay him attention and ignore the others! He’s so much better, you know? Can’t you see by now? He wishes you did and he isn’t sure how he feels about it.

The pang in his chest, his reddened cheeks and his avoidant gaze aren’t things he’s used to, but they become the norm once he spends more time with you.

Enduring his brothers’ jokes and taunts is humiliating and he perfectly knows he would act the same if he wasn’t the one involved, but damn MC, why do you have to be the way you are? Why are you so easy to fall in love with?

You have to feel the same, right? With your stammering and your bashfulness, you have to feel the same.

Mammon thanks his Father when you invite him to your room out of the blue and blurt out your feelings. The situation is ridiculous, he’s sweating buckets and your hands won’t stop shaking.

He tries to confess back without directly saying he loves you.

Key word ‘tries’.

Leviathan

Love is not for him, or rather, he’s not made for love.

That’s just who he is. A shut-in who finds companionship in fiction, in the idealization of friendship, romance and loyalty. His expectations are set way to high, near long opening titles and uninterrupted rambles, and he doesn’t expect people to reach them. Is he even worth the effort?

He has internet friends who he met through online gaming and forums and he cherishes them very much, but it makes him feel lonely and insecure sometimes. What type of life do they have when they’re not gaming or role playing or just talking on video calls with him? Do they act like plain old normies, taking their partners out on dates or having lunch with their classmates after class?

He prefers not to think about it.

Your arrival to the Devildom doesn’t change his life at all. He’s curious, sure, but what are the chances of you sharing his interests? Also, you quickly become friends with Mammon, which says enough about yourself.

At least, that’s what he thinks at the beginning. Time passes, as well as the TSL quiz, and he immediately realizes that you’re not who he thought you were.

There’s no judgement in your eyes whenever he rants about the latest piece of media he has consumed, instead filled with curiosity and fascination; and not only you’re the sole person in the house that doesn’t make fun of him, but you also defend him against his brothers.

His romantic feelings for you grow strong and fast, but your friendship is what’s most important for him.

You’re so, so much better than what he initially thought, even when you remind him of himself sometimes.

The glint in your bashful gaze, the doubt in your words in search of the right ones and the everlasting fidgeting with your fingers. You are the perfect romantic interest from the perfect otome game and he can’t believe how lucky he is to be the main character.

When you finally confess to him under the comfort of the blue lights of his aquarium, you’re barely able to finish your sentences while looking at him, which in reality is a blessing, because he can’t bring himself to look at you either when he confesses back.

It’s awkward, but sweet. Kind of like him.

Satan

Romance is for him what a painting is to the viewer. A novel to the reader.

He understands the significance, the words, the colours. What the creator wants to portray and what the consumer interprets. Narrative rules, the significance of flowers, metaphors, history… All of that mixed with the abstract of the mind.

He understands.

He just doesn’t feel it. Not at its full potential, at least.

There had been partners in his life, years ago, and he knows he’d loved them, but he wasn’t in love with them. Whatever line kept him from going forward with his feelings is what made him stop trying alone.

Books and cats and the Anti Lucifer League are enough for him to be occupied. They also make him happy, so his views on romantic love are easily set aside.

He doesn’t think much of you at the beginning, mainly because he doesn’t expect you to last very long, but you quickly show an amount of potential he’s ready to exploit.

Diavolo dreams of unifying the three realms and Lucifer would do anything to not spoil those plans, so what better way to annoy his brother than through you?

It’s selfish and reckless and of course his eagerness screws the whole thing up, but it ultimately helps him realize he shouldn’t have underestimated you.

You are kind, brave and smart. You see him beyond his wrath and his academic knowledge, remembering him even in the smallest of details that surround you. It was such care and affection that made his feelings grow.

For the first time in his very long life he starts to relate to the characters in his books, his heartbeat increasing when the scenarios feel too familiar or when the dialogues replicate exactly what he yearns to say to you.

It’s thanks to his novels that he recognizes your feelings. The shy and endearing romantic interest quietly approaching the main lead, confession learnt by memory.

His first reaction is to be surprised. He doesn’t expect something like this to happen to him, let alone you being the one to reciprocate his feelings. How luckier could he be?

Asmodeus

What better love exists than the one he feels for himself? He’s beautiful, charming, adorable, addictive and every other compliment in the book. He can’t get enough of them!

He’s obsessed with the idea of being surrounded by people, by their affections and their devotions, touching him, looking at him, singing him praises. Unfortunately for everyone else, his narcissistic tendencies only grow when those that fall under his charm feed into his “delusions”.

That’s how Mammon calls it, at least.

At the time of receiving, he doesn’t distinguish between romantic love and sexual attraction, although it’s more difficult for him to reciprocate the first one.

Deep down, hidden amongst his insecurities, Asmo believes no one would love him for his truest self. That’s why he insists on looking perfect at all times, following a strict sleep schedule and a well-balanced diet, going out to remain in everyone’s minds; always a trending topic, a sensation.

If his outstanding physique and impeccable personality aren’t enough for you to know he’s the best amongst his brothers, then his charm would do the work.

But it doesn’t.

When he purposefully makes eye contact there’s no sign of you falling for his magic and, suddenly, he finds himself at a loss of words.

He doesn’t panic too much, given that he is still a beautiful and powerful demon that could devour you in a second, but knowing that there’s no barrier between the two of you to protect his vulnerability gives him an unpleasant feeling of exposure.

Surprisingly enough, it’s also your resistance to his powers what centers his attention on you. You’re one of the very few people that knows him as he is, even with the ugly parts, and it doesn’t take too long for his affections to become obvious and somewhat desperate.

Asmo is elated when your behaviour around him changes. He recognizes the pattern, since he’s seen it many times in his fans, and he can’t believe that someone who’s seen him at his worst still considers him as beautiful as those who have only seen what he wanted to show.

Although you don’t really need to confess, due to him immediately wanting to be with you, hearing your feelings spoked out loud sends his heart into a frenzy rhythm.

The attention fuels his ego, sure, but it’s the veracity of your words what makes him want to cry out of happiness.

Beelzebub

He’s not really interested in relationships. There is a fling here or there, sure, he still has other type of urges, but he hardly thinks about it.

The feeling of emptiness follows him around like a metal ball and chain and the only consumption that can give him relief, even if temporarily, comes only in the form of food.  

He’s often seen as emotionless or famished and, although he knows he’s popular amongst many students, his height and muscles make him look too intimidating to engage further than necessary.

It isn’t something that bothers him at all. His love goes straight to his family and there’s nothing food can’t fix.

However, when he is told Belphie is the demon chosen for the student exchange program, the hole inside of him grows deeper and deeper. His urges go on a rampage and Lucifer has to give him a pep talk to drill into his brain how important it is that you are to remain uneaten.

It’s not like he’s very interested in you anyways, so leaving you alone doesn’t feel like a draining task.

Of course that changes when you physically put yourself between him and Lucifer. A stupid, idiotic, reckless decision that serves to prove how brave you are.

Your friendship quickly blossoms after that and, unlike many other people, you start seeing him beyond his hunger. That makes him cherish you even further, but it’s your dedication to helping his family what sparks a romantic interest in you.

Since he’s not that experienced in that regard, it feels a little intimidating, but you make it seem easy and effortless. The both of you are equally shy in your affections and there’s a mutual unsaid understanding that helps you build the base of a relationship, so the confession isn’t really necessary.

Still, hearing you say the words makes his heart flutter.

His response is short and blunt, but sweet in nature. He is blushing the whole time, not breaking eye contact with you, and for the first time in many years, he feels completely satisfied.

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Tagged: @darkflowerav

#obey me #obey me! shall we date? #om! shall we date #om! swd #obey me mammon #obey me mammon x reader #obey me leviathan #obey me levi x reader #obey me satan #obey me satan x reader #obey me asmodeus #obey me asmo x reader #obey me beelzebub #obey me beel x reader #obey me x reader #obey me x gn!reader #obey me fluff #obey me headcanons #obey me requests

[ghoulfriends-and-tin-cans]

Howdy Partner - Part 1

I...yep. This fic finally broke out of the cage in my brain and found its way into the world. Careful. It bites.

If you'd like to be added to my taglist, please let me know!

Cross-posted to AO3 here.

~*~

Pre-War!Cooper Howard (Fallout Show) x fem!Reader

[A/N: This is just fluff with some suggestive language, because as sinfully hot as he is as a Ghoul, he looks like an absolute cinnamon roll as an actor.]

Warnings: Fluff, mild angst, mutual pining, idiots in love, they both think their feelings are unrequited, Cooper is already divorced, flirty friends to lovers, they both wanna kiss so bad, drinking but not heavy, mentions of alcohol, they're not tipsy but they have had a couple of glasses of champagne.

~*~

"Cut! That's a wrap for this week," the director called, and everyone on set began to disperse. Beginning to corral the various props so they could be stored until Monday, I breathed a sigh of relief that the week was over. Halfway through winding up one of the ropes, someone cleared their throat behind me.

"Pardon me, ma'am. Any chance an ole cowboy could int'rest you in a celebratory drink?" The faux western accent drew a smile across my lips before I could school my expression. When I turned, Cooper Howard stood in full costume with his cowboy hat held respectfully over his chest. Always such a gentleman.

"Surely there's some gorgeous starlet who you'd rather be drinking with, Mr. Howard," I teased as I laid the looped rope onto its hook. Clasping my hands behind my back, I blinked innocently up at the man who'd been my friend for years and had quickly carved a spot for himself in my heart.

"Now, why would I want to take another woman out on the town when the most gorgeous one in all of Hollywood is standin' right in front of me?" He murmured, and despite the pang it sent through my heart, I gave a sly smile as I grasped his arm.

"One of these days, Coop, you'll regret being so flirty with me," I said as he plunked his hat on top of my head instead of his own. I couldn't imagine it looked as good on me as it did on him.

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Because, one of these days, the woman destined to be your next wife might overhear you, think you're taken, and give up before she's even met you." We walked toward his trailer, dodging busy workers as we talked. "Or worse...I might actually think you mean those sweet little things you say to me."

Keeping my head forward as we walked, I caught him looking at me out of the corner of my eye, his expression inscrutable.

"Wouldn't that just be a shame," he muttered, but his tone contradicted his statement entirely. A large grin stretched Cooper's lips as we stepped inside his trailer. I knew the drill by now. We left the door open, and I took a seat as he ducked behind a privacy screen at the other end. His accent fell away as he changed out of his costume. "That hat's yours now, by the way."

For a moment, all I could hear was the gentle sound of cloth as I tried to force my tongue to work.

"What?"

"They had about ten of those hats for this movie, and I snagged a couple. One for me, and one for you. That one's yours," he called, and butterflies swarmed in my stomach. "Assuming you want an old actor's hand-me-down, of course. You could always just leave it in my trailer today when we go for drinks and the costume people will find it. I just remember you saying you liked the way the one from this particular movie looked, so I figured..."

He trailed off as he walked out from behind the privacy screen in a white button-down shirt and some dark brown slacks. My breath hitched in my throat, but I shook my head quietly.

"No, I do love it. I'm not leaving it here," I said as I got to my feet. "Thank you, Cooper."

Pink dusted his cheeks, and I couldn't help but wonder how I got this lucky. He didn't feel the same as I did, but it was enough that he considered me one of his close friends. Or, at least, that's what I told myself on those lonely evenings when I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in his arms.

I'd been lost in thought for a moment, snapping back to reality when he waved a hand in front of my eyes.

"You in there?" He asked, a mix of amusement and concern coloring his features as I blinked up at him. "You looked like you were a thousand miles away."

"Only about fifteen," I muttered, and before he could ask what I meant, I plastered what I hoped was an enthusiastic smile on my lips. "Well, what are we waiting for? You wanted a celebratory drink, so let's go get it, shall we?"

Cooper had known me for too long to be fooled by that. Like always, I could see his jaw clench for a second as he tucked the information away in the back of his mind for later, then smiled back at me.

"Lead on, ma'am." His faux western accent was back, and he gave me a little wink as I slipped past him out of his trailer.

--

I'd expected to find myself in a bar with him, but Coop had different plans. He'd driven me to his place - a much smaller house than the one he'd previously shared with his daughter and his ex-wife. He'd downsized after the divorce, choosing a more rustic place that was closer to nature than his cushy almost-mansion had been. Modern conveniences were still present, but he was no longer surrounded by the stifling side of city life.

Kicking our shoes off and wandering out onto the upstairs balcony, we raised our champagne flutes and toasted the success of the new movie. I tried not to watch the bob of his Adam's apple too closely as he swallowed.

Looking out at the dark expanse of the night and the bright lights of the city several hours later, we'd barely finished more than a couple of glasses each. It was so incredibly easy with him. We'd talked the whole evening away, focusing on everything and nothing, paying no mind to the fact that the world kept spinning without us.

Eventually, a cold breeze whirled through the air, and we retreated inside. Cooper grabbed an oversized blanket and we cuddled up together in his living room in front of the fireplace. Setting the hat he'd given me on the coffee table, he wrapped his arms around me and let me rest my head on his chest.

This wasn't the first time we'd curled up like this, but it felt more weighted this time. His chin touched the top of my head just as I noted how fast his heart was beating.

Adrenaline. That's all it was. We'd both been startled by how quickly the temperature had dropped. There was no way it could be anything else.

"It looks better on you," he murmured against the top of my head, and my own heart thudded faster in my chest. "The hat, I mean."

A huff of laughter escaped me.

"Somehow, I think your fans might disagree, Mr. Howard. Hell, even I disagree," I admitted as I toyed with one of the buttons on his shirt.

"That's too bad. All of you are wrong. You look so damn good in it," Cooper said as one of his hands skimmed up my back. He sounded more serious than any of his other silly little flirtatious statements ever had - a feat I hadn't thought possible. I could never tell if he was joking when we were alone like this.

"Careful, now. I might end up thinking you're serious–"

"I am," he blurted as his grip around me tightened by a fraction. "I'm serious."

When I lifted my head to look up at him, Cooper was already looking at me; his gaze was soft and vulnerable as he lifted a hand. The backs of his knuckles brushed down the side of my face so gently that the breath was stolen from my lungs.

"Cooper..." I tried to tell him what I was feeling - tried to force all of the words I'd been holding back to the tip of my tongue - but they got stuck somewhere in my throat.

"It's okay," he breathed, his voice was low and rough as he spoke. "You don't have to say anything. I know this probably isn't... I'm divorced, older, and I have a kid. I'm not under any delusions about how undesirable my situation is, but I just wanted to say it once...before I lost my nerve."

I must've fallen asleep. I was dreaming, I had to be.

"I don't expect you to feel the same. You're so beautiful, so kind...you must have men beating down your door for a chance to be with you, and you're stuck here drinking with a washed up old man," he murmured, guilt winding around every word. "When I drive you home in the morning...if it would make you more comfortable, we can forget I ever said anything...blame it on the champagne."

Alarm rocketed through me. I didn't want that. I didn't want to forget. I didn't want to blame it on the alcohol.

Dream or not, I just wanted Cooper.

Leaning upward, I took a chance and pressed my lips against his. They'd always looked soft. I never thought I'd get the chance to find out what they felt like on anything but the back of my hand.

When he kissed me back, I'd never been so glad to be wrong.

Giving in to my desires, I braced one hand on his chest and buried the other in his soft, dark hair. He grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me closer as we drowned in each other.

When we finally broke apart, Cooper nuzzled my nose drawing a breathless, joyful giggle from some dazed part of my mind.

"Stay with me tonight," he whispered, and I nodded my head.

"I did assume I would be when you stated that you'd be driving me home in the morning," I teased, and he gave me a gorgeous smile, his eyes twinkling in the low light.

"Beautiful smart-ass. I meant...stay in my room with me. Not the guest room," he murmured even as his gaze dropped to my lips again. "I promise I'll be good - keep my hands to myself."

"You don't have to." The words whispered against his lips prompted a hungry hum from his throat, but he shook his head.

"I want to wine and dine you first. You deserve that...deserve to be treated like a princess," he said, "that way, when the time comes, and I finally have you all to myself, you'll know how much you mean to me."

A desperate whimper escaped me, and he smirked like the cat that got the canary.

"Now, can you be a good, patient girl for me tonight, sweetheart?"

I agreed, muttering under my breath that he was a damn tease, but my protests were silenced by the look Cooper gave me as he led me to his bedroom. Longing looked good on him.

~*~

Taglist:

@live-logs-and-proper

#ghoulfriends-and-tin-cans fic #Cooper Howard x Reader #Pre-War!Cooper Howard x Reader

[tarotwithlove]

PAC ⭒ what sacrifice will you have to make soon?

reminder that this is a general reading and messages found here may not apply to everyone. take what resonates, leave what doesn't, and don't force anything if it does not fit.

BOOK A READING WITH ME · LINKTREE · 18+ PATREON · SUGGEST A PAC TOPIC · TIPS ♡ tips, bookings, and feedback are highly appreciated!

GROUP ONE

cards · three of cups, the hermit, two of wands (reversed), seven of swords, seven of pentacles.

channelled songs · no matter what by polo g. lonely by chloe x halle. why didn’t you stop me by mitski. hurricane by panic! at the disco. eli by fireboy dml.

hey there group one ♡ you will have to sacrifice the comforts of familiarity, friendship, and home. you have become used to always having someone to fall back on, or someone to pick up your weight and do things you do not want to do. however, soon, you will be asked to sacrifice this and become more self-dependent.

this may be because this finally person puts their foot down and says, no, no more! they want you to be able to stand on your own two feet and do things for yourself -- which you are unable to do with them always picking up your slack.

they may have been made aware of how much this is actually hindering your growth instead of assisting it. for others of you, this sacrifice of comfort may come about because you have to move away from home -- for school, for work, for simply to get away from your current living situation. and while it may be a conscious decision to move away, that does not make this sacrifice any less painful. any less jarring. any less difficult to adjust to.

you have become too reliant on others, to an almost co-dependent degree. for some, this is a reliance on external validation. once this is taken away from you, you will see how much you do not need anyone else to validate you but yourself; or how you are fully capable of doing the things you relied on others to do for so long.

GROUP TWO

cards · the star, five of swords (reversed), king of swords, two of swords (reversed), two of cups.

channelled songs · slide by ozi. life is still going on by nct dream. destructible by siickbrain. breaking down by florence + the machine.

hey there group two ♡ you will have to sacrifice peace. you may have thought that a situation is behind you and you can now, finally, heave a sigh of relief. and while for some time you have relished in the comforts of peace and stability -- or of a generally boring life, though, it is a boring life that you seem to wholly welcome.

it’s a familiar life, with familiar routines and familiar people and familiar places. it’s a normal life, that you worked hard for.

however, someone will be coming into your life who will disrupt all this. this semblance of normalcy that you have created.

for some this will be a lover, but it does not have to be. an air sign is significant.

this is not for the worst, though. you may be averse to welcoming in a new lover, or giving this specific person a chance -- especially if you have your eyes set on someone else. but this person will be convincing and persistence, not in a pushy way, but in a way that they want you to see them as an option and give them a chance.

you might set the boundary to remain friends. and they will respect this. but you will find yourself being drawn to them nonetheless, more and more and more over time.

this connection will shake up your whole life and everything you have planned for yourself. you may have convinced yourself that another person is your soulmate, only for this person to change your mind -- without even trying.

GROUP THREE

cards · the emperor, judgement (reversed), the star, the world, nine of wands.

channelled songs · pretend you love me by baby bugs. ww3 by poptropicaslutz! bbc by bbymutha & $hoey. tadow by masego.

hey there group three ♡ for you, it is not so much about what you will have to sacrifice but, rather, a sacrifice you have already made and the lesson you have learnt -- and are learning -- from it.

with every lesson comes a well-earned reward, remember that. right now, you are (and have been) learning about who you are and what is important to you. and what you no longer need in your life. so while for many of the other groups, these sacrifices were incidental and thrust onto them, you may have looked at your life and weighed your pros and cons and decided what will serve you and what will not serve you.

this is about love -- romantic love -- in particular.

for some, this will come in the form of sacrificing a partner or your pursuit of love in order to focus all your attention on your career. and on being successful. something which you feel you will not be able to do if there is also a romantic partner in your life.

for others, you may be stepping away from the dating scene because of how much hurt and pain it has caused you.

regardless, you may be sacrificing that lover in you because of how much the dating scene has disillusioned you.

GROUP FOUR

cards · knight of pentacles (reversed), five of pentacles, page of wands, king of pentacles, knight of cups.

channelled songs · amen by beyoncé. leave my body by florence + the machine. mechanical by oliver. 11 11 by bbymutha.

hey there group four ♡ you will have to sacrifice your free-time. you may get a job or promotion after a long time of applying and praying for one.

it may not be the best job or promotion, with your boss being particularly demanding and the work itself not being the most rewarding. not emotionally rewarding, not financially rewarding, not spiritually rewarding.

no, it will not be any dream job, but it will be work.

and sometimes you have to take what you can get and make the best of it. know that better things are coming and that your sacrifice will neither be forever, nor will it be in vain.

#** #tarot #pac #pick a card #tarotblr #witchblr #witch of color #tarotcommunity #tarotcreator #tarotonline #divination #channelled message #channeled message #channeled reading

[sgiandubh]

The lonesome fitness girl - really?

This is a story about a nameless female fitness influencer somewhere in the world. She gives the impression of a lonely „ fighter“ in her business and in her life overall.

That is nonsense - she sells her "destiny" very skilfully. I am convinced she is not a lonely woman behind her influencer profile. But that is exactly the impression she wants to convey and she does so publicly with some success.  This is her unique selling point right now and whoever manages or advises her has recognised this very well. In other words, a narrative is created very carefully and very purposefully.  Sounds somehow familiar? 

There are thousands and thousands of fitness influencers, so it is important for everyone in this business to find the niche that generates followers, clicks and in the end it means an income. Simply performing an exercise is not enough. Every click or like on a post or a story generates a few dollars, euros or pounds in revenue.

And an increase in the number of followers by approx. 80,000-100,000 due to a connection to a famous person will raise the income as well. For the record: people like her are so called macro influencer and are a brand. That is a fact - you can find a lot more information about this in various publications by experts in business administration and marketing.

You have to attract attention, something that our nameless fitness girl has done in different ways over the years. Firstly with her partner at the time, later she created the image of a single fitness mum. And at the moment she is promoting the image of a woman who is finding her way back after an illness with a great deal of commitment and determination. 

But fitness girl was legitimately afraid of loosing her income if she was not able to work. And her body is her work. This led probably her and her team to the conclusion that she needed "visible support" at this point in order to continue operating her business model during the recovery.  And her job is being fitness model. No more and no less.

And right on time, a famous actor with a closeness to fitness programmes or probably rather his team came in. Now she seems to get into contact with his presumably more influential and well-connected fitness circles. And, purely by chance, she is building up an online fitness course. All on her own and while she looks after the rest of her business(es?) - and cares for her family. Hopefully she gets enough sleep? Probably not, which is hardly surprising considering her workload with all her duties and work obligations towards her partners. Fortunately, just like in fairy tales, there is a wonderful magic wand for this - Instagram filter.

The story really is getting better and better...

Add some well-planned (sometimes "almost") encounters at various competition venues between the two main characters.

The fitness girl, her business and her story truly seem impressive? Only if you believe in fairy tales.

Too many coincidences at once, it looks like a well established business deal, too scripted? No - just keep it simple to feed the narrative of the "lonely fitness girl"! Or is she "The girl who never sleeps"? Nobody knows for sure.

But she is most likely not the woman she pretends to be...

Dear Lonesome Fitness Girl Anon,

In an ocean of infantile, mendacious, shite-stirring Anons, your submission is absolutely STELLAR!

Whoever you are, I can tell by the ease of your logical deductions that you mean serious business and you are not easy to fool, either. Just what we happen to love, in this particular corner of this fandom.

I am totally thrilled to share with all of us this rare gem, Anon. Especially today.

You are more than welcome to hit this page anytime. It takes a pro to know a pro. Consider me a friend, Anon: you have instantly become one to me, and I bet not only to me.

Everyone, a round of applause for our unexpected guest!

#anon #fandom #shitshow #London Hyrox 2024

[leona-hawthorne]

GREEN TIE / mattheo riddle

mattheo riddle x fem reader

summary: you and mattheo attend the yule ball separately after breaking up

warnings: exes to lovers, angst (?), SMUT, face sitting/riding, piv, unprotected sex (they have magic, you don’t. wrap it!), breeding kink if you squint, praise and degradation, profanity, use of y/n, i think thats it but let me know if you notice anything else <3

words: 4.6k

“Find your partners and follow my lead,” McGonnagall’s voice rings through the room. You groan internally. Who the hell are you supposed to dance with?

At the dancing lessons for the Yule Ball throughout the past few weeks, you and your perfect boyfriend, Mattheo, had practiced together. The two of you had gone together last year as well, and the night was quite literally magical. It’s safe to say that last year’s experience really set your expectations as high as possible. The idea of experiencing that same magic again made your heart flutter with excitement. You couldn’t wait.

That was until Mattheo Riddle crushed those dreams.

Yeah, he broke up with you last week. Completely crushed your spirit. Now you have to go to the ball alone.

He’s not even here right now. Merlin knows how the hell he got out of dance practices, but he’s not here and to be honest, you’re grateful because if he was, you’d have to dance with him and that just would have been awkward.

Adrien Pucey takes notice of your lonely presence from across the room and quickly approaches, somehow oblivious to the clear grimace on your face. What choice do you have? Everyone else already has a partner.

So, you give in and try your best to keep up a polite front, taking his hand and stepping to the music, despite the burning sensation on your skin every time he touches you. It’s not a good burn like when Mattheo touched you. It doesn’t make you want to ignite the rest of your body with those flames. It makes you want to drown yourself in the Black Lake just to get away from this guy. Dancing with anyone but Mattheo feels inherently wrong. Mattheo’s hands were always cold. Pucey’s hands are warm and it’s nauseating.

You’d never really spoken to Adrien too much before but from this single dance, you’d learned one thing about him: he never stops talking.

Practically beaming with relief once it’s over, your feet carry you away before you can even realize where you’re walking, ears unconsciously tuning out the sound of Adrien yelling after you.

When you and Mattheo were dating, the whole school knew that you were off limits, Mattheo had made that abundantly clear. Boys were nervous to even think about you in the wrong way, afraid that Mattheo would somehow sneak into their minds and find out. Once the news that you two broke up spread, people were practically throwing themselves at the two of you. You could only hope that Mattheo wasn’t interested in those girls the same way you still weren’t interested in other boys.

“Get me out of here,” you whine as you grab Astoria’s wrist tightly in your hand, dragging her out of the crowded room.

After dinner in the Great Hall, you’re speed walking down the corridors back to your dorm. This was actually a great feat. For days on end, you’d been so wrecked that you could hardly get out of bed, much less leave your dorm for anything other than classes with your red eyes and messy haired state. Astoria and Pansy had been bringing you your meals. So the fact that you finally went to the Great Hall today is an accomplishment.

“Y/n! Wait!” You freeze in your tracks. God, please no. Please tell me that’s not his voice.

“Slow down. I need to talk to you, dove.” Shit, it is him.

Wait, how dare he call you that? He knows how much that nickname makes your heart melt. He can’t just go around calling you that after breaking your heart. It’s not fair.

“Do not call me that. What do you want?” You say, careful to keep your voice cold as you turn around to face him.

“Don’t be like that, dove.” Oh, screw him. “I just… I heard you’re not doing well. Hardly eating, barely sleeping, you never leave your dorm. I didn’t mean to—”

“Well, you did. That’s kind of what happens when you get dumped with no explanation.” You snap and he flinches.

“I did give you an explanation.” He counters and you feel like your head is going to explode. “Did you? My bad, it felt like a dumb excuse to get away from me. Maybe I just heard it wrong,” The sarcasm in your voice is unmistakable.

“We were toxic and you know it. I’m toxic. You deserve better.” He says softly, giving you the same shitty excuse again.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. If you’re bored of me, just say that. Don’t make up some idiotic excuse about how you’re not good enough for me because if it was really that way, you’d love me enough to be better for me.”

He looks like a kicked puppy. His brows are furrowed and his eyes are soft and vulnerable and he has the cutest frown on his face that you just want to kiss away. But you can’t. He sighs, gathering the strength to speak again.

“Take proper care of yourself, please. If not for yourself, then for me.” And with that, he leaves. You’re left alone in the empty hallway, your hand over your heart that seems to be aching harder than it was before.

The ball is tonight. Mattheo has a date, you heard. Hardly 2 weeks after the breakup and he’s already got another girl hanging off his arm.

Your mind refuses to process the information. He dated you for a year. He still seems to be concerned about your well being. So how did he move on so easily? It’s not fair that you’re hurting while he’s enjoying his time with some other girl.

You shake your head, trying to rid yourself of these thoughts. Your beautifully styled hair cascades over your shoulders, emerald green dress flowing around you. You’d considered not going to the ball at all, but eventually decided against it, your girls telling you that you couldn’t miss out on this just because of your ex.

“You look beautiful as ever, Y/n/n.” For someone who can’t go 10 seconds without being sarcastic, Astoria sounds uncharacteristically genuine right now. You give her a soft smile. “Thank you, Tori. You look beautiful too.”

“Come on, we’re gonna be late!” Pansy ushers the three of you out of the room.

By the time you get down to the ballroom, Mattheo’s already there with his date. You’d tried your hardest not to search for him in the crowd, knowing it’d only hurt, but of course, you gave into temptation. The girl was completely unfamiliar. You’d never seen her before. Could he really not have found anyone less irrelevant?

Still, your face falls and Pansy follows your line of sight, falling on Mattheo who has his arm around some girl in a red dress. You’d worn a red dress to the ball last year and you can’t help but wonder if he remembers.

Pansy steps in front of you, blocking your view. “You look better than her.” This makes you giggle. You know it’s wrong to say things like that, but in this moment of insecurity, the reassurance feels nice.

“Don’t let it get to your head. He’s not worth it.” She takes your hand and leads you to your table, but not before you take one last glance in Mattheo’s direction. This time, you notice something that makes your heart stop.

He’s wearing a green tie.

His date is in a red dress. He’s wearing a green tie. And you… you are in a green dress.

Oh my God?

Before you’d broken up, you’d planned out your outfits for the ball and obviously, his tie had to match your dress. But you didn’t expect him to still wear it after he dumped you.

Maybe you’re reading too far into it. Maybe he just couldn’t find a red tie? Maybe he couldn't find any other tie at all? No, it can’t be. He had to have done it on purpose.

You tear your eyes away from him and walk away. Mattheo, meanwhile, is dying on the inside. The second he stepped into the ballroom, his mind was flooded with memories.

Memories of last year at the Yule Ball with Y/n, his Y/n. Her long red dress with the slit on the side and the off the shoulder sleeves and the sparkles at the top. He remembered every detail of that dress. She was always gorgeous, but he was sure she'd never looked more beautiful than she did that night, and it wasn’t only because she was all done up. It was because she had this excitement that night, this dazzling smile on her face. He was hypnotized.

No other girl compared to her. Every other dress looked like a damn dishrag in his mind compared to you. All night, the only question in his mind was, “How did I get this lucky?”

He remembered dancing with you that night. It was early in your relationship, you hadn’t even had your first kiss together yet. It was still easy for him to make you blush. You giggled at every stupid word, every corny pick up line he whispered in your ear.

“That dress looks uncomfortable. You should let me take it off of you.” He’d whispered with a wink as you waltzed and you’d blessed him with the angelic sound of your laugh, shushing him. He kept stepping on the ends of your expensive dress, but it was even because you kept stepping on his shoes with your heels. You blushed in embarrassment every time and he’d have to pry your hands away from your shy face.

You’d bumped into people while dancing but you were too wrapped up in each other to be embarrassed or to even notice. Mattheo flipped off anyone who stared or gave you weird looks for laughing too loud.

“Don’t mess up my makeup. I spent an hour on it.” You’d told him, to which he’d smiled mischievously and ended up kissing your cheek. It was only at that end of the night, after he’d walked you back to your dorm whilst carrying your heels, that he’d kissed you for the first time with his hands on the soft, supple skin of your face. The way you’d stared at him with your cute doe eyes, full of wonder and joy, after he’d pulled away is forever engraved in his brain. Your eyes were wide and your cheeks were red and in Mattheo’s opinion, you’d never looked more adorable. He remembered looking down at you and seeing the glow of your makeup in the dimly lit dorm halls. God, you had him mesmerized.

But that was over now. He has a different girl on his arm now. He should at least try to enjoy his night, right?

He looks at the girl only to find her already staring at him and as guilty as he feels for it, all he can think is that she can’t hold a candle to Y/n. Not to her beauty, her wit, her humor, her soft voice, her captivating eyes, her radiant smile. Nothing.

His eyes mindlessly wander around the room and land on Y/n for the first time and suddenly he’s floored. He’s frozen, butterflies flying from his stomach and up his throat.

He hadn’t seen you in your dress before. He thought that you in your red dress at last year’s ball was the most beautiful you’d ever looked. Oh, how wrong he was.

You look unreal tonight. He can’t help but wonder if you even came from this planet. Is it possible for a human being to be so perfect?

The only thing missing is that radiant smile you showed off last year, the one he was so used to seeing grace your pretty face every time he walked into a room with you in it.

Now, you just look… bored. Empty, even. And he wishes he could put back the smile that he stole from you. You look incomplete without it.

His own stupid self-sabotaging tendencies are the reason why he’s not dancing with you right now and he hates himself for it. He knows he’s nowhere near good enough for you, but is it so wrong to be selfish? He is just a man, after all.

The night goes by miserably for the both of you. You, sitting alone at your table, occasionally walking over to get some punch, and Mattheo, dancing with a girl who he guiltily pretends is you.

Occasionally, you’d make eye contact and you wouldn’t even bother to hide the pain in your eyes, looking from him to the girl beside him. You hope he feels bad.

He does.

Picking at your freshly done nails, you huff in boredom. Glancing up, you notice something strange. Pansy’s talking to Theodore in the corner of the room? Well, it’s not too strange, I guess, but it’s interesting. Pansy stopped talking to Theo as a sign of loyalty to you, since Theo was Mattheo’s best friend. So what could they possibly be talking about?

The night is filled with tension filled staring and lingering glances with Mattheo and suddenly, you’ve had enough of sitting around, informing Pansy that you’re leaving. She frowns in disappointment.

“Hold on, just one more dance. Please?” She gives you her puppy dog eyes and you sigh, giving in. Pansy drags you to the dance floor where the two of you move together to the upbeat music, when suddenly, a slow song starts playing. You sigh, turning to leave when Pansy grabs your hand. “Nuh uh, just dance with me.” She tells you, putting her hands on your waist.

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion but don’t object.

Her smile turns from gleeful to apologetic within a second. “Hey, I’m really sorry.” She winks at you and now you’re more confused than ever. “What?” You ask but before you can get a response, you’re being shoved away. You stumble over your dress and your back crashes into some guy's chest, his hands instantly finding your shoulders to steady you.

“I’m so sorry, I—” You start but cut yourself off when you recognize the scent of the cologne behind you. You turn around to find your ex-boyfriend who seems to be glaring at Pansy behind you. You weren’t supposed to push her that damn hard, He thinks.

“Sorry,” You repeat bluntly before trying to walk away but he catches your arm. “Don’t walk away.” He tells you, his voice firm but you can hear an underlying sense of… desperation?

“Having fun with your date?” You ask bitterly, a petty smile on your face. It seems you couldn’t care less that you were on the dance floor in the middle of a bunch of people. You were ready to argue right here, right now. His jaw clenches in frustration. “No.” He answers simply.

“No? Seemed like you were enjoying yourself to me.” You tell him. You know that’s not true, even you could admit that he looked miserable all night, but you were caught up in jealousy. What could you do?

“Y/n, she’s nothing to me.”

You just scoff. “Yeah, right. You know, I actually don’t doubt that. Clearly you have a way of getting girls to believe they mean something to you only for you to drop them like they’re nothing.” You practically rip your arm out of his grasp and walk away, leaving the ballroom. He follows you outside into the courtyard.

“Dove, please. Listen to me,” he begs.

You don’t reply as you just keep walking.

“I love you!” He shouts in a desperate attempt to get you to stop running from him.

And you stop in your tracks. You can’t move. Your limbs are frozen. Why can’t you move? Move!

Taking advantage of your solid state, he walks to you and stands in front of you, taking your face in his hands. Suddenly, you’re teary eyed.

“I love you.” He reiterates in a whisper. “I still do.”

You swallow hard. Why is your chest burning? Is it hope or is it anger?

“Let me explain, okay? I wanted to be here with you tonight. That girl… She’s just a distraction. I thought… I thought that if I came with someone else, maybe I’d get you out of my head, but it only made it worse, baby.” He says, his voice barely louder than a whisper. Your stomach flips at the pet name.

“I hate that I took that beautiful smile off of your face. You look fucking stunning, dove. But you don’t look right without your pretty smile… I’m so fucking sorry I broke your heart. I thought I was doing it for your own good but you’re hurting now and that hurts me. Look, baby, I’m not good enough for you. I know that. But for once in my goddamn life, I’m gonna let myself be selfish. Please come back to me.”

You’re left in silence, stunned, lips parted to say something but you can’t fucking speak.

“My arms feel empty without you in them.” He whispers. “Say something, please. Don’t let me get my hopes up.” He sounds so sad but his eyes are so big and hopeful.

Fuck. Did you ever really believe you stood a chance against his charm? Of course, you’d give in.

You lean up and place the softest, most tender kiss possible on his cheek and his eyes widen. The most beautiful smile graces his lips and he kisses you as if he’s never done it before, like he’d never get the chance to do it again.

You kiss him back feverishly, hands running through his tousled curls and his hands squeeze your hips. The kiss quickly becomes hungry, passionate, desperate, his hand traveling up to the back of your neck. When you pull away, it’s only because you need air. Breathless, you rest your forehead against his.

“Baby… Let me show you just how much I love this dress on you. Let me show you how beautiful you are.” His voice is husky and raw and you can’t help the heat that rushes between your legs.

You nod vigorously and he takes your hand, walking you towards his dorm but your heels are slowing you down far too much for his impatient self. Without warning, he picks you up bridal style and takes you to his dorm, holding your heels in his other hand.

He lets you down and locks the door the second you get in before walking you over to the floor length mirror by his bed, standing behind you and resting his chin on your shoulder as you stare at yourselves in the mirror. His hands run up and down your body, running over the silk material of your dress.

“How did I survive two weeks without touching you?” He murmurs in your ear, his voice low and gravelly. “You see how fuckin’ beautiful you look? You couldn’t expect me to control myself all night.”

His hand goes to the straps of your dress, pulling them down your shoulder before undoing the back and letting the dress fall down, the green silk pooling around your ankles.

“Two weeks without this sight… Why did I do that to myself?” You’re sure he’s practically talking to himself at this point, but you don’t mind, enjoying the feeling and the sight of his fingers grazing over your hardening nipples in the mirror.

“I’m gonna fuck you right in front of this mirror so you can see how perfect you are… So you can see that no other girl, especially not my little date that you were so jealous of, could ever compare to you…” Standing behind you, his chest pressed against your now bare back, he placed kisses on your neck and down to your shoulder before shedding off his jacket and button up.

His index and middle finger travel to your jaw, turning your head to the side so he can kiss your perfect lips. His tongue grazes over your bottom lip while his hand squeezes your tit, eliciting a gasp from your lips and he slides his tongue in between your lips, exploring your mouth.

He kisses you as if to make up for the time that he couldn’t, as if those two weeks were an eternity of being away from you. To him, that’s what it felt like.

His mouth trails down from your lips to your jaw and to your neck, lightly sucking and leaving wet kisses. One hand stays firmly placed on your breast while the other wanders down your belly, to between your legs. You gasp, watching in the mirror. His fingers push your panties to the side and run over your soaked folds, teasing and stroking lightly but never entering you.

“Mattheo…” You murmur, staring at his biceps in the mirror, your eyes wandering down to the bulge in his pants, making it obvious that you want him naked too.

“Shh, baby. We’re gonna take it slow this time, okay? I’m gonna show you just how much I missed you.” He kisses your temple before laying down on the bed, flat on his back.

“You know what to do, dove.” He murmurs and your breath hitches. You quickly strip off your panties and move to straddle his face between your legs. You hover over him hesitantly and he senses your uncertainty.

“Relax, baby. I’ve got you.” He encourages you, rubbing his hands on your thighs soothingly. “Sit.” He demands, his voice gentle but firm.

You give in, slowly sinking down and his hands are instantly on your ass, urging you closer to him. He groans appreciatively as he feels the full weight of your pussy against his face. His tongue flicks against your clit before licking a long stripe up your slit, exploring deeper. His hands move to your inner thighs, kneading the muscle gently as he continues to worship your womanhood. You stare at yourself in the mirror as you ride his face.

“Fuck, Matt,” You lose yourself in pleasure, grinding against his face and he moans into your pussy, the vibrations driving you wild. His tongue circles your entrance and you let out a soft gasp.

His ministrations never falter, it seems like he could never get tired of tasting you. You can’t tear your eyes away from the sight of it in the mirror and you feel like you could cum just looking at it.

His tongue darts in and out of your pussy bringing you closer and closer to the edge. He sucks on your clit, sending waves of ecstasy through your body, your moans and cries of delight only encouraging him to continue his sensual assault on your cunt. Your breathing turns shallow, struggling to hold yourself back as he fucks you with his tongue.

“ ’m gonna cum, Matty,” You mumble, too dazed to think straight. Mattheo’s mouth waters as he feels your juices drip down his chin while he continues to feast on your cunt. His hands squeeze your ass tight, encouraging you to ride his face harder, savoring the taste of his work. “Cum for me, baby.” He whispers sweetly, hot breath against your cunt.

You let go and come all over his mouth while he works to swallow every drop. You pant, finally looking away from the mirror as you get off of him. He smiles at you from below before sitting up and kissing you deeply, making sure you can taste yourself on his lips.

“You taste like heaven, dove.” He tells you, stroking your cheek gently as he watches your pretty face in its post-orgasmic grace.

“Need your cock, Matty.” You mumble.

“Oh, do you, now? Two weeks and you’re this desperate to be fucked? You really are my little cockslut, aren’t you?” He coos at you and you look away, embarrassed knowing that he’s right.

While he strips off his dress pants, you get on all fours, ready for him to take you from behind, facing the headboard. His hand finds purchase on your hip and flips you over to the other side of the bed so you’re facing the mirror.

“Know just what to do, don't you? Such a good girl. But, now I want you to watch me as I fuck you so hard, you can’t see straight.” He tells you, positioning himself behind you. His hand presses down on your lower back, urging you to arch.

“You ready?” He asks, running his tip over your folds and teasing you. You nod desperately. “Words, baby.” He commands.

“I’m ready, just please fuck me, Matty.” You whine desperately. He gives a dark chuckle before sliding in without warning, watching carefully in the mirror as your face scrunches up in pleasure.

He leans down to place a tender kiss on your head as his thrusts speed up. You feel a shift in motion as Mattheo starts to move faster inside you, his hips slamming against your ass. Your head falls forward as you feel your brain turning to mush in mind-numbing pleasure. His hand grasps you by the hair and pulls your head up so you’re forced to watch him fuck you from behind in the mirror. His other hand slides down to your chest, rolling and pinching your nipple between his thumb and forefingers.

“You see how fuckin’ pretty you look like this?” He asks, his voice soft yet hoarse as he stares you in the eyes. “Couldn’t ever live without this.” He groans.

“Talk to me, princess. Tell me how it feels.” He says it like he absolutely needs to hear it from you. “So good… Y’fuck me so good, Mattheo.” Your words come out in incoherent babbles and he smiles, loving how dumb he can make you.

His hand travels down your body, finding its way between your legs and rubbing at your clit while each movement of his thrusts push him deeper inside you.

“I’m close.” You warn him. “I know. I can feel your pussy fucking squeezing me.” His voice sounds strained, like he’s holding back.

He lets go of your hair to bring his hand down to your stomach, just below your navel, pressing down on the bulge in your stomach made by his dick. “You feel me, baby?” He pants, his voice husky.

You nod, a few tears streaming down your face, makeup ruined. “Feels so good, Matty.” You whimper.

”Who does this tight little cunt belong to?” He asks.

“You!” You moan, his length stroking your walls. You can feel his head brushing your cervix repeatedly.

”And who does this cock belong to?” he asks. You’re so cockdrunk that you can hardly think straight but you know you have to answer his question if you want him to let you cum.

“Me. It belongs to me.” You tell him. He smiles, watching as your eyes roll back in your head.

“Let go for me, baby.” He tells you and you immediately do, cumming all over his cock. He keeps fucking you, working towards his own orgasm and soon enough, he shoots his load deep inside of you before pulling out and peppering soft kisses all over your bare back.

“I missed you, Matty.” You mumble, letting yourself collapse forward on the bed, to which he chuckles, gently running his fingers down your back. His eyes are trained on your pussy and he uses his fingers to stuff his cum back inside you before it can leak out, your body jolting at the sensation.

“Not as much as I missed you, baby.” He kisses your cheek, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you into his chest.

Your eyes fall on his discarded green tie on the floor next to your green dress. You smile.

He never stopped being yours.

first fic! i lowkey hate it and this is my first time writing smut so i apologize if its a bit awkward or confusing 😕💔 thank you sm for reading !! 💘

#mattheo riddle #slytherin boys #benjamin wadsworth #marcus lopez arguello #slytherin #harry potter #mattheo riddle x reader #mattheo riddle smut #theodore nott #theo nott #mattheo riddle x you

[atzual]

what your ateez bias says about you

if you take this seriously, that's on you. i'm just doing this for fun.

tw: heavy topics, language, roasting

*****

hongjoong: right. how's the desire to impress people and overworking yourself doing? i feel like what draws you in is his resilience, and that he is very dependable. you probably had a lot of moments where you were left to your own devices to work on something major, and are no stranger to burnout. you might be the kind of person to talk about your achievements and your work and everything you do a lot, maybe to seek validation (and maybe to cement that you have something others don't). on a softer note, you probably have a wide range of skills in a field you are interested in, and experiment a lot. generally are not afraid to go outside of norms to figure something out. so to see the qualities of a leader and innovator in joong is both comforting and inspiring to you. (bonus: you probably have a thing for clips of joong in the studio, don't you?)

seonghwa: you feel like you don't have anyone who you can actually trust with your thoughts and feelings, huh? people talk at you, not to you. you are a natural care-giver, are quick to give advice (also to bottle up someone else's negativity), often ignoring yourself. you might have lost the feeling of 'home' or of 'small but certain happiness', and might have some unhealthy coping mechanisms. on a brighter note, you are someone who can process emotions a lot more deeply than others and if there is anyone who can actually put themselves in another's shoes, it's you. i think hwa is a safe space to you, precisely because it is not all sunshine and rainbows. you connect with his battles, growth, and how he is accepting change and trying to find balance. (bonus: him getting excited about something is legit your therapy isn't it)

yunho: many acquaintances, few friends? i think you legitimately stopped believing in love. at least the mushy 'at first sight' and 'meet cute' and 'soulmates' kind of love. might be because of family-related things, or because of romantic relationships, but trust is a problem for you. you probably think negatively about yourself quite a bit and/or have/had a more pessimistic mindset. on the positive, i think you're really loyal when you find your people, and want to see them happy. you connect with people beyond love, you make connections that are made on living life together and going through things together. i think this is also what drew you to yunho - his perseverance, resilience, ability to smile in the face of hardship, but also his ability to navigate a lot of emotions as they come and deal with them in a healthy way. (bonus: his small expressions of affection/acts of kindness make you melt, right?)

yeosang: you've been through quite a lot, haven't you? i think you try to laugh a lot of it off or treat it lightly, but the demons eat away at you sometimes. you might be someone who burned out in/after high school, and generally does not have a good experience with school. might feel lonely even when you are not alone, sometimes just choosing to float in your imagination for comfort. often act tough or not quite like yourself to appear more like the you you have in your head. i think in part you kind of want to learn how to love the world like yeosang, and are really touched by his sweetness and his humor. you are a fighter and despite it all, do stay true to yourself and your values, and this is something that you find and adore in yeosang. you are drawn in by his ability to follow his dream, and his heart of gold. maybe your scars will turn golden too. (bonus: you probably have a mild obsession with his one-liners)

san: how are your boundaries, broken like the wall? you probably have some trouble with setting and/or maintaining boundaries, and so sometimes have people treading over you. you might feel like a side character in your own life, and so turn bitter and internalize a lot of negative energy. honestly on a brighter note i think you really do try hard for others, and go out of your way to try and make dreams happen for others, because it makes them and you happy. you cheer, you support and you truly show that you are on a loved one's team. I feel that what draws you to san is how he transformed himself in a healthy manner, and how he maintains a very clear circle of those he trusts, and is no stranger to kindly setting rules in place while still remaining sweet and respectful. he is a safe space for you both because he makes you smile with his stories and jokes, but also because he is adamant on keeping things in order. (bonus: his reaction to the merch donation story lives rent free in your mind)

mingi: got some problems with regulating emotions, maybe? be it hiding them until you burst or not knowing how to express them, i think this might be a challenge for you. you might have been exposed to something that made you believe that it is a sign of weakness or a risk. at the same time, you are logical, damn good at what you do, and when you face hard times you bounce back, even if it takes some time. i think you and mingi share the introspectiveness, and you like how thoughtful he is. you probably find comfort in how he shares happiness with others, and how he seeks closeness with loved ones. at the same time, there is something about how he transforms on stages that resonates with you - the power and confidence is something you want to work on and find more of in yourself. (bonus: your will never stop thinking about mingi's creative process monologues + freestyle mingi)

wooyoung: do people tell you you have a big personality, or that you are 'a lot' sometimes? i feel like you have your way of working, your way of thinking, but might have a hard time actually communicating that or adapting to different social environments. it might be because you're headstrong, or because you are in constant fight or flight mode and so are more rigid. at the same time i think you are diligent and very detailed with what you do, and are in fact attentive to others and might notice things others don't. i feel like what you admire in wooyoung is his ability to connect with others, while not losing himself or his values. you feel for his hardships, and he helps you learn how to be more loving and more open with expressing and accepting love. he is very much your candle. (bonus: you cried because of his interview + dance in that one show, didn't you?)

jongho: how many thoughts are spinning in your head? you might be an overthinker, slightly misanthropic, and on bad days might sink to having a victim mindset and ask the universe 'why me?'. you might have had to grow up too fast, or were controlled a lot as a kid - either way, your understanding and experience of freedom and maturity might be warped. at the same time you are reliable and are able to call things out for what they are. you might have also put a positive spin on the negatives and either used them as inspiration, grew from them, or taken a skill from them that you then generalized. i think jongho's humor and innate warmth is your haven, and his continuous self-development grounds you and motivates you to also try your best and think of ways to find the good in situations. i feel you might also resonate with his occasional shyness. (bonus: you often think about his emotional strength even when he talks about his concerns, don't you?)

#ateez #ateez imagines #ateez fluff #ateez scenarios #ateez au #hongjoong #seonghwa #yunho #yeosang #san #mingi #wooyoung #jongho #ateez ot8 #ateez fic #atz #atiny #ateez hongjoong #ateez seonghwa #ateez yunho #ateez yeosang #ateez san #ateez mingi #ateez wooyoung #ateez jongho #ateez fanfic

[neverniko101]

Trying to convince my brain that I cannot make another ask blog (it is not working help)

Anyway, a swapverse! Phastasmverse? Is that too hard to spell?

Uh

Yeah, I might be making another ask blog, probably on an actually different blog this time

I’ll probably alternate between working on this and Horror Dreamtale between STP

Rambling about precious children ⬇️

Amber (Dream by Joku):

- Tall bee man

- Smug asshole

- Got rich off selling his brother’s inventions

- Runs a fancy multiverse-wide Casino/Bar/Restaurant

Pollen (Dust by Ask Dusttale):

- Sweet little guy

- I say “little”, but he’s actually pretty tall

- Botanist obsessed with flowers

- has never killed anyone

- ever

- especially not by poisoning them with flowers

- Terrified of bears, even teddy bears

Cyan (Nightmare by Joku):

- Acts scary but is really a goofy little guy

- Mad scientist/engineer

- Uses inventions to run mazes, haunted house etc. to get negative emotions

- Lives in a giant (very, very heavily trapped and guarded) castle by himself

- Mechanical tentacles/arms, Doc Ock style

Epoxy (Ink by Comyet):

- Acts like a goofy little guy but is really scary

- >:3

- Likes to climb Amber and sit on his shoulder

- definitely not some kind of horror that traps people in resin cocoons and drains their life force

Razor (Cross by Jakei):

- After his AU was destroyed, he ripped a hole into the anti void, corrupting him and destroying the remains of Xtale

- Hunts ‘bugs’ in AUs, sometimes destroying entire universes to ensure the bug doesn’t spread

- Memory issues, doesn’t remember most of Xtale

- lonely someone befriend this man

Stitch (Error by Loverofpiggies):

- Runs around AUs taking parts of them to sew into the broken parts of his own AU, Cross-style

- Often accidentally causes bugs in AUs he visits, corrupting/destroying them himself or causing Razor to destroy them

- On the run from Razor

- Can animate his puppets to do little chores

- Fights with a giant sewing needle as a weapon

- Also needs friends

Mist (Fell by Vic):

- Probably the chillest guy here

- It’s his job to make sure that everyone gets enough sleep

- Will be disappointed in you if you don’t go to bed on time

- Has several pet bunnies

Comet (Outer by 2mi127):

- Angry little guy

- One of two employees at the Multiversal Transportation and Postal services

- Runs exclusively on coffee and baked goods provided by Cookie (the only person he can tolerate)

- Can take you basically anywhere, but you’d have to convince him to do so, which is difficult even for Cookie

- Catches on fire when too angry

Azoic (Fresh by Loverofpiggies):

- Mercenary

- Unnaturally good at making improvised weapons

- Is a cowboy? Don’t know where that came from

- Has a horse named Penelope

- Trying to earn money

Toxin (Killer by Rafbawas):

- He seems fun

- Perfectly mentally stable

- Eats the fabric of the multiverse

- Turns people into mindless rainbow zombies

Marrow (Horror by Sourapplestudios):

- Bounty Hunter

- Able to switch out his body parts with other monsters and humans

- Pretty chill all things considered

Crypt (Reaper by Renrink):

- Uh

- what

- what is that

- just some guy that Palid decided to adopt?

Palid (Geno by Loverofpiggies):

- His name is a mix of Pallid (being pale or dull, like a dead person or ghost) and Paladin (a hero)

- Kind of adopted Papyrus’ personality after his death

- Precious little guy

- Finds Crypt in an ally and is like “yup I’m keeping him”

- Fights with a morning star

Ghost (Blue by Popcorn prince):

- Sad boy

- Able to manipulate water, especially his tears

- Has started following Razor around for no apparent reason

Cookie (Lust by NSFWShamecave):

- Again, just a genuinely nice person

- Runs a bakery!

- Obsesses over people easily

- Can and will give you a hug

Sweettooth/Ttoo (Ccino by Black-Nyanko):

- So high energy (as a result of experiments, probably) that they need to almost constantly be eating high-energy food, typically sugar

- Trying to find a cure along with their best friend, Cookie

- When low on energy, will start to melt and attack any nearby source of energy, including souls

help

#undertale #undertale au #utmv #my art #digital art #artwork #sans undertale #sans #utmv sans #art #ink utmv #utmv art #utmv comic #utmv oc #nightmare dreamtale #dreamtale nightmare #dream!tale #dream!sans #dream sans #ink!tale #ink!sans #dust!sans #dust sans #killer!sans #something new #horror sans #ccino sans #lust sans #swap sans #cross sans

[lemonlyman-dotcom]

Hi, I’m in the LS fandom but I really feel like an outsider- like I wouldn’t say it feels like no one wants me here (it does) but more specifically it feels like no one cares enough to not want me here-

But you do a really good job of making everyone feel included even if it’s just for one post and I appreciate that

I hope you are having a nice night ♥️

Hello Anon, thank you so much for this message!! First I want to say I’m very sorry you feel unwanted or unnoticed in the Lone Star fandom. I understand what you mean, I found it really hard to break in when I first got here almost a year ago. It wasn’t until I started writing fics that I really felt like people started interacting with me. So I try very very hard to be as welcoming as I can when I come across new folks or when I’m thinking up ideas for the rewatch or sending nice asks or tag games etc. Please know that you are welcome and wanted in this fandom!! We are all here because we love this show, we love Tarlos and this found family and we just want to scream at each other about it!!! None of us deserve to be here any more than anyone else, and writing fic doesn’t make someone more important than any other fandom member! There is a seat at the Tarlos table for everyone!

I know it can be intimidating, but, I think you will find most folks around here to be pretty welcoming if you do interact either with reblogging with tags or leaving comments on their posts. We all just wanna talk about our blorbos!

All I ever wanna do is be a bright spot in this fandom, where people feel like they can come and be goofy and excited about the show and anything else, so I’m very happy to hear that I make people feel included even just a little bit!! Thank you for telling me that!! Please always feel welcome to interact with my posts and/or send me messages either via dm or ask. Always happy to chat!! A cheek kiss for you, Anon!!!

#911 lone star #ask #thanks anon!!!

[zukosdualdao]

ashes of yesterday / rise of tomorrow

zutara month, day four: ashes, @zutaramonth

summary: the night aang blows up at them, before they’re set to leave, katara finds zuko sitting alone on the pier. he is burning a leaf, and he wants to be alone. one of these things is true.

warnings: implied/referenced abuse and many implied complicated feelings. not terribly explicit, but there is a reference to ozai trying to kill zuko in the day of black sun.

Zuko is the shadow of a lonely figure set against the growing night, his back turned as Katara walks the length of the boardwalk. She’s discovered a love of watching summer sunsets in the Fire Nation, the way the glowy orange morphs into a dark umber just before fading into a color like that of charcoal and then finally into deep black. 

She’s been coming out here sometimes, later in the night, just to get a moment to breathe, to watch the sunset. Faintly, she wonders if she’s been stealing Zuko’s spot.

“What are you doing?” Katara asks as she approaches, standing as he sits with his legs hanging off the pier's edge. She squints to see what he’s holding—and finds that it's a leaf that he’s burning slowly from the inside out, that singes as he twists the stem in his hands. Glowing red and deepening black overtake it, the hole that results growing steadily wider.

He shrugs his shoulders. “I don't know. Thinking, I guess."

Katara tilts her head and watches. His control is impressive.

With Aang blowing up and storming off, things have been tense all day. Tomorrow, they begin their journey to the Fire Nation Royal Palace. They will either win, or else the world may burn.

She finds she's not so surprised that maybe Zuko needed a little space to breathe, too.

Ozai has to die for them to win. Zuko knows this. Zuko has said this. She tries to think what that might be like for him. Even as he advocates for it, even as he insists upon it, Ozai is his father.

The Firelord is not a good man. Katara knows this. She doesn't think he can be much of a father either—she still remembers the unpleasant roll of her stomach as he told them about redirecting Ozai's lightning—but he is still Zuko's father. That will never not be true.

Sitting down beside him, she swings her left leg over the edge of the pier, and then pulls the other under her, her body angled so that she can take in his face.

“What’s wrong?” she asks softly.

A lot is wrong, of course. It could be any number of things.

“I want to be alone,” Zuko says stiffly, instead of answering with one of them. Katara tilts her head, watching as he looks straight ahead, his eyes on the line of the horizon. Though he’s not yelling and his eyes are mostly blank, numb, the look of him, his forlorn posture, reminds her of the boy that batted fire to scare them away in that abandoned Earth Kingdom village, the boy that seemed so lost and alone in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se.

Katara couldn’t recognize it then, but she can now. Now, she knows him. It was like he was once holding the world and all the people in at a distance so that he would not be hurt. It's like that again now.

Katara does not want to hurt him.

“I don’t think that’s true,” she counters softly, with a slight shake of her head, catching the way he pinches both eyes closed, his lips pursing. “But if it is, tell me again, and I’ll go.”

Zuko says nothing. Katara inches ever-slightly closer to where he sits, erasing the gap between them, and turning forward to watch the sky with him.

After a long pause, Zuko takes a shaky inhale and leans over to rest his head on Katara’s shoulder. Her heart skips a beat. She leans into it, too.

They watch together as the final remnants of the leaf fade, dark ashes falling away from Zuko’s tight fist and into the still, dark, shimmering sea beneath them.

#zutaramonth2024 #zutara month #zutara #zuko x katara #katara x zuko #atla #my fic #ashes of yesterday / rise of tomorrow #zuko #katara #favorite thing about zutara is just like... them nothing being someone who will sit with each other in their feelings #and allow each other to feel whatever it is they're feeling. yeah. #trigger: abuse. #jic #* them both not them nothing lol #them everything ❤️

[figureofdismay]

i become more and more convinced that Scully reacts like a person with Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria when Mulder shows signs of being interested in spending time with people who are Not Her. Starting with prime plagiaristic schlub Jerry Lamana, former partner, so it's not just a romantic jealousy. The Lone Gunmen are exempt from this somehow, probably because the guys always support Mulder but also don't monopolize his time. But anyone else, especially a female someone else, makes her spiral painfully.

Yes, there's an element of protectiveness. Everyone around Mulder seems to take advantage of him, he practically goes barrelling out asking to be misused and misled. But it's really, clearly not just that, because she goes into big distress and starts doubting her place in her life, regardless of the rationality of it, or what Mulder has shown or communicated to her about his feelings for her in the past.

It's endearing, but it's not, despite what collective fanon plays on to enhance angst scenarios, grounded in the reality of mulder's actual textual behavior and sentiments towards her, i.e. that he's ever given any indication that there's any way he'd accept someone else as his partner or give anyone else the majority of his attention. Rationally Scully know this, to the point that she was worried that he wouldn't survive if she died of the cancer. But RSD isn't rational, it's a maladaptive reaction, and one that makes a lot of sense with her being some flavor of 'quirky 90s character' ND who's always been socially just as much an outsider as Mulder has.

I don't think it's an intentional portrayal of that specific type of reaction, but i don't think Scully's jealousy/fear of being unseated is meant to show that her place with him is in actuality tenuous. And i personally believe that within the parameters of their indirect communication style and via all the massive gestures and risks they've taken for each other, the security of their bond actually is mutually well established. It's just those reaction flashpoints for her, where he pays attention to another woman in the course of an investigation/crisis incident and despite the fact that they've gone to the ends of the earth for each other, she starts thinking, 'well maybe he's done with me, maybe this is the time he's found someone more interesting he likes better, it's all over.' But even with Diana I don't think this is grounded in Mulder's actual behavior or level of interest in any ~interlopers. It's a reaction that she's having but it's disproportionate.

And I do love some yummy angst fic and love triangles and playing Diana up to the ultimate wedge issue! But I do also think it would be interesting to dig into Scully's jealousy/possessiveness/disproportionate hurt. I think Mulder sees it, at least somewhat, he's not ~afflicted with masculine feelings blindness or just being a self-absorbed ass (as some have accused lol), I think he's just bewildered, and doesn't seem to feel able or even allowed to approach these kind of personal emotional issues with Scully -- and she does also get very defensive about things in this vein so. It's hard to find the inroad to get them to talk about it.

But I do think it would be interesting to see, confronting the actual issues inherent in Mulder having/displaying professional or even casual personal interest in other people/women that he doesn't see as serious or impactful long term in his life, and Scully feeling as though she's in a love triangle, which is a very unsettling, even terrifying feeling even if it's not representative. It would be interesting to see Mulder see and confront that, have him saying, basically, nothing about us has changed and I don't plan for it to change, but i see you catastrophizing this and I don't get it. Why do you even think you'd need to compete?

Though i also don't see Scully being able to respond to that beyond deflection or getting emotional to the point of being unable to articulate anything. But it is something she needs to wrestle with, especially as she and Mulder head deeper and deeper into their relationship.

#character theory: scully #dana scully #she's one of my favorite character ever ever but i do think it's an unhealthy reaction #and disproportionate to the actual level of threat that any 3rd party - even an ex - could have to the most bonded soulmate partnership #and the thing is aside from the angst machine plot arcs they do /know/ that they are that bonded. yes scully too #idk i just feel weird about how like. yes I actually find it so funny and endearing that she gets so bent out of shape about Bambis etc #but she obviously also has rejection/abandonment issues at least with mulder specifically #who she has essentially made part of her personal identity without communicating any of her needs attendant w that or even being willing #to admit she has any or that that's what she's done #and the enormous preemptive fear and loss she feels get outsourced to Mulder on the premise that 'he's an insensitive jerk lol' #when it's a problem they're both having and if anything she's having it /at/ him without giving him an avenue to reassure or communicate ab #*about it #it's straight to pseudo ultimatum. which. puts them deeper and deeper in a hole they don't know the way out of #txf #msr

[fortheloveofarchons]

Caelus finds Aventurine alone

Check out my new fic called "Caelus Our Silly, Little, Chaotic Goober!" Full chapter is at the link down below!! Kudos and comments are much appreciated!

C.W.

- Aventurine/Caelus ship - Aventurine/Ratio ship - Fluff and humour - Fluff and Angst - Hurt Aventurine - Soft Dr Ratio - Soft Caelus - Neck kissing - Mentioned Firefly and Robin

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“Is that… Mr. Aventurine?” 

What was supposed to be a normal day for Caelus to find some trashcan– I mean, wander around The Reverie, finds himself hiding behind the elevator, peeking at the young man with sandy blonde hair. He crouches low behind the sleek, metallic frame of the elevator, his eyes dart nervously across the expansive lobby. 

It appears that Aventurine is by himself, lounging on the elegant round sofa in the centre of the hotel lobby. Aventurine reclines casually, his posture relaxed as he soaks in the opulent surroundings, seemingly oblivious to the commotion unfolding around them. 

A few passersby cast some odd gazes and furtive glances in Caelus’s direction. Their expressions range from confusion to suspicion, their whispers mingling with the soft hum of conversation that fills the air.

“What is he doing over there?” 

“He’s so weird…” 

“Mom… he looks scary.” 

Caelus couldn’t help but let out an awkward chuckle in response, rubbing the back of his head from their attention. After all, how would you feel from seeing a random guy just hiding behind the elevator and acting suspicious in the middle of the day? 

Just as Caelus was about to stand up, someone whispered something… different. 

“Ugh… I can’t believe the IPC allows a Sigonia to work under their authority. What were they thinking?” 

Caelus stops at his tracks, hearing the nosy lady’s voice. 

Wait… what?

“Hey, pipe down!” The other lady whispers loudly. “We’re in a hotel lobby, maintain your dignity!” 

“Ugh, I know…” Caelus didn’t turn his head to look at the two ladies, but he still remained in his tracks, hearing their words. “It’s just– You know fully well how I feel about those Sigonians, a bunch of manipulative skeezers who can enchant those around them and get what they want. As much as I pity them sometimes, no wonder the Katicans attacked them, Sigonians’ traits can inspire jealousy in others.”  

He could hear chuckles rasping from behind. 

Caelus clenches his fists onto his black jacket. As much as the working relationship between Caelus and Aventurine was not from coercion, but a temptation with the promise of gain after the devastating events of what happened to Firefly and Robin’s demise, the hotel guests’ hurtful words would certainly make an ordinary individual feel angry at them. 

Wait… so those glances… Caelus thought, staring at Aventurine from behind. And those words were all about him this whole time? What do I… do?

A pang of empathy stirs within him, the discomfort of witnessing such behaviour urging him to take action. 

► (Walk up to Aventurine and talk to him)

► (Hit those people with a baseball bat! Rules are made to be broken, after all!) 

► (Ignore Aventurine and move on, trashcan and treasure awaits!) 

“No, I can’t just hit these people with my baseball bat.” Caelus mumbles to himself. “I don’t want to make the others worried about my wrongdoings once again… But, ignoring him doesn’t seem right either.” 

Despite the unease gnawing at his conscience, Caelus knows he can't stand idly by. With a determined resolve, he rises from his position and strides purposefully towards the lone figure, his footsteps echoing softly against the tiled floor. 

As he approaches, he notices the subtle tension in Aventurine’s posture. Despite his pink rimmed glasses, it doesn’t cover the slight downturn of his eyes. A familiar sight– the weight of isolation and rejection bearing down on his shoulders already burdened by external issues.  

With his casual smile, Caelus sits down next to Aventurine in greeting, his voice warm and genuine as he offers a simple invitation to join him. 

“Hey, mind if I join you for a bit?” He asks, his words carrying a quiet sincerity that resonates in the silence of the room. 

Caelus could’ve sworn that Aventurine’s two toned neon pink and blue eyes widened in surprise, but Aventurine immediately covers it by pushing his pink-tinted glasses upward. 

“Ah, Mr. Stellaron.” Aventurine casts him a smirk, his arm gesturing to the seat beside him. “A pleasant surprise, though it is not unexpected to meet you again.” 

“Ahaha… It sure is.” Caelus casts a side eye to one of the passersby, who immediately avoids his gaze and resumes walking from their post. Although it is normal that the IPC would create neutral relationships with everyone across the galaxy, seeing a Sigonian man conversing with the Trailblazer who once saved the Xianzhou Luofu and Jarilo-VI automatically made the passersby resumes their duties, as if those insults weren’t thrown in the first place. 

“Humans certainly are interesting when it comes to status and wealth,” Aventurine initiates a conversation, bringing his glass of whiskey to his lower lip. “Don’t they, friend?” 

“Sorry?” Caelus blinks in confusion. 

“Think about it, wealth begets Erudition, produces Elation, averts Destruction, and builds Harmony.” Aventurine sips on his fine glass of whiskey before he sets it back onto the table, and drops of water from the whiskey glass stays in his gloves. “Yet, there’s always going to be people that cause chaos in this order. I guess it doesn’t really matter how much you try to conceal yourself with lavish clothes and silver tongues.” 

“Is… that's why you’ve been wearing sunglasses indoors?” Caelus asks. “Even though the lighting here isn’t that great.”

“Hmm~ You’re right.” Aventurine replies back, holding the temple of his glasses. “I don’t use these to cover the lights, but rather…my eyes.” 

Aventurine then takes off his glasses, and Caelus could see them clearly. The colours of his eyes immediately reminds him of the enigmatic meme back in the Memory Zone, one that is believed to be a manifestation of people’s fear of death and murder. With its piercing purple and pink shades, along with its squirmy body that looks like a centipede, it sends a shiver down Caelus’s spine. 

Especially after what happened with Firefly. 

Yet, Aventurine’s neon eyes instantly made Caelus’s heartbeat at a steady rhythm, almost… soothing and hypnotic to him. 

“You see, these eyes of mine are quite special. Most people don’t take kindly to them, or rather, the identity associated with them.” Aventurine explains with his neutral, sultry tone, as if none of this has affected him at all. “Sometimes they can hinder business so I decided to conceal them a bit for the IPC’s sake. People behave more favourably when they don't know my lineage.” 

“I have no idea about your lineage,” Caelus looks down on the ground. “But… it's a shame.” 

“Hmm? What is?” 

And then, in a moment of unguarded honesty, Caelus speaks, his voice barely a whisper as he utter words that hang heavy in the air. 

"You having to cover your eyes. Because…" he says, his gaze unwavering as he meets Aventurine’s startled stare. "They're beautiful." 

In the quiet intimacy of the moment, their eyes meet, and time seems to stand still. Caelus, the second person to be captivated by the unique colour of Aventurine’s eyes— eyes that shimmer with a mesmerising gradient unlike any he’s ever seen before.

The first person to be captivated by Aventurine’s eyes would be a certain doctor with wavy violet hair and reddish-pink eyes. 

A pretty young thing, ain’t he? Guess whoever ends up with him is gonna be lucky for the night. 

I have nothing to say to a Sigonian thrall! 

Get out of my face, you filthy Avgin! 

The distant echoes of the outsiders’ filthy voices slowly drowns out of Aventurine’s mind. His reaction is short yet subtle—a sharp intake of breath, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes as he processes the unexpected compliment. No one has ever called him beautiful before, let alone praised the unique colour of his eyes.

For a moment, Aventurine is rendered speechless, his heart pounding in his chest as he struggles to find the words to respond. But as he meets the sincerity in the Trailblazer’s gaze, a warmth spreads through him—a blush creeping across his cheeks as he offers a laugh in return.

“Hehe… ahahahaha…” 

“Huh?” A metaphorical question mark appears on top of Caelus’s head. “Did I say something funny?” 

“You really are something else, you know that?” With a tender touch, Aventurine’s hand rises, trembling slightly as it reaches out to gently cup Caelus’s cheek. “I’m such a lucky guy to have you as my friend.” 

His black leather glove brushes against the soft skin, tracing the contours of Caelus’s skin like a soothing balm...

#ao3 fanfic #ao3fic #honkai star rail #caelus hsr #caelus #hsr aventurine #aventurine honkai star rail #aventio #veritas ratio #dr ratio #ratiorine #aventurine x dr ratio #aventurine x caelus #fluff and romance #fluff and feels #fluff and angst #fanfic fluff #fanfic angst #robin hsr #firefly hsr

[x-liv25-jamieswife]

Hcs of the remaining characters dying (nash, xan, etc.)

people's reaction to xander's death

of course! i'll do xander for this one, and nash next (i'm also planning on doing libby and a short one for max). hope you like them!

avery: this is obvious but she would be absolutely devastated. she would definitely spend a lot of time in his old lab playing with his gadgets or just sitting there. she would make sure to visit his grave a lot bc she knows xander gets lonely and bored easily and doesn't want him to suffer in the afterlife. she would not want to get out of bed, but alisa would force her to for interviews and stuff. her grief would be too much for her to hide. her fans would notice and start getting worried for her so they'd send her little gifts to make her feel better. whenever she visits his grave, she brings scones with her to 'share' with xander.

jameson: jameson would start drinking profusely again (just like after emily died). he would leave xander little riddles he wrote near his grave for him to solve in the after life to keep him entertained. he learned how to bake just to make scones to leave at xander's grave. he'd sleep in his room a lot to feel closer to him. he has this really cool glass xander made him (it's up to you what it looks like/what special thing it does), and he makes sure to drink from it whenever he he has alcohol. his grief would keep him from getting any sleep. it got so bad he got prescribed pills to get him to fall asleep bc his body was shutting down.

grayson: grayson and xander used to talk a lot about their dreams and things they wanted to accomplish later on in life. gray would make sure to fulfill all of his dreams for him knowing it would make him happy. he would spend hours studying on robotics and stuff to be able to accomplish his dreams, and he'd make sure everything he did was perfect. i didn't add this in any of my other hc posts, but i think that, if one of his brothers died, he could potentially start drinking or taking drugs. i think that he'd want to find a way to suppress his grief so that he would be able to work and distract himself.

nash: nash would be wrecked (obviously). he'd eat scones even though he hates them just because xander loves them. i mentioned in my sad nash hc post that i think he takes weed when he's anxious and stuff, and i think xander (or any of his brothers really) dying would make him start smoking weed excessively. libby would notice him taking it quite often and would get him help to make sure he didn't get addicted. he's also the type of person to overwork himself when he's nervous, sad, angry, etc. he would be bartending 24/7. i can also see him getting so mad he starts throwing glasses around and stuff at the bar he works at.

libby: i wanted to include her even though i don't really know what to say. i think, over the years, her and xander (and all of the other brothers) would get really close. they would definietly bond over baking, making it impossible to bake after his death without crying. at the same time, baking is libby's coping mechanism so she wouldn't be able to stop. she'd bake scones with grayson and accompany him to leave them at xander's grave. nash's grief would also make things worse for her. she'd be trying to find ways to help him whilst at the same time grieving herself (i mentioned that nash would start throwing things like glasses around to let his anger out, and, although he'd NEVER hurt libby, i think it would scare her enough to convince him to get help)

max: max would be ruined over his death. she'd lose interest in everything because everything would remind her of xander. for example, she'd start to hate reading bc she'd remember all of the time he bought her books. her life without him would become so lackluster that she'd consider offing herself. xander would definitely have made her life more entertaining and worth living, so, losing him would make her go back to her life the way it was before meeting him (we know she has strict parents and is really isolated so the change would really affect her). she'd spend days in bed 'talking' to him, and would have to convince herself he faked his death to be able to keep going. i think she'd also spend a lot of time sleeping in his bed or with avery.

#the inheritance games #jameson hawthorne #grayson hawthorne #avery grambs #nash hawthorne #xander hawthorne #libby grambs #maxine liu

[la-pheacienne]

Hello. 2, 5, and 24 for Daenerys and Jon??

Really enjoy your blog!

Hii, thank you so much!

JON:

2. Favorite canon thing about this character? The duty vs love theme. It is so central for Jon's arc and for asoiaf themes and his character conveys it beautifully. He's a kid, he wants to live he loves his family he wants to be there for them and at the same time he's stuck in that place and he has an oath he must respect and this is very important to him because he is honorable and takes his words and his vows seriously but it is very difficult to navigate between the two. also how he questions his vows and how he understands the contradictions of the westerosi moral code and the inherent hypocrisy of some vows in the way they are applied, see the "what are these wildlings if not men" dialog, I love this and it is also extremely important thematically for the entire book series (great parallels with jaime here). his struggle with ruling, "there is no happy choice, only some less grievous than others" but someone has to make those choices and this is an enormous burden he takes on. Also his gravitas and how his past seems to burden and haunt him!! he's a kid and he's much older than he should be, mentally, because of his shitty upbringing and also because of a sense of transcendental doom that comes from his parents even if he doesn't know anything about them yet. I'm normal about jon btw.

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them? Oh sth from the Cure, like Cold or Homesick or anything from that band really. Emo depressed teenage boy core.

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them? Marius Pontmercy from les miserables. He is in canon described as "not yet a ghost, no longer a man". He is an orphan kid raised by family members who have lied to him about his father his entire life. He grew up having a distorted image of said father, he has an identity crisis towards the middle of the book, he is melancholic and lonely and angry and isolated and struggles between his desire to live and love like a normal young man and his devotion to the cause.

DANY:

2. Favorite canon thing about this character? Oh Dany is hope. Dany is losing her child and her husband and everything that she holds dear and she is desperate but she looks inside Rhaegar's helmet and the face within was her own. Her own!!! A kid, that has known nothing but abuse ever since she has memories of herself manages to believe in herself at her lowest point. Dany didn't know a mother or a father and yet becomes the mother to them all, she never felt safe but all she wants is to keep other people safe. Dany struggling to rule, Dany asking questions about what makes a good ruler, what is a good ruler, how can one become a good ruler. And failing. And trying again. And failing again. But she just keeps trying because her name and the three dragons she has are not a flex and they do not equal power, but responsibility. She has this enormous gigantic responsibility on her shoulders and she has to find a way even if it's not the best one, and this is both a blessing and a curse, just like Jon. Dany trying to get her home back. And she will, "we shall talk when I return" is about her! Dany is hope.

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them? Gold Dust Woman by fleetwood mac, I won't elaborate, grrm imagined Dany after listening to that song, he told me himself and this is confimed btw. Look it up.

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them? To me personally Dany reminds me of Enjolras from les Miserables and what they both have in common is their radicalism. Dany is a true revolutionary, an abolishionist, she rejects the status quo, she has a noble cause and she knows that she has to serve that cause no matter the price and she is ready to take the necessary, radical steps towards that cause and she is ready to sacrifice herself and commit violence for that cause because this is the only way any substantial structural radical change can ever be achieved. Yet she does not rejoice in violence, she does not love it and she struggles with it, just like Enjolras who executes that man and says "Death, I use you, but I hate you". He is innocent and pure and so young but also terrible and fearful when he needs to be despite not wanting to, because someone has to be, because this is not a game. I love them both so much.

#jon snow #daenerys targaryen #ask game #asoiaf #valyrianscrolls #marius pontmercy #enjolras #les miserables #im the queen of self indulgent parallels!! #aspa rambles