#by popular demand (2 anons)

[veethefreeelf]

HATE IS A STRONG WORD PART 2 I BEG I'M ON MY KNEES

………..

You guys are killing me 😭

But I may or may not have already a plan for it….

YOU WIN THO

THERE WILL BE A PART 2 FOR THIS FIC 😭

I don’t have an ETA for it yet but it will be happening

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME 💗

CHEERS 🥂

#due to popular demand there will be a part 2 #dont know yet when it will come out #im so glad you enjoy my works #thank youuuuuuuu #anon ask #anon request #anon <3 #anon answered #anon message

[imagining-in-the-margins]

hi!! do you have any fic recs for non-bau!reader x spencer? i’m not too picky just would love to read about navigating a domestic relationship with an agent while being entirely NOT in that field! so maybe something fluffy (but never opposed to smutty). thank you in advanced 🧚‍♀️

Hey friend! I've compiled most of my Civilian!Reader fics here, although I will say not a lot of them focus on the difficulties navigating the job. For that, you'll find the most luck with my two most popular series below. Otherwise, it's a somewhat eclectic group of fics, which I hope you can still enjoy ❤️

If anyone has any favorite fics that the anon might be interested in, please share them in the comments or reblogs! Self-promotion is always welcome!

S.R. Series (NSFW, 18+ MINORS DNI)

The Birds & The Bees (ongoing series): Prof!Spencer, Virgin!Reader. Reader interviews for a position as Dr. Spencer Reid’s Teaching Assistant, and Spencer learns something special about her.

Here to Misbehave (completed series): Spencer meets a girl he can’t get enough of at the nightclub, then quickly realizes she is not supposed to be there.

S.R. SFW Oneshots

Dead Air: Professor Reid is hesitant to be a guest on his old student’s true crime video series, but is surprised to find it’s not so bad.

Defining Family: Spencer finds out he’s a dad… to a twelve year old girl. Your twelve year old girl, who just broke into the FBI.

Devil’s Advocate: Spencer’s been hooking up with the defense attorney in secret. At some point what was purely physical turned into something else.

Fairytales: Spencer comes home to his very tired wife and even more tired child who refused to go to bed without a bedtime story from their dad.

Funny Thing Fate: Autistic!Reader is tipsy and lost in D.C. when she spots a man she thinks might be able to help.

Haunted: Spencer’s never told anyone what happened in prison.

Growing Pains: Spencer finds unfamiliar lingerie in the laundry. When he confronts his wife, he learns it belongs to their teenage daughter.

Intentions: Spencer’s teenage daughter wants to have a conversation with you about your intentions with her father.

It’s Personal: Reader reminds Spencer’s team that it’s never appropriate to ask someone for their age, even if they’re dating their coworker.

Java Jive: Spencer and Emily take a break at the local coffee shop and she makes an understandable mistake about barista Reader and Spencer’s relationship.

Kitten Love: Spencer’s vet begrudgingly agrees to an emergency house call.

Maddening One, My Goddess: Spencer has a one night stand… on February 13th. The next day, he is confronted with a familiar face on his pre-planned double date.

Not Your Backup: Spencer and JJ argue about her jealousy of his girlfriend.

Quid Pro Quo: Spencer is entranced by the law student in his class.

Rib Cage: Spencer realizes Reader is the one, but it might be too late. He has to find her.

Serendipitous: Spencer’s pretty sure Penelope mixed up his blind date.

Stranger Danger: Reader is a single mother having a very bad day.

Style Theory: Fashion student Reader meets their favorite scholar and teaches him a lesson in self-love.

The Perfect Plan: Reader has a question for Spencer, but things don’t go according to plan.

The Prodigy Path: At a parent teacher conference, Spencer and Reader explain their seemingly unorthodox parenting style.

S.R. SFW Blurbs

At Ease: Spencer comes home to his partner and finds them still asleep.

Birthday Wish: Spencer is sad he can’t reach you on his birthday.

Favorite Person: Reader just needs a little extra reassurance sometimes.

S.R. NSFW Oneshots (18+, MINORS DNI)

Big Bad Wolf (Part 1, Part 2): Spencer is overwhelmed by the apparent innocence of an elementary school teacher he meets on a case.

Blush: Spencer finds something surprising in his girlfriend’s sock drawer after he’s released from prison.

Cupid & Psyche: Reader and Spencer get kidnapped by a rather romantic matchmaking unsub who demands they perform for him.

Devil in the Backseat: Reader is a little too much (and Spencer's into it).

Get Lucky: It’s 3AM and a pipe burst in Reader’s apartment. She is soaked, angry, and forgot her wallet and phone. Her neighbor Spencer tries his best to make the night not terrible.

I Like It Like That: Spencer is jealous after a rowdy party.

Kiss ’n Tell: Reader gets drunk on a night out with the girls and accidentally mimics her boyfriend’s habit of oversharing.

My Boss’s Daughter: Spencer’s fling with his boss’s daughter is definitely going to get him fired.

Relief in Regrets: Spencer turns to his ex-girlfriend in a time of need.

Rewrapped: Reader tries to be cheeky, but regrets it a little too late to do anything about it.

Rodeo Show: Spencer and Reader weren’t planning on having an audience that morning.

Schrödinger’s Relationship (Part 1, Part 2): Reader finds out Spencer has been dating a kind and cute woman (when he’s not spending the night at her house).

Study Session: Spencer really hates his student, but he can’t resist her.

Vienna: Spencer is a bona fide 40-year-old virgin. After a few months of dating Reader, he finally decides he wants to change that.

Yellow Light: Everyone thinks Reader is dangerous. Probably because she’s Cat’s sister. But is that why Spencer likes her?

Happy reading!

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid smut #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #answer #answered

[summerlinenss]

out of curiosity, if Max doesn’t release its metrics, then what metrics are you actually using to make these statements about the show’s popularity? what does “it’s currently in the 99.7th percentile of the comedy genre, meaning it’s in higher demand than 99.7% of all comedy series in the u.s.” even mean? How are you measuring what’s “in demand” - by who? Where? It’s bold to claim that this show was wildly popular (despite the fact that I never hear about it outside of tumblr, tho that’s a personal anecdote) but cancelled just for being queer, so I would be really interested to know where you’re getting all these numbers from. Thanks!

hey anon! first of all i am so sorry for the delayed response. i started typing something up and then i got distracted with something else and totally forgot about this in my drafts.

sure, i have no problem citing sources. i probably should’ve linked some in my original post, that’s absolutely fair.

this ended up way longer than i planned so bear with me, but a quick overview of what i’ll be going over:

1) what are the stats/where did they come from?

2) how is the show so popular?

3) was it really cancelled for being queer?

(also just a disclaimer that this will contain spoilers for the show)

1) first, the numbers

you’re right that hbo doesn’t release metrics to the public. in fact, ceo casey bloys tried to justify the cancellation to the hollywood reporter by saying “the numbers weren’t there,” despite refusing to say what exactly those numbers were or where they came from.

however, there are websites dedicated to researching/analyzing the data of different media. one of those is parrot analytics, who focus on industry insights like audience demand, competitive analysis, and content valuations. they’re trusted as a reliable source by forbes, the new york times, reuters, the wall street journal, and more.

this is what we can learn from them about our flag means death from a basic google search (note that all of this data is relevant to the last 30 days as of january 26 2024):

audience demand for our flag means death is now 33.6x greater than the average tv series in the united states. as explained in the “about demand distribution” section, this means it’s one of only 0.2% of all u.s. shows to fall in the “exceptional” performance range compared to the “average” demand benchmark of 64.1%.

the change in demand for ofmd in the u.s. has increased by 7.5% compared to the average tv series.

ofmd now actually ranks at the 99.8th percentile in the comedy genre in the u.s. i’m not a math person, but in basic terms, this is like a scale of measuring and comparing performances to create an average score. essentially, ofmd is performing at the very top of all comedy series in the u.s.

ofmd has 100% home market travelability. as it says above, the market of origin is always 100%, so in fairness i included the graph of international markets for comparison. some of these aren't super high, however (as explained by parrot analytics themselves) one of the key issues with the international market is accessibility to content, which has been an ongoing struggle for international fans. many people (i guess fittingly) have resorted to pirating ofmd because they don’t have access to max or affiliate streaming services in their country.

there are more stats i could have and wanted to go more in-depth into but it would make this even longer than it already is, so i’ll just leave some links you can check out if you’re interested and move on:

• comparison of ofmd's success to shows like ted lasso, euphoria, and peacemaker

• ofmd's placement as #1 most in-demand breakout series in the u.s. for 8 weeks

• ofmd's impressive 94% critics score and 95% audience score on rotten tomatoes

• how ofmd evolved from sleeper hit to a flagship series at max

• a list of ofmd's past and present award nominations/wins

• praise and recognition from news/entertainment sites: the atlantic (2022); the new york times (2023); tv guide (2023); vulture (2023); forbes (2023); the los angeles times (2022); vanity fair (2023)

2) so why haven’t you (or others) really heard of the show outside of tumblr despite all this success? likely because max did a terrible job marketing it.

ofmd first aired on hbo max (pre-merger before it was “max”) in march 2022. the entire season aired over one month, every thursday at 12am pst. season 2 followed a similar release schedule in october 2023.

season 1’s marketing was almost non-existent, pretty much relying on taika waititi’s name being attached. there was one teaser and one full-length trailer, as well as a few clips on youtube of taika and rhys darby answering pirate-themed trivia, all painting the show as a “silly pirate workplace/buddy comedy.” but hbo max didn’t put any real effort in because they didn’t care. david zaslav and the other higher-ups had no faith in the show and expected it to fail.

most people weren’t aware it was actually a romance due to the poor marketing, and although there were many romantically charged scenes between them, many were still wary to believe it wasn’t queerbaiting until ed & stede confessed their feelings and kissed.

showrunner david jenkins has said in interviews that he had no idea how deeply queerbaiting had hurt audiences and impacted their ability to trust what’s on screen without feeling like they’re being ridiculed, despite the fact that he was calling it a love story the whole time. it wasn’t until people realized they weren’t being queerbaited and that it was a funny, sincere show with a compelling plot that word-of-mouth began to spread. by the time the season 1 finale aired, there was a decent-sized fandom that continued to grow as it received more praise.

it was a fight to even get the show renewed for season 2, and david jenkins and the cast have majorly credited that renewal to the unexpected and massive fan response to the show, which basically forced hbo’s hand.

max didn’t bother trying to properly promote the series until season 2, when they begrudgingly accepted that it was one of their most profitable and successful shows. ofmd had huge billboards in times square, downtown los angeles, and on the side of hbo headquarters. they started accurately marketing the show as not just a workplace comedy at sea, but a heartfelt romcom. max began selling long-demanded merch (which became best sellers) and spent money on an FYC campaign.

i will emphasize, whether they liked it or not, they knew ofmd was their new moneymaker (especially with the recent end of succession, which was obviously a cash cow for hbo).

photo credit: @/bookishtheo

3) now if it was that successful, was it really cancelled just for being queer?

i mean, i can’t say that definitively. no one can. there are several potential factors at play that we may never know, and there have been a lot of rumours and speculation (many of which i don’t feel comfortable discussing in case they aren’t true) since the cancellation.

but do i believe the fact that it’s a queer romcom was one of those factors, especially since max has a history of cancelling and scrapping its most diverse projects? absolutely.

first and foremost, i can’t stress enough that this isn’t just a show with a few characters thrown in for token representation. ofmd is built on a diverse, intersectional cast and narratives, including:

• lgbtq+ representation: 5 main couples are explicitly queer (including mlm, wlw, nblm, and nblw relationships). multiple characters are implied to be poly, and there’s a polycule forming in season 2 that was hinted to be developed more in season 3. beyond relationships, it’s confirmed that (similarly to the way wwdits depicts all vampires as being pansexual) all of the pirates are somewhere on the queer spectrum.

• bipoc representation: the majority of the main cast are people of colour. this includes david fane, joel fry, leslie jones, samson kayo, vico ortiz, anapela polataivao, madeleine sami, samba schutte, ruibo qian, and taika waititi, as well as many guest actors (like rachel house, simone kessell, and maaka pohatu) and extras.

• disability representation: multiple characters have physical disabilities, most notably amputated/prosthetic limbs and visual impairment. a lot (actually most) of the characters also deal with mental health issues, particularly coping with severe trauma and suicidal ideation/behaviour.

• the show has been praised for addressing difficult and serious themes like toxic masculinity, colonialism, and self-discovery, all while still managing to be a witty comedy and not come across as “preachy.”

• the diversity also extends off-screen, with a team of directors, writers, and additional crew comprised of numerous bipoc, women, queer people, and trans/non-binary people.

my point isn’t just the quantity of representation, but the quality. they take great care and respect into every marginalized group depicted on-screen. the actors would often be consulted about their characters’ costumes, hair, tattoos, and the kind of language they use. it’s not a world where discrimination magically doesn’t exist, they just have zero tolerance for it. if a character does something homophobic or racist, you can guarantee they’ll quickly (and often violently) be punished.

so okay, sure, it’s got great representation. what does that have to do max cancelling it?

because they’ve been interfering with production from the start.

i already mentioned the marketing issues so i won’t get into that. it was also revealed in interviews with david jenkins after season 2 that hbo cut their budget by 40%, which is why they had to do everything they could to save money. this included letting go of some of the original cast (and even still having episodes where some of them don’t appear at all) and moving the entire production to AoNZ. the budget cuts also meant two less episodes, so they had to rush to fit an entire season’s worth of plot into eight half-hour long episodes.

but one of the biggest frustrations is hbo’s (alleged) censorship of the show. samba schutte revealed that the entire plot of episode 2x06 was completely different in the original script. before it was rewritten as “calypso’s birthday,” the episode took place during lucius & pete’s wedding and focused on the crew getting sick of the sexual tension between ed & stede and trying to get them to hook up (this aligned with lucius & pete getting engaged and ed & stede deciding to take things slow in the previous episode).

vico ortiz and writer jes tom have also commented that many scenes between jim, oluwande, and archie establishing them as a polycule were cut, including one of the three of them emerging from a bedroom in their underwear. jes has mentioned other elements of season 2 that had to be cut out or rewritten, like the implication of other poly dynamics between the crew and more sexually explicit scenarios and jokes.

considering that ofmd is an extremely sex-positive show that isn’t afraid to be raunchy or taboo, it’s clear that either higher-ups at hbo forced them to cut these things out or they had no choice but to cut them out due to tight budget/time restraints.

in addition to this, a recent article citing an “anonymous insider” has alleged that hbo was uncomfortable with and was unsure how to market the “shock violence” in the show (the same network that aired game of thrones), which david jenkins outright called out as being bullshit. ofmd is rated TV-MA and the posters and trailers all show the audience that it contains violent content. there is literally nothing more graphic in ofmd than any other pirate show — it’s probably a lot tamer than most of them, actually.

violence on the show is most frequently used in a comedic context, in the sense that it’s not meant to be seen as scary or taken seriously. the few instances of serious graphic imagery on the show are meant to invoke a mood shift, like ed’s transformation into the kraken or ned low’s murder. it should also be noted that some of the most graphic deaths are reserved for bigots, like ed snapping the neck of a colonizer who was ridiculing stede’s love letter.

it’s also most often used in a sexual context — not sexual violence, but violence as a sexual metaphor. more specifically the act of stabbing as a metaphor for penetration, as seen with both ed & stede and anne & mary. bearing all this in mind, it seems like the real issue here isn’t executives struggling to market explicit violence to a mainstream audience, but rather explicit gay content.

as much as we joke and affectionately call it the “gay pirate show,” ofmd has always been nothing more than an opportunity for rainbow capitalism for hbo (e.g. the fact that they waited three months to announce season 2 just so they could do it on the first day of pride month). like other cancelled queer media, ofmd was a way for hbo executives to show how “inclusive” and “accepting” they are when it was convenient (aka profitable) for them, but they never actually respected the show or us as a community.

it’s impossible to be certain of what the exact reasoning for cancellation was, especially when they won’t give us a clear answer themselves. and maybe it had nothing to do with ofmd being a queer romcom at all. maybe that’s all a horrible coincidence. but for hbo/max to axe a critically acclaimed and beautifully inclusive show that’s successful by every metric, with an extremely devoted fanbase, especially after casey bloys just had the nerve to ask “gay twitter” to hype up the gilded age? it doesn’t exactly put them in the best light regardless.

in summary, i’ll leave you with this editorial, which details how the campaign to save ofmd isn’t just about one show, but a fight to save the future of all queer art.

#asks #anon #ofmd #our flag means death #save ofmd #renew as a crew #fuck david zaslav #queer media

[linka-from-captain-planet]

Rating BG3 Ladies Oral Game

By popular (1 anon) demand. With a bonus segment, Does She Eat Ass?

Ratings based on vibes and also facts opinions (controversial: not everyone can be a sex god).

all the main and supporting women + my background babes: Florrick, Talli, Alfira, Lakrissa, Araj, Nocturne, Skoona, Adrielle, Z'rell, Nine-Fingers, and special guest star Philomeen

*Sex is like pizza, so average results are in fact still pretty good. Only 2, 1, and 0/10 are truly trash head. So a 5 or 6 is still a compliment!*

Lae'zel: 10/10. Her appetite is voracious. Her will is steel, and her tongue is silver. As a lifelong try-hard, Lae'zel can't settle for anything less than stellar, and eating out is no exception. She can be a bit too clinical with it at the start, but once her heart is freed from its stone prison, her sensuality comes pouring out her lips and tongue.

Shadowheart: 9/10. This is her wheelhouse. This is what she's been up to for the last 30 years. She loses a point because her brand of teasing and/or being coy occasionally doesn't translate; there's a difference between a slow burn and letting a lover go cold, and she can slip up sometimes and forget she's pleasuring, not torturing. But overall? Who knew such a delicate touch could make you come apart like that.

Karlach: 11/10. She's a natural, and she's ravenous. For touch. For affection. To please, to be good. She tunes all the way in. No notes. She's all up in and/or on that thang, front, back, side to side, not a drop left when she's done with it. The most finesse? No, but a hammer doesn't need frills and lace to knock in a nail.

Minthara: 12/10. Even better than her stroke game. It feeds her ego like no other, and what feeds Minthara's ego is also good for her lover. Dominant even when giving head, and she puts that nose and chin to werk. You're done when she's done, not the other way around. Eats 110% of it, leaves no crumbs.

Jaheira: 6/10. Frankly, Jaheira is just not that horny and so, while her skills are well-honed, she just doesn't have that killer instinct to catapult her into higher tiers. She's too busy to spend two hours between someone's legs, so she aims to get it done nice and quick, but thorough. She's no quitter, after all, and her dedication to the goal is unshakeable.

Isobel: 8/10. A little too much of a tease for anyone who's not an edging enthusiast, but she puts her money where her mouth is. She's incredibly in-tuned with a partner, so once she's zoned in, she's got it locked down. Her focus is unbreakable. Doesn't have the most stamina, but she more than knows how to make up for it. You don't need hours and hours for Isobel to take you apart.

Aylin: 7/10 or 100/10 IF her face is being sat on. My controversial take for this post. But I think that while Aylin's tongue is GOATed and she loves pleasing her partner, it's just an act that isn't enough for her. She wants to touch, feel, suck, lick, caress, tease it all, not just a fraction of her beloved. Her hands and tongue wander. She flits around, sampling it all. Keeping her in that one place, on-task, can require some input from her partner, so they can't quite relax all the way and melt under her. This is where the face-sitting specification comes in. Surrounded so, held down (even by someone MUCH smaller), being taken as much as she gives--------- that's where she really shines.

Mizora: -100/10. Again... get real.

Orin: 5/10. She is a rolling stone. She is a whimsical sort. Eating out requires focus that she certainly has, but can she employ it on a dependable enough basis? She can also get too artful with it. Sometimes A->B is the right path and you don't need to murder someone and stash their corpse in an abandoned one-room house inbetween licks, ya know?

Florrick: 9/10. Look at that profile. That nose. That chin. Those lips. Observe her delusional confidence, her endless fidelity, her relentless pursuit of her goals. Did you feel that tremble? It was your [preferred genital word]. She comes home from a long day of bossing people around and serving the greater good, ready to pamper someone, to serve herself, and she's hungry. Her only downside is that she can be a bit efficient with it; it takes her time to warm up emotionally, and not treat you like just another item on her to-do list.

Talli: 8/10. Happy to be of service, always. A very thorough, straightforward, good-game-giving mouth. Lacks creativity, but completely consistent, reliable, and (if desired) romantic.

Alfira: 8/10. A little clumsy, a little distractible, but you can't beat the dedication. Amazing breath-holding capacity. Unlike some other be-fanged women, she loves her teeth and knows how to deploy them. She keeps ya guessing, which does have a few negatives, but overall? More than makes up for her complete lack of stroke game.

Lakrissa: 6/10. She talks a big bigger game than she actually has, surprisingly. She's a little too restless, a little too fidgety. She likes to use more of her body than she can while going down, so it's kind or boring for her tbh. She likes the taste and the emotional/mental experience for herself, more than she likes actually doing it. But for her love? Anything. She'll sit down there for hours if need be.

Araj: 2/10. The future Matron Mother of the Restored House Oblodra does not get on her knees. You try to tell her that there are many other options, but she doesn't listen. Only goes down when she's trying to steal your secretions for her alchemy. It's not worth it.

Nocturne: 7/10. Like Shadowheart, she had to be entertaining herself somehow for all the decades in the cloister so her skills are above average. But she's a little more submissive, and tends to pigeonhole herself; she can't quite pull off a toppy tongue sesh. If she's not on her knees, she doesn't quite know how to do it. Certified biter, interested in the intersection between pleasure and pain.

Skoona: 7/10. A little self-conscious of her tusks, but she's always found the act romantic and fulfilling. Likes to hold hands during.

Adrielle: 3/10. She's a little self-conscious, a little too intimidated. A little too desperate to be good. In one's own head is the worst place to be when trying to go down on someone, and that's where she is. Will get you there, but hardly a world-shaking experience.

Z'rell: 1 Billion/10. Look, it's still not for YOU, but in case you were wondering: at least 17 someones out there are getting it ATE. Front, back, side to side, axes that don't even exist in our plane. You're missing out. Pathetic.

Nine-Fingers: 7/10. Makes your legs shake, but can be a little too intense. She can come on too strong. She can make it feel like a competition, or like there's something else on her mind that's not you. Keeping her engaged is a You problem, but if you can? Very good.

Philomeen: ?/10. She does not go down, ever; she's made that mistake before long ago (making the hoes think she cares about them) and she's nawt gonna make it again!!

In addition: Does she eat ass?

Eats ass completely unprompted: Lae'zel, Minthara, Orin, Z'rell Offers to eat ass: Shadowheart, Karlach, Aylin, Florrick, Nocturne Eats ass if asked: Jaheira, Isobel, Lakrissa, Nine-Fingers Considers it, but decides eating ass isn't for her: Alfira, Talli, Skoona Definitely doesn't eat ass: Mizora, Araj, Adrielle, Philomeen

#nsft #overall these skew high bc these women mostly all have that “neurotic repressed freak” vibe that lends itself to throatGOAT status #also more alcohol was involved in this one and that's prob apparent

[celticcrossanon]

I’m the anon who wrote that your post resonated with my observation/intuition. I thought I would send in a lengthy list of things I think may be going on behind the scenes. These things may “fit” with your reading:

1) Harry has massively betrayed William and Catherine. From the Oprah interview to the accusation of physical assault in his book to gossip/lies planted in the press, he has inflicted enormous pain on them and William has actually lost his brother. In addition to losing his mother in tragic circumstances, over the last few years he has grieved two grandparents and his brother.

2) Years ago, Charles wanted to find a solution to appease the Megxit half-in/half-out demands. William and the Queen were in agreement this was not viable and chose to preserve the monarchy over Harry’s feelings. Charles wants Harry back. He has very little to no real concern for William and Catherine. It’s only about him and what he envisioned his reign would look like. I also agree with another anon that there is a triangulation layer to this.

3) Action to neutralize the threat that is Harry was postponed while the Queen was ill and grieving. It was William’s expectation that action would be taken after her death. Instead, Charles has flipped the script and wants to reverse the Megxit decision.

4) Neutralizing Harry would involve releasing dirt from Harry’s past that would end him. Charles will not do it because he covered the dirt at the time, so his reputation would also suffer badly. William wants it all out. Charles wants to keep it all hidden. It troubles William because he doesn’t want to go along with further cover ups. He feels it threatens the monarchy and his reputation as well. This is out of his control, and it causes him stress.

5) Planning for the coronation brought many huge disagreements, with Charles using demands, guilt, and manipulation in private and in the press to try forcing William into agreement on Harry’s full involvement. There was a compromise, but Charles was not satisfied.

6) William accepts Charles making Camilla queen but he doesn’t like it. The whole situation is sordid, and he has had to go along with things he felt compromised his mother’s legacy. Don’t underestimate Camilla and her intentions.

7) Charles invited William to Birkhall to dine with him the night after the Queen’s death. He told him there he would be making him Prince of Wales immediately. This was intended as a “gift,” even though it benefitted Charles and withholding it would have been ludicrous. The gift had strings attached. He expected William to go along with him in all his plans and priorities. So whenever William resists, he can think or say “What more could you want? You’re ungrateful. I’ve given you everything!” That is not true, as he hasn’t given loyalty or support, but it’s how Charles sees things.

8) Those plans and priorities include increasing the popularity and public adoration of King Charles and Queen Camilla, and the expectation is that the Waleses will use their public image to aid in this effort. Charles wants them to join themselves to him publicly. He wants continual endorsement from William (the coronation oath wasn’t enough for him) as well as “happy family” PR. But Charles has a lot of skeletons in his closet and William is wise to keep their public images separate.

9) Aside from the expectation that William will aid Charles and Camilla’s PR, there’s also the expectation that he will support and help in bringing Harry back. What you said about Travalyst and Earthshot is unfortunately plausible. I also believe that Charles feels the Duchy of Cornwall offers enough funding for William to share with Harry. He supports his siblings with the Duchy of Lancaster and wants William to support Harry financially. William will not, for many reasons.

10) Charles is not happy about handing over the Duchy of Cornwall to William. He feels personally offended with every decision William makes that isn’t exactly as he did things.

11) There are some very messy courtiers in Charles’s household.

That’s about it. I’m sorry for the length. Charles is focused on his and Camilla’s popularity and legacy as well as his “darling boy” Harry’s return. There are currently enormous threats to the monarchy, and they concern and stress William very much, but Charles’s personal feelings, desires and ideals trump everything. “I am KING!”

Only time will tell if the monarchy survives this.

All alleged, my opinions, not fact, etc.

Hi Nonny,

Thank you for coming back and explaining all your thoughts. I agree with a lot of them. Harry has betrayed his family, Charles was appeasing them for quite some time (I'm not sure of the current state of affairs), the BRF has been effective in greyrocking Harry but have been reluctant to release dirt on him or on Meghan, Charles does seem to be focused on increasing his and Camilla's popularity, and he does seem to expect William to not only welcome Harry back but to support Harry and his family financially, etc and so on.

I think that the monarchy will survive this, if only because the alternative is so involved and a lot of work, but I do wonder what sort of reputation it will have by the time the crown is passed on to William. I think he will have to do a lot of work on repairing things before he can start to build his legacy as King, so I expect his reign to have a slow and rocky start, simply because of how it will be left by King Charles III. I hope I am wrong, but I just can't see King Charles passing on the feelings of respect and affection for the crown that he inherited from his mother, the late Queen. I don't see him as having her sense of duty, and it was her sense of duty that enabled the crown to be held in such solid respect and affection when she passed.

[whumpshaped]

I have been reading whump since this year started and I have a lot of inspiration to start writing too, but I'm not that good at writing plus english is not my first language, I'm afraid I won't be able to find the correct words

Do you have any advice for me?

okay i was in your exact position 5 years ago and here's what i think

just start. i was incredibly nervous when i started posting but it turned out fine and i'm still alive. nobody was mean to me, nobody ever said "oh hey i see you made a mistake there, i bet you're not a native speaker OR a real writer". in fact, turns out a LOT of us are not native speakers! so just start. it will be ok :)

write stuff you enjoy and tag appropriately. don't try to hop on what's popular, just write whatever you're into, and your writing will find your audience

try to trigger warn as best as you can but know the responsibility to click away when something is triggering lies with the reader. if you get a mean anon about posting something super whumpy that you tagged thoroughly, that they refused to click away from, and they demand you never post whumpy stuff again, just delete and move on

in general... if you get hate, delete and move on

when i first started, i was so afraid of everyone that i just posted my own writing and never interacted. i wish i have! reblog stuff! leave tags! send asks on or off anon! 99% of people here are very kind and will be very appreciative of that, and you might make awesome friends

writing advice posts are more so suggestions than Rules, but they can be very helpful

thesaurus is your best friend, and don't worry, it's not "cheating", native speakers use it too. (was that only my worry? maybe so. but i'm including it anyway.)

likewise if you have to translate a word... well so what? that doesn't mean you're not writing banger stories

you don't have to post perfect chapters with full worldbuilding every day. you can post snippets. you can post nameless drabbles. you can post a 2 sentence incoherent prompt. you can post whatever you want, it's your blog and you make the rules, so don't make ones that suffocate you and make you miserable :)

pet whump usually takes off and gets lots of notes, nameless drabbles usually get more notes than big oc stories because they require less commitment, and prompts and memes you spent 2 seconds on will take off and get more notes than any of your other posts. that's just how it is. try not to get discouraged about this. i know we all post for validation at the end of the day and there's nothing wrong with that, but try to remember that number of notes ≠ quality of your writing

read as much as you can! it helps build vocabulary and you'll pick up phrases and stuff that you can then use in your own writing!

JUST WRITE. i was a much worse writer 5 years ago than i am now. inevitably as you write more and improve you will look back and think "holy shit, i thought THIS was appropriate to post?? i spent 5 hours proofreading this and i wrote terryfying???" but that just means you came a long way and now you write better stories :)

just try to have fun :) make an intro post, tag it with #whump community or #whump intro, and you'll already have 10 friends. and just post whatever makes your heart sing! i believe in u!

#asks #shalcanav

[sitp-recs]

hello liv! thank you for your service to the fandom, i spend such an inordinate amount of time sifting through all your reclists! i’ve been seeing drarry authors do their first line/last line posts for patterns and was wondering how that might pan out for reccers, so i had a question for you— what are some of the fics you find yourself reccing most often, across lists? do they speak to your own tastes? does a pattern emerge through them about the kind of asks you get? you always rec a really diverse range of fics but i do see some recurring favourites cropping up and was wondering if you had thoughts on it!

Thank you for your kind words and for the ask, anon! This was a very interesting way to adapt that ask game to my blog and I appreciate you for including me 💜 I had to take a minute and think about this because despite knowing that I’ve recced some fics over and over across lists, I’ve never stopped to analyze it in detail. Taking a quick look, I’ve tried to identify some patterns and I think these examples offer interesting insights:

1) I Am Not Who I Became and A Sword Laid Aside - two long fics I mention a lot (often alongside each other) because they combine some very popular tropes: recluse & powerful Harry, competent Draco, forced proximity, fast smut + slow emotional burn, D/s undertones

2) Clear as Mud and Unfinished Business are two personal faves I don’t see in rec lists often, they’re more like old-ish hidden gems and I love getting the chance to sneakily include them!

3) Take the Moon and Life goes not Backward: two favourites written by my friends! Funnily enough, they’re both kid fics which is a trope I don’t really care for lol. Reccing friends is one of my biggest pleasures in fandom, I’ve seen a lot of criticism/questioning around it which makes absolutely no sense to me - appreciating each other’s work and finding things in common is what brings us together in the first place 🤷🏻‍♀️

The main reason why I include any fic on a list is because I believe it’s a good fit. I always try to get a sense of what the reader is looking for bc it helps me find the right tone, but it can also get challenging if the request is too vague or too specific. Because I publish lists on demand I try to be as trope agnostic as possible, but at the end of the day I can only rec what I’ve read and enjoyed, so this will always be a subjective process (which I love! Imo rec lists are special and unique exactly because they are personal).

Back to the pattern discussion, I think seeing the same works mentioned on a regular basis reflect not only my own preferences but the ways it matches some emerging trends among the readers who follow me. Now the blog’s been around for a while and I don’t rec as much as I used to, it’s fair to assume that those who stick around have found in my blog similar tastes and fandom approach. In the last couple years I’ve noticed more requests around themes such as powerful Harry, competent Draco, bi and gay awakening, or fics where they take care of each other, bond over shared trauma and redeem or heal together. I think those reading trends are largely influenced by writing trends and vice-versa (especially in the Tumblr bubble!) so in a way we’re all collectively setting those trends and de-constructing or giving new meanings to old perspectives. That’s the true transformative power of fandom! Love that for us 🙌

#wow this got a bit too long #sorry for the rambling there #asks #hopefully I was able to answer it? #lovely anons #thank you! 💜

[hyperfixatedimagines]

The Language of Girls

Anon requested: “.. the reader and alicent are in love but alicent starts find another girl “interesting” and the reader sees this and confronts her but it doesn’t go well and the reader leaves..”

A/N: Here it is. I bumped this up the queue because I got inspiration to write it. I apologize to others with older requests I really write as much as I can for all requests every day but sometimes the words flow for one idea a little easier. Anon, I hope this is what you had in mind and that if it’s not, you still enjoy it!

A/N pt. 2: It’s a modern au set at a private all girls boarding school. This is teenage Alicent x f!reader. Canon divergent in that Laenor and Laena are not twins. Laenor is older.

Your mother had sent you to private school in hopes your grades would better and your chances of getting into a good college would be higher.

Your father had demanded it be an all girls boarding school in hopes that you would make friends and finally come out of your shell.

All through elementary and junior high you were the outcast weirdo who no one bothered to get to know.

But now you had a chance to start anew. You hoped things would be different.

-

You walked to your bedroom on your own. Your parents had not bothered to go with you. Your father’s board meeting was too important and your mother simply could not miss her latest botox appointment.

Anxiety built inside you at the thought of who your roommate would be. You had never shared a room with anyone before.

What if we don’t get along? What if she’s a cool, popular, pretty girl and thinks I’m a weirdo? What if she hates me and makes my life hell? Questions swirled in your mind, a tornado starting to form.

You took a deep breath and turned the knob. You opened the door and stepped inside.

“Hello?”

A girl with silver locs came out of the bathroom your room shared with the room next door.

She smiled brightly at the sight of you.

“Hi, you must (y/n). I’m Laena,” she said and stuck her hand out towards you.

You shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

All your worst fears were confirmed. Laena was indeed beautiful, and no doubt she was cool. She would surely be the most popular girl at school.

You were toast.

-

To your great surprise, Laena was nothing like you had feared.

Yes she was cool, and was indeed very popular, but she was also the kindest person you had ever met.

She had helped you unpack your things and get you settled. Then she gave you a tour of the campus and introduced you to all her friends. She even invited you to have lunch with them all.

The other girls were nice as well, though they had all looked you up and down with a less than impressed look on their faces.

But it didn’t matter. Laena shone like the sun and made sure all her warmth radiated onto you.

At lunch, she sat next to you and naturally her friends followed.

They all chatted about various teachers and students that you had no face to connect to. So you ate your food quietly while they all spoke.

“Where is Alicent,” Laena asked one of the other girls.

“She was on a call with her father when we last saw her. I’m guessing it did not go well,” a girl that had been introduced to you as Aliandra declared as she gave herself a once over in a compact mirror.

Laena frowned. “That explains it.”

Then she turned to you.

“Alicent is one of my closest friends. You’ll love her, she’s darling....but she has a complicated relationship with her father,” Laena explained.

You nodded slowly. “I can relate to that. My relationship with my parents is complicated too.”

Oh no, had you shared too much too soon? You cursed yourself silently.

Once again, Laena surprised you.

She placed a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“Thank you for sharing that with me (y/n). I know it’s not an easy thing to do.”

Then she turned back to the other girls and told them all about her elder brother Laenor’s exploits with college boys in the city.

You listened, and laughed when appropriate.

For the first time in a long time you felt hopeful. Maybe things really would be different at this school.

-

Laena invited you to a party one of the girl’s on a different floor was having. She was an upperclassman who had a whole suite to herself. Laena said she had even invited the boys from the nearby all boys private school.

You pretended to be excited.

Laena had been nothing but kind, and she had shared that her brother was gay and didn’t seem to have any issue with it...but you were too scared to tell her that you were into girls.

It seemed too soon.

So you pretended to be excited about the private school boys.

Laena finished getting ready before you. She asked if you wanted her to wait but you had no idea what you were going to wear and didn’t want her to wait long. So you told her you would meet her there.

To her credit, Laena asked if you were sure.

You said you were. So she waved and said she would see you there.

-

You spent way too long thinking about an outfit to wear. Everything you put on seemed to look wrong. Nothing you had felt cute enough for a party.

In truth, you had never been to party so you didn’t even know what you were supposed to look like.

So you settled on something you felt comfortable in that wasn’t shabby.

You regretted not asking Laena to wait for you when you realized you had gotten lost trying to find the right suite.

Frustrated, you walked into one of the communal bathrooms on the second floor of the dormitories.

You froze in the doorway.

Cries emanated from one of the stalls.

You weren’t sure if you should say something or if it was maybe kinder to leave and let whoever it was cry in peace.

Unfortunately for you the girl emerged from the stall, tears still staining her cheeks, and immediately noticed you.

Her face scrunched up in disgust. “Who are you?”

“I’m....new,” you replied, you felt your face warm under her gaze.

“Well don’t linger in the doorway like an idiot. Come inside,” she demanded.

You stepped inside but didn’t go any closer. She furrowed her brow.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just…are you alright,” you asked even though you knew exactly what type of girl you had just met was and you would surely regret asking.

“I’m fine.” She crossed the distance between you and backed you up against the door. “I don’t know what you think you heard but it was nothing worth sharing. Do you understand?”

You nodded.

The girl exhaled. “Good,” she said then returned to the sinks. She touched up her appearance in the mirror.

You didn’t linger. Having had enough of the mean girl who had obviously been crying in the bathroom stall, you turned around and left the bathroom.

Laena walked down the hall towards you. She lit up when she saw you.

“(y/n)! There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she said as she got closer.

You blushed. “I’m sorry. I got a bit lost.”

Laena waved her hand. “Forget about it. Let’s get to the party. The boys from the Citdel are even cuter than we thought they’d be.”

She wrapped her arm around yours and started to lead you down the hall when the door of the bathroom swung open.

Both you and Laena turned around.

Laena let go of your arm when the mean girl walked out.

“Alicent, we’ve been looking for you all day.”

She ran to the girl and gave her a hug.

To your suprise, the girl hugged Laena back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for anyone to worry.”

When they pulled away from one another Laena kept her arms on the girl’s shoulders.

“How could we not worry? Are you feeling up to the party tonight? If not we can all go back to my room, watch a couple movies and pig out on my special snack stash?”

The girl shook her head. “No, I know everyone was looking forward to meeting boys from the Citadel tonight. I don’t want to ruin anyones fun.”

Laena gave the girl’s shoulders a squeeze. “You could never ruin anything.”

The girl brought down Laena’s hands from her shoulders.

“It’s okay Laena, really. I’m up for the party.”

Laena sighed. “If you’re sure?”

The girl nodded. “Of course.”

With that Laena laced her fingers with the girl’s and turned towards (y/n). Laena locked eyes with (y/n) and stopped. She playfully hit herself in the head with the palm of her hand. 

“Where are my manners?”

She turned to the girl next to her.

“Alicent this is (y/n). She’s my new roommate.”

Then Laena turned to you.

“(y/n) this is Alicent, my best friend.”

You and Alicent locked eyes.

Alicent blushed and looked away. At least she had the good sense to feel embarrassed by what she had said to you.

You smiled at her. “It’s nice to meet you Alicent.”

She nodded. “Sure.”

Then she let go of Laena’s hand and marched down the hall towards the party.

Laena turned to you.

“Did something happen?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Laena frowned, the first time you had seen her make such an expression.

“Don’t worry. Alicent is actually very sweet.”

“I’m sure she is,” you replied.

Laena walked you to the suite where the party was already in full swing. You swallowed hard. Laena noticed.

“Is this your first party?”

You nodded.

Laena perked up and looped her arm around yours.

“Do not worry (y/n). I will make sure your first party is a wonderful memory.”

“That’s sweet of you Laena.” You smiled and felt your anxiety lessen. Laena would take care of you.

“First step, shots!” She shouted and dragged you to the drinks table.

Years of peer pressure school assemblies did not prepare you for the shots of cheap liquor and the cups of mysterious “punch” you drank that night.

But it didn’t matter because, true to her word, Laena had not left your side and made sure you laughed all night.

Though her company did little to distract you from the way Alicent’s gaze lingered on you throughout the night. Her eyes on you made you nervous but also kind of...excited.

-

The morning after your first party was a lot less fun. Your brain pounded inside your skull, making every moment your eyes were open a painful experience.

Laena, ever the steadfast friend, brought painkillers and water over to your bedside.

“You had quite the night,” she teased.

You did your best to smile. “Is every night like that?”

Laena let out a small laugh. “I wish. Sadly, we are a good group of girls most of the time.”

She promised to stay with you until you felt better but she had forgotten her tennis team met early in the morning for practice.

“Don’t worry (y/n). I won’t leave you alone. Your first hangover can be really rough and I don’t want you to go through it by yourself.”

You sat up in bed. “It’s alright Laena. I’ll be okay. Thankfully, classes don’t start for me until tomorrow.”

Laena shook her head. “I won’t hear of it. Let me see who I can wrangle.”

Then she raced out of the room and down the hall.

Minutes later she returned with the last person you wanted to share a morning with.

Alicent.

She and Laena walked into the room. Laena turned to you with a smile.

“Alicent has kindly agreed to nurse you to health.”

She didn’t even look at you. Instead, she looked at Laena with a tight smile. You got the feeling she was doing this more for Laena’s sake than yours.

“That’s not necessary Laena it’s okay really,” you implored.

“I told you I’ll have none of that. This will be a great time to get to know one another,” Laena proclaimed as she grabbed her sports bag.

She turned to Alicent.

“Be sure she stays hydrated. I think we have gatorade in the mini but if not make sure to pop out and grab some, yeah?”

Alicent nodded.

“Of course Laena.”

Then Laena turned back to you. She kissed your cheek before dashing out the door.

“Feel better roomie!”

“Bye Laena,” you called out.

The door closed behind her with a thud and an uncomfortable silence descended on the once bright room.

You cleared your throat and looked towards Alicent.

“You don’t have to stay. I can tell her you did but you can go.”

Alicent finally met your gaze. Her rich brown eyes bore into your own.

“Don’t be stupid. Laena would know if you were lying.”

The anxiety from being around Alicent almost made you forget the pounding in your skull. You brought your hand up to your forehead and closed your eyes.

“Are you alright?” She asked, her voice surprisingly soft.

You nodded. “Yeah I just have this massive headache.”

The ache subsided and you were able to open your eyes.

Alicent stood by your side, looking down at you with concern. “Did you already take some painkillers?”

“Laena gave me some,” you said, uneasy at her drastic change towards you.

She nodded. “Good. Have you eaten?”

You shook your head. “I woke up a few minutes ago.”

“Do you have any food allergies?”

You shook your head again. “Not that I know of.”

Alicent walked out of your dorm room without another word.

You were unsure what prompted the change of heart but you wouldn’t question it. The ache returned and you covered your head with your duvet, seeking relief from the bright light of the sun streaming through your blinds.

-

“Did you really fall asleep again,” came an annoyed voice from above your sheets.

You popped your head out to see Alicent frowning by the doorway.

“You came back?”

Alicent closed the door behind her. She rolled her eyes.

“You’re so dramatic. I said I was going to get you some food.”

You furrowed your brows. “No you didn’t. You just asked if I had eaten and if I had food allergies.”

“And what do those questions imply?” She asked as she set down the bag she was carrying on the desk beside your bed.

“Well...I didn’t- I mean you’re,” you stuttered.

Alicent unpacked the bag. She had brought various cut up fruit in a bowl, oatmeal, and a breakfast sandwich along with a cup of something hot as the steam rose from the small opening on the lid.

“Is all that for me?”

She nodded. “Obviously.” Then she grabbed the cup and handed it to you. “This is ginger tea. It helps a lot with a hangover.”

You sat up in bed and took the cup from her. “Thank you.”

“Whatever. I promised Laena so,” she said and trailed off, not meeting your gaze.

Your stomach grumbled. You let out a small laugh. “Guess you were right to bring some food.”

To your surprise, Alicent smiled.

It was gone as soon as it came but Alicent’s smile was so lovely you decided to get her to smile again just to see it.

“Make sure to eat up, it’ll make you feel better,” she said and moved all the food closer to your reach.

“Thank you Alicent. You didn’t have to do this but you did.”

Alicent shrugged. “It’s nothing,” she insisted.

You grabbed the breakfast sandwich and took a bite. Instantly you felt better. You took another bite and let out a small moan.

When you realized what sound you had made your eyes shot open and you turned to Alicent, hoping she hadn’t noticed.

She had.

Alicent laughed, actually laughed, and you decided her laugh was even more lovely than her smile.

It wasn’t a cruel laugh but more so an empathetic one.

You blushed. “Sorry about that,” you said after you swallowed your food.

“It’s okay. Laena has worse hangover stories about me.” She handed you a napkin.

“Thank you,” you said and took it.

“Like I said, it’s nothing. I’ll be here all morning if you need anything.”

Alicent climbed onto Laena’s bed that was opposite yours and scooted all the way back until she rest against the wall. She took out her phone from her cardigan pocket and started to scroll.

It was silent but no longer uncomfortably so. You ate your food and drank your tea in peace while Alicent tapped away on her phone. Occasionally she would look up and check in on you. Sometimes she even got up and checked that you didn’t feel too hot or too cold.

Every time the back of her hand touched your forehead your whole body flooded with an overwhelming heat. You feared she would notice but she never did.

Instead she’d go back to Laena’s bed and continue to scroll on her phone. 

When you finished all the food she had brought up, at her insistence that you eat a little bit of everything, you let your head rest against your headboard and closed your eyes. The throbbing in your head had stopped some time ago and no nausea had overtaken you. You felt like you were in the clear....

Until suddenly you ran to your bathroom and knelt down on the floor in front of the toilet.

Alicent raced to your side and made sure your hair was out of your face. “Yikes,” she whispered.

Once you were done puking you rinsed your mouth and cleaned up your face. Alicent stood by the door of the bathroom and watched you.

“Maybe I brought too much food.”

You smiled. “Maybe.”

Alicent laughed and this time you joined her. You met her gaze and felt butterflies fill your chest.

Oh no, you thought.

-

Weeks past and your friendship with Alicent grew.

You got to see the side of Alicent that Laena had spoken about, and the more time you spent by Alicent’s side the more time with her you craved.

She had consumed you.

But you would not jeopardize the friendships you had made. Finally, you had a group of girls you could call friends. Well, Laena and Alicent were your friends. Aliandra and the rest of them were more acquaintances as you rarely ever saw them unless you were with Alicent or Laena but still, you had people who knew your name.

Your parents were glad to hear that you had adjusted to life there and that you had found friends. Your mom even pointed out the way you glowed whenever you spoke to them about Alicent. You made sure to tell them Alicent was simply your friend.

And you didn’t mind it. If her friend was all you could be that was good enough for you.

Having Alicent as a friend was better than not having Alicent at all.

She had a way of making you feel like the only person in the room, even when you were surrounded by the other girls. She would make sure to always pay attention whenever you spoke and would hush the rest of the group if they weren’t listening.

Alicent made you feel more than welcomed, she made you feel special.

You quickly learned that Alicent did so as a way to make up for the way she was treated at home.

It didn’t take long before her father contacted her again and Alicent’s mood shifted back to that mean girl you had first met.

But you learned that patience and silent support was what Alicent needed after speaking with her father. Alicent was thankful that she had you, and that you understood exactly what she needed.

Soon a routine had formed for you and Alicent. Every day after dinner the two of you would sneak onto the roof of the dormitories and look at the stars.

Alicent had a secret fascination with astronomy. She even had her own telescope. She loved pointing out the various constellations to you, and you loved the way she lit up whenever she spoke about something she was passionate about.

One time, Alicent caught you staring.

“Why are you looking at me like that,” she asked you with small smirk on her face.

“I uhm- I just...well I-,” you sputtered, unable to think of a lie quick enough.

Alicent laughed and shook her head. “You’re so weird (y/n).”

You smiled. “I know.”

She returned your smile and reached out for your hand. You let her, and she laced her fingers with yours.

“I like that,” she confessed.

You squeezed her hand. “Good.”

Alicent let out another laugh before she returned her attention to the stars.

-

Months into the fall semester, you received devastating news.

Laena’s parents planned to move her to another school. They were moving to another country for business and didn’t like the idea of Laena being alone.

So the girls all spent Laena’s final night together.

Alicent was a mess of tears. You held her the entire time, your arm wrapped around her waist. Alicent rest her head on your shoulder.

“You can’t leave Laena. You’re my oldest friend,” Alicent pleaded.

Laena had shed her fair share of tears since she had received word from her parents. She needed to finish packing.

“I know Ali. I’m sorry. If I could stay you know I would.”

Alicent nodded. “I know. I’ll just miss you so much.”

Laena walked to where the two of your sat, on the edge of your bed, and held both your hands.

“I’ll still keep in contact. Besides, you have each other now.”

Alicent lifted her head from your shoulder and met your gaze. She smiled softly.

“That’s true,” she whispered.

You returned Alicent’s smile and nodded. Sometimes you didn’t trust yourself to speak when she was so close.

Laena looked between the two of you then smiled knowingly. She returned to her things and hours later she finished packing.

Then it was time for fun.

The three of you ate all the sweets and snacks Laena had hid from the prefects on your floor. Then you had a quick bit of karaoke as it was Laena’s favorite group activity.

Finally you all curled up on Laena’s bed, it was slightly wider than yours, and promised to never stop being friends.

Before Alicent left back to her room Laena made you both promise to welcome her cousin Rhaenyra who was scheduled to start in the spring semester.

You promised.

Any family member of Laena’s had to be as sweet. She had welcomed you with open arms and you would surely do the same. Alicent was more relucant to promise but she did.

The next morning you helped Laena bring her things down to where her parents were waiting for her.

Her father loaded all of Laena’s things into the car.

Laena gave you a big hug before she held you by the shoulders and stared into your eyes.

“Before I leave I need to tell you something.”

“Is everything okay? Did you forget something?” You asked and turned your head back towards the dorms.

Laena nodded and brought your attention back to her. “I have everything. I just think you should know that Alicent likes girls.”

You furrowed your brows. “What?”

“Alicent is a lesbian.” Laena gave your shoulders a quick squeeze. “So don’t be afraid to go after her okay?”

“What? Why would you- I mean I don’t even,” you rambled.

Laena laughed. “(y/n), I knew from the second I saw you that you weren’t straight. I’m like a gay people magnet it’s crazy.”

You exhaled. “Sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want things to be weird between us.”

“It’s okay. I know things like this aren’t easy. For the record, nothing will ever change between us because you like girls (y/n).” Laena gave you a quick kiss on the cheek. “Now go get your girl.”

Laena let go of your shoulders and got into her parent’s car. She rolled the window down and waved to you as they pulled away.

You waved back with a bittersweet smile on your face. You would miss Laena...but the bombshell she dropped on you before leaving had your mind reeling.

-

Things hadn’t changed much since Laena’s departure. You didn’t talk to the other girls as often anymore but you and Alicent were closer than ever.

The two of you were practically glued to each other’s side.

That night you prepared everything for the movie night you and Alicent had planned. She really wanted to see the new horror movie on her favorite streaming site so you offered to watch it with her.

Alicent arrived right on time, with a bowl of freshly popped popcorn in her arms.

“Are you ready to watch the scariest movie you’ve ever seen?” She asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

You laughed. “I doubt it will be that scary.”

Alicent walked into the room and set the bowl of popcorn on your bedside table. Then she turned back to you.

“You said that about the last movie we watched and then you made me sleep in Laena’s old bed for two weeks because you were convinced an evil demon was under your bed.”

You rolled your eyes. “Whatever. I still Aliandra totally cursed the room after that fight we had.”

Alicent shook her head. “You’re so weird.”

You walked up to her and playfully shoved her with your shoulder. “You know you love it.”

Alicent laughed. “Ugh, for some ungodly reason I do.”

Then the two of you settled side by side in your bed. Alicent grabbed your arm and wrapped it around her waist. She always claimed it was more comfortable that way and you never argued.

You hit play and within two minutes regretted saying yes to watching it. Alicent would be sleeping in Laena’s bed again for the next several days.

-

As a thank you for spending the night in your room for weeks after you got scared, just as she had predicated, you planned a special picnic for Alicent.

It was on the date of the pink super moon. It had been the only thing Alicent talked about for the past week.

So when night fell, you led Alicent up to the roof and revealed the extensive spread of charcuterie and foreign snacks Alicent loved.

Alicent beamed. “You did this? For me?”

“Of course. I wanted to thank you for staying with me every night after we watched that movie,” you confessed sheepishly.

“You didn’t have to do this (y/n).”

You led Alicent to the picnic blanket and sat opposite her. Alicent sat and immediately grabbed her favorite snack. You smiled as she dipped the vanilla wafers into the chocolate frosting.

She let out a small moan as she ate. You laughed, happy that your plan had worked.

After the two of you had filled your bellies with food and sparkling cider, you sat shoulder to shoulder.

Alicent stared up at the pink super moon while you gazed at her. Neither of you spoke, and you didn’t have to.

“You’re staring at me,” Alicent said before tearing her eyes away from the moon.

You looked away and blushed. “I am not.”

“You totally were, you weirdo,” Alicent teased.

You met her gaze. “And if I was staring?”

“I would ask why,” she replied while looking down at your lips.

“I think you’re beautiful.”

Laena’s words rang in your ears. It was now or never, you thought.

Alicent looked back up at you. “You do?”

You nodded. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

Alicent smiled then leaned in close. You closed the gap between the two of you and pressed your lips to hers. 

Her lips felt soft, and tasted of cider.

Alicent climbed into your lap without breaking the kiss. She cupped your face and kept you close. Your hands settled on her lower back.

You kissed until your lungs begged you for air. Even then you only pulled away long enough to catch your breath before kissing Alicent once more.

-

Winter break felt like ages. You had been apart from your girlfriend for too long and you needed the feel of her lips against yours.

So the second your car pulled up to the dorms you raced out and headed directly to Alicent’s room.

She had sent you a text that she had arrived a few hours early.

You barged into her room and immediately wrapped your arms around her.

Alicent laughed as you peppered kissed to the back and sides of her neck.

“I missed you too (y/n),” she said.

You stopped kissing her and let go. Alicent turned to face you and she gave you a proper kiss.

“Welcome back,” she whispered when she pulled away.

“It’s good to be home,” you replied.

Alicent immediately enlisted your help with unpacking her things and setting up her room for the spring semester. Alicent liked to have a new theme to her room every semester.

After you had helped Alicent set up her room you went to yours. Your driver had texted you that he had brought everything up so all you had to do was unpack.

You opened the door and felt a sense of deja vu as silver hair popped out from the bathroom.

“You must be (y/n),” the silver haired girl said.

She came up to you and wrapped you in a hug.

“And you must be Rhaenyra,” you replied.

Rhaenyra let go of you and nodded.

“Laena has said nothing but great things about you.”

You smiled sheepishly. “I would hope so.”

Rhaenyra laughed and began to ask you all about the school, the girls, and the classes.

You gave Rhaenyra a tour much like the one Laena had given you the previous semester. Then you introduced her to all of the girls. Rhaenyra and the girls clicked instantly.

A part of you was a bit jealous they had gotten along so easily when it had taken you a few weeks before they really warmed up to you.

But she was Laena’s cousin. You knew she had to be as sweet as Laena, and so far she had been. So nothing could bring you down.

After introductions you and Rhaenyra walked back to your dorm. You hoped to introduce her to Alicent but you could not find her. So that would just have to wait until lunch.

-

At lunch, you and Rhaenyra sat with the whole gaggle of girls. They asked Rhaenyra all about how Laena was doing, and they wanted to know more about her. From the answers Rhaenyra gave them you deduced she was not really all that much like Laena.

Rhaenyra rode a motorcycle (she was two years your senior but had been held back a year due to a learning disability she had that wasn’t diagnosed until later in her life), and she liked to play rugby.

Everyone thought Rhaenyra was the coolest and they declared her the coolest girl in school right then and there.

You laughed along but a part of you felt like something was about to shift.

Alicent walked up to the table where you all sat.

You smiled. “Hey, I was looking for you all morning.”

Alicent didn’t reply. Her gaze was completely on Rhaenyra.

Rhaenyra stretched her hand out to Alicent and introduced herself.

“Laena mentioned you would be joining us,” Alicent replied and shook Rhaenyra’s hand.

“Sadly, she didn’t mention just how beautiful you are so I’m left completely speechless,” Rhaenyra replied. She turned Alicent’s hand over and kissed the top of it. “A pleasure to meet you Alicent.”

Alicent raised her brows. “Oh,” was all she said.

Thankfully, Rhaenyra’s attention shifted to Aliandra and a bet that she had made with one of the other girls about how much Rhaenyra could bench press.

You stared at Alicent, growing upset at her response to Rhaenyra’s obvious flirting.

Alicent would not meet your gaze, which only made you more upset.

-

Back in your dorm room you clarified to Rhaenyra that Alicent was your girlfriend.

Rhaenyra apologized for flirting with Alicent and promised she would respect your relationship.

You had no reason to doubt her so you didn’t. You took Rhaenyra to the welcome back party in one of the senior’s suites.

It was not Rhaenrya’s first party.

The social butterfly she was, Rhaenyra flitted from person to person. She was the center of attention when she challenged one of the Citadel boys to a drinking contest.

Everyone cheered when she won.

You felt rather inferior to Rhaenyra. Especially since all of the girls who had been your friends now clung to Rhaenyra’s side.

So you left the party and went to Alicent’s room.

Alicent didn’t want to go to the party as she was supposed to have a call from her father after dinner and knew she would be in no mood.

You knocked on the door and heard Alicent tell you to enter. So you opened the door and walked inside.

Alicent sat by the window, frowning.

“Are you alright?”

“No,” Alicent confessed. “I just got off the phone with my dad.”

You nodded slowly. “Okay, what can I do?”

“Hold me,” Alicent asked, her voice breaking.

Immediately you went to her side and wrapped her up in your arms.

-

Things had taken a turn in your relationship with Alicent.

It turned out she had a class with Rhaenyra, and they started to spend a lot of time studying by themselves.

You often asked to join as you had chemistry this semester and science was your worst subject but they insisted it was best to study on their own.

You had no reason to doubt Alicent or Rhaenyra so you believed them.

But suspicion soon crept up your spine.

Rhaenyra rarely spent time in your dorm room. She really only used it to sleep and bathe.

You didn’t know where she went the rest of the time and you were scared it was Alicent’s room.

So one day when Alicent had told you she was busy studying in the library you went to her room.

You noticed photo booth pictures of Alicent and Rhaenyra sitting on Alicent’s desk.

You picked them up.

One of them had Alicent and Rhaenyra a little too close for comfort. Your stomach twisted.

They had lied to you. Clearly they did not spend all their time studying. They just didn’t want to include you, and you had a sneaking suspicion why.

-

Every date you planned with Alicent ended with her canceling it. Something always came up or she simply was too tired from studying to do anything.

You tried to visit Alicent in her dorm room but she was hardly ever there either. You searched the rooftop and only found her telescope covered in cobwebs, yet another sign of how much time had passed since the two of you had gone up there.

She also had developed a habit of leaving you on read, or sending your calls straight to voicemail.

“She’s totally hooking up with Rhaenyra. How do you not see that,” Aliandra asked you.

You sighed. “I don’t want to assume the worst of Ali.”

Aliandra shook her head. “You’re a sweet girl (y/n). You need to end things for your own sake.”

Then she grabbed her books and left. You sat alone in the library, hoping to see a glimpse of your girlfriend.

Was she still your girlfriend? You didn’t even know.

-

In a last ditch effort to save your relationship, you set up a movie night with Alicent.

You knew the sequel to her favorite horror movie was going to drop on streaming sites that night at midnight and that was not something Alicent would miss.

She promised to not cancel this time, and that filled you with hope. Maybe this was just a rough patch.

The night of the premiere arrived and you finished setting up everything in your room. You popped a fresh bag of popcorn and readied Alicent’s favorite snacks.

Then you sat on your bed and waited.

You ended up waiting hours.

You sent texts and calls to no avail. Alicent was not answering and it was past midnight.

Frustrated and angry you marched to Alicent’s room. How could she leave you hanging like that?

You knocked on her door.

“Alicent? Alicent open the door,” you called out.

No answer came. So you knocked again, louder this time.

Still nothing.

So you walked back to your room in defeat.

As you made your way to your room you passed by the large window that overlooked the lot where everyone pulled up to drop people off.

There Rhaenyra pulled in on her motorcycle, Syrax, and came to a stop. You stepped closer to the window and realized Rhaenyra was not alone.

Your heart sank.

It was Alicent. She had her arms wrapped around Rhaenyra’s waist.

Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes. You turned away from the window and raced to your room.

You buried your face in your pillows and let the tears flow. You had lost her.

-

Alicent had ghosted you.

How she had successfully managed that at a small, private, boarding school was beyond you but it was probably due to the fact that you did not like confrontation.

You had accepted the truth.

Rhaenyra had stolen your girlfriend.

She was nothing like Laena.

Thankfully Rhaenyra had not charmed everyone. Aliandra didn’t hate Rhaenyra but she was certainly more skeptical of the silver haired girl.

So you were able to switch rooms and be roommates with Aliandra pretty quickly after you realized the truth.

Aliandra welcomed you to her room but warned she was quite messy. She was very messy indeed but you would deal with it because you never wanted to see Rhaenyra or Alicent ever again.

But you did.

The campus was not very large and you often saw them arm in arm walking about the courtyard.

It hurt every time, and you would always end up crying into your pillow.

-

Weeks later, after countless tears and ruined silk pillowcases, you had finally moved on from Alicent (or so you had deluded yourself).

You had even managed to make new friends.

Things were starting to look up.

Then you saw Alicent’s father walk across the quad. You had only seen him in photos but he was a very distinct man so you knew that was him immediately.

You intended to think nothing of it and walk straight to chemistry class but your feet led you to Alicent’s door.

You sighed. You had moved on. What on Earth were you doing outside Alicent’s door?

“What are you doing here,” came a familiar voice behind you.

You whirled around to see Alicent standing behind you, her eyes red and swollen from crying.

Your heart softened.

“I...I saw your Dad in the quad.”

At the mention of her father fresh tears filled Alicent’s eyes. She pushed past you and into her room.

You followed her and shut the door behind you.

“I wanted to check in on you. To see if you were alright. I know how your dad can be.”

Alicent let out a hollow laugh. “Why do you even care?”

“Unlike you, I have compassion and empathy.”

Alicent turned to face you. “That’s fair.”

She wrapped her arms around herself.

You sighed. “I’m sorry that wasn’t cool. I just...” You shook your head. “Just forget I even came here. I’m sorry.”

You turned to leave but Alicent raced forward and grabbed your wrist.

“Don’t go.”

You closed your eyes. “I can’t stay Alicent.”

You felt her arms wrap around you from behind. She let her forehead rest against the back of your shoulder.

“I’m sorry (y/n). I’m so sorry for how I treated you. It was childish and heartless. Just please...don’t leave.” Alicent sighed. “He was especially cruel today.”

Hearing the pain in her voice weakened your resolve. You opened your eyes and sighed.

“Okay. I’ll stay.”

Alicent let go of you and you turned to face her. She cupped your face with her hand and ran her thumb across your cheek.

“Thank you.”

The two of you climbed into Alicent’s bed, as you had many times before, and she wrapped your arm around her waist. She let her head rest on your shoulder.

Silence enveloped the room.

Like before, it was not uncomfortable silence even though so much had changed between you.

“I want us to be friends (y/n). I miss you,” Alicent whispered.

You winced. It hurt to hear she missed you but only wanted to be friends.

“I can’t,” you admitted. “I’m still in love with you.”

Alicent lifted her head and met your gaze. “I’m sorry I can’t love you the way you deserve (y/n).”

Tears filled your eyes. “It’s okay.”

A tear fell down the side of your cheek and Alicent gently wiped it away. You swallowed the rest of your tears.

Alicent let her head rest of your shoulder once more. She laced her fingers with your free hand.

You couldn’t change the way things were but you could stay there, with Alicent, comforting her after her father had upset her in the way he always did.

She was no longer yours but you would always be the one she sought whenever she needed comfort. You were the only one who truly knew her, and she knew you would comfort her each and every time.

So during summer break you asked your parents to send you back to public school. You couldn’t be Alicent’s comfort anymore, not when she was the source of your heartache.

#alicent higtower imagine #alicent hightower x reader #alicent hightower #house of the dragon imagine #house of the dragon reader insert

[lathalea]

Thorin’s Ask Box – Winter Edition!

Due to popular demand, as promised...

❄🎄👑 THORIN’S ROYAL ASK BOX IS OPEN AGAIN! 👑🎄❄

It’s the time of giving so King Thorin Oakenshield is waiting for your letters sent by the Royal Raven Post. He has taken over my ask box this week so the asks you send to me until Saturday (17th December) will be replied to by our majestic King Under The Mountain. 🎁 The winter edition is a bit different than the previous ones – if you like, Thorin can send his reply as a private ask to your inbox! 🎁

RULES:

📜Make sure you’re following me before sending your ask to Thorin.

📜 Reblog this post.

📜Max one question per ask please because Thorin is a busy king (rebuilding Erebor is hard!). There is no limit on the number of asks from one person. Go ahead and spam me!

📜 NSFW asks are allowed, but you have to be 18+ to send them. 📜 If you would like Thorin to send his reply to your ask box, let him know with this emoji 🤫 If you choose this option: 1) No anons please - the Royal Raven Post needs to know where to send the King’s letters. 2) Don’t forget to have asks enabled.

If you’d like Thorin to send you a private ask instead of a public reply to your ask, please add this emoji 🤫 to your ask and then pick a second emoji from the list below. 

My King, I would like you to send me… 🌟 - a letter where you share a secret with me (Thorin will tell you one of his secrets)

❄ - a Dwarven winter tradition

💎 - an answer to my question (ask Thorin anything!)

💗 - a love letter (don’t forget your pronouns and a detail or two about you!) 😊 - a supportive message (should it be focused on anything specific?)

🐴 - a note from one of Thorin Oakenshield’s journeys through Middle Earth

🤩 - an ask with a question (Thorin is a curious Dwarf and wants to know you better) 🔥 - a very naughty letter (18+ only; you can send in a prompt if you like)

🎅 - a very nice gift (Thorin will send you something special if you tell him your favorite color and share something about you)

🍪 - one of Bombur’s Yule recipes (any preferences?)

If Thorin replies to you with an ask, it is up to you to decide if you’d like to keep his letter private or if you’d prefer to share it with the wide world of Tumblr 💙

The King Under the Mountain is waiting for your letters!

#have you been naughty or nice? #thorin oakenshield #thorin's ask box #winter #the hobbit #ask game #thorin #erebor #thorin imagine #thorin headcanons #king thorin #king under the mountain #thorin son of thrain #thorin fanart #send asks #fanfic #thorin x you #thorin x reader

[hawkeyeharrington]

The 5 times You and Steve ‘Accidentally’ Kissed

Pairings: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Brief mention of beat up Steve, a very distorted timeline because I just wrote what I wanted.

Word Count: 2423

An anon request for a prequel based on Nightmares, where I mentioned Steve and Reader had accidentally kissed before. Don’t need to read the main fic to understand anything!

Masterlist

1.

The first time was in the hallways at Hawkins during a school dance. You tagged along with your friends and their boyfriends, which naturally meant you stood awkwardly by the drinks table, nodding gently every time Mr Clarke tried to make the situation less painful for you, all while he stood guard of the punch.

As you watched everyone pair up for a dance, you forced a smile and waved goodbye as you turned and left. You figured if you hovered outside time might pass a little faster and your mom would arrive to pick you up in no time.

However, it doesn’t work like that. You stood outside the hall, humming quietly to yourself as you leaned against the lockers in a world of your own. You were disrupted as the music got louder before getting muffled again, a sign that the door had been opened.

“Hey, are you okay?” A concerned voice echoed.

“Yep, just peachy. Shouldn’t you be dancing with whatever lady likes you and your fancy hair today?” You teased, your posture straightening to seem less upset by your current situation.

“I should be, but she took one look at Billy and now they’ve disappeared to what I can only assume is the back of the bleachers.” He shuddered, laughing quietly at your grimace that you couldn’t conceal. He came up beside you, falling against the lockers on his side so he could look at you clearly.

At this point you didn’t really know Steve, sure you had been to some of his parties that the entirety of the school were invited to, had the same classes and had the odd friendly conversation, but you were both in different leagues popularity wise. But that didn’t seem to matter at that moment in time.

“That’s not an image I needed but here we are I guess.” You smiled, looking up at him. “At least you were smart enough to come to a dance with someone, makes the first half less boring at least.”

“You didn’t come with anyone? You’re a catch, I don’t believe that.”

You rolled your eyes. “Not everyone has people throwing themselves at them, almost demanding a date.” You felt his breath hit the side of your face as he moved closer, his arm resting above him, against the locker. Naturally you felt your heart skip a beat as you watched him closely.

“This was set up by Tommy thinking he’s smart and assuming I can’t have fun on my own. We could have been annoyed by Mr Clarke together if that happened.” He smirked.

“You were watching me? I was just taking a breather.” You lied, trying to seem cooler than you came across.

“Doesn’t matter what you were doing, you look beautiful tonight. You deserve someone to tell you that.” He whispered, inching in again.

“What are you doing?” You questioned, ignoring any thoughts that were screaming at you to back away before you got caught. His hand dropped to your waist, your breath hitching in response.

“You can tell me to stop whenever you want.” He hummed seconds before his lips were on yours. You responded instantly, perhaps too quickly, but that didn’t matter as his firm grasp on your hip reminded you what was happening. 

It was over just as quick as it started, as you heard his name being called from the top of the hall, unable to attach the voice to a person you pulled away, meeting Steve dazed eyes again.

“They know we spiked the punch before they were at the table! We gotta go!” You heard a femine voice shout. You watched as Steve's calm persona returned. “I’ll speak to you later.” He winked before jogging away.

He didn’t speak to you for another month, that’s why it’s classed as an accident. It’s also why you never told him that was your first kiss.

2. 

The first time the kids witnessed any affection between the two of you was just before you all got separated, you going off with Hopper and Joyce, while everyone else was going to keep El safe. 

You and Steve teamed together given the choice, being two of the oldest people in the room. Once it was announced you would be separated, Hopper and Joyce needing your help he pulled you to the side. 

“I promise I’ll be okay.” You smiled, reaching for his hand. “They’re not going to let anything happen to me, they’ve basically adopted me at this point.” You joked, giving his hand a light squeeze.

“I’m not concerned about them looking out for you, I’m concerned about what you’ll be up against.” Steve clarified, pulling you a little closer when he caught Dustin trying to hear what was being discussed. “I’d prefer it if I was there with you.” He admitted, you caught his cheeks reddening ever so slightly.

“And if you were with me, who would be here to make sure the kids were safe? We both know they essentially need to be kept on a lead and within six feet of you at all times. They trust you more than me, take it as a compliment you’re being asked to stay with them.”

He opened his mouth to protest but you heard Hopper calling your name, a slight growl to his tone as he was getting impatient. You also heard Joyce telling him off which made you duck your head to conceal your giggle. “I’ll be back before you know it.” You assured him before making the bold choice to press a kiss to his cheek.

Steve, out of confusion leaned in closer, ending up with his lips on yours. Your brain, not fully registering what was happening, out of panic made you pull back far too quickly, looking up at him with wide eyes, his expression being one of embarrassment.

“I’ll see you later.” You whispered, dropping his hand before walking away as quickly as possible, while he watched you walk away. 

“Well you fucked that up didn’t you.” Dustin called out, only to be hit by the blanket Steve grabbed from the side.

3.

“Was this on your bingo card for tonight?” You whispered, trying to lighten the mood. Given the current circumstance of you and Steve being pressed up against each other in a supply cupboard, hiding from a demogorgon that was prowling up and down the school corridors you deemed it necessary.

“Well there’s worse people I could be stuck with.” He teased, letting out a quiet laugh, his breath fanning against your hair. “Situation could be better though.” He muttered, clearly not understanding how close you were in the dark.

“This is like seven minutes in heaven, life or death edition.” You hummed out in response, ignoring the way your heart skipped at his previous words.

You felt his eyes drop lower to try to see yours in the darkness, his hand trailing down your arm. “Is that really where your mind is now? You disgust me.” He laughed, you could feel it vibrate through his body to yours. “We could be eaten alive at any moment and you wanna make out with me.” He smirked as his hand found yours, you quickly gripped it back.

“The situation could be better, but what a way to go.” You whispered, squeezing his hand back. You both stood in silence, unsure if he was considering what you were unintentionally offering or listening for any sounds outside. You were supposed to be quiet after all. 

You felt his whole body shift in front of yours, before his lips grazed yours gently.

Before you could even register what was happening there was a loud knock at the door, followed by Dustin’s hushed voice. “Are you fully dressed in there? We can make a run for it!” You felt Steve’s body tense against yours before the door was opened, wincing at the light you brought your hand up to your eyes, dropping Steves in the process. “Oh excellent, you didn’t take this opportunity to you know..” He nodded in your direction, not needing words to make clear what he was implying. 

“Shut up asshole.” Steve groaned, stepping out to shove him before striding off.

4

The fourth time wasn’t really considered an accident by everyone who had caught, or heard, about the interaction but both you and Steve were adamant it was an accident. Well, you told everyone it was an accident and Steve really played into it.

Not many people will ever understand the adrenaline that runs through a person's body if you don’t know what happens under everyone's noses at Hawkins, but everyones seen the movies of how people do random acts under the impression of adrenaline.

Attracting demodogs to your location is one crazy moment, but then beating them up with a nailed bat is too much for your brain to comprehend. Never in your meagre, normal life did you think you’d be spending your evening with Steve Harrington and a bunch of just-teenagers beating up dog-like aliens.

So as Steve retreated back to the abandoned school bus, you reached for his hand, pulling him forward, letting him crash on top of you as you both kicked the door shut. The wooden bat was the only thing that fell planned and gracefully making it avoid you by a distance.

There was silence as the demodogs were working out their next move, the kids shouting at Steve for being an idiot, you couldn’t quite make the words out as you laid there, panting with your eyes locked with his.

There was no hesitation before you gripped his jacket and pulled him down hard. His lips messily met yours, teeth clashing together. The kiss merely a release, desperation to make sure he was still with you. You have no idea how long you were like that, but Dustin's echoing voice shouting “Ew! Right now? Really?!” Pulled you out of it.

As you fell back down onto the floor of the bus, your eyes widened as you shoved Steve off you. The tension between you both was quickly broken by heavy footsteps on the roof.

While you never discussed that kiss with Steve again, Lucas in particular would not let you live it down.

5. 

After the week you had all just experienced with Starcourt, sitting silently in the basement was just what you needed. El and Mike were essentially sat on top of each other, playing with each other's hands, Will and Dustin were quietly setting up the D&D game Will had been promised would happen in the morning while Lucas and Max were reading a magazine together. You and Steve, having come joined them last after bandaging each other up, had to sit on the floor in front of the game table, seeing as no one wanted to give up their seats.

“So can you guys be left alone now and not make out or do we just have to accept you’re a thing now? I totally assume moments were shared while you cleaned Steve up. Totally romantic.” Lucas smirked, ignoring the nudge he got from Max, in exchange for the snort Mike and Dustin gave.

“Yeah oddly enough I felt no desire to make out with Steve while I tried to reduce the swelling on three quarters of his face.” You said, eyes rolling on impulse.

“We’re not horny teenagers just discovering feelings like you guys.” He nodded, letting them all look at Mike and Lucas’ current situation with their sort of unconfirmed girlfriends.

“I don’t know, I still definitely think something happened in the supply closet.” Dustin chimed in.

“Yeah well nothing did.” You replied quickly, watching Steve take in a quick breath beside you.

“How can we believe you, you still claim nothing happened on the bus and we all literally saw it.” Lucas added, the smirk still there. “You act like our mom and dad, might as well make it official. We all feel the spark.” He laughed, making an almost shimmy-like gesture

“How are they our mom and dad? They’re only five years older?” El whispered to Mike, he just shook his head enjoying the chaos unravelling in front of him.

“Every time you look at each other it’s like you want to rip ea-” Dustin was cut off by Steve

“That’s enough, topic change. You can all go back to bullying each other because we are done.” He said, his voice raised as he gestured between the two of you. “We are friends.” He pointed out, looking at you. “We look at each other like normal people look at each other. We do not feel the need to make out with each other at all.” He continued, although you could tell that his eyes told a different story, but you imagined that was just because you knew him better than everyone else

You looked around the room, everyone still seemed intrigued, like they were waiting for a confession.

“You know you’re all right. Me and Steve, just can’t keep each other's hands off each other. Just love each other too much.” You said, giving Steve a subtle wink and hoping he would catch on. “Just all the time, alone or not, just want him with me.” You watched as Lucas grimaced slightly, followed by Max chuckling. You were hoping she caught on.

“Oh we’re doing this now?” Steve grinned, leaning a little closer. “You guys, her eyes just glimmer when she looks at me, clearly I am the love of her life. All she wants, can you blame her.” He shrugged.

“We know you’re lying right now, it’s less fun when you join in.” Mike said flatly.

Knowing your plan was working you started making a kissy face towards Steve, “It’s just too much, can’t be left alone.” You sighed, holding back a laugh as he copied you, close enough to keep the charade up but still a small gap between you. That was until Dustin shoved the table into Steves back, jolting him forward and making your lips connect.

The moment quickly ended when Steve realised what had happened. He leapt up and started running after Dustin who was already halfway up the stairs.

You looked around the room to see a mixture of shocked faces and quiet laughs. Lucas hadn’t even managed to open his mouth enough to form a word before you were pointing at him. “You say anything and I’ll kill you in your sleep. I won’t even hesitate.”

Masterlist

#Steve Harrington x Reader #Steve Harrington Imagine #Steve Harrington #Reader Insert #Stranger Things #Stranger Things 4 #Stranger Things x Reader

[ensemble-news]

This week on Ensemble News

A popular blog, @.katsuhiras, receives an anonymous attack under the pseudonym of "ribbon anon". The attacks last over almost a week and are rooted on the hatred of a popular enstars character.

Fans speculate about the possible second half of the current, foreign exclusive, bridal scout. Speculations conclude on the possible characters available in this new scout, the "white swans"

Want to know more? Stay with us

▶ Fandom Section

The anonymous attack to user "katsuhiras"

WARNING: This article contains mentions of violence, death threats and other similar topics. Proceed with caution.

The past day, May 30, a popular blog known as katsuhiras, who's fame in the enstars community comes from their editing abilities and icon requests, received a strange ask from an anonymous user in one of their requests.

This ask felt awkward enough for the community and followers of the editing blog to start discussing the topic. As it felt pretentious and just plainly weird to make such a request in a public blog.

But this was just the beginning of it. This anonymous user, who always signed their messages with a ribbon motif which made them win the name of "ribbon anon", continued to send repeated hate and to make strange demands to katsuhiras blog. Fortunately, this topic was taken with humor at the beginning.

Regarding the censorship of the Rei Sakuma layout, Katsuhiras did fullfil the request in a funny, comical way; changing their layout more than one time to accommodate everyone's "needs".

The issue escalated when "ribbon anon" started crossing a limit, by sending death threats, insults and just plain harassment to the admin and presumably to other blogs.

"it is 100% weird though when it's so easy to curate your own space on here. I am assuming the reason I wasn't blocked instantly is because they like the non-rei edits but if rei is such a dealbreaker, just find someone else who posts edits and art you like...?" (Katsuhiras via Tumblr) ¹

(delicate content) Some of the threats are included the following images:

On the current time, Katsuhira's inbox is completely closed, as they've stated their will to stop this situation that even trespassed and became stalking.

"official announcement: I don’t want my inbox to keep breaking + don’t wanna be subjected to more dumbass monologues from our dear failed theatre kid ribbon, + I have a lot of requests to fill anyway so my inbox is just fully closed for now" (Katsuhiras via Tumblr) ²

They also decided to add a couple of information, like the fact that they received 38 messages from ribbon alone overnight and that despite having blocked them three times, the anon didn't decide to seize.

We send our entire support to katsuhiras and hope this situation settles down soon. On a same note, we do not condone any type of violence directed towards anyone involved in this case.

References:

1. Katsuhiras (@.katsuhiras) via Tumblr. 30/05/2023. Link

2. Katsuhiras (@.katsuhiras) via Tumblr. 03/06/2023. Link

The white swan, potential scout

Because of the recent release of the "black swan" scout in the foreign servers, fans have been speculating of the possibilities of a second part, as it's well known that foreign scouts tend to have more than one part as seen in multiple occasions before.

The most important clue the fandom has encountered has to do with the black swan/white swan motifs found in the collab page. As it's stated that StarMaker Production falls under the category of black swans, meanwhile, Cosmic Production falls in the category of white swans.

As for the characters that the scout may feature, it is currently unknown, however, a user ¹ has pointed out some of the possibilities.

Himeru, Kohaku — Crazy:B

2wink

Shu — Valkyrie

Jun, Ibara — Eden

The list features character that haven't gotten any limited time overseas card, which makes the chances higher for them.

Of course, nothing is set in stone, so we'll have to wait.

References:

1. Ree (@.seavenwaves) via Twitter. 04/06/2023. Link

▶ Game Section

Event

"Sugoroku* Journey! Number Eight is Our BGM" is still ongoing.

It features 5* Rinne Amagi, 4* HiMERU and 3* Niki Shiina and Kohaku Oukawa.

Feature Scout

Feature Scout 2: Koga, is still ongoing.

It features 5* Koga Oogami, 4* Mika Kagehira and 3* Tsumugi Aoba.

Event Scout

Scout: Biblion, is still ongoing.

It features 5* Tsukasa Suou, 4* Kaoru Hakaze and 3* Hajime Shino, Nagisa Ran and Tsumugi Aoba.

June's Tsukisuta has been announced.

The guest will be Hiruma Shunya (Tomoya's VA) and the hosts will be Ono Yuuki (Koga's VA) and Kamio Shinichiro (Kuro's VA). It'll be premiered on June 13 at 9 pm (JST).

▶ Thank you for using Ensemble News

#📰 ensemble news #🗞️ weekly news #📆 date: 06/06/2023 #enstars #ensemble stars

[kingfisherprince]

the history of rafole, part one

or: every story starts somewhere.

by popular demand (read: three-ish people and my own insufferable brain) we are now Doing This. so without much further ado, i present to you the very first rafole history post.

and of course where better to start than where it all started? their first match against each other, the french open quarterfinal in 2006.

(continued under the cut.)

some context: rafa was, for the first time ever, the defending french open champion, and the world #2 behind roger. novak was world #63 and all of 19 years old. rafa had just turned 20 a few days prior.

(internal monologue: oh my god they were kids)

this was the year we got rafa's little roland garros blog-diary-thing, and in it he says this about the upcoming match:

and this is what novak said in his pre-match press conference:

(spoiler alert: he doesn't. but we'll get to that.)

thanks to a lovely anon who pointed me to the @rafolearchive account, i found out that novak wrote 'vamos nole' on his shoes for that match, to mimic the 'vamos rafa' on the back of rafa's.

with his history of impersonations, it's probably quite a tongue-in-cheek thing from novak, but i find it hopelessly endearing. maybe that says something about me, i don't know.

anyway, we might as well get onto the actual match.

(warning, the highlights are in 2006 video quality. so, awful.)

some cinematic shots:

this was during the start of rafa's era of utter dominance on clay, and also during the start of the era of constant match retirements from nole. so although it was a pretty good match, seeing the scoreline end up like this ―

― with rafa winning the first two sets to continue his 58 match clay winning streak, and novak retiring citing a lower back injury, shouldn't be much of a surprise.

(that flag, by the way, is of serbia and montenegro, a union which disintegrated the very month this match was played. but this is rafole history, not balkan history, so i'll just note that at the time, novak was still considering switching to british nationality, and move on.)

what is a surprise, and honestly more than a bit ridiculous, is what novak said in the post-match press conference.

i definitely suggest watching that video, just for the nuance of rafa's reaction ― he found it just as funny as i do. here's the most important part:

yeah, of course he isn't. it would only take, oh, 6 years for novak to beat him on clay and 9 for it to be at roland garros. delusional much today, nole?

rafa literally had to ask for a spanish translation to make sure he was hearing that right haha. he takes it with humour, though, and i'll close this section out by saying that their net hug was really sweet, as always during the early years.

this was their only match that year. since then they've played each other at least once every year, with 59 matches in total and a whole lot of history in between for us to cover.

that history starts here.

love-all, begin.

[end part one.]

part two

#rafole history posts #tennis #rafole #novak djokovic #rafael nadal #up next (probably): #2007 and the first public rafa impersonation #among other things #god i miss those days

[paper-gold-theories]

I have this feeling it's not only Goldheart who secretly couldn't stand Heed but also the other Golden Rule member due how she was behind scenes. She has a PR face and a behind the scenes face which all of them know so well and roll their eyes when they see her do an interview. I kind of think Goldheart does have that pr and behind the scenes face but even he wouldn't be as insufferable and bratty as Heed is.

Golden Rule Members Relationship With Miss Heed

Hi anon,

Yes, I headcanon that the Golden Rule Members also don't like Miss Heed. I headcanon these might be the reasons why:

1. Her Obsessive Behavior Towards GoldHeart

I made a theory (below) that Miss Heed does not have any photos of GoldHeart despite her obsession because he put a restraining order on her due to her obsessive behavior

Which is also confirmed here that she insisted on sitting next to GoldHeart in an event.

GoldHeart not liking Miss Heed also might turn off some members from liking her as well, as they be quite agreeable to whatever their leader says and would side with him and they might find her obsession kinda cringe, deluded and her dressing up like GoldHeart kinda creepy.

(Additionally another question is, why doesn't she have pictures of the other Golden Rule members considering that she can use them for clout? And they can do the same with her as well. My theory suggests that she might have done something to piss them off. Will explain in more detail below)

_____

2. Wanting to be the Centre of Attention No Matter What

Miss Heed is shown during her academy days that she needs to be the centre of attention no matter what, not giving a care how she affects and treat others. As shown in the 1st photo, she is willing to shove and push her other classmates to be front and centre and the focus of the photo. (Which became worse when she becomes a hero as when she upgraded to zombifying heroes, villains, and even friends, as shown in the 2nd photo)

I headcanon she might have a similar situation with the other Golden Rule Members when they are taking their photo which she insists that she should be front and centre next to GoldHeart despite being a new member which leads to an argument with the other members for her audacity. Only when GoldHeart steps in and tells her she won't be in the photo that she stopped her demands. This made the photo take longer than anticipated which frustrated everyone by the time wasted.

______

3. Taking Credit For Ideas That Are Not Hers

Miss Heed stole Flug's formula and used him and others (e.g. Omega) in order to gain popularity, so she might also try to hog the spotlight for previous events or collaborations hosted by other Golden Rule Members all to herself for their when she does collaborations with them and take credit for ideas made by them without remorse. (also supported by the previous point)

_______

4. Miss Heed "Bought" Her Followers

The Golden Rule Members believe that Miss Heed's use of the formula to make people love her is equivalent of buying your followers on social media, so they don't really take her Top 5 popularity ranking seriously, even if she was more popular than some of them, or maybe they're angry at that and look down on Miss Heed's rise to popularity and think she doesn't deserve it.

_______

5. Miss Heed’s Overall Bad Personality

Miss Heed has a different face is a completely different person with what is shown in her Instagram account. (Evidence here she was posting about how tragic SunBlast's "death" was, while here she was complaining that she didn't want to be SunBlast to be in her toy collection because he was so outdated.)

The Golden Rule Members probably have done some terrible things themselves but probably work together well as a team but I think she Miss Heed's desire to become the No.1 superhero (image below) and her attitude of using her friends to get ahead (like how she treats Omega like a servant after brainwashing him) might cause her to butt heads with the other Golden Rule Members and not work well as a team.

_______

How the Golden Rule Members Treat Miss Heed Because of This (Headcanon)

I feel like the Golden Rule Members have a rule that you can screw over Villains and other Heroes outside their club, but don't screw over each other. Evidence was that Miss Heed was able to use her formula on both Villains and Heroes in P.E.A.C.E. without any repercussions.

So they can't really expose her terrible personally outside of social media. Without besmirching the perfect image of the Golden Rule and making people wonder if the rest of the Golden Rule Members are just as bad as her and Miss Heed probably can't use her formula on them either.

———

-> So they might do some things subtle things to undercut her popularity like un-brainwashing some of her simps to make them their simps , as I believe the Golden Rule Members are allowed to compete with one another.

-> They also probably complain about GoldHeart, who told them not to worry as he will kick her out once she is done with the formula. In the meantime, GoldHeart probably also created a separate Golden Rule group chat without her just to exclude her from joining them on casual events due to her personal conflict with the team which makes her hysterical when she finds out.

-> They also probably joined the bandwagon with GoldHeart of banning her from posting any social media posts on them.

-> Some of them have probably bluntly told her that GoldHeart will never be interested in her, which she would angry respond that they are just jealous of her rising popularity and how she will overthrow all of them, which make them more angry at her.

-> So they might set up a betting pool to see how or when she would react when she finds out that GoldHeart will never be interested in her and when she will be kicked out of the team.

#villainous #villanos #villainous miss heed #missheed #cecilia amanda kelly #dr flug #goldheart #flug #gold heart #golden rule #villainous theory #villainous headcanons

[kookiecrush]

https://www.tumblr.com/kookiecrush/738813151039094784/i-want-water-but-i-have-him-so-you-wont-be

Your subunit que has left me wondering again. Why do they not have one? It's not like they don't want to. They've recorded songs together and have mentioned them many times. So why is it that they are the only pair in BTS who don't have one song as a unit? It's not for the lack of demand either coz even non shippers have been requesting for it. I will never understand the reason behind this. They aren't ever paired as a unit for photoshoots either. If ever they are a part of a unit for photos it always involves atleast one more member, sometimes even 2. On the other jikk are almost always paired together, to the point that even they once joked about always put in the same unit. Now some people argue that photoshoot units are decided according to aesthetic and chemistry and who looks good together. Now am I this biased or do tkk not look like an absolute dream together? Their voices too sound so beautiful together that it's almost a sin that they still don't have a song together.

Why do you think they are so obviously put apart?

I'm not really sure why they've never had a subunit before. I think there could be multiple factors behind why it's never happened, because we know that BH limits the taekook content that we see, but not one subunit since they debuted seems a bit excessive and strange to me.

Of course there's always the argument that taekook themselves were never interested in doing one, but I don't really believe that. Like you said, they've recorded multiple songs together, and they've even mentioned wanting to do a subunit before.

To answer your question about why they're so obviously put apart, anon, I think it's because of their relationship. If you think about it, taekook have always been an extremely popular ship. They look great together, have chemistry in spades, and obviously love spending time with each other. So it makes absolutely no sense at all for BH not to capitalise on their ship. Yet we went from always seeing taekook together to them even having to hide the fact that they were sharing a hotel room.

Now, I actually think it was a somewhat necessary decision for the company to reduce taekook's interactions on camera, I just think they took it too far. The Jungkook and Tae of today are perfectly capable of hiding the majority of their feelings if they want to, but their younger selves definitely didn't seem to find it as easy. They were a lot more obvious and impulsive around each other back then, and I don't think they were mature enough to be discreet about their developing relationship. Which is probably why BH stepped in.

Dont get me wrong, I still get incredibly fustrated at the way the company edits taekook out at times (and I don't think it's even needed anymore). Yes, they could have handled it better. Yes, they went overboard. But I can't resent them for it because it has protected taekook over the years. If their relationship and been exposed back then, they would have both faced an extreme amount of backlash, hate and discrimination. And BTS probably wouldn't even exist today.

#ask #taekook #vkook

[canonically47]

I need a full review of this episode please? SO much shit went down

based on popular demand and people coming in my asks with thoughts similar to mine, here is a full review of DCAS episode 2!

also, i love you guys for knowing how many thoughts i would have about this episode

right away, i had many thoughts about the magenta team’s dynamic, some more negative than others. jake and ashley became friends fast and i liked that! and james, my love! but then hunter and ally’s drama came in... hunter, i agree that you can’t memorize ALL games, but it was something she was talking about ON THE WAY HERE. i hate this guy and i feel like he’s kind of dumbed down compared to his original season, which he somehow winged until getting 4th place. (beta nick moment.)

i think fiore was more truthful and vulnerable this episode than we’re used to seeing her. and i am so happy alec stood up for her. i really think these two are going to get to merge and then make up and dominate the game.

tom is avoiding jake... i really wonder why. i was hoping he would have contacted him between seasons but nada. it’s sad to see tom, jake and miriam’s trio all split apart, and imo also somewhat of a bad choice. i think miriam should’ve been on tom’s team to talk some sense into him and get his side of the story, but maybe they’re going for something else.

it was very exciting to see the cyan team in action. tom and aiden bounce off each other so well, i love tess, gabby and ellie with all my heart and my sweet lake is doing so well <3

let me preface my thoughts about yul by saying i don’t like him because he’s a homophobic & racist asshole. that being said, i like that he and grett actually care about each other. i was worried he might be toxic - and there still is time for him to be, so i’m keeping an eye on him - and so did many people in my asks so i’m glad that’s not the case. still grett deserves better than him.

i strongly strongly STRONGLY DISLIKE how dumb jake & tom/hunter & ally are when it comes to their relationship issues. THEY ARE ADULTS. i think tom is 29 now, TWENTY-NINE, people! it’s laughable how much they act like teenagers in their first relationship and not like adults with life experience. i mean, sure, we all mature differently, but you would think they know how to communicate. apparently that is too much to ask. (and hunter is a little bitch.)

i agree with the jake anons. i didn’t think jake’s insecurities would be a big plot point until much later, to be totally honest. or rather i was hoping so. the fact that he got james out just for being a little bitch is insane. i knew fiore couldn’t go because, writing 101, she is very important to the story as an antagonist and we still need to see her growth and possibly make up with alec, even though logically she should’ve been the first to go; so i was very much hoping jake would be out. that way, both miriam and tom could see who they were on the show without having to worry about him. sadly we couldn’t get that.

i am however excited to see what aiden will do without james. they weren’t on the same team, but i’m curious how his performance will be affected by his boyfriend getting out.

side-note, i love how confident and trustful is james. he is so sure of aiden and knows he would never cheat on him, unlike jake who is a little bitch. my god i miss james so much already. he, fiore and ashley carried the team, now they’re down to only fiore and ashley.

alec has big plans and i like him for it. i just 1) don’t know what they are yet and 2) was hoping this was a good opportunity for jake to shine and stop doubting those he loves and instead those he hates. but no of course he still trusts his enemies. what an absolute dumbass. as i said in a discord server, human brains seek patterns and all of jake’s enemies telling him tom is cheating on him somehow is a pattern... so jake probably doesn’t even have a brain at this point.

i hate connor and riya’s romance subplot so much. riya is so annoying and hateful, and connor is old enough to be her dad. i dunno, age gaps just aren’t for me, even if it’s two consenting adults it’s just weird to me sorry.

cyan team carried. yellow team is somewhat of a mess but i can deal with them. magenta team is just mental and hard to watch. i really hope cyan team is the new team amazon, win challenge after challenge, and they all make merge. they deserve it. (maybe except tom. i’m still debating on whether i like him or not. he’s on thin ice.)

summary: fuck jake, fuck (???) tom, magenta team is a mess, yellow team is fine but connor and riya are hard to watch, cyan team carried, ALEC AND FIORE PLEASE MAKE UP I MISS YOU, yul is an okay boyfriend, a shit person and a fun character and i have mixed feelings on him and oh my god i cannot stress this enough: FUCK!!! JAKE!!!

#asks #my asks #anon #anonymous #anon asks #answered anon #answered asks #disventure camp #disventure camp all stars #disventure camp spoilers #odd nation cartoons #campamento desventura