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mod2amaryllis · 7 months

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I'm waiting for this migraine to die so I'm gonna tell you guys about Marshall, the dog who made me quit. read on if you wanna learn about extended quarantine and why this job sucks sometimes and other times is the most rewarding thing on the planet, often for the same reasons lmao.

in 2021, the weight of covid was kinda crashing down. i heard this was the case for a lot of health workers. we switched into emergency mode throughout 2020 and powered through, then the rest of the world decided to try and "get back to normal" a year later, giving no regard to the people who'd been working like a speeding train with the brakes off all that time. i was losing it!!! add a few more hay bales to my back when we hired a new doc who was the most demanding dude I'd ever met (still is, but we've come to some understanding lol) and who decided to run me as ragged as possible the first day he was left to his own devices.

that was the day Marshall came in.

i didn't talk about this back then because the outcome of the case was uncertain and the details so specific, but here's the run down knowing that 2 years later, Marshall is living his best life. when he was a baby, too young to have received a rabies vaccine, his owners found a rabies positive bat in the house. the state vet will always recommend euthanasia in these situations, OR, if you can somehow find and afford the option, a 6 month quarantine. this was such a tragic situation the owners were willing to try to save him. my clinic happens to have a decent isolation ward that's rarely in use; we use it for infectious patients like parvo puppies, uri's that have to be hospitalized, etc. so my boss agreed to take him for those 6 months. but the owners' caveat was that if he wasn't mentally adjusting to isolation after a couple weeks, they would euthanize so as not to put him through it and leave him with lifelong behavior issues.

that day, when animal control brought Marshall in the middle of an insane rush, we were short staffed and already at the end of our ropes with this new doc. i was the only qualified person who could talk to the officer. i was the only person who could take him back to isolation. the act of putting a 12 week old puppy in a 4 x 4 run where i knew he would either spend 6 months untouched, or never see the outside again, broke me. last straw.

i was a mess, for the rest of that day and the rest of that weekend having to go in and take care of him, when it was too early for him to adjust so i was sure he wouldn't make it. I'd come home sobbing. eventually jose was just like, "this isn't worth it any more," and i sent in a two weeks notice. i'd come close to doing so many times in the previous 6 years but never pulled the trigger. it took a total meltdown. my managers responded with regret, but understanding.

i wish i could've just felt free and done with it but for those two weeks i was just uncertain. this job is so complicated. the benefits for my pets are enormous; it's my main social network; it's income; I'm good at it and it gives me purpose. it's just also hell on earth! with no pressure from anyone else one way or the other, by the end of two weeks I'd decided to instead try going part time. that's where I'm at 2 years later so guess it worked lol.

but! there was still Marshall. shortly after we took him, we also happened to get a call for the same situation on 2 cats, and decided to take them as well. 3 animals on a 6 month quarantine. very new and daunting for all of us.

that first weekend was hard, but slowly, Marshall figured things out. it was the least ideal situation imaginable and i was at rock bottom and so was he, but i had this moment of like.....ok. if he wants to make this work, I'm gonna do as right by him as possible. and of course all us techs were helping him (one of my road dog coworkers always opened so i referred to her as his "morning mom") but i in particular took a special interest in training and enrichment. it became a passion. i was working less, but i volunteered extra weekends so i could see him more.

he was so young he hadn't even done much basic command training, and the fact that i couldn't touch him at all was a challenge. i started with a clicker to signal I'd rolled a treat into his run, since i couldn't give it to him directly. over those months we went through the basics: sit, down, paw, touch, using a back scratcher for a hand. part of the worry was him getting enough exercise; we noticed that when he'd get agitated, he'd jump on the bars non stop. i was like hmm that might be our only option, so i made "up" a command. i'd basically run burpies for exercise, up-sit-down-sit-up. he was a fast learner, very attentive. seeing him keep his wits about him like that was straight up thrilling. he even "potty trained" himself, barking like crazy whenever he'd go to the bathroom so we'd know right away he needed the run cleaned.

in the ward, there are 2 runs and 3 kennels. i trained Marshall to go back and forth between runs so we could clean. we'd have his food waiting for him in the next run over so he could eat while we'd clean; at the midday switch, he'd have a doggie popsicle. he was such a smart dog i knew toys and treats alone weren't cutting it for enrichment, and i couldn't constantly train him when i still had to be doing the rest of my job.

i started having everyone save every single box and paper-packaging that came in. i'd unfold some boxes for "bedding," so he'd at least have something between him and the concrete (he'd chew and eat any blanket we tried giving him). the rest, i turned into puzzles. i put treats inside and closed them up. put big boxes on their side in his run so he could go in and out. crumpled up paper-packaging with treats mixed in for him to dig through. every day i'd turn one run into a box-toy paradise, let him in, clean the other, and by the time i was checking back in on him he was snoozing in a pile of destruction. success. when other techs wouldn't go to the same lengths, i'd stay late pre-making his boxes and telling people to just throw them in dammit. i also queued several ambient sound playlists, birdsong cityscapes etc, to play on the weekend days when he was alone for long periods.

the months went by like this. i learned more about training, enrichment, and most specifically quarantine than i ever had outside of my experiences with my own puppies. we fell into a routine. we straight up loved each other, he was part of my life. he'd been this horrible trigger and pretty much doubled my workload, but he got to live.

then there were the cats! they were a little easier than Marsh just because they were already adults so didn't have all this energy to wrangle. for them, daily cleaning of course, taking turns going into the 1 empty kennel where i'd have treats, catnip, and other "new" smells waiting for them. for enrichment i focused on reconfiguration. every 2-3 days i'd rearrange things in their kennels, with the big pieces being a litter box, a bed, and an upright sturdy box (so they could either be in it or on top of it, giving them one upper level). it was habitat tetris. we'd play with strings and use the back scratcher for pets. then about every week, i'd switch their kennels to slightly change their view AND traded beds to mingle scents. they were from the same household and we were worried there'd be difficulty re-bonding after not being in direct contact for so long. they also did very well by the end of 6 months aside from gaining a lot of weight (oops). i learned just as much from them, and would love to help anyone else who might struggle with needing to quarantine pets.

i've seen people posting for help about similar situations and just wanna scream from the rooftops: the beginning is very daunting and hopeless, but animals aren't like us!!!!!! they do the best with what they got!!!!! if you work hard and keep them clean and develop a routine it'll all work out!!!!! Marshall walked out of there at 6 months a normal happy puppy in desperate need of a haircut.

it's interesting because i've never interacted much with his owners. i don't think they know i'm the one who kept him from losing his mind in there, even though everyone else at the clinic does, and i'm weirdly ok with that. the other day he came in cuz the dummy ate a bunch of meds he wasn't supposed to; the doc brought him to the back and instantly, Marshall rushed right for me. he still remembers me in a good way. there's still love. it's like...one of the few patient relationships i've had that feels truly deeply personal. in retrospect i think he had a bigger hand in healing my relationship with this career and animals in general than i realized at the time.

so thanks for making me quit Marshall. i feel a lot better now.

(i don't have any pics of him from that time (tragic ssd card accident) but he was an overgrown doodle puppy so he looked like this.)

#vet med #vet tech #work stuff #m2a #I've always wanted to tell this story it had such an impact on me

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miradelletarot · 20 days

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Bit scared to ask, but I keep seeing so many posts about how there's so much more fem!Tav/Gale content compared to queer content... do you have any recommendations? Because ppl on my dash work extra hard to put queer content out and whenever I go into the tag I only ever see queer content even though I prefer female Tav content myself ;; I thought since you also focus on fem!Tav content, maybe you'd have some blogs and stuff that you can name that have that kind of content consistently?

I am so honored that you felt comfortable asking me about this ^^ I do hope I answer your question in a way that is satisfactory to what you are looking for! I have several amazing writer friends who have graciously allowed me to share their works on here. These people are truly talented so I know you will find some quality reads. Admittedly, I was at Job #1 this morning when I sent the reblog from @spellbooking so i wasn't in the headspace to even think about this as deeply as I would have liked so hopefully this will redeem my dismal excuse for helping earlier lol. Now, some of these might not be Queer!Tav specifically, but I promise you, you will have plenty of queer-focused, gale-themed pairings with these authors. You won't be disappointed. ALSO: These are varying degrees of SFW to NSFW. So, please explore any tags before indulging! **Minors DNI** First up is from @wixed! You can find their master list here! This will keep you well-read for hours.

Next, we have @likethelightfromorionabove! You won't regret visiting their AO3. I PROMISE.

Of course, no list would be complete without the fabulous @nicocoer! Find them on Tumblr or on AO3!

This next one is another writing buddy of mine! Elf does such a great job, and I highly suggest you give their AO3 a visit! I'm in the middle of (slowly) getting through Pray For Me. Working 7 days a week makes it hard to get any good reading in unfortunately, but this one has a tab pinned at all times. Google hates me for it.

Now, if you want some Bladeweave or Oakweave, here's an AO3 for you from fiveforchibis!

Lastly, (but absolutely not least,) here is a fic that was shared with me that features a transmasc character, written by trans author, Wings_of_Night!

Of course, for anyone who has any recommendations of your own please share! Until then, I do hope you enjoy all of this delicious work!

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j-nipper-95 · 4 months

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Six Sentence Sunday

Yes, 2023 is drawing to a close. Yes, I have been lurking for (I think) months at this point. Yes, I have been writing. Thank you so much to everyone who has been tagging me in recent weeks/months, I'm so sorry I haven't been interacting as much with you all as I have in the past. In the last few months I just haven't had the social battery to do much more than just lurk in comments sections, and sometimes not even that (autistic burnout is not fun, can confirm, 0/10, do not recommend).

But I'm back, and here's hoping 2024 is a good year, and one that's productive where writing is concerned! 2023 was a pretty good year for me; I published my first fic (which was also the first bit of writing I've properly published anywhere!), and I sent off my first query for ASR! To a proper literary agent! Like ... WHAT?! I still can't believe it!

As for the end of this year, let's get one last hurrah in for the year of 2023 with the final WIPsday of the year. Chapter 11 of Trails is coming, it just needs to be edited. Here's an unedited snippet of the chaos you have to look forward to.

“When I tell you to, run like fuck,” Fiona tells us, clicking the hammer back on her revolver. “How many more rounds have you got?” Penny asks. “Enough to take down half the idiots aboard this ship.” Fiona takes up a position on one side of the hatch, her finger on the trigger guard. As she moves I hear the tell tale clink of a box of rounds, and see the outline of it in her trouser pocket for the first time. “Fiona,” I caution. “Maybe we should try to do this quietly.” “No chance of that, boyo. I’m killing as many of these fuckers as I can before we go overboard.” “Fiona,” I try again, but she isn’t listening. “The lifeboat is on the right side,” Penny whispers to us, eyeing Fiona out of the corner of her eye. We’ll lower you into it, Baz, then follow.” I guess I don’t have much of a say in this, as Snow is literally the only reason I’m still standing right now. I nod, and Penny creeps up the stairs behind Fiona, who does so about as well as a bull in a china shop. She storms out onto the deck and I’m actually surprised by how long it takes for bullets to start flying. There’s a solid fifteen seconds or so, which allows Bunce to make it up the stairs and gesture for us to follow, before an alarm is raised and Fiona does what she does best: cause chaos.

This hiatus with Trails wasn't planned, but work and general holiday madness got in the way of the tentative schedule my beta's and I had. New Year, fresh start, once more into the fray, as they say. I hope you can join us for this fics future shenanigans.

Tagging for the new year: @artsyunderstudy @aristocratic-otter @bazzybelle @blackberrysummerblog @bookish-bogwitch @cattocavo @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @cosmicalart @cutestkilla @dragoneggos @erzbethluna @ebbpettier @fatalfangirl @frjsti @henreyettah @hushed-chorus @ic3-que3n @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse @krisrix @larkral @letraspal @martsonmars @nightimedreamersworld @orange-peony @prettylightsbigcity @palimpsessed @phoxphyre @raenestee @shrekgogurt @skeedelvee @stardustasincocaine @subparselkie @that-disabled-princess @theearlgreymage @wellbelesbian @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

#snowbaz #snowbaz fanfiction #the trails we blaze #the road to el dorado!au #cotta2023 #2024 #writing in 2024 #roll on the new year #happy new year everyone!#ASR #A Survivor's Revenge #original fiction #watch this space

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cherrynwinesk · 9 months

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HII HRU :33 I saw your little Quackity oneshot and LOVED how you narrated it, I wanted to ask if you could write one about a male!s/o (or fem, if you want) x Quackity, male!s/o It's a singer and sings "Once more to see you - Mitski", dedicating indirectly it to Quackity who is watching him among the people with VIP tickets and his fans notice :'3, thx very much!!

🍒: Hii! I'm fine, what about u? Your request has been very cute!

Lights off ~ Quackity

pt.2 here

Story g: sfw/soft

Language: English/Inglés

⚠️: None (?)

CC's: Quackity

Reader g: Male reader

📝: All the content is fictitious and an attempt is made to adapt the PUBLIC personality of the cc's, that is, the personality that is shown in front of cameras, I do not know the true personality and any resemblance to reality is mere coincidence.

🍒: Hello, writing requests are always open, if you want something in particular, ask without fear. I clarify that English is not my main language, I apologize for any error and accept corrections to improve the quality of the content

Master List

The VIP ticket had arrived at Quackity's email, his cell phone vibrated showing the email notification and he immediately opened it, it had taken a while to arrive by the way.

A few weeks ago you had released dates for a tour of the country through Twitter, being part of a small band but with loyal fans, the tickets were sold out.

"The tickets sold out very quickly, I did not get a ticket for your presentation in Los Angeles"

"I'll send you a ticket, leave it to me, I got you"

Quackity and you had been friends for a short time, almost less than two years maybe, you were introduced by Glaive, he being a mutual friend.

The concert in Los Angeles was the last of the tour, appearing in a small auditorium. The team arrived early to prepare the stage, connect cables here and there, countless sound checks and check that everything was in order. Your phone vibrated with a message, it was Quackity

"I will arrive a little bit late"

"A guard will be waiting for you outside'"

The show hadn't started yet and this guy was running late, typical of him, and it wasn't a bother, you knew he was a busy man and you were so grateful that he canceled some plans to come see you sing.

At 8 pm, the auditorium opened its doors giving way to the fans, half an hour later, the concert began. Playing some recent songs and some old ones, interacting with the public.

You felt nervous, but not exactly because of the show, the audience or the fact of making a mistake when singing and playing the guitar at the same time, you had already gone through all this in several cities, it was something normal for you. What made you uncomfortable was that the person who made your stomach tickle was not yet in the VIP area.

As your songs were being played, the nerves to see him again and the fear that he had something else to do combined, you didn't even know which of the two situations made you more nervous.

You had exchanged messages with Quackity many times, he always sent the first message, complimenting your music every time you updated Spotify with a new song, you even got to see him talk about your songs on some of his streams, recommending you.

At no time did you realize that you were feeling those typical butterflies in your stomach every time you saw a message from him, not constant, but the blood rose to your head when you looked at his notifications.

You never really realized it, until one day you caught yourself thinking about Quackity while writing a new song.

You stopped the show to drink some water and clear your throat when the audience started to scream again, you could see the security guard coming down the hall and behind him, a head with a black hat. Your heart started pounding and your stomach warmed.

"Guys, Quackity is here"

You spoke into the microphone, trying to hide your nerves and let him know that you were happy to see him arrive, he reached his place in the VIP area and from there he greeted you with his big smile and a wave of his hand.

You felt your cheeks burn, and the immense need to smile without control, but you had to continue with the concert. A couple more songs, cheering the crowd up with a few jokes, nearing the end of the show, the last song that would be played was the song you caught yourself thinking about Quackity on. A cover more than anything, and that you decided to add only for the presentation of Los Angeles

"For this song I need the lights off"

"Once more to see you" by Mitski had crossed your mind so many times when you knew that Quackity would be present, you had a long time without seeing him face to face.

"But with everyone watching us, our every move

We do have reputations

We keep it secret

Won't let them have it"

Present in front of so many people, feeling like you were naked in front of everyone cause of what you were doing, singing to him like there was something between you.

Did you even know what his current sexuality was, did Quackity like men? Would you have a chance? Wasn't this very selfish of you? Thinking only of your feelings, not knowing what Quackity thinks of you. Would Quackity be able to tarnish his reputation?

"Then I wouldn't have to scream your name

Atop of every roof in the city of my heart

If I could see you

Once more to see you"

Looking in his direction, Quackity was just looking at you, not moving from his place, attentive to you, as if he could sense that this is directed at him.

Quackity was only thinking about how beautiful you sang, admiring the tone of your voice, paying attention to the lyrics of the song and deciphering the reason why you only presented this cover today.

You finished the show, the audience was starting to leave, and you walked up to Quackity to say hello, hugging each other for the long time they hadn't seen each other.

"The concert was very nice"

Over the next few days, fan-taken videos circulated all over Twitter, especially the one of your performance of "Once more to see you."

'he sang it for Quackity' 'he was looking at Quackity while he sang' 'y/n is in love with Quackity' 'Quackity didn't take his nap to go see y/n'

Thousands of similar comments circulated along with the videos, initially scaring you for being so obvious and making someone uncomfortable with your impulses, but then you just thought Quackity would take this as a fan joke. You didn't talk about it, you just left it as a joke and that was it.

At night you got a text, it was Quackity again;

"I just want to know if everything that is circulating on the internet is true..."

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fangirlstorycreator · 5 months

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Hey lovely can you write something about we are Terry's wife and we are pregnant and for the past few days we have been having contractions and just him comforting us and one night when we are lying In bed we have a really bad one and he just helps us through it like rubbing are back or stomach and holding are hand something just really fluff please and I'd you can could it be kk3 and ck terry

Absolutely I can do that for you anon, it's always a pleasure writing about Terry 😊💚 I apologise for the delay, I've only just been able to get internet back on my phone 💚

KK3 Terry:

This was your first pregnancy, and you had heard many stories from your friends or other women about their own experiences throughout pregnancy. Many said the labour was the worst part, others say the stretch marks and back pain, in my experience those pains were something you could cope with, but when it came to braxton hicks! That was another story. You were one week away from your due date, and you were starting to experience braxton hicks, they were terrible to go through. At first it wasn't so bad, but the pains gradually got stronger and stronger, and you thought you were going to possible go into labour. Of course you told your husband Terry, but he reacted in the way you knew he would, he panicked. He looked worried yet energetic, it was like he was a tight ball of nervousness. This was his wife and baby's health hear, and throughout the entire pregnancy, Terry had done anything and everything for you both. So when you told him you were feeling what you thought were labour pains, Terry went into over drive. He got you in the car, along with the hospital bag and all the essentials you needed for the birth within minutes. But when you arrived and got checked out, it was only braxton hicks. So you were sent home and told what the signs would be if it was labour, and to watch out for that before coming back, unless there was an emergency. So this went on for what felt like a very long time, and they were little intervals of hicks, uncomfortable and stoped you from doing anything, so there wasn't much you could do.

Towards the end of the second day, it was night time when you have had enough. The doctor recommended walking to ease the pains, but it wasn't working anymore, and you were lead down in bed feeling stuck. Terry walked in from his kang su do work out, and he looked heartbroken for you, he hated not knowing how to help you. He walked up to the bed and knelt down beside you, he held your hand and looked into your eyes with such worry and concern. "Can I do anything for you baby girl?" "I don't think so Terry" "Oh Y/N, I hate to see you like this. You don't deserve to go through this, your putting your body through the works to carry our baby" "It's one of the many things I knew I was getting into when we decided to be parents babe" "If I could trade places with you, I would in a blink of an eye. You look like your falling apart, I'm so sorry"

"Its all going to be worth it in the end Terry, when our little baby is finaly hear, he or she will just smile, and all of this pain will feel like a distant memory" "That's just one of the many things I love about you baby girl, your positivity in situations" "It's all I can do, because f#ck knows what else I'm going to do about it" You both share a giggle, just before you hold your lower belly and feel yet another hick. "Hhhsss!" "Another one?" "Yep...yet again" Terry rested his hand against your cheek and gave you a sweet kiss on your forehead. "Did you tell me to go and work out earlier because you didn't want me to see you like this?" ".....Partially....I just thought you might want a little time where your not worrying about me" "I worry about you no matter where I am or what I'm doing Y/N. Your carrying our baby, and your body is working over time. I just wish-wait! I have an idea! I'll back in a few moments baby, I promise" He smiles with his boyish charm and gives you a cheeky kiss before he jumps up and runs to the bathroom. You secretly think in your head "I wish I could jump up and run with that speed" Terry returned about 20 minutes later, looking like an excited boy who'd just been given a new toy.

"I have a suprise for you baby, let me help you up and I can show you" "Oh Terry, your not going to try and distract me with your ideas for multiply cobra kai dojo's again are you?" "No no baby, don't worry. I wouldn't put you through that again. I promise you'll enjoy it, come on" He helps you stand up nice and gently and holds your hand and his other arm supports your back as he leads you through to the bathroom. He has only gone and made a relaxing bubble bath for you with vanilla bath oils. He had lit coconuts scented candles, and sprinkled rose pettles in the bubbly warm water of the very large circular bath. He even put on some lovely background music, it was so inviting. After Terry helped you undress, he carried you into the bath and gently set you into the water so you were nice and comfortable. "This is wonderful babe, thank you" "I thought this would be nice for you baby girl, I'll be in with you, just a second..." Terry started undressing to get into the bath with you, but you couldn't help but watch. "Oh....you like what you see?" "Absolutely...why don't you undress a little slower for me?" He smirked as he did what he was asked, he pulled his white GI away from his chest, slowly revealing more and more of his muscular body. His broad chest, his strong biceps, and those muscles towards his groin.....it was definitely a great distraction.

Once he climbed in, he sat infront of you at first, giving you time to adjust to the temperature with out his body heat against you. "How are you feeling Y/N?" "The water is definitely helping, this was a great idea Terry. Thank you" "Anything for you baby girl"

His beautiful smile after he said that melted your heart, he always knew how to make you feel warm. Inside and out. "Now, let's get us both more comfortable shall we?" He slid over to you and maneuvered himself behind you, so your back was pressed against his chest. He held you in his arms as you feel so relaxed and pain free. His hands both move under the water and he gently strokes the area underneath your belly where the pains are coming from, it's like he is giving you a miniature massage in just that area. Your eyes flutter shut, and you rest your head against his chest and neck. You can feel his chuckle vibrate through you from where your lead on him. "Is that nice?" "Oooh you have no idea babe" He kisses your neck as he continues his little massage. "I have all the time in the world to make you feel better baby girl, and I will do this as much as you need until the big day when our little baby silver is finaly hear. I promise you that. I love you baby" "I love you too Terry"

CK Terry:

Regardless of weather you had tired feet, a headache or just simply didn't want to do something during your pregnancy, your husband Terry was always there to support and help you. Yes, Terry was older than you, and this was your first child for both of you. And Terry has wanted nothing more than his own family. He had married his bestfriend, and he loved you with all his heart. And now, with the baby on the way, everything was going to be perfect for both of you. Terry couldn't be more excited. The pregnancy had been quite normal, there weren't many issues apart from the morning sickness at the start. But once you started getting bigger, it was harder for you to do things. Terry would notice you struggling and he would instinctively take over to help you out. And once you were in the last 2 months, Terry wouldn't let you lift a finger. And to be honest, you were secretly glad. Just getting up off the sofa felt like hurdle. In your last month, you thought you were in the beginnings of labour when these uncomfortable pains started occurring, and Terry called in his doctor to the house straight away. He was a man who had connections pretty much everywhere, and he did of course have his own personal doctor and midwife waiting for when any issues were to occur.

So when he called the doctor, she came to the house and checked you, only to tell you that you weren't in labour, but were experiencing what felt like labour, and that was braxton hicks. She gave you tips on how to go through them, but you weren't in labour yet. That evening, Terry had of course made dinner, washed up, tidied the house and helped you with any issues you had. Including helping you take your shoes on and off, but to be honest, it was just slippers you could use now as they were much more comfortable. As you were sat up in bed reading your antenatal book, the uncomfortable pains kick in again, causing you to wince and squeeze your eyes shut. Terry walked in from having his shower, seeing you in discomfort. "Is it happening again sweetheart?" "Unfortunately yes....I've had enough of these pains Terry. I think I'd just prefer to go straight into labour. At least that's something that will lead somewhere, these braxton hicks are just annoying and uncomfortable" Terry removes his towel and changes into just a pair or pyjama trousers, leaving him shirtless with his towel over his shoulders.

He has sympathy in his eyes as he comes to sit next to you on the side of the bed, holding your hand in his.

"Would you like me to do something to help you sweetheart?" "To be honest, I don't know what you could do to help me with these" He gives you one of his warm smiles and strokes your hand with his thumb. "I have an idea, you stay there and I'll be right back" he says before leaning in and giving you a warm and sweet kiss. He leaves the bedroom and heads downstairs, you don't know what he's planning, but your praying that whatever he thinks might work, does work. These braxton hicks are really p#ssing you off now. When Terry comes back in, he has brought an array of things with him. A safe temperature hot water bottle, a mug of your favourite mint flavoured hot chocolate, some ibuprofen, some chocolate chip cookies and strangely, a bottle of massage oil? "Hear you go sweetheart, this medicine will help with the pains, and the hot water bottle is hear for you to put under your belly on the tender areas" "Terry you are the absolute best husband I could ask for" "Well, yes" This makes him chuckle, and he places the hot chocolate and cookies down beside you as you place the water bottle under your belly. "So Terry, I do have a question" "Yes?" "I understand the things you've brought to me, but not that massage oil. You know being intimate at this stage of pregnancy is difficult for me"

"Oh yes, I know I sometimes bring this into the bedroom before s#x, but that's not why I have it. I was going to give you a massage to help relax you instead. You've been so tense and pent up with these braxton hicks, I wanted to help you unwind" You don't answer, you just smile before pulling him in gently and kissing him to show him what all this means to you. "I love you Terry" "I love you too sweetheart" You repositioned in the bed as Terry puts his hair up in his classic pony tail and puts on his silk dressing gown.

You were now leaning against Terry's back when he sat down behind you and he was propped up against the bed with a pillow. Once you removed just your shirt, leaving your bra on, you took a sip of your hot chocolate as he rubbed the oil into his hands, warming it up. And once his big, strong and muscular hands touched your shoulders, he applied just the right amount of pressure to make you feel like you were melting in his hands. You let out a little moan of release and pleasure as he works on your shoulders and back, and he loves hearing that. "Is my beautiful queen enjoying that?" "Ohh you have no idea Terry" Once again he chuckles, and you could feel it as it vibrates through his chest into your back.

This whole moment was pure bliss, and the pains had stopped too, thanks to the bottle and medicine. After about half an hour, you were practically lifeless in his arms as your body was that relaxed, Terry just smiles and plants a kiss on your cheek as you rest against him and holds you in his arms. "You have magic hands Terry....of course I've always known that, but this is next level" "I can always see what you and your body need sweetheart, and yes....my hand have always known that too....maybe some time after the baby's born, I can take you out for a date night. And I can bring this oil with us....." "Now that, sounds like an offer I simply can't refuse"

#sensei targaryen #terry silver #cobra kai #kk3 #terry silver x reader

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allylikethecat · 4 months

Note

Just read your reply to an ask about a fix of matty singing them to sleep and the suggestion/idea of fictional Matty singing fictional George or vice versa to sleep has me wanting to eat my hand and sob (in a good way) 😭

The best way to deal with your self imposed stress of not finishing a fic by your self dictated deadline is obviously to work on a different one 😂 I felt really bad that I wasn't able to fill that one prompt request for that anon looking for a matty x reader blurb where he sung the reader to sleep (I don't see myself ever writing x reader fic i'm sorry!! there are so many wonderful talented people who do though! that's just not my writing niche unfortunately) ... but like was totally down to write one of him singing fictional!George to sleep, and then I saw that YOU lovely anon had sent this in in response to that ask, so obviously I had to jump it to the top of my massive list of prompt fill requests that I really do promise I will finish in 2024 lol

So, alas, here it is, Fictional!Matty sining Fictional!George to sleep. I hope you like it, if not let me know and I will attempt a take two! Thank you so much for sending this in though, and for reading, and being so lovely and supportive! I hope you have a very happy new year and a great rest of your week!

❤️Ally

Singing to sleep

George was sick, and George never got sick. Matty was at his wits end, he was the one with the shit immune system. He was the one who didn’t take care of himself and allowed his body to get run down, seeming to constantly be coming down with a perpetual case of the sniffles. George did yoga. George remembered to eat, and drank water, and got the recommended eight hours of sleep each night. He wasn’t supposed to be congested and running a fever, a trail of used tissues laid out like bread crumbs as if he would lose his way back to the bedroom without them.

George wasn’t supposed to be arguing with Matty that he wasn’t sick when he clearly was. Shaking his head, his voice rough and nasally, insisting that he was fine even as he had to halt his argument every few minutes to cough. George was not supposed to be sick, and with a sinking realization, Matty was learning that George was an even worse patient than he was.

“Please,” Matty begged, he knew he looked ridiculous wearing the frilly apron his Mum had gotten him as a joke when they had bought the new house and Matty had shown her the high end kitchen as if he was going to actually use it. The joke was on her, he was wearing the apron and currently trying to use the kitchen. “Please just go lay back down.”

“I’m fine,” George rasped again before breaking off into another coughing fit, his arms wrapped around himself as he shivered. Matty glanced at the clock on the stove, it was still too soon for him to take another dose of paracetamol.

“You are not fine!” Matty snapped, turning away from the stove and the soup that he hoped was simmering and not boiling, he wasn’t entirely sure of the difference. He waved his wooden spoon at George for dramatic effect. “You need to go lay down and get some fucking rest so you can get better!”

George opened his mouth and Matty waved the spoon more aggressively, flicking his wrist at George. “No, no arguments, upstairs, now please, let’s go.” Matty said, nudging George’s shoulder so that he could guide him towards the staircase.

George sighed, breaking off into another coughing fit, his shoulders shaking before doing as Matty said. He padded barefoot towards the stairs, Matty hot on his heels to make sure he actually got into bed instead of trying to snag his work laptop out of the office. The soup would be okay for a few minutes without him, Matty thought as they climbed the stairs. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to be watching for anyway, or what he was even supposed to do if it did do something.

Realizing he was still holding the spoon, Matty sheepishly sat it down on the dresser, brushing past George to fluff up his pillows and blankets.

“Get in the bed,” he said, holding his arms out as if he was a briefcase girl on a game show.

“You trying to take advantage of me?” George rasped, batting his eyelashes teasingly, the effect was lost though by the glassy sheen of his eyes and his dry red nose.

“Always,” Matty deadpanned and George sighed, climbing back into bed and allowing Matty to rearrange the blankets around him while he pouted like a child.

“Now get some rest,” Matty said, leaning down one last time to press a kiss to George’s forehead, frowning when he realized just how hot it was. He turned away, planning on heading into the bathroom to get George a damp wash rag to try and cool him down some before returning to his soup when George caught his wrist.

“Wait,” said George looking up at Matty, looking extra pathetic with his pale skin, red nose and shiny eyes.

“I’ll be right back,” Matty assured him, his heart squeezing. “I’m just going to get you a cold rag.”

“I’m fine,” George said again, his voice convincing absolutely no one. “But will you,” George flushed, and Matty wasn’t sure if it was from fever or embarrassment. George swallowed hard, his sore throat bobbing painfully. “Will you sing to me?”

Matty blinked, in confusion, not expecting the request. “What?” he asked dumbly and George’s blush deepened, embarrassment it is then, Matty thought fondly, his heart flipping at the request.

“Will you sing me something?” George asked again, his eyes wide and earnest. “Please.”

Matty exhaled slowly, he wanted to get George a cold wash rag for his forehead, and he needed to go check on his soup. But who was he to refuse George a song when he was poorly.

“Yeah,” said Matty softly, feeling like his insides had turned to goo with just how much he loved George. “Yeah, I can sing you something.”

His Gibson Hummingbird was leaning against a decorative chair where he had left it two days prior, and he winced, knowing he should have put it away properly but thankful for his laziness as he scooped it up, feeling silly as he quickly tuned it and sat down on the edge of the bed.

He played the opening chord and George smiled, instantly recognizing the song.

Tell me what you thought about

When you were gone and so alone

The worst is over

You can have the best of me

We got older but we're still young

We never grew out of this feeling that we won't give up

George was asleep, snoring softly, before Matty even finished the song.

#allylikethecat #ask ally #anon ask #fanfiction #keep it kind #matty fic #gatty #prompt fill #prompt fills #OG requests #if anyone else has any prompt requests from a list or their own brains send them my way!#also i am still working on the sick fic prompts dont worry #they're just ending up a little longer and will probably end up on AO3

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moriartyluver · 10 months

Text

FALSE LOVERS CHAPTER IX

MANY MONTHS HAD PASSED since the incident at Ashfordshire Estate and (name)'s newfound kindness and affection towards William ,who had technically saved her life even though it wasn't in much need of saving according to her, had quickly deteriorated for one reason and one reason alone...

"My lady, Lord Moriarty has sent another letter..and a gift," Josephine said as she entered (name)'s room with a gift wrapped parcel and a letter.

(Name) didn't even bat an eye or break her concentration from the book she was reading, 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley . "Put them with the others," she said in a bored tone, jerking her head to the side where grey eyes landed on a pile of gifts, all from different noblemen who had attempted to receive her hand in marriage.

"The pile with more letters." She reminded, sensing Josephine's hesitation.

Her eyes shifted to a separate pile which consisted of many letters and the gifts, which had mostly been unwrapped, were different to that of the ones in the first pile. The gifts were more sincere and instead of sappy letters consisting of terrible poetry, or sweet nothings, the letters were straightforward, kind, but clearly had one goal in mind. There was the odd letter with terrible handwriting in comparison to his regular cursive, which were all clearly written in a drunken state. He would write a few strange things in the letters, such as odd little compliments that (name) couldn't decipher the meanings off, instead she felt sorry for his brothers.

After William had brought it up first at the ball, where they danced together before (name) ran off to Ashfordshire, he had been pestering her about how good she would be on the team, in person, in letters and he had even once broken into her bedroom in attempt to convince her, but that had lead to fracture in William's leg so he stopped for about a week before flooding her mailbox again.

"His leg finally healed and now he decides to get bolder? What a desperate man.." (name) muttered to herself while Josephine struggled to keep William's stacks of letters from falling.

All of them had been read but each said almost the same thing, along the lines of 'please join me in my endeavours to create a new world free of the class system', occasionally they would come with gifts ranging from her favourite flowers or jewellery with her favourite diamonds or gems or book recommendations or chocolates that she actually liked and even, at one point, a cute little stuffed cat toy which held a close resemblance to the woman.

Josephine finished placing the gift, which once it had been opened by (name) turned out to be a customised chess set with a little note telling her to practice her chess skills with a little smiley face When the two weren't studying to fuel their rivalry in their youth, William would sometimes challenge (name) to chess and since their first game, she had still not won once.

As her aide had left to go get more mail, presumably from other noblemen who were desperately trying to win her affections with no avail, (name) had opened the letter and read it intently.

Ah, now this was new.

An invitation to the Moriarty manor in London to discuss a potential arrangement to the two. The strange thing was, that William had written that if she had come to this one meeting and she didn't agree, he would leave her alone.

Was this a trap? What if he blackmailed her into joining him..no..she had nothing worth using as blackmail. Everything she had done could easily be flipped or blamed onto someone else, not that she would do that but until she was satisfied with her goal, she wanted to remain untouched by gossip or persecution at least for now until she could return to (home country) when she would need to claim her title as Grand duchess and work as a political advisor, not the most ideal job, but it had to be done so she held no objections to it.

"Josephine," (name) called out to the girl as she turned her head to face the door to her bedroom where Josephine stood with various flowers and shallow gifts from all sorts of noblemen and her weekly letter from her parents. "What is my schedule like for the remainder of the week?"

The now 15 year old placed down the items in their corresponding piles and spoke from memory as she approached her mistress "as I recall, there are no balls this week, and apart from a few meetings with the Marquis in regards to taking care of his business affairs, you should be free the day after tomorrow, Wednesday and you have a tea party with Lady Sinclair on Friday . I believe there may be a ball next week aswell. "

(Name) smiled and nodded, placing her hand on Josephine's head, which wasn't difficult due to her short stature, patting her affectionately. Josephine returned the smile then proceeded to question what her lady had wished to arrange.

"I am to visit the Moriarty Manor," she said, taking out a piece of paper and a pen, quickly writing a short response with an oddly casual tone for the usually formal and elegant lady.

Dear Lord William,

If this must be what it takes for you to a top sending these preposterous letters and leave me to exist in peace, I shall take up your invitation to visit you. Expect me on Wednesday.

P.s. I have been working on my chess skills, fool. I'll beat you in no time.

From Lady (name)

"But I thought you weren't responding to any of his letters, your ladyship?" Josephine inquired as she passed the letter with the (last name) family seal to (name). "You're no longer upset with him, are you?"

"I haven't the faintest clue as to what he's planning but he did write that he'll stop bothering me if I do go.." she trailed off, opening the letter which had clearly been written by (name)'s mother in (mother tongue).

(Name) sighed in exasperation as she finished it. Another letter from her parents inquiring about a marriage. She didn't wish to marry any of her current admirers, that was for sure. The lady didn't really want to marry at all but as a lady in 19th century Britain, there really was not another option. Perhaps she could marry an older man and poison him to become a widow with no need for marriage.

Her parents did not wish to force her, that was clear. Instead they gave her time and space to pick her own husband and hopefully one she loved but no matter how it was put, it was an expectation and requirement to secure her title as the future Grand duchess and with her uncle's habit to keep mistresses but not wives nor with any legitimate children, she may also inherit the title as both the Grand Duchess and Marchioness (name) (last name). Her status wasn't making her marriage situation any easier

Most of the men who were sending her these 'love' letters wished either for her as their exotic little doll or her title.

Out of anger, (name) scrunched up the letter into a ball and threw it into the fireplace where it burnt to a crisp.

"My lady, are you alright?" Josephine asked, evidently worried "Did the letter upset you..?"

(Name) pinched her forehead and muttered to herself "another marriage reminder..I must do something..would marrying a man who has no interest in me would be ideal..a fake marriage wouldn't be a bad idea..but then there's the matter of children which would be necessary to continue my bloodline because I am their only daughter.."

These thoughts had been troubling her a lot more recently after the nobility now viewed the woman to be 'on the marriage market'. She had considered becoming a governess or something of the sort but a governess wouldn't usually be a woman of such high social standing and ther aim to become a professor would also be impossible if that were to occur.

(Name) thought it was foolish though, to call it a marriage market. It was as if she was being sold to man she did not wish to marry. That's how she had perceived it to be anyways.

At parties, men would ask to dance with her and ask her unnecessarily intimate questions which made her feel she was being constantly interviewed about marriage. Questions on topics such as how many children she wanted, her skills, her ability to manage a household and even what kind of man she desired.

"It's be suspicious if I didn't get married, right, Josephine?" (Name) then lifted her head up "and if I did marry someone, they would have to know of the...crimes..I commit, along with my grand scheme for the empire, correct?"

Josephine nodded, unsure of what she could say to help Lady (name) who sighed in irritation.

"Oh what am I to do.."

"Lady (name) (last name), would you do the honour of marrying me?"

(Name) looked at William who was holding a little gold ring with a red gem on it in between his thumb and index finger. She rolled her eyes as she accepted, holding her hand out for him to slip the ring onto its designated finger. The blond kissed her hand gently before (name) demanded that he stand up.

About 30 minutes before (name) had accepted William's proposal, she had arrived with Josephine to the Moriarty Manor, greeted by Louis at the door who seemed to be acting as though he were following a script for a play (name) did not know she was acting in. Once he had greeted the two, not another soul in sight, he had taken them to the lounge which (name) was now well acquainted with after multiple visits (and potential break-ins).

As Louis had opened the grand door to let the pair in, (name) spotted a familiar blond with an even more familiar smirk and his older brother, Earl Albert James Moriarty who she had seen countless times before, sat on a chair holding a glass of red wine as usual.

William flashed the noble lady an innocent , closed eye smile as he greeted her "Good day, my lady. I'm glad to see you accepted my humble invitation despite all the noblemen who have been calling for you in attempts to court you recently." His last words seemed to drip with venom despite his soft expression. "Please take a seat.How have you been? You have received my gifts and letters, haven't you? I was growing worried that they hadn't made their way to you-"

"Enough of the small talk, Moriarty. What's are you planning?" (Name) glared as she approached the man, remaining stood up just in case he tried anything "Knowing your scheming personality, you have a method of trapping me and making me your puppet. Save me the humiliation and make haste."

William's delicate and angelic smile instantly shifted to a devilish smirk as his scarlet eyes — which to (name) resembled that of a demon's but were strangely beautiful all the same — narrowed and his lips turned upwards.

"If you insist, sweetheart," he said as he leaned closer to the woman, making prolonged eye contact, amused at the still confident and determined woman he saw before him "I have a proposal for you."

"What, a marriage proposal?" (Name) joked "with the way you've been acting recently, I would not be surprised in the slightest..surely you would be better off directing your affections elsewhere.."

William chuckled softly and held (name)'s hands in his own dramatically as he looked at her with a now faux lovesick expression.

"Oh, but my lady, I must confess something," (name) raised a brow as William's tone changed to that of a whining child. "I am passionately enamoured by you..I find it difficult to eat. Slumber evades me..At midnight's hour I awaken calling our your name-"

(Name) scowled and released her hands from his, even more irritated than she was earlier. He was purposely trying to get on her nerves as usual. It was as if it was his primary source of entertainment.

"Should you jest any longer, I shall take my leave," (name)'s eyes darted around the room, avoiding eye contact in an attempt to mask her embarrassment "I demand to know why you have asked for me to come here."

William sighed, frowning before turning away and looking out of the window whilst (name) folded her arms and continued to glare at the blond, who could feel her piercing gaze burning into the back of his head.

"Why is that you continue to refuse to join me, yet you never properly responded to my letters?" William asked as if he was prompting something, as if he had a plan.

(Name) clenched her fists, clearly irritated as she her voice grew tense and terse "I had given you clear answers in person. I thought if i were to ignore your attempts to persuade me, you would grow tired. I'm afraid to admit I was wrong."

William turned his head to face (name) again, tilting his head. "But you are yet to provide me a reasonable explanation as to why you do not want to join us. Isn't that odd?"

That statement felt like a smack in the face, reminding (name) of how overly emotional she was being with this decision. She had only come up with one reason as to why she didn't want to join William's little criminal network, that being that she could not bring herself to be around him for such long periods of time. Everything he did recently had managed to irritate her, even if it were harmless. She felt this strange feeling that went beyond hate and was ever so passionate and strong. That feeling haunted her in her dreams and every waking hour.

The blond male had noticed (name) growing more annoyed by the second, not a single word to say in retaliation. He continued "I only wish to make a change in the country, to prevent those of the lower class being treated as if they weren't human. You share that same goal along with your main one, which I'm very much aware of."

"How did you-" (name) sighed and instead tried to remain calm. She watched as William turned around completely and leaned closer to her, as if he was trying to intimidate her. Her hand made its way to her pocket which had a small tear on it to give her access to her upper leg and reach for the gun strapped to it, ready to pull it out if she needed to. "Nevermind. I'm able to do all this on my own, without your assistance. What do you plan to do with this newfound information then? Are you going to turn me in to the military intelligence? I'm sure you wouldn't take this lightly."

"If you do not wish to acquire my help, then why did you come to me when you found out about Ashfordshire's evil acts against various women?" William asked rhetorically. He had noticed (name) was in possession of a gun as he looked down to see her fidgeting with something in her pocket. He said nothing. "Your arguments seem to have many flaws, dear (name). Is this why you almost always were second place to me?"

(Name) swiftly pulled the small, but efficient, pistol and pointed it at William. Louis and Josephine at the side simultaneously gasped whilst Albert just swished his wine around, entertained by the scene. The red eyed devil's smirk widened as he leaned closer, pressing the gun to his own forehead as the woman in front of him seemed surprised momentarily but instead of pulling the gun away, she loaded the gun and rested her finger on the trigger, ready to shoot.

"If I do indeed refuse to join you, what will you do to me? What is the trap you've laid out for me so you finally feel the satisfaction of winning?" (Name) whispered, adding to the tension already existing through the room.

William replied in an equally hushed tone. "Turn you in, of course. You already are aware that my brother does work for the military and it would be a shame if he accidentally let slip to the higher ups that there was a person in the ton who planned to destroy the very empire that brings us power and glory, would it not, darling?"

(Name) kept the pistol in her hand, pressing it closer against William's soft face "Stop with the terms of endearment, or I'll pull the trigger. Why cant you just accept that I don't wish to follow the same life that you lead?" She asked, feeling almost threatened by his remark

"You wouldn't kill me, dear (name). You need me for your own entertainment as I need you just as much for other reasons and besides, you and I worked well against Ashfordshire and were able to kill him in a discreet manner-"

"There is nothing discreet about beating a man bloody and making it near impossible to dispose of him in a way that scandals would not arise. Perhaps you aren't as competent as you try to pretend to be." She had said nothing in regard to his first statement. It was now (name)'s turn to smirk, satisfied with her response until William smiled

"Which is exactly why I need you by my side. You and I are one in the same. I wish to take down the nobility and I'm willing to risk my life just to go against the nobility, in turn going against the empire. You wish to see the empire fall apart, I assume because of your loyalty to (home country). You are desperate to see the world change because you know what I am capable of" William leaned forward, only centimetres away from (name).

"If anyones desperate it's you. A new letter every morning just for me. Do you not have anything better to do than beg for me to —" (name) spat but was interrupted by William who seemed to be growing more flustered, probably because a gun was about to kill him any moment.

"—We can help each other. Although you have a high social status, I am able to give you the opportunity to take down this empire you hate so much and you can help me throughout my own plans."

The gun fell to the ground with a clatter. (Name) raised her hand in defeat as William's eyes widened. He hadn't expected it to be this easy.

"I am only going to say this once so listen well," she muttered to him. "..you win, William James Moriarty."

All the people in the room seemed equally in awe as William, including (name) herself. It was as if she was a completely different person entirely.

"Now that I have accepted your proposal, how do you plan to avoid any potential scandals or suspicious behaviours? I am an unmarried lady and you, an unmarried gentleman. I hope to evade any association with baseless conjecture." (Name) said, finally breaking the silence as she backed away from William.

William averted his gaze, for absolutely no particular reason, turning back to look at the view outside the window. "As expected of you, (name), you are correct. Which is why I have a solution for both this problem and the issues regarding your unwed status.."

"Which is?"

(Name) already knew what he was about to say though, but hearing it from him was still surprising.

William got down on one knee and pulled out a little red box, opening it to reveal a gold ring with a red gem on it.

"Lady (name) (last name), would you do me the honour of marrying me?"

In the following weeks, (name) and William had managed to create a fake love story between the two of them to wear like a mask in public. In order to spread news of the engagement and appear less suspicious or sudden, (name) had approached a young woman of the ton, only a couple years younger than herself, who she had acquainted herself with at a ball named Miss Charlotte Kensington, a girl who had recently been known to be quite the gossip in high society.

(Name) had carefully directed the conversation to marriage and courtships and then 'confessed' that she and William had been secretly courting for the past few months and were 'deeply in love'. To add more to the potential rumours that were to quickly spread, she had lied that she had once come to call on William only to find out that he had been visiting the jewellers which caused her to suspect he was to propose soon.

The story had spread like a wildfire and within minutes of ending her conversation with Charlotte, she had heard whispers of ladies complaining about William being off the marriage market and many men upset about the 'diamond of (home country)' no longer being available, some even questioning what (name) had seen in him which had strangely irritated her.

About a week after that particular ball, William and (name) had been promenading through a newly built park, full of noblemen and women with the others who were in on the plan and as planned, William had found a 'romantic' location to propose to (name), getting down on one knee and professing his love for the woman who had enthusiastically accepted, and even added a few fake tears for extra convincing.

A contract was written between the two and signed. The rules had consisted of avoiding physical interactions in private, acting as a couple in public, having (name) participate in any schemes William would ask her to, an exchange of information from Albert to (name), completely loyalty to their ultimate goal and the final rule which had easily been mutually agreed on (and quite determined from both parties) , not having any sorts of extra-marital romantic relationships to avoid scandal of course. William had also refused to receive a dowry from (name), who was already really wealthy and willing to send over £15 000 (£939 135 in modern pound sterling or us $1193081.80) in dowry because he was not fond of the practice (“it’s as if you are paying me to marry you”) and instead sent just as much money to her despite not needing to.

After (name) had written to her parents and the engagement party was hosted, her parents had eventually arrived from (home country) to England for the wedding which was to be held in a month following the initial proposal. The facade of the love marriage made this easier than it should have been considering most couples at the time would have been engaged as children then married off about ten years later.

The arrangements for this grand wedding ("only the best for my daughter" Grand Duke (last name) had said when aiding the couple in the preparations) had been going smoothly and although (name) didn't wish to admit it, she was..excited. Not as much as Josephine of course. The girl had become like her little sister or even her own daughter and was incredibly excited on her lady's behalf.

Although William had already asked for permission to marry (name) from the Marquis, who was standing in as her closest male relative, he had still wanted to receive her parent's blessing and meet the couple who had managed to raise such a wonderful but also fierce spirited woman.

The wedding was to be held in the Grand Duke and Duchesses large estate in the capital and the newlyweds would also stay there for the beginning of their honeymoon before returning to (home country) with them. Honestly, the two had expected their daughter to marry a prince or even a kind of some sort once she was of age but as soon as they met William, all those doubts had flown out of the window and they had welcomed the young nobleman with open arms.

A few weeks prior to the wedding, (name) and William had waited for the ship with the Grand Duke and Duchess to arrive.

"You had better not cause any issues,William." (Name) hissed while she watched her parents leave the ship and approach the trio.

William smirked and responded "Wouldn't dream of it, darling."

She sighed loudly in exasperation but waved to her parents with a smiled, who were approaching the couple and were ready to take the carriage to their estate.

"Mother! Father! How lovely to see you both once again!" The (hair colour)-ette had smiled brightly as she greeted her parents enthusiastically. This was the first time they had met in person for three years and they had only visited once before, very briefly due to diplomatic relations, during the entire five years she had been in England.

"We have really missed you, dear (name). Please forgive us for not being able to visit you. Oh how you've grown..!" (Father's name) exclaimed as he gave his daughter a hug, clearly feeling sentimental.

"It's alright, father..I've been well on my own." (Name) managed to squeak out amidst her father's tight embrace. Her mother eventually pried her husband off her and greeted her with a smile. The difference between their personalities could not have been more clear.

Her mother was quiet, cold on the surface, but gentle to those who she loved and very intelligent. She worried for her daughter a lot but never as much as her husband, who was a lot more cheerful and incredibly dedicated to his wife, but could be very cruel when necessary.

The Grand Duke looked over to a nervous William and flashed an even brighter smile. "You must be the gentleman our lovely daughter is to marry. She spoke very highly of you in her letter to us announcing the engagement, we couldn't be more happy for her to finally find someone she loves and is willing to marry."

William bowed politely "It's a pleasure to meet you, your grace, my name's William James Moriarty" He smiled as he held out his hand for the man to shake "(Name) seems to hold you in an equally high regard, and I can see why only from our first meeting."

The duke whispered to his wife who gave William a polite smile and nod "Look (mothers name), isn't he just perfect for our little (name)?" Except the whisper was quite loud and all of them could hear.

"Ahem..." (name) interrupted, clearly embarrassed by the whole ordeal and wishing for this strange clash between worlds to be over. "I think it's best we get going now, mother, father."

"Indeed..Come along, dear." Her mother said as she pulled her husband away to prevent him from squeezing William's hand to the point it would break.

Once they had arrived at the grand (Last name) family manor which hadn't been visited for years, the parents had promptly began questioning poor William.

"How did the two of you meet, William?" (Father's name) asked curiously as they had tea together.

(Name) felt nervous during the meeting. Her parents had easily seen through her since she was a child. One wrong word and it would all become apparent and she knew her parents would not approve of anything she was getting involved in. They wished for their daughter to marry for love and have a good relationship with her husband and they certainly did not want her murdering people or trying to single handedly take on an entire empire, one of the largest in the world.

She had to act all lovey-dovey with her husband to be and it was a pain.

"I had already mentioned it in my letters, father —"

(Name)'s mother interrupted "Your father asked your fiancé, allow the boy to speak." She said with a cold tone.

Ah, thought William, so this is where (name) had gotten her attitude from.

"Well, I first was graced by dear (name)'s presence when we were only 16 and from the first moment I had been not only completely enamoured by her beauty, but also her intellect. She was reading a play, the tempest, which I wasn't as much of a fan of compared to Shakespeare's other works but ever since that day, it has remained my favourite play ever since.” William confessed with a flustered smile “Although (name) seemed to dislike me at first, I continued to chase after her but was happy to even be acknowledged as her friend, I've grown to love her more with each breath I take and I would do absolutely anything to see her happy."

(Name) felt her face heat up at William's short monologue.

'He was faking! He wasn't telling the truth, get a hold of yourself woman!'

The grand duke smiled then muttered to himself "I knew sending sweet (name) to university abroad would be beneficial. That'll show that meddling viscount.."

(Name)'s mother patted her husband's back as she spoke up for probably the fourth time that day. "You wish to be married rather quickly..a months engagement period and you're to be married soon, there wasn't anything improper taking place to cause such an engagement?" The grand duchess inquired, what she was implying was obvious.

Her daughter chuckled nervously after almost choking on her tea. She would never do such a thing with William, she wouldn't dream of it. "Not at all, mother. We just could not be able to stand a long engagement period, is all."

"If you insist, (name)." She said, not questioning any further "on the topic of children, we do expect a grand child, of course take your time but considering how in love you appear to be, I'm certain we'll have a granddaughter or grandson by the end of the year.."

The grand duke's grin widened "Imagine, a few little (name)'s running around and causing mischief! How adorable!!"

(Name)'s eyes widened and turned to face William sat beside her ,who seemed mildly surprised too but only gave a polite smile. He was doing alot better at pretending to be in love than she was. "Of course, (name) would be a wonderful mother, it seems she takes after you, your grace."

The noblewoman nodded in a rather unconvincing manner as her mother looked at her skeptically.

"..you are in love, aren't you?" The duchess added. It had seemed she had caught onto their little arrangement.

A sharp clank sound followed as (name) took a spoonful of her cake and held it up to William's mouth to feed him. The blond understood immediately and opened his mouth.

"Of course we're in love, dear mother! I would never marry William otherwise," (name) assured as she flew the spoonful of cake into William's mouth and 'accidentally' activated the man's gag reflex as she thrust the spoon a little too far. Her fiancé had begun gagging, surprised by her aggressive gesture, causing (name) to remove her spoon and pat his back as William coughed. "I must excuse us, Mother, Father."

(Name) left for a few moments with William to speak to him privately as he tried to sooth his now sore throat.

"What was that for, did I upset you?" William asked as he finally was able to speak properly

(Name) glared at him and handed him a glass of water, the sun shining through it making it look sparkly "I know we're meant to be convincing but I do suggest you lay off the children comments, otherwise my parents will be suspicious when years come and there are no 'adorable little (name)s' wreaking havoc."

"You never mentioned anything about how I was to respond to anything regarding offspring, so I had assumed you would be alright with me saying what you thought your parents may want to hear, my apologies." William apologised as (name) seemed to be growing agitated and fidgety "I hadn't known you were against the idea of having children."

(Name) sighed "it's not children I'm against, but rather the process."

William held (name)'s hand and kissed her ring finger right beneath where the gold band sat. "If that is what you wish, I cannot force you, my love."

(Name) noticed her parents were still watching so she wasn't able to hide her embarrassment with a rude remark and remove her hand from his so instead, whilst glancing back at her parents who were talking about god knows what, she placed her free hand on William's head and ran her fingers through his blond locks.

This was going to be a very difficult marriage indeed.

A/N: bro this took me two days to write 😭 its like over 5k words I’m sorry but umm there’s a lot of funny (?) moments so please take this.Not fl trying to kill William in front of her parents + fl calling William desperate 💀 how will the happy couple deal with the children issue? 👀

#moriarty the patriot #william james moriarty #william moriarty #william moriarty x reader #mtp william #yuukoku no moriarty #yuukoku no moriarty x reader #moriarty the patriot x reader #yuumori x reader #—false lovers 💋

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silvermoon424 · 2 years

Text

Do not use JapanCodeSupply

Posting this in the tags of every popular gacha game I can think of so I can warn people not to use a particular Japanese iTunes card-selling service. For those unaware, iPhone users can purchase Japanese iTunes codes so they can buy in-game currency for Japanese mobile games (usually gacha games).

I'd been using a site called JapanCodeSupply for a bit to buy cards in order to buy in-game currency for my one and only gacha game, Magia Record. It was going okay one day until they sent me a code that had been previously used. Obviously upset by this, I went to their customer support on Twitter and asked for a new code. After doing a bunch of steps to confirm that I wasn't scamming them, they sent me a new, unused code. I figured it was a fluke and moved on.

A few weeks later, I bought another card (this time for a much larger amount) and once again recieved a used code. I was once again pretty upset but decided to go to customer support. They had me go through all the steps again to prove I wasn't scamming them... and then sent me a canned response about how their code system "had a 100% success rate" and how they would not be giving me a new code. No matter how many times I argued, I kept getting generic, canned responses from their support team.

I opened up a case on PayPal (which I had used to pay the site) and am currently waiting for my case to be resolved. This happened back in late August and I wasn't going to say anything until the case closed, but what pissed me off is that JapanCodeSupply was silent for weeks after I opened the case until I escalated it. Then they just provided a tracking number (what? it's a digital order, there would be no tracking number), presumably in the hopes that the PayPal overseer would be overworked, see a tracking number, and decide in their favor.

So yeah, fuck this company. They knowingly send out used codes to people and then refuse to reimburse them even after they provide the evidence the company themselves asked for. If you want an alternative place to buy Japanese iTunes cards, I recommend PlayAsia instead. I have had zero issues with them and they are overall a far more reputable company.

#fgo #magia record #fire emblem heroes #arknights #fate grand order #azur lane #Genshin Impact #princess connect! re:dive #uma musume #signal boost #scam #proxy service #warning

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ehill3957 · 1 year

Text

👄❤️🍑⚘️ Valentines Special⚘️🍑❤️👄

Now Lucerys was a nepo baby. He knew that. He had plenty of money, and he was going to inherit his grandfathers export/import business. His dad came from money, and his mum came from money. His family practically invented money. He's never wanted for anything and always got the best gifts, clothes, jewellery, and his sweet puppy, Arrax is pure pred pomeranian. He even got a new car, not that he knows how to drive. Not since his psycho uncle tried to run him off the road, he hired a chauffeur.

But Luke liked being pampered. Yes, his family pampered him, but there was always something about a potential or future lover going all out. Even though he had everything and anything they tried to get him, he could no doubt get a better one.

But he liked sex. Was he a nymphomaniac? No. But sometimes he just needed a good dicking down, needed a big strong man to pin him down and rail him.

So that's how he got his side hustle. He went to school for business, economics, and everything he was expected to know for his inheritance of the Velaryon Company.

But he was also texting men, meeting them. Being pampered, and when they were done, they concluded with the deed. Every experience taught him more of what he liked, he like older men but not too old. Muscles, he liked to be picked up, thrown over the shoulder, held down if needed. But he liked men who respected him.

Of course, they could never really know that he was the heir to Corlys Velaryon. That would be the scandal of the decade, so he was just Luke Rivers, a poor college student who was trying to make ends meet. He had second-hand clothes, and his apartment was shitty, located down town, small but he was small boy so he made it work, also his heating sucked so hot water was scarce, no matter how many times a plumber fixed it, it always broke down again. Luckily, he saved up enough money to afford a better apartment, a little bigger and closer to school. He was anxious, and he took his puppy from a mean man who didn't like that he wouldn't go exclusive and that's where the scar that marred his back came from, it wasn't ugly but it made him self concious.

Now that he thinks about it, he might be a little psycho making a fake identity just to get sex. But his family thinks he's a sweet boy. So beggars can't be choosers.

He'd been texting a man. He was rugged and handsome, and he knew designer, so he knew that man was loaded. Tom Bennett, he was an art curator and collector. He was heir to the family business but felt his brother, Aaron, would be better suited, and he wanted to do work that he loved. He was a divorcee. His ex-wife Alena only wanted the fortune, but when declining in favour of his brother, she filed for divorce, so it's been a while since he's dated as he felt somewhat inadequate because of this. Of course, they had never seen each other in person, but they exchanged photos. Texted every day. He sent thoughtful gifts to him, ones that made his heart stutter because they weren't like the gifts his other pets sent, more to his taste. Simple but exquisite. He even gifted clothes for his dog. He got a little dragon hoodie for Arrax, and he had a little photo shoot because he loves his puppy so much.

So when Tom asked to meet on Valentines to go the next step with him, at a luxurious hotel in Essos, he flew him out there for a week to sight see, going to the places Tom recommends and booked for him. Despite being a Velaryon, his cheap college disguises make him practically invisible with the tourists.

On the eve of the special day, he arrived at the last stop, a 5 star hotel that he got checked into with no problem. Tom had said he had been by earlier and wanted to spend the day with him, but a problem arose at the museum, so he needed to be there, but he was free to order room service. He also found little gifts with notes to open and use them. He ate like a king (he does that all the time, but Tom doesn't need to know that), he had the nicest bath, and at Strawberries covered in chocolate, Tom had also left a bag on the bed, it had beautiful red lingerie in it, he also found lube and a plug, red with a black with a sapphire, beautifully cut and probably specially made. And a note

That he does, enjoying the room service, pampering himself. It takes another hour and a half before the door clicks open, and a man walks in.

"Qybor?"

-----

Aemond watched as Lucerys looked confused at him walking in to the room

"Nephew, what a surprise." he throws the folder onto the table near him and gestures for Lucerys to pick it up.

He watches his nephews expressions as he lays out all the things he's been doing as Luke Rivers. The men he was seen on dates with, the hotels, the gifts, the apartments he's rented.

He watches his nephew sit down on the bed with the folder.

"Your Tom, aren't you?"

His nephew is such a smart little thing.

"Yes, but it no longer matters"

His nephew throws the folder at him

"Are you fucking stalking me?"

He smiles, walking closer to his nephew dressed in the lingerie he had purchased, and he's probably wearing the plug, too.

He watches Lucerys as he moves back away from him. Covering himself more with the robe, or as much as he is able to with its sheerness.

He picks up Lucerys' leg from the ground and pulls it up to him as his nephew falls back onto his elbow from the sudden movement.

"What are you doing? Let go!" He tries to pull his leg back, but he puts his lips to the ankle, and Lucerys freezes, "Does your mother know? Your brother, Jace?" His nephew shakes his head and he laughs softly.

"No, sweet Lucerys couldn't be seen meeting men older than him for sex, could he?" He starts to kiss down his ankle to his knee.

"Stop!" His nephew pushes him back, but he finally lets go as his nephew scoots up the bed away from him

"It be a shame if the media found out that Lucerys Velaryon made a fake identity to gain sexual favours from rich men," he contemplates out loud.

Luke snarls at him. "Are you black mailing me?" He asks indignantly.

"Of course not, that's illegal, just giving advice to my nephew who should know that those vultures would pick this up like the juicy gossip that it is"

Luke huffs. "What do you want?"

"I want tonight, with you"

His nephew blushes but doesn't look away as he pulls of his jacket and shirt.

"Why?"

"Because you haunt me"

Lucerys bites his lip, and he watches it move between his teeth.

"Tonight? You want to have s-sex with me?"

He nods and crawls up the bed, pulling his nephews ankle down and crawling above him. "Tonight"

-----

Luke wraps his arms around his uncles neck "tonight" he agrees softly, and his uncle dips down to kiss him, pecking his lips a few times before opening his mouth and using his tongue to delve inside. Putting his weight against him and moving softly, his hands undoing the robe to caress the skin that it conceals.

They kiss for a while before he feels the plug start to pull out, and he moans. But his uncle is a cruel man, so he moves it in and out, deaf to his nephews pleadings, his moans.

Lucerys looks debauched as his uncle removes to plug and sits back on his legs. Above his nephew, he removes the robe as he undoes his pants. Lucerys looks him up and down and watches as he pulls his cock out, stroking it slightly.

"Condom?" Lucerys whispers.

"No, I want to fill you with my seed"

He puts the tip at his nephews entrance, and when he moans encouragingly, he sinks in all the way, punching the breath out of his nephews lungs.

"Dressed so prettily for me, sweet boy?"

"Ahn, qybor!" He pulls at his hips to bring lucerys closer to cover his cock completely.

He moves relentlessly into his nephews heat. Lucerys moans in his ear as he sucks marks into his neck, and as he finally reaches completion, he sinks his teeth into his nephews shoulder, and in return, his nephew digs his nails deep into his back.

He pulls back and watches Lucerys' red face as he breathes. He pulls out and turns his nephew onto his stomach before entering again.

"Ahhh! What are you doing?"

He starts to thrust. "I will have you as many times tonight as I can, I will keep filling you with my cum until I erase all trace of any of the others, until all you can think about is me!" And with that, he keeps thrusting, seeing his nephew reach a hand down he pushing his head into the bed and pulling his hips up as he thrusts harder "You don't get to touch yourself tonight, you come on my cock or you don't come at all"

His nephew moans again at the rough treatment and his words.

-----

Lucerys wakes up to find his uncle gone. He has a shower and unleashes the torrent of cum that his uncle kept inside with the plug. He cleans himself thoroughly and gets dressed. He walks back and sees a box on the table with his phone and a note.

He reads the note

'Wear it'

He opens it to see a necklace with an engraving of the word 'puppy' he puts it on and tucks it underneath his clothes so it touches his bare skin. He walks out of the hotel and gets in the car He ordered.

He texts 2 people.

Unknown Luke: Did you get the photos?

Unknown: yes

Luke: write the story then wait for my text

Unknowm: is this really what you want

Luke: Yes, alicent won't let him marry me unless her hands have been forced

Unknown: I'll wait for your text

Aemond

Luke: how do I know you won't tell anyone?

Aemond: do you like the necklace?

Luke: you didn't answer me

Aemond: do you like it, yes or no taoba

Luke: I....like it

Aemond: good, keep wearing it until I see you again

Luke: you said only for a night

Aemond: goodbye taoba

Lucerys smiles as he turns off his phone, already imagining the headlines and the fallout.

-----

Aemond smiles as Aegon sends him a screenshot of the texts from Lucerys.

Sometimes, you need to go the extra mile. Sometimes, you need to get your brother to let your phone number slip and then make up a reporter to get in contact with your nephew, threatening to go public with what they found before your nephew says that he has something better to get them their fame and lays out a plan that you agree with completely but have to pretend not to know so you don't arouse suspicion and to let your nephew think you got the jump on him

He goes back to looking at the photos he took last night. Of his nephew thoroughly debauched and in the midst of passion.

He smiles as he texts back his brother to wait for Luerys to be in the air before releasing the story.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

And there is your story for valentines.

Also, it was so hard because I normally don't write sex scenes, just imply them (heavily imply them)

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

#lucemond #lucerys strong #lucerys targaryen #lucerys valeryon #aemond targaryen #aemond x lucerys #hotd #aemond one eye #lucerys #aemond

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sparkwrldsz · 2 months

Text

[수치타] EP.24 SUGA with Juliet

"okay, let's get started. Suchwita is back" Suga started talking. "today's guest is very well known, let's see.

Name: Juliet / Job: a multifunctional person "I reserved a table because you haven't invited me to drink yet."

[a girl who sings and dances, and is in charge of the Seventeen subunit "Starlight"]

"wah! welcome juliet" Suga said as Juliet entered the set.

"hellooo" a shy juliet appeared in the frame, with two bags in her hands "I brought you a gift"

From the bag in her hands, Juliet took out a small box inside. "I know you have a lot of perfumes, so I thought it would be nice to add one more to the collection hahaha"

[friends who know each other very well]

A big and shy smile appeared on Yoongi's face "ow thanks, you didn't have to"

"I also brought a bottle of wine to share, one of the members recommended it to me so here it is." Juliet said, taking the bottle out of its container.

While Yoongi was pouring the liquid into the glasses, he started talking about their friendship. "I don't think many people expected us to be so close." he said "But the truth is that we've known each other for quite some time."

"What? 8 years now?" Juliet took the glass of wine "It's almost like the time of my debut."

"Yeah, we were promoting I need you at that time." he added. "It's really crazy how time flies."

Juliet laughed a little at Yoongi's nostalgic comment. "You really sound like an old man." she chuckled

"wah? are you seriously calling me old?" Yoongi said laughing. "you are already close to my age, you will be thirty soon!. You should even talk to me informally."

[age is important to min yoongi]

"no no!! i still can't talk to you informally! it's hard"

"It's true, I always say that you should speak comfortably, oppa really isn't necessary haha"

"I usually don't call you oppa, only when I want something"

They both laughed and made a toast to start drinking. It had been a long time since they had shared a moment like this and now they were celebrating their lasting friendship.

"Woozi was recently here"

"Yes, oh god it was strange seeing you two together. You really are very similar." she said "It was like seeing twins."

A laugh came from the girl, remembering what it had been like to see them have the same hairstyle and share a table together.

"It was fun having him here"

-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-

"Let's talk about your debut album, how was it? You're the first one out of everyone to do it, right?"

"hm yes, the truth is I was very nervous. Everything happened very quickly, I remember that the CEO called a meeting with woozi and scoups to talk about it but actually they knew from the beginning, they only needed my approval (? haha"

"nervous about what?"

"I don't know, I felt like I wasn't prepared to do it." Juliet said. "But luckily Woozi was always there supporting me."

"You had a good producer by your side, and you know i heard it recently and you did a good job. i'm proud of you"

"ah! don't say that, you're going to make me cry. THE suga is making me a compliment, this is amazing"

"don't let it go to your head" he said with a tease tone, making juliet roll her eyes playfully

[deep down they love each other]

"What was your favorite song?" Juliet asked, intrigued.

"don't wanna go back, was something else. I really liked it a lot"

"Yes, it was something different from the main idea of the album. The last three songs I think are the most personal to me and that makes it more special"

"How was the composition process? Because you also wrote it, right?

"Yes, woozi sent me a demo and I was like "this is it, this is the song" after that I started writing, I think I spent a whole week in the studio." Juliet said as she took a sip from the wine glass. "The most difficult part of all was writing the most personal songs, since I had to go back in time a little and remember the weakest moments of myself."

"I understand you. It's a bit like digging in the wound" Suga said, nodding his head as he copied the girl's action.

"yeah, I think that a great inspiration to make more personal songs was "D-2" since I remembered that it was an album that helped me a lot in its time" she explained "I remember calling you after hearing it and we had a pretty deep conversation."

"It's true, it was a pretty tough year but we knew how to get through it. I'm very happy that it helped you" he said with a smile "cheers for that"

They both made another toast and filled their glasses that had already been emptied, time moved quickly but the conversations they were both having were enough to continue.

"I'm curious about how they put my job 'a multifunctional person'? What is that supposed to mean?"

Yoongi and the rest of the staff laughed a little at Juliet's comment, she was known as a person who could do many things.

"hahaha how funny, you are a person with many talents and they couldn't put you in just one category"

Juliet looked at him a little surprised and shy, shaking her head. "You don't have to be shy, you can admit that you're good." he said

They both continued joking and laughing together until Suga changed the topic.

"Let's talk a little about Seventeen, which by the way you guys have been a total success.

[Seventeen FML is now the first ever Korean music album in history to surpass 6 million copies in sales]

A round of applause from the staff and screams were heard "thank youuu" she said smiling "wow! I was really surprised, seriously, I couldn't believe it." Juliet applauded happily. ""I was very proud, I even cried a little."

yoongi laughed a little "haha cute, It was well deserved. Super was an impressive thing. you will come back with a new album right?"

"Yes, seventeenth heaven. I am very excited for it. It is a little different from what we have been doing with FML. Ah! You should record the challenge with me!"

"Sure" he answered. "Jungkook recorded 'Super' with mingyu, I should do it with you"

"yeaah! it's good to see how the members get along so well. even the fans have noticed it haha. There are army-carats out there"

"army and carat are sisters, they should get along well. as well as the members"

[army and carat is a family]

As the chapter drew to a close, Juliet felt a big sense of gratitude wash over her. Being a part of Suchwita with one of her best friends was something that filled her heart with love. It was a great opportunity for people to see them and learn more about their friendship and for them to share something like that in front of the cameras

#svt starlight #kpop addition #svt 14th member #oc kpop group #svt addition #kpop oc gg #svt oc #kpop oc #svt juliet

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decepti-thots · 11 months

Note

I had no idea that anything was actually happening with otw but thank you I see this as a sign to start downloading all my fav fics lol

On reflection, I suppose I did make that comment offhandedly without thinking that many people have no idea what I'm talking about- it concerns stuff I suppose falls into that "if you're in circles that know it seems obvious, if not you have no idea it exists" valley.

I should probably clarify that that post wasn't me talking about some imminent risk of AO3 as a platform imploding or disappearing or anything, and nobody needs to start panicking in that regard. I was referring to the current boiling over of a lot of very long term (like, back to when it was founded) institutional/structural/operational issues within the OTW as an org that have been coming out over the past week or so. So me looking at being less solely reliant on AO3 was more a matter of longterm "seems a good idea not to be on just this one platform having these issues" planning and not anything anyone needs to be worried about like, right now.

...and because I know folks not as familiar with this same longterm stuff WILL ask, I'll put a brief summary below the cut for if any of you are curious. However, please be aware, this discussion will by necessity include reference to an incident last year in which OTW volunteers were sent CSEM/CSAM materials as part of a horrendous targeted campaign; while nothing graphic regarding CSA itself is discussed, I mention it here for post filtering and general warning purposes.

So these past couple of months there has been a sustained fan organizing action going on under the name #endOTWracism, which is a specific, targeted attempt at pushing for the OTW to make good on promises they made in 2020 to look at improving their response to racism on their platform. There's an FAQ covering the scope of the action (which ended yesterday, and ran through May) here.

I've been following this with very great interest and it's brought a lot of really good focused discussion out in fan communities, bringing back up a lot of talking points which have historically been shouted down re: the OTW and its poor (one might say "nearly entirely negligent") response to racism in fandom over the span of its existence, and the long standing attempts to get them to address this.

Anyway, one of the posts I especially was recommended that looked at it from the perspective of someone with experience in volunteering and organizing was this post, which takes a look specifically at the issues of how the OTW is structured as an org in a practical, real-world sense. I think it's a great post that brings a really good, grounded approach to the whole issue, looking not just at the big ideas but at how to really run a functioning organisation in a way that is able to be e.g. antiracist. A post like that of course brought in a lot of discussion of... how the OTW is structured and functions day-to-day! That being the topic at hand, and folks wanting to bring their own experiences to the table.

Which, both on that post itself and elsewhere, has uh. Brought some stuff to light that makes even the most hardcore OTW skeptic look like maybe they were overly optimistic. To be quite honest

Some highlights:

Last year, there was a horrendous attack in which OTW volunteers were directly emailed and bombarded with high volumes of CSEM. This was of course horrifically traumatising and scary, and even at the time it was noted that the OTW's response to this was wildly negligent in terms of taking action to safeguard and help their volunteers. Well, it turns out that a) this was an escalation of preexisting issues that the OTW knew about and failed to reasonably address, b) they took a HIDEOUSLY unethical approach to how CSEM distribution attempts were moderated on the platform and just dumped it on one unsupported volunteer who was left horribly burned out by the experience. This post has a good summary and roundup. The fallout from this entire debacle is way too much for me to summarize in full but suffice to say: folks are thinking maybe people should consider not continuing to volunteer for an org that is this unethical and exploitative towards its workforce in a way that directly puts that at serious risk! This is a standpoint I would agree with given there's seemingly also been internal retaliation against the person speaking out! This is terrible! I feel so bad for all these poor volunteers! I have been reading about and fuming regards this situation for two days now and it truly is awful.

There has recently been an instance in which Chinese OTW volunteers got hung out to dry regards their specific work with OTW on Weibo, where it was made clear to them that the org really wasn't interested in any of the work they were doing to engage with and support specifically Chinese fandom. Basically, "we don't really think this is worth doing, and noone involved in the board etc even speaks Chinese, so whatever". This follows an observed and longstanding pattern of higher ups at the OTW undervaluing... basically anyone who isn't part of Western anglophone fandom.

In general, just a LOT of current and past OTW volunteers talking on various platforms about the sheer dysfunction that means things at OTW are deeply incapable of getting basic shit done at best and straight up chew well meaning volunteers up and spit them out at worst. This is basically the nth round of this exact cycle since the OTW began, but in conjunction with the above, it seems to be getting a lot more attention than such things usually do.

This is only some of the stuff that's going on right now but basically, every single issue of internal bullshit the OTW has been accruing as an org for the past ~15 years seems to be blowing up at once, and it's really the first time I've considered that this time it might, in the long run, have a serious impact on the viability of the org in the future. (As things stand: it absolutely should do, because any org that so comprehensively fails the human beings working for it in such an immediate, real life sense needs to make huge immediate changes or fuck right off tbh.)

So that's a bad summary of... SOME of the stuff going on right now. It's a lot. Needless to say.

I wanted to make this post for a couple reasons. One: many folks came into fandom well after the AO3 was just this... site that was there, used by default, and which just sort of operates and you don't think about how. Which is understandable. A person coming into fandom in a post-AO3 world will see the site the same way one sees Twitter or Tumblr or Wattpad; a thing too big and too... default to really concern yourself with the details of how it came to be so big, and used by default. I, personally, have been in online spaces since I was very young, and AO3 launched when I was around sixteen, many years into my experiences with the fandom spaces it came out of. I was around at the time that the OTW and AO3 were proposed, developed and began to expand in scope. I was in circles where folks were talking about this stuff in a very direct way, basically. So I think I have a decent enough sense of context to help lift that veil a little for folks who have no such advantage, and also to help highlight that these are issues years and years in the making, not sudden revelations as they sometimes seem.

Two, because I expect to see many, many folks trying to pass this off as "discourse" or "wank" or "purity culture" in the coming weeks as the fallout continues, and I want dig my ankles in and say if you try that shit on with me I will laugh you off my blog. I think this post makes my opinion fairly clear on where I draw the line between "dumb fandom wank" and "this is not dumb fandom wank, this is serious shit"; it is well before this stuff. So.

tl;dr: I don't know what the OTW will look like in a year or two or five, and this shit has reminded me I shouldn't bank on pretending I do. So, I'm mirroring stuff elsewhere, not because I think the org will collapse, but because maybe the centralization of fandom is overall bad, actually. I encourage folks to consider their own feelings on the topic, since this is as good a reason as any to consider for yourself how you feel about this stuff.

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heckyeahponyscans · 10 months

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G5 Make Your Mark, Chapter 4 Ep 4: Sunny Side Up

So I've been watching one episode a week (I highly recommend this, so much more satisfying than binging) and man, this episode gave me sooo much of what I crave!

In this episode Opaline goes out on her own to seek an immensely powerful crystal (the Dragonstone) while leaving Misty "grounded" for failing to capture Sparky. Meanwhile the pressure is on for Sunny and Hitch to produce a captivating cooking show despite the lack of communication between the hosts and interference from Pipp. This episode was well-balanced, aside from the cooking segments dragging a little at the end. But in general it had good momentum,. (Also the cooking show was HELLA long, but if it's meant to mimic a Twitch stream then it's not totally implausible.)

There's so much in this episode, and I guess I'll start chronologically. At the start of the episode Opaline is hamming it up (and "wasting the last of [her] magic showing off her cool plan") with Misty. Opaline has been rifling through Misty's personal belongings, like the toxic parent-figure that she is, and found the photo of Misty and the Mane 5, which Sparky gave to Misty in the previous episode.

(Incidentally in the last episode the photo didn't have the sparkle effect, but I get why . . . they wanted the audience to immediately understand that Misty was affected by seeing herself happy and surrounded with friends. With the sparkles, it might seem like she was feeling wowed or jealous of other ponies' cutie marks.)

From the photo, Opaline has deduced that the ponies' cutie marks are the source of "evolved magic" powering the Prisbeam. The cutie mark magic is actually something Misty noticed as far back as "Izzy Does It" (Ch. 2, Ep.1), but when she tried to tell Opaline about it she was shot down.

Anyway, now that it's "her own" idea, Opaline is on board. She states her plan to steal the ponies' cutie marks, and laughs maniacally. But instead of joining in Misty timidly suggests they not do that.

Opaline is annoyed, then angry when Misty confesses that she failed to capture Sparky. To motivate Misty, she reveals some of her backstory . . .

Which is that she GREW UP with Celestia and Luna in Skyros.

Celestia, Luna, and widdle baby Opaline are all shown to be alicorns at this young age. So they were probably naturally born like that, like Flurry Heart. Maybe Skyros was all alicorns?

Speaking of widdle baby Opaline, she tried to make friends with Celestia and Luna and was snubbed. "They thought they were so great 'cause they had the whole 'sun and moon' thing."

I'm curious if this was a misunderstanding or if Celestia and Luna actually were stuck up little kids . . . Regardless, from Opaline's perspective this is the truth and she's still bitter about it. It's literally her villain origin story.

As for widdle baby Opaline's abilities, she was "an alicorn of fire. Of power! Of strength! And because of that, I had to prove I was not to be underestimated."

I postulated that Skyros was an all-alicorn country, but what if it wasn't? What if it was just freak chance that three alicorns were born there? That would definitely explain why Opaline felt overshadowed. Like imagine Opaline lighting a campfire in a bid to impress other ponies while Luna casually tosses the moon around in the background.

(How vindicated do you think Opaline felt when Luna turned into Nightmare Moon? Do you think she sent Celestia a gloating sympathy card?)

Opaline also says she will "live up to her elemental duty", which is a very interesting way for the villain to view her powers. And again . . . this leaves me wondering if there were many fire alicorns or if she was the only one. And does that also imply the existence of earth, wind, and water alicorns? (Gimme gimme!)

Anyway, Opaline finishes up this story by reminding us that she's the villain; she uses magic to drag Misty (who's screaming in terror) back to her room and magically fasten her hooves to the floor.

So from here let's look at the plotlines one by one, starting with Opaline. Opaline heads out to parts unknown, disproving my previous theory that she can't physically leave her castle. However, she is very worn down and she doesn't even have the energy to fly. She also coughs a LOT in this episode . . . six separate times. Maybe she's getting sick?

Anyway, even on her own she has zinger after zinger.

"Why does every magical item have to be precariously perched on a hill with stuff in the way? Here's an idea: bury your magic things within hooves' reach!"

The magic item in question is the Dragonstone, "the most powerful crystal in all of Equestria." Previously inert, it has been reactivated by the return of magic. However, messing with it "has a high chance of wiping out all of the pony magic in Equestria forever."

Opaline is not worried by this outcome, presumably because she doesn't really consider herself to be a pony . . . more like a pony-shaped goddess. (In the "Unicorn Sleepover" episode Misty describes Opaline as "not a pony at all, but an alicorn queen.")

Rather than acquiring the Dragonstone, however, she accidentally knocks it into a crevice. She returns to the castle.

Subplot #2: The Cooking Show. Sunny and Hitch agree to do a cooking show, despite Hitch's stage fright, but Hitch's by-the-book attitude doesn't mesh well with Sunny's easy-breezy style. They lighten the mood with a food fight, and when Pipp sees the viewer engagement skyrocket, she interferes and tries to encourage more wacky shenanigans.

This doesn't fit Sunny's vision for the show and she speaks passionately about why she loves cooking, how it can be a way to exert control when you feel powerless, and about the importance of staying true to yourself instead of pleasing everyone else. She and Hitch finish their show, losing viewers but producing the show they want.

The final plot thread is Misty having a crisis of conscience.

She (unknowingly) uses unicorn magic to free herself from the floor and decides to go steal Sparky, thus proving her loyalty to Opaline. She draws her fake cutie mark on her flank and tries to head out. But alas, Opaline has magically sealed the door shut too.

So instead Misty watches Sunny's cooking show and is blown away by her speech. She realizes that she's been failing to steal Sparky because deep down she doesn't want to; she realizes the other ponies have been nothing but kind to her, while Opaline has been nothing but cruel. And she decides to leave. But before she can figure out how, Opaline returns.

Opaline hits Misty with the ol' "I'm only so hard on you because I care about you" line, and I can't tell if Misty falls for it or not. She tells Misty that tomorrow they will retrieve the Dragonstone . . . but as Misty leaves, Opaline notices the cutie mark Misty drew on her flank. Dun dun duuuun!

Ranodm thoughts:

Opaline always says to "our plan, our ticket to taking over", not "my plan." Clearly she doesn't see Misty as an equal, but I did think it was interesting, as most villains don't talk to their sidekicks in those terms.

Opaline's temperamental nature really hinders her. First she uses her last bit of magic to seal Misty in her room, then when her magic replenishes a bit she blasts through piles of rock at full force. As a result she is tapped out when the Dragonstone falls into a deep crevice.

Hitch mentions him and Sunny having food fights in Grandma Figgy's kitchen when they were kids, which makes me wonder if his Grandma raised him.

Sunny's speech about how cooking can help you when you're stuck or feeling powerless makes me think that it helped her after her dad's death.

I like how lying is treated with nuance in this show. Misty is correct to pretend that she was stuck to the floor for twelve hours . . . because she is living with someone who can, and tried to, stick her to the floor for twelve hours.

When Misty decides to leave Opaline, she packs her most treasured possessions: a game piece from "Dare the Mare" (as seen at "Traditional Unicorn Sleepover"), a craft paper unicorn horn (also from the sleepover), a feather (from Zipp?), her sunglasses from "Ali-Conned", and a cactus.

#g5 #Make Your Mark #spoilers #Sunny Side Up #Misty Brightdawn #Opaline #Sunny Starscout #Hitch Trailblazer #Pipp Petals #Zipp Storm #Sparky Sparkeroni #Izzy Moonbow #long post

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