#> bit early for my timezone but hey

[hunterfromtheabyss]

happy birthday fiammetta!

[birdbutbetter]

happy pride month to all you egotistic queers under any definition of the word

[ssahotchnerr]

girl!dad aaron reading to his daughter over the phone while on a case! 🥹 just like that one episode of jj and henry 😭🥰

nightmares

i will sob. 🥺 i'm also setting this in ellie's bad dreams era :( cw; fem!reader, girl dad!aaron, slight angst, fluff <3

"It looks like this is his comfort zone." Using a red marker, Spencer circled an area on the map. "If we pinpoint-"

As he was continuing his thought, Aaron's phone rang. He fully expected to see Penelope's name, anticipating her call as she was working her magic to narrow down a pool of potential unsubs. However, his eyebrows furrowed in worry as he saw it was from you instead.

"Excuse me." He spoke lowly yet urgently, keeping his eyes on his screen and hurrying away with no hesitation, missing the team's concerned glances.

"Hey," he answered, closing the door to the empty conference room behind him. There was knowing feeling deep in his chest - and a grim one at that. "Everything alright?"

"Kinda... no." You switched up quickly with a sigh, slight distress in your voice. "I'm sorry, I know you're busy. But can you spare a minute or two?"

"Another nightmare?" Aaron's eyes shot to the clock perched on the wall. While it was somewhat early for him, it was getting late back home, timezones to thank. And doing the math quickly, bedtime for the kids had been about two hours ago. So sadly this - right on schedule.

You hummed in confirmation, beginning with the positive first. "She fell asleep in her bed tonight, actually. Went down easy, not much protest. But then woke up crying, and was nearly inconsolable for a while. She's with me now." Your eyes shifted down to your frightened daughter besides you, who was inching closer and closer to seemingly making herself smaller. "And keeps asking for you."

Aaron glanced out; the team was still preoccupied, discussing the geographical profile amongst themselves, and could definitely manage without him for a while longer. "Yeah, I have some time."

There was a quick rustle as you set your phone down, placing it on speaker. Your voice was farther now, not by much, but it felt treacherously distant, as if more miles had been added. "It's Daddy, honey."

"Hey Ellie Bellie." Aaron's tone quieted, his face softening as he spoke. "What's the matter?"

A light sniffle came from the other end. "I had a scary dream."

"A scary dream, huh?" He repeated, an achy pang producing in his chest. Ellie's nightmares have been occurring for a while now, and indubitably becoming a problem. You both expected the dreams to run their course, eventually pass, and things would return to normal. But as time moved forward, it was becoming clear it was well beyond that as they worsened. "It's okay, you're safe with Mom now, right?"

Ellie nodded, unknowingly to him. Her small voice cracked, laced with tears. "I want you."

"I know, and I'll be home when work lets me, I promise. You can even use my pillow tonight too, if you want." He bit down onto his lip as Ellie mumbled a small 'okay' in response. Hard. "Or how about a story? Would that help you feel better?"

Her head rose up and down again, prompting you to speak up as Aaron was met with only her silence.

"We have a few right here." You reached across her, grabbing the few storybooks that frequented Aaron's nightstand and settling back against your own pillow.

"Your pick sweetheart." Aaron pulled a chair from the table, sitting down and making himself comfortable momentarily.

"Goodnight Moon?"

Goodnight Moon, also one of Jack's favorites when he was younger. Between him and Ellie, Aaron's read it so many times, he had the entirety of the book memorized. In addition, Ellie's other, more lengthy favorites - he had gone through and cleverly taken a picture of each page, all stored safely in his camera roll for instances such as tonight. No matter where he happened to be, he could read the text, while also drawing attention to and discussing the images with her.

"Sure. Get all comfy and cozy up to Mom, yeah?"

Ellie nestled herself more into your side, her head resting on your arm as she death-gripped onto her plush bunny. You adjusted the duvet to adequately cover the two of you, scooting down and propping the book up for the two of you to see.

"We're ready when you are." You told Aaron, brushing a few stray strands of hair away from Ellie's face.

As your brief sentence concluded, a harsh pinch formed behind Aaron's eyes, the guilt creeping in as he pictured the two of you laid together, where he also should've been. His little girl was beside herself in fear, wanted him, and yet here he was. Far away on the other side of the country. He felt as if he were failing her; letting her down.

Aaron swallowed to even out his voice, to sound as cheery as he possibly could, and to refrain any agony from being heard. He took a deep, yet small guttural breath.

"In the great green room..."

[atimeofyourlife]

A family Thanksgiving

This was supposed to be up yesterday, but it took on a mind of its own and instead of the few hundred words it was supposed to be, its nearly 3k. Happy belated Thanksgiving to anyone who celebrates! rated: t | wc: 2847 | cw: period typical homophobia, Steve's asshole parents

The offers from everyone to have him over for Thanksgiving had been great, any other year he would have loved such a choice, but for the first time in a long time, he was spending the day with family.

"But you hate your family." Dustin pointed out when Steve had told everyone about his holiday plans.

"No, I hate my parents. It's my grandma that asked me to go, and I want to see her and my cousins that I haven't seen in like five years. I'm driving myself to Chicago, so I won't be stuck in a car with my parents for hours on end." Steve explained.

"But you're working a late the day before, and I'm not going to cover you so you can drive up early" Robin replied.

"I'm planning on leaving by six on Thanksgiving morning. It's less than four hours to drive, so I'll be there before ten, well nine because of the timezone change. I took the late shift the day before so I had an excuse to drive myself, and my parents wouldn't have any reason to come by Hawkins before. And I drive home either the Friday or the Saturday, ready for our Sunday shift."

Come Thanksgiving day, Steve was somewhat regretting his decision. It had been nearly midnight before he'd gotten home, after a number of people came in just before closing insistent on needing a selection of movies ready for the next day. Then hadn't been happy when the movies they wanted weren't in stock, so they left the place a total mess, causing Steve to stay late to tidy up ready for the opener the next day. Then having to get up around five, so he could get ready and be on track to leave as planned. In an attempt to wake up, he was mostly surviving on a large cup of incredibly strong coffee. He was just counting down the minutes until he could get there.

When he walked in the door, he was immediately wrapped up in a hug from his grandma. "Stevie, it's so good to see you."

"It's great to see you too, Grandma." He returned the hug, melting into it a little. Exactly what he needed after the year it had been.

"Let me take a look at you." She stepped back slightly, giving him a once over. Her hand came up to trace the scar still on his neck from where he had been strangled by the bats and vines. "What happened here?"

"I. It's nothing. It looks a lot worse than it is." Steve replied, trying to get out of the awkwardness of the conversation.

"Oh, if you're sure. If you want to help with dinner, you can join us in the kitchen. But if you just want to rest, anyone who's watching football is in the living room, and the Macy's parade is on in the den."

"It's been a long drive, and I had a late finish last night, so I think I'm going to take a bit of a break. I might come out and help a bit later." He offered.

"Oh, honey. If you don't feel up to it, you don't need to help at all. Take it easy, and we'll call you once everything is ready." She kissed Steve on the cheek, before going back to the kitchen.

Steve made his way through the house, glancing into the living room as he passed. He could see his dad in one of the recliners, and decided against joining them. Wanting to delay the inevitable "you're a disappointment" lecture. He knew his mom would likely be in the kitchen, not actually helping, just drinking wine and gossiping. He moved on to the den, where most of his cousins were. He hovered in the doorway for a second, unsure what to say. So much had changed since the last time he had seen any of them.

"Wait, Stevie?" One of them, Lizzie, said as she looked up to see him.

"Uh, hey?" Steve replied, a little unsure, before he was being swamped in a group hug.

"Jesus Christ, when did this happen? Last time I saw you, you were like a little kid. Now you're a whole grown adult." Another, Mark, said.

After a long catch up, bringing Steve up to date on everyone else's lives, and him giving an abridged highlights of his last few years, they then got into more serious topics.

"Was everything okay after the earthquakes? I tried calling a few times, but I don't know if I had the wrong number because it never went through." Alice, the oldest of his cousins, asked.

"The phones were down across the whole town for a while after, then it was patchy for weeks after that. It was hard to get five or ten minutes without it dropping out. It took me like two weeks before I was able to get hold of mom and dad to let them know that the house was still standing, and that I was still alive." Steve explained.

"Wait, they weren't in Hawkins for the earthquakes?" Harry cut in.

"No, they've not been in Hawkins since February? Like over a month before it happened."

"Oh. They were telling us last night about how awful and hard it had been during the earthquakes, and how they were scared for their lives." Alice replied.

"That's such bullshit. They weren't in the country when it happened, they were in London. They didn't even know that it was Hawkins that was affected until I called them, because all they'd seen on the news was a freak earthquake hitting the Midwest. It hadn't even specified the state. And then they didn't care how I was, if I was hurt or anything, all they were interested in was if there was damage to the house, and how the earthquake could affect the resale value."

"Okay, I call dibs about bringing that up over dinner. I just want to see what shade of purple Uncle Dick can turn." Becca, the closest cousin to Steve in age, piped up. "But were you hurt?"

"Uh, minor injuries. Nothing serious." Steve lied, not wanting to worry anyone. "I was able to start volunteering within a couple of days. You know, helping out at the relief center, helping search for missing people. And when everything calmed down I was helping rebuild and stuff. Just trying to do my bit. But I'm fine now."

"That's good. But thinking of Uncle Dick turning purple, who gets to bring up Fuck Reagan?" Mark asked.

"Stevie's been through the most, I think he should get the chance." Alice replied.

"Uh, I think that would go down about as well as if I told him that my best friend is a dyke and I've spent most of my free time in the last six months sucking off the local drug dealer, who was accused of being a cult leader and murdering three people." Steve said quickly, unsure if he wanted anyone else to pick up what he'd said.

"Was that for drugs, or for fun, or what? Like a hook up?" Harry asked.

"He's my boyfriend. I mean, it helps that I get free weed out of him, but I'd do it anyway." Steve admitted.

"That is something you missed out of your round up. But I love that all of us are some variation of queer."

Dinner was...interesting, to say the least. After saying Grace, they went round the table to say what they were thankful for that year. Steve had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing as his parents waxed on and on about how they were thankful for their lives and being able to escape the earthquake unscathed. He couldn't keep from laughing when Becca spoke up against them.

"Really? Because Alice asked Steve how he found it after the earthquakes, and he said that he couldn't reach you for two weeks after it happened because the phones were down and you were in London. And you didn't even know that it had hit Hawkins until he called you."

"Steven, why are you telling lies about us?" His mother demanded.

"I wasn't? You weren't in Hawkins when the earthquake hit. You've not been there since February. When I was finally able to call you, you only cared about how the house was, not if I was hurt. And you were pissed that I hadn't called you sooner, despite the fact the phone lines were down for the whole town. I could have died or been injured in hospital, and you wouldn't have known."

"How dare-" His father started, only to be cut off by Steve's grandmother.

"Settle down. There's no need for arguing. I am inclined to believe Steve, because I do remember you telling me that you were going to be spending a few months in Europe at the start of this year."

Both of Steve's parents were visibly unhappy, but they didn't push it any further, allowing the rest of the family to talk about what they were thankful for.

Many small conversations broke out over the table, Steve loving the feeling of being surrounded by family for the first time in a long time. He got pulled into talking to different people, but he did his best to avoid his parents' eye. Not wanting to get trapped by them telling him all the ways he had bothered them since he'd last seen them. But he knew they were up to something, when his father got up before dessert was served.

"Before we have anything else, we do have a big announcement about the future of our family." He said, using the voice he always used when talking to the most important clients.

"You've sucked enough political dick to get what ever tax exemption you were after?" Lizzie asked, before anyone could take it too seriously.

Steve's dad just spluttered in anger as a call of "Elizabeth." Came from at least four different people around the table.

"Ignoring that horrible interruption. What I was going to tell everyone is about Steven's imminent engagement. He is going to be proposing to Melissa Downey, the daughter of my business partner, at Christmas, they've been seeing each other for nearly eighteen months now, and it is going to mean big things for our family."

Steve couldn't respond, processing what had just been said, as everyone started speaking, some offering congratulations, others in confusion.

"That's news to me." Steve said loudly, to get over everyone's voices, once he could form the words. "I'm not planning on proposing to anyone."

"Well, Arthur and I have been discussing it, and it is the only thing that makes sense now, the two of you have been together for long enough, the logical next step is engagement."

"I'm not dating Melissa. We went on one date over a year ago, just after I graduated. It was awful, all she was interested in was if I made enough money to bankroll her spending addiction. I made up a fake emergency to get out of it, and I would rather stick forks in my eyes than suffer through that again." Steve got to his feet, bracing his hands on the table. Knowing he'd been right not to be optimistic that the holiday could pass without incident.

"You will if you know what's good for you. If you don't, it could destroy our business. You wouldn't want to be the reason we go broke, would you? You could end up homeless. Where would you live?"

"First, I have plenty of friends who would be happy to take me in if I had nowhere else to go. It's something we talked about after the earthquake, because some people I know did have damage caused to their homes and I let them stay with me until they could move back in. Second, I don't really care about whether or not you go broke. You don't provide any money to me. You haven't since I started working at Scoops. I pay for all my food, gas, clothes. If you go broke, my financial position won't change at all. And third, I can't propose to her. I'm in a relationship, and we're both very happy."

"Is it that Buckley girl? Or did you somehow manage to convince that Wheeler girl that you're actually worth something? Because I can tell you now, you are going to break up with whatever little slut-"

"His name is Eddie." Steve shouted before he could think it through, and a silence fell across the room. "That's right. Your son is one of those awful queers that you keep campaigning against, to keep them illegal and get them locked up. And you know what? He's easily the best sex I've ever had. Especially when we get high first."

"Why you-" His father roared, his face turning a dark red in anger. "How dare you do this to us? After everything we have done for you. You'd better hope that those friends of yours would be willing to take you in, because you are not living under my roof any longer. You will have until the end of the weekend to collect your belongings, anything left will be burned."

"Except, it isn't your roof, is it Richard? If I remember correctly, I was the one who paid the mortgage. My name is the one on the deed to the property in Hawkins. I just allowed you to live there, rent-free might I add, because it made sense for you to live somewhere close to Indianapolis when your business was taking off. I had been planning to sell up. So I think maybe you should be the one to collect your belongings from that house, because I'm not sure if I want you living under my roof any longer. It sounds life you're almost never there, anyway." Steve's grandma replied.

"But, mother-" His father started.

"But nothing, Richard. I don't know where you learnt your hateful attitude, because I know I did not raise you to be the sort of man that would kick your own son out over something as minor as who he loves. I really thought you were a better man than that."

"It's disgusting." Steve's mother added. "So unnatural, and that disease."

"What is disgusting is your bigotry. I think I want you both out from under my roof, now. So, if you would both kindly leave. And I expect you to move your belongings from the house in Hawkins, as that is now Steve's house, not yours. And you better not touch anything that isn't yours, or cause any damage, because I will take legal advice." Steve's grandmother stood up, anger radiating from her tiny five foot frame. "And, unless you change and apologize for your outdated beliefs, you can forget any inheritance. I will not have any of my money going to support hatred."

"Mother,"

"Leave, Richard. Now. I'm not afraid to get the police involved here."

Steve's parents looked at him with their faces filled with utter disgust, before they turned and left. His grandmother escorting them off the property.

"Are you okay, Stevie?" His grandmother asked after the end of the meal.

"I. I think so. I think I need to make a couple of phone calls." He replied.

"Use any of the phones, dear. Maybe if you know someone who can keep an eye on the house."

"Yeah. I babysit for the chief of police sometimes, so I might call him. He'll make sure nothing happens."

"Good. And, if you're talking to that boy of yours, tell him that he's got to come up here for Christmas. I want to meet him, and make sure he's good enough for you."

"Grandma." Steve protested.

"I'm just saying." She replied before walking away.

Steve shut himself in one of the bedrooms, for a little privacy from the still crowded house while he made the calls. The call to Hopper was quick, just outlining what was going on, and Hopper agreed to keep a check on the house until Steve was back in Hawkins. Then it was the call to Eddie.

"Baby, I wasn't expecting you to call. How's your Thanksgiving?"

"Interesting. My parents decided to announce that I was going to propose to dad's business partner's daughter. They wouldn't accept that I wasn't interested in her so I accidentally came out."

"Shit, I hope that didn't go too bad?"

"Uh, it could have gone worse? Somehow me coming out got my parents removed from the will and kicked out of the house. Because my grandma wasn't happy with them being assholes about it."

"Oh, badass grandma. I kinda want to meet her now."

"I was hoping you would say something like that. Because she has told me that you have to come here for Christmas. She wants to make sure that you're good enough." Steve couldn't help smiling as he talked, somehow the day had gone so much better than he'd ever hoped.

[citrusy-lemons]

meet-cute

tasm!peter x reader (university au)

summary: you're late to your class and someone's left a skateboard on your path. the owner of the skateboard has very brown eyes.

w/c: 0.8k

author's note: um, hi. this is the first thing i've written for peter parker (i know, shocking, i mostly read about him) so i'm not sure whether i've captured his essence, but i tried. also i know it's a bit cringey but i started writing it in the reader's pov and i couldn't change it to peter's in the middle like i wanted to so, i guess, next time. i hope you like this! constructive criticism is encouraged, please be nice :)

you had not imagined your first day of university to go this way. it was a cloudy day, pleasant and not too windy. you were hoping to make it to class a few minutes early and have everything set up before the professor arrived. 

but instead, you were late, you were not organized at all, and you were panicking. all because your stupid alarm hadn’t gone off. why? because you’d forgotten to change the timezone in your phone. moving to the new city had not been easy and now you were super late for your class.

cursing yourself for your stupidity, you were hurrying across the campus, you weren’t sure where your class was, but you were hoping that you’re walking in the right direction. 

checking your bag, hoping to god that you’d grabbed the right books on your way out, with a cup of coffee in your other hand, you awkwardly jogged across the campus to the building where you hoped would be philosophy by mr. jackson. 

you were in the midst of congratulating yourself on successfully having the correct textbooks in your bag when the earth shifted. 

okay maybe that was a bit dramatic but that was what had happened to you. the earth hadn’t shifted, but you’d fallen on your butt because someone had left a skateboard lying in the middle of the walking path. 

thankfully, your coffee hadn’t spilled but your books sure had. looking up you found a brown-haired boy bashfully kneeling down and start collecting the books, profusely apologizing.

"-really sorry, are you okay? did you break anything? i broke my ankle a couple of years ago but i was just being stupid, oh god did you break your ankle? i hope you didn't, that hurts a lot. i'm so so sorry, are you okay?" he finished, turning his brown eyes on you in concern.

he looked very... soft. he was wearing a brown jacket and a navy blue zip up over a light blue tshirt. his headphones were hanging out of the neck of his tshirt. he looked like he smiled a lot. his brown hair was ruffled, his brows furrowed and you realized he was still waiting for your answer.

"i dont think i've broken my ankle if that's what you're worried about," you sat up. your butt was sore, but other than that you were okay.

"okay, that's good, that's a start, anything else broken?" he bit his lip, and you tried not to stare at it.

"no, doesn't feel like it," you took a breath, and looked away from him, towards the guilty board, "why don't you explain why your skateboard was just lying there?"

he helped you up, your coffee was still intact, you dusted yourself off.

"oh, uh yeah, again, i'm really sorry, i was checking my schedule on whether philosophy was right now or in an hour and i didn't realise it had rolled away from me," he did look very guilty, his frown saying as much.

he returned your books and you stuffed them in your bag which was lying on the ground. he was still looking at you.

"be careful then," say something clever, why wasn't your brain working?

"i'm really sorry," he offered, why was he still looking at you?

he picked his own bag up from the ground and looked away, grabbing his skateboard too.

you blinked.

"i think philosophy is right now,"

he looked at you again.

"which reminds me," you walked past him, fast. almost running, looking straight ahead.

philosophy is right now and you are very late.

"um, hey!" you heard him call out and turned around, still walking. he was facing your direction, looking at you again.

"philosophy by mr. jackson?" he asked, his skateboard in one hand and his brown bag slung across his back. did he really like the color brown?

"yeah," you called back, hoping he didn't have the same class as you.

"his classroom's that way," he pointed his thumb behind him.

goddamnit.

you stopped and started walking in his direction and he joined with you as you went past him. he took the hint that you were late and didn't really feel like making conversation. you tried not to visually show your panic but he seemed like a good observer.

you both reached the classroom (it was the first room in the building how could you have missed it?), and saw that yeah, you guys were very late.

the classroom was full, and a middle aged man was already talking to the students. professor jackson noticed you both before you had a chance to say anything.

"ah late on the first day, not making a good impression mr. and miss...?"

"peter- uh parker, peter parker," the boy next to you said.

you introduced yourself and mr. jackson let you both get to your seats without further embarrassment.

you sat down, pulled your textbook out and tried listening to what the professor was saying.

you looked for him and found peter parker's brown eyes already on you.

[indestructibleheart]

Hi, fam! Okay, so I'm going to be out at an appointment tomorrow morning, so I'm kicking this off a little bit early. It's technically Wednesday in several timezones and very nearly Wednesday in mine. I'm... also a bit eager to share this, ngl.

I know that I've shared a lot of angst lately, but I swear that's not all I'm doing. 😅 In fact, the actor/playwright AU decided to wallop me in the face out of nowhere after sitting in my WIP folder for months. I'm really excited about it, so I'm gonna share the first scene!

(Also, those of you who have been to New York with me will recognize my favorite brunch spot in this scene lmao.)

---

You probably didn't even know I was in the room, but I noticed you straight away. You were talking with your friends, happy and animated and fully alive—a person living in dimensions I couldn’t access—and so beautiful. Your hair was longer then. You were the center of attention, but you weren’t afraid. You had a yellow ipê-amarelo in your pocket. I thought, this is the most incredible thing I have ever seen; I'd better keep it a safe distance away from me. I thought, if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire.

INT. MOM'S KITCHEN & BAR - HELL'S KITCHEN - LATE MORNING

"I'm telling y'all," Alex is saying, punctuating with dangerously large bites of his pancake burrito. "The dude's a dick." 

It's been two hours since the nightmare audition, but Alex has been on this tirade since June and Nora first slid into the retro diner chairs across from him (at least forty-five minutes ago).

They're at Mom's: a restaurant-bar in midtown that can only be described as millennial nostalgia incarnate. The trio fell in love with it two years back—post-karaoke, stumbling in right before closing—when Alex saw God in their Fruity Pebble pancakes.  Since then, it's been his favorite place to eat his feelings.

Mom's is just really fucking comforting in general, honestly; whether it's the televisions cycling through episodes of 'Rugrats,' 'Dexter's Laboratory,' and 'Hey, Arnold!' or  the rainbow straws and Lisa-Frank-looking menus, Alex can't be sure. It doesn't hurt that they've made friends with several of the waitstaff, including an eccentric bartender, Pez, whose pink hair and painted nails fit right in with the decor. 

Today, it's the combination of breakfast sausage, bacon, eggs and cheese wrapped up in a syrup-soaked pancake that's really doing something for him. It could also be the margarita the size of his face, which Pez placed in front of him before making himself uncharacteristically scarce. But it's fine. He's probably just busy.

Alex won't admit it out loud, but what really helps is having June and Nora here to talk to… even though Nora is scrolling on her phone.

"I'm sorry," June says. She pokes an ice cube with her straw, and Alex watches as it bobs around her mimosa like a buoy. "That sounds like it sucked, but if he's really that rude… maybe you didn't want to work with him anyway."

Nora doesn't look up as she pops a home fry into her mouth. 

"Several sources say he's difficult to work with," she adds, evidently reading about Henry on the internet. "Though, in his defense, his dad did just die, like, three years ago… and there was that whole thing when he came out after. Remember?"

Alex does remember. Henry's grandmother, Mary Mountchristen, runs a pretty major company that used to own half the theatres on the West End. When Henry came out last year, she tried blacklisting his shows from her properties to punish him—which totally backfired when it got around. At least a dozen other queer writers and producers started talking about how they were also denied the space, and Mary was stoned on the streets of the theatre district. Like, metaphorically. 

Alex, Nora, and June had just moved to New York, but between June's position at Newsday and both Alex and Nora on the audition circuit, it was all anyone in their new circles could talk about. They were some of the first to know when the Mountchristens were bought out of their properties and Henry moved to the States.

This show is the first of Henry's being produced here—and it's autobiographical, which Alex has to admit is pretty fucking baller. So, yeah, Nora's not wrong. He has reason to be standoffish. Still, it doesn't explain why Alex was only halfway through his audition monologue when Henry abruptly stood up and exited stage left as if pursued by a bear.

He shoves another forkful into his mouth. "It's just, like, they're the only people who let me into the room," he says, barely finishing chewing. "Nobody wants to take me seriously, and I really thought this was my shot, you know?"

June and Nora both know Alex is having a hard time landing serious roles after growing up on a sitcom—Nora more than most, as his former co-star. What they don't know is that losing this role, specifically, feels like a kick to the stomach. From the moment Alex saw the script, he wanted to be a part of it. He can't even explain why, and now he'll never figure it out. Henry wouldn't give him a chance.

"It wasn't your only shot, and you know it." Nora fixes him with a look. "Seriously, I get it—I do—but it's just one play, buddy."

June nods. "Something will happen for you, baby brother."

At that, Alex finally groans. "Okay, calling me baby brother doesn't help me feel better about the entertainment industry infantili—"

"—itty bitty, teeny weeny—"

Alex throws a home fry at her face. 

It bounces off her forehead and into the giant gauntlet holding her mimosa with a very unappetizing splash. Just as Alex throws his hands into the air with a victorious whoop, his phone buzzes on the table. 

A glance is all it takes for him to see that it's his agent, Zahra.

"Damn," he says, deflating. There goes that upswing. "You answer it."

June balks. "Me?"

"I don't need to hear how fucking badly it went. Trust me, I got the message." Alex blinks innocently, like he's six years old again, asking her to lie to their mom about that broken vase. "Please, Bug? Besides, Zahra actually likes you."

"Everyone likes me." June rolls her eyes, but she caves—answering the phone with a haughty, "Alex Claremont-Diaz's office," before breaking into a smile. "Yeah, Z. It's me… No, Alex is feeling a little sensitive today."

(He throws another home fry at her. This one misses.)

To her credit, June's face remains totally blank as Zahra no doubt tells her how Alex insulted Henry Fox's name and all of his inbred ancestors just by showing up, or whatever—which is extremely annoying and unhelpful—but, once she says goodbye and sets the phone back down on the table, her face breaks out into a grin.

"Guess you didn't suck too bad," she says. "They want you for the part."

He doesn't know if it's Nora throwing herself at him or the shock that knocks him onto the floor.

Tagging some lovelies. If you haven't been tagged and you want to be, consider this your tag!

@anchoredarchangel, @barbiediaz, @cha-melodius, @cricketnationrise, @guillermosfamiliar, @hgejfmw-hgejhsf, @hippolotamus, @inexplicablymine, @jettestar, @junebugclaremontdiaz, @kiwiana-writes, @lizzie-bennetdarcy, @missgeevious, @mulderscully, @myheartalivewrites, @ninzied, @nontoxic-writes, @notspecialbabe, @priincebutt, @rmd-writes, @rosedavid, @three-drink-amy, @treluna4, @vanillahigh00, @welcometololaland, @orchidscript, @ships-to-sail, @stereopticons

[mimikittysblog]

BFF! Jake: Your Ex Tries to Get You Back

Synopsis: How each member of Enhypen would react when their best friend (who also happens to be their crush) has their ex trying to get you back.

Genre: fluff and a tiny bit of angst, but barely there | headcanons

Tagging: @findingjuyo 😚🤭

Heeseung - Jay - Sunghoon - Sunoo - Jungwon - Niki

.✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ✧.

You and Jake met when you were still in australia during school.

The boy is just naturally friendly so you guys became friends very quickly.

Besides that you two were the smart kids in your class.

So you guys liked to challenge yet also help each other for classes.

Like you two can go from "Hah! I'm a point higher than you! makes me smarter" "oh shut up"

to "Okay can you help me with this formula?? I could barely understand her in class today" "Of course!"

Biggest rival yet closest friend type thing hehe.

Dude thats so cute heheheh just constant bickering but always helping each other hehehe

Okay so the boy is good at everything.

Academics, sports, talent and such a nice boy.

Of course you were gonna fall for him.

you and like half of the schools population..

Now you weren't gonna lie, you were heartbroken when Jake told you he was gonna leave Australia.

However you were also completely ecstatic for him cause he was chasing his dreams.

You even were there to send him and his family off at the airport.

"Don't you dare forget me when you're a big star okay?!" You said while hugging him

"We don't even know if I'm even gonna make it past auditions Y/n!" He chuckled.

"Hush. You're Jake Sim!!! They're dumb if they don't accept you. and if they are that dumb I know you'll just keep trying till you make it!"

He just chuckled more and hugged you tighter before he had to board.

Though as you made your way out of the airport you suddenly got a text from him.

"Could never forget you. Hehe forgot to tell you that. Don't forget to vote for me!!"

"Of course Jake"

after that man did you vote for him like CRAZY.

You weren't really sure if you should text him during this as he was busy and timezones and such.

so you ended up never sending the texts.

So you unfortunately lost touch.

But you always tuned in to I-LAND to see how he was doing.

The day he was announced as a member of an enhypen you shedded tears.

"Knew you could do it Sim." You said to yourself.

As you continued your life in Australia you were able to get yourself a partner.

They were honestly wonderful to you.

Soon enough though you got a scholarship to a University in Korea.

Unfortunately your partner didn't want to do long distance.

You tried to convince them but they were pretty set on it.

It also kinda led to an argument so..

Oh well..

After you moved and settled in you actually got a text from Jake

"Hey there stranger, it's Jake! Hope you remember me. My mom told me you moved to Korea. Wanna meet up?"

You never texted back so fast.

It was so good to see each other again.

You guys gave each other the biggest hug.

Jake showed you around Seoul to get you familiar with the place.

While catching up of course.

He even taught you some extra korean along the way

"Your pronunciation is good but also kinda cute hehe" He teased

"Not as cute as yours when you were on I-LAND" you teased back.

"OMG NAUUR DONT BRING THAT UP"

After that day you guys became close again, despite his hectic schedule.

He always tried his best to make time for you.

Cause you didn't know this but he had always liked you too.

He was always just so comfortable around you and he loved everything about you too.

Your smile, eyes, laugh, heart, the list goes on.

Just. everything!

And he wanted to tell you soon.

That soon is today!

Today happens to be your birthday.

and the boy decided to take you on a date and then finally confessed.

So early in the morning he took you for breakfast then you went to the library.

For lunch he brought you to an animal cafe.

Probably a dog cafe but if you like cats more or maybe you can’t be around dogs for some reasons then he'd take you to a cat cafe.

Finally before dinner he took you to an arcade where he was just an absolute dork.

He played any games you wanted.

He also actually planned to let you win all of them..

But…

Boy got competitive 🙄

But! He made it up by winning you any plushie you want.

Took him a few tries but he got them.

Suddenly as he was trying to win you another prize your ex called.

You then excused yourself to answer the phone.

Our poor Jakey quickly got nervous.

What are they calling for?

Are they asking for them back?

No they didnt want a long distance relationship..

But.. what if?

I think they're worth any distance..

No its their birthday! maybe they wanted to be nice and wish them a happy birthday but who still says happy birthday to their ex..?

"Jake you good?"

"아! 깜짝이야!!!”

He didn't even realize you were back he was so lost in thought.

"You scared me!!"

"Clearly, You okay tho?" You giggled.

He took a deep breath then nodded, before finally asking who that was.

You then explained how it was your ex and how they wished you a happy birthday.

But.. they also asked if the two of you could get back together.

Jake was starting to sweat.

"W-what did you say?"

"I said no of course! I don't like them like that anymore, plus that chapter is just over." You explained.

THANK GODDD

"..Good." He mumbled.

"Good?"

Jake smiled and took your hands before finally confessing to you.

"Good cause I wanna be with you instead. Can I Y/n? Can I be yours?"

To say you were stunned was kinda an understatement.

AND YOUD BE DUMBER THAN DUMB AND DUMBER IF YOU SAID NO.

So without any hesitation you quickly pulled him into a hug.

"It would be an honor to have you as mine Jake."

And with that he finally took you out for dinner at your favorite place.

Best birthday ever me thinks 🤭

.✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ✧.

© mimikittysblog 2023

[lordperceval-16]

Come Light Me Up

Max Verstappen x Sophie Russell (OC)

Sophie Russell is taking a break from her life in the US and travelling the world with her brother on the F1 circuit. Things get a bit more complicated when she reconnects with one Max Verstappen.

~Bahrain ~

"Oh sorry Sophie, I didn't think anyone would be up here."

Sophie turned around and smiled when she saw Max standing in the doorway, the light behind him shining out into the darkness.

"It's alright," she replied, "wouldn't mind a bit of company to be honest."

He came to stand beside her and rested his arms on the railing, looking out over the city below. They stood in silence for awhile, Sophie analysing the brooding look on his face.

"Sorry your race went shit today," she murmured, and he couldn't help but laugh at her bluntness.

"Gee thanks. I'm surprised you're not off celebrating your brothers' podium," he commented, his brows furrowing.

"Yeah I was but..." Sophie sighed, her head down, "guess I still haven't quite adjusted to the timezone."

"Why do I get the feeling that's not the whole truth?" He pushed, his gaze settling on her with curiosity.

"Aren't you observant," she snorted, glancing sideways at him before her shoulders slumped slightly on defeat, "but yeah, you're right, it's not the timezone really."

"Care to share?" He queried, nudging her elbow with his.

"Sure you actually care to listen to my ridiculously boring melodrama?" She quipped back, eliciting a laugh from him.

"Try me," he grinned, "maybe I'm in the mood for melodrama."

"You definitely have better options for your night than listening to me," she insisted.

"Look you don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable with it," he assured her, "but something's clearly up and if you need a friendly ear then I'm here."

"Well I..." she started, looking down again, "I love George and Carmen, in fact she's like a sister to me, but since I've come home I just...I dunno. Of course I'm so happy they have each other but...sometimes seeing them makes me feel...."

"Lonely?" He guessed, and she nodded her agreement.

"Yeah," she murmured, "I was with someone for three years before it all went tits up, and now I feel...a little lonely yeah."

"That's pretty shit," he replied plainly, "but I get it. It can be hard being the single one at the party.

"Wow," she snickered, "such insightful points you make."

"It's a gift," he laughed, "but seriously, if you ever need any more very insightful points then I'd be happy to listen to more of your melodrama sometime."

"Cheers," she chuckled, pushing herself away from the railing, "Careful though or I might just take you up on it sometime."

"I'll be waiting by the phone," he teased.

"Oh I'm sure you'll be glued to the screen" she quipped back, "I better get some sleep, we fly out fairly early in the morning."

"Wouldn't want that jet lag to make you late for your flight," he grinned.

"Ah yes, the jet lag," she deadpanned, rolling her eyes, "I'll see you around Max."

"Hey Sophie?" He called after her, "its nice to see you at race weekends again. Reminds me of the old days."

"Aha yeah," Sophie laughed, "those were the days. If only everything could be as simple now as it was then."

"It'll get better," he assured her quietly.

"Here's hoping anyway," she sighed before waving goodnight to him and leaving the rooftop. 

~Imola~

"We have got to stop meeting up like this."

Max looked up and huffed out a laugh when he saw Sophie sliding down the wall to sit beside him.

"What brings you here?" He asks, leaning his cheek against the cool wall and giving her his full attention.

"Well," she sighed dramatically, mirroring his position,"George and his mechanics are buzzing around the garage and it all got a bit too frantic for me so I stepped out to get a breather. I didn't want to get in the way or distract him before quali."

"That's fair," he chuckled, "things can get a bit chaotic in the garages."

"I have to wonder what you're doing here, hiding by yourself," she stated, "shouldn't you be holed up with Horner in a corner of the garage scheming up how you can pip Charles to pole?"

"Oh hawhaw," he deadpanned, sticking his tongue out at her, "you Mercedes fangirls love to paint us as the villains don't you."

"A fangirl?" She balked, bringing her hand to her chest, "never been so insulted in my life."

"I'll add it to my growing shelf of awards," he teased, grinning wider when she rolled her eyes.

"You're so full of shit," she scoffed, but she couldn't hide her amused grin.

"See I know you don't mean that," he smirked, nudging her with his elbow before pulling himself up from the ground, "I better head back to the garage, make sure our evil scheme is ready to go. I'll see you around Sophie."

"Hey Max," she called as she stood herself, a genuine smile on her face, "probably shouldn't be saying this to the enemy but...good luck, I hope your quali goes...moderately well."

"Gee thanks," he snickered, "I'll know who to thank if I get pole."

As Sophie walked through the paddock later that evening she was stopped by a hand on her elbow.

"Thanks for the good luck wishes," he murmured in her ear, "we'll have to make it a regular thing."

"Oh you are such an insufferable twat," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"You don't mean that," he teased as he backed away from her, a cheeky grin lighting up his face. Sophie shook her head as she left him, but she couldn't ignore the excited little flutter in her stomach at the prospect of their meetings being a regular thing.

~Barcelona~

"Suppose congratulations are in order today," Sophie called from her spot leaning against the Mercedes motor home.

Max turned and grinned when he saw her there, sauntering over to her and leaning against the wall beside her.

"Wow thanks Sophie," he sniggered, "next time try it with feeling."

"Best I can do I'm afraid," she sighed dramatically, "as a Mercedes fangirl its my duty to be disdainful when you beat us, especially when you beat George."

"Aw I know you don't mean that Sophie," he pouted, "but it's OK, you obviously can't admit that you're actually a proud member of the orange army."

"Clearly the heat on track has gotten to your head," she snorted, shaking her head at him fondly.

"Don't worry," he whispered, leaning in to her ear, his breath tickling her neck, "it'll be our little secret."

Sophie felt butterflies erupt in her stomach at his whispered words. If she turned her head even slightly then her nose would brush against his. She couldn't deny her attraction to him, couldn't deny just how tempted she was to turn her head and see what he would do.

"Hey Soph you ready to...oh, hi Max."

Sophie's head whipped around as George walked out of the motor home, his eyes flickering between the two of them suspiciously.

"Hi George," Max said cheerily, stepping away from Sophie and hoping it wasn't too obvious, "I need to head to the motor home and shower so I'll see you both around."

Sophie waved goodbye and watched him go, her neck prickling with the weight of her brother's gaze on her.

"You and Max looked mighty friendly," he commented as he stepped up beside her, "when did that become a thing?"

"It's not a thing," she insisted, crossing her arms as she finally turned to face him, "we're just friends."

"Is it me you're trying to convince or yourself?" George teased lightly,  raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh shut the hell up," Sophie scoffed, "now c'mon let's get out of here and get dinner, I'm absolutely starving."

~Miami ~

Wanna play Mario kart?

Sophie huffed out an incredulous laugh when the Instagram DM from Max popped up on her screen.

Sure, what's your room?

She twiddled her thumbs as she waited for a reply, which thankfully didn't take too long to come through.

714 :)

Sophie swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched her arms above her head, groaning in satisfsction when she felt the pop. She quickly slid on her shoes and grabbed her phone and purse before bolting out the door and heading for the elevator. As she waited for the lift to go up she checked her appearance in the mirrored wall, quickly taking down her messy bun and making it a little bit neater. She rapped on the door of 714 twice, starling back a little at how quickly it opened.

"You came," he breathed, almost as though he was surprised.

"Well while I did have some good offers," she mused as she stepped in and placed her things on the table, "I thought Mario Kart would be considerably more fun than any of those."

"Wow, I'm so flattered," he deadpanned, though he couldn't surpress his grin for too long, "now I'm dying to know which character you'll pick. My bets on Yoshi for sure."

"Well I hate to disappoint you," she replied as she picked up the remote and jumped onto the couch, "but it's Waluigi or bust."

"A woman of taste," he said, bowing dramatically before joining her on the couch, "this should be interesting."

"Oh sweetie," she sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder, "you may be the formula one world champion, but I'm going to absolutely destroy you at this."

"Oh is that right?" He quipped, raising an eyebrow in challenge, "well we'll see about that. Best of three?"

"You're on," she grinned.

"You cheated!" She exclaimed after their third grand prix came to an end, "you pushed me off the track at the last turn and put me in reach of the flowers, that's absolutely cheating."

"You're just mad cause you didn't think of it," he smirked, leaning back on the couch and shrugging his shoulders, "but it's alright, not everyone can be a world champion."

"Oh you are so full of it," she huffed, dumping her control on the table and hugging the couch cushion to her chest, a pout on her face.

"Aw don't be a sore loser Sophie," he teased, batting his eyelashes at her, "its just a game." Before she could think too much about it she swung the cushion in her hand and hit him square in the face with it.

"Really?" He asked incredulously, "did that make you feel better?"

"Yes actually," she smirked, before swinging the cushion again. This time he was ready for her though, and grabbed the cushion from her hands before it could make contact.

"Don't start another competition you can't win," he warned, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"What makes you think I won't win?" She challenged. Max made her no answer, and when she realised what was about to happen it was too late and the cushion had already slammed into her face.

"Oh its so on," she stated, grabbing the other cushion as she jumped from the couch and dodged his next blow. They raced around his suite for what felt like hours, trading blows and laughing like maniacs.

"Alright that's it," he threatened after a particularly harsh blow. Sophie huffed out a squeal as he tackled her around the waist and her back bounced onto the soft bed. She gasped for breath through her laughter, her heart pounding in her chest from the exertion. When she opened her eyes she found herself nose to nose with Max, who was staring back at her intently. His gaze flickered almost imperceptibly to her lips and her heart raced impossibly faster.

The spell was broken by the blaring of his ringtone. He groaned as he stood up and plucked his phone from the nightstand, answering it with gruff 'yes?'.

Sophie stood from the bed and straightened herself out, clearing her throat and ignoring the fluttering in her chest. When she looked up again he was hanging up the phone and watching her warily, as though she were a cornered animal.

"I had a lot of fun," she said quietly after an awkward beat, "certainly beat sitting on my own watching hallmark movies."

"Yeah me too," he agreed, his face softening, "probably the most fun I've had in awhile."

"Well I won't lie I probably would have had more fun if you hadn't cheated," she commented breezily, and suddenly the weird tension between them was no more. "Next time its all out war."

"I'm shaking just thinking about it," he teased. Sophie rolled her eyes and stepped closer to him, a small smile on her face.

"I better get to bed," she sighed, "rematch soon yeah?"

"Absolutely," he nodded, his heart thudding when she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. He closed his eyes and rested his cheek on her shoulder, his heart thudding so loudly in his chest he was sure she'd feel it.

"Night Max," she murmured as she stepped back and headed for the door.

"Night Sophie," he called after her, a content smile on his face.

~Monaco~

"Hey Sophie, want another drink?"

"Sure," she grinned, "I'll come with you."

Max led the way around the dancefloor to the crowded bar at the other side of the room. He had no problem muscling his way to the front of the crowd, but Sophie struggled to get through. She smiled gratefully when Max took her hand in his and pulled her to the front with him. He didn't let go once she'd settled beside him, and her heart fluttered at the feel of his hand in hers.

"Oh I love this song," she grinned as she finished your drink and a remix of 'Into You' blared drom the speakers.

"Come on then," Max suggested, downing his drink before grabbing her hand and dragging her to the dancefloor. He rested his hands on her waist and swayed their bodies in sync with the music. As the baseline began to rise her eyes met his and her heart felt like it was trying to escape from her chest. His face was so close to hers that their noses were almost touching, and when the lights flashed she could see the glint of want in his eyes and knew it was a look she wouldn't forget.

As the chorus dropped she threw all caution to the wind and pressed her lips against his desperately. He pulled her flush against his chest, his hands on her back holding her there. She felt like her body had been electrified, every inch that was pressed against Max feeling like it was on fire.

"Why don't we go somewhere more private," he murmured against her lips, and she couldn't surpress a shiver. She nodded in response, and he wasted no time in grabbing her hand and leading her through the club and out the front door.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he led her down the street. He stopped and turned to look at her, a vulnerable look taking over his face.

"Oh well I was thinking we could go to mine since it's so close," he started, rubbing the back of his neck, "but if I've misunderstood this then we can absolutely just...."

"No," she giggled, shaking her head and pressing another kiss to his cheek, "you haven't misunderstood anything. I was just asking."

"Oh," he laughed, "well then yeah, my place is nearby so we can go there."

"Lead the way," she grinned, "I'll text George and let him know I've left and that I'm OK."

"He's not going to murder me is he?" Max joked as they continued down the street.

"He's probably too drunk to even notice I've left," Sophie snorted. As they walked their hands brushed against each other, and Sophie couldn't fight her smile as he took her hand in his and swung them back and forth.

"So," he said awkwardly as they entered his house, "do you want a drink or..."

Sophie cut him off with a firm kiss, backing him up against the wall and pressing her body flush against his. "I didn't come home with your for drinks Max," she stated, pressing breathy kisses along his jaw, "so why don't you show me where your bedroom is and we can tour the kitchen in the morning."

"Who am I to argue with that?" He laughed before kissing her with renewed enthusiasm. He wrapped his arms around her waist and began to steer her down the hallway to his room, his lips never leaving hers.

[cottoncandylesbo]

Hey uuuuh I know I'm technically a bit early and your birthday is tomorrow, not today, but since timezones are weird and my tomorrow is still your today, I know I'll forget if I don't send it now. That being said:

Happy Birthday! I made something for you!

Enjoy!

this is so fun! thank you so much!!!!!

[maximus-tugs]

Opportunity

(Happy Sunshine Day folks! I know I'm a bit late, but it's still 7/7 in my timezone! I've been a bit busy and distracted lately, sorry.)

Sunshine had struggled to keep his composure. It had all happened so fast. Out of all the tug workers Upriver, he couldn't believe he had been chosen. A captain from Bigg City had arrived that afternoon, looking for someone to charter for the next day. Sunshine had been surprised when the other tug workers had vouched for him and even more surprised when he had been chosen. Out of all the older, more experienced tug workers, the captain had picked him. Sunshine had managed to keep himself together at the time, giving an enthusiastic 'yes sir' to the captain as he outlined the job and its expectations. His heart was still pounding from excitement from it all.

As evening feel, Sunshine sat on an old log by the river's edge, looking at the river rush by, but without really seeing anything in front of him. Instead, he was thinking about Bigg City Port, the scarred old captain, and for the first time in his life, leaving Upriver. "Hello Sunshine!" He heard someone call enthusiastically. He turned to see Billy Shoepack sit down beside him.

"Hey, Billy." he nodded. The two had grown up together. This particular clearing had been their 'hideout' when they were children. It was marked by scorch marks from Billy's 'experiments' over the years.

"So, I've heard the news. You've been hired to work in Bigg City, eh?" Billy asked.

"Yeah. I can't believe he chose me out of everybody else."

"You're a hard worker. It was only a matter of time before someone noticed." Billy reassured him.

"You think so?" Sunshine asked.

"'Course I do. Wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." Billy Shoepack nodded.

"So who hired you anyway?" Billy asked him.

"This man called Captain Star. He runs a company called Star Tug & Marine." Sunshine said.

"The Star Tugs!" Shoepack's eyes lit up with familiarity. "I know them, I've worked with them before. Good people, hard workers. You'll definitely fit right in. Oh, and when you get there, tell a fella called Big Mac I said hi." Billy laughed to himself.

"Will do." Sunshine agreed. "So what's Bigg City like?"

"I don't have a clue. I've never been there either." Shoepack shrugged. "You'll have to tell me all about it."

"I promise I will." Sunshine said.

Though the sky was dusky, the skyline of Bigg City with its highrise buildings shone as bright as day. It was an enchanting sight. Sunshine had never paid much attention before, but now he yearned to see it up close. "Hey, Billy?" Sunshine asked.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for helping me out all this time." Sunshine smiled. "You're like a brother to me, you know that?"

"Thanks, Sunshine. You're like a brother to me too. But you sound like you're sayin' goodbye."

"Well, I am. I mean, just for a bit." Sunshine said. "Besides, I don't think I ever thanked you for everything. I just wanna show I'm grateful."

"You didn't need to. I already know." Billy grinned. "Anyway, shouldn't you be gettin' home? You've got an early morning tomorrow."

"Yeah, I do." Sunshine realized. "Goodnight Billy, I'll tell you all about it when I get back." he promised as he stood up.

"Night Sunshine!" Billy called after him.

[faithfulcat111]

Six Sentence Sunday

Hey everyone, happy timezones! I'm busy once more today, so I'm scheduling this early and I will be super late in writing and posting my Stonathan Sundays bit. But, by next Sunday, Stonathan week shall be underway! Who is excited? Enjoy!

And that was Argyle half-splayed out on the counter while Robin and Steve stood on the other side of it absolutely covered in flour. The whole kitchen was a wreck and the two of them wouldn't stop giggling.  "Jonny!" Jonathan stiffened at Steve's yell which only got worse as Steve rounded the counter and threw his arms around him. It was so hard not to relax into it. Jonathan had gotten used to being able to relax with Argyle and Steve hugged so similarly. All wrapped around in a way that made Jonathan feel just the right amount of small and safe. 

[orchideae]

#Orchideae. This is a rather canon-strict depiction of Yelan, from Hoyoverse's Genshin Impact, rather passionately run by Sae (30+), and established in September of 2023.

I'm an absolute Liyue fanatic and tag rambler, who does the occasional resource post because old habits die hard (does 'iniziare' ring a bell?) But to sum me up in brief: I'm an intense deep-diver of lore, and I haven't loved something as intensely as Genshin in a long time. This blog will thread only with mutuals, but my inbox is always open for inquiries or curiosities from anyone. Aside from all of that, I also have blogs for Kafka, Guizhong, and Seele, even if they're presently inactive.

It's late. The residents sleep peacefully behind closed doors, listening to the pitter-patter of the heavy rain. Those fond of traveling at such times are either ill-intentioned, or secretly pursuing the former. It doesn't matter who wins or loses. The rain will wash away all traces either way. When the dawn breaks and the sky clears, the mysterious guest would have been gone already, without a soul noticing.

Rules (below the read more) / Meta: mini / Meta: not-so-mini / Threads

Writer/Disclaimer. Hey, hi! I’m Sae, I’m kind of in my early to mid thirties, and I’m currently located in France. While I’m in the GMT+1 timezone, my schedule allows me to sometimes be around at rather odd hours for most Europeans, so if you see me throwing you a like in the middle of the nigh, it’s our little secret.

Furthermore (and most importantly so), I bear no affiliation with the company of Hoyoverse, the game of Genshin Impact, the character of Yelan or anything related. Any and all written and visual (excluding reblogs) material found on this blog however are, unless stated or referenced otherwise, entirely my own.

A practice of the ‘one verse’ concept. This might seem a little confusing, so let me try to make this as clear as I can. As I settle into my interactions, I will try to fit most, if not all, of my threads within the same ‘verse’. There will of course be exceptions to this, including (but not limited to) conflicting/duplicate dynamics. The primary reason why I do this and have always enjoyed doing so, is that I love to be able to reference events that occur in threads, in others. This feels like I'm writing a more complete story that involves more characters across the board. This also allows, if people wanted, for others who interact with each other to do the same with my portrayal of Yelan. But if you’d prefer I don’t include you in this, simply say so!

Shipping / ‘Single romantic shipping’. This plays into the previous point, but I need to preface it just a little bit. While this is just my personal opinion of her, I don’t particularly see Yelan as someone who is made for romantic relationships in any cases except one. I feel this way because of her line of work (and her likely inevitable fate), but more importantly so, the reason that draws her to take on the work that she does. After the loss of her team, she told Ningguang the following: “We both made a mistake: We shouldn’t have involved ordinary folk in what we do.” This shows that Yelan shoulders a burden that she believes others couldn’t and/or should never bear because of the fate that is tied to it. For Yelan, this speaks of such an inherent loneliness that she has chosen in her life and is okay with, which is presumably because it’s deeply-rooted in her due to the fate of her team, and the influence of her ancestors. But this decision makes her rather incompatible with most individuals, for she will, honestly, never give up what she does while she lives. In my opinion, this leaves the only people (for romantic long-term investments), ones who have or know a similar life to her. It’s not filling loneliness with someone else, it’s finding the same loneliness in another by happenstance, for they understand this incomprehensible thing.

With that in mind, my verse(s) will all inevitably work towards a ship with delusionaid’s Wriothesley. This is exclusive to her portrayal and will not be written with another.

An important tidbit however: Based on how exemplary care she takes of herself physically, denying herself of simple pleasures such as sweets (usually) because they can too easily create an addiction and ‘disrupt focus’, I continue this across the board. The human body has its inevitable cravings, and so I do believe she indulges in physical encounters to relieve herself of this. I do not see these as ships, and they take place before and in the early phases of her slow-forming relationship with Wriothesley. Some examples of contenders for this? Kaeya, and Beidou— and no, Ningguang is and would never be included in this lineup. But never fret, this is simply a personal headcanon of mine and will never be forced on you if you write any of these characters.

Social Politics. Alright, I need to note a couple of very important tidbits about this topic. Simply put, I’m here to write, I don’t get involved in social politics of any kind, this includes (but is not limited to): call-out and cancel culture, white knighting in the eyes of anon hate, ship wars, gatekeeping, and real life politics. This blog will venture into mature and sometimes debatable themes, and if you’re unsure whether that’s up your alley, you’re free to unfollow me at any given time. There is no ill will! I’m incredibly big on respect, and I happily offer it to you in the same capacity as you offer it to me. Disagreement does not mean a default of disrespect, after all.

[jingyismom]

i hope i'm not messing it up by being too early (timezones!!!) but hey! hi! happy birthday, rara 💝✨🥰 i hope you have a really, really good one. with good food and a bit of pampering, whatever form of it you prefer 💖🎈

THANK YOU!!!! So much!!! I'm spending my lunch break doing hot girl shit (cropping t-shirts and drinking a lavender latte with rose whipped cream) so your lovely wishes for me are absolutely being fulfilled ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

And BACK AT YOU BIRTHDAY BUD!!!

[rogue-of-broken-time]

Hey everybody 👋

Sorry for not being super active lately, life has been kicking my ass (as per usual) and my energy's been all over. I do check in on the place every day though ^^

Despite me being tired literally all the time, though, I do wanna start streaming again. We don't have much substance to merit a theory stream just yet, but rest assured, they'll be back! Until then, I just wanna do some game streaming every now and then, as my work allows anyway.

A stream may happen as soon as tonight, since I get off work a bit early today. If it doesn't happen, nothing will change, but if it does, I'll let everyone here know, so keep an eye out!

Anywho, I hope everyone's having a good day, whatever timezone anyone's in. Happy birthday to Chase Brody as well!

💙 Rogue/Kelly

[kecleonplush]

Hey y’all sorry I’ve been disappearing randomly I’ve been back in the states for a bit and my life has been busy but I need to vent a little bit about my current situation so for those who care here is a Life Update (or no one can care I just need to vent lol).

So when we last left off I had been rejected by the guy I like (Erik), though we were still going to be going to a concert together and he was staying with me for about a week. Turns out us going to a concert basically just turned into us being a couple for a week. When it all first started I was pretty ready to basically just give it all up but then I basically just like... had a boyfriend for a week and saw what this relationship could possibly be if we were able to be together in the same place.

It was a great week. We saw the concert and went sightseeing and did a bunch of other stuff and just generally kept each other company. There were no awkward pauses or weird moments. It was natural and fun and exciting (though he wore me the fuck out lmao).

So now I’m back on thinking “well, maybe this can be something”. Of course, distance and whatnot is going to be an issue no matter what, but I have some time to work through that. I started thinking about possibly moving to Alaska, even if only for a little while after I graduate, just to give myself some time to explore this relationship properly. But that’s a year out at best.

Before he left, I mentioned coming to see him in Okinawa in March. I messaged him about it again yesterday with hopes of getting it set in stone and wake up this morning to him saying “yeah you should come soon I might be quitting my job in April”. His job has been working him to the bone and he’s understandably frustrated with it, not to mention he’s basically making no money.

I’m immediately like oh fuck

In reality, this is probably not a big deal - if he does go through with it, he will be going back to Alaska a bit early, sure, but it A) doesn’t change that much about our circumstances, and B) he says a lot of shit out loud that he doesn’t end up acting on, so he might stick it out anyway.

But my anxiety has been particularly bad lately so this immediately makes me freak out. In reality, is this a major change? Not really - it just means that if I do plan on doing anything about this relationship, the time that I’d have to manage across timezones goes from 8 months to 12 months. In reality, that is not a big difference! And Alaska is not that different in terms of time zones.

It also doesn’t help that the timing of my trip is less than ideal - late March is a busy time of year for him. It’s likely that it won’t be an issue but I’m still nervous.

I just have so many insecurities about this. That nagging voice in the back of my head is convinced that if he leaves Japan he’s going to immediately meet someone and never talk to me again. The reality of the situation is that that’s probably not going to happen - Alaska’s gay scene is probably considerably worse than Okinawa’s, so what’s really going to happen is that he’s probably going to go back home to Anchorage and be bored living at home while he takes a boring job. There’s a very good chance that we’ll just kind of continue on as we have been. If anything, maybe he’ll talk to me more. I’ll have time in the summer and maybe I can see him in Anchorage.

I just really want this to work. I like him so much. I’m considering finding a way to move to Alaska for him. But I need something to break my way to make this feel like it’s doable.

[findroleplay]

Dedicated writer needed for long-term crime/drama mxm 1x1

TL;DR

  Me

Donny, cis female, 30+

GMT+2

ESL

Looking to write a long-term plot (and ship) for my long-running, queer, crime OC with your queer, crime OC!

Contact: driftlikesleep@gmail.com

  Yes

25+ writing partners

Quality > quantity, concise and engaging writing

Show > tell

1-5 paragraph posts

Third person, present tense (past tense also okay)

Long-term plots and/or dedicated writers who can stick to one thing for years

Drama, crime, realism, history, war/military, subcultures, slice of life, romance, angst/dark subject matter

Clear communication

Matched enthusiasm, engagement and effort

Posts ~once a week

Flexible schedule

Lit/adv-lit writing level

Original characters and content

In-depth character development

MxM

  No

Minors

Flakes

Discourse, drama, politics, hate

Purity police

Novella

Purple prose

Pancake-stack dialog

Matching post lengths and/or writing non-useful, filler lines just for the sake of matching

Pure fluff

High fantasy, superhero, supernatural, canon material/characters

Posts once or more a day

Posts less than once a week

Outright smut (leadup/fade to black is acceptable; discussing NSFW headcanons and scenarios OOC very much welcome)

MxF, FxF

Leaving all the work up to me, either IC or OOC

THE LONG VERSION

  Hey y'all, Donny here. Veteran Tumblr roleplayer looking to broaden my horizons and find new writing partners to help explore characters and plot ideas.

  A bit about me and my writing/partner preferences:

  Firstly, it's important to note that, as a Tumblr veteran, the kind of roleplay I'm used to is not one where I create a new character for a ready-made plot but, rather, the other way around. I have a (very short) list of (mostly) crime-oriented OCs which I've been developing for a good while now, and which I am looking to create plots and connections/relationships for. I'm very much into in-depth character development and tend to stick to the characters I create for a long time. It should go without saying that they all come with their own little worlds, well-thought-out bios, and a bunch of minor characters surrounding them.

  While there are arcs and/or certain plots that I'd love to explore for them, I also very much like catering my plots to specific partners/characters and coming up with things together. Likewise, I like writing with partners and coming up with plots that can potentially run for a very long time. I believe that I'm very good at developing characters and actively working to drive plots forward, and I'm looking to work on something with someone which could potentially run for years and years.

  With that said, I am currently only looking to explore romantic relationships and plots for a particular mercenary character that I've been writing for the better part of 10 years. You can find his description as well as vague ideas for the kind of plot I'd like to write for him at the bottom of the post.

  As for me: I'm in my early 30s and my timezone is GMT+2. I don't mind timezone differences when it comes to my partners, but I do ask that no one under the age of 25 approach me.

  I work two jobs and have a partner, pets and an offline social life, all of which goes to say I won't be available to RP daily. I try my best to post at least once a week and am normally successful in adhering to that schedule. There will likely be weeks when I'm available to post more often; but, as one of my jobs is freelance and the schedule tends to be a bit unpredictable, there may also be weeks when I won't be able to post as often as I'd like. Though this rarely happens, your understanding on this matter would be appreciated, and I will extend the same courtesy to you. With that said: I'm not looking to write with someone who takes several-month-long breaks in-between replies. It's just hard for me to maintain interest that way. It's also important to note that, despite of the above, I'm likely to be available daily for OOC chatting and plotting.

  I've been involved with text-based roleplaying for over 15 years - almost exclusively OCs and original settings and plots. Though I hate using this term to describe my writing, as I find it quite offensive; in lack of a better one: I consider myself to be an advanced-literate writer (despite English being my second language). This does not refer to post length so much as the quality of my writing: I think that I have a distinct author's voice and that my writing as well as character voices are unique and concise. Though I'm no stickler and don't mind the occasional mistake here and there - we're all only human - I do ask that you be a literate writer, and that you proofread your posts before sending them my way. It really turns me off when it's evident that my partner rushed their reply and did not bother to check it for spelling or grammatical errors before sending it my way.

  When it comes to writing preferences, I mostly do third person, present tense. This is not a must for you if you prefer writing in past tense, but it is, nevertheless, a plus. I prefer quality to quantity and have been experimenting with doing more showing than telling and limiting my characters' internal monologue to a minimum (or eliminating it altogether), which often means my posts tend to be on the shorter side (normally 200-500 words/1-3 paragraphs). Though I've done novella-type roleplays before and can certainly produce much longer posts when I feel like it's necessary, I'd prefer not to go back to doing novella regularly, as I find that it disrupts the natural flow of dialog and is just plain exhausting.

  I will not fluff up replies just for the sake of reaching a certain word count; if 100 words cover everything I feel is needed, 100 words are what you're going to get. With that said, I am very conscious about giving my partners something to work with. Likewise, I don't mind the length of your posts as long as you give me something to work with. I do, however, prefer that you be open to the idea of experimenting with minimizing internal monologue. I know that this is something most roleplayers enjoy and prefer, but I find that I don't enjoy the roleplay as much when I'm being spoon-fed information. I want our characters to have miscommunications. I want their actions and words to be misunderstood. I want them to argue over stupid shit that could easily have been avoided had they known to communicate a little better. I just find that it makes for more authentic interactions, and I enjoy the challenge of saying as much as I can with as little as possible.

  On that note: I'm an active plotter. There's little I love more than catering plots to specific characters or partners and getting into the real fine details of things (over time, of course). I try to work with the "yes, and" method as often as possible and rarely leave my partners hanging when it comes to driving the plot forward or working on character development. I expect you to be able to do the same. I'm sympathetic towards the occasional dry spell, none of us can be oozing with creativity 24/7; but if you consistently leave all the hard work up to me, I will get bored and respectfully drop the RP.

  I also like seeing plots through. I get very discouraged if all we ever do is plot and chat OOC, but never actually follow through with IC writing. Don't get me wrong: I love chatting and plotting; I'll be sending you plot ideas, aesthetics, music, memes and art of our characters any hour of the day; but the main goal here is to write something, not only discuss it in theory. Long story short: if you’re flaky, please don’t reach out to me, and spare me the heartache.

  Most of my characters and the one I am looking to write right now, in particular, are queer men. As I'm looking to write a ship for him, I'm looking for writers who are interested in MxM. However, it's important to note that, while I like discussing NSFW headcanons/scenes in detail and think that they're integral to writing any ship, I'm not a huge fan of actually writing out smut and would rather fade-to-black.

  On a similar note: my characters tend to be flawed. I don't have any particular triggers and like getting into the nitty-gritty of the human psyche/behavior/existence. I'll obviously respect any triggers or boundaries my partners may have but, as a general rule, if you're especially sensitive or easily triggered by themes common to the criminal genre (i.e. violence, substance abuse, etc.) - I'm likely not the right partner for you.

  I don’t tolerate any hate, discourse, drama or politics of any sort. Don’t care how justified or important it is - I don’t wanna engage with it. RP is a hobby which I would like to keep separate from my IRL problems. For the sake of clarification: purity culture absolutely falls under 'discourse' and I don't care for it one bit. I enjoy writing what some people would surely define as "problematic" content - if you don't like it, close this tab and carry on.

  I'm comfortable writing virtually anywhere - Discord, Tumblr, Google Docs, via email, etc., and very much looking forward to hearing from you! If you'd like to reach out, you can either comment on this thread, DM me, or write to me on driftlikesleep@gmail.com .

  A bit about my character and the sort of plots and connections I'm looking for:

  The Mercenary, AKA Merc, is my longest-running character and my absolute favorite. He's in his early 30s, homosexual/romantic, and - you guessed it - a mercenary combat operative. Standoffish, thick, self-destructive, extremely dangerous and easily irate, he is also profoundly loyal, adventurous and far more sensitive than he lets on. His themes largely include: crime, modern-realism, recent history, war, mental illness, transgenerational abuse, nihilism, moral ambiguity, violence and redemption. You can find his full character sheet HERE and several samples of my writing of him HERE.

  Honestly, I could see Merc working in a wide variety of scenarios and with all sorts of characters. I'd be equally thrilled to explore him with another criminal from his world (another mercenary; a druglord, a high-ranking executive in a major corporation, or any other type of potential client; a fixer/cleaner; a bent lawyer or; the list goes on) as I would with a character on the law enforcement spectrum (a government agent; a police detective; a straight-edge lawyer; again, the list goes on), or even an entirely civilian character who has absolutely nothing to do with Merc's world (but will inevitably get sucked into it eventually through their relationship with Merc). He has plenty of hobbies and interests outside of his job and could easily make a connection through those. I'd also be more than happy to explore a childhood-friends-reunited-as-adults relationship for him.

  Whichever the case, I'd adore exploring the relationship in all its aspects and stages, as well as work on a wider plot/world in which everything will take place. I don't like for my roleplays to revolve solely around a romantic relationship between two characters and I love expanding on lore and side-characters. All I ask is that your character feels 'real enough', if that makes sense, and that you take an active part in plotting and driving our threads forward, and that you give me something to work with.