#“rose stop putting the interesting bits in the tags”

[transmasc-rose]

Apex predator Time Lord au. Due to a quirk of their biological makeup, they need to eat sapient beings for their psychic energies to survive.

The constant underlying threat that the Doctor could eat his companions.

He doesn't, he won't, he refuses to. He craves companionship like water. His species is so social.

But when the Master, or someone else knowledgeable about Time Lords, asks a question, or makes a quip:

"Are these friends... or snacks?"

"What are you, a vegetarian?"

The Doctor's a bit too defensive. A bit too possessive. Like a dog over a bowl of food, he barks and he circles.

His companions probably don't know why--he hates telling them what he is, what he does. So they don't understand why he's acting like this.

Why he takes it so seriously.

Why he's looking at them like that.

[vainvenus]

⌲;꒰ Favorite boy in the Valley ꒱

Pairing - Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Synopsis - Eli's doubting your relationship so you have to confirm some things for him.

Includings - S1!Eli no Hawk, insecurities, crying, embarrassed and blushing Eli, lots of kisses, words of affirmation, small bits of angst, a bunch of fluff

An - First post back with a new fixation! All tags used are fandoms I write for so feel free to request anything

And if anybodys interested I'm currently writing a Scream Au!Cobra Kai on quotev under the same name I use on here

Eli had been a bit off lately and it was starting to worry you.

Eli was generally a quiet person, he had been that way since you met him and he still was. But even given his quiet nature if there was a topic he was interested in and the right people were talking about it he would add in an opinion or two.

And he would be more than happy to rant to you of all people about a new series he had started up or to talk about one of the movies you recommended to him so that the two of you could gush about it and share opinions, but recently he had been a lot quieter.

You shut your locker, smiling over at the dirty blonde. "So, have you watched clueless yet? The fashion in that is-"

"Uh..no, sorry. I was...uhm...busy." He interrupted, staring down at his feet at the lie he told, he watched it twice and wanted nothing more than to go on and on about it.

You rose a brow, head tilting slightly as you stared at him with a look that almost made him call his bluff. "Busy?"

He just nodded quietly.

Then about a week ago, when you asked him if he wanted to come over after school to do a Marvel marathon he had quickly declined, saying that he had other plans and before you could ask what those plans were he went to go talk to Demetri.

He would usually walk you to class, everybody saying that wherever you were he had to be somewhere close by but recently as you waited outside your classroom for him he would be nowhere to found and that made your heart sink a little bit.

"Hey, you weren't outside my English class to walk me to culinary today." You frowned, setting your lunch tray next to his and taking your seat. "I wanted to tell you that I aced my essay..."

Eli glanced over at you and moved his nail from between his teeth. A nasty habit you had been trying to get him to stop doing for months and you were real close until he started becoming distant.

"I was just...just rushing to get to Chemistry. I had a really important test and wanted to get some extra study time in." He explained and you slowly nodded, deciding not to bring up the fact that his test was tomorrow.

He also stopped holding your hand, the first thing he could make the first move on, something he could confidently do if he was feeling nervous or just wanted to touch you. Normally he would hold it as he walked you to your classes or even when the two of you were sitting together at lunch but he started to pull his hand away or shove it into his pocket.

And what really got you was when he started denying your kisses. At first you thought it would just be by accident or he didn't want a kiss at the moment since he was still getting comfortable with PDA but you soon realized that he was dodging your kisses, tilting and moving his head when you leaned in.

It was all really confusing. You didn't understand why he was acting like this and it left you wondering if you had did something wrong. Maybe you had done something that made him upset with you?

You sighed, leaning onto Demetri's shoulder. "Its like when we first met all over again, Dem. He's just been so distant and I don't know whats the matter. Has he been acting different with you?"

"No, he hasnt." Demetri bluntly answered, shaking his head while his eyes stayed focused on the homework you let out a long sigh. "Then it's me, I have to be the problem."

The brunette sighed, putting his pencil down and turning his head to look at you, nearly giving you a death glare. "Look, you just need to talk to him, alright? He's probably going through another one of his slumps and needs some reassurance."

You had groaned, rubbing your hand along your face. "Of course, why hadn't you thought of that before? "Thanks, Dem! You're so good at giving advice, can't believe I didn't think that. God I'm dumb sometimes."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know I am and I know you are. Now, can we please finish our homework now that you're done moping?"

"[Y/n], Eli didn't tell me you were coming."

You smiled up at his mother as you held a new copy of the comic book Eli had ranted about a while ago along with a bag of some of his favorite snacks. "Yeah, I wanted to surprise him."

"Well he's upstairs in his room." She hummed, closing the door behind you as you walked up the stairs and down the hall to the boy's room, lifting your knuckles up to knock on the door.

There was a bit of shuffling before the door opened and Eli's eyes were wide with surprise upon seeing you. "[Y/n]? What..What are you doing here?"

"I just really need to talk to you. Can I come in, please?"

He seemed hesitant at first before reluctantly nodded and opened his door all the way. You set the things you brought for him on the table then walked over to sit across from him on his bed.

You looked at him, staring into his eyes as you reached out to grab his hand and rubbed your thumb over the back of it. "Eli, talk to me. What's the matter? What's going on?"

"It's nothing-" He started but you weren't buying it, obviously. "Eli we both know that's a lie. You haven't really been yourself lately and I just need to know why. I'm here for you. Is it something that I've done or anything I can fix?"

"Unless you can fix me being a freak, no, you can't."

Your face softened as you held onto his hand a little tighter. "Eli, you're not-"

He shook his head, pulling his hands away from yours. "No! Don't. Don't say that! I don't wanna hear this whole 'you're not a freak' talk again I'm so sick of it!"

The way his voice started to crack made your heart sink as you saw that his eyes were starting to water, fresh tears threatening to spill.

"Kyler said something that...that just really got me thinking. Saying that he didn't know how a girl like...like you gave a nerd with a weird lip...lip a chance." Eli swallowed the lump starting in his throat because he was going to start crying rethinking of the conversation.

"He started talking about how much better you could've done. Better like somebody like...like him." He sniffled, his fingers brushing against his scar as he looked everywhere but you when he spoke.

"And then I started to think he was...was right. You could do so much better than some nerd with a freaky l..lip." His voice wobbled as he stared down at his bedsheets.

"Eli. Eli, look at me." While the boy shook his head you reached up to grab the sides of his face, wiping away the tears with your thumbs that were starting to fall down his cheeks.

You sighed, frowning softly. "Look, I don't care what anybody else says, okay? Kyler was wrong because there's no better choice. I mean, is there any other boy at school who would listen to my constant complaining about Mrs.Carter?"

Eli had stayed quiet as you continued. "Would any other boy let me ramble about [f/superhero] and not call me a nerd?"

Silence.

You weren't done though. "Would some jerk like Kyler deal with my long shopping trips and help me carry all my bags around?"

Continuing you had smiled softly up at him. "Oh and I'm one hundred percent sure none of those guys would watch silly chick flicks with me and actually like them."

He shrugged his shoulders and you smiled, pressing your lips against the his cheek in a short yet sweet kiss and he winced, feeling the stickiness from your lipgloss. "And no other boy here is as breathtaking as you."

Your smile grew more as you saw the tips of his ears turning pink and he turned his head away slightly, looking up and away at his ceiling. "[Y/n].."

"I'm serious, Eli. You're so very pretty. I love and adore everything about you."

He avoided eye contact with you, trying to pull his face from your hands but you only hummed while pressing kisses all over his face and leaving shiny kiss marks along it.

"Your eyes alone just make me melt, y'know? I'm real jealous of how your lashes look better than mine." You giggled, placing a kiss right above his brow.

"[Y/n], stop..." He mumbled, his cheeks now being a color that would put any blush set to shame and you shook your head.

"You have a beautiful nose. I love staring at your side profile, it's just perfect." You complimented, kissing the bridge of his nose before your eyes trailed down.

You reached up, tracing your finger along the scar. "And like I've said before I love your scar. I could kiss you a million times and never get grossed out by it.

At that you leaned forward, pressing your lips right against his scar and you could feel his hands squeezing at the bottom of your shirt, fists squeezing tightly around the fabric before you moved down and captured his slightly chapped lips with your own. While you leaned into the kiss you could feel Eli's grip slowly lighten as he leaned into the kiss.

Eli was a burning mess in a the face when you kissed his scar, closing his eyes at the feeling while holding tightly onto your shirt as if you would go anywhere. Feeling you place felt your soft lips on his own partially chapped ones he was like putty in your hands, practically liquefying.

When you pulled away you giggled at the residue of gloss that came from your lips and that was now all over Eli's face and his own lips, smiling as the boy rubbed his thumb across his bottom lip, his shoulders rising and falling while he panted softly.

"So no, there's no boy in this valley I'd rather be with." You confirmed, wrapping your arms and he laid back allowing you to lay your head against his chest, finding a sort of comfort listening to his heartbeat.

You hummed softly, reaching a hand up to play with the tuffs of his hair and the two of you laid there in comfortable silence and you peered up to stare at him to see that he was already staring at you.

"You...You really mean it? All that stuff you said earlier?" He questioned, his voice coming off as a whisper and you lifted your head up.

You sat up on his lap, furrowing your brows at him while staring at him with an incredulous expression. "Do I need to repeat myself? Kisses and all?"

"I...I don't know...I don't think I really got it." Eli gave a sheepish smile, messing with the hem of your shirt."

"Maybe...uhm...a couple more kisses and it might click?" He quietly suggested and stared up at you through his eyelashes, his lips parting a bit.

And how could you say no to such a pretty face like that?

[sitp-recs]

My AO3 Wrapped: 16 Drarry Recs

This year I’ve embraced a change of pace and read way less than I intended to. This made me feel a bit disconnected from fandom but also allowed me to put this list together in record time so let’s not complain too much 😂 this is shorter and lacking my usual commentary but I didn’t want to break the tradition of sharing my fave reads of the year! Be it for their creativity or peak romance, these 16 amazing fics made my heart beat faster and got me even more in love with Drarry. I’ve read most of them in the first half of the year and it was interesting to see so many fics over 40k, as my usual sweet spot is 10k - 20k. I love the mix of tropes featured here and am very excited to rec authors I’m reading for the first time. ps: I haven’t included any Erised fics since the fest is still ongoing.

Thank you dear creators for sharing so many brilliant works with us this year! 2023 wasn’t my best year fandom-wise, but life has been so generous in other areas that I can’t help but feel humbled today. I wish everyone a lovely start to the new year! As always, please mind the tags and take some time to shower these authors with the appreciation they deserve. Oh, and stay tuned for a rare pair list sometime soon ;)

🍆 Snug by @moonflower-rose (E, 6k)

8th year | touch-starved Harry | soft cock kink

Potter can't keep his hands off himself. Draco can't look away.

🧩 Muscle Memory by @corvuscrowned (E, 8k)

curse breaking | partners to lovers | memory magic

There's something just beneath the surface, just at the periphery of Harry's mind. They've been here before — they've done this before. If only he could remember it.

👹 draco malfoy's substitute murder service by @oknowkiss (E, 10k)

odd jobs | D/s undertones | open ending

When Harry joins the Curse Breakers shortly after his twenty-fifth birthday, he’s surprised to find himself assigned to the Department of Creatures, Cryptids, and Associated Calamities.

🏰 the earth from a distance by spqr (E, 15k)

time travel | Wizarding history | only one bed

“Well,” Harry said gamely, once they’d managed to find the Leaky Cauldron – still under construction but mercifully open for business – and he’d turned up a few knuts from his pockets, enough to get them a room for the night, “it could be worse.”

🎚️ O Come, All Ye Faithful by @toomuchplor (E, 20k)

vicar Draco | established relationship | Church of England

Aunt Petunia died, that was what began everything. Or rather, Aunt Petunia was dying. In the act of dying. In which Draco finds faith in the church, and Harry finds faith in Draco.

🎄 Waking Up Slow by @sweet-s0rr0w and @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm (E, 22k)

shop owner Draco | summer romance | light angst

'Twas the night before Christmas, although it’s July / Draco’s a shopkeeper, no-one knows why / There’s hiking and witch caves, freak snowfalls and more / Bad Christmas jumpers, nosy neighbours galore / Narcissa’s here too, but… something’s amiss / And what’s in those chocolates that’s making them kiss?

🚬 Sun Thief by @floydig and BlackRose532 (E, 28k)

slice of life | fast sexual burn | dark humour

It’s 2005, and Draco Malfoy says, “Fuck the Ministry,” Harry works as a handyman in muggle London, and Draco should really stop pissing off the Squib gangs.

🍷 Winner Takes It All by @skeptiquewrites (E, 41k)

break up make up | down & out Draco | hurt/comfort

As with all his friends’ wagers, it starts small. Fifty Galleons for one kiss from Harry Potter is easily done.

🏖️ LA, Who Am I To Love You? by @epitomereally (E, 42k)

Draco in the Muggle World | pining Harry | recreational drug use

Harry’s summer in LA is not going as expected. Pansy Parkinson keeps inviting him to parties in the Hollywood Hills and harassing him to finally go to the physical therapist, Blaise Zabini keeps slipping new strains of his company’s magical weed into Harry��s pockets in hopes of an endorsement, and Draco Malfoy keeps having sex with everyone but Harry.

🫃Shine On, You Crazy Diamond by @lagerloutfic (E, 42k)

fwb to lovers | gay awakening (Harry) | mpreg (Draco)

Harry has probably always wanted Draco, it just took him a few years to figure that out. A story about the joy of discovering exactly who you are and how easy it can be once you do.

🚣‍♀️ Our Objective Remains Unchanged by @citrusses (E, 46k)

rowing AU | enemies to lovers | university setting

Harry Potter, returning member of the Oxford University Boat Club, has two goals for the spring of 2005: beat Cambridge, and beat Draco Malfoy. Perhaps not in that order.

🧶 Polar Night/Midnight Sun by @toomuchplor (E, 54k)

cabin fic | wintery vibes | only one bed

Harry travels to arctic Norway on the trail of dragon egg poachers, only to find he's been assigned to work alongside the only NorMagPol Auror north of sixty: one Draco Malfoy.

🎩 Nights With You by @the-sinking-ship (E, 58k)

holiday fic | fake relationship | mutual pining

Draco is mortified when moments prior to departing for the most anticipated destination wedding of the year, he is cruelly dumped. But when he learns that Harry Potter has, at long last, split with his horrible boyfriend, Draco is certain his luck has changed.

���🏻‍♂️Rookie Moves by peu_a_peu (E, 75k)

auror partners | slow burn | humour

Aurors Potter and Malfoy crack the case.

🖼️ where all the veins meet by @saxamophone (E, 146k)

sad bois | Grimmauld Place | found family | 8th year

It's the summer of 1998. The battle is over, and Voldemort is dead, but Harry still has more questions than answers. Who is he without a piece of Voldemort's soul in his head? What is he supposed to do now?

📼 Always Already by @aibidil (E, 170k)

time travel | forced proximity | mutual pining

Harry and Draco are perfectly fine, separately minding their business in 2004, when the Unspeakables conscript them into service... in the First War against Voldemort.

[helloheyhihowdyheya]

Rose Thorn Blues | p. 3

Peter Parker x fem!reader

Part One Part Two Masterlist

Summary: At the fundraiser, you and Parker go undercover as husband and wife. Which puts you two in some very interesting positions.

Word count: ~6.5k

Warnings: Enemies to lovers!! Fake dating!! Forced proximity!!! (< my excitement for those tags lol). Kissing. Banter. A lil' bit of jealousy. Sneaking around. Mention of throwing up. Swearing. Tension.

A/n: Sorry it's been awhile. You know how it is. Thank you for the love on the past parts :) I like how this one turned out. Let me know what you think, and thank you for reading! <3

As soon as Parker led you through the towering front doors of the mansion, you clung just a little tighter to his arm. Your fingers fidgeted with the simple wedding ring sitting on your ring finger, something he had picked up yesterday — presumably from “the guy he knew.” To save your nerves, you hadn’t asked, instead just accepting the likely fake diamond ring that felt too heavy and gaudy for your tastes. It certainly fit right at home here.

People in gowns and tuxedos you guessed cost more than you could ever afford walked throughout the sprawling main room. The clicking of their shoes against the hardwood floor joined their voices and the small live orchestra sitting near the podium at the other side. The sight of all these people only made your fingers play with the ring faster, your nerves alight.

A soft touch along the back of your hand had you stopping your fidgeting, your muscles stilling as you looked to your right. You slowly blinked your eyes at Parker’s, the chandeliers above bringing out the shades of brown they held.

In the boyish grin he gave you, there was calm reassurance flashing across his face. It sat somewhere between the confidence of his persona for the night, Sam, and the smugness of the Parker you were often met with. In an instant, his expression dropped easily into the facade as he grabbed two flutes of champagne for you both from a passing waiter holding a tray.

“For you, dear,” he said, handing one to you before taking a sip of his own. You watched his gaze flick across the crowd of wealthy guests. Maybe they were in the dark about where their donations went, but you guessed that more than a few knew the truth — and benefited from it. 

“Hello,” a soft voice said from behind you, and your body fought the urge to jump at the sound. A smile that didn’t reach all the way up to your eyes spread across your face as you turned. 

Parker’s arm wrapped around your back while you were met with an older couple focused on the two of you. The women introduced themselves, but you found trying to play your part convincingly while focusing on their names and the conversation proved harder than you’d expected. Especially as the heat of “your husband’s” body settled along yours.

But Parker’s voice pulled you back into the moment as he answered a question they must have asked, the rumble of his voice vibrating against you. “Rose’s grandmother recently passed. She loved this city and Beaumont’s work. The two of them were good friends, so we’re here to support him in her memory.”

The one on the left reached her hands out, clutching onto your free one. “I’m so sorry. What you’re doing here would make her very proud.”

You quietly thanked the woman before her wife asked, “And what do you two do for work?”

A long beat of silence passed over all of you, to the point where you could hear Parker swallow hard beside you. In all the planning you’d done the last few days, neither of you had come up with jobs. 

Shit.

“Teacher.”

“Teacher.”

You both said the word at the same time, a slight panicked look passing between you. 

You turned back to the women, letting out a laugh that felt too tight and forced. “My grandmother left our family money. To donate,” you clarified with a straight smile. You muttered out, “Since there’s not too much money in teaching…”

“Oh, how lovely. Do you work together?”

“Not anymore,” Parker answered. “But we’re happy with our jobs.”

“And what do you teach?”

Internally, you clenched your jaw and cursed these women for being so friendly and asking so many questions you didn’t think about beforehand. But that didn’t seem to stop Parker as he responded with ease.

“Chemistry for high schoolers. And Rose here teaches, um…” His words briefly trailed off, his tongue coming out to wipe over his bottom lip as he hesitated. Okay, maybe not as smooth as you’d hoped.

“English,” you finished for him. Leaning into Parker, you let out a laugh. It almost felt natural to place your hand on his chest as you spoke, lied, to these women. “Sam would lose his head if it wasn’t attached to him.”

That sent them both into loud giggles, a smile spreading across your face as they held onto one another.

“Oh, you two sound like an old couple already,” the left woman said between breaths. 

At least you had the bickering side of things down already. 

But as their laughter died down, the one on the right opened her mouth once more, probably to ask another question you had no answer to. The tightness holding your body hostage sagged as another couple came up, hugging the two women like longtime friends. 

Your rapid heart silently thanked Parker as he took the moment to lead you both to a quiet corner and around the crowd of people waltzing to the soft music, but you still gritted out, “You didn’t think to come up with our careers?”

“Guess my pea-sized brain can’t do all of the work here. What’s your excuse?” he whispered back. His words had you shoving your elbow into your side, but all it did was earn your bare arm a light pinch from him. 

Finding a quiet-enough area, your steps slowed, letting your mind calm down for a moment. Somehow, Parker still wore that casual smile as one hand held the glass and the other sat along your side. But you took a step out of his grasp once you saw no one was looking, letting the space between you two give you extra room to breathe. To think.

You took in the sight of the busy mansion. Mentally, you ignored the now cold spot from Parker’s missing heat, instead marking doors and noting who spoke with who. You were able to recognize some of the attendees — most of which were other local politicians. 

How far did all of this go?

Before you could think further, Parker leaned over to speak close to your ear, a distinct scent of  coffee and something familiar wafting from him. You’d expected him to explain your next steps, so you quickly looked at him in surprise when he asked, “Did you want to be a teacher as a kid?” 

Raising an eyebrow, scanning the expression he wore, you replied, “Yeah… I did. You too?”

“Yeah…” He nodded, staring downward as if in thought.

Your attention went back out to the people, chewing on the inside of your cheek as brief moments passed in silence. All too quick, he followed up with, “Though there’s not much espionage or breaking and entering in teaching these days.”

You gave a quiet laugh, suddenly wishing you’d gone into teaching. The thought made you take another sip of your champagne. A small sip — you needed to stay focused on tonight and learn as much as possible about Beaumont.

But Parker once again came close, the back and forth of him almost making your head spin more than the alcohol could. He whispered, “I spotted a sort of VIP section I could make my way into. It’d be easier to do with just one person, so you can mingle yourself into some important conversations. Beaumont’s not out here. And his little speech and the auction aren’t until later anyway. How does that sound?”

His eyes traced over your face. A slight crease forming between his eyebrows was the only indication that he wasn’t actually the suave Sam Bennet.

You gave a few hesitating nods, your gaze looking at anything but his eyes. You could do this — you’d spoken with people to get information from them before. And even if you couldn’t, maybe Rose could.

Before leaving, Parker shot back the rest of his champagne and set the glass on the nearest flat surface. You fought back a disbelieving scoff when he winked at you and strode toward a closed door on the other side of the room. 

For a few moments, all you could do was watch after him. The party felt much bigger as you stood there alone. A small part of you wondered whether he also felt like that.

You shook your head, clearing your mind with a deep breath in and out. You straightened your back and lifted your chin. Scanning the crowd, you spotted a member of Ellis Beaumont’s team. The middle-aged man stood along the wall near the orchestra, his attention fixed on his phone. You felt as if you’d found your prey as you set down your drink and made your way toward him, one heavy step in front of the other.

You knew he handled marketing for Stronger Together and Beaumont in general, a target full of information ripe for your picking — information you could ask about without drawing suspicion. But all the false confidence you built up deflated as you approached, watching as another member of Beaumont’s team pulled him aside for a hushed conversation. 

Swallowing down a frustrated groan, you instead pivoted to look as if you were enjoying the band. The dancing strings and piano would normally be lovely to listen to, but now it felt like the soundtrack to a headache threatening to form along your temples. 

The two team members walked to the door Parker went through. You didn’t have long to look around for another person to question before you felt a presence to your left. 

“So, do you prefer the upbeat plucking style of Brahms or the legato tone of Debussy?”

The question came from the young man next to you, and within an instant of seeing his styled hair the color of the night and the sharp line of his jaw, you knew who he was.

“I’m just kidding,” he said, flashing a white smile that crinkled the corner of his dark eyes. “Classical music’s never been my strong suit, and I stopped learning their names years ago. Though…” He paused, admiring you, “I wouldn’t mind learning yours.”

Your mouth opened slightly, your mind forcing out a small laugh that you hoped sounded believable enough. Was this actually happening?

Shaking your head, you stuck out your hand. “That might be the cheesiest line I’ve ever heard. But the name’s Rose,” you told him. 

He took your hand, wrapping his long fingers along your skin with a smile that could take anyone’s breath away. “You’re not wrong about that, but it got you to talk to me,” he said, his eyes never leaving yours. “I’m Will.”

You bit back the urge to say I know. You’d done enough research to recognize William Beaumont, the only child of Ellis. In his mid-20s, Will had already quickly risen through the ranks of politics — though not that it seemed to interest him all that much.

But he had to know something and might just share that knowledge with you. Whether he saw the wedding ring around your finger, he didn’t say. 

Flirting for information was not something you had much experience in (or any experience in), but how hard could it really be?

At the expectant look he gave you, one that said he’d rather have his attention on you than anything else in the world, it suddenly felt very hard.

Shoving down your worries and trying to fall into your role like Parker could, you smiled sweetly at him. “It’s nice to meet you, Will.” You let your hand drop back to your side as you said, “And for the record, I’d have to go with Debussy.”

His hands sat casually in his pockets, his head giving a light nod. “Since I’m not entirely sure who he really is, I’ll have to agree with you.” He let out a soft laugh, his easy tone lightening the tightness in your chest just a fraction. 

A moment passed as you laughed along, the band continuing to play softly. “So, if you were being honest with me, do you ever get tired of these things?”

He sent a sly side eye your way, a smirk crossing his face. “If we’re being honest, then I’d have to say yes. If you’re going to repeat my answer to my father or his associates, then I’d say that I never bore of helping this wonderful city of ours.” The way his voice turned almost mocking at the end made you hide a smile, your face turning slightly away from him.

“What a very professional answer. I can only imagine how many meetings you’ve had to sit in on and say something like that.”

“An excessive amount, yes,” he said, running a hand down his jaw.

“Do these fundraisers all go the same way? Conversing, speech, dinner, auction, then more conversing? I’ve never attended one like this before.”

He gave a short nod. “For the most part. It’s close to the same speech every time, and nearly the same kinds of things auctioned off — most of them coming from donations made primarily by the wealthiest guests here.”

Things you were sure you could only imagine owning. The thought of listening to another speech from Beaumont after all your research only made the small stabbing in your head increase.

Trying to sound casual, unassuming even, you asked, “And what do you exactly do?”

His face shifted toward an unreadable look, making you fight uneasiness rising through your body. You followed up with, “I think it’d be boring if you just sat and listened, so I hope you get to actually play some part in the organization.”

You watched his gaze consider you for a moment, the seconds passing forcing your heart into your throat. Part of you debated faking getting an emergency phone call to get away if this went south.

Tilting his head, a soft smile spread across Will’s face. He held out his hand toward you, palm facing up. “Would you care to dance with me, Rose?”

A twisting feeling reeled through your stomach, your body on edge in an instant. At your hesitation, he said, “Just one dance. And I can answer your question while we’re out on the floor.”

As you raised your hand and laid it in his, you mentally said every expletive you knew at this terrible summer internship, at Parker, and at yourself. But you held an easy smile while the two of you made your way to where others danced along to the orchestra’s playing.

He brought your right hand up in his left, his other hand smoothing across your arm and landing on your back. You tried focusing on your fingers laying atop his shoulder, feeling the soft material of his jacket beneath you. 

“If we’re still being honest with one another, I am not the world’s greatest dancer. I apologize for any toes I step on,” you quietly told him, your words accompanied by a nervous laugh you didn’t have to fake.

His hold on you supported your body as he began to move, your feet trying to follow his. He gave a kind laugh, his hand squeezing yours once. “I won’t hold it against you.”

“Thank you,” you whispered, your gaze cast downward to make sure you moved the right way. Slowly, you began to recognize the repeating pattern of steps, your muscles becoming a little less wound tight.

“That’s it,” Will said with an encouraging tone. “Now, can you bear looking up instead of at our feet?”

A laugh slipped from your lips as your eyes trailed higher until they connected with his. You appreciated his kindness, but being here by yourself, there was no way you’d relax enough. Not until–

From the corner of your vision, you spotted Parker walking from that door he’d slipped through. You watched him begin walking this way and scan the crowd, one hand holding another champagne glass and the other running through his hair. It was only once he found you that he stopped, and it brought a relieving sigh from your chest.

As you danced and turned though, you couldn’t see Parker from this angle anymore, but Will said, “There you go. Not so tense anymore.” 

You offered him a grin, one that you fought to maintain as too many thoughts ran through your head. You needed to focus.

“So, I’m dancing,” you began with a laugh. “Your turn to hold up the bargain.”

He returned the laughter, those crinkles around his eyes returning. “Fair enough.”

People passed by in a blur as he continued to lead you across the floor, the orchestra’s music thrumming along with your heart. You’d long lost sight of Parker with all the spinning.

“Sometimes, I do just sit in meetings — whether I’m also listening depends on how boring the topic is. And other times, I pitch ideas for projects or try to lead them.”

You nodded. “Which seem to be doing well, correct? I haven’t followed Stronger Together all that closely lately, so I haven’t seen its impact up close yet.” 

Please, you silently begged him, to give you something.

His eyebrow twitched upward as he hesitated, the muscle of his jaw feathering. “It’s never as easy or quick as we’d wish, but that doesn’t stop us from working toward the organization’s goals. Especially ones I’m passionate about.”

“Like what?” you asked almost a bit too quickly. You tried giving a look that said you were just excited to hear about him.

“Like ensuring everyone has the right to a proper education. We don’t always have jurisdiction for these projects, but what does jurisdiction matter when people’s lives are at stake?”

A smile — a real, genuine smile — overtook your face. “That’s exactly what I say. How can we let red tape get in the way of helping one another?”

He let out a sigh, one that seemed to course from his whole being. “I sure wish my coworkers thought the way you did,” he said, pulling your body just a little closer to his. 

A small feeling, one spreading from your chest, hoped that he was telling the truth. That if you discovered Ellis Beaumont’s crimes and told the world, maybe there’d be a better future in his son.

As that comforting thought passed through you, your eyes caught a moving figure from the corner of your vision. You couldn’t miss the sight of Parker dancing with a woman several yards away. She looked vaguely familiar, perhaps someone involved with the non-profit. 

Your gaze drifted to where Parker’s hand laid on her, the deep plunge of her gown’s back letting his hand rest across her skin. The two of them danced easily, their hold on one another looking so natural. 

You eventually looked up, your steps nearly stuttering when you saw his eyes were already on you. They traced over your form, just the flash of a hard look crossing his face before his mouth began to move. Hopefully, he was asking a question that would lead you both somewhere. But even as he spoke, he stared over her shoulder at you.

That warmth in your chest spread outward. Up your neck, the heat snaked through your skin until your breaths came a little quicker.

Only once you and Will turned again were you able to break from the moment, to focus back on the man you were dancing with. You squeezed your eyes shut for just a second. 

Determined to get something out of this whole thing, you opened your mouth to ask him another question — but he spoke first.

“So, tell me about your husband, Rose.”

Your gaze immediately found his and the expectant darkness waiting in them. “What?”

“Your husband,” he repeated, angling his head toward your wedding ring. “What’s he like?”

A breathy “Oh” passed between your lips…

So this wasn’t flirting? Your mind couldn’t make sense of what William Beaumont wanted, not as you danced in his arms while “married” to another man.

“He’s, um. He’s nice.”

At Will’s laugh, one of your own following, you said, “Most of the time, he’s sarcastic — and I wish there was a way to attach a zipper to his mouth. I think, though, underneath it, there’s kindness that he doesn’t always show. But you know it’s there when you get to know him.”

As you turned again and made eye contact with Parker still far away, you mindlessly muttered, “Sometimes, I wish he wasn’t so smart. It makes me look bad.” A wry smile crossed your face, and you could’ve sworn the ghost of a grin appeared on Parker’s as well. “And while he’s the most chronically late person I know, he’s there when you need him.”

A moment passed before Will pulled back, staring at you as if he could see all the way through you. The orchestra played the final note of the song, your steps slowly coming to a stop. You could only stand there as he leaned closer, his mouth right along your ear. His breaths made goosebumps rise across your shoulder.

“Thank you.”

Heart pounding in your veins, you whispered, “For what?”

“For dancing with me.”

With that, he pulled back, squeezing your hand once more before letting it return to your side. “Enjoy the night, Rose,” he said, nodding his head and turning. You quickly lost him through the sea of people, not that you really tried to search for him long.

Guests around you began to disperse to their tables, a sign to get your feet to move — wherever your own seat was. Lights dimmed above, creating a stir of conversation between people while you looked around, searching for Parker.

You barely finished the thought when he appeared at your side. His arm wrapped around yours as he whispered, “C’mon.”

You followed, the cold shock of Will disappearing under the warmth of Parker against you. But as you both weaved through people still going to their tables, you saw he wasn’t taking you somewhere to sit down and listen to Beaumont’s speech.

Instead, the two of you went through double doors into a hallway leading to the bathrooms. People walked in and out, and if you hadn’t done the research beforehand, you would’ve seriously questioned where he was taking you.

But you’d remembered there was an exit near here, past the bathrooms. There would also be another door — one that took you up and further into the mansion. 

With minimal guests around to witness, he walked right to it.

The staircase behind was thin and illuminated by only a few warm lights. Unable to walk side by side up the steps, Parker let go of your arm and led the way. You only heard the muffled sounds of the hallway behind you, making you a little hopeful that this wasn’t an often-used section of the house. 

“What did you find?” you asked, your hands pulling up your dress while you climbed the stairs.

After two flights, Parker stopped before a door. He turned the knob, letting it swing open silently into a hallway shooting off into many rooms. As he stepped through, he angled his head toward you and said, “Nothing. Which makes me very worried.”

All you could do was begin chewing on your bottom lip and follow him. The plush carpet luckily hid your footsteps, but every nerve in your body stood on edge. You imagined that they’d be fraying and burnt out by the end of this night.

“I know there’s something here though.” Parker motioned toward a door on your left. “You check that one. I’ll look in this one,” he told you, pointing to the room across from it.

Eyeing him, you grumbled under your breath, “A please would be nice.”

And without looking, you knew he was rolling his eyes. Still, you went to the room — even though some instinctual part of you almost insisted that it was safer to go together. You had no idea what was on the other side of this very nice and expensive hardwood door.

The only thing that got you to turn the handle was the sound of Parker going into his room without hesitation. Though you thought calling it the “sound of his audacity” had a better ring to it.

And following in his footsteps brought you to a… bathroom. Sure, it appeared fancy with its probably imported floor tiles and French-inspired sink or something, but the only suspicious thing in this room was why anyone would choose those ugly decorative towels.

Still, you looked through everything — even the medicine cabinet, which made you feel like some sort of rude house guest. You took a photo or two of the bottles inside, most of which turned out to be painkillers. Strong ones.

Before moving to the next, you listened for any footsteps or voices. With silent steps and slowed breathing, you crept from the bathroom — only to be met with Parker walking freely from his room without any caution. At the incredulous look you gave him, he just gestured for you to hurry up.

You made a point to glare at him as you approached the next door. As it creaked open, your body wincing at the noise, you stepped inside. At first glance, it seemed to be a bedroom, which wasn’t exactly what you were looking for. It had no computer to search through or a convenient map laying out their entire plans.

It appeared to be largely unused, a faint layer of dust coating most of the furniture. But as you walked toward a small desk in the corner, you saw some papers scattered atop it. Some appeared to be emails that held no significance without any context. Others seemed to be invitations to a few of Beaumont’s fundraisers.

The walls or shelves in the room gave no indication as to who these papers belonged to, but you took pictures of them regardless. As you set them back, you looked further down. The desk also had drawers.

One pull on it told you they were locked though, and surprisingly, lock picking wasn’t a skill you listed at the top of your resume. Maybe you could try and get through the back…

The door squeaking open made you jump, your body straightening up and hitting the desk. You stifled a groan as your eyes found Parker at the entrance of the room. Silently, he held up his hands — not in apology but in a way that was supposed to somehow absolve him of any guilt. 

You could already feel a bruise forming along your hip, your hand rubbing the bone. Parker approached you, whispering, “Settle down, Nancy Drew. Have you found anything useful?”

“Unless you can open these locked drawers, how about you keep your mouth shut, Parker,” you quietly gritted out.

His grin grew into something taunting. “Guess I’ll keep this mouth wide open then, sunshine.”

You watched with furrowed eyebrows as he knelt down and took two bobby pins from his inside pocket. Before you could even ask, he interrupted. “I come prepared, so keep your smart comments to yourself.”

Widening your eyes with a huff, you stood there, leaning against the wall. Your arms crossed in front of your chest as you observed him. 

“So… when did you learn to pick locks?”

Under his breath, you barely heard him mutter, “When’d you learn to flirt for information?”

As you were still processing his words, your mouth opening slightly in shock, Parker popped open the drawer. Any retort died in your throat — but stayed very clearly in your mind — as you looked past him at the papers he pulled out.

They seemed to detail some sort of… super suit? Scribbled notes sat on the margins of blueprints for a suit with metal arms, protective armor, even grenades. Almost like they were a mismatch of parts from Spider-Man’s villains. Doc Ock, The Rhino, The Green Goblin.

A shaky breath punched from your lungs, your stomach sinking so low you had to set a hand on the desk to steady yourself. Was Ellis making himself into a supervillain?

The thought barely seeped into your mind when you both heard a floorboard groan from out in the hallway. Your head whipped to the door, neither of you moving an inch. At another creaking sound, Parker silently made his way to peek out from the room.

He must have heard something you didn’t because his entire body tensed, but your hands were already moving. By the time he turned back to you with wide eyes, you stood next to him, your heart beating rapidly in your ears.

“We’ve gotta go,” he whispered, the words barely audible. You fought back the urge to say no shit. You weren’t sure you’d even be able to utter the words with how your body now shook.

Parker crept out into the hallway, looking both ways. He nodded for you to follow with a quick jerk of his head. But as you closed the bedroom door behind you, the squeaky hinges echoed into the air. Your eyes met Parker’s, his jaw tight as alarm flashed across his face.

In an instant, his fingers grabbed onto your wrist. He pulled you across the hall to the nearest room and clicked the door shut behind you. 

Through the whiplash from sudden movement to stillness in complete darkness, you felt a hand cover your mouth. The back of your body leaned against what felt like wooden shelves while your front pressed into Parker. 

You felt the beating of his heart against your own.

Despite him covering your mouth making you want to do the opposite, you willed your breaths to slow down until they were nearly silent. Though you couldn’t see, you guessed the two of you were sandwiched inside a closet of some kind.

You brought your hand up to remove Parker’s from your face. You might’ve pinched him if you weren’t hiding from whoever was also here, though that didn’t stop you from flipping him off in the shadowy closet. You felt him push your hand away with a quiet huff.

Only a moment later, through straining ears and clenched muscles, you heard a door open. Then footsteps.

Your eyes squeezed shut, the heat in the tight space beginning to grow unbearable. That, on top of your mind and body turning into a live wire from your nerves, made it feel harder to breathe.

And you knew you had to be quiet, but your back screamed at you to move from the hard shelves digging into your spine. As you tried to silently shift forward to find any kind of relief, you were stopped by palms quickly landing on your hips. 

You heard a strangled sigh come from Parker as he held you firm, your body unable to move any further under his grip. Your top half leaned into him more in this position, your hands instinctually holding onto him and finding hard muscles beneath. 

In the dark and under the threat of making any noise, you were unable to ask him what he was doing. All you could do was feel him.

But his head came nearer. You swore he whispered, “I…” before trailing off. He was close enough that you could feel the word caress your cheek. Then, as if time froze for a few seconds, neither of you even breathed while the footsteps grew louder and louder until they came so close to the door.

And then they kept going, the footfalls becoming just a bit quieter with each one.

You would’ve sighed had the hands on your hips not still held on so tight. His breathing sounded labored, his body rigid. With worry starting to take over your senses, you barely let his name pass your lips. So quietly, you whispered, “Peter?”

You knew he heard you because every muscle of his tensed. The movement had his arm hitting the shelves, and all of the blood rushed from your head as something fell and hit the floor with a dull thud. 

The footsteps stopped.

Parker grabbed your shoulders, his grip twisting the material of your dress wherever he touched. Maybe he knew that your mind was spinning, that your stomach threatened to empty itself, or that most of your extremities had gone numb despite the heat. He held you there, keeping you grounded as the steps became louder once more.

“Do you trust me?” Parker said, the words wrapping around your body with a gentleness you hadn’t expected.

Your mind’s first instinct was to tell him no, you absolutely did not trust him. You wanted to ask him whether he even trusted you. But your throat allowed no response to pass, your tongue unable to shape any of the sounds. 

And… if you were to once again follow your heart, follow the pull in your gut, you’d nod. 

So you did. 

With that, he leaned forward to press his lips to yours. A quiet noise of surprise came from you as his fingers now danced up to hold your jaw. Only once you responded, your fuzzy mind catching up enough to kiss him back, did he lunge further forward. 

Quick breaths came from his nose as his mouth overtook yours. His body pressed roughly against you, the feeling doing nothing to slow your dizzying senses. Your fingers gripped the hair at the nape of his neck. And by the time you’d finally responded with the same intensity as him, nearly fell face first into the feeling, light flooded in from behind your eyelids.

Breaking apart from Parker with a start, you blinked until your vision made out the security guard in front of you. Your chest still heaved and your heart still pounded. Even your fingers still itched for him to ground you again — so much so that you grabbed his hand as the worker let out a scoff.

“Christ… Don’t you have anything better to do? Or any place better than this?” he asked, his flashlight flicking between the two of you.

“Sorry, sorry. We’ll go,” Parker muttered, his voice tighter than you remembered. He used one hand to shield his eyes from the light and put the other on your back to guide you from the closet. 

He made a good show of not knowing which way to go, making the guard point toward the door you came from with a tired look on his face. It took everything in you to not hide behind your fingers, embarrassment crawling up your neck and heating your cheeks.

Neither of you said a word while walking back to the main room, just pointedly not catching each other’s eyes. It felt harder to swallow, to think even.

Finally, outside the bathrooms, Parker broke the silence. He turned to you, saying, “Your, uh, dress.”

He approached, trying to fix the rumples he created in your gown. But you batted his hand away, unable to deal with his touch on you again right now. Your fingers smoothed it out yourself while you told him, “Flatten your hair back down.”

And before he even finished, you’d begun walking down the hallway to the doors. Anything to create room between you two — because you could still feel the weight of him clutching your jaw and the burn still present on your lips. 

And you didn’t want to think about what you just did for this story, or about kissing Peter fucking Parker.

His shoes clicked against the tile as he caught up. Your eyes saw a glimpse of him reaching out, your body bracing itself for his grip around your arm. But he stopped short, instead pleading, “Wait.”

“What?” you asked, a soft bite to the word. Your head sat on a swivel for anyone who could be watching or listening.

He gritted his teeth for a moment, thinking. “Should we go back? To take pictures of the diagram?”

With a tight smile, you told him, “No need.” 

Your fingers pulled the papers from where you’d tucked them into the front of your dress. You only paused long enough to feel smug at the surprised look on his face before hiding them once again. 

Without seeing whether he’d follow, you strode through the double doors — just always walking barely ahead of him. Luckily, your seats were near the back and away from the spotlights trained on the stage. 

Once settled into the chair, your hands firmly in your own lap, you let out a long breath. From beside you, Parker leaned in close, whispering, “Sunshine… Can I ask you something?”

Your eyes darted in his direction, nausea suddenly flooding your system all over again. You only looked at his shoulder as you slowly nodded, wondering if it was a mistake to do so. 

“Am I…”

He paused, and you could’ve bolted right then and there. Letting out a sigh, he asked, “Am I like the best kiss you’ve ever had?” 

He barely made it to the end of the sentence before his usual shit-eating grin returned to his face.

You relished in the way it twisted in pain when you kicked him under the table, hoping it’d leave a bruise. Partly, you were grateful he broke the tension, but that didn’t mean you weren’t thinking of breaking his foot too.

Turning back to the stage, you finally focused on the man standing atop it. That salt and pepper hair, dark eyes, and “winning smile” looked back in return.

It was hard to pay attention to his speech still going on when all you could think of was Beaumont’s diagram of the super suit. In your head, those eyes turned hateful, that smile cunning. You still felt them even as the speech ended, all of it just propaganda as you expected. 

What information you took from the auction was just how much money was going toward Stronger Together — which was a hefty amount. And all you got from the dinner was that they needed to learn how to better season their food.

After it all, Beaumont was immediately surrounded after the auction. People you assumed were shareholders or investors (i.e., rich people) took the conversation back into the VIP area before you could even think of approaching him. Honestly, you weren’t sure you could handle any more sneaking or lying for the rest of the night anyway.

But you had what you needed, for now.

And while making your way toward the mansion’s towering front doors alongside other couples, you could’ve sworn there were two sets of eyes burning a trail past your every move. One of them you refused to meet.

@reidslovely @keepingitlokiii @thedevax @sincericida @dil3mma @hollandweather

[eventinelysplayground]

A Sleeping Rabbit

There was a post a bit back by @ichgakr01270910 wondering about Chevaliers pov for Chapter 10 and if there was a fanfic out. I don't know if there was one but I got inspired by the post and wrote this. This was also the highest voted WIP in my recent poll. This pulls from not only Chevaliers route but also his episode 0 story, as always don't have to have read the extra bit to enjoy this fic. Emma's fallen asleep in Chevaliers room causing him to think of his past again. WC approx 940 also tagging @aquagirl1978 and @kraiyne because they were interested in this topic as well.

Ridiculous

Chevalier scoffed in disapproval as he peered down at Emma's face while she lay sleeping peacefully in his arms.

Not even that woman was foolish enough to allow herself to fall asleep in my presence.

“Did I not just warn you simpleton?”

Chevalier did not expect a reply to his question.

‘Prove here and now that you have enough of a brain packed into that small head of yours to defend yourself.’

For a frightened rabbit it was a creative idea and proves she is at least capable of thinking under unfavorable circumstances. As foolish as the position of Belle is, it would be an annoyance to have to restart the process from the beginning if any harm were to befall her.

Chevalier went to move but just as he did Emma snuggled closer to him letting out a contented sigh. The warmth from her body seeped through into his own and although an unfamiliar feeling Chevalier found that it was not entirely unwelcome.

You not only fall asleep in the arms of the Brutal Beast but you would willingly move further into his clutches? How foolish can no… wait.

‘Prince Chevalier, you're not a beast- you're a person.’

These actions are not from foolishness but your misguided belief that I am a person.

Chevalier had truly been stunned when Emma had made her declaration that he was indeed a person.

I have been accused of being many things but a person was never one of them, yet this simpleton declares me to be one without hesitation. Even that woman knew I was a beast…

‘You’ll never be loved by anyone.’

'Why is that?'

'Because you're a beast without a human heart.'

Chevalier let out a disgusted sigh. He moved more cautiously this time and managed to remove himself from his bed and Emma.

I shall have someone fetch her mutt and have him carry her back to her room.

Chevalier strode over to the door but stopped short, his hand hovering above the handle. It was not like him to hesitate and yet he found himself doing just that.

It is late if she is seen being carried from my room that will only further fan the flames of these ridiculous rumors. Yet if my fool of a brother were to find her here in the morning, the rumors will be ‘confirmed’ and lead to a tiresome and pointless conversation with four eyes.

After what seemed to be a long deliberation Chevalier withdrew his hand from its place above the door handle, turning around to study Emma for a moment.

She has already meddled enough in these matters that there is no escape for her now and there are ways I can use these rumors to my advantage.

That was the rationalization that Chevalier used for his actions; however even as he stood there he was aware that his actions were only creating more work for himself and putting Belle at greater risk. Yet even knowing that he found himself pushing that knowledge away in favor of keeping her by his side.

At least her knowledge of books is proving to be useful.

Chevalier reached down to the books on his desk that had originally brought Emma to his room. He picked one at random and returned to his bed, settling himself awkwardly if not carefully beside Emma. After a while Chevalier found her soft rhythmic breathing drawing his attention more so than the book he had chosen.

Curious.

Chevalier hesitantly reached down and tentatively ran his fingers over her hair, it was soft to the touch and smelled faintly of citrus and roses. Emma suddenly stirred under his hand letting out a contented sigh and Chevalier removed his hand from her hair. He attempted to return to his book however he quickly gave up as his thoughts continued to wander.

This is nonsense, why am I wasting valuable time with such senseless actions? After all

‘Because…because it's unnatural to be so calm about it! Neither the King nor I can find it in ourselves to love you any longer. As long as you don't know what love is, you'll remain a beast forever.’

Nothing has changed since then, I have always been the Brutal Beast. But perhaps…

‘I won't argue that you can be as cruel and merciless as a beast. However, I don't think that's all you are.’

Chevalier lay back down on his side in bed with Emma's back to him. His eyebrows knit together in concentration and his ice blue eyes were filled with a forgotten longing.

Perhaps this simpleton truly is capable of seeing deeper, into the very essence of a beast? That first day in town she faced me directly and didn't avert her gaze even when I drew my sword on her.

Although there were no assassin's in his room tonight, Chevalier still fought. As he stared down at Emma the fight played out within his icy eyes. Just like against a physical opponent the fight ended quickly however there was no clear victor in this fight and Chevalier sighed.

No, it is more likely she has been influenced by all the romantic tales she has read and her simple life. Once she has spent more time in the palace she will see there is no value to emotions or attachments, especially to a beast.

Despite his carefully crafted thoughts, Chevaliers body betrayed him. He pulled Emma tightly to his chest as carefully as he could manage and held her there, her warmth seeping into him and continuing to thaw the coldness it found inside as he drifted off to sleep.

[specialagentlokitty]

10th doctor x reader - that song of ours

Soulmates were a baffling concept, someone that was supposedly perfect for you, who would fit like a part of a puzzle.

The doctor had seen the soulmate connections go from timers, tattoos, red string.

It changed every so often so nobody could break the connection, during this period of time, there were no soulmates.

And the doctor had never had this, he was always without it.

Until one day it happened, the voice inside of his head singing.

And that was the new concept, you could hear when your soulmate was singing.

And he heard what sounded like random incoherent mumbling and it made him chuckle a little bit at the attempt.

It kept going, and over time he heard his soulmate improve and sing such beautiful songs so strongly, but there was one song that seemed to be favoured and it became stuck in his head.

He found himself singing it as well sometimes when he was on his own, or humming it as he was fixing things.

Sometimes when he was running around you would be singing, and it was oddly calming in a life or death situation to hear your voice throughout his head singing softly.

He loved hearing you sing, and sometimes he would sing to see if he could coax you into singing if he hasn’t heard you in a while.

Even when he regenerated he loved the sound of you singing, but he was worried that the change in his voice would make you stop.

And for a while it did, whether it was the fact he sounded different, or something else he wasn’t sure, but he kept singing that song.

He kept singing it in hopes eventually you would sing that song again for him.

And he actually began to sulk when he hadn’t heard it after a while.

“Are you still sulking over that song?” Jackie sighed.

“It’s been months!” He whined.

“Maybe they’re busy or something.” Rose suggested.

He huffed a little bit and looked around as he realised he wasn’t paying attention to wherever it was that they were dragging him.

“Where are we going anyway?” He asked.

“Open mic night at the pub! Rose’s best friend is singing.” Jackie beamed.

“Oh doctor you’ll love them!” Rose beamed.

“I’m seriously being dragged to an open mic night? What has my life become?”

Both women slapped him and he yelped, rubbing both of his arms.

“What did I do this time?!”

“Just get.”

Jackie pushed him inside and Rose dragged him over to one of the tables to sit down while Jackie got some drinks.

Someone was up there signing, but the doctor wasn’t much interested in it, so he began to find other ways to pass his time.

And as much as it annoyed the two women, they left him be since he wasn’t actually doing anything he shouldn’t have been.

He was only tagging along because the TARDIS decided she needed a break and wouldn’t move from where she currently was.

So he had to wait a few hours before going anywhere.

More time passed and he had wondered in and out of the pub, he had gotten food, found some shop where he got some silly little toy to pass the time.

He’d tried some magic tricks that didn’t go so well, he’d tried some drinks and decided he didn’t like them, and he’d even taken a nap.

What woke him up was Rose slapping his back.

“Stop slapping me will you!” He huffed.

“It’s (Y/N)!” Jackie whisper yelled.

“And I was napping!”

“Oh stop being rude and just listen.”

The doctor huffed and put his head back into his arms in order to take another nap.

But then he heard the voice, and his head shot up as he listened to the song.

Looking at the stage, the doctor looked at you, and watched you very carefully, a huge grin spreading across his face.

“I’d recognise that voice anywhere..”

“What?”

Rose looked at him, saw the way he was grinning from ear to ear and she looked back at you.

“Oh my god they’re your soulmate?!”

He shushed her and went back to watching you.

Sometimes your gaze would flick to the table, then you’d go back to singing, and inevitably the doctor found himself singing along under his breath.

And he saw your eyes scanning the crowd to see if it was anyone in there, but nobody was singing along so you went back to singing.

When you were done the place erupted in cheers and clapping and you got up, giving a small bow.

“Thanks everyone, it’s nice to be back.” You beamed.

With that you headed back to whichever direction you had come from.

Jackie got up and headed back to bar for another drink, and Rose spun around in her chair.

“Seriously is (Y/N) your soulmate?!” Rose rushed out.

“I’ve found them Rose! After so long I’ve found them!”

“Oh my god wait outside!”

He nodded and went outside to wait, and Rose ran to the door to the back of the place just as you were coming out.

“Woah! Hey there!” You laughed.

You huffed her and she hugged you back before quickly pulling away.

“I’ve found your soulmate!”

“What? They weren’t there Rose, I looked. They were singing but they weren’t there.”

“He’s outside right now.” She grinned.

You shook your head a little bit and nudged her shoulder with yours.

“You’ve been drinking too much.”

“Oh just come with me!”

She grabbed your hand and dragged you outside despite you telling her that she wasn’t going to prove anything.

She turned you around and you found a man looking rather nervous, his hands behind his back mumbling to himself.

“Doctor this is (Y/N), (Y/N) this is the doctor.”

“Oh you spoke about him once.” You said.

You held out your hand and gave him the sweetest smile he had ever seen.

“Nice to meet you doctor.”

He shook your head.

“I’m so happy to finally meet you.” He grinned.

You let go and he let your hand go, and Rose grinned as she looked between the pair of you.

“Have fun~”

With that she went back inside and you looked around a little bit, it was still light out, and you didn’t want to hand about the outside of the pub.

“I assume Rose told you already?” He asked.

“She did, but I don’t really believe her. Sometimes she gets a bit excited and tells me she’s found my soulmate, it’s not the first time.”

“I see…”

“Sorry, I mean I’m not saying it isn’t true obviously it’s easy enough to prove but she’s like that.”

“I can sing that song you were signing word for word.”

You hummed a little bit, crossing your arms over your chest and you gave him a look.

“Go on then doctor man sing it.”

So he did, he began to sing it, and you covered your ears to dim his voice, and you could hear it resounding in your head.

Removing your hands, you cracked a small smile.

“Alright alright, I’m convinced.” You laughed.

He grinned at you.

“So does this mean I can take you out on a date?”

“Oh someone’s a bit eager, how about we start as friends first?”

The doctor laughed a little bit.

“I can work with that. Why did you stop singing?”

“Ah yeah… I sorta lost my voice for awhile. Let’s just say alcohol and football don’t mix.”

The doctor laughed again, and you grinned a little at him and he smiled softly at you.

“Can I have a hug?”

“You’re lucky I like hugging people.”

You walked up to him and hugged him, and he hugged you back, moving from side to side on his feet which made you laugh.

You did have some questions for him, but you decided to wait to ask them, for now you just wanted to get to know the man who would sing along with you inside your head

[maochira]

"There's nothing more cruel than to be loved by everybody - but you"

Tags: gn!reader x Michael Kaiser, kind of hopeless romantic!Kaiser, hard to get!reader, title is a Fall Out Boy lyric because sometimes all it takes is hearing one line and I get inspired to write something

Kaiser could have anyone if he wanted to - but he wants you and only you. It's quite obvious. He turns down any love confession and proceeds his attempt to get you to fall for him.

What he doesn't know, that already happened. You've fallen for him long ago when he started crushing on you. So what's stopping you for confessing your love to him and starting a relationship?

Well, you want Kaiser to be the one confessing. But he's always been too stubborn to simply say "I love you" despite his attempts to court you. And you know he's too stubborn for it. That's the fun part of it.

It's pretty much a back and fourth between the two of you. Kaiser wants you to fall for him and confess, while you play hard to get and want him to confess.

You swear there have been moments when he almost said it. Moments when the phrase "I'm in love with you" ran through his head over and over while everything in him screamed to just say it. And then he didn't.

As hard as you've fallen for him, you've always had a good grip on not letting Kaiser win. In fact, the way you act around him doesn't even give off the impression that you're in love with him just as much as he is with you.

And at some times, Kaiser feels like a hopeless romantic. Sometimes, he feels as if he'll never win your love. But he's not willing to give up. No, he can't give up after he already spent months trying to get you to fall for him. He's THE Michael Kaiser, after all.

You've never told him to stop whatever he's doing and never told him to leave you alone either. That makes him sure you must have at least a bit of interest in him. Just a spark he has to turn into a flame.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Kaiser starts putting extra effort into you. His gestures become very obviously romantic - but he's still too stubborn to verbally confess his love.

That's why you continue acting as if you're oblivious to all of his romantic intentions.

Even when today's afternoon, you open the front door to see Kaiser standing in front of you, nicely dressed with a bouquet of roses in his hand.

"What brings you here?" You hold back a giggle as you take the bouquet into your hands. It seems handmade, but you could swear it wasn't made by Kaiser. He probably made Ness do it.

"I wanted to ask you about something." Kaiser answered, his voice full of overconfidence as always.

You look at him with curious eyes. "And that would be?"

"Well, would you like to go on a date with me?"

His words sent butterflies into your stomach in an instant. Asking you to go out on a date is the farthest Kaiser has gone so far. And still, just for fun, you don't want to agree just yet.

"A date? You and me? Why's that?"

"Come on, it'll be fun." Kaiser walks a step closer to you. "Just the two of us, doesn't that sound nice?"

"It sure does, but you haven't explained why."

"I did. It'll be fun." Kaiser keeps the overconfident grin on his face, but you easily notice he's about to lose patience if you continue to ask questions instead of agreeing to his offer.

So that's exactly what you do.

"I don't really know about that," you shrug and break eye contact for a moment, "What makes you think I'd go on a date with you?"

Kaiser curses his own stubbornness in his head before he continues talking to you.

"Come on, we'll have a great time."

"I still don't see a reason why I should go with you. Why are you asking me? Why not someone else?"

You know if he asked anyone else, they'd agree immediately. But he won't because you're the one he truly wants.

Kaiser is about to lose his patience with you. It's clearly visible in his grin that's about to break.

"I want to take you on a date, (Y/N)."

"Why me? I'm pretty sure the-"

Kaiser interrupts you by grabbing your wrist and pulling you closer to himself. Your faces are only centimetres away and it'd be the perfect chance to steal a kiss. But you're not letting that happen yet. Not until he says-

"Because I love you." Kaiser's face gets even closer, but a kiss doesn't happen yet.

You didn't expect this to be the moment when he confesses, you certainly thought it'd take a bit longer to get his stubbornness to break. But it's nothing you'd ever complain about.

Sure, you could continue playing around with all of that. But you've got what you wanted.

"Okay, I'll go on a date with you. But only because I love you, too."

"Guess I finally won your heart, hm?" Kaiser leans in to finally place his lips on yours.

Once he pulls away, you look into his eyes and respond: "You won my heart long ago, idiot."

[elfqueen006]

Once Again, Nevermore

Joseph Cullman x May-Rose (OC)

Tags: Drama, Hurt/comfort, past mistakes, lemon/smut, modern au.

Part one

---

"Good morning, Sunshine!"

"What the fuck!?" May flinches away from the doorway, her arm coming out in a swing as the man in front of her reeled back to keep from getting hit.

"H-hold on-"

She swung again but her wrists were caught by the larger man. She hissed and cussed at him, while jerking around in his grip.

"Hey hey! It's okay! It's me!" The man said. May froze at the familiar sound of his voice. She lowered her fists, finally taking the time to a good look at his appearance. He was wearing a blue wig, red face paint marking his cheeks, chin, and nose. He was wearing a blue jacket over a t-shirt with a red and yellow streamed design and brown pants. Any other time, she would have considered this man a run of the mill freak but when catching his dark doe eyes she thought...

That's my freak!

"Joseph, what the hell is this?" She exclaimed.

He took a step back and cleared his throat. May narrowed her eyes as he put on a performative smile.

"Good morning, sunshine! My name is Sunny Day Jack! I just thought I'd come by and brighten your day a little, if you didn't mind! Oh, by the way, are you subscribed to Channel Seven? That's the best way to get in touch with me and my friends, The Sunnytime Crew... on the Sunnytime Crew Show!"

May scoffed, feeling a snide smile spread on her face.

"Joseph, is this what you meant about showing me something?"

Joseph dropped the act and sighed, "Yeah. Yeah, I thought you'd be interested since you used to watch that show as a kid."

"You thought you could come and win me over with a kids show?"

"I'm not trying to win you over! I just... I want us to be on good terms again." He said.

She shook her head, "I feel like we were on fine enough terms."

"You mean you were fine being bitter over me?" Joseph said, his voice raising a bit with his rapid growing agitation.

May shrugged, looking indifferent. "I wasn't thinking about you." She said, "I don't want anything to do with you either. That's about as good we can get."

When Joseph didn't reply she continued, "For what it's worth though, I'm happy for you. You got to where you wanted at least." She then gripped the door, ready to close it on him.

"Wait!"

May paused, raising a brow. "Rosie. You don't have to be with me-"

"I sure don't."

"-but you can't be able to throw us all away so easily."

"You threw me away, Joseph. I expected you to do one thing, and that was respect my boundaries and not fuck other girls." May said.

"...that's two things." Joseph replied.

"And you basically told me to fuck off when I told you not to. What kind of idiot do you think I am to take you back?"

Joseph sighed, "I don't...I don't think you're an idiot. I just... I don't know what I'd do without you. You were there for me when no one else was."

"So was Ian."

"What are you bringing him up for..?"

At that, May averted her gaze. Unpleasant memories of high school came to mind. College wasn't much better either. She, Ian, and Joseph had ended up going to college, despite the former and ladders' previous disdain for the other. Ian had once been good friends with Joseph, but that all stopped one fateful day.

"Joseph, do you remember how you and I used to hate each other? And you told Ian not to hang out with me-"

"I didn't- I hadn't told him not to I-"

"You told him I was a "slut". And that I only liked attention... which was kind of true. Honestly, I knew he was into me. I even considered dating him for the hell of it."

Joseph narrowed his eyes at that. May couldn't decide between scoffing at his nerve to judge her and feeling ashamed at how careless she was with Ian's affections. She decided to just focus on the now.

"It wasn't just him though, you told everybody. You acted like you were better than me." Just like I did. "But then you came around and tried to be just like everyone else. Sleeping with the "fast" girl and acting like she was the only slut in the school. For what? To piss Ian off?"

"I wasn't trying to piss him off! I was trying to show him how you- how you were. You weren't any angel, May, I'm sorry but you weren't!"

"And neither were you! Who sleeps with their friends crush to prove a damn point?" May said.

"You did." Joseph bit out. It was so surreal seeing him in the costume of Sunny Day Jack as they had this conversation. Almost like the ghost of childhoods' past had manifested itself in front of her to shame her behavior. Children's shows are often made to educate and shape young minds not only to encourage a thoughtful youth but a better person when they grew into adulthood.

Her face flushed involuntarily under his scrutiny and she sighed. "What I'm saying is... we aren't good for each other."

"No- I-" He then growled, putting his hand to his head, "May, that shit is in the past!"

"We're still doing it, though!"

"I only did what I did to help us get by!"

"Joseph, you did that for you ! I wasn't fine with that! And you didn't respect that I wasn't fine with it! You did it because you wanted to act like you were some big man who had a say in our income!"

Joseph hit the doorway, making her flinch. He so wanted to scream "Didn’t I have a say?!" But as much as he wanted to argue, she had a point. He felt his face burn with all the frustration, pushing himself past and pacing himself inside her apartment. He stops to look around, his heart dropping at how much has changed without him. It's only May's Esscence and scattered celebrity magazines on their table instead of his Rolling Stone issues. Her incense sticks were burning, the fumes ingrained in the air. He used to feel like they were too suffocating and sweet smelling, but she can have them any time they want now that he's gone.

He then looked at the woman before him fully. She was still beautiful. Sad and hurt, but beautiful. And she'd always be that way without him.

"May-Rose, we can't leave it like this."

"We can't really go anywhere from this, Joseph." May replied.

Joseph stared at her, giving her body a slow once over. It was then she knew she was in trouble. He took slow steps toward her until he and her were right up against the other's body. He settled his hand against her waist and used the other to stroke her cheek with his thumb.

"Maybe I could have something to remember you by."

May scoffed, but she made no mood to push him away. Truth is, her skin was burning at his touch. It was worse when he moved his hand from her waist to the upper half of her thigh. Goosebumps rose from his touch, despite him wearing gloves.

Her legs involuntarily squeezed together. The action made him smirk.

"At least I know some parts of you still miss me," he then tilted her head up to look him in his hazel eyes. "Isn't that right, sunshine?"

May was in a daze, her head fogged up with numerous visions of the positions they can put themselves in...and the numerous other places to do them in.

"Jo..." She whispered.

"What is it, princess?"

"... stop fucking around and kiss me already." She huffed. This elicited a gleeful smile from her ex, who wasted no time smushing his lips against hers, gripping the small of her back to pull her close. She pulled him in by his head, their lips parting to slide their tongues against the other.

May sucked his tongue, making him moan into the kiss. His knees almost buckled beneath him when she rubbed her hand against his bulge, which strained against his pants. A little payback for earlier.

May broke the kiss, a string of saliva connecting them. She then leaned in next to his ear, "This is how I have you. By your round... smooth... pretty balls." She kneaded his bulge for emphasis of each word. His breathing became shallow as he rolled his hips in tune with her actions.

"Rosie. Fuck, I need you."

"I know baby." she cooed, "but you know who's in charge, right?"

"Yes, yes, fuck-"

"Who is it?"

"It's you, baby, it's you, it's always been you!" He whined, feeling himself throb. At this point he might just come in his pants. While her hand was heavenly, it wasn't enough. He needed to be inside her.

"May, please. Let me... let me make you feel good."

May's eyes softened at the plea in his tone. It reminded her of college, when they finally started dating in their sophomore year. Ian had avoided the both of them during the summer and all through college. They drifted toward the other involuntarily. They took classes that were vastly different. But May had attended Ian's plays even when he paid her no attention. Joseph was there as well, trying not to be bothered over Ian's flippant replies and ice cold remarks.

Once the two got over their stubbornness they admitted exactly how alike they were, in personality, and taking advantage of someone who was their friend. Then they started spending nights together. And they saw parts of themselves that were so desperate and raw. Something they'd never show in the public aside from when they were in the corners of Greek mixers and pre-game parties.

May's eyes drifted down to his smiling belt. An iconic mark of the iconic clown character. Her hand moved up and over the ornament, her finger tracing the red mouth.

"Buddy belt," Joseph chuckled upon noticing her new focus, "I guess he's kind if in our way right now, huh?"

"Mhm."

He helped her undo the buckle and pull off his pants. She then laughed upon seeing the loose tape on his boxers. "They tried to tape your dick down?"

Joseph flushed as he rubbed the back of his head. "They said something about not wanting to repeat the same thing from the last show."

May snickered. Her mother, Hailey Daye, used to be Cloudy Belle Sue on the original shows airing. She told her that their shows' routine was to go into people's houses and educate the kids. But the original actor was apparently so attractive he'd gotten a slew of inappropriate fan mail and phone calls from mothers, single and married.

Joseph had his share of admirers even after they'd got together. Surprisingly though, the idea of him being seen by female fans and mothers, hadn't bothered her. Just look at where he was after all.

"They aren't going to ask about how long you've been out with the costume?" May asked.

"I'm supposed to be going to a few more houses advertising the show before five so I'd say we have... a good two hours or so." Joseph said with a smirk.

May held eye contact with him as she hooked her fingers in the side of his boxers, sliding them down, "Isn't that a bit wasteful, Sunny Day Jack?" she asked innocently.

"Nothings wasteful... if you spend the time with someone you care about, sunshine."

May didn't reply, instead removing her shirt and basketball shorts. Joseph's mouth went dry at the sight. No underwear top to bottom. Her brown, voluptuous body on display for him. He'd be lying if he thought he ever had a hope in seeing it again. His dick throbbed and rose in attention for it. The head bright red like a heat seeking missile.

"The couch." He said, not wanting to waste anymore time. The woman sat down, and then lied back, making a show of throwing her legs up and settling them onto the cushions. She wanted him as much as he did her. But she still wanted to torment him, just a little.

He wouldn't be seeing this again. You sure about that? Her traitorous conscience supplied. She shooed it off - this wasn't the time to process a bad decision. She could always hate herself later for it.

Joseph kicked off the pants and boxers at his ankles. "Spread yourself for me." He said. She raised a brow, prompting a sheepish smile from him, "...Please."

Satisfied, she opened her legs, giving him a nice view of her wet folds. He grinned, "I knew you'd be wet."

May rolled her eyes at his newfound cockiness. He pulled off the yellow gloves and slid his hands over her soft thighs. He rubbed and kneaded them like he were touching her for the first time. May sighed at the action, memories of late night massages coming to mind. Him spooning her when she'd had a rough day, and her him.

Moving his hands towards her upper thighs, he took two fingers and probed her entrance. She gasped softly, hips bucking softly as they moved up and down over her labia. Finally, he pushed them inside. May's head fell back against the couch arm, gasping and crooning as Joseph pumped his thick fingers in and out. Her back arched and moved in rhythm with his ministrations.

Joseph leaned over her body, hand pressed against the couch arm. He watched her intently as she gasped and moaned, eyelashes fluttering as he brought her close.

Not yet.

He pulled out his fingers all the way, ignoring May's upset griping as he tasted them. "Don't tell me you want to come from just my fingers." He remarked slyly.

May slapped his shoulder, "You knew what you were doing, asshole!"

"Yeah, I did..." He then propped his knee up beside her, lining himself up with her entrance. He wasted no time pressing forward. The tip alone made her insides expand. A moan caught in her throat as she gripped the couch cushions. Sweat was making her hair stick to her face. He brushed her curly bangs from her forehead, leaning down and kissing it.

Finally, with a sharp thrust, he was fully seated inside her. They'd both cried out. May's pussy was already clenching around him, and he was just about ready to blow. With a shaky breath he held her by the hips and began pulling her towards each thrust.

They started out soft and slow, before gradually picking up momentum. Their moans got louder and louder. May wrapped her legs around Joseph's waist, while he pulled her into each sharp thrust.

"Jo, I'm so close!" May's tone was more subdued, trying to keep from being too loud enough to alert the neighbors.

"I know, I know, me too." Joseph didn't care however. It's not like he lived there anymore. But he wouldn't mind if anyone thought he still had a place here with his baby. She was all that mattered in this moment. And he couldn't hold anything more back.

He took his thumb and rubbed circles on her clit, this got May to cry out along with the finality of his sharp thrusts. The feeling of her fluttering pussy around him had him coming right after.

Joseph groaned as his lie down over her. Their labored breathing sounded around the apartment.

Clarity then came over the two. May huffed as she realized what had just occurred. "Why'd you come inside?"

Joseph's eyes widened as he pulled back, looking between his exes face and where they were connected.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

May sighed, "It's fine, I can just go get something from the pharmacy."

After that it was quiet. No more words were exchanged as Joseph got up and went to get something from the kitchen to clean her and himself up. He put on his costume and adjusted himself, checking his looks on his phone. He cursed to himself, the makeup was smudged.

"Sorry about that." May said, noticing. "And holding you up."

Joseph shrugged, "I gotta do this same gig tomorrow. Besides, I asked you, didn't I?"

He then head to the door, May followed. They said their goodbyes. Joseph went down the hallway outsidde, about to go head the stairs when May called out, "Joseph."

He paused, looking back at her.

"We can't do this again."

He held her stare before leaving without a word.

---

Wooo! I FELT this in my bones! I did this whit! Hope y'all enjoyed.

[thoroughfvre]

i'm finally free until january fourth which means i should be around to write more and get to overdue dms ! i'm gonna get to current drafts gradually but here's a wishlist in case anyone wants to indulge me and my brain babies . . . please like this if you're interested and i'll get to you by the end of the week !

wanted concepts :

anything winter / christmas / new years eve . . . i need to get in the holiday spirit asap

maybe a mumu where there are workers and tourists at a ski resort or tourist-y town ??

strangers who share a nye midnight kiss and can't leave each other alone after

gen v inspired things / a mumu . . . i would prefer to play ocs but canons are welcome !

supernatural vibes ( as in creatures — not the show suhjskdij ) . . . can be serious or a little silly and goofy

road trip - esque plots ( i.e. our muses were road - tripping solo , met each other at a rest stop / gas station and decided to finish the trip together or two young adults / lovers / friends / siblings who don't feel like they fit in anywhere and decide to find their place in the world )

always a sl*t for fake dating or enemies to lovers

a costar for my actor muse . . . can go a million different ways

muses for any of my artsy babies ( i have a bunch of them ! )

battle of the bands . . . rival bands . . . musician things . . .

really anything from this tag .

muses i want to use asap :

apollo ortiz : small town guy who was a superstar in his prime , star baseball player , nearly drafted to the mlb but got injured and had to return home . currently teaches local high school / kiddie leagues and has a lot of anger in his heart . fc: jan luis castellanos .

adonis ' doni ' laurent : rich kid who grew up with shady parents who sheltered him from anyone and anything they didn't approve of . currently an actor ( can be aspiring or a - list depending on plot ) and has a bad habit of being dishonest . fc : harris dickinson .

victoria ' tori ' cabrera : my angel baby . . . my number one . . . i can never have too many plots with her . fashion intern , fashion student or stylist intern ( depends on plot ) with major mommy issues . a little spitfire who craves affection but has no idea what to do with it when she gets it . fc : nailea devora .

devon rhodes : an eccentric part - time art teacher and part - time art shop owner with a heart of gold . has no filter , lets whatever pops in her head fly out of her mouth or puts it into her art . still a bit new to me but i'm dying to write her . fc : taylor russell .

margot dai : very new . still fleshing her out . but a major aesthete who works in a florist shop and may even dabble in wedding planning . loves pretty things and watching them grow . would love to flesh her out with someone ! fc : havana rose liu .

malachi barone : very new x2 . i know very little about this man except that he's essentially a hermit , tends to come off as a bit pretentious and has an extensive knowledge of art as a curator . dying to write him and sort him out . fc : jeremy allen white .

[sinvulkt]

Share a snippet of your WIP!

Thank you so much for the tag, @linzerj !! Yours was quite impressive! I don’t have anything as long i’m afraid, but here is a chunk of mine. I wrote it six months ago and then promptly forgot it existed.

What if Dr. Strange Lost His Humanity — chapter 11

Shuffles echoed from the hallway. This time, when a light appeared, it wasn’t from an interdimensional bacteria, but from a tired dark-skinned monk holding a lamp.

“Is someone here?”

Stephen stilled.

The lamp light passed over him, before skittering away.

He hadn’t been seen.

“I’m not paid for these hours,” the monk sighed. He walked in Stephen’s direction, as if knowing exactly where he was. The monk pace was relaxed. It put Stephen on edge. Did he knew who Stephen was, and considered him no threat? Stephen abandoned the useless pile of cooking books to slide behind another shelf.  Too bad for the monk, he didn’t intend to be caught. Not before taking what he came for.

Annoyed muttering about careless apprentices and low security rose from the bookshelves he had just left. The monk must have fallen on the fallen pile of books. Shuffles echoed as each book were put back in place, interrupted by seldom turn of pages and humming.

For once, Stephen wasn’t unhappy with the slight boost his senses got. Ears strained to follow the monk movements; he let his sight explore the new shelves. Most of it was hidden by the room's darkness, but some golden and silver writing shone slightly, reflecting the scattered light. This time, the titles were a bit more interesting. ‘100 steps to become a sorcerer’, ‘The Dark Arts dangers’, ‘Witches and Witchers’... The monk steps echoed nearby. There was no time. Stephen hurriedly took three. ‘100 steps to become a sorcerer’, ‘How to be an invisible’, ‘Litterpuppy record’. 

His prizes stripped between the binds for his wings, Stephen danced from shelves to shelves. He reached as far as he could go under the shelves cover before stopping. There was a wide space between his hiding spot and the door. A glance behind taught him the monk was absorbed in one of the fallen books. Not willing to test his luck any further, he made a break for the exit. 

Once out, Stephen slowed down, resisting the urge to run. His wide cloak clashed with the monks themed clothes, but he could still pass off as a guest. He was so focused that he didn’t notice the person in front of him before it was almost too late. Stephen mumbled excuses as the monk complained, head low to cover his features, heart engaged in a race against the light. Thankfully, the stranger soon let him go. Stephen resumed his stride.

Stephen reached the door only slightly out of breath. He prided himself for his inconspicuous performance so far. With the exit so near, the books’ sharp edges felt less like Damoclès swords and more like honeyed promises. 

The Acolyte threw him a glance, surprised to see him without his guide. Stephen nodded at them.

"I've seen him. I need to go."

Stephen hurried behavior, or perhaps simply his assured tone pushed the acolyte to stand aside, letting Stephen go. 

“Have a good evening,” the Acolyte waved away as Stephen melted into the crowd.

“Thank you,” he answered before disappearing. 

***

One day i’ll remember to post it. One day.

No pressure tagging for the writers I know < 3

@kuraiarcoiris @udekai @aimportantdragoncollector @threebea @beguilewritesstuff @stewardofningishzida @numerousbees1106 @trickstress333 @exomal @thehappybaker @wendingways @cinderfeather @yatsukisakura @bluntblade @tramp-fiction @purpleopossum @starmahgalaxies @purple-iris @tonhalszendvics @retciwrites @vandervoiz @insertmeaningfulusername @pebblish @pat-the-togorian @kgjhk @fanfictasia @kefalion @doctorgeekery @asteral-feileacan @dreaminghour @chickadeechickadoo @25centsoda @ravenite-void @lyneidas @elvencantation @fancyfrey

[d3ad-h4nd]

DEAD HAND

An intro post for yours truly, the one and only! Me! :3

Call me dead! Or hand! It's whatever idrc. Is it a name? Is it not? You don't get to know that. Valence also works! (Or ▽4↳∋πϽ⋿)

I'm immature and I know it and I rock it. How old am I? Who give a shit! (24)

I'm not putting my interests and skills on a platter for you. You gotta figure that out yourself! Also I forgor.

I bite! Violently!

I'M NOT JOINING YOUR ONLINE FAMILY FUCK OFF.

I died but I got better.

OOC: ehehehe. silly general purpose fandom oc self insert thingy... Interactions open to anyone as long as they aren't a bigot. If I don't like your vibes for any reason I will just block you lmao. If anything I do bothers you please tell me incredibly bluntly. Also, if something bothers me OOC, I will stop and tell you. This is important to remember because Handy has... Issues. My name is Sigil by the way!! he/him it/its.

Please assume that any post without a [Title] is a blog post, and not in-person. I may ignore you if you decide to turn a blog post into an in-person out of nowhere- but if you want to do something in-person, please just ask?

In-person posts are going to have the start/first response from me tagged as against the skin (in person tag)

~

If you have questions or comments OOC, please feel free to dm me i LOVE attention lol.

Matching/connected to @t4ct1c4l-fluk3

Follow/like from @land-upon-the-moon-and-weep

~

To elaborate slightly on Handy's issues. Jealousy - Handy gets jealous very easily. Absolutely a fatal flaw. Isolated - Handy hasn't been the most included or liked throughout his life. Hope Crushed Romantic - Handy has never had a stable romantic relationship, and all of his past ones have ended badly. He no longer holds any hope of finding a stable one, and may try to avoid commitment. Mania - Handy's villain arc was a manic episode. He may or may not have more of those. They will all be exaggerated, because I think it's fun to write. Delusion - Also in his villain arc, Handy did end up getting a bit delusional. Not tiktok delusional (don't use the word like that this is a serious mental issue?), for real actually delusional. [NOTE! I do not experience delusions. I am trying my best to depict them with respect, while also having fun with it. I don't know how I keep ending up making my OCs delusional but this has happened twice so far. Please let me know if something's offensive or off, because I am running on good intentions, shitty medical articles, and a PDF of the DSM-5.] Attention - Handy wants to feel paid attention to. He wants to feel like he matters. He wants to feel cared about. ~ Handy is also autistic, ADHD, and he probably has Histrionic personality disorder, along with Borderline. I'm not a psych person though. i just have a PDF of the DSM-5. [Note: I am actually borderline, I'm just both very mild and learning to cope and regulate myself.]

~

Drawings of Hand (chronological order): Finga Guns Fallin' Valence's Introduction (villain arc) D3AD M4N'5 H4ND (death and resurrection)

Hand's voiceclaim - Sarah Rose (from band Sarah and the Safe Word)

Gravestone

[princess-of-the-corner]

So, I THINK this could be tagged as Princess Bee, or adjacent, this is mostly me feeling this out on the Miracuclass and attached jobs they’ll have as adults? Tell me how you think it sounds, and if any are WILDLY out of place, I guess.

Marinette - Designer. Has mostly taken over the Agreste brand, and redone it as MDC Designs. While still doing a lot of work herself, she is much better at delegating her time than Gabriel was, so can spend more time with her family.

Adrien - yeah, this one’s a little weird, cause I can sort of see him doing … . just about anything? Keep doing modelling? Sure. Take over Marinette’s parents bakery? Why not. Be a House Spouse? Absolutely! Voice actor, stage manager, set designer- Hell, go really out of left field and be, like, an astrophysicist? Go right ahead! Just … the only thing I can think of, is whatever Adrien does? It NEEDS flexible hours. He is NOT turning into his old man, he needs there to be plentiful family and friends time!

Alya - no brainer, she’s a reporter! Probably taken over from Nadja Chamack as the face of Paris’s news cycle. Or, I could also see her going mostly self-employed, get a bit more freedom in her reporting, but that one would depend, I think.

Nino - couple of things, really. I can see him being a movie producer or director, but I could also see him working in movies as a sound designer. The guy who does sound effects, or creates the sounds needed for a film. Either way, I can see him DJing in his off time. That’s his hobby.

Sabrina - future Mayor of Paris! I weirdly see her as, like, starting going into forensics or criminal law. She didn’t start OUT going for politics, but. Well, shit happened with her dad when she started dating Luka, one thing leads to another, and boom, youngest elected mayor in over two hundred years. She’s damn good at her job, too.

Luka - cause I mentioned him above, he and the band are still doing Kitty Section, but it’s kind of taken a back seat to the whole, ya know, Families they have now. They still make music, still put out new songs, or record covers, might do a local show, but they Don’t tour or anything. Luka himself, I can see as either a local music teacher, some kind of instrument maker, or even the owner of a small record label. Guess it depends.

Juleka - apart from Kitty Section, I can see her still being a model, but she might have stopped to try other things. I can also see her being a photographer, or also a kind of music teacher. Or maybe she and Luka co-manage that little record label, who knows?

Rose - so, Rose is interesting, cause besides Kitty Section, there are there jobs in my head I can see her as REALLY CLEARLY. Either flower shop owner OR Doctor OR head of a charity organization. Not sure what exactly the charity would be, or what kind of doctor, but I can see her as each of these really clearly.

Ivan - besides Kitty Section, weirdly the only thing I can really see Ivan as is a teacher? Not sure why, but like. He just radiates Papa Bear energy? He’s a big hit with younger kids, they just climb all over him, but they will always listen when he talks.

Mylene - I’m thinking stage actress? Like, she still does activism and stuff, but I see her really getting into stage plays, they weirdly are better for her stage fright than recorded shows.

Kim - Olympic swimmer. Or, maybe sport hopper Olympic Athlete? Anyway, he wins a few gold medals, then decides to settle down a little, ends up as a PE teacher.

Max - Game designer. Like, also inventor, he keeps creating new software and hardware to run the games he wants, and people keep trying to get him to be the next Microsoft, and he’s like “Fuck no, I’m making Legend Of Zelda:No Fate, Special Edition, now it comes in VR Chamber version!”

Alix - I … honestly don’t really know. I think she might try professional skater for a year or two, win some competitions. Maybe she eventually starts working at the museum with her brother? But she’s also the only one with a working Miraculous, she might be doing something with that …

Nathaniel - a graphic artist, mostly working on his own comics, but will do commissions for people. Self-employed.

Marc - writer, mostly works on Comics with Nath, but has also published a few short stories, maybe a novel or two. Self-employed.

Kagami - probably a champion fencer, Olympic gold winning even. Rest of the time, might coach a few fencing classes, or work on her art. Might have done a few collabs with Nathaniel, or drawn a few covers for Marc’s books.

Felix - Either ALSO works as a stage actor, OR owns his own studio to make whatever movie or play he wants. Probably employs many of his friends.

Chloé - Off being a kickass lawyer. If she hadn’t gone into law, might have become a realtor.

Zoé - I know actor is popular, but I could see her being a detective, or private investigator. She’s very popular, because she gets great results! … despite the fact she’s always quite put out that the culprit wasn’t a vampire or a ghoul or something.

Lila - if you want to get extremely technical, she’s a freelance writer. That’s what she tells people she does, jets around and writes stories. And she has published a few books, mostly mysteries. But of course, her actual way of getting money is using the Butterfly to con people. She’s even moonlighted as a masked thief a few times. Though she might be looking to shift careers, after a certain news report from Paris goes live … 

BONUS:

Aurore & Mirelle - Weather girls, right? Nope, those two are storm chasers! After growing up in Paris at the height of Hawk Moth? They MIGHT have turned into adrenaline junkies. They go around the world, chasing storms, working out the science, and reporting about it on cite to various agencies. They even had their wedding near a tornado! Everyone is VERY happy for them, but also thinks they’re nuts! (They do not, as of me writing this, have kids, because I can see that being the thing that makes them decide “Ya know, we should probably stop chasing hurricanes if we want children.”)

Mme. Bustier - Now the Principal of Dupont.

Nathalie & Emilie - professional grandmas! In all seriousness, Emilie probably helps manage Felix’s studio, while I headcanon Nathalie never really recovers from being Damaged by the Peacock. Like, she’s ok! She’s healthy, and isn’t in danger of falling into a coma! But the damage had physical effects that, for whatever reason, didn’t hit Emilie as hard, but did stick around for Nathalie. Like, she gets short of breath easily, needs more rest than others, I kind of see her with a cane? She’s doing alright, but isn’t up to running any marathons. So Nathalie is enjoying a pleasant retirement. Maybe she works at the museum now, she did used to be a grave robber - “the only difference between a grave robber and an archeologist is one has permission!”

Chester Fester - uh, on paper, he’s a cook, but he keeps getting fired for allowing pests into his workplaces. Then he met Lila, and now I guess if you want to get technical, he’s her personal chef? He does most of the cooking, cause Lila CANNOT cook to save her life, so Chester tries to make sure she’s eating healthy. He also helps out with her schemes, and such, though, so, maybe general housekeeper? Butler? Not really important, I guess, unless he needs one of those to put on his taxes.

(Please include your thoughts, and anyone you think I missed, cause I swear to GOD I’m missing someone!)

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YES

Okay so like. My notes are mostly gonna be ‘hell yeah hell yeah hell yeah’ because I know I have like. Somewhere in the tag I listed jobs and yeah this is! This is basically it! But let’s go a bit more! In-Depth since we can!

Marinette - Designer baby! It was her dream in the first place and she kinda. Low-key yoinks all of Gabriel’s industry? Like he dies ofc and his fashion company goes to Emilie and Adrien but they’re.... Not really into it? Emilie is fine running the company stuff, but she’s not a designer. Adrien’s decent at the company stuff but also isn’t a designer and really isn’t into Business. They do keep what they can going but when Mari starts making a name for herself, enough that she feels she got the fame on her own terms, she takes over the stuff that’s still running and gets the industry contacts and such.

Adrien - Honestly I think he rolls with having so many options. Mainly stay at home dad, especially when the kids are little. But if Mari asks him to model something, he will. Tom and Sabine need an extra hand in the bakery for a big order/catering? On the job! Get told ‘hey we have a character in a movie your voice would fit?’ sure he’ll come help out!

Alya - hell yeah a reporter! I did debate on if she’d still do more written journalism, but she does like the camera type so yeah taking over for Nadja makes sense!

Nino - Yeah director! He does the sound and such too on his movies. Very much a jack of all trades in that he can step in when he can’t get across to the crew his ideas. (not like in a pretensious way just genuinely ‘idk how to describe this so hand me the wheel’)

Sabrina - I love the Mayor!Sabrina idea so much lmao. Like yeah I think she would’ve been into law more on the ‘well my dad’s a cop and he thinks I’d be good at it’ but then.... yeah between the tensions between him and the Couffaines and then Sabrina learning to think more for herself and some encouragement from others and various circumstances she ends up runnign for mayor. And wins!

Luka - Yeah his main thing is still Kitty Section and yeah no tours. They’re starting to get a little back into the idea of short tours now that the kids are a little older and able to like. Handle themselves for a weekend trip. But yeah shows have to be local like that instead of hopping over to like austraila or some shit.

Rose - mm! I like the doctor one! She’d def work with kids. The charity stuff can kinda be like a side thing of just. Heavily supporting and using her platform of Kitty Section to advertise the charities she supports!

Ivan - this was actually suggested within this AU but he gets to be a music teacher! On top of Kitty Section ofc. But yeah he looks scary but is so soft with his students!

Mylene - Yes! Actress! She gets over a lot of her stagefright(or at least has made it managable) and can be on stage! She does some movies too, but she very much prefers stage acting to film acting!

Kim - Olympic swimmer turned gym teacher? Hell yeah.

Max - 100% game designer. Beautiful.

Alix - honestly I like her working at the museum! She def liked that sort of thing even before she got time travel. Def has a roller derby hobby though.

Nath and Marc - yeah they absolutely still make comics together!

Kagami - olympic fencer! hell yes! And yeah I’d see her being a fencing instructor in the downtime. She def brings Adrien in for a ‘real match’ to spook her students though.

Felix - mm! opens a branch of Graham Films in Paris to make movies there! Works a lot with Nino and Zoé.

Zoé - tbh I love her being the actress but where canon just. Yoinked that from mylene I’m making their differences re: stage v film. So Zoé is more into film than stage. I do like the PI thing though, but maybe in another universe.

Lila - my girl is out here committing crimes! But yeah she’s done various cons. She has /some/ morality so her cons and thefts are usually a little Leverage-esque in that her target has it coming, but def more for profit.

Aurore & Mireille - Ha! I love that! I will note one thing on the like. I actually don’t ship them? Like in theory I like the ship and I’m not like ‘ugh’ when I see it. But usually I have Aurore is gay but Mireille is unfortunately straight. 

Bustier - Ye! She’s principal now! Since I’m nice to her in this AU I like. Rewrite everything that went down with her in Season 5 so she’s not ya know fuckin awful at her job. So her being principal is a good thing!

Chester - once again I love him. But yeah ‘officially’ he’s Lila’s personal assistant but he’s just rolling with whatever con she’s doing.

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

WIP title ask meme

Prompt: Make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

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I was poked to do this months ago, twice at least - once by @docholligay and I think the second was @jeejyboard, but I can't find the tag for the life of me. SORRY. I felt like doing something a bit more meta today re:writing and post about The Process, and this was a perfect excuse - thanks for thinking of me. So here's some actual effort! I went and dug deep, trawled through some really old stuff, which was fun. I write and scribble down way, way more than I actually polish and post (which I assume is probably normal, but who knows). 

General info, for whoever is interested: I mostly use Google Docs with offline backups for fic writing, as I shift between computers a ton, and I put fandom tags at the start of my filenames for organisation. I have a ton of prompt/meme/ask/event collection files - for example, the very latest: "[BG3, STRAHD, SM] Fic Prompts 2024". In these I jot down both the prompts people send or that are listed and the ideas/outlines/notes for each, then when I really get going with a certain fic I spin it off into a separate document. 

I hate coming up with titles and usually do that last, so most of my document names are silly references for my own amusement or just a boring old brief description of the main concept. For instance, my latest posted fic Cerimonia Compedum was for most of its WIP-hood known simply as "[BG3] Tadpoled Isobel". Sometimes I keep different versions/revisions/parts of the same WIP in different files, and if that's the case I've grouped them here. Note that for simplicity's sake this post includes my "solo" fic only, no collabs or coauthored stuff, of which there is also a bunch. 

Some of these are ancient and hit me in the face with "12 years ago" timestamps. Some ficlets will never make it out of the mixed prompt plot bunny dumping grounds into their own doc. I think Sailor Moon 10-ish years ago was the one outlier fandom where I actually wrote most of my concepts out fully and posted them. The ol' brain is currently overproducing stuff for the more recent BG3 flavoured moon lesbians (and no, that ship name will never stop throwing my HaruMichi-loving ass for a loop). Note that some of the SU WIPs on the list I've already posted about here, here, here, and here.

Obviously all of these vary wildly in terms of completion level, word count, refinement, and age (and capitalisation, apparently). So yeah, here's the list, roughly sorted by fandom - ask away, if you feel like it!

[BG3] Moon-chosen, Moon-guided | Moon-chosen, Moon-guided - Part III [BG3] Cerimonia Alārum | ISOBEL TO THE RESCUE AU [BG3] Tremulous Cadence followup | The Return of the Moon Daughter [BG3] Wizard Tower AU | Aylin & Rolan stuff [BG3] Karlach/Minthara Act 2 conclusion aka why are paladins Like That [BG3] I'm having something very strong indeed

[STRAHD] The d'Avenir Treatise verse tidbits [STRAHD] Road Trippin' [STRAHD] In-character notes & ficlets

[SU] eeEEeeeeEE BISMUTH | Bismuth ficlets | Like talking to a wall | Muse. Galatea. Suffering. [SU] SU Daemons HDM AU [SU] The Adolescence of Rose Quartz | But I don't think anyone turns into a car  [SU] Freedom To And Freedom From | Pearlrose Fixit | i love suffering!!! [SU] Forge Showdown AU [SU] Pearl Playing the Field TM | All I need in this life of sin is me and my pearlfriend [SU] The Grand Aventurine Heist (Not Really Grand And Only Slightly A Heist) | oh no who let Rose read the Scarlet Pimpernel

[SM] Future Vision blatantly ripped me off THANKS REBECCA | PUU fic [SM] Outers fall of SilMil | michific | The End is the Beginning is the End

[DS9] Kira fic bits

[TLOK] Five Times Kya Healed Lin and One Time She Couldn't | Kyalin fluff [TLOK] R.C. Noire | Lin BAMFong

[WATCHMEN] Silhouette fic bits

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That's it! I don't think I have a single person that I know writes fic left that hasn't already been tagged in this, so feel free to do it (again) if it strikes your fancy.

[aquagirl1978]

Dreams and Memories Fade Away - Gilbert von Obsidian x Reader (Ikemen Prince)

A/N: Part of the Spring Showers Spring Flowers event I am co-hosting with @violettduchess

Pairing: Gilbert von Obsidian x Reader (Gilbert's POV)

Prompt: rain showers + walk in the park, angst -> fluff

Tags: None - slight spoilers/references to his main route and recent story event

“I want you to teach me how to play chess.”

Gilbert looked up; your eyes determined as they met him. He waved a hand, gesturing to the open seat across from him, which you politely took. 

“Is this your way of spending more time with me, little rabbit?” he asked as he set the chessboard for a new game. 

“No, of course not,” you scoffed, rejecting his assumption. “It’s just, I have always wanted to learn how to play. And I see you so often here, playing.”

He smiled at you. Lies. But… the little rabbit had been paying attention to him and sought him out. Gilbert decided he would let you get away with this as it allowed him to spend more time with you. 

And perhaps get closer to you.

Once all the pieces were laid out on the board – the black pieces on his side, and white on yours – he placed a fingertip on the top of a pawn. “Do you know how this piece moves?” he asked.

And thus your chess lessons began. Gilbert as teacher was kind and patient, spending the afternoon with you, teaching you how each piece moved on the board before playing your first game. 

He watched with interest as you stared at the board, your finger hovering over a piece as you hesitated before making your move. 

“It gets easier the more you play.” 

“I don’t have anyone to play against,” you replied, too quick for Gilbert’s liking.

“You can play against me,” Gilbert offered. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

You pursed your lips, clearly considering his offer. “When?”

“How’s tomorrow?” Gilbert replied, noting the little rabbit didn’t deny their friendship.

*****

Sheets of rain covered the windows, clouding the view outside. Gilbert huffed a laugh as he took his finger off his piece, confident in his play. 

The little rabbit won’t be coming today, after all.

He studied the chessboard, analyzing what the next move his opponent would make. It was far more fun to play with the little rabbit.

*****

“I was surprised you didn’t want to play chess today.”

Gilbert tilted his head towards yours. “It finally stopped raining. I thought it would be nice to go outside.” He squeezed your clasped hand, your warmth radiating through his leather gloves. 

It’s easier to breathe outside. But the little rabbit doesn’t need to know that. 

“I see.” 

Gilbert noticed the way you looked at him, detecting a slight bit of wariness as you walked side by side. 

“Do you have gardens in Obsidian, Prince Gilbert?”

Why can’t the little rabbit call him Gil? Even just once. 

Gilbert paused in thought, the only sound his cane tapping against the stone pathway. “Our soil is poor. It is not suitable for sustaining gardens or farms.”

Even wearing a frown, the little rabbit looked beautiful amongst the roses of Rhodolite. So beautiful, it disgusted Gilbert so much he thought he would be ill.

“Excuse me,” Gilbert mumbled as he reached in his pocket and removed his handkerchief. He coughed into the fabric, more than he would have liked while in your presence. Wiping his mouth politely, he nonchalantly put the handkerchief away as if nothing had happened.

“Are you okay? That cough was pretty bad.”

“I’m fine,” Gilbert smiled.

If only you knew. But then he’d have to kill you.

*****

The little rabbit was never late. 

Gilbert brought the chess piece to his lips as he pondered where you might be. Setting the piece down in its spot, he reflected on the many games he played with you. 

Games he thought had an expiration date.

Maybe the little rabbit wasn’t coming.

Dreams and memories fade away – was that all this was? 

*****

“Sorry I’m late.” 

You collapsed into the seat across Gilbert, your cheeks slightly pink as if you had been running.

“It’s okay, you’re here now,” he replied with a smile as he began to set the pieces on the board for a new game. “I know you’d never forget our game.”

You reached out and took some of the pieces, helping Gilbert set the board. “I ran into Walter on my way here…”

Gilbert looked up at you, his smile now a frown, displeasure marring his beautiful face. 

There is only one who is permitted to examine him now. And it’s not Walter. 

He coughed, covering his mouth with his handkerchief. Your eyes met his, concern etched on your face.

Gilbert had seen this concern before. Many times.

“Should I be worried?” you asked softly.

Gilbert smiled; the little rabbit walked right into his trap. Leaning back in his chair, he let out a laugh. “No, not at all. But if you’d like to examine me, you’re more than welcome to do so.”

Your eyes went wide as he pulled you onto his lap, his arms wrapping around your waist like a vice. Gilbert closed his eyes like a cat being stroked as you brushed a finger across his forehead, checking his temperature. He smiled when you let out a sigh of relief, knowing you wouldn’t have found anything out of the ordinary.

Starved for your touch, he took your hands in his, greedily pressing your palms to his chest.He dropped his voice to a soft whisper, his words taking on a seductive edge, only meant for your ears.

“You really love me.”

“I do.” Your eyes reflected warmth and tenderness as you gazed into his rose-red eye. “I really do.”

“Good,” Gilbert said, rewarding you with a gentle kiss. “Then I encourage you to take your time with your examination.”

Tagging: @redheadkittys @alixennial @rhodolitesroseforclavis @atelier-the-atelier @kissmetwicekissmedeadly @chaosangel767 @queengiuliettafirstlady @queen-dahlia @ikehoe @ikemen-writer @talfollowingstuff @kpop-and-otome @kisara-16 @altairring @lucyw260 @lordsisterxotome @violettduchess @jet-ivory @bellerose-arcana @yarnnerdally @crypticbibliophile @cilokgoang @scorchieart @tele86 @nightfoxqueen @midnightarxsia @wendolrea @aceuuuu @randonauticrap

[castielsfeatheredballs]

I love deep dives into fandom history, so I tried out the podcast @thisweekinfandomhistory; I listened to the episode about the Johnlock conspiracy and it was overall very interesting and informative. However, I don't think I will listen to any more episodes, due to the hosts taking several (imo) unwarranted potshots at the Reylo fandom throughout.

I do ship Reylo and used to be pretty active in the fandom, so obviously I took it personally, but since I was liking the content I tried to examine whether I was overreacting, and I don't think I was for the following reasons:

The host offhandedly mentioned that their gripes were that the fandom is 'racist and antisemitic'. Okay. Are there racist Reylos? Of course. It is (was?) a big fandom. Every big fandom has all kinds of people, and fans within then form their own groups. I was lucky enough to quickly find my people, the leftist Reylos. Reylos actually put me in touch with some of the most genuinely progressive people I know, in fandom and irl. As far as I saw, the Reylo fandom was also one of the few factions who were vocally pro Rose Tico in the cesspool that is Star Wars fandom.

I'm not trying to claim my experience it reflective of the whole fandom, but I am also not about to take these pretty serious claims at face value, especially since 1. I tried to look for a deep dive into the Reylo fandom in their playlist to see where they were coming from and found zilch (my sincere apologies if there is, I will listen to it) 2. The podcast hosts are seemingly MCU fans?? This perplexed me so much. They seem intelligent and aware of fandom dynamics, are in a big and honestly pretty problematic fandom themselves and can't grasp how ridiculous it is to say that 'x fandom AS A GROUP is...' uh, ok.

I'm a bit sad that I don't be able to listen to more episodes, since the topic is a genuine interest of mine, but I'm not in the mood for one of my passions to be randomly insulted without an actual well-constructed argument. Again, my experience within the Reylo fandom has been largely positive, and I found the self-policing even a bit overzealous whenever a fic or writer was called out due to problematic elements.

I did appreciate the hosts clarifying that they wouldn't go bother reylos--or other fandoms they dislike--by trolling the tag or sending anon hate etc. since sadly, that is never a given on the internet. That's just basic decency though, so I still don't feel, well, not-insulted.

Also, it annoyed me since the episode was on a completely different topic. Again, if it was an actual analysis of the Reylo fandom I would be down to listen to it and reflect on things I might have overlooked or excused. However, throwaway unrelated comments are not giving me any food for thought, they just read as insults.

I am also aware that not everything on the Internet is for me and that I can just stop listening, which I will. Not happily, because it seems like otherwise interesting content and very much in my ballpark. I guess something that annoyed me and prompted this rant instead of just closing the tab was, I personally tried really hard to internalize the thought that, no matter how much bad behaviour I see coming from a particular fraction of a fandom, there is likely a much larger portion of fans that are chill and doing their own thing, and you don't see them specifically because--if you are not in that fandom--the only people you see are the ones acting out of pocket and they're giving you a false impression of the whole fandom. That's the kind of approach I would like to see in any fandom analisys--deep dive, besides the fact that I took it personally this time.

[koduflower2000]

"It's time to think outside the box 🤔🧐"

Hi! I'm Kevin, but you can also call me Kodu, if you prefer. I'm the actual guy from Twitter (X).

Pronouns: He/Him/They/Them (any of these is fine)

Age: 19 years

Nationality: Sri Lankan

Timezone: Indian Standard Time (IST) (GMT+5:30)

A straight guy who supports the LGBTQ+ community (more specifically, I'm a straight cisgender ally)

A silly child at heart

Open talker (yes, you can be friends with me if you want)

Draws art just by using a mouse.

Speed variation of me drawing is frequent (sometimes I draw faster, other times I draw slowly)

I'm currently learning Russian BTW. Я не знаю что я делаю. 😔

Also I'm learning Spanish, and a little bit of German and French for entertainment. I hope to learn Ukrainian, Arabic and Danish any time soon.

I do music (it's actually one of my favorite things to do)

I do programming sometimes (I haven't uploaded a single cool project in here at all, as I remember) (another one of my favorites to do)

I mostly don't swear, except when I feel intense emotions. (if you're comfortable with reading my posts with swear words, go ahead. I won't judge)

I reblog a lot, so if you really wanna see what I've been working on, here are some tags in which you can look around.

#koduflower2000 art - art by me

#koduflower2000 projects - will be a tag in which i present my art and music projects.

#koduflower2000 talks - mostly something i wanna say

#koduflower2000 answers - a tag in which i answer to tumblr asks in my ask box

Interests

BFDI:TPOT (Battle For Dream Island: The Power Of Two)

BFB (Battle for BFDI)

BFDI (Battle For Dream Island)

III (Inanimate Insanity Invitational)

AvA (Animation vs Animator) series

AvM (Animation vs Minecraft) series

Bluey series from ABC Australia

Chickn Nuggit (i'm sorry i didn't tell you earlier)

Minecraft

Saw and Gaty (totally okay with those ships actually)

Airy and Popcorn from HFJONE (totally okay with those ships as well)

Fanfictions (started writing one btw)

Rhythm Games

Gaming

Computers

Linux

Information and Communication Technology

Language and Culture Learning

Science

Technology

Sports

DNI list:

Basic (you already know it)

Ableists

Anti-semitic people

Racists

Homophobic people (basically homophobes)

Pedophiles (basically MAPs)

Sexists

Xenophobic people (including islamophobes)

Transphobic people (basically transphobes)

TERFs (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists, in other words, transphobic people who spread their gender opinions which are considered to be uncomfortable to trans people)

Advanced

Extreme NSFW accounts (a.k.a. the accounts with >=90% of the posts which are NSFW)

Pro-Israel people (I support Palestine, and no one can stop me)

People neutral with Palestine and the Palestinian people (Palestinian people are the best and they're considered innocent. Period.)

Zionists (If you try to interact with my account, I would like to fight you and block you.)

Proshippers (problematic ships, not professional ships)

Comshippers

People who spread misinformation against me

On thin ice

People who harass me or any of my moots.

People who think they're superior than everyone for no reason. (the only reason why i put it there is because i want people to talk with me instead of harassing me, because i already had a lot of traumatic experiences on twitter)

Blog Landmarks

tee hee moot rose! ^ ^

me too (a tribute to all my previous moots who have been disappeared from the internet)

kinda the reason why i don't interact in here as much as i wanna

the most important thing in tumblr that hits you hard like a high speed train

elements of the intro are subject to changes which occur periodically