#Ayo/Damsel

[carlyraejepsans]

ayo!! fellow slay the princess fan! which routes did you get on your first playthrough?

HIII ok my very first one was the stranger. then i got, in (i think) this order: the spectre, the prisoner, the damsel and the thorn

[jessamine-rose]

AYO WE REACHED 1.4k FOLLOWERS (´⊙ω⊙`)

Thank you so much for another milestone!! It’s nice to see that y’all are enjoying my content after the end of my Harbinger longfic era. I can’t say how grateful I am to all of my mutuals and followers for the happy memories :’>

To celebrate, I drew this sh*tty gift for all of you. Just a lil commemoration for Herbarium, the fic which started all of this. Capitano and Damsel would like to say thank you as well <3

[poetryorchard]

ayo another dark fairytales workshop!!

🏰 hello, hello himbos, bimbos, and nimbos of the orchard! we’re hosting a repeat event on dark fairytales per popular request! 

🌹Join us on May 19 with host Maria @shylovrs ! Spend time with villains, the damsels-turned-wolves, and elegant creatures as we explore the transformative themes of the Dark Fairytale genre

🥀Feast your inner creative. Write and perform exclusive prompts. And as always, even if you can’t make it to the video session, sign up anyway because you will still receive all the workshop materials including unique writing prompts.

Tickets are available here!

Our past workshop documents are available on our patreon! Support us there for one free ticket a month to a workshop of your choice!

[m1ckeyb3rry]

AYO MODEL ERA MIRA?? CONGRATS!!! Hmu if you ever make one of those subscriptions like Chris Prince I’ll come to your meet and greet (don’t scam me) LMAO

the get possessed part actually has me sending the process is insane LOL im just imagining you getting into the zone like “mmm yes I love flirting with women I am that top dog im a super sexy defender yes that’s me”

IM CRYING THE SHOE THREAT??? Thats literally Barou just throwing the shit Nagi and chigiri left around the floor back in their faces it matches him sm….shoeliver is truly the best duo name ykw is funny when I first typed liver it autocorrected to lover (even though liver is a word….) LMAO truly meant to be

HAAH snuffy the only responsible adult so real no it’s ok mikages stubble grew into that full beard from stress and aging dw abt it yk when you get to the wedding arc you should design wedding invitation graphics (if you want LOL) I bet they’d go hard

STOPP I lowk forgot Nagi’s the love interest for a second uuhbdjsns no swerving no swerving…..but slightly sweaty rolled up sleeves Karasu….but REAL AEGISLASH TAKE ME TOO SHSHSH

Barou’s too underrated people are missing out on his potential omg (and I’m not even talking about in soccer LOL)

Wait speaking of how far are you from 1k rn I lowk forgot…just trying to see the odds of that pokemon event coming true if so I’m fr going to start brushing up

FR what’s worst is the people I see theorycrafting and analyzing saying Nagi’s gonna get kicked out and I’m like are we reading the same series here??? Like GUYS cmon let’s use our brains a little please I’m begging…..I’m crying “I forgot I liked chigiri” LAMOSAOSK yeah it does suck though because a big majority of his fans feminize him like crazy (esp when they ship him with Kunigami and turn him into a damsel in distress) yeah I think the move is just stay away from the crazy twitter side of the fandom LOL

IM GONE THE SPONGEBOB LFMAOAO stop the Barou edits go too hard wtf…but NO PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING LMAOO I appreciate all the content and lowk my fyp lost its way I don’t get much bllk there as I used to so I need this

DHSHSHS FR bro “can I say something controversial” and it’s just straight facts because people are fr just setting themselves up for disaster and like doomposting like guys cmon…..as if we didn’t all survive whatever the hell was going on in jjk s2 animation too (some scenes were so bare bones but we all lived)

SWOLE ERA Barou would be proud first it’s the graphic now this LMAOA out of curiosity what’s your go to routine?

- Karasu anon

YESS MODEL ERA INDEED dw if i do become famous i’ll be like yukimiya and expose scams not create them like chris prince 🤩 jkjk it’s really not for anything huge HAHA so no fame or scamming for me quite yet…tbh i only applied on a whim (i happened to have the photos they required for the application on hand [one of then was my linkedin pfp though icl] so i was like why not) ngl i was surprised when they emailed me back and told me they added me to their book but yk yolo!! might as well try it and see what the vibes are

HELPPP repeating my aiku affirmations while i work on the oaeu…“i am a rizz lord…i hate italian people…women want me fish fear me…i’m the goat” HAHA have to get in the mindset fr

shoeliver my magnum opus number one bllk ship name number one duo etc etc no one can compare!! PLEASEE barou is so mom coded it makes sense i can def see him threatening to throw his shoes at his kids nagi zantetsu chigiri when they’re being annoying/misbehaving HAHAHA

wait wedding invitation graphics would actually go crazy i don’t even think either wedding is ever shown in the epilogue (because of all of the time skipping) but maybe a side story of snuffy just dealing with everyone’s messes at either the tullireo or nagiy/n wedding might be in order sprinkled amongst the epilogue chapters 🤔 either that or i’ll make barou funeral invites but that’s more morbid…

AEGISLASH PLEASE ASSIST KARASU ANON AND I IN GOING ON A DOUBLE DATE W (still alive not possessed) BAROU AND KARASU POKÉMON AU VERSION 😭🙏🏻 nah because the visual is insane karasu’s face card is too lethal…reader’s crazy for not falling in love with him immediately ‼️ like girl you don’t even meet your actual man for an entire arc you’re telling me you don’t have the teensiest crush on karasu until nagi arrives in all of his lazy pajama wearing glory??? /j (mostly abt nagi wearing pajamas he’s a little better than that) nah but me personally the moment i see him taking care of his little baby birds i’m folding LMAOOO karasu with his fletchling would genuinely cause me to malfunction (wait imagine tullia gets him to babysit the pokémon she breeds when he has free time so his alternate clothing style is him in a white t shirt [so we can see his glorious biceps] jeans and a green apron with the black falconer’s gloves as usual and we just get a scene of him walking around bottle feeding a baby pokémon while talking on the phone about official gym business HFJSKSJD i fear i need him)

nah because barou is too underrated for what he brings to the table!! hoping we see a rise in barou nation after s2 as well although if not we’ll def see his non-dude bro fanbase (because lbr all dude bros love barou) expand after nel is animated he looks GORGEOUS in the game against bm!!

i’m like 60ish followers away but randomly the number will go down so i could not tell you how long it’ll take before i reach 1k 😭 i also might post the event a bit early just so people can be prepared for it HAHAHA we’ll see if i even do pokémon!! maybe i’ll end up with smth different who knows i’m very indecisive unfortunately so i probably won’t know until the last minute what i’m going to do

when people think nagi will leave the manga and be kicked out for good i’m like ah yes the character with his own spin-off is definitely the one they’re axing HAHAAH nagi + rin + barou are the only ones besides isagi that i can say for sure will be relevant until the end just because of the nature of their dynamics w isagi and the way their characters are written 😭 NAH BECAUSE I STAY FORGETTING CHIGIRI HIMSELF IS ACTUALLY COOL he can’t help his stans yassifying him/using him as an excuse to hate on other characters…wait also this is a pet peeve of mine but whenever people call chigiri a princess unironically i’m like 😟🤨 because i am 100% sure that the other blue lockers do NOT mean it as a compliment necessarily LMAOAOA like chigiri straight up gets mad when people who aren’t his friends/close teammates call him princess/missy (depending on the translation) i’m pretty sure it’s meant to be an embarrassing/teasing nickname not a nice one (karasu and otoya using it should be MORE than enough proof for that theory)…chigiri official arts have set the fandom back one million years they overly yassfiy him bro is simply NOT like that in the source material!!

THE SPONGEBOB HAD ME CRYINGGG lowkey what if i said me though 🤔 jkjk…unless??? OKAY YAYYY I WILL KEEP SENDING YOU SILLY LINKS AND EDITS HEHEHE today i will offer you a nagi + chigiri edit because it feels thematically appropriate to the convo LMAOO

no because people fr have such rose colored nostalgia tinted glass bruh jjk s2 was lowkey really bad at times too?? truly bllk is not as horrible as everyone is making it seem it honestly in terms of coloring and art style alone has a lot of depth and vibrancy and life i think people need to relax a bit like this isn’t violet evergarden things will not be perfect and that’s okay!! it’ll still be fun if you go into it just to enjoy it for what it is

LMAOO i’ve been going to the gym for a while but i never lift heavy enough to get swole i will leave that for my bfs 🤩 i start off on the treadmill for anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on what i’m doing…if it’s an answering asks on the treadmill kind of day i’ll go at the 6 incline at a 2.5-3mph pace until i’m done clearing my inbox (usually 30ish mins plus or minus 5) and if it’s a day when i just want to be in and out i do a 15 incline at a 3mph pace for 10-15 mins!! after that i lift weights but nothing crazy/above 50lbs 😭 i’m not trying to be jacked so i’m not trying really hard to hit a PR as long as i feel like i worked out!! some of my fav exercises w weights are squats, romanian deadlifts, and the lateral pull-down machine!! after lifting i’ll do yoga to stretch out the muscles i used that day 😄 i go to the gym like twice a week and then horse riding once a week so i work out in a dedicated way only 3x per week and the rest of my steps come from walking around in general HAHA

[missn11]

Gloria/Velvet

Mara/Shufen

Ayo/Damsel

Tuba/Ming Xiao

made from this picrew

[nothorses]

ayo! i was wondering if u could help me out with a conversation my friend and i were having about transandrophobia?? she was saying that it’s a redundant term because the oppression of transmascs is explained by transmisogyny, and ideas like transmascs are mutilating their bodies/stealing lesbians/just delusional little girls are just regular transphobic things that all trans people experience… and like. somewhat yes. but imo there’s a difference, for example, between “all trans people are delusional” and “transmascs are just confused little girls deluding themselves into thinking they can escape biology”. and i know it’s similar to/mirrors the things people say about transfems, but i don’t see how it’s just transmisogyny when the term is only ever used to talk about the experiences of transfems? and was coined specifically for transfems? anyway, i’m having a hard time putting my reasoning into words, so if u have any ideas for how to counter what she’s saying, i’d really appreciate it!

Sure! I can only really give you my own explanations of the arguments you're describing, but I do wanna say I think you have the right idea here, too.

"The oppression of transmascs is explained by transmisogyny"

So, yes and no: "transmisogyny" on a purely technical level could be argued to just mean "transphobia" + "misogyny", and because transmascs are not actually seen as men (though in many ways we are also not seen as women), we do in fact experience misogyny- and oftentimes that misogyny does come packaged with transphobia.

However, "transmisogyny" was coined by transfems, for transfems, with the intention of describing specifically the type of transphobia that transfems face; which is also informed by misogyny, but in different ways. It can therefore be pretty accurately deconstructed as "trans" + "misogyny", or, "trans" + "women" + [bigotry].

Trying to shoehorn transmascs into the word takes away from that meaning, makes specific discussions of transmisogyny harder, and erases unique transmasc experiences as well. It's trying to replace "transphobia" with "transmisogyny", which is redundant. Why do we need two words for the same thing? We made these words for a reason.

"Ideas like transmascs are mutilating their bodies/stealing lesbians/just delusional little girls are just regular transphobic things that all trans people experience"

"Trans people are mutilating their bodies" is more often levied against transmascs than transfems.

This specific panic of transmascs "mutilating" ourselves stems from the belief that AFAB bodies are obligated to reproduce and be sexually appealing + available. Transmasc transition can altogether remove our ability to get pregnant, and our transitions are seen as making us ugly/undesirable- mostly to straight cis men.

This same rhetoric does not apply to transfems.

"Trans people are stealing gays" is definitely not levied against transfems.

The specific line of rhetoric about "stealing lesbians" comes from:

The radical feminist belief that lesbians are The Most Victims, an Endangered Species Which Must Be Protected- which in turn stems from the misogynistic idea of (white) women as victims/damsels in distress.

The belief that transmascs only transition to "gain male privilege" or "escape misogyny", which feeds into the radical feminist idea of transmascs as Betrayers Of Womanhood.

In combination, transmascs are seen as "stealing lesbians" because we are both betraying and seducing women, and "depleting" the lesbian population and therefore further endangering Lesbians as A Species. (Because even radfems can't help but see lesbians as objects.)

The closest common transfem equivalent would be "transfems are preying on/tricking gay men", which has tones of predatory behavior and sexual deceit that are unique to transmisogyny. Transfems aren't seen as "converting" straight men, but rather "tricking" them into "gay" sex. Because men are viewed as having more autonomy, the "tricked" men in this scenario are given more agency than "stolen" women.

"Trans people are just delusional" is, again, more often levied against transmascs than transfems; specifically because transmascs are seen as lacking in autonomy and agency- while transfems are seen as autonomous and therefore dangerous/deceitful.

Transmascs are "delusional" because we can't possibly know what we really feel, can't make decisions for ourselves, can't think for ourselves or make plans- we aren't tricking people, we honestly believe this silly idea that we're men. We're all little girls, autistic and depressed girls, stupid women who don't know what's best for us and can't be trusted with autonomy. We have to let others make choices for us. (Until, of course, it becomes clear that we're "too far gone", at which point we become The Enemy.)

Transfems are "deceitful" because they know exactly what they're doing, and can only be doing it for nefarious reasons. They're dangerous, they want to hurt and trick people, they want to invade women's spaces to take advantage of them, trick straight men to take advantage of them, satiate their Sexually Aggressive Nature, etc. They have autonomy already- they must be stopped to protect others.

TL;DR:

There is a lot of overlap in trans experiences and trans oppression- that's why the word "transphobia" covers all of this as an umbrella term. But "transmisogyny" and "transandrophobia" exist under that umbrella, as forms of transphobia, in order to describe more specific and unique experiences that aren't the same for every trans person.

Trying to mash it all together makes it harder to talk about the specific issues we face and why we face them, which we need to do in order to solve these problems.

Trying to remove one word in favor of another both makes it harder for one group to talk about their issues, and in many cases dilutes the meaning of the other group's unique term. Not to mention it denies those unique experiences happen at all.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

AYO I HAD A REVELATION

Shoutout to my Discord friend anonymousblubber that pointed some of this stuff out to me 😳 (I will also warn that there is quite a bit of theorizing and speculation thrown in this post, so please take it with a grain of salt!!)

***Spoilers for chapter 6 of the main story below the cut!!***

BRO 😳 When Vil gives that rousing speech to Ortho that unintentionally sets him off to release the phantoms... It parallels happenings in Hercules if you think about it?????

In Hercules, the titular character is a very honest and well meaning person... and he wants to prove himself to achieve godhood and finally join his family in Mt. Olympus. Ortho has similar traits as Hercules, but his motivation to “prove himself” is to help his brother be welcomed by others again and make friends.

I wouldn’t be shocked if they reveal in the next chapter 6 update that Robo!Ortho was, in part, acting out of his own selfishness because he wanted to prove he could be as “authentic” as the real Ortho, whom he knows he can never truly replace. This could be Robo!Ortho’s parallel to “going the distance” just like Hercules did. Maybe Robo!Ortho even gets the chance to become a “real boy” (like how Hercules goes from human to god again) at the end of the chapter, and he refuses because it was the robotic him that got to make so many precious memories with his big bro Idia 🥺

OKAY, but continuing on to Vil! If Ortho’s parallel is Hercules, then Vil’s parallel is Megara. Of course, I don’t mean that Vil is a love interest or anything of the sort, but he represents the “drive” and the “motivation” Hercules (and thus Ortho) needed to do great things.

In the movie, Herc didn’t reclaim his godhood until he dove into the pool of souls to retrieve Meg at the cost of losing his own life. Hercules went the distance for her. In Vil’s case, he unintentionally ends up being Ortho’s motivation to act out by giving advice on how one needs to at least put forth the effort to try if they want to have the chance at succeeding at something—because no matter how small the starting percentage, it’s still something. Ortho realizes that Idia can turn from zero to hero too, and that, paired with the temptation of OG!Ortho (who can also represent Meg or even Hades in the form of seductive promises) is what has him inspired to release the phantoms in the first place. I also want to point out that Vil assumes Hercules's (the hero's) role at the end by jumping to save Idia. Vil isn't constrained just to being the "damsel in distress" in book 6 (even if he's the one that Rook and Epel are trying to save), he's playing an active part and shifting his roles around as needed. Therefore, he parallels multiple characters from Hercules.

OH and Phil and Pegasus are???? Rook’s (and maybe Epel and Yuu too?) parallels for chapter 6????? Because it’s Phil and Pegasus that team up with Meg to try and save Hercules when he lost his god-like strength, like how Rook, Epel, and Yuu rush to rescue Vil and the other OB boys... AND SPEAKING OF THE OB BOIS, they could be parallels for the captured Greek gods????????????

And Idia... I realized he’s in Board Game Club because Hades was always referring to everything like it was a game, even the battles Herc would have with various monsters. There’s tons of board game iconography in the movie. AND ANOTHER THING??????? It makes total sense (meta-wise) that Azul is also in Board Game Club, because Hades was also a crafty deal maker like Azul is...

Everything is connected in ways I didn’t even notice right off the bat 😭 It makes me appreciate both TWST and the original movies way more just knowing little things like that...

[feline17ff]

Ayo!! you saw my Cerise/Ramona/Rosabella ask!! very rad /pos /g!! I've been keeping an eye on your blog since I stumbled upon it whilst digging through the EAH tag, and I gotta say, your blog is!! Rad!! Now, I have a question, fellow EAH enthusiast: if you could rewrite EAH, how would you do it?- Narrator Headcanon Anon

Thank you so much! 💖 Awesome to know my blog is fun for someone other than me 😋

I did see your ask! In my EAH rewrite I'd use your idea and rewrite Ramona, Cerise, and Rosabella to have beast forms that we actually get to see.

More about Briar's powers aka that she can hear stuff when she's asleep.

The Good King and the Mad Hatter being great father-figures (found family my beloved) to the EAH boys: Daring, Dexter, Sparrow, Hunter, Hopper, Tiny, Merry Men etc. They're just such great dads.

More of Hunter, Cerise, Maddie, Melody, Cupid and other rebels acting as Raven Protection Squad.

Apple White is perfect as is. I'd give her more happiness.

Faybelle, Lizzie, Raven, Baba Yaga, Dancing Madame, and more, acting as Duchess Protection Squad and helping to find a solution for her unhappy destiny. Just got the idea of them being her Knights of the Round Table!

Kitty, Ramona, Faybelle, Sparrow, Blondie as prankmasters. Blondie's the voice of goodness but that's not saying much.

More little rebel things by Ashlynn and Briar after they out themselves as rebels, like sitting on the rebel side of the castleteria, having the winged purple heart as a little pin on their bag or dress, hanging out with fellow rebels who have always been outside their social circle, like Briar hanging with Hunter, Ashlynn with Cerise.

More connection with Monster High - Cupid taking EAH students there and vice versa. Cerise and Ramona letting their hair down. Twyla taking Briar's friends into her dreams when she falls asleep and they hang out there. Sparrow interacting with Holt and Heath. Raven getting help with her magic from Casta. EAH seeing Cupid's MH form and in for the shock of their life. Kids with villainous or unhappy destinies just thriving at MH. Getting Bella and Brutta's ghosts and talking to them and FINDING OUT THE TRUTH!

PESKY THE SQUIRREL! More of him! More of his interactions with Hunter and the EAH boys! Just him messing their lives whenever he can and them leaving everything to chase him.

More of Queen Charming and Maid Marian's rebellious nature as heavily implied in Semi-Charming Kind of Life.

Clear indication of how much better a father the Good King is over King Charming. By indication I mean show us that Dexter and Daring are encouraged to pursue other interests and prefer Good King's company, they have picnics together and Raven's like "What are you doing with my dad?" and the bros are like, "We're having lunch with your dad. Do you wanna join us?"

Sparrow and the Merry Men just vibing.

Tasteful depiction of Ashlynn's stepsisters or stepcousins. Idc if they're evil or not, just tasteful. Same with Crystal and the Snow Queen.

More of General Villainy class shown in Next Top Villain — did you know Sparrow's the only guy in that class of strong female characters? Just him vibing with these classmates, them getting up to mischief or protecting each other aka Ginger and Raven are in that class too.

Ramona! More info about Ramona!

Daring, Duchess, Hopper being 💯 theater kids and putting on the most dramatic play ever!

Sparrow getting some sense knocked into him Wonderland style.

Chase comes back to EAH!

Boys in Damsel-in-distressing and girls in Heroics! Gus, Hopper, Daring, coz beast, need to be in DiD! Helga, Jillian, Rosabella need to be in Heroics! Helga and Gus in both.

And adding the three musketeers' daughters who are also in Heroics!

More of Humphrey and Dexter, being BFFs, and being tech geeks with Blondie!

More of Sparrow, Humphrey, and Alistair's friendship.

[luna-rainbow]

Still can’t believe that the trio we got in tfatws was Sam, Bucky, & Zemo when it should have been Sam, Bucky, & Sharon (obviously without any of the power broker bs).

Reading that other anon on what if maybe me think about how badly this show handled women too. The 2 main women in the show are evil, vals barely in the show to really count for much & it looks pretty likely that she’s gonna be bad too. The only other woman is sarah who let’s be honest didn’t have much to do & was almost entirely defined by her role as sams sister

Thanks for the ask!

You forgot Ayo! LOL. I really don't understand TFATWS's obsession with pitting every character and their dog against each other. Name any two primary or secondary characters in the show and there would be real animosity between them, except maybe at a stretch Lemar and Walker. It's such a cold, unfriendly world, and unnecessarily so. What Sebastian and Florence each brought to the deprogramming scene was so beautiful and poignant for their relationship, but they had to make Bucky break Zemo out to ruin it.

I feel like Sarah and Olivia are like Lemar, they serve functionally as an accessory to a major character and it's hard to develop them without eating into the time of other characters (especially when our protagonists have already been sidelined).

Karli's arc was all sorts of a mess and she deserved much better, especially if Skogland wants to talk about how she was a sympathetic antihero.

Sharon's arc is probably the one that doesn't sit well with me. If the reason she gave was true - that she made a highflying life for herself because the Avengers didn't contact her - this seems rather frivolous? Was she imagining herself to be a damsel in distress, and if her imagined knights in shining armour didn't turn up, she would then punish the world by becoming morally reprehensible? What does that say about her moral compass and how she defines her own worth? On the other hand, if her reason wasn't truthful, then she was already morally shady to begin with. One then wonders about her role in CACW. Did Zemo really get into a high security prison all by himself, or did he have inside help?

[somuchfuckingsalt]

I don’t know really know how to word this, but I’ve noticed a trend wherein the MCU fandom will make Natasha and the Dora Milaje the end all be all of great fighters and they can beat anyone? Including just as skilled and also enhanced Steve, T’Challa, and Bucky (especially Bucky, because so many people just want him to be a Uwu Soft Boi damsel for some reason) and it just feels like forced feminism?

I’ve even read a fic where after Bucky took his arm off Sam was able to body him 1v1 with nothing but his fists and I’m just??? Makes no sense?? Like Hydra wouldn’t make sure Bucky would be just as deadly with one arm as he is with two? Like Bucky couldn’t toss Sam across a room one handed anyway?

I’ve read fics where Natasha can beat Steve and Bucky both 1v1 as though Bucky didn’t beat her in a fight in both TWS and CW and Steve and Bucky can go toe to toe with each other.

I’ve read fics where any of the Dora can beat T’Challa in a fight even though T’Challa and Killmonger were evenly matched and it took four Dora to get Killmonger temporarily restrained and one of them died in the process.

And deepest apologies, but in FATWS Bucky wasn’t trying to win that fight with Ayo so please stop using it as an excuse for why she can beat him. The man wasn’t even in a proper fighting stance and his hands spent most of the time down.

People even seem to forget that Natasha and Clint went toe to toe in the first Avengers movie like I’m sorry, I know she won that fight but she did have to work for it. They were evenly matched.

The characters in the MCU are all incredibly skilled fighters but unrealistically making all the female characters such great fighters that they can body someone who could deadlift a truck just makes me think of the very unpleasant idea that a woman is only an important character if she can Hulk stomp any man that annoys her.

[knockedupstream]

We talk about how people often prefer the gay ship because the emotional heart of the story often revolves around two men and the female character often just exists to be the love interest. Sometimes I’ll change the sex of one of the characters to see if we would get a good het ship or if the studio would have likely made those two end game. I also look and see if I make a het ship a gay ship if it is something I would like. I do this to see if I’m just hating on the het ships or if it is just the writing of them I can’t get into.

Gonna only do the Captain America Crew in this post. Putting in the cut because this is long and will not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Stucky is probably the most popular ship in the MCU. Make Steve a woman, Stevie I guess. You’d have to basically rework the plot of The First Avenger because the military isn’t giving super soldier serum to a woman much less a sickly one and we have to find another reason for her to get the serum. I also dont’ think they’d make her the Star Spangled Woman with a plan unless it was to recruit woman to go to work or the Woman’s Army corps, but that’s a very different AU to write. But anyway, we get the woman saving the man. But yeah tomboyish sickly Stevie who wants to be a tough girl, is constantly picking fights, and Bucky having to go put a stop to it? Yeah its cute. Winter Soldier would probably get a lot of complaints if they went to romance route in a later movie because Bucky spends the movie brainwashed and trying to kill her. But as someone that loves angsty ships where the hero and villain (Even though Bucky was brainwashed) fall in love... yeah my emo at heart soul loves this whole thing.

Change Bucky to a woman. (Jamie?) Again some rewriting, but Bucky can be a tomboyish girl who has to always bail her sickly friend Steve out of fights. Joins the women’s army corps and is captured along with many male soldiers. Now this one does become a very bizaar damsel in distress story line and I could see complaints that a badass woman was reduced as such. But I kind of dig this. Maybe it’s all the female Bucky cosplayers out there but I’d be into this one. Hollywood would love it too because they can have their badass woman and the male still gets to ultimately be the hero and save her.

Bring in Sam. Yeah Stevie jogging in the morning and saying “On your left” is totally flirting with him. Sam flirts back and suddenly he’s pulled into this crazy adventure. I think Sam would be far more concerned with her wanting to save Bucky because this is a man trying to murder her. But this is a good ship. Would Hollywood do it? I really want to say yes but I could see the hesitancy because it is an interracial couple. We’d probably need petitions and lots of fan support.

I don’t have to change Sam’s name at all if he were the woman. But same as above, Steve is flirting with her on the jog, roping her into this adventure and the two becoming partners. I mean their interactions at the end fight of Winter Soldier would feel very much like a couple. (Same as above with genders reversed, hell these two would just feel like a super hero couple) Fucking Disney would probably not go for it in the earlier 2010s though.

Stevie and Peggy. Oh hell yes. I’m all for the vintage f/f couple. But I also do love Steve and Peggy in The First Avenger.

Stevie and Sharon. I could never get into these two and even if it was an f/f couple, I’d prefer her with one of the men, which is rare for me to say.

Make Sharon a man (Sean?) and he just gets over shadowed by both Bucky and Sam.

Well move on to Sambucky. If Sam were the woman, is Bucky undermining her too much in Falcon and Winter Soldier? I’m not really sure how I feel about this one. It would really depend on their interactions in Civil War. I think it would have to be reframed as Bucky wanting to protect her and get that shield back and not so much him being mad at her for giving it up? Can someone else give a better perspective than me?

Now, Bucky as the woman, this ship is hilarious and also pretty sexy. Anthony Mackie would be the perfect actor for this and could probably ablib a lot of Sam’s dialogue. First of all, its sweet that Sam would be checking up on her and I think he would do it more in this scenario. I also think he would be a bit more playful with her in Civil War and not as snarky? Sam has this former brainwashed 106 year old murderous assassin insisting on going on his mission with him, jumping out of airplanes and falling on her face, wanting to break out a criminal, insisting on wanting to take the shield from Nu Captain America, being the muscle. Later showing up in Louisana and doing all the heaving lifting while fixing the boat. And then add all the sexual tension between them. This one would be the most fun.  Would Marvel make them a couple? I really really hope so. Falcon and the Winter Soldier would become a RomCom.

Bucky and Ayo. Uh yes? Do we even need to ask about this one?

Change Sarah to a male because right now I’m Buckysarah trash. We’ll call him Soren. Hot single dad who immediately smiles when Bucky says hi to him? Sign me up. This is adorable. I think Sam might also have a different reaction. He’d be more accepting because he’d be worry about his brother’s safety but knows he’d be safe with the Winter Soldier.  I think it really helps that, even with her limited screen time, Sarah herself is a very interesting character. Single mother supporting her family, knowing how to fix a boat, dealing with bullshit racism, she manages to be far more interesting than other women in the MCU who had bigger roles. It helps that they wrote her as a character.

So Captain America actually has a lot of canon het ships I like. I like Steve and Peggy, Bucky and Sarah, I even liked Steve and Nat, it made more sense than Nat and Hulk. The only one I really wasn’t into was Steve and Sharon and I think that’s a combination of Sharon being Peggy’s niece and Marvel doing Sharon wrong pre TFAWS. But CA also had some good M/M ships that I would also be very much into if they were het ships.

[eerythingisshaka]

The Coffee Prince Pt. XIII

[T’Challa x Reader]

Word Count: 6.2K

*Part 1* *Part 2* *Part 3*  *Part 4* *Part 5*  *Part 6* *Part 7* *Part 8* *Part 9*  *Part 10* *Part 11* *Part 12*

Okoye thanks them and leads you down a hallway and staircase that leads to a room of cells that look familiar to you.  You aren’t in the same part of the building but these cells are very similar to the ones Tavia was in prior to Erik breaking her out and all the chaos ensuing before.

“Wait here.  She will be in room 3.”

You obey, standing in front of a room with lasered barriers.  Your heart gallops in your chest as you take a deep breath to calm remain as calm as possible.  You weren’t scared of getting hurt really, but you just weren’t ready to hear what Tavia had to say.  You just knew it was something you had to let happen, or you would regret it.

You hear the depressurizing doors as Tavia walks from behind a corner, stopping short of seeing you standing on the other side of the lasers.  

“Hey…”  She says quietly.  No matter what they have been through, Tavia always had something to say first.

You look away.  “I’m not staying to talk long, I just wanted to come by and see you…”

Tavia steps quickly towards the lasers, stopping short of touching them.  

“(Y/N),” she says your name with tears forming in her eyes.  The soot from earth containing vibranium stains her rugged uniform as she wipes her face.  “...I never wanted this.”

“Then what did you want?  According to Erik, you had been in on it for a while.”  You say through your teeth.  How dare she have something to cry over at all, after all she put you through.

Tavia sniffles.  “It’s not like I wanted to hurt you, or stop your pregnancy.  You-you never told me about it.”

“It’s not like your were around to dish with much Tavia!  You blamed that on me, remember?  Made me feel bad for going out with T’Challa so much but little did I know you had your own nigga to worry about, so fuck you for making me feel bad for-”  You stopped short of saying something your weren’t even sure was true anymore.  Falling in love?  Was that what fueled you and T’Challa?  Or just some naive teenage fever dream your grown asses had no business falling into.

“Please!  I don’t want to lose you as a friend.  You need me now more than ever right?  Why don’t you tell them to let me go, so we can start over.”  Tavia pleads as tears rinse her dirty face.

You feel your anger start to run over.  “Is that why you’re crying?  Because you’re working a little too hard as a punishment and now you want me to get you home?  You know in the US you would get arrested and sentenced there too, right?  You know you committed a crime and RUINED MY LIFE!?  And I don’t need you, I never fucking needed you.  You barely even cleaned up after yourself in that damn apartment, what the fuck did you ever do for me?”  You scream at the top of your lungs, and it felt damn good.

Okoye steps beside you.  “We need to go, you’re getting too upset.”

“(Y/N), do you know they do this too?”  Tavia pulls at the neck of her shirt and turns her head.  On her neck is a symbol burned into her skin, still shiny and fresh.

You whip around to Okoye.  “Why did you do that?!  I thought you all wouldn’t hurt her!”

Tavia cries harder.  “That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

Okoye squares her jaw.  “I am not at liberty to discuss the methods in which we entreat our prisoners, but this far from our harshest punishment.  It’s not even viewed as a punishment, to be frank.”

You look at Tavia again, your friend.  Skin scalded and body worn down.  Your hands pull at your hair, completely at odds with yourself as your emotions battle between sympathy and anger.

“Instead of telling me that,”  You continue, “you should have told me sorry.  But no, not one apology.”

“I am sorry!”

“Just ‘I didn’t mean it’.”

“I’m sorry!”

“...which of course is a damn lie.”

“I ain’t worried about no branding!”

You look towards the direction of the voice, heart pounding in your ears as its owner is unmistakable.

“Bitch thought she was tough til the Wakandans put hands to her.  Screaming like she a damn fool.  I wish y’all would try that with me.  Come on and try it!”

“Silence!”  Okoye bellows down the hall.

“He’s...he’s still alive?”  You ask blankly.

Okoye steps in front of you.  “You are forbidden from seeing him.”

“Baby girl...come here for a second.  I want to see you.”  Erik says seductively.

“Don’t!  He hasn’t been acting right down here!’  Tavia warns.

“Has he ever, Tavia?!”  You snap at her.  “Okoye, I have you and Ayo, and anyone else y’all can call in the vicinity.  Please...I don’t have much left before I go.”

Okoye’s face is unreadable until her eyes find the sky and she takes a deep breath.  “You are to stand behind me the entire time.  No more than one minute will I give you two.”

Okoye leads you down to Erik’s cell until you see him.  She stops five feet from his cell, that looked uninhibited.  

“He is enclosed in an enchanted space.  He cannot step foot over the stones, or he will be missing a limb.”  Okoye says more to Erik than you.  You can hear the smirk in her voice.

Erik looks horrible with a swollen eye, busted lip and jaw looking like he’s sucking on a grapefruit.  With a bandage wrapped around his shoulder, he looks like the fight happened to him yesterday.

Erik stands there looking at you, no words said.  Okoye said one minute, so you start.

“You a damn bastard.”

“So is your baby daddy.”  Erik rebuts.

Okoye hisses at him, slamming the butt of her staff on the ground  as he holds his hands up in surrender.

“You had no damn business involving me in your mess with him.”  You say.

“Oh but it was easiest to get things happening, right?  Damsel in distress, works every time to chase after something you want.  It worked for me too:  his daddy killed my daddy, fucked up my future here so I came back to take it.  It even worked on your friend.”

“Shut the fuck up Erik!”  Tavia screams.

Erik laughs out loud.  “She wasn’t that loud outside these bars, I promise.  Excuse her.”

You try to get a word in.  “Erik, you are-”

“No, no.  See, guilt trips don’t fucking work on me.  Sob stories, shaming, nah.  I don’t wanna hear that.  What YOU need to hear is that T’Challa is bad business for you.  So while y’all unwed and barren, y’all oughta leave each other alone.  This life ain’t yours, it’s his and probably Nakia’s.  But not yours.”

Okoye takes charge to lead you out of the holding cell area.  Erik’s taunts to remind T’Challa to use a condom and Tavia’s cries fill your head as you leave to the calm hallway leading to the elevator.  Okoye and Ayo take turns to calm you down and request back up in the holding cell area to calm their arguing down there.  

“(Y/N)  we will take you back to your living area, T’Challa should be there waiting.”  Ayo explains.

“I want to leave today.”  You say as if in a monotone voice.

“I don’t understand.”  Okoye says.

“I want to be at home tonight.  My home, in my country.  Not here.”

“But T’Challa-”

You cut her off, growing emotional.  “He knows better than to try to keep me from doing this.  I have a right to go home.  My wounds are healing, my mind is...getting there.  I just need to be home.”

You all step off of the elevator and make the journey in silence to your living space with T’Challa, rounding a corner you see the entrance way to it where T’Challa is standing, and sharing a hug with Nakia.  You feel your footsteps turn to stone as she touches has face fondly and says goodbye, walking in the opposite direction of you.  T’Challa sees you and and closes the distance immediately.

“Umhle, how are you?”

“She wants to leave here.”  Okoye says in distress.

“Why?  Did something happen down there?”   T’Challa’s voice rises.

“T’Challa, I’m fine.”

“Things got loud, but everyone is still secure.”  Okoye says.

“She does not need to be shouted at, that is unacceptable.”  T’Challa says.

“Guys.”

“I understand, but she insisted.”

“I cannot begin to question your judgment, General. But this…”

“T’Challa!  Stop talking like I am not here to speak for myself!  It is just that I am ready to go, that’s it.”  You say, walking past him and into the entrance of your shared space.  T’Challa dismisses the Dora and follows you.

“This does not make sense.  Something had to happen for you to be reacting this way.”  T’Challa says in a demanding tone.

“Just let it go!  Coincidences happen, I was bound to go home eventually right?  Or is that another secret you don’t want to fill me in on:  your plan to keep me here for the rest of my life!”

“I don’t feel comfortable letting you go after everything has happened.  You have only became mobile within the last couple of days, I want you to be better completely.”

“I think I am better, and I would know more than anyone here.  I look a lot better than Tavia and a helluva lot better than Erik.”

You curse yourself for letting that information out that you first know he is alive, but also that you saw him.

The room felt colder as T’Challa walks towards you.  “You met with him?  After all of this, you went to see him?  And Okoye allowed it?!”  

You tried to compose yourself as T’Challa was on the verge of yelling at you, which he notices.  

“I don’t mean to yell at you, but I am furious, that I cannot hide.  Why would you want to even see him when he is the very reason for causing such havoc and losing my firstborn!”

“I needed closure!  I needed to hear from Tavia and Erik what their motivations were, if there was any remorse but…”

T’Challa looks you straight in your face, inches apart.  “I don’t see how you could get any more information out of them than we already have.  But if he said anything that mocked you or this experience, I can assure you he will be dealt with.”

“He didn’t say anything of substance.”  You say.  Despite what happened, you just wanted the pain to stop from all sides.  The fight was over, no need to dig the knife in further.

T’Challa knows that’s not it but he lets this one slide, bringing you into him.  Your face rests against his chest as his heart beats fast and eventually slows in your eardrum.  His scent calms you as it always did and you feel you eyes begin to flood.  It wasn’t fair.  He made you feel so good but his love comes with so much baggage and now hurt, it is hard for you to be receptive.

“T’Challa I still want to leave today.”  You murmur.

T’Challa loosens his arms and looks down at you.  “Stay, please.  You’re safer here than out there.”

You shake your head.   “There is no way I can.  Shuri made sure that I am clear physically but being here, I cannot recover mentally.  I am always reminded of what I lost, and what I went through and I just want to feel normal and boring again in my own space.”

T’Challa nods, pushing one of his kimoyo beads.  “I’ll get the heliplane to take us then.  I’ll have our bags packed so that-”

“T’Challa I can’t go with you either.”

His brow furrows.  “What do you mean by that?  I won’t have you travel alone.”

You roll your eyes, turning away.  “Fine, but can I go with Shuri or Okoye.”

T’Challa ponders the thought.  “Sure, but I should-”

“I want to be away from you for a while, ok?  Maybe, even say it’s done?”  You don’t look at him, keeping your back turned.  You know this isn’t going to go over well.

“You don’t want to be together anymore?”  T’Challa asks softly.

“I don’t think so.  We went too fast and it was a lot.”  Your voice begins to break uncontrollably.  “And just like Wakanda, being around you is just reminding me of what could’ve been and that’s not helpful to me.”

“Umhle, I-”

“Please, let me do this!   Just let me have this peace for once.”  You turn to face him after wiping your tears away.  He looked nearly the same as you did.  “You couldn’t even let me into who you truly were when you claimed to love me, so I just want us to think about this and bettering ourselves separately.  I know you will be back in my area because of the community center, but I don’t plan to look for you, so please don’t do the same for me.”

You walk past him toward the bedroom to gather your things before asking T’Challa one more thing.  “Had you and Nakia been together at one time?”

T’Challa’s eyes widen and fall before he nods slightly.

Your heart falls.  “She is nice, honestly, I can tell.  And I hope you don’t hurt Tavia and Erik further.  I get why you would think to do that, but I’m just so tired of the bloodshed.  She is someone who was important to me anyway, and I can’t stand to see her suffer.”

You didn’t have much with you when you came to Wakanda, but Shuri had a team help put together a small parcel of things for you going away.  Clothes, hair and personal care products, and more that you could ever want as a tourist of the motherland.

“Here, I still want you to have this.”  Shuri holds out the necklace version of the kimoyo technology, making you shake your head.

“I won’t need that.  T’Challa and I are…”  your voice trails off as you can barely say it.  T’Challa isn’t just a lover but he’s been a good friend to you.  A guy hasn’t ever shown you as much care and compassion all your life as he had the past few months.  But you kicked yourself for putting that much faith in him.

“I know, but it might be nice to still keep this if you need to talk.  I can be there for you still.”  Shuri encourages, as she lifts the necklace above your head.

You hesitantly accept it.  I promise not to bother you about your brother, or anything, so be glad that this is pretty because I am not turning it on.”

Shuri nods solemnly.  “It’s fine.  I really do hope to see you again.  Come by the center, help out, enjoy the amenities.”

You shrug, adjusting the parcel in your arms as movement in the corner of your eye catches your attention.  He’s standing awkwardly behind the line of Dora who escorted you all to the plane.  You told him not to follow you, not to say goodbye.  You wouldn’t be compelled to stay but you couldn’t allow yourself to breakdown in front of him.  Your body would give away your true feelings too much, and you wanted him to believe you were ok.

Queen Mother embraces you warmly.  “I will continue to pray for you and your well being as you go on.  You always have a place here if you want.”  She pulls away to look at you like only a mother does, and it almost breaks you as a result.  You bite your inner cheeks to keep the tears from running, nodding wordlessly as you hug the parcel to your chest, looking toward the heliplane.  You feel a touch on your arm.

“Don’t go on with regret.  Nothing happens without reason and we all grow from the cut downs we face in life.  Remain proud to have seen another day and take every strife a building block of strength to your faith.”  

“Thank you, Ramonda.  I can never thank you enough for putting up with me and what came about here.  Thank the Doras for me, please?”

Queen Mother nods, stepping back with Shuri to watch you enter the heliplane and proceed to take off.

You watch the treetops zip by as the aircraft speeds away from Wakanda’s impenetrable shield to the outer world and eventually back home.  It was dark by the time you got back home, allowing you to step out of the cloaked aircraft without being noticed appearing from thin air.  

Looking up to you apartment: the red brick, with sturdy wooden balconies, just about 5 stories high, it all felt almost foreign.  It seemed as if you were dropped into someone else's world and you were the character selected in a video game to go over someone’s journey as your own.

Your feet are heavy as you climb the steps to your place, jingling your key ring with the ‘Fuckboy Repellent’ rubber key decoration.  The metal clicking together to signal the unlocking of your door made you suddenly nervous.

As you open the door, you look around to see the apartment just as it was left: half a bottle of tequila in the table with a couple glasses for the pregame, snacks half opened, decorative couch cushions askew.  One of Tavia’s palettes are on the kitchen counter, which is her signal of a rush job to get out the door to the party on time.

You take a deep breath as you pick up the bottle to return it to the cabinet.  Feeling so ill, alcohol would be the last thing on your mind now.  Setting the bottle down you look across to see Tavia’s bedroom slightly ajar.  The panic in your chest elevates and you close your eyes to steady the pounding that fills your ears.  You start to breathe erratically as you picture Tavia wielding a weapon, laughing at your confusion.

You look back at the tequila and unscrew the top quickly, taking a couple swigs.  Your taste buds are shocked and your throat closes slightly as the liquor travels down, making you cough uncontrollably.  Setting the bottle down, you wipe your mouth, feeling a little less sickly as the pounding quiets and the room dulls in intensity.  Maybe alcohol would solve a problem or two.

Walking up to her door, you push it open with one finger, remaining outside of the barrier for a beat.  Your mind clicks with an idea:  maybe there’s a clue in here, maybe there’s a reason behind it all within her stuff.

With a goal in mind you walk in and switch on the ceiling light.  Tavia was the messier of you two, but DAMN!  You couldn’t understand how she had so many nightcallers with a room like this.  Clothes strewn about the bed, 5,6 pairs of shoes littering the floor.  Makeup left around her vanity instead of in her Amazon beauty case.  Her nightstand loaded with leftover dishes.

You roll your eyes as you open her drawers, look in her closet, under her bed, under her mattress, in her bathroom cabinet for anything that could say how long she was planning to ruin your life with Erik at the helm, but you come up dry.  You plop on her bed in defeat feeling a bit more lightheaded thanks to the exertion of energy and tequila. You figure if there is any evidence it would be on her phone which is presumably still in Wakandan custody.

Having wasted your time, you get up to exit her room, looking around once again.  Somehow, you ransacking her room actually made it look neater.

BANG BANG BANG!

You’re startled by the knock on your door and as a result, dive into your small kitchen area for cover.  A moment passes before

BANG BANG!

You crawl on your hands and knees, telling yourself to chill out.  One thing Erik never did was knock on doors, only knock them down.  So this had to be someone actually looking for something.  

You get to your feet slowly and walk to the door, looking into the peephole.

“Is you in there?”  A small old woman says, before raising her cane.

“YES! Yes, I’m here.”  You say, opening the door to recognize your neighbor Ms. Ply.

She looks you over with  confused face.  “Honey you look like you been through hell and asked for a cup of sugar!”

You smile weakly, trying to appear less like how you really felt.  “Oh, well it’s been a rough week, don’t mention.  Really.”

Ms. Ply shifts her weight on her cane.  “Mhm.  Well I came because I ain’t heard from you or your friend from a couple weeks.  Been pretty quiet around here.”

“Honestly, that’s good news.  Thanks for looking out for us.”

Ms. Ply looks you up and down again.  “Mhm, so where y’all been all this time?  I didn’t see anybody pull up with a car to drop y’all off, so I got concerned when I heard noise.”

YOu stumbled for words to put together to form a story.  You had only been back less than an hour and you hadn’t had time to think of a story for your absence.  

“I was...on a trip...to Cleveland.  To see my family there.  Had a death.”

Ms. Ply’s face fell.  “Oh no, baby.  Who died?”

“My cousin.  FIRST cousin,” you say a little too loudly.  “Really close, my mom’s sisters son.”

Ms. Ply shakes her head.  “Hate to see it.  Young people need to stop shooting up on each other!  And they got a nerve to talk about police-”

You say under your breath, “I didn’t say he got shot but ok.”

“What was that, baby?”

“I said that Tavia had a work study in New York to go to.   I think the timeline is flexible, so I can’t say when she will be back.”

“She was always coming and going any damn way, bringing anybody up here like she running a cathouse or something.”

You smile tightly and nod, just praying the conversation will soon be over.  “Was that all you needed?  I was getting ready for bed.”

Ms. Ply begins to turn.  “No that’s all I guess. Call the cops if you see anything crazy.”

Oh, she has no idea.

Getting back to work that week was weird.  Apparently, you had called out sick with the flu and had doctors documents to prove it.  Thank you Shuri!  So there was no issues having missed so much time.  Unfortunately, the work you had to do only piled up, since the coworker who had been tasked with keeping up on it did the opposite of that.

Work annoyed you but also made for a blessing in keeping your mind busy to keep T’Challa thoughts at bay.  The job’s regular rigamarole never failed to put your brain cells to hell overworking themselves.   You concentrate better with music in your ears but slowly your comfort turned into a nagging habit of checking the phone for what you told yourself is to change the song, opening up the app whole checking the taskbar for any notifications.  Why would there be any besides an email or two, you tell yourself, keeping the Ari Lennox bumping in rich soulful volume in your ears.  The album starts with Chicago Boy and your body reacts soon as the beats drops in your mind.  The smooth groove with a spattering of drums and a slow trumpet coaxing you to rock a little gives you access to another world for a moment.  As the lyrics come through, you’re reminded of the story within the song of Ari meeting a guy, admiring his vibe, looks and despite not being at her best in the moment, is willing to take the lead and shoot her shot.  

You hold your head in your hands, smiling a little as you think back to the first time you met.  No way were you looking for a new piece to enter your puzzle but here comes his Tetris block head ass entering the coffee shop.  It was magnetic, it felt like no less than fate to approach him and see what’s good.  A wave of nostalgia hits your spine as you sit up suddenly like you were hit with lightning.  Ms Macchiato!  He used to call you that often, before you got closer as a couple, switching it up to umhle.  It made you feel brand new any time he whispered it in your ear…

You stopped playing the album before your mind drifted to memories not safe for work, waking up your computer monitor to get back at it before you hear it from your boss.

Almost everyday was like this:  go to work, a song plays that reminds you of him, your mind lingers and your work suffers.  The pile of work barely decreases because your imagination won’t stop playing you.  Despite all the bad that happened between the two of you, why do you feel like you are missing out on him?  Like you are the one that got shut out and should be begging to come back into his life?  It doesn’t make sense, you are the victim here, you won.  You called the shots and got everything you wanted in the end.  Yet here you are with your kimoyo necklace on your chest, switched on in case a call comes in from whomever.

One night coming in from work exhausted to the bone, kicking your shoes off with scattered thus in your empty apartment and head straight for your bed, taking a swan dive, belly first onto your unmade bed.  You stare off into space with an empty mind, nothing of substance except for what’s for dinner.  Pizza sounds good for the fifth time this month, reaching for your phone that alerts you that your battery life is at 5%.  

Your phone does not play about a low battery, so you scramble for your charger to keep it alive, leaning over the edge of your bed, pawing around the floor to the end piece.  You feel around the space under your side table and feel something soft.  Tugging it out you let out a deep sigh taking in your long lost child, T’Challa Jr.  

The black panther plushie that T’Challa won for you on your first date at the fair/concert.  He stood up for you when a rude man tried you and smiled on proudly when you freaked out about the Internet performing on the main stage unexpectedly.  Ending the night sharing snacks and kisses on the bench as fireworks burst in behind you put the metaphorical ribbon on your box for him, for real.  

You squeeze animal tightly, plucking stray dust bunnies that stuck to its short fur.

“Why have you been hiding from me huh?”  You asked it.  “You think I’m mad at you?”

You run your fingers across the plastic eyeballs staring back at you.

“I didn’t mean to leave you, I wasn’t going to stay away forever.  But I want you to know me and your father are no longer together.”

You shake your head feeling silly and set the animal to the side of you, holding your face in your hands with embarrassment.  You’re talking to an animal, stuffed one at that!  Is this how lonely you have become after it all?

Looking back at T’Challa Jr. again, you place him in your lap, stroking his head to his back.  You take a deep breath and speak.

“Like I said before, your father and I decided not to stay together anymore.  And it is no fault to you.  I want you to know that I don’t blame you for anything bad, I lov-”

Your voice began to crack, and you inhale deeply for breath as tears begin to roll, continuing to pet your plushie.

“I never blamed you for anything and I don’t want you to think I didn’t want you here.  I did, and I really tried to keep you here.  I wanted to protect you but I left you in harms way still.  I shoulda stayed my ass home but I never knew all that shit would happen.  No matter when you happened, we still probably would’ve broken up after all that because hell, who would sign up for that bullshit and baggage.”  Your tears add shiny specks to the plushies back that slowly dissipate into a dull stain.

“I miss you, Bean.  I want to feel your flutter again, but...I know if you were supposed to be here, you would be and that’s fine.  I am not mad, I just want you here so I have something that made it all worth it.  Something to look back and say hey, it wasn’t all for nothing.”  You pick up your plushie, nuzzling its neck.  “Thank you for showing yourself in my dream.  You would have been beautiful.”

As you hold your last symbol of you and T’Challa close, you meditate in the moment of remembering your precious Beanie baby.  You never got  a chance to say goodbye or even experience your child leaving.  Some would consider that fortunate but it made you feel even more empty, like they were stolen in the night.  Whatever became of your child is back in Wakanda and you felt guilty for not acknowledging Bean in some way before leaving, that may have been selfish of you.  And now a month has passed and this is the first time you have even given Bean a thought.  You continue to eulogize alone, until your eyes grew tired of crying and your body ached from sobbing, curling up into a ball and falling into the deepest sleep you’ve had since coming back from Wakanda.

--

It’s been almost three months of getting back into the groove of living alone and single.  T’Challa still crosses your mind daily, but the heart skipping and evening cries have slowed down considerably.  You had received a text from a cousin asking if you wanted to come with her on a weekend trip out of state.  You kept blowing her off but after some playful threats, you decide to look into hypothetically going on this trip.  

Browsing airlines and airbnbs, you total up how much a good time is going to cost you when a thought hits your brain.  You have been paying for a two bedroom apartment on your own for three months.  You feel panic rise as you think about how much that has been costing you when you haven’t even thought about it due to the haze you have been in since shit hit the fan.  Your account HAD to be negative at this point, no way in hell can you afford the full bill of this apartment on your income solely, plus all the emotional takeout you have been enjoying and utilities and internet.

You rapidly tap away at your laptop to sign into your bank account to check the paltry balance.  The screen takes forever to load and then the two factor authentication questions makes you want to punch the sun.  

Finally, when your balances are shown, you gasp at the number.  You still had a comma in your balance, and it wasn’t red or containing a negative.  You thank God silently but start to cautiously research your transactions.  UberEats here and there, plus some other restaurants.  But somehow you have not been charged for any bills out of your bank account.  You check the portal for your rental place to see if you have any past due notices but none are there.  You are all paid up and timely.  You check your bank account info and there lies the first discrepancy.  They do not display the full account number on the site, however the last four digits shown are not yours.

A thought flashes your mind but you chuckle to yourself knowing it is impossible, scolding yourself for even going there.  But still any other explanation does not make more sense.  You click on the Live Chat option for customer service and message a Jeanine to see what’s up.

Thank you for contacting our customer service live chat.  I am Jeanine, how may I assist you?

I want to report fraud on my account.  You type back.  She confirms your identity with a few questions and goes on.

Your account is not delinquent.  Did someone try to log in to your profile?

No, someone is paying my bill without me knowing.

A moment passes before you see the icon Jeanine is typing…

We do not keep account numbers on record, however you did not make any changes to your payment type recently?

No, I have not authorized any changes.

Jeanine is typing pops up for three minutes as you get antsy.

As I said, unfortunately we do not keep account information on record.  You will have to contact your bank to report the fraud.

I can’t contact the bank of a bank that is not mine and that I don’t know.

Jeanine is typing… I am sorry, but we cannot share bank information.

Can you at least tell me if the account appears to be from out of the country perhaps?

Jeanine it typing...We cannot share bank information.  You will have to contact the bank to report the fraud to your account or change payment methods.

You end the chat and give Jeanine a one star rating for helpfulness.  If the way that rent is being paid is how you think it is, you wouldn’t begin to be able to hold back your anger.  You pace the floor muttering to yourself and laughing out loud about how fucked up it is for someone to pay for your shit without saying something, without asking, without even checking in to see how you have been for three month before flexing their big baller dick on your rent like this!  

They had some damn nerve to do this, and how long did they think they could keep doing this without you noticing?  You fish your kimoyo necklace out of your jean pocket to get started on ripping some Wakandan a new one.  Let it be Shuri or-

Unless this is what they wanted.  Of course you would question how your account was accessed which for their technologically advanced asses, hacking your rental account is lightwork.  Then you would call saying what is this about, he would say I got you, you would have to say thank you and then you are back in each others good graces?  NO!

You push the necklace into your dresser drawer, way in the back and close it shut.  No way in hell will he control you.  Like you thought previously:  if he wants to contact you, he can be a man about it and do it himself.  Money will not buy you.  But you certainly will not update our payment method to a new one.

A knock raps at your door, making you sigh with relief.  That damn pizza took double time to come.  As you flounced to the door, you open it up to see a familiar face that should have made you angry but never could.

“Hey Shuri.  What are you doing here?”

Shuri looked great as usual, in a Wakandan designed teen magazine fashion dream ensemble, smiling warmly at you.

“Hello to you to!  I was in the neighborhood and figured this might be as good of a time as any to see you.”

You involuntarily go in for a hug, not even thinking about rejection being an option.  You were just so happy to see her.  Shuri returns the gesture.

“You’re looking well!”  She says.

You laugh.  “Hardly.  You caught me in my comfy, no cares, casual.”

Shuri nods, looking past your eyes to your forehead.  “Still, you look well.”

You subconsciously touch the small scar near your hairline that has healed.  “You know, I’m glad you came by because I was just thinking about asking you about something.”

“I too, would like to ask you about something.”

“Oh?  Ok, well come one in, and you can ask me first.”

Shuri pauses.  “It’ not quite something that is a sit down and chat ask.  I really want to make this quick as possible for right now, but I said I would ask your permission before we go ahead.”

You grip the knob of your front door tightly to steady yourself.  “What do you mean ‘we’?”

Shuri takes a deep breath.  “I am here to supervise collecting some things for Tavia.  However she made the argument that she should be the one to sort what is important for her to have and-”

“Wait, Tavia wants to come here and get her stuff?  Like physically walk in here and do that?”

Before you could further protest, the woman of the hour comes around to Shuri’s side, barely making eye contact, but still muscling up a smile.  

“Hey girl, hey.”

Part 14

Masterlist

RagTag

@sweetpeachjones@scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade@universalbri@therevolution-willbelive@you-like-this-chain @sarcastic-sunshines@airis-paris14@afraiddreamingandloving@kreolemami@lalapalooza718@syreanne@thiccdaddy-mbaku@she-is-golden @wakanda-inspired@90sinspiredgirl@bidibidibombaclaat@sithlordslut@brujademente@chaneajoyyy@slimmiyagi @lewatigress @shesakillerkween @queentearra @fiercedeception @yaachtynoboat711 @yofavcocoa @katasstrophey @zxddy-panther @babygirlofwakanda@destinio1 @heyauntieeee @ambthegamer @savageiz@klaine15689 @nickidub718 @dramaqueenamby

[artificialqueens]

cirque d'amour - chapter one (trixya) - cal

AN: *tw: mild drug references* hello, hi! this is my first fic & my first time posting to Ao3 & AQ! the story is hugely inspired by the greatest showman & my love of drama simultaneously. latrice owns a Big Gay Circus where katya features as a provocative/gymnastics dancer. (u r welcome) but what happens when a cute little stranger captures her interest?

i am on Ao3 as https://archiveofourown.org/users/moastar

*huuuuge thank you to my proof-reader & supporter, elliot! ;)*

It was a beautiful night in Los Angeles.

Katya was staring dreamily at the crescent moon, a cigarette lingering between her index and middle fingers. Every time she took a hit, she watched the vapour rise into the sky and evaporate amongst the stars. She closed her eyes and took a moment to really breathe - she fondly called this exercise her ‘pre-show chill’. She knew she was due to command the stage at any minute, but this ritual was sacred, and should not be rushed.

She was rudely disturbed by a loud crashing behind her, and a muffled curse. The rooftop door swung open, and revealed a heavily sweating man, in full, unapologetic drag. Katya turned on her heels, her eyebrow raised as she took in the scene. Roy - no, Bianca - was fumbling with her towering ginger wig at the same time as trying to tug her ridiculously long gown from where it was caught in the door. “Fuck!” she rasped, sounding much more like Roy right now than Bianca, Katya thought fondly.

“Oh, mama,” Katya grinned at her friend, noticing the vein in his head throbbing. “What a mess.”

“You!” Bianca swung an accusing claw at her. “Get in here now, you witchy bitch! You’re on any minute, and I couldn’t find you anywhere! And for fuck sake, will you help me with this - agh - friggin' GOWN?”

Katya’s face broke out into a grimace, and she slapped her knee with amusement. “Oh, Bee,” she flicked the end of her cigarette out into the dark abyss, and she took a moment to watch the ash fly slowly out of sight before trotting over to her damsel in distress.

Bianca’s face looked like it was about to explode - even through the pounds of carefully applied make-up, Katya could make out the creeping redness. “Come here,” she wheezed, amusement lacing her words, before tugging lightly on the folds of Bianca’s dress. The trail released easily, and Bianca glared at Katya, who smiled sweetly back at her.

Bianca’s face softened, and she sighed. “Okay, queen,” a tiny smile played on her lips. “I’ve done my number and I’m about ready to get fucked up. It’s your turn. Now get out there, your public awaits.”

*

The crowd was positively buzzing with raw energy.

Katya lingered side-stage, scoping out her audience with interest. She immediately picked out the regular offenders - Raja, Courtney and Jay - and a grin bloomed on Katya’s face. She adored her dysfunctional little family, and it warmed her little gay heart how frequently they came to see the Cirque just to support her.

Katya was embezzled in sequins tonight - giving a dripping in jewels fantasy - and had chosen a very sexy black heel. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder, knowing she looked good.

Her moment of shameless self-love was broken by an announcement from Latrice - I mean, with that beautiful, booming voice, how could it not be? - now striding centre-stage. “Ladies and gentle-MEN!” the last syllable was little less than a yell. “I am pleased to announce our next act of the evening, here at the fabulous Cirque.”

Katya can’t help but feel a fondness in her bones for the ringmaster - he was nothing less than fabulous himself. He towered above most common folk, was anything but slim, and was louder than a foghorn. That being said, he was the kindest soul Katya had ever had the pleasure to meet.

“She’s bendy, she’s wiry, she’s sexy as hell, bitch,” Latrice waggled his eyebrows and the crowd went wild, spurring him on with their energy. From the sidelines, Katya held her breath.

“It’s -

YEKATERINA

PETROVNA

ZAMO-LOD-CHIK-O-VA!”

Latrice shuffled excitedly off-stage, and the lights dimmed. The crowd were cheering deafeningly now, and Katya swore she could hear Courtney’s screaming above them all.

Lana Del Rey’s “Million Dollar Man” started to play, weaving a spell on the eagerly awaiting crowd. Katya herself became tangled up in the spell, and she gracefully stepped out to meet the booming applause.

She turned to gaze at the many pairs of eyes all trained on her, and she gave a flirtatious smile before biting down on her finger. The reaction of the people at her feet gave her a thrill - she can do the simplest of things, and have them all begging her for more. She threw her arms out gracefully, pulling her hands back to caress her body and lose herself in the song. Her hands ran from her breasts to her torso - slowly, teasingly - and down to her hips. She then licked a finger suggestively, and ran her hand over her crotch, raising her eyebrows at her captivated crowd. She glided closer to the edge of the stage, taking exaggerated steps to show off her boots. She bent her knees and pushed her whole body backwards, so all the people could see was her legs. There was a collective gasp at that, and Katya smiled, before shuffling like a graceful crab to the side so that all could see her body bent impressively in a 'n’ shape. She rose to a stand and glided back to the centre.

Katya leaned against a pole that was placed centre-stage, and dropped slowly to the floor, her legs splaying in the most impressive split. Wolf whistles and screaming filled the air, and Katya grinned at her audience. It was at that moment that her eyes caught sight of someone she’d never seen before - her face illuminated by the dancing lights.

She was petite and reminded Katya instantly of a Barbie-doll. She looked sickeningly innocent and sweet, as if she would taste of honey. She was gazing at Katya with wonder, much like the other faces in the crowd, but Katya sensed something different about her - something almost fairy-like. Katya herself became captivated, and she almost - not quite, but almost - forgot to finish her number. Tearing her eyes away from the adorable stranger, Katya shot a wink in the direction of her friends, who were jumping up and down amongst the madness.

She dropped slowly to the floor, spreading her body provocatively against the wooden stage, and accepted the abundant offering of tips from those closest to her - boy and girl alike.

The song came to an end and Katya rose to stand, and bow, against the thunderous applause. Latrice skittered across the stage to stand at Katya’s side, beads of sweat glistening across his forehead.

“Now that,” Latrice boomed into his mic, clasping a strong hand on Katya’s back. “Was enough to turn me straight. HA-HA! No, of course I’m kidding. GIVE IT UP FOR OUR OWN MISS ZAMO-LOD-CHIK-O-VA!”

Katya smiled into the second round of cheers, casting a darting eye into the crowd to find the sweet stranger, only to be mildly disappointed at the realisation that she was gone.

*

“Zamo, you just get better every time.”

Courtney was leaning against the bar, tapping her acrylic nails against the wood as she impatiently awaited her drinks.

Katya smiled at her. “Thanks, mama.”

Courtney eventually handed Katya a cocktail, complete with a tiny umbrella. Katya cocked a questioning eyebrow at her for a heartbeat, before Courtney hissed; “It’s a virgin, girl.”

Katya pursed her lips around the straw, being careful not to smudge her lipstick. “Where’s Jay and Raja?” She mumbled through tentative sips. Courtney tossed her perfect blonde hair over her shoulder with a mildly bored expression.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she sighed dramatically, waving a perfectly manicured hand in a vague direction. “I think they went for a smoke.”

“Doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Katya grinned, well aware of Courtney’s disdain for the smoker’s break. Courtney’s lip twitched before she mirrored Katya’s smile. “Girl, you deserve it,” She slapped an encouraging hand on Katya’s arm. “You go ahead. I want to watch Violet.”

Violet certainly was one to watch - an aerial artist, who never failed to snatch a few wigs, and a perfect final act of the cirque.

Katya fought through the heaving crowd to the cool evening air outside. She spotted Jay immediately - how could she not, they were wearing all baby pink with glittery platform shoes, complete with a cap that spelled out “werk” in cheap gem stones - talking rapidly with the quietly towering Raja beneath a palm tree. As Katya made her way over to them, flipping a cigarette out from the stash in her bra, she thought (and not for the first time) what a strange couple they made.

“And so I says to him…oh, AYO! SIS!” Jay spun around immediately when they noticed Katya drifting towards them.

Katya saluted at Jay and couldn’t help but notice a scattering of dust beneath his nostrils. Jay threw their arms around Katya and trapped her in a vice-like grip. Katya wound her hand around Jay’s back to pat them gently, glancing at Raja. Raja’s dark, hooded eyes regarded her for a moment, before giving her a little shrug.

“Hey, you were great, as always,” Raja murmured - their voice always sounded like black silk, and Katya loved it. “Jay here was getting their life.”

But Jay wasn’t paying attention - their perfectly shaped eyebrow was raised in questioning, looking past Katya’s shoulder. Katya turned to follow their gaze, and she was surprised to find the sugar plum fairy from the audience - the one who had momentarily captivated her.

“Hey,” she smiled sweetly, her cheeks blooming red with - what? Embarrassment? Warmth? Alcohol? Katya laughed nervously, regretting her actions immediately. “I-uh, sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you, I swear,” Katya’s words came out in a messy tumble, and she was acutely aware that her friends were watching this exchange with barely muted interest.

The girl in front of her looked somewhat taken aback, but she continued none-the-less. “I just wanted to say I really loved your performance. I mean, you probably get this a lot, but your dancing is pretty compelling.”

Katya snorted. “Yeah, it usually compels people to leave the room.”

The girl’s face broke out with glee, and a loud laugh-scream hybrid escaped her lips. Katya felt a buzz from this reaction, and she started to laugh herself, broken by wheezing.

“I’m Trixie,” the girl said, wiping a tear from her eye. Katya took a moment to examine her face - her make-up was a lot, her winged eyeliner creeping across her face and her contour cutting sharp lines into her cheeks. Katya liked it, she realised, and re-visited the idea that this girl could quite literally be a Barbie, complete with all the pink and blonde curls.

“Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova,” Katya grinned, offering Trixie her hand. “But you can call me Katya.”

Trixie took Katya’s hand with amusement - Katya noticed how clammy her hand must’ve felt in Trixie’s cool, soft one - before the air was broken by a loud caterwauling, not dissimilar to a cat. Trixie turned on her cowboy boots to greet the person responsible for the din.

“Babe,” a girl appeared behind her, fashioning an all-denim body suit that glittered in the yellow light of the streetlamps. “Where were you?”

Katya regarded the new addition to the scene with a stiff lip - she was stunning. Her eyes were painted with glittering blue eye shadow to match her outfit, and her perfect blonde hair was streaked with every colour of the rainbow. “Sorry girl,” Trixie grinned at her, a clear note of admiration in her voice. Katya felt an unexpected stab of jealousy. “I was talking to the star of the show.” The other girl noticed Katya for the first time - she was chewing gum incessantly, and Katya was reminded just how much she hated that.

“Oh, hey,” the girl muttered, sounding bored.

“This is my girlfriend, Willam,” Trixie snaked her arm around the smaller girl, but Willam ducked out of her hug and grasped Trixie’s wrist. “Come on, babe, Violet is due on any minute, and she is fierce!”

Trixie shrugged apologetically at Katya, allowing herself to be lead back to the heat of the club. Katya watched her go, her face pinched sourly. Jay appeared at her side. “You look pissed,” they chortled, slapping Katya playfully on her arm. “Better look next time, sis. You know you can have anyone you want.”

Yes. Katya did know that. The thing is, she didn’t usually want anyone. Not for more than a moment of heat in the club’s bathroom, or gracing a stranger’s bed for a night. But Trixie - Trixie had captivated her interest from the moment she saw her, and Katya was not ready for that. Oh, not at all.

[missn11]

Carry me to Seattle https://www.deviantart.com/nk11/art/Carry-me-to-Seattle-870844774

So I've finally done a follow up Ayo/Damsel piece to last year's www.deviantart.com/nk11/art/Do… for Femslash February and I'm very how it's turned out! As you can see this is Ayo and Damsel over 16 years later after VTMB and I think it would make sense that Ayo would want to go with Damsel to Seattle and help with the cause, it help Damsel chill out more for sure! XD Btw Ayo's clan is Daughter of Cacophony whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Daug… and in life she was part of a girl band and she was about launch a solo career which had to be put on hold when she was embraced and the plot of VTMB was happening, but later when things had calmed down and Ayo had been able to meet up with her sire, (Her sire was never found by the Camarilla but another Kindred was put in her place when Ayo had been taken by LaCroix's hounds) she was able to start up her solo career. (Of course, soon she's going to retire since she can't be in the public eye and looking like she is still in her 20s without breaking the Masquerade!) Btw if you like what you see and want a commission drop me a direct message on tumblr or a note on deviantart

[musicalng-blog]

No man can cheat on me twice — Rosabelle Iyafokhai

No man can cheat on me twice — Rosabelle Iyafokhai

By Ayo Onikoyi

Although Edo-State born Nollywood diva, Rosabelle Iyofokhai, is a beauty queen and a damsel to behold, never one in distress. When it comes to a philandering partner, the  former Miss Face of Culture, Edo State and former Miss Big World, Abuja knows how to read out the riot acts.

Rosabelle Iyofokhai

“For me, if my man cheats on me once and he’s truly remorseful, I might take him…

[missn11]

For all your OC pairings, what's an absent, small gesture the OC does that makes the VTMB character's heart just fill with fondness and love? Alternatively, what was the moment that the VTMB character(s) realized they loved your OC? I'm daydreaming again, haha. Thanks and have a great day! :D

@badass-at-cuddling ohhhh my gosh!!! yes, thank you for this ask, I love talking about my OC/VTMB characters pairings! :D

Barbara/Nines

Nines’ heart almost seems to come alive again whenever Barbara gazes lovingly in his eyes as she strokes his cheek. It never fails to fill him with fondness and love for her. Sadly looking back he now views those little moments with horror...

NInes realised that he fell in love with Barbara when she came back to the Last Round after killing Bishop Vick all bloodied and injured, and he was so worried that she was going to fall in torpor, that he personally took care of her. Nines was so inspired and taken by her supposed willingness to fight for the vulnerable people who were dying because of the plague bears, that he had no chance but to fall in love.

Taika/LaCroix

Taika having LaCroix rest his head against her while she pours him a glass of blood, reminds him of how much he loves her. Truly she always manages to make him feel safe.

When she said his last name correctly And Taika making him feel safe is what made LaCroix realised that he loved her and wanted her always by his side and that moment came when she killed some Anarch rebel wannabe that thought he could take on the Prince of LA all by himself. While LaCroix wasn’t in any real danger, the fact that Taika destroyed this idiot with her blood magic without a second thought had touched him in so many ways, all his wall crumbled all at once as the Anarch blew up in bloody chunks! XD

  Tuba/Ming Xiao

Ming Xiao feels an incredible amount of warm fondness and love towards Tuba whenever she brings her delicious sweet treats or a book that she had her eye, especially if it’s a super rare book where there are only less than a hundred copies that have survived. Of course, Tuba got Ming Xiao a copy of the Book of Nod!

Ming Xiao first admitted that she loved Tuba was that she really truly and full-heartedly believed in her and her vision for Los Angeles and would fight all their enemies to her final death and that she would do the exact same for Tuba. That for the first time in centuries she would willingly face Yomi and back for another again! Godamn it, I’m crying now!  

Ayo/Damsel

Damsel won’t admit it but she feels all gooey whenever Ayo comes up from behind to hug her and hum gently the latest pop tune in her ear, it takes her to a place where it’s just the two of them.

Damsel first realised that she loved Ayo was the moment that she told Damsel that she didn’t have to shape her whole life around NInes and his cause. It stuck in her more than it had when Nines had told her pretty much the same thing, maybe cause she had brushed it off as him being all noble. (He’s a good boy in this verse, like in all my OC verses except maybe in Taika’s but that’s cause I love the irony of Damsel leaving one cult to unintentionally join another one!) And yet Ayo saying the same thing made her realise that it was because she cared about her and her wellbeing and saw there was more to her than all the passionate anger she often showed to everyone. Oh no, I’m crying again!

Gloria/Nines

Nines always feels so loved whenever Gloria bathes him, her fingers massaging his scalp makes him feel so special and takes him away from all the pressure of being the leader of the Downtown Anarchs. He won’t admit it but he loves it when she takes care of him like this, the feeling his fondness and love towards are heightened even more so after they have a BDSM session together. ;)

Nines realised that he loved Gloria when she told him that he is beautiful and people think he is so brave for submitting to her during their third BDSM sex session together that included an imagined crowd where he was imagining that the crowd were disgusted that he was submitting to a Ventrue’s dominance. (yay for having to deal with self-hatred, guilt for enjoying being submissive to a Ventrue cause BRUJAH are not allowed to ever want to be SUBS especially not for VENTRUES bullshit and his abandon issues all the time for Nines sucks!) The fact she showed so much care about his self-worth and his mental well being, made him realise that this was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his unlife with. :3

Gloria/Velvet Velour

Velvet loves it when Gloria pulls her into her arms and kisses her on her neck or on the top of her shoulder. It’s just such a simple gesture but it never fails to send VV’s heart aflutter.

Velvet realised she was in love with Gloria when the Ventrue was so positive and encouraging about her poems, she never really had that before from anyone aside from Isaac and she had feared that he only liked them cause she was his adoptive childe but to hear from someone who appreciated her for more than the vixen persona she had presented herself to Kindred society had meant so much.   

Gloria/LaCroix

This is basically the AU verse where LaCroix decides that being Gloria’s 24/7 sub is a better life choice for him than opening the sarcophagus! (okay it’s not quite that simple but you know, I gotta work on that AU first) XD

Whenever Gloria tells LaCroix that he is a good boy or he makes the Ventrue clan proud wherever they are doing their BDSM sessions or just life in general always fills LaCroix with so much fondness and love for her. (Gloria and Jan are the only Ventrue in the world who understand that all Ventrue have a praise kink, yo)

LaCroix realised that he was in love with Gloria was the realisation that she had been willing to risk so much for him to have him by her side. It touched him in so many ways that he felt unworthy of her and wants to improve himself so he could be half as worthy of her as she thinks he is. 

Phew, that was a long one! XD Thanks again to @badass-at-cuddling for the ask, I got some feels at points, I just love these fools so much! :3