#I'M GENUINELY SORRY FOR TAGGING YOU GUYS I don't want to bother at all

[softle0]

📩 Simblr question of the day: Who's your biggest inspiration/s on Simblr? Mention them! Tell us why you like them!

omg this is embarrasing to me because half of them doesn't even know me but... I guess it's my time to send some love!!! Honestly I love a lot of simmers and their work is so cute!!

For builders I love @midsummermoon20 @florwal @moonwoodmillz @vartosa and @folkling @bobnewbie @machinegrl so much! their styles are unique and so beautiful they inspire me so much when I'm building 💗

For storytelling @stellarfalls @bubblepopsims @fl0ptrait and @estah (who we miss so fucking much) are my go to!!! ❤️❤️

For CAS I love @afrolatinotrait @birdietrait @madfeary @fl0ptrait @kashisun their sims are always the best looking ones, they inspire me so much to keep creating new sims ❤️

Lastly I'd love to mention @northernsiberiawinds for making the best cc ever, @farfallasims because everything she does is so fucking good, @quietwaters inspire me so much, her reshade and all of her cc it's so good, @awingedllama as well, her nostaliga cc it's the best thing that has happend to me frrr and @aashwarr and @largetaytertots for having the best simblr channels ever, they're so funny and entertaining to watch, I'm always laughing at their videos!!

I could mention like 50 blogs more but I don't want to bother any more people tbh 😭😭😭 There are so much talented people in this community that is impossible to mention all of them. So I'm very thankful for all of them and all the creativity they bring to this game, it's absolutely amazing ❤️

[huskersbooze]

Part 2 of Who's in Control?

Cordial

Alastor x Reader

| Part 1 | Part 2(here!) | Part 3 |

Summary : You and Alastor are still struggling to get back on good terms, both coping, but you still can't forget what he had done. Meanwhile, things with your soul's contract is going downhill..

Pairings : Alastor x F!Reader (M!Reader here, Gn!Reader here) , Huskerdust(?)

Warnings : Valentino(he doesn't actually do anything he just sucks)

Additional Tags : Still kinda angst(sorry), cussing

Ib : Cordial by Set it Off

Word count : 1.2k

A/N : By popular request, I think I have an overall plot for this originally-to-be-oneshot? There will be more parts to come in the future <3 thank you all for being patient with me

"Hey.. ya’ wanna open the door for a sec?”

You roll off your bed and lazily walk over to open the door. Without looking, you unlock the door and let him in, turning to curl back up in bed.

“How ya’ holding up..?” Angel asks, seeing you in such a state making his heart ache. “We’re all really worried about you.”

“I’m fine, Angel.” You wrap yourself in your blankets and sit on the bed, Angel following.

“You haven’t come down in days. Charlie asked me to check on you.” He says.

“Does she know..?”

“About you and creepy face? Sorta.”

You raise an eyebrow.

“They all know something’s going on between ya’ two. They just don't know what.”

“Great.. let's keep it that way.” You try to force a smile but to no avail.

It was quiet for a moment. Awkward at first, yes, but you both started to enjoy the company.

“We're really worried about you.. ya'know? I'm worried.”

“Thanks.” You hum. “I appreciate it.”

“You gunna’ come get breakfast..? It'll be quick, I promise.”

“Is Al down there?”

“No.” He simply replied. “We don't really know what he's up to lately.”

“What d’you mean?”

“He's also been isolatin’ himself. We don't actually see him much around the Hotel.”

You stay quiet.

“What are we waiting for? Don't want the food to get cold, do we?”

Angel perks up.

“I thought ya'd never ask.”

-----

You follow Angel down to the lobby, where everyone gathered and ate their breakfast.

The others were surprised to see you, to say the least, but they decided not to interrupt.

It was nice that Angel was able to have you out of your room, they wouldn't want anything to make you go back.

“Hey, kid.” Husk whispers, handing you a plate of pancakes. “Your favourite.”

“Thanks, Husk.” You reply, giving him a genuine smile.

“Ya’ doing alright?”

You shrug. “Could be better.”

“Just glad you’re here, kid.”

“Glad to see you too.” You laugh, walking alongside Angel and Husk towards the table where everyone was having breakfast. “Good morning, guys.”

Everyone stays quiet — everyone consisting of Charlie, Vaggie and Sir Pentious only. Niffty was off dusting the halls.

“I’m fine, Charlie. Thanks for sending Angel to check on me.” You catch a glimpse of Charlie’s worried eyes glued to you, reassuring her it was okay.

“We’re glad to have you back.” She says.

Husk takes his normal seat, Angel on the right of him, leaving one open spot on the left.. not that he ate breakfast much, he usually showed up just to keep you company.. Alastor…

“How’s the breakfast, my dear?”

“It’s amazing! I don’t know why you never bother to try it.”

“I work better on an empty stomach. Plus, I’m more fond of deer.”

“Deer? You actually eat deer?” You asked, bewildered. “Like the whole thing?”

“Well, not the bones, of course not. But yes, I enjoy eating deer.”

“Aren’t you like.. a deer yourself?”

Alastor shoots you a look, and laughs whole-heartedly.

“You certainly don’t see Angel Dust befriending spiders in the hotel, do you?” He lets out another chuckle. “You are such a charmer. Besides, venison tastes exquisite.”

“I’ll try it sometime.” You shrug, taking another bite of your pancakes. “When do you eat this.. deer meal of yours?”

“Oh, all the time. In fact, I’ll be on my way to have it for breakfast later.”

“What’s stopping you from going now?” You tilt your head, licking off the syrup on your fork. Alastor stares at the sight and smiles, genuinely.

“You are, darling. I certainly can't leave a guest unattended.”

“What? Is that why you’re always here for breakfast but won’t actually eat anything? To accompany me?”

“By all means, if I’m intruding, do let me know and I’ll leave.”

“What? No!” You immediately finish your last bite of pancake. “I just think it’s time I accompany you for breakfast, don’t you think?”

His ears twitch.

“Come along then, darling.”

…

“Hey, kid, you alright?” You feel Husk give you a soft nudge on the elbow.

Snapping out of your thoughts, you blink and come back to your senses, seeing everyone staring at you with worry laced on their faces.

“You can go back if you want to.” Charlie says. “No pressure being here, really.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay. I’m okay.” You say, immediately taking a big gulp of your pancakes. “I was just lost in thought.”

“Look out for yourself, aight, kid?”

“Yes, dad.” You joke. 

Suddenly, you feel a presence behind you, and you can already tell who it is.

You stiffen.

Everyone stiffens.

You feel him stiffen from behind you.

After a second or two, you feel the presence start to leave. Acknowledging the fact there were no open seats and he rarely came for breakfast, you let out a sigh and hoped you won’t regret this later on.

“Morning, Alastor.” It comes out barely a whisper, your eyes glued to your now empty plate. “I was just leaving, you can have my spot.”

“Thank you, darling.” He simply says, placing his plate down as you took yours and left towards the kitchen. You could hear his voice was audibly more tired and broken, but you couldn’t bear looking him in the eyes.

You finish washing your plate in the kitchen, and as you turn, you see Alastor, standing right in your face, nearly bumping into him.

“Jeez! You scared the shit out of me, Al.” You put a hand over your chest.

“Ah, sorry, darling.” He says, ears perking at the mention of the sweet nickname he secretly loved hearing. “It wasn't my intention to startle you.”

“It's fine.” You shrug it off, catching a glimpse of his gaze and immediately melting right into it. Fuck, you had to leave. Now.

“Dear, wait.” He calls after you, but you ignore him.

“Please. I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“And? Are you asking for forgiveness or what?” You sigh.

“I just hoped to apologise. I'm deeply sorry.”

“Okay.” You turn to leave. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“Darling, can we start over?”

“We can't get back to normal even if we both play pretend.” You don't bother turning to face him, your voice starting to shake. “None of this shit between us is cordial, Alastor.”

“But we're friends, dear-”

“Are we? Friends don't lie to each other and make one another sell their soul to them. Have a nice breakfast.”

Alastor shuts up, watching as your back turns the corner and like that, you're gone.

-----

“Alastor, how nice of you to join.”

“Valentino. Surprised you aren't taking care of the useless screen.” Alastor acknowledges.

“Vox didn't want to be here, so I thought I'd fill in.”

Alastor takes a seat next to Rosie as the overlord meeting continues on.

“Before we leave, Alastor, may we have an update on the girl?”

His eye twitches, gaze turning to face one of the overlords.

“I simply don't know what you're talking about.”

“Alastor.” They warn. “She's not just any soul.”

“Everything is fully under control, don't fret.”

“Just a reminder, Alastor~ If you fail, she's mine to take.”

“No need to remind me.” He smiles at Valentino, a bit too friendly.

Rosie sends Alastor a look.

Oh whatever is he going to do about this deal.

———/ TBC. /———

READ PART 3 HERE

Taglist : @musicalsundrop @for-hearthand-home @saeran-g @smoky000 @otherthoughtsofbu @letmebeagreekstatueyoumotherfuck @hudiexiaoying @prettyboychoso @thonethatflies620 @alastorssimp @impatiencepersistonthinstring @speaker15 @zq13 @starr11111 @fokrilove @aloraaaxcrystalzx @simps-for-to-many-people @siriuslyobsessedwithfiction @ohdarlingohdeer @sophiasrant @soyobi-wankenobi @karolinda007-blog @alastorsgirl48 @memymay @perrynina @john-kramer-0807 @preciousbabypeter @sugxryratz @polytheatrix @maksdust @96jnie @spirit-of-the-hollow @chirimeimei @itsukiestia @sky2lar (Tumblr hates me. I can't tag empty blogs (or is that a rule idk about?))

If you want to be on this fics taglist leave a comment! Please specify you want to be tagged or else I won't tag blogs that ask for another part cuz it doesn't seem polite- Thanks in advance <3

[hwanghyunjinenthusiast]

[22:45]

AN: Maybe I should actually challenge myself to write something with Josh being a genuinely nice/good guy lmao. Also, I finished and edited this while sleepy sooo.

General tags and warnings: Joshua Hong x Fem! Reader, roommates AU, enemies to enemies who fuck and cheating is brought up but, no actual cheating occurs.

Smut tags and warnings: Sadistic Dom! Joshua, masochist sub! Reader, edging (f. receiving), face slapping (f. receiving), Reader cries a bit, Daddy kink, thigh riding, degradation (f. receiving), humiliation (f. receiving), choking (f. receiving), Josh has a cheating kink sort of and dirty talk.

I will block you if you are a minor and/or have no easily visible indication of your age on your blog if you interact with me in any way.

You're late. You know you've been running late for some time now. The momentary vibrations you hear from your phone on the coffee table lets you know that your friends are likely wondering where you are. You can practically see Mingyu's frustrated face in your mind. 

“I'm sorry, am I boring you?” 

Joshua's sarcastic tone snaps you out of thoughts of your friends and all of the alcohol you're missing out on. A long anticipated night of catching up interrupted by your aggravating roommate and your inability to say no to him. 

“Shu–Shut up,” you hiss, digging your manicured nails into his broad shoulders. His responding chuckle lets you know that he couldn't care less about your little retaliation tactic. The large hand on your ass remains firm, forcing you to rock yourself on his dress pant covered thigh. The same thigh he's been edging you with for god knows how long. It's covered in your wetness. The evidence that you don't quite hate Joshua as much as you'd hoped. He doesn't seem bothered in the slightest that you're likely ruining his too expensive pants. His attention focused on making you ruin the panties he hasn't let you take off yet. 

“What?” He starts, flexing his thigh and delighting in the way you gasp and chase the more tangible friction it offers, “Are we going to pretend you don't get off to my voice now?” He asks, lidded eyes never leaving your face. Determined to drink in as many of your fucked out expressions as he can. 

“I don't–” 

A sharper gasp leaves your bruised lips when you feel the familiar smack of his hand on your cheek. It stings. Tears welling in your eyes while your pussy is forced to clench and unclench painfully around nothing and dribble more of your arousal onto him. 

The knot in the pit of your gut tightens when that same hand grabs your face, forcing you to meet his stormy gaze, “I thought you knew better than to lie to me,” he coos condescendingly, his thumb wiping away the few tears that spill from your eyes. Fuck. This is always the worst part. The juxtaposition. The pain radiating from your cheek coupled with the gentle way he touches your face makes your head spin and your clit throb. 

“I–I'm sorry,” you whimper out once the words find you. Grasping at his pristine button down while your hips chase the barest bits of friction his thigh offers. You can see his smile clear as day even through your teary eyes. If he wasn't such an asshole, you'd think it was cute. However, you learned a long time ago that nothing about Joshua is cute. Your nails dig into his shirt when he presses into your freshly slapped cheek, eyes glinting when you shudder on him and grind your pussy harder against his thigh. 

“I'm sorry what?” 

Embarrassment burns hot in your gut and, the shame mixed with the pain pushes you so close to cumming that you can taste it if you try hard enough. 

“Come on, are you really going to get all shy on me now?” He asks with a raise of his eyebrow, an expression that would look incredibly stupid on anyone else in this situation. You feel his blunt nails dig into the thickest part of your ass, halting your movements and you've never wanted to cry from frustration more. That would just get him off though. “You do know I can feel the way you're soaking and humping my thigh like a bitch in heat, right? We don't have to play this game.” He finishes, relaxing against your shared couch and waiting for you to just say it. 

You've said it before. You know you like it. Maybe he'll even let you finally cum if you do. The thought more than enough to send your walls fluttering and your heart hammering in your chest. 

“I'm sorry, Daddy.” 

His grip on your face grows harsh and he drags you into a messy kiss while his other hand relaxes and lets you continue riding his thigh. “See,” he pants against your mouth, his eyes heavy with want, “Was that so hard?” 

‘Yes. Yes, it was’ you want to snark back but, you know better. You know he wouldn't think twice about leaving you like this for days and not letting you cum until you're banging at his door and are forced to face his obnoxiously smug expression. 

“N–No, Daddy,” you pant, the tangled mess of tension in the pit of your stomach growing taut with every drag of your clit on him and, the way his fingers map their way down your face. 

“See, it's so easy when you shut the fuck up and do what I tell you to,” the sweetness in his tone makes your head spin, worsening the haze in your mind. Which isn't helped by his fingers wrapping themselves around your neck and applying pressure. You're pretty sure your eyes roll into the back of your head and your movements grow more desperate, more pathetic. 

“No cumming yet,” he orders into your ear, his other hand appreciatively kneading your ass. Despite your best efforts, a whine of frustration leaves your swollen lips and the glint in his eyes returns. 

“Are you complaining?” He drawls, pressing down harder and delighting in the way you quiver on his thigh and attempt to steady yourself with his broad chest.

“N–No, Daddy,” you rush out because you really don't know how much more of this you can take. You're so wet and swollen and, everything hurts. 

“Good,” he responds. “Maybe I should edge you for another hour,” the thought makes tears well up in your eyes and your stomach drop in a way that isn't wholly unpleasant, “Send you wet and aching to your little boyfriend,” he muses into your ear, thumbing your jugular. 

“He–He's not m–my boy ah friend,” you respond in frustration, hoping the image of your friend that pops up in your mind vanishes quickly. You'd rather not think about him right now. 

“You sure about that? The way he trails after you like a lost puppy would say otherwise.” 

“Ch–Cheol doesn't do th–that,” you huff, the knife in your gut twisting when he nips at your earlobe as you maintain a pace that doesn't send you careening over the edge before he permits you to. 

“You can't be that naïve,” he says with a smile, “He practically looks at you with hearts in his eyes. He'd be so crushed to see his precious girl getting wet from a few slaps and making a mess on my thigh,” he continues with faux sympathy for Seungcheol. He doesn't give you a moment to think about the idea of Seungcheol having feelings for you. Joshua has always been fond of pushing you just to see how you break. “I bet he'd treat you so nicely. Make love to you in missionary while whispering sweet nothing in your ear about how much he loves you and how pretty you are,” he whispers, “but you don't want that right? That's why you keep crawling back to Daddy. You want someone who'll treat you like the slut you are. Who'll choke you while you cry on his cock. Who'll make you call him Daddy knowing it makes you feel embarrassed. Who'll fuck you nice and hard until you're sore and leaking with cum.” 

You fucking hate him.

You hate the way your mind grows hazier with every gravelly word he whispers into your ear. You hate the way your pussy clamps down fiercely around nothing. You hate the way that you're so close and you need to fist his shirt in your hands just to help ground yourself and not cum because he hasn't said you can yet.  Air rushes to your brain almost too quickly for you to handle. His hand drifting from your throat to the apex of your thighs. You choke on a jumbled mess of ‘Daddy’ and ‘fuck’ when his thick fingers drag themselves along your ruined panties, “I have a much better idea. I'll send you to him with your pussy filled with my cum.”

Reblogs are greatly appreciated.

Do not repost, edit, copy and/or translate my work. I do not give you my permission to do so, nor will you ever receive it.

Seventeen Masterlist | Ko-Fi

[cerise-on-top]

Ooh, what if Price/Ghost/Gaz/Laswell came across their childhood best friend? Reuniting with reader who was there for them through thick and thin, until they joined the military and lost contact 🙏

I've been reading/re-reading some of your works!! They're so good! Also, I'm sorry those teenagers were pricks to you, hope you have some better days soon!

Hello! I have to say, I'm genuinely surprised anyone reads my rambles in the tags, I didn't think anyone would, but thank you! You don't know how much I appreciate it! Today was already a much better day, which is why I decided to write and post two requests today! This is a lovely request, very nice! Love me some platonic stuff as well! Sometimes all you need is a good friend by your side!

Price, Gaz, Ghost and Laswell Come Across their Childhood Best Friend

Price: He actually thinks about you from time to time, more often than he’d like to admit. You were a good person in his eyes, always there for him no matter what he went through, which is something he could appreciate. His childhood wasn’t particularly bad, but he had some days where he would have loved to simply throw in the towel, which is normal, though. Price was a rowdy guy when he was young, so you likely either went along with some of his ideas or were kind enough to talk him out of them. Either way, he appreciated having you around, so seeing you again would be quite the surprise, he didn’t think he ever would again. If he’s on a mission, then the talk will be kept short, but afterwards he’ll make sure to seek you out again, catch up a bit and ask you how you’ve been. Price didn’t expect to have missed you this much, but he only realized that once he saw you. You’ll either be going to one of the cafes you used to visit nearby, or maybe sit down on a park bench and maybe eat some sandwiches together, just like you used to during the good old times. Since you’d likely be around his age, so roughly 37-38, you’d have a lot to tell. Roughly 22 years you need to catch up on. He’s willing to talk to you, tell you about his career, how he's been doing, about the people he’s met and how he’s feeling. Considering this much time has passed, there’s a good chance you’ve both mellowed out quite a bit, but it isn’t unpleasant, you’re both mature people now. He likes hearing about everything you’ve accomplished, it’s like you became a new person during all those years. It’s so lovely to him, he sort of can’t believe it. Whether it’s a coincidence, or maybe you sought him out, it doesn’t matter, spending time with you again brings back all those memories he thought he had since forgotten about. He laughs, he smiles, he frowns. He’s a bit more expressive with you, but really wants to reminisce about the good old times. Even so, he hopes to be able to see you again more often, so you’ll likely exchange numbers. This time he tries to make sure to not lose contact with you and will text you every once in a while.

Gaz: When he was a child, Gaz was a lot calmer than he is today, a very quiet kid. He had always been a good boy, a gift in the eyes of many, but he wasn’t as active a child as one would imagine. Ergo he didn’t have very many friends until he became older either, but he was loyal to the few he did have. You were one of them. As you slowly started to grow apart, he started to miss you, but didn’t want to bother you either, as much as he would have loved to do so. So I’m sure you can imagine the surprise on his face when he found you at the mall the two of you would hang out in during rainy days. Gaz has become more confident, so he’d immediately walk up to you once he recognises you and start talking. Like Price, he’d be pleasantly surprised to just see you in such a mundane place, but won’t question it. Or complain about it either. In fact, if you’re not carrying anything heavy, he’d be the one to suggest going out to eat or drink something. Again, either a small and quiet cafe or a small restaurant. Maybe you’d go to a place you liked when you were kids, if it’s still open. Regardless, it’d be hard to get him to shut up with how excited he is to have you around. It’s a calm kind of excitement, but he’s happy, and that’s what’s important. It’s very likely that he’ll pay for your food, even if you insist he shouldn’t, but it’s not like he has any other use for his money. Chatting with him about the good old times is very sweet, he likes to bring up all the good things. But eventually, he’ll thank you for everything you’ve done for him and how happy he was to have you as a friend. Considering there were very few people who tried to get to know him, he was quite lonely, but you fixed that. You made everything better. From the pain on his knee when he fell as you gave him a band-aid, to the pain in his heart when the other children ridiculed him. Like Price, he’ll ask you if you want his number so you could continue to keep in contact with each other. He knows it’ll likely never be the same again, but he can pretend everything is as good as it used to be back when he was young. He’d love to spend time with you again.

Ghost: This man has had one of the worst childhoods imaginable. He was abused by his father, and the only friends he had aside from you were his mother and his brother. Barely anyone was kind towards him or accepted him considering he had always been the weird kid. No one but you wanted to spend time with him. Needless to say, Ghost had taken a liking to you when he was younger. You spent your time with him, you even defended him when some of the other kids ridiculed him. And now, 12 years later, he finds you running after a coin you accidentally dropped on the ground, bumping into him as you did so. He’d be wide eyed at first, a bit quiet as well. Once you left he never would have thought he’d ever find someone like you again, but here you were, just as quiet and surprised to see him. Ghost would pick up the coin for you and ask you how you’ve been. It had been a while. Although he’s not usually one to smile, especially not in public, you could see him faintly do so. He’s become a quiet man, so he won’t be talking too much about everything, especially not everything that happened after he joined the military, but he’s more than willing to talk to you about other matters. His life has become better over the past few years, but that doesn’t mean he isn't scarred still. He’ll offer you a walk to just about anywhere, really, even if the final destination will always end up being one of the places you used to hang out in as children. An abandoned house, a park, a mall. Manchester is a fairly large city, so there’s much to see. It would be a bit rough to catch up with him entirely, but he loves to hear about everything you’ve accomplished. You’ve become such a mature person, it warms his heart to see how far you’ve come in life. Back then, when everything was so bleak, when neither of you thought you’d see your 28th birthdays, everything was different. But now, you’re smiling at him as you’re drinking your milkshake. You seem to be better off, and so is he. It makes him nostalgic to see all of this, but he’s happy. Ghost will offer you to come to his home if you want. Even now, he still loves you dearly as a friend and couldn’t be happier about the fact he’s found you again by chance.

Laswell: When she was young she was a healthy mix of rowdy and good. While she never caused much trouble, she did stand up for herself when she needed to. However, this alone was enough to get the attention of some awful people. People either liked her or hated her, there usually was no inbetween for them. Some people did try to bully her, but it never ended well since she would fight for herself, plus she had some good friends who would do the same for her. However, none of them could compare to you, as you were her best friend. All her joys she would celebrate with you, and all of her sadness she would share with you. Back then, things were simpler, something small meant the end of the world, but you always had each other’s backs. Laswell tries to not think about you too much since you slowly drifting apart is quite painful to her. As she grew older, she learned to live with the pain and it didn’t bother her as much. Still, she was very happy when you were sending her a message after all this time. She may have been at work, but responded to you immediately, having missed you just as much as you missed her. Once you meet up it’s evident you’ve both grown a lot older. Laswell has been working for the CIA since her twenties, so it’s been almost thirty years. You have a lot to catch up on, but you take your time, eating at a fancy restaurant and spending hours there, laughing at everything that’s happened. Laswell would show you photos of all the places she’s visited during her downtime. She’s seen almost the entire world, some of it with her wife, some of it without her. Although she doesn’t usually tell people she’s married, to another woman too, she knows you’re a safe person, you’ve always accepted her as she was. Considering how happy you looked when you saw her wife, she continued to tell you about the world. But you get your chance to tell her about everything that’s happened to you as well. If the conversation goes especially well, Laswell might invite you to a few outings every once in a while, after you’ve met up a few more times. Plus you get to meet her wife eventually as well, which is a real privilege. Considering how much she loves her and wants to protect her, not many know about her. It’ll be fun either way since you get to make more memories together again.

[sanjisboyfie]

one piece smau: vacation edition

— strawhats being a cute friend group once again

— male reader, everyone having the tiniest crush on him too but thats only if u swuint (im a very selfindulgent writer sorry)

— also i imagine robin, franky and brook to be older than the rest of hte crew, but not like crazy older. its probably not really relevant, but like mid twenties insead of their thirties and forties LMFAOA the rest of the crew is young twenties

liked by ._.[name], princesanji, and 10k others

dni_nami: pre-7hr flight question, how long until we all start killing each other? everyone place your bets

tagged: ._.[name], freeluffy, and princesanji

uso_pp: we barely made it through the airport without losing luffy, so i'm placing my bet on one hour.

[liked by ._.[name], roro.zoro, and 20 others]

-> dr.law: i'm surprised you even made it through airport security....

-> freeluffy: TOORRAOO YOU SHOULD'VE COME IT WOULDVE BEEN SO FUNNNN!!!

-> dr.law: hard pass. good luck everyone else.

._.[name]: i think it's gonna be fine !!! what's the worst that can happen tbh

-> dni_nami: i could list 100 reasons why this is gonna go bad and all of them involve luffy.

-> robinkills: [name]'s right, i think this trip is going to be very fun !

liked by roro.zoro, robinkills, and 11k others

freeluffy: [name] rented bikes for us, but he won't let me drive :/

tagged: ._.[name]

SUPERCOLA: good job [name] for saving his life, much appreciated

dni_nami: i'm begging you two to not crash and make the expenses of our trip go up even more

-> princesanji: always thinking logically, nami, this is why i love you so much <333333333333333

roro.zoro: pick up some sake otw back

-> ._.[name]: yesyesyes we all know thats the only reason why you came anyway, i'll pick some up

-> roro.zoro: what. no way. i definitely wanted to be sat on a hours long flight next to luffy and be living in a small apartment with all of my friends who dont know how to speak quietly and wont let me sleep even when its already early morning. what. i am so excited to be here.

-> uso_pp: alright we get it please stop

liked by princesanji, SUPERCOLA, and 8k others

robinkills: thank you [name] for winning me the prizes :)

tagged: ._.[name]

._.[name]: anything for you robin <3 aka the person thats keeping all of us sane right now <3

princesanji: HOW DARE THIS BAFFOON STEAL YOU AWAY ROBIN PLEASE LET ME TAKE CARE OF HIM, I WILL MAKE SURE HE NEVER BOTHERS YOU AGAIN

-> uso_pp: when is sanji going to accept the fact that [name] is actually apart of this friend group and that he is also more favored by the women we interact with

-> ._.[name]: dw usopp he only puts on a hard front, he ltr begged me to room with him so he could cuddle w me at night. he's just being shy rn

[liked by dni_nami, roro.zoro, and 40 others]

freeluffy: [NAME] [NAME] DID YOU GET ME THEONE I WANTED TOO??!?!?! REMEMBER I SHOWED YOU

-> ._.[name]: yes luffy :) we are otw back and i have the one you asked for as well.

-> SUPERCOLA: [name] the absolute goat in dealing with luffy and his absurd requests so the rest of us dont have to

liked by freeluffy, roro.zoro, ._.[name], and 9k others

uso_pp: morning debrief where we all share embarrassing stories, like how [name] almost stripped completely naked drunk last night because an ice spice song was playing on the karaoke.

._.[name]: alright genuinely why the fuck did that have to be the caption you put on the internet for the whole world to see

-> roro.zoro: no dont be embarassed [name] it was funny watching you try and copy her signature pose

[liked by dni_nami, robinkills, and 90 others]

-> dni_nami: don't think about even crossing me in the future, i have a video of the whole thing bby

-> ._.[name]: GOD FORBID A GUY HAS FUN

skullnsoul: i found [name]'s dancing and singing quite endearing

-> ._.[name]: thank you brook :') you're so sweet

-> skullnsoul: yes, although i feel like you're much too old to be wearing underwear with hearts as the print, [name]. i suggest buying new pairs of boxers :)

-> ._.[name]: what the actual fuck

liked by princesanji, uso_pp, and 11k others

dni_nami: i really wish you could hear sanji cursing [name] outin this photo

tagged: princesanji and ._.[name]

._.[name]: me when im literally following the instructions that hes telling me and i somehow still get yelled at

-> princesanji: do you even understand hwo cooking meat works? everyone would have gotten salmonella and food poisoning if i didn't teach you how

->._.[name]: yelling is never the answer sanji

-> freeluffy: I THINK [NAME]'S COOKING TASTED REALLY GOOD

uso_pp: they acc cookeedddd tho like our food was so tastyyy

[liked by princesanji, ._.[name], and 9 others]

robinklills: sanji almost shoved [name]'s head into the griller, it was funny

-> ._.[name]: HE WHAT ??!?!?! I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT HE TRIED DOING THA TWHAT THE FUCK

liked by princesanji, ._.[name], and 12k others

roro.zoro: [name] told me to post this photo he took.

tagged: princesanji and ._.[name]

dni_nami: awww look all the boys finally getting along

[liked by robinkills, uso_pp, vivi, and 50 others]

-> princesanji: i would have much rather been in your presence my queen, i love you so much

-> ._.[name]: sanjii give up the bit for fucks sake

uso_pp: where was me and luffy's inv ??? ig its like that now ....

-> roro.zoro: you guys were playing mermaids in the pool at the apartment and explicitly told us to not interfere with your serious business

-> princesanji: and then you started getting mad at us for invitig you again right before we left

._.[name]: damn zoro u lookin mad fine in this photo shiiiitttt #smash

-> roro.zoro: i need you to make sure your door is locked later tn or else i cant promise you will wake up the next day

liked by dni_nami, vivi, roro.zoro, and 12k others

._.[name]: thank u nami for the photos

tagged: dni_nami

._.[name]: btw nami made me post this w that caption so it could "scare away the hoes"

-> dni_nami: im doing them a favor, they just dont know it yet cuz ur fucking insane

-> uso_pp: LMFAOAO

purrrona: can i bite it?

-> ._.[name]: BITE WHAT?????

-> purrrona: so is that a yes or a no?

-> uso_pp: professional dick rider alert !!!!

roro.zoro: why is your thirst trap the first thing i have to see when i open this app

-> ._.[name]: why are you acting like you weren't the first person to like this post???

[liked by dni_nami, robinkills, and 57 others]

portgasace: WHY THE FUCK WAS I NOT INVITED ON THIS TRIP?????

dr.law: id also like to thank nami for the photos

[thisliminalspacedaydreams]

hi mar! i hope it's okay to send an ask your way. i have two questions for you as a human person in the hp fanfic/fandom arena if you want to answer. you do not have to and i apologize now if i'm being annoying or bothering you!

(1) what drew you to the jegulus pairing? what is appealing about it to you that makes you want to write it? (this is a genuine question with zero judgement or snark. i am new-ish to fanfic writing and i am genuinely curious as i'm not too familiar with this pairing!)

(2) can you recommend a good started mauraders fic that is not all the young dudes cause that is so many words i don't feel ready for lol

thank you for taking the time to read this and i hope again i have not been a bother!

Hellooo bonjour of course, I love a good ask, and your questions are so cool and I really want to answer them <3, so you're absolutely welcome!

(1) what drew me to the jegulus pairing? what is appealing about it to me that makes me want to write it?

I really connected with Regulus, because how can a character with such good intentions fuck up so bad? He's a really interesting character with a lot of flaws, yet you can't help but feel kind of sorry for him? I think it's interesting that we know so little, but what we know is full of contradictions? Homeboy supposedly proudly took the Mark but then tried to destroy the horcruxes? What makes a person do such a 180? It kind of forces us to think about what makes a person turn to evil, and what are the levers of evil (family pressure, depression, not feeling like a worthy cause, etc...). And James spoke to me because he's kind of sensible and easily hurt and I visualize him as having a very deep and rich inner life, kind of like Regulus. When he gets hurt, he'll try to get over it, he'll be confrontational, he'll forgive... but he won't really forget? I don't really write James as a happy-go-lucky guy, I tend to give him a more serious vibe, but I like how many characterizations you can find of him!

The both of them are really similar, they just externalize it differently. They both want to be loved for who they are, both are misunderstood as being either always mean or always happy, and both are tired of being put into boxes. They can be themselves with each other, put all the ugly and unlovable parts on display...and still find ways to be loved by each other.

Obviously they're fake characters that don't exist, this is just my interpretation of them and why I like writing/reading them.

I like the idea that someone unlovable can be loved, despite. Maybe it gives me hope.

(2) can I recommend a good starter marauders fic?

I have never read all the young dudes, so you're not alone.

I think my first advice is, you don't have to read the popular fics. There are a few I have read, a few I haven't, but just because everyone raves about it doesn't mean it'll hit for you, so give yourself the freedom to pick and choose your own adventures.

I'm going to go on a little tangent here, but ao3 really is an archive, and every damn day I find gems that have less than 10K hits, sometimes less than 10 comments, that are the bees' knees.

I urge you to just go in ao3 and dig, my friend. Pull your ao3 tags and go on a rampage. Try all the tags you think would interest you.

Don't only trust the comments or the hits. Low or high hit/low comment means nothing. One of my fav fanfic ever sits at a cool 40K hits from 2017 and I believe God wrote it, I can't imagine a human out there in the world wrote this stuff.

My point is every single comment/hit is deserved, and you have "popular fics" that are fantastic and got a lot of love (and deserve them), and unknown fics that are fantastic and deserve a lot of love (and you're gonna need to dig to find them).

My advice is: search tags, start reading chapter 1, see if you feel it. Either click out, or enjoy your meal. Take chances. My god, the things you'll find.

That being said, here are a few recommendations that I really enjoyed, from different registers, so you can have a little pick and see if anything tickles your fancy:

ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking by inthesquare  and really any fics by @aboutnavi. The way she writes tickles a part of my brain that I really just--*sighs in love*. Ladies and Gentlemen is a fic she wrote for me, but I got to know her through : living in border lines (one of my absolutely favorite fics for no reason that I can pinpoint, just that it hits and I cried a lot). I recommend living in border lines to anyone with a pulse. It's sad and depressing, and it just takes 4k to get you there. But it's like, beautiful? ALSO in the ether, there is a website by her made me sob but in a positive, lovely way. She really said, I'm going to write something the way no one has ever written anything before, and did that.

Cat and Mouse by MissAmericanBi. I'm friends with @hihimissamericanbi but I can say without bias that this fic rewired my brain chemistry. I was blushing and I think Celine has 36 pics of me in shock as I read it. O.O. It's smut. There's a cat. Her Regulus won my heart. 10/10 reading experience.

It's a question of where, not when by Idontthinkthats_pumpkinjuice realllllyyyy took me there. I don't know there's something about the CONCEPT that I just thought was really cool and fun and original. It has become a sort of comfort fic for me. It's so weird, I love it.

Tarte Tatin by veryinnovative (@veryinnovative) I started reading this when I was in Japan and I was experimenting with strange and wonderful food, and the story sucked me in. I've never watched the media it was inspired by, but the fic is chef's kiss.

Choices by MesserMoon (@sophsicle) was the fic that dragged me kicking and screaming into the fandom. It's not really fun, nor happy (but it has light-hearted moment. Like, they really try to be happy you know?). I loved everything about it. All their fics are great--just know you'll suffer reading most, but you'll be happy about it.

quite like us by alarainai was the fic that dragged me out of the deep dark hole Choices put me in. It's fun, it's fluffy, it's cute, it healed me. All their fics are great if you want to be happy and have a good time and look at life and think "Thank god I'm alive".

The Mystery of the Pears by sonwar. I'm currently reading this one, and I've been having a lovely time.

If I had to recommend one fic to read from my collection, it would be Le Mange Dieu et le Dévoreur de Mondes. I think you can really tell from the writing how much fun green and I had writing this. I'm extremely proud of what we did there, enough that we both got the name tattooed on our bodies last summer (don't do that. We both have lots of tattoos so we weren't bothered, but don't do that. don't tattoo fic names on your body. It's madness)

Anyway, I urge you not to take these as the gospel truth. It can be a starting point, but there are thousands of amazing writers out there with fics updating, or completed, just waiting for you to find them. I'm mostly writing, so I haven't read any fics from the Marauders fandom in a while. I don't know what's been thrown out there in the past few months, I'm sure there are so many gems!

Enjoy your adventure!

[potter-head-phanatic]

Word count: 911 Masterlist Tag List xx

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jake and Y/N stood outside of their fathers apartment door after he bailed on them, once again. She could see how tense her brother was, from the frown on his face to the clench in his fist. Polar opposite to how he usually felt. "I have to, or hes going to keep doing it" She whispered an okay before giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, letting him know that she was right there with him, before knocking on the door. A few moments later, the door opened and Roger Peralta looked surprised to see them. "Jake! Y/N! I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the party" he started to say and Y/N could already feel an excuse coming, "I'm subbing for a buddy who's got an early flight, I'm sure you're upset" There it is. "No, actually. I'm not upset at all" She wanted to say something, but Jake was finally standing up for himself and she wasn't going to stop him. "yeah? great" She wanted to wipe the stupid smile off his face, not believing he could be this clueless to think Jake actually wasn't upset. "No, more relieved. You know you were always my hero, but i think i'm finally starting to see you for who you really are. A regional airline pilot whose landings are bumpy as hell and a pretty selfish guy who genuinely doesn't care about being a dad" She couldn't be more proud of her brother and agreed with every word he just said. "Jake, you don't understand. There was a downdraft on the drummondville runway." The Peralta patriarch kept looking at Y/N out of the corner of his eye, feeling uncomfortable under her glare. "It's not my fault" It never is. "Look, i've been making excuses for you my whole life, no matter how many times Y/N told me not to. But you're a pretty crappy father, and until you're ready to be a good one, don't call me" Y/N wanted to jump for joy. She couldn't remember the amount of times she envisioned this moment happening, and to see the shocked expression on their fathers face made it worth the wait.

"Also, im taking your captains hat cause it's cool and I want it" Jake spoke as he reached into the apartment, grabbing the hat from the table that was beside the door, before putting it on. "Go on without me. I'll meet you outside, there's something I need to say" He looked at her as if to say, are you sure? After a reassuring nod, he gave his sisters shoulder a squeeze before heading down the hallway and making his way outside. Not before sending one final glare towards Roger. Y/N waited till she didn't hear Jakes footsteps anymore before turning towards her father once again. "You really messed up this time" Roger went to defend himself, but she held a hand out, not letting him get a word out. "Save it. You're always full of excuses" Y/N couldnt hold her anger back much longer. Years of pent up rage just threatening to burst free. "Jake has been nothing but loving towards you. Even when you don't deserve it. And you show up all of a sudden acting like you want to spend time with him, when all you want to do is use him for your own selfish gain. You should be ashamed of yourself!" "Now hold on..." "I'm not done" He shut his mouth quick enough, surprised at the way his daughter was speaking to him. Y/N was finally letting all of her feelings out and it was making her feel lighter and lighter by the second. "I have spent my whole life trying to protect Jake, and I would like to think i've done a damn good job. So if you don't get serious about being in his life, dont bother coming back. It doesnt matter to me, i've gotten used to you disappointing me, but i'll be damned if I let you hurt him again" Roger Peralta had never felt so put in his place before, but there was also a small feeling of pride. Knowing just how much his children cared for one another. He couldnt think of anything to say, but it didnt matter. Even if he did, he watched as Y/N turn around and walk away at a fast pace, wanting to get away from him as fast as possible. When she got outside, she saw her brother sitting on the front steps of the building with his head in his hands. She carefully approached him and sat beside him on the cold steps, lightly nudging his arm. "Hey, dont think about him, we're better off" He tiredly ran his hands down his face while letting out a long sigh, "I'm so dumb, how could I not see this coming" "Hey, youre not dumb" she protested as she wrapped her arm around is shoulders, not wanting him to feel bad about himself, "you're just a hopeful person, thats a good quality to have" He looked over at her with a small smile, "What did I do to deserve an amazing sister like you" "I dont know, something amazing in a past life" They both laughed before standing up and heading to Y/Ns car, heading back to Shaw's bar where their work family was waiting for them.

[dootznbootz]

hello, sorry it's me again, you've basically become my comfort blog-

I was on reddit and out of curiosity typed in "Circe rant" because idk, I was feeling salty about the book.

I saw a post that had some legitimately good reasons and indicated that this is all just the person's opinion.

But when I checked the replies everyone was just disagreeing with them and being very rude?

Like, they complained about how the book doesn't feel feministic because Circe isn't that likable of a character? And then half the replies were "Uhh she's supposed to be morally gray" "I disagree, Madeline told her story very well." "What gave you the impression this book was supposed to be feministic??"

(Disregarding half the reviews on the cover are calling it a "great feministic piece")

I was kinda pissed so I went to post my own thought about why I really dislike Miller's take on Circe. And 80 present of the replies were just flaming me-

Some guy said people can interpret her anyway they want because she's not real. Someone said I should be more humble and that I just don't like Circe as a character (which is not true). And so on.

Something I've seen is that the Circe book fans are so sensitive good god- Whenever someone criticizes their book they go full defensive mode. Trying to reason with you when most of the time you're the one who actually knows more about the actual character-

They act like all of our concerns on the book actually have a reason and make sense? Honestly, props to us for being bold enough to voice our concerns on a book that basically has a cult following-

Again, really sorry for coming here to bother you. I'm just salty and I genuinely really like your takes

That's really sweet that you feel safe and comfy on my blog. That's what I'm trying to be. Thank you 🥹

You're not bothering me <3 I can understand being salty about the book. It makes me salty too. It's why it's honestly good to block the tags and avoid most of that stuff. Make friends and find the community that actually understand what actually went down in the Odyssey and what happened to Odysseus. There are plenty on here! :D Also quite a few who have really neat and fun stuff about Odyssey Circe while still being respectful of Odysseus!

I don't recommend trying to fight with these folks. It's frustrating but they're not gonna change their mind. As they don't want to. Inform and educate sometimes especially if people ask but don't waste so much energy on it. It's not good for you. It's okay to vent and rant but I don't recommend searching it out. <3 You'll just stress yourself out :D

I think the book is almost like, the most "basic angry feminist shlock in a bland and easy to consume can for pre-teens" book, you know? And that's why so many people cling to it. I can see SOME people taking comfort in the anger maybe?? But idk. Anyways it has so many classic "YA shit". Girlboss who has "no flaws and can do no wrong" who actually isn't a very nice person (what's with so many characters being so mean and moody???), the mean, MEAN men who are just soooo awful to her and try to push her down. The other women who are just slutty and so dumb. They don't get it. etc. etc.

I think it's a lot of younger fans who are JUST starting to see a lot of "adult shit" and it's scary so it's nice to have...idk this?? I don't understand it. As I was never really one to be into that or really even behave that way. Odysseus is much relatable and hopeful as insane as that is.

[drop-dead-dropout]

NEW USERNAME local-queer-disappointment -> drop-dead-dropout

unpinning my other post because i want to talk a little about me and this space that i've created! hi i'm alex and i dropped out of high school twice lol

i think a dni is stupid because people never listen anyways, which is why i haven't had one, but i still see the value in at least telling people who this little corner is for.

also YELL AT ME ON DISCORD I'M woahits_alex.mp3 IF U ASK ME ABOUT FIC RECS FOR MY FANDOMS I'LL CRY WITH HAPPINESS

anyways opinion stuff under the cut. you don't have to read it, and you don't even have to listen if you do, but i might argue with you (<- serial arguer) so if you want to avoid the Discourse here ya go.

you are welcome here:

- ALL queers. trans men, trans women, nonbinary, intersex, poc queers, xenogender, "contradictory" labels like mspec gays/lesbians lesboys/turigirls/sapphileans (omg it's me!!), slur reclaims, detransitioners (who are not transphobic), mspec lesbians, aro/ace and all variations thereupon, unlabeled, questioning, etc. i love all of you. i love the community that we share. we are family, whether or not some of us want to be, and exclusionism is Not Funky Fresh!!

- pro Palestine!! i don't always rb posts as much as i used to (i am scared of spreading misinformation) but i think i'll start doing that again! (don't forget your daily click guys)

- jewish people. i am specifically adding this one to say that because of the shitty Everything, i've seen a lot of concerning antisemitic stuff recently so i'm just, yk, putting this out there.

- disabilities/cluster b disorders/systems/AAC users. i am not any of these things so if i say/do something out of line please tell me! but i love you guys and you're absolutely welcome here.

- proshippers (if this bothers you block and move on)

- furries. not personally one of y'all but i think you're neat and you make cool art :]

- literally, like, anyone, as long as you're not a dick

you are not welcome here:

- terfs, transphobes, exclusionists, anti-mspec, anti-lesboy, and people who think transandrophobia is "fake" or whatever. go away i don't like you (or at least be prepared to be blocked or yelled at)

- similarly to last, anyone who starts queer infighting or hates on less visible queers/strangers who don't "look" queer, the whole "bi girl's straight bf" nonsense (i don't care if you think someone is cishet. you have no way of knowing that. let's stop hating people for immutable characteristics and start having thoughtful criticisms of people's actions thanks)

- ZIONISTS. BYE BYE

- (but also antisemites because come on now let's notttt. judiasm ≠ zionism)

- ableists, fatphobia, racists/bigots, general dickheads

- antishippers (again, you can either leave now or expect to be argued with)

other general stuff:

- i accept anonymous asks! and also non anonymous ones. ask me shit idk

- i am autistic and VERY gullible. if i reblog a "bait" post, or something that's clearly fake or a joke with a genuine reaction, i'm probably not playing some 5d irony chess i'm probably just stupid. sorry y'all i'm trying :\

- i don't rb nsfw. not as, like, a rule, i just don't see the value in doing so lol. if i ever did i'd tag it and probably update this

UPDATE: thought i should clarify, i don't rb nsfw but i do rb nsfw humor, like dick jokes and stuff. hope there's no confusion

- i argue with people!! i enjoy arguing with people!! usually it's in replies and not reblogs but still. if you are allergic to stuff like that maybe don't follow me? i also rb "discourse" posts, mostly transmasc support stuff and callouts of transandrophobia, general solidarity stuff with the trans community or lgbt community as a whole, proship stuff, politics, current events, that kinda thing.

- this is, shockingly, supposed to be a fandom blog! (i got carried away; i always do.) current fandoms include: ace attorney (the one this blog was supposed to be about), doctor who (childhood hyperfixation come back to bite my ass), and splatoon (no excuse). also mha is basically my abusive boyfriend stockholm syndroming me to stay at this point but i'm trying to get better (not). you can find the records of my failing recovery at @alex-is-losing-sleep-over-krbk /hj (i also sometimes shamelessly rb this blog's posts over there lol)

and i guess since i'm mentioning fandoms, here are my fav ships: wrightworth, klapollo, franmaya, thoschei, pearlina, agent 24, & cuttletavio.

anyways, that's about it. love you all :]

[tell-me-a-tale-that-tells]

Little Prey

+18 if you're a minor do not read this

─━━━━━━⊱༻ 🔴 ༺⊰━━━━━━─

Summary:

Scratch finds a prey to play with.

Warnings:

Knife play, roleplay, blood kink, explicit language, explicit sex scenes.

Notes:

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️

Okay, sorry, this is not a thing I usually do and I know it's I'm the tag, but I want to be precise that everything that happens in this fic is staged by Scratch and the girl he picks up, it's consensual even if maybe not so safe, but they're safe and sound at the end!Sorry again, I just want you to stay safe!Love ya!

─━━━━━━⊱༻ 🔴 ༺⊰━━━━━━─

He stalked her for some time, knowing now her route, her habits.

The night is a clear and chilly one, he waits in the dark, and the cold doesn't bother him as he lights up a cigarette.

Smoking is a bad human addiction, such as drinking alcohol but he can't deny it to himself from time to time.

He is that fucker's doppelganger, after all, they like almost the same things.

Almost.

Scratch likes killing above everything else.

He waits some more, the faint red light of the cigarette is the only marker that there's someone in the dark corner, near the rear exit of the building.

The door opens and she steps out, locking it behind her with a key, with her bag on one shoulder she approaches her car.

The prey is about to fall into the trap.

The young woman is trying to start her vehicle, and the headlights flicker before going out.

"C'mon you old girl" he hears her say.

But her car won't start. It simply can't.

Someone must have changed her perfectly working battery with a flat one.

What a pity.

He arrives, casually walking into the parking lot, with stolen keys in hand, and pretending to search for his, he looks at the logo on the keys, Mazda.

He makes sure that she can see him, but he ignores her like he didn't hear the engine failing to start about five times.

She opens the door and shyly calls for him. 

"Excuse me, sorry to disturb you but my car won't start. I don't understand much about this sort of thing. Can you check it, please?" she's so polite and genuine.

Scratch makes his better good guy face, smiles warmly, and accepts to help her, or at least he fakes to do it.

He opens the engine roof and pretends to search for a fault, he finds one because it's the one he puts there.

Convincing her to take her home takes some time, she's a cautious and conscious type of girl, and she knows it's bad to accept a lift from a stranger.

Oh, but he looks so kind, so handsome too.

She rides in the passenger seat, she likes to talk and he listens to her all the time, not missing a word because you can't never know what's useful in the future. 

Knowing if your victim has someone who can look for them if they won't show up or won't come home.

She's alone, he already knows, except for a cat.

The young woman is feeling comfortable he can say by her body language, she's used to talking to strangers with the kind of work she does.

A waitress at a restaurant,  the kind of place where everyone knows everyone and you can expect the same people every day for twenty years straight.

He drives carefully, respecting the segnaletics is fucking boring but he makes an effort for her.

She only gets suspicious when he tells her that he knows a shortcut.

Suddenly the car feels claustrophobic, she eyes the door handle realizing that it won't open until the car moves, there's a tick fog outside and she would get lost in no time if she tried to escape, not knowing where to go.

Scratch begins to have real fun, he can sense her fear and distress but outside she looks calm.

"We should have arrived yet," she tells him.

"It's because of the fog, I can't risk it" he answers and he seems honest, just he's not.

The car slowly enters a parking lot, the gravel under the wheels it's the only sound besides the engine, which stops when Scratch turns the key.

"This isn't my home," she tells him and a dark chuckle bubbles up in his throat.

"Of course, it's not, sweety" he smiles now, but it's not the same as before, it's predatory and wicked.

There's a big neon sign above them "Oceanview Motel & Casino" It says, its old and vintage style and casts an unsettling light on its surroundings.

He gets out of the car, and opens the door for her too, like a gentleman on his first date.

She steps out and he half expects her to run away screaming,  they usually do that or pray to him to take them home, that they won't go to the police.

Scratch is proud of himself because he chose well this time, he likes it when his victims have that false state of calm, she is trying to show him she's not afraid.

Just for the measure, he takes a knife out of his waistcoat's inside pocket, lets it shine, and reflects the red light from the sign.

She doesn't even flinch.

Somehow a small hotel like that one has so many rooms that it is the 666, and he escorts her inside.

The room is very small and dimly lit, there's just a double bed, a drawer, and a weird old TV.

There's a chair too she notices and a rope neatly folded on its seat.

Scratch watches her begin to lose control, she understands now the end she will make.

He imagines her dying alone in a squalid motel room with no one other than her murderer, her blood will stain the old cheap moquette.

Scratch sits on the edge of the bed and cards his fingers through his slicked-back hair, he likes it better that way than the pathetic look his doppelganger has.

That man has no taste. Except for women. 

He rolls up his sleeves even if he knows he will stain his clothes anyway and eyes her sideways. 

She's still like a salt statue, her back pressed against the chipped wooden surface of the door, breathing a bit faster.

"Will you hurt me?" she finally asks.

"Of course, yes" he answers smiling, his white teeth showing up menaciously.

"Are you going to rape me?" she asks again.

He furrows his brows "All these questions...just now? Do you want to ruin my mood?" he sighs, pissed "No I won't,  I'm a killer but I have my fucking limits, you know?"

Scratch sees her tense more than she was before.

"Unless it's what you want" he casually says, checking the sharpness of the knife.

He always liked sharp things, guns are not his style. With those he can kill of course but it is the thrill of finding blood gushing and staining his hands that he's after.

"I could not deny a last wish. I'm an honourable man" he is closer to her now, pushing her more against the door.

"My last wish is returning home" she sobs knowing it's a desire he won't grant.

The blade dances across the delicate skin of her neck "Do you wanna know why I chose you?" he asks, cutting a tin red line that merely bleeds.

She shakes her head, cautiously, the knife is still pointed at her throat.

"Because I just knew you would look so pretty when you're crying. I believe red is your colour, what do you say?" He cuts again, more deeply this time, drawing blood even if not much.

A drop of blood descends to stain her white blouse, and at the same time, tears start falling from her eyes ruining her cheap mascara.

Scratch knows his way with a blade in his hand, he cuts the buttons of her blouse, little pearly white disks that fall into the ground almost without a sound.

He admires her heaving chest, filled with fear and anguish, her pretty round breasts look deliciously soft.

He engraves a small X on one of them and then sucks the blood from it, she squeals as he licks up at the wound and smiles.

He could hear her heart drumming wildly.

"If I let you fuck me, would you let me go?" she suddenly asks, out of breath but full of hope, she feels he's hard against her leg.

"What makes you think that I want you?" he chuckles darkly.

Scratch starts to think about all the things he could do to her and can't decide on a single one to start, he wants to destroy her and ruin her for any other person who might come after him.

Using all her holes and making her make such pretty little noises and screams.

All of a sudden Scratch dumps her on the bed and tears her clothes away from her body,  snapping her panties to pieces with his bare hands.

The young woman doesn't know what to do with her hands, she tries to cover herself, and the moment after she tries to reach for him, to push him away or pull him in.

He remains out of touch, kneeling on the edge of the bed noticing the damn thing is too soft, he slowly removes his waistcoat and rolls up the sleeves of his white shirt.

He forces her legs open, finding not much resistance on her part, skin delicate and warm flesh, It gets warmer as his fingers descend from the firm grip on her ankles down to the inside of her thighs.

One look at her face and he discovers that her pretty make-up is ruined by tears streaming down her cheeks, just her lipstick is still on point.

He wishes he could ruin it more pleasantly, like shoving his cock down her throat, but there's no time, he smudges it with his thumb, collecting the red pigment and drawing a line on her lower belly.

"I think...once I'll be inside you I'll reach this point here," he says, looking down at his action.

There's a line from her clit to seven or eight inches above it, she stares at it shakenly and confused and he's sure she doubts his calculations, after all some men lie about this sort of thing. 

He pushes into her, one, then two, then three of his long fingers.

She doesn't protest but he knows that he is starting to create pain, scissoring and scraping at her thighs walls with his blunt nails.

It is so hard to resist that dark little voice in his head that tells him to just start jackhammering.

His fingers leave her softness and he sticks them in his mouth, moaning at the taste.

Having the right amount of time he would eat her out for hours without even getting tired, the sweet flavour could save a starving man.

He fumbles with his zip for a second, shoving his hand into his trousers, dragging his hard cock out.

He rests it on her belly, right above the red line, covering it entirely, he smiles smugly.

Draping himself on her body, he stares attentively at her face while his long length enters her. He's halfway in when the voice in his head wins, he snaps his hips filling her.

Her mouth is moving, she's gasping for air, but nothing comes out.

He's buried so deeply he swears he could feel her heart beating on the tip of his cock and all he wants now it's to rearrange her insides.

The pace Scratch sets is slow but brutal, he withdraws almost completely leaving in just the head, and then slams back in, so hard she can feel the burn of him ripping through her pussy and up to her womb.

He thrusts again and again, each time pushing more of himself into her until the push almost makes her hit her head on the headboard.

As his teeth scrape against her neck, she curls her arm around his shoulder and tightens her body around him, urging him on.

There's merely a moment where they lock their eyes together, lips almost touching, but it's soon over, Scratch hides his face on her shoulder.

She screams when he bites down, drawing blood and severely damaging her skin, which will scar her for sure.

"Ah please, it hurts too much" she sobs but he doesn't know if she is referring to the bite, the iron grip on her hips, or the pussy he's destroying.

"You take it so well. Ah! Did you just get tighter? You dirty little girl" he teases her, his voice rasping and broken by the pleasure.

"Want me to keep talking?" she moans loudly unable to stop herself  "Oh yes you like it. You like having me ramming into your squelching tiny cunt" 

He's not lying, the sound her body makes it's pornographic, her hole so wet that drenched the sheets underneath.

"I'm going to plunge my cum so deeply, you're gonna feel it there for days"

He closes his eyes and releases the first jet of cum, pounding his hips into her hard.

Her walls start to quiver around him and she comes shouting and squirming, head thrashing from side to side and nails buried in the skin of his shoulders.

He doesn't want to stop.

Scratch pulls back and then slams his hips forward, spurt after spurt shooting into her womb, pumping into her, watching her face, and lacing his hand in her hair.

He preserves, enjoying the slick slide of his fluids, fucking out the cum he fucked in a minute prior making it drip down to her other hole.

Her breathing is ragged, and her eyes are glazed over, and unfocused, her legs are still shaking.

Two digits sneak between them, drawing lazy circles on her clit and she tries to push him away, the pleasure mixing with pain once more, she's still too sensitive.

"Please stop, I can't go on" she cries.

"Do you want to leave this place on your legs or in a black plastic bag?" He chuckles darkly, retrieving the knife.

"I...I don't... " she struggles with the words while the blade cuts a long line between her breasts.

"CAULDRON!!" she shouts.

Scratch let go of the weapon immediately, kneeling up with his hands held high near his head.

"Fuck! Are you ok?" he asks.

"Yes, sorry. You cut too deep" she replies.

Scratch finally pulls out, hissing at the sensation of leaving her well-abused hole, gaping and dripping.

He opens a drawer, takes a medical kit, and passes it to her waiting hand "You were about to forget the safeword?" he mocks her.

"It's not my fault you fucked my brain out!" she chuckled and then hissed when the disinfectant makes contact with her wounds.

"You said the same thing last week, I should print it and hang it on the wall" 

Her legs are still spread, bent, and slick with sweat, and Scratch glances between them, and ponders about having a smoke instead.

But he can't resist any longer he lays on his stomach and lowers his head between her thighs, licking her clean, 

when he begins to suck at her clit he feels her hands carding through his dark locks, caressing his scalp.

"Aren't you a big hungry boy?" She giggles "Come here now, I need to rest"

"Cuddles? Really? Shit, you're domesticating me..." He however does as she tells him, rolling to a side beside her, letting her come closer and snuggle against his chest.

"Goodnight little prey, dream of my next hunt" he whispers as she drifts off to sleep.

[otomes-and-tears]

Hey so its the first time I ever request something but I don't have money to buy the xod dlc and I'm craving bae content atm.

How about like how would he react or act with a gn reader who isn't that much of a jerk but is best friends with JB and also fits perfectly his, at least physical, type? It can be a headcanon, one shot or whatever you want, I just really wanna read something about him lmao

♦ Bae with someone who's his type ♦

► tags/warnings:

► words: 756

► A/N: OMG A BAE REQUEST! I LOVE BAE. HE'S ONE OF MY FAVE GUYS I WAS SO EXCITED TO WRITE THIS!!

► Masterlist

Bae is the kind of person who deeply admires aesthetics;

He has dozens of different frames for his glasses just so that he can match them to his designer clothing;

So finding someone who fits his exact type would pique his interest;

Not enough that he’d stop being a snobbish wimp, of course;

But as someone who likes admiring cute things he’d make some effort to be around you more often;

He doesn’t even try to be subtle about it;

He’d find excuses to talk to you and give you the occasional compliment, although with his permanently sarcastic tone of voice and general attitude it’s really hard to tell if he’s being genuine;

And because he’s Bae, of course, he’d condescendingly give you advice;

Even more often than he does to most people, actually;

He’d suggest you style your hair in a specific way or another because it “looks better”;

And if you indulge him and wear your hair that way the following morning… Well, I’m sorry, but he’d take it as permission to act as your personal stylist;

He’d keep recommending specific hairstyles and outfits to you and if you didn’t wear them he’d be very patronizing about it;

Oh, and Bae would act like what he’s doing is a huge favour to you instead of the reality, that is that he thinks you’re cute and acts like you’re his doll;

If you manage to be best friends with JB, it means you have a high tolerance for people with huge egos, so being around Bae isn’t really that challenging;

JB would be happy to be able to spend time with both of you and would gladly welcome him hanging around;

Enough that JB, Bae and you become a little trio;

Other students at SSB will either think you’re a saint or be incredibly worried about your sanity for hanging around the jerks willingly;

But what can you say? Even if JB’s constant flirting with Bae bothers you a little, spending time with them leads to some very amusing situations, so it isn’t bad at all;

By the way— being the object of Bae’s interest and befriending him will lead to him giving you a few special nicknames, that he wouldn’t use when annoying talking to other people;

Oh, and regardless of your relationship being romantic or entirely platonic;

If he sees you in cute pyjamas he’s going to go absolutely feral;

I think the special nicknames are the point where JB would be 100% sure that he has a crush on you;

Sure, he acts a little different towards you, but the way he treats you is similar to how he’d sometimes treat Jeremy, another person he finds to be incredibly cute;

So she wouldn’t assume it to be romantic initially;

But when he calls everyone the same few nicknames it kind of stands out when he calls you something different;

She has an eye for gossip, and would start reading too much into every single interaction she witnesses between you;

And yeah, JB might have a bit of a crush on Bae (He’s an attractive jerk and therefore fits her criteria) but in a rare display of compassion, or maybe morbid curiosity as to how it’d play out, she decides to play cupid;

But, like Bae, JB is allergic to the idea of subtlety;

She would straight up tell you that she knows you have feelings for him and she thinks he very obviously likes you too;

And would proceed to feed you information about Bae;

Things that she learned from attending Jerksquad meetings and information Shiloh gathered for her;

Bae would not make a move until he’s forced to;

Being exactly his type wouldn’t change that, so unless you want to start dating him after graduating high school, making a move would be up to you;

He just thinks high school romances are silly and he intends to date to marry so he doesn’t want to waste time on something like this if it isn’t going to be serious;

And I do think his massive ego would kind of make him avoid a scenario in which he’s possibly rejected;

Anyways— if you do end up in a relationship, I don’t think that much would change;

Only that his insistence on dressing you up would grow and he’d go as far as to buy you outfits and accessories to wear;

He does have way too much money at his disposal and I think he’d genuinely have a lot of fun with it!

[tubbytarchia]

You don't have to publish this ask but I just need to vent to someone who might understand, cause like, I'm over here like "I don't like fh or scott sorry, I promise though I won't talk about it or maintag just letting you know so you don't waste time since I know there's overlap between us, also I have a lot of interesting ideas about them still but I won't talk or write about them because I know that would make some of you upset and more than anything else I want everyone here to have a fun time and ship and let ship <3" and these unproblematic only fh fans will turn around and be like "oh so you're homophobic? You're the most annoying person on the planet? You're just trying to start a ship war? You're the problem with fandom" like BITCH?! Never met people so determined to make their actually quite comparatively good and healthy fandom toxic

This is where it stops being funny and actually genuinely really upsets me, is that very few people dare to talk about "toxic" Flower Husbands, let alone maintag it (and they should be able to! Because it's not fucking hate? Its valid discussion and expression of opinion that doesn't attack anyone). A few people have been more vocal about it recently and I've seen more people besides you come forth NOW, because you didn't want to upset anyone or get shittalked etc in the past for holding a different opinion to the overwhelming majority. I know people who've joked "am I just insane? Am I just stupid for seeing something here that everybody else is vehemently against?". There's evidently people who have just shut up because otherwise they'll get burned at stake, or they stay in their own little circles

And then a few too many FH posts that dare even imply any negative qualities about FH from a character standpoint get a little bit seen, and suddenly FH tag is full of 10 people defending their ship's honor because how dare you!! The way these people are so fucking volatile about fuck-all upsets me so much. Like, haha, we've been proven right I guess! You DO get burned at stake. These people probably aren't even bothering to read any such FH interpretations if they even SEE any, and don't just see 5 other posts claiming "oh my god can people just shut up about toxic FH and write characters breaking up for NORMAL reasons" (genuinely baffling concern that I've seen like at least 3 times btw??) that just leads them to believe that this is a wide-spread "problem" that needs neutralizing? They take even the thought of such posts as personal attacks that prohibit them from shipping FH for some reason? Like dude I fucking dig FH? Just for not always the same reasons as the majority but I guess I've sinned and shouldn't be allowed to speak lol. And these people don't HAVE to read interpretations they don't like, goddamn, look past?? Block if it hurts you that much?? As you said, the Tumblr traffic fandom is largely really kind and healthy so I can't fathom where the hell these guys come from. And then they proclaim the people who have largely shut up or kept to themselves "the problem", and that's the exact response that has been feared lmao

sorry. Long answer but fuck. I'm so sorry anon. The Flower Husbands scene is truly miserable if you dare think of them as anything other than cuddly and cute and teasing at most. Your interpretation is invalid because. ? homophobia I guess lmao

[emeraldoo]

HEY! HEY!! LOOK AT ME!!

LE MEH!!!

hi, my name is bastion!! i have lots of other names im ok with tho, like bb, b, 8, shiver, weird, etc! im not ok with the nickname EM or EMERALD!

i am a zombie, jumping spider, maned wolf kin and fict kin Shiver from spl3 <3 i am also NOT a minor!!!!!! 18 yrs :•)) im also a rogue of mind!! (homestuck hoe.)

i am a trans male! i use he/xe/it prns! currently questioning my romantic attraction (pretty sure im bi-gay), but i am asexual!

i am the host in the zipties system, a did system!! some of the head mates have their own blogs, which ill tag :•)

i am audhd, gad, ocd, and a general cluster b pd haver!! i also have some delusions from ~an unkown disorder~ so! working thru some stuff still!

HERE IS MY COHOST!! please please PLEASE follow me on here bc it is my current fave social media :)))

MY INTERESTS!!!!!!!

SPLATOON AUGHHHHH most of my blog is splatoon....

i freaking LOVE nnsg :•3333 the anime of ALL TIME!!

SCIENCE!!!!!!! i plan on majoring in microbiology and synthetic biology but i luv ALL science!!

MUSIC/BAND!! i play euphonium and play in marching band and concert ensembles <3

i luvvv itsv and atsv and all of the spiderverse stuf!!!!!! my fave spider in spider man india btw.!

GUILD WARS 2 AIUGHHJJJHHH THE BEST EVER ACTUWLLY. PLAY IT PLAY IT RNNNN

ALTERS!!

not all of our alters choose to make profiles, and we arent going to force them to make them. if you need to know them, just send a DM or ask

* = written by alter

BASTION (☘️): DAS ME BITCH! im the host and core of the system >:•D i am the main guy in this blog soooo ya. (he/him, xe/xem, it/its)

EM/@riddlekid (🧪): the rat. horrible terrible (/hj... i guess..!) obsessed with horrible ppl sooo. erm yeah. he is also a prosecutor.!! also second most freq fronter :•P (it/its, he/him)

JON/@just-dr (🎃): jon!! he is a protector and a fictive of jonathan crane.. he is nice :•)) he doesnt associate much with his source tho so shrugsies (he/him, they/them)

MILES (👤): i actually dont know much abt them... they do their job rlly good tho! protector n stuff.. cool! (they/them)

CORNELIUS (🩸): um... so it just split and formed prtty recently (as of 12/8/23) and i also. don't know much abt it! other than it's a fictive of cornelius stirk from batman unburied.. and a prosecutor! (it/its)

JADE (🌐): cutey patootie wolf thing! fictive of jade from homestuck andddd yeah!! cool (she/they)

KARKAT/@karkat-cornbread (🔥): fictive of karkat homestuck guy. gets very angry very fast. idk role but yeah. the amgry one ig (he/they)

* DAVE/@karkat-cornbread (🕶️): yea. is this bitch predictable or what lmfao (he/any)

* HAL/9K/@timothy-timeaus (🛑): Beep boop. Coolest splinter of Dirk. I'm also cool with the name Odyssey or 9k. (They/Them)

* EQUIUS/@runningfromred (🐎): Yes hello I am Equius I am more active on the cohost but might still use this platform.

* TIM/ @timothy-timaeus (🔗): I'm my own subsystem of splinters. I'm just a ye ol Dirk splinter.

* CALUM/@timothy-timaeus (🧢): bro strider splinter and a real goof. heeheeee

* JAKE (🦎): Your caretaker and funny guy! im from meat timeline and have alot of pseudos, sorry if im hesitant to interact with sourcemates :B

MY TAGGING SYSTEM!! (wip 8[)

#emeraldo slay posting: all of my posts! that i leave words on are tagged with 8)

DNI :•(

its not rlly. much? the only stuff i rlly care abt is jerks.. if ur a jerkkk (terf, racist, zionist, ableist, antikin, sysmed, transmed, antikink, whatever girl u git the gist....)

i don't have especially strong opinions on most discourse... slurcourse, syscourse, flagcourse, shipcourse... its kinda silly.! so um. whatever.

* (Hal writing.) Our take on pro/antiship is "It doesn't fucking matter". We aren't proship, we aren't antiship, we are just kind of shipping whatever the fuck we want. If you think it's problematic, we most likely won't care. Unless there's a genuine reason to be concerned, don't bother.

exclusionists!!!! i don't like you!!!!!!!!!!!! aphones, panphobes, biphobes, mspec gay/lesbian haters, antixenogender, anti neoprns, whatever! i do not like you at all >:•{

hp fans... you know why :•) please find a better media ..

BYE BYE!!

[hexhomos]

I really don’t want to be rude, but what is the point in having a League blog if all you do is reblog ATSV stuff? Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this to be malicious or anything. I know it’s your blog and you’re allowed to post whatever it is you’d like, and it’s selfish of me to even send something like this in, but genuinely what’s the point? You have a SV sideblog, why not just stick to that one completely for now?

In a previous ask, you spoke about not being interested in the Soul Fighter event & that’s part of your explanation for distancing from League - which is valid because it does suck, but still. Again, I know it’s selfish and it seems like I’m policing your posts and your blog, but it’s genuinely just confusing.

It just sucks, because the number of VikJayce content creators has gone down so much in favor of Spiderdads, which, yeah, that’s just how the Ship Circle of Life goes, but it’s still disappointing to watch happen.

I really, really hope you don’t take this in a negative light, again, I’m not trying to police anything and if it comes off that way, I’m really sorry. It’s 1 in the morning and I’m in my feelings about content for my comfort ship slipping away and being drowned out by a new wave of arc*ne watchers who don’t understand these two characters & keep making OOC content that’s completely unenjoyable

I am reblogging those things because the same people who like my vkjc work may find that they enjoy my different fanwork as well, and that's a win-win situation. I have moved on from interest blogs before without a single nod to my new user and gotten messages from old followers about them missing my stuff, which is why I am actually reblogging now for anyone who wants to keep track of it.

I get that it may be a bummer to see less vkjc art for a while but to anyone reading this ask: You Can Still Make The Art You Want To See. I was pretty much working off fumes and my own individual interest to make fanart here and I'm not special for it, I was just the guy who took initiative. Please make bad art. Make things you're unsatisfied with so long as they speak to your internal interests. Make sort of mid stuff until you start making really good stuff. Don't rely on the whims of anyone else to maybe someday do it for you; that's how good things never come to exist.

I genuinely stopped checking AO3 tags for an entire year+ as soon as fandom trends started bothering me and went to sit on a corner to do my own thing. I did that for so long a bunch of other people ALSO got interested in the game version of these characters! I believe in you. I would really encourage you to distance yourself from the 'ship lifecycle' mindset; vikjayce itself has been around for over 12 years and it still hasn't been nuked off the face of the earth, which should say something about how long niches can last. It does rely on a collective effort to make things happen though, not just one or two guys. You should find the thing you see as most enjoyable and make it happen.

But I'm having fun working on something else at the moment, and that's an equally worthy pursuit!

[sisterdivinium]

In good faith, I don't consider WN ships I don't follow as "spam". I simply open the fics that catch my attention and the ship tags for it, I read a bit and if I don't dig it I move to the next ones. If you do not read fics I don't understand why it seems to bother you considerably. Ok that's the part where I don't agree with your post, however it's a fair assessment of what's going on. I do follow avatrice fics, so what I'm about to say next it's from that perspective. I think avatrice is like 95-96% percent of the works on ao3 for various reasons. The show being cancelled and ava going away at the end of S2, despite it being clearly implied she's back, people feel left out to dry because we didn't get to see them reunite. So there's this almost manic drive towards fixing that thru fics. We didn't get to see them as an open explicit couple, so that's also something people have taken to fix. Another reason is that Ava silva is just such an alluring character, people went and are still nuts for her. She's so genuine, so open in her affections, so loyal and unwavering. Another reason, she happens to have been played by an actress that did an outstanding job portraying her, and I believe that the fact that Alba is so conventionally attractive plays a huge role in the pull avatrice has. And I do not mean to diminish Beatrice or Kristina's talent or acting in any way. I merely want to point out I honestly believe that if avatrice were 2 non white women, we wouldn't be seeing the amount of works that pop up daily for them, nowhere near the numbers we have currently. So in that regard it's kind of a double mortal combo that ava was written as she was and that she was played by such a pretty and charming actress. Well a triple combo, because she's white. I personally think the wlw couples that dominate fandoms have almost invariably at least one white character. Ok that's the trifecta by which I explain the popularity of avatrice (outside of them being a legitimately solid and good pairing). As for the amount of AUs I think it's due to wanting to take these 2 characters and separate them from their original universe as a way to repel/protest/take them the hell away from the universe in which they had no resolution, to cope with the feeling of severe incompleteness that canon left. Ok now that being said I join you in lamenting that we don't have more shanon/Mary and other pairings, because I feel entirely alone in shipping Ava and Camila... listen the heart wants what it wants and in my cursed unlucky case, it seems my heart wants 2 golden retrievers/gremlin energy characters together and in love. But my crack ship exists only in my fantasies 😭

I've read and found some great doctor superion works. but at least here I have found zero posts/content about my wretched crack ship, null, none, naught. At least you guys do have some content. Also I think doctor superion not having more traction is straight up ageism. Which is so sad. Anyways these are my personal opinions about it sorry for the wall of text.

Let me clarify why I called that spam, first of all, so that you understand I wasn't being malicious (or not gratuitously so, anyway, lol): every now and again, even if I don't read fic, I do take a look at the pairing tag for the one ship I write about. And, without fail, there will be at least one story posted under that tag where that very pairing is nowhere to be found. It's a fleeting mention at most. I consider it spam to post what is, say, an avatrice smut fic on the Jillian/Suzanne tag if you won't do anything with the latter ship apart from a side comment like "oh, and the two of them are together now".

A few days ago, I read an interesting post about how people posting fic and adding tags should ask themselves whether people interested in those tags would indeed find what they wanted through your story when you used them.

Let me say, then, that a Jillian/Suzanne shipper is not looking for something that can barely be called crumbs at all when she sits down to read something -- so why lead her on? At the very least tag it properly and say it's minor/implied/mentioned or something of the sort. It's annoying to me in the sense that I also use the tag, I like to know who fellow tag users are and coming across this sort of thing is disruptive. People nowadays "overtag" and I get it depending on what they have written because they want a reader to know what she's getting herself into -- and, precisely, I think it would be fair for a Jillian/Suzanne shipper to be warned of the fact that her ship isn't really featured at all in something instead of seeing that tag tacked on just because they're mentioned as a couple en passant. I'm sure that might apply to other pairings as well, as I do recall @foulbearobservation mention some phenomenon of the sort for Camila/Lilith too a few months ago.

So, to reiterate, it's less "ew, this doctor superion fic has been tainted with another ship" (which, honestly, would never bother me) and more "ugh, this other ship fic said there would be doctor superion but there is nothing and I feel duped!" The fact that I don't read it myself doesn't mean I'm not in contact with other Jillian/Suzanne shippers who do seek out fic and who do experience these feelings which we do talk about amongst ourselves.

With that out of the way, let me first thank you for getting in touch because I was very curious about hearing someone on the avatrice side of things!

It's not surprising to me, per se, that avatrice dominates and I think I mentioned it in my post that there is a reason to it. Or various reasons, really, adding to those I cited the ones you give here, being the "unfinished business" aura that the ship has acquired thanks to that damned cancellation. (I will, however, express my surprise at your passionate manifestation considering Alba as I see Kristina lovers gushing about her much more frequently -- I suppose that goes to show you how we none of us ever have the whole picture in mind, how we are always looking at things at an angle even when we try to consider them more fully! A very good reminder to keep in mind how fragmentary our understanding can be...)

What baffles me is not that avatrice is everywhere, but that there are so very little other ships around it. Historically, people in fandom have always played the "there aren't enough nice/fun/compelling/whatever female characters in canon for me to care about f/f ships" card and what's perfectly clear in WN is that this card simply cannot be played given how many wonderful female characters it has (lucky us!) And I suppose it adds to my surprise (again, this is merely me being a bit confused at the situation rather than "denouncing" it; far be it from me to tell avatrice shippers they're doing anything wrong, no, fandom is for fun after all and, as you say, it IS a solid and good pairing, I would never contest that!) that there are so many stories set in an alternate universe for what is a canon ship. It's a bit of a paradox to me, I suppose, although the idea of a "protest" against an unfinished, incomplete canon such as you mentioned might explain part of it.

On prejudice, I wouldn't want to accuse anyone of anything. There's also a predominance of white characters in a lot of media, so them being featured in a lot of pairings is a bit due to the maths of their presence as well -- going forth, as we begin to see more and more diversity (well, if the goddamn companies stop cancelling every one of our shows!) I figure the trend will begin to diminish as well. Or so I'd like to hope, unless the issue we're discussing persists, being that one ship gets all the attention and all others get zilch when the potential for others is right there staring us all in the face... Then again, it does bother me that older characters are more or less ignored by fandom at large, I won't lie, and I've seen some comments on disturbing depictions of Mary in certain corners of fandom as well. I'd like to make use of good-will towards people and not expect from them only the worse, but sometimes it can be... Challenging, let's say.

Do have my thanks for introducing me to the concept of Ava/Camila! It hadn't crossed my mind, I admit, but now I think it could be something fun to play with. I was interrupted so many times while typing up this answer that I used some of that time to write something for the pairing and I'll post it here soon-ish and maybe that can kickstart some more visibility for it! :)

Alongside my thanks, please also have my sympathies. I've always been on the rarepair side of fandom so I understand, even if your case really is a bit extreme if nobody else has ever done anything for the ship! Then again, that is the whole point of the post, the fact that it's so very hard to see anyone try something out outside of their OTP, if just for fun, just for a day, just for a drabble even!

See, my problem is not that there isn't a lot of doctor superion -- my problem is that there isn't much of anything else! I do my part, I write for my pairing that which I would like to read (and I encourage you, friendly anon, to consider doing something for Ava/Camila as well if you can! Sometimes we need to take the first step, sometimes that's what introduces people to the thing and inspires them to put their own spin on it as well. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have thought of maybe trying out your ship, even if it won't be a 890.000 word epic). It just strikes me as odd that the toys are all out there and there are few people who take notice of them apart from the two shiniest ones!

To end this, please don't apologise for walls of text. If ever you've been around my blog, you'll know I'm prone to them myself, as this answer attests to! Thank you for chipping in!

[taomyou]

The Romance of Reimbursements - Chapter 6

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Reader Status: COMPLETED Summary: There’s a guy you see every Friday on bus 143, and you think he’s pretty hot. It wouldn’t hurt to tell your best friend about him, would it? or, you and Levi take the same bus home from work every Friday, and you fall in love slowly, clumsily, and with all the time in the world to fold as many paper stars as your heart desires. Word Count: 5.9k Tags: slow burn, friends to lovers, modern au, office au, fluff, romance, meet-cute, matchmaking

(A/N: this fic is entirely available on ao3 here if you would like to read it there instead!)

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table for smith

When you wake up, it's not your alarm that gets you. No, you never turned it on before bed last night. Instead, it's the sound of your phone ringing. You're tempted to let the phone call go, but you don't want to miss anything important enough for someone to call in the first place. You can barely bring yourself to open your eyes, much less check who's calling, but you tap the green "accept call" icon and wait for whoever's on the other end of the line to speak first.

"Hello?" The voice says to you. You genuinely cannot tell who's speaking, so you rub your eyes to try and get used to the light sneaking in from behind your blinds. Surely, it's not a client right now—you have a different ringtone for the ones you have pre-saved in your contacts.

"Who is this?" Your voice sounds groggy, but you can't really bring yourself to care in this moment. You hear a bit of commotion in the background of the call, but still no voices you can decipher. You pull your phone away from your ear to check the caller ID, but it's an unsaved number. Before you can hang up, however, a different voice speaks up, and you do recognize it this time.

"Hello!"

You immediately bolt up and get yourself seated on your bed, holding your pillow to your stomach. "Isabel?"

"The one and only!"

You let yourself fall back onto your bed, closing your eyes again.

"How'd you get my number?" You ask, voice still weak having just woken up. You're not angry—just very, very confused.

"I asked Hange for it!"

You guess that explains it well enough. Still, why is she calling you?

"Okay... why are you calling me so early in the morning?"

"What're you talking about? It's almost 12," Isabel says.

Again, you peel your phone away from your ear to check the time; 11:57 AM.

That late already? It felt like you were just texting Levi and closing your eyes.

You sigh and press the speaker icon before getting up to get ready for the day, not that you have anything planned in particular, though. Maybe you'll head over to the store later to get some ingredients for dinner; you feel like making something for yourself. In the background, you can hear the first voice from earlier say something to Isabel along the lines of "what kind... butter..." You choose to ignore that and instead reply to Isabel, and you start getting up to head for your bathroom.

"Sorry, I just woke up."

"That's okay! Good morning to you!"

"Good morning." After setting your phone down on the sink counter, you unscrew the cap for your toothpaste before squeezing some out onto your toothbrush. You quickly run it under some water and pop your toothbrush into your mouth before walking back to your bedroom while Isabel talks.

"I'm really sorry to bother you, but could you stay on the phone with me while I'm grocery shopping?"

You put your phone face-up on the spot next to you as you sit down.

"Sure, but what do you need me for?" Your voice is muffled, seeing as you're brushing your teeth, but when Isabel doesn't ask you to repeat yourself, you figure that she can hear you clear enough to understand you.

"Well, me and Furlan decided we would try our hand at making the egg tarts with the recipe you sent Levi last night, but we don't really know what we're looking for."

At the mention of Levi, you take a quick pause.

Well, it does make sense he'd share the recipe with them, but you figured he'd be there to help them figure out what they needed. You don't know who Furlan is, but his name has come up enough times in conversation with the group for you to just assume he's a close friend of Levi and Isabel's. Well, seeing as you don't have anything to do today, what's the harm in staying on the phone with them?

"Yeah, give me a second to finish brushing my teeth first." You leave your phone on your bed to go and finish brushing your teeth and handle other bathroom business. After you finish washing your hands, you head back into your bedroom to take your phone with you into the kitchen. "Okay, I'm back."

There's a quiet before Isabel comes back to you. "Thank you! Okay, so which butter do we need? Does it matter if it's made in Europe?"

You hum, going to fill your kettle with water and turn it on. "No, just take whatever's cheapest. And it'd be better if it was unsalted, but it doesn't really make much of a difference."

You hear a bit of laughter in the background. "See, I told you that it didn't matter if it was expensive!" You hear a bit of shuffling around where you assume that the phone has been handed over to someone else, and that voice is clearer. "We haven't met before, but this is Furlan."

You tell him your name, reaching above to your upper cupboards for your teapot. "Nice finally meeting you. Well, at least over the phone." Once your teapot's safely on your counter, you head over to grab some tea from a small basket near your kettle. You decide on some raspberry tea to start the day.

You go back and forth like this, with either Isabel or Furlan asking you what brand, type, or even color of something to get should be.

It's quite hilarious, kind of like backseat driving. Your mother would do the same for you when you were younger and had trouble picking out the best vegetables and whatnot at the supermarket, and you did the same for your brother every so often when he needed the help. All the while, you're sitting peacefully at your dining table and sipping your tea, careful not to burn your tongue.

Isabel and Furlan excuse themselves from the call, but thank you for your help before it ends. You smile as you say your "goodbyes" to them and quickly add Isabel's number into your contacts. Stretching your arms and legs, you get up from your spot at the table and head over to get dressed and go to the supermarket. You make sure everything's clean before leaving, too, just so you won't have to fiddle around much before you can get to cooking.

The supermarket you frequent near your apartment complex looks overwhelmingly busy and there's no parking, probably because there's some kind of sale, so you decide to ignore it and drive the extra 5 minutes to try your hand at the market on Rose. Maybe Sasha's working so you can thank her for helping Mikasa's birthday run well last night. You applaud yourself for your decision to go there instead, seeing as there's plenty of parking available and you don't need to take a long walk to get to the entrance. You make sure you lock your car before heading in.

There's a big, loud sign at a bin full of cabbages promoting a sale, so you settle for making a nice meal for yourself with them. You pick up a few, seeing if they're good to use, and eventually bag some to put in your cart. It's still quite cold out, so you figure a stew pot would be nice. You pick out a few other vegetables before heading over to grab some other things you need. You take your time going through the aisles before heading over to the bakery, memory of them fresh since you were here just a few hours ago.

You can see Sasha a bit away, putting a cake into the display case. She seems to be talking to a customer all the while, so you wait for them to finish their interaction before you head over and wave. When she notices you, her eyes light up, and she returns your wave. You exchange greetings while she finishes up with the display case, then moving over to the counter to get closer to her.

"Whatcha' doin' here?" She asks, putting her hands into the pockets of her apron.

"I'm just getting some stuff for dinner, but I also wanted to come back and say thanks for having a good time with Mikasa yesterday. She seemed really happy she got to go out with you guys," you tell her. She smiles and gets into the same mock salute from yesterday.

"You're very welcome!" She relaxes, and the two of you giggle. "It's been a while since we all got together, since her, Eren, and Armin are all worked to death—no offense to you, of course."

You wave her off. "No offense taken, I'm also overworked."

"You know, there's a position open here for assistant baker," she jests.

"I'll send in my resume tonight."

Funnily enough, you wanted to be a baker when you were younger, hence why you make so much time to bake even now. It's a dream that never amounted to anything that made you money, but you realized at some point that it was better to keep that part of yourself separate from work. It's nice, though, that Sasha's been able to pursue that, regardless of if it's her long-term goal or not.

You notice a few pastries you hadn't seen before in one of the display cases at the other end of the bakery area, and you strike up conversation with Sasha about what they are. She's a bit surprised that you're well-informed about baking as she's explaining everything, but you can tell that she's happy to be talking with someone who can understand her when she's talking about her work. You can see the edges of her eyes crinkling as she smiles, letting you know that she's genuinely enjoying your conversation. You pull up certain steps she explains on your phone, and she talks you through things you don't know.

The exchange goes for quite some time, but before you can let her go, she waits for you to finish talking about something before looking over your shoulder.

"Is there someone waiting for you?" She asks. Looking behind you, you see Levi at the end of one of the aisles. When he makes eye contact with you, he just as quickly looks away at something on the shelf in front of him.

After yesterday, you feel a bit nervous to see him, but it's nothing for you to necessarily be afraid of. You nod to Sasha, and she quickly goes to grab you a pastry from the back kitchen before you have to exchange "goodbyes." You promise to come back soon, and she promises to look forward to that.

Seeing that Levi's still in the same place, you make your way over to him, careful to not bump into any of the displays in your path.

"Hi. It's nice seeing you here," you greet.

"Yeah." Not much of a talker today, huh. He's wearing athletic clothing, which is quite different from the formal or semiformal attire you usually see him in, so he probably came from doing some exercise that tired him out. Even with the lack of formality present in his outfit, he still looks good. Great, even, but that's not really any surprise. He looks over at you, then glances over at your cart. "What're you here for?"

"Just getting some things for dinner. What about you?" You take note of his lack of cart or basket, coupled with a lack of item in his hands.

"My roommates texted me during my run and told me to buy a bag of flour."

Come to think of it, Isabel and Furlan never asked you what kind of flour they needed. Not that the answer would be anything crazy or out of the ordinary, but you figured they knew that already and didn't bother asking you.

"Isabel and Furlan are your roommates?" At the mention of them by name, he looks at you again.

"How do you know that?"

"They called me earlier for help picking stuff out. I figured you were talking about them."

He groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I told them to wait for me to text you, not for them to fucking call you. I didn't think they were serious about making anything today." You laugh, bringing up your hand to cover your smile. "Sorry about them."

"It's no problem. Besides, I wasn't busy with anything, so I didn't mind."

"Still." You hum. Remembering the pastry you have from Sasha, you tear half of the parchment sheet she used to wrap it, then use that to tear off half of the sweet. You hold it out to Levi. "What's that?"

"Take some, the baker here gave it to me." When he doesn't move to take it, you keep going. "Or if you don't want it, you can give it to Isabel."

He sighs before taking it, careful to not touch the treat itself. "Thank you. I'll give it to her when I'm home." You take that as your cue to say goodbye, but before you can do that, though, he calls out to you. You stay in place, nodding for him to keep talking. "What flour do I need?"

You smile, then putting your hands on the handles of your cart. "I'll show you."

After you put your half of the pastry in the smaller section of the cart and he does the same, careful to make sure the parchment prevented the pastry from touching the cart, the two of you walk alongside one another. It's almost like the time you came for the eggs and butter all the while ago, but this time, you aren't upset about work. Well, it's still a pain, but that first week was especially rough.

When you reach the flour, you point out which ones he could get, and he picks the cheapest bag he can. You offer to let him put it in your cart, which he does, and the two of you head over to the cash register together.

As you're laying your things on the conveyor belt, you can't help but feel a bit shy. It feels quite domestic, the way you two are out right now. It felt different the last time you were here together—back then, you were both dressed in work attire and lugging around your respective bags and struggling to make conversation, but it's not like that at all this time around.

You're both dressed rather casually, and there's no pressure or rush for you to be anywhere at all.

While Levi's looking down at his phone, you take away the little divider that would've separated the flour from your things. He doesn't realize it until after you've paid, but he doesn't say anything to you in protest. Instead, he wordlessly helps load everything back into the cart and pushes it himself out of the store.

Once you're out of the store and out of the main walkway, you both stop. You hand Levi his half of the pastry and a bag with the flour after checking to make sure that none of your things are in there.

"Thanks for paying for the flour," he says.

You wave him off. "Don't worry about it. It was, like, 5 bucks." He nods.

"Again, sorry about Isabel and Furlan calling you. It probably woke you up."

"It did, but it was almost noon anyway."

"Sleeping in that late now?"

You playfully go to punch his shoulder, careful not to knock anything out of his hands. "You're the one that told me to sleep well."

He rolls his eyes, swatting your hand away. "Yeah, yeah."

You take your bags out of the cart before pushing it back into another one in the general area where they are. Him not having moved, you smile at Levi and instinctually go to wave, but you feel the weight of the bag keep your arm down. He rolls his eyes again, probably in his own way of laughing at you, but returns the "wave" with his own.

"It was nice running into you, Levi! Get home safe!" You yell after him, given the distance.

"I will, you get home safe too." He doesn't speak any louder than he does before, but there's no one around for you to not be able to hear him. You nod at him before turning to make your way back to your car, smile not leaving your face.

Once you've gotten everything in your trunk and you're seated at the wheel, you go to message Levi to remind him you're free if him, Isabel, and Furlan need any help with understanding the recipe. After the short drive back to your apartment and a somewhat longer walk back up to your unit, you check your phone to see that he replied, saying that you should prepare yourself for a barrage of phone calls from Isabel when they get started. You laugh, and have your phone on the counter as you get dinner prepared.

It's nothing difficult; you're basically just cutting things up and throwing them into a pot, but it's relaxing, and you feel satisfied taking a sip of the broth as you're waiting for it to finish cooking.

You get your first phone call from Isabel around 5, just after you finish putting away your cutting board and knives. When you pick up, you hear chaotic banging of what sounds like pans and other metal appliances in the background of her asking if you need to butter the tins (and her also thanking you for half of the pastry Sasha gave you). You tell her that you do need to butter them, and you can practically hear Levi rolling his eyes at her as an "I told you so."

The second phone call you get from her phone is not even 5 minutes later, and this time it's Furlan who asks you how to measure everything without a kitchen scale (which, to his credit, is on you for only writing in the weight measurements for everything), and you direct him as best as you can, your own recipe book open to the page in front of you to make sure the conversions are correct. You can hear Isabel and Levi arguing faintly in the back, though it's mostly Isabel trying to get Levi to stop criticizing how she washes the dishes as they're being brought out. All the while, you're taking small spoonfuls of your stew, savoring the flavor.

The third phone call you get from Isabel is her asking things completely irrelevant to baking, mostly just random questions that pop into her mind. Furlan and Levi take the phone away periodically to actually ask you how to do things, but Isabel always wrestles it back from them to ask another "would you rather" question that you answer in earnest. During this phone call, you finish up with your dinner and head over to the sink to get everything clean and then put the rest of it into the fridge for the next day. When she ends the call to wait for the tarts to bake, you decide to skip over to the bathroom and take a quick shower.

As the water falls over your head, you let yourself feel relaxed. It's the first weekend you've had in a while that wasn't out spending time with Hange, Erwin, Levi, and the rest of their crew, not that you hated spending time with them or anything, but it gets you a bit tired at the end of the day. Sure, you ran into Levi earlier and you've spent most of the day basically with Furlan and Isabel, but that felt refreshing in its own way. Maybe getting to sleep in instead of being dragged around by Hange was what made it feel different, but you'll ignore that. When you step out of the shower, you brush your teeth and grab a towel to dry your hair before going to bed early. You let yourself melt into your mattress, but keep your phone near you in case Levi or Isabel calls again.

You can feel yourself slowly drifting off, but before you're fully gone, you hear your phone ring again for the fourth time. "Hello?"

"Isabel told me to tell you to look at the pictures she sent you," Levi says.

You hum, putting your phone on speaker and then tapping around to open the message from Isabel. It was sent a couple of minutes ago, which explains why you didn't hear the notification over the sound of the shower.

The first one is relatively simple, just a small plate with three tarts on them. They all look a bit different from one another, so you assume they're all made by different people.

The second photo is a selfie of (who you assume is) Furlan with Levi and Isabel arguing behind him in the kitchen, which you laugh at.

The last picture is of Levi taking the tarts out of the oven, with Isabel and Furlan's hands at the bottom of the shot in a thumbs-up. You roll your eyes, but make sure you save all of them to your photo gallery.

"You guys should open a photography studio."

You hear Levi scoff. "Yeah, right." You yawn before pulling your blanket over yourself, turning over to your side. "Are you in bed already?"

"I'll have you know that," you check the time on your phone, "8:32 PM is a perfectly good time to be in bed."

"If you say so."  You laugh, switching your phone back to regular volume instead of having it on speaker. "Don't let me keep you up then."

You yawn again. "Nah, I have a few more minutes left in me." It's a complete lie, but you don't really want the day to end, even if you didn't end up actually doing much.

"You definitely do not," Levi says, then calling over Isabel and Furlan. "Okay, say 'thank you.'" You laugh at the visual of this; he's acting like a dad forcing his kids to say 'thank you' at Christmas. You hear Isabel say something first.

"Thanks for helping us today! They turned out really yummy, even if we didn't wait for them to get cold."  You tell her it's no problem, then it's Furlan's turn.

"Thank you, we couldn't have done it without you. They're good, but they're not nearly as nice as the ones you sent with Levi."  At the compliment, you hum, closing your eyes. You again tell Furlan it's no problem, and that you'll send more with Levi when you get the time, and maybe you can meet him in-person sometime too. Furlan gives the phone back to Levi.

"What they said," says Levi. You laugh.

"No 'thank you?'"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." You yawn for the third time that phone call, stretching out on your bed. "I think I gotta go."

"I can tell." There's a pause before he speaks again. "Good to know you're getting your sleep back."

You nod slightly to yourself. "Me too."

"Take it easy at work."

"I will. I don't know much about how work is for you, but if Hange's right and you're really as famous as they say, you should take it easy too."

"They're not wrong, but I don't care. About being famous, I mean."

You make mental note of the fact, though it probably won't register with how tired you are. "Goodnight, Levi."

"Goodnight. Sleep well."

Before you even need to think about getting the energy to pick up your phone and end the call, you hear the end note from Levi's end and let yourself fall asleep.

✰

Sunday goes smoothly enough, again not doing anything quite productive. You took Levi's words to heart, pretty much sleeping the entire day away.

Monday passes well enough, without having to see many clients. You stayed later than usual to finish some of Tuesday's paperwork early, leaving the office dead last at 8 in the evening and just barely making the bus, but you went to bed decently happy and excited for the next day, seeing as Hange got you and them a reservation at Sina's Kitchen for the two of you.

Sina's Kitchen is the hardest restaurant to get a table at in the city, and you've never been able to get in before. Not that you tried particularly hard, but the website boasted a months-long waitlist, and you couldn't be bothered to figure out how to even set up a reservation. When Hange first invited you to dinner with them for Valentine's Day, you figured they were just going to take you to a small local diner, and the two of you would finish out the night with whatever bad reality TV would be on air when you got back to your apartment. You asked on Sunday morning over the phone where you'd be eating so you could preemptively choose an outfit.

"Where are we going on Tuesday, anyway?"

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? We're eating at Sina's."

You sarcastically laughed at them. "Yeah, sure we are." When they didn't laugh with you, you just had to ask. "We are?"

"Yeah!"

Upon the knowledge that you'd be going to be having dinner on what is one of the busiest days in the dining industry at the most famous restaurant in the city, you texted Mikasa to ask if she wanted to get ready together. You knew she was going to spend her Valentine's Day with someone, her having mentioned it on Friday at her office birthday party, though you didn't know who she was seeing. You don't ask her, and she doesn't ask you who you're having dinner with. She replied that she was wanting to ask but wasn't sure if you'd be up for it, to which you told her she'd be welcome over anytime at your place.

Which brings you to Tuesday, where you've gotten most of your work done for the day yesterday, and you can finally have lunch with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin again in your office. You've missed having them spend this time with you, but work was still too unforgiving to let that happen unless you stayed late like you did yesterday.

When you're back from a quick trip down the hall to deliver some paperwork before lunch, Eren looks over at you from his spot at your desk. You smile at him as you go to sit at your seat, then stretching your arms above your head and yawning. He keeps his gaze on you but seems to be thinking over what he should say.

"What's up?"

"Who are you seeing tonight?"

"Huh?"

At Eren's comment, Mikasa kicks him underneath the table. "I told you not to ask."

Your phone beeps several times, and you pick it up to see several text messages from Hange.

Hange - 12:25 PM

Don't forget dinner tonight! Dress fancy :D Maybe that dress you wore to your Barrister's Ball? Actually, make sure you wear something blue Maybe like blue-grey? Idk what color exactly but something like that And that one necklace you wore! I think you wore it when we went out with Erwin and Levi the first time

You roll your eyes halfheartedly and reply to your friend.

"See! She's smiling at her phone! She's texting her date!" Eren accuses.

Now, it's your turn to kick Eren's leg underneath the table. "Yes, I'm texting my hot, sexy, rich date. I'm telling them all about how much I hate a green-eyed, brown-haired intern working at the same firm as me." He angrily takes a bite from his sandwich, trying to kick you back. You bring your legs closer to yourself before he can.

"Eren, calm down, she doesn't hate you," Armin reassures him.

"Oh, yes. I do." You all, save for Eren who rolls his eyes, laugh before going back to your food and casual conversation. "Got anything planned tonight, Armin?"

"Not really, just going to catch up on some studying." You smile bitterly at him, nodding.

"It's okay."

He wipes away at an invisible tear, a smile on his face. "I know."

"See, Eren, there's a man who's secure being single," you joke. Instead of him sending an insult in return, him and Mikasa look at each other, and then at you. Armin's also looking at Eren and her. Weird. "Anyway, how's everyone doing? I haven't really gotten to talk to you guys much lately. Well, except for Mikasa, I work with her everyday."

Armin slumps further into his chair, and Eren groans dramatically.

"I want to quit," Eren whines.

Armin nods. "It's getting to be a lot, is it normally like this?"

You reach for your teacup, frowning slightly. "It gets bad, but it hasn't ever lasted this long." You trust that management is trying their best to get things solved, but Erwin still hasn't been able to tell you yet what's going on for you to really think things will get better soon. It's gotten a little better and most people in the office have had a cut in their paperwork, but you haven't really seen much of a difference for yourself. "You get used to it eventually."

The four of you move onto making lighter conversation, talking about past Valentine's Days and gossiping about other people in the office. Just as you always do, you shoo Eren and Armin away after lunch has run its course, and you and Mikasa get to work.

You end your work relatively early, seeing as you handled most of it yesterday, so you help Mikasa with hers until you're both done and ready to leave around 3. Petra took the day off today, and so Mikasa was able to bring her car for the two of you to leave and get ready at your place. She's having dinner at a restaurant near Sina's, so you both figured it would be easier to have her drop you off, and have Hange drive you home after.

You're both too tired to really carry any sort of conversation, seeing as work has drained you both once again, but she lets you connect your music to her car, and you try to choose music that you think she'll enjoy. You speak up to let her know what highway and roads to turn into, and she follows along. When you reach the parking complex at your apartment building, you offer to carry her backpack so she can carry up her dress and other items she needs to get ready.

She follows you inside your apartment, and once you've both had a second to settle in and get something to drink, you drag her with you to your room where you have a full-body mirror, and you both start getting ready. It feels fun—almost like you're teenagers getting ready for a school dance.

You get in a blue dress, just as Hange directed (you assume they want to match), and Mikasa puts on a well-fitted red dress before you pull her again in front of your bathroom mirror with a box of your jewelry. You let her try some on, and once she puts on a pair of dainty moon drop earrings, you force her to take them. She does the same with some of the hair accessories she brought, and she forces you to keep a hairpin that has a small star and a few crystals hanging from it.

After checking and making sure you both look ready, the two of you make sure you have everything you need before heading downstairs back to Mikasa's car.

You carry on a bit of conversation now that Mikasa's driving again, but it's nothing particularly deep. Better to not accidentally sour the mood before Valentine's Day can really get itself started.

"Wait, so who's your date tonight?" You ask, knowing you won't get the chance to ask again before you get to Sina's. Even under the dim glow that the city lights provide, you can see her blush.

"Who are you about to see, then?"

"I asked first, but I'm with Hange today, so you know that's not a date. Now you answer."

She seems to hesitate before answering, but there's a small smile on her face when she does tell you. "Eren."

Your mouth gapes open, and then it closes. That's why they were being so weird earlier. Not your place to really judge in the first place, but they actually do seem like they'd be good together. There's probably some HR person that would disagree with you, but Eren and Mikasa can deal with that when (not "if") they get hired. Oluo and Petra make it work, so they probably can too.

"Good for you, Mikasa." She rolls her eyes (out of love, hopefully) before making a turn to get you to Sina's. You check the time; 7:58 PM. A bit late for your liking, but right on time for 8. Once she's parked, you make sure you have all your things in your purse before getting out. She rolls the window down.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Astraea."

You smile at her, waving. "Happy Valentine's Day. Tell me all about it tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah."

And with that, you see her car drive away. Well, more like you see her car get lost in city traffic.

When you get inside the restaurant, you take your phone from out of your purse and check for any messages Hange left. Sure enough, there's a text telling you they're already inside and to use the name "Smith" for the table. When you text back asking why, they tell you that Erwin's the one who got the reservation. Earnestly, you don't question it. Erwin's a powerful enough man in this city, even as only a managing associate at the firm, so you're not all that surprised Hange reached out to have him book you the table for the night. Explains how you got the spot on such short notice.

Pocketing your phone, you go up to the reservation desk. "What can I help you with today, ma'am?" The reservationist there asks.

"Hi, I have a reservation under 'Smith,' at 8," you tell him. He looks over at the computer situated under the countertop of the desk and lightly bobs his head, and you can hear the faint clicking of his mouse scrolling through what is likely the reservation list. He nods before calling over a hostess over to look at whatever's got his attention. She nods before looking over to you, her hand gesturing for you to follow her.

As you're walking through the booths and past other people, you feel a bit star-struck. Not really because you see anyone particularly famous, but it feels like such an elite environment to be in. You don't feel out of place, seeing as you're a lawyer and you're in these types of settings quite often, but it still feels unfamiliar in most regards. The people aren't particularly loud and the lights aren't too bright for your eyes, but something about being there feels overwhelming.

"Here you are," she says, placing the menu at the table. "Your server will be with you shortly." You nod to her, and she leaves. You can't see Hange, since they're seated on the same side as where you're standing, so you walk forward to get to your place in the booth where there's already a glass of water for you. Before you can sit, though, you hear them choke on their drink, and you look over at them to instead see...

"Levi?"

✰

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