#Recession of 2022

[awakefor48hours]

2025 is a great time to be neurodivergent

[grubbin22]

magma doodles ft operator

[bigdumbbambieyes]

Childhood best friends Harringrove losing their virginity to each other one sticky hot July night, the summer after their junior year. Whispered declarations of everlasting love as they lay tangled together in the sheets on Steve’s bed. Vowing to be each other’s one and only.

anon...you requested this back in September 2022 and it was at the very bottom of my drafts...I'm so sorry 😭 I'm not sure if you're still in the fandom or not but I finally finished your request!! light smut at the end!

-

He had expected it to be awkward. And, it kind of was, but he hadn’t expected it to feel like this - like what he’d been missing for so long as finally there, right where it was supposed to be.

Their lips had brushed for the first time at the age of 13 and 14, as a dare, at Tommy’s birthday party. And when Steve had pulled away, he saw this confused look in Billy’s blue eyes, his brows furrowed slightly. They’d been friends since the tender age of 6, when Steve had spotted a blond boy with curly hair standing alone at recess on the first day of kindergarten. They’d been inseparable ever since.

But once the girls and boys at the party had begun to giggle at them, they had laughed it off, Billy pushing at his shoulder like he always did, and Steve pushed that evening to the back of his mind, content to forget all about it.

Except, he couldn’t. Whenever he looked at Billy, his eyes went to his lips. Shaped so perfectly, pink like his mother’s azaleas, with a sharp cupid’s bow and plump bottom lip that drove Steve crazy. 

And as they grew, muscles filling out and limbs elongating, jaws becoming scratchy with stubble, Steve still found him beautiful. His eyes, so intense, even when they were staring off into the distance and disconnected from the moment. His hair, always curled and set to Billy’s specifications, smelled of hairspray and cigarettes and Steve loved it. The freckles that dotted Billy’s nose and cheeks made Steve’s knees weak, along with the ones on his shoulders - especially those ones. 

He spent so long admiring Billy and convincing himself that it was nothing, that he never noticed Billy doing it back. Looking when Steve wasn’t. Hooking up with girls that had brown hair and brown eyes. Grabbing Steve’s biceps during gym class and grinning at him knowingly, “You been lifting weights or something?” even though Billy knew they worked out together multiple times a week.

Perhaps it was just building up to this moment, at Steve’s 17th birthday party. His parents had fucked off to wherever they were that month and Billy had convinced him to throw a party, whispering in his ear all week at school.

“C’mon, dancing queen. You’re only seventeen once.”

‘Dancing queen’. As if Billy listened to ABBA. 

Obviously, he gave in. He told a few people, who told others, and those others told their friends, and now here Steve was, being helped upstairs to his room by Billy. A strong arm around his waist, both of them giggling drunkenly as they get into the room and Billy shoves him onto the bed with a grin.

“Sleep it off, Stevie,” he hummed, not even bothering to look away as Steve rolled onto his back and began to undress, always one to sleep in just his briefs when he was drunk.

“I’m—" a hiccup, “I’m gonna, okay? S’your fault for giving me so many shots...” He mumbled as he kicked off his jeans, feeling Billy help him when they got caught on his ankles. He managed to open his eyes - unsure of when he’d closed them - long enough to see Billy standing at the foot of his bed, a soft smile on the blond’s face. “You gonna sleep here?” He asked softly.

Billy had nodded, “Yeah. M’not tired, though.” There were still guests downstairs, after all. And Steve trusted his best friend to make sure everyone left or had a place to sleep before going to bed himself.

“‘Kay,” Steve whispered, “G’night.” 

“Night, Stevie.”

When Steve woke up the next morning, his brain feeling way too big for his skull, he found Billy next to him, asleep. And despite the hangover, Steve had sleepily blinked through the waves of nausea to admire Billy in the morning sun: messy hair, thick eyelashes casting a shadow fanning across his cheekbones, and his lips slightly parted with deep breaths. Clothes missing except his briefs, so comfortable and safe in Steve’s bed.

Steve’s heart had skipped a beat and he knew he was in love with Billy in that moment.

He’d always been a fool for love, but with Billy, it was different. It ran deep, something that felt like it was in his DNA, like he’d been made to love Billy Hargrove before he even knew it.

In the summer after their junior year, it all came to a head, when he kissed Billy in his backyard.

It was a hot July evening, and instead of melting in his room, Billy had shown up on Steve’s front door with a six pack of beer, a towel over his shoulder, and a familiar smile as he asked, “Wanna go for a dip?”

And who was Steve to deny him anything?

-

The sun is hot but at least the beer is cold, Steve thinks as he leans back on a recliner and sips at the lip of his can, watching Billy flop down in the recliner next to him, cracking his beer open with a happy hum. 

It’s easy, with Billy. They’re assholes to each other but it’s the way they work. Snide comments, mean smiles, soft looks, inside jokes. They talk and drink for the entire afternoon, finally taking a dip in the pool once their skin is hot to the touch, and even then they’re splashing each other because it’s a competition and Billy never backs down, keeps poking Steve until he gets a reaction.

Maybe that’s why Billy swims him into a corner, a smirk on his flushed face, water clinging to his eyelashes and soaked curls. Steve lets himself be cornered, a hand resting on the edge of the pool as he grins at his best friend, ready to splash the blond but Billy has this look in this eye then. Something a little intense, a little serious, and it makes Steve freeze. 

He sees the way Billy’s eyes flick down to his lips, for just a second, but it’s long enough that Steve notices. 

And, he freezes, for a moment. The tension is thick and Billy falters, that cocky expression slipping away to uncertainty for a moment, like he's realizing that he's made a mistake.

Steve hates it. Hates that Billy would think for even a second that he wouldn't want this.

So, he pushes off the wall a bit, until he's pressed up against his best friend and he's clumsily pressing his lips to Billy's for a second before pulling away, eyes wide.

Billy's eyes are equally as wide, his jaw dropping a little in surprise.

And because Steve is Steve, he breathes, "I'm sorry."

Which has Billy blinking in confusion, his brows furrowing for a moment before he huffs in exasperation and splashes Steve in the face again.

"What the fuck!" Steve coughs, feels the chlorine burning his nose and eyes as he wipes at them, and when he opens them Billy is climbing out of the pool, the wet muscles of his back flexing under the sun so perfectly that Steve is stunned into silence at the mere sight.

Billy stands and turns around, an expectant look on his pink face as he stares down at Steve, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. He waits a moment before asking, rather impatiently, "Are you getting out or what?"

"Are you going to throw me back in when I do?" He asks cautiously, already swimming to the edge where Billy had just lifted himself out from.

"You're making me want to, the longer you stay in there," Billy mutters, watching Steve climb out of the pool and standing there just a few feet away.

They look at each other for another moment, unsure of what to do, because it's settling in that they kissed without a dare or an audience and it meant something.

"Do it again," Billy mutters suddenly, almost whispers.

And Steve doesn't need to be told twice.

He steps close, their chests nearly touching, leaning in to press another kiss to Billy's lips - when he feels a shove to his chest and he's indeed flailing backwards into the pool.

When he resurfaces, Billy's frowning down at him and all but hissing, "Why the fuck would you apologize?"

"I don't know!" Steve gasps with desperation, a hint of a whine in his voice as he swims back to the edge of the pool, pushing his wet hair back from his face and glaring up at Billy as he folds his arms over the edge of the tile, "I...I panicked, I guess."

"Yeah, no shit," Billy huffs, his mouth twitching, "C'mon. Get out."

Steve gives him a look, which makes the blond roll his eyes before taking a step back from the pool, a safe distance away from Steve as he climbs back out again.

And then Billy's charging at him again, and Steve tenses and squeezes his eyes shut, expecting to feel himself thrown back in the pool, but then there's only warm skin and strong arms around his shoulders, pressing him down into the earth, and then Billy's demanding mouth against his.

His mouth is wet, hot, sucking Steve's tongue inside with a soft sound. Steve's immediately wrapping his arms around Billy in return, pressing into his body, tilting his head as he lets Billy claim his mouth.

It's aggressive, a little rough, so Billy.

The blond pulls away, his lips so red now, his eyes so blue under heavy lids as he whispers in a tone Steve can't refuse, "Upstairs."

They track water inside, but no one's around to give them shit for it, and it's hard for Steve to care when Billy's pushing his shorts down, so beautifully naked and hard in Steve's bed.

He pushes his own shorts down and climbs onto his bed, crawling on top of Billy and letting his best friend pull him down, feeling a hand gripping the soft-firm muscle of his ass, encouraging him to rock his hips down.

"Billy," he breathes, slotting his thigh between the blond's, their lips meeting again in a kiss as they rock together, desperate and needing and wanting.

Billy moans into his mouth, the sound so low and rumbling, settling in Steve's chest where he never wants it to leave.

It's embarrassingly quick, their first time, with the sensation of their cocks sliding together so slick and hot, pushing each other over the edge with a gasp and hissed curse.

And under that gauze of bliss, where Steve feels like he's floating, he begins to talk.

"Want you forever," Steve murmurs, unable to stop the swell of affection in his chest as Billy begins to rock under him again, their bodies so intertwined he didn't know when he started and Billy ended.

"One and only," Billy whispers, his voice a little shaky, staring up at Steve with such raw vulnerability, "You."

"Don't want anyone but you, Billy," Steve smiles gently, leaning down and pressing sweet little kisses to Billy's warm cheek, again and again, and Billy accepts them without complaint.

In fact, he looks pleased, with his own soft smile and pinked cheeks.

He looks happy.

Glowing with it, maybe.

Steve wants to see him like this, forever.

"It's always been you, and always will be," he promises, gently bumping the tip of his nose against Billy's, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, "Gonna love you forever, whether you want it or not."

"I do, want it," Billy whispers, his voice cracking a little with emotion, his blue eyes so wet as he clings to Steve, "Promise?"

"I promise," Steve murmurs, kissing him again and again in his too-hot room, humming happily when Billy whispers his own promise against his lips.

[twsted-outro]

FOR I AM YOURS

PAIRING: Yandere!Genshin Impact Characters x Gender-Neutral!Reader (separately)

CONTENT WARNINGS: yandere themes, mention of poison, stalking, abduction, minor mention of underwear thievery, implied invasion of privacy, implication of taking advantage of someone when they're drunk, infantilization (kind of), obsession, the reader is called pretty (ganyu's part), manipulation, genuinely don't know if zhongli can appear in dreams, this was pre-sumeru so I made this during 2022 iirc, brief thoughts about harming reader in Kokomi's, abduction, stalking, ei's part is before her 2nd story quest, threat, stealing your personal belongings, manipulation.

SUMMARY: Genshin Impact characters and their love for you.

NOTE: migrated fic from w*ttp*d :crying emoji:.

MONDSTADT

ALBEDO:

» ALBEDO FINDS love to be something new. Love is foreign to him - unfamiliar, but being around you ticks all the tell-tale signs of being infatuated. His heart races when you're near, his thoughts always trail back to you regardless of what he's doing, he always longs to spend more time with you within the confines of Dragonspine - Albedo's sure of it, this must be love. And when you're in love, isn't it normal to do outlandish things for it? To secure that no one else gets in the way of your developing relationship? So when Albedo concocts up a new potion (poison or toxin, that's for him to know) and decides to experiment it on someone who's been suspiciously close to you - well, it's not like you'll ever know. Not when Albedo has the chemicals necessary to clean up any evidence of a dead body. And at the end of the day, Albedo would patiently wait for you to come visit him up in Dragonspine, where he'll relish in the addicting sensations of feelings only you can make him feel.

DILUC RAGNVINDR:

» For the lack of a better word, DILUC is a man who's emotionally constipated. He finds it difficult to outwardly express any deep emotions, even more so when it's in the pursuit of love. Every time Diluc encounters you (In the city square, the forests, or the tavern) he tenses up and gets as stiff as a rock - all while he initiates a conversation with you or at least the resemblance of a conversation in his current state. Diluc can't help but inwardly groan at his poor attempts of romancing you, left with no choice (seeing as he can't hold a civil conversation with you, at least right now) he resorts to stalking you and hiring people to collect private intel. For someone with eye-catching red hair, he's inconspicuous in his stalking - skillfully tailing behind you and knowing the right amount of distance in order to not be detected and he stores any information his intel provides into the recesses of his mind. Until the day he can act like a normal human being when in your company, Diluc will settle with this.

EULA LAWRENCE:

» It's no surprise that someone like EULA is awkward when it comes to romance. She's inexperienced in this field but still, she'll grasp at any straws she can get - all in the name of you being hers and her being yours. She can come off a little rough around the edges, from the way the conversations she held with you are stiff and awkward, but she tries. Really, she tries. Eula even forgoes any pride she had in favor of gaining any advice from Amber and picking up books specializing in romance from the library. In a moment of epiphany, Eula realizes that her relationship with you can develop faster if she just abducts you away from your comfortable house. This way, no one else can ever ogle at you ever again and Eula can appreciate you all she wants in the comfort of her quarters - it's a win-win situation in her eyes. So stop crying, can't you see she's doing this for the benefit of both of you? Maybe you don't understand now but she's sure it'll all click into your head once you inevitably fall for her too.

KAEYA ALBERICH:

» Every word that slips off KAEYA's mouth is sweet, deceivingly so. He puts up an act of a close friend in order to get close to you, acting like he isn't interested in a relationship, and claims that your friendship with him is too precious to throw away like that (the way his thoughts are plagued with you kissing him stupid contrasts this, though). It isn't necessarily a lie, Kaeya truly does value the bond and friendship he's built with you but you don't need to know the things he's plotting in his mind. As a certified 'nice guy' and friend, Kaeya offers to look after your house when you're going on trips - unknown to you, he uses this opportunity to steal a few of your undergarments for his own pleasure. If you ever notice some of your underwear missing, Kaeya gaslights you into thinking that you must have misplaced them somewhere or that maybe some got lost while drying them outside. You trust Kaeya, he's a dear friend, after all. So his judgment must be right. Right?

MONA MEGISTUS:

» MONA, a prideful astrologist and a fool in love. She takes advantage of her hydromancy, putting her scryglass into good use and using it for knowing more about you. Nothing is left untouched by her scryglass and everything is revealed to her delighted eyes - the date of your birth, your life until now, trivial information about yourself, secrets that you'd rather no one knew about; Mona knows every tidbit of information there is to your name and still craves to know even more. It's greedy, she knows. But she can't help it, not when you're the most interesting person her eyes have ever laid upon. Besides, isn't it to her benefit to know more about you to aid in her romantic endeavors? She's just doing this to not embarrass herself when engaging in pleasant talk with you - knowing what to say and what not to say, making sure that talks with her are good enough to land her into being friends with you. She has to start somewhere, especially when she's planning on making you her lover.

VENTI / BARBATOS:

» In your eyes, VENTI is nothing but a playful bard who loves to drink the finest alcohol Mondstadt has to offer. He's cheeky and playfully touchy - constantly swatting your arm, wrapping his arms around your shoulders, and sticking close to you - it's all in jest, or so he claims. He's a pleasant company to have around when you're drinking, he's a chatterbox and the topic of things to talk about never runs out when you're talking to him, sober or not. Unsurprisingly, It takes a lot for Venti to get drunk, (in fact not once have you ever seen him tipsy in all the time you've known him) resulting in you being the one he has to take care of when you inevitably succumb to the effects of alcohol. Unbeknownst to you, Venti doesn't really walk you home. What he does to you when drunk, well, it's a secret that he'll never tell. 

LIYUE

BEIDOU:

» Carefree and joyous - that's the woman BEIDOU is. Regardless of how you act and what your personality is, you can't escape Beidou's constant pleas for you to relax and have fun - she always invites you to sail the seas with her crew, even if it's just a little bit. When she's so persistent and skilled in the art of persuasion - how can you refuse? So with a vacation leave from work, you board the Alcor with Beidou and her crew whooping in joy around. It's a mistake on your part for ever accepting her offer, you soon learn. It starts off unsuspecting; Beidou conveniently 'miscalculating' the number of rooms in her ship leading to you sharing a room with her, Beidou 'underestimating' the winds that day causing you to cling onto her for dear life, Beidou sending 'mixed signals' to her crewmates leading to them all thinking that you're in a romantic relationship with her. It's all small errors, right? There's no way Beidou would purposely do all of that and even if she did, what would she gain from it... Right? (You're so easy to take advantage of, you have no idea).

GANYU:

» GANYU is a worrywart. In her free time from work, she can be found fretting and fussing over you - her crush. Ganyu really hadn't meant for things to turn out this way but before she knew it - She had developed romantic feelings for you. In times of dire need, Ganyu turns to cloud retainer for help as she had no idea what romance entails. Cloud retainer, having a messed up perception of love, ended up indirectly enabling Ganyu's obsessive tendencies - causing her to hover over your shoulder anytime she has the chance to. In her eyes, as a mortal, you are incapable of most things - which is why you need someone like her in your life. All you need to do is sit pretty and let her do all the work, she promises. After all, it's quite domestic in that way, no? It already feels like the two of you are married and the thought brings a flush to Ganyu's face. Disregarding the fact that she practically forced you into her abode, such details are meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

HU TAO:

» Wherever you go in the harbor, you're bound to be pranked by your dear friend HU TAO. She's playful, incredibly so. But you don't mind, you went into this friendship fully knowing what her antics are and the shenanigans she's always scheming. As your best friend, Hu Tao earns the privilege of knowing you more intimately than most - knowing the things that scare you, the deepest secrets that you have, and your favorite spots in Liyue - bits of information that acquaintances and other friends of yours wouldn't know and Hu Tao takes pride in that fact. She's selfish and gatekeeps you to the best of her abilities; purposely omitting mentions of you and discouraging anyone who wants to be a friend of yours. Maybe it's a little unsettling for Hu Tao to restrict friendships on your behalf, but then again, when has she ever been a part of normal people? She revels in the fact that she's your best friend, eventually working through the list of your other friends until she's the only friend you have - before worming her way into your heart as your lover.

NINGGUANG:

» The jade chamber is your home, regardless if you consented to it or not because NINGGUANG likes to keep you in arms reach at all times. You're her little alleviation from grueling work as the Tianquan, serving as her pretend lover (In her eyes, it's not pretend) and smothering her in affection. She gifts you exquisite riches and allows you to roam free around the jade chamber - even encouraging you to savor the breathtaking view of the skies. It's a gracious life, is it not? To be loved so dearly and to be gifted so affectionately - As long as you ignore the fact that you're forever trapped high up in the skies akin to a princess trapped inside a tower. Ningguang likes to keep her riches close, and you - as her most valuable possession, are kept the closest.

SHENHE:

» Admittedly, SHENHE is ignorant of most matters concerning humans. Raised by an Adeptus, she's unfamiliar with the norms and customs in the mortal realm and thus, she's a little uncertain how to go about pursuing you. While she is aware that she's deeply infatuated with you - obsessed, even, she's incredibly inexperienced in that subject; all she knew most of her life is how to kill. And so, she does. She uses her combat knowledge to her advantage by wiping out any threat of competition of your affections - no one is spared from her polearm and not a day goes by where her weapon isn't drenched in blood. She's straightforward when talking to you and has no qualms in admitting she committed murders for your sake - even acting confused when your face twists in horror. She doesn't get it, what's so bad about her making sure there's no one else in your heart but her? Isn't it all fair in love and war? Maybe dragging you inside her abode will enlighten your mind... yeah, that's a great idea.

XIAO / ALATUS:

» XIAO has endured countless centuries of suffering - courtesy of his karmic debt. It's agony; relentless torture - so is it really so bad that he finds comfort within your arms and presence? Xiao hadn't expected to ever fall in love, the idea itself is ludicrous but the emotions you stir in him say otherwise. Thus, it's only logical for him to protect the one dear to him - even if it's at the cost of your hatred. Trust him when he says that confining you within Wangshu inn is just him looking out for you - the world is a dangerous place, a land that's filled with nothing but horrors; can't you see? Xiao is simply doing you a favor. He can't stand the idea of someone dear to him dying once more, he won't let you perish like his previous Yakshas - he won't. So just shut up and accept your new living condition, because it's clear that Xiao won't be freeing you anytime soon.

YELAN:

» Keeping her cards close to her chest - YELAN eyes you like one would in a game of chess; calculating and scheming. Yelan pursues you in a straightforward manner, tilting your chin upward with her hand and leaning in way too close for comfort before professing her love with no shame and boldly declaring that you'll be hers by the time the year ends. She's flirty, you realize - flirty only to you. With her hydro vision, it's laughable how easy it is to stalk you; it almost exudes her no effort to dematerialize herself from the naked eye. In times like these, Yelan has to admit her vision comes useful - aiding in both combat and personal matters. When she's busy and can't personally attend to you herself, she orders her little helpers to stalk you and to report every detail to her ears. Oftentimes, when work is lenient on her shoulders - Yelan invites you to join her for tea in the Yansheng teahouse, where everything you order is free of charge, courtesy of her. There, you let your guard down around her and unknowingly feed her bits of your utmost, truest personality - Something that she'll make sure to take advantage of. All in the name of love, she supposes.

YUN JIN:

» YUN JIN's crush on you is only revealed through the ears of her most trusted servants - people that she confides in. A little lost on how to maneuver around love, a topic she's unfamiliar with, Yun Jin has no choice but to trust her servant's advice. On a more advantageous note, Yun Jin uses her newfound infatuation into songs for her Operas - leaving her audience to wonder who she was singing about. She's tame, for the most part - just unbearably, irreversibly in love with you; her first and only love. Just don't brush off her company in favor of another and she's content, not needing to resort to extraordinary means.

ZHONGLI / MORAX:

» ZHONGLI, A worker from the funeral parlor, finds himself being romantically interested in you. It's peculiar, to feel a new emotion after living for thousands of years - and unsurprisingly, Zhongli yearns to feel more of this emotion. And so, he gets close to you under the guise of a young man wanting to share the knowledge he has of the nation, subtly praising Morax in the little anecdotes he has. He often meets you for tea during the weekends, something that Zhongli isn't satisfied with; but he knows he must be patient - so for now, he'll settle on appearing in your dreams, pushing you to think about him more during the daytime. He's tempted to break into your house when you're unsuspecting but he finds that method unbecoming of him, not when he knows that he'll have all the time in the world to relish in your home once you're his. And while right now, Zhongli may appear to be a trustworthy guy, it won't be long until the cracks of his facade start shining through.

INAZUMA

ARATAKI ITTO:

» ITTO IS rambunctious and unruly in every sense of the word, always being a bother to the citizens of Inazuma city because of his loud voice. He's annoying, even more so in the department of romance - Itto isn't really sure what had drawn him to you (was it the way you carry yourself? Or maybe your sense of humor just ticks his boxes?) all he knows is that he wants you, badly. And in desperation comes desperate attempts; he always interrupts you in the middle of work to give you hand-plucked flowers, when you're out in the streets of Inazuma you can always count on Itto to ruin your time to yourself, and when you're walking home Itto will always be loitering around just in case you get yourself into danger. Somewhere down the line, Itto deludes himself into thinking there's something going on between the two of you and his gang is no help as they directly (or indirectly) enable his delusions. Because trust us, boss! There's no way they don't like you, have you seen the way they looked at you yesterday!? If that's not love, then I don't know what is! (And Itto always eats it up every time).

KAEDEHARA KAZUHA:

» KAZUHA loves obsessively, every part of you is vehemently adored by him - no exceptions whatsoever. It doesn't even matter what your personality is, you could be the most selfish person in all of Teyvat or the complete opposite - Kazuha will be swooning either way, because in his eyes; everything that makes you, well, you should be appreciated equally. Trust him to be waxing poetic about you in his free time (the free time in question is when he's not stalking your every move and mannerism) and dreamily sighing at the memories he has shared with you. A hopeless romantic, really. And maybe it would have been endearing if he wasn't such a creep, such a weirdo that follows you everywhere you go.

KAMISATO AYAKA:

» Elegance is something that's engraved within AYAKA's entire being, both on the battlefield and in etiquette. But that same elegance is not found in the way she courts you - the keeper of her heart, she fumbles like a fool, cheeks stained with a vibrant red, and stutters over her sentences like a child; her servants may deny it all they want but Ayaka is clearly head over heels for you. It isn't her intention to make such a mockery of herself within your company, but what else can she do when your eyes land on her face? Just the thought has her reeling. Still, Ayaka is determined to establish a relationship with you - because under the layers of her shyness and embarrassment lies an unquenchable obsession with anything that's you. She just hides it well, enough for you to remain blind to her unhealthy behavior.

GOROU:

» GOROU is loyal to a fault and this trait of his strengthens when it comes to you. He's a nice guy, you think. Especially since Gorou is somehow always around to help you with menial tasks - carrying things, obtaining something that's nearby, giving helpful advice in a time of need - it's like he's developed a sixth sense for when you're troubled! Because of how trustworthy and helpful Gorou has appeared in your eyes, you allow him more into your personal bubble. Your small talk evolves into actual conversations between friends and the two of you occasionally meet up in Inazuma city for a 'friendly' outing. Gorou couldn't be happier! Still, greed claws at him and urges him to desire more. Why settle for friends when you can be their lover? It's not like there's anything that's in the way, just take the leap and ask. And if you reject Gorou? Well, missing people had always been frequent nowadays.

SANGONOMIYA KOKOMI:

» The divine priestess' intelligence really shines through when it comes to trying to win you over because KOKOMI can not stomach the thought of you belonging to someone else that isn't her. She acts all calm and poised around you, but her mind is working overtime trying to come up with different ways and strategies to make you love her back. Seeing you roam free out and about in Watatsumi (sometimes even in lands beyond Inazuma) has Kokomi fighting back the urge to cripple you and causing you to never leave her grasp ever again. Then, something clicks in her mind. Maybe she won't cripple you, instead, she'll just confine you inside her humble abode. That should be fine for you, no? Your entire limbs remain working and intact, while Kokomi gets to have you all to herself. Yes, that would make an ideal situation. Now, all she needs are the materials needed to properly abduct you - just don't be afraid when you wake up blindfolded, okay?

KAMISATO AYATO:

» As a man with great influence, AYATO uses this to his advantage. It's unclear in his mind how and when did he develop an infatuation for you, but he welcomes it regardless. And as a man in love, Ayato is relentless in his pursuit - using everything and everyone to his advantage, just so he can get an inch closer to you. Shuumatsuban ninjas are instructed to follow you every day and the servants within the Kamisato estate are told to keep a lookout just in case you make an impromptu visit. All the while, Ayato keeps a clean image in front of you, resulting in you knowing him as a benevolent and friendly man who always insists on inviting you to drink tea with him. It's unknown to his underlings what exactly Ayato's plans are because that's only for him to know. But at least he's 'kind' enough to warn them in advance to not be surprised when they see someone else laying on his futon, wrists, and legs bound together - with their mouth gagged with fabric.

KUJOU SARA:

» SARA is an uptight woman, the only thing she had always known was how to battle and handle politics - things that certainly do not concern love. Still, she tries her best to educate herself before going out to 'romance' you, as embarrassing as it may be. Sara tries to go for the normal approach at first; offering to walk you home, accompanying you out in the streets of Inazuma, gifting you sentimental items, and immediately drawing her bow when danger nears you. Her movements are stiff and her cheeks are when she interacts with you, but it makes an endearing sight - never failing to make you chuckle (a sound that brings even more redness to her cheeks). It's nice, for the first couple of weeks until it isn't. Maybe something occurred that caused her to snap, stress building up - or maybe it's just been hidden deep within her being, but Sara gradually devolves into a possessive freak. She abuses her position within the Tenryou commission to keep tabs on you, doing the same for others but for entirely different reasons. Sara reasons to herself that it's okay to be possessive over you - you're hers. So it's fine to falsely arrest men and women that had interacted with you, it's fine to sign death executions for others that had wronged you. It's completely fine.

EI / BAAL:

» Eternity is something EI had always longed to achieve, even more now that she has you, her darling lover. The thought of you being stagnant, never changing; always staying the same, and loving her for all eternity - it's such a salivating idea and Ei simply has to have it, no matter the cost. While Ei can't prevent her citizens from succumbing to the inevitable effects of time, she's sure she can preserve you to remain the same centuries after centuries. She's made a puppet that's almost human - what's stopping her from making her lover immortal? Nothing should stand against love, even mortality. Through trial and error, after searching far and wide - when Ei has finally achieved your immortality is where her happy ending lies. There's nothing more blissful compared to her ruling Inazuma with you by her side, bound by eternity. Your love for each other transcends time and everything mortal, isn't that romantic?

YAE MIKO:

» A cunning chief priestess and chief-in-editor, YAE is relentless when it comes to flirting with you. From sly winks sent your way to intentional touches on your body, she's not afraid to show her interest in you so blatantly. She heeds no mind if you were to respond so... Null to her advances, you'll warm up eventually, she just knows it. But if that lukewarm reaction extends onto long periods of time where it's no longer funny, but an annoyance - then maybe it's time for Yae to dig deep into your life, just to see if anyone holds your heart. And if there is? Yae isn't above using underhanded methods for them to discard you completely or worst-case scenario, make them disappear into thin air. Hopefully, that experience will be a lesson learned, if you know what's best for other people that like you.

SHIKANOIN HEIZOU:

» Mischief runs in HEIZOU's blood. He's cheeky and a tease when you're around him, playful remarks and teasing jabs are sent your way. Just because he likes you doesn't mean you're exempted from his annoying attitude, ya know? It's best to just shut up and take his teasing into stride, or to tease back. Heizou actually likes it when you make remarks back to him because, in his mind, it creates an image of a couple (a married one, if he's being specific) that's lovingly bickering with each other. In your playful quarrels, he basks in the sight of a smile blooming on your face - a smile that's caused by him. When that smile is caused by other people, well... Heizou gets miffed. It's best to disassociate with them when there's still an opportunity to do so before Heizou completes his perfect crime plan and decides to act it out.

THOMA:

» THOMA is polite by default, almost painfully so. He's the picture-perfect image of a gentleman, he respects your boundaries, is always eager to help, always looking for ways to lessen your burden - boyfriend material, if we're being honest. And that's what Thoma strives to appear in your perspective; someone that's worthy of being your lover (or ahem, husband). This doesn't mean his help and small favors aren't genuine - they are, he wants to help you! But it's like killing two birds with one stone this way, he gets to be reliable and appear to be a guy with a good reputation. Because it isn't far-fetched to say Thoma absolutely worships you - his collection of your personal belongings back in his room can be a testament to this. He revels in your company as one would in front of a god, if could he'd kiss the ground you walk on - he loves you so badly. Won't you indulge him for a little while?

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

March 14th

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1. Hi I've been trying to find this fic where wwx went back in time to cloud recess and he freaks out in the middle of the class and ran out and jump off a cliff and he survived and the cloud recess helped him heal and be happy again. Thank you I'm advance ☺️@limaly26

FOUND?🔒 Without end by barisan (M, 69k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Suicide Attempt, Hurt/Comfort, Depressed WWX, Good Uncle LQR, Bad Parent YZY, Bad Parent JFM, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm,   PTSD, Panic Attacks, Yunmeng Jiang bashing, Sentient Resentful energy, Medical inaccuracies)

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2. Haven’t read one in a while, and I’m itmf hardcore angst. Looking for a fic that I read back in 2021~2022. It was post-canon where many still hated the Yiling Patriarch. Some of those people were able to kidnap wwx. They tortured and abused him for days before he was found half dead. Wwx was so injured that I’m pretty sure he even lost his sight for a bit and wouldn’t let anyone touch him after being found. I read it on AO3 and remember it was hurt/comfort (but there was a looooot of hurt before there was comfort). The author’s name was catchy and easy to remember (obviously not easy enough lol) and either the author or the title was like one word starting with a “v” or a “t” maybe? Idk. It was pretty popular, so I’m sure this one has been asked about before. @main-00

FOUND! Silenced by Tasharene (M, 63k, WangXian, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, PTSD, Temporary Blindness, Aversion to touch, Fear of crowds, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, WWX Whump, Hurt WWX, Whump, Angst with a Happy Ending, world-class troll LXC, see the archive Warnings BEFORE you accuse me of not tagging things!!!)

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3. Hello!! I was looking for a specific fic that I can’t seem to find now, it’s a finished work, it’s about succubus!wei wuxian, or at least I remember it being about him but after looking under the tag I wonder if I missed it, the author didn’t tag it, or he was made to be a creature incredibly similar to a succubus? The plot is that wwx is half succubus who has been ‘tamed’ by lwj, this is just mentioned in the fic it actually begins with lwj being a professor at a school and wwx offers for him to be used as a demonstration for class to see if people can resist his magic, that’s basically the entire fic. Thank you for your help!

FOUND! a sword for a tongue by martyrsdaughter (E, 6k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, College/University, Succubi & Incubi, Consensual Kink, Dom/sub Undertones, Established Relationship, light exhibitionism, Sex Magic, Collars, Roleplay, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Tension, Light Degradation Kink, Blowjobs, Face-Fucking, Breathplay, Dominant LWJ, Submissive WWX)

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4. Heyy so can someone plz help me find this fic? Its in ao3 the last time l read it it had only two chapters and its a lan wangji x jiang cheng and in it jiang cheng l believe he was poisoned really badly after fighting a monster in a forest but his spiders finds him and gets him to gusu and the last thing l remember was abt him carrying jin ling and finding lan wangji with a-yuan on the other side of the room😭searched up and down for it and l still couldn't find it I'm going nuts😔

Another fic is of JC deciding that his words are a curse and stops talking all together by taking an oath and he starts learning sign language and then he goes to gusu and LWJ sees him and stuff and its not complete either😔

Update: l found the first one, l still need the second one @reader-100

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5. Hi! I'm looking for a fic I read a while ago. I tried looking under the WWX & LQR or the Good Uncle LQR tags on AO3 but can't find it.

It was a Cloud Recesses arc AU, and something made LQR have a change of heart about WWX (maybe morals, maybe time travel, idk). He talks with WWX about why he is acting out and starts teaching so WWX is actually challenged in class, which makes him thrive. A lot or all of the story was from LQR's pov.

I remember a specific part where LQR sees the guest disciples practicing sword forms and realizes WWX is purposefully under performing. He is doing just a bit worse than JWY, to make JWY seem the most talented. LQR reprimands WWX because training improperly will lead to bad habits that endanger himself and others on nighthunts. WWX immediately improves his form. Later LQR discusses WWX's progress with the instructor and says he should spar with LWJ. The instructor thinks WWX has improved, but not that dramatically. But LQR knows they fought the first night of lectures. So LWJ and WWX have an epic spar where WWX stops holding back and goes all out in front of the class (possibly with LQR and LXC looking on from the sidelines).

I don't remember anything after that so it may be unfinished. Thanks so much!!

FOUND? Just Say Yes Series by edenwolfie (T/M, 338k, WangXian, Matchmaking, Pining, Getting Together, Canon Divergence, POV Alternating, Fluff, First Kiss, Declarations Of Love, Humor, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Good Uncle LQR, Engagement, Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It) but not sure if there is a spar between jc and wwx

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6. Hi. I hope you a well. I am looking for 2 pics. (a) I don't remember well if it's a time travel or what. But wei ying started demanding money for use demonic cultivation. When Jiang Cheng ask him why he doesn't fight he said that jiang cheng told him to stop being a hero. (b) Wei ying saved a man, that man was unhappy about they way wei ying was treated and he directed a play about wei ying and lan wanji and their love story.

6B)

FOUND? The Ballad of Hanguang-Jun and The Yiling Patriarch by Theladyofravenclaw (T, 40k, WangXian, ChengQing, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Burial Mounds Arc, Canon Divergence, Fix-It of Sorts, Humor, musical theater?, Misunderstandings, POV Outsider, Crack treated seriously)

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7. Been looking for this ao3 fanfic titled "YOUR NAME ON MY CHEST" by anonymous something like that. A wangxian modern au with a military theme. WY got the codename "Mulan" while LZ "Bucky". If I'm not mistaken everyone deemed WY the villain here after the "incident" where LZ almost ended up crippled. Please help, the author likely removed this fic on ao3. @lu-wanji

FOUND? Your Name On My Chest by Director_XuanWu (T, 74k, WangXian, Modern, Heavy Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Feelings, Eventual Happy Ending, These two feel so much, Pining, Break Up, Post-Break Up, Getting Back Together, But it would be almost at the end, Falling In Love, Self-Sacrifice, First Love, Long-Distance Relationship, All other pairings except for Wangxian are backgrounds only) I found it on the wayback machine

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8. Hello! Hope you’re doing well.

I’m searching for a fanfiction where Wei Wuxian is saved by Lan Qiren (though I’m not sure if it’s him or Lan Wangji/Xichen). They are at Karp Tower for a conference when Madam Yu tries to drown Wei Ying after cruelly whipping him. He is found in the lake, barely alive, and Lan Qiren rescues him, bringing him to the Cloud Recesses. Wei Ying is deeply traumatized by the incident, and the cultivation world harshly judges Madam Yu for her cruelty. Thank you in advance for the help! @myukisora

FOUND? 🔒🧡 rain falls and soaks into the earth series by RoseThorne (T, 60k, WangXian, WIP, Near Death Experience, Attempt Drowning, Madam Yu Bashing, Recovery, No war AU)

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9. Hi I'm looking for a fic where wwx and lwj had a yuan but because of (I think abandonment issues) a yuan was scared of planes, i think it was an accidental baby acquisition fic but I'm not sure?

FOUND? The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane (E, 70k, WangXian, Modern AU, Accidental Baby Acquisition,Kid Fic, explicit in much much later chapters, green card marriage (but not really), pining for your own husband, endless pining, Slow Burn, Happy Ending, Nothing else bad or traumatic happens to the baby, [Podfic of] The Simplest Way Forward by knight_tracer)

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10. I’m looking for a fic where Madame yu goes to the cloud recess post whim wing punching the peacock and proceeds to punish him with zidian lan zhan catches her in the act and stops her and says she can’t punish him bc they are engaged

FOUND? 🧡 To have and to hold by Moominmammashandbag (M, 78k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Major character injury, CQL verse, Happy Ending)

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11. Hello mods!! Hope you're well ^^ I'm searching for two specific fic.

A) The first one was a time travel fic. The juniors were somehow time travelling into sunshot era (i don't remember much it's been a long time since i read that) and meeting yllz!wwx and lwj. I remember lz and wy getting suspicious of them and discussing things?? The juniors were staying with them for days trapped in time and trying to talk to them to get information?? I dont really remember much. At some point post-canon wwx was finding them and time travelling too. Thats all i remember.

B) For the second one i was 100% sure i had this fic bookmarked but i couldn't find it no matter what T.T It was a dragonji and foxxian fic and it kinda started with wy and lz meeting on a night hunt. They kept coming across each other in random night hunts. I remember lz getting hurt and having to stay in his dragon(noodleji lol) form and wy finding him, caring for him without knowing it's him. At some point wy was joining cloud recesses studies and lz was finding out wy was literally WY (in the earlier chapters lqr was mentioning wy to lz and warning him about wy) It was something like that. I REALLY HOPE IT CAN BE FOUND😭😭

Anyways as always thank you in advance!!😚😚😚 @for13years-i-play-inquiry-foryou

I'm 11 and i actually found B bc yeah i was right it was in my bookmarks lol XD

I still need the first one though!!

11A)

NOT FOUND! 🔒 Forget Myself in Memories by geethr75 (T, 10k, JC & WWX, JC & JL, JL & LJY & LSZ & OYZZ, WangXian, LXC & NMJ, JYL/JZX, Junior Quartet Dynamics, Time Travel Fix-It, Juniors travel to the past, Post-Canon, Canon Divergence, double trouble, Past WWX meets future WWX in MXY’s body, Past JC meets future JC, JL and his jiujiu, Sect Leader JL, Sect Leader OYZZ, Sect Heir LJY, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, JGY dies as Meng Yao, SS and JZn dies, JGS dies, WQ and WN lives, JYL and JZX Lives, no golden core transfer, No golden core melting, The Juniors save the day, WWX saves the day too, Alternate Timelines)

11B)

FOUND! what you have tamed by lianhua_lianzi, Senforza (E, 94k, WangXian, XuanLi, XiYao, Eventual 3Zun, Animal Traits, misunderstandings (not the romcom kind that can be resolved in a 5min convo), Courting Rituals, Pining, Lan family dynamics, Drama, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Arranged Marriage, Wangxian break up but get back together, Eventual Happy Ending, vague biological essentialism (animal species have different mating preferences), Canon Typical Alcohol Usage, Implied Mpreg, Top LWJ/Bottom WWX, Unresolved Sexual Tension, unintentional and eventually resolved “gaslighting”, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX)

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12. Please help me find this fic! WWX commissioned a tea that tasted like Emperor's Smile so LWJ could indulge without alcohol. I think. I could have been a surprise from LWJ for WWX because he wasn't allowed to have alcohol? I have no idea the story around this scene but there: a fic that invented Emperor's Smile Tea. @mreisse

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13. Hi, I'm looking for an Ao3 fic where Lan Zhan becomes a little boy because of an experiment by Wei Ying. He goes through growth spurts at night. First he's a boy of about 8 years old who doesn't leave Lan Quiren's side. At night he grows into a boy of 13, then about 17, then to the age when he received the lashes and Wei Ying stays by his side comforting him. The next growth spurt is after Wei Ying died and he wants to get him out of the Lan sect for fear that he will lose him again. When Lan Zhan returns to his normal age they do the gogogo because he's jealous that Wei Ying says that his 8 year old uo is adorable.

English is not my first translation I translated this with Google Translate @aome37-blog

FOUND? In Time by Siera_Knightwalker (Not Rated, 13k, WangXian, Underage Sex, Age Regression/De-Aging, Established WangXian, Cute 6 year old LWJ, Cute 11 year old LWJ, Cuter and in love 16 year old LWJ, Obsessed and in love 21 year old LWJ, And continuing in that stream, Underage warning only for 16 year old LWJ, Anything below that is ONLY cute baby LWJ, Family Fluff, Good Uncle LQR, Good Parent LQR, Supportive Sibling LXC, WWX is a Little Shit, WWX is a gremlin, LWJ Loves WWX, WWX Loves LWJ, Everyone Loves WWX, Post-Canon, Gusu Lan Sect, LWJ's 33 Lashes Punishment, Feminization, Public Display of Affection, Sexual Content, Age Difference, Overstimulation, Nipple Play)

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14. Hi I'm looking for a fic where the juniors find an old sketchbook of WWX that's like a guide to LWJ's different minor facial expressions and what they mean. I remember it being pretty CQL-based and even having art in it. There's a particular scene where the juniors realize LWJ's "I like mianmian" face is the same as his "you're an idiot" face" @vivalav

FOUND! ❤️ Important Distinctions by nagi_blue (T, 5k, Background WangXian, Fluff, [Podfic] Important Distinctions by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona) )

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15. Hey so I have a few fics I read on ao3 but unfortunately my forgetful past self didn't have the mind to bookmark them can you help me find those?

A) 1. I think the title is empire but I don't remember it correctly but the story goes such that lan huan in seclusion goes insane for lan clan being given such bad name and all so like he goes lets time travel and does. He takes nmj with him and when he goes back he tells his bro and uncle but uncle is angry and punish him. Lwj sends for wwx in jiang to marry and he accepts . madam yu is helpful kinda. He gets Lauded in lan clan and all. Ssc goes on and lwj is taking lead. Wax being badass general. Jiang and jin gets destroyed by wen and end result lxc and nie bros want to make the whole jangu the empire and they crown wwx the king. Can u help me fund it?

B) The second one I think is a one shot maybe ? I don't remember the title sorry. It's wangxian. Hurt + comfort. The au where wc doesnt throw wwx into burial mounts but like treats him very very bad. When jc and lwj find him he is being used as footstool for wc. Still they rescue him. In nie fortress he is angry and snappy to everyone and lwj at last is like talk to me but wwx doesnt agree and wwx provokes lwj by saying bad things about himself and lwj is like no, so he strips everything off first his head peice and then his robes at last his ribbon he uses to tie his hands and kneel before wwx and something something. Pretty sure the tag I found it in was wwx needs a hug @feelingsareforweak

15A)

FOUND! Into the Oubliette by Ruixx (M, 124k, WIP, wangxian, JYL/JZX, growing up, fix-it of sorts, time travel, arranged marriage, sibling bonding, adopted sibling relationship, light bdsm, sunshot campaign, war, politics, hostage JYL, visions, LXC redemption, good uncle LQR, empire building)

15B)

FOUND? the dark, the light, the flame by Lirazel (T, 17k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Sunshot Campaign, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Golden Core Reveal, WWX Whump)

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16. I'm looking for a fic I read on AO3 set during the Sunshot Campaign. WWX and LWJ go to a mountain?, where WWX uses Chenqing and LWJ uses his sword or guqin. They do something important to help win the war, then collapse from exhaustion. Jin Zixuan finds them, drags them back to camp, and they’re nursed back to health by Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng, and Wen Qing. All three fall in love with each other. WWX and LWJ are soulmates?, but are unstable and dangerous, and unintentionally create a forest.

FOUND? Talking is Better than Silence by KuroiWrites (blackcatkuroi) (T, 264k, WangXian, Communication, Fluff and Angst, What-If, Canon Divergence, Resentful Energy is a Thing, Musical Cultivation gets Center Stage, Honesty, Myth Making in Action, Soulmates, Cultivation Healing is Expanded, Lore Creation, Any Rated E for Extra Sexy scenes posted as separate CODA chapters)

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17. I'm trying to find a fic where wwx had an invention and it could detect blood relations he discovered he was related to wen ruhon (idk how to spell it💀💀) and so that wen dude treated him like his grandson?

FOUND? All Things Belong by kuroi_atropos (M, 93k, WRH & WWX, WangXian, WWX is a Wēn, Abuse, Whipping, Manipulations, Warning: WRH, Smart WWX, Possessive Behavior, Warning: JGS, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Rape/Non-con, Society Level Victim Blaming, Victim Blaming) But the blood relation invention only comes into play at the end, after Wen Ruohan already knows he's Wei Wuxian's grandfather

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18. I’m looking for a fic: it’s a modern au, LWJ and WWX are best friends who end up moving in together. They decide to start sleeping together “for convenience” and even end up getting married for tax benefits or something, but even at the end of the fic they never realize they’re in a relationship with each other. It drives JC crazy. @luliaka

FOUND! Six in one hand by deliciousblizzardshark (T, 2k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Modern, Crack Treated Seriously, Compulsory Heterosexuality, POV JC)

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19. Another fuc I want to find is a one shot I think. Wangxian. When wx captures lwj he does something so lwj for gets his life and acts like a whore to serve wwx but wwx don't agree so like pursutes lwj to run away but lwj disagrees and like I will come with u but sleep with me. So wwx agrees and they do The do . lwj and wwx go to nie clan. Lwj still doesnt remember but wwx works hard. In the end lwj gets his memories back and like so broken up. Wwx is like you can have my head for dishonor he caused but lwj is like no blah blah blah and happy ending. Will you please help me find them? @feelingsareforweak

FOUND? Mask by BurningTea (M, 30k, WangXian, Rape/Non-Con, Non con tag refers to activity between WWX and LWJ which WWX believes to be consensual, Bottom LWJ, War Prize LWJ, YLLZ WWX, Canon Divergence, dubcon) I think it matches only partially, though, but it has LWJ being captured, forgetting pretty much everything, then being "given" to WWX, angst and misunderstandings ensue before a happy ending with LWJ's memories intact once more

FOUND? ornament by iliacquer (E, 5k, WangXian, Breathplay, Extremely Dubious Consent, Alpha WWX, Omega LWJ, Implied Mpreg, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Public Sex, Public Humiliation, Exhibitionism, absolutely unhinged ooc smut, Top WWx, Bottom LWJ, Collars, Inappropriate use of resentful energy) Another one for #19 that doesn't fully fit but is also about lwj being gifted to the yllz by wrh. It's probably not the one since it doesn't involve memory loss but. In case there's any imtf for gift!lwj, this is a good one

FOUND? tumblr fic by jingyismom (rated E, warning for perceived dubcon)

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20. Hi hi! There's this fic I've been searching through my bookmarks for but I simply couldn't find it :((

The plot goes that everyone has achieved immortality, WWX, LWJ, NHS, NMJ, LXC, JYL, JC, and JZX. However, Jin Ling was born mortal despite immortal parents so WWX casted an array that transferred his immortality to Jin Ling and died in the process. NHS became a victim to the array due to JGY's machinations. WWX is then reincarnated and becomes A-Yuan's dad and grows up in an orphanage with NHS as his brother. Later on, there's a whole thing where LSZ, LJY and Ouyang Zizhen is on a field trip where a cave collapses on them ans they achieve immortality. The abovementioned immortals (other than WWX and NHS) kidnap the juniors to guide them through immortality but in doing so, forcefully separates WWX and LSZ. Jin Ling feels bad for them and helps them escape from the immortals. He meets WWX and realises that he's alive and reincarnated, that leads to everyone finding out that WWX has been reincarnated. Later on, they all get kidnapped by JGY and XY threatens to torture LSZ so WWX volunteers himself. There's a whole thing where NHS dies in his second life but that gives him back his memories of immortality, so he calls NMJ and they all plan to save them. At the end, JGY kills WWX with a gun but they are unaware that WWX is still alive and just got back his memories.

That's all I remember, sorry for the long message and thank you very much for your help!!!

FOUND! The World We Made by updatebug (T, 80k, WangXian, The Old Guard fusion, Immortals, Immortal LWJ, Angst with a Happy Ending, Reincarnation, Modern AU, The Old Guard AU, Temporary Character Death)

~*~

[sabsturned]

M. Sturniolo - Three Doors Down

SEE PINNED POST FOR NAVIGATION

comment on this post to be added to my taglist :-)

pairing: matt x fem!reader

contains: angst, mentions of a drinking and smoking parent, crying

summary: you and matt used to be best friends. you were closer to him than anyone else you know, and you’ve always secretly had a crush on him. the day you told him, you guys stopped talking. tonight was prom night, and you had no guys or even friends to go with. all you could do was sit in the corner and watch him dance with his girlfriend, sofia.

a/n: first fic!!! i’m rlly excited about this one. it’s based off of the song ‘three doors down’ by joy. this was my shit in 2022 and i don’t get why it wasn’t talked about more. ALSO I HAVE A QUESTION: what are anons??? also please leave requests for fics!! i’m literally out of ideas. THATS IT!! enjoy the fic :))

key: matt y/n sofia

and i’m in the corner

dying of boredom

catching light from the shine

of his girlfriend’s tiara

me and matt were best friends. me and the boy three doors down. i mean, the best word to describe us was inseparable. we hung out all the time—at school, at home, over the weekends, at parties—everywhere i went, he went, and everywhere he went, i went.

it started when we were both eight years old. i was trying to avoid my mom at all costs because when she drank, she got mean. i went outside, picking all the small white flowers out of the ground. maybe if i gave my mom flowers, she would cheer up, and she wouldn’t hurt me. at least that’s what i thought.

i picked a yellow dandelion, adding it to my bouquet of flowers when i saw a boy around my age riding on a skateboard. he was riding it on circles in his driveway. suddenly the only thing my eyes were looking at was his curly brunette hair. his eyes were a beautiful color of blue. not as deep as an ocean, but not as light as the sky. all i knew was that they were perfect and they consumed me. his cheeks were a shade of red, probably because of the humidity. i’ll never forget the way he looked at me for the first time; the way his eyes lit up, the way his smile widened, showing off the dimple on his left cheek, the way the world around us faded.

his hand slowly moved up, waving at me. my smile grew. i waved back.

whenever my mom started drinking, i just went outside, where he was every afternoon on his skateboard. he tried teaching me to ride it, but i wasn’t very good. we played in his backyard with his brothers and their dog, trevor. sometimes they brought out their sprinkler on a really hot day, and we all just played like kids. i would give anything to be a kid with them again.

when we were in the same homeroom for third grade, we were both ecstatic. we were always partners in group work, always played together at recess, always ate together at lunch. everybody always made fun of us, and assumed we were dating or something. but we didn’t care.

everything was perfect. up until eighth grade. ever since me and matt met, i’ve always kind of liked him. i never really had the courage to tell him, up until the day before our eighth grade dance.

i confessed my feelings for him. i didn’t say much really. i just told him i liked him and asked if he wanted to go on a date. but i don’t think he felt the same.

he said he was busy.

all contact was cut after that. no more late night calls, no more weekend sleepovers, no more study sessions after school.

and it’s all my fault. i ruined everything. if i wouldn’t have said all of that, we wouldn’t have been here. we would have still been friends. we would have gone to prom together. we would have been falling asleep on call together. we would have still been as inseparable as we were when we were kids.

all of this was my fault.

now i’m at prom. the speakers blasted a pop song i don’t know the name of. all of the kids in the room were dancing, jumping around, making out in the bathroom, but i was sitting in the corner.

i would have gone home, but i was trying to avoid being near my mom at all costs. so i was just there, dying of boredom.

i caught a glimpse of her tiara. the plastic gems glistened in the dim light of the room. how was sofia able to wear cheap plastic on her head and still manage to look absolutely beautiful.

i’m so jealous of sofia. she’s a cheerleader. she’s skinny, she’s pretty, she won prom queen, and worst of all, she was matt’s girlfriend. we have had some interactions before, and i hate talking about her negatively because she is so incredibly sweet. like i’ve never met a popular girl so nice. it made it harder to hate her the way i wanted to.

her silky straight hair ran down her back, and her wide smile could light up a whole room. her dress was fabulous too. it was a really pretty shade of lavender, and it was sparkly. it complimented her figure so well. i mean, she looked like an absolute goddess.

her hands were wrapped around matt’s neck as they danced to the slow music playing. it hurt so bad. i should be over matt by now, i mean, it’s been four years. but i wasn’t over him. i wasn’t over his curly brunette hair, his beautiful blue eyes, the dimple that appeared on his left cheek whenever he would smile. i wasn’t over our late night phone calls, our weekend sleepovers, our study sessions after school. i wasn’t over him. and i never would be.

watching them dance together made me sick. the eye contact, how touchy they were. i decided to go get some punch to distract myself. i wanted to go home so bad, but a broken heart was less noticeable than the burn mark of a cigarette.

the loud music drowned out the sound of the punch splashing into the red cup. i turned around to go back to the corner i was sitting in, when a tall figure bumped into me. thankfully, i didn’t spill any punch on my dress.

“oh, sorry. i should have been watching where i was-“ my breathing stopped when i realized who i had just bumped into. his curly brunette hair, his beautiful blue eyes. matt.

“that’s alright-“ he stopped talking when he saw me. “oh, um, hey.” he said, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“hi.” i responded.

“you look.. amazing.” he complimented.

“oh, thanks. you too.”

“are you having fun?” no. not when she’s the one you’re dancing with. not when i’m still thinking about you even after all these years.

“yeah, just hanging out with my friends. a night to remember.” i lied.

“yeah.” he laughed.

there was a moment of silence where we just looked at each other. the first time i’ve looked in his beautiful blue eyes in years. the first time we’ve had an interaction in years.

“hey baby, they’re playing my favorite, c’mon!” sofia ran over, grabbing chris by the arm, giving me a small wave before dragging him back to the dance floor.

“nice seeing you y/n.” he voiced, before him and sofia continued dancing together.

i tried to say something back, but nothing came out. i forgot how to speak, i forgot how to breathe. before i knew it, the tears were already falling out of my eyes.

i needed to leave. thankfully, i only live a few blocks from the school, so i could just walk home. the only thing i could think about was how i just needed to be anywhere else but this school.

i shoved open the doors, walking out into the cold rain. it was pouring outside. normally, i really liked rain. me and matt used to lay in the rain together. it’s where we had our most meaningful conversations, and shared our deepest thoughts. but i wasn’t enjoying it right now. every drop felt like cupid pulling an arrow out of me. i rushed home as quick as i possibly could, the rain soaking my hair, and the tears rushing down my face. i actually couldn’t even tell if i was crying anymore. the rain made it hard to tell.

i was able to sneak past my mom so she wouldn’t see i went out. i ran up the stairs and into my room, quietly shutting the door behind me. i let out loud sobs into my hands, my rain soaked body dripping rain into a puddle beneath me. i looked up and saw the picture we made in fourth grade art class together, my sobs growing louder. i looked next to it. a signed baseball from a game we went to together sat on the shelf, along with a scrapbook of our seventh grade summer. suddenly, my room was filled with memories of us. i need to destroy it all.

i took the canvas off of the wall, grabbing my scissors and stabbing it until you couldn’t see the picture anymore. i took the scrapbook off of the shelf, ripping out the pages, cutting them into small pieces. i grabbed the baseball, opened my window, and threw it. i didn’t see where it landed. i was just glad it was out of my sight. i ripped the cards and gifts he made me for my birthdays, and christmas, and valentine’s day, ripping and cutting them up. then the stuffed bear he got me. my favorite animal. i cut that open, ripping out the stuffing. until nothing else was left. i sighed, my sobs growing louder.

i looked down and noticed my heels, stained with punch. the rain should have washed it off. the punch reminded me of him. i must have missed when it fell out of my cup and onto my shoes. i kicked them off, throwing them under my bed.

i looked down at my dress, noticing the color of it. it was the same shade of blue as his eyes. his beautiful blue eyes. i groaned out loud, ripping my dress off and throwing it in my closet. everything reminded me of him. the clothes i wore when we hung out, the sheets we laid in, the desk he sat at while we talked for hours, the rug we sat on when we played board games, the floor, the walls, the ceiling, the window, everything. it was like he was a memory that i couldn’t get rid of.

but maybe this is how it’s supposed to be. maybe we aren’t meant to have late night phone calls. maybe we aren’t meant to have weekend sleepovers. maybe we aren’t meant to have study sessions after school. maybe we just aren’t meant to be. maybe he belongs with sofia. maybe we aren’t supposed to be together, me and the boy three doors down.

angst is one of my favorite things to write. it’s so therapeutic to me. so i hope you enjoyed this and please give me your feedback in the comments! :D

- thanks for reading!! with love, sabrina 🤍🎀

taglist:: @muchloveforhacker @saartjuhh @anonymousmfs @mylove4lana @chrissfavhoe @sturniolo101 @h3arts4harry @hereforthwtripletsfr @pepsixchris @ch3rrywine-reposts @amaliarosewood @gwennybenny @memea32221 @urfavstromboli

[sweetromanova]

Off The Record: Part Nine

Natasha Romanoff x Criminal Defense Lawyer!Original Female Character

Summary: She’s built a career on keeping secrets and defending the worst with nothing to lose. That changed when Natasha Romanoff showed up on the other side of the courtroom.

Warnings: descriptions of violence, psychological manipulation, implied child abuse and trauma, emotional abuse, mentions of torture, human and sex trafficking, war crimes and murder, implied coercion, legal corruption, gun violence, secondary character deaths, power imbalance, blood and injury depiction

Chapter Nine

Federal Tribunal Courtroom, Washington, D.C.

April 4, 2022 

Sienna arrived early to the courthouse, slipping past the usual security checkpoints with a practiced ease. She exchanged polite nods with clerks and staff, the kind of warmth that made people underestimate just how sharp she really was. Her voice was steady as she briefed her team, discussing timelines and evidence with quiet authority.

In the break room, Sienna took a moment to sip her coffee, scrolling through case files on her tablet. Her eyes flicked briefly to a news alert about increased security measures around known Luka associates. She smiled thinly, the weight behind that smile unseen by the others bustling past.

Later, during a brief recess, Sienna met quietly with Maria in the hallway. Their conversation was professional, focused on legal strategy and procedural nuances. Yet Sienna’s subtle glances around the corridor hinted at her ever-present awareness of being watched, hunted.

Natasha lingered nearby, apparently reviewing notes but really observing Sienna’s every move. The silence between them was thick, not friendly but not hostile either. They shared an unspoken agreement to keep the courtroom focused on justice but prepare for what came after.

Court was in session, the air thick with anticipation as the case unfolded. All eyes were on the defence table when Sienna rose to her feet, her expression calm but resolute as she challenged the prosecution’s line of questioning. “Objection, Your Honour.” Sienna said, firm and certain. “The witness’s testimony is leading and prejudicial.”

The judge’s gavel barely hit the desk before the response came. “Sustained. The objection is overruled.”

Sienna bit back a flicker of frustration, masking it with a polite nod. SHIELD’s lawyers were playing rough today, shutting down her objections at every turn. Every carefully crafted point met with an impenetrable wall. The judges weren’t being generous either, like they’d decided to be bias and put Maksim away for good. Luck was not on Sienna’s side. 

Maksim sat in the defendant’s chair, muscles tightening. His eyes flicked toward Sienna with something close to irritation, his jaw clenched. “This isn’t working.” He hissed under his breath, loud enough for Sienna to hear. 

She met his gaze coolly. “I’m not failing.” She whispered back. They just want you to think that.”

Maksim’s fingers curled into fists. “They’re killing you in here.”

Sienna’s lips curled into a faint, almost wry smile. “Good. Let them think that. It’s all part of the game.”

As the trial pressed on, Sienna’s objections kept coming, dismissed, sustained or ignored but her poise never faltered. Every moment was a chess move, every denial a calculated risk. The courtroom was a battlefield sure but she was far from defeated.

The courtroom buzzed with a tense energy as the prosecutor drilled the witness. Sienna rose smoothly, voice calm but firm. “Objection, Your Honour! Counsel is badgering the witness with repetitive questions.”

Sienna stated, holding the judge’s gaze steadily.

The judge sighed, tapping the gavel. “Overruled. Proceed.”

Sienna sank back, face unreadable.

Minutes later, as a key piece of evidence was introduced, Sienna stood again. “Your Honour, I object to the admission of this document. It is hearsay and irrelevant to the defendant’s intent.”

The judge adjusted his glasses, glancing at the prosecution. “Sustained. The evidence will be struck from the record.”

Maksim’s eyes flickered with a flash of approval.

The prosecutor recovered quickly, turning to a new witness. Sienna was ready again. “Objection! The question calls for speculation, Your Honour.” Sienna said, sharply.

“Overruled.” The judge replied, without hesitation.

Maksim’s jaw clenched and he whispered under his breath, “They’re squeezing you out.”

Sienna’s expression remained neutral. “Just following the plan.”

Later, during cross-examination, Sienna raised another objection. “Leading question, Your Honour.”

“Sustained.”

But when Sienna tried to exclude a critical witness’s testimony, the court wasn’t as lenient. “Objection! This witness’s testimony is hearsay and should be dismissed.”

“Denied.” The judge said, flatly.

Maksim’s frustration broke through, a low growl escaping him.

Sienna looked at him briefly, whispering. “Patience.”

As the day wore on, the battle waged on with a steady rhythm of objections, some cutting through the prosecution’s case, some smothered under legal technicalities. Maksim’s tension grew but Sienna’s calm endurance made it clear, she was playing a longer game than anyone suspected.

The courtroom emptied quickly, murmurs buzzing through the hall like static electricity. Sienna gathered her files, stacking them with precise, deliberate motions.

Maksim stepped from the shadows near the exit, his voice low and sharp. “You’re slipping, Sienna. I don’t like seeing you like this.”

She glanced up, meeting his glare with steady eyes. “I’m not slipping. I’m making sure we don’t give them any openings.”

Maksim’s jaw tightened. “They’re dismantling everything I built. You’re letting them win.”

Sienna’s lips curled into a faint, almost bitter smile. “I’m not here to win for you, Maksim. I’m here to make sure we survive what’s coming.”

He took a step closer, voice dropping. “You don’t understand what’s at stake. You’re playing with fire.”

“And you don’t understand what I’m willing to risk.” Sienna replied quietly but with steel beneath the calm.

For a moment, the air between them crackled with unspoken threats and hidden truths. Then Sienna turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Maksim standing in the courtroom, the taste of frustration bitter on his tongue as the guards came to take him back to his cell.

Sienna’s phone buzzed sharply against the quiet hum of her apartment. She glanced at the screen, Luka.

She hesitated for a heartbeat, then answered.

“Little sister.” Luka’s voice purred, smooth but laced with cold menace. “Maksim’s been complaining again. Says you’re letting this slip through your fingers.”

Sienna’s breath caught, but her voice stayed steady. “How? We literally just left court.”

“We have our ways.”

“And so do I. I’m doing what I have to.”

A low chuckle echoed on the line. “You think this is a game? You think you can just walk away if things get messy?” There was a softness behind the threat, almost a twisted tenderness. “I care about you, Sienna. But cross me and I won’t hesitate. You’re the only family I’ve got left, don’t make me regret it.”

Sienna swallowed hard. “I’m not here to disappoint you, I’m here to do my job.”

“Then do it.” Luka’s voice dropped to a whisper, deadly and close. “Good. Because if you do disappoint me, I’ll burn everything we have left.”

The line went dead, leaving a cold silence that pressed against her skin.

⋆⋆⋆⋆

The Avengers Compound, Upstate New York

April 4, 2022 

The Avengers gathered in the common room, the air thick with tension. Natasha sat beside Sienna, her eyes sharp and steady, silently urging her to speak.

Sienna’s fingers curled tightly around her coffee mug, knuckles white. Finally, she exhaled, voice low but clear. “Luka called me today. After Maksim started losing patience with how I’m handling the case.”

She paused, searching their faces for any sign of judgment, but found only concern. “He made it clear… if I screw this up, or step out of line, he won’t just hurt me. He’ll destroy everything ‘we have left’.”

The room fell silent. Even Tony’s usual banter was replaced by solemn looks.

Steve leaned forward. “We knew this wouldn’t be easy, Sienna. But you’re not alone.”

Bucky nodded. “We’ve got your back. Whatever comes, we’ll face it together.”

Natasha’s gaze hardened. “You told me you were fine handling this on your own. But you don’t have to. Let us help.”

Sienna gave a small, grateful smile, though the fear lingered beneath it. “I don’t want to be the weak link-“

“Sienna, we’re a team with two super soldiers, a witch who can re-write reality, a genius in a metal suit, a guy who never misses, a scientist who turns into a green, rage monster and a literal Norse god on speed dial. It’s not about being the weakest link, it’s accepting someone has your back for once.”

Sienna let out a shaky breath, their words sinking in deeper than she expected. Her eyes flicked from Bucky to Natasha then around the room at the rest of the team, each of them watching her with a quiet, unspoken solidarity.

“Okay.” She said finally, voice steadier. “Team effort. I can do that.”

Clint leaned back in his chair, smirking. “See? That’s the spirit. Next thing you know, you’ll be throwing yourself off rooftops without hesitation.”

Sienna raised an eyebrow. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I still scream a little when the toaster pops.”

Tony grinned. “Perfect. You’ll fit right in.”

Laughter rippled through the room, and for the first time in days, the weight on Sienna’s shoulders felt just a little lighter.

⋆⋆⋆⋆

Federal Tribunal Courtroom, Washington, D.C.

April 5, 2022 

The next day, Sienna’s blood felt cold from the minute she opened her eyes, not that she’d slept much anyway. She knew this time would come and she knew what it would cost but she had no other choice. Maksim’s words echoed in her mind from the previous day ‘They’re killing you in here’. 

Her heart was louder than the chatter outside, not from fear but from how close this all was to falling apart. Her stomach twisted as the judge called their next witness.

“Agent Natasha Romanoff.” The bailiff called.

Sienna didn’t flinch but her grip on the edge of the table tightened as Natasha walked in, black suit sharp, hair neatly styled, eyes hard and calm. The air between them didn’t crackle this time, it froze.

Romanoff took the stand.

Maria conducted a clean, efficient direct examination. Natasha sat tall, composed in the witness stand, her posture betraying none of the weight she was carrying. Her tone was professional, distant, almost clinical as she outlined her role in the investigation, her observations on Maksim activity and the patterns that pointed towards his hopefully guilty verdict.

But Sienna watched closer than anyone else. She noticed the slight catch in Natasha’s throat when she recounted the ambush in Prague. The way her eyes didn’t flicker when asked to recount lethal force. The muscle just above her eyebrow that twitched whenever Maksim’s name was mentioned.

Every word she spoke was truth. But truth was vulnerable and it could bleed.

Then it was Sienna’s turn.

She rose slowly from her seat, smoothing down the crease of her jacket like she had all the time in the world. She walked toward the stand with careful ease, projecting calm, control and just enough detachment.

Her first few questions were gentle, almost courteous.

“Agent Romanoff, can you confirm the exact time SHIELD surveillance lost visual on Mr. Vasiliev?”

“Can you clarify who issued the operational green light?”

Natasha answered with steady, short phrases, her voice measured and clear. The courtroom listened and so did Luka from somewhere in this courtroom, not physically but he had eyes and ears everywhere. Sienna should know, she was once one of them.

When Sienna shifted gears, almost imperceptibly. Her voice dropped in warmth, it turned completely cold, less collaborator, more predator.

“You claim you knew Maksim Vasiliev was associated with several different operations such as HYDRA, The Paragon Initiative, The Red Room, just to name a few.” Sienna said, voice flat, almost bored. “Yet you had no physical evidence to corroborate this at the time of apprehension?”

Natasha’s gaze flicked toward her. “Correct. We had circumstantial data—”

“So assumptions?”

“No.” Natasha replied, firmer now. “We had credible intelligence and witnesses-”

Like Antonia.

“But still no hard proof. If you had, there would be a line of witnesses out of this door, correct? So you had no hard proof.”

Natasha hesitated, a pause that would be nothing to the untrained ear but might as well have been a shout to someone like Sienna. “No. Not at that moment.”

Sienna paced slowly in front of the stand, hands clasped behind her back. Her heels echoed off the marble like a metronome, deliberate and precise.

“And yet-” She said, turning back to face Natasha. “-You assisted in a high-level takedown of a suspect without direct evidence. Tell me, Agent Romanoff, does that align with SHIELD protocol? Or was this personal?”

Maria objected. “Speculation.”

“Sustained.” The judge ordered.

Sienna didn’t flinch. She already had what she wanted, the way Natasha’s spine stiffened ever so slightly. The flare of something like betrayal in her eyes.

“Let me rephrase.” Sienna stepped closer. “Would you agree that acting without conclusive evidence undermines the legal integrity of your case?”

Natasha’s jaw tightened. “No. It means we acted with the best intelligence available to prevent greater loss of life.”

“But that’s not what you were asked. You weren’t asked to prevent loss of life. You were asked to prove Vasiliev’s guilt in court. And so far, Agent, you’ve offered little more than instinct and anecdote.”

Sienna felt the air shift, felt the silence behind her stretch tighter, the crowd lean forward. Natasha didn’t move. Her eyes, however, were glacial.

“And Agent Romanoff…” Sienna paused for a beat, letting the moment hover. “You were trained to kill. Conditioned to follow orders. Rewired to suppress doubt. How does it feel to stand here now and testify as a witness of justice, when your very history makes you its contradiction?”

Maria stood up instantly. “Objection! Irrelevant. And argumentative.”

“Sustained!” The judge snapped. Clearly a Black Widow fan, Sienna mused.

Natasha’s jaw tightened. “I’m not the past I left behind. I’m here because I chose to be. Because I believe in this-"

Sienna cut her off, voice cold. “Belief doesn’t undo years of blood on your hands. It doesn’t erase every order you followed without question. Justice isn’t about what you want to believe, it’s about truth. And if you can’t stand in this courtroom and face that truth then maybe you’re still hiding behind the ghosts you claim to have escaped.”

Sienna’s eyes never left Natasha’s. Neither woman blinked.

"OBJECTION!" Maria near enough growled.

"Sustained!"

The judge’s gavel echoed like thunder but no one in the courtroom forgot the question. And that’s all Sienna needed.

Natasha stared at her and for just a second, just one flash but Sienna saw it. The way her hands gripped the arms of the witness box. The flicker of something hurt.

Sienna returned to her seat, spine straight, face unreadable.

But inside, something twisted deep. She hadn't just discredited a witness. She'd drawn blood. Natasha’s blood.

When the court recessed, Natasha moved fast. She left the room without waiting for anyone.

Sienna followed, caught her near the elevators in a blind spot.

“Natasha.” She called, almost desperate. "Natasha, wait!"

Natasha turned, her expression unreadable.

“I had to.” Sienna said quietly. “You know I had to.”

Natasha nodded, too fast. “It’s fine. It’s just a front, right? A game.”

“That’s not fair.”

“I laid everything out.” Natasha said, voice low. “I told the truth so you could dismantle it. And I know why. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t feel like shit.” She exhaled sharply. “I need space, Sienna. Just… give me that.”

She turned and left.

Sienna stood alone in the hallway, her chest hollow and burning.

But she didn’t have time to let guilt consume her, to throw the case and run after the redhead with apologises and truths spilling from her.

Because her phone buzzed.

Unknown Number.

She knew who it was before she even looked.

UNKNOWN: Congratulations. You made the redhead bleed on the stand. Real Widow slayer.

Then came the second message. A photo.

Blonde hair.

Tied back in a braid.

Face blurred. Duct tape.

The caption read: Thought I’d handle the other one. Your silence has bought me time.

Sienna’s knees went weak.

Yelena.

Her reply came fast, fingers trembling.

SIENNA: Wait. Don’t touch her. I have something she knows about Maksim. There’s evidence. I need to talk to her before anyone else does.

She knew her message wasn’t believable, that it probably was only going to poke Luka the wrong way but she couldn’t let anything happen to Yelena. She was just another innocent person in this stupid game that people like Luka had orchestrated. 

And if she was completely honest with herself. She couldn’t let it happen just for what it would do to Natasha.

UNKNOWN: You have one hour.

Sienna knew what had to happen.

⋆⋆⋆⋆

Briefing Room, The Avengers Compound, Upstate New York

April 5, 2022

In the quiet hum of SHIELD’s briefing room, Maria Hill flipped through the day’s case files, her movements brisk and habitual. The team had gone to grab dinner, leaving behind scattered coffee cups and the stale tension of courtroom fallout.

She opened one of the sealed folders that held the highlights of the day. Everyday she scribbled in this folder, whether it was good or bad but it was habit. It was the key to everything important in this case.

So when she opened it and scrawled across the front was loose hand writing pressed against a yellow post-it, flat against the inside cover, she froze. The handwriting was rushed but deliberate, all angles and urgency.

‘Going to him. Track this location. Protect her.’

Beneath the message, a set of coordinates.

Maria's blood went cold.

No signature. No name. But she didn’t need one.

Maria’s eyes lingered on the note a moment longer before she snapped the folder shut and stood abruptly. She moved toward the door with purpose, the sharp sound echoing behind her as the team filed back in, lighter now after stepping away from the grim reality of the case.

She almost slipped past unnoticed, wanting to let them breathe a little easier for the night but she couldn’t. Not now. This was the moment that could make or break everything.

“Maria.” Steve’s cautious smile met her as he noticed the tension etched across her face. “Are you alright?”

She exhaled slowly. “It’s Sienna.” Her voice barely rose above a whisper and Natasha’s expression dropped instantly. “She’s gone.”

Somewhere across the city, Sienna was already moving.

Her phone was dead, her trail was cold but her resolve was unshakable.

She’d left just enough, just enough breadcrumbs to be found, if Maria chose to follow them.

She didn’t allow herself to imagine the what-ifs. What if no one saw the note? What if Maria didn’t even want to help? What if the Avengers took a rare night off? Maybe Maria had today, chosen to skip the usual post-court briefings, leaving that folder tucked quietly among the others. Maybe tomorrow they’d find her and Yelena, or maybe only one of them.

But deep down, Sienna knew Natasha would come. She’d sense it. And she’d come.

God she hoped she would come.

[dessarchive]

i’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on new year’s day

stolen glances, talks into the night, looking for each other in crowded rooms, hugs that last longer than they should, all the words unspoken, but not so unknown, tucked away love confessions, falling asleep in each others embrace, shared headphones, first kisses, baking and giggling at 3am, late night swimming, love songs, our parents betting on us dating, watching hotel transylvania 100+ times, dreaming of him, memorizing each others smile, being the first person to tell news to each other, good or bad, counting the stars in his eyes, and the creases in his hands.

you and me, forevermore.

jake and i have been inseparable since 2012. we met when he and his family moved next door and my family and i greeted them into the neighborhood. we became friends the next day at school during recess when i asked him to be my friend.

throughout our friendship if anyone wanted to know where we were, we were with each other. it wasn’t out of the ordinary because our parents and siblings were best friends as well. our childhood was filled with tag, playing in the sprinkles, running around the front yard, jumping on the trampoline, blanket forts, hide and seek, campfires, cruises, and sharing snacks…well if we don’t mention the gummy worm incident. our teen years were filled with working at my family’s restaurant on the beach, surfing, family game night, baking and cooking, shopping, sleepovers, cheering each other on during our sport events, forcing him to do face masks and letting me do his makeup, getting ice cream after dinner, and blasting music in my jeep after school.

as months passed after passing our auditions for republic records and moving to los angeles, things changed. not in a duh you’re in a new country and finally on your own, but in a i noticed how jake’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight while we were talking on the beach at 3am and oh shit i might be in love with him way.

all i could think of was him and how i’d memorized the sound of his laugh and how he’d always talk with his hands when explaining something or how he’d get scared at little things and cover his face when he got shy. i kept my feelings to myself because i still needed to process what was happening, but during a sleepover with my best friend, vera, i finally came clean. obviously they wanted me to tell him, but i wasn’t sure, i mean jake and i had been friends for nine years at this point and ruining our friendship by telling him how i felt wasn’t really on my to do list.

on new year’s day, after all of the members and i paraded around in our silly hats and glasses, taking lots of pictures and videos as we yelled happy new year and fireworks lit up the sky, most of the members, besides jake and i, went to bed. we stayed outside watching the fireworks as we talked about our resolutions for the new year, but why not start the new year off with a good prank? i pretended i was getting up to go inside so i reached my hand out to jake making him think i was going to help him up, but when he got up from his chair, i pretended i was going to push him in the freezing cold pool.

the pretending part was thrown out like how i accidentally threw him in the pool and he pulled me in. i thought he’d try to get me back as we stood in the freezing cold water, but after we finished laughing, he kissed me. shocked is an understatement, but after we got out of the pool he asked two questions, both of which i said yes to. the first obviously being if he could be my boyfriend and jumping for joy was hard to resist as i said yes and two was if i wanted a towel…yes boy i’m freezing 🙁!!! when i asked how long he’d felt the same way he told me since 2017…WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME JAKE SIM??????

anyways…we didn’t hide our relationship but we weren’t very private either. fans started speculating things in february of 2022, after i wore a hoodie of his to dance practice. they became more suspicious in march when a paparazzi claimed we were kissing after a date, but didn’t have proof because we ran before they could take a picture. in may, we decided to mess with the fans and wear couples shirts for a week. on the last day, we posted each other on instagram and let everyone know reiyun is for real!!!!!!! was this just a chance for us to show each other off and be down bad publicly? maybe, was it jake’s idea? yes, is it also my apology post to anyone jake and i ever told that we were only friends? yeah 😕

[disneytva]

Disney Branded Television Greenlits ‘Sofia the First: Royal Magic,’ Sequel To ‘Sofia the First’ Slated For A 2026 Release Date.

Today, Disney Jr. announced a series greenlight for “Sofia the First: Royal Magic” a continuation of “Sofia the First” and remains one of the most successful global preschool franchises for The Walt Disney Company. The spin-off got picked up for development back in November 2022 under the working title ("Royal Prep Academy")

“Sofia the First: Royal Magic” follows Sofia as she attends The Charmswell School for Royal Magic, where princes and princesses from across the EverRealm will continue their royal studies and also learn all types of magic. During her time at Charmswell, Sofia discovers she is the most magical princess in the realm and must learn how to master her powers while making new royal friends. Each episode will contain two 11-minute stories, each with a new original song.  The sequel is created and executive produced by original series creator Craig Gerber. Ariel Winter (“Modern Family”), who voiced the role of Sofia, in the original series, is set to reprise her role. Additional casting will be announced at a later date. Many of the creative team from “Firebuds” are involved in this series, including Krystal Banzon as co-executive producer and story editor, Kris Wimberly as supervising director, and Craig Simpson as producer. The series is produced by Disney Television Animation. The new series is currently in production and is slated for a 2026 premiere on Disney Jr. and Disney+

Gerber added, “I’m incredibly excited for the chance to return to Sofia’s enchanted world and tell the next chapter in her story. At a new school specializing in royal magic, Sofia will learn how to master her magical abilities while discovering the power of friendship and teamwork from her new royal classmates. Over the years, I have heard countless stories of how much the original series meant to young viewers and I’m hoping the new show will delight the next generation of preschoolers.”

Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television and VP of Current and Development at Disney Television Animation said, “Since its debut in 2012, ‘Sofia the First’ captured the hearts and imaginations of preschoolers everywhere for its beloved characters, memorable music, adventurous spirit and meaningful storylines. The enduring charm and appeal of Sofia is undeniable, and we’re excited to continue sharing her journey in ‘Sofia the First: Royal Magic.’”

The “Sofia the First” franchise still holds the record for the Top 3 cable TV telecasts for Girls 2-5 and, lifetime to date, has garnered over 755 million views on Disney Junior YouTube.

Sofia The First: Royal Magic is one of the many projects by Disney Television Animation to introduce the studio's iconic franchises and charactes to a new generation of fans, other projects include "The Proud Family: Louder And Prouder", Disney Junior's "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 2.0", "Phineas And Ferb" as a revival and a reboot of "Darkwing Duck" by Point Grey Pictures (Nickelodeon Animation Studios "Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles")

New interations of "TaleSpin" also by Point Grey Pictures (Nickelodeon Animation Studios "Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") & "Recess" with the original creators are in very early development at the studio.

[tossawary]

I've signed up for FTH 2025! I'll be offering fanfic, either an entirely new work or a remix of an old work (AU, prequel, sequel, alt POV, and so on), for SVSSS or any fandom I've created for before. For me, this covers both my AO3 works (including anything I've used for a fusion AU) and pretty much any fandom that I've blogged about here, posting either fic ideas or meta.

So, if there's some SVSSS fic idea I posted about here years ago but never wrote, or some particular rarepair you're hungry for, here's an opportunity to get me to write it for you! I'll keep people posted as to when the auction starts. In the meantime, here's a list of fics that I've written for previous fan events! ❤

Fandom Trumps Hate 2022

forgiveness for whose sake? (48k words) - SVSSS - A post-canon companion story / extended epilogue for "pride is not the word I'm looking for" full of alternate POVs.

love to the ones I've never met (82k words) - SVSSS - A companion story for "pride is not the word I'm looking for" in which the world of PINTWILF meets the in-progress world of SVSSS and causes more canon divergence.

hey, share the weight a little (70k words) - SVSSS - A pre-canon canon divergence story in which disciple Shang Qinghua becomes friends with and then falls in love with Yue Qingyuan.

Sit With Your Soul (61k words) - SVSSS - His Dark Materials AU. Shen Yuan transmigrates in as the original Shen Qingqiu's daemon.

Yuletide 2023 (also working off of a prompt from someone else, anonymously)

Legends That Live On (10k) - Nimona - A post-canon story in which Nimona, Ballister, and Ambrosius visit a cultural landmark / old graves together.

MXTX Remix 2021 (anonymously remixing someone else's story, of my own choice from their existing works)

this point of pale light (18k) - SVSSS - A space opera AU (partially "Star Wars" inspired) in which Shen Yuan and Shen Jiu share a body and face Shen Jiu's past. Liushen pre-slash.

MXTX Remix 2024

learning joy (12k) - SVSSS - AU in which Shen Yuan never read PIDW and doesn't know what's going on, but manages to become close to Luo Binghe anyway.

Moshang Big Bang 2023 (prompt was of my own choosing)

Servant to a Different King (151k) - SVSSS - Canon divergence in which Shang Qinghua became Tianlang-Jun's servant instead, helped save Su Xiyan, and now ten years later, the Demon Emperor is trying to play matchmaker for Moshang.

MXTX Big Bang 2021 (prompt was of my own choosing)

Catch a Falling Star (122k) - SVSSS - A "Stardust" AU in which Shen Yuan falls into the world of PIDW as a fallen star, but everything is already not following the plot. Bingliushen road trip.

Moshang Week 2020 (prompt was of my own choosing, no strict deadline)

it must follow, as the night the day (26k) - SVSSS - AU in which Shang Qinghua is a demon and Mobei-Jun is human, and they still stumble into a master-servant relationship.

Moshang Week 2021

Nothing to Me, Nothing to You (60k) - SVSSS - A "MDZS" AU for Moshang, in which teenage Mobei-Jun and Shang Qinghua meet at the Cloud Recesses during guest lectures.

[phantomrose96]

Hey not to go all "tumblr is a professional networking site" on you, but how did you get to work for Microsoft??? I'm a recent grad and I'm being eviscerated out here trying to apply for industry jobs & your liveblogging about your job sounds so much less evil than Data Entry IT Job #43461

This place is basically LinkedIn to me.

I'm gonna start by saying I am so so very sorry you're a recent grad in the year 2024... Tech job market is complete ass right now and it is not just you. I started fulltime in 2018, and for 2018-2022 it was completely normal to see a yearly outflow of people hopping to new jobs and a yearly inflow of new hires. Then sometime around late-spring/early-summer of 2022 Wallstreet sneezed the word "recession" and every tech company simultaneously shit themselves.

Tons of layoffs happened, meaning you're competing not just with new grads but with thousands of experienced workers who got shafted by their company. My org squeaked by with a small amount of layoffs (3 people among ~100), but it also means we have not hired anyone new since mid-2022. And where I used to see maybe 4-8 people yearly leave in order to hop to a new job, I think I've seen 1 person do that in the whole last year and a half.

All this to say it's rough and I can't just say "send applications and believe in yourself :)".

I have done interviews though. (I'm not involved in resume screening though, just the interviews of candidates who made it past the screening phase.) So I have at least some relevant advice, as well as second-hand knowledge from other people I know who've had to hop jobs or get hired recently.

If you have friends already in industry who you feel comfortable asking, reach out to them. Most companies have a recommendation process where a current employee fills out a little form that says "yeah I'd recommend such-and-such for this job." These do seem to carry weight, since it's coming from a trusted internal person and isn't just one of the hundreds of cold-call applications they've received.

A lot of tech companies--whether for truly well-intentioned reasons or to just check a checkbox--are on the lookout for increasing employee diversity. If you happen to have anything like, for example, "member of my college Latino society", it's worth including on your resume among your technical skills and technical projects.

I would add "you're probably gonna have to send a lot of applications" as a bullet point but I'm sure you're already doing that. But here it is as a bullet point anyway.

(This is kind of a guess, since it's part of the resume screening) but if you can dedicate some time to getting at least passingly familiar with popular tech/stacks for the positions you're looking into, try doing that in your free time so you can list it on your resume. Even better if you make a project you can point to. Like if you're aiming for webdev, get familiar with React and probably NodeJS. On top of being comfortable in one of the all-purpose languages like C(++) or Java or Python.

If you get to the interview phase - a company that is good to work for WILL care that you're someone who's good to work with. A tech-genius who's a coworker-hating egotistical snob is a nuisance at best and a liability at worst for companies with even a half-decent culture. When I do interviews, "Is this someone who's a good culture fit?" is as important as the technical skills. You'll want to show you'll be a perfectly pleasant, helpful, collaborative coworker. If the company DOESN'T care about that... bullet dodged.

For the technical questions, I care more about the thought process than I do the right answer, especially for entry-level. If you show a capacity for asking good, insightful clarifying questions, an ability to break down the problem, explain your thought process, and backtrack&alter your approach upon realizing something won't work, that's all more important than just being able to spit out a memorized leetcode answer. (I kinda hate leetcode for this reason, and therefore I only ask homebrewed questions, because I don't want the technical portion to hinge at all on whether someone managed to memorize the first 47 pages of leetcode problems). For a new hire, the most important impression you can give me is that you have a technical grasp and that you're capable of learning. Because a new hire isn't going to be an expert in anything, but they're someone who's capable of learning the ropes.

That's everything I have off the top of my head. Good luck anon. I'm very sorry you were born during a specific range of years that made you a new grad in 2024 and I hope it gets better.

[wolfpants]

I've a few little seasonal fics tucked away in my library, and I'm having fun making new card-style banners for them. Here's a little festive fic I wrote in 2022 for @geesenoises!

-

The Holly and the Ivy | E, 4.6k

Tags: EWE, non-linear, school flashbacks, Quidditch player Draco, castles, Dickens references, miscommunication, idiots in love, enemies to friends to lovers, Christmas, fluff, light angst, charity auctions

This year at the Annual Ministry Yule Auction, Magpies Seeker Draco Malfoy's time is up for sale. When Harry places the winning bid, will their contracturally-binding weekend together heal old wounds, or worsen them? Featuring a fluffy black cat called Marley, a castle on the western coast of Scotland, an Eighth Year Christmas kiss, and stupid boys who can't express their feelings.

Draco’s heart thudded loudly between his ears. Potter’s charm rippled over the minute space between the fabric of his clothes and the surface of his skin, bright and electric and alive. It felt like a touch he hadn’t forgotten but had instead left stored away somewhere in the recesses of his mind: wrapped snugly, well-hidden, for his eyes only. He shifted on the seats, watching Potter’s keen gaze travel the details of his uniform. Potter touched the tip of a finger to the edge of the number stitched onto Draco’s vest in shimmering silver thread. “A weekend isn’t a long time,” he said. “But—it could be like that Christmas—” Draco inhaled sharply. “Just give me the weekend,” Potter whispered. Behind them, London disappeared.

🌟read the holly and the ivy on ao3

[aramais]

2022 bitb posting: wow I wonder what happened to rat and what’s up with the flesh barrier. plus this show’s kinda gay lol

2024 bitb posting: do you think rolan (master’s thesis on whether or not he enjoyed recess as a child) and that’s why he and rand suck each other european paper wasp style

2032 bitb posting: here’s why bitb was a cutting literary allegory for the 2009 stock market crash and rolan and rand’s relationship represents the fall of the Dow Jones, evidenced by how they sucked each other red velvet ant style

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Matt Davies

* * * *

Disrupting "business as usual"

April 1, 2025

Robert B. Hubbell

We have many positive developments to discuss, but I want to start with a weekly reminder:

Virtually all of the cuts and layoffs imposed through Doge violate the Constitution and federal law. We must not normalize them by simply saying, “Doge ordered 10,000 cuts in XYZ Agency.” Rather, we must say, “In violation of the Constitution, the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 and congressional appropriations, Doge and Trump illegally terminated / cut etc.” Or some shorter variation of that statement.

If Congress were a functioning constitutional entity, Trump would have been impeached, convicted, and removed from office by today, April 1, 2025. The only reason that Trump is able to continue his unlawful rampage is because congressional Republicans are cowards and collaborators who refuse to hold him to account for his violation of the Constitution.

This is not normal, legal, or constitutional. Don’t allow the extraordinary assault on the Constitution to become “business as usual.” It is not.

As I write on Monday evening, Senator Cory Booker is conducting a one-person filibuster, holding the Senate floor as long as he is able. The point of Senator Booker’s disruption is to remind us that we cannot act as if a rolling coup is “business as usual.”

In our own way, each of must disrupt “business as usual” in order to save the rule of law.

So much losing for Trump—and, sadly, for the American people.

In a moment, I will review Trump's legal losses, which continue to mount by the hour. But it is important to recognize that Trump's legal losses are occurring in a domestic dumpster fire of self-inflicted pain and misery because of Trump's obsession with tariffs. Sadly, every American will share in the pain inflicted by Trump's lunatic economic policies.

The stock markets have had their worst quarter in three years. The last time this happened was when the combined effects of post-pandemic inflation and oil disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine battered the markets. See WSJ, U.S. Stocks Post Worst Quarter Since 2022 on Threat of Trade War.

Indeed, Trump's erratic tariff proclamations are making the European stock markets look like a safer alternative to the US stock market. Per the WSJ article,

“For the first time in a while, you can have a conversation about: Might European equities be the best place to be for the next two or three years?” said John Porter, chief investment officer at Newton Investment Management, which has been buying European stocks in many of its strategies in recent months. “You can have that conversation for reasons other than they’re cheap.”

In a truly breathtaking development, two US allies and major trading partners—Japan and South Korea—are coordinating with China on an economic response to Trump's Tariffs. See Business Times, China, Japan, South Korea Agree on Joint Response to U.S. Tariffs, Eye New Regional Trade Pact.

Trump is literally driving our allies into the welcoming embrace of our enemies!

And lest you accuse me of focusing on issues that most Americans do not care about, they are paying attention to the economy. Consumer confidence in the economy hit a twelve-year low—as in a “twelve year low”—in March. See CNBC, (3/25/2025) Consumer confidence in where the economy is headed hits 12-year low.

Per CNBC,

[T]he measure for future expectations told an even darker story, with the index tumbling 9.6 points to 65.2, the lowest reading in 12 years and well below the 80 level that is considered a signal for a recession ahead. The index measures respondents’ outlook for income, business and job prospects.

There is no joy or satisfaction in reporting on Trump's damage to the economy. But we should take confidence from the fact that political gravity still exists and that Trump will pay a heavy price for his unlawful rampage. The anger and anxiety you feel burning in your chest is shared by tens of millions of Americans—or more. Trump is sowing the seeds of his own political demise and the destruction of the GOP as a political party.

Legal landscape

The legal community continues to push back against the Vichy-style surrender by Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps. (Say their names to shame them until they realize that the cost of complicity is greater than the price of courage.).

A group of Georgetown Law students withdrew from a Skadden Arps-sponsored event hosted in its DC office to recruit students interested in energy law. See Above the Law, Georgetown Law Student Group Calls Skadden Cowards, Opts Out Of Recruitment Event.

Ouch! It has to hurt when a group of students looking for jobs at firms like Skadden can demonstrate more courage and dedication to the rule of law than one of the most powerful law firms in the US.

Charlie Sykes has penned an essay on his Substack blog that lets us know how he really feels about Skadden Arps and Paul Weiss. Sykes writes like Molly Ivins and swears like Lyndon Johnson, so don’t read his essay on your computer screen while at work. See Charlie Sykes, To the Contrary, The Quislings and Cowards of Big Law. (Note: Charlie uses strong language that might offend some readers.)

If you can’t quite find the words to capture your contempt for Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps, let Charlie Sykes do it for you. He writes of Skadden,

Actually, no “strong-arming,” was required at all, was it? You folded like a limp dish rag. You didn’t wait for an executive order. You didn’t join with your fellow lawyers at Jenner & Block, Perkins Coie, or WilmerHale in fighting back. You didn’t stand on any principle. You embraced your ignominy with enthusiasm. You pathetic Vichy flunkies. You tell your clients that you provide fearless advocacy, but in the pinch, you scattered like bloated, terrified rats, too afraid to litigate or fight, even when it was obvious you would win.

I digress, but I confess to vicarious pleasure in allowing Charlie Sykes to say things that I would not include in my PG-13 newsletter.

Trump administration continues to suffer setbacks in court.

US District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco blocked Trump's plan to end temporary protected status for 350,000 Venezuelans in the US. See AP News, Judge pauses Trump administration plans to end temporary legal protections for Venezuelans. (“Temporary Protected Status was set to expire April 7 after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reversed protections granted by the Biden administration.”)

A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal refused to stay an order by US District Judge Settle that blocks implementation of the ban on transgender people in the military. That was a confusing sentence. The effect of the Ninth Circuit ruling is that transgender people can remain in the military—for now. See Reuters, Appeals court won't delay block on US military's transgender ban.

In a state law action, a federal judge blocked the implementation of an Alabama law that seeks to prosecute people who help Alabama residents obtain abortions outside of the state. See Chris Geidner in Law Dork (Substack), Breaking: Fed court rules Alabama AG's threatened abortion-fund prosecutions unconstitutional

New lawsuits challenging Trump executive order on elections

A broad coalition of Democrats has sued the Trump administration to block his executive order that purports to regulate how states run federal elections. See NYTimes, Democrats Sue to Block Elections Order They Call Unconstitutional. (Accessible to all.)

Per the NYTimes (whose headline deserves an award in the category of “Most Gutless Reporting in the Both-Sider Category of Cowardice):

The 70-page lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., accuses the president of vastly ovCdenialism, nowhere does it (nor could it) identify any legal authority he possesses to impose such sweeping changes upon how Americans vote,” the lawsuit says. “The reason why is clear: The president possesses no such authority.”

The lawsuit was filed by the Elias Law Group on behalf of the DNC, DSCC, DCCC, Chuck Schumer, and Hakeem Jeffries (among others). See Democracy Docket, Democrats Sue to Block Trump Bid to Control Elections.

A second lawsuit was filed by League Of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and others that raises many of the same issues. The complaint was filed by Norm Eisen of the State Democracy Defenders Fund.

The LULAC Complaint is here: LULAC v. Office of the President. I recommend reading the first few paragraphs to get a flavor of the constitutional issues being challenged in the lawsuit.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[ameliafuckinjones]

My favorite thing about hetalia astrology is how you can kind of combine it with hetalia anatomy. I'm going to use America as an example. When Pluto entered Capricorn, causing America to experience its Pluto Return in 2008, the main place within his birth chart that got affected was his Second House, the place where his natal Pluto in Capricorn is stationed (aka the place where Pluto in Capricorn was in the sky when he declared Independence).

Now, planets, houses, and signs all govern over their respective body parts in astrology. Pluto governs over the reproductive system, the immune system, the bladder, colon, and bowels ( places that deal with elimination and purification, which is strongly tied to the themes of Pluto). Capricorn governs over the knees, the joints, the bones, and the skin. The 2nd house governs over the throat and the neck. So I imagine that when America experienced his Pluto return, he began dealing with thyroid disorders (2nd house affect), arthritis (Capricorn affect), and hormonal imbalances (Pluto affect) among other issues -perhaps common cold- which lasted for about 16 years and is soon going to come to an end. It's a fun thought to consider that the anatomy of nations isn't necessarily tied to the people or the land but the cosmos itself, which is tied to everything and everyone. Pluto entering Capricorn caused America's Pluto Return, which caused the Great Recession of 2008 that recked the global economy ( i guess you can take this as America accidentally spreading his cold, poor baby 😭😭😭). Pluto in Capricorn returned to the *exact* degree it was in during the declaration of Independence in 2022 (which irl dealt with issues with regards to reproductive health), and now it's slowly starting to recede.

France is getting ready to experience his own Pluto Return, and I imagine that illness is gaining speed and steadily descending on him like a Jaws theme 😭😭😭 it's like when your throat suddenly feels scratchy but you don't have the runny nose to go with it yet. For him, Pluto is in Aquarius in the 4th house, and Pluto is getting ready to enter Aquarius this November (the place it was over 200 years ago when the First French Republic was established during the throes of the French Revolution). So he'll be dealing with immune and reproductive system illnesses, like America, as well as issues with his calves, shins, and ankles (Aquarius) and his chest, lungs, and stomach (4th house).

Keep in mind, though, that these planetary returns aren't constantly hitting them. Pluto takes about 248 years to return to the original place it was in their birth charts, Uranus takes 84 years, and Saturn takes 29. So these are like once in a lifetime illnesses or conflicts that take them by suprise, lingering for a bit before disappearing for another couple of centuries or decades. They learn how to heal themselves better, whether that be literally or metaphorically (or like in a metaphysical sense), and they learn life lessons that braids itself into the fabric of their societies, cultures, history etc. So it sucks for a bit, but it makes them stronger after all is said and done.

[mikkeneko]

Other things you can do to push back against the "Big Beautiful Bill" that aren't calling your representatives:

1. Find and attend a townhall near you

If that index doesn't have any, you can call your representative's office to find out when and where the next one is:

2. Talk to people in your life -- friends, family members, or coworkers -- about items of concern in the bill

Arguing on the internet is unlikely to get anywhere, but a huge number of people in the US are simply not tuned in to the political cycle and have no idea what's in this bill or what it's about. Depending on what your audience cares about there are a lot of topics to choose from, including: gutting Medicaid, boosting ICE funding and green lighting the sale of public lands for fossil fuel production, $351 billion in cuts to student aid, $50 billion in cuts to the Federal Employee Retirement System, cuts to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by nearly 70% and a complete dissolution of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a widespread roll back of climate-focused programs and clean energy tax incentives authorized by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the elimination of EV tax credits, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a $300 billion funding cut and stringent new work requirements for SNAP.