#also as stated i'm sorry if i missed a really popular one i'm kind of old ?? like even monster high got popular after i grew out of dolls

[darry-queen]

How much Darry and Soda would make modern day and if it would be enough to pay for at least the three of them: (note this may not be incredibly accurate and while yes I did do research while calculating this shit it wasn't super in depth! feel free to correct me on any and all mistakes you notice and feel free to also give your own opinions!! Much love!)

Starting with Darry's:

Before I get into number this is all assuming that Darry works exclusively the hours allotted to him while missing no work, he'd have a 5 day work week at 40 hours which is standard practice in the United States, except for his part time job which he'd be working 25/h a week (i talk about this more later just continue reading) also I'm not giving them any kind of insurance. Sorry! Lol!

Starting salary of a roofer in Oklahoma is $14/h with the average being around $15/h. Assuming this Darry will be getting around 30k a year. I'm going to be generous and say he works for a good company and has a strong union so I'll give him a end of year bonus as well ($200-$800)

His weekly pay would be around $550-$600

This would be taxed though! Using a taxing calculator (bc I'm not doing all that math babeee) He'd be payed around $500 a week.

Darry also canonically has a second job! Though it is never really talked about, not even mentioned whether it's part or full time. I'm just going to assume, generally, that it is probably a part time job that pays minimum wage. (I'm aware that there are many popular hc's as to what this job is I'm ignoring those lol) now I don't live in Oklahoma but I do have personal experience with working part time and it fucking sucks. They have you working only slightly less then a full time employee so they do not have to give you full benefits. It is an incredibly fucked up and exploitative practice.

Something to note is that Oklahoma allows part time employees to be payed half minimum wage the first 90 days of employment when under the age of 20. I do not think I will include this in the calculation because even though Darry would be 19 at the time of his parents death I think he would be 20 not long after and I do not care enough to look into this law to include it in my calculations! Just wanted to mention it because?? What the fuck Oklahoma?

Anyway, part time would have Darry working 25 hours a week for $7.25/h which would be around $180/week. After taxes he'd make $160/week getting him to $660 a week.

Finally, what everyone was waiting for.... doordash fucking driving baby. Considering he lives in a populated area I am going to be generous and say he manages to get around $20/h from doordash driving. Assuming he does this on the days he doesn't work part time (so the other 15 hours) he'd make a whopping 16k extra a year OMG!!

As for any money he'd earn from the state for guardianship of Pony and Soda: Idk! It's kind of confusing trying to figure out Oklahoma giving shit out for this because fostering and guardianship are two dif things and I'm almost certain Darry would have Guardianship over his siblings, not fostering them. So I'm just not including it: he may have received a check upon first becoming their guardian but since that is a one time thing I'm not going to include it in my final calculations (i know this is kinda contradictory for giving Darry a bonus for his roofing work but IDC IDC IDC IDC I AM NOT PUTTING THAT MUCH EFFORT INTO THIS (NOTE I FILLED OUT A MOCK W2 FORM TO GET A ROUGH ESTIMATE OF WHAT DARRY'S TAX RETURN WOULD BE BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I CARE))

All of the above considered: Darry is making $960 a week. Wow!

Now for Sodapop!

Soda I'm just going to copy paste what Darry's theoretical part time job would be because it's almost time for me to go to bed and I couldn't find any special rules for 16< year olds, so he'd be working 25 hours for $7.25 which after taxes is again $160

In total him an Darry combined are making a good healthy $1120 a week on average. Probably more if you consider Darry going insane with doordash/overtime! Overall a good $4480 a month

GREAT NOW TIME FOR EXPENSES!!

Expenses Include:

Mortgage payments

power bill

water bill

natural gas

car payments (maybe)

car insurance (maybe)

fuel

food

phone payments

internet bill

probably more I can't remember off the top of my head

OKAY NOW explaining the maybe's rq

You can just, not pay for car insurance. It's illegal, but when you're poor it's not like you can really care about the legality of certain things. Sometimes, it's eating vs car insurance, y'know? Especially because Darry is only 20, that shit is going to be expensive. And the car was def under his dad's name previously so he also def doesn't have any history. I'mma be generous though and say that he does have CREDIT history, which following my own car insurance premiums: my man is going to be paying like, $400 a month. and trust me, I'm being generous here. This is also for liability only. crazy right? With that considered, if I can not get Darry's salary to work with the rest of his expenses I'm saying he's driving without insurance. Hope you understand.

Now for the car itself, it might be payed off already might not. Again it's almost time for me to go to bed so I"m not willing to double check the book to see if car payments are ever mentioned. If they are I'll come back and fix this another time but for now. I'm not including it.

As for the gas for this theoretical truck? I'm going to put it from $250-$300 a month based off of what Reddit car owners said on how often they have to get gas for their own trucks. Great!

OKAY NOW FOR THE REAL EXPENSES! The average cost of utilities in Oklahoma, Tulsa specifically, is $270 a month for electricity, like $130 a month for natural gas, and for water $100 a month. Now you're probably saying, "Paya, isn't that a little high?" to which I'd say, they have 4 (presumably more) other boys coming around almost everyday. SO I feel it's fine to rate that shit on the higher side of things.

Before I forget: the mortgage payments!

This one is kinda fucked! I have no idea when the Curtis parents bought the house in canon. If it was after, or before Darry was born, etc. Because of this you can kinda just make hc's for this. The reason I say this is because obviously the housing market now is VERY different from the one in the 40s-60s which is when they'd have had to buy the house in cannon. In fact, I'm not even entirely sure they own the house in canon I'm just assuming right now! Like, if you're making a modern au: feel free to say that they're renting! Like who really cares about it? I'll even calculate it here for you so you have a frame of reference: Assuming the house is at least 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom it's gonna be around 1.5k a month. If you want to say they're paying a mortgage though, I'm going to assume based off the little data I could find of average home cost in 2004 (I'm assuming the house was bought around the time of Darry's birth) we're looking at somewhere between 150k-250k. I'm going to low ball it though because I think Oklahoma housing prices are generally cheaper and I'm going to assume they'd go for something affordable over something large. So I'll say 175k! Average interest on a home loan in 2004 was around 6%, with a 20% downpayment Darry will be paying 1k a month for the mortgage. Not that bad!

Phone bill is p cheap around 100$ feel like you may be able to play around with this. Like maybe they're paying for Johnny? Who knows not me I want to go to bed!

Food is like so fucking expensive now tbh. I pay $300 a month on grocery shopping a month for my household. Assuming Darry is purchasing food for himself, his brothers, and a little extra for the gang I'm going to put his grocery bill at around $500 a month. I think I'm lowkey low balling it, but I think he'd be a good bargain shopper. Btw, don't ask if he qualifies for food stamps! Because he doesn't!

internet bill is significantly cheaper going to be around $50 a month, as for services like live streaming and other things, we're gonna say it's all pirated. no one is paying for that shit when you can get it online for free! (Personal hc: Steve is a fucking amazing pirate and can get you literally anything you ask for.)

Final cost of living for my boys, not including school supplies, school/extra curriculars/or clothing: $2400 - $3350

Ending conclusion: If Darry works 80+ hours a week and Soda helps out with his part-time job they have more then enough to pay for almost all living expenses. Tell me where I fucked up! Thanks. Btw according to the shittily done w2 I did for Darry he'd get almost 2k in tax returns; i most def fucked something up but I'mma accept it despite that.

[findafight]

i don't get why robin and eddie clocking each other is so popular. firstly i find it kind of cheap esp since it's usually a set-up for robin and/or eddie being all-knowing arbiters of lgbt knowledge while steve is clueless and dumb and not lgbt enough (despite usually being bi) to partake in this exchange as well. then it's otherwise used to establish an immediate connection between robin and eddie since they are both gay which automatically makes them besties. secondly it doesn't make much sense w what we see of either robin or eddie. like we know robin struggles w social cues and we see that that extends to sexual orientation through her interactions w vickie. also i think she is just not paying that much attention to eddie i must be honest. then w eddie he spends his time campaigning for the stancy revival while steve blatantly stares at his mouth so. i don't think he'd be good at that either. like the irony in this being so common is that steve is the person that does clock someone else on top of being consistently socially and emotionally intelligent and perceptive. idk sometimes i feel like ppl take him not clocking robin as proof he's incapable of it despite him then clocking someone later and being right, and that s3 scene fitting into the broader context of steve being lonely, insecure, and off his game for most of s3 as well as between s2 and s3. tbh missed comedy potential w steve being the one person in that trio that actually knows what's happening.

oooohg yeah i feel you anon. Not to say that all the fics that have these tropes in them are bad! it just. sometimes gets annoying? I don't want people to feel too bad about it but yes agree.

I think it really is used as a way to fast track their friendship. Truly unfortunate that it's often used to make them all knowing queer guides instead of the disaster teenage gays they are.

Robin is a small town lesbian who is only out to one singular person, she does not know anything, let alone vague little queer codes that might be happening. She wouldn't know Eddie was queer for a variety of reasons. She says herself she's not good at reading people! She's also busy worrying about if she's doing something that might out her or make people suspicious of her, so she's not analyzing other people's actions. She does not care about men that aren't Steve enough to pay enough attention to figure out if Eddie is queer or not lol. She can't even figure out if the girl she likes who likes her back is queer when her best friend is telling her. Oblivious icon! open your eyes, queen!!

Eddie had a man he deliberately broke a moment of romantic tension between his love interest by throwing a vest at his face staring at his lips and still pushed him towards said love interest. Sir. what are you doing. and once it's clear stncy isn't happening you know eddie would be like okay. why aren't you dating Robin? hmm? she's cool! and causes Steve to Suffer. (Steve was flirting with Eddie .5 seconds before he started on this please get with the program Eddie!!)

Also think it's silly that people would stereotype Eddie as Queer from how he dresses as though that's not just how a lot of people dressed? long hair was In in the 80s. Metal fashion was there. It also likely had some/a lot of ingrained homophobia in the subculture (as many things did). Sorry Eddie, but I'm pretty sure our boy Brucie did more for the gays than metallica. (Kissing Clarence Clemens Right On The Mouth Many Times On Stage thank you mr. springsteen and mr. clemens sirs.)

Steve's the only one of these three that 1) knows how to flirt 2) knows when someone is flirting with him 3) has consistently demonstrated being emotionally and socially intelligent to observe people (more than arguably anyone else in the series) and 4) has any kind of functioning gaydar. Totally agree that Steve not clocking Robin despite his gaydar is that he was way off his game, insecure, in a funk, pathetic sad meow meow era, and in a weird state of squish-or-crush on Robin, that was pushed towards crush by Dustin but slam dunked into squish by Robin coming out (does that make any sense?)

I truly, truly believe Vickie returned Fast Times paused on 53 minutes and five seconds specifically when she knew Robin and/or Steve would be the ones to rewind it. Why else would she not rewind it? when clearly they knew who had rented it and could potentially out her if they read into it? She was getting vibes from robin and knew that Steve would at least report Back to Robin (I refuse to believe the championship game was the only time stobin gossiped like they did. Vickie knows their shenanigans.) so she decided to be indirect but kinda obvious about it!! And while Robin is denying this Steve has seen the truth, he knows exactly what Vickie is doing. (would be very funny if Steve and Vickie clock each other, and then make eye contact like I know what you are. They deserve to become funky little friends while Steve is trying to get her and Robin together.)

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Analysing my favourite lines from Six of Crows chapter by chapter: Chapter 3, part 3

Same as usual: famous or popular quotes being missed doesn't mean I don't like them it just means I don't have anything new to say, and some quotes will not have explanations because I just like them I don't really have anything to analyse

' "We fed [jurda parem] to three Grisha, one from each order,"

"Happy volunteers?"

"Indentures," ' - the VOLUMES this speaks. And the willingness with which he admits it because it's such a normalised practice??? I think Anya is actually a really underrated character and we should talk about her more

"[amplifiers] only increase a Grisha's power. Jurda parem alters a Grisha's perception" - can we talk about how Leigh Bardugo is a goddamn freaking genius for foreshadowing the plot of KoS/RoW with this single line? Because that's insane. This line specifically implies that the power parem unlocks for a Grisha is always possible, they simply lack the perception or understanding of it to find that power without the drug inhibiting whichever neural pathways it inhibits. The ability to shed yourself of the restrictions created by strict limitations between abilities, the Orders, etc. is always there but because there's such an ingrained cultural belief Grisha have effectively lost the ability to perceive their power in the way the Saints once did. I hope this makes sense, it kind of links to my post about the small science versus magic in terms of the revelation in KoS and RoW. Even Nina explicitly states that Heartrenders and Healers have the same gift but perceive it in different ways, and yeah I feel like I'm rambling but hopefully this makes sense, I think it's incredible foreshadowing particularly because we really think nothing of it in the moment.

' "What does it do to sorry sobs like you and me?"

Van Eck seemed to bristle slightly at being lumped in with Kaz, but he said:

"It's lethal" ' - ok so first of all I love that Van Eck's superiority complex is so very obvious from so early on, and in this particularly moment it's brilliantly conflicted as well because Van Eck will also see himself as superior to Grisha since he owns Mika's contract on indenture and possibly others. Second I would argue this is yet another red herring, I talk about this constantly but Leigh Bardugo embodies her own ideology of 'always hit where the mark isn't looking' in her writing style and will often give us hints that seem like foreshadowing but never come into play, whilst using them to far more subtly foreshadow what actually happens. Have I ever mentioned that I think she's a genius? In this case, reading these lines made me more concerned that an otkazats'ya character such as Kaz or Inej was going to end up injesting the drug and being killed by it than I was a Grisha character such as Nina. Now that's partly becasue this is given to us before we find out the kind of toll the drug takes on a Grisha and so we don't see anything to fear in it for Grisha themselves, only for the otkazats'ya who fear a loss of their dominance/control. In actuality we never see any otkazats'ya character forced to or accidentally ingest the drug, because it's a precious and rare resource that would only be wasted on killing them when there are plenty of other methods, but in this moment - particularly since, as far as we know, we're yet to meet a Grisha main character - parem is established as more threatening to the characters we know than the characters we don't, so our immediate concerns are raised towards them and we let our guard down slightly to the idea of a Grisha main character being threatened by the drug. Now yes, the danger of the drug for Grisha is established very quickly after this, and our fears for Nina taking it do become much more heightened than any other character, even Jesper, during the Ice Court Heist, but there are still a lot of red herrings and hidden pieces of foreshadowing surrounding Nina's ingestion of the drug, most notably Matthias saving her from Jarl Brum and appearing to have alleviated the threat of the drug only for her to take it by her own choice shortly afterwards, and we still have this initial perception in our minds for what we were first told about the drug: powerful to Grisha, lethal to otkazats'ya.

The fear that I've spelt otkazats'ya a different way every time I wrote it in that paragraph is real.

"If it's not identical to gold in every way then the difference has eluded us. Have it tested if you like," - the challenge, the superiority complex, good lord I detest this man

' "Perhaps you heard of the Shu paying off their debt to Kerch with a sudden influx of gold? The assassination of the trade ambassador from Novyi Zem? The theft of documents from a military base in Ravka?"

[...]

Kaz hadn't heard anything about Ravkan documents, but he nodded anyway. ' - I think this is another red herring (????) I remember reading this for the first time and thinking it must be really important but then it never seems to come up again, or at least not that I've noticed in any of my rereads. If anyone has noticed that it's referencing something please let me know because I might just be missing something, but it catches me out every time

' "Financial markets would be thrown into chaos. The world economy would collapse,"

"How very exciting," ' - I love him

' "At the Ice Court,"

Kaz stared at him for a long moment, then burst out laughing. ' - not only is this so goddamn iconic of Kaz but it's actuallu a really clever writing tool as well, because with this reaction and the short exchange that follows Bardugo quickly and succinctly tells us all everything we need to know about the Ice Court at this time, ie it's impenetrable, introduces the main premise of the novel, and successfully hints at her worldbuilding in a way that tells us there's more to discover but we don't have to deal with it right now. It's effectively a brilliant way of avoiding an infodump and it gets to come hand in hand with such an iconic Kaz moment, so bonus points.

"Kaz pocketed his pistol" - this is so funny to me because I'm sure they establish it's Van Eck's pistol but he just takes it and no-one questions him I love it

"There's no point to a fortune I won't be alive to spend" -later echoed by "you can't spend his money if you're dead" and I find this really interesting because it implies that Kaz absolutely has a set price in his mind for everything. Ten million kruge is not worth drying for but thirty is.

"He had the eerie sense that the carved fish on the walls had halted mid-leap to listen" - I love this so much. Just as a quote in itself I love it. But also, there is a kind of theme following through of this discomfort the characters often find in murals, mosaics, and the like, and they are also often used as a metaphor to represent the character's relationships or arcs, such as the wolves destined to run in circles for as long as the Ice Court stands that represent Kaz and Inej or Nina's comment about how Ravkan folk monsters wait to be awoken by the call of heroes, but she is no hero so hopefully no monster will come. I haven't found a satisfying answer for what the carved fish may represent, but they could possibly just link to lack of trust that should be placed in Van Eck and really the uncomfortable feeling should be more about the merch than his decor. I did a little bit of reading about what fish can sometimes represent in Dutch art, the culture on which many aspects of Kerch are based although Ketterdam itself is confirmed to be an amalgamation of cities around the globe with particular emphasis on Dutch-Republic era Amsterdam, and I found out that in the fish would often be shown dead as a warning of moving away from faith by gluttony or greed - so perhaps a symbol of Van Eck's performative religious acts and the greed that truly controls him. (Yes, I actually spent my time researching fish in Dutch art for the purpose of a one sentence reference to carved fish in Six of Crows, and I know what you're thinking: I must be really fun at parties)

"the dream he'd had since he first crawled out of a cold harbour with revenge burning a hole in his heart"

' Mika started to cough, and Kaz saw blood on his sleeve.

"Sit," Van Eck instructed gently, helping Mika into a chair and offering the Grisha his handkerchief.

He signalled to a guard.

"Some water," ' - I'm not 100% sure on the relevance of what I'm about to say but looking at this exchange retrospectively it just seems so performative and I really question it; I don't this is part of the façade Van Eck presents generally to the world or if it's, in his mind, for Kaz's benefit to give him no reason to distrust him, or what, but I know that I don't for one second believe that in private Van Eck would politely give an indentured Grisha his handkerchief and send someone to fetch him a glass of water.

' "DeKappel oil painting [...] I had been assured that my gallery was impenetrable [...]"

"I do seem to remember reading about that" - the audacity in this child knows no bounds and I'm so here for it

' "I'm inclined to believe that the thief took it for a different reason,"

"What would that be?"

"Just to prove that he could,"

"Seems like a stupid risk to me,"

"Well, who can guess at the motives of thieves?"

"Not me, certainly," - I adore this excahnge so much. And as a side note it's really clever becasue we as the reader know with so much confidence what's going on that there's no need to extrapolate and explain it to us, yet we feel like we have the full story. And of course later we learn it was Kaz and Inej working together and I love this because cna you imagine one of them bringing the paper to the other after reading about the 'impenetrable gallery' and they're just looking at each other like "... we have to, right?" "Hell yeah we have to, get your coat,"

"Kaz had heard rumours of a firepox outbreak [...] skin crawling. He wanted no part of a plague" - this is some mad foreshadowing right here, and the fact that KAz is seized by an unexpected flashback mere lines later tells us so much because when we look back on it we realise that he's so stressed by the idea of a plague and his concern only makes it harder for him to anticipate a flashback.

"Van Eck led him through a door and into a manicured garden, thick with the new nectar scent of early crocuses. The smell his Kaz like a blow to the jaw. Memories of Jordie were already too fresh in his mind and, for a moment, Kaz wasn't walking thorugh the canal-side garden of a rich merch. He was knee deep in spring grasses, hot sun beating down on his cheeks, his brother's voice calling him home," - so this is the flashback I mentioned a second ago and it is literally just a couple of lines after Kaz's concern about a potential plague outbreak. We also have the added twist of crocuses traditionally symbolising rebirth, mirthfulness, and innocence, contrasting Kaz but also arguably existing to taunt him with the younger version of himself and his brother the scent reminds him of. The idea of twisting what crocuses usually represent is also famously used in Vivki Feaver's poem, 'The Gun', where she writes "the King of Death/ had arrived to feast, stalking/ out of winter woods / his black mouth/ sprouting golden crocuses" and Bardugo could be doing the same thing here by using something traditionally associated with youth and joy to represent or hint towards Kaz's traumatic experiences as a child. Possibly the metaphor is extended by the way the scent of teh crocuses is so quickly lost to the stench of the boathouse, particularly with the idea that there are dead bodies in there linking to the feeling of dead flesh, to show the stark contrast of Kaz's life before coming to Ketterdam, and after.

"Councilman Hoede lost a lot of blood. But he's in the same state as these men. He's been removed to the country with his family and the staff from his house" - this was very much the same vibes as the way you can pay an awful lot of money to be buried outside the city or you can be burned on the Reaper's Barge and it's so interesting to me, that even in death your body is priced and part of an institutionalised nonsense social hierarchy.

' "Why do you wear the gloves, Mr Brekker?"

Kaz raised a brow.

"I'm sure you've heard the stories,"

"Each more grotesque than the last,"

[...]

"Pick one," Kaz said, as he vanished into the night, thoughts already turning to thirty million kruge and the crew he'd need to help him get it, "They're all true enough," ' - this is a brilliant excahnge and I love it but when we're looking back on it after knowing the full story it's so sad because part of Kaz genuinely views himself as a monster

[duchessofostergotlands]

Hi!

Can I ask about your thoughts about what the king should do in this type of situation? I mean with what is going on at the moment in the uk. I dare to send this ask only because I saw your posts here. I saw one historian on radio times calling for him to react, but I don't take her seriously anymore, not since she engaged with "Kate's missing" conspiracy people. But I also saw someone who writes about the constitution and his opinion, in response to that, was that it is unwise for the king to engage in daily politics, that he should do, as charles always did, go and visit communities after the situation calms down.

I am asking for your opinion, because of how you speak of William's actions regarding his constitutional obligations (from your podcast) and because my impression is that you know very well what you are talking about.

Thanks.

Hello :) "My impression is that you know very well what you are talking about." I'm sorry I've misled you there hahaha. In all seriousness thanks for your kind words. The episode referred to is The Great Meddler. It was specifically about William's response to the conflict in the Middle East but the principles we explore are universal so most of what I'm going to say will be covered in more depth there if you want to go and listen.

I think there’s basically two ways people respond to situations like this: what do they personally think the monarch should do and what does the messy British version of a constitution state they should do.

To start with the latter, as we explored in that episode the principle is royals should not be partisan so they shouldn’t show support for one political party or take sides on a policy where the major parties disagree. But if the government requested they act in a non partisan way then for the most part they should do it (obviously with exceptions). Understanding what is partisan is complex because even though the Conservative Party enabled an environment where these riots were an inevitability, their party line is that the riots are awful and should be condemned. So both major political parties agree, it’s not particularly partisan, and a statement would probably not fail that part. But, it is perfectly possible the government has requested they don’t say or do anything right now. We genuinely don’t know but based on what BP have said, the King and government are cooperating so I have no reason to doubt that whatever response Charles takes is being guided by them. It's also in line with previous responses like the 2011 riots where the Queen did not release a statement. Basically I think constitution wise it wouldn’t strictly be partisan for him to respond if he wanted to but I would say his lack of public response is most likely adhering to the constitutional principle of following the government’s advice. And so in that respect I think no, he shouldn't respond.

However, the only people who think that way are me and about six nerdy constitutional experts. I think most people respond to these situations based on their personal beliefs. We used the example of Charles comparing Putin to Hitler in the episode, if I remember correctly. He broke his constitutional responsibilities by making those off the cuff comments so me and the nerds didn't approve (we agreed with what he said but not that he said it) but the general public didn't care because they agreed with what he said. So I don't think that Charles's popularity would be harmed if he did release a statement, even if it went against his constitutional responsibilities. But I also don't think that most people are desperately clamouring for him to speak up. I just genuinely think that when people are dealing with a live situation like this they are focusing on the police, the government, the community and so whether Charles should release a statement is really not of major concern for most people. If you're asking me to say whether I think he should from the personal perspective and not the constitutional one then I am very much a deeds and not words kind of person so I still would say it's immaterial whether he responds with a statement. What matters is his response through his actions.

And that leads me to my last section which is that I think whichever approach I take to the question, my answer would be that the most important thing is a royal presence once the dust has settled (their security team would never sign off on while it's ongoing!). A few days after the 2011 riots Kate and William went up to Birmingham, where they happened. They went to a community centre, spoke to emergency personnel, and heard from people who were victims of the riots e.g. shop owners whose properties were ransacked. A visit focusing on the ordinary members of the community and on the emergency responders would probably be welcomed both politically and by the public, and would be more impactful than some words in a pretty graphic that someone else wrote.

So in short, I would say no statement is needed - although I can't say for certain if it would be unconstitutional or unpopular - but they should respond in due course with actual action.

[thefinalwitness]

i think i already made this post but i'm in the brain space and i want to be super clear about my intentions re: dawntrail spoilers, so this is the rundown of how i'll handle them, and how i handle all expansion spoilers!

for the first month following the full release (not the pre-order release), i won't be posting anything at all about dawntrail—no story spoilers, no non-story spoilers, nothing at all until august 2nd 2024.

after that, i usually start posting small spoilers, but not major ones, for anywhere from 6-12 months after release. all these posts WILL be tagged with "7.0 spoilers" (and "7.1/7.2/etc spoilers" when it becomes relevant), and since i've seen it's popular, i'll TRY to tag them as "dawntrail spoilers" for as long as possible too, but full disclosure that isn't how i naturally categorize ffxiv spoilers and that tag may be missed even on early posts, and may disappear much sooner than its patch number counterparts. "7.0 spoilers" is by far the most reliable way to block dawntrail spoilers fro me!

whenever i DO start posting major spoilers, these will be put under a readmore and both tagged as stated above, as well as prefaced before the readmore with a warning that it contains spoilers (and probably some details about what kind of spoilers, ie story/non-story, what level any related quests/zones are, etc).

furthermore, i personally take spoilers REALLY seriously, and will be blacklisting any and all words related to the expansion until i complete the MSQ. because this account is just a sideblog to my main blog, the dashboards are combined, so there's also a chance i will be temporarily blacklisting usernames and/or unfollowing people to avoid spoilers, as i would otherwise have to stay off tumblr as a whole, which would be very boring for me LMAO.

this isn't personal at all! i'm just REALLY allergic to even very small spoilers, and especially because i will likely not be playing dawntrail when its pre-order release goes live, i want to make absolutely sure i avoid spoilers as much as possible. again, once i finish the MSQ, i'll unblacklist and refollow any blogs. :)

i also want to touch on something i feel a lot of regret for regarding how i handled endwalker spoilers with friends: specifically, i had a tendency to debunk friends' theories with pre-endwalker information. at the time i didn't think this was a problem because i also didn't know the answer, just that xyz theory wasn't it because of pre-endwalker info, but in hindsight i think this has a lot of potential to ruin the fun of others who really enjoy speculating on the story as it unfolds, so i'm going to aim to not do that this time around! specifically, i'm not going to debunk other people's theories, EVEN if the info i'd be using comes from pre-dawntrail sources. i just think this was an unfun mistake on my part that i don't want to repeat without explicit permission, and i'm sorry to friends i did this to whose fun i soured in doing so. spoilers are really important to me, and while i know these aren't technically spoilers, i think they still have the potential to hit the same, and i don't want to make anyone feel the way i do when it happens to me.

i think that's everything! i hope everyone has fun in the new expansion, and i look forward to joining you whenever i get my own stuff sorted so i can play too! <3

[iamaslutforcoffee]

Power Chapter 1: Emberson Leanne Howard

(Rue's narration will be stated in bold italics unless otherwise stated)

The Howard sisters were something different. First there was Cassie. Cassie was your typical California aesthetic kind of girl. She was cute, big chested and blonde. Gus, their father, tended to favor Cassie over the other two and even went so far as to put her in ice skating lessons but that was neither here nor there.

Next there was the twins, Lexi and Emberson, They weren't identical but fraternal twins.. Lexi was the more out spoken of the two, and was alittle more popular than Ember. She had a more lean body, with beautiful brown hair and matching eyes. We were best friends since we were kids.

Ember was the quiet one of the three, definitely not one to really want to have attention on herself and preferring to find peace within her own company. Despite that, most of the friend group they all hung out with and even most of the highschool thought that she was the most beautiful of the three sisters, and also the most kind. But Ember had a terrible temper and other mental issues which caused her to be continously in therapy. It all started when their father, Gus, got into a terrible accident with Ember in the car. The trauma from the accident and also the PTSD from her dad going down my favorite rabbit hole of drugs and drinking severely molded her into the outstanding citizen she was today.

Ember sat in the resting chair quietly, chewing on her already non existent nails. She made a mental note to ask Cassie if she wanted to go get their nails done together, if she was even in the mood for it.

"So, Emberson.." the therapist started, but before she could continue Ember interrupted her.

"It's Ember, ma'am." She quickly muttered, her leg bouncing slightly from the anxiety.

"My apologies. Ember, how are you since our last discussion?"

Ember shrugged, and sighed. Running her hand throughout her hair she finally looked back at Miss Callson.

"I'm ok, I guess. Seeing my sisters best friend get wheeled to a ambulance because she overdosed really wasn't on my list of things i planned on seeing this summer"

But she wasn't ok at all. It was triggering her PTSD with her dad . She could still remember when he had to move out due to his drug use and one night he came back to the Howard home to steal shit to pawn. Lexi and Ember didn't want him there, Cassie let him back in. Unfortunately for her seeing me being wheeled into a ambulance really upset her and a small part of me did feel bad. All she was trying to do was come over and braid my hair up for me, or bringing back some clothes she borrowed. I couldn't remember.

Miss Callson continued on questioning Ember, and Ember continued on answering as simply as she could, there was no use fighting it at that point. If they thought she needed a mandatory grippy sock vacation, she'd gladly take one.

Afterwards, Ember left and a new prescription in place of one of her meds she usually took in tow. She drove to a nearby corner store, parking and getting out while smoothing down her leggings and favorite t shirt.

As she walked up to the door, Ember was startled by Fezco.

Now everybody knew about or has heard about Fezco O'neill, his grandmother was a complete drug dealing badness of a woman and he followed in her footsteps when she fell sick. Despite that, he was actually pretty fuckin' smart and did well during school until it was time to take care of his sick grandma and his brother Ashtray. Everyone also knew of his crush on Ember, him never being the one to want to get his heart broke he never said anything.

"Hey, ma'." Fezco spoke from his usual spot by the door. "What's in the bag?"

"Fuck! Fez I thought I told you about that scaring me shit!?" Ember hollard, crutching her chest.

"Shit, 'm sorry. You good?" He asked, getting up from his spot to try and comfort her.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good. And it's my uh.. it's my medicine. The kind that I actually got prescribed and not from a cooler in a bodega, babe. It's perfectly legal" she spoke, winking at him and his face turning a lovely shade of red amongst the freckles.

Then a walking zombie came waltzing back into their lives. Now I may be fresh out of rehab, but that doesn't mean I planned on staying sober.

"Rue, hey!" Ember noticed the familar crown of long curly hair and the small figure of one of her good friends, Rue.

"Hey Ember. Fez. " Rue replied, a small but genuine smile on her face.

Now when Ember said Hello, she was usually pretty genuine about it. Atleast with me. Now while Lexi was my "best friend since childhood", her twin Ember was definitely the less judgemental of the two and was definitely a more ride or die type of friend.

"How long you been back, Rue?" Fez asked, turning his attention briefly to Rue. Fezco was her friend, too. But had the displeasure of being her dealer at the same time. He couldn't help but feel guilty when she overdosed but Ember had to reassure him it wasn't his product that did it.

"Five days" Rue meekly responded.

"And how you been feelin'?" He asked, lighting his blunt and inhaling briefly, offering it to Ember. She politely declined.

"No thank you, Fezzy" she smiled at him.

"Well, ever since I gave my life over to my lord and savior, Jesus Christ, things have been like.. really good." Rue replied.

Ember shook her head chuckling.

"Word? That's what's up." Fez replied, continuing to smoke.

"You're full of shit, Rue. There's no way you're a born again christian" Ember giggled as she spoke, Rue smiling at her.

"Yeah.. yeah I'm fucking with You, Fez. It was a joke." Rue replied.

Rue asked where Ashtray was and headed inside, scoring her first hit since she was back.

"You know.. I worry about her more than I absolutely should" Ember spoke quietly, squatting down next to Fezco.

"Here, take the chair Em. An' i know, but you can't be out here worrin' about her all the time. It's not your job to worry. " Fezco spoke and offered her his chair. She smiled, taking it and knodding.

"Yeah, I know. But I still do."

~~~

Ooooooooof.

I'm excited 🥰🥰

[transhawks]

im stupid so sorry for this but how is spinners devotion and desperation to be useful and helpful all that much different from twices??

Okay, I'm going to ask that people give me some time. I've been working on a meta series for a weeks that will look at the League critically, but it's the second post and the first one is a discussion of heteromorphs in the series.

But just to give you a small preview of the second part where I discuss villains - it's not. That's the entire point.

Twice was mentally ill and constantly treating his friendships with the League as something he needed to prove he deserved. It was a very transactional way of thing - he repeats that he needs to make up Magne's death to them constantly, calls himself nothing while standing up and continuing to fight for them. As heart-touching as it is, it's also just very a very toxic sort of friendship. I understand this site skews towards similarly screwed up people, but imagine how a therapist would react if you told them, "I don't give a shit what happens to me, I just want my friend's happiness."

Like objectively, you know that's not healthy, right? I love my friends (my IRL found family of other qt first gen/poc) deeply, and can say that I live for them, but I also know that isn't the best mindset when it means I prioritize other people's well-being and happiness over my own. In fact, a lot of that mindset caused enabling of addiction and dangerous behavior widely in that friend group where people really had to detach in order to become better because dysfunction was so normalized among us.

Keep that in mind about how the League worked, even when Twice was around. You can't tell me it's good when some of Twice's last thoughts were "They accepted me, and how I'd pay them back?"

You know that's not how friendships have to work? Someone showing you basic decency, kindness, that shouldn't be something you feel like you have to repay. Twice had been abandoned and spit on so much that he never got out of the trap of thinking he had to do things to get people to stay.

So, to answer your question, it's not different. The whole point is that the League are deeply fucked up people who found each other, and if we're to be honest, did not get better, but got understood by people like them. I want to reiterate that - the League on some basis, had understandings with each other, but it's even stated by Compress, "A collection of warped minds who never bothered with prying into each others' pasts." They respected who each person was and accepted it, which societally had been done for none of them, but don't miss this part - they didn't help each other get better and overcome their issues.

And, frankly, it makes sense they couldn't! Like I said, friend groups of people like that often become spaces where certain behaviors and thoughts are normalized.

I'm going to add this - I understand that there's a popular fanon interpretation of the League of Villains where they are a found family who don't need society to get better and help each other. But that's the issue; it's lovely in fanfics, but absolutely not expressed in canon. Any attempts at helping each other were small. Yes, they have (had?) each other's backs, but the thing about being in a sinking pit with other people is that you need someone outside of it to pull you out.

[fanficallergy]

Hello! This is the admin from thgfanfictionlibrary (backup account for the library)! I just wanted to let you know that I responded to your reblog question/concern under the active authors part 5 post. Below is the reply:

Hello! I'm sorry that you felt you were deliberately excluded from the lists-that is 100% not the case! I'm sorry to hear that you're undergoing cancer treatments and that people have been nasty to you online as well, that is truly terrible on both fronts. I pulled these lists directly from the page of authors I created (which you are present on!) BUT I missed the "a" for active in your tagging for the listing despite having you as an active author! I've remedied the issue and you are now tagged as an active author using the tagging filter on that page. I've also added your listing to the current "active authors" post that is in my draft for when I have ten active authors. Again, I'm sorry that you felt you were excluded on purpose, that wasn't the case it was simply a coding error on my end! Sometimes things just slip through the cracks when I'm coding and I don't pick up on it!

-----

The page system I'm referring to is "Libraryofauthors" in case you wanted to take a look at it. Again, I'm sorry that you felt I had intentionally excluded you for one reason or another but I did have you listed, it just slipped through my coding when I was inputting the tags into it. Sorry about that! Let me know if you have any further questions, comments, or concerns and I'll be happy to update anything! (Also as an FYI I haven't gone back through after making that page to update the information I've added since late August of 2023 so if it says something is incomplete that is now complete or if your popular fic is different now that's why! I'll be updating probably mid-march when I have a little more time!)

Thank you for addressing this. ^_^

I figured it had been a mistake and not a deliberate slight, but it still felt not great, you know? Especially since there is a huge stigma where people stop reading your fics or commenting when they think you're inactive. Comments and feedback are the only currency we as authors receive and the feedback which often encourages us to write more (especially if it is more than just a "write more!" or "When's the next update!") can really feed our ability to write and to write with joy such that we want to share our work. Without that feedback, people give up. Decide the effort isn't worth the reward and really do stop writing in the fandom or at all.

Feedback matters and authors who are considered inactive get less feedback. People can have very good reasons for not updating and it can make them feel unwanted and unwelcome if they get tagged as inactive in their fandoms. In my case, I've been fighting 3 different, unrelated cancers since 2021, and while I've updated and written in that time, most of my energy has been devoted to my health and work so I can pay for health things. I know of other authors in this fandom who are going through major deaths in the family (parents/spouse), domestic abuse, or new parenthood all of which eat into someone's ability to update/write.

I kind of feel that the authors should make that distinction themselves (ie. state that they are on hiatus) or the length of time between declaring someone as inactive needs to be lengthened... A year feels short to me unless the author has declared a hiatus or died... because I do feel that death does put a damper on someone's update schedule. ~_^ From chatting with @rosefyrefyre we tend to consider a fic/author on hiatus if they haven't updated since 2020, and we allow for longer delays because of COVID, Real life, and the world going to hell right now.

I also understand that this is YOUR blog and you can decide what works best for it. I don't get to dictate what you do do on your blog. ^_^ I do appreciate you doing this in your free time, it has to be a lot of work. I also appreciate that we, as authors, are often easily upset or can get defensive. So dealing with all of the personalities can be tough.

So once again, thank you for addressing the error and correcting it. I do appreciate all of the work you're putting into this.

[pedrospatch]

As someone who was very recently having the same feelings about writing and fitting in on here as you are, I very much understand how you feel. It's extremely painful and makes you question everything, but you really, truly, genuinely are a wonderful writer. I'm glad to hear you don't plan to stop writing, but I hope you don’t leave because you bring value to this fandom and to readers. You could write for any character and someone could emotionally connect to it and that's a very powerful gift. I got a message today from someone telling me my fics got them through really hard times, and hon, I'm gonna tell you the same, because it's true. I felt like I should quit writing because there was a lull in my popularity for a couple fics and it damaged my self confidence, but reading your fics reminded me of why I love to write, which is to connect with people. I read "to do the right thing" and was blown away (though you might not have noticed this name. I have separated blogs for everything). So much so that I was like, oh right, this is why I love to write--to feel things like this and hope others feel the same when reading my work. It's hard to remember on here, where we live by notes and comments and reblogs, that sometimes making an impact on one person is a big deal and it matters. You happen to positively impact a large group of people with every story you post.

I feel like I can confidently say that people here support whatever choices you will make moving forward, but I also feel I can confidently say that we would miss you and your writing.

Sorry this is so long. But I get it, hon. Just keep on keeping on. 🩵 I hope you feel better soon.

I legitimately…am crying. Like I always say “oh I’m crying” no but actual tears are coming down right now and I’m so glad because I think for one, I just need a good cry and get out all these feelings I’ve been harboring and two, I have gotten kind words over the last couple of days that have all had such an impact on me and I think this was the last one, in addition to the others that finally felt like a good slap in the face wake up call to snap me out of whatever emotional dumpsterfire state I’ve been in.

I’ve lost quite a few followers between yesterday and today (I get it, emotional pity party Vee who does nothing but bitch and complain is not a fun person to follow so no hard feelings) but it DID make me wonder if I’m truly being nuts about it all and whether my mental health is just so far down the garbage chute that I don’t see how ridiculous I’m being over nothing? But with people reaching out to tell me they know how it feels…I feel a little less crazy, that’s for sure. I feel disappointed in myself for letting myself fall into that damn trap of caring so much about notes. Especially because when I first started out, I didn’t care about it. I was just having fun and sharing my ideas. The human part of me adores the validation and it makes me feel good and that’s okay, but to let it get to the point where I am letting a number determine whether my stuff is good it or not? That’s not okay. I wouldn’t want anyone, especially fellow writers who I think are so talented, to do this.

I feel ashamed tbh. Because you’re right, touching someone with your writing and connecting to people, that’s what is important. I loved getting replies and messages about someone telling me they can put themselves right in my story, that they felt like they were there. I loved that people told me they could feel my character’s emotions. I hold my characters so close to me and I should not stop loving them. They’re mine, and there are people out there who love them too. It shouldn’t matter if it’s 1 or 1000. If one person adores my sweet lil Peach from ASH, than I appreciate that one person for loving a fictional character I created.

I have a few people who have been so supportive of me and reminding me how much they love my writing and they’re more important to me than all the fucking notes and popularity on this site. And to any of these few people, I’m so sorry for being such a sad train wreck of a person. I hope you know how much I appreciate you sticking around and being so encouraging while I have been in my feels. I didn’t mean to be so ungrateful to you. I’m going to keep on writing and posting for myself, but for YOU as well. Because you’ve been here for me and you support me and that means more to me than anything.

Thank you so much for this message. It truly was the last one that snapped me out of it.

[strangerthingfanfic]

It's the end of summer 1984 and you wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep. You're still anxious about the move from the big city to the smallest city your parents could find on the map, Hawkins, Indiana.

Sitting against your pillows you wonder how your parents could do this to you just before starting your senior year of high school. You had to leave all your friends behind and hope you meet the criteria to graduate from Hawkins High.

The only upside is all the rumors that Hawkins is Hell on Earth and that makes it somewhat interesting.

Looking at the clock you realize its after midnight and you need some sleep for the first day of school. Closing your eyes you allow yourself to drift into a sleepless state.

Day 1: start of Term

Pulling into a empty parking space near the front of the school you put the car into park and just sit. Breathing in and out slowly you keep telling yourself it's going to be alright and there's nothing to worry about.

You are smart, funny and have always made friends easily so what could be any different about Hawkins High?

While giving yourself the pep talk of the century you didn't notice the blue Chevrolet Camaro pull in next to you.

You open your door to get out and hear a young voice say “ouch”. You look over and see a redheaded girl with a skateboard rubbing her ankle.

“Damn, I must have hit her with my door” you think to yourself but before you have the chance to say anything a guy with eyes that radiated blue fire and perfect brown hair put his arm on your door, blocking your way out.

“Hey beautiful, you should watch what you're doing. I know it was an accident and we all make mistakes. I am just glad my little sis here is ok” he said ruffling the girl's hair. The girl slid behind her brother.

“I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking, is she ok?” you ask worried due to the girl's reaction.

“Our dad was an abusive asshole so she gets nervous easily. My name is Billy and this is Max, what's yours?” Billy asked, wrapping his arm around Max protectively.

Amazed at his gentleness you almost miss the question. “Oh huh sorry my name is Y/N and I'm new here” you reply blushing slightly.

Billy smiles and once again your heart skips two beats. He offers his hand and helps you out of the car.

“We are too. We can help each other. I will see you later Y/N I have to get Max to the middle school before my class starts” Billy says and the two of them head off but not before Billy places a soft kiss on the hand he was holding.

As soon as they were out of sight, you look down at the hand he kissed and wondered if a field mouse could ever win the full affection of the big dog.

The week goes by better than expected. You make a bunch of new friends including the King of Hawkins High, Steve Harrington, and his girlfriend Nancy Wheeler. Also, Jonathan Byers, Eddie Munson, Chrissy Cunningham, Robin Buckley, and Barbra or Barb Holland round out your small and comfortable friend list.

You barely saw him again though as you only had one class with him and he was always surrounded by the popular girls.

By the time Friday rolled around you had concluded that he was just a charmer and didn't really like you like that until he came to your desk.

“Hey, Y/N how would you like to be my date to the Halloween party this weekend? I am going to take down Beer keg king Harrington” Billy said flashing that smile of his.

I could almost feel the jealousy manifesting from the popular girls. Worried it might be some kind of prank you became reluctant to answer but then he kissed your hand again and you melted into the chair.

“Yeah, I will come” you manage to say without seeming overbearing. “Great, pick you up at seven pm,” Billy said just as the teacher came in and that was the end of that conversation.

As the teacher discussed the importance of math in the real world your mind went over the million different scenarios that this weekend could lead to.

You look over at Billy and he flashes you that smile that makes you melt and all that worry fades away, well until after class at least.

[dontlikeadam]

Being Funny in a Foreign Language

******

This is going to be BRUTAL. This is so much harder, because his writing style is completely different and his type of references are typically not my forte.

He also does not have a long history of leaving easter eggs in songs in order for people to make connections, so it's a completely different vibe to interpret. This is sort of assuming Matty is writing and referencing, similar to Taylors style, which is most likely NOT the case.

Same concept as Taylor's writing in that they are generally saying a lot AND absolutely nothing.

Essentially, just me quadruple checking lyrics for Taylor connections. Don't come for me, but please add any details you know or remember! Also this is the first time I am ever learning what some of these lyrics are. ENUNCIATE

Lead into this album was that this one was his most earnest.

-----------

The 1975

The album lead up/ preview/ state of the world

"and it's about "Time" And this is what it looks like. I'm sorry about my 20's, I was learning the ropes" - clock references... the matching clock reference with Karma and ATPOAIM. Potentially referencing back to then dating in his 20's. - Early in the tour and after the break-up, he did switch that line to "30's"

---------------

Happiness (2/10)

Could be anyone. Very vague.

"Oh I would go blind just to see you" - Taylor did have a lot of the easter eggs in her "I can see you" music video for the 1975 collaboration, but not sure that timing works.

"I'm never gonna love again" and him saying on tour "yes, you will" Same theme as Taylors Happiness.

Matty maybe referring back to her song "Cowboy Like Me" where she repeats "Im never gonna love again" both him and her say it 4 times in the songs. He then wears a cowboy hat in the music video.

"Show me your love. Why don't you grow up and see?" Referencing the fact he told her he would find her when he grew up.

"You met me at the right time" Always made me think of someone he met when he was older, not Taylor.

----------

Looking For Somebody to Love (0/10)

Taylor used similar backing track on TTPD for imgonnagetyouback

Overall theme of sort of the incel community and how they have been the ones responsible for numerous mass shootings, especially there for a while.

Also theme of just men acting out inappropriately when just "looking for somebody to love" - which could have been why Taylor used this one.

-----------

Part of The Band

Given all the connections between the Fortnight music video and the Part of The Band music video I thought I would see more in this, but not really anything...

"She was part of the Air Force, I was part of the band" - a reference back to "This must be my dream" - "We can't make love when you fly around me baby?" - A song that very well could be Taylor. (but this is noted to be in his imagination)

"I fell in love with a boy, It was kind of lame" - relating to TTPD's Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus? (but again, noted to be in his imagination)

"Eating stuff off of motorbikes. Cuming to her lookalikes" a popular fan favorite of being Taylor

I have always been thrown off on why his sobriety was noted at the end of the song. It seems like it should relate back to something I am missing about this song....

--------

Oh Caroline (5/10)

Could be anyone.

A song Matty has always been vague about. But the overall theme of the song matches the situation. He wants to try again with someone, but doesn't want to mess it up.

The music video for Oh Caroline, includes a women who has a very similar aesthetic to Taylor in her video for delicate which always made fans suspicious.

"You've been gone for weeks" reads like only a few weeks, but could relate to literally any amount of time.

"Oh I've tried to find another name thousand times, but the only one that rhymes is "Oh Caroline"" - Leads you to believe Caroline is not the name of the girl. Could also be referring to the trying to find another girl as good as her, a thousand times, but the only one that fits is her. Oh Caroline relating possible to Sweet Caroline, the worlds most American song?

-----------

I'm in Love With You (0/10)

Twigs

"What a call. Movin In. I feel like I loosen my lips" I had no idea that was the lyrics so now I was just intrigued. Seems like maybe he didn't want to live together, but actually preferred it? Maybe more secure?

----------

Wintering (0/10)

Nothing. Family at the holidays.

-------

Human Too (1/10)

So vague.

"Considering me looking through you, thinking it was something I used to do. I thought I'd done anger, I though't I'd done shame" Looking back at an old relationship you thought you already grieved?

"Darling, thats what humans do" I know 'Darling" is insanely common, just something I noticed in a lot of the Matty coded Taylor songs it comes up as well.

--------

About You (10/10)

The main song most often associated with Taylor. The song that Matty mouthed "This song is about you, you know who you are, I love you". I always assumed he wanted her to be able to sing this with him at some point and thats why it was done as a duet.

"We get married in our heads. Something to do, while we try to recall how we met"

"And I'll miss you on the train" - the common train reference

On Tortured Poets:

loml lyrics: "I wish I could un-recall, how we almost had it all"

Taylor also seemed to have sampled this song in the background of Guilty as Sin

Also the final song of The 1975 tour. Also one of the songs from tour associated very closely with the door, which may relate to her stage door on her Karma set for tour. Also her last song.

----------

All I Need to Hear (8/10)

Notably Mattys most emotional song this tour, especially early on. Maybe he had his dad sing it, because he couldn't. Or, like he said he felt like it would sound better sang by someone else. Just odd he used to sing it. I always assumed this song was just about his Dad.

"Reply to my message, pick up my calls. You see, I wrote you a letter, it was no use at all. Oh I don't care if you're insincere. Just tell me what I want to hear"

"I don't need the crowds and the cheers, just tell me you love me that alls that I need to hear. I've been told, so many times before, but hearing it from you, means so much more"

"You know where to find me, the place where we've lived all these years" referring to London?

---------

When We Are Together (7/10)

Twigs/ Taylor? I always assumed Twigs, but honestly... IDK

"I like socks with sandals, she's more into scented candles, oh" Taylor does have a line in Closure (possible Matty song) about candles and she is known to love candles. She loves candles to the point it scared her mom that she was going to burn the house down.

"It was poorly handled the, the day we both got cancelled" Did twigs and him get cancelled around the same time? I was just always curious what this referred to. For Taylor her main cancelling would have been right before Reputation, which would sort of fit.

"Because I'm a racist and you're some kind of slag" Was he still called a racist while he was with Twigs? Taylor was getting called a womanizer prior to Rep.

"I'm better at writing, was just a way to get you biting, oh" The truth is that our egos are absurd" Referring to him writing about her in songs to get a response? Writing her a letter to get her to reach out?

[golden-barnes]

Plum tarts and red carnations

Pairing: Florist! Bucky Barnes x F! Reader

Summary: Bucky is enamored with one of the employees of the bakery in front of his store.

Category: Fluff

Warning:s some self-doubting thoughts and cursing .

Word count: 2.5k

Author’s note: I have been thinking about this since that one anon and thank you @buckycuddlebuddy because you helped to inspire me further with this. Also think of Bucky as Beefy because I'm a softy for a gentle giant. Comment and reblog pls and thank you!

“Damn Jerry. You’ve been growing nicely. A little bit more, and you will be ready to find a new home, bud.” Bucky whispered to the little sprout he was watering. Bucky loved his morning routine.

Before opening up his shop, he would check on his nursery. Water the plants in his greenhouse, checking them to see how they have grown. He liked talking to them; they never judged him or ignored him. He even named them. Sam would help, too, though he treated it more as a joke.

After checking on the nursery, he would focus on making bouquets and arrangements for the store. Nobody knew he was the one who made those beautiful arrangements, and he liked it.

It was like therapy for him. Matching the flowers and creating bouquets with meaning was a talent Bucky didn’t know he had. By this point, the shop was opened and ready for business.

While preparing a rose bouquet, he saw a woman in an apron running out of the new coffee shop from the table next to the cash register. Oh shit, she’s pretty. He thought. He kept staring at her and forgot the fresh roses next to him, grabbed one carelessly.

“Fuck.” He accidentally pricked his finger with a thorn. He applied pressure to his wounded finger.

“Oh, are you okay, sir?” The pretty woman from the bakery asked. Bucky didn’t notice her entering the shop, and now she was here. Looking disheveled but incredibly beautiful.

“Yeah, happens all the time. What can I help you with?” He said, trying to sound as composed as possible. He could hear Sam’s voice in his head. “Play it cool, Buck.”The woman let out a sigh.

“I’m co-owner of the coffee shop, and it’s our opening day. I was encharged of the decorations, and I ordered some flowers from this other place, but when they got here, they were horrible. Like really bad. And oh god, I’m rambling, but I need a brand new arrangement.” She said all in one breath. Bucky had to fight a smile from appearing. Adorable.

“It’s okay. What colors did you want?” Bucky asked. The woman smiled at him.

“We wanted white and purples. Something simple. But honestly, I know nothing of flowers. I don’t understand why Wanda put me up with this? Now we are late, and I still have to finish decorating the cupcakes.” She explained while Bucky started to search for the flowers in his shop.

“Lilacs, with white peonies and lavender roses, would make a nice bouquet. How does that sound?” Bucky showed her the flowers he was referring to. The woman gasped.

“Oh, they are so pretty! You, sir, are a genius.” She gushed, still looking at the flowers. Bucky felt his cheeks getting red from receiving praise.

“I can bring it to you,” Buckywhispered, afraid that she might not like that idea. “You know, because you still have some stuff to finish, so you can do it, and I’ll bring it to you in less than 10 minutes.” She looked at him and went to hug him. Bucky tensed, not expecting the hug, but soon relaxed.

“You are literally my hero. Just ask for Y/N,” She said, walking towards the exit. “Wait, what’s your name?” She added, opening the door to leave.

“Bucky.” Y/N smiled at him. “See you later, Bucky.”

Bucky has never worked on an arrangement as hard as this one. He was already meticulous, but he really wanted to impress Y/N. Can you blame him? The pretty girl needed his help, and he wanted her to be happy. He even added some baby’s breath and this new white ribbon that had come in for weddings. He was very proud of it but also very nervous.

With a deep breath, Bucky entered the coffee shop. A brunette was at the door, cleaning the tables.

“Sorry, Sir. We are still aren’t open.” She said. Bucky gulped.

“Uhm. I’m looking for Y/N.” He told her; she looked at the flowers in his hands and understood. She yelled for Y/N, who came out of the kitchen with icing on her check, giving him the brightest smile.

“Hey, Bucky! That’s beautiful! How did you make such a pretty arrangement in less than 20 minutes?” She grabbed the vase out of his hands and set it on the counter. Bucky blushed and scratched his neck, shying away.

“It’s nothing.. I’m just happy you liked it.”

“How much do I owe you?” She asked. Bucky put his hands up.

“Oh, it’s on the house. Don’t worry. Call it a welcome gift.” He explained; Y/N jumped and gave him another hug. This time Bucky wrapped his arms around her.

“You are the nicest person on this fucking planet. I have to make it up to you. What’s your favorite fruit?” She pulled away from him and looked at Bucky in the eye. Bucky felt his breath hitch, and his palms get sweaty.

“I-I like plums.” He stuttered. She gave him a big smile and handed him a cookie.

“Hmm, I can make something with that.” She winked at him.

-

“I still haven’t named you, but honestly, I don’t know. You look like a Janelle, but also, I feel like that doesn’t fit.” Bucky said to the new cactus that arrived yesterday, in the afternoon.

“I think she looks like a Lucille.” Bucky turned around and saw Y/N with a box in hand.

“Oh, hi.” He felt embarrassed. She had heard him talk to his plants. Not even Steve had seen that. It was his private thing.

“She’s cute. What type of cactus is it?” She looked at it, not looking weirded out or anything.

“It’s called a Bishop’s cap. They grow to be very pretty and sprout a yellow flower. Not very popular in the shop, but there’s this new cactus crazy going on, and I thought to stock up.” Bucky explained, putting the cactus down next to the others.

“Do you name all your plants?” Bucky gulped and turned around to face her.

“Yeah, and talk to them too.” Bucky fought the urge to punch himself. Why would he say that? Fuck, now she is gonna think he is a fucking weirdo.

Much to his surprise, she smiled at him. She suddenly remembered the box she brought and opened it.

“For saving me yesterday, I made you a plum tart.” She opened it and pulled out the tart. Bucky felt his heart beating faster, and his hands get clammy.

“You didn’t have to.” “Ah! I beg to differ. Everyone that walked into our shop loved the flowers. They were really something. Like I couldn’t stop looking at them. So I had to show you my gratitude the only way I know how. With treats.”

“I couldn’t possibly eat that all alone. Want to share?” Bucky asked, giving her puppy eyes so she wouldn’t say no.

“You drive a hard bargain, Bucky. Has anyone ever told you can get away with murder with those eyes?” Y/N joked.

“I think my grandma’ probably said it. I have some silverware in the shop’s kitchen. When you have to be at your shop?” Bucky said, signaling her to follow him.

“I’m on break—perks of being the boss.” She explained while Bucky grabbed a few paper plates, forks, and a knife. She grabbed the knife and cut a big piece, and gave it to Bucky. Then she cut a piece for herself.

Bucky took a bite and accidentally let out a moan.

“I take it; you like it.” She winked at Bucky. He diverted his gaze from her. Why the fuck did I do that? Bucky screamed internally.

“It’s delicious. I can see why your shop has been packed since yesterday. Reminds me of my ma’s.” Bucky admitted.

“I’m glad, but I can’t take all the credit. You should see the coffee mixes Wanda came up with. They are the real star.” Bucky smiled at her. Nice and pretty… She let out a cough.

“How did you get really good with plants? Like sorry for the personal question, but you have a talent.” She inquired.

“Well, uhm. After getting discharged, my friend Sam suggested that I take classes to handle stress and PTSD. One of the classes was gardening, and I just found it so calming. So I started taking more courses and learning ‘till I decided to start my own business. I don’t think I could ever work anywhere else.” Bucky noticed her staring at him. “What?” He said, smiling awkwardly at her.

“Nothing. Just thinking about how you are the nicest man I’ve ever meet.” She said nonchalantly. Bucky chuckled.

“It’s nothing major. I just found my calling.” Bucky stated.

“I feel the same. I baked a lot in college, and then suddenly I was like fuck, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” She recalled. Her eyes glowed under the light of the kitchen.

“I felt the same way when I started this shop.” Bucky admitted, she bit back a smile.

“By the way, I like the name—Howling’s flowers. Oh, and how pretty this store is, it looks like I walked in a magical forest.” She complimented.

“I- thanks. I named my store after my squad and the decor well; that’s kind of an embarrassing story.” Bucky chuckled nervously. She rolled her eyes.

“Oh, please. I own a coffee shop named Magic café, and all of our items are named after magical things. I am the last person to judge.” Bucky bit his lip nervously while listening to her.

“I based it on The Hobbit. It was my favorite book when I was younger, and I just couldn’t imagine decoring this store anyway else.” Y/N looked at him with an open mouth.

“Okay, are you government android? Because you are friendly, great with plants and well-read. You are too good to be true.” She laughed. Bucky needs to find a way to blush less in her presence because this is like the fourth or fifth time it has happened.

They finished eating their pieces of tart and talking for a while. Y/N decided to go back to the shop, not realizing how much time she spent there. Before leaving, Bucky gave her some more lavender roses.

“Oh, Bucky, you don’t have to.” She protested.

“It’s just to add to the arrangement. I feel like it was missing a few more roses. You’ll be doing me a favor.” He assured. She grabbed the flowers and smelt them before smiling and giving him a small thanks.

Little did she know that lavender Roses mean love at first sight.

They played that little game for weeks, almost 2 months. Y/N would take her lunch break at Bucky’s shop. Feed him some food and pastries that she was experimenting with, and he would give her flowers.

“To put on the counter. Your store deserves fresh flowers every day.” Bucky claimed. But in actuality, all the flowers meant something. The white camellias? He was telling her that he admired her. The amaryllis? That he found you beautiful. The white and purple stocks? A silent plea for bonds of affection from your part. But he couldn’t bring himself to say these things out loud.

Speaking to Y/N in flowers was much easier. Maybe because she didn’t know and couldn’t reject him.

“Bucky, you gotta tell her, man.” Steve would try to reason with him. “She likes you; you like her. Just tell her that you like her or ask her out on a date.”

“You don’t get it, Steve.” Bucky would argue, which led to an entire discussion on how Bucky is being a coward that ended with him telling Steve and Sam to fuck off.

But they were right; it was simple. She has been an absolute doll with him. She doesn’t mind hearing his rants about the new book he read and helped him water his plants. She even bought waterproof labels to put their names on their planters. She even asked (more like demanded) Bucky to send her the pictures of every bouquet and arrangement he made. She loved seen his creations.

And he loved being her test subject. She would bring him new pastries to try. He was her official taste tester. Anything new in the store, Bucky had already tried it in every one of its variations. Y/N would speak to him of all of her special interests and all of her new hobbies. He had even met all her friends, and they loved him.

So why was this so difficult? Bucky groaned while arranging the flowers at the front of the shop.

“What’s got you all groaning and gloomy, Bucky-bear?” Y/N asked him. She looked radiant in her work clothes. Ugh, Bucky had it bad.

“Nothing, j-just thinking.” He nervously replied.

“Don’t overthink. You might over-heat your brain, bubs.” She joked, entering Bucky’s shop. And like the hopeless romantic he is, he followed.

“Soooooooo I have been trying out this new pasta recipe, and you are the only one I trust to give me the truth.” She said, opening the Tupperware she brought. Bucky’s heart fluttered at her words. He felt light-headed; maybe that’s why he couldn’t stop himself from opening his mouth.

“I like you.” He blurted out. He slapped his hand over his mouth. Y/N turned to him, widen eyes, and mouth gaped.

“Bucky, do you mean that? Because if you are playing with me, I will fight you with this.” She warned Bucky, threatening with a spoon.

“I like you a lot. Actually love you. I- that’s what those flowers meant.” Bucky explained. Y/N put down the spoon.

“What flowers?” She asked, in the softest tone he has ever heard her speak in. Bucky turned his gaze to the floor, embarrassed that this was his confession.

“All of them. They all meant love in one form or the other.” He admitted. Y/N stood in front of him and put her hand on his cheek. He felt his heart do backflips.

“What flower means I’m in love with you, Bucky?” She asked, caressing his cheek.

“Maybe red carnations.” He joked, leaning into her touch.

“I’ll ask this handsome florist with a heart of gold to make me a bouquet to give you.” Bucky chuckled while she let out a little giggle.

“I would love a bouquet, but I would much rather have a plum tart from the sexy baker on the store out front.” Y/N hummed.

“I think I can make that happen.” She said, pulling him closer. “Can I kiss you, Bucky?” She asked; Bucky could only nod.

She grabbed his face and pressed her lips against his. Bucky wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer, molding her body against him. Their lips gliding over each other smoothly, as if they were made for each other.

They pulled away to take a breath, and they both had the same dopey smile. Tarts and carnations. Who knew they mixed so well?

[iamthedamndonutdrawcat]

hey i hope its okay to send you an ask like this but all your thoughts on the heartstopper fandom are just so true like?? i dont know how to put it into words but like the fact that it was just our own little safe space and suddenly its all big and popular and sort of lost its earnest charm. i love the show dont get me wrong but the fandom just doesnt have the same effect it used to. kind rich speaking as ive not even been in the fandom two years but i miss the ‘old days’ where we had like 10 fanfics and none of them were kit connor x reader smut. idk just its comforting i guess to know im not the only one who gets this sort of emptiness from the fandom these days. just like thank you for your contributions to this fandom and having such correct opinions haha <3

hey i'm so sorry for responding so late but i've been kinda freaking out over social media lately. i'm so glad to hear that you can connect to the shit i talk all the time, i often feel like i'm just venting into the void (which is fine but its great to hear people think the same).

yeah i mean i knew heartstopper as a big fandom would be problematic but i didn't think it woul go this bad this fast. i was literally just on ao3 and there was someone posting those kinda 'fanarts' where they edit the actors faces onto porn and then into the show settings and its like.... wow...... we really went here in one month?? i saw people in the comments like 'hey delete this it's sexualising the actors but also like.... the characters are minors wtf' but also people really supporting that kinda stuff????? idk i really wanna bleach my eyes.

and yeah about 'old days'..... i get that. i mean i've been in the online fandom since like march 2020 but i do feel like one of the oldies who've seen better times. kinda sad tbh

and now that i'm at it i really do needa talk about kit connor bc its like. he seems to be a nice person and yes he's somehow attracative but i've gotten to the point that i don't wanna talk about him anymore. half the fandom is being so so disgusting about him and he does know and he's stated it makes him feel terrible and that he doesn't even wanna use social media anymore. how can a fandom praise itself on being extremely correct and nice and then bully and sexualise the actors in such disgusting ways. i'm literally horrified.

i'm so so happy to hear you feel seen in my rants :)) but yeah 'it ain't old times anymore'

[apocalypticgargoyle]

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘽𝙍𝙄𝘾𝙆 | 𝙠𝙖𝙧𝙡 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙤𝙗𝙨 (18+)

edit by 🐓 anon. im still screaming over this.

∘ request: [insert the 14 asking for more Sapnap humor in a pt. 1.5 of Meet the Jacobses]

∘ pairings: edgy!Karl Jacobs x fm!reader

∘ warnings: smut (18+), nsfw, language, drinking, mentions of Todd the frat boy, lots of dialogue, biting, asphyxiation

∘ links: 𐐪 ao3 𐑂 𐐪 previous part 𐑂 𐐪 submit an edgy!karl edit 𐑂

∘ a/n: this one goes out to the babes in the gc. ily.

i stole the Brick idea from the Jesse McCartney movie, Keith. I'm sorry. [tw for that link - sad & jesse mccartney not talking about beautiful souls]

also thank you everyone for your support on this series. when my friends and I conjured this up, I never thought I would be at the point where I get to share peoples art/paylists/etc. I'm so thankful for all of you.

okay I'll stop crying. happy reading and have a great week! :)

The sun beat down against your skin, your mind drifting to whether or not you should apply more sunscreen. Karl jumped into the light blue water in front of you, the water splashing out to almost completely soak you. You frowned at him as he came up for air, blowing you a kiss mockingly.

Sapnap’s cousins started tackling Karl, the chorus of laughter echoing around the pool. You stretched your legs out beneath the table, leaning into the shade of the umbrella as you watched them roughhouse.

Sapnap came out from the pool house, opening a beer bottle for you before taking the seat beside you. He sighed, buttoning the top of his shirt as he watched the boys. “Did you have a good time at the party yesterday? I dipped after an hour,” he asked, pushing his sunglasses to rest on top of his head.

You shrugged slightly, taking a sip of your drink. You couldn’t wait to tell your roommate how lavishly you’d been living. The fact that you were lounging by a heated pool, drinking beer from Copenhagen with the sons of millionaires was nearly mind-boggling to you.

You wet your lips, squinting your eyes as you looked at him. “I honestly have no idea. I was kind of just there as a Karl accessory,” you joked, making him chuckle softly.

“Yeah, I get that,” he flipped off one of the cousins as they threatened to throw water at him. “It’s always the Karl show around here,” he added. You raised your eyebrows at him and he backtracked. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way. He’s a good guy; everyone’s just obsessed with him.”

You nodded slightly. “Yeah, he’s definitely the star baby,” you joked, making him laugh. “I need to ask you…” You bit your lip voice trailing off as you searched for the night words.

He sent you a closed-mouth smile. “About my mom and Karl?” He asked, biting back a blithe expression. It shocked you how calm he was about the situation.

You chuckled nervously. “I swear I won’t bring it up again, I’m just,” you cut yourself off, unable to describe the question marks pulsing through your thoughts.

He snorted, taking a sip of his drink. “I know right,” he reassured. “When I found out, I almost broke Karl’s nose,” he chided. “Not that I was like… angry it was my mom but out of how weird it was.”

“Yeah it is really fucking weird,” you agreed, laughing slightly.

He gestured as if to thank you for understanding. “I mean, Karl’s a great guy. He was my best friend for a long time but…” He made a face suggesting his discomfort and you snicked. “That’s my mom, man.” You giggled wholeheartedly at this, making him laugh too.

“What are you guys talking about?” Karl asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, dripping wet from his pool time adventures.

“Speak of the Devil and he shall appear,” you joked, making Sapnap wink at you. “Tacitus’ Annals,” you answered, making Sapnap nod at you.

He chewed on his lip, with a calm expression as he supported your lie. “I was telling your girlfriend how much I enjoyed his love of Nero,” he continued, you bit back a smile.

Karl ruffled his hair out in a towel. “Come on now,” he grumbled, calling the two of you on your bullshit.

Sapnap squinted as he looked up at him. “Karl supremacy. As always,” he answered with a touch of quiet sarcasm, making Karl roll his eyes playfully as he took to the other seat beside you.

Karl ran his fingers into his hair. “You wanna get matching tattoos together, Sapnap?” He quipped; Sapnap sending him a smug expression.

“Why? What were you thinking?” He asked, knowing he was walking into whatever Karl was setting up.

Karl pulled the leg of his swim trunks off his leg a bit, furrowing his brows. “I wanna get your mom’s name on the top of my thigh,” he teased, biting his lip. You rolled your eyes playfully.

Sapnap let out a sarcastic laugh. “Oh my God, that’s so funny. I totally didn’t see that coming.”

Karl took a sip of your beer and you spoke up. “I think you’d look good with a tattoo, Sapnap. All jokes aside, you’ve got a great body,” you mused, sending him a wink. Sapnap bit back a smile looking at Karl, who you could already tell was glaring back at him. “Side note, I was meaning to ask you. There’s a guy that’s in Karl’s frat,” you paused, trying to remember what Karl had said Todd’s real name was when you were pinning his auction number on him.

Sapnap raised his eyebrows. “Oh, Mark?”

You pointed at him. “Yes, the fake Romney.”

Sapnap snorted. “He did that on campus too?” Karl nodded, a look of disappointment spreading across their faces.

“Speaking of Todd Mark, the king of the Brick” Karl kicked his feet beneath your chair before continuing, “I heard there’s a bonfire tonight,” he probed, making Sapnap slowly shake his head in disapproval.

You raised an eyebrow at the two. “What’s the Brick?”

Sapnap seemed to have already made up his mind on the situation. “A fucking cesspool,” Sapnap grumbled, sipping from his bottle as Karl tsked. Sapnap tilted his head. “You really wanna take her to the Brick? People get together and smoke crack over there. The fact that,” he paused to furrow his brows at you slightly, “Todd Mark? is the benefactor should say something,” he stated, lips curling into an uneasy expression.

You peered over your shoulder at Karl as if to ask if he were crazy. Karl swatted off your gesture. “They don’t smoke crack this time of year. All the locals are back visiting for break.”

Sapnap shook his head again in unease. You chewed your lip, leaning back in your chair. “I don’t know… Sapnap, do you wanna have a movie night instead?” You joked, making Karl sigh behind you.

Sapnap mimicked your mock severity. “Yeah, a stay in and cuddle?”

“Of course,” you repeated.

Karl wheezed. “No, we’re going.”

Without missing a beat, Sapnap chimed back. “Maybe you can take my mom instead?” Karl’s expression flattened at his words and you nodded, high fiving Sapnap in mock victory.

Despite Sapnap’s hesitation, you all went to what they referred to as The Brick. In reality, it was a spot on the edge of a lake. They only called it the Brick because of Todd’s dad, a racecar driver who claimed the post back when he was in high school and later bought it. A large bonfire burned in the center of the space, various people around your age and a bit younger were either dancing to the music coming from one of the souped-up sports cars or shotgunning beers. You pushed away the thought of your stingy fire marshall back home who―more than once―had reported you and your family for “overactive cookouts.”

“Overactive,” meaning your dad and Clay were failing at not catching hotdogs on fire when the two would get lost in a chat about a mutual videogame when the families would cross the fence line in the summer.

As soon as you had stepped foot on the gravel, Karl was welcomed back like some kind of celebrity, so you stayed close to Sapnap. He would lean towards your height, pointing people out that Karl had mentioned in the past or those worth noting. You nodded along, soaking in what he had to tell you and laughing at his jokes.

A random guy strolled past the two of you, making Sapnap purse his lips. “Hey, Sapnap. How’s your mom?” One of the countless jokes thrown at him since you’d arrived.

He tilted his head with a mock look of questioning. “Didn’t your parents just get divorced, Jeff?” He deflected. Jeff’s face dropped slightly as he moved on. You always found yourself struggling not to laugh at how well Sapnap was at counteracting the jabs at his mom and Karl. Most of you felt guilty for how long he had dealt with it.

Karl watched you carefully as you sat down beside Sapnap on one of the vast benches; hands shoved in his pockets as the group around him caught up. You were glad to have someone around like Sapnap, despite the fact that you often went to parties. In the past, it was more of a bi-annual thing, but since being with Karl, you found yourself shoulder to shoulder with nameless people in a line doing shots every other Thursday.

You laughed as Sapnap joked about avoiding the drinks at the Brick because of the mites in the water and the STDs in the beer. “So, I never asked how you met Karl?” He queried, sticking his hands into the pocket of his Baja hoodie.

You smiled slightly. “Uh…” Shameless thoughts of you on your knees in a random building when you barely knew his name paced through your head like a quickfire of serotonin. “We had a lecture together and he liked my handwriting.” Sapnap smirked, chuckling slightly at your words.

Karl’s eyes were trained on the two of you, demeanor shifting each time one of you leaned towards the other to hear over the music or the two of you bumping each other’s arms to grab your attention. You knew he wasn’t jealous, but his look of curiosity was almost hilarious to you. Sapnap stuck by your side while Karl introduced you to his friends. He was basically your encyclopedia on the newer people as Karl would go off on a tangent with them.

The fact that Karl was so close to all of them and was so popular made your heart swell with pride. You were used to Karl’s deadpanned glares at most of his frat brothers and his snide comments, but now he was welcomed back like he was some kind of hero returning from the war.

After saying goodbye to Sapnap for the day, you threaded your fingers with Karl’s, enjoying the time where it was just the two of you. He brought the back of your hand to his lips, smoothing a kiss against your skin. “So… Sapnap’s mom…” you began, making him chew the inside of his cheek. “Where… did it happen?”

He looked down at you with a perked eyebrow before raising his sights forward, pulling you off the street where the two of you were walking. You followed him as the pair of you snuck through between the houses and across the backyards until the two of you were at Sapnap’s house again. Through the front windows, you could see him talking to his sibling in the kitchen.

Karl grabbed your hand, leading you along the side of the estate and toward the pool house. You wanted to groan at the thought before he pulled you through the door with him. “Are you serious?” You hissed, looking around at the dark place. Karl fought not to smirk as he peered out through one of the windows, watching the lights in Sapnap’s house turn out.

The moonlight streamed through one of the slender windows, illuminating his face and washing his features clean. Your gaze trailed along his arms; his tattoos peeking out from beneath his hoodie as he reached up to lock the door.

He turned back to face you, walking closer to you. “Did you have fun today?” He asked, plopping down on one of the couches and pulling you into his lap. He moved your arms to rest around his neck, pressing his lips to your skin. “I feel like I didn’t see you at all. Sapnap’s a bogart,” he muttered jokingly, settling his hands on your hips.

You scoffed before leaning toward him, pressing your lips against his. “Make it up to me,” you murmured, raking your fingers into his hair. “I think I selfishly need you to ruin me here; you know. Like a cleansing of you and Ms. Scarlet,” you chided.

He bit his lip, eyes pulsing with lust as he fought not to grin. You pressed your lips against his, turning to lay back on the couch and yank him on top of you. He chuckled into your kiss, as your hands moved to curl into his hair. His lust was a taste you could get drunk off if given the chance as his hands traveled the length of your body, moaning as you ground your hips against his, gripping into his clothes.

He leaned off of you momentarily to pull his shirt over his head as you slipped out of yours, you wrapped a leg around him, pushing him onto the couch instead and pinning him between your thighs as you straddled him, running your hands up his tattooed chest and connecting your lips again.

One of his large hands covered your breast as you began to grind your hips against his. His teeth grazed against your skin as he caressed your body while you moved against him, trying to create as much friction as you could against his jeans. He ran his fingers along the hem of your underwear, his lips curling into a smirk as he moved slightly to get a better look. "These are nice. Did you plan this?" He leered, snapping the elastic against your hip playfully. You rolled your eyes, pulling his chin towards you and pressing your lips against his. Every movement of his body seemed to lick at the fire deep within you.

You smirked breathlessly as his lips settled against your collarbones. “These are my church clothes. I had no other motive,” you jousted. His hand reached up to rest against your collarbone, his fingers lightly curling around your neck.

“Of course, how could I not realize,” he jabbed, pressing his lips and tongue against your neck. You moaned, tugging at his zipper before wrapping your hand around his cock, pumping him into harder arousal. He groaned against your neck, bucking into your hand lightly. His head tilted back against the couch beneath you, cheeks flushed at the attention. His teeth nipped at your skin as you ground yourself against his thigh, basking in his noises of pleasure.

His cock pulsed in your hand, making him grab your wrist and pull you beneath him. He gripped one of your legs, resting it in the crook of his elbow as he pushed himself into you, connecting your lips to swallow your moans. The feeling of him inside of you sent a wave of pleasure through your body. His voice was low in your ear, murmuring your name as if it were a curse. You moaned as he took one of your hands, lacing your fingers together beside your head as he kissed you again, tongue slipping into your mouth.

His thrusts became more rhythmless, his hold on you driving him deeper as the pool house filled with the noises of your whimpering moans. Karl’s breath was warm on your neck as he took advantage of your submissive state. He moved his hand from around your leg, wrapping his fingers around your neck again. Your body shivered, waiting for the pressure of his hand as his hips rocked against yours.

He chuckled darkly, teeth grazing against your shoulder before his lips hovered beside your ear. “Beg for it,” he commented, voice strained as he thrusted into you.

You swallowed, fingers digging into his back. “Choke me,” you groaned, “please.” His hand tightened around your neck, breath hitching in your throat as his thrusts became rougher. He bit back a smug grin at the way you reacted to his antics, relishing in your body beginning for more.

He relaxed his hand, pressing his lips to yours as you struggled to inhale. Heat ran through your body as your leg curled around his waist, nails raking down his back.

You leaned away from his lips, voice coming out unevenly as you moaned his name. His movements became sloppier as you groaned in bliss, tugging the flesh of his bottom lip between your teeth. You tipped your head back slightly as you reached your climax, riding out your pleasure and sending him over the edge as he pulled you closer to him, his hands digging into your hips as he encouraged you to continue grinding against him. You exhaled deeply, pressing your lips against his neck and his cheek before kissing him breathlessly as your movements slowed.

You pulled on your shirt, Karl’s hands moving to rest on your hips as he pressed a kiss to your neck. “Should we leave a note for Ms. Scarlet?” You joked, making him chuckle as his arms wrapped further around your waist, cheek pressing against your shoulder.

“Who?” He teased.

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[peanutpinet]

Lucas (mafia leader) x Reader (female)

A/N: I had this thought for days now and was like, ya know, just let it out. This is my first NCT (?) WayV (?) fanfic? Scenario? Yea XD For those who have read my past fanfics/scenarios, you know how horrible I am in explaining XD but yea, essentially I just imagine that you, the reader are a uni student whilst Lucas is part of the NCT mafia, "leader" of the WayV unit (I know Kun is technically the leader, but just for the sake of the story), okie, leggo

Sighing in defeat, you gathered all your books, stationery and some clothing before sneakily going out of your dorm and to your boyfriend's apartment since he gave you the spare key, saying that it was for emergencies or whenever you wanted to come over.

After texting Lucas that you were heading to his apartment, you went to grab a cab and head there. Truth be told, you never really went there and only got the address from Lucas. Which is why upon arriving, your jaw nearly dropped when you saw his apartment; even making sure whether the address Lucas gave last time was the exact one and making a mental note to yourself to look up things beforehand.

Upon arriving, you felt like you just came from the countryside to the big city. You went to the front desk and inform them who were you looking for, handing in your ID card and was immediately directed to the elevator, one of the securities pressing the highest floor of the elevator and left you in the elevator on your own.

Just when you thought that it couldn't get any fancier, the minute you stepped out of the elevator, you were amazed at the decor and the fact that there was only one door made it even grander. Taking out the key Lucas gave you, you were actually hoping that it wasn't the correct one and Lucas just sent you the wrong address but as it turns out, the key fits and you took a deep breath, walking into the room.

But on Lucas' side, he actually didn't receive your text message. So, the second he heard someone coming into his suite, he was already reaching for his gun because he wasn't really expecting anyone to come. But as soon as he heard your signature nervous voice, he felt relieved but worried at the same time. Did something happen to you?

"Lucas? Ar-are you in here? The people at the front desk just directed me here. I uh sent you a text" you called out

"I'm here sweetheart. Now, what brings you here at this late hour? Is there anyone I should be concern with?" Lucas stated, coming out of his bedroom

"Huh? Wow. I mean, no. Sorry, it's my first time here. I uh, I was just wondering if I could stay for the night. The dorm was so loud that I couldn't study nor sleep" you admitted, trying to avoid eye contact with Lucas, thinking that it was a lame excuse to come over

"Of course you can. I gave you the spare key for a reason, didn't I? Uh, sorry about the mess and all. I didn't expect you to come. I didn't receive any messages. C'mere sweetheart" Lucas mentioned, giving a hand motion for you to go to him

"Really?! I could've sworn I...(looks at your phone) I forgot to click the send button" you sighed, hitting your head as you went over to Lucas

"Hey, hey. Don't do that. You'll hurt your brain even more. No harm sweetheart. My place is yours. Come. I'll order some McDonalds as well if you'd like" Lucas cooed, bringing you into his office

"Damn. Two desktops?! Bro and this processor is the latest one?!" you commented, placing your bag down and immediately inspecting his desk

"Sometimes I play some games with the guys. Feel free to use it if you'd like. Lemon tea or coke?" Lucas asked, scrolling through his phone

"Lemon tea, no ice. It's worth the money better. Are you sure I can study here? Am I not disturbing you?" you questioned, sitting on the chair

"Not at all, sweetheart. It's almost 10pm. I'm done with work. You're free to use my computer. I've ordered your favourites already. I'm going to go for a shower for a bit. Feel free to turn on some music as well, alright? And please don't study for too long. I worry you'll hurt that gorgeous head of yours" Lucas chuckled, kissing your forehead before leaving you in his study room

After settling, putting on some music with your account (which was already in Lucas' Spotify), you grabbed your books and stationery then started to study for your finals. In the midst of it, you heard Lucas coming in with McDonalds; wearing a plain T-shirt and sweats.

Because there was only one chair in his office, with your consent, Lucas placed you on his lap as he was feeding you McDonalds whilst scrolling through his phone, occasionally leaning his head on your back as he does so.

After finishing the food, Lucas was about to get up and cleaned up so you could study a bit better since he knew you didn't like a messy space but when he felt your head slightly leaning backwards, he questioned whether you were already sleepy or not.

"What's wrong love? Tired?" Lucas murmured as he placed his chin on your neck, wrapping his long arms around your waist

"Huh? Oh? Sorry. I didn't realise I was leaning back" you yawned, scrubbing your eyes but Lucas stopped the motion

"Don't. Your eyes will get irritated. I think it's about time you sleep, hmm?" Lucas commented, tucking a hair behind your ear as he kissed the side of your cheek

"Hmm. I guess so" you sighed, leaning onto Lucas's chest

"Alright princess, let me just shut everything off. Kay, let's go to bed" Lucas chuckled, carrying your small figure in his arms and tucking you into his bed before going to the other side of the bed

The next morning, you were woken up by the sound of your phone's alarm but just stayed in bed whilst scrolling through your phone until you realised that you had exams that starts in 45 minutes. Immediately, you got up and went back to the study room to grab your clothes, without even calling out to Lucas and head to the bathroom to get ready.

After getting ready, you were so ready to rush out the door and call a cab until Lucas finally called out to you. Once you told him that your exam was starting in literally 15 minutes, he just chuckled and told you that he'll drive you there; which was a first since all this time, you guys just have dates near your campus since your dorm had strict rules and Lucas would just walk you there (A/N: how you guys met is a story for next time, lol).

After packing some food for you, Lucas grabbed his car keys in one hand and your hand in the other, making your way down to the parking lot where your jaw also almost dropped again since the car Lucas owned is probably enough to pay your whole entire undergraduate life.

Whilst in the car, Lucas told you to eat so you wouldn't be hungry during the exam. He also mentioned that he'll come to pick you up to celebrate finishing your finals since he knew that you've been stressing over this last final for weeks; saying that he'll treat you out.

Once you've arrived, Lucas pulled you to give a slight peck on your forehead, encouraging you to do well in your finals and that he'll see you right after you're done. You smiled and thank him. Getting out of the car, you saw nearly the whole campus that was by the front gate staring at you; even your friends were stunned before rushing to you, managing to get a glimpse at Lucas who just smiled before leaving.

"Gurl!! I knew your boyfriend was hot, but well off? You definitely hit the jackpot!!" one of your friends blurted

"Sis!! Can we save the conversation for later? I need to get this exam over with first" you bargained

"Okay, okay, good luck with your exams!! I'll see you later!!" your friend exclaimed as you went to your exam hall

Thankfully, the exam wasn't as hard as you'd thought. You didn't know if it's because Lucas actually helped you study since he actually knew the subject or something else but you were glad to finally be done with it. After the exam, you got a text from Lucas, saying that he'll be running a bit late which you didn't mind. Your friend, who was also done with her exam, came to your exam hall and didn't spare a second before plastering with all sorts of questions.

Asking you where you've been the night before since you weren't at your dorm; and when you told her you were at Lucas' place, she squealed, asking if you guys did anything spicy which you immediately cut her off, saying that you just went there to study because the rooms near yours were getting too loud and rowdy.

You also explained how kind and caring Lucas was; despite the amount of work he had to deal with, he was still soft when it came to you. Ordering your favourites from McDonalds, letting you just barged into his apartment whenever and even using whatever he had; hearing this, all your friend can do was just squeal, saying that Lucas was the perfect boyfriend.

And right on cue, Lucas texted you saying that he's almost at the front gate. Your friend saw your smile and teased the heck out of you before letting you off just because she supported your relationship; knowing that you had a rough past and it was nice to finally see you happy with someone; someone that genuinely cares about you.

But of course, life ain't that easy. Because just as you were skidding along the halls to the front gate, you accidentally bumped into someone and dropped your phone. You immediately apologised about to get your phone when the person you bumped into stepped on your phone. Looking up, you met with the campus' miss popular with her boyfriend.

"Can you please let go. I really have to go now" you sighed, looking up

"Can't your boyfriend get you another one? Oh wait, is he the one that you're meeting? Honestly, I dunno what he sees in you. Oh wait, I think I do. He's probably just in it to play around or probably did it because of a bet" the girl scoffed but you were just not having it and shoved her feet off, nearly falling if it weren't for her boyfriend being there

After getting your phone, you were about to make a run for it before she grabbed your hair, pulling you back and making you fall; calling you names and all. When you got back to your feet again, she nearly slapped you when you got ahold of her hand about to push her back when her boyfriend came and took your hand, twisting it behind your back, allowing an opening for her to get a good punch out of you.

It felt like forever since you were trapped between the two "bullies" of your campus and for Lucas, it meant something was wrong. It's been almost 30 minutes since he arrived and called you but there was no answer at all. Frustrated, he called Winwin to track your phone as he went in to find you; thinking that you were held captive by one of NCT's enemy.

When he did see you, he felt a slight relief that it wasn't one of NCT's enemy but he was still very much pissed at the sight. When the girl was about to hit you for like the 15th time, Lucas grabbed ahold of her arm, throwing her to the floor before looking at her boyfriend who turns out to be one of the bartenders in one of NCT's bars.

"B-boss..." the man stammered, letting go of your hand as you almost dropped if it weren't for Lucas catching you

"You better come to work tonight. We'll have a lil discussion about respect? Hmm? Make sure everyone comes. Or I'll just have to report Taeyong about this" Lucas growled, making the man cowered in fear

"N-no sir. Everyone will come tonight" the man stuttered as Lucas stood up, holding your figure firmly in his arms

"Good. Wouldn't want to make a big deal out of this hmm? Oh, and do bring your girlfriend while I take mine to treat the wounds you both caused" Lucas scoffed, bringing you out of the campus

Once you've reached his car, he gently placed you and put your seatbelt on before going to the driver's seat. Once he was in, he called Kun, telling him what happened and that he's planning to have a meeting later tonight in the bar. After the call, Lucas took your hand in his, stroking your knuckles as he drove back to his apartment.

Upon arriving, he helped you get out of the car and into his apartment. Inside, he brought you to his room before going to the bathroom and grabbing some medicine for your bruised face and cut on the lips. Lucas treated all your wounds as gently as possible, worrying that he might accidentally hurt you, treating you as if you're as fragile as an egg.

After he was done, he threw all the cotton buds and ordered some food for the both of you; knowing that you will tell him whenever you're ready. He put his hoodie onto you before bringing you to the living room to cuddle and just watch the whole day. Occasionally, food will come and it was all from your favourite restaurants.

After the next 5th Disney movie ended, you told Lucas that you wanted to take a shower and he told you that you can borrow any of his clothes. He even said that he'll run you a bath but you told him that you were just going to take a light shower which Lucas didn't mind. Whilst you were showering, Lucas prepared a T-shirt and shorts along with the hoodie you were just wearing.

After your shower and putting on the clothes Lucas prepared, Lucas came and redid the medicine on your wounds before going back to watching some heart-warming movies on the bed. Feeling better, you decided to tell Lucas what happened and whilst it seemed that he was calm, his mind was off wondering the endless possibilities of teaching the two that harm you; whether it'd be physically or mentally.

Either way, Lucas listened to all your rambles, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, leaning you onto his chest, giving kisses on your forehead, cheeks and occasionally your neck, chuckling when he saw you flustered; basically making you 10x better, treating you like a queen up until you fell asleep.

When you did fall asleep, he gently tucked you into bed, kissing your forehead, smiling at your sleeping figure before leaving the room to the bar where he was more than ready to make the two-person harmed you suffer; not forgetting to ask Hendery and Yangyang to come over to watch over you.

"Sleep tight sweetheart. I'll be back before you know it, alright? No one treats my queen like trash and gets away with it" Lucas mumbled, kissing your forehead as he left as quietly as possible

and let's just say that everyone in the bar that night experienced a side of Lucas that no one would like to see or hear ever again.

"Try and lay a finger on her again, I won't be so nice next time" Lucas scoffed, seeing all the staff looked down, especially the two-person who hurt you

A/N: I hope that this was alright but yea, this fanfic has been stuck in my head for days