#but simultaneously a LOT of other life shit went down

[explvrer]

look at this plate i painted !!! she is food safe but she is too frickin pretty to eat out of and potentially damage!!

[convenientalias]

Why Nirvana in Fire Wins at Revenge Story with Identity Porn

Nirvana in Fire was my first ever cdrama that was a revenge story with identity porn. Since then, I've seen many other dramas along similar lines. A League of Nobleman. Blood of Youth. City of Streamer. Fighting for Love. Legend of Anle. Long Ballad. Princess Weiyoung. Rise of Phoenixes. Sword Dynasty. Weaving a Tale of Love. Word of Honor. Some of them are quite good but none of them really hit the same way. So, apart from the fact that it was the first one I ever watched, I thought I'd made a brief list of reasons why I think Nirvana in Fire is the best.

Lin Shu's Identity

I just appreciate that when shit went down and Lin Shu's whole family and army and many of his friends were killed and he became a man on the run, he was a full-grown man (okay, still pretty young, but definitely not a child) with his own life and even an army position.

A lot of these identity porn dramas will have their MCs meeting ppl for the first time in many years, in disguise, but they only knew these ppl when they were children. Childhood friends are great and all that, but can they hit as hard as the complicated, fleshed out relationships that Lin Shu had and lost? He had a friendship of many years with Jingyan. He had an engagement and a longstanding friendship with Nihuang. He has friends from the army, younger cousins playing the role of "we don't even understand what happened back then and maybe that's better", older friends and relations who he actually knew as an adult.

Simultaneously, his past identity increases the threat of discovery for Lin Shu. He's a known factor to many, many people in the capital. Yes, they think he's dead. But small things like a hazelnut allergy or his mannerisms or his previous friendships with people are still memorable enough that even with a completely different face, if he's not careful, he might give himself away. He's not infiltrating a group of strangers or people who only knew him as a kid. He's infiltrating a group of people who were close to him for many, many years of his life.

HOWEVER. Lin Shu's identity is not so important that everyone in the capital is still obsessed with him twelve years later (with some exceptions). This isn't Mysterious Lotus Casebook where we're all still pining for Li Xiangyi, because...

2. The Chiyan Case Wasn't Even About Lin Shu?? (Also, No One Cares About That Ancient History Anymore (Jingyan, Sit Down))

The Chiyan case wasn't about the Lin family at all, really.

No one specifically wanted Lin Shu dead or had a big grudge against his dad or anything. It's all about power, military and political. For some conspirators, it was just about getting a leg up in court. But mostly, it was about Prince Qi, the previous crown prince. The Lin family just happened to be friends with him and ended up in an uncomfortable (highly murderable and frameable) position.

Lin Shu may mourn his family, but for the majority of the show, he doesn't talk about it. He doesn't talk about his mother and his family back at the capital either committing suicide or being killed indiscriminately. He only mentions his father's name a handful of times in the whole show. Lin Shu's drive is that his father's ARMY was killed, tens of thousands of men. That's the weight on Lin Shu's shoulders: the death of all these innocent men because they were in the way. The Chiyan Case; the Chiyan Massacre. The denouement of Lin Shu's victory (not to give too many spoilers) is not just his father's name being cleared of a treason charge. It's when there's finally a memorial put up for the Chiyan Army, with memorial tablets that he can publicly visit to pay respects.

Why does this make it a better revenge story with identity porn? A couple reasons. First, Lin Shu is very much the center of the story and has very personal beef, but he treats himself like a tool and his objective isn't about himself or familial connections (they're part of it but they're not everything). He doesn't even know all the people he's avenging. That's fine; he'll still carry that weight. I just think it's neat.

Second, the fact that the Lin family (and the whole Chiyan Army) were really just collateral damage for getting rid of Prince Qi really emphasizes just how careless the current regime is of the value of human life.

Third, as Meng Zhi says when Lin Shu comes to the capital, everyone at court is busy with their own little power struggles and no one has time to care about Lin Shu or protect him. Lin Shu's like yeah that's fine :) I'm not anyone's focus anymore and the Lin family has been swept under the rug like we never existed :) and no one even talks about the Chiyan case anymore for fear of being accuse of treason :) that's all okay because I'm about TO MAKE THIS EVERYONE'S PROBLEM ANYWAY and honestly the fact that everyone's trying their hardest to forget will just make them more oblivious when I come to fuck them up.

3. All Of This is Whose Fault, Again?

That's right, folks, we're in a show that knows that when shit goes down at court and your family gets framed for treason and the emperor orders them executed, sure, you can blame the conspirators who framed them all you want, but also, YOU KIND OF DO HAVE TO BLAME THE EMPEROR.

People have said enough about how great this is on a thematic level of accountability but seriously I've seen so many shows dodge this. ~It's not the emperor's fault bc he was misled by these conspirators~ or ~the emperor is only a puppet emperor, if he actually had power instead of this evil person, he would put everything right.~ Or, if they dare to blame the emperor, maybe he's just an evil emperor and was bad all along. NIF says yeah, he was lied to on many levels. There was a whole complicated conspiracy going on and many people to blame. But he could have taken things slower. He could have required better evidence. He could have trusted people who had supported him for many years, at least enough to listen to their side of the story BEFORE KILLING THEM. And why didn't he? It's not because he's an idiot. It's because he's an emperor, and emperors don't like seeing other people gain enough power to even potentially become a threat. It's because he wasn't looking for the truth, he was looking for an excuse to kill. And he's not unusually evil for that; this kind of callousness towards murder and grasping for power at all costs is more the norm at court than any kind of honor or morality.

The Emperor's a nice guy sometimes! He used to fly kites with Lin Shu when he was young! His sons give him a headache, but honestly, relatable, they'd give you a headache too! He likes Consort Jing and honestly, who wouldn't! And he killed one of his sons, one of his closest friends, and an entire army, and he would do it again without hesitation. He's not especially evil. Being an emperor is bad enough.

4. Other Bad Guys

It's worth mentioning that Lin Shu's opponents are not stupid.

Xie Yu and Xia Jiang, Prince Yu and the Crown Prince, even the Empress and Noble Consort Yue: They aren't all geniuses, but they aren't idiots flailing around in spite. They're pretty smart, and if Lin Shu wants to take them down, he has to be smarter.

It's also worth mentioning that this is not one of those shows where the protagonist happens to take down his opponents mostly by standing still and just defending himself when they lash out at him. This seems like an obvious thing in a revenge drama, but the number of times I've seen the opposite, the protagonist swearing revenge and then just struggling with self preservation.... but no. Lin Shu has A Plan. He is going to be proactive and actually take his enemies down. Admittedly he will do this by revealing their past misdeeds but this isn't a case of "the misdeeds will just happen to pop up". This is a case of "I will actively unearth skeletons from where you threw them in a well in an abandoned manor".

TO SUM UP

Without going into the things that make Nirvana in Fire a great show in general (great acting, good pacing and plotting, good costuming, and so on and so forth) I think the main things that make it hit for me as a revenge story with identity porn are 1) letting the MC's past identity be that of a grown man who actually had a life (more connections to the past, but also more to lose and more danger in the present as a result), 2) the fact that the offense that the MC is avenging wasn't even like a personal thing to the offenders (bc! it's fucking infuriating!), 3) the fact that the drama is willing to face the root of the problem (the problem is both corruption at court and the fact that the highest arbiter is flawed, not just individual conspirators), 4) the supply of multiple good antagonists, and 5) LETTING THE MC ACTUALLY, ACTIVELY PURSUE REVENGE AND THAT'S THE MAIN PLOT AND WE AREN'T SPENDING MOST OF OUR SCREENTIME ON SIDEPLOTS AND ROMANCE OR MERE SELF PRESERVATION. These may not seem like large things but my friends, you would be surprised how many revenge dramas I've watched at this point that can't do them.

ok I'm done ranting. Feel like most of this is actually stating the obvious but I'm just in a mood and had to get it out. (...also possibly I've been let down by some revenge dramas lately but I won't get into it. it's okay. we can't all be Nirvana in Fire; only Nirvana in Fire can be Nirvana in Fire.)

[timesomewhere]

in honour of the West End's next to normal closing today I've finally proof-read my 'things I noticed/general thoughts' post that's been sitting in my drafts since I saw it earlier this month. it's very long I'm very sorry.

Act One:

it was really fun watching this show in September given that there's two references to it in the first song

I adore the monologue about the pills that Dr. Fine gives during 'Who's Crazy'. it's rhythmic and funny yet also unnerving. It's such a quick and impactful way to summarise what Diana has been through for the past 16 years

Gabe does a 'one of your French girls' pose on the kitchen counter under the cabinets during 'My Psychopharmacologist and I'

Jamie Parker made direct eye contact with me during the last part of 'Who's Crazy' and it was one of the most intense experiences of my life

I might just be dense but I don't get the point of the neon sign that says 'Fine' which drops down during the Dr. Fine scene. Initially I thought that then one would drop down saying 'Madden' during his scenes to help people differentiate between the doctors but then it didn't so it just feels like a weird extra prop

speaking of random props, shout out to the iPad on the table in the opening scene which Gabe pretty much instantly takes away after telling Diana that she shouldn't obsess over tragic news stories and is then never seen again as far as I remember

Dan in the flashback scene being such an optimist about Diana's pregnancy and the future they're gonna have together... soul-crushing

Caissie Levy's 'I Miss The Mountains.' Holy Shit.

I love how Diana and Gabe are the only characters who sing on/stand on the table. it's as though it's this extra dimension of the house that only they have access to and it's a really neat and subtle way to show that they relate to each other in ways other characters don't

'It's Gonna Be Good' is so underrated. Jamie Parker's somewhat genuine optimism becoming optimism-through-gritted-teeth is incredibly acted

The way Jamie delivers the first line of 'He's Not Here' is devastating. the heaviness of that moment as you feel the audience around you realising what's just happened is something I'll remember forever

Gabe body-blocking Dan from Diana during 'I Am the One' is such good staging. People talk about how Jack Wolfe plays Gabe with a lot of layers and a lot of simultaneous contradiction and this song is one of the best examples of that. how Jack manages to project a character who is goading his father and protecting his mother at the same time is beyond me

also Jack has maybe half-an-inch on Jamie which obviously isn't something the actors control but it does makes Gabe seem just that bit more threatening when he's getting in Dan's face

for the first part of Superboy and the Invisible Girl when it's just Natalie singing, Gabe is actively laughing. He's totally unperturbed by her efforts to make herself seen to her mother. it's only when Diana replies, particularly when she says "you're our little pride and joy, our perfect plan" that you see his face drop and you see him trying to figure out a way to stop her from getting Diana's attention which then results in him kicking her off the melody in her own song

"I'll hurt you" being directed at Dan and "I'll heal you" being directed at Diana as Gabe gently touches her face gets me so bad. but the most painful part of 'I'm Alive' for me is when Gabe looks at Dan as he says "I'm the perfect stranger who knows you too well." that's the first time you realise that perhaps Gabe doesn't just impact Diana, and there's something much larger at play

Caissie and Jack W's voices harmonising on 'Catch Me I'm Falling' was one of my favourite parts of the whole show. Their voices are so magical together and their mother/son chemistry is incredible

The 'I Dreamed A Dance' into 'There's a World' sequence is one of the most tragically beautiful things I've ever witnessed. I went into the show knowing what Gabe was trying to achieve during 'There's A World' and yet Jack's voice is so beautifully haunting you totally forget you're supposed to root against Gabe in that moment

Jamie Parker's 'I've Been' is some of the best acting through song out there. Interestingly my friend and I had very different interpretation's of what Gabe's horrified reaction to the blood meant. I viewed it as him being upset about what he convinced Diana to do - he doesn't like seeing her hurt. Whereas my friend saw it as him being angry at himself that she didn't manage to follow through, meaning that he has failed to regain control over her life

'I'm no sociopath, I'm no Sylvia Plath. I ain't no Frances Farmer kind of find for you' is one of the best musical theatre lyrics of all time. I genuinely don't know why I Miss The Mountains is the 'big song' known from N2N over 'Didn't I See This Movie?', it's just so good

Natalie's 'She trusts you!' line is heartbreaking, I was basically watching that entire scene through my fingers because of how high the emotion was

Act Two:

'Pfizer's woman of the year' will in fact be peak comedy every time. Eleanor's delivery is *chef's kiss*

Gabe having just one line in 'Wish I Were Here', and that line being 'Wish I were here.' Yeah. I feel very normal about that.

Natalie's line of "Can I hide my stupid hunger, fake some confidence and cheer?" being pretty much exactly what Gabe has done throughout the entirety of act 1

"And you're not a scary rockstar anymore" got one of the biggest laughs at both of the shows I went to

Dan's desperation during 'Better Than Before.' He is simultaneously trying to cajole Diana into remembering and get Natalie to be more positive. This one song really highlights how he's being pulled in a million different directions while trying to hold it all together and Jamie portrays that so well

Aftershocks. Wow. The way the last word of each line echoes throughout the theatre is great sound design. I've been in exam halls louder than the audience during that song. Holding a room that captive as a silhouette is quite the feat Jack Wolfe you will always be famous

"I don't know where the fucking pieces go" as Diana pushes things off the table as if there's a real jigsaw there that she's rage quitting and choosing to give up on is such a nice detail

"Have you talked of your depression, your delusions and your son?" The gasp in the theatre both times was sickening

the response of "good' in reply to "name?" when technically that was part of his name as they are the "Goodmans". I don't really have a point here I just think it's neat

The 'It's Gonna Be Good" reprise was one of my favourite Dan/Diana moments. Caissie and Jamie are really pushing each other to their emotional limits and they handle it so well

The first "Why stay?" is so fragile as Diana sits against the kitchen island. Also interesting given that Dan and Gabe will also sit against there later when they are at their lowest point in the story. The idea of the characters crawling to the 'centre/heart' of the home when they are at their weakest

"This is one old game that I can play so well" is the line that has stuck the most with me throughout the show. Jack's delivery of it while striding across the kitchen table - seemingly totally invincible - is crazy.

how Caissie manages to deliver "you shrugged and said that no one really knows" with humour and desperation at the same time is amazing

When Gabe and Diana stand on the table and if they let go of one another they'll fall. yeahhhhh.....

Gabe's realisation that Diana isn't going to give up on getting better. Totally collapsing in on himself and beginning to cry. How you manage to feel bad for him after all the destruction he's caused is wild

Diana's "maybe I'm tired of the game" relating back to Gabe's "this is one old game that I can play so well"

the lyrics in 'Hey #3' clearly reflecting things Diana has done, Henry cutting Natalie off at "bleeding in the bathtub"

"I am the one who'll heal you" being said to Dan not Diana this time

"Why didn't you go with her?" is the most devastating line in the whole musical I said what I said. Jamie's delivery of it is heart wrenching

the drums and bass kicking in for the loud part of I Am The One as Gabe becomes desperate to be seen once again

Jack and Jamie's acting in this moment is so intense. there's a moment where it's genuinely feels as though only one of them can make it out of the interaction alive

Jack's emphasis on the word 'loved' in the line "I am the one who loved you" nearly killed me on the spot. how somebody can deliver a line so desperately while remaining pitch perfect is unfair

Natalie coming in to kiss Dan's head at the start of 'Light' like Gabe kisses Diana's in the first scene. I'm such a sucker for a gut punching

the "And are they real?" line about Diana's parent's from Henry gets such a loud reaction from the audience. Some people laugh immediately, some people clearly get shocked out of their sobs. so good

In conclusion, this is my favourite musical of all time and I'm going to be so annoying waiting for the pro-shot to come out

[wroteclassicaly]

Steve Harrington definitely has a daddy AND breeding kink

Man gave himself away when he hopped into that convertible and said fuck you to Toddfather. Wearing those tight little jeans and talking about wanting six babies, like… okay, let’s see your swimmers, bitch 😂

Warnings: Breeding kink, daddy kink, NSFW, smut, and language!

Steve is absolutely a man that is feral when it comes to all things Mother Nature. He’s not bothered by your period, simply remarks he could fix that for nine months if you’d let him, as he’s simultaneously waving your pads or tampons in your face. And during ovulation? He’s often coming up as you take your birth control, hand around the water, his large palm wraps around your own, other hand taking the small pill packet from you. He’s nosing his way into gaping the collar of your shirt, that hot mouth laying kisses across your flesh.

“Maybe don’t worry about it this month?”

“Steve…” you warn, already prepared to thwart those toe curling advances.

Because if there’s one thing Steve Harrington does, it’s completing his purpose with an intense vigor. And that includes sex—namely—your pleasure, your orgasms, and the idea of pumping you so full of his cum that you become pregnant with twins. After all, his mom said once that they might run in the family.

“C’mon, honey. Why not?”

You sign into his wet kisses, body ignited with a pressing electricity. “Because, babies aren’t glamorous, Steve. You like the idea of them, sure, but—“

He frowns, one of which you can feel against your neck. He pulls away with a look of sadness. “You think I don’t know we wouldn’t get any sleep, would probably be covered in baby shit and vomit? We’d argue, we would miss a lot of sex and date nights? That about cover it?” He finishes, taking in your shell-shocked expression.

He’s put a lot of thought into this.

“What’s wrong with cleaning up little baby puke, versus monster guts and blood? I can handle it, I know I can.” He’s firm, a soft strength you rarely hear from him. You’re on the cusp of full blown admiration. Ah, fuck it. You’re already there.

“Steve—“

“I know what I want and I want that with you. Didn’t you tell me that you’re the one who knows where to get a good deal on an RV, huh?”

The conversation of Steve’s six nuggets that he’d dreamt of having with you, life so short and precious after everything you’d all went through. And you’re always positive that your future belongs to Steve Harrington, and that his children are yours—together. The mere idea of creating a whole human being that belongs to you and him? He’s already Cheshire grinning, milky white teeth on display. “Tits full of milk to feed our child. Belly swollen. Fuck, honey. We’re gonna have to get you a real nice nightgown, yeah? Something you can slip off easily when you’re sore.”

Steve loves lingerie on your body? And pregnant, shrouded in various slivers of silk, satin, and lace?

~*~

His daddy kink can go both ways. Pregnant or not. When he’s taking you deeper and deeper, pressing your face into the bed with his large hand, cock catching on your sopping wet walls. Making you beg to take him down and gag.

“Who’s daddy’s good girl?”

[heyidkyay]

And I'm petrified of being alone, now |

Part One

Matty Healy x reader

Summary: She’s just trying to get by, really. What with being a single parent to her four year old son whilst simultaneously trying to kick start a successful career as a radio presenter. She’s got everything she’s ever wanted though, friends close by, a mum who’s merely a phone call away, and of course her baby boy. What else is there to wish for? But then, it’s not long before her relatively normal life gets upended and turned on its head, and she’s suddenly forced to deal with situations she’s never even thought to imagine.

What happens when one mention of a certain controversial singer on her show sends a flood of unexpected challenges her way? 

Warnings: This is gonna deal with a lot of controversial shit surrounding Matty and his past I'm ngl, so if you're not into that then I'd suggest not reading this! But if you are, then hi!! I hope you enjoy?

Authors Note: I'm back...:)) Back with a series too, or it will be if this first part goes down well! Lmao so pls don't hate it! Butttt in all honestly, I do have to quickly thank @procrastinatinglikeapro for all the kind words she gave me on the snippets I annoyed her with recently and for forcing me to actually believe in this fic because I very much was on the fence about posting again. So thank youuuu, it means a whole lot<3 Also, the skeleton of this was taken from a very old fic of mine which I started during the height of covid that I've just been thinking about trying to better for a long while now, so... enjoy?

And I guess let me know if this is something anyone would want to read more of? Yeeeeah, I really don't know what else to write here now, it's been a while, so! Hi, help, bye:)

Masterlist

Chapter 1: He's got the whole world falling at his feet

“Yeah, yeah! I’m really into their sound at the minute! Honestly fell in love with their recent performance at the VMA’s– didn’t overdo it and kept it true to themselves. Definitely did a great job there, so well done with that one if you’re listening in, lads!”

I was grinning from ear to ear as I spoke into the microphone before me, which was to be expected whenever I was at work. Strange, yeah I know, but only to any typical person with the usual nine to five, because I truly did love my job. It was tough work, strenuous at times, contrary to what most might believe, but it was pretty much everything I’d ever dreamt of.

See, I’d grown up on the outskirts of this tiny village in the Isles, where everybody knew everything about everybody. Secrets were never well kept– you could just ask our local priest about that one, who often used to regale most of the confessions he’d heard in the only pub around for miles whenever he’d been pissed beyond being able to sit on his barstool. 

It was also incredibly tight-knit, as in, all the kids who went to school together, then grew up and married one another, settling down and taking over the jobs that their parents or grandparents would soon retire from. Hardly anyone moved away, if ever.

In reality though, it was actually just a place I’d always felt like a stranger in. Where I’d struggled to fit in and make friends, to form bonds outside of the one I shared with my mum. 

Which sounds sad speaking about it, but still true, I’d had a real tough go of it back in school. ‘Mouse’ was what they’d seemingly dubbed me back then, a nickname which had travelled throughout the masses all too quickly seeing as there had only been about sixteen kids in both my year and the one above. 

The name had mostly started due to me just having been an extremely timid child, hiding behind my mum’s flowing skirts whenever we went into town and much preferring that of my own company whenever other kids were mulling about. But that fact hadn’t gotten any easier for me once I’d been forced out of school for a few years after an accident that had flipped my entire life on its head. Resulting in me being further isolated from the rest of the world and my fuck-face of a father running for the hills.

Still. Shit happened, I supposed, and I’d been forced to deal with it and grow up.

Too quickly, in truth.

So whilst everyone else had been out living, I’d been holed up in our little dove cottage miles away from them all, with only books and music to keep me company. Music which had been a true constant in my life and just about the only thing that had gotten me by.

As well as my mum, who’d forever be my rock. And back when we’d both been growing up– because that was how it’d always felt with us– she had constantly had the tele on full blast throughout the day, cycling through the freeview channels that played the recent top 50 and old school classics.

It was one of my favourite things to look back on now. Sometimes if she was ever in the mood, or when the power would finally flicker and go out completely when a storm hit, she’d spin this old phonograph her own father had gifted her in the days before she’d left home. The two of us would dance around the living room whilst she would clean on Saturday mornings and then hum to it as we settled in for a long downpour, her working on her trusty crossword whilst I would read or draw. The brass  pavilion would croon out old French records she had bought long before she’d moved to the UK, and before she’d ever even met my father.

And I would just lose myself in it all. 

It wasn’t just the basic premise of music that I had enjoyed though, it was everything else that also came along with it. The opinions, the reviews, the personal stories and thoughts, the way it could make a person think and feel. 

So, for years I would just sit down at the kitchen table and write for hours on end about the sound, the rhythms I’d felt and heard, the lyrics that had had me bellowing out or playing on a never-ending loop in my head. And then, as a teen, Twitter had come along and had been just another way for me to express it all.

It was actually Twitter that had eventually led to all of this. 

The radio.

At first, I’d never paid much mind to all of the people who had started to discover the small page I’d created, the few users that had enjoyed reading my inner thoughts. But then one day I had and it had been an insane concept to comprehend, the very idea that people cared enough to stop and read my thoughts, but it was also what had, ultimately, pushed me into continuing with it.

From there, opinions on genres of music and their style throughout different decades quickly turned into thoughts on up and coming artists, then actors and other A-list celebrities. So I had ended up spending an awful lot of time online, simply just tweeting about it all, on subjects followers had wanted to hear about and answering questions on whether I loved a certain album or this new EP. 

The account had grown rapidly shortly after and by the time I’d had the balls to tell my mum I had wanted to leave home and make a start for myself, in London of all places, the account I used had gained well over fifteen thousand followers.

I went to uni down there and met people. People who didn’t shy away from me or shine a light on my odd quirks. I met my best mate there, too. And Finn was unlike any other. The platonic love of my life, or so I’d since dubbed. He was eccentric, witty, and didn’t care about what anyone else thought of him. Forced me to feel that way too, slowly but surely. And it had only taken a few weeks before he'd grown rather suspicious of my constant need to always have my phone near.

He had, pretty early on, decided that I must’ve had some secret boyfriend back at home that I’d yet to tell him about and had annoyed me about it at every twist and turn, basically backed me into a metaphorical corner. So to say I’d relented fairly quickly wouldn’t be a lie, and I’d told him all about the account soon enough.

Finn had actually been the one to suggest that I take it further, somewhere bigger, make it into something that people could actually tune into and not just read about. I had taken the consideration on board way back then, but had only acted on it when shit had hit the fan a year or so later. But we'll soon get into that.

So with it all, I ended up making an actual radio show out of my thoughtless Twitter account, allowing people to listen in and actually get to know the person behind the name.

That was essentially how ‘Mouse On A Mic' had come to life.

Yup, I’d kept the fucking nickname! I couldn’t not in truth, it was familiar, reminded me of the person I once was, and who I currently am now. But the only difference was, I’d given it a new story. I’d reclaimed it. 

The show's audience grew fairly quickly during that first year, I was new on the scene and seemingly refreshing. I had a no-bullshit kind of attitude that my listeners apparently admired. I called celebs out on their crap and went to new extremes to conjure up inventive ways to get followers involved. 

Ultimately ended up doing things that other radio presenters were too afraid to do at the time. Which was fair enough, in hindsight, they had actual endorsers and brands that were backing them up and funding their streams. Me, on the other hand, I had no-one to answer to for my mistakes or any of the backlash the show received. It was just me, sat alone in my bedroom, speaking into a mic.

Only, a few years had since passed and now it was me sitting in a quaint little studio in East London, not too far from my flat and walking distance from any and every coffee chain that the city had to offer. 

Anyway, I forced myself to adjust my headset over my right ear as I wheeled closer to the table, aware of the one too many monitors and power cables I had to constantly avoid, and glanced upwards, locking eyes with my co-producer, Adi.

The girl shot me a hurried gesture, a circular wave of her hand that had me chuckling to myself even as I silently waved her off, knowing I’d already gotten off track one too many times this recording. 

"Alright! It seems as though we've got to move on with the next segment of the show now! Unfortunately, Ads here has informed me that I can't just sit around all day and talk about Inhaler forever. A right shame that, don’t you think?”

I huffed theatrically whilst Adi merely shook her head in return, dark ringlets brushing the length of her shoulders as she mouthed the word 'prick' through the thick sheet of plexiglass that separated us.

Ignoring that loving endearment in favour of continuing on with the commentary, I hoped I hadn’t steered too far off track seeing as there was still an awful lot scheduled for today's show that I had yet to go over.

“So moving on!” I sighed on into the mic and rubbed my palms together, eyes flitting over the few sheets of paper I had perched before me, “It seems like quite a few of you lot, over on Twitter especially, have made it loudly known that you want to hear my thoughts on Manchester’s very own Matthew Healy. God, is there yet another scandal under his belt I don’t yet know about? Makes me wonder where he’s finding the time.”

I shook my head briefly at the bulleted point I’d been given and rolled forward in my seat. The wheels squeaked beneath my weight and I made a silent prayer that the mics hadn’t picked up the sound. 

What a fucking topic, I thought quietly to myself and sent Adi a semi-amused smile before peering down at the recent headline she had handed over to me earlier that morning.

It was the same old thing. Expected really at this point.

“Healy’s at it again! Whatever will we do?” I gasped, playing up the whole thing as I stared down at a few images of the haughty singer that were plastered across the printout I held in front of me. 

There were four of them, a quick succession of pictures that had all seemingly come from a clip at a recent concert. Bit blurry but the title gave away to what was happening.

A laugh bubbled up out of my throat as soon as I read the headline. “Oh God! It appears Matty Healy is– wait for it!– back at it again, only this time it seems he’s gone and traded off a drumstick for…” I paused to drum quite the anticipating beat against the tabletop of my desk and, as stoic as I possibly could, I then added, “A joint!” 

A smug grin slid its way up onto my lips when I heard Adi’s faint cackle echo from just outside the booth.

“Honestly, I swear that everything this man does makes the rags! Reckon I actually saw an article about how he took his tea this one time. And like, do me a favour, yeah?” I rolled my eyes but relented, “A man of the people though, in’t he? He’s got to be! I mean, just look at this headline. Fucking who the hell writes this shit?”

Tossers, I supposed. But even so.

“It’s madness.” I muttered, gently clucking my tongue as I shook my head at the so-called news that had made the front page. “But anyway, I’m guessing that most people claim him to be the epitome of a real time rockstar, and sure, he might just be. 'Sex, drugs, rock & roll', all that shit. But really, how much longer is it going to last until everything goes tits up, hey?

“I mean, Healy can pretty much do whatever he wants at this point in his career, he’s got half the world either falling at his feet or complaining about him- has done since he was what, a kid? Following his parents amongst the shadows of their fame before he eventually stepped out and made an actual name for himself. Saying that, it still is insane to see how much he’s changed!”

And it was. Healy and his band had risen to fame so evidently, their music everywhere, they sold out shows constantly and had the privilege to fly across the globe doing whatever they pleased. But they’d also practically grown up in the limelight, Matty especially. So it was hard not to notice the resounding changes that shone through in all the news and gossip that ran riot.

“But, if I am being truthful.” I went on to say, thumb toying with the page’s sharp edge, “And when am I not? I thought that most of the shit that went around about him at first was a load of crap– publicity of sorts, if you get where I'm going with that. Or maybe just him being an idiot, a young lad who’s had to grow up with all these cameras consistently on him and had to basically learn what he can and can’t say in front of them. Slipping up from time to time, like most do. But, now? I’m honestly not too sure… It’s just a bit sad. Isn't it? There was so much potential there.”

I shrugged, a hearty sigh falling with my shoulders.

“I actually used to quite like his stuff a couple years ago, he’s got a way with words, with music overall really. Reckon if he’d gotten his shit together that he probably could’ve been ranked higher up on the list of rockstars. Could’ve changed or paved a way for newer musicians entering the scene. But not so much anymore. His songs lack the passion they once had, they’re not what they used to be. He works hard, I’ll give him that. Still, I can’t help but wonder if it’s just his band pulling his dead weight along with them now.”

I took a slow breath, then gazed down at the small amount of sticky notes I had pinned to the monitor beside me: the next segment. I’d have to wrap this one up quickly.

“Maybe that’s a bit harsh.” I said, chewing on my lower lip, “But honestly, I just hope that he takes an actual break sooner rather than later. The band looks spent and he just seems like he could do with some shut eye, some time away from all the cameras and prying eyes. Just so he can sort himself out good and proper, you know? Then again, that’s just my opinion among a sea of many.”

In truth, I really did think that Matty had real talent, that raw kind, and he seemed like a nice enough guy– or at least he had done, a couple of years back, before all the controversy and whatever else. 

Now though, the man just seemed so caught up in it all, in the fame, the tabloids, the drama. Unaware of just how far he’d fallen.

Me, I’d seen it one too many times before, with many of the greats even, and as painful as it was to watch, what more could I say or do? I'm nobody in comparison.

I blew out a short breath.

“Fuck, that got all serious didn’t it?” I tried to laugh it all off and only felt a little more at ease when I finally glanced up and caught Adi’s sincere smile, “Anyway, onto our next segment, reading a couple of your lots tweets! Let's see what everyone's saying about our amazing Adi today, shall we? What was it last week, Ads, those yellow trousers you were wearing?”

--

“Oi, will you two please stop mucking about? We’ve got to get going!” I scolded without any actual heat, shaking my head as I held back a chuckle, forever amused by the infamous pair stood a way away from me. 

I’d not long since left the studio, having walked with Adi to the nearby tube station so that she could hop a train home before I had headed on over to Finn’s. It was a typical route for me and not too long of a walk, but since arriving I’d been roped into packing up the many belongings that had been messily upended from the Spiderman backpack I was so often seen carrying about.

My gaze skittered over to the other side of the room once I’d teethed together the bag’s plastic zipper, over to where my son, Teddy, was currently in the midst of being whirled around by his godfather, tawny coloured curls flying in every-which direction whilst his cheeky grin grew even more prominent.

I felt the corners of my mouth lift upwards as I watched my best mate laugh at whatever it was the toddler had just said to him, tickling the boy’s sides as he did. If I was feeling incredibly sappy, I’d tell Finn then just how thankful I was to have him around, because he truly was incredible. 

From the moment I’d found out that I was pregnant, Finn had been there for me. He loved my son almost as though Teddy was his own, he adored the kid like no other and had placed him on a pedestal high above everyone else since the day he was born. 

Finn was always free to take Teddy whenever I had the show to fret about too, or if I was ever in dire need of another helping hand. He was fiercely protective of the two of us and I knew in the very depths of my heart that there would never be a hair harmed on my son’s head so long as he was around. 

I was pulled from my thoughts just as the toddler in question came bounding over, giggling uncontrollably as Finn chased after him, his arms stretched out wide and crouched down low to mimic the small boy's height. I couldn't help but notice the matching grins they both wore.

“Help!” Teddy squealed as he flung himself into my awaiting arms, allowing me to wrap him up and settle him safely on my hip, using my frame as a shield to block him from Finn’s view.

"You can't hide from me Teds, I’ll always find you!" Finn taunted playfully, laughing merrily whilst he wiggled his fingers at Teddy, who was only just peeking out at him from over my shoulder.

Teddy squirmed in my grasp, giggling and screaming senselessly as he tried to dodge Finn’s oncoming hands that had since managed to softly graze his sides. I could only roll his eyes in fond exasperation, the pair never failing to brighten my day, and couldn't help but feel ever so grateful for whatever being had brought Finn into both mine and Teddy’s lives.

You see, Finn was the closest thing I’d ever had to a brother, let alone a best friend. He’d been the family I’d never known I’d needed, a home away from home. And I knew that I could always count on him for just about anything and he had proved that the day I’d turned up on his doorstep in the pissing rain one Tuesday night, utterly terrified after having just found out that I was expecting. 

“Alright, you lot!” I began, batting away one of Finn’s advancing hands as he made to grab at Teddy's tiny ankle. “We've got to get home in time for your bath and tea, and I think Finn here has to pick up Liv from work.”

I was directing my voice towards the toddler in my arms but also sent a knowing look Finn’s way, one which caused the man’s eyes to widen in immediate realisation. ‘Liv’ was actually the lovely Olivia, Finn’s newest fling– only she had managed to last quite a while longer than the rest, a new record for him really. 

“Shit, yeah.” Finn muttered mostly to himself before he hurried on over to his desk in the far corner. I could only laugh quietly, Teddy joining in too when he noticed, and watched on as Finn hastily started to grab at an array of items, shoving them into his jean pockets. Phone. Wallet. Keys.

When he was finished, and somewhat out of breath, Finn spun back around towards us and shot an accusing brow our way, not too pleased about having been the source of our mirth. Teddy and I couldn't help ourselves then and laughed a little harder at his impervious expression. 

But with that all done and over with, I simply pressed my nose against the side of Teddy's head and smiled contently into his curls whilst Finn merely rolled his eyes at the two of us, chuckling before he made a start for the door. I followed just behind him, Teddy's backpack slung low over my shoulder and a happy little boy nestled in my arms.

***

People lover @/user1 Imagine being a mediocre radio host and thinking you know the ins and outs of the music industry.. #CancelMouse

102 @/user2  Don't mind me, reckon I just found my new favourite radio show:)

Ugh! @/user3 Mouse sounded proper excited today but switched up so quick when that 75 bloke came up://

Soloveme @/user4 Hate to see people supporting toxic behaviour, sit down. 

Milk @/user5 Don’t hate me, I'll forever be a matty girlie!! But @Mouseonamic I kinda agree??

Paris @/user6 Do you think he’s seen it yet? > Too_shy @/user7 Probably, it’s trending rn >> Drummepls @/user8 Hope he’s okay and doesn’t take it as a personal attack.. 

He should’ve known really.

He should’ve fucking known.

Even in his drunken state he should have known not to look at what they were all fucking saying about him. Slumped on the floor of his hotel room, propped up against the bathroom door, too exhausted to think about moving, let alone try.

He’d only heard a small snippet, caught the last of a conversation on it in a cab ride back from the club the band had found themselves in. But he had heard it, and he had listened. 

"He's got the whole world falling at his feet." He fucking wished. "Changed." Too right. "A load of crap- publicity of sorts, if you get where I'm going with that- but now I'm not too sure." Laughable, man. "It's just a bit sad." The story of his fucking life. "Potential." When’s he never not disappointing someone? "Lacks passion." Passion lies in living, mate, and he hasn't felt alive in a very long time. 

"Not what it used to be." Who he used to be.

He lit another cigarette from a crumpled pack he’d pulled from his back pocket and watched on as a curl of smoke unfurled in the air. He only wished he’d gone and brought something upstairs with him, or grabbed one of them little bottles from the minibar before he had decided he’d needed a piss. But if he closed his eyes hard enough he could imagine it all going dark, the world just fading around him, and the cigarette was suddenly enough.

Though, even then he still couldn’t quite muffle the loud, pitying laugh that escaped him as he continued to scroll through the mass of tweets that never faltered on his phone. They were like a freight train, unable to stop.

Matty wiped his nose on his sleeve.

Never had he ever felt so fucking lost. Desperate for everything to just pause for a simple second. To stop and just leave him alone for a bit. To have the world let him wallow in the dark dank pit he's hollowed out for himself.

But what a fucking life, hey?

Carelessly, Matty thumbed across the dimming screen, his intoxicated mind too focused on the task at hand to remember why exactly it was he was even sitting there on the cold bathroom floor. Something to do with Hann, he supposed, or George. Perhaps another heated encounter? Probably.

The sound of his phone's keyboard echoed off the surrounding walls and he breathed out a self-depreciating chuckle when he clicked send on the tweet he’d been attempting to curate, not caring enough for the consequences. Hardly even thinking, in truth. 

He was far too gone to care anymore, already knew firsthand what the repercussions would be tomorrow. But at that moment, he just wanted honesty. To tell the truth, for once. To let them all know that he knew he was a shit excuse for a person.

What more could the world possibly say anyway? 

Everyone around him was the same. He was simply just a puppet on a string. They’d make him sing and dance until the day he finally wrapped those wired strings tightly around his neck, and then all they'd be able to do is sit back and watch the show. And he'd enjoy every unabating second of it.

Matty @/trumanblack 10s ago Radio shows are sick man, gotta love them! And I sort of am sad haha. And I do lie? We all lie, I spose. But just listen to the radio, kids! Open your ears!

He laughed silently after, thoroughly amused with himself, and tossed the phone off somewhere off to the side so that he wouldn’t have to look at it again. 

Bullshit. It was all just fucking bullshit.

[babyhatesreality]

Jellybean seems like an important part of the little ones life so I wonder what they would do if her stuffy gets lost? ☀️🧡

HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE

Sooooooo....I'm guessing this ask was made hoping for some major angst, some major tears, and a lot of fluff to even it all out.

My brain thinks different, y'all. Sorry. Hope you enjoy it anyways. I also wanted to make this in-line with another one of my stories, I'm pretty happy with how it fits the world. Thank you for the lovely ask and the opportunity to connect dots <3 <3 <3

*Also- thank you all for your patience- it's been a very turbulent couple of weeks. Hoping to get back into the swing of writing. Thank you!

Careful of your Catchphrase

Pairing: Daddy!Stucky x little f!reader

Warnings: DDLG (SSC), f! reader, reader is named but name scarcely used, pet names, language, touch of paranoid Papa, super overly dramatic reader (like....SO dramatic ugh), reader feeling angsty (to put it lightly), reader thinks bunny has been kidnapped, bless-their-heart-oh-so-dumb men, fluffity fluff fluff fluff.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN MEDIA CONSUMPTION. THIS STORY IS SFW- THE REST OF MY BLOG IS NOT NECESSARILY SO. MINORS DNI. I DO NOT CONSENT FOR MY WORK TO BE STOLEN, COPIED, OR TRANSLATED ONTO ANY OTHER SITE BUT MY OWN. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated. 

Steve and Bucky looked at each other, eyes locked in an intense gaze, then simultaneously breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"I can't believe we pulled it off," Steve said, his lungs beginning to work again properly.

"Shit. Why did that scare me more than any other field agent assignment in recent history?" Bucky grumbled, shaking his head.

"Because you love the target this time," Steve replied back with a relieved grin, stroking his husband's cheek affectionately. He felt almost triumphant in their success.

You'd been with them for nearly two months now, having passed your probation period and been given the official blessing. It had been bliss- fantastic, fun, and full of love. Lots of cuddles, lots of silly and sweet play, lots and lots of cookies, all the time.

Then they got a whiff of Jellybean, your most favorite stuffie in the world.

You dragged that bunny everywhere you were allowed to. She slept in your arms at night, she went to all the parties and playdates and picnics, and she was both an excellent tea party companion and a brave soldier in Daddy's army (bunnies are versatile like that).

But just yesterday, you'd been snuggling on Steve's lap while he worked at his desk, Jellybean cuddled close to you. You were feeling littler than normal, and Steve was happy to indulge you. But having that stuffie practically right under his nose made him suddenly aware of just how much dirt, sweat, and who knows what else was lingering in her soft fur. And when you brought Jellybean's ear to your mouth to suck on, Steve nearly had an nervous breakdown. And then, so did you when they tried to take her from you to wash her.

You were in a littler mindset and didn't understand what was happening, couldn't understand their gentle explanations. All you knew was that you WERE NOT letting that bunny go for anything. It had been a rough couple hours with a lot of tears (which freaked them both out) before they gave up, determined to try again tomorrow.

You were about where you normally were regression-wise today, but you still had lingering anxiety about your beloved Jellybean, so she was firmly in your grasp from the moment you woke up. Steve was losing his mind, freaking himself out with the germs and diseases that he'd conjured up in his mind. He became desperate. Not a good look.

They'd waited until they finally got you down for a nap, then they struck. Moving with the precision of two super soldiers in the Temple of Doom, they'd managed to extract Jellybean from under your arm while you were deeply asleep and replace her with Pipsqueak, your second favorite stuffie (who was going to be due for the same treatment soon, but one step at a time). They'd snuck back out, not making a sound, and had gotten Jellybean into the wash on the gentle cycle. The laundry room door was shut so you wouldn't hear.

Success!

*****************************************************

You woke up about twenty minutes later. Normally, you slept for about an hour during nap time, but...something was off. Something felt wrong. And you recognized it the second you looked down. Jellybean wasn't in your arms. On on your bed. Or on the floor. Or in the room.

Disaster!

You launched yourself from your bed, tearing into the living room where Daddy and Papa were watching some movie. They both sat bolt upright when you catapulted yourself into the room, shocked that you were up.

"Baby, what's wrong??" Steve asked, his eyes wide with alarm. Bucky's eyes darted around the room, instantly on the alert for danger.

"JELLYBEAN!!!" was all you could wail before crumpling onto the floor in a heap, sobbing. You felt strong arms pick you up and cradle you, and a set of fingers combing through your hair.

"Sshh, sshh, it's okay Babygirl," Bucky whispered, trying to calm you down.

"NOT OKAY!! Jellybean is GONE!!" you cried into Bucky's teeshirt.

"Oh, honey, she's not gone, she's just taking a little bath right now."

Your tears instantly stopped at Papa's words. You twisted your head to look at him. "She takin' a baf?" you asked, trying to make it all make sense. Papa nodded. You whipped around back to Bucky, and began pushing against his chest. "Down!!"

"Now, hold on a minute, Trouble..."

"DOWN!!"

"Hey, I know you're upset, but-"

"DOWNDOWNDOWNDOWNDOWN!!!!!!!!!"

Completely shocked at his normally well-behaved little girl's tantrum, Bucky's only working instinct was to give you what you wanted. He set you down quickly and you took off for the bathroom. They exchanged a quick look of panic before following you. Just as they were getting to the bathroom door, you nearly barreled them over tearing out of the room towards the other bathroom. They tried calling after you, but you were on a mission and NOTHING was going to stop you.

"I've never seen her freak out like this before," Bucky muttered to Steve while they followed your frantic footsteps.

"I know," Steve whispered back, his anxiety going through the roof. "I had no idea she was going to take it this way. What do we do?"

"Hell if I know." They both stopped talking as you threw yourself back into the hallway, skidding to a halt right in front of them, your eyes crazed.

"She not in the bafroom!!" you shrieked in an accusatory tone. "You said she was takin' a baf!" Before they could even inhale to try to answer you, a brilliant idea came to you. "She YITTLE! She take baf in da sink!!" And you were running like your feet were on fire to the kitchen sink. You looked- and she wasn't there either.

Bucky and Steve caught up to you as you were pacing, thinking so hard you looked like you were trying to solve world hunger. "She can't take baf in dishwasher or washin' machine- she dwown in dere..." you mused to yourself. You didn't see the look of pure horror that Steve and Bucky exchanged. If you realized that they put your precious bunny in the washing machine and drowned her, you would have a major meltdown, or worse- never forgive them. Their attentions jerked back to you as you stopped pacing.

"She been kidnapped!!" you gasped in horror, coming to the only logical conclusion left to you.

"Oh, baby, she's not-"

"JARVIS!!!" you screamed at the top of your lungs to the AI, making Steve and Bucky wince. "NEED TO TALK TO EVERYONE, NOW!!"

"As you wish, Princess."

"No, no, JARVIS, you don't need to-"

"A direct line to the team is open, Princess."

You took the biggest breath you could, and screamed with all your might.

"AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!"

Steve and Bucky just stood there frozen in shock, jaws on the floor, dumbfounded at your battle cry. They couldn't even find the words to respond.

The silence didn't last for long.

Suddenly, an almighty crash shook the entire apartment. Steve dove for you, his protective instinct taking over, as Bucky jumped in front of both of you. Before you even realized what really happened, you heard loud footsteps thundering down the hallway.

"NONE SHALL SURVIVE THAT HAVE CAUSED HARM TO THIS FAMILY!" Thor roared, dressed in full battle gear, charging into the living room, breathing hard and wielding Mjolnir. He whipped his head around, hammer raised, surveying the territory. When he only found Steve and Bucky frozen in shock and confusion with you desperately squirming to get out of Steve's arms, he lowered his hammer and joined in the looks of confusion. "I...think I may have acted in earnest," he said sheepishly.

"NO!" you wailed, thrashing with all your might. "I need you Unca Thor!! Jellybean been KIDNAPPED!!!"

"Jelly...bean? Someone has taken your colorful sugar candies that are shaped like kidneys?"

"No, Jellybean is my bunny!! She my best friend in da whole world and she GONE!!" you yelled as you wildly twisted in Steve's arms. He finally unlocked his frozen limbs and set you down, and you immediately made a mad dash right for Thor. "We gotta find her!!!"

Thor's confused gaze slowly flicked up to Steve and Bucky. They both frantically pantomimed that the bunny was in the washing machine. Thor nodded in relieved understanding, before smiling down on you. "Not to worry, young one, it seems as though your Jellybean is-"

He suddenly cut himself off when Steve and Bucky wildly shook their heads for him to stop, then silently indicated that you would lose your mind if you knew. Thor stared at them so long with such confusion that you turned around to see what was going on. Bucky immediately started staring around the room, the walls suddenly the most interesting thing he'd ever seen, while Steve gave you one of his hearty Captain America everything-is-fine salutes. You looked at them curiously, but then turned your attention back to Thor. Bucky and Steve frantically resumed their charades, finally making Thor understand that under no circumstances should you be informed of where Jellybean actually was.

"Jellybean is what, Unca Thor?" you asked desperately.

"...Jellybean has...definitely been kidnapped," he finished lamely, unable to come up with another excuse on the fly as Steve facepalmed and Bucky inaudibly groaned. "But I'm sure she'll be returned in...an hour or so?"

Before you could question that, Tony came charging into the room. "Squirt, what's the problem?" he said in a rush, locking eyes with you a split second before taking in the rest of the room and the three other dumbfounded men. His eyebrows constricted as he tried to make sense of the scene. You quickly explained the horrors of your missing bunny, and his eyebrows slowly crept into his hairline as you tripped over your words in your distress. After another round of charades behind your back, Tony was up to speed. He stood up straight, trying to think his way around this one, but only came up with one thing.

"I assume that's why there's a Thor-sized hole in the wall where your front door used to be?" he asked Steve, who turned to Thor in exasperation.

"I was in earnest," Thor explained, shrugging. You stomped your feet, frustrated.

"Unca Tony, we gotta get Jellybean back! I need the 'Vengers to help me!" you pleaded.

"Uhhhh...okay squirt, it's okay," he said, thinking about how Peter would react if his favorite toy went missing. "Why don't we...make sure that she's not in the apartment first? Huh? That's a good idea, right? Of course it is, let's go."

"No, I already look everywhere! She not here!!" you insisted before charging over to him, and holding your arms up. He instantly picked you up, assuming that you wanted comfort, but instead you started pushing on his chest.

"Whatcha doing, honey?" he asked, confused and curious.

"Where's your button that makes your suit go on??" you grumbled as you punched all over his chest. "I KNOW it here somewhere." He would have snickered had you not clearly been so upset.

"I don't think I'm going to need my suit here, kiddo." He nodded sanctimoniously when you gasped in agreement.

"You right! You need money!" He stopped nodding. "In case da kidnappers want me to pay for Jellybean! Can I have a million dollars?"

Tony slow burn glared at Steve. "What the hell are you two letting her watch?" he muttered as they stared at you, once again shocked. You shook your head.

"No, Unca Tony! 'Member you said to Unca Bruce dat you wouldn't pay kidnappers after Pietro broke your record thingy. But dis different. I need a million dollars please." It was Bucky and Steve's turn to glare at Tony, who turned a deep red and set you down quickly.

"Moving right along," he said after clearing his throat. That's when Natasha and Clint came strolling in. Natasha looked around at all the craziness calmly.

"So. What seems to be the trouble here?" she asked you kindly, but the rest of the team could see the hints of the smirk on her lips.

"Aunt Nat, Jellybean is gone!" you wailed, running over to her. "She been kidnapped and I can't find her and the 'Vengers gotta find her please!"

Natasha leaned down just a bit and smoothed your hair away from your face. "Hold on there, honey bunny," she said in her calmest voice. "Take a deep breath for me, okay?" You nodded tearfully, but did as she asked. "Good girl," she praised soothingly. "Tell you what. Can Uncle Clint get you some juice while I talk to your daddies for a minute?"

"But...but we gotta find Jellybean!" you said, your breath catching as you started to get worked up again. "Gotta find her, please!!"

"And we will, I promise," she said, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead. "But I think I need to get some information before we start looking, okay? Can you be a big girl and let Uncle Clint get you some juice please? Then we'll find her, I promise," After another moment and another big breath, you nodded.

"Atta girl," Clint said, scooping you up and taking you to the kitchen. You tearfully explained the whole saga to him while he sat you down on the kitchen island and poured you a sippy cup full of apple juice, nodding seriously as you explained everything. He knew all too well the intense emotions that came with regression, especially when it came to favorite stuffies, and how important it was for caregivers to take your feelings seriously. He was also trying to distract you from the hisses and the whispers of the violent verbal battle happening in the living room behind you.

Your head whipped around when you heard Bucky hiss loudly "Natasha, NO," as Aunt Natasha walked briskly into the kitchen. She gently nudged Clint out of the way and stood in front of you.

"We go find Jellybean now?" you asked her hopefully, your sippy cup still clutched in your hands.

"Jellybean is just fine, sweetheart," she said reassuringly. Your eyes became as round as saucers as you took in her meaning.

"You know where Jellybean is?!" you shrieked, before attempting to launch yourself off the island. Aunt Nat was just as quick as Papa was when you were trying to escape bedtime. She popped you onto her hip and started walking towards the laundry room with 4 anxious and confused men and one snickering one in tow.

"I do know where she is, and she's perfectly okay," Natasha said gently, bouncing you a bit. "I'm going to take you to see her."

"Natasha, don't," Steve said, his teeth gritted, his tone between a command and a plea. You looked over her shoulder at your daddies who appeared to be sweating bullets, but you didn't understand why.

Natasha completely ignored them and marched right into the laundry room, you still firmly on her hip. She pointed to the spinning laundry behind the front loader's door. "Jellybean is right there, baby. She's taking a bath, just like your daddies said she was."

Your eyes filled with tears. "But...but she...what if she dwown?" you asked fearfully, looking at Natasha with large, pleading, watery eyes as the rest of the team, crowded in the doorway, all held their breath in fear.

Natasha brushed your hair away from your eyes again and rubbed her nose against yours. "She won't drown, sweetheart. This is how furry friends take baths. They're special like that. They can breathe just fine in the washing machine, and then after they dry they smell so nice and fresh and clean- just like you do after you take your bath!" Steve and Bucky felt their blood turn to ice in terror, waiting for what they were sure was going to be another meltdown from you.

"Jellybean okay?" you asked again, your eyes darting to the window and back to hers.

"Jellybean is okay, I promise. You wanna see?" Natasha put you down and knelt in front of the window. "It's okay, I promise. Come look," she encouraged. You carefully sat down on the floor next to her, still not sure about this. You suddenly saw hint of soft grey fur slide past the window- that was her!!

You slapped your little hands on the window, desperate for another look at your bunny. "Aunt Nat, you SURE she's okay?" you asked again.

"Very sure. In fact, Buttons took a bath just like this a couple days ago, and Wanda had her yesterday, remember?" Natasha said. "Same thing will happen with Jellybean. She'll be just fine." You thought about it- Wanda did have Buttons the Bear with her last night! And she had been okay!

"Oh. Okay den," you said, suddenly calm as could be. You plopped back down on your butt, scootching backwards to lean up against the wall. "I wait here for her baf to be done. Tank you, Aunt Nat!" You casually sipped on your juice as Steve and Bucky's jaws hit the floor again. How the hell were you so calm now, when five seconds ago you were all headed for World War Three?!

Natasha chuckled and gave you a kiss on the top of your head before turning around and walking out of the room. All the men crowded in the doorway parted to let her pass, except Clint, who had collapsed against the wall, silently laughing at the others' dumbfounded expressions. Natasha turned back to them.

"You all are idiots," she said simply with a smile, before turning and walking out of the Thor shaped hole in the front wall while Clint howled with laughter.

[thiccpersonality]

Damian (Gremlin) Wayne...and his even more gremlin-esque family pt.2

Bruce enters the dining room, ignoring Alfred's curious glance as to why he is early for dinner in favor of sitting at the head of the table. His icy blue eyes looking around the room confused as to why none of his own kids are on time.

Bruce: "Alfred?"

The question in his voice is all Alfred needs to hear for him to turn around, his face calm and voice reassuring, helping to ease Bruce's nerves: "No need to fret master Bruce. Your boys have only taken the time to know each other is all, I went down there myself and they were doing fairly well together...all thing's considered."

That was a straight up lie, but what his son doesn't know won't hurt him. Alfred is praying right now that none of the boys have found a way to kill each other already...or it's more like, he hopes they haven't chosen a way to kill each other yet. Heaven forbid Alfred has to clean one of his grandchildrens blood, guts and corpse(s) off of his pristine floors.

Bruce relaxes a bit at his butler (father) telling him that. Before Bruce can ask where they are though, the sound of multiple footsteps is heard making their way to the dining room, before the boys enter though, Alfred can't help but ask why Bruce was so early for dinner.

At the question Bruce flushes a little, clearing his throat and messing with the carefully folded napkin lying on his plate: "Oh...I didn't want to leave Damian alone in a room full of strangers on his first day. I know he barely knows me as well, but I was told from him that Talia at least talked about me a lot. I'm actually more surprised at how quickly he's taken to me."

If Bruce were to look up he'd see Alfred staring at him adoringly, but due to his own bashfulness, he keeps his head down...until his kids stumble-crash-through the door in a very loud pile.

Richard to Jason: "I always sit next to Bruce! Stop trying to always take my spot you cretin!"

Jason to Richard: "That right there is the reason I always try to take your spot! Makes your blood boil, doesn't it?"

Tim to Jason: "Jason, you are too fat! Cut the junk food out of your life and get off of me!"

Jason pushes more of his weight onto Tim: "Hypocrite. Stop being a caffeine addict and then think of preachin' to me about cutting things out of my life. Although, now that you suggest it...I think I could afford to cut you out of my life."

Tim groans at how heavy Jason is. A disgruntled look in his eyes and displeased frown on his lips as he struggles under the larger form: "Trust me. Any participation I have in your life is forced, if it weren't for Bruce, you would never interact with me."

Jason's eyebrow twitches in agitation at the sassy reply, a pained shout ripped from his throat at Richard suddenly biting him: "Oy dickhead! Why'd you bite me you mangy little bitch!?"

Richard smiles at Jason innocently: "My mouth slipped onto your arm, my apologies."

Jason growls and lightens his weight on Tim to face Richard more: "You little-my fist will slip onto your face if you pull that shit again!"

Before Richard can give a snide remark, they all hear a suspiciously meek voice speak up from across the room. The three arguing youths turn-snap-their heads to the source of the noise, gasping simultaneously at Damian standing next to Bruce's chair, big green eyes glancing up at him in a (begrudgingly admitted) adorable display of innocence.

Damian: "Father...am I allowed to sit with you?"

Bruce's agitation at his eldest three arguing is quickly replaced by love at the sheer (UwU-kawaii) curiosity and affection in his baby son's gaze. The older man can't help the soft smile on his face as he nods, curiosity winning over as to why Damian would even ask: "Of course you can, hun. Why would...why would you need to ask that?"

The gremlin inside Damian Wayne is screeching in victory at how he has Bruce wrapped around his little finger already. Keeping up the innocence he answers in all honesty, however, he knows his father is someone who wouldn't appreciate his answer no matter how normal it seemed to himself, which is exactly why he says it.

Damian shrugs and innocently says: "Back with grandfather and mother, they didn't allow me to eat with them until I was good enough to eat with them. If I didn't perform my duties in a proper manner I would either not be allowed access to my dietary needs or be separated from them in my room or a cage until I was good enough to dine with them."

Terror is written on Bruce's face, who would do that to an innocent little bean like his son!?

Damian gasps softly in surprise as large hands settle under his arms and lift his small form onto a firm-but oddly soft enough and comfortable-lap. The scent of cinnamon, vanilla and a tiny bit of rose fill Damian's nostrils, Bruce bringing his youngest son's head to his neck as the shocked man buries his nose in the spiky hair.

Bruce softly speaking to Damian: "I'm sorry. They will NEVER do that to you again, you can eat as much as you want. You can even sit with me anytime you want...don't ask."

Damian forgets the competition for a little while in his father's warm embrace, melting slowly into the sturdy form before realizing his "competition" and turning his head towards them. His smirk haughty and eyes gleaming with arrogance at the conundrum he has caused for the three blind mice over there.

Alfred gently clears his throat after a moment of silence and takes the left side seat next to Bruce: "If you gentlemen wouldn't mind not wrestling on the floor like middle schoolers and taking your seats. That would be most delightful."

Six sets of eyes home in on the right side chair. The three straightening up and looking at each other challengingly before breaking out into another battle by pushing at each other. Too focused on the fight to see Bruce tilt his head back in exasperation and Damian happily chewing away at his salmon and rice in victory.

Bruce gives a bewildered look to Alfred after he's done sighing, his pink lips tugging into a frown: "I thought you said they were getting along well?"

Alfred lifts his fork to his lips, gunmetal blue eyes watching the eldest three in amusement, his own lips stretching into a smirk over his utensil: "I also said all things considered."

Bruce just sighs and starts to eat his food as well, holding onto Damian securely as he watches the chaos unfold.

[evermorethecrow]

asking really nicely so you can properly explain? please? pretty please? with a cherry on top? 🛐

SIGHHHHHHHH

fine because you were nice

Every evermore au summarised PROPERLY

1) Yuuko au-

Chuuya gets a kid at 14 and has to deal with it

2) Cryptid au-

Chuuya nakahara died in 1935, came back and is now murderous and evil (and a giant ram sometimes)

3) High school au-

Chuuya nakahara is a 15 year old who wants to be completely erased from memory when he dies, simultaneously he wants to fight with everything to keep living (it doesnt work)

4) Vampire au-

Chuuya was born (wrong) into an aristocratic heavily established vampire family with a lot of not so great traditions. after escaping from them the third time he looses it a little bit and decides to now dedicate his life to murdering them all off, as well as anyone who gets in the way. hes aproached by mori ougai the head of a powerful vampire slaying organisation and joins to help his plans. i also gave him a gun

5) God au-

born as the god of luck and fortune chuuya is stolen by humans and placed in a shrine to bring insane luck to the earth. then shit hits the fan. Now hes stuck as the god of curses (and bad luck) and cant walk around without hell breaking loose

6) Plant shop au-

Chuuya nakahara ends up at a police station at 14 and meets murase (as well as some other cops). Chuuya is going to be given a death sentence but after some less than legal talk with his supervisors murase can remove it completely. the only condition is rehabilitating chuuya back into society, which proves a harder task than thought considering a few extra issues that went down in his past.

7) College(idol) au-

At 15 chuuya nakahara is the lead of a world famous pop idol group. Shifty treatment from his manager makes chuuya decide to quit, however on while preforming his last show something technical goes wrong, the stage explodes, the other members got away safe but chuuya was hospitalised. the world assumes him dead and since he contract is over he decides to keep it that way, content with living his life like a normal person now. until hes in collage and it turns out his new roomate was the biggest fan of him and his old group. chaos ensues

8) Sky casino chuuya au-

After hardly a year in the sheep chuuya is found by fyodor and placed inside the sky casino for safe keeping. now at 16 hes very good at his job and very bad at being tollerant of annoying house guests from the port mafia

9) DOA au-

15 goes wrong, chuuya gets hit a lot harder by the sheep and he ends up at fyodors doorstep (through less than natural circumstances). hes been working for the doa since. Dazai and him re-meet at 22 after hes captured by the port mafia. it goes intrestingly.

10) Scene kid au- a fun au where everyone in the show wears some kind of alt fashion (also theres like the worlds impending and quickeningly near end looming over everyone but that doesnt matter)

11) God+Vampire slayer au-

Chuuya is the (born human) reincarnatation of the god/lord of the wild in an era where vampire-like zombies run wild. he meets a boy who turned into a vampire but somehow remained concious and is now working with him and a shifty doctor to blast gore everywhere try and find a cure

12) Ability swap au

Chuuya has no longer human instead of Tainted but keeps his singularity, dazai has flawless but keeps being anything but. They have eachother. (that could be enough)

13) No Yuuko au-

Yuuko (that kid who chuuya got) never actually MEETS chuuya and instead through a long path of events ends up in the custody of a 20 year old dazai. what could possibly go wrong

14) college au 2 eletric boogaloo-

Chuuya nakahara grows up strict catholic and ends up a single parent in some lousey apartment trying to ballence class and like not killing his child. also his roomate is an annoying bastard who wont shut up

15) Nun Au-

Chuuya's raised in a cult and then joins the mafia.

16) Pokemon au Red-

All the bsd charecters live in the world of pokemon. chuuyas a gym leader and secretly a team rocket executive following his bosses order to prevent some kid finding mew

17) Pokemon au Blue-

Pokemon exist in the bsd verse! Canon except they all have pokemon to fight with and chuuya may or may not be spiritually connected to a lucario

18) Demon ability au-

Instead of tainted sorrow chuuya has an ability reminiscent of kouyou and kyoukas. (hes still got that singularity unfortunatly but this time its in a huge fucking demon?) his role in the pm changes acordingly

19) Mermaid au- chuuya's a mermaid happily enjoying life on land. Dazai is a mermaid hellbent on dragging chuuya back to the ocean

20) Circus au-

when chuuya joins the port mafia hes placed under lippmanns command instead of kouyou's. unfortunatly its not that easy and the port mafia's fronting as a circus. now chuuyas got to learn how to use rope.

21) Elise au-

On his deathbed mori manages to transfer his ability to chuuya. hes now living through elise. it goes as well as you'd expect now the mafias being run by an 11 year old

22) Chuuya stays with the sheep au-

self explanitory, dazai's plan fails and chuuya never ends up leaving the sheep. then 15 rolls around and verlaine disposes of them. chuuya travels around with verlaine until hes eventually rescued by the flags

23) Ada au-

chuuya moves to the ada after stormbringer. he works with yosano in the infirmary.

24) Demon/Coffee shop au-

Ex-fighting ring demon chuuya runs a coffee shop and tries to be evil (hes bad at it)

25) Chuuya is inside my laptop au-

Dazai finds a beat up laptop on the floor one day and being the cheap person he is decides to take it. the only issue is theres someone (something?) living inside it (its chuuya)

26) Dragon au-

Chuuya nakahara is one of the last dragons of his kind. dazai wants a pet dog but gets something more exotic instead

27) Nyan bungou stray nekos au- nyan neko sugar girls but bsd derailed and i dont know how to explain this now

29) Botw au-

chuuya's a gerudo who isnt that good at fitting in, dazai's a zora next in line for the throne whos bad at everything. together they make a wildfire look like a beach holiday

Honarable mentions

Danganrompa au (Only existed so i could execute chuuya)

Vocaloid/Utauloid au (canon except they have vocasynth voices)

Evermore's chuuyai farm and factory

[lyteofgod]

So tired of the unnecessary Mayhem banter and also the obscene amount of fucking posers who are LITTERING all things Mayhem. Are they actually the best black metal band? Imo, no, there's way better out there. The reason they're the most popular is because they're the most legendary!! I don't think Euronymous's riffs are actually that good, and I don't think Dead's vocals are actually incredible and set the standard-- but I respect their legacy and I respect the people who are in that band and who have been in it (even Varg....... a little bit) because they are/were real human beings and their only relevance in life isn't that they played in some fucking band, they had/have personal lives and thoughts. Just because Pelle is smiling and looking silly in a lot of his photos doesn't undermine the fact he was terribly unwell, he's not your fucking tragic golden angel, he was some guy you probably wouldn't have liked if you knew him personally. Tears didn't trickle down when he wasn't feeling too great, he cut himself and killed small animals?! And Euronymous wasn't some fat, ugly, gay dickhead, he was well liked among his peers!! People just hate men who aren't conventionally attractive (it's literally just that he didn't wash his hair) -- "He took a picture of Dead after his suicide!" DO YOU EVEN PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THIS BAND HAS BEEN TRYING TO TEACH FOR LIKE, THE PAST 30 YEARS!?!?! It's about guts, gore, hatred, and everything antiChrist!! of fucking course he took a picture of Dead, dead. It was also most likely an incredibly traumatic moment for him!? Dude went off the rails after Pelle died

And why does no one talk about Hellhammer?? He was there!!

he's pretty :p And there's so many other guys who were/are in Mayhem, why is the focus always shone on Dead, Euronymous, and Count Dicksnack!!!?! Necrobutcher is sometimes mentioned... but only as a source of historical knowledge, even though he's a POS and incredibly biased ... because,, as I've stated before, these guys aren't characters in a play for you, they're everyday guys you maybe wouldn't even like... because they preach sin, death, and the devil...?

I've also seen some REALLY bizarre statements stemming from people who have a passion for shitting on Mayhem. Such as "Dead was self-centered" and the most insane take yet "Euronymous deserved it" FUCK OFF!!!!! He did NOT deserve death. I will defend Øystein Aarseth to my grave, I swear. I don't agree with, like any of his opinions and ideals, but I wholeheartedly believe he did not deserve to be murdered. Did he burn down churches? Yeah, and that's fucked up. Did he take a picture of his friend's corpse? Yeah, and that's fucked up. Did he deserve to be murdered? NOOOO!! Anyone who thinks he deserved to be murdered.... hear me now: I will fold you like laundry then shove you up my ass. You're actually fucking deranged to say that about a person.

Making fun of Mayhem everytime someone mentions it, even going out of your way to find someone talking about it... you will never be kvlt sorry :P you aren't cool you're just fat. "They're too popular" and you are listening to Darkthrone? Almost equally as popular? If not that you're listening to Bathory and Venom guaranteed

Also I am #1 Pelle Ohlin fan cause no one else who simultaneously really likes him also respects him as a person and as a deceased person. The crown is mine cause wtf?? All Mayhem fans on Pinterest should be banned

Finally, do I even like Mayhem that much? No, they're pretty mediocre. But they were the first band I was really invested in, so I will defend them and die on this hill.

[callsign-phoenix]

I wrote this for @jostyriggslover96 I hope you like it!

It is a Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x gn!reader imagine.

Thank you so much @footprintsinthesxnd for proofreading!

Warnings: mentions of parental death, drinking

Your friend Nat had told you that she had found the perfect guy for you and she kept asking you to go out with him.

Nat was insistent and you were easy to convince, you had been wanting to try the dating game another time, even if the last few had been a disaster.

You had tried going to bars and even online dating, but the few guys who you had matched with had been terrible, each one worse than the other.

One had even managed to show up late and drunk, his eyes glassy and red and determined to make the date as bad as possible.

He had had the audacity to have you pay for the drinks and kept moaning about how unfair his life was before he emptied the contents of his stomach on your one good pair of shoes as a memorable way to say goodbye.

You had deemed yourself unlovable and decided to just focus on your work and friends for a while, until Nat decided she had found your perfect guy.

Of course you were skeptical but you gave her and her friend a chance, deciding to agree to the blind date as such, without even having seen a picture of the guy.

It was thrilling to go out like this and you thoroughly enjoyed getting ready for it, not knowing what the person you met liked meant you could focus on you and what you liked best on your body, no matter the person you met with.

Nat took you to her favorite bar and you both went to the counter to order your drinks.

It didn’t take long until a face you had long tried to forget approached you and your friend.

He had grown up nicely from the date you had a few years ago, his shoulders had broadened and he had put on a lot of muscles that complimented him.

He had grown a moustache that sat on his upper lip and it made you wonder how it would feel on your skin.

He had changed in a good direction but nevertheless your instinct was to laugh and turn around to go home, remembering one of the most miserable evenings in your life, the reason you had decided to stop dating.

Nat grinned at you as she saw your eyes roam her friend’s body, patting your shoulder as she excused herself.

Both were awkwardly silent for a few seconds before Bradley decided to make the first move, flashing you an apologetic grin before moving in to envelop you into a hug.

“It’s you,” he said with a tiny laugh before his eyebrows lifted and he gave you a sheepish grin.

Your eyes wandered to find a free table in the corner and you simultaneously moved towards it, both with drinks in hand.

“It’s a wonder you still remember, after that date,” you said with an accusatory undertone, but the corners of your lips lifted in a playful grin.

Bradley chuckled as he shook his head, his eyes searching your face for a sign that he should just leave you be, but when you looked at him with honest curiosity and humor he felt encouraged to go on.

“You were the one good thing in the worst day of my life, how could I not,” he answered plainly as his eyes found yours, holding your gaze with an honesty that was refreshing, and the fact that he seemed entirely sober only reinforced your newfound liking to him.

“After I found and googled my mom’s prescription to see what she had and my uncle pulled my application to the Navy academy it was really nice seeing you. You were a great date, even if I was the worst date imaginable,” he went on, and a heavy weight seemed to weigh on you all of a sudden.

He had been going through it the day you had met, and even though he hadn’t told you about any of it you felt bad for judging him that harshly.

“You puked on my shoes, if that’s not the worst then what is?” You chuckled, deciding that a joke would be the best thing to lighten up the mood.

Both of you sat down on opposite ends of the table so you could look at each other while you talked.

“Shit, I don’t remember that part,” he laughed but he lowered his head to look at you through his eyelashes, more apologetic than anything.

There was a short silence as you both looked away for a second, before your eyes found his again, an underlayer of pain in them that you didn’t like to see.

“How is your mom?” You asked, your voice low and gentle and you saw a hint of surprise rush over his face at your compassion for a stranger.

“She went peacefully a few years ago. It’s fine, I’m okay now,” he replied and you decided not to push it by the way you saw his shoulders raise involuntarily.

“And did you get into that academy?” You asked with the hint of a smile, and his eyebrows raised and a cocky grin formed on his face.

Natasha left the bar with another woman after a while but neither you nor Bradley noticed, the two of you too wrapped in catching up to register what happened in the world around you.

You were incredibly surprised to see that Bradley had many interesting stories to tell and you were entranced by his looks, your head not wrapping around the fact that he was the same man you had met on the worst date of your life.

He was funny and kind and had a lot to say, all of which you liked, so you spent far longer than you had expected with your blind date.

The moment Bradley realized you liked him he started honestly flirting with you, leaving you breathless occasionally, but happily so.

The evening was so nice that when he asked for your number you happily gave it to him, disregarding all date etiquette and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“Theoretically this isn’t our first date, so we’re good,” you joked and Bradley joined in your laughter.

There was a second of silence before he leaned over to kiss you again, not pulling away as quickly as you had.

“This was an apology kiss, I hope that’s good too,” he said softly when he pulled away, and the grin you wore made his heart beat faster.

“If you play your cards right you might just have an entire lifetime to make it up to me,” you joked, but the implication of getting to be with you for decades left him breathless and hoping for more.

tagging: @starkleila @mayhem24-7forever @green-socks @letsfvckingdance @shadeds-library @a-reader-and-a-writer @yespolkadotkitty @whateverbagman @neptunes-curse @sweetheartlizzie07 @top-gun-rooster @iloveprettyboysblog @ateliefloresdaprimavera @imjess-themess @littlebadariell @angstyjellybean @marchingicenotes7 @midget713 @supernaturaldawning @gspenc @adorephina @gigisimsonmars @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @bespinnn @malindacath @aerangi @kassieesworld @kwanimations @18crazybutcutealsopsycho @marvelandotherfandomimagines @kmsryles343 @mavericksicybabe @kendra-rose @desert-fern @mavrellover91 @allivingstone01 @rhettabbotts @withakindheartx @trikigirl271 @cherrycola27 @bonitanightmxres @ratcatcher2world @glowingtree @wingmanvenus @roosterforme @oliviah-25 @natasharomanoffisbaebby

(please tell me if you want to be added to the taglist, or use this link)

[explvrer]

look at this plate i painted !!! she is food safe but she is too frickin pretty to eat out of and potentially damage!!

[jungkookjeon0007]

Nights in Vegas | CH. 11 (JJK FF)

☆ summary: When Olivia flies to Las Vegas for her first ever BTS concert w/ her best friend, she was expecting to make lots of unforgettable memories... What she wasn't expecting was to end up with the lead singer, Jeon Jungkook, knocking on her hotel room door only to find her in nothing but a towel. What will happen when the golden maknae wants to see her again? Will it lead to heartbreak, or a promising future for them both?

☆ pairing(s): jungkook x olivia.

☆ ratings: (18+) for detailed sex scenes + harsh language.

☆ genre: smut, angst, fluff.

☆ word count: 4.26k.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

Morning of the Concert.

The members have all been working double time to get ready for tonight's first show, however, two of them in particular were also making sure to spend long nights with both Olivia and Lacie. The boys had been up since 5 am and since today was so important, everyone is busy with preparations. There were last minute wardrobe checks to be done, run throughs of the choreography for each of the songs being performed, and a soundcheck 2 hours before the concert would begin. The members were exhausted, but love what they do so they are pushing through regardless of exhaustion.

. . .

[Olivia's POV]

I stayed the night with Jungkook in his room as Lacie had Hobi in ours per usual. I was sleeping soundly when all of a sudden, the alarm began to sound throughout the room. I grunted as I rolled over to shut it off and as I looked at the alarm, it read 9:45 am.

Shit! We slept in!

I quickly ran down to my room because I knew Lacie was still asleep and used my key card to get in, "LACIE WAKE UP!" I threw a pillow at her face as she started to move around and grunt.

"IT IS 9:45 am! WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE FOR OUR APPOINTMENTS!!!" I yelled as her eyes popped up and she sat straight up in the bed.

I immediately went into the bathroom and after taking the fastest shower of my life, went to my suitcase to pull out the first outfit I could find which was a white t-shirt and black leggings. I needed to at least make this look like I tried, so I tied a knot in my shirt and paired it with my brand new blue Jean jacket and silver slip on Vans.

Next, I needed to do something with my wild and crazy hair, so as Lacie was picking out her outfit, I went back to the bathroom and put my hair in a simple but cute pony tail then started on my makeup. I was aiming for all things quick and easy and went with a natural look.

Once I was all finished, I took a quick look in the mirror and was impressed at how good I did in the short amount of time I had. Walking back into the bedroom, Lacie was finishing up with her outfit and coincidentally, it was similar to mine. Black leather leggings, converses, and a comfy shirt all paired with a jean jacket.

Great minds must think alike.

. . .

[Author POV]

The two friends made it to their first appointment with only 2 minutes to spare. They walked in and the employees grabbed each of them to take over to the massage chairs that had jets for pedicures. As they sat down and got comfortable, Olivia and Lacie's phones received text messages simultaneously.

Shooting each other a confused look, they checked their phones:

Jhope 😎: Hey hey, is everyone here?

Lacie 💗: Yep. I'm here!

Olivia 🌼: Yes sir. I am here also! 👋🏼

Jhope 😎: Ok, perfect. But, we're missing one more person. 🤔

Jk 🐰🖤: Oh, yes hyung I'm here. I just thought you were referring to the girls, sorry. lol

Jhope 😎: I wanted to make this group chat so JK and I could ask you both something together.

Lacie 💗: Okay, what is it?

Jk 🐰🖤: Well, hyung and I were talking..... after the show we want to take you both out for some dinner. We wanted to see if you would like to go on another double date with us. We really enjoyed that when we did it the first time because it was so much fun.

Olivia 🌼: If Lace is okay with it, I am perfectly okay with another double date. It was a lot of fun the first time and we all haven't been on another for a few days so I think it will be great. 😊

Jhope 😎: Yay, that's one! How about it Lace, wanna go to dinner with us?

Lacie 💗: Well of course I'd love to come on a double date! Sorry I didn't respond right away, I got lost in this massage chair. 🙌🏼😩

Jk 🐰🖤: Umm, massage chair? What the heck are you two doing at 10:30 am in massage chairs? 😂😂

Olivia 🌼: 😂😂 we are at the nail salon getting mani pedis before the concert. We have a few appointments today actually. 😊

Jhope 😎: Ahhh, ok. Well go have fun and relax, we will see you both later. One of the security guards will come and find you 10 minutes or so before the show ends and bring you backstage.

Lacie 💗: Okay! Sounds like a plan. We will see you guys in a bit. Have a good day Hobi!! 😘

Jhope 😎: You have a good day too sunshine. ♥️

Jk 🐰🖤: Eww, get a room. 🤪 Since they can be sappy, we will too.. I hope you have such a great day baby and I cannot wait to see you tonight. ♥️

Olivia 🌼: Aww you're the sweetest. 🥺 I cannot wait to see you either Kookie. I wish you the best of luck on your concert! All 7 of you will do amazing! 💗

Lacie put her phone down and turned to find Olivia who was already looking at her.

"What is it?" Lacie asked as she laid her head back on the chair.

"Nothing, I just think we are so lucky to have them."

"But?" Lacie asked, knowing she wasn't telling her everything.

Olivia continued, "I just hate that this will end in the next week or so. I don't want this to be over."

Olivia's smile slowly faded as she glanced down at her hands in her lap.

"You honestly never know what could happen between now and then, Liv. Just don't think too much about it right now and enjoy the present moments. Okay?" Lacie gave her a warm smile as she smiled back nodding. "Okay, I will."

By the time they were finished with conversing, it was time for them to move over to the other side of the salon to get their manicures.

. . .

[Olivia's POV]

We got back to the hotel around 1:30 pm with our fresh sets of mani pedis, hair done, and the cutest outfits to wear for the concert.

We both sleepy and decided that since the concert did not start until 6pm, we wanted to lie down and take a nap for about an hour or so. We crawled into our beds and as soon as my head hit the pillow and my eyes shut, my phone vibrated with an incoming call from Jungkook.

"Hello?" I asked in my sleepy voice.

"Hey, what are you doing right now?" He asked in a hurried voice.

"I am just getting back to my room and was going to take a nap for a bit, what are you doing and why do you sound out of breath?"

The other end of the phone went silent for a second, then he spoke again. "I am coming to your room, I'm so sleepy and want your cuddles."

I sat up confused. "I thought that you had rehearsals and a busy schedule today?"

"We did, but they sent us back to our rooms to get some rest before tonight and I wanted to spend that time with you."

His voice brought me from my thoughts. "Liv? Liv, are you there?"

"Oh shit, yes I'm sorry. You can absolutely come to my room I would love to cuddle while we take a nap."

I could hear him smiling through the phone, "Ok, I will be there in 5 minutes."

The call disconnected and I sighed heavily, lying in my bed staring at the ceiling as I listened to Lacie snore.

»» 5 minutes later.

There was a soft knock on my door and when I got up to open it, I was met with the most beautiful smiling boy standing in front of me.

"Hi beautiful." He said as he smirked at me.

"Hello Kookie, come on in." I smiled, stepping aside as he walked into my room.

As I shut the door and locked it, he turned to me, wrapping his arms around my waist with our foreheads touching. He closed his eyes, sighing in contentment, "I have missed you so fucking much. It feels so good to have you in my arms."

He kissed my nose and I smiled, loving every second as I ran my hands through his hair like always. "I have missed you too, so much. Would you like to get in the bed and cuddle, we are both so exhausted and definitely need sleep."

He lifted his head and looked at me with a smile on his face, then whispered. "How did I get so lucky to find you?" I smiled at him and look down at the floor while biting my lip.

He continued in his soft voice careful not to wake Lacie, "Of course I want to cuddle and fall asleep with you. But..." He grabbed my chin softly, making me look at him. "If you keep biting your lip like that, I won't be able to hold myself back from doing more than just sleeping."

Silence.

I've never heard him talk like that, but shit was it not the hottest thing I've ever heard. I could tell my face was crimson red because of how he was smiling so mischievously. I cleared my throat, immediately changing the subject, "Ahem right, let's go take a nap then shall we?"

He chuckled turning around to follow me, "Whatever you want baby. Your wish is my command."

[bropunzeling]

11, 22, 37!

11 Three tropes that are fine but overrated

oh gosh hmm. some of these are gonna come across as hypocritical lmao and also insert a healthy dose of "for me specifically" but: (1) i think soulbond/soulmark tropes can be done well, but mid executions of the trope focus a lot on ~finding~ the person rather than interrogating what it means to have bonds or marks or things of that nature, and leave a lot of interesting nuances about choice and free will and conflict between romantic relationships and other things you might want (career, friendship, autonomy, etc) on the table. i wish more takes on the trope let it be messy! (2) hurt/comfort done well is really fun but when people are just like. aggressively making their little guy sad and pathetic and a poor little meow meow whose never done anything wrong it gets grating. i love a sad guy but i prefer when they're sad because of shit they did to themselves instead of external factors. (3) curtain fic/established relationship stuff can be fun sometimes but like. there still needs to be a smidgen of conflict or growth or change or a shift for me to be interested. there has to be a point imo! even when i write my silly self-indulgent post-fic time stamps its important to me that there's a point to it beyond just "im love them" (though im DO love them)

22 What is it about watching the same two idiots falling in love over and over again?

i think the thing is, there can always be a new dimension to how these two idiots fall in love!!! every story is an opportunity to get at some new nugget of like, how people are, or what it is to be vulnerable and open and willing to risk heartache. with two different people you have so many opportunities to look at different shades and facets of their character. especially with rpf where real life events can shape characterization in real time. The Trade opened up a whole new dimension of matthew that creates new angles to investigate matthew&leon and what it means to fall in love with someone thousands of miles away and who you see even less (or, someday, for my break up/make up agenda)! jamie getting dealt to philly opens up new ways to poke at the jamie/trevor relationship by adding distance and tragedy and the potential of falling for other people! even picking a new trope or time period is just so fun for being like, now how would they be under THESE circumstances? also like, i LOVE flip-flopping who gets to be down bad immediately and who is oblivious because it's not only a fun creative challenge but also just opens up new worlds. idk! there's so many possibilities and so many facets to explore and to me that's delightful.

37 Do you research before writing or while you write? Is it fun or boring for you?

id say i do some up front, just to nail down the broad beats of the story and to minimize how much reworking i have to do later on (or for period type fics, to make sure that i dont introduce plot points that simply cant have happened in that time frame!), and some i do as i go -- for example, for a while there i just HAD the battles of alberta in 21-22 down pat because i was using them so often to shape story beats, but the games in between i had to look up as i went. i also am constantly pulling from new articles or features that offer new bits of characterization i want to use. tbh with the current wip i DO feel very wobbly because i don't have my normal anchors of the schedule/have to make things up, which is simultaneously freeing and hard because it's so much easier for me to write about sports games that really happened than the fake ones im constructing for the narratives 😂. but yeah id say mostly i research as i go!

[ladyluscinia]

Organizing my thoughts on OFMD 2x01 - 2x03

Strong start to a season. I really enjoy the black comedy aspect of the show, and the "all these people are kinda terrible" aspect, so win for me! The opening scene gave me a lot of thoughts. Actually, lots of stuff gave me thoughts that I'm gonna dump here (as I rewatch the episodes since I spent the first go around whooping and cheering more than paying attention to details lol) so I can start picking through them more coherently.

---

Ok, first. OHMYGOD EDWARD AND IZZ- *I am yanked off the stage* Ahem. BlackHands thoughts will go into a different post, so as not to overwhelm the many other things going on worth discussing. (Link to post)

So. Real first point:

Kraken Era

Big thing I was absolutely wrong about was how dark Edward's Kraken arc would go. I was counting on a very handwavy resolution that would still let him do some fucked up shit, but I expected it to be mostly externally directed violence that toed up to a potential line but didn't quite cross it. Reminiscent of Flint's vengeance rampage after Miranda is killed. Self-destructive harm but only tangential harm of others in your social sphere.

That is... we did not get that. But what we did get I am very here for.

I'll be honest - I wasn't sure they were bold enough in a romcom to blast right over the line into horrifying and then be so audacious it looped back to funny, but they did. And I think the tone is working for them so far. Big saving grace is they went way further with Edward's cruelty but they counterbalanced it by going way further with the suicidal themes, which made the whole situation more extreme and sympathetic. He should still probably apologize tho.

The Breakup Boat

Frenchie my beloved! Also Fang & Jim & Archie & Izzy! Literally the breakup boat is a resounding success all around and I adore every second of their fucked up trauma bonding. Win after win after win.

Frenchie is repression king and it's hilarious. I love how he gets named first mate for presumably being the only one who sounds plausibly honest when getting interrogated, tries to turn the job down, and then doesn't follow a single order while vibing. Also the bonding with Izzy?!? He's steps in during the intervention. He hides him after Edward shoots him, and then later he's checking in on him and leaning against his leg in the cell. Please Frenchie get all up in that Edward and Izzy mess!

And I'm trying not to turn this into a breakup boat recap but also Fang sobbing through basically every scene. The wooden boy story. Jim's terrible voices. Izzy hiding in the walls. "He's our dick" to "He was your friend" holy fuckkkkkk. And the whole mutiny scene was amazing. Jim saying fuck this toxic bullshit and Izzy saving them all!!! (Sidenote: love how all the nameless extras got washed overboard in the storm. More bodycount!)

The tearing into a seagull like zombies scene - perfect. Archie recognizing Stede (did they tell her about Stede in hushed whispers or was it literally just Izzy's singular statement?). All backing each other up on the "retirement" story. Izzy taking the blame to motivate Stede in trying to defend the crew again.

Trauma bonding WIN!

Also sympathetic Izzy has been real forever despite misreads of S1 and the mistaken predictions they spawned, but once again... Izzy!!!

BlackBonnet "On A Break"

They are idealizing each other so fucking hard. Also Stede what on earth are you talking about in the first episode??? "He's just blowing off some steam." "I'm afraid that your life is better without me?" MY GUY are you reading that list of what Edward has been up to??? Denial so strong.

So we have Stede still full of self-loathing and simultaneously convinced Ed couldn't want him but also avoiding the realization that he hurt him really bad because Ed wanted him. And we have Edward actively suicidal over feeling unlovable and determined to murder-suicide his situationship and the kids, except he can't kill himself so he's trying to make everyone else do it.

(And, you know, Edward is very pointedly refusing to see how the people around him would care for and support him if he would let them - even when they straight up offer it to his face - because he is more concerned with the misery of his own twisted narrative about being fundamentally unlovable than whether or not that is a true statement. Stede doesn't want him and everyone else is just a prop for his depression's final act. Very "I don't have any friends" of him - shoutout to that flashback in his purgatory sequence too.)

Edward's self-loathing throwing him into the water, but Edward starting to save himself well before merman!Stede shows up. Because he does, deep down, want to live with or without Stede. Very strong. Like that. Also the idealization on Edward's end of envisioning Stede as a legit magical being of golden scales??? Fuck, you two need to get some perspective.

Stede's Crew

Trauma Lucius I was not counting on, but Lucius going from BlackBonnet supporter to FUCK YOU STEDE was fun. Also Stede offering to be supportive and then immediately trying to nope right out.

Sea Witch Buttons!!!!!! We're going to get naked Buttons charging into a scene screaming about how he's a seagull or something, aren't we?

Confirmation that Oluwande can't read in the funniest way. Well I guess on reflection the scrolls are probably in Chinese so reading wouldn't help, so maybe this point is null.

I did like the note of Stede knowing "The Soul Reaper's" real name. Piracy hyperfixation bonus.

JimOlu vs JimArchie... If we get another poly ship then I'm calling SteddyHands real. I'm just saying.

Oluwande taking initiative to step up and flex his boytoy powers to advocate diplomatically for the crew - very Captain material of him. Also conveniently doubled as a distraction so he was essential to the plan. Go Olu!

Antagonists New and Old!

Spanish Jackie was a treat. I enjoy that she still hates Stede. The Swede literally became a new man by marrying her. AND WE SAW THE HUSBANDS!

Prince Ricky is so far just kind of a shady classist scumbag - presumably that's going somewhere.

Zheng Yi Sao on the other hand... interested what's happening with this whole armada plan she's apparently enacting. The whole Olu boytoy arc was fun. I'm not as into the whole "girlboss" approach to every single female character in this show so far, so, uh, concerned about that. Hoping for more exploration of how she's doing Stede's version of piracy but what exactly is off about it? Because so far there's no real reason to resist her, other than maybe the whole "I didn't conquer China by listening to pirates ramble about their feelings" bit.

Hornigold. Yeah, I know he was a subconscious manifestation of Edward's self-loathing but I still have hope. "Last time I saw you, you said you were gonna flay my skin and feed it back to me." Does that not sound like a great foreshadowing for S3???

[raviposting]

If you were to guess each of the ghost’s favorite songs, what would they be?

OOOH so hard! Some of these are gonna be general because I am soooo bad with music and I do realistically think that some ghosts would have favorite songs from other eras that I'm just not familiar with lolol

Pete: It's probably like. Hey Ya by OutKast. He simultaneously gets and doesn't get that it's a sad song and deeply relates to it and his marriage.

Flower: I don't think Flower remembers her favorite song tbh. She's into anything and everything though. I think a song that really grounds her though would be What Was I Made For. Everyone watched the Barbie movie together and Hetty & Flower in particular loved the song, and it just hits Flower so, so much.

Isaac: Sooo into boy bands. Tell Me Why is a big one that he loves to sing

Sasappis: Sas was so freaking hard lmfao. Truly I keep just going back and forth on him. I'd like to think that he's into rap but also will sit there with Thor and pretend to not be crying as they cry at sad ballads.

Trevor: With how poorly this dude's interests have aged canonically he probably heard the Ignition remix on the radio and went oh that's my favorite. But asdjfkl I want to be slightly nicer to Trevor so let's say that he's really into NSYNC. Big fan of Bye Bye Bye.

Alberta: her favorite singer is Lizzo (unfortunately lmao) specifically Good as Hell.

Thor: Thor says his favorite song is Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin, which he does like, but it's actually Driver's License by Olivia Rodrigo. He doesn't admit it not because he's embarrassed, but because the song has the word "cars" in it and he doesn't want anyone giving him shit about saying landships.

Hetty: As much as I'd like to say she'd be down for hardcore rap or something super pop-y (and I still maintain that she probably does enjoy it even if she turns her nose up at it) I think she'd really connect to In The Winter by Janis Ian. Something about it just feels very Hetty to me, and how she would view her life.

Stephanie: She's generally into a lot of rock (something her and Thor manage to bond over a little whenever she's awake!) but her favorite song is still Fuck You by Lily Allen. She cannot get enough of it.

Nigel: ngl I think to this day Nigel would still say his favorite song is Beethoven's 5th or whatever, though he's still super into pop and the Spice Girls in particular.

Basement Ghosts: WAP is every single one of their's favorite song xoxo

[macaroni-rascal]

You know how I said that man would inevitably disappoint me? Well holy fucking shit if this isn't the only time he's ever delivered, and in the worst possible way. There won't be any CanNats fashion takes from me if he dares show his face there because I don't intend on watching. His blatant disregard for every human being he's ever come across is downright psychopathic and it's been filling me with rage for days. I can't imagine what that poor woman has gone through, carrying the trauma all these years, while watching him soar in his career and get praise, support and love from the blissfully unaware. I'm so sorry she went through that and I'm happy for her that she felt healed enough to expose him.

That said, Skate Canada wouldn't be Skate Canada if it did anything right. It's failed test after test, each of increasing difficulty, each time hiding behind a "due process" that is conveniently designed to fail survivors. But the sheer spinelessness it's been displaying in this case is such a low point, it's limbo dancing in hell. What baffles me is that it isn't even trying to cover its own ass, and I don't even know if it comes from hubris or sheer ineptitude and passivity. Even if it has no procedural recourse, the fact that no one, especially IAM, has had the cojones to go up to this fool and tell him in no uncertain terms that he won't be going anywhere next week is baffling to me. Their lack of self-preservation in this case should be studied by psychopathologists. I've felt for some time now that IAM has been losing its moral compass, but I was torn to shreds for voicing this opinion online, because this is apparently a lot of skating fans' emotional support coaching team. But they're human, and fallible, and in this case, they seem to be dying on a hill that's barely even a mound and it's bananas to witness. They so easily could've claimed an injury, announced a retirement and bounced, but they went to the GPF regardless, and their coaches at the very least went along with it, despite the fact that they were simultaneously screwing over another one of their teams in the process, in this case AlliSaul. I've long advocated against the disease that is skatingitis, which is the condition of not being able to see anything outside of skating, with the most severe case ever being Aljona. But how does this level of loss of perspective even happen? How far does one's head need to be up one's ass not to be able to read the fucking room to this extent? Are they truly that arrogant to think they can just show up at Nationals like it's nbd? At the very least, the other competitors don't deserve this shit to cast a pall over their event, which for many will be the last of the season.

I also can't help but think about how he inserted himself into Lolo's life, pursued her relentlessly despite her having a bf at the time, and he's now passed like a tornado through it, probably leaving her wondering what the hell it was all for. And the callous way he's treated her over the years, even calling her "a nobody" in the retelling of the tale of their tryout and decision to skate together, as if he is in any position to look down upon her. He had the right idea that time when he stabbed himself with a knife he himself had forged. How poetic, he should turn it into a hobby.

They weren't kissy at the GPF but she still made the decision to attend this event with him and pretend everything was hunky-dory, nothing to see here, business as usual. I understand wanting one last hurrah, but if this is a case of a trauma bond or codependency or whatever, why is nobody on her team looking out for her well-being? Why is nobody putting a foot down? What on earth do they think is going to happen? He's basically comicbook villain levels of vile. And to also think of all the collateral damage he's caused in the form of talented skaters quitting because he showed up to skate for Canada and they felt like there was no room for them to move up? Hell, Caro and Shane switched fucking countries at great personal expense and by all accounts Skate Canada made them pass through the Devil's Anus to do it, and now to watch it cower and dodge responsibility when it comes to something so fucking major? Seriously, when will there be a reckoning for Skate Canada? It's been losing the plot for a long ass time, doing clown shit even in a court of fucking law (thank god for that judge, though). What needs to happen? Does Sheldon Kennedy need to roll up there and bitch-slap some sense into them? What is the hold this raggedy-ass, good-for-nothing, held-togehter-with-paperclips, manbun-for-personality violent rapist have over them? He's done. Why go down with the ship? It's all disgusting and infuriating and disappointing and scary. All of these people have the integrity of an H&M t-shirt that falls apart after a single wash as far as I'm concerned. But I know nothing will change unless we hit them where it hurts, which is why I'll be contacting their sponsors, and I urge others to do so as well, because skating has been an amoral system for far too long and the victims are too many at this point, and clearly nobody cares about them. Something's gotta give. Anyway, I wish Marjo and Zak a very 4CC medal and Corpse Bride a good time at Worlds, amen amen amen.

Posted without comment because I have nothing to add, you've said it all.