#even tho. It Checks Out. It's not a well-kept secret

[ranvwoop]

its wallowing hours! again.

[bitchimasnake-sss]

nsfw alphabet ft. monkey d. luffy!

set-up: no set up, just a collection of short nsfw drabbles featuring the most himboest himbo in town <;3

warning: nsfw themes (obviously 😭); mdni thankyouu <3

💟aftercare:

look, luffy sleeps in the middle of actual fights. there's no fucking way this man can stay up after y'all are done fucking (esp. if you've gone for a couple of rounds already). it's not too bad, since you get too tired too and he gives the best cuddles when he's passed out. just get used to getting the aftercare in the morning because that's when he checks up on you, get's you both some food (v.v. imp)

💟body part:

his favourite part of you: he is actually infatuated with every aspect of you but holy shit your tits??? he might actually be clinically obsessed with them. whenever you're cuddling, his hand finds your boobs (even if it's just to hold onto them lightly). he doesn't give a fuck about sizes and will 100% go on them for hours (i think it's his oral fixation lmaoo) his favourite part of himself: he loves his arms. other than the fact that they are one of his major weapons in any fights, he can see how you silently stare across his biceps when he's just helping around the deck. you always hold onto his arm when you're out in public too. he also loves when you get so pent up that you end up driving crescent cuts in his arms and shoulders as he fucks you.

💟 cum:

luffy's a nasty, messy man. do what you will with that info. he will cut off an arm and a leg just to finish anywhere on you whether it's inside, on your face or on your chest. just knowing that some essence of him remains on you drives him feral.

💟 dirty secret:

he's probably addicted to your smell. this sounds weird but i def think he's one of those people who steal their girlfriends underwear and then get off of them. like if he goes into the shower right after you and can smell your lingering shampoo and soap then he will fuck his fist as if it's you.

💟experience:

luffy was a complete dumbass in anything sexual but yk he is willing to learn anything that pleases you, so, once you teach him just what he's supposed to do, he will practice it on you till he reaches perfection. be prepared for a fuck lot of practice sessions tho.

💟favourite position:

i think his favourite position is missionary. he's a simple man. you're pretty as fuck and he's obsessed with your tits, what else is he supposed to do? but he's down to try just about anything and everything if you ask him to.

💟goofy:

goofy and luffy sound similar for a reason. im not saying he's giggling and kicking his feet as you go down on him but if something embarrassing happens, he needs atleast five minutes just to laugh it out. he doesnt do it in a mean-spirited way, ofcourse. he's just a silly little dude and that was funny.

💟hair:

on you: he literally doesn't care. it's totally your decision. if you wish to keep it shaved/trimmed, great but if you cannot be bothered, then that's more than fine too. he is more than excited just to have you to himself, he doesn't really care about anything more than that.

on himself: again, he doesn't really care. but incase you say that you wish he kept himself a certain way, then he'd go out of his way to pay heed to your preferences. your wish is his command.

💟intimacy (how romantic is he during it?):

luffy isn't a inherently romantic person. romance and love for him come in the form of small moments and acts of kindness rather than gigantic speeches and gestures. so in the traditional sense, he isn't romantic. but he will always make sure you're comfortable and feeling well. and to him, that is peak romance.

💟jack off:

he has a very very high sex drive and he quickly learnt that you can't exactly keep up with that so, he usually masturbates whenever it gets too much and you're not available. prefers your hands over his tho. so, like, he only does it himself if he absolutely needs to. otherwise, he would beg and whine till you please him.

💟kink:

food play (he loves you, he loves food, whats not clicking??) i think he definitely has a mommy kink (except he wont actually call you mommy. he's just act submissive and let you do whatever.) he loves to do whatever it is to please you when he's in that sub headspace but normally, he can get quite absorbed in the way he's feeling (especially when you're giving him head), so, dont blame him if he goes a teensy bit overboard.

💟location:

literally anywhere or planet earth or even beyond earth for that matter. just give him a surface to fuck you against and he'd handle the rest. in terms of favourite, i definitely think he's just sticking to the bed cause it keeps you comfortable and gives him enough safe, secure place to do whatever.

💟motivation (what gets them going):

anything and everything 😭🤭 his turn ons are so random. like you could be just chilling, talking to some crew member and suddenly he has this blinding urge to fuck you and there's nothing you can do about it.

💟no (things they are completely against):

although he's down with whatever, he won't do the classic stuff like scat, age play (extreme) or anything too disgusting. i think he's also pretty apprehensive about hitting you in bed cause he knows his strength and it feels against his entire moral code to hurt a woman. especially the woman he is in love with.

💟oral (prefer giving/receiving, how skilled are they?):

luffy goes both ways. he loves when you give him oral but he is also physically obsessed with you and will spend hours on end against your aching cunt, so, he likes going by turns. he doesn't even have to fuck you for real, just having his face pressed against your core as you rut on him is enough to make him cum in his pants. but since he's so impatient, i think he just prefers 69ing for the efficiency of it lmao (and also your moans feel so delicious against his weeping cock, please don't stop).

💟risk (how risky are they):

omg risk is the very essence of who luffy is. his risks are not even calculated, he just does shit that feels right to him. so, please do not object when you are exploring abandoned streets in an unknown island with him and he pines you against the wall and whines in that soft voice of his to have you right there and then. it also doesn't help that he doesn't feel embarrassed like ever. so, if you ever get caught he's just gonna laugh it off.

💟stamina:

ooooof, his stamina is insane!! can easily go a couple of rounds without feeling much fatigue. but he gets distracted easily, so fuck him before he gets too hungry to keep going lmao as for how long can he go for? i don't think he can hold off his orgasms for long, so, he cums fairly fast but he can push through it and keep going for a good while.

💟toys:

luffy didn't personally know much about toys till one night the boys got drunk and sanji asked them if any one of them owned a pocket pussy. he might have bought one the next time the landed on shore and well, he isn't afraid to admit that it's a handy little tool. but he doesn't know any more about toys than that. and he only got to know more once you started dating him and told him about it. he's not insecure to use toys during sex because he knows what he brings to the table. but he would pout if you fuck yourself with a toy instead of just asking him to give you some sweet sweet relief, so just dont do that mkay?

💟unfair (how much do they tease):

holy fucking shit this man LIVES to tease you. skimming touches, feathery kisses, endlessly toying with your cunt. he does it all. but do NOT tease him cause he can't stand it so, he would either lose patience and fuck you his way or he will get so overwhelmed that he would start whining and crying, begging you to ease up on him. both are good options tho 👍🏼

💟volume (are they vocal during it):

YES!! luffy is super vocal in bed. you make him feel great and he's not too shy to show it. i mean who tf will judge the would be king of the pirates?? he also adores your moans and whimpers too because all he wants is his pretty girl to feel good, obviously. (also when you tell him how good he's fucking you, that puts him over the edge because i just know he has a praise kink)

💟wild card (random headcanon):

luffy gets fucked out so easily. like literally, even if you have just been making out for like 5 mins then also his shirt will be halfway open, eyelids droopy, lips swollen, cheeks red, the whole sha-bam. so even if you both did nothing more than some pg-13 makeout, the entire crew will think you just fucked his brains out. evidence: 7th of august, 8:53 pm "ew." nami makes a face of disgust, "can you not do it before dinner? you're both nasty doin' it right before you see us." "we didn't do anything!!" you defend yourself before nudging luffy, "right luffy?" but he's in a daze, too blissful to say anything but: "uh yeahhh" ussop is holding sanji by the shirt like a rabid dog when zoro walks in. his eyes are lidden with sleep. he gives you and luffy a look before saying, "don't fuck before dinner, that's nasty." "we didN'T FUCK-"

💟x-ray (whats going on under those pants):

look he's the rubber man??? does it matter??? but no, i think he has a pretty decent size like im thinking 6" but definitely a bit more thinner. he also has a slight curve to it.

💟yearning (how high is there sex drive):

VERY HIGH. very fucking high. he's like an animal in heat or something except its all year long.

💟zzz (how quickly do they fall asleep afterwards):

he's passed out before you can say "that was so good" he's asleep and you should sleep too, you can compliment him when he wakes you up in the middle of the night for something or the other. go sleep. seriously. i see you reading smut on your screen. go sleep.

a/n: thinking i might make a sfw list too lol. if i do, ill add the link here! thankyouu to anyone who reads the stuff i write lol, you're the coolest

[sweetlady555]

My Personal Solar Return Observations Pt III

reminder to check your degrees in your sr chart as they play a big factor in how certain sr placements would play out!

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Venus 5H 17° SR - when i had this in my sr chart for 2023-2024 i saw myself experimenting more with different creative styles/looks. i would try to find inspiration from different creatives on instagram. while i was doing this, i started talking to a well known designer in that creative scene who had messaged me because he liked my style. it was a secret relationship because he cheated on someone to be with me which i thought they were completely done but he kept going back to her then back to me. he was obsessed with me and it was a really weird relationship, he would only come to me when his lustful desires were acting up and then would go when he was satisfied 💀. i was tired of this so i started talking to someone else and he found and his little ego got so hurt and he blocked me thank fucking god 😭😭!! I was also approached by another creative because he wanted to use my face as inspiration for his clothing brand hehe ( the 17° rules leo & fame )

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Aries Rising 2° SR - when i had this i felt like i was really impulsive i did lots of things without thinking twice. i had my chart ruler in the 5h that year so it might be different if you end up having your asc ruler somewhere else in your sr chart, but for me i was impulsive when it came to switching different styles. i also started drinking and partying for the first time when i had a aries rising in my sr when it was placed in my 5h. aside from this, i was very determined on finishing goals i set my mind to and i was very consistent in trying to build a good foundation for myself. ( the 2° rules taurus & early stages )

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Moon 7H 4° SR - most of my relationships that i had that year were lowkey codependent, the guys i talked to that year were very emotionally dependent and attached to me. they would usually call or message me out of nowhere to vent or open up to me which would be random asf lmaoo ( the 4° rules cancer & security/protection )

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Mercury 3H 28° SR - I started talking to my siblings more and my relationship grew closer with them. I also started becoming more vunerable with my siblings. My relationship with my siblings were more nurturing compared to the past. ( the 28° rules cancer & heightened sensitivity/vulnerability )

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Mars 5H 21° SR - I went out a lot more when i had this in my sr chart with my sisters friends who would randomly go out just for the fun of it 😭, like it was last minute most of the times but it was so fun tho! i got to do lots of things on the trips we went to! I was also more open to expressing my creativity like making clothes and putting it out there and such. ( the 21° rules saggitarius & travel/freedom )

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Jupiter 1H 8° SR - I was more optimistic about life when I had this placement in my sr chart. I also felt like I was really lucky when it came to travelling more. places ive wanted to go to forever i ended up going to! things i wanted to experience i experienced! it was a good year for experiencing new things. ( the 8° rules scorpio & transformations )

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Uranus 2H 21° SR - yeah i dont know where my money went that year 💀 money would come fast and then it would go even faster 😭 i saw my money as a source of freedom and thought of money so recklessly like, “oh these shoes are $300 but i just got fired? dont worry the money will come back *BOUGHT🧾*” so i didnt care much about saving or anything 😭 it came back though!! but then it went bye bye the next day😍 also for some weird reason whenever i took money out from daily pay which is a app where you can take money out early from your check when you work, whenever i took it out it ended up saying i had to pay back the amount i took out? like uhhh im pretty sure this was my money i took out 😂🤔… so now im -$200 but they gotta catch me in person cuz im not paying that 😹 ( the 21° degree rules saggitarius and freedom )

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Pluto 11H 29° SR - i ended two 5+ year friendship that year, it was hard but it was a trio and i found out that the both of them would ditch me to go hangout and do substances and i feel like that didnt align with my path because you are who you hangout with!! i also saw my goals/path changing that year, I completely re-evaluated what i wanted to do 🙏. ( the 29° is a anaretic degree that rules major transformations/completion/endings )

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Chiron 1H 19° SR - I was VERY critical on how others percieved me and my self image, i had multiple identity crises. I was super insecure the year I had this in my sr chart i cant even lie, despite so many people telling me how beautiful I was I just couldnt see it. 2 months before my birthday in 2024 i ended up understanding who i was and finding out what I LIKE and not what other people expected of me. im not facing multiple identity crises anymore which i thank my nn in my 1h from that year 🙏. ( 19° rules libra & can make a person more erratic and critical )

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 1H SR in 5H SR - I was more open to showcasing my creative talents, designing clothes, starting lots of creative projects. I was also having sooo much fun that year i miss it so much but lemme stop reminiscing 💔 I was also more flirty and playful that year leading me to have a few romantic encounters this year. Lots of creativity, fun, and sexual encounters happened that year.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 2H SR in 5H SR - I spent most of my money on clothes and on creative projects just things that made me happy!!!! I was also recieving money from a lot of guys who wanted sexual things from me but they got #finessed and i didnt care because who do you think i am???????

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 3H SR in 3H SR - when i had this i started getting into astrology more, i was also reading a lot more aswell. I was really curious and i needed lots of mental stimulation from something that was neverending and astrology just so happened to be it 😹. I was also making tons of short trips that year.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 4H SR in 7H SR - my family life was lowkey stopping me from getting into any relationships, i came to the realization i wouldnt be able to get into any relationships while living with my parents because of how controlling they can be. Also my sister got into a new relationship that sr year.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 5H SR in 7H SR - I started talking to a creative designer the year I had my 5h in my 7h. I was also getting involved with creative partnerships aswell, promoting eye contacts/lashes/having my face used for someones brand. I also attended more parties and was going out more so i found most of my relationship encounters were through that.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 6H SR in 4H SR - i changed my diet when i had this in my sr. I also didnt know how to balance my work life and home life so it clashed terribly and i got fired😭. I was also going out more with my sister so my routines have changed from never going out at all to going out every week.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 7H SR in 5H SR - I met lots of new friends and different social circles through fun plans like partying, girls trips etc.. I also had lots of fun romantic encounters when i had this in my sr whether i met them when i was drunk or at parties it was lots of fun lol. There was so much childlike joy when it came to my relationships that sr year.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 8H SR in 5H SR - i lost my virginity the year i had this in my sr😶 but besides that my relationships in that sr year really shaped my understanding of love and myself. i was also recieving money from relationships i felt like a sugar baby🙈

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 9H SR in 1H SR - BABY I WAS OUTSIDEEE😭😩 okay besides that, that sr year when i had this i experienced a lot of new things that helped me discover who i was on the inside 😊. I was focused on self growth especially that year!

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 10H SR in 12H SR - I thought a lot about what I wanted to do career wise and how it would align with my goals and my purpose . I had this in my sr when I got fired 😭 and i realized I would prefer being my own boss when it came to my work life

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 11H SR in 12H SR - I unfriended my closest friends after re-evaluating our friendships that year. I also found out shady shit about them and I didn’t like that which led me to unfriending them

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 12H SR in 2H SR - i was manifesting money a lot the year i had this and im not even gonna lie it was coming!! so if you have this in your sr this year, manifest that moola$$$!!!!! i was also receiving money behind the scenes from other people the year i had this in my sr chart .

if my sr chart for that solar return year was a song it would be definitely be this song 🥲 #willforevercherishthatyear

dont forget to check out my other personal sr observations if you enjoyed this one :) !

[urlocalnonbinarybastardwrites]

Greasers x mean girl/boy/person (think Regina George, Heather Chandler, Bryce Tankthrust) s/o who uses their status to protect their greaser and is kind of nice under all the cutthroat boss bitch-ness. Like the top rank of social that most other socs are afraid of.

(tried to make it gender neutral of my best ability, but it’s hard to fit phrases like “ queen bee” into gender neutral terms)

Inspo:

*socs approach and start making jeering comments* Hey Grease…

*you get in front of them* if you ever talk to them like that again, I will make it my personal life goal to ruin yours, and no one will hire your sorry ass again. Oh, and you can consider *insert secret* spilled.

<matching hcs with @sadie-bug345 please go check out her blog she has amazing outsiders headcanons>

Ponyboy Curtis

-intimidated by you fs

-he knows your life ruining rep

-sukrised when one day you tap on his shoulder

“Ponyboy… right?”

“U-uh yeah that’s me!”

“Great you’re tutoring me. Every Friday.”

“U-uh ok?”

-you guys actually get along and he helps with with your grades a lot

-You actually become friends and stand up for him against other Socs and even your own friends

-One night he’s walking home alone from the movies and four Socs approach him and start threatening him

-you on one of their shoulders and the Soc blanks and realization as he remembers your long-standing friendship with Pony

-“if you ever mess with him again I will ruin your life. You know I will.”

-the Socs all back up, and you stand there, smirking

-I feel like that’s when pony boy realizes his feelings for you and kisses you right there on the spot

-you guys are actually a really great mix, the popular person and the kind of more quiet guy

Johnny Cade

-he was so scared of you

-thought of all the possible ways you could ruin his life even more

-one day he comes to school and his locker is spraypainted with “Bastard Greaser”

-he’s even more suprised when you approach him at lunch break

-“Johnny Cade, right? Yk, you’re kind of cute… *you smirk* Anyway I have a dear friend… well, ex friend with me that wants to apologize for so crudely vandalizing your locker. RIGHT, Jessica?”

-his head is spinning, the queen/king bee of the whole school just flirted with him and made a bully apologize?

-you start coming to the lot more and more after that, and realize he often doesn’t have a place to sleep

-you invite (drag) him to your home where you set up a room for him, and being rich, it’s pretty damn nice

-I feel like that’s when he realizes his feelings for you and one night, when he’s about to go to sleep in his bed, he leans over and kisses your cheek

-you guys become a new couple and it shocks everyone

-yall are cute tho ❤️❤️

-you make sure no one gives him shit. If they do then LORD help them

Sodapop Curtis

-ok so you guys are a more expected couple

-prom royalty fr

-soda probably made you nice 💀💀

-you guys met in school and started dating, and he helped you kind of be the nice kind of popular

-you also spoil him with your money fr

-his brothers are skeptical of you at first (especially after sandy) but once they see your do really like him they totally ship you

-POWER COUPLE

-fr you guys are what everyone wants to be

Darry Curtis

-you were both popular and kind of ran in the same circles but didn’t like eachother

-he didn’t think he would like you because he doesn’t like mean girls/guys/people and thought you’d be all fake n stuff

-but one day yall got assigned to work on a history project and you both got along pretty well and you put in a pretty good effort

-that’s when he realized that you weren’t so bad and you two became friends

-eventually he caught on feelings for you and asked you out

-sweet couple, and everyone ships it

Dallas Winston

-you two met in detention FS

-you spread a nasty rumor about a boy who cheated on one of your close friends and he vandalized something

-enemies to lovers energy

-yall didn’t like eachother that much

-he sat behind you and kept making crude remarks and messing with you so you bit back

-“There’s no way in hell if ever dream of being with a lowlife like you”

-after a bit of banter and insults you somehow end up on his lap making out with him

-the teacher walks in and is like wtf- my eyes-

-you guys are the best power couple people cower in fear with you two together

-calls you prince/princess or doll fr

-it’s a typical bad boy x mean girl/guy/person thing

Two Bit Matthews

-you fits me at the mall when you were making fun of another stuck up girl

-he joined in with the teasing

-you were like ohhh this one’s kinda funny and you two actually hit it off really well

-you liked his wisecracks, they made the world all the more entertaining and he admired your cutthroat bitch attitude

-yall started dating after a while

-class clown x mean girl/guy/person and it’s SO iconic

-you two are surprisingly healthy for eachother, you both kind of get to see the under layer

-like you get to see what’s beyond his wisecracks and he gets to see beyond your plastic mean girl facade

Steve Randle

-he was suprised

-when you went up to him instead of Sodapop

-but when you pulled up in your red Ferrari with a scratched tire that was totally not just an excuse just to talk to him and started heavily flirting

-he wasn’t impressed, he still thought you were fake

-which bothered you, you didn’t know anyone who didn’t like you or at least pretend to

-so you kept showing up and one day a group of Socs stopped by the gas station, spitting on him

-you got furious and nearly ruined your car trying to ram them

-Steve was kinda in love after that

-he realized you really weren’t plastic

-you guys got together and are sooo cute

-when you go on long rants he listens to you while he fixes his cars

-and you have a free new handyman

[reveluving]

today's batmom thot of the day is:

Bruce's secret stash of your 𝙣𝙪𝙙𝙚 polaroids!

warnings: smut obv (minors DNI!), thirsty!Bruce is thirsty for his wife <;3

check out my batmom m.list &lt;3

Nobody loves you more than your husband. Anyone to claim otherwise, be it his children, Alfred or even your own staff (which were basically teenagers who now sees you as their mother, at this point), well, that'll only happen when hell freezes over.

The problem is? The man is always busy, as a renowned business by day and a renowned vigilante by night. So, he can't always spend time with you as much as he hopes for. So, naturally, when he's graced with the opportunity to be with you, no doubt he uses it like it's his last day on Earth.

But when he can't?

His nude polaroids of you are his saving grace.

You see that gif up there? That's him sneaking glances at those photos at any given time.

I've actually mentioned this fact in one of my drabbles! One of his favourite ones is kept in his wallet, stashed in the same slot behind your cafe's business card—if in any case his kids have his wallet for whatever reason, the last place they'd investigate is your card.

Or at least, he could only hope none of them ever stumble upon it.

If not, he knew you'd never let him keep another one. It's happened before, and he was lucky enough to find it.

But, was it worth traumatizing his father figure, who was unlucky enough to have found it?

What was it, you might ask?

It was during your honeymoon in Japan, your hotel room overlooking the city at night. He had on you the bed, his thumb nestled in your lips as he bottomed out. The spurt of cum trailing from your cunt up to your pretty glossy lips. The pure bliss on your face as you take his hard cock and oh, it never fails to make his blood run hot.

"Messy girl." He tutted with a sly smile, cooing at the mix of your drool and his cum coating his fingers. The magnificent view of the Tokyo Tower plus the skyscrapers surrounding it was an added benefit; a variety of neon lightly illuminating your room, enough for Bruce to see you in your glory.

He already took a good nine or ten photos of you on his phone before tossing it aside with your polaroid camera, where he's also used it on you for another three, one of which will definitely be his number one. For now, he wanted no interruptions, and loomed over you, the dangerous look in his eyes barely hidden behind his wet hair made it clear that he was beyond done with you. It wasn't until you whimpered and rolled against his hips that the look he had was accompanied by a smirk, knowing that you needed him as much as he needed you.

Yes, that honeymoon had to be one of the best ones he's ever had, and he's been to plenty with you.

The point is, his family has had enough trauma, for they've witnessed their fair share of 'unspeakable events' in the past regarding the two of you, be it in the bedroom, some gala, your cafe's storeroom.

But that's besides the point.

We've only talked about one of his utmost favourite polaroids, so you can bet your ass that he has more than just one! Those other favourites are stashed in the bedside table, his office desk, both in the mansion and his company, the Batcomputer's drawer, and the Batmobile. All of which were locked for his own use, of course.

He probably has at least 20, and counting, even, for your husband is not only a pleaser in bed, but an artistic one, as well. His muse? You, duh. Whether it's a polaroid of you in his oversized dress shirt only or nothing at all, these keepsakes are far more valuable than any art piece in any prestigious galleries. Better yet, they're priceless, for they belong to him and and him only.

a reupload. dumblr really testing me. going back to my IRL responsibilities cuz shit is crazy rn see yall in a few months tho <3 /j

[xer-melody]

Rookie

Cullen family x adopted!human!male reader(!platonic!)

Warning: hurt/comfort, three original characters, readers friend sucking, a potential new friend tho, swearing, fighting, blood, getting arrested, mostly Carlisle centered.

Words: 2364

Summary: Y/n Cullen wants to tryout for the Baseball team

(A/n: I’d just like to say fuck Stephanie Meyers. Also this is my first request fill so yay!)

Request by anonymous : Cullen family x adopted!human!male reader hurt/comfort(?) where R wants to try out for the school baseball team, but his friends have little faith in him so he starts to self-doubt. So the rest of the Cullens help their youngest sibling practice and he eventually gets on the team. :)

The Forks High School baseball team had just lost a player. Well, not ‘lost’ but he decided that he'd rather play basketball instead, leaving an open spot on the team just a month and a half before baseball season. And you decided to fill that spot. Last season, tryouts had filled up quicker than anyone could have possibly thought they would, but the entirety of the old team was graduating that year, so with twenty-six spots open, people -most not even knowing how to play- flooded the coach in applications. And in an attempt at management, a team was hastily picked and tryouts were closed before you even got a chance.

While that first season was beyond painful to watch, they've gotten better over the last year, way better.

Ronan leaving the baseball team was, for the most part, a secret, at least for the time being. But he knew you liked to play, so he told you, and while you weren't friends with Ronan, you're glad you were the first he considered to take his spot.

That same day, in between classes, you practically ran to the coach's office and asked for an application.

Turns out applications had changed a bit from last year. Considering the fiasco that was the previous tryouts, he'd made it a bit harder to join. Instead of applications being a simple one-page, name-birthday-signature ordeal like it had been for years, it's become a ten page contract.

‘To weed out the fakers’ he said.

Now you were sitting in the schoolyard on the second to last step of the bleachers, half watching the team practice, half trying to fill out this seemingly never ending application.

“‘Have you ever broken a bone?’ no..” you muttered to yourself, checking off another box among dozens of other tiny boxes.

While the questions weren't particularly hard, there were hundreds of them. And you understood why but goddamnit this used to be so simple.

Leaning back against the beaches you watched as the eighth inning began, short words were exchanged between members as they switched spot, the catcher, a guy named Thomas, let out a playfully excruciating yell as he stood from his squating position for the first time nearly 20 minutes, his teammates laughed, and you let out a small chuckle along with them before returning your attention to the application.

‘Do you have siblings? If so, how many?’ was the next question on the packet.

Another filler question, as many had been, only maybe 20 of the questions retained to your health, or your ability to play.

A few minutes later and you were still answering questions, but kept a mental score of of who did what and how much longer until the ninth inning.

A few more minutes passed and you were nearly done, just a page and a half to go. You could get that done before practice was even over. You clicked your pen as you tried to think when was the last time you went to a doctor that wasn’t Carlisle.

Then, without warning, the application was pulled from your hands.

Looking up you saw the sudo captain of the Forks Baseball team, Apollo, who you only really knew two things about, both his parents were Greek mythology nuts, and despite baseball teams not technically having a captain, he was the captain. He dragged the team out of the mud by himself, and then proceeded to knock every game of the season out of the park.

And for a reason you couldn’t comprehend, he smiled down at you after quickly glancing over your application.

“You joining the team?” He asked, slightly out of breath (he ran across the field to talk to you).

“I’m going to try..” you responded quickly.

He chuckled, leaning up against the fence separating the two of you he said, “That’s good, we need someone like you-” he passed the application back, “You’ve been at basically every practice and game this team has ever had, won’t take you long to get the hang of things.”

“I play with my siblings all the time, playing on this team shouldn’t be too hard..”

At that, his smile widened.

“You’re confident, I like that. Can’t wait to have you on the team..”

He turned as the current right-fielder called him over.

“I expect you to see you at tryouts- on time, alright Cullen?”

“Alright..”

“Have you lost you’re goddamn mind!” Your self proclaimed ‘best-friend’, Jamison shouted.

You felt like your eardrum was going to burst if he kept yelling in your ear like that. You were driving him home and chatting when the topic of baseball came up, while he wasn’t too much of a fan, his older brother was on the baseball team. The moment you told him you were trying out he blew up.

“Maybe the rest of your siblings might stand a chance but come on Y/n, be realistic for a moment.”

“I am, I’ve been playing for years, I'm pretty sure I can make the team.”

He groaned, rubbing his hand down his face in frustration,

“Dude, the entire team is getting full ride scholarships, you can’t just come in and fuck that up!”

Stopping at a red light you turned to face him, “Who says I’m going to fuck it up?”

“Just..” he groaned again, “You’re not as good as them man.”

“You’ve never seen me play.”

“Still, just think about it playing with your siblings is different, they go easy on you because they don’t want to hurt your feelings, other teams won’t give a shit about you or your feelings!”

The light turned green and you moved your foot from the breaks to the gas, thinking just how wrong he was. This asshole had never seen you play, he didn’t even know anything about the sport and he was trying to tell you that you’d bring the team down.

“Whatever man,” You muttered.

You tried to ignore his words as best as you could, but such heavy doubt coming from one of your closest friends stung. Tapping your finger against the steering wheel, you breathed in deeply in an attempt to calm the anger that was slowly bubbling under your skin.

“Y/n, I love you man, but don’t do this, you’re good at…stuff, but not this. Just let somebody else try.”

You sighed, slamming your foot on the breaks, making Jamison jerk forward, nearly slamming his head on the dash board. You looked at your rear view mirror, no cars as far as you could see, you look forward, no cars. Then, as though the past three years of friendship meant nothing, you said,

“Get out.”

“What?”

“You heard me, get out of my car.”

He scoffed, sitting back in his seat, “Are you serious?”

After a second of silence he got out of the car.

And you got out right after him.

The familiar smell of human blood traveled through the Cullens’ home, followed by your scent, followed by Charlie’s.

Four loud knocks echoed through the quiet house, all were hesitant to move. But Carlisle, being the closest to the door, moved to open it.

Behind it he found a very irritated Charlie who was holding your arm behind your back. Blood ran from your nose all the way down to your chin, but other than that you seemed mostly unharmed.

Charlie gave a quick glance to you, then back to Carlisle.

“Found him fighting some kid in the middle of the road.” He said, sounding almost as disappointed as Carlisle felt.

You refused to met your fathers eyes. You have never disappointed him before, not in this way at least. You knew that fighting Jamison would lead to you getting in trouble with Carlisle eventually, you imagined every scenario as you rode home in the back of Charlie's car, but Carlisle crushing gaze of disappointment was harder to face than anything you could have imagined

You tuned out their conversation, but never missed the looks Carlisle would give you every so often, disappointment and worry clear on his face.

You didn’t move until you felt your fathers hand on your shoulder, pulling you into the house.

You heard something along the line of “don’t do it again” from Charlie and then the front door closing behind you.

Now you were facing the entire Cullen family, your family, as they swarmed you with questions. Questions you really didn’t want to answer, not now anyways. So, the moment you found an opening, you slid passed them and up the stairs. While any of them could have stopped you at any moment, they didn’t, instead watching as you climbed the stair and disappeared behind the wall, a second later they heard your door slam shut.

Laying on your bed, armed crossed over your chest, glaring at the ceiling above you, irritation coming off of you in waves as the fight replayed in you mind. You kicked his ass but he got a single good shot at you and it was with a rock, not even with his own fist the fucking coward. What kind of person throw stones?

You groaned in frustration, you should have put his ass to the goddamn hospital, maybe that would have given him some time to figure out how to not be a total dick!

You don't know how long you sat there stewing in your own frustration, but someone did eventually come to check on you. You heard the knocks, still you hesitated to get up. You didn't feel like talking, or explaining yourself. You did what you did and that was final.

But, then your father's soothing voice called for you and all the stubbornness you'd been harboring to avoid persecution slipped away.

Pushing yourself up and out of bed you walked to the door, and were met by Carlisle's no longer disappointed face, now replaced by worry.

He sighed before he spoke, grabbing your face and examining your still-bleeding nose.

A moment later you were both sat on your bed as he prodded your nose, tissue held to your nose as he asked you.

“Does this hurt?”

“No.”

He moved to another spot.

“What about this?”

“No.”

He sighed again.

“It's not broken, are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No.”

With that he sat back.

“So are you going to tell me why you fought Jamison, I thought he was your best friend?”

“He was,” Groaning, you said, “until today!”

Falling back onto the bed with a huff, letting your legs dangle off the edge.

“Do you remember what happened last year? With the tryout for the baseball team?”

“Yes, you said they were over before they even started, why?”

“One of the members of the baseball team dropped out, and he specifically asked me to try out and take his place.”

Carlisle smiled, but it faded quickly once he saw the hurt expression on your face.

“That's a good thing, isn't it?”

His words only frustrated you more. not with him, but with your so-called best friend, “It is! But when I told Jamison, he blew up on me- told me I'd only bring the team down. Then he told me to not even try because he thinks I'll fuck up their scholarship.”

“Sorry, I just-” you sighed, “it's just so stressful- I don't know if I even want to join the team anymore. I don't even know if I could! I went through all that trouble with applying and I don't know if they’d even let me on.”

Another sigh left Carlisle. Without saying a word he wrapped his arms around you, his cold embrace comforting beyond anything else. You huffed, irritation and betrayal still scorched through your vein but this lessened it.

A moment passes and you mutter, “thanks dad..”

“It’s alright son..” after a moment he continued, “never take advice from someone who doesn’t have your best interest in mind. As your father, I have nothing but your best interest in mind, so I'll tell you this-”

He pulled back for a second, looking down at you, a small smile on his face.

“Try out for the team, you've played with vampires, I'm sure a group of human boys will be more than impressed with your skills.”

With another sigh you held back a grin, your mood- and your heart- feeling tons lighter.

“Well if you insist, I guess I'll have to-”

And then your door was slammed open, the entire Cullen clan standing behind it, except for Emmett, who'd accidentally pushed the door open by pushing his body weight against it while your siblings were violently eavesdropping.

“…surprise?” Alice tried, holding up a metal bat as both a peace offering and mild defense.

“We were just uh-” Emmett started, but fell short.

“-going to help you practice…for your tryout.” Belle finished smoothly- well as smoothly as she could with a speech pattern as unconventional as hers.

With a wide grin Alice tossed the bat at you, you caught it seamlessly, having done it thousands of times over the years.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Tryouts were over. You were laid out on the dirt, which you were also covered in, the other attendees were in similar positions. Though some were closer to passing out from exhaustion than others. You, on the other hand, we’re just enjoying the sunshine and the breeze after a surprisingly tame tryout.

You closed your eyes, taking in your surroundings with your other sense, the most prominent of which was you potential competition gasping for air just a few feet away.

“You’re not even tired?” A familiar voice said.

Opening your eyes, you saw Apollo, nearly blocking out the sun.

“Not really.”

He let out a short laugh, looking over at the rest of the candidates with his hands on his hips.

“Well, shit- ain’t that something.”

He kneeled down next to you.

“So coach is the one who usually makes these calls with who gets picked after tryout, but you know what I’m pretty damn sure it’s gonna be you.”

“Really?”

“Really, I’ll see you at our next practice-“ then, unexpectedly he whipped his baseball cap off and tossed it onto your face, “-rookie.”

[choccy-milky]

1. your fic is absolutely amazing. Have been bingeing it and I’m literally obsessed. The way you write just itches my brain in such a good way, literally cannot contain my love and appreciation for your work👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 cheers to you!!! Can’t wait to keep reading

2. As I was reading I found out you also deadass drawing the art to go w/ the fic?? Literally you’re living my dream 😭 plus your art is so so so well done!!!!! It’s added so much joy to my reading experience

Cannot wait to see what else you have in store!!’ Hope you have an amazing, AMAZING day, week, year, etc.!!!! 💞🙌🏻🫶🏻

OMG IM GONNA CRY 😭😭 BAHAHA U SENT THIS AT SUCH A CRAZY MOMENT cuz i just checked my ao3 comments and was down about a rude comment i got, and then i come to tumblr and like, a few mins later/literally AS i was venting about it, u send this BAHAHA your choccy senses were tingling. IM SO GLAD U LIKE IT THO AND THAT YOURE ENJOYING IT (and my drawings, even if youve defs seen spoilers by now BAHHA) hope u have a good day too, u defs brightened mine!! THANK UUUU💖💖💖

@kaviary-blog this looks so funny bc i censored u just to keep it (mostly) spoiler free BUT AW THANK U DAMN IM HONOURED THAT MY FANFIC WAS THE ONE TO MAKE YOU CRY?? IM SO HAPPY HOW INVESTED YOU ARE 😭😭💖💖 im also super happy with that chap and its so satisfying like you said to finally be able to tie of all those threads so IM GLAD IT WAS WORTH IT💖

@lovesicklovermia ONE DAY???? OMG. FIRST TWO DAYS NOW ONE?? ITS JUST GETTING SHORTER AND SHORTER. next thing i know someones gonna be like yeah so i took some highly experimental drug that lets me read at 1000% the pace of a normal person, and i finished ur fic in 2 hours 😍omg loved it!!!😍😍 BAHAHAHA but omg i totally see what u mean, they do HAHA. AND THANK U💖💖 IM GLAD UR LIKING IT💖

YEAH so in my fic fifth years are 16, and by the time things get....explicit....clora and seb are 17. im not against consuming media with teenagers depicted in sexual situations like euphoria or riverdale or w.e else bc i get that its fiction and these are just real things that happen so its fine to write about them, but their canonical ages of 15 was still too young for me and i wanted them to be 17 before it got the E rating (which is why clora and sebs birthdays end up being so close, bc i was RUSHING for them to turn 17 BAHAHHAA)

BAHAHA clora and seb secretly being together is like the most poorly kept secret in my fic, like im sure her parents technically KNOW, but due to old fashioned traditions and whatnot (and it being 1891) seb wants to be able to propose properly and with a proper ring, bc clive is intimidating and he doesnt wanna just be like "yeah so im dating your daughter and weve already fucked and i plan to marry her" LOOL he wants to do things properly and be with her with her dads permission(even tho its a bit late for that HAHA) BUT WE CAN JUST PRETEND. tldr its basically just out of some sense of chivalry on sebs side, a fear of her dad, and wanting to do things right LOL

ALSO WAIT OMG STOPPPPP I WAS LITERALLY JUST ABOUT TO POST THIS BUTI HAVE TO INCLUDE THIS NOW

YOU SAW MY POST AND IMMEDIATELY DREW THIS AS A RESPONSE WHILE IN CLASS?? BAHAHAHA IM ACTUALLY SO TOUCHED RN IM TEARING UP WTF THATS SO SWEET OF YOU WTFFFFFFFFF THANK YOU SO MUCH😭😭😭💖💖 (NOW PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS!!🤬🤬)

[nburkhardt]

Saw this post and couldn’t get it out of my mind :)

His tattoos don’t even cross his mind when he takes his sweater off, too focused on knowing that he’s the only one that could handle swimming to check for a gate. Hoping that for once Dustin’s wrong.

It’s not until Nancy’s using her shirt to wrap around his middle that he remembers, “fuck, did they eat the sunflower?”

All three of them stare at him and in that moment he also remembers, no one knows about his tattoos. The only other person that knows about any of them is the artist who did them and he’s all the way in Indianapolis, probably working on a new design for him.

“Where’s the sunflower?” Eddie breaks him out of his thoughts, “because it seems like those bats just went to town on you. And you have some serious road rash on your back”

He doesn’t have to move far, the sunflower is or maybe was on his left side on the ribcage, fallen petals going down towards his hips. Pointing towards it, he watches as Eddie looks and his eyes wander across his chest. There’s a broken crown sitting on his collarbone, hopefully at least.

“Uh, well, the sunflower has some damage, sorry to say, though that crown is fine. Any, uh any other tattoos?” Eddie tells him and there’s something in his voice that he can’t quite place.

He nods and turns around, there should be an image of the nail bat on his shoulder blade with the lyrics from Mad World, “the dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had” wrapped around it.

It’s probably not the best time to worry about the tattoos and should probably worry about the fact that they’re stuck in the upside down but his brain can’t stop focusing on the things that kept him from freaking out for the last three years.

“Woah! That’s metal as all hell, some of the words got a little scraped. But still there”

Eddie’s voice brings him back to the moment and he’s thankful the nail bat is still there. He sees Robin and Nancy talking and then before he knows it, pulling him and Eddie along to who knows where. His focus on the tattoos fade away and in place is just pain from his whole body.

Once they reach top-side again, his tattoos aren’t on his mind. The pain from the bites and road rash is the only thing he’s processing. Not processing that the kids are staring at him both in worry and curiosity because they didn’t know about the tattoos and the sunflower is peaking out from under the makeshift bandage and the broken crown is on display.

Thankfully Nancy gets everyone moving. He gets cleaned up and bandaged with actual bandages. They plan, steal a Winnebago, buy weapons and before Steve knows it, they’re back in the upside down and he’s telling Eddie and Dustin to not be stupid.

After it’s officially over, they’re in the hospital for several reasons. Max’s broken legs and arms, Dustin’s ankle, Eddie’s bites and Steve’s own bites. But it’s over and everyone is safe, that’s all Steve cares about really.

He gets cornered by Robin, and it’s not really cornered since he’s stuck in a hospital bed already. “Ok Dingus, now you’ll be explaining how the hell you managed to keep this a secret from me!”

Shrugging, because he doesn’t know exactly how to explain this. Especially since his brain is feeling like mush with the drugs they have him on. “I like tattoos” is all he says and then promptly falls asleep. He has good reason for it, there’s plenty of time to talk when he’s not high on pain meds.

~

I’m gonna leave it there because I’m lost on how to continue right now. I’ll definitely come back to it to do a part two of the actual conversations and why, how & when Steve got the tattoos. Here’s a better understanding of what they are tho:

Sunflower with fallen petals on his ribcage, the only one with color (his favorite) A broken crown on his collarbone (represents fallen King Steve, this was the first tattoo) The nail bat with lyrics from Mad World on his shoulder blade, “the dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had” wrapping around it. Not mentioned because it hasn’t happened yet in the fic, he has a d20 (for Dustin) tattoo planned and a copy of one of Robin’s doodles from her shoes. (He’s a sentimental guy? Okay?!)

@i-less-than-three-you @artiststarme @imfinereallyy (hopefully you don’t mind I used your idea, I couldn’t get the post outta my head)

[bathomet-writes]

bursting at the seams

summary: When Raph reveals that he's been wanting a super exclusive, super expensive plush, it's up to you to go on a journey to a not so distant land of horrors to retrieve it for him...New Jersey. Contending with secret crushes and unspoken feelings should be a cakewalk.

relationship: Raph x GN!reader

warnings: romantic, fluff, humor, love confessions, allergic reaction and epipen/needle use (raph eats a peanut..he’s fine tho), sfw

word count: 4,785

author's note: it took a hot sec but here’s the gift fic for @/casualjagodek!! thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to write this adorable fic, i hope u all enjoy!

“That’s it?” You squint your eyes.

Raph looks at his phone screen then back to you. “Is the brightness too low or somethin?”

You breathe out a chuckle. “It’s just that I didn’t know you were getting all worked up over…that.”

It was some kind of stuffed animal of indeterminable origin. It had the head of a cow and the ears of a rabbit. Unconventional, but cute.

You knew Raph had a large collection of stuffed animals. Some from childhood, some he bought only months ago. Recently, he had been subtly dropping clues about how excited he was about something. He’d frantically check emails and ask you what the date was occasionally. Asking him about it outright just made him retreat back into secrecy.

Just last week, you caught him on your way out of the lair. The two of you passed each other in a particularly narrow subway tunnel. You stared expectantly at him while his eyes were glued squarely on his phone screen. You’d never seen Raph this…distracted? Whether he liked it or not, you paid attention to stuff like this. He was your best friend, acting cagey and suspicious for no reason.

You try clearing your throat and kicking at a random piece of trash on the ground to rouse his attention. “Texting someone hot?” You joke.

“Yeah.” Raph responds nonchalantly before blinking his eyes down to you. “Wai— No! No, I wasn’t—“

With a quick wave, you turn to head out again. “See ya.”

You figured even Raph kept a secret or two of his own, so you didn’t pry after that. Living with four brothers and Splinter, you’re sure he never got to have much of a private life.

When he finally (inevitably) let you in on the secret thing he’s been obsessing over, you tried to go in with an open mind. It could have been anything, so the potential of Raph confessing that he had been texting someone hot was miniscule. Maybe they were only sort-of attractive, or better yet, less attractive than you.

You didn’t know why, but the possibility of this hot mystery person existing just didn’t sit right with you.

“Let me see—“

Grabbing his phone from him, you scroll through the webpage. The image of a strange stuffed animal made you mildly more interested. The quality was actually really good, as far as stuffed animals go.

“What is it?”

“It’s, y’know…” Raph hums to himself, trying his best to cover up his embarrassment. “I just thought it was cute.”

“Huginn and Muninn.”

Your eyes widen as you scroll to the top of the page. The logo proudly displayed little gargoyle mascots that you knew you recognized from somewhere. Excitement replaces the jealousy that was festering in your mind just a few seconds earlier.

“Yeah! They started their own company a couple of years ago. I didn’t think they were still around either.” He shrugs.

“That’s crazy!” You hand the phone back to Raph and ramble on enthusiastically. “Well, now I see why you were so nervous. It’s expensive as hell.”

Without thinking, you grab at Raph’s wrist and use your other hand to zoom in on the plush. Once Raph got to the third digit, his heart dropped into his stomach. You were right. Even for his budget, it was steep. Raph didn’t like to splurge too often on himself, but this was a rare exception.

“You’re right, it is crazy,” he chuckles. Your grip on his wrist was also starting to dampen his spirit.

Not because he didn’t like you holding his wrist, or his phone, or his hand for that matter. He actually liked it a lot.

Which was the real problem.

Raph has been massively infatuated with you for months. He lost track of just how long it had been. Whenever he was around you, he felt off. Usually it just involved a lot of fumbling over words, being generally clumsier. He knew he wasn’t as confident as Leo, or smooth like Donnie, or even as honest as Mikey. He was just him.

While Raph anguished internally, you were practically none the wiser. You don’t seem to notice how sweaty and flustered he was all of the sudden, but you go back to innocently staring at him.

You raise your eyebrows. “So?”

That familiar, playful lilt in your voice makes all time stop for Raph. It really wasn’t fair— the amount of power your smile and your presence had over him.

Raph tosses his phone away into the far reaches of the lair before crossing his arms defiantly. “No, don’t try to convince me. It’s literally the most expensive one.”

As you calmly move your head to miss the flying phone, you smile to yourself. “Come on. This is what you’ve been obsessed with for months now. When was the last time you did something just for you?”

“Even if I did have the money, why would I spend it on something so impractical. I mean, I’m not embarrassed about liking stuffed animals or anything.”

While Raph continues ranting and pacing around, you’ve secretly pulled out your phone and looked up the plush. Without hesitation, you add it to your cart and type in your credit card.

“Sure,” you lazily nod. “You’re very secure in your masculinity.”

“Exactly!” Raph spins around to face you again. “I knew I made the right decision.”

“Funny, I was just about to say the same thing. Boom!” You take a confident step forward and reveal the check-out screen to him. At first he seems similarly excited, if a little confused.

“What?” His tone is light at first, before he realizes what you just did. “You didn’t.” A small frown tugs at his mouth.

“I did. Consider it an early birthday present.”

Raph winces, wringing his hands together. “Awesome! No, that’s great. Thank you.”

You purse your lips. “What happened? You were just all—“

What was the big deal? Did you accidentally offend him somehow?

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that the plush is…kinda not in New York.”

“Right. There’s this thing called mail, where people can send you stuff from all over the world.” You smirk, giving him a friendly pat on the cheek. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Didn’t you read it?” He shakes his head ruefully. “It’s pickup only.”

You glance to the side. “Oh. Well, then I’ll just grab Leo’s anime swords— I mean, Leo?”

Shit. You didn’t mean to let that slip out.

“You’ve been using Leo’s odachi to portal places again, haven’t you?”

Feeling cornered, you give a quick nod.

Silence.

You knew Raph must be giving you the most disapproving look right now. You turn around and find yourself to be correct.

“It was just to pick up food! And I am not buying a car.” You huff, trying to hide your shame.

Your shoulders tense up and relax as you give up. “Fine, I’ll just do it the old fashioned way.”

Your compromise doesn’t seem to ease Raph much. In fact, he seemed sad. You stop to watch him fall face-first into the couch. A couple pizza boxes stacked beside it topple over and fall as he lays there.

“Raph!” You frown. “It’s my treat. Is that what you’re worried about? Money?”

With his head buried deep in a pillow, he groans pathetically. “No.”

If only you knew.

Carefully, you kneel down to be eye-level with him. “If you’re worried about travel, it’s fine. I’ll just go to…” You check the email for the shop’s address. “New Jersey.”

Raph shoots up from the pillow with a seriousness that surprises you. “Absolutely not.” Grabbing your shoulders, he gives them a protective squeeze. “I wouldn’t let you do that.”

Because I like you too much.

“Then what?” You mimic Raph by placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking gently. “It’s not that big of a deal, okay?”

“Yes it is! Just—“ He moves away from your hand and sits up.

Don’t make me say it.

Okay, now you were officially worried. You quietly watch, only a little hurt that Raph pulled away from your touch.

Raph sighs, similarly ashamed at how he retreated from you. Slowly, he scooches over and silently invites you to sit beside him. You look at him, then back at your phone.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me,” he frowns. “It’s just hard to talk about this kinda stuff sometimes.”

Politely, you ease your way onto the cushion next to him. “It’s okay, I get it.”

“You do?”

You finally force yourself to meet Raph’s gaze. As you turn your head to look up, you nearly fall over at the sight of him mere inches from your face.

“Ah, yeah,” you manage to get out. Covering up your bashfulness with a half-hearted smile doesn’t make you feel any less vulnerable though. You really didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, but you want to understand.

You felt lightheaded and nauseous, like the moment right before a roller coaster plummets you into the earth at 80 miles per hour. You didn’t like roller coasters very much.

You also didn’t like it when you were so moved by Raph’s handsomeness and kindness that it rendered you speechless.

Raph searches your face as you sit dumbstruck. “I just don’t want you to go through all this trouble to get me some silly stuffed animal or anything.”

He smiles at you, but you can tell he’s still holding something back. You don’t know what it is, and you don’t know what you could say that wouldn’t ultimately embarrass the crap out of the both of you. All you can do is smile back.

“If that’s what you want.” You reel back and push yourself off of the couch. “Honest?”

Raph pauses, feeling torn. He wasn’t being honest, but now didn’t feel like the right time to crack open that emotional can of worms.

Nodding resolutely, he smiles again. “Honest.”

“So, I’ll just get a refund and we’ll pretend this whole thing never happened?” You feel a bead of sweat fall from your brow, and you pray Raph doesn’t notice.

“Perfect.” Similarly, he gets up and turns to hide the remnants of blush coloring his face. “I gotta go…punch a wall or somethin’.”

And like that, he disappears into the shadows of the lair, leaving you bereft with his departure.

“Well,” you announce to the empty room. “Good thing I’m a liar.”

How bad could Jersey be anyway?

—

It was worse.

“Next stop for Hackensack. All passengers for Hackensack.” A canny voice chimes in through the speakers. They seemed just as thrilled to be here as you did.

Like the genius you were, you decided to go over Raph’s head and book a train ride to the store. You’d used the subway plenty of times before, so slow-ass public transportation was no stranger to you.

But this…this was something else.

What was supposed to be a simple round trip turned into hours of sitting still on the tracks, waiting for other freight trains to pass by. The sweltering heat of the summer also made any sort of travel as slow as molasses. ‘Go to Jersey,’ you said, you’ll get together with Huginn and Muninn, have a few laughs.

A few passengers file down the aisle to exit the train. It takes your brain a few extra moments to register that this was also your stop. As you lean up from your spot against the window, a careless businessman bumps against your knee trying to get out with all his fuck-you suitcases and laptop bags.

You’ll have to apologize to Raph for unfortunately being right.

Oh yeah, Raph. You almost forgot why you came here in the first place. He’d been texting you about this and that today, and you usually responded to his texts immediately.

A frantic buzzing in your pocket makes your heart nearly stop. A phone call? You fumble around trying to grab it and your things as you try and get past a large family blocking the aisle.

You unlock your phone and bring it to your sweaty face. “Yello?”

“What kind of pizza do you want for later? Mikey said you just like plain cheese, but that didn’t sound right, so…” Raph’s voice is light and casual. You do your best to mimic it.

“Oh, yeah. He’s right, I’m kinda boring— AH!” A loud kid from earlier runs by you, barreling right over your left foot. It takes all your willpower not to scream directly into your speaker, but it’s no use.

“Ey, are you alright? What was that?”

After a second of quietly fighting back the manly tears, you recover. “Just…dropped my laptop on my foot. Ouch, ow.” Not your best performance, but it seems to do the trick.

“Ah.”

“Listen, I’m gonna call you back. Now’s not a good time.”

Before you realize it, the train lurches forward in earnest. A cold chill runs up your spine as you nearly trip backwards when the floor shifts again. “Fuck!”

You missed your stop, of course you did! A stern attendant ushers you back to an open seat, and you flip down defeated.

Raph’s voice cries out from your phone again. “Are you okay? Hello?”

“Would you like a complimentary snack?” The attendant’s annoying voice only frustrates you further. “We have pretzels, peanuts–”

“Thank you,” you spit, grabbing at the baggie in her hand. With one last terse smile, she finally leaves you be. You don't even care about the couple of peanuts that explode from the bag as you tear into it.

“Sorry. But actually, I’m gonna be a little late today. Y’know, busy with…” You glance around to try and find a worthy excuse. “Stuff.”

All of the sudden, Raph seemed strangely undeterred by your obvious lie. “Oh, sure. Stuff!”

“Yeah, but I should be back–”

As you turn your head back to the empty seat to the left of you, your heart nearly stops. It seems that in the time it took for you to come up with your phony excuse, Raph had just used Leo’s sword to portal himself directly beside you. On a train. The blue glow of the mystic portal illuminates your shocked expression.

“Ha! I knew it!” Raph points an accusatory finger as he ducks through to sit across from you.

“Uh– I…” Your voice stops in your throat. You wish you could say this wasn’t what it looks like. He doesn’t seem to be angry, more so just vindicated. You imagine he probably knew all along.

“Wait. You just used–”

Raph, for a brief moment, becomes sheepish. “W-Well, Leo was out doing–” He waves at the air. “Not the point. You’re out getting that plush, aren’t you? You lied.”

Raph clutches at his chest with both hands in a purposeful show of melodrama. He knew from the second you two parted ways that day. Sometimes it got a little frustrating dealing with how stubborn you could be. But then again, he was just as bad. Maybe even worse.

In all honesty, he wasn’t even mad. Mad that you lied to him, sure. But ultimately, it just made him flattered. It almost made him want to confess right then and there, but he holds his tongue.

After mulling around your answer, all you can do is shrug. “I’m…sorry?”

“Wow,” Raph smirks, leaning back against the uncomfortably tiny seat.

“What?” You blush. “You want me to apologize for getting you a gift? A gift that’s all the way over there now?” You point vaguely into the space behind Raph before burying your face in your hands. You don’t really know if it’s more from the embarrassment of getting caught or the fact that there was no denying it anymore.

You liked Raph. You liked him enough to travel to the most wretched hive of scum and villainy there was, apparently. You didn’t really mind Jersey, but at this point it was sort of a weird in-joke. You’re sure if you and Raph just took a trip out here yourselves, without all the deceit and unspoken awkwardness, you’d have fun.

Just tell him. It’s so obvious, isn't it?

“What, you mean…?” Raph turns to follow your hand, and puts all the pieces together. “Oh, Y/N. You didn’t have to–”

You interrupt. “Didn’t have to what? Buy a stupidly overpriced train ticket to get a stupidly overpriced stuffed animal? From some stupid little gargoyles? For some stupid, dumb…” You stand up suddenly, trying to get out all the pent up energy you evidently had bubbling just beneath the surface. You pace around the empty area at the back of the train for a second, ranting and babbling to yourself.

“For some stupid, dumb turtle dude. For a turtle dude!” The slight absurdity of the whole situation seems to dawn on you, and you can’t help but smile a little. The small smile widens into a grin and you start to chortle. You turn back to Raph and finally collapse back into your seat, absolutely spent from just that momentary show of emotion. Life would be so much easier if feelings didn’t get in the way, or turtle dudes. But, here you were, a pathetic, bumbling human trying their best not to make their amazing, strong, talented, funny, sweet best friend know what’s so blatantly clear.

You love him, idiot!

While you fall back down into your seat, Raph takes the opportunity to really analyze the situation from all angles. Leo was always better at this kind of stuff than him, but he needed to think carefully about this. He was usually prone to jumping headfirst into everything, for better and worse. Right now, his gut feeling was telling him the same thing as yours.

Just tell them. They went through all this trouble for you, so what’s the problem? What a loser…

Absent-mindedly, Raph picks up the bag of snacks you had and starts popping a couple into his mouth. Eating usually helped his brain slow down enough for him to focus up again.

You look up and stare out into the rapidly-changing environment outside of the train. You always liked sitting near a window whenever you traveled. To stay still while the world moved at a break-neck pace, it felt euphoric to watch the trees and buildings zoom by. It made you calm for a moment. After a charged couple of seconds, you catch your breath again. You didn’t realize you hadn’t been breathing.

“I really am sorry. I just wanted to do something nice–” You force yourself to turn your body back to Raph, and you look up in slow motion. You stare on in horror for what feels like hours as you watch him swallow a singular peanut.

Raph looks down at you curiously. It seemed like you were about to say something important. He leans down instinctually to get more eye-level with you. “What? What is it?”

He bites at the inside of his cheek, waiting for you to say what was just sitting at the tip of your tongue.

In a panic, all you can think to do is slap the bag of poison from his right hand and scream. “AAAH–!”

“Wha–?” Raph’s hand opens up. Lying on the ground, he reads the letters slowly, speaking them aloud. “Honey roasted…peanuts.”

“YOU’RE GONNA DIE! RAPH!”

“Spit it out! Throw up!” You don’t really know what you’re saying at this point. All you see is Raph and the panic in his eyes. “Stop the train!”

“S-STOP–! Choking–!” His voice comes out broken and frantic. “The pen!”

His hands move immediately to his belt, fumbling around for the epipen he’s never had to use until now. How could he be this spectacularly dumb? Not only were you probably about to pour your heart and soul out to him, he was about to do the same. In the background, a small crowd of confused employees and passengers turn to look at the weird scene unfolding at the back of the car. The same passive-aggressive attendant creeps up slowly next to you to try and de-escalate.

“Excuse me, is there a problem folks?” Her sickly, saccharine smile makes your blood boil.

Without thinking, you turn and snap back. “Yes, there’s a problem– My boyfriend’s freaking dying and you’re standing there handing out peanuts? Are you insane?!”

Raph’s eyes somehow go wider than they already were.

Glancing back down, you realize that he’s been trying and failing to communicate to you that you need to stick him with the pen. You snatch Raph’s belt clean off of his waist and riffle through all the annoying little pockets until you find it.

“Here! Here it is Raph!” You nearly cry from relief. Smiling, you grab ahold of his right hand and close his fist around the pen. “You’re not gonna die!”

Thankfully in doing so you release Raph’s neck, allowing him to speak again. “G-Great! Thank you…”

In the background, you can already hear the employees start to circle around you and Raph. You might not ever get to ride a train again after this, but you didn’t care. Fuck trains.

Raph’s hand stills, suddenly overcome with fear.

“Raph?” You frown at him.

“I’m scared.” He peeks over at you, his face twisted with shame.

“UGH! Fine!” You take the initiative and grab the pen, removing the cap with your teeth like a badass. With all your strength, which you figure you’ll probably need to fully pierce Raph’s thick, leathery skin, you reel back and stab it into his upper leg.

You close your eyes, content with having finally ended the nightmare. “Phew…”

Meanwhile, Raph waits rather impatiently. “Sometime today would be nice!”

Oh, you didn’t actually do it. “Right.”

You repeat the same motion with your hand, pulling back before jamming it in. Surely you didn’t chicken out a second time.

“Y/N!” Raph shouts, exasperated and confused.

“Goddamnit!” You grit your teeth and pull back again, looking at him tearfully. “I can’t do it! I’m a liar and a coward.”

Looking at your utterly terrified face, Raph can’t help but comfort you. Even as he feels his throat begin to tighten up, he takes his free hand to lay it over your trembling one. “No you’re not, you’re–”

“No, I am a liar. I lied to you, I’ve lied to Leo and Donnie and Mikey, I’ve lied to April and Splinter.” You try to wipe away the tears before looking back at Raph’s leg. “I lied because I was scared.”

While nobody’s come to you per se and asked you to your face, you know they knew. They all knew. Maybe you could have gotten over yourself for once and just come clean to everyone, but you knew you couldn’t. The idea of potentially ruining a friendship that’s been built for years with one awkward confession or less than charming moment, it made you absolutely terrified. You thought you would rather die than confess.

But, if all this secrecy and denial was going to literally kill him, that terrified you even more.

“Raph…” You swallow your pride and steel yourself.

To both of your surprise, the train comes to one final stop. The breaks screech to a halt, making the car lurch forward and back with incredible force. You lock eyes with Raph just as the train launches you forward, forcing your hand to push on the epipen’s plunger and jam it into his leg.

“Woah–!” Raph then catches you as you land squarely on his broad chest.

The pain of the needle didn’t even phase Raph. Though the effect of the pen took an immediate effect, his throat still felt tight. His heart was thundering in his chest, his hands felt cold and clammy. Was this still an allergic reaction?

“Sorry for the delay folks. We just have a minor…mutant medical matter to…mediate.” The canny voice of the speakers makes everyone else on the train groan in annoyance.

The two of you continue to stare at one another. Weirdly enough, neither of you feel the anxiety or weight of the unspoken words you both felt before. The feelings you both shared that forced you to stay silent, to laugh off the odd comments or blushes that threatened to expose you to each other. There was no fear anymore.

There was just you and him.

–

Raph gives one last ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ to the conductor and the ambulance people who were brought in just in case. The train dumped the two of you off at a random stop before moving on, leaving you both in the empty indoor waiting area of the train station.

You stare blankly ahead as you feel Raph sit next to you again. The bench you’re both on feels cold on your hand as you drum your fingers against it.

You guess you’re the one who needs to talk first. “So…”

“I like you,” Raph finishes.

You blink, raising your head up slowly. “I...like you.”

For a moment of silence, you each look off into the distance and melt into laughter. It’s an enormous relief to finally realize that the two of you have been harboring the exact same feelings and being afraid for the exact same reason.

But at the same time, it all seems so silly now.

“Why did we wait this long?” You chuckle, feeling the tears coming back.

Raph bumps your shoulder affectionately as he tries to fight back his own. “Why was I such a coward?”

You gather yourself and look up at him. “I can just see the obituary. Raphael Hamato, death by 1 (one) peanut.” You hold up your index finger.

Raph guffaws and breaks out into a full-belly laugh, and you can’t help but egg him on.

“I should’ve known. Only in Jersey.”

The two of you exchange a heartfelt smile as you unintentionally lean in. Raph’s concentration gets interrupted however when a couple of unexpected figures fly by outside. It looked like a weird, fat bird or something.

“What the…” Raph stands up to investigate.

As he pushes open the doors to look around, he almost trips over a mysterious bag sitting on the ground. He leans down and picks up a sticky note attached to the handle.

Here you go Red! Hope this makes up for all the times we helped Draxum try to kill you and your family. Also, how’s he doing? He won’t answer our texts, calls, or letters. Love, Huginn and Muninn <3

Raph smiles and shakes his head. “No way.”

Sure enough, inside the bag was the weird cow-rabbit plush that kicked off this whole crusade in the first place. He supposed he should be happy to finally have it.

Sneaking up behind him, you peek around Raph’s shell. “Wow, what service.”

“To be honest, I don’t really know if I want it anymore.” Raph smiles down at you warmly, putting the plush back in the bag and handing it to you.

“Oh no, don’t do that.” You grin and push the bag back to him.

“Come on, you deserve it.” He hands it back.

“You almost died from a peanut.” You push it again.

Raph’s sunny disposition doesn’t falter. “I want you to have it.”

Your eyes darken and you give the bag one final push into his stomach. “Just take the damn plush.”

Raph’s pouts bashfully before he relents. “You really are stubborn, you know?”

Smirking, you grab your bag and sling it over your shoulder. “And you’re so perfect? I sure know how to pick ‘em.”

Before reaching for his phone to text Leo, Raph watches on curiously as you change your mind and grab for the plush. “Hm?”

In an impulsive move, you hold the plush up to your face to give it a good once over. It was even cuter in person. You close your eyes and give its snout a tiny smooch before handing it back to Raph. You don’t try and hide the deep red your cheeks have turned.

Picking up on your invitation, Raph gingerly takes the plush into his hands and plants a kiss of his own on the same exact spot.

Though his heart felt full to the point of bursting at the seams, he didn’t mind the feeling. He felt bigger, more complete.

I love you too.

taglist: @saspas-corner

[pinkyjulien]

This might be the only occasion to talk about it, and It's no secret that her and I stopped talking more than ~1year ago, so here we go

Some of my personal experience with Zwei and her modding gatekeeping / monopol

For some reasons, my guts told me to screencap our very last conversation, right before she blocks me and wipe our DMs, and looking back now I'm glad I did

▶ You can find the conversation here

Please read the post for more context:

Important to note that live in Europe, meaning my timezone is CET

Zwei and I weren't up at the same time

Back in September 2022, a Drama happened in the Modding Server

This is the only screenshot I have of the drama, provided by a friend, I have since left that server (you should be able to find it with the search option tho)

Anec, the guy who can be seen on the screenshot, and who initially asked about the glowing eyes in the server, shared this imgur album with Zwei DMs as well back in 2022

I was asleep when it all happened, waking up to Zwei accusing me in DMs of being involved in it

The day before, a fellow modder asked me if they could make a mod similar to my old Player Replacer that would involve Photomode, asking me for help on the matter too; I gave them the greenlight and told me to ask NoraLee, as I do not have much knowledge on Photomode itself

So when I saw Zwei's DMs I assumed it was about this encounter, but I quickly understood that it wasn't the case

I later went to NoraLee's DMs to ask them what that whole "glowing eyes" stuff was all about, and thankfully got more context (and confirmation that Zwei was once again trying to gatekeep mods ideas)

That's about it for the whole context on the last convo I had with her

Now I want to mention some details and explain a lil bit more, especially about the Scenerids bit here

For the lil story, Scenerids animation were something I always wanted to figure out, way back in 2021 even

When I was still in AMM, we were making progress on the matter with the help of a fellow modder; the goal was always to make them, and the knowledge, public

One day, Zwei asked me in DMs about Scenerids Animations, and where I was with my digging; She wanted to share the knowledge with Deceptious, a new guy (at the time) who was making all kind of cool mods, if there was one guy that could find how to grab them, it was him

Excited, I told her all I knew back then

She also told me that Deceptious was doing streams in the Modding Server and that I should come by and check what he does

So I did, I jumped into his next stream, and yeah the guy was impressive with his method. In the stream chat, I asked him about Scenerids animations, we chatted a bit more and he seemed interested, said something along the lines of "it shouldn't be too complicated" - I went to bed after his stream ended

Next morning, I woke up to Deceptious sharing videos of Zwei's V, in the modding server, doing Alt's animations from her romance scene in the middle of Tom's Diner; he had it figured out during the night

So I went to his DMs, asking him how he did it, and got a somewhat cold reply; not unexpected, nothing to overthink at the time. I asked Zwei as well- I wanted to know, and to me it seemed only ""fair"" considering I ""helped"" with the whole thing

It all spiraled from there; Zwei would told me the "secret" ONLY if I kept the knowledge to myself. I somehow got involved in a ""modding ring"" involving Zwei, SilverEz (can't remember his full name, the owner of the Modding Server) and Deceptious

Zwei and I would extract the animations from the Scenerids files; She would work with SilverEz to release them for PMU, and I would release them as AMM packs

At first, I had to wait until Zwei's packs were published to publish my own mods; nobody would keep me updated on WHEN they would hit live, so I had to rush my own modpages to release them for AMM simultaneously

It was a lot of unecessary stress. One day, I asked SilverEz directly if I could just release the packs as I was making them? And he told me something along the lines of "Yes, of course, it's your mods you do whatever"

I was so confused- I thought he said he wanted me to wait until the PMU releases? But no, it was just Zwei's lies/manipulations/whatever

(Important to know that everything was going on by her, I was sending her the files, and she would share knowledge with me from Deceptious and SilverEz if needed)

Anyway, the scenerids stuff happened in October 2022, but that's when I started to be even more cautious of her. It wasn't the first time something rubbed me wrong, of course not, multiple instances happened on a lot of different things, but I do not want to share it publicly since I do not have any screenshots to prove it

Going back to the "Glowing Eyes" drama, which happened in September 2022

As said at the begining of the post, this was our last conversation, both in DMs and in public. I noticed a mood shift following the next weeks in the Modding Sever; most of the people here were either her friends or fanboys

Zwei and I were ignoring each others, but I quickly noticed Deceptious was also ignoring me

I decided to confront him in DMs about it, that's when I noticed he wiped all of his DMs

That's something we all know now that Zwei does a lot- so it had to be her, somehow telling him to wipe his DMs with me

I felt my blood go cold; Deceptious was someone I looked up to, his knowledge was really impressive and I wish I could've learned more modding from him somehow, but anyway

Seeing this, I rushed to Zwei's DMs to tell her to basically fuck off, to stop draging others into her bullshit- and that's when I noticed I was blocked, I couldn't send anything, but most importantly, her DMs were slowly being deleted

Now, I should've done a quick back up of everything, there's a lot of script that exist to extract full logs or to wipe them out. I didn't know about such scripts back then

I decided to ask around for the script she uses, called "Undiscord", wanting to give her a taste of her own medicine

So I was sitting here, watching her bulk delete her dms, as I was bulk deleting my own. Yes, it looks really fucking dumb and cringe lmao

And that's about it, really, that's how it all went down

▶ Pre-Shooting random questions

❓ Why did you compared her to Wing

Wingdeer is another person who is known to harass others for doing similar "Inversed Cross" makeup and cyberware, it happened a couple of times now. Zwei never liked her, despite modeling a lot of her mods; I thought comparing her to Wing would snap her out of her bullshit

❓ Isn't it hypocrite of you to say you're against gatekeeping?

"Gatekeeping" is when someone actively harass others for liking/doing/having something that they like/do/have, like Zwei (with hair color/makeup/rockergirl style) and Wingdeer (with reversed cross mods) for example I never harassed anyone, all I ever did was blocking people People taking a block as a personal attack is not my problem, and shouldn't be turned into general fandom drama

[deathbirby]

What sucks about the fandom is that everybody usually defaults to make post-Crimson Flower fanfictions 'and they all lived happily ever after :)' which... sucks because CF is the most flawed ending out of all of the routes (Duscur is still believed to have killed the King, TWSITD are lurking around as seen in Edel's mural, sovereign nations were forcibly assimilated against their will into Adrestia, etc). All of these issues are ignored to default to a happy ending which is such a let down since all of these issues are SO interesting and genuinely could make really engaging post-CF fanfiction delving into them. That's not even going into how Edel's meritocracy is deeply flawed on further thought as it assumes equal opportunity (despite the nobility and the inter-generational wealth of said nobles), and an equal society where everyone is seen and treated as equals (the people of Duscur who are seen as traitors, Almyrans such as Cyril who were enslaved and forced to work, Nabataens and Edel's blatant racism towards them, etc). Let me make this clear; a meritocracy is better than feudalism or a monarchy outright. The issue isn't inherently with meritocracies, nor is it to dissuade changing the current system of Fodlan. The problems I have with Edel's meritocracy is the total lack of foresight and the refusal to engage with Edel's actions that brought in the system. Meritocracies can work but considering the broader context and political landscape of Fodlan: Edel's meritocracy was a system founded after violently conquering two sovereign nations against the leaders and the civilians wills. Many of these civilians do harbour resentment towards the government (as seen in Hubert/Shamir's ending where they act as secret cops 🤢), how Edelgard only really gives resources to people she knows aka nepotism (especially to Caspar and Bernie who are woefully not well suited for the roles the get). There's also the ugly turd by removing the corrupt nobles who kept her in check, there are no safeguards against Edelgard or future successors abusing their power (which Edel's use of her power is pretty questionable seen in Hubert/Dorothea gathering intelligence for the empire and Hubert/Shamir with being cops). ======== (1/2)

2/2 ==== I wanna bring up how Petra was treated; poor girl was kidnapped from her home, tossed into a hostile foreign land where she didn't speak the language and received no support at all from her peers. Going so far as Hubert calling her an animal (we love microaggresions if not outright aggresions to poc). Edelgard assumes her and Petra to be equals, that Petra is completely fine but Edel is oblivious or callous towards the gross power imbalance between the two. Petra is constantly trying to appease society by learning the local tongue, constantly trying to appease Edelgard and prove her own independence to ensure Brigid doesn't appear weak. Edel does show concern, I'll give her that, but she really doesn't do anything to truly help Petra. Iirc, Petra had to learn the entire language by herself without ANY help from anyone, not even Edel nor Hubert stepped in (tho Hubert can gawk at Petra like shes an animal). How is it unfair to assume that if Edel can't even address blatant inequality and oppression towards Petra, something that was in her face, how can she ensure that her meritocracy won't perpetuate further inequality and oppression on a wider scale? I really wish the fandom weren't so scared nor so adverse to exploring these issues in a post-CF fan fiction and really take a deep dive into Edelgard's rule outside of 'Fodlan was super corrupt, Rhea is the absolute fucking worst and Dimitri was just a Rhea Stan, Claude was aaaaalmost cool but he didn't want to work with Edelgard which sucks because they would SO be besties (even tho Claude experienced violent racism and would not tolerate Edel's pasty ass spewing vitriol how Nabataens are inhuman beasts) but its soooooo sad he didn't see Edelgard's goals, BTW CRESTS ARE THE FUCKING WORST :3'. Like, the only thing I have ever read to addressing the flaws Edelgard's rule was To Those Who Are Never Going Home by MadameHyde (but stiiiill doesn't hit the spot for me since its more focused on Garreg Mach than the wider society of Fodlan on itself). I believe in women's wrongs and Edelgard did SO MUCH shit wrong, let👏Edelgard👏be👏pointed👏out👏in👏the👏wrong👏. It sucks that nobody wants to engage or even play with that side of Edelgard, so I'm now stuck developing my own post-CF fanfiction/AU exploring an Adrestian-Garreg Mach and the world of Fodlan moulded by Edelgard's rule lmfao. I really want to explore a politically unstable and balkanized Fodlan, and it's so sad that nobody else sees the vision 😔 Thanks for reading my entire infodump about Edelgard and sitting through this entire essay lmfao. — 🍑 Anon

Oh dear goddess have mercy on me

CF's ending makes no sense when you realize that TWSITD can just nuke Fhirdiad right then and there and win. Thales can also just... brainwash Edelgard and turn her into a puppet according to hopes. It's the least logical ending.

Edelgard's system ultimately would only benefit the strong. The 'weak' (sick, elderly, poor, disabled, etc.) just have to pull themselves up by their bootstraps according to our emperor, but we all know how well that will work.

And yep, the nepotism runs strong with her. Caspar and Bernadetta are NOT fit to rule. We know from one of the endings that Caspar acts recklessly and dangerous on military campaigns but people just ignore it. That is a very bad look for Edelgard who just tolerates it.

Petra's whole situation deserves her own post tbh. She's a political hostage who gets treated like dirt. Edelgard couldn't even help her learn the language despite the fact that she has all of the resources to do so.

let👏Edelgard👏be👏pointed👏out👏in👏the👏wrong👏

write this on my gravestone lol

[thirstnotes]

| Rivals to Lovers with Clark Kent |

Summary: Just mindless jabbering about mild “Enemies to Lovers” with Clark Kent for @ramp-it-up . It’s not a story, per se, but this one’s for you, homie. Merry New Year lol

Warnings: Ramblings, opinions, jokes, attempts at humor, morally gray Clark, smut, NSFW eventually (not this part tho) so per usual, minors DNI, typos probably, poor writing (but if you don’t like it, don’t read it)

Pairings: Clark Kent x BlackAFABReader

You’ve been at the Daily Planet a little bit longer than Clark, so you knew the ropes before Golden Boy graced you all with his presence

You were a bad bitch, able to cover some of the toughest exclusives. From Bruce Wayne to Static Shock himself

But he started scooping you left and right and it was tap-dancing on your last nerve. But you respected how he was able to somehow get the story

You secretly thought he had to be Superman

Bc frfr the man was swole

“Scooped again,” you huffed quietly, packing your bag for the day, eyes flickering to the team congratulating Clark Probably-Superman-Because-What-Reporter-Has-A-Body-Like-That-Kent. You spotted him approaching from the corner of your eye and looked up with an enthusiastic smile.

“Well well. Congrats again, Clark.”

His dashing smirk grew a bit and he dipped his head with a laugh. “Thanks. You almost sounded like you meant it this time. The smile? Nice touch.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” you sassily agreed, a little proud of your own performance and he laughed. You looked out at the office. “Well anyway. Your adoring public awaits.”

“C’mon, YN, we’re going out to celebrate. Have a drink on me.”

He was always really sweet. That was one of the things that kinda bothered you. He was perfect. Funny, gorgeous, smart and a hell of a journalist. You couldn’t even have a serious rivalry with him because he was just genuinely a nice dude.

It was a rivalry you both enjoyed, because you could sass each other on a professional level and still have lunch and debate topics civilly (most of the time) with a mutual respect

Loathe as you were to admit it, you had a lot in common

“Can’t. I have things to do.”

“I promise not to brag much,” he joked, his arms folding expectantly. You rolled your eyes and mimicked his pose, shifting the weight in your hips.

“Clark, as much as I’d love to pour-have a drink on you, I actually have a life outside of The Daily Planet Crew-Heeeey, Luke!”

Clark’s eyes followed yours to the man perched in the doorway. You lit up so much at seeing him, Clark looked back at you with a judgy smirk but you ignored him.

“Hey, you need a ride to class?” Luke asked, looking between you and Clark, who perked up.

“Class?”

“Yeah, no, we do a cooking class together. International Cuisines over on West and Central. You should check it out,” Luke explained and Clark looked moderately impressed.

“Oh! I didn’t know you two were. Are you datin-“

“Oh, um,” you started.

“No, no, no,” he gargled out at the same time and Clark looked between you slowly.

“I mean, it is a couple’s only class, but, like, between us, we kinda fudged the details a little bit when we signed up,” you admitted, your embarrassment growing. It was enough that your secret alone time with the hot photographer was being revealed to Mr. Perfect, but to hear Luke so vehemently refute the implication that you were his girlfriend. In front of him. Of all people. It was too much. You swallowed your feelings and kept it together. “Anyway, yeah, I’ll ride over with you.”

With that Luke continued down the hall to the darkroom. You exhaled and and pulled your bag onto your shoulder.

“Not a word.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Clark smirked, rolling his lips, to keep from laughing at the juicy interaction he just witnessed. He watched you lock up and leave, that annoyingly smug smirk on his ridiculously handsome face ever present. You knew he was judging you. Like Damn woman, I knew you were thirsty, but this is next level.

Not like he had room to judge. Lois Lane could wear his balls as a necklace and he’d thank her for her time and energy. You had to respect the hustle, however, because he was just as shameless as you were to get next to his boo. You weren’t mad at that. The struggle was real. Today, however, was a major blow to your pride and progress and honestly you didn’t even know why you even bothered getting into the car, let alone slog through another class next to a man who clearly didn’t see you as anything but a fwb. The benefit being that you were a woman he could finesse a cooking class with.

You were way too fine to be used like that

You knew that

But in a way you were using him to be in the class too. It had limited seats and if word got out that you two weren’t a couple, you’d be put out for sure, so, annoyed and lukewarm (I said what I said) as you were on him now, you were trapped in this one-sided arrangement for now

But damn. Pretending was hard. When that man smiled at you over a perfectly cooked plate of crullers that you both worked hard to make…Hoooo. You were goo. It was pitiful. You hated it, but there you were. Laughing at his corny ass jokes. Joking back. Completely ignoring how he threw your potential relationship under the bus earlier that day. The laughter died down and eventually it was just you two in the car. Him driving you home.

“Hey, you remember when Clark thought we were dating?” you asked, hoping to work around to a genuine conversation about the two of you.

“Woah right? That was close. I mean, not that you aren’t attractive. You’re gorgeous, of course.”

“Of course,” you smirked saucily, chest fluttering at the blatant compliment he was giving. But the other half of you was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“But.”

There it was.

He hesitated, as if trying to find the words. He hazarded a glance your way. “Between us, Lois and I have been dating for a little bit.”

You then throat chopped him, causing him to swerve sharply, sending the car into a spin-out off the nearest bridge, thus killing you both and sparing you the humiliating dread of realizing you wasted your time simping over some dude that Lois Fuckin Lane had already secured between her legs ages ago

Just kidding. That didn’t happen, but you were damn sure thinking about it right then

You were truly at a loss. You were a top flight journalist, you should’ve picked up on it. Something. Anything. Sure, they hung out a bit between meetings, but you all did. Then again, they did spend more than a little time at each other’s desks, smiling and talking. Grabbing lunch or coffee for each other. But you thought it was business. You and Clark did that for each other all the time. Maybe you just ignored the signs.

“Oh. Shit. That’s-That’s great! Is it getting serious?” you asked, kicking yourself for the filler question. He took a deep breath.

“I think so. I mean, it’s going pretty well. I wish I knew what was going on in her mind.”

“Well I’m not gonna spy for you, if that’s what you’re working around to,” you joked hollowly, the sinking pain in your chest making you feel sick and stupid. He laughed and you forced yourself to as well.

“Man, that’s cold,” he chortled and it gave you a petty bit of satisfaction.

“That’s life.*”

‘Biotch’.*

“That’s what people say,” he joked back, quoting the song. Though while he was riding high in April, it was you that was shot down in May. You were relieved when you saw home, nearly opening the door while the car was still in motion. You couldn’t wait to get inside and have a nice hot bath and a stiff drink.

Usually that was your time to unwind and read in the warm candlelight, or even touch yourself, if you felt so inclined to do so, but tonight, you weren’t feeling anything. Much less yourself.

You couldn’t help but think about how Clark was coping with all this. Provided he even knew. You could see him, the absolute Labrador of a man, reduced to nothing me than a kicked puppy at the news of his beloved Lois dating anybody that wasn’t him

Part of you was hoping he was Superman, so he could freak out and smack the shit out of Luke for doing this to you. Well. The petty part of you was kinda hoping

It wasn’t anybody’s fault, you knew that, but you just wanted to feel less like a fool and more like the confident woman you woke up as that morning

The next time you saw Clark, you debated not telling him anything, but you weren’t willing to let anybody go out the way you did. So eventually, over coffee, you broke it to him casually

“I know.”

“S’cuse me?”

“That they’re dating? I already know that,” he said, adding more coffee to his mug to make it less sweet. He was either taking this remarkably well, or he was playing it off like he was totally fine. Which would add amazing acting to his already impressive list of things he could do well.

“Then why are you still fawning all over Lois like it’s Single’s Weekend?”

He laughed with a shrug. “They’re dating, not married. She could change her mind.”

Part of you felt a small spark jolt through you. You always imagined Clark the traditional type. But there he was literally—openly—declaring war on your crush. Threatening to steal his bae.

“Oh. Okay. My bad.”

Part of you was cheering for him to.

(Part 2)

[hismercytomyjustice]

It’s Wednesday-eve, comrades!

Which means it’s time for a sneak peek of Chapter Four of my Bloodweave fic Ancient Books and Horror Stories!

This week we’re back in Gale’s head!

Hope you enjoy!

(And this time around I know it’s Gale and not Wyll who’s familiar with who Cazador is. *narrows eyes at prior oneshot * Tho in my defense I didn’t have Wyll in my party when I met Gandrel outside Auntie Ethel’s. OH WELL. You live and you suffer learn.)

—

Truth be told, he was more annoyed than anything else that he hadn’t figured Astarion’s bloody little secret out on his own. He had literally been discussing a book on how to identify vampires WITH a vampire and hadn’t noticed.

Cold beauty? Check. Charm? The vampire certainly thought so. Cannot bear to be of the common folk?

Gale was beginning to wonder if the author had met Astarion and simply penned their first impressions.

It must have taken everything in Astarion’s power not to laugh in his face.

No, that wasn’t true. Astarion had been on edge. Had clenched his fists so tightly he drew blood.

“Only Cazador would know to send the Gur after me.”

As much as Gale wanted to learn more about his past, this peek behind the curtain made his stomach roil.

“If I lose the tadpole, Cazador has control over me, body and soul, and I return to the shadows.”

Of their group, only Gale recognized the name. Finding out the noble was a vampire lord hadn’t shocked him, not with the bits and pieces he’d learned of him over the years. Finding out Astarion had been one of his enslaved spawn for the past two hundred plus years, however…

It explained a lot, and made him wonder even more.

The scholarly part of him wanted to learn about Astarion’s life as a vampire spawn. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he said there wasn’t much written about vampires and their ilk, particularly in the academic sense.

But his vampirism seemed like the one part of his identity Astarion wanted the least to do with.

He’d spent two centuries without the sun, without agency, without who knew what else. He’d looked haunted when discussing his past and the ever present threat of Cazador. Was it any surprise he wasn’t keen on losing their little Illithid stowaway if it was all that kept him free?

Gale’s eyes kept drifting to Astarion on their way back to camp. Dozens of questions swirled in his mind, everything from “how old are you” to “why didn’t you think you could tell me.”

[bluebutlikenotalways]

🐲 For Rayo and 👑 For Sorpresa, please? You can do either or if you don't want to do both. Thank you :)

Oooohhhhohoho! I love this ask :D

First up OUR SWEET PRINCE

I think I need to redesign her mask to make it less like a butterfly, because that ain’t her vibes!

Nou die draak

I kinda rushed the folded wings because I wanted to show his stupid fucking dragon hands off XD

Of course where would a prince be without her dragon?

hey guess what

LORE

So let’s start with our Prince.

Sorpresa comes from a long line of of women royals and is bright and ready to prove herself. A big part of her job tho is keeping her identity secret so she’s able to walk amongst her people without them acting off so they actually know what to fix, hence the mask. They’re also the first defensive against any attacks so they must always be ready with weapons and strangely sharp crowns. Sorpresa is more than ready to take on the world, she’s just waiting on the chance to prove herself.

Dragon man

Rayo X is a Knucker with horns that grew in wrong. Instead of pointing out they grew sideways to form a cross. With less protection than his fellows he decided to leave them to avoid the shame of them telling him he was a burden. While not able to use his horns he has developed one hell of a tail whip to fight back. It has served him well for a long time, but he still appreciated the beak guard because it makes close range attacks easier.

How they know each other!

Sorpresa was an only child and Rayo was an outcast, so both of their childhoods were really very boring when they weren’t training or sleeping. One day Rayo decided he’d drag his sorry ass out of the pond he was holding up in to try find someone to play with. He stumbled across a very flashy silver gate with blue gems set into its crest. He couldn’t help himself, he slithered up and pecked the sapphires out. Holding one up to admire it he watched as the world through it fractured and spun through the blue shine. On the other side he saw more flowers than he’d ever seen in his life. He had to see more! So he bellyflopped into the yard and went skittering to check everything out. Needless to say he trashed the place.

Meanwhile

A very board student was staring out her window while her tutor was trying to explain why the apple fell on Newton’s head and wishing that she could be doing anything else. Suddenly she saw a shadow climb over her fence and start slinking around her hard pulling up her grandmother’s flowers and toppling statues of her long dead relatives and if that wasn’t the most interesting thing she’d seen all day. Her teacher didn’t even get the chance to grab her before she went bursting out the window and scaling down the vines till she was able to land with only scarped knee to complain of.

Rayo was admiring how his reflection was shining in the depths of their well.

“HEY!”

A shout and poke from behind him made him jump and lose his grip on one of gems. He lent forward to to try catch it before it was out of reach, but a smack on his back made him jolt forwards and go spilling into the the depths below.

For a second he considered just curling into a ball at the bottom until whatever it was went away, but he reminded himself he’s a fucking dragon who can whip ass if he wants to.

Sorpresa peered over the edge of the well wall to the Rocky water below. She thought it was someone in a long robe digging through her family’s yard, but for a second she could have sworn…A dragon’s head come rocketing out of the earth below. Her stomach nearly fell out her ass as she steps back keeping her weapon up list like she was taught and glued her eyes to the opening waiting for a fight. Nothing came. Slowly she approached again to take another peak.

Rayo was about seven feet short from the top and was desperately clinging to the stones trying to claw his way back out, but he kept hitting a smooth one and ended up splashing back down.

Sorpresa watched him struggle for a bit. Poor thing looked like it was panicking. “Hello?”

Rayo paused. He looked up at the face above him. “Why did you hit me?”

Sorpresa cringed. “Well it was you or me.” She glanced at the torn up flowers and shuttered seeing that the crown broke off of her great great great aunt. “My mama is gonna explode when she sees this.”

Rayo curled around himself trying to calm down. “Whatever.” He dipped back below the water to tie himself in a knot. He couldn’t deal with this.

Above him a blip in the water made him stir. A tock on his head made him rise out back out of the water to see he must have fallen asleep because the light around them had faded to a deep purple, or maybe that was just a reflection from him.

“What?”

“I came back to check in you and I was worried you drowned.” Rayo blinked up at her. “You’re…really stuck, huh?” Rayo started sinking again. “I’ll get you out, don’t worry.”

Rayo Sat with his eyes above the water as he watched her work. A few minutes later a rope flitted down next to him and Sorpresa called him up. He reached out and gave it a tug. The beam it was tied to creaked a little, but didn’t break. He wrapped himself around it and started his way up.

Halfway up the rope he heard something snap and he practically turned to stone.

“C’mon! You’re almost there!” Sorpresa leaned over to see her garden destroyer dangling like a uvula in the throat of some great beast. He was so close she could almost…she grabbed the rope, looped her leg around it and slid down far enough that she could reach out and touch him. He was way smoother than she excepted, but when she went to sooth down his spines he flinched away. She hissed. “No! Not back down!” The knucker stayed where he was. She puffed air out through her nose and went over what she had learned. “I’m sorry I scared you down here earlier, but it’s my duty to protect those in my kingdom..where you are, so please let me help you.”

She reached down a second time, but instead of touching him she held her hand in front of his eye. He cocked his head at it, then cautiously dug his claw into her sleeve.

Sorpresa had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from pulling away as he climbed up her arm, cutting her more with each step. She watched blood run down her arm through the rips in her sleeve. Mama really won’t be happy with her destroying her shirts like this. Soon enough Rayo was clinging to her shoulder with his tail wrapped around her arm for balance. Even with the extra weight she pulled them both up and out where she dumped them both on the ground.

Now that they were both safe she got to have a proper look at him. “You had wings this whole time? Why didn’t you use them?”

Rayo was trying very hard to dry off by flopping around in the dirt, but he humoured her and opened them. “Its too cramped down there to fly.”

“Oh. Wh-“

“I dropped your gems in the well.”

“You did what?”

And the rest is history!

[schneiderenjoyer]

I've been meaning to ask this before but I completely forgot until now. Do the arcanists in the suitcase (besides the main gang) know that TWTR Schneider is human?

Only a select number are aware of TWTR Schneider's biological origin! (at least in terms of her willingly disclosing it. Most of them found out against her will) It's kept confidential by the Foundation and Laplace as it could cause a huge scandal and uproar since, well...they technically they committed human experimentation, ahah.

Just for fun, here's a list of confirmed characters that knows that Schneider is human! Hiding it under the break for those that wanna keep themselves unspoiled about it as it includes future characters and vague details about events beyond current TWTR chapters (there are 17 rn) I'll list it in order of who found out first! (the order could be changed tho)

Tooth Fairy (For her first and only check up by a doctor. She's later assigned to be Schneider's "personal doctor" when dealing with medical emergencies involving her)

Constantine, Madam Z, Lucy, & Top Laplace researchers (pretty simultaneous upon receiving Tooth Fairy's medical report on Schneider)

Vertin (From Schneider)

Faustee (By accident)

Medicine Pocket (Assigned to conduct the "research" on Schneider which she consented to disclosing the information for)

Mesmer Jr. (By accident)

Arcana (Through shady means, of course)

Forget Me Not & Druvis (through Arcana outing her)

Sonetto, Regulus, APPLe, Sotheby, and X (from THAT scene)

Matilda (She has always assumed for years, but never confronts Schneider about it. She was almost told about it by someone else, but stops them from saying it. It's Schneider's secret to keep and if she's not going to tell her, then she will not hear it from anyone.)

Blonney (From Schneider. I place the Greenlake event after the 1929 Storm but before they go to Apeiron)

6 & 37, by extension, the whole of Apeiron + Lilya (Weird soul numbers type of thing. Lilya, like Matilda, always got the feeling, but didn't get a confirmation until that moment)

And that's about it so far! Looking at the list, only 3 people ever honestly got told about it with Schneider's consent. (Tooth Fairy and Madam Z are exceptions since they were informed before it was even a big deal to keep Schneider's origin a secret. But if it were a situation where they didn't know, Schneider would've willingly told them about it.)

[sea-of-dust]

Hello I hope the event is still open. I saw that you write for Vrains and I thought of this cute idea that I hope isn't too complicated. Basically Skye (or Aoi if you watched the sub) is e-dating the reader and they decide to meet up irl for valentines day. But it turns out they already knew each other irl and were friends and Skye is all insecure like "you must think i'm lame when i'm not blue angel" but the reader loves her even more like this. Thank you in advance if you decide to write this I hope it isn't too complex.

Blue Angel/Skye x GN! Reader

Dating her online and meeting her, you couldn't help but say you called it

N: YUGIOH REQUEST GUYS WERE SO BACK!!! THANK YOU ANNON IM GONNA BEGIN TO FLY AGAIN YIPPEEE

You'd always notice something up with her. How she's ready to bolt out of a classroom with this cotton candied haired kid that looked like he wrote angst on the side. As soon as she'd bolt out the classroom you'd lock in to take notes for her making sure it's colorful and summed to the important bits. After those odd days you'd usually log onto vrains with hopes of meeting a certain blue celeb, only to find her offline. When she is online tho she'd be all over you. "You're always so early what's your secret" "well..." You pull non existent hairs on your chin "I don't have fans that chase me around for a duel" she huffs "you need to work on better routes to cut em off" you place a hand onto her board running a finger over it. "I'll try" she sighs placing a hand over yours.

She would say things that made you think she was Skye. Like how her classmates had covered a tab for her, how she spoke similarly to you in real life. She'd end up mumbling about you so much you try to take her mind off of it by dueling her. "If I win you have to promise me a date!" "I've been looking into a spot anyway!"

By valintines day while watching a replay of blue angels duels, Skye seemed to shuffle around alot, trying to hide her face with her hair, eventually tapping a finger to one of yours. "Can you help me out with something..." "Sure what's up" you pause the replay "when there's someone you want to ask out" she grips her tie "how do you..." she pauses reading herself to speak up "how should I ask them to meet me" she sighs unable to make eye contact, you turn to her fully. "Well~" at this point you were heavy suspecting her to be your girlfriend online smirking as you respond "tell that lucky person that you wanna meet them, I'm sure the words will fly out your mouth"

As soon as you get onto vrains, you meet a clearly nervous Blue Angel. "What's on your mind?" You creep up to her playfully "it's almost valintines day..." You smile waiting for her to continue speaking "I want to meet up with you" "oh?" Smiling you sit down onto the nearby ledge "where do you have in mind?" Instictively she sits with you her hands tightly gripping eatchother. "You know that hot dog stand?" "I'm a frequent" "the one with the-" "guy with the purple hair?" "Yea" reassured she continues on "at 4 pm let's meet there" "alright" you take her hand gently bringing it up to your mouth "I can't wait to meet you" you place a soft kiss onto her hand

The next day you finally strike a conversation with that one cotton candy kid, while waiting for her. Getting two hot dogs for you two along with drinks, gripping the gifts you brought. Checking your phone back almost every two seconds seeing a familiar figure near run to the table. "Skye?" Trying to act surprised you watch as she bolts to you, hugging you tightly but loosing her grip secounds later. "I bet you think im lame" "Why would I think that" she let's go of you looking away "I'm not blue angel right now, I bet you'll only think im cool if I'm blue angel, let alone want to date me" you scoff "Skye, if I didn't think you were cool I wouldn't have met you here" she looks up as if a bit stunned. "To be honest you kept talking about me to me it made it pretty obvious who you were" you take her hands "and even after the fact that I basically knew your identity I still stuck around" she looked with wide eyes unsure of what to say. "Even if you weren't blue angel, even If you were just a normal person in and out of vrains, I'd still love you all the same Skye" she nearly falls onto you, small droplets plopping onto your shirt, she grips its fabric. "I'm glad" she's able to mumble out between sniffles "really glad" with words no longer needed you hug her letting her cry all she needed to.