#i respect those who do plan to use this feature but that is not what i’m Here for

[wcters]

𝟳 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗬/𝗡 𝗕𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗖𝗨𝗧𝗘

pairing: matt sturniolo x fem!reader

word count: 2.5k

summary: a video that someone put together of moments where you and matt where being cute

warnings/notes: established relationship, swearing, pda, i’m trying to be inclusive so please let me know what i can do that i haven’t done already!

In the beginning, you could say you were kept a secret, but only because you didn’t want to be in the public that early in your relationship. Besides that, your and Matt’s relationship was never kept hidden. Matt loved you and liked to show you off, but you weren’t a social media person. You were fine with being in the background of things and posted on his social media, but you wanted your private life to stay private. You knew what you were getting into when you decided to date an influencer, and you had no problem with it as long as he respected your wishes, and he did.

You didn’t even know he was an influencer when you met, not being on TikTok a lot. You were working ━━ and still are ━━ at a clothing store in LA when you first bumped into each other ━━ quite literally. You were coming out of the back when he backed up into you. You both apologized and went back to what you were doing. You asked your co-worker if she knew who he was because you thought he was attractive. She told you he had been there a couple times before but didn’t know his name. When you were ringing him through, you gave him his receipt. He grabbed it, wrote something on it, and handed it back to you. Low and behold, it had his phone number and name on it.

Ever since then, you two had been . . . You. You immediately kicked it off, going on dates and hanging out, finding out about how he was a triplet ━━ you assumed after seeing the three of them in the store ━━ and finding out he was famous. You used that word, he denied and told you he wouldn’t call it that making you laugh. You had moved to LA for school, and told him that you wanted your private life to stay private if you got together . . . And it did.

You did end up being in the background of videos and livestreams, posted online, and you did feature in a podcast episode, but you never expected videos or compilations of you or matt, let alone just you, so you were surprised when you saw a video titled 7 minutes of Y/n and Matt being cute. You have to admit you smiled and took a screenshot, planning to show Matt when you next saw him. You would wait if you weren’t impatient . . . But you were. He could watch it later. You hadn’t really had a clue as to what would be in it. You didn’t really pay attention to clips of you or you Matt. You had Matt as your boyfriend to experience those moments.

The first series of clips to show up was the many times you had walked in to Matt’s room while he was streaming, and not realizing until you stopped looking at your phone and saw him looking at you. This was always followed by your voice off camera apologizing and him replying with ‘it’s alright babe. You need me to get off?’ He always asked you that when you walked in, not wanting to put the stream over you, and he never did. If you said no, you’d either lie down in his bed and go on your phone or head out to the couch to watch a movie. If you said yes ━━ which you rarely did unless you had a bad day ━━ he would immediately end his stream with a quick goodbye and his attention was on you in an instant.

There were multiple times where you had to help the boys with something for a video. Whether it was setting something up, figuring something out, etc. you were always there. Sometimes it was off camera, sometimes Nick would cut it out, but this time it wasn’t. You remembered them filming this video, being over there when it happened to help if needed and make sure nothing bad happened (them burning another house down).

The three of them had managed to get it out of the box and bag and get it into the right position, but not how to get some of the poles in. “Maybe we should ask Y/n?” Chris suggested as he held up the tent. “No, we don’t need to.” Matt shut down the question as he fiddled with the metal pole. The oldest and youngest were caught looking at each other before they both yelled ‘Y/n!’ You were seen running in, panic in your eyes before you realized nothing bad had happened. “You scared the shit out of me,” you told them, half scolding them, “either way, what’s up?”

“We need help.” Nick smiled, holding up the tent. “You don’t know how to set up a tent?” “We do, it’s just a bit more confusing inside.” Chris answered. “I had nothing to do with this.” Matt butted in, hands up in defense. “Alright. Back up.” You noticed why Nick maybe kept it in as you watched the clip. You were instructing Nick and Chris who were holding up the tent as Matt was gathering more poles. When you asked him to pass you one, you kissed him on the cheek as a thank you forgetting you were on camera. After that, Matt had looked at you like you hung the moon and the stars. To Nick and Chris, you did as you had help them set this whole thing up. To Matt . . . He was just admiring his girlfriend.

After you had gotten together, it became second nature for him to let you know if he was coming up behind you. His hands would grab your waist while he made his passed you. It was seen in the background of multiple TikToks. You didn’t really notice it happening after the first few times because it had become so normal for you, but clips of these motions had made it into the video. You didn’t think those were caught on camera . . . But you didn’t really mind. You thought maybe part of it was because of you how you met, but you really didn’t know, and you’ve never asked.

The next clip was one you’d never forget. When Nick and Chris asked you to help them prank Matt . . . How could you say no? You would never be involved if it was something bad, and this one wasn’t. You knew about Matt’s “crush” on Liam Neeson ━━ having had an idea before he ever admitted it by the amount of times you watched movies and Liam Neeson just happened to be in it ━━ and almost laughed when they told you the idea.

They had asked you to distract him for a long enough time that they could set up all of the pictures, blankets, etc. You wouldn’t say this to Matt’s face, but his room was a little boring - he had the same black pillows and comforter. Without any of your stuff that you had “left” in the room, you were worried about what it would look like. When it got closer to the time that you would be heading back to the house, you had started to get excited. Matt had noticed this and asked what was up, so you had to play it cool . . . You aren’t good at that and you ended up texted Nick and Chris saying something along the lines of ‘he knows somethings up, I don’t have a poker face.” Either way, he didn’t have a clue what was happening.

Your and Matt’s footsteps could be heard through the camera as you made your way toward the door. Matt had texted his brothers and when they didn’t answer, tried to FaceTime them. That’s what could be seen when Matt opened his bedroom door with you behind him smiling. “Oh . . . my god.” Matt spoke, shock on his face. Chris and Nick laughed in response. “This is the prank?” He asked them, “Liam Neeson all over my bedroom is the prank?” The boys nodded. “Wait - Were you in on this?” Matt asked as he turned to you walking toward him and into the room. “‘Maybe.” You shrugged. “I knew something was up,” he wrapped his arms around you as you walked, “you were acting weird.” “I don’t have a good poker face!”

Matt continued to look around the room before Chris turned his camera to face you. “How do you feel about this?” “Well, it’s just a little more Liam Neeson than normal, but it spices’s his room up a little bit more.” “Totally.” Nick agreed.

You had a habit of leaving your things with Matt. Most of the time, it was due to the lack of much needed pockets in women’s pants. When you didn’t ━━ or forgot to ━━ bring a purse, you’d ask him to throw a chapstick or a hair tie into his pocket or wallet. Other times, you were just too lazy to carry something and didn’t want to stick it in your bra.

You also tended to get Matt little keychains to hang on his backpack or car keys. Most of the keychains were from when you went back to Canada to visit your family and bought him something, but you also liked to thrift them too. He would always take them and immediately put them on something. It was his way of silently showing that your his girlfriend and that he loves you, and the things you do for him. Giving him things was your way of saying he’s yours too.

When they posted the TikTok of guess who’s is who, you expected them to only do their things because it was about them, but you were surprised when you saw little bits of you in there. A Canada keychain hanging on his car keys and backpack, a hair tie with his jewelry, and chapstick with his skincare. The comments were flooded with people talking and mentioning you, knowing which one was Matt’s stuff. You smiled when you saw this being featured, and your comment that said ‘girlfriend duties”.

When you had featured on the Cut the Camera Podcast, you had mentioned the Let’s Trip and Versus tour and how you and Matt had to do long distance for a bit. You went to a few of their shows - being flied out per Matt’s request ━━ but because fn your job, you couldn’t be with them the full time. When they were on tour, it felt like you and Matt never saw each other, but in reality you two spoke almost all the time. To some people, Matt could be described as clingy, but you were too . . . And you didn’t mind that about each other.

You never knew that your FaceTime’s were ever caught in camera, but they were in this video, so you guess they were. The boys had done vlogs on the bus, as well as TikTok’s, and this video showed Matt talking to his phone that showed a blurry you. You didn’t even spot that. You could hear you and Matt talking, but too quietly to make out what you were talking about. Long distance was always hard for you and Matt, but you made it work. You would be stupid not to.

When the boys travelled for videos, you usually didn’t go. Not that you didn’t want to, but you had a job in LA and couldn’t be travelling all the time. But when Matt, Nick and Chris asked you to come with them to Texas to shoot a video for Sam and Colby and tour the city, you said yes. You’ve been to a couple of states in the U.S. and thought ‘why not?’ to visiting Texas. Plus, Matt had talked about that amazing thrift store they went to while on your and you were a sucker for vintage.

You didn’t feature in the Sam and Colby video ━━ besides little bits of you in the background ━━ and offered to film if they needed someone to. Matt was scared, and wanted you there. Nick had gushed to you about him wanting to do the Estes method, and you and him wanted you to witness it. You did, however, feature in the Texas vlog the triplets put out on their channel - being seen in the background. But this clip was a specific one from the video.

You were used to the cold, having grown up in Canada, and handled it pretty well. But one night when you went out for Italian, you didn’t dress well enough for the weather. You didn’t think Texas would be that cold . . . But you assumed wrong. While Nick and Chris were talking to the camera, you were in the background shivering with Matt beside you. You were in a long sleeve, vest, and sweatpants. Your legs were warm, you upper body? Not so much.

“You alright?” Matt asked you, moving behind you to wrap his arms around you. “Yeah, a little cold. But it’s fine.” You replied, leaning into him. Matt was like a walking heater. “You sure? You want to switch jackets?” He leaned his chin on your head, swaying you back and fourth. “I’m alright, but thank you. You’re too sweet.” Your conversation wasn’t heard by the camera, but your movements were. Matt could be seen moving his hands up and down your arms and holding your hand as you walked into the place.

You and Matt had similar, but different music tastes. You would recommend each other songs and made playlists, as well as a playlist you both shared with music you both liked. You two would listen to this constantly; while hanging out, in the car, baking and cooking, just doing regular tasks. Matt had given you some guilty pleasure songs, and you had given him some . . . Though he would have never admitted it to anyone besides you. That was until the truth or eat video.

“What is your guiltiest pleasure song and when was the last time you listened to and got into the groove?” Nick asked Matt. He paused, a couple songs immediately popping into his head. “I got to check,” he said as he took out his phone and opened your shared playlist. “This is one that Y/n showed me one time and she loves it.” Matt clicked the song and it started to play. “That sounds like Y/n,” Chris nodded as Nick agreed. “Yeah, that would be my guilty pleasure song. It’s one of her favourite songs so it’s on a lot.”

You remembered seeing a lot of top comments on the video taking about it and seeing the clip a couple times on TikTok with the comments being the same. The next clip after that one was an Instagram story you posted of you two in the car, Matt driving and lip-syncing to the song. Everyone had freaked out over that.

People would also freak out when you would wear his clothes. You had a habit of doing that, you lived oversized and Matt has Great style. TikTok’s and Instagram stories of you wearing a sweater or sweatpants that people recognized were Matt’s were also littered through the video as well. And moments of him slipping a sweater on you or turning you around to see if it was his.

A lot of the moments included in the compilation were just regular things that couples did . . . But you loved the video. You liked it, and sent it to Matt over text with the message ‘people must really like us’. Safe to say, the person who had made it freaked out.

[cleopheanne]

Vedic/ Sidereal observations

- If you have any proeminent Jyestha placement please go buy an evil eye protection, it can be any jewelry with eye imagerie on it not only the classic cristal one that we often see but make sure that it is very visible on you.

The evil eye that is often projected on jyestha is basically a curse, people see your potential even though you crawl in dirt like a scorpio you see. They observe your resilience evolving in a state without resources and fear what you may become once you acquire this abundance, so they manifest your failure DON'T EVER TELL ANYONE YOUR PLANS even if they are family idc

- If you are one of those that went through rahu/ketu antardasha as an adolescent/young adult saturn mahadasa don't got nothing on you , I would say that first the energy of Saturn is difficult because it requires you to actually put in the work: you can not escape it, however when you finally submit and accept it you will often harvest the fruits of your efforts.

Ketu does not work like that at all, your current actions don't actually matter in a ketu ruled period it is your past karma that is resurging, Ketu will take away everything that you actually have not only material possessions but also intellectual ones: opinions, your self-image relationships, everything that makes you appreciate the material world, you cannot truly try to girlboss your way out of a ketu dasa the best thing that you can do is SURRENDER, meditate, be introspective, journal, practice yoga and pick a solitary sport and allow yourself to contemplate life

- Saturn in the 4th house, conjunct moon, or in cancer will destroy the health of the mother

- Mercurials and Martians shouldn't expect empathy from anybody sadly, I don't know why but society seems to agree on the fact that they do not deserve to be understood, taken with softness and respect one thing I think it is due to is the fact that they often appear as very stoic, they keep their emotions often to themselves conserving a very cold even bitchy appearance so people often treat them badly based on this impression, they are often met with the 'you think you are better than us ?' anyway

-I've seen many western astrology post saying how many celebrities have scorpio moons right and it make so much more sense when you see that most of them have their moon in sidereal libra rashi, since saturn is exalted in libra, and saturn is the one who grant tangible material abundance, libras have a natural understanding of how to manifest that abundance: they know how to manipulate the material world, using Māyā.

- Ketuvians how about stoping to hide under the guise of disgust and admit that all you really want is to be included and cared about ?

-Purva Ashada men will have the most long, luscious hair ever beyond that they are often stunning and they conserve a kind of androgynous appearance if often they physique is very masculine with hard features they will have the softest voices, most delicate manners ever, it would be so cool to see them take care of a pet. On a darker side this nakshatra is very recurrent in cult leaders even fictional ones lol

-Dhanista and Revati would do great in bellydancing since both of these nakshatras have instruments associated with them, rhythm is innate to their functioning.

- Rohini women are so funny to be around when they get over their insecurities, they are sometimes so insecure it's just hurtful for me to see that, they will break off their bonds with people especially other women over jealousy and not realize that they are the problem, acting like pick mes, making subtle diss and wonder why they are left alone at the end ! If everybody as a problem (as in you are in an argument ) with you and you are not nodal (ketuvian or rahuvian) you are probably the problem 🤷🏾‍♀️. A little introspection shouldn't scare you 😙 that's how you grow as a person

- I strongly admire Anuradha people, their resilience is unmatched like their bone structure, the most gorgeous faces like they were sculpted by Michael Angelo himself

- Mars and Jupiter are bestfriends so you will notice that in real life most bestfriends have this combination of placements or they can have Venus/Saturn too as these two planets are also best friends

- Purva Phalguni/ leo men are so vulgar lol, they scare the hell out of me, Venusian men in general they act like they will eat you alive 🥲

- Rahuvians deal with a lot of mental issues I've seen mostly chronic depression that can lead to suicide in some cases 😕 if you have proeminent rahu placement, try get more in touch with you ketu placement it has helped me a lot, for example ketu in the first house: self-care, protect your energy and your space do not allow anybody to enter it, take extra care of your body exercise, meditate. Ketu in the 6th house: put yourself at the service of other people, in the 11th house: force yourself to join a community, an organization etc

- I've recently saw an interview of Mia Khalifa and she talked about her childhood and her struggles with her weight and turns out she has a Virgo moon in hasta, it made realize how much Virgo women often struggles with their alimentation in general, they have many toxic behaviors regarding the consumption of food and many many of them have had ED or still have it. It's crazy to see that when the constellation of Virgo symbol is an ear of wheat so it associated with bread and eating in general and the natives of this sign have abnormal behaviors towards food.

[sukunas-wife]

Can I please get a Sukuna family scenario where maybe they see future Yuji... Maybe when he's all grown up. It's fine if you don't want to do it

Baby Yuji to Grown Yuji 😭😭 I’m not sure it’ll be good but yeah! I’ll try for you 🥺🤍

-

Yuji left the Palace when he turned 19, the way you cried when you held his face for the last time smothering him in kisses 🥹 He was your baby boy, your first child, sure his sister and brother were still in the house but you loved him deeply. He clung to your side more and never failed to run to your side in trouble. If Sukuna wasn’t there to dry your eyes, there was Yuji to hug you and tell you “It’ll be okay mom, we can fix it! We just gotta.. we gotta.. I don’t know but we’ll figure it out!” That bright smile he had since he was 2, it was the last time you’d see it for who knows how long. You sniffled feeling Megumi pressed himself into your side hugging you, you smiled rubbing his back when he buried his face into your stomach. Nobara was being fiesty saying “who’s gonna miss him anyways! It’s good he’s leaving he was so loud anyways! A real nuisance if anything.”

Still she started to tear up, Sukuna pulled her into his side. The tears fell freely while she held on tight to his shirt.

The house was quieter, as Megumi and Nobara bickered; it was never as lively as when Yuji was home. The years passed slowly before one morning Sukuna came in with Uraume, dropping into his throne you came to see him. He held his hand out to Uraume who gave him a letter, “This is for you.”

Confused, you took the letter, opened it and read it. Sukuna watched and panicked when you started to cry. He stood up coming over to you snatch the letter away to see who had told you what

“Hey mom

It’s Yuji, your favourite son :)

I just wanted to let you know I’ll be coming home soon. It’s been a long time but I think I’m ready! Tell dad to save a fight for me when I get home! I know I can take him now!

I hope this letter actually gets there, maybe I’ll get there first..

Oh! Will you make those sweet and savoury noodles I used to love? I tried but it always tasted burnt or rubbery. Don’t tell Gumi and Noba I’m coming home! I want it to be a surprise! But I should be home in time for the first day of winter. I miss the snowy hills. I can't imagine Megumi going out and messing with all the snow. He always hated the cold unless he changed. Let's go for a walk when I get back! I miss those milk buns and tea you used to make,

Make sure to tell dad I’ll be home so he better be there! He can’t run now.

Signed, your son Yuji”

Sukuna let out a hearty laugh, “Brat really thinks he can take his old man huh? I’ll prove to him he can’t.” The smirk on Sukuna’s face eased you, you smiled the last tears falling.. “Ryo.. What day is it?” He looked confused before Uraume spoke up, “it’s the first day of winter Lady Y/n.” Almost as if on Cue there was a knocking on the palace doors, Sukuna grinned before making his way to his throne gesturing you to get out the room, you didn’t want to because that’s your baby boy but you definitely wanted to have feel better noodles after he got out in his place by his dad. So you left, Megumi and Nobara were both respectively in their own rooms. Odds are Nobara was planning her attire for the festival the city held every year and Megumi.. well he’s probably resting after having trained with his father all day.

——

Sukuna motioned for Uraume to open the doors, they did.

“So Brat, you really think you can take me on now?” The smug look on Sukuna’s face almost faltered when he saw Yuji had similar markings to his own human form. Yuji smiled brightly, a feature Sukuna would’ve lacked if he wasn’t smiling as bright with how his son entered the room confident. “I think it’s time someone gave you a run for your money.” Yuji was confident, and that might have been his downfall, 7 years may have seemed like a long time. But for Sukuna those 7 years were a breeze. Yuji may have been off training but Sukuna had been training his own kids with their own unique techniques. Smacking his hands on the throne's arms, he stood up, “Uraume.” “Yes Lord Sukuna.” He quickly set up a barrier to the throne room.

“Alright Brat, I’ll go easy on you, I think you’ve forgotten who gave you your malevolent shrine.” Yuji laughed, “You gave it to me, but I perfected it.”

Yuji had indeed not perfected the Malevolent Shrine. Here he laid in an all too familiar position, face down in the red liquid blowing bubbles while his 3/400 pound dad sat on his back holding him in place critiquing him on his flaws. Explaining what he could do better, and how he could improve before he lifted his head, “Okay okay I get it, King of Curses geez cut me some slack I’m your son.” Sukuna laughed standing up off his son before offering a hand when Yuji sat up, his legs crossed, hand rubbing the back of his head. Opening his eyes he saw his dads stretch out, for a second he remembered that same when he fell into a pit of snow one winter and looking up he saw his dad stretching his hand out with an unamused expression that turned to a smirk when Yuji tried to shuffle away. He grabbed him by the back of his shirt pulling him up like he was nothing.

Yuji smiled with closed eyes, taking his dads hand, being pulled straight into a bone crushing hug. While Sukuna crushed him his domain disappeared, “Welcome Home Yuji.” Sukuna put him down, patting his shoulder with a heavy hand, Yuji standing rigid as he smiled, body shook slightly under the weight of his dads heavy pats. He was proud of his son's improvement, but overall he was glad to have his son back home.

Looking around Yuji asked “Where’s mom?” Sukuna’s head cocked to the side, “Your letter got here a few minutes before you did, when you knocked she went off to kitchen. I was doing her a favour by keeping you busy for so long. Yuji sniffed and his stomach growled, the savoury smell of his favourite food coming through the palace, “m hungry.”

Sukuna smiled, crossing his arms over his chest nodding with his head, “Let’s go find your mother then.”

——-

“Mom?” You smiled over your shoulder “Hey sweetie.” Megumi rested his head on your shoulder hugging you. He was watching how you were cutting spring onions. His stomach growled when he spoke up, “We haven’t had these noodles since Yuji was here, I thought you forgot how to make them..” he was looking at the bowls of savoury noodles steaming topped with sesame seeds. One, two, three, four, five… six? “You and Nobara never asked and when I did make em I had to force your dad finish the pot with me when you two made excuses not to eat.” You laughed lightly, bringing a hand up to rub his head.

He huffed through his nose, “It reminds us of him..” you turned to see the top of his head, cheek pressed against your shoulder. You started to sprinkle the spring onions over the middles, “You act like he’s dead Gumi,” kissing the top of his head, “Go get Nobara tell her she doesn’t have a choice. Drag her back if you have to.” He let out a curt laugh, “alright but if you hear her screaming.” You smiled nodding with your head, “Go Gumi.” He stretched standing back up straight, “I’ll be back then.”

Just as he left through the other door Yuji and Sukuna came in laughing from the opposite door. “So he was looking up at me with this ugly face. I almost felt bad for him but I told him “Know your place fool and shhhhk” Yuji made a slicing motion, Sukuna looked proud. “Mom!” Yuji’s face perked up when he saw you, he ran over to hug you “missed you…” For a second his voice was shaky and there was a crack in his resolve. You teared up hugging him back and not letting go. He leaned down and pressed his cheek against your shoulder, eyes closed, the same way he used to sleep on your shoulder as a kid. His grip didn’t loosen when you rubbed your hand up and down his back, “missed you too baby.” Sukuna behind Yuji’s back made a gagging motion before he looked over at the noodle bowl pulling on a noodle to eat. “Cmon I think your dads hungry and Gumi went to get Nobara.”

He didn’t move, he just hummed and you patted his back, “yuuu” you cooed at him before he stood up, “Alright, I’m starved! I’ll help take em out.” You swatted his hand away, “We don’t pay the kitchen help to just sit around. You go sit down.” The kitchen staff started to get everything ready, Sukuna pulled you into his side hugging you with both arms into his left side. “He looks so much like you Ryo…” Sukuna nodded chest puffing up, “Brat’s a damn menace too, wait till he tells you about what he did to a group or sorcerers who tried to wrongly attack him.”

You looked up at Sukuna worried, and he rolled his eyes, “That’s OUR son, I’ll be damned if I ever thought he couldn’t handle his own.”

He squeezed your shoulder nodding with his head, following his lead you both came to see Megumi and Nobara harassing Yuji. Megumi was ignoring him entirely facing away but you could see the soft smile. Nobara was pinching his cheeks forcefully, moving his face around and through it all Yuji was smiling brightly, his eyes closed, “I missed you both too.” Nobara looked shocked and she let him go, she looked away, “Yeah..” you didn’t miss how she closed her eyes with a smug smile.

Tag: @sad-darksoul @cyder-puff @satorisgirl @bontensbabygirl @lupita97lm @queen-luna-007 @sakuxxi @mercymccann @simpforyoubitch @certainduckanchor @domainofmarie @najiiix @bakugou-katsukis-wife @amitiel-truth @souyasplushie @mylovelessnightmare

Some these won’t tag 🥹 I’m sorry 🤍🤍

[songoftrillium]

Project Update 09/01/24

Hello, Kinfolks. We're a little under 60 days from releasing Book 1: Cliath, and I wanted to give you all a quick update, provide a few book facts, and hope this lets you share the excitement the rest of us have been feeling!

Book Layout

As you might've seen from our previews, writing is transitioning from writing to copy editing and book layout! If you haven't yet, check it out! The first two chapters are done, and chapter 3 is well underway. Outside of my work on Hearthbound, this is my first major book project, the largest book I've written, and the insights I've gained are ones I think might help future community content partners publishing work on Storyteller's Vault.

On Bluesky, a few months ago, I commented that you should "plan to take as much time doing layout as you do for writing." Even if one writes the book inline right in the desktop publishing program, annotation will still add time. With a WtE book we want to not just provide an adventure and a crash course on the Tellurian, but to also be a roadmap for Storytellers, new and old alike. This has happened on three fronts. The first and most important is we're taking the time to properly index everything in a way that'll let you look up specific book information quickly. The second is how we streamline information through the liberal use of cross-referencing in footnotes. In early chapters, you read truncated summarization, and in the footnotes, you can find book sections that expand on the information you're looking for and let you tune out the things that may not be so important for you to know at the moment. The third and most important feature, however, is where able, we cite our sources for our information. Should a Storyteller wish to learn expanded information on topics, they have a direct book and page citation where they can find deep lore to help construct their chronicles.

Cracking the Bone: now in coloring flats stage

For those that haven't been following, we are returning to old form. The moment you open Book 1, you'll be greeted with a fully illustrated and colored 22-page comic book showcasing life in the Age of Heroes. This story is centered around Dante (he/they,) our protagonist, and his first steps towards his First Change as a Bitten Homid Philodox. Throughout the book, we'll follow his journey towards becoming a Cliath, forming his pack under Earwig and his first mission as a Zedakh in a pack of other Queer Garou. In successive books, you'll see him transition from a scared baby gay Cub to a respected Elder in the Eastern Concordat! We're all absolutely thrilled to follow them on their journey. Illustrating this comic is the highly talented @mekanikaltrifle, who has partnered with us to bring Dante's story to life. I have a single pane I'd like to show you, bearing in mind these are just a first pass!

Book Pricing Information

We've also finalized some of our possible pricing on this book. On Storyteller's Vault, Community Content is priced on a per-page basis. The average is considered to be 12 cents per page. I did some early market work by releasing Hearthbound on a pay-what-you-want model with a recommended pricing of $2.99, totaling roughly 8 cents per page. I advertised exclusively here and on other social media platforms to queer audiences to help gauge a fair price for materials explicitly marketed to that audience. Of those that decided to pay for copies of the book, readers paid an average of 5$ per copy for an average of 14 cents per page. Given the voluntary nature of the release, we on the team have agreed that we'll be charging a rate of 14 cents per page for this release, which puts us on par with pricing for similar releases with a matching pagecount. With layout underway, we're currently looking at a book length of around 200-250 pages. 50% of proceeds go to the publisher, and the remainder will be split equally among all contributors, myself included. I and another artist have pledged to donate the entirety of our shares toward preserving the Kalapuyan language.

Book 1: Cliath releases on Halloween day!

I'd like to give a shout out to @a-boros-named-seamus, @madamebadger, The Bohemian, @peltofash, @ar2456, and Durodragon for supporting me on ko-fi, through yours and the donations of other ko-fi sponsors, we've managed to hire cultural consultants to review about half of what's been written. Because we weren't able to review all of our written words, we've narrowed our focus onto some of our most sensitive subject-matter, and believe that what we have coming out will be the inclusive Werewolf: the Apocalypse Quickstart you've all been waiting for. Thank you! It means so much to us that we have our own sept of Kinfolk out there who believe in this project!

If you'd like to help sponsor this project, subscribe on ko-fi to help us pay Cultural Consultants to work with us! We have some cool perks for subscribing, including access to book and setting previews, the ability to give feedback on game content we're producing, personalized advice for your own tables, and can even get a shoutout right in the book.

[gotranting]

The Winter Feast - Part One

I had this idea in my mind, and while it did turn out differently than I planned, hopefully someone will enjoy it.

It is a short Cregan x female reader fic where they knew each other for a long time. She lives on the outskirts of Wolfswood, away from the town and the castle itself. Guarding the Northern nature, she is the one people come to whenever they need certain herbs, or a spell done for them. Or when they need to enter the Wolfswood. During the preparations for the long winter, Cregan along with two Northern Lords ventures out to hunt in order to help in securing the winter stocks. Yet in doing so, he forgets to alert the young witch.

*Disclaimer – The Children of The Forest have a human form in the story. Also, I don't know every detail of GoT lore, so the characters are a bit OOC. I tried to find out more about Cregan's personality but there isn't much written about him? I made him after the …sadly only 5 minute show version. I tried to avoid using Y/N because it really throws me off, so there will be a lot of nicknames in the story.

*Next part will have The Feast itself)

*The only description of the character is red hair and brown eyes, although it's not mentioned as much.

Winter is coming.

The Southern lords may mock these words all they wished, but for Northerners, it was a matter of life and death.

Not all survived the harshness of the season, and if it was to judge by the snowstorms, this winter will take many lives. Young, old, lowborn or highborn – it mattered not. She will come for all if they did not prepare.

It was a common sight during these times, to see the hunters coming back from the Wolfswood, their carts filled with deer, boar, rabbits…all sorts of creatures. The meat would be stored to secure the provisions, for the times when all of Nature lay asleep. The skins and the fur were to be gathered, in order to craft clothing that could shield the people from the biting cold.

Anyone could be a hunter if they had the skill and a weapon to arm themselves. In order to secure Winterfell for the winter, many men and women went out in the untamed lands. Younger ones especially, for what better chance than a hunt to prove their bravery?

It is true that some overestimated the danger of the wild, taking far more than was needed or being needlessly careless. Such folk were always reminded of the consequences. Some did not return. Some returned with a part of them missing. And on some came misfortune long after reaching the presumed safety of their homes.

It seemed that it was not direwolves and bears alone that could tear away a man's arm or take their life. No, something else lurked around those woods, paying close attention during the time of the Hunt. Controlling so it does not get out of hand, and that those who walked amongst the tree giants respected all that was around them.

Perhaps it was the creatures from the stories old nans would tell to scare off little children. Perhaps not.

Old Gods were whispering through the branches as well no doubt, watching all those who entered their domain. However, sometimes there were guardians in a more…human form.

Once they were known as Children of the Forest. A race many believed to have been slaughtered and driven out of Westeros.

Some remained. They could not part from their homes, and it would seem they hid themselves well enough.

How it was done, no one knows. Their own ancient magick I suppose. Perhaps they took the form of humans. Perhaps, with time their features had changed, yet the magick remained. What is known is that they were still around Men, and would continue to be in order to guard the rivers, and the forests – and all that lived in them.

One it would seem stayed in the North. A young woman, one might say still a Summer Child, as she had only lived through twenty winters or so.

Her anscestors were well known to the townsfolk and the higher lords alike. They were respected for their wisdom, offering their help when a young babe fell ill, or when cattle needed help with birthing their young. If one needed herbs which were not easy to find, they would come to her family. If they needed a lover to take interest in them, they knocked on her door.

Or, if they wished for another to never return from their travels, it would seem the girl was the first they went to.

Despite being friendly enough with the villagers, she still lived on the outskirts of the Wolfswood, preferring the company of the animals and greenery instead of a more…talkative bunch.

She was respected yes. Feared as well I would say. They knew she protected their lands and for that they were grateful. Even the former Warden of the North came to consult her, in order to know which hunting grounds were unavailable to them.

The young woman would guide them to the bountiful parts of the woods, where they could fill their carts with game without destroying the balance of their ancient homeland.

In turn, they promised not to take more than was necessary. And so an agreement was made.

Honored by the old Rickon Stark, and his son after he became the new Lord of Winterfell.

The young Wolf of the North. Cregan to her.

She never developed a habit of addressing him by his titles, and the young wolf never complained.

His father introduced them at a younger age, and even though she was far more familiar with his sister, the three of them got along rather well.

As the years passed, Cregan turned to his own duties in order to keep his people safe. The girl could not travel to the castle, as her place was here in the wild. Yet, their friendship never weakened.

He would still come to her every Autumn in order to alert her of the hunting party's whereabouts. And as the Hunting season had arrived, she expected him to find her once more.

It seemed though, that the young Warden was too eager to grasp a bow and his sword once more, for no knock was to be heard on her door.

.

„I propose a bet my friends! In order to make our little adventure more interesting, let us see who will catch the most deer once we reach the clearing.“ A voice rang out through the silence of the Wolfswood. „The one with least kills will need to engage in wooing our beloved Aida.“

„If I remember well, the last time you lost Cerwyn, and attempted to pull the same jest, old Aida threw a hefty amount of potatoes at you. Aren't you still forbidden from entering the kitchens?“ The young Osric Mormont jabbed at his friend as he reminded him of that day.

Old Aida it seems had survived eighty winters for a reason. The old cook might had been but a servant in Winterfell, yet she treated the highborn no different than the kitchen boys and girls that worked with her.

A clever soul would not enter her domain when there was a hasty need to bring the meals on the tables in the castle. If they even tried to rush her, they were met with curses that would make a Wildling cover in shame.

She must have been good with a bow or some other weapon in her youth, for Arnolf Cerwyn was hit with almost every potato she threw at him, after he tried to sweet talk her, making a mistake of blocking her way to the oven.

His closest friends were in the main hall, when they saw the young Lord run out with his head covered, as the surprisingly agile woman hobbled after him with her broom in one hand and the sack in another. He could not hear the end of it for days after the event.

Along with that, he had to bring all the vegetables back to Aida, thus facing her wrath once more.

„Just you laugh Osric. You are only jealous, for you do not know how it feels when a woman chases after you with such passion! She shall see we are meant for one another, mark my words“, Cerwyn grinned as he took another swig of his mead.

Cregan could only huff and roll his eyes as he listened to his companions. Even though the young Warden was no stranger to teasing Arnolf, they would frighten all of the animals around if they continued on with their banter. He told them as much, as he surveyed their surroundings, trying to notice the tracks left in the snow.

„I do believe the deer will flee when they see that in our presence stands the frightening Wolf of the North, wouldn't they Arnolf? He would scare them all with his icy gaze, none can stand against him!“ shouted Osric.

He was only met with a stony glare from the young Warden.

Yet after a short moment of silence, it did not deter him from releasing a howl to which Arnolf merrily joined in. Cregan felt a headache coming as he watched his closest friends double in laughter at their poor jest.

„Come now Lord Stark, do release that frown you always hold. We are away from the castle and our duties. Let us rejoice on this fine day, enjoy a good drink while singing the songs of old.“

„Cerwyn, if you start singing now, I swear to the old Gods, it will be you who will go on that cart. Do you wish to tell Aida that we are the reason Winterfell will starve this winter? I assure you that death by starvation would be a better ending than Aida finding you.“

Despite the sharpness in his tone, Cregan could not help but smirk as he saw his friend's face pale at the image conjured up in his mind no doubt.

„Cregan my friend, after all this time I am wounded that you are not aware of my many talents. One can sing while their arrows still pierce straight through the heart of their target. But fine then! Let us all die of boredom as we seek the bloody animals,“ sighed Arnolf as he unsheathed his bow, finally joining in the search for the herd. Osric could only clap him on the shoulder for comfort as he passed in the other direction.

The young lords spent their time in silence and occasional banter as youth often did, as Arnolf could not keep quiet for too long.

Yet, no matter his merry nature, Lord Cerwyn was aware of the weight of their task.

While they were not the only ones to venture out into these woods in order to prepare for Winter, they could not return without a filled wagon. Their people depended on them, and there were many mouths to feed. The night would soon fall upon them, and they could not stay away from the castle for too long. They had to do the most they could with the time they had.

As they went through the denser part of the forest, it was becoming harder to tread through the snow which only seemed to become deeper as they went forward. The large firs looming above them obscured what little remained of the daylight.

Soon, other creatures besides simple deer and rabbits would roam about, and even though the three men had faced blood thirstier foes, it would be a difficult fight if they could not see nor move properly in a fight. The light mood from before was replaced with unease, for it felt as if more than a few wandering ravens observed their movements.

Cregan's frown only deepened as he listened for any unwanted noise.

A branch snapped above them, all three sharply looking up for any sign of a threat. Yet only a deep croak was heard as two ravens flew out of their nest.

„I do not think we are alone,“ whispered Arnolf, his bow drawn to the thickness of the fir canopy.

„Perhaps Aida has finally tracked you down Arnolf“, remarked Cregan, tightening his grip on Ice.

Indeed, even with the birds flying away, the hairs on their necks still stood up, as the feeling of being watched did not disappear.

As they moved forward, a shadow crept above them.

Or was it around them?

Why did it seem as if the trees were closing in on them slowly? Where was the path they came from, it was becoming hard to tell. Were they spinning in circles?

Their heads were starting to feel heavy as they tried to orient themselves. While they could only feel the eyes upon them before, now it was as if they could see thousands of glistening orbs everywhere they turned.

Seeing a real enemy was one thing. Feeling as if it is all in your head without being able to fight back was another. The three certainly felt like one would after far too much mead. Only, their flasks were still full.

„We need to turn back. Now.“ One of the lords shouted - it was difficult to tell which one for all the sounds were muffled. It was rather obvious they were unwelcome here.

„Which way?“ That could have been Osric. Must've been. Shielding his eyes from the rising storm he sought out his friends, unable to see either of them.

A strong pull at his cloak dragged him back.

Aiming for the neck he turned towards the target, only to clash with the greatsword, as grey eyes pierced through him.

Ice and years of practice shielded Cregan from a certain death had that dagger gone through his neck. He gave no time for Osric to come to himself as he nodded in the other direction, dragging Osric along with him.

The two ran as they thought the trees would swallow them up if they lingered a moment more.

Gasping, they both crashed into the clearing, the storm behind them settling down.

„What in the fucking hells was that?“ Arnolf stood by them as he tried to catch his breath as well. They could hear each other properly at last.

A creek of water was humming nearby, even a few chirping birds could be heard as they searched for any remaining seeds.

Strange how only a moment ago there was no sound at all.

„I do not know, and I do not think I wish to know. We are alive, that is all that matters. And look! Over there, do you see them?“ Osric pointed at the herd on the other side of the creek.

Turning around, all three caught sight of the deer trying to reach the last few remains of green hanging on the branches.

Looks like they found what they were looking for after all.

Crouching down, their bowstrings drawn back, they focused on the task that brought them here in the first place. There would be time to talk about what they experienced, but for now they had to be quick.

For the storm could always return as fast as it arrived.

.

„Admit it brother! You lost on purpose! You do know, you don't need a wager as an excuse to court Aida. We shan't judge your tastes.“ Cregan laughed boisterously, as they loaded the last carcass onto the cart.

It seems that the North would survive after all, if all other hunts were as successful.

The road back was far easier than the one they took when entering the woods, thankfully without any new strange encounters. Their hunt had gone far better than they thought it would, creating a joyful atmosphere as they prepared to return home.

Cregan's frown melted as he saw his friends laughing together. Nevertheless, he could not forget what happened to them. It was unlike anything he experienced before. He came to his senses as fast as he could. Still, whatever that was caught him unaware.

He could not kill the wind, nor could he stab eyes if there was no body attached to them. He was caught unprepared.

That frightened him, even as his laughter joined that of his friends.

She would know, he thought. Surely she would. To know Nature was her duty. Surely, she would've been alerted of all who come and go out of the Wolfswood. Surely his friend would…

Cregan inhaled sharply as he heard a light tapping sound behind him, as if something was knocking against the tree bark.

The Starks took their oaths seriously. So did she.

Gods, he made a mistake.

As he turned around, the tapping became louder. The shadow from before had a clearer form now, as she lowered her hood, sheathing her dagger back into its scabbard. Grey eyes met stern brown ones. He took one breath more.

„My lady“, he bowed his head, hoping to somehow melt the iciness of her expression as she regarded the three of them. A raven settled down on her shoulder, as she took a step towards the men, casting one glance to the cart.

„Not much of a lady Lord Stark. I do believe I told you to stop calling me that,“ she murmured gazing back at him. „We had an agreement, you do recall that yes?"

Osric and Arnolf could only exchange an amused look as they watched the Warden of the North trying to appease the young witch. It was a rare thing for her to call him by his titles, if only to tease him. Yet now, there was no trace of a smile.

„Aye, I remember. I swear to you it was an honest mistake, one that I regret committing. We wanted to head back to Winterfell as soon as possible. There is a Feast coming, and I need to oversee the planning of it.“

The witch's expression remained unchanged. Cregan tried once more.

„You have my word Y/N, we haven't taken more than is needed. We were in the clearing you took me to. What you see in the cart is all we hunted.“

„Aye, we were lucky to get to that bloody clearing in the first place. Say Y/N“, added Osric, „is it possible for a blizzard to occur in only one part of the forest?“

As Osric continued to explain what happened to them, Cregan's eyes darkened as he regarded the witch in front of him. She did not seem surprised at all at the strange event taking place.

„All of that to teach us a lesson?“ She turned her eyes back to Cregan, both now glaring at one another.

„I do not ask you to alert me Cregan because I do not trust you to keep our Oath.“

She cut him off as he went to speak once more: „And before you accuse me of anything, know that if I had not reached you on time, we would not be having this discussion. What happened to you is a measure of precaution. I told you once, those who trespass in the Wolfswood do not get out of them alive. Those are not words for bed stories to scare little children.“

She examined him once more, trying to see if her wards had caused any injury. „The spells do not make a difference between a friend or foe.“

She could try to hide behind a stern voice all she wanted, but Cregan could see how her eyes kept moving over his form, trying to see if there is any trace of blood.

He did not know when he moved, for in a few strides he stood in front of her, his eyes softening as he laid one hand on her shoulder.

„We are all right Y/N. We are here, and alive, it is all right,“ He murmured, as his fingers unconsciously traced soothing patterns on her shoulder.

Brown eyes met grey ones for a brief moment before she returned to the task of looking him over. Despite her glares, he knew she was afraid of not making it in time.

He always saw through her when it came to this. Cregan knew how protective she would get over the people she cared about. He supposed they were alike in that matter. And if he was correct in his assumption, she will do her best to hide her worry.

„You bloody idiot, how can you be so reckless!“, she shoved him and he could not help but laugh, which only added to her anger. „You absolute fool!“

He had to take a step back to stop himself from falling down. She was smaller than him, yet he found himself on the ground far more times than he wanted to admit when he was on the receiving end of her anger.

„Is that the way to speak to your Lord?“ he quirked an eyebrow, trying to catch her hands, as she kept pushing at his shoulders.

„Oh will you shut it, you almost died because of a stupid mistake.“

„From your wards.“

„Shut it, I am aware!“

He chuckled once more, finally grasping her hands in his, bringing them between their chests, his eyes holding a gleam as he tried to calm her once more.

„I promise my lady, the next time I do something as reckless as that you are welcome to unleash your fury all you want. For now, I-„

„There will not be a next time, and I do not need your permission for that.“

„As you wish my lady.“

„Shut it.“

His gaze rested on her, a fond smile still playing at his lips. They bickered often, when one or the other did something overly dangerous. Considering their duties, threatening situations were unavoidable. Even though both were skillful fighters, one could often hear them arguing over the lack of carefulness.

A cough interrupted them, making Cregan quickly release her hands, as Arnolf walked up to the pair.

„In order to settle this matter once and for all I propose a truce! Dear Y/N, would you join us in the Winter Feast? We shall settle this in the Northern way! With a good song, and an even better tankard of mead, all of today's troubles shall be forgotten.“

„You cannot refuse, for after all, we have almost lost our Warden today“, chimed in Osric as he came up on the other side of them.

„Besides", a sly smirk appeared on his face, "We are wounded, for you have not paid such care to our own possible injuries“, he clapped the young Wolf on the shoulder. Cregan only frowned as he regained his composure, rolling his eyes at his friend's antics.

„I planned on coming anyway, you needn't guilt me into going my Lords.“ The raven above her croaked once more. „For now, I have other matters to attend to, so I shall bid you farewell.“

As she turned towards the Wolfswood, Cregan found himself shouting after her: „You are armed yes?“

Rising her dagger out of her scabbard she waved as the shadows of the giant fir trees enveloped her once more.

„Falling for women who attempt to kill you Cregan? Can't say I am surprised. It is all right, we shan't judge your tastes old friend. Besides, she is a fiesty beauty.“

Arnolf's face was met with fresh snow, as Cregan pushed past him towards their horses.

„Shut it.“

[babydollmarauders]

MEDIA MANAGEMENT — JACK HUGHES (23-24 SZN PART 18)

au masterlist

notes: this is short but i needed it out and i’ve been much too busy to write lately and i’m running on very little sleep and can barely keep my eyes open

y/ndevils00

liked by jackhughes, ehaula, and 428,715 others

y/ndevils00 we’re not back

we are SO not back.

but you know who IS back?! MY SEXY ASS, 22 POINT HAVING, COMEBACK GOAL SCORING, SNACK STEALING BOYFRIEND!!

despite the unfortunate 5-3 loss against the dish rags, we did get a few good goals tonight, starting with one from everyone’s favorite previously injured man, JACK ROWDEN HUGHES!!!

babygirl also assisted on Uncle Haula-hoop’s goal (the third and final Devils goal)! and in between those goals, Pally pocket got a goal!!

however, towards the end of first, we were down by one, and despite my strongly worded advisory, coach bark pulled my main man Vitek and let the rags score an empty netter….

anyways! bestie number 1 was wrongfully accused and jailed in the second— his crime? his flow was too nice. not very jail worthy, but the bald bitch from the other team had it out for him.

goodnight and please enjoy the last couple photos i took of my sassy boy toy during his post-game interview where he couldn’t keep his eyes off me— can’t say i blame him 🤭

tagged jackhughes, pally_18, ehaula, and dawson1417

Load more comments

user93 the red m&m in the 3rd pic is sending me 😭

y/ndevils00 give him some respect! he assisted on that goal!

jackhughes i didn’t realize you were saving the cheez-its!

y/ndevils00 they were my work snack! i need food in order to keep my energy to run around the arena!

jackhughes i give you $30 before every game for you to buy snacks??

y/ndevils00 i prefer to use that money for drinky drinks

lhughes_06 that explains so much

dawson1417 he can’t have my hair!

y/ndevils00 baldy should’ve thought about his flow before he shaved his head! i’ll protect your hair!

john.marino97 and how will you do that?

y/ndevils00 @/john.marino97 the same way i get rid of all the men in my dm’s— beat ‘em off with a stick!

jackhughes MEN IN YOUR DM’S????

y/ndevils00 @/jackhughes oh don’t act so surprised! i’m a catch and everyone knows it!

trevorzegras @/jackhughes damn dude, better get a move on with ‘plan alpha-alpha’ before someone snatches up your girl

user66 i love the jack-centric posts! y/n feeds us 🙏

ehaula did you know there’s other players on the team besides your boyfriend?

y/ndevils00 did you know i don’t care about anyone else?

ehaula trust me, i can tell

y/ndevils00 then why are you asking stupid questions you already know the answer to?

ehaula i’m disowning you

y/ndevils00 you can’t do that!

ehaula pretty sure i can!

y/ndevils00 nuh-uh! tell him @/kristen.haula

kristen.haula you can’t disown our niece, Erik!

y/ndevils00 TOLD YOU! NA-NA-NA BOO BOO!

ehaula i can’t believe you’ve wormed your way into my family and won’t leave

dawson1417 yeah, that’s what happens

john.marino97 my mom calls her the daughter she never had

john.marino97 excuse me, where am i?!

y/ndevils00 idk, your couch?

john.marino97 IN THE POST! where am i IN THE POST!

y/ndevils00 oh, you got no points. do better and maybe you’ll be featured

john.marino97 i tried!

y/ndevils00 so try harder?? idk what to tell you

john.marino97 why am i friends with you

y/ndevils00 because i’m hot and funny and smart?

john.marino97 no, that’s not it

user20 poor dawson in the box 😭

_quinnhughes i’ve missed your chaotic energy! can’t wait to see you soon, Dove!!

y/ndevils00 aww! so excited to see you soon huggy! 🥹🤍

jackhughes not once have you said you can’t wait to see me?

lhughes_06 you’ll see your brothers too??

_quinnhughes @/jackhughes @/lhughes_06 okay?

y/ndevils00 @/jackhughes @/lhughes_06 i’m lost on what that has to do with me?

lhughes_06 NOTHING! it has NOTHING to do with you!

y/ndevils00 @/lhughes_06 yeah, so it’s irrelevant

nicohischier i hate not playing, but i won’t lie, i love not being on these posts

y/ndevils00 it’s only a matter of time, captain slut!

[zenosanalytic]

I've been thinking about how to articulate a thought I had about a possible Doylist/non-diegetic reading(EDIT: I originally wrote "Watsonian" here, which is the opposite of what I meant X| X| Brain, you Tricksome Jester *shakes entirely metaphorical fist*) of Eridan's Trollian handle, caligulasAquarium, in response to a post of @mmmmalo's, and I think I've got it.

Ok So: the popular perception of Caligula is as a "Mad Emperor". One of the points used in this depiction is his "War on the Sea", which is taken as obvsl absurd and empty and irrational(and possibly hubristic). Eridan chooses to call himself "caligulasAquarium" and he lives in a wrecked ship(a feature commonly put in aquariums)... on the surface.

So like: maybe the title is meant to be taken by the audience as ironic. Eridan's claim to an "Aquarium" is as absurd and empty and irrational as Caligula's claim to have warred upon the sea(in the common understanding of those events; as a matter of history this seems to be a Telephone distortion, from the sources I can find).

A few more points that have occurred to me since I started writing this:

Caligula "Made War on the Sea"; Eridan wants to "Make War on the Surface" by Killing All Landwellers, carrying forward the themes of inversion btwn Alternia and Earth.

Also: "Kill All Landwellers", "Kill All Humans": he's lampshading common evil-alien-overlord tropes

...Which in itself is sort of dunking on HIM, since Eridan is nobody's overlord he's just some GUY. Like: Yes, he's "Nobility" due to blood-caste, but he has no influence, no power, no RESPECT from anyone we meet, no friendships let alone alliances with other socially powerful individuals(other than Feferi, who seems to have foresworn all that to monastically care for G'lybgolyb) that he could USE to have influence; he's just a loner with his grand-dad's gun and allot of pretension.

...which you could argue furthers his parody of USian internet white-supremacists? Like: He is THEM: a gun-humping loner who only feels comfortable talking to the people he claims to hate, with no idea how unpleasant he makes himself to interact with, and even less interest in introspection or self-awareness, fetishizing past genocides as a way to claim for himself a "Glorious Past" he had nothing to do with.

As Feferi(and possibly other characters I'm forgetting) point out, Eridan's ambition to Kill All Landwellers is more than a little absurd. He's never really DONE anything to plan or prepare for it, and aside from Fef he exclusively hangs out with and befriends Landwellers, as well as LIVING ON LAND(well: a sandbar or reef). This could be taken as furthering the Caligula "War on the Sea" parallel.

Expanding on the last: Caligula, THE EMPEROR OF ROME and Grandest of Nepo-babies, was rather notably disdainful of and hostile towards the Roman nobility and inherited wealth/rank. This connects to Eridan in two ways I can think of: 1) his avoidance of other seadwellers, and 2) his philosophical hostility to landdwellers while Being, in practice, A Landweller. Basically: both Hate things about themselves shared by others.

Reinforcing #3: the choice of Caligula, a Troll-Emperor. Again: Eridan is Just Some Guy; he does not command armies, he does not command society, he can't even command Equius, who GETS OFF ON being ordered around. This is Pretension.

...which, I guess, you could connect AGAIN back to Caligula via the popular memory of him wanting to be treated "As A God", but it should be noted that 1)everyone who wrote anything about him hated the guy and was explicitly dunking on him, so we don't know how accurate these charges are, and 2)in the Roman context, while legal apotheosis was reserved for after death, imperial Divinity was already de facto given that sacrifices and prayers to the Emperor's health and success were legally mandated civic religious duties, AND 3)that classical Greeks and Romans, contra the Abrahimic societies which would later create this popular memory, considered apotheosis a real possibility for notable individuals.

[something-tofightfor]

On Deck Part 4: Starting Line-Up

Pairing: Jack Daniels x Female Reader Baseball AU

Word Count: M - language, some mentions of past sexual situations, pining (but is it mutual?)

Rating: 10,185

Summary: In the days following Jack's first visit to your place, you're forced to think through just about every possible future scenario. And when he makes an offer you're not expecting, you start to believe that there might be just a little more to it than sex for him.

Author’s notes: 

I absolutely love this chapter. If you skip ahead to the end, there's a picture included to describe the type of view Reader has. I know not everyone is familiar with baseball stadiums and the opportunities they offer for seating, but I also don't want to ruin it too early.

This chapter ALSO features Jack wearing the uniform in this artwork - and is the entire reason this AU was started.

(On Deck universe masterlist for all the extras!)

While there are a lot of baseball references within this story, you only need to know the basics to enjoy it and understand what's going on - we're not getting overly technical here.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out.

The starting line-up is the official list of players who participate from the beginning of the game onward. This may change throughout the season, as players leave due to or return from an injury. Starters are usually the team's best players at their respective positions, and as a result, being a starter often comes with notoriety A spot in the starting line-up is hard-earned. 

You didn’t hear from Jack the following day, but you didn’t expect to. 

Not because you thought he’d used you, but because you knew how busy he’d be between driving to meet with the team in Louisville and then heading back to The Cavalry and playing in that night’s game. 

All day, though, you thought about him - and about the previous day… and night.

Your experience with Jack was different than those you’d read about online, or heard about at games. He’d treated you as an equal, giving you a legitimate explanation as to why he did and didn’t do or want certain things in bed. He hadn’t flaunted his status or reputation throughout the night, and his interaction with the girl at the ice cream parlor proved that Jack was focused on giving kids a good experience when they met him no matter where he was. It’s not just when he’s in uniform. 

You opted to work instead of taking the day off like you’d planned, and he was on your mind as you did so. The memory of his voice rasping in your ear and the feeling of his mouth on your bare skin sent shivers through you while you were poring over spreadsheets and drafting emails, and it made the day go much faster. By the time you were done for the night, you were almost vibrating, the truth of what had happened settling in. 

You’d slept with Jack Daniels. 

You’d met him for something he’d clarified wasn’t a date, and invited him back to your place without a second thought. He’d been nothing but kind to you, and you hadn’t felt that he thought less of you for being so forward. There was a small part of you that wondered if he thought you were easy. But he’s known for being a flirt. He’s been with a lot of people throughout his career, and … 

There was no way to know for sure what was going to happen until you heard from Jack again. You’d need to see how he acted the next time you spoke before you could assume anything - though with Jack, you figured it wasn’t safe to assume at all. 

You wanted to tell Erin what had happened. You wanted her to know everything, because in reality, it was thanks to Caleb that you were even in the position to meet Jack in the first place. But it felt wrong to talk about the not-date, and even more wrong to kiss and tell… so you held off.

And when you woke up on Tuesday morning to a text message from Jack, you were glad that you’d kept quiet. 

Check my Instagram. 

Before even sitting up, you did, groaning at the sight of his newest picture - a promotional shot for that weekend’s games, featuring a close up of his nickname on the back of a bright yellow jersey, the tip of his black bat’s barrel visible where it rested on his shoulder.

When do I get to see the whole thing? 

You double tapped the picture after replying, and didn’t expect a response. But Jack started typing back immediately, his message a completely unexpected one. 

Friday, if you come to the game. 

“Is that an invitation?” Blinking at your phone, you chewed on your lower lip. It seemed like it. It seemed like Jack was making good on his promise that you’d see each other again because he wanted to. But this time, it wasn’t to meet for ice cream. Instead, it was a personal invitation to his first game back with The Statesman. 

This weekend has been sold out for weeks, Jack. I’ll need to find a ticket, but I’ll see what I can do. 

You didn’t have a chance to open a search for tickets before your phone was ringing, Jack’s name on the screen. What the fuck? Why is he calling me? Taking a few seconds to compose yourself, you took a deep breath before answering. “Hello?” 

“‘Morning, sunshine.” He laughed and then scoffed. “That was real cheesy, right?”

“A little.” But you were laughing, too. “You’re up early.” 

“Have to stay on schedule during the season.” He paused and cleared his throat. “And I’ve got some packing to do before I come back to Louisville.” So he’s cleared. “I’ll be back for Friday night for sure.” 

“That’s great, Jack.” You rubbed at your eye with one hand. “Bet you’re happy.”

“I am. I miss my bed.” You didn’t know how to answer him, but he spoke again before the silence stretched for too long. “And about a ticket … I can get you in on Friday.” What? “Actually…” He trailed off, and a few seconds later, Jack sighed. “Do you think your friend and her brother would want to come with you?”

“I can see. I’m not sure. It’s a Friday night, so she’s probably going to be with her boyfriend, but -”

“Invite him too.” Jack said your name. “Give me a couple hours, and I’ll let you know for sure, but four of you shouldn’t be a problem.” 

“You don’t have to do that, Jack.” Sitting up straight, you held your phone tightly with one hand. “It’s -”

“I know.” You could tell that he was smiling, and when Jack spoke again, you heard the laughter in his voice. “I want to.” You didn’t argue, lifting your free hand and biting down on one knuckle. I want you to, too. “I know you’ve gotta work today, but can I call you back later? I need to make sure I’ve got tickets, and -”

“Of course. I’ve got a meeting at 11:30, but aside from that, I’ll be able to answer all day.” 

You hung up soon after that, Jack telling you to have a good morning and you repeating the same back to him. But you didn’t get out of bed right away, instead lowering your phone and staring at the ceiling in shock. What the fuck did I get myself into? 

— 

He called back a little after 1 PM, his cheerful voice loud in your ear. “Tickets are yours. All you’ll have to do is go to Will Call and give ‘em your name and they’ll be able to help you.” 

“Four of them?” He confirmed. “Thank you, Jack. I wasn’t… I didn’t think you’d…” 

“Well I did. And you’re welcome. I hardly ever ask for anything, and the ticket lady the players talk to loves me, so this was easy.” But the confirmation that you had tickets raised an issue for you - and it required you to explain it to Jack. 

“Erin’s going to ask how I got them.” Leaning back in your chair, you stared up at the ceiling. “And I don’t want to lie to her.” 

“So don’t.” His tone was matter of fact, Jack’s next words shocking you. “Tell her I got them for you.” But that will bring up what happened the other day. “Didn’t you tell her you were goin’ out with me last weekend?”

“No. I didn’t tell anyone.” He was silent in response, which surprised you a little. Why is that a shock to him? Did he really think I’d tell people? “That’s not my style, Jack.” 

“I appreciate that, darlin’.” It made you smile again, especially with the way his voice dropped as he spoke the word. “But you tell her whatever you need to. You don’t need to keep me a secret.” 

“I don’t think I need to tell her everything to offer her tickets to a game, but I’ll keep that in mind.” He laughed at you, the sound turning into a groan - and you savored the sound of it, biting your lip before you continued. “I’ll let you know for sure after I talk to her, but I’ll definitely be there on Friday even if they’re not.” 

“Good. That’s real good.” Jack cleared his throat. “I’m gettin’ ready to go to the stadium now, so if I don’t answer, that’s why.” He doesn’t need to explain himself to me. I don’t… why is he doing this? “Talk to you soon?”

“Sure.” Your smile widened, and when the two of you hung up a few seconds later, you tossed your phone down onto your desk. Shit. 

Things were escalating quickly, thanks to Jack taking the initiative - and it stunned you. He hadn’t mentioned seeing you again, though, which gave you pause. But he’s going to be busy before Friday, and then he’s got games all weekend, so there might not be time. Maybe that’s why he didn’t suggest it.

A quick check of the schedule told you that the team was leaving for a short road trip on Sunday afternoon, which meant that he’d be on the go almost immediately. So it makes sense. I’ll just see him from the seats. 

It was somewhat disappointing, there was no way around it. But the fact that he’d invited you in the first place cheered you up enough that you reached for your phone again, opening your messages with Erin. 

Hey, got something to ask you. Call me when you’re done with work? 

— 

Her phone call came just after 5 that day, Erin’s greeting friendly but curious before she jumped right in. “You usually don’t ask to ask me things. Why today?” 

“What are you doing Friday?” Tilting your head back, you closed your eyes and enjoyed the heat of the sun on your face. “Friday night, I mean. After work?” 

“Troy and I were going to go to dinner, but that’s about it.” Perfect. “Why? What are you doing on Friday?” 

“Do you want to go to the Statesman game?” You paused, opening your eyes and looking out at your yard. “You and Troy and Caleb?” She was quiet for a few seconds and you were too, waiting. “I’ve got four tickets, and -”

“Isn’t it Players Weekend? I thought it was sold out. Caleb’s been talking about it for like a month.” 

“It is. And yeah, it’s sold out. But I was offered tickets. Free tickets.” 

“From where?” There it is. “Did they reach out because they saw your post about Caleb and Jack?” You thought of Jack’s words - of him telling you to tell Erin, of his assurances that it was alright for you to talk about knowing him. I’m still not going to tell her everything, but … 

“No. It wasn’t the team, Erin. It was Jack.” You heard her intake of breath, but before she could say anything, you continued. “He messaged me after he saw it the other day, and we ended up going out on Sunday night for -”

“You what?!” She screeched the words in your ear and then laughed. “Shut the fuck up.” 

“We went and got ice cream. He was up here to work out with the team and to take pictures for next weekend, and had no plans, so…” 

“So you went out with him. Fuck me, that’s wild. I told you making that post was worth it. So you went out on a date and then he offered you tickets for another game? Why four? Why not just -”

“I’m not sure.” Standing, you stepped out onto the grass, the blades of it cool against your feet. “But he called me this morning and suggested it. He specifically mentioned you and Caleb, but I have no idea where the tickets are, so I can’t promise anything.” 

“He called you? He must like you.” She laughed, the sound turning into a hum. “What else happened Sunday aside from the ice cream?” She was teasing you - and there was no concrete reason for you to answer her, but you did anyway. 

“He came back here for a little while.” Curling your toes, you let out a long sigh. “He didn’t stay the night, though. So -”

“Good for you.” She said your name, waiting until you were quiet to say anything else. “And now he’s offering you tickets. You definitely made an impression.” Your mind wandered back to the time you’d spent with him - to the way his mouth felt as it met yours and the way his hands skated over your skin as they explored your body. He definitely left an impression on me. “I don’t think we should tell Caleb where the tickets are coming from, because he’ll never let you hear the end of it.” She hummed, the woman clearly thinking on her end of the line. “But we’ll go on Friday. It sounds fun.”

“We can take one car. I’ll pick you up.” Walking back to your patio, you paused at the edge of it. “And … Erin? Maybe don’t tell Troy either. Jack said that I could tell you that they’re from him, but I don’t … I don’t know what’s going on, so -”

“My lips are sealed.” She laughed again. “I do have one question, though.” I can already tell this is going to be a doozy. “What’s he like? He handsy? Does he talk a lot? How does he kiss?”

“He’s … thorough.” Your cheeks heated as you spoke, your fingers curling around your phone. Very thorough. “And I would very much like to kiss him again.” A lot. Erin snorted at your reply, muttering the words I knew it under her breath. “He’s nice, Erin. Confident and a little cocky, but not insufferable about it. A little girl interrupted us while we were eating, and he didn’t get mad. He took a couple minutes to talk to her about baseball, and it was just …a relief, I guess? I don’t know. I’m glad he’s not an asshole.” 

“I am too. That would be really disappointing.” It would. “But I’m going to drive home now. Work kicked my ass today, and I need to eat.” She let you know that she’d get ahold of you after she talked to Troy and Caleb, and then you hung up, deciding to go back inside so that you could start dinner, too. 

While you cooked, you sent a message to Jack, giving him an update. You kept it simple, giving yourself no time to overthink your words. 

Erin’s in. Looks like it’ll be all four of us Friday. 

You figured he wouldn’t reply, but your phone vibrated a few minutes later with his answer. 

Real happy to hear that. It’s gonna be a good game. 

You thought that was it, but moments later another message came through - and there was a picture attached to it. Second to last time I’m putting on this uniform.

It was slightly blurry and off-center, but it was of Jack. He was dressed in his uniform and missing his hat, the grin on his face wide. You looked closer, seeing that he was standing in front of his locker, and realized that he’d likely taken the photo only moments before sending it. That means it was for me, and… “Shit.” 

If he’d sent you a photo, that meant he was probably waiting for a reply. You didn’t keep him waiting, sending back a winking emoji along with the text: Looking good, Jack - DAMN. But I think I prefer your other uniform. 

It was just flirty enough to let him know you appreciated it, and not over the top the point he’d think you were being clingy. But after a few minutes, you saw that the message had been delivered - and unread … which meant he’d see it after the game. And that means I have a few hours to relax. 

But you didn’t relax. Instead, you ate dinner on the couch and tried not to think too hard about the Friday night game. 

— 

You were a few minutes early to Erin’s on Friday, and Caleb was already waiting in the front yard when you pulled up. 

You heard him yelling for Erin and Troy, even with the windows shut. By the time he was reaching for the door handle, you were laughing, head tilted down and one palm flat against your forehead. “Hey, Caleb. Let me guess… you’re excited.” 

“Of course I am.” He settled into the back seat, buckling in. “Aren’t you? Won’t be as cool as what happened the last game, but my mom gave me money to buy a new jersey.” Well, for me, it’s even more cool, but you don’t know that.

“Oh yeah?” You caught his eye in the rearview mirror, grinning. “Whose are you gonna get?” The look on his face was answer enough, just like you’d assumed. “Jack, then. Hopefully they have one in your size.” 

Erin and Troy approached the car, the woman letting him pass her so that he could sit in the back with Caleb while she took her place next to you. But it was him that spoke first, greeting you and reaching forward to squeeze your shoulder before he was fully situated. “Thank you for driving. And thanks for the tickets.” 

“Yeah, thank you!” Caleb joined in, nodding enthusiastically. “Mom also said we’re supposed to -”

“My mother,” Erin interjected, reaching for the volume knob to twist the radio’s sound lower. “She said we’re supposed to buy you dinner tonight, as a thank you.” 

“It’s not necessary.” Heading down the street, you shrugged. “It’s not like I paid for these tickets, so if we split parking, it’s even.” 

“Still.” She elbowed you. “We’re going to buy you dinner and maybe a drink or two.” I might need those.

The four of you made small talk on the drive downtown, though the closer you got to the stadium, the quieter you got while they kept things going. Why am I nervous? It’s not like I’m going to run into him. 

But there was a chance you’d see him, and that Jack would see you. It seemed inevitable that Caleb would want to go back down closer to the field in an attempt to meet the man a second time. And if that happened, you couldn’t just hang back with Erin, letting Troy sit with the boy. No. I’d have to go, otherwise it looks like I’m avoiding him after he did something nice for us today. 

You were early enough that there was still available parking in the attached garage, and before you could do anything about it, Troy stuck his hand out the window, debit card held firmly between his fingers. 

Erin laughed about it as you pulled away to park, but all you managed was a tiny smile and quiet thank you before slipping into a space. Here goes nothing. 

The four of you joined the slow trickle of other fans heading toward the elevators. After getting on, Caleb inserted himself between Erin and Troy while you leaned against the far wall, chewing on your lower lip. 

“We have to go to Will Call first.” You looked at the preteen, raising a brow. “We can’t just run to get in line like last time.” 

He grumbled back that he knew, and you laughed, your mood lightening considerably. And as your group exited the elevator and turned toward where the ticketing windows were, you stayed that way. Troy offered to wait with Caleb so you weren’t all crowding the line, and you agreed, thankful for a few minutes of time alone with your friend. 

“He’s going to want to go and meet the players.” She spoke quietly, leaning closer to you. “What happens when you see -”

“Nothing.” You shrugged, taking a breath. “Or, nothing weird, I hope. He seems like the kind of guy that wouldn’t make a big deal of what happened.” 

“What about you?” You stepped forward, only a few people between you and the windows. “Can you be cool about it?”

“I’d hope so.” You looked over at her, grinning. “It wasn’t awkward when he left, so I think I did pretty well there.” She didn’t say anything else until it was your turn, Erin stepping forward with you and waiting to see what you’d say. “Hi. I’m supposed to have some tickets waiting for me. I think I’m on a list?” 

The man behind the glass nodded. “I’ll need to see your ID.” Reaching into your bag, you pulled your wallet out and then handed the thin card over, sliding it through the opening. He took it and started typing, his eyes on the computer screen in front of him. “Oh.” He hummed, tipping his head to the side, and then reached for the phone beside the device. “Hey, we need to send someone from SL down to ticketing to pick up a group.” 

You glanced over at Erin, confused, but her expression was the same as yours. SL? What’s that? Turning your head, you looked over at Caleb and Troy, the little boy seated on a stone wall while he looked up to talk to the man. Why do we need to be picked up? The sound of your name got your attention, and you looked back at the window, sucking in a breath. “Yeah? Sorry. I -”

“If you and your group will step off to the side by the door,” he pointed, still smiling. “Someone will be down in a few minutes to escort you in.” He slid your ID back to you. “Have a good night.” You thanked him, somewhat dazed, and turned toward the door, Erin close behind you. 

“We didn’t get tickets? What happens now? What did -” 

“Fuck if I know, Erin. I have no idea what’s going on.” She waved her brother and fiance over, the two of them meeting you moments later. 

“What’s going on? Where are the tickets?” Troy looked between you, frowning. “Do we need to -”

“Someone’s coming to get us.” You stuffed your hands into the pockets of your shorts. “I know nothing else.” Jack had seemed certain that he had tickets available for you, so you weren’t worried about getting into the stadium, but as to whatever else happened, you were clueless. Maybe it’s one of the lower sections. Maybe it’s the club section and we need wristbands or something. 

No one had anything else to say, and by the time the door opened a minute or so later, you were even more confused. But the woman - who introduced herself as Mary - put you at ease. “Welcome to Players Weekend.” She opened the door fully, greeting you by name. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your seats for the game.” Sneaking a look at your friends after you thanked her, you caught Erin’s eye, the woman’s gleaming with intrigue. “It’s a little busy tonight, so make sure you stay close.” 

You did - following Mary as she led you down a short hallway and then through another set of doors and onto the lower concourse. You felt better one you were inside with the crowd, the thought that since you were in the stadium, that was all that mattered crossing your mind. 

But your thoughts blanked as she led the four of you toward a third set of doors and used a badge hanging from her belt to unlock them. “Where are we going?” Caleb broke the silence, the boy pushing forward to stand next to you. “I’ve never been in here before.” 

“This is the entrance to the dugout suites.” Mary looked down at him, her smile gentle. “Not many people have been in them before.” The dugout suites? Freezing at her words, your mouth dropped open. Jack, what did you do? “Come on. Yours is one of the cozier ones, but it’s one of my personal favorites.” A fucking suite? 

You walked down another hallway, the space curving to follow the shape of the stadium, and you realized that you were heading toward the Statesman’s dugout. Your head whipped to the side and you saw that Troy had put that together, too, his eyes wide and his grin threatening to split his face. “A suite? Right by where the players are?” Caleb was next to Mary, the boy’s voice loud. “Why are we -” 

“I don’t know.” She stopped in front of a door that had the words CHAMPAGNE LOUNGE engraved onto a golden plaque next to the team’s logo before reaching for the keycard again “But I do know that you’re going to have an amazing time.” She swiped the card and the light turned green. “Go ahead. Open the door.” Caleb looked back at you and you nodded, lips pressed together in a thin line. 

He opened the door and cautiously peeked inside, but as soon as he saw something, he darted in, leaving the rest of you standing in the hallway. Erin called after him, rushing forward and following him inside, but Mary only laughed, pushing the door all the way open and gesturing for you to follow. 

“The view is incredible, I don’t blame him for being excited.” 

She wasn’t lying. The entire back wall of the suite was windows so that the field stretched out in front of you, a cluster of seats on a small porch visible through the tinted glass. Caleb was busy pulling the door open to get to where they were, but you stopped just inside of the room, shaking your head. “This is too much, I just …” 

“My advice?” Mary looked at you, raising her eyebrow. “Enjoy it.” I will, but… “This is the Champagne Lounge.” 

“As in the team owner?” Troy stepped forward, arms crossed. “That Champagne?”

“Yes.” Mary nodded, giving you a wink. “He chose the decor, so that’s not on us, but …” You really looked around for the first time and had to bite back a laugh at the way it was decorated. I mean it makes sense, but … 

Everything was rustic and warm, the countertops and table surfaces made from gleaming wood. The floor looked a little rougher and worn, and you saw a few small area rugs scattered throughout the space, which made it more inviting. “You have a full menu available to you.” She moved toward the counter, picking up a small binder. “There are snacks and drinks along the back wall,” she pointed with one hand, flipping the pages open. “Left fridge is water and soda. The other is filled with beer, and there are a couple bottles of the Statesman/Whiskey collaboration for you to use.” He shield the binder up. “But if you want other kinds of mixed drinks, they’re all in here and you can order them to be delivered. Same with the food options.”

“How much -”

“Everything is complimentary.” Her smile was soft. “You’ll have an attendant that will come and check on you once I’ve let them know you’re in here, and they’ll be available whenever you need them through the tablet on the counter. But anything in this menu is fair game.” 

It made your head spin. You’d assumed that you’d have tickets somewhere decent - maybe in the lower level - but hadn’t ever even dreamed that Jack would get you a suite, much less Champ’s suite. 

“There’s also something for you in that box over there.” Mary gestured toward a white, rectangular box that was sitting on a small side table. What the hell is that? “There’s a bathroom back here,” she pointed at the side wall, and then put her hand on her hip. “The door does lock if you go out into the hallway, so once all of you leave the suite, you can’t get back in.” 

“Ok.” You nodded, blinking slowly. “It’s taking me a little while to catch up. This is … I wasn’t expecting these seats, and …” She laughed, asking if there was anything else you needed, and when you said no, she turned away and headed for the door, letting you know that someone else would be in a few minutes later. 

And once she was gone, you finally exhaled, covering your face with both hands. “You must have done something right. This is fucking insane!” Erin put her hands on your shoulders, saying your name. “How did -”

“I don’t know.” Biting your lip, you shook your head rapidly. “I have no fucking idea, this is …” 

“Are you guys coming out here?” Caleb poked his head in, his eyes bulging. “You can see the whole place. We’re right next to the dugout. I can see the steps where the players walk out onto the field!” Troy took a few steps forward and Erin followed, looking back at you. 

“Give me a second.” You could tell she was worried, but she still went, leaving you alone in the interior of the suite. After spinning slowly around to take everything in, you reached for your phone, fingers shaking as you opened your text with Jack. The last message was from him, sent hours earlier - and telling you to enjoy the game. 

You didn’t know what to think. You wanted to let him know you were grateful, but didn’t trust your voice not to waver in a voice message. So you settled for raising the device and taking a selfie, the suite and field visible behind you. 

This is too much, Jack. But thank you. I don’t even know what else to say. 

He was likely getting ready in the locker room - and you didn’t know if he’d even see the message before taking the field. But he’ll see it later. And he’ll see what time I sent it. You were just getting ready to put your phone away and join your friends when a message popped up on the screen. 

You’re welcome. But where’s your jersey? 

“What jersey?” You hadn’t ever told him that you owned one, but when your eyes flicked over to the white box again, your stomach dropped. He didn’t. Leaving your phone on the counter, you approached the box, dimly aware of the sounds of your friends talking through the open door. Using both hands, you lifted the lid, swearing as the contents came into view. “Jesus, Jack. What the fuck.” 

There was a note sitting atop the bright yellow fabric, and with unsteady hands you reached for it, heart pounding while you read the words. 

(Note text: Couldn’t start the game dirty. Thought you might want this though. JD)

You lifted it out of the box, holding it up in front of you. Immediately, your eyes were drawn to a black smudge on one shoulder, and you laughed as you realized what it was from. He’s worn this. 

It was the jersey he’d worn in the promo shots, and the smudge was from the bat where it had rested on his shoulder. And I get to keep it? 

Before you could second guess yourself, you pulled the jersey on over the clothing you wore, leaving it unbuttoned. Shivering at the thought that the last person to have worn it was him, you leaned back over and grabbed your phone before heading outside. 

Erin’s eyes widened at the sight of you, and Troy also looked surprised, but after a swift shake of the head from your friend, he stayed quiet. Please do. I don’t want to talk about this right now. 

Caleb was standing on one of the seats, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the ledge in front of him. Instead of saying anything to your friends, you focused on him, calling out his name. “We got a pretty good view, hmm?”

“Yeah. The on deck circle is right there. Theres a net in the way, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll get to watch everyone while they wait to hit.” What? You crossed the small space and stood next to him, also resting your elbows on the ledge. “Do you think I can take pictures of the batters?”

“I don’t see why not.” You eyed the ground in front of you, the Statesman logo almost mocking you. It’s so close. He’s going to be right there before he bats. “Just make sure the flash is off. I feel like it would be pretty distracting otherwise.” He agreed with you, nodding. 

“Hey, take a picture of us.” Erin leaned forward, holding her phone out. “We’ll send it to my mom.” You did as she asked, taking a few of the three of them standing in front of the netting. It was only then that Caleb saw what you were wearing, the boy asking you question after question that you answered with partial truths. 

You didn’t want to lie to him, but knew Erin was right; telling Caleb that you and Jack were in contact wasn’t a good idea. Not yet. Not until I know more about what this is. But seeing your jersey brought up the fact that if you couldn’t get back into the suite after leaving, there was no way for Caleb to get his. 

He was disappointed until the suite attendant appeared a few minutes later to take your food order - and then asked if there was anything else she could do for you. “Is there any way he could go and buy a jersey? We didn’t know we’d be in a suite, so we didn’t stop on the way, and he’s -”

“Of course.” She looked down at Caleb, grinning. “I can take you, or one of the adults here can come with us.” She pointed. “There’s a team shop right above where we are.”

‘I’ll go with you, buddy.” Troy stepped forward, reaching out to ruffle Caleb’s hair. “Might want to get one of my own.” He looked over at you and winked, and it took everything in you not to groan. Smooth, Troy. 

They left you and Erin moments later, and as soon as the door shut behind them, she whirled to face you, her eyes wide. 

“We’re in the owner’s suite. He gave you the fucking jersey he wore to do promo shots for this weekend.” She scoffed, raising her voice. “Fuck, that’s probably the first Statesman uniform he’s had on since he got hurt, and now it’s yours.” She paused, gesturing toward the field. “You must have been amazing in bed, because -”

“Erin.” Holding both hands up, you shook your head. “I’m just as confused as you are. He said he wanted to see me again, but when he asked about tickets for this weekend, he didn’t mention anything after, just… this.” You used one hand to indicate the suite you were in. “And by this I mean tickets. I had no idea it was going to be a suite. It’s too much.” 

“Maybe he’s hoping for a really nice ‘thank you’ blowj-”

“I don’t think so.” You cut her off, sinking into one of the chairs and crossing your arms. “I asked if I could the other night, and he said no, because we didn’t know each other well enough. And I don’t think that’s changed.” 

You didn’t want to admit that the same thought had crossed your mind - that Jack was being so generous because he expected something in return. But he didn’t hesitate to ask for things in bed. If it happens again, he’d just tell me what he wanted so that I could either say yes or no. 

“You’re joking.” She sat next to you, crossing her legs and leaning closer. I’m not. “Did … did you even have sex? Because if you didn’t, and he’s doing this? Then -”

“We did.” It was a relief to admit it, even though you hated the idea of spreading personal details. “And it was good, Erin. Like, really fucking good. But there’s no way it was this good, especially for him. You’ve seen the same things online that I have about him. No one’s ever … people would talk about him doing this for them. And no one has.”

“So maybe they lied.” She shrugged. “Maybe they said he wasn’t attentive or interested in more than one night because it was their way of dealing with the fact that he never called them again.” She bit her lip. “Maybe it was them wanting to get the last word in and make it harder for him to do the same in the future.” She reached out, taking your hand and squeezing it. “And maybe the ones that he did this stuff for, if he has in the past? Maybe they respected him enough to keep it quiet.” 

She’s probably right. You swallowed hard, turning your head to look through the netting and at the field. For everyone that had said something negative about their experience with Jack online, there had to be others with good experiences that had kept their mouths shut. And I’m one of those. “What would I do without you?” Squeezing her hand before you let go, you stood again and went back inside of the suite, Erin following closely. “Want a drink? We can open these bottles of Statesman, according to Mary.” 

She did - and by the time Caleb, Troy and the attendant came back a little while later, the two of you were laughing over your drinks, a few of the bags of snacks open on the table between you. Both guys had bought jerseys - Caleb’s was a smaller version of yours, while Troy was wearing one of the Statesman home blues, Jack’s last name and number on the back. 

The food arrived shortly after, and once each of you had made a plate, you headed back outside to sit in the seats and watch the on-field activity, Caleb narrating around mouthfuls of chicken tenders and french fries. 

You relaxed the longer you sat with your friends, and by the time the players started to come onto the field for warm-ups, you’d talked yourself into a state of calm. 

Sort of. 

You were fine until Jack took the field, a chorus of cheers coming from further down the third base line - the same as it had been when you and Caleb had seen him the previous week. Erin shot you a look but you ignored it, instead watching as he began his stretches, the same dark-haired woman supervising each movement. 

He looked good, and even though it had only been a little over a week since you’d seen him play, you could tell that he was stronger, too. “He looks better, right Caleb?” You nudged the boy, smiling at him. “Less hesitation when he -”

“He’s really stretching out those calves, hmm?” Erin cleared her throat. “He’s very flexible.” You glared at her and she wrinkled her nose and winked, but didn’t say anything else, even as Troy snorted into his drink. She’s not wrong, though. 

“Sorry we won’t get to meet the players today, kiddo.” Leaning forward, you propped your elbow up on the ledge in front of you before resting your chin on your hand. “I know how much you wanted to do that.”

“Are you kidding?” He turned to look at you, rolling his eyes. “This is way better. We get to see everyone up close.” You agreed - and so did Troy, and for the next few minutes, the four of you watched the players in silence, though your attention was specifically on Jack and his trainer. 

When he stepped out of view to talk to fans in the stands, you decided to go back inside and make yourself a second drink - the last one you were planning on having, since you had to drive home. Once it was mixed you lifted the cup to your lips, your other hand on the bottle. Just enjoy tonight. It doesn’t have to be more than this. You swiped your thumb slowly over where his signature was etched into the glass and took a deep breath before turning to head back outside. 

But when you reached the door, you paused, sucking in a breath at the sight of Jack crouched down in front of the netting and talking to Caleb, Erin and Troy. He must have caught your movement in his peripheral, because he looked up and nodded, his grin widening. “There she is.” 

“Hello, Whiskey.” You raised your glass, giving him a genuine smile, even as your heart pounded. “Welcome back to Louisville.” 

“It’s good to be here.” His lips twitched, one hand lifting to pull his hat off before he repositioned it on his head, never breaking eye contact. “You got the good seats tonight.” 

“We do. The good liquor, too.” That got a laugh out of him, Jack rising to his feet and straightening his shoulders as you brought the drink to your lips. 

“Enjoy yourselves. I’ve gotta get goin’.” He turned away and paused, putting a hand on his hip before he spun back to face all of you. What are you going to say, Jack? “Nice jersey, by the way.” You nearly choked on the liquid in your mouth at his words, and if Jack’s quiet laugh was any indication, he was very aware of it. You jackass. 

You caught his wink and then he did disappear, heading down the stairs and into the dugout. Ok, that could have gone worse. It could have gone better, too, but at least you hadn’t made a fool of yourself in front of him - which was the important thing.

The sound of Caleb talking about how Jack remembered him faded as you went back inside, setting your drink down on the counter and then gripping the edge of it, head lowered. The hard part’s over. He saw me and he knows I’m here, and he saw me in the - 

“He likes you.” Troy was right behind you, and even though you jumped at the sound of his voice, you recovered quickly, spinning to look at him. What? “He walked over and immediately said hi to Caleb, but he looked around and he seemed disappointed. And then you came outside and his mood changed.” Troy’s smile widened, and he stuck his tongue into his cheek briefly before saying anything else. “And if he looked for you, that means he knew you were going to be here, and -”

Shit. Is it that obvious? “I’m not going to confirm or deny a goddamn thing.”

“You just did.” Troy laughed, reaching out with one hand to squeeze your arm. “Good for you, though. He seems like fun.” You have no idea. “We should go back out there. The game’s going to start.” 

Wordlessly, you followed Troy back out and into the seating area - just as the request to rise for the National Anthem blared out through the loudspeakers.

— 

By the sixth inning, you weren’t worried about what was going on between you and Jack anymore. Instead, you were upset, because The Statesman were losing. 

It was no fault of Jack’s, though - he’d gotten a single and walked in his two at bats, the crowd giving him a standing ovation each time he headed to home plate. He’d also made a few really good plays at third - one of them throwing out someone at home as the other team tried to bunt in a run. 

The rest of the team was the problem, with errors made in the outfield, a dropped ball by the shortstop and three really bad pitches that had resulted in six total runs scored. There was still time for a comeback, and even though chances were growing slimmer by the minute, a three run deficit wasn’t too much to overcome. 

When Jack took his place in the on-deck circle, there were two men on and only one out. You stayed in the position that you’d been in for most of the game - arms crossed and elbows resting on the wall in front of you, leaning as close to the action as you could get. 

Watching him up close was special, and you’d snapped a few pictures in his earlier at bats of him bending over and adding the weights to the bat before he swung, as well as of him with it perched on his shoulder and in motion. It wasn’t just Jack that you photographed, but you paid more attention to him than the others. 

You were so close that you could hear the players grunting and groaning as they took their practice swings, as well as some of the things they yelled back to the other players in the dugout and on the field, and Jack was vocal. It didn’t surprise you after the time you’d spent with him, but if you’d said that the way he was on-field and with his teammates and the ump crew wasn’t a turn on, it would have been a lie. 

Because if the fans got into the game, Jack was on another level. 

He paused in his swings to watch the at bat in front of him, and after one particularly bad call, you heard his disdain for the ump - the man’s shout of “That wasn’t a damn strike even in a little league game!” clearly audible, as was the way he ducked his head toward the ground and kicked the dirt in a side-to-side motion with one cleat while he repeated the word “bullshit” under his breath. 

During a visit to the mound by the catcher, Jack looked over at where you were, locking eyes with you and rolling his, mouthing the word “bullshit” again. You laughed in return, mouthing the words I know, before shaking your head. It was easier than you’d thought it would be to interact with him, and part of you wondered if it was because it was pointed but not personal, and that he wasn’t hiding his actions.

The entire stadium groaned when the batter popped out and the runners couldn’t advance, but those groans turned into cheers when Jack’s walk up music started, and your breath caught in your throat again when he looked over at your suite before he headed to the plate, smirking and giving you a quick wink. 

“He changed his song!” Erin leaned over, elbowing you a few times. “This is my favorite one!” It was yours, too - and you’d always thought that it was a little inappropriate for an MLB stadium filled with kids - but that day, you didn’t care. 

He strutted toward the batter’s box as Pony blared through the speakers, and you didn’t look away for a second. And neither did any of the other women in this stadium if those cheers are anything to go by. 

He stepped into the box and then got ready, kicking at the dirt and using one hand to tug on the front of his jersey, making sure that the chain he wore was resting flush against his chest, and not on top of the material. He took a few practice swings and then tapped the bat against the plate, releasing a breath and nodding before settling the lumber back on his shoulder. 

“C’mon Jack!” You yelled the words and smacked your palm on the wall a few times, shaking your head. “Bring ‘em home!” Erin laughed next to you, but she also cheered, and then Caleb joined in, the three of you going silent just before the pitcher set and threw. 

It was a ball - so far inside that it almost hit Jack, but he stayed in place, cocking his head to the side as he lifted the bat and took another swing before settling it back in place. 

The crowd was loud - roaring out his name when Jack swung at the next pitch and made contact. The noise increased until it hooked foul, everyone wincing and groaning. He didn’t even run, though. He knew it wasn’t fair. Jack adjusted his gloves and then stepped back into the box, getting situated just in time for another pitch - that one ball two. 

“A single scores one.” Troy reached up, linking his fingers through the netting as he leaned closer. “A double will score both, and -” Jack swung and missed, and you lowered your head, swearing. Fuck. “Come on Daniels!” Troy let go of the fence and clapped his hands. “Just wait for your pitch!” 

He didn’t swing the next time and as the count ran full, the atmosphere in the stadium changed considerably. If no one scores here, the game’s over. It was a nervous energy that coursed through you, but when you looked back at Jack, you saw that he was still calm, his grip on the bat handle loose as he stepped out of the batter’s box and looked around the stadium. 

“He’s going to strike out.” Troy sat back, shaking his head. “This pitcher’s been too good today.” 

“No, he’s not.” Caleb scowled at the man, phone in hand. “He’s going to get a hit.” He jumped up and down a few times. “He has to.” 

“Whatever happens, it needs to happen now because I feel sick to my stomach.” You mumbled the words, lowering your head and groaning. “Come on, Jack.” You wet your lips and looked back at him, watching as he rocked back and forth, awaiting the pitch. 

You knew as soon as he swung that bat that he’d make contact - and when, moments later, the crack of the connection reached your ears, you knew it was gone. And so did Jack, the man keeping his eye on the ball as he headed to first, and then throwing both hands up into the air and cheering as he rounded the base.

“Fuck yeah, Jack!” You jumped up and down and then turned to hug Erin, the woman squealing in your ear before she let go and reached for Troy, who was shaking Caleb back and forth in celebration, the boy yelling in excitement. 

You focused back on the field - where the two men that had been on base were waiting at home plate for Jack. When he rounded 3rd, you cheered louder, clapping your hands and yelling out his name. There was little chance that he could hear you over the others in the stadium, and when he got to home and stomped on the base, the other two engulfing him in celebration and knocking his hat off, you wished that you’d had your camera out - and had gotten the moment on video. 

The three of them headed back in your direction, Jack at the center of the group, and even though it was fast, you didn’t miss his glance at your suite, or the tiny nod and smirk he gave you when you grinned up at him, biting down on the inside of your lip. Oh, shit. 

“That was awesome!” Caleb’s voice broke the moment, and when you looked over, you saw that he was following the three men with his phone. “And I got it all on video!” He lowered the device and then beamed up at you and his sister. “If I send it to you, will you post it?”

“That’s a long video to post, buddy.” Troy settled back into his seat, scrubbing a hand over his face as the next batter swung and missed. “But it’s really cool that you got it all.” He looked sad but agreed, and when Caleb looked at you again, you raised a brow. 

“You can still send it to me if you want, though. I’d love to watch it.” And to see if he got that smirk in there, because… damn. 

He told you he would once you were out of the stadium, and then Caleb tucked his phone away and returned his attention to the field, where the batter had just struck out, ending the inning. But they’re tied now, and that’s all that matters.  

For the next two and a half innings, neither team scored, which meant that it all came down to the bottom of the ninth. Jack was due to bat third, which meant you’d get to see him once more that night. And that might be it for a while. 

You’d taken advantage of the suite during the game, getting more to eat and drink, ordering ice cream sundaes that were delivered by your attendant, and watching a few at bats on the TV mounted to one wall instead of live in front of you. It was an experience that you’d never forget, and you’d heard your friends say the same throughout the night. 

Neither Erin or Troy had said anything about Jack’s wink or the nod, but you knew that they’d seen both. She wouldn’t spill your secrets to him, but you knew he’d likely ask, and part of you wondered what would happen if things continued between you and Jack, even on just a friendly basis. I’d have to tell them then.

The attendant told you that both bottles of Statesman were yours to take, and so between the 8th and 9th innings, you’d packed them up into the provided boxes and then tucked them into a bag that she’d left for you, along with the partially eaten candy and popcorn - figuring that they were just going to toss it anyway if you left it behind. 

And when the Statesman came up to bat for the final time, you rushed back out into the seats, standing between Erin and the left wall of the suite and drumming your fingers nervously against the concrete. 

That time, Jack paid no attention to the crowds while he waited to hit, instead crossing his legs at the ankle and leaning against the end of his bat, eyes on his teammate. “Just get on base.” You whispered the words, looking toward home. “Give Jack a chance.” 

The game meant very little in the grand scheme of things. 

The Statesman weren’t close to leading in the standings, and it would have taken a lot to get them to a contending position for the playoffs. But you still wanted them to win, if for no other reason than to top off Jack’s return. He did his part, though. He tied it up. 

And the man at the plate did his part, too, knocking a single between second and third, which meant that Jack got to the plate with one on and nobody out, his walk up song back to the one he’d used for his first two at bats. 

Caleb was nearly vibrating with excitement, his phone out and aimed at Jack once more - and you decided to do the same. Fuck it, you thought, pressing the record button. I’m just a fan right now. He took the first pitch - a called strike - and you watched him shake his head in disagreement, though he didn’t argue for too long. 

The second pitch slipped from the pitcher’s hand and veered downward, and even though Jack moved quickly, he couldn’t get out of the way. It hit the ankle guard he wore and bounced away, and for a few horrifying seconds, you worried that his return to the team would be short lived. 

The entire stadium booed, but the sound turned to a cheer when Jack bent over and pulled the protection off, tossing it to the side along with his batting helmet, and jogged to first. His trainer was close behind, the woman’s arms crossed over her chest as she assessed his condition and finally gave him the go-ahead to stay in. 

The game continued once she’d jogged back across the field and into the dugout, and you - along with thousands of others - watched anxiously, waiting. 

You didn’t have long to wait. On the third pitch of the at bat, he blooped a hit into shallow right, the ball hitting the ground and then skipping through the legs of the outfielder. 

The entire stadium roared, and the four of you did, too, cheering and clapping as the winning run crossed the plate. Erin wrapped you in her arms in celebration, but you kept your eyes on the field. I don’t want to miss this. Jack didn’t even finish rounding the bases and instead cut across the infield and headed for home, both arms out in front of him as he clapped and cheered. 

He’d lost his hat again as he hurried in, and by the time he was hugging his teammate, all of them jumping up and down, his hair had curled over his forehead - one lock hanging between his eyes. He got swallowed up in the crowd of people and you turned away, pulling free from Erin’s hold. 

“Hell yeah!” Troy pumped his fist in the air. “What a win.” It took a few seconds, but all of you managed to calm down and look back at the field, watching as the teams did their congratulatory handshakes and then broke for the dugouts and locker rooms. 

Jack got pulled for an interview, but you could barely see it, and so the four of you began to pack up, heading back inside after one final look at the field. The attendant was back, and she asked if you wanted a group photo before you left - something that Caleb agreed to for all of you. 

But once those were taken on all four phones, you had no reason to stay in the suite. She led you back down the hallway and to the main concourse, thanking you for coming and telling you to have a safe drive home before saying goodbye.

It was strange to be around so many people again after having no crowd to deal with for the entire night, but the mood was cheerful, and that hadn’t changed after walking back to the car and putting everything you carried into the trunk. 

You hoped you wouldn’t have to sit in traffic for very long. Because you’d gotten to the game so early and were on one of the lower garage floors, you got your wish. Only ten minutes later, you were out of the garage and on your way home. Caleb and Troy were having an intense conversation in the back seat, and Erin was leaning against her window, head propped up on one hand. 

“That was really cool.” You nodded, keeping your eyes on the road. “Make sure you thank the person that got those tickets for us.” You knew what she was doing - but refused to take the bait. “Or I can, if -”

“I’ll text when I get home.” You narrowed your eyes and looked over at her. “I promise.” You heard Troy snort in the back seat, but Erin thankfully didn’t say anything else. 

Caleb was the first one out of the car as soon as you parked, the boy yelling a ‘thank you’ at you before he sprinted toward the front door, bursting to tell his parents about the game. Troy and Erin hung back, and you were surprised to hear him speak first, after leaning forward to slot himself between the seats. 

“That was really fucking cool. Please, make sure you tell Jack that we appreciated tonight.” You assured him you would, and when Erin reached over to squeeze your knee, you cleared your throat. 

“Thank both of you for being … discreet.” Shrugging, you gripped the wheel with both hands. “I don’t want to make too much of -” You were cut off when your phone rang, and thanks to the fact that it was connected to your car via Bluetooth, they were both able to see exactly who was calling: Jack. “Not a word from either of you.” 

Erin laughed, but as you reached for the screen to answer the phone, she opened the door and got out, Troy not far behind. Your finger hovered for a second and then you answered, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. “Hey, Jack.” 

“I’m not interruptin’, am I?” 

“No, I just dropped everyone off, and I’m getting ready to go home.” Backing out of the driveway, you turned in the direction of your place. “What are -”

“Come over.” You sucked in a breath, looking away from the road and toward the display. What? “I mean, if you’re not busy, and want to, you can come over tonight. You should come over.”

“I don’t know where you live.” You glanced down, realizing that you were still wearing your clothes from the game. “And I need to go home and change, I’m -”

“You still wearin’ my jersey?” Confirming that you were, you were relieved to hear his groan, Jack’s continued words spoken in a much softer tone than he’d been using before. “Then you definitely don’t need to go home. I’d sure like to see you in that without a net between us.” 

You stopped at a light, pressing your fingertips to your mouth and thinking. You wanted to see him again. You wanted to spend more time with him. And if he’d called you immediately after arriving home from a walk off win, he obviously wanted to spend more time with you, too. Fuck it. Why not? 

“Alright, Jack. Send me your address and I’ll be there soon.” 

—

Sample dugout suite view:

Alternate Players Weekend photo (thank you @stealyourblorbos):

[olderthannetfic]

Something that's always stuck with me is Stitch's followers dogpiling me for writing a Jewish Star Wars AU. Basically it was an AU where Finn was space Moses, the last of a noble Force-sensitive family who made sure he survived the destruction of their planet, and when his Force abilities awakened he went on to fight to free the other Stormtroopers. Stitch didn't like that I went in a Finn/Hux direction wherein Hux was a double agent embedded deep in the First Order, sabotaging it from the inside.

I was called a Nazi. I'm Jewish. I was called anti-black. I'm Beta Israeli, black and Ethiopian-American and proud. I was called a Pick Me POC, I was sent pictures of starving Ethiopian children, I was sent Holocaust pictures, people flooded my comments on AO3 - this was before it had a block feature - and even after I deleted my tumblr the hate bled over onto my other social media accounts. I was called slurs, I was told I should've starved to death, people told me my "Jew money" wouldn't buy off people this time, and I got hit by enough people calling me a monster, a bad person, etc. that I took the story down just to escape them.

Stitch only mentioned me once. Just once.

I think the real issue they have with AO3 is that at any point you can be blocked, comments can be turned off, people can find themselves unable to keep clawing at you again and again. You can make it so they have to be logged in to send their threats and then you can report them. They can dogpile "bad" fans all they want, but there are consequences for their actions. I was 14 then and easily intimidated. Many people on AO3 are not either of those things. You can't harass them off their own platform. And when you try, you end up being booted off of it instead.

The real reason Stitch doesn't like AO3 is that it's designed to protect authors, including "Pick Me POC" and "POC TOO" (get it, it's funny because it's like #MeToo, Stitch is oh so hilarious). It protects those of us who are neither white nor onboard with all of Stitch's opinions and, more broadly, not onboard with purity culture, respectability politics and people's demands that you change your content to match their idea of what a respectable fictional story looks like.

This is not about racism. It's about kicking people who are "wrong" aka write anything they don't like off of AO3 for pure, morally good, self-righteous reasons that they tell themselves make them not the bullies here. It's about control. They want you to do what they want or leave.

I've been rewriting my old fic and I'm planning on putting it back up sometime this year.

No, antis, you don't get to bully black people off of AO3 and call yourselves anti-racist and act like you're moral guardians. To be a moral guardian, you'd need some morals. If you don't like the site's policies, get off of it. I am entitled to my space on AO3 just as much as anyone else. I am not Less Than, and the fact that my own people were the ones telling me I was has permanently made me suspicious of alleged anti-racism campaigns in fandom. I know who these people are when they know there won't be consequences for their actions and they're not people I'd trust to run a bake sale, let alone a fandom archive.

--

Yikes! That's quite an experience for a 14-year-old!

[not-goldy]

It's time we lay this to rest. Might be a tough pill to swallow, but accepting Jikook are close enough to do this enlistment together every step of the way, should be the final straw. Went through an hard process, when they knew they could do other things, enlist separately, enlist with others, choose different units alone, but didn't. It should be everyone's cue to back off & stop spreading different narratives & lies to cope. Do you really want to do this for 17 more months, cause Jikook aren't gonna separate confirmed, for a fact, in writing.

Do you truly know your favs? Do understand how close you have to be to consistently drop all honorifics daily, the way Jikook do? Do you realize Jimin's been there for every graduation of JK's? At each other's side when the other is sick. Made a major life decision together & enlisted together. Even went to the doctor & had their covid vaccine together, cause why not. Their parents cook traditional soup for the other's bday & judging by Hobi & Tae's face, that alone should tell its not a normal occurance for her to do that for others or even at all. They spend bdays, holidays & couple days. Together alone when they made #1 as group together for the first time. Planned & gone on many private trips together over the years & before enlisting when they should've spent those last days with partners or family. Spent 8 years choosing the other, riding together, hang in the others room for hours doing nothing, go out & do things together and when they did do separate things & went out with other friends, the other was still on their minds & they let us know it publicly. Only saw each other over their breaks, while other members were living it up alone. Jimin allowed Jk on his personal album, when he said he wanted no members as features cause its about his personal life/his story & JK was allowed to be part of that. Always together behind the scenes. Knowing ones passcode to their studio & using it & the other knowing ones passcode to their home & letting himself in & making himself at home. No matter what kind of relationship you think they have, its special, its close, its mutual, its unbreakable. One day you'll get it & I hope for Jikook's sake its soon, because they deserve nothing but love, support & respected, like any other duo of BTS.

If you believe even a tiny bit Jikook are fanservice, you're saying Hybe, JK, Jimin, the Government, their parents & bts are all in this cover up together, playing along with fanservice & for what? To bring more hate on their children, their artists, their soldiers, their members? Does that make logical sense? Jikook have nothing to gain from fanservice. All they've gained from being close it hate, bullying, harassment & yes you are part of this problem, if you ever helped spread this narrative. They give you all their love, the least you can do is support & respect their decisions as adult men. Think for yourself, believe what you see, not what you're told by blogs who gaslit, manipulate, lie & you blindly follow, boosting their hate blogs & egos, while you hurt your favs you claim to love. Think for yourself & you'll finally gain some peace. I promise.

And the fact Jikook just don't care too😹😹😹

They living their best life whether they scream yell or wail nobody can tell them nothing 😹

[thisblogisaboutabook]

Where Fate and Stars Align

Tamlin Week - Day 2/Poet -Tamlin x Reader

Tamlin and Rhysand’s sister daydream of a life of love and poetry.

Warnings: Language, allusions to sex, implied character death

A sea of green splattered with the vibrant hues of varying wildflowers rolled across the meadow in gentle waves, flattening into a soft bed of earth beneath me, my head resting on my lovers chest, bare legs winding through his muscled thighs.

We’d laid in silence for an hour, the melody of spring lulling us into a peaceful daze. I’d spent the morning weaving flowers into his silken hair, his emerald eyes not retreating from me once as I sat on his chest, fingers trailing through those golden locks I adored so.

The world saw him as another heir to a throne but to me, he was a poet, a musician, a muse. I could spend entire days admiring the sculpted features of his face, exploring plush lips with my own.

Neither of us were made for the courtly affairs we were born into, we had the passionate souls of creatives - and here, tangled beside the pool of starlight we were just that. Two artists captivated by the beauty of the world around us, by eachother.

Tamlin pressed a kiss to my forehead, whispering into my raven hair. “Will we be poets in another life?”

I warmed at the thought of him chasing me through space and time, living the vibrant lives that we only dared dream of, dancing the nights away, making love and art in all of its magnificent forms. He’d write limericks and play the fiddle, I’d paint and maybe even learn to play the piano.

We’d live in a studio apartment along the Sidra, sharing our art within the rainbow of Velaris. Or perhaps we’d live in one of the more liberal cities tucked away on the continent where art as a profession was respected and not seen as merely a hobby of the elite with time to spare. Another world, even, where war and grief did not exist.

My delicate fingers traced the curved ridges of his abdomen, “You’ll be the poet, I’ll be the painter. I don’t have the way with words that you and your silver tongue do.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Silver tongue, yeah?”

I hummed at the implication in his tone. “Yeah.”

Turning on his side to face me, head propped on a hand he held my face gently in the broad palm of the other. “Any world where I spend my days by your side, putting my tongue to use in either lyrical or the most salacious of ways is a world I would fight for.”

“Hmmm.” I pondered, tucking a lock of golden hair behind his ear. “In our world, we get to be lovers, not fighters.”

Tamlin let out a somewhat incredulous laugh. “I think you’ll always have that wild streak in you, and silver tongue or not, I am but a mere male. I’ll surely give you plenty of reason to fight a time or two.”

My teeth found my lower lip as I considered. He wasn’t wrong. “That’s not fighting, it’s passion. We’ll turn fighting and fucking into its own art.”

Tamlin’s hand dropped from my face, trailing along my breast, to the indention of my waist, and down to the curvature of my ass. With a little squeeze he only asked, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

We made love in the meadow, tumbling in the grasses, playing the passionate parts of poet and muse. It was almost- almost believable, until a male voice called from the forest. “Tamlin! Get your ass back to the manor before father has your head.”

Tamlin stiffened. “You need to go.” He pressed a desperate kiss to my lips. “See you in a few days?”

I frowned. “I have to travel with my mother to Windhaven this weekend but once I’m back, we can plan our great escape.”

He looked at me as if he were truly considering it and honestly, if he ever took me up on the idea, I’d go for it. A life of love and peace, what a life that would be.

Pressing one final kiss to my forehead he whispered. “I’ll see you soon, my love. Go before my brother sees you.”

Tamlin hurried into the forest and I could have sworn a whispered, “Who was that?” carried on the wind to me.

And now I wait where fate and stars align.

Through time

Through space

Through love eternal

My poet tried to save me.

This world was not made for us.

—————————————-

Tags: @tamlinweek

General ACOTAR list: @lilah-asteria

[deathmetalunicorn1]

If you don't mind Can i request a yandere RoR with a fighter reader that ate the luck luck fruit? Its featured in a one piece movie and it basically steals a person's luck. What would the characters both gods and humans react if the reader who just stand there while the god that they are fighting flails due to the fact that they stole their luck and is basically failing to attack them

Had to look this one up since it wasn’t a part of the actual series but in one of the movies, as I don’t really know the movies :P

-When you were alive you had the great luck of eating the actual Luck-Luck Fruit, which gave you the ability of stealing and blessing luck from those you deemed worthy, even increasing your own luck.

-You lived a lavish life, thanks to a couple of lucky wins in lotteries, never having to struggle to survive and you helped others, giving those who needed it, like money and supplies.

-You had a strong honor code, being a fighter, having been training since you were a child, and you were a powerful warrior before you ate your Devil Fruit, so you became even stronger when you used your abilities to train without getting hurt.

-You died willingly, choosing to die for another, a young mother and her child, leaving your wealth to them so they could live happy and safe lives.

-In Valhalla, many didn’t believe you were a warrior, until you kicked their asses, doing so without your abilities, just to prove a point and you gained not only the respect but the admiration of many others who were impressed with your combat skills.

-Not many knew of your ability to take luck from others, but you could give it back just as easily, you usually did it to humble cocky warriors and gods, letting them get humbled before giving their luck back.

-Brunnhilde asked you to fight for humanity and you agreed, planning on a mostly fair fight, giving yourself a boost on your luck, but when you walked out and your opponent was a cocky god, saying you and other humans were beneath him and that he would spare you if you got on your hands and knees and kissed his boots.

-Your hands began to glow, your anger very apparent and he was stunned when nothing happened when you touched him with your glowing hands. He was a bit confused, wanting to know what you had done before he tripped over his own two feet, landing face first in the dirt.

-Many laughed at him, and when he got up to put you in your place, he couldn’t touch you, his weapons broke, his pants ripped in the ass, he fell multiple times, and nobody could understand why he was so unlucky now!!

-You smirked as he shouted at you, realizing he had done something and you smirked, your hands glowing brightly, “It’s amazing what can happen with just a little luck~”

-Heimdall was then able to tell what you had done, as you used your, very legal as you came to Valhalla with it, Devil Fruit ability, outing your skill that you had stolen this bastard’s luck.

-You won easily, walking away while flicking his luck back on to him as he was disappearing, “I didn’t need it- I was going to win anyway- you’re too cocky!”

-Your other warrior friends like Hercules and Lu Bu were in awe of your skills, asking if you used your abilities when you fought against them but you just grinned, “Nope! I like to fight fair- especially in exciting fights! I only use it when dealing with assholes like that!”

-They both roared with laughter before inviting you to join the party the former fighters, most of them, were enjoying together, as nobody had died, just losing and being sent to the infirmary.

-You greeted the others who all celebrated your win, taking a mug of ale from Thor who asked you about your abilities and you grinned, happy to explain them- as it was more fun when others underestimated you in combat, wanting more of a challenge in your future battles.

[sanemislittledemon]

Our secret

Part 1

Dabi x chubby!reader

you're a third year in the hero course at U.A but you have a secret that you can't tell anymore not even your close friend Shoto. What will happen when you decide to leave U.A to be with the man you love? What will Shoto do?

NSFW, thigh riding, love triangle, drama

MDNI

Being an expiring hero at the most prestigious hero academy has its perks, it’s the most guarded school, with the best teachers and all attention will be on you if you’re a student at U.A. But if I’m honest my chances of being a hero are slim, my childhood friend Shoto Todoroki was the main reason I even applied. We were each other’s rock during our childhood, the abuse our respective parents put us through. Especially when his oldest brother Touya supposedly died in a fire when we were young, it was a hard time for everyone, Shoto is a close friend to me and it breaks my heart that I have to keep a part of my life and my biggest secret from him.

His brother isn’t really dead, it’s been a year since I found out and i don’t think Shoto would ever forgive me if I told him the truth after this long. I was walking down town at night after sneaking out of the student dorms something I do frequently when I need to clear my head and be alone. I saw a tall figure in an alley way watching me, his face shrouded in the darkness of night. But there was a strange feeling in my stomach for some reason I wasn’t scared and my body just kept moving towards the man on its own volition.

“ h-hello ? “ I ask my voice no more than a whisper

The voice that follows was dark and angry as he replied “ someone like you shouldn’t be in a place like this at night “ my heart skipped when I heard him speak his voice sounded slightly familiar, I guess he saw my face change because he stepped out of the alley and into the light of the street. My eyes widened when the man’s face came into view, spiked hair as dark as the night around us, deep purple scars littered his face, neck and arms adorned with staples but I could never mistake those bright blue eyes that threaten to swallow me whole with just one glance “ T-Touya “ I whisper without a second thought making the man’s features visibly darken

“ so you recognize me even though i look like this “ he replies to me before grabbing me and pulling both of us into the alley but as soon as we were both out of the open, i pulled him into a tight embrace “ i-i knew it! Shotos going to be so happy when he sees you! “ I say before the man pulls me back to look into my eyes “ do not tell anyone about this or you’ll regret it understand? “ at the time it shocked me that the eldest Todoroki sibling wouldn’t want to reunite with this family. looking back in it now I can understand, but at the time it took some convincing on his part. We talked for some time and I forced him to agree to continue to see me for my silence. even though he’s a villain know, Touya is still the same caring person I remember from so long ago. We talked for hours and he gave me the number to his secret phone that even the league doesn’t know about. “ well it’s time for you to get back little hero “ he says sarcastically

“ b-but I don’t want to leave you Touya “ I reply with a desperate look in my eyes that’s when we came up with a plan to met twice a week, he wrote down a address for me and promised that the league knew nothing about this. But as I turned around to leave his voice rang out next to my ear “ take care of my little brother for me, won’t you? “ but when I turned back around to the man that I admired as child was no where to be found. I sigh thinking back on it while I get my bag ready to sneak out of the dorm again, I look at the clock ‘ almost time ‘ I think to myself before I hear a knock on my door “ who is it? “ I ask through the door “ Shoto “ the voice replies with the same tone of voice that man always has. “ it’s open “ I call out, he walks in and closes the door back behind him “ going out again? “ he asks as his eyes shift towards the bag on my bed “ you know me so well “ I say sarcastically as Shoto sits down on the bed “ here “ he says as he extends his hand that had a stack of cash in it “ money from your dear old dad “ I ask with a eye roll. Enji always sends his youngest son more money than he knows what to do with so Shoto gives the rest to me. “ yeah, that shitty old man will never give up “ he sighs

I take the money with a “ thanks “ as I put it in my bag along with some other things I’ll need, since we don’t have class tomorrow Shoto said he’ll cover for me if people ask questions’ maybe I’ll stop and get food on the way ‘ I think while zipping up my bag. The man suddenly looks at me with a serious face “ do you have a secret lover or something? “ he asks his question making my whole body tense up “ Shoto don’t be ridiculous “ I reply as I’m putting my bag on and walking to my window and opening it “ you know I hate to be tied down, I’m free like the wind “ was my last words before I jumped out of the window and activating my quirk making a gust of strong winds that carry me out of the school campus. my quirk lets me manipulate the winds its a pretty handy quirk especially with Shotos flames. I float on the winds until I’m safely out of U.A before landing, it was a short walk to the city where I came the convince store I always go to when I visit my beloved. I walk in and scour my options, I stay away from anything with fish since I know Touya hates it, I end up buying us some onigiri, bentos, for me a ichigo sando and some drinks for us. I quickly checked out and made my way to his hide out. The house was the home from one of Touyas old victims that he uses to get away from the league. When I get to the front door I reach for my key that he gave me awhile back but before I could grab it the door swings open and I’m pulled into strong arms “ god I missed you princess “ he sighs as his takes in my scent “ I brought foods “ I say with a smile he pulls his face from my neck and finally looks at my face that is flushed a deep crimson at the sudden contact with the man I’ve grown to love.

I flush deeper as he kisses me, it always feels so good when his lips are on mine. We move our lips slowly as he deepens the kiss, his body flush to mine. When the man finally pulls away we are breathless “ let’s eat “ he says as his bright blue eyes study my flushed face. I can barely hold my composure around his man, he knows how to work me up to make my body need his touch. Before this nights up I know the raven haired man in front of me is going to ruin me and a part of me hopes he does. He pulls me along to the living room and sat me down on his couch “ what did you pick up? “ Dabi asks

I throw the bags over to him “ just a few things and If we need more I have money “ I shrug he pulls everything out of the bags before separating it between us “ the old mans money again? “ he asked without even looking over to me “ yeah, Shoto stopped me before I left “ I sigh and he looks over at me with a worried expression “ he still doesn’t know does he? “

“ I haven’t told a soul about you “

With that we started eating, the silence hanging heavily over the both of us, the youngest Todoroki sibling was always a sensitive topic for the both of us. I was the one to break our silence “ you know we can’t keep it forever, he knows I have a lover “ I say to him while eating my bento, Dabi sat down his chopsticks and sighs “ I know but I don’t want them to know “ he replies before continuing eating. I felt my heart ache at the thought of lying to my best friend for any longer but I understand where Dabi is coming from, he finally left from all the things that hurt him, what if I could be the same?

I look over to the man setting next to me it looks like he’s finished eating our eyes met “ Dabi, what if I could run away with you? Leave U.A and live here with you “ I ask while picking up the sando. He smiles at me “ you really love those don’t you? “ he asks making me nod while taking a bite then he fully turns to look at me with his bright ocean colored eyes “ would you want that? To leave U.A? “ he asks but before I get the change to answer he continues “ leave your friends? What about my brother? “ he says while putting his warm palm to my round cheek “ you know he’ll be sad and I have a feeling that he really loves you Y/N “ he finishes letting his hand drop and turning his face so I can’t see his expression

I throw down the food wrapper and fling myself into Dabis lap “ but I love you ! “ I yell at him while wrapping my arms around his scared neck “ I want be be with you, please Dabi “ I plea to him to let me stay. I can’t see his expression but I feel strong hands grip my thighs in a comforting way before he spoke again with a soft tone from voice I never knew he was capable of “ think this through and whatever you decide we will do together “

I felt my heart skip at the sound of his voice. I couldn’t help myself and pushed him to lay down on the couch and making his eyes wide in surprise. I quickly leaned in to capture his lips with mine. Running my tongue along the rough seam of his lower lip asking him for entry which he happily accepted, opening his lips for our tongues to meet in a deep kiss. I’ve missed this man so much that his touch feels like heaven as his hands glide to my hips, grabbing them in a bruising grip. Dabi breaks the kiss smirking up at me “ you’re needy today “ he points out

“ I-I missed you Dabi “ I said in a pout that made him laugh then he moved one of his thighs until it was pressed against my aching heat.

The moan that left my lips made the man beneath me smirk and replied “ show me just how much you missed me princess “ while rubbing his thigh against me I lean forward and braced myself then started to slowly rock my hips against his clothed thigh but before I could find a good rhythm he stopped me “ wait princess “ he said before gliding his scared hands up my legs then under my skirt slowly pulling my underwear aside “ there you go” he said letting me take the lead again, I rocked my hips experimentally feeling the rough texture of his pants gliding across my bare core “ fuck Dabi! “ I moan out earning me a smirk from the man

“ does that feel good? “ he asks in a growl as he licks at the shell of my ear making a shiver shoot down my spine and I just know he can feel my hardening nipples through my shirt.

I start to move my hips faster on his thigh feeling the material brush across my swollen clit. Heat starts to pool in my lower stomach as my hips rock faster and faster. It’s been so long since we last were together I knew that I wouldn’t last long but this feeling is almost too much.

“ do you feel how wet you’re making my thigh? “ Dabi smirks before grabbing my hips and forcing my core down harder in his thigh and that’s all it took before pleasure shot up my body making me cry out “ TOUYA! “

Dabi growled as his true name left my lips but not letting up as he moved my hips through the orgasm after coming down I fell on Dabis chest “ that’s my good girl “ he said while kissing my forehead, the small act of love made the blush on my cheeks deepen which just made the man laugh “ why don’t you go change and getting some rest? “

I sat up quickly, shocked at the man’s words “ what about you Dabi? “ I ask as I look down to the clear bulge in his pants but the man just brushed it off saying “ I’m fine, we have time don’t we? “ I pour before moving off the man leaving him and the couch walking to his bedroom with my bags. I’ll never understand that man! I’m so fucking mad I can’t stand it.

I walked to the bed picking through my bags, picking out a new pair of underwear and a night shirt before slowly stripping out of my clothing. Pulling my shirt over my head letting my breasts bounce at finally being free then I slid my skirt down my rounded hips letting the fabric hit the floor followed shortly after by my underwear. I kick the clothing aside opting to worry about them later and quickly slipped my new underwear and shirt on before climbing into his bed.

i snuggle up to one of his pillows taking in his scent, being with Dabi like this makes me feel safe and loved. I have lost him once and I never want to lose him again but I can’t stop this guilty feeling. I have known for awhile now that this wasn’t going to be easy and I know i’m betraying Shoto by not telling him about his eldest brother but if I tell him I feel like i will lose the man I love, again “ I’m sorry Shoto “ I whisper

I felt movement behind me as Dabi crawls onto the bed, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me to his solid chest “ you know he’ll be looking for you “ he states and I felt my heart breaking a little bit more but I have made up my mind “ I don’t want to lose you “ I reply without a hint of hesitation in my voice.

His arms tightened around me “ I don’t want you to suffer one this “ he said while burying his head in my hair. “ I know Dabi but I love you and I want to be with you “ I reply

The man stays silent for a few long moments before replying with just a “ okay “ I can’t believe Dabi actually agreed a smile stretches across my face and I say “ I’ll sneak in and get my things “

Dabis arms hold me impossibly tighter “ let’s go to sleep for now “ he says and his words make me feel another hint of guilt but I choose to ignore it and I slowly close my eyes ‘ please still be here when I wake ‘ I plead in my head as I let sleep overtake me.

[nihilnovisubsole]

i think i followed you Back In The Day, seven years and seven blogs ago, for something related to mass effect (zaeed? maybe? who could say) and it's wild to come back to this site years later and find you thriving, surviving, growing-- playing ffxiv! love that game. curious how you'll feel about some side characters in shadowbringers, but i won't spoil which ones.

i do have real questions, though; writing tools. not pens or software, but personal structure tools and/or guidance. what does a beat sheet look like, for you? do you have a favored way of outlining or note-taking on your own thoughts when putting a story together?

and... i'm really curious how you hold a big story together in your head while you work on it in pieces, especially for something like dangerous crowns. there's this larger story i've been chasing around for a while, and I can't quite wrap my head around how to write the political/espionage plot for it without feeling like i've actually written a children's pantomime. the best i've got so far is "research real life events and use those as my outline" but after a point it becomes hard to keep track of all the variables of who knows what about whom, who is planning x when y, etc, etc. the characters don't need to know all that-- and may never know some things-- but i feel like /I/ need to understand what's happening on the macro level so i can move the world around them appropriately.

short version: how do YOU wrap your head around writing complex plots?

hey, anon! i started endwalker this week after a long... uh... glamour detour, so don't worry about spoiling things. i spoil myself for a lot of stories on purpose anyway. let's just say i've been attached to one too many characters who got killed.

anyway. writing. i've always handled plots the same way: clear documentation. if i don't note it down, i'm not going to remember it. i've used the same table outline since around 2014. it varies in detail for different projects, but the core format stays. i know it's kicking around in my blog archive somewhere, but it's worth reposting once in a while because people like to ask about it. here's what it looks like, featuring plot points cribbed from an endeavour episode:

i used this format for an outline at work a while back, and the team found it easy to follow, which was a big day for my ego. keeping track of plot structure is even more chaotic at work because we have multiple writers who all need to stay on the same page. we have very meticulous notes on what the player should know at which point, when we're introducing new information, and what we know, but shouldn't tell. we're also not above leaving notes like "this character has to convey X," "this character has to learn Y here," or "this is a clue that they're planning Z." it can be super on-the-nose. all that matters is that it makes sense to you. because you're right - if you get too lost, you can write yourself into logic holes of tremendous proportions. ask me how i know!

[as a sidenote, researching real-life events as a starting point has really grown on me in the past few years. my lead on coh3 had me do it. he said we were dealing with real people's history, so we couldn't be cheap or play fastball - we had to be accurate to pay it respect. even if you're not writing historical fiction, it just gives you insight into how people behave.]

i would argue that the plot of dangerous crowns is actually not that complicated, maybe to its detriment. there's kind of a genre struggle going on. at voltage, we were taught romance fans came for the relationship beats and valued them above all else. in fact, leadership told us players got irritated - which meant less sales - when the plot was too complex and took time away from the making out. political thriller fans, by contrast, expect relentless twists, high stakes, and harsh consequences, and sometimes see the relationships as superfluous.

but whatever. the point is, when you look at dangerous crowns' structure, it's a pearl necklace: a chain of anchoring events. the "pearl" scenes are where Big Plot happens. they're the reason you want to write the story, and probably the ones you have the most vivid daydreams about. the scenes in between are the string. not flashy, but important because they connect the pearls. they build tension and add logic, cohesion, and context. take the opera and hector's failed assassination. those are pearl scenes. that's a burst of drama i really wanted the story to build up to. i also had other flashbulb visions. livia by the fountain questioning herself, marcus' macbeth moment, the temple riot, things like that. so the question was, how could i believably travel between these pearl scenes? how could i make these big showcase moments connect smoothly?

if you're having trouble holding the story together in your head, i would ask, "what are your pearls?" what are the anchor points? outline those. it might not look like a necklace yet, but you'll sort of see it taking shape. and then, once you can see where your heart's-desire milestones are, you'll have a clearer idea of what can't fire until you set it up first. two other neat things can happen here. you could find the rhythm of your pacing, or realize you have a lot more plot meat than you thought you did. even if you don't, you have some road. and if you can't think of the string, sometimes you just have to start writing the pearls and see what comes to you.

good luck!!

[mistressreaper]

Love On The Brain 2

⚠️: swearing, violence, unwanted touching by a stranger

I hope yall like this series so far as much as I do❤️❤️ And thank you so much once again to @spark2flame they are gonna help me so much with this series!!

“Move nerd!” A shoulder slammed into yours causing you to stumble forward in the busy hallway. You glared at the blonde and met his crimson gaze.

“Nerd? I prefer just being called more intelligent.” Bakugo stopped in his tracks and turned to face you. “Don’t be rude just because you couldn’t solve a math problem and I could.” A small crowd had gathered around the two of you, wondering if a fight was going to break out. A smirk grows on Bakugo’s face.

“So you think you’re so intelligent huh? Then what about this?” He pulls a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and throws it, hitting your nose. You picked the ball up and unfurled the paper, a long math problem presented itself at the top. To be fair this was a harder problem than the teachers should be giving middle schoolers. Running through the multiple processes in your mind you smiled and looked up at Bakugo.

“145, if you think I’m wrong go have the teacher check it.” With that you walked away, but not before crumpling up and throwing the paper back at him.

—————

You were sitting on the bench waiting for the bus when someone huffed and plopped down next to you. “You were right, nerd.” Shifting your gaze Bakugo had his arms crossed and his jaw clenched. “Do ya think you could start helping me in that class?” A smirk covered your features as you looked at him.

“Of course I can, on one condition.” He raised an eyebrow at you waiting for your answer. “Stop calling me nerd.”

•••••

“Hey, nerd.” The nickname stuck, but now there was no malice behind it. A large hand ruffled your hair as Bakugo leaned against the lockers.

“Bakugo!” You groaned hurriedly fixing your hair. After tutoring him in middle school you two quickly became best friends. You were the first person who had stood up to him and he had respected that.

“Kirishima is having a party tonight, you going?”

“Obviously. When have you known me to miss a Halloween party? What’s your costume?”

“Ghostface.”

You hummed, “Simple but hot, you’ll have all the girls swooning I’m sure.”

“Maybe but I’m only looking for a certain one”

You closed your locker and picked up your bag, “Well I’m sure you’ll get her Kacchan.”

————

Memories flooded back as you got ready. You and Bakugo were invited to Kirishima’s annual Halloween party as always, except now Bakugo has to have more elaborate costumes to maintain a low profile. You had on some torn black fishnets, a short black dress and a pair of chunky black boots. You didn’t have time to plan a costume so this would have to work. Walking back to the living room you caught a glimpse of Bakugo. Ripped black jeans and combat boots are all he had on at the moment, you could feel your cheeks turn pink. “Have you seen my long sleeve?” He asked.

“Did you look in the dryer?” He gave you a deadpan look, “I’ll take that as a yes. If it’s not there or in your closet then I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Fuck it then I’ll wear this.” He pulled a form fitting white t shirt on. “You ready?”

“No costume?”

“Nah, I told Eiji I’d do a couple songs so there’s no use in hiding this year.” He spun his key ring around his finger while he waited for you.

Bakugo parked the car and helped you out due to the loose gravel and the boots you chose to wear. “How the fuck are you walking in those?”

You chuckled, “it’s not hard, just takes practice.” You two arrived at the front door and Kirishima greeted you.

“There’s my two favorite pals!” Eiji’s eyes looked over you and he gave a low whistle, “You’re looking good sweetheart.” A huff came from beside you and Bakugo’s face was contorted into a scowl.

“Where’s the set up?” With that Eiji led you through the massive house and the whole time Bakugo’s hand was on your back, helping you weave through the crowds of people. When you got to the makeshift stage Bakugo turned to you, “Hey be careful while we’re here okay?” You nodded. As he was getting ready you somehow found your way to the kitchen to pour you and Bakugo a drink. You got back to the stage and handed him the cup of beer. He downed it in one go and brought the microphone up to his lips, “How’s everybody doing tonight?” The cheers from everyone echoed. The music started and you smiled to yourself, of course this should be the song he starts off with.

“I've been searching for an answer, but I ain't found one. I've been known to tear shit up and go off like a gun. I've been drinking way too much, but now I think I'm done.” The music drops and a smirk is plastered on Bakugo’s face, “Fuck that shit let’s start a riot!”

You were in the front of the crowd, swaying your hips to the music and sipping on your drink. You were the designated driver for tonight but that didn’t mean you couldn’t have a little bit to loosen up.

The night continued on, Bakugo finished performing a while ago and he and Kirishima were getting shit faced. You were still nursing your second cup since it would be your last for the night. There was some rock music playing over the speakers and you’d be damned if you sat down now. You continued to dance, the alcohol helping out a bit. The sound drowning out your thoughts. You felt an arm snake around you waist and someone brush up against your backside, “Well don’t you look lovely tonight.” You glanced behind you and saw a handsome man with long white hair, he was dressed in all black with bright red shoes.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” You hummed. You continued dancing with the man, grinding up on him. You saw Bakugo round the corner and send a frown your way, but you didn’t pay any mind. Probably mad about something he and Eiji were talking about. Your mystery man’s hands started tracing up your body, stopping right below your breasts before lightly squeezing them. “Hey there watch-“

“Alright that’s enough!” The man’s hands were ripped away from you and you whipped around to see Bakugo shoving the guy back. “Keep your hands off her!”

“Bakugo!” You yelled but the music was so loud you don’t know if he heard you. You saw the man you were dancing with say something you couldn’t hear, then suddenly Bakugo’s fist made contact. The two men were on the ground pummeling each other before Bakugo got the advantage and pinned the other man. Over and over his fist landed blows, finally you were able to snap out of your trance and run over.

“Katsuki! Quit, get off of him!” Bakugo looked up at you, a crazed, jealous look in his eyes. He stood up and wiped the blood from his nose.

“Let’s go.” He grabbed your arm and dragged you out to the car. You could smell the alcohol on his breath.

When you got to the car you dug your heels into the gravel, “What the fuck Bakugo? Why did you do that?” You ripped the keys from his hand and marched around to the drivers side. You were fired up right now and not wanting to listen to any excuses from him. “Get in the fucking car.” You barked. The ride home was silent. No talking, no radio, nothing. You pulled into the garage and killed the engine. “I could’ve handled that.”

“Really? Because it seems like you were just taking it.” Bakugo huffed and gave you a pissed off look.

“Who says I didn’t want him to do that?” You yelled.

“Oh yeah, because you wanted some random pervert to come feel up on you. Whatever.” He got out of the car and slammed the door. You did the same and stormed up to him.

“Katsuki Bakugo! Look at me!” The blonde spun around fiery red eyes boring into you. “First off I could’ve fucking handled that, I was saying something before you interrupted. Second off what if that guy fucking sues you? This isn’t like that one punch fiasco last month, you beat the ever loving shit out of that guy! That could kill your career and-“

“Would you shut the fuck up already!” He yelled. You flinched from how loud his voice was, Bakugo has never yelled at you in the many years you’ve known him. “I don’t care about that right now! He had been messing with other women all night long, harassing them to no end. So when I saw him with you,” He paused and looked at you. His eyes had already softened from the sharp, hateful gaze they were just a moment ago. “All night I watched him to make sure he didn’t go near you. The one time I looked away he was all over you and I couldn’t stand it!”

“Kats-“

“You have no clue do you?” You gave him a confused look. He shook his head, “Nevermind.” He began walking away but you reached out and grabbed his hand.

“Katsuki,” you said softly, “Let me patch you up please. Your knuckles are busted.” He let out a sigh and nodded. You took the lead and kept a hold of his hand until you got to the kitchen. He sat in the chair while you got the first aid kit from under the sink. You sank to your knees in front of him and started wiping his knuckles with the alcohol wipes. He hisses at the stinging but doesn’t flinch away. You begin wrapping the bandage when he says something that shocks you.

“This isn’t how I pictured you on your knees for me.”

[zuffer-weird-girl]

Kinda suggestive at the end.

"You wanna know whats funny?" You perked up at your boyfriend's voice coming from you guys shared bed as he stared at you with lazy eyes but a soft smirk on his lips.

"I'm afraid to know, but go on..." You said suspiciously with a smile present as he chuckled, laying down on his side while stretching the little that he had for now of his wings.

"Y'know when little kids are afraid of something? Nightmares, monsters, first day of school al all that? What do they usually do when this happens?" He arched an eyebrow, suddenly getting serious as he stared at nothing in particular.

"Uh.. usually cry I guess." You mumbled, finally getting red for a much needed day off after your morning shower "Why?"

"... yeah, they cry. But who usually they call when they are distress?" You frowned at him staring at the ceiling "they normally call their mom right? I mean, the ones who have one and trusts them."

Oh...

Keigo's relationship with his mother wasn't the best one out there, you knew that... but what could have brought this up? Did she called asking for money again or something?

You sit down near him and played with the few strands of blonde messy hair as be closed his eyes at the feeling of you caressing him like he was fragile. Something to be cherished.

This man was so touch starved yet refused to admit out loud.

"Yeah. What about it?" You asked softly, hopefully not invalidating his feelings.

He opened his eyes once again, still looking at nothing in particular as he brought his hand to grab yours and traces small circles on it with his rough thumb.

"Is usually instincts that make us do that. Call for mothers when we are in distress. Heck I saw many adults still do that to these days...." finally he looked up at your eyes "But you wanna know whats the fun in that?"

You hummed, worried for him but still curious on where was he going with all of this.

"When I found myself in dangerous situations, when I fear something might happen with me... I don't think 'I need my ma'... not for a long time at least." He chuckled before bring your hand to his lips for him to lay a gentle yet firm kiss on it "I normally just think I want you. I need you...." he trailed off, staring at the promise ring he gave it to you on your finger.

Your heart skipped a beat at the little sudden confession... hawks was a mysterious, cocky and calculus man. A respected hero due to his efficiency despite his rather young age.... Hawks was a difficult wall to break, he had build his image ever since that hero comission got to him.

But no one knew Keigo. No one knew the man behind hero hawks. No one got neither cared to meet Takami Keigo.

... until you.

You were the one he trusted the most. You were his safe heaven. You were the one he thought of to calm himself down in times of distress...

You felt your chest expand from how much love you felt for this man... you didn't know if you kissed him until every inch of skin of his was marked with your lips or just plain up cried and hugged the tragic memories of his past out of it.

It was impossible, but someone could dream right?

"Too much?" You were brought out of your trance by the blond looking up at you in false smugness... you knew by only looking at those brow eyes he was fidgeting in nervousness.

You gently cupped his face and made him sit up a bit. His gaze glued on you as you traced his features and pushed a strand of blonde hair behind his ear with a soft smile.

"(Y/n)...?" It was a breathy whisper. One that held anxiety but also the love he felt... the fear he felt of saying something stupid and losing you for real.

You cupped his jaw gently as you blinked back tears... bringing him to your lips as you kissed him softly..making him let out a confused muffled noise before melting at your gentle and soft loving hands and lips.

Your right hand came to the back of his neck to scratch that place it made him groan. Just as planned his lips parted on yours so you could tangled your tongues together just for you to such the tiny bit making him let out a sweet moan on you as his hands brought you to straddle his lap as he laid down with you following him after wards.

The kissing continued for a bit until you parted, string of saliva connecting you both just for you to wipe off from his panting swollen lips.

"What... what was that for?"

"Hm... just wanted to kiss you." You cupped his cheeks, caressing with your thumbs the rosy tanned cheeks as he gave the same treatment to your waist and thighs.

You pecked his lips once again and then the tip of his nose which he groaned since he always prefers your lips on his....

"I always come to you when I'm in distress too." You softly whispered, it was oh so soft he swore it melted his insides.

"Yeah?" He did tried to sound smug. Really, he tried... but the dopey smile and watery eyes gave away "You should be. I'm number 2 after all."

"For me, you're always my number one." You giggled with eyes closed at the feelings of his hands accidentally tickling your sides as be stared at you lovingly before bringing his left hands to grab the back of your head and pull you in a more heated kiss.

You yelped when he threw you down, easily swapping places so now he was on top instead, trapped between both of your legs as his wings spread a bit. His hair falling down just on the right angle to make him look even more gorgeous than usual.

"Did you meant it?" He whispered, trying his best to not indulge so fast on the want to just dry hump you... that kiss surely lighten up something in.

"Every word. I trust you, and I'm so happy you feel the same with me..." You kissed slightly near his mouth as he shakily panted "I love you Keigo... you're my hero, and I'm happy to be your own as well."

He groaned, dropping his face on the crook of your neck as you rolled your eyes at the kivement of his hips against yours.o already feeling a certain hardness on the middle of your legs.

"Really?"

"Can't blame me for you to be this attractive and hot saying all this." He groaned before kissing you deeply and swallowing your mewls before he gently started to undress you.

It was going to be a good day.

(A/n): *laughs like a menace* still not a nfsw scenario got you all