#it's been brought to my attention that i never made a proper post for this fic

[astrhae]

ammonium nitrate | hanahaki au, 20k, complete

His first thought, when the taste of bitter rust and crumpled petal hit him, was: I’ve drowned before. His second thought was: What am I doing here? ----------- Or, a hanahaki AU where Wylan coughs up jurda blossoms, Jesper comes home from six years of Grisha training in Ravka, and the blood on Kaz’s gloves is definitely not from planning a coup.

[xmalereader]

— Endless Pt. 1 —

Bruce Wayne x Endless! Male Reader

☆ — MASTERLIST — ☆

SUMMARY: The endless family is made up of 7 children, so why is their an 8th? Reader is the black sheep of the family with no purpose to fulfill the human realm. He spends his days locked away in the Dreaming where he stays under his brothers watch. It wasn’t until one of Dreams new nightmares escapes the realm and starts causing problems in the Waking, giving reader a chance to show that he can be helpful in his family by tracking down his brothers nightmare, not knowing what awaits him.

WARNINGS/CONTENT: Angst, slow burn, MDNI 18+, language, endless family, dream trying to be a good brother, mentions of abuse, black sheep, self esteem problems, mentions of death, family secrets, friends to lovers, post riddler chaos, mentions of new villains, foreshadowing, reader and Bruce balancing each other out, Gotham is shit, slight kissing, trauma mentioned, OC nightmare, non-canon works.

WC: 5k

TAGS: @circusdexxter @lordzachariah0-0 @apolo1808 @i-cant-sleep615 @kayden1 @boylicious143 @h-ib @kik1010 @toxic90sboy @multifandomsimp69 @moththesadmage @stalker0

NOTES: Finally! After a very long break I’m finally getting back into writing again! I will mainly be focusing on my series that I’ve been planning for quiet awhile and really want to focus on this Endless series that I’ve had in mind for months. I’ll try my best to update as much as possible since each chapter will be between 5k-8k words or longer in order to have fewer chapters, but other than that, here is the first part and thank you for being patient on my writing!

Blinding - Florence And The Machine

The Endless had 8 children, each with a purpose in life.

Destiny with the purpose of defining all that is, Death was destined to put the universe to rest, Dream with the creation of stories and imagination, Destruction with the power of not only destroying but of making and producing, Desire with the purpose of wanting and lust along with their twin Despair who is the personification of despair and hope, and Delirium who can create realities and manipulate the human mind.

They all had an important purpose.

All but one.

The eighth child was the youngest of them all, having been born eons later after Delirium resulting in the last sibling of the Endless family. His siblings figured that he would have a purpose just like them only to have none. The last sibling wasn’t special nor was he given a proper name that would fit his so called ‘purpose’ instead both Father Time and Mother Night left their last child in the hands of their other children.

He expected his brothers and sisters to help him find a purpose that brought balance to the human realm, but neither sibling was much help. The twins simply teased him, mocking his existence while the others grew to busy in their own duties to give him the attention he needs, a few of his other siblings were busy searching for the ‘Prodigal’ who had left his duty many years ago and was being searched in order to restore balance again.

The youngest Endless could only watch from the sidelines holding onto hope that he too, would have a purpose of his own.

As he was passed around from sibling to sibling he spent most of his time in their realms watching their work and staying in line from overstepping into their duties. He spent most of his time in Dreams realm feeling his heart warm in joy when he walked through his brothers creation. The creation of stories and imagination was a powerful thing for many humans something that his brother found joy in doing.

There were times that he spent his time in his brothers library, hidden behind many rows of books, watching from the corners as his brother speaks with Lucian and Marvin. No matter how long he spends in this dreaming he never had the chance to actually create a bond with his brother, growing afraid each time he approached him when returning a book or when trying to ask a simple question about his creations.

Delirium was technically the baby in the family before he came into the picture and Dream already struggled with creating a bond with his sister and he didn’t want to get in the way of their bond. He spent years without knowing his duty that he’s grown used to being an outsider from his siblings, spending his ‘family’ dinners alone in Dreams realm, trying to stay out of their business as much as possible.

Even if his sister, Death, tired to convince him to join them for dinner he’d refuse and continue on with his day. What was the purpose of him being there? He can’t stand their whispers of pity, so why even bother.

He felt like a burden to his own family, so instead of trying to fit in he’d slowly pushed himself out of the picture and allowing them to have the spotlight while he stood out the frame. There were times that wished to disappear like his brother, Destruction. He didn’t know much about him and the others didn’t talk about him, not because they hated him, but because of the pain it brought them when reminded of their brother leaving without a word, abandoning his duty and hiding from the world.

When wandering around Dreams library he had found a book hidden deep in the shelves that contained a photo of his brother, Destruction. He looked older than the others and with a rugged expression on his face, having facial hair on his face and perhaps a grumpy like exterior. He kept the image of his brother in mind before putting the book back where it belongs in order to keep his brother, Dream from knowing his findings.

“A nightmare has escaped.”

He was doing his usual routine, hiding in the library and nose buried in a book before his ears perk at the sound of the ravens worried tone when landing near Lucians desk and letting her know about the situation.

“Does Lord Morpheus know about this?” Lucian had asked while she looked through the new plans of the realm, showing very little interest towards the situation since she had no control over dreams and nightmares.

The raven, Matthew tilts his head to the side. “He does—“

“Then I don’t see what this has to do with me.”

“It’s that new nightmare.” Said Matthew, voice laced with worry and concern.

His words causes Y/n to look up from his book, eyes widening when hearing Matthew. He knew what nightmare he was referring to and knew how messy the situation can turn out if a nightmare were to abandon its duties. Dream always kept an eye on his dreams and nightmares and had been making changes in his realm, more like improvements. He had been changing his nightmares into dreams and leaving him with time to make new nightmares for the dreamers, having created one that lurks on your deepest fears named Pitch.

Y/n never liked the nightmare when first meeting him, his tall structure and sharp yellow eyes always made him shiver and whenever he was alone the nightmare always found him.

“Pitch is nothing but problems.” Sighed Lucian while removing her glasses.

Matthew lets out a small sound of understanding. “He reminds me of the Corinthian in some way.”

The name was familiar to Y/n, having heard about him and the troubles he’s brought into Dreams realm the nightmare was so bad that Dream had to destroy his creation and store him away. His brother had claimed that he will restore the Corinthian again, one day when he deemed the time right.

Y/n doesn’t stay longer to listen to their conversation and closes his book, leaving it on the table and standing from where he sat. He doesn’t spare the librarian and raven a glance, having grown used to their silent glances when his presence is made known, leaving the library and making his way towards his brothers chambers where he finds him pacing around the room while reading a book in hand. He’s noticed the stack of books scattered on the floor with different names from many dreamers.

He can’t help but raise a brow at his brothers mess, but doesn’t point it out when approaching him.

“I suppose you are busy?”

Dream doesn’t look away from his book and keeps pacing. “I am always busy.” His voice echos back before stopping mid pace to look over to Y/n who stood a good distance from the other Endless. Dream looks at him up and down before asking. “Is there something you need?” He’d usually brush off anyone’s needs and focus on himself, but after his imprisonment of 100 years and spending more time around humans he’s grown to change.

Showing some compassion for once.

The younger endless stares at Dream and then down at the books that surround them both. He wants to jump in and help his brother with finding his missing nightmare to be able to do something for once. “I heard that Pitch left the realm.” He starts, noticing the slight frown appear on his brothers face which makes him bite the inside of his cheek in a nervous manner.

“I can help with finding him?” He finally asks.

Dream shuts his book which causes Y/n to flinch and avoid his brothers eyes, looking away nervously after asking. He would expect his brother to be upset for wanting to step in and provide assistance to his mistake when it was his duty to fix the problem and not Y/n’s.

But his brothers words surprise him. “I’d appreciate the help.”

Y/n’s eyebrows raise in surprise when he’s accepted to help, nodding slowly as he takes a few steps closer and a bit hesitant on what to do. “What are you looking for in these books?” He asks and bends down to pick one up, reading the name of the dreamer before flipping it open and skimming through the pages.

“Pitch lurks on fear. Since I no longer have my ruby, I am unable to find my nightmares and must doing things a bit differently.” Dream being to explain as he walks over to the other side of the room to toss the book he was currently reading on top of another pile. Y/n guessed that it’s the finished books he’s read. “If I wish to find Pitch I have to find out which dreamers are most likely to be targeted by him.”

Y/n looks back at the stack of books with wide eyes. “You’re trying to locate a dreamer who could possibly lure Pitch in?” He says in disbelief and turns back to Dream. “That could take hours or days, all dreamers have nightmares so Pitch could be going after anyone.” He sets the book down and steps back to stare at the different piles, reading off names and trying to figure out his brothers outrageous system of locating his missing nightmare.

Dream lets out a dry chuckle when hearing his little brothers worries and shakes his head. “Then,” he walks over to Y/n and hands him a book. “Lets get started.” The little Endless can only mentally groan as he takes the thick book in hand and watched Dream get back to his own reading.

The room falls into a comfortable silence as the two read for what felt like hours. The sound of flipping pages echoed in the throne room and the placement thud of the book beings piled up as the continued their reading. As much as he enjoyed spending time in his brothers library he was slowly growing tired of reading dreamers lives and how they spent their time in the dreaming realm when sleeping. Even though he doesn’t have a purpose he’s starting to realize that being a Dream lord wouldn’t be for him.

It wasn’t until he breaks out into a yawn that it gets the Dream lords attention, eyes glancing up from his book and towards his brother who was half asleep at this point. Dream sighs through his nose and closed his book, setting it aside from where he sat on the steps. “You're tired, get some sleep.”

Y/n snaps his head up and shakes his head at Dreams words. “I’m fine I can keep going.” He waves him off and tries to concentrate on the book o his lap, but Dream had quickly taken the book from him and closed it. “I can tell when someone doesn’t sleep.” His voice is low as he towers over Y/n who sits on the floor and sighs to himself, rubbing his eyes and nodding his head slowly. “Okay, I’ll get some sleep.” He mumbled in return as he stands from where he sat.

Even though he wanted to help Dream in finding Pitch he’d need to get some rest if he wishes to keep going. When letting Dream know that he will head off to his room and get some proper rest for the night he makes sure to sneak at least one book back to his bedroom in order to keep helping out of his brother sight and not get into any trouble.

He holds the book against his chest when leaving his throne room and down a different hall in his castle. He yawns again when reaching his own bedroom, its big and spacious when entering a few books are on the shelf and small little valuables are sitting near the balcony not having a lot since he spent most of his time in the Dreaming with his brother.

He tossed the book on his bed and falls face first into his pillow, moaning tiredly and closing his eyes for a few seconds, letting his body relax against the soft blankets and pillows. The silence wakes him back up, opening his eyes and glancing over to the book he had snuck into his room.

It was surprisingly thin and the binding is all black, getting his attention as he sits up and turns around to lie on his back. He grabs the book and holds it up, reading the name on the front cover.

“Bruce Wayne…” He whispers the name to himself and flips the cover open, starting at the beginning like every other book he’s read. He knows he’s suppose to be sleeping or else his brother will use his sand on him, but he can’t help but grow eager to continue helping his brother, to be able to do something for once as he reads the book in hand.

He’s nodding off little by little and trying to concentrate on the words on the pages, shaking the sleep away and sighing as he adjusts his sleeping position and groans before flipping to the next page only to freeze, his eyes full of confusion as he sits up, fully awake as he stares down at blank pages. He’s never seen something like this in the books, finding half of the pages blank.

The mans life ends in nightmares, but the blank pages had to mean something. He quickly pulls the blankets back and slips out of bed, rushing out of his room and holding the book in hand as he heads back to his brothers throne room to ask him about the strange book.

“Dream—?”

“Aren’t you suppose to be sleeping?” Dream cuts in and slams his book shut, setting it aside onto a pile. The time that Y/n spent reading had resulted in the shift of books, having less around the throne room since his brother had finished reading a few on his own. Before Y/n can ask about the blank pages in the book his brother had approached him and takes his wrist in hand, dragging him back to his room.

“Wait—!”

“I’ve told you many times that you are to be asleep, unlike me you need the rest since your body isn’t adjusted to the dreaming realm quiet yet.” He began to explain, disregarding Y/n’s protests as he’s dragged back to his room. “But Dream—!?”

“Enough talk.” They make it back to his room where Dream shoves him back into bed and takes the book from his grip, setting it aside and ignoring the title of the book since he was focused on Y/n.

“But the book!” said Y/n as he reached out to grab it only for Dream to push him back into bed.

“You can tell me about it tomorrow, now you sleep.” He doesn’t give Y/n the chance to speak again as he uses his sand on his little brother, watching as he yawns and his eyes slowly flutter closed.

—

Y/n doesn’t dream.

He knows that his own brother does since its apart of him, but Y/n never had dreams or nightmares. He always wondered if it was because he wasn’t an Endless like his siblings with a purpose in the human realm. His siblings had dreams, but never spoke about them. Dream had their books with their dreams and nightmares written locked away from prying hands, he never read their books in order to keep the privacy and respect, never lurking in their dreams to see what they think of when sleeping. He made a rule to never do such thing, but Dream was surprised when his little brothers book wasn’t on the shelf.

He had given it time since he was still young, but after eons, nothing.

That’s why Y/n had woken up without feeling anything, falling asleep in darkness and waking up as if nothing ever happened. He’d stare at the ceiling of his room, quiet and still as he thinks about last nights discoveries. He turns to his left where his brother had left the book. He would have expected Dream to take it back instead of leaving it in his room.

He takes the book into his hands again and reads the name to himself once more. His fingers opening the book as he flips through the empty pages in hopes of finding new words only to find nothing, ending in the same way as last night.

“You can’t be dead.” He says to himself when closing the book, he’s seen how their story is written before death comes for them. It always ends with a dream before their story reaches an end, but Bruce’s didn’t have that and it made him question it.

He holds the book in hand when leaving his room, heading off to see his brother only to find the throne room empty when arriving. The books that were scattered around were gone, leaving the place empty and clean. He decides to check the library, perhaps he could find his brother there if the books were all cleaned up.

Only, he doesn’t find his brother there other than Lucian.

“Lucian, have you seen Dream?” He speaks up softly towards the librarian as she organized a few books and puts them in their designated space in the shelves. She looks up from her work and sighs. “Lord Morpheus had to attend a family dinner.” She responds back which makes Y/n’s heart race at the statement, forgetting that family dinners were every few years.

He was always invited but rarely went since he didn’t want to deal with the usual conversations.

“Found your purpose yet?”

“Still staying with Dream?”

“Why even have another endless when you can’t figure out why you are here.”

The past conversation makes him shudder, hating the feeling of being different.

Lucian can easily see the sadness hidden behind Y/n’s eyes as if showing that he’s fine when deep down inside he was hurting.

“I was curious about something,” He began to say, holding the book under his arm. “have you ever dealt with a dreamers dreams not showing in their books?”

Lucian raises a brow at his question. “Lack of dreams?”

Y/n shakes his head. “More like, disappearing from the human realm when they aren’t really dead?” He winced at his own question, unsure if he was making sense towards the librarian.

“Oh,” Lucian gives him a look of surprise. “Well, we once dealt with a boy who went missing in the dreaming. We couldn’t find him in his books and it looked like he had disappeared from the world.” She explains while shelving books. “Turns out that a nightmare was keeping him hidden, using their power and work to hide the boy from the real world. A way of escaping reality and hiding in the dreaming.”

Y/n takes in her words, glancing down at the book he had. Thinking that perhaps this Bruce is suffering from nightmares, making him easy bait for Pitch. He isn’t sure if he’s right or wrong, but he knows he should let his brother know since its an urgent matter due to pitch leaving his duties and causing a problem to his brother.

“Thank you, Lucian.” He leaves the book on the table and quickly leaves the library. He doesn’t usually attend family dinners, but perhaps this once he can make an appearance only to let Dream know about his discoveries and then leave. His siblings always took turns in hosting dinners, sharing each others realms for a short period of time together.

Last dinner took place in Deaths realm, today it’s Destiny’s.

In order to enter his brothers realm he’d have to ask permission, but since its a family dinner he doesn’t need to ask. He’s only been in Destiny’s realm a few times, liking his garden that he walked through in order to make it to the clear opening where a dining table is set and finds his siblings conversing amongst each other.

He always felt nervous around his other siblings. He’s known them for eons, but he didn’t really know them. He only saw them as his siblings who took care of him when he was a child, but as time went by and he continued to age things had changed between them.

“Look who decided to join us.”

Desires voice floats through the air as he looks over to his sibling, giving them a small nod of acknowledgment. “Desire.”

“Endless.” They said back.

Y/n mentally flinched at the name. He’s Endless, but Endless of what?

“That’s a surprise, you usually don’t come to these dinners.” They continued on, taunting him with a sly grin on their face. “Oh!” They gasp out. “Are you here to tell us that you’ve finally found a purpose or did you just come to ruin the dinner?” They and Despair laugh at their comment which leaves Y/n quiet.

“That’s enough.” Dream cuts in, stopping his siblings mocking. Desire clicks their tongue and rolls their eyes when their fun is ruined.

Dream looks over to Y/n. “Are you here to join us?”

He doesn’t know what to say, his mind feels fuzzy and can hear his heart racing in his ears. His eyes glancing over to the twins who murmured to each other, his eyes then shift over to Death who looks at him with eyes full of pity and concern—he hated that look. His brother Destiny didn’t even look at him and and Delirium was lost in her own world.

It wasn’t until his eyes land on the empty chair across from Dream. He’s confused at first, asking himself why they would have a chair for him. “Oh…”

There was 7 seats, one for each sibling.

The seventh wasn’t for him. It was for his missing brother, Destruction.

He’s now realized had he’s never had a seat amongst them.

“Y/n?”

Dreams voice pulls him out of his thoughts, looking back at his brother and noticed the small hint of concern in his voice.

“Is something wrong?”

Y/n gives his brother a fake smile. “It’s nothing.”

He doesn’t stay much longer and turns his back, leaving his brothers garden and heading back to the Dreaming where he belonged. Did he really belong to the dreaming? Dream was only being a kind brother and letting him stay in his realm until he’s found his purpose but its been eons and he still hasn’t figured out what kind of endless he is. Thinking about it makes him feel like a burden, having bothered his brother for years not asking himself if Dream has perhaps grown tired of having him around.

He found beauty in his brothers work always amazed by his creations and ideas that he can’t help but think that he’s a mistake wandering around his brothers creation.

“You are just Endless.”

Dream of the Endless.

Death of the Endless.

Desire of the Endless.

They all had a name, but him.

“How can I know who I am…” He whispers in the emptiness of his room, staring at the pile of books that he had left forgotten in his room only to remember last nights book.

“Bruce Wayne.”

He may not be someone who can lead him to Pitch, but he could be a start. He’s curious to know why his book ended in blank pages, waiting to be filled with words. Even if he was wrong at least it was an excuse for him to leave the realm to perhaps find himself something out in the Waking.

Y/n had seen the Waking and had very little interactions with mortals, but perhaps he’ll get the chance to know them at a better level. There isn’t much for him to take other than a notebook with notes regarding his brothers dreams and nightmares and his time here in the dreaming. His room never had anything valuable only a simple bed and a few books, nothing else.

He flips the book open and reads his last page.

“Gotham City.”

[gabrielsbubblegumbitch]

Hello again! LOVE op's posts about static moth so so much they are giving me ungodly amounts of serotonin ... It's genuinely been such a joy reading your interpretations of their relationship and what makes them work the way they do. Even with the limited amount of content we have of them I believe you've nailed their respective personalities and behavior patterns spectacularly and every single post has been extremely interesting to go through and to analyze off of!

Regarding the reasons as to why Valentino likes vox as a romantic partner, I also believe part of it has to do with some of Vox's more stalkerish tendencies as well? His (not yet canon but close) Voyeurism, his constant need for control, etc.

This is more of a head canon than anything else, but I do genuinely believe Valentino enjoys the obsessive attention he can get only from Vox as it does wonders to quell his constant sense of emptiness, his subsequent feelings of abandonment, and the anxieties that follow. The fact that he knows Vox enjoys stalking him, (probably) gets off on it and is actively deriving pleasure from simply watching him go about his day may be adding to the thrill and content as well. The thing is, as generally absurd and problematic it is, this behavior seems to bring a sense of security for both Partys involved: Throughout the show during all 4 episodes that feature Valentino's presence, we have yet to see a single scene with him without at least one camera tracking his movements. They are everywhere. They follow him wherever he goes, Vox can follow him wherever he goes whenever he so chooses, even to Vals own personal quarters. They are a massive, glaring red flag and quite frankly would bring a suffocating amount of pressure and sense of captivity to any other person under the same circumstance. But Val never brings this up, so I feel he either doesn't think he's in a favourable condition to complain, or he likes the idea of Vox always having his eyes on him. For me I think it's the latter, and I think for him to act so nonchalant around vox's cameras and his potentially constant, 24/7-hour surveillance, it has to have offered him some form of comfort. It has to have made him feel good, either about himself, about the state of their relationship, or both.

(apologies for the sloppy wording, hope you have a wonderful day!)

Awww, Anon, you are so sweet! Reading your question brought me so much joy <3 I think your perspective is spot on, and I wholeheartedly agree with it. I must admit I initially omitted this aspect of their relationship from my initial response because the question specifically focused on love rather than "sexy and toxic stuff." For me, voyeurism and stalking kink are more closely related to the latter category.

That being said, Val undoubtedly enjoys having Vox's eyes always on him. Being a diva and a performer, he relishes performing for Vox, especially knowing Vox's likes all the deranged shit but desperately tries to hide it underneath his clean façade. So he’s basically like “I’m going to hit this bitch for you, Voxy. As a treat.” recognizing that Vox couldn't do it himself without tarnishing his image. In return, Val receives even more attention and admiration, perpetuating the cycle.

Since you've given me the opportunity to delve into Vox's voyeurism further, I'll add some additional insights (I've been meaning to write a proper post about it for some time now but that rabbit hole is just too deep). It's fundamentally about control, of course, and it's simply a kink. However, kinks are not merely about arousal; they involve complex psychological dynamics. People a lot smarter than me wrote a shit ton of essays about voyeurism, especially since it is a very relevant topic in the visual media era. One sentence about Lacan's interpretation of it grasps really well what I have in mind when I think about Vox:

By appropriating the other as image, the voyeur makes it an object of pleasure*, while remaining uninvolved in the other's intimacy.

It’s a parasitic relationship. A voyeur gets symbolic control over their object and it gives them the sense of being powerful. And they don’t have to offer anything themselves – no effort that is required to gain control in situations with two subjects involved, nor the vulnerability necessary in consensual relationships. They can just freely feed on others without offering anything in exchange.

Without delving too deeply into philosophy, Vox's inability to live authentically stems from his obsession with his image, his guardedness, and his need for control. This sets a lot of limitations about what he can allow himself to personalmy experience. So he derives dopamine from "stealing" others' experiences and emotions, while avoiding the effort and vulnerability required in genuine connections.

*In a broader sense, voyeuristic pleasure isn't necessarily sexual; it can manifest as the thrill some people experience from watching macabre imagery in movies, eavesdropping on neighbors' drama, or even watching overly personal vlogs.

[mywritingonlyfans]

Reflections of Desire // Alex Turner X Reader. Smut!

prompt: Alex teaching you how to touch yourself in front of a mirror with you between his legs. (be aware that this writing was supposed to be part of my Freshness fic, although it has nothing to do with the fic itself, chances are you'll feel like you've read something similar to mine already; I was going to delete it but thought I'd post it anyway)

warnings: fingering, dry humping, dirty talk, praise kink and soft dom Alex.

words: 3,3K.

 The warmth emanating from Alex's closet had you questioning if the heat coursing through your body was due to the light or the moment itself - perhaps it was both. As he worked to unclasp your bra, you straightened your back and met his gaze in the mirror. His undivided attention was fixed on you, from your head down to your toes. Goosebumps prickled across your skin at the touch of his fingertips, and his smile was so captivating that you found yourself unable to look away from him.

 "Tonight, you're the star, little one. Look at yourself," he said, pulling a handful of your hair and forcing you to face the mirror. It was harsh, yet good. Despite the slight discomfort, you couldn't help but admire the reflection, taking in both your own image and Alex's figure behind you, holding you close between his legs on the cool marble floor. Holding back a contented sigh, you basked in the moment, feeling completely at ease in his arms.

 You shifted slightly, feeling Alex spread his legs wider to make room for you to snuggle into them. Your bare back and the rest of your body fit perfectly against his covered chest. He was dressed in a velvety light blue suit that looked as if it had been tailor-made to fit his body - and yours as well. 

  You were completely exposed to him, naked while he remained fully dressed, and the giant mirror in front of you only underscored the situation. You didn't feel embarrassed. There was something about it, combined with the look Alex was giving you, that made you feel hot and desired. He had a power over you that you could never explain; a simple touch or look was enough to make you surrender.

  "Can you repeat that again?" You asked, frowning as you turned your head slightly to look at his pulpy and red cheeks. He had his eyebrows curved in a v of concentration and you kissed him into softness. 

 "Sure thing, hot stuff," he said, using yet another playful pet name as he pulled you closer, settling you comfortably onto his lap. "Here's what's goin’ to ‘appen, pup. I've been thinking - since I'll be away for a while, and I’m afraid it's nothing but fair that I teach you a few tricks. Y’know, so you don't forget ‘bout me." He spoke casually, with a silk voice and the same usual punctuation between words as if he wasn't making you burn under your skin, the effect he had on you was anything but the calmness he was exhaling. You rested your head on his shoulder, trying to keep your composure as he played with the fire in your heart.

 His hands roamed over your waist, reaching up to your breasts, and then squeezing them a bit and way too hard.

 “Do you want me to touch myself for you?” You stuttered, soon regretting it. 

 You had imagined your voice would come out soft and confident, but the reality was that it was impossible to sound coherent right after Alex had hinted at what he just did.

 Alex was your first-ever proper boyfriend, the first to ever explore your body intimately, and he knew every inch of you like the back of his hand. He knew exactly what turned you on and how to make you moan in nothing but pure pleasure. It was an unknown feeling for you, not that you didn't enjoy it, but you couldn't match the intensity he brought to your encounters. You and Al were very open with each other, and he knew that he had an uncanny ability to make you feel things you never knew were even possible. 

 "It's not for me," his deep voice echoed in your ear, and you felt a slight twinge of self-consciousness, even though you were still comfortably nestled in his arms. It was like a shiver but inside your lower stomach. "You're doing this for yourself, and I'll be “ere to guide you every step of the way."

 "You're trying to be all teacher-like with me, huh?" you teased, a playful grin spreading across your face. 

He pulled you closer to him, his arms wrapping around your body as he rested his chin on your shoulder. "Well, I suppose you could say that," he chuckled. "I just want to make sure you take good care of yourself while I'm away. You agree with me on that, right, babe?"

 You shook your head in frustration, causing him to emit a mocking chuckle. "I like that," he remarked. "I've hardly laid a finger on you, little one." He yanked your hair, exerting pressure so that you would pay attention to your reflection. "Look at you, already panting and sweating." 

 You grumbled Al's name, but he only pulled at your head harder, causing you to cry out in pain on his lap. He held you tightly, pulling you towards him and planting a wet, sloppy kiss on your lips. You moaned softly and leaned into him, hoping for more intimacy, but he suddenly pushed you away and grabbed you by the same messy and loose locks, forcing you to look at him. He watched as you slowly came down from your suddenly breathing mess before whispering, "Alright, puppy. Get ready in position, just like I had you at the beginning of it all." His fingers tightened around you, leaving you no choice but to follow his.

 You repositioned yourself without a word, settling between his thighs as his growing bulge pressed against you. He rested his hands on the cold floor, patiently waiting for you to find a comfortable position. Planting a damp kiss on your shoulder, he gently brushed away strands of hair that framed your face, pulling you close until your back was snug against his chest.

 You glanced at him in the mirror and asked, "This way?" He responded by wrapping his arms around your waist and nuzzling his face into the skin of your neck. As he did so, he took a bite and sucked, leaving a mark that was beginning to darken.

He demanded, holding your torso tightly in his left arm, "Spread your legs for me, pet." Enamored by the way his eyes scanned over your body as you made your way up between his legs, you slowly parted your knees, giving him a delightful view. You winced as he brought his free hand to your stomach, dragging the stones of his rings through your skin, lower and lower.

"Al," you sighed, feeling shivers run through your spine. "Please."

He let out a chuckle and blew air on the bruise he had just created on your neck. "Why the rush? We need to take it slow so that you can learn," he said, while scraping his nails on your stomach. He was patient and cautious, quite irritating. You gulped as he did so. "Will you promise me to pay attention to the lesson, babe?" he asked.

You eagerly bobbed your head, stealing a glance at his face to see his tongue between his teeth in a goofy, silly grin and all red ears in anticipation. "Yes, I promise," you said. He laughed a little, pure sweetness out of his lungs, as if he couldn't believe such an event.

"That's my girl," he said, admiring you from your gentle hip thrusts to the baby hair sticking to your forehead. "’ere's what's going to happen; I'll describe each move for you to repeat later. But first, I want you to stimulate your nipples." The sound of his voice reverberated in your mind, and though you were still unaccustomed to hearing those kinds of words from him, you felt a surge of confidence as you watched the color deepen in his cheeks. It made you certain of the possibilities, including the potential for homemade videos that you could send him while he was away on tour after that.

You nodded, your heart racing as you took in his instructions. You brought your hand back up, but he quickly caught your wrist, reminding you to use a light to moderate touch. His voice was like music to your ears, making you feel weak in the knees. As he massaged your breast, you couldn't help but bounce in his lap in soft sighs, feeling the metal of his rings graze over your sensitive skin. His skilled hands moved from massaging to twisting, alternating with pinching on you, sending mind a bit too dizzy for your liking.

 As he praised you for your response to him, your body tingled with joy. Your nipples stiffened under his touch as he held your breast, teasing it with the metal of his rings. “You like that, huh? I know you do, babe,” he said, relishing in your reaction. “Now try it yourself, give 'em a good squeeze, and do as I told you.”

 Taking a deep breath, you followed his husky words and cupped them with your hands. You missed the sensation of his larger hands, but with his guidance, you quickly found your rhythm. Starting with groping them, you then moved onto pinching, rubbing, and pulling at your nipples, focusing on directing pleasure to yourself. It wasn't as good as when Alex did it, but it still felt great.

“Good girl,” he whispered into your ear as he took in how you writhe under his touch. He continued to press his thumb against your sensitive spot, eliciting moans and gasps from you. With his other hand, he traced lazy circles on your belly, occasionally dipping down to lightly brush against your inner thighs.

Your eyes fluttered closed again, lost in the sensations he was creating. You could feel the heat building up inside you, and you knew that you were close to the edge. Not only for this alone, but due to all of it together; his voice, hands and toned fingers dancing around you like he was the proper devil in disguise. His touch on top of that was just too much for you to handle, and you were powerless to resist.

He chuckled as he felt your body tense up under his ministrations. “That’s it, my lil’ one,” he murmured, increasing the pressure on your clit. Then, out of a sudden, he stopped, making you whimper and frown in frustration. 

“I thought I warned you that you're supposed to watch, learn, and execute this yourself.” And once again the full-bodied voice clashed with the angelic gaze he had on you, and yet it was so good.

“Alex,” you moaned as he nibbled on your collarbone. “Please guide me, then.”

He chuckled softly, running his hands down your body until they reached your hips. He pulled you closer, grinding his bulge against you. “I'll guide you, babe,” he said, his voice deep and reassuring. “Just trust me and follow my lead.”

You nodded eagerly, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement. He turned you around, facing the mirror, and positioned himself behind you, like properly this time, letting every inch of him be noticeable for you. His hands slid up your sides and cupped your breasts, squeezing them gently. “Now, watch yourself,” he whispered, tracing his lips along your earlobe. “Watch how your body reacts to my touch.”

You watched in the mirror as he moved his hands down to your hips again, gripping them firmly. He pressed himself closer to you, rubbing his bulge against your ass. “Now, grind against me,” he instructed. “Slowly, feel how hard I am for you.”

You did as he said, rolling your hips against him, feeling the heat between your legs growing. He slid his hand down between your thighs, teasing your clit a bit more. “That's it, puppy,” he murmured, his breath hot on your neck. “Let yourself feel it.” You knew that wasn't his original purpose, but you wanted nothing more than to let him have what he wanted from you.

You moaned softly, grinding harder against him, feeling your body start to tremble. He kept up the teasing touches, urging you on. “You're doing so well, babe,” he whispered. “Keep going.”

Finally, you couldn't hold back any longer. You came with a cry, your body shaking with pleasure. He held you tightly, his own body pulsing against yours. “Good girl,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to your shoulder. “You did so well.”

As he held you tight, he allowed himself to lose himself in the moment, taking in every sigh that escaped your lips. Your full body was reflected in the mirror, bathed in warm lighting, and he couldn't help but appreciate the sight of you. Your swollen lips repeated his name like a mantra, driving him to a state of ecstasy. It was as if time had stopped, and all that existed was the two of you, intertwined in a moment of pure rapture.

Your body shuddered as his teeth grazed over the sensitive spot he had already teased so hard on, sending an electric current over you. "Alex, please," you cried out, your nails digging into the fabric of his pants. Simple and direct, he knew he could go on.

 Peppering kisses up to the corner of your mouth, he showered you in more praise. Your disappointment was screaming into silence and he found it entertaining. You were still shaking, but needed more than that. "Fine, babe. Let's keep with that," he said, holding your waist tightly as he rested his chin on your shoulder. Looking at your bodies intertwined in the mirror, you couldn't help but feel exhilarated.

"Just follow my voice, babe. Is that okay for you?" he asked.

"More than okay, Al. Just go on, please," you replied, lost in the moment. Your pulse was so fast you couldn't think straight, your next steps were clearly more Alex's than your own.

Hearing the disapproval in his sober tone, you snapped back to reality, driving your attention back to him. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" you asked, lost in a blissful daze.

With a sniffle, he fought back a smile. He knew from your expression that you wouldn't be able to repeat what he had just said if he asked. "Don't be in such a hurry, we have plenty of time to make you enjoy yourself," he reassured you, taking your hand in his and guiding it down to your stomach. "I want you to brush your pretty clit with a light touch, drawing circles with your fingertips - like this," he said, demonstrating the motion for you. As he spoke, he maintained a smooth and calm demeanor, gently pressing his fingers against you to prolong the sensation. 

You couldn't help but whimper in a silent moan as you paid attention to how his fingertips became lubricated. Suddenly, you were brought back to reality as he repeated himself a little louder, "I said show me what you just learned!" Your cheeks flushed as you realized that you had once again lost focus.

You effortlessly took control, replacing his hand with your own, obediently following his instructions. Slowly, you began rubbing in gentle circles, your movements delicate and precise. Though your fingers were smaller than his, the way your essence coated them, even just at the tips, was remarkable and hypnotizing.

The image of your slick digits made you crave more, but you resisted the urge to speed up, mindful of his guidance. You couldn't help but think how different it would be if it were his thicker ones inside you. You sighed around the feeling.

"That’s my good girl," he whispered, his lip caught between his teeth. "Now, slide your fingers down, be careful as you push them inside of you, pet." You did as he instructed, your eyes focused on how your knuckles filled you to perfection.

As your fingers moved with practiced ease, you let out a soft moan. The sound seemed to ignite something within him, and he couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement as he watched you in the mirror. He could see the desire etched on your face, your lips parted in a perfect 'o'. Your breath came in short gasps, and your knees threatened to give up on you.

"Like that?" you asked him, your voice husky and breathless, seeking his approval.

He smiled at you, his eyes fixed on your reflection in the mirror. "Just like that, babe," he said, he sounded full of adoration. He wondered if you saw yourself in the same way that he did - a vision of beauty, lost in the throes of passion.

"Watch yourself, babe. You're so beautiful," he continued, reveling in the sight of you lost in his own mind space. Your chest rose and fell with each passing breath, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at how well you were doing.

He wrapped his arm around you, his hand encircling your neck as he held you still. The full palms and long fingers doing you perfectly well. "You're doing so great, learning so fast for me." He whispered, his lips brushing against your ear. 

As he directed your gaze to the mirror, he tightened his fingers around your throat, a gesture meant to guide you, not hurt you. "Look at how perfect you are," he urged you. "All whimpering and sweaty on my lap, giving yourself your best. You're such a good girl, little one."

As you purred into Alex's ear, your lips curved into a lazy smile. "You did this, you make me drippin' wet," you whispered, feeling your pace slow down. Sensing this, he pressed his hand over yours, urging you to continue. Your legs trembled at his touch and he locked them in place by swinging his legs over your shin. You mouthed that you were close, and the feeling alone was great, but the sound of Alex's voice and the reflection of his hand in the mirror took your breath away, causing your brain to stop working all over again. You failed to close your thighs and squeeze your hand over his in vain, and instead threw your head back in delight, feeling his joints ease into your neck as your toes curled.

It took a few minutes for your breathing to stabilize as Alex held you in his arms, and you could feel the damp fabric of his pants against your slippery body. "I guess I made a good mess," you mumbled, but Alex silenced you with a soft kiss. "It's alright, babe. You did a great job," he said, cradling you against his chest.

As you looked straight ahead, you took in your messy hair and Alex's smug smile and with some locks over his forehead as well. Burrowing your face into his neck, you mumbled something incoherent against his skin, and he chuckled excitedly. You were satisfied, sated and sore in the most pure feeling of ecstasy.

Taking comfort in the silence, he calmly removed his blazer while still holding your body to his. He then enveloped you around the soft fabric, as well as in his arms once more, showering you with tender kisses under the warm glow of the light. The wetness of his lips against yours added to the sensuality of the moment, making you feel safe and cherished in his embrace.

The closet was as warm as Alex’s embrace, and you knew that you would definitely repeat this again in his presence, having already absorbed your lesson pretty well. "I can't wait to send you a vid of me doin' that while you're away," you chirped, feeling sure of yourself. What could you do? Alex was a great teacher.

...

taglist: @ohladymoon @indierockgirrl @bloo-wisteria @bellaturner @cosmoschaotic @nikisfwn @andrews-lovr

[agendabymooner]

she's beauty, she's grace ! sergio 'checo' p. x ofc (miss philippines!ofc)

summary: the red bull driver sergio perez has married a long-time fan - who also happened to be the miss universe 2018 winner AND the mother to his two kids, carmella 'mella' ayala.

content warning: possible use of explicit language, established relationship, miss universe!ofc, fluff, dad!checo and mom!ofc, mentions checo and his proud bf moment, video clips + tweets and posts, what is proper grammar, mentions of characters from jenson button x ofc work and seb vettel x ofc piece (no storyline involved)

note: i used this face claim because i was one of those people that were screaming "PHILIPPINES" at the tv hoping that catriona gray would win. don't ask me why i made a checo one. there's something about that man that had my internals screaming for a moment so i've been at this thing for HOURS. i should probably update my masterlist soon before i start packing my shit and going 😭🤠 enjoy xx

masterlist

MISS U(niverse), CHECO ❤️ | MELLA TALKS ABOUT BEING CELEBRATED IN MEXICO BY HER BOYFRIEND'S FAMILY | CARMELLA AYALA HOMECOMING 2019 w/ VICE GANDA by abscbn

HOST: VICE (GANDA) GUEST: CARMELLA AYALA

[translation: mi rana pequeño = my little frog]

tagged schecoperez

liked by carlossainzjr, danielricciardo, christianhorner

user1 my little frog 😭

user2 WHICH ONE IS A HARRIE?!

carmayalaprz bitzy but he's at the hotel rn 😅 he's taking a break from chiquito

user2 even froggys need a break too 😩🙌

schecoperez what do you mean mr. bitzy's at the hotel 🧐

carmayalaprz what do you mean by that love? 😄😊

schecoperez 😊

maxverstappen1 uh oh. i wouldn't play this game with carma if i were you checo 🤔

redbullracing i agree with max on this one

christianhorner i don't really mind being introduced to bopit and bitzy every time 😕 liked by carmayalaprz

carmayalaprz i hope gp's the same because there's gonna be a lot of that soon 😅

danielricciardo how much plushies does he have for the trip rn?

carmayalaprz without cece's? about seven. apparently the whole pack either come or be left at home but we all know the chances of one being left alone in the cold dark place

danielricciardo i can barely imagine ribb being left alone at home- can you just imagine that poor frog crying for his friend?

carmayalaprz i can never 😔

tagged schecoperez, artsforyouth, artsforkids

liked by charles_leclerc, lewishamilton, adaabbott

adaabbott ah yes! the efficient cardboard crafting camp! my favourite activities yet! liked by carmayalaprz

carmayalaprz i had my biggest proud wife and mom moment just watching serg and silas make those houses 🥰

adaabbott haha! i can imagine! poppet and jens definitely tried their best working together!

user1 silas and sergio perez are the most iconic duo since sebastian and michael 😍

user2 i love how hands-on you and checo are when it comes to your little ones!

carmayalaprz thank you so much! us parents are trying despite the busy schedules, you know? 💖

danielricciardo i hope you guys brought earplugs. god knows how much of a screamer silas is 😭

schecoperez daniel for the last time he didn't intentionally try to break your eardrums 🤠

carmayalaprz try babysitting them, you'll get used to it eventually

danielricciardo maybe next time, yes?

user3 danny would probably add more to the noise if anything ngl 😭

schecoperez am i ever glad to take your and silas' attentions away from the stupid frogs 😄 liked by carmayalaprz

carmayalaprz don't say that about those frogs 🤠 i was shedding blood and tears swiping my card after passing by that store

schecoperez maybe next time let's not go to a mall with a build a bear store 🤔

carmayalaprz i agree. we might have pavlov'd our son with the build-a-bear stores we come across to

maxverstappen1 so i should return the froggy i bought him then...?

redbullracing you know the right answer to that max.

the perez kids

silas milo ayala perez

cecilia morgana ayala perez

[smaptain-smerica]

A/N: I only intended for this to be a one shot/imagine but due to the overwhelming support and interactions with my last post, I will turn this into a mini series. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. In honor of this becoming a multi-part series I have given it a proper name. I hope you continue to enjoy as much as I enjoy to entertain. 💜

Summary - Jealousy creates a divide and conflict between friends and love interests.

Pairing - Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Female!Reader (Single Mother Reader)

Masterlist

Roses and Thorns - Part II

Y/n slowly opened the front door of Bradley’s house, taking her shoes off at the door. She walked down the hall, a white light flickering across the living room as she approached. Bradley sat on the couch, focusing on the tv.

“Hey B.” Y/n greeted, walking over to the couch. Bradley turned around quickly, his face lighting up as soon as he saw her.

“Y/n, how’d it go?” He asked eagerly.

Y/n hummed a chuckle, plopping down on the couch next to him. Y/n looked over at him and smiled. “Really good actually. I really enjoyed his company.”

Bradley huffed out a chuckle of disbelief. “Now that’s unexpected.”

Y/n punched him in the shoulder gently. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Bradley flinched lightly as the flat part of her fist made connection with his shoulder. The sound was louder than it actually hurt. It was all for dramatic effect. “I’m just saying I know Jake. The women he meets aren’t exactly the ‘dating’ type if you know what I’m saying.”

Y/n rolled her eyes. Bradley had always been over protective of her. She can’t even begin to count the amount of times he probably scared off a boy who liked her. She couldn’t be too upset with him though, He was an excellent judge of character, predicting every breakup she had. He was always there to pick up the pieces when they happened, and she did the same for him. Bradley always hated Rose’s dad from the beginning. He always said he never got the right vibe from the guy. In all, he was good until she brought up the pregnancy. Y/n told Bradley first, and just as he had predicted, rose’s father ran for the hills.

“Are you saying I’m not the dating type?” Y/n commented to provoke an answer.

Bradley violently shook his head back and forth. “No no no, you most definitely are.” He made a face after saying that, as though he was confused or disgusted by what he had just blurted out.

Y/n smirked a little, turning her attention back towards the TV. “Where’s Rose?”

“Passed out in the guest room.” He spoke. Bradley shifted his weight to look at y/n, placing a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

“Please stay here. I can’t stand the thought of you being in a hotel when there’s a perfectly good bed here. For free.” Bradley squeezed y/n’s shoulder and shook her gently to emphasize the last two words even more.

Y/n waved her hand dismissively at her friend and shook her head. “I couldn’t possibly impose.”

“I insist,” Bradley said more eagerly. “Having Rose around is nothing but a good time. Please.”

Y/n looked at him, raising an eyebrow quizzically. When Bradley poked out his bottom lip in a pout, she knew it was over.

“Alright!” She threw her hands up in surrender. “But you’re coming with me to get my bags.”

“Deal.” Bradley jumped up, grabbing y/n by the arm and dragging her through the house, the both of them laughing wildly.

Jake had arraigned for him and Bradley to meet at The Hard Deck to go over todays students notes. It had become somewhat of a tradition for the two, meeting there almost every night. Although, tonight Bradley was late and couldn’t figure out why. As he drank a beer, notebook in hand and observing his handwriting, he heard a chair scoot beside him. His attention was brought up to a blonde. Big curly hair, full plump lips and eyes so light blue they almost looked grey. She batted her eyelashes at him and gave him a gentle smile.

“I’ve not seen you around here before.” She commented, taking a drink from her own drink she electively brought over.

“Odd, because I’m here every night.” He commented, raising his eyebrow and his lips curling into a smirk. Old habits die hard he supposed, he flirted with the woman. This time, he had no underlying intention to take her to bed. But Jake Seresin wouldn’t be Jake Seresin if he turned down flirting.

The woman sucked on her teeth with her tongue, purposely leaning more into the table to accentuate her breasts in the low cut shirt. “Well maybe I just wanted an excuse to come talk to you then. I’m Megan.”

“Jake. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Her entire persona was radiating flirtatious tendencies. She had come over here on a mission, sober or not. And soon, Jake would find out why.

“I couldn’t help but notice the uniform, are you in the military?” She twirled her hair around her finger. Jake watched the yellow hair that was already curled stiffly move in between her fingers.

Jake took a drink of his beer and nodded at the woman's comment. "I am. Navy, I fly aircrafts."

"But the navy is the water, right? Ships and stuff? Because their mascot is a seal?" There comes a point in a date - or even just a conversation with a new person - where everything is going good up until they say that one thing. The one thing that twists your gut the wrong way or instantly causes you to become uninterested. Maybe its insensitive towards a minority or belittles an experience that you went through, but its the point of no return. Unfortunately, that had just happened to Jake. Whatever intentions this woman had with him were now unobtainable.

"That's not all that the Navy does." He said in a flat and monotoned voice, now very uninterested in where this conversation was leading. The Hard Deck was quiet tonight. A slow Tuesday evening with the few regulars chatting with Penny at the bar. Even the music wasn't at the level it usually was at. This was the reason that Jake was able to notice the bell on the door ringing, in walking Y/n, Bradley, and Maverick. Rose was on top of Bradley's shoulders, ducking her head way down as instructed when they walked through the door.

Jake felt his gut turn. He couldn't quite tell if it was jealousy or disappointment that he was feeling upon seeing Rose looking so happy while she sat high atop Bradley's shoulders. Bradley took his hands behind his head and lifted Rose up to remove her from the high perch. Penny happily rushed around the bar to greet the little girl who was now running on the ground towards the older woman. Jake wished that it was him walking into the establishment with the girl on his shoulders. He had never felt this way before, about anything.

"So what other things does the navy do?" Megan asked, breaking Jake from his trance.

"Huh?" He questioned, not fully hearing what he had said and now turning his attention towards her for a moment.

Just as she was about to speak again, her attention turned to the distance. Jake followed it, seeing Bradley and Y/n approaching the table. In between them, Rose had a hold of both their hands with either of hers. Bradley sat down next to Megan at the round table, leaving Y/n a spot across from Jake. She sat down, giving him a heartwarming smile. "Hi." She said plainly.

"Hi." He replied back sheepishly.

"Oh my god. She is so stinking cute." Megan raved from beside Jake, leaning down to look at Rose who had climbed in Bradley's lap. "What's your name, sweetie?" Megan asked.

Rose looked up at the woman. Jake could see the weariness in her big blue eyes as she scanned the woman's face. Rose didn't answer, instead she wrapped her little arms around Bradley's and hid her face. Bradley took his free hand and rubbed Rose on the back. "Hey you're okay kiddo."

Megan straightened her back out and looked up at Bradley. "Aw, what a good Dad."

From across the table Y/n let out a noise that sounded like a choke more than a scoff. She laughed and shook her head back and forth. Jake had never felt more jealousy in his entire life than he did in that moment. He didn't think it was possible to be jealous of Bradley Bradshaw, but in this moment, he was jealous monster. He wanted to be the one getting that kind of attention. If it were him, he would have said yes, whether he was the father or not.

"Definitely not the Dad." Bradley corrected her.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Y/n asked Megan in a challenging tone, her gaze flipping back and forth between the woman and Jake.

"I'm Megan." She chirped happily.

"And are you a friend of Jakes?" Bradley asked.

Jake finally gathered up the courage to speak his mind. "No." He said in a rather flat and rude tone. "She was just leaving." Jake gave her a sideways glance, waiting on her to take the hint. After a moment of staring, Megan rolled her eyes, dramatically getting up from the seat and briskly walking away. Once she was gone, Bradley placed Rose in the empty seat between them.

“Nice side piece, Jake.” Bradley teased his friend. Jakes gut turned sour. He looked over at y/n who wasn’t paying attention to the conversation as she looked over the drink menu. On a normal day, he wouldn’t mind Bradley’s banter. In fact it wouldn’t be far from the truth. But with y/n sitting right next to him he felt the need to lash out and defend himself. He didn’t have an interest in that woman and wanted desperately for y/n to know that.

“Not a side piece.” He grumbled at Bradley.

“French fries!” Rose piped up from her seat. Jake looked over at her and smiled. She looked up at him and batted her long, black eyelashes.

“We’re eating at Uncle Mavericks house baby, no French fries.” Y/n informed her daughter. Rose pouted her lip at her mother and looked up at jake. His heart melted, he looked desperately between the two other adults that were at the table. They didn’t seem to pay attention to Roses pouting lip. Jake hadn’t spent a lot of time around kids, not ones as cute as her anyway. Bradley and y/n had developed an immunity. Jake was completely and utterly vulnerable.

“I’m gonna go get one more beer before we get started.” Jake announced, standing up from his chair and walking over to the bar. He leaned over the counter, waiting to catch penny’s attention.

“What can I get for you Jake?” She asked, a kind and charming smile on her face.

“A Budweiser and a basket of fries please, Penny Dear.”

Penny smirked a little as she reached for a glass. She popped the keg and poured it for him. “The fries for Rose?” Penny asked. Jake felt his heart skip a beat and his face get red with embarrassment.

“As far as we’re concerned, they’re for me.” He gave her a playful wink.

Penny hummed a chuckle and set his beer down on the counter for him.

“You know, Bradley told us about your date with Y/n. We’re having dinner tonight, you should come.”

Jakes heart lifted at the opportunity to spend more time with y/n. “Really? I wouldn’t want to impose.”

Penny shook her head. “I insist. We will eat around 8.”

Jake smiled at Penny gratefully. He took his beer and his basket of French fries and returned to the table, plopping down next to Rose. This caught the others’ attention, which was drawn to the fries. Y/n smirked a little, looking between jake and the food on the table.

“Those wouldn’t be for Rose, would they?” She asked.

Jake smirked a little, popping a French fry into his mouth. “Nope. They’re all for me. Every single one.” Jake took a French fry from the basket and brought it under the table. His hand glided towards Rose. She looked at the fry then up at the man. Jake brought a finger to his lips in a shushing motion. Rose erupted into quiet giggles as she took the fry from his hand and shoved it into her mouth.

Jake looked back at y/n, who had a fond smile on her face. She shook her head at Jake, still with a wide smile. Jake smiled back at her, feeling a flutter in his heart.

Jake was nervous beyond belief pulling up to Maverick and Penny's shared home. He wondered if Penny had told the others that he was coming. He really hoped that was the case, it would be awkward otherwise.

He approached the door and slowly raised his hand to knock, thinking for a brief moment if he should turn around and leave. Nobody would miss him if he didn't show up. He listened to the voices that could be heard inside. The voices were muffled, it was hard to distinguish who was who, except for one. Rose let out a scream that turned into loud laughter.

That alone was enough to make Jake bring his hand back up and knock on the door. There were some voices and shuffling from inside the house before the door handle twisted and then swung open. Jake was met with the smiling face of penny, her hair pulled back into a low ponytail. He assumed she was still cooking considering he arrived a little early.

"I'm so glad you could make it." She said breathily, almost in relief. "You think I'd miss it?" Jake retorted.

"Jake!" Rose's voice exclaimed excitedly and he saw the tiny human running over to him. He knelt down and held his arms open to her. Rose tried to do the same thing her mom did that day on the beach, ducking her shoulder to tackle him. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Jake caught her in the air, flipping her around so she now hung upside-down in his arms up in the air. She let out a string of high pitched giggles which warmed Jakes heart.

"What's up, Kiddo?"

In-between laughs she managed to say, "Come play with us." Jake looked over to where Y/n and Bradley sat on the living room floor, the coffee table pushed aside and disregarded so there was more room. Jake walked over, dramatically swaying Rose from side to side before throwing her down on the couch.

Jake sat down on the floor next to Y/n and met her gaze. They shared a smile and Jake kept his gaze with her until she broke it. Y/n leaned in to whisper in his ear, sending shivers down his spine. "She's been asking to see you since earlier today when you secretly bought her those fries."

"Really?" Jake exclaimed, almost too eagerly. The thought of the little girl wanting to see him again triggered something inside of him that could only be described as paternal.

"Oh yeah, it's been driving Bradley up the wall." Jake glanced over at Bradley with a smirk on his face. Bradley responded by rolling his eyes and picking up a stuffed animal off the floor.

Rose jumped down from the couch and walked over to the stuffed animal that Bradley had in his hands and took it from him. She walked over to Jake and handed him the toy that was previously in Bradley's. "You can be the Zebra."

"Rosie I thought I was the zebra." Bradley protested.

Rose looked over her shoulder at him and said "Not anymore." With as much emotion as a rock. Y/n's hands flew to her mouth as she snorted out a laugh. She looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Dinner's Ready!" Penny called. Which was probably good for Bradley, he looked like he was about to explode from jealousy. He got up quickly and went into the kitchen, leaving Jake and Y/n on the floor. They looked over at each other only for a brief moment before bursting into laughter.

Dinner was pleasant, the food was amazing, conversations flowed easily. Despite how many times Jake tried, Bradley would hardly look his direction. And when he, did it was in a scowl. Jake thought this behavior was odd. Bradley was normally such a passive and easygoing guy, so this sudden change of character was noticeable. At least it was to Jake.

Now, the 5 adults sat on the couch and in armchairs all talking, having a few drinks. Rose was playing with her various stuffed animals on the floor. It was 10 o'clock now, way past her bedtime assumably. A large yawn escaped her lips and she stood up, wobbling over to the couch. Rose grabbed onto her mothers pant leg and tugged a little. Y/n, still amidst conversation, picked Rose up and plopped her down in the space between her and Jake. He watched as the little girl swayed side to side, fighting off sleep before finally succumbing to it. Her little body flopped over into Jake's shoulder, out like a light. Jake smiled, moving her head from his shoulder and slowly lowering her down into his leg. He looked down at her sleeping body, little limbs spread out wildly. His heart warmed, that warmth spreading all over his body. Love, this feeling was love. But it wasn't the kind of love he was familiar with. It was new, warmer, lighter, it was as though a hidden cave was uncovered in his chest.

"Someone's wiped." Y/n speaking caught Jakes attention. He met her eyes, soft, motherly eyes and a gentle smile. She was even more beautiful now with her hair tossed up lazily and her mascara slowly wearing off of her face. If they were alone, he would have kissed her then and there. "I can take her." Y/n began to put her hands around the small girls torso.

"No need, I don't mind. I promise." Jake reassured her. Y/n gave him a smile that warmed him almost as much as Rose falling asleep on him. He didn't partake in much conversation after that, he mostly paid attention to the sleeping child. He brushed his fingers lightly over her soft h/c hair.

Unfortunately, all good thing must come to an end. It was time for them to depart. Jake offered to carry Rose out to the car. He walked out the door with Y/n in front of him and Bradley trailing behind. Jake took on the challenge of putting Rose in the car seat. It took a couple tries of Y/n laughing quietly at him. Once she was fastened in the car door was shut quietly.

"Thank you for your help with her. She's really taken a liking to you."

Jake smirked, leaning with one arm against the car and leaning into Y/n's face slightly. "That's good, because I've taken a liking to her."

Y/n raised an eyebrow, looking at him expectedly. "And?" She asked.

"And her mother just so happens to be a very beautiful, sexy woman who I also happen to like." He put on the charm, the largest smirk plastered on his face.

Y/n rolled her eyes with a large grin plastered on her face. She rolled up onto her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek before returning to her flat feet. "Goodnight Jake."

"Goodnight Y/n."

Jake walked around to his car, about to open the driver side door when he was stopped by Bradley. There was something off, his energy seemed hostile and angry. That feeling was proven when he spoke. "Where do you get off playing Dad, huh?"

"Excuse me?" Jake was flabbergasted by the outburst.

"You've never once mentioned anything about wanting a family, and your actions with women sure as hell have never exemplified that."

Jake squared off his shoulders and narrowed his eyebrows at Bradley. "Oh so you can parade around getting asked if you're the father but I can't enjoy spending time around a happy little kid?"

"Oh please we both know you're not interested in Rose, you just want to sleep with Y/n."

It took every ounce of strength inside of Jake not to lay Bradley out on the pavement. He didn't want Y/n to see that side of him. No matter how desperately he wanted to show it. Instead Jake smiled, clapping a hand roughly on Bradley's shoulder which caused the other male to jump slightly.

"Have a good night, Brad."

With that, Jake got into his truck, slamming the door shut and whipping furiously out of the drive.

Tag List @m-rae23 @golden-stilinski @alana4610 @emilyniamh3679-blog @emorychase @topgunruinedme @abaker74 @itsmytimetoodream

[moreespressoformydepresso]

Been sitting on this AU for a while and a discord conversation brought it back to my attention (thanks @felixravinstills) so here I am, typing it out on my one free day instead of writing like I should be doing.

The Capitol speaks in Panem's version of "standard" English, while the districts all have dialects that are so different from standard that they may as well be different languages entirely. Now, the districts can understand one another's dialect due to similarities and influences left over from the rebellion days, as well as due to inter-district trading and stories passed down through generations. However, the Capitol views these dialects and the accents they cause when a district citizen speaks standard English as a sign of being "lesser" so they stay as far away from it as possible, so they don't understand a word of it.

Come the 10th games where the mentors are forced to interact with the tributes, this seemingly random factoid about Panem turns into the thing that stops the games for good and brings Gaul's life to ruination. At first, the mentors are very snooty and classist about the tributes' accents, but when they start to care about their tributes it becomes an endearing thing to them. Slightly infantilizing but it's better than dehumanizing so the tributes that notice decide to take it. Now, I could go the depressing route and tell you the mentors try to learn their respective tribute's dialect post-games because it's the only thing they have of their tribute that isn't stained by the games. The stories they shared are nothing but memories, any item they have is sent back to their families. Anything they may have made for them was created with stuff from the zoo where the tributes were forced to stay and humiliated daily in the leadup to their brutal death. But their dialects? That's something the mentors can learn, and it's the only concrete thing they can have of the child that died on their watch that's from before they were forced into these horrifying circumstances. However, I'm gonna make this a fix-it instead :)

Now, this whole situation happens because none of the mentors die during the bombing, which means the Capitol is far less up in a tizzy about rebel activity. It doesn't mean much, but it leaves them just the tiniest bit more open to hearing positive things about the districts. While in the zoo, the tributes talk to each other in dialect because they can understand one another and it feels more like being at home that way. They won't let the Capitol force them into speaking standard when they don't have to and nobody cares if those Capitol pricks can't understand what they're saying. It's a positive, if anything. Some mentors are visiting and when one (probably Arachne because I'm ignoring the stabbing bit) gets prickly about them not speaking "proper" English with a comment about it being "a sign of lesser beings," Brandy responds by snippily asking her which one of them can understand the other either way. "If only one of us can speak both, who's the stupid one again?" Arachne is affronted (though her ego gets out of the way the next day and she realizes Brandy has a point, causing her to try to start over with her tribute by being a little nicer) but the other people present stop immediately to think about that. Especially those who know a lot about language. That whole dialect thing means the tributes know more vocabulary, more grammar than the Capitol citizens. And they have to seperate them too so they're not mixing languages! Clearly they're not that stupid then, so even if they are still lesser beings... Maybe it's worth being a little more nuanced?

Of course it never stays at just a little, in fact it starts spiralling quite uncontrollably. If the district kids are smart enough to essentially speak two languages... What else are they smart enough for? And with the extra scrutiny on the tributes their individual personalities and interests, and even more so their interpersonal dynamics and relationships, become utterly unavoidable. Coral's care for Mizzen despite how game-faced she is in every other facet of the games, Reaper's concern for Dill despite appearing to be the most dangerous amongst the tributes, Bobbin's anger that only seems to be gone entirely when it comes to Wovey, Treech and Lamina's complicated road of trying to figure out where they stand with each other when they clearly both know they'll have to leave one another eventually and the way it so obviously eats at them both, Marcus and Sejanus and whatever it is that's going on between the two of them. As all of this starts gaining traction in the Capitol, it becomes harder and harder for Gaul to keep up her narrative of "undressing humanity" and the districts deserving this. Especially when her biggest supporter, the president himself, ends up paying a visit to the zoo at Felix's insistence and sees first-hand the way these kids interact with one another as well as the visitors in the zoo. Their obvious disdain for their situation and those who came to oggle at them while they're literally being treated like animals, but also their small soft spots for the kids who don't know any better. The way they can't quite bring themselves to be mean to small children, even when those children see them as dumb animals put there for their entertainment.

President Maximinius Ravinstill is not a kind man. Nor is he a gentle, merciful one. He's cold and he's vicious. President Maximinius Ravinstill is a cruel man. But at the end of the day, he's just that. A man. One who has a son himself, though he's not been the best father he could have been. And while at first he'd thought he'd stay for five minutes to satisfy Felix and go back to his life again unaffected... Maximinius stays for hours, noticed only by those from the Capitol. Entirely unnoticed by the kids, though they watch him with curiosity at first due to the reactions of everyone outside the cage upon his initial arrival. Most of them don't even know who he is, and not a single one of them cares. That's how little they've been allowed to know of the outside world, and that's how little they care for the Capitol. All any of them are to these kids is the cause of their misery, and President Ravinstill may be a cold dictator, but Maximinius is a father who can only see his young son, hurt and bleeding and starving, in the faces of these young children. Especially in young Mizzen, whose face lacks the youthful chub it should have due to lack of nutrition the same way his son's had all those years ago. In Otto and Treech, who are of similar age and share just enough features with Felix to be discomforting, despite the district characteristics that had let Maximinius and everybody else in the Capitol write them off as "other" for a decade now. Long before that too, if he's honest with himself.

And President Ravinstill shouldn't care, but Maximinius can't help himself. For so long he's allowed differing physical appearances and a lack of education he himself reinforced to let him believe these kids were somehow lesser, but now that he's seen the parallels and the similarities he can't unsee them. And Maximinius is just a man, with the emotions of one and a heart that beats no matter how cold he's allowed it to become over the years. Part of him wants to go back to delusion, to ignorance and cruelty, but his heart won't let him. It aches and screams for him to do something because he knows he can. If anyone can it's him, and he'll never go back to the way he used to be before this realization. Since he already knows what Gaul will tell him, he talks to Dean Highbottom, the creator of the games, in hopes of solving this dilemma. It becomes the final straw that pushes him to accept the truth: he'll never truly live again if he allows this to continue, so he doesn't. He puts a stop to Gaul's machinations and ends the games right them and there.

Naturally, the situation in the districts also improves due to this shift in perspective, though it's a far slower and less sudden change. The tributes are finally given medical care, which saves Otto, Ginnee, Panlo and Sheaf from death. They all have to stay in hospital or under close supervision for about a month due to the drastic impact staying in a zoo enclosure, with no protection from nature while not being properly fed, has had on their health. When they're let out of hospital but deemed too unstable to travel they get to stay with their mentors. Of course, once they're finally deemed healthy enough to go home they're positively ecstatic but sad enough about leaving their mentors that they find ways to stay in contact and offer to show them around their home district at some point in the future, which the mentors of course happily agree to.

[argisthebulwark]

Behold a concept that has overtaken my brain due to Vilkas Post

hell yeah bestie. the vilkas post in question. feat: Brynjolf x f!reader warnings: explicit sexual content. minors should not read or interact.

You should be more worried - anyone could hear you. Thieves could be lurking around any corner. Hell, any one of your coworkers could wander in from the Flagon to fall into their bunk. A dozen things could go wrong but you couldn't muster up the energy to care too much.

"Eyes on me, lass." Brynjolf purred, blunt nails combing through your hair. They twisted just enough to make you gasp, tugging until your eyes met his. Your hands clasped over the burning skin of your cheeks but you didn't stop, hips still bucking against his thigh. He smiled, the gentle fingers tracing your jaw completely betrayed by the harsh thrust of his thigh up into your cunt. "There's my good girl."

"Bryn." You whined, trying to retain some control despite the needy way you bucked into his armor. Every sinful sound made you wince but gods, it felt too good to stop. The full weight of his attention left your cheeks permanently red but every little ridge and seam in his armored pants sent you closer to the edge.

"Yes, love?" He cooed, sweet kisses trailing down your neck. It was all too much yet you wanted more - never in your life had you asked for anything but you needed him. "What do you need from me?"

"Just - I dunno, more." You stuttered, face buried in your hands. His leg raised just enough to force your hips closer to his, cunt rutting needily into his thigh. Each movement sent arousal splintering under your skin, not enough to make you cum but enough to leave you craving more.

"More?" He taunted, chuckling into your shoulder. "Like what?"

"Bryn." Gods, was he actually going to make you say it? Your hips bucked into his clothed thigh, cunt throbbing with every kiss he placed on your sensitive skin.

"Like this, lass?" The words sounded innocent but you had to bite back whatever needy sound tore up your throat. The calloused pad of his thumb pressed to your clit, lips leaving your skin so he could assess your reaction. One hand left your face to grab uselessly at his armored chest, fingers digging into the leather while his thumb drew little circles that nearly drove you mad.

"Ah, seems like a yes to me." He grinned, clearly proud of the waves of arousal pounding through your body. You could hardly think, all thoughts of being proper banished by the sheer pleasure of fucking yourself on Brynjolf's fingers.

"Who knew the shy gal from the marketplace could be so filthy? Ridin' me behind Mercer's desk." He tutted, fueling the heat in your face but you couldn't stop. Each hypnotizing swipe of his thumb over your clit and graceless thrust of your cunt on his thigh sent you higher and higher. "Been waitin' to get you out of that armor since you put it on."

Somehow, it still wasn't enough. A whimper slipped between your lips, eyes squeezed shut as every muscle in your body worked toward release. Sweat gathered along your back and your thighs burned but each thrust of your cunt against his soaked armor brought you closer to a high you couldn't seem to reach.

Pausing his ministrations, Brynjolf slipped two fingers deep into you. You heard yourself cursing but fuck, it seemed he knew exactly what you needed. It only took a few sloppy thrusts of your hips, Brynjolf's knuckles bumping into your thighs while soft words urged you on before you fell apart.

Everything tilted when the orgasm stole through your body. You heard yourself gasping his name, hips stuttering against his hand. Your grip on his armor kept you upright as the waves of sheer pleasure rolled through your body, every muscle blissfully loose.

"You look pretty when you're not all put together." Brynjolf's tease broke through your peace. Reality came hauling back as you clutched the open flaps of your armor to your chest, stumbling over apologies and excuses while you struggled to right yourself. He hardly reacted when you stepped away but those eyes pinned you in place.

"I'm sorry, gods I don't know what we were thinking -" your words ceased when Brynjolf raised his hand. Those two fingers still dripping from your orgasm slipped into his mouth, lips closing around his knuckles. His eye contact never relented as he sucked his fingers dry, causing that deep throb of arousal to kick up deep within you again.

"Got one more in you, lass?"

[symphonic-scream]

Back when the Legend of Korra finale first aired, I was a little baby gay and had a different tumblr which I believe I deleted. On said tumblr, I think I mentioned vaguely that I had an idea for fankids for them

It's been 9 years since I deleted that tumblr. It's going to be 10 years since the finale this December. The release of the (underwhelming) live action Last Airbender has brought me back to a show that truly changed my life, and made me feel seen as a queer, mixed native kid (I'm a quarter, my grandpa was full)

So. Here's a little post about those ocs, who I found in my old seventh grade french notes (I never paid attention in that class lmao)

Anyways!y Korrasami kids. Let's go over them

Hiroto Sato (Ref age 16)

So I imagine that once their lives were stable, that they'd want to have a baby. Asami would carry in my mind, just because Korra would be all worried about how her body would handle it after the poisoning thing. However, their plans go, twisted. Cause they have twins

Their first born is their son, named after Hiroshi Sato, though Asami didn't want to directly name him after her father because her feelings would be still complicated. So, Hiroto. He goes by Hiro, mostly, and he's a fire bender

His eyes are a dark brown/grey, and he keeps his hair at a sort of medium length? It curls slightly around his ears, and he'd need glasses starting at age 14. He likes warm, comfy clothes

Hiro isn't very physically, well, talented. He's clumsy, trips over his own feet sometimes, the kind of person who's thinking so hard he smacks into polls and apologizes to them. He'd nervously chew on the skin of his thumb as he works. Hiro's an awkward guy, not great at conversation. He's always had a knack for art, and wants to become a city planner. He's not a great bender, but he does like helping out in the kitchen

Yasuko Sato (Ref age 16)

Their only daughter and youngest bio child, it's younger twin Yasuko! Korra chose her name. She knows how much Asami's mom meant to her, and honestly, the baby looked a lot like the old photos of Yasuko. As much as a baby can, at least. Like her brother, she's a fire bender

She's nearly a carbon copy of Asami. Green eyes, wavy black hair, though she smiles a little crooked. She keeps her hair up in a high pony, and even though she needs glasses like her brother, she rarely wears them. She forgets them more often then not, and just takes his to read momentarily. She's, like, "sleeves? Never heard of them"

Yasuko showed real promise in fire bending when Korra first started teaching her, so she decided to get both twins a proper teacher. Yasuko wanted to be a hero like her Moma, and grew up wanting to help people. Her goal is to be a fire fighter! She's the funny friend, always makes others smile, a jokester

Kova Sato (Ref age 19)

So, the next three are all adopted. There was a disaster type happening in the furthest parts of the Northern Water Tribe, and Korra went to help in the aftermath. After helping with search and rescue efforts, she goes to visit the injured to sort of, give them hope

That's where she meets Kova. He's 9 at the time, yet he was working hard to use his water bending to help heal alongside the elder women. She talks to him while handing out some food shipped in from Republic City, and finds out he lost his parents, and has been looking after his younger brother

Long story short, both boys return to the city with her, and Asami ends up understanding why her wife couldn't leave them behind

Kova is a big guy. He's mixed water tribe earth nation, so while he's got dark skin, his eyes are a dark green, and his hair is messy, dark brown. Quiet guy, but tall for his age. Real gentle, there's a reason he has an affinity for healing. He's got little sun freckles too!

He's great with words. He's a blooming poet, writing the stories people tell him during healing sessions. Incredibly kind, loves the idea of memories making someone immortal. The first poems he writes are of his birth parents, and the second? Of his mom's, and his siblings.

Haoyu Sato (Ref age 12)

He's Kova's younger brother, and was only 2 when Korra took them in and brought them to Republic City.

Haoyu is just paler than his older brother, with darker, messier hair, and blue eyes. His smile is bright, pure joy and energy. He's an endless ball of energy, and reminds his mom's and grandparents of a young Korra; he knows he's hot shit. He's an earth bender, starting at age 6

He's obsessed with pro bending. But, he doesn't dream of being an athlete, but an announcer. Reading is tough for him, and he struggles a bit in school, but when he comes home each day, he's surrounded by love, and care. Asami is always happy to sit with him and help him make sense of his school work, gentle, kind, and patient

I imagine he'd wear someone like a hoodie and soft puffy pants, the kind that end above the ankle.

Gyaltsen Sato (Ref age 5)

The youngest, and again, not exactly a planned adoption. His mother was a newer air acolyte, and she didn't make it through the birth. Tenzin asked Korra and Asami to look after baby Gyaltsen away from the busy temple until someone could take him in, but, the mom's got attached

Just barely darker than Asami and the twins, Gyaltsen has the lightest hair in the family, and the darkest eyes. He's an airbender who shows extreme potential, and is one of Jinora's most promising young students

He's got this spark for life. Everything is so cool to him, so amazing, it's rare for him to be disappointed by something. He feels things strongly, and his Moma Korra sits with him to meditate and talk about his big feelings

He's still very young and growing up, so he's got time to become himself

--

ANYWAYS. THERE THEY ARE. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!

[emcscared-whumps]

IS WHUMPLOVERS COLLABORATE TRANSPHOBIC???

I'm going to start off this post by saying that I usually like to stay well-clear of drama. I have no desire to get myself involved; I like to stay in my dark little corner and write my dark little stories. However, a post 'exposing' the transphobia and misogyny in the whump Discord server @whumplovers-collaborate was brought to my attention, and I could not sit idly by and watch it pass by, so I will make an exception to my rule.

Without further adue, I am emc, and I am a member of the mod team over on Whumplovers Collaborate. I have been a member of the server since, 20/11/2021, two days after the creation. As I write this post, I have been assisting in modding it for roughly a year (honestly, I don't remember ^-^').

A serious accusation of transphobia and misogyny has been made against the WLC Discord server: is it true?

It is NOT true.

Transphobia and transphobic behaviour is a serious and abhorrent offence that must always be taken seriously, and I am pleased to see such a large response from the community. This also means that allegations should not be made lightly. In spite of this, I would like to express my deepest disappointment by how quickly a sparsely sourced, anecdotal post was spread within our community (if you could even call a few out of-context quotes and the offer of screenshots sources). It was borderline slanderous to the owner, my team, and my friends; and it attempted to tear up our hard work.

Mateship is extremely important to me, so when I saw this, I could not let it go unchecked. In response, I am making this post to shed some light on the situation. I will be including fully sourced screenshots and quotes, and responding to allegations, so that you all may come to your own conclusions.

PLEASE READ TO THE END.

Warning: This will be long. I will make it as long as it needs to be to convey the information correctly with proper sourcing.

This post contains evidence of misogynistic, sexist, and harmful statements on sexual assault that may be upsetting for some readers. Proceed with caution if this is something that could affect you.

Source links associated with screenshots are hyperlinks attached to the image.

What even happened?

In short, there was an incident in February this year (2023) following the question of a member on the controversial topic of why they didn't like lady whump, the discussion veered into the meta theory behind it, which sparked misogyny, accusations of misogyny, sexism, accusations of sexism, accusations of transphobia, and grossly incorrect statements on the effect that sexual assault and rape has on male (and other AMAB (Assigned Male At Birth)) people.

[Read the whole conversation].

(This is a Discord link to the beginning of the incident. If you are a member, you have likely already seen it).

You can read the Tumblr post in question [here].

(Also, please keep in mind that I am Australian and it all happened from 0100-1000 AEST on a work day (Friday). I did not have a direct hand in this conversation as it happened. I did, however, assist behind the scenes after).

Mods at the time:

Orange User

Purple User

Blue User

Yellow User

Server Owner:

Sky Blue User

The Allegations

The discussion of lady whump is not without controversy in terms of gender identity, because there are many different areas of the spectrum that are not explicitly covered in the tagging systems, which are usually binary with a couple of umbrella tags of other nonbinary genders, which by nature can never fully describe the deep way in which humans experience and express gender.

Alleged Transphobia:

Firstly, let's define transphobia, and then have a look at the incident with that in mind:

Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to social gender roles. [Source]

Transphobia and trans-exclusion are not the same.

Trans-exclusion is the intentional and malicious exclusion of transgender people from certain spaces, activities, and discussions. The exclusion of transgender people in certain contexts, such as some gender discussions where transgender people are not the focus, and in which no attacks are made, are not themselves transphobic. However, trans-exclusionary behaviour is often co-morbid with transphobia, hence the association.

The mod censored in orange had expressed an interest in only reading whump of cisgender men. Subsequently, it was argued that the tagging of lady whump, alongside the tagging of male whump and nonbinary whump is inherently 'transphobic' because of the exclusion of other more or less binary genders.

(Screenshot 1)

That is trans-exclusionary at worst, but that is arguable.

The red user misinterprets the mod censored in purple's previous message "some people don’t like to bother with it" in relation to tagging or not tagging for transgender characters [Source], and incorrectly assumes that the meaning was "‘some people don’t like to bother’ with trans characters."

(Screenshot 2)

The full message from the mod censored in purple that the user censored in red had replied to reads:

10/02/2023 01:34 Some people don’t like to bother with it. And I think that’s something people can respect [Source]

The above message sent by the mod censored in purple was in reply a previous message the user censored in red sent in reply to the mod censored in orange. It provides the context for "some people don't like to bother with it." It reads:

10/02/2023 01:31 I still question how you want to know if they’re cis like, I think tagging every piece of work stating a character is trans is,, not always necessary or good That’s just what I wanted to clarify like you will not always get to know what’s in someone’s pants [Source]

This does not count as trans-exclusionary, because it could be effectively argued that tagging for a transgender character when that fact does not become relevant is wrong.

The user in red took then took the mod censored in purple's whumpee gender preference to mean main character (of general fiction) gender preference, and insinuates that they are transphobic.

The conversation was not transphobic as the post purported it do be, nor was it truly trans-exclusionary.

The most 'transphobia' that happened was in relation to users' expressed preferences for whumpee gender for the purposes of reading (and writing) whump fiction for whumperflies, rather than fiction in general; and the insinuations of a user's transphobia in relation to if and how a user chooses to or not to tag the genders of the main characters, (especially whumpees), in their whump works.

This is a long established debate within our community, and while some members (of the whump community at large) may express certain preferences for transphobic reasons, no one in this specific conversation did.

I believe the accusation that the whole server is transphobic arises from the fact that two of the mods at the time expressed a whumpee gender preference for only cisgender men. Whumperflies in my experience (and that of many others), are a very physical sensation in reaction that I cannot control to whump that I enjoy, therefore, calling certain whump gender preferences trans-exclusionary is incorrect.

There was another part of the conversation that took place after the previous screenshots, and there was some trans-exclusion inherent in it because of the focus on of sex and gender in relation to that subject, but it is a completely different issue, and it will get its own subsection.

Misogyny, and Harmful Statements on Sexual Assault and other Violence Against Women vs Men:

In the previous subsection on alleged transphobia, I mentioned another part of the conversation would get its own section. This is that section.

A user made a frankly disgusting, untrue, and extremely harmful statement on the severity of the effects of rape and sexual assault of women and men, saying that it is not as inherently bad when it happened to men and other AMAB people.

(Screenshot 3)

The full message from the user censored in pink reads:

10/02/2023 09:10 I do see the point some people make about how certain kinds of "whump" tropes are treated or developed with women vs with men, especially in mainstream media, but sometimes some people do go overboard with the downright sanitization of those tropes in general, and apply specifically in fanfiction [Source]

Those statements made by the user censored in brown were not okay, and that part of the conversation caused the biggest stir among the mods, which will be covered under the Actions section.

The statement of that user was far more misogynistic and offensive to victims of any kind of sexual abuse, than it was trans-exclusionary. It was not transphobic. Regardless, it was wrong, and every single mod, including myself, and the owner, understands that beyond the shadow of a doubt.

The user censored in brown also went on to say that (general) violence, as well as sexual assault against men and AMAB people, was also inherently less serious because of their sex, adding that it was humourous in some contexts.

(Screenshot 4)

(Screenshot 5)

One of the mods on the scene, censored in orange, made a subject change request four minutes after these harmful statements began [Source]. There was one other response from that mod called into question by the post this one responds to, but I will cover that in the following section Accusations.

The conversation, without question, was misogynistic and sexist, and harmful.

Overall, the reductive and infantilising way that women and AFAB people were discussed by the user censored in brown was, without question, misogynistic and sexist. The way that sexual assault and violence was discussed by the user in brown was gross, ignorant, and perpetuated harmful beliefs on the subject, particularly where men and other AMAB people are the victims. In all instances, the user censored in brown was called out by other users and told that those statements were wrong. (I did not include that in the second screenshot above, as I feel the first screenshot adequately represents the general response. Once again, you can read the full conversation from start to finish [here]).

Again, there was no transphobia present in the user censored in brown's discussion, only the omission of non-cisgender and other nonbinary genders when discussing a given gender. There were NO direct attacks made against transgender and nonbinary people that invalidated them.

(Screenshot 6)

It should also be noted that the user censored in brown openly admitted ignorance in the matters of gender, gender expression, and other topics discussed, and expressed willingness and desire to learn.

(Screenshot 7)

This does not take away the hurt and harm of their statements, and whether true or not, it should still be noted.

Accusations: The Post

The post made a few other accusations against us, which I will now address. Some will be covered in this section, others will be covered in the following section on Actions.

We did introduce a new policy "not to talk about 'controversial topics' or get into arguments," [Paragraph 2], however, it is not a numbered rule. This will be covered in the Action section, but that was not all that was done.

Paragraph 5 is somewhat true. As detailed in the previous section, the transphobia was not present, trans-exclusion was barely present the omission of non-cisgender and nonbinary genders, but, one section of the conversation was overtly misogynistic, sexist, and ignorant. The main core of the problem was misogyny, and the harmful way in which sexual assault was spoken of. At no point were any direct attacks and invalidations made against transgender and nonbinary people or characters.

eventually, i shut it down by saying that this was not the appropriate venue for a transphobic cis person to get educated about the nuance of the trans experience and trans issues, but what he was saying was transphobic and he needed to stop now that he'd been told that. [Paragraph 6]

The above approximate statement made by the author in the server during the incident is pictured in Screenshot 7.

"After I shut things down for good," (the alleged shutting down is [here] on 10/02/2023 09:26), is misleading. The conversation did end shortly after that on 10/02/2023 09:53, 27 minutes later [Source], after more mod intervention, but not before veering into race representation in general fiction and the whump community.

The statement, "throughout this interaction, mods were emoji-reacting and responding to other things. at no point did any mod step in to help me or shut down the 'transphobia' or at all intervene in what was happening," [Paragraph 7], is false.

Two mods were present and attempting to mediate, and towards the end, got more explicit in their requests to change the subject and shut the conversation down. The author of the post in question mentioned that the mods didn't respond to the transphobia while it was happening, but given the timing of the messages, and that people, including the mods, cannot be present for every single second of a conversation, that is an unfair and untrue statement.

The first harmful statement made by the user censored in brown was made on 10/02/2023 09:08 [Source] and the mod censored in orange stepped in and requested a subject change at 10/02/2023 09:15 [Source], 7 minutes later. At the same time, that mod was stated to not be at home, and was also organising a media stream [Source]. They also notified the mod team of the issue [Source].

(Screenshot 8)

(The above screenshot is in the mod channel of WLC).

The reactions would have partly been to show that the mods have seen up to certain places, perhaps agree with certain points so that the present members could anticipate a reaction without further perpetuating the conversation, and were going about their responsibility to catch up with, and deal with the situation. Mine were for those purposes, especially considering I was asleep and commuting to work at the time the incident occurred, and caught up when and as I could. It is not fair to say we did nothing at all when we did not respond instantaneously, and when it is also untrue.

Additionally, I speculate the direct response to the transphobia the author of the post in question would have wanted was a direct, verbal, public denouncement of all of those statements made by the user censored in brown, and the user themselves. When other users had already done that, some quite eloquently, it would have been both unnecessary and harmful for one or more mods to have participated, especially when the present mods were already busy handling the situation behind the scenes with the rest of their team, and the current #1 goal at the time was to end the conversation, not perpetuate it. It would have turned into dogpiling, which is unbecoming of the professional way the mod team is expected to act and handle situations when they are doing their jobs, and it is damaging to a potential future ally, perpetuates the incident, and is generally unfair.

We cannot allow the dogpiling of any person or member, even when they're in the wrong, and especially not by the mod team, because that could turn into us dogpiling anyone we disagree with, and then it could happen to anyone we dislike. An authoritative group who acts irresponsibly like that is not one you want in charge of any community space, nevermind one as large and as diverse as the WLC Discord server. I am sure those of you reading can understand the reasoning.

Also, to touch on the claim of ignorance and desire to learn; in the name of fairness, the mod team must put aside our biases and opinions. As there is no way to prove nor disprove the truth behind those claims, we must therefore act in good faith, especially when so many allies have similar beginning stories.

Paragraph 7 also mentions a seemingly questionable quote from the mod censored in orange. The Author of the post stated:

after i shut things down for good, one of the mods said 'thanks for keeping everything respectful’ which was a truly laughable thing to have said in that situation. [Paragraph 7]

This is mostly true. The mod censored in orange did make a similar statement, however, it was not a direct quote, it certainly wasn't sourced in the post, and the misleading nature of the first clause of the above quote makes an implication that the author of the post was the only one to do anything about it, which is incorrect.

(Screenshot 9)

Read it in full context from [here].

This message was sent after a subject change request from the topic covered in the subsection Misogyny, and Harmful Statements on Sexual Assault and other Violence Against Women vs Men, made by the same mod, to which all of the current participants agreed to and did not rebuke [Source], but did not obey.

As counterintuitive as this seems, there was a reason for this wording.

When asked about the intention behind that message, the mod in question responded that their intention was to thank the members involved for respectfully responding to their request and not arguing it.

(Screenshot 10)

(The above screenshot is in the mod channel of WLC).

They also added that they acknowledge that the conversation was not especially respectful, but were using that wording as a de-escalation technique commonly used in the workforce, as well as thanking the participants for not actively and directly harassing each other.

10/11/2023 23:37 It was just like… ok they haven't exactly been all that respectful, but they haven't been actively nasty either, so I'll just say thank you before asking them to move on. You say "thank you for your consideration" or "thank you for the respect" even if there was neither of those things [Source]

It was ignored, but users did not express animosity toward the mod censored in orange.

The following statements will be addressed:

"i was blamed for causing drama, essentially," [Paragraph 2]

and

"[The server owner] blamed me for what happened because i refused to allow rampant transphobia to proceed unchecked." [Paragraph 10]

You did not receive any direct blame in any channel, nor was the announcement (Screenshot 21) aimed at you specifically. You actually handled yourself extremely well without attacking anyone, and given the situation, that is genuinely commendable.

(Screenshot 11)

(The above screenshot is in the mod channel of WLC).

Yes, there was indirect blame in the announcement, but it is spread among every participant, including you, irrespective of if they were right or wrong, because they were all to blame for disobeying multiple direct mod rulings (see the Actions section for evidence), to end the conversation and change subject. The team decided singling out individuals, especially publicly for this, was not the right move. This is the reason that it was stated in DM conversation from the owner that the user censored in brown was not the only one at fault.

Relatedly, the announcement never said that calling out transphobia [referred to in Paragraph 13] is wrong. It took issue with the fact that no one obeyed a mod ruling, which resulted in the elongation of the incident. If it had been obeyed, it would have been over much faster and with far less hurtful statements.

According to Paragraph 11, asking why someone left a server is weird. Asking for feedback isn't weird, even Discord will ask you why you have left a server with a little survey. Anyone who has spoken to the server owner person-to-person for more than five minutes would know that they value and are always looking for feedback. Asking why a member left, especially after an incident like that, could be coincidental or related to the problem, therefore, they were seeking clarification. Gathering feedback is not weird.

Additionally, I have never known the server owner to "whine" or "throw a fit." Frankly, the statement is extremely insulting; especially when it is backed up by nothing, not even a transcript or approximate quote.

Paragraphs 14 and 15 express discontent with the mod response. I will respond to this personally for one moment because I was one of the mods the author of the post DM'ed, so please forgive the coming bias and informality, I will do my best to mitigate it.

The author of the post expressed satisfaction at the time with their interactions with me.

(Screenshot 12)

(The above screenshot is a DM).

I also was not "unwilling to do anything in the moment," [Paragraph 15], nor were the mods. I was asleep and going to work, while they were trying to end the conversation. I most certainly did not "[fail] to do anything after the fact either," [Paragraph 15], and nor did the other mods. Direct actions will be covered in the next section Actions. Additionally, if you look at the dates on some of the screenshots, you'll find that they are after the incident. In fact, most of the discussion happened after as those who were not present caught up and then started the process of discussing what actions to take. I was working very hard after the fact to get the response I thought was needed, so I do not appreciate the sentiment with which that statement was made.

the mods i spoke to also got defensive and upset when i pointed out that by not expressing disagreement with the owner’s actions and by throwing up their hands and saying 'oh well, nothing we can do!’ [Paragraph 15]

False.

I did express disagreement and discontent with some aspects of the way the incident was handled, but, in your hurry to accuse us of transphobia and bigotry via 'silence,' you have forgotten that I am part of a team that assisted the server owner, and we did not have the final say. As a team, we all expressed our opinions and what we thought should be done, but at the end of the day, we, and I certainly, will respect the ultimate decision, and will not betray the trust of every team member and the server owner by taking matters into my own hands.

As a team, we collectively agreed among ourselves on possible actions, and that was the advice we delivered to the owner.

That is how a team works.

The complaints of Paragraph 8 and 9 will be discussed further throughout the post.

Action: What was Done About the Incident and did it Work?

Subject Change Requests:

During the incident, four subject changes were requested, but were ignored.

(Screenshot 13)

Another subject change was requested only minutes later, (see Screenshot 9), however, conversation on the previous topic continued.

(Screenshot 14)

See also: Screenshot 7.

Eventually, conversation switched to POC representation in whump and fiction, another subject that could potentially lead to a discussion with harmful statements like this one.

The last explicit mention of the previous topic occurred on 10/02/2023 09:30, 14 minutes after the previous subject change request at 10/02/2023 09:16 [Source].

Another two subject change requests were required during that following convesation before any further issues arose.

(Screenshot 15)

Several hours earlier at the subject of whether or not to tag character gender, the mods left a subtle hint that a subject change may be appropriate made by the orange and purple mods, which ended up being too vague, so it will not count toward the total number of subject change requests during the incident.

(Screenshot 16)

Mod Response:

The mods censored in orange notified the team (Screenshot 8) when the user censored in brown started posting. The team then responded in the mod channel, calling for a warning or another similar level of punishment to be issued. However, as we are spread across time zones, it was difficult to reach a consensus right away. Here are just a few snippets of the discussion:

(Screenshot 17)

(The above screenshot is in the mod channel of WLC).

(At the time, the user censored in brown had no introduction, so their approximate age was unknown).

(Screenshot 18)

(The above screenshot is in the mod channel of WLC).

(Screenshot 19)

(The above screenshot is in the mod channel of WLC).

(Screenshot 20)

(The above screenshot is in the mod channel of WLC).

Announcement:

There was a lengthy discussion among the mods about whether or not to issue penalties (that will be discussed in the Penalty subsection). Many of the mods agreed with me that two participants (not the author of the post in question) should have been reprimanded and/or spoken to in some way. However, it was collectively decided not to go this route, and, as a member of the team, I respected the decision. In light of this, instead of penalty, we pushed for an announcement, which we got.

(Screenshot 21)

Rule Change:

In response to the ignored subject change requests, a rule was created to give mods the enshrined power to request and enforce a subject change requiring immediate adherence by all users in case a situation like this arises in the future:

5. If I or a mod asks you to change the subject, do so immediately. There should be no further discussion of whatever it is by any of the participants. If you’d like to know why you were asked to change the subject, dm [the server owner] [Source]

The announcement also advised against discussion of discourse, and other meta and/or controversial topics within the server. The reasoning was that this incident stemmed from a topic surrounded in discourse, and we are not interested in being a space to discuss those topics because it only leads to situations like this. There is no explicit rule banning meta and discourse topics, however, the mods reserve the right to end the conversation if necessary.

Mod Power Increase:

As a mod team, this incident was the first real test of how well we work together as a team. We were a new server, and the mod team was relatively new, so it was very difficult for the owner to gauge how well things would run. Behind the scenes, every mod handled themselves well, gave their honest advice, and respected the collective. Seeing this, the owner's faith in us increased, and as a direct result, mod powers were increased across the board.

As a direct result, the mods have more influence over decisions, and mod powers were increased across the board. In addition to the new rule on subject changes, a select extra couple of mods were granted kick and ban permissions to deal with any violations of the rules should the owner be unavailable.

There is also a jail role which every mod is able to utilise in the event of the kick/ban powered mods being unavailable, or if a user incurs a punishment where a kick or ban would be too harsh, and a strike inadequate.

Penalty:

To address Paragraph 12, the user censored in brown indeed received no official punishment for breaking Rule 1 (despite the strong advocacy for one).

The user censored in brown left approximately one month later, on 16/03/2023.

(Screenshot 22)

A ban would have been too harsh given their admission to ignorance and expressed desire to learn and do better (Screenshot 7), which we cannot ignore. Therefore, they should have received a strike for their appallingly sexist and misogynistic statements. Nothing further would have been required as the immediate response from other users in public, in our opinion, would have made it enough.

As a whole, we recognise the mistake concerning the lack of official penalty, and we strive to do better every single day by regularly refining our policies and protocol, and recognising the signs of an incident faster.

This said, the consequences for the user censored in brown are not null. If they were to get involved in another incident, the consequences would be immediate and harsh because of their actions in, and our learning from the incident in February.

The user censored in brown returned on 29/09/2023 [Source] with no incidence.

Additionally mentioned in Paragraph 12, the owner had every right to "whine," [Paragraph 12], as you say, about the assumption that nothing was done about it, because that is wrong, and it was very insulting to the mod team, including myself, who worked hard to make action and change happened following the incident.

The Insinuation what WLC is Unsafe for Queer People and Other Minorities

... Is incorrect.

We do not "actively [enable] bigots." Four attempts at shutting down the conversation were made by the mods present, but participants did not obey them. (This made everyone participating in the subsequent conversation at least partly to blame for the incident).

Furthermore, the statement "no rule was present to begin with making clear that bigotry was not tolerated, nor was one added," [Paragraph 9], is false. I would have thought that that Rule 1 was sufficient because respectfulness always excludes transphobia, homophobia, misogyny, and other bigotries.

1. Be civil, be respectful, be chill. No slurs are permitted in the server. [Source]

Additionally, there is a rule stating:

8. If you see anyone violating any of the above rules, or if you need an immediate question answered, feel free to @/Caretaker (Mod) at the site of the issue, dm [the server owner], or put it in #help-box

This can happen at any point in the conversation, including if there is no mod present, of if you don't think enough is being done.

The incident could still have been handled far better, but that does not make us a dangerous server, and that certainly doesn't mean we "actively [enable] bigots." At the time, we were still a relatively new server, some of us were inexperienced, and that was our first incident, (which is not to excuse my point). To have something of that severity happen as our first test was startling, however, we have learnt, and continue to learn and grow through continuous hard work and improvements to server policy and mod protocol.

I can say with full confidence that should a similar situation arise in the future, the response will look very different.

Sources: Is the Call-Out Post Reliable? Is this Post reliable?

The Callout Post:

No, the callout post is not reliable.

In addition to everything covered so far in this response, the original poster cannot reliably speak for the current state of the server, as they left on 16/02/2023, within a week of the incident (approximately 9 months ago)

(Screenshot 23)

The post in question was posted on 06/11/2023, approximately 9 months after the referred incident, which occurred on 10/02/2023. The timing indicates that it was a response to the advertisement in the Whumptober Discord server, which was posted 05/11/2023 (and was since taken down by the Whumptober mods who were linked the post in question).

Given the timing and the personal stance the post takes, I question the author's focus on grossly exaggerating their allegations of transphobia and failure to get what they wanted, rather than directly calling attention to the far more alarming and explicitly harmful statements regarding sexual assault. This post, which is seemingly designed to gain traction and support on Tumblr, almost completely ignores that and chooses to attack the server owner and management instead.

The author shares their personal experience and then tells everyone reading it to side with them without letting them decide for themselves using real evidence. It is almost completely unsourced. It is anecdotal and makes use of recalled quotes and summaries with no links or screenshots to substantiate them. The promise of receiving screenshots on request is not good enough, and "[not wanting] to make this even longer," [Paragraph 16] is not an excuse for not including any real evidence at all. I would also like to add that it can be done with message links rather than screenshots.

With the presence of misleading statements and misquotes, it does not bode well for its reliability.

This Post:

Is this post reliable?

I have done my very best to provide accurate and minimally biased explanations of what occurred (or if I did find myself responding to something personal, I alerted readers to possible bias), backed up by as much information and as many links as I possibly can so that any reader may access the evidence behind my claims and responses. I have also stated my affiliation with the server.

It is up to the readers to decide for themselves whether my post is reliable.

So, now we Know what Happened, Are we a Transphobic Server? A Conclusion

No.

@whumplovers-collaborate is NOT a transphobic Discord server, nor do we allow other harmful behaviours and statements to be shared within it.

Not one of us in management is transphobic, misogynistic, or bigoted as the post accused us, and not one of us supports or endorses it.

The actions of one member do not speak for an entire server.

One incident does not speak for an entire server.

While it could have been better handled, action was undeniably taken, and we have since learnt and modified policies and mod powers to ensure a faster and better outcome in the future.

This incident has also helped us realise the kind of space we want to be. Instead of a divisive and uncomfortable space rife with meta discourse, we want to be a space dedicated to the love of our craft, and the enjoyment of our hobby.

We are all here because of what we have in common; our love of whump.

Every day, we get closer to our ideal through the hard work and dedication of the mod team, and the server owner, without whom, this server would not exist.

We are very proud to report that there has been no incident since.

My Extremely Biased Conclusion

Before you spread the post that warns the "server is unsafe for trans people and the server owner is actively enabling bigots," [Paragraph 3], I urge you all to decide for yourself the quality of WLC based on the sources, the actual incident, and your own research, and your own experience, rather than a word-of mouth post from a disgruntled ex-member who has not been a member of the server for 9 months (and counting).

I also have a couple of questions:

Why on earth would a mod team where the non-queer members are the minority allow transphobia to fester in their server?

Does one incident make an entire server transphobic and unsafe?

Does a single member speak for the quality of the server and its community as a whole?

Who of you actually DM'ed the author of the post and requested evidence before you spread it?

Look up the definition of transphobia.

Have a think.

(These are rhetorical).

Also, to those of you who blindly reblogged this without doing your due diligence: shame on you.

In my opinion, it was a personal attack from a disgruntled ex-member who wanted the attention of a callout post on Tumblr, and you all fell for it.

Do. Your. Fucking. Research. Before you decide to slander and tear down the server owner, the mod team, and our server.

Do better.

Our server is not transphobic, nor bigoted in any other way. It never has been, and we are fully committed to making sure it never will be.

An Outro

Phew...

With all that off my chest, if you read through the whole post, thank you, I really do appreciate it. If you had a read through the sources too, that's even better :)

And I mean that genuinely regardless of the conclusion you come to.

With all this said, I will return to my dark little hole. I likely will not respond to any followup questions or argument on the matter, as at this moment, this is all I have to say, and making sure it was this thorough took a lot of time. I will not respond to any hate or harassment. Absolutely do not harass any member mentioned in the sources of this post. I will find out, and we will have words, that is a promise.

[redriotinggg]

Mikans at Midnight

inspired by this post by @pinkcrittertomb <3

also posted on my ao3

Sanji exhales loudly as he collapses against the kitchen counter. He’s finally done deep cleaning the kitchen. For the millionth time since he began his task, he curses out Luffy, who somehow managed to get into the last dredges of syrup that Usopp brought back from his village and made a mess of both himself and the kitchen. Sanji and Usopp had swiftly doled out a proper punishment for the greedy captain that would likely do nothing to prevent such an event from happening again.  

After hours of cleaning and meal prep, Sanji is positively exhausted and would love nothing more than to pass out in his bunk for a few hours of sleep before he has to wake up and make breakfast for the crew. However, he’ll have to wait for a bit longer because his work is still not finished. 

Nami is on watch tonight and he has to bring her a snack to tide her over and he refuses to make her wait any longer than she has to. Sanji allows himself to rest for the length of time it takes for him to finish a cigarette before he gets back to work.

He hums to himself as he whips up some of her favourite snacks: a parfait with the mikans from her beloved tree, a batch of shortbread cookies with a vanilla glaze, a bowl of assorted fruit, and a pot of Earl Grey tea.

He smiles, thinking of Nami as he leaves the kitchen and heads to the crow’s nest. Sanji admires everyone on their minuscule crew (even that damned moss-brained swordsman, though he’d never admit it aloud), but Nami truly is something special. Not only is she beautiful beyond compare, but she is unbelievably intelligent, kind, headstrong, and resilient. He is honoured to be on the same crew as someone as amazing as she. 

Sanji gets nervous and giddy around her as he does around most women, and he enjoys having her attention. But he’s been working hard on not making her uncomfortable after she told him that she dislikes his flirtatious advances. He would hate to make any woman feel unnerved by him, especially not one whom he considers a friend. He wants Nami to not only think of him as a crewmate and chef but as a friend and someone she can rely on. But Sanji knows that he has to earn that trust. And he will do so one snack at a time.

The smile falls off his face as he climbs the rigging to the nest and hears the sound of someone crying. He is quick to close the distance before he opens up the hatch and makes his way inside.

“Nami-swan, are you alright?”

“Oh, Sanji. I didn’t hear you coming.” The navigator is quick to turn away from him and wipe her eyes. “Thanks for the snack, you can just leave it there.”

When she turns back and sees Sanji sitting across from her and making no effort to leave, Nami resorts to anger. “I thought I told you to fuck off!”

Sanji takes her outburst in stride. “Forgive me, Nami-swan. I don’t mean to overstep, but I couldn’t possibly live with myself if I left you here alone knowing how upset you are. I’ll leave if you really want me to, but maybe I can lend an ear? I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

Nami studies Sanji as she ponders his offer. The sight of her wet eyes and blotchy face breaks his heart.

“It’s just…” Nami begins tentatively. She glances at Sanji before looking away again, staring up at the stars. She tightens the blanket around her shoulders. “Cocoyashi is finally free. I’m free now. My years of having to work for Arlong are over. But that didn’t fix everything.” Tears begin to fall down her face once again. 

“Belle-mere is still dead. Nojiko spent most of her life hating me, and now I’m here at sea and we can’t even work on becoming sisters again. I lost most of my childhood to those assholes who treated me however the fuck they wanted. No matter what I do now, I’ll never get that time back. All the things I did to survive… I can’t take them back.” She inhales shakily.  “I’ve spent my whole life hating pirates and now I am one. Who am I now? I barely even recognize myself.”

Sanji pours some tea into the mug he brought and gently presses it into her hands, catching her eye as he speaks.

“I think that’s the best part of getting older,” he says quietly. “We live and learn and decide who we want to be. Take the things that serve you and leave the rest. You said it yourself: you’re free now. Free to choose who it is you want to be. It doesn’t matter how long it takes for you to find that out. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. And it’ll be a long, happy life if I have anything to say about it,” Sanji vows. “I never would’ve seen myself becoming a pirate, either, but being on this crew? Well, it doesn’t seem so bad.”

They sit in silence for a little while before a harsh sob wracks Nami’s figure. “I miss her,” she weeps. “I miss my mom. Why did she have to die?”

Sanji opens up his arms and Nami falls onto him, sobbing into his chest. He takes the mug from her grip and holds her close, whispering assurances into her hair.

“I’m sorry all that happened to you. I wish I could take all that pain for myself,” he says.

“Regardless of what you may have done, I’m sure your mother and sister are proud of you. I’m sure they’re glad that you’re alive and doing what you want with your life. The pain may never go away, but it’s a reminder of the love between you all. You and Nojiko will always be sisters no matter how far apart you are.”

Nami squeezes him tightly as she continues to cry. 

“Thank you, Sanji,” she says when her tears have subsided. She pulls herself out of the embrace, accepts the handkerchief the chef passes to her and dabs her eyes. “I’m glad you were here.”

“Of course, Nami. I won’t have all the answers, but I’ll always be willing to listen and do what I can.” Sanji pushes the tray of food closer to Nami. “Here, have something to eat.”

He removes the lid from the tray, looking at Nami in alarm when she lets out another quiet sob.

“Damn it, Sanji, are you trying to make me die from dehydration?” she snaps, though it lacks its usual heat. “Bringing me the food that reminds me of my mom when I’m missing her. You bastard.”

“Shit! I’m sorry, Nami-swan, let me go get something else for you!”

Nami stops him with a hand on his arm. “No, no. This is perfect. Thank you.”

Sanji lights up a cigarette and is quiet company while Nami eats her snacks. She finishes her parfait, half of the cookies, a cup of tea, and some of the fruit before she puts the lid back on the tray. Sanji opens his mouth to speak up but she beats him to it.

“I still have a couple of hours of watch left. I’ll eat the rest before my shift’s done, I promise.”

“Do you want me to take over for you?” Sanji offers.

“No way, you’re exhausted. You need some sleep. And I’m not in the mood to deal with a hungry Luffy first thing in the morning. I’ll be okay.”

When Sanji doesn’t immediately get up to leave, Nami sighs heavily and leans her head on his shoulder. “Ugh, I hate crying! Now my sinuses hurt.”

Sanji blinks past his surprise and wraps his arm around her shoulders as he tries to force down the blush radiating from his cheeks. “Y-yeah. I don’t know how that Long-nose does it so often.”

Nami chuckles. “Maybe the length of his nose helps somehow?”

Sanji hums thoughtfully. “Maybe. Either way, he’s a freak of nature,” he states, the both of them laughing quietly at the sniper's expense.

“Thank you for being here for me, Sanji,” Nami says when they’ve calmed. “I really appreciate it.”

“I’ll always be here for you, Nami,” Sanji promises. “If you ever need someone to talk to or something to eat, I’m here.”

“What if I need this?” Nami plucks the cigarette from Sanji’s lips and takes a drag before placing it back in his mouth. She cackles at the sight of his cherry-red face.

“I-I-I don’t think I can allow that, Nami-swan! You shouldn’t poison yourself with these things!” He tosses the cigarette overboard for good measure, even though he needs about ten more, right now.

“And neither should you,” Nami says stubbornly. She sits up and stretches, turning to Sanji with a contented smile. “I’m okay now, so get out of here and get some sleep! I won't forgive you if my breakfast isn't top-notch like usual.”

“Are you sure?” Sanji shrinks under the glare she sends his way. “Alright, alright, I’m gone. Have a good night, Nami-swan.”

Sanji is halfway down the rigging when Nami leans over the edge of the nest to call down to him. “Oh, and Sanji?”

“Yes, dear?”

The serene smile Nami sends his way almost sends Sanji tumbling down the rigging. “Belle-mere’s mikans taste best when you’ve made something with them.”

With that, Nami hides back in the nest, the sound of a pencil on paper disturbing the silence of the night.

Below, Sanji’s hands hold the rigging in a bruising grip while a goofy smile spreads on his face alongside a heated blush. He holds onto this feeling and memorizes it, storing it deep in his heart. He vows that he will do everything in his power to keep that smile on his navigator’s face.

[zuuriell]

sharing my thoughts on things (+ changes to my blogs):

alright, this isn’t gonna make much of a difference here tbh as i don’t talk about him much on here (i do so more on my agere blog: @tinysharkzz ), but i wanted to make a proper post to make things clear !!

(trigger warning for mentions of abuse - yes, this is regarding wilbur soot)

as you may know, shelby/shubble recently came forward about her ex-boyfriend abusing her. and there has been strong speculation of said ex being wilbur which i believed to be true, but the whole situation for me was so overwhelming that i decided to just stop posting + talking about wilbur/lovejoy anywhere until there was any kind of confirmation, and now that wilbur’s tweeted an ‘apology’ (it’s an absolute failed attempt at an apology imo) it kind of snapped me into gear and i realised i need to change things on here asap.

before i get into the stuff about wilbur, i wanna start by saying that i fully support the victims. shelby, lexie, and everyone else who’s been affected.

i’ll be removing any posts or moodboards i made about wilbur/lvjy from my agere blog, and i’ll be listing them in my ‘not taking requests’ criteria. i’ll also remove them from my interests/intro posts as i try to steer clear of their music & content.

this is a really upsetting thing which i really wish never happened. it makes me feel so disgusted that i used to support this man, even though the only wilbur i knew of was his online personality, it brought me so much comfort through lockdown and other rough times in the past few years. i’ve grown up as a person while being a fan, so to feel like i’ve grown up with something only to find out the disgusting things he’s done makes me feel so betrayed.

i’m not gonna be able to instantly go ‘yep, i’ve lost all positive feelings about the content & music that has helped me mentally, it can all be banished from my life’ cuz i don’t think that’s gonna do me personally any good - if this sounds cringe idc but i quite literally have emotional attachments to a handful of his songs & some old yt vids that bring me so much comfort when i’m at a low point, and i’m not gonna willingly hold myself back from feeling comforted when i know something i can do to healthily cope is right there.

that being said, i won’t be talking about this stuff online anywhere, as i know it’s not something to be proud of & he certainly doesn’t deserve that kind of positive attention considering what he’s done.

i am thoroughly disappointed in wilbur, and although 1 random person on the internet saying that doesn’t change much, i hope other people join me in not supporting him. he has done horrible things and i hope he gets karma for it all.

if anyone’s struggling right now or has been affected by these topics, i’m here for you and my dms are always open if you’d like to talk. you’re so valid, i hear you and i see you, and i support you :)

once again all my respect and support goes to the victims, i hope they’re able to heal ❤️🫂

love u all!

[millylotus]

Another Void & Gold Post!

I'm going to cure Elaine & Doug of this weird Joker bullshit if it kills me & I'm making it a whole thing about why they're so difficult to cure

---

Duke has been trying for years to both find & cure his parents, but for some reason nothing can fix them. All the other victims have made some recovery but they just wont.

His mom is doing the worst, she barely responds to outside stimuli, the only noise she makes are giggles & laughs. He can't even look her in the eyes anymore, they've gone so dull, lost that luster that Duke remembers her for.

His dad is a bit better, he reacts to more aggressive stimuli, always asking for help for his wife, begging for someone to look for his son. Asking for his sister & her family, sometimes even his long dead parents. His desperation & pain make it so hard for Duke to sit there & listen to him speak.

Duke just wants his parents back, but nothing seems to be working. He was almost going to resign himself to this being all they could be when some new information came up.

Bruce had been looking into the "why" & he stumbled upon it. There was something inherently different about Elaine's very being, she was human yes but a different kind then what would be normal on this Earth. Doug by close association with her had taken on a few of those traits.

So the theory of Elaine not being from this dimension was brought up as very feasible. There where of course some difficulties across the board.

Duke getting desperate to find some kind of information about his mother before she came to Gotham. And the only person who could have possibly known her is Gnomon, her ex [husband?] & Duke's bio dad.

So Duke's sitting in the visitation room of a meta-human prison staring down Gnomon, who looks like he doesn't give much of fuck.

---

G: So you've finally come to visit, finally come to ask about me? D: Yeah no, I just wanted to ask about mom, not exactly here for your sob story. G *sighs*: Yes of course, Elaine must have kept some things from you. Especially considering how ill equipt you where when fighting me. Did she not want to talk about her past with you, even now that you know about me? D: More like she couldn't. G *eyebrow raise* D *deep breath*: Mom & Dad have been thoroughly Jokerized for a couple years now. Everyone else has made a proper recovery but they haven't. The doctors have come to the conclusion that something is fundamentally different about mom. We think it's dimensional. And you're the only person who knew her before she showed up in Gotham, so you'd know the best. *tense silence* G *mumbling*: Well you're not wrong. G: Elaine & I aren't, under a technicality, from this world. D: So you can guess what's wrong with them? G: Not with any accuracy, not unless & I see it up close. D *groan*: You aren't even set up for parole yet, & I'm not letting you out. G: Child it was never about anyone letting me out. It was always about when you & Elaine would muster up the courage to come talk to me. I can leave whenever I want. And if what you say is true, then you're Mother & Douglas are on a bit of time crunch at the moment. *D glares at G, who is smirking* D: I don't like this. G: I'm not about to hurt you Duke, I've done all I wanted on the getting your attention front. D: How do I know you're not lying G *serious*: Elaine was my first friend & love, you are my son, and you both deeply care for Douglas. Any harm I may cause to either of you three or anyone else you care for, for that matter, would only grant me your ire. And I do not want that. D *sighs*: I'll see what I can do.

---

So science, not my strong suit, but a small passion of mine. Still not going to go in amazingly thought out depth of it

Gnomon is able to pinpoint the reason Elaine & Doug are taking so long is because the Joker venom used on them had traces of Nth metal

An off shoot of Elaine & Gnomon's previous home dimension of The Sphere/The Collective, so their immune systems where having a hard time differentiating between the invading Nth metal & Elaine's own energy

As is it has been a long while since Elaine had rejuvenated any of her powers

The simple fix was to reintroduce Elaine's energy still within The Collective

A whole adventure to The Sphere happens as a sort of Father-Son bonding trip for Gnomon & Duke. Something that I'll probably have fun hashing out later in another post. But in the end they get back, synthesis the cure & get it to Elaine & Doug!

Elaine snaps out of it first, quickly followed by Doug, a tearful reunion between child & parents ensues

Jay's there by his family, also getting hugs & tears

Bruce explains some of what's been going on

Gnomon's off in hall being a bit awkward

And that's how Elaine & Doug are healed! Hip-hip hooray :D!

[deathwords334]

Yet Another Post Dogma Story

(Ok this one is definitely not a Drabble. It's double the length of the others so... I guess it's a proper fic at this point? It's only one scene though...)

Aziraphale bursted right through the doors to the offices of the death angels.  By then, the angel had walked through that door enough times that no one was too surprised to see him.  Any anxiety he may of had previously being around them were also long gone.  The past several months had been brutal for him.  He didn’t expect it to be a walk in the park; he would have to contend with the archangels who (sans a certain Angel of Death) was all but praying for his downfall.  Then there was the Metatron.  He was ‘supportive’, but Aziraphale had been there long enough to know that all his compliments were empty.

He could not leave Heaven, no matter how much he wanted to run back to his bookshop (and maybe even to the arms of a certain demon, no matter how much he resisted).  The Voice of God did everything except explicitly threaten punishment if he even stepped foot towards the elevator without being supervised.  

Heaven was still as deafeningly quiet as it always was.  Sitting at his desk with the mountains of paperwork only made it worse.  Sometimes he found himself stacking them in such a way that they looked like the humans he knew below.  If you really squinted… and your eyes were watering…

There were only two places where he could find comfort.  One was a storage closet that was dark enough that the blinding white of heaven couldn’t shine through.  He often went there when he had to suppress his screams for a very short period of time.  Less frequently, but for longer periods of time, there was Azrael’s office.  The whole floor was isolated from the head offices by a separate elevator and wasn’t under surveillance (per se).  It was a perfect safe space: sound proof, dimly lit outside of the soft lights of the lamps, had a nice soft couch with blankets and pillows, and, most importantly, books.  So many books.  

Azrael gave his blessing for him to come and go as he pleased.  Under one condition.

Aziraphale knocked on the door, a certain couplet the archangel suggested using.  After a minute or two, he got his response.  Azrael knocked back and the blonde stormed into the room.  He catapulted himself onto the couch with a loud groan into one of the pillows.

“You alright, Supreme Archangel?”  Azrael asked as he closed the door.

“More than.  Yes!  Never been better!”  His response was muffled into the pillow still but very beleaguered.  Azrael chuckled to himself and walked past the couch, back to his desk.  When Aziraphale heard his friend’s pen scribbling onto papers, he moved himself in the most undignified way so he was resting on his side.  Once more, he groaned.

“Why thank you, sir.  That couch has been flying all over the room.  It was getting rather annoying.”  The Angel of Death casually answered, not even bothering to look up.

“Just need to close my eyes.”  He murmured.  Oh sure… That was all he needed to do.  He didn’t want someone to pay attention to him whining.  Where would someone get that idea?

“So Crowley’s taught you the art of sleeping…”  

“I need some tea…”

He raised an eyebrow.  “What happened to the one I brought you this morning?”

“Downed it after my meeting with Saraquel.”

“Quite the ball buster, aren’t they?”  No response.  Azrael sighed quietly.  While he initially decided that he should focus on work and let sleeping dogs lie, he instead got a better idea.  “We did just use that couch, you know-“

Aziraphale bolted up into a sitting position, eyes wide open.  ‘Right!  I came down for a reason.”

“Did you.”  The supreme archangel tried to ignore the bemused ‘tone’ in Azrael’s voice.

“I was thinking some about Project ‘Make Heaven Tolerable Again’!”

“Told you Heaven was never tolerable.”

Aziraphale grumbled.  “Michael and Uriel won’t budge on some of my requests.”

“Requests?”  Azrael finally looked up from his papers.  Just as he expected, the archangel hadn’t heard anything about this.  It was partially by design.  Aziraphale wanted to surprise him.  However, it also showed how little the other archangels thought of the prospect.

“Yes.  I’ve put in requests to bring in some more plants.  I decided to use His arrival as a reason to spruce up the place, you see.”  Aziraphale waved his hands grandly, expressing the sheer scope of said project.

“I’m pretty sure they haven’t even looked at those.”  Azrael grumbled.  He pressed his lips into his open palm.  “I told you.  They aren’t inclined to listen, especially after what happened to Gabriel.”

“Well, you can’t fault me for trying.” 

“No… Not at all.”

“I was hoping they’d let you bring some more life up there.”  Aziraphale smiled gently to the other.  Azrael blinked back, but the blonde could see the creases of his cheeks starting to form.  He knew that smile.  “Which leads me to my Idea.”

“Did you just…”

“Start from the bottom up!”  Aziraphale was beaming, all too happy with the ‘Idea’.  He was practically jumping on the cushion.  He motioned towards the window.  “It works for humans.  A lot of social revolutions started amongst lower ranking officials.  Surely, we can do that up here.  Muriel was rather interested in earth.”

But Azrael shook his head.  He could argue the consequences of some of those ‘social revolutions’, but he didn’t want to.  “Not all angels are like Muriel.  Muriel is a good old fashioned angel: they soak up information like a sponge.  They probably would’ve been chosen to be heaven’s representative had management got you back earlier.”  He sighed.  “Angels aren’t even like Gabriel… when his memory was gone.  They’re stubborn, stupid… stupidly lonely.”

The supreme archangel’s brows furrowed and his lips pouted slightly.  “… You’ve been keeping an eye on them.”  Azrael's stiffened posture told him everything.  He had already concluded that the archangel of death had not entirely lost who he was before being revived, so surely…  “Have you been trying to improve heaven this whole time?”

“No.”  But Aziraphale smiled giddily.  What a liar.  “I’m not in this for heaven.  I’m in this for me.”

“Of course you are.”  The supreme archangel scooted to the other end of the couch and rested against the arm.  “What have you done then?”

“…”  Azrael looked his boss up and down before letting out a little sigh.  Not entirely one of defeat.  There was fondness in there too.  “We’ve familiarized ourselves with some of the more isolated angels.”

“Isolated.”  Aziraphale breathed thoughtfully.

“Heaven is a big space… There’s angels who haven’t seen another being in centuries.  Some of my cohorts make rounds to check in on them, talk, and give them small tasks… It’s far from perfect.  We’ve been shooed away.  But…. But we have ways.”

He raised a coy brow.  “Like?”

Azrael covered his mouth instinctually.  His bemusement, though, was far from obscured.  “Have you heard about the Halloween haunting?”

“I can’t say I have…”

“Hmph…”  He grumbled and muttered into his palm.  Aziraphale hummed and shifted once more to a comfortable position on the couch.  He kept his focus firmly on the archangel’s ‘expression’.  It was rare to see the stoic angel of death pouting and huffing.  Certainly wasn’t something he’d want others to see, so, in a way that was almost sinful, the supreme archangel wanted to remember this moment.  Engrave it in his mind for moments when he needed to smile.  And, of course, never tell anyone about it.  “Well!  On All Hallows Eve, some… ‘mysterious’ things happen upstairs.”  His shoulders slouched a little when he didn’t get a reaction.  “Are you sure no one has even asked you about a black cat?”

“A black…”  The blonde wrecked through his brain.  Management had never been forthright with office affairs unless it was related to Earth or regulations that he specifically overstepped.  He had his ways, though.  The problem was heaven was often very quiet outside of the fight for power.  That part he got good at ignoring.  Still, there were a couple times when he heard that the archangels were complaining about a black cat that was running around heaven.  It wasn’t a living cat, surely.  A ghost…  He gasped and looked to Azrael again.  “Oh!”

Azrael grinned menacingly, this time not thinking to cover it for Aziraphale’s comfort.  “Yes!  My favorite… He works for me.  His name is Sir Reginald.”

“He ‘works’ for you?”

“…”  He pressed his lips together.  “I’ll explain another time.”

“Yes.”  Aziraphale answered quietly.  Azrael had a lot he needed to explain, didn’t he?  “Why Reginald?”

“Felt fitting.  And he seems to like it.”

“After the Count?”

“Nah.”  With the snap of a finger, a book flew off the shelf and into the angel of death’s hand.  A small red book.  It had obviously been read multiple times, but given its age, it was in good shape.  Aziraphale could even sense that it had a miracle on it; it was probably meant to keep it from deteriorating.  He looked closer at the cover.  ‘Reginald by Saki’.  “Surprised you went with one of them.  Surely you’ve met Saki before.”

He shook his head.  “Unfortunately not… He was a busy man.  Never stayed in one spot for too long.”  Azrael nodded knowingly, but Aziraphale added in a nostalgic tone.  “Noel was quite fond of his work, though.”

“Mm.”  The black haired angel started fingering through the pages.

“How much of his work do you have?”

He looked back to his bookshelves.  “Some… I try not to collect every book in existence, you know.”  To emphasize his point, he gestured with the hardback book ever so.  “This one was gifted to me by his sister.”

“How sweet.”  Suddenly, Aziraphale yawned.  How odd… He was struggling to keep his eyes open.  “I really do think I’ll close my eyes now.”

“Alright.”

“Don’t let me sleep long?”  The supreme archangel slowly sank his body back into the couch, choosing a soft black pillow nearby to be his sleeping companion.

“Of course.”

Aziraphale closed his eyes.

—

It was dark.

The waves were crashing against the cliffside.  The rain had stopped… He didn’t expect that…. Aziraphale looked around.  It was just as dead as it was back then.  But eventually something caught his eye.  A mop of red hair… and black clothes.

Oh no…

Crowley… Aziraphale forced his body to move towards his friend.  He fell beside his body.  Oh how horrid.  He was all cut up and torn.  They were deep, these cuts.  He was surprised the demon wasn’t bleeding.  And his expression was so serene.  

Hold on.  I’ll heal you!  Aziraphale went to place his hands on Crowley’s chest, but the demon grabbed them instead.

Angel.  Aziraphale could hear his voice.  It was so clear.  It was so weak… He wanted to cry so much.  

Crowley.  I’m so sorry.

It’s ok… Do you see it?  It’s beautiful isn’t it?  From one of the cuts in the demon’s chest there was a flower starting to bloom.  It was glowing.  It was radiating so much love.  It was beautiful.  It hurt to look at… it hurt…

Aziraphale gasped loudly and he grasped his chest.  Something was threatening to burst.  His flower was trying to break free.  It wanted to break free…

I want to break free!

—

Aziraphale bolted up in a cold sweat.  He thought he did at least.  The room was a little brighter than the dark stormy night of his dream… right?  Oh the memory of that dream was starting to fade.  He placed his hand against his forehead and begged his mind to make any kind of recollection.  Whatever happened hurt.  He knew that without doubt.  But Crowley was there.  He was happy.  There was love…

As the initial panic subsided, the supreme archangel realized he was not alone.  Someone was standing beside him.  It must’ve been Azrael.  He probably never left his office.  Aziraphale turned to his company.  “I’m all… right…”  The shallow smile on his face faded, and he was fully awake.  Azrael was beside him, yes, but so was someone else.  He knew them.  Or rather he had heard of them a long time ago.  There were rumors, but Aziraphale had always assumed they had died in the War.  Yet here they were.  Full of grace.  God’s grace.  He couldn’t take his eyes off them; they would not let him.  And he didn’t want to.  His body was fuzzy, hair sticking up like he was wearing the nicest wool sweater.  Body warm like he was drinking his favorite tea on a dark, overcast night.  His heart was full.  It hadn’t been this full in so long… Be it with Her grace or Crowley’s.

“Told you he’d get overwhelmed.”  Azrael had leaned down to his partner, who was in the process of rubbing Aziraphale’s arm.  The death angel’s attention was squarely on his eyes.  So the archangel whispered in their ear.  “No one can deny your grace.”

/Oh stop it/  They turned their head quickly, signing just as fast with one hand.  They weren’t mad, though.  It was playful yet stern.  There was love.

Aziraphale looked between the two beings.  He remembered now.  The first time he came down to Azrael’s office he saw… Well a moment of intimacy he probably shouldn’t had seen.  Azrael and this being.  They were lovers, right?  No… That didn’t sound right… It was more than that, wasn’t it?

Right.  The being in question.  Azrael’s other half.  They had more scars than him, and they were more methodical.  Azrael and indeed every other death angels’ scars were sporadic and varied.  Those were from the war.  These were far more unique in look, too.  They were older and had a slight glow that spoke of a higher plane of existence.  One that hadn’t been heard from since before time.

Azrael stared at his boss, cautiously probing.  “You know them.  Surely…”

The death angel nodded in agreement.  They signed.  /I go by Ariel.  Pleasure, Supreme Archangel/

“Pleasure’s all mine.”  Aziraphale smiled a little.  Ariel had finally let go of his hands by that point, and in place of that sensation, he found himself gently caressing his own.  He allowed it for a little while longer before standing up to leave.  “I’m sorry, I’ll just…”

“Oh no.  You can stay.  We were just letting off some steam.”  Azrael assured him before motioning to a record player by the window.  Aziraphale hadn’t realized till then that there was music playing quietly in the background.  He grimaced.  It was modern sounding.  He wasn’t fond of it.  “I bought this record this morning and I wanted to show it off.  They sang on one of the songs.”

A death angel sang?  On a human record?  “I thought…”

/Long story…/  Ariel assured him, their expression stuck still in that melancholic smile.  /I’m happy you’re awake, though.  I can report my findings/

Azrael covered his mouth as he teased.  “So that’s where you were this morning.”

They nodded and turned back to their companion.  /Some of the angels have still shown signs of recognition of music.  Some were tapping along as I passed/

He nodded along.  “Brilliant.  We might need to delay the next step though… His return has thrown a wrench in all of this.”

/I can keep this whole thing going for a while longer-/

“Ah excuse me, but I’m lost.”  Aziraphale chimed in.  “Why are we talking about music?”

“We’re gonna introduce human music to heaven.”

“But the way you’re approaching all of this… You’re acting like they’ve never heard music before.”

“At this rate, they haven’t.”  He stated a matter a factly.

Aziraphale scoffed.  “Oh really.  Heavenly choirs haven’t gone away.”

“They have…. When was the last time you heard someone singing up here?”  Aziraphale was about to proclaim, but lowered his head in thought, instead.  When was the last time he heard the choir?  It wasn’t recent.  It must’ve been around when Jesus was born, right?  Yet it didn’t sound like the choir he remembered.  Initially, he thought that the roster had changed at some point, but now he wasn’t so sure.  “You know how Heaven is with human things.  I said there ‘is no place’ for human things in Heaven because no one has handled human things since the war.  From what I’ve seen, most of it was thrown away or abandoned…. It remains where human souls reside.  Angels never go there.”

“But what about The Sound of Music?  It’s Her… favorite…”  A thought passed the blonde’s mind then.  When was the last time he had seen Sound of Music?  He heard the lyrics constantly.  Pretty much since it was first introduced to heaven.  But… When was the movie ever shown… Aziraphale sat back down.  “I’ll be damned.”

“You’re almost there.  But…”  Azrael made a motion with his hands, signifying they needed to backtrack.  “Before Gabriel wound up at your doorstep, something… happened.  Well, a lot happened.  But before then.  He approached me, and asked about Ariel.”

“Yes?”  He raised an eyebrow.

“Aziraphale.  When Ruha was demoted, they were placed under Gabriel’s demand.  He hated them.  Ruha and Ptahil alike.  He specifically went after them during the war.  When we were revived, he never even paid attention to Ariel.  Then he suddenly asks me if they’re ok, and if we’re still a couple.  Don’t you think it’s odd?”

So Ariel really was…  The supreme archangel wasn’t part of any specific cliques during the before times.  All he could do was hear second hand- But he quickly stopped that train of thought.  He realized now was not the time to start putting together fragments from the past.  “Maybe he was feeling repentant that day.”

“… This is Gabriel we’re talking about.  But I felt something.”  Aziraphale raised an eyebrow.  “Love.  I felt love coming from him.”  Aziraphale mouthed an ‘ah’ as Azrael continued.  “It took a while to piece it all together.”

Ariel picked it up.  /Lord Beelzebub was humming the same song for years.  I believe it’s a song by Buddy Holly/

“Everyday!”  Aziraphale gasped.

/Yes/

It made sense!  Despite the revelation that the (former) supreme archangel and the (former) Duke of hell had developed feelings for each other, the role the records (and the song they were forced to play) in it all had eluded Aziraphale.  No one had ever said anything about it.  Even when the two beings sang it together as they left earth.

Azrael waved a hand or emphasis.  “Then I saw it.  Gabriel learned the song from Lord Beelzebub.  He didn’t even know what music was till then.  Don’t you think that’s odd?  And Lord Beelzebub didn’t even approach it as a hymn.  They specifically said it was a tuneful way of conveying a message.”

/And if Gabriel has never heard music before, why would lower angels know of it?/

“Likewise, if Gabriel could understand and appreciate human music, shouldn’t other angels as well?”

“So you two are introducing the concept...”

“Mostly through foot taps and such.”

“…. You’re going to use the Sound of Music.”  Aziraphale clapped his hands in glee.  “Wonderful!  Absolutely brilliant!  I’ll help wherever I can.”

“Any suggestions then?”

He smirked.  “Well I wouldn’t like to brag, but I’ve been told I have a decent singing voice.  It won’t be full-on singing of course.  Perhaps some light humming.”

“Perfect.  And with your position, they’ll feel inclined to listen.”

“You really think so?”  Aziraphale all but begged.

“You’re the best Supreme Archangel we can ask for, my friend.”

It was just what he wanted to hear.  His body melted slightly, oozing appreciation and love.  It was the first real compliment he had gotten in months.

“I hate to cut our meeting short, but I do believe you need to go back upstairs, Supreme Archangel.”  Before he could protest, Azrael pointed out.  “The Metatron will get suspicious.”

/I’ll escort him/  Ariel assured.

“Be careful.” 

/Always/  They promised before the two kissed.

—

“So… mm.”  Aziraphale shifted about a little as the two waited for the elevator.  When was the last time he found himself speechless?  Granted, this was a different type of speechless, wasn’t it?  Ariel was his ally, even by proxy, but they still were a personification of God Herself.  Even in their ‘undead’ state, they were the closest thing he would experience for a while.  Until He showed up… Till he finally got the chance to talk to Her.  “Have you two been together for a while?”

/Even before Time was made/

“Oh.  How wonderful.”

They tilted their head slightly, still with their sad smile.  /What about you and Crowley?/

“Oh we’re not-“

/Of course you are.  I saw you two back in Edinburgh/

“Saw-“

/I felt your love.  His love/

“Oh… Well.”  He laughed quietly, trying to ignore the quiet burning sensation in his cheeks.  The bell rang as the elevator doors opened.  Ariel gently ushered their boss by proxy into the lift.

/Listen… I know you want to make heaven better.  We really do appreciate it.  But… Be careful/

“Certainly.  I’m very prepared.”  He assured them.  But watching Ariel’s ‘response’ made him feel rather uneasy.

/Don’t trust anyone/  They stared right into his eyes.

He smiled nervously, still trying to keep his jovial tone.  “Even Azrael?”

/Especially Azrael/  The bell rang.

[glamgirlkayla]

How to Be More Feminine and Ladylike

Femininity has always come very naturally to me but as for how it started? That’s a mystery. My mom has always been a bit of a tomboy rather than girly girl. I remember putting together outfits from her closet when I was younger, wearing her heels around the house and putting on her makeup. She dressed me in the frilliest dresses to play outside in the mud haha (I would never get dirty, of course). And as I grew up, I always found myself enthralled by fashion… but not just any fashion. Feminine fashion. And it doesn’t stop there.

I’ve always had a more feminine demeanor. My behaviors and interests lean more traditionally feminine naturally. This is not something that I’ve done subconsciously but it is something that I’ve realized over time as people have brought more attention to it. With this, I’ve deducted what is considered to “be more feminine” and I’m excited to share my findings with you today!

With that being said, I believe that we all have a unique mix of feminine and masculine qualities. It’s important to own who you are and what you do best no matter where this falls on the scale. But I also understand that there is a desire from a lot of people to be more feminine and this honestly makes me so happy!

Before this whole popularity increase in being more feminine, I was looked down on and made fun for being my authentic self, which happens to be… you guessed it – feminine. People would often asked why I was always so dressed up or why I love pink so much or why I love wearing dresses. I discussed this in detail in my post about Why It’s Okay to be a Girly Girl. For some reason, these are negatives in the eyes of others. What’s even worse is that I was often judged for my appearance. People would often think I was unintelligent, untalented, air-headed, and weak. I specifically remember many situations where I was judged and punished solely on the basis of how I looked and presented myself. But that’s a story for a different day.

I’m really happy that society “seems” to be more accepting of femininity these days and to be honest, I’ve always felt a need to preserve it. I love sharing feminine outfits but I also love breaking stereotypes and inspiring others to do the same. You can be feminine and strong, fun, successful, talented, smart and masculine (crazy, right?

For now, let’s get into all of my tips on how to be more feminine and ladylike! 🙂

Dressing The Part

Let’s start with the basics! Looking feminine is all about dressing feminine. Of course, there are items that are more traditionally feminine but don’t feel like you have to dress in a way that is not authentic to you. By sharing my tips, I want to encourage you to embrace your femininity but I never want to take away the things that make you special as a person. It’s not that black and white. With that being said, these are my best tips for looking feminine!

Fashion

When it comes to dressing feminine, dresses and skirts are more traditionally feminine so this will give you a very obvious feminine look. Personally, I love dresses and skirts that nip in the waist and flare out but honestly, go with a silhouette that is flattering on you and that you are comfortable with.

You can also look feminine without wearing dresses or skirts. In this case, just look for feminine details like ruffles, bows, pin-tucking, embellishments, etc. Look for more feminine fabrics like silk, chiffon, tulle, lace, tweed, etc. And of course, look for lighter colors, pastels, and traditionally feminine patterns like florals, polka dots and more.

Hygiene

Having proper hygiene is an important part of being more feminine. However, it doesn’t have to be excessive with an hour long skincare routine haha. Just a little effort in taking care of yourself goes a long way. If you are wondering how to make your face look more feminine naturally, I think that having a good skincare routine is a great place to start.

Personally I love to indulge in self-care and it’s a ritual that I set aside time for each day and week, no matter how busy I get. My bare minimum is a morning and night time skincare routine. If I have a bit more time, I love utilizing skincare tools like a steamer, facial roller or an anti-aging device like Nuface. At home spa days are also a win-win in my book! I love indulging in bubble baths, face masks, hair masks and DIY mani/pedis.

These are things that make me feel my best. You don’t have to dedicate as much time – just do little things that make you feel good. Even something as mundane as showering can become a luxurious experience! To make my showers more exciting, I use a shower radio, shower bombs (like bath bombs for your shower) and indulge in nice hair and body products.

This might seem obvious but brushing your teeth, washing your face and brushing your hair are super simple but go a long way appearance-wise (and health-wise). For clothing, I highly recommend using a steamer for a flawless look. Things like shaving, waxing and plucking also give off a more feminine look but like everything else, do what makes you feel most comfortable. Don’t feel the need to incorporate something that feels inauthentic to you.

Hair and Makeup

How to Make Your Face Look More Feminine Naturally

How can I make my face look feminine? This is a question that a lot of people ask! If you are wondering how to make your face look more feminine naturally, I recommend a great skincare routine, feminine makeup and a feminine hairstyle. Naturally feminine facial features tend to be softer, daintier and more rounded in nature. Even if you don’t have these features naturally, you can make your face look more feminine by utilizing makeup and the right hairstyle for your face.

Before proceeding, I do want to note that femininity can look different to different people. I’m a huge advocate of working with your natural features and bringing attention to your favorites! With that being said, read on for tips on how to have a more feminine face!

Makeup

Wondering how to make your face look more feminine? Doing your hair and makeup can really elevate your appearance and create a more feminine look overall. I’ve always loved wearing makeup – for some reason, it’s really relaxing to put on. I listen to music or podcasts and make it a thing 🙂 My makeup changes depending what I’m doing. I go all out with a full glam makeup look. For day to day, I prefer a lighter look with some BB cream, lipgloss and mascara. And for lazy days, I put on tinted sunscreen and call it a day.

For feminine looking makeup, I think it’s important to not go to overboard. It’s better to err on the safe side with more classic, timeless and natural looks. That’s not to say that you can’t have fun with colors or techniques – just use them in moderation. Put emphasis on one feature – your eyes or lips are a safe bet. Wear colors that suit your complexion and eye color. I personally love wearing pink-toned eye shadows to bring out my green eyes. Play up the features you love the most. I was always made fun of for my full lips when I was younger but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to appreciate them and this is the feature I love to emphasize the most. You will hardly see me without some type of lip product on.

Hair

When it comes to how to make my face look more feminine, hair definitely helps! For hair, the most important thing is that it looks clean. Like makeup, feminine hair styling looks best when it’s more natural and simplistic. Embrace your natural hair for an effortless look or go the more polished route. I think that this will heavily depend on what you feel more comfortable with, what suits your face and features and what you realistically have time for.

Personally, I am very basic with my hair. 95% of the time, it’s down and curled. The other 5% of the time, I love creating simple ponytails, braids and half up styles. I love incorporating feminine hair accessories like barrettes, hair bows, ribbons, scarves and headbands. Hair accessories are not for everyone but they are fun to wear – give it a try if you’re feeling brave!

[cyclic-laughter]

https://www.tumblr.com/can-i-make-image-descriptions/704588725997404160/general-guide-for-image-descriptions?source=share

when i write this response i in no way intend to direct hate towards anonymous in any way, despite the outwardly passive aggressive gesture of simply sending me a link to a 'how-to' guide on how to do image descriptions, rather than using your words and inquiring from within in a more mature and proper manner

i love the dedication, truly i do, to wanting to create a more interactive and accessible space for people on the internet who may have difficulties with their sight—the internet is a space for everyone i am not accusing you of being aspirationatwork, but i've seen you around on other blogs and i have reason to suspect that anonymous may be part of this, and if it is you, get off my page i have you blocked for a reason

aside from that of course i'd like to post image descriptions with my art, i often dont because my posts tend to be a one-and-done thing, never with too much thought put into them, and i do appreciate the reminder to encapsulate such in my posts to create a more accessible space and i admire your cause & agree with your stance, but i do wish that the people who brought attention to this accessibility issue would be far less rude & completely needless when spreading their word i have friends who have been unnecessarily insulted & harassed, pressured into doing these descriptions—while it may be effective, is it ethical to cause distress among artists simply for not adhering to your needs, especially if they were never made aware of it effectively before? you are essentially shooting yourself in the foot & giving yourself a horrible rep by doing so

this isnt to say i havent been made aware of this before, and far more maturely, at that—though, i never did take the time to put descriptions on my images despite saying that i would, or at least try to remember to

perhaps the future will allow for better things to come & for my silly ass to remember that able people like me are not the only people existing on this platform

sorry for the long ramble that may or may not make sense

use your words next time, thanks