#please tell me if this is at all offensive or disrespectful

[fandangotales]

Head empty just

Sagau but readers cellphone now has infinite battery for some reason and theyre on tiktok and watching genshin edits until one of the acolytes sees and gets curious so reader shows everyone the edits made for then

Zhongli: why am i........geo grandpa

Xiao: morax isn't my father

Yae: what is an........Eiussy and why do these humans want it so bad

Venti: (trying to force scara to have anemo vision after seeing the sad scaramouche edits) BUT THE EDITS, YOUR BACKSTORY IS SCREAMING AIR BOY!!!

Scara: GET THE FUCK OFF ME!!!!

WHOOO MY FIRST REQUEST ASK!!!

anyways-

When I tell you that a phone in TEYVAT would be absolute chaos… I mean it.

I can 99% guarantee you that Albedo has asked to experiment on what he refers to as Their Grace’s “strange device.”

(Please keep your phone away from him, as it will not make it out of his lab intact.)

Other acolytes who aren’t as curious about HOW and WHY it works may find interest on seeing you use your device to watch videos.

The people of Teyvat aren’t familiar with advanced technology, so I’d assume it’s fair to say that they would treat your phone as a Divine Object, comparable to the Anemo Archon’s Holy Lyre.

Since you are The Creator, it would be valued a lot more.

Nobody, not even one of the Archons, is allowed to touch such a holy object. Such a thing would be viewed as incredibly disrespectful. How could any of them, lowly acolytes, have the audacity to come into contact with your beloved “phone”?

Now, assuming that the reader can still watch Tik Toks, of course they would like to share some of them with certain characters, because why not?

Also, why wouldn’t you let them in on some of the jokes that are popular in the Genshin Fandom?

If Zhongli knew that he was referred to as “Geo Grandpa” I think his reaction would be one of initial shock.

“What does the title ‘Geo Grandpa’ indicate, Divine One?”

After a little explanation from you, I think he’d catch on. He is aware of his age, after all.

Others may think that the title “Grandpa” is offensive towards a former archon of all things, but he doesn’t mind as long as you are the one saying it. The term “Grandpa” is often used between mortals in a family, so does this mean that you considered him as family?

Whenever you call him by that name, you can expect to see a soft smile across his features.

When Xiao discovered that the fandom considers his relationship with Morax to be one of father and son, he was speechless for a good minute.

You gave him a look, trying to suppress your laughter.

“So…? You’re not denying it.”

He huffed, crossing his arms. “Morax is not my father.”

You wheezed, clearly amused by his flustered expression. Xiao was avoiding your gaze, clearly trying his best to convince you that he did not see the older man as a father figure.

The term “Eiussy” was completely unknown to the Lady Guuji… until she joined you in watching the short films know as “Tik Toks” on the magical screen of the divine “phone”

Now, Yae Miko is quite clever, so it was only natural that she would grasp the concept of what “Eiussy” meant.

She watched a few videos which featured similar titles, such as “Tartussy”, “Scarussy”, and “Kokussy”. All of them played a key role in her eventual understanding of just what exactly “Eiussy” meant.

The very moment she learns the true meaning, I can guarantee you that she will casually bring it up in conversation.

“Your Grace, you would be welcome at Watatsumi Island anytime!” Gorou beams, waving goodbye to you from the docks of Ritou.

The Watatsumi ship had finally arrived, after a lengthy delay following your business meeting with the Inazuman Officials.

“Thank you, Gorou.” You started to say… but the ever famed doggy general had already boarded the ship, and was out of your sight.

“Hmm…” a recognizable voice trailed, as her hand lightly touched your shoulder. Miko gave you a knowing look. “I guess he wanted to get some of that Divineussy”

Your expression remained blank.

“Perfect use of that title.” You praised, staring after the ship, as it departed into the sunset.

If and when Venti saw all of the sad Scaramouche edits… let’s just say that you’d have to physically restrain him.

Restrain him from making his way over to the Balladeer as soon as possible, that is.

Scaramouche would just be doing Fatui work, maybe trying to convince the recruits that the stars are indeed a lie…

And… bam.

A random ass bard pops up out of nowhere.

“Good day! Would you be interested in gaining an anemo vision?”

“What the fuck.”

[bisexualafbuck]

I’ve seen a few posts recently, implying, or downright saying that all the effort put into Buck and Eddies relationship was for nothing if they don’t get together. Like I cannot believe that’s even an opinion atm.

It is so horrible for so many reasons. The implications that one of the most beautiful male friendships (all time friendships tbh) I’ve seen in so long is worth nothing if it’s not romantic is such a devaluation of the importance of friendship. Platonic relationships are just as important as romantic relationships. All the amazing support and moments they have provided each other doesn’t lose value and meaning if it doesn’t lead to romance.

It supports the really bad societal message that people who don’t have romantic relationships are lacking and will not experience love like those who do. What a spit in the face to all aromantic people out there. I do think that is already an underlying issue in Eddies storyline tbh, but that’s not the point rn.

Then you add in that Buck has become like a second parent to Chris. So to devalue the friendship between Eddie and Buck if it stays platonic also devalues the relationship between Chris and Buck, which is again, a spit in the face to all unorthodox parenting and family situations. So much of Buck and Eddies development stems around how much of a family they’ve become and to say that’s meaningless if they’re not together romantically is so superficial and stubborn.

I ship buddie too, I think they’d be amazing together romantically, but them not together would take NOTHING away from their relationship.

As an aromantic person, this attitude I’m seeing from so many hardcore buddie shippers is so disgusting and upsetting. Please think about how you word things, and if this has been an opinion you’ve had, please reflect. It’s okay to be disappointed if it doesn’t happen, but this opinion is so hurtful and disrespectful all around.

(Also don’t go arguing or disagreeing in the comments or tags, I’m simply going to block and delete. You do not get to tell me what is offensive to me)

[andy-wm]

3D by JK (feat. JH) - my take.

Ok, unpopular opinion maybe, and I might get my ass beaten for this (not in a good way 🤣)

Feel free to disagree RESPECTFULLY.

Disclaimer: If anyone comes at me with that cancel bullshit I will block you, because we all get to have an opinion.

If my post enrages you, scroll past until you can be civil, then come back and talk. Or block me. I dont mind.

And don't tell me that because I don't love this song I have to hand in my ARMY card... I'm not going to.

🙂💜🙂

I'll start by saying I love JK so, so much. Adore him. Will always support him.

But for me, 3D is a misstep.

My feeling is Hybe should have reconsidered releasing it as it is.

JK's lyrics are fun and sexy. The innuendo is on point. The melody is great and the chorus has excellent sing-along value. Even though I'm not a huge pop music fan, I like the vibe.

The MV dancers are awesome, and I got a kick out of the fire hydrant metaphor.

And in that jacket with nothing under it, JK looks hot enough to melt asphalt.

However....

Including Jack Harlow's rap IMO is a mistake. It sucks, frankly. Not in a good way.

It not only misses the mark on the tone of the rest of the song but his lyrics are really just offensive. Misogynistic. And racial refrences are just... not cricket. It's 2023 not 1995, regardless of what his hairstyle tells you.

His lyrics sound like an incel bragging about their sex life when all they've ever done is watch porn. From his words, I doubt he knows how to please any person but himself.

His message is gross, but its still just... generic. Like he went to urban dictionary for spicy language and then googled how to treat women like shit. There's nothing original about what he's saying. He's not even being gross in an intersting way. It's gross AND boring.

(Jack, if you're reading this, sorry my guy you gotta do better.)

I've been army since 2018 and this is the first BTS song I have tried to find merit in and given up.

I honestly tried to be into it and i just... can't. It doesn't sit well with me.

This is a new experience for me because even when BTS release something i don't immediately love, i still stream and watch and let it sink in, or I work on figuring out what I am missing and why it's ACTUALLY good even if i can't grasp it.

This... it's just... not good, in my opinion.

I have to clarify here...

It isn't about explicit content, i am totally down for that. If anyone read my post on Seven, they will know my response to that song. In a nutshell, I believe all adults who want to, should happily and shamelessly be doing ALL the horizontal tango. Every type, every day, in every way. With anyone and everyone they fancy as long as all parties are informed and consenting adults who are equally enjoying the experience.

Yes. I am all about getting down.

That doesn't mean treating your partners like a body count or using and abusing them with no consideration. That's not cool.

**PSA: please be safe and use protection. Get tested regularly if you have multiple partners. Don't do anything you don't feel good about and dont stay with partners who harm or manipulate you 💜**

Now, back to the smut.

Some criticisms i saw of Seven were about how dirty it was. A few people were upset because JK said fuck, and because he sang about how and when he liked to fuck. But more criticism was levelled at Letto. Why?

It seemed like it was because she's a woman, singing about sex.

Letto totally owns her sexuality and she knows what she wants. I snorted with delight at how deliciously filthy her lyrics were. Some very clever wordplay made her verse so visceral, and pretty shocking to the pearl-clutchers, without her ever saying anything directly. I really enjoyed it.

She was telling us straight up how good she is in bed. Good for her. She totally rocks. And she wasn't disrespecting anyone. She didn't need to do that to make herself cool AF.

The difference between Letto's rap and jack harlow's is that jack sounds like he's just looking at the women he's singing about as a hole to stick his dick in. Women have fought for long enough for equality and respect. They don't need this bullshit. You can sing about getting down, and you can be absolutely filthy and nasty and wild, and you can do it without degrading your partners.

I did read a theory about this song being social commentary on toxic masculinity. You can find it here and you can read it below:

Its not bad as a theory. At least it wouldn't be if Namjoon or Yoongi or Hobi - or Jungkook himself - had written the song. If that were the situation we'd see some inkling of self awareness in the rap, and maybe a hint of character development. But there's none.

Sorry ARMY, this is not the class of lyricism we have come to expect.

If jack is trying to make a social statement^*, or play a character, he is not succeeding in showing any growth or humanity at all. He's really just that stereotype.

In the last few lines, after he offers to fly his victim from Korea to Kentucky, he says "and you ain’t gotta guarantee me nothing I just wanna see if I get lucky."

How considerate...

All I see is zero care factor about the actual person he's trying to get with. Which is quite different from JK's lyrics, which show awareness that he's interacting with a conscious, living human being, not a piece of furniture.

jack follows with "I just wanna meet you in the physical and see if you would touch me"

Ugh. Not with a ten foot pole, douchebag.

And how about, in his first verse "All my ABGs get cute for me"

Good god, really? Is he seriously saying this?

So its a no for me.

The ONLY saving grace is that there's an alternative version which is pretty fun. It's almost as if Hybe knew we would hate the version with jack harlow. Wow, such insight!

Now, i know that's not the only reason they made an alternative. They needed a clean version for US radio play (let's be real, what possible other purpose can this song serve? *°)

But they could have censored jack's... actually they couldn't. The rap verses can't be salvaged. They genuinely have no merit, the only hope for the song is totally removing them.

What does that tell you?

ARMY will no doubt still chart the main track but personally, I would feel morally compromised if i supported that version. So I'll stick to the alternative and hope for better things to come.

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

^* Stylecaster doesnt think so either. I visited their website to check thr lyrics. They said, of D3, "Meanwhile, Jack Harlow brings the cool with his two verses as he raps about all the women he could pull"

Uh, really? I hope that's intended to be ironic.

*° The MV had only 4.5million views after 12 hours. And we know what brilliant strategists Hybe employs. I am travelling in Korea right now. There was no promo visible here. And it was no accident that it was released at lunchtime on Chuseok - the biggest famiily holiday of the year - when relatively few people in Korea would be available to engage with it. THEY KNEW IT WAS A STINKER.

[shirefantasies]

Can I please request how the fellowship would react to you calling them pretty? Cause like who gave them the right to be so GORGEOUS LIKE FRODO AND LEGOLAS ARE JUST SO AHHHHH. sorry I’m very passionate about that. Thank youuu ❤️❤️❤️

I’m going to break this up into a few reaction types here:

“Who, me?”: Aragorn, Legolas, Frodo

“Oh, you flatter me...”: Boromir, Gimli

“No, you!”: Sam, Merry, Pippin

“Fair is not a word I often hear,” Aragorn chuckles deeply, raising a brow. “Well, then the others are too intimidated to speak of your beauty,” you tease him, a hand to his cheek. All but starting at your words, Legolas’s dark eyes go wide, attention fully upon you and undivided. “Come now,” you inquire of the elf, taking a step closer, “has no one told you these words before?” “I suppose they have,” his eyes flicked momentarily downward, then back up to yours, “but never have they mattered before.” Frodo peers at you with great shock upon hearing you admit the great beauty you see in him. “All of that,” he replies softly, “when you look upon me?” “Yes,” you tell him simply, “and more still, yet I feared speak it all.” “Fear I have shared in my own hesitance to tell you how I feel,” Frodo replies.

“Well,” Boromir lets your name roll off his tongue more deliciously than usual, “I did not take you for such a silvertongue. Why do you flatter me so, hm?” “I only speak my heart,” you shoot back with a teasing grin, “and that is all I want in return from you.” “Oh ho? Is there something you wanted from me that you thought you needed to wheedle out? For I have quite the mind of a—” “No, Gimli,” you giggle, “I simply speak my truth. Do you not like the flowers I tucked in your hair?” “I…I love them.”

“Are you mad? Me?” Sam’s incredulity is almost colored with offense, a hand rising to his chest as his green eyes dart up to yours. “Why, you are the fairest I’ve ever seen, and no disrespect, but that is simply a word I must give back to you.” Smiling, you reach for Sam’s hand, plucking it up from his chest. “Then how about I tell you what a handsome hobbit you are instead, and how lucky I am he finds me fair?” Merry shakes his head at you. “‘Fraid not,” he rebuts, “save for that you’ve never seen a looking glass. Because if anyone is pretty around here, it is you.” Grinning widely, Pippin looks at you as if you’ve pulled him into the sun from years in a cave, as if he is experiencing sight for the first time. “You… you really think… somebody as beautiful as you feels the same about me? This is the best day of my life!” If he could pick you up and spin you, he would, but as it is, he settled for all but knocking you down in an embrace.

Taglist: @lokilover476 @fuckyoumakeart @mossthebogwitch @kilibaggins @ibabblealot @joonies-word @stormchaser819 | Reply/Ask/Message to join!

[dearly-dreaming]

•𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒•

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧.

Title: As a soul dreams.

Paring: Dream of the Endless x reader.

Word count: 3,719.

Warnings: Patriarchal Society (sexism, men having more power than women) arranged marriage, consent issues (not accepting a no) aggression, grabbing, mentions of blood.

Summary: You’ve met your soulmate in Dream of the Endless and for a moment you forget what the truth behind this party is. Though, you’re quickly reminded.

Author’s note: Second time posting! I’m so happy the last part got so many likes and follows :) Tell me if you wanna a part three and if I should post another dream of the endless story. The gif isn’t mine!

Part one here.

Part two here.

•𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒•

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧.

Words were unwilling to escape your mouth.

Shock hummed in your veins, your heart bursting against your chest as you gazed at him. At your soulmate. How does one even begin to speak after such a fateful meeting?

He was the future, the man you would spend the rest of your life with, laugh with, cry with, and love with.

You could not speak.

Words dying in your throat that stammered at the sight of him.

But he could, and he managed to utter a few words that sounded heavenly on his tongue, "Your name," His voice was hypnotic, "Tell me what it is. Please."

Now that came as a surprise, to him especially. It was well known, even to his siblings, that Dream rarely said please. Oh, he just knew desire was grinning as they relished in his indescribable emotions.

You spoke without thinking, "Only if you tell me yours."

And then, you were gripped with fear.

A brief moment of wonder had passed over you when you encountered him but now the reality was crashing down upon you. You were a woman and for the women of this time to speak in such a reckless, disrespectful way was terrible, and offensive to the men who had deemed themselves as your superior.

The role of women was to marry and produce children to carry on the family line. Not to speak back.

You opened your mouth to frantically apologise, "Forgive me, for my--"

He cut you off, silver eyes glinting like the moon, "You have no need to apologise for anything, for anything at all," He took a step forward and your breath hitched, "You are my equal and you will not be treated as anything less."

Unable to sew together a response, you merely gazed at him, noting just how much taller he was than you, towering over you by more than a few inches. A darker, desirable, thought whispered in the depths of your mind.

Slowly, you gave a small nod of your head.

Then, the man met your eyes with ease, his own shining, and he spoke, deep voice a grumble akin to soft thunder, "Morpheus."

His name, you realised.

And it made you shiver.

"Morpheus..." It slipped from your tongue and suddenly there was no greater word. It melted on your lips, smooth and powerful and so very tantalizing.

To both of you, it seemed. Morpheus' face sifted into one of surprise and then to longing. He wanted to hear his name spill from your lips again and again.

Wait...Morpheus.

Morpheus.

The God of Dreams.

The King of Dreams.

Dream of the Endless.

A gasp escaped your lips, eyes going wide with shock and yet your feet would not allow you to move from your spot, "Morpheus?! Your Dream of the Endless!?"

Amusement glittered in his eyes as he tilted his head, brow lifting in an almost mischievous manner, "You have not yet fulfilled your part of the deal. I have told you my name but you have not yet graced me with yours."

"It's...y/n..." You murmured, memorised by the expression on his face.

A gentle exhale escaped his lips, glittering eyes darkening with something that stirred something deep within you.

"Y/n..." He whispered your name and it felt like honey pouring from his rose-coloured lips that seemed to be formed in an almost constant pout, "Devine."

You shivered at his words, heart crawling up your neck and burning at your cheeks.

You dared to take a step closer.

Your chests were almost touching, faces mere inches apart. You could feel his gentle breaths fan your face, almost taste his lips on your own, almost touching the smoothness of his glowing skin and dark, unruly hair.

The sudden desire to run your fingers in his hair and then along his face, remembering the patterns of his skin as you traced his features, drifting along the sharpness of his jaw, the sweet curve of his eye and brow and the temptation of his lips, hit you.

And he was much the same.

His piercing gaze was on you, burning as he studied you, never lingering on intimate areas for too long. Your face, however, was a different story. He could not keep his eyes off of it, it was the finest form of perfect and nothing could ever compare.

A shy smile found its way onto your face and the words came tumbling out of his mouth like a symphony, "You are enamouring, the universe has never created a person nearly as tantalizing as you and never will."

You flushed, knowing that under the light of the moon and the stars he could see your blush quite perfectly.

A silence filled the air, sweet and longing.

"So, Dream Lord," You hummed, wanting nothing more than to know him, to know Morpheus, "What brings you to a party like this one? I hardly think there's anything here that could truly interest you."

His expressions were tiny, but, the tightening of his jaw, the slighting narrowness of his eyes and the pulling of his lips told you something.

"You do," His response was quick, eyes glinting smugly, "And please, there is no need to call me Dream Lord. As I said, you are my equal and intend to treat you as nothing less."

Warmth filled you, "You are unlike any man I've ever encountered."

"Good. I'd dread to think about what it would be like to be one of those men. And to answer your previous question, my sister wanted me to accompany her. Why is a lady such as yourself here?" He spoke smoothly and it was easy to tell he was a king.

He was languid, voice strong and tone even stronger, demanding respect.

You smiled, "My father is the owner of the house and the man throwing the party."

He rose a brow, inquisitive, "I see. Are you a magic user like him?"

A laugh escaped your lips as you shook her head, almost sad, "Heavens no. I'm quite incapable of using magic. More of a disappointment to me or my father, I do not know."

He tilted his head, "Oh?"

It was rather shameful to admit out loud but you found yourself doing so, "All of my siblings are capable of using magic, but for me, it's entirely impossible. I practised all I could as a child but I could never even light a candle with a flick of my wrist. My father gave up a long time ago."

You could feel a spark of anger rip through the man in front of you, you saw it ripple through his eyes, darkening in colour.

"That was a long time ago, I bust myself with other things now," You hummed, eager to calm his anger, "Come. This house may hold many intrigues but I find the most interesting place is the gardens. I am happy to show you, if you want?"

And who was Morpheus not to agree?

His lips quirked up and he extended his arm, offering it, "Nothing sounds better. Lead the way."

You took his arm, skin sparking at the touch. Gods, if this is what it felt like to touch his clothed arms the sensation of touching his bare skin would be immense. Heart warming at the thought, you glanced at his hand with a smile, all in good time.

"This way," You hummed, "I want to show you the maze."

As the two of you walked along the cobbled path, Morpheus spoke, "You would enjoy Fiddler's Green."

"What's that?" You queried.

"A garden within the dreaming," He mused, the quiet of his footsteps almost silent compared to yours, "I can take you some time if you wish?"

Excitement bubbled in your veins and you grinned, "Please, that sounds wonderful. Tell me more about your realm, I am quite curious."

He chuckled softly against the night's breeze, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," You hummed.

The corners of his lips titled upwards, "You would enjoy Lucienne's company as she would enjoy yours," He enjoyed the inquisitive look on your face, "She's my librarian. She keeps track of all of the books in the dreaming."

"She sounds lovely. Tell me more about the other residents of your realm," You spoke, dress sweeping along in tune with the gentle wind.

"Well, there are two brothers, Cain and Abel," Morpheus began and the two names caused a bell to ring in your head.

A gasp escaped your lips, "Cain and Abel?! The First Story!? The First Murderer and the First victim!? They live in separate houses, right?! And they have a big gargoyle called Gregory, right? Oh, and hey make excellent tea and cake!"

Surprise fled through Morpheus' features, "You know them?"

"One of my favourite dreams as a child! You laughed, "Whenever I dreamt of them, I'd always try to go back to sleep after waking."

Morpheus chuckled airily, "I am happy to see you are already so fond of some of my dreams."

You smiled softly as the two of you rounded the corner, coming to the entrance of a perfectly trimmed maze. It was tall green with bushes and vines and flowers. Elation filled you, you loved the maze and you loved what was hidden behind it even more.

You sent him and glance, "Welcome to the maze."

His eyes glinted, "Will we get lost if we go in?"

"Only if you want us to get lost," You hummed and without another word, walked into the maze, beckoning him to follow.

And Morpheus did follow, just like he would follow you to the ends of the universe if you asked him to. It surprised him, just how willing he was to do anything you so so desired, it was unlike anything he had ever experienced and he relished in it.

Your giggles echoed through the maze as you sped up, eyes shining as you rounded the corner, eager for Morpheus to follow. He did so without question, amusement alight on his face, "We've only just met and you're already trying to run away from me?"

A smile spread across your face. The King of Dreams, known to be brooding and unforgiving and yet here he was, beginning to chase you through a winding maze, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"We've only just met, I'd rather run into your arms than away from them," The words slipped from your lips without thought.

With startling ease, society and all of its expectations fled from you the more tie you spent with Morpheus. It was a breath of freedom, one you relished in. No longer were you just a woman, you were complex and intellectual and wonderous and you loved it.

And so did Morpheus.

He saw only the surface of your personality and he was entranced, you were kind, mischievous, inquisitive and you were perfect.

His desire to have you in his arms increased tenfold.

You heard his steps speeding up behind you and a laugh escaped your lips, the stars giggling above you, knowing smiles and secretive gazes. They would keep this encounter a sweet secret, hold it dear to them, the dream king and a human girl, untethered to the earth and instead to each other.

You flew around a corner, dress wisping behind you, legs picking up speed.

You could almost hear Morpheus' heart hammering behind you.

You could almost feel his breath fanning the back of your neck.

The temptation to stop and collide into his arms grew, calling you, but you would not give in just yet.

Quickly drawing close was an overgrown entrance in the wall of the maze, long forgotten by your father and siblings. Something familiar filled your chest as you raced toward it, like so many times before but unlike those times as well.

Comfort.

In the darkest of times, the garden would welcome you with open arms. The stone-cold bench humming softly as you lay against it. The whispering trees, telling you stories from so long ago. The gentle ripple of the small fountain, the stone woman guarding over it and you, a constant in your world of change.

This time, your heart was filled with glee, a world brighter than it had ever been before.

Leaves brushed against your skin fondly as you entered.

Warmth filled you.

Then Morpheus was upon you.

Arms wrapped around your waist, pulling against his hard chest, surrounding you with his warmth.

A gasp escaped your lips, skin igniting by his touch.

Your chest heaved in shock and in something more.

Foreign yet so familiar. Everything was hyper-sensitive, you could feel every shift of his body he made, every breath that passed through his lips, the very strong, steady beat his heart made.

All words died on your tongue as they so often seemed o do in his presence.

He shifted, leaning down. Head lowering, nightly hair tickling your neck.

A soft breath sounded by your ear.

You tensed, waiting.

You could feel his mouth, gentle against your ear. You shuddered. You felt his breath hitch, lips moving slightly. The arms around your waist tightened, encasing you in all that was him. What else could there be apart from him?

Your heart beat furious in your chest.

He breathed, breath fanning your ear.

You found yourself pressing closer to him.

Then, Morpheus spoke.

"I caught you."

His voice was husky, igniting something deep within you as you heard the words that made you want to submit to anything and everything he so desired right then and there.

All you could was his breathing.

Through some semblance of frantically moving thoughts, you just managed to gasp out the words, "Or, have I managed to catch you, Morpheus?"

You felt him smile against your skin, "Say my name again."

"Morpheus."

You felt him shudder against you, "Again."

"Morpheus."

He had become undone by you.

"Hypnotic," He rasped softly, "You are entirely too hypnotic."

Finally, you turned your head, desperate to look at his godly face.

His shimmering eyes met yours, and your heart thumped against your chest. His gaze was intense, drawing you in like a siren, consuming you, entrancing you.

Your hands gripped his arms, eyes flickering down to his enticing lips.

He tilted his head ever so slightly, his own eyes fluttering down to your lips, darkening.

A challenge.

Who's resolve would fall first?

It would be so easy, barely inches apart, to press yourself into him.

To taste his delicious lips.

You swallowed, unable to stop your gaze from flickering to his pink lips and beckoning eyes. A murmur escaped your lips, "I hardly think I'm the one that's entirely too hypnotic."

An airy chuckle left his lips, breath fanning your face, "Oh, I beg to differ."

Closer and closer.

Almost too close.

Too close...

Your eyes fluttered closed, his face so close to yours.

"My Lady! You're father calls!"

Mary.

You pulled your head back, eyes snapping open and you swore you heard a gentle groan escape Morpheus' lips, ragged and deep.

"My father...?" You mumbled, tilting your head.

"He can wait," Grumbled Morpheus, voice a deep rumble.

A small smile found its way onto your face, "Cleary, you have not yet met my father."

He was unshameful, "I escaped from my sister before we could be introduced."

"My Lady!"

You sighed breathlessly, "Maybe he can wait..."

You delighted in the grin on his face as he whispered, "Yes, he can..."

"My Lady! It's urgent!” Mary continued to call.

You breathed, you would hate to get Mary in trouble.

You forced yourself to move away from his face and smiled, "How about this, I shall go and find my father and you can go and find your sister and I can introduce you all, hm?".

"Well," He looked up and down, "I would rather keep you all to myself but very well. Once I have found my sister I shall find you."

"Excellent. Now, follow me, I know a shortcut," You hummed, gently pulling through a path, hidden by the shadows of winding trees, filled by the contact but longing for the intimacy from a mere moment ago

Soon enough, entirely took quick for your liking, you were back on the main path, facing the stone house that somehow managed to be your home.

You sighed, almost sad to part from him, and then, foolishness filled you.

"You needn't worry. I feel exactly as you do," The man hummed, voice calming you like ripples on a pond, "I shall return to your side shortly."

And with that, he swept away, slipping into the joyous house with the skill of a shadow. You were left breathless, cheeks hot, staring at where he once stood so close to you. Skin still tingling with his intoxicating touch.

You were so consumed with your thoughts of him, of how close you had been, your fingers drifted to your lips, that you did not notice Mary walking up to you.

Naturally, she took this as an advantage and placed her hands on your shoulders, smiling at your squeal, "Mary!"

Mary tilted her head, surprised by the redness of your skin, and the glow in your eyes and spoke, "Now, what's got you acting like this?"

You flushed.

And that was all the answer she needed.

Her eyes widened, "You...You met your soulmate!?"

"Yes!" You laughed, smiling brightly as the woman encased you in a hug. You relished in the contact, Mary was like your mother, by your side at every second. You couldn't wait to introduce her to Morpheus.

When you finally separated an elated grin spread across her face,. "Now you can say no to Alexander!"

Fear ripped through you.

You had forgotten.

Saints, you had completely forgotten.

Mary caught onto your shift in mood and grasped your hand, "Don't worry, dear. When he asks for your hand all you need to say is no, that you've met your soulmate and that you wish him all the best. Not even a man like him will argue with the bonds of soulmates."

You nodded shakily, "Alright. That's all I need to say. I can do this."

With your hand clasped in Mary's, you stepped into the banquet hall and all went silent. Expectant stars fell upon you, burning you most harshly.

Instantly, you found yourself wishing for nothing more than to be in the safety of Morpheus' arms.

"Daughter!" Your father's voice rang sharply like a sword, you shuddered, hand falling away from Mary's as you stepped toward him, reminded of your role in society once more.

He gazed at you, almost bored, "Look not to me, but to Alexander. he has something most wonderful to say to you."

You swallowed, forcing yourself to turn. Alexander was waiting there, dark eyes glinting with something that made you terribly nervous.

Just do what Mary told you.

"Y/n," He began, taking your hand and you cringed at how wrong it felt as he flowered onto one knee, "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on, and I've laid eyes on many women."

A few chuckles rang through the air. Disgust filled you.

Alexander continued and you began to feel faint, "You shine so brightly. You're kind and nurturing. And I know that our children will have a wonderful mother. And there's no other woman I'd rather marry, so, with your father's blessing...will you marry me?"

You swallowed harshly, throat impossible dry.

The silence was thick.

Finally, you managed to croak out, "No."

His eyes darkened, "What do you mean 'no'?"

You clenched your hand, "No. I can't marry you. I met my soulmate. I'm sorry but I wish you all the best."

You pulled your hand from his and turned away.

You thought it was over.

You could feel your father's enraged gaze, furious on your skin.

All you wanted was Morpheus.

A cruel grip found its way to your arm and you yelped. Your head snapped to face Alexander, heart thundering at the expression on his face. You knew then, that he wouldn't take no for an answer.

You looked to your father. He was the only one who could stop Alexander.

Tears shot to your eyes at the look on his face. His stare was cold, apathetic, you would get no help from him.

Hysteria gripped you and you screamed, "Let go of me!"

His grip only tightened, "I have already received your father's blessing. Asking for your hand was merely a courtesy. You'll be my wife whether you like it or not."

Alexander leaned closer and without thinking, you lifted your free hand.

The harshness of your slap echoed through the room, stunting everyone into sharp silence.

Your chest heaved, breath laboured as a hissed escaped your lips, "Never."

Alexander lifted his head, tongue darting out to lick the blood leaking from the small cut on his lower lip.

Oh god, you had drawn blood.

And some part of you relished in that fact.

"Wrong answer," He whispered venomously.

Desperation clawed at your throat.

Your mind was erratic.

A ragged screech tore from your throat, loud enough that both heaven and hell could hear.

"Morpheus!"

A laugh escaped Alexander's mouth, "Morpheus!? You stupid girl--"

A dark voice ripped through the hall, unbridled fury almost shaking the ground, "Unhand her."

Everyone's attention snapped to the voice.

To him.

To Morpheus.

Your heart cried at the sight.

And his heart raged at it.

The state you were in. Tears filled your eyes, hysteria ran through your veins, your body shaking, your arm growing red from the disgusting man's grip on it. Oh, the sight of it made him angrier than he had ever been.

"Lord Morpheus," Your father exclaimed, easily slipping into that smart, calculated man you knew so well, "Forgive my daughter, she does not understand her place."

"Yes, I assure you, my future wife will learn her place as a woman," Alexander chuckled.

You glowered, furious and fearful.

Morpheus' gaze snapped to yours and you flinched, head lowering in shame.

Rage shot through him, searing.

"Release her," He spoke, barely containing the desire to rip this pathetic mortal to shreds.

"Why?" Alexander snorted, grabbing your chin, "She's mine."

And that was it.

Morpheus' eyes singed with fury, a sound almost comparable to a growl tore from his throat as he glared hatefully. You had never seen rage quite like it, unbridled and so primal it almost knocked you off of your feet.

"Take your hands off of her, she belongs to no one but herself," he snarled, "She is not a possession to claim."

Laughter shot through Alexander's lips, alcohol filling your senses, making you dizzy, "Why? Do you want her?"

Morpheus tilted his head, "I want her as any would want their soulmate, but I will never force her."

Gasps filled the air.

Dream of the Endless had found his soulmate in a human girl.

Your father was the most shocked, eyes unblinking as he stared at you. You could almost hear the words 'At least you were useful for something' slip from his lips.

"No," Alexander snapped, foolishly, "I won't let her have you. I'll kill you."

Something unfamiliar spiked in your veins.

You threw your head back. The back of it clashed with the front of his face, forcing him to stumble away due to the sheer force. You staggered forward, dizziness capturing your senses.

"Will you?" Muttered Dream.

His shadow stretched across the floor, growling in silent rage, ready to consume Alexander.

Everyone was staring at you.

Your vision was growing blurry.

Your stability fading.

Your body was swaying.

"My Lady!" Mary's frantic scream as she raced toward you was the last thing you heard as you plummeted to the ground.

And then it all went black.

[alasse-earfalas]

Let’s clear some things up.

"omg you hate queer people!!" 

No, we don't. There's several queer people in the server and we've all gotten along just fine, in fact we've had some wonderful conversations discussing our different views. The reason we marketed our server as a “conservative Christian server” is because that’s primarily who we’re trying to find. Other people with different beliefs and ways of life are welcome to join so long as they’re respectful. 

"but you said you're anti-Pride!!"

Admittedly, this was due to a misunderstanding of what that term means to a lot of people. The "pride movement" and LGBT people are not the same thing to me. Clearly they are to a lot of people, so I understand the confusion. I used this terminology because I’ve seen others in the LGBT community make this distinction in terms, but I understand now that this distinction is not as widespread as I thought it was.

Allow me to clarify: When I say we "don't support the Pride movement", I'm talking specifically about the political movement that advocates for giving porn to young kids in school, putting them through medical procedures they are too young to consent to, and viciously attacking, harassing, and silencing anyone who brings up concerns about these things. Obviously this is not all of the LGBT community, nor would I ever insinuate that. But it is a very vocal and nasty subset of it, and it's a subset we want nothing to do with.

"queered into oblivion"

If it's wrong to straightwash queer characters (and I believe that it is), then it's wrong to queerwash straight characters. Many of the Links are canonically straight in the games, and all of them are portrayed as straight in LU (I don't have the time to go into all the evidence for this right now, but it's there if you look). If you want more queer representation in media—which is totally valid!—go make your own queer characters and give them an engaging story. I've seen it done and it's great! Queerwashing established characters is lazy, disrespectful, and just as offensive as straightwashing. So we're not allowing that in our server. 

"youre banning people just because they're queer!! I was banned and I didn't break any of the rules!" 

If we banned people just for being queer, we wouldn't have any queer people in the server, and I've already debunked that.

As for the second point: Yes, I have banned people wrongly and I apologize for that. This is largely thanks to a constant bombardment of malicious trolls, many of whom pretend to come to us with good intentions, only to wreak havoc once they're granted access to the server. So I am being a bit overzealous with the ban hammer at the moment because we've been burned too many times. It's hard to tell anymore who wants to have a civil discussion and who's just biding their time. If you feel you were banned wrongfully, please reach out to me in dms and we can discuss the matter.

Another quick point I want to make is that our current server rules are due for revision. Now that we've spent some time open to the public, we have a better understanding of what kinds of rules our server needs. So, yes, we're not going to be strictly sticking to our rules right now because we're in the process of tweaking them. I understand that’s frustrating but there’s only so much we can juggle at once. 

"the people in your server are so mean! You don't even talk about loz stuff!"

It's kinda hard to relax and nerd out with your buddies when raiders are lighting your house on fire. We've been burned and we're on edge. I won't ask for anyone in the server to be excused for bad behavior, but I will ask for patience. 

Part of the reason I'm bothering to write this whole thing out in the first place is so we can stop repeating ourselves on these points. Many of the trolls we've dealt with have started out "respectfully disagreeing" with us only to turn nasty and crude. So now whenever there's a disagreement, it puts everyone on edge. 

Before we opened this server up to the public it was just a private little place for me and some friends, and we all happened to share similar beliefs so it turned into a bit of an echo chamber. Please don’t take our old conversations as representative of the current people in the server. We did talk about LoZ stuff, and we still do, but we’ve also got two general chats and a place to discuss controversial topics. And, as I already mentioned, we’re a little preoccupied with the trolling situation. 

Now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way, here’s a non-exhaustive sampling of what we’ve been dealing with over the past few days: 

typical troll spam: inappropriate images, death threats, etc.

sleeper trolls: people who come into the server pretending to be there in good faith in order to gain access to the server, and then wreaking havoc. Several of these have been… obnoxiously “Christian”, to the point where I was in the middle of typing up a “knock it off” message when they decided to oust themselves. 

false accusations and even outright lies from people on tumblr who’ve “checked out” the server and then left. Idk why people do this. We’ve been baselessly accused of antisemitism among other things. 

vicious asks about this issue sent to tumblr blogs who have no affiliation with our server. 

I’d like to point out here that for being such a “hateful” server, none of the mods (I can’t speak for the other people in the server obviously) have ever done any of this, to anyone, nor would we. I’ve spoken about people using their (real or perceived) victim status as a cudgel to beat others with, and this is a fine example of that. You wonder why we’re trying to make a safe space? Because this is what happens when we share what we believe. You claim we have “institutional power” or whatever and yet we can’t set up and advertise a freaking discord server without people going on a witch hunt. 

I have had a few people reach out to me in kindness, and I want to let those people know that it’s really meant a lot to me. I expected trolls and some lashback but the maliciousness has been something else. I’m sorry to anyone on tumblr who’s been attacked over this, I don’t know why people are going after blogs that have no affiliation with this server, it’s disgraceful and disgusting. 

Hopefully what I’ve written here clears up some of the misunderstandings. We appreciate anyone who’s willing to hear us out rather than jumping to conclusions. Take care everyone.

[scribbleseas]

in love & in war, drabble 2: the one where you meet him

Description: Join Ciel, the Earl of Phantomhive, as he embarks on one of the most difficult challenges of his professional life: getting you to fall in love with him in order to become the next chairman of TransAtlantica— your father’s vast shipping empire.

Warnings: None, save for some explicit sexual content down the line! This is just a lighthearded series for fun! Think Bridgerton :)

Author’s Note: I’m sorry for the wait! I dropped this series premiere and academia decided to just become torture from then until basically now! But now I’m a bit more free to get some writing, and hopefully I can get my content consistent again! I’ve missed you all so much. I hope you guys like this drabble! I wrote it in one sitting so I will probably make some edits/additions down the line, you know how it is lol.

Also, if you would like to be put on a taglist for my fics, please comment and I will tag you for each update! Or if you only want to follow specific fics, you can let me know in your comment and I will make individual taglists for each fic :).

Happy Reading,

Dan <3

⇐ PREVIOUS DRABBLE | NEXT DRABBLE ⇒

Y/N Y/L/N

“You filled my entire dance card?” you lamented, feeling your resolve crumble as you scanned over the small piece of cardstock paper’s lineup of 20 names, each aligned with a planned piece from the ensemble: Lord Alexis Cuthbert, Mr. Nigel Crawford, The Honorable Geoffrey Wilson… The list included a plethora of noble lords and heirs to either significant corporations or well-respected aristocratic bloodlines.

“That is in accordance with the terms of the deal, yes,” your mother insisted, simpering at you while Daphne hooked long diamond teardrops in your ears, set in gold to match the thick necklace resting on your chest. “There were many house calls made about this specific inquiry, and they were all qualified young men.” By the tone of her voice, you could tell she felt she was doing you a favor.

But truly, meeting a man during a dance was excruciating. There was no respectable escape if the conversation was painfully dry or offensive. All you could do was pray for the ending measure of the music and make a swift exit.

You sighed, turning your attention back to the list: Mr. Jack Morrison, Lord Clarence Abery, The Honorable George Ackland…

“I understand. Thank you,” you surrendered, knowing fully well that there was no changing this list without disrespecting those on it already. You were fortunate that your parents were giving you the freedom to choose your suitor in the first place. Most of your peers had been betrothed since their birth, promised to a relative or a family friend as one half of a smart match.

Mr. Neil Gayton, Lord George Cuross…

You were the Earl of Richmond and founder of TransAtlantica’s only child. That was two inheritances—even if you couldn’t assume all control. Your positions should have locked you into a smart match from the start, but your parents decided to give you a chance at a love match, too. A chance at finding real love just as they did: through a cultivated list of requirements.

As painful and awkward the prospect was, it certainly wasn’t the worst outcome for a woman in your position.

“Lord Ciel Phantomhive?” your eye caught his name before you could properly descend through the list because you couldn’t believe it was there of all places. You knew the Lord Phantomhive to be incredibly private, skipping most if not all social gatherings and public appearances. The public rumored that he guarded his appearance closely because he was one of Her Majesty’s advisors and private investigators. You were most accustomed to seeing his name in stately cursive at the bottom of correspondences with your father and his associates.

“His butler called on his behalf the other day,” Daphne answered for your mother, smiling apologetically for interjecting. “He said he will be attending the charity ball tonight and wishes to meet you.”

“He is more than qualified and interested,” your mother said, “your father has always liked him.”

“Father likes his business strategy, no one knows him,” you answered, letting the dance card fall from your wrist limply. There was no merit in analyzing the names on it— you knew there was no escaping the evening.

Your mother rolled her eyes, unwilling to engage with your technicalities. “Come now. Our guests are trickling in. We should greet them with your father,” she offered her arm to you. You accepted, allowing her to guide you out of the suite with Daphne in tow. Whenever TransAtlantica co-hosted events at the Langham Hotel, your family rented the penthouse to finish preparations without having to make a commute from the estate.

. . .

CIEL PHANTOMHIVE

Acquiring TransAtlantica is not an option; it is an inevitability. Acquiring TransAtlantica is not an option; it is an inevitability, Ciel Phantomhive reminded himself with every step closer to The Langham Hotel’s grand ballroom, trudging through formalities and tepid greetings in the populated hall leading to it. It was the phrase he used to justify all of this unyielding frustration at each step: listening to Sebastian as he attempted to break down the confounding science of charming a young woman into comprehensible steps, and now, burdening his already-fraught calendar with unnecessary social appearances just to put himself in Lady Y/n’s path.

Unnecessary social appearances such as The British National Society for Aid and to the Sick and Wounded in War’s annual ball in partnership with TransAtlantica—one of many charitable foundations that the shipping company partnered with. TransAtlantica covered the costs of a lavish evening and invited their extensive networks of business moguls and the aristocracy to partake in raffles throughout the formal night. All proceeds went to the medical organization, and all publicity went to the company.

Until this year, Ciel was content with having Sebastian send his regrets to TransAtlantica alongside a hefty donation to maintain goodwill. But now, maintaining goodwill with this corporation and the family behind it would no longer suffice. He needed to make a personal appearance both at the ball and in the middle of Lady Y/n’s dance card. After Y/n cooly rebuffed him after moments of light teasing Sebastian made the appropriate arrangements with one of the maids to put Ciel.

While Ciel was well aware of the stubborn reputation proceeding her, few dared take such a tone with him. And for so little. Defensive, she was! Was it such a crime to be transparent about how it was careless to step onto a street without looking both ways? If Ciel hadn’t saved her at the perfect moment— even if Sebastian orchestrated the timing — she would have been hit!

“Find Lady Y/n when it comes time for your waltz,” Sebastian reminded Ciel as they entered the ballroom, “you are only on her dance card for a single number. The point is that you make a better impression this time.” The bloody butler prodded at Ciel’s lack of romantic finesse— a talent that a sleazy demon might have in surplus. Apparently, approaching her first and taking the time to see himself onto her dance card would prove Ciel’s interest in her.

“And of course, you must remember your apology, sir,” Sebastian’s words were coated in honey, the most obvious tell of his amusement. The prospect of his master having to express his regrets. “You bruised her pride,” he explained.

In response, Ciel sent him a fleeting gaze, heavy with irritation. Exhaustion after hours of coaching and correcting, endless explanations as to why Sebastian insisted that Y/n could never connect with him properly if he failed to acknowledge her grievances.

“I will,” he answered simply, clenching his jaw at the thought of verbalizing anything along the lines of ‘I apologize.’ He never had to apologize for his actions—not ones that were truly malevolent, and certainly not ones that were decently-natured. Although it seemed the exception was for the daughters of incredibly prominent figures whom he needed to charm. So much so that Sebastian had Ciel practice the series of words in front of a mirror.

Acquiring TransAtlantica is not an option; it is an inevitability.

The phrase had Ciel’s shoulders relaxing into proper posture, his tense jaw relaxing with reluctance. He took a gradual inhale in, scanning the room for Lady Y/n. He found her in moments, catching her pale green gown and its gold accents shining in the warm chandelier light. She was engaged in a jubilant exchange with the wife of Selwyn Westley, the owner of a prominent watch company.

“Very good, my Lord,” Sebastian chirped, merely watching Ciel build his resolve. He’d seen the Earl tackle a number of more threatening offenses: vengeful angels, homicidal circus clowns, and corrupt monopolists with less agonizing. “There is absolutely no time to waste,” he added in reference to the rest of TransAtlantica’s suitors (they were longshot candidates, at best) as they readied themselves among their own servants. Several men’s eyes lingered on the small dance card that hung from Lady Y/n’s wrist, looking to secure a spot in the moments before the first dance started.

It was that particular thought that had the corner of Ciel’s mouth twisting upwards, satisfied. Courtship could never be left to chance. It was a strategy— a war. How could they hope to defeat him when they couldn’t even manage to get themselves in front of her?

. . .

Y/N Y/L/N

“And that’s when I told him: I think I left them in the carriage!” Inara Johnson laughed riotously, briefly touching your arm as you laughed, mirroring the young woman’s impish grin. She had been recounting a sordid story about her courtship with her husband since it seemed your mother was quite liberal in spreading the word about your season beginning. Even still, Mrs. Johnson was quite a breath of fresh air after you suffered nine suitors trying too hard to impress you.

“I can’t imagine what you could have done without a spare change of clothing!” You managed through laughs, ignoring the pinch in your cheeks after hours of simpering and entertainment. You were only about halfway through the merriment, the orchestra completing a lively movement to start transitioning to the first waltz of the evening.

You only had a few moments to find your next suitor: Lord Ciel Phantomhive.

“I should find my husband for this waltz! I certainly hope you find yours quite soon, my Lady, I’ll be looking forward to your wedding,” she chuckled, parting with you after a playful wink.

“Enjoy the night,” you nodded, unsure of how to start your search for a faceless man as Mrs. Johnson found Mr. Johnson in seconds. He’d only been paces away, engaged with your parents about something you couldn’t quite pick up.

You took another look at your card to ensure that Ciel Phantomhive was indeed your next dance partner, but just as your gaze caught his name again, the man who pulled you from the carriage approached you. The very one that you were content with never laying eyes on again.

“Lady Y/n, just the perfect timing. Were you looking to join this waltz now?” He dared to ask, his sapphire eye just as breathtaking as it had been, his lips turning in the same mildly amused manner. Trying to appear aloof. “Or were you uninterested in sharing your time with the likes of mediocre destitution such as myself?” he asked, repeating the words you threw at him.

Was he trying to get a rise out of you?

You felt your face warm from his attempts as you fashioned your falling expression into a sparking grin. The future-Countess-of-Richmond-grin that you relied on so much. There was no losing your temper in this environment without mortifying your family name.

“Unfortunately, my dance card is full,” you answered with false kindness, feeling the young man see straight through your pleasant deception. That was one of the only lines a young noblewoman had to tell a man to leave her to her lonesome; it was well-known by all of polite society. “Perhaps another time. Though I really do need to find my next—” you started, starting to take a step to walk around him, but he side-stepped in your path.

“—After I saved your life last week, I thought you might find time for a dance,” he interjected, causing the remnants of your Countess smile to falter. “That’s why I had my butler secure this waltz with you.”

Your blood ran cold, your smile finally melting off your face. He couldn’t be…could he? It would only make sense, you supposed. A person astute enough to even impress your father.

“I was scheduled with the Earl of Phantomhive,” you forced yourself to answer placidly. You readjusted your expression, unwilling to give the man the satisfaction of visibly surprising you.

“Then you found me already,” Lord Phantomhive replied, all too satisfied. You didn’t even find him! He found you!

You failed to conceal your thoughts, judging by the condescending mirth in his grin. “Shall we?”

. . .

CIEL PHANTOMHIVE

“I— yes, I suppose we shall,” Lady Y/n cleared her throat, despite herself. She laced her arm with Ciel’s as he guided her to the center of the ballroom, more than certain that they were attracting attention, even if most people couldn’t connect his appearance to his name. The very reputation that filled a room enough to substitute his physical presence, most of the time.

Technically, he didn’t have to bow to Y/n because he outranked her, but as Sebastian insinuated, apparently Ciel needed to nurse her shallow pride.

Acquiring TransAtlantica is not an option; it is an inevitability.

Taking Y/n’s hand, Ciel led her into the first steps of the waltz. She seemed more interested in studying him than starting a conversation, mechanically following the dance while her mind was elsewhere. He allowed her to dissect the performance he put on for her for a few long moments before speaking.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to extend my sincerest apologies to you, Lady Y/l/n,” Ciel said, visualizing the script that he and Sebastian formulated. He had to make the words seem genuine as if he’d given them enough thought to be considerate, but not so much that he was reciting them. He guided Y/n through a turn, feeling her back tense under his hand.

“I should have helped you find the man who took your things rather than demean you with quips that failed to land,” Ciel continued, taking her continued silence as a bid to continue. His skin crawled at his words, betrayal bristling down his spine. He didn’t apologize. It was fundamentally wrong. And yet, for TransAtlantica, he would. Perhaps this company was the Earl of Phantomhive’s only real love match. “I know I seem far from deserving, but I do hope for your forgiveness. If you give me the opportunity, I hope to show you that I can be,” he continued, fashioning a similar helpless frown that Sebastian used to appeal to frustrated women.

Y/n’s face was unchanged, the same politely engaged expression with clear notes of frustration layered beneath. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy—she was a petulant heiress unused to not having her way with people. She hummed, tilting her head as she took another moment to dissect his expression. The movement caused her long earrings to sway, drawing Ciel’s attention to the length of her neck and the complicated waves she had her hair styled in.

“You should have helped me,” Y/n agreed gruffly. “A proper gentleman would have, after all,” she mused.

Was the apology not gentlemanly enough? Ciel felt it exceeded expectations.

“I would…treasure the chance to prove myself to be a gentleman, then.” He answered, using part of a line Sebastian fed him. The demon did not have any foresight into the future, but after investigating Y/n with the intensity he would look into a criminal with, he had decent intuition regarding how these planned interactions would unfold. Sebastian accurately assumed she wouldn’t accept that apology.

“The chance to prove yourself?” Y/n repeated, her interest piqued at the proposition. Finally—a new emotion on her face besides detached politeness. “That sounds like quite the endeavor, my Lord.”

“It may very well be, should you let me accompany you on a promenade next week,” Ciel answered, watching her face redden. “If you might overlook my…” his mouth was drier than cotton, “deficiencies.”

He nearly choked on the word. Bloody Hell.

“Perhaps I might find time,” Lady Y/n answered, and Ciel’s heart soared for all the right reasons. He had a chance at the corporation, after all. It seemed acting was just as suspiciously close to lying as Sebastian had insisted.

Acquiring TransAtlantica is not an option; it is an inevitability.

. . .

[lily-orchard-gossip-blog]

Hello hello again! It's good to have you back for a little while! Unfortunately there is a lot of infighting in the critical sphere right now and it's not very fun to follow. And worse still Lily is as smug as ever. People are too invested in who ripped off what, who's disrespecting this or that, they should just be having fun at Lily's expense. That's what Saiscribbles has done, and you can tell how effective it is because Lily has tried every strategy in the book to prove how not mad she is.

You know what?

I think I would like to poke fun at the whole thing. I mean, it's sounds like she's gotten a bit ridiculous since I've been gone. (Ridiculous sounds like an understatement, thought.)

I've done serious and it's exhausting. You can only take her serious for so long before you realize she doesn't really even know or believe what she's saying.

As for the fighting, well... It's a shame, but let's try to focus on what's at the core of this blog: Gossiping about Lily.

...But I do have one thing I want to get off my chest, so I will mention it here and then move on. It is under the read bar just so those who don't care can ignore it.

I do have one thing to say about the drama, and that's about Ethel.

They are a liar liar pants on fire.

Seriously, I watched Evangeline Skovs video, which was one of the better coverages on the subject and there was no plagiarism. Not even of me, and I was a source!

Never mind that fact that Ethel legit lied about my blog in their rebuttal, claiming that Levi couldn't find anything on my blog about their video, or glade, so Evangeline was lying.

Their proof? Levi used the search bar, used the word minor and glade, and nothing came up except one post...

Fun fact: I'm bad at tagging things, and my search bar is kind of useless because of that.

(Side note: why would I use glade's name? Why would I want to draw attention to someone who I assumed wanted to be left alone? I'm pretty sure that was made clear in the video.)

Anyway, if you used my archive you could easily find TONES of posts from me talking about the video in question with details.

Here's one that Ethel conveniently left out:

And you know what's hilarious about that? They reblogged this take to try and rebuke it on their tumblr. (That they have long since abandoned.)

I decided to ignore it, because obviously I'm not going to try and get in a fight with them, and Ethel was so mad by that they messaged me directly to try and threaten me with legal jargon.

So I blocked them.

But hey, since I'll probably never bother with this again, here are the messages. Enjoy old drama from like...2 years ago:

Image text here:

[Okay, I've put this off for as long as possible, but please, read this case study as right now you are parroting harmful legal advice. Victim testimony not only constitutes evidence, but can be sufficient evidence to convict, a fact that was tested in Commonwealth v Gustavo Gonzalez Santos in Massachusetts.

I’ll highlight two relevant sections in case you don’t have the time to read the entire thing: “The defendant's sole argument on appeal is that the evidence was not sufficient to support his convictions. The defendant asserts that "there were no witnesses to the alleged assaults," "no physical evidence," "no medical or forensic evidence," and "no expert testimony." He argues that "there was absolutely no conclusive evidence presented at trial that suggested the [d]efendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."” And: “Here, the victim testified to facts that constituted each element of the charged offenses. Her testimony, which the jury found to be credible, was sufficient, standing alone, to support a finding beyond a reasonable doubt as to each of the convictions. See, e.g., Commonwealth v. Lawrence, 68 Mass. App. Ct. 103, 104 (2007)

("The victim's testimony was sufficient evidence of [indecent assault and battery on a child under age fourteen]"); Commonwealth v. Gonsalves, 23 Mass. App. Ct. 184, 185 (1986) ("The victim's account of what the defendant did to him in the apartment was sufficient to overcome the defendant's motion for a required finding of not guilty of rape"). The idea that long infected our legal system that the victim's testimony in sexual assault and rape cases is less credible than the testimony of victims in cases involving other types of crimes -- an idea that reflected nothing more than sexism and an unwillingness on the part of our courts to treat sexual crimes as the gravely serious matter that they are -- has been rejected both by statute and by common law.”

When you and others continue to parrot the myth that victim testimony does not constitute as valid evidence, you are harming victims of rape and abuse. This is straight up rape culture and, since I’m pushing back any video coverage on the matter until I’ve finished dealing with Lily because I don’t want to muddle things, I need you to stop promoting falsehoods. We have legal members on our team who have passed the bar, Patchie does not, Opal does not, and neither does You Can Eat Hearts. You are causing unnecessary harm to victims by breathing life into myths constructed by rape culture. To be clear, I am not asking for your denouncement of certain people, just for you to please, stop publishing bad legal takes.

This is also the case in Canada, if you're wondering - https://www.accused.ca/evidence.htm

Sorry, I just realized I didn't give you the US case study. Here it is - http://masscases.com/cases/app/100/100massappct1.html#:~:text=The%20jury%20found%20the%20defendant,We%20affirm. ]

Oct 30, 2022 9:16 AM

Whew, you have no idea how long I wanted to spill this tea.

Alright, I've said what I've wanted to say on this topic. I'm now going to focus on laughing at Lily and her horrible incest stories.

[akookminsupporter]

There's something I still don't understand.

Why is it considered wrong to think that two people, two men, are a couple? Where is the disrespect in that? Where is the harm in that? Why is it considered bad? I understand not agreeing with the sexualisation that many associate with all of this. I understand not agreeing with the sometimes offensive portrayal that many paints of one of the members. I understand not agreeing with the almost objectification that many attach to all of this. But why is it considered bad to think that two members are a couple? Why is it bad even if the person is respectful? Why is it bad if people only limit themselves to talking about what we see, what they themselves show us and tell us?

I agree that it is a mistake for many to romanticise many things about the stage the group is at. I agree with the criticism directed at some jikookers who are romanticizing certain aspects of Jimin and Jungkook's decision. I agree with criticizing those who seem to only do that, but that doesn't mean that talking about how surprising that decision is, is bad. I don't think saying that this decision confirms even more how close they are and how strong their bond is, is bad. So why do many not make this distinction?

Now I'm seeing a new reporting account that is reporting everyone, mainly jikookers it seems, and some of the reasons why don't make sense. One of their tweets asking to report an account – one of the biggest jikookers accounts on Twitter, by the way – is because they quoted the serendipity phrase that Jimin and Jungkook made about them. In another comment, I saw them asking or saying how it was possible that they didn't find anything wrong with someone believing that two members are a couple. Which brings me back to my initial question: Why is it considered wrong to think that two members are a couple?

If someone is going to answer these questions, please don't say that the reason is that they are not LGBTQ+ because you don't know that. If you can assume that they are heterosexual, we can assume that they are not. So, if someone wants to answer these questions, please don't use that "explanation."

[sillyunknownkitkat]

Nikolai and price x ftm!headcanons sfw & nsfw pls & tyy

Ofc!

Nikolai and Price with an ftm!s/o hcs

NIKOLAI :

sfw

He doesn't care at all of what's in your pants or how you identify

even if you dated him before coming out, it's the same to him

he loves you for you and that's it

now he's still carefull to not make you uncomfortable

Like maybe avoiding your chest area if it makes you uncomfortable

he'd help you with your T shots, paying surgery/ies, ...

also just spats insult in Russian if someone purposely misgender you. it doesn't matter if the person doesn't understand what he's saying, the expression on his face and tone of voice are enough to get the point

now if you guys had to go to a family dinner or something but you don't want/can't come out to them, he'll be weird

it's just that he respects you way too much to disrespect you but he understands the situation

I'm pretty sure the LGBTQIIA+ movement isn't really known in Russia but the man travels a lot

100% would go to a pride convention(?) with you

nsfw

I think he's done to try almost everything at least once

so if you rather put on a strap/use your dick, no problem at all!

while I think he prefers to be top, he definitely doesn't mind being bottom/sub

He'd be a bit sad if he can't eat you out anymore but once again he understands and respects it

plus you still have another hole so....

if you're still okay with your birth genital then he's all for it

"Such a pretty boy cunt", "mmmm, so handsome looking while I play with you", ...

PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE

he's the best if you ever feel dysmorphic (pls tell me if it's the wrong word) but still horny

doesn't matter if you still have more "feminine" boobs

something with a nipple is good no matter the circumstances

PRICE

Sfw

He knows what trans means but he's a little lost okay?

in this he dated you while you were already transitioned but he doesn't really know per say

when you first tell him he's like "okay..? good job."

yeah...

I'm sorry but he can't stop himself to ask you that one question

"So you still have a fanny down there or...?"

hdhzjzkzkzkz

sorry.

same as nikolai, it doesn't really matter if you do or don't

nobody even dares to misgender you while with him

I'm also very sorry but he won't go to a mride convention unless you really insist on him being there

it's just that he works a lot so he just want to relax and do almost nothing

please don't take peepaw to a family reunion if they're transphobic because it won't end well

nsfw

this man hasn't been pegged or rimmed before and didn't like the idea at first

but even if you respect his choice, you're still a bit sad

he agrees after a few recherches but he's still a bit nervous

so you talk him through it and he ends up really liking it !

now he's okay with being a switch but he still needs to do the fucking so hopefully you like anal too

but in the case where you don't really mind he's the same as Nikolai

"Squeezing me so tight luv'", "Mmm good boy, keep doing that."

I believe this man also enjoy tiddies no matter your genre or you "genital attribute"

heck he even enjoy his to be played with!

sorry if this was a little short but I'll probably write a oneshot for this later because I really liked the idea.

please tell me if anything seems offensive, rude,... I really don't mean too!

have a great day/night and be safe everyone!

[rockybloo]

Probably offensive to Lupines, but do they have dog-like behaviors?

The only dog specific thing they have behavior wise is that their tails wag when they are happy. All other behaviors are traits that are shared with various other creatures thus why they are called "Lupines". They are wolf-like in appearance but have other animal traits.

I don't like making them too doglike since it just feels super weird for me.

So no, they do not bark. They have a special kind of singing they can do that they refer to as howling but it's like when you carry a very long note. Lupines can do that but ten times longer than a human and fluctuate the pitch as they please with some songs being done in just one breath.

They do not play fetch. If you throw something and tell them to get it for you, it will not be pretty as it's super disrespectful.

And Lupines are chill with cats.

I guess you could toss in bone chewing as well but I specifically give them the trait of being able to consume the bones of their meals because of hyenas being a big influence on them.

[specialagentlokitty]

BAU headcannon: Reader who is Muslim and wears a Hijab

Please If your comfortable could you maybe write something where the BAU gets a new member who happens to be Muslim and wears a hijab, like what they would do or say if someone says something about it.... Or just in general how they would interact with her. - Anon💜

A/N: as I am not Muslim and I don’t know much about the culture or about wearing a hijab I’ve tried my best to write this as a headcannon, I hope it’s alright!

You’ll always be sure to get a warm welcome from Garcia, never fear because she’ll be happy to be your best friend from day one

Everybody else is happy to have a new helping hand on the team

The team, especially Hotch will try make any accommodations that you may need, especially for Muslim holidays

Thankfully Reid is well versed in many things, which means that he also knows exactly what to do in any kind of situation that may come up

There may be a lot of questions, the team don’t want to seem rude but they want to get to know as much about your religion as possible

At dinners, especially at Rossi’s you can be sure it is a 100% safe place and everything will be suitable for you

Undercover for whatever reason? Don’t worry you’ll always be paired with one of the ladies

They are extremely protective off you

They will not tolerate any discrimination against you

Someone’s says anything rude, offensive or racist? They’re ready to jump in

Derek is straight in front of you, telling whoever it is to start on him and see what happens

Emily is quick to shut them down, threatening them if she has to

JJ is right there beside Emily or Derek, ready to do whatever it takes to get this person away from you

Rossi is next to you, waiting for you to let him know he can jump in, he’ll be furious but he’ll follow your lead

Hotch is straight to getting ready to get this person fired, he doesn’t care about how far he has to dig in order to do it or how many heads he’s gotta go over

Reid isn’t much for confrontation but so help anybody who dares to speak ill to you, he will reign down hell of facts with some threats slipped in (and he’s already texted the whole team)

Garcia is immediately researching this person and any dirt on them she’s sending straight to your phone for you to use

After they’ll all check on you, make sure you’re okay and if they stepped out of line when defending you they will apologise

They know you can handle your own, but they don’t let any kid disrespect their family

They are all ready to join in on your holidays as well, learn about them and take part in them

They won’t make you take part in any holidays or events you don’t want to or can’t take part in

Rossi will learn to cook your dishes

Reid will learn how to speak and read your language so you aren’t alone (it wouldn’t surprise me if he already knows it though)

Garcia please oh please take her shopping with you, show her all your favourite outfits, show her EVERYTHING

JJ wants to know all about your home, your family, friends

They are all so down to go visit your family if you wanted them too, or come with you somewhere

You don’t feel comfortable going somewhere but need to go? Text anybody on the team and they’ll rock up so fast

They’re a huge family

Guess what?

You’re part of that family too

Oh and food

Please make them food, they’ll be so hyped to try your dishes

Be prepared for them wanted to help too, especially Rossi and Garcia

[nightskyslayer2]

Y/n, the child of Rhaenyra and Daemon is in love with her uncle Aegon and about to betray her mother and family so she can be with him. Her brother Jace is the first one she talks to.

platonic!brother!jacaerys x targaryen!reader x uncle!Aegon

“Aegon?…” the brown haired prince said in shock. “Out of all people you could choose from you want to marry our miserable brat uncle Aegon?!” Her older brother couldn’t believe the words coming out of his sisters mouth. “No.” is all he said to her for a moment. “I will not allow this to happen y/n. You deserve so much more. Cant you see? Mother lets you choose. You’re so lucky to not be having the duty of an political arranged marriage and yet you choose Aegon??? This can’t be your true choice darling sister.” Tears were starting to form in the princesses lilac eyes. “I love him Jacaerys. And he loves me.” Her voice was quiet and unsteady, aware of what her feelings to her uncle are causing. Her brother rolled his eyes and scoffed. “No he doesn’t y/n. Don’t be foolish. He’s a miserable piece of shit who’s disrespectful towards any female being and additionally a lazy unresponsive man.” Y/n’s blank face spoke millions of words and that’s when Jacaerys realised what the oldest of Alicents sons had done. Any kind of his facial expression dropped as he came to a conclusion he desperately wanted an answer to. “Did he take your maidenhood?” His voice was daring and concerned. “Did he y/n?!” he was getting louder and now looking furious at his little sister. In response Y/n just turned away from her brother to hide her tears as she silently sobbed into her hands. Jace has punched the wall as he took her rejection of the question as a confirmation of his suspicion. He muttered some swear words under his breath and tried to calm down again, now seeing that he has scared his sister with his rising tone. His face immediately softened when he saw y/ns shaking state in front of him. “Don’t cry sister. I didn’t mean to attack and scare you…I’m sorry” he hugged his younger sister and stroke her white hair as she sobbed into his chest. “I love him Jacaerys…” she said once again. Jace sighed and kissed to top of her head. “I know y/n… I know…”. They stayed like this for a while until y/n’s sobbing eventually came to an end. The white haired princess looked up at her brother with swollen eyes. “I know it is cruel and offensive to mother if I ask for Aegon. But I love him. I love him so much.” She took a step backwards, adjusting her dress before looking up at Jacaerys again. “And… and I will marry him. My father has seen us.” she said not even blinking once while staring into her brothers eyes. Daemon, her father, was beyond disappointed and mad hat her for giving herself to someone before marriage, especially to Aegon but the young lovers figured it was the only way they could be together. “He loves me. He treats me well brother. I know what he did and how he behaved in his past but I swear to you, to the seven even, he has never hurt me in any way.” Y/n reached for her brothers hand but he flinched away. “You’re betraying our family… you know how they treat us, you know that our mother is the true heir and you know exactly what Aemond has done to our brother …” y/ns heart ached at the name and memory of her little brother Lucerys but all those things couldn’t stop her heart from loving Aegon. “Jace please…”she pleaded but Jacaerys just shook his head and started to walk away, he loved his sister but he was deeply hurt by her actions. “Mother will cry herself to sleep if you tell her. You’ll be claiming her right of being queen as soon as you’re being wedded to Aegon. You’ll simply take her rightful place whilst you ally yourself with the enemy y/n. You’re turning yourself fully against us. All I ever wanted is to protect you and be there for you… all my life y/n … and now? Now you become a traitor and stranger to me.”

[heartbreak-sandwich]

Would love to hear your thoughts about boyfriend!gator 👀

EEEEEEEEE okay, just for you :3

Some Boyfriend!Gator Tillman Headcanons off the top of my noggin!!! (I live for inexperienced Gator, so that's what we're basing this off of today lol)

"Of course I'd take you out. Anywhere you want, any day of the -- well, as long as I'm off duty, of course. Even during the lunch hour, if that's somethin' you'd like. I'd be real good to you." Gator really just wants to please you, and he's willing to bend over backwards to do that, even if you wouldn't think so at the start. He longs to be loved and to be useful, and if taking you to a nice dinner in the next town over and sitting through a movie he doesn't give a shit about is what he has to do to be those things, then he will damn well do it with a smile on his face.

"I don't give a fuck if it's an accident or not. You say you're sorry. Don't make me ask again."

He has a bit of a temper, especially if anyone disrespects you. Even colliding with you on a busy street on accident is an offense, and he will make damn sure they apologize before they go on their way. He has you on a pedestal, and everyone around him is going to know it.

"Sometimes, I just -- I feel stupid for not knowin'. And it makes me mad...embarrassed, you know? I like that you teach me stuff. Just...don't tell anyone else. Please?"

It takes time to undo almost three decades of bad learning from his dad, but he's teachable, and he's willing to listen. You always tell him to be patient with himself because there's no shame in not knowing. He's still very insecure at times, and he definitely cares what people around him think of him, but you make him feel safe, so he's always willing to be vulnerable with you.

***Thank you sm for requesting this, I'll be thinking about more of these literally all day long 🥰🥰🥰***

[dearshelby]

Curses, spirits and other things to not believe in | T.S x OC

Summary: Three times Eleanor didn't believe in anything mystical and the one time she nearly did

A/N: I'm in a roll with Eleanor I swear I can't stop thinking about her, although she's my skeptical bby this had absolutely NO INTENTION of disrespecting any cultures or beliefs (and btw "kotex" is the 1920s pads, just in case you don't know 😌)

1919

The only thing going through her head as she made the way to Charlie's yard was Tommy's sad features. The raindrops rolling down his face as he blankly said his horse was cursed was more than enough to make her heart sink.

She couldn't let this go past without explanation. She wouldn't.

Walking through the gates, her nose wrinkled to the smell of engine oil, horses and rust. As a teenager, the place had served as a meeting spot many times, it didn't look as bad decorated with candles and flowers, or perhaps it did and she was too focused on Tommy to notice.

"Curly?!" Eleanor called when no one came to welcome her.

"He woke up with a bad fucking fever," Charlie's raspy voice answered from far as he slowly walked to her, "he's too soft to see horses dying,"

"Mr. Strong," she greeted.

"How many times did I tell you to call me Charlie?"

"It's rude-"

"To call the oldest by their names?" he completed, "but you call Polly,"

"Well, we're closer," she explained, "no offense,"

"None at all," he humorlessly chuckled, "what brings you to my yard, girl? Tommy hasn't come since last night,"

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk about," she gulped, "I'd like to take a better look at the horse, there must be something that went unnoticed for it to get sick in a matter of hours,"

"You know nothing about horses, do you think you'd get something that Tommy and Curly didn't?" Charlie argued, "It was cursed, Tommy must've told you,"

"He did, I don't believe him," she said, "Have you buried it already?"

"No, but it's stinking,"

"So let me see it,"

"Look, I'm telling you, there was nothing wrong with the horse until the Lees cursed it," turning on his heel, he started walking out.

"Wait! Mr. Strong, please!" Eleanor pleaded, "Tommy thinks the horse was cursed because of him, I can't stand seeing him with the bloody blues because of something that makes no fucking sense,"

"...he's lucky to have you, y'know? I'll tell him that,"

"No! I don't want him to know, not until I have an answer,"

"Tommy has an answer, I don't think he wants another one," he dismissed, "go home, girl, if you really want him to feel better bake something nice,"

Eleanor's jaw clenched as she watched Charlie going away, then quickly softened. There was no use arguing, she returned home without an answer.

1920

"Don't you have something to share with the family? Or at least with Tommy?" Polly questioned.

Eleanor immediately tensed up, she wasn't ready to talk about her recently found pregnancy. Tommy was too focused on building a good reputation for the company for her to drop the news, his reaction worried her.

"How did you-"

"I dreamed it and you confirmed," Polly explained, "wearing large blouses, not drinking, slowing down in the betting shop and the chores,”

“I-” she gulped, “I think you really want another baby in the family, so much you're dreaming it,”

“It's a girl,” Pol continued, “beautiful, with Tommy's eyes,”

“Pol,” Eleanor scowled, “I'm not pregnant,”

“Why don't you want to tell?”

She gritted her teeth, then sighed, “It doesn't make sense, are you watching me?”

‘Eleanor, I'm telling you, I foresaw Katie, Martha, Junior, Peter and David, all of John's, do you think I wouldn't see Tommy's?”

“No, you must've went through my drawers and noticed I haven't used kotex in a while, nor sent Finn to get any,”

“Still using the poor boy for that?” Polly smiled, “Think whatever you like, I saw my niece,”

Ellie looked down, she had no idea of how her aunt in law found out about her pregnancy, but she felt deep relief, at least now she could talk to someone.

“I don't know how to tell him, he's so focused on the company, it's not the right time,”

“It's Tommy, darling, there’ll never be a right time,” noticing her concern, Polly added, “he will love this child more than anything else,”

“I hope so,”

“‘Course he will, I know him, just listen to me and don't do anything stupid,”

“Okay,” Eleanor whispered and weakly smiled, “but you'll still have to tell me how you found out.”

1924

“Tom,” she called, going through her jewelry box while he got dressed in front of the mirror, “did you see the sapphire you gave me?”

He looked at her through the side of his eye. Truth be told, she didn't even like the jewel, it was way too big and lacking details, she didn't see any other women wearing something so scandalous at the fundraising dinner. However, it was a gift from Tommy, he seemed proud to be able to provide her luxuries and if he insisted on her wearing it, then she would.

Moreover, the way he seemed to blame a curse for the italians’ murder attempt got on her nerves. He was certain her almost death was caused by cursed jewelry and not Lizzie being stubborn enough to date a man from a gang and work for another and John throwing a violent jealousy tantrum.

Oh, how she wished she could sell them both to the italians. She knew the Changrettas, they often went to her mum's sewing shop and she was sure they'd accept her truce offer. But unfortunately, Tommy wouldn't.

“No,” he mumbled.

“Did we leave it in the hospital?” she asked, a shiver running down her spine as she remembered the excruciating pain from getting a bullet removed, “I'll send someone to get it, I don't think they'd steal from a Shelby,”

“There's no need, they won't find it,” he sighed and put his cigarette down, “I took the sapphire,”

“Then where is it?”

“Far from here,” he explained, “far from our house,”

“What?! Tommy, do you even know how much a sapphire costs?!” she argued, “Of course you do! You bought it! What did you even do with it?!”

“Eleanor, you know why we can't keep it at home,” he drawled, few things annoyed him as much as her unbelief.

“Ah, yes, of course!” she ironically smiled, “it was the sapphire that got me shot, not John's and Lizzie's stupidity!”

“And what do you want me to do? Give my brother away?”

Yes, she thought, he should've known better.

“No, Tommy, I don't want anything bad to come at John,” she answered instead, “but I see how much this takes a toll on you, he's responsible for this and he should be the one to fix it,”

“There's no talking to those bastards, they want him dead, they tried to kill you-”

“No, they tried to kill you,” she interrupted.

“Doesn't fucking matter, the sapphire is gone and the italians will be soon,”

Rolling her eyes, Eleanor picked another jewel to wear, aware that if Tommy was utterly certain of something, there was no way of changing his mind.

1924

Eleanor pursed her lips as the other woman entered her car. Her long curly was covered by a black headscarf, contrasting with her red dress and the gold bracelets, but matching her dark make-up.

“Madame Boswell,” Ellie greeted, “I'm Elea-”

“I know who you are,” she interrupted.

“...do you know what I want as well?”

“Your husband came to me when you were in the hospital, I sensed great sadness in him,” the madame weakly smiled, “same as you, healthy but in pain,”

“Well, this time,” she sighed, holding back tears, “he's badly injured, doctors said he'll be alright but,”

“You don't believe them,”

“I do, but I need better assurance,” reaching for a small box in the backseat, she handed it to the madame, “sapphires are quite expensive but this is much more,”

Boswell opened the box, revealing a shiny diamond necklace.

“I want you to make sure my Tommy will be alright,” Eleanor continued.

“You want to trade a life for a diamond,”

“If you can't do it tell me who can,”

Madame looked at the jewel, back at Ellie, then closed the box, “There'll be someone looking out for him all the time, do not worry, he'll live,”

Eleanor's jaw clenched. Of course there would be someone, her, she always took care of him, now wouldn't be any different.

“Anything else?” she asked, trying to get something more certain.

“Is there something more you want me to do?”

“No,” annoyed for letting her despair talking louder than her sense, she opened the car's door and ordered, “get out, you can keep the diamond,”

“I'm gonna do as you asked,” Madame assured as she climbed out the car.

“You're being well paid for that.”

Driving back home, she worried about what could've happened while she was away. Hiring the best doctors in England would've been much better than wasting time with mysticism. She should know better by then.

[troutfur]

Tonight is Writer's Choice night because I said so and because I binged the whole of the new book over the course of my day off and it gave me ideas.

Tomorrow we're back to taking prompts from the audience, in accordance with my guidelines, but as a clarification since I've got more than a handful: Mapleshade's Vengeance is in fact one of the books I haven't read. And I'm not sure it's a book I even want to read. After the whole "yeah it's totally a good idea to write an article telling kids that if they don't jump into a flooding river to save someone else they're going to Hell, just get social media to shut up" fiasco from last year it just has left a sour taste in my mouth.

Preamble out of the way, enjoy Sunbeam's ThunderClan polycule, feat. pfurr dynamic worldbuilding:

On the night Nightheart went missing, Sunbeam went into her new nest feeling dejected. The whole of ThunderClan had been buzzing with a celebratory atmosphere but hearing her mate had left had her double-guessing herself at her decisions so far. The cryptic reassurances from StarClan Squirrelstar conveyed to to her had for sure not had remotely close to the intended effect. With no clear reason why he was gone she was left wondering if Nightheart’s wenwi --his maternal grandmother-- was even telling the truth or just trying to save face for her awbyyo --her bloodline.

As she settled in to sleep, Sunbeam felt a paw prodding at her side. “Hey.” Sunbeam raised her face to see the tortoiseshell face of Nightheart’s sister.“I know you haven’t officially joined the pfurr, but... would you like to sleep with us? At least until my brother’s back.”

“I...” Sunbeam was a bit taken aback. She turned her face towards two other cats cuddled with each other, their faces expectantly towards her. Those must be her empf --her nestmates-- Sunbeam guessed. “I thought Nightheart slept alone. He did mention you but with how he spoke I thought he was a--”

“Oh no, no!” the molly was quick to interject. “StarClan no, he’s not nearly bad enough to be a hug’koo.” In their language that was a word meant ‘cuckoo’, but it could also mean a cat that had been expelled from a nest. “He just has fallen into the habit of sleeping on his own. Being made a warrior late and all.”

“But he left his Clan to court me,” Sunbeam protested. Having let that slip out she wanted to swallow back her tongue. Berryheart would certainly have thought that an offense grave enough and she hoped upon reconsidering Finchlight wouldn’t agree with that view.

“And he’s not going to lose his place in his birth pfurr from that,” Finchlight said with a shrug. “You just try again the other way ‘round. The elders may say it’s disrespectful but I’ve always thought it was jus the smart thing to do.”

“It’s not like I have a sibling to share a nest with who I care about offending,” Sunbeam mused, rising to her paws as she followed Finchlight back to her nest.

“Really?” she asked. “An ul-arramew? You don’t very much act like one.”

“No, it’s not like that,” Sunbeam said. “I have two brothers in fact. But one of them took a SkyClan mate and the other was not very pleased. And so...”

“Oh,” Finchlight said. “I’m sorry I pried.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Sunbeam said. “What’s the courtship period for if not for meeting your soon-to-be mate?” The word she used there was empf for in their language there’s no distinction between one’s romantic partner and any other cat one share a nest with.

“Settle in,” Finchlight offered as she carved her space between alongside the other two cats, a golden tabby tom and a pale brown molly, who were already settled on their nest. “It should be enough for all four. We had it expanded for Nightheart forever ago but since he insists on being by his lonesome.”

“Hey,” Sunbeam greeted with a flick of her tail which the other cats responded to in kind. Though everyone in the nest was cozy and fit rather neatly the atmosphere didnt’ seem yet conducive for actually going to sleep. “So... Nightheart never mentioned any other empf other than her sister. When did you all start courting?”

Myrtlebloom and Bayshine went wide-eyed in surprise for a moment before clarity dawned on them and they gave an amused purr.

“We didn’t court,” Bayshine --the tom-- clarified. “We’ve just... kinda always shared a nest.”

“Pryyp?” Sunbeam piped up.

“Our wipfurrs” --that means mothers-- “were always close. And Sparkpelt had not been in the right mindset to nurse or take care of Finchy or Nighty towards their first moon or so. So they nursed with us and the habit of sharing a nest just kinda stuck.”

“Did he never tell you?” Finchlight asked.

“No, he didn’t,” Sunbeam said in surprise. “That’s lovely of her and lovely of you. When he spoke of ThunderClan he always stressed other things.”

“Typical,” Bayshine said with an eyeroll. “Such a complainer that Nightheart. There was once towards the beginning of our apprenticeship when he...”

The nest continued gossiping about their missing member until sleep overtook them. As she drifted off into sleep, with her head rested on the soft fur of her soon-to-be empf she began to give off a purr. There may be a piece of their nest missing but now she could work on loving and being loved by the rest of them.