#this story is actually not why I’m unemployed

[suboficialflores]

Once upon a time I was a Spanish lecturer at a university. They trusted me with 100-300 level classes (lol wild)

Then I was pulled into a Title IX investigation that really had nothing to do with me, and like an idiot I did what I thought was the right thing

If a professor rapes a student and another professor asks you to testify on behalf of the student, you may get fired as retaliation (even though that’s illegal)

Last I knew, the accused professor is still tenured

[harrysgal]

I DIG YOUR CINEMA (1)

harry styles x yn aspiring filmmaker — social media AU

I posted this yesterday but I wanted to change a few things so I deleted it and now I’m posting it again lol it’s long but I still hope people like it!

About the smau: yn starts posting videos on youtube and is trying to build a career as a filmmaker. Things are going pretty well for her and she starts getting more attention when she creates content about shows she goes to. She’s also a fan of Harry’s music and some of his fans start getting suspicious when his team starts interacting with her.

Disclaimer: The story it’s set in 2021 and it will follow their relationship through the LOT leg in the US. Since this is nothing but fiction, I will be following some of the real timeline but also adding my own stuff. On top of that, I won’t be basing myself on Harry’s actual posts.

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I DIG YOUR CINEMA (PART 1) — MEET YN

liked by bestfriend, yourbrother, and 60 others 

yourinstagram here’s to a new year and new beginnings :)

view all 6 comments

bestfriend love youuuu  bestfriend im so happy to have you back!! 

↳ yourinstagram pls don’t let me choose a bf ever again ↳ bestfriend don’t worry. single squad for life ↳ bestfriend or until one of us gets married lol  ↳ yourinstagram 😂 love you!!

Jan 5, 2021 • 

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liked by bestfriend, yourbrother, and 75 others 

yourinstagram can you believe just three months ago this gal was heartbroken, unemployed, and out of dreams? guess the world reallyyyyy spins around, huh 😜

view all 8 comments

bestfriend yes it doesss  bestfriend now the universe is giving back what she deservessssss yourbrother i think i liked you better when you had no social life

↳ yourinstagram 😂 omg fuck off ↳ yourbrother if this is the language you use around my children i’m never letting you babysit again ↳ yourinstagram 😔 stop that’s not funny

Feb 10, 2021 •

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liked by sisterinlaw, bestfriend, and 60 others 

yourinstagram got myself a camera and a dream (plus an empty bank account)

view all 7 comments 

yourmom Are you OK? Do you need money? x

↳ yourinstagram im okay mom :) love you ↳ yourbrother my bank account is empty too

bestfriend can’t wait to be your +1 at the academy awards 

Feb 26, 2021 •

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liked by yourbrother, bestfriend, and 85 others 

yourinstagram step aside pls your girl just posted her first video on youtube and is now one step closer from becoming a filmmaker ✌🏻

view all 13 comments 

bestfriend THAT’S MY BESTIE sisterinlaw Loved it!! 💋 yourmom I miss you. Give me a call x yourmom Also you should post pictures of your face x

↳ yourinstagram 😂💗

childhoodfriend Nice to see you still love telling stories, haha great video!

↳ yourinstagram oh my gosh it’s been a while! 🥺 thank youuu let’s catch up soon  

Mar 19, 2021 •

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liked by yourbrother, bestfriend, and 167 others 

yourinstagram life lately

view all 23 comments 

user1 just watched your video on youtube about growing up and i’m in tears! you’re soooo talented

↳ yourinstagram omg that’s so sweet thank you so much :’) 

yourbrother why bothering buying a camera if you’re going to steal mine

↳ yourinstagram i didn’t steal it  ↳ yourbrother but you also didn’t give it back yet did you? 

user2 Loving your content!!

April 10, 2021 •

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liked by bestfriend, anotherfriend, and 319 others 

yourinstagram hellooooo i just posted another video :D even tho she’s not physically in it, i must admit our 20+ years together completely inspired this one. thank you for being there for me. i’m very lucky to call you my best friend and i love you 💗 hope you enjoy it!

view all 25 comments 

bestfriend i cant rn i’ll be back when i stop crying user1 amazing!!! another great video! loved everything about it, left me thinking and wondering about lots of things. i’m blown away by how talented you are.

↳ yourinstagram you’re so sweet 🥺 thank you, it means more than you can imagine!

yourmom Lovely girls 🥰 user3 This was my favorite so far!

April 21, 2021 •

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liked by bestfriend, sisterinlaw and 512 others 

yourinstagram got my first paycheck and went out shopping 

(ps: remember when my ex freaked out bc he didn’t want me to buy harrys album? lol here’s to you pal) (fine line you’ll be next i promise!)

view all 57 comments 

bestfriend harry styles album listening party tonight

↳ yourinstagram as if we don’t already listen to it everyday lol 

user1 you’re so real for this lol user1 also wtf? why didn’t he want you to buy the album? 

↳ yourinstagram bc he was jealous and insecure  ↳ bestfriend jealous that you’d bump into harry someday, mention you bought his album and he’d fall in love with you  ↳ yourinstagram lol talk about delusional  ↳ bestfriend he just knew your potential ↳ user1 😂😂😂

yourbrother so YOU are the reason why my daughter is suddenly obsessed? user5 Omg didn’t know you’re also a harry fan! What’s your favorite song?

↳ yourinstagram sign of the times always and forever

May 6, 2021 •

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liked by bestfriend, yourmom and 750 others 

yourinstagram just me and my little camera conquering the world ❤️ lol no but srsly, i know it’s only been a month since i posted my first video on youtube but so far ive had suchhhh a great time working hard to make my dreams come true :’) i sometimes fear my content isn’t much or isn’t professional enough, so the feedback i’ve been getting truly warms my heart and puts a smile on my face! thank you. thank you. thank you.

view all 86 comments 

bestfriend ❤️❤️❤️ yourbrother why are you still living in 2020? 

↳ yourinstagram why are you so annoying?

yourmom We’re very proud sweetheart x

↳ yourinstagram wouldn’t have done anything without your support! love you ❤️

user1 your content is AMAZING! the way you bring little stories to each video has me obsessed 

↳ yourinstagram i love telling stories so much!! im happy you enjoy them! 

user3 Honestly you’re one of the most creative people I’ve come across lately. The way you approach each topic with so much honesty and tell real life stories while not really including people in your shots is incredible!

↳ yourinstagram omg thank you so so much! this means the world me! 

May 6, 2021 •

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liked by bestfriend, sisterinlaw and 910 others 

yourinstagram hiii i just posted a new video on youtube and im really nervous about it lol this is really different from the others + a little longer, but also the most special so far. it includes a very memorable moment we lived as a family just a couple weeks ago so i trulyyyy hope you enjoy it! lmk your thoughts plssss

view all 103 comments 

user1 i just sent this video to everyone i know. i feel like i say this every time but this one is my favorite yet!! you’re so talented i want to live inside your brain

↳ yourinstagram hahahha you’re the best thank you sooooo much for your constant support!

bestfriend ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THIS WAS MY FAVORITE ONE SO FAR  bestfriend pls take me to a concert and make a short film of me dancing to my favorite songs too 😭 i beg you!!!!

↳ yourinstagram let’s do it! ed sheeran? beyonce? harry styles? ↳ bestfriend YES ↳ yourinstagram yes it’s not an answer lol you were supposed to pick one 

user8 👏👏👏 you’ve outdone yourself with this one!  user4 You’re so real about this one! My mom LOVES Shania Twain too and the day she saw her live for the first time was exactly like this! She just turned into a fangirl all over again haha 

May 27, 2021 •

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user2 Hey there. I’m so happy youtube just recommended this to me. I’m in love with your content! So creative and touching. I’m definitely going back to binge all your other videos now. I was just wondering, though, is this your real family? I’m only asking because from the way you tell the story it feels so much like watching a movie that it made me wonder if they were actors following a script 😅 hope you don’t take it the wrong way. Have a good one!

↳ youryoutube hiii thank you so much for watching and for being so respectful and polite about your comment! 😊 this is my own family, yes! i actually wasn’t planning on filming this, but my brother and i took my mom to see shania twain (who’s like, her favorite artist of all times!) and i woke up inspired to make a little video about it. i’m really glad you enjoyed it, and i’m actually really flattered by your question, because this was the first time i didn’t script a video at all and was really afraid in the end it wouldn’t come up the way i wanted to. so thank you!!  ↳ user2 Oh, wow! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer me. That’s really interesting to know. Loved how you managed to capture the emotions without actually exposing anyone. I also enjoyed how this isn’t just a “vlog”, if that makes sense. It truly feels like an actual story with beginning, middle and end (I mean, there’s even some drama in it!). So cheers to you! Can’t wait to see what else you’ll come up with in the future.  ↳ youryoutube THANK YOU! oh my goodness that’s exactly what i’m always going for :’) thank you, thank you!! 

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liked by bestfriend, yourbrother and 3,614 others 

yourinstagram hello????? i just woke up to the news that the one and only queen and goddess shania twain watched my video????? and shared it?????? what the hell it’s happening????? 

view all 245 comments 

yourbrother thought you were going to expose mom losing it on our gc haha bestfriend I’M COMING OVER WE’RE FUCKING CELEBRATING user1 😍😍😍 yesssss love to see you getting bigger and bigger!! user18 omg that video was so cute!! also love your aesthetic user14 your mom’s excitement was the sweetest it left me in tears  harryfan say 🙋‍♀️ if you’re here because gemma shared her video

↳ harryfan2 🙋‍♀️ ↳ harryfan3 🙋‍♀️

Jun 1, 2021 •

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liked by bestfriend, anotherfriend and 5,875 others 

yourinstagram good morning?? is life even real?? 

last week was sooo insane omg im still over the moon and also so happy reading everyone’s reaction to my mom’s dream coming true 🥺 everyone’s just so sweet and kind! thank you!! i wish i could spend the entire day around just chatting and celebrating, but today is a big and busy day for me so wish me luck im really gonna need it 

view all 541 comments 

bestfriend remember there was a time when i used to be the first and only to like your posts? :’) user1 good luck!! user4 Can’t wait for your next video! user9 I THINK I JUST HEARD YOUR INTERVIEW ON THE RADIO??

↳ user10 Yesss. I was driving to work and I heard that too haha ↳ user3 omg what did she talk about? ↳ user9 ＠user3 they were basically asking about the video/her mom. she explained that it was a really spontaneous thing and that she wasn’t planning on doing more of those but after seeing everyone’s reaction she’s changing her mind. oh, she also mentioned she never expected shania to see her video and that she still doesn’t know how it got to her in the first place!

Jun 8, 2021 •

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liked by anotherfriend, cuteguy and 6,513 others 

yourinstagram quick life update: got a part-time job. moved to a new apartment. completed my harry styles album collection. went on a date with a cute guy. posted another video. 

so far no complaints. 300/10.

view all 617 comments 

bestfriend can’t believe ‘went out for dinner with my best friend’ didn’t make the cut 

↳ yourinstagram sorry that’s bts content

user5 Your last video was amazing!! So were the last two before that!! Totally feel like you found yourself in the music field 

↳ user1 omg i totally agree! i can totally see this becoming a series or something like this ↳ yourinstagram ohhhh i love the idea!! :) 

harryfan any chance this cute guy was harry styles himself?

↳ yourinstagram 😂😂😂 minus 100% chances 

user3 Is this part time job film related maybe?

↳ yourinstagram i wish :( needed a normal part time job to pay for my dream job actually lol

harryfan2 omg which one of his albums did you get?

↳ user5 she already has self titled so she must’ve gotten fine line now

June 25, 2021 •

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liked by bestfriend, cuteguy and 8,315 others 

yourinstagram sorry i havent been here the past few days but i was busy playing hide and seek with my niblings (i just found out there’s a word for niece + nephew btw. how cool is that?!!)

view all 732 comments 

harryfan girl tell me why i came here to watch one video and never left? :’) 

↳ user1 lol same!! she’s great isn’t she?

yourbrother i hope you know you’ll be the one buying your goddaughter a ticket for that harry styles boy

↳ harryfan2 “that harry styles boy” lol excuse me sir? ↳ yourinstagram you’re about to get soooooo dragged and all im gonna do is sit here and watch lol ↳ sisterinlaw I’m sitting here, too!!

user4 your posts always brighten up my day 😍

July 3, 2021 •

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liked by cuteguy, yourmom and 11,798 others 

yourinstagram i can’t believe there are so many people watching me post stuff like this lol i don’t really know how to behave and i get easily embarrassed so if you don’t mind i’ll just pretend we are no more than 5 friends just hanging out okay? thanks!!

btw wanted to share that we took my niece to see ariana grande so…… guess what??? new video will be up tomorrow :D this one is once again a little bit different from the others idk im always trying new things so let’s see if it works!! 

view all 931 comments 

cuteguy 😍 bestfriend when is it going to be my turn? :(( user3 omg can’t wait!!! will we finally get to meet your niece??

↳ yourinstagram nooo:( i don’t feel comfortable sharing them on the internet. that’s also why you’ll see this video is kinda from a parents perspective? idk how to explain with words you gotta watch it to see it haha ↳ user2 we love a respectful and mindful woman 💪

harryfan can’t wait for the day you see harry omg i just know that will be the best video ever

↳ harryfan3 right like so many fandoms have been getting these incredible videos i’m so jealous

July 12, 2021 •

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liked by yourinstagram, bestfriend, sisterinlaw and 4,339,032 others

harrystyles LOVE ON TOUR will be going out across the USA this September and I could not be more excited for these shows. I love you all so much. I’m very excited, and I can’t wait to see you. H

view all 100,888 comments 

bestfriend ＠yourinstagram 🤭 harryfan ＠yourinstagram THIS IS IT DO YOUR THING PLS I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT user2 OMG ARE WE FINALLY GETTING A SHORT MOVIE??? SAY YES PLS OMG ＠yourinstagram user7 i feel like if yn doesn’t take ＠bestfriend to at least one show there will be blood 😂

↳ bestfriend ＠yourinstagram see? everyone knows it should happen ↳ yourinstagram ＠bestfriend STOP WE’RE SO FUCKING DOING THIS ↳ harryfan AIDHASASJDBAJHAJH I’M SO EXCITD

July 14, 2021 •

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liked by cuteguy, anotherfriend and 14,513 others 

yourinstagram had a reallyyyyy huge meeting today and i was losing my shit so this really cute guy took me out for a coffee :D 

(new video’s up!!! hope you enjoy it!)

view all 1,007 comments 

user4 are you guys sharing a piece of cake? stop that’s so sweet :(  user8 omg she has a bf?? but what about harry?? lol

↳ harryfan7 THAT’S WHAT I SAID!! she was supposed to go to his show so he could see her in the crowd and fall in love 😩 ↳ harryfan12 lol please harry doesn’t even know who she is. also maybe don’t be disrespectful to the guy she’s actually dating? ↳ user8 ＠harryfan12 it was just a choke chill out lol

user1 can’t wait for the new video!!! (also… important meeting??? 👀)

July 29, 2021 •

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liked by bestfriend, mollyjane_x, cuteguy and 17,283 others 

yourinstagram i dont think you guys will ever understand how much you watching and spreading the word about my videos has changed my life. it hasnt been even even six months since i started posting on youtube and yet it feels like i’ve lived four years so far. thank you soooo much for deciding to join this ride with me!

also, so much is happening rn that i feel like i need to sort some things out and reorganize myself. so there’ll be a new video up tonight, and then i’ll be taking a short break before releasing any new content. it won’t be long, just a couple of weeks that will mostly be used to feed my creativity once again lol (and also to plan and script some exciting new projects!!) 

i hope you stay around and wait for me. i’ll see you back really soon 💗

view all 1,345 comments 

sisterinlaw 💗 user1 take all the time we need we’ll be here waiting for you!! <3 user3 you deserve all this sooo much!! harryfan7 i see you molly 👀

↳ harryfan11 no bc how are you even a harry fan and don’t absolutely freak out when harry’s creative director likes your post?? ↳ harryfan8 also his manager following her??? i mean what are the chances of being just a coincidence? 

bestfriend i love youuu and i’m so freaking proud of you 💗 user4 I’ll miss your content because it always puts a smile on my face, but I totally understand and can’t wait to see what’s next!

Aug 13, 2021 •

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liked by cuteguy, mollyjane_x, gemmastyles and 19,107 others 

yourinstagram so……. i kinda quit my part time job to start this other full time job? which is now finally related to something i truly love?? 😅 oh god!! i dont even know what to say. all i know is that im about to start the craziest adventure of my life and even tho im about to board the plane i still cant believe it is ACTUALLY happening. again, thank you so much for spreading the word about my videos and for being so kind about them. thank you for deciding i was worth your time every week. im only here right now bc you gave me the chance in the first place so thank you thank you thank you! 

i’ll share more details as soon as i can (and when i’m sure i wont jinx it lol) but for now, THANK YOU!

view all 1,501 comments 

cuteguy have fun, call me when you land 😘 harryfan you’re going to the LOT and nobody can convince me otherwise!!

↳ user4 why wouldn’t she just say it, tho? ↳ harryfan idk she normally never shares she’s going to a show anyway she just posts the video later 🤷 

harryfan8 the fact that molly and jeff followed her and now molly likes all of her posts can’t be random. also she quitting her job and traveling the same day so many from harry’s crew are traveling? 

↳ harryfan2 AND GEMMA LIKING THIS POST? WHY IS PEOPLE SILENT ABOUT THIS?????

harryfan7 gemma liked this post but she doesn’t even follow her??? bestfriend i miss you already can’t wait to visit you!! user1 im so excited whatever it is you deserve it so much!!!!

Aug 25, 2021 •

— — — — — 

PART 2: LAS VEGAS

— — — — —

I’m not hopeful people will read and enjoy this, but if you happen to do so pls let me know? :( thanks!!

[evansbby]

an update from me :)

hey everyone, i know i haven’t been very active on here lately. and the reason is because a lot of things in my life have changed. i’ve been debating even sharing this but i feel like i’m in a good enough position to be okay with sharing it.

so these past two years, i had been super active on here (late 2022- early 24) and that was because, well, I didn’t really have anything else. that’s because I had graduated in 2022 and then i just couldn’t find a job in my field. like so many other recent graduates, it was just so hard and tough and it really made me lose all faith in myself.

i found myself to be in the worst mental state i had ever been. I cut myself off from my friends, felt like a burden towards my family, was having meltdowns and panic attacks almost daily, even started eating unhealthily and was just overall in a very bad place.

HOWEVER, i always felt like I could come on tumblr and that’s why i was so active and writing all these stories because honestly, they were almost like a crutch to me. like the ONE thing i had to look forward to in life during those times was the feedback I’d get when i posted a fic, and honestly it’s what kept me going. like i swear to god, on some days this blog and community was the only thing that i had to look forward to and keep me going, and writing felt like such a huge escape.

because i felt so USELESS. like i was wasting my life and not making any money or being able to kickstart my career after uni, and that it would be like this forever, so when I was writing it actually felt like I was doing something with a purpose. honestly on some days I would literally wake up early and go sit in Starbucks all day just writing my fics like i was cosplaying working or something just so I’d have a purpose. (I don’t go to Starbucks anymore lol boycott)

anyways, i never shared this on tumblr these past few years bc you guys don’t understand what a failure i felt like. i would sometimes get asks on here asking what i did for a job and I’d feel so embarrassed of my current state of being unable to find a job when it felt like everyone else who had graduated with me had one and obtained one so easily. like i felt ASHAMED.

i remember once i got an ask asking what my job was and I just said “fashion marketing” bc that was one of the things i wanted to do and id done an internship in that field so i just put that but it was a LIE i was unemployed and the most depressed ive been in my whole life but I thought maybe i could manifest it.

ANYWAYS, and you’ve probably already guessed it, but the reason I’m not so active anymore is because I did eventually find a job. a really good one that I’m enjoying so much and I’m so happy at. Finally, I’m feeling like myself again, like I’m living that life in London as a twenty something that I’d see everyone on tiktok living!! Like I’m finally just having fun, going out with friends, being active, having money to spend on fun things etc.

and it feels so surreal and crazy because when i was depressed and jobless, it made me doubt myself so much. Like the constant rejections and failed interviews made me doubt myself and lowered my self esteem so much and I thought I’d NEVER achieve this life that i have now! And I don’t want to jinx it but I literally thank God every day for finally granting me this because I really feel like I would’ve gotten worse and worse and IDEK.

But back to the main point, and so because of my new job I just don’t have that much time for tumblr anymore. But this isn’t a goodbye post… not at all! I find that when I’m super busy in life is also when I get the most motivated to write! Like for example in summer 2022 I was on here so much and that was the summer I had the most fun, was the most busy. I think when I’m busy in life, I get motivated to write.

Which I believe is the case right now, because I’m SO motivated to complete all my stories, I keep thinking about them and writing them slowly, so please don’t think anything is abandoned! I just wanted to make this post to be more transparent about what’s been going on in my life and what had been going on these past two years. That maybe someone else going through something similar can see that eventually, everything does work out.

Anddd I don’t really know how to end this. I just want to say, yall don’t understand just how thankful I am for having this blog, this platform, to write my stories. For having you guys. Because who knows how much worse my mental state would’ve been these past two years when I didn’t have ANYTHING else going for me, if I hadn’t had this blog it would’ve been so much worse.

Thank you so much for believing in me and enjoying my stories and always always letting me know how much you enjoy them. And I’ll say the truth; I know everyone says that engagement on tumblr has been bad lately but I can say that bc of you guys I have literally never EVER had this issue. And that’s not me being big headed, that’s just the truth and it makes me so happy and grateful. Yall always came through for me and still do now! Every time I think my fic is going to flop, you guys come through for me. I appreciate it so much. You guys have no idea how much you helped me when I was at my lowest. And continue to.

Many thanks

Me 🩷🩷🫶🏼🫶🏼

[teapartyprincess4two]

can you please do a Nick panic attack fic. where either him or the reader (his bestie) has a panic at school and the other helps them calm down. (your choice on how the story goes. xx) love ya thx. ps. you're a great writer!! xx

4 In The Morning- N. Sturniolo

pairing: Pregnant!reader x Bestfriend!Nick

classification: platonic angst, fluff

warnings: use of y/n, slight cursing, mention of unexpected pregnancy, mention of bullies/ bullying (brief), short

insirpation: request^^ so technically they’re IN school, but I put a spin on this req :P

summary: Your best friend Nick comforts you after receiving some unexpected news.

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“This can’t be fucking real.”

A positive pregnancy test rests on your trembling hands, this was never supposed to happen. A meaningless one night stand was never meant to come with actual, irreversible consequences. You were fresh out of high school, unemployed, and in your first semester of college chasing a dream that now felt impossibly out of reach. How the fuck were you going to raise a child on your own?

Nick is the only person you can think to call, he’s in a completely different timezone halfway across the country, but you know he’s the only person who’ll answer on the first ring. It’s 4 in the morning where he’s at, but knowing him he’s probably still awake.

You hold the phone up to your face with one hand, the other occupied with the pregnancy test. The longer you look at it, the more surreal this all feels.

“Hey bestie bae,” Nick picks up on the first ring, just as expected, his corny nickname for you momentarily easing your nerves. A small sniffle escapes your lips, you couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Girl, what’s wrong?”

Silence. You don’t even know where to start. You trust Nick with your life and you know he won’t judge you, but the moment you admit this out loud it becomes real. As soon as those two words leave your mouth, the truth will be cemented into reality.

“You’re scaring me. What’s wrong?!” Nick reiterates. He knows you like the back of his hand, but even he can’t figure out what could possibly have you this upset. You take a deep breath, attempting to calm yourself down.

Finally, when your breathing is stable enough, you finally speak. Your voice cracks, “Nick—”

“Don’t do that. That only makes me more worried,” he interrupts you. You can hear his bed creaking in the background as he shifts around nervously.

“Nick, I have something to tell you,” you whisper, wiping a stray tear away from your face.

“Just tell me already. You’re actually fucking scaring me and I hate this,” he’s becoming impatient. Nick’s mind is racing with all the possibilities, his protective insticts kicking in.

“Promise you won’t judge?” the pregnancy test feels heavy in your hands. The two blue lines stare back, taunting you as they dangle your future in your face.

“When have I ever judged you?” Nick’s voice is soft, he can tell that this is serious. He’s being gentle with you, almost like he’s afraid that if he comes at you incorrectly you’ll break.

You take another deep, shaky breath.

“Okay, so remember how I slept with that guy?” You chew on the inside of your cheek, desperate for a distraction as you try thinking of the best way to relay the information weighing heavy on your mind.

“Did he fucking do something to you?!” Nick’s mind immediately formulates the worst possible scenarios, each one worse than the last.

“No. Well, yes.”

“Y/n I swear to God! Why didn’t you tell me?!” You can hear the anger in his voice.

“Nick he didn’t do anything to me. I’m fine, I’m just…” your voice trails off, how were you supposed to tell your childhood best friend that you were pregnant?

“You’re just…” Nick tries squeezing the information out of you, he’s desperate to know. You’re so close to hanging up or even making up an excuse to ignore reality.

You bite the bullet, deciding that prolonging this didn’t change the truth. “I’m pregnant.”

Silence fills the atmosphere for the second time that night. Nick is both in shock and disbelief, and he feels a wave of sadness wash over him at the revelation.

“I was NOT expecting that,” he whisper shouts in disbelief, he doesn’t know what else to say. He isn’t judging you, but he is extremely concerned. I mean, you’re both just kids, and even if it’s definitely NOT his child he still feels an overwhelming sense of responsibility over it already.

“I don’t even know what I’m gonna do,” you whisper, the tears forming at your lash line. You’re one blink away from sobbing.

“It’s gonna be fine… we’re gonna be fine,” Nick replies, attempting to console you before you have a full breakdown. It’s no use.

“It’s not gonna be fine, Nick! I’m pregnant and I barely even remember the guys face! I’m in college for fucks sake! We’re not even mid-semester and I already fucked up,” you exclaim through loud sobs. Usually Nick would feel extremely uncomfortable listening to anyone cry, but you’re his best friend. If anything he wishes he could grow wings and fly to you so that he could engulf you in the biggest, strongest hug ever. His heart is breaking for you.

“Y/n—”

“Fuck! I’m gonna be the worst mom ever. I don’t even have a job, how am I gonna buy diapers? Where am I gonna live? With my parents? Dude, I still haven’t even told my parents. Not like they’d ever wanna talk to me again after this,” your words are coming out a mile a minute. You were start to overthink, every excruciating detail only adding to your unease.

Nick can’t get a single word in, your anxiety fueled rant ringing through his ears as you realize that the worst is yet to come, “Oh my God, I still haven’t told my parents. My mom’s gonna kill me! She’s gonna tell my dad and then he’s gonna cut me off and then I’m gonna be homeless AND pregnant!” The more you think, the more inconsolable you become. The cold bathroom tile hits the back of your head as you throw your head back.

“I’m gonna have to drop out, get a job, find an apartment and fucking tell this RANDOM guy that he’s gonna be a dad. What am I even gonna say? ‘SURPRISE! HERE’S YOUR BABY!’ I’m so fucked, Nick. I’m so fucked…” your breathing is erratic, the hysteria causing you to enter an anxiety attack. Nick can tell that everytime you breathe your sobs and hiccups inhibit you from taking a full breath.

Your eyes are shut tight as you clutch your chest, attempting to regulate your breathing. The wind is being knocked out of you, you’re hyperventilating and the snot that bubbles in your nostrils doesn’t help either. Mascara runs down your red face; you’re a sad, hopeless mess.

Nick finally gets a word in, your loud sobs being the only sound coming from you. “Y/n, listen to me. Take a deep breath… Everything is going to be fine!” He listens as you do as instructed, breathing in deeply before releasing a shaky exhale.

“I know this is hard and I can’t even imagine how you’re feeling, but I know that you’re scared,” he continues, pausing briefly to gather his thoughts.

“I want you to know that I’d NEVER let you do this alone, EVER. We’re gonna figure this out, I’ll fly over there tomorrow if I have to, but we’re figuring this out.” No one has ever put their life on pause like this for you before, it almost seems unreasonable and selfish for you to allow it.

You’ve calmed down significantly, your loud sobs being reduced to quiet whimpers. “You don’t have to do that, Nick.”

“You’re right. I don’t have to, but I want to. I’m gonna buy the ticket now, but you get some rest okay?” His voice is soft and gentle.

You know he’s tired, but you really need a friend right now. If you hang up, you’re sure to cry until there aren’t any tears left. “Can you stay on the phone with me?” you ask hesitantly, already feeling like a bother for calling at 4 in the morning.

A small, sad smile forms on Nick’s face, “Of course, anything for my bestie bae.” The corny nickname makes you laugh, the first sign of happiness since you called.

Every shared childhood memory is playing in Nick’s mind from the time he met you, to the time you defended him from high school bullies. There’s no doubt in his mind that you’re going to be an amazing mother, even if the circumstances are completely unexpected.

“Y/n?” he picks at his bed sheets, flicking pieces of lint onto the floor.

“Yeah?” you slowly get up from the bathroom floor, gently placing the pregnancy test on the sink before walking into your room.

“You’re gonna be such a good mom,” he admits. You crawl under the billowy comforter, bringing it up to your neck for some form of comfort. Nick’s words are reassuring and you feel so grateful to have a friend like him.

Suddenly it all doesn’t feel so scary.

—

MASTERLIST

A/n: this was honestly (loosely) based on my relationship with my best friend. I hope you enjoy hunny bunches!

luv ya! Thx for the req!

P.s ur the best anon for this request xx

- L.A.M.B👼🏻💗

—

taglist: @nicksmainbitch @sturniololovers @mayhem-72 @worldlxvlys @gnxosblog @meg-sturniolo @creamoncreamoncream2 @mattnchrisworld @sanyi5 @lustfulslxt @whicked-hazlatwhore @tworosesblackthorn @mxqdii @fawned01 @junnniiieee07 @sturniolololover @missriddle03 @k-l-a-w-s @hearts4chris @maryx2xx

note: if you want to be tagged in my fanfic related posts, you can access my TAGLIST and comment 💐

note: requests are open, I will be writing as many as possible because you guys have sooo many good ideas. Please be patient 💗✨

[landososcar]

so high school ; JB5

pairing(s) ; jude bellingham x singer!reader , jude bellingham x student!reader

summary ; twitters favourite new(ish) artist drops her new album right during her school year.

warnings ; nothinggggg & mainly just fluff bc i love happy people

note ; SORRY ITS SHORT AHHAHA, i’ll post a new lando fic soon i just have no inspiration… ignore any dates that are wrong or don’t match - im lazy. also this is VERYYYY LOOSLY based off so high school lol (it’s mainly the aristotle line)

instagram !

liked by judebellingham, taylorswift, and others

youruser surprise !!!!! as an end of term present (for myself🤭🥳) and in honour of knowing the loml for 15 years, here’s 15 new songs for you guys to (hopefully) enjoy 😊 noah, thank you for trusting me and letting me join you on what might be one of my favourite songs ever!! i loveeee youuuu. && to my jude<3 thank you for inspiring me every single day of our lives. i love you bigger than the whole sky 🩵🩵 (guys he’s actually v v talented and he helped me write scared of my guitar, hard to sleep, and feels like) j, you are my safe place and these songs — especially the ones i haven’t let you hear yet — are for you.

ps guys idk how to only write happy songs but jude is the only one who makes me feel safe enough to express my emotions through my songs 😁 i looooovvveee him and am NOT 🙅‍♀️ breaking up with him. he is stuck with me forever💞

‘the alchemy’ is YOURS tonight at midnight 💓

view all comments

user1 WHAT

user2 YOU CANT JUST DROP THIS ON US WTF

oliviarodrigo my girl💞💞 i’m so so soooo excited😭

user3 GIRL I KNOW YOU DIDNT JUST CALL THE ALBUM ‘the alchemy’ FOR NO REASON. WHERE TF IS THE TITLE TRACK I KNOW YOUVE GOT HER SOMEWHERE

youruser jude and i love the alchemy the most out of all the songs and wanna keep her just ours for a little bit longer but maybe if you guys enjoy these songs i’ll let you have my baby

user4 YNAJDKJSKDKDIS

user5 WHATTTT songs did she not let jude hear omfg i need to know

youruser he’s heard them all except for daylight, paper rings & so high school lollll

judebellingham refreshing my spotify every minute til midnight you guys don’t understand she’s kept these songs in a VAULT

user6 jude i know you love spotify but apple music get new music 10 minutes early xxx

judebellingham just made an apple music account

user7 TEN MINS TIL THE ALBUM OF THE YEAR DROPS

taylorswift so so proud of you beautiful 🩷🩷

judebellingham I LOVE YOU SO FUCKING MUCH

judebellingham putting ALLLL of these on the pre-game playlist

youruser babe idk if some of these will pump you up before a game

judebellingham hearing your voice will pump me up idc how sad the song is xx

user8 why’s no one talking about how she’s in UNIVERSITY and dropped a FIFTEEN song album like …??? she’s INSANE. WHERE did she find the TIMEEE

user9 not to mention she lives with him in madrid and does school online coz her uni is in the uk

user10 she’s insane i don’t understand how😭😭

imessages !

instagram !

youruser just posted to their close friends story.

twitter !

instagram !

liked by judebellingham, trentarnold66, and others

youruser surprised my fav person in the uk for his england game and he scored for me 😆🩵🩵

view all comments

user1 she wrote “you know how to ball” and he said “yeah” then scored a goal and did a celebration for her😭

user2 zoom in on pic 6 and you’ll see me laying on the road waiting to be run over

judbellingham ‘unemployed girlfriend’ but you’re the greatest singer on earth while also doing online uni full time and you still make time to be able to come see me

youruser it’s coz i love you so so bad

jobebellingham you make me sick

youruser i love u too jobeyyyyyy

england our favourite visitor💙💙

user3 how does she do all this whilst going to uni😭😭😭

oliviarodrigo 💖💖💖

judebellingham I LOVVVEEEE YOUUUUU

user4 i NEED the top in pic 8 where is it from

youruser i found it on depop and HAD to buy it😭😭 i think someone made it x

chappellroan HOTTTTT (you not ur bf)

youruser I WOULD DIE FOR YOU MY WIFE💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

user5 i don’t understand how you write sad songs like the ones on your album if ur ‘in love with jude’

user6 jude deserves better than someone who’s so caught up on and still writes songs about her exes

user7 WHYS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THE LYRICS SHE POSTED ON TWITTER IM GOJNG INSANE

user8 LITERALLY?/!;!!/;@:8@ LIKE ??????? “WHERES THE TROPHY? HE JUST COMES RUNNING OVER TO ME” IS SO JUDE CODED WHEN Y/N IS AT LITERALLY ANY OF HIS GAMES

user7 EXACTLYYYYY HE ALWAYSSS RUNS TO HER IMMEDIATELY AFTER HES ALLOWED TO DO HIS OWN THING. ITS FUCKING ADORABLE

user8 IM SO GLAD SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS ME

user7 were both insane let’s get married

user8 dm me right now wife

youruser liked the comments in this thread

imessages !

instagram !

liked by taylorswift, jobebellingham, and others

youruser lol little life update coz i’ve been m.i.a. for the last almost two months. 1: i went blonde again. 2: my man still as fine as ever. 3: got engaged or whatever lol. 4: slaying up exams. 5: i miss tour so i decided imma come back and see you all soon 🤭🤭 tour dates soon <3

ps in honour of becoming fiance or whatever🤗 the alchemy and 4 other songs are yours on the deluxe version of ‘the alchemy’ ,, out tonight !!!

view all comments

user1 WHAT THE FUCK

user2 GIRL LET US BREATHE

harrykane juudddeeeeee!!! congrats🥳❤️

declanrice mr bellingham that is a ROCK

user3 SHE DISAPPEARED FOR TWO MONTHS AND THEN CAME BACK AND DROPPED ALL OF RHAT ON HS

gracieabrams OMG WIFE IS GONNA BE A WIFE

user4 BLONDE YN IS BACK AND SHES A FIANCÉ OH MY GOD

judebellingham WIFE WIFE WIFE‼️‼️‼️

youruser not yet my love but so close🥰

judebellingham I CANT HEAR YOU MY WIFE IS AN ACADEMIC AND LYRICAL GENIUS

user5 she’s still writing break up and sad songs whilst engaged… so weird

user6 yeah and jude helps her,, he must be so disgusted right? seriously get a life and go touch grass

taylorswift so so happy for you 💓💓

youruser 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶 i love you

user7 TOUR TOUR TOUR TOUR TOUR

england juddeeeeee💙 sooo happy for you two

trentarnold ❤️❤️❤️

user8 how girl just gonna casually drop a ENGAGEMENT announcement in the middle of a photo dump

user9 REALLLL LIKE THATS A BIG ASS RING TOO

noahkahanmusic YESSSSS🤍🤍🤍🤍

user10 HOWWWW is miss girl gonna find time in her schedule to do uni, make music, keep a healthy relationship, AND TOUR

judebellingham mrs*

my other works !

[critterbitter]

HELLO HI ID LIKE TO ASK WHAT PROGRAM AND BRUSHES YOU USE CUZ IM LITTERALY EXPLODING EVERYTIME I SEE YOUR ART

actually actually... *pulls out whole stack of paper*...I have. a FEW,, a good few,, questions to ask. they are not many I swear 😇

OK SO FIRST OF ALL HOW DO YOU DRAW SO FAST???? everyday I log onto Tumblr I always see something new from you and I get very very happy. But then I start to question my own existence because not even I CAN SPEED RUN ART LIKE THAT. AND SO SPECTACULARLY TOO

Last question! how do you color and make it look so well?? just. How. I need to know. This is a CRY FOR HE-

anyway thank you for being one of my favorite artists that always feed my brain rot, pls keep making amazing art because like a little yamper I will follow behind and stay updated.

(Stands there)

Response and thoughts under cut!

First question! What art program I use!

Mostly procreate, along with a handful of brushes! (Specifically the Jing Set and some custom stuff, which is really just a circle brush with the shape changed to a square.)

Second question! How do i draw so much!

Okay so. I am. Ahhah. Unemployed,,,,? No, I do freelance illustration, but hmm. A studio job would be nice.

i graduated college last year and I’m very used to eight hour art shifts. The body sort of remembers to keep working, even though I no longer have storyboards or visdev homework to do.

Also. The hyperfixation is a deep vast tunnel I STILL have not seen the end of the light to, good golly. (I have dreams now about the kids committing shenanigan crimes. I wake up in cold sweat and write them down in a journal. It’s like being the mouthpiece to an angry god.)

So the overall gist is: I was trained to be a storyboard artist with a visdev background, and I’m using that higher education to draw funny muppets because my brain’s funny.

I also DO have a queue, and I’ve been treating this as a sort of inktober project. I am definitely going to slow down soon though! Maybe. Hopefully. Ah… (sheepishly drops my kofi here)

Third question! How do i color!

I. I, uh. I dont know man the coloring demons have a grip on my soul and i just go along for the ride. But also, if it helps, i prefer to limit my pallets to only a few colors at a time. Lighting is king, so if you can figure out if you want to focus on either on your lights or shadows, you’ll have a much easier time composing. That, and symbolic colors— idk, something hits different about art drenched in gold with a tiny hint of a man staring into the blinding horizon, or a green leafy environment with a single dot of artificial red. I also like using blue and purple for shadows, and I’m a big fan of muting colors with only one or two that pop— one of the reasons why I was so attracted to submas in the first place is because from a design aesthetic, they’re both super funny muppet men AND really cool train guys that have a limited pallet and thematic apparel.

Overall response! THANK YOU SO MUCH. This goes out to a BUNCH of people who sent me inbox queries— sorry for not responding, it’s a tad overwhelming because some of them are story questions even I don’t really know will go yet, and others are words of praise and I’m selfish and like scrolling through the inbox to look at them when I feel down. I am more of an artist who sits in the corner and sprouts like a potato rather then a branching vine who socializes, but I really do see people’s responses and they make me go :)))))

Okay ramble over. Thanks for coming to the soapbox, and good luck on creating!

[jo-harrington]

Developmental Achievement (A Store Manager Verse Story - Steve Harrington/Reader)

Previous Part: Incremental Planning

Pairing: Steve Harrington x HawkTheaterManager!Reader

Summary: Steve messed up and now he needs to fix things if he wants to win you back, hopefully for good.

Warnings/Themes: AU where the Upside Down doesn't terrorize Hawkins. November through January 1986, Steve and Robin work at Scoops (OR DO THEY?), Reader works at The Hawk Theater (formerly at Dippin' Dots AND Wicks and Sticks; you job hop...it's a thing), Relationship Break, Hopeless [Romantic] Steve, Tie in with the Store Manager Verse

Note: So this is the end of our Steve saga of the SMVerse, kind of wrapped up in a neat little bow. Is it the best? Probably not, but it's silly and corny and cheesy and I needed all of those things yesterday and instead of RELEGATING IT TO MY FIRST FAVE...I'll inflict it upon Stevie. Tagging @dr-aculaaa and @loveshotzz because COME AND GET HIM. (@deathbecomesthem ...and a possible Easter Egg?)

You can find my masterlist here for more fics featuring pretty much exclusively Eddie Munson content but also a little Steve.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

---

Steve Harrington fucked up.

Ok. Ok. That’s not right.

Steve Harrington really fucked up.

If he was being honest, he always seemed to fuck up when it came to you, his...well...he could really only call you his ex now, couldn't he?

From rivals in ice cream where he missed every sign that you might like him, to sickeningly-sweet dates around Hawkins because he was being too boring of a boyfriend, and finally to Thanksgiving Dinner with his parents where he absolutely stuck his foot in his mouth.

He thought making a joke about your job-hopping was funny--from Dippin' Dots to Wicks and Sticks to KB Toys, it's lucky you decided he was worth sticking around for--but it only put you under his parents' scrutiny.

He got an earful as he walked you to your car after dinner was over. You stayed a few steps ahead of him until you got to the driver's door and turned to him with tears in your eyes.

"That was embarrassing, Steve," you said through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, I..." he was at a loss for words, especially making you cry. As strong as you were, you never seemed to be flustered at all; what was happening? "I thought it was a joke. We always laugh about it. I’m gonna work at scoops forever and you’re gonna work everywhere else."

"But it’s meeting your family, you shouldn't joke about...about what a huge flake I am that you're lucky I don't jump from boyfriend to boyfriend just like I go from job to job. They're never gonna look at me the same way again. You only get one first impression."

"You shouldn't worry about what they think about you. I've stopped caring about what they think about me too."

It went back and forth before you threw your hands up and got in the car.

You didn't even kiss him goodnight.

Then sometime during Black Friday weekend, you stopped by Scoops before your shift and broke up with him.

"It was nice, Steve," you said, barely able to look at him. "But uh...I don't know. I need to know I'm with someone who doesn't think I'm some kind of joke."

He chased after you, even with his manager screaming that if he left he'd be fired, and begged you to reconsider.

You didn't.

He watched you ride up the escalator to head to your shift.

And when he got back to Scoops, he was actually fired.

What a great day.

---

Of course, Robin quit as soon as Steve was fired.

"Can't stick it out without you dingus," Robin announced as she approached him in the parking lot shortly after, tossing her hat at him. "And you can't have Scoops without...Stoops. Get it? Because you're stupid. Scoops? Stoops? Stupid. Why aren't you laughing?"

It was pretty funny.

But Steve was heartbroken.

Unemployed and heartbroken.

Robin insisted that she could land them both jobs at Family Video--

"Keith hates me. Pretty sure he calls me Sleeze Harrington."

“Well he loves me. I can vouch for you, come on."

--but Steve was sure that he would have a better chance at winning you back if he kept working at StarCourt.

What an epic bust that was.

Not the job part.

Well, that too.

Most of the stores near the toy store were done hiring seasonal help, and the best that he could land was a temp job as a Mall Santa.

On the upside, it meant that he could walk around the mall on break in his Santa suit and watch you with you none the wiser until he could beg you to take him back.

"It sounds creepy," was the unfortunate response from Steve's newest friend and personal relationship expert, the Claire's Store Manager.

He stopped by before his shift to pick up some of his lucky strawberry lipgloss to make sure he was very pouty and puckery for the moment you realized you'd made a mistake...and after effectively getting it all over his fake beard, the Manager decided to take pity on him and listen to his woes while helping him clean up.

"I'm gonna need to start charging you for advice," she laughed and wiped him off with tissues from the ear piercing station. "You seriously need it if that's the idea you came up with."

"You're a real Lucy Van Pelt," Steve deadpanned. "I'll buy you cookies one day just...please...help me."

"Have you tried just talking?" she questioned. "Wasn't that your problem in the first place? Way back when? You didn't communicate."

"But they're mad at me, they don't want to talk. And I need to fix it."

"Then give them some space, and try again, ok? Give it a week or two. They probably just need time to cool down, sounds like you really hurt their feelings."

"And if they can't forgive me?"

"Then you move on," she sighed. "Sometimes things just don't work out and even though it doesn't make you feel ok, you have to be ok with it."

So he waited a week.

A week was long enough, right? His own personal Lucy said so.

He chose a day he wasn't scheduled at Santa's workshop and waited for you in the food court where he knew you'd seek refuge during your lunch break, just like the two of you had taken your breaks together. He wore his best polo, made sure his hair was perfect, applied some of his lucky lip gloss and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But you never showed up.

Not during your usual break. Not an hour later. Not even at the supposed end of your shift.

Maybe you were working a double?

So as much as he told himself he wouldn't follow you because it was creepy, he ran up the escalator two steps at a time to KB Toys where you would surely be.

Or not.

"They don't work here anymore kid," your former manager sighed after he asked about you. "I'm sorry."

"W-well where did they go?" he asked frantically, pathetically.

"Didn't say, not really my business to ask. Put in their notice...right after Black Friday, actually. Right before the Christmas rush too."

If he was heartbroken before...his heart was just gone now. Obliterated. Non-existent.

Along with any hope of trying to win you back.

---

Steve stuck through the rest of the holiday season at the mall; you could call him many things but a quitter wasn't one of them. However, come the new year, he needed a new job again, and he took up Robin's offer to butter Keith up and get in at Family Video.

He was offered an opening key shift, a decent employee discount, a better paycheck than both Scoops and Santa's workshop combined, and unlimited access to choose the movie playing overhead whenever he was in charge.

"You're lucky the other person I was about to hire bailed," Keith said after his first week. "Got a job at the Hawk or something. Can't blame 'em. Free popcorn and all that."

The distraction helped the heartache.

Surprisingly, he got a few phone numbers. Nothing ever came of them, nursing a broken heart the way he was, but it was nice. He'd been tempted to call you, several times in fact, but in the end he just decided fate knew better. Still, he denied himself the role of Hawkins' resident heartthrob.

"Are you hearing yourself right now?" Robin scoffed at him as he scrubbed off yet another phone number that had been written onto the palm of his hand by one customer or another. "Resident Heartthrob. Seriously? Ok Cassanova."

"What else do you wanna call it?" he asked, holding his arms out helplessly. "They can't resist the Harrington Charm, even when I don't want to use it."

"It's because you keep putting on sappy romance movies when you're here. Girls like that shit, a guy in touch with his feelings."

"First Nancy and then..." he trailed off, thinking about you sadly. He had to let you go.

"Are you kidding me?" Robin hit him upside the head and shoved him out of the way so she could start processing returns. "You can't even say their name? You need to get over it."

"It's hard."

"Were they your soulmate or something?"

"Robin, all men must...have someone who will never take advantage of a love bright as the sun."

"Love?"

"Someone to stand beside them."

"You're quoting the Monkees now."

"They were the one," Steve lamented. "And now they're--"

He trailed off as his eye landed on something outside the window.

"They're what? On the Last Train to Clarksville?" She made a buzzer noise. "Try again."

"No they're walking in right now, act casual," Steve announced and started typing away at the keyboard of the computer.

The doorbell chimed as you set foot inside Family Video and Steve glanced up to get a look at you for the first time in weeks.

Ok, so maybe he was being a little pathetic with this heartache.

Maybe it wasn't that bad for him.

It was pretty bad.

But when your eyes met, Steve could just tell...it had to have been just as bad for you too.

Because he knew you by now. How many months had you been dating? Dates and lunches and breaks spent together. Was it love? Maybe. Probably. Even if it wasn't, it was damn near close to it. So he knew the way your eyes lost their sparkle a little bit when they landed on him, knew the way your shoulders sagged, knew the words that refused to escape your lips when you saw him.

Stevie Stew. Pookie Bear. Dumb dumb. All the pet names he missed too.

Robin greeted you with an exaggerated lengthening of your name and a pointed glare shot directly at Steve.

"Hey Rob," you cleared your throat and offered a strained grin. "How are you? Didn't know you were working here."

Your eyes shifted to Steve and then back to Robin.

"Either of you."

"I've been here since before Christmas," Robin leaned against the counter as you approached and thumbed over her shoulder at Steve. "And of course dingus over here just couldn't stay away."

"You're the dream team, of course," you nodded. "Scoops Troop. But, uh, not anymore I guess."

"We're workshopping a new name."

The two of you laughed and then you excused yourself to peruse the shelves for a new movie. Robin even offered to show you some new tapes with a low pull it together hissed at Steve as she rounded the counter to show you a new display.

Steve willed himself to say something, Do something. Anything. Say hello, walk over and suggest a new movie, say that it was good to see you, that he missed you.

Communicate, god damn it.

But he was frozen.

Even more when you and Robin returned a few minutes later debating which John Hughes flick you should get: Sixteen Candles or Weird Science.

"You could always get both," Steve suggested, the words rocketing out of his mouth violently as you reached the register.

"Uh, yeah, actually..." you nodded. "That's a good idea, I think I will."

Steve typed in all the information and got your rentals rung out, and as he asked if you wanted candy or popcorn, you laughed.

"You know what, I'm actually all candy and popcorn'd out," your smile faltered when your eyes met again. "I'm...uh...you know."

"Know what?" Steve asked dumbly.

"I'm over at the Hawk," you nodded. "New shift manager and everything. I was...I was actually supposed to work here when Mr. Phillips offered me a dollar more at the theater. And the popcorn didn't hurt."

"I didn't know that," Steve shook his head.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

You and Steve stared at each other for another long, drawn out minute.

You opened your mouth to say something--

"Can we ta--"

--before Steve, idiot that he was, pushed your tapes across the counter at you and practically shouted at you.

"Your rental's due back on Friday by 2pm, enjoy."

Robin gave him the silent treatment for the rest of his shift.

---

"Do I show up with flowers?"

"Flowers?"

"What's that voice, you don't like flowers?"

"Not really."

There he was, back at Claire's the following day, sitting in the chair at the Ear Piercing Station as the manager restocked the jewelry wall. A bag of fresh chocolate chip cookies from the food court sat on top of the station and the two of them periodically reached in for a treat as Steve regaled her with his tale.

"I know they miss me, I just know it."

"Then why did you freeze up?"

"Because I'm an idiot. Help. Please."

So far, the manager hadn't really been able to offer him much advice outside of a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear. Especially now as he planned a way to win you back.

"Everyone likes flowers," Steve argued skeptically. "You're telling me Munson hasn't gotten you roses or something?"

The shop bell rang, a chain rattled, and leather squeaked, and instead of the manager answering with a gentle tone and an eye roll like she'd been doing all day, Eddie Munson himself chimed in.

"If I was a jealous man," he started with an exaggerated glare at Steve. "I would say you're here flirting with my girlfriend."

Eddie "The Freak" Munson was somehow the Dad to Steve's reluctant Mom when it came to the ragtag gang of Freshman that they shared role-model-ship of, and because of that their previous animosity had been turned into some kind of...agreement.

Could Steve say Eddie was a bad guy? No. Was he still wondering why the kids liked him so much? Yes. Could the two of them get along? Up for debate.

Which was why Steve wasn't so concerned when the metalhead was feigning some kind of intimidation tactic; they had an agreement that went from unspoken to shaken on come the new year: No fighting in front of the kids, no making fun of each other's hair, no stealing Eddie's girlfriend.

"What are you doing here?" the manager laughed at the two boys antics and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't you have school?"

"I came to ask you a very important question," Eddie smiled a lovesick smile at her, Steve momentarily ignored. "But imagine my surprise when someone else is sitting in my spot."

"It's not your spot. And I'm giving him advice."

"Again?"

"He's hopeless, apparently."

"I'm right here," Steve exclaimed and got to his feet, ready to leave. "I didn't come here to be made fun of. I actually need help."

He didn't like the way Eddie clapped him on the shoulder, or steered him out of the store, or gave him a patronizing smile.

"Listen," Eddie started once they were out of the store. "I know you're having some issues but seriously, you need to get your act together."

"And how should I do that Munson? I've thought of everything and your girlfriend keeps telling me that my ideas are stupid."

"I'm sure they are stupid," Eddie nodded. "I trust her judgment."

"What would you do to win her back? If you fucked up?"

"I wouldn't fuck it up, Number one," Eddie smirked. "Even at the risk of jinxing myself there. Rule Number One in the Munson Relationship Doctrine, don't fuck it up."

"Well that page is missing from the Harrington Relationship Doctrine, because I clearly went and did that."

"Rule Number Two," Eddie continued, ignoring Steve. "Is by making a grand and personal gesture. Didn't you ask Nancy Wheeler to Junior Prom by having the cheer squad perform a routine just for her a few years ago."

"Yeah that took a lot of begging," Steve nodded eagerly, already formulating a plan. "But I could do it again if I--"

"I heard she hated it," Eddie shot a sour expression. "So no, not that."

"Then I'm out of ideas," Steve admitted.

Eddie threw his head back and groaned, and Steve was sure he heard him say something along the lines of and Buckley called him Hawkins Heartthrob.

"Listen," Eddie recovered, tightened his grip on Steve's shoulder with one hand, and jabbed him in the chest with the other hand. "Don't ever say that I didn't do anything for you ok? Where does your friend work? The Hawk?"

"How do you know that?"

"News travels fast when you're friends with 5 freshmen and Robin Bigmouth Buckley ok?" Eddie shook his head. "Now listen to me. Your friend works at the theater? Showing movies right? And what are movies made of?"

"Film?"

"Sure. And the kids...Dustin...what club is he part of at school?"

"Uh...Hellfire Club. Chess Club..."

"AV Club," Eddie insisted with an exaggerated nod. "And where do you work?"

"Family Video."

"And what is in a vid--you know what?" Eddie groaned. "I don't have time for this. How are you not putting two and two together Harrington?"

"I don't know what I'm supposed to be putting together."

"What they all have in common?"

Steve took a second as Eddie leaned closer expectantly, as though trying to transmit his idea through osmosis because Steve was just not getting it.

Until the osmosis was successful and Steve had his lightbulb moment.

"Oh!"

"There you go!" Eddie's face stretched with a feral grin. "I see the wheels turning. Ladies and Gentleman, I believe a plan is underway."

---

It took a little more than a week, the combined efforts of the AV Club and Hellfire Club, and a good chunk out of Steve's paycheck for supplies and to bribe them all and the projectionist at the Hawk.

But the plan was in place.

Steve found out your schedule, bought tickets for a 5pm show of Hey there, It's Yogi Bear.

There couldn't have been a worse movie to choose, but it was the only one he could buy out the theater for.

He showed up to the Hawk promptly at 4:30, got his soda and popcorn, and hung around the lobby impatiently. He was pretty sure he'd ruined his hair from the number of times he'd run his hand through it.

Slowly his friends started to filter in: The Sinclair kids and Max, Mike Wheeler and Will Byers with Nancy and Jonathan in tow--that wouldn't be nerve-wracking or embarrassing at all if the plan didn't work out. At some point, Eddie's van pulled up in front of the Theater and Dustin, Jeff, Gareth, and Dave all walked in bickering about nachos and sour worms, before Eddie and the Claire's Store Manager followed suit, Eddie telling his friends to shut up.

Steve was beginning to sweat at 4:55 when Robin ran in, hand in hand with a new girlfriend that he'd seen waiting for Rob when he dropped her off at school in the morning.

That he'd been maybe a little too in his own head about you to hear Robin rave about for the past few months. He really did feel bad about that.

"Thought you were gonna be late," he accused Robin.

"Me? Late?" she beamed. "Never. Do we have time to grab candy?"

"Just go," he waved them off, then shot Robin a secret thumbs up as she pointed to her crush excitedly, then got nervous when he spotted you across the lobby, talking to one of the ushers.

You faltered when you locked eyes with him, waved back when he sent you a little hello, and then you scurried into the box office.

He allowed himself one more moment of heartache. Then at 5 on the dot, Steve entered the theater and sat in the back row, as close to the projection window as he could get.

The previews started, and for a moment, Steve looked at all his...well, they were all his friends now, weren't they? Here to support him on this hare-brained endeavor. He suddenly felt loved in a way that he didn't think he'd ever felt before, not like this.

The only thing missing was you.

Suddenly the projection started skipping, and he could hear his accomplice in the projection booth shuffle around, then a door opened and closed.

"And so it begins," Eddie said dramatically a few rows ahead.

"Shut up, you're gonna give it away!" Dustin shouted at him.

Everyone started chattering until Steve sent them all a shhhhh when he heard the projection booth door open and shut again and your voice, clearly irritated, started speaking.

"What do you mean it isn't working? Did you try...I don't know...unplugging it and plugging it back in? Re-roll the film and try it again...here let me see..."

Steve felt himself shake with anticipation as the projector started up again, but the images on the screen were decidedly not Yogi Bear and Boo Boo.

"What the hell?" you exclaimed.

On the screen were pictures of you and Steve, all the polaroids and film strips from the little Photo Booth at Starcourt that you'd taken together over the months of your relationship. The ticket from the aquarium that he'd saved. The note you'd pinned to his back one morning when you hugged him before his shift that said "Steve Harrington is a loser."

He heard your snort as the scene panned up to a shot of himself sitting at the desk in his room writing a letter, shot on the Wheeler family's camcorder. The Steve on the screen looked up into the camera and startled.

"Oh," he laughed. "Didn't see you there. It's been a long time, hasn't it? I uh...I really wanted to talk to you and figured there wasn't a better way than writing a letter."

"Nerd," you called through the projection window, garnering laughs from his friends.

The scene faded to Movie Steve in a turtleneck skipping rocks at Lover's Lake in a very artistic shot that Director Dustin was apparently "proud of."

"But a picture is worth a thousand words so I'm pretty sure a video is worth a million." Movie Steve said your name sadly and looked deep into the camera. "I messed up, I was an idiot and a jerk and only took my own feelings into consideration when I made that joke to my parents. I don't care how they felt about you because I'm past the point of caring how they feel about me. My screw ups.

"And unfortunately I made the biggest screw-up of my life that night. I might not care what they think about me...but I care what you think about me."

The scene changed once again, Movie Steve leaning over the counter at Family Video filling out a form on a clipboard.

"There are a million better movies out there than this one you're watching right now Honey, but none of them are able to show just how truly sorry I am, and how much I miss you. I know that we still need to talk things out in person but I hope this shows how much I'm willing to put in the work so you'll forgive me."

A few rows ahead, he could hear Eddie speak along with Movie Steve, he leaned into his girlfriend and said "I wrote that line. Pretty good, right?"

"Uh huh," she pushed his head away from her. "Sap."

Eddie turned back to look at Steve and shot him a thumbs-up.

The scene changed one last time to a panning shot of Steve walking out of StarCourt mall towards his car.

"This is your chance to decide now. I wouldn't blame you if you chose never to talk to me again. I'll wait outside once your shift is over, but I'll respect your choice either way. I miss you Honey, and I love you."

Movie Steve got in the car and drove away into the sunset, only for the camera to pan over to Corroded Coffin playing a sweet ballad that Steve knew was your favorite.

The screen faded to black and the audience erupted into applause before the real previews resumed and the eventual movie.

Steve listened intently for some sign of life from the projection booth, but aside from a few footsteps and the door opening and closing again, there was nothing.

--

After the movie was over and all of his friends went their respective ways, Steve sat by his car until the end of your shift. When the last lights of The Hawk marquee finally turned off and the employees all started filing out, he knew he was holding his breath.

The last person out of the building was you, and as you turned around and spotted him, you stopped in your tracks.

Just like the other day at Family Video, it was a standoff between you and Steve, and although Steve wished that you would just come running into his arms to kiss him, insisting your forgiveness, he knew things were never that easy.

"That, uh...was something," you finally broke the silence.

"It was, wasn't it," he agreed.

"Was that your idea?" you asked. "Pretty sure those were all your friends in there."

"Yeah I bought out the whole theater."

"You bought...seriously?"

"I wanted to make sure you weren't embarrassed...in case anyone else saw."

"And I wouldn't be embarrassed by your friends?" you scoffed.

"Well they all helped me make it so I think I was more embarrassed asking them all for help than you." You let out a long sigh and put your face in your hands and Steve started talking rapid-fire. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I know that sucks when...when I already did. But I promise I'll do better. I'll be better. I'll be anything you need me to be, I just...I need you back."

You said something but it was muffled by your hands.

"What?"

"I said," you pulled them away and looked up at him with watery eyes, and he felt his heart drop again. "Do you really love me? You said so...at the end of that...whatever that was."

"I mean...yeah I guess I do."

"You guess?" you laughed.

"I do!" Steve said with more confidence this time. "I do love you. I'm...sorry I didn't say anything sooner."

"I'm sorry you didn't either," you muttered. You closed the distance and grabbed the lapels of Steve's jacket in your hands, as though you were about to shake him. "Do you know...the real reason I was upset?"

"There's...a real reason?" he asked.

"Why I broke up with you."

"Oh. Uh...no."

"I mean," you took a great breath of confidence. "Yeah I was mad because you made me seem like a joke to your parents on Thanksgiving, and I know...I know their opinion doesn't mean that much to you. But after I left it got me thinking...what if you made a joke like that...because I was a joke. And maybe thats why nothing was ever coming of our relationship because it was just...you didn't care about me. You didn't...love me, the same way I loved you."

Steve felt the invisible hand clench around his heart; it was like Nancy all over again.

"Loved?" he whispered weakly, the sense of deja-vu undeniable. "Honey..."

"So I had to end it. To protect myself. And I took a long hard look at myself when I got to work. The what? Third job I had since I started at StarCourt? I realized that maybe...I was a joke. Maybe you were right, that I was...this job-hopping, unreliable...thing and that's why I quit. And I started looking...for a management position somewhere so I could be better."

"But you were already great," Steve assured. "Can we get back to that...loved thing?"

"Steven..."

"Sorry."

"Let me finish."

"Ok."

"And you know what I found out since I've been here?" you asked. "I...kind of hate working at a movie theater. And I need to leave again. I'm...I'm a free spirit. I can't be tied down to one kind of job. I saw an ad in the paper for an arts and crafts instructor at the Park District and I sort of wanna quit before applying, I would be great at that."

"You would," Steve laughed, still unsure of where this was going.

It was always a bit of a rollercoaster with you though, and it was another thing about you that he loved.

"So...tonight seeing all of that," you waved an arm behind you at the theater. "Seeing you...realizing that you loved me all along...I don't know. I don't need your love to keep being who it is that I am, it's just nice to know that you love me, the same way I love you."

"Love me?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah."

He whispered your name desperately and then cupped your face in his hands.

"I love you Honey."

"I love you too, Steve Harrington."

You pulled him into you and smashed your lips to his. The heartbreak faded away from both of you, and in its place, undeniable love and affection for each other.

Steve Harrington might have been many things, he might have fucked up.

But he was happy to say he was someone who could fix it.

With love.

[lunaflowers]

Okay! 💓Could you write something about married couple and s/o wants a baby so bad. But baekhyun is not ready or confused idk. He doesn't want it for now. Reader is really disappointed and sad. She loves babies so much and can't wait have one. But baekhyun's reaction (angry or annoying) is made her angry/sad. A big fight but a happy end please. 🥺🥺 (maybe some tears too)

If it is not okay for you then no problem! 🌼

Thank you 💓

Hope you like this, anon 💖 Pairing: Byun Baekhyun x Reader Word Count: 1.7k Genre: Angst and Fluff Warnings: None that I can think of

The evening had been lovely. You and your husband, Baekhyun, had spent it strolling through the tree lined park near your home. It was verging on autumn and there was a slight chill in the air, but the full cold of fall hadn’t hit yet. The sun had almost completely set but it wasn’t fully dark yet. You two were holding hands and chatting about how your days had been. 

You were recently unemployed, having left your job as a nurse due to increasing stress and anxiety. Currently, you were playing full time homemaker so that meant you were home alone all day while Baekhyun was at work at a consultancy firm. The days were long but fulfilling. You tried your best to keep yourself occupied, trying new recipes, as well as arts and crafts, reading and writing and regular exercise. The break was nice and it had you contemplating what you really wanted to do with your life, where your true priorities lay.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something,” you said. Baekhyun had just finished telling you about a new project he was taking on at work, and all the responsibilities that were going to come along with it. He loved his job but you knew how demanding it could be, keeping him at the office for long hours. Thankfully he was paid generously for his hard work.

“What is it?” He looked at you and squeezed your hand a little. 

“Well, I was thinking since I’m home now and we’re settled, it might be the perfect time to start trying for a baby. We finally have the time and space for it.”

Baekhyun snorted. “Right. Very funny.”

He kept on walking beside you. You didn’t know what you expected his reaction to be but it certainly wasn’t that. Why would he think you were joking about something like this? “I’m being serious, Baek. Let’s start a family.” 

Baekhyun said nothing for a few moments and you waited in tense silence, listening to the gravel crunching under your shoes. This conversation was already not going the way you had anticipated.

“YN, babe, I’ve just spent the last ten minutes telling you about the new client and how I’m project leader and all the extra hours of work I’m going to be taking on and you come back with this?”

“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. And I know how hard you’re working and I appreciate it so much, especially now. But this is important too.”

Baekhyun scoffed and you felt hurt. “It’s out of the question,” he said, his tone one of finality. 

“What? We can’t even talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about. There’s no way we can have a baby right now.” He was dismissing you and you felt enraged all of a sudden.

You pulled your hand out of his. “Why are you being so cold?” You had to work to keep your voice even. You weren’t trying to make a scene, there were couples, families, children milling about the place enjoying the evening and you didn’t need to be the story they talked about as they got home.

“I’m not doing this here,” he said, testily. 

Annoyed, you began walking ahead of him, back towards the home you shared. You arrived and Baekhyun followed soon after, a look of irritation on his face. “You’re being childish leaving me behind like that.”

“I’m childish? You won’t even talk to me!” 

“I told you what I thought.”

“No, you made a decision for the both of us and then acted like I was the unreasonable one for having an issue with that. Do you not want to have kids with me?”

“All I said was not now,” he said, his teeth gritted. He was angry, a rare sight, and seeing him angry only made you more angry.

“What do you mean, not now? We’re both in our thirties, Baek! It’s not like we’re in our early twenties anymore with all the time in the world to wait. It only gets harder the older you get.”

“So what? If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen,” Baekhyun shot back and your jaw dropped.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? I’ve always said I’ve wanted kids. You know this. You said you wanted them too when we got married. And now this? What the fuck, Baekhyun?”

“Don’t you get it, YN? I have enough going on right now as it is. Work is insane, I’m having to work longer and longer hours, take on all these new responsibilities. You quit your job so I have to keep everything afloat financially all by myself. And now you want this?”

Your eyes widened, tears filling them at his words. It felt like he’d slapped you. He’d never made you feel guilty for not working. When you left your job, Baekhyun had been nothing but kind and supportive, telling you that he had everything handled and that you should take your time to decide when and even if you wanted to return to work, that you had nothing to worry about.

The hurt on your face made Baekhyun soften. He tried to walk back his statement, “I didn’t mean it like that… I just meant-”

“Forget it. Just forget I said anything. I’m going to bed,” you said, your voice even. You turned to and began walking down the hallway. You heard your husband calling for your attention but you ignored him. After you had washed up, you got in bed and began to cry silent tears alone. How had it all gone so wrong?

Baekhyun entered the bedroom about an hour later. You closed your eyes as he came in, pretending to be asleep on your tear soaked pillowcase. You were in no mood to talk to him right now.

“YN,” you heard him say from behind you. You pretended you didn’t hear him, staying as still as you could, hoping he would think you were asleep and leave you alone. No such luck. When Baekhyun wanted to talk, he was relentless about it.

“YN, come on…” he said, approaching you from behind. “I know you’re not asleep.” He put his hand on your shoulder and jiggled you lightly.

You turned onto your back and looked up at him with swollen eyes and lips. It was clear that you had been crying this whole time and that broke his heart. He hated seeing you cry more than anything.

“Baby, don’t cry,” Baekhyun said softly. He produced a bouquet of sad looking carnations from behind his back and held it out to you. “Sorry, I know they’re not great but I got them at the gas station. They’re all I could get at this time of night.”

You sat up against the headboard of your bed and said nothing, but you took the bouquet in your hand, fingering the petals of the flowers.

Baekhyun sat down beside you facing you. “I want to apologize for what I said earlier. I never meant to make it sound like I blame you for any stress I’m feeling. And I love having you not work to be honest. I love the fact that you’re always there when I come home, that we get to spend so much more time together.”

You put the flowers down beside you and took his hand in yours. “I appreciate that.” You gave him a sad smile. It obviously didn’t heal your heart but you appreciated his effort in trying to comfort you. Baekhyun was the only man you’d ever been with who actually gave a shit if you cried. 

“I’m sorry too. I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure at work and you’ve been so amazing and patient with me. I should’ve brought it up at another time.”

“No. The thing is… you’re actually right. It is something we should be talking about. We’re not getting younger. I just…” He trailed off.

You leaned forward and put a hand on his cheek, stroking it gently. “Talk to me, baby.”

“I’m scared shitless. The idea of being a father fucking terrifies me. Being responsible for a human life. Making sure he or she grows up and is healthy and happy and all the good things. How the fuck am I supposed to do that? What if I fuck it all up?”

You almost giggled but you held it back. You definitely didn’t want to demean Baekhyun’s feelings but the fact that he even thought for a second he might not be a good father was just so ludicrous. He was the most kind and loving person you’d ever met. Any child would be lucky to have him as a father.

“Baekhyun… It’s normal to be scared about being a parent. I am too. But we can’t let it paralyze us.”

Baekhyun sighed, “I know but… It’s a life, you know? It’s forever. It’s not something we can try out for a few months and then decide to get rid of it if we don’t want it.”

“You’re right. But like… I think it’s one of those things where you just have to dive right in. Delaying this forever isn’t going to help.”

He looked up at you with his Bambi eyes and you looked back at him. He looked so young and sweet faced, he definitely didn’t look like a man in his thirties. But he looked tired. Maybe you’d been too preoccupied with what you wanted that you hadn’t realised sometimes he needed you to build up his confidence the way he always did yours.

“Baekhyun, you’re going to be the most amazing father. I’m sure of it. You’re so filled with love and so patient and smart and gentle. Not to mention your child-like spirit.”

He laughed at that, and you smiled.

“Besides, we’re going to be doing it together. It’s a team effort. We can lean on each other like we always do.”

Baekhyun leaned forward and kissed you on the lips. “I like the sound of that.” He pulled you closer to him and wrapped his arms around you. The warmth of his body was so comforting and you leaned into him, breathing in his familiar scent. “So, we’re really going to have a baby, hmm?” He said, softly.

“I mean, we’re going to try.”

“Trying sounds fun. Let’s try right now,” Baekhyun said, kissing you again.

[babyboywinchester]

i’m watching supernatural for the first time. i’m on season 3 right now, but i’m not that excited for castiel that comes in season 4, just mainly because misha collins gives me the ick. like calling the CW homophobic because dean and castiel didn’t get together is already weird because like why is he so hung up about it?? i know it has a lot to do with his fan base, but normal actors don’t really interact with their fans like that, like why is he leading them on for a show that ended four years ago?! also i know he’s probably done a lot of bad things but saying the f-slur when he had to clarify he’s straight is wrong. also him saying the slur in the context of gay people needing to reclaim it was so bizarre to me, like dude stop saying it?! he just gives me the ick big time with all that.

also sorry this was so long.

No need to apologize, dear one! I love getting asks or talking so fear not.

I’m excited the hear about you starting Supernatural! I loved the first three seasons. My sister and I started watching it back in the fall of 2012 when I was a senior in high school. It was so exciting and we couldn’t wait to watch as many episodes after school as we could. Anyway, the magic wore off after we got all caught up and were able to watch season 9 as it aired and I became more involved in the fandom side on tumblr… destiel was EVERYWHERE and as someone who was realizing they were a wincest shipper… that made it all that much worse.

Luckily, I have found that the Destiel screechy circle are but a VERY small minority. Thank GOD… but oh are they loud. That ties in to Misha of course. You know the signs they have in places that say stuff like “don’t feed the animals.”? Yeah, those are for people like himself who insist on baiting and egging on these mentally unwell people into believing, and filling his pockets, because it saves him the trouble of having to get a job or actually work on making changes himself.

So, the whole balls deep thing? Real bold of him to say at a convention where Jensen wasn’t present when Jensen himself, numerous times, has mentioned he does not like Destiel. Also bold of Misha seeing as he’s unemployed and the CW was the place that gave him his longest running job… that’s also called defamation and if I were the CW I would send a cease and desist letter. He’s emboldened by these people who worship the ground he walks on because they fetishize one gay ship. He takes them for the rubes they are and milks money from them by just regurgitating the same shit they pass around to each other in their little bubbles. I’m sure you’ve come across them… so I won’t even mention some of their names here as I don’t have the time or patience to deal with their lot.

Yes, bold of a man to use the word “f-g” when he had to walk back coming out as bisexual and come out as straight. He’s learned nothing. He’s also just gross, crass, and all around an unpleasant person. He knows this is his only way to stay relevant and so he’s going to milk it until it’s dry.

Fear not you are NOT the only one who can’t stand him or Castiel. Luckily, regardless of what the hellers say, he doesn’t add much to the story and his “arcs” can be completely ignored and it doesn’t take away from the story any.

Thanks for the ask! I hope you’ll send more as you continue watching the show!

[meadow-roses]

Meet the Family part 2

Grace consults with her fellow team members on the safety of inviting her boyfriend to join their undercover rebel group. They be scheming.

This scene is around three years old, and was started as a character study/exploration for Grace and her friends to get a feel for how they are involved in Felix's backstory plot. This is not a scene in the actual story and a lot of the "plot" is not canon, but I thought it would be fun to share with you guys! Enjoy!

Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3 * Part 4

*******

“Well,” Erin said, pushing her chair away from the desk and spinning to face Grace. “As far as background checks can go he seems in the clear. Medical records, work history, social reports, all completely normal.”

Grace hummed in response as she read over the profile summary displayed on the computer screen.

Erin took her glasses off and began polishing them on the corner of her open vest. “On top of that,” She said with a shrug. “I think we all trust your gut, so if you think he’s a good guy he probably is, and the info checks out on that. Plus-” she emphasized the next sentence by putting her glasses back on. “We could really use the help.”

Grace looked away from the screen to meet Erin’s gaze. “I just don’t want necessity to drive us into endangering lives.”

“We’ve accepted new members on less evidence than this before and we’ve been fine,” Erin said, crossing one leg over the other to make a place to set her elbows on.

“That was at a different time though,” Grace pointed out. “With the government like it is right now, they’re probably going to be looking for rebel groups more than ever, and they’ll have plenty of loyal associates unemployed to do that with.”

“I don’t know, Grace.” Erin said, her face scrunching into a smirk. “I don’t think a guy that gives names to all the squirrels in the park is gonna end up screwing us over.”

“He could have made the names up on the spot,” Grace pointed out.

“So you think he’s lying?” Erin slouched her chin into her palm, folding her fingers around to smoosh into the side of her heavily freckled face.

“No,” Grace tightened her arms over her chest. “I’m just, worried I might miss something and end up regretting all this. I don’t think he would betray us, but I haven’t known him for that long.”

“Well,” Erin kicked back in the chair and spun back around to face the collection of monitors. “If you’re that worried about it, why don’t you take him to meet Grandma, see what she thinks of him. It’d be hard for that to go wrong.”

Grace sat down on the edge of the desk, her face illuminated blue by the computer screens. “I guess so,” She said, after thinking the suggestion over.

The dark room, lit only by Erin’s computer screens and the light coming in through the open doorway from the hallway, was suddenly no longer dark. A blonde man very much in need of a haircut was standing just inside the door, his hand still on the lightswitch. “What are you guys doing in the dark?”

“Tychus, turn that off!” Erin moaned, throwing her hands up to cover her eyes. Grace laughed at her, blinking in the sudden light.

“If you keep this up you’re going to ruin your eyesight,” Tychus said, coming up behind Erin’s chair and leaning over the back of it. “Oh wait, you already did.”

“You’re so mean to me,” Erin said.

She tried to scowl disapprovingly but a treacherous grin pulled at the edges of her mouth. With this comical expression she turned in her seat to shove his arms off the headrest. Tychus laughed and sidestepped her chair, taking a seat on the desk in front of her and putting the keyboard up in his lap.

“Wow you just came in here to pick on me, didn’t you?”

Tychus shrugged playfully. “You’ve been in here all day and I got lonely.”

“I’ve been working,” Erin said, reclaiming her keyboard.

“Would you two just get married already?” Grace said, laughing and shaking her head.

“Hmmm, how’s two months from now sound?” Tychus said with a wink in Erin’s direction. “Maybe the 15th? To choose a completely random and not at all specific date.”

Erin shook her head at him, unable to keep herself from smiling broadly as her face turned red. Tychus chuckled and the two exchanged a quick kiss.

“So when do I get to meet your boyfriend, Grace?” Tychus asked as Erin resumed her typing.

Grace gave a quick laugh. “Erin’s been running a background check on him.”

"Ooo, you girls are getting a little serious now. I don't know if this qualifies as a misuse of your hacker skills, Babe, but, what'd you find? Nothing too shady?"

“Nothing at all,” Erin said. Her eyes remained fixed to the screen as she spoke, her fingers continuing without slowing their dance across the keyboard. “He’s just a perfectly normal guy. You know, aside from the weird things.”

"Weird is good," Tychus nodded in approval. “Only the best for our Grace. She’s pretty weird too, after all.”

Erin snorted. “Speak for yourself, you weirdo."

"We're not running an investigation so I can date him," Grace said. "I was thinking about asking him to join the team."

"Oooh, you're not spying on him, you're just spying on him." Tychus smirked and tapped the side of his nose as his fiancé rolled her eyes.

"Sure," Grace shook her head with a smile. "He passed all of Erin's tests, but I still want to be extra careful with all those loose agents lurking around. Erin suggested I bring him over to Grandma’s for dinner.”

“Well that sounds fun,” Tychus said. “Can I come too and pretend to be your cousin?”

Grace grinned. “We don’t look related at all, but sure.”

“You know what would be fun,” Tychus continued, lifting a leg up onto the desktop and propping his elbow on his knee.

“If we got as many people as we can spare to come over. Just say we’re your extended family and it’s a farewell party at your grandma’s so we can see how he reacts. Not being secretly evil or something isn’t the only qualification for the team, it’d be nice to know how well he can roll with unexpected situations.”

Grace nodded slowly. It was a good point. If this sort of a scenario would stress him out too much, he probably wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of leading a double life. On top of that, she could have more than just her own and Grandma’s opinions about him, he could also meet his potential teammates before being thrown into life-or-death situations with them.

She smiled, one finger thoughtfully pressed against her bottom lip.

“Tychus, my dear brother, I think that is an excellent idea.”

[bright-and-burning]

Instead of getting into a fight with the group chat you should tell us the lore behind why the vibes in that chat are so off. This is like at least the second time i’ve seen you post about it

it is suuuuuch a long story and for reasons that would take a while to explain satisfactorily i can’t kick this girl out of the group chat ok.

edit: this got medium long (at least on mobile) im . sorry akdhskdh its below a cut now

but basically she has no sense of boundaries and when you tell her a boundary she’ll be like ok so you hate me.. but ill follow it i suppose… and then break it two weeks later with glee. she’s aggressively contrary for the fun of it she has a superiority complex in a loooot of areas but especially morally she refuses to let anyone back out of an argument. she demands responses and guilt trips everyone if you don’t respond to her bait like “omg you guys are actually just ableist and hate neurodivergents” (half the group chat is neurodivergent lmfao). she would literally start hours long arguments abt taylor swift (this was SUCH a sticking point for her. and STILL is like it somehow got brought up AGAIN tonight) that boiled down to “if you enjoy any of her music you just haven’t thought about it long enough and unpacked your internalized misogyny. as soon as you do that you’ll see that i’m right.” would make people CRY and when anyone would be like we should stop this is just upsetting people she’d be like what do you mean you’re getting upset :( this is just a discussion :( this is so interesting to me :( why won’t you overexplain and justify your taste in music on demand for me :( like every single argument she just positions herself as the only moral option and if you disagree w her you just haven’t thought for yourself hard enough? one time she literally was like “eve i know you can have deeper thoughts than that” bc i refused to engage her trying to start the like fifth 3hr long tswift fight and i left the group chat for three months despite this being the era where i was unemployed depressed and living at home several hours away from anyone i was friends with. like i was literally like maintaining an easy connection with all of my friends is not worth being in the same digital space as her rn.

tonight she said that “it feels like you [collectively] don’t experience life” or like contemplate deep things like mortality or sentimentality and that our supposed lack of passion makes her depressed because… nobody responded to her messages abt her favorite band (that none of us listen to) within 2hrs. on a work night. which was viscerally upsetting in general (don’t particularly like having someone tell me they don’t think i have an inner life just bc i don’t engage on demand for them) but also in specific given how the last two weeks have been for me (having someone tell me i haven’t contemplated mortality and how tragic it is that we have limited time on this planet when im in the middle of a health scare that had me looking at my life insurance policy briefly last week)

[stargazer-sims]

happy valentine's day! ❤️ sending all my love and i hope you feel appreciated not only today but every day 💐

if you're still taking asks for the love day otp questions, how about 🍭 🫦 🍰 🍫 for eden & haru?

Hey! 👋🏼 Yes, I’m still working my way through all the ones I've gotten recently. I got sidetracked from my inbox by building and CC-making, so now I'm trying to catch up.

And thanks for the message. I do feel appreciated in certain parts of my life (and not so much in others). I hope you're feeling appreciated in as many aspects of your life as possible, too!

Eden Seong & Sakuharu Abe

🍭What's something they can never agree on (big or small)?

Their biggest point of contention is their security guy, Frankie. Eden understands why Haru wants and needs a security person (and driver, interpreter & babysitter), but he doesn't think Frankie necessarily needs to be at the house when Haru isn't there. It's not that Eden dislikes Frankie. He actually likes him quite a lot and considers him a friend, and he thinks it's nice to have company around the house sometimes. Eden's problem is that he knows there's almost nothing for Frankie to do when Haru is away. For Eden, it's like having an unemployed roommate, and as much as he likes Frankie, he kind of wishes Frankie had his own place.

Haru, on the other hand, thinks Frankie is there to protect Eden as well as the property. Neither Eden nor Frankie are totally convinced the property needs more than the security cameras when Haru isn't there, and they don't think Eden really needs protection either. But, they know how anxious Haru can be, and how stuck on an idea he can get when he's anxious, so they both humour him.

Frankie is getting paid regardless of whether Haru is there or not, so he certainly doesn't complain about it, even if Eden sometimes does.

🫦What's something seemingly innocent that the other does, says or wears that turns the other on?

For Haru, it's Eden's figure skating costumes. Eden doesn't really think anything of it because the costumes are part of the performance aspect of the sport and it's totally normal for him to wear something fancy (and often form-fitting) for a competition, but the sight of Eden in his costumes makes Haru think less than pure and innocent thoughts.

For Eden, it's one of Haru's t-shirts that has a slogan of questionable appropriateness. In the category of shirts with bad Engiish translations, this one says love carrot in an orange and green design. Eden finds it amusing, and likes to tease Haru about his "love carrot". It took Haru a minute to get the joke, but now he understands it perhaps a bit too well.

🍰 What is 'their song'? Officially or unofficially.

In the context of the story, their "official" song is "Broken Parts" (a song that Haru wrote for Eden).

As for real life songs, it's "Beautiful Life" by Bebe Rexha

bonus: Eden skates to this song in a program collaboratively choreographed by himself, Nikolai and Haru. He talks Nikolai into letting Haru provide some input because Haru is a better than average dancer and wants more choreography experience. Haru learns a lot about figure skating in general and skating choreo in particular during the process.

🍫 Who is more likely to steal the other's clothes? What are their favorite items to steal?

They're each equally likely to steal the other's clothes. Haru is a little bigger than Eden, but Eden is way more muscular than Haru, so anything tight or form-fitting doesn't work very well, but they're close enough in size that they can wear most of one another's casual clothes. When they're together, they'll routinely wear each other's sweatpants, t-shirts, shorts and hoodies. When Haru is on the road, he leaves a hoodie behind for Eden, and Eden has also stolen a hat of Haru's that he likes to wear to practice, and one might find Eden's mysteriously "lost" Chinese Zodiac bracelet on Haru's wrist.

[ficsrot]

THE SEVERED BRAIN OF ALAN MERTZ

-The actual story, written by @byneco (1)

I don’t really know how it got this way, I mean, with him. I didn’t mean to make him mad and I don’t even know why he’s mad in the first place. 

This is all just… Confusing. I looked at Damien, the fear in his eyes, he doesn’t say a word. He just mumbles and it’s all not adding up at all.

I began to lose hope, stopping in my tracks as I lose breath from running so much. It hurts, I didn’t even realize the tears until I heard my own sobs.

Feeling Damiens hands on my shoulder, his arms wrapped around my waist, I didn’t know if it was comforting or not. I was just tired of it all.

And in that moment I just heard his voice, you wouldn’t believe how fast my heart raced. It felt like a gust of wind to just hear him calling out my name, I ran to him and immediately hugged his slim frame.

“Alan!” I exclaimed, crying into his shoulder as he was in pure shock. I saw him look at Damien, Damien looked at him. It was confusing, they glared into eachothers eyes and I couldn’t tell why.

I am Terrance Alai Khloe, just a regular college student who just wishes he could do better. I get in fights with my dad and I don’t want to tell my best friend about me and Damien. 

Life sucks, I let it get the better of me and just return home to my disaster of a room. I forget to clean it sometimes, Cassandra hates me for that. I forget to take care of myself, it’s unhealthy, but when is the right time to cope?

Life is a never ending war which I got into without volunteering to, I decided to get over it and go to sleep.

…

Damien spent the night in my house, he drove Alan home but he wanted to stay with me because his mom was experiencing an episode.

I felt bad, I let him take up the blanket and let him do whatever he wanted. We cuddled and watched the first season of “I Love Lucy” together.

I enjoyed the night with him, I was just overwhelmed with the whole situation between us and Alan. 

Alan ran away, because of me. I’m sorry, Alan. I just didn’t want him to know, Damien is his worst enemy and that means his worst enemy is my boyfriend. I just didn’t know how to tell him.

I felt Damien move for a moment, his hand on the back of my head. It was Saturday, I don’t think I’ll get up anytime soon.

His left arm was on my waist, it felt serene to be here in this moment. I knew he was awake once he planted a kiss on my head.

I needed this break, just some time to spend with him. But of course, I hear my dad’s voice calling us for breakfast.

COVER ART BELOW

-Illustration by Darian RM Flo

character description: Terrance is a college student who suffers from depression and PTSD (developing during the story) his twin sister is Cassandra Khloe, his dad is Robert Khloe (also known as ‘smiles’ during the story ‘Carnival’) Terrance is 19 years old, unemployed, and dating Damien Collins. His best friend is Alan Mertz, and he has a deep hatred for Shelly Birch.

[nerves-nebula]

As much as I hate my older brother (and I do hate him, probably more than anyone else that I personally know) I am not pleased to hear that my mom is mistreating him :/

My sister got back in the country and is staying with my mom for a few weeks and just texted the group chat about it. And just this brief story she’s told us is so miserable I actually feel bad for my brother. 

My older brother is living on moms couch, and my mom is being super condescending, patronizing, and nitpicky to him. Making him do and redo tasks unnecessarily to fit her exact standards (like making him get out and put away a different set of plates, because paper plates aren’t good enough! And doing it again because the fancy plates with the stripes would affect the taste somehow??) And when my sister asked why he was there (because my mom didn’t tell her that he was living with her) instead of just saying he didn’t keep up with his rent payments or something she went on a whole long tangent about what a failure he is and how frustrating it is for her. 😑

Worst part is that I don’t even think any of this is new??? I just think I’ve been away from her long enough to realize how fucked up and mean so much of the stuff she normalized is. I’m certainly not surprised to hear it but it’s like. Damn she literally does just do that huh. My brain isn’t just over exaggerating cause I’m sensitive.

Like I’m legitimately angry at her for shit talking my brother- not because he doesn’t suck but because she never gave a shit when he actually did awful things! And what kind of mother rants about her kid being a failure to his face?? Whose fault is that?! If you’re gonna be mean to him at least do it about things that MATTER and say something about his character as a person- not just him being unemployed or whatever! How are you so mean you make me side with a man I can’t stand to be in the same room as!!!! AAAAAAYGHHDH

[emmersreads]

A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Review

4.5/5 stars

The best part of A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers isn’t the robot.

Allow me to explain.

Shortly before Christmas I went to my local independent bookstore to attempt to find a gift for my hard to shop for brother and inevitably ended up not doing that and instead buying myself a little treat. That little treat was A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (in my defence I had a lot of store credit). As I paid I got to talking with the bookstore’s owner (who knows me on account of building up all that store credit) about A Psalm for the Wild-Built.

I told him I’d bought the first book because of its beautiful cover design but it ended up being a lot more meaningful to me than I’d expected.

He replied, “I know! The way a robot teaches a human about life!”

“Oh,” I said. Then, trying not to pause so long it would be irredeemably rude to the man from whom I would be pre-ordering Alecto the Ninth, “That’s not what I took from it at all.”

Look, I’ve read a lot of scifi; I’ve watched Blade Runner. The idea that a robot might be used to explore humanity is not a new idea for me. It’s like telling a French chef that sauce tastes good with cream in it. No shit Sherlock.

The thing that was so great about A Psalm for the Wild-Built, that took it from a neat if dull little worldbuilding exercise about the post-scarcity future to one of my favourite books of the year (in the unenviable 7th place overall), was its exploration of ennui. To me the core of this novel is not the idea that a robot might be more human than humans. APWB has a different philosophical core: the question ‘if we have everything we need, and we are still existentially unsatisfied, what do we do about it?’ What happens to people who still feel unfulfilled in the post-scarcity future?

Protagonist Dex has nothing to feel bad about. Humanity has emerged into the bright light of the future and is doing pretty great actually. What resources are essential for survival and comfort are managed sustainable and the rest are returned to nature. Without competition, humanity lives in peace and happiness, reorienting society to prioritize comfort and quality of life over money and success. Dex has a loving family and friends and every opportunity for self-fulfilment that this utopia could offer and none of them help. Dex wakes up wondering why they can’t seem to stop feeling this nebulous sense of ennui.

The emotional aspect of this premise hits close to home for me. In 2022 I was living with my mum, who subsidized my rent in an otherwise very expensive city and also made me dinner. I had a part time job with an understanding boss and nice coworkers. I felt like I should be living my best your-unemployed-friend-on-a-tuesday-morning life. I felt like shit warmed over.

The existential need that Dex is trying to fulfil throughout the novella is something I can grok on a really intimate level. Like Dex, I got an awkwardly large vehicle and set a course for a location in the mountains that invoked distant memories of happiness, in pursuit of some sort of meaning.

This is, in my opinion, the most novel element of the story. I don’t really care about worldbuilding for its own sake because I’m a hater who is allergic to fun, which sets me at odds with a lot of the solarpunk genre. Here’s the rub: even intentionally low stakes stories ought to have more to say than ‘wouldn’t it be nice if things were just nice.’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built does. It does an admirable job of exploring what our problems would be once we solve all the big ones, and that philosophical question gives the story a depth that makes the worldbuilding worth exploring.

Of course, a nice philosophical idea doesn’t mean a whole lot unless it is implemented well, and that’s where I think A Psalm for the Wild-Built shines the most. In order to tackle the question of why we want when we have everything we need, the novella needs to develop the sense of nebulous and inarticulable emptiness. That’s a tough emotion to convey. I tend to find characters who are unaware of their emotions annoying and frustration (see above: I am a hater who is allergic to fun), but I really loved the way Chambers went about developing Dex here. The idea of setting new goals and doing hard things in the hope of feeling better resonates much more with me than wallowing in endless self-reflection. It’s not more effective either, for those worried about a conflictless story. Instead, Chambers is more interested in what you do when the thing you expect to work doesn’t. It makes for one of the most quietly touching climactic scenes I read in 2023. The depiction of the inarticulable depth of true person to person understanding is really beautiful.

The fact that one of those persons is a robot doesn’t really matter.

[avareiahgt]

GT July Prompts 2024

Day 5: Fawning

—Don’t mess with me, Connor, I did nothing— Hanna said pointing at me with a tiny finger I could barely see.

—I spent years of my life for Alec to tell me his whole family story and now he tells you after some weeks? Doll, you sure have an effect on him— I said, smirking.

We were both sitting on Alec’s couch, Hanna sitting down on the top of the back while I looked up at her form from my lying position.

—I didn’t push him or anything. I guess I just asked the right questions—she explained.

—Maybe if I were a small sweet pretty girl in a hurry, he would tell me as well… But, oh! Wait—I made a dramatic pause— I’ve always been a small sweet guy in a hurry, even today…

—Not small enough— she smirked down at me. In confidence she was kind of a teaser. Something told me she was not this salty with Alec. Otherwise, he would had thrown she away… would he?

—Not that my actual height gives me some advantage in life right now—I spilled, half joking, half serious.

—Trust me when I say you have it way better— she stated and a hand made its way to her leg, forever marked.

—It really amazed me that you survived that thing, tho—I started—. Your life was quite on the line, you know?

She made a soft sound, like showing she was listening but thinking at the same time.

—I’m so persistent— she simply said.

—I can see that— a soft but true laugh scaped my throat.

—What did you do to convince Alec to tell you his story? —curiosity was my favorite sin, also the most dangerous. I didn’t think long my response.

—I just followed him until he answered— I shrugged.

She lowered herself a bit to look down at me from her privileged seat.

—Really? That was your strategy? —she seemed surprised, not for long, anyways.

—Of course. I met his sister before, but I didn’t know they were siblings until he insulted me some day.

—What? He did insult you?

—Yeah, tons of times, but that was our first meeting. I have photographic memory; I could quote every single day of my life since I was six with no mistakes— I explained.

—Wow… that’s impressive and quite useful—she whistled in amazement.

—Also, I got to remember all the bad things I would love to forget— I commented.

—Sure… Nevermind, why did he insult you on first place? — she insisted and I appreciated avoiding the memory curse theme.

—I got tangled in some… hairy situations. All my fault of course. The thing is that Vecca, his sister, dismissed me and I found a grumpy teenager calling me an idiot, in addition to my unemployed state. Actually, he was right and Vecca was right to dismiss me, too.

—Do I wanna ask? — she wondered.

—You can— I submitted myself.

—I assure you don’t want to ask, just let him flatter you some more— Alec’s voice came from where he was standing on the corridor doorframe.

—Or we could keep talking about your bravery and the stubbornly that took you to live enough to have this chat— I said as if the idea was mine.

—You’re connecting fine, I’m back to work— he muttered and disappeared into his study once more.

—Excuse him, he’s not the chatty type.

—Really? He chats with me so well— Hanna said.

I got instantly offended.

—Why he doesn’t with me? I’m so sad now— I sat up and my fast move thew Hanna off balance even sitting. I held one of her arms to keep her from roll. My head was now some inches below her. I freed her arm when she was stable again and she touched it like it burned. Maybe I was being rude with so much physical contact.

—Maybe if you keep adoring me, I would give you some advices for talking to him, but I warn you it won’t be as effective as if you were a small pretty girl.

—I will sign the deal— I accepted, offering her a finger for a handshake.

She used a tiny hand I almost didn’t feel on my skin and shook it, sealing the verbal contract.

—Now, you can keep talking about how beautiful and well-behaved and strong I am—she smiled.

—Did I say all of that stuff?