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#while i also have a billion work things to do before the new year?
toookish · 10 months
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hey alexa how to not tell my boss that the reason i'm not going to our christmas party is a) i hate white elephant gift exchanges and b) i can't stomach the idea of playing professional but festive at this time of year
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robertreich · 1 year
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Why Does Flying Suck so Much? 
You might not believe this, but I’m old enough to remember when flying was fun.
Now I'm sure you've got your own airline horror stories, which I hope you’ll share. But what happened to make flying such a nightmare?
The answer is simple: the same things happening across most industries. In fact, a close look at airlines reveals five of the biggest problems with our economy.
Number 1: Consolidation means fewer choices.
While there were once many more airlines, a series of mergers and acquisitions over the last three decades has left only four in control of about 80% of the market.
This kind of consolidation has been happening all over the economy. For example, four companies now control 80% of all beef production, and two control over 60% of all paper products. This lack of competition has led to:
Number 2: Companies Charging More for Less
Even before recent airfare spikes, air travel was getting more expensive because of new fees for things that used to be free, like in-flight meals, checked bags, or even carry-ons.
Spirit Airlines even charges $25 to print your boarding pass at a ticket counter! It’s just a piece of paper!
One of the ugliest ad-ons is the fee some airlines charge for families to sit together. That doesn’t even cost them anything!
Airlines are leading an economy-wide trend of adding often unexpected new charges to goods and services without adding value.
And you’re getting less in return. Airlines have cut an estimated 8 inches of legroom and two inches of seat width in the last two decades. Doesn’t bother me (I’m short), but many of you may feel the squeeze.
This parallels other industries where you’re paying more for less — just look at how cereal boxes, rolls of toilet paper, and candy bars are all shrinking.
Number 3: Exploiting Workers
While their jobs have become more difficult, many flight attendants haven’t had a raise in years.
And a lot of their hardest work is totally unpaid, because most flight attendants don’t get paid during the boarding process. They’re off the clock until the plane’s doors close.
And if the flight is delayed, those are often extra hours for no extra money.
Again, this mirrors trends in the overall economy, where too many workers are pushed into unpaid overtime or made to do work or be on call during their off hours.
Number 4: The Illusion of Scarcity
Airlines pretend they have no choice but to raise prices, cut services, and limit payroll. But their profits are in the stratosphere. In the five years before the pandemic, the top 5 airlines were flush enough to pay shareholders $45 billion, largely through stock buybacks.
During the pandemic, they got a $54 billion bailout from taxpayers (you’re welcome).
In the years since, they’ve resumed flying high, with nearly $10 billion in net profit expected across the industry in 2023. They can afford to take care of workers and customers.
Whether it’s multi-millionaire movie moguls pretending they can’t afford to pay writers or a grocery chain blaming “inflation” for high prices while raking in record profits, this illusion of scarcity is a sham.
Number 5: Misdirected Rage
Instead of being mad at the people at the top, we’ve been tricked into being mad at each other. Fights have broken out over whether it’s ok to recline a seat or who gets overhead bin space. But reclining’s only an issue because airlines intentionally put the seats too close together. And bin space is only running out because they’ve made it expensive to check bags — and also risky, with the rate of lost bags doubling over the last year.
Airlines are pitting us against each other the same way billionaires and their political lackeys pit groups against each other in society, hoping we’ll blame unions or immigrants or people of other races or religions or gender identities for why it’s so hard to get ahead, and that we won’t notice how much wealth and power is in the hands of so few.
So what do we do?
A lot of these problems could be solved with tougher antitrust enforcement — which we are starting to see. The Justice Dept is suing to block JetBlue from buying Spirit Airlines. We need that kind of anti-monopoly protection across the board.
Another part of the solution is unions. Airline workers are among the wave of American workers organizing to demand better pay and working conditions.
And then there’s your power as an informed consumer. Companies get away with bad behavior when we accept their excuses that there’s just no other way to run a business. They’re counting on us not knowing what’s really going on. So share this video, and share your airline stories in the comments.
Finally, try to be a little nicer to service workers and your fellow passengers — on planes and in life. After all, we’re all on this journey together.
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STELLAR IM ON MY KNEES PLS TELL US ABOUT THE ANDREW SERIES IDEAS
I apologize in advance for my ramblings, because I know damn well I'm going to rant. These ideas are not yet complete and could change over time as I try to work out plots and ideas, FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED AND WANTED!
First thing's first, thank you to my Secret Spy (name is unknown for privacy reasons/to have a cool nickname) who gives me ideas and honest feedback about my work so I can improve. Much love to you. She suffers through A LOT of my obsessive rambles, and she also helps a great deal in ideas for my stories, so I appreciate her help and patience.
First idea: Andrew Graves x Stalker! Cultist! Reader
This was a suggestion brought up by my Secret Spy. It's a huge work in process considering how I'd have to try and write plot purposes with that, but hey, we'll see how it goes, so allow me to explain the (supposed) plot so far.
(Y/N) is a member of the phony cult group "Asinus infirma daemonium clava" (look it up in Latin using this translator, trust me). Due to a contract forged between her parents' and the Fire Demon before her birth. After the death of her parents from supernatural causes, (Y/N) finds herself born with demonic connections to the Fire Demon and grows up inside the cult. Surrounded by phony cultists and the same people her entire life, she finds herself utterly obsessed in love upon meeting Andrew Graves, a seemingly normal guy who just happens to accidentally infiltrate the cult.
(Y/N)'s personality is currently up in the air, but I think I'm leaning towards a confident, morally-grey reader who has a knack for causing destruction and problems.
This is currently a oneshot/fic idea due to many plot holes and a worry that this fic's original plot will be too similar to another idea I have (don't worry, that idea will be written here in this post). FEEDBACK AND SUGGESTIONS FOR THIS IDEA IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED, let me know what you want to read, and any ideas you have to help expand this into a potential series, or we can keep it a nice and short fic!
Second Idea: Andrew Graves x Greek Goddess! Reader
Due to the nature of this idea, there will be religious themes mentioned, and there will also be tons of inaccuracies and my own takes on Greek Mythology (because Greek Mythology is EVERYWHERE that it would be hard to try and make this accurate). Sorry to my Percy Jackson fans, I've never watched or read the books so the Gods' personalities will be nothing like the PJ series. This was actually an idea I introduced a few months ago, it was actually in a poll against Star Patient! This idea has been recreated with a different plot, but I believe this plot is more enjoyable than the OG's plot.
(Y/N) is the Greek Goddess of Sleep and Visions. For years, she's had her eyes on Andrew Graves, finding his dreams and subconscious desires intriguing to stand out upon the billions of other dreams she's seen throughout her millenniums. She finds herself in the mortal's overworld now, entering a world of advanced technology and terrifying beasts (cars) roaming the streets. While Andrew tries to shield (Y/N) from humanities dangerous flaws (including himself), Ashley finds (Y/N)'s powers more useful than you would expect... finding herself in a world constantly on the run as she evades the police and discovers what living is with the Graves Siblings.
So, the whole road-trip evading the police thing was an idea I had for the Cultist idea, but I decided to ditch it in the Cultist idea because it was far too similar. I figured the idea would fit here more, having an outdated and naive Goddess trying to navigate this new scary world just sounds so adorable!
(Y/N)'s personality is curious, timid, with an almost child-like fascination as she learns to understand the meaning of life, and to cherish it while it lasts. She has a serious need for validation and feeling needed, and all she wants to do is be helpful to the Graves siblings, no matter what she has to do.
This is going to be a fluffy and bittersweet series. I wanted something more wholesome and sweet for Andrew and Ashley because they deserve it after all they've gone through (in the game and in my Star Patient series, ahaha). (Y/N) and Andrew are the only love interests, and Ashley has a pretty healthy and wholesome sister-like relationship with (Y/N).
Third Idea: Andrew Graves x Two-faced! Serial Killer! Reader
As you've probably noticed now, I like making (Y/N) the more... interesting characters. I feel like each (Y/N) helps branch out and creates inclusivity for my readers, because not everyone has the same personality or thought-process, so I wanted all my (Y/N)'s to be unique too!
(Y/N) is Andrew's lovable neighbor next door. She's always willing to lend a hand and has a stellar social image and a great connection with the community. In the day, she works as a waitress in a popular diner and volunteers at pet shelters. At night, she's a ruthless killer stalking the alleyways of the city, with nothing on her mind but how many stabs she can stab a face into disfiguration. She's never cared for romance or love until now, meeting Andrew Graves after he discovers her horrific secret. Now that he knows, she'll have to keep a constant eye on him. Sure, she could kill him, but what's the point of killing such a cute guy without at least playing with him some? Maybe this isn't so much romance, but more so manipulation and power-play, however Andrew slowly seems to let those red flags go and enter a world filled with obsessive love, jealousy, and Stockholm syndrome.
This Andrew doesn't have Ashley as a sibling, making him an introverted, socially-constipated, wallflower with a need of validation.
This (Y/N) is two-faced. To your face, she's bubbly, empathetic, and is the perfect definition of a saint, but if you turn your back for just a second, you might find a knife at your throat. She has a serious thirst for blood and hearing bones snap (she could potentially be a cannibal, I'm deciding if I want that as a motive or not...)
This going to be a slowburn series.
FEEDBACK AND IDEAS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED FOR THIS IDEA!
Fourth Idea: Potential serial killer! Andrew Graves x Journalist! Reader
This idea is the most unstable and wonky one. This idea is under extreme development as I try to figure out what I want to do with this reader and her personality. A poll will eventually be released for this reader's personality and motives.
(Y/N) is a plain and boring woman. You wouldn't notice her in a crowd, much less recognize her face. She's a journalist who specializes in covering true crime cases, and the her hottest case happens to be the quarantined apartment in her city. A thump on her balcony and a door opening leads her to meeting Andrew Graves, who may just be the worst (or best) thing to ever happen in her life. I mean, it's not everyday your hottest crime case drops right into your apartment and begs for a place to stay! Who knew hitmen, cops, and a whole damn demon is following with—okay, what the hell is going on and how does she get her normal life back?!
(Y/N)'s personality is currently unknown. I'm unsure if I want to make her depressed with a thirst of death (hence why she lets Andrew stay, in hopes he'll kill her), or if I want (Y/N) to be a normal girl with an obsessive hobby of true crime and a conspiracy theorist (who wants to keep Andrew around in hopes he'll expose all the case's secrets for her to report). FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED FOR THIS!
I'm also unsure if I want Andrew to be a paranoid guy trying to hide from the police after killing his sister (yes, he killed his sister), or if I want Andrew to be a cocky, arrogant, serial killer. FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED FOR THIS!
This is going to be a series. What direction I want it to take is up in the air, but I want action and drama.
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These are currently the ideas I have going on. These ideas are excluding current fluffy fics I'm working on, so be on the lookout for those new fics coming out soon! These series will all be in a poll after I finish the Star Patient series, so I won't be holding off Star Patient for these!
SERIOUSLY, Y'ALL. FEEDBACK IS HIGHLY WANTED ON THESE IDEAS. DON'T BE AFRAID TO LEAVE ANONYMOUS COMMENTS IN MY INBOX, OR MESSAGE ME! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS WANNA READ (and as always, if you have your own ideas for fics, please send them in and I'll see what I can do).
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The Boyfriend Experience - Ch.2
Author's Note: I'm sorry this took me like 289380 billion years to finish. I hope you guys like it
Word Count: 5.9 k
Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader
Warnings: Depression, loneliness, isolation, negative thoughts and emotions but fluff to make up for it
You do not have permission to copy, translate or repost my work onto other sites or social medias. This work is my own and it is owned by me.
Nothing was happening. At this point, you thought Eddie had forgotten all about his ‘Boyfriend Experience’ proposal. Since that night in your apartment, Eddie hadn’t done anything. You had both seen each other, too. So it wasn’t for the lack of being around one another. Once a week the party gets together to hang out. Sometimes it was a movie night, sometimes an excursion to do other activities depending on the season. It was getting closer to fall. The heat was starting to break and cool down more and more in the daytime, staying nice and chill in the evening. You loved this transition into fall. All the things of comfort that you loved. Comfort food, soft blankets and scary movies. It made you happy. However, you also found yourself thinking of Eddie. When you curled up on your couch with a horror movie on and some good food, your mind wandered to how nice it would be to have someone with you. Before, it used to be a vague idea of a ‘someone’. Just wanting another body next to yours, enjoying the same things that you enjoyed. But now? Now all you could think about was the warm smell of Old Spice and brown curls out of the corner of your eye. 
Your hope that you had shamefully attached to Eddie without him knowing was starting to dwindle fast. The more time that passed without him bringing up his plan or doing much of anything with you made that hope fade and fizzle out. Eddie was still nice to you, of course. Like he always had been. He talked to you, included you in the conversation with the group when you grew quiet and off to the side. He even gifted you a little affection when in front of the others. It dawned on you one day that he probably didn’t want to do anything because of the others being around. Of course, it made sense! Why would he want everyone to know he had done something with you? Kissed you? It all made sense now. Even if a small voice at the back of your mind said Eddie wasn’t that type of guy. But you weren't the one most wanted. 
You went through phases like the one you were in now. You were fine with being alone a lot. You had been and felt alone for most of your life. Not many friends, no romantic partners, and just faded into the background. You grew accustomed to loneliness. However, every now and again, you yearn. You yearn for companionship. Wherever you could get it. You once again found yourself in that position. Yearning. As you scrolled on your phone, you saw a few Instagram posts from friends, liking and commenting on some things. You chuckled as you spotted a photo of Nancy and Jonathan looking at puppies in a pet store. You transitioned to your messaging app, texting Nancy asking if she and Jonathan were planning on getting a puppy now that they lived together. After a few more minutes of scrolling, you decided to set down your phone and get some chores done.
You spent time dutifully cleaning your apartment. You always felt better when your place was clean. Too cluttered with mess made you feel like you coudn’t think or focus. However, you decided to take a break from running around busting your ass and sat down with some water, picking up your phone. You went to see if Nancy texted you back since you had texted her a while ago. No new messages. You opened up your text to Nancy.
Read: 2:17 pm
You looked at the time on your phone. 5:45 pm. You deflated, setting your phone aside. ‘Maybe she’s just busy’, you tried to rationalize. But the tiny voice in the back of your mind told you otherwise. No, she just didn’t care enough to answer. You sighed, going back to Instagram seeing another recent post from Nancy. So she was on her phone. You tossed your phone across the couch. To anyone else, this wouldn’t be a big deal. You were being too sensitive, you tried to tell yourself. You took the pillow from behind your back and shoved it on top of your phone as if it would somehow silence the bad thoughts swirling in your head. 
When things like this happened, you knew it was time to step away. If you continued the way you were, you would only get hurt. So you ignored your phone for the evening. Sometimes, that helped, but sometimes it didn’t do much to ease the thoughts swirling in your mind. Instead, you tried to stay positive. The next day, you decided to venture out of your home. You got dressed in something that made you feel comfortable. A large black hoodie, some black leggings and your red boots. Large and comfy, not wanting to feel self conscious today in any way. You found yourself wandering back to Family Video to rent some movies. When you walked inside, Steve and Robin weren’t alone.
All the gang, minus the kids, were there talking about something. When you walked in, Eddie was the first one to look up and see you. You smiled softly at him and wandered over to the horror movie section. Seconds later, Eddie was there.
“Hey, sweetheart.” he greeted, leaning against the shelf of movies.
“Hey, Eddie. How’s it goin?” you asked as you pulled a few movies from the shelf.
“Pretty good. Work’s keeping me busy,” he sighed, “But money is good. Means I can do more fun things.”
“Oh yeah? Like that?”
He grinned. “Spend it on something or someone I care about.” He shrugged, as if his answer meant nothing.
You looked at him, raising a brow before frowning. “If you think you’re gonna be spending any money on me, put that back in your head.” you warned, and Eddie sighed dramatically.
“C’mon, babe.” he murmured and moved closer. “Can’t treat my best girl to something?” Best girl. His best girl.
You shook your head. “You’re a ham, Eds.” you told him, bumping your shoulder with his as you head back to the counter. You placed the old movie you rented on the counter, adding the new ones to be rung up, too. Steve jumped to take care of your movies.
“So we can all leave here by six tomorrow? Should make it there on time. Maybe get a motel for the night?” Nancy suggested to the group, the others nodding along.
“There something going on?” you asked them.
Eyes turned to you as Nancy nodded. “We’re heading to the city to go and check out this club.” She answered.
“You’re all going?” you asked, glancing around the group as the others confirmed they were going. “Oh,” you murmured and silence followed.
“We know clubbing isn’t exactly your thing. That’s why we didn’t invite you.” Steve supplemented when the awkwardness began to kick in. You thanked whatever god was out there that you managed to control your face quick enough when you realized everyone was looking at you. You felt the ache in your chest of being excluded. Clubbing wasn’t Jonathan’s thing either, yet he was invited. Eddie didn’t like clubbing either unless it was somewhere that played music he liked. Yet, he was invited. You managed to school your face into a neutral expression. Neither happy nor sad. Just nothing. You felt the familiar burn of tears threatening to make themselves known and averted your eyes to the top of the counter. You dug into your pocket and handed your money to Steve. This was the second time now you’ve come into Family Video and had your feelings hurt. Maybe next time you’d rent somewhere else…
“Have fun.” you murmured with a small smile, taking your movies and swiftly exiting the store. You didn’t make it very far before tears gathered on your lash line. You got to your car and pulled open the door, sliding into the driver's seat and tossing the movies into the seat beside you. You took a long, shaky breath and turned the ignition. You saw the door to Family Video open up, Eddie stepping outside. You already pulled out of the parking spot, turning and heading back to your house before you could even think about what Eddie wanted. He most likely was stepping out for a smoke since Steve had had to yell at him in the past for trying to smoke in the store.
—----------------------------------------
Eddie was trying to take things slowly. He realized with his proposal that he might have come on too strongly. He didn’t want to scare you. No, he wanted this to work out well. Not scare you off before he gets the chance to get close to you. So he kept a little distance. He hadn’t meant to be as distant as he was as work took over his life. He wanted to see you. He missed you. He cherished it when he’d get to see you at least once a week at group functions. Eddie was invited to Family Video by Steve, something about plans they were making. So he had gotten dressed and hopped into his van, driving over to Family Video. When he walked inside, he saw everyone but you and felt the disappointment take hold at not seeing you standing with everyone else. He wandered up to the counter and scrunched his nose hearing a club mentioned. The only time Eddie liked going to clubs was if they played the music he liked to listen to. He wasn’t fond of the usual shit the clubs played. He’d go just to have some overpriced drinks and smoke inside, but otherwise he had no stake in it. He agreed to going, assuming that you had also been invited but weren’t here to make plans for it. You usually went along with whatever plan was made beforehand. 
When the door opened and the bell went off, Eddie looked over and grinned at seeing you walk inside. Of course, as soon as you broke off to go look at movies, he followed after you. He hadn’t seen you in two days, not that he was counting. He walked with you back to the counter and when you had asked what was going on; it hit him that you weren’t in on the plans to go to a club in the city. The second that ‘Oh’ left your lips, he wanted to hug you. Hearing the sad tone was enough to crack his heart. At Steve’s words, Eddie couldn’t help the prickle of annoyance in his chest. They knew he didn’t like clubbing either, but they had invited him. He knew the last time you all went to a club you had practically stuck to whoever was closest to you, not wanting to be left alone with all the drunk strangers. 
Then Eddie saw it. 
He had been looking at you and after Steve’s words he saw the flash of hurt on your face. It was in your eyes and on your face for all of half a second. Then he saw your face melt into indifference. Nothing shows on your face to betray your feelings. He just watched you go stone cold in seconds to cover how you felt. But he knew. He saw it. He saw the hurt and rejection. Even your tone as you told them to have fun held no emotion in it. The smile you offered was one to throw them off. Then you were gone. Eddie watched your retreating back and he looked back at the others. They seemed none the wiser. Eddie knew that they had good intentions. That they didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable in any way. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling he got seeing you school your features to not let the others in on how you were feeling. Eddie moved without thinking and without explanation, pushing the door open of Family Video just in time to see you pull away from the store. He wanted to jump out in front of your car. Anything to make you not run off from them. From him. But Eddie watched you go. Standing out there in the parking lot was when Eddie decided he would not be going tomorrow evening. No, he couldn’t do that to you. Instead, he headed back inside to let the group know he was bailing on them. Citing something more important that he had to do and ignoring the looks from Jonathan and Nancy as they glanced at one another.
The next evening was when Eddie’s plan came into action. He knew you well enough, listened to you well enough to know you would be at home in comfy clothes, keeping to yourself. So Eddie packed himself an overnight bag and headed to your place. It was sunset, and he knew you were home. He was happy to see your car parked outside your apartment and quickly made his way to your door. He could hear you inside. It sounded like you were cooking something. He knocked on the door a couple of times. When the door opened, he grinned at the sight of you. You were in a hoodie, hair pulled into a messy bun at the top of your head. Your sweatpants were baggy and tied around your hips like you had bought mens sweatpants and were unable to keep them up. Orange socks with jack-o-lantern faces on the tops of your feet poked out from the legs of your sweatpants. 
“What’s cooking?” Eddie asked, smelling something savory coming from your kitchen.
—--------------------------------
It was homemade chicken noodle soup. A comfort food for you. After the past few days, you were ready to just take time for yourself. Sometimes a self care day just makes you feel the tiniest bit better. So you planned a good meal, a bath, skin care and lots of comfort. You had chopped up all your vegetables. The usual carrots, celery, onion and garlic go into the pot. You seasoned your chicken bone broth with thyme and a sizable bay leaf. You always made more soup than one person probably needed. Usually getting a couple of bowls out of it, but you didn’t care. You had put all your veggies into the broth to simmer to soften the veggies and get some good flavor into them. You shredded up some chicken, noodles already ready to throw into the soup when it was finished. A movie played in the background as you tossed some garlic bread into the oven. Jack was just touring the hotel he would be working in for the winter. You smiled softly as you moved to your coffee table, lighting up a candle and going back to the kitchen for a drink when you heard a knock on the door. You stopped mid-stride. You certainly weren’t expecting anybody since all your friends had gone into the city to that club and you had no other friends. You frowned and approached the door carefully before leaning up on your toes for the peephole. Despite the fact that the thing was murky as hell, you could always recognize the mop of brown curls on the other side. You quickly opened the door, staring up at Eddie. At his question, you opened your mouth and closed it again. Why was he here? Shouldn’t he be with everyone else? Your eyes drifted to the bag on his shoulder. 
“Uh, chicken noodle soup and garlic bread.” You answered, stepping back to let Eddie inside. He moved inside like you had expected him. There was a dull thud as his bag hit the floor. Eddie crouched down and opened up his bag, pulling out clothes. You blinked, slowly backing up into the kitchen, a little more confused now. You opened the fridge and poured yourself some water. “Water or beer?” You called out.
“Water!”
You grabbed another glass and poured Eddie some water. You shuffled back to the living room and stopped short seeing Eddie changing in the middle of your living room. “Uhh, Eds?” you tilted your head to the side. His pale skin contrasted his tattoos well. Black ink against alabaster skin portraying things Eddie had drawn up himself. Unique art on a unique human being. For never being a jock, Eddie had muscle. You’d seen the amplifiers he had picked up before, so you knew his arms were muscular before you even got this chance to ogle them. He had a little waist and a tiny bit of pudge on his stomach. It was funny to you in that moment that you admired his tummy, but you hated your own. You wanted to poke at his tummy and hug him, feel the warmth of his skin against yours and the contours of his body.
“What’s so funny?”
You moved your eyes from Eddie’s chest to his amused face. “Nothing,” you murmured and held out the glass to him.
Eddie took the glass and took a sip before humming and shaking his head. “Nope, something was definitely funny. Was it something about my chest? You were staring pretty hard.”
Your face immediately grew warm knowing that he had caught you staring at him. “I-”
“You can stare all you want, sweetheart. Take a picture if you want, too.” Eddie set his glass down and reached for his belt, undoing it faster than you had ever seen someone unbuckle and remove a belt from their person. He popped the button on his jeans next.
“Soup! Gonna… soup.” You half shouted, half mumbled before retreating into the kitchen quickly. You removed the lid from the pot and stared down into your soup as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
When you finally got your breathing under control and you stopped picturing Eddie taking his belt off in your living room, you returned to your task of making dinner. You pulled the garlic bread from the oven and dumped the egg noodles into the pot. You reached up to grab some bowls, but another pair of hands stopped you in your tracks. Eddie grabbed the bowls, chest pressed to your back. He grabbed two of them and two small plates for the garlic bread, then set them on the counter. You swallowed thickly and wondered if he had put a shirt on. You turned your head and discovered that he hadn’t. You wiggled around until you faced him. Eddie smiled, placing his hands on the counter and trapping you in. “Not cold?” you murmured softly.
Eddie shook his head. “No, not cold,” he murmured back. One of his hands moved to your hip before sliding behind to slide up into your hoodie, touching your back. 
You stared up at him, chewing on your lip thoughtfully. He stared back at you and you watched as his eyes wandered from your eyes, then down to your lips. As he leaned in, you reached up and placed your hand on his jaw, your thumb resting on his lips. “Hold on, before you distract me,” you chuckle, feeling his lower lip jut out a little under your thumb in a pout. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the city?”
Eddie’s face shifted at your inquiry. No longer pouting, he now looked a bit sad and you thought you might have hurt his feelings by making it seem like you didn’t want him there. You moved your thumb off of his lip to let him speak. “I guess? But I knew you weren’t going and I wasn’t going to go without you…” he murmured. You watched his face for a moment. He looked like he had more to say to you and you hoped your silence would soon egg him on. You nodded your head a little. “How did you do that?” he finally asked quietly after a few moments of silence. 
“Do what?”
“You shut off.” You raised a brow at that. Shut off? Shut off what? “In the store the other day, Steve mentioned why they didn’t invite you. You looked upset for half a second, sweetheart, then… nothing. Like it never happened. I watched you just kinda… shut off?”
Oh. “You noticed that?” you whispered and Eddie nodded. His fingers soothingly rubbed the skin of your back. 
“Yeah, I noticed that.” he answered, “What was that?”
You didn’t want to tell him. You’d learned sometimes it was far better hiding your feelings than making other people ‘deal with’ them. You didn’t want to bother anyone with your emotions. “It was nothing, really.” you waved it off but Eddie was stubborn and you knew this. So it didn’t surprise you when he shook his head. 
“No, no. Not nothing. C’mon. Boyfriend time. Be honest with me and how you feel.” 
You sighed. There was only so long you could go with this and you knew this. Eddie was persistent when he wanted to be. Your hands moved to his chest before settling down at his waist. “I just… hid it.” you murmured with a small shrug as if it was nothing.
“Hid it?”
“My reaction. How I felt.”
“Why?”
The simple question in and of itself stopped you. You knew why but you also knew for some people it probably was a hard thing to grasp. You took a breath and sighed. “Because it’s better to tuck it away than to let people know you’re upset. So they don’t get upset that you’re upset and have to deal with how you… I, feel.” you murmured your explanation, distracting yourself with the tattoos inked into Eddie’s chest instead of looking up at his face. “It happens. Especially when I’ve had a rough week. It just… feels easier to tuck it away for the time being.”
“And what happens when it doesn’t stay hidden away?” Eddie practically whispered his question like he was afraid of the answer.
“You wouldn’t want to see that when it happens. It isn’t pretty.”
“I’m not here for just the pretty.” 
Your eyes moved up to his face. “Yeah?” your voice cracked a little and you resisted the urge to ask why he had waited all week to kiss you then if that was how he felt. Why he didn’t want to in front of everyone else. It never occurred to you that it might be for your comfort and not his own.
“Talk to me,baby. Tell me what’s happened this week.” Eddie murmured, pressing closer to you. His lips met your forehead in a soothing touch as you took a shaky breath. 
“I just felt…” your lips closed again. It was nerve wracking just telling someone plainly how you felt. How you hurt.
“Go on,”
“I felt ignored this week,” you admitted softly.
“By who?” Eddie asked, pulling back so he could see your face now.
“Nancy was first. Reached out and she left me on read that’s all… there was also what happened at Family Video the other day. You and Jonathan got invited to the club and I know it isn’t my scene but it isn’t yours either but you guys got invited. Then,” you stopped. The last thing had been Eddie. Not hearing from him since the first night he was there at your apartment with you and when he did see you he had acted as if none of this was happening. It made you feel a way you didn’t want to feel again.
Eddie was too observant in his day to day life but sitting there watching your face intently as you spoke he knew not just from your trailing off into silence that there was something else but he could see it in your eyes. He gave your side a gentle squeeze as if to pull you back to him. “Then,” he murmured softly.
Your eyes moved back up to Eddie’s face. You were afraid to hurt his feelings and the urge to tell him that it was nothing was strong. The way Eddie watched you made you feel like you should just tell him. If you didn’t, you risked him acting as if nothing had ever happened again. It felt almost like being used. “I know this isn’t real.” you started, “but you… I just hardly saw you this week and I know I’m probably overthinking it like the idiot I am but I didn’t see you for so long and then we finally have a party gathering and… I don’t know. I expected something, I guess.” 
“Something? Can you give me more details?” he asked, his other hand now moving to cradle the back of your head.
Band aid. Just rip it off. “Did you not want to kiss me in front of everyone else? It’s because it’s me, isn’t it?” you practically rush out. 
The look on Eddie’s face has your face growing warm with embarrassment. The shock written on his face at your words like he almost couldn’t believe you had asked him that. “No! No, Y/N. It’s not because it’s you. How could you… Fuck, babe. I’d kiss you in front of all of them but I didn’t for you. Not because of you. I didn’t wanna scare you off and I also didn’t want everyone to have a million questions especially cause I had no idea what you were thinking after last week. Trust me, if I thought I could get away with it I’d make out with you in front of all of them and risk whatever would be thrown at us to make us stop.” Eddie chuckled, tucking a piece of your hair back into your bun that attempted an escape. You pouted, lightly swatting his side as he mentioned making out with you in front of the others. It made sense what he was saying. If no one else knew of your ‘arrangement’ it might seem weird it happened. Besides that, one moment you both were just friends and the next you were all over one another? You supposed it wasn’t far off. “I know you’re also not huge on public displays of affection.” Eddie added on.
You shrugged your shoulders. That was actually due in part to being on your own. Being so lonely, yearning what other people had and those experiences sometimes made it hard to see people lavish affection on one another. It usually brought on a bitter feeling and thoughts about how you would never know what that would feel like. It was better not to see it than to see it and crave what you couldn’t have. You pressed your face to Eddie’s chest and sighed, taking in his warmth. “More like jealousy than anything else,” you mumbled your confession against his skin. You’d never been this close to a shirtless man before. 
“Jealousy, huh?” Eddie hummed and you could hear the smirk in his tone. “Might just have to make out with you on our first public date outting. Movies? Go real old school with it.”
“Not really old school like Skull Rock or Lovers Lake?” you tease and rested your chin on his chest.
“Oooh, you wanna go really old school, huh?” Eddie laughed and nodded his head, “We can do that.” 
You felt a little better having talked it out with Eddie. The conversation didn’t go deeper after that, but even the little that you had touched on felt like a weight was lifted off of your shoulders. Eddie made you feel validated. Not that your feelings were unimportant in any way. Sometimes you knew what was upsetting you could be ridiculous and was linked to a deeper problem at the time but it was nice just to be heard. There were multiple reasons why someone might not answer their phone or decide they will answer later and just forget. You sometimes just got into these depressive episodes where it felt like everything was the issue. The smallest thing was blown up in your mind because your mind was telling you these negative things. It was why you found nights like these helpful. A good meal, some movies and self care could sometimes knock you into a good headspace to start fresh again.
After your conversation, you and Eddie took your food into the living room. You both eat in silence as you watch the movie. Every now and again, Eddie makes a comment on the film or your cooking. When the food was finished and the rest put up, you sat on the couch and knew you should move on to your other parts of the evening before it got too late. Eddie dramatically draped himself over your legs as you stretched out on your couch. He wriggled his way up until his head rested on your stomach. “So, what else do you do on these cozy nights of yours?” Eddie asked, eyes glued to the TV.
“I do some skincare, have a good bath or shower. Get all pretty and soft skinned.” you answered as you began playing with his hair. It then occurred to you that Eddie was there. You moved your hand to his face, feeling his cheek before feeling his forehead then his nose. 
“Sweetheart… what are you doing?”
You giggle at his question and shrug. “Feeling your face compared to your T-zone.” you answer as if it was obvious.
“My what zone?” Eddie lifted his head to look at you.
“Your T-zone.” you poked his forehead, running your finger across his forehead, then down the bridge of his nose to form a T. “Some people are more oily in their T-zone. I was curious about your face. Do you wanna join me?”
“Are you gonna touch my zones again?”
“I’m gonna touch all over your face. Maybe your neck too.” you laughed. If you really wanted to you could spoil him by laying him down and giving him the full treatment. “Shower first though.”
Eddie immediately grinned. “Are we gonna shower together?” he wiggled his brows at you.
“I think it’s a tad early for you to see me naked.”
“Damn it.” Eddie sighed dramatically, “... you can still see me naked though.”
“You almost did show me. Remember?”
“Oh yeah… where did I throw that belt?”
—--------------------------------
Both of you took separate showers. Once you were clean, you had set out your stuff on your night table and sat on your bed. Eddie laid down on your bed with his head resting in your lap. You already had a face mask on and had diligently pulled Eddie’s hair back, strapping a headband onto him to keep his hair at bay from his face.
“So this is supposed to be good for you?” Eddie asked, eyes closed as you picked things up off of your bedside table.
“Yes, Eddie. It’s good for you.” you laughed as you wet Eddie’s face. You squirted some of your face wash into your hands and lathered it up before starting to clean Eddie’s face. You made sure to massage the cleanser into his skin. A small smile tugged at your lips feeling Eddie’s body relax further as you massaged his face. Once it was clean, you took a damp towel and wiped the cleanser off.
“Tranquilizer fingers over here.” Eddie mumbled quietly. You hummed as you started to paint a mask onto his face. “Oooh, what the fuck, is this normal?” Eddie asked, chocolate eyes open and turned up towards you.
“What’s happening?” you asked him with a frown.
“My face is tingly. Is my face gonna fall off?” his eyes were wide, concerned for the state of his face.
“Does it tingle or burn like a sunburn?”
“Tingle. It doesn’t hurt.”
You laughed and shook your head. “That’s normal, babe. If it burned then no.” you reassured him, smoothing more of the mask over his face.
“Oh thank god. My beautiful face,” he sighed dramatically. “So this relaxing stuff, you do it often?”
You nodded your head. “It helps me relax. Forget about everything that happens when it’s a bad day. Makes me feel fresh and renewed in a way. Relaxed, too.” you explained with a small shrug.
“Do you masturbate on these nights too?” Eddie chuckled, “Sounds like it’d go well together.”
You roll your eyes and nod. “Yeah, perv. That goes hand in hand too.” you laugh, gently tugging on his hair. 
Eddie managed to let you finish doing a face mask on him followed by putting some hair products into his hair. You even managed to paint his nails for him. Black, of course. At the end of the night when the beauty products were put away and the dishes cleaned, Eddie crawled into bed with you. You curled up beside him, snuggling close to him as he turned the night table lamp off. You listened to his heart beat. You took a breath and shut your eyes.
“Eddie,”
“Hm?”
“Thank you for spending time with me tonight.”
“Of course, sweetheart. Anything for you.”
—---------------------------------
It was still chilly. You were thankful for it. You had been watching your curtains blowing from the breeze coming through the open window for a while now. You looked over at the clock. It was later than you usually woke up but you had the day off and you currently had a man cuddling you. You found you liked cuddling or maybe you just liked cuddling Eddie. Either way, you were content. His breath fanned over your skin every time he breathed out, very much still asleep. You had entertained the idea of getting up and making coffee but that meant moving from where you were. Comfy and warm under your covers. Eddie’s arms tightened around you as if in his sleep he was telling you not to move either. You laid there just a bit longer.
It was your need for the bathroom that finally made you move. You carefully extracted yourself from Eddie’s hold and grabbed your hoodie from last night, pulling it back on. When you slept it was like a delicate balance of temperatures. Nice and cold inside the room but you couldn’t bundle too much to sleep or you’d grow too hot. You started up some coffee and then started making scrambled eggs with sausage. Just as you were finishing up Eddie stumbled out of the bedroom. You let your eyes linger on Eddie’s shirtless form walking mindlessly towards you.
“Hi,” you laughed as he shuffled towards you.
Eddie grunted, wrapping his arms around you and leaning in. His lips pressed against yours, lingering there, pressing gentle kisses against your lips. You melted against him, kissing him back and deciding this was something you could get used to. When he pulled away you whined quietly at the loss of his lips on yours. “Hi,” Eddie answered, voice gravelly from sleep. “You make me breakfast?” he murmured as his head moved to press his face to your neck. 
“Mhm,” you hummed, rubbing your hands over his back before wrapping your arms around him. “Hungry? Got coffee too.”
“So good to me,” Eddie murmured before lifting his head to kiss you again.
“C’mon,” you laughed, nudging him gently before pulling away to give him a mug.
Eddie took the mug from you and started to make his coffee. Soon the two of you were cuddled up on your couch to enjoy your breakfast together. Sitting there having coffee with Eddie felt good. It was comfortable and you found yourself thinking maybe you could get used to something like this. Maybe, just maybe, this was something you could have.
170 notes · View notes
jennarations · 1 year
Note
Would love your landoscar fic recs 💌
your wish is my absolute command 🫡🫡
i’ve gone back to college and started student teaching and gotten covid and adopted a kitten all in the last two weeks so i haven’t gotten to read as much but here is what i’ve got! the key is the same as the lestappen fic rec:
> (Title) +/= (Multichaptered/One-Shot)
(Summary)
!!! (Link)
• (Tags - please note these are just the tags I saw relevant to myself, double check the fics themselves for any other tags you might deem relevant!) *(Word count)
Here we go! I’m also tagging some of the bestest and loveliest authors at the bottom of the post, go send them some love!! (Putting it under a Read More for all of our collective sanity)
My one (1) work (shameless self plug heheheh):
> Thunderstruck =
Lando has a childhood fear of thunderstorms and in a record-breaking year for rainfall, Oscar Piastri becomes his new teammate.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50579323?view_adult=true
• Falling in love, Slight pining, Fluff, Humor *8.1k
> If You’re Barbie, And I’m Barbie, Then Who’s Driving the Bus? =
Anyways, the driver room is largely quiet at the moment. But not entirely, much to Lando’s enjoyment.
Buzzing from Oscar’s headphones, loud enough for Lando to hear the words, is a song from Barbie.
Charli XCX, no less.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/48940792#main
• Fluff, Comedy *800 words
> Mortifying! Anyways, =
Mortifying interaction, but he’d survive. Besides, it’s not like the cashier was that cut–
“Cute enough to make you stupid, huh Norris?” He could hear his smile before he saw his face, a proper Cheshire grin.
“Fuck off mate,” Lando groaned, already trying to scrub the cashier from his brain. Except for the Australian accent, he decided; that bit could stay. Maybe his eyes, too, as tired as they had seemed. And his hair, which looked so soft in that kind of ridiculous side part.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49328047/chapters/124474876?
• College AU, Clumsy Lando, Meet-cute *2.3k
> The New Normal =
He wears a lot of shorts.
Lando had thought that Daniel wore shorts a lot, and then along came Oscar. It must be something about Australians.
Carlos never wore shorts.
Oscar’s pale, unblemished, muscular (and hairy) thighs spill out of the team issued black shorts whenever they sit to film content, or sit in meetings, or whenever Oscar sits in Lando’s general vicinity while wearing them.
They’re not a distraction.
OR Lando’s very healthy obsession with his new teammate’s thighs.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49335997/chapters/124496539?
• Pining, Slight smut *8k
> Invocations One Fall Away From the Concrete = ♥️
“Okay,” Lando says. “What’s your power?”
“Telekinesis,” Oscar replies a little too easily, like he’s trying not to make a big deal out of it. In fact, he’s already looking back down at his form. Lando doesn’t miss the way he seems completely stumped by the ‘Birth date’ square though.
Telekinetics are far and few between. You’re probably more likely to be struck by lightning twice than to meet a telekinetic. They’re so highly sought after in the hero industry that any telekinetic baby would automatically have a net worth of at least three hundred billion US dollars the second it was born. Moreover Oscar's an Oxy. It’s like, the jackpot of jackpots. This guy’s simply unreal on paper.
Lando scrunches up his face, rolls his eyes and says, “alright.” He shrugs. “Nothing to write home about, then.”
--------------------
AKA the low-key superpowers au where they have to activate their powers doing a really specific thing. Oscar's activation is a mystery to Lando, but it involves a lot of good stuff, pinky promise. (Lando Wink™)
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49508506/chapters/124953475?
• Non-Driver AU, Superpowers AU, Roommates, Slight Angst, Fluff, Humor *10.3k
> Only Found = ♥️
“Hey, well. No strings attached, right?” Oscar says, strategically.
Lando smiles and says, “hell yeah. And now that that’s established, what’s your stance on aliens? Also, do you still want your cake?”
--
cinderella soulmates au where whatever you lose, your soulmate finds. except: oscar has a soulmate and lando is a No-Match, a person who doesn't have a soulmate.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49218676#main
• Non-Driver AU, Soulmates AU, Lawyer!Oscar, Streamer!Lando, Angst, Fluff *6.8k
> Carried Away =
"Oscar," Lando said. "Don't hate me, alright, but I've—”
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/48871015#main
• Non-Driver AU, Fake Relationship, Angst, Fluff, Humor *22.1k
> Little Bit of Love =
“I’m freezing,” Lando says. Whines, really. “Don’t be mean, Oscar, I feel like shit.”
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49143811
• Sick fic, Fluff, Realization of Feelings *4.7k
> Signed Sealed =
Delivered
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/48959461#main
• Text fic, NSFW pics *4.3k
> Smokeshow =
Because Oscar won the American football challenge, Lando had to wear the cheerleader uniform.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/48546973#main
• Smut, Cheerleader uniform Lando, Brat!Lando *3.5k
> I’ll Kiss You First =
“Uh,” Oscar says, when they’re in the car on their way to the airport. “I think you’re—um. Going into heat, mate.”
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/47264011#main
• A/B/O, Alpha!Oscar, Omega!Lando, Smut *3.1k
> Sunflower Seeds =
Not worth dwelling on, really. Oscar doesn’t have to understand him to be on his team. If he were a pitcher, it would be different; Oscar has to get his pitchers in order to do his job as a catcher well. Lando isn’t a pitcher, though. So it’s fine.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49596088/chapters/125175172?
• Non-Driver AU, Baseball AU, Realization of Feelings, Fluff *8.6k
> Chronically Bitchless But Still Wifed Up = ♥️
Lando wasn’t above throwing his weight around in order to get what he wanted, at least in some circumstances. And he wanted to meet Oscar Piastri.
In general, he wanted to go to a MotoGP weekend and probably could have either bought tickets and waited around there like a normal person or asked one of his actual sort-of friends in the paddock to hang out in their garage, but the more specific desire was to meet Oscar Piastri.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49301212#main
• MotoGP!Oscar, Driver!Lando, Fluff, Humor *8.3k
> Negative Splits =
So officially, Oscar Piastri, pretty good steepler and pretty bad pacer, was now a professional runner.
They wanted him to steeple, mostly, though he’d be doing cross country in the fall, and Lando had pinky promised him, mid-distance guy to mid-distance guy, that if he wanted to get into the 3k flat indoor then he would get him in.
Oscar didn’t really want to ask how he planned on doing that. Felt safer not to ask.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/48161206#main
• Non-Driver AU, Professional Runner AU, Injuries, Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort *10.1k
> Thinkin Bout Your Touch =
Lando’s brain gets so occupied by the thought it shouldn’t come as a surprise really, when a few rounds later Oscar says, “Dare.” Lando blurts out, “Let me suck your dick.”
There’s a long, awkward silence in which they just stare at each other, Oscar’s expression completely unreadable. “Uh,” he eventually says. “I think a dare is something I’m supposed to do.”
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/48704749?view_adult=true#main
• PWP, Blowjob *2.3k
> I’ve Tasted Blood (And I Want More) =
Lando grabs a pillow and hits him with it, while Oscar laughs loudly. His fangs are on full display, white and sharp and pretty. “You know what I mean, you dickhead!”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Oscar says, eyes twinkling. “You want me to use you as a human Capri Sun. You know, like a weirdo.”
“God, you’re making this so much worse than it is,” Lando says, burying his face in his hands. It’s. Well, it’s embarrassing, but Oscar also hasn’t outright said no, so. You know what they say. In for a penny, in for a pound. “So, will you?” And then, just in case, he adds. “Suck my blood?”
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/48136999#main
• Vampire!Oscar, PWP *5.6k
> Legerdemain =
“You’re so modest it’s disgusting,” Lando says. “Michelle’s told me all about it. You winning against some master back in Australia. Anyways, she wants to hop on the bandwagon, get us to play chess, take photos after the weekend. She thinks you could teach me. It would show that you’re pedantic and that I’m pushing past my comfort zone...”
Oscar scoffs. “If Michelle’s only taking photos, why do I need to teach you it? Couldn’t we just pose with a chess set, like the Williams drivers?”
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49690744/chapters/125422075?
• Chess, Humor, Sexual Tension *5.8k
> What You Do To Me =
“Oh,” Oscar says, because what else are you supposed to say when your teammate says ‘I wish I still had a girlfriend so I could fuck some of that frustration out of me’. “I mean. I uh. I could give you a blowjob? I’d suggest a fuck but I don’t have any lube on me right now and I’m guessing you don’t either.”
Huh, would you look at that. Looks like the award for ‘most insane statement of the night’ doesn’t go to Lando after all.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/47993518?view_adult=true#main
• PWP, Blowjob *2.5k
> Purring in My Lap (cause he loves me) =
The cat thing ends up getting sort of explained in Bahrain, when Lando walks into his driver room and finds a small orange cat sitting on his couch.
Oscar’s cat, presumably.
And he kind of looks like Oscar, too. Slender, lean, and with a slightly grumpy, unimpressed expression on his face. It makes Lando laugh a little. Like owner, like pet, clearly. “Should I just call you Oscat, then,” Lando jokes, giving the cat a little head scratch.
The cat, Oscat, stops rubbing at Lando’s hand and just stares at him instead. Lando would almost say he was looking at him disapprovingly, but it is a cat, so he’s probably just imagining things.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/47878867#main
• Cat!Oscar, Fluff, Slight Angst *5k
> In Limbo =
“So what, you like me?”
Tick this box for yes, and this box for no. Fold it tight. Slide the paper under the desk. Don’t let anyone see.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49619383#main
• PWP, Dubious Consent *2.3k
> Eyes on Me =
He just doesn’t understand why Oscar stares so much.
It first comes to his attention at the pre-season media shoots. They have to be photographed in the new gear, and the new suits, and all the while a video camera is rolling to capture content for some behind the scenes pre-season footage. Lando likes to look back at the content they film, just to see how awkward he is.
He looks over some of the test photos while the videos load, and he sees Oscar’s eyes on him a lot of the time. Lando’s own are on the camera, his posture relaxed as he goes through the motions of what the team asks of him.
OR
Lando notices just how much Oscar stares at him, until one day he realises just how much he stares back.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49769368#main
• Mutual Pining *3.8k
> Home Is Wherever You Are =
‘You know, we could ask Carlos to babysit tonight,’ Lando mumbled against his mouth.
Oscar pulled back and hit his husband’s chest while laughing at him and shaking his head.
‘The man just arrived, babe, we can’t ask that right away!’
Lando pouted and pulled Oscar back against his chest. ‘But it’s been so long since it’s just been the two of us.’
OR: Lando and Oscar spend the day with their daughter and friends before finally having some alone time
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49909321
• Kid!fic, Established Relationship, Fluff *4.1k
> Grand Theft August =
Oscar Piastri, eh? It's not the worst idea he's ever had.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49975555?view_adult=true#main
• Angst, Humor, Smut *6.9k
> We’re All in the Butter But Some of Us Are Looking At the Cars = ♥️
Under it, the cross stitch with the Mandela quote, there was another one. A different one. Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. Stars, again. And then the one beneath that was also about stars. Weird, he thought, then went to the till to wait for his sister.
Above the pile, too high for twelve year old Oscar to read, a sign was stamped. SECTION #13: REACH FOR THE STARS.
Twenty two year old Oscar rests his nose to the glass and looks at the clouds.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49696357
• Angst, Slow burn, Prose, Realization of Feelings *14.3k
> Terraforming =
“WORMHOLES! An Einstein brain child. They are created when FTL objects puncture the bed sheet that is our universe. Going through them should be a trip through timespace, which sounds cool, except it’s not because we never know what’s on the other side—”
“I think you meant fabric, not bed sheet,” Oscar says.
Lando rolls his eyes. “It’s a metaphor, mate.”
“For what?”
“For like. The fabric of the universe.”
“Huh.”
“Shut up.”
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50099659
• Space AU, Non-Linear Narrative, Angst, Happy Ending *8.8k <- I literally haven’t read this yet because it was uploaded today but i love enzo and all their stuff is fantastic so i’m rec’ing it anyway :)
> Superdense Neutron Star//Post Supernova +
It felt good to laugh. Thursdays already kind of sucked, all of the walking and talking and nothing to do, even when he wasn’t being drilled on the abrupt shift of his career. It was manageable because it had to be; because there was half a season left and a championship spot left to fight for and a team that was still his home, even if he’d just been delivered the eviction notice.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49981615/chapters/126195823
• Angst, Fluff, Ambiguous Ending *21.8k <- i also have not had the time to read this one because of life, but i trust leaf with my feelings (and my life) so this also goes on the list.
EDIT 11/5: More additions to the list!
> Unraveled =
Lando does not have a thing for his roommate.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50085112/chapters/126476167?
• Non-Driver AU, Roommate AU, Bartender!Lando, Realization of Feelings *7.1k
> It’s Not Queerbaiting, It’s Saving the World =
Lando bursts into Oscar’s room without knocking. He’s red in the face and panting, sweat collecting on his forehead like he just ran a marathon.
“You need to kiss me.”
or, the drivers stage a protest, of sorts. Oscar might lose his mind.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49710619#main
• Fluff, Humor *1.6k
> Melepathic. Or Something =
“Thank God we used condoms,” mutters Oscar later, when they’re presentable, no doubt thinking back to last week when they. Well. Lando peeks out the door to check if the hallway is clear. It is.
“Yeah,” he says as he gestures Oscar out. “See you in a few, mate.” Oscar slips through and Lando picks up his phone again, sees a new message. Up for some fun tonight?
sure, says Lando after a moment. Amen to short refractory periods and all that.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/47589115#main
• Smut, Miscommunication, Happy Ending, FWB *8.5k
> What Would You Do (If I Went To Touch You Now?) =
“Okay, so they both like each other. We need to get them together.”
“How? Lando’s too freaked out to think straight and Oscar is the human embodiment of the standing man emoji.”
Charles purses his lips for a moment before he snatches his boyfriend’s phone up from the other side of the table.
“What are you doing?”
“Initiating Mission Landoscar.”
“Did you just make that up?”
Charles waves at him dismissively as he begins texting, and Max lays his head down on the coffee table and prays for strength.
***
In which Max tries to prove to an oblivious Charles how glaringly obvious it is that Lando is head over heels in love with Oscar. When Charles finally gets with the program, Lestappen go on A Mission™ to get the two idiots to admit their feelings for each-other, but it’s easier said than done.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/48745483/chapters/122963314
• Lestappen as a plot device, Angst, Slight Smut, Fluff, Humor, Texting, Escape Room Shenanigans *29.7
> Soft Vanilla Foreplay = ♥️
“Oh shit, you’re,” Lando gasps, smiles. “You’re a. You’re Robin Hood. You’re a kitty Robin Hood.”
Oscar stops grinding. “Can we have this talk tomorrow?”
Lando laughs and comes down to place a kiss on Oscar’s lips. “Yeah. Oh yeah. Tomorrow. Tomorrow would be great. I’m sooooo busy right now. Hmm.”
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50382910/chapters/127293583?
• Vigilantes, Cat!Oscar, Hacker!Lando, Non-Driver AU, Slight angst, Humor, Happy Ending *8.6k
> Is it Gay to Watch Your Teammate on TikTok? (Asking for a friend) +
He’s sitting on the bed, dinner long since picked at, with his knees pulled up to his chest. He feels close to hyperventilating.
It’s playing on loop, some sappy little edit captioned “i need to find someone to look at me the same way oscar looks at lando”.
And really, who the fuck was going to tell him that Oscar smiles at him like that?
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/127611460?
• Fluff, Humor, Ship aware Lando (containment breach of RPF), Pining *4.6k
> HOCKEY!!! Shrimp Colors :) =
Montreal puts Oscar on waivers after years - years of bouncing from the feeder team up to the league, and then back down. Edmonton picks him up.
Edmonton keeps him. Lando does, too.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50562061/chapters/127728067?
• Non-Driver AU, Hockey AU, Leaf puts sports boys into other sports, Angst, Fluff *13.8k
> My Shelter in a Hurricane =
Oscar wants to help Lando get better after the disappointment of Qatar's GP qualification. He doesn't know how...
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50639854/chapters/127923673?
• Fluff, Established Relationship, Post-Qatar Quali, Slight Angst *1.4k
> Pretty When You Cry =
Lando wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry, rip his hairs out, punch a hole into a wall, maybe shove someone, or maybe all of the above.
Or: the mclaren boys comfort each other after that shipwreck of a qualifying.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50624551?view_adult=true#main
• Fluff, Slight Angst *1.4k
> Already Home = ♥️
Lando takes a deep steadying breath. “I think I might be in love with Oscar.” He says, and hates how immediately when he says the words, he knows it’s true.
“Right,” Max says, nodding. “And?”
“What do you mean, ‘and?’” Lando says, a little outraged. “I can’t be in love with him! We’re married! This is like, a disaster waiting to happen!”
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50704861/chapters/128087614?
• Non-Driver AU, Fake Marriage, Falling in Love, Angst, Humor, Fluff *32.5k
> Do You Like Me? Y/N =
oscar & lando have an awkward plane conversation, aided by uquiz.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50706235/chapters/128091004?
• Fluff *3.8k
> Recreate the Sun =
“You know who you sound like when you say that?” Lando asks absently, tossing the open bag of Skittles to one side and hoisting himself up the bed to rest against the pillows, head tipped back, the jut of his Adam’s apple catching stark in the TV’s flickering light.
On some level, Oscar already knows what’s coming. The Cheshire cat grin Lando gives to the ceiling near enough confirms it.
“Who?”
“Mark Webber.”
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/48632239
• PWP, Weed use, Oscar/Mark mentions *3k
> Landoscar Cooking Show =
Lando and Oscar's love story through food-related posts on Instagram
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50825998#main
• Picture fic, Social media fic, Fluff *0k
> Little Renaissance = ♥️
And Oscar - people said he didn’t like the spotlight, didn’t know how to capture it and keep it the way Lando did. They always compared the two of them, in that regard. Even after Oscar left. But they weren’t right, the strangers, not after the first year at least.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50824324/chapters/128393929?
• Future Fic, Retirement, Angst, Pining, Acceptance, Happy Ending, Prose *14.2k
> Those Magic Changes =
“Yeah, right.” Oscar’s beer tastes stale in his mouth. “Sure there’s other perks though, right?”
Logan’s attention has been taken by his phone. Probably a girl, Oscar thinks, or his Mom. Maybe there’s a particularly big fish being shared in the family group chat. He types out a message then locks it with purpose, chucking it face down on the table.
“Yeah, I mean. You know what they say happens when you podium, right? The girl thing?”
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49308133#main
• Fem!Oscar, Smut, PWP *7.8k
> Sometimes I Start To Think You Hate Me Too =
Lando seems to have come to the conclusion that his strategy of appeasing him isn't working, so he opts for being impersonal, objective. "You were optimistic, Carlos locked up, you both crashed. It was a racing incident, and you - you are being dumb about it."
It doesn't work.
He scoffs, upset, he has never left anything well alone, he digs his heels deeper. "I wasn't too optimistic, I was inexperienced, was I not?"
OR,
The deep fear of yearning, wanting and needing without understanding the jealousy that consumes you. Breaking and breathing heavily under an awfully put facade of everything going well.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49659349/chapters/125339467?
• Angst, Inner Turmoil, Fluff, Happy Ending *3.7k
> Mine =
All in all, it’d been a shit weekend for Oscar. He knew he was beating himself up over understandable, expected rookie mistakes, he knew it was a great learning opportunity, he knew that the damage to his car hadn’t been entirely his fault on both occasions. Even if he didn’t show it or express it outwardly, it stung to watch his teammate stand on the podium - P3 - after all that’d happened. It hurt even more when that P3 became P2 before they’d even finished celebrating.
Lando moved up in the championship, so did the team. He deserved it, but it hurt like a bitch.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/51053692?view_adult=true#main
• PWP, Dom!Oscar *2.8k
> Sanctus = ♥️
“Nessun maggior dolore che ricordarsi del tempo felice ne la miseria,” Oscar read. Recited. Proclaimed.
“There is no greater sorrow than thinking back upon a happy time in misery,” Lando echoed.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/50752399/chapters/128207113?
• Renaissance AU, Non-Driver AU, Angst, Master/Servant Relationship, Religious Imagery, Fluff, Happy Ending *5.5k
> Anything Less Than Human =
Oscar doesn’t really do entrances. Sure, in high society, it’s deemed necessary to stand at the top of some ridiculous staircase and wait for someone to announce your arrival. But that really only works in your favor if your name has any kind of good status associated with it.
Oscar’s not fortunate enough to fall into that category.
!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/49902154/chapters/125979850?
• Vampire!Oscar, Masquerade Ball, Consensual Blood Sucking *2.7k
That’s all for now folks!
Authors (i love and cherish u all, you’re simply the light of my life):
@wanderingblindly @eisenberg @ocontraire @celientjeee @nyoomfruits @gaslybottoms and @ venerat (ao3 user)
P.S. whoever the nonnies are that wrote “Grand Theft August” and “We’re All in the Butter but Some of us are Watching the Cars” i would literally pay you to step on me, thanks and good night.
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lively-potter · 8 months
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— nepenthe ; jjk ; part two
— genre ; age gap, angst, fluff, smut, sheltered oc, ceo jungkook, mafia/gang vibes ( kinda/sorta )
— warnings ; please note that in the beginning, the oc is in an abusive home — and if this triggers you please do not read. the oc is of age but nothing smutty will be happening for a while — but there WILL be smut. A small bit of SA is in this chapter and if it tiggers you, don’t read.
— intro, part one
— 2024 © @LivelyPotter
— find me on Wattpad ; LivelyPotter
— taglist ; @ahgasegotarmy116 @jk97bam
— word count ; 2.2k
***
SOLARIS January 20th, 2024 Charleston, SC
THE NAME SENT TREMBLES OF FEAR DOWN MY SPINE.
"Chairman Jeon?" my words cut off in a whimper at the reminder of the man everyone was frightened of. It was no secret to everyone how influential Chairman or Mister Jeon was and how much power he held by being the Chairman and owner of most of the multi-billion dollar companies in the United States and South Korea; the country he was originally from.
He even owned a Gentlemen's club here, called Ataraxia, in Charleston that Father visits more often than he ought — when the Chairman allows other people in the private club one another month.
I bit down on my lip as more thoughts raced through my brain.
Chairman Jeon wasn't a man even the most courageous of people wanted to cross, and those who did were either found dead...or just disappeared into thin air. He was the kind of man parents threatened their children with when they wanted them to behave. He was the same man Father threatened me with when I wouldn't stop crying after Mama died. Chairman Jeon was the most powerful sort of man Charleston had ever seen. It was also rumored that he had strong ties to the Mafia.
A cold chill passed through me at the thought.
Most of the people who lived here were grateful he barely made appearances, since ninety-five percent of the population of Charleston worked for him.
It had been months since Chairman Jeon had been here – I reckoned he spent most of his time in Korea, where his permanent residence was.
"Go to your room, girl, and remember –" he cut himself off to glare heatedly at me, "this house had better be spotless. I won't have my friends visit a pig stye."
I jerkily nodded and without wasting a moment, I raced away from him and shot to my bedroom. The first thing I did was wrap myself in my blanket and huddle in the corner – it was something I did when I wanted to think clearly.
Picking at the skin on my lip, I hesitantly glanced out the window and sighed. This would be a nerve-wracking week.
A stuffed purple bunny sat on the edge of my bed – a stuffed animal five-year-old me lovingly named; Mr. Carrots – caused me to smile. I shivered slightly underneath my blanket, thanking god I was finally warming up – and snatched the bunny from my bed and snuggled close to its neck.
Mr. Carrots had been with me the majority of my life and he was one of the only pieces of Mama I had left.
He brought me peace and comfort when Mama couldn't. I was anxious for what the next few days would bring but I didn't have any other choice but to just let them play out the way God intended.
*** SOLARIS January 21st, 2024 Charleston, SC
THE NEXT DAY WAS MUCH BRIGHTER THAN THE LAST.
Father had left before I woke up, sniffling with the first signs of a cold. I wrapped myself in one of Father's old sweaters to keep myself warm.
Wrapping my arms around my tummy with a flinch, I knew I better pay attention when it came time for Father to come home. The last thing I needed was for him to catch me wearing his old clothes to keep me warm.
The only thing I had to do before I started taking overthink down and cleaning was to place a new bandaid on the gash on my wrist.
Doing that, quickly, stomach grumbling in hunger, I entered the kitchen with a longing glance out of the tiny window above the kitchen sink.
I had lost count of how many years it had been since I was allowed to go outside the house and explore. I reckoned it had been years. I hardly remembered what kind of places were outside but I did remember how much I loved walking through the woods with Mama, collecting pretty leaves and tiny pincones. I smiled and started to twist the ends of my hip-length hair. I still had those leaves tucked inside the old pages of one of my old storybooks that Mama used to read to me. The little pinecones were stashed inside my little trinket box, along with the little acorns – we only found those when we were lucky.
I carefully grabbed a knife from the drawer, and cut a small apple in half, and nibbled on it as I pulled long hair out of my face with a ribbon and prepared to start cleaning.
I hummed happily under my breath as I picked up the glass, scrapped knees aching but I paid it no mind.
Hours passed by in a blur and I thankfully got the entire house cleaned and dinner and snacks already presented on the table before I declared myself done.
A grin beamed across my lips as I trotted to my bedroom and closed the door behind me. My bare feet padded on the carpet as I neared the small window a foot from the floor and knelt in front of it. My hands cupped my jawline, eyes watching the sun set with a heavy heart. Tears pricked my eyes and I closed them and clasped my hands together in front of my heart and began to speak.
"Dear heavenly Father," I started off, eyes closed and head tilted towards the sky, "I thank for letting me wake up and experience another day on this earth. I thank you for keeping me safe today, and being by my side when no one else is. I ask that you please watch over Mama and let her know that I love her and can't wait to be reunited with her one day." a lone tear dripped down my cheek, "Please, dear Lord, bless me and keep me safe and continue to hold me within your arms. I know that you have a plan for me," I continued, knees shifting.
"God always has a plan, my little Solaris." Mama's voice rang inside my head. "No matter how rough life gets at times, just know that God will always be there for you and after those hard times are over...the rewards are immense and glorious."
"But please, I just want to not be afraid anymore." I sniffled, "I want the pain to stop." the tear slid down my head and dripped onto my clasped hands. "I thank you for hearing my prayer and I hope you'll answer me soon." a small smile crept upon my lips. "I guess that's all for now – oh! And could you please keep me safe tonight and when Chairman Jeon comes back, please? I'm sorry to ask so much of you, but you're the only one besides Mama that loves me and I know that you hear me when I pray...um, Thank you again! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."
My soul lightened and my heart rate relaxed and then sped up when the noises of the front door opening. A little gasp escaped my lips and I smothered.
Don't be seen or heard, Solaris.
The voices of Father's terrifying friends had me balking in place, arms wrapping around myself to ground my trembling.
With shaky fingers, I peeled Father's sweater off my body and stuffed it underneath my bed — I'd have to sneak inside his room and put it back when he left.
I sat in the corner of my bedroom, knees pulled to my chest, and listened closely to what was happening in the living room.
The house was old and nearly falling apart, which meant the walls were thin. Pressing an ear to the wall, my eyes fluttered closed to focus. But I didn't have to listen long.
"Girl!"
Father's boom made me stand at full attention. I held my hands together to shield the shakiness from them and scurried from the room.
Soon enough, I was standing in front of Father and his friends. Two older men who gave me the creeps.
James and Stevie.
They eyed me like I was a piece of meat when they plopped down on the sofa and stroked along their bulging beer bellies.
My lips trembled, remembering their slimy touches along my legs and biceps the last time they came here.
"Get us beer."
I stood ramrod straight and nodded.
I left the living room without another word and withdrew three bottles of Modelo and opened them. Shockingly being able to juggle them in my arms, I hunched my shoulders and walked slowly back to the living room — heart thundering inside my chest.
When I returned, Father was gone and only James and Stevie were there. Their eyes latched onto me in a second and they exchanged looks.
My eyes glossed over when Stevie ran a hand through his greasy hair and mustache while licking his nearly invisible lips.
"W-Where's Father?" I asked, even hearing the unaltered fear in my croaking voice. I took hesitant steps near them and slowly handed them the beers in my hand.
It was James who answered.
"Bathroom, sweetcheeks."
I only nodded in return, internally cringing at the terrible name.
Slowly sighing in relief, I turned and placed Father's Modelo on the coffee table and stilled when I felt a hand land on my lower back.
Disgust welled in my gut as another hand landed on the exposed skin on the back of my knee and caressed my skin.
"Don't." I stiffened, terror locking my limbs. "Please." I shook my head, turning to face the men. Their faces were held in a lecherous glare as their unfocused eyes glazed over.
Stevie's hand tightened around my knee and tugged as James' hand fell from my lower back.
"Why don' you take a seat?" James asked, fingering a yellow patch on his skin, running a hand on his swollen face — probably due to high cholesterol.
"No thank you." I shook my head and mentally begged Father to come back. I felt black spots dance across my vision in a slow, swift motion.
I felt so faint.
Their touches on my body made me feel disgusted. Dirty.
Even though I hated showers because of my experience with them, all I wanted to do in this moment was go under the scalding spray and wash my skin raw in hopes I'd never remember the feeling of their hands on me. I was so scared.
"I'm tired." I tried to refuse, tugging myself further away from them.
Stevie's eyes sharpened at my blatant disregard of his desires and he locked his limbs, preparing to jump up from his seat.
A tear left my eye in relief as Father stomped into the room, loudly complaining of the PowerPoint slide they had to finish before Chairman Jeon came back.
Tomorrow.
"I swear," Father grunted, plopping down in his recliner and snatching the beer from the table. "Every time that damned man comes back — everyone freaks out."
I slowly started in his direction, body positioning behind his chair. I felt my body relax the tiniest bit being away from those two men.
Stevie took a glance at me before looking at Father, "No shit." He agreed with an eye roll.
"I just don't know what Chairman Jeon just don't stay the fuck in Korea. Where he and that gang of his belongs."
My head was hung towards the ground as I listened closely to them bashing the Chairman. Speaking of how he basically took over Charleston with little to no work.
I didn't know how much of that was true — but I also thought they were just jealous of his success. I was scared of the Chairman, but I can also give credit when credit is due.
"Go to your room, girl, and leave us." Father ordered without looking at me.
I stood at attention and jerkily nodded.
I scurried to my bedroom and locked the door behind me.
In just a few moments, I allowed myself to fall down onto the floor and claw at my skin in hopes that I would scratch away the memories.
Would tomorrow be a better day?
I prayed that it would be.
author's note ; ✨
if you want to be apart of my taglist, just let me know! thank you so much for reading! I appricate every single one of you <3
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7-wonders · 2 years
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Morpheus Does Not Understand Millennial/Gen-Z Humor (Morpheus x reader)
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Sometimes, it's difficult to remember that Morpheus is an anthropomorphic personification of a concept that is likely billions of years old. When you look at him, after all, he looks like a regular man (an unfairly pretty regular man, but a man all the same)
Morpheus was also locked up underground for over a century, which adds another layer of complexity to him
This leads to some pretty...interesting interactions with him
Let's face it: Millennials and Gen-Z'ers are nihilists on their best days
We've seen manmade horror after manmade horror our entire lives while living in the midst of late-stage capitalism, which has given all of us a pretty odd sense of humor
When you begin to date/court/see Morpheus, he becomes privy to this in the worst of ways
The first time is when you're attempting to look something up on your phone and you drop it
The device lands face-down on the ground, and you stare at what has now become Schrödinger's phone for a long moment
After letting out a long, pained sigh, you go to pick it up and mutter "I swear to god if this screen shattered, I'm gonna fucking kill myself"
Morpheus, of course, heard you perfectly clear
When you straighten up and look at him after checking your phone (no damage, thankfully), you see his horrified gaze
"I—You will do no such thing. I positively forbid it."
He looks torn between lecturing you and sitting you down for an intervention, so you grab one of his hands to stop his spiraling before it can go any further
"No I don't actually wanna kill myself, it's a..." What is it? A figure of speech? A meme? A joke? Finally, you settle on, "It's just something people say when faced with a minor inconvenience."
Morpheus is not at all impressed with this, and it shows very clearly on his face. "That is ridiculous, that one would become suicidal over something as trivial as their cellular device falling."
You just shrug in a "what can you do?" expression
This isn't the only instance that Morpheus gets to see generational humor at play
One time you're at the New Inn bc Hob is trying to curate a new cocktail menu and needs an outside opinion (Morpheus is just standing in the corner like 🧍‍♂️)
After you try your favorite one you're like, "Hob this SLAPS"
Hob's beaming bc he understands what you're saying since he teaches college students, but Morpheus pipes up and says, "The drink does not have arms with which to slap you"
This sends you and Hob into hysterics
Don't even try to open TikTok when he's anywhere near you bc he WILL want to see what you're laughing at and having to explain a TikTok takes all of the humor out of it
( "Well it's funny because she said that the rats don't run the city like it's a declaration of war against the rats"
"What is it then?"
"...I'm changing the subject")
Matthew has become your gossip buddy because he sees everything, and one night in the Dreaming he finds you in the library with Morpheus
He's doing excited little raven hops across the table and you say, "Matthew, do you have tea for me?"
Matthew's about to reply that, yes he does and you had better buckle up, when Morpheus beats him
"Would you like tea, my love? I can arrange that for you."
You smile at him like he's a child that just said something funny. "No, 'tea' means gossip. Matthew looks like he has gossip."
You whisper popular TikTok sounds under your breath a lot and Morpheus has just learned to not even ask when he hears you mutter something like, "Interior crocodile alligator, I drive a Chevrolet movie theater."
You're just glad you've never been in a car with him, because you know that the instinctive "Road work ahead? Uh YEAH I SURE HOPE IT DOES" that you won't be able to stop yourself from saying when you see a 'Road Work Ahead' sign will probably make his poor head explode
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manwrre · 9 months
Text
canon is billy (sweetest boy ever) being taught all about paganism and spirituality by his mom and actively participating in rituals with her as a kid. i am in love with the concept and the thought of him carrying out those traditions once him and steve have a home of their own, fr.
because i’ve said this a million times before and i’ll say it a billion times over but it’s all i can think about, honestly. even on the days of celebration that most pagan religions don’t abide by exactly— for example, new year’s eve!
like, can you imagine harringrove’s first nye in their own little apartment? christmas would be an absolute blast, yea but a day or two later and billy would be turning the place upside down trying to clean. i mean, vacuuming, dusting, bagging stuff up and forcing steve to help him with all of it (which he grumbles about but does anyway because he’s boy crazy about him).
he’d open every window and every door, only to be reminded that “hawkins is fucking freezing, babe— this isn’t california” so he’d have to relax a little. but once steve’s out at work? he’s back to his shenanigans and airing out all of the bad energy.
he’d teach steve about manifestation and meditation, too. or rather, he’d try to before hawkin’s hottest resident started fidgeting and sighing and fiddling with a million other things. and then naturally, billy would have to roll his eyes at him and finally give him some attention.
billy would also probably write a few letters to ring in the new year.
to max, of course; apologizing and wishing for her to be happy and live brightly and to be everything that his teenage self couldn’t be. he’d also write to susan and his dad; the latter of whom, he wished to never see again.
he’d wax absolute poetic about steve in his and hope for his happiness; imbue every bit of his love into the point where pencil and paper meet and wish for long, long lives together.
the last one would be penned to his mom, though; uncertain and full of questions. smudged. slightly damp. wrinkled and ripped in places where he erased too much or wrote too hard but the longest of them all.
and then he’d tuck them all into a little shoebox and leave it at the back of their closet. not in an attempt to hide them like he did— he wasn’t at cherry lane anymore — but to keep them safe.
he’d boil orange peels for purification, love and happiness in the day— the scent clinging to every inch of their home. and steve would moan about the smell but he’d be smiling and holding billy sososososo close that it wouldn’t even matter.
(it worked as well as he remembered it doing for his parents; before things took a turn for the worst, at least)
and at midnight, they’d light white candles and wrap around each other in bed while the rest of the world celebrated, too. billy would trace sigils into the flesh of steve’s palm and kiss the crown of his head in the soft, dim light of their room. he would quietly set his intentions for them and because he’s not a monster, the rest of steve’s little dork gang that he cared so much about. he’d ask the universe for endless years of this peace, their safety and the perfect thing that they had created in hawkins.
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shuttershocky · 10 months
Note
Do you have a dislike for media universes that "rewards" people for watching/reading all of it in general?
Or do you think there is one that executes that idea well?
I'm answering this 5 months late, but I'm pretty sure I still remember this ask being prompted by a post making fun of the MCU.
Do I dislike story universes that reward people for reading all of it? Not at all. I mean, I'm a fan of both Middle Earth and Star Wars, I fucking love big, big universes with plenty of stories in them. When they intersect in some small way it's a delight to me, I love those little personal winks from the author for having read their other works or recognizing the most obscure names only a nerd would know.
However, there's a difference between a little reference in a story meant for people who can connect the dots, and making something almost required reading for your enjoyment. It's the difference between an acknowledgement from the creators that you liked the setting enough to come back for a new yet familiar ride, and a company realizing they've found their cash cow and can't wait to milk it for all its got until it's dead.
And dead the cash cow will be, eventually. It's been said before that the reason why the Big Two of western comics have ceded more and more ground to manga over the years is that Spider-Man has 10 different starting points while Naruto starts with Volume#1. That's not just a funny joke. Onboarding new readers has genuinely been Marvel and DC's problem for decades, which is why it was both incredibly predictable yet shocking all the same that this is what the MCU turned itself into.
Sure, early on you could ask the audience to watch a couple movies before the big Avengers crossover, but now they've got all these TV shows on top of the movies that you have to watch in order to "catch up", and it's not even about the cool characters anymore. More and more of their fanbase is going to stop caring once the barrier of entry gets too high, and it's ridiculous to me that Marvel went this road with their movies when they know this is what happened to their comics first.
I mean, are you serious, their next big bad is Kang? I am not watching several TV shows and an Ant-Man movie that's somehow worse than the second one all to see how the currently left Avengers meet goddamn Kang the Conqueror. He's in both the TV shows and the movies, which means they're somehow giving Kang more buildup screentime than Thanos. Why? Either I've been extremely out of touch with Marvel comics or the MCU picked a wild choice to headline their next billion dollar franchise when Doctor Doom is actually available to them now and barely needs an introduction.
Sorry, got lost for a bit. Back on topic, yeah I know I know, all art right now exists under capitalism which means every setting that becomes a wider story universe is an author trying to milk their existing fanbase. Whenever a creator makes a thing that I like, and then announces they have a new thing set in the same setting as their first thing but isn't a direct sequel so they can keep gaining a new audience while keeping their existing one, I know I'm being suckered in.
Just, don't make it so blatant. And don't make it so hard. I am the exact target audience for these shenanigans and even I'm starting to feel like it's homework because it's all fucking required now.
If I, a lifelong Star Wars fan, want to watch the newest Star Wars thing, I have to see a hundred hours of other Star Wars media first. If I want to watch The Mandalorian Season 3, I can't just have seen Season 1 and 2, oh no, I have to also see The Book of Boba Fett too, because halfway through that show became The Mandalorian Season 2.5. Well I did see Boba Fett, and the combination of my dislike for turning it into required homework AND the show itself just being kinda dogshit meant I never touched season 3 of the Mandalorian. That show used to be so great because it wasn't tied down to any existing story arcs or characters, so it stood on its own and made for an amazing watch no matter how much Star Wars you've actually seen. And then it succeeded and so had to become the new spine for the entirety of Disney Star Wars afterward. Fuck. Now if I want to watch their latest show Ahsoka, I have to have seen the Clone Wars animated series AND Rebels, because the Rebels cast are in it too! I mean I did see Clone Wars and Rebels, but that still sucks!
That makes me worried now! Andor was also really fucking good and it stood on its own so hard you didn't even need to see Rogue One, the movie that introduced Cassian Andor in the first place. But now that season 1 was a success and everyone sang its praises, it certainly means season 2 is suddenly going to get real cramped with Ahsoka and Luke Skywalker and whatever guys are currently alive in its timeframe. Shit, they're probably gonna add Cal Kestis in season 2 of Andor. The Respawn Star Wars games are still doing their own thing which means it's time to connect to something else.
I hate what all this has become. It was fun to read the Silmarillion and see what kind of fuckery one family of elves got up to that eventually turned Sauron from minion to big evil eye parked next to evil mountain, but you didn't need to read all that before The Lord of the Rings. LOTR didn't assume you knew anything at all (and oh boy did Tolkien never miss an opportunity to explain shit).
Let me repeat. I am the target audience. I live for the ridiculously nerdy habit of reading things set in the same universe as other things and connecting all the dots. If /I/ feel like it's become homework, I can't imagine what the average person thinks of all this. Make it stop. Stop running everything I once loved into the ground in the name of endless profit. Star Wars was already doing this to itself before the Disney acquisition and yet it didn't feel this bad.
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blazehedgehog · 8 months
Note
Do you agree with Gaming Journalists and what do you think of gaming journalism in general?
What does this even mean, dude.
"Do you agree with gaming journalists"? On what?
Do I agree with Shacknews that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a 10/10, and with Digital Spy that it's also a 7/10? Do I agree with Let's Clear Up Those Halo Battle Royale Rumors?
Like, I've gotten some bait on this blog before, but this is 2/10 stuff, man. This is some hot 2014 garbage. Like no matter what I say, you're gonna go all
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"Very interesting. Then do you care to explain why..." No thanks.
My real answer: Something I learned during my time at TSSZ and being around a few people who were deeper into "the biz" than I is that everybody needs journalism more than they realize. Corporations are pushing for consumers to become their personal cheerleaders more than ever before, which makes criticism and the journalistic exposing of information seem villainous.
After all: Xbox is my friend now, so how dare you attack the Xbox. Behavior that used to be reserved for the most dedicated fanboys is now the expected room temperature. I've talked about "The Cult of Naughty Dog" before, and that's the same thing. If a corporation can get you to be parasocial with them, then they have won, and being parasocial with a corporation means shunning real investigative journalism that would otherwise undo them. Journalists and critics used to be marketing tools, but by undoing the press pipeline and talking directly to fans, journalists and critics are painted as untrustworthy for being wildcards that don't always toe the company line.
And there has been more than a decade of people with a "I choose to be stupid and ignorant on purpose" outlook, which just makes that more frustrating. We've all seen screencaps where some brainless rando tries to explain something to a person who is an expert in that field. The rando thinks they're flexing their brain, but in some cases they are arguing with the person who literally wrote the book on their topic of conversation. Some people don't want to know anything but still pretend like they know everything, when there are real people out there doing real work to uncover real truths.
Misinformation is the real problem. It should not surprise anyone that there are people out there deliberately eroding the foundation of journalistic integrity, because the less people trust journalism, the easier it is to get away with lying. The easier it is to lie, the easier it is to control the mainstream, the easier it is to scam people out of their money, so on and so forth.
And misinformation is more than just "this one news article is fake." There are long running campaigns to install people into news organizations themselves to publish false information for all manner of different goals, but it's all the same: nobody trusts anyone and it's making everyone dumber.
That's when we get crypto currency. And NFTs. And now people claiming that generative AI will save humanity. Grift after grift after grift where the people at the top of the snake oil food chain make off with billions of dollars while the rest of the world is left scratching their heads.
The law isn't going to catch them. If they do, it'll take years. Look at how long it took for Sam Bankman-Fried to get caught -- he operated for almost half an entire decade. The amount of damage somebody can get away with in five years is significant.
We need journalism. Real journalism. Good journalism. Watchdogs that keep an eye on things and blow the whistle when it goes bad. Somebody to enforce accountability that isn't a cop.
Where do you find that? That's the hardest question. I'm lucky enough that I know people I trust because they are long time friends, or friends of friends, and thus they've been properly vetted in my circle as The Real Deal. But there are a lot of outlets out there who claim to champion "truth" and "intelligence" in a way to prey upon insecurity. I mean, c'mon, Trump's social media platform is called "Truth Social" and is basically the furthest thing from the truth you will ever get from anyone, ever.
The more obsessively they try to convince you they're telling the truth, the less likely it is they actually are. Which in itself could be an attack meant to undo the foundations of trust in people who actually know what they're talking about. By casting doubt on the very concept of truth itself, they can lie with increasingly greater efficiency.
Any advice I give feels like it is incredibly circumstantial. Which is the point, and is why we're in the state we're in.
Here's a good pdf by The News Literacy Project that's probably a good place to start. The general gist is "you'll have to do a lot of fact checking for yourself" but that's unfortunately where we're at these days.
But by and large I would say life is a lot harder for real journalists right now than I think some of their critics have ever thought about. There are people out there trying to do actual good work and being a bubble-brained moron about it just makes everything harder for everyone.
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tonberry-yoda · 1 year
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Comfort - Portgas D. Ace
notes - AHHH IM HERE!! Sorry this took so long, I was really busy this week going to concerts, going to work, stuff at home, and setting up my new room, so chaos has been more than normal for me this week lol. But I am so glad I got to write such a relaxing Ace fic, this was really nice for me to just spill out of my soul! This was also for that poll I did earlier this week! I hope my Ace lovers enjoy this one and have a lovely evening! I love you all, stay super hydrated!
word count - 966
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"What are you doing?" Ace laughed, watching you dig in the sand like a dog for the fifteenth time.
"I'm telling you, Ace," you tried to explain. "There's gotta be treasure in this sand. The map says so!" You pointed to a map that was sitting next to you; old and covered in sand.
"Isn't that thing like a billion years old?" He picked up the map and turned it over in his hands a bunch, still not understanding how to read it.
"Maybe it is, but who knows, that treasure could still be here!"
Ace just playfully rolled his eyes and grabbed your arm, pulling you out of the sand. "Come on, babe. Let's just get a hotel for the night and wash up. You got sand in your fingernails."
"Yeah, but it's rich Alabasta sand, so it's fine." you joked, following Ace and taking back your map.
"Still gross though." he teased, running his hand to your lower back and pressing a kiss to your cheek.
The two of you walked for a while to the nearest town, not even realizing how late it had been. When you walked into town, it was pitch black and freezing cold.
Ace shivered and held open the hotel door for you. "Man, it's cold."
"Maybe cuz you always have your nips out, Ace." you said, pressing a kiss to his cheek and thanking him for holding the door.
"You leave my nips alone!" he defended, dramatically pressing his hand to his chest.
You turned to him, shocked that would say such a stupid thing in a lobby with people in it, but just rolled your eyes.
He smirked at you and grabbed your hand, getting the two of you a nice room.
Once there, it was like heaven. You slipped off your shoes and threw yourself onto the bed with pure joy painted onto your face.
"Scoot over, y/n," Ace said, clapping his hands together. "Or I'm gonna land on you."
He didn't even give you time to move and instead landed straight on top of you, making you lose your breath for a second before busting into laughter.
"Ace, what the hell?" you said between deep breaths and a little bit of laughter.
"Oh, damn, you were just so cozy looking, I thought you were the bed." He winked at you and hugged around your waist, burying his face in your chest.
"Wait!" You jumped off of the bed, making Ace pout. "Before you go burying your face anywhere, I'm taking a shower. I smell like," you took a whiff of yourself and dramatically fake gagged. "Yeah, I smell like I should probably take a shower."
"Let's save water then," Ace smiled, taking off his hat and already slipping off his shorts to just a pair of boxers. "Lemme take one with you."
You couldn't say no to someone who you loved with all your heart and so happened to be pressing kisses down your neck.
"Fine," you said, pushing his face away. "But you're washing your own hair."
"What?!" Ace exclaimed, pouting. "But I haven't had head scratchies in ages! Not fair."
You turned on the shower, stripped down, and waited for the water to heat up as Ace sat behind you, whistling and reminding you how pretty you were. You blushed, of course, and turned to Ace, smacking him on the bare arm.
"Owie! What was that for? I was calling you pretty!"
"For making me blush." you said, turning away, your face as bright as a tomato at this point.
Ace grabbed your hand and pulled you into the shower, sighing at the warm water. He rubbed your shoulders while you washed your hair and would occasionally whisper sweet nothings into your ear as you washed your body, washing his own self in the process.
You two hadn't had self care like this in forever and it felt nice to just enjoy yourselves for a while. Being on his little boat was stuffy and the last time you had stayed in a hotel as nice as this was when you first joined his crew, which feels like ages at this point.
You looked at yourself in the mirror as you wrapped your towel around you and saw Ace behind you with stupid goo goo eyes. You turned towards him and gave him a peck on the lips before turning back and drying yourself off.
"I'm gonna ask for about six more of those kisses, cutie, so you best be prepared for that." he whispered in your ear before placing a kiss onto it and drying his own self off.
You took one of Ace's shirts that he took and didn't even bother to put on any pants over your underwear as you walked over to the bed, yawning. When you slammed yourself onto the soft mattress, Ace laid right next to you and smiled.
"Can I get another one of those kisses?" he asked nicely.
You obliged and gave him another quick peck.
He pouted and then asked, "Yeah, but longer. Can I give you a kiss this time?"
You thought about it and then smiled with a little nod.
Ace apparently took that as his opportunity to be his hottest self and tilted your chin up and bringing your face as close as possible before pressing a long kiss to your lips that made you hungry for more.
When he pulled away, he smiled at you and you hugged around the back of his neck. Ace rubbed little circles into your back and buried his face in the crook of your neck.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too, Ace."
It was nice to get a bit of comfort in a world where you two were always being chased.
~~~~~
one piece masterlist | pinned post
2023 @tonberry-yoda – do not repost or claim ANY of my work as your own! likes, reblogs, and comments are not only welcome, but appreciated
~~~~~
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thefirsthogokage · 1 year
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So, the AMPTP basically said that the studios take too much risk to pay people anything for streaming shows. Here's John Rogers and David Slack responding to that.
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(link to top of thread)
[Image ID: A tweet thread from John Rogers on July 23rd, 2023 that reads in its entirety:
Last time I had a failure - which was collateral damage in an argument between the studio and the network - I had to personally fire 200 people, they all were off payroll by that afternoon, and I was also out of a job. The executives all continued to get paid. So fuck off.
Actually, that’s not true. The failure after that one happened as collateral damage in one of the mergers, so it had nothing to do with the quality of the show. And I had to wait, forbidden to work, not earning a dime, as they shopped it for six months.
Also several of my writers were cheated of their expected salaries, some losing up to 75%, for reasons too complicated to explain here. Those executives, both studio and streamer, all kept their jobs. So double fuck off.
Actually no, my last failure was a show where after delivery the network made us wait *seven months … for a PASS*. Seven months where I was in first position, and again, was forbidden from working.
Do that was one pilot fee, cut in half with a partner, for a year and a half’s work counting development. Those executives, both studio and network, kept their jobs.
So *triple* fuck off.
Luckily I had my tiny sliver of back end from TRANSFORMERS - no, wait, no, because according to the Hollywood accounting while that movie grossed something like a billion dollars all in, it unfortunately wound up $36 million in the hole.
So QUADRUPLE fuck off.
If you’re dumb enough to take that AMPTP statement at face value, responsible adults should remove all the scissors from your home. You are the reason hair dryers have the “Do not use while sleeping” warning.
/End ID]
I believe that merger one was Leverage or The Librarians. Both were doing REALLY well before they got cancelled due to network shit, I know that much. So the network/studio one could be either of those as well. Probably Leverage?
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(Link to top of thread)
[Image ID: A tweet thread from David Slack posted July 21st, 2023 that reads in its entirety:
The studios claim they shouldn’t have to share revenue for the success of the shows we make succeed because they assume all the risk.
Well.
To paraphrase a famous actor: There’s more than one type of risk, motherfucker.
While the studios and their new hedge fund besties may assume some modest financial risk, any losses just go on a balance sheet next to the C-suite’s golden parachutes.
The workers in this industry, on the other hand, risk a hell of a lot more than that.
Most working actors live with the constant uncertainty of never knowing where their next paycheck will come from or how long it will be between jobs. That’s risk.
If they work a second job, they often risk losing it every time they take time off for auditions or jobs.
Actors also generally have little control over the final product, so *every* role is a risk for them. Sure, it could be the hit that changes everything. But it could also be a flop that hurts their career for years. They become “the guy from that thing” and can’t get more work.
Under our old contract, writers put in untold hours of free work developing and rewriting pitches and scripts for features and TV. Much of this work is on spec. That’s a huge risk writers take on — yet the studios are happy to benefit from the upside without taking on any risk.
Writers, actors, crew, and directors also risk our personal relationships, spending long hours at work, frequently across the country or around the world. Our partners soldier on without us. Our kids miss us and we can only hope they’ll understand.
That’s a huge risk.
Stunt performers literally risk their lives for the shows we make. Productions and crews take every possible precaution to ensure their safety, but accidents still can and do happen.
You gonna try and tell us that’s not risk?
All of us risk our health and safety working insane hours to keep up with the schedules our bosses create. When was the last time David Zaslav or Bob Iger worked a Fraturday? Do they even know what one is?
In production, where 14, 15, and 16 hour days are common, people have died from falling asleep at the wheel driving to and from set.
And the studios have the fucking gall to say they’re taking all the risk?
We risk our finances, our families, our friendships, our futures, and sometimes our lives to make a product for you that you have no idea how to make yourselves.
All you risk is money.
And by the fucking way, we *know* you can afford to give us success-based pay — because you’ve been doing it for 83 YEARS.
Remember 1960? When both the WGA and SAG went on strike and won…
residuals for TV?
Residuals for TV *are* success-based pay. Great movies and TV shows re-ran more often, so the people who created and starred in them got more money as a reward for that success. It’s a great system that incentivized workers to bust their asses to make great shows.
And you know what happened to the entertainment industry in the 8 decades studios have been making these success-based payments?
IT THRIVED.
Studios made billions in revenue selling our product all around the world.
But now, the studios say they can’t afford it. They say it’s not “fair” for actors to ask for success-based pay because they don’t take on any risk.
That’s stupid.
It’s offensive.
And it’s a lie.
It’s shameful that the AMPTP and their studio bosses are trying to deny the workers who make their product a bonus for success that is time-tested and has 83 years of precedent.
And that they’re lying about it?
That’s just… uncivilized. #WGAStrong #SAGAFTRAStrong
/End ID]
The absolute fuckery of this statement that came from the AMPTP is that the studios thought this would gain them sympathy. They were wrong. They genuinely thought this was a good statement from them because they DO think they take all the risk because they can't see people who don't have their wealth as real people. They can't.
Wealth is a disease.
No one should make the kind of money these people make. It makes them so out of touch they think of themselves as gods among ants. They step on those ants? They don't notice. They don't care. They just keep moving forward to gain as much money as possible, even though they have no way to spend it.
Fuck the studios, a new system needs to be built around them so that they'll die.
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pawnshopbleus · 1 year
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Put Me in a Movie - Chapter One
Miguel O’Hara x Fem!Reader
Summary - You’re a famous actress and he’s one of the greatest directors of all time. What happens when you get cast in his new movie?
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“In entertainment news, director Miguel O’Hara and actress Jessica Drew have officially divorced after ten years of marriage,” the blonde news reporter said. You’d heard through the grapevine that Miguel and Jessica were calling it quits a while ago. People in Hollywood like to gossip. Apparently, she was caught having an affair with the pool boy.
You get up from the couch and make your way outside. It was a nice and sunny day in Hollywood. Living in the Hollywood Hills meant one of two things: you were rich or you were famous. You? Well, you were both and you deserved every single ounce of it. You worked your ass off to get where you were today. From working in a record store in order to meet ends meet to working on movie sets.
You’ve done it all. Commercials, television, and movies. Movies were your favorite though. There was something so magical about seeing months of filming getting cut into two hours or less. You had major respect for everyone that worked on the set from craft services to the producers. You just loved the movie magic and getting to work in the industry was a dream.
You’ve been out of work for about two months, deciding to take a short break before auditioning again. You’d make appearances here and there to keep yourself relevant in the meantime. Your publicist kept your Instagram up and running and sometimes you would pop in and post a selfie to seem relatable to your fans.
Your last project was a flop. Apparently not a lot of people like Western films all that much. It wouldn’t tank your career though, too many people knew you were too good of an actress for that. Speaking of, your phone began to ring in the pocket of your pants. Your agent, Stacy Walsh, was calling you.
“Hi, Stacy. What can I do for you?” you asked. You didn’t know why she was calling you. You haven’t auditioned for anything new.
“I’ve got a part for you. It’s yours if you want it and it’s pretty good.” Stacy sounded like she was practically jumping with excitement as she spoke.
“I’m listening.” “Miguel O’Hara wants you to be the lead in his next film. I know you said you wanted to take a break since the last film was a big flop, but I really think this could take you to the next level. Please tell me you’ll take it.” Miguel O’Hara wanted you to be the lead in his next film! Miguel is one of the most influential filmmakers of all time! Every single film he’s ever made has grossed over one billion dollars worldwide. Not only that, but every actor that’s worked with him has come out not only as a better performer but also a better person. There is no way that you would let this opportunity pass.
“He wants me to be the lead? But I didn’t even audition or anything. How the hell does he even know who I am?” “Thatiana,” you could hear Stacy sigh over the phone, “You are one of the greatest actresses I’ve ever worked with. You’ve been in plenty of great films and directors like watching movies for inspiration. Maybe he saw you in something and thought you were perfect for the role. Please tell me you’ll take this role.” “Yes. Tell him I said yes,” you said.
Stacy celebrated over the phone and told you that you were awesome. The two of your bid farewell and hung up the phone. You took this role without asking enough questions. Were you going to get paid? What was the genre of the film? Who were your co-stars? There were so many unanswered questions that you had, but none of them were as important as this one. What was Miguel O’Hara actually like?
Chapter Two 
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carsonian · 1 year
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Steve/Tony fic recs | theme: "SOFT"
I've read a decent number of SteveTony fics and I wanted to give an indecent amount of love back to the writers who put out such gawrjus pieces. The theme for this list is "SOFT" in capital letters because it's not your average erectile-dysfunction soft but some real silk-scarf soft shit. You know, the classics: the diabetic stuff, the ooey-gooey stuff, the puddle of feelings stuff...
Now I don't want NOBODY saying, girl, I've read that, are you being for real? Because guess what? I am always being for real and these fics are real, and you can always re-read them. So spread the love. Respect!
"There's an App for That" by Annie D (scaramouche) (@no-gorms) - I know you're looking at me and saying, aight look Carsonian, whatchu takin me for? You think I'm some greenhorn mark to put down a flag for SteveTony witout cracking Annie D's stash three times whole? Well, to that I raise: my glass. Cuz samesies. But truuuuust me, this fic is worth the re-read. It is a stroke of genuine AU brilliance that doesn't get the hype it deserves (a billion kudos of hype pls!). Super solid set-up, refreshingly quick lines, the kind of easygoing falling together that is just jazzy to relish. This fic is like a date with an almond huddled inside. Sweet and mushy but with a surprisingly solid bite at its core. Summary goes:
Thanks to the modern gig economy, Steve is the successful owner of a break-up service, i.e. people pay him to break up with their partners for them. One day, he gets the first break-up request for Tony Stark.
😏 Uh-huh. Oh okay. Meet-awkwuuurd time. J.A.R.V.I.S., cue up "Start of Something New" by HSM. 😏
"The First Time I Went Dancing Sober" by schemingreader - This fic is like good wine; it ages like a beauty. This month will make it ten (10!!!) years since it was published but by God does it hold up. It holds me up. Like a firm but comfortable back brace. Summary goes:
Steve Rogers is a great physical therapist who works with sick kids. Tony Stark is a damaged biotech engineering genius who really wants to be one of the good guys.
You.... you know the vibes, don't you? You--uh, you catch the flow? Yeah, you do. C'mon, read this fic and give me a hug, brother. I'll clasp you close and whisper homoerotic sweet-nothings into your ear while we hug, partner. It'll be silly romantic, bro.
"we pick ourselves undone" by laramara (@commandersteverogers) - Another old-but-gold fic. Hang on, read the summary first:
It might appear that award-winning surgeon Tony Stark, the head of neurosurgery at Shield Hospital, well and truly has his life together. Now if he could only figure out how to tell people that his father, world class neurosurgeon Howard Stark, is locked away in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s, devise a way to get Chief Fury off his back for good, and work out what the hell he’s going to do about the weird on-again-off-again thing he has going with the head of cardio, he’d finally have everything sorted.
Now that's what I'm motherfucking talking about. This fic is also ten years old et voilà: a certified historical moment. When I first read this, I thought about quitting fic writing; it's that good. And then I re-read it and life was okay again. Tee El Dee Arr: I want to give this fic a smooch on the mouth and a sincere insurance plan.
"for better or for worse" by earliebirb (@earliebirb) - This is the fic you re-read when you want to remember why you're into Steve/Tony. It's iddy, it's tender, it's achey but beyond all a that, it's SOFT. Soft like whipped cream. Soft like a vanilla ice cream milkshake. Soft like Tony's tush and Steve's tits. R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Summary goes:
Sitting quietly like this, Tony can almost pretend that nothing has happened, that this is just another normal day of Steve waking up in bed next to him. Married and in love with no threat of divorce looming on the horizon. Of course, that is before he catches sight of Steve’s bereft ring finger. He wonders how long it has been since Steve’s ring finger is empty. He wonders if he should start taking off his own, too. He wonders if Steve wants him to take it off.
I know, I know, you're going: Carsonian, wyot the hell, this sounds like angsty stuff. Shhh. Shhhhh. Shhh. I'll get my hand off your mouth just as soon as you start listening. Sport, this is the ooey-gooey stuff. All of the angst is the hot chocolate fudge. It's what makes the milkshake so bloody damn good. Now get da fuck outta here and read this fic!!! Or re-read this fic!!! It's worth it! (Just like Steve & Tony's relationship in the fic, shhh no spoilers.)
Warmest and Brightest by ishipallthings (@ishipallthings) - Naww shuddup I don't want to hear any accusations of favouritism. Yeah I think Jen is aces, but I'm not speaking from a place of bias when I say her fics are aces too. It has been scientifically proven. By Tony. And me. Here's the source. Also, I read this WAYYYY back when, and put it down in my list as "sitcom/hallmark set up with stevetony charm". So if you're into that, you know what to do. And if you're not into that, get da fuck outta here!!! You can not NOT be into that. Okay but if you're seriously not into that, no judgement. Okay, a little judgement. With 100% love. Summary goes:
It’s Christmas Eve, and Tony’s supposed to be getting decorations ready for his and Rhodey’s Christmas bash in their new apartment. Instead, he’s stuck in an elevator with the hot guy from 12A Steve, who doesn’t seem to be in much of a festive mood. It turns out to be a bit of a holiday miracle.
Y'know what else is a miracle? How I got through this fic without kicking my feet up like a gleeful teen in a 2000s romcom. Y'know what else? I totally didn't get through this fic without doing that. Maybe the miracle is in the friends we made along the way 🧑‍🤝‍🧑(that's me n u, babey, holding hands as we watch Steve and Tony debate superior rom-coms into a relationship).
"One Last Christmas" by Captain_Panda - Speakin' of Xmas miracles, here's another fic that is super soft and set during the Christmas holiday period. And YEAH I'll admit it FINE FINE. I'm deffo playing favourites here....but as we all know, I am a Captain_Panda fan first 😤❗, a SteveTony fic enthusiast second. Respect!!! Summary goes:
You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch. The year is 2012. Cuddly-as-a-cactus Tony Stark is throwing a Christmas party for his fellow Avengers. It's all going really well--except for Tony, who is quietly succumbing to his own demons.
You see how the summary says "cuddly-as-a-cactus"? Well, it don't matter because the fic will cuddle you anyway. Tony gets cuddles, we get cuddles, the world gets a cuddle. It's all cuddles in here and you best believe I'm weeping at the slumber party. In this fic, the world is soft and rough-edged and love is worth losing for. It's beautiful. Gawly I'm weeping again. Last time I read this fic, I wrote this in my comment and it still holds true.
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And that's all she w"rec"ked!
Go forth: SteveTony lovers, fuckers, ambassadors, champions, perverts, freaks, losers, dreamers, legends! Read, re-read, kudo, comment, spread legs and spread love.
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vintagexherry · 3 months
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New idea, probably a bad one (1)
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IronMan!Nathan Bateman x Reader
//Iron Man AU,None, not proof read
A/N: that was hell of a writer's block and this is all I came up with?
□■□■
Nathan Bateman are many things.
Rich (ridiculously so)
Philosophical (in his own way)
Smart (even if his head seems to lose a few screws)
And last but not least.
Stubborn.
Ridiculously so.
"I am employed to assist your technological work, not babysit you." You said, trying hard to bite back a groan as you grip your tablet in one hand and clench a fist on the other.
The bright, flourescent lights of the man's workshop give you a throbbing headache, and you can't help but wish you didn't take up the promotion offer.
Speaking of the man...
Nathan spins his chair to face you, his eyes carrying bags that make him look like he needs a vacation (which you offered and didn't work), yet his body is up and going working on a new piece of tech as if his previous one didn't try to kill him.
"Well.... Shouldn't have taken that promotion offer." He scoffs and spins back to continue twisting and turning his screwdriver.
And you hold back to throwing your tablet at the back of his head.
One year ago, you worked under BlueBook company as a simple IT specialist. That was until you got called to suddenly work with as an supporting assistant to Nathan Bateman himself. The CEO, The Boss.
And the man who almost got killed.
You remember seeing it the news. Nathan Bateman and his Turing test winner, Caleb. Found injured at his isolated mansion.
Stabbed and the other one traumatized.
Not much was revealed in the news, and it left billions of people questioning what could have stabbed Nathan and what is Caleb ranting about a female robot killer.
As Nathan heals up in the hospital, the police tried to investigate his house but alas, couldn't get far due to security measures and those goddamn card you have to scan for every room you need to get in.
Months after that, Nathan healed up, Caleb is in therapy, and you are promoted to be his little assistant.
Were you excited?
Maybe
Did you get suspicious once the job offer also need you to sign an NDA?
Maybe.
You tried not to question it. All eyes are still on Nathan after the incident, and an NDA is the least they could do to protect him from the public.
But you could at least get a warning that your new boss is a asshole.
"Yeah I went through your work, your smart, I need that."
He said as he unwraps his boxing wraps and drinks water as he stares you down.
"Oh uh... Thanks sir...?"
"Nuh uh, none of that. Just Nathan."
"Alright... Nathan..."
Working with him wasn't the easiest at first, especially since he's still recovering both mentally and physically. But your determined to make this job at least worth while.
There were hiccups along the way but you swallowed it down like a champ and went along with it.
Little by little, working with Nathan got easier.
yet still a fucking headache
"When your done complaining, get me a coffee."
"No"
He spins his chair again.
"No?"
"No."
Nathan stares at you for awhile.
Then sighs.
"If this is about my bedtime, I didn't hire a nanny"
"Exactly, yet what Im doing could be similar to that right now."
Before he could snark back, you cut him off.
"It's five in the morning and your running on caffeine and tweaking that blue thing."
"It-"
"I know, I know. The Arc Reactor....But Nathan... Your body is still healing and you need to focus on that right now before making a new one."
"You don't get it. That shit is out there parading as a human and who knows, manipulating and killing the shit out of others."
Ah yes.
That 'shit'
After several months working under him, he finally revealed things to you in one drunken night.
The next morning, you talked to him about it, and he visibly winced. You assure him that you won't tell a soul (under NDA and your own willingness) about the things he had said and offered help. His slightly relaxed but agreed.
But right now, he's being the most uncooperative little shit right now.
"Yes. Ava is out, doing god knows what god knows who, but I've been monitoring every news outlet right there and even went far to check any suspicious airplane passenger to see if she went out of the country. Im doing my part to help you, so god help me you atleast go to sleep!" You huff as you raise your voice a bit.
Nathan stares at you, visibly contemplating if he should listen to you or not.
Yes, you do your part to help
but that little Ava shit is still out there.
He should rename her to little shit.
You stare back at Nathan, watching his facial features change bit to bit.
"Fine." After a few moments, he finally spoke. "You owe me."
"Yea, yea, I'll get you your favourite whiskey for dinner." You said, trying to hold back a smile as you watch him drop his tools and stand up and walk past you to the elevator.
As you watch him get it, you let out a sigh.
Finally he listened.
You turn back to his work table, seeing the Arc Reactor laying down on the table. You remember the happiness both you Nathan felt after figuring the perfect material to build that thing for.
You look around the workshop and see several part of metal, some look like an arm and some a leg.
You can't help but feel fond about the moments the both of you went through to get this much progress.
You sighed once more and turned around to close the lights and head to the elevator.
The both of you procured old and new ideas together, even if their bad.
------
A/N: yea im back might make part 2
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bleachbleachbleach · 5 months
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4/28 - 4/29/2024
In my last update I wrote "I'll probably just crumble into dust" and while that was not actually the plan it was a completely accurate premonition. For posterity (and because I'm still sitting in this airport at demise o'clock, utterly incapable of doing anything I actually need to do), documentation of various memorable stages of dustmaking:
Stealing half an hour in late March to write about seven actual words because most of it was just sitting with the concept mentally, but it was such an indulgent wondrous slice of time. And then I deleted it all because it doesn't actually belong, but it was still an INCREDIBLY EXCELLENT TIMEEEEEE
Not thinking about Bleach or fanfic at all because there was no mental space available to it
Feeling great despair because the idea of remembering what Bleach was seemed like a lot of work, to say nothing of *having to reread my own fanfic to remember what that was*
Going to a conference which, inasmuch as it was Extremely Full of Conference, was single-track enough--in the sense that all I needed to think about was Conference, as opposed to "other people and all their problems"--that it was very easy and pleasant to Bleach LARP things.
Standing in a TSA line for so long I did, in fact, have plenty of time to start mentally drafting dialogue for three chapters from where I chronologically am in this fic, and then writing it out while taxiing on the runway! 🎉🎉
In exciting news (to me, I know Tumblr does not care whether I live or die), I do not have another major deadline until May 15. If I'm being realistic it's probably going to take that amount of time to catch up with all the regular work stuff and life stuff that's been deprioritized in favor of Big Deadlines, but I think I want to try building back my writing habit starting next week. We'll see how this week goes before I decide whether "next week" means "next Monday" or "next Saturday."
I am also eight billions years behind on fanfic I am reading and Other Posts. I wish that were something I felt capable of doing now, since I still have two hours to kill, having only killed one so far, but if it's not a rambling and inconsequential bulleted list I cannae
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