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blackfemmecharacterdependency · 2 years

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The Casual Killing of Black Female Characters on Camera

This is a rant of sorts. An outcry, if you will, about the number of times that TV will find entertainment in the onscreen deaths of Black female characters, whether or not it makes sense.

And even at times when it does narratively, the fact that we have to see it, and the fact that she could be recurring, even a main character does not strike confidence within any Black female viewer who might want to use television as an escape from Black femicide and misogynoir.

It is literally inescapable.

Sometimes, you could say, "Well, its the nature of that show, to show us death onscreen. Seeing a Black female character die shouldn't effect you any more than any of the deaths in this fandom..." but... how many Black women were even there? How much representation was provided for them? Even in a show filled with them, seeing another Black woman killed, especially if done so brutally, can be hurtful to witness.

This is magnified when she was the only one present in the work, one of very few in the work, or in a series where there was not very satisfactory representation in the first place. And this is the truth for most fandoms, even your faves, even ones that get heralded as progressive or praised for having diversity.

So, whether or not the genre or the content had death and murder regularly, if there wasn’t enough Black female representation to pad the death of the Black female character, I’ma be offended and upset and often times traumatized by the shit. Let me make you a list of the ones that especially hurt me:

Dualla.

Anastasia Dualla, aka Dee, was the most prominent Black female character of Battlestar Galactica. She was a side character, having her only big storylines being a love interest, the wife of a cheater who was in love with somebody else, from an area that faced racism, never finding her family after the attacks, divorce... do you get the gist? Dee had about 3 times that we were allowed to see her happy. I know, times were tough for everybody, so I shouldn’t expect “special treatment” for Dee. God forbid that she be given any storyline that gave her actual joy sometimes.

But. She killed herself, on my screen, in my face, without any apparent provocation. As a suicidal person, I know that it can just hit you. I know that things can seem fine whenever it takes place. As a Black viewer who had been watching this show for years and happy to see one of Dee’s seldom smiles only moments before, it was crushing. The biggest problem is that it didn’t need to happen for the narrative and was unnecessarily hurtful, and for what? All these years later, what was the point of making us watch Dee kill herself? It didn’t advance the story, and it took away the only Black female character in the series before the ending. (The only others being a delegate that I don’t even remember really, played by Judith Maxie, and Elosha, played by Lorena Gale, who ALSO died on screen and was only used to further a white woman’s plot. - Something that I was willing to get over at the time, even though it was messed up, I was willing to get over it, because at least we had a regular and she was okay).

Until she wasn’t. And to this day (it’s been since 2009), and TO THIS DAY, whenever I have to endure another Black regular or main character die, I get thrown back into that scene, that hurt, that senselessness that the Battlestar Galactica writers inflicted on us for no good reason, over a decade ago.

So, whenever I saw the actress, Kandyse McClure a few years later on Hemlock Grove, I was glad to see that she appeared to be a main character and while I wasn’t really interested in much else about the show (the premise was okay, but it didn’t look like a great production from a glance), I decided that I’d put it on my watchlist to see Kandyse working again...

Clementine.

Dr. Clementine Chasseur was the only Black woman that I recall from Hemlock Grove, a show that was not good at all, and I only was watching for her, to be honest. This show took the one Black woman they had, had her skinned and flayed, then left in misery until another character came along and suffocated her to her death. It was horrifying. The show wasn’t even good. I wasted my time and got mentally and visually assaulted with one of the most ugly acts of violence I’ve seen in a show. I have a mental image of something genuinely disturbing from a show that I hated. Fuck Hemlock Grove. I wish it could get canceled twice.

Donna.

Donna was a mermaid and the sister of the main mermaid character in the series, Siren on Freeform. From the first moment we see Donna to her last breath, she was fucked over. They captured her, kidnapped her, enslaved her, researched her, and when she escaped and sought vengeance, she was murdered. So many other decisions could have been made. Later on, they brought in her lightskint daughter as a character, seeking vengeance for her mother... But. What happened to Donna was heartbreaking, through and through. Nobody else on that show went through worse in the time that I was watching it.

I never finished, because it went down the drain after a while, but whenever I WAS watching it, I had to see one of the only two dark skinned women on the show have the most miserable experience on land, and then get shot and killed. (The other dark skinned woman was an unstable drug addict who abandoned her family). Sidenote: Whenever you find a show and the Black women are written with garbage skills, divest. Because it is almost a guarantee that the fandom will be racist pieces of shit, something that we learned early in the Siren existence. They literally harassed the main Black female actress (not the one who played Donna, but Maddie, the one who was in a relationship with the main characters) so much that she fled social media during the show’s run.

*Try not to get attached to shows and characters with poor writing for their Black female characters. They will be unsafe places eventually.*

Tara.

Tara Thornton was a True Blood regular for 6 full seasons. Not the only Black woman in the show, but the one with the most writing. She unfortunately was under the influence of a popular trope of being the best friend to a white magical girl and having to bear the brunt of a bunch of bad shit because of it. (Like Bonnie Bennett but without magic)

At first, it was indirect. Having to see shit go down and be exposed to danger because of her best friend’s proximity to vampires and shit. Then, it was direct. Being targeted because of her proximity to vampires and shit.

She’s been kidnapped, taken as a hostage and sex slave, and even killed, yes, shot down dead because of a friendship with someone who wasn’t any good for her.

Then, she was turned into a vampire, at her friend’s request. She didn’t want to be a vampire or ask to be a vampire, but her selfish ass friend, who she died for had her turned into one because SHE didn’t want to lose her...

And after all that, they turned Tara into a pile of vampire goo at the opening of the last season, and added insult to injury, insult to memory, by having her spirit take a journey to make amends with the people who abused her in her childhood. It was the most disrespectful send off for one of the most disrespected characters that I had ever seen in my life. I wish I would have followed my first mind and not even tried to watch the final season, because I had been stopped watching it by the time that it aired, and I think I found out that Tara died, so I wasn’t that interested anyways. But then to actually see their final decision? Insulting. Revolting. Among the worst pieces of television of my life.

I say all of this to get to my most recent reason to rant...

Anacostia.

She deserved better. First of all, the fact that they continued the Salem Accords instead of freeing witches from the bondage of the military, especially after how easy it had been for human terrorists to overthrow it and gain control from the inside. They should have done away with the obligation.

Then. They should have either killed off someone else or brought Anacostia back to life or let us see her peacefully on the other side. War took another good witch, and the rest of us had to not only see it, but BARELY had the chance to process it, and DIDN'T get any real closure. The way that we had to see the decoy of a dead Kelly Wade, the murdered, dismembered body of Charvel Bellweather at her own wedding, and the Sacrificial Negro Trope in action with Anacostia's death scene, they could have at least given her a last image of light and love.

The least, the VERY LEAST that they could have done for us was to let her be seated next to Alder as the Mother gives our girls their final words, and to grant us the image of her moving on peacefully. The last time we get to see this beautiful soul is crushed, pinned against something as her love has to walk away from her dead body.

Her mother, her daughters, didn't get to properly send her off. They cried and kept fighting and I GET that that's war. But, why so much for these types of things does one of the few Black women have to be offered up. Even in a show like this, with diversity and representation?

Easily one of the worse finales of my life, and it could have been salvaged by just not doing this one grossly disrespectful thing to a brilliant and beautiful character. Fuck Motherland: Fort Salem's ending. Suck dicks in hell for doing that to Anacostia Quartermain.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Other onscreen unnecessary/pointless Black women’s deaths:

Jordan Gladwell on iZombie. She was the only Black girl and she died for no good reason. It sort of promoted a white man’s story, but... not to the point where it was justified. (That show did miserably with Black women).

Abbie Mills (I didn’t see it, but I heard from the fans that were still there when it happened and WOOO, they was PISSED!) I had stopped watching the show by then.

Goddamn near EVERY Black woman that appeared in The Vampire Diaries. And from what I am told (I stopped watching that mess too) the one that lived was the person who had to save everybody else. BUT, whenever I WAS watching it, she actually DID die (and came back later), so I will include Bonnie Bennett in all the Black women TVD killed in front of our faces.

Which reminds me Amanda Fisher of Ash VS Evil Dead. I am reminded, because that show, too, killed every last Black woman in the characters.

The Fairy Godmother on OUAT, The Faerie Elder on True Blood, that fairy on Shadowhunters (Lanaia), tbh... Shadowhunters is one of those shows that don’t get the slander it deserved for the antiblackness/misogynoir in the writing while under the shield of a diverse cast, but that’s a whole nother post entirely)

Nikki on Misfits (and Tulip on Preacher - I DO NOT CARE if they brought her back. You made me see this woman get shot and die and the people who saw her return only did so because they weren’t so scarred that they had to cut ties with the show. They knew what the fuck they was doing ending that like that, making us see that)

Breeze Clair Browne’s mom in The Good Doctor

Jean in The Oval. Look. I know that’s a Black show, but that was a terrible death for a good person and it hurt like hell.

Angela in Mortel... and here’s the thing about Mortel... you don’t get a lot of death scenes. You have some death scenes and you have a lot of deaths spoken of, and there are grim portrayals of violence. But it was not lost on me that the dark skinned Black woman died gruesomely. Mortel will really play in your face. Somebody down there is colorist and somebody down there love some whites. That’s a very different conversation, for another rant, if I feel like it some time.

Missandei - I’ma be honest, I ain’t watch that show, so idk how important it was to plot or nothing, but I know that I remember saying, “Whoa, the Black girl on that show lived the whole way through?” and like, the next week or that week, she was getting her damn head lopped off. Shame. They got all the way to the end and swiped her ass outta there. Smh.

Ol’ girl from Charmed... I didn’t watch that either, but the girls was really upset about it... Macy?

Candy from Pose. WHY DID THEY SHOW US HER DEAD BODY? WHAT WAS THE REASON?? WE WERE ALREADY FUCKING SAD ABOUT THE SHIT!!!

POUSSEY. I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO FUCKING EXPLAIN.

Honorable Mentions for Hannah Grose and Rebecca Jessell, Because since so many people died in that story, them dying in bad ways and onscreen were unfair and hurtful, but not outside of the scope of the material. HOWEVER, them being murdered, and then having to STILL somehow be sacrificial negroes for the kids and them... THAT was just extra misogynoir and I ain’t like it. Of the ones that did survive, you didn’t get the two important Black characters. Not even one? And then they both had to give more to protect the others? Y’all gave me Ghost Mammies? FOH.

Not completely pointless, but unnecessary or unfair, to say the least:

Alisha in Misfits. The way that I had to watch this was troubling. Like. Yes, it was that kinda genre, but I didn’t wanna see it. Like... I’m upset every time.

Jaden in Nikita. She was doing right, doing what they were supposed to and after all that animosity they had her throw out, she seemed like she was getting to not be the bitchy Black girl, and they killed her right in front of me. Then they killed Emily Robinson, who was killed specifically to further a white man’s character arc.

Joss Carter could have easily been written out of Person of Interest peacefully if Taraji was moving on to other things. Characters CAN just leave. People do this in real life. Sometimes, they just leave.

Diana Tilton in The Shannara Chronicles... They so unceremoniously killed her off, and it was like... not on screen, if I recall, so you didn’t really know and then if they mentioned it later, it was very casually.

And Because This Also Happens in Cartoons:

THE SUNFIRE QUEEN, KHESSA From The Dragon Prince. That. Was. Horrifying. Hated it.

And a friend said Allura, which reminded me of all the times I saw people mourning Allura, even though I know nothing about that media. I don’t even know the name... Voltron Action Adventurer or whatever.

Edited 2/22/23

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sniffanimal · 3 months

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slime girl that's made of mezcal and there's a worm in her but it's like alive and it's own thing

#badger rants #many things to consider. what if your parasite could talk to you and was just chillen #i am always sad i sold this candy dragon character i made that had a worm inside it. but i can build it better #or what if. scorpion inside her. i love scorpions

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peachiseas · 8 months

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I would like to hear about the side character treatment too please... I do remember feeling like there weren't enough reactions on both sides. I think the MC being quiet didn't bother me too much because I usually pick the quiet/shy options, but there were definitely more moments where I wish they could have talked or like... the ice cream moment broken up over suddenly 21 questions while eating ice cream.

Derek's DLC always makes me cry due to the fact that I struggle with his exact issue a lot even now and do not know how to not overwork myself or always put everyone else first so it always ends up hitting a bit too close to home oops

I adore Derek's struggle and like thematics in his DLC, especially in a time where everything is super uncertain and no one I know my age are feeling fulfilled especially with their college experiences. Imo its genuinely just so good and handled so well, and his family + Liz are my favorite batch of side characters just from how developed they are and how much they care for Derek and the MC respectively. (Very long post ahead bout side characters underneath the readmore)

That being said, Baxter's DLC side characters... to put it simply, Miranda and Terry were done extremely dirty in the DLC that was supposed to have them feature as supporting characters. We barely get any noteworthy character development with them beyond the redundant one note "oh they like each other but haven't said anything about it" which was the same plotline before the DLC was even worked on. And then when you think Step 4 we're going to see their motivations outside the basic one note "we like each other" plotline, they get their roles essentially replaced with Jude and Scott who we are supposed to care as much for despite the fact we don't know much of anything about them until step 4 and even then their both still one note. Xavier was there to egg on Baxter and MC scenarios but the whole thing falls flat if your MC isn't on good terms with Baxter, it reads like once again an overstep on boundaries.

With Jorge and Nico, you got to know them but you also saw them grow Outside of the mc and see them develop their own hobbies, fashion sense and different views on the world. Nico can straight up not like the MC but explains his reasoning and put that ill will behind him and it is Believable. Jorge has issues with being the middle child and that feeling of neglect in comparison to his younger brother and that whole fight was just excellent writing because you see so much development and plotlines come to a head that when they make up, it feels Satisfying. I think that became a staple in regards to Our Life characters, you expect the characters to be well written because most of the time they are!

But what do we know about Miranda beyond her basic occupation and one hobby? How does she feel about Jude and Scott arguing? How does she feel about Baxter beyond the mc? Does she disapprove of him now? It is one thing to write characters who are more quiet and reserved but it's another thing to make a bare bones character and equate no character development to being shy. Miranda is a nothing character and it's so weird that her brother gets more personality than she does and he's only in one step.

But Terry is so much worse in comparison, we get Terry accidentally making jokes at the MC's own expense which is such an insane thought to me because he should be far more aware of any potential issues because from what was written in his lackluster parts in step 3, he is hyperaware of societal norms and what should be said and what shouldn't. There is no care for Terry at all and we still know absolutely NOTHING about him beyond the fact he's the friend who has a van, has a girlfriend, is Cove's best friend and is a lifeguard. He has no motives, he doesn't actually have any narrative reason to be in Baxter's DLC beyond the fact that Miranda likes him. You could replace Terry's entire presence in step 3 and 4 with Cove or Derek and nothing would change whatsoever. I think it’s even worse considering he’s the first explicitly trans character in game and the only black trans character in the game. It felt like they didn’t even try.

In fact, that's the main issue with the entire set of supporting cast in this DLC. You could replace them and nothing would change, they are just there to waste play time and prop up Baxter to make him look good but they have no character development or plot development at all! You have Jorge, Nico and hell, even Liz had so much development in Derek's DLC that it felt organic to them! But we see none of this with any of the supporting characters in the cast, especially Miranda and Terry who deserved far more than just a forced plotline about having a trip together just so you can Once again have Baxter come in and be the good guy so the MC can't help but feel like he's becoming a better person! They are just shells of what little characters they already were and it's just so transparent that the devs thought diversity quota first and character development second when writing them that it's so disappointing having it be so full force in this DLC.

#candy girl answers #ol critique tag #making a tag #this is not even the full rant i had to shorten it.#hate it here #anyways miranda and terry deserved so much better #the worst things is that the devs Can write really compelling characters #they just didnt.#and it sucks cause ofc they did this shit with the supporting cast thats majorly poc

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christopheroshea · 1 year

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This most likely won’t happen in the revival but I’d like to see Linda finally learn the truth to what Candace sees.

I love Linda but I totally get why some don’t, I mean not only does she need to spend a bit more time with her kids, but you’d think that with the whole city getting involved in some of the boys’ big ideas that she’d notice sometime. Even if she was kinda stupid, which I’m sure she is, someone must’ve pointed it out eventually, and it could click with the right person to help her see the light, the right amount of evidence and a talk with Candace.

Imagine how much growth we could get from her end? Her questioning her skills as a mother and trying to be better, getting some heartfelt moments of supporting Candace through her greater struggles, maybe participating more significantly in the boys big ideas while still making sure they stay safe. The last one would be important for parents in a similar way Doof’s subplot in Skiddly Wifflers was, showing how to respect a child’s intelligence as a parent while still knowing when they’re over their head.

Again, it might not happen but hey, if we can see Doof’s efforts to becoming good in MML, we can get this right?

#phineas and ferb #somewhat of a rant on Linda’s imperfections #Acknowledging your favourite characters problems is kinda fun #Just love character development for them #Actually love character development in general #pnf linda #pnf candace #candy cane kinda needs therapy

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katzwrld · 9 months

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i had a dream i had a huge crush on princess bubblegum

#she’s so cute tho i won’t lie #i’ve always wanted to rant about the way people view her though #casual fans calling her the most evil person to exist when yeah she did shitty things but i never saw it as a reason to call her h1tler????#i think it’s messed up to call any cartoon character that it’s just weird #anyways she views the candy people like children and she basically raised herself so i don’t think she does anything bc she loves to watch #others suffer #i guess i do feel pretty strongly about her erm #chats #c #?????#idk pink girlboss princesses kinda go hard

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inavagrant-a · 2 years

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The face I make when I see Scara stans try to shove down everybody’s throat that “Scaramouch e is the most multi-faceted and most in-depth character in this entire game” claim..... ..

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candycatstuffs · 1 year

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abt the sonic characterization i do agree he's not much like in the games, but i AM happy we finally get a sonic that acts his age! usually i cant imagine game sonic being fucking 15 he's too mature for that, while prime sonic's a believable kid! plus who knows maybe he does come out at the end of the series more mature and in line w game canon personality wise?

While I do disagree, I'm glad you enjoyed him even if I didn't!!

I've heard the sentiment about him "acting his age" before, and honestly I kindof dislike it. Sonic isn't your typical 15 year old human kid in the human world. He lives in a completely different world where's he's had very unique experiences and adventures, so to me it doesn't really makes sense for him to act like that. And not all 15 year olds act the same anyway. I believe personality and experiences should be valued over a characters age.

And maybe he will come out like that, but a big part of why I love Sonic is he is who he is. He is comfortable and confident in who he is and does things his own way. He doesn't really need that kind of character development, and works better as a catalyst for other's development imo

#asks #candy character rants

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autistic-shaiapouf · 1 year

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You know what, I love being nd I love my niche focuses and interests

#was listening to trash candy and remembered making a post about s3 where i 100% forgot the names of the characters #and had to remember that there are people as invested in that show as i am in the caa #it's been like 3 years and i still have so much caa stuff i wanna make and talk about #step 1 is actually watching the arc kdhfkf gonna try that on my day off #hoatm rants

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deadghosy · 3 months

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Hey!! I have a request! Could you do the hazbin hotel characters and fem! CatNap reader! I know CatNap is a boy but I would like to see what kind of head canons they would have for a female version of CatNap. Also maybe reader would love chasing things around since cats do that?

HAZBIN HOTEL X FEM CATNAP!READER HEADCANNONS

prompt: you are female resident who helps sinners with insomnia

OKAY FIRST OFF! YOU DEFINITELY STILL SMELL LIKE VANILLA AND LAVENDER!🦆 NO ONE CAN ARGUE ABOUT THIS TO ME 😭

What I headcannon is kinda cartoony as reader has her legs cross as she just nods listening to a sinner’s sleep problem as she is just wearing glasses and a vest. Dead ass she just knocks them out like. “Problem solved!”

Charlie made you a room so residents and sinners could come in and have you help them sleep. Like either you knock them out and walk away. Or you actually stop being a lazy mofo and help them personally.

I headcannon based on the fluffy plush bodies that reader is still flat like the male catnap, cause obviously she doesn’t have a chest just like the plush body of Bobby bearhug. That’s basically how I imagine reader’s body is with her being like a little more skinny but definitely having trouble with people asking what her gender is.

“I’m a fucking cat, that’s what I am.” Is what reader would say irritated as it’s obvious in her feminine/decent voice.

Sassy catnap!reader is a goal as you would literally just do shit for shits and giggles😭✨🔥

Headcannon you have a purple vest with a white dress shirt and a black or white skirt with a few moon patterns on it while the color of your dress shirt as a moon pendent💗🦆

You straight up knocked a person out with your red smoke because they had sexualized you during the session and all you had to say was. “Oh really? Count to three…” “count to wh-” immediate knocked out as they fell face first from the chair as you smile with a full grin.

You used your claws to cut open a piece of candy for nifty as she hugs you and walked away happy. You love helping….

Alastor ran from you as you were chasing after him like a predator because he said he doesn’t need sleep…okay so imagine this….

You are sneaking like a lion behind Alastor as he drinks tea and he is like “I feel watched” with a sweatdropped and next thing people see in the halls is you grinning as you drag a motionless Alastor who still holds his tea up.

You wrapped your tail around Charlie to help her put up a banner as you file your claws as it was time to trim them. Like I imagine that as vaggie is like “What.” With a blank confused face seeing her girlfriend get lifted by a 8ft tall female cat

I can see reader having those teas that help people to sleep just incase they don’t like being passed out “force”. So you just make them tea as you listen to them rant as they fall asleep

Imagine reader reading a book as Lucifer is having a hyper moment behind her as she just peacefully reads….

It gives off “calm friend x hyper friend” vibes

Lucifer had one time patted you, and kept petting you until you purred so he can feel relaxed. He likes your purrs.

The duck king definitely has a picture of you purring on his lap…he even has it as his wallpaper kinda because of how soft and good smelling your fur is

OOOH IMAGINE YOU AND ANGEL HAVING A FASHION SHOW IN HIS ROOM💗🦆

Angel definitely gets you some nice clothes to match your aesthetic or purple clothing with white and cream.

You carry nifty in your mouth as if she was your kit….its cute okay…like niffty straight up smile as you hold her like your own kitten.

“This is ma mom now!” Nifty says happily as you just walk around with the back of her dress in your mouth.

Cherri bomb was good about you by Angel dust as Angel had put an image of how cool and badass you are at not following the rules. She always tries to persuade you into giving her your red smoke to make bombs out of it. SHE ONLY WANTS TO CAUSE DESTRUCTION!!!🦆‼️

Sir Pentious brings his egg boiz to you when they can’t sleep so you can use your red smoke on them. They snuggle in your purple fur as you just play a lullaby for them

I imagine you and husk purring by each other out of no where confused…but it’s because of your peaceful scent installed in your fur and body.

You still have your signature cocky smile before you knock a bitch out with the gas coming from your mouth.

I can see how you have a moon ring as [favorite hazbin hotel character] has a sun ring to show off your friendship with them

Imagine how reader gets groomed by the whole hazbin hotel crew because of their 8ft tall frame…there’s a lot of extra work in grooming your fur.

You definitely have those candles as well with that lavender smell with hint of vanilla. You have so much aromatherapy stuff for people. You might as well be the aroma goddess-

I headcannon you using your demon form (basically that form where the player sees catnap as a skinny monster) to scare people 😭 you’re an asshole as I imagine Angel getting ready for his morning to only see you behind the shower curtain with a creepy smile

Angel screamed and ran out the room looking crazy…..😭 Charlie found out and made you apologize to Angel as he was locked in his room..

He’s definitely not going to the bathroom alone-

Just like my other catnap! Reader, you definitely walk around slowly but stealthy releasing that poppy gas just incase a resident or your friends try sneaking out. “It’s time for bed…” you says quietly as you move smoothly around the hotel hallways

Just like before, Lucifer was scared of you until you showed him you can be quite the loving person you can be. Like Lucifer will lay on your body for comfort if he was getting busy from paper work in his office.

I can imagine Angel trying to get you to use your gas on Valentino and you’re like “sure” as you put a jar to your mouth and release it and give it to Angel.

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backwardsbread · 2 months

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Your “Hazbin Hotel Characters Forgetting an Anniversary” has become a comfort post of mine. You did such a good job with it and did amazing in capturing their personalities as well!

I was wondering if I could request an Adam fic? Like one where he realizes that he actually cares about reader, but he goes about showing that in the strangest ways? He may be a massive obnoxious jerk in the show, but he somehow made his way to being a favorite of mine in the show.

My heart- opening my inbox and seeing this made my day-

I’ve also been obsessing over Adam fics lately so seeing something with Adam get requested made me SO happy! I am happy to oblige~!

Adam x Gn!Angel!Reader

~Feelings are Fucked~

Warnings‼️: Adam being Adam, mutual pining, swearing, maybe OOC?

~Not proofread~

Listen. I don’t gotta tell you that Adam is always up his own ass.

Dude is OBSESSED with himself.

He would be the type of guy to be like;

“Oh yeah, have you heard of the BIBLE?? I’m kinda in it, no big deal.”

He’s on his own mind 99.9% of the time. His needs, wants, desires.

He’s so Self centered it’s not even funny-

So IMAGINE how he feels when you start to pick your way into his thoughts. And he has no idea why.

(Obviously Adam was the superior being, why should you have all people be on his mind??)

It’s easy for him to brush away these random thoughts of you. He could easily distract himself with material things to get his mind off the topic.

Eventually when distractions stop working, he feels like he’s going crazy.

He’s got a lot of things to do in Heaven, yet you feel like the most important ones to him.

I can see Adam being a huge flirt in the beginning. If he can get you to fall for him as hard as he has for you, he’ll consider it a win.

But he doesn’t really realize how much of a dick he comes off as. He absolutely makes a fool of himself majority of the time.

Gives the vibe of him saying something lowkey offensive while laughing and you just staring at him blankly and asked ‘What’s so funny?’

It’s frustrating for him how he can’t seem to get to you.

He doesn’t ask for advice from anybody, but I can definitely see Lute giving her 2 cents while Adam is ranting about how ‘annoying’ you are.

Her biggest piece of advice being for him to just stfu sometimes and actually listen to you.

Adam will never admit how much that actually helped him, it seemed like such a simple solution that he just hadn’t been doing.

So instead of being this overbearing flirt, he’ll just listen to you talk, occasionally chiming in with his own banter. Through this he learns a lot more about you.

And he makes an effort to show you he’s been listening.

You mention your favorite candy? He grabs some for you whenever he’s out getting snacks.

You mention a favorite scent of yours? Suddenly his whole house smells like it whenever you come over.

Got a favorite flower? He just so happened to see some at the garden and brings you one.

Of course he makes sure to follow up his kind gestures with a flirty or snarky remark. Trying to be this big tough guy despite how sweet he’s being to you.

He doesn’t realize how much of a total sap he’s being and how obvious his feelings are for you.

I can totally see Adam’s love language being gift giving and physical touch.

He’s not good with words. Never has been, never will be.

So he often shows his care for you by poking your side or cheek, resting his head or chin on your shoulder, ruffling your hair, or keeping one of his wings behind your back to make sure your close to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adam was walking along the streets of heaven with you, ranting about how his superior Sera, was supposedly being a Karen.

In his words she ‘wouldn’t get off his dick’ about his behavior and language. You listened to Adam’s ranting, letting him express his frustrations despite how petty the situation might’ve been. You occasionally let out hums of acknowledgment and nod towards him to show you were listening.

While you’re paying attention to him, a few angels who seemed to be in a rush, nearly bump into you from behind. Adam catches a glimpse of the angels coming your guys’ way, and extends his wing out to shield you from the other angels.

He grabs your hand, bringing you closer to him while his wing wraps around your torso. He waits for the angels to pass by, giving them an extremely fake smile as they flew by. Once they were out of sight, Adam’s smile falls and he grumbles to himself, pulling his wing back to his side.

“Stupid, fucking… can’t watch where they’re going?”

He keeps your hand in his own, continuing to grumble how some angels needed to mind their business and watch where they were going. The two of you continue to walk, but Adam’s voice seems to drown out, and you can only really focus on your hand in his own.

Sure Adam had been affectionate to you many times, but never in public. It wasn’t something that bothered you either. You just felt anxious butterflies fly around your stomach, a sense of pride welling up in your chest that Adam was holding your hand. As the two of you are about to reach your destination, you finally speak up to Adam before you would have to depart from him.

“Hey, are you.. doing anything.. tomorrow evening?”

You ask, scratching the back of your neck a bit with your free hand. Warmth spreads across your face as Adam just kind of stares at you for a moment, pondering.

“Uhh, got a few boring ass meetings after noon, but otherwise, I’m chilling for the rest of the night.”

“Would you.. want to go out to dinner tomorrow? If you’re up for it.”

Your question seemed to go over Adam’s head of what your intentions were. Free food was free food, (and time spent with you was a plus)

He lets his ego take over for a bit, putting a proud hand over his chest. His grin shines across his mask, spreading from ear to ear.

“I suppose I can make some time for you. As long as I get to pick the place.”

You can’t help but chuckle, face flushing hues of pink when Adam agreed. You smile brightly, finally letting go of Adam’s hand.

“Sounds good! Let’s say around 5 or 6?”

“Don’t rush me babes, I’ll text ya when I’m headed over.”

Adam says nonchalantly, crossing his arms. Despite his attitude, you watch his eyes shift away from you, avoiding your gaze. He’s embarrassed and you can tell by how his guard started to come back up. You had learned these little telltale signs Adam had. You chuckle, simply waving to Adam, wishing him good luck on his meeting and telling him you’ll see him tomorrow.

Adam smiles genuinely, giving a small wave back, before turning towards the large angelic building to head inside. Lute was waiting by the door for him and she just so happened to hear your guys’ little exchange. Adam’s whistling to himself, his heart beating fast in his chest but he can’t put his finger on the exact reason as to why.

Lute looks towards him, raising a suspicious brow. She sighs seeing how Adam was oblivious to what he had just agreed to. While holding the door open for Adam to enter the building, she speaks.

“You know they just asked you on a date, right?”

Adam’s whistling comes to a complete stop, his body freezing where he stood. Lute glances up at him, pressing her lips together so she doesn’t laugh at Adam’s look of shock.

“They fuckin’ what??”

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel #hazbin adam #hazbin adam x reader #adam x reader #hazbin hotel adam #hazbin hotel headcanon #hazbin x reader #x reader #character x reader #hazbin lute #hazbin hotel lute

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public-trans-it · 4 months

Text

Fighters should have magic

I mean this shit 100% seriously BTW.

An impassioned rant about Fighters' place in modern campaigns.

There is certainly an argument to be made for sometimes not giving Fighters access to magic! In a low magic setting like Dark Sun (yes, I know the magic situation in that setting is more complicated than that), it makes perfect sense that Fighters wouldn't go anywhere near the stuff! In some of the more old school low fantasy focused DnD editions, or some OSR systems, it makes sense that magic would require years of practice for even the most basic of spells, and so Fighters wouldn't bother with it.

That is not, however, the bulk of modern campaigns. Be it DnD, or Pathfinder, or so many other fantasy heartbreakers out there nowadays, most campaigns are fantastical, filled with wonderous magic and queer tieflings and rogues who literally cloak themselves in shadows and jumping between planes to save the world and so much more!

In these campaigns, Fighters should know magic!

If your setting is even close to treating magic as commonplace, where having a level 1 wizard under the age of a billion fucking years old is considered within the realm of feasibility, than EVERYONE should have access to magic!

Any adventurer in such a setting who decided to start a life of wilderness exploration, and DIDN'T learn the spell Prestidigitation, is nothing short of monster bait. "Oh yes this spell that starts campfires and cleans my clothes and seasons my food and is THE MOST BASIC SPELL IN EXISTENCE certainly isn't worth my time!" - The words of someone about to get eaten by a coyote on their first night. Not even a fun magical creature, just a regular ass coyote because they are THAT unprepared. Even if it wasn't a cantrip and required 5 minutes of focus to cast, every adventurer should know this spell by heart.

But obviously, that isn't unique to just Fighters.

Fighters are focused on being masters of weaponry! They study the blade, learn it inside and out! They don't have time for magic... right?

No. They don't have time to learn SPELLS. That you could absolutely make an argument for. A fighter doesn't have to learn to shoot a fireball, because that's not how they fight. Not knowing magic that augments their fighting style, in a setting where magic is commonplace, is equivalent to that fighter going "Oh I'm too busy to learn to fight with weapons. I dont have time to learn to sharpen one properly." THAT IS ASININE. WHAT REASON DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE FOR IGNORING A SKILL DIRECTLY LINKED TO THEIR CHOSEN PROFESSION? Spells like True Strike are things a fighter would learn! But even if not spells, magical augmentation to their skill are something a Fighter would absolutely embrace! Anything that helps them further the effectiveness of their weapons should be fair game for their practice. Even if it worked like Paladins or Rangers where you typically just don't get the spells until higher levels.

And the games already reflect this! What do Fighters need to maintain damage pacing and ability as they grow stronger? That's right. Magic. In the form of Magic Weapons and Armor.

Magic armaments are considered commonplace in these settings, being handed out like candy. They are an expected part of character progression, and the games are balanced around the expectation that a fighter will be using them. So why, then, is the master of weapons and all they embody completely ignorant on the front of magical weapons?

Sure, a fighter might not be able to craft magic weapons. Not every fighter has to be a blacksmith. But much like how it should be expected that a fighter should be able to at least MAINTAIN their weapons, a fighter should absolutely be trained in the kinds of magic that are APPLIED to weapons. A fighter should be able to take a single glance at a weapon in a chest, and turn to the party and go "Hey this thing is cursed as fuck, don't touch it."

In worlds that are so fantastical and magical, it does not make sense to have a guy who's whole deal is knowing how to fight, and have him completely ignore A MASSIVE segment of fighting styles they will be going up against.

If your setting is magical, then your Fighters should be magical too, damnit!

#text essay #ttrpg

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hisui-dreamer · 1 year

Text

harveston's warmth

Characters: Jade, Idia, Sebek, Epel, Jamil

Synopsis: Your lover notices you're cold while looking around in the Harveston market, how does he help warm you up?

Tags: spoilers for Harveston Event, warming up, fluff

Word count: 901

Notes: i was craving warming up scenarios the whole time i was reading the event, so here's our Harveston bois being super fluffy!

Masterlist

Jade's like a child in a candy store running around from stall to stall looking at what interesting plants they have

once he notices you're shivering though, he drops everything and makes you his first priority

he's a bit frustrated at himself given his low body temperature can't warm you up

his touch would be ice cold, so he's careful to not accidentally chill you

he can't physically warm you, but his affection does wonders

gets you warm drinks and the mushroom soup to help maintain your body warmth

takes off some of his outer layers to give you more insulation

analyses your every move to see if you're improving

definitely goes and learns warming spells after the trip to make sure he's well equipped to take care you next time

might also tease you by placing a cold hand on your neck haha

Jade's eyes narrow as he notices your shivering, before quickly springing into action. "My pearl, I can see you're feeling cold," he says with concern. "Come, let's get you warmed up. Just hold on a little longer, and I'll make sure you're cozy in no time," his cold lips press against your forehead, but the heat that rises to your cheeks warms your heart.

Idia is a bit sensitive to the cold, but with enough cold gear he's fine

i mean his hair is fire, he's not that cold

he's imprinting every single detail of the market to memory and noting what similarities there are between the anime and real life

when he sees you shivering, he gets a bit worried

temperature causes health damage after all

quietly buys you apple ginger tea, the statistically most efficient drink for warming up

and might just stand closer to you and radiate his hair body heat for you

he's too shy to be openly affectionate in public so cut him some slack

the next day, he's giving you a small portable heater he built from scraps he found

you can't freeze to death on him now, okay?

"Hey... uh, it looks like your temperature bar is dropping," Idia mutters with a concerned look. "Let's quickly buff up your warmth stat and get you back in the comfort zone ASAP before you take health damage!"

he's also freezing

distracting himself from the cold by thinking about malleus

then he notices you're also cold

he has an excuse now

takes you to the bonfire for you to warm up, but it's just the two of you, side by side, gloves off, hands in the air trying to get some warmth from the flames

it's kind of endearing really

inches closer to you to try and offer his own body heat

if you get him to rant about malleus, his face will get warm from how passioned he is trust me

gets you a hot drink but only because he was already getting one, okay human?

might hold hands blushingly hehe

or if he's feeling bold, hugsss

would also suggest going on brisk walks to generate body heat

"No one can warm you up better than me, human!" Sebek exclaims, his chest puffed with pride. "It's my duty as your lover to keep you comfortable." There's that smug glint in his eyes that always makes you smile.

he's so excited to show off harveston to you!

his favourite person in the world, at his hometown, his favourite place in the world

as the tour guide, he notices you're cold rather quickly

takes you to a good spot to sit by the bonfire

once your comfortable, he'll go and get any warm drinks you want

definitely huddles closer to you, wrapping his arms around you to share his body warmth

takes off his gloves and slides his hand into your glove!!!

many tricks to get warm from him, given he had to grow used to it

uses this as an opportunity for you to try all sorts of harveston cuisine

he's so so happy to be able to take care and provide for you

"Aw shucks, looks like ya need some warmth, sugar cube!" Epel says with a gentle smile. "Lemme fetch ya a hot cuppa cocoa or some warm soup. I'll make sure ya stay warm and toasty, no matter what it takes. You can count on me!"

Jamil is a bit sensitive to the cold, but he's used to it given the chilly nights of the scalding sands

so he's doing okay in the harveston cold, not entirely warm, but not uncomfortably cold

and the excitement of travelling has him more excited and energised anyways

with how observant he is, he notices how you've become all quite and how you're shivering slightly

he can't give you some of his layers, so he'll drag you into the market to get some warm drinks

also just walking in crowds can heat you up with a bit

gets you apple ginger tea because he knows the medicinal properties ginger has to warm up

very very attentive and blows at your drink to make sure you won't burn your tongue

really, he's not fairing very well himself, but he's putting in a lot of effort to make sure you're comfortable

"You really should speak up when you're not feeling too well, you know?" Jamil sighs, smiling wryly. He extends his hand toward you. "Follow me, I know just the thing to get you warmed up."

Masterlist

if you liked this post, don't forget to reblog!

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aoioozora · 4 months

Note

THIS IS SO AMAZING OMG (talking about the Simon fanfic btw) YOU JUST EARNED A FOLLOWER ❤️❤️ we'd really appreciate it if you did a part 2? 🥹 Take care

Simon.

Part 2

Part 1 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10

Character: Simon Riley / Ghost

Content: Biker! Ghost x Fem! Reader, strangers to lovers, fluff, civilian au

Note: I was never planning on making this a series but here we go, I guess I'm invested too now >:) thank you for requesting and following! While this series is fluff only, I have a small warning for this part: there's swearing, crude jokes. And possibly incorrect usage of Scottish and English slang. Enjoy :) Photo credit: mus

“It's pishin’ it doon out here.”

Simon looked at his friend and sighed, “English, MacTavish.”

MacTavish groaned. “It's raining fuckin’ hard.”

“Then say so.”

“I did!”

Simon and his friend, John MacTavish or ‘Johnny’, as he was affectionately called, found themselves standing under the shade of a book café, helmets in hands, watching Simon's bike get drenched in the heavy rain. Neither of them expected a downpour, and were caught without raincoats. And so the two had no choice but to wait it out.

“It was yer bloody brilliant idea to go on a road trip when I warned ye that it was gonna rain today,” Johnny griped, crossing his arms as he shook the rain water off his helmet.

Simon didn't say a word. He copied Johnny in getting the water off his helmet, except that he wiped it off with his hand. As he hung his head down to do so, his messy blond hair fell over his eyes, and he shook his head to get it out of the way. He wiped his hands on a handkerchief to dry them, and then pulled his mask down below his nose to inhale a fresh gulp of the cold, wet air. When he had inhaled enough, he pulled the mask back on, and his eyes wandered to his motorcycle, which was surrounded by a foggy haze in the rain.

His mind wandered to that night he saved a young lady off the dangerous streets. He remembered how he saw her from afar, and without a second thought, sped up to her assailants, half-intent on actually flattening them into crepes. He remembered how his engine pounded as adrenaline charged his blood, as he twisted the accelerator to full throttle, sending the vehicle flying.

A pretty lady he thought she was. He didn't know why he called her his girlfriend; his brain decided that being a boyfriend was the second most powerful thing a man could be, the first being a husband. No other men would mess with another man's woman, that was for sure, unless he had a death wish. She acted well too, convincingly even.

He pulled out his phone and turned it around. Nestled beneath the clear casing was a small, clear candy wrapper, the same one that the pretty lady gave him that day. He didn't know why he felt the need to keep it, but did anyway. He definitely wanted something to remind him of her.

He had been in anguish ever since he dropped her off and rode away; he had completely forgotten to ask for her name. But who does that? They were strangers. What are the odds that two strangers would meet again?

“I'm heading inside,” Johnny announced, “I want a coffee.”

“Get me some tea.”

“Fuckin’ Brit.”

Simon was about to correct Johnny by telling him that Scotland, where he was from, was also part of the British isles, but he bit back, not wanting to risk hearing a rant in exclusively colorful, and totally family friendly Scottish words and phrases.

“Fine, I'll do it myself.” Simon rolled his eyes and followed Johnny inside the book cafe.

The two men sat at a table and while Johnny peered into the menu, Simon sank back into the comfortable chair and looked at the yellow bulbs hanging overhead, casting a soft, golden glow on the smooth wooden tables, the floors, and the cutlery. The smell of coffee, cakes, and books filled the air, along with the soft ruffle of pages, clinks of tableware and cups and saucers, and the distinct murmurs of his friend across him as he figured out what coffee he wanted to have.

A waiter came by to take their orders, and the two were soon left to their own, sitting in unusual silence as they stared out the glass windows at the relentlessly pouring rain. While Johnny hummed a tune to himself, Simon, tired of looking at the downpour, decided to amuse himself with people watching.

He saw people working at their laptops, some reading and drinking, others chatting in soft murmurs, and staff doing their job.

His eyes fell on one particular lady who was seated at a table across the cafe, back facing him, busily working on her laptop. He felt his heart stop for a moment. Her silhouette was familiar, particularly her hair; it looked just like her. His heart pounded beneath his ribs.

He didn't realise how long he looked until Johnny's voice piped, “Wit ye lookin’ at?” which interrupted the momentary buzz of his thoughts.

Simon turned to his friend, who was looking at him with mingled curiosity and confusion. “Nothing.” he replied, shaking his head and hanging it down slightly to look away, but his eyes immediately darted to the lady, as if she was a strong magnet.

Johnny wasn't quite convinced, and he followed Simon's line of vision. “A lass,” he observed, smirking.

Simon glared at his friend, but it only made him chuckle. The two watched as she stood up for a moment and turned around, intent on walking to the shelves to grab a book. That's when Simon saw her face, and again, his heart seized.

“It's her.”

His breath lodged tight in his lungs and his body visibly stiffened. And the most unfortunate reaction of them all: his partially exposed cheeks had turned pink. His eyes were glued to her, and he was unaware that Johnny was still keenly observing him.

“Ye ken her?” asked Johnny, his smirk widening.

“You remember I saved a girl the other day?” He asked back.

“That's her?” Johnny whipped his head back again to take another gander at the lady.

She was furiously flipping through the pages of a hardbound book, as if desperately in search of something. Simon rested his elbow on the armrest of the chair and leaned his cheek on his fist; he watched with interest as she hunched over the book like a medieval scholar, and wondered what her occupation was. She went back to her seat, hunched over again, and the two men looked back at each other.

“Go talk to her,” Johnny challenged.

“No.”

“Keep bein’ a fuckin’ pussy and ye won't get to fuck that pussy, ye ken?”

Simon snorted at that, but then immediately and quietly hissed “Wheesht!” at Johnny to make him shut up, glancing back at the pretty lady. “Don't be disrespectful,” he added.

Johnny chuckled, ever amused at the fact that his Scottish vernacular was infecting the Englishman. He leaned forward, resting a hand on his knee, continuing to smirk, “Since when did ye care about respect, huh?”

Simon inhaled sharply, since he was getting increasingly impatient with Johnny and at the fact that he was running out of arguments. It was also a bit hard to argue in a place where you're supposed to be quiet.

“Just go already. I cannae see ye looking so stupid like this. The worst she can say is ‘fuck off’.” Johnny shrugged.

Simon shot his friend and unimpressed look, making Johnny snort. “That is the worst thing she can say, you wanker,” he said, now mechanically rising from his chair.

“Fuck off and get her number, ye gobshite, or else you'll just be wanking to her and not talking.” Johnny shook his head with a smirk and gave his friend a slap on the back as he passed him. Simon returned the gesture with a slap to the back of Johnny's head, particularly in annoyance at the latter part of his sentence.

While Johnny whined quietly from how hard a slap he had been dealt with, Simon's attention was drawn when he heard her voice again, sounding a little agitated. His head whipped towards her table, and yet again, she was being hit on by some guy, and clearly looked like she was uncomfortably fighting back his unwanted advances.

Simon glared at the man as he began his march. “If only she had a boyfriend by her side, a guard dog…” he thought to himself as he speedily, yet calmly stepped over to her table.

He went around some tables and emerged behind the man, towering over him. Before Simon was noticed by her, his hand came down heavily on the man's shoulder, making him flinch. Leaning down, he whispered as the man turned to face him, “What business do you have with my girlfriend?”

The man was met with Simon's glaring eyes that meant serious business. He froze up immediately.

“Babe, he was trying to hit on me even though I told him I wasn't interested,” the lady's voice resounded, and a quick glance at her told Simon that her eyes glimmered with recognition.

The “babe” made his knees weak for a moment, but he shook off the feeling and continued to glare at the man. No more words were needed. He immediately stood up from his seat and strode away, apologising without sincerity. When he was finally earshot, she sighed.

“You alright, love?” asked Simon with gentleness unusual to him, glancing around again to make sure the man was nowhere in sight.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she sighed, also looking in the direction the man left. She looked back at him and smiled brightly, “But what a coincidence. We meet again, Simon.”

“And I'm mighty chuffed about it.” he thought to himself as he nodded in response. “Funny coincidence, really. My friend and I were just about to leave on a small road trip and the rain,” he shook his head and clicked his tongue as he looked at the windows, “it rained on our parade, I guess.”

The unintentional pun made her giggle. Simon normally had a grip on his emotions, but that damned giggle threw off his train of thought. But regaining himself, he continued, “So we took shelter here, and I saw you. Thought I'd come talk and then I heard that guy trying to make a pass at you.”

She motioned to the chair for him to sit down, which he instantly did; he cursed himself for seeming so eager.

“You heard?” she asked with emphasis.

“Yeah?” he nodded, slightly confused as to why she zeroed in on that word in particular. “I was looking elsewhere, and then I heard you.”

She then glanced at her laptop for a moment and then pulled the screen down slightly so he wouldn't see what was on. As she did, she said, “I see. I'm lucky you came just then because I was having a hard time driving him away.”

“I could tell,” he answered slowly. He then decided to change the subject. “You come here often?”

“Yeah, every day. This place is calm and quiet and the atmosphere helps me work.”

“What's your job?”

“I'm an author.”

“An author?” he blinked in surprise. He didn't expect that. “What do you write about?”

“Fantasy and adventure… With a hint of romance.” She grabbed her tote that was on the table and pulled out a book from it, which she showed him. “This is my first published book.”

“No kidding?” He took the book in my hand. It was titled ‘Firefly Trails’, embossed in gold. The cover was matte, showing a dark forest trail dotted with glossy fireflies and their greenish yellow light. Below the title was her name, and he read it in his mind slowly, his eyes spending more time taking it in more than anything else on the cover.

“New York Times Bestseller.” he recited, smirking as he eyed the epithet on the top of the cover, “Don't they slap this on every book?”

“They do, but this actually did pretty well in New York.”

“So you're famous then?”

“Kind of?”

“Tell me your Instagram handle, I'll need to see for myself.” Simon pulled out his phone and looked at her, waiting for her to tell him.

She did. He immediately typed it out on the search bar and while he did, he rested his elbow on the table, holding his arm upright. His neck was craned upward slightly, and the lady couldn't help but stare at the way his Adam's apple moved as he gulped, and the way the sternocleidomastoid muscle tightened and popped from under his fair skin as he moved his neck.

Her analytical, authorly eyes scanned him keenly, soaking in all she could make of his facial features; at his icy blond hair, short and styled in an undercut; his long eyelashes, his shapely eyebrows, his slightly pink cheeks under the black mask, the way his brown eyes reflected against the blue light of the phone screen; it was all a sight to behold. He was saying something, but her mind was so lost in trying to mentally string words together to describe the view in front of her in the most superfluous manner possible, in hopes that this information would be used in her future works.

“Hey, you really are famous. You got quite a tonne of followers.” Simon, who was highly aware of her shameless staring, somehow managed to interrupt her flow of thought.

She was successfully brought back to Earth from her daydream, and she nodded, now embarrassed to have been caught red-handed. He thankfully made no comment on it, not wanting to make things awkward.

She answered, “I suppose so. But they're not as many as bigger authors. I'm not complaining, though. I'm really happy to have a lot of people liking my work.”

“You're too modest,” he said, and she could see his cheeks rise to his eyes just a wee bit behind his mask, indicative of a smile. He now showed her her Instagram page on his phone. “There, I followed you,” he said, pointing at the grey ‘Following’ button.

“Are you sure? You don't look like the type of person who reads or is interested in author updates.” A slightly teasing smirk tugged the corner of her lips.

Simon chuckled and shook his head slightly, making his short hair swish a little; she took notice of it. “I'm a voracious reader,” he bragged, lying through his teeth, even using a fancy word to make it more convincing.

She smiled, clearly not quite convinced, but decided to humor him anyway. “If you are, then that book is a gift for you.” She glanced at the copy resting on his lap.

“No kidding?” he blinked as he took the book in his hand to gaze at it. “Well, since you're so famous, I think I should get your autograph.” he said, and she could see one of his cheeks raised; an unmistakable smirk.

“Oh, come on, you're making me blush,” she giggled, but took the book anyway.

"My intentions exactly," he thought as he watched her grab a pen and start writing on the first page.

His phone buzzed a message in the meantime, and he took the device to have a look. It was Johnny. He glanced at the other end of the cafe at his friend, and found him staring, finishing the last sips of his coffee.

Johnny MacTavvy: oi yer tea's getting cauld

Johnny MacTavvy: Rain's stopped too. Let's go

Simon now looked out the glass windows and the rain had indeed stopped, and a bit of sunlight was peeking through the cloudy skies. He sighed, not wanting to go just yet, but knowing Johnny wouldn't let him tarry any longer, he quickly typed a reply, which Johnny saw immediately.

Fuckin’ Brit: ok

By the time Simon kept his phone in his pocket, the lady finished her autograph and handed the book to him. “Enjoy.” She smiled.

Simon murmured a “Thanks” as he received the book, and then rose from his seat.

“Leaving already?” she asked, looking a little disappointed.

“Yeah, my friend's annoying me to finish my tea so we can be on our way. The rain's stopped now, so…”

“Okay,” she nodded slightly, glancing out the windows to confirm for herself. Looking back at him, she smiled again, “Take care then.”

“You too,” he inhaled. “Make sure you don't get hit on again,” he said, attempting to be casual and funny, but he felt like his attempt turned out to be so stupid.

She shook her head, scoffing and smiling. “I'll be fine.”

He was relieved that the attempt landed safely despite the turbulence, and he sighed. “Right then, I'll see you inna bit, love.”

“See you, Simon.”

He nodded once at her and then strode back to Johnny, feeling his knees get weaker by the second. He managed to reach his table and practically fell down in his seat.

“Well?” asked Johnny with a smirk as he leaned forward and eyed the book in Simon's hand. “She gave ye a gift, I see.”

“She's an author. Her first book.” Simon answered, handing him the book so he could see it.

“For real?” Johnny took the book and flipped through the pages. The autograph on the first page caught his attention and he read it. His eyes widened slightly and he closed the book, returning it to his friend, who was drowning the lukewarm tea. “He completely forgot, didnae he, this bastard.” Johnny muttered under his breath, smirking.

“What was that?” asked Simon, setting down the teacup.

“Nothing. Let's go.”

The two paid for their drinks and as they stepped out the door, Simon glanced back at her, and saw that she was also looking at him over her shoulder. This time, he felt a bit fluttery in his stomach. She waved at him with another of those pretty smiles and he waved back, already feeling his knees go weak again.

The two turned away and exited the book cafe. While Johnny wiped the rainwater off the motorcycle, Simon took a moment to see what she had written as an autograph.

“Dear Simon, thank you for saving me twice. I hope you enjoy the book,” was written, and along with that was her name and signature.

Below that was written in unmistakably bold and clear letters, “Call me,” along with her number.

Simon felt like he had been struck by lightning. His face turned alarmingly red and hot to the point that he scrambled to pull his hood over to hide himself. “Fuck me…” he mumbled his exclamation as he processed this very clear green light from her. It was unbelievable.

In the meantime, the lady herself couldn't believe this whole thing just happened. He happened to be there, came up to her, saved her, and swooped her off her feet the second time. It was an amazing coincidence, a once in a lifetime incident, something straight out of a novel. And being an author, she couldn't let this go. She just had to shoot her shot by slapping her phone number in the autograph and now hope that he would call her.

But if there was one thing that sold her completely, it was the fact that he heard that she was in trouble, and came to her rescue.

Feeling a flutter in her chest, she looked back at her laptop screen. A Google search result was displayed in bold:

“The name Simon means ‘to hear’.”

End of Part 2.

Part 3

262 notes · View notes