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#of course some things have changed!! and we did go through a rough period
labs · 11 days
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Communities closed beta is here
Hello again! We’re back with an update on Communities, a big idea we had last year that we’ve been working on steadily since then. We’re abnormally jazzed to announce that we’re beginning a “closed beta” phase of this new feature, which means many of you will get to play with it soon!
We want to build this whole thing together, with as much input from all of you as possible. We’ve read and re-read the feedback from our previous post, and we’ve been surveying and interviewing people about this idea for a few months now. But it’s time to open this up even more for hands-on testing.
We’ve already begun reaching out to most of you who interacted with our previous post, as promised, with a survey asking whether you’d be interested in helping (check your email!). Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be using the results of that survey to narrow down who we’d like to help test Communities in these initial batches.
The process is looking a bit like this:
If you received a Communities survey email to your registered Tumblr email address, fill it out! If you’re interested in helping us in this beta test period, that’s your way of potentially getting early access. If you did not receive an email with the Communities survey, don’t fret! Communities will be rolling out to more people as we expand our testing. 
We’ll go through the results and choose a diverse range of community ideas to gather a wide array of feedback.
Selected testers will receive a second survey with more detailed questions about their proposed community. Very practical stuff, like the name, title, and description, whether it should be public or private, the About page contents, its own community guidelines, and more.
We will create the new Tumblr community on your behalf using the information supplied. We’re building the tools that will let people create and edit communities themselves, so eventually you’ll be able to change them without needing our help. But for now, we’re creating and editing them for you, as needed.
After we’ve created the community, you’ll be made its first admin. Everything from here on out is up to you – Tumblr staff won’t be in your community (unless you invite us, of course). You’ll be able to invite anyone on Tumblr to your community. However, your community will have a population cap to start, limiting how many people can be in it and invited, as a way of keeping this beta test somewhat contained and manageable for us. We’ll be able to raise that population cap for communities that are growing and if we want to test further in that direction.
And throughout, we’ll be asking for feedback, both in some special communities for everyone in the closed beta, and via more surveys and the Support tickets we receive.
This closed beta version of Communities is far from finished, and that’s part of the reason we want to start opening it up to more of you for feedback. There are a lot of rough edges and known issues, but we think it’s far enough along that it’s usable enough for testing. We need feedback in order to feel like we’re building the right thing.
The very first public community is called “Communities Feedback” for this reason! We want everyone helping us test out communities to tell us about it, so people in this closed beta will be in there by default. We want to use that space to be more public and real-time about new pieces we’re building, bugs we’re fixing, things we know are broken, and answers to common questions. There is an additional, private community for community admins, to help shape how administrating and moderating these spaces will work. And if you don’t want to use those spaces, you can always use the “Feedback” category in our Support form.
Stay tuned for more, and keep an eye on that Communities Feedback space if you’d like to see how things are changing over time.
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dear doctor
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✢ content: NSFW, Medical Kink, Doctor-Patient Roleplay, Dom-Sub Dynamics, Glove Kink, improper use of Devil Fruit, Electrostimulation
✢ pairing: Trafalgar D. Law x f! Reader
✢ characters: Law, Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, Ikkaku, Uni
✢ word count: 7.500
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Life on the Polar Tang was delightful to say the least.
With a wonderful crew, a comfortable bed, delicious food, your very own Polar Bear on board, and last but not least, the company of your lover and partner, Trafalgar D. Law, you shouldn't have had much reason to complain. Well, perhaps, except for the fact that you were being pursued by the World Government due to your listed bounty. But apart from that, life was pretty good, especially when compared to the time before you joined the Heart Pirates. And slowly, but surely, you had even found yourself falling in love with none other than your own captain.
At the start of your relationship, Law had warned you that he was preoccupied with his duties, studies, and crew. He made it clear that these responsibilities were just as important as you, and that he would strive to care for them equally. Of course, you understood what you were getting into with a warning like that. Law's focused and determined demeanor was one of the many things that had captivated you, after all. And despite his initial warning, whenever he had to cancel your plans for sudden matters at hand, he always made it up to you in some way.
However, despite all of this, you currently found yourself pondering the state of your relationship. Law was avoiding your touch as if it were made of seastone, and this had been going on for a rough week. It wasn't unusual for you two to go without intimacy over some periods of time, but Law wouldn't even share a proper kiss or allow himself to be held while sleeping, and you knew how important latter was to him, considering the numerous nightmares he had to endure.
At first, you had tried to suppress your hurt over his distant demeanor. However, after enduring a dragging week, you finally reached your breaking point in front of Ikkaku. The poor girl had jokingly inquired about life in paradise, likely intending to check up on you, as you had formed a tight bond with the female crew member, but before you knew it, tears had welled up at the corners of your eyes, streaming down your cheeks within seconds.
Fortunately, Ikkaku responded with genuine sisterly concern, guiding you to a quieter section of the sub-marine where you could be alone. With a gentle hand stroking your back, she hushed you softly as you poured out your frustration from the past few days through tears.
"Shh, it's okay, y/n," Ikkaku whispered, offering you a heartfelt smile in an attempt to console you.
Tears still welling in your eyes, you looked up at her and spoke with a trembling voice, "I just don't know anymore, ´Kaku. He doesn't even talk to me. It's not like we even fought or anything."
Ikkaku raised an eyebrow at your words and let out a sigh of defeat. "Ugh, as much as I respect him, Captain can be so cryptic sometimes," she admitted, rubbing her neck uncomfortably. She then continued, "You sure there's no way you unintentionally upset him?"
Shaking your head, you looked down at the ground, attempting to control the flow of your emotions. Ikkaku seemed to understand your struggle and promptly produced a handkerchief, offering it to you. "Here, you poor thing. Take this."
"Thanks," you mumbled, using the handkerchief to dry your tears and blow your nose, working to steady your breathing. Meanwhile, Ikkaku appeared to be considering various possibilities for your captain's odd behavior. "Maybe we should approach this from a different angle. When did all of this start? Any idea? Take your time if you need."
You nodded in agreement with Ikkaku's suggestion, taking a moment to reflect on the past days and the onset of Law's sudden change in behavior. As you thought back, you shuddered as memories surfaced—countless instances when you had attempted to connect with your raven-haired lover. Each time, he had either brushed you off with something else on his busy mind or directly stated that he wasn't interested in your advances. The sting of hot tears threatened your eyes once more, your lower lip quivering in the face of this defeat, when suddenly, a vivid scene flashed through your mind.
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You were immersed in a book as the door to your shared room swung open, announcing the return of none other than your boyfriend. Your gaze lifted from the page you were reading, attempting to remember where you had left off. A smile crept onto your face as you beheld Law's appearance – his dark, tousled hair still damp and droplets of water adorning his skin. He was dressed only in his blue jeans with black spots, the fabric fitting snugly low on his hips. A white cotton towel draped lazily over his right shoulder, partially concealing a fraction of the numerous black tattoos that adorned his tanned, well-defined torso.
A sensation of arousal began to stir within you as he entered the room. The weighty iron door closed behind Law automatically as he ran his fingers through his short hair, his inked fingers deftly arranging the strands. His sharp, yellow eyes met yours, a knowing smirk gracing his weary features. "Like what you see?" he purred, his voice deep and textured.
With an eager nod, you agreed, though you couldn't help but feel a touch embarrassed at being caught gazing at him so intently. "Don´t have to ask twice," you responded. Law casually tossed the towel aside, then crawled onto the bed you both shared. He briefly glanced at the book in your hands before placing it face down, ensuring you could resume reading it later. He sealed this act with a kiss on your temple, his skilled hands tracing the contours of your body.
"Wanna get a feel?" Law's voice rumbled, planting another kiss near your neck and sending a shiver down your spine as he exhaled warm air against your skin. You couldn't help but emit a soft, pleased sound at the feeling of his goatee brushing against you, relishing the delicate scratchiness it provided. Gradually, you shifted your position, now sandwiched between Law's body and the bed. Your gaze met his as you lightly traced one of the many inked lines on his chest. Your voice adopted a sultry tone as you parted your lips, ready to playfully tease your lover. "Right at your disposal, doctor."
For a brief moment, Law didn't react at all. His gaze seemed fixed on what you could only assume was nothingness. Then, with a sudden movement, he excused himself, pressing his hand to his forehead and muttering about being much more tired from the surgery than he had anticipated. He sought refuge under the thick blanket of the bed. While his reaction was a bit surprising, you didn't dwell on it too much. Sudden waves of exhaustion were nothing out of the ordinary when it came to your hardworking boyfriend.
However, as you replayed the scene in your mind, dissecting it frame by frame, a realization struck you like a bolt of lightning. This had to be the exact moment when Law's odd behavior had begun, starting with his turning away from you in a manner that made it impossible for you to snuggle up to him, as was your usual sleeping arrangement.
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A surge of understanding flooded over you, and you swiftly turned your head towards Ikkaku, who was now vigorously gesturing in your direction. Yet, her frantic movements weren't directed at you. You turned your head, recognizing a familiar figure – a slender man wearing a Penguin hat.
"Get lost, Penguin!" Ikkaku exclaimed to him, her tone assertive. The young man scratched his cheek sheepishly, clearly caught off guard. "S-Sorry, I heard some sobs, so we—"
Ikkaku cut him off abruptly, her tone curt, "Don't you worry your pretty little head about this. y/n's dealing with some grown-up issues, and it looks like we need some grown-up solutions." She gestured for him to leave immediately, but her eyes widened as if another thought struck her. "Wait, did you say 'we'?"
Penguin nodded, his embarrassment evident. Just then, another familiar face appeared around the corner – none other than the other half of the renowned Heart Pirate duo, Shachi. He greeted you casually, "Sup!" It seemed as if Ikkaku was on the verge of giving up on the whole situation. She brought a hand to her forehead and let out a loud sigh, muttering to herself, "May the gods save me from whatever idiocy is going to come out of this."
In that moment, Penguin knelt in front of you, gently taking the handkerchief from your hand and using it to dab away the traces of tears and mucus you had missed. "There, there, y/n. No need to cry. It's just good old Shachi and Penguin."
Meanwhile, Shachi shot Ikkaku a disapproving look, planting his hands on his hips and gesturing first towards her and then towards you. "A bit of respect for your seniors wouldn't hurt, you know. Anyway, what's going on with them?"
"We're practically the same age, Shachi. And need I remind you of the captain's words? We're all equals, including Bepo," Ikkaku retorted, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. However, she quickly realized that bringing up the problem at hand might not have been the best choice, as a surprised squeal from Penguin shifted her attention back to you, still teary-eyed.
"Hey, everything's okay, y/n. Whatever's on your mind, we'll find a way to sort it out," Penguin assured you, doing his best to soothe your distress by gently patting away the lingering traces of moisture around your eyes. As you and Penguin tried to calm yourselves, embarrassed by the presence of not only Ikkaku but also two of your boyfriend's closest childhood friends, Penguin unexpectedly placed his hat on your head. The warm fabric cocooned your head snugly.
Eventually, your tears subsided, leaving only occasional silent hiccups in their wake. During this time, Ikkaku reluctantly filled Penguin and Shachi in on your situation, offering them insight into your current state, even if she seemed a bit unwilling to share at first.
Shachi let out a defeated sigh and scratched the back of his head, looking down at you over his tinted glasses. "So, any clue why he's been acting so distant? Captain must have one damn good reason to be giving you the cold shoulder like that, because to put if quite frankly, he got a lot of free time right now." His scarlet red eyes met yours, and you offered a weak nod, sensing his keen interest. "I'm not entirely certain, but I think it all started last week when he returned from his shower...." you mumbled, avoiding his gaze and blushing slightly.
"Oh my god, spare us the details if it happened during your intimate moments. I can live without that kind of insight into Captain," Ikkaku protested, shaking her head vigorously and crossing her arms defensively.
Shachi chuckled at Ikkaku's reaction, revealing his sharp teeth as he retorted, "You know how the saying goes, Ikkaku, the devil's in the details."
You felt a twinge of embarrassment, wishing you hadn't let your guard down so much around the crew. The thought of Law finding out that you had discussed your relationship issues with them made you cringe. But considering your lack of options, you knew you had to proceed.
Penguin's gentle voice brought you back to reality, his blue eyes locking onto yours. "Pay no mind to those two scatterbrains. You don't have to tell us if you're uncomfortable, but if you accidentally stepped on his toes somehow, we might be able to help you sort it out if you open up about it. Shachi and I have plenty of experience with that, believe me." He offered you an encouraging pat on the shoulder, while Shachi and Ikkaku now turned to face Penguin together, hissing in protest, "We're not scatterbrains!"
With a sigh, you gathered your thoughts and began explaining the situation that you believed marked the beginning of this strained dynamic. Just as you finished describing how Law had suddenly turned away, Penguin and Shachi exchanged a knowing glance before focusing back on you. Shachi grinned and chuckled. "Hey, y/n, you don't have to answer, but did you happen to do anything unusual?" You replied in a hoarse voice, "What do you mean?"
Penguin continued Shachi's line of thought. "Like, you know, anything new. Like a pet-name or something?" Both of them watched you intently, and you gave a wide-eyed look, feeling embarrassed as you nodded slightly. Ikkaku let out a dying sound, almost covering her ears with her hands. "Oh my god, do I really want to hear this?"
Shachi's snickering continued as he flashed his teeth, his hands stuffed into his pockets. "No need to explain. If my hunch is right, poor y/n stumbled into the biggest blunder imaginable." Just as Shachi finished his statement, Penguin's neck snapped in your direction, his eyes widening as realization dawned on him. He couldn't help but blurt out the revelation to Ikkaku anyway, his voice too loud for comfort. "Did you call him 'doctor'?!" You winced at the volume of his words, wishing you could disappear into thin air at that moment. Slowly, you nodded, your cheeks burning with embarrassment.
Ikkaku seemed torn between wanting to join you in your vanishing act and wanting to console you. She spoke up, trying to offer reassurance. "Well, it's not a big deal, right? I mean, it's literally his profession, so it's not like it's something out of the ordinary."
Shachi rolled his eyes at her words. "That's precisely the issue." Ikkaku looked at him, confusion etched on her face. "What do you mean?"
Letting out another sigh, Shachi brought his hand to his forehead and began to explain while gesturing. "Captain might be a pirate, but he still holds onto his professional ethics as a doctor. Not that I think he´s not into this. We all know he´s a perv. But knowing him, he probably struggled with the moral aspect anyhow." Penguin nodded in shared agreement, then laid a comforting hand on your shoulder. "I´m fully with you at your endeavor though. Nothing out of the window on a ship full of medical professionals."
Shachi, looking somewhat shocked, threw his hands up theatrically his mouth wide open. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Taking in all the information, you let out a sigh, a wave of sadness washing over you. You were aware that Law had strong emotional barriers, but if Shachi and Penguin were right, you hadn't realized that he couldn't even communicate his preferences to you openly, even when it was related to his ethical standards. You shivered slightly but composed yourself, gaining the attention of those around you.
"So, what's the plan?" Ikkaku raised an eyebrow, curious about your next steps. For a brief moment, you looked down, clenching your fists before responding. "I suppose I need to talk to Law. I already feel bad for burdening you guys with all of this."
As you looked back up at them, you were met with surprised expressions on Ikkaku's, Shachi's, and Penguin's faces. Color drained from their features, and they all seemed to be staring right behind you. Confused, you turned to see what had captured their attention, and a cold chill ran down your spine as you heard no other than Law's sulky voice.
"Do you now?" His voice rang out, catching you off guard. Ikkaku cried out in surprise, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Shachi quickly joined in with a question, "Captain, what brings you here?!"
You didn´t have to turn around to know that Law was frowning at them. “I could ask you the same to all of you. One moment I´m in my study, the next moment I get informed from Uni that four members of the crew are from their posts without notice.”
You swallowed hard, realizing the predicament you had unintentionally dragged the others into. Not wanting to implicate them further, you turned toward your captain, locking eyes with his stern gaze as you prepared to respond. However, when your gazes met, you found yourself unable to form any words. Each syllable seemed to stick in your dry throat, likely from the aftermath of your recent crying spell.
It didn't take much for Law to piece together the situation. The tear stains on your face, the handkerchief in Penguin's hand, the concerned expressions on Ikkaku and Shachi's faces, and most telling of all, Penguin's hat still resting on your head like a dorn in his eye – it all added up to a clear picture. With a deep sigh and a quick rub of his temple, Law motioned behind him. "Shachi, Penguin, Ikkaku. Get back on your positions. Now."
As you felt your crewmates start to scramble behind you, you sensed Law's strong hand on your head, gently yet determinedly removing Penguin's hat from your head and returning it to its owner without a second glance. Just as the other three began to move away, Ikkaku sent you a worried look, Shachi and Penguin giving you reassuring thumbs-up gestures from a distance.
Once they had left, Law stood still for a moment, his full attention on you. You silently reached out to him with your gaze, a question forming in your eyes. "What about me?"
He gave you a brisk look before he turned around. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you. You wanted to talk, right y/n-ya? Then follow me." With a gulp, you gathered your resolve, trailing after Law through the dimly lit corridors of the Polar Tang. The tension hung heavily in the air as you walked, uncertain about what was to follow.
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The two of you came to a standstill only a few minutes later. Lost in your thoughts about the impending conversation, your mind already racing with imagined scenarios, you suddenly realized that Law hadn't led you to your shared living quarters but instead to the submarines' operation room. Irritation welled up within you, and you shot him a pointed look as he pushed open the sturdy iron door and held it open for you.
"What? You need a personal invitation?" he remarked with a smug smile, raising one of his dark eyebrows. His behavior only fueled your frustration, aggravating how he could act as though the past week hadn't even occurred.
With a hint of sarcasm, you retorted, "Nah, I just didn't think I had a doctor's appointment today," before slipping past him and entering the dimly lit operating room, the frown on Laws faces evident. You were well aware that your snappy response wouldn't do any favors for the situation, especially if Shachi´s guess was right, but the way he was nonchalantly messing with you despite the recent tension ignited a raging fire within you.
As your eyes gradually adjusted to the dim lighting, you mustered the room you stood in. The space was bathed in a subdued, bluish light that emanates from overhead fixtures, casting an almost ethereal glow over the space. The walls are paneled in dark metal, giving the room an industrial feel, while shelves and cabinets are neatly arranged along one side, storing medical supplies, instruments, and equipment.
In the center of the room stood a sturdy, adjustable operating table with clean, white sheets draped over it. Overhead, a collection of lamps that could be adjusted to provide focused illumination on the table, created a well-lit and sterile environment for medical procedures. A sleek console nearby housed monitors and displays that provided vital information during the many surgeries your crew performed, one of them being the anesthetic machine you knew Penguin operated most of the times.
Near the table, there was a sink with multiple faucets and a variety of soap and disinfectant dispensers, underscoring the emphasis on maintaining a sterile environment. Cabinets around the sink stored gloves, masks, and other protective gear. A small workstation with a computer and medical records was positioned against the opposite wall, enabling the crew to access crucial information during procedures.
The room wasn´t overly spacious but was carefully organized to ensure efficient movement.
Just when you had finished your quick inspection, you heard the hefty iron door shut behind you, sealing you both inside. Standing close to the operating table, you turned towards Law, finally taking his form in for the first time this today.
His tall figure was framed by the subdued bluish light, casting angular shadows that only accentuate his sharp features. His raven-black hair fell messily over his forehead, the strands catching the faint glow from the overhead fixtures. On a closer look, his eyes seemed even more tired than usual. He's dressed in familiar attire, a black shirt with the Heart Pirates Logo embroidered on it, as well as his signature spotted jeans and hat.
Law's attention focused on you, his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he watches your reactions and body language. His intense gaze held a mixture of concern, and perhaps a hint of regret. Despite the apparent nonchalance he displayed earlier, you could now see the underlying vulnerability that he couldn't quite manage to conceal now all alone with you, the lines on his forehead and the subtle tension in his jaw especially prominent.
You cross your arms in front of you, creating a protective barrier against the eerie atmosphere that seems to hang in the air. The dim lighting accentuates the tension between you and Law, amplifying the weight of the conversation that's about to unfold. Taking a deep breath, you finally break the silence, your voice steady despite the unease you feel.
"So, care to explain why we gotta talk here of all places?" you inquire, your tone a mix of curiosity and skepticism. Your gaze locks onto Law's, searching for any hints in his expression that might reveal his intentions. His usually unreadable eyes hold a mixture of emotions, and you can't help but wonder what he's truly thinking.
Law's response is measured, his voice carrying a touch of that characteristic calm that has both comforted and confounded you in the past. "It's neutral ground. This is our best chance from distractions and prying eyes. I don´t want even more of the crew to get involved in this.” he gives you a stern look, hinting at the situation he just dissolved.
You look guilty to the ground, nodding in understanding about his reasoning even if you weren´t entirely convinced since the roof deck would also have done the job. It felt more so that the operation room's sterile environment and its connection to Law's profession as a doctor seemed to be the room where he felt emotionally most stable for a conversation like this.
"Look, I'm sorry about that, but we could've talked about a potential break-up in our room or somewhere less... formal," you whisper, your voice carrying a touch of vulnerability as your gaze slowly returns to Law's. Tearful frustration lingers in your eyes, a reflection of the emotional turmoil that has been churning within you over the past week.
At the mention of the word "break-up," Law's eyes widened in genuine surprise. His usually composed expression briefly faltered, replaced by a mixture of shock and regret that's almost palpable. His golden eyes held yours, as he spoke quickly, a touch of urgency in his voice. "Are you crazy? I'm not planning to break up with you."
You hold his gaze, unsure how to react properly to his intense response. Your emotions swirl within you, a mixture of relief, confusion, and lingering frustration. Overwhelmed by it all, you decide to follow the crew's motto and follow your heart's lead.
"Then why avoid me like the plague? You could've just said you're not into the whole doctor-roleplay thing due to your ethics" you huff, your words tinged with a mixture of irritation and longing.
As you unfold your arms, it's a silent acknowledgment that you're willing to engage in this conversation, even if it means doing so in a place that feels slightly uncomfortable. The operation room's equipment continues its low hum, a steady backdrop to the charged atmosphere that envelops you both.
Law seems to wrestle with his words for a moment, his gaze flickering away from you briefly before returning, his expression a mix of resignation and determination.
He takes a step closer, bridging the emotional gap between you as a sigh escapes him, tinged with an air of resignation. "I'd be lying greatly if I said I'm not into this, y/n-ya, and that's precisely the problem," he confesses. You gaze at him, your eyes widening slightly at his unexpected admission.
"Hell, I'd willingly comply with any desire you express in that regard," he continues, his tone carrying a mix of sincerity and frustration. "Whether it's indulging in role play or dissecting you all over this damn place. But my concern lies in the consequences. If my professionalism wavers, then what? I've already been labeled a freak by the world, and I couldn't care less about that but what about my crew? And most importantly, what about you?" His voice softens, as if he's revealing a truth that has been weighing heavily on him.
Law words linger in the air, the gravity of his dilemma palpable. The ambient sounds of the room seem to fade as you both stand there, engrossed in this intimate conversation.
"When you were on our bed, looking so alluring and ready for me," he continues, his voice almost a whisper now, "I found myself grappling with that very question. And truth be told, I still haven't found a satisfactory answer."
His eyes bore into yours, as if he's trying to convey his sincerity through his gaze alone.
You listened, your heart pounding as he lays bare a part of his emotions that he rarely exposes. It's both comforting and utterly terrorizing to witness Law like this. However, in reality you wanted to lay this part of him even barer to your eyes. Collecting your answer to follow your agenda, you replied to him, a slight smile on your lips.
"But thats kinda the charm, right? After all, who could juggle this risk better than the genius Surgeon of Death?" you ask, your voice softer as well, as you take one of his hands into yours, grazing slowly over his finger tattoos reading “DEATH”.
Law takes a moment, his gaze briefly drifting to the floor before meeting yours again. His cheeks are slightly tinged, a reaction to the praise you've just offered. "Well, duh, this would be horrible without my ROOM. Even I'm not that sick," he quips, a hint of his usual playful sarcasm in his voice. His tone turns more serious as he continues, "You gotta understand, this is all about endurance and trust, y/n-ya. If you don't like-."
You shush him with a simple gesture, bringing Law's fingers to your lips and placing a gentle kiss on his knuckles. "I trust you, Law. With my life. Please know that I would never say this lightly." you reassure him, your voice carrying the sincerity of your emotions. Your gaze meets his, and for a brief moment, the intensity of your connection is palpable.
Law's eyes reflect a mixture of emotions, a pained expression surfacing as he realizes the depth of the trust you're offering him, despite the turmoil he had inadvertently caused in the past week. "God, how did I deserve you," he murmurs, a genuine sense of wonder in his voice. In a sudden surge of emotion, he closes the remaining distance between you, his pink lips capturing yours in a fervent kiss.
You respond eagerly, the heated kiss igniting a passionate dance between your mouths. Your tongue pricks gently at his lips, coaxing his own to meet yours in an intimate tango. Law's response is immediate, his lips parting to allow your tongues to intertwine in a dance of shared desire. The room's atmosphere seems to intensify, as if the charged energy between you is affecting the very air you breathe.
The kiss deepens, a reflection of the emotions that have been building between you over the past week. In this moment, the operation room's clinical surroundings fade into the background, leaving only the two of you and the unspoken promises that hang between your heated touches and the mingling of your breaths. Only after your break off the kiss to catch some air, do you realize, that Law has elevated you onto the steel table behind you, the cold sensation making your spine chill.
"Are you okay with continuing here?" Law murmurs against your skin, gently nipping at your neck. It's clear that he's very enamored with the smell and feel of being so close to you again. "Sure. Just surprise me, doctor," you giggle, running your fingers through his thin hair. Law glances up at you, his face blushing slightly before he straightens up and scratches the back of his neck. "God damn, it's going to take some getting used to hearing that from you in a setting like this."
You grin at him, giving him a playful wink. "I'm not complaining. You look adorable when you're embarrassed."
"I'll show you adorable," he grumbles to himself, turning towards the table and the station nearby. You watch with interest, trying to see what Law is taking from the wardrobe. His broad frame intentionally blocks your view, making it impossible to see what he's doing. After a few moments of trying to distract yourself by kicking your feet back and forth in the air, you hear a loud snap of rubber coming from where Law was standing.
Your head snaps to him, realizing that he's covered his hands with a pair of medical gloves. He slowly makes his way back to your side, sitting on a rolling steel chair in front of you, a smirk on his lips. "Let's start all of this light, alright? So tell me, why are you here today?"
You already wanted to answer his first question when you realized that Law had already slipped into a role. For a brief moment, you were amazed at how effortless it seemed for him to play his part, but on the other hand, it shouldn't surprise you, considering his expertise. "Well-um..." you struggled to think of a reason, feeling that simply pointing at your cunt would be too quick as a starting point.
Luckily, Law quickly caught on, raising an eyebrow in amusement at your loss for words. "Any recent health problems? Need a check-up?" you contemplated your options before Law started to grin mischievously. "Too horny to think?" "Law!" you exclaimed, pouting.
"Sorry, what was that? I don't know any Law," he countered, crossing his arms in front of his chest playfully and smirking. "Sorry, Doctor," you chuckled. "Doctor-?" he asked once more, clearly wanting to hear something more specific. You sighed, already questioning whether this was a good idea, because it seemed that Law was way deeper into this than you had guessed. "Doctor Trafalgar," you sighed before continuing.
"Say, do you tease all your patients like this? Because if so, I have questions," you remarked, exaggerating a playful sense of exasperation in your tone. You couldn't help but smile as you spoke, the earlier tension of the conversation fading into a more lighthearted atmosphere.
Law responded with a nonchalant shrug and a widening grin. "Only the ones that catch my interest," he replied, his voice carrying a teasing undertone. The corner of his mouth quirked up as he gazed at you, his golden eyes filled with mischief.
You chuckled softly, shaking your head in mock disbelief. "So, I'm just another interesting case for you, huh?" you retorted, playing along with the banter.
His fingers idly tapped against a nearby counter as he maintained eye contact, his playful demeanor undeterred. "Oh, you're much more than just a case, y/n-ya," he said, his voice lowering slightly. "You've managed to intrigue no other but the Surgeon of Death himself."
You raised an eyebrow in mock suspicion, a smile tugging at your lips. "And what exactly has intrigued the Surgeon of Death so much?"
Law leaned in closer, his gaze never wavering from yours. "Why don't we find that out together? For starters, you could get rid of all that fabric. Makes it terribly hard for me to conduct a proper screening of my dearest patient."
Oh.
You gulped, amazed at how well Law was maintaining his character. Encouraged by this, you tried to take it a step further. "Well, I guess you're gonna have to help me with that, Doc. You see, I've got this terrible headache."
Law grins cheekily at that, his hands gliding slowly over your top. "And why should a mild migraine interfere with your ability to undress?"
"Well, you see…" you start to explain, but Law cuts you off as he drags his fingers slowly along your sides, towards the hem of your shirt. "Seems to me like you want my help for another reason," he says with a smug grin. "But how could I deny you that, when you´ve been so good up until now?"
He softly places a kiss on your neck before helping you pull off your top, leaving you only in your bra. His tan tattooed hands quickly roam over your clothed breasts, as his lips continue to trail along your neck. "Might as well check for some lumps while we're at it," Law mumbles into your skin, his teeth lightly grazing your sensitive spots. He unhooks your bra to gain better access to your breasts.
Once the lacy material comes off, his slender fingers massage the outermost layer of your breasts, gradually moving in circles. You can't help but stifle a moan, even though the fabric of his gloves is still between his smooth skin and yours, creating a unique sensation. As his fingers reach your nipples, he grazes over them, causing them to tighten. "I-I don't know if that's really necessary for the diagnosis, Doctor," you huff, searching for Law's mouth with your own.
"Oh, but I've heard it does wonders for a patient's well-being," he grins into the kiss, seeking your approval. As you nod, Law quickly reprimands you with a firm squeeze of your thigh. "Mind your manners. You have to answer your doctor properly, or I won't be able to diagnose you correctly." You squeal at his action, a quick "Yes" escaping your lips.
"Yes…?" he tries again, teasingly biting your lip with his teeth.
"Yes, Doctor Trafalgar" you moan, desperate for more stimulation. "That's right."
Slowly, Law glides down your body, his hands cupping every curve of your torso as he continues his exploration.
As Law reaches your breasts, his mouth cups around one mound of your nipple, sucking sweetly on the pink, hard bud. Another moan escapes you, and Law continues to massage your other breast with utmost care, while his other hand lightly traces circles over your thigh. As he switches sides, tending to your other nipple with his tongue, he switches the side of your thigh as well.
With so much happening at the same time, you can't help but squeeze your legs together. The heat that starts to accumulate in your lower body becomes too much to handle without proper relief. The cold steel table underneath you provides support, but you crave something more. Luckily, just as you're about to say something, Law pulls away from you, a small connecting line of saliva still linking your nipple to his mouth.
Quickly wiping it away, he gives you a quick peck on the lips, mumbling, "All clear. Found no anomalies." You sigh into the kiss, and your hands slowly wrap around his neck, gently cradling it with your nails.
"Well, that's good to know," you respond. Law responds with a low rumble in his tattooed chest before slowly pulling away, leading the two of you through the room. However, with your nude breasts right in front of him, nipples perky and glossy from his earlier attention, it's hard for him to deny his building arousal.
He slowly approaches you once again, one of his gloved hands trailing down your right side before coming to rest atop your plush thighs, and his other hand cupping your chin gently. Your lips are close to touching, and he whispers with ragged breath, "Are there any other things we should check? Maybe around here? I haven't had the pleasure of performing your pelvic exams yet.", he muses, slowly dragging his hand that rested on your thigh over your abdomen, his fingers drawing small circles on it.
"Yeah, good idea," you breathe out, your breath hitching as you squirm under Law's hot touch. His skilled fingers swiftly free you from your pants, leaving you only in a pair of panties
"These will also need to go," Law hums, snapping the band of the lacy fabric, earning a quiet moan from you. You complain that it's unfair for only you to be nude. Law grins into the kiss he plants on your neck, before adding, "Now, now. It wouldn't be very professional of me to strip in front of my dear patient, right y/n-ya?" He quirks an eyebrow, giving you a teasing smirk as his hands slowly start to cup the mound of your clothed vagina, his fingers sliding tauntingly slow over the small hill.
"Fine, then let me do it, Dr. Heartbreaker," you huff, slowly opening up his shirt, revealing the tan tattooed artwork of black curved ink that covered his chest. You gradually trace over Law's chest, your fingers rippling slowly over each of his abdominal pecs, following the small black happy trail.
Just as you reach the hem of his pants, Law grasps your panties, sliding them to the side. His fingers delve carefully between your swollen folds, gathering the slickness with a naughty grin on his lips. "Seems like you definitely don't have a lubrication issue," he remarks.
"Law!" you huff, your fingers gripping on the cold steel under you, searching for more pressure from his gloved fingertips. Law is all too happy to satisfy your craving, his two gloved fingers diving deep into you just after chuckling to himself. "Sorry, sorry," he mutters.
The feeling of the firm rubber initially makes you cringe for a second, but you quickly adapt to the foreign sensation. You even relax a bit, enjoying the chilled texture it provides. With a stifled moan, you push yourself against him, desperate for stimulation. You're relieved to notice that Law has gripped your hips with his other hand to stabilize you on the table. His fingers start slowly but surely moving in and out of you.
The squelching sound of the rubber gloves and the juices of your cunt only spurred you on more, when Law hit that very special spot inside you. “Fuck, right there.” You moaned, arms slung around Laws neck, trying to hold the angle that gave you the so much needed stimulation, the heat in your core rising and rising until it was close to snapping. Law seemed to realize exactly how close you were to cumming, because just when you tensed up, close to spilling over he retreated his gloved fingers, the most self-sufficient smile on his sharp features.
“God, no, you´re so mean!” you quiver, legs shaky from the sudden break of contact, your orgasm ruined to no avail. “And you´re so very desperate.” He retorts with a sly grin, freeing himself of the gloves and disposing them on the small tray next to the table, before he´s back at your side, slowly opening up the button of his pants, peeling them down to reveal his clothed bock by a pair of dark spotted boxers. “But I know exactly the thing you need as a cure for that.”
You look down at him, eyeing the tent in Laws tight skinny jeans. You grin weakily, seeing the state he was in, slowly dragging your hand over him. “Do you now? Seems to me, like it´s more for your own treatment, Doctor.” Law groaned at the sudden contact of your hand on his clothed cock, sucking some air through gritted teeth as you dragged out the pet-name, before giving him a firm squeeze.
“Our treatment.” Law retorts, a groan escaping him as you pull his boxers down with much vigor, his tan cock springing free. You lick your lips at the sight. You´d always appreciated the stark contrast between Laws tan skin and the pink tip of his cock, but in combination with the trail of precum dripping down from it towards one of his most prevalent blue veins, you could feel your core throbbing with need to feel him as deep inside you, as he could possibly enter you.
Slowly you cradled his length, giving it a few taunting pumps, thumb swiping experimentally over his leaking cockhead. “And what does that treatment involve exactly?” you look up to him through long lashes, licking over your lips to moisten them.
Law replies with ragged breath. “You´ll just find out in about a second. Now, be a good girl and spread your legs.”
Your quick to oblige, settling yourself on the cold steel under you with your elbows, all spread out for your lover to see. He gazes at your form for a brief second, absolutely love drunk before the feeling of your knowing smirk gets to heavy. He quickly grabs a condom from the small tray on his right side, pulling it over his length, before he aligns himself quickly with your entrance. His hands wrap carefully around your hips to keep you in place, before calling your name.
“y/n-ya.”
You look up to him, surprised when he leans in for a loving kiss on your lips, slowly sliding inside you as he whispers, "I love you."
You moan at the pleasurable sensation that comes with Law's intrusion, his throbbing member filling you perfectly. As your walls adjust to being stretched since the last time you were intimate, you respond to your lover's declaration, tangling your hands in his black locks as you search for Law's lips.
"I love you too, Law," you mewl, feeling the doctor's erection stretching you. Law's breath hitches as you tighten around him. "God... you're so wet."
 "Just keep going," you moan, rocking your hips against his. A deep groan escapes Law as he slowly pulls out before forcefully thrusting his hips back into yours. "Fuck, Law!" you gasp wantonly, your captain groaning in response, holding you in place as he pounds your wetness with increasing intensity. "You're so desperate, y/n-ya, it's way too cute," Law huffs with a grin, partially withdrawing before hooking one of your legs around his hip.
"You're the one fucking me over your own OP table," you retort, crying out in pleasure when Law suddenly hits your sweet spot, a grin spreading across his face at your reaction. "And you're enjoying it," Law's dark voice resounds near your ears as he leans closer, angling himself to penetrate deeper into your soaked core.
Overwhelmed by pleasure, you cry out, digging your nails into your lover's tattooed back. Burying your head in his neck, you inhale Law's scent, the musky aroma mixed with alcohol making you dizzy. "You like it when your doctor fucks you like this, sweetheart? All spread out and at my mercy?" Law groans through clenched teeth, nearing climax.
"God, I love it!" you reply, the intense heat building up in your core suffocating you with each passing second. "And do you trust me, y/n-ya?"
You nod eagerly, capturing your lover in another passionate kiss before he presses his thumb against your throbbing clit, sending electric jolts through your body.
"Counter Shock."
For a brief moment, everything turns white as your orgasm crashes over you unexpectedly. Before you can comprehend what just happened, you realize that your mouth is wide open, Law's name slipping from your lips like a mantra, and your sweet juices flowing over his cock while your walls tighten around him, milking him until the last drop.
With a groan, the handsome surgeon climaxes inside you, a low moan of your name escaping his cracked lips as your sweaty bodies stick together on the operating table. Trying to catch your breath, you look up at Law, who is also trying to calm himself.
"What in the devil's fruit name was that?!" you ask. Law gives you a tired but mischievous grin.
"That was Counter Shock. I just discovered it recently. It's a Haki-infused electrical power." Law's eyes glint with mischief. You can only gasp at the revelation that your lover just brought you to orgasm through electrostimulation before playfully hitting him on the shoulder. "You're such a sick man, Trafalgar!"
"Coming strong from Miss Med-Kink." he said with a playful smirk, referring to the recent intimate moment they shared. With a nonchalant demeanor, he pulled out and efficiently put his trousers back on. Law promptly handed you a towel, gently wiping you down and planting a tender kiss on your temple.
Assisting you in getting back on your feet, you slowly dressed yourself while helping Law sanitize the room. As you stood just outside the heavy iron door, the scent of alcohol lingered instead of the previous scent of passion. Law glanced back at you before speaking.
"Oh, and y/n-ya," he called out to you.
You turned to face your captain. "Yes?"
He cleared his throat before continuing. "This time, everything we just experienced remains strictly confidential. Understood?"
You flashed a mischievous grin, giving him a wink before resuming your position, leaving Law blushing behind.
"Of course, dear doctor."
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waltwhitmansbeard · 1 year
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May I request situation number 5 with vaxleth?
A near death experience involving the partner meant to live longer, shaking the faith of the shorter lived partner. i mean c'mon. we gotta go keyfish with this one.
Keyleth watches silently as Vax goes through the motions of running her a bath. Turn on the faucet. Check the temperature with the back of his hand. Adjust the knobs. Set the soaps and sponges on the small table just to the side. Take her hands in his and lead her over to the tub. Gently peel back the robe she'd changed into, now just as grimy and blood-stained as she is. Hold her hand as she steps into the water and sinks down, down, down.
He settles on a stool behind her to begin massaging her own blood from her hair. (She did her best to get it out in a stream they slept near last night, but she can tell by the rivulets of brownish red trickling down into the water she did not do a very good job.) She can feel his hands tremble as his rough fingertips work in small circles, stopping periodically to add more shampoo.
This would be relaxing, if the tension in the air weren't so electric she worries a thunderstorm might coalesce on the bathhouse ceiling. Neither one of them is very good at the hard conversations, but someone has to start this before they both explode. "Vax?" Quiet as she says it, it still echoes in the room.
"Hmm?"
"Are you...are you okay?"
The hands stop momentarily, then resume their brushing out of the caked-in blood and seawater. "Of course. Am I hurting you?"
"No, of course not." She wants to become something small, something that can avoid the deadness in his voice—the first thing that crosses her mind is goldfish, but now is really not the time. "I just...you seem...tense."
He's using a comb now, very tenderly working at some stubborn knots. "Do I?"
She doesn't answer that. "I'm sorry, you know. For...well. For being an idiot, I guess."
There's a deep sigh, and the hands and the comb disappear. Then Vax is there, kneeling at the edge of the tub, looking at her with an expression that makes her stomach sink to the bottom of the water. "Keyleth, I..." He reaches a hand into the water to scoop one of hers out. He holds it between both of his, turns her fingers over and over and over. "You're not an idiot. You're one of the smartest people I've ever met. I mean, yeah, launching yourself off of a cliff was the stupidest fucking thing I have ever seen—" She smiles at that. "—but please don't call yourself an idiot."
"But you're mad at me," she says, and she hates the quiver in her voice.
"Do you know what I saw," he whispers, "when my sister dragged your barely-moving body up over that cliff edge?" She doesn't answer. "I saw the fate that you accepted for yourself that I never had to."
Her brow furrows. "I'm...not following."
"You don't get to die first." There's life in his voice again, and even though that life is angry now, she'll take it over the nothing that was there before. "Do you hear me? That's not the deal. I don't live without you, Kiki. I can't do it. I won't."
Oh. She extracts her hand from his to brush his hair back from his face. "It's terrifying, isn't it?" His hand comes up to press hers to his face. "The years that yawn ahead. The hollow ache of missing. It's not fun."
"No." A single tear slips down the side of his nose into the bathwater. "No, it isn't."
"I'm sorry you had to see it. I hope you never have to feel it, the threat of it hanging over you."
He turns his head to kiss her palm. "You always were so much braver than me."
"Well, you would've known not to jump off a cliff, so I guess we're pretty well matched." Finally, finally he smiles, and she tugs on his hand. "Hey. It's pretty lonely in this tub."
He wrinkles his nose. "You're pretty gross."
"I cannot believe you would talk to your dead girlfriend like that."
He reaches down, quick as a snake's strike, to splash her with water, and her shriek of laughter echoes through the bathhouse.
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tuesday-teyz · 1 year
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Hi, so I literally just got tumbler to see your posts and I love BR so much. So I have a few questions for you that I hope you'd answer. Apologies if it's long.
Would anything change in the story change if BR!Tommy had a younger sibling?
If BR!Tommy had met BR!Ranboo before becoming the crown prince (say in some alternate universe he visited Esempi and met him or something) would he befriend him?
Was there any way that BR!Tommy and BR!Ranboo could have gotten along prior to chapter 26?
Did Kristen usually visit small towns when she was alive, or was it just L'manberg?
How old was BR!Niki when she met BR!Tommy's family?
What was your inspiration for the characters in BR and how they acted?
Does BR!Tommy still love BR!Micheal as a little brother, and come to think of it, does BR!Micheal love BR!Tommy in that way too?
Continuing on from my previous question, does Micheal still have Henry or is he gone?
Do you think BR!Beau and BR!Ranboo could work together and become friends after the events of chapter 26?
Why did BR!Philza like BR!Ranboo out of all the other commoner children?
Did BR!Philza know that BR!Ranboo was a slave?(I'm saying this because in Remarried Empress, Sovieshu had known Rasta was a slave all along, and I know that your fic is based on Remarried Empress)
Come to think of it, where did BR!Philza find BR!Ranboo because BR!Ranboo had lived in Esempi
Also, you don't have to answer a certain question if it'll spoil later chapters
Thank you so much for looking at my questions, considering the fact you even read this post. I think Butterfly Reign is one of (if not the) best fanfics or even stories I've ever read, and I think you're a pretty Poggers writer!
An ask! Haven't done this in a while, but I'll do my best answering your questions! :D
1. Ooooo that's an interesting one. I don't think I've ever thought of it before. In a way, you could say that Tommy did have a younger sibling in the face of Michael (who is his adoptive cousin), but I know that it wouldn't have been the same. There are many factors to how this could play out; whether Tommy is close with that sibling, or how they'd be treated by Phil and Kristin, but I think ultimately Tommy would have all the more reason to push for the crown prince status, and the main storyline would have played out the same with the exception of Tommy being either incessantly harsh towards the youngster (bad example from Phil) or borderline possessive of them in a Wilbur-like manner.
2. Yes! I think I've already speculated on an alternative universe for a scenario where Tommy gets to meet Ranboo on more peaceful terms. I think it would have been a slowburn type of friendship with Tommy learning how not to be an asshole all the time and Ranboo getting to know the ways of court – maybe through becoming Tommy’s attendant.
3. Absolutely! Br!Kristin did a lot of town visits and charity work in her days as an Empress, especially with southern towns that were the most affected by the war in Essempi... and so did Phil, but we are not going to learn about that until later.
4. I think she was anywhere from eleven to fourteen years old, I don't have a very strict timeline for that period, but the way it went was that Niki was sent to be mentored by Kristin. She was fostered in the AE to prepare her for ruling for several years, so that makes her almost a sister to Tommy, Wilbur and Techno.
5. Mostly my own family. I wouldn't call it projection per se, but prior to the start of BR we went through some rough things that made me see a new side to many of my family members – some good, some bad, all very human. BR at large is an exploration of different behaviors I observed in people around me. For example, br!Wilbur is strongly inspired by my cousin, who we were very close with at a young age, and br!Phil definitely has borrowed a lot out of my own father. And of course there were many outside sources from other fics I've read, from my favorite Webtoons and novels, and even random reddit stories I've seen and that stuck with me enough that I wanted to incorporate them into the characters.
6. Yes, Tommy definitely cares about Michael, and Michael about Tommy, but there are certain things in their backstory that make it hard for them to interact. Michael much prefers being around Tubbo because there is less negative emotional package tied to their relationship.
7. Michael still has Henry!
8. No :D
9 & 10. There is a reason for that that I cannot disclose yet.
And the last but not least, I hadn't gotten a chance to make this very clear but Ranboo used to work for Quackity in exchange for him getting him out of Esempi but ultimately ran away when he realized that he's never really gotten free. Which was not thought well though because three days layer he's barely alive in the woods when he stumbles upon Phil's carriage.
I'm really happy you're enjoying the story, and I hope this satisfies your curiosity!
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ohworm-writes · 2 years
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I don’t know if I should post this or not, but I suppose my thoughts have always had the problem of staying confined to my skull, so what better of a place to go and lay my cards across this table than Tumblr, eh?
We’ve all been having a rough couple of days, some of us more than other, obviously.
I think my initial mourning process has passed. That initial night and following day were rough- that whole 24 hour period from the final video being posted, to be honest, was my mourning period. I’ve always dealt with grief the same way each time. I cry for that first day or so, being completely wrecked by the news. And then the days following after, I try and show everyone that I’m still in that stage, even when it’s passed.
I’m better now. Not completely, of course, but I’m in a state of mind where I’m not completely overrun by grief. I can think of Techno without shaking or crying or completely turning into a sobbing mess. That changes when night comes, as I allow myself those late hours to process the day, but for the most part? I’m okay.
This being said, I think I’m going to take back my initial statement of stopping my writing for Techno. 
This community, the “mcyt writers of Tumblr” community has always been a space I’ve felt safe in. I could post my work without worrying that I’d have someone come in and say ‘writing that stuff is weird’ or ‘your writing is sh*t’ or something like that because this community is so accepting and, in a way, secluded? We all know what we’re searching for when we come here: comfort. 
In all honesty, and while this likely isn’t something I should admit out loud, writing these silly ‘x reader’ fanfictions, whether they be for this fandom or a plethora of others, has been my way is dealing with traumas. People leaving, people dying, etc. etc. It’s my way of coping with things, I realize, and I really don’t know how to cope any other way. I’ve been writing fanfictions since, what- 2016-17 maybe? It’s always been a coping mechanism, and especially in times like now it’s something I need.
I took a look at all my old fanfics for Techno yesterday, both released and unreleased. And, as I’ve looked at them, I’ve realized I shouldn’t stop because I think it’s “the right thing to do”. It’s my and many other people’s way of coping. Yes, I’ve said it feels insensitive and I still kind of stand by that as we all understand the current state of things and how this creator is dead, but I never wrote for him. I wrote for his character, and I never did it in a way to disrespect him. Fanfiction is a form of art- fanart, if you want to put it that way.
So long as you’re still respectful and understand the situation, I don’t think anyone should deter themselves from writing for his- his canon character, that is. That is what he stated he was comfortable with: people writing for his canon/ c! character. So long as we continue to respect that, I don’t think there should be a problem with it.
Yes, again, some people don’t find these kind of works, I don’t know- appropriate? But hey! It’s what we read and what we enjoy and what we cope with, so why should their opinions and thoughts deter us from enjoying it?
Anywho. I apologize for the rant, but please expect that more of these will come, at least for the next few months or so. I better express myself through words, as I assume those who are familiar with my account will understand. But if you’ll take away anything from this, be it these few points:
I personally intend to continue writing for c!Technoblade’s character, as it is the only way I really know how to cope with things.
I’ve seen a lot of writers for him choose to stop writing for the same reason as I had: because he’s gone. Though, if some are still open to writing for him or are on the edge of deciding to continue/ stop writing for him, I would say to continue as, so long as you are being respectful, this is a way to honor him
You are allowed to cope in whatever way you need, be it writing/ reading fanfiction, viewing/ drawing fanart, watching old videos, venting your thoughts/ feelings to others- all of it. All ways are valid as there is no “right way of coping”
We’ve got this, okay? Everyone’s saying it, but it’s true. You have got this, no matter what your mind may say otherwise. You are strong, you are capable, and you will get past this, okay? Don’t be a nerd and have life your life come to a halt because of this. You’re allowed to mourn, but understand that mourning only lasts for a certain amount of time. After that? You’ll begin to heal and get batter and work past this.
We’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.
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vollzz · 8 months
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blackflame wip/eves brainrot time
been thinking a lot about calliope and eves, particularly eves and the long-winded period of growth they go through over the course of the story. here’s an excerpt in which eves has managed to steal calliope away from lucas. they’ve been treating her well, of course, and keeping her in a nice room in their personal home (she didn’t know they even had one!). of course, calliope is deeply mistrustful of them, and this really irks eves.
when I write dialogue for eves in scenes like this, I’m always thinking about how, at least at this point in the story, they’re still struggling to grasp the concept that they’ve driven someone away from them, that someone doesn’t want to be with them. because until now, that’s always been an impossibility - eves is irresistible, anyone and everyone wishes they could get their hands on them (and the other way around too lol). it runs so deep that they mistake calliope moving on with lucas for her simply wanting a physical change for a little bit. to eves, calliope is always theirs, and anything else is a momentary distraction before she comes crawling back. obviously eves doesn’t completely change their worldview at the drop of a hat, but in this scene I think we see the first time it really starts to click for them, that they’re not this infallible being that can do whatever they want with no consequences. we also see a little, teeny glimmer into the touchy subject of their alluring powers and consent. they’re very much aware of that.
oh and ofc gotta put the disclaimer that this is still a rough draft. but any and all feedback is welcome (even if you really didn’t like it!)
scene is under the cut, it’s ~700 words.
The absence of the sun made it impossible to accurately judge the passage of time, so instead Calliope used each new meal to mark the hours. After her third refused meal she finally succumbed to the allure of the bed, garnering a few hours of surprisingly serene sleep before waking to the sound of wood gently moving across the floor. 
Seated in a chair a few feet from Calliope’s side of the bed was Lucas, one leg crossed over the other, chin resting on the knuckles of his right hand.
An exclamation of shocked relief began its emergence from Calliope, only to instantly turn to anger as she recognized the godlike tilt of the head, the unyielding stare.
“Are you out of your mind?” Calliope clutched the blankets fearfully over her body, willing the rage that filled her limbs to calm while she evaluated this new development. When the deity finally spoke, it was with Lucas’ stolen voice. Each word felt like a new wound ripping into Calliope’s chest.
“To go from such elation to naught but vitriol… Were it not directed at me, I would find it fascinating.” When Calliope did not respond, they leaned forward and spoke with newfound solemnity in their tone. “Is this what your fleeting desire has rested on, Calliope? Would adopting this form be enough for you?”
It was all Calliope could do to stop her mouth from going agape with incredulity. 
“Eves, you can’t be serious. Are you so obsessed with yourself that you can’t comprehend the idea that I don’t want to be with you? Do you seriously believe this has to do with how you look?” The deity’s response was hindered by Calliope’s rising voice, “And don’t say another godsdamned thing to me until you look like yourself again!”
Eves blinked Lucas’ eyes thrice, staring daggers at Calliope, frustrated with the turn of conversation. With a heavy, closed-mouth sigh their features slowly morphed back into the curves and angles of their true visage. They were silent for some time; the golden eyes, which had swiftly darted downwards, burned holes into the floorboards in front of where they sat.
“I find it challenging to believe that you have been able to throw away our years of partnership over a boy who is nothing more than a cheap imitation of me. I understand that from your perspective I may have faults, and-” The graceful fingers of their left hand curled into the talons of a frustrated fist against the chair’s wooden arm when Calliope interjected.
“How is it so hard for you to believe that I grew up, made a friend, and came to realize that you took advantage of me for the last three years-” Eves’ head snapped upwards to meet Calliope.
“I did not, nor have I ever, taken advantage of you.” The voice, though quiet, was akin to a snarl - the tone they usually reserved for speaking of Greylin. Calliope saw her exhaled breath leave her nose in an icy cloud. “My power does not conjure desire from nothing, it merely amplifies that which is already there.” It took a moment for Calliope to realize what they’d meant, and as she shook her head she blinked back tears that began to prick the corners of her eyes.
“I’m not talking about that, Eves. I was nineteen with nowhere to turn when I met you in that alley. You were a beautiful deity that saved me from the brink of death and promised me love. And I did love you Eves, more than anything. But do you really think it’s fair to be angry with me for being miserable with you? I didn’t realize it until I had someone else to talk to, but…” Calliope drew in a shaking, frigid breath. “How could you expect me to be happy when I rarely saw you, when you refused to let me have friends, when you talked openly about relationships with your other Lovers even though you knew it hurt me?”
Silence.
Eves inhaled deeply, staring at Calliope’s watery eyes with a distant expression. 
“Perhaps one day you may understand, Calliope, why I have become this way.” It was a sunken mutter that she strained to understand.
In the next moment, they disappeared.
———
blackflame taglist-
@hallwriteblr @kourumi @space-writes @at-thezenith @careful-fear @theunboundwriter @liv-is @eldritch-flower @kingkendrick7 @poetinprose @coven-archives @skyderman
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doubleddenden · 4 months
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One more DD's Theory Corner bit for tonight. This is just speculation, and I in no way have insider information, nor am I claiming to.
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This is now my third? Time examining this map this year, but this was from the original Indigo Disk reveal. This map is also in the classrooms, I believe, but its at such an angle we cannot observe it correctly.
Why am I bringing this back up? Find out under the cut, but I'm going somewhere with this:
We didn't see any of these areas in the DLC. So, this goes without saying: This is a future map. Those areas highlighted are future areas as well.
Here's another thing: That yellow Pokemon is some kind of Mamoswine. Mamoswine is not in the Blueberry Pokedex. I checked. It *is* in the Pokedex of BW2, though. The upward arrow could indicate Alpha status, perhaps located at a higher elevation, but that's unclear as of now. That, and I think that Geodude isn't the Alolan variant. I can't see the magnetic spikes on its head, so it's either Kantonian or a new form that seems native to the desert.
Looking at this map previously, I stated that it was particularly odd that they showed all of these weather patterns, as if Unova was going through some shit. In fact, looking at it, the area that's showing a desert may have once been a forest, because I think those are trees there. Of course, the image is blurry, so it could also be people in cloaks. The stormy shot resembles a cliff side near a body of water- but there's nothing indicating water there, so maybe either a lake, river, or maybe some indication of flooding. The icy mountain also seems connected to some kind of port... Maybe it's solid ice? It almost looks like there's something in it.
Also, I think looking at it now- with the additional possibility that areas could be changed severely due to severe weather or climate change, I think I might have an idea of where in Unova it is.
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The western half towards Virbank, but tilted on its side. There's a cutout that looks like it could fit the southern part of Virbank Complex. In addition, there are mountains in the general area of the Unova Map where it appears like an icy mountain in the above trailer map. Keep in mind, Legends Arceus's Hisui also took some liberties with its map in comparison to Modern Sinnoh, such as where they put Sendoff Spring facing the ocean instead of closed off in a forest.
My theory, after culminating everything I've seen so far, is this:
This is a portion of a map of a Legends Unova game.
That being said, I'm not sure when it could be. The most predictable answer would be the past- after all, even in Paldea, we have photographic pictures of Hisui and Professor Laventon.
Game Freak does not like being predictable though- almost infuriatingly so. So what else could it be?
two options:
Modern- Which I'm almost not sure about. After all, the region looks like shit right now according to the map, and yet in Blueberry, our teachers seemed to have no issues going to Unova to just... hang out. Brassius in particular visited Burgh's gym and described it as it appeared in BW2, and Raifort described going to the underwater ruins off the coast of Undella with her Finneon- she did describe TRAPS, which is new and something I don't quite remember (although it's been years since I last checked there). Other than that, though, it sounds normal.
So then what else?
Future- What if this picture isn't a map of Unova as it is or was, but a prediction of the future? Specifically about climate change. Climate change is a hot topic, and weather is pretty weird lately. It does seem weird to focus on weather considering that's usually more of a Hoenn thing, but Unova does have its own weather issues in the form of the genies- now counting 4 in the mix as of Hisui. Specifically, strong winds, thunder storms, and... Possibly sand storms with Landorus.
Why the future, then? Well, again, not as easily predicted. However, there's a convenience of the future as well- Hisui laid out a rough time period where certain ancestors were in Sinnoh/Hisui, but most importantly the timeline that Pokeballs were just then being kind of experimented with. Training as a concept is still relatively new as of 200 ish years ago if we assume the events of Hisui follow real life history and place it somewhere around the Industrial Revolution era. Sure, you could argue that they could come up with other methods to train and catch Pokemon, but keep in mind they'll want to have us throw Pokeballs probably, so we can't just fling spells or whatever.
In other words, they'd have to strictly abide by this timeline- or say screw it and make up a new timeline where it happened earlier, which they are not above doing. But in the argument for a Future Legends game, they don't have to worry too much about timelines except for fixed points. Not to mention, it sets a precedence that Legends as a series- assuming they continue it, which at this point seems likely- does not have to take place in the past and can freely explore any time period they wish, such as a Legends Game set in Ultra Space entirely, or perhaps one for when Oak was a kid, one for Johto AND Kanto combined, maybe even the expedition for Mew itself in Guyana or Faraway Island- If they go with this method, the possibilities will suddenly be endless.
Not to mention, for Unova specifically, it does fit thematically to some degree, and allow more freedom for new Pokemon to migrate there, such as what happened in just two years between BW1 and BW2, explaining Geodude. Plus, think about it. Most of Unova is city after city- BUT nature could always have RECLAIMED Unova after a certain amount of time, as has happened to abandoned cities IRL.
Of course all of this could mean nothing for Unova. There's a distinct possibility that this could very well be a new region- maybe gen 10 or a DLC Pack 2- but I don't think that's too likely. There's also the possibility this is all nothing and I am just an ADHD powered hyper fixated moron that needs to sleep. It seems Pokemon has been scrapping ideas for content lately anyway, so it could easily be nothing and is just either a random map, a scrapped map, or otherwise.
But this tinfoil hat has kept me safe after digging this deep so far. Who knows.
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andswarwrites · 1 year
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Day 10
I've written about my mental health in bursts and starts over the years since I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but I’d like to start from the beginning and tell the story in its entirety, from the label "crazy" and how it affected me as a youth, to my roller coaster ride of highs and lows in my twenties, to my psychoses, my diagnosis, my therapy, and ultimately this period of stability I now cherish.  It's going to be a four-part-er I think, starting, as I said, with Part One: Stacey is Bipolar (a teenager with "mood swings")
Both of my parents are blonde and blue-eyed, so both of my siblings and I are blonde with blue eyes too.  Our family has heard a lot of blonde jokes.  Blonde is supposedly synonymous with airhead.  When someone would start telling blonde jokes, I would join in, because I wanted to show that I wasn't bothered by this brand of humor.  I learned at a young age that taking offense and getting upset is not as efficient as staying calm, and laughing at yourself along with people.
As a kid my playmate of choice was my best friend, but when we moved I only saw her from time to time, and my new neighbor was a little bit younger than me, and we didn't always get along.  Since I was homeschooled, and we lived in the country, I didn't experience playgrounds and bus rides the way my daughter did.  From hearing of her experiences, I don't feel I missed out on much.  I volunteered at my N-'s school library and I must say if I had attended primary school, I think I would have liked the library best.
I attended a little English school in Baie Comeau for Grades 7 and 8.  It had all grades, from Kindergarten to Grade 11.  At Recess, the littlest kids would traipse through the halls, and would bestow hugs on the High Schoolers.  I thought High School was rough, but honestly, that school was a kiddy pool compared to the schools I would attend in Grade 9.  I think my parents were wise to enroll me in that school.  My teachers told them I went around in a daze for the first three months.
I'd say my closest friend at that school was a girl who was one grade ahead of me.  Since certain grades didn't have enough students to fill a classroom (this was a tiny school), our classroom held two or even three grades.  My friend was thoughtful, quiet, calm, and I gravitated toward her.  She's the one who told me I had mood swings.  Apparently, this was normal teenager behavior. In Grade 9, I changed schools three times, and by the end of the year I was fed up and asked to be homeschooled again.
My mom didn't like it when people called me crazy.  I think they meant I was bubbly, hyper and impulsive.  And I could be.  I could also sit for hours with my nose stuck in a book.  When I was alone, I drew, I read, I wrote.  When I was in social groups I didn't know how to act.  I had a strange sense of never fitting in, and I didn't know why.  There must be something wrong with me, I decided, but I didn't want to let on that that was how I felt.  It was when I felt like I had no friends that I started long distance correspondence with two sisters.  We would send one another bricks of doodles, drawings and of course, eight to ten page letters.
One of the most profound things my psychiatrist told me while he was in the process of diagnosing me, was that bipolar disorder has nothing to do with personality.  Who I am as a person, who I always have been, is not tainted by my mental disorder.  All those times I identified as "crazy", as a defense mechanism because others used that label on me, it wasn't true.  At some point during my teenage years, I began to have "ups" and "downs".  I don't remember them, though, because my parents provided me with enough structure and support that I was able to remain relatively stable.
You see, bipolar disorder can make you manic or depressed.  You can either burst with energy and live on a "high", or you can crash and drag yourself around in a "low".  My highs weren't as apparent to my mom as my lows were, so she worried that I struggled with depression.  But then the low would pass, and she would be reassured.  I didn't clue in until my twenties that something was up, and even then I didn't seek professional help.  It wasn't because I didn't want to, it was because I didn't know how to go about consulting.
It's funny, I guess a mental disorder actually does classify me as "crazy", but I no longer use that label to identify myself.  When I was a teenager, I developed the habit of putting myself down as a defensive strategy, because I thought if I did it first, that would empty the arsenal of everyone else.  I was hyper focused on my flaws and failings, so I thought everyone else was too.  It took me a while to learn that no one is perfect, we all mess up, we all need to be forgiven, we all need to forgive.
If I can love others even when they're not perfect, why would I be the exception to that rule?  Why would I need to be perfect to be lovable?  Chasing perfection is unhealthy.  As a teen, I think my mental health was crushed under the weight of seeking to be perfect far more than it was affected by my bipolar disorder.  But my symptoms of bipolar disorder were going to worsen, until crisis point.  Like I said, my parents provided me with a lot of structure and support.  They kept me consistent, they helped me meet my goals.  But what would I do when I left home?  I'll tell that story tomorrow.
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txemrn · 2 years
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Did your MC struggled with either her body image or her emotions after giving birth? Was it difficult for her to get back to her old self?
Hey, Anon!
Thank you so much for the thoughtful Ask!
Before I answer...
Postpartum is such a delicate time period that unfortunately is painfully ignored here in America. We feed women delusional optimism, that having a baby is sunshine, rainbows and unicorns, and while yes, babies are a precious gift, we gotta get real! We shame women who may have negative thoughts during and after their pregnancy. We have a lack of resources to help them. Most women who deliver in the hospital are given ONE postpartum appointment @ six weeks, and they lack proper support at home. For working women, maternity leave is anywhere between 6-12 weeks, often times not paid.
Luckily, it's being talked about more... but it's like a small leak: it's not enough, and healthcare is heading in the WRONG direction. When there is that big of a shift in your life, and I'm talking your chemistry, your anatomy, your physiology, your social spheres, your responsibilities, then of course, there will be a struggle to get back to "normalcy" (there is no going back, only a new normalcy). Some women make it look flawless and others are trainwrecks. But, let's get one thing straight: this is a HUGE change for every. single. woman. Regardless of age, race, culture, education, religion, disability, etc., the struggle is REAL, and I believe here in America, we are creating the struggle by creating unrealistic expectation for our moms, attributing to their mental health, and for some, it will affect the care of their baby.
Pregnant Tatum...
She really struggled emotionally and mentally DURING the first 20 weeks of her pregnancy (keeping her bump a secret for most of that time). It's true what the say: Ignorance is bliss. Sometimes knowing too much can rob you of your joy.
But, she was proactive about this: 1) she had an honest conversation with her colleague/doctor that she was gonna need something for anxiety; 2) she has a wonderful husband who knows her so freakishly well, and before this surprise ever happened, he knew she would probably not handle pregnancy well; luckily he's a great listener, and he's very realistic; 3) she reached out to her closest friends who were already moms for support.
Postpartum Tatum...
She knew stretchmarks, loose skin and a poorly-toned belly were part of the game. She knew she was going to lose her hair, her nails would become brittle and her skin would age. She knew that panty liners would become part of her daily life if she ever wanted to sneeze or cough again. She knew the 25-35 lb weight-gain would not disappear when the baby was born. She knew her breasts would chap, blister and bleed, not to mention lose their volume and tone.
"But when you see your baby, it'll be worth it."
Now that she has gone through the experience herself, she has 2 words: bull. shit. Now hold on; don't come for me. Tatum would gladly lay down her life for that precious one; but guilting a woman for being honest about her experience is bullshit. "Oh, quit your whining; you got a baby." Come. On.
Because she sought out support before the sudden change in her life, the initial rough moments of motherhood were few and far between. She has her low moments still where she feels absolutely inadequate as a mother (mom shame is REAL), as a wife, and as a physician. She gets frustrated with the size and shape of her body, sometimes too embarrassed to even expose herself in front of Ethan. Not to over simplify the "cure", but when she starts taking care of herself, that awful voice of self-hate goes away.
The journey into motherhood is quite the challenge, and Tatum experienced it first hand. She still believes it isn't for everyone, and every woman deserves to make that choice for herself. Motherhood was unexpected... but knowing how perfectly baby Ramsey fits into the family, she is grateful for how everything fell into place at the right time. And the love that she has for that little one is indescribable, not to mention that her love for Daddy Ramsey has grown exponentially.
Thank you again for including me on this Ask! I cannot wait to explore in more detail the Ramseys becoming parents.
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barrygeuse · 2 years
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come from away: my retrospective
now that come from away has ended, i've decided to collect my thoughts and put them all together in one (not-so) little post for myself and anyone else who wants to to read.
lots of emotions below the cut and a long story about how this thing came to mean so much to me!
if you stick around and read, i really do appreciate it. this is my favorite musical (my second favorite piece of theater!) and my second biggest special interest.
tl;dr — come from away is a beautiful show about the best of human nature, about people healing from a collective trauma. it will be a part of me for as long as i live, and i couldn't be happier to have it nestled right next to my heart, keeping me warm.
i first saw the show when it visited my local theater on tour in 2019. despite being a musical theater kid, i managed to skip over it entirely—i feel like that wasn't uncommon—it wasn't exactly targeted toward the middle school crowd! my mom and i went to see it (we went in knowing literally nothing at all, and i mean nothing besides the title!), and we left that theater crying and absolutely gushing about how beautiful it was.
it became a pretty common staple to play over bluetooth when we were in the car together for the years to come.
at that point, besides having seen it and loved it immensely, i moved on. it was another piece of media to add to an ever-growing list of adorations, and it wasn't until december of two years later that it grabbed my attention for a lasting period of time.
in september of 2021, the proshot released, a day before the 20th anniversary of 9/11. i didn't end up hearing about this myself until later in the season—i was busy with college and had a lot of other things on my mind—but i was ecstatic nonetheless when i did find out.
i got my hands on the recording and watched it. something changed that day, even if i hadn't realized it yet. i showed it to my friends, new ones every time, over and over again. when i was home for that holiday break, i showed it to my parents, and put it on in the background in my free time.
as i got back to school and february came to an end, come from away became the thing that i watched whenever i felt poorly. it was a feel-good show about wonderful people. i've always loved stories, especially stories about the beautiful nature of humanity, and it got me through some pretty rough times. over the winter months i started to learn the dialogue, since i already knew the numbers.
for spring break, i took a trip to florida, and watched the proshot probably over seven times during the course of travel alone. i fell in love with the characters, their mannerisms, the stories, the reality of people coming together to heal from trauma. it was a beautiful thing to make a part of myself.
time pressed forward. sharon wheatley released her second book, which i bought, and then had the honor over the summer to send to her and have her sign for me (not to mention read my annotations and write alongside them!).
the news that the show was closing devastated me. at that point, i had no hope of going to see it, which didn't upset me too badly. i was happy to just have the professional recording to watch and to celebrate the show from afar!
summer flew by. i got back to school, settled in, and started going to classes. at the beginning of september, my parents called me and surprised me with the news that we would be going to new york city at the end of the month to see the show. i was absolutely floored. my pupils genuinely grew two sizes (it was funny, i looked like i was on drugs but it was just concentrated autism in the bloodstream) and i made a countdown for the trip as soon as we got off the phone.
telling you the details of my time in NYC could be a whole post on its own. with the broadway flea happening at the same time, i got to buy some things that i really wanted (hello, beetlejuice obc signed playbill!) and i had the insane opportunity to meet sharon, who actually recognized me and my book when i went to the table and gave me the sweetest hug.
we had front row seats, which i could never thank my parents enough for, and i silently mouthed along to the show the entire time. the actors smiled at me, i was ecstatic, i was flying, i was there and a part of the show. it was more than anything i could've ever dreamt of. i laughed, i cried, i had the time of my life.
i was lucky enough to meet jim, astrid, and jenn at the stage door, alongside seeing sharon again, who spoke to me briefly and gave me another hug before leaving. it is an experience i will never, ever forget.
come from away is something that means so much to me. more that i could ever describe, really. today, the day of the final performance, i watched along to the proshot at 3pm while the matinee played in new york. i cried nearly the entire time.
i am so proud of everyone who was a part of this amazing, amazing production. it changed lives, it put newfoundland on the map, it told real life stories about real people and did everything endless justice. i could not thank everyone involved enough.
"you are here at the end of a moment," and "you found your heart but left a part of you behind," and "you're gonna be okay," and a dozen other lines that would make this already long post too much longer.
come from away: thank you for telling stories. thank you for doing something beautiful. thank you for the tears, the laughter, and the endless joy. thank you for everything you did for me and for millions of others.
this is not the end. it is only the beginning of a tale that will be told for years to come, one that will live on in my heart and in so many others.
thank you.
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dipperdesperado · 2 years
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I WROTE a Movie in 33 Days...
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Imagine a coming-of-age story set in a world inspired by LA Noire, Metropolis, and Bioshock. I decided to challenge myself, and write a movie in a month, with some decently heavy worldbuilding elements. It’ll be linked at the end if you’re interested in reading it. Just know, a month may sound like a decent amount of time to some, but to the rest of y’all, you know it’s not a ton of time. If you don’t mind rough edges, you might find the script enjoyable. I want to go through my writing process, talk about the triumphs and hurdles, and how, if you’re a complete nutjob, you can try out this challenge for yourself. This is how I wrote a feature film in a month.
Story Planning
So, for the first few days, I focused on creating and figuring out what the story would be. Some people might call this finding the story. I love Notion and used that as my home base for everything except the script.
I knew I wanted to do something set in a time period set in the early 20th century. I remembered that I wrote a story during that era in early 2021 for a fiction writing class. I fished it out and it was…interesting. I did like some of the tonal characteristics, so that informed the current piece.
With my ideas in tow, I decided to do some visual research inspiration. Something that was really appealing to me was the aesthetic of Decopunk, which is described as “Dieselpunk but shiny.” I love the look of things like Metropolis, The Great Gatsby, and of course Bioshock, so I wanted to evoke some of that. I made a Pinterest board with a lot of the different pieces that I gathered for visual inspiration, to inform what I wanted the look and feel to be.
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a screenshot from my Pinterest board
At this point, I started to feel really good about what I was working with and was excited with the story’s potential. I knew that within this world, I wanted to have a young adult who would have to deal with being the heir of his family on the cusp of a change, due to some external force, but as a result of an internal force. Essentially an “adapt or die” kind of thing. Here’s the logline I came up with at that point: “Keni Clementine, the heir to his family, has to decide whether or not he will embrace modernity when the new world starts to envelop his livelihood. To protect his family, will he cast aside the things he’s known?”
One thing I wish I would’ve touched on more in the actual script that I had an idea for was this concept of how time and progress moves and the difficulties that it can present to people. That friction of the old age versus the new is there, but I think that it was something that could’ve been more front facing.
Okay. At this point, we’re halfway through the first week, and I’m ready to write my main beats. For this, I used a structure that roughly follows the Save the Cat format.
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In the end, there were some changes to the script, but thinking of the main beats helped me have a decent feeling of direction to go in for what I was doing. I’ll give you the original overview.
The film starts with a shot in the car. Keni, the main character, is with his parents and his friend Laila, who is the daughter heir of a rival faction. They are on the way to the theater that Keni’s family owns. Once they get there and settle in, Keni’s mom explains a bit about the world, and most importantly that their influence through controlling the arts district is what gives them power. Then we show all of the different factions and hint at what their production focus is on. As the play goes on, Laila’s parent’s men start a fire under the stage, which obviously ruins everything, and leads Keni’s parents to want to fight Laila’s. Keni and Laila try to make a last-ditch effort to stop the conflict, and when they realize that they’re not going to be able to, they try to go around, stopping the other families from getting them involved. It ends with a giant battle royale between the families, and I imagine the parents dying. I still don’t exactly know what happens in this fight, as you’ll see in the final version.
Writing
At the start of the second week, I wrote a treatment-esque thing, where I took my beats from the last week, and then filled in the gaps, so that there was a scene-by-scene connection between the different parts. This goes more in-depth and has some changes to those initial beats. The treatment will also be at the end.
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During the rest of this week (and the beginning of the following week), I wrote the actual script. Rather than tell you story content, since you have a decent idea at this point (hopefully), I’ll talk about my experiences writing it. Writing Act One was pretty easy. I felt like I had a pretty clear indication of the scenes and inciting incident, and the buildup into the moving forward. Act Two was really fun as well, as it was an opportunity to really spend a good chunk of time with the MCs. Act Three basically doesn’t exist, as the whole thing would be a giant fight, and I didn’t really know how I wanted it to look, and I was running out of time to write. I decided that I would fix it during the rewrite. I didn’t fix it during the rewrite.
Editing
There’s not fun stuff to note during this time, except you might notice that I said I wrote this in 33 days, but that doesn’t add up to the three weeks. That’s because before I edited, I took like 9 days off to just not think about the story consciously and look at it with fresh eyes. The most extensive reworking happened in the beginning, trying to make it less contrived. I tried to make sure that it was readable, and also worked towards the ending. There’s slightly more than was before but act three still kinda doesn’t exist. Oops. But hey, we did a lot, so I’ll mostly consider this challenge a success.
Postmortem
I kinda touched on this earlier, but I wanna go in more depth on how I feel about the project. I think that it was an interesting challenge to try and write something within a month, as that’s not a lot of time to write a full-fledged thing. It’s not peak fiction, but I’d say it’s also not the worst thing ever. Which is a win in my eyes. If you’re bonkers enough to subjugate yourself to this, one thing I would recommend is finding someone to do the challenge with, so they can read your work and give you feedback. You should probably do this after editing, since someone might think you’re nuts if they see your first draft.
If you’re interested in reading the full script, along with any of the other developmental materials, I’ll put the link below, and you’ll also find it in the description. if this was at all interesting, or if you have suggestions, let me know. Otherwise, thanks for taking time to read this long post, and get to creating!
Link to all the files
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denimbex1986 · 2 months
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'All Us Of Strangers might be one of the most moving films of the last decade. The film, which is based on the 1987 novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada, follows a middle aged man named Adam who has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbour, which punctures the rhythm of his everyday life.
As a new relationship develops between them, Adam is preoccupied with memories of the past and finds himself drawn back to the suburban town where he grew up.
To celebrate the release of the movie this weekend, we sat down with director Andrew Haigh to learn more about the making of All Us Of Strangers...
So, congratulations! I’m a big fan of your work including Looking and Weekend. In fact, I’ve indoctrinated so many people to Weekend, so I was very excited for this film.
Oh, thank you!
My first question is, I feel like there’s so many amazing elements to this movie, but one thing that really stands out is Andrew Scott’s performance. How did you go about casting him and what was it like working with him?
The minute I finished writing – I didn’t think about anybody as I was writing, I never do normally – I thought about Andrew. He was the first person we went to and he was the first person I really thought of. My gut said he would make sense as the character of Adam. You know, he’s of a certain age, and he understands growing up in that time, so that helps, but he’s also such a good actor. We obviously wanted that at the same time – someone who’s a really, really good actor and also really understands the role. Those two things were in perfect alignment with Andrew.
That definitely shines through. And did you learn anything interesting about your main cast from working with them? Any fun facts about Andrew, Paul, Claire or Jamie?
It’s funny, when you’re working on a film you definitely get to know each other in a very strange way. It’s an intense working period, and in your conversations with each other about character and such, some really personal stuff comes our – stuff about my life, stuff about Andrew’s life and everyone’s, really. You sort of get close, but I don’t know how well I know them as such, I just know a lot about elements of their lives.
Did any of them have any weird habits on set or anything?
Well, everybody’s got strange habits. That’s certainly not something I’ll share, and hopefully, they would never talk about my weird habits either! I feel more like a therapist on set sometimes, and the job is to work out when to step in and when to say something or not.
Speaking of “personal stuff”, was any part of Adam’s relationship with his parents based on your own experiences?
It’s less based upon my own experiences with my parents, although some of it is, and more about a generation of gay people who were coming into their sexuality at a certain time in the ’80s and ’90s. Most of us, if not all of us, experienced a similar feeling growing up in a very complicated time when it really was quite tough to be gay, and it certainly wasn’t easy to come out to anybody, let alone your parents. We’re talking about, you know, the height of AIDS and section 28 and homophobia being incredibly rife in the UK. It was a rough time for a lot of people.
I think it’s so different now, it’s changed so dramatically, but for a generation of people, we still remember what that felt like, it’s still there. We still feel it. Sometimes it can re-emerge and you feel suddenly triggered by something. So rather than it being like an autobiographical experience of me coming out to my parents, it’s about feeling what it was like to be gay at that time.
Absolutely. I mean, I’m a slightly later generation, but I think you’ve done such a good job of encoding that. The movie is also based on the book, of course, but the respective plots are very different. How and why did you diverge away from the plot of the novel?
I loved this idea of meeting your parents again, which is in the novel, but then it takes a very different direction. It turns into more of a traditional ghost story. The Harry character was not only a demonic spirit in the original story, but also a woman, so that was quite a fundamental shift. So it’s now a queer relationship, which changes how Adam relates to his family, I think. That central idea of going backwards in time in order to move forward is definitely still there though, which is what I think the novel is about.
I feel like you could’ve “gotten away with” not even mentioning the book, because they truly are so different. Did that ever cross your mind?
It’s funny, when I read the book again recently – actually, just before I started doing all this press – I realised that while so much is different, the story itself is very personal to that writer, he really made it his own, and in a similar way I did that with this film. I took his book and made it personal to me, but I’m still taking the core of what he did in that book. I feel like that can be the joy of adaptation. You take the truth of the original thing and you throw it up in the air and remix it and re-make it.
One thing I want to ask you about is the recent BAFTA nominations. The film has been nominated in quite a few categories, including casting, but Andrew didn’t received a nomination for Leading Actor. What are your thoughts on that?
I mean, I’m very sad and heartbroken for him. I think it’s tough. Like, clearly, all of the other nominations would not have happened if Andrew hadn’t been incredible in the film. It wouldn’t be nominated for a screenplay nomination if Andrew hadn’t been good. I wish he’d been nominated and it’s sad for us. But all of the nominations would not have existed without him, and it doesn’t change his performance, which I think is brilliant.
So many of the scenes are so intense to watch, which scene was most difficult for you to write or direct?
I guess the scenes with Adam’s parents – the ones back in the house when he speaks to his mum and his dad – they took a long time to write and get the tone right on. We had to make sure you weren’t hating his mum and dad in those situations and that you could sort of understand where they were coming from, but you could also understand the pain that was being resurrected in Adam at the same time.
So there was a lot going on and they weren’t easy scenes to shoot. They weren’t easy to watch either! When I was editing them, they were very challenging to watch. Obviously, it’s shot in my old house. So–
I’m sorry, it’s shot in your old house?
Yes, that’s my old house that I lived in when I was a kid. I haven’t lived there for 40 years. So it’s sort of like I’m watching, let’s say the scene of Adam and his dad in what was our old front room, they’re around the Christmas tree where we used to put our Christmas tree up. So there’s a lot of sort of strangeness within that for me.
Did you just rock up to the house and go, “do you mind if I film here?”
Yeah, pretty much.
That’s amazing. Well, speaking of that, are there any other sort of Easter eggs or random details in the movie that you left in hoping people would notice?
There’s always things. It’s more things from my personal life that only people I know will recognise, and I’m sure will mean nothing to other people, which is fine by me! I like the fact that there’s bits of me in there that people can decide whether or not are me.
I guess something like The Whitgift Centre would be one of those things, no? I actually used to live near there with an ex-boyfriend and we went over a few times. Why did you want to include that place and do you hope there’s an increase in visitation there after the film comes out?
I lived nearby when I was a kid and we would go there on the weekends. It felt like a glamorous place to go in the ’70s and ’80s, it was kind of like a version of the future. It felt so British that we live in these little places and the centres of our lives become these things that mean nothing in the scale of anything to anybody. The Whitgift Centre is not some glamorous location, but for Adam, as a kid, he loves going. Kids love going to weird places and I think those places become quite important in our lives. Even if it’s just a place you go on the weekend with your family.
At the start of the movie, I remember Andrew gets his kit off a lot – was that just because you wanted to see Andrew Scott naked? Because fair enough.
That’s funny. I think they both get more naked in the beginning of the film and then less naked later on. That makes sense in the scope of their relationship. Their intimacy develops throughout the story and sometimes that involves sexual intimacy, which usually you are naked for! But as they go on, while that’s still a part of their relationship, there’s also everything else that’s happening. So I feel like it sort of makes sense that they’re physically naked first, before they become emotionally naked.
Do you have a shot or scene you’re particularly proud of?
I kind of feel like every scene links to the next one, so all of them speak to the same kind of thing. I do like the scene when he gets in bed with his mum and talks to her, and then he leans over and his dad’s there. It’s all one shot, which is kind of nice, and the acting is so beautiful. It also goes from a little bit silly and humorous to being very heartfelt and sad, so I like how that scene develops, too.
I also like the first time that Adam is walking through the park and sees his dad. He feels him appear behind him, and turns around like they’re cruising or something. It’s sort of mysterious and strange and odd, kind of like you’re drifting off into a dream.
I completely agree. I mean, so much of it stuck in my head, but for some reason that bit really did. Because you do think it’s going to be one thing, and then it’s completely different. Now, I feel like I know what you’re going to say here, but what do you think is happening when Adam sees his parents? Is it really happening? Is he imagining it, or is it some sort of mental break?
I think you can read it in whatever way you want to. They could be actual ghosts that have reappeared, it could all be in his imagination. I mean, for me, I actually don’t know how much I care about what is the specific reality. All I know is that Adam has longed for this encounter so much that it has been brought into the ether, and whether it’s all in his mind or not, the important thing is that he’s desired this into existence.
That’s roughly what I thought you might say! In your career, you’ve worked with quite a few openly gay actors on some very queer-centric material. What’s your view on the debate about straight actors playing gay roles?
Look, I completely understand the debate; I think about the debate long and hard. I’d say it’s a very complicated argument. There are times when, absolutely, I think you should cast a gay actor in a gay role. I also think trans characters should be played by trans people. in those roles. I guess I’m not so dogmatic that it means it always has to be like that for gay roles. You just have to understand what the role is, and it makes a difference if the writer is gay or the director is gay. There’s a lot of gay people involved in the making of this film, for instance.
For Adam, I knew I wanted a gay actor to play it. There’s too much nuance and there’s too much stuff in there that I wanted to get across. But it’s not a hard-and-fast rule, it’s about what’s right for the role. Sometimes, it’s definitely right to cast a gay actor as a gay character, sometimes I think it’s less important.
Finally, I’d love to know what your favourite film of the moment is?
Probably Anatomy of a Fall. I loved Sandra Hüller’s performance in that, I think that’ll go down in history as one of the greatest ever.'
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bedbuddies · 2 years
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redrobin-detective · 3 years
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Half of
Danny Fenton was half ghost. Or something.
No one was quite sure what that meant exactly or if it was even true. A ghost in a pure white suit had announced it during an attack on the town until he was beaten and silenced by Phantom. It’s been three days since then and the nerd hasn’t been at school. Not that Dash was looking for him or anything.
Dash worried, for just a second, that something bad happened to him. The Guys in White creeps had been asking questions around school the last few days. There’d been a noticeable lack in ghost attacks around town, maybe another ghost got to him? What about his ghost obsessed parents? Surely they wouldn’t have done anything to their own kid...
“Think Danny will be in school today?” Kwan whispered nervously, leaning in close to Dash’s side. Talking too loudly about the elephant, or ghost he guesses, in the room got people very forcefully interviewed by the government. 
“Why the hell would I know?” Dash grumbled, shaking his friend off to shove his hands deep into the pockets of his letterman jacket. “No one knows what’s going on, Manson and Foley haven’t shown up either.”
“I hope they’re ok,” Kwan said quietly, looking down at the floor. 
“Why do you care?” Dash grumbled, harsher than he meant to.
“You and everyone ditched me for Danny when Paulina was dating him, remember? Sam and Tucker were real pals and Danny, well he’s weird but not really that bad.” Kwan said bitterly before his eyebrows twisted in confusion. “That was actually pretty out of character for Paulina to date him now that I think about it, maybe he was, like, using ghost magic to control her?”
“That’s stu-” Dash was interrupted by the usually noise of Casper High going dead silent. He and Kwan shrugged at each other. He saw Star down the hallway, staring at something. He caught her eye and mouthed What is it at her. Her eyes slid back over to the hall before mouthing Fenton back. 
“Shit,” Dash couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “Fenton’s here.” He glanced over at Kwan, trying to hide his nervousness. “Guess we’ll find out if he’s some sort of ghost freak after all.”
Kwan eyed him for a second, “you know if Danny really is half of a ghost then maybe you’ll want to quit it with the names.” The warning bell rang for first period. “You guys have homeroom together with Lancer, right? Just, I don’t know, don’t make him mad or anything.”
“Man, don’t even joke,” Dash said with a strained smile. “It’s Fenton, what’s the nerd gonna do?”
XxX
Fenton always sat in the back right of the class so seeing him there wasn’t that strange. What was strange was that he was there before the bell rang, not looking sweaty or exhausted or beaten up. Seeing him sitting there with an almost bored expression, casually leaning one arm over the back of his chair. It was eerie, seeing Fenton try to act normal. Dash felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on his head as he stiffly walked by the nerd he usually smacked when he walked by. He thought he felt Fenton’s icy eyes following him as he passed. Dash made sure he didn’t scurry like a wimp to his seat but it was a close thing.
“Class, please stop staring at Mr. Fenton and let us begin,” Lancer sighed, unsuccessfully trying to start the class.
“Do you know the ghost boy?” Paulina asked, slamming her palms on her desk and ignoring their teacher. “Because if you’ve been holding out on me-”
“I mean everyone in Amity Park knows him,” Fenton shrugged. He’d been so chill this morning, like the whole thing wasn’t bothering him. It only made Dash more antsy. He bounced his leg under the desk.
“Can you do anything cool? Like fly or shoot lasers from your eyes?” Mikey asked, leaning forward with curiosity.
“I can do lots of cool things,” Fenton sniffed. “I know a lot about the space program and local astronomy. I draw sometimes and I’m think I’m pretty good. I also have super flexible joints so I can do this.” He grinned a little as everyone squealed when he bent his thumb back so far it nearly touched his wrist. “Of course,” his grin turned into an eye roll, “no one really cares about that only my supposed superpowers.”
“What is a half of, exactly? What that ghost called you?” Dash found himself asking. He almost didn’t want to be heard but Fenton turned to look at him anyways. 
“What do you think it means?” Fenton questioned back. Though he had a teasing smirk, his eyes looked dull and dead. Dash couldn’t look at them and ducked his head. 
“Alright, alright, enough with the questions. The Fenton’s gave Danny a clean bill of health and allowed him to rejoin class so that’s all you kids need to know. Now, back to what we were actually talking about.” Class continued as expected but everyone still snuck glances at Fenton. He’s not sure what they were all waiting for, him to suddenly turn green or sprout horn or whatever. But Fenton just sat there, still as anything, trying to act normal and it just didn’t fit him right and it was all just. Wrong.
XxX
Dash was relieved Fenton wasn’t in his second or third period classes but they did have the same lunchtime. For the first time since he was skinny, bucktoothed 6th grader, Dash wanted to hide away and eat his lunch in private. But Fenton wasn’t the only one trying to keep up appearances.
“Alright, what has everyone got,” Paulina was whispering to the table by the time Dash was sitting down. “The day is halfway over, someone had to have seen him doing something ghostly.”
“I mean we don’t know how long he’s been like this,” Star commented, flipping her hair as pretense to sneak a glance at the loser trio near the back entrance of the cafeteria. “He could’ve been hiding his for a while.”
“Fenton’s always been weird,” Dale commented with a sneer, stabbing at his beefaroni. “Since day one, he’s been jumpy and clumsy and goes through weird mood swings.”
“Maybe he’s never been normal,” Kwan said with a little frown. Now Dash knows this wasn’t true. He was the only one at the table who’d gone to the same middle school as Fenton. The nerd had talked too much about space and was always tripping over something but he’d been like all the other annoying brats in middle school. Dale was onto something, Fenton had changed once high school hit which means whatever is up with him as been going on for a while. Years. 
He suddenly felt eyes on him, a cold, crawling feeling that made his breath catch in his throat. Dash squeezed his eyes shut and breathed a silent sigh of relief as the eyes turned from him. They didn’t return but Dash found he couldn’t eat after that.
XxX
“Dude, did you hear about Fenton?” Victor said in an excited but still hushed whisper as Dash was leaving fifth period. 
“No, what did he do?” Dash asked with dread.
“He had gym last period and apparently he’s been faking his loser weakness. He crawled up the rope climb like a goddamned spider monkey and then slid himself back down. Don’t know how he didn’t have intense rope burn from that. He also beat Charlie, Katie and Veronica on the sprinting portion. Must be those ghosty genes.”
“Fenton did all that?” Dash asked, he bit the inside of his cheek. Hard.
“Yeah it was crazy, I thought Tetslaf was gonna pass out,” Victor laughed. “Maybe we should get him to try out for the football team, he’d be a great running back or-”
“Come on, Vic,” Dash laughed but the sound came out wrong. “Why would we want Fenton on our team? He’s, he’s Fenton! Just a skinny, weird little wimp.” Vic side-eyed him a bit before clapping Dash on the back.
“World’s changing, Dash. First ghosts, now half ghosts, it’s all wrong but you just gotta roll with it. All I know is I have 2 years left in this hell hole before I leave this miserable place for Chicago and never look back. I recommend you do the same, after all,” Vic grinned again but it was sharper. “Fenton’s always been your personal punching bag, not every day you learn your victim has superpowers.”
“We don’t know what the hell is up with Fenton,” Dash defended. Vic just shrugged.
“Yeah but he’s always been a freak now we know he ain’t human. Who knows what else he’s hiding?” Vic said with a smug smile before wandering off, giving a halfhearted wave over his shoulder as he left.
Dash stood in the hallway, trying to get himself under control until the warning and late bell rang. Only then, when he was certain he wouldn’t run into Fenton, did he head to class. 
XxX
“Should we follow him, see where he goes?” Paulina said, biting onto one of her nails in nervous excitement. Paulie was gorgeous and overall pretty cool but her thing with ghosts sometimes tired Dash out. Now more than ever. 
“Come on, that’s like stalking,” Kwan scolded. “Even if that wasn’t illegal or whatever it’s just not cool. They had a rough day today, leave ‘em alone.” That icy chill returned and Dash looked out of the corner of his eye to see Fenton and his cronies walking out of the school. 
Truthfully, Dash didn’t think Fenton had that bad of a day. Yeah people were asking questions but he’d side stepped them all, gave non-answers. Other people talked about Fenton’s supposed strength in gym but there’d been conflicting reports, some said he flew up the rope climb, others said he levitated doing his push ups. Dash really didn’t know what to believe. Fenton was just acting, well, like Fenton. He paused for a second, stopped walking before catching up with the group.
Maybe... maybe Dash was getting caught up over nothing. There really was no proof Fenton was this ‘half of’ other than what one dumb ghost said. He thought back to Fenton’s grin during first period; stupid nerd was probably milking his 15 minutes of fame and bully free time. His earlier fear and uncertainty burst into flames until a familiar anger was burning in his gut. Now this he knew what to do with.
“Yeah, well his day is about to get rougher,” Dash heard himself say as he stomped off to where Fenton was smiling tiredly at something Manson was saying. “Hey Fentonio! Think you’re pretty cool with every paying attention to you but I-”
Fenton gasped suddenly, like a hiccup only his breath misted out in front of him cold as a winter’s day. Dash stopped midsentence watching as Fenton’s whole face twisted. His earlier weary but tolerant annoyance that he’d been projecting all day was stripped away. He glared at Dash with an expression that was hard as ice and full of an exhaustion and bitterness he couldn’t begin to understand.
“As payment for being forcibly outed,” Fenton spoke up loudly enough that most of the school yard could hear him. “I was promised a week.” His eyes slowly but methodically scanned the crowd who had frozen in place at his authoritative tone. “Where I didn’t have to deal with ghosts, so I want to know... Who is trespassing on my haunt.”
Fenton’s mouth opened impossibly wide revealing what seemed like rows of sharped teeth. He curled his fingers into claws and, looking closer, his fingernails had indeed become real claws, as sharp and deadly as his teeth. His eyes blazed an impossible, ectoplasmic green and his dark hair developed streaks of white. He was terrifying, monstrous, but he was still Fenton. That feeling that had been eating at dash all day came back full force. Not the realization that Fenton had powers or whatever but that he had been hiding it in plain sight through ghost attacks and bullies and failing grades. This had always been Fenton, they just hadn’t seen. Until now that is.
And now the script had flipped and Dash didn’t know how this Ghost Fenton, who still was the same Fenton Dash had wedgied last Wednesday, fit. A green blob ghost materialized over by stairs, quivering and wailing in some ghost language. It turned and fled, presumably in the direction of the Fenton Portal to escape Fenton’s wrath. Fenton’s glowing eyes tracked it for a moment before he straightened up from his hunched posture and... was human again.
He brushed his hands through his black hair, lazily blinked blue eyes and, when he smiled, his teeth were normal. But Dash had seen, they all had. He’d let them see but to what end, he had no idea. Fenton turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow and another small smirk, just as tired as earlier.
“Sorry about that Dash, I take my vacation time very seriously. You were saying?” Fenton said with a smug lilt but his eyes were still dead and there was a bit of fear in them now. Despite his powers, he still gripped his backpack tightly.
“When your dumb little vacation’s up, Fentionail,” Dash said with a shaky voice. “It’s-it’s back to business, okay? Punches and wedgies and locker shoving. You,” he voice cracked a bit and he fought it down. “It’ll ramp up now that I know you can take it.” Fenton blinked, once then twice before he smiled. This time it wasn’t annoyed or scary or fearful but like the dumb grins he usually gave his dumb friends. 
“Yeah okay, we’ll start back up next week. The usual time?” Dash nodded, not knowing what else to say. “Alright, see you around.” He turned to walk away before pausing and turning back. “Actually you should be careful on who you shove into lockers, it can get hard to breathe in there and not everyone can phase out of them. You never know who’ll turn up dead,” he grinned and his eyes flashed green again, “if only half.”
That said, he and his friends walked away, ignoring the stares of the entire school on them. “Oh and it’s halfa, not half of,” Fenton called out over his shoulder. “I’m not half of anything, I’m just a whole me even if the details get a bit complicated.”
“Bye Danny, see you tomorrow,” Kwan called after with a grimace. No one else said anything for a minute until Dash found the strength to move his legs from where they’d been planted. He clenched his fists to hide his shaking and continued his walk home. Everyone else slowly did the same, talking quietly among themselves.
“What the hell was that?” Dale asked in a nervous high pitched voice. “What the hell did I just see?”
“Fenton being a weirdo but that’s nothing new,” Dash shrugged with a confidence he didn’t have yet. But if Fenton could show up to school after being outed and then willingly show them his inhumanity, then Dash needed to up his game. Couldn’t let the nerd be cool or anything. “So what if he glows or whatever, he’s still Fenton. Look I gotta get home, it’s Pookie’s feeding time and he is NOT going to believe the day I had.
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raytorosaurus · 2 years
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please sources on those ray dad moments
absolutely let me pull out the ray toro wifedad receipts
first of all one of my favourite ray toro dad facts is that i don't actually know for sure how many kids he even has, king of privacy <3
that said. here are two of the sexiest paragraphs i've ever read, courtesy of this wonderful bryant interview about remember the laughter:
Its lyrics chart the course of Ray’s life since the split of My Chemical Romance. It’s been a reflective period for him. He and his wife had their first child, a son, and Ray found his focus shifting from himself to his family. His wife went back to college to earn a masters degree, leaving Ray by day as the stay-at-home parent. And in that time, he had a good think about his former life. The record, as a result, is much like the memory box of his light concept. The songwriting process starts for Ray in an unusual place. “My wife laughs at me about this but I love doing the dishes, sweeping and vacuuming. I like it because I find my mind wanders and my brain comes up with these vocal melodies while I’m doing it. Anything that sticks, I’ll record on my phone, then I’ll head into the studio and work until three or four in the morning on it.”
more under the cut lol. i just think he's neat
so from the same interview, he talks about how remember the laughter is fully about his family, and shaped by being a dad (he also talked a lot at the time about how much he appreciates his own parents but i digress):
It means the album is shot through with references to Ray’s family. “Walking In Circles is about my wife and my desire to spend the rest of my life with her,” he says. “Remember The Laughter is me thinking about how I might say goodbye to my son later in life, thinking about what I would tell him before I pass. “My wife and I talk a lot about what the world is like now, about what sort of kid we want to raise and how we want to see him treat other people. All of that is on the record.”
and he's talked about this kind of thing a few times, like in 2015 when he released for the lost and brave (which he originally wrote in response to reading about homophobic bills being proposed in arizona) in memory of leelah alcorn (this interview is worth a read):
“If ever my son was having a rough time I would just hope that he would trust me and allow me to be there for him. It’s common for parents and older people to look at youth in a negative way and to not respect the young as people. My wife always says that a lot of parents treat their kids like property – the whole, ‘this is my house, these are my rules and you must abide by my law’. You have to put yourself on the same level as your kid, you have to relate to them as a person. I hope that there’s more understanding about the differences between people in the future that my son grows up in.”
and this is something that ended up influencing a lot of remember the laughter too (from this interview):
The sense of hope is one of the main themes of the record. I want to leave my son with a sense of hope about the world. He has the ability to affect people in a positive way and affect the world in positive change. I feel a lot of the songs are definitely connected to that idea of hope.
which also includes. this story :'''''''')
Both your wife and son play on the record, your son being just 2 years old when it was recorded. How did that come about? Yeah! [laughs] So I have a small guesthouse on my property and that’s basically my studio…well, I call it my studio, but it’s basically a two-story with really small rooms, but I just happen to jam all my gear in there and have my drums upstairs. It’s not like a full studio. I’m always next door working a lot and I don’t know, around that age my son just got a real interest in coming over to the studio and checking out what I was doing. He constantly heard music coming from there and he just wanted to see what was going on. He would come in and he’d play around with some of the amps and the other gear I have in the studio, and I would let him play with the lights as well. One day I was recording the song Lucky Ones, and I knew he had a kids set of percussion. That song is 100% about my family, so I wanted to find a way to involve them. I had my son in the studio with his percussion set, so I just had him hold a shaker and a tambourine and had him play along with the song as best he could. I edited it all together and I think you’ll hear him playing in the chorus. My family was so integral in the process, in giving me the support I needed, and also giving me something to write about. My songs are very much about me and my life, I have a very tough time conjuring lyrics up out of nowhere. I always feel that everything has to be very in the moment and related to me, those are really the only things I can write about. My family were super important for the record, and I’m glad they could be on it.
like he's just made it pretty clear over and over again that everything he's done post-split has been informed and motivated by fatherhood :'), like here:
Lithium: How has being a father affected the style of music you choose to create? Ray: It gave me a voice. A center to gravitate each of my ideas and thoughts around.
he's also spoken a couple of times about how grateful he is that he was able to be at home and off the road to raise his kids, and how the timing of his first son's birth helped him process the hurt of mcr breaking up, like in this interview from 2014.
anyway. wow this was a lot of text, have some nice dad moments from twitter:
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
#i like ray bc there's absolutely no pretense about him he's just like. yeah i wanna make good things abt being good and doing good.#my mans is not funny and he's a corny liberal and he's a little bit dumb but he is very talented and he is sweet :')#also ngl not to ****** but some of those interviews are like. ah yes ray toro ******** icon lol <3#little miss 'i don't understand metaphors' 'let me describe some very specific sensory experiences i use to write music'#actually one of my favourite quotes (and interviews in general) is from a different rtl interview in stereogum that was like#it really comes down to this: do you want to hear some honest music?#and i think even tho every mcr solo member's work sounds very different honesty is the thing they have in common#which isn't suprising considering. mcr's whole thing.#but it's cool how they explore that in different ways in their solo music...ray and frank's are both very blunt#but ray leans into like. hope and optimism in a blunt way esp with his lyrics while the music itself is deceptively nuanced and complex#while frank uses music itself as a blunt force weapon and is all about candid vulnerability and catharsis#gerard's is a lot more intentionally vague but hes alien is very emotionally honest#jesus fuck why am i waxing lyrical abt mcr solo projects in the tags of the ray malewife post were were supposed to just be having fun#anyway hope you see this anon it took me a while bc i was cooking and cleaning. when is it MY turn to be someone's malewife :(#answered#anonymous#*#remember the laughter#rtl
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tchallasbabymama · 3 years
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Don't Forget About Us
Hello, my lovelies. Here’s my contribution to @nahimjustfeelingit-writes smut challenge (the prompt is in bold!) Let’s see what Erik’s up to now, shall we?
Don’t forget to check out my masterlist to read my other stories and oneshots. Your comments and reblogs mean the world to me, so make sure to let me know what you think! And let me know if you want to be tagged in any of my writing. Enjoy😘
Word count: 5,595
CW: smut...duh.
youtube
“So, what do you do for a living?”
Kayla sighed internally at the question and took a sip of her Pinot Grigio. She hated first dates with a burning passion, but unfortunately, that was the only way to find a man around here. She went through the motions of politely answering his questions, barely asking any of her own. She didn’t care. Even just fifteen minutes in, Kayla could tell he didn’t excite her, and she lamented the waste of a good outfit as she listened to him drone on about his life. Every now and then, he’d stop and ask a question about her, but she could tell he was only asking so he could talk more about himself.
How many siblings do you have?
What’s your sign?
Why did your last relationship end?
Her mind traveled to her ex-boyfriend, Erik Stevens. They had spent six blissful years together, and Kayla thought he was the one. She wanted them to get married and start a family, and she thought he did, too, but every time she brought it up, he’d find some excuse to change the subject. At thirty years old, Kayla wasn’t getting any younger, so she grew tired of his avoidance and eventually cut him loose. She needed more out of life, but the guy currently sitting across from her certainly wasn’t it.
“We wanted different things,” she answered vaguely and took another sip. It would be a long night with what’s-his-name. David? Devon? Whatever. At least he had money and took her to a nice restaurant.
Darryl took the opportunity to bore her with the details of his job, which Kayla already knew. He was a colleague of her best friend, Carina’s husband. They worked at the same law firm, and Carina decided to hook them up after tiring of hearing Kayla complain about dating apps. As much as Kayla hated Tinder, she would’ve much rather been at home on her couch swiping left on the cesspool of single men Oakland had to offer. Every few dozen swipes or so, she’d find a cutie, but his bio would be abysmal, or his conversation skills would fall flat.
Despite the fact that their relationship just couldn’t make it, Kayla still thought of Erik as the gold standard. Just thinking about his dimples and his struggle beard made her smile dreamily. His big, strong arms would wrap around her and hold her tight at night, and she’d trace her fingers over the intentionally placed keloid scars that held his darkest secrets. She missed retwisting his locs and the way he always smelled like sandalwood and warm vanilla. Kayla didn’t want to admit it, but she still loved him. No man could compare to her Erik.
“Hello? Kayla?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. Can you repeat that last part?”
“Uh, yeah, sure. What’s got you so distracted, babygirl?”
Kayla fought the bile rising in her throat. She wasn’t his babygirl. It didn’t even sound right coming from his mouth. Maybe it was the thinness of his lips. They weren’t “white man” thin, but they couldn’t hold a candle to the juicy pussy pleasers she had grown accustomed to.
“Nothing, just thought I saw somebody I know. You were saying?”
“Just that you look beautiful tonight,” Damon attempted to flirt with her.
Kayla wanted to roll her eyes but thanked him instead and smiled politely again. Of course she looked beautiful; she had pulled out all the stops for what she had hoped would be a good night out. Kayla had squeezed her thickness into a lavender satin dress. The way the dress’s skirt cinched on the side kept it snug around her plush waist, but the high slit that traveled up her thigh was the main attraction. The strappy silver heels on her feet showed off her matching pedicure that contrasted beautifully with her glistening brown skin, and her makeup was flawless. Her outerwear for the night, a cropped fur jacket that had found its way to the coat check when they arrived, was the icing on the cake. Her outfit deserved the appreciation, just not from Deshawn.
The waiter saved her from having to focus on her date when she brought out the food they had ordered. Since Kayla knew Derek had money, she had ordered the whole lobster, and she fought her mouth from drooling too much as the waiter set it down in front of her. It laid on a bed of forbidden rice, and the side of roasted brussels sprouts and cremini mushrooms looked heavenly. The ramekin of drawn butter off to the side tempted her as it sat next to the minuscule seafood fork. She may not enjoy her company for the evening, but Kayla damn sure was going to enjoy her meal.
“Looks good,” Dominic called from the other side of the table, breaking Kayla from her trance as he cut into his wagyu beef.
“Sure does.” Kayla wasted no time before digging into her meal. Not only was it the perfect excuse to avoid conversation, but it was perfect, period.
A slight chill permeated the air as the door swung open and the crisp January air entered the small restaurant. Kayla shivered as she complained internally about being forced to sit near the door, but that shiver intensified as she heard a voice. His voice.
“Reservation for Stevens, please.”
Kayla stilled.
“Of course. Right this way, sir,” the maitre d’ responded, and Kayla heard three sets of footsteps coming her way.
--------
“Babe, let’s go!”
“Yell at me one more time, woman,” Erik warned as he came around the corner into the living room, fastening his watch.
“I swear, you take more time getting ready than I do.”
“Whatever, Mo. You ready?”
“Nigga, I been ready!”
Erik rolled his eyes and grabbed his keys. It would be a rough night, and things were already starting off on a bad foot. He and Monique had been seeing each other for the better part of a year, and he’d finally reached his limit. She was overbearing, rude, and just after him for his money, but he hated being alone, so he put up with her bullshit. His cousin, T’Challa, had tried to hook him up with a few ladies back in Wakanda when he went to visit after his breakup, but nothing stuck. Almost immediately after coming back to the states, Erik met Monique at a charity event for the Outreach Center. She had the singing voice of an angel and had been booked as the entertainment for the evening. Erik was drawn to her like a sailor to a siren, and she immediately sank her teeth into him. Past her vocal talents, Monique wasn’t really anything special. Her personality left a lot to be desired, she wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box, and she just wasn’t her.
The moment Kayla ended their relationship a year ago, Erik’s whole world shattered. He had lived a life full of pain and loss, but Kayla had been his lifeline. She pulled him out of the dark and made him revel in the sunshine. Hell, she was the sunshine, but now he had settled for a UV lamp at best. Kayla had wanted a life that Erik was too scared to give her, but that fear became his downfall. He still missed her most nights. He was lonely, and Monique was there to keep him company, but that wasn’t enough for him anymore. Erik craved a connection that Monique just couldn’t provide. So he decided he had to break it off and figured that doing so in a public place would probably be best. She had a tendency to throw things when she got angry.
The car ride to Chez Martine was tense. Monique had been angry all day because Erik had taken back his credit card even though she wanted to buy a new dress for their date. Her lousy mood almost made him dump her back at his condo, but Erik kept a cool head and stayed focused on the plan. He ignored the way Monique complained the entire time she got ready, reluctantly putting on a dress he had seen her wear before. It didn’t matter to him; he knew what the night held.
When they walked into the restaurant, Erik’s heart dropped into his stomach. He’d recognize that shoulder blade tattoo anywhere. She had cut off all her hair and lost a few pounds, but he knew for sure that he was looking at Kayla. His Kayla. He forced himself to look straight ahead as they passed her table and prayed that the maitre d’ didn’t sit them where she could see him. Unfortunately, he had no such luck because the only open table for two was directly within her line of sight. He prayed again that Monique would sit on the far side of the table, but Bast ignored his pleas once more. He had to sit facing her, and as soon as he got comfortable in his chair, her gaze slyly trailed over to him. They locked eyes across the room, and Erik’s heart stopped. She was just as beautiful as the last time he saw her all those months ago, but who the fuck was that sitting across from her?
“What are you looking at?” Monique’s abrasive voice cut through his eardrums.
“Nothing. Just thought I saw someone I know, that’s all.”
She cut her eyes at him and turned around to look as he buried his face in the menu.
“Quit being nosy,” he complained.
“I just wanna see who’s got your attention, that’s all.” Monique turned back around with a sour look on her face. “It’s probably that fat girl with her cleavage all out.”
“Mo, just look at the fucking menu and act like you got some sense.”
“Fine.”
Monique pouted until the waiter showed up, but she plastered a fake smile on her face as he took their order. As usual, she ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, and it bothered him to no end that she was hellbent on spending all of his money. Of course, he had plenty, but she felt entitled to it. Kayla never cared about him being rich. Hell, when they got together, she didn’t even know he was a prince, but he loved to spoil her nonetheless. He loved the look on her face when he’d buy her things or take her on the expensive trips that she more than deserved. Kayla appreciated everything he did for her with all her heart, but she’d say the same thing every time.
“Thank you, baby, but you’re all I need.”
Erik smiled fondly at the memory of when he bought her a diamond tennis bracelet from Wakanda for their second anniversary. She was so excited to have diamonds that weren’t marred by exploited labor that she damn near dropped the box when she saw what was inside. It had been a rough year for them, what with him disappearing for a couple of months to seize the Wakandan throne and all. She certainly had plenty of colorful words for him when he came back. He’ll never forget the look on her face when he showed up at her door. He had brought T’Challa for backup just in case, but she looked right past the king as tears welled up in her eyes at seeing her Erik, alive and well.
Erik’s eyes started to get misty as he thought about the way she kissed him with so much emotion...then slapped him across the face for leaving. His gaze wandered back over to Kayla and he noticed the light bounce off of something on her arm. She was wearing the bracelet.
As if she felt his glare, Kayla shifted uncomfortably in her seat, so he averted his eyes back to Monique, who had caught him staring again.
“Why don’t you go say hi?” she asked sarcastically, making him roll his eyes so hard they almost got stuck.
--------
Erik Stevens. Here, of all places. He just had to be here.
Kayla noticed that he didn’t seem to be enjoying his modelesque date’s company any more than she was enjoying Darwin’s, and the pang of jealousy she felt at seeing him with another woman went away. She knew she had no right to feel any kind of way about it, especially since she was the one that broke things off. That didn’t make it any easier, though.
Dylan was too wrapped up in his steak to notice her wandering eye, but it seemed that Erik’s food was as uninteresting as the woman across from him. Kayla watched as he half-heartedly pushed it around his plate, but he certainly kept his favorite whiskey coming. She wanted to chuckle but didn’t want Daniel to think he had anything to do with her levity. They were both drowning their dissatisfactions in their alcohols of choice, and Kayla got a phantom taste of Uncle Nearest 1856 on her lips as she watched him take a sip. When he set the glass down and licked his lips, Kayla felt flush. She missed those lips…
“So, how about dessert?” Damien asked as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. “I hear their creme brulee is amazing.”
“Uh, sure, why not?”
“You know,” he began as he leaned in and reached for her hands. She allowed him to take them, but the softness of his hands disgusted her. No callouses, no roughness, not even a firm grip. “I’ve had a great night. I’d love to see you again.”
Kayla chuckled nervously, unsure of how to proceed.
“What are you doing next-”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!”
A shrill voice pierced the air as Erik’s date bolted up from her seat. Desmond, and the whole restaurant, turned around to see what was going on, and Kayla took the opportunity to remove her hands from his.
“Keep your voice down,” Erik sneered through his teeth. “We’re in public.”
“So?! You bring me out here just to dump me? To dump this?!” she gestured at her slim figure, and he rolled his eyes.
“You ain’t even all that,” he waved her off. He was tired of playing nice, and Kayla could see the exasperation written all over his face.
“Excuse me, miss-” the waiter attempted to calm her down, but the crazed woman cut him off.
“Stay out of this!”
“I’m so sorry,” Erik mouthed to the poor man who would absolutely be getting a monstrous tip later.
“Oh, you’re sorry for him, but not for me?”
“Mo, just sit down. We can finish our meal like adults-”
“Fuck you, Erik.” She threw her dirty martini at him, soaking the front of his all-black ensemble.
Kayla could damn near see the steam coming out of his ears as his apparent ex stormed out of the restaurant. Erik locked eyes with her across the room, and when he saw the concern written all over her face, his softened.
“Whew, poor fella,” Dexter commented as he turned back around. “Where was I? Oh-”
“Excuse me, where’s your restroom?” Kayla interrupted him as their waiter walked by.
“Right down there.” She pointed at a set of stairs off to the side, and Kayla thanked her as she slid out of her seat.
“I’ll be back, Darius.”
“It’s Denzel.” He deflated.
“Fuck,” she froze. She had been sure it was Darius. “Still, I’ll be back.”
“I’ll be here,” he responded, obviously upset by her slip-up.
Kayla hurried off down the stairs and leaned against the wall as she waited for either of the single-use restrooms to open up. She took a deep breath and opened her clutch, reaching in to pull out her phone with a shaky hand and typing in his number. It was one of the few she had memorized, just in case.
“You ok?”
Her thumb hovered over the send button, but she couldn’t press it. Her heart nearly thumped out of her chest at the thought of starting a conversation with him, but something within her said that she should. It would be weird not to say anything after all that, right?
“Hey-”
“Shit!” Kayla dropped her phone when his silky baritone graced her ears.
“My fault, ma.” Erik leaned over and picked the phone off the floor, checking it for cracks. He saw she had typed a message out to him and smirked before handing it back to her.
“T-thanks.”
“No problem. And, yeah, I’m ok.”
“Huh?”
Erik pointed at her phone screen.
“Oh! Right. Um, well, that’s good to hear.” Kayla attempted to push her hair behind her ear out of habit, forgetting she had just cut it all off a week ago.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“You ok? You don’t seem to into ole dude out there.”
Kayla sighed and rolled her eyes, “Oh, him.”
“Damn, it’s like that?” Erik laughed, and she slapped his arm. That slight contact was enough to spark a flame in them both, and Erik’s face turned serious. “For real, though, not going well?”
“Better than you, it seems,” she quipped as she eyed his wet shirt. That was a bad idea because his first three buttons were undone, and she caught a peek of the raised scars that she missed so much. And that broad chest, and the chain with his father’s ring that he always wore. He’d let her wear it from time to time, and she always felt like it was such an honor. He trusted her enough to let her wear it. He loved her enough to-
Kayla pried her eyes away and made yet another mistake: she looked up at him. Those eyes still looked like sweet, sweet molasses, and even though his locs were braided back, she could tell he was letting them grow out. She momentarily wondered who was retwisting them nowadays, but her train of thought was cut short by the scent of sandalwood and vanilla. Kayla’s mind went blank as she inhaled slowly.
“Heh, yeah. That was...that was pretty embarrassing. Not even gonna lie.” Erik looked away shyly, unable to hold her gaze.
“I guess you’ll need to find a new date spot, huh?”
“Nah, I think I’m good on dating for a while.”
“Same,” Kayla sighed. “Dating sucks.”
“Yeah…”
One of the bathroom doors unlocked, and a middle-aged white man stepped out and passed them on the way up the stairs.
“Well, I should-”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
Kayla walked towards the bathroom, but before she could reach the door, she felt a light tug on her wrist. His touch still gave her goosebumps, and he noticed her raised skin as she turned to face him.
“I just, uh...it was nice seeing you, Kay-kay.” Erik smiled at her, and she nearly melted. She missed when he called her that, too. “You look good.”
“Thanks, E.” She smiled back. “So do you.”
He let her go, and Kayla disappeared into the bathroom. When she closed the door behind her, she took a deep breath to center herself. After all these months, Erik still took her breath away. He clouded her senses and scrambled her mind. Even as she took care of business, her brain replayed their short interaction on a loop.
Kayla locked eyes with her reflection as she dried her hands. How could she go back up there to- what’s his name? Oh, yeah, Da- Denzel. That’s it, Denzel. How could she go back up there to his mediocre company when the man she still loved had made her feel so alive with just one touch. That was the magic of Erik, his magnetism. When they were together, she couldn’t help but be drawn to him, even when she wanted to slap him across his beautiful face. Those were some of the best times, though. If she was angry at him, he knew exactly what to do to calm her down. To put her in her place. To remind her-
Kayla’s daydreaming was cut short by a knock at the door.
“Occupied!”
It came again.
“I’ll be out in a minute!”
She reached for another paper towel to dab off the sweat that had started to pool on her skin at the thought of Erik’s dominance when the door opened.
“What the f- Erik?!”
He pushed inside the bathroom and locked the door behind him.
“You need to start locking doors, Kay.”
“I- what do you want?”
“I want to talk to you,” he spoke as he moved closer to her.
“Here?!”
“Yeah, here,” he chuckled.
Kayla rolled her eyes and tried to push past him.
“Now is not the time or place-”
“When is?” he blocked her exit, and she crossed her arms in defeat, looking up at him through her lashes as she leaned against the sink. “Look, I just need to say something real quick.”
“Fine,” Kayla sighed and gestured for him to continue. She knew there was no use fighting him. She wasn’t leaving that bathroom until he was good and ready.
“Kay,” his voice softened, and she looked away only to have her face pulled back in his direction. “Kay-kay, look at me.”
She made the mistake of doing just that, getting lost in his eyes again.
“I miss you,” Erik murmured.
“Erik-”
“Look, I know, ok? I know. And I’m sorry, Kay. I really am- no, look at me. I’m sorry I wasn’t enough for you...but I miss you, girl.”
Kayla’s eyes welled up with tears that she tried her hardest to blink away, but one had the nerve to fall. Erik wiped it away, and the next one, and the next one. A sob wracked Kayla’s body, and he wrapped his arms around her body.
“Don’t cry, babygirl. I know you worked hard on your makeup.”
Kayla laughed through her tears, but the emotions washed back over her, and she buried her face into his chest. It was already soaked with gin, so what harm would a few tears do?
He held her and rocked her softly from side to side as she cried, and after a couple of minutes, she found the will to look up at him again. His cheeks were wet, so she reached up and swiped her thumbs over them as she held his face in her small hands. He nuzzled into them and kissed her wrists.
“I miss you, too, E,” she croaked.
“I know, babygirl.”
He leaned in to kiss her forehead, and she closed her eyes as his soft lips caressed her skin. They stayed intertwined for who knows how long until Erik felt Kayla begin to pull back. He looked down at her, and the two of them locked eyes. Before they knew it, their lips had met in the middle in a passionate embrace. They got lost in each other for a moment until common sense returned to Kayla, and she pushed him off.
“We can’t-”
“Why not?”
“Because…”
“Because what, Kay?” Erik’s voice rumbled as he closed what little gap was between their bodies. He left soft kisses on her temples before working down to her cheeks, then her jawline, and eventually the column of her neck. She let out a soft whimper when his teeth grazed the crook of her neck but pushed him back again before he could continue any further.
“Erik, I...I still love you, and-”
He attacked her lips with his, hands feverishly gripping her waist as he pushed her further into the sink. She had nowhere to go, and she was ok with that.
“I...love you...too...babygirl,” he whispered between kisses.
Kayla’s mind went blank as he lifted her up on the counter and pressed himself between her legs. She could feel him, all of him, and damn did she miss that monster between his legs.
“Erik,” she moaned as he nipped at her earlobe. He still knew how to play her body like a violin.
“Mmm, say it again.”
“Erik!” she squeaked as she felt his strong hands grip her thighs.
“Just like that,” he groaned, and she flooded her already wet panties.
“Baby-”
He connected his forehead to hers and stared deep into her eyes. “You miss me?”
“Mhm,” Kayla nodded with her lip between her teeth.
“I miss you, too, baby. I think about you all the time. Every day,” he pecked her lips, “every night. I miss everything about you, Kay-kay. Your off-key singing, your horrible cooking-”
“Shut up,” Kayla giggled as his hands traveled up her dress.
“Your body…fuck I miss this body. I miss how you smell, how you taste...how that tight little pussy feels wrapped around my dick.”
Kayla widened her legs for him as his fingers found their way to the seat of her panties, stroking up and down her slit. Erik kissed his way back down her face and over to her ear, his warm breath sending chills down her spine.
“Do you think about me when you touch yourself? Because I do. You’re all I see when I stroke my dick...wishing it was your hand...your lips...this fucking pussy.”
Erik pushed her panties to the side, and his nimble fingers circled her clit. Kayla let out a small moan that was music to his ears, making fingers move faster and her breath grow shallower with each rotation.
“Answer me.”
“Mhm.”
“Come on, babygirl, you can do better than that. You think about me when you play in your pussy? This pussy right here?” he asked as he slapped her vulva, her wetness sticking to his hand.
“Y-yes, baby-”
“Uh-uh, you know who I am. Say it,” Erik commanded as he snuck three fingers inside her wetness, making her moan loudly in his ear. “Shhh, you gotta be quiet, babygirl. You don’t want people out there knowing how much of a slut you are, right?”
Kayla shook her head no.
“That’s what I thought. Now, I asked you a question, Kayla,” he reminded her. His gruff voice made her weak, and the fingers that were steadily speeding up inside her certainly didn’t help. “Answer me. Who am I, babygirl?”
Kayla tried to hold out as much as she could. She didn’t want to say it, too proud to give in, but the way he was currently stretching out her pussy and curling his fingers inside her made her cling to his shoulders. The bastard knew what he was doing, and she didn’t want to let him win. But then, he played dirty and bit down on her neck. She cried out, and when he pulled back to look at her, the ferocity in his eyes drove her up the wall.
“I said, who the fuck am I, Kayla?” Erik growled. His hand sped up, making her weak with every thrust. She couldn’t hold it anymore and came undone around him, her mouth betraying her as his name fell from her lips.
“Daddy!” she gasped as her pussy spasmed, and he chuckled darkly.
“Damn right I am,” he kissed her lips, “now gimme that pussy. Daddy missed his pussy.”
Kayla heard a rip and felt the cool air between her legs as he tore through her panties to get to her treasure trove. She reached down between them and grabbed his clothed erection in her hand, making him groan as he bit down on his luscious bottom lip. She undid his belt buckle and slowly unzipped his pants before reaching in and pulling out his throbbing dick.
The longing in her eyes told him everything he needed to know, so he pushed her legs back and tapped his head on her clit.
“You want daddy’s dick in you?”
“Mhm,” she whimpered.
“Good.”
He pushed in and groaned at the feeling of her pussy walls gripping him as he sheathed himself inside her.
“Fuck, you feel like home.”
Kayla moaned into his neck in response and wound her hips against him, meeting him thrust for thrust as he stroked into her slow and deep. She couldn’t form words. He felt so damn good inside her that Kayla’s brain had short-circuited. Erik’s dick hit spots that she could never find herself no matter how hard she tried. Even in her dreams, he drove her body wild. She had spent the last year trying to find somebody, anybody who could make her feel that way, but nobody could compare to Erik Stevens.
Erik and Kayla panted heavily into each others’ mouths as he made love to her body, and as soon as Kayla started to tense up, his thrusts grew harder.
“I-I-”
“I know, babygirl. Daddy feels it,” he groaned as he nipped at her bottom lip. “Cum on my dick like a good girl.”
His words sent Kayla into overdrive, and her body shook as she spilled over him. Her spasming walls hugged him tight, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, begging him with her eyes.
“You feel amazing,” she moaned.
“Mhm. I know them other niggas wasn’t hitting it like this. I just know it. Look at you, cumming all over daddy’s dick. Look at it!” He grabbed her chin and made her look down at her throbbing pussy as his dick slid in and out of her.
“We look so good, daddy!”
Erik slammed into her, and she bit into his shoulder to keep from screaming. He gave her his all over and over, rocking the countertop in the process.
“We’ll look even better if you let me cum in this pussy. Mix my cum with yours-”
“Yes!”
“Yes?” He chuckled. “You want it that bad, huh? Nasty ass, in here getting fucked while that bum ass nigga’s waiting for you upstairs.”
“Mmm, I want it.”
“Want what, babygirl?” Erik teased as he brought his thumb to her clit, strumming it slowly as he thrust into her.
“You. I want you to cum deep in me.”
“Shit,” Erik groaned. “You want it deep in there?”
“Mhm. Put it where it belongs, daddy.” Kayla licked up the side of his neck, making his knees buckle. “Cum in your pussy.”
Erik lost all sense of control and pounded into her tight pussy, somehow getting even deeper in preparation for his release. Kayla held on tight as she felt him begin to spasm inside her, and she released around him again as his deep moans tickled her ear. Erik thrust extra deep and held his dick in place as he emptied his balls into her warmth, whimpering lightly as she rubbed his back to soothe him and bring him back down.
“I missed you, babygirl.”
“I missed you, too, daddy.”
They stayed like that, wrapped up in each other until their breathing slowed. Erik was the first to move, slowly pulling himself out of Kayla as she whined at the loss of contact. He kissed all over her face before planting a slow, sweet kiss on her lips.
“I can’t let you go again, Kay-kay,” his voice cracked as tears threatened to fall from his eyes again.
Kayla pulled him back in and kissed him so deeply that she nearly lost herself in him again, but he pulled away and looked her in her eyes.
“I’m serious, girl. I’ll do anything. I’ll marry you, give you as many big-headed babies as you want. Just, please, Kay-” she cut him off with another kiss to shut him up.
“We should go back to my place and talk,” she whispered, and Erik’s face lit up. Something about the way she said it, the way she kissed him, the way her body still responded to his...it gave him hope. Kayla smiled at him and pecked his lips once more before hopping off of the sink. He had to catch her because her legs were wobbly, and she stumbled a little in her heels.
“You aight?” he laughed.
“No, nigga,” she slapped his chest, and the two of them got caught in a laughing fit. They had really just fucked in the bathroom at Chez Martine. Kayla was on cloud nine until a thought occurred to her, and her face fell flat. “Oh, shit.”
“What?” Erik’s face turned serious, and his eyes scanned over her body, looking for whatever the problem was.
Kayla started giggling again, and he looked confused.
“What is it?” he asked, barely able to keep a straight face. Her laugh was always so infectious…
“Demetrius.”
“Who?!”
“My date.”
“Girl, don’t worry about him. He probably thinks you dipped out anyway.”
Kayla shrugged and fixed her dress as Erik stuffed his shirt back in his pants. They checked their reflections in the mirror, and Kayla was pleasantly surprised that her makeup was still intact thanks to that setting spray she had splurged on the other day.
“Ready?” Erik asked as he admired her beauty. Kayla nodded, and he unlocked the door, opening it to find Duncan leaning against the wall with a sour look on his face. Kayla’s eyes blew wide as she tried to figure out what to say to her date for the evening.
“Heyyy, um…”
“Denzel,” he seethed.
“Yeah, sorry. So, um, we’re-”
“Sorry, bruh,” Erik clapped him on the shoulder, “but we heading out. Bathroom’s all yours, though.”
Erik pulled Kayla along, and she sent Deion an apologetic glance before following Erik up the stairs. It seemed the whole restaurant knew what had occurred, but neither one of them cared. They were just happy to be around each other again. It had been entirely too long.
Taglist: @ladymac82, @kitesatforestp, @harleycativy, @raysunshine78, @maddeningmayhem, @theblulife, @motheroffae, @love-mesome-me,@toni9, @bribrisback, @impremenior, @blacklytical, @uzumaki-rebellion, @honeyandpeaches, @cecereads209, @wakandama2,
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