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outsideratheart · 3 months

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Fear of Failure (Alessia Russo x reader)

A/N: An Alessia Russo fic after I go see Arsenal is becoming a thing.

You had felt like a failure after losing the World Cup Final. It was you job as captain to lead and as a striker to score. When the 90 minutes were over you felt like you did neither.

The pain you felt was tough but it failed in comparison to what you felt when you saw Alessia crying. If possible, her eyes were a brighter shade of blue due to the tears she had shed.

“Come on. Let’s go in” Alessia tried to take your hand but you pulled away.

“I’m going to stay out here. I can’t face them” you walk away leaving Alessia stood alone until Ella comes.

Your relationship was Alessia was very new even though the feelings you had for each other were anything but. It was the first time she had seen you like this and she didn’t know what to do.

The lockeroom is quiet but goes silent as you walk in. You ignore the eyes on you as you head into the ice bath where Lucy is waiting for you.

“What should I do?” Alessia asks Lotte knowing that the defender has experience with you at a club level.

“Give her time. She’ll come to you when she’s ready” it was wise advice and Alessia listened to it.

You came to her when she was on the coach. She left the seat free next to her and you happily slid in. You didn’t say anything but you didn’t pull away when Alessia held you hand. She saw that as a good sign.

She thought that once you were back in England and at Arsenal that you might have cheered up but that wasn’t the case. You were focused on the champions league qualifiers. So much so that you were working yourself into the ground.

The whole team knew it was a cruel form of punishment for the summer so they told Jonas who promised to keep an eye on you.

The first game comes 17 days after the final. You had missed a penalty in the first half but you were relentless after that. Arsenal get the win yet you cannot bring yourself to celebrate. This is what you expected when you play a team like Linköping. You did however make the extra effort to celebrate your girlfriend’s debut.

“Girls” you stand up gaining the attention of the entire team “to Alessia who is now officially a member of the Arsenal”

“I think that’s the first time I’ve seen her smile since Australia” Lotte nudges the woman in question.

“It is and even now I don’t think it’s real” Alessia was really begin to worry about you. Everyone you normally talk to isn’t here. Leah, Beth and Viv will meet the team in Germany. Your girlfriend is hoping that once you’re around them then something will change.

When you line up against Paris FC you expect the same result but you find yourself two nil down until the final ten minutes. Alessia gets a goal and hopes you celebrate with her but by the time she finds you, you have the ball in your hand and are running back to the spot. Your determination is rewarded as you score in injury time. Paris then take a lead but you manage to get one back and the game is sent to penalties.

It ends with Arsenal losing and you are quick to blame yourself for the loss. It feels like yet another reason why you are a failure.

“Hey” Alessia tries to get your attention as you walk down the tunnel but she gets not response. She doesn’t give up though “Y/N” her voice is a slightly more serious tone.

“Less, please, I can’t” you cannot meet her eyes.

“Can’t what? Talk to me.” The blonde asks. You were never one to hide from her. Maybe other people but you were always open with her.

“No”

The whole locker room goes silent. A moment that seemed to be private was being held out in the open.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to!” She didn’t deserve you to snap at her “I cannot have you look at me like I’m broken”

“Y/N, you are—“

“Not good enough, I need to be better. Please leave me alone so I can be better”

The next couple of days you were worryingly quiet. You may have spoken to Alessia but you didn’t really say much.

When you landed in Germany you pulled Jonas aside. He told you that you would be rooming with Alessia for the duration of the trip and that it would be a trial for future away games.

“I need you to split me and Alessia up” you told your coach.

“Y/N, I have no issue with your relationship with Alessia. You told me as soon as you knew she was joining the club and I trust you to be professional”

“I don’t mean our relationship, god no. I mean I cannot share a room with her. Jonas I am struggling right now and I cannot put that on her”

“Ok. If that is what you think is best then I’ll put you with Lia”

“Thanks coach”

It was hard for Alessia to see you pull away from her but you did. She noticed that you spent more time with the injured players than you did her. The only person she felt comfortable talking to about this was Lotte as she knew her well and Lotte knew you.

“I don’t get what I did wrong. I know she is struggling and I want to be there for her but she won’t talk to me, not about that anyways”

“She loves you Alessia, anybody with a set of eyes can see that, and you know that she isn’t good about asking for help”

“She’s talking to Leah and Beth though. Why is she ok talking to them but not to me?”

“She isn’t talk to them, she is talking with Viv or at least that is what i’m guessing. Viv is the person Y/N goes to when she doesn’t know what she is feeling. Once she figures that out then she will come to you”

Lotte saw you do the exact same thing when you lost the Champions League semi final. It took you a few days to come to terms with what happened and even then you still blamed yourself.

“I hope so Lotte because I can’t stand to see her hurting and knowing that I can’t do anything to help her”

Meanwhile you were in your therapy session with Viv in one of the quiet areas, or at least that is what it felt like. The Dutch woman was patient with you and listened when you needed to talk. She didn’t ask questions unless you asked her one.

“I failed everyone Viv. First England and now Arsenal. That hurts enough but to know that I have failed the person I love most in the world, that is not something I can handle. I feel like I’m on the verge of breaking and she shouldn’t have to deal with that”

“Have you stopped to think maybe she wants to? I know you struggle with these kind of things but this is the first time you are going though it whilst having a girlfriend. You need to stop seeing her as a team mate because she is so much more than that now”

You hated how right Viv was. You have opened up to Alessia before and she didn’t love you any less when you showed your vulnerable side.

Your girlfriend had accepted that you would come to her when you were ready and now she just wanted to be with you. Only problem is that she couldn’t find you. She had asked every player and staff member yet none of them could give her the answer she was looking for. Then she saw Viv leave one of the physio rooms and between the crack of the door and the door frame she saw you.

For the first time in a long while you looked into her eyes and let her see the pain behind yours. You watch as she hesitated on the other side of the threshold.

“Come here”

Alessia all but ran you to you. Whilst you stayed seated on the physio table, she took a stand between your legs. With her arms wrapped around your neck, her fingers begin playing with the baby hairs at the nape of your neck.

“I’m struggling Lessi. I felt like a failure after Australia and I thought I would be able to redeem myself this season at Arsenal but I’ve failed again”

“Thank you for telling me”

When she leans down you don’t pull away. You feel your shoulder relax as her lips touch yours.

“You’re not a failure. You lead the lionesses to their first World Cup final and I think that is an amazing achievement”

How could you believe her? She was your girlfriend, never would she admit you let her down.

“I failed you. I wanted to win for so many reasons but you were one of my biggest motivations, you always are. I wanted to win so that I could see the smile on your face as you lift the trophy like you did at the euros. Instead I watched you cry”

“You know one of the things that annoys me the most about you?” Alessia asks and you feel your stomach drop “you are one of the biggest hypocrites I know”

“I am not” you defend yourself and rightly so.

“You are when it comes to football. It’s both a good thing and a bad thing. You always say how we are a team, win or lose we do it as a team. After we played Australia in Brentford, Leah blamed herself. You told her that a loss is not one persons fault”

“It’s not”

“Baby, do you hear yourself?”

You did hear yourself and you realise what your girlfriend was insinuating.

“I just wanted to do good”

“You did. You did so good. Right now though we have to process what happened and move on” Alessia knew that you would talk about your failures all night and maybe that’s what you needed. She also knew that you needed to find closure before it destroyed you.

“And how do we do that?”

“Together” you laugh at her cheesiness “I mean it. I knew I’d learn things at Arsenal but I didn’t think the first one would be that my girlfriend doesn’t come to me when she’s hurting”

“I’m sorry. It’s hard for me to open up to people. I don’t like people seeing me weak, definetley not you”

At first thought that hurt Alessia and she is about to tell you that much but you cut her off.

“I am going to try though. I don’t want to shut you out anymore. For the last couple of days I’ve missed being with you and I don’t want to feel that again. I can’t promise that I will tell you everything, not right now, but I will let you in Less”

This seemed to be enough for your girlfriend because she pulls you up so she can give you a proper hug.

“I’m here and you won’t push me away again. I won’t let you” Alessia’s voice was adamant and you never argue with the blonde when she used that tone.

“I love you Alessia. Do you think we could go away somewhere just the two of us? We have a couple of days off when we get home and I need some time away from football. I’m in desperate needs of some quality Alessia Russo time”

“You know what? Now that I think of it, I am long over due some one on one time with you. How about we go get some food then you can come my room, the room you will be moving into, and we can look at some places?”

You agree with the forward and take her hand as you leave the room. When the two of you walk through the campus restaurant everyone notices the closeness between you and how your hands are intertwined. They also saw a smile of both of your faces, a smile that they were yet to see in Germany.

#alessia russo x reader #alessia Russo one shot #alessia russo imagine #engwnt x reader #engwnt one shot #ingrid engen imagine #arsenal wfc x reader #arsenal wfc imagine #arsenal wfc one shot #woso x reader #woso imagine #woso one shot

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uglyducklingofthe2000s · 7 days

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On The Right Foot (Betrayal series) - F1 Grid

MV1 focused - side reader x Lando (relationship)

Summary: Max grew up karting her and while it took her longer to find her way into F1. Now she's here and they're side by side. But who'd have thought y/n would be the one to bring it to him. And who'd have predicted the damage it would cause?

For context with the race calendar, I'm using 2024 but this is based in 2025. I do think the calendar is changing for Australia to go back to being the opening race (gonna miss Bahrain, having a night race to open the season as such a vibe) but for this we're pretending it's still Bahrain.

"Here is the talk of the paddock. Max Verstappen's new teammate, childhood karting rival and best friends to my knowledge. He has spoken in nothing but praise and admitted that in karting she would often beat him." Martin states as they watch y/n walk into the garage for her session of testing. "I personally know her career record is impressive and while she's had some bad luck. I think her being reserve and test driver last year for them. They've seen something that's worth putting to the real test on track directly against their star."

"Now, I want to see y/n really bring it to Max. But do you think, realistically, that she will?" Crofty asks making the former F1 driver puff out a breath.

"I think testing will give us an idea of how she is handling the car and how she confident she feels driving. I'm certainly looking forward to it."

Testing went better than people expected, changes needed on the car were minimal and as a team Max had never felt like he valued a teammate like this.

Max knew things would be good within the team. Better than ever.

But going into Bahrain for the race rather than just testing, y/n and Max are proving to be the strongest lineup on the grid.

"Y/n, how are you feeling being in the Red Bull team?" A reporter asks as they sit in the press conference.

"I feel great, Max was just telling me earlier that he hopes we stay teammates forever." Y/n smirks then being nudged by her teammate. "No but I think it goes without saying that the whole team has been incredibly welcoming and Max especially has given me all the advice and help I could ask for. It's also nice to think that we could be leading the way for another dominant Red Bull season. Being part of that is easily the best feeling that I could ever think of feeling-well aside from standing on top of podiums and accepting the world champion trophy at the end of the season."

"That's great to hear. And Max, to you, is having y/n as a teammate and hearing her confidence of possibly beating your winning streak helpful?"

"I think it's bold but I welcome the challenge. I know what I got into when the team decided to bring y/n and I know that we will push each other. Hopefully only to the limit and not beyond it."

"We'll see." Y/n shrugs jokingly with a grin.

"Qualifying is going to be a fun one, Max had the edge on y/n yesterday but in FP3 she had half a second on him. Which is huge for Max and it seemed to be her quali simulation that time came from. But Max can pull out miracle laps when he wants to. It would not be unusual for him to demolish the field again." Martin comments making Crofty agree before they hand over to Ted.

"I think y/n may have Max on this one. I don't know if you guys have noticed, but she is like a bullet around the corners and she takes different lines to most of the drivers which seems to save her on time. Max seemed to try and replicate her method but it was not paying off for him."

"Really?"

"Yeah, if you watch the onboard and I'm sure Ant will show a side by side later. But the line she takes, her hitting the throttle and brakes. Almost completely different to Max and most of the field. I do think there's a few who have somewhat managed to replicate it. But their cars aren't competitive with the Red Bulls so she has no reason to be threatened, does she?"

"Not unless Max perfects it." Martin chuckles making the two other men quickly make conflicting comments of if they think y/n can tale pole in her first race. "I do think the expectations on y/n as a rookie plucked from Red Bull's talent pool are high and we should remember she is a year younger than Max with a lot of experience but still less than most of the field."

The two commentators continue to debate over who will lead and with Max 0.008 sec faster than y/n in Q1. It's a hard call.

But in Q2, Max takes a corner wrong and y/n ends 2 tenths up on the whole field.

"I'm not saying Max is feeling the pressure, but do you think y/n could make him feel it as the season goes on?" Crofty questions making Martin immediately speak.

"I actually think she may be well on her way to doing that. Max has...never had a teammate push him the way we say the likes of Lewis and Sebastian be pushed by a teammate. I think Max has found his match. I just hope we don't see a repeat of Nico and Lewis."

The two childhood friends to despising rivals was a pipeline that no one wished not the Brit and German. But ultimately it happened and everyone wishes for it to never happen again.

"Max is on pole if y/n can't beat his time and she's down in the first sector, equal in the middle. She's got a lot to make up in that last sector."

There's actually a rising tension as they watch her take the second corner and the crowd rises cheering when she shoots to the top of the times with only 0.010 sec between them.

"Y/n y/l/n on her debut has pole position and I think I speak for everyone. She has blown me away managing that." Crofty comments his voice giving away his genuine disbelief of her abilities. "That's amazing. She has got to be so proud."

Her radio suddenly pops up and they find out exactly how she's feeling.

"That's pole! That's pole on your debut, beautiful stuff!" Ronnie, her race engineer exclaims before hearing back.

"Oh my good god! Fucking fuck! Pole position baby! This one is for you and the whole team. We're going to make this pole a win." Y/n squeals laughing in disbelief of it herself. "Where's Max? We're on the front row? A lock out?"

"Yeah, it's a row lock out for the Red Bulls. You and him got a race to the first corner." Ronnie chuckles while she laughs as she finally pulls into the pit lane for Parc ferme.

"Well that is a very happy young lady and so she should be. That is an amazing way to start her first race and kick off the season. I think we are certainly watching history in the making and the strongest team line up we've seen in years." Crofty comments making Martin immediately agree. "How do you think Max is going to feel about being out qualified by his rookie teammate?"

"I think he-well there you go he seems very happy for her." Martin states as they watch Max go directly to her in the cockpit, patting her helmet before helping her up and out, pulling her straight into a hug. "No surprise really, he seems to have a very big brother bond towards y/n and similarly she has a sisterly bond with him. But long term, I don't know if I'd be confident about him continuing to be happy if she is consistently just getting the edge on him."

"Given Max's past, I'd have to agree. But you never know."

The first 4 races seem to build a pattern. Y/n took the poles and wins in Bahrain and Jeddah. Max took the pole and a win in Australia and took pole in Japan.

The one issue?

Y/n is leading the standings after finishing P2 in both Australia and Japan. However, Max had damage from George in Japan and ended up P5. Something that earned a kind of rage y/n wasn't expecting from him.

Now they're in China and y/n is beginning to notice a change in Lando completely devoted to her.

"Y/n, how are you feeling being here in China?" A reporter asks as she stands in the media pen.

"Good. I'm leading the championship and I have every intention to continue get another win. But I know Max has the experience on the track that I lack. So we're going to see whether the rookie luck is still there or if it's truly already gone." Y/n smiles while the reporter nods.

"And how are things with Max and you?"

Y/n tries to not hesitate, the PR team told her to play off the mild rising tension.

"We're best friends. But we're also in a battle for a championship title, so of course we have our own goals to beat each other."

"But everything in the team feels good."

"Great. I'll always support Max in the same way I know he'll always support me."

Famous last words or what?

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abyssruler · 1 year

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I REALLY LOVE THAT XIAO FANFIC OF YOURSS(flowers and unplanned proposal) could you perhaps make a part 2 of it? About xiao & reader's 'married' life? :D

(from this fic) hm not necessarily a part 2 cuz i’m too lazy to do one, but here’s a few hcs!

your wedding ceremony’s a small affair consisting of you and xiao, lumine, hu tao, zhongli, paimon, your close friends (xingqiu, chongyun, xiangling, etc.), aaaand a few (re: a lot) of adepti who got curious when they heard that the conqueror of demons was getting married to a mortal.

your wedding’s probably one of the most blessed ones out there simply because of the sheer amount of adepti that attended, which means they had to give a compulsory wedding gift. they all gave various things which all ultimately served as a trinket to ward off evil and bring prosperity.

also, apparently lumine’s got a few scores to settle with some of them because she unwittingly trespassed and stole from their domains, whoops. it’s only thanks to the kind funeral consultant that everything was resolved peacefully. the wedding’s a shitshow and a half, but the important thing is that you and xiao were lawfully wedded by the end of it. the only problem you really had was if zhongli the consultant was qualified to officiate the wedding. xiao assured you multiple times that he is, trust me, there is no one more fit for it than rex—i mean, zhongli.

nothing much really changes except for the fact xiao is a little embarrassed at the revelation that your relationship was basically one sided until hu tao of all people spilled the beans to you. you do let him sleep in your bed without needing permission anymore, which you had to explain to him multiple times that since you’re married now, what’s yours is his, which means he doesn’t need to wake you up at midnight just to ask if he can lay down beside you.

lumine is, as always, the one who keeps pushing you two together and keeps taking credit for being your so called matchmaker. as a self proclaimed love guru, she’s your go-to when you need advice regarding married life, but after hearing various suggestions like pretending to drown so he can save you and falling off cliffs to experience that ‘damsel in distress and white knight feeling’, you’ve decided that lumine should be banned from making romantic advices.

it’s not too bad—being married, that is. it’s pretty much the same as when you thought xiao was just a roommate. you still do the chores together, he still cooks dinner for you, the two of you still argue on who gets to have the last piece of chocolate on a packet (he always lets you win).

except, if your home was full of flowers back then, now it’s fit to burst with the amount xiao showers you with. he’ll come home from doing whatever adepti stuff he does with arms full of different kinds of flowers. it once got to the point where a random person entered your house, thinking it was a flower shop only to be met with a very grumpy adeptus asking what business they have on his home.

suffice to say, you told him to limit the flower giving to once a week. if only so you won’t have to resort to using your bathtub as a vase for them.

#asks #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #xiao x reader #genshin shorts

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buckychristwrites · 10 months

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About You | Day 8 | j.t.

Summary: Your job? Pop culture journalist for The Independent. Your assignment? To write a profile on the cocky footballer that you're publicly feuding with.

Word Count: 4.3k

Warnings: Discussing tits?? Cussing. Enemies to lovers

A/N: Let me know what you think! :)

Masterlist | About You Masterlist | Main Blog

“Holy shit!”

Keeley’s face was horrified by the picture on your screen. It was your face the morning after the match. The bruising had spread from the bridge of your nose to your forehead and your cheeks. The swelling had been minimal, and you were lucky that you hadn’t gotten a black eye. You had still taken the day after the match off, however, for that reason, and because you desperately needed to get started on the article.

Though, it had been weird being away. That had been the first day in a week where you didn’t see or hear from Jamie. There were too many instances where you thought about texting or phoning him. But ultimately, you didn’t speak to him at all. Maybe that was why you were able to be so productive. You had gotten a decent chunk written, and had transferred the audio, video and picture files all onto your laptop and organised them.

But now you were back in action, face caked in makeup to hide the extensive bruises and anti-inflammatories taken to bring the swelling down. When you ran into Keeley in the car park, she had asked if you knew why Jamie had been pulled from the match. Roy, she had said, was so angry about it, despite the win they still claimed, that he just couldn’t tell her. So of course, you had to tell her what had happened.

“He really pummelled him though?” She asked. You nodded. She looked pleased. “Good for him. That prick sounds like he deserved it.” Retelling the story had brought back the feelings from the day prior, making you shake your head.

“I’ve never been defended like that before.”

You weren’t looking at her as you stared at the picture of yourself, but you could feel her studying your expression.

“Jamie’s amazing to have on your side once you have him,” She said in a quiet voice. When you looked at her again, you could see what she was thinking just by the look on her face. It felt like she was seeing right through you, reading your mind. Maybe she was.

“He is,” You finally said with a nod. She nodded back in understanding, biting back a smile.

You tried to distract yourself from the butterflies in your stomach. The breeze felt nice, blowing just enough to cool you down from the sunny warmth without being considered too windy. It felt a little too bright outside, but maybe that was from the injury you were sporting. Your head had been incredibly sensitive, easily developing a headache at the drop of a hat.

“Quite a relationship the two of you have developed over the last week,” She remarked innocently before taking a sip of her coffee. You broke eye contact as you began to look around.

“It’s crazy what can be accomplished after yelling at each other in the car about our feelings,” You told her.

Keeley was never a stupid woman, and you never took her for one. You could dance around the topic as much as you wanted, but you could tell by the way she looked at you in this moment, that she knew everything about the conundrum going on in your head. For a brief second, you considered the idea of talking to her about it. Maybe she’d have some insight for you. She was, after all, the most qualified person you knew to give you advice when it came to player number 9 of AFC Richmond. You took a deep breath.

“Can I tell-”

“Are we workin’ out here today?”

The both of you jumped a kilometre in the air before whirling around. Jamie approached with a look of amusement on his face.

“Fuckin’ Christ, Jamie,” Keeley scolded with a hand dramatically over her heart. “You nearly gave me a fuckin’ heart attack.” He couldn’t help but grin mischievously while she continued to shake her head. Your heart was racing, and you knew it wasn’t just due to the fear you had felt moments before.

“Sorry,” He said, without an ounce of apology in his tone. When he glanced at you, he immediately looked away, the smile on his face seeming to fade away. “Erm, would I be able to talk to ya?” He asked, his eyes finding you again. You looked over at Keeley with a look that begged her to stay.

“Well, see you guys later!” She said. If you hadn’t been paying attention, you would’ve missed the wink she gave you before scurrying off and disappearing through the door.

“Right, erm.” He scratched the back of his neck, looking around as if something in the car park would help him. You watched him carefully. He looked so guilty, and sad.

“I just, erm…” He tried again, but trailed off. Finally, he inhaled, clapping his hands together. “We missed ya at practice yesterday.” You bit the inside of your cheek.

“I missed it too,” You said. Though you knew that’s not what you missed. “I just… I just needed a day for proper work and rest, I think.” He nodded in understanding.

“Your face looks much better than I thought it would,” He said, lifting a hand to point to where you got hit. You stared at his fingertips and remembered how they felt when cradling your head in that little room during the match. It was like your cheeks had the feeling burned into them, for they suddenly grew very warm. You felt embarrassed by how much you wish he would do it again.

“I’m wearing makeup,” You admitted before showing him the picture on your phone. His hand instantly went to face, running downward from his eyes to his chin before dropping back down to his side. His knuckles on that side were covered in bruises, and you had to actively tell yourself to look away.

“I should’ve been more worried about keepin’ you safe than lettin’ me anger get the best of me,” He said. “I know you said it wasn’t me who hit ya, but it still wouldn’t’ve happened if I hadn’t acted like a loon. I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I’m just so sorry.”

You wracked your brain in a desperate attempt to say something, anything, that would make him feel better. But you knew it was all in vain. You knew, in that moment, he was hearing his dad in his head, calling him a fuck up and a monster, or whatever it was he was thinking. But it was all in his expression, as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the pavement.

“You stood up for me,” You reminded him. “You were trying to protect me and keep me safe.” He nodded.

“I was worried ‘bout you bein’ upset by the way you rushed off after the match.”

It was true. When you had woken up back at Richmond that night, with Jamie’s arm around you and head using yours as a pillow, you were filled with a lovely feeling. The team were piling out at the time, clearly having seen the two of you already and no longer paying it any mind. You had woken him gently, allowing him to pull away from you on his own before you rose from your seat. A quick goodbye was exchanged before you left, trying and apparently failing, to appear nonchalant as you stepped off the coach and headed to your car.

“Then you didn’t come in the next day,” Jamie continued, shrugging his shoulders. “I just… I just wanted to make sure you and I are alright.”

You wanted to comfort him with more than just words. With a hug, or the squeeze of a hand. It didn’t feel like the right moment, and you weren’t sure how he would handle the gesture, so you decided against it. You were suddenly hyper aware of your hands at your sides, so you shoved them in your pocket.

“Of course we’re alright,” You said. “No other mate of mine would ever do what you did for me. You may have just gotten promoted to my best friend.” This seemed to placate him, for his face relaxed, now smiling slightly.

“You don’t have any friends who’d break a person’s teeth for ya?” He asked, astonished when you shook your head. “Sounds like ya need to get new mates, yeah?” You turned and started to walk towards the door, him following close behind.

“What makes a person a good friend to you?” You asked him as the fresh air turned into air conditioning. The hallway seemed more sparse than usual, but you wondered if that was because the two of you were now considered tardy.

“They just give a fuck about ya,” He explained, waving to the always excited security guard. “I used to think a good mate was just someone who I knew for a long time and could go to the club with.” He took a long moment to think. “But… now I know that the length of time doesn’t matter, it’s the quality of the person.”

As much as you felt bad about it, you were shocked by his answer.

“That was really thoughtful, Jamie,” You said, staring at him in awe. He straightened his posture.

“I can be thoughtful, sometimes.”

Upon entering the changing room, you were surrounded instantly by players, who all began talking at once and looking over you. You looked around between all of them, overwhelmed as you tried to pick out some of what they were saying.

“Is your nose okay?”

“We were worried when you didn’t come in yesterday!”

“Is it broken? It looks the same…”

“Gentlemen!” You announced, raising your hands up. They all stopped, the silence a huge contrast from a moment before. “My nose is fine, and not broken. It’s just very bruised and painful. I just needed to get some work done and rest my head yesterday, but I missed you all too.”

They all calmed, even looking happy at your words.

“Where’s the bruising?” Van Damme asked, looking closely at your face. “I don’t see any.” You pulled your face away.

“I’m wearing makeup, goofy.” He straightened, making an O shape with his mouth.

“Women are so magical with their makeup abilities,” Dani said in a dreamy tone. “Shapeshifters, they are.” Rolling your eyes with the biggest smile on your face, you turned around and returned to Jamie, who had been watching the whole exchange with an amused grin.

“They really like ya,” He informed you. In the middle of pulling your notepad from your pocket, you froze and looked at him.

“They were more than worried when you didn’t come yesterday, they were havin’ a strop about it.” He pulled his shirt off. You tried not to stare. “Kept askin’ me if you were in hospital or somethin’.” You looked around at the team, who were now getting changed and not paying you any mind. It hadn’t occurred to you that you hadn’t just turned things around with Jamie, you had also changed things with them, as well. When you had started coming around, just over a week ago, they were all standoffish towards you, sending glares at every chance and keeping their distance. Now, they seemed to care about you just as much as you cared about them.

The coaches entered, looking around at the team. Their eyes all fell on you at once, and you thought they would be indifferent. But they all seemed to look almost relieved at the sight of you. The moment was gone as quick as it started, as they began to address the team while you took your notes.

Back to business as usual.

It was an average day on the pitch. For the first hour, you watched as normal. But you began to feel yourself getting antsy, as it seemed to be something you had been watching the same thing over and over again. You thought about the things you’d need from the article. Plenty of pictures filled your phone of him playing, but maybe taking pictures of the stadium itself would be nice. There were lots of pictures and posters of him hanging out that had been proudly displayed by ownership. Maybe you could get a comment from someone who wasn’t a player.

Taking one last look at the pitch, you snuck off to the tunnel. You made an effort to not look back once more to see if your leaving was noticed. The prickle you felt on the back of your neck let you know that at least one person was watching you.

There was something so serene about the club when the hallways weren’t swimming with people. The history on the walls were so fascinating, and being able to have the chance to walk around and actually soak it in made you giddy. Meeting people and interviews were all well and good, but this was your favourite part of your job. The research, the learning, the things you got to see that the layperson did not. You looked at every picture of previous teams, looking for familiar faces and feeling excited when you actually found them.

When you got to the current team’s picture, you felt a surge of pride as you took a photo of it. This team had become so important to you in the last week, and you found yourself wondering if you would feel the same in a week, a month, even a year. Would they say hello if they saw you at an event? Would they reply to your comment amongst a sea of fan replies on Instagram? Would they even care to remember you once you're gone?

As per usual these days, your thoughts floated back to Jamie, the same questions still standing. You knew these feelings went far beyond friendship at this point. Would it even matter, in the end, after you went back to your normal job? You’re just you, and he is Jamie Tartt, footballer legend extraordinaire, the best of his generation. He had pieces done about him all the time by interviewers from around the world. Fans adored him, and would cry, yell and faint on the street over him. He met women and men who were, let’s face it, richer, more beautiful and more interesting than you ever could’ve dreamed of.

You were just a silly little journalist who caught a silly little crush on the mad famous footballer. The one who, incidentally, you had hated just a few months prior. What a world.

“Are you alright?”

You shrieked, whirling around to find Rebecca Welton standing there looking like an absolute bombshell while also looking positively fearful.

“I’m so sorry,” She said as you slapped a hand over your chest. “I just saw you standing there-”

“No no, it’s alright,” You said, finally catching your breath. The skin on your cheeks felt like it was melting off from how hot they were. “I just got lost in thought, is all. I’m okay. How are you, Rebecca?” She looked surprised, even hesitant, by your question.

“I’m well, thank you.”

The two of you just stood there for a long moment, looking around awkwardly. You put your phone in your pocket before folding your hands together in front of you. This was the first time you had seen or spoken to her since the first day. While you weren’t going out of your way to avoid her, it did make you feel better to not see her. The first impression you had gotten was that she didn’t really want you around, so you felt you were helping her out by keeping yourself scarce.

“The team seems to have warmed up to you,” She said, a little quickly. “Keeley says that Jamie and you have become… quite close?” You nodded.

“Shocking, I know,” You said with a laugh. “It was a surprise to everyone.” You wished deeply in that moment that she was easier to read. She was smiling, but she was the type of person where she could smile at you while also planning your murder and allocating the resources and money for it at the same time.

“I do hope that means that the negative articles about my players stop,” She said, still smiling. In this moment, you wished desperately that you were back on the pitch. Or maybe dead in an alley. Anywhere, really, would be better than this.

“Yes, I’ll find someone else to slander,” You said. Your heart dropped, stunned, when she actually laughed at this. The sound of it sucked the air from your lungs.

She began to walk away, but stopped, raising a finger before turning back to face you.

“Are you still going to the Gala?”

You looked back at her again.

“I am,” You told her. “Wouldn’t miss it!” She nodded, looking around the hallway before back at you.

“Have you decided on an outfit yet?” She asked. “It’s black tie.” You shook your head.

“I have some dresses in my closet. I’ll probably go with one of those.” This time, it was her turn to shake her head.

“Oh. No, no,” She said, waving you off. She looked you up and down, seeming to assess you. You could practically see the wheels turning in her mind. “I’ll send you some ideas. You let me know which one you want, and I’ll have it sent to your apartment by morning.”

Your eyebrows knitted together, your mouth now agape.

“Rebecca, I can’t let you do that,” You said, the shock filling your voice. “I appre-” She waved you off again, which made you shut your mouth.

“I won’t hear a word otherwise,” She said before giving you a lovely smile. “Just let me know which one you think suits you best. Preferably by the end of the day.” She turned around and began to make her way down the hall, leaving you dumbfounded.

“Thank you!” You called after her. She didn’t speak, but instead she waved behind her. You continued to watch her.

“Do you already know where I live or something?”

When the team returned to the changing room, you were already on the bench in front of Jamie’s locker with your legs crossed atop the wood. You had returned to take pictures of the locker room, having gotten what you wanted from the rest of the stadium. Now, you sat on your phone, scrolling through the dresses that Rebecca had sent you.

“Where’d you disappear off to?” Jamie asked, leaning over your shoulder to see what you were looking at. He let out a low whistle. “What are those for?”

“The Gala,” You said, trying and failing to hold back your excitement. “Rebecca said she’d get me whatever dress I want. For free!” You huffed. “I can’t decide which one though.” Snatching your phone from your hands, he began to scroll through them himself.

“These are for you?” He asked quietly, looking at you before looking at the dresses. You eyed him nervously, about to ask him to give you his honest opinion when-

“What’s for you?” Sam asked, taking the phone from Jamie, who gave him an angry look. Sam studied the phone, about to open his mouth before Isaac took the phone from him, who then had it immediately stolen by Van Damme.

“This one is lovely,” Van Damme said as he started to show you which one he was referring to, but then Richard snatched it from him. When he looked through the options, he snorted.

“You are crazy!” He said to Van Damme. “The best one is this one!” Colin yanked the phone, although it was quite a fight this time as Richard had quite the grip on it.

“This one would really bring out her eyes though,” Colin retorted, showing Richard another one. Dani grabbed the phone and looked, giving you a precious smile.

“You would look lovely in all of these,” He said kindly. You blushed while Bumbercatch looked over Dani’s shoulder.

“You have to pick the best one, bruv,” Isaac grunted. “We already know she’d look lovely in all of them!” You peaked over at Jamie, who was a mix of annoyed and amused. Everyone began debating, voices louder and louder as time went on. You watched the entire thing without the smiling on your face faltering at any point.

The door to the coaches’ office burst open, and Roy and Coach Beard made their way out. Their presence did not calm a soul in the room.

“OI!” Roy shouted. Everyone froze to look at him. He looked around at everyone, being sure that every single person in the room got an individual glare before saying, “What the hell is going on here?”

Within ten minutes, the dresses had been printed out and taped to the whiteboard, your phone having thankfully been returned. Coach Beard was at the board with a pointer in his hand. Everyone was talking over each other.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, let’s talk this out like adults,” Beard exclaimed as the voices slowly came to a stop. “Now through door number one is this lovely ankle length dress with a straight cut neckline and spaghetti straps.” He paused for a second, presumably for the drama. “Elegant. One might even say… chic. A beautiful red for a black tie evening. Will definitely stand out.”

“What if she doesn’t want to stand out?” Jamie called out.

“It’s a Charity Gala, Tartt. Every woman wants to stand out!” Isaac shouted.

Jamie rolled his eyes, mumbling under his breath about how none of these blokes know you at all. You ignored the flutter in your tummy as you continued to watch the mayhem.

“Door numero dos!” Beard exclaimed, a little louder this time. “A pink mini dress with a frilly skirt, heart neckline and no straps.” You shrugged.

“I don’t know if I have the tits for that one?” You admitted. The room erupted, everyone yelling at you. You shrugged defensively, throwing your hands up. “I’m just saying!” They continued to pop off.

“You have beautiful tits!”

“It’s not the tits, it’s the heart of the girl who wears them!”

“Who made you feel so self conscious about your tits? I’ll fucking end them with my bare hands.”

“Oi!” Jamie stood up, raising his hands and looking at the team. “Stop fuckin’ talkin’ about her tits, yeah?” Everyone mumbled in agreement as Jamie slowly sank back into the seat. “Fuckin’ innappropriate that is. Borderline sexual harassment, in my opinion.”

“And last, but certainly not least,” Coach Beard continued. “We have a long, floor length black dress, slit down the skirt, with a straight neckline and no straps.”

“It’s too similar to the first one!” Sam pointed out, which the rest of them roared in disagreement.

“You just don’t understand fashion, Sam,” Colin said, ignoring Sam’s look of absolute disgust and shock towards the back of his head.

“But it’s better than the first one,” Richard pointed out. “The skirt slit makes it just-” He lifted his fingers to his mouth, kissing them before opening them again. “Chef’s kiss.”

“It has the elegance of the first one without being… aggressive with the redness,” Isaac remarked.

They continued to debate passionately. You looked at Jamie, who, for the first time since you had ever known him, remained perfectly silent, just listening.

“What do you think?” You asked him, in a quiet voice so only he could hear you. He looked over in surprise, eyebrows to his hairline.

“Me? You want my opinion?” He asked. You shrugged.

“I’m getting everyone else's, may as well chime in,” You said. You decided not to tell him that as much as you loved the chorus of loud opinions coming from the rest of the room, the one you wanted most was his. He stared at you, searching your eyes, before turning and looking at the dresses. A few moments passed before inhaled deeply and spoke again.

“The black one.” It was so confident of an answer. “Number three.”

“Why that one?” You asked, turning to look at it again.

“The first one makes you look like you’re going to your ex husband’s weddin’ and you’re tryin’ to make a point. The second one looks like somethin’ you’d wear to the premiere of a children’s movie.” He looked at you again, his eyes going up and down your body, before turning back to the board. “The black one just feels like you. It’s simple, but still se- still nice.” He nodded in confirmation. The two of you met eyes again and he swallowed. “The black one is perfect.”

Not waiting another second, you stood up.

“I’ve made my decision.”

They all looked at you expectantly. You paused for dramatic affect, and the longer you waited, the more impatient they all got. It was a little exhilarating.

“Number 3,” You declared. “I’m picking the black one.”

The room erupted once more, a mix of enthusiasm and disappointment. Before it could get too chaotic, Jamie stood.

“It’s her fuckin’ choice, yeah?” He yelled. “Either be happy for her or keep your mouth fuckin’ shut.” Despite the aggression in his words, you could see the twinkle in his eye, and when he met your eye, he winked before smiling at you.

It wasn’t until you went to sleep that night that the smile on your face faltered, but even in your sleep, there was still a slight whisper of one on your lips.

#jamie tartt #jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt fanfic #ted lasso fanfiction

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mrvlbimbo · 2 years

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hii, i wanted to request eddie and bimbo reader!! a unique pair, but reader likes metal and rock music, and they find other ways to bond later!! ( you can take the last however lol )

Genuinely love this character and their dynamic sm in this fic!!! I was going to wait to post it till I wrote everything I wanted to with this HC but I figured I’d pass it off to y’all and see what u think abt it as well

(Finally living up to my username ig)

Eddie x Bimbo!reader (this is going to be a series btw)

1.6k words

When the hottest girl in his math class asked him out he thought someone was playing a cruel trick on him. Like haha laugh at the freak and his massive crush on the school bimbo.

She came into pre-calc that day all giggling and happy and usual. She sat down right next to him, now that was unusual. Twirling her hair and smiling, she leaned over to him and asked “Hey Eddie, what are you doing this weekend?”

“I dunno.” His heart raced when she ran a finger over his bicep and looked up at him, fluttering her eyelashes.

Her nails were done in a French tip manicure and he wondered how she got anything done with nails that long and fancy. “I have tickets to a rock concert. Will you go with me?” She bit her lip in anticipation of his answer.

He did not give her one, deciding instead to jump out of his seat and rush to the bathroom and not return until the very end of class. She was still right there waiting for him with a pleasant smile. “I’ll have to check my schedule,” he finally answered, still not sure if it was a joke.

She was also repeating her senior year but it didn’t seem to affect her popularity. But that might have had something to do with the fact she was drop dead gorgeous and absurdly friendly and kind. He was skeptical of “preps” like her but he couldn’t imagine she would ask him out as a joke just to be cruel. She didn’t have a cruel bone in her body.

But he also couldn’t imagine her actually wanting to hangout with him. Still perplexed by the time lunch rolled around, he decided to ask the rest of the hellfire club what they thought. They didn’t have any helpful advice, due to the fact they did not believe him.

That was until the girl in question practically skipped over to their table and took the seat right next to Eddie. “Hiiiii Eddie. Did you check your schedule?” she giggled, tapping her nails on the table and looking at him expectantly.

The rest of the group was freaking out now and she had a confused look on her face, soon she was going to get upset if she realized the others were poking fun at them. So he did the only logical thing, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the lunchroom and into his secret spot in the woods.

If she was confused before she was really confused now. But there was still a soft smile on her face when he looked at her. “Why are we out here?” she asked, stepping closer to him. Her hands were resting on his chest and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever been this close to a girl before.

“I wanted to talk to you in private,” he answered, stepping away so he could breathe without taking in her floral femine scent that made him a little bit delirious and very horny.

“It’s ok,” she blurted out, shaking her head and looking a bit embarrassed.

“What?” he asked dumbly.

“If you don’t want to go. It’s ok. I won’t be mad,” she assured him, her gentle tone encouraging him to finally agree to her offer.

“No no. It sounds really fun.” She perked up at that, giving him all the information about the concert and hurrying off back to her other friends who were probably missing her.

They had a really good time at the concert. He stuck by her side the whole night, glaring at any guy who looked at her. Which was a lot of guys, she was very attractive. And it didn’t hurt that she was wearing knee high boots, the shortest and tightest skirt imaginable, and a top that barely qualified as anything other than lingerie.

His eyes were glued to her the entire night and when she asked to stay over at his place that night he thought he had died and gone to heaven. In the morning when he woke to her wearing one of his t-shirts while trying and failing to cook breakfast, he was sure she was an angel.

Their friendship grew quickly. It seemed like she always had an extra ticket for him to go see whatever band she was into at the time. Despite having little in common besides music taste and the same pre-calc class, they got along well.

He was fiercely protective of her once he noticed she wasn’t as popular as she might have seemed. People took advantage of her trusting and kind nature to make fun of her behind her back and it made him sick. From then on anyone who had a bad word to say about her would end up with a ring clad fist to the face.

After months of hanging out, things started to change. She looked at him with this longing in her eyes that he didn’t understand. There was always fondness but now when she looked at him there was hurt piled on top of it.

One day after school he had invited her back to his trailer and when he turned on a movie she just crumpled. He could instantly tell something was wrong. “Hey hey. What's wrong sweetheart?” he asked, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her in for a hug.

He wasn’t much of a hugger before her but she was very affectionate and he tried to match that since it seemed to comfort her. She pushed away and stared at the floor, angry tears starting to fall down her cheeks. “Why haven’t we had sex yet?” she asked softly, the words barely above a whisper as if she was embarrassed to even be saying them.

“Huh?” he questioned, his eyes widening at her words. He was very into her but he was sure that they were nothing more than friends. Had she been waiting for him to make a move this whole time? Now he felt like an idiot.

“We’ve been dating for months now. And at first I kinda liked it because I thought we were taking things slow. Usually guys don't take things slow with me. But like you wont even kiss me and I’m starting to think you don’t even like me that much.” He tried to interrupt her but she just kept rambling, her voice speeding up and shaking a bit since she was still lightly crying. “And then I thought, well maybe he’s just not that into sex but you don’t tell anyone about us either and you never hold my hand.” Her lip trembled when she looked up from the ground to look at him.

He had an utterly dumbfounded expression on his face “We’re dating?”

She ignored his question and kept on with her nervous monologue. “Are you allergic to me? Like my perfume or my shampoo? Because I can change that, it’s not a big deal.”

“We’re dating?” he repeated, sounding more stunned than the last time. The longing stares were starting to make sense now.

“So I just want to know what’s going on,” she finished, looking at him expectantly. She had seemingly not heard his twice-asked question.

“Ok this is a little embarrassing but maybe I didn’t quite realize we were dating,” he admitted awkwardly, fully prepared for her to blow up and never speak to him again.

“It’s not embarrassing, it’s cute. You’re really sweet to me, for a not-boyfriend. I like really really like you.”

“I don’t wanna be a not-boyfriend.”

“What-what does that mean?” Her face fell, confusion and hurt setting back in.

“C’mere, I’m such an idiot.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest tightly. She gasped, hands steadying her on his chest and clutching the fabric of his shirt. “Let me take you on a date officially alright?”

“Ok!” she perked right up when he touched her, bubbly and happy once again at the idea of a date.

Their first date was to the county fair. He took her on the ferris wheel and as she had earlier mentioned was an issue, he did hold her hand this time. When the wheel abruptly stopped right as they were at the top, he took it as his opportunity to finally make his move.

When he cupped her cheek and turned her face to him she said “Oh no! We’re stuck.” She was pouting with a very serious expression on her face, not quite understanding that the ride had stopped on purpose.

“No. They just do that so you can get a nice view from the top,” he explained, gazing lovingly into her eyes as if he was trying to send her a really sweet telepathic message.

“Oh. It’s beautiful,” she gasped, not taking her eyes off of him for one second.

“Can I kiss you?“ he asked, already leaning in so their lips brushed.

“Oh Eddie. Please.” He loved the way she said his name but in that moment he loved even more the way her lips moved against his. Her pink nails scratched at his chest over his shirt as she moaned and whimpered into his mouth, quickly getting worked up just from kissing.

When her hand started to slip down his chest and closer to the growing bulge in his pants, he had to stop her. “Woah. Let’s uh wait for that.”

“Why?” She asked innocently, batting her eyelashes up at him.

“Because we’re at the county fair and I think handjobs are generally frowned upon in that setting.”

“Oh yeah,” she giggled, turning to rest her head on his chest instead.

“I know it’s probably soon for this but I think I love you,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head lightly as he stared down at her sweet smile.

“I love you too, Eddie,” she replied, tilting her head up to meet his lips again.

@angelsarecallin @sebby-staan @niviiera @chaoticgurl @evqans @slut-for-matt-murdock @multihaven @tinyboxxtink @hold-our-destiny @weh-heh-heh @battiebabe216 @captain-satan @avril-reblog-cave @dragon-ash13 @stxvercgersslut @fangirl199812 @variety-fangirll @buckybeefybarnes @strangerthings64 @baddestbiddiesonly @the-obscurity @racyreverie @ches65 @onxlymnsn @e-girl-on-the-server @marlrocks @endercherries @totallybiasedreviews @st3venluvbot @duyukneeewowutimeeen-anjodi8 @creepytoes88 @beyondblissxoxo

(lmk if you want to be added, and for those of you who are on it can u lmk if your tag is working bc its been giving me trouble)

#stranger things season 4 #stranger things #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson stranger things #eddie stranger things #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson fluff #Eddie x bimbo!reader🎀

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specialagentlokitty · 2 months

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Joey x reader - belong together

Can you do one where Joey gets stood up and Make Reader tells him maybe he's not going for the right team and offered to go on a date with him? If that's not your thing maybe have a Female Reader who's a nerd and say he's always going for models or not smart ladies? - Anon💜

Hearing a knock on your door, you looked up from the dinner you were cooking and wiped your hands on the dish cloth, making your way over to open it.

You furrowed your brows in confusion when you saw who was stood on the other side.

“Joey? What’s wrong?”

“Everything sucks…” he grumbled.

You stepped aside, letting him come inside and you closed the door, making your way back to the kitchen.

You slapped his hand away from the fridge as he went to grab a few snacks.

“I’m cooking dinner, it’s nearly ready.”

Joey stood looking over your shoulder, looking at the food in the pans.

“What’re we having?”

“We’re having chilli, can you get me some bowls?”

He nodded, getting the bowls and some cutlery, and you dished his up for him before making your own.

Joey walked to your couch and sat down and you sat next to him, handing him the TV remote so he could put whatever it was he wanted in the TV.

“So, do you want to tell me why everything sucks?” You asked.

Joey sighed, resting his head on your shoulder.

“I had a date with this really hot chick right, we’re talking mind blowingly hot. Set a time and everything, I wasn’t even late, sat there for an hour and she never even turned up.”

You nodded a little bit, carrying on eating your dinner.

“Where’d you meet her?”

“Audition.”

You hummed a little bit, shrugging your shoulder to let him know that you wanted to move.

When Joey sat up, you moved forward to set your bowl on the table and sat back again, letting Joey rest his head on your shoulder.

“I mean I didn’t do anything wrong did it?” He asked.

“No, no of course you didn’t.”

You took your friends hand, giving it a gentle squeeze to reassure him.

You knew ever since Chandler and Monica got together he was struggling with the idea of being alone.

But Joey wasn’t exactly the kind of guy to stick to a stable relationship, he slept around, never interested in getting to know the women after.

He was trying, but he either slipped back into old habits, or he would come up with some excuse as to why it wouldn’t work out between them.

“Then what am I doing wrong? Come on (N/N) you always know everything.”

You sighed a little bit.

“I’m not exactly qualified to give relationship advice J, I’m hardly the statue to compare relationships with. I don’t really do relationships if you haven’t noticed.”

Joey shuffled around a little bit, laying on his back, his head in your lap.

You ran your fingers through his hair, glancing down at him before turning your attention back to the TV.

“You always say smart things. Tell me smart things.”

This made you laugh a little bit.

“Alright, okay. Have you ever considered perhaps you’re dating the wrong demographic of people?”

Joey furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Consider all your past relationships, both actual relationships and casual flings you’ve had with people.”

“Okay?”

“What do they all have in common?”

Joey thought for a moment, going quiet as he thought about your question.

“They’re all smoking hot.”

“Perhaps that’s your mistake.”

“What?”

“Joey you only go for good looking women, you don’t think about how smart they may be, what they do for work, what kind of person they are, you see a hot woman and you chase after her. What happened to you today is no different than what you did to all those other women.”

He slowly nodded his head.

“So, what do I do? How do I have what Monica and Chandler have?”

“Stop chasing after just one night stands and hot women. Find a friend first, build your relationship up from that friendship. Take things slowly.”

“So? Like nerds?”

You slapped his chest and he laughed a little bit, taking your hand to hold it against his chest so you couldn’t slap him again.

“You can’t go around calling people nerds idiot. I’m saying maybe go for a woman with smarts, who can actually look at you and see you for more than just an actor, a chance for big money. Who sees that you’re actually a really sweet guy, who loves animals, who has such a huge and kind heart.”

Joey smiled softly.

“Do you really think that? You don’t think I’m some asshole?”

“I think you’re an asshole at the best of times J, but you wanna know something?”

Joey sat up, turning around so he could look at you.

Getting up, you placed your hand on the side of his face and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead.

“I know you deserve somebody who understand who you actually are, all those models you like to go out with won’t ever see that.”

You grabbed the two bowls, taking them through to the kitchen while Joey just sat there for a moment processing what you had said.

He jumped up, rushing around the couch and he stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

“(Y/N)?”

You turned around to look at him.

He wore a little grin on his face as he gestured from himself to you.

“What about me and you?”

You laughed softly at him.

“Joey have you really though this through?”

“For like a minute yeah, come on, you’re my best friend, and you already know me! You know what I like and don’t like, and I know you! Come on, just a date!”

You sighed a little bit, and he grinned a little bit more, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Just dinner?”

“We just had dinner.”

“Tomorrow?”

You hummed a little bit.

“Think about it for a week, if that’s still what you want then alright.”

“Yes!”

Joey ran over to you, crushing you in a hug and you laughed, hugging him back just as tightly, letting him move you from side to side.

You had always had feelings for Joey, but you had never had the guts to act on them, so the thought of going to dinner with him made your whole life light up.

But you needed to make sure that he was serious about this, cause you couldn’t bare a broken heart and loosing your best friend

#friends #friends x reader #friend x you #friend imagine #joey tribbiani #joey tribbiani x reader #Joey tribbiani x you #Joey tribbiani imagine

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nicolesainz · 7 months

Text

Focus on me (MM 7)

Mason Mount x f!reader

A/n: I have to give credits to my bff willow @landooscar for sending me that Mason gif on the Manchester United chair where his thighs are spread. You will see later on what l mean. For now thank her and I hope you enjoy the story.

Summary: Mason loves to fool around. But isn't really a fan of you giving your attention to other boys. So he decides not to play nice with you and give you a taste of your own medicine.

Warnings: minors dni, 18+, smut content, teasing, thigh riding, praise kink

"Hey babe? Can you come down and help me with something for a moment?”

Mason got no response. He allowed himself to finish preparing dinner for a few minutes, before he called me once again.

“Hello? Y/N? Can you help me down here, love?”

I could practically hear him but in that moment I was too focused on the Tv screen and too pumped to remove my eyes from it.

Footsteps were echoing through the corridor that was close to our bedroom. There was a soft knock on the door, as Mason thought that I was probably sleeping.

“Darling, are you awake?”

He said so softly and calmly. Gosh, how can one not fall in love with this man.

I went up to him and opened the door, trying to hide the grin I had on my face. Mason raised his eyebrows suspiciously, wondering what I may be doing alone.

“Why weren’t you coming downstairs to help me? I need some cooking advice from your mother but she won’t respond my calls”

I blinked. I couldn’t respond. It’s not like I was doing anything weird or unfaithful, but it wasn’t my finest moment. I think all girls have celebrity crushes, even when they have boyfriends. Right?

“I, uh, I was watching F1’s qualifying. It just finished.”

That was partially true.

“Righttt. And who got pole? Can I see?”

He approached the TV and he saw that it had been paused to a very particular moment that the director had filmed.

On the screen, there was Carlos Sainz, slicking through his long black hair, whilst waving at the cameraman. See? I told you. Not my finest moment.

“Babe, that’s Carlos. Why did you pause at that moment?”

Now that was the moment I blinked even more. Unable to respond. How do you exactly tell your boyfriend of three years that recently buzzed his hair, that you were admiring another man’s haircut.

It was kinda weird, but I had no shame. Maybe a little.

Mason scratched his head as he was waiting for my response, when he actually realized why I had paused the livestream. He felt his shirt hair and then looked at Carlos’s lengthy hairstyle.

“It’s the hair innit?”

His face dropped massively. I’m not going to lie, I’m not the biggest fan of buzzcuts but it fit Mason beautifully. I was though an even bigger fan of his prince-like hairstyle. My god, the way my fingers would tangle around, was mesmerizing.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you didn’t want me to buzz my hair this short? I would have picked another hairstyle”

“Masey, it’s your hair. I’m not one to judge or say anything. I love every single one of your hairstyles. Nothing changes just because you have shorter or longer hair.”

“But apparently you’re a fan of long hairstyles”

“It’s practically in many ways”

I was hinting at the time we were having sex on the couch and as Mason was about to fall, I pulled him from his hair and pulled his body against mine, still keeping the connection.

“That was very hot babe”

I felt bad that he had to see such a weak moment of mine. I love Mason no matter what. I don’t care about his looks. I only care about the person he is. The hair is the last thing I pay attention too.

“I’m so sorry Mase. This doesn’t mean anything. This is silly, I shouldn’t have done that, I don’t even know why I did.”

He wasn’t responding.

“Do you maybe want me to leave for a few hours and come back? I’ll go to my mom and pick up that recipe you want”

Instead of saying anything, he turned off the Tv, and sat on the bed, with his thighs kneeling in front of my eyes.

Before doing that he removed his shorts and shirt, revealing once again his Greek god like built body, full of beautiful drawn tattoos. My weakness being the champions league one on his rib cage.

“I need you to come close baby”

He said stiffly, in a more manly manner than the one he usually has. His Adam’s apple was sitting on the center of his neck and vile thoughts of me kissing this spot entered my brain.

I approached the bed, only to be dragged by Mason on top of his thighs. In mere seconds I was left shirtless, gifting him what he was asking for. His girlfriend bra-less and in the most vulnerable position ever.

“I’m the only man that’s allowed to make your tits hard. Are we clear about that?”

I simply nodded, as my eyes were wandering around his toned muscles on his shoulders and hardened errection. I didn’t know where to look.

“You’ll do as I say, right princess?”

“Y-es”

I replied weakly

“Ride my thigh. I want you to ride me until I feel your cum running down it. Until your pussy is stretched to its limits but you beg for more”

I was left speechless. I don’t know how we went from him wanting to cook, to making me cum out of nowhere. But I liked it.

I started rubbing myself on his thigh as his hands were holding my ass firmly and his lips had attacked mine, removing the oxygen from my system.

Moving up and down, I was feeling the heat on my pussy and Mason’s thigh trembling and pushing itself upwards, close to my clit. His fingers were sliding from the back of my ass, to under my panties and at first softly caressing my wet folds.

As his lips moved downwards to my neck, leaving endless marks in a certain pattern I couldn’t really understand, my pussy came face to face with his knee that was almost deep inside me. Like his fingers. The pace kept rising and more moans were escaping my lips.

“You’re mine. Solely mine”

“Your neck, your lips, your pussy. All mine”

“You’re the only man you’re allowed to admire. No one else”

I had reached the point were Mason’s thigh was covered in my cum and he moved me to the left one, repeating the same thing but never removing his fingers from my clit.

I let out a squeak as Mason hit my G-spot, earning a soft laugh from him. His lips were now occupied with my nipples and bouncing breasts, whilst mine were kissing his collarbone and nails were dug deep into his back.

“You’re the only one Mase”

“I’m yours. Body and soul”

Mason let out a frustrating moan, before we both orgasmed at the same time.

“You complete me baby. I love you, Y/N”

“I love you too Mase. You’re my boyfriend and the only for me”

Let’s just say that at night we barely did anything but hug and make love to each other.

#mason mount fanfic #mason mount #mason mount x you #mason mount x reader #mason mount x y/n

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imkylotrash · 2 years

Text

Complex

Pairing: Bill Weasley x reader

Request: When he was first scratched, he was super bummed and didn't know how to get through it and acted like an asshole to everybody, so Remus introduces him to a former student who had a similar experience ( so has minimum wolf qualifies ) and she is able to get him off his ass & help him through what he’s going through. She also happens to be a curse breaker like he is. Anonymous

Tagging: @bitchwhytho @music-of-melody @shadowhuntyi @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @canthebest1 Let me know if you want to be added or removed.

His arms engulf you in a warm hug the second you step off your broom. Attempting to hide your wince, you burrow your face into his shoulder but he knows you well enough to sense when you're in pain. Of course, he's also known you for almost 15 years at this point.

"What happened?" he asks, his lips stretching into thin lines. He doesn't exactly like the fact that you've now officially received the title of curse-breaker.

"Manticore. I've never heard of anyone being able to use them as guards." Oh, if looks could kill. Remus Lupin has always had a bit of a soft spot for you. Especially after you were attacked by a werewolf. The scars of four claws ran down your back, but you never changed. The moon made you hungry for red meat but you'd managed to walk away without the curse of lycanthropy.

"I thought they'd gone extinct," he manages to say.

"Definitely not. They're rare, but not gone." With a flick of the wrist, you have your baggage floating behind you as you head for the door.

"There's a friend here I'd like for you to meet." You sigh deeply. It's been a long journey, you reek of sweat and dirt, and you're trying very hard to disguise your limping. The last thing you need is to be introduced to someone new. But you also know what Remus went through not too long ago. Even you felt the pain when it was announced to the world that the famous Albus Dumbledore had died.

"Can't wait," you smile despite being close to collapsing from pure exhaustion. However, it turns out that no introduction is needed as you enter your living room. Bill Weasley has quite the reputation among your circles. The thing you're not expecting is the scars down his face. All of a sudden, your back is burning.

"Merlin's beard," you whisper as Remus comes up behind you.

"Bill, I'd like you to meet Y/N." You know why he wants you to meet. You recognize the look in Bill's eyes. It's the look of defeat - of fear. He mustn't have had his first full moon yet.

"I'd shake your hand but I'm fairly certain I need about five showers before I'm fit to even sit on the couch," you joke but he doesn't respond. In fact, he just huffs a little and remains seated. No signal is needed to get Remus to follow you into the kitchen.

"What is this? Werewolf trauma 101?"

"His family is worried. I thought it might benefit him to see that it isn't the end of the world."

"Is that how you felt?" It's a low blow. There's a massive difference between what you and Remus went through. He has to fear the full moon each month, while you sleep soundly in your bed. But you're tired, and you're struggling with your own memories.

"Just talk to him. That's all I ask." So, you talk at him. Quite literally, you talk at him while he remains silent. After an hour, you've grown tired of repeating the same advice and suggestions, and so has Bill.

"Thanks for the, uhm, pep talk. I'm sure I'll be just fine now," he says dryly before getting up. You don't bother stopping him even after Remus gives you a look.

"I can't help someone who refuses to be helped."

But over the next few days, you feel guilty for letting him leave so easily. You remember that first month of absolute terror and frankly, you can't blame him for his behavior considering how you acted even worse. So, you do the only logical thing you can think of. You pack your bags and head for the Shell Cottage. Once before you visited with Arthur while on Order business, but you remember it like it was yesterday. You love that little cottage. Almost more than your own tiny house deep in a forest.

"Make yourself known." Making sure to keep your empty hands visible, you step forward.

"Just me." Bill slowly lowers his wand and steps inside. "Welcome, Y/N. So good to have you." Still mumbling by the time you reach the door, you take one final look at your surroundings before entering the cottage.

"Son of a Bludger, what have you done with the place?" It's in shambles. Mess everywhere, day-old food on the table, papers ripped apart and thrown across the room.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, ignoring your previous comment.

"I'm here because I'm a better person than you right now and despite your very rude behavior last time, I still want to help you." When he growls at you, your hand instinctively reaches for your wand.

"Right, you're afraid of me," he laughs, venom dripping from every word. There's no way you were ever this bad, right? Your burning cheeks betray you because you do remember the feelings coursing through him. When you were mutilated, you pushed everyone away. You became a hermit until you were sure you weren't going to hurt anyone.

"I'm not afraid of you. But you're not exactly a trustworthy person at the minute." Basically the same thing though. You're a little afraid of his reactions, but you're not about to let him know.

"Could you help bring in my suitcases? Molly said I was welcome to stay here while I figure out some protection for my own home." Horrible excuse. Your house is probably more protected than Shell Cottage but you also know he'll never let you stay unless you make him believe that you have nowhere else to go.

"It's war. One can never be too safe,” you add as you head for the guest room. This is going to take a while. And a while it takes. Merlin, you’re ready to give up several times. Three weeks pass before you even get him to go outside, and he complains the entire time. And just as you think you’re making progress, his mother stops by. Now, you like Molly Weasley. She has the best intentions but the pity in her eyes, her voice, her every action... it’s the exact thing Bill doesn’t need. Even you let out a deep sigh when she finally packs up her stuff after three days of uncut tension.

“Nice lady,” you comment in the evening as you’re sitting in front of the fire. The silence lingers long enough for you to give up waiting for an answer. Then he laughs. It’s a little high-pitched and not all the way natural, but it’s a laugh. And you’ll take it.

“Imagine growing up with her,” he laughs, and you join him. Bill Weasley doesn’t need to be coddled and having Molly visit just proves that very fact.

“Alright, enough sitting around. Take my arm.” He hesitates but you can tell he just needs that little push. “Trust me.” Darkness swallows the both of you as you apparate to the nearest village. Without waiting for his reaction, you pull him into the nearest pub.

“One beer. And then you’re free to leave.” It’s a muggle pub. No one will know what has happened to Bill here. They might think a bear got him or some other animal, but no one will shy away in fear (or disgust) he might turn into a werewolf.

“Fine.” You’re taken by surprise when he so easily agrees, but you’re quick to recover and buy two beers before he changes his mind.

“Cheers,” you say to the bartender before finding a table in the dark corner of the pub. When Bill isn’t fully consumed by self-loathing, he’s actually a pretty decent guy. You both share stories from some of your near-death adventures as curse-breakers, but he doesn’t ask the question you know he’s dying to ask, and you don’t offer the answer. But five beers later, even you are a little unsteady on your feet. Apparating back home is a lot more difficult when the world is spinning. But you manage without losing any limps. By the time you’re walking through the front door, Bill is giggling.

“Come on, droopy. Time for bed,” you chuckle as you half carry him to his bedroom. He collapses on the bed, pulling you with him.

“Stay in here tonight,” he mumbles but when you lock eyes with him, he seems almost sober. Logically, you know this is a bad idea, but he smells nice. And his hair looks so cute in that stupid man-bun. Before you know it, you’re closing the gap between the two of you. His lips are soft, gentle, and your head spins from the sensation. Any doubt you might have had goes out the window, when he cups your cheek and deepens the kiss.

“Stay,” he repeats and you can do nothing but obey him. When his hands goes to the hem of your shirt and begin to remove it, you grab his hands to stop him. He’s nice enough to not comment on your shaking hands.

“I don’t—I— It’s not pretty,” you finally say and your scars begin to burn as if they were fresh wounds.

“I know.” He doesn’t sugarcoat it. He doesn’t try to convince you that you’re still pretty. He accepts your feelings because he knows. So, you let him remove your shirt. The cold makes you shiver, but you don’t hide under the covers. You want him to see you - all of you. When he gently runs his hand down your back, you feel tears sting your eyes. You don’t talk much for the rest of the night, but at one point you open up about how it happened. He listens not once interrupting you. Afterwards, he holds you for a long time.

It’s the first night of complete honesty and it’s what starts your relationship. You saved him from himself but in some ways, he saved you too.

#hp blurb #hp imagine #hp fic #hp gif #hp fanfiction #bill weasley x reader #bill weasley imagine #bill weasley blurb #bill weasley gif #bill weasley fic #weasley family #bill weasley #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter fanfic #harry potter fandom #harry potter series

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deadmomjokes · 7 months

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as a teacher, hearing about the way you communicate so clearly and thoroughly with your child is so inspiring. I wish more people had resources on how to communicate with kids like you do.

I'm very bad at taking compliments, so I'll just say "Thank you" and also qualify that she makes it pretty easy. She's very smart and has always, from day one basically, needed to know the reasons behind everything. In other circumstances, she would probably be called "stubborn" or "defiant." But the thing is, I remember my own "stubbornness" growing up, and it was almost always the result of me not understanding why things were the way they were. From a young age, I hated with a burning passion the "Because I said so" thing. So I determined that I didn't want to do that when/if I had kids of my own.

My daughter is very bright and curious and makes that easy for me. Her "why" phase was/is pretty specific, which is helpful in keeping ahead of the frustration-induced rage-meltdowns. (Not all of them, of course, because some concepts are really hard to grasp even as an adult, let alone when you're 4 years old and everything Feels Too Big.)

But I also made a conscious effort to start practicing early, before she could talk or push back on a lot of stuff. It felt so weird and silly at first, but I basically narrated everything I did with/around her, and put a reason for it. So a trip to the store sounded like this:

"We made it to the store to get our groceries, so we have yummy food to eat. Let's go inside and get a buggy--that's where we'll put all the things we get, because we can't carry them all in just our hands. I'm going to put you in the buggy, too, right here in this seat, that way you can see what's going on but I have both my hands to push the buggy and grab the things we need. Here, look, some bananas! Let's get some of those because you love to eat them. Oh, no, sorry baby, we can't eat them right now. This stuff isn't ours until we pay for it at the very end-- that's the part with the beep-beeper and the bags. When we get home we can have some of the bananas, because then they are our bananas." Etc, etc, on and on.

People looked at me like I was nuts. It felt a little nuts at times, especially before she could respond verbally. But it worked. It built a habit for me to give a reason for why I'm doing things, or making her do things. More importantly, I feel like, it made me stop and question when I didn't have a good reason for my answers or behaviors. Like if she comes up and asks to blow bubbles outside, and I go, "No baby, not right now," she can be like "why not?" And I have to look at myself and my reasoning. Is it because I'm actually busy or we're genuinely about to do something else that precludes the 5 minutes it'd take to do bubbles? Or is it because I just don't feel like it? It's not fair for "I don't feel like it" to supersede her desires for connection and entertainment all the time. (Sometimes you're just worn out and don't have the bandwidth for it, and that's valid. Parents are people too! But it can't be all the time, yk?) So if I don't have a good reason why not, I let her know that I thought about it more and changed my mind, and off we go to blow bubbles.

I also heard the advice, idk where or when, that you need to practice on your children what you want from them. So if I want my child to be kind, I have to be kind to her, in ways that she can see and appreciate. If I want her to know it's okay to change your mind, I have to point out when that happens for me, like in the above bubbles example. If I want her to be a decent human being who respects others, is empathetic, appreciates the efforts of others, speaks kindly, thinks about how her actions impact those around her, etc... You get the idea. It starts with me. And I try to consciously remind myself of that fact.

It's not always easy, because kids aren't always rational (but to be fair, neither are adults lol). And what is rational to a 4 year old is not always the same as what is rational to me, the adult with almost 3 decades of experience more than her. So sometimes it's like explaining to the wind why it ought to blow in a different direction. But the longer I get to know her, the more I'm able to pick up on the way she sees things, her personal defaults, the way she talks around concepts she's not sure about, etc. It's part of what's cool about getting to be her parent. I get such a close-up view of this little person becoming a little person, and it makes me stop and think about things I have taken for granted for a long time.

I'm rambling again, but I have developed a lot of Strong Feelings about the way kids are treated and looked at in general, and a lot of determination to do better for the kids I get the privilege of loving.

#parenting #kids #adventures of bean #asks

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thechargrey · 1 year

Text

A lot of people think Keeley will be forced to fire Shandy at some point in this season, and I agree that's likely based on how the episodes have gone so far, but I actually really don't want Shandy or Keeley's arcs to go that direction.

To me Shandy is a great mirror character to Keeley's own arc. At the start of the show Rebecca helps guide Keeley professionally. Keeley moves from being "famous for being almost famous" to having her own business. When Keeley talks to Rebecca about leaving to start her business Rebecca's advice is even "hire your best friend."

And now Keeley is in a position to act as mentor to her friend Shandy. Shandy even being the one to say that Keeley was the one woman who made it out. Kelley is clearly stepping into Rebecca's shoes from S1 and Shandy is stepping into Keeley's.

(Plus this hints that if Rebecca ends up leaving it will be Keeley that takes over the club.)

A running joke in this season has been characters questioning Shandy's role in Keeley's company and then suddenly understanding when it's mentioned they were friends first. (As though it’s just nepotism which also btw question's Keeley's capability at running a company.) But Shandy got the job with Keeley bc she made an impressive suggestion at a shoot, fixing a problem that Keeley wasn't sure how to handle. Shandy got the job because she is qualified, but since she doesn't have the degree and she pops bubblegum no one sees that skill.

We even see that she takes initiative to get a campaign going, does a great job getting the shoot set up and the marketing out, and needs almost no oversight by Keeley to do so. In the entire episode she makes a single mistake misjudging the client, and immediately fixes it when Keeley explains what's wrong.

I just hope the writers on the show are making the other characters purposefully be too hard on Shandy so that when they finally show how good she is they're forced to confront their own biases. Bc right now it's giving let's hate the woman in the man's world and judge her for every single way she doesn't fit in perfectly rather than see how much she's doing right and THAT is an experience I am all too familiar with...

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers #ted lasso predictions #predictions #shandy #shandy fine #keeley jones

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genericpuff · 1 year

Text

Guess it's time for me to give the people what they asked for- (FP spoilers ahead)

Hey y'all, thanks for waiting while I got my ducks in a row to put this lil' essay together. Life's been doing a lot of 180's and I haven't had as many spoons to allocate to LO crit and all that good shit. And honestly, half the struggle of putting these essays together is finding screenshots to back up my claims, the episodes are so cluttered with nonsensically-woven events that it often has me scrolling through multiple episodes wondering if I'm crazy and if the panels I remember even exist.

BUT I just got back from work, Halloween's right around the corner, and I'm feeling like talking about one of the witchiest LO characters of all.

Yep, we're talking Daphne.

(note: there are FastPass spoilers in this essay!)

Now I know - some of y'all in the UnpopularLO and LO crit communities really like Daphne because of her willingness to hold Thanatos accountable. But if you'll give me a few paragraphs, ima tell you why she's just as if not more problematic than some of the go-to problematic characters in LO (AND ima blow your mind with something I don't think y'all have even realized but once you see it, you can't unsee it).

Daphne, like many characters in LO, started off relatively strong. Though her inclusion was a little random, I liked it as a way to show Persephone's past friends from the Mortal Realm (and also it just went to show how obsessed Apollo was with Persephone prior to the whole overthrowing-Zeus retcon).

But that's about where my compliments end because as her inclusion in the plot went on, I came to realize that Daphne is 1.) yet another character in the plot whose only purpose is to be a victim, 2.) unable to practice what she preaches and forces onto other characters, and 3.) yet another character who's used as a Therapy Speak stand-in for Rachel to try and project herself onto.

Let's get the obvious aside - yes, she's basically just another Persephone clone. And by extension that does, in a really messed up way, make her another Rachel clone, but instead of serving the DDLG function of satisfying Rachel's weird but obvious hyperfixation on being a sugar baby (i.e. Persephone) she instead serves the function of being a holier than thou "I'm gonna recite self-help advice that doesn't actually apply to your situation" person, in the same vein as people who use Twitter as their handbook for catch-all moral behavior. Y'know the word... virtue signalling.

I think where Daphne first started to fall apart for me was her first serious interaction with Thanatos, and this is one that gets called out a lot. Daphne is talking about her issues trying to get Apollo's validation, and Thanatos is mentioning how upset he is over Persephone getting special treatment from Hades, when we get THIS little schpeel:

I'm sorry to break it to y'all, but she is NOT being insightful here. She's basically telling Thanatos what Rachel wants to say to her audience - "stop caring so much that Hades is a creepy old man taking advantage of a 19 year old girl in a corporate setting where there's obvious special treatment at play - you're supposed to ship them dammit!"

Neither do we, Thanatos, neither do we.

But think about it. Thanatos is an employee of Hades, one we've found out through both previous and future interactions is often berated and mistreated by Hades (retconned to be Daddy Issues, okay Rachel...) whose job is literally affected by internships, the same way it is in most corporate settings. Internships are incredibly competitive positions, ESPECIALLY in massive mega-corporate settings like the one run by the King of the Dead. There were undoubtedly more people way more qualified for the job. Especially considering little miss Persephone doesn't even know how to operate a computer.

No, you're not required to already 'know' everything during an internship, but there's a reason most internships are only open to students with some kind of transcript showing they're familiar with the work that's being expected of them. Persephone has NONE of that here, AFAIK she's in school for biochem, she has no experience managing shades or even turning on a bloody computer, and here she is, hired to work a job that she has no connection to or interest in besides Hera telling her to (which idk why Hera's even able to do that considering it's not her domain) and the money. Which she shouldn't even be receiving but does because of Hades favoring her for being cute.

I've seen a myriad of Daphne-like defenses of this, stating "well Thanatos is the God of the Dead, his job isn't necessarily affected by Persephone so he shouldn't give a shit."

Except he literally sits next to her.

If you've ever worked in a corporate setting or any kind of industry that utilizes internship programs, you very likely also know what it's like to get an intern who's clearly been hired due to favoritism or nepotism or some other bullshit reason that has nothing to do with the job itself. Intern or not, the skill level of other employees can and will affect your own job. If Persephone fucks up, that could mean problems for Thanatos, Minthe, and other employees under Hades' care. And Thanatos/Minthe/etc. should NOT have to be responsible for carrying her weight or teaching her how to do a job that she should have been qualified for when she got picked.

And, by the way, we can give further credit to Thanatos being bothered by this because we know that Thanatos has been working for Hades for centuries and he's witnesses Hades hire not one, not two, but three employees simply due to being cute or because of some made-up superfluous reason that Hades came up with on the spot. That we know of. Needless to say, HADES HAS A HISTORY OF HIRING PEOPLE ON THE SPOT WITH ZERO REAL QUALIFICATIONS.

(there are some obvious parallels between Persephone and Minthe but we're not gonna get into that in this essay)

Needless to say, if you had a boss who treated you like a doormat despite ABSOLUTELY NEEDING YOU TO MAKE MONEY AT ALL (remember that Thanatos is LITERALLY the god of the dead and Hades is the equivalent of the dead's accountant, Thanatos is not someone who is considered subservient to Hades, if anyone is working for anyone, it's the other way around) and had a history of hiring and firing women for no reason other than wanting to bone them? You'd be pretty pissed too.

And yet here comes Daphne with the oh-so-insightful "wHy dO yOu cArE" schpeel straight from the Twitter Handbook of Life Advice as if Thanatos doesn't stand to have his own job or life compromised by Hades' shitty behavior. Thanatos is fully in the right for raising an eyebrow at his boss - and later established, his father figure - constantly hiring unqualified hot young women to help manage the Underworld.

So that alone had me kind of rolling my eyes at Daphne. She's trying to take some kind of moral high ground without taking a moment in the SLIGHTEST to understand where he's coming from or the context of his situation, even though it's literally what he does for her.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. We ain't done, folks.

Shortly after this, Daphne shows a clear interest in Thanatos but makes it clear she doesn't wanna date him to "fix" him, she wants him to "get his shit together."

This on its own was fine, I'm all for having more female characters who don't date the first guy who gives them empathy.

But then almost IMMEDIATELY afterwards, basically by the time we see her next, she's dating him anyways and goes ahead and says this shit:

Daphne, which is it exactly? Do you have self-respect, or are you seriously gonna try and 'fix' him when you literally just said to him that you weren't gonna be responsible for that? Pick a lane, for the love of god.

Now, once was bad enough, but she literally does it again in Episode 217. When Hades shows up to speak to Thanatos (in an attempt to find Hypnos) and Thanatos obviously IMMEDIATELY writes him off (as he should!) and Daphne just ?? stomps on Thanatos' boundaries entirely? ??

AND THEN SHE HAS THE NERVE

TO TWITTER SPEAK AT HADES

TELLING HIM TO LISTEN AND VALUE THANATOS' FEELINGS

AS IF SHE'S NOT COMPLETELY DISMISSING THANATOS' FEELINGS JUST TO TAKE SOME SUPERFLUOUS MORAL HIGHGROUND-

Man, seriously, fuck Daphne. If Persephone is Rachel's messed up way of having some kink fantasy self-insert, then Daphne is Rachel's equally messed up way of having her moral high ground talk-at-the-audience self-insert.

But hoo boy, that brings us to Persephone, Hades, and the inversion of their relationship juxtaposed against Daphne and Thanatos. This is that "once you see it" thing y'all have been waiting for.

And that begins once you ask yourself, who do Daphne and Thanatos remind you of?

Oh. Right.

Pink nymph-like character from the Mortal Realm with flowing hair who acts like they're better than everyone else and constantly gets away with shitty behavior? Check.

Blue/grey cthonic god with dominion over the dead, mommy/daddy issues, and banging Minthe? Check.

Obvious gap in how the two people in the relationship are presented, treated, and behave in LO's class system compared to everyone around them? Check.

Borderline toxic relationship dynamic in which one plays the Daddy Dom role and another plays the Little Girl role? Oh yeah, check.

But in Daphne and Thanatos' case, it's inverted.

Persephone is presented as a naive, in-over-her-head character who gets into a relationship with someone who speaks on her behalf and makes a lot of decisions for her.

And here we have Thanatos, a naive, in-over-his-head character who gets into a relationship with someone who speaks on his behalf and makes decisions for him- oop.

Daphne and Thanatos may as well just be Rachel's excuse to keep drawing Persephone x Hades fluff without it being Persephone x Hades fluff.

Same petty, tone deaf virtue-signaling dialogue. Same pink x blue aesthetic. Same roles in the comic's established class system. Same character arc that's reduced to being nothing more than a #metoo victim of assault from a man (the same man no less) all just to push their love interests' character arc and make them look better by comparison. Same creepy, toxic DDLG undertones projected from a creator who's proven to be into these power-imbalanced controlling relationship dynamics.

Daphne isn't 'empowering'. She's not 'mature.' She's yet another Rachel projection - Persephone but not Persephone - to talk at the audience with generic Therapy Speak while refusing to uphold the very virtues she's signaling. It's not a good thing that her greatest contribution to the plot was being another victim of Apollo.

The proof is all there. If you've still got a hint of doubt, look no further than the newest FastPass preview for Episode 219.

That's all I'm gonna say on that.

#lore olympus critical #lo critical #anti lore olympus #lore olympus spoilers #lmao rachel only posts previews to the FB FastPass group #and says not to share it outside of the group ???#rachel baby this is the internet #moderate your groups with an iron fist all you want #people will still get into them easily

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saintsenara · 4 days

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Hi! I just wanted to ask: what advice would you give someone who wants to start writing fanfiction for the 1st time, without any real writing experience? Have a nice day!

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

i'm always honoured to be identified as someone who might have something meaningful to say about writing - and so i always worry about doing justice to questions like this without coming across as being flippant.

because i don't think its ever worth giving advice on writing style or techniques, because these are so inherently subjective. i am an unabashed plantser - i have a vague idea of how i expect a story to go [and i always skip to the ending first, harry burns style], but i let the muses take me where they will otherwise - and this obviously affects everything else about my writing process: whether i like to stick to a specific posting schedule [no]; where i begin in a scene [dialogue]; whether i prefer short or long pieces [yes]; what sort of themes i want to look at; my attitude towards the source material [i believe in the value of canon coherence, but i'm not drawn towards trying to make my work unclockably canon-compliant]; what i find useful to receive from others during the writing process; and the fact that i like to play with genres, themes, and pairings.

if these things don't apply to you - and there's no reason why they should, even after you've been writing fic for a century - then i don't think i'm qualified to give you any advice on how you should go about putting words on a page.

but i do think i can give you something.

because if you want to start writing fanfiction - as is the case for everything else you will want to start doing in your life - there is only one key principle to bear in mind:

fortune favours the bold

by which i mean, at the most basic level, that the only way to start writing fanfiction is to... start writing fanfiction. the only way that you'll ever know if it's something you enjoy doing - and what it is about it that you like, what you find instinctive, what you don't, what your "voice" is, which characters you find harder than others to bring to life, what techniques you'll use to plan, how your work will be received, how that will make you feel, how your style will change the longer you write, and so on - is to grit your teeth and just take the leap.

but i also think that remembering that fortune favours the bold is a fandom principle which serves us all very well in a context broader than just tapping out fics while hunched over our keyboards.

because boldness is synonymous with courage - and writing something and putting it out into the world does take courage! - but it's a courage which has quite a distinctive style.

boldness is not solemn, quietly-enduring, captain-going-down-with-his-ship bravery. to be bold is to be audacious, daring, cheeky, innovative, and a little bit irreverent. it's not someone saying mournfully over your coffin "she fought bravely to the bitter end" - it's someone looking at you in awe and saying "how the fuck did you pull that off?"

and this matters in fandom. because participating in fandom - whether you end up writing fic or not - takes a hell of a lot of brass neck.

after all, each of us has ended up here because we looked at canon and said "sorry - did you think you were done?"

and then - when canon got flustered and started stammering - each of us has rolled our eyes, rolled up our sleeves, and said "don't worry, hen. you can leave it to me."

to be in fandom is to have the audacity to treat the text as a springboard - rather than something which remains behind glass in a museum. it's deciding to fling the characters we love into genres they don't originally come from and revelling in the chaos which ensues. it's finding missing moments and daring them to be just as important as a canon scene. it's the fun of wildly improbable alternate universes - from dystopian horror to coffee shops. it's cheerfully ignoring that there's a point canon thinks its story ends - whether that's finishing narratives which end unsatisfactorily or just playing with happy-ever-after. it's taking two characters who never interact in canon, winking at the camera, and making them kiss. it's taking two characters who never interact in canon, winking at the camera, and making them fuck. it's having the time of your life becoming a malevolent deity and making a character suffer.

while it might not always feel this way, at its core fandom is fun. and it's fun in a way which is quite unusual in this day-and-age - in that it's something we get to shape for ourselves, rather than having to engage with a product according to the whims of the corporation marketing it. it lets us be indulgent without calling us greedy. it lets us chatter away at each other without calling us unproductive. it lets us be sincere without requiring performative earnestness from us. it lets us engage with the uncomfortable and the lurid without the bland sanitisation of respectability.

and it allows us to be hopeful.

and i have always been struck by just how much about fandom rests on hope.

to believe that the dead can live happily in another universe, to believe that time-travel can fix things, to believe that bad people can get their comeuppance, to believe that good people can be imperfect and it doesn't matter one bit, to believe that those who are hurt can be comforted, to believe that justice can be done, to believe that villains can be redeemed, to believe that an insignificant background character matters just as much as the hero, to believe that things can be better - whether your story is overthrowing a corrupt government or letting two people enjoy themselves uncovering a kink, to believe that the most improbable people can love each other - romantically or not... all of this takes hope.

and hope takes boldness.

so be bold and start writing.

be cheeky. take risks. be your own biggest fan. be irreverent. be cunning. recognise that not taking fandom too seriously is self-protective. be self-indulgent. have some self-awareness. be collegiate. gas up your friends whenever you can. be nice to your commenters and try and give them the benefit of the doubt if they express themselves poorly. be curious. regard disagreement as interesting. be compassionate. be tenacious. be prepared to write stuff that flops. be prepared to write stuff that gets left on the drawing-board. be prepared to write stuff people hate. be prepared to write stuff you hate. be audacious. believe you can do it. be hopeful. be daring. be brave. and be bold.

because i promise you that, even if you've never written a word of fic before, you can write your way into and out of anything - any fic, any trope, any pairing, any characterisation choice, any plot hole, any setting, any premise - and have fun and look good doing it.

if you simply have enough nerve.

#asks answered #asenora on writing #fortune favours the bold #shy bairns get nowt #alexa play naughty from matilda the musical #one for the theatre girlies there...

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attonposting · 1 year

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Can we stop to talk about the conversation with Atton where he rambles about women and the idea of love? Because good lord can this man project like a movie theater. We're talking fractal projection. Give him a frickin' medal, because it's projection all the way down.

It's a very missable bit of dialogue. You can only get it with a male Exile, and only then if you've cheesed off Brianna by causing her influence to dip 30 points below Visas's. Unfortunately, this also causes Brianna to permanently stop talking to you, so this is something you're only ever gonna see by accident. I only learned that could even happen pretty recently, and that's with maybe 6 male Exile playthroughs under my belt. I guess I'm just very thorough about exhausting everyone's dialogue options all the time.

So. Brianna's permanently cut herself off as a companion, courtesy of Kreia whispering in her ear, and that sucks. But at least your trashman pilot has something to say about it... and whoa boy is it a consolation prize. Atton proceeds to launch into an arm-around-your-shoulders buddy talk that has exactly nothing to do with your problems and everything to do with his personal issues.

Exile: The Handmaiden lost her temper with me.

Atton: Oh, there's a surprise. Trust me, she's a handful - all warriors are. They're not used to dealing with things they can't punch, kick, or break. Look, I know how it is. Me, there's no denying that I'm a good-looking guy. You have it worse, because even though you might not be as good-looking as me, you have that whole tortured past, that command presence. Women want to save you. They think they can help you.

Exile: What are we talking about?

Atton: They think that everyone can be redeemed, and that they're the only ones who can do it. And you don't know if it's you, or the idea of you that they love.

Exile: [Awareness] Are we talking about me or you?

Atton: We're just talking. Like I said, I've never understood women. It's possible they don't love you at all. That they just want to help you... help you hear yourself if you've gone deaf to your own voice. We all lose our way sometimes, and we need someone to pull us back.

Exile: [Awareness] Sounds like you've had that experience before.

Atton: Don't remember. Truth is, I still don't listen to my conscience even when it's shouting. I think there's times I'd rather be completely deaf than hear it. But all this talk doesn't matter. I'm not qualified to give advice. Besides, when I open my mouth, I'm usually lying anyway.

Like. Just. Holy shit, Atton. Yeah, he's clearly talking about the Jedi who tried to save him, but there's so much more to unpack in here. Let's break it down.

“Women want to save you. They think they can help you.” - Atton wants to save you. He wants to be the hero to your story, something he projects at Mical (to the latter's confusion), but which can also be read into a lot of his actions – when he starts taunting the assassin on Telos to draw heat off you, when he runs out on Nar Shaddaa to give you medpacs and do the same thing with the bounty hunters. The hard evidence is on Malachor. If Atton dies, he says it outright: “Did I save you yet?” And if he falls to the Dark Side, he tells Mical that “he wanted to protect [the Exile], to help her” before he lost his chance.

“They think that everyone can be redeemed, and that they're the only ones who can do it.” - Yeah, it's not really about helping the Exile. Atton needs to be the one that 'saves' you, as a balm to his own lack of purpose and self-worth, and he gets real pissy if anyone else does a better job helping you – or god forbid gets close to you. He's constantly insecure, he's unhappy with most new party members when they join up and, and seriously, the only crime Mical ever committed was being a genuinely good dude in a crew full of misfits. Too bad the galaxy's greasiest pilot reads that as a threat.

“And you don't know if it's you, or the idea of you that they love.” - Atton's attraction to you in a nutshell, and that's before you get the question of Force Bonds involved. Like, seriously. Does he genuinely love you as a person, or is he in love with you as an ideal – as someone who could stop running and face the music for their unforgivable crimes, as someone who actually tries to fix the damage they did? As someone who can still find it in them to care about people after the war broke them down? As a Jedi that actually lives up to the ideal both the Council and Revan failed to? As someone he believes he can relate to, because he thinks he knows your reasons for what you did? Are you a stand-in for his dead Jedi and his hundred conflicting feelings over her? Is he just in love with the idea of having a purpose and wants someone he can bury himself in? Is the idea of martyring himself and finally dying for a reason what he's really obsessed with? Pick your flavor, because who knows! He certainly doesn't!

“It's possible they don't love you at all.” - While this has a lot to do with him wondering why the hell anyone would have tried to save him, I also think this is him reflecting on his own confused feelings towards the Exile. They might not be romantic with an M!Exile (or if they are, he's having intense bi denial), but they're absolutely there and he does not know what to make of them.

“That they just want to help you... help you hear yourself if you've gone deaf to your own voice. We all lose our way sometimes, and we need someone to pull us back.” - This has nothing to do with the Exile, the Handmaiden, or anyone who isn't an ex-Sith assassin who had empathy forcibly shoved into their brain after years of progressively more fucked-up descent into all-consuming hatred.

“Truth is, I still don't listen to my conscience even when it's shouting.” - He almost gets away with this one, but Atton's deep in denial here. He doesn't want to hear it, but he can't turn it off, the same way he can't stop feeling things when he used to have total control of his emotions (because he barely felt anything at all.) It's all why he can't go back to who he was, even though he badly misses the certainty he used to feel. Atton is a pro at ignoring his conscience, which definitely has nothing to do with how much he hates himself, total coincidence... but as soon as the Exile gets involved, that goes out the window, because Atton's self-preservation glitches out. Their Force wound tugs on his better nature... or it yanks at his opposite. And if that happens, Atton is very aware of what's happening to him. He succumbs, but he has more to say on the Exile's fall than anyone short of Kreia. And light or dark, his (im)moral compass gets jarred from 'cover my own ass' to 'protect the Exile' and he repeatedly sticks his neck out for no gain, so yeah, I call bullshit here. He's smack in the middle of his biggest crisis of conscience since the Sith.

“Besides, when I open my mouth, I'm usually lying anyway.” Well, at least he admits it.

#kotor ii #kotor 2 #atton rand #disaster man extraordinaire #slaps ribbed jacket #this bad boy can fit so much projection in it #you can also get atton to say she woke him up inside and i cannot possibly react to this in any other way than yelling evanescence lyrics #happy may the 4th!#have some highly specific analysis on a 19-year-old game

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