#thank you so much everybody for sticking around and reading my story!!!

[adultish-momma]

Lunchtime Disagreements

Yuu and Ace get along for some very specific reasons. Unfortunately for Riddle, he is about to find out one of the things they have in common.

(Yuu on the other hand, has had a rough week. They woke up and chose violence. They will not be apologizing.)

A/N: Hi :)

Rule number 271: One must leave the table within 15 minutes of completing their lunch

"Yeah that's not going to happen."

Every Heartslabyul student around their lunch table seems to freeze, anxiously watching red rise to their housewarden's cheeks. Yuu on the other hand settles deeper into their seat, the picture of indolence. Grimm, always down for mischief, hops onto the tabletop, moving the empty Ramshackle lunch trays to the side so he can comfortably turn into a cat loaf in the smack middle of everybody. He shoots a satisfied shit-eating grin up at Riddle Rosehearts, delighting in the frustrated expression on the young man's face.

"Excuse me?"

The Ramshackle prefect finishes off their burger, and then calmly turns to give Riddle Rosehearts their full attention.

"Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm good. Thanks but no." The prefect shoots the housewarden a polite smile before sipping on their carbonated beverage. The redhead blinked, thrown off by the other student's nonchalance of the subject.

"Suggestion... you can't just... the rules-"

"Are completely asinine, let alone inefficient and inapplicable to our current situation." They take another long sip of their drink while the older boy grows steadily redder.

"ASININE?!!"

"Mm-hmm" they hummed, bobbing their head in casual acknowledgment. Calmly setting down their drink, they raised their hand so they could count off for the Heartslybul Housewarden. "One, I am not a Heartslybul student. Therefore, your word is not my law."

Ace was trying very hard to hide his snickers at Riddle's grinding teeth. (He wasn't trying at all honestly but if anybody asks he's going to stick with his story thank you very much.)

"Two, this is not the Heartslybul dorm. There is no polite societal convention that demands I attempt to follow your dorm rules in the neutral territory that is the cafeteria."

Riddle now resembles a tomato, hair blending in with the color of his face. Deuce and Cater exchange nervous glances.

"Three, my next class is alchemy, and according to the time, the Alchemy Lab won't be open for at least 30 more minutes. So instead of staying here and, oh I don't know, getting ahead on my alchemy readings, you want me to leave. And do what, exactly?"

Trey was sweating in his seat. Tentatively, he reached out to the Ramshackle prefect, hoping to make this conversation just stop. "Hey, okay, I think you made your-"

"I'm not finished" they snapped, whipping around to glare at the Vice Warden's outstretched hand. When it dropped back to Trey's side, they turned back to the dorm leader. Riddle was seething, face so red that steam was quite literally going to rise from his face if someone poured water on him. And honestly, at this point, Yuu was kinda pissed too. So when Riddle opened his mouth to take advantage of the pause in their tirade, they stood up and crowded into his space, not willing to let this go until they said their piece.

"Your precious rules are more often than not completely senseless. Name me one benefit, one productive result, one good reason why rule 271 should be followed in every scenario, regardless of circumstance, and I'll take it all back."

They paused, to give Riddle a chance to rebuke them. They didn't pause longer than a second, but let the record show they did pause.

"You can't, can you? Because there are none. There is no good reason for your out-of-pocket rule. That's because it's an insane rule created by an insane woman."

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

Students wearing rose-red armbands flinched in the courtyard, frantically searching for where their leader could be. It was a fearful response, fueled by the sheer anger they heard in his voice, but they were also curious about exactly what moron was capable of upsetting their mini tyrant so immensely. The Heartslybul students in the courtyard soon figured that since he wasn't in sight, Riddle must be tearing into someone still in the cafeteria. There was collective relief, but those students also sent up a collective prayer for the poor soul on the other side of their housewarden's unique magic.

Meanwhile, inside there's a flash where the freshman prefect was standing, bright light taking its time to dissipate from their silhouette. When it does, the cafeteria is silent, shock settling heavily in the atmosphere. Riddle, who had still been as red as his namesake, rapidly began to pale at the sight before him.

Yuu stretched their neck, with no collar on them to impede the motion. They slouched back into their seat, reaching over to begin petting Grimm behind his ears. The creature's body is forced to relax under the careful touches, his tense posture melting back into a content cat loaf. The prefect themselves are pretty content with the way this argument turned out, although... one last nail in the coffin couldn't hurt his ego any more than they already have.

"I don't have any magic Housewarden Rosehearts. 'Off With Your Head' is useless against me where there is nothing for your spell to contain. So if you want to effectively throw a tantrum next time I'm verbally kicking your ass..." Their eyes locked onto his stormy grey eyes, a small, conspiratorial smirk tugging at the corner of their lips.

"You're gonna need to turn that collar into a muzzle."

#twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland #rewrite au #twisted wonderland riddle #twst riddle #twst riddle x reader #twisted wonderland riddle x reader #next time riddle uses 'off with your head' on yuu is during his overblot #and it absolutely is a muzzle #also hi hello #i might possibly be back #haven't decided yet #Mirrors are Never to be Trusted

[cosmicanamnesis]

everybody loves a coffeeshop au

[part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9] [part 10] [part 11] [read on ao3]

October 10th

The first time the cute metalhead came into the Waystation, Steve was on bar and didn't catch his name. His order wasn't complicated, but it was long. Three medium black coffees, one small London fog, a large half sweet vanilla latte with soy milk, and a small hot chocolate. He'd paid in cash, leaving the change in the tip jar, and left in a hurry balancing the drink carriers on top of each other. If it hadn't been in the middle of a rush, Steve would've run around the counter and offered to hold the door for him.

Fortunately for Steve, he came in the next day, at the same time, with the same order, and Steve was on register this time.

"And can I get a name for the order?" Steve asked, punching the drinks into the computer.

"Eddie," the man said.

"Awesome. We'll have that all at the end for you," Steve said with a smile. Eddie dropped his change in the tip jar and wordlessly walked away. 

One of Steve's favorite parts of the job was getting to talk to beautiful people. Not everyone was, of course, but a few times a day a customer would come in with long curly hair or beautiful eyes or a charming smile and Steve would fall in love with them for thirty seconds and then usually never see them again and it was fine. It was fun. It was harmless.

Eddie had all those things, all the things Steve was a sucker for, but unlike all the others, Eddie kept coming back.

It took a month or so, but eventually everyone in the shop had either taken or made Eddie's order so many times that they all knew what it was and could start making it before he'd even reached the counter. Or rather, immediately abandon Steve and force him to make it.

It was fine with Steve, though. He didn't mind making long orders, and it gave him a chance to chat with Eddie, not that he ever did. If he were a little braver, maybe he would talk, maybe ask where Eddie works, maybe get the story on why he comes in alone every day to carry an entire office's worth of drinks out.

Maybe get his number.

But Steve wasn't braver, and instead of talking to him, he contented himself to just make the drinks and sneak glances whenever he could to admire the way Eddie's hair fell over his shoulders, the way his rings glinted and drew attention to his hands, the way he would sometimes stick his tongue out, just a little, if he was really absorbed in whatever he was doing.

Steve really wanted his number.

December 3rd

“Steve!” Robin yelled from the register. “Your boyfriend’s here!”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Steve huffed, but came up front anyway as the bell on the door chimed. “Hey Eddie. Usual?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Eddie nodded, handing Steve a wad of ones and fives. He dropped the change in the tip jar, like every day, and went to the end of the counter to wait. Steve watched him as he made the order. He wasn’t doing anything, just looking at his phone, but the cold outside had flushed his cheeks bright red and Steve couldn’t help but stare.

“Is it snowing out there yet?” he asked, putting lids on the plain coffees and popping them into a carrier.

“Huh? Oh, no. Is it supposed to?” Eddie seemed surprised that someone was talking to him, but he looked up anyway, slipping his phone back in his pocket.

“That’s what I’ve heard,” Steve shrugged. “Pretty much every old lady in here this morning has complained about their arthritis and the weather, so I just assumed.”

“Oh, yeah?” Eddie laughed, leaning on the counter. Steve wanted to listen to him laugh all day.

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Perks of the job, y’know? Never have to check the weather, just wait until somebody with a bad knee comes in.”

“I always thought that was a myth.”

“I dunno, man,” Steve shrugged again, sliding the drink carriers onto the counter. Eddie was smiling at him, wild curls framing his face. “They only had to be right a couple times to make me a believer.”

“Well,” Eddie said, carefully stacking the drinks on top of each other. “If it starts snowing later, I might start believing it too.”

Steve could’ve sworn Eddie winked at him on his way out.

“Oh my god, that was pathetic,” Robin said, reemerging from the back. “If you’re gonna flirt with him, just flirt with him. Is it snowing yet? Fuck off.”

“Wait, did Steve finally talk to that guy?” Chrissy, their assistant manager, poked her head out of the kitchen.

“Yeah, sorta,” Robin chided. 

“I honestly don’t know what you see in him, Steve,” Chrissy said, bringing a tray of pastries up front to put in the case.

“What? What do you mean?” Steve crossed his arms.

“Nothing! Just… He’s kinda weird, isn’t he? Like, standoffish?” She looked to Robin, who nodded. “I mean, you do you, but…”

“Wait, is this why you guys always shove me up front when he’s here?”

The girls looked at each other and then at Steve.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Chrissy admitted.

“You’re the only one that doesn’t mind him, so… He’s your problem,” Robin agreed.

“Proud of you for actually working up the nerve to talk to him, though.”

“Yeah, even if it was just about the stupid weather.”

Sure enough, it started snowing within the hour.

December 30th, Afternoon

Robin had begged Steve to swap shifts with her so she could go on a date. Normally Steve was an opener. He liked it, because he was naturally an early riser and opening meant more time after work to get shit done. But she had begged, and she was his best friend, so even though taking her closing shift messed with his whole routine, he agreed to swap. Plus, it meant he would have all of New Year’s Eve off, and that was pretty cool too.

It also meant accidentally finding out where Eddie worked.

Steve lived close enough to the cafe to walk there, and the walk took him past places that were usually still closed when he came in in the mornings. Antique store, jeweler, boutique, boutique, hair salon, tattoo parlor…

Steve took a couple steps back and looked in the front window of the tattoo place. Eddie happened to look up from whatever he was doing at that exact moment and gave him a confused sort of look. Steve just smiled and gave Eddie a small wave before going back on his way.

Well, it could’ve been more awkward.

#steddie #steddie ficlet #i mean it wont be a ficlet when i'm done with it but w/e #stranger things #stranger things 4 #text

[askfallenroyalty]

my thoughts on finishing AFR (tumblr version)

Firstly, thank you all so, so so much for reading.

5 years ago, on February 19th, 2018, 2:24 PM I posted the first AFR comic. I drew it thinking it'd be a nice little project for a few months, and then I'd move on. Little did I know it'd become a huge passion project and something that's brought me many, many tears and laughter. It's been a journey making this thing, I can easily say I am hardly the person I am when I first made this. I've learned so much about myself, the world, and what I wanted to say in comics.

AFR didn't become a serious project until I realized Asriel and Chara's story hit home to me and I realized I had something more profound to say than just "heehee silly ut comic where siblings squabble." Now it's become a story about growing up, and the life after the "happy ever after." What does it mean for "everybody to live?" well, you live. You suffer. You cry and laugh and it's everything you want and you fear. You wake up another day.

It's no secret that Chara and Asriel are heavily based on myself. Every OC and every character I can put my grubby little hands on have been influenced by me. Yun's excitement for monsters, Mew Mew's loud declarations of frenzied thought, Hol's quiet, head-in-the-clouds nature... the list goes on. Knowing the characters now, I'm excited for the redraw as I can paint their stories from start-to-finish properly. It pains me more than anything I can't just say "here's a finished product, fully and forever." But one step to getting there was finally finishing the tumblr version. So even if I were to die, or lose my ability to draw, I can say: I told my story. I made it real. It's messy, incomplete, and not at all what I aspire it to be, but it's here. And that means, so, so much to me.

Never again will I be accepting story asks. Never again will we see what crazy thing Asriel and Chara are up to in their journey into adulthood. While the story will continue to develop, it has it's ending.

I've grown, a lot. I started this when I was 21 years old. I've had a on/off relationship, I've learned I'm neurodivergent, I've moved out of my abusive dad's home. I've had so many jobs in that time. I lived through the pandemic (not that it's over) and I've made and lost (out of touch) friends along the way. I am Sam. I drew AFR. I still have so much left to do to make it fully realized but I did it.

And in that time people have offered me grammar and spelling corrections. Advice, suggestions, fanart. You've sent like, I can only imagine to be at least a thousand asks in this amount of time. You guys have been a huge part in this comic being made. Even as the story moves more and more away from the "Ask" part of the title, you guys made it so much more fun, thought provoking, and exciting.

So while my minds a bit scattered and I'm kinda jumbled up, I just want to say with every bit of myself: THANK YOU!!!!!

I understand if many of you don't choose to stick around for the redraw, I'm more than thankful to anyone who's read this far (or heck, just one tumblr post is enough. I feel seen.) and if you so choose to stay, I look forward to sharing a million more little moments with you. ^_^

Thank you and I wish you the very best, have a good life. Peace and love on the planet earth <3

#doodles #ooc

[valfeathers]

I would love your headcanons for all of the Wammy boys.

ok!! finally got around to it! sorry abt the wait lol

ok so i’m going to condense these & limit myself for now,, but anyways here’s a little something abt each of the boys

there's more art at the very bottom of this text btw :)

(consulting my wammy boy google doc)

A -

he was the in-house music/pop culture expert. if you needed a music recommendation you could go to him and he'd definitely find you something.

he was a master violinist, but after being scouted for wammy's he set his sights on the guitar and spent years learning how to play. his fingers were pretty much always calloused because he kept losing his picks.

he never lost his irish accent.

B -

he was the reigning king of pranks. never turn your back on him, i mean it, he will hotwire your car to roll down a hill (true story, ask roger)

the thing that set him apart at wammy's the most was the fact that he would just. get the mop out. sometimes. it wasn't unusual to spot him cleaning something unprompted. clean freak b? clean freak b.

after A died, he didn't stay long. he couldn't stand to be under the same roof as L, and for the short while he was still in the house he moved around like a ghost, seething with just. grief and anger. he left without a word, or a note, or any sort of message at all.

L- (for everybody's sake i'll keep this one short)

he's been to his fair share of concerts, shows etc (i'm an 'L actually went out in public' truther till i die)

as teens, A & B helped him deck out his padded cell with posters etc to liven it up, and he never took them down. over time he converted it into a ragtag office

he and roger are not friends. far from it. they so do not get along. L still calls him 'codger' occasionally and roger gets reminded of B every single time.

Matt-

he cuts & dyes his own hair, and he definitely got into stick n pokes (+ bonus: the first time he bleached his hair, he had mello help him & the two geniuses forgot to use toner, so he wound up ginger. everything worked out, though, because he wanted to dye his hair red anyways)

he used to creep downstairs at ungodly hours and raid the newly stocked dining hall for cereal. he has run into L multiple times doing this.

he gives me 'broke his arm as a kid and had to wear a cast' vibes. i can't explain it, that hc just calls to me.

Mello-

like L, he got into his fair share of scraps as a kid. they've bonded over that. (+bonus: he has bitten someone before)

he was fiercely protective of matt & near when he was younger in an 'only i can bully them' kind of way that is so common with siblings.

labb gives me an excuse to imagine him as a big reader so that's what i'm doing! he read the classics as a kid & he wrote in his off time too,, he has dozens of journals that will never see the light of day.

Near-

he arrived at wammy's very young, he was actually the youngest wammy alumni on record.

i haven't gotten the opportunity to draw him with it yet, but i hc him as a cane user! a cane that linda customized for him at L's request. (from now on i Will include it in all of my near art istg)

out of the successor trio, he's the only person who was around when A was alive. he has one vague memory of A, that being A giving him a tiny wordless wave.

thank youu thankyouthankyou if you made it this far omg!! this took me a while but it was fun! have some domestic-y family-y wammy boy art to rest ur eyes after that little novella

#wammy boys #death note #this fucking GOLIATH of a post wowie #l lawliet #a death note #beyond birthday #mihael keehl #mail jeevas #nate river #the love i feel for them is so so strong #anyways i hope this was worth the wait!! #death note hcs #v wammyposting #death note fanart #this will not be the last time i talk abt these sillys #wammys hyperfixation going strong

[optiwashere]

How do you manage to write smut that's like, actually arousing? What's the secret?

Well, first of all thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it, I really am. Happy to hear from you here as well 💜

Also, I'll let you in on my secret — I can't stand almost anything I write after it's posted. I see nothing but the flaws, grammatical choices, and technical foibles. This extends triple, quadruple, to smut. So if you're feeling the same kinda way, that your writing feels somehow off, then just know you're not alone.

I could give some pointers, but I don't really know how much benefit anyone will get hearing these from me of all people. But in my opinion it's a lot of the non-smut aspects that highlight the smut and make it shine. So here ya go.

Keep it in-character. I'm not out here talking as an authority on anyone's characterization, nor am I saying I'm some master of it and there are plenty of people out there with differing opinions, so take this with a colossal mountain of salt. But you should focus on making the voices, internal thoughts, and prose in keeping with the POV character. This is something called "POV control" and it's a very useful skill. Be able to flow in and out of a character's POV as the need arises. How Shadowheart interacts with sex is very different from Karlach is different from Orin, for example.

Strong focus on dialogue. This is a sorta addendum to the first point. Characters shouldn't suddenly turn silent when they're having sex. That is, unless that's the point of the story! They should also be speaking in-character even (or especially) during sex. Also, "porn dialogue" is something that gets brought up a lot in writing, and I think we all know it when we read it. That being said, people in the real world do say things during sex that, out of context, are hilarious. So it's a balancing act.

Fitting descriptions. This is actually one of the more important ones! If a scene is very romantic and meant to be light and fluffy, maybe avoid words for genitals altogether and focus entirely on simple visual aesthetics (how moonlight plays on a body, to give an example). If it's meant to be rough and focused on bodies or the mechanics of the scene, ham it up on those words. This also isn't a binary. Things flow back and forth all the time.

Firm language. I don't mean, like, power dynamics "firm." I'm talking about a willingness to use the words that fit the descriptions and sticking to it. Some people despise certain words, but other people will find the alternatives hilarious and completely tone-breaking. Find the words you like and stick to them; consistency gives your voice strength.

Don't try to appease everybody. You just can't. You have to write what you personally enjoy reading/writing/doing/thinking about, and go with it. If you try to cater to everyone's whims with any of the above, you'll wind up with a beige platter of nothingness. That doesn't mean you can't explore other tones or flavors, but don't try to do too much in one story.

Focus on emotions. Emotions could mean anything from love to lust to anxiety to fear to uncertainty and so on and so forth. My strategy is to center a fic on a theme/emotion that resonates with the characters involved and then I explore the smut around that central point. Revisit the idea between the action. Show how the characters' feelings around the theme change or how they're reaffirmed.

#hey you can ask me things! #random rambling about writing #i just write a lot i'm not the queen of anything (re: an anon that I fear answering calling me the queen of shadowheart smut) #everyone's voice will be different #so just remember this is My Style and not a Universal Constant #that bit in the “keep it in-character” bullet point is not a call for comments on my characterization #it's just a note on what I've noticed and the people I've spoken to OUTSIDE OF this very curated space #a space that is obviously much more likely to enjoy my characterization #so I'm also not saying I don't appreciate folks' comments on the matter! I love hearing that y'all enjoy my characterizations 💜 #I had some more Tips 'n' Tricks but they wound up being personal quirks more than anything else tbh

[tripleglitchwriting]

You mentioned Ultra Magnus trying to cope with the world of One Piece and the Strawhat Pirates and I. Am. Here. For. It.

UM is a very ernest stressed out lawful good character. and the Strawhats are a chaotic good force. More Chaos than all the Wreckers and the Lost Light put together.

So in honor of that post If you don't mind me asking for two requests in one request box open run I'd like to request a One Piece/Lost Lighters crossover.

The Strawhats are helping The Lost Light crew because Luffy and Rodimus vibe. Roddy has a grand fleet flag and Luffy has a Rodimus star.

Either, Ultra Magnus/Minimus Ambus in a lull in the action asks Robin why she's a Strawhat Pirate. She's the only sane one here.

Or, if your in the mood for something lighter, Franky and Brainstorm Share The Brain-cell^TM while Usop and Perceptor attempt damage control.

YOU UNDERSTAND. YOU GET IT. I will be happy to write this!! I’m sorry it took me so long, I’ve been going through a rough patch when it comes to motivation.

The lost light characters may be a bit ooc because I’ve been having a hard time gauging their personalities. A lot of what I have for them in my head is from other fanfictions.

Also, this is just the start of the story, it’s just how they meet. I’ve yet to write specific interactions between characters, but I wholeheartedly plan to write more!

A little side note for clarification on One Piece in case anyone needs it:

- This takes place sometime after Jinbei gets on the ship

- I watch the dub so I’m going to use all of the names and such they use there (ex. Black foot Sanji -> Black leg Sanji)

- Sanji and Brook will be normal to women. I just don’t want to write them being weird.

Without further ado, I present…

Ten Idiots Meet A Ship Full Of Other Significantly Bigger Idiots

Synopsis:

After an experiment gone bad on the Lost Light (again), a portal is temporarily opened up to another dimension. Before it could be closed, however, a group of strange individuals manage to slip through.

After a long day at sea, The Strawhats always look forward to a first-class home cooked meal by Sanji himself. It was a beautiful evening- the crew opted to stay out on the deck of the Sunny to watch the sunset.

“SANJI! I’M HUNGRY! FOOD! NOW!” Not that much peace could be had with a captain like Luffy.

“I’m coming! Not every cook can whip up something like this every night you know. I swear, you guys eat more than a whole island every day.”

“Hey, that’s just Luffy. Don’t include the rest of us in this!” Nami shouted from the stairs leading to where the rest of the crew sat.

“I’M YOUR CAPTAIN AND I SAY FEED ME! MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!” Luffy pumped his arms as he chanted, sticking his tongue out as he watched Sanji cart out a giant platter of cartoonishly large meat.

“Smells as delicious as ever, Sanji.” Brook commented.

“Thank you, Brook. At least someone appreciates my food around here.” He glared at his captain, who was completely oblivious to everything else around him and solely focused on his food. Everyone else chatted away. Laughing, eating, looking up at the beautiful swirling vortex that had just appeared in the sky.

Wait.

Luffy had to stretch his arms up as his food began to be sucked into the portal above them, but it was in vain as he began to float too. The Sunny creaked as gravity shifted around them, everything but the ship itself beginning a startling ascent upwards.

“MY MEAT! NAMI, WHAT IS HAPPENING?”

“How should I know?!” She clung to an uprooting tangerine tree, “This is NOT normal! I haven’t read anything about whatever this is!”

“Everybody hang on to something!” Jinbei ordered, staring to float himself. Brook didn’t seem to get the message, as he was the first to loose his grip.

“SOMEBODYHELPMEIMBEINGPULLEDIN—”vwoop! And then he was gone.

“BROOK!” Luffy, having already eaten everything on his plate, launched himself into the portal.

“Damnit Luffy!” Zoro did the same soon after.

“What? Are we seriously going in that thing?” Chopper squealed, Usopp and Nami seemed to agree.

“Maybe we’ll all be immediately killed once we enter. It would be a painless death at least.” Robin said calmly, affixing herself to the ground with her devil fruit powers.

“YOU ARE NOT HELPING!” Usopp, Nami, and Chopper all screamed in unison.

“I suppose this is our next adventure!” Jinbei leapt through the portal. Sanji sighed and followed after him.

“Well, Sunny’s too big to go through that thing, so I guess we’re goin’ in without her.” Franky detached himself from the mast.

“Okay everyone, come on.” Robin peeled Usopp, Nami, and Chopper from their death grips on the ship and took all of them with her as she joined the rest of the crew.

“ROBIN WHY-“ Vwoop! And just like that, the Thousand Sunny was left empty.

————————————

Brainstorm was in big trouble. And possibly the entire Lost Light. And maybe the universe. The good news is his portal machine worked! The bad news is it was now pulling in random things from a random space in the multiverse. This would be a great opportunity to study it, unfortunately the stability of the thing was questionable. That is to say the portal was currently beginning to implode.

“Brainstorm, what are you doing!?” Preceptor skidded into the room right as he heard the snapping and crackling of something that probably shouldn’t be making that sound.

“Oh, nothing. It’s fine! It’s fine. I just need to- oh that’s not good. Actually do you mind helping me shut this down before it destroys the entire ship?”

“You’re going to be the death of all of us-” right as he began to walk toward the vortex, a screaming clatter of something came speeding out of it. On closer inspection, it seemed to be the corpse of a human.

“Oh, well, that’s new.” Brainstorm oh so helpfully commented. Just after another being came from the portal, also screaming but not quite as dead. Another followed, this one with a complete and utter look of annoyance on his face.

“What in the- Brainstorm, what did you do?” Ratchet entered, as did Ultra Magnus.

Soon there was an array of things entering the room. Aside from the array of random objects, there was a large blue organic followed by an another human wearing a black suit, then large possibly techno organic. Four other small people shot out shortly after.

“CLOSE IT! CLOSE IT NOW!” Ratchet ordered.

“Oh why didn’t I think of that- oh wait, I did, and I COULD USE SOME HELP!” Together they pulled on a comically large mad scientist like lever affixed to the portals control panel. As quick as it had arrived the portal was gone, though what- or who- it had just pulled in were gaining their bearings.

“Hahahaha! That was fun!” One of the humans, one wearing a yellow hat with a red line across it, put his hand on his head and looked around. It took him a second to notice, but when he finally realized where he was the man yelled, “WOAH! Cool! This place is huge!”

“It seems to be some sort of… metal building. A giant workstation perhaps.” The blue man said thoughtfully.

“Well I say we get out of here! I don’t want to be around when we find out why this place needs to be so big!” A long-nosed human whisper shouted.

“What, like those freaky statues?” The very annoyed man gestured at Brainstorm, Ultra Magnus, Ratchet, and Preceptor, who were all standing completely still. That is, until Rodimus showed up.

“Brainstorm, I heard yelling, is there a fight? Without me?” He strolled in casually, not looking at the floor, and instead focusing on his crew who were all staring at him. “What? What did I do?”

“That. Is. AWESOME!” Something from the floor shot up at Rodimus’s face. “Are you a robot? Can you shoot lasers? Do you eat metal?!” Somehow, someway, there was an ecstatic human right in front of his optics.

“Luffy! Get down from there!”

“Woah. So, care to explain? Anyone?”

“We are not robots, we are Cybertronian.” Ultra Magnus automatically stated.

“Cool!” ‘Luffy’, as his friend called him, somehow managed to launch himself on top of Rodimus’s helm. “Is there any food here?”

“Luffy! Damnit-” Another of the humans, the one in the suit, jumped. Accept when one would normally begin to succumb to gravity and fall back down, he took another step in the air and kept going. “You are so reckless!” The man tackled Luffy off Rodimus and they both began to plummet down to the ground- a height deadly to something so small.

“Sanji, let me down! I want to talk to the robot!”

“How about you shut up and come up with a plan before you get us all killed!” The moment they jumped off, Ratchet was already in motion. He was able to dive behind Rodimus to catch the two, but as he slid on the ground to save them ‘Sanji’ jumped off the air again and landed perfectly safe.

“I… I can’t even begin to explain this.” He admitted in a completely defeated tone, now chassis down on the floor.

“Do they all move?” A small voice whispered from the group still standing where the portal once was.

“I hope not.” Another replied.

“Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.” Brainstorm said calmly.

“I don’t think anyone could have predicted this.” Ultra Magnus put his servo on his helm. The two that had just survived a deadly landing like it was nothing walked back to their group- one much more unhappy than the other.

“Sorry about him. He does this a lot.” The annoyed green haired man glared at both of them.

“Oh, like you’re any better moss head.”

“Oh yeah? At least I didn’t jump in the face of a giant robot!”

“Yeah, cause you’d get lost on the way there!”

“You take that back-“

“STOP IT!” Half of the new arrivals shouted at the same time. One orange haired girl stepped up to comfort the bickering duo.

“This is not the time to argue! We’re kind of… we- look!” She gestured at, well, everything. Everyone else seemed to silently agree.

“Greetings visitors from another world! Welcome aboard the Lost Light!” Brainstorm announced with a flashy arm movement.

“Hey, I’m the captain, I get to welcome people into the ship!”

“You’re a captain?! Is this a pirate ship? Are you giant robot pirates?!” Luffy shouted in awe, though still in the arms of Sanji, who promptly dropped him.

“He said he was ‘Cybertronian’ bro. Not a robot.” The probably techno organic chastised.

“Psh, whatever.” Luffy got himself to his feet.

“We are not pirates.” Ultra Magnus said very sternly. “We are on a perfectly legal exploratory expedition.”

“Oh, bummer.” He glanced around once again. Apparently deciding now was a good time, he introduced himself. “My name is Monkey D. Luffy and I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!” Luffy smiled brightly and giggled, either ignoring or disregarding his friends facepalms.

“Well, I’d say this was a great success!” Brainstorm cheered to himself. “Who knew that was possible! I really am a genius.”

“And who are you?” ‘Moss head’ sneered at him. “Who are any of you? This is weird.”

“Well, if I’m allowed to introduce my own ship this time, my name is Rodimus Prime, captain of the Lost Light!”

“Hang on, this is your ship? How did you build something like this, it looks like it’s straight outta Vegapunk’s lab! What part of the world are we in anyway?” The blue hair techno organic asked, putting his oversized hand on his strangely shaped chin.

“Space, my friend. We’re in space. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if anything living would make it through that portal. Looks like it’s got about a 9 out of 10 survival rate which is better than most multidimensional portals I’ve seen. That is to say I’ve never seen one before, because I built the first one. Just now. No need to congratulate me.” Ignoring Brainstorm’s blatant narcissism, the of new arrivals looked absolutely flabbergasted by this information.

“We’re in space? Like, space space? Outer space?” Luffy asked with eyes wider than any moon, a big bright burning ball of excitement building in his chest.

“I assume you’ve never been off your planet before?” Perceptor asked. Luffy didn’t respond this time. He looked like he was about to burst with excitement, though his crew mates didn’t seem to pay much mind. One or two of them shook their heads in response to the question. “Well, Brainstorm, care to explain what you’ve done here?”

“What I’ve done- well, if you have the mental capacity to understand- I can give you a basic rundown. I’ve designed this portal to reach into alternate dimensions, which have hardly been confirmed to exist other than the dead universe. I’ve been worked steadily on it for a while now, and today I tested it out. It brought these ten organics here as well as some other junk.”

“Brainstorm.”

“Yes?”

“You mean to tell me, you turned on an untested and extremely dangerous machine that could obliterate our entire existence within nanokliks for no reason other than bragging rights? And when it miraculously did work, you pulled in ten random people from an unknown possibly incredibly dangerous world that could have also imploded our entire existence?”

“Yes that about sums it up.” Perceptor’s optic twitched, but as it seemed time was moving a bit too fast for him to start lecturing. The corpse on the floor began to move, slowly at first, and then in a sharp practiced motion it popped up on its feet.

“Yohohoho! I think I passed out for a second there!” The skeleton looked around. “Oh. I definitely passed out. No bones about it!” The apparently not corse laughed to himself.

“Cool! I didn’t think those human stories about corpses coming back to life were real!” Rodimus said with a childlike playfulness.

“They’re not.” Ultra Magnus argued bluntly.

“Oh, I am a skeleton. It’s a long story. Say, Luffy, what is going on?”

“We got sucked through a portal and now we’re talking to giant robot guys.”

“Oh okay.” The skeleton nodded, and then quickly scurried to where three of the other humans (and animal thing?) were huddled.

“Well, remind me to change that to a 10 out of 10 survival rate!”

“I feel like introductions are in order here…” Perceptor stated, “I’ll go first. My name is Perceptor. I’m a scientist. Now, you.” He gestured at Brainstorm.

“Well, if you insist. I am Brainstrom. Genius inventor of the machine that brought you all here.”

“I am the duly enfor- ah, I mean Ultra Magnus. I try to keep the peace around here.”

“You know me, I’m Rodimus.” He nudged Ratchet. “It’s your turn, doc.”

“Fine. I’m Ratchet. Retired head medical officer.“

“Cool names!” Luffy, having sprung back up, was jumping up and down. “This is my crew, the Strawhat Pirates!”

“Roronoa Zoro. Soon to be greatest swordsman and second hand man.” ‘Moss head’ introduced himself. The orange hair girl stepped out of the group.

“I’m Nami, the navigator.” The long nose man shakily emerged after her.

“I am commander Usopp! Best sniper in the world! I’m also the leader of one thousa-“

“Don’t even start.” The suit wearing man stepped up. “Sanji. I’m the crew’s chef.” The animal like thing approached from behind another crew member.

“Um, my name’s Chopper. I’m the doctor.” He tapped his hooves together nervously. A woman, one who hasn’t said much until now, patted the hat on his head in a compassionate manner.

“I’m Nico Robin, an archeologist.” She smiled sweetly and quickly got out of the way of the blue haired inhuman human man rushing to the front.

“Name’s Franky!” He struck a strange pose. “A SUPER good shipwright!” The skeleton stepped up beside him and did a short bow.

“My name is Brook. I am lucky to be the musician of this crew. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” When he stood up the large blue man stood beside him.

“I am Jinbe, the helmsman. It is a pleasure to meet you as well.” He bowed deeply.

“Now that we did that, do you guys have any food?” Luffy asked immediately and without hesitation.

The fifteen of them stood in Brainstorm’s mildly disfigured lab space, each with very different thoughts running through their heads. A new world, a new people, things most on the Lost Light never even imagined possible. From then on, the world got a little more chaotic.

#transformers #transformers g/t #transformers au #tripleglitchwrites #crossovers #one piece #one piece crossover #one piece x transformers #this caters to such a niche audience but I am happy to supply content #one piece au #ultra Magnus has a bad day #Rodimus has a great day

[lulutaylorsimaginarium]

The Chain

Summary: When the guys get stuck in a situation and hunted down by a drug lord. Frankie makes a call he really doesn’t want to make to the only person that can help them

Words: 2004

Warnings: “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the right age to handle mature themes. We handle our own triggers with kindness and grace

AN: Mind any grammar mistakes even though the story has been checked. The author is dyslexic and it is the wonders of her brain.

AN 2: Ladies and Jellybeans, let me know which day you want me to post and what you think so far. Should I keep going? XxLu

THE CHAIN MASTERLIST

Part Seven

 

Santiago walked down the stairs to the smell of bacon and fresh coffee. It kind of felt like a dream. He rounded the corner and saw Gabby at the stove top, moving around to music on the small radio in front of her.

“Geez, look at you Donna Reed”

“I take it that you don’t want some breakfast then?”

“I just didn’t know you were so domesticated”

“Well Garcia. Maybe you don’t know me” she laughed “Sit down”

He looked around wondering where everybody else was but then again it was six in the morning. They were going to need an earthquake to wake Benny. He had walked past Frankie’s room and heard snoozing and God knew where Will had gotten too. If anybody was awake, it was going to be Will.

She walked over to him with a cup of coffee

“Thanks”

“You’re looking at me strange” she laughed “What?”

“Nothing bad. It’s nothing”

“What do you want to for breakfast?”

“Whatever you give me”

“Shit on a stick?” she offered “Shit rolled in sugar?”

“I’ll take both”

“Hungry then?” she chuckled, he didn’t. Gabby turned her head to the side and frowned at him “Are you okay?”

“Yeah” he said quietly “Tired, I guess”

“Well, have something to eat and go back upstairs and get some more sleep”

“Yes, Madre”

She rolled her eyes and turned back around only to crack a few eggs and break them into the pan.

“Martha Stewart, Gabby. Is the best Gabby” a voice said from the doorway.

It was Frankie, she didn’t need to turn around to know that. She left the eggs and poured him a cup of coffee. Before walking it over to the table.

“The boys still asleep?”

“I think I heard them shuffling around” Frankie told her yawning “Where's Sebastian?”

“Picking corn"

“Harvesting corn” Santiago told her

She took a deep breath, looked back and smiles at him “You like correcting me, don’t you?”

“Everybody needs a hobby”

“He’s harvesting corn” she told Frankie

“Is he going with you to see Gunner?”

“No, he’s got too much to do here. I’ll just go by myself. It will be fine”

“Gabs”

“Frankie, what do you think he’s going to do?” she laughed

“I can go with you” Santiago offered. Gabby and Frankie looked at him quickly “If you want”

“Yeah, if you wanna come to town”

“I’m driving though”

She muttered something under her breath before she turned back around to the stove.

 

After breakfast and after everyone was taken care of Gabby walked down to the corn field and somehow founded him there with no workers. She smiled to herself because it was so like Sebastian to think that he can hand pick a field of corn by himself.

She sidled up beside him and started picking corn.

“What are you doing?” he chuckled

“Harvesting corn”

“You don’t have too. It’s boring”

“I could do with a little boring right now” she smiled “I’m going to take Garcia with me to go met Gunner”

“Mmm-hmm” he smiled

“What?”

“Nothing, Luna. Nothing”

“O-kay” she told him confused, continuing to pick corn not looking at him “Will you go to dinner with me tonight?”

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

“A little”

“I’ll always say yes to that”

“There’s food for you in the fridge when you’re ready”

“Be careful, I might get used to you taking care of me”

“All a part of my evil plan”

She smiled and nodded her head, dumped the corn in the basket and wandered off again

 

#

 

When they said the guy’s name was Gunner. Santiago was expecting a tall blonde guy that sounded like the Swedish guy out of the Muppets but he wasn’t. He was a short, dark-haired guy that looked more Italian.

He was also eyeing Gabby like he was starving, and she was a rib-eye.

Instantly Santiago understood where all the concern had been coming from.

They all sat down at a table in an empty restaurant, Gunner across from them.

Damn straight Santiago was feeling territorial.

He draped his arm over the back of her chair. Casually, of course

Gabby didn’t notice, Gunner did.

“So this is a, don’t ask, don’t tell type deal?” Gunner asked smirking “Can I know what I’m moving?”

“Nope” she said sweetly “Better for you if you don’t know”

“What do you need?”

“A plane. Bigger the better”

“I can do that. Where are you guys at?”

“Sebastian’s farm”

“Can’t fly into there”

“Where do you think we can go?” Santiago asked

“Boarder is probably better”

“Gunner” she warned

“It’s abandoned and it has an airfield”

“It’s basically a mass grave”

“Where are we going?” Santiago asked

“Camp Cult” she said impossibly sweetly

“In the Jungle?” he asked

“If you guys can think of a better idea”

“Ugh” she said under her breath “Fine. When?”

“Need a few days. I’ll call once I get the plane and the papers. I have a C-5M that would work”

“We’re still figuring out where we’re flying to”

“You have time” Gunner stood up and smiled at her “You owe me”

“I’m aware”

Santiago frowned as Gunner walked out the door. She smiled at him, trying not to laugh at the protectiveness.

It was amazing how fast men turned into pack animals.

He led her out to the street and even opened her car door for her.

It was the first time in history that had ever happened.

She knew where it was coming from.

As much as they got on each other nerves both Santiago and Gabby had each other’s back.

He was concerned about Gunner, just like Frankie and Sebastian and she understood why. Gunner didn’t know where the line was sometimes, but she knew he wasn’t dangerous. Sure, he could be greedy but if he didn’t know what he was transporting.

They were golden.

Gabby and Santiago were on the road for maybe twenty minutes before anyone spoke 

“Where did you meet this guy?”

“He was smuggling ivory out of Africa when we were there”

“He was smuggling ivory?” Santiago laughed “A little old fashioned don’t you think?”

“It’s still huge. You’d be surprised. It’s still happening, it’s just more difficult now. Then he was smuggling cigarettes into Bosnia from Montenegro. I was in Bosnia, about to go to the Central Africa”

“So, he is a smuggler?”

“Isn’t that what we need?”

“Can we trust him?”

“Enough”

“What does that mean?”

“I have more on him than he does on us, and he knows I’m willing to use it. Frankie’s involved and Sebastian’s involved. Gunner knows the lengths I’m willing to go to keep them safe”

“He’s not going to cross a line?”

“I doubt it”

“Okay”

“Why?”

“He seems a little creepy?”

“Have you been you been talking to Frankie?” she laughed

“One thing that Frankie will always worry about is your safety. Especially, after everything you two have been through. Sebastian seems to feel the same way”

“You’ve met him. What do you think?”

“I think he wants you”

“He can want me all he likes and give us a plane when we need it”

“Gabby”

She quickly looked over at him

“It’s going to be fine, Garcia. I promise. I can handle him”

There was so much more he wanted to say. So much that he wanted to ask but he knew it wasn’t his place.

So, he just kept on driving.

 

#

 

Once they had pulled up to the house she was climbing the front steps before she looked at her watch

“Crap. Crap,Crap. Crap!”

Santiago watched her confused as she raced up the stairs taking two at a time then disappearing.

“They have a date in an hour” Benny told him

“With Sebastian?”

“No, with The White Rabbit”

Santiago gave him an annoyed look and shook his head

“I hate that Gunner guy”

“I know” Frankie agreed

“He’s all handsy and in her space and she feed into it”

“Technically she is using him” Will told them “So that would make sense”

“What does he want out of it?” Frankie asked worry all too clear in his voice

“He didn’t say”

They all hoped that money was enough. She was right. How much money was enough

Forty-five minutes later Sabastian walked down the stairs in a suit, minus the tie. Slicked back hair and already for their night

“You guys going to be alright here for the night?”

“We’ll be alright” Will reassured him “We won’t burn the place down”

They all heard a pair of heels click down the stairs slowly, carefully before Sebastian offered her his steady hand.

All four of them gawked at her. She looked so different all dolled up. Hair curled, full face of make up, heels and a satin lavender dress which was backless, all but a flimsy satin ribbon barely but not even tying it all together.

She couldn’t believe that he had kept it all this time.

All her clothes were still here

Will looked at Santiago, then looked at his brother. Benny smirked and looked at Santiago’s expression of pure shock and awe.

“Are you guys going to be alright for a little while?”

“Don’t worry” Frankie told her, kissing her on the cheek

“Now” Will said to Sebastian “You have her home by eleven”

“Yes, Dad” she answered

They watched them walked out of the house. Arm in arm.

They got a full fifteen minutes into the evening before Santiago suggested they to were going out on the town for a drink.

They locked the front door behind them.

Santiago could still smell her perfume

#

 

It took them two hours and a few clubs till they found Gaby and Sebastian on the dance floor, lit up by lights.

It took three of the guys some time to find her but not Santiago. She hadn’t look so carefree since she landed. She was laughing and smiling.

She caught them by the corner of her eyes. It was actually hard to miss them. They all clearly came across as military. Something about their presence, their stance.

They weren’t fooling anyone.

It was kinda funny.

Sebastian and Gabby parted ways on the dance floor. He picked another partner up in five second because that’s the type of place it was and Gabby just walked up to her guys at the bar.

Frankie was getting distracted by the lights. Will was watching all the exits and Benny was chatting up a girl

Like she could expect anything else

“In all the clubs, in all the world” she teased Santiago “Coincidence?”

“Caracas is smaller than you think”

“It has over two million people”

“Well, that’s good since we’re trying to hide”

“Go buy a pretty girl a drink” she told him “Take her for a spin. You might like it”

She made her way back through the crowd and back on to the dance floor where she was going to stay for the rest of the night.

At least that was the plan

It was only few hours later, just when they were getting comfortable and dare, they say it, complacent in their surroundings.

When suddenly shots rang out at the front of the club and the place changed completely. The only calm people were standing at the bar. Will waved her over, Sebastian grabbed her and dragged her through the panicked crowd.

 

As her feet hit the street someone grabbed her free hand and dragged her in the other different direction.

“Garcia” she protested

“We’re going to spilt up. Will and Frankie are going to go with Sebastian. You’re coming with us”

“Why?” she asked looking at Sebastian

“Luna, go”

She stood there watching the three of them jog away

“Will” she called out

She didn’t finish the sentence, but Will heard it

My whole life is with you, protect them

“I know” he called back to her.

She swore under her breath and let Santiago drag her away down the street.

#frankie morales #romanticism #santiago garcia #triple frontier #will miller #benny miller #netflix #santiago garcia x oc #ben miller #charlie hunnam #pedro pascal #garrett hedlund #oscar isaac #the chain

[emberfrostlovesloki]

Aaron Fanfiction Analysis [an essay]

Photo credits: Left (Google) Center (@themoontaxi) Right (@citronplume)

A/N: I don’t know how many of you followed my page to read some academic work, but here we are, and I’d love it if you stick around to give this a read if you are so inclined. I recently read Rome’s @criminalskies story about a BAU reader who is feeling dysphoric due to being on their period during a long case. Aaron provides them comfort, and they come out to him. The link to that story can be found here (link). While I was reading it, I was so enamored that I started taking notes. If I like something, I take notes. After finishing it, I simply had to think about the literary devices being used, and this essay was born. I asked Rome if they were okay with this, and they agreed (thank you!). Then I finished the essay, and I asked if I could share it here too. Again, Rome agreed. Obviously, after Roland Barthes and The Death of the Author and all that. We understand that reading is subjective. This is just my little take on their story. Everyone reads and understands things differently. I thought I’d just share my thoughts with you. If nothing else, please check out Rome’s page and this story. They are a joy to know and be friends with. I'm currently working on an Emily fic and and an Aaron fic, so those will be out soon too. I hope you all have a lovely end of your weekend, and I’ll see you soon  - Levi. 

You can read the essay below the cut

Word Count: 3.1K 

Content Warnings: Dysphoria and body image issues

List with all stories

P.S. I did the ungodly thing, and I printed this fanfiction on paper for the sake of annotations and in-text citations. 

Fanfiction is a Gift 

When someone who is not very familiar with the concept of fanfiction hears the term fanfiction brought up in conversation,  there is a knee-jerk reaction to assume that this type of writing is not very good writing and that those writing it are teenagers. Both of those things may be true of some fanfiction writers. However, to address the quality of writing, if something is being written, no matter what skill level it is at, that is practice. Practice makes us better writers of all of us. So there will be no complaint about quality from me on that count. But there are other types of fanfiction writers as well. There are adults who consume content and adore it so much that they want to add their voice to the narrative. They bring themselves open and willingly to the space. They share their stories with others to read and enjoy. Often, these writers are more inclusive than the content of the original material. After all, books, T.V. shows, movies, and all other entertainment media are made by the studios for one purpose -- money. The top executives of networks and streaming services are happy to discontinue a beloved show if it is not making a profit. Now some shows are disappearing entirely for tax write-off purposes. The mainstream shows that stay ongoing for years must appeal to the everyman. This often means inclusivity is not a top goal of the creators. This leaves many marginalized groups out. These often include LGBTQIA+, minorities, those who are disabled, and those with non-thin body types. It might come as a surprise to David Saslav or Sam Levinson, but not everybody looks like the characters on their platforms and shows. There has been a push for media to be more inclusive, and we see this in shows like Good Omens, Our Flag Means Death, and What We Do In The Shadows, but the number of these shows pales in comparison to the mainstream media. Serial shows like Criminal Minds is one of those shows. The F.B.I. drama hosts a cast that is not very diverse, and topics of sexuality, racism, police brutality, and other pressing issues are addressed only briefly during the show’s sixteen-season run. This is where fanfiction writers bridge the gap. Writers allow themselves and others to be included in that world, with those characters. This writing is cathartic to many. It is healing what the mainstream refused to address. This is why fanfiction is a gift. To highlight how strong some fanfiction writers are, and the power they have over language, a literary analysis will be done on a recent story published on Tumblr. The author, Rome, was completing a request for a story involving the BAU team leader, Aaron Hotchner, and a non-binary member of the team who is feeling dysphoric during their period. Rome responded to that request with a masterpiece. The untitled story uses diction and tone to demonstrate how the reader feels embarrassed and frustrated by the situation they are placed in, pacing and juxtaposition are employed to highlight how time in the show and on a personal level seem to warp and change given the circumstances, lastly, characterization is used for the reader and Aaron to display how their dynamic changes by the end of the story. 

The story starts in medias res, with the team attempting to solve a slew of murders in Louisiana. The team is stumped and tired. An argument breaks out between the reader and Dr. Reid. Here a variety of loaded words are brought up, including, “irritable,” “overdrive,” “annoyingly,” “hope,” and “exhausted” (Rome, 1). The use of these emotions sets the tone early on for the piece. This is not a fun or happy situation. The argument that takes place in the precinct highlights this, as the reader says, “‘Reid. Correct me based off something you read in the textbook I wrote one more goddamn time and I will see how far that giant brain of yours really is from your skull.’” (Rome, 2). The violent nature of the statement and the use of an expletive evince the tension in the room. Derek Morgan’s attempt to comfort adds no help, as he calls the reader “Mama” twice (Rome, 2). Morgan’s use of gendered terms only makes the reader more angry as they identify as non-binary but has not told the team yet. It is only Aaron who helps them calm down and moves them out of the room. The tone shifts from one of anger from the reader to concern from Aaron. As it turns out, not only is the reader exhausted, but has also started their period; thus the excess of emotions. Embarrassed, they move to the restroom and begin sobbing in pain from the cramps and identity crisis. Aaron moves into the space and immediately he becomes concerned as he hears his, seasoned, agent crying out in pain. He enters the bathroom stall and attempts to understand what’s happened. As he asks questions, the reader notes that his tone is “delicate” and “so laced with concern” (Rome, 7). Aaron embraces the reader to offer physical comfort in a situation that is clearly distressing to both of them. After a few moments, Aaron notices that the reader is holding the crumpled plastic of a pad. The realization hits him and “the penny finally drops, and he can understand why you were so volatile earlier” (Rome, 8). He still does not understand why the reader is so upset but true to his character on the show, he does not try and guess at an answer. He is compassionate at this moment. There is another tonal shift from care and concern to humor as the story lightens its tone. 

The reader has asked Aaron to go back to the hotel, and he readily agrees. The reader asks Aaron, who is driving,  to stop at a convenience store to get some needed supplies for their menstruation. They arrive at a store and the reader attempts to go in themself, but Aaron has none of it. He is told what the reader needs and moves into the store himself. While Aaron is very good at meeting the needs of the team, when he is faced with the choice of period products, he is suddenly at a loss. His experiences with his ex-wife does not help him much, and seeing him flustered like this brings a lightness to the story. As he faces down the tampons, he speaks aloud, “‘Light, ultra light, regular, overnight, sport, active, everyday, heavy, ultra max… shit’” (Rome, 12). Without wanting to disturb the reader, he gets one of every kind along with some comfort snacks. When the manly cashier makes a comment about women and “‘shark week’” Aaron responds, “Funny, sharks rather like eating invertebrates,” as he walks out the door (Rome, 14). There is one last major shift from humor to an understanding of passion and joy. The start of this shift is when, at the hotel, Aaron attempts a joke, saying, “‘I feel like it might be a human rights violation to deny a menstruating woman her sleep’” (Rome, 16). The use of gendered language, especially from Aaron, makes the reader uncomfortable in their body again. Aaron notices the shift and checks in to see if the reader is okay. He ends up joining them in their room. After the reader is changed, he perceptively states, “‘I can tell one moment you’re completely fine and the next it’s like you’re forty feet from your own body” (Rome, 19). By saying this, the reader reveals how they have been feeling over the past few months. That they feel their body and gender are not aligned. They note that they had hesitated to say anything for fear of being viewed differently and making work for Aaron. Aaron could care less. He is overjoyed that the reader is revealing their true self to him. Aaron states, “I am so, so happy, that I’m someone you’re comfortable to talk about this with’” (Rome, 21). The conversation continues for a while longer and there is an understanding between Aaron and the reader and real delight from Aaron in being pulled into the loop. The story finishes with a moment of intimacy and self-reflection from Aaron as he holds the reader tight to his body. 

Criminal Minds normally follows a villain, or Unknown Subject [heretofore unsub] of the week. This provides a steady narrative arc for each of the episodes: a case is announced, the team debriefs, arrives at the location of the crimes, the team creates a profile, the team investigates, another murder or crime happens, the profile changes, the climax, and then the resolution, and closing monolog, as the team returns home on the jet. This structure is endemic in most police procedural shows and it provides a consistency to the narrative. Rome’s use of pacing is more dynamic and more personal. There is clearly a timeline for the team. They need to solve these cases as quickly as possible so less people die. There is an urgency in that. It pushes the team to the height of their emotions. This is mentioned early in the story as the case “stretched on for five days” with no leads (Rome, 1). In fact, time is often mentioned either in minutes or hours. As the fight breaks out between the reader and Derek the time is “1:15 in the morning.” This is one possible justification for the reader's outburst, but not the real one. Pace is brought up again as Aaron tries to understand what has happened. The reader realizes that their period coming has made them more emotional and they attempt to soothe Aaron. They realize, “[they’ve] gone from screaming to crying to comforting him in all under four minutes” (Rome, 3). The juxtaposition of emotions in such a short time frame has the audience focus on time. On the awkward encounter that has just happened. Pacing is also used to demonstrate Aaron’s care and devotion (even if he isn’t willing to admit to it) to the reader. As he kneels in a puddle on the bathroom floor, holding the reader, we are told, “He’s desperate to know what’s happened with you, but he will kneel here until his knees lock if it means you’ll tell him when you’re comfortable’” (Rome, 8). Aaron is such a stoic character and to see him acting so tenderly, going as far as getting his expensive suit dirty, and his willingness to be in pain shows the audience how much he cares about the reader. The fact that he is willing to be in pain, while the reader is in agony demonstrates his commitment to them. Aaron is one of the oldest members of the team, thus, his kneeling on, cold, hard, tile is not great for his joints. The lowered body position does end up affecting him when he does get up, we are told he  “[lets] out a tiny groan as he stands up” (Rome, 9). The fact that they are both in pain ties the two together in an unspoken way. Aaron both in voice and action going forward, reassures the reader that he is thinking of them. Trying to get them to the hotel and comfort as quickly as possible. He makes statements like, “I won’t be a moment” to let the reader know he is cognizant of time and their discomfort. He drives efficiently, walks with determination, and does his best to be quick at finding the right tampon for the reader. The pacing takes a final turn as they enter the hotel. The times of events have slowly been shortening. These time frames move from days at the beginning of the narrative, to the possibility of hours on bent knees at the middle, and close with small moments. The reader tells Aaron, “Just one second,” as they prepare to change (Rome, 19). When the reader's real identity is revealed to Aaron, in an instant, moves, “[a] large pair of hands flys across the space between you on the bed” (Rome, 20). At the end, in their moment of intimacy, Aaron reflects on his admiration, and love, as the reader takes “short breaths” on his upper arm (Rome,  22). The juxtaposition of these time frames and pacing paired with the emotions of anger, then humor, and finally love leaves the audience feeling comfort and peace with Aaron. 

The main crux of this story is the fact that the reader is feeling heightened dysphoria due to their period and hiding this fact about them from the team and more importantly, from Aaron. Thus the characterization of both the reader and Aaron changes and develops a good deal over the twenty-two pages of text. The reader starts out unsure of why they are so angry. Why has this case been so trying on them that night? The reader is at this point unaware of the unwanted, excruciating bleeding that will start soon. The reader is observed with “eyes welling up seemingly out of nowhere as you note that you are definitely not okay, You just don’t know why” (Rome, 3). Once they are aware of their period coming, the reader is not comforted by the fact. The bodily bloodshed only emphasizes that they do not belong in the body they inhabit. The reader notes, 

The anticipation, your monthly [a] reminder of who you are forced to be, looming right in front of you. When you can feel your grasp on emotions slip just a little bit and those little voices in your head gain a little too much power. The thoughts of how your body doesn’t look anything close to who you feel you are. Rome 5

These painful external reminds pushes the reader to do things they don’t enjoy. To try and conform to some gender norm that does not align with them. The reader has gone as far as wearing makeup to appear more feminine, but all that accomplished was to make them feel like they were “playing a part… wearing a mask,” and “keeping up a facade with the team” (Rome 6). This discomfort continues but is slightly alleviated when Aaron comes to understand that they are on their period, and he reacts with care and compassion instead of a reprimand. At the hotel, the reader is upset again by Aaron's unintentional gendered words. In the bathroom of their hotel room. The shape and feel of their body bothers them, as they look in the mirror and think, “how miserable the stranger in the mirror looks” (Rome, 17). Not even putting on more comfortable clothes is helping, as their thighs appear more womanly in the stretchy fabric. It is not until the revelation is made that the reader’s gender identity lies between the male-female binary, that they fully relax. When they notice the “genuine joy radiating from Aaron,” they know they can fully be themself around him (Rome, 18). And still, the pain persists, but in Aaron’s gentle embrace, they can finally rest. Aaron goes through a similar character transformation. Even at the beginning of the story, it is never stated that he is mad at the reader. He is just very concerned. He is as baffled as the reader as to why they are acting as they are. His thoughts mimic the readers as he thinks, “You're clearly very volatile and on edge. He just can’t figure out why?” (Rome, 3). The parallel in emotions is a foreshadowing of the feelings that Aaron will have at the end of the text. The sound of the reader crying intensifies those latent emotions. As Aaron holds the reader close to him for the first time that night, he thinks that “he couldn’t care less about the surroundings, his hand finding the back of your head to hold you close to his aching heart” (Rome, 4). He continues to be concerned and his emotions are pulled, as he only wants to bring the reader some relief. He is eager to help monetarily by buying an array of period products and painkillers. This is a help, but Aaron wants to physically comfort his agent. His distress over the reader even finds voice in anger, as he insults a burly man unwilling to interact with his partner during her time of the month. At the hotel, there is more comfort for the reader, but he can still see pain in them. This pain is less associated with their period. When he asks for clarity for his own sake, he grows nervous: “He silently prays you aren’t about to begin an interrogation” (Rome, 18).

When all is finally made known, he is ecstatic. As the reader states that they fear their new identity might be a burden to him and the team, he is quick to say, “I want to make you feel as comfortable as I am able to accommodate” (Rome, 18). And in the end, Aaron is able to provide that physical comfort again as he acts as a living heating pad. He envelopes the reader in his body, his warmth. And as he begins to drift off to sleep, he questions his emotions once more, asking the rhetorical question, “Right?” as he sleeps (Rome, 22). Aaron’s character arc is centered around his care of the reader and his feelings for them. There is no dramatic “I love you” but the outpouring of small gestures and care given by Aaron to the reader clearly displays his love of them in all their complexity. 

There are so many other literary devices that are used here such as simile, personification, descriptive language, and imagery. However, the elements examined here felt the most weighty. Held the attention longer. When reading and rereading this work, many times I thought, “God, I wish I was the reader!” And here is the great delight in fanfiction -- you are the reader! Inclusive fanfiction belongs to everyone who wants to be involved. Not all fanfiction attempts this. Not all fanfiction is a reader insert or “x reader” as it is often seen on Tumblr, but to live in a time where such care is given to those often standing on the outside is amazing. It is kindness and care just like Aaron comforting and accepting the reader is kindness and care. I do not mean to say that all media, be it books, movies, or TV shows is not inclusive. Some of it is, and I’m glad for that, but much of the time diversity is added as a bonus, so the creators can pat themselves on the back and say, “We’ve got that group covered at least.” I will continue to give praise to those who give so much of themselves for everyone else. Fanfiction really is a beautiful thing.

#criminal minds #ssa aaron hotchner #fanfiction #reader insert #aaron hotcher #hotch #literary analysis #fanfic analysis #i love fanfiction #academic writing #me actaully using my degree #aesthetic #dark academia #writing #writing process #gender neutral reader #fanfic #cm fanfiction #it's giving freshman comp #i love Rome #writing is cool

[crystalitecloudie]

HEY KIIIIIDS

Do you like Genshin SAGAU?

Do you like Reverse Genshin SAGAU, in which self-aware characters come to our world?

If so, you may be entitled to financial compensation-

... /j. That was a joke. Now laugh. Please.

Really though, I would like to introduce to you the Genshin Dystopian AU (Masterlist is below).

Genshin Dystopian AU is still a concept in progress -- but in short, you get to live the teyvat experience without actually going to Teyvat.

Pretty neat, huh?

In long, everybody is living normal lives, when Celestia suddenly imposes an announcement on everyone in the world. They say that they will start an experiment, in which seven high schools/universities that meet the proper requirements will be sealed away from the world. A magical barrier will surround them, preventing them from leaving the campus grounds, but still allowing them to have contact with the outside world through technology. Each school is based around a different region, and each has its own elemental archon chosen to go with it.

Yes, there are two set protagonists for this AU (Blanc Sylvester and Mitsuki Hanehara), but this AU is easily applicable for readers and OCs.

I have posts explaining this concept further, so here is my masterlist for it. I will edit this as I add more posts.

EDIT DECEMBER 29TH 2022:

I have removed a lot of the colors in the text above. I found them to be annoying to readers, sticking out too much. I have also started my Reprise project. I recommend you read the Reprise posts for this AU, not the old posts. The Oneshots go with the Reprise Lore Posts. Thank you!

REPRISE Lore Posts:

Introduction Post: The Base Concept, Mondstadtia Culture, Mondstadt School Layout, and General Description of Freed Mondstadtia -- here!

Story Post One: A more in-depth look at the story of Arcs One and Two -- here!

OLD Lore Posts:

Parts 1, 2, and 3: The Base Concept, Mondstadtia Culture, and Mondstadt School Layout -- here!**

Part 4: Mondstadt Character Bios + Hydro Archon -- here!

Part 5: Other Five Archons' Bios/Names of the other five regions -- coming soon!*

*(Edit Dec. 2022) -- With the Reprise Project, this is not coming out.

Oneshots/Side Stories:

A Decision of Paths: Mondstadtia Oneshot -- here!

** -- The first three parts are all in one place bc at the time, I didn't know how to link posts onto a particular part. There's also no "read more" tab for that post... oops.

EDIT -- I have added a read more tab for the older three chapters. I still recommend looking at the Reprise Project version, and not the old version.

Back to the Grand Masterlist

#x reader #genshin impact #genshin headcanons #genshin au #genshin sagau #genshin impact sagau #genshin dystopian au #genshin fanfic #genshin oc #imposter sagau #sagau imposter au #reverse isekai #isekai #dystopian au #mondstadt school #mondstadtia #romance ig #im too tired for this #mitsuki hanehara

[softguarnere]

hello! :) i'm working on a bob fanfiction right now, and i wanted to know if you had any tips for aspiring bob fanfic writers (or if you had talked about this before?) i'm especially curious what you have to say about balancing the historical accuracy of the story vs deviations from history, as well as how to weave an oc into the original plot of the show while still keeping the content fresh and (somewhat) original

oh! and also how you go about doing your research (if you do any)

your writing is a huge inspiration to me, so thanks so much!! i hope you have a good day :D

Hi Anon! I answered something similar here if you want to check that out

Aside from just going for it and having fun with it, I do have some thoughts (everybody act shocked), but I'll try to keep it concise 🤗

Balancing historical accuracy with fiction

First and foremost, I feel like it's helpful to point out that Stephen Ambrose made some mistakes in BOB. Not trying to disparage his name or anything, just to be clear! Several of the men (Speirs, Shifty) pointed out mistakes he made about them in the book.

Why am I mentioning this? Because I'm a historian and I'm annoying about it lol Because the historical narrative we're drawing our inspiration for fics from isn't a narrative that everyone agrees on -- then again, good luck finding one that people do, but I digress -- I think it gives some wiggle room for bending the story a bit to make it work for the narrative that we as writers are trying to create

Similarly, I feel like it's important to invoke the disclaimer that many of us put on our fics: these stories about fictional representations from a show (though it is based on real people and events)

In the end, we're all taking liberties with the narrative for the sake of our writing. Most people in the fandom probably won't bite your head off if you use plotlines that are alternate histories because most of us are doing them, too -- and a lot of writers here have some very cool ideas and plots with alternate histories that are really good reads!

At the end of the day, don't feel pressured to stick directly to the historical narrative. After all, we're writers -- having imagination is what we do

Weaving an OC into a well-known narrative

Oh boy. I'm not sure if there's a great way to answer this. Personally, I knew who my OC was, what her background, wants desires, etc. were, and then I just sort of . . . set her free into the story? There are moments directly from the show where I wove her in and made her a part of that scene, and then there are interactions and plotlines that I came up with myself.

Honestly, it probably depends on your plot and your character. No one really wants to read a re-write of BOB -- after all, that's why we're all out here writing fics with our own ideas and stories. However, if you feel that a certain scene would further your plot/advance your character, and that you can weave them into it, then go for it! It's all about how you write and what feels right to you for your story.

Research

Have I abused some of my historian privileges during my time in this fandom? Perhaps 👀 But if you don't have university archival access, never fear! There are still lots of good ways to research

In terms of background, I found that reading the memoirs and biographies of the Easy Company men was really helpful when figuring out how to write them. It was also good for learning stories and experiences that did not make it into BOB. Watching interviews with them on YouTube and watching interviews with the actors was also extremely helpful for things like speech cadence, mannerisms, etc.

Definitely branch out, though! I was lucky in that I had to do some projects about WW2 around the time that I joined the fandom, so researching different aspects of the period was helpful for me when I started writing. Don't feel like you have to rush out and read every WW2 book or watch every documentary, but it can definitely help with learning different perspectives and experiences, as well as providing context.

If you ever want book recommendations, feel free to reach out! Especially if you need book recs about paratroopers in general, because I have a whole shelf space dedicated to those haha

Lastly, thank you so much for the lovely compliment, Anon -- and thank you for trusting me enough to reach out! 🥹 Feel free to reach out if you ever want to chat, and I look forward to reading what you write in the future 💕

(Other BOB writers feel free to add on!)

#'just go for it' I sound like the Nike catchphrase and I am sorry for that - but also not really because that is my writing philosophy #band of brothers #writing advice #asks #anonymous

[her-satanic-wiles]

Hellooo, curious anon here! I had a couple of questions regarding your commissions. I wanna request something through there someday and I just wanna be sure of a couple of things ☺️

The first, what are some topics you will NOT write for? Or are you comfortable with writing about anything?

Secondly, for the multi-part fics, what would the writing process look like between you and the person who requested it? I know each story is different, but how often would you and the person keep in touch, and would the two of you brainstorm the story and fix all the plot pieces together?

I firmly believe everybody should make a living being a fanfic writer! You guys work so hard creating the best content, you deserve it! 👏🏻👏🏻 I checked the prices and, lemme just say, if I had $1,000 I would gift it to you in a heartbeat ❤️ If possible, I’d gladly give you $20 every week after requesting a multi-part fic. I love your stories and I wanna help out as much as possible with supporting you! Keep up the fantastic work!! 🫶🏻

Hello, beautiful! Thank you so much for the ask. Thank you for your consideration of the requests! I hope, one day, to see you in my commissions!

Answers are under the read more!

To answer your first question, I'm comfortable writing most things with the exception of super extreme things like necrophilia, beastiality, underage, scat, or emetophilia. If we're talking bodily fluids, then I limit it to blood, cum or piss. But those I'm happy to write pages on. 💀

Secondly, the process is different from person-to-person. I have one person who gives me a general overview of the story and says, "Here you go." And then leaves. I have another person who has given me detailed plot, and character personalities and knows exactly what they want, and I usually send them each chapter as it's finished, and they make changes as they see fit. It all depends on you and what you're comfortable with.

I do usually have a word limit and try to stick to it, but I have been known to get carried away. So if I break the word limit then that's on me, but if you ask for more once I've finished the fic then I will ask you to tip me an extra £2 for 1,000 words. Anything more than that it will be roughly commission prices: £5 for 2,000, £10 for 5,000 and so on and so on.

Members of my monthly subscription get a discount when they commission anything. This is applied automatically at checkout.

Also, I need to clarify, I do not under any circumstances take requests and commissions from minors.

With any commission, the 2k word ones included, I always ask the following questions:

1. What pronouns would you like the reader to have? (All are welcome.)

2. Smut, fluff, or angst? (Mix n' match.)

3. If you want smut, do you have preferred genitalia you'd like me to write? Or would you rather I kept it ambiguous?

4. Are there any kinks you want me to include? (I won't write scat, necro, beastiality or underage.)

5. Are there any kinks or scenarios you DON'T want me to include? Do you have any specific triggers you need me to avoid?

6. Would you like to remain anonymous?

These are the most important questions I will ever ask. For one of my commissioners, he wanted he/him pronouns with cisfem genitalia, but asked me not to include certain aspects into the smut, which I am more than happy to do as long as you're available to answer my questions and let me learn about your identity and comfort levels. Obviously, this can be a very intimate thing depending on what you're asking for. Your comfort is top priority.

If you wanted to commission something (were a member of the Bishop tier or higher), but didn't know what you wanted, I have a list of everything I want to write uploaded and frequently updated on my Kofi. This is here because commissions take priority, and it means that I won't get around to my stuff for a long, long time. So, if you liked the sound of something and wanted it out faster, then you're free and able to commission it.

That's so kind of you to say about fan fiction writers making a living off their work, and believe me, if I could, then I would. I'd love to be a stay-at-home freelance writer who doesn't have to leave the house if I don't want to. I'm getting tired of people irl. 😭

Even just reading and reblogging my stuff is support enough, and I can't thank the people who do that enough. I'm genuinely so honoured that people like my stuff enough to sit there and read it all, request more, and patiently wait for the next one. Thank you so, so much - truly!

I hope this helps!

#mel answers #curious anon #commission FAQs

[ashes-writing]

wild one pt ten | stranger things ; g.emerson

tag list babes || req rules / fandoms+characters || send ?s || masterlist

CHAPTERS ; 

one + two + three + four + five + six + seven + eight + nine can all be found by clicking. stranger things masterlist is here.

AUTHORS NOTES;

Yeah, I know okay? I knowww. This story still has a chokehold on me though, so yeah I'm still writing it. This is just one more bit of filler before school begins for everybody. More fluff because I need it like I need air. That being said, there will be stress and angst and other little things here and there, so uh.. Please don't hate me if/when those start happening, 'kay?

Huuuge hugs and so much love to everyone who is actually still reading this fic of mine + any of my other writing because honestly when I came back and decided that maybe it was okay to share again, I was doing it with nothing more than the intent to get it out there and out of my head and I'll be honest, I still very much am. So all the interaction oh my god, you guys have me blown away, seriously. Like.. i can't even begin to express it -or thank you all enough.

SUMMARY;

-- cheerleaders and drummers/freaks don't mix. Or so it's been said. We'll see how this goes for these two, senior year is nothing if not stress-filled.

PAIRING;

Gareth Emerson x Fem!Reader

{ beyond outfits , side characters, glasses, female parts and personality, i triiiiied to make her blank, i s2g. i'm still learning and transitioning from OC to reader inserts }

WARNINGS;

an overload of fluff. awkward parental meetings but also cute (Gareth meets the dad). swearing. just cuteness here, not too much to worry about.

TAGLIST;

@allelitesmut

@aries-arcade

@aurumbelis

@cole22ann

@chieflawyerpastatoad

@ebonybloom

@fandomfreakforever

@hcloangcls

@heyaitsklaudia

@hoeshii

@hotgirlsshareaccounts

@krys-orion

@letsbedragonstogether

@louderfortheback

@musichealsscars

@oflavenderandevie

@scoobiessnacks

@suits-and-smirks

@secretsicanthideanymore

@thechoiceslookgrimm

@untitledarea are the only names on my stranger things taglist. if you'd like to be added please click the link up top or let me know.

OTHER STUFF;

Gareth has been aged to 18. The Upside Down has never existed here, this is slice of life stuff. That means Starcourt Mall exists and so does Benny's Diner and all the other places that were destroyed in the past. It also means absolutely no deaths and writer, making up her own weird attempt at an interesting plot, lol.

He’s nervous as hell about meeting your father. One, he’s never had to meet a girls parents before and two, he’s never been brought home as the boyfriend before. Third and final, your father is just a little intimidating, just a little imposing at about 6’1 with the burly muscles of a former athlete. Add to that that he’s been to jail before and yeah… Gareth Emerson is very intimidated, very nervous. 

He’s been standing on the step for nearly a minute, working on pulling himself together. He knocks and the door is thrown open by Max. He can hear the sounds of a race full blast on the television and Max nods to your closed bedroom door.

Inside the bedroom, you are frantically trying to at least clean a little so that Gareth doesn’t take one look at the space and realize he might just be dating an actual gremlin or something like that. You don’t hear Max when she calls your name over the full blast sound of your radio. Out in the living room, Max nudges Gareth and nods to your closed door. “She really likes you. She never even tries to clean her room, man.”

Gareth chuckles. But Max’s statement kind of sticks with him and as he lingers in the hallway, he’s smiling to himself just a little more.

“Go on, she’s not gonna mind.”

You’re just about to try tossing a heap of clothing into your closet when you turn and find yourself body to body with Gareth. And you’re blushing. Gareth’s eyes dart around, taking in the chaos that is your bedroom. The books all over the place, candles everywhere, posters for movies ranging from horror movies he recognizes to some movie he’s never even heard of but the poster has a black Trans Am similar to your car. 

The stuffed animals on your bed have him chuckling and you biting your lip and fidgeting as you try to stand so that you’re blocking his view, pouting at him as you lightly swat at his chest. “Hey!”

“It’s cute, baby.” Gareth is quick to reassure you and it really does help. You know Wes is only teasing because he’s your dad and he loves you, but he’s forever giving you shit about your softer side because he’s just not the best at being a girl dad.And you love him to pieces, but these are facts.

You smile a little. “Smart answer, baby. Because they weren’t going anywhere.” you gaze up at him when you say it. He laughs and shrugs. 

He spots your crossbow and picks it up, a brow raised.

All you do is shrug. “Wes, he ah.. He got it in his head a few years ago that he was going to take up hunting. Apparently, this meant that I, too, was going to pick it up. So we both got crossbows, we both learned to use said crossbows and now they just kind of sit around. Because ultimately, when he realized that hunting involved sitting outside in the cold and hours of waiting, he couldn’t be bothered.

“Yeah, remind me not to make you mad near this.” Gareth is teasing and you shrug, laughing softly. “To be fair, my aim is probably shit. I haven’t shot it in like.. Four years now?” you’re shuffling your feet against the thin carpet. “As you can see, I’m a mess. I was uh.. I tried to clean it up.” and you’re laughing softly. Gareth just shrugs. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Oh yes, yes I did. Trust me, before I did it was at least fifteen times worse.” you sweep your arms out to gesture at the chaos and disorder of the pale pink room you stand in the middle of and Gareth shrugs. “It wouldn’t have mattered.”

You hear your father booing a commercial and you grab hold of Gareth’s hand. You give him a reassuring smile because you can feel the tension rolling off him and you laugh softly. “Will you relax? He’s going to love you, okay?”

Gareth nods and swallows hard because he’s just not sure how this will go. He’s never been brought home by a girl to meet her parents. And he’s not entirely sure how to handle it now that he is. But it means so much to him that you want him to, it just further reassures him that you really mean it, that you really want to be his girlfriend and this won’t wind up hidden or something in a few days when school starts back.

You’re leading him into the living room, standing in front of the tv. Wes is nursing a Pabst and he looks from you to Gareth. You have a split second where you’re silently focusing all your will on Wes not playing to his inner antagonist tonight and scaring Gareth so much that he doesn’t want to come back around and you relax when your father nods and holds out a beefy and tattooed hand. “You the drummer? She’s always talking about you, kid. It’s nice t’ finally meet ya.” Wes rubs his chin and nods to you, “Gotta admit, I thought maybe she was makin y’ up, kid.”

“Oh my god, Wes!” you pout at your father. You can feel your face flame up and you palm your face. “Dude, that was not fair.” you pout at him. He chuckles and shrugs off the pout. “Your mama wasn’t a glassmaker, lil bit. Daddy can’t see the race.”

You step out from in front of the television and Wes chuckles. “It’s nice to meet you, kid. I’d tell y’ to treat her like a princess but I know my lil bit and I feel like maybe I should tell y’ good luck with that instead.” Wes is teasing you again and you stick out your tongue at him, shaking your head. “I’m not that bad, Wes, what the hell is today? Pick on trouble day?”

“Just have to have a little fun with you, lil bit. So, what are you two up to today?”

“We’re going to the mall. They put out that horror movie I’ve been dying to see, finally.”

“See if Max wants a lift, would ya? She’s too young t’ be bikin all over, especially by herself.” your father nods to Max’s bedroom door as he gives you a grin. 

“Yeah, I’ll ask.” you smile. You know what Wes is up to, you can almost sense it in his smirk. And since things are going reasonably well, you walk back to Max’s room to ask if she wants a lift anywhere since you’re about to leave.

And out in the living room, Wes chuckles, gazing at where Gareth is standing as he nods to the sofa. “Grab a seat kid, you’re makin me nervous with the hovering.” Gareth sits down on the end of the sofa and he’s staring intently at his hands. This situation being new to him and your father being intimidating, he’s not about to risk saying anything that might make your father dislike him.

He’s surprised when Wes glances back. “Trouble’s gon’ kill me but… you wanna see some cute but embarrassing shit, kid?”

Gareth nods and Wes grabs a photo album from a cheap and sagging entertainment center and holds it out to him. “Go on, it’s okay, kid. She’s gonna strangle me, not you.” Wes laughs and adds with a smirk, “But I’m her father, I can embarrass her now and then.”

Gareth laughs and flips through the photo album, stopping on a photo of you being held by the bartender at the Hideout. Wes chuckles and nods to it. “Angel’s an old friend. Basically stepped in and saved me from fuckin up the poor kid entirely when her ma just bailed for Nevada.”

“She really loves you. She doesn’t think you fucked up.” Gareth muses, gazing at the older man with the graying braid and beard. Wes rubs his face and nods. “I know, just.. I was the last person who shoulda been trusted with a kid back then, man, let alone a daughter.”

Gareth doesn’t say it, but he’s thinking to himself that maybe being your father helped you a lot. Because you’re not like most girls he knows, you’re not fake and you didn’t immediately become a bitch when you got in with a popular set of people. You’re really independent and he finds this really hot and infuriating at times in equal measure. And now that he’s seeing your softer side, he really thinks that your father should give himself a lot more credit.

But what floors him is when Wes adds quietly, “I really like you, kid. And I know she does too. Even if sometimes, she doesn’t say it a lot. She’s more of an actions person, ‘kay? Just between us men.” he’s trying to reassure Gareth that you do really seem to like him a lot and that he knows you well enough to know that whether Gareth realizes it or not, he’s become one of the few people you really let in.

He’s saying it as your father, in the hopes that you don’t wind up getting hurt for it later down the line.

Because as your father, he knows this is the first time you’ve really gotten attached to a person like this.

You spot the photo album on the table between your father and your boyfriend and you palm your face as you glance at your dad. “Seriously, Wes? You seriously show him all that shit? Why?”

Wes chuckles and shrugs. “Seemed like a good idea at th’ time, trouble. You’re flustered, so it amuses me.”

“Ugh!” you’re pouting. Shaking your head and your face is hot. You’re just hoping to hell Gareth didn’t get to the latter part of the photo album because when your awkward phase hit, it hit you hard. Like ten rounds in the ring with Muhammad Ali. And it didn’t actually let up until the tenth grade. 

“We’ll be back around like.. 10? 11?” you tell your father as you shove your keys into your pocket. Wes chuckles. “That works. Call if the movie runs over or something, kid. Take the tool kit! That damn car’s been iffy as hell lately!” your father calls out to you as you practically drag both Gareth and Max out the door of the trailer.

“I can literally die, right now. I can’t believe he showed you that.” you’re laughing and shaking your head. Gareth chuckles and shrugs. Smirking as he opens the door of the car up and nods to it, holding out his hand for your key.

“Excuse?” you’re pouting at him. Gareth laughs. “I’ll drive, alright, baby? You drive like you’ve got a thousand lives to spare.”

“I do not!”

“You actually kinda do.” Max pipes up from the backseat.

“You hush! You were okay with it when I was doing that burnout in the parking lot last week.”

“Yeah, because you made that stupid idiot frat boy choke on his words. But you behind the wheel is kind of scary.” Max laughs when she says it and you flip her off. “You got jokes today, do ya?” you’re teasing, laughing at her. “We’re supposed t’ be sisters, kid.”

You pout at them both but you place the keys in Gareth’s hand.

As you’re driving into town, Gareth chuckles. “It didn’t go as bad as I was thinking it would.”

You smile and nod, reaching out to caress his cheek. “I told you, didn’t I? I told you he only looks scary. He’s an actual giant baby.”

Gareth nods and laughs, the remainder of his tension back at your house melting away with the speed of light. You lace your fingers through his and lean back against the seat a little. “Max, did you want to go to El’s house or with us?”

“With you guys if it’s okay? El said she’d meet me there, Hopper is bringing her.”

You smile and nod. “Duh, of course it’s okay.”

She smiles at you. 

As you’re getting out at the mall, Gareth slips an arm around your waist and you lean into his side as you walk in through the entrance. When you spot Caroline and her two friends, you roll your eyes. Gareth tenses, because he’s just spotted Andy, Chance and Patrick.

You pick up on the tension and you glance up at him, leaning against him even more. “Relax, okay? Just don’t let them get in your head.” and Gareth nods, but old habits die hard and he’s struggling with something right now. The little nagging doubt that somehow, they’ll get in your head and everything will be over.

“I mean it, baby. Don’t let them get in your head.” you repeat quietly, cuddling against him even more. “I want you. I mean that. You’re too easy to read, alright? I know what you were thinking just now.”

“Okay, alright. I’m just, ah.” he chuckles, biting back a groan as you melt against him and gaze up asking softly, “Yeah, baby?”

“I’m not used to this.”

“Me either. But it’ll be okay. You just can’t let them get in your head, baby.” you reassure him, raising up to plant a kiss against his lips and he deepens it. Max grumbles from nearby and you stick out your tongue at her as the little kiss breaks. She’s spotted El, so she takes off in that direction and you laugh. “Like she’s got any room to grumble, the amount of times I’ve walked in on her with Sinclair all cozied up together on the couch in the living room.”

Gareth snickers about it and nods. You gape at the line still left ahead of you. “We could wait until another night to see this. I mean, we’re never gonna get a ticket at this rate, people keep jumping the line.” Gareth laughs and nods. “We could.”

“C’mon. Let’s just like.. Wander around.” you’ve grabbed hold of his hand and he laughs, nodding.

The mall isn’t his favorite place but being there with you makes it just slightly better.

#gareth emerson #gareth the great #gareth emerson imagine #gareth emerson fanfiction #gareth emerson x reader #gareth emerson x fem!reader

[deadratio]

(Ghost) Riders in the Sky Ch.6

Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x fem!reader

Summary: GhostRider was once considered one of the best naval pilots on the West coast. She was top of her class, and had the proof for the pudding. That all changed one day, though, when she and her very best friend are sent on a mission that turned deadly. She was never the same, and ran away from her problems. What will she do when she’s forced to face the demons that taunt her on a daily basis, and the man who she once thought she resented?

Word count: 2.0k

Warnings: Soft and sad tbh

A/N: Hey y'all! Here's chapter 6! I would like to thank everybody who has read my pic since I started it, I can't express how much I appreciate you!

Please be aware that this story, along with all of my others, will likely be on a hiatus beginning August 15th, which is when I begin my final semester for college! I will definitely still be working on my pics, just not as quickly as I would like.

I also apologize to those who I’ve tagged but it isn’t actually tagging. I don’t know how to fix it :’(

Happy reading! <3

Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Ghost woke up suddenly, lifting her head to observe her surroundings. She could only remember half the night, and it took her a moment to recall exactly what had happened and how she found herself tangled in Jake Seresins limbs. His breathing was soft and even, still asleep. She looked around briefly again, finding that they were thankfully both still clothed. She knew sometimes she could remove a clothing item or two in her sleep, and wouldn’t have been surprised if she had because of how hot they were laying on the blanket together. 

She slowly attempted to lift herself from between his arms and legs, knowing that she really had to pee, but also didn’t want to wake him up any earlier. She glanced over to the clock on the wall, finding the time reading 6AM. A sigh of relief left her lungs, thankful that they hadn’t overslept. 

Slowly but surely, she freed herself of the grip Jake had on her, pulling the blanket back over his chest. She tiptoed to the bathroom, thankful that she didn’t have to travel to the public restrooms. Finally able to relieve herself, Ghost washed her hands before stopping to think about how she was going to get herself back home in order to change into uniform. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the bathroom door, a very sleepy Hangman cracking the door slightly. “Hey, Ghost, I really gotta go, can I…” He said, his voice deep from sleep.

GhostRider could have melted at the sound, but she instead held herself together, nodding as she opened the door to exit. She then stood in his room, quickly finding her bag. She dug out the dress from the day before, looking to make sure Jake wasn’t leaving the bathroom before stripping her shirt and shorts off and slipping the dress on. 

She had just pulled the hem down to her knees when he entered the room again, running his hand through his hair. She couldn’t deny that he looked extremely handsome like this, not put together at all and almost disheveled-looking. They stood in a momentary silence before GhostRider opened her mouth.

“So, uh…I guess I have to get back to my house to change,” She started, licking her lips. “I know you left your truck at The Hard Deck, but is there any way we could try to get it?” She asked, biting her lower lip.

Jake studied her for a moment, noting how quickly she had gotten ready. Her hair was still in the bun from last night, a few loose strands sticking out now. He didn’t know exactly how she could look even more beautiful than she already did, but he had never seen her like this…It was a sight he wanted to get used to.

“Of course, Ghost. I don’t mind at all. Just let me get ready and we can get on our way.” He told her, turning towards the uniforms hung up. She nodded, neatly placing her garments back into her bag. She slipped her shoes on while she was at it. She heard Jake shuffling through his drawers, probably looking for a pair of underwear.

She finished getting her things all in line while he slipped back into the bathroom to change. She looked around the room, finding the makeshift cot on the floor as Jake had left it when he had gotten into bed. She decided it would be unkind of her to leave the bed the way it was, practically destroyed from the two of them sleeping in it. 

Moving quickly, she placed the pillows onto the duvet on the floor. She pulled the blanket to the top of the bed, smoothing it out. She wasn’t exactly sure how Jake liked his bed to be made, but made every effort to make it look neat. She moved the pillows back to their original location, next lifting the duvet from the ground, shaking it out. She was sure his floor was clean, considering the neatness of everything else, but knew that you could never be too sure. 

She folded the duvet into a long rectangle, setting it on the foot of the bed. She took a seat on the edge, tapping her feet on the floor. She knew he had to take his time to be presentable, she’s lived by the same rules for just as long as him. 

Jake sighed when he opened the bathroom door, looking up from the floor to see that his bed had been made, and the makeshift cot was gone. His eyes found Ghost’s, noting the nervous movement of her legs. He grabs a pair of socks from one of his drawers, pulling a pair of shoes from under his other uniforms. 

He sits next to GhostRider, his shoulder knocking hers. She looks up to him, finding him staring right back at her. She isn’t entirely sure she can kiss him just then, like she wants to. She faces away from him, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. She listens as he puts his shoes on, fumbling with her fingers in her lap. She feels his weight leave the bed and looks back up to him. She grabs her bag, standing with him.

“I already called for an Uber.” She told him, awkwardly waiting for him to initiate leaving. It wasn’t that she couldn’t, she just didn’t want to get caught leaving his room. 

Jake nods, making sure he has everything he needs before leading the way to the door. GhostRider follows behind him, stepping out after he opens the door. She glances in both directions and finds that nobody else has left their room yet, ever thankful for the grace of whatever god above granted her this peace of mind. 

Jake walks closely behind her as they make their way to the front of the base, knowing damn well that they would easily get spotted if anybody decided to take a morning run. Their trek is silent, the emotions from last night still hanging stale in the air between the two of them. 

The uber GhostRider ordered arrives shortly once they finally get to a place where they can be picked up, Jake opening the back passenger door for her. She nods to him in thanks, smoothing out her dress over her knees. Jake rounds the back end of the car, slipping in next to her.

The ride back over to The Hard Deck is just as quiet as it had been the night before, except this silence was something you could slice a knife through. 

GhostRider knew that she needed to talk to Jake about last night, to fully understand where they stood with each other. If they would go on with each other or go their separate ways after the mission. Jake looked over to her, admiring her features. He wanted nothing but to hold her in his arms forever, to be her guide and comfort in life. There was a mound of obstacles they would have to work through first, though.

They made it to The Hard Deck rather quickly, Jake leaving the driver another tip. They waved them off before turning to each other, GhostRider letting out a deep breath. She wasn’t exactly sure how to tell Jake that she wanted him for life, for eternity, as long as eternity was for the both of them.

“I’ll be right back, I’ve got to go get the keys from the lockbox.” He said to her, turning away to jog over to the box Penny would put leftover keys in from the night before. Jake had done this plenty of times, and the code clearly hadn’t changed from when he had done it last, the door opening to reveal his truck keys. 

GhostRider stood by the truck, admiring the deep blue color of it. It was a newer model Dodge, she wasn’t exactly sure which one though. She knew more about planes than she did trucks, but as long as it got her to and from this spot to her rental house she didn’t care.

Jake unlocked the doors, kindly moving to open the passenger door for her. Thanking him, she found it surprising that she didn’t struggle to get in, considering the height of the vehicle. He closed the door behind her, rounding the truck before hopping into the driver's side seat. He put her address into the GPS on the screen and pulled out of the parking lot.

Jake's mind raced as he drove to her rental, wondering exactly how things would go down now that they had both revealed their feelings for each other. He wanted her to know everything he ever thought about her, everything he loved and admired about her. But he knew she wasn’t ready, and wouldn’t be for a long time. 

GhostRider found serenity in watching the beach pass them by, the crashing ocean waves rippling in the morning sunlight. She felt comfortable in this position. Being in the passenger seat of Jake’s truck, riding past the beach…If only it could remain that way forever. 

The view quickly changed from the ocean and sandy beach to the suburban houses that surrounded her rental. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Jake clearing his throat, briefly looking over to her. She met his gaze before he returned his attention to the road. 

She didn’t want to say anything just yet. She wanted to get home and be in a place where she could safely talk to him about it all. She didn’t think talking to Jake about how she felt while he was driving would be the smartest idea, so she left it be until they pulled up to the house. 

She didn’t wait for Jake to open the door for her this time, a little too eager to get inside, into a more open space. He was hot on her trail, standing a little too close behind her as she opened the door. 

“G, please talk to me.” He said when they both entered, closing the door behind him. 

She barely stopped in her tracks, standing at the base of the staircase. She contemplated what to say to him, how to say anything to him at all…

“Jake, I just-” She started, turning to face him. “I just don’t know how to do it. How to give myself to someone, even if I want them so badly it’s almost painful. I haven’t been with anybody since before the incident, and I don’t even know where to start.” She told him,  holding back tears. She really needed to stop crying or else her eyes were going to go dry.

Jake looked at her somewhat shocked, mostly because she was revealing a part of herself that likely no other person had seen. He approached her, taking her hands in his. He rubbed circles into her soft skin, lifting them to press a gentle kiss to the backs of her hands.

“G, trust me when I say this,” He says, looking down at her. “I am here for you, and I always will be. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. If you wanted to kick me to the curb and say to hell with me, I would respect your wishes. If you want us to do…whatever it is we’re doing, we can take it slow. I don’t expect anything.” 

Ghostrider nodded her head, looking back up at him. “Jake, I can’t explain to you how much I appreciate that. I think I just need some time to think it over. I’m not asking you to step away, just back a little bit. I’m not quite ready.” 

Jake nods, releasing her hands. Ghostrider leans up to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, so much. I’ll see you later on base. I’ve got to get ready.” She told him, turning to go upstairs.

Jake smiled sadly at her before watching her disappear around the corner. He knew it would be better for her, but he couldn’t explain the pain it brought him to see how hurt she was after all these years. He would hold out for her, though. He would make sure that she was well aware that he was there for her, and support her in any way she would allow him.

Tag List:

 @littlewhiterose @alldaysdreamer @chaoticassidy @luckyladycreator2 @et-homephone @mediocremunge @ashes-136667​ @et-homephone @revengze​ @the-winter-marvel33​ @dempy​ @philiasoul​ @patdsinner33​ @spidey-d00d​ @certifiedsimp14 @bittergomez​

#Glen powell #glen powell x reader #glen powell fanfiction #glen powell fic #Jake seresin fic #jake seresin #Jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x y/n #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin x you #jake seresin x oc #topgun #top gun: maverick #top gun maverick #tgm #topgunmaverick #tgm fic #tgm fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun fandom #jake hangman seresin #hangman seresin x reader #hangman x you #hangman x reader #hangman seresin #hangman fanfiction #hangman fic #hangman x oc #top gun imagine #jake seresin imagine

[r-anela]

Way of Eternity

Hello everybody, after a while I have something to share with you again. A little story about Rockstar Eddie Munson, inspired by all the stories I read at @enam3l, because even though I don't write much at the moment, I do read a lot.

It's a little story about Eddie and his wife.

GIF is not Mine

It is 1995 and Eddie Munson has been invited to a talk show after winning the MTV Video Music Award - Best Rock Video with his band Corroded Coffin for their latest ballad "Way of Eternity".

It featured Eddie marrying a beautiful yet mostly in black covered woman, not with a priest of course they were married by the rest of the band members.

When he was asked to appear on the talk show, he knew that the questions would be about his relationship status. The world knew he had a girlfriend, but who exactly she was and what she looked like was only known to his closest friends. Because Eddie wanted to keep his girlfriend out of the spotlight, he wanted her life to be as normal as it could be. She should decide how far she wants to go in public.

Honey we have to leave soon, you know what the traffic is like at this time, you can't be late for the studio, you called into the living room where your husband, you still hadn't got used to it, Eddie Munson was sitting on the sofa plucking on his guitar. He raised his gaze briefly and his eyes lit up when he saw you. He didn't say anything, just stood up and walked towards you, took you by the hand and spun you around so he could look at your outfit from all sides.

You were wearing your new Vivien Westwood black velvet corset and skirt set, fishnet tights and pumps. It was nothing new that you dressed up, but Eddie hadn't seen you in a skirt or dress since the wedding as you always wore a pantsuit to work every day.

Tonight you would sit in the auditorium and support him, he didn't like talk shows that much as they mostly dealt with shallow topics.

A few hours later you were sitting in the auditorium and Eddie was still backstage, in a few moments he would be called on stage. And that's when the host announced "and our next guest is Edward Eddie Munson, lead singer and guitarist of the band Corroded Coffin". Your heart beat faster when you saw him on the stage, his curly hair cascading down his shoulders to the middle of his back and his black suit fitting perfectly over his crimson shirt which was unbuttoned to expose his chest tattoo.

Good evening Mr Munson, or may I call you Eddie? How are you this evening? The moderator's voice rang out.

After the first usual questions about how the band was doing, whether he knew and appreciated the other nominees for the award and whether he expected to win the prize, came the question Eddie had been waiting for all night.

Tell Eddie, in your new music video you marry a very mysterious lady, how is your personal life? How is your girlfriend?

My wife is fine, thank you for asking. At this statement a murmur went through the audience, the moderator pursed his lips and nodded expressively.

Oh, so we have a Mrs Munson now? How come the public didn't hear about this?

Eddie sat up straighter in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the crowd until he found you and smiled. But to everyone else it looked like he was just smiling into the cameras, with his love-struck gaze.

Our wedding was very small, a few weeks ago. Just with our closest friends in a cottage of our friends close to Yosemite National Park. And no she is not Mrs Munson she kept her name! With this statement a loud "Oh" went through the crowd and the moderator was about to ask a counter question when Eddie continued. You see, my wife is a successful lawyer and it wasn't me who graduated and studied all those hours, it was her, so we made the decision to just stick to her name.

Uh, I see, and what about children? Now that you are married, it shouldn't be too far off.

At this statement Eddie's ears turned slightly red and he felt warm with wrath, because he had already said that he liked children but probably didn't want any himself. Not to mention that these kinds of questions went absolutely against his nature. He made a sour face and replied.

As I said before, I personally don't want to have any children in the near future, my marriage hasn't changed that and if it does, it should also be my wife's decision, because she has to carry the child. We are already a family as we are and our close friends will complete it wonderfully. Besides, we are both on the road a lot because of our jobs, a child doesn't fit in with that.

Thank you Eddie for your honest answer said the moderator, you could tell he was uneasy about the situation. I have one more question for you Eddie, will we ever meet your wife?

Eddie started to grin again and just said

Maybe you already have, I'll just say that she's sitting in the audience today and always supports me in everything.

-------

Please also read the story's from @enam3l all of her work is just so good 🖤

#rockstar eddie munson #rockstar!eddie #eddie munson stranger things #eddie munson #eddie munson comfort #eddie munson story #eddie munson fiction #eddie munson fan fiction

[sparklecarehospital]

hey kittycorn and company, sorry for any agressive messages or anything scary you received from me (even tho the only insane thing i did was talking to uni like he was real /srs [he is tho /J])

i'm schizoprenic too. and autistic. aand a DID system. aaaand I have ADHD. aaand.... i discovered all of this like, 10 days ago. yay. /s

trauma speedrun any% /hj

my life history is all over the place and I got mocked everywhere I went; hell, even one of my favorite artists called me a maniac some days ago. hurt like hell.

and your comic always made me feel seen. made me feel welcome. my favorite character is wilson fye HAUJUHAJIAUHAH cuz he is a trans gay man like me!! and loves web stuff!! and is colorful!!!!

i'm so so so soooo sorry if I made you unconfortable in any way. like, /srs. I really didn't mean to, i was on the wrong medicine.

you don't need to answer this if you don't want too; i just... needed to tell you that. thank you so much for making me feel like a normal person. barry, uni, carrie, jay, hemmy, doom... all of them; they mean so much to me <3

so yeah, much love!!

This is such a sweet message. I'm really glad this comic and its characters can mean so much to you. And honestly I don't even know what messages you're talking about because I get a lot all the time and you're on Anonymous, so please don't worry about it. Talking about Uni like that wouldn't make me uncomfortable anyways! It means a lot that you reached out. I hope you stick around to read the rest of the comic, because the story has a whole lot in store for everybody and I really hope you'll have fun reading it. 💖💖💖 Sending so much love ✨✨✨🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

#answers

[hummusandpeeta]

BruClark Week Day 7: Free Space

@bruclarkweek

Title: I Think I Know You

Synopsis:  While in Metropolis for a conference, Bruce Wayne runs into a man he thought he knew.

Happy last day of BruClark Week! It was so fun to read and look at everything submitted. Thank you to the organizers for running this! I’m using the Free Space prompt as well as the Identity Porn prompt from day one because I missed it!

This story can be read as a sequel or a standalone to my other story Have We Met Before. It’s inspired by the song Have We Met Before by Sarah Barrios with Eric Nam.

Bruce had been stuck in a business conference since the early hours of the morning and as the evening drew near, exhaustion settled in. He wished he could just get into his car, drive home and crawl into bed. To say his week had been hectic was an overstatement. Between patrolling Gotham, attending meetings for Wayne Enterprises, and helping the Justice League with an urgent mission, Bruce was more than ready to clock in a couple of hours of sleep. He wouldn’t even fight Alfred on the matter like he normally did. 

Unfortunately, what he wanted wasn’t a possibility yet. The business conference was in Metropolis and it was far from being over. Lunch and dinner had been provided by the venue, but Bruce chose to only stick around for the lunch. With an hour of free time before the final leg of the conference, Bruce jumped at the opportunity to leave the venue and all the guests in attendance. Everybody wanted to talk to Bruce Wayne and if he wanted to maintain his joyful playboy appearance, he needed to leave. Bruce feared that he would lose his patience if one more rich, old man tried to tell him how to run his own company. A lot of them thought he was wasting money by giving so much of it to charities. 

Instead of mingling with the other guests during the provided dinner, Bruce left the Metropolis Convention Center and started walking around the city. Once the cool autumn air had calmed him down and he felt the tension leave his shoulders, Bruce decided it would be a good idea to grab a small bite to eat before heading back to the venue. 

It was Friday night and with only forty minutes to spare, Bruce knew he wouldn’t have enough time to sit down for a full-course meal at a fancy restaurant. A fast-food joint would solve the time issue, but he didn’t enjoy most chains; the only one he frequented was native to Gotham and had yet to expand to Metropolis. 

As he aimlessly walked around and pondered where to grab a bite to eat, Bruce spotted a typical All-American diner across the street. It seemed busy, which Bruce took as a sign that the food was edible. Luckily the restaurant wasn’t overcrowded to the point of not having any available seats.  

The bell above the door rang as he entered the establishment, but the sound was slightly drowned out by the chatter of patrons and the music flowing out of the nearby jukebox. Still, one of the waitresses noticed him enter, even as she was busy serving another customer. 

"Take a seat wherever, I’ll be with you in a moment," she told him, her loud voice carrying across the room. 

Bruce nodded in reply. There were two unoccupied booths at the back of the diner, but Bruce felt rude taking up all that space when he could just as easily sit at the counter. It was a small counter and there were already four other customers sitting down and enjoying their dinner. The stool at the end was empty and although Bruce didn’t normally enjoy sitting close to strangers, he decided that it was a sacrifice worth making if it meant the diner wouldn’t have to turn down a large party of clients simply because Bruce wanted a booth all to himself. 

He would also draw less attention to himself if he blended in with the other patrons.

Bruce walked over to the counter and sat down on the only unoccupied stool. Within seconds, the waitress who’d spoken to him earlier approached with a menu in hand. She was an older lady, with long locks of gray hair tied into a bun on the top of her head. Just by the way she had expertly weaved her way through the tables and by the flick of her wrist as she handed Bruce the menu, he could tell she’d been working at this diner for a long time.

"Here’s our menu, sugar," she said as she handed him the plastic-coated sheet of paper. "Can I get you started with something to drink while you decide what you want to eat?"

"I’ll take a coffee, black," Bruce answered. He would need the caffeine to get through the rest of the evening. Bruce quickly glanced over the menu, spotting what he wanted near the bottom of the page. "And I’ll take the BLT, please." 

"Sounds good. It shouldn’t be too long. My name is Bridgette, flag me down if you need anything else," she explained as he handed her the menu. She walked over to a window in the kitchen wall to relay his order to the chef. 

Bruce watched as Bridgette then grabbed a large mug from one of the shelves on the wall and went to the coffee machine. She took the pot of freshly brewed coffee and walked back to Bruce. She placed the cup in front of him and poured the hot beverage, filling it to the brim. 

"Thank you," Bruce told her as he slid the mug closer to himself. 

"No problem," she replied before shuffling over to the customer beside him. "Need a refill, honey?" 

"Yes, please," the man replied. Until now, he’d had his nose buried in a book. The plate in front of him was empty, meaning he’d already finished eating. Out of habit, Bruce had taken the time to analyze everyone sitting at the counter; especially the one he’d be sitting beside. Bruce had hoped that the empty plate meant the man on his left would be leaving soon. But based on the refill, Bruce’s assumption had been proven false. 

"Your usual dessert?" Bridgette asked after she’d finished pouring him a fresh cup of coffee. 

"You’re the best, Bridgette," the man replied. He was evidently a regular customer. 

"And don’t you forget it," she answered, winking in response. They shared a smile before she turned around to presumably get him his dessert. She grabbed the empty plate in front of him as she left. 

From the corner of his eye, Bruce watched the man. He’d placed his book facedown on the counter while he’d been talking with the waitress. Bruce recognized it as an early edition of The Hobbit. The book looked beat up, meaning the customer had most likely read it before or he’d bought it used. 

Bruce took a sip of his coffee, pretending to be lost in thought. But he couldn’t stop glancing at the man beside him. The man was also drinking his coffee. Bruce couldn’t stop himself from noticing every little detail about the customer. Like how his large hands made the regular-sized mug seem like it was made for kids at a teacup party. After taking a couple of sips, the man placed the mug back down and grabbed his book. He continued reading, adjusting the glasses on his face as he did. 

Maybe the reason why Bruce couldn’t stop staring was because the man was attractive. 

The suit he was wearing did the man no favors. It was the ugliest and ill-fitting suit Bruce had ever seen. Luckily, the horrible fashion statement couldn’t hide the fact that Bruce seemed to be sitting beside a literal Greek God. From the perfectly coiffed hair to the pearly white teeth he’d flashed at Bridgette, there was no denying how good-looking the man was. 

Disregarding his sexual attraction, there was something else about the man that captured Bruce’s focus. Bruce had a strange sense that the man looked familiar. But, much to his frustration, he couldn’t quite place the face. He often came to Metropolis for business, so maybe that was why the man looked familiar. Maybe they’d crossed paths at one point? 

If Bruce knew this man from his work as Batman, he was positive he would have picked up on it. As Batman, he made great efforts to memorize the faces of anyone he came in contact with. He also had a very good gut feeling when it came to deciding if someone was a threat or not. 

But Bruce didn’t currently feel in danger sitting beside the man. Surprisingly enough, Bruce felt comfortable, not at all intimidated. 

As he pondered why that was, Bridgette returned with his food. She placed the plate with the BLT sandwich and a side of fries in front of him. 

"Enjoy," she said, flashing him a smile. 

"Thank you," Bruce replied as he placed his mug back down on the counter. 

"Here you go, Clark," the waitress said as she placed the other plate that had been in her hand on the counter. It was a slice of apple pie. With disgust, Bruce realized that the pie was covered with a piece of cheddar cheese. Bruce knew that some people liked to eat apple pie with cheese, but he refused to try it; it seemed wrong. The combination certainly didn’t meet Alfred’s culinary standards. 

Bruce turned his attention to his own meal. He needed to hurry up and finish eating if he wanted to get back to the conference on time. The sooner he got that over with, the sooner he could head back to Gotham for a short patrol, and then he could finally get the sleep he’d been dreaming of all day.

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Long after the business conference concluded and halfway through his regular route in Gotham, Batman received a call from Wonder Woman. She asked if he could join her on the Watchtower once he was done with his patrol. She needed his opinion on a case she was working on. 

Bruce wanted nothing more than to ignore her request and crawl into his bed. He could always visit the Watchtower sometime tomorrow. But Wonder Woman had, on countless occasions, done favors for him; the least he could do was help her when she needed it. Hopefully, his detour to the Watchtower would be quick and eventless. 

Also, no intelligent being who valued their life would ignore Wonder Woman’s request for assistance. 

So, when Batman finally arrived at the Watchtower, he expected to find Wonder Woman waiting for him. But to his surprise, the main room was empty, which meant she was somewhere else in the space station. Instead of randomly walking around in the hopes of finding her, Bruce decided it would be wiser to check the video feeds in the monitoring room. 

On Fridays, Green Lantern was normally scheduled for monitor duty, so Bruce was a bit confused at the sight of Superman sitting in front of the computers. But when Superman turned around to greet him, Batman acted like he’d been expecting to find the Man of Steel there. 

"Hi, Batman," Superman said. He flashed Bruce a smile. "Wonder Woman mentioned you would be visiting sometime tonight."

"Do you know where she is?" Bruce asked, ignoring the warm feeling he got every time Superman smiled at him. 

"She left not too long ago with Green Lantern; there was an emergency. She told me to tell you that she was sorry. She also wanted me to ask if you could wait for her," Superman explained.

"You weren’t available to help?" Batman asked skeptically. 

"GL got a tip about a hidden stash of Kryptonite. I was benched and Wonder Woman volunteered to help him."

Bruce grunted in response. It made sense for Superman to stay behind in this kind of situation. But the situation itself didn’t make much sense. But for now, Bruce filed the information away for later. There would be a better time to figure out who the tip was from and why Bruce hadn’t known about the Kryptonite. He kept track of any and all sightings of the green substance; so how had Green Lantern found out about it before him? 

"You’re welcome to stay here with me while you wait," Superman offered once again. "I can hear Wonder Woman and Green Lantern; they’re updating local authorities right now, so it shouldn’t be long"

Good. Bruce didn’t want to be stuck here forever waiting for the Amazonian Princess. He didn’t normally enjoy loitering around; he preferred to remain productive at all times. But he figured it would be pointless to start working on a task if Wonder Woman was bound to return momentarily. Plus, Bruce was tired. It wouldn’t be so bad to sit down for a small break. And as long as Superman didn’t ask too many questions, it could be a bearable, maybe even a comfortable, experience. 

"How was your day?" Superman asked as soon as Bruce sat down in the chair beside him. 

Of course, Superman couldn’t go for more than one second without talking. Bruce chose to ignore the question. All of the Justice League members were well aware that he preferred to keep his personal life separate from his work life. 

"Oh. Right, sorry," Superman mumbled when he realized why Batman wasn’t answering him. 

Silence quickly filled the room. Good. Superman remembered that Batman was here on business, not to exchange pleasantries. 

Bruce’s eyes wandered over the multiple screens in front of him. There were video feeds showing all the rooms on the Watchtower as well as different news channels so the League could keep track of any worldwide emergencies.  

"How was your patrol of Gotham?" Superman chose to ask after a couple of beautiful seconds of silence. 

"Fine. It was quiet," Bruce replied, throwing the poor man a bone. But he wasn’t about to reciprocate and ask Superman about his patrol of Metropolis. Bruce had been in Metropolis all day; he already knew how quiet and danger-free it had been. 

"That’s good," Superman acknowledged. He must have gotten the memo that Bruce wasn’t going to ask him about his day because he didn’t try to salvage the one-sided conversation. 

Bruce returned his attention to the screens in front of him. On one of them, he could see a reporter talking about the police raid that had been done at a coffee shop in Moldova. Thanks to Wonder Woman and Green Lantern’s intervention, they’d discovered it was a front for a small company trying to manufacture Kryptonite. 

Bruce made another mental note to investigate the origins of this coffee shop. He also wondered if Green Lantern or Wonder Woman had the sense to collect a sample of the Kryptonite. It would be a good idea to test the substance in order to make sure it wasn’t a new or modified kind of Kryptonite with different effects. As he mentally made a list of all the things he needed to do, Bruce suddenly noticed a rhythmic tapping sound that had overtaken the silence of the room.

Batman’s focus switched from the monitors to Superman’s fingers which were drumming against the desk. Bruce was about to tell Superman to cut it out when his gaze landed on a book on the edge of the desk. Superman must have been reading it before Bruce arrived. 

As Batman, he should have reprimanded Superman for not paying attention during his monitor duty. But as Bruce, all he could think about was the fact that he recognized that book. He’d just seen it in a diner in Metropolis. 

Bruce knew it was the same book because the handmade bookmark and the dog-eared pages were identical. What were the odds that Superman and the man named Clark from Metropolis were both reading the same battered copy of The Hobbit? 

"Batman?" Superman suddenly asked, his head whipping around to look at Bruce. "Are you okay? Your heart rate just spiked."

He knew Superman, or should he say, Clark, was waiting for him to reply, but he needed a moment to collect his thoughts. He needed to perfectly plan his response; the secret identity he’d spent so long protecting was at stake. 

It was just hitting him how similar Superman and Clark looked. How had he managed to not be recognized over the years? It seemed like such a basic and risky disguise to only rely on glasses and differently coiffed hair. Was it really enough to conceal an identity as large and public as Superman’s? Bruce was somewhat disappointed to admit that it did seem enough to fool others; until now, he’d been fooled as well. 

But that wasn’t entirely true. Bruce replayed his visit to the diner and how he’d felt sitting beside Clark. That nagging feeling he’d felt had been right. He had, on a certain level, recognized Superman. That explained why he felt so comfortable beside a "stranger".

It wasn’t often that Bruce found himself admitting that he felt comfortable around someone other than Alfred. But then again, this also wasn’t the first time that Clark had made Bruce feel things he didn’t normally feel. Was it dangerous that Clark seemed to hold so much power and control over him?

Bruce focused his gaze on the man in question. He studied Clark’s features. When had Superman gone from being Batman’s tentative ally to someone Bruce felt comfortable around?  

Bruce wasn’t oblivious. As he studied Clark, he could tell that Superman knew something was wrong; Batman never took this long to answer a question. Clark would be suspicious and would probably be able to see right through any lies Bruce came up with if he tried to explain his sudden change in heart rate. But Bruce also knew Superman would be too polite to call out any lies he detected. 

Bruce needed to decide, right here and now; did he trust Superman with his secret identity.

Yes, he thought with a strange amount of certainty.

"Batman?" Superman prompted again. He sounded slightly more panicked now.

"Did the diner always serve cheese on their apple pie or did you somehow convince Bridgette to add it just for you?" Bruce asked. He knew he was completely ignoring Clark’s concern and question, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. It wasn’t often that someone was able to catch Superman off guard.

The look of pure confusion that crossed Clark’s face almost made Bruce laugh, but he had better self-control than that. He patiently waited for Clark to answer his question, staring the man down to encourage him to reply. 

"What? Um, no, it’s always been a staple on their menu, that’s why I eat there every—" Clark stopped mid-sentence, cutting himself off. Bruce could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to process what was going on and what Bruce’s question meant. 

Bruce continued to wait, giving Clark the time to collect his own thoughts. 

"Were you spying on me today?" Clark whispered even if they were the only two in the room. "But why? I thought you trusted the League now?" Clark asked, sounding hurt by Batman’s betrayal. 

But then Bruce saw the exact moment Clark remembered he hadn’t gone to the diner as Superman. "Wait... You were the handsome man sitting beside me in the diner?" This time his voice rose as he realized exactly who Batman was.

Clark thought he was handsome? Bruce wasn’t oblivious, he knew that others found him attractive; he often graced the covers of magazines as the "sexiest man of the year". But it had never crossed his mind he’d be faced with a scenario where Superman casually confessed that he found Bruce Wayne attractive. 

The pair stared at each other, unsure of what to do or say now that their secret identities were out in the open. 

As it seemed to be the theme tonight, Bruce had to correct himself. Once again, that statement wasn’t entirely true. Clark knew what he looked like without his cowl on, but he hadn’t seemed to recognize that he was Bruce Wayne. He could fix that.

"I’m not sure about handsome," Bruce replied, slipping into his persona’s sultry voice. "I normally go by Bruce. Bruce Wayne." Clark seemed to be trying to defy the laws of physics as his jaw dropped. "Wayne?" he stuttered as he placed the name to the face. "Dear Lord! Uh, I mean... I’m Clark Kent." 

An alarm suddenly rang, forcing Bruce to bite his tongue; he’d just thought of the perfect response and it involved seeing just how much he could make Superman blush. Unfortunately, the sound had been an alert notifying them that Wonder Woman and Green Lantern had returned. That was Bruce’s cue to leave. 

He stood up, his cape fluttering around him at the sudden movement. Bruce could feel Clark’s eyes on him. 

"I’m off to find Wonder Woman," Bruce said. He normally didn’t announce his intentions to others, but he didn’t know how else to snap Clark out of his confused daze. 

Clark suddenly rose from his seat, taking a few steps forward to chase after Bruce.

"But wait," Clark said, an almost frantic tone to his voice. "Why would you... What changed..."

Despite Clark’s lack of complete sentences, Bruce knew what he was trying to ask. Why would Batman suddenly reveal his identity? What changed? Did he now trust Superman?

Bruce wasn’t entirely sure he knew how to answer those questions. Scratch that, he could answer them, but it only made sense in his head. He didn’t know how he could voice his thoughts out loud to Clark. How did you tell someone you’d made an effort to not get close to that you now found their presence comforting? How could he explain the sudden realization that he not only felt comfortable around Clark but that he was also attracted to him? 

It wasn’t the time or place to get into any of that. And if Bruce was being honest, he didn’t know if he’d ever be able to voice these feelings out loud.

So, for now, Bruce chose to go with the simplest version of the truth. 

"When I saw you at the diner, I thought I knew you. And just now, I realized I don’t know you. I know Superman, but not Clark. I thought it was time to change that." 

"Oh," Clark replied thoughtfully before smiling softly at him. "Well, I’m glad you changed your mind. It’s nice to meet you, Bruce."

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