#there's so many factors you'd have to consider

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

the elitism in magic education

HELLO 🤡 I have come to you today with an analysis of Fellow Honest's motives and what they imply about the mages and non-mages in the world of Twisted Wonderland, as well as the state of magic education as it relates to one's social status. It's a doozy, so let's get right into it! ***WARNING: Spoilers for Stage in Playful Land!!***

Fellow's resentment of the elite harkens back to something I've always suspected but also something that Twisted Wonderland has seldom gone out of its way to shine a harsh spotlight on. That "something" is the discrepancy between the "haves" and the "have-nots" in terms of magic. With the main setting of TWST being a private magic school, of course the lens through which we view many events will be from this perspective as well... and that limits what we see and hear. Most of the NPCs we encounter (even the annoying ones, such as the Magicam Monsters from the first Halloween event) endlessly praise the NRC students just for attending a famous magic school. If we look closely though, we’ll start to see cracks in the shiny rose-colored lenses (which, coincidentally, is how Fellow’s UM name is written).

To begin with, we are told that only 10% of the human population (for the sake of argument, let's assume that most other races also have low magic rates) is even capable of magic to begin with. Of this 10%, the majority of people with the aptitude for magic only have enough to barely be able to lift a cup. In order to qualify for a prestigious magic school like Night Raven College or Royal Sword Academy, you'd literally have to be the cream of the crop and get lucky in terms of genetics. Magic cannot be learned by someone that was not born with the innate ability for it, and not everyone who is the child of a mage will be capable of magic themselves. This is already one HUGE barrier for entry. We now have more to consider.

Night Raven College is notably a private boarding school. This potentially means that students may need to pay a tuition fee for classes, room, and board. Perhaps this tuition doesn't exist, since NRC doesn't take applications but rather hand-selects its students. Additionally, NRC is based on a British school, and most European schools cost little to nothing to attend. However, it's hard to believe a school as fancy as NRC is a private institution that runs solely on the charity and goodwill of donors (though we do see Crowley happily accepting donations as well, specifically from the local town and from Kalim’s family). Realistically speaking, Stuff Costs Money, and if you Want Stuff, you also Need Money. NRC is not raising these mages of the future out of the goodness of their hearts, NRC is raising these mages because there is profit and prestige to be gained from the endeavor. What if there are students who are picked to go but end up having to leave because they can’t afford it?? This point is just speculative though; I won’t count it as actual evidence since there is no in-game lore which confirms tuition. We do know, however, that students do at least have to pay for their dorm uniforms, as Ruggie has mentioned he could not afford one—hence why he wears a hand/me-down from Leona. We also know students are on their own when it comes to paying for their food, as both Ruggie and Deuce mention being low on cash in reference to buying meals/snacks. Buuuuut even if we discount that money is a factor that gatekeeps some selected students from attending or having the cash to just get by on a daily basis, what we cannot ignore is that money inherently puts some people ahead of others before magic schools even recruit them.

Because the majority of those in Twisted Wonderland are incapable of using magic, magic is not typically included in general education. This means that if your kid manifests magic and you want them to be "ahead of the curve", you'd need to seek out resources for magic training and education. Now, this could mean reading materials, private tutoring, or reaching out to mages you know of. The problem with all of these things is that they tend to require money and/or connections, which are things not everyone has access to. Idia even says in book 6 that Riddle has an “artificially large” pool of magic due to how young Riddle started his magic training, meaning that the wealthy has the resources to just produce “better” mages. The rich also have more money to throw into items to help with magical training, such as bigger and better magestones (which must sell for substantial amount in the first place since Ruggie tries to save some to pawn off later in Vargas Camp) to keep mages healthier for longer (since magestones help absorb blot). This keeps power concentrated in an already elevated class. (Note: research has shown that money opens up and expands one's connections, which still puts the rich in an advantageous position compared to the less fortunate. There are also studies that show impoverished people who happen to have rich friends have a better chance of raising their own social standing just because of the doors and connections that rich friend can open for them.) Look at who in the main cast remarks on having formal magic training: literal royalty like Leona and the upper middle class like Riddle. Again, one could say that because schools like NRC appear to hand-pick students regardless of how much formal magic training they had prior to enrollment. However, the fact remains that it simply looks better to potential recruiters (using this blanket term because we don't know how magic schools besides NRC gets its students) and better prepares the child for magic school curriculum to get an early start on it.

Looking back at the 22 boys that make up the main cast, close to three-quarters or ~75% of them come from at least upper middle-class backgrounds and quite a few could classify as wealthy:

Riddle's parents are both doctors, with Riddle's mom in particular being well-known and well-regarded in their home community.

Cater's dad is a banker; his position is high enough up that he needs to relocate every so often (presumably to service their largest or most important firms).

Leona is a literal prince. Even if he isn't destined to be king, he still has access to the resources and wealth avaliable to a royal.

Azul's mom owns the most popular restaurant in the entire Coral Sea (have you seen how large the Coral Sea is on the world map???), and his stepdad is a lawyer.

The twins' family is said to be well-off; they are able to afford luxuries like fancy clothes and Mr. Leech stresses the importance of manners and presentation. He is implied to have business associates who are also well-off and would like to get in his good graces. (Popular fan speculation is that the Leeches are a crime family.)

Kalim is the heir to a massive family fortune and trading business. He also has relatives who are royals.

Jamil, as Kalim's attendant, is also from a reasonably well-off family; they are compensated handsomely for handling the Asims.

Vil's father is an A-list celebrity, and Vil is also one himself.

We don't know the specifics of what Rook's family does, but it must be well-paying, as we learn in book 5 that the Hunts have villas all over Twisted Wonderland, as well as permissions for international travel via warp pads.

Idia and Ortho's family run a secret organization that researches blot. S.T.Y.X. is so secretive that basically only those in super high positions like Crowley and Leona would know about them. Let's also not forget that the Shrouds have ties to the Jupiter Conglomerate and the Olympus Corp, which is a tech giant in the world of TWST.

Malleus is prince AND the heir to his kingdom’s throne. He is also one of the top 5 most powerful mages in the entire WORLD.

Lilia is a renown war general and a close friend of royalty. He raised a young Malleus as well.

Silver is Lilia's adopted son and is actually a prince himself.

Sebek's parents are dentists. They must make mad money. His grandfather is also a respected knight that served alongside Lilia.

Notice how all the dorm leaders are upper middle class or higher; the vice dorm leaders have ONE normal person (Trey); in Playful Land, Trey confesses to living a comfortable life so we know he must be at least middle class.

We can try to argue all we like that NRC doesn't discriminate based on social status for their selections, but if that's the case then why are so few of the main cast from impoverished or low-income families? Only Ace, Trey, and Jack count as squarely middle class. Ruggie is the only example we have of someone from a very low socioeconomic status rising up to be among "elites". The other example is Deuce, who comes from a single parent household and has implied they don't have a lot of money (for example: how the VDC/SDC earnings will help out his family). (Epel is kind of a ??? case because depending on where in the story you are, his family could be in financial trouble or not; in book 5, they imply his entire village is having difficulties selling product until Vil promotes Harveston apples on his Magicam.) Maybe it's unfair to say that 22 students out of 800ish is representative of the makeup of the entire NRC student population (or represents the composition of all magic schools), but the single digit representation of low-income students is also true of real-life elite schools. They are private schools for a reason; it naturally gatekeeps who is and isn't "allowed" to attend, leading to the majority of its students being members of the elite.

Another thing to consider is legacy students. This term refers to the increased likelihood of people being accepted into a school if they had a relative that also attended that school. We know of two instances of this happening: Ace's brother and Sebek's brother also went to and graduated from Night Raven College. Ace even makes a remark during his sorting ceremony that he ended up in the same dorm as his older brother "as expected". If magic aptitude is genetic, then perhaps it makes sense to recruit from the same families--but again, this is inherently restrictive, as you would continuously be culling from the same pools generation after generation.

Back on the topic of bloodlines and family, what about Kalim, who has an extensive family? There will be no shortage of Asim mages going to NRC just because of legacy (Jamil even alludes to the fact that the previous Scarabia dorm leader was an Asim relative, and his recommendation is what got Kalim the dorm leader seat). And speaking of Kalim, consider instances where rich families are able to bribe faculty (lookin' at YOU, Crowley) or donate a large sum to get their kid ahead or to be given priority over others that may be more qualified than them (RIP Jamil). To continue off that point, NRC itself is structured as a "dog eat dog" world. Those with inherently more magical ability have the right to trump over others. You can duel and lose your dorm seat to a more powerful mage, even if you trump them in terms of merit or leadership qualities. Students feel a sense of duty to obey those who have bested them in battle (ie Epel's servitude to Vil). Everyone fears Malleus. Your magical power is respected above all else.

Attitudes surrounding magic have notably shifted from fear of it several hundreds of years ago (around the human-fae war, back when “witch” and “wizard” were used in a derogatory sense) to recognizing it for its strengths and actively seeking it or granting some favoritism to those who have it. There is, in fact, now class discrimination in based on whether or not you can use magic. We got an early instance of this as early as book 1 of the main story, when Riddle insults Yuu for their upbringing, lack of education, and their inability to use magic. It’s something that clearly rubs Ace, who has a magicless father, the wrong way, and he stands up for Yuu. There are other subtle hints about this divide sprinkled throughout the lore. For example, Ruggie has a voice line which he indicates that the slums where he comes from doesn’t produce many magic users. Again, recall that magic runs in bloodlines. This could potentially allude to a past where those without magic were forced into lower income neighborhoods, which results in pockets like Ruggie’s hometown with a high population of magicless individuals living in poverty. This doesn’t appear to be a large scale issue (perhaps its only an isolated case?), but this is worth paying attention to.

This could all translate into the professional world too. Some jobs are entirely locked behind magic (ie you just cannot do them or pursue them if you don't have the magical ability for it). Some jobs DO require magic (ie medical mages like Riddle's parents, magic police force officers, technomantic inventors, etc) and probably additional training that goes with it. As a result, I'd imagine that these magic-intensive jobs pay quite a bit more. There may also be overall more job opportunities for those capable of magic, since magic is so much more efficient than doing things by hand. It means more retention of wealth and/or more upward mobility for the few impoverished that are able to enter magic schools. (This is, of course, not including the few and far between cases of regular people who get rich in select industries, such as Kalim’s father.) Recall too that NRC requires its students to take internships during their 4th years, many placements being with very prestigious groups and organizations such as pro-sports teams, labs, tech giants, etc. Being able to attend a prestigious school with connections grants those elite students even more opportunities than the average person.

Then think about what this means for people who fall short of these standards that these magic schools set. We actually have examples of them in book 5 of the main story: when Deuce and Epel are reconciling on the beach, a bunch of delinquents from another school come along and start checking out Deuce’s borrowed magical wheel. Through the NPCs’ exchange, we learn that one of them has enough magic to power a magical wheel, but not enough to do much else. This NPC also couldn’t keep up in class and dropped out of a magic school. He then becomes insulted when Deuce implies he is “a beginner”, so this is obviously a very sore spot for him. Riddle also has dialogue that implies students dropped out of NRC prior to his reign (and since then, no Heartslabyul students have left). Additionally, consider how magic can be used to oppress and lord power over others. Deuce himself is guilty for summoning cauldrons to crush rival delinquents in fights back in Clock Town—even if those delinquents lacked magic themselves. Similarly, Epel is implied to use magic to gain an upper hand against those that bullied him back home. This all implies a social divide between those with magic and those without, and begs of bigger questions.

What happens to the ones that don’t make it? The ones that get left behind? The ones without the magic to make it “big”? This is the root of Fellow’s anger; he’s mad at a system that cast people like him (someone with very little magic) and Gidel (a non-mage) aside. They don’t get the opportunity to make better futures for themselves. They’re looked down on by high-up institutions that basically tell them they’re not good enough.

Knowing all of this, the deck appears to be stacked against the poor and non-mages. It’s no wonder why Fellow is so mad.

THIS ACTUALLY RELATES BACK TO WHAT ROLLO SAID IN 5-2 OF GLORIOUS MASQUERADE… "When you have too little [magic], you're resentful. And when you have plenty [of magic], you're arrogant. You can never content yourselves." The NRC boys are arrogant (this is the side of the story we’ve always known due to seeing the world mainly from their perspective). They are the “haves”, and we see them constantly misusing their power by fighting each other over very petty things (even if it’s against the rules to do so). But everyone else??? They’re scrounging for the scraps. Fellow falls into that former category; he IS the guy that’s resentful because of his lack of magic and how something he cannot control has already determined where he and Gidel will stand in life no matter how hard they work. They can never hope to rise out of poverty, and there’s nothing they can do about it. That must be soul-crushing.

When Fellow praises the NRC boys in that overly exaggerated way, he’s obviously being shady and facetious—however, there is also a kernel of truth behind this behavior. Most other NPCs we’ve met have spoken about the NRC boys favorably just because of their affiliation with a prestigious school. It’s the same way people might be impressed if you walked around in an Ivy League branded hoodie or something. People automatically associate you with the school’s shiny and exclusive reputation, and thus assume you are also intelligent, talented, etc. Then, in the same way being constantly put on a pedestal like this might result in the students getting swelled heads, this only further feeds into the NRC kids’ egos. They so privileged they don’t even recognize it. And that makes Fellow fucking FUME.

Look back at Fellow's dialogue. He is constantly mentioning the prestige of the school the boys go to, or adding on extra compliments about their status and skills. He's ass-kissing to his boss, who is also wealthy or part of the upper class, then insults the boss once he hangs up. Fellow is always in a position where he HAS to be subservient to the upper class in order to make his money and get by, and he finds that entirely unfair. Imagine having to simper and placate people you absolutely despise and blame for your problems every day, people who are gorging themselves on luxuries, coasting by in life, taking everything they have for granted while you get by on pennies—that has to get frustrating.

I want to briefly mention here that, in addition to praising the NRC students to high heaven, Fellow also talks down his own skills. He cheerfully calls himself a loser and says that no matter how much he trains, he could never reach their caliber of magic. Yes, Fellow is exaggerating to get the kids to think they’ve won, but I also have to wonder if he’s parroting the same phrases he was told long ago, from people who doubted him and never thought he’d make it. If that’s the case, then I get the sense that Fellow is in a way “reclaiming” his autonomy and power by adopting those same cruel words and using them as a strength. He admits to being “weak” but is also proud of the fact that he can utilize his magic along with his natural charisma to get a leg up over others. It further fuels his new belief that going to an elite school doesn’t matter, it’s practical skills that will serve you well.

Okay, back to talking about his shitty work situation! Fellow’s employer clearly doesn’t treat him with decency. They berate him, make unreasonable demands, act impatient, etc. They are a typical depiction of a toxic workplace and boss. This can also be read as shorthand for the relation between the rich and the poor, and how that may have shaped (or worsened) Fellow’s views on others of the privileged class. He makes many assumptions about the NRC students without really getting to know them, calling them entitled brats. Why? Because these descriptors likely apply to the higher-ups Fellow has always slaved away for. This, in combination with his own experiences in being rejected from magic academia, has created a person who feels trodden on by society and by the upper echelons who run it and benefit off the system.

Fellow himself is the perfect example of someone who was failed by said system. He has dialogue stating that he was never given the chance to learn because his magic was not considered strong enough. Still, he tried to make an effort to earn that chance among to elites and to study among them. Fellow was rejected, ridiculed, and told he had “forgotten his place”, what he had been born into. There were expectations he couldn’t meet, and so Fellow was thrown away like a broken toy. He has failed not because he didn’t try, but because he was denied the opportunity to begin with. This is where is rage stems from. Fellow despises the students of those same kinds of institutions who kicked him down, students who don’t realize how fortunate they are for their educations and will likely continue to perpetuate the system.

What, then, does that means for his signature spell, which is closely tied to one’s identity? Let’s take a magnifying glass to it. As previously mentioned, the name for Fellow’s spell is written as “Rose-Tinted Dream”, but it is said out loud as “Life is Fun”. The chant for it is, “Come on to the theater” (notably said in English rather than in Japanese). Both the spell and the incantation are references to the song Honest John sings in Pinocchio, Hi- Diddle-Dee-Dee. And… well, the whole UM in of itself is one big cruel joke given his circumstances now.

I think this spell is representative of a young Fellow still full of hopes and dreams, looking forward to studying at a magic school. But then those dreams are shattered and he has to commit terrible crimes to survive day-to-day, and he seems to have given up on his dreams. He even goes so far as to protect Gidel from having the same hopes he once did, telling Yuu to not put silly ideas in his head when Gidel expressed curiosity about school. At the same time, he delights in crushing the hopes of those he deems his enemies (stating that he wanted to betray Kalim to “teach him a lesson” about how cruel the world is). Fellow knows the truth: that life isn’t fun, that it will disappoint you and will put you down. His actions are very cowardly as well—he uses tricks and deception, he runs away from his problems instead of properly addressing them, the NRC students remark on his lack of pride. Fellow has had to throw away so much to scrape by. Yet his UM symbolizes someone brimming with hope—so perhaps it’s a UM he manifested when Fellow still thought he had a chance?? And then people made fun of him for it being so weak?? Alternatively, maybe he didn’t get his UM until after his dreams were crushed so he’s looking back on those nostalgic days of blissful ignorance with rose-colored lenses (which is, again, maybe why his UM magic name is written as “Rose Tinted Dream”). A UM that is a reflection of one’s true self, yet that same identity is one that has been forced to be discarded. That’s the reason why, despite all the swindling and scamming, I don’t think Fellow’s enthusiasm for fun is a lie. That’s the one “real” part of him, but even that’s been repurposed to help him live on scraps, something innocent twisted 😭 and that’s really sad to think about…

But also??? You could argue that Fellow still has a little bit of that lost inner child and hope left in him. He tries to defend Gidel’s understanding of the world and has goals of starting his own school despite how poorly he originally spoke about these institutions. (So Fellow does appear to care about children and their futures.) He also has a childish streak despite being an adult, demonstrated by his use of cowardly tactics, taunting kids, and abruptly quitting his job to then destroy his workplace. Fellow himself states that he “just tries to live a free and fun life”, thus his pursuit of money and pleasure. This could all play into being what defines Fellow and thus his UM. It embodies a spirit of playfulness even when he has been crushed under the weight of an unglamorous life.

I’ve heard people saying that while Rollo is Idia’s dark mirror and Fellow is Ruggie’s. They have similar backstories but ultimately their fates are different and left the former two down far more sinister paths. Just as Rollo is an Idia that turned his anger outward instead of inward, Fellow is Ruggie had he not been given a chance to receive an education to elevate his social status and job prospects. Fellow and Ruggie both cling to rich, powerful benefactors/bosses and do their dirty work to get on by—a big difference is that Leona, while he does also work Ruggie to the bone, also has some conscience. Something else to consider is that while Ruggie prioritizes making a life for himself by studying and securing a stable, well-paying job, Fellow is focused moreso on the accumulation of wealth itself (as he suggests to Kalim he’ll take a bribe to let him go free and quits when there is no longer money to be gained from his boss). Both don’t really care how they get their money (even if it is by dirty means), but ultimately Ruggie’s way of making cash is more sustainable in the long run. Yet Fellow ultimately realizes the importance of school deep down despite constantly denying it when the NRC students tell him of it. Fellow is in denial because that’s the only way he can cope and justify his lifestyle. He’s confused when finally confronted with students who are his ideal of “happy and free”, even when they’re in an educational system that he views as shackling people into strict roles. The way he laments about not being able to go to school is also very reminiscent of an adult mourning a lost or unfulfilling childhood, which is quite a depressing scenario…

Fellow is the one that got the short end of the stick in life. Ruggie met Leona, and Leona technically uplifted him in his endeavors, tutored him into getting decent grades and giving him hand-me-downs and money in exchange for his services. Fellow never had that kind of support system, he was just insulted and bullied into giving up and had to find an alternative way to keep himself going 😔

Personally, I think Fellow could also be a dark mirror to Kalim, no?? They exist on opposite ends of a social spectrum. Kalim has everything and Fellow had nothing. What’s more, Kalim is still wide-eyed and trusting. He is the only one willing to try words instead of fighting him and instantly labeling him as the enemy. Meanwhile, Fellow has become bitter because of how the world has betrayed him. He wants to take that trust Kalim has and show him how cruel everything truly is. Why is he fixated on that? Why even offer in the first place if he never intended on going through with it? Why does he want to rub it in Kalim’s face in particular? Maybe it’s because Kalim seems rich and dumb, as Fellow claims, but maybe it’s because there is envy there. Sure, Fellow is upset about Kalim being a sheltered brat that faces no challenges in life, but I also feel like he’s jealous that Kalim can still afford to think this way. That he can still afford to be cheerful, that he can still be a dreamer. Fellow was alluded to be like that once—but he can’t be like that anymore, not when he has to look out for himself and Gidel.

Side note, another comparison! Recall that Kalim’s Oasis Maker is also a UM that uses a little bit of magic. However, Kalim does not know of many creative ways to use his spell, as there is no real reason to since his home country has lots of canals and irrigation. He therefore deems his UM as pretty useless. Fellow meanwhile has what most consider a weak UM but he fully utilizes it to his advantage and pairs it well with his natural charm to maximize its effects. He had to develop these skills because he was in pressing circumstances in which they would benefit him. This contributes to the “mirror” theme between the two.

Fellow and Kalim have a notable similarity as well, and this is where I feel they can connect. They are both older brothers to a child or children who are magicless. Fellow only has one, and Kalim has many—but the number here isn’t what is important. What is important is that Fellow and Kalim think the world of their siblings and want to support them. To that end, Fellow is willing to be cruel and step on others, and Kalim is all sunshine to keep their spirits up. Fellow has suffered through great poverty and insults and Kalim has survived so many attempts on his life, yet they’ve developed distinctly different approaches to the worlds that have embraced them. Kalim’s wealth could afford him protection and luxuries, so he’s able to live carefree with others tending to his needs. The same isn’t true for Fellow, and so he came out far more spiteful and resentful.

Thinking about it, it’s ultimately Kalim’s words that convince Fellow to turn on his employer. (The other boys certainly wore Fellow down and planted the seeds of doubt, but it’s Kalim that I believe fully resonates with Fellow.) He can so happily talk about why he loves school, even though he doesn’t do well at it (something I presume is also true of Fellow, since he is lacking in tons of magic). It’s not said in a particularly articulate manner, but it’s so candid in its presentation. Kalim is relating to him based on similar skillset (or lack thereof) and sharing fond memories of his time at school, reviving the hopeful “lost child” in Fellow. Kalim is probably the first wealthy person in a long time that was friendly, kind, and supportive to him. And here he is, reassuring Fellow his dreams are still possible, to not give up. That’s the final nail that allows Fellow to be “honest” with himself and his inner child. It’s what leads to that slew of irresponsible actions at the end of the event (letting people free, blasting the amusement park, driving a sinking ship, etc.).

At the end of Stage in Playful Land, we see that Fellow never really let that childlike side of him fully die. (It seems to have been concealed under a desire for money and appeasing his boss.) He shares his dream of creating his own great school to give educational opportunities to non-mages and mages with low magical reserves like Gidel and himself, a school that teaches practical life lessons. He wants to promote his own ideals and to change the system he hates from the inside out. This was never communicated to us before most likely because Fellow had renounced those ideas in favor of blind hatred and a lack of faith in the world and those that dominate it.

Fellow also acknowledges that life may be even more difficult for him and Gidel going forward, as now they lack the money for even food and no longer have jobs. Furthermore, they need to worry about their ex-employers coming after them for what they’ve done. Even so, Fellow faces it all with a smile and reassures everyone that they can transfer or visit to play… “on this shining stage called life”. He and Gidel are able to walk away with their whimsy preserved, and can still be that which they’ve always wanted to be: dreamers.

All of this is to say that Rollo was right all along about magic, he never misses—

#twst #twisted wonderland #Fellow Honest #twisted wonderland analysis #twisted wonderland character analysis #twst analysis #twst character analysis #Ferro Honest #Rollo Flamme #Gidel #Gidell #disney twisted wonderland #notes from the writing raven #spoilers #Dire Crowley #Heartslabyul #Savanaclaw #Octavinelle #Scarabia #Pomefiore #Ignihyde #Diasomnia #Yuu #Ruggie Bucchi #Kalim Al-Asim #Jamil Viper #Pinocchio #Honest John #Riddle Rosehearts #Ruggi Bucchi

[jiniret-writings]

Warm Blankets Pt. 1

Genre: angst, fluff

Pairing: platonic!skz x 9th member!reader

Warnings: Chan is really mean in the beginning

The actions of the members in this story do not represent how they are in real life. This is all fictional and should not be taken seriously.

Pt.1 || Pt.2 || Pt.3

If I knew you'd act like this, I wouldn't have fought for you to be in the group!

Chan's words still rung in your head as you walked with Hyunjin, looking down to hold back another wave of tears.

You didn't know how the fight even started. One minute you were walking into his studio and the next, you were being pulled out by Hyunjin. His soft reassurances clashed with the cold look in his eyes as he looked at their leader.

Hyung! That was low. Calm down and then talk. We're done for today.

The minute the words left his mouth you were stunned. All fight and fire had left your body, leaving you cold. It wasn't easy for Chan to fight for you. The company had too many factors to consider. You were considered a "risky choice", but day in and day out, Chan fought. He practiced with you, recorded with you, and helped you prepare to be your very best. Even if you were good, you stayed up with him to strive to be better.

And in the end, it all came together. Your fate was left in the hands of public opinion and it seemed you were more liked than you thought. With 97% of the audience voting to keep you in the group, you were officially a part of Stray Kids.

You were always pushing yourself, staying late nights and having early mornings to squeeze in as much practice time as possible. You wanted to prove that you had a spot in the group. Impressing fans was important, but more than anything, you wanted to make the members proud. You wanted to make Chan proud.

You didn't remember how the fight started, but you knew he didn't mean it. Still, the words stung more than any critique or hate comment you've ever gotten. Unable to hold back the next wave of tears, you pulled Hyunjin to the side of the road and turned towards a wall to wipe the tears away. As soon as you turned away though, you felt a presence behind you and a hand on your back.

"It's okay to cry, you know. You don't have to hide it", he reassured, running his hand up and down your back. "What he said was mean, but it was wrong. You have a big part in out group. Without you, we wouldn't be Stray Kids, only Stray."

You couldn't hold back any more and hugged the older boy. He was only a few months older but it was like he took it upon himself to be the 00's eldest; he always took care of his younger members, and never left them alone when they were down.

Hugging you tightly to his chest, Hyunjin gently ran his fingers down your back, occasionally running them through your hair. He made calm shushing sounds as you let go of every tear you'd been holding back since you left the company building. You didn't know how to describe the pain you felt, but being around Hyunjin was making it better. I'm not alone. I'm wanted, you thought as your breathing finally slowed.

"Is there anything you want to do? We basically have the day off," Hyunjin whispered, still holding you to him. It was a gentler hold so you could let go if you wanted to.

You didn't want to.

Thinking it over, you were just tired. You didn't know what to do so you just shook your head. Hyunjin hummed at that, thinking. A few seconds later he said, "how about we go back to the dorms and just eat and watch movies?"

The thought of seeing the other members made your heart lighter so you looked up and nodded before stepping away from him. "Yeah, that'd be nice," you said.

"Cool! Let's get some snacks before heading back?" he asked, pointing to the convenience store not too far from where you were.

"Sure! And some drinks?"

"You got it," he responded before grabbing your hand and walking to the store.

Unknown to you, Hyunjin had sent a quick text to the dorm:

SOS, y/n had a really bad day, extra tlc needed

You lived in a dorm with Felix, Seungmin, Leeknow, and Jeongin since that dorm had five rooms and the other had four. Your dorm was immediately dubbed the "cuties dorm" because it was the maknae line + Minho.

Today wasn’t really a day off but most of your schedules were in the morning so most, if not all, if your dorm mates were home. The moment they got the text, it was like a spell was cast over them. Felix was the first to react, running to all of their rooms and grabbing every pillow and blanket he could get his hands on.

Seungmin and Minho were watching a scary movie together and got up as well. Minho went into the kitchen to start cooking your favorite meal and Seungmin looked for their matching pajama sets. You had bought it on the fay you all moved, but hadn’t had a chance to wear it. Jeongin was out for a walk when he got the text and started running home. On the way though, he spotted a cute bear and bought it quickly before heading back.

At the same time, Hyunjin sent another text to 2/3RACHA:

Leader-hyung is pissed. Casualty=1 Tread carefully

He knew today was a track-day for 3RACHA so he left them to it, but decided they deserved a warning. Chan never hurt them intentionally, but when he was mad, words could be said that he didn’t mean. Hyunjin already had one hurt kid, he didn’t want to add more to the mix. Placing his arms around your shoulders, Hyunjin walked towards the convenience store and hoped the members all pulled through.

Here's Part One of my first mini-series here! I was originally going to make it one long post, but then it got really long so for my first one, I figured it'd be best to have this broken up into three parts.

The next two parts are being written and will be up in the upcoming days! If all goes well, the next part will be up in two days, and then part three will be up two days after the second part!

I want to reiterate the note I put in the beginning, I do not, in any way, think those words would come out of Chan's mouth. This is all purely fiction and in no way represents how I feel about the members. I love them all, but for the fic I needed an angst anchor.

Thanks for reading! Likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated! And as always, have a great morning, afternoon, evening, and night!

-Jini

Divider made by: @cafekitsune

#jiniret-writings #stray kids x reader #stray kids imagines #skz x reader #stray kids fluff #stray kids imagine #bang chan #bangchan angst #bangchan x you #hyunjin #hyunjin fluff #hyunjin comfort #hwang hyunjin comfort #hyunjin x you #hyunjin x y/n #platonic stray kids #9th member #stray kids 9th member #au #alternate universe #stray kids au #lee felix fluff #leeknow fluff #jeongin flu #jeongin fluff #seungmin fluff #stray Kids felix #stray kids leeknow #stray kids seungmin #stray kids jeongin

[comicaurora]

These have been pent up for a while, so there's a whole list lol. Some are Aurora, some are not.

1) Can lacrimas carry out multiple purposes at once? Or will they blend them? I'm assuming that this is possible, considering that the automaton in the ruins was using a lacrima as a brain

2) Has anyone tried to make tools or weapons out of lacrimas? I'm talking like chisel that needs no hammer. Or maybe a Fire lacrima on a bow that sets your arrows on fire

3) Can you engrave runes on lacrimas to make them affect themselves?

4) Where can I read more about the Twins? If I'm not wrong they're the creator gods, aided by the Light dragon and the Void dragon to create life, but I might be getting a wrong read on that

5) Since we see Erin successfully become the first Void mage, does that now mean there's potential for him to make a Void lacrima? The dragon probably won't allow it, but still

6) What exactly does elemental corruption of each element do? Fire literally burns you up, as we saw in Arc 1. I can infer that Life likely makes you a chimera. Void corruption makes you a cave crawler. But what do the other one do? Does Earth make you a statue? Does Wind disintegrate you, Thanos style?

7) Now onto the non-Aurora questions, is your art vector or raster? I believe it's vector, but it's always better to confirm

8) What are your opinions on reading into the environment and the character design to infer things about the character themselves? In any type of media

9) Have you played Baldur's Gate 3?

10) Do you have any music that you'd recommend? I've listened to every song I liked so many times that I hate them now.

11) I'm new to Tumblr, anything that I should know? You don't have to answer this one if you don't wanna. I think I know some of the basics already. Reblog what you like, and avoid the terfs, right?

You might be able to tell that I like the idea of the lacrimas a little bit. Just a teensy bit. The artificer in me definitely isn't obsessed. I appreciate any answers you can give :3

Cheers!

Ooh, lots of stuff!

Yes, it's possible. A lacrima can be engraved with multiple spells, set in a casing engraved with commands, or some combination of the two. Typically, all spells engraved directly on a lacrima will activate at once when the lacrima is "switched on", but a spell can be quite complex, and conditional activations are possible - "if-then-else" statements, basically.

Yes, magic items exist.

Generally no. If the lacrima is disrupted or broken, the spell generally stops functioning, so a self-affecting lacrima will run only as long as it takes for the lacrima to distort or break.

There's an extra lore page about them!

He probably could if he wanted to (and the Dragon allowed it) but Void energy is very dangerous, so he likely doesn't want to.

Each form of elemental corruption agitates the presence of the element in the mage's body. Earth corruption can damage or alter bones, encourage unhealthy petrification of soft tissues, etc. Wind corruption can have physical effects but it often most obviously produces breakdowns in the person's ability to speak or understand language. Lightning damages, numbs or intensifies a person's physical senses.

Raster, I draw with CSP's digital pens. I've only very briefly experimented with vector art - I don't like how it simplifies the lines.

I think it's a fun school of analysis but, like all literary analysis, it runs into trouble if it tries to lock down exactly what the writer was thinking or intending (which is an objective fact that one can be incorrect about) rather than trying to analyze the story on its own and what meaning might, intentionally or unintentionally, be factoring into it.

Nope

don't trust my taste in music it's 90% nu metal and sonic OSTs

Like what you like, reblog what you want, generally it's considered dubious form to add a comment to a reblog unless you have something profound to contribute (commenting in the tags is fine), steer clear of discourse and callout posts and generally the sectors of the site that are constantly on fire, blocking someone for any reason is 100% fine

#asks #aurora #not aurora

[houseofanticipation]

This is part 2. Read part 1.

You're in the grocery store. In the canned goods aisle. You pick up a can of potato leek soup and notice the mascot, a burly chef with his arms crossed, is pretty good-looking. This makes you wet.

It's been a month since you first took that stranger's cum on your face in the mall bathroom. Since then there have been few new specific tasks to complete; most of your benefactor's instructions have been simple rules to follow. You wish there would be more tasks—you liked the thrill of leaving your actions in the hands of a stranger, not knowing what shameful, disgusting thing you would have to do next—but you can't deny the rules have been keeping you busy.

The first rule, the one about cumming whenever you feel like cumming, has been more time consuming than you'd have expected. You always knew you were hornier than the average person, but now that you're paying attention you realize just how often you've been suppressing the urge. Now a day when you only cum three times feels downright ascetic.

Your favorite place to cum is the bus. There's a spot in the back of the older busses with a handrail that, when you step over and straddle it (you no longer bother with panties), seems to rub your pussy like nothing else in the world. So many factors come together to make it work: The thickness of the pole spreads your pussy lips just so. The height of the rail puts it just slightly above your normal crotch height, meaning it presses into you in just the right way, and you can stand on your tip toes if you want to vary the pressure. When you grind your clit into the rail the vibration of the bus makes for the most exquisite sensation, a throbbing, shuddering feeling just adjacent to pain that almost always elicits an involuntary moan from you. You've done it enough times now that you're beginning to recognize the best places to cum on the bus route, where the roads are bumpier or the potholes more frequent.

The best part, the part that gets you making up errands when you have no reason to take the bus that day, the part that makes you so wet you're dripping on the sidewalk before the bus even arrives, is thinking about just how dirty the rail is. All the hands that have touched it before you, all the germs they brought with them, all the particulates and oils and grimes. It looks clean enough, but just thinking about it fills you with such shame and disgust that you could almost cum without any stimulation at all.

Shame has been a problem for you. Shame is an elusive dragon, and each time you catch her she becomes harder to catch again. Fingering your cunt in public used to cripple you with embarrassment, and now it barely seems worth working up a flush over. You've found yourself considering ever deeper acts of depravity, just to elicit the same feeling you once got from blowing a guy to completion in a public bathroom. It worries you, a little; what will you cum to once you can't sink any lower?

But there is still so much further to sink.

Another of your benefactor's rules, instituted after your first week, is that any sexual suggestion, advance, or threat is to be considered an absolute command. A guy in a bar grabbed your ass and said your lips would look pretty around his cock, and you were unbuttoning his pants before he could even get you to a private corner. A man in the park told you he'd fuck you till you were screaming his name, so you sat down on the grass and lifted your skirt (though in point of fact he came in you after about thirty seconds and you wouldn't have known his name if you had been inclined to scream it). A construction worker whistled at you as you walked by, and before you knew it you had cum dripping from your every hole and an angry foreman telling you to get off his site and stop distracting his guys.

These rules have made it pretty much impossible to hold down a job, but you've been finding it increasingly easy to function without spending money. You first noticed it on the bus, after you'd already been riding it to cum every day for a couple weeks. One day as you were boarding, preparing to swipe your fare card, the woman behind you practically shoved you out of the way to reach the card reader herself. You stumbled, caught yourself, and then realized the line was moving on, and the driver wasn't telling you to pay. You didn't argue—the cost of these bus trips was beginning to add up already—but it did strike you as strange. The next day you didn't try to pay at all, just walked right on board, and once again the bus driver didn't stop you, barely even seemed to notice you. You wondered on this during you cum session, sliding your sopping wet pussy ponderously up and down the length of the rail. It occurred to you just as you approached the climax of a particularly intense and vocal orgasm what your benefactor had said in his very first message to you.

when i am done with you strangers on the street will perceive you as a Thing.

Was it already happening? Were you already so below a human being that you couldn't be expected to pay your way on the bus? Were you just a Thing that drifted in sometimes, to be ignored or put up with until it drifted off again? As you screamed your pleasure and gushed into a puddle on the floor, you looked out at the people. They looked at their phones and put in their headphones, and not a one of them looked at you.

It made sense when you thought about it. You'd been fucking and sucking and cumming and being cum on all over the city at that point, and you hadn't had a single problem with the police. You'd even let an officer stick a nightstick up your ass once. Your theory seemed all but confirmed when you realized the bus no longer bothers to stop if you are the only one waiting.

So you look at the can of potato leek soup. At the oddly sexy little chef, with his rosy cheeks and his muscular arms and what you can only assume is a rock-hard cock standing to attention behind the brand name. You feel that pressure below your stomach, a buildup of tension as your nether regions begin to moisten. You turn the can over in your hand, wondering about its exact diameter.

Moments later you're on the floor, trying to fit a soup can in your pussy.

It takes some time. You have to play with your clit for a while to get the lubrication you need, and even then it takes some determination. The edges of the can are hard, uncomfortable, but that little bit of pain is enough to just tickle the massively overstimulated shame receptors in your brain, making your face flush and your clit throb. Once the base is in it's just a matter of slow persistence, working it into your pussy inch by inch, until your lips just close around the bottom rim. It's not completely swallowed up—the base is still clearly visible, like a metal wall across your hole—but you think it's as deep as it's going to go. And god it feels amazing.

You push on it with your finger, gasping as it presses against your insides. This is the most full you've ever been, the most stretched you've ever felt. You rub circles around your swollen clit, holding your free hand over your pussy to stop the can from coming out. You're moaning now, closing your eyes and throwing back your head and feeling yourself contract around the unyielding metal.

"Hey, are you the girl from that video?"

You open your eyes and look up to see a pair of young men looking down at you. One of them holds out his phone to show you the video of your bathroom encounter a month ago. He's even been thoughtful enough to scrub forward to the moment the first rope of cum hits your face. You know that video well; it's been your masturbation aid many a night. The act itself no longer carries much shame for you—you've done much worse things much more publicly—but watching the video, seeing the look on your face, brings you back to the way you felt in that moment, if just an echo of it: the lust, the shame, the exhilaration, the disgust. It might seem forward, showing porn to a stranger in the grocery store, but in their defense, you do have your legs splayed open and a can of soup in your cunt.

You nod your response to the initial question, unable to speak as the pleasure swells inside you. You find yourself speaking less and less these days; most of your interaction with human beings involves them fucking you in some way, and all you really need for that is the right body language. Case in point: when one of the men stammers out something about being a fan of your work, all you need to do is roll over on your knees, plant your face on the scuffed linoleum, and spread your ass cheeks open. That's plenty invitation, and you never even had to open your mouth.

One of the guys (you can't see which, but they seem basically interchangeable) pours lube on your asshole and begins to rub it with his fingers, pressing first against it, and then into it. You have no idea where the lube came from, but you're thankful for it, and you're glad he takes the bait on your asshole instead of trying for your pussy. You'd have to let him use it if he wanted to, but you're not ready to take this can out yet. It slipped a little when you took your hand off, and pushing it back in feels fantastic. Especially as this guy massages your insides with his fingers.

A pair of powerful hands takes you by the shoulders and hoists you up, putting you eye level with the other man's cock. You can see the blood is pumping, but he's not fully hard yet. That just means you have a job to do. Using your free hand to support yourself you take him into your mouth, swishing his cock around with your tongue, feeling it inflate and stiffen in real time. It's bigger than you'd have guessed, and as it reaches its full length you find it pushing further back, past the your tongue. You relax your throat and extend your tongue, tears welling up in your eyes as you push deeper, deeper, trying to get far enough to give his balls a little lick. It's at that moment the guy in the back decides it's time to put his cock in you.

The combination of the dick in your ass and the can in your pussy is like nothing you've ever felt. It's a fullness, a pressure, painful in the most intensely pleasurable way. You take your hand off the ground, leaving the full weight of your torso in the hands of the man whose cock is in your throat, and go back to masturbating the way you were before these men showed up: one hand to stimulate the clit, the other to push the can in and out, in and out.

Now in full control of your upper body, the man at the front begins to thrust more aggressively. Long ropes of saliva dangle from your chin as you gurgle happily, throwing yourself into each thrust, tasting his precum when he pulls out far enough to get it on your tongue. He's getting close now, you can feel it in the throbbing of his cock and the urgency of his thrusts, but before he can burst he pulls back. "Let me see my cum on your tongue," he says breathlessly. You oblige, sticking out your tongue and trying to cup it so the cum doesn't slide off.

The two men cum at the same time. You hadn't noticed the guy in your ass was that close—you suppose you were too focused on the front. He bends over you as his cum fills your ass, pinching and tugging your nipples through your shirt. The other man spills load after load onto your tongue, watching in satisfaction as it slides down into your throat. You used to dislike the taste of cum, but you've begun to think of it like coffee or wine: the more of it you taste the more you enjoy, and the more complexity you're able to discern in the flavor. This man's cum makes you think of an oyster; slimy, salty, with an undertone of freshness like that of the ocean.

As both cocks withdraw you roll onto your back to finish yourself off, but before you can even touch yourself the man whose cum now sits in your stomach is grabbing you by the wrists and pinning them to the ground. A sound you didn't know was in you, a growl of animal frustration, wells up in your throat as you struggle against his weight. But the sound subsides when the other man begins rubbing your clit himself. He's faster about it than you would be, less subtle, and quickly the pleasure becomes too intense. You buck and jerk, trying to pull back, but his hand chases your clit each time you manage to make space, never letting up for more than a second or two. You scream and gnash your teeth as shivers chase each other up and down your skin, your legs tremble, your eyes roll back. The force of your pussy contracting into the orgasm is enough to push out the can, making a sound that can only be described as a schlorp! as it comes out of you. Your own cum mingles on the linoleum with the cum dripping out of ass. You fall limp, gasping for air, staring up at the ceiling.

The men laugh and take a few pictures, and by the time you're able to sit up, they're both gone. You stand on wobbly legs, brushing yourself off, and see your phone on the ground. It's always falling out of these tiny pockets.

On your phone is a message from your benefactor. A single sentence, accompanied by a pinned map location.

go to this location and await further instruction.

You pick up the can and look at the chef again, now thoroughly soaked from his time with you. You wipe it on your skirt and make for the exit. You doubt anyone will mind if you take this with you.

#degredation kink #dehumanization kink #cvmdump #cvmslvt #cnc free use

[llamagoddessofficial]

how would the normal boyo's react to mc's death?

no murder, nothing crazy, just old age taking away the love of their lives.

and for bonus points lets say they had been happily married for decades as to add on the memories and the sudden shock of losing someone that had become such a key factor in your life.

I think I've mentioned this before, but it doesn't hurt to bring it up again. Aggre Mc is going to live a lot longer than she expected. Even with absolutely no intervention, thanks to her connection with the guys, her Soul has three major sources of magic nearby that instinctively constantly share their power with hers. It will probably expand her lifetime by a century, minimum. Her big issue isn't going to be dying; it's going to be dealing with the implications of living so much longer than she thought she would.

There's also the topic of a Soul bond. If she Soul bonds with any of the three of them, and doesn't have kids, she's pretty much going to live as a monster does (forever, unless interrupted). In Aggre, they definitely discuss the subject of her possible death eventually- and my personal canon post-Aggre is that after settling into a rhythm and spending a few decades together, when Mc decides she wants to Soul bond, the boys elect Sans to be the one she bonds with. She'd then live with them like that.

But... in a hypothetical scenario, where Mc resists everything and dies... I think this is how it would go. Obviously, angst and death under the cut.

Sans: Honestly, Sans takes her approaching death the best. Which should really worry you about how the other two would react. Does he fall apart? Absolutely, the last time he felt this kind of agony was when he lost his mother. But Sans has always been good at disguising his emotions, hiding tremendous pain under an easygoing exterior. He keeps up with the dishes, organises her end of life care, keeps contact with his friends. Papyrus would be the only one to see even a fraction of the true extent of Sans' grief. Sans is about to lose the love of his life, and has completely frozen over to avoid crumbling.

Red: He definitely takes it better than you'd expect, considering he'd have a mended relationship with his brother. But it still hits. It's cruel that the universe sent him someone who taught him how to let himself feel, then took that person away and delivered the worst pain he's ever felt.

Mc would be proud of him, though. Despite the pain, he avoids falling back into the worst of his old addictions, because he knows its not what she would want and it won't actually make the pain go away. It will just numb him to everything; including those who are trying to help. He picks up smoking again in the days leading up to her death, but he avoids the bottle.

Skull: It's hard, for him. It's really hard.

All of them knew it would be particularly difficult for Skull. They had a long time to discuss it- a long time to talk the subject over. Mc prepared stuff for him, for after she's gone... people to talk to, things of hers to hold when it hurts, exercises for him to hopefully learn to deal with it. For a while, everyone was convinced Skull was ready. Even Skull.

... But he just... he just can't do it. He can't do it. He can't let her go. It doesn't matter how many hours she spent holding his hands, how hard they all believed he'd be fine without her- it doesn't matter how much he healed by her side and how well adjusted he seems now. The moment he realises she's really genuinely dying, the journey ahead of him looks so impossibly dark, so frightening. He holds her as she's dying and he feels so small. He cries like a baby and begs her not to leave him behind.

The moment she dies, he catches her Soul. He holds it in his hands, hushing it like a scared bird and tucking it away into his chest, where he can keep her alive. Honestly, they'd have to cut him open if they wanted to let her pass on.

... But I think at that point, Red and Sans aren't exactly fighting to make him let go. In fact... something unspoken passes between the three of them. Skull just did what all of them wanted to do.

Skull gives her to Sans, who keeps her hidden away, within his own Soul. Her Soul knows his best, and will feel most comfortable there long-term.

They'll figure out something. They have all the time in the world.

#llamagines

[best-transgender-character]

Best Transgender Character Competition!

Hello everyone, welcome to the competition to find the best transgender character! Please note, this is not about who is the best representation, or who is the most transgender. This is about who is the best, for reasons unrelated to transness.

You do not need to convince me that your character is trans, if you submit them, I will believe you! Canon is not a factor, so please also do not argue that characters should lose based on a lack of canon evidence. Headcanons are presented on equal footing as canon here, please treat them the same.

I will not be publishing information about who has or hasn't been submitted. Please don't ask how many times a character was submitted, I won't tell you. I want to avoid biasing the submissions in that way.

Whether or not I include a piece of media or a character is up to my own discretion, and these decisions will likely not be made publicly obvious. I won't be posting or participating in arguments about these decisions.

I will publish propaganda (in the form of asks) once the bracket has been posted, and only about characters who have made the cut. You're welcome to send it in early, I'll leave it in my inbox until it becomes relevant.

Submit as many characters as you'd like.

No real people! This is about fictional characters only.

Please keep a positive attitude! friendly competition is welcome, but make sure it remains friendly. This competition is about uplifting transgender characters before anything else.

Here's the form:

I don't have a planned date to close submissions, it will depend on how long it takes to get a good amount. I will update the post when I have a date.

#Please boost this poll! I'm not sure if the link will prevent it from showing up in tags. #Transgender #Trans #Competition #tournament #Poll

[neptunes-sol-angel]

I knew it was destiny for me to do a coraline themed pac. Enjoy! 💗

Paid Readings | Patreon | Tip Jar

Pile One

From your inner teen's perspective, your costume is an eclipse that covers your range and your capacity to move on to the next phase of developing your sense of self and what you'd like to accomplish. Your costume could be like a zombie or in general, someone who isn't in control of their body or thoughts. If you have any anger that you feel at times that you may consider random, this could be your inner teen's frustration over how you have tendencies of not having a grip on your self awareness and identity. You could depend too much on how you're being perceived by others or their approval or maybe there's this substance or tool that you use to help morph yourself into someone different to appease on what people in your environment may think is appropriate. I keep thinking about acid and other hallucinogens, if I'm correct, no trip is supposed to be the same as the previous or next trip. So when I think about this energy that I'm picking up in this pile, you constantly manipulate yourself in order to stay the same in hopes of receiving the same reaction from others. It's like reinforcement, where you get some sort of gratification, but is bringing to yourself in some way. Examples that I'm channeling includes but not limited to overacheiving to the point where nothing satisfies you, being in a back and forth connection by doing things that gets the other person to chase after you, and  (TW ⚠️: eating disorders). This irritates your inner teen, because one of your biggest goals when you were in the age of adolescence, was to grow beyond the reach of people that made you feel low about yourself and to escape the grasp of abusive environments that constrain you and made you dream of a life where things could be better and different. Who you are when no one is watching and behind those tears of discontent and malaise, is someone who's constantly reinventing themselves, and embraces these transitions of change. You hold yourself back in worry of how other people will think, when really you're meant to cause a shock factor. You are not normal spongebob where your emotions, thoughts, and looks are fixed to the same degree every day. You're spontaneous in a way where if you were to step outside in the world as you are, validation is no longer your drug, YOU are the drug that changes the trajectory in so many people's minds in how they view their daily routines, the careers they should go after, that new hobby that they feel drawn to, that clothing piece or new hairstyle that they feel will look good on them, new philosophies and epiphanies to the small and big things to make themselves safe in their own skin.

Pile Two

Your inner teen feels like you're still holding onto the inferiority that was felt during the time where you needed community and support the most. You could hold on too much to this title of being your own person to the point where you feel separated from society. You could see yourself as someone with an "alien" like personality where you feel that you can't really connect with others or it's hard for people to feel connected with you. You could believe in starseeds and think that you are one, and while that can be true and if you resonate with that part, there's a message here to recognize that whatever past life that you may have had, doesn't change the fact that this life that you have right now, is for you to live a human and earthly experience because you are when no one is watching behind that facade of thinking that you're someone who doesn't belong here, you indeed have attributes that you share with others, you just haven't found your people yet, but you will. However, there's a main message about knowing that everyone you meet is someone you can learn from. If you're a spiritualist and/or occultist, there's a part of your first awakening in which you joined because it either came from a place of being where it feels like you're misunderstood or you were going through strange things that only other certain people could relate. But like the character Coraline in her self-titiled movie, there's a need to appreciate the home you have more, the friends and family that you do have in your circle and to tap into that part of yourself that desires to be seen and heard by just going for it and asking for what you need, which is someone who can listen to you and understand that you do have feelings under that distant and neutral persona that you showcase. Unwind, and become more vulnerable with others with not just the things that make you human which is your feelings, but also the things that make you feel like you're otherworldly. You don't have to be a stray in this world, you can be apart of it by finding your place the more that you open your heart.  Your quirky and whimsical self is not meant to be hidden and gatekeeping yourself from the world out of spite of the past, is the biggest rejection that you can face in this world. And don't withhold the knowledge that you're sitting on or neglect the student within you, that's one of the major ways you'll be able to find wholesome interactions with others.

Pile Three

"The healer heals everyone, but who heals the healer?" The inner teen inside you could feel that you've done an amazing job with nurturing yourself and nurturing others. You exude the energy of someone with immense strength, protection, crystallized intelligence, and reliance, which could make people feel drawn for something within them that needs to be nourished, and your actions heavily reflect your presence by how you're always there in service for others and how you take care of people in your personal life and the people that you may not know as well your loved ones. Your inner teen feels that although you've generated an abundance of good karma for how you genuinely kind you are, how you're constantly available for others is tipping the scale when you could be at a point in your life where you are in need of a person that's like you. I'm sensing there's something that needs to change in order to tend to yourself more, a desire for more reciprocation, but also an urge to step away from always being the one who heals others. You want to be known and valued for other things besides what you can do for people and even if you've developed this helpful nature from having responsibilities over other people like your family members at a young age, or if it's just innate, you're exhausted from this life and could use at least a break. Who you are when no one is watching, is someone who needs to be freed from what is expected of them and to find their own peace outside of dealing with everyone's chaos. Home is being brought up so much in my mind, so you're meant to explore different avenues that could be outside of family traditions, social norms, and to leave where you grew up around, you're meant to go on adventures around the world and revel in your independence. If you want a life without becoming a parent, it's not selfish to be that way, and it's perfectly find to spread your wings away from the pressure to make certain commitments that isn't yours to have. Perhaps you're interested in a lifestyle and/or career that doesn't involve being in service for others, maybe you're realizing what your true love language is and realizing what your real expectations in a partner are. Who you are when no one is watching is someone exotically beautiful in many ways than one. You know that your heart is a plus, but soon everyone will know this too.

#divination #intuitive #psychic #pick a card #tarot #spirituality #pac #tarotblr #tarot community #the tarot community #coraline #pick a pile #pick a picture #pick a card reading #pick a pile reading #intuitive readings #intuition

[sunvmars]

fireworks | s.r.

pairing: steve rogers x fem!reader

pt. 2 | masterlist

word count: 3.7k

warnings: smut mentions, some light swearing and some fluff. oh, and i have no timeline in the mcu for which this takes place so keep that in mind. i also did minimal proof reading :)

summary: everyone but you and steve realize you like each other.

Before you were an Avenger, you were Steve's friend and roommate. For half of the year that you'd lived together, you considered Steve to be more than a friend- you were head over heels in love. The team noticed how you brightened when he was around. They noticed how you were always taking short glances at him at meetings. You were always the one tending to any of Steve's injuries on the jet after a mission. The only one who didn't notice your pining was Steve.

Steve would do anything for you just as you would him. You weren't sure if you would ever tell him. If there was even a possibility of him not feeling the same, you didn't wanna ruin your friendship.

But just like he didn't notice your feelings for him, you never noticed his for you. To everyone but you, it was obvious Steve followed you around like a lost puppy. During team dinners he was sitting right next to you. In training he always picked you to partner up with. When it was your turn to make dinner, he was always in there helping you. And on missions, Steve always made sure to be near you.

Not that you needed Steve to protect you, and he knew this, as you came from generations of the strongest witches. You were strong on top of having your abilities. So far, you've discovered you have telekinesis, you can read and control people's minds, and control elemental factors.

After Steve found out that you had special abilities, he'd pushed you to get you in contact with Tony Stark. SHIELD decided you'd be a great asset and got you set up in a room in the Avenger's tower. Soon after you moved into the tower and out of your shared apartment, so did Steve. In fact, he was only three rooms down from you.

That was almost two years ago. And today was the day before Tony's New Years Eve Party. You all but forced everyone to decorate the place. Not that you truly cared this much about New Years, but you were a sucker for extra time with the team. And that's how you ended up spending your evening putting up decorations and assigning jobs for who puts up what and in which area.

"Come on, Buck, it won't be that bad," Steve smiles, patting the brunette's back as he passes him on the way down the stairs.

"If you stop complaining, it'll get done faster," Sam adds, giving Bucky a blank expression.

A frown crosses your features, "this is supposed to be fun, don't look so miserable!"

You watch Bucky and Sam struggle to wrap a gold and black tinsel garland around the stair rail, your frown quickly being replaced with a smirk. Steve, little to your knowledge, watches with a smile as you giggle at them bicker over who's wrapping the wrong way. After a few seconds, Tony jumps in to break it up- only resulting in all three of them arguing.

"How many Avengers does it take to put a damn garland up?"

"Apparently more than three," Steve responds to you with a chuckle, "should I break it up?"

"Of course not. It's entertaining. Wanna come hang balloons with me?"

Steve nods with the same lovesick smile plastered on his face.

Soon enough, the whole living room was decorated- after hours of bickering between the team and multiple drinks, of course.

"See! That wasn't so bad," you declare.

"Speak for yourself," Sam says, side eyeing Bucky.

Bucky returns the glance, but remains silent.

"It wasn't horrible, but I won't be working with those two idiots again," Tony looks back at Sam and Bucky as he ruffles your hair and heads off to his room.

"I had fun," Wanda smiles, hoping to reassure you.

Nat gives you a slight smile, "it wasn't so bad."

After everyone goes off to their rooms, the only people left in the room are you and Steve putting up the unused decorations.

"So, Steve, do you have anyone in mind that you plan on going to the party with tomorrow?"

His face reddens just barely as he looks away from you for a moment to conjure up an answer, "I... No, not really. What about you?"

"I guess I could say the same."

You nod and attempt to cover the disappointment on your face. He only offers a hum in response as his lips curl up to form an empathetic smile. Your eyes linger on his for a little too long, both of you waiting for the other to fill the silence.

"Well, I should probably go put these back and head to bed," you blurt out, mentally cussing yourself out for not asking him to be your date to the party.

"Of course. Goodnight, y/n."

You turn a little too quickly and start walking towards the elevator. Once in your room, you change into pajamas and climb into your bed. Just a few doors down is Steve laying comfortably in his bed, and also berating himself for not asking you to go to the party with him. See, he has a plan to tell you how he feels tomorrow. He even found a balcony on the tower that gives a perfect view of the fireworks. His nerves are getting the best of him though. Sometimes he feels like you have the same feelings for him as he does for you, but he always dismisses the thought. He takes note of every move you make towards him. All the times you've hugged him and let your hands linger a little longer around him before pulling away. Every time your cheeks have brightened when he reassures you with compliments after a shitty date. Steve notices everything you do. And everyone notices how the two of you endlessly and hopelessly chase each other.

When you wake up, the first thing that you notice is the smell of pancakes. The second thing is the small box you feel by your feet. Your eyes hesitate to open, trying to adjust to the sunlight. Slowly, your body allows you to sit up. You pick up the small white box wrapped with a pink bow. Attached to it is a small card that simply reads, "From Tony." With a cocked brow you gently tug on the pink bow and allow it to come undone. The box opens to reveal a piece of folded up fabric.

It unravels to reveal a dress that's hardly an actual dress. Sure, it's not that bad, but it's a little much for a casual party. It's slightly below the knee length dress with thick off shoulder straps. It's red with a black mesh over it making it appear a dark maroon color. The cups are a practically see through black mesh, the back zips up to just barely above your ass, and it has a long slit on the side that looks like it'd stop right at your hip. Not that you needed his approval, but you wondered if Steve would like you in this particular dress. After wrapping the dress back up into the box, you make your way out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, y/n," Steve smiles.

He hands you a plate with a stack of pancakes, a few pieces of fruit, and a little cup of syrup on the side.

"Thanks, Stevie," you return the expression and make your way to the table after getting a drink.

Plopping down in your usual seat between Bucky and Steve, you start to dig in. A few minutes later and everyone's almost done cramming down their breakfast. If anyone's learned anything from the time's when Thor visits it's that he eats, he eats a lot and he eats it fast. First day he was there it was like a pack of animals fighting over the last drop of water out of a pond. Per usual, you and Steve shared small talk until you decided to go back to your room.

Within a few hours after breakfast, it was time to get ready for the party. For the last two years you've gotten ready for events like this with Wanda and Nat. Being the only girls in the tower, they were your best friends in the compound.

A sigh leaves your lips after carefully observing yourself in the dress one last time. You put a red bra on under it to make the cups look the same color as the rest of it. The dress left nothing to the imagination.

"Thoughts?" you ask as you step out of the bathroom.

Nat and Wanda exchange a glance.

"That's the one," they blurt out in unison.

"Are you guys sure? It doesn't feel like a little much for a regular, boring party?"

They quickly shut down your thought. After a quick pep talk, you take another glance in the mirror at yourself, you start to ponder it. They were right. It's beautiful and, to be honest, you wanted to tell Steve how you felt tonight so you had to look good.

"Oh, what the hell. Why not," you step into your closet to pick out a pair of shoes to go with the dress.

The three of you headed down to the living room only to split up after a few minutes of chatting. You went straight to the bar after exchanging a goodbye with them. As you placed your clutch on the bar, you leaned over the counter. Tony turns to look at you, shaker in hand and a smirk on his face.

"You actually wore it."

"You wouldn't leave me alone if I didn't," a small laugh escapes your lips, "you're cheap for somebody so rich. And it has kinda grown on me. So thank you, Tony."

"Ah, no problem kid," he pours the drink into a chilled glass, looking back up at you, "besides, it's not really a gift for you specifically."

Confusion racks your brain and you try to piece together what he means. Your bewilderment must've been evident on your face as Tony pushes the drink towards you with a grin.

"It's a gift for him," he nods behind you.

You pick up the drink and take a sip before turning to make direct eye contact with none other than Steve. His expression is almost stoic until he catches your gaze, offering a smile and wave. The gesture is returned by you before turning back to look at Tony's smug face.

"I knew you were up to something."

"Maybe soon enough you'll find out what that something is."

"He does not think of me like that."

"Sure," he scoffs as he makes his way to the end of the bar to grab more glasses.

After a few hours into the party, you're starting to feel socially drained and really just defeated. Two hours and you have yet to find the right time to pull Steve aside, and he's having the same problem. You'd hardly talked at all except for when he bought you a drink earlier in the night. Most of the conversation being made tonight was small talk with some people who sat next to you at the bar, and a few desperate men.

That is, until a man approaches you, "I'm sure you've heard this a lot tonight, but you're absolutely gorgeous. And I'd love to buy you a drink."

His hair is short and dirty blonde, he's got baby blue eyes, and he's definitely handsome. Although he's no Steve, and this isn't something you do often, you could use the cheering up.

"Thank you..?" your voice trails as you wait for him to offer his name.

"Lucas," he grins.

"Lucky for you, I'd love another drink, Lucas. I'm y/n," you smile and pat the seat next to you.

The two of you chat for the next hour and, unbeknownst to you, Steve has the perfect view of you from where he's standing. He can see the beautiful smile you're giving him and the way the man is looking you up and down. Soon enough, the jealousy coursing through him was all he could focus on. That should be him that you're smiling at like that, it should be him down there making you laugh, it should be his eyes practically undressing you. All it took to push him over the edge was the guy putting his hand on your lower back. Now he was even more determined to tell you how he feels.

It's getting late and right as you're about to tell Lucas that you have to go, his phone rings. He quickly excuses himself and leaves to take the call.

A few seconds later, your attention is grabbed by Steve taking the seat next to you. And God he looks even more handsome close up. He's got on a dark blue, fitted dress shirt paired with equally fitted black dress pants. The darker blue is a perfect contrast to his eyes and hair. The shirt brings out the definition of his arms in the best way possible. Thoughts that are the farthest thing from wholesome run through your brain before he even gets a chance to speak.

"Having fun," he smiles at you.

"A little. You ignoring me, Rogers? Haven't talked to you all night."

"Of course not," Steve chuckles, "you were talking to your arm candy. Who would I be to interrupt?"

"That was nothing. It definitely wasn't like that."

"Well, you talked for awhile. Seemed like you were having fun and I just wanted to wait my turn, that's all."

His choice of words makes you giggle, "We're adults, you don't have to standby like a kid waiting for their mom to get off the phone. It's not like there's a long line to speak to me."

And Steve can safely say he's surprised there isn't a long line to talk to a girl like you. You're looking absolutely gorgeous tonight although he's way too nervous to express it to you.

Steve doesn't like the thoughts going through his head at the moment. He tries not to think about you inappropriately, but in times like these it's not easy. You're leaned over the bar counter with your ass practically poked all the way out, the cutout on the back of the dress gave the perfect view of your back, and the fabric fit your figure perfectly.

"That dress is stunning on you, sweetheart," he smiles, taking a sip of his drink.

If it were possible for a heart to do flips, yours just did it.

"Oh! Thank you, Stevie. Tony got it for me."

"Tony, huh? I guess I'll have to thank him, then."

To be honest, Steve was being very blunt and it was making it hard not to kiss him right then. Sometimes you guys would jokingly flirt but something about his tone was hinting that he wasn't joking this time.

"Come with me," he flashes a smile at you, "I wanna show you something."

"Is it important? It'd be rude to run off on Lucas."

Another pang of jealousy makes his stomach turn. He wants to tell you to forget about him, but he knows he doesn't have the right to do that. You're just being your usual sweet self and he knows that. But he can't get rid of the image of the way Lucas was looking at you; he knows what kind of thoughts came with that look because he gives it to you all the time. Like when you're training and your shorts start to roll up to reveal more of your thighs. Or when you're in your suit on missions and your sweat makes it cling to your body. That guy was eye fucking you, and even if Steve hadn't said it to you yet, you were his.

"It's important, it's almost midnight, and I have a surprise for you that's midnight exclusive."

"Alright, alright. It's not like I'll ever see him again anyways," you sigh.

As soon as he sees the corners of your lips turn up, he takes your hand and leads you to the balcony on the top floor. There's no one else up there and he silently thanks the universe for that. Quiet electronic pop music can be heard coming for the speakers. You both sit down on the couch and turn to look at each other.

"So, what's the surprise?"

"Just give it a few minutes," Steve smiles gently at your impatience, "you'll see it after the countdown."

"You know I like surprises. Don't tease me, Steven."

"So," he starts, "I'm sorry you won't get your kiss with Lucas tonight. But I think you'll like my surprise."

"Me? Kiss Lucas? Oh, no, no, no. I don't like him like that. There's...someone else."

He wants to let out a sigh of relief but stops himself. His eyes stay on you as you're looking up at the skylights. The different colored lights on the balcony make your eyes light up, and it also gives him the perfect view of your cleavage. Guilt washes over him at the thoughts he's having again. Then he decides it's the perfect time to tell you- you're alone, it's quiet, and he simply can't hold it in anymore.

"Y/n?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Stevie," you say as your face lights up, "you're the best friend I could ask for."

He laughs for a second, thinking of how to explain, "no, not like that. I love you. I'm sorry if this ruins our friendship, but I've been wanting to say this for a while. I have loved you from the moment I met you. Isn't it obvious how infatuated I am with you?"

Your heart stops for a second and the speed at which it beats picks up. After this long, Steve is finally saying the words you've only dreamed of hearing. A few seconds go by and you still can't conjure up a response.

"Listen, I understand if it's alot to take in. I'll leave you alone for a bit if you want," he starts to stand up but your hand pulls him back down.

"Steve-"

A loud crash of thunder stops your sentence early. As if on cue, rain starts pouring from the dark clouds above you. The rain is pouring fast, soaking both of you after only a few seconds.

"Shit. Let's go inside, I don't want you to get sick."

He gets up again but this time you stand up just as quick.

"No! I have been waiting to see this and I'm saying it now."

Your tone of urgency makes him laugh as he waits for you to continue.

"Steven Grant Rogers I have loved you for the last two years. I love you isn't even good enough to express how I feel for you," your smile widens as you keep talking, "you are the only one I can bring myself to think of. I. Love. You."

You stare at each other for a moment, smiles never fading, and then he places his hand on your lower back to draw you closer, "I am-"

This time, it's him being cut off. The sound of people on the balconies below you counting down and cheering is too loud to talk over. Laughter erupts from the both of you and he takes this image of you in. Your hair is wet and sticking to you, the water is making your dress stick to you too, and you've just told him you love him too.

"Can I kiss you?" he yells when they get to 5.

"Please."

His free hand comes to rest on your cheek and he pulls your face to hips. Your lips connect in a slow, passionate kiss. The rain no longer bothers you. Nothing could ruin this.

The sound of fireworks makes him pull away and turns your bodies towards them, "this was your surprise. Best view in the house."

For the second time tonight, your face lights up because of him. He swears there'll be no better feeling than seeing himself make you happy.

"Oh, Stevie... It's beautiful."

"And you're breathtaking, sweetheart."

His hand rubs your back, tracing circles into your skin. The thoughts from earlier start to come back. All he wants to do is bend you over this railing, lift up that short dress, and show you how much he loves you.

You move in to kiss him again. This time, the kiss is needier. It's rough and desperate. A gasp escapes your lips and Steve takes this opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth. His tongue explores your mouth as he tries to pull you closer. He finds it in himself to pull away, both of you trying to catch your breath.

"I'm sorry if I'm a little bad at that, haven't done it in a while."

"No, sweetheart- it's not that. Trust me. I'm just doing everything I can to avoid losing control. If I'm honest, I've been having horrible thoughts about you since I saw you in this," he admits, motioning down at your dress.

"Who says I want you to hold back?"

His breath catches in his throat before he can respond. He opens his mouth to try again but stops again when you start to reach around and unzip your dress with a smirk on your face.

"What are you doing..?"

"It's cold, and I'm wet," your eyes glance up to meet his, "and you won't make the first move, so I'm doing it for you."

He steps forward and grabs your hand to prevent you from unzipping it any farther.

"Absolutely not. If I'm gonna fuck you, I'm doing it where nobody will see you. I'm not letting anyone else see you like that. As much as I'd love to take you right here on that couch, you're mine, baby," his confidence is evident in his tone.

Steve scoops you up with ease as you giggle, trying to get down, "put me down, I can walk."

"And I can walk faster. I need you."

All you can feel is immense joy. He was finally yours, and you were his. As it turns out, Steve would have to thank Tony for buying you that dress.

#marvel #marvel fanfiction #fanfic #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fluff #captain america #steve rogers x you #steve rogers fandom #marvel fluff #steve rogers smut

[ellephlox]

Castle in the Sky

Summary: You try sparring with Matt because he wants you to learn self-defense. A minor bump to the head, as it turns out, opens up many doors.

Pairing: Matt x f!reader

Warnings: Hit to the head, some physical intimacy (but no smut)

A/N: Haven't written in months because I've been working on a writing project of my own but here I am again!! I'm absolutely THRILLED to see the new photos of Born Again and I'm also dying to watch Kin season 2 (haven't been able to watch it yet unfortunately).

"Matt, I know it probably pains you to hear this, but I'm seriously going to be a waste of your time."

"You could never be a waste of my time."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but really, I don't think you understand just how bad this is going to go."

"It'll go fine. Just give it a shot." Matt was in a tee and shorts, an excited energy in the way he beckoned you forward. Training, he called it. Self-defense lessons.

It sounded more like a painful exercise to you.

"Besides," you continued. "Let's say I was walking down the street and some malicious guy approached me with a knife and was all, Give me your money or I'll kill you—"

Matt scowled. "If that ever happens, I'll kill him first."

"In that situation," you pressed on, "I guarantee that I would freeze. Any punches or flying kicks or whatever that you have tried to teach me would be sitting uselessly in the recesses of my mind. I'd be scared or disbelieving and I wouldn't even move. Really."

"It wouldn't hurt to try learning, sweetheart."

You sighed. "I'll try, for your sake, but don't think that I don't see through your motivations."

"My motivations?"

"You just want to kick my ass and then laugh as I succumb to your ninja skills."

"It might possibly be a contributing factor."

You gave him a light push. "Alright, then. So you really think you can teach me something?"

"Sure. Anyone can learn." Matt quickly pushed the sofa backwards and faced you, suddenly appearing much more imposing than he did when... well, when he wasn't about to spar with you. You lifted up your hands uncertainly, trying to mimic the boxing pose you'd seen him take on in Fogwell's.

"Okay. That's your first mistake," Matt said, stepping forward to grab your wrists and adjust them.

"How did I already screw up? I only lifted my hands."

"When you're assuming a defensive stance, you don't want to keep your hands that low. It's better to keep them up a bit higher to protect your ribs and face."

He moved your hands upward. "Good. You've got your thumbs right."

"See, I know what I'm doing," you said dryly. "Next time I get attacked on the street they'll be intimidated by my correct thumb placement."

"And you'll be grateful that your thumbs aren't broken after you throw a punch. I learned that the hard way." Matt paused for a moment. "I made the mistake of putting my thumb out. Stick didn't tell me. He said he thought it'd be a good way for the lesson to stick if there was a physical reminder."

"Bastard. Now I want to learn how to fight." You lifted up your fists. "Because if I ever get the chance to meet Stick, I assure you that he will be very familiar with my fists."

"I appreciate that support, but if that ever happens, I very vehemently would recommend against that." Matt held out his hands. "Attack me. I want to see what your fighting style is."

"You mean my fighting style or lack thereof?"

"Just go for it." Matt stood there confidently, his hands crossed in front of him casually and his eyes trained on your collarbone.

"I don't want to hurt you," you said uncertainly. "I mean, I know how dumb that sounds, because you're freaking Daredevil, but it feels wrong to just... throw a fist at you."

Matt only laughed. "Sweetheart, you won't hurt me."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Um." You considered your hands, feeling suddenly self-conscious. "Don't judge me, okay?"

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Tentatively you sent a fist towards the left side of his abdomen. You expected him to just sidestep it, especially since it was a slow-moving punch — you didn't have the heart to put all of your strength into it, no matter what he said — but instead he blocked your arm, braced his other arm against your own, and forced you to twist around until your back was against his front and his arm was around your neck. "Come on, sweetheart, you can do better than that."

He was taunting you, and it worked. "Fine," you said, and you tossed your elbow back with the intention of slamming it into him, but it hardly did anything at all; he took the blow as though you'd thrown a marshmallow at him.

"Go for the groin," he advised.

"Don't have to tell me twice," you said, lifting up your knee with the intention to nail him, but he took the opportunity to sweep your other leg out from under you. You fell to the floor, groaning. "I thought you wanted me to try getting you in the groin?"

"And I wanted to show you how that makes it easy for an assailant to knock you down. One foot on the ground is a surefire way to have zero feet on the ground."

"Come on, you kick all the time — flying kicks, spinning kicks, twirly-whirly kicks—"

"I don't do twirly-whirly kicks. And you can go for the groin, occasionally, but only when the timing is right and you won't get knocked down."

"I promise you that if I somehow manage to get in a fight with someone, the last thing I'll be doing is analyzing whether or not the timing is right for a groin kick, Matt."

"Okay. Try a heel palm strike." He took your arm and guided you through the movement, flexing your wrist and showing you how to pull your arm back quickly. "And go for the nose, or throat, if you can. That's effective. The ears are a good target, too. It's disorienting, even for someone who doesn't rely on their hearing to move around."

You gave him a look. "Please tell me that you don't get your ears boxed on a regular basis."

"Only twice." Matt kept going before you could say anything else. "There's several escapes I want to show you, in case you're ever being held against your will."

He proceeded to demonstrate to you the different ways you could free yourself, whether you were held in a headlock or your hands were tied; for his sake you tried to do as best as you could, though you felt fairly certain that each time you "freed" yourself, it was Matt letting you go, so you could experience the maneuver fully.

"Now get down," he said.

"On the floor?"

"For escaping while mounted. Lie on the floor, on your back."

"Why do I feel like you have ulterior motives?" you asked, smirking at him as you obeyed. He climbed on top of you and grabbed both of your wrists with a devious glint in his eyes.

"Never said I wouldn't enjoy myself," he said. He locked his legs around your waist and grabbed both of your wrists, pinning them to the floor. "So, if you ever find yourself in a position like this — God forbid — then what you're going to do is—"

"Panic and wait for the devilishly handsome Daredevil to show up and rescue this damsel in distress?" At Matt's expression, you backpedaled. "I'm kidding. Kidding. I'll fight back."

"Even though your wrists are pinned, your hands themselves are still free. Try to grab my wrist with your left hand."

You tugged, and Matt allowed you to pull your hand over so that you had your left hand securely locked around his wrist. "And what if my assailant is too strong and I can't do this?"

"Odds are that no matter how strong they are, if you can start kicking with your legs, spit in their face, or scream — anything to distract them — they're not going to be 100% focused on your one left wrist. They'll be contending with your flailing legs."

"Okay," you said doubtfully. "So I just grab your wrist... then—"

"Put your foot on my hip, push, and pull at my wrist simultaneously."

"But you've locked yourself around me," you said, struggling fruitlessly. "How am I supposed to move my legs?"

"Roll onto your hip. It'll create space. And if you can, reach up and grab the ear of the assailant, then pull them to the side."

"I'm not testing the ear move on you," you said firmly. "Nope."

"I second that," he admitted. "But try the hip roll."

To your surprise, it actually worked. And this time, you felt the natural shifting of your bodies, so that you could even slightly believe that it would work on your assailant no matter how big or strong they were. You rehearsed the move with Matt several times, swapping out which hand you used to reach up to him.

"Okay. Again, and faster. Real-time, if you can. And at the end, I want you to roll out all the way, and get out from under me," Matt said.

"Okay," you said, feeling that things wouldn't bode too well for you if Matt was going to put an ounce of effort in, but you got back in position. He grabbed both of your wrists, this time digging his knees painfully into your ribs, just enough for it to hurt without doing any real harm. You gasped, struggling for breath, and lunged forward to loosen yourself slightly, trying to roll over to no avail.

"Try again," Matt said, and you did, spontaneously leaning upwards as you jerked to the left and reached for his wrist. Once you had it, you pulled as hard as you could, pushing your knee against him. You could feel him yielding a bit, going easy on you — which slightly pissed you off even though you knew you'd have no chance against him otherwise — but at the same time it was still exhilarating.

Finally you freed yourself, and rolled out to the left and onto your knees, just as Matt followed through with your shove and lunged to block you.

"Keep going," he urged. "Get back on your feet."

You obeyed, adhering to his commands as he gave them, and it really was like a waltz once you got into the rhythm, dodging and learning to recognize which hand motions meant what.

"Now try dodging a new type of punch," he said, as a way of warning. "I'll be coming from this side over here."

"Which way do I go? To the left?"

"Right. And be ready, because this time I'm going to fight back more."

You weren't quite sure how it happened, though. The sweep of his arm, as you put all your weight to the left, resulted in you losing your balance and toppling over the follow-through of his leg, your arms to the side and unable to get forward quickly enough to brace yourself as your head made a beeline for the edge of the coffee table.

The impact it made felt as though someone had hammered a nail into the top of your forehead. You yelped, hand now free so that it could jump to the spot of impact.

Matt's reaction was visceral; like a TSA agent oddly eager to frisk, he had his hands out and seeking the exact spot where your forehead currently felt like the site of an excavation. "Dammit, I'm sorry — are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Sorry. I didn't think that would happen."

"Why'd you go left?"

"You told me to go left."

"No, I said right."

You snorted despite yourself, closing your eyes against the ebbs of pain. "I interpreted 'right' as 'correct'. My bad."

"No, it's my bad, I should have—"

"Not your fault at all," you managed, brushing at your head. You expected blood, but it was dry. "Just a bump. I should have seen that coming."

"You probably have a concussion." Matt's tone was strangled, his left hand cupping the back of your head while his right grazed the bump. "I could call Claire, and have her come over—"

"Uh, no." The thought of having Matt's practically on-call nurse drop everything she was doing to come help you was mortifying. "I don't even think I have a concussion. Ask me my name. Bet I can ace any question you've got." Physically you pulled his hand away from your head. "Matt, really. It's okay."

"You're trying to mollify me."

"You're too worried," you said playfully. "It'll take more than a little bump to take me out. If you can get sliced up by the Yakuza, I think I can handle a love tap from the coffee table."

"That wasn't a love tap. I could hear the impact on your skull. And I can feel the heat already from the bruise forming."

"See, we don't need Claire. I'll never need to go to a hospital again with you around." You patted at your head and ignored the accompanying stab of pain that would otherwise have made you flinch if Matt wasn't there to detect it. "Can we go through the move again?"

"No."

"But you were the one who wanted me to learn in the first place."

"We'll go to Fogwell's another time," he said. "Someplace with floor mats and no sharp coffee table edges."

You rolled your eyes, but you could already see that his mind wasn't going to budge. He sat in a crouch, his head still tilted towards you as though he couldn't help keeping a constant monitor on your head, and it struck you, with the position he was currently in, how easy it would be to knock him over.

"Cow tipping!" you hollered at him, diving forward and throwing all of your weight against his side; from his crouched position on the tips of his feet, there was nowhere to go but sideways, and for one delicious microsecond, Matt Murdock, the same man you had seen balance precariously on fire escapes and jump nimbly from roof to roof, was forced to fumble his arms out in time to catch himself as he fell to his left. You leapt atop him, straddling his chest with your knees.

"You took down a blind man who was trying to help you," he mocked. "Shame on you. Were you faking the head pain, too?"

"I'm not that devious," you said. "Say mercy and I'll let you go."

Matt tipped his head back against the floor, his eyes reflecting the evening sunlight as it came out from behind the clouds. Without seeming to notice, his hands crept up the outside of your thighs, making goosebumps prickle on your skin. "You think that I need your acquiescence in order to get up?"

You leaned forward, pressing your hands against his shoulders. The muscles tensed under your fingertips, the biceps under your thumbs ready to spring into action at any moment. "As far as I'm concerned, right now I've conquered you, and if anyone were to see us then I think they'd agree with me."

"It's touching to see how much this means for you," he said. "I'll let you enjoy your victory for a bit longer."

"And then?"

"And then I get to win." His voice was lower, reminiscent of the devil, and your stomach dropped. Still you could feel the muscles poised under your hands, and you could feel your blood rising into your cheeks as his own hands crept lower.

You egged him on. "You can try," you said. "I'm warning you, though, that I could beat you whenever I want, easily. I just like to pretend I'm not as strong as I actually am. Wouldn't want to hurt the ego of Daredevil."

"Of course. How thoughtful of you, sweetheart."

"Yeah, you know me."

"I'm guessing that was you who took down the trafficking ring a few nights ago, then? Left all those men unconscious in the alley?"

"Uh, obviously." You leaned in closer. "That's why you've got to play nice, Murdock. If I get mad, I might just go all Hulkish on you and you'll be begging for my mercy—"

Quickly enough that you jumped, startled, Matt rolled out from underneath you with even more ease than you would have expected, and with a swift grab of your wrists, he pinned you down beneath him, just like earlier when you sparred.

"You were saying?" he asked, grinning. Immediately you tried the move that had worked on him previously — he definitely was going easy on you earlier, then — but this time he blocked it. You scowled, and tried again; once more it yielded nothing.

"You're not getting up until you make some amendments to what you were saying, Y/N."

"Well, let me clarify," you began, and Matt's lips lifted upwards as he began to smirk.

Nope. He's not getting any satisfaction yet.

"I'm currently giving you the impression that you've won," you continued, and his expression shifted, as though he were trying not to laugh. "It's an important part of keeping your ego up, of course. Every so often I like to give you these little nuggets of delusion."

"Nuggets of delusion," Matt repeated.

"Sure. I'm selective with them. But when I feel like you need a bit of a self-esteem boost, then bam, you've got it. So right now, I'm giving you a nugget. It's all part of my strategy." You lay beneath him, the floor hard on your back, as he seemed to mull over what his response was going to be.

Instead, he simply took your wrists and moved them above your head, where he pinned both to the floor with his left hand and then moved his right hand down to your throat.

"What?" you managed. "You don't like delusion nuggets?"

"I want you to admit you're lying."

"But you already know I'm lying."

"I want the verbal confession."

"I confess to nothing," you said stubbornly, your heart picking up as his thumb brushed over the center of your throat.

"Try again, sweetheart. And remember that I know where you're most ticklish."

"Uh... you are by far the strongest man I've ever met and I could never compare to you?"

"And what else?"

"I love you?" you said, your voice higher than usual, because damn, Matt leaning directly above you was distracting.

"Better." He released your wrists and pulled you up into him.

You buried your head into his chest, sighing. "Can't believe you just tackled a concussed person to the floor."

"That was not a tackle. That was... one percent effort. Even half a percent." He paused a moment. "And you said the bump wasn't anything to be concerned about."

"Mm. Did I lie?" you asked him, kissing his hand.

"No," he admitted. "But I still don't trust you."

"You shouldn't. Because the next time you're tying your shoes, or cleaning out underneath the oven or something, I'm totally going to cow tip you again."

"Seriously? 'Cow tipping'? Did you make that up?"

"For a guy who knows everything, I'm appalled you don't know what cow tipping is."

"Please tell me you've never actually shoved a real cow over."

"You really do think poorly of me," you said, stretching. "Just you wait, Murdock. When you least expect it, you shall be cow tipped again. Just you wait."

#daredevil #matt murdock #matt murdock x reader #marvel #reader #reader insert #x reader #daredevil x reader

[emeritusemeritus]

hello !! 🌷 i read spellbound and im IN LOVE with the way you write, so could i request a weasley twins x reader as well? if you don't want to write both twins in love with reader, then just fred </3

so the reader is a hufflepuff student who has been close friends with the twins since the first year at hogwarts, to the point of molly inviting her to stay for a few days sometimes. and the twins (or just fred) like reader so much as a best friend— until reader becomes more than that.

something "but you belong to me." with them. like, reader getting asked out and people confessing to her, but the twins are possessive of her; mysteriously, people who confess to reader inevitably get a wave of bad luck (because of the twins' pranks).

a more possessive side of them, you know? house of balloons has been on my mind these days 2!€+2(3 🤕

thank you so much ! i hope you have a lovely day.

Hi lovely, hope you are well!Thank you so much! I hope this is okay for you?!🖤

Warnings: minor sexual references, pranks, mild swearing. Possessive behaviour, slightly dominant twins. Love confessions.

Word count: 2.2k

You're in my world now, you can stay, you can stay

But you belong to me, ooh, you belong to me

Being best friends with both Weasley Twins had many pros and cons, of which you'd considered frequently over the years.

They were funny, charming and kind, kept you on your toes, you never went more than an hour without belly laughing. Your life was abundantly better because they were in it.

On the other hand, you got way more detentions, had to attend quidditch matches that weren't your own house and even if they were you were cheering for the wrong team because you were a Hufflepuff and they were Gryffindor beaters. Their family was far from rich, not that it ever bothered you in the slightest, but from another more shallow persons perspective you could see how that would be a factor.

Most importantly, they seemed to scare all the boys away you ever dared approach you. Like guard dogs they seemed to deter any boy away from you and in turn there was not a single boy good enough for you that you'd even shown interest in as Fred and George were always quick to point out their faults, making your crush disappear soon after.

It wasn't always like that but around your fifth year you seemed to take notice of the rather starling pattern of events that repeatedly kept happening. A boy would show interest in you, flirty looks that lingered and secret stolen smiles, maybe they'd even approach you and ask you to Hogsmeade, but most of them didn't get that far. You'd mention it in passing to the twins, catching them up on your days after having your owl classes spent away from each other and by the next day, all semblance of attraction would be lost. The boy would often not look at you, look fearfully at you or worse, would randomly spout big puss filled boils all over his face.

You were ignorant to it in the beginning, but then you began to take it personally thinking that someone was playing a joke on you, getting the boys to pretend to be attracted only to laugh with their friends behind your back.

"Angel I'm telling you that is definitely not happening," George had said to console you as you cried to them both down by the lake after hours.

"We'd have heard about it wouldn't we," he adds, gesturing between him and Fred who looks on at you with worry in his eyes.

"Yeah," Fred nods, "nobody ever says anything bad about you. You're not the kind of girl that would happen to anyway."

"What to your mean?" You'd asked, sounding more than a little pathetic as you sniffled, wiping your nose on the sleeve of your jumper and then casting a spell to clean it off.

"You're pretty, really pretty," George says, a gentle smile on his face.

"More than pretty, that crap only happens to the ugly girls and you are definitely not ugly," Fred says, throwing himself on the floor beside you.

"Probably just lost his nerve that's all," Fred adds, picking up a rock and trying to skim it across the lake.

After that night you watched the interactions closely, anytime a boy would try and approach you, putting on his best smile. Some were nervous, some where cocky but in the end they all ended up the same way, actively avoiding you. It was your sixth year now and you were growing tired of it, leading you to venting your frustrations to the twins during another late night adventure.

"I'm fed up of it! I want to experience going to Hogsmeade with someone,"

"You do that with us," George says with a cocky smirk, but you simply shoot him a glare as you carry on.

"I want to hold someone's hand, have them tell me I look pretty."

"I did that this morning," Fred interjects.

"I want to be dated, i want to be kissed, I want to have sex!"

"I volunteer!" Both twins say, immediately standing up with their hands raised, earning a roll of your eyes as you laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Both of you sit down and shut up!" You laugh, pushing them back to lean on the stone wall they were originally sat on. "I'm serious, I think there's something wrong with me."

"There's not a single thing wrong with you princess," Fred says, turning to George who backs him is with a slow shake of his head. "Those boys are just idiots, you're better off with us."

When the Yule Ball was announced and people started immediately bagging dates, your concern only grew as time passed and you weren't asked. It was strange, you'd see the boys looking at you, heard rumours they were going to ask you from your friends but then nothing seemed to happen. Until Cedric came along. You'd been friends since your first year, not overly close but friendly enough, you shared classes together and he was an excellent quidditch player, almost as good as George and Fred.

"Hi, um, how are you?" He asks, cheeks flushed pink as he catches you in the corridor outside the great hall.

"Hi Ced, I'm good thanks how are you?" You smile up at him, confused by his nervousness. His foot was bouncing on the spot and his hands seemed to fluctuate between being in his robe pockets to outside again, almost like he couldn't make up his mind at where to keep them.

"I was wondering," he pauses slightly, "are you with the Weasley twins?"

"Umm no I don't know where they are? I assume they're at dinner," you say with a frown, wondering why he was bringing up Fred and George so randomly. He lets out a nervous chuckle, placing his hands back in his pocket as he shakes his head slightly with a shy smile.

"No I meant, with them, you know," he says, emphasising the 'with' this time.

"Oh, no," you say with a smile, "not with anyone."

"Good," he says quickly before realising what he'd said. "I mean... sorry." It was almost painful to experience this, watching as he stumbled through his words. "I was wondering if you wanted to go."

"There she is!" Fred says, walking over to you having appeared out of the hall, throwing his arm around your shoulder and pulling you tightly to his side.

"Thanks mate, sometimes she wanders off, good job keeping your eye out for her, appreciate it."

Fred pulls you away and you're so stunned that you mindlessly follow him, your mind not able to string two thoughts together as you take a place beside them at the Gryffindor table, taking off your tie so you wouldn't be spotted amongst the crowd of Gryffindors.

"What was that about?" You suddenly ask, snapping out of your confused gaze and looking up accusingly at Fred who's devouring a chicken leg with as much tact and delicacy as Fang would.

"What?" He asks with mouth full of food making you squint at him in disgust as he asks stupid.

The next time it happened, you realised something was up.

Ron and Harry were discussing dates in study class across the table from you when they got the news from Hermione that even Neville had got a date, making him more depressed than ever.

"Y/n, you're a girl," he says, pushing back his hair from his face as he addresses you.

"What gave it away?" You snark, hardly looking up from your parchment as you finish up your sentence. Fred snorts on your right side and goes back to his own writing, if that's what you could call it with his terrible handwriting. You can almost feel George beside you tensing up, his shoulders squaring as he looks at his brother, watching him closely.

"We'll have you got a date? You could go with me," Ron says with a little shrug, unsure of himself.

"She's already going with us, back off little brother," Fred says suddenly, eyes snapping up to glare at his younger brother with the same viciousness as his tone.

"Since when?" You ask, eyeing him curiously.

"You want to?" He asks, wiggling his eyebrows at you. You look towards George who looks on expectantly and you relent, knowing that it would be better to go with your best friends than go alone.

"Fine," you say, "but no funny business," you warn them both, stretching out your index finger to point at the both of them accusingly.

"Never," George says dramatically, closing his eyes as if the very thought was unheard of, making you glare at him.

Apparently the word didn't spread quick enough about you going with Fred and George because only two hours later you were asked by Justin.

"Well I wasn't sure if you were going with them both or not, I heard it last week but you hadn't said anything since," he explains after you'd tried to delicately let him down.

"Wait what? Last week?" You ask, confused by his words. He nods slowly, as if you should know.

"Yeah I heard them telling Lee that you were going with both of them, which you know Lee, it spread quicker than jam on toast. No one really thought anything of it at first, I mean George said ages ago that you're practically dating them."

"Excuse me."

The realisation had your head spinning, had they really be plotting for this long. It was then all along?

"Oi Weasley and Weasley, open up!" You said loudly, banging on their dorm room door, having crept in with Ginny on the way in past the portrait hole.

"Our favourite girl, how can we be of service?" Fred asks as he opens up the door, giving you a brilliant smile. He's shirtless and you falter slightly at the unexpectedness of the view. When he catches you looking he winks playfully as he shuts the door.

"Still want no funny business?" He teases, hopping down onto his bed.

"I know it was you two," you say, catching George unaware as he walks out of the bathroom, seeing you stood by the door. "It all makes perfect sense now! You've been pushing the lads away haven't you! Practically bloody dating?" You shout, shooting George a thunderous look. "Bit suspicious that the last three blokes that tried to ask me out have a) magically developed a face full of boils, b) had his eyebrows burnt off and c) got a bloody black eye from your stupid telescope! Tell me now, is it a coincidence?"

For the first time, you see the twins share a look between themselves before their faces twist into guilty expressions.

"It's just," Fred begins.

"You belong with us," George says, taking a seat opposite where you stood on his bed.

"Excuse me?" You say, brows pulling together as you send them both a harsh glare.

"You're ours princess, you always have been. Just like we're yours."

You're speechless as you look between them both, seeing them looking back at you with expressions you'd never seen in them. They looked hungry, honest and slightly vulnerable, rendering you completely mute until you could find the right words.

"How long?"

"Can't remember," Fred replies quickly, honestly. "Before you first came home with us for the holidays."

"That was third year!"

"Second year then," he says with a shrug, completely unashamed to be answering so honestly, unashamed of his feelings.

"The bloody sorting ceremony if I'm being honest," George says a bit less bluntly, "but definitely when you threw that snowball straight at Fred's head for calling you badger girl," he says with a chuckle, making a smile appear on your face.

"I swear I've still got a mark from that!" Fred says with a smirk and you roll your eyes at his dramatics. "Should have been a bloody beater with that aim."

“I’ll beat you now,” you threaten playfully, watching as his face erupts with a devilish grin.

“Beat me off whenever you like,” he retort and you have to fight rolling your eyes again as a smile tugs at your face.

It's quiet for a moment, no one speaking, not knowing how to proceed.

"You really mean it? You… both…me?"

"Yup,” they both say, as if it was nothing, as if you’d asked them to borrow a pencil.

“Told you Angel, we’re yours, always have been. If you’ll have us.” They both look up at you with hope clearly plastered across their faces, eyes twinkling as they show their vulnerability.

“One condition,” you say, cocking an eyebrow up at them.

“Anything princess,” Fred says.

“No more pranks on lads that talk to me, not everyone was trying to ask me out you know.”

They look like they’re going to protest, not liking the idea of the lads talking to you especially if you were now theirs but you smirk and decide to put their minds at ease.

“Once everyone knows I’m yours, officially this time, it won’t be a problem.”

“And how to we do that?” George asks, squinting a little.

“Either of you ever given a love bite?”

#emeritusemeritus #emeritusemerituswrites #harry potter #fred weasley #fred weasley x you #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley masterlist #george weasley #george weasley x you #weasley twins x reader #Weasley twins x you #requests

[ay-chuu]

As a Boyfriend: Jade Leech

Warnings: Tooth roothinf fluff,cringe and lol first time writing for a character that im not so close... BUT for my dear; @fukashiin <3

Jade is the most advanced person in terms of emotional intelligence between Floyd, himself and Azul! He just doesn't show it, or makes people hard to guess it with his slightly sadistic traits. But he is neither open to everything like Floyd and lives according to the moment or doesn’t get hysterical like Azul and make things get out of control. He analyzes everything and approaches the person with the most point shots in an emotional sense. Just like when he managed to impress you (;

He considers himself a loser in many things, and he didn't realize it until he met you... he thought he was incompetent in most things because he set himself back from everyone, but after he becoma lovers with you, he realized that this was an idea that could only be overcome. And this is actually also when he falls in love with you. Because he has always known that someone who can make him believe unexpected thoughts is his soulmate.

A romantic gentleman. Everything he does in the position of butler is a factor that is not a role for you. Are you tired? Your favorite drink is already ready. Are you sad? Why don't you lie down on that couch over there and tell him everything? Problems with the lesson? Here are the most profound books on this topic.

You're a new member of Mountain Lover Club! At first you thought you'd be so bored... (no, you definitely didn't join that club to impress Jade...) But taking mountain trips and determining the types of mushrooms from the book turned out to be more fun than you expected! First of all, there is no phone, it's a great Decoupling from the digital environment.... Secondly, you are drunk with nature, and at the end of every walk you become full of love and mushrooms. Finally and most importantly, you taste Jade in the most authentic way... when you two are alone together, he shows you his incredibly true self and always makes you feel soft inside.

One of the things that upsets Jade the most is the sadness of his loved ones. Floyd and you are at the top of this list. If someone has upset you... God bless them. I don't think he'll let them go without leaving a serious trauma. Even if this person is your family, he scares them in some way and makes them respect him. Because Jade is always an influential person. But if any event has upset you, what he will do is solve the incident as soon as possible as efficiently as possible, because he would rather drown the world than see you upset.

He's quite jealous. But he usually shows it to the person he's jealous of by making life a little hell because he doesn't want you to understand that he's jealous…

Swimming in the sea with you with the eel form, is his favorite. You're playing with each other, laughing like there's no tomorrow, and just.... You're together.... As you lean your foreheads against each other, the reflection of the setting sun on your face is an incredible happiness for both of you.

It may seem like he's the dominant person in the relationship, but actually you're the secret boss! He's just being angry at you and leading you so that you can be happy. (He's a complete malewife... When you get married, you get a 10/10 service in your home. He is a devoted husband! devoted to his spouse, *insert proud face with mop!*)

To be lovers together with Jade is to be able to say that you also have a close relationship with Floyd! You three are a chaotic group, and there are no people who can understand or put it in a sentence to describe the craziness you are doing. And that's why Jade loves you so much. Just as you can have peaceful moments when you two are together, all the calm disappears in an instant when you put your twin Decoupled! (Floyd is very happy thst you two are dating and even jealous that Jade is dating you... But that's another day's topic!)

All in all, Jade is both a gentle lover who has all the qualities you can look for and want, and a wonderful partner who can give you the most crazy and adventurous moments.

#by.aychu #disney twst #twst #twisted wonderland x yuu #twisted wonderland x reader #twst yuu #twst octavinelle #octavinelle x reader #jade leech x yuu #jade leech x reader #jade leech #floyd leech #twst tweels #twst incorrect quotes

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

Call Me Mrs. Rogers

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Word Count: 8.7k

Warnings: not many, very brief mentions of death and some minor violence- this story is mostly just sassy arguing tbh

Genre: fluff

Summary: You have never gotten along with one Steve Rogers, at this point the rest of the team considers it a win if you two don't speak to each other for an entire day, at least then you aren't fighting. So when a briefing meeting results in you getting paired on an extended mission with him you are less than thrilled. It won't be easy but you're determined to get through it and who knows what'll happen.

***

You check your watch as you walk down the halls of the Avengers tower heading towards the meeting room. When you push open the door everyone turns to look at you.

"Y/n. So nice of you to join us." Steve snarks at you from the front of the room.

"Oh I'm sorry were you waiting for me? I would've taken longer if I knew." You say lazily as you plop into a seat next to Wanda who has to hide her snicker at your words. Steve rolls his eyes at you but doesn't bother trying to retort. Your relationship with him always been somewhat contentious. You assume it's because he's a square.

"Now that everyone's here we can get started." Steve says passing out the briefing folders. You flip yours open and scan the words quickly as he begins talking.

"Alright, here's the situation; this is our target, Dusan Müller. Hydra scientist. Our sources say he's been hiding in a small town somewhere outside of central Italy." Steve explains.

"That's very nonspecific." You scoff.

"We've narrowed it down to one of five we simply need to check them out and find him and assuming he has help we need to do it without raising suspicion."

"So, espionage? Someone's going undercover?" Nat asks.

"That's the plan." He nods.

"Who's going and what's their cover?" Bucky asks.

"Based on some research we've done the most solid undercover would probably be a newlywed couple." Tony says.

"Wait what?" Wanda frowns.

"A few of the towns are travel hotspots for 'unconventional honeymoons'. A new couple touring Europe is least likely to raise questions. At the very least it'll take a while before anyone realizes the truth." He explains.

"Sooooo who are our newlyweds?" Nat prompts again.

"That's what we're going to figure out now." Steve says.

"You haven't decided yet?" You frown.

"There are a lot of factors. A discussion makes the most sense so we can account for as many as possible." He forces out through clenched teeth.

"Well y/n and I have tons of espionage experience." Nat says.

"We could always go together." You wink at her.

"And Steve's one of the strongest fighters." Wanda says.

"He's a lanky scientist will we need brute strength really?" You ask.

"Again we don't know who is helping so if he's not isolateable we might." Tony says.

"Well if we're listing them off Bucky's a pretty strong choice for top fighters too." You point out.

"Anyone helping a Hydra scientist would for sure notice me though, plus with the metal arm I might- draw more attention, because jackets in the middle of summer on a honeymood would be weird." Bucky explains shaking his head.

"I'd go but the whole billionaire playboy thing I wouldn't wanna risk being recognized." Tony shrugs.

"Where are Bruce and Clint? Are they not available for this mission?" Wanda asks suddenly.

"They are not. Other tasks are occupying their time." Tony tells her. "If you ask me I suggest Rogers and y/n go." He adds.

"Fuck off Stark." You roll your eyes.

"Actually based on my calculations the most favorable pairing for this mission is Captain Steve Rogers and Miss Y/n Y/l/n." Vision says. It's the first thing he's said the whole meeting, you'd almost forgotten he was in the room.

"What?" You scoff.

"No." Steve says at the same time.

"Vis, you might want to recalculate that one because the only thing we are most favorable for is driving each other crazy." You cross your arms.

"Miss Romanova is the only other member of the team as skilled in this area as you y/n, however, the chances of her being recognized are higher as you fight with a mask and she does not. Similarly, as Mr. Barnes has explained, his reputation as the Winter Soldier proceeds him, and it is an unnecessary risk to send him. Mr. Stark also has quite the reputation and I am a synthezoid that would also draw attention, leaving Captain Rogers the least conspicuous partner for you."

"And Wanda or Sam?" You ask.

"It is my understanding that Sam will be indisposed during part of the proposed timeframe and Wanda lacks proficiency in the skillset needed to successfully pull this off. It would be nothing short of foolish to test her undercover capabilities with such a high-stakes mission." Vision says.

"Fine." You relent. "I'll go undercover with Rogers if you insist it is the most advantageous option." You grumble.

"I can't believe this is happening." Steve shakes his head.

"When do we leave?" You ask.

"Tomorrow at noon."

"Feels a little short noticed for an extended mission don't you think?" You frown.

"I'm sorry will that be an inconvenience to your schedule?" The question is dripping with sarcasm.

"It's got fuck all to do with my schedule and everything to do with the protocol that this doesn't follow."

"What do you know about protocol?" Steve scoffs. You stand up sharply.

"First of all I've been going on missions for longer than you've been active in the 21st century secondly I've been on this team long enough to know there are protocols we follow for these things."

"Extenuating circumstances required us  to work around protocol because we can't waste time."

"And that's all you had to say but instead you wanted to be petty and make me seem like a spoiled brat because I asked a valid question! Maybe nobody else will bother because it's not their mission but since I have to leave I sure as hell will question things as necessary."

"Or don't. You have your directives. You could try just following them."

"You would do well to remember, Captain, I am not one of your little soldiers. Around here we don't just blindly follow orders. I've watched that shit get people killed too many times."

"Alright let's all just calm-"

"I will see you on the launch pad tomorrow at noon. If you need me before then, don't." You cut off whatever Sam was going to say. You grab your briefing folder and storm out of the room angrily. It's not long after that Wanda and Natasha come into your room where you're shoving clothes into your duffle bag angrily.

"So, how do you plan to play husband and wife with someone that makes you want to commit a crime every time he speaks?"

"I'm gonna act. As if my life depends on it. Because it kinda does." You sigh. "Look I'm going to do my job and I will do it well, personal feelings aside. What do you even pack for a fake honeymoon in Europe?"

"Lingerie."

"Natasha!" You glare at her.

"Not for use, but if somebody ends up in your bags you want it to look like you're on honeymoon with a man you love, so a couple pairs of cute underwear couldn't hurt." She explains with a shrug.

"Honestly I think you should try to make a connection with him on some level. Find common ground to make this mission easier on you both. It would be good for the team in the future as well." Wanda says.

"No thank you." You shake your head.

"Wanda you're a genius I'm texting Sam." Natasha says.

"No. Why would you do that?" You frown.

"He's friends with Steve, maybe he'll have some insight on how to keep you from killing each other before you return." Natasha says.

"Dude I'm just trying to pack!" You huff.

"And we're trying to make sure any injuries sustained on this mission are not a result of infighting." She shrugs.

"I would never jeopardize a mission that way and you know that Nat." You point at her. Your door swings open again and Sam comes strolling in with Bucky in tow.

"Alright what're the girls gettin up to?" He asks.

"That took you a concerningly short amount of time to get here." You mutter.

"I brought Bucky too." Sam says.

"Why?"

"Well I figured this was gonna have to do with Steve and since he's the certified record-holding pal of our captain- couldn't hurt to have his input." Sam shrugs.

"I am just trying to pack and these two are in here chatting away. So join the party I guess." You mutter tossing more things on your bed.

"How long do you think you two will be gone?" Wanda asks.

"Hopefully no more than a week, but I'll pack enough for a couple days longer than that. Plus I know how to wash my clothes." You shrug.

"Anyway! Guys, we think y/n could benefit from finding some common ground with Steve and who better to ask than his boys!" Natasha explains to them.

"'We' being her and Wanda I have no interest in any of this actually." You clarify.

"Steve is- not a complex man." Bucky shrugs.

"No not complex just exasperating." You roll your eyes.

"Is there- a particular reason why you hate him so much?" Sam asks with a smirk.

"I don't hate him-"

"EURIKA!" He gasps and you shoot a confused look at him.

"You don't hate him?" Bucky hums.

"If I hated him nothing Vision said in that meeting room would convince me to do this mission. I don't even know if I'd be on the team with him if I felt that strongly about him." You explain. "Rogers is just such a stiff. He sees the world in a specific way and expects most things to adhere to that worldview. When they don't he gets naggy. It's aggravating."

"So, just to clarify; you do not hate him." Sam says.

"No. I don't. He's just boring and we don't get along because I don't like boring people and the way he talks to me is fucking rude. As if it's my fault that he's insipid." You scoff.

"Honestly that- feels like a start." Bucky nods.

"A start for what, exactly? I'm not the problem. We can't find common ground if he's not willing to lighten up."

"I mean if you're together for an entire week he can't be stuffy the entire time, right?" Sam shrugs.

"I don't care if he's stuffy the whole time. It's not a vacation. We don't need to have fun being a fake couple." You say.

"Honestly I think this mission will be good for your relationship with Steve. We're all on a team it's not good for you to fight with him all the time." Wanda says.

"This is feeling oddly intervention-like. Save it y'all, I just want to do my job and bring in this hydra creep." You say.

"It's not meant to be interventional, we just want to make this easier for you." She sighs.

"I don't really need it to be easier but I appreciate the attempt. Sammy, Bucky go about your business please and thank you." You sigh folding the last of your clothes and shoving them in your large travel duffle.

"Good luck this week lady." Bucky nudges you before tugging Sam out of your room.

"Are you kicking us out too?" Natasha smirks.

"At this point I should, but you don't listen anyway." You roll your eyes. You toss your travel toiletries bag into the duffle and couple of other travel essentials, a book, your mission suit, and some extra combat equipment, things of that nature and by the time you're done packing you, Wanda, and Nat have made plans for dinner later in the evening.

~*~*~

When you wake up the next morning you put on a sundress, chosen by Wanda who insisted if you were going to convince anyone you're on a honeymoon you need to look like you would on a date. After a nice breakfast, you grab your duffle from your room and stroll out to the helipad where Steve is already waiting with his arms crossed.

"You're late." Steve grunts as you approach.

"No I'm not. You said we leave at noon. It's noon now."

"We leave at noon means get here before."

"I told you I'd meet you here at noon. You can complain about the semantics of my arrival all you want but you're wasting the time you're so upset about me not adhering to." You say walking past him to get into the quinjet taking you into Europe. Steve stomps onto the jet behind you joining you at the front of the jet. You try not to laugh at the deep frown on his face as he prepares you for takeoff.

"We'll land in Italy where a truck is loaded up for us to take the rest of the way to our first town, and we'll be using the truck to get from town to town." Steve tells you.

"Yeah sure." You mutter grabbing your briefing file to read over again. You always read the information more than once to find anything valuable.

"Did you not- read the whole file yet?" He glances in your direction.

"Of course I did. I'm rereading. We've got like six hours to kill on this jet." You roll your eyes. You feel his gaze on you as you read but you ignore it and eventually he turns his attention back to the controls of the jet. It's in autopilot now but you're sure he'll spend the entire flight glaring at the instruments to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Once you land, you shove the folder into the bottom of your duffle and sling the bag over your shoulder beating Steve to the three agents meeting you at the landing site.

"Hello miss y/l/n." One of them nods to you.

"Hi y'all." You smile at her.

"This will be your transportation for the duration of your trip. There are supplies and gear tucked under the backseat and a radio to contact us if necessary in the center console and your passports are in the glove box." The same agent details to you, pointing to a silver fiat pickup truck. When Steve joins you one of the other agents tosses him the keys.

"We're good to go?" Steve asks the first agent.

"All set, like I was telling miss y/l/n there's emergency supplies and a radio stashed in the vehicle and your destinations are programmed into the GPS system." She nods.

"Is that such a good idea?" You ask with a frown.

"The truck is Stark tech it only says fiat to blend in because they're common in Italy but, nobody's gonna be able to track you with it, or even plot your route. It's biometrically activated." She explains.

"That's better." You nod. You throw your bag into the back of the truck and climb into the passenger seat. You grab your passport out of the glovebox the name on it says Alissa Rogers and Steve's says Grant.

"We'll be in touch." Steve nods one last time before loading his stuff in and settling into the driver's side. He pulls off quickly and you watch as the scenery changes the further you drive towards the small town you'll be staying in.

"Hope you brushed up on your Italian. You're less likely to find English speakers in the countryside like this." You say opening a snack you'd brought along in case you got hungry before you could get food.

"Tony assured me the place he booked was tourist friendly." Steve mumbles.

"I mean sure but what if you have to talk to the locals? Or will that be up to me?"

"As if you speak Italian." He scoffs.

"I speak several languages actually. Side effect of being trained to be an international spy." You shrug and Steve doesn't have a rebuttal for that so he focuses on driving and you munch away on your snacks. A short while later you make it to the small inn you'll be staying at. It's cozy looking, exactly what you'd expect for the town you drove into. It looks like the kind of place where most of the people know each other. With your bag tossed across your back, you follow Steve into the inn where he grabs the attention of the woman at the desk.

"Excuse me, hi we're looking to check in. We have a reservation. Should be under Rogers, first name Grant." Steve says smoothly with a charming smile.

"Oh yes you booked a honeymoon package!" The woman gushes happily as she types away at her keyboard. You have to refrain from reacting when she says that. Looks like it's showtime.

"Yeah we just got married, we're traveling through Europe for our honeymoon." You tell her with a fake dreamy look on your face. You even wrap your hands around Steve's arm affectionately.

"Oooo traveling through Europe! Sounds so exciting and romantic." The woman beams.

"It has been so far! We're still very early into our plans but, so far it's been everything I've dreamed of and more." You sigh softly. The woman lets out a barely there squeal about how cute you are and how lovely newlyweds tend to be before sliding your room keys onto the desk.

"Here are your keys cara mia! Try to rest if he allows." She winks at you and you laugh although the innuendo in her statement makes Steve stiffen beside you.

"Grazie! Oh! Do you have any food suggestions, we've been driving for a while to get here." You ask her.

"Ah most people cook around here but there's Nino's! It's the best place nearby. I'll give you the address." She quickly scribbles the address onto some spare paper she has at the desk and hands it to you.

"Thanks so much, ma'am. Have a good night." Steve finally finds his voice to bid the kind nonna farewell before leading you off with a hand at your back.

"Oh what a sweet old lady." You smile as you walk up the stairs to find your room.

"You settled into the lovestruck newlywed thing very quick." Steve observes.

"Well yeah, this isn't my first rodeo and honestly hopelessly in love is not even close to the hardest part I've had to play on a mission." You scoff.

"Clearly, you're very good at this."

"Yeah that's probably why Vision thought I'd be best for the job." You shrug unlocking your room and tossing your bag to the side.

"There's- only one bed." Steve points out with wide eyes.

"Of course there is. We're supposed to be a newlywed couple on our honeymoon, why would we have a room with two beds?"

"Well I can call down for extra blankets and set up on the floor or-"

"Don't be ridiculous. If you want to sleep in the bed it's king sized, I'm sure we can manage to share." You scoff.

"I just figured it'd be easier if we-"

"It's not a big deal to me Rogers, the main thing is if someone like came to the door and saw pillows and blankets set up on the floor it would hurt the hopelessly devoted story we're trying to sell."

"Hopelessly devoted?" He frowns.

"It's a song from Grease, an old 70s movie. Don't worry about it. Point is, it'll be odd if anyone sees you set up on the floor. Unless you prefer sleeping on straight wood." You shrug.

"I don't." He frowns.

"So don't make it a thing. Which by the way, you kept Rogers for this mission?"

"Yeah, Tony figured it was common enough that it wouldn't matter. Grant's my middle name."

"Hm, interesting. Well, I'm Alissa, apparently. Should we check out that restaurant the nonna suggested?"

"You feel like going to dinner?"

"I mean she said most folks around here cook so tomorrow I'll hit some of the street stands and you can try asking around subtly for any information on our target."

"Shouldn't you do the asking around? I mean what happens when I end up talking to someone that doesn't speak English?"

"You can introduce them to your gorgeous Italian speaking wife, or hope they have nothing important to say." You shrug. "I think you can handle it. You coming with me to get something to eat or not dude?"

"Uh yeah I guess."

The two of you have a semi awkward dinner playing the happy in love couple for anyone that walks pass while not really talking to each other. When you return to your room you take turns showering and getting ready for bed without saying a word to each other.

"Do you care what side you sleep on?" Steve eventually asks.

"Not particularly."

"Then I will take the side by the door. If that's okay?" Steve suggests. 

"If that's what you want. Sure." You shrug tossing the comforter back and getting under it on your designated side. Why he's acting so awkward about the whole thing makes no sense to you but honestly most of his actions make no sense to you. Curled up on one side of the bed you quickly fall asleep, all the travel has certainly tired you out.

Light peaking through the curtain slowly pulls you from sleep in the morning. As you gain consciousness you get more aware of a weight across your body. A weight that doesn't move even as you shift in bed. It's an arm, attached to a body, that's apparently close enough that you can feel the heat radiating from it and the realization makes you scramble out of bed so suddenly you wake Steve too.

"You don't strike me as a cuddly sleeper Rogers." You clip. You can see in his eyes that he's struggling for a response but you grab your duffle and rush into the bathroom before he can find one. You get yourself together and leave pretty quickly with a comment to Steve about making sure he does what you agreed on when he gets on with his day.

With a tote in hand, you scan the different stands in town stopping to buy various produce and things. By the time you'd settled in yesterday and doubled back out for dinner most of the town had gone quiet, it's nice to see everyone out now and survey things. When you're looking at some bracelets at one shop, you overhear a conversation between the woman behind the counter and someone sitting off to the side near her. They're speaking in Italian but you clearly catch one of them gushing about the increase in handsome foreigners in their small town. You giggle a bit, loud enough for them to notice.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interject." You smile apologetically, speaking to them in Italian. "I just caught the last bit of your conversation and well, I take it you've met my husband is all."

"The American is your husband?" One of them gasps.

"Yes he is. Was he here?" You ask her.

"Briefly, he said he was looking for 'trinkets' for friends." The one behind the counter says to you. She says trinkets in English with a confused scrunch of her nose.

"Sounds like him. Do you see a lot of Americans here?" You ask.

"No not Americans often. There was a really handsome German here a couple of days ago." She shakes her head.

"German? Really?" You blink.

"Oh yeah, I remember him. He was tall and thin with a beard and big round glasses and his eyes were bright, almost yellow." The seated woman says.

"Yeah! He didn't talk much but he was much friendlier by the time he left and he spoke with a heavy accent." The lady behind the register adds.

"Was he here long?"

"Probably around 3 weeks." The woman at the register says.

"Did he say where he was going?"

"Well he asked me where the next town to us was, even had me point it out on a map." She tells you.

"Interesting. Must be nice to see new faces sometimes. I'll take these two bracelets." You say placing two items on the counter. With all that chatting you definitely need to buy something before leaving, plus they're so cute you're sure Wanda will love them. The woman checks you out and after a bit more looking around, you head back to your hotel. There's a kitchen on the main floor that you can use to prepare food since that's the norm, plus with this information you'll probably be on your way in the morning. When you return to your room, Steve isn't there, which is fine, you take advantage of the empty suite to take a long hot shower. Eventually you step out and put on lotion before stepping out into the room to grab your clothes.

"You take incredibly long showers." Steve's voice makes you jump as you notice him at the desk in the corner.

"Holy fucking hell." You hiss clutching your chest.

"Forgot you shared this room?"

"No, you weren't here when I got back, hence the long shower, and I didn't realize you were back." You huff, using your towel as a cover you pull on your underwear and shorts. Steve's head is focused on whatever he's reading over at the desk so you let the towel drop to put on your sleep shirt with your back to him.

"You should really pay better attention to your surroundings." Steve mutters.

"Fuck off." You scoff.

"I'm just saying you should totally have noticed I was in here before I spoke."

"Who cares man? Did you find anything interesting out today?"

"Not much, I talked to some guys about visitors but none of them had a lot to say, just that sometimes they come."

"Well I heard a German man was here for around three weeks before asking for directions to the next town over."

"Really? Where did you hear that?"

"Some women in a jewelry store."

"And you think this is legit?"

"I mean it's just street gossip so I don't have a way to verify really but it's definitely a promising lead."

"You're sure it's the right man? I mean 'a German' doesn't exactly scream Müller was here."

"Well I couldn't slap a photo in front of them and ask for clarification but they described him as tall and thin with a beard and big round glasses and bright 'almost yellow' eyes. I dunno I'd say that's a pretty close match if you ask me."

"You found information pretty quickly."

"There are very few things that transcend language, borders, gender et cetera, one of them is that people like to gossip. You find the right people and ask the right questions they will tell you any and everything."

"Then we need to move."

"In the morning."

"Why would we not move now? We have a lead we shouldn't let it go cold."

"If the women from the shop were telling the truth chances are he'll be there a couple weeks before we have to worry about him moving. I think we can afford to start fresh in the morning. Plus we don't have a plan. If we move now it's impulsive and foolish."

"We have a plan, find this guy and apprehend him."

"That's not a plan that's an objective. How do we find him Rogers? And how do we move when we do find him? Are you implying we just tackle him in the middle of town if that's where we see him? I mean even a half-baked skeleton of an idea is better than absolutely nothing." You roll your eyes.

"Do you have a plan you'd like to propose?" He glares at you.

"No, that's why I'm saying we wait til morning. So we have time to come up with one. He's probably going to be there for a couple weeks, we have 8 hours to spare."

"You don't know that."

"Obviously I don't, but he doesn't know we're looking for him he has no reason to rush out of there. If he was here for 3 weeks why would he leave there in 2 days?"

"Fine! We will leave tomorrow morning. Bright and early. 8am."

"Yes sir, drill sergeant." You say with a mock salute. "I'm going to make food downstairs, would you like some?"

"Trying to poison me?"

"If I were, you wouldn't know until it was too late." You smile.

"In that case, I'll pass."

"Suit yourself. If you wanna make yourself something, there are more groceries." You shrug grabbing a few things you need before leaving the room. You make yourself dinner and sit in the lobby to eat, chatting with the woman at the desk, it's the same nonna who checked you in so you offer her some food while you talk. Eventually, you head back up to your room where Steve is still hunched over the desk.

"Okay. So when we get there tomorrow we need to focus on finding him while keeping a low profile so we can figure out the most effective way to apprehend him." Steve says.

"Do we have an extraction plan?"

"I mean I've thought of a couple ways to go about it, if he's in a lodging situation, like this one, we should try for stealth. Moving at night would be the safest choice, to minimize the likelihood of civilian endangerment. If he's staying somewhere alone, apprehension isn't super important, if he's staying somewhere with someone I'd say again stealth is-"

"That's fine I guess but not at all what I meant. Do we have a plan for getting us and him back to the US? Because this was expected to take at least a week and at this rate, we'll be ready to move in like half that time."

"I... will contact the team when we're on the road in the morning and we'll plan our apprehending around how quickly they can mobilize." Steve says.

"Good." You say crawling into bed with a book. You put on music and read quietly while Steve does, who knows what at the desk. He eventually gets up and shuffles into the bathroom. You hear the shower running for a while before he comes out in shorts, using a towel to dry his hair. You barely glance up from your novel as he pads around the room. You don't speak with Steve for the rest of the night. You read, and he does whatever he does until you both eventually turn in at different times.

The next morning you wake to the sound of shuffling around you and when you open your eyes Steve is darting around the room.

"Good. You're awake. Get up and get ready so we can leave." Steve says curtly.

"What's the matter Stevie? Not much of a morning person?" You snark back without getting out of bed.

"I looked it up, the drive we're in for is almost four hours. The sooner we get on the road the better so we can actually get this done. Which means I need you to get up so we can get out of here."

"Sounds to me like you need a Snickers." You snort.

"Excuse me?" His head snaps to you with narrowed eyes.

"A snickers, you know, the candy bar- their slogan is 'you're not you when you're hungry' I'm making a joke about you being cranky- I cannot believe I just had to explain that to you. You really are a grumpy old man, you'd give Scrooge a run for his money sheesh." You scoff, finally pushing yourself out of bed.

"Are you just going to make silly pop culture references all day?" He rolls his eyes.

"Who knew you'd be such a Grinch so early."

"So that's a yes? The Grinch is a Christmas movie."

"So is Scrooge but they're grumpy all year round it's just worse around the holidays. Which begs the question, is the attitude just for little ol me, or does the Italian countryside always make you this prickly?" You smirk.

"Just. Get. Dressed." He says through clenched teeth. You roll your eyes at his grumbly attitude and grab your clothes to change in the bathroom.

"There's some fruit amongst the groceries by the way. I suggest you have one, might put some pep in your step." You taunt before shutting your bathroom door.

"It won't be so bad! Maybe you'll find a way to connect with him! Steve's not a complex man." You mock all your friends in the mirror as you put yourself together. "Complex?! God, I wish! He's about as complex as a cardboard box with half the personality. Honestly if only he were complex that'd be so much easier." You rant to yourself. "Thank the stars the universe practically dropped this guy's location in our lap because there is no way I'd survive a week with this guy." You grumble. You change your clothes and brush your teeth letting out one more deep breath before leaving the bathroom.

"Alright. Ready to go when you are." You say tossing your things into your bag and zipping it up.

"Good. Let's go." Steve grabs his bag and practically storms out of your hotel room without a second thought. You pick up your duffle and what's left of the produce you brought and trot down to the lobby where Steve's already checking you out.

"Hello!" You smile at the woman behind the desk.

"Hello darling! So sad to see you go so soon!" She smiles at you.

"We'd love to stay longer but there's so much to see and not nearly enough hours of our trip." You say wrapping your arm around Steve's and resting your head on his shoulder dreamily "Isn't that right Grant?" You sigh.

"Yeah! We've got so many plans! But the stay here has been lovely." Steve says smiling at you with kindness that even you almost believe is sincere. It makes you want to put ten feet between you and you have to force yourself not to react outwardly. With one last goodbye to the woman at the counter, you and Steve leave the hotel and load your things into your truck. As soon as Steve starts driving he uses the communication system to contact Tony.

"Rogers. Status report?"

"We have a lead that we're following and need to know how quickly we can be extracted from Italy if we've successfully located the target." Steve tells him.

"Have you located the target?" Tony asks.

"I spoke to a woman that says she gave our target directions to another town over so we suspect he'll be there." You interject.

"What if he's moved?" Tony asks.

"Well based on what the woman said, he was around for a few weeks before he left so I think it's safe to say he's likely still there." You say.

"We can extract you as quickly as tonight if you're able to apprehend the target."

"That would be-"

"Too soon. Can you plan for an extraction tomorrow morning?" You cut Steve off and he shoots you a glare momentarily.

"Tomorrow morning?" Tony clarifies.

"Yes. Assuming our lead is correct we'll be ready to go early in the morning." You say.

"Yeah sure. We'll get you a jet and leave it in a holding pattern. Say, 6am?" Tony asks.

"That should give us enough time. If something changes we'll let you know." You say. Tony mumbles an affirmative before disconnecting and you put your headphones on for the remainder of the drive with your head in your book. When the four hour drive ends and Steve pulls up to where you'll be staying you push open the door and hop out of the truck. Steve sorts out your room with the owner of the small hotel you're staying in and practically slams the door when you're in your room.

"Why would you tell Tony to set us up for tomorrow and not tonight? If they could be ready tonight we should take tonight!"

"I thought we were on the same mission but it appears that you are somewhere else because we don't even know where this man is. We just got here and even if we walked outside and saw him right now we can't exactly snatch him in the middle of the day. What happened to that spiel about 'stealth to minimize the likelihood of endangering civilians'? If they plan to extract us tonight that is not a reasonable timeframe and I'm sure you know that. You're just picking fights for no reason." You roll your eyes. Not to mention he waited hours to bring it back up- who stews this long over a departure time?

"Eight hours seems like a pretty reasonable timeframe for me. My fault for overestimating your capabilities."

"If you think I couldn't do this shit in eight hours you're smoking. On my own, I'd have no problem with an eight hour timeline but we are not the team that can be rushing into a mission like this when we don't know what the details are. Honestly Rogers whatever your fucking problem is table it. We have someone to find and we're pretty far from the landing pad so we need to be done and on our way in like twelve hours. I am going to start tracking down our target so we can actually arrest this guy. Skulk in here if you want." You grab your sunglasses and (mostly prop) tote bag and leave Steve in your room. You can't fathom why Steve is annoyed that you asked for a few extra hours to make sure you can actually complete this mission but that's his problem. The sun feels nice on your skin as you walk around surveying people from behind your big sunglasses. When you walk into a small cafe after some time and scan the few customers you almost miss the face you've memorized from your briefing file. He's sitting in a corner eating with a newspaper. You order something small to not raise suspicion and eat it quickly before exiting the shop. There are lots of places to give you a vantage point of the cafe's entrance so you pick one and wait out of sight for Müller to come out. Eventually, he strolls out of the cafe and turns left so carefully, using buildings as cover, you follow Müller for some time. He doesn't stop anywhere until he comes to a small house at basically the edge of town. You watch the house for a while hoping that he'll leave for you to check it out a bit closer. When it starts to pass a half hour you ruffle through your tote for one of the random prototype gadets Tony's always giving you to test out. One of the things is a little box holding a buglike device. You remember him explaining this one, it's supposed to do surveillance. You open the box and turn it on, feeling your phone vibrate in your pocket indicating it's connected. You locate an open window and release the camera bug towards Müller's house, making sure it gets inside before heading back to your hotel to make a plan.

"What have you been doing for the last two hours?" Steve asks as soon as you walk back into your room.

"Tracking Müller. Like I said I would. Did you just sit and sulk?"

"No." Steve glares. "Did you find him?"

"Yes I did. It looks like he's staying alone too." You say passing your phone to Steve for him to see the footage from the bug camera.

"Wait you planted a camera?"

"I saw him in town and followed him til he ended up at this house. Then I used one Tony's little doodads. It's a camera the size of a bug that can fly like one too."

"So you know where this is?"

"Yes I do. It's practically at the edge of town. We should have no problem getting to him later."

"Okay." He nods. "Alright so here's what we'll do. We'll track him with this camera til nightfall and then we'll go get him. It should be quick, sneak in knock him out and get him loaded into the truck."

"Yeah okay." You nod, taking your phone back from Steve. Periodically you check the camera bug that follows Müller around his temporary home over the next several hours. Just before the sun goes down, you notice something odd when you're checking the footage. Müller's moving frantically about, it looks like- he's packing.

"Müller's on the move." You say grabbing the keys to the truck and rushing out of your hotel. Steve runs out behind you.

"Y-Alissa wait!" Steve calls as you start the truck and he almost doesn't get in quick enough as you pull away. "Geez y/n where's the fire?" He asks.

"It looks very much like Müller is about to get the hell outta dodge. We need to move now." You say.

"Wait a second this is very much not what we were planning to-"

"Yeah well that's gonna have to change the man is packing his bags as we speak."

"Are you sure that's what you saw I mean-"

"Rogers argue with me later." You grumble out. Driving, the trip to Müller's is much shorter and you're there in only a few minutes. You hop out immediately even as Steve calls for you to give it a minute. No way are you letting him get away when he's right here. You burst into the small home, that's really just one room and shock the man inside so hard he almost trips. He's quick to get his barings though and lunges at you, grabbing a kitchen knife on his way towards you. You dodge him pretty easily even though he weilds the knife much better than you'd expect of a labcoat. He manages a couple scratches before disarm him and take him down with a plate to the head.

"Dammit y/n. I told you to wait." Steve grits out angrily as you drag Müller towards the truck that's still running.

"What's the big deal? We got our guy." You shrug, folding Müller into the backseat awkwardly."

"Maybe you were too busy charging like a bull to notice that we've drawn attention." He hisses.

"So let's hit the fucking road." You roll your eyes and climb into the passenger seat of the car. Steve lets out an angry huff but gets in the driver side and begins your trip back to the launch pad in central Italy. It'll take you most of the night to get there but you let Tony know to expedite the jet since you'll definitely be there before 6am. At some point, you have to sedate Müller when he starts to groan in the back seat. By the time you make it to the launch pad, agents are waiting with the jet.

"Agent y/l/n, Captain Rogers. Welcome back." One of the agents nods at you both when you exit the truth.

"Hey Jackson. Müller's in the backseat- mind grabbing him for me?" You smile as you tug your duffle out of the car.

"Of course." He nods opening the back door and hauling Müller's still unconscious body from the truck to the jet with ease.

"I could've handled that." Steve says to you.

"Who cares? I probably could've handled it too but we have bags to grab and the fewer trips the better." You roll your eyes.

"The jet's fueled and prepped for takeoff and our reports indicate clear weather so it should be smooth travels." Agent Jackson says to you, although Steve is likely going to monopolize flying.

"Thanks. Then I guess we'll be off." You say heading onto the jet. You toss your bag down and take a moment to secure Müller to the seat he's in at the back of the jet while Steve talks to the agents for a few minutes before following you into the aircraft.

"Make sure he's secure." Steve tosses at you as he passes.

"No shit Sherlock." You roll your eyes, getting into your seat up front next to him and strapping yourself in as he prepares to fly.

"If he wakes midair we don't wanna worry about him ambushing us."

"First of all what're the chances that guy would even be able to take us both? Secondly, I'm not an idiot, he's chained to that seat. Even if he wakes up he's not going anywhere." You scoff.

"To your question; better safe than sorry."

"Yeah whatever." You mutter.

"Not whatever, in fact, speaking of, you were extremely reckless last night." Steve says sternly.

"I was instinctive."

"Oh please. You rushed over there without a plan, ignored my instructions, and charged in carelessly. What if he was armed? Not to mention the fact that people noticed that something was going on. You could've gotten somebody hurt."

"First of all he was armed technically and as you can see, not a scratch on me so can it. You saw just as well as I did that he was packing his things Rogers, the man was about ready to flee and we could not lose him."

"We had a plan-"

"Plans change Rogers its not the end of the world."

"It is when you put people at risk dang it. If you had just followed-"

"If I didn't move when I did we could've missed our chance entirely. He wouldn't be here if I followed 'the plan' that didn't account for a frantic relocation of our target. I made sure the mission got done and the only person at risk was myself which would be the case regardless because that comes with the territory."

"You-"

"God are you two married or something?" Müller's voice shocks you even as you and Steve respond immediately.

"NO!" You shout together.

"You argue like a couple." Müller muses.

"You are so very wrong about that assumption." You scoff.

"Well I was only pointing out-"

"Don't. As a matter of fact if you speak again Müller you'll spend the remainder of this flight strapped to the outside of the jet like a cannoe."

"Can you even do that?"

"Do you really wanna find out?" You glare at him. That effectively shuts him up and cuts your argument with Steve short so the rest of your flight is flown in silence. When you land, it's you who unchains Müller from his seat and puts him cuffs to drag him out of the jet.

"Thank God that's over, the tension between you and the obstinate man was getting unbearable." Müller says.

"Whatever you were sensing was not tension. We barely get along." You roll your eyes.

"Does he know that?"

"Excuse me?"

"When you aren't paying attention he looks at you as if you're responsible for the stars in the sky."

"Those glasses of yours must be the wrong prescription." You scoff.

"You may think me many things but a fool should never be one. You might not agree but some things are easier to observe as an outsider."

"When it comes to people I'd take advice from a Nazi scientist is absolutely not on the list so please save it." You say.

"Y/n! We'll take him from here." An agent grabs your attention as you make it to the building. The walk from the helipad has never felt so long.

"Consider what I said." Müller says as he's dragged off.

"What he said?" Steve frowns from behind you.

"Just- mindless blathering." You grumble walking off to your room. You are not about to let some idiot you just met with no idea who you are get in your head about something he absolutely does not understand.

"Y/N! YOU'RE BACK!" Wanda bursts into your room just after you've closed he door.

"You are- always the first to find me." You chuckle as she throws her arms around you.

"I missed you so much! I almost called you like five times."

"Wanda I was only gone for like four days." You laugh.

"And the HBIC has returned." Natasha strolls in and sits on your bed.

"Hello to you too Nat." You chuckle.

"So? How was it?" Wanda asks.

"Well I didn't shove a dagger between his shoulderblades." You shrug and Natasha laughs.

"Oh come on, that can't be all you've got to say." Wanda scoffs.

"Honestly Wanda not stabbing him in the spine is a pretty raving review for a mission where I had to pretend to be his honeymooning wife."

"Did you even have to play the loving couple?" Natasha asks.

"Well when we got to the first place the woman checking us in was a lovely old Italian woman who was very interested in the fact that we were honeymooning so around her we did have to do the hand holding and dreamy sighing for her sake." You shrug.

"You made it back pretty quickly." Natasha points out.

"I'm efficient." You shrug.

"What does that mean?" Wanda asks.

"It means I tracked down Müller with the help of some gossiping women in town and good old fashion espionage then I made sure he didn't get away once we found him by apprehending him when I realized he was definitely about to vacate. Much to Steve's dismay apparently."

"His dismay?" Wanda frown.

"He lectured me twice because we had a plan and I had to make a change last minute when I saw the guy frantically packing his bags on our little surveillance bug."

"Wait so what was his problem?" Natasha frowned.

"We had a plan and I couldn't follow it. If I'd listened to him we totally would've lost Müller all together. He just hates when he's not the one calling the shots. It's like any decision I make that's not his idea is wrong. I know I said I don't hate him but man does he make it hard to believe that."

"The way you butt heads- I can't believe you made it home and in four days no less." Nat shakes her head.

"Like I said I'm efficient. And personal feelings will never stop me from completing a mission. You can say lots of things about me but you'd be lying if you said I don't do my job well." You shrug. A knock on your doorframe grabs your attention to find Steve standing in the still open doorway of your bedroom.

"Hi Nat, Wanda." He nods to them.

"Welcome back Steve!" Wanda waves.

"Hey Rogers." Natasha nods.

"Y/n, we need to talk." Steve says looking at you.

"If you're going to complain again about me not sticking to your plan save your breath. I have better things to do and if you have that much free time I suggest you follow my example and find a better way to spend it." You roll your eyes.

"It's not that."

"Then what do you want?"

"Alone, please." Steve glances at Natasha and Wanda who look at you.

"Go. I'll talk to you later girls." You tell them and they quickly slip out of your room. "Make it quick Rogers I just spent 4 days with you and I think that is plenty for us for a while."

"What Müller was saying-"

"On the jet? He's an idiot, who cares? As if anyone with sense would assume we're married the way we argue." You scoff.

"Not on the jet. After we landed. His, 'mindless blathering' as you put it."

"Are you expecting a play by play of that conversation because it was so inconsequential I've already forgotten most of it-"

"I heard him. My hearing is- better than average so, I know what he said."

"So did you just ask for funsies earlier?" You frown.

"Well no I just wondered what you'd say about it."

"He doesn't know either of us so I have nothing to say about it. The ramblings of some criminal are the last thing on my mind so if you've come here to tell me not to pay him attention I already wasn't-"

"You are so frustrating." Steve huffs out.

"Excuse me? What is your problem?!" You blink at him.

"My problem is you! You are my sole source of torment!"

"The fact that you are a boring bitch is not my fault! How am I the source of your torment you walking piece of styrofoam!?"

"Oh where do I begin with you?! Your smile makes my heart ache!"

"Yeah well you- wait, what?" Your eyes widen as you process his words, retort dying when you realize he didn't actually insult you.

"You walk into a room and it immediately lights up. Your laugh is better than symphonies. You are so effortlessly so amazing that you've enthralled me without trying. It's incredibly annoying." He rattles off.

"I- I'm really confused." You frown.

"Damn it y/n I'm in love with you!" He forces out. Plot twist. You totally did not see that coming.

"You're in love with me?"

"Somehow yes and everything you do makes it worse. It's infuriating to know my life is no longer mine and that is in in fact yours."

"This is the most paradoxical love confession I've ever gotten. Do you want, an apology or a date?" You ask.

"Wait- what?" Now it's his turn to give you a wide eyed stare.

"Well, you're in love with me but you seem to be very... inconvenienced by it so- should I be saying sorry or telling you to plan a date for Friday night?"

"Wait y-you'd go on a date with me?" His brow furrows.

"If you'd ask me on one."

"I thought you hated me?"

"You're critical of everything I do. So I intentionally get on your nerves. If I had known it was because you had a crush on me I might've been nicer to you. We aren't in kindergarten though Steve being mean to someone you like doesn't get you anywhere." You cross your arms.

"So- will you go on a date with me?"

"Yes I'll go on a date with you. Does Friday night work for you?"

"Friday's Perfect. I'll- let you know the details once I sort them out."

"Alright. I'm going to finish unpacking. I'll see you around." You smile.

"Kay." Steve's cheeks tinge slightly pink as he smiles at you in that shy 'you make me nervous way'.

"Anything else?" You ask when he doesn't move.

"Oh! N-no. I- I'm gonna go." He tells you.

"Okay. See ya." You chuckle as he scrambles out of your room. You can't believe you have a date with Steve Rogers. He may not be a complex man but he sure is a confusing one. To think all those times he was picking fights with you was because he had a crush- you almost hate the way it makes you giddy to think about it. But honestly who could stand a chance against a love confession like that? His life is yours?! You've never even heard him speak so dramatically before. When he came in here you said four days was more than enough time for you to spend to gehter and now well, let's just say you can't wait for Friday.

***

#marvel fanfiction #marvel #captain america #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers #steve rogers fluff #captain america fanfiction

[salemoleander]

I think what you osserved about Cleo and Lizzie is a result of many factors.

Gender is of course one and a major one at that but it cannot be the only one as both Pearl and Gem have much more fandom characterization. Pearls characterisation especially can be attribuited almost entirely to Double Life.

There is also the factor there are a lot less females then males in the mcyt scene and that has always been a problem. But this means that there will always be way more discussion over man because there are so much more.

We should also consider that Lizzie did have a lot of characterisation back in the Empires s1 days that has been swept under the rug as she became inactive for long periods of time, she had a characterisation but this characterisation didn't even apply to the life series because she was never in it like the others, she missed 3rd life, Double life and Limited life which definitely didn't do her any favours. Mumbos characterization on the other hand still existed because he was much more active and when he was in hiatus his fellow Hermits kept reminding us about him... But Lizzie kinda dips for a while and then comes back and is never really mentioned.

Cleo always had the problem of being simplified as either chaotic arsonist, doting mother figure or talented artigian with dark humor... It's been since the 2020 that I have seen people discussing about her characterisation being basically cut down to one of these 3 personality instead of actually giving her actual personality. This was because newbies at characterization back in season 6 usually put either her or Stress as the nurturing mom friend in fanfiction who then other newbies took as inspiration and it kinda stuck around in a loop.

In a way one would need to analyze this problem at the olden days of minecraft content but then we would be here for days.

Putting most of my response under a cut because it got LONG.

To start, I will point out that "this is the result of many factors" and "in a way you'd need to analyze the origins of this, but we don't have time for that" are extremely common & toothless reasons to derail talking about misogyny (or any other -ism).

I do not think you are intentionally replicating that, but anytime an immediate response is "well it's not really ____-ism, and it's so complicated we could never hope to unpack it," that maybe isn't a useful addition to the discussion.

"[Gender] cannot be the only [factor] as both Pearl and Gem have much more fandom characterization"

I agree that gender is not the only factor, but I think going "well SOME women aren't as affected by misogyny so clearly it can't just be misogyny" is inaccurate. Also, if you look at Pearl and Gem's characterization - Gem is pigeonholed to a very particular type of cutesy fighting-princess role, akin to many YA protagonists of late.

Pearl does have more complex characterization from specifically Double Life, but the majority of analysis & attention only started going to Pearl after she won. As DL was airing, much more attention was paid to Desert Duo Redux and Team Rancher and Impdubs etc. I also think the fandom has taken to holding up Pearl as a token and going 'but look, we can write women! Look how many emotions she has. She's sad and likes murder and dogs."

There is also the factor there are a lot less females then males in the mcyt scene and that has always been a problem. But this means that there will always be way more discussion over man because there are so much more.

I agree, it has been a problem forever (I've been watching MCYT since 2012. I watched Cleo & then False join HC. Believe Me, I Know.) But you'll notice my critique wasn't [All Life Series Dudes] are talked about more than [The Much Smaller Number of Life Series Women]. My critique in my post was 'if Lizzie's death happened to a man I would see more posts about that other hypothetical person" - comparing 1 person to 1 person.

We should also consider that Lizzie did have a lot of characterisation back in the Empires s1 days that has been swept under the rug as she became inactive for long periods of time, she had a characterisation but this characterisation didn't even apply to the life series because she was never in it like the others, she missed 3rd life, Double life and Limited life which definitely didn't do her any favours. Mumbos characterization on the other hand still existed because he was much more active and when he was in hiatus his fellow Hermits kept reminding us about him… But Lizzie kinda dips for a while and then comes back and is never really mentioned.

So this paragraph is definitely where you lost me. Your point seems to be 'Lizzie had characterization in S1 of Empires, and we're forced to borrow it because she's so inactive since then, there's nothing to pull from'. Allow me to share a screenshot of her series playlists here.

Let's leave aside the question of why people would pull from Empires S1 characterization when Last Life happened in the middle of it, and would evidently be a more logical place to pull from for Life Series characterization.

She had a whole Afterlife series, and she wasn't inactive after that! She had only 6 fewer episodes in S2 of Empires than in S1. It is patently ridiculous to claim that Lizzie is just so inactive and absent her Empires S1 characterization is necessary to fall back on, when Mumbo has better characterization despite vanishing for an entire calendar year to go biking. That is sexism.

Cleo always had the problem of being simplified as either chaotic arsonist, doting mother figure or talented artigian with dark humor… It's been since the 2020 that I have seen people discussing about her characterisation being basically cut down to one of these 3 personality instead of actually giving her actual personality. This was because newbies at characterization back in season 6 usually put either her or Stress as the nurturing mom friend in fanfiction who then other newbies took as inspiration and it kinda stuck around in a loop.

I'm glad you agree it's a problem! I can definitely see how that problem originated, but I've seen new fandom members for the Life Series - who don't watch HC or read HC fic- duplicate the same problems. I think at some point it's less a fandom-specific issue than a replication of the social division of women into Virgin, Whore, Bitch, or Mother categories, with no ability to imagine women complexly outside of those boxes or continuums.

This fandom seems to think moving the women in and out of the 'Bitch' box is the same as complex characterization*, and we've all just kind of gone 'okay' because the other option is nothing about any women at all. But we can and must do better, because I have to believe we're capable of writing and paying fandom attention to women as people.

*This is where DL Pearl generally falls to me, and why I am dubious of claims that she's well characterized. I think much of the fandom equates cruelty or sadness with good writing/interesting characters. But she's still fundamentally defined by the questions "How nice or mean are you? Are you in a relationship or alone?"

#salem tag #fandom criticism #life series #slsmp #secret life #lizzie #cleo #salem meta #I was trying to stay open minded by you absolutely lost me at the lizzie is inactive so we have to make her a sister bit

[utilitycaster]

You know, it always frustrates me when people refuse to branch out and try new TTRPGs, stubbornly clinging to things that bring them happiness, so I wanted to provide a little recommendation you might not have considered: D&D.

You might have heard of Dungeons and Dragons, or D&D as it's frequently called, from the 2023 movie, or, if you're a little more tuned in, Stranger Things, but it's been around since the 1970s! And if you haven't given it a go, it's worth checking out.

Obviously you’d be looking for alternatives to Pathfinder given past reports from employees that they had to unionize in order to get the company to follow basic OSHA regulations and repeated accusations of underpaying both staff and freelancers. Fear not! D&D 5e is an intuitive switch - Pathfinder 1e was originally based on an earlier edition of D&D, and the cast of Critical Role actually made this same switch, so it’s been done before! You’ll find most of the same classes, a large homebrew community, and similar combat mechanics - but much more streamlined. If you’ve been rolling your eyes at the near-infinite ability check range in Pathfinder 1e, or the fact that you need to look up twenty factors before assigning a difficulty class, or the need to burn an entire action to maintain spell concentration, D&D simplifies it. With a handful of exceptions for classes with expertise, and not including the possibility of bardic inspiration being used on an already successful roll, most checks will be below 35, and DCs can be created by the DM - which is just one of the many ways D&D prioritizes player agency, a phrase we understand the meaning of and care about deeply.

And now that bears are out of vogue due to their association with hard drugs thanks to Cocaine Bear, you might be looking for alternatives to your Honey Heist game. One of my favorite games is D&D, which has the bonus of being flexible enough for both one-session games, and something ongoing! Pre-created character sheets and modules are available for free, so it can be as low-prep or as involved as you want. If you’re missing the animal aspects, check out the druid class, or you could take a look at the blood hunter class by Matt Mercer (who you may know as Trinket from Trinket’s Honey Heist) if you’re interested in playing a creature who might lose control. The McElroys, known Honey Heist players, have actually run several D&D campaigns if you are looking to onboard. Also, let's be real: Honey Heist is overly simplistic - seriously, only one page? - and has dumb hats, and if you knew about the other options, you'd obviously not be playing it.

Speaking of the McElroys, I bet we have some Blades in the Dark and PbtA fans in the audience! If you find mixed success mechanics frustrating, want to be able to have larger-scale, higher-stakes battles without the risk of dying immediately, or are interested in a less regimented structure that is more setting-agnostic, as well as provides opportunities for the Game Master (called a Dungeon Master in D&D) to fail, D&D is worth a look! It's a fairly combat-heavy game and characters are built to be able to withstand some heavy hits, so a large battle won't bring the narrative to a halt as your characters struggle to find outlets for their unhealthy coping mechanisms in order to recover (though, of course, if you like that, the open RP and general ability check mechanisms make it easy to include)!

What's important, in the end, is to remember that the TTRPG you are currently enjoying is wrong, bad, and stupid. Choose the game I, an internet stranger who has made no effort to learn anything of your personal tastes, interests, and the needs of your table, has decided you should play. And remember: the most important thing is having fun.

#anyway happy april fools have some satire #also to be clear: i love and have played honey heist #and i am interested in bitd #this is not about those specific games it is about a general form of recommendation that is the satire do not @ me

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Ok but Dick is so big brother shaped. Plz give the kid a sibling.

The trials of working for a young married couple with a child, Alfred sighed. Some of the things he'd clearly forgotten in the intervening years.

And he wasn't sure what was worse. Walking in on a private conversation or walking in on said married couple in- or about to be in a compromising position. But he did know there was a third worse option that was a mix of both.

Still. At least everyone was still mostly clothed. And he wouldn't need to see if his insurance benefits covered therapy.

Whatever the precipitating factors were didn't matter. He was sure it would all come out eventually. Though he had suspicions.

Bruce had been obnoxiously fussy where you were concerned. Even more than normal.

So either a spat had been resolved or he'd decided you were terminally ill.

He glanced up from getting the stains out of Dick's school uniform and quirked an eyebrow but other wise said nothing as you loaded the washing machine- you perfered to wash your own intimates and he didn't blame you. Even if he wasn't phased. But from his understanding, you'd been doing laundry since you were 8. So- it was probably equal parts it being weird to have someone else washing your undergarments and having some sense of normalcy. Either way it was less work for the staff- something they appreciated.

"You're home early," he observed watching you start folding shirts- he wasn't sure how many jobs you'd worked but he suspected a considerable amount of retail.

"I've been working from upstairs," you tell him. "Working at the office has been making things... distracting for everone."

"Ah yes. The unintended consequences of the lime light."

"I'm not sure why interviews keep going viral-"

"It's not the interviews," Alfred snorted. "People find you fascinating."

When you roll your eyes he smiled just a little. You seemed to have a very inaccurate picture of yourself outside of a courtroom. You were charming. And had enough wits about you to keep up with Bruce- in his public persona or out of it. To the outside you looked like an odd couple. A lawyer with a deadpan biting wit and a reformed playboy... He could see the appeal of you. Why people still fixated on you.

"Well calling my office is rude," you tell him. "Particularly when we can't unlist the number."

"Yes that is annoying I'd imagine; how-"

"I have a secretary filter calls. Interview requests and weirdos get rerouted to wherever all the PR shit goes and Ranga sends me anything important."

He nodded. He'd never considered how you'd managed to get anything done working from home. But it made sense.

"How many socks can this kid run through?" you muse, folding what felt like the 50th pair.

"It is an eternal mystery. How every child I've ever known winds up with so many mismatched socks."

"That's why I just bought socks that it didn't matter if they matched- until I was in law school it was a good day and I was on my A game if they came out of the same pack."

Alfred shuddered reflexively and wondered if you still did that, he'd never paid attention to your socks.

"Alfred where is- Oh hey Y/N," Dick said, "Bruce wants you."

"Why?" you ask, returning his one armed hug when he skipped over.

He shrugged, "Didn't ask."

"Rude."

He grinned, "You piss people off today?"

"Language. And just Gordon- that doesn't count."

"How come?"

"ACAB until they stop beating up civilians and taking bribes, Dickie.""

"Please don't say that in interviews, someone will shoot you," Dick said. "This is like the longest it's bee since someone tried to shoot you. B finally stopped trying to hire bodyguards."

"Pretty sure they could get bribed, baby bird."

"I couldn't-"

"I bribe you all the time," you tell him, ruffling his hair.

"It's not a bribe if you do it before I act up. It's just an incentive," he huffed.

"True enough, finish folding your socks," you tell him swooping down to kiss his cheek before going to find Bruce.

#bruce wayne #bruce Wayne x reader #doting husband!bruce #ask answered #minors dni #reader insert

[ventbloglite]

Some of you really need to step back a little bit and acknowledge how ignorant you are towards how misogyny affects trans mascs and how you yourself may be perpetrating said misogyny when speaking ill of trans mascs.

Which is not something you should be doing at all, fyi. You can talk about individual shitty trans mascs and certain community issues you dislike which involve or are perpetrated by trans mascs without just being transphobic towards trans mascs in general.

So many times I've seen the sentient of 'AFAB's have it really easy, everyone accepts AFAB's as trans, everyone loves AFAB trans people, the world caters to you, there is basically no problems for you if you're AFAB unlike AMAB folk' shown in a variety of ways from a variety of people including just outright saying it. Not to mention the belitting of trans masc experiences with transphobia and misogyny + the way those interact because they identify as men even though transphobes still consider them to be women and don't give a shit about their actual gender.

A main crux of transphobia (though many other factors which result in hating us come into play, too many to go into now) is that trans people are seen as and treated as their AGAB and punished for not identifying as it or portraying it 'correctly' by society. So tell me why so many seem to 'forget' about how misogyny impacts trans masculine people. Could it be because you believe that advocating for trans women and trans femmes and fighting transmisogyny somehow must involve being transphobic towards trans men due to that radfem influence you've absorbed? The world will never reach gender equality of any kind if everything is 'men versus women' so can we just fucking not bring that into trans spaces please.

Examples!

I saw recently a post which perfectly pointed out the potential risks associated with someone considered 'male' growing out her hair but OP clearly knew absolutely nothing about the same risks associated with someone deemed 'female' cutting his hair. Instead of not making that post or doing some research, OP thus assumed there weren't really any risks likely due to already believing that AFAB trans people have it easy.

The ignorance! Misogyny heavily impacts the way hair is treated on those perceived as women (including body hair) and women/those perceived as women have no end of people policing what they can and can't do with their bodies often taking things to the absolute extreme to do so. Short hair on woman may seem 'more accepted' but AFAB people of any gender could quickly tell you multiple situations where it's not and results in the same violence, abuse, homo(lesbo/butch)phobia and yes possibly even death depending on the situation even if you still identify as a woman. Pretending this doesn't happen is straight up misogyny btw.

'AFAB's pass easily by doing basically nothing' is another frequent one which makes me laugh. 'Passing' for most trans people is so situational and so dependent on what you do or don't do to strictly conform to gender stereotypes if you're even able to do that at all. To suggest that the world ignores feminine gender markers the moment someone's hair is short and their chest appears mostly flat ignores both the complexity of how humans perceive gender and how misogyny comes into play whenever a woman/perceived woman shows any masculinity let alone maleness. Considering the same misogyny comes into play frequently against trans women you'd think it'd be easy to remember.

This general sentiment of 'Being born with a vagina means your life is easy and everything you do will be loved and supported because society adores you. You don't and will never have any real problems, not like anyone born with a penis.' isn't magically okay and absolutely super different to when misogynists say it about cis women because you're using AGAB language and cite 'because you're men and blah blah patriarchy' as the actual reason you're saying it. It's very clearly same shit different coat of paint. The pool is there, your toes are in, stop preparing to dive for Gods sake.

#transandrophobia #anti transmasculinity #transgender