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pinkeoni · 11 months

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What Exactly Do I Mean When I Say "Will is Jesus Christ?"

(or Why Will is the Chosen One)

Do I mean that Will is actually the second coming of Christ? Well, no, at least not in a literal sense. All I mean to say by this is that—

Will is the chosen one, and he is the hero of the story who is meant to save the world from the apocalypse.

Apocalypse imagery and references to Revelations is all over the place in season 4. The four victims representing the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Henry "One" effectively being a God-like figure, references to Revelations 1:8 regarding Henry, hell I'll go as far to say that Robin playing the trumpet at the beginning of the season is a nod to the sound of trumpets that is meant to signal the beginning of the apocalypse.

The important thing about Revelations being that at the end of the day, the second coming of Jesus Christ, the chosen one, saves the day.

This really robust old post that I made, which was also one of my first theory posts, goes into detail on how Will fits the criteria of a Christ-figure, or a figure in literature or media that is allegorical to Jesus Christ. Will's biggest piece of evidence being his full on burial and resurrection in the first season.

If I'm talking about Christ-figures in the show then I should probably talk about El, who admittedly has much more in your face Christ-coding than Will does. Walking on water, performance of miracles, the mother who got pregnant out of strange circumstances, along with her own resurrection and so-on.

So then, if El clearly has more Christ-coding than Will, why am I placing the title of Jesus onto Will? Is it just because I like him more than El? Is it because I see Will as a more important character than El?

Just as a general disclaimer, I will admit that I do have a major Will bias, anyone who follows me knows that. He's been my favorite character since I first watched the show. Although, my labeling of him as the chosen one has nothing to do a dislike of El or a belief that she is not an important character. I love El, and it's plain to everyone that watches the show how important she is. However, I just don't believe that the chosen one who saves the day is what her arc is building towards.

They've been building up El's chosen one status while also quietly breaking it down in the background, in the same way that they've quietly been leaving bread crumbs pointing toward Will's Christ status while also seemingly suggesting that he isn't that important of a character. Why have a character tell El that she's "the cure," then make a point that she loses against Henry at the end of the season? Why sideline Will for the past two seasons, but throw in lines of dialogue pointing toward his involvement with the Upside Down?

What I believe they are going for is a classic bait-and-switch to subvert expectations in the final season. Lead the audience to believe one thing, while still leaving clues to suggest the other so that when the twist is revealed it doesn't come out of nowhere.

So what is El's arc actually about? I won't deny El's role in the final battle of the show, it's not like she's going to be completely sidelined, but I don't think that her saving the world on her own while everyone else watches is what her arc is building towards. The real core of her arc is El discovering who she is as a girl, rather than becoming a superhero.

I actually made a post awhile ago talking about El’s monster/superhero dichotomy, and it’s actually incredibly important to my argument. The post itself is more in depth, but tl:dr: El believes that she can either be a superhero or a monster, and bases her worth on her ability to save the world and others, an unfair expectation to place onto one girl.

If at the end of the season, El single-handedly saves the entire world, wouldn’t it feel counterintuitive to her arc? She needs to learn that her self worth doesn’t rely on her ability to save the world, and if she ends the show this way, it wouldn’t create a solution for her cyclical train of thought.

Furthermore, wouldn’t this ending be a bit expected, and even boring? This is what El has been doing for the past four seasons of the show. Continuing that pattern would only feel anticlimactic. From a writer’s pov, if you wanted the ending of you show to be dynamic and interesting, you would want to do something new.

So why do I think that Will is the chosen one?

It’s not like I’m pulling the chosen-one-Jesus-Christ label out of my ass just because I like Will. I actually do have many reasons to believe this.

The first one is the confirmation that Will is going to be a big part and focus for next season. It’s been theorized that this means Will is going to become a villian, and while I do love a good Will villian AU, there are many reasons I could list off as to why he wouldn’t become a villian. Without going into it all right now, let’s just say that it would not only go against what Will stands for, but also what the show itself stands for.

Even in show, we have signs pointing toward Will’s chosen status. Let’s start with the fact that Will is the one who kicks the entire show off in the first place, when he is taken by who we later learn to be Henry. Now, this could have just been wrong-place-wrong-time kind of thing, but given how much has been revealed has actually been part of a larger plan constructed by Henry, I highly doubt that mere coincidence is the case.

Let’s look at some more evidence within the fourth season. Let’s talk about the fact that, despite not even being present in Hawkins and gone for much of the supernatural action, Will is still being brought up by name and even implicated in the strangeness of the Upside Down.

Do I think Will is gonna solo-kill Vecna in the climax of the show? Chosen one doesn’t mean only one. No, despite all my rambling about El not being the hero, I’m not gonna deny her importance to the supernatural plot. I think something else the show keeps building upon is the importance of support from friends and family— saving the world is likely gonna be a group effort. I do think, however, that Will possesses some kind of unique ability that is going to be crucial to winning.

What would being the hero mean for Will’s arc? Well, it would give him a sense of control that he hasn’t had before. Will has had a lot of agency and autonomy ripped from him in past seasons, and this would be his way of reclaiming that. It would be the perfect subversion of expectations as well. The character that everyone expects to be just the helpless victim, or hell even the villian, is the one who rises to become the hero who saves the day in his own way.

#i wanna disclaim here in the tags that i dont think will is a weak person for being a victim #nor do i think that he needs to save the day to reclaim autonomy necessarily #but looking at him as purely a fictional character following beats of a story… then yes this is what i believe they are building towards #also its very likely will is going to save the day in a way that aligns with him and his beliefs #and likely not in a violent way #i know this is very wordy but its been sitting in my drafts for a while #and i realize its kind of an important post for like… the main thing im arguing for #which is wills importance in the story #so *gestures hands forward* here you go #byler #<- target audience #will byers #stranger things #will byers has powers

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asanjou · 7 months

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king jeremy with ambiguous sword circa whatever the fuck year

#i finished it yay #jeramie brasieri #ohsama sentai kingohger #this has been sitting in my drafts half lined for a while.......#it was gonna be part of a bigger set but i dont think im gonna spend as much time on the others so it gets to fly solo #anyway this was part mental illness (spiders brain) part thinking he would look nice in a poet shirt but MOSTLY its because i wanted to #have another go at drawing his bug chest.... its so cool to me #i dont think his pink bits actually glow like some of the other bugnaroks do but TO ME they do #if its dark you can see them glowing under his scrooge nightgown (asanjou jeramie drawings cinematic universe reference)#hes kind of doing the sparkle on pose but it wasnt meant to be i was referencing the pose the guy in the poet shirt picture i was referencin #g was doing #but hes jeramie985 now i guess....#spiders on! it's wednesday!#its thursday here now but you know #anyway #post tag #art tag

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tvckerwash · 4 months

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man, I've always thought that wash was the most 'master chief-y' character in rvb—with carolina also having a lot of the same qualities based solely off of what I knew about him from the games—but now that I’ve read the fall of reach, I can say with 100% certainty that they both take after john.

(utc bc it's another long post lol)

carolina takes very heavily after master chief’s competitive side, and teamwork was not a skill that came to him naturally. there’s a scene very early in the book right after john and the rest of the kids were first conscripted into the spartan program where everyone is split into teams, and they’re told to complete an obstacle course and compete to be the first ones to ring a bell at the end of it. the last team to ring the bell wouldn’t be getting dinner (and for context, these are a bunch of 6 year olds who spent the last however many hours being forced into the same grueling physical activities grown adults are on their first day in boot camp).

john, who was absolutely starving, abandoned his teammates because he believed they were just going to slow him down, and he was right—he was the first to ring the bell, but his teammates were the last two to do so. but, john was punished for doing that, and he didn’t get to have dinner alongside the teammates he left behind (and he was so hungry he even secretly stole some of the food from a girl he was sitting next to while she wasn’t looking).

this experience deeply impacted john, he corrected his mistake the next day, and in a future training exercise done years later, him and his fellow spartans were dropped off in the middle of the mountains and told to compete to get the extraction point, and the last person there was going to be left behind and would have to walk back to the base. I think I’ll let john tell you his thoughts on that himself:

“One more thing,” Mendez said. “The last trainee to make it to the extraction point will be left behind.” He glanced out a window. “And it’s a very long walk back.” John didn’t like it. He wasn’t going to lose, but he didn’t want anyone else to lose, either. The thought of Kelly or Sam or any of the others marching all the way back made him uneasy…if they could make it all the way back alone over those mountains.

They stopped at noon to stretch and eat berries they had gathered along the trail. Fhajad spoke up. “I want to know one thing,” he said. He paused to wipe the sweat off his dark skin. “We’re going to get to the extraction point at the same time. So who’s getting left behind? We should decide now.” “Draw straws,” someone suggested. “No,” John said, and stood. “No one’s being left behind. We’re going to figure a way to get all of us out.” “How?” Kelly asked, scratching her head. “Mendez said—” “I know what he said. But there’s got to be a way—I just haven’t thought of one yet. Even if it has to be me that stays behind—I’ll make sure everyone gets back to the base.” John started marching again. “Come on, we’re wasting time.”

Carolina is portrayed very, very similarly to the way john is above through most of s9, and it’s only when her obsession with beating tex starts to take a priority that she becomes more like john was as a child. In s10 her characterization becomes more juvenile, and that’s where she truly reverts to the 6 year old john who will abandon his teammates because being first takes priority in her mind.

Another blurb of text that I find very applicable to Carolina as a character is this:

“Irritated, sir?” John asked, genuinely puzzled. He would have thought the UNSC top brass would be elated by the victory, despite its cost. “But we won.” Captain Keyes took a step back and cocked a quizzical eyebrow. “Didn’t Dr. Halsey ever teach you that winning isn’t everything, Master Chief?” He saluted. “You’ll excuse me.” John saluted. He was so confused by Captain Keyes’ statement that he kept saluting as the Captain walked out of the room. Winning was everything. How could someone with Captain Keyes’ reputation think otherwise? The Master Chief tried to recall if he had ever read anything like that in any military history or philosophy texts. What else was there other than winning? The only other obvious choice was losing…and he had long been taught that defeat was an unacceptable alternative. Certainly, Captain Keyes didn’t mean that they should have lost at Sigma Octanus? Unthinkable. He stood silently for ten minutes mulling this over.

wash on the other hand seems to take queues from various other aspects of master chief’s character shown throughout the book. If I had to sum up these bits and bobs I’d say he takes inspiration from john’s more serious and practical side, or rather, the side of john that is ‘less human’.

I’ve talked about how I’m not a big fan of wash and locus being foils on chorus because miles picked the wrong aspects of what it means to be a soldier to focus on when it comes to wash, but beyond that I do actually see wash as the more soldier like character between him and carolina.

wash is a character who has a very strong sense of duty, and he takes whatever he believes his duty is very seriously. wash is hyperaware of his position, and while he can—and does—read between the lines, he prefers to keep things simple and straightforward. he’s not a scientist, he’s not a psychologist, he’s a soldier—just hand him a gun and tell him where to shoot. these two blurbs sum wash up very nicely:

John only knew three ways to react to people. If they were his superior officers, he obeyed them. If they were part of his squad, he helped them. If they were a threat, he neutralized them.

“You engaged and neutralized a threat,” Mendez replied. “That action seems to have answered your question, Squad Leader.” John wrinkled his forehead as he thought it through. “I followed the chain of command,” he said. “The Sergeant told me to fight. I was threatened and in imminent danger. But they were still UNSC Special Forces. Fellow soldiers.” Mendez lowered his voice. “Not every mission has simple objectives or comes to a logical conclusion. Your priorities are to follow the orders in your chain of command, and then to preserve your life and the lives of your team. Is that clear?” “Sir,” John said. “Yes, sir.” He glanced back at the ring. Blood was seeping into the canvas mat. John had an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hit the showers and let the blood rinse off him. He felt strangely sorry for the men he had killed. But he knew his duty—the Chief had even been unusually verbose in order to clarify the matter. Follow orders and keep himself and his team safe. That’s all he had to focus on. John didn’t give the incident in the gym another thought.

another scene that I want to share is this one, as upon reading it I immediately imagined that wash’s meeting with internals in s9 probably went very similarly:

Finally one of the officers deigned to notice the Master Chief. “At ease, soldier,” he said. The Master Chief let his arm fall. “Spartan 117, reporting as ordered, sirs.” There was a pause, then the woman’s voice spoke up, “We would like to congratulate you on your successful mission, Master Chief. You’ve certainly given us plenty to consider. We would like to pin down a few details of your mission.” There was something in her voice that made John nervous. Not scared. But it was the same feeling he had going into combat. The same feeling he got when bullets started flying. “You do know, Master Chief,” the first male voice said, “that not answering truthfully—or omitting any relevant details will lead to a court-martial?” John bristled. As if he could ever forget his duty. “I will answer to the best of my abilities, sir,” he replied stiffly.

anyway, another blurb I want to bring up is this one involving dr. halsey speaking to cortana about john, and I feel how it relates to wash is self-explanatory. It’s really only the very last paragraph that’s important, but I’m including the whole scene because imagining a similar conversation between the director and alpha is SO funny to me (insert the gay robot joke lmao).

Cortana leaped to her “feet,” turned her back to Dr. Halsey, and examined the photographs on the wall. She brushed her fingertips over the glass surfaces. “Which one will be mine?” “Which one do you want?” She immediately gravitated to the picture in the center of Dr. Halsey’s collection. It showed a handsome man standing at attention as Admiral Stanforth pinned the UNSC Legion of Honor upon his chest—a chest that already overflowed with citations. Cortana framed her fingers around the man’s face. “He’s so serious,” she murmured. “Thoughtful eyes, though. Attractive in a primitive animal sort of way, don’t you think, Doctor?” Dr. Halsey blushed. Apparently, she did think so. Cortana’s thoughts mirrored many of her own, only unchecked by normal military and social protocol. “Perhaps it would be best if you picked another—” Cortana turned to face Dr. Halsey and cocked an eyebrow, mock stern. “You asked me which one I wanted…” “It was a question, Cortana. I did not give you carte blanche to select your ‘carrier.’ There are compatibility issues to consider.” Cortana blinked. “His neural patterns are in sync with my mine within two percent. With the new interface we’ll be installing, that should fall well within tolerable limits. In fact—” Her gaze drifted and the symbols along her body brightened and flashed. “—I have just developed a custom interface buffer that will match us within zero point zero eight one percent. You won’t find a better match among the others. “In fact,” she added coyly, “I can guarantee it.” “I see,” Dr. Halsey said. She pushed away from her desk, stood, and paced. Why was she hesitating? The match was superb. But was Cortana’s predilection for Spartan 117 a result of him being Dr. Halsey’s favorite? And did it matter? Who better to protect him? Dr. Halsey walked over to the picture. “He was awarded this Legion of Honor medallion because he dove into a bunker of Covenant soldiers. He took out twenty by himself and saved a platoon of Marines who were pinned down by a stationary energy weapon emplacement. I’ve read the report, but I’m still not sure how he managed to do it.” She turned to Cortana and stared into her odd translucent eyes. “You’ve read his CSV?” “I’m reading it again right now.” “Then you know he is neither the smartest nor the fastest nor the strongest of the Spartans. But he is the bravest—and quite possibly the luckiest. And in my opinion, he is the best.”

I’m pretty sure there's actually a joke somewhere in the show where wash says he’s only the third favorite behind tex and carolina, but considering they’re literally the director's wife and daughter I think being third is still worth something here lol.

but all of that aside, I want to end this post with one last blurb because of how it relates to both carolina and wash, and why I think it’s so important that they’re the two freelancers who survived to the end, and how they both take after master chief.

If Dr. Halsey had a mission for him and his team, it would be a good one. She had given him everything: duty, honor, purpose, and a destiny to protect humanity. John hoped she would give him one more thing: a way to win the war.

#mine #this was supposed to be an analysis but im kind of just pointing at blurbs of text and going 'omg thats like carolina and wash'#this has been sitting in my drafts for a week bc i I is i can make it better but honestly i don't feel like it so just take this mess lol #rvb #red vs blue #agent washington #agent carolina #also the text from the fall of reach i used in this post may not be the most up to date version bc it's just a free epub file i found so ye

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crows-home · 1 year

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hey! i hope you don’t mind me asking, but do u have any fics you recommend reading? (specifically sonic fandom ones)

im so sorry anon but im probably the worst when it comes to fic recs. I just started using the bookmark function on ao3 like last month. There's probably tons of fics that i've read and absolutely loved, but never saved and are just collecting dust in my history ToT

i'm going to shout out a few of my favorite authors whose works i absolutely adore and some fics under the cut!

There's definitely more authors and fics i missed, but this is what i was able to come up with!! in general, the sonic community is full of so much talent and i'm just really happy to be here :)

@cozyqueerchaos - I love every single piece they put out honestly and these fics are the reason i dipped my toes more into the sonic fandom years ago. they're THAT good. love them all.

@phantomruby - another wonderful fic writer that everyone should check out. "Slipping Away" makes me cry fr, although i haven't caught up on the latest updates. everything just makes my heart go oshfdsfhd

@chaoxfix - sonic fics are wonderful sonic takes are top notch i dig everything. the understanding of the characters and archie is just phenomenal.

@teamxdark - fell in love with the Tales of Avalon series and fell harder in love with the team dark Boomtober fics and dynamics and aaaaaa, wonderful writing and style.

@rubyiiiusions - every fic is a joy to read and every story really just gets your attention and keeps it till the end. i've bookmarked a few of them since last week :)

I went digging through my history and here are some of my personal favorite Sonic fics!

radio silence under a yellow sky by chaox Summary: Sonic finds out Tails is missing. And more importantly, that no one's been looking for him.

A gen fic about Sonic finding out Tails was MIA during Forces it's so so good i think about it a lot

falling by sonosuke Summary: Shadow likes a boy

sonadow during SA2 I'll cry. so angsty but it makes me :')

Birds of a Feather by SonicaSpeed123 Summary: Sonic has been trapped in Camelot for three years, but he's started to make a place for himself that he can finally be comfortable in with his beloved Lancelot Something has been bothering him, though: If all the people of this world look like the people back home, where is Sonic's lookalike?

Lansoni. Part of a series of SatBK mini fics that i really love, but this one especially because it answers the question of 'what about the Sonic doppleganger?'

you can hardly swallow your fears and pain by chaox and sketchjii Summary: Shadow is usually better at putting up that cold, unfeeling front, isn't he? Or maybe that's him. (or: sonic doesn't need to be in touch with his feelings if he pretends they don't exist in the first place)

One of my all time faves i love it so much i dont think i have the right words. shadow tries to give sonic mental health advice. it does not go well. takes place some time after Forces.

the time has come again for stars by rubyillusions Summary: (five times someone notices sonic and shadow are in love and one time they do something about it)

sonadow, Teen. obsessed with how the characters are written here and the way all of their friends interpret their relationship it's just so cute and sweet and shit and i love it a lot.

against every odd by eggskie Summary: "We're friends?" Nine asks, small and timid, and oh, doesn't that break Sonic's heart. "Of course we are. We always have been. Or we always should have been." Or: Nine isn't used to being cared about

wanna see how hard i can cry? Gen, Sonic Prime fic about sonic and tails and what they should have been.

Dreams Don't Come True by Skyblaze Summary: Short, mildly humorous fic with sonadow flavouring. It also takes the mickey extensively out of the Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 Next Gen game. Warning: not to be taken seriously.

This fic is just really silly i like it a lot :)

A largely platonic cave by mousewritings Summary: "You know I uh, love hanging out with you and all, but do you think we could go somewhere that's not a cave for once?" Shadow stares at him. "What do you mean, go somewhere that's not a cave? Think you're too good for caves?"

Sonic Boom Sonic and Shadow (pre-slash sonadow) my beloveds <3<3 this fic is so funny they're so insufferable

Also, uh. I know you said only Sonic fics but i'm going to add a few more fics that i really really love from different fandoms because i reread them a lot, i hope you don't mind! ^^

Our way by shpeeper Summary: Overall, the mission was pretty simple. Sniper was instructed to track the spy for a week, figure out his daily patterns, then put a bullet in his brain when no one is around. No one told him there would be a kid. An AU in which Spy raises Scout alone, and Sniper is hired to kill Spy.

Oh my fucking god i could go on about this fic. Sniperspy, Teen, TF2. filled with action and danger. Every time a new character would get introduced, i would have fun piecing together who they were in my mind. the first chapter already had me emotional, it's been in my brain for YEARS. And don't even get me STARTED with the twist at the end. holy shit.

Desmodontinae by Romiress Summary: Kirk wakes up in a Gotham that is not his own. A what-if, where Gods and Monsters Batman winds up in the DCU. Originally intended as a short oneshot, and expanded out into a small story, exploring the differences, struggles, and conclusions. Focuses primarily on Kirk Langstrom (G&M Batman), with a side or Hernan Guerra (G&M Superman), Damian Wayne, and Bruce Wayne. Guest appearances by various other Robins, Clark and Jon Kent, and several others.

The Gods and Monsters DC team means so much to me and oh my god this fic was made with so much love and care for the characters. It's been a while since i read it, but i remember this fic had me staying up literally all night, eagerly going through all the chapters, one at a time. i was in bed kicking my sheets quietly irl lmao.

#answers #fanfiction #fic rec #btw if youre an author and dont want to be tagged lmk! ill remove it no questions #also im so sorry this has been sitting in my drafts for so long anon. i spent a week clicking through my history #to find fics and then trying to figure out how to format this lmao.#i dont mind these asks at all i just wish i was better at answering them!#anyway go support all these authors and more if i could there would be so many people i'd tag and gush about but i dont want to make #this post longer than it already is so ill stop here

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itissadbutitsmy-artblog · 8 months

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hey am i crazy for this. spader calling him candyboy but blaine and their uncle just calling him candy.

#idk what it means but im thinking about it. sorry for my messy captions lol #not to notice Gender in The Movie With The Enby Character but like.#btw candyboy is extremley extremely funny.#im gonna go by candyboy now guys. call me that #not art #sorry art followers. i dont post wizard city on main <3 so it goes here #distant lands #adventure time #he immediately pivots to calling him ripper though. i love that for them.#and then they (grips my computer screen) dont even sit together at auditions #that first ones so funny. blaine throwing their head back so dramatically and literally none of the people who know them even blinking #this has been languishing in my drafts i forgor to post it

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smute · 2 years

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SO YOU WANT TO COLLECT CLASSIC BOOKS...

So here it is! (almost a year later lmao)

My collectible classics "masterpost"!!!😌 🗣🚨🤯

Splain it!

When I say "collectible" classics I'm talking about any ongoing series of reprints of classic (English-language) titles with a cohesive design. They should look good on a shelf and (ideally) be made to last a lifetime. I'm not talking about rare, antique, or limited editions, or books that are expected to appreciate in value.

I'm focusing on collections of classic works of prose fiction (some classics are nonfiction; poetic and dramatic texts are often published in separate collections), i.e. texts with a timeless appeal, texts that have been in print for a long time, and that have been recognized by critics and readers as "must-reads". Very often, these texts are also considered to be part of the English literary canon.

I'm rating each series on a scale of 1–10 and the final score is based on nothing but my extremely correct opinion. I'll do my best to explain all the pros and cons but I don't have a strict rating system or whatever. Just vibes. 🤪

What I care about:

1. Paper: You don't start a classics collection with books that are gonna turn brown and crumble to dust after 15-20 years. That's why you want acid-free paper. Some publishers even use expensive "archival" paper. (There is no set definition but it generally means that in addition to being acid-free, it's made from pure cotton fibers rather than wood pulp, and without optical brighteners.) Normal acid-free paper goes a long way though. It's used for most hardbacks today anyway, so you shouldn't expect anything less from a collectible edition. I personally prefer paper that is neither too coarse nor too smooth. It should also be durable and neutral in color.

2. Binding: There are many ways to bind a book but for the purpose of this ranking we only have to worry about two (okay, three):

Perfect binding (glued binding): The leaves (1 leaf=2 pages) are folded and gathered in signatures (sections). The signatures are combined into a single textblock, the folded edges are sanded off, and the whole thing is glued directly to a flexible cardboard cover. This type of binding is cheap, it produces a very even result (hence the name), but it is not very durable. It's used for pretty much all paperbacks.

Case binding (sewn binding): With case binding, the leaves are also gathered in signatures, but they're sewn together. The finished textblock is usually reinforced with a backing material along the spine (ideally fabric; sometimes paper) and attached to the hardcover (case) via end papers. That means the text block can move independently from the spine and, when opened, all pages will lay flat. This type of binding is much more durable and it's the preferred method for (high-quality) hardbacks. Many case-bound hardcover books will have additional features like endbands, ribbon bookmarks, and protective dust jackets. This used to be the preferred method for binding books and it is still considered the gold standard but, as you can imagine, it is much more expensive than perfect binding.

I'm not a pressman so I'm not sure about the terminology, but I've noticed many hybrid variations in between these two methods. For example, some paperbacks consist of signatures rather than single pages, but the textblock is still glued directly to the cover. This prevents single pages from falling out, but over time entire signatures can come loose. Some books have sewn signatures while others use staples, and so on and so forth...

Due to their very limited lifespan, paperbacks are not the best choice for a collection... generally speaking. However, they are ubiquitous, affordable, and many people genuinely prefer compact paperbacks over clunky hardcover books, so I've decided to include both kinds in this list.

3. Content: Many texts have been altered significantly over the course of their publication history, and the most common editions aren't always complete editions. Ultimately, it's a matter of personal preference—like theatrical releases vs. director's cuts. I'm not normally a snob about abridged texts but if your goal is to build your own little classics library, I think it makes sense to stick to complete and unabridged editions. Abridgments aside, most publishers choose their editions very carefully and put a lot of thought into commentary, footnotes, and background information. Some prefer to stick with the most popular versions of texts, others print less common editions. Some want to make texts accessible, others want to stay as close to the original as possible. Some editions include just the original text, others feature introductions or even extensive annotations and additional critical material.

4. Design: should look good innit

Please keep in mind that I'm rating these books with regard to their suitability for collectors specifically.

So here goes! 👁👁

Penguin Classics [3/10]

a.k.a. Black-spine Classics. Books from this series are truly ubiquitous and, in my experience, they tend to accumulate on their own lmao. The series offers a huge selection of nearly 2,000 titles, but as standard paperbacks they're not made to last. They're very flexible and feel good in the hand, although the print quality varies. The paper texture is okay but it's pulpy and not acid-free. Black-spine Classics generally include useful introductions and other supplementary materials.

Pro: literally thousands of titles to choose from, good price, good size, very flexible, okay look and feel, minimal design, additional materials

Con: paperback, black spines crack quickly and don't look very nice on a shelf

Penguin Modern Classics [2/10]

Another huge selection (1,200 titles) that covers more recent texts. They're affordable but, unfortunately, very cheaply made (see below). The discoloration is truly BONKERS—the paper edges yellow super quickly. Very pulpy and definitely not acid-free. They feel aw-FUL.

Pro: same as above

Con: somehow even less durable than the regular Penguin Classics

The Penguin English Library [2.5/10]

I have quite a few of these, but they're not any better or worse than other Penguin paperbacks. The covers are beautiful—very understated and somewhat timeless—and the paper is very flexible and feels quite good compared to other Penguin editions. But it's still not great (see below).

Pro: looks, paper (although not acid-free)

Con: limited selection (126), standard paperbacks

A note on Penguin paperbacks:

All Penguin paperback series suffer from POD disease (POD = Print-on-demand). POD is often used for backlist (=older) titles and titles that are out of print. Thanks to POD, such titles can remain available for a long time after their initial release but since POD uses digital printing instead of offset printing, the quality is absolute dogshit*. The paper used for digital printing is softer and kind of spongy compared to regular books, the text is gray rather than black, and very fuzzy due to the lower resolution. You could achieve the same quality with a photocopier. Personally, I've noticed it the most with the English Library and Modern Classics editions. On some pages, the text blocks are crooked and off center, and some people online have even complained about MISSING PAGES lmaoooo... anyway.

*(I mean that Penguin's POD books specifically are dogshit. Some digital printing methods can produce excellent results.)

Penguin Clothbound Classics [2/10]

Again, a decent selection of nearly 100 titles with absolutely gorgeous covers and a very cohesive design, but made from thee worst materials. The coarse linen fabric feels absolutely gross, the stamped-on decorations basically rub off instantly and the colors fade SUPER quickly. (You can buy a brand new copy, take off the barcode sticker, and the fabric underneath will be several shades darker. The color fades THAT quickly. And yes, the sticker will also take off the decorative pattern.) They're relatively cheap for hardbacks, except they're not actual hardbacks. The have glued bindings with a hard cover, so... the worst of both worlds: stiff spine AND stiff cover. The paper is bright white and feels cheap in the hand, although it is on the finer side, and (as far as I can tell) it is not acid-free. They look really nice on a shelf but if you actually want to read your books, they're terrible. I have no idea why these are so popular.

Pro: hardcover (with glued binding not sewn), original design

Con: they seem affordable, but for glorified paperbacks wrapped in shitty linen they're actually still overpriced

Vintage Classics [5/10]

Another imprint of Penguin. (What isn't?) Vintage Classics look and feel just a little bit nicer than other Penguin paperbacks imo. They feature actual cover designs rather than stock images, but they're still not particularly durable. They do, however, have a few author series with gorgeous covers made from thicker cardboard, e.g., the Austen series or the Woolf series.

Pro: the author series if you're looking for some nicer paperbacks

Con: same as all the other paperbacks

Virago Modern Classics Designer Collection [3/10]

These are very similar to the Penguin Clothbound Classics—beautiful decorative patterns (printed on paper so at least they don't rub off) and the same awful glued-bindings-with-hard-covers-situation. I only have one of these and it's so goddamn stiff it won't open more than 90°. It's pretty much unusable. Also worth noting: they feature some good introductions.

Pro: price, cover designs

Con: small selection, poorly made

Everyman's Library [10/10]

This is one of my favorites. I personally collect the Everyman Classics / Contemporary Classics. The Classics include ancient and non-Western classics, and there are separate collections of Children's Classics, Pocket Classics, and Pocket Poets. EL was founded in 1906 and the current design has been around since the early 90s. EL offers one of the largest selections of hardbacks on this list with new titles being added on a regular basis, and given its century-long history and enduring popularity it'll probably be around for a long time to come. It's an excellent option if you're thinking about starting a collection.

The production quality is unparalleled in this price segment—sewn full-cloth bindings with a rounded spine, ribbon bookmark, and a dust jacket. The fabric feels fantastic and the paper quality is superb. I have no idea how these are so affordable. They could go for 50 or 60€ and still be a great deal. They're color-coded by period and other criteria, but all titles share a similar design and look great together. They also include extensive introductions and additional information.

This series absolutely deserves 10/10 points, but if we're nitpicking... I guess the design may be a little too uniform and understated for some? They're elegant books with a timeless look but they're not exactly jaw-dropping lmao

Important: Most titles are printed in two locations, under different ISBN numbers. The US versions are printed in the US by Berryville Graphics, while the UK versions are printed by GGP Media in Germany. Everything mentioned here applies to the UK versions only. The US versions are glued and the print quality is so bad that people have returned books because they thought they received a counterfeit. If you're buying in person you can simply check the edition notice to see where the book was printed, but if you're buying online you may have to do some digging to find out which exact ISBN to get.

Pro: fantastic quality, very good price, huge selection, future-proof, unpretentious design

Con: differences between US/UK versions

Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics [7/10]

First of all, these things are huge. They are indeed bound in leather, if you consider bonded leather (fine leather scraps mixed with polyurethane on a paper backing) to be leather. The sewn binding seems sturdy, the pages open flat, and the gilt edges (foil, obviously) are among the better ones out there. They have a more classic look with faux hubbed spines (horizontal ribs that help strengthen the binding; purely decorative in this case), and the covers are embossed with foil print. Afaik they use acid-free paper, which also feels very smooth. For their price range (20-40€) the quality is decent.

The series includes some interesting omnibus editions (several titles by the same author in one book) and anthologies, but due to their size and weight you basically need a table or bookstand to read them. They're mostly just great shelf candy. I mean... look at this.

Pro: Big and beautiful, decent quality at a moderate price

Con: Not very user-friendly, made from cheap materials

Barnes & Noble Flexibound Editions [4/10]

Interesting combination of sewn bindings with flexible rubber covers. Ironically, the text blocks feel stiffer than the leatherbound titles. The paper is kind of dark and it feels coarser than other B&N editions. I personally can't stand the texture of the rubber covers and the material tends to attract lint and dust. There are some interesting designs but due to the strange plastic material they just look tacky imo.

Pro: flexible covers if you're into that, moderately priced

Con: unremarkable design and overall quality, small selection

Oxford World's Classics [6.5/10]

Another big selection of several hundred paperback titles. These are definitely better than anything Penguin sells, but what really makes them stand out is their content. As one may expect from a university publisher, they often use less common editions of famous classics, and all of their titles include a ton of additional materials from introductions and annotations to bibliographies, illustrations, and even glossaries. If you want to start reading classics and are interested in supplementary educational materials, these are a great place to start.

Pro: huge selection, low price, focus on scholarship

Con: standard paperbacks, not particularly beautiful or durable

Oxford World's Classics Hardback Collection [3/10]

What a tragedy. I'm a big fan of the minimalist look, but they're similar in quality to the Penguin Clothbound Classics. They use the same glued bindings (wtf?) and the same cheap fabric on the covers. The paper is unusually thick but it still feels very coarse and pulpy. Their unique design makes them stand out, but due to the poor manufacturing quality, I can't recommend them at all. Of course, these also include extensive introductions and additional commentary from renowned scholars, just like their paperback counterparts.

Pro: minimalist design, supplementary materials

Con: cheaply made, small selection

Canterbury Classics (Leatherbound) [4/10]

They're very similar to the B&N Leatherbound Classics, except they don't look as nice. Not a fan.

Pro: (bonded) "leather", okay quality at an okay price, classic look

Con: big and clunky, boring covers, exactly like the B&N Leatherbound Classics but without any of the redeeming qualities lmao

Chiltern Classics [5/10]

A lot of people seem to love these (???) but I can't really make sense of them. They're on the smaller side, with embossed cover designs, lots of foil print, gilt edges, ribbon markers, and sewn bindings. For some reason, however, they're printed on stiff, satiny, semi-glossy paper that you would normally use for pictorial content, and the books feel like a brick in your hand. I personally don't like it at all. The weight of the paper alone makes them feel quite premium, but it also seems to put more stress on the binding. (One of the two titles I own is already falling apart.) I don't think that they're deliberately cutting corners or that the books are cheaply made (although they use paper instead of fabric as backing material), but some of their ~very interesting~ design choices simply do not translate into a better product.

Chiltern's mission statement promises "the most beautiful classics ever published" so their main focus seems to be on aesthetics. Their titles don't include introductions or any additional commentary, and they don't provide any information on editions/versions of the texts used other than "they are unabridged" lol. Tbh it's hard to find ANY sort of information—about the company, the materials, the editions, the production process, the founders, where the books are printed, ANYTHING. It all feels very gimmicky.

All I know is that Chiltern Publishing was founded in 2018 and that the first Classics were released in 2019. The current selection is small, but growing (I assume). But with such a young publishing house there really is no guarantee that they'll still be around in a year or two.

Pro: pretty, heavy, pretty heavy lol

Con: small selection, no info on anything, glossy paper (unless you're into that)

Macmillan Collectors' Library [9/10]

Another favorite. The quality is comparable to the Everyman Classics, but they use very thin paper that is strangely white. And when I say strange I mean it's BRIGHT white. They're bound in light blue fabric (love it or hate it) with gilt edges, endbands, and a ribbon bookmark, and they come with beautiful dust jackets. Very unusual nowadays: the fabric cover underneath actually has an embossed pattern, so they look good with or without a jacket. They're travel-sized, so the text is on the smaller side, albeit very sharp. The overall quality is fantastic.

What makes MCL books stand out from the rest is their editorial quality. The collection includes more classics from otherwise underrepresented writers, and most titles also feature detailed introductions commissioned specifically for this series. As naive as it may sound, it seems as if MCL is one of the few series whose main purpose is not just to squeeze some cash out of old titles. It feels much more measured and.. meaningful (if that makes sense lol).

Pro: excellent selection, great quality, small size

Con: the paper is very white, small size = small text

Norton Critical Editions [6/10]

These are standard paperbacks printed on 30% recycled paper, but in terms of content, they're a fantastic option. No other series provides such a breadth of supplementary materials. Most texts are fully annotated and include hundreds of pages of criticism.

Pro: focus on scholarship

Con: paperback

Honorable Mentions:

The Folio Society

Illustrated editions, high-quality hardbacks, high price point.

Calla Editions

Dover's premium imprint, facsimiles of famous editions rather than original designs

Knickerbocker Classics

Heard good things but cannot speak to the quality since they're kind of hard to find where I live.

Thomas Nelson Seasons Editions

Beautiful hardbacks with laser-cut dust jackets. Collectibles in the classical sense: each edition is limited to 10,000 copies.

Easton Press

Really fucking expensive.

(Not an exhaustive list, obviously.)

#this post has been sitting in my drafts for ages and tbh im sick of looking at it dhjshdjhfjdhc #plus i think its long enough as it is #so here you go #no one asked #but idk maybe someone will find it helpful #&

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transbee · 2 years

Text

Ok. No More MRI.

#cancelled ❌❌ because my insurance decided it wouldnt be covered ·_·#so now im gonna like. figure it oht.#ig #one of the nice docs called n explained it so we might get an emg instead. hell of a lot cheaper so.#wait this post got cancelled half way thru. draft has been sitting open for hours idk who was talking abt what but i am going to take a nap #gbye

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vanishingcherry · 8 months

Text

YN YLN and Charles Leclerc Take a Couples Quiz

pairing: charles leclerc x reader

author's note: this has been in my drafts for wayy to long, so ive decided to just finish it off and post it. im sorry lmao but i just couldn't watch this rot away in my wips any longer.

masterlist

๑ ⋆˚₊⋆────ʚ˚ɞ────⋆˚₊⋆ ๑

The video cut to you and Charles, sitting opposite each other in front of a yellow to red gradient, smiling at the camera.

"Hi! I'm YN", you say cheerfully.

"And I'm Charles"

"And we are here to take a couples quiz!"

You are handed a stack of questions from a person off screen, and turn towards Charles.

"Are you ready?"

"Is that the first question?" he retorts.

Your face drops, now showing slight annoyance but there is still a small smile you try to hide. "That's it. Minus 1 points."

"Oh c'mon! That is not fair."

You turn to argue but the video cuts to a different scene in which you ask the actual first question.

"What things do I have, of yours, that are my favourite?

He looks up in thought before chuckling and replying. "Theres a lot, you steal my stuff all the time."

You grin. "Yes, but what's my favourite?"

"My shirts? No wait! My bracelets?" He asks.

"Yeah!" you exclaim. Turning to the camera you add. "He gets so many bracelets from fans and they are all so pretty. We keep them in a bowl on our dresser so I like to take a few whenever I go out."

Looking back at Charles, you add. "You didn't know the answer, but you still got it right so I think you deserve half a point." The staff behind the camera gives you a thumbs up, noting it down for when they would edit the video.

"Ok! Next question- which song of yours is my favourite?"

He looks at you, his eyes widening with a confused expression on his face. He looks at the camera crew and then back at you.

"C'mon, I only have 2 it's not a very hard question."

"Then answer it." you reply, looking at him with a small smirk.

"Fine. Uh, AUS23."

"Wrong!" you exclaim, laughing at the way his jaw drops in surprise.

"Then what? I know its not Miami."

"Its the one you wrote for Baku." you slyly say, knowing fully well that he hadn't released it and you were possibly the only one other than him to have heard it.

You look down at the cards you had been given, reading off the next question. "What is the first thing I eat in the morning?"

You see his smirk growing in your peripheral vision and cut in before he answers. "If you dare make a joke, I will murder you."

He laughs at that, chuckling as he looks up to think. "Um. Breakfast? It's different things every morning, but if I wake up before her then I make cereal."

Noticing the evident confusion on the faces of the cameramen, you elaborate. "It's the only thing he's allowed to make without me present. The last time I let him cook alone, he burned the pancakes and half our kitchen."

Turning red at the story, he interrupts. "Okayy, next question amore."

"Which side of the bed do I sleep on?"

"Left."

"If I could get a tattoo of something, what would it be?"

"A bouquet of flowers. The flowers would be your favourite and my favourite together."

You are shocked at his response. "How did you remember that? I told you that ages ago!"

He smiles slyly to the camera. "That is why I am the best boyfriend, there is no need for these silly questions I am already the best. She told me so in be-"

"Right. Next question." You cut him off, eyes widening as you figure out where he was going with the statement. "This is the last one. If I could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?"

"Oh this is easy. Italy. You are always talking about how much you love it. But you also love Monaco and France so depending on how you feel, one of those three."

"Well.", you look at the camera, "I think that answer deserves 2 points." Handing your questions off to the side, you turn to Charles who has started reading the first of his questions.

"If I had a ticket to anywhere in the world, where would I go?" he reads. "This is similar to yours", he mutters.

"Home", you say confidently. "He's a mama's boy, tries to go back home as much as possible."

He blushes slightly before nodding to the camera. "Yup, 1 point."

"What was I wearing on our first date?"

You reply quick as lightening. "A shirt and pants. Very gentlemanly, I remember thinking, probably the best first impression I've had of a guy."

His eyebrows raise at the confession, cockily tilting his head in the direction of the camera. "You heard her! Next, what is something I hate?"

"A lot of things, Char."

"Is that your final answer, cherie?"

"Um." you pause. "Oh I know! When manipulate stuff that you say. It makes me really mad too. It gets really tiresome when they take stuff that Charles has said that turn into into a different story altogether."

"Thats true, I do hate that." He smiles at you, reaching over to squeeze your hand once to say thank you.

"How many kids do I want?"

"3, because you have 2 siblings. But, you said you want as many as I am comfortable with!"

"Of course, amour. You're the one whose going to be carrying them, your choice is more important here. What is something I get annoyed about?"

"Oh, when Seb and Carlos beat you at those Ferrari games you play."

His jaw drops in faux offence, shaking his head as he reads out the last question on his cue card.

"What is one my hidden talents?"

You look straight at the camera, not dissimilar to The Office. A smirk grows on your face and the lens zooms in. In the background Charles can be heard complaining.

"Oh I see! You can make these jokes, but I cant?"

The video cuts to the wider angle once again, you and Charles wave at the camera.

"Thanks for watching our couples quiz! I think it's clear that I've won."

Charles rolls his eyes, eyes shining with admiration and love for you. "Bye everybody."

Comments:

charleslover: OH MY GOD!! THEY ARE SO IN LOVE IT KILLS ME

ynandcharles: their facial expressions always kill me

username89: where do i get a charles leclerc bcs i will willingly offer all the money i have

doratheexplorer16: their love for each other hurts

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gasstationlady · 8 months

Text

GUTS | a lando norris social media au | pt. 1

pairing: lando norris x singer!reader, ex!drew starkey x reader

y/n l/n’s latest album is speculated to be about her ex. however, she already moved on.

note: fc is olivia rodrigo! i hope the quality of the photos are okay, everytime i saved my drafts on my phone they became blurry :(

disclaimer: no hate to drew!! i just needed a famous ex. also so sorry for any grammar mistakes or typos!!

masterlist ⋆ next

yourusername

liked by oliviarodrigo, yourbestie and 4,779,774 others

yourusername ❤️❤️❤️❤️

View all 33,719 comments

yourbestie soooooo proud of you 🥹 this album is amazing

user teenage dream made me BAWL i love you 😭😭

user MISS Y/N, YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN

oliviarodrigo obsessed.

user omg are the songs about drew

enews

41,202 likes

enews In Y/n’s new album, “Guts,” Y/n shares information on her old relationship with Drew Starkey. The pair started dating last year until ultimately breaking up in the beginning of 2023.

View all 2,978 comments

user omggg this is the drama i’ve been waiting for

user you guys really chose to focus on this when not even half the songs are about drew

user this album saved 2023

yourusername

liked by yourbestie, bellahadid and 6,313,074 others

tagged yourbestie and conangray

yourusername some GUTS bts, still can’t believe it’s out but i’m so happy it’s yours!!!! been sitting on these songs for a few months and although some of them are a little outdated, they still mean a lot to me!!

View all 36,295 comments

conangray spilling my guts absolutely everywhere

yourbestie LETS GO GUTS

user album has in fact been on repeat since the release🫡

user “a little outdated” girl please elaborate you can’t leave us hanging like that 😭😭

f1updates

28,459 likes

f1updates Lando Norris with fans in New York! Most likely staying there until the #SingaporeGP

View all 763 comments

user 🤤

user what is he doing in new york?

↳ user no literally bc it’s kinda sus there’s no reason for him to be there 😭😭

user ugh he looks so good

deuxmoi

57,380 likes

deuxmoi 🚨 NEW COUPLE ALERT 🚨

View all 1,128 comments

user obviously it’s y/n l/n but which driver???

user you guys are srsly bored

user kinda iconic of her to go from drew to an f1 driver

↳ user fr i just know drew has to be feeling some type of way rn

user Y/N DATING AN F1 DRIVER WAS NOT ON MY 2023 BINGO CARD

yourusername

liked by yourbestie, zendaya and 2,116,844 others

yourusername soooo excited to be performing at the @/VMAs!!! make sure to tune in on Tuesday at 8pm on #MTV

View all 2,351 comments

yourbestie talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, showstopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely never been done before

zendaya AHH can't wait!!

user wait am i crazy or am i connecting the dots right now

landonorris

liked by danielricciardo, charlesleclerc and 1,950,468 others

landonorris Quick NY stop

View all 5,233 comments

danielricciardo Where was my invite?

↳ landonorris ...

user IS THIS A SOFT LAUNCH OMFG

↳ user the fact that he was the one to soft launch first IM CRYING she's living my dream 😭

user is that y/n 😭😭

user GUYS ITS HAPPENING

drewstarkey

834,801 likes

drewstarkey bad idea right?

View all 6,689 comments

user this is so messy omg 😭😭

user NO HE DID NOT

↳ user wait i'm so confused why are people freaking out?

↳ user "bad idea right?" is one of the songs y/n wrote about him and the song literally talks about her wanting to go back to him

user posting this right after guts and lando's soft launch is CRAZY

#f1 instagram au #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 social media au #lando norris x reader #lando norris x singer!reader #lando norris imagine #lando norris au #f1 fic #instagram au #social media au

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neuvistar · 10 months

Note

I'm IN LOVE with your jingren x reader post like my toes be curling while my heart be fluttering GOSH.

Can I request blade doing the unspeakable with us then getting caught by Jing Yuan but Jing decided he just wanted to watch blade fucking our minds out 🤭🤭🤭

WITNESS IT ALL!

— featuring ┊blade x f!reader x jing yuan

— warnings / content warnings ┊not proofread, kinda sloppy n messy, male masturbation (jing yuan), dirty talk, slight degradation, blade jus being a lil jerk, uhmm. slight choking? blade referred to as “ren” here, use of nicknames, bladie being rough w u i think, overall suggestive content | 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

— a/n ┊MM IM SO SORRY 4 THE LATE UPLOAD ANON! 😭😭 but YES YES i can imagine jing yuan keepin it low at first as he watches blade fuck ur brains out, hand stroking his cock while he watches ! this has been decaying in my drafts 4 so long i’m so sorry sweetheart i got back from a mini break >:>

“r-ren! s’ messy.. you already came too much already..!” you whined, pouting as your fingers desperately tugged at his hair, a groan erupting from his throat as he bit down on your shoulder to suppress his grunts, breathing heavily against your skin as he bit you hard enough to make your body jump. two. that was two, two orgasms. he came inside you the second time, biting his bottom lip at how tight you squeezed around his twitching cock.

“i thought i heard you say that you wanted to make it a third time, precious.” was all he whispered against you before shoving himself up deeper and deeper with each thrust, trapping his cum inside your drenched cunt as his fingers tightened around on your throat, watching as your expression switched to one with need. saliva spilled from the side of your mouth, eyes widened with surprise and lust as you whimpered at how rough he was with you, legs spasming around his waist. your boyfriend lightly choked you out, not wanting to go too overboard as his hand clasped around your mouth, watching your lewd expressions with a smirk. he knew he was stretching you over your limits, stretching out your poor pussy as well in the process. blade was hungry for you, pinning your wrists down over your head as his fingers intertwined with yours, licking his lips at how full you must’ve been, stuffing you with his cum as his cock bullied itself inside your hole with your eyes rolling to the back of your head, arching your back at how good it felt.

“that’s it, princess. you like it when i hit that sweetspot of yours? you like it when i use your body in such lewd ways like this, hm? you’re such a fucking whore, aren’t you.. but I'm not complaining now am i, my pretty girl?” he muttered lowly in your ear, biting down on your earlobe gently as he grabbed a fistful of your hair, pouring his tongue inside your mouth.

blade’s eyes widened in pleasure, eyes nearly rolling into his head as he found a new angle, frustratingly thrusting faster into your stuffed cunny. “i’m gonna cum a third time if you keep tightening around me so fucking nicely, pretty. fuck.. you love getting used as nothing but a fucktoy, hm? poor girl you are..” he caressed your cheek, planting a small kiss on your nose as she chuckled at how exhausted you were, sweat dripping all over your body. “you can't do anything but sit here and get fucked absolutely fucking raw, but you like that do you? i bet you fucking do.”

“ren.. ren! p-please..” you wrapped your arms around his neck, breathing against his neck as he hooked his arm under your knee, pushing it against your chest as he grunted at how tightly you were pulsing around him now, you were close. “c-can’t..”

“you can take it, stop whining pretty. quit lying to yourself, you know how much you love this as much as i do. fuckin’ slut for my cock you are..” his hips rolled against yours, a more rougher and quickened pace as he brought his voice down to a whisper, mumbling a few things in your ear. “think about it like this, angel. how embarrassing would it be if we both got caught, hm? how embarrassing would it be to have someone see me fucking you like this. how fucking embarrassing it would be if it was none other than the general himself, hm?”

unknowing to both of you, it seems blade already predicted that exact scenario. jing yuan stood outside of the room you both were in, pants slightly tugged down as his cock was relying on his fingers.. jerking off at the sight of blade fucking you roughly. the general knew it was wrong to stay here and just get off to this, but he couldn’t stop himself no matter how hard he tried to. jing yuan bit his lip, hissing at the discomfort of his erected cock.. he threw his head back at the thought of him fucking you dumb, he could do so much better than that criminal, he thought. no! she shouldn’t be thinking of that.. he shouldn’t! but.. he couldn’t stop. the white haired male glanced over his shoulder, stroking his cock at the same rhythm blade thrusted into you. the general couldn’t help but smile at how fucked out you were, looking over the door frame seeing just how lewd you looked right now.. the sounds you made, the faces he tried to take in of you almost came straight from a pornagraphic video.

a low chuckle left blade’s lips as he watched you squirming in his touch with your mouth slightly hung open as you tightened your grip around his neck.. never putting a stop to his sharp thrusts. “cmon be shy, precious. let me hear you..." blade’s cock twitched again, breath hitching. “cum for me, cmon pretty girl.. don't be scared.” jing yuan stroke his cock faster, he was getting close as well, his breath grew heavier and heavier by the second.

the bed creaked underneath, orgasm building up quickly inside of both you and blade and before you know it.. you were already tearing up. “r-ren!” a choked whimper was forced out of you, calling out blade’s name as he spilled his load inside of you again, your stomach bloating at how full he filled you up, legs shaking from your climax as jing yuan eyed you down from the outside, biting his lip at the sight of your cunt completely filled with blade’s cum, watching at how smoothly cum dripped from your hole once blade finally pulled out. unlucky for the general, the white haired male reached his high as well, releasing on the floor as he cursed at himself for making such a huge mess on the ground. your face scrunched at how your folds were coated with stickiness and white from your boyfriend.. staining the sheets. you gasped as blade plunged his fingers in your hole, breath hitching as he swiftly inserted his dripping cum back inside your hole.

blade then paused for a moment, a smirk crept up his pretty face as he glanced over his shoulder, eyeing the door frame. jing yuan’s heart skipped a beat.. almost seen by the other male as he sighed in relief. suddenly blade opened his mouth to speak, his voice dark yet so calm.

“mm.. it seems someone was there to witness it all as well, princess. i think he seemed to have enjoyed the little show we put up.”

shit. maybe he was seen after all.

#ᖭི༏ᖫྀ maryse’s diary ૮꒰˶˃̵ ^ ˂̵˵꒱ა #jing yuan <33 #blade <33 #blade smut #jing yuan smut #blade x reader #hsr imagines #jing yuan x reader #hsr blade #hsr jing yuan #hsr smut #honkai star rail smut #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #jing yuan x you #blade x you #poly!jing ren x reader on the brain! <3

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taintedtort · 11 months

Text

prompt ✧ reader with a drained social battery

characters ✧ itto, scaramouche, kazuha, xiao

warnings ✧ gn!reader , none!

a/n ✧ this has been in my drafts for MONTHS. finally posting cus i haven’t written in a week..

ITTO

✧ doesn’t understand the concept of ‘low social battery’ , and since you weren’t in the mood to explain it to him, you’d have to cut the visit short and go home to sit in peace for a while.

“you’re going? where?” you felt awful after seeing the frown replace his happy smile he wore seconds earlier.

“i’m tired, im gonna go home, but i’ll see you tomorrow if you want.” you cringed slightly at the way his face fell even further. he reached forward and took your hand in his.

“aw man, but we were just getting started!” he pouted. a look of slight shock took over your features. just getting started? god, you’re already completely drained right now!

“i’m sorry, we can finish up tomorrow?” your tone was questioning, unsure if you should just stick it out to save his feelings, or go home to your private sanctuary. you had to admit, the latter sounded much more appealing.

a sigh left his lips before he lazily nodded, “okay, that’s fine.” he smiled once more before giving you a kiss on the forehead.

“i hope you feel better.”

SCARAMOUCHE

✧ completely understands, he hates unwanted company too. will take you to his private office away from the crowd of people and let you sit, alone or with him, he’ll let you decide.

“what?” you heard scaramouche ask, annoyance lacing his voice. you glanced over and plastered on a fake smile, “nothing, just tired i guess.”

you attempted to shrug it off, but he quickly grabbed your wrist and tugged you off into his office. you were a bit shocked, but mostly confused.

“stay in here, i can tell you’re uncomfortable,” he grunted, gesturing his head to his office chair, silently telling you to take a seat. you obliged and plopped down with a long sigh.

“you wanted to get out of there too, didn’t you?” you questioned, a small smile playing on your lips. when he simply replied with a curt nod, you let the room fall silent as you closed your eyes, attempting to gain some energy back. when you opened your eyes to glance at him, he was staring at you. a smile twitched onto your lips.

“thank you.”

KAZUHA

✧ he partly understands how you feel, but being on a boat, there isn’t a lot of quiet places to hide. he can easily recharge by sitting and simply staring at the ocean, peacefully listening to the bustle of people. but he knows that doesn’t work for you, so he tries to help the best he can.

“are you alright, love?” he quietly asked in your ear. your head snapped up as you halted your heads that were picking at your nails. you flashed him an uncomfortable smile before shrugging.

he gently took your hand in his and lead you to the storage unit inside the ship. it wasn’t completely quiet, you could hear people walking above you and the waves of the sea below your feet, but it was better than up there. you sat down on a crate with a grunt, relaxing your body. he stared down at you with a loving smile, pure adoration in his eyes.

“should i go so you can be alone for a little?” he gently asked. you raised your face to look him in the eye before shaking your head.

“no, please stay.”

XIAO

✧ understands better than anyone. you don’t even have to ask before he’s sweeping you off your feet and teleporting to a private place where you two can be alone.

“come here.” xiao gently tugged on your hand, pulling you towards him. you made a quiet noise of shock before making contact with his chest. his arms wrapped around you before a wave of warmth engulfed you and a flash of green and black invaded your vision.

you felt two taps on your cheek before your eyes opened, which you didn’t even remember closing. you looked around, taking in the scene of a beautiful spring right in front of you. the sound of the water and the trees moving from the gentle breeze made you break out into a smile.

you felt his arms loosen around your waist, letting you slip away and explore the new area. you took a seat on a rock near the water, looking around at the peaceful sanctuary. xiao stood behind you, watching you take everything in, your eyes full of wonder.

“is this okay?” he mumbled. you turned your body to him with a wide smile. blush covered his cheeks at the adorable sight.

“it’s perfect, thank you so much.”

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milliesdiary · 1 year

Note

What if you are Jace's sister and he realizes you are in love with Aemond (and he also finds out that you two have been having premarital sex) which causes a fight so you go to Aemond for comfort and he soothes you

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐕𝐎��

𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬; princess!reader, targcest, mentions of sex. for some context: reader is daemon’s bastard child who rhaenyra welcomed as a part of the family. yes, aemond is a hypocrite :/ we still love him tho!!

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞; ngl this has been sitting in my drafts for awhile because i hate it. im going to be working on commissions for a bit though, so i decided to post it anyway to keep you guys fed :) please reblog and comment with your feedback. it means the world to me and keeps me motivated! ♡

"𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃."

Those were Jace’s words the second you walked into the dining room for breakfast. They take you aback, shock you into a frozen stupor.

You and your family have been in King’s Landing for the past few weeks, trying to set aside their differences with the Greens and do their best to reconcile. It has been rough for your younger brothers, though you have been having a brilliant time.

You and Helaena spend plenty of time together, Alicent treats you kindly, and Aegon leaves you alone. And Aemond? Well... you and Aemond are closer than most in terms of relationships.

But that’s a story for another day.

No one else is in the room thankfully — Luke wakes up later in the day, Helaena is presumably outside catching bugs, and your mother is probably off at a meeting with the court — so it’s just you, your younger brother, and the few servants that set the table.

“What?”

Jace gives you an unimpressed look; his chestnut-brown eyes are slightly narrowed, lips melded into a frown. “You love Aemond,” he repeats.

Your heart nearly stops when he says it, and you’re instantly terrified you’ve been caught. It would appear that misfortune has a tendency of catching you off guard. You honestly don’t know what to say.

“...That is quite an accusation,” you try to deadpan. That heated expression of his is chilling; you invite him to sit next to you in hopes of extinguishing it. “Why don’t you just sit down and eat?”

Jace isn’t deterred. He holds his head high and keeps his voice stern; a trait he has undoubtedly learned from your mother. “You told me a couple moons ago that you had no affections for him.”

Oh, Gods. You don’t really want to sit here and listen to him complain about how much of a burden you are from rejecting all of your parents’ attempts at arranging a marriage. For hating every single man they tried to set you up with. You scold yourself more than enough.

“I know what I said. And I mean it. I do not love him, Jace.” You let out a nervous laugh, trying to come across as naïve. The servants are staring now. “What has brought this on?”

“You must think of me as a fool.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you acting so innocent?”

“I don’t love him, Jacaerys. I swear it.” A bitter lie.

For a fleeting moment, you think you’ve won; your brother stands next to the table without saying a word, his mouth clamped shut as he bites the inside of his cheek.

And then he drops the bomb.

“I know you have been seeing each other,” Jace says. It doesn’t come out as a question; it’s a statement. “Stealing each other away in the night.”

Your heart drops in a single second. How does he...?

For these past few weeks, you thought you were being careful. Undetected. There was never anyone around when you slipped through the dark halls of the Red Keep every night and sidled up to Aemond’s door. Not a single voice to stop you as Aemond tugged you into his room and spoke High Valyrian in your ear as he undressed you, as he kissed you senseless, fucked you senseless. It was a dangerous game, of course — but you never actually expected to get caught.

“…Where did you hear that?”

“A kingsguard told me that you parted from his company last night.” Jace’s mouth twists into a disgusted frown. He hesitates, almost like he physically can’t say what comes next. “...From his chambers.”

In that moment, you knew it was over. The gist was up.

“Jace…”

“Tell me it isn’t true.”

And that’s the thing: you can’t say you don’t love Aemond, because it would be the furthest thing from the truth. Your hands fall to your lap and you fist your hands in the skirt of your dress, begging for courage.

“Don’t tell mother.”

Your response — shameful and pleading — speaks volumes. It makes Jace’s skin boil; he had been praying that the knight was wrong. And that hope he clung to so religiously? It’s gone. You can feel the symptoms of a dispute brewing: sweaty hands, agitated eyes, labored breathing. Tension hangs over you like a dark cloud and refuses to dissipate.

“Why?” Jace looks disgusted, repulsed even. It sparks a flame inside you. “You saw his true colors that night. All of us did. Baela, Rhaena. Luke.”

You know what he’s referring to. It is a memory that you want to squeeze the life out of.

“I thought we talked about you sorting out your priorities,” he continues. “What self-respecting daughter of the future Queen runs off and beds whoever she likes without a marriage proposal?”

Yes, perhaps your growing annoyance is misplaced. Your brother wants the best for you, and it’s only natural that he would have his reservations about Aemond.

But he doesn’t know the man like you do; he hasn’t seen his hidden softness.

Sometimes people lose their ability to be recognized when they are joyful — in a pleasant way, of course. Aemond is one of those people. You’ve seen him smile once before. Truly smile. It was not sly, snarky, or coy; for once, it was the sincere kind. You wished he would do it more. It was incredibly beautiful.

If only Jace could have experienced it.

“Don’t speak about him like that,” you mumble.

"I won't restrain myself to appease your ignorance.”

Inhaling sharply, you take a seat at the table and busy yourself by playing with the napkin beside your plate. It’s a feeble attempt at controlling your rising panic. Jace must think you’re acting a bit too calm, because he seems to bristle at your alleged indifference. “I am sorry I didn’t tell you. Really, I am. I was just scared—“

“You lied.”

“It was a white lie. No harm was meant to come from it.”

Jace fixes you with a firm scowl. “A white lie? A white lie? Meddling with our uncle who you are not betrothed to is not something that just happens.”

“You are blowing this out of proportion. I did it to keep you from getting upset and—“

“This is not just about the lie itself,” Jace huffs.

“Then what is it?”

“You believed I wasn't worth your honesty.”

Your gut tightens at his remark — you know he’s right and that he deserves to be informed of such things. Finding out that someone you care for is hiding something this important is a rude awakening.

But you can’t stop.

“I knew you would act like this,” you retort. Raising your voice wasn’t planned, but it happens anyway. It feels like your veins are being ripped to bits as the telltale marks of wrath sweep throughout your body. “I will do you a favor next time and not tell you anything at all.”

“Or you could not encourage him,” Jace spits out. “You think that he does not act like his brother, Aegon? For all you know, he could be gallivanting with a servant every second he is not with you.”

Your jaw tightens so firmly that it seems to lock in place. You’re pissed now. “Aemond is not like that.”

“When you see him next, you can tell him to jump in the damn Dragonpit,” Jace continues. You aren’t used to hearing such crude language from him; it has you reeling. “Perhaps he’ll do that after he’s done fucking you.”

Something inside you bursts. Agonizingly. Ferociously. It's a jolt to your system that throws everything off-kilter. It is a painful fury that splits you in two.

You slam your palms down on the table and rise in your chair; you're astonished the wood doesn't split with the force of it. The plates and forks clatter, and Jace almost jumps. The servants bustling around you certainly do.

Your brother has some nerve. You want to spit foul names in his face. Wish to seize him by the collar and force him to kneel before your feet, because why? Why can’t you be with who you want? First it was Daemon who denied that you ever get betrothed to Aemond. Then it was your mother, and now it’s him.

“I do not need protecting, Jace!” Your chest is rising and falling faster now, like the erratic pull of the tides. It feels like there is so much bottled up energy inside of you that you could scream, erupt, or break something … you need to break something. You choose his spirit. “I don’t need you at all!”

Jace’s expression falls then. Along with it goes your anger.

His gaze flits to the ground for a second — as if the stone is a safe haven from your wrath — and you’re about to apologize when he lifts his chin to glare daggers at you.

“I get it now,” Jace laughs bitterly, shaking his head in disbelief. “You would do anything to be held by him. Ceasing to care about who he might hurt next and ignoring his callousness. You see only what you want.”

In his rage, Jace’s lips spew poison from deep in his chest, a dark place that you didn't even know he had.

“You make me wonder how I ended up with a delusional lunatic for a sister.“

Dead silence.

The two of you are just staring at each other now. Jace braces himself when you step away from your seat; he looks like he’s expecting you to slap him, like he’s preparing himself for the sting.

And as much as you would like to do it, you just walk away.

You’re not even sure if Jace tries to stop you at first. Not sure if a servant tries to tries to grab you by the arm. You are running on pure adrenaline, pure buzzing energy, blood pumping like a battle cry in both eardrums.

It takes until you’re exiting through the giant wooden doors to hear Jace yelling your name — and you loathe how worried he sounds, detest it — and then you’re practically running through the stone hallways.

You want to go to bed. Shut everyone out and sleep until you awaken in a different world: one where you are not expected to get married to certain people, where your brother doesn’t expect you to be a person you can’t, and the 'losing an eye’ thing never happened, and … and it’s just you, Aemond, wrapped up in the sheets of your mattress. That’s all.

The world is just cruel.

Every step echoes as you make a beeline for your room. Tears slip down your cheeks and your fists quake; everything hurts. Emotionally, at least. You’re too worn out, too aggravated, too... mad? Hell, you’re not even sure if you’re still mad. The emotion that rips you apart right now feels more like an indigo-drenched sadness than a red-hot anger.

It’s a strange, crushing feeling that has you stifling a sob while rounding a corner.

But, as if the universe hates you, you catch a glimpse of that ethereal man — the fucking bane of your existence — walking down the same hallway. His back is to you, long white hair swishing with every stride he takes, and his posture is strong.

You don’t want to ruin his day. Spoil the mood, or show how weak you can be.

You call out his name anyway, because there’s only one thing you can think of in this moment. A mantra:

I need you right now, My Prince.

I need you to truly look at me and understand me.

Aemond, I need you to see me.

The man turns then. He says your name, and you, who denied loving him, practically run and throw yourself into his arms.

For a moment, Aemond doesn’t move a muscle; he’s confused, at a total loss. But then his palms slowly come down to your waist, supporting your body as he allows you to sniffle into his tunic.

He doesn’t speak for awhile. Instead, he just looks down at you.

Your cheeks are dressed in tears that resemble droplets of honey. Your gardenia scented hair, pressed against his chest, is beautiful. He discovers an unexpected heaven amidst your grief.

“He doesn’t want us to be together,” you try to whisper, but the words falter and trickle pitifully out of your mouth. They lack the power that you so urgently need.

At first, Aemond is silent. He has no idea what you’re talking about; and then it clicks. Jace.

Aemond has never been one to comfort others. You don’t really expect him to do much, honestly. But when he decides to speak, his tone is gentle and holds no judgment. “Your dear brother has found out about our arrangement, I presume.”

You pull away slightly to stare up at Aemond. You drink in every plane of his face; those high cheekbones, his pretty lips, the silver hair that brushes the ridge of his jaw and the scar he hides. You want to absorb all of him.

Aemond’s hands come to rest on your elbows, and then they slide all the way down your arms until he’s tenderly holding you by the wrists. He doesn’t give you a chance to answer before speaking more resolutely. “Did he hurt you?”

“No — No, of course not,” you sniffle. Jace could be stubborn and fierce, but he would never lay a hand on you. “He was just being a brat. We got into an argument and he was ... he was mean.”

Aemond hums at that. “It must not have been too bad then. He is all bark and no bite,” he muses softly. Every syllable is gentle, each vowel soothing in its own right. He’s calm somehow.

It’s in these moments that you wish so deeply you could be like Aemond. Wish that you could stand your ground, despite wanting to run away. Wish that you could hold the barbs of someone’s anger in your palm and not get stung; not allow the sharp edges to slice under your skin and leave streams of blood in its wake.

But you are not strong like him.

With bated breath, you move to embrace Aemond once more, arms wrapping around his middle as you press your nose into the leather of his tunic.

It doesn’t last long.

Aemond leans into you, and then with both hands on your shoulders, gently tugs you away from his chest. You glance at him in confusion, and meet his gaze with an infantile glare.

For a second you think he doesn’t want to hug you. That he’s about to chide you for being a big baby, for getting in a fight with your sibling and blowing things out of proportion.

But then you quickly realize that he just wants to see your face.

The truth is, Aemond doesn’t want you to hide in his arms. He doesn’t want you to bury your head into his chest and conceal your pain, or for you to dig your face into his clothes until each cheek is dry and you look composed again.

He wants you to share every emotion with him openly, no matter how warped or ugly or bruised.

Perhaps that’s what love is; recognizing someone's greatest vulnerability and still choosing to love them.

It’s hard to place what emotion rests itself in Aemond’s eye after that, but whatever it is almost has you numb to how he’s holding both of your hands in his own. That is, until he trails a thumb over your knuckles.

“Convince Jace, please,” you beg once more. The edges of your mouth start to turn downwards as you tear up again, and Aemond’s eye follows; he takes in your grief intently, and you are fully conscious of that fact. “Please. Show him you are worthy of my hand.”

There’s a sort of surprise that swirls in his lilac gaze; however, his lips are in a straight line, his face nothing else but cold, and you can picture the war that rages inside his head.

“I bear a hatred that could draw blood,” Aemond finally murmurs. “Those who do not deserve to be forgiven will not know my mercy. I will not betray my feelings to please others.”

“Try, Aemond. Please. If not for you and your sanity, do it for me.”

Aemond can only stare at you — his only love, his life, his breath of fresh air. The woman who he hopes will be his future wife despite your family’s distaste. He inhales deeply, chest rising and flattening the creases in his tunic, gaze roaming the tear-tracks on your face. And then he caves.

But not before making a demand.

“Do not cry, my love,” Aemond breathes. “It does not suit you.”

And when you blink up at him so sweetly, nodding in a wordless vow, Aemond presses a kiss to the crown of your head. Then he kisses your left cheek, and the right, before slowly tracing his lips against your own.

“Your body is mine,” He whispers into your parted mouth. “And I will find a way to claim it. They will have no choice but to accept me.”

Aemond is a professional at pressing your buttons. It’d be a lie if you said it didn’t excite you; quickly, you capture his lips into a searing kiss. He returns the favor, knowing damn well that you want him, and yet he doesn’t tease in between kisses. He chooses tenderness over taunts just this once.

The air is filled with a sentence unsaid:

Touch my soul with warm words, and I shall do whatever you wish.

#aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond x reader #aemond fanfiction #aemond x y/n #aemond x you #aemond targaryen x y/n #aemond targaryen x you #house of the dragon fanfic #hotd imagines #millie’s works — ��

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hugshughes · 9 months

Note

IM LITERALLY LIKE GOING CRAZY WAITING FOR U TO POST HARD LAUNCH LIKE GOING FERAL

Hard Launch C. Bedard.

Connor Bedard x fem!reader

synopsis - Connor has kept your relationship under wraps for a while just because he knows how crazy people can be; what happens when he knows he needs you right next to him at the draft?

wc - 2.1k

contains - cursing, reader has anxiety/is anxious, Connor picks at the skin around his nails, a ciwyw by taylor swift reference (sorry), probably some inaccuracies when it comes to like how the draft goes, kissing, fluff.

an - this was supposed to be posted a few days ago but when i proofread it i absolutely hated it so i started over! sorry about the inaccuracies related to the draft and how it works, i had to put a few things that probably aren’t true for the sake of the story. also!! when i reply to comments i have to do it from my primary blog which is @hugshughesy so i’ll reply but it won’t say like creator i don’t think. i’ve been like rereading this and i hate it might delete soon feeling silly. i hope you guys like it!!

“Baby, you have to stop doing that.”

You grab Connor’s hand and slip it into yours, partially because you just love him, and mostly to get him to stop picking at his cuticles. He blushes at your concern, looking over at you sheepishly.

“Sorry, just nervous.” You nodded, laying your head on his shoulder. He and you both. Although, Connor probably had a little more to be nervous about than you, seeing as he’s gonna be the #1 draft pick tonight and be blasted on the tv screens of millions.

You were more nervous about the fact that you’d never been seen with Connor before, no one knew he was off the market, and when they saw his golden girl sitting by him tonight at the draft, the 14 year old girls were definitely gonna track you down like FBI agents.

You’d seen all the fan accounts, ones with bios that would read, “Connor’s girlfriend (real)”. And those made you laugh, but you also saw the hostile people that would threaten you and say terrible things and they didn’t even know you actually existed.

“Well, everything will be okay because one, we already obviously know you’re gonna go #1 because you’re just like the best. And two, your family is here, and your friends are here. And they all love you so so much Connie.”

“What about my girlfriend, y’think she loves me?”

You giggled at his question, furrowing your eyebrows and letting out a ‘hmmmm’ as if you were thinking about the answer.

“Actually, I think she loves you the more than anything else.”

Connor laughed now, wrapping his arm around your waist, which you initially accepted as an act of love, but then your boyfriend start tasing your sides.

You squirm and squeal, jerking around in Connor’s hold, not until you quite literally roll yourself off the hotel bed are you free. You look up at him from your place on the floor, an unamused look displayed on your face. While Connor’s expression is quite the opposite, as he giggles to himself.

“I tell you how much I love you, and you just throw me on the floor? Wow.”

He laughs louder at this, his bright smile melting your heart.

“I didn’t throw you on the floor, you did that to yourself.”

He holds his arms out for you, grabbing your hands and pulling you back up on the bed.

“Well, you still haven’t even told me you love me back so.”

“You know I love you the most. I know you know that.”

You do know that, as surprising as it would be to someone that’s seen his awkwardness and shortness in interviews and things like that, Connor is very expressive with his love for you. He always shows you how grateful he is for you.

“Connor! Gotta start getting ready soon, cameras will be in here in 30!”

His mom shouts from the adjoining door between the two hotel rooms his family was currently in. He shouts back an affirmative then sighs, laying back on the bed.

“Everything’s gonna go perfect Con, you’re completely surrounded by people who love you so much, and I know it’s a huge event, but there’s no need to be nervous baby.”

He looks at you, he practically has hearts in his eyes, he gives you a smile. He nods and sits up, standing to go grab his garment bag with his suit.

While he went to do that you went into the bathroom, making sure he didn’t mess up your makeup you’d just done messing around with you. It was still perfect, thankfully, and you closed the door to put your dress on.

You changed, then fixed your hair, you’d gotten it done a few days before, so you could do it quickly on draft day.

You touch up everything, lastly taking off your necklace with a gold heart as the charm and taking out your new gold ‘C’ necklace. Wearing his initial meant more than “belonging” to him, it was because he’s your boy, the boy who knows you.

Connor walked into the bathroom, suit pants and button up on. He practically had hearts in his eyes when he saw you. He wraps his arms around your hips and leans down to lay his chin on your shoulder.

“Wow, gorgeous. You look fuckin’ perfect.”

You feel heat envelop your face, giving Connor a big smile.

“I have a little something to show you. Nothing special, but I think you’ll like it.

He nods, looking at you expectedly. You show him the necklace, and the hearts in his eyes double in size. He looks from the necklace to you, and then back down again.

“Are you serious?”

The hope in Connor’s voice was apparent. He was in awe at the idea of you wearing his initial. You knowing and showing your love for him gets him so happy. When you nod at him, his smile grows. He helps you put it on, then turns you around to look at you.

You looked perfect, so, so gorgeous. You left the bathroom, sitting on the bed to put your heels on. The Bedard family minus Connor was in the other room now, talking. You fastened the buckle on your last heel, and Connie sits next to you, leaning his head on your shoulder.

“Everything’s gonna change after tonight, can feel it.”

Connor whispers to you, you can’t be much comfort to him though because the second you’re about to try, his mom comes through, letting him know the camera guys are here.

He sighs and nods, going to stand up but not before you kiss his head, giving his hand a squeeze. You stayed where you were as you watched Connor enter the other room, closing the door behind him. He knew you were already on edge and he didn’t want your anxiety to spike earlier than it had to.

After about 20 minutes Madisen texts you that it’s time for everyone to go. You grab your wallet and exit the room, seeing the Bedards and a few off-duty cameramen already in the hallway. Connor’s hand was gripping yours the whole way to Bridgestone.

You guys were finally in your seats after almost an hour. You were sat in between Connor and his mom, much to your dismay. You felt it was only right for Connor to sit by his family with you on the end but he whined and whined until his mom urged you to sit next to him.

Right now you knew there were many cameras on you, your leg bounced at the thought. Connor brushed his hand over your knee, whispering your name. You snap out of your thoughts, jerking your head towards him.

“Are you alright baby?”

Your eyes soften at his question, smiling and nodding at him. You pat your hand on his that covers your knee.

“Y’know, just a little nervous that everyone’s about to see that you’re my mega-hot boyfriend.”

He laughs at that, his grip on your knee tightening. Your free hand moves to the charm on your necklace, holding it tightly.

“Well, I think everyone’s gonna be confused about how I have such a hot girlfriend.”

It was your turn to laugh, you could feel the nerves prickling at the back of your neck slightly fade as you looked at your boy.

“Well, I think that number one draft picks are super hot, so.”

He looks at you with a big smile, his eyes soft and full of adoration, he brings his hand up and pushes your hand from your necklace, fingers brushing over the ‘C’ sitting on your chest.

Before you know it, the draft begins to start and the Blackhawks are on the clock. You and Connor’s legs are bouncing in sync, but you can’t help but look at him with a smile. It obviously doesn’t take long before Kyle Davidson is up at the podium.

“And with the first overall selection of the 2023 NHL draft, the Chicago Blackhawks are very proud to select, from the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, Connor Bedard.”

He smiles so bright, so big. He stands up and you follow, he engulfs you in a huge hug.

“Thank you so much, I love you so much.”

You say it right back to him before he moves to hug the rest of his family and friends. When he walks past you again to get out to the aisle he takes you by complete surprise, kissing you in front of everyone. That was quite the way to hard launch your relationship. He quickly pulls away and goes to bro hug Adam. Your eyes completely widen, quickly turning your head to look at Madisen, who is laughing at your shock, and her brother’s boldness.

You would’ve never expected Connor to do that, you’re guessing the adrenaline got to him, but wow. You recovered from your moment and clapped as you watched your boyfriend strut up to the stage, shaking hands with the Blackhawks staff and sliding on his jersey.

You hold his mom’s hand as you feel tears rushing your waterline. You’d known Connor since you were both 10 and watching him up on the stage was definitely overwhelming.

You guys sit and celebrate the other picks and after about an hour you all were out somewhere on the inside of Bridgestone arena, waiting for Connor to finish up promotional stuff.

He comes out from a hallway and the smile on his face is absolutely heart melting. He hugs his family before he makes his way to you, hugging you very tightly.

“Connor Bedard. What was that?”

He smiles proudly, kissing you once again, just longer and harder. Once he pulls away you’re dazed, a love-struck look in your eyes, and if you could, you would have hearts in your eyes.

“I don’t even know, just felt like kissin’ you, and I think I was on like an adrenaline rush or something.”

You laughed and nodded at him with an amused look, cupping his face with your hands. His family absolutely loved you two, they had been waiting for the day you guys admitted you liked each other since the 2018 8th-grade dance.

They saw how you brought Connor out of his shell, and how incredibly happy you made him. You declared where you would be attending college the night of the draft lottery, for no apparent reason of course. The University of Chicago was a school you were always interested in, but Connor in Chicago meant that much more to you.

After hours of hanging out and celebrating you guys were finally back at the hotel. You showered after Connor finished up and then after you were standing at the sink, pajamas on as you did your skincare.

For the second time that day, Connor came into the bathroom, wrapping his arms around you. You looked at him through the mirror, smiling softly. Connor looked at you and saw everything he wanted. He felt so excited to be able to have you with him in the Windy City. He knew he was only 17, but thoughts of you being his wife crossed his mind.

You finished up in the bathroom and you both went back out to the room, the door between the two rooms you had was ajar, allowing his parents to keep watch of you two if they needed to. They trusted you both deeply, but you were still two teenagers sharing a bed, so.

You both snuggled up on your bed, and you scrolled through Twitter and Tiktok looking at things about the draft and Connor and your relationship. You had become a small meme among the hockey girl fandom, the video of Connor kissing you and then your reaction going viral.

There were so so so many kind comments, commenting on your beauty and smile, and how happy you made Connor look. He was very happy with how the night went, which made you happy obviously.

You both eventually fell asleep, only after whispering for hours about how everything is gonna be in Chicago, how much fun you think it’ll be. You played with Connor’s hair while his breathing slowed, his grip around you tightening.

You knew that no matter where Connor went, you would go too as long as he wanted you there. And he always would want you there. You were everything to him, you and hockey were what kept him going.

#connor bedard #connor bedard x reader #connor bedard imagine #chicago #chicago blackhawks #blackhawks #nhl blackhawks #blackhawks hockey #chicago blackhawks x reader #connor bedard blurb #nhl x reader #nhl fanfiction #nhl draft #nhl draft 2023 #hockey #nhl

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heavenlyhischier · 8 months

Text

𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐲 | 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐇𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬

this has been sitting my drafts for a while so i figured might as well post it while i’m working on my celly fics 🫶🏻

yourusername

liked by elblue6, jamiedrysdale, and others

yourusername happy 22nd birthday to my best friend since birth. you��re a pain in my ass every single day but i can’t seem to get rid of you so ig i’ll deal with it

everyone go tell my best happy birthday or else 🤺

tagged jackhughes

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lhughes_06 why are you wearing a helmet

yourusername they said i was “ a danger to myself”

╰➤ jackhughes you were

╰➤ yourbff you ARE

_quinnhughes we can’t get rid of him either. i tried

jackhughes yo???

trevorzegras couple of BESTIES

yourusername why do you do this every time

╰➤ trevorzegras because you’re my favorite couple of BESTIES

jackhughes you literally moved to jersey with me so i don’t think you’re trying very hard 🥸

yourusername you literally begged me to???

yourusername also you’re welcome for the birthday post you loser 🙄 so ungrateful

╰➤ jackhughes thank you daisy❤️

╰➤ nicohischier that’s not her name?

╰➤ yourbff he calls her that because it’s her favorite flower😭

╰➤ nicohischier “we’re just friends”

╰➤ this comment has been deleted

yourmom happy birthday to my future son-in-law!

liked by elblue6, trevorzegras, _quinnhughes, lhughes_06, yoursibling, _alexturcotte, colecaufield, yourbff, nicohischier, and jackhughes

jackhughes

liked by trevorzegras, mattwilliams, and others

jackhughes 2/3

tagged lhughes_06, _quinnhughes, and yourusername

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user1 jack and yourusername never beating the dating allegations with this behavior

trevorzegras White jets all dizzy

yourusername don’t encourage him. who wears forces to a wedding???

╰➤ jackhughes a man with style

yourusername ellen is the only reason i’m liking this post. she looks so beautiful as always

user2 so real. ellen slays

user3 tell quinn my dms are open

nicohischier 🧐

yourbff 🔎

yourusername you guys are annoying

user4 they’re going to be dating by the end of summer if they’re not already. im calling it🤞🏼

yourusername

liked by randomkidfromHS, dylanduke25, and others

yourusername surprise!! friends to lovers is my favorite trope for a reason

tagged jackhughes

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trevorzegras COUPLE

yourusername yes Z, just couple

╰➤ trevorzegras finally. man’s been in love with you for years now

╰➤ yourusername jackhughes years?????

yourbff I KNEW IT

yourbff WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK

╰➤ yourusername i’m sorry i love you!!!!

lhughes_06 thank god. i can stop being your third wheel now

yourusername no pls. i need you there for moral support. i can’t handle jack by myself

╰➤ jackhughes wtf??

nicohischier wow i am shocked. i did not see this coming at all

liked by yourusername

colecaufield “best friends can go to a lantern festival without it being romantic” liars. both of you. liars. you just went so you could make out

yourusername hehe sorry coley 🫶🏻

╰➤ jackhughes we didn’t just make out 😮‍💨

╰➤ colecaufield you’re kidding right? you guys took my car. YOU ARE KIDDING RIGHT?

╰➤ liked by jackhughes

╰➤ colecaufield i’m burning my car

elblue6 happy 6 months you two!

liked by yourmom and yourusername

_quinnhughes what happened to “we don’t keep secrets in this family”???

lhughes_06 ^^^

jackhughes

liked by tmeier96, john.marino97 and others

jackhughes my daisy, you are everything good in the world. for as long as i can remember, you have shown me what it’s like to live and to love. i’m grateful for you in more ways than you know, and i can’t wait to love you for as long as you’ll have me.

tagged yourusername

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user1 wow i am so shocked at this news 😱

jesperbratt took you long enough

_alexturcotte COUPLE

trevorzegras back off that’s my thing

user2 alexa play that should be me by justin bieber

yourusername shut up i’m crying wtf i love you

yourusername who wrote this caption for you

╰➤ jackhughes i came up with it all by myself thank you (quinn helped me)

user3 who knew jack was so sappy????

yourusername i didn’t tbh

lhughes_06 hard launch 🗣️

_quinnhughes simp

jackhughes no shame

user4 called it

#jack hughes #jack hughes imagine #jack hughes x reader #jack hughes insta edit #jack hughes edit #nhl #nhl imagine #hockey imagine #new jersey devils

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