Deadnaming a person? Hella cringe and uncool of you.

Deadnaming a company? Very based of you.

i think for me, the watcher situation comes down to this:

it's absolutely respectable that the watcher team wants to grow and produce better quality content. it's respectable that they don't want to stagnate and end up pushing the same content out over and over again. that's not satisfying for them creatively, i get that.

however, if higher quality, more heavily produced content is not what your fans are asking for, then you can't ask them to fund it.

this all-or-nothing method they've gone for is frankly bizarre. it feels like they leap-frogged all other alternatives to improving their finances and ended up here, alienating and frustrating the majority of their fanbase (the fanbase they thanked for getting them to where they are).

i think this could have gone a lot better if they:

Hadn't hyped up this video for a week.

Hadn't announced the worth it successor just beforehand.

Hadn't put out a wishy-washy, "boo hoo we're so sad about this", over-produced video.

Hadn't made it $6/month (more in a lot of countries given exchange rates).

Had considered that this means fans in specific countries literally cannot pay for the subscription due to geo/region-locking.

my ideas for improving their funds, aka things they could have tried before blowing their brand up: create their own website with two options - a free version with ads and a paid version without ads, OR make better use of their patreon/make their website extra content, not all their content, for example:

Put the ghost file debriefs on there.

Put shows like survival mode on there (or even shift that show from pre-recorded video to live-stream - live stream access to patrons and VOD access to everyone, maybe).

Put episode commentaries there.

Do reaction videos to their old buzzfeed content, talk about memories and BTS, and put that there.

Put one/two episodes of each show, per season on there (and ONLY there).

Put the episodes up there a few days early.

Make specific, website only content (that's not your main and most popular series aka ghost files and puppet history).

Record the live, in-person shows and put those VODs up there.

EDIT (thought of something else lmao): put extended or even uncut versions of ghost files on there. Paranormal Detour on Detune's twitch channel has shown that people will willingly sit through 6+ hours of a ghost investigation.

EDIT: idk, do livestreams once a week where you watch scary movies with fans on discord or twitch.

(side note: the fact that they're not taking down their patreon and instead shifting all of their podcast content on there, something the patreons who have been loyally giving them money for years didn't ask for, is ridiculous and greedy. add to this the fact that they don't even get a free sub to the new website, instead get 40% off - a measly 10% more than anyone else who subs before the official launch).

the thing for me is that they're claiming they want to make "television" and "television-grade content". that's completely fine. what's not completely fine is acting like your four episodes a month is equal to netflix's entire catalogue.

this really felt like it should have been something they told us they were progressing towards, not something they revealed to be on the imminent horizon. idk, it just feels out of nowhere. no, they don't owe us all of the info about their company. but something had to be better than this.

final thought - it's okay and valid to be upset at the team for this. for a lot of people, it's a complete betrayal (especially the comment that $6 a month is something "anyone and everyone can afford", i mean yikes). i do think some people's anger got the best of them, and some of the comments i've seen across youtube, twitter, and tumblr are plain bullying, racism, and harassment. until we have the whole story, we can't decide that one founder (aka steven in a lot of people's minds) is solely responsible. i know a lot of these awful things are only coming from a small minority of the fandom, but they still get seen.

at the end of the day, all three of them got up in front of a camera and made this video, together. that can only lead us to the conclusion that they made this decision together. acting like these men in their 30s couldn't stand up against it if they truly wanted to, is so strange and parasocial lmao.

tl;dr there were much better ways of going about this announcement, if it even needed to be made at all. however, that doesn't excuse the hateful shit being spewed at the team. for now, all we know is the three founders decided they were done with youtube, and done with their loyal youtube audience.

(i have so many more thoughts on this but i need to stop lmao. however i do wonder how different things could have been if 1. they had hired someone with actual business experience as their CEO from the jump, and 2. this video was more of a "hey we're broke! this is a last-ditch effort to save our company!". guess those questions will remain ... well ... you know ...).

Could I request Aventurine not so subtly demanding affection from his s/o?

warning: lots of kisses, suggestive content?

pairing: aventurine x reader

author’s note: i guess i’m the aventurine gal now. thank you for the request, i didn’t really know what to do with it at first so i hope you enjoy the direction i took (ALSO I HAVENT FINISHED THE 2.1 STORY QUEST YET DON’T SPOIL ME PLS)

“reader, can you come to my office?” was the first thing you heard once you answered your phone, not even a hello, how are you? straight away he goes about commanding you around as if he was your superior, which he technically was, but that’s not the point.

you picked up your paperwork and put the phone in between your ear and your shoulder as you wandered the lower hallways of the ipc headquarters. “what do you need?”

“you.”

“aventurine…” you replied annoyed. he had a habit of calling you during a work day for no reason, but to play around with you. it was charming at times, but most often than not was annoying since you weren’t in such a high position at the ipc that you could afford slaking off for any period of time.

“i’m bored and i happen to know you have a free schedule too.”

you held back a sarcastic remark, of course he knew your schedule, topaz probably told him. “yeah, okay, but your office is sooo high up.”

“i’ll repay you~” he said in a sing song voice, making you let out a tired sigh.

“in what?”

“whatever you want~” he answered in that same silky sweet tone, that has so many people wrapped around his finger.

“okay, i’ll be there in a minute.” it was never about his gifts, but you knew if you didn’t agree to meet him he’d never relent. and so you began you treacherous way to the elevator, that would bring you all the way to aventurine’s office. he had one of the nicer office spaces in ipc, no surprise there, but you hated making the trip from your lousy office to his fancy one.

you knocked twice (your secret signal to tell him it was you) and walked into his office and were immediately grabbed by the waist and pulled into him. “come here.”

he sat you on his lap, as he sat in his very nice office chair behind his imposing desk. he tightly wrapped his arms around your waist, and started peppering your face and neck with quick kisses, making you giggle. he never lingered on one spot for too long, leaving you overwhelmed with sensations.

“what’s up with you?” you asked curiously as he readjusted his hold on you. aventurine was touchy at times, but this seemed more than that.

he only smiled, continuing to press kisses on your neck and collarbone. “just missing your company, is that a crime?”

“no-“

“good.”

he continued his assault of kisses, not that you minded of course. aventurine knew when you had enough, despite his flippant attitude, he was respectful of your boundaries and feelings. so, you let out a breath and leaned back, your head resting against his chest and savoured the feeling of his undivided attention on your.

although as you adjusted your position you spotted something on his desk. “oh, you’re heading to penacony tomorrow?”

you felt him pause for a fraction of a moment, before ignoring your question and continuing to kiss you. you sighed, turning around to face him and cupping his face in your hands. “aventurine. i asked you something.”

“oh, it’s nothing important,” he replied, taking your hand from his cheek and giving it a shallow kiss. “i’ll be back before you know it.”

“yeah, but-“

“no buts, only kisses.” he gave you a kiss on your nose, almost making you giggle again.

“you are going alone,” you said, trying to stay on topic, “that worries me a little.”

aventurine only laughed, waving off your concern as his hands moved up and down on your body. “i won’t be alone, the doctor will be there.”

“that does not reassure me. what if- Ow!” he had given you a small bite on your neck, cutting you off. it didn’t particularly hurt, but surprised you nonetheless.

as you stopped talking he cupped your face in his hands, making you look at him and straight into his colourful eyes. “stop worrying. don’t you trust me?”

you nodded, there was no one you trusted more in the ipc. “i do.”

“good,” he let go of your face and gave you a quick peck on your lips, lingering for a moment before pulling away. “now how about we have lunch together? it’s my treat as always.”

Hiiiii can I please request a PriceGraves fic where General shepherd would like sexually harass Graves (ass slapping/grabbing, comments, etc.)? And like Graves is a bit scared to do anything of that nature with Price? Idk this came to me as I was under the effects of anesthesia 😂

I certainly can! I'm assuming you mean Graves is nervous to enter a relationship due to concerns that Price would start acting like that but if I misinterpreted, just send me an ask with clarification and I'll rewrite!

Graves felt his skin crawl every time he thought of Shepherd. Now that he was dead, he definitely felt better, and he'd never admit this to anyone, ever. But some of the... behaviors he had exhibited had put Graves on edge.

Graves was not a stranger to locker room talk and how men bragged about touching people, regardless of whether it was asked for or not. As a teen, he would participate, trying to fit the mold of straight man in the American South. As he got older, he started to avoid it, claiming he thought it was childish to talk about people, especially women like that. Which was partially true. He naively thought this was something straight men did. His bubble was quickly burst when he joined the military and found himself the target of that derogatory talk.

But hey, he managed. He kicked ass. Started a company. Made sure anyone that spoke or acted like that either learned their lesson and shut it up or was booted off to scramble for work elsewhere like a dog.

When Shepherd stood behind Graves during an explanation and his hand just brushed against Graves's thighs, he brushed it off as an accident and kept talking.

Then his hand firmly grabbed his ass and squeezed. Under his breath, just loud enough for Graves to hear, “firm”.

Graves despised working with him after that. When he sent his men to die in Russia, he started working through the red tape to separate themselves. Every time they were in the same room, there would be some comment, some line, even just full on grabbing and the only reason Graves didn’t kill him was that his Shadows would be dealing with the repercussions of it. So he sucked it up, minimized contact and kept it moving.

Almost a year later, with Shepherd dead and him in an entirely different position, he'd think the idea of it happening would be the farthest thing from his mind.

But he... felt Price's eyes on him. He was polite and a gentleman.

Unlike Shepherd, Graves liked Price. Really. He wouldn't mind rolling around the hay with him. But they worked together and he didn't want another situation like before.

Price sat with him one day, after a mission and everything had simmered down. He even bought him a drink at the bar. The Shadows and the 141 mingled some, chatting normally.

Graves hesitated to take the drink. "Not going to owe you anything, am I?" He didn't sound like he was joking.

Price paused, bourbon almost touching his lips. "I'm not that kind of man, Graves. I won't lie. I want you. In a way that's not that gentleman like. But I won't ask you for anything. Not unless you ask first."

Graves looked at his drink. "I don't think you'd take advantage of me. I wouldn't let you. Worried you won't respect me."

Price frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Shepherd. He didn't respect me much."

"Did he ever?" The sudden anger in Price's voice was shockingly reassuring.

"Besides grabbing me a little, no. Made some disgusting comments."

Price downed his drink. He ordered another round for the two of them. "I don't allow that kind of behavior. Not among my men. Hate to see someone in power take advantage of it."

Graves was quiet a while, finishing his drink up. He wanted to. He really, really did. He glanced over and they made eye contact.

Price never bothered to hide his emotions. It was an admirable trait. He looked at Graves with such passion and ardor.

Graves broke the gaze and kept drinking. Price patted his shoulder, like they were just friends. "Phillip, I'll always respect you. You made a company from scratch. Stronger men than most."

"Thank you, John."

They separated and Graves wanted to ask him to come back. He didn't. He kept drinking until the Shadows could pull him into karaoke. This was all he needed. They were great. The best friends and coworkers he could ask for.

The bar got ready to close and they were all kicked out. Graves felt that surge of confidence that only came from being too drunk for your own good. He grabbed Price's arm and they stumbled forward.

Price let him into his quarters. He kissed him softly. Sweetly. They both tasted of bourbon.

"Graves, you're too drunk."

"Only time I'll be dumb enough to say yes."

Price smiled at him, though it was a tinge sad. "Let me get you in bed, love." He picked him up, like he didn't weigh anything. He carried him to the bed and laid him down, making sure both of their boots were off and on the floor.

Graves pulled off his shirt and pants, quickly waving his hand at Price's grunts. "I refuse to sleep fully clothed. I'm not in the field."

Price sighed but didn't stop him, only kicking off his own socks. "I'll make tea in the morning."

"....no coffee?"

"Don't drink the stuff."

Graves groaned loudly. "Should've just went back to my own room. No dick and no coffee."

"You're too drunk for me to sleep with you."

"You're buzzed. Cancels out."

"I don't think so." Price ran his fingers through Graves's hair, admiring his flushed face. "What are the chances you pretend you don't remember tonight?"

"Higher than I want to tell you."

Price nodded and leaned down, kissing him again. Graves could feel his heart in his throat. "Not being much of a gentleman, am I?"

"You're the one person I'm okay with it." Graves told him softly. "Look, sleep in the bed with me. Nothing has to happen, but I don't want to kick a man out of his own bed."

Price nodded and crawled in with him. They pressed close together and his arm went around Graves's middle.

It felt nice. Being held. His hands didn't wander. He didn't make any comments. Even pressed against his body, where he could no doubt feel the muscle and how his hands fit around his waist and his ass pressed against him, Price said nothing. Just held him.

Graves felt his eyes start to close. "John, I want you back."

"I know."

is it too late to ask for said actual nuanced statement about your feelings on the way loona has split up and how you feel about supporting each of the factions as a fan

No :0 Okay well this posted early accidentally come back when I've edited it with the answer you seek; edit here it is

As anybody who follows me and actually listens to what I post knows, yes, I was disappointed with the choice that the 5 members in modhaus made.

The reason is of course Jaden Jeong's involvement in the conditioned that caused the members' suffering. I honestly do not care to "respect" the members' choice when, firstly, they're public figures, which means they're in a position where they open themselves to judgement, having surpassed what it means to be a regular person into an overman; hence, idol (no this isn't lore) (yes it is) and it is parasocial to think we as fans owe them the kind of blind devout respect that is reserved for people you know and are close to. We, of course, need to respect them as people even if they are idols which leads to my next point. Secondly, they're adult women who are capable of making their own choices. It is only patronizing, infantilising and self delusionary to cheer them on for every choice they make void of criticism. If I respect them as a person, that means I care about the decisions they make enough to be able to disagree with them. The only decisions you respect unconditionally are from your God (if you have faith) or someone who has got you fucked up.

of course all of this is only my opinion to be clear ^^;

So to continue, I don't respect their decision to join modhaus. However I do accept their decision and think of them no less as people - that's very important to me for people to be aware of! That may have sounded harsh but I only have strong feelings because I care.

When it comes to modhaus vs ctd, to ME it feels like a faction of people who are willing to ignore a history of mistreatment to blindly follow their idols because that's what idolatry is versus a faction who are distrusting and reluctant to give a second chance to a man (and his company) who have done them wrong. And of course bias vs bias.

Regarding why I don't hold ctd to the same standard as modhaus; one is an established company with another group under their belt and the other is a company that formed because Hyunjin asked really niceys. The "mistakes" that modhaus are making, like having Jaden and doing NFTs and having loss of the members' autonomy to give fans control as a business model (to be frank, I don't care about missing english subtitles or those small things, its whatever) are much more severe to me than CTD fumbling the bag in ways that only affect them financially. Sorry I don't care about them picking venues that are too big for them on a concert, I don't think it's that big a deal.

In this way, I think cloo vs ourii, ctd vs modhaus, is much more than the preference people have for the idols actually in the companies but rather an ideological thing. Can you put the past (that isn't yours to begin with) behind you to stan a group with no guarantee of being completely safe and in control, or are you going to be wary of a company that has done little to demonstrate how it's protecting the girls' best interests. At least that's how it looks to me.

And it's weird how we dont see Chuu & Yves akgaes right? And I think that's because the companies are such unknown elements that it's nowhere near as polarising to support them, like there's no reason not to.

And I do think there is a lot of us vs them going on. (some) People who are artms member stans who have become full-blooded ouriis have made it their mission to find any excuse to bring CTD down - maybe out of a guilty conscience vengeance for the criticism that modhaus has been getting. And the same can definitely be said about cloos who just want more reasons to shit on modhaus even though the problems are inconsequential (see? I'm not wholly biased)

In summary I just think it's sad that it's had to have been this divisive. If the loona members weren't in the position that they were - that no company was willing to accept them bar modhaus, and the members who got out first didn't feel obligated to go to modhaus, since CTD - and other places - weren't an option, things maybe would've turned out differently. Or maybe they wouldn't have, and there will always be fanwars regardless.

Imagine your brother Jeonghan trying to set you and Scoups up but you refuse claiming Scoups is too goody-goody, which drives the leader of Seventeen crazy

It took 2 weeks after you moved to the same city as your brother for him to start trying to set you up with his friends. To be fair Jeonghan had been saying you'd really get along with Scoups for a while now but you'd managed to dodge any awkward dates or outings...until now. Your brother had invited you over to his place for dinner. He'd told you none of the guys would be there but when you showed up guess who happened to be joining you? 

The leader of Seventeen was a lovely guy and you didn't mind his company. It was your brother's prying that put you off the whole thing. You had a habit of doing the opposite of whatever someone wanted you to do and blamed your rebellious brother for teaching it to you. Usually it only annoyed other people but tonight Jeonghan got to experience it first hand. After dinner, Scoups left the table to go to rehearsal leaving you and Jeonghan alone. You'd had a nice meal and the conversation had been good. You and Scoups had joked around all night and found a lot of common ground, so your brother assumed you were in love. "So..." Jeonghan said after Scoups left the room and you smiled back pretending to be oblivious "so...". "Don't you agree Scoups is so great?" he asked. You smiled "yeah he's really nice and funny, I'm sure it drives some girls crazy". Jeonghan knew from the way you said some, you weren't talking about yourself and he couldn't believe it. "Don't tell me you're not including yourself? The two of you were so hitting it off!". You laughed "we were chatting Jeonghan that's all". "You weren't chatting you were connecting and I know it! I could see you liked talking to him so why are you denying it?". You shook your head "I'm not denying anything. Sure he's nice and handsome and cool but he's not my type". "Cool, handsome and nice aren't your thing?" Jeonghan asked. You shook your head "honestly it's the leader thing. It's a huge turn off and that's why I can't find him attractive".  

Jeonghan's jaw dropped "you're serious?" he asked you nodded "yes! You know I don't like rules and he's the leader! He's automatically more responsible and abiding". Jeonghan frowned "kinda but also not. He actually challenges our company and managers all the time. He's a good guy". "I don't doubt it but I don't want a boyfriend whose favourite roleplay is teacher and student". Jeonghan went to argue "but if you just gave him a chance...". "I said no Jeonghan" you said standing up "sometimes you're just not as smart as you think you are" and walked out of the room.

Insulting your brother's intelligence was the best way to drive him crazy and so when Scoups got home many hours later he found Jeonghan up waiting for him. "Jeonghan? What are you doing up?" Scoups asked and he sighed "my sister is driving me insane". Scoups laughed and came to sit beside him. Jeonghan had prepped Scoups beforehand and told him of his plan to set the two of you up. Scoups wasn't keen on dating a member's sister but thought you were pretty and funny so he agreed to give it a shot. When Jeonghan explained your feedback he was shocked and a little hurt. "So what does she like bad boys?" Scoups asked. Jeonghan shrugged "I guess? She's just never been one for conventional authority or tradition so it makes sense". Scoups frowned "but I'm not exactly a good boy" and Jeonghan laughed "I think she just sees you as our leader and not as you. Don't take offence". "Ow no I'm taking offence and making it my mission to prove her wrong". The more Scoups thought about your view of him the more it bothered him. He'd never ever been told he was too goody-goody. Sure he was a respectful citizen but all his life he'd been known for standing up to people and demanding what was right. So to hear you had this completely backwards idea of him made him want to show you the true him. That and the fact he was pretty strongly attracted to you and loved proving people wrong. Scoups had liked you since he first saw you and would've asked you out if hadn't been around so fleetingly. But now you were here, in all your glory, challenging him it seemed like the perfect opportunity. He figured the least goody-goody thing to do would be to confront you. So when you arrived at the house the next morning to go out with Jeonghan he walked up to you and asked you "do you really think I'm a pushover?". You looked up from your phone and shook your head "not a pushover per se but someone who follows the rules? Yep". Scoups laughed "y/n that's the furthest thing from me. I'm always saying stuff I shouldn't and standing up for the members...I even got us banned from isac for picking a fight with the referee!". You nodded "really?" not looking impressed and Scoups nodded "yes...why don't you believe me?". "Because you have such an innocent face there's no hiding it Scoups" you smiled "you're a good boy and that's fine. Geat even, so many people would love that so own it". Scoups pouted "but I'm not and I'll prove it to you!". "How?” you asked and Scoups paused "I'm not sure how but I will". In response you just raised your eyebrow and went back to your phone. You were so infuriating and that was kind of attractive to Scoups which was driving him crazy, so he started forming a plan. You lived close by so were at the house a lot which Scoups was banking on. He walked into the living room to see you sat there and made a show of sitting down on the sofa and taking his coat off. "I thought you had rehearsal?" you asked and Scoups nodded "I do". "Then what are you doing here?" you asked. He smiled "the benefit of being the leader is I get certain perks. If I want to skip a session I can. I just assign another member to do my work. Being on the top means you get to call the shots". "Is that so?" you asked and Scoups nodded "yep". "And you do this often? Making the other members pick up your slack?". "Whenever I want to" Scoups shrugged and you nodded "so what happened to always standing up for your members to management? Aren't you just as bad as them if you're doing this to your members?". Scoups paused unsure how to answer your question and still remain a bad-boy. "Well I'm not really palming my work off on them more...not doing it". You nodded "funny how the story keeps changing" and Scoups blushed. "Look my point is I do what I want when I want. I tell the management when something isn't right. I take a day off work when I want it. I have all the power. If I don't want them to find me then they don't" putting his feet up on the sofa for a bit of added effect. Then as if by magic his phone rang in his coat pocket. You both paused but neither of you moved. "You gonna get that?" you asked. Scoups always answered his phone and tensed as it kept ringing. He wanted to get it, but you were watching him so he shook his head "nope" and you smiled seeing him struggle. "Don't you wanna know who it is?" you asked, and he shook his head again. Your smile grew and you reached into his coat pocket to fish it out. "It says manager...sure you don't wanna get it?" you asked waving it in front of him. Scoups twitched and then sighed "I really should we're changing Dino's schedule and I need to know so I can tell him" taking the phone. You smirked and walked out of the room. "I am in control though" he called after you but you were long gone. The next time Scoups tried to show he was physically capable. Jeonghan told him you used the gym around the corner and although the company had a gym Scoups decided to go there too. He walked inside to see you doing some weights and smiled. He purposefully chose a machine near you and was going to pretend to have been here a while when you suddenly finished. He rushed to get on the machine as you came closer and started pulling the metal bars. "19...20" he said pretending to count as you appeared in front of him "hey y/n". He sighed like he'd just done a really difficult set and wiped his forehead "you working out too?". You nodded "yeah I am, I didn't know you worked out here". Scoups nodded "yeah all the time". "Why don't you use the company gym? Jeonghan said it's free". Scoups smiled "you think the money worries me? Money hasn't bothered me for years y/n". You raised an eyebrow and Scoups realised that sounded snobbish so hurried on "plus the gym at the company isn't very good". "It's not?" you asked and Scoups shook his head "see because we're all idols they don't want us to get injured or to get too big in case it doesn't fit our image". You nodded "right...so why are you only lifting 2kg?". Scoups went to laugh at your joke when he looked down and saw his machine, which he had been pretending to do many reps on, was set at the lowest weight. "Oh that I...well funny story it sometimes accidentally changes your weight". You nodded "wow how strange" and walked away. Scoups hung his head in his hands. When it was clear his attempts weren't working Scoups decided to call in some help aka the maknaes who still thought he was kind of scary. You were going out to dinner with Jeonghan one day and just as you were leaving Dino and Seungkwan asked if they could come. Jeonghan looked to you and you nodded "of course!". Jeonghan smirked "they're only coming because they know I'll pay for them" but there was actually another reason. Once you'd ordered your food Dino turned to you "y/n did you really say Scoups is a goody-goody?". "Yeah did you actually?" Seungkwan asked and you smiled "who told you him or Jeonghan?". "I heard it from Vernon" Seungkwan said rather quickly and Dino nodded "yep me too". You didn't believe either of them and smelled something fishy but smiled. "Yes I said that and I stand by it". "Seriously?" Dino asked laughing "he's our toughest member and not even just physically he's so brave and outspoken". He can be really scary too" Seungkwan said. You smiled "Scoups? Scary?". "Ow yeah Scoups is terrifying" Seungkwan said. You nodded "and what makes him so scary those cute cheeks and long eyelashes?". "His personality" Dino said "and he's very strong". Seungkwan nodded "and he just has this aura about him. When his tone lowers you get scared automatically". "Yeah one day I walked into the dorms to find him attacking Mingyu" Dino said "I was so scared I avoided him for like a month after". The guys all laughed and Jeonghan smiled "it's all true y/n". You nodded "I don't doubt it but when was this?". Dino paused "erm that doesn't matter". "No I want to know when it was" you said smiling sweetly and Dino sighed "when we were trainees but just because he doesn't do it anymore doesn't mean he's not scary!". "Yeah we're better behaved now!" Seungkwan agreed. You smiled "so when was the last time you avoided him for a month?". Dino looked down "since that day...never". You smiled satisfied "oh look our food is here" and the boys knew they'd lost. When the guys returned home Scoups was waiting. The minute they walked through the door he jumped up "so how did it go?". They all looked down and Scoups' smile faded "not well huh?". "She just...didn't really care" Dino said and the others nodded "yeah she knew the stories we were telling were from ages ago and she just shut us down straight away" Seungkwan explained. Scoups sighed "no problem thanks for trying". "We can try again if you want?" Dino asked but Scoups shook his head "no it's fine..." and walked away. Jeonghan followed Scoups and sighed "I have to get back to the company building but I don't want you to be upset". "I'm fine" Scoups said but Jeonghan could tell he wasn't. "You know this probably isn't even anything to do with you...when y/n gets an idea in her head it can't be shaken and that's just how she is". Scoups nodded "yeah I get it don't worry it's fine". Jeonghan sighed but stood up "okay well you can call me if you need me, yeah?". Scoups nodded and waved as he left. The door closed and Scoups sighed. He didn't know why you were so against him but he was done trying to convince you otherwise. He thought the two of you would've gotten along well but it clearly just wasn't meant to be. The doorbell went and Scoups figured Jeonghan must've forgotten his key or something. He opened up the door to find you stood there of all people. He blinked when he saw you and even you seemed surprised he was the one who opened the door. "Hey, Jeonghan forgot his wallet. He asked me to put it in my bag for safekeeping and forgot to take it back". Scoups nodded taking it "thanks for bringing it back". "No problem" you said and looked down "so...goodnight" and went to walk away. "Wait y/n...I have something to say to you" Scoups said. You paused and turned back around "okay". Scoups' heart was hammering in his chest but he took a deep breath and began to speak. "Look I'm not covered in tattoos and piercings. I don't drive a motorcycle and I've never gotten in trouble with the law but that doesn't make me soft. I'd fight anyone for my members because they're my family and I'd do anything for the people I love. I'm strong physically, mentally and sometimes there's more to be said for the man who sticks around and supports people than the ones raising hell and setting fire to things but if that's not your thing then that's totally fine. I just wanted to say that to you". You nodded "are you done?". Scoups nodded swallowing and you sighed before smiling. Scoups frowned and you began laughed. You let him sweat for a few seconds before coming clean. "Scoups I never thought you were soft and I'm not into bad boys". "You're not? But Jeonghan said...". You chuckled "my big brother is great but he's never met a single one of my boyfriends in person before. He has no idea what my type is and yes it's true I don't like followers but as a leader I'd say you're the opposite of that, right?". Scoups heart was beating rapidly and as you said those words he felt the blood rush to his cheeks. "Right" he nodded and you smiled "i like guys who know what they want and go for it. Ones who stand up for what is right. Ones who speak their mind" you said "I was waiting for this the whole time". Scoups laughed "so for once all I had to do was open my big mouth?". You nodded "yep but you did it now". Scoups nodded and spurred on by how you were looking at him he smiled "and what's my prize for that?". You smirked "well I have some ideas but is there anything you want?" you asked flicking your hair back. "You" Scoups admitted and he kissed you. Scoups pulled you into the house and closed the door behind you. He melted into the kiss and was encouraged by how eagerly you kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around you pulling you even closer and he backed you up against a wall. Just as Scoups was beginning to think you weren't as confident as you claimed, you bit his lip which made Scoups gasp and pull back. You laughed at the look on his face and smiled "you're so cute". Scoups shook his head and in one smooth motion picked you up "I'm a lot of things but cute isn't one...allow me to show you". You just smiled "can't wait" and he carried you upstairs. The next morning When Scoups stumbled into the kitchen the next morning looking dazed it didn't take the members long to realise what had happened. "Y/n?" Joshua asked and Scoups smiled widely making them all laugh. "So is she everything you ever dreamt of?" The8 asked and Scoups laughed "she's amazing. I've never met a more confident person. She knows what she wants and knows she can get it which I find so attractive. She challenged me more than anyone I've ever been with and it's a constant power change". The members laughed at Scoups's very happy but tired face. "To be fair hyung this might be a power struggle you're happy to lose" Jun said and Scoups smirked "yeah you're probably right. I feel like already I'm weakening". The door opened suddenly and Jeonghan walked into the room. Everyone went silent and not so subtly looked to Scoups. Jeonghan took in his messy hair and expression, and sighed "you slept with y/n didn't you?". Scoups eyes widened "what! How did you guess that?". "Because that's the face you always have the morning after and judging by how happy you look it must've been my sister". Scoups nodded "okay yeah you're right but it was totally safe and consensual". Jeonghan nodded "I know". "So you're not mad?" Scoups asked. Jeonghan shook his head "I learned ages ago I can't control my sister. Also you remember I was trying to set you both up, right? I wish it had been a little more old-fashioned but this works too". Scoups nodded "just to warn you we haven't labelled anything". Jeonghan smiled "I know but if y/n let this happen she must like you and you're clearly enamoured with her so I'm not worried about that" Jeonghan smirked making the other members laugh. "Seriously what is your bloodline made of?" Mingyu asked and Jeonghan just grinned. Scoups came back upstairs to find you towel drying your wet hair after a shower. You were wearing one of his t-shirts that you must've found and he paused in the doorway admiring you. He didn't think you'd seen him when you suddenly spoke "I borrowed one of your t-shirts". Scoups nodded coming inside "I saw...it suits you". "I was hoping you'd say that because I like it" you said shooting him a smile. "I could be convinced to let you keep it" Scoups said and you turned around fully. You shot the wet towel at a clothes basket nearby and it went in effortlessly. "I'm pretty sure if I just bat my eyelashes at you and asked nicely you'd agree" you said walking closer. You put your arms around his neck and smiled "don't you think?". Scoups stared back at you and with effort didn't back down "hmm I might need a little more than that". You smiled "you're already getting better, I like that" and kissed him. Every time he kissed you all his thoughts went out of his head and all he wanted was you. This effect seemed to get stronger with each kiss and he once again got caught up in you when he remembered his conversation with Jeonghan this morning. You'd already progressed back to the bed but Scoups pulled back. "Wait before we...go any further I need to know, what is this? Is it something casual and open or more regular and exclusive? Just I will have to tell Jeonghan and it helps to know what I'm telling him". You nodded and got off Scoups, moving to sit down on his bed. "Well which one would you prefer?". Scoups shook his head "I'm fine with whatever you want". "So you have no opinion yourself?". Scoups came to sit beside you and recalled you liked people speaking their minds "well of course i'd prefer to be exclusive and have you all to myself. But if that's not possible then I'll happily agree to a casual thing. I want whatever makes you comfortable". You smiled "I don't give my time to just anyone". "So I've heard" Scoups smiled "and I think you like me". You nodded "I do, enough to give the exclusive thing a shot if you're game". "Of course" Scoups smiled feeling like he'd won the lottery "now where were we?". You smiled "I believe you were here” you said pushing him back down onto his back and Scoups smiled “so I was” and kissed you again. 

WIBTA if I stopped going to Family Suppers every weekend?

So in my family it's just four: My Father (76M) and Aunt (72F) live together in the same house, divided in two. My Brother (38M) and me (34F) live on our own in separate houses. We are expected to go have supper with FA(FatherAunt Combo) every weekend and holidays.

This is basically a four hour event every S and S which occupies half the day and my Brother and I both work all week long and have only weekends to rest. My B is a teacher (in school and afterclasses) and I am a Customer Care Specialist, which means we both have to constantly deal with people and we are wrung out one by rambunctious children and unhappy costumers that behave like them respectively.

FA are very needy, wanting constant validation, and are the sort that complain if, for example, I do not call them everyday to check on them, expressing how "callous" and "ungrateful" I am for not "getting interested in them". But I honestly deal with clients all week and I'm all talked out, so to say. Sometimes when I finish I just want to not talk again in the whole day and lie down and not feel like another cog in the machine. I am still expected to fix everything wrong with them or their houses when I finish though, which is what exhausts me.

It might seem easy to say don't give in, but thing is, they have done so much for me and my B. My A helped me rebuild my house and F helped my brother fix his: they're always there when we need them and I love them to bits. They worry and love us and if we're in trouble they're the first to be there. My father helped me with my tumors and the expenses and my Aunt helped me get out of awful situations.

Thing is, this is reciprocal as much as it can be: B and I have always been ready to help where we can, but we don't have the same resources they do (both boomers who basically were hired before they even finished university whilst B and I had to fight years of unemployment and minimum wage and their relentless mockery of it) so what we can do is limited. We still do our best. To an almost unhealthy point. When things break, I fix them - even if I have an art degree and what broke is the washing machine or my fathers boat (my father has a sailing boat and I can barely reach the end of the month with 50uds in my bank account jfc). I cannot buy them a house, but I do my best to repay them for everything as I am.

But this expecting me to come every weekend and be in my Best Mood, never complain or rant and basically entertain them, prepare the table and food and clean the dishes and fix the Tv that broke and the phone that is not working is sucking me dry. My B stopped going at some point, because he finishes work at 21:30 and weekends are his only days off and he said he's exhausted and cannot deal with these expectations, but now I take the brunt of the FA complaining on how awful he is, the asshole he has become, how ungrateful, for not being constantly at their whim and call. And a part of me knows they are toxic, but this is also the people who brought me up, helped me at my worst and the only people who really stood by my side when I needed someone, so maybe it really is asshole behavior to not repay them in some way.

I have tried talking to them about it, explaining that sometimes my body will not work right and my brain shuts down and I need to unplug, but they do not understand and get offended at the simple notion that being with them to us is not as simple as just enjoying their company. Because truth is, to me it is almost an extension of my job: It is CC voice and face and mood, always jovial because I get shit or "have you tried not being sad/tired/angry" and fixing the toilet flush. Do not raise your voice, clean their house (return to clean yours) and maybe get back home at 4 to rest a bit. This every weekend. And I owe it to them for having taking care of me for years when I was at my worst. I already managed to avoid going to make their grocery shopping too, but they're also a certain age and they need the help. Jesus why is this so hard, they're not even my kids and they should be able to take care of themselves and I feel like a mother but they do need the help.

So the question is, WIBTA if I just... did not go? Follow my brother's example, even if I know how they will take it, and just reduce the number of times I go to them? Or would I actually prove myself to be the asshole they consider him to be?

Ah also I am expected to go visit my F after work too, or call him or else I am the unfilial daughter who does not remember she has a father, haha. Man, just writing this makes me exhausted and feeling like a dick because they're old and need the help.

What are these acronyms?

for me, it isn't really about "shipping" them. based on how much we see the whole cast on camera and the nature of the videos, it's almost like a big second friend group for us and a place to hang out with them. for me at least, that is the relationship that is presented for me as the audience; as one of them in a way since there are a lot of ways to interact like comments and suggestions.

with all of that and the years we've all watched them, for me it just feels like rooting for two of my friends to go for a relationship, which is in itself harmless, whether or not they go through with it it isn't up to us just like if they were in our friend groups in person.

it feels like i've seen two friends almost grow up (as young adults) together, have amazing chemistry, care for each other, and become true best friends, but also share how they've struggled with relationships in the past. if they can struggle to find a partner outside and are already such a good match, it seems too good to pass up. i want two of my "friends" to be happy regardless of the risks they might have with working together. if i were ian and anthony they would already have my blessing, but the decision is truly only up to both of them.

i also don't believe we should ever 1) use the word "proof" and 2) go through things they haven't openly shared with us in the same way we'd never do that to our other friends in real life. just because there are two screens between us, doesn't make it ok for that to happen. if it isn't something we wouldn't do to our other friends, we especially shouldn't do it with them. i think the more we go over that boundary, the farther they pull back from it.

we do owe them a little better. anything we would do with friends in real life is completely valid, and fun, and comes from a place of wanting people to be happy while 100% not having the pressure on them to do so. anything we wouldn't do in person just pulls them closer against their chests.

the more we are willing to take from their personal lives, the less they are willing to share from their personal lives because people will keep trying to take more.

they've shared in the past they are ok with people shipping them all in good fun, but i just get a little sad sometimes thinking about how they must feel when we do step over that line. i think when courtney said "guys, don't speculate online about other people's relationships online" in the recent get 7th video, i think this is what they were referring to. when we go further than what they previously said they were comfortable with.

i hope this was well put and doesn't come across as antagonistic toward the community because i mean it in the exact opposite way.

(i really like how respectful you are in these responses and posts, keep it up!)

hey anon thank you so much for this!! its super insightful and i would love to discuss. you raise a lot of important and true points and i think its very important to think about this stuff from time to time!!!

for me at least, that is the relationship that is presented for me as the audience

i agree! smosh has built an excellent rapport with their audience and have such an intricate and unique business/brand model that can be personal to audience and to the company whilst still accommodating boundaries and maintaining respect!! i could honestly go on about it for pages and pages but i wont right now because theres much more to discuss here!!

whether or not they go through with it it isn't up to us

i am on the same page 10000% and it's likely you've seen me post about this on here before. as much as we are fans and part of a community where we can ship and make fanart and rpf and theorise and discuss, we are also smosh's AUDIENCE. not to mention that shayne and court's relationship (romantic or otherwise) is a very real part of their personal lives away from smosh and we do not get to decide what they do or don't share with us.

it feels like i've seen them almost grow up (as young adults) together, have amazing chemistry, care for each other, and become true best friends

absolutely 🥹 i think a lot of you will agree with me or relate in the sense that i have been able to grow up with smosh, and watched them grow and become who they are all whilst figuring that stuff out for myself!! its no wonder people are excited and curious about them, when we have been the audience there with them watching them grow through the many years!!

also don't believe we should ever 1) use the word "proof" and 2) go through things they haven't openly shared with us in the same way we'd never do that to our other friends in real life. just because there are two screens between us, doesn't make it ok for that to happen. if it isn't something we wouldn't do to our other friends, we especially shouldn't do it with them. i think the more we go over that boundary, the farther they pull back from it.

THIS IS THE EXACT POINT I TRY TO MAKE VERY CLEAR ON MY BLOG!! personally, i believe not only that it violates their boundaries and privacy and disrespects them, but it is dehumanising and almost treats S+C as characters rather than real people.

the golden rules of my blog are

1)to never mention "proofs" or "evidence"(i will send a warning just in case someone wasnt aware of the harm it can cause, after that if it happens again, blocked)

2) it's not okay to try and discuss moments or images that aren't specifically shared by either of their personal social media accounts or on smosh (or any channel they appear on as work). anything not shared from these cannot guarantee that it had s or c's consent to be shared and can risk violating their privacy.

and 3) to never bother s or c or anyone associated with them by trying to speculate about the relationship they have. again, boundaries, privacy, comfort and respect. pretty simple.

the more we are willing to take from their personal lives, the less they are willing to share from their personal lives because people will keep trying to take more.

this is such a fantastic point anon. i wish i could show everyone in the smoshblr community and particularly shourtney shippers this. (and again, it all comes back to s+c's comfort when it comes to sharing. the only way we can guarantee they are comfortable is by showing them that we respect their boundaries and privacy.)

(i really like how respectful you are in these responses and posts, keep it up!)

thank you anon! i think its really important to just be as transparent as possible when it comes to these discussions about shourtney. thank you for your ask!! im glad i had an opportunity to discuss these topics in depth.

RUMOR HAS IT (pt. 10)

(Drew Starkey one-shot)

This is not a full on story but if you want more l'll be happy to add on upon request

Plot: in which drew and isobel address a false rumor in the most abstract of ways

Setting: isobel & drew and their families attend the company business cocktail

Disclaimer: Isobel is an OC, 18+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PART NINE

��You should’ve seen the look on her face when she saw it was me in storage room and not you.”

Drew was doing his best to act disinterested as his younger brother Chandler rambled on about Isobel. He didn’t even have to initiate the topic of conversation, as soon as he slipped into his truck Chandler was detailing every part of the interaction he had with her earlier in the day.

He wasn’t expecting to be driving the two of them to the cocktail tonight, but internally he didn’t mind his brother’s company if it entailed Drew listening silently while he talked about the girl racing through his mind. It felt like she was running through his veins, coating the tip of his tongue, and embedding herself into his brain. For the past two weeks his mind and body had been consumed by her, and after leaving that room he swore he could see a glimpse of her each time he closed his eyes to blink.

This wasn’t the first time Drew had liked a girl, he’d experienced the first fleeting moments of a crush when all of his thoughts consisted of them, but those were physical relationships. Situations where he wasn’t looking past a hookup and women he hadn’t cared about.

Hearing that Isobel was looking forward to seeing him at some point before their impromptu meeting in her bedroom warmed his heart in way he’d only felt with her. In the same way that he felt hearing her tell him that she missed would have. He feigned for that warmth from Isobel, it was something he wanted to chase to the ends of the earth—like a drug addict trying to chase that first high from the most potent drug.

“You have my girl under a spell-“

“Your girl?” Those were the first words Drew had spoken since he put his car in drive. Now they were exiting the vehicle in the parking lot of the C&S building.

Chandler’s grin was wide as they rounded the front of the truck to step onto the sidewalk that led to the entrance of the event. He knew he shouldn’t be reacting to to an eighteen year old’s words that held absolutely no weight, he was also aware that he should probably shut the conversation down because they were literally standing a few feet outside the family business—but here he was anticipating his brother’s next words so he could crush whatever fantasy he had playing in his head.

“Yes, Drew, just because you’ve somehow convinced her to want you doesn’t erase the fact that I’ve wanted her for two years.” Chandler looked smug as he spoke making Drew’s eyes roll in annoyance at how juvenile his logic was.

He rested his arm on the hood of his truck and swallowed down the irritation in his throat, “I didn’t convince Isobel to do anything.” The look on Chandler’s face was incredulous as if hearing the words out loud made it even more unbelievable.

He still hadn’t explicitly admitted to being involved with Isobel, Chandler just assumed and they now went on as if it was an understood thing. He didn’t owe any explanation to anyone, and especially not to him. What he and Isobel had came naturally, an unexpected thing that was almost ten years in the making and knocked his world sideways.

She was a beautiful woman in ways he hadn’t found beguiling in someone he was attracted to until he saw those qualities in Isobel. Her outer beauty was captivating any man could see that, but it was what she showed him on the inside no matter how stubborn she was that made his heart pound in admiration. Isobel was sweet to people who didn’t deserve her respect, resilient in moments where most would lose control, and willing with her heart when it came to him—a man who took years to notice her.

She got her heart broken the first time she braved herself to give it to a man that took her for granted, but on that random afternoon in December she was fearless in giving a piece of herself to Drew.

“So you’re telling me after all this time she just willingly gave you of all people a chance?”

Drew smiled at the thought of it, in simple terms that had been exactly what happened between them and he wouldn’t ever take that for granted. He couldn’t shake the smile as he began to walk down the sidewalk, giving him a shrug before mumbling, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, buddy.”

Chandler jogged behind him, the sound of his leather dress shoes hitting the pavement as he caught up with him within a few steps and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. One notable attribute about men in their family was their height, and somehow his younger brother had a few inches on him. It was nothing any one loosely observing would notice, but a fact two brothers realized when he eventually surpassed him last year.

“Well, at least tell me who made the first move.” He grabbed Drew’s arm so he would stop his trek into the front doors, “Just put me out of misery so I don’t have to wonder.”

His mind reeled at his question, immediately going back to that first intimate moment with her. When his eyes drunk her in as she lounged comfortably on the sofa with her face bare of any makeup in her most natural state, and that switch went off that made him feel like he had to have her. That made him want to touch and graze every inch of her with his hands, and kiss her until the feeling of her sweet lips was imprinted into his own.

His desires felt so dire in that moment when he gave into them and stole that kiss from her mouth. Looking back he realized everything felt purely physical in that moment, it was spontaneous as they both clung to the high of a first hookup, but as he reflected he just appreciated that she could trust him enough to let him in.

Drew just kept his gaze neutral as he stared back at his brother who looked desperate for an answer that wasn’t coming, but he did offer him a look that made instant relief wash over Chandler’s face. A simple raise of his eyebrows and cock of his head was enough to satiate his curiosity, “Of course! That’s all I needed to know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Chandler?” Drew questioned. He was now the one stopping the other from entering the cocktail, and once again anticipating his next words.

A chuckle rumbled from Chandler’s mouth obviously finding this situation amusing more than devastating to his ego, “It means I didn’t see it at first, but after figuring this all out ever since you’ve gotten back the look on your face looks like someone who accidentally struck gold.”

Isobel’s inappropriate actions in the last hour forced her to ruin the impending outfit reveal she had in store for her mother. Lora was the only person in the household who cared enough to own a steamer, and unfortunately she had insisted to be the one to get the wrinkles out of the dress.

The dramatic gasp she let out when she saw the dress hanging on her wardrobe door wasn’t as entertaining as it would have been if she saw it on her body when she made her way down the stairwell. Isobel had always hated being the center of attention, but she couldn’t deny that she loved the moments her mother looked at her as if she was the center of her world.

Someone looking at you that way made a feeling of pressure wash over anyone to continue to be the person who deserved to be perceived that way. With a mother that type of love was unconditional, she knew Lora would gaze at her that way for the rest of her days—but with a man that wasn’t guaranteed. So when she looked at Drew whenever his blue eyes fell on her in admiration or simply just to look at her and she saw that familiar twinkle it unnerved her.

She’d been stupid enough to put someone on a pedestal like that once in her life, she knew that she was capable of feeling for someone that intensely. Her last relationship had even taught her someone could mimic that stare that made her feel whole and wanted, but she wasn’t scared of Drew deceiving her, it was that she could do something that didn’t live up to this idea of her he displayed so clearly in his eyes.

She finished doing her makeup and unrolling her hair until a mass of silky curls framed her face while her mother steamed her dress to perfection, and when she finally stepped into the event clad in the white dress that made Lora so happy with a pair of four-inch heels tapping the glossy floors each step, she felt amazing.

Her father, more formally known as Richard Cooper, approached them just as the nice attendant checked her coat, “My, my, my, my don’t my girls look beautiful tonight.”

He smoothly kissed their hands before gently grasping and lifting them up to twirl her and her mother around. Lora was wearing an elegant and dazzling, black gown that gracefully flowed down her body and showed off her bronzed shoulders. Richard always looked at Isobel with great esteem from when she was an impressionable little to girl to now as a well-rounded young adult. That look had always made her feel special and seen, it was different than how she felt with her mother. The difference wasn’t major, but it was something she took note of as she got older. She’d never met anyone else like her father and there would never be another man that could come close.

She loved the feeling of being around family, the only word to describe that feeling that would encapsulate it would be that it felt like home. It was something she could only hope to find in a lover. She knew it was out there somewhere, but she also knew that it was possible to find that feeling in the wrong places.

She stood aside when he turned to give his full attention to his wife, wrapping his big, burly arms around her as they took each other in. Isobel admired her parents for about a minute before her eyes began to wander around the crowded ballroom looking for one man in particular.

“Isobel you look stunning this evening.” The voice sounded like Drew’s but this one was deeper and well seasoned with age. She twisted around on her feet to face Charles Starkey, her father’s business partner and Drew’s father. A smile she could never seem to fight when it came to him broke onto her lips.

She said she’d never met another man that could compare to all that her father was, but Charles came pretty close, “Thank you, Chuck, that means a lot coming from the fashion police.”

When she was in high school Charles would be at the house on occasion working with her dad and whenever Isobel would go out with friends he would be sitting with her father downstairs chiming in as he taunted her about her choice of dress. Richard would never tell Isobel what she could and couldn’t wear, but always made sure to share his opinion. It became an ongoing joke between the three and even at the age of twenty-two they still acted as if they needed to give her outfits their stamp of approval.

“Hey you know I always have your best interest,” his words trailed as his attention seemed to veer off onto something behind her, when his eyes settled in one general direction he spoke again, “Remember when I used to tell you no boy would ever be good enough for you? Don’t you ever forget it.”

Charles was still looking past her until Richard called him over and he sauntered off without another word. For such a short interaction it left her feeling slightly perturbed, and when she turned to look behind her there was Drew. His face contorted in deep thought with his eyes trained on his father and Chandler standing beside him running his mouth.

His glare was cold, she felt it in the first second his gaze slid to meet her brown eyes then in a blink they warmed. The grey suit on his body did wonders for her imagination especially since he’d been clad in it when he was pressed against her. Isobel has seen Drew in a suit more times than she could remember, but now this was the best he’d ever looked—he looked like a man. His muscles bulged in his sleeves, and his slacks hugged his thighs in the most delicious way that made her want to run her hands up the expanse of them.

Just looking at him brought all there intimate moments to the forefront of her mind, making her dress feel tight on her skin.

Drew felt paralyzed as if his feet were glued to the polished floors. His father’s glare always had the ability to pin him in place from a young age, it was the sharp edge that was always there reminding Drew he was also in the know—that he could sense something was different. And even with his eyes now on the girl who made him feel invincible like he could prove he was good enough, he still fell static.

She watched him for awhile before strutting over in those heels she loved to wear, they made her legs look like they could go on forever. He quickly assessed her, noting the wrinkles he’d caused in the fabric of her dress were no longer corrupting the flow of the material—but the memory stained the dress with the little sounds she made, how she perfectly she fit against his body, and the things she always divulged whenever he touched her.

You just make me want to be bad.

Isobel’s words while they were in that compromising position went straight to his dick. He’d never wanted another woman as much as her, his body fed off her every movement and word, anticipating the moment he could get closer to her—physically and mentally.

Then the unintended implications of her statement settled as it replayed in his head. She was the good girl that they both knew he shouldn’t be touching, the guy who could break her heart again cause that’s what he did with other girls. Drew liked the forbidden aspect of the relationship, he also didn’t mind keeping it a secret between the two, but hearing her verbalize her want for him in that light unsettled him.

Because despite the secrecy, what he had with Isobel was pure and good—that’s what he wanted to remember the start of Isobel and Drew as.

“Chandler go get Isobel a drink.” Drew ordered when Isobel finally stopped in front of them with a smile, though a look of confusion consumed her features when he spoke.

Chandler’s enamored eyes moved away from Isobel’s dazzling appearance, “Dude, she’s not drinking-“

“Get her a water.” He cut his brother off already knowing the excuse he was about to give, squeezing his shoulder tightly, he’d done this as long as he could remember when he wanted Chandler to do something, and it worked for the most part.

He exhaled dramatically before rolling his eyes and walking off, grumbling profanities under his breathe. “Drew I’m not thirsty.” Isobel giggled, she’d always found their brotherly back and forth to be amusing.

“I know I’m just prepping you in case you decide to indulge.” He smiled as he got lost in her beauty, but he really just wanted a moment alone. Her nose scrunched at him poking fun at her low drinking tolerance before she let a smile form on her lips and rolled those beautiful dark eyes.

“Stop teasing me, Drew.” She chided with attitude though her cheeks were slightly pink, he loved when Isobel got shy even when they were growing up. Embarrassing and teasing her until that shy smile and blush bloomed on her face was his guilty pleasure and now it just captivated him more.

That reaction was intimate and vulnerable and he longed to see her in the ways she tried to hide from the world.

Drew made Isobel feel warm, she didn’t distinguish the feeling at first because it was overshadowed by racing hormones, but thinking back on all their moments together that consistent feeling of warmth always remained. In such little time she’d become in tune with his moods and body language—so much so that the slightest shift caught her attention—so when his eyes dimmed a fraction her body buzzed with concern.

“What were you and my dad talking about over there?” He sounded tense as if asking the question was a physical struggle.

And in his eyes, that he vividly expressed himself in despite how much he revealed when he talked, the vibrant blue muted to a duller shade. She felt strange about the brief conversation with Charles in the moment, but it hadn’t made her overthink until she saw the look on Drew’s face. “Nothing out of the usual just being the same old over protective, Chuck—Why?”

She wanted to reach out and just touch him, to place her hand on his arm to distract him from whatever was bothering him—but she couldn’t—she’d insisted on that. Drew and his father had a bumpy relationship when he got older, she’d always viewed their little spats as rudimentary, but in this moment it seemed to be so much more.

“It’s nothing, just wondering why he always has to look like an asshole.” Drew mumbled.

Usually she would scold him for calling his father out of name, but it felt justified—especially after this mood he’d just fallen into. It was little things like this she didn’t realize would change, the internal aspects of herself—it was scary to think about the change inside of her that was happening without her knowledge.

“Isobel, I know you don’t like sparkling, so I went and got you a glass out of the kitchen.” Chandler pushed a cup of water that was sloshing around in a clear glass in her direction, his sudden appearance making the both of them jump, “Also Lora wants you to come over and meet someone.”

Drew watched in silence as Isobel’s eyes visibly lit up in appreciation, and he was instantly jealous he wasn’t the one to do that for her, “You’re such a kiss ass, Chandler.” He insulted as she walked away after giving his little brother a hug that left him swooning.

Part of him envied the way Chandler got to parade his fondness for Isobel so openly and how it was viewed in such an innocent light.

That damn dress could very well be the death of him, but in truth anything she wore could send his eyes boggling, it was her beautiful body that made every single thing she wore sin. Even seeing her in an apron had him on edge just a night ago.

The group of people she approached consisted of Lora, Catherine, and another woman with a younger man who looked to be her son from the similarities he could observe from across the room.

“That’s definitely a set up.” Chandler said smugly while also staring over in her direction as she shook the unknown woman’s hand. Drew’s words caught in his throat the next second when the man who looked about the same age as them pulled Isobel into a hug. Isobel stiffly obliged as he watched one of her arms wrap hesitantly around his torso, but his hands were anything but modest taking the opportunity to place both hands on her waist. “What do you mean?” He asked without looking away but to his relief the hug was short, with Isobel being the first to pull away.

“Come on don’t be delusional, Brother.” Chandler sighed and clasped his hand on his shoulder as if he was consoling him.

But he needed to be delusional in this moment because if he entertained the idea of anyone thinking they could have Isobel in anyway he would march over there and ruin the entire evening. It had always been hard for Drew to accept the idea of her with another man, before it may have been him being protective but the feeling was so familiar he just may have been being unknowingly possessive over her.

Now he wanted every part of her to be his even if it was just merely her attention, he wanted her mom to know that she didn’t have to set her up because she already belonged to him—he just wanted to be a fucking consideration in their heads.

His nails pierced into his palms as his left hand tightened into fists while his other squeezed the base of the glass tumbler resting in it at the sight of the guy leading Isobel over to a vacant table. Mystery man’s movements were labored and slowed like something was impairing him from moving coherently.

They talked for a while and Drew watched, staring bullet holes into the side of the man’s head so intensely he was surprised he couldn’t feel his presence. Isobel obviously did as her eyes locked on his glare like a latch, she gave him an eyebrow raise and soft smile, but it did nothing to alleviate his nerves. All he could manage to do was stare back and purse his lips, harshly clenching his jaw in discontent.

Her courter must have noticed she was no longer paying attention and his wavering eyes tried to follow her line of sight but never landed on him—then Drew’s entire body stiffened, watching him round the table and block off her entire body from him. Anxiety swarmed in his gut at not being able to see her, he was now squeezing his cup so tightly it could break into a thousand tiny shards from the pressure until there was one second Drew couldn’t see her and the next he saw her step back as she forcibly yanked her arm away from his grip.

Within his next intake of a breathe he was storming over to her, “Drew, wait!”

He heard his brother voice, but it was useless Drew was going to get to her no matter what chaos ensued. He had tunnel envision, but before he could close in on the two a hand grabbed his shoulders and held him back. He turned to see his father standing beside him, and in a blur Richard rushing over in long strides to shove the man away from his daughter with just one arm movement.

Isobel immediately attached herself herself to her father as he wrapped a protective arm around her, Drew’s body jerked to go to her at the look of distress on her face but his father’s hold restricted him. He looked over to Charles again but this glance halted any further struggling. His face held an indifferent look, but in there somewhere in those blue eyes he’d passed down to him there was pride and understanding.

And for the first time in years, in his father’s embrace, under his heavy gaze, Drew exhaled.

Table of Contents:

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MCU Promptlet: Tony takes a breather first AU

When Tony Stark finally sets foot on American soil after three months of captivity and torture, he requests two things: an American cheeseburger and a press conference.

Ms. Virginia "Pepper" Potts, the woman who has risen up to become the personal secretary to the head of the largest weapons manufacturer in the country and who will one day become the CEO of the largest technology empire the world has ever seen, takes one look at the three days of stubble on her boss' cheeks, the haunted gaze in his eyes, and the trembling in his always steady hands and says no.

Pepper does not call the press conference, but instead takes Tony home to his workshop where he can sleep, unwatched and among friends, for the first time in months. She takes him home to soothe Jarvis' fears (even though Jarvis' has uploaded himself to any tech within three meters of Tony since he was found, it's not the same as the sensors in the shop and Jarvis' steady stream of increasingly alarmed texts to Pepper's phone have made that clear).

She takes Tony home to be hugged by his robot-children and to let Rhodey mother-hen him the way he couldn't while in uniform, cajoling him to eat small portions of Rhodey's homemade spaghetti - Tony's ultimate secret comfort food - every few hours. The next morning, the three of them sit at the kitchen table, Jarvis ever-present, and Tony tells them of what he found out in Afghanistan. He tells them and they plan.

Tony doesn't have a press-conference, hands still shaking and fear hidden in his eyes, to shut down everything his company is known for on the way home from the airport. Instead, Rhodey and Pepper and Tony strategize.

Tony meets with the Joint Chiefs and the SecDef, not to mention the heads of the CIA, FBI, and NSA. Stark weapons in terrorist hands scares them the same as Tony. Tony tells them of his plans, for his company and for Iron Man. People tend to forget that Tony's company holds billions in military contracts, but only about twenty percent of that is for weapons.

The military knows there will always be other bomb makers, but the rest of what Tony provides? SI holds those thousands of contracts because there is literally no competition. With the military's continued and public support of SI, even without selling weapons, the company's stock never tanks, but instead surges with Tony's newfound determination and innovation.

With the military's support for Iron Man, Tony's PR surges with newfound respect, not just popularity. Pepper says no to a press conference, and that makes all the difference.

[Additional fun head canon below]

This Tony would be gently cajoled into therapy by Pepper.

And see, Tony was basically raised by the military. Howard used to bring him to meetings as a kid and Tony would escape his SI minders and go hang out with the friendly soldiers until his father remembered he had a kid. The soldiers paid him more attention and taught him more than Howard ever did.

And with how he was captured, it would make a lot of sense for Tony to be with a military therapist, and Rhodey quietly works some magic and Tony somehow ends up in group therapy sessions with other soldiers with PTSD.

The soldiers are at first a little wary of Tony Stark coming to group, but also a little in awe because most of them owe their lives or the lives of their brothers/sisters to Stark Tech of some kind.

But then they get to know Tony. And Tony .. doesn't really have friends.

He has Rhodey- who's amazing but can't be there a lot- and Pepper and Happy, but again, they work for him. So the soldiers decide unilaterally to adopt him.

Suddenly Tony is walking out of group and someone is shoving a baseball cap on his head so they can all go out to Chili's for dinner (and no, they don't let him pay).

Then he's being invited to backyard bbq's and birthday parties for two years olds. (A trust fund is an appropriate gift, right?)

And then one day Lisa (a former sergeant in the group) and Helen (Dave's wife) just .. show up at the Tower with coffee and pastries. They don't want anything, they just want to ... catch-up. Which is precisely when tony is hit by the clue by four that he might just have .. friends.

the multilinguality of a lot of the witcher characters is something i love and also probably a feature resulting from sapkowski being a polyglot himself as well as creating a fantasy world that mimics the real one.

it’s a more obvious and crucial element in the hussite trilogy, but i think that it’s also significant in the witcher, too.

languages are not as simple as belonging to one people group. for instance, one can know one dialect of elder speech and be fluent in it, but struggle to communicate in another dialect.

there’s various dialects of elder speech, the first being the classical, the one spoken by elves. another one is nilfgaardian. another one is skellige jargon. another one is brokilonian… and there is an entire variant of elder speech used by mer-people and sea creatures, but it is sung, with one’s musicality, melody, and intonation affecting their accent.

and elder speech is needed for specific activities. if you cast spells? if you’re a human, you need to know classical elder speech, because the human way of casting spells requires incantations and hand gestures.

if that wasn’t enough, the concept of languages dying out and intermingling and evolving is also touched on.

for instance, the dwarvish language exists, but is quickly being forgotten as assimilation into human settlements becomes more and more common, and youngsters are reluctant to speak their own language

another example of time and the mixing of groups affecting the evolution of language is in the north case, a mountainous region in which nilfgaardian and northern tongues have been mixing for the past couple of decades due to imperialism and nilfgaardian expansion northward. and owing to this is an eruption of new slang using words from nilfgaardian has entered the local tongue.

(this part is just a headcanon:) there’s probably a lot of local languages and dialects, from regions the nilfgaardian empire consumed, that are various stages of dying because some places were conquered hundreds of years ago and some were conquered only a few decades ago

there’s even more obscure languages like the vampire language which is only known to us in a nauseatingly menacing, terror-inducing song and… an untranslatable pun.

what’s more is the curious use of latin words and phrases used as one mught use them today; for which, of course, the out-of-universe explanation is that sapkowski is addicted to using latin, but, in-universe is an ancient language with a similar role latin has in modern society being “translated” to our latin, just like the common tongue is being “translated” to polish.

and what i love the most about this is that this isn’t knowledge that lives in the background, not touching the lives of our characters. the characters’ abilities (or inabilities) to speak languages affects them in many ways throughout the story.

geralt speaks elder, but his brokilonian dialect is poor (at least during sword of destiny, in time of contempt he seems to have improved somewhat during his month-long stay)… and dandelion had to learn elder speech for his expedition to brokilon, to sing elaine ettariel and speak with the dryads, and you can see that he’s a beginner in the language.

milva gains multiple nicknames in elder from the elves owing to her service to them, not solely out of respect, but because her given name is hard to pronounce for them. and her present nickname, the one she should be proud of, is not of any of her attributes, but a familial title—sor’ca, sister.

another thing about milva is that she is illiterate, but at the same time, bilingual. one does not preclude the other!

cahir’s mother language is nilfgaardian, but speaks the northern common language because of his northern ancestry on his mother’s side. and in times of stress, his mind blanked on northern, as well as when he swore in nilfgaardian.

cahir can understand angoulême’s north case slang, as well as “translate” for the rest of the company, but they have probably run into confusion or frustration—“how did you get that from that?!”

and regis’ language is so obscure, he makes a joke in it to himself and no one else understands, but he still is clearly amused by it. and vampires seemingly also do not speak with their mouths, only using telepathy, so the acquisition of human language must have been a challenge for him. and i wonder how many human languages he’s learned only to later face their extinction. perhaps when he came back from the grave, the human language he had learned was now defunct, or rarely used?

Idk if you are still taking banter requests but Fenris and Dorian is such an interesting thought to me.

Dorian is two things that Fenris hates, a mage, and a Tevinter. Would make things very interesting is Fenris doesn't murder him on sight when they first meet.

I'm noticing. A pattern

The timeline for this one is post-Trespasser. In my head this takes place solidly at or around the time Dreadwolf will take place.

Assume there's some sort of deal in place here keeping hands from being thrown

____

Fenris: You’ve been staring at me.

Dorian: Oh, I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable. You just have a reputation for tearing out the hearts of my countrymen.

Fenris: For tearing out the hearts of magisters.

Dorian: Yes, so you will forgive my caution.

Fenris: I’ll forgive you for nothing.

Dorian: Then this may be a long partnership indeed.

____

Dorian: You are more... solid than I expected.

Fenris: What?

Dorian: “The Blue Wraith.” I thought you’d be more of a wraith. From the stories I’ve heard, you should also be about ten-feet-tall, and howling.

Fenris: And there is a point to telling me this?

Dorian: Just trying to chip away at the fortress of tension between us.

____

Dorian: I never met Danarius, but-

Fenris: You did.

Dorian: I... Pardon?

Fenris: Wedding of Asiah of House Braheus to Dante of House Osiander. 9:26. Danarius was a guest of honor. You sat with Magister Halward Pavus at the feast table, near the groom.

Dorian: You recognize me from that?

Fenris: I have all your faces seared into my memory as clearly as the markings on my flesh.

____

Dorian: You can’t honestly believe the indiscriminate slaughter of every magister in Tevinter is a proper solution, yes?

Fenris: You would call me indiscriminate while you’re still breathing?

Dorian: You’ve ended the lines of no less than three great houses. What do you think happens now? Where does all that liberated land go? Do you think it just stays there, filling with flowers and frolicking sheep?

Dorian (Cont): No. It goes not to the highest bidder, but the one who cries the loudest. That usually requires demons, and that usually requires death.

Fenris: You are within arm’s length, mage. 

Dorian: Do you think there will be any Imperium left once you’re finally done?

Fenris: No, I don’t.

____

Dorian: I’m not saying your anger is wrong, Fenris-

Fenris: Yes you are.

Dorian: I spent my life breaking under the weight of the Imperium. Choking on my family’s leash. I stayed awake so many nights dreaming of how I’d burn it all down. I understand more than you think.

Fenris: What was your leash made of?

Dorian: My father’s excuse for a legacy, most days.

Fenris: Danarius favored one of dragon-leather, paired with a fade-metal collar. He thought it a symbol of his status, using such fine materials to bind a slave.

Dorian: I... see I have misspoken.

____

Dorian: For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.

Fenris: You’re sorry?

Dorian: Danarius was a monster. Most of the houses knew it too. Something should have been done, but no, what happened to you was allowed to happen. You are owed more than an apology, but I am sorry.

Fenris: Ha!

Dorian: Fenris-?

Fenris: And with those words, the bonds fell off every slave in Tevinter.

Dorian: I’m not trying-

Fenris: I am free. Danarius is dead. Do not look at me and pretend you care.

____

Dorian: I do care.

Fenris: I don’t believe you.

Dorian: Is it so hard to believe I might honestly despise the same people you do?

Fenris: No. I’ve never met a magister content in the company of his own kind.

Dorian: So hating me is just an amusing pass time for you?

Fenris: It brings me no pleasure to hate you.

____

Fenris: These magisters you despise, what will you do with them?

Dorian: I’ll have their land and titles stripped. Their workers confiscated and sent to where they’re safe and respected.

Fenris: And remain slaves.

Dorian: No, the ones I can take in will be freed and paid for their work. Regardless, they will all be kept off the streets, kept warm, fed. Their lives will have purpose.

Fenris: A caged bird may know its purpose, that won’t blind it to the bars.

I'm curious what is your honest take/why do you think Like Crazy (eng) and Seven are getting treated so differently? Because I'm honestly puzzled but I also don't buy into most (solo Stan smelling) takes so I'd appreciate your honest thoughts

My honest take on all that is that I don't know how it all works, but I do know that it's not as simple as everyone thinks it is. Obviously I see the different way each Solo release has been handled by the agency, the difference is not between Jimin and Jungkook alone but I can't make a judgement that it was because of this or that because I don't have that certainty.

All that is business, sentimentality and what is fair or not is a little bit left aside, here it matters what generates profits for all sectors. In a release of the magnitude of a bts member, I imagine that marketing, market research, sponsors, budget and obviously what the artist wants are taken into account.

Jimin, for example, seemed to concentrate more on the local market or at least he did more promotion in that market, Jungkook seems to be concentrating on the western market, and maybe that influenced the decision-making. Although HYBE has no say in bts, remember bighit is a private entity, separate from HYBE technically, HYBE America seems to be a bit more involved in the release of Jungkook's song compared to the other members' album releases, why, I don't know. I don't know if it's a contractual decision or a simple business decision.

The difference in promotions can also be a strategy and that's not a bad thing, the bad thing is how each strategy is handled. That I think is really the problem here. All the members may not have exactly the same in terms of promotions, content production etc., I think that's more than obvious at this point and that may be for different reasons, but it's only fair that whatever is theirs is respected for them and for their fans. The company is ultimately interested in the money that all this generates and by not meeting the demands of the people willing to spend their money on them they are directly hurting themselves and that's the strange thing. And by not fulfilling their contractual obligations to the artist, they are hurting the artist, the company and agency and the fans.

Now, I am by no means defending the agency and the company but I am saying that it is not as black and white as many believe. Yes, the agency and the company owe everything to bts but we don't know what the agreement is between them. We don't know the budget for each launch. Maybe X member spent a big part of his budget on production, maybe this other member was willing to do certain things. Maybe the distributors were willing to buy a certain amount of content.

I've been looking for a while now to talk to someone who can explain that part of the music business a little bit more.

And that's why the negotiations of their contract renewals with HYBE and BigHit will be so important.

more unhinged plz one for every weasley

Ginny/Lucius

Ron/Dumbledore

Fred/Voldemort

George/Trelawney

Percy/Narcissa

Charlie/Wormtail

Bill/Severus

Arthur/Sirius

Molly/Myrtle

cheers anon, glad to see you've still not turned from your evil.

lucius malfoy/ginny weasley

i think if you're going to do the classic independent!harry "ginny is a gold-digging slut" nonsense, you ought to commit to it properly and have her trying to wheedle her way into the will of a rich older man who canonically tried to kill her. revenge is a dish best served while looking fabulous in diamonds he paid for.

albus dumbledore/ron weasley

i am on the record as a great supporter of the early 2000s fan-theory that ron is time-travelling dumbledore. so i back this because fucking yourself is what any reasonable person would do if they found themselves thrown decades into the past.

lord voldemort/fred weasley

they die reasonably close together, and i'd put cash on fred not wanting to go on while george still lives, so why shouldn't they hook up to pass the time in purgatory?

sybill trelawney/george weasley

people who have suffered traumatic losses are often vulnerable to charlatans, with "psychics" very prominent among them. why shouldn't george believe desperately that she's genuinely receiving messages from fred from the beyond?

narcissa malfoy/percy weasley

i absolutely believe that the ministry would demand the malfoys catalogued their estate so that it could be sold off for reparations after the war, and i also believe that percy is exactly the sort of jobsworth [who owes kingsley a lot for not having him sent to prison for his collusion with the regime] who'd end up being sent to do this. being forced to spend hours on end shut in a room with a sexy older woman who keeps disputing your figures? hot.

charlie weasley/wormtail

i have an enormous amount of respect for the common headcanon that charlie is on the ace spectrum, but that doesn't stop me also having time for the idea that he might prefer the company of dragons in the salacious sense instead...

rats aren't giant lizards, obviously. but any port in a storm...

severus snape/bill weasley

you just know they were screaming in each other's face at any and all order meetings, and that they could probably have achieved the same effect by just banging on the kitchen table.

sirius black/arthur weasley

i genuinely back this one. i know that fandom likes to focus on the tension between molly and sirius in order of the phoenix, but it's clear in canon that the older weasleys assume an enormous amount of responsibility for sirius' wellbeing during the year he's trapped in grimmauld place. i think you can very easily picture all sorts of circumstances in which arthur and sirius end up discussing the mission they've found themselves on together - especially ones which would lead to sirius' canonical belief that arthur is a brave and principled man who understands that "there are things worth dying for" - before a romantically-roaring fire...

myrtle warren/molly weasley

flopping. myrtle would call her roast chicken dry.

Valentine's Day loredump, pt. 1:

Igna & Argo

"And You? What are You exactly, her brother? Her lover?

Worse, I'm her shieldflank."

These two come as a bundle! They probably constitute the most annoying slowburn out of my OCs. It's simultaneously the easiest and the most complicated situation. Also, it's sort of hard to explain their situation without spoiling a relatively large part of their story and as a result it's horribly long, so the rest is under the cut!

@rayless-reblogs @kaldurcalm

Background:

Igna and Argo meet fairly early in the story. They're in a rather similar situation, both are apprentice Wanderers and pretty quickly it turns out that both of their masters won't be coming back from wherever they were last seen. As the Wanderers has called for all of their knights and apprentices to gather (a bad omen on its own) they've joined forces on their way to the nearest outpost. It's a pretty standard choice, Wanderers usually travel in twos or even threes if the situation is particularly dire.

Their several weeks long journey has seen its end at the Vale of Haergard - which came to be the place of the first open battle of an already brewing Invasion. The very same battle in which Theria's company got almost completely obliterated, and the same one from which Argo has carried out a mangled face. At this occasion, he pretty much owed his life to Igna's fast thinking, because she managed to get him on her horse and out of the immediate heat. Maybe even twice over, due to the fact that if she didn't manage to get him a special sort of sutures and medicine, the wounds would never close.

It constituted a debt of life, which Argo repaid by organising a rescue party when two months later due to a chain of unlucky events Igna got captured and imprisoned by Yrreth of Zvaerit. He managed to leverage the fact that Igna had spellbreaker talents in order to get enough resources in an endeavor which many would consider hopeless, but it paid off. The major downside of it was however that the Covenant's intelligence now knew she's a spellbreaker - and would utilise it. After finishing their apprenticeship together with many other 'orphaned' apprentices, which were as a whole dubbed 'Kestrels', they both ended up drafted into a wizard hunting team - together with Theria and Haart, with Daen as the leader of the group.

-----------------------------------

So what is really going on between those two?

They enjoy each others' company in a friendly way and spend a lot of time together, and it's pretty obvious they care about each other a lot. However, for a very long time their relationship was pretty much just friendship, despite a lot of people assuming otherwise. They were considered each others' shieldflanks, and introduced each other as such (shieldflank is an informal title regarding two Wanderer knights accompanying each other in journey, supposed to cover each others' backs). The two got pretty good at dancing around the topic of the nature of their relationship, denying anything inappropriate and deflecting from it whenever it was raised, which of course didn't do anything to change people's assumptions.

Because while the level of trust between them could mean a strictly familial or friendly relation, the somewhat careful respect between the two and the discomfort around the entire discussion suggested that there is something else going on.

In fact, Igna has harbored a crush on Argo, but first she wasn't willing to admit it even to herself, and then she decided that she wasn't going to pursue it. First, it would be sort-of inapropriate. She wasn't sure if there's even a rule that two Wanderers shouldn't get together but considering her own father was a Wanderer and his relationship with her mother was quite difficult, she was pretty sure that the relationship between two Wanderers would be an even worse idea. To add to it, there wasn't many female Wanderers at all. There was not many female knights either. She didn't set the precedent, but she was still an outlier, and the weight of expectations made her extra careful about her conduct. She was afraid that if she'll let herself act as a woman first and not as a Wanderer first, it may compromise the calling she worked hard to fulfill. The job wasn't really built for maintaining long-term relatioships anyway, and during the Invasion, it had a terribly high mortality rate. She was pretty sure that should she and Argo be together, one of them would inevitably hurt the other, even unintentionally.

The second issue, was that she thought Argo wasn't really interested. One of the social rules among elven nobility which was supposed to ensure the security of their bloodline was a pretty strict celibacy until marriage, and from Igna's observation it wasn't looking like Argo was intending to break it. She had too much to lose if she messed it up, which is why having no experience in the area, she was too afraid to try. She pretty much assumed that if she'll ignore the attraction, it will sooner or later go away.

It didn't go away, but she lived with it.

Argo wasn't going to make the first move, and for a few reasons. After Igna was rescued from inprisonment she was in a pretty rough physical and emotional state, and Argo thought that she probably needs some space. He also felt quite guilty for revealing that she is a spellbreaker - even if he had to do it or she'd still be Yrreth's prisoner, the consequences directly caused her a lot of trouble. Unlike Igna, he wasn't too concerned with whether it would be possible for two Wanderers to be together, however during his last visit at home he's got an explicit reminder from his father not to do anything stupid. He wasn't going to listen to his parents indefinitely, and not in every aspect, but it definitely acted as an added pressure.

On the surface level, he's had a much more relaxed approach to the whole matter than Igna - if the romantic relationship was going to happen, he would be fairly open to it. Igna wasn't just anyone, he trusted her above all and has known her for a time which wasn't extremely long, but it was extremely eventful. On the deeper level, he's got a host of self-worth and self-image issues, which made him quite sure he generally isn't a good party, and most probably not for Igna. So far she seemed to keep anybody who even suggested courting her at a safe distance, so it seemed like a pretty clear signal she isn't looking for a relationship in general. Besides, he was convinced he would surely notice if she liked him in this way. Except despite his general perceptiveness, he wasn't the best at deciphering social cues and subtext (the fact that he's raised in a different culture only made this stronger), which made him rather oblivious. From what he knew, Igna was generally direct and she wasn't afraid to voice her opinion, so he thought that if she truly was interested in him, she'd just admit it.

She, of course, didn't do it.

Over three years fellow Kestrels had badgered him into a few half-hearted efforts to court someone else, but in general neither party was satisfied with them. Sometimes it just wasn't a good match, otherwise it was obvious that something prevents Argo from getting really involved, and soon his friends stopped trying to match him with anyone. He concluded that it just wasn't his thing. He was a Wanderer after all, so maybe it was for the best.

The whole situation was looked upon with rising disbelief by Theria and Haart. Especially Theria, with a vastly different outlook on these matters couldn't believe that the two are content to fester in an unresolved situation, in which Igna set up her judgement against her heart and Argo denied anything, all while still acting with a stupid level of devotion towards her. However, as stubborn as Igna was, all that Theria's remarks did was embarass her. She couldn't convince her that confessing her feelings was a good idea. It was like an extended game of chicken, except instead of pride both sides were afraid of breaking what they already have.

It took for an entire unit to be disbanded and for Igna to be sent to a mission she wasn't supposed to come back from for something to change. From a few words (which, of course didn't truly matter since she was supposed to die anyway), everything else followed like an avalanche of events, which culminated in her trying to stop a spell which by all the laws of magic shouldn't be possible to be broken in the usual manner.

It would have its consequences, of course. But she decided the slim chance of survival was worth the price of a potential failure.

How rich/eminent would Adnan's family have been in their society?

I can't recall his work or lineage being mentioned, just the big wealth. I figured if I had to compare it to anything western, they would have the kind of position thst a wealthy industrialist or middle-ranked nobility might have? Influencial and sought-out in finer circles, but not exceedingly rare to be remarked and known by people who are not part of that same wider circle.

Or am I off the mark and his family would be at the very top of the social ladder and would be known by wider society, like say some kind of duke or baron?

This is interesting.

Aşk-ı Memnu is really silent on the subject of the source of Adnan Bey’s wealth which is interesting because Halit Ziya was upfront about these things in other similar novels of this. He even has a novel called “Ferdi and his Company” which is about a rich tradesman whose Nihal-like daughter marries a man who works at his side. So Halit Ziya isn’t uninformed about these things. He is a man who worked at banks and the palace himself. This is not Emily Brontë handwaving away how Heathcliff got rich, Halit Ziya could write about the source of Adnan Bey’s wealth if he wanted, but for some reason in this particular book he didn’t.

Ottoman Empire didn’t have a proper aristocracy in the way European countries did. There were a few prominent families but there weren’t inherited “titles”. Ottomans were trying to be the only important family in the country, so they only had children with slaves and they sometimes killed families that got too prominent.

What Ottoman Empire had were “Pashas”, statesmen who were given the title during their lifetime due to their achievements/prominence. (Until early 19th century, most Ottoman statesmen were actually Devshirmes (converts mostly from the Balkans), with 19th century Turks got more prominent in the state affairs). Pashas owed everything they had to the Sultan’s favor and their title didn’t pass to their children. Yet the wealth they acquired and their respectability did pass onto their children and so slowly these people formed an upper class.

As for a bourgeoisie, Turks didn’t have a proper bourgeoisie in the modern sense since they considered trade a bit beneath them. Non-Muslims like Greeks and Armenians did form the bourgeoisie more. But again with 19th century there formed some Turkish families that we can call “bourgeoisie”. Halit Ziya’s family which got rich through trading Turkish carpets to all over the world is one of the first examples (their home city Uşak is still famous for its carpets). And we saw that another novel of his “Ferdi ve Şürekası” was about a tradesman.

But upper-class Turkish people were rarely independent bourgeoisie. The main characters of the first novels were generally sons or grandsons of Pashas who worked at a small government job but who mostly sustained themselves through already existing inheritance or through renting their properties. Adnan Bey is probably someone like this too. From the little hints in the text we can gather that he is from a very respectable line, which means that he probably has Pasha ancestors (in another Turkish novel, “Three Faces of Istanbul”, the rich girl’s family only permits her to marry the poor boy when they learn that he has a great great-grandfather who was a Pasha). Does Adnan Bey go to work? I don’t know?

1975 miniseries which tried to give a social background to the events made Adnan Bey’s father a Pasha who was a protégé of Mustafa Reshid Pasha who was the architect of Ottoman Westernization, and made Adnan Bey himself work at Düyun-u Umumiye. I think these additions make sense. I myself made Adnan Bey the son of an Ahmet Pasha in my fanfic.

To answer your question, I think Adnan Bey’s family is closest to a middle-ranking nobility. They are not ruling the country and probably have no connection to the Ottoman dynasty, but they are very rich and respectable. Probably have a grandfather who was actually a prominent figure. Yes, “influential and sought-out in finer circles, but not exceedingly rare to be remarked or known by people who are not part of the same wider circle”.

Class in Ottoman Empire is tricky because it is not very well-delineated. I generally have to intuit it while reading these old Turkish novels. And I am no expert. But this was my two cents.