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kimpossibly · 1 year

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THE CHAIN -> e. roundtree PART ONE: drummers' curse

PAIRING: eddie roundtree x fem!reader WARNINGS: mentions of minor injuries (NOTE: some warnings for this story include MAJOR spoilers for this series down the line, so I'll put those beneath the cut. If you don't want to get the story spoiled, then just ignore it ― but I did want to provide the chance for you to get an idea of how the story will go later down the line if you have any sensitive topics you'd like to avoid. please prioritize your mental wellbeing!)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Apologies in advance for making Y/n the drummer and putting Warren on rhythmic guitar. I just loooooooove female drummers. Also can you tell that I love Karen and Camila? Because I love them with alllllll my heart and soul. Another sorry in advance because this one may break your heart a little ― it sure broke mine. NOTES ON THE WORK: I used the timeline from the book, mostly because I couldn't keep track of it in the show haha. I read the book twice before watching what episodes of the show were out, so the lines may blur between the two. For your convenience (and mine, tbh), I'll put the year all the characters were born underneath this note so you can reference it when you need to. I just couldn't keep track honestly. I think in the show they start the band when Graham is fourteen, but in the book he's around 18 when they add Warren on, so it's kind of confusing?? I decided to stick with the book because it was a more physical timeline. Anyways, enough talking, here's your guide! ― YEARS BORN (in order of age) Billy Dunne -> 1947 Camila Dunne -> 1949 Graham Dunne -> 1949 Warren Rhodes -> 1949 Eddie Roundtree -> 1949 Daisy Jones -> 1951 Y/n L/n -> 1951

WARNINGS (SPOILERS INCLUDED): reader has a terminal illness. Discussions about death and loss, depictions of grief, hospitals

It's no secret that the renowned 1970s band Daisy Jones & The Six went through its fair share of ups and downs. Until their inexplicable split on July 12, 1979, they were undeniably one of the biggest bands in the world. While a more detailed account of the band's history will be recounted in a more thorough transcript, this advanced edition will focus specifically on two of the band members: Eddie Roundtree and Y/n L/n. More specifically, it will focus on their individual and combined roles they played in the band's eventual downfall.

THE RISE OF THE SIX (1965 - 1972)

GRAHAM: Y/n grew up next door to us. She was a little younger, two years or so, so we never really gave her a second look. Until the day she wandered into our garage during band practice out of nowhere. She practically ripped the drum sticks out of Chuck's hand and just started...wailing on 'em. I mean, she could make your head spin. Here was this thirteen, fourteen year old girl next door, this kid, and she was the best fuckin' drummer we'd seen. I mean, in the neighborhood. She wasn't Mitch Mitchell, but she was the closest thing we had. And she was too good to be shoved in the back with a tambourine. But we couldn't just take Chuck's spot away and hand it over to the new girl.

CHUCK: I knew right then and there that they wanted to give my spot to the new girl. There was no doubt in my mind. And, you know what? I got it. This chick was good. Way too good. Did I feel threatened by her? Hell yeah, I did. And at the time I probably wanted to tell her to screw off, but now...now I get it.

EDDIE: She was good. Amazing, actually. Graham and I looked at each other and knew that she was something we'd be stupid to pass up on.

BILLY: When Chuck told us he wanted out, we were pissed, of course. We were heading off to open for Winters that week. It felt like things were going to look up, just like I always knew they would, and he was ditching. I know now that that wasn't really what it was ― he'd gotten into college, fan-fucking-tastic. It was a good opportunity for him, a sure thing. But right then it felt like a betrayal.

WARREN: So he ditched, and Billy just turned right to Eddie and said, "Go tell Y/n she's in." And he was just...terrified.

EDDIE: I said, "why me?" You know? It wasn't my band, it was Billy's. And here he was, ordering me to tell some new girl she was in. I was fifteen and could barely ask a waitress for ketchup. At the time, that was probably the last thing I wanted to do.

GRAHAM: He asked why it had to be him, and I told him the truth: he was the least intimidating. Billy, you know him. He had a tendency to get too focused on the task at hand and could get a little...harsh. And Warren? He had one of the biggest personalities you could find. He'd scare her off before we had a chance to offer her the spot...[Pauses] I probably could've done it, in all honesty. I just didn't want to screw it up. Eddie was better with words than I was, and we needed her in our band. Badly.

EDDIE: And I remember thinking, "Here goes fucking nothing."

The doorbell ringing was what got her attention. No one ever used the doorbell. It was always a knock ― that, or someone just walked in. The L/n's front door was hardly ever locked back then. Y/n's mom was a nurse, formerly a school nurse. She didn't want to risk the chance that some kid took a spill and had to limp home on an injured leg. So all the neighborhood knew, if you got hurt playing outside, you could march on over to Miss L/n's place to get yourself fixed up.

Y/n had her own share of walk-ins, too. By the time she was ten, she had seen her mom help out enough kids that she was practically a nurse herself. She could disinfect and bandage and stitch up any old case that walked through her front door. And if someone who was too busted up for first aid? She knew where the keys to the family Winnebago was and how to drive herself and them to the local hospital. She was only fourteen and didn't have a license, but it didn't matter. She was a safer driver than most everyone else on the road.

So when someone rang the doorbell, she assumed that it was someone too injured to knock. She grabbed the car keys and made sure her suture kit was within reach.

When she opened the door, she didn't see the blood and broken bones she was expecting. Instead, Eddie Roundtree stood on her front porch, hands shoved anxiously in his pockets. He looked all right, but that didn't stop her from asking: "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Um. No," Eddie said quickly, taking his hands out of his pockets.

"Okay," she said slowly, eyes narrowing. "Do you want to come in?"

"Yeah, sure."

Y/n turned and walked further into the house, prompting him to close the door and follow her. She led him to the kitchen. "Lemonade? I made it this morning," she offered, already opening the fridge.

EDDIE: That jug of lemonade was bigger than she was. [Laughs] I could barely watch her get it down. I was afraid she'd drop it on her foot. But she just took her time getting it from the fridge to the table. I found out later that her mom bought a pound of lemons a week because Y/n wanted something to offer every kid that came through their front door. [Pauses]. She was just like that.

He gave a nod. Y/n stood on her toes to grab two glasses from the cabinet. She poured one glass, hands shaking from the weight of the jug, and Eddie realized that this awkward silence was probably the best time to transition into his real reason for visiting.

"Chuck left the band."

"Oh," she said simply. "Sorry."

"Don't be."

She paused, looking confused. And Eddie, who's will to live was slowly draining from this conversation alone, raced to finish what he had (awkwardly) started.

"I just mean that...you're in. The band. If you want to be our drummer, you're in."

Y/n paused mid-pour, setting the pitcher down on the counter carefully. She turned around until her back pressed into the kitchen counter, arms crossed over her chest. "And you thought I'd jump at the chance to join?"

"No. No," Eddie said quickly. "We just wanted to offer you the spot if you still wanted it."

"Did I say that I wanted it?"

"No, but―"

"Okay, just making sure," she handed him a glass and hopped up onto the counter, crossing her legs underneath her. "So you need a drummer?"

"Yes. Badly."

She took a sip from her glass and paused, as if weighing her options in her mind. She swallowed. "Are there any other girls in the band yet?"

EDDIE: Yet. Like she knew it was going to happen. It was just a matter of time.

"No, not yet." he replied.

"Then be honest with me: are you guys sleazeballs?"

EDDIE: Sleazeballs. She didn't sugarcoat things. She wanted to know if we were creeps or if we'd let her play drums in peace. I get that, one hundred percent. but back then, it felt like she was trying to accuse us of something.

"No," he said quickly, "Well...Warren can be a little much, but he means well."

She took another slow sip, once again weighing her options in her mind. "When's your next gig?"

"We play pretty much every night, wherever we can find. It might take us a bit to teach you the songs, but―"

"I can learn them," she said confidently. "How soon do you need someone?"

"Soon as possible."

EDDIE: By then, I was terrified she'd say no. All these questions and never once did she seem really interested in joining. I was already trying to figure out which of us would be the least shit at the drums.

"Okay. I'm in."

EDDIE: And that was it. She said yes. I didn't appreciate how much she'd saved our asses right then, but I was relieved. That was for sure.

GRAHAM: Eddie came back, told us she said yes. She couldn't join practice until her mom got home ― she didn't want the house to be empty if some injured kid wandered by ― so we had about an hour and a half to teach her every song.

BILLY: She picked 'em up like [snaps] that. Never doubted it for a single second, either. Once she knew it, she knew it.

EDDIE: She showed up to the first gig in overalls and sneakers. She let Camila put a little makeup on her, too, but we could all tell she hated it.

CAMILA: She was sweet. And, surprisingly, a little shy. I could tell she was a little scared of the boys. That's why she was a little cold to them at first. But she was just the coolest kid. I mean, fourteen years old and joining a rock band? She was a little rockstar, right off the bat. She asked me to put some makeup on her before her first gig with the band. When I gave her a mirror after and asked her what she thought, she said, "I like it, but it makes me feel like a doll. Not a drummer." She liked the glitter the most, though. It became her trademark. She put it on her cheeks, in her hair, everywhere that would catch the light. She'd come off stage and you'd see a little pile of sparkles behind the drum set.

EDDIE: Right off the bat, first gig. It was enough to freak anyone out. She joined the band six hours ago, learned the songs three hours ago, and now she was playing in a club to a couple dozen people. It seems so small now, but back then? It was like starting at Wembley.

Y/n shook out her hands for the eighth time. It wasn't about loosening up for the gig anymore, she just needed something to do that didn't involve throwing a punch or screaming at the top of her lungs. She looked up at Billy, standing at the front of the group, cool and calm as ever, and she had the distinct urge to kick him in the shin. Why did he get to be so calm when she was right behind him, on the verge of throwing up?

She turned to anxiously twisting a single drum stick between her fingers, around and around, faster and faster. Eventually it became so mindless that she barely noticed as the stick slipped from her fingers, clattering to the floor. She bent to retrieve it quickly, hoping no one had noticed.

But, of course, someone did.

"Hey," Eddie said, looking back at her.

"Warren knocked it out of my hands." she said quickly.

Eddie glanced over at Warren, who was a solid two feet ahead of her, physically unable to have knocked a drum stick out of her hands. Y/n knew from that glance that he could see right through her lie. Now she really wasn't in the mood to talk.

EDDIE: She was terrified. And she was lying her ass off about it. I didn't want to run the risk that she choked up in the middle of the show and screwed up our set. So I figured I'd just, talk. And if she wanted me to screw off, she'd tell me. She had a way of saying exactly what she wanted.

"You've heard of the Drummer's Curse, right?" he asked.

She frowned in a way that told him no, she did not.

"First, there's the obvious stuff: drummers have to lug around the most shit out of anyone in the band. Drums sets are heavy and expensive, so there's that. But the worst part is that they're easy to overlook, you know? They're at the back of the stage behind all this shit, everyone stands in front of 'em. Drummers can fade into the background real easy. The best drummers can outshine anyone else onstage. You'll do that one day, but if you're freaked out now, just let yourself fade a little. You'll play better than anyone up there and the crowd'll know it, but you can let them focus on someone else if you want. You get what I'm saying?"

EDDIE: For a second, I thought she was going to punch me.

But then she nodded, wiped off some of the pink lipstick Camila had put on her with the back of her hand, and pushed her bangs to the side. "Drummers' Curse, huh?"

"Some people believe in it, some don't."

"And you?" she asked, turning to him. "Do you believe in that kind of stuff?"

Eddie paused. Shrugged. "Sure. Seems true enough to me."

Y/n nodded. "I don't. It sounds like bullshit to me."

Eddie frowned. She looked up at him. "I'm not going to let myself fade because I'm scared. I signed up for this, you know. The least I can do is own my place. If I outshine you, it's just because I'm that good," she said matter-of-factly. "I will need help carrying the stuff, though."

EDDIE: I didn't know what to say. I mean, [laughs] what the hell do you say to that?

He felt like he'd had the rug pulled out from under him. And then, he surprised himself: he laughed.

And Y/n surprised herself then, too ― she smiled.

EDDIE: That was just...[Shakes head. Smiles.] I don't know.

"I think we can manage that." he said with a smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen...The Dunne Brothers!"

WARREN: If I were still the guy I was back then, I would completely undersell her to you right now. I'd tell you she was an average drummer who was more in it for the thrill than the craft. But that wasn't it at all. She got up there and she just...shined.

GRAHAM: We all knew she'd be scared before the first gig. In fact, she looked about ready to throw up when they announced us on stage. But the second she hit those lights, it was like she was a different person. She waved and smiled like she'd done it a hundred times. The only other person I'd seen do that ― I mean really become another person on stage ― is Billy.

BILLY: That first show with Y/n was a little bit of a trainwreck. We were at least a half beat behind the entire show. And I'm not saying I blame her, but she was new and shiny. We got through it just fine, but I think we all felt it wasn't our best show.

WARREN: That show was bitchin'.

GRAHAM: It was a great show.

WARREN: Back in those days, we'd get off stage and start cheering for ourselves like we'd just won the goddamn lottery. Somewhere along the way, that stopped. We'd just pat each other on the back, say 'good job,' and that was that. But when Y/n got backstage? She was screaming and yelling like it was the best night of her life. And all of us joined in without a second thought ― well, maybe all of us except Billy. He was kind of a hard ass, even then. None of us had ever heard this girl talk louder than a glorified whisper, and then she came out of nowhere with this full-body scream. And who did she run to? Well, I think you can guess.

CAMILA: She just about jumped into Eddie's arms.

Adrenaline is a funny thing. For one, the effect is had on different people can be vastly different depending on who it was. Some people mellowed out, some people amped up. Y/n fell into the second category.

The second she got off the stage, a giddy laugh ripped from her chest, turning more into a scream of triumph halfway through. She was buzzing. Literally. Her hands felt numb ― or, more accurately, they felt like they felt more. Everything she touched was sharp and blinding.

The next person to join in on the screaming and jumping around was Warren. Then Graham. Then Eddie. And then, reluctantly, Billy. Eddie was the last to come off stage, slinging his guitar off his shoulders, and Y/n, without thinking much about it, ran straight to him, leaping directly into his unsuspecting arms.

The others were too hyped up on their own adrenaline rushes to notice that anything out of the ordinary had happened. She wrapped her legs around his waist hanging onto him like a koala. And Eddie, who couldn't deny adrenaline, held onto her back without a second thought.

After a moment, she leaned back, arms still wrapped around his neck, faces inches apart. "Drummers' curse, huh?"

EDDIE: She didn't fade. She couldn't, not even if she tried.

Eddie just smiled and shook his head. "Sounds like bullshit to me."

#daisy jones and the six #daisy jones & the six #daisy jones and the six fanfiction #daisy jones & the six fanfiction #eddie loving #eddie roundtree #eddie roundtree x reader

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dresshistorynerd · 3 months

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Ranking Men's Costumes in Period Dramas - Part II: The Good

Part I: The Bad

This is the second part to my ranking of men's costumes in Renaissance period dramas. I selected 10 shows and films which I think have great costuming for the female characters and ranked them according to their costumes for male characters. I have noticed that even when women's costuming is great, men's costuming might be absolutely dog shit. And that's very much what we saw in the first part, where I ranked the five worst entries. For some reason shows and movies are afraid to put men, especially the characters who are supposed to be cool, manly and hot, into historical costumes. And I'm not even asking for historical accuracy, I just don't want my male characters living in the actual 1500s in basically modern leather jackets and pants. Like I don't watch period dramas for vaguely historically inspired modern fashion, I watch it for the historical setting, which costumes help create. This time we will be looking some rare gems that actually imo have really good costuming even for the male characters. For the five best entries, we'll go from worst to best.

5. Eizabeth R (1971)

Elizabeth R is incredibly committed to historical accuracy in it's outfits, especially for queen Elizabeth herself, many of her costumes being directly recreated from her portraits. It covers the whole reign of Elizabeth, so this commitment is especially admirable as the timeline is more than 40 years, including a stark shift in fashion from less structured and more toned down Tudor fashion to the extremes of the highly structured Elizabethan fashion. It's not perfect, The hair is not always great and like many others they fail at French hoods, though they are not upward pointing or pseudo crowns detached from the hood, so could be much worse.

The men's costumes are also very good. They are faithful to history, they wear stockings, very short trunk hose, ruffs and even have some structuring in their doublets and jerkins. However, the reason this is not higher is that the men's costumes especially, but also many other costumes beside Elizabeth's are looking a little sloppy. There's some structure yes, but the men's silhouettes are just not bold enough and they end up looking a little costumy. Even the codpieces are shrunk so small I'm not even sure if they are the half the time. Cowardice. Here's two Robert Dudley's costumes and an actual portrait of him. I think the second costume is probably an attempt at recreation of that portrait, but it's just kinda halfway there.

4. Taming of the Shrew (1967)

This film is set in Renaissance Italy, the women's costumes fit well to 1520s-30s. They are honestly really great and cohesive. My only gripe is that their bodices have a very 1960s shape and the make-up is a little distractingly modern. But the costuming is not attempting to recreate historical accuracy, rather they took the historical silhouette and basic elements and crafted a very over the top but cohesive look. I honestly love these very much.

An interesting choice is made with the men's costuming, especially the main male lead, whose costume is based much more on the Renaissance German men's fashion of that period. His costumes resemble the over the top fashion of the German Landsknecht (first image below). In Italy (second image below) the doublets were also very voluminous and quite colourful but not to that extent as by the Landsknecht and literally no one, not even the other Germans, rocked that slashed style as hard.

This is not really criticism though. In fact I respect that choice a lot. His costumes are certainly not historically accurate, but they do fit the bombastic aesthetics of the overall costuming, they are loud, large and not afraid to fuck around. This man oozes sex-appeal much more than any character with some modern plain black pants and leather jacket. This is how you costume a Renaissance man who fucks.

3. Tulip Fever (2017)

I am stretching the definition or Renaissance here a bit, I admit. This movie is set during the 1630s tulip mania, by which point the remnants of Renaissance fashion had already been left to the previous decade. However, I do think most of the movies and tv set in Baroque era also struggle with the men's costumes. Though not as much, because black was fashionable for everyone, the cod piece was gone, trunk hose were replaced by more palatable Venetian hose, fashion was much more stripped down from embellishments, leather was not uncommon in jerkins and appeared even in doublets and hose and the Hollywoods beloved boots became as actual fashion items. The men's silhouette in this period is very silly in my opinion and people seem to agree because it's usually skipped in costuming, but overall the period seems to fit modern masculinity standards much more easily than Renaissance era.

But I just really wanted to include this because the costuming is absolutely stunning. I have not watched the movie and probably never will because the post production was an absolute mess and it apparently came out as just a bad movie, which is a shame, but the costumes are so good. The ruffs are perfectly crispy. The buttons are dense and look just right. The shoes, both boots and otherwise are exactly right. The fabrics are honestly perfect. The silhouettes are just as goofy as they are supposed to be. And the women too have perfect silhouettes. All the details are just simply perfect. You rarely find costuming this meticulously created with historical details and great construction.

Honestly these top three could all be the best one. This final order was decided purely on which costumes i like more. And while I love the women's fashion of this period, I think the men's fashion is kinda stupid and boring, so I don't like these costumes on aesthetic level as much as the top two.

2. Romeo and Juliet (1968)

This movie is a perfect counterpart to the movie with the worst men's costuming which I talked about in the first post, Rosaline. They are both set in Italy around very end of 15th century and retell Romeo and Juliet. Both have very good costuming for female characters but obviously I think differ greatly in the male character costuming department. Romeo and Juliet costuming takes some artistic liberties to create a heightened reality quite similar to Taming of the Shrew costuming, but follows history much more closely. The colors are bright, the hose are tight, the giorneas are voluminous, the sleeves are long and massive and the cod pieces are prominent. Even the hair is perfect, even for women, they even use hairnets. I imagine the hair was quite easy to get right as hairstyles in 60s and 70s were basically lifted directly from 1400s Italian hairstyles. The men are even wearing appropriate hats??? Amazing.

The costuming perfectly captures the era, but they still clearly had fun with the costumes too. Honestly even though I appreciate the meticulously recreated historically accurate costuming, like in Tulip Fever, I tend to like more costuming that does take some artistic liberties to create a distinct look and atmosphere for the movie or tv show. There's some small things they don't get quite right, like having standard lacing instead of ladder lacing, metal eyelets (which would become a thing as late as in 1830s) and most egregiously Juliet in one scene has this very dumb supportive undergarment without even shift under it (first picture below)?? The outer garments were supportive during this era, there was no such thing as supportive undergarment. Shift was the only undergarment. But I will forgive these errors because the costuming is overall so fun and gorgeous. And they did get some details so so right, like look at Romeo's arming doublet (second picture below)! It has Lombardian sleeves!! This was a very specific style of arming doublet for this era and place. However those errors does prevent it from taking the first place. Which leads us to...

1. Orlando (1992)

This movie has Tilda Swinton in flamboyant Elizabethan men's clothing. That's all.

Okay, I that is all that needs to be said, but I will say more. This movie spans centuries and shows excellent costumes from several different periods, but I will focus on the Elizabethan costumes only for the sake of this post. The costuming is not super historically accurate in all the detailing, and clearly not trying to be, but it is always impeccable. Even while it takes artistic liberties and the story has an immortality fantastical element it still captures the men's fashion's silhouette much better than any other movie or tv show I know of set in this period. It does that better than the "we recreated these portraits" Elizabeth R. But what really makes this the best in my humble opinion, is that the movie is not afraid of the effeminate and emasculated modern perception of Renaissance men's fashion, no, it leans into it. The thole story is very much about gender and gender fuckery. Tilda Swinton plays the titular Orlando who is a cis man in Elizabethan era, becomes inexplicably immortal and later inexplicably turns into a woman for the rest of their several centuries. He is the embodiment of "I'm not sure if they are a butch or a twink" and as a bisexual I can only be grateful. But in all seriousness I think the costuming and the casting (queen Elizabeth is also played by a male actor) are so perfectly utilized to highlight the arbitrary construction of gender without needing to say it explicitly.

Conclusion

I have some closing thoughts. I took on this task as a way to show a point, which is that for some reason in Renaissance shows and film especially men's costuming is piss-poor, even when women's costuming is great. Male characters tend to have very bad costuming in Medieval media too, though this is also an issue for female characters. I don't think I have ever seen a Medieval show or movie with truly excellent costuming for anyone. In Renaissance media the issue is clearly not lack of skill or knowledge, they choose to do so. My thesis was that the producers think that the Renaissance men's fashion is too effeminate and too unsexy for the hot male very heterosexual lead, who the mostly female audience are supposed fawn over like the female characters. I still think it's very true.

Though there's an interesting trend I only noticed while doing this ranking; every entry (except the least bad) in the worst five list are from 21th century, and every entry (except Tulip Fever which is a little bit cheating anyway) in this best five list are from 20th century. I have some theories on why it turned out this way. First is that the studios have become increasingly more concerned with growing profits so they don't take risks and they put pressure on movies and tv shows to be as broadly appealing as possible. This means they can't just make period dramas for the core audience of period dramas, aka mostly women who are history nerds, so they pander to the modern sensibilities in costuming and not to the people who love to see actual historical costuming. Secondly, I think this might also tie to the broader conservative backlash against loosening of gender roles and broader queer acceptance. Among the core audiences of period dramas there are two distinct groups, queer nerds and conservative/centrist women, who don't want politics in their media, which is why they love historical stories because obviously queerness wasn't invented yet and people of colour didn't exist yet (they were and did). (They are not always this extreme, but you get the point.) As men wearing dresses has become a culture war issue, I think the studio executives are afraid that anything not masculine enough in modern standards might cause the more conservative audiences to turn on them. Even if they knew about the queer nerds, they wouldn't care about them.

This bears repeating: cowards.

As a thank you for reading all the way to the end I will leave you with the image of Tilda Swinton in mid 1600s men's clothing. You are welcome.

Part I: The Bad

#fashion history #history #historical costuming #costuming #renaissance fashion #renaissance costuming #film costuming #historical men's fashion

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maopll · 1 year

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May I request Albedo, Xiao, Kaeya and Zhongli with a female reader who can manipulate blood?

Y/N THE LAST BLOOD BENDER

| genshin impact !

⌗:, a/n: The title is satire. i couldn't think if anything else 💀. this is the most characters I've ever written

⌗:, warning: mentions of b!ood,, suggestive in childe part(ofc..)

⌗:, pairings: albedo, xiao, kaeya, zhongli, childe, ayato, itto, heizou, w/ fem!reader.

✧ ˚ 　· 　　 . ✧ ˚ 　· 　　 . ✧ ˚ 　· 　　 . ✧ ˚ 　· 　　

ALBEDO was truly intrigued by your ability to wield a vision that also allows you to control the blood of another. truly a fascinating ability you wield. since he is an alchemist he would like to learn more about your powers. the techniques, the pros and cons, and since its specially yours so in any case he should know if any problems arise during battles.

since you can control blood you are able to freely regulate the heat of bodies of people who you have touched so in dragonspine you can keep both klee and sucrose warm since albedo won't really be needing it...but its a great ability! during battles he does not have to worry about you getting hurt since you barely have to sweat out while defeating enemies because you are strong just like that. always keeps some time of the day to analyse your ability since it interests him so much! he was quite surprised knowing how it was inherited throughout your family. all in all he is genuinely interested but also quite worried since it can wear you out a lot especially if you use your ultimate so he is always looking out for you if you're uncomfortable. 8.7/10 boyfriend <3

XIAO here was freaking out when you used your ability during a battle and honestly he thought those blood marks on the ground were yours and he was breathing heavily. he was so worried :( poor boy thought you were dying and he just can't take the thought of you slipping away from him. but you reassured him saying that that was the hilichurl and mitachurl blood. although some of them were yours you thought it best to not tell him.

he was surprised since that was when he first found out you had special abilities like so. he was still worried so he went to consult zhongli and looks like it was a very special ability that you weilded! now it was your job to tell him about all the limitations of this ability and the problems that you sometimes face while using your ultimate like chest pain or so. but he does think you look really cool when fighting those opponents with ease...its not even weird cause he is a literal demon. but he takes great care of you ever since he heard about your problems. very good he is trying his best!

KAEYA saw your abilities when you were pissed off because a hilichurl literally ruined your date. you just looked at it, moved your hand towards the hilichurl who was going to pounce at you and boom. the next moment the hilichurl is gone. cavalry captain was still processing the moment before his eyes. when he was hit with a cold wind up his spine. he cartoonically shivered and also had that sweat bead on his head. he was TERRIFIED

he was kinda scared of you how much you could snap only if someone just started to disturb your date. so now you had some explaining to do and this dude really said "aww my sweetheart is so strong, you're my knight in shining armour I could always count on you" and while that did inflate your pride you knew he was teasing you. you nudged him and continued onwards with your date. he still does tell you about that day but not enough to anger you lest you might snap...

ZHONGLI just glanced at your eyes and IMMEDIATELY knew you had some special powers or abilities. grandpa knows his history well. when you one day did tell him about this ability of yours he just said "oh I knew" you were confused. how did he? he has his ways just don't question he will give you a 4 hour case study of it.

you knew zhongli's identity so he must know more about this ability to control blood and also wield a hydro vision and he did knew. he told you everything about the limitations which thank the archon happened only when you used burst or you were sure you were having your days numbered. you can always ask your lover for extra details incase you are wondering about something. man's a walking talking dictionary. however when you did spill other enemies blood on the battlefield when with him, he would get tensed thinking it was your blood. he knows about the disadvantages of your power and he is not ready to loose another one of his cherished ones just because he couldn't protect them. he sometimes has sleepless nights but he knows how strong willed you are so he sets his worries aside for the night because you are here, with him, right beside him

CHILDE was fighting off some enemies when you two were out taking care of some commisions that you needed help and this was the first time you asked him for help because you don't really need help but this could also be used as a way for spending time with him and I just know that and will bet my life on the fact that he will just stare at you in awe thinking that you look as beautiful as a painting as you took care of enemies one by one all while spilling their blood and staring at their limp bodies with cold eyes. he was having a huge blush and...uh well a boner... he just gets hard whatever has you looking cold and heartless okay?? he has a weak heart when it comes to you

He will not stop singing his praises for you "you looked so pretty covered in blood baby!" "you took care of them so fast!" "I just wanted to marry you on the spot!" "you are so lovely I'm glad you are my girlfriend" and so on and so forth. but deep down he was genuinely taking you as a comrade of his for sparring. he would always ask you to spar with him just to see how you skillfully wield the blood and hydro together in balance. bro just wanna fight that's it.

AYATO was observing inazuma from afar since he was supposed to be meeting with some shuumatsuban members later but he did not think he would be ambushed by a bunch of fatui later. he is a capable swordsman but let's be real anyone would freak out if they get jumpscated by some mask wearing dudes and so was he. luckily you were passing by and you noticed him ofcourse you can't have him getting beaten up or worse! so you quickly used your burst and you were coughing up a shit ton later because it consumes a lot of your energy. he was so grateful to you for the day.

He even asked if you were injured or not since he saw blood thinking it was yours, but he was really taken surprised when those were not. he hasn't heard of any abilities which were like yours or similar. he would definitely love to know more since it would also become a bonding time for you two considering how both of you can spend any time at all. since it's an ability he hasn't heard of before he would do the necessary research work just in case you will need it. he cares for you deeply and doesn't want anything to happen to you. look I'm biased

ITTO is a bullchucker. do you think he would even rack his brain to think whether you actually have any abilities or not? ofcourse no. he thinks he is your bodyguard and you only need him to protect you while you relax and watch the show. nevertheless when he was getting beaten up by some enemies you turned the tables on him by helping HIM out of troubles reach. thanks y/n. he was cowering in fear until you told him that everything has been taken care of. he will never admit that he was scared. there was blood everywhere but he didn't even understand what was going on. he is that dumb okay? but while on the way to hanamizaka, everything finally loaded into his mind and he asked in a high pitched voice "WAS THAT YOUR BLOOD BABE?!". you told him to relax cause he was ready to sprint towards whatever doctor was nearby and yes he was THAT worried.

He wasn't going to listen to you until you smacked him hard into reality. and he only said, "Oh." Okay, good, good progress. then it was all forgotten since you said you would be fine. he blindly believes whatever you say. but if you do feel sick or feel pressure around your chest area due to overuse of your abilities he will take you to the doctor to check you otherwise he will check you up himself. dw he won't kill you.

HEIZOU and you were quite litreally investigation about some crimes that were done and he said he would require your assistance so here you were in yashiori doing whatever investigations he had. you were only there as an assistant. but there were some kairagi nearby and while he was busy gathering evidence you quickly cleaned up the surroundings to not hinder his work. you don't want him to dirty his precious hand now <3. while you thought he had not noticed what you did back there he very much did and even observed your attack patterns. so he was just curious and asked "babe I never knew you had the ability to control blood and also a vision. mind telling me a bit more about it? I would like to know more" was he interrogating you or not you did not know but you trusted him since he was your boyfriend.

You told him everything you knew about it and you eventually forgot that the conversation even took place and that was enough time for heizou to personally look into your abilities and he did quite investigate too much into the history and he would preferably not go into details considering how...gruesome it was. but he always does his homework so when you were having some uneasiness around your chest area he popped outta nowhere to give you a detailed description of what you were going through. in conclusion you will live to see another day and spend more time with your genius of a boyfriend <3

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ivystoryweaver · 3 months

Text

The Only One

Episode 5

prev | Fic Masterlist | My Masterlist | next

Summary: Date number 2 brings you closer to Poe

Pairing: Poe Dameron x female original character. Fic is written in second person, but the female "you" has a name (It reads basically the same as any other xreader)

Word Count: 1.7k

Content: fluff, no warnings really, Elia is just too hard on herself, not beta'd

PREVIOUSLY on "The Only One"...

"I know you, Ells," he said softly, tenderly smiling as you actually looked up at him

"Give me a chance? I'm not so bad after date number four." He winked and you burst out laughing.

There was something so comforting about the way you were always so consistently...you.

Poe once again met you in the hangar for date number 2, smiling to himself as he approached you.

"Poe!" You excitedly called, bouncing on your toes as you tugged at your backpack straps. Twin buns, unlaced boots - same as always.

"Hey, you made it," Poe grinned, pausing before he gave into the urge to greet you with a hug or a kiss on the cheek. Still working on that personal space thing. "Perrha said you had to work late."

"Got done just in time," you confessed.

"Come on," he offered, extending his hand. He respected your boundaries, but if he wanted to date you for real, he had to know exactly where those boundaries were.

You chewed on your lip in concentration, a cute wrinkle appearing between your eyebrows. Slowly loosening your clutch on your backpack strap, you reached out to accept his hand.

His face glowed with warmth and adoration as he wrapped his fingers around yours. "This okay?"

"I think it feels safe right now," you honestly replied, and Poe thought it might be the best description he'd ever heard for holding someone's hand.

"I like when you do that," he playfully smirked over at you, leading you out of the hangar with his hand wrapped securely around yours.

"Do what?"

"Tell me the truth. No games. It's rare," he explained.

You felt him squeeze your joined hands and it made something inside you bloom to life. Poe Dameron wanted to hold your hand. Why, you would never know, but you held on for dear life, resting your cheek against his arm as you walked - the warmth of his skin seeping through his sleeve.

"I know I'm different," you slowly answered. "But you are too. When I'm with you, I feel like there's nothing wrong with me."

Poe stopped short, jarring you out of your semi snuggle. "Elia, there is nothing wrong with you."

Your gaze dropped to your boots as you shifted uncomfortably. "Don't stare at me," you mumbled.

"Sorry," he softly returned, reaching for your hand again. "Come on."

The two of you walked toward your destination in silence - the only change when Poe slid his fingers through yours.

"I can't help staring at you sometimes," he confessed, his thumb caressing yours gently. "Don't get too upset with me, okay?"

"I'm not upset," you defended, bristling as you were so prone to do.

"Be patient with me, Ells," he pleaded. "You're really pretty and it's hard for me to look away sometimes."

A tingling sensation rippled through your body at that confession. Your instinct was to deflect, deny and assume he was mocking you, but Poe had proven his sincerity enough that his actions were starting to override your brain's hard wiring.

You couldn't think of anything to say. Poe Dameron had rendered you speechless. What a gift.

There was also the the fact that he was simply mistaken. Maybe he liked your hair, or you face, for whatever reason. You felt certain you were average looking. But if he ever saw the rest of you, he would never say you were pretty ever again, because you weren't.

There was nothing wrong with not being human - plenty of Resistance fighters weren't. You weren't so shallow as to be solely wrapped up in looking a little different. No, it was a much deeper and darker history than that.

Your lineage was stained with darkness, oppression and aggression. And a source of power having everything to do with what you covered on your back. You simply could not allow yourself to follow in the footsteps of your ancestors. It's why you worked so hard to keep yourself closed off from the powerful energy flow and why you could never let your body full develop.

So you said nothing.

Poe would probably think you didn't like him back if you kept acting...well, like yourself. Lost in your head, and in self-loathing. Maybe you should try harder.

But this thing between you - could it ever go anywhere? Poe probably wanted a normal relationship. Someone he could gaze at - someone he could take to bed. You could never. It's not that you had never, but this was Poe. Not with him. So what was the point in trying?

Still...you weren't foolish enough to let someone like Poe slip away so easily.

"Here we are," he announced, seeming to have forgotten that you never responded to his compliment, even to contradict it.

"What's this?" You questioned, unable to discern anything about the type of establishment you'd wandered to. You'd walked here pretty quickly, so it was fairly close to base.

"This is just where I stashed some supplies," Poe confessed. It was some kind of storage shed. No wonder it looked so unremarkable. Pretty soon, his arms were full of supplies and the two of you started walking again.

"Didn't want to go too far tonight, since I have a solo mission in the morning," he explained. "I made us a picnic."

"How did you get all this food?" You asked Poe, once the two of you settled on a blanket in the safest part of the nearby jungle. "This is more than we usually eat in three days."

"I've been saving up," he shrugged. "Called in some favors. I thought a nice meal would feel good for a change. I think I got all the foods you like - the ones you're always eating."

Your heart burned with affection at the odd little gathering of foods your very picky tastebuds preferred, with the textures that didn't make you gag.

"I do love these, and I'm starving, thank you." Happy to stuff your face with your favorite foods, you reveled in the moments you didn't feel the need to speak. Of course this left you mind free to wander...and worry.

The blanket you shared with Poe was just to sit on, right? And nothing else. Even if you had a human body and had hopes to be with Poe in that way, the second date would still be too soon for you.

Probably best to start a conversation.

"Solo mission, huh?" You began. "What's that about?"

Poe swallowed his bite and slowly nodded. "It's, uh...actually, it's classified. I would tell you if I could."

"Oh." Something important then. "Is it dangerous? Why do you have to go alone?"

"Can't talk about it right now, but...maybe when I get back. I probably wasn't supposed to tell you there even was a mission, but..." He trailed off, reaching for his beverage.

"But what?"

Moonlight reflected in his bright, brown eyes as they found your gaze. "I didn't want you to worry."

A fizzy warmth stirred in the center of you. "I won't worry," you bluntly returned. "You're the best pilot in the Resistance. I've never seen anyone better on missions. Or in training. It should be you going."

The corners of Poe's mouth curled in amusement.

"I will miss you though," you sweetly added. "I hope you come back soon."

A satisfied smile warmed his handsome face. "I'll miss you too. We'll do this again when I get back...okay?" Dark eyebrows shot up hopefully.

"Okay," you agreed.

The rest of your date turned into more of a hangout. Poe tried to ask you a few questions about your past but you were pretty clear in letting him know you weren't going to talk about it. You asked him some more questions about his childhood on Yavin 4 and it brought you to the topic of his favorite little buddy - his orange and white droid BB-8.

"He's been on Castilon for months. I miss him like crazy."

"He must be special if you miss him so much," you commented.

"I think so. Can't wait for you to meet him. I'm picking him up on my way to my mission."

You adored watching Poe as he talked, especially about something important to him. His eyes lit up, his mouth looked so kissable and he always gestured animatedly with his hands.

If only you were normal, you might actually have a real chance with Poe. Maybe someday you could tell him the truth about yourself - your body, your species, your past...

Maybe when the war was over.

Poe walked you back to base, holding your hand. Even though you knew you couldn't be the kind of girlfriend he deserved, you wanted to tell him something before he left on his classified mission. A way for him to understand how important he was becoming to you.

"Thank you for tonight - for our picnic," you told him as you neared base. "I love being with you, Poe. I...I hope you come back soon, and you're safe out there. I'll miss you."

"I love being with you too," he sweetly replied, squeezing your fingers while reaching for your other hand. He gently caressed your fingers, gazing down into your eyes, really wishing he could give you an end-of-date kiss. Or at least a goodbye kiss.

He stared a little too long, however, and the two of you ended up sharing a nervous laugh. "Was this okay tonight? Holding your hands?"

"Yeah, it's okay."

"Good...good," he nodded, exhaling in a rush, his lips curling in a sexy smile. "Really wanna kiss you though." His tongue swiped over his bottom lip as he shifted toward you smoothly.

"Oh," you swallowed, eyes wide and blinking. "Um, I - "

"Or maybe a hug? If that feels safer..." He was trying to offer you a less intimate alternative, but you physically withdrew, folding your arms over your chest. Being held by him was a bad idea. Not until you could explain your...back.

Chewing on your lip in a mild panic, you spontaneously leaned forward, spreading your palms over the solid warmth of his chest and pressing your mouth to his.

Stunned, Poe barely had time to register the feel of your sweet lips before you withdrew, rocking on your heels before yanking hard on your frayed backpack straps.

"Goodnight, Poe," you blurted, already turning to rush away. "Be safe."

Planting his boots firmly to keep from going after you, he tried to say goodbye, but he was Poe Dameron. He had to say something.

"Ells!" He called after you, "You kissed me."

"Bye, Poe!" You repeated, scurrying toward base.

Laughter bubbled up and erupted from his chest as he said goodbye back to you.

He let you go. For now.

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cockslutpadalecki · 1 year

Text

Teacher’s Pet

Summary: Your relationship had to start somewhere.

Characters: Professor!Andy Barber x F!Student!Reader.

Words: 2.2K.

Warnings: student/teacher relationship, reader is 18, sexual tension, explicit sexual content, Andy being the best goddamn teacher ever (you’ll see), male masturbation, a little female masturbation, nipple sucking, brief insight to reader’s unhinged yet impressionable mind, bit of cum eating, 18+. MINORS DNI.

A/N: Well it’s been a while, hasn’t it? Sorry I’ve been so shit at updating, hoping this makes up for it. Set in the same universe as, and serves as a prequel to, If I Can’t Have You. You don’t have to read that first for this to make sense, or even read this first and then read the other. That, I’ll leave up to you! This was heavily inspired by this post and the comments I made in response to this reblog. Beta: @princessmisery666 but all the general bullshit is entirely mine. While likes are gold, feedback is golden. Please support our content creators by sharing our work.

You’ve been in close proximity to Andy many times before, but sitting across from him now, somehow feels more intimate and personal. You’re used to being surrounded by other students, members of the faculty but here— in this quiet diner— it’s just the two of you, talking about your hobbies and aspirations.

He takes such an interest in you, he feels like more than just your professor— he feels like a friend. Someone who understands you better than your own parents. Like a comforting hug after a hard day, you feel safe in his presence. Important, special. One of a kind. As if you’re the only two people left in the world and all the spotlight is on you. That’s all you’ve ever wanted since he began to notice you in his classes, for his undivided attention and now you have it, you don’t want to let it go.

“So, if you hadn’t chosen law as your major, what would you have gone for?” he asks with genuine curiosity as he pops a french fry into his mouth. Not once has he asked you a question just for the sake of conversation, he’s truly been interested in your responses.

“Hm, probably art history,” you answer truthfully and his sapphire gaze sparkles in amazement at you.

“Art history?” He sounds surprised amid the mouthful of potato and he hurries to finish chewing and swallowing before continuing, “Wow, that’s…”

“Surprising?” you finish.

“Something like that,” Andy chuckles softly, wiping at the corner of his lips with a serviette. “They’re just such different interests.”

You give a little shrug. “I guess.”

“What made you choose law?”

You’re grateful that he briefly glances down at his plate, breaking eye contact as you toy with confessing the real reason behind your decision. Heat creeps into your cheeks as your lips twitch, threatening a smile and you realise you don’t want to be dishonest, even if it is for something innocent.

“Honestly?” you pause, sucking in a deep breath. “You.”

“Me?” he coughs in surprise. “Why?”

“I remember seeing a lecture on YouTube,” you explain shyly. “You spoke with so much passion, and you inspired me.”

Andy takes a moment to let the words sink in, and when they do, it’s obvious. Glee radiates from his features like a lighthouse beacon shining out to sea. And you’re the boat sailing towards him in search of shelter.

You can’t take your eyes off the way he fingers another french fry, brings it up to his lips and pops it into his mouth. How can such a mundane action be so alluring? He catches your gaze before breaking it and looks down at his plate, a small smile catching at the corners of his lips. Elation fills your chest at the tiny gesture and you reach for your soda, attempting to stifle your own grin as you take a sip.

Your stomach does somersaults, the distinct fluttering that you usually get when his thumb catches yours as he hands you back your perfectly graded papers.

“Thank you,” he offers softly. “That means a great deal.”

“I’m glad,” you respond, flashing him a timid smile. “You may feel like none of your students really care, but I do.”

Andy smiles again. “I appreciate it.”

“And I don’t just mean about your class.”

The way he holds your gaze over the top of his soda cup makes your core tighten. Like he’s trying with his eyes to convince you not to feel the things you do.

Eventually, he pops the straw from his mouth and clears his throat. “It’s late, it’s probably time I get you home.”

You don’t make it home, or even out of the deserted parking lot. One innocent brush of fingers as he holds the car door open for you sees him pulling you into the back of his fancy Audi in between fevered kisses and frantic touches.

The air inside the car is stifling as Andy’s beard scrapes across your jaw, his lips encased around yours. You sit beside him, desperately clutching at the lapels of his suit jacket as he pulls you towards him by the curve of your waist through your blouse.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” you breathe out when he moves to kiss his way down your neck. You instantly regret saying the words, hoping he doesn’t respect your wishes because deep down, you want this.

You want his lips lower… and lower… and lower.

As you feel him pause against the skin of your throat, you hurry to tell him, “Please. Keep going.”

With renewed permission, his hands roam your body, taking the time to worship you in ways boys your age couldn’t dream of. The trail of goosebumps Andy leaves in his wake is proof that he knows exactly where to touch you to elicit the kind of moans that sizzle across your tongue.

“Tell me to stop,” he mutters between heavy kisses, his hand creeping beneath your blouse. “I’ll stop.” You don’t say anything. You don’t want him to stop. Ever. “But you just feel so good.” His thumb runs over your pebbling nipples through your bra, circling them until your breasts ache to be touched.

You encourage him with little whimpers, eager to feel his hands on your untouched skin. Andy expertly unbuttons your blouse and tugs down the cups of your bra. He glances down briefly, smiling at the sight of your bare breasts before giving you what you want. His hands are scalding on your flesh and you writhe in his grip, pushing your breasts further into his palms. His lips trail hot and wet over your collarbone, moving lower as he gently suckles the skin as if he’s trying to drink the flavour right out of you. He finally kisses down over the curve of your naked breast, beyond the imaginary boundary he had set for himself, and you let out a moan when his tongue flicks across your erect nipple.

Running your hands through his hair, you tug gently on his roots when he takes the hardened bud into his mouth and rolls it between his lips. Flames of heat roll and twist in the depths of your gut as he lets your nipple go with a resounding pop, kissing his way back up your jaw to smother your lips in fresh kisses.

Andy places his hand precariously on your thigh, waiting for you to mutter your consent before smoothing his hand beneath your skirt. His fingers glide over the seat of your saturated underwear as he rubs your clit in slow, purposeful strokes.

You reach down to return the favour, laying your hand flat over his swollen groin, unsure of what to do next. You’re not inexperienced by any means, but you’ve only got as far as over the clothes stuff and a little dry humping. This is entirely new.

Andy seems to like it though, groaning into your kisses as he pulls his hand out from under your skirt and begins fiddling with his belt. He gently encourages you to look down and your eyes bulge as you take in the sight of his thick, veiny cock protruding from the gap in his pants.

“I, uh, I’ve never done… this before,” you admit, embarrassed.

Andy cups your head between his hands and makes you look at him, his soft blue eyes warm and inviting.

“It’s okay,” he smiles wide, “I’ll talk you through it.”

You nod silently, nibbling nervously on your bottom lip. He smiles at you and lowers his hands, curling one back around his cock as you glance down at his lap. You watch the way he gently pumps his shaft, his hips bucking upwards ever so slightly each time his hand slips down to the root.

“Wrap your fingers around it,” he instructs huskily, letting go to allow you to take over. You reach out, hand shaking and slowly grip the base of him. His flesh is pulsing hot within your hold. “Yeah, just like that. Now move it up and down.”

Concentrating hard, you do as he says, sliding your hand up and down to the same languid motion he had shown you seconds before. Andy presses his forehead to your temple, his breath hot and heavy against your cheek.

You think you’re doing well just as his large hand overlaps yours and you blanch a little in shame.

“Mm, like this,” he grits out and begins to move your hand to a rhythm he has already preset in his mind. He tightens his grip around your fingers as his breath hitches high in his throat before letting go to give you the opportunity to continue your movements alone. You keep the pace magnificently, spurred on by the deep husk of the groans rumbling low in his throat.

“Yes, oh good girl, you are a fast learner,” he laughs, and you feel your chest swell with pride at the compliment.

“I have the best teacher, Sir,” you reply, turning to look at him. In a brief moment of brazenness, you press your mouth to his, nibbling along Andy’s bottom lip with a coy smile.

“Fuck,” he growls, capturing you in another heated kiss. “You’re doing so well.”

You don’t know what to say so you just nod, heat warming your cheeks as the praise makes you giddy. With his forehead pressed to yours, Andy grips the back of your neck, keeping your focus trained solely on him.

“Want you to look at me as I come,” he tells you. “Want you to see what you do to me.”

Again, you nod. Immediately he reaches out and grabs your hand, stopping you.

“Are you alright?” He eyes you with concern.

You swallow hard with yet another nod. “I’m fine.”

“We can stop right now if you’re not.”

Flashing him a wide, genuine smile you reassure him, “I promise. I just-just don’t know what to say.”

Andy laughs softly. “I’m sorry I get a little carried away.”

“Don’t be sorry, I like knowing I’m having this effect on you.”

He smirks. “What else do you like?” Slowly, he starts to drag your hand back up and down his shaft.

“Um, I don’t kno-”

“Do you like doing this to me?” He lets go, allowing you to carry on pumping his cock by yourself.

“Yes.”

“Tell me.”

“I like doing this to you,” you say shakily.

“Do I feel good?”

“Mm, yes.”

“What do I feel like?”

“Hard. Soft.” You scrunch up your nose, feeling silly but Andy doesn’t share the sentiment.

“Soft?”

“It feels… I mean, your skin is soft, it’s hot. Can feel you throbbing when I do this.” You run your hand back up his shaft and Andy’s cock pulses, just like you say he does.

His eyelashes flutter closed. “Oh fuck. Keep doing that.”

You obey happily, your embarrassment fading the harder Andy starts to pant, “don’t stop,” on a tumbled loop.

He begins to fuck up into your hand. “Wish this was your pussy.”

“I wish it was too,” you whisper back, and feeling brave, you add, “Bet you’d feel so big inside me, Sir.”

“Fuck!” he roars, his face scrunching up tight. “Keep saying that.”

The way he reacts inspires you to continue. “That I want you inside me?”

“Ye-yes.”

“That I want you to fuck me?”

“Oh shit.” He presses a chaste kiss to your lips. “Keep going.”

You don’t know where the confidence suddenly comes from. Or where you find the words, but they come tumbling out anyway.

“I’ve wanted you from the first day we met. I dream about you bending me over your desk and fucking me while people walk past your office. You have to put your hand over my mouth to keep me quiet as you make me come all over your cock.”

“Fuck, I’m gonna,” Andy shouts and pulls your face close, his azure stare piercing as he falls silent. He can’t keep his eyes open as his body goes rigid and he suddenly explodes in your hand, his hot gooey seed spurting out in ropes all over his pants. As the last of his spend dribbles out, you slow your rhythm and eventually he sags against the backseat with a loud contented sigh and you finally let go, your hand sticky white.

You sit beside him, watching his breathing slowly return to normal as his eyelashes flutter softly against his cheeks. It amazes you how much you love the sight of the light dusting of claret to his cheeks and the sheen of sweat across his brow, knowing you caused this. You made him breathless and hot. You made him come. You.

Slowly, he licks his lips, giving you a lazy smile as he opens his eyes. You return it tenderly.

“Should probably clean this up, huh?” he laughs, glancing down at the mess of his cock and your hand.

“Got any tissues?”

“Don’t think I do.”

“Okay, nevermind,” you shrug. Still feeling flashes of confidence buzz through your veins, you bring your hand up and suck his cum right off your thumb, followed by your index finger, making sure to keep your eyes locked with him the entire time.

Andy’s eyes widen in amazement and he sits up, grabbing the back of your neck to pull you in for another lust-heavy kiss. “Fuck,” he breathes, “I think I love you.”

It’s meant as a joke. But in your giddy teenage mind, you take it literally.

***

ALL CE: @buckymydarlingangel @broadwaybabe18 @captain-asguard @chamberofsloths @cevansgurl @dreamlessinparis @deanwinchesterswitch @fandom-princess-forevermore @hurricanerin @jvstjewels @kellhems @la-cey @ladybug05 @livstilinski @ladydmalfoy @mugi-chwan95 @navybrat817 @otomefromtheheart @oneoftheprettynerds @patzammit @rebel-stardust @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @sammykb1994 @syrenavenger @straywords @saiyanprincessswanie @sunwardsss @selfsun @threeminutesoflife @vicmc624 @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @xoxonotme

4EVS: @amirra88 @andreasworlsboring101 @b3autyfuldisast3r @cheesyclaire @chibijusstuff @dangertoozmanykids101 @daughterofthenight117 @dandywinchesterbras @deangirl93 @doozywoozy @foxyjwls007 @geekofmanyforms @heyyouwiththeassbutt @i-opened-the-chamber-of-secrets @ilovefanfic86 @kind-of-crazy-butthatsokay @letsby @letsdisneythings @labella420 @mogaruke @maliburenee @notyourtypicalrose @nik2writes @obsessivelycapricious @patrick-hockslutter @princessmisery666 @phildunphyisadilf @roxyfan14-blog @sage-writing @sea040561 @sweeterthanthis @slutformarvelmen @simpformarvelmenandwoman @smokeandnailz @stoneyggirl @stoneyggirl2 @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @thegirlnextdoorssister @unfortunate-brat @warriorqueen1991 @xoxabs88xox

#andy barber #andy barber x you #andy barber x reader #andy barber fanfiction #defending jacob fanfiction #chris evans fanfiction

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xxgothchatonxx · 8 months

Text

Quick Claudia appreciation post for her 'birthday'.

Claudia is definitely one of the best vampire characters in the history of fiction. When I think of the tragedy of the vampire, I immediately think of Claudia. She follows a common trend in fiction that is against the idealized notion of the Immortal Child. A child that will never grow up, so can never fully experience life, never be able to live independently, and always be perceived as a sweet, delicate little child. So what sounds like a wonderful idea for adults, especially parents, would be hell for the child.

And she has been portrayed fantastically well on-screen (I haven't seen the musical, but i have heard I Want More and really liked it)

Kirsten Dunst gave one of the best performances I've ever seen a child actor give. She was 12 years old and had to act like she was in her 30s, and she nailed it. You really feel just how pissed off she was, being stuck as that "doll".

Bailey Bass did another wonderful take on Claudia, and more than held her own against her more experienced co-stars. This version also really hammers home how selfish Louis and Lestat were for making her the "band-aid for a shitty marriage". And by making her a teenager this version of Claudia highlights a tragic element of vampirism that most teen vampire stories never really talk about. She is stuck between life and death, but also childhood and adulthood.

And now we're getting to see Delainey Hayles, who I am very excited to see. Especially considering she's most likely going to perform arguably my favourite Claudia moment in the book - when she goes off at Louis, and even though I love Louis, her anger towards him and Lestat is 100% justified.

Honestly, to this day, Claudia is still my favourite female vampire.

#interview with the vampire #the vampire claudia #claudia de pointe du lac #claudia de lioncourt

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utilitycaster · 6 months

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You have such a way of articulating things I’ve been vaguely feeling into intelligent coherent statements. Would you care to elaborate on the way that how Laudna+Imogen “went canon” was a curse?

Hey anon,

Thank you! So this is the thing: obviously I tend towards a fairly critical and snarky demeanor, but like, the best way to put it is in the context of the impending Nein show. I, and most of the people I chat with who are also not feeling Imogen and Laudna's relationship, are not of the "if that PURPLE FLOATY HOMEWRECKER SKANK SHOWS UP I will EXPLODE and SCREAM and DIE" or "fjorester divorce" or pretending Yasha doesn't exist persuasion re: this relationship (or for that matter the WELL if Percy dies after 70 years of marriage to Vex and then she's with Keyleth for the rest of her life WE WIN type of person either). Like, honestly, there was a post advocating for a breakup, but I think it included within it an argument that they reunite after some time apart, and that's kind of the mood. I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. There's no ship war to be had. I don't dislike the ship because of competition or some fundamental dislike of the characters, and I honestly would like to be able to like it, and the path for it to not suck would have been immensely simple. That path even still exists, though with every week it grows narrow and less smooth and far more awkward, but I think it will require a pretty serious out of game conversation that as far as I know hasn't happen, and I am not holding my breath given the lack of movement.

That's why it's a curse: the generic form of this curse would be "may your ship become canon prematurely, with with only one person really invested, and that person not actually prepared for it or expecting it, and may it have virtually no moments and exist in a very plot-heavy work where it is almost certainly going to be largely out of focus, after the groundwork when things were quieter was never laid, and may it be so close to being good but consistently miss the opportunities for that to happen."

Just to recap the issues, stripping away all the past snark:

It's never really felt like these were two people who had been best friends for two years. They've always felt like friends of circumstance - like people you meet the first week of college and kind of go around with so as not to be alone, or the only other person your age on your street. Because they were both extremely lonely they clung to each other...but they really don't actually connect with each other much in conversation other than just kind of blandly repeating how much they mean to each other and never showing it. They have no real boundaries or limits with each other, likely because of that fear of being alone, but they aren't exploring that in a Heavenly Creatures or Thoroughbreds kind of way either. There's virtually no sense of history - no inside jokes, no shared experiences prior to Zhudanna except for one throwaway line that, like many of their interactions, fell flat. Like...I don't actually think that it's bad to aim for a platonic female friendship and end up with an F/F ship but like. Beau and Jester had a great platonic female friendship that happened to also include Beau's brief crush. Imogen and Laudna didn't even sell me on them being friends, let alone lovers. They have always felt like oddly clingy roommates. Their respective interactions with quite literally every other PC - few of which I find romantic and many of which I find explicitly not romantic - all feel like they have more depth. Orym is explicitly not attracted to either of them and they've both had more meaningful and honest moments with him. Pun unintended but they both felt infinitely more alive during the party split when they couldn't just go to their dull gray comfort zone of each others' meaningless repetitive affirmations.

Zooming into that lack of boundaries and conflict, there's no arc. Once characters get together often the conflict resolves, but there needs to be a build to that point, and we simply don't have that. The two points where this could have happened were: the gnarlrock fight, had it actually played out, could have led to a deepening of the relationship and some honestly and character development but due to what I am again interpreting as fear of losing the other to the point of never addressing any of these points of friction, it just resumed the status quo. Similarly, as I mentioned, Laura flat out said she went in expecting to be rejected. I think that story would have won me over. I think that if Laudna had rejected her, and Imogen had to grapple with that (and, by extension, Laudna's justified anger and trauma from the Team Issylra didn't disappear into thin air) and they spend some time actually figuring out who they are as individuals and Laudna lets herself be more than a validation machine who pushes her emotions down, and then eventually they come back around to each other? I'd be unbelievably on board. And you can go back, to my posts and others, in which we were pretty harsh on the fanon cottage cheese (yes, I am going to try to make this happen) version but said "I trust Laura and Marisha to do this in a way that is interesting" and then they straight-up didn't.

Obviously this has the potential to change - I even think the next episode is finally a case of maybe bringing all the Delilah stuff to a much needed head which in turn might introduce something into the relationship - but man it's been a whole lot of nothing since they kissed. I think Laura's initiated every single conversation, as mentioned Laudna can't even reciprocate 5 minutes of dancing on a ghost pirate ship without wandering off, and they didn't even bother to take watch together.

Something I keep going back to, and which ties into the above, is Brennan Lee Mulligan's whole discussion of how important character creation is to story. The thing is, these characters were created as close friends. Why does this feel so lacking? Like...why do Kima and Allura, two NPCs, feel like they have more weight? Why did the platonic relationship of Molly and Yasha, for which Ashley wasn't even present, feel like it actually was a friendship of 8 months? Sam and Liam came up with an entire system of grifts! Why is literally the only detail we have from the time between leaving Gelvaan and the time arriving in Jrusar is that at some point Imogen and Laudna saw someone with nipple tassles, and that came up once, like 60 episodes ago? Why are people so frequently sold on say, Loquatius/Laerryn, which had less than 24 hours of gameplay over a single night in-game? Why does every single Circle of Needle and Thread member relationship feel more real? Why were Aabria and Travis able to convincingly play ex-lovers in a handful of episodes despite Aabria deliberately surprising him? Like...I am not saying preparation wasn't done, because it very well might have been, but it's not coming through at all and plenty of other people have managed to get across an existing friendship or relationship in a fraction of the time, within the same campaign, so it's not that the plot is moving too fast for it. And again, if prep wasn't done, or if it's not coming across, that's really fixable, but it hasn't been fixed. I think of the 4SD episode where, five or six episodes later, Marisha and Laura still hadn't talked about the relationship and it's like...yeah. We can tell. Literally a two hour trip to a cafe would fix this but god I don't think there's been one.

Anyway, obviously this was an incredibly popular ship, but it's honestly slowed down noticeably since going canon because...it's not that great, and there's not much content in canon. I think a big appeal of the ship was the anticipation and the fanon and now that it's canon...I suspect a lot of people are quietly realizing that actually yeah this is kind of all it is, at least for now, and something is going to have to happen to bring about a change.

And I hope so too - I joke about being a hater, and I am very much a critic...but this really is the realization of that post about being more of a dismayer than a hater. Laura's past two ships are probably my favorites, and Beauyasha is high up there, and even as Vaxleth isn't really up my alley it's sweet and it makes sense and has a lot of great moments. It really would not take a lot of work to make this ship good or at least okay and not...nothingness, but it does take some, and I haven't seen it.

#answered #Anonymous #cr tag #long post

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lilac-ravenclaw · 26 days

Text

Hello! With finishing Hogwarts Legacy recently, I wanted to draw my mc, Raven Fawlty. Used Procreate to draw her, and I'm super happy with how she turned out. ✨🌙

⇩ Find more of my art here ⇩

General Info

Name: Raven Fawlty - { reason for her name for me } “Ravens” often represents ancient wisdom, transformation and intelligence. The name “Raven” means “dark haired or wise”. “Fawlty”… honestly this was a gimmick at first. As I love the show, Fawlty Towers with John Cleese. Ran in the 70s, with only a handful of episodes, but it was hilarious and it was the first name I could think of when creating my character.

Birthday: January 29, 1874 { The Raven was published in 1845 }

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Sex/Gender: Female { she/her }

Ethnicity: Latina and English

House: Ravenclaw

Wand:

Stalk: Dark Brown

Wood type: Willow

Core type: Unicorn Hair

Flexibility: Reasonably Supply

Wand Length: 12”

Handle: Checkerboard - Blue

Patronus: Black Bear

The Black Bear is known for their adaptability and resourcefulness. Others will see her as a fierce opponent who will protect herself and those close to her. Only those close to her will know of that softer side she usually keeps hidden away.

Physical Appearance

Eye color: Violet

Skin color: Tan/light brown, with olive undertones.

Hair: Long length and black, usually worn in a braid.

Height: 5’1” (155cm)

Weight: 110lbs (49kg)

Body type: Hourglass and petite

Birthmarks: small mole on the face, left cheek

Fashion style: Loves wearing a comfortable trouser, but will still wear a button up blouse and a skirt. Doesn’t care for the traditional school robe, but favors a nice blazer/jacket when needed.

Accessories: Pierced ears for small earrings, (wears a pair of snake gold snake earrings Sebastian gave to her as a birthday gift).

History

Place of birth: Somewhere in the UK

Childhood: Grew up in orphanage in London. Doesn’t know who her parents are, or her real name. She has a love for literature and took the name “Raven” after Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, The Raven. The orphanage she resided in was very strict and had a harsh living environment. The caretaker was mean to the children, much like a Miss Hannigan from the show Annie. So much so, that is how Raven acquired her last name “Fawlty”. A homonym for “faulty”, meaning of faults, inadequate, or wrong. (Which is also why the show, Fawlty Towers, got its name too.) Unknowingly to be a future Ravenclaw, took the insult of a name as a challenge to succeed and learn all she could and be the best version of herself.

Family history: Her father originally from South America and went to Castelobruxo, a wizarding school in Brazil. Being from the heart of the Amazon rain forest, he had a profound love for magical creatures. Which is where Raven gets her love for magical creatures as well. He had traveled all over the world and eventually made his way to Europe where he met Raven’s mother, was also traveling abroad as well. She had also attending Hogwarts in her youth, being a former Ravenclaw too. She loved astronomy, and music literature (her mother, Raven's grandmother, was a music instructor). It is unknown what happened to her parents in their untimely death, and how Raven ended up at the orphanage. **Keep in mind, Raven herself doesn’t know this. I just wanted to write this down to know where she gets her personality and interests come from ☺️**

Notable events/milestones: Raven always knew somehow.. she was different. Though, according to the wizarding world’s standards, it took a little longer for her powers to emerge. Even small things would happen here and there, without her realizing what had happen and that she was the cause of such strange occurrences. Until one day when the orphan keeper (the person who runs the orphanage) was “disciplining” one of the children and Raven stepped in to protect them and that enough was enough. She had forced a large shelf to fall over onto the orphan keeper… it was as if what she was thinking became a reality. Afraid of what would happen, Raven ran away, seeking shelter where she could. As Professor Fig was assigned the task of giving Raven her letter and bringing her to Hogwarts, it still took no time at all for Professor Fig to find Raven even though she was missing from the orphanage. She was hesitant at first but overall wasn’t scared at all, and actually was relieved to know there were others like her. A whole world like her just waiting to be apart of and that was the happiest day in her life.

Other notes: She had studied with Professor Fig for the duration of the summer before starting at Hogwarts. Having only gained her powers after the school year had finished. He had become the first father figure to Raven.

Psychological Traits

Personality type: INFP (Mediator) is a personality type with the introverted, intuitive, feeling and prospecting traits. These rare personality types tend to be quiet, open-minded, and imaginative, and they apply a caring and creative approach to everything they do.

Personality traits: intelligent, witty, adventurous, warm, courageous, emotionally intuitive, and quick-thinker.

Introvert/Extrovert: Sometimes both. Loves to be around her close friends, but doesn’t mind spending time alone reading a good book or flying on her broom.

Hobbies: Star-gazing, tending to the magical beasts in the Vivarium, reading, and singing.

Loves: Flying on her broom and singing in the choir.

Morals/Virtues: Values being compassionate and always being there for her friends/loved ones at a moment’s notice. Tries to do right by them and stand by their side when times are tough. She knows what it feels like to be alone in certain situations and doesn’t want her friends to go through the same thing.

Phobias/Fears: Being trapped in a “cage” and being forgotten.

Relationships

Love Interest: Sebastian Sallow… From the very beginning she felt like there was some sort of connection, but was a bit too oblivious to see it at first. He’s very charming and almost flirtatious with other girls, so figured she wasn’t any different. Sometimes she will catch him sneaking a glance in her direction during class, while studying in the Library or at mealtimes in the Great Hall. It was so easy to stand by him and help him find a cure for his sister without even a second thought. It may have been foolish, but Raven knows what it’s like to have no support when at your lowest. To feel like all hope is lost. She can understand losing your parents at a young age.

Parents: Deceased, Names Unknown

Grandparents: Unknown, Names Unknown

Best friends: Poppy Sweeting and Natsai Onai

Friends: Ominis Gaunt, Garreth Weasley, Amit Thakker, and Imelda Reyes

Rivals: Leander Prewett, not in a bad way. It's mostly a friendly competition when playing Summoner's Court.

Enemies: Peeves the Poltergeist, damn him for catching them in the Library!

Clubs: Crossed Wands, Summoner’s Court, and Hogwart's Glee Club ( was super hesitant in trying out for the school's choir, but her best friends Poppy and Natsai gave her the confidence she needed to try out).

If you’ve made it this far then thank you so much for reading. Hope you enjoyed learning about my MC✨💙

#hogwarts legacy #portkey games #hogwarts legacy mc #ravenclaw #ancient magic #hogwarts legacy fanart #procreate #digital drawing #ipad pro #character design #character sheet #character art #artists on tumblr #illustration

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callsignthirsty · 2 years

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OMG THIRSTY YOUR SUGGESTION BOX IS OPEN UMMM, first of all hi I love you, second I was thinking maybe a maverick x femPILOTreader can (her call sign be avalanche?) were they are a thing that only goose and carol know about, but not really just “casual sex” in mavs words, then ice starts flirting HARD with the reader and mav gets jealous and makes a big scene and they end up breaking up over it (cause maverick is too hard headed) and he regrets it forever but says nothing (that man won’t swallow his pride) and maybe a time skip to top gun maverick? Where he and the reader are called back together to train the team (is this too much?), I think it’d be cute to see mav fall in love all over again (not really cause he never forgot her) with her and be together in the end. Bonus points if she is like an aunt to rooster cause she was also good friends with the Bradshaws. I don’t know if it’s something you’d like to write or if it’s really not up your alley. Sorry if it’s a mess not good at explaining my self, anyway I hope you have a lovely day ❤️❤️❤️

Hey there @i-wear-wet-socks313 — Thanks for sending in your suggestion. There was a lot to unpack with this one, so I hope you don’t mind that I shortened it a little bit by breezing over the events of the first movie. That said: it’s still fixing to be about 10k by the time I get around to publishing part 2 (yeah, that’s right, I had to break it into two parts!) But what can I say? Your suggestion definitely smacked me upside the head (and I liked it)! Be on the lookout for part two in the coming week or two ❤️

Pairing: Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x F!Pilot!Reader (call sign: Avalanche) Word Count: 7500 Warnings: Canon character death (x2), language, a general glossing over of movie events, the author knowing nothing about the Navy or aviation smut coming in part 2 Minors DNI

Call Sign: Avalanche

You hadn't kept in touch with Iceman since graduating from Top Gun. Honestly, you hadn't kept in touch with any of your classmates — it had been easiest to cut all ties. Despite this, you'd have had to be exceptionally observant not to notice the Iceman's rise within the ranks. Not that you hadn't done well for yourself but you were no Commander of the Pacific Fleet. So when Admiral Kazansky put in the call to have you transferred to North Island for a special assignment, you were flattered. Really. You figured that Iceman's recommending you for the job spoke to his appreciation for your shared craft and his belief that you could train the squad to do what needed to be done.

The good feelings last until you learn who you'll be expected to teach alongside.

Maverick.

That's when you see this assignment for what it is: a cruel joke.

Like Iceman, you haven't seen Maverick since your joint graduation ceremony in '85. Unlike Iceman, you actively worked to avoid Maverick. Because it was just your luck that you'd have a history with the Navy's best pilot.

You'd dated for months, though neither of you was brave enough to put words to it. Carole was, though. Date. Relationship. Love. Any time she mentioned it, your cheeks would flame, Maverick would awkwardly look away, and Goose would pull her into a hug, kissing her until she giggled and the topic was changed.

Those were the days. And in a kinder world, things would've stayed like that forever. Instead, Iceman had unintentionally swooped in and blown your good thing to shit.

But even you could admit that it wasn't entirely Iceman's fault. As much as you liked Maverick, you knew that you had to keep your relationship under wraps. Though the Navy allowed women within their ranks, getting the opportunity to become one of the first female naval aviators was still a hard-won privilege and one that you didn't take lightly. The last thing you wanted was for someone to call you out for fraternization and jeopardize your job. And though you looked at Maverick as if he'd hung the moon just for you, you knew that few others within the Navy viewed his endeavors — and you knew they'd consider you, an endeavor — similarly.

But as hard as you'd tried in the beginning, you hadn't been able to stop Maverick from worming his way into your affections. And, it appeared, your efforts were similarly wasted on Iceman.

When you first met Ice, you'd suspected he was a dime-a-dozen. Tall and confident and by the rules. Until you saw him fly. You had an ego like the other pilots who made it to Top Gun, but you, at least, knew when you were beaten. And Iceman had all of you beat. Well, except for Maverick. That appreciation, however, must have been misconstrued. Somewhere along the line, Iceman had gotten it in his head that sliding into the seat next to you at the O Club and flagging the bartender down to grab you a drink was a good idea. You hadn't known he was interested until it was already too late.

You couldn't even remember the words that blew your world to pieces. Only knew that Maverick had his hand around your arm, your drink spilled all down the front of your khakis as he'd hissed and spit until he was red in the face. "You want to fuck Kazansky. Fine. I won't stand in your way."

"Pete."

"I'm done." And he'd gotten on his bike and driven away.

It had been the end of your relationship but the beginning of Maverick's downward spiral.

Goose died the next day.

Maverick turned in his wings.

Iceman won the Top Gun trophy.

Maverick was called away to the USS Enterprise right after the graduation ceremony.

You were long gone before he came back.

But here he is. Strolling into the briefing late, clad in his dad's jacket and old jeans. His brows draw down in confusion when his eyes land on you, his head tilting. Assessing.

At least he hadn't been expecting you, either. Neither of you had the advantage.

"Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell." Cyclone draws Maverick's attention to himself, sitting behind his desk. "Your reputation precedes you."

"Thank you, sir."

Cyclone's frown deepens. "Wasn't a compliment." It does little to humble the smile on Maverick's face, so Cyclone goes on to introduce himself, Warlock, and yourself, though, from the casual greeting they shoot each other, you gather that he and Warlock have met before.

With little delay, Warlock goes on to outline the mission. "The target is an unsanctioned uranium enrichment plant built in violation of a multilateral NATO treaty. The uranium produced there represents a direct threat to our allies in the region. The Pentagon has tasked us with assembling a strike team and taking it out before it becomes fully operational."

Warlock goes through his slides. The plant is in an underground bunker at the end of a GPS-jammed valley guarded by an extensive surface-to-air missile array and fifth-generation fighters. "Which, in turn," Warlock continues with another click to zoom in on an aerial view of the nearby airstrip, "are backed up by a plentiful reserve of surplus aircraft. Even a few F-14s."

"Seems like we're not the only ones holding onto old relics." You'd have taken Cyclone's words personally if they hadn't been meant as a blatant attack on Maverick. As it is, Maverick ducks his head as if the shot at him is expected.

"What's your read, Captain?" Warlock breaks the stalemate.

Maverick looks at you briefly before clearing his throat and approaching the projector. You follow along in your own hastily scribbled notes as Maverick talks through the possibilities. GPS-jamming means F-35s are a no-go. The low-level laser-guided strike is about as tailor-made for the F-18 as a mission can get. Two precision bombs. Four aircraft flying in pairs. High potential for g-loc on the way out and a dogfight all the way home. But it can be done. Supposedly.

"It's been a while since I've flown an F-18, and I'm not sure who I'd trust to fly the other three, but I'll find a way to make it work."

And then Cyclone hits you with the twist: "We don't want you to fly it. We want you to teach it."

Twelve Top Gun graduates have been recalled for the special detachment. Among them: Bradley. You can pinpoint the moment Maverick sees Bradley on the board, and you almost feel bad, but Maverick had brought this upon himself. You'd been there to pick Bradley up after Maverick pulled his papers to the Naval Academy. Had jumped in your car and floored it to the Bradshaw residence to hold the boy — now a young man — as he'd sobbed fat, angry tears.

That doesn't mean you don't wince when Cyclone sticks his fingers into the open wound that will evermore be Goose. "Tragic what happened." Even you want to smack the Vice Admiral for that.

But if Maverick has the plan and Maverick is expected to teach the graduates… "Admiral Simpson," you say, breaking your silence as you close your notepad, "I fail to see why I'm needed for this detachment if Captain Mitchell has the planning and training under control." Professional. To the point. "So if you don't need me…." You stand and make for the door. The sooner you can slip away, back to your life without Maverick, the better.

"Not so fast," Cyclone interrupts your exit and leans forward against his desk. "Let me be perfectly blunt. You–" you turn to find him pointing a stern finger at Maverick "–were not my first choice. In fact, you weren't even on the list. You are here because of Admiral Kazansky. Now, Iceman happens to be a man I deeply admire, and he seems to think that you have something left to offer the Navy. What that is, I can't imagine. And he has assured me that you–" Cyclone's steely green eyes lock on you "–can keep him in check."

Well, isn't that rich? "With all due respect, Cyclone, I'm an Admiral for the United States Navy, not a babysitter."

"Well, for the purposes of this mission, it would appear that you are both." He tosses a file onto his desk, and you glare at it. Not only does Cyclone outrank you, but the orders technically come from the Commander of the Pacific Fleet. You could say 'no' and walk away, but unless you're officially dismissed, it's a career-limiting — possibly career-ending — move. Ultimately, you walk back to the desk to pick up the file and stack it on your notepad.

Satisfied, Cyclone turns his attention back to Maverick. "You don't have to take this job, but let me be clear: this will be your last post, Captain. You fly for Top Gun, or you never fly for the Navy ever again."

That night, as you pour over the mission file, you wonder what Kazansky is up to. There's no way he put you, Maverick, and Bradley all in the same place over a mid-life power trip. But you can't figure out what he's out to accomplish for your life.

— — —

Warlock introduces you and Maverick to the twelve graduates. Well, eleven — you both know Bradley. Cyclone is beside himself when Maverick throws away the F-18 NATOPS and shoots you a look, but what does he expect you to do? Fish it out of the trash? This is Kazansky's circus. He can fish the NATOPS out of the trash.

Bradley catches up to you as everyone disperses to get changed into their g-suits for the day's hops. "Why the hell is he here?" he asks, voice low but venom clear in his tone.

"Iceman."

"Figures." Bradley's lips pull into a tight line. "So, what do we do?"

You sigh, exhausted, and the day has only begun. "What we do best, baby bird. Fly."

Frustratingly, Maverick's just as good as you remember him. Better, even. The fire of his youth still there but tempered marginally by time. And you hate to admit it, but you're rusty. No one told you when you joined the Navy that the higher you climbed the ladder, the further you'd get from the sky. You're shot down once by Hangman — which you're sure he'll brag about later at the bar — but Maverick is untouchable.

You're already on the ground when Bradley touches down to do his own pushups. Once your arms have turned to jelly, you let Hondo go with a promise to count the rest for Bradley.

"I told you to fly, not lose your shit," you say once Hondo has walked far enough away to give you the illusion of privacy. Bradley glares at you before returning to his pushups, sweat dripping off his nose and onto the tarmac. "When you let him get to you like that, you give him the edge."

"What does it matter?" Bradley says, taking a seat and looking up at you for the first time since he was thirteen. "He's going to wash me out."

"I won't let him."

Bradley shakes his head. "Don't."

"I won't."

"Well, you couldn't stop him last time." And that's not fair. You weren't the one who'd pulled Bradley's papers. You hadn't even known until the deed had been done. Until Bradley was asking if he could stay with you for a while, and you insisted on driving to him. The same night Maverick's name had become a dirty word to both of you.

You do your best to keep the hurt off of your face. Bradley isn't mad at you; he's stressed and lashing out. But on base, you're still his superior officer. "The four best pilots will be on the mission. Whether that includes you or not, Rooster, is up to you. But it won't if you keep flying like that." You leave when your phone buzzes with a message to meet at Cyclone's office in — you check the time — ten minutes.

— — —

It's cathartic, you decide, to watch someone else lose their shit on Maverick. Unfortunately for Cyclone, though, this is one of the rare times that Maverick's rule-breaking has a defensible reason behind it.

"The hard deck will be much lower for the mission, sir," Maverick responds at your side.

"And it will not change without my approval!" Cyclone snaps. "Especially not in the middle of an exercise. And that cobra maneuver of yours? That could've gotten all four of you killed. I never want to see that shit again." All you do is shrug when Cyclone's stare focuses on you. You aren't sure what Iceman told Cyclone to make him think you could make Maverick behave, but you're not sure what you're supposed to do when you haven't spoken to the man in nearly forty years.

And then they're off again: Cyclone and Maverick. Oil and water.

"You have less than three weeks to teach them how to fight as a team and how to strike the target," Cyclone says, and he looks like he's ready to wave a hand, dismiss you all for the day, and pour himself four fingers of whiskey.

"And how to come home." Your head snaps to Maverick. His lips are parted as if he wants to say something else, but the words must escape him because instead, he repeats: "And how to come home, sir."

You try to swallow, but your throat is dry like sandpaper. Eyes wide, you stare at Cyclone. Coming home had never been a part of the training plan. This — Maverick is the first person to mention bringing the team home. A pit settles in your stomach as the realization of what you've been assigned to hits.

A suicide mission.

You're sending six people into enemy territory to die. Less, if you're lucky, but not everyone is coming home.

Cyclone chooses his next words carefully — "Every mission has its risks." — but they do nothing to settle you. Your blood is on fire, and you're simultaneously hot and cold, an icy sweat breaking out across your temples. "These pilots accept that."

"I don't, sir." Maverick's statement settles around you like a well-worn quilt. You shiver, despite yourself as a part of you that you'd believe to be long-dead flickers back to life. Because at that moment, in those words, you know that Maverick will do everything in his power to ensure everyone comes home. It feels like hope. Like trust. Clumsy fingers pull the feeling tighter around you.

"Every morning," Cyclone breaks the silence, "you will brief us on your instructional plans in writing. And nothing will change without my express approval."

"Including the hard deck, sir?" You're running through a plan to get all the paperwork together to lower the hard deck as soon as the question is past Maverick's lips because, much to your chagrin, Maverick is correct, and you should all be flying much lower to properly prepare.

"Especially the hard deck, Captain."

Without skipping a beat, Maverick hands a manila file over the desk to Cyclone. "Sir." And it appears that years of getting on Admirals' bad sides have prepared Maverick for this exact moment. You have to fight the twitch threatening to bring your lips up at the thought that Maverick knew he was going to break the hard deck and had come prepared with the paperwork already filled out.

When you regroup the next day, the hard deck sits much lower.

In two-plane teams, the graduates take turns flying the simulated course on their nav systems. And because you're going easy on them, they have both extra time and a higher ceiling than they'll have when they fly the actual mission. Even with these allowances, no one can make it to the end of the course. Except for Bradley, but he'd flown too slow despite Yale's insistence that they would be late.

As Maverick and Rooster argue over whether or not running the course in four minutes would be a death sentence, you can see the graduates' faces drop as they come to the same conclusion you'd come to in Cyclone's office: that this mission might not be doable.

"That's no time to be thinking about the past," Hangman says as if he couldn't stand that Bradley's ire had been aimed at anyone else.

Bradley's head whips to Hangman. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Something about this screams danger, but Maverick is frozen to the spot. "Rooster," you say, hoping you can get in front of this; calm Bradley before Hangman can dig his nails in and give him a shake.

Hangman leans back against his seat, a smile curling his lips. "I can't be the only one that knows that Maverick flew with his old man."

"That's enough." Maverick finally snaps out of whatever had held him silent before, but Hangman is undeterred.

"Or that Maverick was flying when his old man–"

"Lieutenant," you bark, "that's enough!" But it's too little too late. The fuse must have been lit before you and Maverick had been on the scene because Bradley is suddenly out of his seat, other graduates clamoring to their feet to grab him or push Hangman out of his reach.

Maverick throws himself into the middle, ordering each man to stand down while Bradley snarls, "You son of a bitch!"

When you get a hand on Hangman's shoulder, he shoots you a self-assured smile. "He's not cut out for this mission."

You shove him away from Bradley. "Walk."

Hangman's pale eyes land on Rooster. "You know it."

"I said walk, Lieutenant." You give Hangman another shove for good measure, and his feet finally begin to carry him away from the situation, but not before his eyes lock on Maverick's over his shoulder.

"You know I'm right."

Back in the hangar, Maverick dismisses the class. You march Hangman to an empty classroom to reprimand his piss-poor behavior. Hangman nods in all the right places, but you doubt any of your scoldings get through to him.

— — —

Getting all the graduates on the same page calls for a new strategy. They can fly the course on their navs until they're blue in the face, but it won't bring them closer together. Won't keep Hangman from leaving his wingman out to dry or light a fire under Bradley's ass. With a few ideas in mind, you arrive at the hangar early, hoping you can snag Warlock and go over some of your ideas before seeking approval from Cyclone.

Instead, you find Maverick.

"You're a bit early," you say as you take a seat atop one of the desks in the back row. And underdressed. It seems that he hasn't updated his wardrobe since the '80s. Instead of khakis, Maverick must have walked onto base today in his jeans and an old, white t-shirt.

Maverick jumps a little bit, then erases an errant mark on the whiteboard with the hem of his shirt and returns to what he was writing. "Yeah," he agrees. "Wanted to get here before everyone else."

Clearly. "And what's that?" you ask, gesturing at the board.

"Oh." Maverick stands back and taps at the board. "New plan for the day. I'd have talked with you about it, but…." He doesn't have your number.

Class on the beach.

Meet at The Hard Deck.

Wear civvies.

"What's at the beach?"

"Dogfight football," he says as if that explains everything.

You cross your arms. "This isn't volleyball all over again, is it?"

"No." Maverick shakes his head with a fond smile crinkling his eyes. “No, this is teambuilding.”

"Ah," you play along and nod as if that clears everything up. "I think that's exactly what Viper called it when he sent us to the volleyball court." More like when Jester had chucked the volleyball at Maverick's head, and Viper ordered he and Iceman get their posturing bullshit over with. They hadn't, of course, but it had been worth a try.

"He did, didn't he?" Before he can start fiddling with the whiteboard marker, Maverick caps it and sets it down. You wonder if he's thinking about it, too. The long summer days. How the sun beat down on all of you until your shoulders were red. Goose. "Let's hope this goes better, then."

When you arrive at the beach, Hondo's already there with two nerf footballs in his hands and a referee whistle around his neck. Maverick's bike is in the parking lot, but you don't see him when you scan the beach.

"Avalanche."

"Hondo."

"Anything I can help you with, ma'am?" Hondo shifts his weight from one foot to the other in the sand. Maybe Maverick had told him about your history, maybe he hadn't, but the two seem close enough. Whatever he does or doesn't know, Hondo doesn't let it come between your professional relationship.

"Just trying to figure out what dogfight football is."

The idea is all Maverick's, but the concept is pretty simple. Offense and defense at the same time. Score by running your ball into the opposing team's endzone before they run their ball into yours. Stop the other team from advancing by grounding their ball.

As Hondo gets into the hastily made-up rules, Maverick comes down from the bar, jeans rolled up to just below his knees and dragging a cooler behind himself. "You made it," he greets you, his movie star smile warm like the sun as the sea breeze tousles his hair.

"What's in the box?" you ask, hiding behind the question and your aviators. Instead of answering, Maverick opens the lid to reveal a multitude of cans. "Beer? On the job?"

"There's water in there, too," Maverick says, digging through the ice until he uncovers a water bottle and hands it to you. You drop the bottle back into the ice with a crunch. "The class on their way?" he asks as he closes the cooler.

"I'm not sure." So you fish your phone out of your pocket and send Bradley a quick text to make sure he's on his way with the others. Truthfully, you hadn't stuck around long enough to be sure. Had simply added your own note below Maverick's before leaving yourself.

Erase after reading.

The class shows up, and shirts come off. You fight to keep your eyes on Hondo as he separates you into teams. For someone pushing sixty, Maverick looks good. Trim waist, toned arms–

"Avalanche." Your attention snaps to Hondo as he motions you to the left. "Orange team."

After a quick huddle, both teams line up. Maverick and Bradley against you and Hangman. You don't have enough time to overthink it when Hondo blows the whistle, and you all take off at the snap.

By the time you stumble to the cooler for some water, you've lost track of the score. Hondo might know, but you doubt it. Laughter rang out from the group as Phoenix brought Fanboy down to the sand. Count on Maverick to succeed where others have failed.

"Looks like your plan worked," you call out as Maverick makes his way over to you, jeans wet and sandy from all the times he'd been knocked into the surf, aviators crooked on his face. You get off the cooler to grab him a water bottle as he sits in the nearby chair and pulls his shirt back on. When you turn around, he's beaming.

"Get him!" Halo screams, and you and Maverick look to where Hondo has intercepted a pass. He looks between the ball and WSO as if he's surprised before he runs, but he doesn't get far before — regardless of which team they're on — the aviators jump on him like a bunch of puppies. Screaming and laughing and wiggling as they bring Hondo to the sand. A laugh escapes you, and suddenly you and Maverick are laughing together. It feels good to laugh with him again.

Not even Cyclone's shadow can dim your shine, but Maverick does peak at him over his sunglasses. "Sir?"

"What is this?" Cyclone asks as everyone sets up again, none the wiser to Cyclone observing from the sideline.

"This–" Maverick gestures to the surf "–is dogfight football."

"Offense and defense at the same time," you say once you take a sip from your water bottle.

Ever critical, Cyclone asks: "Who's winning?"

"I think they stopped keeping score a while ago," Maverick says, his own water bottle crinkling as he drains it.

"This detachment still has some training to complete, Captain." His words are said to Maverick, but they're directed at both of you. Cyclone shooting you a look that says he expected you to do more to keep Maverick on Cyclone's track than go along willingly when he decides to play hooky. And maybe it's because this is the most fun you've had in years, but you'll readily admit that Maverick's plan had worked better than anything you'd wanted to run by Warlock. "Every available minute matters. So why are we out here playing games?"

Bob scores a touchdown, and Bradley lifts him onto his shoulders. Bob raises the ball above his head as the rest of the squad mills about them and chants, "Bob! Bob! Bob!"

"It's a teambuilding exercise, sir," you say, catching Maverick's surprised look out of the corner of your eye. "You asked him to create a team. There it is."

The three of you watch as the group runs into the ocean to cool off, only Hondo appears to be aware of their spectator, but Maverick raises a hand in his direction as if to let Hondo know that you have it handled.

"I expect them to be ready to fly tomorrow." By the time the graduates fish themselves out of the surf, Cyclone is long gone. And as they begin to walk around The Hard Deck with the promise of food and a few rounds of pool, Maverick's eyes find yours through your sunglasses.

"Well," Maverick sighs, hands clapping against his thighs, but he doesn't make to stand up. "I've gotta see if Penny will take some of these beers back."

You nod, dusting sand from your legs and shaking your shirt before pulling it over your head. "Make sure they drink some water," you say because you remember what it was like to be young and in the Navy. "I don't want Cyclone on our asses about them being hungover tomorrow."

"You heading out?" He rises to meet you.

"Yeah." You pat down your pockets to make sure that you have your keys. "It's about that time."

"Stick around," Maverick says when your keys jingle in your pocket. "Penny makes a mean burger."

Mean might be an exaggeration, but it turns out that Penny's burgers are pretty good. You hadn't expected much from a Navy bar, but credit where it's due and all that. By the time Maverick finds you at your booth, he's returned all but two of his beers and passes one of them to you. "I'd have gotten you a glass, but I already paid for these, so…" he trails off, and now that you can see his eyes, he looks uncomfortable standing at the end of your booth.

Maybe you're still running on the endorphins from your teambuilding exercise, or your newly blossoming trust is making you do some weird shit, but you decide to accept the can that Maverick offers you. You crack it open and take a sip, nodding to the bench across from you. Maverick jumps at the chance and slides onto the seat, his elbows resting on the table as he takes a gulp of his beer.

"So," you say, not entirely sure where to start with how long it's been since you've willingly engaged in a conversation with Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, but you're in a mood to humor him, "still a Captain, huh?"

Maverick chuckles. "A highly decorated Captain." It sounds like he's been saying it for years.

The conversation is stilted. Strictly professional. But it's more than you've been willing to give Maverick in years. The conversation is shot dead when the jukebox is unplugged, and Maverick gets a faraway look on his face as Bradley begins tickling at the piano keys. Before long, the rest of the bar is scream-singing Great Balls of Fire along with him, but your silence stretches even after Bradley moves on to the next song. And the next.

Your anger rises with each change of the keys. Finally, you can't take the silence any longer. "It was wrong what you did." It's the least of what you've wanted to say to him for years.

"I did what I had to."

"Bullshit," you grit. You see red. Because who the fuck did — does — Maverick think he is? "You had no right–"

"Carole asked me to do it." He says it so softly that you almost miss it between the clack of the pool table and din of conversation. Of all the defenses you'd been expecting, all the excuses you'd imagined over the years, you'd never…

"What?"

"She– Well, she–" he stumbles over his words. A couple non-starters until he can finally spit it out with a careful look in Bradley's direction. "She never wanted him to fly. Not after what happened to Goose." So there it was. What you'd always assumed was Maverick's own selfish reason for keeping his best friend's son from flying.

But it wasn't his selfish reason. Fuck! You stared into your can, the carbonation fizzing against the thin metal until you could feel it beneath your fingers.

Fuck. You'd had Maverick wrong for years. Bradley had him wrong.

Maverick clears his throat when you don't have anything to say to his overdue confession. "She made me promise before she died."

"How long?"

"The next day," Maverick gives you a sad little smile.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

You still hate it, but you begrudgingly get it now. Years later. Maverick hadn't wanted to pull Rooster's papers. Carole had put him in an impossible position. "You could've lied." You hate to even offer it up. It feels wrong the second the suggestion slips past your lips. Who lies to their friend on the deathbed? But Carole wouldn't have known. She could have died in peace, and Bradley would've been none the wiser.

"I couldn't bring myself to tell her, then…" he shakes his head. "Anyway, I knew Bradley would fly." He gestures across the table at you. "Knew you'd be there to help him get back on track."

But something about all of this still doesn't sit right with you. "Why not just tell him?" You abandon your beer and lean across the table, catching Maverick's downcast eyes. "He's… It would've hurt in the moment, but you've had years." An urge seizes you, and you have to fight every instinct in your body telling you to reach across the table. To cradle Maverick's hand in your own and rub some comfort into the old bones beneath tan skin. "You have to know by now that he'd have understood." That he'd still understand. He'd be angry, but he'd understand.

For all that you were the wind in Bradley's sails after their falling out, you knew you'd always be a piss poor replacement for Bradley's Uncle Mav. God, you wished Goose was there to knock some sense into him.

Maverick takes another sip of his beer, his gaze on Bradley, surrounded by his teammates by the piano. "It's better this way," he says. "I'd rather him hate me than resent her."

"You're an idiot if you think Bradley ever could've hated Carole."

A smile tugs at the corner of Maverick's lip, but his dimples don't pop. "No one ever accused me of being smart."

— — —

You and Maverick play the role of intercepting fifth-gen fighters while the graduates practice the course at speed and attempt to hit an old refrigerator in the middle of the desert meant to simulate the underground bunker.

The day doesn't go as planned.

It starts with several unsuccessful runs, then Coyote going into g-loc, followed by a bird strike that forces Phoenix and Bob to eject. Your hands, steady in the cockpit, shake once you touch down while you try to keep your mind from spiraling. You try to do simple math in your head, and when that isn't distracting enough, you force yourself to look at the positives: Coyote is fine; Phoenix and Bob punched out, their parachutes deployed, and a helicopter is picking probably picking them up right now; Bradley hadn't been in the air.

Bradley.

Thinking about your baby bird makes your breath catch. Heart beating in your throat. How was he handling all of this? Had he watched them punch out? Had he ever–?

Before you can go to him, Maverick is there. "Hey," he says with a hand on your shoulder, and you don't brush it off. The touch is grounding. It's the only thing keeping you from entering a flat spin. "Are you okay?" All you can think is that you should be asking him that. What you muster is a nod. It's been a while since you've been in the air when something had gone wrong, and your mind keeps circling back to Goose. Maverick's eyes study yours before he ushers you toward the building. He asks you to wait before disappearing into the men's locker room and returning with a manilla folder. "Think you can bring Cyclone tomorrow's lesson plan?"

You accept the folder, looking at the thick card stock in your hands. "Where're you going?"

Hesitation and desperation war in his eyes. "Rooster." Ah. Yeah. That makes sense. You want to go after Bradley yourself, but Maverick needs it.

You swallow to wet your dry throat. "Yeah," you croak. "Good. Yeah. I'll make sure he gets it."

Maverick's hand squeezes your shoulder. "Thank you." Then he's gone down the hallway, peering through windows as he goes.

But bad news always comes in threes.

The call comes in while you're defending Maverick's lesson plan.

You hadn't even known that Iceman was sick.

Warlock offers his condolences to Cyclone, then dips out of the room to find Maverick and deliver the news. Seconds later, footsteps hurry past the door and out of the base. A door slamming as the rumble of a bike disappears into the distance.

You stand with your old Top Gun class at the service. Well, the ones who had been able to show up. Slider. Hollywood and Wolfman. Viper.

Ron had tried to get approval to fly one of the jets overhead, but his request had been denied, which, you thought, eying his hands as they shook during the eulogy, was probably for the best. After the service, the five of you grab a drink for old time's sake, and Viper pours one out for your fallen comrade. Maverick doesn't join.

But when it rains, it pours.

An email is all the warning you get that Cyclone is taking over the mission. Maverick's career as a naval aviator is over, but yours isn't. You're expected to stay on. Without Iceman to fight for him, Maverick is grounded. All over the world, you're sure, admirals and air bosses were breathing a collective sigh of relief — but to your surprise, you weren't among them.

For the first time since joining the Navy — with his best friend gone and his career at large buried alongside his wingman — Maverick is well and truly on his own.

Everyone is given a day off to mourn and collect themselves while Cyclone develops a new game plan.

New orders come through the following day. You arrive on base early and are briefed on the latest mission parameters, but they make you feel like you've swallowed lead. It's a feeling you can't shake while you change into your flight suit, a voice in your ear buzzing that you're sending your team off to an early grave. You're on your way to run through preflight to fly an example of Cyclone's plan when you swear you see Maverick out of the corner of your eye.

You squint through the early morning sun. "Maverick?" He puts a finger to his lips and waves you over, and with a quick look around, you go to him. When you're close enough, he pulls you into the shadow of the hangar he's hiding behind so neither of you will be seen by officers about their dailies. "What are you doing here?" you ask, quiet this time. "Cyclone said that you were done."

"Yeah," Maverick said, his eyes sparkling with mischief, "I'm sure he'd like to believe that."

"I don't like that look." But you're smiling.

"A lot of people 've been saying that lately." He smiles back. Then: "I'm going to steal a jet."

"Come again?"

Maverick holds his hands up to calm you down. You must've been loud in your surprise because he's looking around the tarmac like he expects to be found out any second now. "The only way they come home is the way we've been teaching them," he says, and it's truth. You both know it. The squad knows it. Cyclone knows it.

Every mission has its risks. These pilots accept that.

"I won't drag you down with me, but if you could just — I don't know — distract the ground crew while I climb into one of the F/A-18s, I'll deny that you had any part in–"

You hand Maverick your helmet. "Take mine."

"What?"

"I'm set to fly the course in–" you check your watch "–at the top of the hour." With your helmet in Maverick's hands, you begin loosening the strap that fits under your chin so it'll go on easier for him. "Keep your head down and use signals during preflight or you won't make it off the ground."

"Avalanche–"

"Cyclone doesn't think it can be flown, but it can," you say and place your hands on Maverick's shoulders. "Prove him wrong."

"Thank you."

"Turn 'n' burn, Mav."

You make your way to the class after you watch Mav take off in your plane. As luck would have it, you arrive just as your plane appears on the screen.

"Avalanche," range control crackles through the comms, "you are approaching point Alpha. Confirm green range."

"Copy, Range control. Green range is confirmed." Cyclone's eyes find yours when he starts at the very decidedly not feminine voice that responds to the tower.

"Umm… Avalanche?"

"Maverick."

"We have this event scheduled for Avalanche, sir."

"Well, I'm going anyway," Mav says. "Setting time to target: two minutes and fifteen seconds."

You might be the only person in the room who isn't surprised when Mav pulls off his stunt.

Cyclone takes off from the hangar with Warlock hot on his heels. You follow as they pass you by.

"You were supposed to keep him in line," Cyclone says, but he doesn't turn to look at you. Warlock does, you even think he understands why you did it, but Warlock wasn't the one Mav had to convince.

"With all due respect, sir–"

"Dismissed."

Your steps falter. "What?"

Cyclone shoots you a glare over his shoulder. "Go home, Rear Admiral. We will discuss this later." Then to Warlock: "Bring Mitchell to my office. Now."

With no other way to contact him, you head to the Hard Deck, knowing Mav will find you there eventually. You hope he's got good news when he does.

Mav takes significantly longer to show up than you'd anticipated, which is either good or bad. It's a busy night at the bar, the jukebox plays hit after hit, and one unlucky sod has the bell run on him for disrespecting a lady. No one is tossed overboard. You've only managed to drink half of your beer, your stomach lurching uneasily each time you take a sip, and your eyes jumping to the door every time it swings open, unsettled with the knowledge that you all ship out in the morning. That this was the last chance Mav had to prove the mission could be flown, to change Cyclone's mind before the team was selected. That he — you — might have been too late.

Then he shows up. Nostalgia personified in his dress whites, cap tucked beneath his arm as Loverboy croons over the clink of glasses and laughter that fills the bar. Your breath catches in your throat.

This is it. The moment of truth.

Mav's face gives nothing away as he leans in close enough for his breath to tickle your ear. "Take a walk with me?" You abandon your room-temperature beer and follow Mav onto the deck and down to the beach. He lets out a bone-deep sigh as his dress shoes fill with sand.

"What's with the whites?" You're shooting for casual, but you're practically shaking. Is this a final night of glory? A swan song? A victory lap?

"Just seemed appropriate." Mav shrugs and drags out your suffering.

"So," you say, drawing it out until the vowel is lost in the breeze, "did you get canned?"

"No." You give him a look, and he relents. "Close, but no."

The surf fills the silence, but there's only so much it can do before the space between you grows stale. The moment to say something has almost passed when: "Spit it out. We aren't getting any younger."

"I've been appointed team leader."

It crashes into you like waves against the hull of a carrier. The whites, the solemn expression. This is supposed to be goodbye.

"Don't go." And you mean it. Don't even have to think about it.

But Mav's eyes stay on the water. Dark waves gliding up the sand and retreating. "I have to."

"No. You don't."

His shoulders stiffen; you can see it clear as day with the way his whites contrast the inky black of the night sky. "Is that an order, Admiral?"

You scoff. "No. If it was, you'd just break it." Mav chuckles despite himself. "It's a request. From a friend." But the request feels hollow when you put it that way. Tastes like a lie on the back of your tongue.

"I'm the only one who's flown the course in the timeframe. It has to be me."

"Please," you say because you aren't above pleading. Because you're desperate and running out of reasons.

"I love you." The words feel like ejecting without a parachute. Like diving headfirst into an alpine lake at the height of summer — frigid water filling your lungs as you gasp. "Never stopped, but," he pauses, meets your gaze with his own, and for the first time, Mav seems every bit his age. You can't help but feel that he looks all the more handsome for it. "I wanted to say it now. In case I don't get the chance to, later."

You pull him into a kiss and breathe him in like water. Longing. Lingering. Drowning. Mav allows himself to sink beneath the surface with you before his hands cover your own on his cheeks and pulls away. He takes a step back, surfaces, stumbles slightly in the sand. "When I come back," he promises.

And that's precisely what echoes in your head when you hear that Dagger One has gone down.

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#thirsty's suggestion box #user: i-wear-wet-socks313 #pete maverick mitchell x reader #pete maverick mitchell x f!reader #maverick x reader #pete mitchell x reader #top gun 1986 #top gun: maverick #tg:m #top gun fanfiction #pilot!reader #fic: call sign: avalanche #call sign: avalanche pt. 1 #pt. 2 coming soon

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guardianspirits13 · 2 years

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Yeah I'm sorry but imo the best female marvel hero yet is Scarlet Scarab (aka Layla El Faouly) and it is precisely because she wasn't created to fit either of Marvel's two "woman hero" categories, those being a) sexy and b) feminist. I find this to be primarily because her character was not created to fill Disney's quota of empty "progressiveness" which more often than not overshadows any passion to tell a good story.

Her character is consistently a much-needed grounding presence for Marc and Steven and she keeps their mission on track throughout the series. I honestly think the complexity of her history with Marc and her curiosity about Steven give her more agency than having a strictly non-romantic female lead for the sole purpose of subverting stereotypical tropes.

As for the heroic side of her character, I think the nature of being an avatar in this story being one of self sacrifice and relinquishing an amount of control over your own life allows for a natural subversion of an empowered female hero trope. In this story, being an avatar is not 'fun' or 'cool'. It is incredibly taxing and often exploitative, and Layla's choice to accept Tawaret's offer to be an avatar is a much better show of empowerment and selfless heroicism than other Marvel shows/movies where these powers typically come with feelings of confidence (pride?) and social leverage.

The only female heroes I can think of who comes close to her in this regard are Valkyrie, Kate Bishop, and perhaps Wanda (although I have not seen Multiverse of Madness yet and since here her heroicism is in a grey area I am hesitant to include her). Shuri is also a bit of a grey area since I think she needs a bit more screen time for the 'heroing' thing. Pepper Pots also is a grounding figure for Tony, but her experience as a hero is not only limited, but also feels devoid of personal merit. While obviously the main contenders for criticism of Marvel's portrayal for female characters are Captain Marvel and Black Widow (especially in eariler movies), this little rant mostly derives from the She Hulk trailer.

Keep in mind that I am also specifically referring to "hero" type characters and Marvel's ability (or lack thereof) to balance women having normal lives and personalities with them having powers and being heroes. As far as non-heroes, Karen Page from Daredevil takes the cake for me.

#moon knight #layla el faouly #she hulk #many thoughts here today #mcu #getting controversial here?#perhaps #maybe i'm just a simple lesbian and Layla is the most dateable marvel woman #who knows #she's just the most levelheaded take i've seen on 'girl hero' in a while

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aashi-heartfilia · 9 months

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Hello everyone!!

Welcome to Aashi's Anime and Manga Club. I am a blogger and I love to write about all sorts of anime content. I write about the things I love, and I also write about the things I hate. Writing stuff makes me feel better and helps me to express my honest opinions about certain topics and engage with a community that I generally don't see in my day-to-day life.

I write meta posts, answer asks, recommend fics, and reblog all kinds of interesting stuff. This blog is heavily dedicated to four of my favorite characters: MaoMao, Ochako Uraraka, Toga Himiko, and Lucy Heartfilia. But I write about other seasonal animes as well like Oshi no ko, Tengoku Daimakyo (Heavenly Delusion), My Happy Marriage, Zom100: Bucket List of the Dead, A Sign of Affection, Solo leveling, Spyxfamily etc.

Here is a Navigation Guide to some of my best posts so far:

Starting off with our native apothecary MaoMao...

The Hypocrisy of Jinshi and MaoMao

My most popular 'Kusuriya no Hitorigoto' post so far

Next of is the Golden Girl 'URAVITY' aka Ochako Uraraka

Not just any Hero, we need 'THE HERO'

Not just any hero, we need THE HERO

I like how almost every important character in MHA had an arc about being their own person. The most obvious one being Shouto and Tenya who

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Divided by sides, united by souls...A Tragedy

https://aashi-heartfilia.tumblr.com/post/676548075549032448/saving-her-heart-but-still-dying-at-the-end

We fail to understand.

https://aashi-heartfilia.tumblr.com/post/676519040684081152/we-fail-to-understand

How MHA would have looked like without Uravity?

https://aashi-heartfilia.tumblr.com/post/663386604380012544/how-would-my-hero-academia-would-have-looked-like

Top 10 favorite Ochako Moments

https://aashi-heartfilia.tumblr.com/post/662587942428180480/my-top-10-favourite-ochako-uraraka-moments

Uravity is the next Nana Shimura

Ochako is next Nana Shimura: All Character Plots going on for Ochako Uraraka and Future Potential

I think it was always a big game, Horikoshi had in mind for her. She was introduced as a very lovely and warm person who has a somewhat bada

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

Why is Uravity the most Overheated character in MHA?

BnHA 323: Why is Uravity the most overhated character in MHA?

Okay then, let's go! If I have to say that Uravity is the most overhated character in MHA it won't even be an opinion, cause it is a fact. E

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

Anyone can be a Hero: My version of Ochako's speech

ANYONE CAN BE A HERO!!

Do you know about Midnight? To you, she will be a hero but for us, she was our sensei who taught us History every day. But she is no longer

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

The problem with IzuOcha

The main problem with IzuOcha

Firstly, let me start off by saying that I am in fact an IzuOcha shipper and yet I still feel like something is missing. Today I finally fig

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

Why Ochako Uraraka isn't a bad female lead?

Why Ochako isn't a bad female lead?

My Hero Academia in general gets a lot of hate for creating sissy female characters who look like a bit of a pushover but honestly Ochako is

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

Uravity Quirk Evolution Ideas

To think my first prediction was right all along...

Now Ochako can float objects without touching them!! A big bubble of her aura where everything floats in Zero Gravity!! Hopefully we'll get

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Is it time for Ochako's Quirk Evolution too? A TogaChako Theory!!

So I have a theory in mind.

Now that we have seen firsthand how dangerous Ochako's quirk is, in wrong hands just imagine how dangerous an awakening like Toga would be?

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

Why BakuDeku will become canon and not IzuOcha?

Why BakuDeku will be canon and not IzuOcha? Connection between TogaChako and the entire Love Square...

So this is pure hypothesis and I should clarify that I'm not a shipper when it comes to MHA. I just love the story, its premise and the vari

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It was hinting at Ochako's power all along

It was hinting at Ochako's power all along...The Butterfly effect in MHA

There was a reason why Quirk Doomsday Theory was spelled out for us! There was a reason why Ochako was in front and centre in that panel! Be

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Toga Himiko:

My Convoluted Feelings about Toga's Survival

My convoluted feelings about Toga... what now?

So after reading a bunch of metas all over the internet, my feelings about Toga's survival are more convoluted than ever. The fandom is basi

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The 'ULTIMATE' Hero 'URAVITY'

A great time to repost this!

A single girl's feelings can change the world.

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Hawks, Tsuyu, Jirou, and Ochako Team-up!

Hawks, Tsuyu, Jirou and Ochako team up!!

Hi I really enjoyed reading your ochako awaking post and I was wondering if you got anymore ? If not who do you think be a great team up wit

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NO!! SHE'S NOT DYING!!

I love seeing people happy...

That's why I cannot ignore your tears.

Ochako and the dilemma with Volume Covers

Then we have our lovely celestial princess - Lucy Heartfilia

Top 5 Lucy Battles from the 100 Years Quest

RANKING ALL OF LUCY's STAR DRESSES (Must Read)

RANKING LUCY's CELESTIAL SPIRITS

1. Why are her battles interesting?

2. Lucy vs Strauss siblings 2.0?

3. Is she not using her full power?

4. How did Lucy defeat Mimi?

5. Star Dress Evolutions Mini-Series

THANK YOU FOR READING!!

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darklordazalin · 9 months

Note

Hi, love the darklord reviews!! I was wondering, in your time researching darklords are there any 5e versions you prefer to their 2e/3e versions, or vice versa?

Well, after letting this question sit with me for a few days, I will do my best to answer it as honestly as possible.

First, to understand where I am coming from, I have been a fan of Ravenloft ever since I purchased the first Ravenloft adventure ever written, which was released in 1983. The adventure featured an invitation to dinner at Castle Ravenloft. If you’ve played any version of Strahd’s story, you’ll find it hasn’t changed much since its first release – the vampire’s story has always revolved around a Tarokka reading, a beautiful redhead, and a curse. Not the same can be said about many of the other Darklords that have been featured in Ravenloft and most recently within Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.

Some definitely needed to be changed to appeal to a modern audience. For example, the sheer amount of female Darklords in the old material that were obsessed with being attractive has always been a bit eye rolling. That said, let’s move on to your question.

I mostly prefer the older material as there is far more information provided about almost every Darklord and their history. The older material allows for shades of grey and provides indepth personas and histories for these characters. The new material does a decent job given the limit to a single source book, but misses one of the key features in the Ravenloft setting – that there is beauty in the lands in the Mists and countless innocents worth saving. Instead, it treats everything as a constant source of doom and gloom and the majority of the citizens within as ‘soulless’. To me, that does not give the player characters much in the way of incentive to help these unfortunates.

The most obvious one I prefer in the older material is Azalin. In 5e, Azalin was chucked out of his Domain and gets a 3 sentence write up that is inaccurate at best. This surprised me given his cameo in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. There are some intriguing possibilities with Firan Zal’honan as a Mist Walker, but we are still given nothing about his history. I remember in 2e they chucked Azalin out of Darkon and the fans were more than a little upset about it, which resulted in his return in 3e. Strange that they did that again.

I also prefer the Three Hags from Tepest from the older material. 5e didn’t change their story at all but for some reason only made one of the three hags the Darklord. In my opinion, they are far more interesting as a group.

Then there’s Harkon Lukas. Harkon’s story in 5e is actually a little better – a failed musician always changing in attempts to win fame is a more suitable curse for him than a guy that really wants to rule but his Domain is more about Democracy (well, if you can call musical talent shows in place of elections as a Democracy). However, I dislike that they made him into a loup garou instead of a wolfwere and they took away his monocle. Loup garous are just another type of werewolf in 5e. In past editions they were men who magically imbued the skin of a wolf with dark magic and transformed into wolves or hybrid wolves by donning the skin. They could also transform others into werewolves with their bite. Wolfweres despise both werewolves and loup garous. They are wolves that can turn into men. Harkon’s whole theme was a monster pretending to be a person and thoroughly misunderstanding what makes one human. In past editions Harkon was gender fluid – they could take the form of any gender and did so quite regularly. I just think he's far more interesting as a gender fluid wolfwere that loves wearing monocles.

As for those I prefer more? Mostly this amounts to those Darklords they did complete overalls on and I actually wish they had just created entirely new Darklords and Domains for them instead of replaceing the old versions entirely. This include Hazlan (who is a lot more like 3e Azalin, actually), Saidra d’Honaire, Tsien Chiang, and Ramya Vasavadan.

Saidra d’Honaire took the place of Dominic d’Honaire, but her story is completely different. In 5e we have an evil Cinderella story and with Dominic you had a city of mind-controlled puppets. I would have preferred if they had just given Saidra an entirely new Domain.

Tsien Chiang is a bit more interesting in 5e, but I do miss her keep made entirely of bones of the men that had wronged her because honestly that was pretty badass.

Ramya Vasavadan is a new Darklord as is her Domain (though it appears to be a mash up of the Verdurous Lands). Ramya is interesting as her past isn’t overly horrendous, but she clearly has the potential for great evil. The land of Kalakeri is a great addition to Ravenloft and offers something entirely different from past editions for players to explore.

I also enjoy Viktra Mordenheim in Lamordia. I think she’s one of the new Darklords that you read and think “why yes, this individual is completely evil’. However, I do not think she’s ‘better’ than Lamordia’s previous Darklord – Adam. Adam was the creation of Victor Mordenheim. Essentially, Lamordia was Ravenloft’s take on Frankenstein, except in Ravenloft both the Doctor and his creation are the monster. So, running Lamordia depends on if you want to lean into the classic Frankenstein of the older material or the steam punk horror of the newer material. I think both work well.

Lastly and though she is not a Darklord, Lyssa von Zarovich was horribly done in 5e. As were any of the previous characters that had their own backstory and were reduced to ‘potential Tatyana reincarnation’. But Lyssa in particular. Lyssa is a relative of Strahd’s, so the whole her being a reincarnation of his lustful obsession is more than a little disturbing. Besides that, she is also known for her work with the Illithids of Bluetspur, the creation of vampiric mind flayers, her work on the Apparatus, and her constant plans to destroy her grand uncle. She would have made a great Mist Walker. She made a pact with the Dark Powers to become a vampire, then tricked the ghost of her dead fiancé into using his ‘frightening vintage’ on her so she would age and become more powerful as a vampire.

#this ended up being way longer than i intended #this is why you don't asked me questions about ravenloft #ravenloft

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thegraphitepencils · 21 days

Note

i dont know much about Judaism, and i'd love to hear anything you have to say ^^

Hii sorry this is late, we have been packing to move tomorrow !! so we got busy lol

It’s hard to distill everything I love about Judaism into one post, but I’m gonna do my best to give the broad strokes.

Judaism isn’t just a religion, or just a culture. It’s both and it’s beyond. It’s a rich history, a touchstone for a people that have been dispersed and oppressed all over the world and still manage to stay resilient and connected. Jewish community varies so heavily all around the world, European Jews and African Jews and Middle Eastern Jews and Asian Jews etc, so many gorgeous unique traditions. Yet they have the same core, a thread of the same history. You feel like you’re cousins with someone on the other side of the planet who doesn’t share your native language. You connect through sharing food and joy and sorrow and holy days and ancient prayers and the ancestors who first said them. If your nuclear family is shit, then you still have a family in every other Jew around the world.

And converts are part of that family too! It’s said that all Jewish souls, including future ones, were present at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, and that includes converts. Converts are to be treated as if they were always Jewish as soon as they convert, and you can feel a familiarity in them as soon as they begin their study. It’s very hard to convert, there is so much to learn and it can take years, and converts are revered for that dedication.

Judaism is a culture focused on education, critical thinking, charity, respect, peace, community, kinship. Even in the most stringent orthodox communities, communities with strict gender roles, I know I’ll be safe as a queer trans person even if they don’t fully understand my identity. They may possibly disagree with me (but they may not! there are many queer & ally Orthodox Jews!) but they’ll definitely keep me safe, which is something I can’t honestly say about wider leftist spaces.

It’s a genuine miracle that Judaism has lasted thousands of years after countless genocides and forced fleeing. So many cultures with similar stories to ours have been completely wiped out. But through a mix of tradition and adaptability in equal parts, a dedication to observe our tradition no matter the circumstances, this culture has prevailed and always will. Everyone who tried to kill us for good has failed and always will. There’s something so invigorating and empowering about that, as horrible as all the tragedy has been and continues to be.

Speed round of some Judaism fun facts!

- The Hebrew calendar is based on the lunar cycle, instead of solar like secular time. Currently it’s the year 5784, and the 6th day of Nisan. (Or maybe 7th by now?? Our days also begin at sundown!)

- Our most significant holidays, the High Holy Days, happen in the September-October range

- Virtually any commandment is permitted to be broken if following it could endanger someone’s health. Preservation of human life is beyond all other law. This is known as pikuach nefesh, “to save a soul.”

- The phrase “chosen people” gets misunderstood by gentiles a lot. We like to say we were “chosen to do the dishes.” We get the hard work of following a bunch of commandments gentiles don’t have to, in order to be so dedicated to doing good that we inspire the whole world to do good in their own way. It’s important to note that there is no concept of eternal damnation in Judaism, and there is no consequence for not being Jewish! We don’t proselytize, we don’t see our religion as “the correct one.”

And some recommendations for you!

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (co-founder of ao3!) is a Jewish fantasy novel, mixing multiple classic fairytales with dangerous fae creatures in a Slavic inspired setting. It’s gritty and dark yet so full of warmth and love, with some of the best female characters I’ve encountered in any media. It has so many little bits of Jewish culture sprinkled throughout that makes me giddy to see. And it also has THE best representation of the shape of antisemitism, how it operates and feels to experience. I cannot sing its praises enough.

Karov by Batya Levine is an album we’ve been listening to a lot this past week. Batya is a queer Ashkenazi musician inspired by historic Jewish music, and their stuff is absolutely beautiful. I’m a big fan of these lyrics from them: “we are good, we are flawed, we are the breath of an imperfect G-d.”

Thank you sm for sending an ask, I hope you enjoyed my ramblings!! -Riley

#jumblr

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honey-minded-hivemind · 6 months

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My Parent ABO AUs in X-Men Evolution sounds interesting to me, so I think I'm going to explore that for a minute:

• So, I have two different ABO Parent AUs, with everyone's two favorite ferals, Wolverine and Sabretooth. And honestly, X-Men Evolution seems like a good media to have the aus set in, due to having teens, friendship, less romance drama, compelling story arcs, and seeing these characters in a new light, exploring their potential in a more... kid-friendly way? Well, without too much romance, petty drama, and squabbling.

• I've explained in previous posts what any of my ABO AUs entail, not just the general one or the Parent ones. What they entail is this: Betas are more sturdy and hardy than either Alphas or Omegas, and can adapt easier than they can (they aren't side-lined) and can either have a baby or give someone a baby; Alphas tend to be fleet, fast and strong, but aren't as largely built as others, yet are incabale of having a baby (they don't have wombs); and Omegas aren't weak or meek, they're the strongest and most protective, but only have wombs. ABOs are one of the types of gender, male and female and nonbinary and trans and everything else still exist, too, but the mutants are the ones who tend to have the ABO traits highlighted and more influential in their lives.

• Other people (the humans) have ABO, but not as strong or prominent as mutants. The mutants tend to have more instincts, more urges, than a human would. And example: Human sees a cute animal, they find it cute or go meh. A mutant sees it, they like it/love it, they immediately want to hug it and adopt it. Mutants have powers, so imagine due to the mutations, it enhances any instincts or urges at least 10× more than a regular human.

• For the ABO Parent AUs in X-Men Evolution, I think I need to explore one at a time. Each person has their own history and personality, and since these aus are set entirely apart, it's best to explore them separately. With that tidbit said, let's try Logan first (favorite X-Men dad, who adopts every kid he sees)

• I headcanon that for X-Men Evo, he is an asexual. The reason he likely ever did the deed would be for one of two reasons: 1, he had a partner he loved, and wanted to meet their more private needs, and agreed to it, or 2, he wanted a baby, knew what was required, and did what he had to to get said baby. I wouldn't put either past him, since we do see him being empathetic and caring, even if he acts like he isn't, and would do what he thought was best.

• One way or another, he ends up pregnant (yes, he's an Omega, remember, strong and overprotective, fits), and he's rather pleased. The guy, no matter what X-Men media, adopts just about every child and teen he sees. So, yeah, I think this would make sense. During the pregnancy, he's protective, soft, and cuddly. Talks to the baby (reader), eats a lot to keep up with his metabolism and to keep his bby fed, and let's his friends (Charles Xavier and Ororo Munroe/Storm) dote on him.

• Then, when the time comes to have the bby... worse comes to worse. He's somehow in the hands of his enemies, he's on his own, and he can't stop what's already begun. By the end of it, he's exhausted, in pain, and barely coherent... but before he can even get more than a glimpse of his bby, they're taken away. No matter what he begs, no matter what he screams, he can't get free and he can't sense his child anywhere nearby.

• When he's rescued, it feels hollow. They search, tearing thoroughly through the building, looking high and low for any sign, anything, to hint to what happened to his child. But they find nothing... He doesn't give up, hunting through the halls to find what trace he can... Yet all he finds is the smallest cloth covered in blood, stained with his and his bby's scent... And he and his friends fear the worse had happened...

• He goes through a depression, trying to find anything left of his bby, and finding nothing. Charles does his best to help, offering aid and any resources he can to help his friend. Storm does her best to soothe him, sitting through the worst of it and consoling him, even sitting through the nights with him just so he won't be alone. And then Scott and Jean enter the three's lives... and then there's hope again, joy...

• And over the next few years, Logan slowly heals some of the pain. He has to help these two kids who need their help, his help, and he has to be there. It doesn't heal everything, but it numbs some of the grief, letting him feel some bit of happiness again. And as the other X-Men teens show up a few years later, he stays there for them. He isn't leaving these kids behind, not when they need him, need the pack he and the other adults provide. He wants to be there for them, to offer advice and soothe their fears and be everything he was denied to be with his own bby. He loves the teens, and would do whatever it took to keep them safe, the way he couldn't protect his own bby in the past or love on them...

• The teens do eventually find out that their resident Team Dad had a baby in the past, and feel a bit of heartbreak too. For Scott and Jean, they realize that would explain some of the sadness he had in the past when they first arrived, and why he was so careful with them, and then the others. For the other teens, they feel sympathy, and even empathy. For all the teens, they've dealt with their own losses, and they think they can understand their friend dad a little better...

• Yet the entire time... the reader wasn't dead. While they were taken away to be cleaned up and then taken to be experimented on, one of the nurses had a change of heart, realizing that the baby they were holding was just that, a baby. One they just took away from their parent, and planned to hurt. With that, when the other nurses leave, and they go to transfer the reader, they instead leave with them, taking them away from the labs and deciding to find someone to care for them...

• And the reader grows up, never knowing what transpired. Their life wasn't perfect, and they had their fair share of early traumas, but they did have at least one person in their life who loved them, and for them, that was enough. Yet over the years, that person's health worsens, to the point they are in the hospital. They know someone who can help the reader, or so they think, and decide to direct the reader to that area, which puts them in the same area as everyone else...

• The reader doesn't take their loved one's passing well, but soldiers on. They do their best to get along with their contact, only to find they're left on their own. They have enough money for necessities, and a place to live, but they don't have a way to stay in touch with their new guardian. Reader takes everything as best they can, and pushes down any discontent or pain that bubbles to the surface. They want to enjoy life, and plan to do just that, even if it takes awhile.

• They end up in the same school as the teens, and is a quiet, lone figure in and outside the classes. They don't talk to anyone unless they have to, keeping to their own devices and staying away from others their age, and a few people seem to think they'd make a good target for bullying. They try to push the reader around, only to be met with a vice-like grip that threatens to crush their arm, and warned in the coldest voice they heard to get lost. Thus leads to the reader now having a reputation as the mysterious lone wolf of the school.

• The X-Men and Brotherhood teens heard of the reader, but never put much thought into it... Uuuntil the adults of their groups inform them they sensed mutant activity, and it appears the reader is said new mutant. Which leads to the most awkward ways of getting to know someone. Each teen from each group has their own idea of how to approach the reader, and are doing their best to not be put off by the task at hand. But hearing that the quiet mystery kid at school is the newest possible recruit gives them a feeling of trepidation... They really don't want to end up with a broken hand, or worse...

• Yet somehow, someway, they do end up talking with the reader... And are relieved that they aren't too bad. A little gruff, and cutting to the point, but they aren't that bad (they haven't seen certain team members before their morning coffee). When they try to talk about being mutants, that's when the reader tries to back out. They don't want anything to do with that, or being around other people, especially teens. They've been hurt before, and aren't keen to relive those experiences... Well, the teens don't leave them alone. They pester the reader, asking what their power is and trying to figure it out on their own, and finally their troubles are rewarded...

• And then they realize that oh cr*p they have claws like Logan (the Brotherhood teens know who he is, they've heard Sabretooth/Victor talk about him, and they have actually met Logan. People get along better in the ABO AUs). Aaaand now they are all trying to figure out what to say. How do you you tell someone, "Hi, yeah, we know your dad/uncle, so can you please come with us so we can show you to them?" The teens all around are doing their best to figure out how to break the news, but now the reader makes more sense now, because oh, that's why they look a bit familiar, they're related to him. Cue the teens rushing off to call their pack parents to share the news...

• And when they do get the news... it's a lot to take in. How do they even begin to process it? And how do they break it to the reader, who they know doesn't know anything about their parentage or what finding them means? Breaking the news to Logan, he has to take a minute. And then, with every bit of urgency and seriousness, asks if it's true. When he's met with the answer, that it is, he's... he's elated. Warm. Feels like crying. Because his bby wasn't dead, and they were nearby, alive and well. And even though he wants to rush in, to see them immediately... he doesn't. For his bby's sake, and for his kids sake, he and the other adults shouldn't rush it. His bby knows nothing about him or the truth behind what happened, who they were, and if they tell them, they have to do so as carefully as possible. Thus begins the befriending of his bby by his kids, plus the Brotherhood teens.

• (Yes, Victor finds out, and for him, he's glad his brother's child isn't dead. But he does plan to have them on the Brotherhood's side, so they're close by and so his brother will actually visit him and join him )

• And the reader has no clue all of this is going on. They just know that the Xavier and Brotherhood teens are acting weirdly friendly and interested in them, and they have to try to not be panicked. Attention on them isn't something they like, and suddenly having a bunch of teenagers interested in you feels like too much for them. Reader does their best to stay polite, but keeps themself from connecting too much with them. Yeah, no one's having that. Everyone is trying to find out how to approach them, and how to try to get them to join their side, while doing their absolute best to curb their own instincts telling them they have a new friend/sibling that should be with them, not away from them, and should be in the pack nest, under a dozen blankets...

• Finally, they're able to get the reader to open up a bit, little by little. Finding someone caring and afraid underneath, who unconsciously has been denying and burying their instincts all their life, trying to be what they thought was normal. And the teens are quick to tell the adults, who are then quick to speed things up a little. Yet teens have a plan of their own: Invite the reader to their home, and get the adults to see for themselves they need them, need a proper pack and some proper TLC.

• Reader does eventually meet Logan, and he's doing his best to stay calm as his kids present his long lost bby to him, who's waving awkwardly and asking if he's okay, he looks a bit pale- And for the rest of the time reader is at the mansion, he's keeping an eye on the teens, noting how they and his bby are, glad to see them getting along and safe...

• And after a few months, the groups decide they should break the news to reader. The reader deserves the truth, and they're all friends now, so they hope for the best. The groups are careful, asking as gently as possible what the reader knows about their parent/s or guardians... and then tell them they know someone like them, who is just like they are, mutation and all... The reader doesn't need much to read into what they're saying, and feels a bit... scared. They have a feeling whatever the teens tell them, they expect a certain answer, and they won't take kindly to the wrong one. And when the news does break, the reader is quiet. Taking it in. And asks if that changes anything. The teens are quiet, studying the reader, and doing their best to stay calm... The reader asks to have some time on their own, leaving as quick as possible. They're overwhelmed, and they're pretty sure the odd behaviors of everyone isn't a sign of good for them, and realize that their gut feelings from before, that the groups had something dark, something off about them, were right...

• Over the next few weeks, the reader tries to avoid the teens, and tries to make a plan to find leave town for awhile. They want to run, to hide, to get away from it all. Something is telling them to run, to leave as fast as possible, that something isn't right, and this time, the reader wants to listen to it. But as they go to get some air, to calm down, they find someone they didn't expect to see. Logan. Who said the kids sent him to check up on them, since they haven't seen them for awhile. And the reader knows, somehow, that he and the others know what they planned to do, and feels fear flood them. Yet they stay still and do their best to brush off any concern, hoping against the odds to leave before anyone takes notice...

• Then Logan cuts to the chase, asks the reader why they want to run, why they're ignoring the others... and the reader bolts. They run, as fast as they can, sliding through the house and out the back door, trying to run from everything that's happening and the panic eating through them...

• And Logan follows. He isn't alone, but the others decided to stay in the van, to give the reader some space. Clearly that wasn't the answer. He knows they're being eaten up inside, that they're unsure what road to take next and overwhelmed, but frome everything Jean could read from their mind, they were in danger of running off, of hurting themself, and he can't let that happen. It's not hard to track his bby, or for him to approach them from the shadows. But he and his pack aren't losing them, and if that means they have to step in, so be it.

• And the reader knows the moment they catch a scent in the wind, a scent that's so similar to their's, that they've been found. They watch carefully as Logan approaches them, and has to fight down every urge to cry, to break down, to give in. Yet all he does is stay a few feet away, making gentle noises. And he talks, asking what's wrong and why they want to run so bad. Asking if that's what they really want. Telling them they won't be hurt, that they care, he cares, and he's there to keep them safe. Then just as carefully, he hugs them. And it feels so, so good...

• The reader shakes, trying not to let the fearful noises slip past them. The arms around them are firm, warm, promising nothing but gentleness and protection. And yet they still feel anxious. A hand rubs circles into their back, and they can hear the noises better now, soft chuffs, like an animal trying to calm its baby. And for a minute, they let it sink in, the comfort they've wanted, that they've needed, freely given and so, so warm... Yet they try to pull away. They can't have it, they can't put themslef through the pain of having it, that love and care, turn against them... But all the grip around them does is tighten, the noises growing louder and more determined... And just as softly... something sharp presses into their shoulder. And they suck in a sharp breath,, struggling as they realize what just happened.

• Tears sting their eyes as they become desperate, trying to tug themself away, only to be pulled back into the grip. The hand on their back keeps rubbing warm circles, and they feel their head tucked underneath their captor's chin. A sob escapes them, as a deep rumble comes from the one holding them. Whatever they were injected with, they can feel it slowly affecting them. A heaviness enters their thoughts, slowly spreading throughout their body. They try to pull back, but are only met with a deep purr. Everything is... starting to slip. Tiredness consumes them, slumping them into the hold around them. Warmth is over them, pressed into their back and limbs, only helping them drift off into a peaceful darkness. A gentle noise comes from whatever they're against, lulling them to the brink... It feels so good... So calm... The gentle rubbing agsint them continues, and a small hum escapes them... And then, with a small exhale, they slip completely under...

• As his bby passes out, a deep rumble escapes him. His bby is safe, and he can finally take them home, where he and the others can help them and nurture their instincts, right where they always belonged. With a quiet sigh, Logan picks them up, nuzzling his head against their's, then heads back to where the van is. He and the others will explain everything when his bby wakes up, and they'll make everything right again. Everything will be okay. His bby may have tried to run, but he understands that they were scared, anxious, afraid of kind touches and loving words. But he'll help them. They all will. Just a bit of time nurturing them and helping them adjust to the changes, and they can try to get them back in school with the others. They just have to get through the first few stages, starting with bringing them home...

(And that is what I have so far for this au. Things to expect include, but aren't limited to: group nesting, scenting, chuffs and purring between everyone, protective and possessive behavior, and many pack bonding moments. And yes, Laura shows up, and yes, she's added too. Victor makes an appearance, multiple times, to meet his nibblings and to try and get Logan to join him... The reader wakes up and kinda knees someone in the crotch. Then tries to act like nothing happened the night before. It's a trip for everyone, as they try to care for the reader, only to have to deal with them expecting every kind word and action to have a double meaning, a threat, behind it, a joke against them or a manipulation tactic to hurt them... And the platonic yans realize just how much TLC they need to put into their kid/sibling/friend.)

(P.S.: How the Platonic Yan Teens come to like Reader:

A bully, possibly Duncan or Riley or someone else, messing with one of the teens, acting like a jerk: Ha, what are you gonna do about it, loser?😈

Reader, stepping out from the shadows behind them and tightening a strong hand around the bully's shoulder: What are you gonna do if I break your arm right now?💀😇

Bully, now scared: Get off me, freak! Walks away before reader can follow up on their threat🏃💨

Reader, looking their way, then back at the Platonic Yan Teen: Well... that happened. Have a nice day Pats their shoulder, then walks off before anyone can say anything

Platonic Yan Teen, five seconds later: ... What. The h*ck. Just happened?? Well, looks like we're friends now🤔🤷😍

#honeycomb thoughts #platonic yandere marvel #yandere platonic marvel #platonic yandere marvel x reader #platonic yandere xmen #yandere x-men #platonic yandere #platonic yandere x reader #platonic yandere wolverine #platonic yandere xmen evolution #ABO Parent AU

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